When I saw Bhakti Chai (as in ‘i’) listed on the vegan menu, I knew immediately what it was – both because of living in India for so many years and also being a practitioner of Bhakti Yoga. Chai is the Hindi word for tea, and bhakti means divine love, or more specifically the love exchanged between Krishna and each one of us.

The word chai is also used elsewhere – pronounced differently and with different meanings. Chai (here as in ‘say’) is part of the name Chaitanya, which means ‘living force’. It’s a also a Hebrew word which means ‘life’ – and spoken in another different way.

So putting it all together we could say bhakti chai is a cup of loving life or life filled with sacred love. How nice if we could buy ourselves a cup of that tea! We sometimes wish it were so easy but alas, such access to divine love is not so cheap.

And in truth, cheap things don’t last. To feel love, to hold love, and to grow in love takes time. It’s like digging a well. To get to the sweet water we have to go deep. We could dig less and have some kind of water, but if we wish the sweetest and purest kind we have to go down.

I began to think of the cup of chakti chai as the effort I am making this sacred month of Kartika to give a little more time to Krishna. Known as a ‘vrata’ (Sanksrit for vow), devotees give their word to do extra devotional service during this month – in ways that are suitable for them and their situation.

My daily chai for Kartika has 3 ingredients – I’m trying to eat less, I’m adding an extra hour of Krishna meditation every day, and I’m doing a half hour of physical exercise. Not very austere I know, but austerity is not the point. Feeling some feelings for Krishna is – and genuine feelings, not just going through the motions.

Eating less is an understandable vrata. Many give up different kinds of foods for Kartika – especially ones they love. Let me eat less, I decided, so I can feel Krishna more. Let me practice being less indulgent, less answerable to the cravings of my mind and body. Let me ignore them and whisper some names of Krishna instead.

Increasing my meditation on Krishna is my second ingredient. I’v added some bhajana time or reading, recitation of prayers or mantras, writing or listening to talks about Krishna. The mood is more contemplative – a thoughtful focus on all-attractive Krishna.

My third ingredient of daily exercise seems more mundane but it is inspired by a quote from Srila Prabhupada – “Keep yourself fit and work hard for Krishna. That should be our motto in life.” For me, exercise is austerity, so I am happy to do this in service and for better service.

So that’s my bhakti cup of chai for Kartika. Just as a warm drink of chai (the perfect blend of decaf tea, ahimsa milk and warming spices) can bring soothing relief and nourishing energy, drinking from the cup of bhakti chai can bring those things too, but oh, much, much more. It removes material desires, gives us direct perception of the the self, and awakens of love for Krishna. Now that’s a chai I might want to keep drinking long after Kartika is over (Nov. 24th).

Source:http://iskconofdc.org/my-bhakti-chai/

Someone recently referred to me as a 'man of faith'. I detected the condescending tone in his speech. It was, I’m pretty sure, a subtle put-down. Faith is often frowned upon in today’s society – savvy people consider it unscientific, sentimental, primitive and a sign of weakness. Believe in what you see, they say, and take charge of fortune by shaping life on your own abilities and strength. It’s a psychological approach developing from reductionist science, which aims to explain everything in mechanistic, empirical and routine terms. It’s quite apt that the net result of ‘reductionism’ is to severely limit and impair our experience of life. 

Faith is, without doubt, the most beautiful, extraordinary and empowering quality in existence! Without it, the world would be dull, dull, dull – life would be restricted to the boundaries of our own logic and rationale. Pretty limited indeed. People say faith doesn’t make sense, but that’s exactly why it makes miracles. Someone believed there was something beyond “the odds.” Someone knew there was a power and inspiration more profound than his own. Someone had the humility and wisdom to tap into a higher source of strength. Time and time again, we see how faith opens doors to the unknown. 

This placement of faith is indeed a part of our natural psychology. In cultured societies it actually grows organically. Unfortunately, regular exploitation and abuse of faith has promoted scepticism and suspicion as the orders of the day. To live by your own judgement and discrimination is seen as safe and secure. Yet even that is a farce, since everyone, regardless of their ontological worldview, is impelled to put faith in something lest we're rendered entirely dysfunctional. Thus, the great saint Visvanatha Cakravarti states adau sraddha – “in the beginning there must be faith.” Faith is the foundation of our spiritual life, and the Sanskrit word for it literally means “to put your heart into something.” As we deepen our faith and endeavour with heartfelt conviction, an ordinary life morphs into a transcendental drama of magic and miracles. Gradually, we begin to realise how much we've limited ourselves over the years! It’s actually incredible how one can be so close and yet so far, simply because we couldn’t take a small leap of… faith.

Source:http://sutapamonk.blogspot.in/2015/11/faithless.html

Kulimela Blends Service, Fun, Family and Community

Written by Madhava Smullen. Published on ISKCON News June 24, 2016.

The first Kulimela, held in New Vrindaban, West Virginia in 2006, was an effort by ISKCON’s second generation to move away from party-style gurukuli reunions and explore their identity and what they could accomplish both materially and spiritually.

The 10th anniversary of that Mela, which also took place in New Vrindaban from June 15th to 19th this year, took those themes further and showed new levels of maturity and stability amongst the Kuli community, while still being full of joy and celebration.

With a large percentage of the Kulis that attended the 2006 Mela now raising their own children, the 10thanniversary festival focused on celebrating family and building community.

Around 700 people flooded into the emerald hills of New Vrindaban for the event. They included Kulis from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and across Europe and South and Central America; but also over 100 of the Kulis’ children, as well as a sizeable amount of first generation devotees. This was part of organizers’ efforts to broaden the meaning of the word “Kuli” which literally just means “community.”

No longer just “youth” as they’re still often erroneously known as throughout ISKCON, the second generation attendees themselves ranged in age from teens to mid-forties, many of them working professionals, parents, and valued contributors to their communities.

This audience, of course, was perfect for the Mela’s themes of family and community, and therefore many of its nearly thirty seminars were geared towards such themes. There were classes on parenting, homeschooling, child protection, finding the right marriage partner and permaculture.

Meanwhile two plenary sessions saw a panel of experts in their fields talking about the importance of family and community in ISKCON and how to improve it, with questions and comments from participants. There were also classes on drama, Indian classical music, Sanskrit grammar, cooking, and yoga.

Other seminars focused on healing, taking a serious look at the trauma that ISKCON’s second generation have historically gone through and how to care for oneself. Outstanding issues of child protection and other areas of strained relationship between ISKCON’s first and second generations were also discussed, with attempts at understanding and progressing.

