thought-action-habit-character-destiny

Today's Recommendations For You:

2009-09-18T01:13:00.000-07:00

Customers who have read this blog might also read this.

Back to Blog-head?

2008-06-27T15:24:00.001-07:00

It's been almost a year since my last post. Much has happened since then (details forthcoming). I have thought about updating, from time to time, but never quite got around to it.

But things are changing, I'm working from home now (mostly), and I'll be spending considerable chunks of time sitting in front of my laptop. In order to help me fight the temptation to waste my day on Metafilter, I think it would be a good idea to "dovetail" my internet addictions into something at least relatively Krishna conscious.

Credit must go to this guy, for creating a KC blog that has inspired me enough to give this another shot. Blogging as sadhana?

Btw, please forgive another short silence here. I am adjusting to a new apartment, but things will get going again soon.

The Mental Speculator Exchange

2007-07-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

"As stated in the Brahma-samhita, the mental speculators, even by dint of learned scholarship, cannot even dream of the Absolute Truth by speculating over it for eternity. The Lord reserves the right of not being exposed to such mental speculators. And because they cannot enter into network stem of the lotus stem of the Lord, all material speculators differ in conclusions, and at the end they make a useless compromise by saying, "as many conclusions, as many ways," according to one's own inclination. (yatha-rucam). But the Lord is not like a shopkeeper trying to please all sorts of customers in the mental speculator exchange. The Lord is what He is, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, and He demands absolute surrender unto Him only...

...The Lord, being the Lord of intelligence in everyone (even in the nondevotee), favors His devotee with proper intelligence so that automatically the pure devotee is enlightened with the factual truth about the Lord and His different energies. The Lord is revealed not by one's speculative power or by one's verbal jugglery over the Absolute Truth. Rather, He reveals Himself to a devotee when He is fully satisfied by the devotee's service attitude. Sukadeva Gosvami is not a mental speculator or compromiser of the theory of "as many ways, as many conclusions." Rather, he prays to the Lord only, invoking His transcendental pleasure. That is the way of knowing the Lord."

SB 2.4.21 purport

The Over-Long Title of My Next Self-Help Book

2007-07-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

It's not because I don't have the things I want.

It's because I want the things I don't have.

Who Says Spiritual Life Is One Of Inactivity?

2007-07-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

"The whole Vedic adventure is to draw one's attention entirely unto the lotus feet of Lord Krishna without any diversion, as instructed in the Bhagavad-Gita (15.15)."

-SB 2.4.1 purport

Crying For Krishna

2007-06-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

About a month later, I'm finally sitting down to write about my experience in Germany. What's that? Japa retreat? You're kidding, right? Oh, I haven't forgotten, but I'm not sure if I'll be sitting down for that one any time soon. Anyway...

One morning, eating breakfast in the Novotel in Aachen, I noticed a little boy one or two years old. He had just suffered a childhood trauma of some description. I'm unsure of the exact nature of the incident, and at the time I got the general impression that he wasn't quite sure either. By the time he had found his way to his mother's lap - all the while crying 'Mama! Mama!' in steady, insistent sob-tones - he seemed to have forgotten what the original source of his distress had been. Not that this dissuaded him in any way from rather vocally taking shelter of his mother's love.

I thought of how much his steady, repetitive 'Mama! Mama!' sounded like a mantra, and I was immediately reminded of how Srila Prabhupada has instructed us to chant Hare Krishna like a child crying for its mother. I also realized how there was something about this boy's crying that was faintly comforting to me, and I think, to him as well. Though he kept crying, and showed no sign of stopping, I felt that he didn't have a care in the world, but was in some way taking pleasure in both the crying, and in his mother's eager reciprocation - satiated by her desire to alleviate his distress.

The boy's apparent detachment may seem odd, but it seemed rather palpable to me at the time, and it reminded me of the nature of our own material strife. If we can follow this example, and take pleasure in crying out the Lord's Holy Name in the same way, the Lord will eagerly reciprocate. Any distress we may have had will then disappear without a trace. Nonetheless, we will continue chanting with the same urgency, feeling the bliss of mutual reciprocation with the Lord of our heart.

Our material distress is completely inconsequential, after all. Just as the pleasures of the body - and the world it inhabits - are illusory, so too are the distresses. The greatest thing the devotee has to fear in this material world is that he may at any time fall into illusion and forget Krishna. But if we are sitting at the Lord's lotus feet, crying out His Holy Names with relish, then what chance does maya have to enter our consciousness?

It's Kali-Yuga, Baby!

2007-06-19T17:07:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been a little disheartening. If there was any doubt, Kali-Yuga is rapidly advancing: cheating and hypocrisy rule the hearts of men, and we are all casualties, Mother Bhumi included.

It seems that a few people still think that rocknroll can save the world. I read an article in Rolling Stone about the 24-hour worldwide Live-Aid style "benefit concert" that Gore is hoping will save us all from global warming. To be fair, Gore and co. say that they are making every effort to minimize the impact that organizing and executing such a colossal event will have on the environment, but I think it's fairly obvious that the cost will greatly outweigh the benefit.

On Sunday we had two very special guests at the East Hartford temple: B.B. Govinda Swami and Indradyumna Maharaja. The kirtans were deep and beautiful and full of spiritual potency, as were the words of these two venerable sadhus. I wish I could say that the entire evening was a festival of blissed out chanting, dancing, and feasting on the Holy Names, but there was some serious business involved as well. As I'm sure you are all aware by now our brothers and sisters in Kazakhstan have not been faring well of late. Less than a week ago another twelve devotee homes were unlawfully destroyed by local government officials. The rest of the community, including the farmhouses that are giving shelter to some 30 cows, and of course the temple and Deities, may be destroyed at any time. In spite of worldwide outcries from human rights advocates, ambassadors, and politicians including Great Britain's own Tony Blair, the Kazakh government appears to have no intention of changing their present course. B.B. Govinda Swami and others made impassioned pleas for support, and we obliged in whatever ways we could, but I have to say that the whole thing left me feeling pretty close to hopeless.

And a few more cheerful and uplifting stories have passed my way in the last day or so as well...

There's this one about an area of the Pacific Ocean twice the size of Texas that's filled with plastic waste of various descriptions - a sort of floating garbage heap. Then there's this one about some rather shocking behavior in Sri Vrindavana Dhama.

And last but not least, it turns out that the Dalai Lama is not quite the beacon of peace and compassion that everyone seems to think. Read this open letter on Kurma Dasa's blog, and don't miss the accompanying article linked at the bottom of the entry. Apparently, even "His Holiness" is a "meat-eating Buddhist". I would do my part to spread this information around, but I'm afraid that most people would take it as "permission" rather than the dissapointing evidence of hypocrisy that it is.

a-brahma-bhuvanal lokah
punar avartino 'rjuna
mam upetya tu kaunteya
punar janma na vidyate

From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again. (BG 8.16)

More Vacation Pics

2007-06-05T16:09:00.001-07:00

This one's legit.

I just returned from a few days auf Deutschland. My pop is working in Berlin this summer, so the family all met up for some time together. We spent about a year living in a little town called Julich when I was eight years old, so part of the trip was revisiting old turf, and the rest was castles and cathedrals and the like. Somehow I managed to drag everyone to ISKCON Koln (Their Lordships, Sri Sri Gaura Nitai above) and for an afternoon jaunt to Radhadesh. I even managed to make it to the Sunday feast in Koln.

I should know better than to promise future posts at this point, but I did have one nice experience that I'm planning to share. Right now I think I'm going to have to succumb to the wear and tear of travel fatigue, though. Bis morgen?

