Living in the Season: Fall
Here in Damariscotta Mills, there have been a few big blows that have shaken down the deadwood, and the lawn is now strewn with kindling. I see muted colors melding all around me, creating a warm-toned blanket on the landscape of Fall. I admire the poise of this season as it goes about the task of letting go, squarely facing the inevitable, secure in the appropriateness of surrender.Sunlight angles more sharply and with great articulation. The architecture of trees is increasingly evident. In this season the fundamentals are revealed. What warmth remains is appreciated, in part because this could be the last gentle day before Winter sets in. We receive these final offerings with a degree of reverence distinct to this time of year.
The harvest is in. Has there been one for you; real or metaphoric? Is the garden put to bed? Is the wood in? Are you ready?The season is patient but precise. Our intellect may wish to negotiate, to extend, but the Fall is not really negotiable. If it were there would be no renewal.It is easy to become rigid in this season, focusing on what’s been left undone, the many ways we are unprepared, and how the impending season is not secure. We may feel we have not put our house in order, and it is hard to let go. We may ache for the health of the planet and insist on remaining ever vigilant.Yet the wisdom of the in-flight attendant rings true; ‘Place the mask over your own face and then help place the mask over the face of your loved one’. We must care for ourselves if we are to care for those we love. The unattended tasks will not be resolved over the weekend. This is, after all, a marathon and not a sprint. Conserve for the work ahead. Prepare by taking into account the need for rest and renewal. The season’s message is to let go, and to trust that letting go is not giving up. We are part of the cycle of the seasons, and that includes the great shake down of Fall. And decline and stillness are the mothers of Spring.Think seasons, not news cycles. The brittle, anxious, fearful, ungrounded quality of the time can leave us vulnerable to manipulation. This cacophony lives alongside the steady flow of our rivers, the breathing of the tides, and the supple swaying of trees. The natural world is a prayer and we belong to it. Our drama can obscure the reality of how the planet functions with a unitary wisdom.We are not exempt from natures logic or consequences. We are no different than the leaves that settle in a halo of warm-tones on the ground. The challenge for us is to follow the lead of the tree, noting how it’s leaves let go at the right time, effortlessly. Can we struggle less with what is inevitable, and accept there is a time to release and let ourselves fall, trusting, into the arms of the unknown.
Susan Weiser Mason and Traditional Acupuncture are located in Damariscotta Mills / Nobleboro. She has been practicing since 1986.George Mason is an artist and acupuncturist. www.georgemasonart.com
The Great Fall
by Ananda Vrindavan devi dasi
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I watch the trees and
marvel at the tumbling leaves
now dancing on the gravel path
romanced by the wind.
I love all seasons but especially Fall
It cannot but stir feelings in the heart
and if you have Krishna in your heart
or wish Him to be there
then the dancing leaves
shining in the sunlight
dazzling, delicate, fluttering
swirling, twirling, softly landing
can bring you to feel
the spirit of love
for the One who has orchestrated
this autumn performance.
Then, as the poet Nye says,
“Walk around like a leaf.
Know you could tumble at any second.
Then decide what to do with your time.”
Prabhupada Memoirs with Rukmini Devi Dasi
~an interview with Rukmini Walker
Jagannatha Kirtanananda Das in a conversation with Rukmini Devi Dasi explores the beginning of her spiritual life at the age of 16 and the pastimes with her spiritual father Srila Prabhupada.
To listen to this special interview, please click on this link or on the image below.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg4p9-UKXaE&feature=youtu.be[/embed]
For Courage
by John O'Donohue When the light around you lessensAnd your thoughts darken untilYour body feels fear turnCold as a stone inside,When you find yourself bereftOf any belief in yourselfAnd all you unknowinglyLeaned on has fallen,When one voice commandsYour whole heart,And it is raven dark,Steady yourself and seeThat it is your own thinkingThat darkens your world.Search and you will findA diamond-thought of light,Know that you are not alone,And that this darkness has purpose;Gradually it will school your eyes,To find the one gift your life requiresHidden within this night-corner.Invoke the learningOf every sufferingYou have suffered.Close your eyes.Gather all the kindlingAbout your heartTo create one sparkThat is all you needTo nourish the flameThat will cleanse the darkOf its weight of festered fear.A new confidence will come aliveTo urge you towards higher groundWhere your imaginationwill learn to engage difficultyAs its most rewarding threshold!
From the books, Benedictus (Europe) / To Bless the Space Between Us (US).
Transcendence Beyond Religion
~a special talk with Anangamanjari devi dasi
Last Sunday's Urban Devi sanga featured special guest, Anangamanjari Devi Dasi who spoke on Transcendence Beyond Religion. Anangamanjari devi dasi has dedicated her life to the theological teachings of the Vedas and their spiritual practices for over 50 years under the guidance of her spiritual teacher, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami.
To listen to this inspiring talk, please click here or on the image below
Anangamanjari is an interfaith reverend doctor, counselor, and inspirational speaker, she shares her insights from a broad philosophical perspective that combines Western thoughts and experiences with the Eastern wisdom of the sages. She offers us a practical and fresh perspective on how to live Bhakti-Love in the present day.She is the mother of Visvambhar Sheth, inspirational speaker and kirtan music performer, Ganga Devi, Odissi performer/teacher, and Jamuna, creative artist/holistic practitioner.
