Lord Nityananda Appearance Day!
Those who are followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu will be honoring the holy Appearance Day of His dear most associate, Lord Nityananda on Monday, February 14th.Anyone who seeks the shelter of Lord Caitanya is advised to pray for the mercy of Lord Nityananda. When Lord Krsna appears, Lord Nityananda appears as His brother, Lord Balaram; when Lord Rama appears, Lord Nityananda appears as His brother Laksman.Lord Nityananda is considered the original guru, in that all gurus are expanded from him.Here, Andrea Suarez has told an enchanting version of the story of Lord Nityananda's deliverance of the fallen brothers, Jagai and Madhai for children both in English and then in Spanish. To watch, please click here: https://youtu.be/LtNUM6VMV3s; to watch in Spanish, please click here https://youtu.be/rI66AAMMhWUI pray that you and your children may all receive the unlimited blessings of Lord Nityananda and Lord Caitanya!
All the best,Rukmini Walker
Like Snow
Ananda Vrindavan is the Temple President of ISKCON of DC
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The Heart of the Sacred Feminine: An Introduction to Bhakti Yoga & the Goddess
About Ashley ElenbaasAshley is the proprietor of sky house herb school and apothecary. She teaches people about plants, lead wellness workshops and retreats, and spend copious amounts of time in the garden.
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To join Ashley you can find her on the following media platforms.Subscribe to this channel to stay up to date with new videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqHW...Sign up to my mailing list to stay updated on free webinars, virtual garden and herb walks, and other free content: http://www.skyhouseherbs.com/ Say hi on social:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashley.liteckyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/skyhouseherbs/ #SkyHouseHerbs #AshleyElenbaas
Expanding the Capacity to Hear: Reading a Devotional Text “Outside” the Vaishnava Tradition
In honor of the upcoming Christmas holiday, here is a paper written by a Vaisnava (that is one on the path of bhakti-yoga) scholar on the great early woman mystic of the Christian church, Lady Julian of Norwich. Please click on this link to view the paper. Dr. Kenneth Valpey (Krishna Ksetra Maharaj) wrote this paper for a seminar held by the Jesuit scholar, Dr. Frank Clooney called, "Christ in light of Hindu Theology".And a very Merry Christmas to all!All the best,Rukmini Walker
Christmas in the Ashram
One Who Completely Controls the Six Bad Qualities
In honor of Srila Prabhupada's disappearance day on Sunday, November 7, 2021.
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~by Rukmini Walker
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Srila Prabhupada as Vijita-Sad-Guna
One Who Completely Controls the Six Bad Qualities
Srila Prabhupada in his pastimes and dealings with every strata of person in the many cultures he visited, exhibited the most exemplary divine qualities. His life was fully engaged in the service of his beloved Lord Sri Krsna. Sometimes though, his dealings were also misunderstood.The six bad qualities are described as: lust (kama), anger (krodha), greed (lobha), illusion (moha), madness (mada), and envy (matsarya).The process of bhakti, as taught by Srila Prabhupada, and those great teachers who came before him in disciplic succession, is the process of transforming lust into love. Iron and gold are both metals, but iron is a base metal, whereas gold is precious, a noble metal. The transformative practice of bhakti is a mystical alchemical process. By redirecting our base iron-like desires to gratify our own senses by seeking to please the senses of Krsna, those same material senses become uplifted and sanctified as spiritual senses. Krsna, Who is known as Hrishikesh, is the actual Lord and owner of our senses. By redirecting our intentions and our actions, we can gradually transform our lust into pure love, as the mystics sought to turn iron into gold.How did Srila Prabhupada exhibit this alchemical transformation? Once he was asked if he could show some miracle. He responded by gesturing toward his Western disciples who were sitting in the room near him. He said, “These are my miracles!” He explained that our hearts, our actions, and the goals of our lives had been transformed from material addictions and pursuits (lust, or kama) to the goal of trying to love and please Krsna (love, or prema). By his association, by hearing from, and serving such a rare and pure devotee of the Lord, the desires of our hearts were mystically being transformed from iron into gold, from lust into love. Regarding anger, Hanuman, the perfect exemplar of service to Lord Sri Ram, perfectly deployed his anger in service to his beloved Lord. Hanuman lit the entire city of Lanka on fire in order to chastise the evil king Ravana for abducting Sita Devi, the divine consort and wife of Lord Sri Rama.On the Battlefield of Kurukshetra, Lord