God is not so bad!
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Someone asked me questions and below are my answers.

God would not allow me to suffer
God does not want you to suffer. He wants you to come to Him but He will not force you. You have a choice to go to God or enjoy here without Him. We reap what we sow, why to blame God for my behavior. You touch fire, you get burnt why is God responsible? We have to take responsibility for actions.

God will not arrange for suffering unless He hates me
God does not hate or like. He is impartial to all. He rewards us as we approach Him. We can approach Him in a favorable way or unfavorable way. Regardless, He arranges according to our propensity. Yes,  God created this world with laws. For example, God created fire to burn but we play with fire and get burnt. Is God the reason for my burn because He created fire to burn or my irresponsibility I play with fire? Similarly we are inherently spiritual by nature but we want material happiness (nonconforming). God created this material world with laws because we want to enjoy here. But laws come with dos and donts. We ignore it and get burnt. So yes God arranged for us the cosmos with the laws but we misuse and get burnt by the laws. God is not to be blamed for creating the laws. We have to be blamed for breaking it. It is exactly like a citizen breaking Government law and is punished by the Justice System. To blame the Government for arranging laws is childish otherwise without laws there will be chaos and no one (including the law abiders) cannot be happy. So laws are needed for a happy society and that is why we have cosmic laws. Choosing to follow it or not will result in our happiness or suffering (difference between a good citizen who is happy versus a person breaking the law who will eventually suffer in jail). So God is neutral (neither hate nor like). He reciprocates according to your desires. Basically, my point you are the architect of your destiny (good and bad), 

To inflict harm and fight his own living entities because he designed the material world for us to suffer because he felt like it,Iam just not impressed by it.
Not sure how you got this idea. He did not design the world to suffer. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says this world is suffering because it is temporary ( a factor of time). That is His definition of suffering. The suffering you are referring to is because of hate towards one group and love towards another group. This intense polarity or duality is created by man and God is not the cause of this polarity. Material world is suffering from the standpoint of birth and death (time/temporary) not from the standpoint of hate and love which man has created. Hate and love is different from temporariness of this world.

I know we are all affected by karma but why would it even be possible?
Why not? Who should take responsibility for his or her actions. If you pay and hire a building contractor to repair your door and window and he does a poor job. Who will you hold responsible? Can the contractor tell you I am not responsible? Can any institution or society operate without people being accountable to one another? A social body cannot operate without laws and a governing body to enforce these laws? This is the only way we can be held accountable for our good and bad actions. This same idea exercised at the universal level is called Karma. Karma is a mechanical system to enforce the reactions for our previous actions. It is not biased or judgmental (in a negative way). It is an operating system for this world and its' inhabitants.

Why not make sure things were always perfect?, but then again, is it that God needs someone else to do bad so he can look good,another part of His design? 
This world is perfect as it is from God who is perfect. When we eat properly as designed to fit the human body, then we live a long and healthy life free from disease. This can happen only if our diet is in harmony with the construct of the human body. So in that sense if the diet is perfect (harmony) with our body, there is no disease. Similarly as humans or any living being when they live in harmony with nature ( as a whole), then there will be peace and happiness. God created nature and man created industries. So we are reaping the result of this artificial economy which is based on industrialization of nations. By artificial I mean paper based currency. As a result, we have poverty and affluence. Otherwise, in God's world, everyone was rich as long as they had good food and a decent place to stay. But with influx of money we have rich getting richer (greed) and poor getting poorer. This gap or imperfection that is a result of a deeper sociological, economical and political issue is a product of man and not God. So please do not blame God for our imperfections. God is perfect, His creation is perfect, we are perfect as long as we align with God's plan to love and serve but by misusing our freedom we encroach upon other's property, draw boundaries, exploit, kill, rape and claim victory and ownership and leave the losers with scrap. This is our history and current affairs for the past 5000 years. Your complaint should be directed towards the misplaced leaders of this society and not towards God. By the way, Krishna means all-attractive He does not need to look good by making us look bad. He is Super Beautiful and Good on His own. He designed nature for us to live in harmony with it. Man's design is to exploit nature and usurp it unceremoniously (every industry and gadget and product and energy we use and invented is based on exploiting nature and people - again man made design).

