Nityananda Trayodasi Celebration

Nityananda Trayodasi celebration

on Saturday January 31st!
 

Lord Nityananda, who is Balarama, Krishna's first expansion, 

is the original spiritual master, the source of spiritual strength, 

and the most merciful, even more merciful than Krishna Himself. 

On Saturday we celebrate His appearance day. 

We will sing bhajans, there will be lecture, Deity bathing, 

and afterwards some fine vegetarian prasadam.

We start at 17.

Warm welcome to Nimaihuset! 

Die to live (Srila Sridhar Maharaj)

Srila B.R. Sridhar Maharaj

 Excerpt from 

"The magnanimous nature of Nityananda Prabhu" 

(Sri Guru Vandana 1986)

Hegel said, "Die to live". If you really want to live in that plane, then you will have to die wholesale as you think you are in this life, as flesh, blood and bones. It is of opposite type. The purity is there. It can be measured; it is not non-scientific but it is really scientific. It is the process of 'die to live'! And love is there. The dying tendency for the object of love, that is love proper. Otherwise imitation, it is hypocrisy, it is conspiracy to one's own attainment.

 

Rascaldom (1) (Srila Prabhupada)

Excerpt from Life Comes From Life

Śrīla Prabhupāda: A sensible man will take a good lesson, but a rascal will never take a good lesson. There is a story of a great poet named Kālidāsa, who was a great rascal also. Once, Kālidāsa was sitting on the branch of a tree and simultaneously cutting it. A gentleman asked him, "Why are you cutting this tree limb? You will fall down." Kālidāsa replied, "No, no, I will not fall down." So he kept cutting the limb, and he fell down. The conclusion is that he was a rascal because he would not take good advice. By their so-called scientific advancement, scientists are going to hell. But they do not listen when they are told; therefore they are rascals. Rascals repeatedly make a plan, see it frustrated, and again make another plan. This plan is also frustrated, so they make another plan. Yet when we try to explain to them that all their materialistic plans will be unsuccessful and useless, they refuse to listen. That is rascaldom. [-]

Student: Śrīla Prabhupāda, one could say that that is bravery.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, you can say that, but that bravery is their rascaldom. They are bravely going to hell, that's all. 

Rascaldom (2) (Srila Prabhupada)

Srila Prabhupada with disciples (A young Gurumaharaj second from left)

Once in New Vrindavan (1976) Srila Prabhupada was discussing with some devotees posing as scientists and calling them rascals frequently. So, one of the devotees posing as scientist protested and asked why he called them (the scientists) rascals. Instantly, Prabhupada’s mood became light from grave and with a smile he said, “Because I love you and I can’t see you suffering. Please develop your love for Kṛṣṇa and go back to the spiritual world. Understood you rascal?”

The Advent of Sri Advaita Acharya (Srila Sridhar Maharaj)

Today is the appearance day of Sri Advaita Acharya. The blog celebrates it with an informal talk by Srila Sridhar Maharaj about Sri Advaita Acharya's advent.

"First, Advaita Acharya descends here and then He looks around and finds that people are all apathetic to the truth, to Narayana. They are very fond of worshipping so many demigods and going on with their temporary pleasure searching, mad with that without caring for their own soul or liberation, or the life after liberation: to have a proper adjustment in Krishna consciousness. He was very much disturbed by this scenery and he prayed very fervently for the Lord to come here and to preach the Supreme Name, Nama sankirtana, by which a general amnesty and a peaceful effort may be done to start a campaign towards home. Back to God, back to home – this Nama sankirtana. And Mahaprabhu [Sri Krishna Chaitanya] with others, they also gradually come down here and begin their Nama sankirtana."

The temporary temple cats (2)

More cats that have been in the temple and taken a tour: Mazarin, Mingus, and Morris. (Read the first post about the temporary temple cats here.)

 

Mazarin and Mingus (Mingus in the window, vanishing in a blaze of light).

Been in the temple.

Gopala by Gandharvika

A sweet song by our Godsister Gandharvika Giridhari devi dasi – guitarist, singer and songwriter. From the CD "Relax with Music and Mantras", one of several wonderful albums by her (for CD-list with samples and possibility to order, click here).

  

30 years of Vrinda

Sunday Chat: Fight with love (Srila B.A. Paramadvaiti Maharaj)

Mayapur, India, January 4, 2015
 

Dear devotees,

A special hug to everyone in the new year.

We offer this year to Krishna, our Gurudeva and to collaboration for better awareness in this world. These moments of change, of a new year, also serve as an opportunity to reflect on how we have advanced. To advance in spiritual life, the most important thing to do is to be under the shelter of the devotees. Always preaching and obedient to their instructions. Continue sharing in the chanting of the holy name with all those you meet along the way. That is the major occupation and thus all the blessings will be showered upon you. Never doubt this.

The Nimaihuset book distribution shelves

Krishna has appeared in the form of Srimad Bhagavatam and manifested himself
like this order in our book shelves to demonstrate his unlimited beauty,
but maybe he wants to diverse himself from there very soon, depends on the
eagerness of all of us to give him to others. 

ya idam paramam guhyam... (BG18.68)
 
For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees,
pure devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me.

Nimaihouse – at your service, with your permission.
  
/ Madhu Mangal das 

Solar Panel for Gurumaharaj's Vrindavan-temple

At this moment our Gurumaharaj Srila B.A. Paramadvaiti Maharaj is working with collecting funds for a very important project in India, a solar panel for his Vrindavan temple Vrinda Kunja. You can click the picture below and read about the project and watch a very nice video about it, with beautiful pictures from Vrindavan, made by Seva Kunja devi dasi, the leader of the project.

If you want to donate for this project (this is recommended – yields a looot of sukriti/spiritual merit), mail Seva Kunja dd: krisnaseva@gmail.com

Maha Mantra animation

“The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Kṛṣṇa Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Kṛṣṇa’s name is complete, and it is the form of all transcendental mellows. It is not a material name under any condition, and it is no less powerful than Kṛṣṇa Himself. Since Kṛṣṇa’s name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there is no question of its being involved with māyā. Kṛṣṇa’s name is always liberated and spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa Himself are identical.”

-- Padma Purana, CC Madhya 17.133

You are facing Him (Srila Sridhar Maharaj)

 

 

Krishna is the wire puller of everyone. The key is in His hand to the minutest point of circumstance. All is within His close attention. He is the key holder. You are facing Him, not an independent entity. You have to tackle every event like that. That is the key of success to one's life, if one can follow this attitude, idea. 

na hi kalyāṇa-kṛt kaścid
durgatiṁ tāta gacchati
                 – Bhagavad Gita 6.40

[One who is engaged in auspicious activities, My friend, is never overcome by evil]

No sincere good soul can ever meet any adverse circumstance, 

na hi kalyāṇa-kṛt kaścid

So kalyana maya, mangala maya must be within the throne of our heart. We shall install that kalyana maya. Goodness itself for Him we must install in our heart. The corresponding response cannot but be good. The plane of life [we are in] may be such by His grace, so we may live in that plane of life. 

Why are you troubling yourself in the undesirable plane? Come to My plane of love, and live happily.