Christmas weekend with the best spiritualists!

I couldn’t have had a merrier Christmas weekend then attending HH Giriraj Swami’s vyasapuja!

We arrived in Durban on Friday morning and after spending a whole afternoon deeply engrossed in maya (the hotels’s one-eyed guru) we quickly changed in to our devotional attire and sped of to the beautiful temple of Sri Sri Radha Radhanath.

Oh that temple is special and such an oasis of spiritual energy. This night was a kirtan night with HH BB Govinda Maharaja and the sweetest kirtanya I’ve come across …HG Madhava Prabhu! I got roped in to making garlands for the senior devotees for the vyasapuja the next day. Was so happy to see one the garlands I made on HH Giriraj Maharaja the next day…perhaps the perfection of my life? If only my devotional service was pure in heart! My Lord I beg for Your mercy…

What a kirtan!!! I love Krishna Consciousness! I’m so thankful for these amazing experiences that make you chant with sincerity even where no sincerity exists such is the power of chanting with the devotees of the Lord. Gazing at Radha Radhanatha my heart filled with a longing to attain pure, unmotivated service to Their gorgeous lotus feet. My Lord I beg for Your mercy…

The next day was the vyasapuja. Giriraj Maharaja is a special soul, even I who am covered so deeply in maya can recognise a bit of Maharaja’s splendour. The Japa retreat that I attended few weeks back (will blog on that shortly) was the first time I really got to listen to Maharaja speak. ..oh and sing…really heart rendering to hear Maharaja’s slow carefully articulated prayerful singing of Jaya Radha Madhava. How can my heart not change in such association? …Why does my heart change so slowly?!

Several senior devotees spoke in appreciation of Maharaja and the loving dealings Maharaja displays with all these devotees are really, really nice. He is truly an exemplary devotee…so much so that it brings tears to my eyes to find that there are such people in this world and how much I would like to be such a soul!

HH Bhakti Caitanya Maharaj gave Maharaja a specially made bead bag and HH Govinda Maharaja gave Maharaja a japa bead and some thread form a jacket of Madhava Pandits beads from the Gopinatha Temple in Jaipur! Wow! There is so much appreciation coming from these God brothers of Maharaja. I can not imagine how much love they have for Maharaja ...With just a few days association I am affected by Maharaja how much more must these pure souls be affected with all the association they have had.

Maharaja’s key note address was so enriching …one thing that stood out was that a study was done that you will like people that YOU are nice to. Normally we like people who are nice to us but actually if you are nice to people you will like them. Other points: Krishna consciousness is love disguised as philosophy. Have faith and be like the wise Chinese farmer. Maharaja spoke about so mane things ..Srila Prabhupada’s ever so merciful nature who always said TRY to do this or that always protecting his devotees because he know if he says you much do like this and we can not then it will not be good for us but if he says try then at least we can try and like that get the benefit for following the instruction. Srila Prabhupada you are so compassionate!

Attending Vyasapuja’s always reminds me more strongly of my own spiritual master who is also a soul like no other. Dearest Gurudev, My loving obeisances at your Lotus feet! Please don’t forsake your poor disciple. Please continue showering your mercy upon me and grunt me with the intelligence to accept it in the best possible way.

All glories all glories to the lotus-like devotees of the Lord!! Please may I be surrounded by such souls for all of eternity. Please may my heart be pure and surrendered that I may always value their sweet association. Please may my intelligence be purified that I may fully take advantage of their sublime associations. Dear Supreme Personality of Godhead who is the constant companion of beautiful Radharani, I submit these prayers at Your lotus feets. Please show mercy on this poor fool.

Jai Sri Krishna! Jai Sri Radhe!

Jai Srila Prabhupada!

Jai Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga!

Some purification for you, Sitala devi dasi…

Lenasia Ratha Yatra is normally a blissful time spent engaging in uninterrupted service…this year it was a little different…my service changed and with it came difficult people to deal with. Who likes to be screamed at, confronted with such passionate energy! Not me…but that’s what I got. Actually it wasn’t so bad…I got a tough skin despite my quiet nature but still couldn’t help the down spirits and sombre mood.

