The right vision (Srila Sridhar Maharaj)

From The Loving Search for the Lost Servant 

by His Divine Grace Srila B.R. Sridhar Maharaj

Devotion to Krsna means sacrifice — “die to live.” By devotion to Krsna, our whole conception of mundane, self-centered, selfinterested life will be finished totally.

The Hare Krishna Maha Mantra (Srila Prabhupada)

This transcendental vibration — the chanting of Hare Krsna Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna Hare Hare | Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare — is the sublime method for reviving our Krsna consciousness [God consciousness]. As living spirit souls we are all originally Krsna conscious entities, but due to our association with matter since time immemorial, our consciousness is now polluted by the material atmosphere. In this polluted concept of life, we are all trying to exploit the resources of material nature, but actually we are becoming more and more entangled in our complexities. This illusion is called maya, or hard struggle for existence over the stringent laws of material nature. This illusory struggle against the material nature can at once be stopped by revival of our Krsna consciousness.

Sunday Chat, Radhastami (Srila B.A. Paramadvaiti Maharaj)

September 23 2012 (Sri Radhastami), Colombia

Srimati Radharani 

Dear devotees, mothers,

Today we are celebrating the most important day of the universe, the appearance day of Srimati Radharani. Since yesterday we meditate on this supreme love, to be in love with bringing Krishna happiness, to make everyone happy in Krsna consciousness. This meditation leads us to understand who Srimati Radharani is in our life. Who is Krishna? Who are we? When will one see that Radha and Krishna give us our spiritual birth?

Astonishing and simple

"Quantum physicists have discovered something astonishing that is also very simple: All realities are directed and transformed by the observer — you!" 

— Barbara Hand Clow

What they have discovered is the nature of the material energy — that stuff which dreams are made of — "the living screen" — maya. (And the New Agers have discovered the law of attraction.) 

Now we wait for them to discover that the small dreamers are dreaming their "lives" within the Dream of the Supreme Dreamer. And to turn around, from that-which-is-not, to That Which Is; from the screen to Source; from realities to Reality; from savitur to Varenyam. 

And next, to elevate their consciousness from the material energy and the plane of exploitation, to the spiritual energy and the plane of dedication.

And go Home. Back to Godhead, back to God. 

It's easy. Start like this: 

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna  Krishna Krishna Hare Hare 
Hare Rama Hare Rama  Rama Rama Hare Hare

Pictures from Sri Radhastami in Nimaihuset

The altar

Sri Radhastami was initimately celebrated with some 10 devotees and two new indian friends of the temple.

Guitar-playing polish sannyasi Swami Bhakti Abhay Sridhar Maharaj, an old and dear friend of Nimaihuset, visited and gave a fantastic, very knowledgeable and inspiring 2-hour-lecture about Srimati Radharani and Radha-dasyam, quoting from many scriptures, both general and confidential, and mixing with bhajans in his very own style and mood (can you imagine Sri Sri Gurvastakam the way a sacral Bob Dylan would have done it after an overdose of Neil Young?).

The lecture was followed by arati and puspanjali, and afterwards some fine prasadam.

More pictures:

Truth and Beauty (Srila B. V. Tripurari Maharaj)

From Aesthetic Vedanta: The Sacred Path of Passionate Love

By Srila B.V. Tripurari Maharaj

In his acceptance address for the Nobel prize in literature, Alexander Solzhenitsyn cited a Russian proverb: “One word of truth outweighs the whole world.” He also quoted Dostoyevsky: “Beauty will save the world.”

If one word of truth outweighs the whole world, the world must be very false. But this truth is unpalatable, given the extent of beauty in this world. So much is this so that we cling to the beauty of the world, even when we are told the simple yet profound truth that it will not endure. How then will beauty save us, when attachment to it seems to be the cause of samsara, suffering in rounds of repeated birth and death?

Absolute Adoration

Srila Sridhar Maharaj

Absolute Love, Absolute Intelligence, Absolute Beauty

What is the proposal of Krsna consciousness, and what is the proposal of so many other conceptions? They are all giving us their assurances from time immemorial, saying, "I shall give you this, I shall give you that," but the Krsna conception will enter and say, "My claim is this: the whole thing is Mine, and you are all trespassers."

– Srila Sridhar Maharaj, The Search for Sri Krishna - Reality the Beautiful

New York, 1966

Prabhupada looked squarely into my eyes and spoke calmly, “This is not a concocted process, or something that you, or we, have made up. This process is very old, simple, and sublime.”