Its just sounds horrible to me, we are pawns and God will throw us around as he pleases. I dont want to accept this. I dont want God to throw me around and I am not going to butter up to anything like that. That's my point, we are all pawns here,
God does not throw us around, In fact God facilitates our desires so we can be happy. This is the thanks He gets for being a perfect Gentleman. He has to facilitate not only your desire but the desire of all trillions and trillions of living entities and He has to do it such a way that there is order and not chaos and that everyone deserves what they are eligible. If you can manage even 50 high productive people in a company without politics, i will bow my hat. Why 50, we cannot even manage one person, that is why there are so many divorces. One husband and one wife cannot manage each other. This is common. It is easy to fight and destroy but to tolerate and create is very difficult. God is not an impulsive Hero like figure where like Robinhood He has to come to save damsel in distress and if He doesn't we blame Him for not caring. This sort of Super Hero mentality is childish. God is Supreme in His own right and purely He plays by His rules. It is childish to expect Him (the Supreme Controller of all beings) to cater to the whims and fancies of my mind. God is not expecting you to butter up, but it is gentlemanly of you to give back to God since your very existence such as water, light and air is provided by God. If we have little gratitude then common sense tells us that we have to serve God since without Him we cannot exist for a second. 

We are inferior energy hence the suffering
We are not the inferior energy. Dull matter like earth and water and fire etc is the inferior energy (lacks consciousness). We are the superior energy as we have consciousness and like and dislike. The superior energy when it comes in contact with the inferior energy becomes an incompatible situation. This incompatibility or discord is evidenced as struggle for existence in this world as wars, hate, crime,corporate greed, natural destruction,animal slaughter, abuse of all kinds etc etc. This struggle also presents itself as what we call positive things such as love, romance, loyalty etc. Both are incorrect (incompatible) as both are for possessing the inferior energy (matter). True happiness can come when the small superior energy (you and me) interact with the Supreme superior energy (Krishna or God). This interaction is founded on love and love is founded on freedom. We have to make a free, voluntary and conscious decision to divert our attention from matter (inferior energy) to Krishna (Supreme superior energy). Then only,can we be happy!

Think about what I have said versus taking emotional decisions. Learn to separate God from Institutionalized religion. Perhaps you will see the light!

Hare Krishna

Monday, February 5th, 2018
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Mayapur, West Bengal

Food Unites Us

Food unites people. This was so when the Canadian delegates got together.  I mean to say, “We pilgrims from Canada!” We made that connection, a bond which rarely happens.  In fact, because we are a group of people in a land spread so far and wide, we can only come together once a year and that’s right here in Mayapura.

It was Keshava, Mayapura Hospital’s dentist, who organized our lunch at 1:00 p.m., the venue being at the Gauranga Garden and sponsored by my own doctor, Jagannatha Misra, also of Canada.  It was a special day on our calendar, on top of our little gathering of fifty people.  Our grand guru or param guru, Bhaktisiddhanta, whose birth anniversary was today, was honoured with a half-day fast, then feast.

From as far east as Newfoundland, to as far west as Vancouver, we Canucks got together, to get to know each other.  Mind you, a few extras came on board from the U.S. and abroad.  Banu Swami, originally from B.C., is of Japanese descent, and he also came, in addition to Gopal Krishna Goswami, originally from India.

Young Dustin Hines, the opera singer, was there and he let me know that he was the first person to formally sing the new Canadian National Anthem, or rather the new version which is now gender neutral.