And in the most well-attended session of the Mela, Karnamrita Dasi and Ananta Vrindavana Das, both alumni of Dallas and New Vrindaban Gurukulas, were honored and presented with a plaque by the Kulimela Assocation for their “unique contributions and sacrifices as a pioneer member of our community.”

A heartfelt affair, the ceremony was full of laughter and tears, and generated a newfound appreciation for our brothers and sisters. The hope is that it restarts a tradition born in 2006 of regularly honoring Kulis’ service, inspired by Srila Prabhupada’s assertion in the Nectar of Instruction that “The International Society for Krishna Consciousness has been established to facilitate these six kinds of loving exchanges between devotees.”

Such loving exchanges were a constant throughout the Mela, with Kulis seen throughout tightly embracing old friends, taking prasadam together and sharing their deepest thoughts in confidence. Service was also a huge part of that expression of love, with volunteers cooking and washing pots in the kitchen, giving the morning Bhagavatam class, and working crazy hours to set up the tents, stages and other facilities. Meanwhile teenagers from the Kirtan Experience tour chanted constantly in the all-day bhajan kutir.

Of course, there was plenty of time to cut loose and have fun too. A sports field was active throughout, and every evening from 6:30pm till late, Kulis of every age shared their talents to entertain and uplift. There was magic by Dattatreya Yogesvara, comedy by Ekendra Das, Bharatanatyam by Anapayini, a fashion show by Kuli designers, dance music with a Krishna conscious twist by Krsna Tone and funky kirtan with the Mayapuris, among many, many more acts. All created a sense of togetherness, support and celebration, as everyone danced and sang to their heart’s content.

Caring for our children was a huge focus of the Mela and was evident during the entertainment, with Krsna Tone inviting a huge group of little kids to dance on stage with him and take bows afterwards. The Mela also featured an all-day kids camp run by Vraja Johnson with help from parent volunteers that cared for nearly 100 kids throughout, giving them arts and crafts, storytelling, a gardening experience, Prabhupada’s Palace tour, lots of play time and their own fashion show.

“There’s practically no better way to express our themes of family and community than taking care of the future generation,” says co-organizer Chaitanya Mangala Das, whose brother Bhima headed up the Mela.

Reflecting on this 10th anniversary of Kulimela, Chaitanya feels that it was a definite success. “When we look around and see elements of our four main objectives – serving together, building community, transforming hearts, and empowering each other – happening everywhere, and done with smiling faces, we know that we’ve achieved our goal,” he says. 

Source:http://www.brijabasispirit.com/2016/08/01/kulimela-blends-service-fun-family-and-community/

As a continuation of the celebration of Incorporation Day – the day Srila Prabhupada received the certificate stating that ISKCON was officially incorporated – and the 50th year anniversary of ISKCON, Bhaktivedanta Manor held the grand opening ceremony of the Srila Prabhupada garden to honour the spiritual leader and founder of ISKCON along with his disciples. 

Devotees from across the UK and many of Srila Prabhupada’s direct disciples from around the world, gathered on the 16th of July 2016, for a day dedicated to expressing gratitude to Prabhupada, for making the perilous journey to the west, and changing the lives of people for generations to come.

The celebration began with the abhishek of Srila Prabhupada in the temple room, in which all the assembled devotees could partake. Srila Prabhupada was then carried out and around the temple to the sounds of cymbals, drums and joyous devotees chanting. He was brought into the gardens and placed in his altar, to view the opening.

The temple president Sruti Dharma Das commenced the opening ceremony by welcoming the chief guest, Yogesvara das. He spoke of the garden being an offering to Srila Prabhupada and his disciple.  Referring to the traits of good gardeners as being attentive, forward-looking, dependent on the weather, hardworking and patient he compared these to Srila Prabhupada and his disciples who too possessed these qualities, although, they are dependent on Krishna. 

Kripamoya Das too spoke about the aptness of a garden offering, by likening ISKCON to a sequoia tree in the garden, whose seed had been planted by Prabhupada and whose disciples were the branches that spread the philosophy around the world. Gauri Das shared a conversation he’d had with George Harrison’s wife, Olivia Harrison, who thought he would have loved the garden because it would have made people come to the temple and thereby learn.

One of the most important things to learn is the nature of the relationship between guru and disciple because that can raise us above this material world and bring us back to Godhead.  Because of that relationship between Srila Prabhupada and his disciples, Krishna consciousness spread throughout the world. Hence, the defining qualities of this unique, spiritual relationship were engraved on stones around the garden and some of Srila Prabhupada’s direct disciples stood on these stones and elaborated on each quality, with extracts from the Holy Scriptures and stories of their time with Prabhupada. These qualities are enquiry, homage, service, shelter and realisation. 

Jahnavi Harrison interspersed devotees’ speeches on each of these qualities by singing a verse from the Guru Vandana. A plague, stating the dedication of the garden to Srila Prabhupada and his disciples was then unveiled. A verse from the Sri Caitanya-caritamrta that encapsulates the deep and ever-lasting bond between guru and disciple is inscribed, like a necklace around the central fountain in the garden.

The garden opening was followed by the launch of the book Swami in a Strange Land, written by Prabhupada’s disciple Yogesvara Das. The book is a biography on Prabhupada, written to not just be enjoyed by devotees but also teach non-devotees about the life of Srila Prabhupada. The book was therefore also an offering to Srila Prabhupada on the 50th year anniversary as a means to further Prabhupada’s desire to propagate Krishna Consciousness around the world.

Devotees praised the book and its ability to sufficiently highlight the depth of struggles Prabhupada faced in his mission in this world, without diminishing the fact that he was a truly extraordinary being. Assembled guests were able to collect signed copies of the book and were then served a grand prasadam after which Yogeshwara Das gave a PowerPoint presentation on his book.

As Srila Prabhupada once said; “When the sun shines, there no place better than the Manor” and indeed, in the blissful summer weather and amongst the beautiful flowers of the garden, there really was no better place to celebrate his divine grace and his followers.  

Source:http://iskconnews.org/50th-anniversary-garden-opening-at-the-bhaktivedanta-manor,5708/

The foreboding age of Kali approaches. A troubled dynasty hovers on the brink of destruction. An epic story from ancient India, Mahabharata reflects the passions and longings of the human spirit.