Japa Retreat (Part I)

2007-05-26T17:29:00.000-07:00

I'm still working on a post (or two) summing up my experiences and realizations at the japa retreat. In the mean time I thought I'd share some of the things I quickly jotted down* right after the weekend so that I wouldn't try to remember them two months later and find that they had long since left me.

I am not my mind. My mind wants fireworks, but while that may distract me for a time, it's not satisfying to the heart/the self/the soul. My heart is satisfied by things that are much deeper, and far more subtle, not simply flashy and impressive.
To love someone means to pay attention to them (and) if we pay attention to someone, we will come to love them. In the same way, developing love for the Holy Name only requires our enthusiastic attention.
Sankirtan means: everyone goes back to Godhead together. (Ravindra Savrupa Dasa)
My chanting is a personal time to associate with the Lord/the Holy Name (which are not different). When chanting I should be giving the Holy Name my full attention. This applies to application (how well I am concentrating) as well as attitude (how have I arranged the environment? how eager am I to get on to something else?).
My chanting is not a courtesy to my spiritual master (completing my rounds merely in order to fulfill a vow). My chanting is an offering to my spiritual master. As such I should chant as well/as attentively as I possibly can desiring to please guru and Krishna, but I should be detached from the results. I should expect nothing in return for my chanting, but should simply be satisfied with the chanting itself.
Japa is a purificatory process by which we express our love for Krishna. Kirtan is an expression of love between devotees. One requires the other: the heart must be purified in order to express love for the devotees. (Varsana Swami)
nirvisesa sunyvadi pascatya desa tarine... Srila Prabhupada saved us from impersonalism and voidism by giving us the Divine Love of the Holy Names: you can try to love the void, but it won't love you back.
Chanting is going on all the time...

*I copied this almost exactly as it appears in my notebook, with only a minimal amount of editing. It's abit awkward here and there. Also, many of these reflections are the direct result of things I heard in classes from the many exalted Vaishnavas who participated. I have noted those places where I have quoted someone directly.

Vacation Pics: Badarikashrama

2007-05-26T17:26:00.000-07:00

The Anti-God Delusion

2007-05-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

Those who engage in the culture of nescient activities shall enter into the darkest region of ignorance. Worse still are those engaged in the culture of so-called knowledge.

As far as vidya is concerned, the first mantra has explained very clearly that the Supreme Lord is the proprietor of everything and that forgetfulness of this fact is ignorance. The more a man forgets this fact of life, the more he is in darkness. In view of this, a godless civilization directed toward the so-called advancement of education is more dangerous than a civilization in which the masses of people are less "educated." [Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 9 & Purport]

Working in retail means that at least four days a week I dutifully connect spirit souls with their material desires. I earn, what I hope is a mostly, honest living at one of the two major chain bookstores in the US. I am often reminded that the Srimad-Bhagavatam describes that “words which do not describe the glories of the Lord… [are] like a place of pilgrimage unto crows” [SB 1.5.10]. This is undoubtedly true whether those words are spoken aloud or found on the printed page. In that case, I regularly visit a place of pilgrimage. In fact, I often see a small flock of jet-black fowl perched just above the front door when I go into work in the morning.

We carry books, magazines, CDs, DVDs and so forth, covering all varieties of material “knowledge” – and, I should point out, a small selection of transcendental literature of varying potencies; for instance, we carry a version of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-Gita As It Is, originally printed by Macmillan, and reprinted by the BBT. Because this is largely a “mainstream” sort of place, we spare no expense – be it monetary or karmic – in carrying whatever may happen to be the latest trend.

I somehow weathered the ballyhooed release of The Secret in its many formats – thanks Oprah! While that little publication probably deserves a post of its own, it’s nothing in comparison to the disturbing trend of anti-religious tomes that have been coming through over the least several months. The first one I remember seeing was Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion. If you are unfamiliar with Dawkins and his ilk, suffice it so say that he is one of a growing number of evangelical atheists that have gained popularity as of late. I think Srila Prabhupada would have readily identified Dawkins as one of the “tiny Hiranyakasipus of today” .

So it was with little surprise, but much irritation, that I happened upon this little manifesto the other day. Though supposedly writing for the intelligent class, Christopher Hitchens’ title -– God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything – leaves nothing to subtlety nor imagination. A quick glance at the inside cover reveals whatever could not already be assumed: Hitchens considers it his responsibility to push on the crusade – and let’s not let that word fly by without belaboring its painful irony – to completely eradicate the world of the thing that he feels is causing all of its pain and suffering: religion, and by obvious extension, God. Materialists like Dawkins and Hitchens never hesitate to send up their battle cry of logic and reason, but any intelligent examination will reveal that their proposals are neither logical, nor reasonable.

Let’s be honest. There has been, is, and unfortunately will be much suffering perpetrated in the name of religion, and in the name of God. I will address this sad fact shortly, but let me first emphatically state that the atheistic plan for their total eradication will do nothing to solve the real problems of material life: birth, disease, old age, and death. It is for this reason that Hitchens’ proposal is entirely unreasonable. It is, in effect, a declaration of war on material nature, a campaign which has been throughout human history, an utter failure. The death rate in the material world has always been one hundred percent, and no amount of advancement in the fields of science, technology or so-called rational thought will change that fact.

I can hear their deluded objections rising up right now, declaring with some amount of fevered confidence that if only we devote the time and resources to these problems, that science will one day discover the solution for these plagues on humanity, bringing about an ageless, deathless utopia, free from all illness and strife. Srila Prabhupada said, “trust no future, however wonderful”, and also warned us about accepting what amounts to a massive post-dated check from the falsely confident. We have no reason to believe that material science has any hope of effectively addressing the problems of birth, disease, old age, and death, and we should not be swayed by empty promises. Every illness apparently “cured” is replaced by some newer, more virulent scourge, what to speak of the specter of inevitable death.

Besides, this dogmatic faith in the scientific infallibility of the universe is totally illogical. Fanatics like Hitchens and Dawkins profess their faith for evincible scientific fact, completely eschewing all things spiritual and supposedly unverifiable. However convincing their approach may be in theory, they are laughably inept at applying it in practice. Motivated by their so-called compassion for the suffering of humanity – at the hands of evil religion, no less – they hope to bring about a utopian age free of all pain and inconvenience. However, if the world is merely a complicated interaction of physical laws, scientific interactions, and chemical reactions, then what use is there for compassion? If millions of people die every day, why should we care? When each life amounts to a few dollars of soon to be useless chemicals, why should anyone get upset? By their own standards the pursuit of happiness is only so much phantasmagoria, an illusion created by the temporary presence of electrical impulses in the brain, or the increase of certain chemical compounds. Why should any standards of moral decency exist in a civilization supposedly created by human intellect? As Hitchens suggests, God, and the faiths that revere Him, is simply a concoction of the human mind, a concoction that he feels is responsible for all of the world’s ills.

However, Hitchens’ solution is the worst kind of utopian misdirection. In presenting the one solution he feels will be the panacea for the world’s problems, he is simply covering up the real source of suffering. It is not God, nor religion, that is causing this suffering, it is the lust, anger, greed, and envy so deeply entrenched in our hearts that are the source of suffering. It is that lust, anger, greed, and envy that will make any so-called believer exploit others for his own selfish gain. And by offering his brilliant solution, Hitchens and his ilk are merely absolving themselves from any real responsibility in the matter. By placing the blame on God, they are only attempting to avoid the daunting task of ridding themselves of that same lust, anger, greed, and envy: a seemingly superhuman task that begins with humility. Obviously, this is a quality that Hitchens sorely lacks.