You could tell by the happy conversations and a certain plate and cutlery language that pervaded the shaded room at the restaurant, that food does it, and even better still—prasadam.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Krishna-kripa Das: I show and tell about chanting Hare Krishna…
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Krishna-kripa Das: I show and tell about chanting Hare Krishna in Tallahassee at a home program, Florida State University, and Lake Ella. I show videos of devotees chanting Hare Krishna before, during, and after the first-ever Gasparilla Parade of Pirates Ratha-yatra in Tampa. I share all kinds of kirtans in temples and in public on Lord Nityananda’s Appearance Day. I also show kirtans at Krishna Lunch and tell about a visit to the University of North Florida in Jacksonville with Adikarta Das. I share insights from Srila Prabhupada’s books and lectures and notes on classes by Sacinandana Swami and Adikarta, Kalakantha, and Tamohara Prabhus and others. Please at least glance at my last report: https://goo.gl/dR4hPD

Srimad Bhagavatam class in Mayapur by Bhakti Rasamrita Swami, 05 February 2018
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Hare KrishnaBy Bhakti Rasamrita Swami

Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur was the president acarya and also the founder Acharya of the gaudia mutt. In the gauida magazine it was described that Srila Bhakti Siddhanta is the instrument and the counterpart for the gaudia mutt rather, for the gaudia mutt is the instrument in the counter part of the Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur and that the mutt lives and moves and has its very being in the founder Acharya. The institution is identical to the founder Acharya and the associates and devotees who are within the institution are the limbs of the founder Acharya. Continue reading "Srimad Bhagavatam class in Mayapur by Bhakti Rasamrita Swami, 05 February 2018
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The glorious “Krishna Lunch” and “Krishna…
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The glorious “Krishna Lunch” and “Krishna House” in Gainesville, Florida (Album with photos)
Giridhari Swami: After the Dallas Kirtan 50, Rtadhvaja Swami Maharaja, Nitai Caran and I traveled to Gainesville, Florida. We stayed with Brahmatirtha Prabhu and his good wife Bhakti (who won’t allow us to call her mataji or prabhu for three days.) They are such wonderful devotees! For those of you who don’t already know, Brahmatirtha Prabhu met Srila Prabhupada in India, while working for the US Peace Corps. His conversation with Srila Prabhupada was later immortalized in the book, “Perfect Questions Perfect Answers.” Gainesville is also home to the University of Florida, where devotees led by Kalakanta Prabhu have established “Krishna House.” There, students rent rooms, follow certain aspects of sadhana -bhakti, get good association and have the opportunity to progress in their practice of Krishna consciousness. Krishna House is also the base for the amazing “Krishna Lunch”, which has been distributing 1200-1500 prasadam lunches to students for more than 20 years. From Gainesville, we drove to Daytona Beach to visit my two sisters and their families. We had one big and lively family get together, and our dear Malati and her good husband Radha Raman Prabhu drove two-hours from Gainesville to personally cater the event with excellent Italian fare. Suffice to say that the prasadam was a big hit and we thank Malati and Radha Raman for helping us out with this. It really made all the difference in the world!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/9qoh9R

Conquering The Iron Fort (Album of photos) Indradyumna Swami:…
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Conquering The Iron Fort (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: As promised, we returned to the town of Bharatpur, one hour drive from Vrindavan, with with a large harinam party. Bharatpur is famous as the “Iron Fort.” Due to its heavy defenses, it was never conquered by Muslim invasions or during British rule. Not conquered that is until we flooded the town with the nectar of the holy names of the Lord! People we initially stunned to see us but were soon waving and smiling as we passed by. A number of citizens joined our chanting party and danced with us in great happiness. We distributed many books and thousands of pieces of prasadam. Afterwards, we visited a newly opened museum in the King’s Palace. What a joy to spread the holy names here, there and everywhere!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/DuWztN

2nd day of the GBC meetings
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Hare KrishnaBy Bhakti Chaitanya Swami

