Diksha, Shiksha or both? A Simple Thought I’m ponderging
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Sometimes you get an interesting question that means rather than giving a simple answer it makes you pause and ponder, explore and indeed ask yourself a number of questions before putting down an answer. I like these sort of questions as being challenged always encourages and inspires.

it was a basic question on the guru disciple relationship and how if this is the most important relationship why does it appear to be less intimate than all other relationships?

We do emphasise the guru disciple relationship to the point that in many ways we miss the more subtle shiksha guru emphasising the importance of Diksha guru so that one becomes almost obsessed with the pursuit of one’s own initiating guru.

It made me think about one’s own experience of diksha guru and indeed that of many of those I know, few get to directly serve their own guru maharaja indeed even when we look at Srila Prabhupada he didn’t spend much time with his guru maharaja. It is actually the instruction of the initiating spiritual master that makes the difference. If we want to make great advancement taking the guru’s instruction seriously means that we will make it home back to Godhead this lifetime. Again Srila Prabhupada was the greatest example of this as he kept always focused on his Guru Maharaja’s instructions, indeed the instruction and more to the point our sincerity in following the instruction makes it the most important relationship.

However for many this is not always the most important understanding of relationship and require a more intimate personal time to which they feel loved and can speak to regularly; which is more rare than normal within the vaishnava movement .

If we analyse and ponder the greatest and more intimate relationship, the one that we will benefit from each and every day is that of the shiksha guru. Our friends and association who will be there during our high’s and low’s in our krishna consciousness life. They are the persons who we will have the greatest association with, will be at the end of a phone, who we will serve alongside with.

For those who have been successful in krishna consciousness have several things in common:
they have taken the instruction of there guru maharaja seriously
they have surrounded themselves with friends and individuals who are also serious in there krishna consciousness
They have the ability to inspire others to take Krishna Consciousness seriously.

My conclusion thought was that Shiksha Guru is in many ways more important than Diksha Guru as these great saintly people those I have intimate personal relationships with are the ones who daily inspire and encourage me in continuing in devotional life; this despite my own battle with my mind.

So if you find yourself struggling in Krishna Consciousness there will be two things missing
taking the instruction of the Diksha Guru seriously
taking the association of our Siksha Guru seriously
In both if we are serious then success will always be there.

Saturday, June 30, 2018
→ The Walking Monk

Russell, Ontario

Genuine Vegan

Krisnadas and I took to a trail next to the road called Longfields.  

“The fields aren’t long anymore,” indicated Krisnadas, who moved to the Ottawa area in the ’70s.  The place was all rural, and now it is so-called developed.  There are some rustic/rural patches remaining. Both of us noted that the ‘green’ on both sides of the trail consists of a diversity of plants, shrubs and trees. And animals.

You know, every day of my life, I hanker to see wildlife of any sort and kind.  Domestic creatures, pets and so on, are plentiful wherever you go.  But I have to have my quota of rawness fulfilled.

Lo and behold, K.D. and I saw a bunny, not shy, but quite open to some human interaction.  He let us get close, this genuine vegan, who had plenty of greens and fruits to munch on: no karela (bitter melon), spirulina, kale, goji berries, or pomegranates, which are great detoxifiers, but dandelions, grasses, and a whole growing array of greens.  He looked content, and he fulfilled my need, my quota.  

K.D., Paurnamasi and I shuffled off to Russell where judo and jujitsu are taught in a venue with nice AC. (It’s very hot and humid here.) There, along with Guru Prasad, we told an audience of bhakti yogiswhat it was like in the ’70s, in the context of the early days of the Hare Krishnas in Canada.  “‘How’ and ‘why’ did you know?” Was the main theme.  Those were the times of a lesser population and fewer buildings—more rawness. 

May the Source be with you!
4 km

Friday, June 29, 2018
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Ottawa, Ontario

Analyzing Road Disappointment

When you live in Canada, you can spend hours in a vehicle because, the reality is, to get from one place to another can be quite a distance.  I’m not exempt from the system.  To get to Ottawa, five hours from Toronto, is achievable on foot in weeks.  I had to get there today.

Dennis drove me to Newcastle to a carpool situation, there to be picked up for the remainder of the drive.  On Highway 2, we passed by one of those Volkswagen vans. “Have you ever driven in one of those?” 

“A hippy van?”

“Yes.”

“Not that I can remember.”

And then Dennis offered his opinion on the conveyance.  Giving one’s opinion is something most people can’t resist doing.  It must mean our brains are functioning.  It’s a symptom of being alive.