I found my solace in friends, friends that I have been engaging in service with for so many years that I always took somewhat for grunted. Thank you spirit souls for allowing me shade in your calm easy going service. No service is like the service done with you all.

May I be blessed by kindness of friends and shelter of my spiritually amazing family always.

Please may Srila Prabhupada grunt this poor fool with guidance and more and more service on this sublime, ecstatic path.

Jaggannath Ratha Yatra ki jai!!!!!!!!!!!

Wake up, it’s time to wake up, come on now, wake up, wake up sleeping souls…

Nothing sweeter than kirtan and that’s what we got at this years KB Mela... sweet, sweet kirtan kirtan ... and more fabulous KRITAN! This the second annual KB Mela. The tradition started with the Krishna Balarama Youth Group bringing Gaura Vani as kindred spirits to SA. Last year we were introduced to Gauravani, Vrindarani, Ananta, Rasa Acarya, Jahnavi and Akincana. That was good. This year …oooh words fail me!

This year a 4 day Mela was held on which the first day had Lokanatha Maharaja in attendance. HH Bhakti Caitanya Maharaja and HH Bhakti Nrsinga Maharaja were also around for about half the retreat. The kirtanyas were from AKS: Ananta, Achutya Gopi, Jahnavi and Gaura Vani. From the Mayapuris: Visvambar, Vrinda and Krishna Kishore. And then oh my Gosh, oh my Gosh, oh my Gosh …the legendary Madhava Prabhu and his wife!! Plus Purushartha Prabhu, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada.

Not only are these devotees incredible kirtan leaders and incredible dancers but they are incredible people too. So down to earth, so affectionate, so friendly, so game for anything and so full of energy!

Acutya Gopi, besides for a sensational voice, on kartels she could put away our best SA kartel players easy peasy. Ananta is the humblest big brother. Jahnavi is sweetness personified. Vishvambar has some amazing tunes and with so much love described the Holy Name as a deity and how it is dressed up with the different tunes and instruments and how some like to dress simply while other like fancy. Gauravani the man keeping things together. Kish funny guy and incredible flute and mrdanga player. Vrinda sho! Awesome dancer. Madhava Prabhu…wow he is just so humble and so in to what he is singing how can you not be drawn in closer and closer and closer to the holy name!!!how???? not possible! And Purushartha Prabhu..kind gentle soul with a lot of spunk on the guitar.

I wonder what next year’s festival is going to be like :o) bolo bhai.. GAURA NITAI!



My family enjoying morning in the sun before breakfast

HH Bhakti Caitanya Maharaj conducting a totally cool Srimad Bhagavatam class where he got a whole group of guys to perform the Denukasura pastime impromptu

nightly kirtans in the tent by the river Vaal...oh and don't forget our friendly mosquito guests!

Gaura Vani Prabhu!

Ananta Govinda Prabhu!

Madhava Prabhu!

Jahnavi!

Kirtan after the kirtan on the boat

kirtan on the boat

super cool mrdanga and dance performance by the mayapuries

awesome!

Riding through on a flatbed truck

Last weekend devotees from far off Newlands, Durban, arrived at our temple to hold a MAHA Food for Life. A mix of young and old… it was inspiring just to look at these devotees. Some of these devotees have been around for really, really long and have such attractive and humble personalities. On Saturday we heard the Srimad Bhagavatam class by Pundarik Vidyanidhi Prabhu…all about service and loyalty to guru. How nice! :o)

On Sunday mum, Sudevi and I joined the devotees in Putfontein for the distribution of the 6 huge pots of biryani that the devotees made early that morning. Putfontein is an African township, driving through bumpy dirt roads, with the help of Satyaki Prabhu we met up with the devotees.