The GBC meetings continued today with an amazing two hour presentation on book distribution from Vaisheshika prabhu, one of the main leaders of the resurgence of the distribution of Srila Prabhupada's books around the world. All the GBC members were deeply affected by his sincerity and heart felt commitment to this most essential program of His Divine Grace. The enthusiasm generated in the room was quite overwhelming, and many of the members, who previously had done a lot of book distribution, spoke of their experiences and desires to see it come to the same levels it was at in the time of Srila Prabhupada's physical presence. Continue reading "2nd day of the GBC meetings
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Interview of Ambarisa Prabhu in Newspaper
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Hare KrishnaBy Subhasish Chaudhuri

Ambarish Das, better known as Alfred Ford, said on Monday that a gold-plated stainless steel giant wheel or chakra would be installed on the top of the massive dome of the under-construction Temple of Vedic Planetarium on Wednesday. Alfred Ford, the grandson of Henry Ford, is the chairman of the project that is building the Rs 700 crore temple of the Iskcon in Nadia's Mayapur. An Iskcon source said: "The gold-plated chakra roughly costs around Rs 15 crore." Speaking about the planetarium, Ford, an Iskcon devotee, said it would attract millions of tourists. Continue reading "Interview of Ambarisa Prabhu in Newspaper
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Removing fear and attachment
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 19 September 2017, Petite Riviere, Mauritius, Lecture)

All our material activities, our karma, leave many impressions on our mind. All our actions in all our past lives have left impressions on our mind. All these impressions are still in our subconscious and they still affect us. It is just like eating sugarcane. We chew and remove all the juice but still, we keep on chewing – chewing the chewed. Like that, we have so many desires. Again and again the same desires. Even something that we may not like, still we will accept it out of fear of losing that also. All fears and attachment are removed by chanting the holy name. We just have to be attached to the holy name and Krsna.

Love Rādhā or Love Krishna?
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QUESTION There is no one like Shri Radha, and there will never be anyone like her. No one makes Krishna happy the way she can. From this, it follows that somehow or other, one should help unite Radha and Krishna.

Up to here what you are saying makes perfect sense to me.

Therefore one would think “I would like to please Krishna by serving Shri Radha rather than directly desiring to please him (by uniting/kissing/embracing)”.

This makes sense, but is still better if we phrase it like this: “Rādhārāṇī pleases Krishna the most. Since I love Krishna, I should help her please him rather than try to please him without her.”

We should stop putting “I” as the subject of our sentences, for that is the dominant grammatical position. Let us frame “I” as the object. Do not think “I will kiss Krishna.” Think “Krishna will kiss me.” Don’t think “How will I please Krishna?” but “How will Krishna want to get pleasure from me?” Don’t think “how will I serve Rādhā?” think, “What service will Rādhā entrust to me?”

Is this why Radha’s Manjaris are all about trying to serve Shri Radhe but never desiring to directly please Krishna?

Yes, but this is subject is arcane and sophisticated, and statements about it (such as the one you just made) are always easy to misunderstand.

The better and more intimately one understands Krishna, the more emphasis and importance one will naturally feel for Śrī Rādhā – the original divine lover of Krishna. The Gopīs understand Krishna more intimately than anyone, and that is why they value Śrī Rādhā above anyone – in a sense even above him!

So the gopīs never desire to please Krishna without Śrī Rādhā.

The Gopis have romantic feelings for Krishna. Reading and even slightly understanding them may generate strong desires to be like them. That may in turn generate romantic feelings for Krishna. Are these feelings wrong?

This implies there are Gopīs who interact with Krishna without Rādhā as the central focal point. There is no such thing. Such a gopī does not and can not exist. All the gopīs, even Candrāvalī (who is ostensibly Śrī Rādhā’s rival) are absolutely absorbed in Rādhā-dasya (service of Rādhā).

Even outside Vraja, in Mathurā, Kubja’s maids must have interacted with Krishna amorously, but only with Kubja as their “commander”/ coordinator. In Dvārakā Krishna has thousands of wives, but Rukmiṇī and Satyabhāmā coordinate and command them all. In Vaikuṇṭha there are limitless Lakṣmī, but there is one original lakṣṁī at Viṣṇu’s feet, coordinating all the others, as their focal point for their service to Viṣṇu.