Sure, I don’t know Hitchens personally. He may be a great guy, right? A real saint, I’m sure. Perhaps. But it doesn’t take much investigation to see the evidence of arrogance and conceit; look no further than the cover of his book (Dawkins, too). Both Hitchens and Dawkins have resorted to what J.D. Salinger referred to as “the worst kind of name-dropping”, riding on the reputation of the possessor of all fame, in the hopes of gaining a little more fame and publicity (and money) for themselves. Hitchens and Dawkins profess their desire to completely remove God from the picture, but they don’t hesitate to use his reputation to get a little attention for themselves.

These are the brilliant leaders of modern society. Deluded by the material energy, desperate only to increase the gratification of their senses, they pour all of their energy into refining the animalistic activities of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, completely oblivious to their inevitable failure. Hitchens and Dawkins, and the other fundamentalist materialists like them, are certainly the “tiny Hiranyakasipus of today”, and they can look forward to accepting the same fate as their bigger demon cousins of yore. They too will eventually meet Krishna in the form of cruel death.

Real sense enjoyment is possible only when the disease of materialism is removed. In our pure spiritual form, free from all material contamination, real enjoyment of the senses is possible. A patient must regain his health before he can truly enjoy sense pleasure again. Thus the aim of human life should not be to enjoy perverted sense enjoyment but to cure the material disease. Aggravation of the material disease is no sign of knowledge, but a sign of avidya, ignorance. For good health, a person should not increase his fever from 105 degrees to 107 degrees but should reduce his temperature to the normal 98.6. That should be the aim of human life. The modern trend of material civilization is to increase the temperature of the feverish material condition, which has reached the point of 107 degrees in the form of atomic energy. Meanwhile, the foolish politicians are crying that at any moment the world may go to hell. That is the result of the advancement of material knowledge and the neglect of the most important part of life, the culture of spiritual knowledge. Sri Isopanishad herein warns that we must not follow this dangerous path leading to death. On the contrary, we must develop the culture of spiritual knowledge so that we may become completely free from the cruel hands of death. [Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 11, Purport]

Excuses, excuses...

2007-05-01T17:55:00.000-07:00

It's not that I was lying, really. I just tend to overestimate the imminent presence of "free-time" in my day-to-day life.

Earlier today someone said : no rest for the wicked.

It certainly seems that way sometimes, doesn't it. I'd like to think that Krishna is keeping me out of trouble. He's certainly keeping me engaged. And how can I complain? Krishna is very merciful. Besides, when I sit for a couple hours a day and ask again and again and again to be engaged in the Lord's service - however insincere and inattentive those requests might be - I shouldn't be very surpsised when service actually comes.

The short version? My reflections on the japa retreat are forthcoming, as well as a little something else I've been working on. At least, I really hope so...

Still Here

2007-04-05T09:59:00.000-07:00

Some of you have still been dropping by from time to time, even though its been several months since my last post. I'm hoping to be a bit more active in the near future, starting with some reflections and realizations from the Japa Retreat I just attended in upstate NY. It was a watershed event in my spiritual life, and I would be remiss not to try and share what I gleaned there by the mercy of Guru, Krishna, and the Vaishnavas. I know my thoughts will be mostly insignificant, and perhaps of more interest to me than anyone else, but I'm feeling the need to share them nonetheless. I hope you find them of some use.

...bahir nrsimho hrdaye nrsimho...

2007-04-05T07:22:00.000-07:00

Simple For The Simple

2006-10-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

Just recently I remembered an amusing - but deep - interaction I had with my Guru Maharaja. I presented him with one of my recurring anxieties in Krishna consciousness, and received an unexpectedly laconic reply.

My concern then - as it is now - was that if I were ever able to surrender to guru and Krishna, it would be out of a sense of duty, or perhaps even fear. In what I thought was my most sincere and imploring tone I said "Maharaja, I don't want to surrender to Krishna because of obligation or guilt. I want to surrender out of love and devotion."

I suppose I was hoping for him to say something more practical, because I was surprised by my Gurudeva's profoundly brief solution: Ok. You can do that.

Shortly after this came to mind, I recalled a similar interaction I had with Jayadvaita Swami. His answer to the same dilemma: Yes. Those are the two options.

Pascatya Desa Tarana Mahotsava

2006-09-13T07:01:00.000-07:00

"Markine Bhagavat Dharma"

My dear Lord Krsna, You are so kind upon this useless soul, but I do not know why You have brought me here. Now You can do whatever You like with me.

But I guess You have some business here, otherwise why would You bring me to this terrible place?

Most of the population here is covered by the material modes of ignorance and passion. Absorbed in material life they think themselves very happy and satisfied, and therefore they have no taste for the transcendental message of Vasudeva [Krishna]. I do not know how they will be able to understand it.

But I know that Your causeless mercy can make everything possible, because You are the most expert mystic.

How will they understand the mellows of devotional service? O Lord, I am simply praying for Your mercy so that I will be able to convince them about Your message.

All living entities have come under the control of the illusory energy by Your will, and therefore, if You like, by Your will they can also be released from the clutches of illusion.

I wish that You may deliver them. Therefore if You so desire their deliverance, then only will they be able to understand Your message…

How will I make them understand this message of Krishna consciousness? I am very unfortunate, unqualified, and the most fallen. Therefore I am seeking Your benediction so that I can convince them, for I am powerless to do so on my own.

Somehow or other, O Lord, You have brought me here to speak about You. Now, my Lord, it is up to You to make me a success or failure, as You like.

O spiritual master of all the worlds! I can simply repeat Your message. So if You like You can make my power of speaking suitable for their understanding.

Only by Your causeless mercy will my words become pure. I am sure that when this transcendental message penetrates their hearts, they will certainly feel gladdened and thus become liberated from all unhappy conditions of life.

O Lord, I am just like a puppet in Your hands. So if You have brought me here to dance, then make me dance, make me dance, O Lord, make me dance as You like.

I have no devotion, nor do I have any knowledge, but I have strong faith in the holy name of Krishna. I have been designated as Bhaktivedanta, and now, if You like, You can fulfill the real purport of Bhaktivedanta.

Signed—the most unfortunate, insignificant beggar,

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami,
On board the ship Jaladuta, Commonwealth Pier,
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Dated 18th September 1965.

Caste Consciousness

2006-07-17T17:06:00.000-07:00

In the midst of preparations for yesterday's Sunday feast I wondered aloud: has anyone heard about Radhanatha and Indradyumna Swami's trip to Puri Ratha-Yatra? Just today Bhaktin Jenn - whose enthusiastic willingness to serve the Vaishnavas I greatly admire - sent this link my way. Devamrita Swami gives all the gruesome details of the recent Ratha festival in Jagannatha Puri.

Param Vijayate Sri Krishna Sankirtanam!

2006-06-28T05:17:00.000-07:00

More from Sivarama Swami on chanting the holy name.

Practical Japa Tips

2006-06-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

Here's another excerpt from Sacinandana Swami's Nectarean Ocean of the Holy Name. On pages 165 and 166 he outlines eight steps for improving one's chanting. I found them to be quite helpful and thought I would reproduce them here.

