Hare Krsna everyone. Today I just want to thank you all for the nice association I had from you all during this year of 2008. If I had to state here all my experiences in this blog, I could say it brought me much more realisations than I had in my all 16 years of Krsna consciousness. First because I could share with you all my steps and experiences with chanting, then I got purified by listening to lectures, retreats, classes and reading all in order to give you the best from senior vaisnava's realisations and teachings on japa.
I would like to thank all the wonderful vaisnavas that contributed with their writings here and also the ones who commented on our posts. Thank you for the ones who attended the Japa Room sessions and also improved in japa, overcame obstacles and for sure might have a lot to share here. Please keep on coming back in the next year and give us your rare association.
I grew so much in my devotional path because by the Lord's mercy I could experience how wonderful is to glorify the Holy Names of the Lord, how amazing is to have freedom to speak about how these names have an effect on our daily lives and also how they reciprocate with our efforts.
I am sharing here that the Holy Names of the Lord changed my life for better, brought me experiences in spiritual life that I have never had and also helped me to work on my own weaknesses and improve my personal life.
I would like to wish you all a fantastic and amazing 2009 - full of realisations with the Holy Names, full of devotional service, proper association of devotees, reciprocation from the Lord in your life and all the good things you deserve to have as good devotees and protected souls from the Lord.

Hope that Nama prabhu blesses us all with His association through another year 2009.

Hare Krsna.

your servant,

Aruna dd

There are myriad instructions on how to chant japa. All of them serve to help us achieve success. In spite of the varied nuances and techniques, why are we plagued with anarthas, struggling to reach a semblance of nistha, from which to springboard to higher levels of attainment? With thousands of shades of advice available, it seems only a select few are privileged to be relishing the chanting. Is there a secret formula to fast-track our progress?
There is mention in the Prema-Vivarta that the all-knowing Supreme Lord is unable to fully understand His merciful extension – Sri Hari Nama prabhu. What hope is there for us? How can we ever understand Sri Adhoksaja any more than Mother Yashoda can bind her dear Sri Damodara?
Our purified hearts are portals to places like Sri Vrndavana and Sri Mayapura Dhamas in the spiritual world. Having established many temples worldwide, Srila Prabhupada and his followers have multiplied the number of portals via the Arca-Vigraha installed in the temples. Even more pervasive and merciful are the holy names, to which each and every one of us has a unique relationship as cultivated through our japa. The holy names given to us by the authorized process of diksha means that we have received everything, for everything is Sri Sri Radha and Krishna and Their expansions from whom all spiritual and material worlds emanate, BG.10.8. Our hearts being individual portals are our gateway to spiritual success.
But to unlock the gates, first we have to break down the barrier of our offence laden solidified mass of anarthas, which compound the hardness of the heart. The covering is compared to “As fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror is covered by dust….” (BG.3.38). So – ceto darpana marjanam…. is our means for accessing the entrance, while the Maha-mantra is the code. We have to be forgiven for all our unlimited violations of the wishes of Krishna.
If we chant because we have to, impelled by the order of the spiritual master, we become the doer. We time ourselves, try to improve our pronunciation, lengthen our single-minded focus on the sound, cut out unwanted thoughts, wonder how much longer it is going to take and so on.
On this level, our perseverance can reap some rewards according to our faith and surrender. The awards can be intermittent taste and realization – ye yatha mam prapadyante…. (BG.4.11). One can be habituated to remaining here, wanting to retain the status quo in social circles.
If there is a method for advancing quickly, what is it?
The beauty of it is, anyone can do it - married or unmarried, in or out of the temple, renounced or steeped in bhoga-tyaga. But one has to be prepared, because the weapon of detachment – asanga-sastrena (BG.15.3), will develop as a natural consequence of sincere chanting. One has to relinquish all sense of pride, status, position and achievement, to think oneself literally - nothing, as a beggar. Are we not moving ahead of ourselves here, perhaps running the risk of imitating great souls like Srila Gaura Kishora dasa Babaji or Srila Raghunatha dasa Goswami? Not quite. It is a realistic assessment of what we really are compared to who we think we are in relation to our perception of Krishna consciousness.
A stark realization has to dawn on us. The aggregate of all the best advice, all the advanced association, the cream of all instructions, will yield meager results from chanting if we harbor even a hint of self-effort. What can we do? What are we doing? We are simply using our minute puny independence, which had the disastrous effect of making us nitya-baddha. The rest is all done by Krishna. How so? When we chant, who gives the ability to move our lips? Krishna. Who gives the strength to move our jaws? Krishna. To hold our beads? To hear the sound? To concentrate? To sit nicely? Is Krishna not Hrsikesa? Is He not the ability in man? Does Krishna not say “yajnanam japa-yajno ‘smi?” …. of sacrifices I am the chanting of the holy names [japa] (BG.10.25) and “….of science I am the science of the self” (BG.10.32) and so on. There is little doubt who is in control, and we have to let Krishna take over. How do we do this?
In the often quoted verse “sarva dharman parityajya….” Krishna exhorts us to fully surrender, while Srila Prabhupada expands on this to say “One should always think himself helpless and should consider Krishna the only basis for his progress in life” (BG.18.66 purport). One also has to be - akincana-gocaram - materially exhausted, (SB.1.8.26). By feeling helpless, it may oblige Krishna to infuse us with necessary purity of purpose.
Draupadi’s helpless appeal obliged Krishna to supply more sari to keep her dignity intact. The many attempts by Hiranyakasipu to kill his son Prahlada were always foiled as Krishna stealthily protected him. But we have to ask, these great souls were not only fully surrendered to Krishna, but they were in extreme situations? So how can we, most of whom know when our next breakfast, lunch and supper is going to be, and have roofs over our heads, and access to all amenities, feel as helpless as they? This is where fortunate devotees know of the secret to quick advancement.
Why should we feel helpless only when something supposedly goes wrong? Perhaps we are making half the advancement we could be making. If Srila Prabhupada says to “always think oneself helpless”, does that not mean we should feel utterly helpless in good times too? Without being simplistic, there could be a potential 50% gain in spiritual advancement. Furthermore, we put ourselves at the mercy of Yoga-Maya - (BG.9.13) daivim prakrtim asritah – who is after all, an expansion of Srimati Radharani in whose domain we seek entrance, and through Her kindness the Supreme Lord can become our property – ankincana-vittaya... the Lord becomes the property of the materially impoverished, (SB.1.8.27). When we are encouraged in this way, we will chant because we want to and Krishna will be pleased to allow us by taking over our faculties.
What are some of the signs of healthy chanting? We chant because we want to. Whenever we leave home or the temple to face the full glare of the material energy, a secure comforting feeling arises when we know we can take shelter of the holy names. We feel separation if we go long enough without chanting. We enjoy serving the holy names by chanting. We treat Sri Nama prabhu as a very dear friend. Sri Nama prabhu gives us knowledge and understanding. We desire to chant extra rounds. We want quality time with Sri Nama prabhu – alone. When we chant we usually feel our effort to be inadequate, why? Because the holy names are unlimited.
As we progress, sometimes devotees think they should meditate on Radha Krishna Lila while chanting; after all, Srila Prabhupada wrote Krishna book and other literature for this purpose. We have to be careful to recognize that though these topics are spiritual; our senses might not be, yet. We may project our material estimation onto them in which case it becomes a speculative exercise – vicinvan – and will cause misunderstanding, (SB.10.14.29)
Do we have experience of eternity – no time – in which these pastimes take place? Can we fathom the ongoing nature of these Lilas? Can we appreciate the interactions of the nitya-siddhas? In the meantime it is certainly no less to focus on the sound vibration which is liquefied nectar and is powerful foodstuff for our Bhakti-lata-bija. By drinking it through the ears as Pariksit Maharaja did, (SB.10.1.13) - pibantam….hari- kathamrtam – when he was on the verge of death, having given up all food and water which is difficult to do, he felt nourished. If we chant and pray that the nectar enters our heart, then we beg to qualify for –prasada-lesanugrhita – (SB.10.14.29) by which we can understand the Supreme Lord. By this time the portal will have given glimpses of the truth by granting – buddhi yogam tam – which Srila Prabhupada ingeniously translated as – understanding.
Sometimes while chanting, we may experience great happiness, or be blessed with some revelation or similar occurrence. There will be times when for prolonged periods nothing seems to happen. If this occurs, great patience is required. Krishna wants to know how sincere we are. We should never think something amazing must happen simply because we are chanting. We are beggars. And beg we must to implore Sri Nama to reveal to us our deficiencies.
Just as Srila Prabhupada said that Krishna should always be our basis in life, the holy names being Krishna Himself becomes the basis for the ultimate ongoing revelation as experienced by acaryas like Srila Hari dasa Thakur – constant darshana of Sri Sri Radha Krishna Lila as they unfold – live. If our understanding matures, and our senses become spiritual, the entrance through the portal will be automatic. Beholding the wonders of Goloka Vrndavana and the pastimes as revealed in the heart, one will have pleased both the spiritual master and Krishna as to – kirtaniya sada harih.