This is a little foreign to us, because we grew up in monogamist culture. We have little natural concept for how non-monogamous relationships actually work. Truthfully, that is probably the least of our worries. We have much deeper and more immediate problems in understanding how divine love works in an erotic romantic context with the Supreme Being.

Is it true that one should always serve Shri Radhe but not try to be like her?

No. You cannot serve someone without being like them. This is why fire is offered to the sun and water offered to the Ganga. Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī is described as being almost exactly like Śrī Rādhā.

But if you very slightly edit the statement, it is perfect, “One should serve Śrī Rādhā, and not try to be her.” (change “like her” to “her”, change “but” to “and”.)

Do the servants of Shri Rādhā have sexual-romantic feelings for pleasing Krishna?

There are so many misconceptions about sexual love, even in this world with normal people. Sex is potentially the most powerful force of conciliation and unification in our world, but in practice it turns out to often be one of the most powerful forces of vice and distress.

If even in this world sex is such a perplexing topic, it is easy to estimate how fathomlessly baffling it must be in relation to Param Brahman, the Supreme Transcendent Conscious Being. We cannot really expect to speak about the divine sexuality of the Supreme Being without having to wend through a maze of baffling misconceptions. This is probably why a lot of very wise people refuse to talk about these subjects, and the Vedas do not directly speak of it, and in the history of time only a single, exceedingly rare avatāra ever reveals it in much detail.

The biggest misconception is that essence of sexual love (mādhurya-rasa) is different from the essences of protective love (vātsalya), friendship (sakhya), servitude (dāsya), and selflessness (śānta-rati). Without understanding this, we will not really understand anything about gopīs, even if we organize and understand all the facts and figures about them correctly.

To directly answer your question – Radha’s maids are just like her. They have ardent passion for Krishna, just like she does. But they are Radha’s expansions, not Rādhā herself, so they express their ardent passion for Krishna in coordination and harmonious, beautiful submission to Śrī Radha’s. Their passion for Krishna follows her passion for Krishna like sents follow the breeze.

It is a great concert. Each individual musical instrument plays itself in coordination with its conductor. Each conductor is herself an instrument, making music in concert with her group under the coordination of a higher conductor, and so on infinitely, till we come to the Supreme Conductress of the entire symphony, Śrī Rādhā.

All the instruments are tuned to the same “sa” (key) and all play the same rāga (key signature) harmoniously, and the focal point of all the beautiful sound is the supreme divine mystery known as Śrī Rādhā.

 

Srimad Bhagavatam class in Mayapur by Devakinandan Das, 04 February 2018
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Hare KrishnaBy Devakinandan Das

King Pṛthu is herein compared to the earthly planet as far as his tolerance is concerned. Although the earth is always trampled upon by men and animals, it still gives food to them by producing grains, fruits and vegetables. As an ideal king, Mahārāja Pṛthu is compared to the earthly planet, for even though some citizens might violate the rules and regulations of the state, he would still be tolerant and maintain them with fruits and grains. In other words, it is the duty of the king to look after the comforts of the citizens, even at the cost of his own personal convenience. This is not the case, however, in Kali-yuga, for in Kali-yuga the kings and heads of state enjoy life at the cost of taxes exacted from the citizens. Such unfair taxation makes the people dishonest, and the people try to hide their income in so many ways. Eventually the state will not be able to collect taxes and consequently will not be able to meet its huge military and administrative expenses. Everything will collapse, and there will be chaos and disturbance all over the state. Continue reading "Srimad Bhagavatam class in Mayapur by Devakinandan Das, 04 February 2018
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Live from Mayapur: Srimad Bhagavatam Class
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Speaker: HG Devakinandan Das Srimad Bhagavatam 4.16.7 Date: 04 February 2018 Mayapur Dhama titiksaty akramam vainya upary akramatam api bhutanam karunah sasvad artanam ksiti-vrttim:  titiksati — tolerates; akramam — offense; vainyah — the son of King Vena; upari — on his head; akramatam — of those who are trampling; api — also; bhutanam — to […]

