Reading Srila Prabhupada’s books
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Hare KrishnaBy Sivarama Swami

From Srila Prabhupada’s teachings and Gaudiya history, it seems that there has always been a tension between two kinds of followers of Lord Caitanya’s mission—the preachers and the reclusive practitioners. These are known as the gosthy-anandi (GA) and bhajan-anandi (BA), respectively. The debate between the two centres around how they realise the confidential essence of Lord Caitanya’s teachings, Vraja-bhakti, and the failings that each sees in the other’s practice. GA see that BA neglect Lord Caitanya’s order to preach and that they take an exoteric approach to spontaneous devotion in practice, for which the vast majority of aspirants are ineligible.(1) Therefore such BA are rightly labelled sahajiyas. BA, on the other hand, argue that GA preaching of varnasrama and refuting evolution are material activities, and the GA practice of regulative devotional service leads them to Vaikuntha and not Vraja. Both these charges show a lack of understanding of how to preach and how to elevate neophyte devotees to the realm of spontaneity. Continue reading "Reading Srila Prabhupada’s books
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How the mind troubles us – and how to protect ourselves – Hindi
→ The Spiritual Scientist

[Congregation program at Kharagpur, India]

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Keep the mind on the spiritual track to keep it out of trouble
→ The Spiritual Scientist

[Talk to NIT students, Juhu]

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Why we need spirituaity in the age of technology
→ The Spiritual Scientist

[Talk to NIT students, Juhu]

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Monday, June 4th, 2018
→ The Walking Monk

Bracebridge, Ontario

It Started With Bracing the Bridge

We admired the Bracebridge Falls, then stepped over Silver Bridge, which arches over the falls, in order to get to the main street of the town.  The first shop to see is a storefront for “Veda Yoga.”  Then Vyasacharya, who runs the Quality Inn and led our walk, mentioned, “There’s four yoga studios in town.”

“Not bad for a population of 16,000,” I said.

We stepped on further at the quiet hour of 9:00 p.m., and a sole person, a middle-aged Caucasian male, after unloading something, offered his pranams.  “Namaste!” he said in greeting, and, “Where are you from?”

“Toronto, but really I travel a lot.  Did Canada on foot, four times.  Just completed the U.S. last year.”

“These are your followers?” he asked inquisitively.

“We are friends, followers of bhakti-yoga…”

I was thinking that all of us are actually under the father-ship of Prabhupada.

We moved on toward Wellington Street, but came upon a picture of Elvis with the poster caption:  Father’s Day is June 16th—Treat Dad like a King.  The poster was set in the wall of a shop, and it reminded us, our group of eight—all fathers except for myself and Kailash, a newly-wed—that dads do entertain.  We could not imitate Elvis, who would smoothly move his pelvis, but we could enlighten the generation after us with our words and actions.  Generally, this is what a parent does—guide, direct, point, bless, etc.  Show by example.  For instance, here we are winding down the day by walking.

May the Source be with you!
5 km

Sunday, June 3rd, 2018
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Queenston Heights, Ontario

The Start of the Bruce

Just a few metres from a monument marking the death of Sir Isaac Brock in the War of 1812, is the starting point of the southernmost entrance of the Bruce Trail.  At 7:00 a.m., I, with companions, Vaishnav, Jagannath Misra, Sukavak, Karuna, Narayani, and friend Kent, began this 900 kilometre trail and headed north.  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brock%27s_Monument

The trail is awesome, with its Carolina-like forest in the southerly portion, ancient rocks next to the Niagara River, and green vegetation of all sorts.  One of the highlights of this trail is the diverse eco-systems.  You turn a corner, and you observe a sudden patch of daisies all around, and at another bend, trees of majestic stature.  The surface of the trail ranges from packed deciduous clay, to mud, sand, and then gravel.

It was surprising to me to notice more people.  However, at one point, in our mere 12.5 kilometre trek for the day, after venturing through some steep areas of almost climb, we met Dracon.  Dracon sported a sunhat and an attached head net to address everyone’s favorite entity, the mosquito.

Dracon is originally from China, worked as a server in a Chinese restaurant in Canada, and told the restaurant owners that he was quitting in order to spend the month of June hiking the Bruce Trail.

We asked him why he was hiking, and camping the whole trek.

“To get a peace of mind,” he said solemnly.

Our group reached Woodend Conservation and left it to return at a time of our convenience in the future.  It was from there, hours later after our start, that we returned to do other devotional activities.