Your servant,

Thanks to my brother-in-law, the NASA Guy, and iSquint, I am finally able to upload video to YouTube. 

Over on my cooking yesterday I posted about gruel, referencing the famous New Vrindavan Oat Water.

Ahhh, the memories. Not for me but for some longtime New V residents. While the stories I've heard about the oat water never sounded so yummy (and usually included phrases like, "You were lucky if you got a raisin!"), Ghosh and Soma Prabhus have different memories. And they were even gracious enough to share recipes. In quantity!

And there was no mention that the oats used were from animal feed sacks as I heard. Just see how important prajalpa niyamagraha is.

Okay...so here are the comments...for the pleasure of the Vaisnavas. May your new year be filled with devotion and oat water!


Madhava Gosh said...
"just oatwater" ?

Apparently you have never had real oatwater.

It happens to be the one thing I do know how to cook, having been the one who first made it and taught the regular cooks how to do it.

Kirtanananda told me how to do it so I did and introduced it to the other devotees.

About half the normal amount of oats to water, it was cooked for 1-2 hours at a simmer until the oats lose their form and become one with the water, creamy. A few raisins added later but soon enough that they plump up. Some ginger and a bit of salt, and a tablespoon of ghee per gallon.

"Oat water" was a bad marketing choice for a name, oat broth or cream of oats would have conveyed the idea better.

Oat water was great, not an austerity, when taken hot.

December 30, 2008 11:41 PM




Soma said...
ahhh... oatwater, it is my favorite breakfast. I would eat it everyday if i could. I have such warm memories of it. We rarely ate oat water by itself. It was used like gravy on the rice. And it was an unbelievable improvement from the previous fare. it was one part of the day that we all looked forward to. Personally i didn't like the raisins or dates in the oatwater. but because they would sink to the bottom i could just scoop it off the top and miss the raisins and dates.
anyway, i cooked the oat water for a few months in 1985. i still have the recipe that Amburisha prabhu wrote on a scrap of paper for me.
here it is;
14 gal. water
1 overflowing gal. of oats
3/4 cup of salt
2 cup rasin or dates
ginger and gee impurites if any.