Urban Devi is a monthly interactive women’s discussion circle that seeks to make spirituality accessible to women in the 21st century. Each session will focus on a theme based on topics that are of importance to women and will offer insight and practical applications from the practice of Bhakti Yoga.
[embed]https://youtu.be/Vycvro9hm0k[/embed]
Union with God, Separation from God
Union with God, Separation from God
Vaisnava Christian Dialogue, September 25, 2020
~presented by Rukmini Walker
Om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri gurave namah
In this paper, I’d like to ask you to visualize a continuum of consciousness. In the negative numbers, we exist in duality, focused on our own body, mind, and bewildered intelligence, overwhelmed by a separatist ego, in a consciousness of avoidance and forgetfulness of our relationship with the Supreme.
At the center point of equilibrium, one gains a sense of the omnipresence of spirit within all of existence.
In the positive numbers, there are those rare and blessed souls who experience love of God in union and in longing separation.
Following this example of a continuum, in the negative numbers we dwell in dualities of delusion, fluctuating between our hankering for unfulfilled desires, or our lamentation for what’s been lost.
According to the Caitanya Vaisnava tradition, we experience a sense of isolation and separateness in forgetfulness of our real identity as beloved, sparks of spirit, individual jiva souls who share in God’s own eternal divine, or Brahman nature.
Based on the soul’s desire to forget our eternal connection with the Supreme Lord, and to see ourselves as His competitors and as independent enjoyers, we suffer. Covered by false perceptions of ourselves as material beings and enjoyers of temporal matter, we find ourselves separated and disconnected from our Source. In that illusion, we become bewildered by dualities of pleasure and pain, honor and dishonor, heat and cold, woman and man, black or white, or American, Russian, etc.
Because nothing can exist without the Lord, the illusory energy is also an energy of the Lord. When we desire to forget Him, we become covered by His external energy of ‘maya’, or, literally, “that which is not”. The sun is never covered by a cloud-bank, only our vision becomes covered by clouds passing through the sky.
At the center point of equilibrium there is a sense of existential oneness, the peace and reality of dwelling within the effulgent omnipresent existence of Brahman, as non-differentiated sparks of divine energy.
These three phases of consciousness are sometimes described as adhibhautika,or an identification of oneself as a product of matter; adhyatmika, self realization, or a consciousness of one’s self, beyond matter; and adhidaivika, realization of the self in relationship to the Supreme Self, Paramatma, the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna.
That Supreme Self exists in three features. First of all as the omniscient, omnipresent, undifferentiated Brahman, the goal of those seeking union through knowledge or jnana yoga. Brahman means spiritual, and the rays of His transcendental body are called brahmajyoti, His spiritual effulgence. Everything that exists is situated in that brahmajyoti, but when thejyoti is covered by illusion (maya) it is called material.
In his hymns called Sri Brahma-samhita,spoken at the beginning of creation, the first created living being, Brahmajisays:
I worship Govinda, (Krsna) the primeval Lord, whose effulgence is the source of the non-differentiated Brahman mentioned in the Upanisads, being differentiated from the infinity of glories of the mundane universe appearing as the indivisible, infinite, limitless truth. (Sri Brahma-samhita 5.40)
The second feature of the Absolute is as the Supersoul, or Paramatma who travels in the heart of every individual atma, or jivatma—every living being, as the inner guide fulfilling our desires, and directing us to turn to Him. If we so desire to hear His direction in that still small voice. This feature of the Absolute is generally the goal of those seeking mystic perfections on the path of yoga.
And finally, as the Supreme Person, or Bhagavan. Although unseen, He owns, controls and pervades all things, as the Supreme Enjoyer, Supreme Proprietor and the dearest friend of all living beings. He is called, akhila-rasamrta-murtih,the very form of the highest bliss, filled with all rasas, or tastes of sweetness in relationship. Awakening love for this Supreme Person is the ultimate goal of those on the path of Bhakti yoga.
In the first stages of God realization, those who shelter in the Lord, exist in the positive numbers of His internal energies of sandhini-eternal existence, samvit-divine knowledge, or cognizance; and especially, hladini-or spiritual pleasure.
Sheltering in these internal energies, there is realization of joy in active loving service, experiencing rasa, or a sweet taste as servant, friend, parent, or lover in a reciprocal relationship with the Lord.
This sense of loving God in a variety of relationships is called love of God in union. But there exists another degree of love, a higher pitch of love.
Moving into the higher realms of positive numbers, beyond the passive sense of oneness and the active mood of love in service, there exists a mood of longing, a mood of love in separation, that eclipses even the mood of love in union.
This mood of love is exemplified and recommended by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and His followers in disciplic succession.
This mood is rooted in humility and longing. It is not a complacency of having attained, or arrived. But rather a mood of longing for God. “Where is Krsna? Where is Radhika? Where is Vrndavan? I have not attained the Lord of my life!”
This is the inner mood of ‘holy yearning’ of the Vaisnava bhakta, or devotee: the intense desire caused by a mood of separation. While externally maintaining the daily sadhana, or practice of regulated service, this is the internal fire that burns away all unwanted things from within the heart of the serious practitioner, or sadhaka.