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If everything is under karma, are terrorists wrongdoers or simply instruments for punishing wrongdoers?
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Answer Podcast

The post If everything is under karma, are terrorists wrongdoers or simply instruments for punishing wrongdoers? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Sunday, February 4, 2018
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Mayapura, West Bengal

Abhay Means Fearless

Abhay is a young monk who travels throughout Bengal with a travelling party to disseminate the Bhagavat philosophy by distributing or selling BBT books. He is the only western boy on the team. The rest are local Bengalis. He’s not scholarly, but rather simple. And as far as his physicality is concerned he’s as strong as a bull and has a build like Tarzan.

He can also climb trees like Tarzan. Yes, I’ve used him in productions in the past because of his athletic nature, especially when I saw him climb a tree and jump to the back of one of the elephants. He did so with ease. His mother, Ramanti, who’s in charge of the two elephants, was there at the time and was not too happy about the move.

Abhay, who’s in saffron, dressed like a monk, came to my side today and said, “I don’t know, the elephants seem to not like me anymore.”

“I wonder why, Abhay. Maybe you’ve been too rough with them. Elephants never forget!” I told him.

“That may be true,” he admitted. “I saw the article about your traveling in the latest Padyatra magazine and my mind is teased. I would like to travel like that and see more of nature.”

I told him I can’t guarantee tall trees or animals who would mind bronco-busting activities. Better you stick to spreading the philosophy and the epics of Vyasadeva.

May the Source be with you!
5 km 

Saturday, February 3rd, 2018
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Mayapura, West Bengal

Leaves to Travel

He did it the right way. Mahdu Sevita, a godbrother from Italy, told me he will take sannyasa (monkhood) in September. It is indeed rare and he mentioned to me that after decades of a successful marriage and raising a son, at age sixty-six, he will formally become a renunciate.

I visited Madhu at Hare Krishna Village about eight years ago. He has done outstanding work, sharing Krishna Consciousness in Europe and has run successful businesses. Now, in a sort of retirement, he will take to the path of simplicity. So I congratulate him.

A concern that some folks may have in regard to severing ties with one’s spouse, how can such an action be justified? When a person takes such a step, it should be understood that separation within a couple has not been fuelled out of malice but out of a consensual move to advance the two individual’s cause toward spiritual progress. Another important point is that tradition has it that the woman in the relationship is not left high and dry.

She is endowed with sufficient facility when her husband, in the sannyasa mode, leaves to travel the world. Usually the eldest son shelters her. Both husband and wife concentrate on their spirituality. The final years are spent in study, meditation, teaching and in surrendering to the Supreme, and in giving to the world—the people, animals, vegetation, and so on.

The above scenario is ideal and Madhu is doing it. It was not a spontaneous decision or an abrupt course of action. It was a well-planned, and well thought out decision.

May the Source be with you!

5 km


Friday, February, 2nd, 2018
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Mayapura, West Bengal

Sleeping Well

Drilling and tapping goes on throughout the day. It is not an agitating sound. I would rather that, than someone leading a chant off-key.

The noise mentioned was music to our Guru’s ears. Srila Prabhupada loved the sound of construction, and when you roam around anywhere near the centre or hub of activities in Mayapura, you can know that work is going on with the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. Work is going on progressively and on the 7th of February, a chakra (divine wheel of Vishnu) will be installed on the top of the dome.

“Don’t do anything else!” warned one of the organizers of this year’s festival. “It’s also Prayer Day!”

“Well, I can drink (tree sap) to that,” I said. “Prayer is one of the nine devotions, as it is listed by the saint, Prahlad.”