(for the rice)
4 1/2 gal. rice
6 gal water(slightly less)
2 cups salt.
gee impurities if any

that's the historical recipe from 1985.

Just in time for the New Year I have figured out how to upload video to YouTube. Whoopee! This is a big moment in my life.

Unfortunately I don't have much worth sharing just yet, but the Holy Name is always a safe bet.

Here are some quick clips taken pretty soon after we moved to Alachua. My friend Gopi, who moved here from North Carolina just a couple of days after we did, as well as Premananda Gour Prabhu and his wife Mayapur Malini are all chanting away along with my family. Fun fun fun. Premananda and Mayapur left for India shortly after we moved here and have been there ever since. They are very exuberant devotees.

Okay so here is the rip roaring kirtan ;)

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

As you can see from the video, Premananda Prabhu is great at engaging the children, whom he truly loves. This is also evident from seeing his own kids, Bali and Kish, in kirtan.

Gopi (Gopiparandhana Dasi) chants super sweetly. She went to gurukula in Guyana an now her daughter attends the gurukula in Alachua.

Happy New Year to all..hoping to develop taste for the Holy Name...sweeter than....money!

The fourth verse of Upadesamrita,

"dadati pratigrhnati, guhyam
akhyati prcchati, bhunkte bhojayate caiva, sad-vidham
priti-laksanam

(Offering gifts in charity, accepting charitable
gifts, revealing one's mind in confidence, inquiring confidentially, accepting
prasada and offering prasada are the six symptoms of love shared by one devotee
and another)" is meant for devotees. Revealing one's mind is meant for
devotees, and those to whom we reveal our minds is also meant for devotees.

read more

1967 December 31: "Let us go on for Krishna's satisfaction and for the benefit of the whole world. I am confident of my future hopes in the sincere students like you; & now if I die I will die blissful, the work will go on."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1968 December 31: "They are all mundane and have no entrance into actual spiritual activities. Superficially they pose themselves as great devotees, but we can feel their pulse; ultimately they are impersonalists."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1970 December 31 : "London is the most important city in the world and it is my desire to see it come to full blossom under your expert management. So if the two of you take charge I will be satisfied that things are all right there."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1971 December 31 : "If he comes, please try to save this foolish boy. I like him very much; unfortunately he pretends now as the incarnation of St. Paul. Try to save him."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1972 December 31 : "You have some desire to become famous Vaisnava and jagad-guru. But Vaisnava means no material desire, what to speak of sex desire. First become without any sex desire, then think famous Vaisnava."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 December 31 : "I am convinced that if you simply glorify Krsna and our books in the best descriptive manner, than anyone, no matter even atheist, they can be convinced to purchase one of our books."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 December 31 : "Act now or Krsna may take away this golden opportunity, being disappointed by our lack of enthusiasm and labor. George is now convinced of our movement, he will pay, so why the delay and difficulty?"
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 December 31 : "Enthusiasm to serve Krsna is our price for entering into Krsna's kingdom. And maya is always trying to take it away - because without enthusiasm everything is finished."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1973 December 31 : "If the devotees become angry and leave then our work is defeated. We have to manage our men in such a way that they may bend but not break. After all, our work is purely voluntary."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1974 December 31: "Ultimately Ganesa Puja is not required, but if you have some sentiment to get the blessings of Ganesa in order to get huge sums of money for service of Krishna, then it can be done, but privately."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1974 December 31: "For the time being, continue doing what you are doing. I shall advise you. Whatever income you are getting, give to the temple. Go regularly to the temple and raise your child. There is no need of loitering here and there."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1974 December 31: "Stay with me, both of you are my disciples. It is my duty to guide you for spiritual advancement. Let us see what can be done for all the misunderstandings that have taken place."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1974 December 31: "So, make nice arrangement for all the devotees there. The principle is that we make propaganda for devotees to come. Don't ask any of them to go away. That is not our principle."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1974 December 31: "Sankirtana if it is not possible, never mind. Try to organize meeting and impress upon the people Srimad-Bhagavatam philosophy. This is also Sankirtana."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1975 December 31: "I am prepared to organize Gujarat by traveling village to village. You said that you could help me in this respect and also supply a car. So as soon as it is ready I shall accept, please let me know."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

1975 December 31: "Thank you for your nice invitation card. Thousands of Caitanya Mahaprabhu temples may be established all over Australia so that I may receive one such invitation card at least every month."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

1975 December 31: "We are getting perfect knowledge from Krishna through the disciplic succession, so our position is very firm. We do not have to manufacture anything new."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

There is a scrooge-mood pervading the atmosphere. A friend of mine from Washington in the retail business mentioned that his business in the fourth quarter did poorly despite the traditional spending splurge. People ask if we are on the verge of a major recession? A depression perhaps? People are cautious about the purchase of accessories. Many folks you talk to believe the excessive on-credit current lifestyle is finally catching up karmically. Some say that creed could now have a place while greed takes a rest.

Constantly we see the pendulum swinging from expansion to contraction, from liberalism to conservatism. I wonder if there is a resistance to middle ground- the safe territory? The Bhagavad -Gita refers this to the zone of satva, the mode of thoughtfulness, reason and cautiousness. It is an approach so rarely achieved by us humans as a species.