Here is a prayer from the Vrndavana-mahimamritathat exemplifies this mood:
“Alas, when will I chant the holy name of Krsna with a choked voice? When will tears of love flow from my eyes and make the earth wet? Alas, when will I lament in this way while wandering under the trees of Vrndavan? Being absorbed in such a mood, when will I suddenly see my beloved Lord in front of me? When will I see and offer my repeated obeisances to Krsna, whose bodily hue is like sapphire, and to Sri Radha, whose bodily hue is like gold?” (Vrndavana-mahimamrita Text 100)
There’s a story told in Sri Caitanya Caritamrita that draws a sharp contrast between this mood of longing separation and the more impersonal self identification of oneness in Brahman realization.
The great Madhavendra Puri was the highest exemplar of this mood of love in separation, or vipralambha seva. Sri Caitanya accepted initiation from Madhavendra Puri’s humble and pure disciple, Sri Isvara Puri, who had performed the most menial tasks in service to his guru in his final days.
But Madhavendra Puri had another disciple named Ramacandra Puri, who was accustomed to faultfinding.
When Madhavendra Puri was at the last stage of his life, Ramacandra Puri came to where he was staying.
Madhavendra Puri was chanting the holy name of Krsna, and sometimes he would cry, being overwhelmed by moods of longing separation:
“O my Lord, I did not get shelter at Mathura!”
Then Ramacandra Puri, who had no realization or experience of these rare and esoteric moods of love in separation, was so foolish that he fearlessly dared to instruct his spiritual master.
“If you are in full transcendental bliss,” he said, “you should now remember only Brahman. Why are you crying?”
According to Bhagavad Gita (18.54), a Brahman-realized person neither laments nor aspires for anything. This is the state of equilibrium that exists beyond the negative numbers of mundane egotism, but with no experience or realization within the realm of positive spiritual emotion.
Not knowing why Madhavendra Puri was crying, Ramacandra Puri tried to become his advisor. In this way, he committed a great offense.
Ramacandra Puri could not understand that his spiritual master, Madhavendra Puri was experiencing transcendental separation. His lamentation was not material. Rather it proceeded from the highest stage of ecstatic love for Krsna.
When Madhavendra Puri was crying in separation,“I could not achieve Krsna! I could not achieve Mathura!” this was not ordinary material lamentation. Ramacandra Puri could not understand the feelings of Madhavendra Puri, but nevertheless he thought himself very advanced.
Hearing this audacious instruction, given by his neophyte disciple, Madhavendra Puri, in a profound spiritual agony of separation, greatly angry, rebuked him by saying, “Get out, you sinful rascal! O my Lord Krsna, I could not reach You, nor could I reach Your abode, Mathura. I am dying in my unhappiness, and now this rascal has come to give me more pain.
Don’t show your face to me! Go anywhere else you like. If I die seeing your face, I shall not achieve the destination of my life.”
In profound humility, and longing spiritual lamentation, Sri Madhavendra Puri cried, “I am dying without achieving the shelter of Krsna, and therefore I am greatly unhappy. Now this condemned foolish rascal has come to instruct me about Brahman.”
Madhavendra Puri while passing away from this world chanted the following verse:
“O My Lord, O most merciful master! O master of Mathura! When shall I see You again? Because of my not seeing you, my agitated heart has become unsteady. O most beloved one, what shall I do now?”
In this verse, Madhavendra Puri exemplifies the most exalted ecstatic love for Krsna, or mahabhava.
God, or Krsna, being absolute, is not different from His name, His qualities, His remembrance, or even the ecstatic experience of His absence. A devotee on this most elevated plane of spiritual realization is acutely perceiving the presence of the Lord in His absence, or His separation.
On the path of Bhakti, it’s described that for the river of divine love, or prema bhakti to flow swiftly, there must be two banks, one on either side of the river of prema, or divine love. On the one side, there is the bank of sambhoga, or love in union, on the other side, the bank of vipralambha, or love in separation.
Love in separation is considered superior, because in union there is an anticipation of separation, whereas in separation there is the anticipation of meeting.
The Vraj poet Nanda das has said:
“There is more love in separation than in union for in union the Beloved is found in one place only, while in separation the Beloved is found everywhere.”
Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His last twelve years within this world in Jagannath Puri taught how in a feeling of longing separation, we can develop our dormant love of Krsna.
Here He speaks in a mood of humility overwhelmed with a yearning separation:
“If by chance the transcendental form of Krsna comes before my path of vision, My heart, injured from being beaten, will be stolen away by Cupid, happiness
personified. Because I could not see the beautiful form of Krsna to My heart’s content, when I again see His form I shall decorate the phases of time with many jewels…
…if by chance such a moment comes when I can once again see Krsna, then I shall worship those seconds, moments and hours with flower garlands and pulp of sandlewood, and decorate them with all kinds of jewels and ornaments.
“…My dear friends you are all my life and soul, therefore I tell you that I possess no wealth of love for Krsna. Consequently, my life is poverty-stricken. My limbs and senses are useless.”
