Author Archive
Tuesday, November 6th, 2007
Always remember two things and always forget two things.
“Always remember anything good anyone does for you and anything bad you’ve ever done to anyone, and always forget anything good you’ve ever done for anyone and anything bad anyone has ever done to you.”
I don’t remember where I heard that, I think it was one of the brahmcaris from Chowpatty quoting a vaishnava sadhu, maybe from the Sri Vaishnava tradition.
I was reminded of this quote as I was reading Bhagavatam last night in regards to the description of Maharaj Yudhisthira’s character.
Despite Dhrtarastra committing so many offenses against the Pandavas, Yudhisthira felt that he was the one who had offended Dhrtarastra by killing his sons in the battle of Kruruksetra.
“He thought himself ungrateful because when the Pandavas were fatherless, Maharaja Dhrtarastra had given them all royal facilities to live, and in return he had killed all Dhrtarastra’s sons in the Battle of Kuruksetra. As a pious man, Maharaja Yudhisthira took into account all his unavoidable misdeeds, and he never thought of the misdeeds of his uncle and company. Dhrtarastra had suffered the effects of his own misdeeds by the will of the Lord, but Maharaja Yudhisthira was thinking only of his own unavoidable misdeeds. That is the nature of a good man and devotee of the Lord. A devotee never finds fault with others, but tries to find his own and thus rectify them as far as possible.”
Srila Prabhupada
Srimada Bhagavatam 1.13.33
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Monday, November 5th, 2007
Spiritual Hunger
In his lectures Radhanath Maharaj often speaks about the time he met Mother Teresa. She told him that although she was trying to help the poor people in India who are literally starving to death, they were not the ones who were really starving. She said that when she saw the looks on the faces of the people from the richest countries like America and England she could see that the people there were the ones who are really starving, starving for love, for God’s love.
“The whole material world is full of hungry living beings. The hunger is not for good food, shelter or sense gratification. The hunger is for the spiritual atmosphere. Due to ignorance only they think that the world is dissatisfied because there is not sufficient food, shelter, defense and objects of sense gratification. This is called illusion. When the living being is hungry for spiritual satisfaction, he is misrepresented by material hunger. But the foolish leaders cannot see that even the people who are most sumptuously materially satisfied are still hungry. And what is their hunger and poverty? This hunger is actually for spiritual food, spiritual shelter, spiritual defense and spiritual sense gratification. These can be obtained in the association of the Supreme Spirit, Lord Sri Krsna, and therefore one who has them cannot be attracted by the so-called food, shelter, defense and sense gratification of the material world, even if they are relished by the denizens of the heavenly planets. Therefore, in the Bhagavad-gita (8.16) it is said by the Lord that even in the topmost planet of the universe, namely the Brahmaloka, where the duration of life is multiplied by millions of years by earth calculation, one cannot satisfy his hunger. Such hunger can be satisfied only when the living being is situated in immortality, which is attained in the spiritual sky, far, far above the Brahmaloka, in the association of Lord Mukunda, the Lord who awards His devotees the transcendental pleasure of liberation.”
Srila Prabhupada
Srimad Bhagavatam Purport 1.12.6
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Saturday, November 3rd, 2007
A few Pictures from the School here
I was talking to Balaramachandra Prabhu and chastised me for not putting up any pictures of the school and the devotees. I have been hesistating just out of lazziness, the internet connection is not so great and I always somehow seem to be short on time but anyhow here are a few pictures to give you some idea of what it is like here. Hopefully in the next couple of days I will upload some more pictures.
Shri Shri Nimai Nitai Ki Jaya! They are the presiding deities of the ashram here. One year after the Ganga flooded they were found in a box in the mud in the middle of a field. They are special dieties.
View from the roof, you can see the top of the Dhan Ghati temple. 
View from the roof of the residential area behind the school.
Gopi Paranadhana Prabhu teaching.
