Gaura Purnima in pictures

I love festivals!

Festivals are such times of inspiration where all devotees work together for the pleasure of the Lord. We get a lot more association with devotees, during festivals and this acts as a gauge on how far we have progressed in our own spiritual life. Association with devotees who are pure at heart, coupled with service and chanting gradually cleanses the mirror of our heart 'Ceto darpana Marjanam.' Festival times call for team work, clashing egos, sacrifice, selflessness and passing the test of endurance and tolerance. The ultimate result is sweet like rock candy, but only when the focal point of this circle is occupied by Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada:

SB 4.24.59 : Chanting the Song Sung by Lord Siva Simply by associating with a pure devotee, one becomes wonderfully advanced in Krsna consciousness. Sadhu-sanga, or association with a devotee, means always engaging in Krsna consciousness by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra... but he whose heart is contaminated sees things differently. Therefore by sat-sanga, or association with devotees, one becomes perfectly pure in heart. Here are some pictures on slide.com

Our congregation Deities

Thats my False Ego deflater- my daughter,who kept reminding me not to feel proud on my first effort at home made fondant frosting and decoration. The cake theme is based on Sadhbhuja form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You can see the danda, kamandalu, flute, buffalo horn, bow and arrow. The opened lotus flower represents the birth of Lord Caitanya and since we cannot physically cut the cake with nimai there, the holy names in the lotus are a representation of Nimai. 'Abhinnatvan nama naminoh.'

Bitter melon badi Shukta / Shukto-"He savoured the bitter taste of shukta even over the aromatic nectar drink panchamrita." It is kind of addictive once you aquire a taste for it.I am hooked to this, had only this for lunch today.Vrinda played the role of Nimai, actually ate the brahmin's offering, had her mouth stuffed and could not say her lines..She was good though.

I am sad that I could not get pictures of the shiksha program and much of the drama, but captured it in my mind. "CLICK."

Holi Celebrations.

Moonstruck?

Seeing the rose bushes in the morning, with green leafy buds ready to spring open with the touch of the sun's rays filled my heart with an assurance that spring is not far away. Seeing the full moon in the night sky also filled me with an assurance, that Nimai has appeared. The full moon in the sky is visible to all, but few are affected by it to the point of lunacy. Likewise Nimai has risen in the sky of Nawadvip and is visible to all in the form of His mercy of the holy names. Lucky are those who are struck by this moon and become lunatics in the ocean of love of Krishna.

Though it was Gaura Purnima I did not feel impelled to visit a temple, partly because, it would mean a late night and upsetting the schedule for the next day. I was just happy to serve our own Nimai-Nitai, by cooking for Them, bathing Them with pancamrta and reading about Their childhood pastimes. Since I was a child I have heard the pastimes of Krishna and so the childhood pastimes of Nimai were something new for me. I always like reading about Nimai and this is one of my favorites:

Nimai wants the moon.
In this way a blissful day turned into a full moon night. After engaging the servants in their evening duties, Sacidevi took Nimai into the courtyard for some fresh air. The full moon was climbing the sky. Acting like an innocent boy, the clever Nimai cried, "Mother! Mother!"
Sacidevi said, "Don’t cry. I will give You whatever You want." The Lord replied, "Mother, please give Me the moon." Saci said, "Can anyone catch the moon in the sky?"

Nimai said, "Then why did you say that you would give Me whatever I wanted? For this reason, I asked for the moon." Then Nimai began wailing. Holding the comer of Sacidevi's sari, He kept crying while rubbing His eyes with His free hand and kicking the dirt with His feet. Nimai was insistent; He wanted the moon. Gaura Raya clutched His mother's sari and yanked her hair. The next moment He hit her in the head with His hand. Still unsuccessful, He rolled on the ground and cried.
Sacimata said, "O Nimai, You are incorrigible and Your behavior is most unusual. How can I possibly catch the moon in the sky? There are already so many moons on Your body. Look how the moon has become ashamed before You. Out of shyness, he is now hiding himself behind the clouds. O my son, please listen."
Then Sacimata placed Nimai on her lap and showered Him with kisses. Obsessed with parental love, Sacidevi forgot herself in transcendental bliss. Her voice became choked up in ecstasy. Locana Dasa joyfully sings the glories of Lord Gauranga. Moonstruck yet?