The harinaam started down the road turning off in to an informal settlement with one flatbed truck for the kirtan party and another with the prasadam while the rest of the devotees followed on foot. Following on foot was quite an experience as we trudged through wet, muddy, slippery paths in our slippers!

We had the surprise presence of HH Bhakti Nrsinga Swami who led the kirtan. If there is one thing African people like its dancing! I don’t think devotees have ever been here before and the people were filled with deep appreciation for the prasadam being served. As we were going along different devotees were handing out small maha mantra cards and personally teaching people how to chant. So amazing!! All glories to these devotees!

Before long we were going deeper into the settlement which meant muddier paths and more intoxicated people..eek! :o) the devotees insisted that Sudevi and I get on to the truck for our safety. Looking at each other our thoughts were mirrored in each others faces – how are we going to get on to such a high truck?! Well that was quickly solved by one Prabhu simply lifting my up and putting me on while another assisted Sudevi up. Sitting on the prasadam truck (our saris completed soiled!) was really nice… young African kids got up on to the bus as well and we could hear them singing the maha mantra off the cards :o)

All glories to the Lords sweet Holy names! All glories to the assembled devotees! All glories to Krishna prasadam!

All glories all glories to Srila Prabhupada!!

How are we to meditate?

Jaya Jagannatha Jaya Jagganatha Jaya Syamasundar Jaya Jagannatha!
Jaya Baladeva Jaya Baladeva Jaya Rohininandan Jaya Baladev!
Jaya Subadra Jaya Subadra Jaya Yoga Maya Jaya Subadra!
Jaya Jagganatha Jaya Jagganatha Jaya Baladeva Jaya Subadra!

Lenasia Ratha Yatra is less than a month away and to inspire us in our service to the Lord of the universe HG Govardhan Prabhu gave the Sunday Program class. During the introductory kirtan Prabhu sang the above and it was reeeeally sweet! Jai Jagannatha!

Prabhu is an ocean of transcendental knowledge and gently rebuked us for not knowing so many important things. How are we to meditate on the Lord and His devotees if we don’t know these things? Knowledge truly is power if we listen, read and absorb carefully how much more potent will our sadhana and remembrance of the Lord will be.

Prabhu read a letter of an old class mate of Jayananda Prabhu who came to Durban South Africa at the same time that the Ratha Yatra took place. So much this person learnt of his old friend and how much inspiration the devotees got from meeting a friend of Jayananada Prabhu.

A truly inspiring class where I wish to go deeper in my Krishna Consciousness. I beg the Lord to kindly guide me in the process of Krishna consciousness…it is the only important thing in the world and everything else must compliment that. Please my dear Lord, I am blind and have no sense of what is wrong and what is right you please, please guide this poor fool in the proper direction. The pure service to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga is the core of my desires; please don’t let my material desires and circumstances take that away!

Jai Jagannath! Jai Baladev! Jai Subadra!

Guru Maharaja oh Guru Maharaja!

It is my supreme good fortune that I have a sister who about once every year hosts my Guru Maharaja at her place. This time Maharaja stayed for 5 days and I off course couldn’t miss out and so took leave to assist in serving my beloved spiritual master. I pray to the Lord to always grant me these little drops of nectar. My heart is steel framed and I have a long way to go in my relationship with Gurudev but I thank the Lord for these truly rare gifts and pray that I may somehow or the other always have such opportunities!

Maharaja conducted a program at the Krishna Balarama Youth Group on Thursday night and since it was the disappearance day of Srila Gaura Kisore das Babaji Maharaja, Maharaja spoke on him. Describing his life of a grhasta and how when his wife died he took it as the Lords arrangement and immediately went to Vrindavana where he roamed the pastime places of Krishna for 30 years! Srila Gaura Kisore das Babaji Maharaja then went to Mayapur and thereafter would spend 6 months in Vrindavan and 6 months in Mayapur. Guru Maharaja described the house of Bhaktivinode Thakur and how Srila Gaura Kisore das Babaji Maharaja used to spend a lot of time there as well. Gurudev spoke of his own visit to Bhaktivinode Thakur’s house and how he managed to get in without anyone seeing him and how so many things in the house just “fell” into his hands while he was there :o)) Maharaja also described how he swam across the Jalangi to get to Godruma dvipa where Bhaktivinode Thakur’s house is situated. Maharaja didn’t want to get his clothes wet so he took them out held it above the water in one hand and swam with the other way all across using the other hand. Maharaja is really funny when he tells these experiences. :o)