Raghava and Kishore Prabhu, Raghava is our spoken sanskrit, I am quite amazed that after only a few weeks we are now speaking some basic sentences. He is a very good teacher.
My Portable Bhajan kutir, it is a life saver, I spend more time in there than in my room.
My room, it is fairly simple but adequate, a small desk for studying and a locker to keep all my stuff in. I impressed myself by figuring out that I could just collapse the tent and hang it on the wall instead of taking it apart and setting it up everyday.
Bhakta Rehm, my inspiration, he also joined the school this year, he is really smart and works really hard, he spent twelve hours on the first test, and he got the best grade, I got an 85, which was pretty good, the tests are hard 50 is a passing grade, I wish I could study like him, coming here has made me realize how lazy I am. 
Bharata Rama Prabhu, one the transcendental avadhutas of the school, look at that pile of books!. 
Uddhava Prabhu, looking very stylish with his chaturmasya beard in full swing. He is a first year student along with me.
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Friday, November 2nd, 2007
Why is Radha-kunda so exalted?
“Why is Radha-kunda so exalted? The lake is so exalted because it belongs to Srimati Radharani, who is the most beloved object of Sri Krishna. Among all the gopis, She is the most beloved. Similarly, Her lake, Sri Radha-kunda, is also described by great sages as the lake that is as dear to Krishna as Radha Herself. Indeed, Krishna’s love for Radha-kunda and Srimati Radharani is the same in all respects. Radha-kunda is very rarely attained, even by great personalities fully engaged in devotional service, not to speak of ordinary devotees who are only engaged in the practice of vaidhi bhakti.
It is stated that a devotee will at once develop pure love of Krishna in the wake of the gopis if he once takes a bath in Radha-kunda. Srila Rupa Goswami recommends that even if one cannot live permanently on the banks of Radha-kunda, he should at least take a bath in the lake as many times as possible. This is a most important item in the execution of devotional service. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes in this connection that Sri Radha-kunda is the most select place for those interested in advancing their devotional service in the wake of the lady friends (sakhis) and confidential serving maids (manjaris) of Srimati Radharani. Living entities who are eager to return home to the transcendental kingdom of God, Goloka Vrndavana, by means of attaining their spiritual bodies (siddha-deha) should live at Radha-kunda, take shelter of the confidential serving maids of Sr Radha and under their direction engage constantly in Her service. This is the most exalted method for those engaged in devotional service under the protection of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In this connection Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura writes that even great sages and great devotees like Narada and Sanaka do not get an opportunity to come to Radha-kunda to take their baths. What, then, to speak of ordinary devotees? If, by great fortune, one gets an opportunity to come to Radha-kunda and bathe even once, he can develop his transcendental love for Krishna, exactly as the gopis did. It is also recommended that one should live on the banks of Radha-kunda and should be absorbed in the loving service of the Lord. One should bathe there regularly and give up all material conceptions, taking shelter of Sri Radha and Her assistant gopis. If one is thus constantly engaged during his lifetime, after giving up the body he will return back to Godhead to serve Sri Radha in the same way as he contemplated during his life on the banks of Radha-kunda. The conclusion is that to live on the banks of the Radha-kunda and to bathe there daily constitute the highest perfection of devotional service. It is a difficult position to attain, even for great sages and devotees like Narada. Thus there is no limit to the glory of Sri Radha-kunda. By serving Radha-kunda, one can get an opportunity to become an assistant of Srimati Radharani under the eternal guidance of the gopis.”
-Srila Prabhupada (Upadeshamrita Verse 11, Purport)
Today is Bahulastami, the divine appearance day of Sri Radha-kunda in this world. Today is a good day to contemplate the glories of Radha-kunda and of pure devotional service following in the footsteps of the maidservants of Srimati Radharani. We may not be ready for these instructions now but we should know that they are here waiting for us whenever we are ready.
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Thursday, November 1st, 2007
Srila Prabhupada Vani Vaibhava
What is the Purpose of the Hare Krishna Movement?