Krishnadas then came and picked me up, and then we proceeded east on the 401 highway.  We noticed a huge digital sign.  “401 Closed Ahead.”  Really? And then I offered my opinion upon reflecting on having seen this kind of thing before.  When the busiest highway in the country stops moving as frequently as it does, you have to wonder and question the whole system of moving operations.

We shifted to a northern route, Highway 7, which also eventually came to a standstill a one point.  This rarely happens to pedestrians.  Our bodies are more agile.  We can swerve around an object of mass if it is standing in the way. It is so much easier to think about walking as a choice.  I really have to put patience into full gear when in a vehicle.

May the Source be with you!
0 km




Thursday, June 28, 2018
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Toronto, Ontario

Had Planned

We had planned, for a few days now, to take a breather; to take a meaningful walk along a trail.  The only thing is, we could only complete one-third of it.

Billy, Amala and Isvari joined me on the trek when I did my training, and where I made the decision in ’95 to do my first marathon walk across Canada.  Somewhere between the Brickworks and Mount Pleasant Cemetery, I said one evening on a stroll, “Yes, I’ll do it!”

At the Brickworks, we made our first major stop at the pond.  An old, wise-looking snapping turtle surfaced when he saw us.  Oh, he had been gawking at us from beneath the surface of the water, and then he came up.  No doubt it was food he was after.  We couldn’t satisfy his needs other than to admire him like anything.  We plucked a waterlily from his domain.  

We enjoyed kambucha at the eatery nearby, but without Mr. Kurma, our turtle friend.

It was a steamy day, but the thick, dark and full trees gave relief.  I pointed out to our walking crew what was chicory, birch, maple, oak, Saskatoon berries, salmon berries, cattails, burdock, mulberry, and more all along our trial.  Every plant has purpose.

Billy is really the ‘belle of the ball’, the life of the party.  He really knows how to keep up the thrills on the spur of the moment.  I was dull.  What to do? I didn’t sleep for a moment last night. What the dickens?  And by the way, Charles ‘Dickens’ was an insomniac.

May the Source be with you!
12 km


Wednesday, June 27th, 2018
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Toronto, Ontario

Kamil, the Rain, the Song

Kamil came to join us on the mat which was spread over fresh grass in Ramsden Park.  There had been a recent rainfall.  All was lush and in tones of green and blue.  It was his second time out with us in out-of-doors kirtan.  His first was December 31st, and spilled over into and after the countdown for the new calendar of 2018.

Kamil followed us back to the ashramfor hot herbal tea, as it was an extremely cold New Year’s eve. He liked chanting then and he likes it now.

I admired his walking stick.  I asked him to pose while he didn’t have his farmer’s coveralls on. Yes, indeed, he works with the plants, growing and nurturing them somewhere in Oshawa.

So I was not in a condition to walk much.  A stiff left leg made it difficult.  I’m going to tackle a three hour trek tomorrow along some ravines. I’ll be with others.  We will bond.

Anyway, Kamil leant me his walking stick on the way back to the ashram,after an hour or so of sarod, spoons, mrdanga, kartals and most importantly—voices.

We stuck to one song—Hare Krishna, which was good enough. The climate was perfect.  Rain drops started to hit our faces.  It was time to go.  The rain is particularly not good for the sarod.  It’s fragile and precious and so conducive for chanting.

That’s what we did this morning—had a chanting session about Narada Muni, the sage who plays the vina, a similar stringed instrument.

May the Source be with you!
0 km


Tuesday, June 26th, 2018
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Madrid / Toronto

The Form of Service

The ground was under my feet, from about 11,000 metres up in the air.  It was farewell to Spain for now, after a week of classes, meetings, walking, and fun. I want to thank all those good souls who looked after me while I was at Vraja Mandala, the farm community outside Madrid, and the group who manage Hare Krishna Centro in the downtown district.

I claim no physical kilometres today, only those in the dream state in planning a 15 km trek through some ravines, along an actual loop which begins from our ISKCON Centre on Avenue Road.  It will be a good bonding experience and, who knows, it is great exposure for those of us whom we meet on the trails.  The walking and the chanting does tremendous good.  It is a form of service.

While waiting for Flight 837—Air Canada’s aircraft—to arrive, I read from the Gitaa special segment from purport 10.11: 

“Due to the contamination of material association, through many, many millions of births, one’s heart is always covered with the dust of materialism, but when one engages in devotional service and constantly chants Hare Kṛṣṇa, the dust quickly clears, and one is elevated to the platform of pure knowledge. The ultimate goal, Viṣṇu, can be attained only by this chant and by devotional service, and not by mental speculation or argument.”

