Couple days ago on the way to work we were about 6 cars back from where this one car on our side of the freeway sped across to other side where another car was speeding down, they crashed into each other causing another car to spin across to our side of the road causing several cars to bump into each other in which we were just missed because my brother swerved to the side of the road.
This was the first time I had witness an accident to this extent. It left us with our hearts thumping at the horrific sight. If we had been couple of seconds earlier that morning it could have been our own fate that we had witnessed. This thought brought me very quickly to reality. Am I ready for death? Ready to leave this body? The answer is obviously, sadly no. Although we both said Krishna couple of times during the accident all I was thinking about was “I don’t want to die!”
As a Hare Krishna devotee the whole point of devotional practice is so that at the time of death your only attachment will be Krishna and you are confident that the Lord will care for you.
The time to start working on your final exam is now, because you never know when your finals will come – so look sharp, Sitala, and use every moment to come closer to Krishna.
Free to be
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Devine personalities
HH Bhakti Caitanya Maharaja visited us again before flying of to Russia. Fortunately Maharaja’s visit fell on the auspicious day of Srila Bhakti Vinode Thakur and the Supreme Personality Sri Gadadhara Pandit’s disappearance day.
On the one day Maharaja spoke about Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur. Actually the Thakur use to worship the deity Gaura-Gadhadara so he chose to leave on the same auspicious day as that personality. We are truly indebted to Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur for unlimited reasons. The obvious one is Mayapur Dham. It was Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur who excavated the different important holy places and established them so that future devotees (us) could come and absorb its spiritual potency. Actually there was some controversy over the actual birth place of Lord Caitanya and Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur revolved this for us.
Another important development Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur made was that he was the first to reach the broader globe in terms of spreading literature to many universities in England. Maharaja told us that Srila Prabhupada’s disciples went to these universities and found the books and also (lowered voice) sold them! :o) but we’ve reprinted these books so that is ok :o)
On the next day Maharaja spoke about Sri Gadadar Prandit. Gadadar Pandit is a form of Srimati Radharani. Srimati Radhika has 2 natures to Her personality – the one is very fiery and the other is soft and abiding. Gadadhar Pandit takes on this soft, abiding nature. Actually He is very sweet and extremely merciful. There was one devotee who constantly wanted to be in the close knit association of Lord Caitanya and always felt that those devotees who were and indeed Lord Caitanya Himself didn’t realise his true value. So he thought he would say something truly remarkable that will make all the devotees think he was very wonderful. So he said something really ridiculous (that I can’t remember) and all the devotees they used to find his association a bit “heavy weather” and now well it was little worse. So then he thought “oh no, I haven’t achieved my goal.” And then he thought about it and the different devotees and decided that Gadadhar Prandit is very, very nice, He will not ignore him. So he started sort of following Gadadhar Pandit around. And Gadadhar Pandit thought, oh no , why does he have to be with me all the time. But then He actually took this devotee under His wing and eventually gave him initiation that finally got him accepted in the close knit association of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Jai Gaura Gadadhar bol, haribol, haribol!
On the one day Maharaja spoke about Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur. Actually the Thakur use to worship the deity Gaura-Gadhadara so he chose to leave on the same auspicious day as that personality. We are truly indebted to Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur for unlimited reasons. The obvious one is Mayapur Dham. It was Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur who excavated the different important holy places and established them so that future devotees (us) could come and absorb its spiritual potency. Actually there was some controversy over the actual birth place of Lord Caitanya and Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur revolved this for us.