The members of the Krishna consciousness movement are not at all interested in so-called meditation in the Himalayas or the forest, where one will only make a show of meditation, nor are they interested in opening many schools for yoga and meditation in the cities. Rather, every member of the Krishna consciousness movement is interested in going door to door to try to convince people about the teachings of Bhagavad-gita As It Is, the teachings of Lord Caitanya. That is the purpose of the Hare Krishna movement. (SB 7.9.44)
What is realization?
Personal realization does not mean that one should, out of vanity, attempt to show one’s own learning by trying to surpass the previous acarya. He must have full confidence in the previous acarya, and at the same time he must realize the subject matter so nicely that he can present the matter for the particular circumstances in a suitable manner. The original purpose of the text must be maintained. No obscure meaning should be screwed out of it, yet it should be presented in an interesting manner for the understanding of the audience. This is called realization. (SB 1.4.1)
Why did Bhismadeva fight against the pandavas?
Even a great fighter like Bhisma could not win the Battle of Kuruksetra because the Lord wanted to show that vice cannot conquer virtue, regardless of who tries to execute it. Bhismadeva was a great devotee of the Lord, but he chose to fight against the Pandavas by the will of the Lord because the Lord wanted to show that a fighter like Bhisma cannot win on the wrong side. (SB 1.9.16)
What is the root cause of all troubles?
The Supreme Lord, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, Shri Krishna, although equal to everyone, is still more inclined to His unflinching devotee who is completely surrendered and knows no one else as his protector and master. Having unflinching faith in the Supreme Lord as one’s protector, friend and master is the natural condition of eternal life. A living entity is so made by the will of the Almighty that he is most happy when placing himself in a condition of absolute dependence.
The opposite tendency is the cause of falldown. The living entity has this tendency of falling down by dint of misidentifying himself as fully independent to lord it over the material world. The root cause of all troubles is there in false egotism. One must draw towards the Lord in all circumstances. (SB 1.9.22)
What is the best way to establish our relation in transcendental sweetness with the Lord?
The best way to establish our relation in transcendental sweetness is to approach Him through His recognized devotees. One should not try to establish the relation directly; there must be a via medium which is transparent and competent to lead us to the right path. (SB 1.9.22)
What is the highest ambition of a Pure Devotee?
Then his mind might be sanctified with thinking of the Lord. Thus he did not mind wherever he might go. A pure devotee is never very anxious to go back to the kingdom of God. He entirely depends on the good will of the Lord. He is equally satisfied even if the Lord desires him to go to hell. The only desire that a pure devotee entertains is that he may always be in rapt attention with thinking of the lotus feet of the Lord, regardless. Bhismadeva wanted this much only: that his mind be absorbed in thinking of the Lord and that he pass away thus. That is the highest ambition of a pure devotee. (SB 1.19.24)
Why did Krishna have Yudhistira Maharaja ask Bhismadeva even though there were other great sages present and even though he was lying on a bed of arrows?
Lord Sri Krishna inspired Maharaja Yudhisthira to ask Bhismadeva in the presence of many great sages, indicating thereby that the Lord’s devotee like Bhismadeva, although apparently living as a worldly man, is far superior to many great sages, even Vyasadeva. Another point is that Bhismadeva at that time was not only lying on a deathbed of arrows, but was greatly aggrieved because of that state. One should not have asked him any question at that time, but Lord Sri Krishna wanted to prove that His pure devotees are always sound in body and mind by dint of spiritual enlightenment, and thus in any circumstances a devotee of the Lord is in perfect order to speak of the right way of life. (SB 1.9.25)
What is the purpose of the four castes and four orders of life?
The conception of four castes and four orders of life, as planned by the Lord Himself (Bg. 4.13), is to accelerate transcendental qualities of the individual person so that he may gradually realize his spiritual identity and thus act accordingly to get free from material bondage, or conditional life. (SB 1.9.26)
What is the main purpose of asrama-dharma?