Not yet, then this should do the trick!

Vraja Vocabulary

Compromise is not a bad word when spelt as Balance. This was the key line in an advertisement, can't remember which one...Apparently the Vrajavasis are expert in wording things. While looking for something else, I found these beautiful verses from Vraja Riti Cintamani-by Viswanath Chakravarti Thakura, translated by HG Kushakratha Prabhu and was just trying to absorb the sweet simplicity of these lines. Step back webster's, dictionary.com, Random house etc., make way for the Vraja dictionary. I surely would like to replace my dictionary with this one.

Here are the translations for the verses 33-39

When the vrajavasis say the word ‘matsara: they do not mean ‘envy’, but ‘my lake’. When they say ‘khala’, they do not mean ‘demon’, but ‘a woman’s sash’. When they say ‘mala’, they do not mean ‘defect’, but ‘gentle and delicate’. In this way they never speak anything unpleasant, but everything they say is pleasing and auspicious.

When the vrajavasis say the word ‘pradosa’ they do not mean ‘fault’, they do not mean ‘rascal’, but ‘moon’. When they say ‘rosa’, they do not mean anger, but ‘love’. When they say ‘mosa’ they do not mean a cruel thief, but Krishna’s playfully stealing the gopis’ yoghurt. In this way they never speak anything unpleasant, but everything they say is pleasing and auspicious.

When the vrajavasis say the word ‘danda’, they do not mean ‘the king’s rod of chastisement’, but rather, ‘the handle of a parasol, camara fan, or other similar article’. When they say ‘nivi’, they do not mean ‘handcuffs’, but ‘a ribbon for tying the hair’. When they say ‘adhi’ they do not mean ‘headache’, but ‘ecstatic meditation on the Personality of Godhead’. In this way they never speak anything unpleasant, but everything they say is pleasing and auspicious.

When the vrajavasis say the word ‘panka’ they do not mean ‘mud’, but aromatic ointments such as musk, kunkuma, and sandalwood paste. When they say ‘crookedness’ they do not mean the crookedness of a thief, but the beautiful shape of spiral earrings or some other ornament. When they say ‘hardness’ they do not mean the hard-heartedness of a cruel person, but the hardness of a gem or stone. In this way they never speak anything unpleasant, but everything they say is pleasing and auspicious.

When the vrajavasis say the word ‘rajah’ they do not mean ‘material passion’, but ‘the pollen of flowers’. When they say ‘tamah’ they do not mean ‘ignorance’, but ‘the pleasant darkness of night’. When they say ‘dvandvam’ they do not mean ‘the material dualities of happiness and distress’, but ‘a happy couple’. When they say ‘slowness’ they do not refer to the intellect, but the wind. When they say ‘restlessness’ they do not mean anything inauspicious, but rather ‘great eagerness to see Lord Hari’, or else ‘the charming restless glances of the Lord’. In this way they never speak anything unpleasant, but everything they say is pleasing and auspicious.

When the vrajavasis say the word ‘smallness’ they do not refer to the lack of anything good, but rather to a slender waist. When they say ‘nicagatvam’ they do not mean ‘faith in rascals’ but ‘a stream that can be easily crossed’. When they say the words ‘lamentation, humility, fatigue, bewilderment, sleep and laziness’ they do not mean any inauspicious material traits, but rather the various symptoms of ecstatic love of God.
In this way they never speak anything unpleasant, but everything they say is pleasing and auspicious.

When the vrajavasis say the word ‘cows’ they refer to the celestial kamadhenu cows. When they say ‘trees’ they mean kalpa-vrksa trees that fulfil all desires. When they say ‘rocks’ they mean cintamani gems. How is it possible to describe the limitless opulences of Vraja?

Preeti Bhojanam- Part 2 - The Faces behind the Feast

The Faces behind the Feast.