Another important development Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur made was that he was the first to reach the broader globe in terms of spreading literature to many universities in England. Maharaja told us that Srila Prabhupada’s disciples went to these universities and found the books and also (lowered voice) sold them! :o) but we’ve reprinted these books so that is ok :o)
On the next day Maharaja spoke about Sri Gadadar Prandit. Gadadar Pandit is a form of Srimati Radharani. Srimati Radhika has 2 natures to Her personality – the one is very fiery and the other is soft and abiding. Gadadhar Pandit takes on this soft, abiding nature. Actually He is very sweet and extremely merciful. There was one devotee who constantly wanted to be in the close knit association of Lord Caitanya and always felt that those devotees who were and indeed Lord Caitanya Himself didn’t realise his true value. So he thought he would say something truly remarkable that will make all the devotees think he was very wonderful. So he said something really ridiculous (that I can’t remember) and all the devotees they used to find his association a bit “heavy weather” and now well it was little worse. So then he thought “oh no, I haven’t achieved my goal.” And then he thought about it and the different devotees and decided that Gadadhar Prandit is very, very nice, He will not ignore him. So he started sort of following Gadadhar Pandit around. And Gadadhar Pandit thought, oh no , why does he have to be with me all the time. But then He actually took this devotee under His wing and eventually gave him initiation that finally got him accepted in the close knit association of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Jai Gaura Gadadhar bol, haribol, haribol!
Friday, June 27, 2008
I hate winter
Winter means wearing a ton of clothes.
Winter means attachment to your bed.
Winter means sneezes and coughs.
Winter means grey mornings, dry days and cold nights.
Winter means heaters.
Winter means dry, itchy skin.
Winter means …
This weekend my spiritual master, His Holiness Partha Sarathi das Goswami Maharaja, stayed at my sister’s place. This meant an opportunity for me and my other siblings to perform some personal service to Gurumaharaja. But as luck would have it I came down with the flu and so I now have a personal grudge against winter.
I still got to serve but my service lacked enthusiasm and I missed out on one of the programs. I am so lucky to have these opportunities, if I don’t take proper advantage of it that would be a great misfortune and offence.
mukam karoti vachalam
pangum langhayate girim
yat-kripa tam aham vande
shri-gurum dina-taranam
"I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, the deliverer of the fallen souls. His mercy turns the dumb into eloquent speakers and enables the lame to cross mountains."
I experience a fraction of this verse. How can a mellecha such as I be able to serve in this divine movement even up to the stage of intimate deity service. I can not be called a brahmana, I can even be called a civilised human being yet with the mercy of guru I am here.
I pray to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, the original cause of all that be that He may spare some divine energy for me to be able to become in tune with Gurudev. To become one with Maharaja’s mood. Asking for this is practically impossible but: “His mercy turns the dumb into eloquent speakers and enables the lame to cross mountains”
All glories to Srila Gurudev!
Winter means attachment to your bed.
Winter means sneezes and coughs.
Winter means grey mornings, dry days and cold nights.
Winter means heaters.
Winter means dry, itchy skin.
Winter means …
This weekend my spiritual master, His Holiness Partha Sarathi das Goswami Maharaja, stayed at my sister’s place. This meant an opportunity for me and my other siblings to perform some personal service to Gurumaharaja. But as luck would have it I came down with the flu and so I now have a personal grudge against winter.
I still got to serve but my service lacked enthusiasm and I missed out on one of the programs. I am so lucky to have these opportunities, if I don’t take proper advantage of it that would be a great misfortune and offence.
mukam karoti vachalam
pangum langhayate girim
yat-kripa tam aham vande
shri-gurum dina-taranam
"I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, the deliverer of the fallen souls. His mercy turns the dumb into eloquent speakers and enables the lame to cross mountains."
I experience a fraction of this verse. How can a mellecha such as I be able to serve in this divine movement even up to the stage of intimate deity service. I can not be called a brahmana, I can even be called a civilised human being yet with the mercy of guru I am here.
I pray to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, the original cause of all that be that He may spare some divine energy for me to be able to become in tune with Gurudev. To become one with Maharaja’s mood. Asking for this is practically impossible but: “His mercy turns the dumb into eloquent speakers and enables the lame to cross mountains”
All glories to Srila Gurudev!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Man, what a weekend!
Saturday was nirjal ekadasi – that means no water or food for the entire day. Impossible? Not at all – with Krishna’s mercy it turned out to be a very cool day. In Srimad Bhagvatam class Gaura Shakti Prabhu made a good point. First the devotee rises early in the morning each day and tries to remember Krishna at that time and then every second week on ekadasi the devotee tries to remember Krishna for the that whole day, then in the month of Kartik the devotee tries to remember Krishna for that whole month and then during the months of Caturmas the devotee tries to remember Krishna for that whole time – like this we learn to remember Krishna all the time!