Sri Krsna spoke the seven hundred verses of Bhagavad Gita to incite his dear friend, Arjuna, to fight. Arjuna used his anger against those who were inimical to the divine plan of the Lord, that the righteous Yudhisthira be enthroned as king.Srila Prabhupada also occasionally exhibited the righteous use of anger. That is, anger engaged in the service of the Lord. Often this was misunderstood. During the time before Partition, when Gandhi was working for India’s independence from British rule, he regularly held prayer meetings in the evenings. A popular Hindi bhajan called, Vaisnava Janatho was often sung to close those meetings. After the assassination of Gandhi, this bhajan became all the more famous as it regularly played on the radios throughout India. It begins with the beautiful phrase: “One who is a Vaisnava knows the pain of others…” And closes with the words, “…a Vaisnava has renounced lust and all types of anger.”Because this bhajan was so well known to Hindi-speaking audiences, sometimes in India, people became alarmed when Srila Prabhupada occasionally exhibited appropriate anger. Anger can sometimes be deployed by someone in pure consciousness when an offense is committed to the Lord or His devotees, as was exhibited by both Hanuman and Arjuna, in their service to the Lord. When someone would expound a cheating philosophy, or behavior, or speak to deny the transcendental nature of the Lord, Srila Prabhupada could become like Hanuman’s fire that ravaged the city of Lanka.One night at a pandal festival in Mumbai, the kirtan had ascended to an ecstatic pitch. The devotees on the stage were all chanting, dancing, and jumping high in the air. On the following night, one of the organizers, a man standing at the front of the stage was trying to reproduce the previous night’s ecstatic mood by grabbing the feet of the ladies on the stage to force them to jump.Srila Prabhupada swooped down like a lion, deploying his kartals like a chakra to keep the man from grabbing the feet of the women disciples.Srila Prabhupada had not become a victim of his anger, nor was he being controlled by anger, as was misunderstood by those who don’t know the heart of a pure Vaisnava. Rather, he expertly mobilized his anger as an astra, a weapon for protecting his women disciples and teaching us all.Selfish greed, or lobha, for material things must be rejected, in addition to greed of the mind for prestige or position. But intense greed to acquire the treasures of bhakti is the actual price for attaining it. Srila Rupa Goswami has instructed us that if Krsna consciousness is available somewhere, one must purchase it without delay. Srila Prabhupada took tremendous risks to share Krsna consciousness with the world, at great personal sacrifice and inconvenience. He could spend any amount of money for the glorification of Krsna, but he would not tolerate a single farthing being wasted. He did not remain in Vrndavan, he did not stop at the border of India. He wanted to offer all the people of the world to the lotus feet of his beloved Lord Sri Krsna. One could say that this is the perfect transformation of greed. Illusion (moha) and madness (mada) must be given up by one on the spiritual path. But sometimes a great mahabhagavat devotee like Srila Prabhupada becomes overwhelmed by spiritual emotions that he is unable to check. Out of deep humility, a realized devotee tries to never exhibit his internal ecstasies. But sometimes…
“…As his heart melts with ecstatic love, he laughs very loudly or cries or shouts. Sometimes he sings and dances like a madman, for he is indifferent to public opinion.” (SB 11.2.40)
Sometimes Srila Prabhupada would dance, to the delight of all those present, sometimes he would be overwhelmed with tears, or his voice would choke up so he was unable to continue speaking. Once, at the temple in Brooklyn, New York, after gazing at the Deities of Sri Sri Radha Govindaji, as he began to bow before Them, I (as the pujari standing near him) saw tears shoot out of his eyes, like a syringe bathing the congregation on the other side of the room.Envy (matsarya) causes a person to be unhappy to see others’ good fortune, and to be happy to see others’ failure. Sisupala approached Krsna in envy, but his contact with Krsna purified him. As we try to approach Krsna ourselves, it’s best to not emulate his poisonous mentality.Srila Prabhupada engaged people of every color, on every continent, from every community in serving Krsna together. The deeply realized equal vision he exemplified and taught us is the best antidote for the disease of envy in the heart.Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur prays in his Saranagati to the Vaisnava Thakura, like Srila Prabhupada:O Vaisnava Thakura, O ocean of mercy, be merciful to me, your servant, and purify me by the shade of your lotus feet. Please teach me to control these six bad qualities. I beg you, please be merciful, and with a particle of faith, give me the great treasure of the holy name of Krsna!
Happy Krsna Janmastami!