“… I have not the slightest tinge of love of Godhead within my heart. When you see me crying in separation, I am just falsely exhibiting a demonstration of my good fortune. Indeed, not seeing the beautiful face of Krsna playing His flute, I continue to live my life like an insect, without purpose.” (Sri Caitanya Caritamrita, Madhya Lila 2. 36, 38, 40, 45)
Vaishnavas understand that Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Godhead, appears in this world from time to time to give us a glimpse of the loving exchanges that eternally exist in the spiritual realm, the Kingdom of God. He calls us back to Him by revealing the love that awaits us, if we only turn towards Him. Even the most profound feelings of love in separation are revealed during His lila, His pastimes, with His most intimate devotees, the gopis of Vrindaban, and the queens of Dwaraka.
Srila Rupa Goswami, in his Bhakti-Rasamrita-Sindhu,explains how vipralambha, or the ecstasy of love in separation, as revealed by the Lord and His devotees, has four divisions:
1. Purva rag-preliminary attraction before meeting, as exemplified by Rukminidevi;
2. Mana, a mood of feigned anger-most often exemplified in Sri Radhika;
3. Prema vaicitya-grief from fear of separation, although the lover is present, exemplified by the queens of Dwaraka; and
4. Pravasa-separation by distance…
Although she had never seen Him, the princess Rukminidevi had heard the glories of Lord Sri Krsna, from the great saint Narada Muni, who would often visit her father’s palace.
Here is an example of purva rag-attraction before meeting- spoken by Rukminidevi in her letter to Lord Krsna, from the tenth canto of the Bhagavata Purana:
“O beauty of the worlds, having heard of Your qualities, which enter the ears of those who hear… I have fixed my shameless mind upon You, O Krsna. O Mukunda,
You are equal only to Yourself, in lineage, character, beauty, knowledge, youthfulness, wealth and influence.
O lion among men, You delight the minds of all mankind… My dear Lord, I have chosen You as my husband, and I surrender myself to You. Please come swiftly, O almighty one, and make me Your wife. My dear lotus-eyed Lord, what is meant for the lion, must never be touched by a jackal!”
Here is a description of mana, feigned anger, as well as pravasa, separation by distance, in the mood of separation, from the Lalita-madhava of Srila Rupa Goswami:
“Radharani looked at the sky. A crow was flying overhead, going toward Mathura. All of a sudden, pointing out that crow, Radharani said, “Hey crow. Here! Over here! Are you going to Mathura? Please hear me. Don’t go anywhere else! Go directly to Mathura. There you will find a king named Mathuranath, or Krsna. When you meet Him, pay your respects and give Him a message. Whatever message I give to you, deliver it to Him. Do you understand?
If a house is on fire, what is the first duty of the householder? His first duty is that if there are domestic animals they must be released. You may be burned to ashes, but let them not be burned.
My body is like a house which is now on fire. And who has set fire to this house? It is that Krsna who has set this house on fire. Tell Him, O crow, tell Him! My life is like a domestic animal, prana-pasu, but it cannot get out. And why not? This animal cannot get out because there is a very strong bolt on the door. So let Krsna come and unbolt it.”
Then Radharani told the crow, “If you want to know what is that bolt, I’ll tell you. When Krsna left Vrajabhumi, He told us, ‘I’ll come back. I will come back.’ That promise is the very strong bolt. Only with this hope, are we surviving. But Krsna is not coming back. So let Him come and unbolt it.’ In other words, let Him withdraw His words.”
And finally prema-vaicitya,When as a natural by-product of one’s extreme love, one feels the distress of separation even in the direct presence of the Beloved.
Srila Rupa Goswami refers to this variety of attachment, in his Ujjvala-nilmani:
“Thinking of lotus-eyed Krsna Who was asleep and visible right before their eyes, the Queens of Dvaraka spoke as if mad, in words devoid of judgement.
The queens of Lord Krsna said: ‘O kurari bird, you are lamenting. Now it is night, and somewhere in this world the Supreme Lord is asleep in a hidden place. But you are wide awake, O friend, unable to fall asleep. Is it that, like us, you have had your heart pierced to the core by the lotus-eyed Lord’s munificent, playful smiling glances?
Dear ocean, you are always roaring, not sleeping at night. Are you suffering insomnia? Or is it that, like us Mukunda (Lord Krsna) has taken your heart and you are hopeless of retrieving it?
My dear moon, having contracted a severe case of tuberculosis, you have become so emaciated that you fail to dispel the darkness with your rays. Or is it that you appear dumbstruck because, like us, you cannot remember the encouraging promises Mukunda (Lord Krsna) once made to you?”
In Caitanya Vaisnavism, we worship the combined form of Sri Sri Radha Krsna, the divine feminine and divine masculine in loving relationship. Our Bhakti tradition teaches that this is the adi-rasa,or original loving relationship that exists in divinity in the spiritual realm. All love in this world is a reflection of Their divine loving exchanges. Nothing can exist in this material world that does not exist in the original reality in the spiritual realm. And, according to our Bhakti tradition, all jiva souls are feminine in nature and expanded from Sri Krsna’s divine pleasure potency, Sri Radhika.
