Sunday Chat: The Character of Universal Love (Srila B.A. Paramadvaiti Maharaj)

Medellin, Colombia, June 9

Dear devotees,

Receive all my affection from Medellin.

Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra Ki jay!

Greetings from this beautiful land with beautiful devoted preachers.
Today I want to send a special message. It's called "The character of Universal Love".

Selected Posts on Krishna Consciousness (16): Bhakti begins there

Excerpt from Awakening to the Absolute

By Srila Sridhar Maharaj

Bhagavad gita 7.19:

                bahunam janmanam ante

                jnanavan mam prapadyate

                vasudevah sarvam iti

                sa mahatma su-durlabhah

After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.

Consciousness and Love — "You are a loving powerhouse" (Srila B.A. Paramadvaiti Maharaj in Nimaihuset 2009)

Other clips from this evening in Nimaihuset:

Intro-kirtan with Swami B.A. Sridhar Maharaj

By serving (How to climb ego)

What is mind?

Steps to the highest love

Individual consciousness and "becoming one with God"

Maha Mantra bhajan (Gurumaharaj with charango)

Thanks to Krishna Kirtan das and Wryndawana for these clips

Gurumaharaj singing... (Berlin Temple recently)

...better and better for each day.

Start of tent season

The tent season has started! 

To make some laxmi (vaishnava slang for money) for the temple and at the same time give people a chance to donate, last year we started renting out our big party-tent. It was interesting and fun — and since it's service to the Temple/Guru/Krishna, it's ecstatic (it works that way, direct reciprocation). This year we continue.

And of course we take timing...
Taking it down is faster than putting it up. In the beginning last year it took something like 4 hours putting it up and around 2 hours taking it down. At the end, with some advanced tent-intelligence, it took hardly 2 hours putting it up and less than 1 taking it down. This year we start with advanced tent-intelligence, and much motivation. And the stop-watch speaks its clear language. Already on the third job we were so fast putting it up that it felt like we were taking it down.

Keep watch on the blog for sporadic reports!

The Tent-By-Night picture above is from the second job, in Gråbo, 35 km east of the Temple. The happy renters took it and sent us.

Somewhere secret in Gothenburg last wednesday... (Pictures)

By request: here are some pictures from the rave last wednesday :)

At the end of the rail

God consciousness — Do like this

“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.”

— His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Srila Prabhupada on the maha mantra:

The Hare Krishna Maha Mantra

 

Associating with the sound incarnation of God

 

Begin by engaging the tounge

Entering the fifth dimension of consciousness

Somewhere secret in Gothenburg tonight...

...if you follow that rail into the tunnel, you'll be hearing loud electronic music, see hip kids dancing and raving and Nimiahuset's Makhan Chor das with a gasol kitchen and Sevananda das serving prasadam till early in the morning.

21:26. An hour and a half to go... the DJ's are rigging.

Meanwhile in Nimaihuset: Makhan Chor cooking for Krishna...

21:51: And... out.

(Pictures here)

Selected Posts on Krishna Consciousness (15): Service to The Absolute

Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj

Excerpt from Dasavatara – Ten manifestations of Godhead

Western philosophers corroborate that the criterion of the Absolute is 'for Itself and by Itself'. Indian saints say 'He' instead of 'It', so therefore, the Absolute is 'for Himself and by Himself'.

Nobody can know Him by adopting a challenging mood. He is unchallengeable self-effulgent Truth. He can be realized only by His own grace, and grace descends only to a completely surrendered soul.

The Lord has infinite manifestations in which He reveals Himself. In the eternal abode, the Lord's associates serve Him in different relationships [passive adoration, servant, friend, parent, lover]. Therefore, He manifests in various forms, so as to facilitate the individual soul's desire to serve Him in a form suitable to their taste.

___________________

Selected Posts on Krishna Consciousness 

(1) The Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra (Srila Prabhupada)

(2) Begin by engaging the tongue (Srila Prabhupada)

(3) Absolute Harmony  (Srila Sridhar Maharaj)

(4) Truth and Beauty (Swami B.V. Tripurari)

(5) The right vision (Srila Sridhar Maharaj)

(6) Not religion, not yoga, not philosophy

(7) Neither poetry nor imagination (Srila Sridhar Maharaj)

(8) Dovetailing with Krishna (Srila Prabhupada)

(9) Here is Krishna (Srila Prabhupada)

(10) Simply by Chanting Krishna's Name (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta)

(11) Plato's Cave. And after liberation? 

(12) Entering the Play of God (Swami B.V. Tripurari)

(13) Beyond immortality, beyond liberation, beyond oneness (Srila Sridhar Maharaj)

(14) So the real current is His pastimes (Srila Sridhar Maharaj)

Selected Posts on Krishna Consciousness (14): So the real current is His pastimes

Srila Sridhar Maharaj

“...and we can enter into His service, the highest position, 

and thereby see the affection, love, harmony, and beauty 

that exist there”

Excerpt from Home Comfort

Please listen attentively to what I shall explain. In a scientific way I shall try to explain the subject to you, in general, independently of all religious conceptions.