Srila Prabhupada cooking for Krishna

/ Sevananda das

Hare Krishna Top 10 (8)

8.
George Harrison:

“My Sweet Lord” (1970)

Ex-Beatle and “closet devotee” George Harrison's classic mega-hit, ending with a gospel choir singing the Maha Mantra (from 2:54).

Auspicious Nectar (Nimaihuset News Bulletin): New Treasurer

"I like numbers" says new treasurer

Yesterday, sensationally, Arci Devi Dasi, present wife of ex-president Vasudeva Das and by many considered a very influential power-factor during his reign, in an official meeting was elected the new bookkeeper and treasurer of the pan-Swedish umbrella organization Föreningen Vrinda. Our reporter Media Das managed to get a first statement from her before she disappeared into a black limousine headed for the residence at Imlitala Manor.

"How do you feel?"

"I like numbers, this will be fun."

It is well known that she is very strict with the numbers, although claiming to like them, and many in Nimaihuset now fear a more severe climate regarding receipts etc.

/ Sevananda das

End of tent season

During the summer, Nimaihuset has covered the tent-rental market in Great Gothenburg to support the Temple with laxmi (vaishnava-slang for money). Fastest, cheapest and happiest tent-rental team around.

At first we charged 900 SEK (100 Euro) – for the tent, going there by car (twice), putting it up and taking it down (3 persons each occasion), gas included. The first renters were really unhappy about the low price and couldn't stop thinking and wondering about why we did it. Maybe we just wanted to get together and have some fun, was the last proposition we heard from the distressed renters.

So we had to raise the price, quickly, not to hurt people. Vasudeva das hit the Internet and changed the ad. From then on it was 1300 plus car and gas, and that seemed to be all right with most people, although most of them added up to that too, some with a couple of hundred (which was a good arrangement, because that way they got the chance to donate to the Temple and make a slow start out of material existence, back to Krishna – Sevananda das used to say "say goodbye to the material world" behind their backs whenever that happened).

Absolute Harmony (H.D.G. Srila Sridhar Maharaj)

Transcription (with minor edits) of an informal talk given by

Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Maharaj

Srila Sridhar Maharaj on the veranda, talking about Absolute Harmony

*

Harmony, how the things of opposite types can be harmonized by higher principles.

To harmonize things of a particular plane, energy of the higher plane is necessary. Thesis, antithesis — synthesis! Anything — and there must be something anti that. This cannot but be. Some opposition, some opposite conception. Any statement, some opposition, and to harmonize that. Hegel says that this is the process of progress. Progress means this. Whatever there would be — some opposite conception, some opposition, possibility. The possibility of opposition. And then, to do away with the opposition, some greater harmony is necessary. The highest type of harmony is so. The diversity ultimately helps it.

Hare Krishna Top 10 (9)

9.
Goldblade feat. Poly Styrene:

“City of Christmas Ghosts” (2008)

Punk legend Poly Styrene guest vocals on a Christmas song by Goldblade, beautifully ending with Poly singing “Hare Krishna / Hare Rama” (from 2:31).

Cover of debut single 1977

Poly Styrene, or Marianne Elliot-Said, or later Maharani Devi Dasi, was the front person and singer of pioneering punkband X-Ray Spex (1976-79). Known as the only person that Johnny Rotten (Sex Pistols) had only nice things to say about. The archetype for modern-day feminist punk. 

1983 she was initiated a Krishna-devotee, and while living in the temple at the Bhaktivedanta Manor (a donation by The Beatles' George Harrison) she recorded at the temple's recording studios.

Poly was active 1976-2011. Her last album “Generation Indigo” was released in march 2011, a month before she left the body.

This song is a remix of Goldblade's “City of Ghosts”. Band leader John Robb: 

“She was a joy to work with in the studio. We asked her to sing like she used to, and at first she said it would be difficult, then she walked into the vocal booth and did it in one take, adding an improvised Hare Krishna chant at the end that brought the song an unimagined power and beauty.”

See you later sister.

Maharani Devi Dasi

*

Follow the countdown of the Hare Krishna Top10 

10. Ruth Copeland feat. George Clinton & Parliament: “Hare Krishna”

Whole list HERE

Next up, nr 8, is coming soon

*

Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use

/ Sevananda das