Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur Appearance Day
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Dear Devotees and TOVP Donors,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur is one of the most important acaryas in our Gaudiya line. He can be seen as the father of modern-day Krishna Consciousness. He, along with his son Bhaktisiddhanta, created an explosion of preaching all over India, and he was also the first Vaisnava to send books to the west. He rediscovered many of the pilgrimage sites in Mayapur and foresaw the day when devotees from all over the globe would arrive here to perform blissful Sankirtana together. Srila Prabhupada often told the devotees in Mayapur that they were fulfilling Bhaktivinoda’s prediction.

“So it was the desire of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura that Europeans and Americans would come here and chant Hare Krsna mantra. That prophecy is now being fulfilled, and that is my satisfaction.”

Arrival Address, September 27, 1974, Mayapur

In 1890, soon after he moved here, Bhaktivinoda Thakur published the Navadvipa Dhama Matatmya. He preached all over the area, started hundreds of nama-hattas, and raised money in Kolkata to build the Yoga Pita at the birth-site of Lord Caitanya. He wrote several times in his book Jaiva-dharma that Mayapur is the most auspicious place in the whole universe.

“When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu descended to this material world, He brought His own original abode of Svetadvipa, that is Mayapura, with Him. Four centuries after Sri Caitanya’s advent, this Svetadvipa will gain pre-eminence over all other places of pilgrimage in the world. The benefit of residing in Navadvipa is that all offences are nullified and the resident is crowned with suddha-bhakti.”

Jaiva-dharma chapter 8

On this most auspicious occasion of his appearance day, we should all pray for his blessings so that we can increase our appreciation for Sri Mayapur Dhama.

“My son! This place of Mayapura-Navadvipa that you reside within is also purely transcendental. However, as there is a net of maya covering your perception, you are unable to realize the innate transcendence of this place. When, by the mercy of the saintly souls, your spiritual vision arises, then you will be able to see this holy land as it really is. You will see that Mayapura and Navadvipa are transcendental realms; then only will your stay here be realized as the perfection of vraja-vasa, residence in Vraja.”

Jaiva-dharma chapter 13

Yours in the Service of Sridham Mayapur,

Braja Vilas das
Global Fundraising Director
*protected email*

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Saturday, September 10th, 2016
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Saturday, September 10th, 2016
Thunder Bay, Ontario

Doing Things Right

I arrived at the Thunder Bay Airport only to have to wait.  A call came on my phone.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” said Prem.

He arrived and we drove to Lake Boulevard.

There, I met young new students, twenty-five or so, fresh from India.  It was their first time in Canada and their first week to start a new phase in their lives.  And, it was their first time meeting a white swami.

Prem has a way of doing things well.  He and his wife, Sneha, take these young enthusiasts and make them feel at home.  They are oriented to the beauty of nature around, then a walk by the lake, a picnic, an introduction to the quaint temple on Victoria Ave—which has attached to it, a shop for Indian goods—food and clothes.  Samosas, of course, are a regular feature.

Overall, the most important way of making the students—who are all bright and really value their education—feel comfortable,  is by helping them realize they have each other’s friendship, as well as the mentorship of Prem and his wife.  The students are made to feel right at home while they get totally accustomed to Canada and their school.

Well, the walk around the lake was great.  They got to understand what a Frisbee course was, and in  the end, after our picnic, they went on to playing cricket.

The last two evening hours were spent with Prem, in his home, viewing the results of his work, and the students watching last year’s Festival of Colours.  The displays and the stage show were phenomenal.  He and his team do a lot of things right.  They especially excel in newcomer care.

May the Source be with you!

5 km



Did the songs of Narottam Das Thakura and others not protect the popular Gaudiya tradition?
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Did the Goswami’s books not help preserve the Gaudiya tradition after their departure?
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How did the Gaudiya tradition become deviated by the time of Bhaktivinoda Thakura?
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Pioneer of the Hare Krishna movement!
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Today is the merciful appearance of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktivinod Takur. He was born 178 years ago in India to spread the mission of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He is called the 7th Goswami because he re-established Mahaprabhu’s movement in Mayapur in an authentic manner strictly adhering to the principles of suddha bhakti as enunciated by the Six Goswamis.