The main purpose of asrama-dharma is to awaken knowledge and detachment. (SB 1.9.26)
What is the potency of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Although the Srimad-Bhagavatam was spoken in four verses, it had ten characteristics, which will be explained in the next chapter. In the four verses it is first said that the Lord existed before the creation, and thus the beginning of the Srimad-Bhagavatam includes the Vedanta aphorism janmady asya [SB 1.1.1]. Janmady asya is the beginning, yet the four verses in which it is said that the Lord is the root of everything that be, beginning from the creation up to the supreme abode of the Lord, naturally explain the ten characteristics. One should not misunderstand by wrong interpretations that the Lord spoke only four verses and that therefore all the rest of the 17,994 verses are useless. The ten characteristics, as will be explained in the next chapter, require so many verses just to explain them properly. Brahmaji had also advised Narada previously that he should expand the idea he had heard from Brahmaji. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu instructed this to Srila Rupa Gosvami in a nutshell, but the disciple Rupa Gosvami expanded this very elaborately, and the same subject was further expanded by Jiva Gosvami and even further by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura. We are just trying to follow in the footsteps of all these authorities. So Srimad-Bhagavatam is not like ordinary fiction or mundane literature. It is unlimited in strength, and however one may expand it according to one’s own ability, Bhagavatam still cannot be finished by such expansion. Srmad-Bhagavatam, being the sound representation of the Lord, is simultaneously explained in four verses and in four billion verses all the same, inasmuch as the Lord is smaller than the atom and bigger than the unlimited sky. Such is the potency of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
(SB 2.9.44)
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Wednesday, October 31st, 2007
“We didn’t start the fire, It was always burning since the world’s been turning.”
Someone recently told me that there was a huge fire in Southern California.
Here at the school we are in the section of Bhagavatam that describes a similar situation. Arjuna was faced with a great crisis, he was in danger of being destroyed by the blazing fire of Asvattama’s brahmastra weapon, and amazingly enough in this situation he prayed to Krishna to save him not from the blazing fire of the brahmastra weapon but from the blazing fire of material existence.
“O my Lord Sri Krishna, You are the almighty Personality of Godhead. There is no limit to Your different energies. Therefore only You are competent to instill fearlessness in the hearts of Your devotees. Everyone in the flames of material miseries can find the path of liberation in You only. (SB 1.7.22)”
Apparently a boy has confessed to starting this fire in California, which forced the largest evacuation in history, 640,000.
But the blazing fire of material existence has been burning since time immemorial and it forces everyone to evacuate their bodies.
I still remember the first music video I ever saw on MTV,there is nothing particularly uplifting or profound about the song but I still remember the refrain, “We didn’t start the fire, It was always burning since the world’s been turning,” but taken out of context it is a profound statement.
Aided by damp weather the fire in California may be under control but the fire of material existence blazes on unabated.
The only hope for extinguishing this fire is an extreme downpour of mercy from above.
samsara-davanala-lidha-loka-
tranaya karunya-ghanaghanatvam
praptasya kalyana-gunarnavasya
vande guroh sri-caranaravindam
The spiritual master is receiving benediction from the ocean of mercy. Just as a cloud pours water on a forest fire to extinguish it, so the spiritual master delivers the materially afflicted world by extinguishing the blazing fire of material existence. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master, who is an ocean of auspicious qualities.
Srila Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakura
Gurvastaka, verse 1
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Sunday, October 28th, 2007
Mama Prathama Cala Bhasha
I am moving up in the world. Yesterday I got my first ever cell phone, or as they say in here mobile, or as my spoken sanskrit teacher says cala bhasa.
You would think that coming here to the holy dham one would decrease one’s dependence on such “artificial necessities,” not increase them.
But I guess everything can be used in Krishna service, at least that is the hope.
Earlier this year in California Radhantha Maharaj was speaking about how we can use technology as one could use one thorn to remove another thorn in thier foot.