Adharam Madhuram Vadanam:(1)adharam madhuram vadanam madhuramnayanam madhuram hasitam madhuramhrdayam madhuram gamanam madhurammadhuradi-pater akhilam madhuram(2)vacanam madhuram caritam madhuramvasanam madhuram valitam madhuramcalitam madhuram bhramitam madhurammadhuradi-pater akhilam madhuram(3)venur madhuro renur madhurahpanir-madhurah padau madhuraunrtyam madhuram sakhyam madhurammadhuradi-pater akhilam madhuram(4)gitam madhuram pitam madhurambhuktam madhuram suptam madhuramrupam madhuram tilakam madhurammadhuradi-pater akhilam madhuram(5)karanam madhuram taranam madhuramharanam madhuram ramanam madhuramvamitam madhuram samitam madhurammadhuradi-pater akhilam madhuram(6)gunja madhura mala madhurayamuna madhura vici madhurasalilam madhuram kamalam madhurammadhuradi-pater akhilam madhuram(7)gopi madhura lila madhurayuktam madhuram bhuktam madhuramhrstam madhuram sistam madhurammadhuradi-pater akhilam madhuram(8)gopa madhura gavo madhurasastir madhura srstir madhuradalitam madhuram phalitam madhurammadhuradi-pater akhilam madhuramTranslation:1) His lips are sweet, His face is sweet. His eyes are sweet, His smile is sweet. His heart is sweet, His walk issweet. Everything is sweet about the Lord of sweetness.2) His words are sweet, His character is sweet. His garments are sweet, His navel is sweet. His movement is sweet,His wanderings are sweet. Everything is sweet about the Lord of sweetness.3) His flute is sweet, His dust is sweet. His hands are sweet, His feet are sweet. His dancing is sweet, His friendship is sweet. Everything is sweet about the Lord of sweetness.4) His singing is sweet, His yellow dress is sweet. His eating is sweet, His sleeping is sweet. His form is sweet,His tilaka is sweet. Everything is sweet about the Lord of sweetness.5) His activities are sweet, His liberation is sweet. His thieving is sweet, His loving sports are sweet. His offerings are sweet, His peacefulness is sweet. Everything is sweet about the Lord of sweetness.6) His gunja-mala is sweet, His flower-garland is sweet. Is Yamuna is sweet, His ripples are sweet. His water issweet, His lotuses are sweet. Everything is sweet about the Lord of sweetness.7) His Gopis are sweet, His pastimes are sweet. His meeting is sweet, His food is sweet. His happiness is sweet, His etiquette is sweet. Everything is sweet about the Lord of sweetness.8) His cowherd boys are sweet, His cows are sweet. His herding-stick is sweet, His creation is sweet. His tramplingis sweet, His fruitfulness is sweet. Everything is sweet about the Lord of sweetness.
Seva Means to Establish a Relationship
~from a lecture by Sacinandana Swami, on August 15, 2020, in Goloka-dhama, Germany~
When you give your time, body and mind to Krsna it’s not that you are doing Krsna a favor, “I’m doing something for Your benefit.” No! He doesn’t need anything. He has everything. It is about you actually correcting your forgetfulness and illusion. This is a very wonderful secret in bhakti. The word seva means ‘to come close’, ‘to establish a relationship’. It can also mean to chant the holy name, to talk about Krsna, to worship the deity on the altar, to offer prayers to Krsna – seva has nine typical expressions. But it is always to be done with this idea: “I’m not renouncing the world, nor am I trying to enjoy it. I am trying to act in my eternal relationship with You my Lord.” And the result is the feeling of belonging to Krsna, mamatva. Rupa Goswmai describes in his Bhaktirasmrta-sindhu that this feeling is the foundation of bhakti: “I belong to you, You are mine and we have an experience.”
