November Feelings
All the best
July Feelings
All the best
Ultimate Life Hacks from the Bhagavad Gita
All the best,The Greatest Gift
by Rukmini Walker
"The greatest gift we can give is thanksgiving. In giving gifts, we give what we can spare, but in giving thanks we give ourselves." - Brother David Steindl-Rast
I’ve been feeling a bit disgruntled the last few days, thinking about the upcoming annual American Thanksgiving Day. My idea of thanksgiving is to invite over all our stray friends who have nowhere else to go during a time like this. So many dear friends are away from home and family, and alone at this time of year.But our wise Maryland governor has asked us all to refrain from Thanksgiving gatherings at this time during a peak in Covid cases. We will respect his advice.But the true spirit of Thanksgiving is sacred and can’t be canceled by any pandemic or government ordinance. This is the spirit of Vasudeva Kutumbakam- the world is one family… My well being is directly tied to our well being. We’re in this together and we’ll get through this together.All the best, Rukmini Walker
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
The Moods of Love in Separation of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
Gaura Purnima, March 9-10, 2020
These are a string of verses, spoken by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in a mood of deep separation and longing for Lord Krsna. They are quoted toward the end of the Sri Caitanya Caritamrita by its author, Srila Krsnadas Kaviraj Goswami. I bow to the beauty and depth of these verses on this 533rd anniversary of His appearance in this world.
“The ring of Krsna’s rasa-lila, manufactured by Sukadeva Goswami, the most auspicious craftsman, is as pure as an earring made from a conchshell. The yogi of my mind is wearing that earring upon his ear. From a gourd, he has carved out a bowl of my aspirations, and he has taken a bag of my expectations on his shoulder.”
“The yogi of my mind wears the torn quilt of anxiety on his body, which is covered with dust and ashes. His only words are, “Alas, Krsna!” He wears twelve bangles of distress and a turban of greed on his head. Because he has not eaten anything, he is very thin.”
“The great yogi of my mind always studies the poetry and discussions of Lord Krsna’s Vrndavan pastimes. In Srimad Bhagavatam and other scriptures, great saintly yogis like Vyasadeva and Sukadeva Goswami have described Lord Krsna as the Supersoul, beyond all material contamination.”
“The mystic yogi of my mind has assumed the name Mahabaula and made disciples of my ten senses. Thus my mind has gone to Vrndavan, leaving aside the home of my body and the great treasure of material enjoyment.”
“In Vrndavana, he goes from door to door begging alms with all his disciples. He begs from the moving and the inert inhabitants- the citizens, the trees and the creepers. In this way he lives on fruits, roots and leaves.”
“The gopis of Vrajabhumi (Vrndavana) always taste the nectar of Krsna’s attributes, His beauty, His sweetness, His aroma, the sound of His flute, and the touch of HIs body. My mind’s five disciples, the senses of perception, gather the remnants of that nectar from the gopis and bring them to the yogi of my mind. The senses maintain their lives by eating those remnants.”
“There is a solitary garden where Lord Krsna enjoys His pastimes, and in one corner of a pavilion of that garden, the yogi of my mind along with his disciples practices mystic yoga. Wanting to see Krsna directly, the yogi remains awake throughout the night, meditating on Krsna, who is the Supersoul, uncontaminated by the three modes of nature.”
“When my mind lost the association of Krsna and could no longer see Him, he became depressed and took up mystic yoga. In the void of separation from Krsna, he experienced ten transcendental transformations. Agitated by these transformations, my mind fled, leaving my body, his place of residence, empty. Thus I am completely in trance.”
When the gopis felt separation from Krsna, they experienced ten kinds of bodily transformations. These same symptoms appeared in the body of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
I place my head at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, on HIs holy appearance day today.
All the best,
Rukmini Walker
Observations from a Pilgrimage
~by Vegavati devi dasi
I’ve been fortunate enough to spend a couple of weeks in a very ‘happening’ place — Mayapura, in West Bengal, India. It is the gateway of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Though begun in what was a remote village setting, it is fast becoming a spiritual metropolis. Thousands of pilgrims come every month, and work is progressing on the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP), which is scheduled to open in 2022.
As ISKCON’s international hub, Mayapura is full of various eateries that have sprung up, and many who live in Mayapura share their cuisine with other residents and visitors, making ends meet in the process.My friend and I discovered a lunch spot, open weekdays, where a Lithuanian couple offers a healthy meal at a nominal price. One day, after lunch, I stayed a while and chanted. It was so pleasant, in an undisturbed village type of place. I soon became aware of two boys, playing nearby underneath a tree, speaking a language I couldn’t understand (later confirmed it was Lithuanian). Like characters from the Bhagavad Gita they had bows and arrows. Then I noticed one had climbed quite high in a tree. Boyhood fun. I was chanting on my beads. After some time, I heard one of them singing, over and over and over, a mantra I’d not heard before, different names for God. Acyuta Kesava Krishna Damodara / Namo Narayana Janaki-Pallava. It was so beautiful, and the natural setting so simple, I just thought ‘what a wonderful way to grow up.’ And oddly, it was not at all far removed from Mayapura’s hustle and bustle.Whether one is an extrovert, and becomes enlivened by exchanges with many people, or prefers a quieter, more inward-looking type of environment, or a mix of the two, with sincere desire, one can find a suitable place to move forward in spiritual life, glorifying the Supreme Lord.