Anyway I didn’t have much time to focus on reading and extra chanting - we were to busy serving. With the BTG marathon a week away and the first ever Randburg Ratha Yatra a day away we had lots of blissful service to do.
On Monday evening news I heard the President gave a talk urging the youth of South Africa to once again come forward and lead the nation (as was done in the past). It was youth day (more importantly a public holiday! ;o) ) when I heard that I thought, “Man, you should have been at today's Ratha Yatra festival!" The whole festival was planned and carried out by the Krishna Balarama youth group of Randburg. I offer my dandavats at these youths lotus feet for offering Srila Prabhupada such wonderful service. The festival was incredible! I assisted at the book table and that was enough testaments to the success of attracting new people to Krishna consciousness. The books were flying of the table with no effort from us. Amazing!
Recently I had this realisation. I am most happy serving Krishna and so actually service is enough there is no need to desire anything extra like recognition for what you are doing – just to serve is enough. It really is truly, blissfully blissful! Isn’t that what we want? Bliss? Service at the lotus feet of the spiritual leaders and Gaura Nitai is bliss. What more do you want?
Anyway I didn’t have much time to focus on reading and extra chanting - we were to busy serving. With the BTG marathon a week away and the first ever Randburg Ratha Yatra a day away we had lots of blissful service to do.
On Monday evening news I heard the President gave a talk urging the youth of South Africa to once again come forward and lead the nation (as was done in the past). It was youth day (more importantly a public holiday! ;o) ) when I heard that I thought, “Man, you should have been at today's Ratha Yatra festival!" The whole festival was planned and carried out by the Krishna Balarama youth group of Randburg. I offer my dandavats at these youths lotus feet for offering Srila Prabhupada such wonderful service. The festival was incredible! I assisted at the book table and that was enough testaments to the success of attracting new people to Krishna consciousness. The books were flying of the table with no effort from us. Amazing!
Recently I had this realisation. I am most happy serving Krishna and so actually service is enough there is no need to desire anything extra like recognition for what you are doing – just to serve is enough. It really is truly, blissfully blissful! Isn’t that what we want? Bliss? Service at the lotus feet of the spiritual leaders and Gaura Nitai is bliss. What more do you want?
Friday, June 6, 2008
Unity of Spirit!
Bhakti Nrsinga Maharaja at Rosebank Namahatta held at my sister Kandarpa Manjari’s place, check it out:
Ideology
There was a cartoon in the newspaper where our president, Thabo Mbeki is standing next to a monster with the text “Who created this monster?” The implication being that the president has created this difficult monstrous times that we living in.
There are so many ideologies out there some or most of them take us further away from God in subtle way. For example even when Srila Prabhupada was young and he met Srila Bhaktisiddanta Maharaja for the first time, Maharaja asked Srila Prabhupada to preach but Srila Prabhupada said that first we need to become free of British rule. So that was the ideology that was put forth.
And now with the Xenophobia attacks (that our president has been blamed for) there is an ideology that this is South African land and this is all deviating from the real purpose of life. Srila Bhaktisiddanta Maharaja told Srila Prabhupada that politicians may change but politics will remain. Krishna consciousness can not wait.
So KC goes beyond black and white; my land and your land. KC is the “unity of spirit” the more we are not on the bodily platform the more united we can become.
Maharaja also spoke about passion. The word ‘passion’ comes from Latin and from the time of Christ. It means suffering (interesting) that is why there have that movie “Passion of Christ” it is actually the suffering of Christ. People are passionately moving around doing so many things but it is only a source of suffering. The opposite of passion or of suffering is to have compassion. The world is suffering due to the lack of this compassion.
Ideology
There was a cartoon in the newspaper where our president, Thabo Mbeki is standing next to a monster with the text “Who created this monster?” The implication being that the president has created this difficult monstrous times that we living in.
There are so many ideologies out there some or most of them take us further away from God in subtle way. For example even when Srila Prabhupada was young and he met Srila Bhaktisiddanta Maharaja for the first time, Maharaja asked Srila Prabhupada to preach but Srila Prabhupada said that first we need to become free of British rule. So that was the ideology that was put forth.