Hare Krishna Africa w/Rukmini Walker - SB.1.8.31
On June 7, 2021, Hare Krishna Africa hosted Rukmini Walker for a special class on the Srimad 1.8.31. To listen to the recording, please click on the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CifBixam8CQ
ŚB 1.8.31
Synonyms
Translation
Purport
The Formation of our Spiritual Identity
~by Sacinandana Swami
How does one form an identity? Our social self is formed in contact with society – our friends, people with whom we interact, news which we hear, etc. Our spiritual self is formed in contact with the spiritual world, the society of Krsna devotees in the spiritual world, but also the association with devotees in this world.I suggest that we all find good devotee sanga where we can ask confidential questions and where we can listen to their realized answers. Where we can also do what is so necessary in our lives in order to grow: reveal our inner heart, our desires and reflect and explore them a little further. Jiva Goswami wrote a verse in this connection which speaks very much to me: “Oh Krsna, my stone-like heart could not become transformed by You, nor could it be transformed by hearing about Your devotees. However, when I heard about the exchange of love between the devotees and You, even my stone-like heart became transformed.” There is no force in the universe which works better in transforming a materially bound heart into a free heart which seeks the shelter of Krsna out of taste for Krsna. Nothing works better than hearing about the love which goes on in spiritual society, in the spiritual world. That will help you to form your spiritual self.From Kartik Inspirations 2018 by Sacinandana Swami, #8
Deep Listening
~by Rukmini Walker
click here to listen to the audio version of this blog spoken by Rukmini
[audio m4a="http://www.urbandevi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/9711-Skyhill-Way-4.m4a"][/audio][perfectpullquote align="full" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""] Listen twice. Listen to what’s been said. Then listen again to what has not been said. -- Sacinandana Swami [/perfectpullquote]In the Springtime, it seems as though all life has come alive again, after the long sleep of Winter. The birds are chirping, and the fragrance of the awakening earth is everywhere. “I am the original fragrance of the earth…”, (Lord Krsna says in Bhagavad Gita 7.9)Here in the Washington DC area, new colors appear each day in Spring, as yellow forsythia, white flowering pears and cherry trees of different hues of pink and red once again explode in their annual cycle of beauty. Again, in Bhagavad Gita, Krsna says “…of seasons I am the flower-bearing Spring.” (Bhagavad Gita 10.35) His presence can be seen in the best of all things, in the best of all seasons.In his translation of the love poems of Mirabai, the scholar Andrew Schelling observes that the cry of the heart, “Where is my beloved?” is the wildest, most innate question of every living being.The birds, the animals, we humans- we look for food each day, we look for shelter, we fear, but ultimately, we look for love. It’s said that we will hear Krsna in His holy name before we see Him. In His name, in the words of those who know and love Him, and in the dictation our hearts, guiding us to take each next step toward Him. There are three kinds of deep listening- listening to our Source, listening to sadhus, and listening to our own inner selves, our own inner voice.I am not very adept at listening. But I am trying to enter into a practice of deep listening. Trying to listen deeply to others in my life, to my own inner voice, and to Krsna in His holy name. Can I become present to each syllable of Krsna’s holy name? That, “I welcome You. I am here to receive You. I chant Your name for Your pleasure.”What are the greatest gifts we can give a beloved person? Our attention, our affection, our appreciation, our affirmation, and our allowing them to be fully present in their own true selves.Deep listening is a rumbling of thunder, a cry of the heart, “Where is my beloved?”All the best,Rukmini Walker
Feeling Freely
~by Pranada Comtois
Yasoda looked at Krsna, who had the complexion of a delicate blue sapphire. All her senses became eyes to worship his exquisite form of abundant sweetness. She became stunned, ecstasy surged throughout her body, and affectionate tears streamed down her face. On hearing of Krsna’s birth, Nanda jubilantly dashed from the cowshed toward the birth room. Rohini greeted him at Yasoda’s door. When he saw Krsna’s face – with large eyes sweeping toward his ears, with his cherry red lips, button nose, and perfect ears – Nanda became motionless, filled with the intoxicating presence of supreme bliss incarnate. Rohini waited for Nanda to come back to his senses, then had him sit down, and gently placed Krsna on his lap. Nanda tenderly held his son like a priceless jewel, tasting the beauty of his form, drinking the pleasing nectar of his face, smelling the fragrance of his head with its black curly locks. The affection Nanda had for his son and his bliss astonished everyone present.Word of Krsna’s birth and his parent’s unprecedented happiness spread rapidly in Gokula. Women, who had abandoned their jewelry in grief because Yasoda had been childless for so long, now adorned themselves with their finest pieces and hurried toward the new mother. Many of them converged on the road, laughing and sharing exclamations of wonder as they left a trail of fragrant flowers that fell from their decorated dancing braids. And the men came too, rushing forward. All of them vibrant with spontaneous love for precious Krsna, their very life.Everyone filled their eyes with delight by lifting the blanket on Krsna and touching him while smiling. One, two, four, or eight people, alone or in pairs, in groups or many groups, youths and elders entered the house to see baby Krsna. They joined together in Nanda’s courtyard and sprinkled each other with ghee, yogurt, and turmeric. They