We (the drama troop and I) drank some nice tea after we drank in the name of Krishna in another one of those twenty-four hour kirtanas. Sponsored by the SMIS school, people turned up for the event. Our time slot was particularly lively. Of course, we had the artists with us. They are a lively bunch and are doing well with practices on the production “Many Mothers Many Fathers”. I feel blessed spending the six hours with them everyday. The story is unfolding so well. The main subject or character, Citraketu, is developing nicely. The script is set but the characterization by actor Gaura as well as the other characters are shaping up to be very real.   https://instagram.com/p/BewGXw9FA21/

May the Source be with you!

5 km


Thursday, February 1st, 2018
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Mayapura, West Bengal

Under The Trees

Before sunrise, the trees shed tears of dew. They, and all other vegetation, accept a bath from the moon’s rays. Frenzy-like birds flit about from branches to ground to rooftops and out over the Ganges. Many varieties of them take to the freedom of the skies.

The boys and I took to a trail between the fields and arrived at Vaikuntanath’s, a bead salesman. He’s approaching eighty soon. He welcomed us with no lack of hospitality. As is expected, happily we chanted in their crammed but cozy living space. For that, our reward was a mini-breakfast with date ras to top it off. This drink is the sap of the trees, and most of the men with me had not experienced lips to the ambrosial nectar. It was divine.  https://instagram.com/p/BesVy4WFXyo/

At least it fuelled me for a special engagement. This time, the girls’ division of the SMIS school hosted myself and brahmachari assistant, Karuna Sindhu, for a theatre workshop. Yes, the girls are preparing two dramas for upcoming festivities and their teachers are saying they lack confidence.

“Okay, so I’ll do some warm-up exercises with them,” I expressed to Ajaya, the principal. It went well.

In addition to the time with the younger sector, I continually bump into peers—sannyasis (monks), godbrothers, and sisters. And let’s not forget the interaction with local pilgrims who come in the thousands everyday.

May the Source be with you!
6 km 

Wednesday, January 31st, 2018
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Mayapur, West Bengal

Under the Blue Moon?

A big part of pilgrimage is the people. Pilgrim places have much to do with holy events of the past, even miracles, but what keeps a tirtha or holy place alive is the presence of the people.

One of my favourite monks from Canada is Karuna Sindhu. He and I went to visit Gaudiya, a  devout soul with origins from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Diabetes hit Gaudiya and thus sastra(scripture) tells not a lie in regard to birth, death, old age and disease.

It was good to see Gaudiya, who has lost weight since last time I saw him. He’s also working on reducing karma and says he is tired of hearing from pessimists. He would like to be free of unnecessary criticisms. Way to go Gaudiya! We wish you well!

Well! Well! What’s keeping me well in Mayapur is the connection with pilgrims, locals and engagement. Six hours a day I spend in the Samadhi auditorium for drama practices. If I were to invest that length of time in walking here in India, I would cover about twenty-six or more kilometres. That’s just not going to happen.

Everyone is talking about the blue moon, and a unique eclipse, not seen like this in over one hundred and fifty years. People were looking. No sign of blue. More reddish to be more accurate.

Lunar eclipses remind me of Chaitanya’s birth, something that occured right here in Mayapur in 1486. That makes Mayapur in particular a sacred pilgrimage place.

May the Source be with you!
5 km


Burn realisations
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Share

One wonders if I should start blog with how one is a big numpty, instead today I’m going to share my realizations on the event as each situation gives us an opportunity to learn and develop in Krishna Consciousness.

So last Tuesday I started an activity that I’ve done many times before and that is a referb of a zippo lighter, simple and straightforward and up to this day with no problems; all went as normal till the final stage of wiping down to get rid of any residual lighter fluid a moments lack of concentration and the lighter mechanism was struck and well it worked.

Lesson 1 is that a momentary lack of concentration a momentary lack of attentiveness leads to a disaster; one has done japa for many years do I truly give it the attention it needs? One moment of inattention in japa or reading then quickly any progress in Krishna Consciousness can be lost and one can return to the stage one was at before meeting the devotees and started chanting and reading.