And now with the Xenophobia attacks (that our president has been blamed for) there is an ideology that this is South African land and this is all deviating from the real purpose of life. Srila Bhaktisiddanta Maharaja told Srila Prabhupada that politicians may change but politics will remain. Krishna consciousness can not wait.
So KC goes beyond black and white; my land and your land. KC is the “unity of spirit” the more we are not on the bodily platform the more united we can become.
Maharaja also spoke about passion. The word ‘passion’ comes from Latin and from the time of Christ. It means suffering (interesting) that is why there have that movie “Passion of Christ” it is actually the suffering of Christ. People are passionately moving around doing so many things but it is only a source of suffering. The opposite of passion or of suffering is to have compassion. The world is suffering due to the lack of this compassion.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Ain’t nothing like the association of devotees
The temple arranged a hike in the Kloovendale nature reserve, a peaceful private setting just perfect of some good clean fun!
Click here to view the pics.
Click here to view the pics.
Blessed - 2x
HH Jayapataka Maharaja, made two of his usual speedy visits to Lenz in these past two weeks. On Maharaja’s first visit Maharaja showed slide shows of his one year of travelling. It was pretty cool seeing the different places (especially since I was in America when he was visiting New Vrindavan and New York Ratha Yatra so I could say, “Hey! I was there” :o) )
Then yesterday Maharaja gave an awesome class form the 11th chapter of Bhagavat Gita where Krishna says “Time I am the destroyer of the world...” Maharaja was saying that when he was in South America he was visiting this one cathedral and there was this huge picture of Gabriel, the arch angel, blowing on a horn and all these bodies from the graves were rising out and as they would rise, muscle and flesh would come back to the skeletons as in the graves they were just bones – I know … eeuu …
So this is describing the end of time, judgement day. These believers promote the theology that you live, die; wait for judgement day and at that time your body will once again rise. I never knew that so found this quite interesting. This is completely contradictory to vedic philosophy. Where the soul is the actual self and the body is temporary. The soul, once removed from material covering, can immediately enter the spiritual kingdom. Maharaja was quite funny when describing what would the best thing be for the body. The options are either being eaten by worms, ripped apart by vultures or burnt. Fire seems to be the best of the 3, This also removes attachment the soul might have for it.
Anyway the point is time destroys all things material.
Maharaja then described the glories to the 11th chapter of BG. When Parvati asked Lord Shiva about this chapter the following was described. (Maharaja is hilarious with the voices)
Once there was a chapter 11, Bhagavat Gita devotee. Every day he would read chapter 11 of BG. So as he was travelling he came to this one village where he wanted to stay in a guest house so he goes in and asks the guest house manager if he can have a room to stay in. so the guest house manager laughs all funny but says yes. As he shows him to his room he bids him goodnight and again laughs as if something is very funny. But the devotee just ignores it. Anyway he read chapter 11 of BG and goes to sleep. The next morning he finds that the entire guest house is empty he goes outside and sees the manager who is very shocked to see him and says “you here!” and the devotee is like “yes, I booked in here last night. Remember?” and then a Brahmin comes running along saying “My son! My son!’ then looking at the devotee, says”Only you can save him!” and the devotee says hold on and tell me what’s going on. The Brahmin explains that there is a man eating rakshas and that he use to come everyday to the village eating people so then the village told him he can’t do that so then he said he is cursed to be like this so he has to eat. So they made the arrangement that anyone who stays at the guest house will become the food for the rakshas, the only reason the devotee got saved was because he chants the 11th chapter of BG everyday. The bramin’s son was somehow in the house when the rakshas came so he was taken also.
So they go to the rakshas and plead for the son. The rakshas says the only way is to throw water that has had the 11th chapter of the BG chanted of it on to him. So the devotee did this and the rakshas gets liberated and the son because he was inside the rakshas. The Brahmin is very happy to see his son and then the visnuduttas came to take the rakshas and the Brahmin’s son back to godhead and the Brahmin is shock that his son is going and tells him to stay. Maharaja was really funny when he was pretending to be the father asking his son to return to his mother, to his daily chores, to all the entanglements that we have.
