Author Archive
Wednesday, February 20th, 2008
Dean Ornish on Diet and Health
Check out this short video on the effect of diet on health. Dean Ornish is one of the leading proponents of the benefits of a low fat vegetarian diet.
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Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
Just “Chillin”
Sorry for not posting anything over the past few days, right now I’m just bumming off the neighbors wireless so I am at thier mercy, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t.We had a really ecstatic festival last night in honor of Sri Nityananda Prabhu….
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Saturday, February 16th, 2008
I guess no matter how big you are you are still insignificant.
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Friday, February 15th, 2008
Obama-Rama in Perspective
If anyone out there has been keeping tabs on the recent race for the democratic presidential nomination it is pretty difficult not to get caught up in all the excitement and drama.Obama who started out as a major underdog in the race has is now leading…
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Thursday, February 14th, 2008
“You can come back anytime and speak.”
The past week and half has been really intense, I feel like I have been running an emotional marathon. There has been a lot of drama, I’ll spare you the details, and a lot sweet moments. It has been very rewarding, but also exhausting.The day before th…
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Wednesday, February 13th, 2008
“Vaya Con Dios”
Today was the funeral for my grandmother, here is the eulogy that I read.I am very grateful to be able to have a chance to speak today in honor of my dear grandmother.I feel that in some sense this an opportunity for me to fulfill a last wish of hers. …
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Tuesday, February 12th, 2008
Steps Toward Inner Peace Reflections
I know the previous post was really long but I wanted everyone to get a chance to read the whole thing. I find it to be possibly the most practical book I’ve ever come across for spiritual practitioners. For those that didn’t take the time to read the …
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Monday, February 11th, 2008
Steps Toward Inner Peace
In my early life I made two very important discoveries. In the first place I discovered that making money was easy. And in the second place I discovered that making money and spending it foolishly was completely meaningless. I knew that this was not w…
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Sunday, February 10th, 2008
Peace Pilgrim: An American Sage Who Walked Her Talk
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Saturday, February 9th, 2008
Technical Science of Spiritual Values
The teachings of Srimad Bhagavatam are as Srila Prabhupada explains in his purport to verse 1.5.11 a “technical science of spiritual values.”Science is based on the scientific method, of hypothesis, experiment, conclusion. In science the result of …
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Tuesday, November 13th, 2007
How to Celebrate a Festival
I am leaving for Vrindavan today to celebrate Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day, the day will begin with mangala arati at Srila Prabhupada’s samadhi, throught the morning all the Prabhupada disciples will be sharing their memories of Srila Prabhupada and in the evening there will be a program in his room, the place where he departed from this world.
I feel very fortunate to have the association of devotees in Vrindavan on this special day, but of course where ever we may be we can celebrate a wonderful festival.
It is very simple, Guarakisora Das Babaji Maharaj explained how to celebrate a festival. He told the few people who were gathered around him, “tomorrow is Srila Sanatan Prabhu’s disappearance, and tomorrow we will have a wonderful celebration.” They asked him where the would get the money for such a festival and he told them, “This will be the best festival, we will fast and chant Hare Krishna all day and all night. This is how paupers like us celebrate a festival.”
Wherever one may be in the world they can have a wonderful festival by being absorbed in hearing and chanting.
And on another occasion, on Ratha Yatra, he very enthusiastically encouraged everyone around him to go attend the various celebrations that were being held around Navadvipa. Then when all the insincere people had gone away he told the remaining devotees, they have gone simply to look at the beautifully dressed women and eat rasagollas.
A big gathering can even be a distraction, and certainly Vrindavan is no exception to this rule but if one remains absorbed in hearing and chanting, where ever one is, they will be celebrating the most wonderful festival.
Srila Prabhupada Ki Jaya!
Srila Prabhupada Tirobhava Tithi Maha Mahotsava ki jay!
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Sunday, November 11th, 2007
Govardhana Puja at the Lotus feet Govardhan Hill
Here are a few pictures and a small report from yesterdays festivities at Bhaktivedanta Ashram (Govardhan Palace) situated at the lotus feet of Govardhan.
Gopiparanadhana Prabhu giving the morning Bhagavatam Class, while devotees listen attentively.
After Bhagavatam Class Bhurijana Prabhu did a dramatic reading of the Govardhan pastime from Ananda Vrindavan Campu by Srila Kavi Karnapura. You can see Govardhan in the Background, as well as the temple of Dhani Raya.
Here at Govardhan you get to bath the Giriraj directly.