In any event the Season Greetings are less cheerful this year, so the pulse of the people tells. From the natural law of cause and effect one might be wise to study the nature of the world and is the impetus behind troubled times. Hardship is something we cannot avoid but tolerance is something we can invite.

The world is fragile. The city block that the temple rests in got hit by two black outs. The power failure the second time lasted about forty-five minutes. We were groping around in the dark. Then suddenly everything switched on!

How dual this world is!

0 Km. (just pacing in the temple room while chanting today.)

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

In devotional life there is always a compelling force to see the coming days activities. As I made my way up Spadina Ave. in Chinatown as part of my walking regime I anticipated tomorrow- the time to share my devotional experiences with others at two community gatherings. I don’t necessarily plan my topics for speaking opportunities. It’s the way I am. It may be regarded as a weakness but I guess it’s my style to be fairly spontaneous. I take a verse from the Bhagavad- Gita and the method is to simply take inspiration from a particular verse and its companion purport and to coast along in that manner. I choose a verse often times, “on the spot.”

As I wrestle with the busy shoppers for space and make those peering glances at exotic and enticing produce on display and the less-enticing hanging flesh parts behind windows the experience makes for the basis of things to talk about. Somehow in all travel, whether on foot or otherwise, the things you see, smell, hear, and so on provides a portion of the data making discussion or a talk interesting and human.

As fog crept and glided over the snow laden soil of Queen’ s Park it left a picture of a perfect photo image. Towering leafless trees made dark contrasts to the space once walked by our guru. It is imagery like this that lays more groundwork on the subtle level for emotions to be expressed when delivering a public message of devotion.

10 Km

There are numerous busy times of year for the Hare Krishna Temple here in Toronto when activities and events come in abundance and the temple is buzzing with excitement. The end of the year is certainly one of those times and is always a fun time for everyone as Toronto's Hare Krishnas are known for closing the calendar in style and ushering in the new year on a transcendent note! The following is your guide to spending New Years Eve and New Years Day with Toronto's Hare Krishna Temple!

New Years Eve - December 31, 2008

• During the course of the day, the Bhajan & Prasadam Festival will be taking place in the temple.
• Come night time, dress yourself in layers, double socks and a warm winter coat as we will all head out for our annual harinama (outdoor ecstatic kirtan and chanting) at Toronto's biggest New Years Eve Party at City Hall.
• For those who may not be able to brave the weather, kirtan will continue at the temple until midnight.
• The forecast for New Years Eve (as of 10:30am this morning) is calling for cloudy periods with a temperture of -13°C, so dress warmly! Click here for latest weather forecast.
• Using the Map Below: Our route will begin from the temple (A). We will all walk to the Rosedale Subway Station (B) and then take the subway down to Queen Station (C). We will then proceed on foot to Old City Hall (D) where will conduct our harinama (outdoor ecstatic chanting). After midnight, we will then walk towards Yonge-Dundas Square (E) and then take the subway back to the temple from Dundas station (F)!

New Years Day - January 1st, 2009

• Some of us might still be up from the night before, but in case you were able to get some sleep, start the new year right by attending the first arati of the year at 4:30am at the temple.
• The Bhajan Prasadam Festival will continue for its second day, starting once again at 11:30am.
• The temple will begin to buzz with activity as preparations begin for the evening Prabhupada Festival. The program will be as follows (subject to change):
• 6:00pmto 6:30pm - Arati
  6:30pm to 6:40pm - Welcome & Announcements
  6:40pm to 7:05pm - Class
  7:05pm to 7:15pm - Prabhupada Arati (Guru Puja)
  7:15pm to 8:00pm - Drama by HH Bhaktimarga Swami
  8:00pm to 8:30pm - Arati
  8:30pm - Prasadam

We hope to see everyone for all the festivities. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via our contact form on the right-hand side of our blog. The ISKCON Toronto Blog and the Hare Krishna Temple would like to wish you and your family a safe and happy new year!

By Vijaya dasa

Last year during the Mayapur festival many international leaders of our sankirtan movement and some of the BBT managers had a meeting about book distribution and concluded that we should revive the book distribution training course.

BY HEMALAN NAMBIAR SUNGAI GABAI, MALAYSIA - The Vedic Oasis for Inspiration Culture and Education (VOICE) organized its first Japa Retreat on the 6th and 7th December, coordinated by Bhakta Navin Raja. The event saw participation of 14 prabhus and 2 senior devotees, HG Rasika Murari prabhu and HG Madhumaya Krishna prabhu. Japa Retreat officially began [...]

Parikrama

“I don’t care what you think, and I don’t care what you say. You can tell the professor or you can write to Mother or you can do anything you like. I know I’ve met a Faun in there and – I wish I’d stayed there and you are all beasts, beasts.”

It was an unpleasant evening. Lucy was miserable and Edmund was beginning to feel that his plan wasn’t working as well as he had expected. The two older ones were really beginning to think that Lucy was out of her mind. They stood in the passage talking about it in whispers long after she had gone to bed.

The result was the next morning they decided that they really would go and tell the whole thing to the professor. “He’ll write to father if he thinks there is really something wrong with Lu,” said Peter; “it’s getting beyond us.” So they went and knocked at the study door, and the Professor said, “come in,” and got up and found chairs for them an said he was quite at their disposal. The he sat listening to them with the tips of his fingers pressed together and never interrupting, till they had finished the whole story. After that he said nothing for quite sometime. Then he cleared his throat and said the last think either of them expected: “How do you know,” he asked, “that your sister’s story not true?”