The Law of Opposites
-by Rukmini Walker
“This universe, O Supreme One! Is a most weird abode!”
(Bhaktivinode Thakur, in Saranagati)
In this world, everything seems to be different from the way it appears. Reality seems to be the opposite of what I see.
It seems that the more I chase pleasure, the more I feel pain. The more I seek honor, the more I can become dishonored. But then, we see those who dwell in humility, become those who are uplifted.
Our lives appear so permanent, but, in fact, time rushes by us, as the Gita says, “engaging all people”.
Our pleasures are fleeting, and when we try to hang on to them, they sift through our fingers like dry sand.
We hear that all things must pass. Is there anything of substance, anything of sustenance at all in this world?
On the path of Bhakti, we hear that there is another nature beyond this world of change and decay.
Our eternal nature is of that world, beyond this world--the name, form and qualities of God, Sri Krsna, descend as avatars from that world of reality to call us back, to awaken us to our real selves.
Can I call out in love with my whole heart? With an inkling of hope… Please carry me beyond this world where the law is of opposites!
O my Lord Krsna, I am Yours! Please accept me! I am Your eternal servant, but I have been wandering in opposition to my real nature. Wandering in this cycle of birth and death for so many eons of time, and I have forgotten You. Please accept me! When shall I see You again?
All the best,
Rukmini Walker
THE INSPIRATION LIST
-By Sacinandana Swami
1) CHANT with absorption, knowing Krishna listens to the voice of your chanting.
2) RELISH the Srimad Bhagavatam every day and share what struck ‘you’ with others.
3) Let go of your fear – SURRENDER! By conscientiously choosing small acts for the pleasure of the Lord, you build a strong bridge of surrender that eventually brings you to Him.
4) LISTEN to the saints, every day.
5) CHOOSE good friends and dare to talk with them of things you are usually silent about.
6) Don’t become attached. REMAIN CLEAR. You are a citizen of the spiritual world, staying only a short time in the guesthouse of planet earth.
7) Know that in GIVING and not taking, the real treasures of life are coming to you.
8) Learn to THINK thoughts that give you energy.
9) Find that small spark in your heart, and then ACT OUT OF LOVE rather than duty.
Radical Forgiveness
-by Denise Mihalik
Years ago a family member was admitted several times to a local mental health facility, and it was an incredibly challenging time for all of us. For years and years following, I avoided driving past the hospital, and when I had to, uncontrolled hurt, anger and grief would rise to the surface, and I would be lost in memories and regrets. At the mere mention of the institution’s name, I would grimace and shut down the conversation. I didn’t realize how much negativity I was clinging to and how that clinging was affecting my mental wellbeing. One day, a friend innocently mentioned that this facility was having a staff wellness fair and that I should consider offering sound healing sessions there. From the emotional state I just described, you can only imagine my reaction. I colorfully declined. My friend let it go.A year later, a doctor from the hospital randomly reached out to me via email to invite me to offer sessions at the very same fair. I hesitated and took a breath. “Would it hurt to speak with someone about it?” I thought. I called and had a candid conversation with the organizer who was a social worker there. I shared with her some of my pain while she offered her perspective from her own heartbreak for clients and families. This helped to loosen my defensive barriers, and I was able to look beyond old pain and begin the healing process.A few months later, I walked into the hospital with my heart pounding and breath short. I saw the needs of the staff and began to connect and offer sessions. Healing was had by all, myself included. Five years later, we continue a respectful and special relationship.I share this story, not to be lauded for my heroic healing, but because, it’s my guess, that I'm not the only one who’s had to go through the process of radical forgiveness. May this encourage you in some way to continue forward in growth and expansion.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/
Last Moments in Mindfulness?
I was in a small satsang this morning at our temple in Potomac, Maryland with Ananda, our community president, Giri, our resident wise man, Kim, our kirtan angel, and Adrianna, our Russian friend.
Giri was quoting from a story he’d read once by Dostoyevsky. He didn’t remember the name of it. It was back in the fog of his past life’s tomes.
In the story, a man had been sentenced to execution. As he traveled by horse-drawn carriage to the guillotine (or was it a hanging?), time seemed to slow, as he saw at the distant horizon the place of his death, many blocks ahead of him on the road.