The above verse, the two prior, and the one following 10.11, are four key verses, and their purports are major information capsules for material relief.

May the Source be with you!
0 km

Monday, June 25th, 201
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Tres Cantos, Spain

On a Camino Branch

Janardan, president of the Krishna Centre in Madrid, led our party of three (including Narottam) through the dark, dry trail from Fuencarral, on the very outskirts of Madrid.  This is more like what I envisioned The Camino to be—countryside, bushes, farms, dogs barking, remoteness, and maybe other pilgrims. But NO, we were up early, at 4:30 a.m. to take the first steps of a short distance—12 kilometres.

How powerful it was!  Janardan’s cell phone was our map and flashlight at the same time.  Every time we spotted the golden arrow, it gave assurance we were on the right track.

Perhaps the most noticeable feature was the constant thrust of wild flower perfume into the air.  It was such a perfect trail that I would do it again.  Most likely I will tackle Tenerife, the island.  It looks like I have some troopers all set to go for a four-day stretch somewhere in the future.  I’m usually asked, “What’s your next destination?”

There it is, Tenerife, at least, sometime in the future.

Additionally Mantri, the main deity priest at the Madrid centre, took me for some more kilometres during the evening.  We were all comfortably locked inside the building for most of the day. Who wants to brave the 40° C conditions? By 8:30 p.m., we were poised to trek to the rio (river) and back.  This is when everyone comes out of the woodwork.  It was humid.  Overnight my kurta(top) dried to a crusty salt from the sweat.

It was splendid being back in AC land—the centre.

May the Source be with you!
16 km

Sunday Love Feast & Panihatti Cidadahi Festival on 01/07/18…
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Sunday Love Feast & Panihatti Cidadahi Festival on 01/07/18 at Sri Jagannatha Mandir, ISKCON Malaysia (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: In this age, no one is expected to be highly educated in the Vedic ways of understanding because people are very slow, lazy and unfortunate. Therefore Lord Caitanya has recommended the sound vibration Hare Krishna. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 4.4.6 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/xb8u1g

Miracles of Nimai
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Miracles of Nimai.
Kadamba Kanana Swami: From the very beginning, Nimai showed transcendental features as a child. For instance, he was showing the footprints of Vishnu on the bottom of his feet. There were also some amazing things that were happening in their family house. When Nimai was just a baby, his parents used to hear the footsteps of a child running around their house, yet Nimai was not even walking yet. So his father, Jagannatha-Mishra thought that it was the Saligram Sila that was running around the house.

The Accepted Member of the Family
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The Accepted Member of the Family.
A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.
As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In… my young mind, he had a special niche.


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Materialism reduces human life to an inhuman race from nowhere to nowhere
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Materialism reduces human life to an inhuman race from nowhere to nowhere (Based on Gita 16.09)
Chaitanya Charan Das: Many people adopt a materialistic lifestyle without thinking about its implications. A materialistic worldview implies that we have come from nowhere because we didn’t exist before birth; we will go nowhere because we won’t exist after death; and while we live, we are successful if we get more things than others. And even if we do succeed, still, life ultimately ends in failure because we lose everything at death.


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How to attract more Westerners to the Krishna consciousness movement
→ Successful Vaisnavas – Personal Development for Hare Krishnas

The problem Today many devotees are lamenting that not many local people are becoming devotees in Western countries such as England and America. While the movement has continued to grow in India and though expanding Indian congregations in the west, Srila Prabhupada primary mission of giving Krishna consciousness to the people of the Western countries […]

The post How to attract more Westerners to the Krishna consciousness movement appeared first on Successful Vaisnavas - Personal Development for Hare Krishnas.

How to attract more Westerners to the Krishna consciousness movement
→ Successful Vaisnavas – Personal Development for Hare Krishnas

The problem Today many devotees are lamenting that not many local people are becoming devotees in Western countries such as England and America. While the movement has continued to grow in India and though expanding Indian congregations in the west, Srila Prabhupada primary mission of giving Krishna consciousness to the people of the Western countries […]

The post How to attract more Westerners to the Krishna consciousness movement appeared first on Successful Vaisnavas - Personal Development for Hare Krishnas.