danced and sang with joyous abandon. Soon they began exuberantly showering each other with milk. Then some men threw other men into large pots of yogurt and everyone laughed heartily overcome with ecstasy in welcoming Krsna. Hearing of this unrestricted merriment and abundant jubilation, I submerged in their broad, boundless joy and was seized with a desire to know Krsna; to love Krsna. I marveled at the cowherds’ liberal emotions. I wanted to freely feel, safely feel like that. Mostly I’m afraid of my feelings; they’ve gotten me into lots of trouble. And attachment to matter is not only the cause of my bondage, but it’s agonizing.I felt a twinge of envy. The residents of Vraja are able to safely feel, I thought. They’re able to fully express emotions without concern that their attachment–their all-consuming, mind-numbing attachment–will drag them into the separateness of dark self-interest and samsara. I was possessed of a desire to feel freely and drown in the joy of that pure love. To feel freely, to feel safely, to feel truly, we must consciously choose our object of love. We require a perfect object of love. We know what happens when we don’t love the Supreme Person. Our love never flames into a blaze or it withers on the vine before it blooms its delicacy or we’re betrayed or abused or neglected or left. To experience that giving is receiving we must repose our love in Krsna, the perfect object of love. This is the thing. Krsna wants our very self. Everything. Krsna loves much; he exists to love and immerses himself completely in loving relationships. He gives himself fully to those who love him. Giving to Krsna is always receiving because he gives more than we have to offer him. Just looking at him sends intense waves of ecstasy throughout the devotee’s body. Imagine the ecstasy of having daily exchanges of love with such a person! But to have his love, to own him in love, we have to give everything. Our very self. Nothing held back. He is all in; he expects the same of us. We must come to this: I will love unbridled; I will love Krsna unrestrained without selfish motivation, without interruption.And “that’s the rub.” We look at attractive Krsna and say, “I’m not so sure.” (We’re probably not thinking clearly about what Death will allow us to hold onto.)And life looks at us and says, “Let me help you with that.” And proceeds to nip at us here, tear at us there, wear on us under here, saw on us over there. And our loves look at us and say, “I’m not so sure,” and heartbroken we look for the next love.These negative impetuses can impel us toward pure love of Krsna–if we simultaneously engage in the Bhakti practice of keeping company with those who are developing their love for Krsna, and we allow Krsna to take birth in our hearts by hearing about, reading about, speaking about, and singing about Krsna, who is an ocean of unlimited good qualities, who is the very form of truth and beauty, who is the supreme lover, who is our undying friend, who is happy in giving joy to others, who weaves his overture as the charming flute-player – who is waiting for us.
Pranada Comtois is a devoted pilgrim and award-winning author of Wise-Love: Bhakti and the Search for the Soul of Consciousness. Her writing sheds light on bhakti’s wisdom school of heartfulness. At sixteen she met her teacher A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami and began her lifelong study and practice of bhakti. Her writing has appeared in numerous online and print publications and she is a featured speaker in the film “Women of Bhakti.” Her second book, Bhakti-Shakti: The Goddess of Divine Love is due out in 2022 through Mandala Publishing. Connect with Pranada here.
Our Loyal and Fallible Soldiers
~by Rukmini Walker-
To listen to Rukmini narrate this post in an audio format, please click on the "play" button below:
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There’s a story about a loyal Japanese soldier who was still posted, poised and ready to attack any intruder on a remote island in the Philippines, some thirty years after the end of World War II.
A young Japanese adventurer somehow found him there. He tried to convince him that the war had ended long ago. He had done his duty to his country, and he could now go home. But the loyal soldier refused to accept his word on the matter. He was so dedicated to the cause of his country. He said he would only accept what he said if he heard it from his commanding officer himself.
Somehow, that senior officer was still alive, and the young man brought him there to convince the soldier of the truth, that the war was indeed over. But they needed some way to validate his service, to celebrate him and bring him home as a hero. Although after wartime, he’d been killing anyone who came upon him up there in his outpost. He needed to now be rehabilitated and given a new service.I’ve been thinking that I also have my own loyal soldiers within me. That knee-jerk default inner voice that rears up when I hear something I don’t like. That negative, defensive or offensive voice, the inner judge, jury and executioner… The one who places a judgement before I can even ponder what I really desire, or believe, or might wish to reply. Who are your loyal soldiers? Are there old hankerings, lamentations, or judgements that no longer serve you well? An old lingering desire or relationship that now exists only in your mind? Can we thank them for their dedicated service and now say goodbye? Can their loyalty be reengaged in ways that better serve us today? Srila Prabhupada calls them fallible soldiers. My body, mind, relatives, money, beauty, or education - all are fallible soldiers. None of them can actually save me in my final moments of death. My dear loyal and fallible soldiers! Please just call out the name of Krsna, in these moments of life and at death!Thakur Bhaktivinode implores us:
So push thy onward march, O soul,
Against an evil deed,
That stands with soldiers Hate and Lust-
A hero be indeed.