This highly acclaimed rendition offers a good literary read that can easily be studied in classrooms. "Fresh, fast-paced and cinematic! Andy Fraenkel's book captures the scope and breath of this great epic." Subhash Kak, PhD, Author & Professor (from his Foreword) "

As the 3rd anniversary of the publication of Mahabharata: The Eternal Quest approaches, I have finally made the book available on Amazon. During the last few years the book has gone out to both public and college libraries, is being used in college courses, by book discussion groups, and several  yoga studios have it available for sale as well. I have received hundreds of emails of appreciation.  For those who have read the book, I invite you to go to the following site and leave a comment. Thanks so very much for your encouragement and support.... 

https://www.amazon.com/Mahabharata-Eternal-Quest-Andy-Fraenkel/dp/0989607402/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469120010&sr=8-1&keywords=mahabharata+the+eternal+quest 

Source:http://nytsanga.blogspot.in/2016/07/mahabharata-eternal-quest.html

ST. LOUIS COUNTY • A chorus of upbeat song and dance reverberated through subdivisions here Sunday morning, as those who practice Hinduism celebrated Rath Yatra — a holiday in which figures of deities are brought out to the public.

Hundreds of faithful pulled a chariot carrying figures of three decorated Hindu deities from the Hindu Temple of St. Louis down Weidman Road and on to Queeny Park.

Organizers said one of the purposes of the holiday is to expose people to the religion.

“To gain connection with God, we go to a place of worship,” said Yamuna Jivana Das, an event organizer. “One of the things this festival represents is that deities, instead of staying in temple, are taken out in public for the purpose of everyone and anyone being able to see them.”

The holiday got its start in Orissa, India, according to the Krishna Balaram Temple of St. Louis. Organizers said Rath Yatra — or “Chariot Festival” — is now celebrated in cities all over the world. Lal Gopal Das, an organizer, said festivals in India can draw millions of people.

“What we have is a little peanut compared to that,” he said of the celebration in West County.

That didn’t mean participants in the local event were any less faithful. Even as devotees pulled the chariot down the road — uphill in certain areas — there was little sign of displeasure.

Devotees sang the name and praises of Krishna throughout the parade.

“We repeat the God’s name with music and dancing so that you can immerse into his heart,” said Nina Desai, of Chesterfield, “so that you don’t think of anything else — complete devotion, you know.”

Many of the devotees at the event attend the Krishna Balaram Temple of St. Louis on Lindell Boulevard. The temple espouses a “Krishna Consciousness” mantra, which is different from general Hinduism, said Yamuna Jivana Das.

“I grew up a generic Hindu, if you will,” he said, “and this is something I really resonated with about 12 years ago.”

Jivana Das said that the movement resonates with people who want to take a deeper dive into existential questions.

“Krishna Consciousness is a very education-based movement,” he said. “Education in the sense of understanding what is the self. Who am I? And who is the supreme? What does God mean? Who is God and what are the qualities of God?”

Jivana Das said that the Krishna Consciousness movement and Hinduism in general have taken root in St. Louis, and the community is growing. He attributed the growth not only to Indian immigrants taking jobs here, but also to those not of Indian descent choosing to explore the religion.

“Ten years ago we would have about 40 people show up for our weekly, flagship event,” Jivana Das said. He estimates about 100 people show for that event at the Lindell temple.

Jivana Das estimates the St. Louis-area Hindu population at 1,500 to 2,000 families.

This is the first time in five years that the Chariot Festival has been celebrated here, he said. In the past, participants celebrated on South Grand Avenue and in Tower Grove Park.

The Krishna Balaram Temple of St Louis is part of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness and has events on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday evenings at 3926 Lindell Boulevard in St. Louis.

Source: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/hindu-holiday-celebrated-on-the-streets-of-st-louis-county/article_a1c9fd09-856c-59de-99c3-db0b415b577c.html

The Slovenia padayatra was held from June 28th to July 15th. The 18 day itinerary followed a course all around Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. Slovenia is a small country yet it is full of diverse people and has a variety of cultures. During the summer many people from all over Europe and other parts of the world come here for the summer holidays. Our padayatra began on a sunny day in a town near Ljubljana with Sri Sri Nitai Gaura Natharaj being transported on a small cart fashioned from a modified wheelchair. There were approximately 50 padayatrisof Slovenian and Spanish descent. Our padayatracrew was made up of a quarter of temple devotees with the second quarter being members from the congregation including two families with young children and teenagers. The other half of our team was made up of university students from Spain who were part of the ‘Erasmus +[1]’ exchange programme. Ladies formed 1/6th of the padayatra and were mainly young, averaging just under 30 years of age.

“Padayatra was initially and specifically organized for devotees to strengthen their spiritual life and to be deeply engaged in practical spiritual activities”, explained Lalita Govinda Dasa, the organizer and initiator of allpadayatras in Slovenia. He was also very grateful to all the devotees and to Krishna’s creation. As devotees we should genuinely try to be nice to everyone we meet and we should also be respectful of the natural resources that we have. With 15 years of temple management leadership experience he gave an example: “Being a guest at the temple and taking a hot shower for a very long time is not appreciative” he said with great gravity. Thereforepadayatra creates a sense of awareness about the use of resources given the scarcity of many reserves in the country.

During the padayatra we passed many fruit trees and bushes filled with blossoming flowers. As we walked and chanted, crickets chirped in unison with the mahamantra. Devotees joining the padayatrawere filled with anticipation of the bliss and mercy awaiting them. Neverthe less, it was also very important that everyone maintain the right consciousness during the padayatra because of the difficulties that often occur. Devotees can be exposed to hot weather, fatigue or injury and other inconveniences during padayatra . Radhanath Swami describes in a lecture he gave on Bhagavad-gita 2.14 –that, we should tolerate all things and carry on with our devotional service. He said we should not be disturbed by heat or cold, wind or rain, happiness or distress, success or failure, wealth or poverty, health or disease, youth or old age, or safety and danger. These dualities he explained are friends to a sincere devotee because they help us to take shelter of the Lord. The expression of sincerity is in stoicly carrying on with our objectives in spite of the challenges.

One of the padayatris, Anuradha Dasi shared a similar understanding when she said, “Padayatra can be a test about how sincerely we are able to take shelter of the Lord in the form of the holy names.”Padayatra’s kirtanaleader, Jay Nitai Gaura Dasa went on to say, “Chanting really helps and seeing people appreciate our mission and opening their hearts to the mahamantra is blissful. Otherwise I would not (have) been able to overcome (the) scorching sun, thirst and tiredness that accompanied me every day.”