On Friday night Maharaja conducted the program at the South Peacock Bhakti Vrksha Group at Paresh Prabhu’s place. It was a really nice program where Maharaja spoke about how one can practice Krishna consciousness perfectly in the grhasta ashram if the family does four things: chant, offering ones food to Krishna, discussing scripture and deity worship. Maharaja read a section from the Bhagavat Gita 13:8, purport, where Srila Prabhupada is describing that it is natural to have affection for family memeberes and if they are favourable to your devotional service that is ok if they are not then it is better to be detached from them.

On Saturday night Maharaja did the program at Priya Malini’s place in Midrand, that was also very nice although I can not remember exactly what was spoken. Maharaja really liked the tune Gaura Prabhu sang at the youth group on Thursday night so he asked him to sing it again. It is a reeeeeally sweet tune where you can actually chant quite prayerfully.

On Sunday Maharaja gave 1st and 2nd initiation to some 30 devotees! The names given were really, really nice! We are so lucky Maharaja sacrifices so much to connect us to the Srila Prabhupada. Actually Maharaja’s health is going down again :o( and he said that if he does not give initiation now when he gets back from his travels his health will be in an even worse condition so rather he give now. The mercy of the spiritual masters is really incredible! Please let us not make Maharaja regret giving us these sublime gifts!

On Monday Maharaja had a “break” recovering from Sunday and on Tuesday Maharaja left for India! ...oh Guru Maharaja oh Guru Maharaja when oh when will I develop real love for you? When will I be spontaneously engaged in your service with mind, body and heart at every moment? When will I be so in tune with you that I will feel your presence at every moment? Guru Maharaja with your mercy the impossible can become possible. Jai Guru dev!

Gurudev is in town :o)

gurudev! kripa bindu diya

Although my Guru Maharaja is in Pretoria at the moment which is a bit of a distance from Lenasia temple, I got to go to the Pretoria Sunday program through Krishna’s devine grace. Maharaja gave a most amazing class about death. Yes...even classes about death can be amazing. As Maharaja described in class we, Krishna devotees, are pessimists always seeing the down side of life because actually it is a fact! There is nothing good about material life and at any moment our time will be up.

The analogy given by Srila Prabhupada and emphasised by Gurudev is a prisoner who has been put on death row and is called up to be executed. The journey from the prisoner’s prison cell to the execution table is like our journey through life. Now just imagine you are called up to be executed and you are offered a last supper, first class supper, will you be able to eat at all? No, probably not because you are about to die and before your supper can even be digested you’ll be a goner. So similarly the sense gratification we are offered during this lifetime is like being offered that last supper which is basically useless, can not be enjoyed properly and can not stop death.

So how to overcome death? By doing 3 things:
1. Associating with sadhus
2. Chanting the holy names of the Lord
3. Reading scripture so that by our intelligence we can improve.

Maharaja encouraged us all to do these things and make our lives perfect. It is very rare for a spiritual soul to come to Krishna consciousness so we must try our best to make the most of our very good fortune.

Srila Gurudev ki jai!

Maharaja then sang the bhajan ”jaya radhe jaya krishna jaya vrindavan” which is such a sweet bhajan especially when sung the way Maharaja sings it…this bhajan flowed in to a kirtan which Maharaja was blissfully swaying to and actually for us younger devotees we have not seen Maharaja lead kirtan much because of Maharaja’s health.