1. Preparation: make a resolution the day before – “Next morning , I will chant with
full concentration!” Go to be early.
2. Start very early the next morning. Chant at a place free of distraction, either in
the association of devotees or at a location which offers you maximum solitude.
If the mind starts to flicker, calm it down with prayer, or try some breathing
exercises. [The most effective practice for those unacquainted with pranayama is
to inhale and exhale deeply. Srila Sanatana Goswami recommends in
Hari-bhakti-vilasa that before chanting gayatri-mantra one should perform some
pranayama exercises.]
3. While chanting:
a. Chant your rounds fluently without interruption (control your speed in the
beginning).
b. Take care of a clear, distinct pronunciation of the holy names.
c. Keep a straight, upright posture. (It is better to sit upright while chanting; this
posture is in the mode of goodness. To lie down would be in ignorance, and to
walk in passion.)
4. Concentrate the mind on the sound vibration.
5. Control the mind:
a. Draw it back when it drifts away.
b. “Relieve” it from the past by not delving on what happened the day before, or
the week before, or the year before!
c. Abandon the planning of your daily schedule. (In case the shopping list or
service schedule repeatedly turns up in the mind, one can shortly interrupt
chanting and write down the points; then the mind will be calm again.)
6. Try to attain the state of mind recommended in the third verse of Sri Siksastaka
(humility, tolerance, pridelessness, respect for all living beings). This attempt
will succeed if you bear in mind that as the soul you are an insignificant minute
part of the Lord.
7. Meditate on the meaning of the holy names while chanting, as it is revealed by
Srila Prabhupada and the previous acaryas.
8. Chant with a feeling of longing for Krishna.

Here are a few more japa outposts on the web...

A recent podcast by Sivarama Swami deals with Sankirtan. Maharaja focuses on chanting japa.

Umapati Swami just posted some japa tips.

Here's a link to a link to a podcast by Bhurijana Prabhu called "japa therapy", courtesy of Bala Gopal's Mrdanga and ISKCON Melbourne.

p.s. I'm hoping to add some links to newly discovered blogs in the near future, but with a new full-time job and "summer school" in full swing, it may take some time.

KC Links

2006-05-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

I would like to keep updating the listo'links (at right), but there is so much shtuff out there that it's hard to keep up. I'm sure I'll keep adding notweorthy blogs from time to time, but resources and other links are just too numerous to include all of them.

Del.icio.us is a fantastic solution. The geek in me loves this site, and the hyper-organized freak craves the utility. A couple days ago I started a page there to track Krishna conscious websites, articles, video, audio, etc. Take a look, and let me know if there's something I'm missing.

I would be seriously remiss if I didn't mention that most of this good stuff comes my way through the websearch-shakti of Bhaktin Jenn. Thanks!

If I Were Sincere...

2006-05-09T09:03:00.000-07:00

Once again, I'm making my way through Sacinandana Swami's book, The Nectarean Ocean of the Holy Name. In his discussion of the eighth offense ("To consider the chanting of Hare Krishna to be one of the asupicious ritualistic activities...") Sacinandana Maharaja includes the following quote from Harinama-Cintamani. It is a prayer that Haridasa Thakur offers to Lord Caitanya.

My dear Lord, my thoughts and my intellect are thoroughly mundane: therefore I simply mouth the names of the Lord. I am too unfortunate to experience the transcendental touchstone qualities of the holy name. O Lord, I beg you to please appear as the holy name and dance on my tongue. I fall at Your lotus feet and pray. If You like, You can keep me in this material world and deprive me of the spiritual sky; whatever You desire, You are free to fulfill. But please let me taste the divine nectar of Krishna's holy name. You have incarnated amongst the jivas to distribute the holy name, so kindly also consider me, an insignificant jiva. I am a fallen soul and you are the savior of the fallen. Let this be our relationship. O savior, on the strength of this relationship, I am begging from You the nectar of the holy name.

*The fantastic picture above is from Madhva Muni's flickr account. There are many beautiful pictures there.

#24 Kavi - A Devotee Is A Poet

2006-05-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

"One may serve his country, people and society, the varnasrama-dharma system, the sick, the poor, the rich, the women, the demigods, and so on. All this service comes under the heading of sense gratification, or enjoyment in the material world. It is most unfortunate that people are more or less attracted by such material activity and that the leaders of these activities are accepted as mahajanas, great ideal leaders. Actually they are only misleaders, but an ordinary man can not understand how he is being misled."

[Cc. Madhya 17.186 - purport]

Advaita?

2006-04-28T09:12:00.000-07:00

This movie is showing here in Hartford this weekend. At first it struck me as yet another addition to the recent surge of new-agey impersonalist feel-good propaganda that seems to be popping up everywhere recently. On closer inspection I discovered that it features an interview with a certain "B.T. Swami".

You can watch three previews for the film on their website, two of which briefly feature His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami. In the first preview Maharaja is awkwardly injected into a very crafty and unsettling bit of editing. Taken on its own, his soundbite is realtively noncommital - "fear is like a plague, it's like a disease, and it has its way to infiltrate people's minds" - but taken alongside the barrage of soundbites, it is clearly chosen to give the viewer a distinct impression if not message, as is the rest of the trailer. That impression is nothing new, this is standard fare for the new-age set: no one can really definitively know anything about spiritual reality, there is no conclusive truth, religion is bad, individuals are never to blame, God (or should I say god?) is a vague and indescribable warm fuzzy energy - more or less what you would expect from a film called "One". In the second preview, there are two silent images of Maharaja. In one he appears to be preparing for his interview. In the other, he is shown in a still photo with the filmmakers, flashing that classic radiant smile.

I don't know what to say about this, especially before seeing the film. Since the screening this weekend is $10 a pop, and since I'll most likley be out-of-town anyway, I think I'll wait for the DVD. At this point I only know two things: seeing Bhakti Tirtha Swami grinning ear-to-ear like that still gives me a little jolt of ananda, and that the whole talking-soft-and-saying-nothing thing dissapoints me to no end, but always makes me grateful for the True wisdom contained in Srila Prabhupada's books.

P.S. You might notice a new moniker down there. Much to share about that, but I'd like to get my hands on some pictures first. Effusive post about my recent initiation ceremony coming soon...

Devotees Appear In All Shapes, Sizes, and Species

2006-04-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

I'm sure most of you have heard by now, but I feel compelled to say that Gulab Kali, Sri Dham Mayapur's famous devotee elephant, left her body recently. She was suffering from a foot infection that she was ultimately unable to recover from. Read about the details in this series of posts on Vaishnava Blog Feeds: post 1, post 2, post 3, post 4. There are lots of pictures included, courtesy of Her Grace Vindavan Lila Devi Dasi.

Also, check out the sweet reminiscences of His Grace Vipramukhya Dasa, who had a very special relationship with Gulab. There are some nice pictures of the elephant procession on the Sri Dham Mayapur website as well.

The last time I was in Mayapur I brought Gulab a healthy bunch of bananas, thinking it would be a respectable offering. When I held them out to her, she immediately snatched them from my hands with her trunk and popped the entire bunch into her mouth, seeming to swallow it whole. Perhaps if I had thought about it a little longer I would have realized that offering eight or ten bananas to an elephant is a little like giving someone a single grape and expecting them to be satisfied. As soon as she had devoured my meager offering, Gulab swung her trunk behind me sniffing at my backpack in hopes of something more substantial.

While reading the updates on Gulab's passing I found myself quite moved. It is remarkable that devotees can show so much compassion for living entities of all shapes and sizes - after all, we are all spirit souls, regardless of the material bodies in which we happen to reside. However, the devotees glorifications and sincere service to Gulab Kali goes well beyond "panditah sama-darsinah". Gulab was clearly a very special soul. Not only was she a Dhamavasi - a resident of the transcendental abode of Lord Caitanya - she performed direct and intimate service to Sri Sri Radha-Madhava by personally carrying Their Lordships on her back during Sri Dhama Mayapur's weekly elephant procession.

Gulab Kali ki jaya!

My Belated Rama Navami Post

2006-04-11T09:50:00.000-07:00

I have been almost unbearably busy as of late - preparing for my upcoming initiation, alongside with work, school, and daily sadhana - so I've missed a few opportunities for topical posts of various sorts. On Rama Navami I remembered something I'd seen a while back, but never closely investigated.