His core principle was twofold (1) nama ruchi (2) jiva doya. In fact, this is the core value of all our sampradaya acharyas. There is no contradiction in these two principles.


  1. Nama ruchi or attachment (spiritual taste) to chanting the Holy Names of God is the primary principle where the fallen soul re-establishes his lost relationship with God and is on-track to the spiritual kingdom. 
  2. Jiva doya or compassion to the fallen soul is the second principle where one is encouraged to show compassion to the lost souls in this world by helping them connect back to God through His names. 

Srila Bhaktivinod Takur dedicated his whole life in spreading these two core ideas to the bigger world followed by his son and by AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Following in the enlightened path of these great masters, on this day, I humbly seek the blessings of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktivindor Takur!

Srila Bhaktivinod Takur Maharaj ki jay!

Hare Krishna

Monday, September 5th, 2016
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Monday, September 5th, 2016
Montreal, Quebec

Memory Walk

Major walking today constituted more of a slower sway while moving forward.  I wasn’t alone.  I was on a schedule to conduct a chanting party with all who could attend, in order that, as we say in Krishna parlance, “We get the mercy.”

A group of about forty of us converged at the Bay Shopping Centre to move along to Place Des Arts, and then finally to 420 Prince Arthur Street, the actual address where our guru, Srila Prabhupada, stayed for some weeks to train-up some of his students in the art of bhajan,before they set off to the U.K. to bring  the mission there.

In ’68, he came to Canada to address the extension of his visa, and while here not only engaged in teaching the songs we now know, but also taught the art of archana seva, honouring the deities of Radha-Krishna.  With a small set of brass deities, a kind donation from a New Yorker, Srila Prabhupada demonstrated the art of worship.  These small, charming deities that go by the name “Radha-Krishna” made their way to the Toronto ISKCON  shrine on Avenue Road, where they have now been looked after for close to half a century.

Once we arrived in Place Des Arts, that open space friendly to pedestrians, we formed a circle for dancing.  A second circle was formed by tourist spectators.

What can I say?  Everyone had a jolly good time, including Gurudas, who was with our Guru, Srila Prabhupada, during that time so many years ago.

We had stepped into the past and become very present enjoying each other’s company.

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Tuesday, September 6th, 2016
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Tuesday, September 6th, 2016
Hastings, Ontario

The Force Behind

My primary school teacher used to say “kids” refers to baby goats, so I’ll refrain from the use of the word.  Children are back to school and in many cases, adults are back to work after the summer holidays.

There is a change of sorts in the atmosphere.  Nights are slightly cooler—a relief—but days continue to offer a warmth Canadians don’t mind. 

Our program, like dharma, doesn’t change.  We’re up early.  That’s what all of us should do.  Then we take to a trail (the Trans Canada Trail in this case) and head for the farm for some sadhana (spiritual workout) and then something physical.

A sign on the trail reads “Watch for…” and below it are images of a frog, a turtle and a snake.  When on foot, there’s no real problem.  On bicycle, then it’s another issue due to speed.

This imagery brings to mind the verse from the Gita: 5:18, where Krishna lists categories of creatures—certain mammals and certain humans, namely the cow, elephant, dog, brahman and a dog-eating man.  The message is that all are one, being spiritually equal.

The sign before us may also reflect that all creatures are important.  All have life force so let’s take care.  Let’s share this vision.

While walking to the farm on this trail, I noticed a perished bat.  He was not on the list but is nonetheless an entity with a progressive force; a force that moved on to another body.

Whenever I see something alive, or something lying deceased, it stirs reflection.

May the Source be with you!