Southward bound: Last Sunday, we decided to travel south and offer the culinary specialities of South India to the Lord and the devotees. The menu included Idli, Sambar, Tamarind rice, Coconut chutney, Papad and the dessert ...Rava Kesari or Semolina halva with saffron,from which it takes on the name Kesari (for the Ramayan fans, please do not mistake this with the monkey king). We don't have a temple yet and use the kitchen of another temple to make our bhoga every Sunday, so the pictures are not of a typical ISKCON kitchen. Here is the long and short of it.

Our Head Cook for the day-Meenakshi Mata.

The sidekicks oops, I mean side-cooks

Prema Prada dd, Sudevi dd and Saahithya, We don't like cutting boards as you can see.

Manu Bhai and Madhu kaki- The temple's resident's cooks, doing their (Gujarati) cooking for Dwarakadeesh.

Our local Aindra Prabhu (of Kirtan fame)- Sravanananda Prabhu.

Sauna in motion

Too many cooks ...

Sundarananda Prabhu, Gaurav Prabhu and Gayatri Mata.

IDDLI- filling in the moulds

Our Make shift altar.

Maha prasade Govinde....

Nothing tastes like Prasadam!

"The chanting of the holy name," Srila Prabhupada recommended, "should be heard as far as possible from the lips of a pure devotee." One might ask a similar question to yours re. the chanting of the pure Holy Name of the Lord, as with prasadam.
When an offering is made to the Supreme Lord, He accepts the offering due to the love and devotion that has gone into the offering. As He states in the Bhagavad-gita, ye yatha mam prapadyante (Bg 4.11): "As one approaches Me, I reciprocate proportionately." To the degree of devotion and care with which an offering is prepared, and and then brings the offering to Him with sincere devotion, to that degree Krishna relishes that offering. Thus, when a qualified and pure devotee cooks in a thoroughly clean atmosphere and cleansed consciousness, the prasadam correspondingly becomes that much more transcendentally enjoyed by Krishna. Conversely to the degree one is not purified, Krishna does not accept the offering. Inquiries into the absolute- Digest 46 B HH Romapada Swami

Beggar

Dear Gurudev.

On your 59 Vyasa Puja, I wished to make an offering and express my gratitude, but words fail me, and all I can say is HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
You said that we could talk to your picture and you would reciprocate and I can feel the reciprocation every time I do that. Today as I stand before your picture with a begging bowl, begging you that I can make my life itself an offering at your lotus feet, where my actions speak for me. Begging you to always let me meditate on the very same prayer that you wrote to your spiritual master so that I become worthy of meeting you again; I know my begging and pleas are not in vain. I'll save my stories of faith for another day.

I also beg you to give me the intelligence to meditate on these lines of Sri Guru Vandana by Narottama Das Thakura every day, internalize it and make it the very core of my existence.

(1) The lotus feet of the spiritual master are the abode of pure devotional service. I bow down to those lotus feet with great care and attention. My dear brother (my dear mind)! It is through the grace of the spiritual master that we cross over this material existence and obtain Krsna.
(2) Make the teachings from the lotus mouth of the spiritual master one with your heart, and do not desire anything else. Attachment to the lotus feet of the spiritual master is the best means of spiritual advancement. By his mercy all desires for spiritual perfection are fulfilled.
(3) He who has given me the gift of transcendental vision is my lord, birth after birth. By his mercy divine knowledge is revealed within the heart, bestowing prema-bhakti and destroying ignorance. The Vedic scriptures sing of his character.
(4) O spiritual master, ocean of mercy, and friend of the fallen souls, you are the teacher of everyone and the life of all people. O master! Be merciful unto me, and give me the shade of your lotus feet. May your glories now be proclaimed throughout the three worlds.

Preeti bhojanam- Part 1

Common sense tells us that adding too much of any ingredient in cooking is a surefire recipe for disaster. But there is one ingredient which we cannot get enough of. That, which makes the world go around. Nope, its not anything material that I am talking of here. It is LOVE! We cannot buy it from the wholesale club and there is no limit to the number of tablespoons that we can add. This same love is distributed worldwide,free of charge, at all our temples' Sunday feast program. The famed Sunday Love Feasts!