“Oh, but –“ began Susan, and then stopped. Anyone could see from the old man’s face that he was perfectly serious. Then Susan pulled herself together and said, “But Edmond said they only been pretending.”

“That is a point,” said the professor, “which certainly deserves consideration, very careful consideration. For instance – if you will excuse me for asking the question – does your experience lead you to regard your brother or your sister as the more reliable? I mean which is the more truthful?”

“That’s just the funny thing about it, sir,” said Peter. “Up till now, I’d have said Lucy every time.”

“And what do you think, my dear?” said the Professor, turning to Susan.

“Well,” said Susan, “in general, I’d say the same as Peter, but this couldn’t be true – all this about the wood and the Faun.”

“That is more than I know,” said the Professor, “and a charge of lying against someone whom you have always found truthful is a very serious thing; a very serious thing indeed.”

“We were afraid it mightn’t even be lying,” said Susan; “we thought there might be something wrong with Lucy.”

“Madness, you mean?” said the Professor quite coolly. “Oh, you can make your minds easy about that. One has only to look at her and talk to her to see that she is not mad.”

“But then,” said Susan, and stopped. She had never dreamed that a grown-up would talk like the Professor and didn’t know what to think.

“Logic!” said the Professor half to himself. “Why don’t they teach logic at these schools? There are only three possibilities. Either your sister is telling lies, or she is mad, or she is telling the truth. You know she doesn’t tell lies and it si obvious that she is not mad. For the moment then and unless any further evidence turns up, we must assume that she is telling the truth.”

Susan looked at him very hard and was quite sure from the expression on his face that he was not making fun of them.

“But how could it be true, sir?” said Peter.

“Why do you say that?” asked the Professor.

“Well, for one thing,” said Peter, “if it was real why doesn’t everyone find this country every time they go to the wardrobe? I mean, there was nothing there when we looked; even Lucy didn’t pretend it was there.”

“What has that to do with it?” said the Professor.

“Well, sir, if things are real, they’re there all the time.”

“Are they?” said the Professor; and Peter did not know quite what to say.

“But there was no time,” said Susan. “Lucy had had no time to have gone anywhere, even if there was such a place. She came running out of the room. It was less than a minute, and she pretend to have been away for hours.”

“That is the very thing that makes her story so likely to be true,” said the Professor. “If there really is a door in this house that leads to some other world (and I should warn you that this is a very strange house, and even I know very little about it) – if, I say, she had got into another world, I should not be at all surprised to find that the other world had a separate time of its won; so that however long you stayed there it would never take up any of our time. On the other hand, I don’t many girls of her age would invent that idea for themselves. If she had been pretending, she would have hidden for a reasonable time before coming out and telling her story.”

“But do you really mean, sir,” said Peter, “that there could be other worlds – all over the place, just round the corner – like that?”

“Nothing is more probable,” said the Professor, taking off his spectacles and beginning to polish them, while he muttered to himself, “I wonder what the do teach them at these schools.”

By H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami

Yesterday late morning, I came to Bombay, and went to see Jayapataka Maharaja in the afternoon. Bhakti Purushottama Maharaja, Braja Hari prabhu and Sunil Madhav from Chicago, came along with me. While driving to the hospital, I was feeling quite depressed. Just to think of the person who
used to be so full of strength and vitality lying on bed in this condition is naturally painful.

I was remembering those early days in Mayapur - going to swim in the Ganges with him. With steady, powerful strokes he used to casually swim across that river. So many incidences flashed across my mind - once Radha Jivan lost his breath in the middle of the river and panicked and started to cry out for help, and Jayapataka Maharaja came to his rescue and carried him to the
shore. Guru Kripa, (at that time a Swami), used to come to Mayapur with his tough group of devotees, called the Nama Hatta, from Japan. Often we used to sport on the bank of the Ganges. One day I was forced to wrestle with one tough American devotee who defeated me and it was seen as a defeat of Mayapur. Jayapataka Maharaja could not tolerate that. He just stood up and challenged anyone from that group to fight with him. A devotee who was equal to his size accepted his challenge and they started to fight. After a little struggle, Maharaja pin him to the ground and started to slam him again and again on the mud. We all, Mayapur devotees, felt that this was our victory in response to my embarrassing defeat.

Once we got a false alarm that the Muslims attacked our Goshala and we all ran towards the Goshala with sticks and spears to protect our cows and on the head of our group was Jayapataka
Maharaja. Once someone brought a crossbow from America and we used to practice occasionally with that. Jayapataka Maharaja would always hit the bull’s eye without fail. He disclosed that he used to be a champion shooter in his early days.

When we arrived in the hospital, we were informed that Maharaja was still taking rest. So we decided to go to the ISKCON temple in Mira Road and have darshan of Sri Sri Radha Giridhari and Jagannatha-Baladeva-Subhadra. When we came back, Maharaja was awake and greeted us with a happy smile.

There was a big difference between my last visit to him and this one.

Although he lost a lot of weight he seemed to be doing extremely well. He was obviously happy to see us. With a big smile he started to speak, “Bhakti Charu Maharaja ordered me to stay. How could I disobey his order? Therefore, I am still here.” Everyone began to laugh. I corrected him, “No, I did not order you to stay but I begged you to stay. The devotees were praying for you all over the world. Thank you very much for listening to our appeals.” He folded his hands and said, “The devotees are very kind. They are very merciful. I will do whatever Krishna wants.”