In the almost frozen last framed moments of his life, he was present to each sensation, mindful that each would be his last the call of a bird, the creaking wheels of the carriage, the mood of the sky…
Is being mindful in the moment enough? Is there a place of permanence and solace beyond this moment? In the moments of my conscious life, and in the last moments of my life, where will I rest my shelter-seeking heart?
The Gita is not vague or impersonal in its prescriptions for our ultimate maladies:
[perfectpullquote align="full" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""] For those who see Me everywhere and see everything in Me, I am never lost, nor are they ever lost to Me… (Bhagavad Gita 6.30) And whoever, at the end of life, quits her body remembering Me alone at once attains my nature. Of this there is no doubt. (Bhagavad Gita 8.5) [/perfectpullquote]
All the best to you in all the moments of your life,
Rukmini Walker
Gaura Purnima 2019
March 21st in the holy Appearance Day of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In the Gaudiya Vaisnava tradition, He is considered to be a combined form of the divine feminine, Sri Radha, and the divine masculine, Sri Krsna.Here is a backstory of how that came to be:One day, Krsna sat beside Radhika in the forest of Vrndavan. Taking one of her hands in His, He pleaded. "Please give me something special today..."Inwardly, Sri Radha's heart melted at His request, but outwardly, she concealed her secret mind with a studied silence. Speaking no words, but by the tilt of her head, her sidelong glance, and the sign language of her lotus hand, she invited Krsna to tell her what he wanted. And Sri Krsna eagerly obliged her silent invitation with an outburst: "Please give me your love!"
Radha smiled and responded playfully. "Aho, but Krsna, this love of mine would be too heavy for You to bear."Just then, the best of Sri Radha's devoted girlfriends, the saucy Lalita, chimed in,"Radha's love would be too heavy for You, Krsna. You should know how intense it is when You are not near, her anxiety knows no limit. And though we try our best, no remedy can be found to assuage her distress. We anoint her body, blazing from the fire of separation, with cooling sandalwood paste, but the sandalwood flies from her limbs like dry leaves of paper. We bid her to lie on a shaded bed we prepared, strewn with dampened lotus petals, but the fragrant petals are in incinerated by the fever of her longing. So, it is true, none but the Queen of Vraja could bear that weight. It would be too heavy for You.Hearing these words, Krsna grabbed hold of Radharani's other hand, and with tears coming from His lotus eyes, implored once more: "But I cannot live without tasting the nectar of this love!"Astonished by joy, Sri Radha broadly smiled, and as if orchestrated by her heartbeat, all of Vraja fell silent, eavesdropping to hear her jubilant declaration. "All right, beloved. I will give you this love You crave. But there's something more. You will need the sanctuary of my golden complexion to shield your beautiful blackish body, because the intensity of my love will cause You to stumble and fall. And without the protection of my golden effulgence, you would be bruised. This golden hue will indemnify You instantly, no harm will come to ever overtake Your soft body, which is more dear to me than life itself."So Krsna was concealed by the molten gold of Sri Radha's dazzling complexion, which causes Him to adopt her mood and inner disposition. His limbs began to tremble and dance in jubilation, and He began to cry out, as Radha does, "O Krsna, where are You? Where are you? O ascendant moon risen from the dynasty of Nanda Maharaj and Yasoda? O beloved of my life breath, where are You? As soon as Krsna possessed and was possessed by this love, His amorous cries transformed the landscape: the stones within earshot melted in ecstasy; the trees began to dance; and the ardour of the love He felt caused Him to crash down like a tree torn from the earth by a gale, and cast to the ground. And then it was that Sri Radha's beautiful golden effulgence protected Him, as she had promised... This is the notion of Gauranga Mahaprabhu found in the line of Rupa and Raghunath..."(This story appears in Narahari Cakravarti's 18th Century Narottama-vilasa)I wish you a most joyous Gaura Purnima, Appearance day of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!May Lord Caitanya be in your hearts and minds!
All the best,
Rukmini Walker
The Ecology of Mata Sita
Presented at the Global Peace Initiative for Women Conference, March 7-9, Varanasi, India
--by Rukmini Walker
OM…
Each morning, before placing my first foot on the floor, I say a prayer to Mother Earth, a prayer from the Bhakti tradition:
samudra vasane devi
parvata sthana mandite
vishnupatni namas tubhyam
dehi male tu prartaye
Oh Mother Earth! You are holding the oceans and the mountains, you are the wife of Vishnu, today, as I begin my day, please forgive me for putting my feet upon you.
Today, Sita, in the form of Mother Earth, is being plundered by the ten-headed Ravana. With his ten heads, he conjures up denials to dismiss, deceive and delude our world into a state of dangerous slumber like the captive, sleeping beauties in his harem.
Ravana lives in the external world around us today. He also lives within us when we step out of the “laksman rekha”, the circle of divine protection and connectedness.
Sita is the divine goddess, the origin of Mother Earth, she is God in the feminine aspect. She will never submit, She is Ram’s other self. She will never consent to join Ravana’s harem or be molested by him.