The picture below is a NASA satellite photo of Lord Ramacandra's bridge to Lanka! Read the informative wikipedia article here, and follow the links. I for one, what with my skeptical conditioned intelligence, find it heartening to see clear evidence that Lord Rama was an "historical personality", as well as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Vrindavana Consciousness

2006-03-23T05:56:00.000-08:00

Another excerpt from Prabhupada At Radha Damodara. This is an excerpt from a speech given by the Municipality of Vrindavana, welcoming Srila Prabhupada and his western disciples to the Holy Dhama in 1971:

O great soul! Today we, the inhabitants of Vrindavan, known as Brijbasis, all combinedly offer our humble welcome to Your Holiness, in this holy place of Vrindavan, and in doing so feel very proud. For many years you stayed at the Radha-Damodara temple, and worshipped Her Majesty Srimati Radharani in a meditative mood, and thus you now have the transcendental vision to deliver the entire world. As proof of your perfection, we can see these foreign disciples before us, and we feel very proud to see how you have transformed them into such pure devotees. We take it for granted that you are one of us in Vrindavan. We are sure that wherever you travel, you must carry with you the impression of Sri Vrindavan Dham. The culture, religion, philosophy, and transcendental existence of Sri Vrindavan Dham travel with you. Through the great message Your Holiness carries, all the people of the world are now becoming very intimately related with Vrindavan Dham. We are certainly sure that through your preaching alone, the transcendental message of Vrindavan will spread all over the world.

Devotional Service In Chivalry?

2006-03-21T06:07:00.000-08:00

More nectar courtesy of His Holiness Mahanidhi Swami. The following is an excerpt from the book Prabhupada at Radha Damodar. In this excerpt Jagat Guru Swami explains the “early days” of Sri Sri Radha-Ramanaji.

In the area of the present Radha-raman temple, there used to be a large lake connected to the Yamuna River. For a couple hundred years they worshipped Radha-raman in a tree, and at night put Him in a boat anchored in the middle of the lake. They stood guard with bows and arrows. The arrows would be dipped in a homemade poison, so even if they just nicked you, you would go down; if anyone came to hassle the deity of Radha-raman. In the Radha-raman temple they still have the bows and arrows.

The 10 Defenses

2006-02-21T07:34:00.000-08:00

In his book, The Art of Chanting Hare Krishna, Mahanidhi Swami lists "ten actions... to protect one from the tendency to make offenses" that originally appear in Srila Sacidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakur's Harinama Cintamani. I typed them up, in a slightly paraphrased form, when I first read Mahanidhi Swami's book and thought I would reproduce them here as well.

The 10 Defenses

1. Serve those who serve the Lord, don’t criticize them out of envy or false ego.

2. Worship Krishna as the “source of all spiritual and material worlds”, “the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities.” Show respect to demigods like Lord Siva or Ganesh and personalities like Hanuman as exalted devotees of Lord Krishna.

3. Show full respect to the spiritual master in thoughts, words and actions, considering him to be a representative of the Lord. Carry out the orders of the spiritual master with enthusiasm and attention to detail.

4. Honor (and study) the scriptures as the instructions of the Supreme Lord (dharmam tu saksad bhagavat pranitam) with the desire to understand how they are correct (not if they are correct).

5. Have faith that the Holy Name is not a mundane sound vibration, but is in fact transcendental sound, descending from the (pure) spiritual platform.

6. Have faith in the explanations and glorification of the Holy Name given by guru, sadhu and sastra. This knowledge is given by those who have experienced the glories of the Holy Name, and who have “seen the truth.”

7. Root out the desire to commit sins. A sin is an action that is not connected to the Supreme Lord; something done for the gratification of the senses. Acting only for the pleasure of the material body brings you further from practical realization of your factual identity as an eternal spirit soul (separate from the temporary material body).

8. Give up ritualistic pious activities. Transcend feelings of duty and obligation and perform all activities for the pleasure of Krishna.

9. Discuss the glories of the Holy Name with servants of the Lord who will relish hearing about it.

10. Chant attentively, absorbing your full consciousness in the transcendental vibration of the Holy Name.

Mahanidhi Swami also notes that one who cultivates the four qualities of humility, tolerance, pridelessness, and respect for others will be protected from committing the ten offenses.

Mayapur Live

2006-02-21T07:27:00.000-08:00

Daily lectures from this year's Mayapur Festival will again be available online as written transcripts or downloadable audiofiles. One kind soul alerted me to this announcement on Bala Gopal's Mrdanga. Here is an excerpt from that post, with links to places where you might be able to find this stuff online:

In a couple of days we will recommence our service of transcribing the daily Srimad Bhagavatam classes given by senior devotees during the 2006 Mayapur Gaura Purnima Festival. Like last year, we will endeavour our best to have the transcripts of the classes uploaded the same day they are given for the spiritual pleasure of the worldwide community of devotees.

In addition to the transcripts, last year we were able to also upload the audio files (around 10 MB each) of the lectures and as long as our Internet connection allows it, will do so again this year. The audio files should be downloadable from the following websites:

http://www.mayapur.info
http://www.iskcon.com/
http://www.harekrishna.org.au
and via
http://www.krishna.com/main.php?id=454

We humbly request all receivers of this text to widely broadcast this news, thus enabling the maximum number of devotees to taste the nectar of Srimad Bhagavatam live from Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir.

The transcripts will be e-mailed to members of the Mayapurlive conference.

This conference is public and open to all. PAMHO users can join Mayapurlive by sending a Command (click on Commands/Conferences/Join a conference, etc.), or simply by typing 'join Mayapurlive' while online, or by replying to this message.

All others can request to join the conference by replying to this message or sending an e-mail to mayapurlive@pamho.net

The transcripts should also be posted on the above websites.

A Life of Compassion, Dedication, & Love - His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami

2006-02-17T14:52:00.000-08:00

About a year ago my pop had a CD/mp3 player installed in my car. Thanks to the generosity of dear-old-Dad I can listen to lectures, bhajans, whatever without having to change the disc for days. For the past week or so I have been listening to "the longest Sunday Feast lecture in the history of Radha-Gopinath temple". It takes up five full-length mp3 files - five-plus hours of Radhanatha Swami glorifying the pastimes of His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja.

I had heard many of the stories before, but certainly didn't mind hearing them again. Radhanatha Maharaja's account of Bhakti Tirtha Swami's last days on this planet were particularly sweet - or should I say bittersweet? It made me feel some measure of gratitude for the times I was able to have Maharaja's darshan - NYC Ratha-Yatra 2003, Gita-Nagari Samskara Festival 2004, Maharaja's Maha Vyasa-Puja 2005, and Narasimha Caturdasi of the same year. I can remember specific interactions with Maharaja on each of these occasions that inspired me in spiritual life, infused with his very unique (and potent) bhakti-rasa.

Bhakti Tirtha Swami ki Jaya!

You can listen to the lecture(s) here, or download them from www.radhagopinath.com. I also suggest the feature article in the most recent issue of BTG, and this article from the Princeton Alumni Weekly (where Bhakti Tirtha Swami earned his undergraduate degree in psychology).
Maharaja's godbrother Satyaraja Prabhu is working on a biography as well.

SMILE!

2006-02-17T07:30:00.000-08:00

Driving home from work yesterday I got stuck in rush hour traffic, westbound 84. A 15 minute drive stretched to 50-plus! No worries, I had His Holiness Niranjana Swami on the sound system and an unexpected darshan of the Lord of the Universe.