7 km

Thursday, September 8th, 2016
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Thursday, September 8th, 2016
Hastings, Ontario

Skye Has No Limit

Our landlady at The Doors Guesthouse is quite awesome.  She surprises us with her gifts, remarks and hospitality.  For instance, knowing I’m a traveler with a spot of patriotism in me, she offered as a present, the perfect book to savour—a hard-bound Canadian Book of the Road.

I’m reading,or at least pursuing it, Skye. Skye Morrison is her name.

Today, she brought over a mini wooden, toy sculpture of “Krishna and the Gopis Vastra Haran,” that is Krishna’s teasing the young maidens during their river-bath hour.  It’s surely a conversation piece.  Skye insists we bring this objet d’artfrom her home to the Hastings Civic Centre on Sept. 20th where I’ll be speaking on “Tales from Trails.”

Her remarks, well, they are light-hearted.  The bag of Indian snacks we have, she calls “snakes” because that’s the way they pronounce it in India, where she spends five months of every year.  The local “Hysterical Society” is what she calls the Historical  Society, and being a member herself, I guess she has the right to speak endearingly about the people there whom she loves.

The quarters she provides for us to occupy are homey, and old (for Canada)—a 160 year old structure of charm.  The ceiling is red and the walls are yellow, which reminds me of Van Gogh’s room, which he painted, naturally.

Hastings is a quiet town where people can retire or raise a family in a relatively safe place.  I’m getting to meet residents, one by one, after a few hours of chores at the farm.

Simple living, high thinking!

May the Source be with you!

7 km

Friday, September 9th, 2016
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Friday, September 9th, 2016
Hastings, Ontario

Exercise: The Drug That Does it All

It is an eight kilometre trek for Nick and I.  Brihat leapfrogs uswiththe van, but does some walking, too.  That gets us from the centre of Hastings, at the guest-house where we are staying, to Govardhan Farms on Friendly Acres Road.  It’s a pleasant walk with little traffic.  We relish the countryside sights, sounds and smells.

Eight kilometres is great for a morning workout.  We also get a good portion of our allotted soft-volume chanting done.  And when we arrive at the eco-friendly farm, we put ourselves to work, harvesting tomatoes, squash, beans and okra.  It’s the bending over and squatting that works extra muscles.

I’m compelled to quote from this month’s “Time” magazine in regard to—in particular—walking and yoga.

For strength,yoga is beneficial.

“Lift your own body weight and flow through intense poses, and yogawill give you strength with a side of mindfulness and stress relief.”

For cardio, walking excels.

“With the lowest quit rate of any type of exercise, walking improves memory, well-being, heart health and even creativity.”

In the article,McMaster University’sDr. Mark Tarnopolsky concludes his research with “The most effective therapy available to my patients right now is exercise.”

It’s not surprising that more than half of all baby boomers report doing no exercise whatsoever, and 80.2 million Americans over the age of six are entirely inactive.

For the sake of longevity, optimism and service to others, let’s do the workout needed.

May the Source be with you!

8 km

Wednesday, September 7th, 2016
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Wednesday, September 7th, 2016
Hastings, Ontario

Red

If I were to colour the day, it would be red.  Red is what I see, and I shared it with one of the boys, Brihat.

As part of our chores for these last two days, we’ve taken to Fil’s expansive garden and harvested the darling—big, firmly ballooned chunks of circular happiness—tomatoes.  Minus pesticides, these tomatoes are not on the food list of the dirty dozen,and are screaming with redness for attention.

Harvest—we did.  Cleaning, cutting, cooking and canning—we did.  We even rationed some of the day’s sauce we had cooked to flavour the pasta we ate.

Mama Mia!

This month, September, is the best month for tomatoes around here.  The red comes through those green vines.  Red also is the colour slowly creeping up from within the trees.  It is the chlorophyll which supplies the leaves of the tree with a green colour.  The autumn hues, slowly surfacing, are from the lack of chlorophyll.  We are left with bright oranges, yellows, burgundies and reds all making a pronounced presence by the end of September.

There is also an avatar by the name of Yajnaand He has the complexion of red.  Red is wanted, craved for, especially when the snow white sets in for months at a time.  Only the red dogwood stands out as a rival to the snow.  They actually complement each other, in my opinion. 

