bhaktimarga swami (538)

Share the journey by Bhaktimarga Swami

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I accepted the offer by kind Rsabh for the interview on "The Avilash Podcast".This meant a trip to his apartment in Brampton where he has a set up studio for such a program, He asked questions that naturally would be of interest to his audience, queries about what would hasten the public to ask, "What's a westerner doing living the life of a monk?" "Why the long walks".

So, for a full hour my interviewer and I went on to describe a journey, my own personal one, in meeting renunciates traveling

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Get To A Tree by Bhaktimarga Swami

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In these days of devices and screens one is expected to use or maybe over overuse them. I'm enjoying myself in the spring weather of Bengal when especially this year we are encountering the most pleasant breezes yet still it is hard to stay away altogether from a cell phone which does almost everything one needs for the community. One of my actors from Africa needed me to record his lines for the proper pacing in order to hear it over headphones again and again to get his part down as best as

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On May 30th, 1845, a ship landed at the Trinidad shoreline with a massive group of indentured labourers from India. They were promised by the British a life of labour and love. Love was somewhat questionable, because life, at the time, was one of great sacrifice. A century later, one of those pious Hindu fellows, from that strain, asked for permission to build a temple. Authorities said, “No!” The man’s name was Sadhu Seva.

He decided to build a small peninsula by bringing stone after stone,

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Patience was tested with airlines. “Delay” was the common word. Passengers even made their way to board the plane. We sat for two hours inside with a promising “ready to go” when (out of the blue) we were assigned to “deplane” and “come back later.” I was quite impressed with people’s tolerance level. There is always something to be learned from others and it doesn’t always come out of a book or one’s personal guru. Messages are heard (or should be heard) from all angles. God, as guru, is every

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Although some people consider me a nomad, always travelling to somewhere, I’m actually rather grounded by having a home base. This permits me to see people repeatedly, and Wayne, a super artist, who lives up the street on Roxborough, is a regular. He wears this distinguished hat with a wide brim, so I can spot him from many metres away. He’s gone through about three different dog-pet reincarnations. What’s different now is he uses a walker to get around in the park. Still, he’s Wayne, a nice n

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Under the Mango Tree by Bhaktimarga Swami

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The anniversary of the great dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna. The anchor person to this sublime conversation is someone by the name of Sanjaya, who is quite in a blissful state when relating it to the blind king, Dhrtarastra. Here’s how he felt in Sanskrit:

rajan samsmrtya samsmrtya

samvadam imam adbhutam

keshavarjunayoh punyam

hrsyami ca muhur muhuh

“Oh, King, as I repeatedly recall this wondrous and holy dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, I take pleasure, being thrilled at every moment.

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Books in their hands by Bhaktimarga Swami

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From what I can see, Cubans are readers. After Ganganath and I took our dip in the ocean (a 30 min. one when we chanted our morning mantras), we met some workers. The first one was a painter, friendly as you can get. His warm-heatedness earned him our gift of the Bhagavad Gita. The second recipient was another local Cuban, with tools in his hands. This guy had torquoise eyes like the colour of the water we were in and had a build like warrior Arjuna. Was he ever overwelwhelmed by the beautiful

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Potential by Bhaktimarga Swami

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I would say that one devotee, Krishna Surya, 54, is one of the more committed persons to bhakti in Cuba. He is a steady 16 rounder, as we say. Two hours he dedicates to mantra meditation while committed to his family, wife and teenage daughter. I recommended to him to read several books of Prabhupada, all in Spanish, of course. These books are the Bhagavad Gita, Nectar of Devotion, Teachings of Lord Chaitanya, and Srimad Bhagavatam. This will prepare him for his second initiation. 

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Krishna Sur

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Kichari by Bhaktimarga Swami

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Sounds like the name of an Indigenous girl
Perhaps appropriate as a precious pearl
It’s not a mammal, bird, rock, or tree
You’re getting close if you say “herbal tea”
It’s something satisfying to the appetite
Yummy to the tummy to the very last bite
It’s a food preparation – *kichari*
The problem is, between you and me
It suffers from a bad reputation
A poor man’s food is ithttp://www.dandavats.com/?p=112240s qualification

When you go to an eastern monastery
Whether April, June, or January
The

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No Blues by Bhaktimarga Swami

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Tuesday was the day for me to return the heart monitor which had been affixed to my chest for the last two weeks. The Toronto Medical Clinic for returning was at 826 St. Claire West. I Ubered my way there but happily trekked my way back to the ashram.