May the Source be with you!
12.5 km


Saturday, June 2nd, 2018
→ The Walking Monk

Mississauga, Ontario

Walk for Alzheimer’s

I’ve been on a Terry Fox Run for cancer, but this was the first time I’d trekked for Alzheimer’s.  I was fortunate to get plugged into the run/walk for the cause of the serious disease through friends and devotees of the west end of Toronto, with the group being spear-headed by Rajasuya.

Although it has been said that turmeric and ginger, two major ingredients in our diet, are combatants of Alzheimer’s, and some other physical challenges, we are primarily looking at those folks who are going through awful pain caused by the side-effects from some of these kinds of illnesses.  Almost everyone knows or has known people afflicted with Alzheimer’s.  For those individuals and to fund research to develop cures, we walked with about 500 others in Mississauga, in Peel County, along Lake Ontario, on a scenic snake of a trail.

Gaura Keshava, my friend from the UK, was, by the way, ‘scenic’ for co-walkers on this five kilometre walk.  He came in a white dhoti, a thick grey-and-white stitched chauddar (shawl), and for footwear, it was your traditional wooden karama shoes, hand-carved from hardwood in India.  Boy, did they get attention.  There’s a peg—or what I call a door knob—affixed to each shoe to fit between the big toe and the single inline.

It was quite exotic for everyone else in their name-brand sneakers.

The walk went well, and thanks to Juhi Arora, our group was able to register and participate.  Music was played at the registration booth to hype everyone up, and it was rather uplifting to hear James Brown belting out, “I Feel Good,” over the loud speaker.

For the hour or so of walking, there was little time for japa chanting.  Of course, you are obliged to talk and walk simultaneously.

May the Source be with you!
5 km


Friday, June 1st, 2018
→ The Walking Monk

Toronto, Ontario

We Like Where We Are

“Please join us,” I indicated with hand gestures to the cricket enthusiast on his way to the athletic field.  It wasn’t the first time he or his buddies refused our offer to sit down and sing with us.  There’s a group of them, obsessed with their game, and they routinely go about their business as we do ours, sitting there on the grass.

The light refusal is always with a smile.

The other day, Ajamil, who was singing to his harmonium accompaniment, also tried to encourage. “Hey, before the game, just five minutes, chant with us!”  Now Ajamil is very animated in most everything he does, and still his coaxing didn’t work, because everyone has his/her priorities.

Today, also, it became a priority for Karuna and I to go for that walk—my second for the day—to “knock off” our prescribed sixteen rounds on our meditation beads.

The route?  Well I let him have his choice.

“Green space or people and concrete?” I asked.  

“It doesn’t matter.  As long as I’m given time,” he said.

Alright then. And so we ventured down Yonge Street, right onto Bloor, and then through Yorkville’s Jazz Fest. It had started to darken with night approaching, and you could see everyone anticipating a wild night.

As we moved through the night crowds where everyone dressed well—or almost dressed—I blurted out to Karuna, “I’m so grateful I did not get entrapped in this lifestyle.  I like where I am.”

Karuna totally agreed with me.  We individually set goals and priorities for ourselves.

May the Source be with you!
6 km

Thursday, May 31st, 2018
→ The Walking Monk

Mississauga, Ontario

Gone to Bobby for Donations

Every year I pay a visit to Bobby Bakri, a dentist, who has his practice in Mississauga.  Some great points about him: 
He’s a good donor for the yearly Chariot Fest, this year on July 14thand 15th.  
He also loves to read the books of Prabhupada.  Currently he’s reading Canto 3 of the Bhagavatamand he’s loving it.

I handed Bobby a copy of the short read, Easy Journey to Other Planets.  The contents are so prophetic, profound and progressive-thinking. Bobby loves this subject because what the contents say so much aligns with today’s findings on the galaxy.  For example, more recent research confirms the Vedic belief of many universes existing with multiple planets and luminaries such as suns and moons.

According to Bobby, within space you have a great vacuum, but what’s there now is a fluid moving within that space.  And what do the Vedas say about liquid flowing in the sky? Aren’t there stories in them about the Ganges descending?  And what about the milk ocean Vishnu floats upon?  Some scientists are discovering all kinds of fluids in the atmosphere.