Here I go, sounding like a horticulturalist or a botanist.  I’m really just seeing the colour red in nature.  I haven’t dreamt in red, not even of tomatoes, but during the course of these few days, we are consuming a lot.

May the Source be with you!

7 km

1st Anniversary -Brahmotsava Festival @ ISKCON Miraroad (Album…
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1st Anniversary -Brahmotsava Festival @ ISKCON Miraroad (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.” If one practices chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, he is naturally expected to chant Hare Krishna when he meets with some accident. Even without such practice, however, if one somehow or other chants the holy name of the Lord (Hare Krishna) when he meets with an accident and dies, he will be saved from hellish life after death. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.2.15 Purport)
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Is the pronunciation of the mahamantra important or is intent alone important?
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How important is initiation in the process of assimilating spiritual knowledge?
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Isn’t fasting self-torture? Question: Spiritual people often…
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Isn’t fasting self-torture?
Question: Spiritual people often fast on certain occasions, thus depriving themselves of natural bodily needs. Isn’t such fasting an unnecessary self-torture?
Answer by Chaitanya Charan das: Not at all. To the contrary, for many people, their daily gorging of food is an unnecessary self-torture. WHO statistics show that over 1 billion suffer due to obesity, whereas 800 million people suffer due to undernourishment. More health disorders result due to overeating than due to fasting. We eat more often to fulfill the greed of the mind than the need of the body. Due to eating too often and too much, our digestive system becomes like a perpetually overworked machine in desperate need of rest. That’s why many alternative cure doctors recommend periodic – fortnightly or monthly – fasting with intake only of fluids so as to rest and flush the digestive system. Though abstaining from food may seem like an infliction of torture for our minds, it may well be a relief from torture for our bodies. Fasting, when done according to scriptural guidance, can also purify the mind and awaken the soul. By analyzing how life and consciousness cannot emerge from dead, unconscious matter, we can intellectually understand that the soul – and not the body – is the real source of life and consciousness. This implies that all of us are actually souls, temporarily occupying material bodies. But how can we transform this intellectual understanding into an experiential realization? Fasting is one important way. During our normal lives, we pander to the demands of the flesh, thus perpetuating our misidentification with flesh. Consequently, the desires and plans to fulfill our bodily demands preoccupy and fill our minds, leaving little mental room for spiritual contemplation. When we resolve to fast on certain days, we soon realize that if we keep thinking of food while fasting, we will simply be torturing ourselves. This realization gives us the impetus to evict thoughts of food from our minds. Then with the mental room thus created we become free to contemplate on the deeper spiritual dimension of our existence. Of course, such contemplation is possible without fasting too, but starving the flesh sharpens the spirit, thus making spiritual contemplation more intense. During the fasting period, if we lovingly call out to God by chanting his names like the Hare Krishna mahamantra, then we can experience a nonmaterial nourishment far more fulfilling than the most delicious food. This strengthens our realization of our spiritual identity, reinforces our commitment to the path of progressive spiritual advancement that ultimately elevates us to the realm of everlasting devotional delight. Thus, temporary bodily fasting eventually becomes a doorway to eternal spiritual feasting

How do we understand that demons like Ravana were expert mantra chanters?
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When we chant, does Krishna come from inside outside or from outside inside?
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Can feeling angry when insulted instead of tolerating insults spur us towards Krishna, as happened with Dhruva?
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In the light of Gita 2.47, how can we understand the Gita’s call to see action in inaction and action in inaction?
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The Appearance Day of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur
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bhaktivinode (1)

Today is the appearance day of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur. On this day in 1838 he was born in Birnagar, Bengal, India. He was to become a prolific author of books on the philosophical teachings of devotion to Radha-Krishna, a masterful songwriter, and the great-grandfather of the present day Hare Krishna movement. By his monumental, single-handed efforts the pure bhakti taught by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was rescued from the hands of numerous false teachers, charlatan yogis, and Anglicised Hindus.