But he explained that what often happens is that instead of removing the thorn you end up with two thorns in your foot. And then you need another thorn, and another, and pretty soon you have one hundred and eight thorns stuck in your foot. And then you think it is very auspicious because there are one hundred and eight of them stuck in your foot.
Hopefully this will not become another thorn in my foot.
Actually the reason I got the phone was to restart a Bhagavatam study group that I was leading by phone, so hopefully in the near future that will happen again.
If anyone is interested in joining just email me, gaurangakishore@gmail.com
And if anyone wants to give me a call my number is (91)9358136738.
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Thursday, October 25th, 2007
Jasmine Scented Autunm Nights
bhagavan api ta ratrih
saradotphulla-mallikah
viksya rantum manas cakre
yoga-mayam upasritah
Sri Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full in all opulences, yet upon seeing those autumn nights scented with blossoming jasmine flowers, He turned His mind toward loving affairs. To fulfill His purposes He employed His internal potency.
This time of year here in Vrindavan the weather is quite pleasant, the days are warm and the evenings refreshingly cool. Perfect for nocturnal rendezvous in forests of Vrindavan.
Of course who can understand Krishna pastimes with the Gopi’s. Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead His pastimes are so exceedingly human like.
Queen Kunti prays:
gopy adade tvayi krtagasi dama tavad
ya te dashasru-kalilanjana-sambhramaksam
vaktram niniya bhaya-bhavanaya sthitasya
sa mam vimohayati bhir api yad bibheti
My dear Krishna, Yashoda took up a rope to bind You when You committed an offense, and Your perturbed eyes overflooded with tears, which washed the mascara from Your eyes. And You were afraid, though fear personified is afraid of You. This sight is bewildering to me.
This verse is interesting because she is referring to Krishna’s lila of stealing butter and then trembling in fear of Mother Yashoda as being very bewildering, yet at the same time by using the word gopi she alludes to Krishna’s conjugal pastimes with the young gopis of Vraja which are much more bewildering to the conditioned soul.
In our conditioned state Krishna is covered by His “curtain of deluding energy,” but He displays His pastimes just for our sake and by hearing and by chanting about His transcendental activities we can gain relief from our material bewilderment of false bodily identification and thereby gain relief from the repeated cycle of birth and death.
bhave ’smin klisyamananam
avidya-kama-karmabhih
sravana-smaranarhani
karisyann iti kecana
And yet others say that You appeared to rejuvenate the devotional service of hearing, remembering, worshiping and so on in order that the conditioned souls suffering from material pangs might take advantage and gain liberation.
srnvanti gayanti grnanty abhisknasah
smaranti nandanti tavehitam janah
ta eva pasyanty acirena tavakam
bhava-pravahoparamam padambujam
O Krishna, those who continuously hear, chant and repeat Your transcendental activities, or take pleasure in others’ doing so, certainly see Your lotus feet, which alone can stop the repetition of birth and death.
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Wednesday, October 24th, 2007
The Highest to the Most Undeserving
I was sitting sitting on the roof this afternoon relaxing eating some bananas when a polite elderly female monkey appeared on a ledge about fifteen feet away from me. She very made some cooing sounds as a friendly gesture in hopes that I would share some of my ripe delicious bananas with her. Which of course I did, who could resist such a cutie.
Then I started thinking about how Krishna likes to feed butter and yogurt to monkeys. This is actually quite amazing if you think about it, yogurt and especially butter are the most valuable substance. They are the most nutritious foods, and Krishna is just distributing them freely to the monkeys who are in many ways are the most undeserving.
No one really likes monkeys, they don’t serve any useful purpose and they are always causing trouble. You hang your clothes on the line and the come and ripe you clothes to pieces just for the fun of it. If you leave your shoes outside they come and steal them.
They are rascals, but nevertheless Krishna loves to feed them butter and yoghurt.
Krishna’s nature is so compassionate that he is naturally inclined to give the highest thing to the most undeserving.