The earth, and the powerful mountains and rivers are able to regenerate themselves when they are held sacred and allowed to flow freely. When they are not damned by being damned up or desecrated by man’s intervention. The earth is a sacred goddess, Sri Bhumi Devi. Her gifts cannot be regarded as simply commodities, or even resources to be exploited by the human world.
The Pyramids of Power in our culture are collapsing. Our leaders mislead us, and the general mass of people simply follow. We must work for environmental protection, both locally and globally.
But like Ravana, we ourselves can easily fall into dangerous patterns of motivation by lust, anger, greed, envy, etc.
Unless we clear the contamination within the ecology of our own hearts, then no matter how many rivers, mountains, and oceans we clean up, the contamination will just revert back, because the root cause of it is the untamed desire for over accumulation and greed within our own hearts.
We must reject the anthropocentric world view where human beings claim false proprietorship over all the world. We must create new networks of understanding the divine inter-connectivity of all that exists.
We must invert the ecological pyramid, and, in humility, place the sanctity of the earth, the oceans, the mountains, the animals, the trees, and the grass, as the ideal, and submit ourselves to the lowest place, where we, as humans, are meant to serve all others.
Sita, in her form as Bhumi Devi, Mother Earth, is sacred prakriti, or the divine shakti energy of Ram the purusha, the holder of divine energy, the shaktiman.
The wisdom books of Bhakti teach that just as the sunshine and the sun are never separated there is no meaning to one without the other, in the same way, Sita, the energy, the divine Shakti, and Ram, the energetic source, the shaktiman, can never be separated.
We ourselves, as unlimited jiva souls, in the forms of humans, animals, aquatics, trees, grass, and all that live in nature are expanded from Sita, from her divine energy. Sita is Ram’s pleasure potency, and we belong to her. Like Bhakta Hanuman, we are also meant to serve, to give pleasure to Sita and Ram in gratitude to them as our original and divine Source.
When we, like Ravana, try to usurp Sita for our own selfish purposes, when we try to dominate the earth, we ourselves, like Ravana, will be destroyed.
The path of Bhakti, is meant to assist the devotee, Hanuman, in returning Sita to her beloved Ram. The treasures of the earth are meant to be offered up in devotion to Ram, their original Source, in a consciousness of eco-bhakti.
Sri Isopanisad says: [perfectpullquote align="full" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""] “Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by Divinity, (by Ram, Krsna, Allah, Jehovah, By the One Who is known, in so many places, by so many names). One should therefore, accept only those things necessary for oneself, which are set aside as one’s allotted share, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to Whom they belong. (Isopanisad, Mantra One)” [/perfectpullquote]In this way, we living beings, and all elements of nature regain our original spiritual identity, through reconnecting to our Source. Everything that exists is situated in the brahmajyoti, the brilliant rays of the spiritual body of God.
When we try to usurp the energy of God for our own self-centered agenda, then the jyoti becomes covered by a veil of illusion, called maya, or, “that which is not”. This material veil can be removed by spiritual consciousness. Matter reconnected to serving the Absolute regains its original spiritual quality. Bhakti is the process for converting this illusory consciousness into Brahman, or the Supreme.
In this way, with the arrows of our love, we can begin to slay the illusions both within ourselves and in the world that have been conjured up by the ten-headed demon Ravana. All the world rejoices when Sita is again reunited with her Ram!
Thank you very much!
All the best,
Rukmini Walker
Not a Blade of Grass Moves Without the Will of the Lord
This raw and poignant piece was written by a dear devotee friend of mine. My friend Sudharma has seen her path set with thorns. Yet, she faces each day with a mood of gratitude, despite the difficulties she and her daughter face. I have always admired her strength and determination. And now, I find that this strength has transformed into an ability to yield, and surrender to her Lord, to Krsna. She is looking to find her resolution in a love for a higher power beyond us all, by whichever name we may choose to call it. -- Rukmini Walker
--by Sudharma Dasi
There are so many wonderful aspects to life, and so much to be grateful for. Though, surprisingly, sometimes the greatest gratitudes are to be found in the face of sorrow and adversity. Life is not always what it seems. And it never turns out how you think it will.[perfectpullquote align="right" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""] "A part of us has to die to transform; and a part of us dies if we don't. Which part will prevail?" --Jett Psaris [/perfectpullquote]I’ve learned this first hand. Throughout my life, I’ve had wonderful opportunities and experiences. I’ve travelled a good portion of the globe, and met incredible people. I’ve met famous people, intelligent people and my most favorite of all, poor charitable people who would literally give you the shirt off their back. I’ve hiked in the Himalayas, partied in England, travelled, swam and ate my way through Italy, lived in Hong Kong, and had incredible friends. Not to mention and most worthwhile of all is that I’ve been able to do all of this while absorbed in devotional yoga, in Krishna consciousness, due to the mercy of my Spiritual Master, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.So you never expect that things can change on a dime, but they do.