Great renunciates like Nimbarka Acarya, Visnu Swami, Madhvacarya, Ramanuja Acarya and Sri Caitanya revere the divine love of Radha and Krsna that exists beyond any tinge of mundane inebriety.
Sometimes scholars peering in from outside the Vaisnava tradition are fond of saying that there is no mention, or little mention of Sri Radha in the original Vedas. They assert that her name only first appears in the Gita Govinda of Jayadeva Goswami in the 12th Century, and gains more popularity in the Bhakti Renaissance of the 16th Century.
In fact, the reverence for Sri Radha is esoteric in the Vedas. She has one name Veda-gopya—which means one who is hidden even in the Vedas. But her name does appear in the Vedas, the Upanisadsand the Puranas dozens of times. For example, this verse is found in the Rg, Sama, and Atharva Vedas:
stotram radhanam pate girvahovira yasya te
“O hero! Radhanath! (or Krsna, Who is the Lord of Radha) This stotra is very befitting for Your glorification and Your opulence (vibhuti)—let all these words be true and lovable.”
Srila Raghunath das Goswami prays in separation to his worshipful goddess, Sri Radhika:
devi dukha-kula-sagarodare
duyamanam ati-durgatam janam
tvam krpa-prabala-naukayadbhutam
prapaya sva-pada-pankajalayam
“O goddess! Kindly hear this unfortunate person now drowning in an ocean of pain, place him in the sturdy boat of Your mercy, and ferry him to the wonderful realm of Your lotus feet.” (Vilapa-kusumanjali, Verse 9)
And the great Srila Rupa Goswami prays in heartbreaking humility, again to Sri Radhika:
“I, a distressed soul belonging to you, beg you with sweet words while rolling on the banks of the Yamuna!
Although I am unfit, an offender with a crooked mind, please bestow on me a fragment of the gift of service to you. This unhappy soul is not fit to be neglected by you for you have a butter soft heart that melts constantly by the warmth of your compassion.”
(Sri Prarthana-paddhatih of his Stava-mala)
In the two final verses of His eight prayers called, Siksastakam, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu describes first this mood of vipralambha, or longing in separation:
“My Lord Govinda, because of separation from You, I consider even a moment to be a great millennium. Tears flow from My eyes like torrents of rain, and I see the entire world as void.”
And finally, in sambhoga, or love in union with the Beloved:
“Let Krsna tightly embrace this maidservant who has fallen at His lotus feet, or let Him trample Me or break My heart by never being visible to Me. He is a debauchee, after all, and can do whatever He likes, but He is still no one other than the worshipful Lord of My heart.” (Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Siksastakam 7,8)
And finally, there is another type of paradoxical separation within oneness, at the core of Caitanya Vaisnavism. That is our intrinsic identity as one with God in quality, and yet eternally distinct from His vast infinite greatness. We are infinitesimal sparks, and He is the great fire.
A drop of ocean water is of the same quality as the vast ocean, but the tiny drop can never create a tsunami. In Sanskrit, this oneness within difference is termed acintya bhedabheda tattva, or inconceivable simultaneous oneness and difference.
Here is a poem by the 17th Century Marathi poet, Tukaram that illustrates this point, and points back to our discussion of love in union and love in separation:
Can water quaff itself?
Can trees taste of the fruit they bear?
He who worships God must stand distinct from Him.
So only then shall he know the joyful love of God.
For if he says that God and he are one
That joy, that love, shall vanish instantly away.
Pray no more for utter oneness with God!
Where is the beauty, if jewel and setting were one?
The heat and shade are two-
If not, where is the comfort of shade?
Mother and child are two—
If not, where is their love?
When after they are separated, they meet
What joy they feel, the mother and child!
Where is that joy, if the two were one?
Pray then, talk no more of utter oneness with God.
In conclusion, within the energies of the Lord, there is a continuum. Beginning in the negative numbers of our misidentification with matter, where we exist in a duality of illusion in separation from God, our source.
In illusion, we identify ourselves as belonging to this world of matter-that we have no higher life, no higher love beyond the visible world of our senses, mind, intelligence, and separatist ego.
At the centerpoint of spiritual evolution, there is peace in the realization of one’s identity as spirit, or Brahman, in the undifferentiated rays, or jyoti of the Supreme Parabrahman that exist everywhere.
And finally, moving along this continuum into the positive realm of loving relationships in service, there exists the highest echelons of love in union and separation.
I pray we may also one day be blessed to taste these moods of love in union and separation, that are exemplified so profoundly in the traditions we follow.
Thank you very much!