He redefined the Gaudiya Vaishnava path, created a very popular movement with over 500 branches, and put the teachings of Rupa Goswami into English for the first time. His son was to later become Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada, whose dear disciple was our Srila Prabhupada.

He once predicted that the sound of the mridanga and karatals, and the sound of the holy names of Krishna, would one day resound in the cities of the world. On another occasion he said that he would personally accompany anyone who took the harinam sankirtan to a new town.

His last song, composed in 1907, was an exposition of his personal meditation and daily spiritual principles. Here they are, in English translation, as well as sung in Sanskrit and Telugu, the language of Andhra Pradesh / Telangana.

 


If a butcher has no alternative way to earn, will Krishna accept the fruits of their work?
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Should we not give suggestions to others because of the fear that the suggestions will be rejected?
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Fulfilling desires
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 11 September 2016, Durban, South Africa, Sunday Feast Lecture)

radhastami-58

Krsna does not have work to do; everything is simply going on by his desire. Whatever Krsna desires will happen. If we should have this power, it would be dangerous. If whatever we desire would happen, we would be in trouble since we have conditioned desires which we sometimes regret later. We always have to work for a long time for our desires to be fulfilled which is good because we then have time to rethink our desires. There is always an element of struggle for us. But struggle for Krsna is nice because then struggle becomes meaningful.

There is the story of a boy who worked hard to buy a ring for a girl. He was thinking of her the entire time he was working, therefore he actually worked for her! Similarly, we must work for Krsna then we can be in a state of mind where we are not affected by material conditions whether we are in hell or somewhere else. If we change our condition instead of trying to change our surroundings, we can actually be happy with whatever situation we are in.

Kunti devi prayed for trouble because in troubled times she always remembered Krsna. She was not affected by the hardships of this world; she had a state of being equipoised. We maybe cannot reach that state but we can get close to it. We can create distance from the mind; from our emotional experience. Thinking, feeling and willing are functions of the mind but we can spectate on those once we are distant from it and get grounded in our spiritual life.

*Notes taken my Nimai during the lecture

Bhaktivinoda Thakur’s Influence On The Establishment And Development Of Iskcon
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By the EuroGBC

This paper aims to present the contribution of Bhaktivinoda Thakur to the establishment and development of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). It regards his personal life as the role model for the practitioners of Vaisnavism, and it considers his input in expanding preaching techniques, both innovative and traditional ones. Being born in a non-Vaisnava family, educated in Christian and Westernized Hindu schools and colleges, Bhaktivinoda Thakur, more than many other spiritual teacher in Gaudiya tradition, is the reference point for ISKCON, many of whose members have been born in and molded by the Western civilization. The historical context in which Bhaktivinoda Thakur commenced his spiritual quest can be portrayed as a time of serious encounter and conflict between Hindu traditionalists and a Westernized and secularized Bengalis intelligentsia. Continue reading "Bhaktivinoda Thakur’s Influence On The Establishment And Development Of Iskcon
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Govardhana Parikrama during Ekadasi (Album with photos)…
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Govardhana Parikrama during Ekadasi (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: On our way through Vrindavan to pack our gear for our trip to Tibet, we did Govardhana parikrama. It was Ekadasi and the parikrama marg was packed with people. By Giriraja’s grace we discovered a newly opened path near the village of Aniyor, that runs very close to the hill. It was a photographers dream and was perfectly captured by Ananta Vrindavan dasa.
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NASN August 2016 – North American Sankirtan Newsletter
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Hare KrishnaBy Mayapur Sasi dasa

For the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada this report contains the following North American results of book distribution for the month of August 2016. North American Totals, Monthly Temples, Monthly Weekend Warriors. Monthly Top 100 Individuals, Monthly Top 5, Cumulative Countries, Cumulative Temples, Cumulative Top 100 Individuals, Cumulative Top 5 Continue reading "NASN August 2016 – North American Sankirtan Newsletter
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