It became very evident that winter is around the corner. That was confirmed by the Uber driver. There’s now a chill and a fairly hefty wind bringing down the leaves. The afternoon brought on a cold rain which had a second shot at removing the leav

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Getting Connected by Bhaktimarga Swami

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It was great seeing one family again. They had come to Niagara from Hungary to participate in his parent’ 50th anniversary. That, of course, is a great milestone.

The family – Nila Gopal, Sukhayanti and two daughters (twins, actually, at 8 years) – began their spiritual life here in Toronto some years back, then moved to Hungary for a rural life and school for their daughters. Nila trains oxen. Sukhayanti is an organizer.

In such circumstances, when acquaintances meet after some years of separa

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Let us visit by Bhaktimarga Swami

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I had no opportunity to touch nature today, other than the five kilometre brisk walk from Union Station to the ashram. Yes, it was fresh and early. Our train from Ottawa left us still for over two hours near Pickering, which landed us at our destination at 1:30 am. I wheeled my suitcase once again down the stretch. Good for wheels. Good for legs.

Planned for the day was two home visits where both parties expressed the desire for lamp offerings to the figurines of Krishna and Yasodha, His mom.

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Monk and Mantra by Bhaktimarga Swami

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Before tucking into bed last night my host, Sreyas, a doctor at one of Ottawa’s hospitals, brought me to see his father, 91, recovering from surgery. This is one of those comforting obligations that goes with the priestly portfolio. The next morning, however, I had the pleasure to visit, not the aged and mature, but those classes of youngsters at the Bhakta Prahlad Montessori School.

Krishna Dulal, who is sometimes described as entrepreneur extraordinaire, is also the manager of the school, and

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By Radhapriya

On November 4th, His Holiness Bhaktimarga Swami was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce (CHCC). The Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce is the first registered not-for-profit organization in Canada dedicated to the unification of Canadian Hindus and their economic interests. The CHCC wanted to bestow honour on him and ISKCON with this award and ceremony.

When Srila Prabhupada brought Krishna consciousness to the West, there was pra

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Around The Lake by Bhaktimarga Swami

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Two chaps, both brahmacharis (monks) from Pune, offered to take me to some kind of trail. Actually, we are looking at a lake called Katraj Lake which takes a mere fourteen minutes to circumambulate. It was at the brahma muhurta hour, the time before dawn, that we walked it, and yet again. I was quite surprised to see a good turn out of people doing their own version of a workout on this lake which has an island in the centre with a stature of Sivaji Maharaja, a defender of the Hindu community,

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Leadership by Bhaktimarga Swami

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When you are a leader
You are on someone's meter

When your voice is heard
There's analysis on every word

When you simply make a move
Once set, it's hard to remove

You will never satisfy everyone
It's natural for all under the sun

Yet decisions must be made
So one need not be afraid

Just have fixation on duty
​That is a true leader's beauty

Be ready to accept correction
The willingness to take direction

That is the measure of great honour
No personal trait could be stronger

Remember, you are not

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A Touch of Class by Bhaktimarga Swami

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In a 2X6 metre rustic hut, the home of Gaura Hari, Madan Gopal (my sponsor for this French trip) fixed breakfast with his own homemade bread for the three of us. That provided some energy for our day's journey to Chateau de Chenonceau, a castle located on the Cher River. After Versailles, the structure with the grounds is the biggest tourist attraction for castles.
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What did we see?

Impressive architecture, fine interiors of furniture, utilities, and artwork for the high-end folks of the 16th c

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Flight 872 via Air Canada was pleasant enough. The meal, a trite bland, was healthy. You don't want to overeat anyways when not being too active. About the most I do on these flights is mobilize my fingers on the right hand while chanting on my japa beads.

Once my prescribed 'rounds' are done, I read, which is nominal movement, and then treat myself to a National Film Board of Canada documentary. Tonight's film was on the topic of throat singing by an Indigenous woman named Tanya. This means my

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A Need In Barrie by Bhaktimarga Swami

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Georgian College hosted an event to encourage students, and it was Mohit, Naina, their son and daughter, and student, Yash, who made the connection for bhakti yoga practitioners. I was really taken by the duo Indradev, on drum, and Ekanath, on harmonium. These boys hail from Lithuania and Latvia. Their bhajan songs were sweet, as was a cozy room we were given to sing and speak in. I didn't mind the high ceilings and glass walls at all; there was a very good energy.

The fact is that many student

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As a sannyasi practicing detachment, I accept my services wholeheartedly if the day calls for being put in one place or moving around. Today was one of those nomadic days where i enjoyed being in diverse association.

For starters, It was a great pleasure to be present in the temple room with mostly 20-year-olds who enjoy an early morning chant-and-dance for God. They are genuine party animals, I must say, and they are preoccupied in the program of the Bhakti Academy.

From that location at 243 A

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