I told him that I heard that the day before he went to Sri Sri Radha Giridhari temple and led a kirtan. He said, “Yes. For about five minutes I led the kirtan.” Then he started to sing, “jaya Jagannatha, jaya
Jagannathi.” In order to show us how he led the kirtan. I told him that in a few days he would also be dancing while leading the kirtan. He laughed loudly and said, “Let us see what Krishna wants.”

Just by being with him, the sadness that was prevailing in my heart disappeared and the whole mood became very jovial. I told him, “Let us go for a walk”, and he told me that he started to walk holding on to the parallel bars. One of the devotees who were taking care of him told me that
he was almost running this morning. He mentioned how these physiotherapists are really making him work hard. They ask him to stand up and sit down or walk. But then he admitted that their treatment was very good and it is working. One therapist is teaching him how to close his eyes and move his eyebrows. Then he mentioned that even such simple things became so difficult to do at times, as if he is learning everything from the beginning. I reassured him that the way his condition is improving, very soon he will become alright again.

He is having difficulties to move his left hand and left leg. The devotees helped him to sit on a chair and he seemed a lot more expressive and joyful being in that position. He remembered that when he was in the Hinduja hospital, I was singing some bhajan and he thanked me for that. I was
surprised that he could remember that because we were under the impression that he was completely unconscious at that time. I told him that his consciousness seems to be so clear and his memory so vivid. He agreed that with his mind he doesn’t have any difficulty. He has difficulty only with his body. I felt very confident that his body would also become alright within a short time. I remembered Badrinarayan Prabhu’s comment, “It seems that Jayapataka Maharaja is an irresistible force of nature that can never be stopped.” I remembered those Kshatriya warriors of the Vedic times who would be injured almost to the point of death, but then in a flash, they would recover from that injury and start to fight again as if nothing happened to them.

He mentioned that Sivarama Maharaja phoned him yesterday and how much he enjoyed talking to him. He feels very happy when senior devotees phone him or visit him.

Gopala Krishna Maharaja called and he told him that we were there with him and what a wonderful time he was having with us. A little after that, Guru Prasad Maharaja called from Mexico and Maharaja told him the same thing. I told him that he should get well quick and go to Mayapur. All these years he had been traveling around the world. Now he should just stay in Mayapur and let the devotees from around the world come and see him. This is how due to so many devotees involvement Mayapur is going to develop. He accepted that proposal. One of his disciples who is taking care of him jokingly mentioned that he has a ticket from Bombay to Kolkata, which will expire if he did not use it within a certain time. We all started to laugh and Maharaja also started to laugh. We expressed our concern that he would have difficulty going to him room on the roof of the Lotus Building. Bhakti Purushottama Maharaja suggested that he could stay on the ground floor of the Conch Building. I reminded him that if he had to stay in the Conch Building, then did not have to stay in the ground floor. He could rather stay in my room because there he could go by the elevator. Maharaja jokingly reminded us that still he will have to climb half the flight of stairs because the lifts there do not go to the landing of the floors. We assured him that we could carry him in a palanquin. He accepted that idea. Many devotees were waiting outside for Maharaja’s darshan. Therefore, after spending about two hours with him, we left.

Bhakti Raghava Maharaja, who had been suspected to have a contagious disease called Chicken Guinea, was also in the Bhaktivedanta hospital, in a room opposite to Maharaja’s. So, we went to see him.

Maharaja was sitting on a chair in front of his deities, chanting. When I tried to embrace him, Maharaja tried to resist because of his infection. But I insisted, saying, “I touch you to get purified myself.” Maharaja looked very embarrassed and kept on saying, “please, please.”

I met him after many, many years. We remembered the early days in Mayapur. We used to be so close and rendered so many services together.

His condition is much better now. In a couple of days he will be discharged from the hospital. He has many preaching projects developing in different parts of India, and he told us how he was going to spend time in different places and eventualy come to Mayapur for the GBC meeting.

By Nayika devi dasi

Here is the link for some images of New Year celebration in Sunday
school (ISKCON UJjain):

As the Damodara-lila instructs us, Yoga practice takes effort and grace. You've got to give it your full effort with your body and mind, and leave a space in your heart for grace.

How do you do that in practice? Go hard out all day, except for a sacred time when you just stop, down tools, throw your arms up in the air and chant the Holy Name - "do nothing".

In Brisbane, Australia: Meet outside Govindas, 55 Elizabeth St, at 8 pm. We'll finish at around 12.30 am. We usually do a circuit of the city and head over to Southbank.

See you there!

Hare Krsna Prabhus,

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

Last year during the Mayapur festival many international leaders of our sankirtan movement and some of the BBT managers had a meeting about book distribution and concluded that we should revive the book distribution training course. So it's happening. Bhrgupati Prabhu and myself will be the facilitators for the first seminar at the beginning of the festival then Navina Nirada Prabhu and Anakandundubhi Prabhu will have one after the parikrama. The one by Bhrgupati Prabhu and myself won't cost anything, just bring a pad of paper and a pen, there will be some things you may want to remember. It will take place on the 24th 25th and 26th of Febuary, two hours a day. This will be a shortened presentation because of all of the other activities happening during the Maypura Festival.

Some of the things we'll be discusing will be: proper consciousness on book distribution, methods of book distribution, things to say and not say on bd, cultivating interested people, dealing with opposition (internal and external), the importance of book distribution, sadhana, pratical demonstrations of book distribution, etc.