I was living with my youngest daughter and husband, when my husband felt a pain in his side and had to go to the hospital. One week later, my husband had passed away as my 14 year old daughter and many family friends stood by his side. It was a devastating experience. I thought life as I knew it had changed and I questioned if i would ever be able to raise my head to greet the sun or smile again. But having had a life of taking shelter of the Lord and feeling his reciprocation, there was also a deep experience of travelling the thin line between life and death and feeling secure that my husband was well cared for. How you feel and sense these things, I don’t know. But it is a genuine experience.My friends were by my side, and in full support, in ways I could never have imagined. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for more, as we wanted for little, were relieved of all arrangements for my husband’s passing, and were able to go, both my daughter and I, to place my husband’s ashes in India’s holy rivers. Everything and more being cared for by a community of well wishers.But, when it rains, it pours.It was only a few short weeks after returning from this incredible journey to Italy and India that my youngest daughter received a diagnosis of a terrible terminal illness.Trembling in my friend’s home, I could see nothing but evil and suffering ahead in our futures as my young teenage daughter faced a life of tumor growth, hearing loss, spinal surgery and more. How could anything good come from such a predicament? I became very reclusive and spent most of my time at home. My phone stopped ringing and friends stopped dropping by as it seems like the combined loss, culminating in the illness of my child was just more than even my most dedicated friends could absorb. We are all so very vulnerable and there is only so much pain people can take in.
But, one day, on the encouragement of a friend, I went to the temple. It was overwhelming for me to be there. I didn’t want to see anyone as I was afraid people would ask, ‘how are you doing’. So I went and sat before the Deities, present there on the altar, picked up my japa beads, and quietly chanted the Lord’s names. And as I was sitting there, I felt like I was being asked, ‘why aren’t you smiling?” Hmmph, I thought, and turned to my Lord. How could I be smiling?We may know and have some experience that the Lord is in our heart, and that we can always turn to him. But we may not always experience that every moment of our day. But in that temple room, in that moment, at a time when I most needed it...something happened. The Lord has a way of making His presence felt. And I walked out of that temple room with a smile on my face, rejuvenated, and even happy again, from very deep within.
That feeling stayed with me. And for many years to come, I would be able, time and time again, to recall that experience and again turn to the Lord of my heart, and feel the warmth of his presence, feel uplifted, and take shelter. Krishna, somehow, was letting me know that I was not alone, that he was there for me, and that I could count on Him, and believe in Him, and that everything really was just fine.It was still to be many years before my friends were in my life on a more regular basis. And this was a painful experience for me. But it also become an important, life changing experience for me, as it was important and necessary to learn where my shelter actually was. I needed to let my faith grow. You can’t fake these things. Not when you face such very real adversity. My heart has softened.
Though, life is still anything but perfect.
My daughter, now 24, is still ill. But through this illness, alongside multiple surgeries, weeks in the ICU, months in rehab hospitals, chemotherapy and radiation, she has travelled to India, South America, England, France, Iceland, Hungary, and Italy several times, She is currently enrolled in a PHd program in the English department at the University of Florida, with an emphasis on the study of disability in literature. and is becoming a voice for understanding disability and disavowing ableism, something we should all understand more of. And, she takes care of me. (and I her, to some degree) People always ask how she is doing in hopes that she is doing better. But there is no cure and little treatment for this progressive, chronic illness and she is having to deal with its effects, every moment, every day of her life.As for me, the sorrow and stress of these events in my life has caused my heart to fail, and as a result, my kidneys have failed as well. I am on dialysis, and have to be extremely careful how I live each day. But I feel lighter in my heart. My meditations come so naturally, and much more readily. And yes, my friends are back in my life as well. And, did I mention feeling grateful. For this is a genuine experience of almost every moment in my days. I am no longer sure what has been more beneficial in my life, my happiness or my distress. Because through this intense experience that I would not wish on another, or myself again, I have experienced what it means to be confident, at least significantly more so, in my own, individual relationship with the Lord.
We all have our own journeys in life, and we must all walk the path that life has set for us. But on that journey, we will experience and learn many things, as long as we are open to them. I know now that I can take shelter, and turn to the Lord. And I am far more comfortable with my vulnerabilities.My attitude, sense control and ability to take shelter come to me by the Lord’s mercy, and it is a relief to know I am not the controller of my life and the world around me. And from that position, I can see God in my life more readily. I can easily see and live in the understanding that not a blade of grass moves without the will of the Lord, that he is in the heart of every being, and that he loves each and every one of us most dearly and is guiding us all from within.It’s not that things are better in this world per se, but they are better in my heart. And these spiritual understandings continue to build within and have a life of their own. I know that the Lord lets me make choices, and it’s not so much now about right and wrong, but rather about cultivating love for Him, our best friend and well wisher, and love for all of you, for everyone of us is special, and has something special to offer, something special to give. And I am grateful for every moment I have, for every well wisher I have, for every word I read from our devotional literature, for every experience in life, and for every utterance of the Lord’s name that I peacefully and happily utter.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I have found, something I hope others can find as well, that the Lord is always there for us. That he overlooks our weaknesses and faults, if we are earnest and just turn to him. That he is only looking for our love. And I would ask, dear reader, that without going through as much tribulation, that we may all share these experiences. That our hearts may soften, our hearts and voices may rise together and that we may all experience a love for the soul in each other and heartfelt devotion to the Lord of us all.