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Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007
Seeing with the Ears
I was feeling a bit sick wasn’t sure if I would be up for the trek to Radha Kunda but after chanting a few rounds I was able to muster up the determination.
The walk is a bit of an austerity, it is really crowded, and between the blaring speakers of the roadside shops and temples and the horns of the passing motorcylces and cars it is extremely loud.
Walking at a fast pace we made it in under and hour, we had darshan, paid our respects, chanted few rounds and then it was time to head back.
Now it is time to have the real darshan, Caitanya Caritamrita Antya Lila Chapter 6: The Meeting of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami
“Krsna’s darsan can only be attained through the medium of the ear as one hears Hari-katha from pure Vaisnavas; there is no other way.”
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur
Upadeshavali 18
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Monday, October 22nd, 2007
May Radha Kunda be my only shelter
vraja-bhuvi mura-shatroh preyasinam nikamair
asulabham api turnam prema-kalpa-drumam tam
janayati hrdi bhamau snatur uccair priyam yat
tad ati-surabhi radha-kundam evashrayo me
For one who bathes in Radha Kunda a desire tree of pure love, which is even rare among the beloveds of Lord Krishna in Vraja, immediately sprouts in the land of the heart. May that very dear and fragrant Radha Kunda be my only shelter.
Srila Raghunath Das Goswami
Stavavali, Radhakundastakam, Text 2
This verse by Srila Raghunath Das Goswami describes amazing result of bathing in Radha Kunda, a result that is rare even amongst the supremely exalted gopis of Vraja, to be a maidservant of Srimati Radharani.
I’ve been here for about two weeks and have not visited Radha Kunda yet. I’ve been trying to prepare myself and wait for the right opportunity.
Tomorrow is the Disappearance day of Srila Raghunath Das Goswami, Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj and Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami.
All three of these incredible personalities have thier bhajan kutirs on the bank of Radha Kunda and both Raghunath Das Goswami and Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj’s samadhis are there on the bank of Radha Kunda.
Krishna willing tomorrow I be able to make the pilgrimage to Sri Radha Kunda and take the blessings of these great personalities on the most auspicious day of their dissapearance.
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Sunday, October 21st, 2007
The local children hanging out on rooftop
In India there is a whole “roof top culture.” In the evening everyone goes up to relax and cool off. This time of day the sun is gone and outside the weather is quite pleasant but inside it is still hot.
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Friday, October 19th, 2007
They are conducted by one single desire
In my Bhagavatam reading today (1.6.26) I came across this sentence, “They are conducted by one single desire: to go back to Godhead.”
I was reminded of my train ride to Vrindavan. At one point I saw a man walk by with a bag and then I saw one of the train employees grab his bag, they started screaming at him, then they began to beat him I could not see it, nor did I want to but I could hear the sound of this poor man being hit in the face and I could hear his piteous cries.
From the core of my heart I cried out to Krishna, “Please take me away from this terrible place of suffering, misery, and cruelty.”
It was so sad because here is this man who is so poor and obviously suffering, and here you have these people taking so much pleasure in beating him.
In India the suffering of life is much more exposed than in the West. You can see this suffering everywhere here in India. You see crippled people, poor people, people suffering from leprosy, orphans, and old people with no shelter and no one to care for them.
In that instance when I truly wanted nothing to do with the suffering and the cruelty of this world I could see how attached I am to remain here rotting life after life. Enjoying as as Srila Prabhupada describes in the last verse of the chapter, the happiness of the hog who lives on filthy stool.
I pray that my life may always be conducted by this one single desire: to go back to Godhead.
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Thursday, October 18th, 2007
O Tongue!
radheti nama nava-sundara-sidhu mugdham
krsneti nama madhuradbhuta-gadha-dugdham
sarva-ksana surabhi-raga-himena ramyam
krtva tadaiva piba me rasane ksudarte
O tongue tortured by thirst, please mix the delicious nectar of the name Radha with the wonderfully sweet condensed milk of the name Krsna, add the fragrant ice of pure love and drink this charming drink at every moment!