Asit Krishna Prabhu, the manager of the Bhaktivedanta Ashram, directs the abhisekha. He is a very special devotee. When he was only 7 years old he announced to his family that he would leave home to worship Krishna. When he was a child he used to have dreams with Krishna, one time Krishna took him to a special place and told him to sit down there and chant japa, and Krishna left and told the Asit Krishna that He would return in a minute, but Krishna did not return, and then Asit Krishna started to experience intense anxiety due to separation from not seeing Krishna return, so much so that he could not breath, and then he woke up. Eventually he joined ISKCON, and moved here to Govardhan to serve Srila Tamala Krishna Maharaj, when he first arrived he went accros the street to pay his obeisances to Govardhan and when he looked up to his amazement he saw the exact spot that he had seen in his dream with Krishna so many years earlier. 
After the abhisekha Govardhan is offered candan and Garlands and fed sumptously.
The Srimad Bhagavata Vidyampitham crew, headed by Nityananda and Damodara Gopal, holding down the kirtan.
Vaisesika Prabhu dancing in the kirtan. He is always enthusiastic and ecstatic to be around.
Some of the locals enjoying the festivities, and enjoying having their picture taken on a digital camera.
The day was really wonderful, it began with a Govardhan parikram, well half punchari side, then over to the Bhaktivedanta Ashram for lots of kirtan and katha, afterwards we went over to the hill and bathed Giriraj and did lots more kirtan, then we served all the vaishnava’s prasada. By the time lunch was over I just stayed at the ashram, did a bit japa and joined Vaisesika Prabhu for his evening reading program from 5-7 (He does it everyday but this was the first day that I was able to attend, it was wonderful to have his association). After offering a lamp at the Ashram I went back to the school, and for one last dose of nectar read Bhagavatam with the Sarartha Dashini Commentary of Srila Visvanatha Charakravarti Thakkur, and then crashed out.
Giriraj Maharaj Ki Jaya!
Nija nikata nivasa dehi Govardhan tvam!
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Friday, November 9th, 2007
Dipavali Meditation
Today is a most auspicious day of Dipavali which is the anniversary of Krishna’s Damodara Lila. Today is the day that Mother Yashoda bound Krishna to the grinding mortar in order to punish him for breaking the pot of butter and feeding it to the monkeys.
This pastime is so amazing because in this pastime Krishna displays his greatest opulence, although He is the completely independent supreme Lord He is completely dependent on His pure devotees
“O Maharaja Parikshit, this entire universe, with its great, exalted demigods like Lord Siva, Lord Brahma and Lord Indra, is under the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yet the Supreme Lord has one transcendental attribute: He comes under the control of His devotees. This was now exhibited by Krishna in this pastime. (SB 10.9.21)
Krishna is bound by His devotees love, and in this beautiful pastime Krishna that Krishna is literally bound by His devotees love.
In reciprocation with Mother Yashoda’s efforts he allowed himself to be bound,
“Because of mother Yashoda’s hard labor, her whole body became covered with perspiration, and the flowers and comb were falling from her hair. When child Krishna saw His mother thus fatigued, He became merciful to her and agreed to be bound. (SB 10.9.18)”The Sanskrit word used in this verse is parisrama which indicates very hard labor, usually strenuous physical labor. It is often times used to describe how a material how a material fruitlessly labors hard for material enjoyment. But here we find the word being used to describe a pure devotee’s endeavor to serve the Lord.
The misfortune of the conditioned soul is that he is willing to work so hard for the temporary pleasures of this world but he has no desire to endeavor to achieve the ultimate goal of life pure devotional service.
Krishna is naturally inclined to give himself to a person who is willing to endeavor. Srila Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur explains that Krishna’s chief potency is His mercy potency and when he sees his devotees intense endeavor to serve Him by the power of his mercy potency His heart melts like soft butter, and He agrees to be bound by that devotees.
As a totally unrelated and mundane but somewhat humorous and somewhat tragic side note, a monkey attacked my mosquito tent, chewed a hole in it, and defiled it, Dvivida Gorilla style. Where’s Lord Balarama when you need him to punishment the evil doing monkeys of the world.
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Thursday, November 8th, 2007
A few tthoughts and a few more pictures of the school
I’ve been here for just about a month now, it is always interesting to see how when we go to a new place magically the same circumstances seem to manifest themselves.
Earlier this year in New York Maharaj spoke about this,
“You actually make more spiritual progress by being where you are and just working things out, because really what you have to work out is within yourself. Because anywhere you go there is going to be many problems and anywhere you go your mind is always going to want to be somewhere else, so yes we may go place to place, that is not a bad thing. But we make more progress if we really settle down and learn to work through our own mind and our own ego by steady devotional service, because in many ways when you wander around you don’t have to face yourself. When you have a service and you have a place you have to face a lot of things within yourself and that helps us to overcome those weaknesses and take shelter of Krishna.”