The Crest Jewel of Mad Holy Men
Blog Post, Feb. 17th, 2019
On February 18th, we are celebrating the Appearance of Sri Nityananda, the beloved brotherly associate of Sri Caitanya in His pastimes five hundred years ago. We call it ‘appearance’ because it’s said that liberated personalities don’t take birth the way ordinary people do.
In the Caitanya Bhakti tradition, Sri Caitanya is considered to be a combined form of Sri Radha and Sri Krsna. God is One, but in order to exchange pastimes of love, He expands into two as Radha and Krsna. But then, as Krsna, He finds Himself as a loss He sees that Radha is experiencing more joy in Their relationship than He Himself. Her selfless love in devotion defeats His love. So He appears in a combined form Radha and Krsna combined together as Sri Caitanya. One becomes two, and then one again, and all for the purpose of churning out loving pastimes.
As Sri Caitanya, He appears as an exemplary devotee. He is our teacher, and we learn the heights of loving devotion from Him. As the Caitanya avatar, He has two purposes:
- To teach the chanting of the Holy Names of Lord Krsna without discrimination to anyone and everyone.
- To exhibit Sri Radha’s the unparalleled love for Sri Krsna to the world.
Just as Radha and Krsna exchange in conjugal love, there are other rasas, other tastes of loving exchange.Bhakti exists in relationship. Even God, in His different avatars is worshipping his relationships with devotees as master to servant; friend to friend; child to parent; and lover to beloved.At the time of Sri Caitanya, five hundred years ago, his most extraordinary associate named Sri Nityananda roamed throughout India, until he met up with his beloved Caitanya in Sridham Mayapur, West Bengal when they were both in their youth. When they met, they embraced, and their spontaneous recognition and affection for each other was reawakened.They immediately and ecstatically recognized each other as brothers from their previous incarnations. When He comes as Ram, His beloved brother is Lakshman. When He comes as Krsna, His dearest brother comes as Balarama. When He comes as Sri Caitanya, his brother appears as Sri Nityananda.When God appears in His different avatars, He appears to bless the holy people and bring down those who create disturbance in the world. (See Bhagavad Gita As It Is 4.7 and 4.8)But when He appears as Sri Caitanya, His only purpose is to give compassion without discrimination. But still, His associate Sri Nityananda, is considered to surpass Him in compassionate dealings. His pastimes are most extraordinary- one never knows what he will do next. He is the original guru, who brings us to true understanding of God.He is called ‘Avadhuta Shiromani’, the crest jewel of mad holy men, and we can achieve the mercy of Sri Caitanya by taking shelter of his lotus feet.To read more about Sri Nityananda, please click on this link to see ISKCON News: Nityananda Prabhu- The Embodiment of Compassion If you'd like to find out more about Sri Nityananda and Sri Caitanya, please read Sri Caitanya Caritamrita, by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
All the best,Rukmini Walker
The Golden Creeper of Bhakti
In January, some of our dear friends, Rachel, Daniel, Laura, and Youssef accepted initiation into the line of Bhakti. Initiation is a formal acceptance to follow one’s chosen teacher who comes down in a line of teachers from antiquity. It’s something like formally enrolling in a university, after informally auditing classes. Except it’s a bit more: It’s a lifelong commitment.
[perfectpullquote align="full" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""] Bhagavad Gita 4.34 describes the process: Just try to earn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth. [/perfectpullquote]
Bhakti is compared to a delicate fruit. Such a fruit can’t be thrown from the top branches of a tall tree. It must be handed down with great care, hand to hand from wise teacher to receptive disciple or the knowledge can be spoiled or misapplied.
Another metaphor is sometimes given: If a man is potent and a woman is fertile, then a pregnancy can occur. Potent seeds of Bhakti can sprout in a fertile heart.
At an initiation, like a marriage, certain vows are taken. Vows meant to be kept for a lifetime. Except, traditionally, in a wedding, they would say, “til death do us part”. I guess, with the divorce rate what it is today, people are finding that difficult.
But at an initiation, the guru promises to come back life after life, if necessary, to deliver the disciple to the lotus feet of Lord Krsna. Of course, a sincere disciple does not want to cause a beloved teacher such a problem. Better to take it seriously and end the cycle of repeated birth and death in this very life.
So Rachel has become Radha Priti; Daniel is now Damodar Swarup; Laura is now Lalita Kisori; and Youssef has become Yamuna Bihari. These are all names of Radha, or dear devotees of Radha and Krsna, or Lord Caitanya.
At the end of a woman’s name comes the two words: Devi Dasi. Radha is the original Devi, and we are all Her dasis, Her servants. Men get the name “Das”, or “servant” at the end of their names.
In Bhakti, we seek to serve all living beings as the servant of the servant of their servants. In Bhakti, the Pyramid of Power is inverted. Rather than trying to become King or Queen of the Hill, like water, we try to seek the lowest place, we seek to serve. We seek the power to yield, the power to surrender to the Original Source of all that be, Sri Krsna.
The potent seeds of Bhakti are given by the combined mercy of the Guru and Krsna. Sri Krsna is the Tree of Life, Sri Radha is the Golden Creeper of Devotion who embraces that tree. She is Krsna’s pleasure potency, we are expanded from Her potency, meant to also give pleasure. We are like the leaves and branches of that golden creeper, meant to bear delicious fruits and fragrant flowers of devotion.
Please join me in offering all these serious aspirants your heartfelt prayers for their pilgrim’s progress!
All the best,
Rukmini Walker
The Flower Festival
February 1st, 2019
O Love! Thy power and spell benign
Now melt my soul to God,
How can my earthly words describe
That feeling soft and broad?
(Bhaktivinode Thakur circa 1890)
It’s really impossible to describe in words the Flower Festival that’s held each year on the last Saturday of January at the Radha Gopinath temple here in Mumbai. But I strongly suggest you mark your calendar and try to be here next year, if it’s at all possible for you.Each year the temple is decorated differently. This year the background theme was white. Floor to ceiling fringes of white tuber rose, with its intoxicating fragrance, draping like curtains of beauty on the walls and the ceiling on all sides.
First comes the plucking. Many friends plucked generous donations of flowers from the stems of their bank accounts. I don't know how much one and a half tons of flower petals costs in Mumbai, but it must have been expensive. Deep gratitude to them! 
Then in the morning, we all sit together plucking flower petals and segregating them into baskets according to color. Red roses, golden marigolds, mums of every color…
Cross-legged on the floor are sitting multi-billionaire industrialists next to simple street sweepers. In Bhakti, all should be equal.
The monks who serve in this temple are required to complete their degrees and work at least a year in their field before they are eligible to live and serve here. They are engineers, professors, and MD’s and Phd’s of various stripes. And they are all steeped in the wisdom books of the Bhakti tradition.
In the evening, the festival begins when these learned monks become like little boys throwing fistfuls of flower petals from above and behind onto the temple deities of Sri Sri Radha Gopinath, until the deities are completely covered- buried in red, then yellow, then pink, then white fragrant arrays of flower petals.
T
hen the petals are again collected in baskets, now as sacred “prasad” having been offered to the Lord. Then from all the balconies above on all sides of the temple room, these petals are showered on all who are present, as grace, as manna from heaven.Then all hell (heaven?) breaks out as a loving war of petal throwing overtakes us all. All barriers are broken, all misunderstandings forgotten as we ourselves become the petals being thrown and offered to each other in waves of mirth and the joy of devotion. How can my earthly words describe it?
Click here for a short video clip of all the fun!
All the best,
Rukmini Walker
Living In The Season: Winter
~by Susan Weiser Mason
(Rukmini Walker's Sister)
Here in Damariscotta Mills the lake is frozen solid and expansion cracks groan in the frigid night air. The wind is bitter, and if I stay out too long I could put my life at risk.In the world of Five Element Acupuncture every season has an energetic texture that presents opportunities and tasks. What does winter invite, or demand? When days are short, I secure the evening with a fire, a book, a bath, and going to bed early. There is little excess activity, but then my children have grown. When it gets dark, I’m not inclined to leave the nest. For me, surrendering to the constraint of this season is both comforting and nourishing. As I understand it, winter calls us all to replenish our reserves, and that requires rest and self care. It is during this dark time that, drip by drip, somehow my reservoir starts to get filled up again. I remind myself that I must permit this to occur, knowing winter is foundational to the entire cycle of the seasons. I need patience, for changing gears is not without some resistance, but in the end I appreciate winter’s embrace and the opportunity to take refuge.Summer expansion is a well known phenomenon, and not a problem for me. My difficulty arises when I try to live the entire year as though it were summer. To insist on being productive all the time, and filling up every void and silent place is exhausting, especially in January. Depletion need not be the norm. We require adequate reserves. We need gas in the tank! The rest of the year depends on the reservoir we each build up in Winter.Consider the dormancy of trees! What looks like sleep is far more mysterious. It’s closer to a caterpillar’s chrysalis undergoing a wondrous transformation. Something powerful is at work here that’s not immediately apparent, and it’s at work in us, too! In time, the tree will be coiled and ready for the exuberant surge of Spring. How about us?In closing, I need to mention how anxiety can be an undercurrent that accompanies Winter. It may feel like an anticipatory fear that is alert to all things that could go wrong or come undone. Winter can amplify these feelings because it demands that we let go, and sit in a place of not knowing. But if this anxiety is left unchecked it can keep us spinning and derail our ability to settle into the essential task of winter, which is to rest and restore.On top of this, we now have an ambient anxiety floating around due in part to the unsettled and uncivil political landscape that promotes fear in order to disorient and manipulate. So protect yourself! Build your reserves and get strong! How else can you prepare to meet the challenge? Of course this ambient anxiety is not new. It has been the constant companion of marginalized peoples for centuries. But now that so many more of us are feeling threatened, surprise, it’s suddenly urgent. We are all living with the consequences of imbalance, and that tends to cause greater imbalance. Modest as it may seem, living intentionally in the seasons begins the real work of turning that imbalance towards the promise of health, for each of us and for our dear planet.
Susan Weiser Mason has been practicing Traditional Acupuncture in Midcoast Maine for twenty seven years. Susan earned a Master’s of Acupuncture degree from the Traditional Acupuncture Institute (now called Maryland University of Integrative Health). In 1986, she opened her Traditional Acupuncture private practice in Bath, Maine and moved to Nobleboro in 1989. She earned an advanced degree from the College for Traditional Acupuncture in England in 1989. Susan served on the board of the Maine Association for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine for many years and was involved in drafting the Maine Acupuncture Law in 1990. Since 1998, she has served on the teaching faculty of the Academy for Five Element Acupuncture in Gainsville, Florida. Learn more about her on her website here, or call #207-563-1571.
Kite-runners in Jaipur
Jaipur, India
January 8th, 2019
We are in India right now, in Jaipur, in the state of Rajasthan, (“the place of the rajas, or kings”). The Jaipur Kite Festival is starting soon, but delighted children are preempting its beginning from every rooftop in the neighborhood.
Colorful kites are soaring in the skies competing with the birds, and the surrounding trees are decorated with fallen kites - the ones that have crash landed. It looks like a sort of festive arial Christmas celebration.
I was curious to see whether it was only the boys who were the kite-runners, but we’re seeing little girls hoisting their kites into the air with equal skill, sometimes while trading a baby back and forth with her sister.
These are little kites, different from the larger ones we see in the West. These seem to require a clever skill, as the little masters tug and pull and make their kites fly high in the air spinning in tiny circles.
To catch a favorable breeze that sends a kite high into the air is partly the skill of the kite-runner, partly a gift of the wind.
What would it mean to be truly free, flying high in a joy of realization? And yet always grounded in humility, tethered by a string of grace, to the line of great teachers who’ve come before us.
In a moment, we can so easily come crashing down - becoming disconnected and entangled in so many leaves and branches of material desire and distraction.
Every offering we send up is a delicate balance between our sincere desire to love and serve; and a gift of God’s grace, lifting us up to heights that we could hardly have imagined before.
All the best,
Rukmini Walker
In Search of Govardhan
Devoted people come from all over the world to worship this holy place by performing parikram (circumambulation) around its fourteen mile perimeter. Some of them bow down flat on the ground with their arms extended in front of them. Then they mark the place where their fingers touched and move forward to the place that was marked to offer their obeisances again from that marked spot. In this way, worshipping the sacred place of Radha and Krsna's divine pastimes in humble circumambulation.
Govardhan is said to be shaped like a peacock, with the two most sacred lakes, Sri Radha Kund and Sri Shyam Kund as the two eyes of the peacock. As a seven-year-old child, Krsna is said to have lifted Sri Govardhan up as an umbrella as easily as a child might lift a tiny mushroom over his head. In order to protect His beloved residents of Vrndavan from a violent rain storm caused by the anger of Indra, the demigod in charge of rain, little Krsna held the hill aloft for seven days while the cows, cowherds and cowherd damsels (the gopies) happily took shelter underneath.
As the playground of the inconceivable, joyful and charming pastimes of Krsna in Vrndavan, Govardhan is considered to the greatest devotee of Krsna, fulfilling all of His desires by supplying grass for the cows, caves for secret play, and colorful unguents and minerals for decorating the face. Govardhan is also considered to be not different from Krsna Himself, in the same way that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is considered both a devotee and the Lord Himself playing as a devotee.
In Bhakti, we worship the relationships of Krsna with His devotees as more sacred than Krsna Himself. How can we believe such impossible things? Through the sweetness of rasa, or the tastes of relationship, all becomes revealed and, each day, still more sweet than it was the day before, through the medium of hearing about the ever-increasing love of the residents of Vrndavan. Beyond the rational mind, these pastimes begin to be felt through the heart of a sincere devotee who tries to hear about them with respect and love. Sri Giri Govardhan Kijaya!All the best,Rukmini Walker[embed]https://vimeo.com/143361519[/embed]