I am feeling great appreciation to the Lord for allowing us to experience Maharaj in this way. I thought we would never be able to see this side of Maharaja and here we are!! Thank you, my Lord!

I had come to the program with Nadiya Matajee and 4 other ladies. When we were getting into the car to go home Nadiya Matajee’s purse was stolen by a man posing to be a car guard! It was quite dramatic and Nadiya Matajee was left slightly shaken although I’m very happy to say that she immediately started called out to Nrsingadev when the man was looking for her purse. I am very fortunate to be surrounded by such steadfast devotees as it took me a while to register that I need to call out to the Lord! In any case as the man ran off some of the devotees came to see what happened and who should drive up as well..Gurudev! :o) Maharaja was very kind and reminded us that this was just what Maharaja spoke on …at any moment our time may be up. Maharaja is kindness itself and I am so grateful to the Lord who has given me the kind shelter of such a spiritual master.

May I please be always engaged in sincere service at Gurudev’s lotus feet.

gurudev kripa bindu diya!!!

Jai Srila Prabhupada!!

I’m thinking about Giriraj Govardhan

I’m thinking about Giriraj Govardhan…actually I can not think of Him clearly because I don’t know Him! When will I know Him? When my heart clears of all dust accumulated over millions of lifetimes! Yet that merciful personality was...is...so incredibly kind to me! Please, Giriraj Govardhan, Supreme Servant and Supreme Godhead, please, please shower some mercy on a fallen soul …I have no right to even think of you what to speak of addressing you in this way. Dear Hill, who was declared Haridas Varya (the best devotee of Lord Hari) by the gopis of Vrindavan, please bless me that is in some future time I can be with You again…the kindness of the Lord is overwhelming.

Namaste Girirajaya!

Holy names vibrating off the walls

Gurudev looks well in health and in spirits! Haribol! :o)

Some things from the class: the nitya sidhas have 10 million times love for Krishna than they do for themselves! Wow! What is love? To give ... just to keep giving, and keep on giving. What Srila Prabhupada wanted us to do was to preach so we need to do something even if we can not be in the forefront but we must do something for Srila Prabhupada’s mission. Our service must be balanced with our bhajan. We need to find the balance you can not practice Krishna consciousness by doing one and not the other. We must develop attachment for the previous acaryas, than if we can think of them and remember them and pray to them then what is their hearts will come in to our hearts!

All glories to Srila Gurudev! Who is an ocean of transcendental bliss and mercy :o) Krishna Chandra Prabhu and Ashish Prabhu performed this hilarious play taking us back to the 1979 when Maharaja was at his prime conducting the tent campaigns. I think being inspired by that Maharaja had us all raising our hands shouting out the Holy names, first the right side than the left, first the Prabhus than the ladies …the ladies were louder ;o))

How much good fortune the Lord has bestowed upon me to be connected, in the most amazing way, to the most amazing person! How unfortunate am I that am too shallow to fully appreciate and love and serve my Guru. I beg the sweet Lord to be guide this fool in serving her spiritual master with humility, love and attention.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada for giving us so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so much!

kalpataru…touchstone

After a long time I am blogging , at a personal level, again! This weekend is the vyasapuja of my spiritual master. Every year we take the 5 hour drive to sunny Durban to relish this sweet festival. I can’t wait to see my spiritual master after so many, many months. The last time Maharaja was very sick and we had a 24 hour kirtan to pray for his recovery, so this vyasapuja is going to be extra sweet I think.

If you read Sri Harinama Cintamini chapter six you’ll realise what good fortune it is to have a spiritual master..don’t ever think it is mundane…only after many lifetimes if one is very fortunate will one find a spiritual master. The spiritual master must be kalpataru…touchstone. My spiritual master is certainly a touchstone to have captured my iron like heart – I pray he turns it to gold.

Simply by serving the spiritual master according the scriptures one can attain all perfection.

My dear Lord Sri Krishna! Please have mercy on this poor fool so I may be able to serve my spiritual master to the best of my ability on my own I can not do a thing.