Just as I was coming out of the tunnel that goes under the mess of exits and interchanges in downtown Hartford I noticed a familiar face riding not-quite-ratha-car-bumper-style on a saab in the left lane. It was one of those classic Jagannatha SMILE! stickers that devotees hand out on sankirtan and sometimes in rock-shew parking lots. For the next couple miles I was content not to switch lanes like a crazy-person, jockeying for position in whichever lane seemed to be moving most quickly at any given moment, as Lord Jaganatha's smiling face passed me by and fell behind, passed me by and fell behind.

It reminded me of something I like to think about from time to time...

We all tell stories about "how I came to Krishna consciousness" which usually involve a devotee distributing books, or a first trip to the temple, maybe a Govinda's restaurant. I like to think about the times I came in contact with Krishna even before it seemed like the wheels of spiritual life had really started moving.

In my first few months as a "practicing devotee" I took some small amount of pride in the fact that I had taken the initiative to become a vegetarian before taking up Krishna consciousness - as if this was somehow a sign of spiritual aptitude. Surely, being a vegetarian is no big deal. As Srila Prabhupada points out "even monkeys are vegetarian, and the monkey is the most nonsense animal." Nonetheless, I was puffed-up and then blissfully humbled when I realized it was actually by the mercy of the devotees that I had given up flesh-eating.

When I became determined to give up meat I decided that I would need to be reasonably well informed in order to be successful - and not die from malnutrition. One of the books that I read was a copy of "A Higher Taste" I stole from my sister's bookshelf. She had received it from devotees while on a trip to Washington D.C. in high school.

After this little epiphany another realization soon followed: my sister also had one of those SMILE! stickers. She had put it on the inside of her bookbag and I distinctly remember intently staring at Jagannatha's merciful visage and wishing I had one of those stickers, too.

Jagannatha Swami nayana patha gami bhavatu me!

Nityananda Trayodasi

2006-02-10T06:30:00.000-08:00

Today is the appearance day of Lord Nityananda.

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the most merciful incarnation of Krishna - maha-vadanyaya - but Lord Nityananda is even more merciful than Lod Caitanya. Srila Bhaktivinoda Tahkur describes in his song Sri Nagara Kirtana (The Market Place of the Holy Name) that Lord Nityananda is freely distributing the holy name of Lord in exchange for just a little faith. Lord Nityananda is mercifully delivering the holy name in this way by the order of His Master - Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

If we are eager to receive the mercy of Lord Caitanya we must first attain the mercy of Lord Nityananda. How do we receive the mercy of Nityananda? Srila Prabhupada says this it is possible to receive the favor of Nityananda by preaching to the Jagai's and Madhai's of this age. Furthermore, he assures us that in this age of Kali-yuga, everyone is to be considered on the level of Jagai and Madhai.

In his purport to Manah-siksa, by Srila Narottama dasa Thakura, Srila Prabhupada gives an illuminating explanation of the nature of fact as distinguished from material illusion.

"Why are these human animals acting in this way? Ahankare matta hoiya, nitai-pada pasariya. They have become maddened by a false concept of bodily life, and thus they have forgotten their eternal relationship with Nityananda. Asatyere satya kori mani: such forgetful persons accept the illusory energy as factual. Asatyere refers to that which is not a fact, or, in other words, maya. Maya means that which has no existence but is a temporary illusion only. Persons who have no contact with Nityananda accept this illusory body as factual.

Narottama dasa Thakura then says, nitaiyer koruna habe, braje radha-krsna pabe: "If you actually want to approach the association of Radha-Krsna, you must achieve the mercy of Lord Nityananda first. When He is merciful toward you, then you will be able to approach Radha-Krsna." Dharo nitai-carana du'khani. Narottama dasa advises that one firmly catch the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda.

Then again he says, nitai-carana satya. One should not misunderstand and think that as he has caught hold of maya, similarly the lotus feet of Nityananda may also be something like that maya, or illusion. Therefore Narottama dasa confirms, nitai-carana satya: the lotus feet of Nityananda are not illusion; they are a fact. Tahara sevaka nitya: and one who engages in the transcendental loving service of Nityananda is also transcendental. If one engages in the transcendental loving service of Nityananda in Krsna consciousness, he immediately achieves his transcendental position on the spiritual platform, which is eternal and blissful. Therefore he advises, nitai-pada sada koro asa: always try to catch the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda."

To view video of Nityananda Trayodasi festivities in Sri Vrindavana Dhama, click here.

Bhaimi Ekadasi & Appearance of Lord Varaha (Tomorrow)

2006-02-08T16:23:00.000-08:00

I received a comment last night that has me thinking about book distribution again. It reminded me of a funny story...

Last fall, by Krishna's mercy, I was in Vrindavana for Kartik. I spent most of the month staying at the Bhaktivendanta Ashram at Govardhana. One morning I left for Govardhana parikrama just after mangala arati with a couple devotees - Vedavyasa and Vaisesika Prabhus.

Vaisesika is a couple feet taller than I am, and at least a foot taller than Vedavyasa. He is also very fit, physically and spiritually. While at Govardhana he went on parikrama every day for almost the entire month. Most of the morning Vaedavyasa and I were practically running to keep up with his normal walking pace. After the sun had come up and the air was finally starting to warm up a little bit we were making our way through the market at Dhana Gati, after completing the Govinda Kunda half of the parikrama.

I suppose Vedavyasa and I were a bit giddy, or at least in a lighthearted mood at this point. Vedavyasa Prabhu also has more than a touch of the avadhuta in him. As we sped through the market we passed one Vrajavasi begging alms. As we passed Vedavyasa enthusiastically called out to him, in his unmistakable French-Canadian accent "If you get money, print books!"

Rare Footage of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur!?

2006-01-27T13:22:00.000-08:00

A devotee friend sent this my way. Apparently it is "rare footage" of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur speaking. I suppose it's entirely possible that it is "legit". Does anyone know for sure? I'm not quite sure why I doubt its authenticity. The establishing shots make me a little suspicious though... sure, that looks like the front gate to the Yoga Pitha, and those sure look like the deities on the center altar, that temple spire could be from just about any temple in Mayapur, though. Isn't this the Yoga Pitha temple? Curious.

Ramayana In English Verse

2006-01-20T15:38:00.000-08:00

I found this on "The Tree of MyLife" - the blog of Gopal Jiu Publications' Madhavananda Das. It's an excerpt from a translation of the Ramayana into English verse by a British/Christian missionary in India at the beginning of last century. An excerpt from the excerpt:

Then his true name and form demon Ravan displayed;
Sita, seeing and hearing, was deathly afraid;

She replied, as she rallied her courage and will,
“Wretch! My husband is coming! Stand off and stand still!
“You are doomed, demon ruler; you’re now well-nigh dead,
“Like a rabbit that would with a lioness wed.”

Not Essential!?

2006-01-06T16:17:00.000-08:00

Last night I was cooking up a little offering, trying to wash some dishes "en route". I must have been in the grips of the mode of passion - not good - cuz' I sliced a nice bit of my thumb while washing one of my new kitchen knives. Extra sharp. Extra ouch. Aside from lots of blood - which made cooking and offering a little more complicated - I didn't think it was such a big deal at the time, but when I woke up for a little transcendental sound vibration this morning the rest of my hand was feeling similarly un-fantastic.

Just to make sure I hadn't damaged an important part of the apparatus I scheduled a doctor's appointment today. Having moved recently I decided to visit the clinic just down the street from my apartment instead of the old one. Same network, different location... different doctor.

I'm not wild about going to the doctor. When I first started using this particular health network a few years ago, I had been feeling pretty out-of-sorts: light-headed, weak, chest pains, etc., and looking like your average 20-something devotee male - read: emaciated - I figured my first visit with my new doctor would include a conversation that started with something like "So, you're a vegetarian..." But I was pleasantly suprised when my new super-nice doctor turned out to be a vegetarian herself, with two under-ten vegetarian kids. Hari-bol.