Prahladananda Swami and other senior devotees always encouraged padayatris during their lectures to chant with a proper attitude and to be enthusiastic. Prahladananda Swami emphasized that our attitude towards people is very important. “Padayatra helps devotees to present Krishna consciousness to people in a perfect way. We should try to appreciate people even if they are not favourable to our mission. This helps devotees to create (the) right attitude and environment towards people with the theoretical understanding that we are all part and parcel of Krishna. (In this way) genuine love towards people and other living beings can be attained.” Mitja, a new devotee joining padayatra for the second time said, “My original plan was to stay only a few days just to check but after (the) first morning lecture I decided to stay a few days more. I felt such a good energy among devotees that I stayed all 18 days. Being in devotees’ association is really mercy. My experience was (that) when (a) devotee smiles at you the day changes.” Padayatra revives the universal principal, “in giving you receive”. Devotees agree that padayatra is an excellent spiritual experience and worthwhile time spent in devotional service.

[1] The Erasmus Programme or ‘European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students’ is a European Union student exchange programme.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=30088

Ambarisa Das: The TOVP Kalash is the only one of a kind in the world owing to its sheer size and magnitude. It is 23 meters tall and 19 meters wide, and sits atop a mammoth dome at a height of 84 meters from the ground level. Being the topmost architectural feature of the temple dressed in resplendent gold, it will be visible from far and wide. Hence, considerable efforts have gone into its complex and intricate design as well as execution.
According to sacred architecture, the Kalash is the axis mundi; the connection between the spiritual and material worlds. Therefore, it is one of the most important parts of the temple. The dome tapers upwards towards the Kalash and blends in harmoniously with it. Following the laws governing proportional form in nature, the Golden Proportion rules the relationship of the Kalash to the dome and to the temple as a whole.
The Kalash is designed as a stable hollow structure in Stainless Steel. Externally, different parts of the Kalash are adorned with beautiful lotus petal motifs. The ornate gold finish will be achieved by coating the Kalash with Titanium Nitride. It will be supported at the base by massive brackets that will be intricately moulded in the GRC factory.
One of the most phenomenal features of the Main Dome will be the more than 5 meter in diameter Chakra that will sit on top of the Kalash. To design this arrangement it took attentive and intelligent strategic planning from the engineers. Also, many elements had to be engineered to support the lightening arrester, aviation light, and flag pole on the Kalash. The Kalash was engineered to withstand hurricane force winds that travel at 250 kilometers per hour. It was also engineered so that each level of the Kalash includes an ingenious outlet that will ensure proper drainage of rainwater from its heights. Jagadananda Das Prabhu, one of the TOVP engineers, has been collaborating with the Chakra manufactures in Moscow for the last few months to perfect the engineering.
The TOVP Kalash has actual human access from inside. This has been made possible by a complex combination of ladders and support frameworks. These ladders lead up to a door that opens out into a terrace on the top of the temple. This is a feature that has never been attempted before. This was engineered with the aim of aiding service and maintenance of all the topmost features including the Chakra, lightning arrestor, aviation lights, and so forth. This feature will allow us to change the Flag on the Chakra every day.
Lastly, the bell speakers placed at the foot of the Kalash will further promote the profound impact of the temple through the medium of sound. This sound of ringing bells will resonate in the souls of everyone around near and far across the universe. 

Source:https://www.facebook.com/abford108/posts/10206340614628613

According the the Mahatmya of this place, it is described that Vedavyas was telling one great muni that this place of Kurmakshetra is very, very sacred and he told the story of this temple. There is a mountain called Shwetacala Parvat. And near that mountain lived a king. His name was Shweta Chakravarti, and his wife’s name was Vishnupriya. Vishnupriya was very chaste, very pure in heart, and had great devotion to Lord Krishna. On an Ekadasi day she was performing pooja in her temple room. At that time her husband had very great lusty desires. He went to her room to enjoy his lusty desires with his wife. So being a chaste woman she greeted him with great hospitality, had him sit on a golden throne. Then, she went back into her pooja room to continue her devotional service. She started to pray very helplessly to Vishnu, that today is Ekadashi, I have made vow that I will not engage in any type of sinful activity. I will completely immerse my mind only in devotional service. But my husband is approaching me with lusty desires. Please save me, please protect my vows to you on this holy Ekadashi day. This is a great lesson for any of you ladies whoever get put in this situation. The Lord always protects His devotees. As she prayed to Lord Vishnu, Kurmadeva who protects the stability and the foundation of devotee’s vows, He ordered Gangadevi that this king wants to violate the chastity of the vows of my devotee, go stop him. So Gangadevi appeared in the temple and then with a terrible, terrible violent current, she came flowing out of the temple room, and right after King Shweta Chakravarti. When he saw the river Ganges just flooding forward, rushing towards him, he became very frightened and ran away. He was running and running and running but everywhere he went, the Ganges was chasing after. He was running, running, but it was chasing after and finally he climbed to the top of the Shweta mountain. And there he asked his minister what’s happening? Why? His chief minister told him, that your wife is a very great devotee of Lord Vishnu, and you had lusty desires for her on Ekadashi. She prayed to Vishnu to save her, and Kurmadev, just to protect His devotee send the river Ganges, just to stop you. When the king heard this he felt so guilty, terrible, he was thinking that I am such a sinful person. He began to repent, but worse then that, he was thinking that I made an offense to my wife, and what kind of great devotee is she, that Lord Kurmadeva personally arranged to protect her? He decided, he had to perform great, great tapasya to purify himself from this offense. So he was repenting so much. He was just getting down on himself so bad, and finally he fell unconscious. Then Narada Muni appeared. Narada Muni said, “How can I serve you?” He said, “Please grant me a benediction, grant me the benediction that I can have darshan of the great deity of Kurmadeva.” So Narada Muni taught him a Kurma Mantra and sat on the shores of the ocean of the sea, and explained him the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness very nicely.

As he was chanting this Mantra Lord Shiva appeared and then he was even more encouraged. So he came to a place called Chakratirtha which is in the area of Kurmakshetra, and there Shweta Chakravarti for 300 years stood on one toe with his arms raised. Then during the summer, he stood in the center of a burning hot fire. In the rainy season, he stood in the rains and the cold. Then he started sitting on knives for a long time. Finally his body was so completely exhausted because of this tapasya that he fell down. At that point Narada Muni saw, how serious he was, because Narada Muni was standing next to him. And he prayed to Lord Vishnu: “Please come and give him your darshan.”

Upon the request of Narada Muni, this great king received the holy darshan of Lord Kurmadeva, who stood before him with four arms. They went to one Rishi’s house together, Narada Muni, Kurmadev and the king. And the rishi was so happy, “Because of you King I am getting the darshan of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” So the king was getting so many auspicious blessings. They came to this place. Actually the king was still was so tired, and they were climbing this high mountain. Kurmadeva was so pleased by the king’s endeavours to try to serve Him and please Him that He chanted the mantra ‘Om’ and immediately the mountain became flat. They came to Chakratirtha and the king said, “I want to make a nice kund to bathe in.” The kund is very close by here, and with His chakra Kurmadev made a beautiful kund.