Bhagavatam study 87 1.16.25-30 Krishna is the shelter of dharma and dharmic qualities
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Podcast


 

The post Bhagavatam study 87 1.16.25-30 Krishna is the shelter of dharma and dharmic qualities appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Gita 18.11 To pursue liberation, give up the idea of giving up action
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

The post Gita 18.11 To pursue liberation, give up the idea of giving up action appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Were past sages more spiritually advanced that they could live in seclusion whereas we need relationships to grow spiritually?
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Answer Podcast

The post Were past sages more spiritually advanced that they could live in seclusion whereas we need relationships to grow spiritually? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

The Shakti Show- Friday 13th July 2018 – Jointly hosted by ISKCON Scarborough
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Hare Krishna!
Please accept our humble obeisances!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga!

As part of ISKCON Scarborough’s continuing efforts to take the mission of Srila Prabhupada and the chanting of the Hare Krsna Maha Mantra to other temples and communities, we will be co-hosting a wonderful family event on Friday - 13th July 2018 at 16 Dohme Ave in Scarborough.

A similar outreach event (Bhajan Sandhya) was hosted by ISKCON Scarborough at the Satya Sai Baba temple in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada in 2017 where 650 people were in attendance.

For the very first time, at least in Canada, ISKCON will be collaborating with a major Bangladeshi temple to jointly spread the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

A very special multinational group of talented devotees will be coming together to put up a grand show. This will be led by His Holiness Bhaktimarga Swami(www.thewalkingmonk.net)

There will be dance, magic show, music, kirtan, drama etc - an unforgettable Spiritual entertainment for the entire family.

Here are the additional details of this event:
What: “The Shakti Show” - a memorable evening of kirtan, dance, magic show and much more

When: Friday - July 13th, 2018 - 7.30 pm to 9.30 pm

Where: At the Bangladesh Canada Hindu Cultural Society- 16 Dohme Ave, East York, Ontario, Canada, M4B 1Y9

Seating capacity of the hall: 600 to 650

Artists: Talented multinational artists from different parts of the world- Led by HH Bhaktimarga Swami

Food (Sanctified prasadam): Free food/water will be distributed after the event at the venue

Parking: Ample free parking is available outside the venue

Tickets: Please contact Amal Tagore at 647-338-2216 or send an email to iskconscarborough@hotmail.com

Cost of the tickets: Free

Organizers: Jointly organized by ISKCON Scarborough and Bangladesh Canada Hindu Cultural Society

We warmly welcome you, your family and friends to this fun filled spiritual event on Friday - July 13th 2018.


ISKCON Scarborough
3500 McNicoll Avenue, Unit #3,
Scarborough,Ontario,
Canada,M1V4C7
Email Address:
iskconscarborough@hotmail.com
website:
www.iskconscarborough.org

Miracles of Nimai
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 02 January 2018, Murwillumbah, Australia, Home Program Lecture)

From the very beginning, Nimai showed transcendental features as a child. For instance, he was showing the footprints of Vishnu on the bottom of his feet. There were also some amazing things that were happening in their family house. When Nimai was just a baby, his parents used to hear the footsteps of a child running around their house, yet Nimai was not even walking yet. So his father, Jagannatha-Mishra thought that it was the Saligram Sila that was running around the house.

Miracles were always surrounding Nimai. When he was a toddler, Nimai was kidnapped. The kidnappers took him and ran away with him, but Nimai bewildered their minds to the point that the kidnappers ended up running around in a circle and somehow came back right in front of Nimai’s family house. When the kidnappers saw this miracle, they quickly put him down and realised that this was not an ordinary being. Once there was a cobra that appeared in their garden, and Nimai was found lying on top of the cobra, just like Lord Vishnu lies on top of his bed on Ananta Sesa. So miracles were there from the outset, and continued in various ways.

Later, we saw how after Nimai had taken sannyasa, he went into the Jharkhand forests where he made all the animals chant and dance to the holy name. When there was a tiger lying in his path, he simply touched that tiger with his lotus feet and then the tiger jumped up and started chanting, ‘Hare Krsna!’, in a deep voice of course. And then Nimai waved his arms around the forest, so all the other animals like the deers and elephants also started to chant along with pure ecstasy. And at one point, the deer and tiger even started to embrace each other and kiss, which is kind of unusual. So that was a real miracle! So this way the Lord turned the entire forest upside down and miracles continued to follow him.