Sacred Sound
~by Ananda Vrindavan devi dasi
Recently I worked on a series of 100 Haikus with the theme “Things I Hear”. Sound is the medium of transformation in the Krishna Bhakti practice - sacred sound to touch our true, eternal self. Even ordinary sound can prompt remembering Krishna if we are tuned in, what to speak of sacred sound. Here are a selection of the Haikus that were written around the Maha Mantra in Japa and Kirtan:
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The Vraja Gopi’s
Hear the sound of Krishna’s fluteAnd run to meet love Longing for KrishnaThey move through the full moon nightHearing their heartbeat A powerful NameInvites us to sit with itLean in and listen Hearing and chantingAre like sunshine for the soulGo stand in the sun Shh! Be still! Be still!Listen to the sound of loveIn sacred japa My wild crazy mindSometimes makes a lot of noiseI chant to calm it down The call and responseHearing voices in returnEcho Krishna’s love By hearing the NameWe give hospitalityTo the deep self All I have is meTo offer to You with NamePlease hear me calling Brilliant as the sunThe holy Name loves us allAnd keeps us closer Does the holy NameFall like the sound of raindropsOn my open heart? Uncountable loveThe sound of non stop chantingWhere we want to be Sweet and steadyingThe Holy Name remediesAll my worrying Dazzling Holy NameHeals, frees, cleans, holds, and much moreSound bath through the ear
Urban Devi Autumn Women's Retreat
Urban Devi Autumn Retreat 2020:Welcoming TransformationA ladies-only retreat**SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2020 AT 7:30 AM EDT – 5:30 PM EDT**http://bhakticenter.org/urban-
Glories of the Holy Name
YOUTUBE - ISKCON Desire Tree - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wZzvjCq7ogFACEBOOK - ISKCON Kirtan Ministry - https://www.facebook.com/ISKCONKirtanMinistry/WEBSITE (hear in multiple languages) - Mayapur.TV - http://bit.ly/Mayapur_TV_WHNF2020https://www.facebook.com/102838014706917/videos/1697665987067367/
Srila Prabhupada's Arrival in the United States
This Sunday Rukmini gave a presentation at the ISKCON of Denver's Sunday Feast Program. She explored Srila Prabhupada's Arrival in the United States and the great journey he endured to bring Bhakti and sacred texts to us all. To listen in please click on this link or below:[embed]https://www.facebook.com/DenverISKCON/videos/375107593495168[/embed]
How Our Actions and Choices in Everyday Life Affect Our Chanting
~from an online lecture by Sacinandana Swami on May 3, 2020
Similar to what we are experiencing today with the internet, everything you do in this world is being ‘recorded’ and it stays there for as long as this manifestation of the world exists. It creates an impression, a samskara, which then informs your future actions and reactions. This is how by your choices, by your activities, you develop a certain pattern of action, choices and response – it is based on deep samskaras. Sometimes we call it habit or conditioning. This can affect your relationship with the Holy Name, because all our perceptions and experiences are affected by the ‘spectacles’ through which we look at the world. For this reason, devotees follow a few rules that help them to avoid those impressions which can distract you in a harmful way. On the other hand, we do things like for instance associating with devotees and reading sacred scriptures that affect us in a positive way, which cause positive samskaras that in turn affect our relationship with the Holy Name.
Just One Spoon
~ by Ananda Vrindavan Devi Dasi
Making his way towards the car with boxed lunch in hand
I began to say goodbye but he stopped and said
“Just going to get my metal spoon!”
And I thought, just one spoon
A simple act of consideration for Mother Earth
And what can one spoon do, really?
Why would he bother to walk all the way
In the opposite direction, to get a little spoon
But he did because he cared, and wanted to do his part
His one small part, to honor the earth upon which we walk
And by whom we are all nourished and sustained
I marveled at his consciousness, as I too am careful
But all too often give into laziness, or next time, or others are doing it
Or in the future, or one spoon, or plastic bag, is no big deal
But it is a big deal and “just one spoon” is the mantra for now
The call to urgency for each and everyone of us to be careful
To go out of our way to protect Mother Earth
In this very moment of choice, in this small act of mine
Can I rise to the occasion, can I make the extra effort?
I hope so, or all loving of Mother Earth seems empty
And walking our talk in Bhakti seems barely begun
*Taken from Ananda's Blog on September 4, 2020 from ISCKON of DC
Breathless Time
~by Denise Mihalek
“You gave me my breath back,” a student told me with tears in her eyes. Wow! My eyes also welled up with tears. Her sincerity momentarily stole my breath. This adult is a cancer survivor and had attended yoga, meditation and sound healing classes to assist with her recovery. Now, on the other end of treatments, she realized that the wind had been knocked out of her on so many levels, yet now her breath was back. I, however, didn’t do it. She actually did it as she was willing to explore specific techniques to remember that which she already so deeply knew. Sometimes we just need a little guidance and support.
There is no doubt that this is a breathless time. Fortunately, there are techniques to help us regain our footing and breath so that we can walk in clarity and strength.Please consider joining me for some of the offerings (see below) including the September link for Thursday evenings. Be well dear friends.
With Gratitude, Love and Light,Denise
Denise Mihalik is a Certified Sound Healing Practitioner, Voice Teacher, Yoga and YogaVoice Instructor, Classical Singer, Kirtaniya, and Bhakti Yogi. Denise has been immersed in sound exploration since early childhood. The sounds of nature and the world of music have greatly influenced her life. She has been practicing yoga for the past 16 years and is a certified yoga and YogaVoice Instructor. You can connect with her at her website https://www.soundawakenings.biz/
Sound Healing Thursdays with Denise!! 7:00pm-7:30pm EDTDonation based Free-will donations can be made atwww.soundawakenings.com
REGISTER HERE Meeting ID 822 9682 1896 Password 543015*** Please share this information with your friends! ***
Wed. September 16th, 6pm-7pm EDTOne Hour Virtual Sound Bath hosted by The Bhakti Center NYC Register Here
Urban Devi Sanga - Meditations on Sri Radha: The Original Sacred Feminine
This month the Urban Devi Sanga explored meditations on Srimati Radharani, the original sacred feminine. To listen to a recording of the sanga please click here or on the video image below. In the sanga, Rukmini Devi references a special recipe said to the a favorite of Sri Radhika, she shares it with us below.