Lesson 2 is how we are given directions and instructions both in our spiritual and material life and on the days leading up to the accident we had spoken at length about burns and burn management; what had surprised us was that although we have cover first aid what was notable how some knew about the basic management. There is one thing learning but a completely different outcome on doing, the thing was as the cloth went up in flames I immediately started with both fire management and burns care; so although there was a lot a damage it wasn’t as extensive as it could have been. One hopes and prays that one will remember to chant Hare Krishna when the time comes to leave this material body, but one has to safeguard against simply going through the motions but remain sincere in all we do on the path of bhakti.

Lesson 3 the comfort of being able to chant Hare Krishna, so I had to drive to my local A&E department one could have spent the time concentrating on the burn, so much so that when finally arriving the staff were somewhat amazed at how calm one was. Sadly the night was about to get much longer as I had to travel a further 25 miles to the burns unit, more japa and reflection. One appreciated that no matter what the circumstances one somehow can remember Sri Krishna, now isnt that amazing?

Lesson 4 so the burns unit has an individualised plan of care which means my regularly having to visit for wound dressing changes and any other treatments; yes a burns a burn but as we all know each one is unique; those we meet are unique in one way or another contaminated by material nature and one way or another the beauty of the devotee is being full of compassion we can come up with an individual plan of care to develop their own healing and development in self realisation. It means we have to take time to understand the nature of the individual and the nature of there contamination with material nature and how best to help them develop in bhakti.

So in adversity I have the opportunity to learn and somehow make progress in bhakti; but like my hand it is a slow process but by the expert care and direction of the devotees and nursing staff one will get there.

Mind It 3 – Choosing healthy response to problems
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[Seminar at ISKCON, Chowpatty, Mumbai]

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ISKCON Dwarka New Delhi: ISKCON Dwarka Girls Forum (Album of…
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ISKCON Dwarka New Delhi: ISKCON Dwarka Girls Forum (Album of photos)
IGF Activity… A cooking class was held in the temple premises to teach the girls,“How to cook pasta without onion and garlic” Also, a small lecture was given by HG Ramani Sakhi Mataji to teach the girls what should be the state of consciousness while cooking bhoga for the Lord.
Small details of cooking, cutting veggies, offering bhoga and cleaning the kitchen were taught. Girls participated enthusiastically and enjoyed pasta prasadam too.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/J6qKE3

Bhakti Chaitanya Swami: Today at the ILS – the ISKCON Leadership…
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Bhakti Chaitanya Swami: Today at the ILS - the ISKCON Leadership Sanga - many activities took place. We had a look around the site at the various booths along the approach to the main festival building, and then we went in to where the GBC College leaders presented certificates to about 20 devotees from all over the world who have passed the Zonal Supervisor course. Now they can be appointed as Supervisors in the regions in which they are serving in Srila Prabhupada’s mission. (Album of photos)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/7KACFE

When Stephen Colbert would “go to the Hare Krishnas and listen to the Bhagavad Gita in order to get the chickpeas-salad” (1 min video)
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When Stephen Colbert would “go to the Hare Krishnas and listen to the Bhagavad Gita in order to get the chickpeas-salad” (1 min video)
Stephen Colbert talks about when he used to go to a Hare Krishna temple to save money on food when he was a struggling Northwestern University acting student in Evanston, Illinois, USA. Michael Shannon is also in the clip.


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Changing our outlook
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Hare KrishnaBy Giriraj das

“Therefore sometimes, when people say in India, ‘Swamiji, you have done wonderful.’ And yes, I do not know. I’m not a magician. But, so far I am confident that I did not adulterate the words of Krishna. That’s all. That’s my credit. I did not like to take the position of Krishna. I remained a servant of Krishna, and I spoke what Krishna said. That’s all. This is my secret. So everyone can do that. There is nothing magic. The magic will act as soon as you become a pure devotee of Krishna. The magic will be done by Krishna, not by me or you. He will do it. " (Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Los Angeles, May 19, 1972) Continue reading "Changing our outlook
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