Bhrgupati Prabhu has been distributing books for 35 years, is one of the leading book distributors in the world and has been the sankirtan leader in Los Angeles for the past 10 years. He is a very respected member of our society and very dear amongst the sankirtan devotees around the world.

Your servant, Vijaya das has been distributing for 30 years and has been the sankirtan minsiter of book distribution since 2002.

Hare Krsna

As we all are too keenly aware, money is not coming easy these days. But, perhaps, as a reminder that we don't have it that bad or maybe just to let us know how well Charles Dickens did indeed have it, The New York Times published an article this morning titled: In Reality, Oliver's Diet Wasn't Truly Dickensian.

I'm not sure when exactly it happened. Perhaps somewhere in between the countless planning meetings for Srila Acharyadeva's 60th Birthday Party (Vyasa Puja), or when chanting in unison the Siksastaka Prayers at 5am. Maybe it was after pulling off a rock star, 30-prep Thanksgiving dinner or while scrubbing the temple floor together and complaining about the mysterious sticky substance that won't come off. Maybe it was during lunch kirtan or at 1am after a legedary Friday night kirtan. I don't know how or when, but somehow, I've fallen desperately in love with my new community.

Parasurama dasa: Please review this serious documentary on the paralells between Vaisnavism and Santa Claus particularly in the area of chanting the Holy Name of the Lord and the distribution of wholesome transcendental fare!

In case you don't read the comments to my blog posts, here's a few fascinating letters written in response to yesterday's letter about garlic- and onion-free sambar.

Saritha Vishwanath from Bangalore, South India writes: "Dear Kurma, I would like to share a sambar recipe slightly different from Swathi's. I am also from South India (Bangalore) and I belong to Smartha Brahmin (Worshipers of Shiva) community. I hope you like this recipe.

To make sambar for 2 people: 1/2 cup toor dal (pressure cooked) + use any vegetables (eggplant, radish, drumsticks, spinach, potato etc). Boil the vegetables with the dal - this gives a different taste to the sambar.

Add 1 tsp tamarind paste. Salt to taste.

To make the sambar masala: 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tsp channa dal, 4-6 red chillies, 1/4 cup fresh grated coconut.

Pour little oil in a pan, fry the above ingredients except coconut until the dal turns lightly brown. Then grind this with the fresh coconut to a paste. When the dal and vegetable is done, boil it, adding water, mix the tamarind paste and the ground masala. Add little salt for taste. Once this is done season with mustard seeds and asafetida. Also can garnish with coriander."

Sudakaran Sangaran from Malaysia writes: "The use of onions and garlic in south Indian cuisine is not culturally inherent. I have studied an old cookbook written by a Smartha Brahmin mataji named Smt Meenakshi Ammal. She published her first cookbook Samaithu Par (Cook and See) in 1951 when books of such categories were not favoured by publishers then.

There are 350 traditional vegetarian recipes in the book (she went on to publish another 2 under the same title). Barely even 5% of the recipes include onions and garlic. In fact, in recipes where these items are called for she added the word "optional" in brackets next to these two ingredients. So its obvious from this that traditionally orthodox south Indian cooking eschewed onions and garlic.

Another evidence is during the shraddha ceremony, when charity is given to the brahmin priest who performs the rituals. Apart from a dhoti and cash he is given in charity a complete set of raw uncooked food items such as vegetables, spices, oil, milk, yogurt etc. Onions and garlic are omitted.

The use of onions and garlic is prevalent in the north whose cooking tradition had been heavily influenced by the Moghul Muslims. This then gradually infiltrated into the traditions of the South. All orthodox brahmin households, be they Vaishnava or Smartha do not use these items as they are regarded as "rajasic" or passion inducing food. Haribol!"

Anu from South India writes: "I am from South India and most households do not use garlic or onion in their regular sambhar. By the way a variation on sambhar is a traditional dish from Karnataka called "Bisi Bele Bath" - (Hot Dhal Rice). It's a combination of dhal, rice, vegetables and sambhar masala with some additional spices like clove, cinnamon and star anise."

Any more comments on garlic and onion use in the Subcontinent?

VASANTA RASA
By Srila Narottama das Thakur

Hear it sung here by Ranchor prabhu (the second half of the recording after ‘Sri Rupa Manjari Pada’)

1.
Vrndavana ramya-sthana dibya-cintamani-dhama
ratana-mandira manohara
abrta kalindi-nire raja-hamsa keli kore
tahe sobhe kanaka-kamala

Vrindavan, resplendent abode, of transcendental touchstone,
Jewelled temples divine, enchanting the mind
Yamuna with gentle waves flows, where swans swim within shaded groves.
A lotus of gold on that water shines.

2.
tara madhye hema-pitha asta-dale bestita
asta-dale pradhana nayika
tara madhye ratnasane bosi achen dui-jane
syama-sange sundari radkhika

Golden altar within its whorl, where eight bright petals unfurl,
where stand the sakhis led by Lalita.
Sitting in the centre of them, on a throne of brilliant gems,
are the radiant Shyama and Radhika.

3.
o-rupa-labanya-rasi amiya poriche khasi
hasya-pariasa-sambhasane
narottama-dasa koy nitya-lila sukha-moy
sadai sphuruka mora mane

Their beauty, their sweetness and smiles; their talks and their teasing and wiles,
exudes showers of ecstatic nectar.
Narottama dasa does pray, that this pure loving display,
may in my heart stay seated forever.

By Kesava Krsna Dasa

We may be surprised to learn that many things we consider as acts of spiritual advancement in Krishna consciousness, like tapasya or austerity, are actually acts of selfishness, and will impede our real growth.