Last January I received a beautifully printed invitation card for my nephew's Upanayanam' (Sacred Thread Ceremony), to be held in Bhubaneshwar, Orissa. As with any other Samskara, this was accompanied by an invitation for lunch or Preeti Bhojan. "Preeti Bhojan", I thought "Isn't that the same as Love Feast?"

Turns out this term is widely in use amongst the North Indian community and dictionary.com also endorses the term as follows:
love feast 
–noun
1.(among the early Christians) a meal eaten in token of brotherly love and charity; agape.

2.a rite in imitation of this, practiced by a number of modern denominations; a fellowship meal.
3.a banquet or gathering of persons to promote good feeling, restore friendly relations, honor a special guest, etc.
Origin: 1570–80

I sighed at my misfortune for being so far away from my family, envisioning the types of pithas, rasagollas and other Oriyan delicacies that would be served at the feast. But wait is that really a love feast? Has the food been offered to the ultimate beneficiary? not the new brahmachari, but to Lord Jagannath. Had I been there would I really have eaten at the restaurant the event was taking place?

A wonderful article that I read once on Back to Godhead (BTG), by HH Sivarama Swami beautifully sums up the transformation of matter to spirit. Here is the link http://btg.krishna.com/main.php?id=929

So, this Sunday as we cooked for the temple Sunday feast I mulled over the questions that I have been asked,"Why is it that prasadam tastes so good? How do we know how much salt to add to a certain prep without tasting?"

The short answer is prasadam is the Lord's mercy and that is why it tastes good and the paramatma within the heart guides us on quantity of salt and spices based on our consciousness at the time of service. My own tiny realization is that Lord Krishna is happy when devotees are satisfied and unless one craves salt due to hormonal or mineral deficiencies devotees can handle only the normal salt content. Thus in order to please the devotees, who accept only Krishna Prasadam, the paramatma within, guides the conscious cook. Moreover, the Lord Himself has promised to accept the offering and will not settle for something unpalatable (of course He can eat by just glancing). Likewise in deity worship Srila Prabhupada mentions in response to a mataji's query that "the deities dress Themselves," being the meticulous dressers that they are. As someone once said Pujaris and deity cooks must hang their false egos outside the kitchen/Altar.

I guess once that rule is followed, paramatma will direct us suitably. So hang out the false egos before tying those apron strings.

Mahaprasadam Ki Jaya.

Check back for pictures of our fun cooking session past Sunday:-)

Rare opportunity.

Last year around this time, when my daughter suffered with pneumonia, I was grounded and having nothing much to do, I started listening to classes (with more seriousness),by HH Bhakticharu Swami. The very first class that I chose was the Brhad Bhagavatamrta and I got hooked to hearing about the Lord and His devotee, Gopa Kumar. Today, again I was hearing about the rarity of human life and made this collage as a reminder to myself when faced with taking appropriate actions (karma) in the crossroads of life. The times when transcendence or Krishna takes a backseat and the modes take over the reins.

SB 5.13.21:King Rahugana said: This birth as a human being is the best of all. Even birth among the demigods in the heavenly planets is not as glorious as birth as a human being on this earth. What is the use of the exalted position of a demigod? In the heavenly planets, due to profuse material comforts, there is no possibility of associating with devotees.

INI MINI MAINI MO: WHICH WAY SHOULD I GO?

I have 4 choices:

• Take birth as an animal

• Go back to Goloka Vrindavan, Spiritual World

• Take birth as a human being again

• Go to the higher planets and enjoy a higher level of sense gratification.
  

I vote for devotional service in this transit lounge of life, trying to make myself qualified or deserving before I can desire to reach my final destination.

The basic principle of devotional service is detachment from material activities and attachment to the transcendental service of the Lord.(Bhagavad Gita As it Is 15.1 purport).
http://www.asitis.com/15/1.html