My roommate here, Damodar Gopal Prabhu, is very sweet and sincere and is a very hard working devotee with an amazing service attitude.
The ironic thing is that he is something equivalent to a temple commander of the project here. And of course my previous roommate in New Vrindavan was also something like a temple commander
Damodar Gopal Prabhu’s main service is to make sure everyone is attending the morning program and other programs.
And my nature is to do my own program, which makes us quite an interesting couple. Actually in many we ways we are complete opposites. Krishna has a funny sense of humor.
Other than politely asking me to attend various programs he didn’t say anything to me but I knew it was bothering him. So last night I brought it up with him and we had an interesting conversation.
It was of course a serious conversation but I couldn’t help but find the whole thing ironic because the conversation seemed almost identical to conversations I had earlier this year with my previous roommate.
It seems that often times in spiritual life we have to repeat the same lesson until we learn it and even when we learn the lesson we have to continue to repeat the same lesson but in a deeper way, because the lesson is quite simple but its application is very deep.
I am not sure exactly what to make of the situation. Let us see what Krishna reveals.
Anyhow here are a few more photos.
Nityananda Prabhu, he is only in his second year of studying here but he is teach most of the classes, including first year grammar, second year grammar and what we call “tika” class which is a grammatical study of the Bhagavatam commentaries.
Damodar Gopal Prabhu, my illustrious roommate.
Gopiparandhana Prabhu and his son Gaura Mohana.
Our bathroom, the black and white strips accents the prison theme.
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Wednesday, November 7th, 2007
My New Favorite Picture
This is my new favorite picture of Radhanath Swami. I didn’t bring any of my pictures of Maharaj with me, and I was feeling like something was missing, so I changed the desktop of my computer to display this picture and it has made a big difference.While we are on the topic of Radhanath Swami here are a few quotes to meditate on:
“If someone goes to a hospital and sees that the doctors and nurses are not even on speaking terms with one another, will they want to lay their lives down in their hands? Similarly people are frustrated. If they come and see that Krishna Consciousness works with harmony and peace, there is love and co-operation amongst devotees; people will think, yes, I trust them, this is what I want, I will hear what they say. But if they see that we have our own petty little conflicts, then they will think, what is the difference? What is the difference between this and everything I am reading about in the newspapers? So we have a great responsibility to co-operate with one another and the only way we could co-operate in this age of Kali, is to take Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s golden rule to heart- trnad api sunicena.. taror api sahisnuna. amanina manadena .. kirtaniyah sada harih.. To be more humble than a blade of grass; to be more tolerant than a tree; to offer all respect to others and to expect none in return and in this way chant the name of the Lord always. If we strive to live by this, the most important of all the instructions, we can live together peacefully. In that peaceful co-existence we can do great great things for this world.”
“Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is teaching us how to aspire for trinadapi sunichena: to be humble like a straw in the street, tolerant like the tree in the street. What is its significance? No one cares for it, people step on it, spit on it, ultimately somebody sweeps it away but the straw on the streets remains very humble, let be more tolerant than the tree, ready to offer all respects to others and to expect none in return. These are the qualities that attract Krishna. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu told Sanatana Goswami it is humility alone that pleases Krishna. Krishna does not care how much money you give Him, Krishna does not care how many beautiful offerings you give Him, Krishna does not care how artistically you dress Him, He does not care how profoundly you can speak His philosophy, He does not care how many delicious preparation you can make for Him in your kitchen, He cares for the humility with which it is being offered because it is this humility that gives flavor and pleasure to the service we are rendering.”
“Due to egoism, everyone thinks, “I can judge others. I am right. You are wrong. If you stand between me and my aspirations of profit, adoration and distinction then you become my enemy.” Where there is disunity amongst devotees; there cannot be proper sankirtan, we cannot chant together in the proper spirit to please Krsna, we cannot serve together. When Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur saw his own devotees fighting amongst themselves, he was willing to sacrifice everything and anything he had, to bring about unity. Because he knew that unity alone would empower his movement to please Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and thus fulfill His mission. For Srila Prabhupada also, that was the great worry. “Show your love for me by how you cooperate.” This cooperation is not an ordinary material formula. You cannot cooperate unless you are really trying to follow the essence of Srila Prabhupada and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings; without wearing this shloka trinad api sunicena, taror api sahishnuna, amanina manadena, kirtaniya sada Hari, around our necks, strung by the holy name, there can be no real cooperation.”
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