Dear Friends,This afternoon, we had our monthly Urban Devi sanga online. I spoke about Srimati Radharani, and that link will be shared with you here.
Someone asked what is a favorite preparation of Sri Radhika? Just a few days ago, my dear friend from the UK, Varsana Devi Dasi sent me this recipe. I’m happy to share it with you here.The recipe calls for arbi, a starchy vegetable that’s used as a substitute for potatoes, but it’s much more healthy than potatoes. It’s available at Indian or Asian grocery stores. The unusual spices used in this recipe can also be ordered from:pureindianfoods.comIngredients:10-12 arbis1/2 tsp carom seeds (also called ajwain)1/2 tsp tumeric powder1/2 tsp garam masala powder2 Tbsp oil2 Cups watersalt as requiredsome mint and coriander (cilantro) for garnishingFor making the paste:3 medium tomatoes1 green chili1/2 inch ginger1 tsp cumin powderInstructions:
- Wash the arbi well.
- Cook the arbi until tender.
- Drain and let the arbi cool.
- When warm or cook, peel the skin and slice the arbi into 2 or 4 pieces vertically
- Grind all the ingredients mentioned for making the paste into a smooth paste.
- Heat oil.
- Add the carom seeds and fry them.
- Stir and add all the spice powders one by one.
- Fry the tomato paste until the oil separates, this will take about 6-7 minutes.
- Add water, salt and the boiled arbi pieces.
- Simmer for some 6-7 minutes till the gravy becomes smooth and thickens a little bit.
- Garnish with mint or coriander leaves and serve Arbi Curry to Radha and Krsna
Jai Sri Radhe! Jai Sri Krsna!
All the best,Rukmini https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgbvns0spZk&feature=youtu.be
Women of the Bhagavata
~presented by Rukmini Walker
On August 28, 2020, Princeton University's Hindu Life Program sponsored a wisdom talk with Rukmini Walker. Rukmini has been a student and teacher of the Bhagavata Purana for more than four decades. In this talk, she guides an exploration of the women's voices that emerge from this important text.The Bhāgavata Purāna is considered a masterpiece of Indian philosophy and the definitive treatise on Hinduism's path of devotion. The Bhāgavata Purāna, it is also a text that repeatedly exalts women and presents them as the exemplars of true wisdom. From the poetry of princesses and queens to the heartfelt prayers of simple village maidens to the cries of social misfits and prostitutes... women's voices fill the pages of this sacred text with beauty and power.
To listen to this talk, please click on this link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFvWdaFvvYo&feature=youtu.be
BBC Sunday Morning Live - Spirituality Equality and the Hare Krishna Movement
In this BBC interview, journalists look at faith groups tackling gender balance. They explore how the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is becoming a more female facing tradition and embracing spiritual equality for all.To listen to this short BBC piece, please click on this link or the image below.
All the best,Rukmini Walkerwww.patreon.com/RukminiWalker[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIZuD1xwJrk&feature=youtu.be[/embed]
The Holy Appearance Day of Srimati Radharani
Tuesday, August 25th is the holy Appearance Day of Srimati Radharani, the original feminine goddess and internal pleasure potency of Lord Sri Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Together They unite as the original divine feminine and masculine, and we unlimited jiva souls are expanded from Them. We can find joy in excavating our sacred connection with Them in love and service.
Srila Prabhupada explains that if you offer your sincere prayer into the hand of Sri Radha, she will recommend you to Him, saying, “this devotee is better than me, please accept her!”
Here are a few drops from the deep ocean of her qualities:
“Vrndavan’s queen brings limitless pure bliss to He whose face is Vrndavan’s splendid moon risen from the nectar ocean of bliss and love. She fills Vrndavan with nectar and she makes her beautiful friends again and again shed tears, and their bodily hairs stand erect in wonderful ecstatic love like her own.” --Vrndavan Mahimamrita
“I, a distressed soul, belonging to you, beg you with sweet words while rolling on the banks of the Yamuna!
Although I am unfit, an offender with a crooked mind, please bestow on me a fragment of the gift of service to you. This unhappy soul is not fit to be neglected by you, for you have a butter soft heart that melts constantly by the warmth of your compassion.” -- Srila Rupa Goswami, Stava-mala
Happy Radhastami!