Soumya’s Chanting

I would like to share with you a couple of incidents in my initial days of Krishna consciousness. Krishna's holy names are not different from Krishna. It has great power in strength ... sweet in taste. Everybody enjoys it if they attentively chant. It even attracts little kids to become Krishna conscious without parents' intervention.

I started practising Krishna consciousness three years back. By the mercy of Radha Mohan Prabhu who was my colleague in the office, I came to know about Hare Krishna movement and Krishna consciousness.

Radha Mohan Prabhu brought beads for me from Vrindavan and I started my chanting at home. My daughter Soumya who was five years old at that time used to observe me chanting daily. Once she asked me that she wants to chant on beads. I discouraged her and told her that she is too young and she can't hold the beads properly. Also I tried to convince her that once she grows up she can start chanting.

The next day I observed that Soumya drew 108 boxes on the white paper and marking each box while chanting Hare Krishna Maha Mantra. I was very surprised with her idea and strong desire to chant Maha Mantra. After completing her round of chanting I asked her how she got that idea. She replied, “Dad, you told me that since I am just five years old, I can't hold the beads properly. So I got this idea of drawing 108 boxes and marking each box while chanting. In this way I can count 108 times without holding beads. I think you have no objection now.”

I then realized the power and taste of the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra.

I still remember, that day was Friday and we had a Bhagavad-gita class at Dinabandhu Prabhu's house. I told Dinabandhu Prabhu about Soumya's chanting and asked him whether it is ok to encourage kids to chant at this age. Dinabandhu Prabhu told me that we should encourage kids to chant if they have that desire and he gave beads with bead bag to Soumya. By the blessings of that great devotee, from that day my little daughter started chanting and practicing Krishna consciousness for the past three years.

This is really a wonderful experience in my life to realize that there is no age limit and everybody enjoys Hare Krishna Maha Mantra once they taste it.

Soumya’s Preaching

Soumya used to prepare gift cards in MS Word or Paint Brush with Krishna’s picture and the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra. When I made a printout of those cards at my office, she used give these cards as gifts to her friends. When I asked her why she is giving them, she said, “This is one way of preaching. My friends who are Muslims and Christians and don't know about Krishna will see Krishna's beautiful face and read the Maha Mantra written on the card at least once. It gives them some spiritual benefit.”

I was quite surprised by her answer. We never taught her to do like that. I think that is because of the mercy of great devotees and the Supreme Lord.

(Written by Bhakta Radha Krishna Murthy, ISKCON Manchester, UK)

Here you can listen to a free Srimad Bhagavatam audio (translations):

http://prabhupadavani.org/Bhagavatam/SB_index_I.html

THE NARRATOR: Amala-bhakta dasa is a direct disciple of Srila Prabhupada and an ordained minister of ISKCON. He has been teaching yoga in general since 1958 and Bhakti Yoga in particular since 1976 and has recorded many of Srila Prabhupada's books.

Srimad-Bhagavatam
His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Translation from Sanskrit and purports
(first 9 Cantos and partially the 10th)
Disciples of His Divine Grace
Translation from Sanskrit and purports
Rest of the 10th Canto plus the 11th and 12th)
Sriman Amal Bhakta Das
Narration and special audio effects.
© 2004 Krishna Productions Inc.

Usually these four:

1. Love

2. Fear

3. Gain

4. Pain

When you need to motivate yourself, use any of them.

Famous Youtube Comedian, BenLoka recounts his 3 month stay, in the Bhakta Program, at the Hare Krishna temple in England, the Bhaktivedanta Manor.
He has also posted a full length lecture of His Holiness Radhanatha Swami, that was filmed at the Manor, which can be found on his other youtube page.
Hare Krishna
Your humble servant,
Nityananda Chandra Das
ps. Don't forget to subscribe to his channel

1967 December 30: "You will be glad to know that yesterday I have signed the agreement with MacMillan for publishing Gitopanisad. So far my health is concerned, Gaurasundara is keeping me fit by massaging and Govinda dasi is supplying me upma."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1970 December 30 : "Enclosed is one letter to the editor of the Times replying the several letters you sent me. Hand it in personally so it is published immediately. We invite all kinds of men to discuss on this high philosophy of life."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1970 December 30 : "On the 4th we are all going to Bombay and from there my party of about 25 men will go to Allahabad for Ardhakumbla mela. I am reaching Calcutta on the 5th and shall attend an important meeting & then come back to Allahabad & then to Gorakhpur, etc."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1971 December 30 : "Increase our preaching programs by using all the mass media which are available. We are modern day Vaisnavas and we must preach vigorously using all the means available."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1971 December 30 : "The success of our Movement is due to my books and BTG being distributed throughout the world. So I hope you will see that the magazine comes out regularly and that my books can be published in Hindi."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1971 December 30 : "Please see that we acquire land in Vrindaban immediately. We are ready to begin construction of a large Temple there. So do whatever is required, but somehow secure the land."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1972 December 30 : "There is no question that he is only pure devotee and no one else is pure devotee. All of my disciples, as soon as they surrender themselves to Krsna, they become pure devotees."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

Real attitude of devotional service is, whether I am here or there, whether I am doing this or that, it doesn't matter, just give me little prasada, little service, or if you make me big leader, that's all right - that is devotee, satisfied to serve Krishna in any circumstances of life.

- Srila Prabhupada, Letter to Satsvarupa, Vrindavan 5 November 1972