Srila Raghunath Das Goswami
Stavavali, Abhista Sucanam, Verse 10
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Wednesday, October 17th, 2007
The importance of Residing in a Sacred Place (Dhama)
In Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu Srila Rupa Goswami lists sixty four items of devotional service, and out of those sixty four he mentions five that are especially powerful, associating with advanced devotees, chanting the holy names, worshiping the deity, hearing Srimad Bhagavatam, and residing in a holy place.
These five activities are especially powerful ways to fix one’s mind on Krishna.
Which is of course the purpose of all the rules and regulations of devotion service. Always remember Krishna and never forget Krishna, all other rules and regulations are servants of these two rules.
Living in the Dhama (the abode of the Lord) provides one the opportunity constantly remember Krishna.
If a place is not a Dhama, an abode of the Lord, it is the abode of maya, the Lord’s external energy, and rather than reminding one of their eternal nature as servant of Krishna it will encourage one to forget their eternal nature as a servant of Krishna.
And rather than identifying oneself as an eternal servant of Krishna one will identify with the material body with so many material desires that are superfluous to the needs of the soul.
Either we live in the spiritual world where the only activity is service to Krishna and experience ever increasing spiritual happiness. Or we live in the material world and try to enjoy separately from Krishna and experience never ending frustration and misery.
Decisions, decisions, decisions.
For those want to live in the spiritual world and who may not be so fortunate to live in a holy place such as Govardhan, Vrindavan, or Mayapur, one must make an extra endeavor to make one’s home into a holy place, a place where everything reminds one of Krishna and that service to Krishna is the ultimate goal of life. Otherwise one’s one home simply remains a prison that binds one to repeated birth and death.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta said in his final instructions that anyplace where there is Hari katha (discourses about Krishna) is a holy place. And in the Bhagavatam it is stated that the purpose of a holy place is to visit the pure devotees that reside there, and that everywhere a pure devotee goes is holy place. Because they carry Krishna withing their heart they turn anywhere they go into a holy place. And of course Krishna is directly present in His name and deity form. So by engaging in these other four process of devotional service one can invoke the presence of the Lord, and if one’s residence is place where these activities are going on regularly then one’s home is also a holy place.
And if one is residing in the Dham but not engaging in these activities then according to Bhagavatam one is no better than the animals that live in the Dhama. Where ever we live we must engage in constant hearing and chanting in order to be able to constantly remember Krishna.
But, it is still nice to be here in Govardhan, and although not everything on the external level reminds one of Krishna there is still a lot of opportunity to remember Krishna. When I chant japa from the roof of the building where I am staying I can see the top of the temples located at Manasi Ganga 
and Dhana Ghati,
two of most sacred places at Govardhan. Srila Raghunath Das Goswami describes them in his Shri Govardhanashraya-dasaka.
Who will not take shelter of Govardhana Hill, where the divine couple enjoy Their rescue-fee pastimes, and where the Manasa-ganga flows? In the Manasa-ganga Madhava, dressed as a boatman, took sweetly beautiful Radha on His boat, and when She, frightened by a great storm, prayed that He calm it, He claimed from Her as a rescue-fee the fulfillment of His amorous desires.
Who will not take shelter of Govardhana Hill where, blossoming with happiness at the outrageous joking words of Their friends, perpetually wounded by the swift arrows shot from the corners of Their cruel, smiling eyes, and laughing at the crooked words of the ever-new dana-keli quarrel, the youthful divine couple displayed so many transcendental pastimes?
A few years ago I was speaking with Aidra Prabhu, he was trying to convince me to give everything up and move to Vrindavan, I was trying to find a way out of surrendering so I said, “Srila Prabhupada said that all his temples were non-different from Vrindavan.” I thought that was a pretty good excuse but he had an even better reply, “Qualitatively yes, but quantitatively no.” I guess it took me four years to realize the meaning of his statement.