Anyway Maharaja said that this is a good lesson to remember if we are ever in the vicinity of man eating rakshas ;o)
How the rakshas came to be a rakshas is also a long story basically he was a farmer farming his land with his bullock carts when he heard someone screaming for help. Being so submerged in tama guna he thought let me just finish this little piece of land before I go see what is happening. Because of his lack of compassion he became a rakshas. The person who was screaming for help was a crippled person who was being attacked by vultures. Maharaja said that whoever dies in saving another devotee that person will go back to godhead.
HH Jayapataka Maharaja ki jai!
Truly blessed to get Maharaja’s association twice!
Then yesterday Maharaja gave an awesome class form the 11th chapter of Bhagavat Gita where Krishna says “Time I am the destroyer of the world...” Maharaja was saying that when he was in South America he was visiting this one cathedral and there was this huge picture of Gabriel, the arch angel, blowing on a horn and all these bodies from the graves were rising out and as they would rise, muscle and flesh would come back to the skeletons as in the graves they were just bones – I know … eeuu …
So this is describing the end of time, judgement day. These believers promote the theology that you live, die; wait for judgement day and at that time your body will once again rise. I never knew that so found this quite interesting. This is completely contradictory to vedic philosophy. Where the soul is the actual self and the body is temporary. The soul, once removed from material covering, can immediately enter the spiritual kingdom. Maharaja was quite funny when describing what would the best thing be for the body. The options are either being eaten by worms, ripped apart by vultures or burnt. Fire seems to be the best of the 3, This also removes attachment the soul might have for it.
Anyway the point is time destroys all things material.
Maharaja then described the glories to the 11th chapter of BG. When Parvati asked Lord Shiva about this chapter the following was described. (Maharaja is hilarious with the voices)
Once there was a chapter 11, Bhagavat Gita devotee. Every day he would read chapter 11 of BG. So as he was travelling he came to this one village where he wanted to stay in a guest house so he goes in and asks the guest house manager if he can have a room to stay in. so the guest house manager laughs all funny but says yes. As he shows him to his room he bids him goodnight and again laughs as if something is very funny. But the devotee just ignores it. Anyway he read chapter 11 of BG and goes to sleep. The next morning he finds that the entire guest house is empty he goes outside and sees the manager who is very shocked to see him and says “you here!” and the devotee is like “yes, I booked in here last night. Remember?” and then a Brahmin comes running along saying “My son! My son!’ then looking at the devotee, says”Only you can save him!” and the devotee says hold on and tell me what’s going on. The Brahmin explains that there is a man eating rakshas and that he use to come everyday to the village eating people so then the village told him he can’t do that so then he said he is cursed to be like this so he has to eat. So they made the arrangement that anyone who stays at the guest house will become the food for the rakshas, the only reason the devotee got saved was because he chants the 11th chapter of BG everyday. The bramin’s son was somehow in the house when the rakshas came so he was taken also.
So they go to the rakshas and plead for the son. The rakshas says the only way is to throw water that has had the 11th chapter of the BG chanted of it on to him. So the devotee did this and the rakshas gets liberated and the son because he was inside the rakshas. The Brahmin is very happy to see his son and then the visnuduttas came to take the rakshas and the Brahmin’s son back to godhead and the Brahmin is shock that his son is going and tells him to stay. Maharaja was really funny when he was pretending to be the father asking his son to return to his mother, to his daily chores, to all the entanglements that we have.
Anyway Maharaja said that this is a good lesson to remember if we are ever in the vicinity of man eating rakshas ;o)
How the rakshas came to be a rakshas is also a long story basically he was a farmer farming his land with his bullock carts when he heard someone screaming for help. Being so submerged in tama guna he thought let me just finish this little piece of land before I go see what is happening. Because of his lack of compassion he became a rakshas. The person who was screaming for help was a crippled person who was being attacked by vultures. Maharaja said that whoever dies in saving another devotee that person will go back to godhead.
HH Jayapataka Maharaja ki jai!
Truly blessed to get Maharaja’s association twice!
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