From the place where the chakra entered the ground, Mahalaxmi came out. Mahalaxmi said to the Lord, “What are You doing in this crazy world where people are so sinful, addicted to intoxications and so many materialistic activities? What are You doing here?” Then the Supreme Personality of Godhead said, “Wherever my devotees are serving me I want to be with them. My life is to give favour to My devotees.” So it is a beautiful story that Kurmadev appeared here, on this place.

And Narada Muni and the king decided that they wanted to have installation for the Kurma deity. So they went to Bramhaloka, because the king asked, “Do you know the Mantras to install the deity of Kurma?” and Narada said, ” Lord Bramha knows the mantra. Let us go.” So they went to the abode of Lord Brahma and Lord Bramha said, “I will come down and I will personally install this deity.” And while he came, Lord Shiva came, Lord Indra came, Vayu came, Agnidev came, Surya came. All the principal gods, they all came to this place and Lord Brahma performed the glorious installation ceremony of Sri Kurmadev and from that time this has been one of the great holy places of pilgrimage for Vaishnavas.

In fact Sripad Ramanujacharya, he visited Jagannath Puri. And when he saw the way the pujaris were worshipping the deity, he was thinking that it was not correct. He explained to them what are the rules and regulations according to Pancaratrika Vidhi. They were doing different Tantra-Mantra-Yantras and other traditional ways. So that night after he instructed them, Lord Jagannath appeared to Ramanujacharya in his dream, right there in Puri and told him, “I am very satisfied with the love and devotion in which my pujaris are worshipping Me. I don’t want you to change it.” And therefore that night Lord Jagannath personally threw Ramanujacharya to Kurmakshetra. But according to Bhakti Vinod Thakur, first He threw him to Navadvipa. He was thrown to Navadvip and there he had darshan of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave him very wonderful darshan and instructions of how to go on with the particular devotional service of establishing the Vishishta Dvaita philosophy, Siddhanta. In this way Jagannath took him from Puri to Navadvip, and then to Kurmakshetra.

So when Ramanujacharya woke up, here he was in front of the deity of Kurmadev. He thought, it was the deity of Shiva because you have all seen the darshan; He would look like a Shivalingam. When Ramanujacharya was thinking, he was Lord Shiva in great gravity of devotion, he began to fast. But then he recognised that there was a head and a tail, little feet. It was Kurmadev. It was Vishnu. So he established very gorgeous worship of the deity, and sent his own disciples and followers here to maintain a very high standard of worship, to this very day. When Ramanujacharya was here, he installed next to the deity of Kurmadev, you saw the deity of Sridevi and Bhudevi.

When Sripad Madhvacharya came here in his pilgrimage he worshiped Kurmadeva and he installed these deities of Sita Ram inside. And Sripad Shankaracharya when he came here to worship the deity, he also installed a deity of Sudarshan Chakra. And when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came here, He also installed the congregational chanting of the Holy Names, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare. The supreme most accessible deity, in this age of Kali-yuga. So we are very, very grateful and fortunate to be here today.

(from www. narasimhalila. com / deitypastimes. html)

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=8616

Devotees at our Seattle temple have been working for months to organise the Ananda festival at a prominent park in Redmond Shire.

The festival spanned a 2 day weekend and it was estimated that nearly 14,000 people attended.

There were two main stages for performances, many prasadam booths and a big variety of book and other stalls.

Source:http://www.ramaiswami.com/seattle-temple-ananda-festival/

"We brahmanas are worshipable by others only due to our quality of forgiveness. It is through this quality of forgiveness that Lord Brahma has achieved the post of master of the entire universe. The Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Hari, the remover of obstacles, becomes pleased with those who are forgiving. Forgiveness is illuminating like the sun, and cultivation of this quality is the brahmana’s duty.”

Yes, PULL! 


That is the feeling I got after I woke up from this evening's nap. I am about to drive a few ungodly hours to the divine ISV (Iskcon Silicon Valley, or Iskcon Sankirtan Village, as I prefer to call it) and get the association of the great souls who live there. Krsna reminds me through that "pull" from within, that the reason for visiting holy places is not to just see the place, but to hear from the sadhus who live there, associate with them, aspire to BE like them; less one still remains a cow or an ass. 

I am pulled from within to BE a devotee of Krsna, and not just go through the emotional joy ride of the "look" of a devotee. You know, that feeling one gets when the dhottis fits just right today, and the chaddar hangs quite well, even as you're dancing in kirtan bliss. I guess it can be applied to saris too, but I wouldn't know much about that in this life time. I did wear a sari for a play, it was worn as a dhotti, and felt quit nice and flowy..... (ok, back to the pull)



When there is proper hearing in the association of devotees, and especially a point that is made again and again, there just must, at least for me I'll speak, be contemplation. Contemplation must be followed by a resolve, a desire to act! This is where one's romantic love story turns into ________ (insert your super hero of choice) and one is faced with wild adventures.

The journey within is far more action packed than the hour, or four, depending on if you watched the extended version, of your Lord of the Rings, Harry Porter, or Temple of Doom. That person who looks so effulgent outside is now faced with the dark road inside. Envy, pride, madness, you name it, they're there to greet you! And the king of the castle, that eternal enemy known as Dr. Evil, wrong screenplay, that eternal enemy known as LUST, is there hiding in the very fabric of your existence. When you thought your had him down by tight sadhana, he popped up in the form of the desire from profit, fame and distinction. So day by day you fight. You dicide that " I want to go back to Krsna, and serve him." Serve him? I guess so. So my lofty idea of wanting to be a cowherd boy or a gopi, or Father Yasoda has to be based on service? PHEW... pause....

Yes, the person I am most envious of and most lusty towards is that person named Krsna, that spy who loves me, that guy who unlike my most beloved wife, son, daughter, friend or whoever, will do anything for me. He'll even sit there with me in the bathroom during my cleaning moments. Actually without his help I wouldn't know what to clean, or where to clean. He even accompanies the worm in that cleansed substance that was just dropped off at the pool; I mean seriously, has your other half fulfilled that part in the "for better or worse" clause?

So why am I envious of such a person? Because I want to be like him, equal to him, I want to BE him. And all I seem to do over the years, or lifetimes, is to make blunders and show how I'll never be him, because he is One without a Second. 