Bobby hosts myself and companions from our community at his clinic, where there’s samosas, lassies, nuts and a good walker’s trail mix.  His family—two sons, a daughter and his wife (also a dentist)—always come when we are to turn up.  We chant throughout his clinic, through every room, which is a way of blessing the premises.  His son, age eight, gave me an optimistic high five.  I gave him a copy of the children’s book, The Walking Monk,published by Samhita Press, and written by Anna Milagrits.  https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Monk-Anna-Milagrits/dp/1684430011

May the Source be with you!
0 km



Bulls, not Milk?
→ Life With the Cows and Land



The Cow Culture Conference was held in Silicon Valley, California May 2018  by the Om Sri Surabhi Campaign headed by HH Bhakti Raghava Swami. At the conference, Balabhadra (William E. Dove -president of ISCOWP) speaks about Lord Krishna as a protector of cows, why cows were bred in Vedic times and his personal realizations about the benefit of associating with cows. Some flashes from the past can be seen in pictures,  dating back to the 1980's, accompanying his talk.

“Importance of Studying Srila Prabhupada’s Books”
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“Importance of Studying Srila Prabhupada’s Books”
BB Govinda Swami: At those meetings we discuss different topics and points for the development of our International Society for Krishna Consciousness. But there’s some of us who always feel like when we, older leaders of ISKCON come together it would be in our best interest if we would sit down together and we would just open Srila Prabhupada’s books and we would read Srila Prabhupada’s books together for two weeks straight. Or when we would stop reading Prabhupada’s books we just sit down and have kirtan for hours together.

Kitchen Cleanliness by Kurma Dasa
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Kitchen Cleanliness.
Kurma Dasa: Here’s an essay I wrote a while back.
While teaching Sanatana Gosvami, Lord Caitanya described twenty-six qualities of the Vaisnava. A devotee of Krsna, he said, is clean, suci. Everything about a devotee, inside and outside, should be clean - his mind, heart, intelligence, body, clothes, living place, place of work, place of worship, and his personal and business dealings.

The “Hare Krishnas”, are they crazy? Kadamba Kanana…
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The “Hare Krishnas”, are they crazy?
Kadamba Kanana Swami: All throughout history, people have tried to impress other people. Some men have been wearing high hats. Some ladies have been wearing high heels. In so many ways, people have tried to impress each other, generation after generation. Are we any different? It is the same thing again and again – this one has a beautiful T-shirt, that one a far-out tattoo, this one has very tight clothes, and so on. We are trying to impress everyone with the central focus being the body. It is said however that the happiness of the body is very limited. Many of us know that, but then again, maybe we don’t actually understand what that means. It seems that only a small part of us actually knows it.
Everyone is looking at us ‘Hare Krsnas’ and thinking that we are crazy. Maybe they are right, but then again we are having a good time being attracted to Krsna and knowing that Krsna is spiritual. We know that Krsna’s body is not material – it is never tired and it is not influenced by time. Krsna can eat unlimited food and he does not become fat. You never see Krsna running around the block, trying to stay fit. Krsna is always fresh! (laughter)

Slavery to Banks: A Vedic Prophecy
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Hare KrishnaBy Sri Nandanandana dasa

As related in the Bhagavata Purana, at the start of Kali-yuga, King Pariksit declared that the seeds of evil will manifest in four things: intoxication, gambling, illicit sex, and the killing of innocent creatures, especially for meat-eating. These were the activities in which the personality of Kali could reside. Not only are these the bad habits of Kali-yuga, but engaging in the above-mentioned activities propel us into numerous additional negative activities, all of which force us to give in to such undesirable emotions as greed, anger, jealousy, fault-finding, treachery, hatred, and so on. All of these pave the way for untold pain, suffering, misery and further wicked actions and intrigue. We can plainly see the damage these activities are presently doing. For example, liquor and drugs and other forms of intoxication no doubt ruin the lives of innumerable people. It causes poor health, depression, the waste of needed money, and even suicides and death, either by accidental overdoses or from other things such as territorial gang wars and so on. Continue reading "Slavery to Banks: A Vedic Prophecy
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Bulls, Not Milk? (A video)
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Hare KrishnaBy ISCOWP Co-Managing Director

The Cow Culture Conference was held in Silicon Valley, California May 2018 by the Om Sri Surabhi Campaign headed by HH Bhakti Raghava Swami. At the conference, Balabhadra (William E. Dove - president of ISCOWP) speaks about Lord Krishna as the protector of cows, why cows were bred in Vedic times and his personal realizations about the benefit of associating with cows. Some flashes from the past can be seen in pictures, dating back to the 1980's, accompanying his talk. Continue reading "Bulls, Not Milk? (A video)
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Who are we trying to impress?
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 14 July 2012, Modra, Slovakia, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.1)

All throughout history, people have tried to impress other people. Some men have been wearing high hats. Some ladies have been wearing high heels. In so many ways, people have tried to impress each other, generation after generation. Are we any different? It is the same thing again and again – this one has a beautiful T-shirt, that one a far-out tattoo, this one has very tight clothes, and so on. We are trying to impress everyone with the central focus being the body. It is said however that the happiness of the body is very limited. Many of us know that, but then again, maybe we don’t actually understand what that means. It seems that only a small part of us actually knows it.