All the best,
Rukmini Walker
Building Strong Connections & Friendships in Krishna Consciousness
This is a poem that Ananda Vrndavan wrote about Krsnanandini. Krsnanandini gave a talk last week on the Vaisnavi Ministry site and Ananda was supposed to introduce her. Click here to listen to Krsnanandini's talk. Ananda, as the community president of ISKCON of DC, was busy organizing our temple's Community Supported Agriculture distribution and the next few days of our Krsna Janmastami festivities. Below is the poem that Ananda had intended to read as an introduction. All the best, Rukmini Walker
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5bqrkAmZB4&feature=youtu.be[/embed]
Vyasa Puja Offering to Srila Prabhupada
~by Rukmini Walker
Vyasa Puja Offering
2020
namah om visnupadaya krsnapresthaya bhutale
srimate bhaktivedanta svamin iti namine
namaste sarasvate deve gauravani pracarine
nirvisesa sunyavadi pascatya desatarine
Dear Srila Prabhupada,Today as we ‘shelter in place’ due to the corona virus, we must bow at your feet again and again and thank you for the unprecedented shelter you have given us. You have created our good fortune, and good fortune for a misguided world, that without you, remained baffled.Just as Hanuman, the great servant of Lord Ram, slipped into Lanka, the kingdom of Ravana, unnoticed in a tiny form and set the whole city on fire, while the evil Ravana prepared to wage war…
In the same way, you entered New York City, the Kingdom of Kali, anonymously, as a penniless, elderly Indian swami—as our government waged war on Vietnam, and we, the youth, waged war on our government. We wanted to create a revolution against the system, but the revolution you sparked…“…full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world’s misdirected civilization…” (SB 1.5.11)…has changed the course of human history, beyond anything we could have fought for, or imagined.Without the shelter of your compassion, and your sheltering words of wisdom, we, the youth of the 1960’s counter-culture, were perhaps the most impious and misdirected the world had ever seen.The revolution you sparked has been noted by renowned scholars as well. Professor A.L. Basham writes in his, A Cultural History of India:A new aspect of the counter-attack from the East is the importation not only of the mystical gnosis of India, but also her simple faith. This is chiefly the work of what is generally called the Hare Krishna movement, founded by Swami Prabhupada. This society now has branches in many of the larger cities of the West and its adherents follow the rituals of the devotional Vaisnavism of the Chaitanya Sect of Bengal…The movement…is historically very significant, for now, for the first time since the days of the Roman Empire, an Asian religion is being openly practiced by people of Western origin in the streets of Western cities.The simple faith he refers to is the revolutionary faith you bestowed upon us and upon the world: that we are immutable spirit, beyond this world of matter, and existing eternally as Krsna’s loving servants.
Under your shelter, inspired by the pinnacle of your example, the deathless nectar of Krsna’s name, form, qualities, and pastimes is being tasted and shared all over the world.Under your shelter, the people of the world are experiencing a revolution in consciousness: realizing the purpose of life, ending their suffering, and reawakening joy in consciousness of Krsna.You warned us that this world is a place of danger. Now, at a time when the whole world is sheltering in fear of the corona virus, we hold your lotus feet to our hearts as our only real and fearless shelter.Aspiring to be an eternal servant of your revolutionary and divine instructions,Rukmini Devi Dasi
Krsna Janmastami
The Appearance Day of Lord Sri Krsna is called Krsna Janmastami and will be celebrated Tuesday, August 11th. Lord Krsna is called the Supreme Personality of Godhead although He contains within Himself both personal and impersonal aspects. As Brahman, He is the undifferentiated oneness that exists everywhere; as Paramatma, He is the Supersoul within each of our hearts; and finally as Bhagavan, He is that supreme personality Who is full in all opulences, which are listed as all strength, all fame, all wealth, all knowledge, all beauty and all renunciation.Still the greatest of His qualities is considered to be His nature as Bhakta Vatsala, that He is beloved to His devotees.Here is a beautiful prayer that celebrates Lord Sri Krsna as the one Who is the foremost of thieves, Who steals the hearts of His devotees.
Chor Astakam
[audio m4a="http://www.urbandevi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AUDIO-2020-08-08-17-07-24.m4a"][/audio]
I offer pranams to that foremost of thieves - Who is famous in Vraja as the butter thief and He Who steals the gopis clothes, and Who for those who take shelter of Him, steals the sins which have accrued over many lifetimes.
I offer my pranams to the foremost of thieves, Who steals Srimati Radhika’s heart, Who steals the dark luster of a fresh raincloud, and Who steals all the sins and sufferings of those who take shelter of His feet.
He turns His surrendered devotees into paupers and wandering, homeless beggars - Aho! Such a fearsome thief has never been seen or heard of in all the three worlds.
Mere utterance of His name purges one of a mountain of sins - such an astonishingly wonderful thief I have never seen or heard of anywhere.
O Thief! Having stolen my wealth, my honor, my senses, my life and my everything, where can You run to? I have caught You with the rope of my devotion.
You cut the terrible noose of Yamaraja. You sever the dreadful noose of material existence, and you slash everyone’s material bondage, but You are unable to cut the knot fastened by Your own loving devotees.
O stealer of my everything! O thief! Today I have imprisoned You in the miserable prison house of my heart which is very fearful due to the terrible darkness of my ignorance, and there for a long time, You will remain receiving appropriate punishment for Your crimes of thievery!
O Krsna! Thief of my everything! The noose of my devotion remaining forever tight, You will continue to reside in the prison house of my heart because I will not release You for millions of aeons.
I wish you all a very Happy Krsna Janmastami!
All the best,