In Jagannatha Puri, at the time of Ratha Yatra, the enormous chariot of the Lord of the universe stopped moving. So the king sent some muscle men with big shoulders and all, and they started to push this chariot, but it did not move even one inch. Then the king brought in elephants to pull the chariot, still didn’t move. So Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu arrived, got rid of all these muscles and elephants, and then he went to the back of the chariot and touched it with his head, and immediately, the chariot started rolling down the road and those people that were pulling the chariot found the ropes simply lying in their hands.

But the greatest miracle that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu displayed was his incredible depth of love of God. It was beyond what was possible. How could someone cry so many tears? Before this Ratha Yatra, was the Snana Yatra or bathing of Lord Jagannatha. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was dancing in front of the Lord and the water was bouncing from the body of Lord Jagannatha, but the most amazing thing was that more water was coming from the eyes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the form of tears. How was this possible? How could any body contain so much water? Streams were flowing from his eyes. So the love that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu possessed was truly miraculous.

The article " Miracles of Nimai " was published on KKSBlog.

Harinama, book and prasadam distribution in Mertasari Beach,…
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Harinama, book and prasadam distribution in Mertasari Beach, Bali, 1.7.2018 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “Aryan” refers to those who are civilized, whose manners are regulated according to the Vedic rituals. Any devotee who is chanting the holy name of the Lord is the best kind of Aryan. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 3.33.7 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/Nz1hkh

Rathayatra in Vilnius, Lithuania (Album with photos) Bhakti…
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Rathayatra in Vilnius, Lithuania (Album with photos)
Bhakti Chaitanya Swami: Yesterday we had an amazing Rathayatra in Vilnius, the capital city of Lithuania. The atmosphere was wonderful, and the thousands of people around were generally very pleased and impressed. I’m sure Srila Prabhupada was extremely happy with it.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/2zCDns

ONE DAY PADAYATRA IN GUJARAT (Album of photos)
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ONE DAY PADAYATRA IN GUJARAT (Album of photos)
Murali Mohan Dasa: During the auspicious month of Purushottama, on Sunday June 10th -ekadasi day- devotees from Ahmedabad conducted a padayatra from Ujala Circle near Sarkhej to Khodivar Matta temple. We started early morning at 6.00 am and walked till noon so that padayatris’ would be saved from the scorching heat.

BBT News
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Hare KrishnaBy the BBT

June 21st is the beginning of summer. Summer means that most students are away from school for two months, many more people are engaged in outdoor activities, and there are more visitors/tourists come to your city/town. We suggest that you carefully study the best distribution spots in your area. Make a strategy for distributing books in those areas and place orders for appropriate titles as soon as possible. Don't forget to include foreign-language titles (Arabic, Farsi, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, etc.) appropriate for visitors to your area. We can help to prepare ourselves for a summer of mass book distribution by reflecting on Srila Prabhupada's statements included. Srila Prabhupada-ki jaya! Continue reading "BBT News
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Srila Prabhupada Memories – First Time Seeing Srila Prabhupada
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Hare KrishnaBy Niranjana Swami

I oftentimes say, when devotees ask me to speak about Prabhupāda, that I can say my only qualification is that I happened to be on the planet at the same time that Prabhupāda was spreading the Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Movement. I took part in his mission, but I didn’t really have so much personal exchange or association with him. I did get the opportunity to see him many times: a few times in the United States, twice in New York as well as in Philadelphia, and also in Mayapura and Vṛndavana. Continue reading "Srila Prabhupada Memories – First Time Seeing Srila Prabhupada
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Gita 18.10 Take the route that takes us to the destination, not the route that looks the easiest
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

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Bhagavatam study 86 1.16.19-24 Understanding what all things cause distress to the earth
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Podcast


 

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If someone can memorize a lot of verses, is that due to their determination or their memory?
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Answer Podcast

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Meditate while chanting
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 2008, South Africa, South Coast Retreat)

We must go deeper in our meditation. Chanting is to be accompanied by meditation, so we must meditate on who Krsna is. I make it a point that I always meditate while I am chanting, in the sense that when I read something about an aspect of Krsna that strikes me, the thought continues to travel in my mind while I am chanting. So I am always trying to remember Krsna while chanting, which is very important. The more we remember Krsna, the nicer it is. Another essential element to enliven our chanting is hearing – so we must always be able to hear Krsna’s holy name while chanting.

The article " Meditate while chanting " was published on KKSBlog.

Daksha-Shiva conflict 1 – How misconceptions give rise to conflicts – Hindi
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[Bhagavatam class at ISKCON, Belgaum, Inida]

Podcast


 

Podcast Summary


 

Video:

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