So with humility and a resolution to free myself from all this dust accumulated for years on end, I decide to go with the pull, to be a devotee, and not just look like one. To sing for Krsna's pleasure, and not to hear myself thinking that I am singing so nicely. To give Krsna to others and step out of the way, less I contiminate them with my own god project, which wouldn't work anyways since they're on a god project journey of their own.

To finish this rambling, we have embarked on this journey back to sanity, and when Krsna comes in, everyone else, even that lust guy, has to pack up and leave. They all become squatters, and Krsna needs the whole heart, all four chambers, to himself..and you. But like before, he is always there with us at every step. He carries what we lack, and preserves what we have, and he knows how deep we really want to go. He'll take us no further if we don't want it.

This is Krsna. Wonderful Krsna. 

"O son of Maharaja Nanda (Krsna), I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet."

Every year on January 14th comes the Spring Equinox. Known in India as Makara Sankranti, it is a holiday that is often accompanied by gusts of wind. One on occasion, a young prince was on the flat roof of his palace, hoping to take advantage of the strong breeze. In his hands was a brightly-coloured kite made of bamboo and paper. After a few attempts to launch it, the kite lifted into the sky, dipped a few times, then soared and twisted, edging slowly upwards. The young prince smiled with joy, and his gaze held fast to his kite, lifting higher and higher into the sky as he tugged on the string.

The roof of the palace was several floors up, and the prince was not looking around him as he moved, step by step, towards the edge of the roof. Despite being warned never to go up to the roof he had managed to escape the watchful eye of his nanny, and was there all by himself. Down in the street, a man passing by happened to hear the squeals of delight and looked upwards. Alarmed, he saw that the child, although enjoying himself, was only looking upwards to the kite and was about to walk off the edge. Surely he would now fall to his death?

Without thinking whether it was correct for him to raise his voice to a prince, the man shouted out a warning. At that very same moment, the palace nanny came onto the roof, looking towards the young prince, who was still laughing with joy. She was so absorbed in the prince’s laughter, she too could not see the imminent danger he was in. Hearing the loud shout from the street, yet not knowing the reason, she called back in response: “Hey you! Who are you to shout at this child? Do you not know that he is a prince? Know your place!”

Moral: The young prince is the materialistic enjoyer, looking up to the source of his pleasure yet unaware of the danger; the nanny is the religionist, protective yet interested in preserving the status quo of mundane happiness; and the man in the street is the guru. The guru sees the actual situation and, though he speaks strongly, he does so with the best intention. Both the materialist and the religionist may not thank him, but his message is the best.

Hare Krishna monks have finally moved into their new home after an explosion that destroyed their former temple six years ago.

Thirty people escaped just before the Iskcon Temple in Leicester exploded on 3 September 2010.

A Leicester family donated a former bank in Granby Street to Iskcon, and renovation work to the Grade II building has now been completed.

The monks are taking residency on the upper floors.

The space also includes a meditation area, kitchen, classrooms and offices.

Temple president Pradyumna Dasa said: “We’re very happy to have reached this milestone in the special year of Iskcon’s 50th anniversary.

“Since the gas blast in 2010, this journey has been a miracle to a dream.

“We are indebted to everyone who has supported the development of this project.”

The explosion was caused by a leaking gas cylinder that had been used for cooking.

Firefighter Bill Smith said it was “a miracle” no-one was killed.
Man ‘no doubt saved lives’

“The person who disconnected the cylinder realised the danger of the gas leaking. He ran out and got everybody to run over to the other side of the road,” the fire fighter said at the time.

“Within 30 seconds there was a large explosion. He has no doubt saved the lives of many people with his actions.”

The Iskcon community has met at various community centres and halls around the city since the explosion.

The new building on Granby Street was acquired in 2014, and the community has been meeting in the main hall there but without heating or kitchen facilities.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-36935851

Lord Nrisimhadeva’s mercy even on non-devotees
The mercy of Lord Nrisimhadeva at Mayapur is famous and I have an interesting story in brief.
I know a couple Ashok Ghosh and his wife Shila Ghosh from Kolkata, who married twelve years ago. Four years before when I met them, they shared their worries with me. Like other childless couples, who undertake treatments or throw faith in magical amulets, this young couple too were attracted to artificial means to have a baby. Incidentally, I suggested them to take shelter of Jagrata Nrsiimhadeve at ISKCON Mayapur. In the year 2006, Nrisimha Caturdasi day, the couple came too Mayapur and observed the Vrata seriously, approached the Lord, and paid their sincere offerings to Him with full surrender.
A year later, when I visited Calcutta, incidentally I met the couple and found them extremely happy. To my amazement, I saw carrying a small baby in the lap. I enquired who the child was? The couple narrated to me the blessings of Lord Nrisimhadeva upon them. This is a clear example of the Lord’s mercy upon anyone who takes shelter of Him. This is an instance, even a non-devotee has been blessed with His mercy. The Lord can bless anything to anyone if surrenders to Him and incidentally utters His holy name even once.
The ancients performed putrakameshthi yajna to invoke the divinities and bless the childless couple to have progeny. In kaliyuga, we short-lived humans forgot those tedious Vedic yajnas. In this disastrous age, surrendering to the God and uttering His holy names is the greatest sacrifice one can offer as Lord Caitanya instructed us through His divine Grace A. C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. As the Vishnupurana says, “Ten years of tapasya in sattya yuga equates to one year of tapasya in tertayuga, and it equates to one month of tapas in dvapayuga and it equates to just one day of tapasya in kaliyuga. Anyone who surrenders to the Lord and utters His holy name even once, the merciful Lord will bless him all his needs and at the end will offer him a chance to reach the Supreme Destination even the king of heaven Indra is ineligible to obtain. Therefore, let us always recite the mahamantra –
HARE KRSNA HARE KRSHNA KRSHNA KRSHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

From Back to Godhead

Dear Swami Bhaktivedanta,
I’ve read that your Krishna Consciousness is a non-sectarian science of the soul. How is it, then, that you follow some particular concept of God Krishna rather than a more universal concept, such as the One, or the All-Pervading Light? I like your movement very much, but I do feel this to be a clear contradiction in your philosophy. Yours truly,
Owen Darcy

My dear Mr. Darcy,
Thank you for your interest, and for your question also. I assure you that Krishna is not a concept: He is the Supreme, Original Person. Everything that exists is His energy, and He is the sole Energetic. He pervades His energy because He has complete and limitless control over it. All that exists, then, is of Him, from Him, possessed, pervaded and maintained by Him therefore He is the One, All-Pervading, and the Resting Ground of the Universes. But He is more even than this. He is thus held to be an Individual: the Whole is more than the sum of the parts. This omnipotence is called the Lord’s simultaneously one and different Nature.

Dear Swami,
I have always read that self-realization can only be attained by cutting oneself off from human society. Do you agree with this? Thank you,
Jereld Penne

Dear Mr. Penne,
No, I don’t agree. In India also this was long held to be true but my Spiritual Master, Sri Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati taught that one can use the implements of modern civilization for the service of the Lord, and thus attain to the highest perfection. This was his great contribution. In the Bhagavad Gita, as well, Lord Sri Krishna says that he who preaches the message of God to his fellow men is the most dear devotee (Chaps. XVIII, verse 68). One must, of course, be among one’s fellow men in order to do this.

Dear Swami,
Is Krishna really Nirvana?
Thank you,
William Guttenroth

Dear Mr. Guttenroth,
Nirvana is the negation of material life; Krishna is the positive joy of spiritual existence.

Dear Swami,
Your philosophy states that the soul or Self is eternal, and that God, the Supreme Self, is also eternal. If this is so, then how is God to be considered the Creator ?
Sincerely,
Mary Welch

Dear Miss Welch,
Creator means the Source, and creation means the emanation from that Source. The Creator and the creation are both eternal but the creation depends upon the Creator, and not vice versa. It is like the sun and the sunlight. They are always together, but the sun is supreme and independent, while the sunlight is subordinate. Still, they are not separable, as we are eternally inseparable from God.
Ever your well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Dear Swami Bhaktivedanta,
As simply as possible, could you tell me what the real essence of your message is? I find all philosophers to be long on wind but short on solid meaning. Please try to be clear. Thank you.
John M. Taylor

Dear Mr. Taylor,
I shall try: My message is that humankind can find real not theoretical or abstract peace and happiness only through association with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And this association is established most quickly and easily through the congregational chanting of the Lord’s Holy Names. My followers and I sing the Maha Mantra Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. However, other authorized Names, such as Jehovah, Jesus Christ and Allah are quite acceptable, as God has a limitless supply of Personal Names. I hope this is lucid, and further hope you will take up this practice of Kirtan, or singing the Lord’s Names.

Dear Swami,
Who is Narada Muni? When you say on your record album cover that he’s a spaceman, do you mean that he uses a flying saucer?
Yours truly,
Marjorie Sherman

Dear Miss Sherman,
Narada is one of the principal saints mentioned in Vedic literature. As stated on the record cover it was he who delivered the Maha Mantra to Earth. Narada Muni doesn’t use a flying saucer, because his body is completely spiritual, and therefore has no limitation in material time or space.

Dear Swami,
If God loves us, why doesn’t He stop warfare?
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Arthur

Dear Miss Arthur,
The Lord presents Mankind with all means of understanding His Fatherhood, and our brotherhood toward one another. But He doesn’t impinge upon the minute quantity of independence that we have. If we choose to ignore Him, He permits us. Greed treachery and warfare are natural results of this ignorance. As for the major horror of war, death: that is merely an illusion. The living entities are by constitution eternal, in spite of material appearances. But great suffering is undeniably there, due to our unfortunate ignorance .

Dear Swami,
Are there any esoteric principles in Krishna Consciousness, revealed only to advanced students?
Thank you,
Ben Ordway

Dear Mr. Ordway,
Why not take up Krishna Consciousness and see?
Ever your well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Dear Swami Bhaktivedanta,
Could you please explain the Vedic concept of Universal Time? It seems to me that this is a bewilderingly complex system of thought.
Yours truly,
Henry Langdon

Dear Mr. Langdon,
Universal Time is no more complex than the relationship of a second to a minute to an hour to a day. History is divided into series of four Yugas, or sub-Ages. Each complete series is 4,200,000 years long. One thousand of such complete ages make one day of Brahma. Brahma is the creator of this Universe, and his life span is co-equal to it. Brahma’s day is a thousand ages, and his night is also a thousand ages. And Brahma lives one hundred years. Thus, we can calculate the duration of this universe at something over three hundred billion years. I hope this answers your question.

Dear Swami,
How long does it take to attain perfection in Krishna Consciousness? Thank you, Walter Arden

Dear Mr. Arden,
One second is more than enough. The perfection of Krishna Consciousness is found in complete surrender unto the Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna. If you are capable of such surrender, then don’t delay even one more heartbeat. The Maha (Hare Krishna) Mantra will help you to be able to surrender, by giving you direct experience of the Lord’s presence. By thus understanding His Beauty, Kindness and other Attributes, you will realize the value of His association, and will at once surrender for His sake.
Dear Swami Bhaktivedanta,
Is it necessary to have a spiritual master in order to achieve Krishna Consciousness? Or is the chant alone enough?
Sincerely,
Helen Lee

Dear Miss Lee,
Chanting will put you directly in touch with the Source Krishna Himself. But the spiritual master is Krishna’s direct representative, and he too is of incalculable value for your spiritual progress.

Dear Swamiji,
Why was this material world created, if God truly loves us?
Yours,
N. Ogden

My dear N. Ogden,
Do you think the government builds its prisons in hopes that they’ll be filled? But there is a need. As the criminal must be removed from moral society, so the living entities who reject God must leave the spiritual realm, where all adore Him.

Dear Swami,
You say that unalloyed service to the Lord is the purest devotion. But how can we always put faith in Krishna’s mercy, and at the same time never ask Him for anything?
Thank you,
Marie Moskowitz

Dear Miss Moskowitz,
We need never ask for the Lord’s mercy. It is given us freely and abundantly at all times. Even the atheist enjoys it. But what we must have is God’s loving service, if we are to know true happiness. Make this loving service the object of your every prayer, and see the result yourself.

Dear Swamiji,
What’s wrong with pleasure?
D. T. Mervin

Dear D. T. Mervin,
Until you serve Krishna, you cannot know what pleasure is.

Dear Swami,
If one has rejected God, will God still take him back?
Yours,
Miss Anita Keough

My dear Miss Keough,
We are all here due to mistakes. Krishna only cares for our love.

Dear Swami,
Is it necessary to pursue all the different yogas in turn in order to reach the Ultimate?
Yours truly,
John The

Dear Mr. The,
You can walk the stairs to the top of the Empire State Building if you like. But the elevator is also there. Try chanting Hare Krishna.

Dear Swami,
Why do so many people neglect the Lord, if He is the center of everything?
Thanks,
Brendan Jones

Dear Mr. Jones,
Why do some men lie down on the Bowery Street? There is independence, and independence means one can choose wisely or foolishly.
Ever your well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

lei·sure: : freedom provided by the cessation of activities; especially: time free from work or duties

I have been missing this little noun for eons now. Finally I've caught a hold of this elusive little thing today - today being a holiday for Eid. This is such an interesting definition of leisure. Are we ever free from activity? The very nature of the soul is to be active so where do you draw the line between activities that count as work and activities that count as pleasure? When we engage in activies of pleasure, it becomes leisure.

In yesterday's program, Yadav prabhu made such beautiful points. He mentioned that one of the Radha raman pujaris from Vrindavan once said that, "Krishna gives himself to us in our old age, if we give him our youth".

And then I realized how I'm slowly crossing this stage of 'youth'. After my wedding in December, my day is just going to get busier. I will have officially become an adult with so many responsibilities to juggle. How to juggle? How do I immerse myself in the Lord's name, pastimes, service with a household to take care of? How am I going to give my youth to Krishna, when I am struggling with paperwork, phonecalls etc from dawn to dusk?

Well, here is where I get lucky :) Even though the world seems to get too big to handle, my day seems filled with meangingless phonecalls and paperwork - offering all this to Krishna makes it seem so much lighter at the end of the day. Leisure? Well, who needs it when you are blissful in your busy day anyway. Trick is to link my meaningless paperwork to Krishna.......well not so successful sometimes, but I'm getting there. It's going to get easier to do this when I have a half hour of kirtan together with family to look forward to. Or 15 minutes of Bhagavatam reading. And really, the light at the end of the tunnel - Mayapur.

Thank you Nitai. For everything. :)

A devotee once told me,
" We offer so many services to Krishna......we offer him garlands, we make prasad and offer it, we offer our kirtans, our bhajans yet in the process of offering him all these services, we forget to offer him ourselves! "
Krishna accepts anything offered with love but all he is really looking for is YOU. And that is the hardest thing to offer. The false ego of me, mine never lets us actually do this. Every activity we do, each and every step and action we take in our lives, from bathing, eating, studying.....everything is geared towards one goal......satisfy the self.

We can classify every action as geared towards
1) Sense pleasure
2) Intelligence & Mind pleasure
3) False ego pleasure

Think about it....every small thing we do can be classified under these things. Even devotional service. When I make garlands, it satisfies my senses to see the beautiful flowers, satisfies my intelligence to arrange it in a pattern, and finally satisfies my ego when somebody says, 'oh what a beautiful garland you've made!'. Even though, I'm making it for Krishna, this tinge of ego pleasure never goes away. I would say that ego pleasure is the hardest to overcome. Whatever service we do, the sense of the self doing it hardly goes away....
(I am of course talking about common neophyte devotees like me and not elevated souls where can see actual 'selfless service')

Now you can argue that if even devotional service is performed to satisfy the material senses and ego then why do it? Well.....the only answer I have for this is to ask you to actually spend a day doing service. Yes, my ego is being satisfied, my intelligence is being satisfied when I listen to a good lecture or read sound philosophy, my senses are being satisfied when I listen to beautiful, heartmoving kirtans and bhajans.......yet, at the end of the day, when I go home....when I get a moment to ponder on my pleasure and enjoyment, I realize, this pleasure is something much much deeper.......it is the pleasure of the satisfaction of the soul....:)

We took a morning walk along Lake Ontario and these were some thoughts running through my head... 

I like beaches, fresh ocean, well, lake air, Wine Bottle from a dark nights rendezvous, McDonald's bags, 1, 2 few, many- all over. Cigarette butts, tissues, newspapers, coffee cups, other things monks shouldn't mention by name, etc. 
 "This is a place of Pilgrimage you know, Srila Prabhupada walked here in the Summer of 75 when he visited Toronto."
How advanced we've become, few years later. If the Mayans, or the Aryans do come back, what would they think of us? We've  redefined ruins. Back then, they left ruins we still flock to see today.
But why, I ask myself? Why?
Well, my self started to say, we've done it to ourselves. We've created a culture of packaging; no matter how significant or insignificant the product, just package it nicely and you'll make money :)   :)    :)

But I promise you you won't be satisfied with the 3.0 version, so I'll make you a 3.1 version next season. And the package, throw it away- wherever. Caution, its hot, take it for a nice walk along the ocean shore; and when you're done, just throw it somewhere, the Government will clean it up.

So we go on day after day enjoying what we think might be the best drink, smoke, night of our lives, and when we're through, still lacking inner satisfaction, throw the package down.
'Xcuse me sir, I a monk-- " aw shut it, we don't wanna hear that God crap. We want equal rights for everone"
Well, then how about that seagull? you just dropped your cig butt and he thought it was food, so he just dove and chucked it right in. Oh, and that bag you just threw out after emptying your evening snack number 15 carried a nice scent with it, so the cow came and at the bag. Yup. Ate the bag. Now the doctors say lots of cows in Krsna's holy land are suffering from junk, like plastic bags and cups in their stomachs. Sounds cuddly.

But what if you did stop for a minute and looked around and see whats going down? What if you could live more peacefully without all the noise? Maybe in your own little house on the prairie and not in your pigeon hole apartment in the city?   How bout that?

So yah, as I walked this morning, my alter ego, super monk wanted to burst out and smash everything and everyone, but deeper inside me is a place that still needs cleaning too, so I'll just keep working on me, working on you working on we :)

Many people I meet express their most difficult problem- too little time to actually relish, or absorb themselves in life. When you wake up the rush starts- class, work, cram!
Here's a small experience that I relish here in India and hope to really inspire people with in the near future. Do few things diligently, consciously and properly. 
An example of my schedule in the last few months:
3:00 am wake up (shower, dress, chant japa, mangala arati, class.)
9:00 am wash laundry, eat.
10:30 bhakti sastri class (lunch also)
3:00 pm  one hour nap
4:30 study
6:30 return clean and folded laundry
7- 8: socialize
8:30 give massage
9:30 bed
as this happens, I perceive how the mind becomes calm. When the mind is calm, thinking about deeper topics is possible. Most people are interested in Spiritual life, but their 

external world is a bit in disarray  and so a war between outside and inside leaves on between a rock and a hard place.
 I suggest association of people who do what challenges you most. So if you're trying to be more spiritual and its difficult, associate with spiritual people.
There's so much to learn in spirituality, but our very minds stop us.

After a few days in Mayapur, my Spiritual Teacher asked me how I was doing, so I explaind my schedule and he was very encouraging. He said, “ that is sadhu (spiritual) life; doing 
the same thing over and over will steady the mind, when the mind is steady then one can proceed nicely in Krsna Consciousness”
Plus, you'll find you have so much time because everything starts to have its place and quality 
tatata tatata tatata tatata tatata- steady