So, fast forward two years later, new doctor, no longer out-of-sorts, probably still emaciated - today's visit had a few twists as well.

First, the "important" stuff, my "thumb laceration" is not so serious. The doctor - "Jill" - suggested putting a little super-glue on it, because it would help to seal it and because it was basically the same as the medical version but considerably less expensive. Just need to keep it bandaged and it should be fine in a couple days - just in time to chop veggies for the Sunday feast. Also, my visit was FREE OF CHARGE. Another, Hari-bol.

At some point during the visit my doctor noticed the two kavacas I wear around my neck (with mud from Ganga Mata and dust from Govardhana) and started a little conversation with me about religion. She said she was "really curious" about religion lately. She and her husband were raising their two kids Presbyterian, mostly because they wanted them to have a religious background, but didn't think it was fair to be raising them in a tradition that they didn't yet understand themselves.

I told her that I had been raised Catholic but that I had been more attracted to Vaishnavism. I also mentioned to her how I found that a lot of the things I first liked about Krishna consciousness were the same things that I liked about Catholocism - ritual, monotheism, faith in and love for God - but that I had become uninterested in going to church because it seemed like no one really wanted to be there.

She agreed, and went off on a minor anti-Catholic rant. She had also been raised Catholic, but she felt she "couldn't support the institution right now". She mentioned something about not allowing women to be priests, but then qualified herself by saying that maybe that particular detail "wasn't essential". To which I both agree , and disagree. Perhaps that's another post.

At any rate, as she was leaving I gave her a card for the temple and invited her to the Sunday feast saying "if nothing else, it's a delicious free meal. I don't know if you're a vegetarian..." And as I trailed off, and as she walked out the door and down the hall, she replied "Again, not essential." Ouch.

Thus ends my anecdote and begins my rant...

The idea that one's diet is "not essential" to one's spiritual practice is not a very intelligent one. I keep remembering a couple minutes of a Chris Rock routine I caught on tv recently. He was basically ridiculing vegetarians. At one point he said "I don't think God gives a sh@t what I eat". Not much of a punch line, so I'll add my own... Yeah, I'm sure God wouldn't mind if you ate your little brother, or maybe your grandma, right?

To which our two-legged carnivore no doubt replies "It's not the same thing!" True enough. Eating your family members, or your neighbors for that matter, is not the same as eating a pig or a cow that someone else killed and "prepped" for you. But then eating a pig or a cow isn't the same thing as eating a cucumber, is it? You wouldn't dream of eating your dog, would you? Well, what distinguishes fido from flank steak? And while we're at it, be honest, if you were driving down the road and you accidentally ran over a head of lettuce, would you feel quite as bad as if you hit a deer, or ran over someone's cat?

There's just no logic. All prejudices aside a well-trained health professional in this day and age should have some conception of the fact that a meat-based diet is just not as healthy as a vegetarian one.

But I digress, and so I'll go home tonight, boil some pasta, and warm up some of the brocoli-tomato sauce I made last night, and hope that I didn't get any of my thumb in there.

One Very Busy Day In Dvaraka

2006-01-04T10:32:00.000-08:00

From Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 22 - Qualities of Krishna Further Explained:

When Krishna was living at Dvaraka, demigods like Lord Siva, Lord Brahma, Indra the King of heaven and many others used to come to visit Him. The doorkeeper, who had to manage the entrance of all these demigods, one very busy day said, "My dear Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, please sit down on this bench and wait. My dear Indra, please desist from reading your prayers. This is creating a disturbance. Please wait silently. My dear Varuṇa, please go away. And my dear demigods, do not waste your time uselessly. Krishna is very busy; He cannot see you!"

The Essence Of All Japa Thoughts

2006-01-04T08:54:00.000-08:00

The following is from His Holiness Dhanurdhara Swami's journal entry for December 28, 2005:

Absorption in the Absolute Reality, Sri Krishna, is the essence of spiritual advancement.
We voluntarily absorb the mind in something either by our intelligence (we should absorb the mind), or spontaneously by the heart (we want to absorb the mind).

Naturally the mind is more absorbed in things we want to do than we are obligated for.

The key to absorption is thus emotional involvement with the object of our meditation, favorable or even unfavorable.

To increase our focus on the holy name we thus have to come to the platform of attachment (rag), emotional involvement with the holy name.

What to do if we are neophytes, if we have no spontaneous liking for Krishna?

Do we want attachment?

Yes.

Then we should humbly despair, “I have no attachment.”

One way or another, we must come to the platform of feeling for the holy name.

How?

Bring yourself, in mind, in the presence of an object of your spiritual liking (however shallow that love may be) and pray.

“I have no attachment”

Pray to the holy name.

Pray to the spiritual master.

Envision Sri Vrindavana Dhama or a beloved Deity and despair:

“I have no attachment!”

Wanting to have some attachment is also attachment as a desire for a desire is that desire in its budding stage.

But one way or another come to the platform of the heart for:

Absorption in the holy name is essence of all spiritual advancement and the key to such concentration is some feeling for the object of our meditation.

Enthusiasms - Ekadasi Thoughts

2005-12-27T15:53:00.000-08:00

If everything goes as planned (do I hear Krishna laughing ;) His Holiness Niranjana Maharaja will officially accept me as his disciple in a few months by giving me Harinama initiation. After almost ten years (on and, yes, off) "in the movement" it's hard to believe that I will finally be getting initiated. Recently, I have been thinking more and more about what I need to do in the next few months to be better prepared for this big step, and I've been spending a lot of time wondering if I'm really qualified for such a serious commitment.

What I've got going for me...

Although I get much less devotee association these days, since moving out of the Hartford temple and into my "bachelor-daddy" pad, I still get to see my spiritual Mom&Pop a couple times a week. I am extremely fortunate to have such fantastic devotees (Prabhupada disciples, no less) as my well-wishers and guides.

I am also extremely fortunate to have become fairly regulated in spiritual life over the last year or so. Sticking to my "daily routine" in Krishna consciousness keeps me going on the spiritual and the material planes. I don't always look forward to rising early and chanting my rounds, but I never regret starting my day with a heavy dose of transcendental sound vibration.

Despite the positive, there are certainly some other things that I could improve in my sadhana and my general spiritual situation (a lot less time spent on the internet ;) or watching movies, for instance), but there's one thing in particular that keeps coming to mind.

Niranjana Maharaja's mood is quite distinctly one of active preaching, especially book distribution. I enjoy giving classes and telling others about Krishna. I love going out on Harinama. I want to distribute books, but truth is, I'm a coward. The story I tell myself is that book distribution is just contrary to my temparament (Guru-Maharaja told me a wonderful story about this... maybe I'll share it later). I'm also a little concerned about the general tendency in the often "thoughtlessly-liberal" northeast towards distrust of all religion and distaste for "preaching" of all sorts. Honestly, I'm scared of people and scared of confrontation. I am too attached to the bodily concept to just hit the streets with a bag of books without being concerned about what other people think of me.

Dear devotees! What can I do? I suppose the simple answer is to just get out there and do it, depend on Krishna and see what happens, but does anyone have some good advice in this regard?

Help me get fired up to go out and distribute Srila Prabhupada's books!

Survey Says...

2005-12-27T15:16:00.000-08:00

Not enough "me".

If I've learned anything so far in the 'sphere, it's that a little bit of the "personal" touch goes a long way, and I am almost totally absent from this blog so far. What do I like in other Krishna conscious blogs? A little personality. Anything that gives me the impression that "this is a devotee I would like to know".

