Happy Winter Solstice!
And on this fine day when daylight hours increase starting now, a group of fellows I’m training for The Gita are doing well. They are taking the practice as a service to Krishna. The teamwork is appreciated. The objective is to get tighter and tighter in the moves and gestures in enacting Krishna’s words and Arjuna’s reactions. It is only our 4th day in practice and there will be just one more before going on the road for six locations during this holiday time.
The Ch
We were warned of an oncoming snowstorm. Collingwood, our destination, is often dumped by winter weather rages coming from Georgian Bay. It is what makes this town a popular ski resort area. By our good fortune only a few white flakes had left less than a powdery look over the landscape.
When you have been around in a village for over fifty years, you certainly get to know people that shared some of that space with you. I don’t live in a village, but in Midtown of a major city in North America. It does seem like the feel of a small town, though being in a temple atmosphere where so much is going on. The place, 243 Avenue Road, is like a magnet drawing new interested people and also revered servers-of-the-temple from the past. I was happy to see one anonymous devotee, whom a
The forecast tells us it will be 27º Celsius, making it a jump from the comfortable 20º of the past few days. The morning at 5:15 AM is just the perfect hour or two for that walk in a converted park from an old train line. You can still see the tracks exposed over the manicured grass. It’s spring, so the fragrances of the tilo tree are strong and invigorating. Robins, parrots, and hawks or falcons soar by. I am a sucker for the jacaranda tree bearing purple flowers.
The Bhagavatam class
In Argentina marks the National Sovereignty Days, and therefore, the day off is for the public which is enjoying a holiday. People go to the countryside and city parks to bond with family and friends.
For us devotees who just pulled off a grand fiesta, Ratha Yatra, it became a day of rest. But with guests staying over from other Argentinian cities outside of Buenos Aires, it was the temple program as usual starting at 4:30 AM, then a hike to the nearby park to include a meaningful sit down
I dined with some awfully nice people at the Ratha Yatra site. There was a purple-clad Anglican minister who had been to Manitoba and Saskatchewan in Canada describing them as “beautiful.” The Indian Ambassador indulged in the prasadam that was churned out of Govinda’s Restaurant in Tigre. Inderveer Kaur enjoyed the meal. She is the only female leader of the Sikh faith in not only Argentina, but the whole of South America. The President of Crownval partook in the paneer subji (curd curry).
There is a lot of dust in the air from the floor sanding, and double the collective amount from some kind of stripping of the old stairway. Three layers of hard paint is a hard job which is actually a sign of devotion. You can say that there is a lot of devotion in the air – progressive devotion. Improvements are being made on our building – the temple/ashram. And there is still so much work needing to be done.
I wisht the toxins caked on my heart could be easily removed. No machine or t
Our very own Bhakta Om, resident of our temple ashram, delivered his first class today from the book, Bhagavatam, and the topic was Yasoda investigating the accusation that her young son, Krishna, had eaten dirt. To confirm, Krishna’s stance that this was untrue, she saw to settling the matter simply by asking Him to open His mouth and she could see firsthand for herself whether it was false or not. He opened His mouth, and she saw not only earth, but the Earth, the whole universe; she saw de
A first snow
With a mix of rain
Twas months ago
No cause to complain
It is slightly cold
Th
I arrived safely in Montreal for our AGM Annual General Meeting. I came upon the following letter by our guru, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada written August 24th, 1968, when he was living in Montreal, addressed to the Right Honourable Michener, Governor General of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.
“ISKCON (The international Society of Krishna Consciousness) is a non-lucrative organization, whose purpose is to promote the well-being of human society, and our members include people from Christian,
Dharma Prana is a loveable guy who spent the best years of his life serving the mission, especially in the area of book distribution. These books that are published by Bhaktivedanta Book Trust are the most cherished material on the subject of self-actualization. Dharma Prana is an outstanding devotee and disciple of the author of these fine books, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Since the mid 80s, Dharma suffered from a stroke and has not been able to form whole sentences in his speec
It came quite spontaneously. Vascapati, a U of T student, called me up for a break from his studies. I asked him if he wanted to go for a walk. After all, the sun was shining, temperature was 14ºC. “Let’s take the trail where I started my long-distance training for walking,” I suggested. He had the time. So, we left for the path that was ours and so many others’. We were not the only ones with the idea of a version of escapism.
Traces of Halloween were still in the residential atmosph
In preparation for an upcoming leaders’ meeting, I have compiled a poem on the topic. Here it is:
THE ABCs of SERVANT LEADER
The ideal good leader
Is never a browbeater
But who empowers, encourages
Sees that everything flourishes
A servant leader is ACCESSIBLE
Being present a
Praharana is my godsister and also a student or disciple of Prabhupada, like myself. She heard I was going to the farm in Caledon called Gir Farms, and wanted to come. Our driver was Pradeep. Also coming along was Cameron, an Australian who spends considerable time at a cow shelter (goshala) in Vrindavan, India. He’s a natural with the animals and with keeping their quarters clean,
Praharana, on the other hand, is not a farmer. She told us so during a walk on a nearby trail and after view
It was ten years ago that I began my US walk starting from Boston in New England. By the time I reached Middle Atlantic in Pennsylvania, it was Halloween time. Homeowners had really spruced up their properties with all kinds of ghoulish décor. I recall walking by a countryside home where the place was elaborately done up. A man from the UK travelling for business stopped to see the spectacle and remarked, “Boy, here everyone really gets into it,” meaning in Europe the event is rather toned
I was at the street corner of Ave & Dav (Avenue Road and Davenport) with Harakumara, our treasurer, when an elderly gentleman hurriedly ran up to us and in a childlike excitement said, “I’m the one who rings the bell at the Church of the Redeemer. Do you ring the bell at your temple?”
Both Harakumara and I didn’t expect that remark. He was enthusiastic. We didn’t have the time to explain that we don’t have a bell to ring in our belltower. He continued, “A friend of mine also rings the bell
There are signs that indicate we are growing. What I mean by that is we, as a society and culture, are expanding, at least in Canada and the southern-most part of the country, also in sections of the USA, India, Eastern Europe, and I’m sure there are other locations. This is glorious.
Nityananda drove me to North York to meet some businessmen from our community to make an offer for a larger building in the eastern section of Toronto-Scarborough. What we have currently for weekend functions
Every year in the month of Damodhara, which is now, Amal, who represents the Bangla community, holds a memorable kirtan chanting session at his tiny home. In attendance there are no less than one hundred persons who relish the chants, the rituals, and the prasadam (sacred food). I must say, the Bengalis and the Bangladeshis churn out incredible food. Their veg prep called sukta is very tasty, and their version of shak (mixed greens) is out of this world. Then, there are the Bengali sweets s
Members of the VHP had invited us to Queen’s Park, the Legislative Assembly Building for the Province of Ontario to a Diwali function. At 8 am, a dozen of us devotees from the temple ashram turned up, including myself, along with delegates, ministers of various portfolios with the government. People with those statuses and services spoke briefly about the importance of Diwali, the festival of lights, carrying the theme of goodness over evil. Certificates were given to those who achieved pro
I was told by a number of folks, the ones we met at Radhadesh, Den Haag, and Naalwijk, that we were very lucky in regards to the weather during our trekking in Holland. “You had practically no rain – unusual for this time of year.”
I consider myself blessed on many counts. Our first nine hours were spent at Radhadesh’s castle. The class I delivered was on the topic of renunciation. I told the listeners of how my dad, while I was in the tub and he was shaving in the washroom, out of nowhere