Everyone is looking at us ‘Hare Krsnas’ and thinking that we are crazy. Maybe they are right, but then again we are having a good time being attracted to Krsna and knowing that Krsna is spiritual. We know that Krsna’s body is not material – it is never tired and it is not influenced by time. Krsna can eat unlimited food and he does not become fat. You never see Krsna running around the block, trying to stay fit. Krsna is always fresh! (laughter)

The article " Who are we trying to impress? " was published on KKSBlog.

From the GBC Executive Committee
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Hare KrishnaBy the GBC EC

It has come to our attention that an idea is circulating that the GBC Body has overturned the CPO's ruling in a recent case. We wish to clarify that the GBC Body, by its own rules, does not have the authority to overturn a ruling by the Child Protection Office. A verdict can only be changed if the accused is granted an appeal by the CPO. No exceptions are acceptable in this regard. The GBC Body regularly reviews the CPO manual, and in some case, it has made changes to ensure the best possible modus operandi for the CPO. In response to concerns that some aspects of the CPO's operation may have been faulty, the GBC Body is duty-bound to undertake a further analysis of the CPO structure. For this purpose, we are in the process of forming a committee of experts to study our CPO procedures. This does not in any way overturn the decisions already made by the CPO. Please rest assured that we are committed to carrying out our service to Srila Prabhupada, and to the assembly of devotees, faithfully and earnestly. Continue reading "From the GBC Executive Committee
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Severe Drought
→ Ramai Swami

On a recent visit to New Gokula farm the devotees told me that the area was experiencing the worst drought in the last one hundred years.

There had been some light rain but not enough to change the situation much. Our cows were being fed with hay that had been bought from other areas of the state.

The devotees were praying to Radha Gokulananda and doing lots of extra kirtan.

Can ambition and devotion go together 1 – How happiness-distress are fixed and how they aren’t
→ The Spiritual Scientist

[Talk to IIT Kharagpur students, Kharagpur, India]

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Analyzing different religions to find life’s purpose 2 – The problem of evil, original sin and karma
→ The Spiritual Scientist

[Talk to IIT Kharagpur students, Kharagpur, India]

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Analyzing different religions to find life’s purpose 1 – Seeking a purpose bigger than our problems
→ The Spiritual Scientist

[Talk to IIT Kharagpur students, Kharagpur, India]

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The post Analyzing different religions to find life’s purpose 1 – Seeking a purpose bigger than our problems appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Rathayatra in Tallinn, Estonia’s capital (Album with…
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Rathayatra in Tallinn, Estonia’s capital (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The Hare Krishna movement is also an incarnation of Krishna in the form of the holy name (name-rupe). Every one of us who is actually afraid of the asuric rulers and politicians must welcome this incarnation of Krishna. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.3.21 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/cugQQa

Krishna Lunch (8 min video)
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Krishna Lunch (8 min video)
Krishna Lunch is a delicious, all-you-can-eat vegetarian and vegan buffet that has been prepared and served daily by volunteers/devotees of the ISKCON of Gainesville since 1971, when Gargamuni Swami, the first Hare Krishna to come to Gainesville, began chanting and giving out food at the plaza to anybody who passed by him. Krishna Lunch is an extremely economical and nourishing alternative to most of the unhealthy food venues currently populating campus, providing unlimited servings of the day’s entrée, dessert, and refreshment to anyone.

Seeing the Worship
Giriraj Swami

Indradyumna Swami Maharaja has come to spend four weeks with me at my ashram in Carpinteria, and today, watching him do his Deity worship, I was reminded of a statement in Srimad-Bhagavatam (7.5.23–24 purport) that a devotee “unable to worship the Deity must at least see the Deity worship, and in that way he may achieve success also.” Deity worship is one of the five most potent items in devotional service, and witnessing Maharaja’s worship had a powerful effect on my heart.

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami