Krsna
jñānam asti tulitaṃ ca tulāyāṃ
prema naiva tulitaṃ tu tulāyām
siddhir eva tulitātra tulāyāṃ
kṛṣṇa-nāma tulitaṃ na tulāyām
Knowledge, yes, that can be quantified,but love can never be quantified.Now, yogic powers, they can be quantified,but Kṛṣṇa's name cannot be quantified.
(Śrī Śrīdhara Svāmī, Padyāvalī 15)
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Prayer for a Pandemic
This is a beautiful meditation for the time we're in right now. We have to remember that this is happening for us and not to us. It's written by an anonymous author. ~ Be safe, be well, be blessed, Rukmini Walker.
~Author Unknown
May we who are merely inconvenienced Remember those whose lives are at stake.
May we who have no risk factors Remember those most vulnerable.
May we who have the luxury of working from home Remember those who must chose between preserving their health or making their rent.
May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close Remember those who have no options.
May we who have to cancel our trips Remember those that have no safe place to go.
May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market Remember those who have no margin at all.
May we who settle in for a quarantine at home Remember those who have no home.
As fear grips our country, Let us choose love. During this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other, Let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors.
Amen.
Nityananda Trayodasi Meditation 2
~by Śrīla Vṛndāvanadāsa Ṭhakura
Gauracandra has candidly proclaimed that Nityānanda Svarūpa is God.
By Nityānanda's grace one may know Gauracandra. By Nityānanda's grace one may understand his devotees. By Nityānanda's grace, one's criticism of others will cease. By Nityānanda's grace one gains devotion to the Lord.No criticism of others flows from the mouth of Nityānanda's servants. Day and night, with great joy, they sing the fame of Caitanya. Nityānanda's devotees are always attentive.Caitanya is the treasure of Nityānanda's servants' lives. A little piety does not make one a servant of Nityānanda---indeed, Gauracandra himself is revealed to them! [...]All glory to Nityānanda, whose shelter is Gauracandra! All glory, all glory to Nityānanda, who [as Ananta] has a thousand mouths! All glory to the king of Gauḍa, Nityānanda Rāya!Who can obtain Caitanya without your grace? He who loses a Lord like Nityānanda will not find joy anywhere for as long as he lives.Will that day come when I will see Caitanya and Nityānanda together, surrounded by their followers?The Lord of my Lord is the beautiful Gaurāṅga---this is the great hope I harbour in my heart. [...]Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and Nityānandacandra are my very life. Thus, I, Vṛndāvanadāsa, sing the glories of their feet.(Śrīla Vṛndāvanadāsa Ṭhakura, Caitanya-bhāgavata 2.22.134-148)-------------------------------------Happy Nityānanda Trayodaśī!All the best,Rukmini Walker
“Blessings”
with Br. David Steindl-Rast
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDoNHGnJLwU&feature=emb_title[/embed]
Damodarastakam prayers
Click below to listen to a beautiful recording of Gaura Vani and Sri Vani Devi Dasi together singing the Damodarastakam prayers. Every year for one month we offer a special 8 verse prayer to Krishna called Damodarastakam. It is sung either in the morning or the evening along with the offering of a ghee lamp.This year, the month of Damodar ends on November 11 and the last five days from November 7 until the 11th are called Bhisma Pancaka and they are the most important of all. I hope you enjoy the recording.All the best,Rukmini [embed]https://soundcloud.com/iskconofdc/sri-damodarastakam-gaura-vani-and-srivani-devi-dasi[/embed]
The Price of a Ticket Back Home: Meditations Part One
The month of Kartik which is dedicated to Srimati Radharani begins on Monday, Oct. 14th. Here are some priceless meditations to inspire you for the month of Kartik from my dear friend and sister Srimati who lives in Sri Vrndavan Dham. ~ Rukmini Walker
The mega-merciful month of Karttika is fast approaching each and every one of us. Are we ready for it? Some of us may be – especially if we are painfully aware of our crucial need for a heavy dose of causeless mercy – and we know something of Karttika’s boundless grace and potency. In that case, we may well be already planning our Karttika “mercy-begging” schedule to attract the blessings of Sri Krishna:
- No sweets for the whole month
- 25 rounds every day for the month
- No criticism for the month
So many ideas and plans may come to mind....And, of course, we can’t afford to forget the 16th villasa of Hari-bhakti-vilasa which deals exclusively and extensively with Karttika and Karttika-vrata.
~Inspiration for a Successful Karttika~
[perfectpullquote align="full" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""] "I surrender myself at the lotus feet of Their Lordships, Sri Sri Radha - Damodara. Sri Damodara is the predominating Lord of the month of Karttika. By His influence, the month of Karttika has become glorious." -- Excerpt from the Sri Hari-Bhakti-Vilasa of Srila Sanatana Gosvamī; HBV 16.1 [/perfectpullquote]
Meditating on the Divine Feminine ~ Sri Radha
by Rukmini Walker
Friday, September 6th is the holy Appearance Day of Sri Radha, Lord Krsna's divine feminine counterpart. Here is some explanation of who exactly she is, as quoted from Sri Caitanya Caritamrita, Adi Lila 4.96-98:
A most joyous Radhastami to you all!
Following is a beautiful recording of the poem Radhar ki hoilo antare byetha written by Chandhi Das one of Lord Chaitanya's favorite poets, sung by Srivani devi dasi.
I hope you enjoy it!
[audio m4a="http://www.urbandevi.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Radhar-ki-hoilo-antare-byetha.m4a"][/audio]
Radhar Ki Hoilo Antare Byetha
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Radhar ki hoilo antare byetha
Boshiya birole thakoye ekale
Naa shone kaharo katha
Sadai dhyane chahe megho pane
Naa chole nayoner tara
Biroti ahare rangabash pore
Jemote jogini para
Elaiya beni fuler o gathuni
Dekhoye khashaye chuli
Hasito bayane chahe megho pane
Ki kahe du hatha tuli
Ek dithhi kori mayur mayuri
Kantha kore nirikhone
Chandidas koy naba porichoy
Kaliya bandhuro sane
TRANSLATION:
Radhar ki hoilo antare byetha
(What is the cause of Radha’s heartache)
Boshiya birole thakoye ekale
(Sitting by Herself)
Naa shone kaharo katha
(She does not listen to anyone)
Sadai dhyane chahe megho pane
(In deep meditative mood she stares at the clouds)
Naa chole nayoner tara
(Her eyes aren’t moving)
Biroti ahare rangabash pore
(She doesn’t eat or dress up)
Jemote jogini para
(Her appearance is that of a hermit)
Elaiya beni fuler o gathuni
(Flowers from Her hair are falling off)
Dekhoye khashaye chuli
(Her hair is disheveled)
Hasito bayane chahe megho pane
(With a smiling face, She looks at the rain clouds)
Ki kahe du hatha tuli
(She raises her arms in obeisance)
Ek dithhi kori mayur mayuri
Kantha kore nirikhone
(She looks intently at the peacock and peahen’s neck)
Chandidas koy naba porichoy
Kaliya bandhuro sane
(Chandidas says “this is the effect of Radha’s new found love for Krishna”)
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ReTreat Yourself!
Elizabeth is a communications consultant who is active with her Episcopal Church here in Washington, DC. She also loves kirtan, the call and response chanting of the many holy names of God in our Bhakti tradition. Actually, the Biblical instruction to make a joyful noise unto the Lord transcends all religious boundaries. Here's what Elizabeth has to say about her multicultural experience on retreat. ~ All the best, Rukmini Walker
I might be a retreat junkie. I’ve been on two already this summer. At home, my prayer life is at best irregular. Getting some time away from distraction, to read and learn and reflect, is sustenance.
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Elizabeth Terry is a communications consultant based in Washington, DC. She is a parishioner at All Souls Episcopal Church in Washington.
NECTAR PRAYERS: RAMA NAMA
It is well known that the Lord’s name is the most compassionate - even more merciful than the Lord´s form. Here is an ancient prayer to Lord Rama’s name, which I found in one of my many notebooks where I had written down numerous gems of inspiration.
~ Sacinandana Swami, April 2012
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