Here's a couple excerpts from my favorites. First, from Visnu-Maya Waxes Lyrical:

It is fortunate that devotees serve out of love and are satisfied with a dishing of halava at the end of the day as payment. Unless you are vegan of course, then well, you contemplate on compromising just this once, but decide against it, because you’re too fanatical.

And second, from Eric Tries To Sit Properly:

To be honest, at first I wasn't very into it. About half of it is Jiva Goswami proving through other scriptures that Srimad Bhagavatam is higher than the Vedas and is the highest purana. It was some great reading, but a little dry and I have a hard time reading things that I can't put into practice or practically relate to. It's my own shortcoming. I've never been in the situation where anyone has argued that the Bhagavatam isn't the highest. But then, I'm a white boy living in Pennsylvania

(Also, check out this hilarious hand-knitted-Hare-Krishna-zombie-doll. Yeah, that's right. I have no idea.)

Updated Links

2005-12-27T10:02:00.000-08:00

I just added a slew of new links (at right) in anticipation of some more regular posting here. If you know of a blog or site that you think I should add, please get in touch.

For those of you that drop in from time to time, but don't comment (as of yet ;) I'm curious what you think of the blog thus far... What do you like? What do you dislike? What do you look for in a Krishna conscious blog? Why do you read the KC blogs you read?

As I waork out a tone and style for this thing I will continue to try new ideas.styles/tones. It's not that I'm intending to change my style to solicit more readers, I'm just eager to build community and get some association here on the web. Any contact/feedback is greatly appreciated.

Hare Krishna!

All Set For The "Holiday Season"

2005-12-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

From "Krishna Valley" ISKCON Hungary. More pictures here.
Also look at the beautiful frescoes in the photo gallery.

Krishna Or Snow

2005-12-18T06:44:00.000-08:00

"If Krishna desires there may be ample supplies. In America, for example, there is an ample supply of everything needed, although in other countries that is not so. For instance, when I went to Switzerland I saw that everything there is imported. The only thing supplied locally is snow. This is all under Krishna's control. If one becomes a devotee, one will be amply supplied with food, and if one does not become a devotee one will be covered with snow. Everything is under Krishna's control, so actually there is no scarcity. The only scarcity is scarcity of Krishna consciousness."

-Srila Prabhupada, Teachings of Queen Kunti, Ch. 6: Master of the Senses

Well, You Can't Eat Him...

2005-12-12T07:30:00.000-08:00

Here's an interesting gift idea. I'm not sure what a Vaishnava is supposed to do with a dozen 2.5 inch dark chocolate Nathajis. I suppose you could eat the white chocolate ones if you wanted. Do you start with His lotus feet, or His head? Maybe you should just nibble around the outside of His transcendental body... Maybe He's better kept in a refrigerated display case?

In related weirdness, Tom Waits has a fantastic song called "Chocolate Jesus" on his album Mule Variations. It goes a little something like this...

Don’t go to church on sunday
Don’t get on my knees to pray
Don’t memorize the books of the bible
I got my own special way
But I know jesus loves me
Maybe just a little bit more

I fall on my knees every sunday
At zerelda lee’s candy store

Thanks to Bhaktin Jenn for the link.

Jagannatha Swami Nayana-Patha-Gami Bhavatu Me!

2005-12-01T11:57:00.000-08:00

There may be some good news in the near future for devotees unfortunate enough not to have taken birth in Bharat-Varsa. Nilacala Jagannatha-Puri Dhama ki Jaya!

Here's a nice article about Lord Jagannatha, Jagannatha Puri, Ratha-Yatra, and the Brits.

For those of us in the west, what can we say? The Lord is very merciful. He follows in the footseps of His pure devotees.

Utthana Ekadasi - Disappearance of Srila Gaura Kisora Dasa Babaji

2005-11-11T06:33:00.000-08:00

This morning I read this in Sri Nityananda Caritamrta (my emphasis added):

Lord Vishvambhara smilingly replied, "These drunkards [Jagai and Madhai] were already delivered the moment they had Your darshana [Lord Nityananda and Haridasa Thakur]. Since you desire their ultimate benefit, Krishna will soon deliver them."

Hearing this from the lotus mouth of the Lord, all the Vaishnavas immediately began to chant "Hari, Hari." This convinced everyone that now these two drunkards will be saved.

It reminded me of something I read recently in His Holiness Niranjana Maharaja's book, Lectures from a Disciple:

We have to understand that the success in preaching is not based only on the nondevotee's desire but on our own as well. We have to feel the weight of responsibility. Maybe our desire that they take a book is not pure enough. We have to increase our desire. We can not force people to take books, but we can pray to Krishna to inspire them from within the heart.

And also:

Increasing our desire means making our desire genuine and pure, developing our compassion, and praying to Krishna in the heart to inspire the nondevotees to accept His mercy.

After so many lifetimes of self-centered endeavor, how do we increase our desire to genuinely and compassionately distribute the mercy of the Lord?

God Is A Blue Cowherd Boy

2005-11-11T06:13:00.000-08:00

From His Holiness Dhanurdhara Swami's most recent journal entry:

God, a blue boy? Yes. It’s reasonable. How? For something to be reasonable it must in some way conform to some type of accepted experience. How can Krishna possibly conform to our common experience? Simple, we perceive two undeniable principles in this world; first, every being moves for their own pleasure, second, that pleasure is love. If there is an Absolute Reality, would it not then be reasonable to assume that it also moves for its own pleasure and that pleasure is love. Is it also not sound to presume that an omnipotent being would not only actualize its desire for its own pleasure, but also enjoy such love to the highest degree? Is it not, therefore, sensible to consider that Sri Krishna - an exquisite blue boy eternally enjoying the highest development of love (rasa) in a world meant to perfectly facilitate that love (Vrindavana) - is a reasonable conception of the Absolute Reality?

Giridhari!

2005-11-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

Bolo Giriraja Maharaja ki Jaya!

Govardhana Puja

2005-11-02T07:54:00.000-08:00

Today is Govardhana-Puja.

Listen to Srila Prabhupada speak about Krishna's pastime of lifting Govardhana Hill.

Read about Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's extraordinary worship of Giriraja, and His mercy on Raghunatha dasa Goswami.

Read the description of Govardhana-Puja in Srimad-Bhagavatam.

NPR Goes On Vraja-Mandala Parikrama

2005-11-01T06:55:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's just a "happy coincidence", but NPR has been airing a series of segments about Vrindavana for Radio Expeditions (just in time for Kartik). The air dates and times are rather unclear just looking at the website, but you can listen to them online at any time. You can also view a "multi-media slideshow" or download mp3 files featuring the sounds of Vraja: a rickshaw ride (to Loi Bazar?), singing on the shores of the Yamuna, ringing temple bells, and a very nice bhajana recorded at Radha-Ramana temple. I was told that Karnamrita Dasi is the female voice in that recording from Radha-Ramana. Prabhupada disciple Ranchor Prime is interviewed for a few segments as well.

Jai Jai Sri Radhe! (Shyam :)

Nitai!

2005-10-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

Lord Vishvambhara once said, "Please listen, Nityananda. I'm afraid that You'll pick quarrels with others. Please be calm and don't play mischief at Srivasa Pandit's house."

Hearing this, Lord Nityananda at once remembered Krishna saying, "I assure You, You'll never find me naughty. Don't think of me like Yourself."

Vishvambhara said, "I know You very well."

Nityananda replied, "Then tell me my faults."

Gauracandra smilingly said, "You want to know Your faults? It seems You have incarnated to shower rice all over the room."

Excerpted from Sri Nityananda Caritamrta published by Touchstone Media