Maintain thy post in spirit world
As firmly as you can,
Let never matter push thee down-
O stand heroic man!
O Saragrahi Vaisnava* soul,
Thou art an angel fair,
Lead, lead me on to Vrndavan,
And spirit’s power declare.
There rests my soul from matter free
Upon my Lover’s arms-
Eternal peace and spirit’s love
Are all my chanting’s charms.
All the best,
Rukmini Walker*A Saragrahi Vaisnava is a devotee of the Lord who always seeks the essence of love and wisdom within all things.
Love in the Dark Matter of the Universe
~by Pranada Comtois
*To listen to an audio version of this blog, spoken by Pranada Comtois, please click on the "play" button
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Holding a book in my hands, the author beckons me, “Imagine feeling more love from someone than you have ever known.” Yes! I muse and settle in for a journey with the 300-page book. The line on the back cover “love is a state of being” had garnered my full attention.I read on, “This lover doesn’t need anything from you . . . only wants your complete fulfillment.” Two paragraphs later, I’m introduced to the lover, “It’s the subatomic texture of the universe, the dark matter that connects everything.”Whoa, can we back up a second? The “someone” on the first page just became an “it.” Then onto the next sentence, “When you tune into that flow you will feel it in your own heart . . . ” Well, now I have love as a vague flow; a lover that is an it.Maybe the author needed a better editor, I think, and I brave my way forward. After several chapters I set the book down disappointed. When did our experience of love and loving manifest as an amorphous mass? Have we ever loved an indescript, indeterminate, shapeless something/nothing? Can we talk or share our heart with dark matter? How might we sculpt subatomic texture so we can embrace it? Will the unnamed flow receive our gifts and send a thank you note?To confirm I’m not asking more from the author than ought to be expected, I turn to the dictionary: “Love; a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.”This reassures me. Love is what I thought it was: an exchange between two people. When love is used colloquially in a statement like, “I love sunsets,” we use love loosely—imprecisely—to mean a liking. We’re not talking about the nuanced relationship we can experience with another person.Even love of oneself, though genuine love, is not a full expression of love. What give and take of thoughts, emotions, and gifts take place with oneself? The exchange is one-sided and thus limited. The full face of love involves two sentient beings.A “state of being” refers to a condition of the self that exists eternally. Such a state isn’t modified by time or space, what to speak of lesser influences like moods or shifts of opinion. When we go inward we can make contact with the eternal self, whose nature is described by Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita (2.16):Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent [the material body] there is no endurance and of the eternal [the soul] there is no change. This they have concluded by studying the nature of both.The self, or the soul, is a unit of consciousness, a spiritual substance, comprised of Being (sat), Knowing (chit), and Loving (ananda). In short, the self exists, knows, and loves. In her original condition—in her eternal state of being—she is a knowing, joyful lover. That original state is called wise-love.Since we are not experiencing wise-love as a state of being now, how can we achieve it? The Bhakti texts describe that when the self connects with her Source, the Supreme Person (from whom she garners her characteristics of Being, Knowing, and Loving) in love and service through a practice of Bhakti, she can wake from the current dream that has her believing she is either the male or female body she is currently inhabiting.Waking from the dream of the false ego to the real self through a Bhakti yoga practice of hearing and chanting about the Supreme’s name, personality, and activities, she finds wise-love as a state of being. Such pure love flows ever-fresh and ceaselessly from her heart toward other souls and her Significant Other. In that illumined dance of love she can hold her Supreme Beloved – who is infinite gorgeousness itself – in her real arms and gaze upon the unmatched beauty of her Beloved’s face with the soul’s real eyes.
Pranada Comtois is a devoted pilgrim and award-winning author of Wise-Love: Bhakti and the Search for the Soul of Consciousness. Her writing sheds light on bhakti’s wisdom school of heartfulness. At sixteen she met her teacher A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami and began her lifelong study and practice of bhakti. Her writing has appeared in numerous online and print publications and she is a featured speaker in the film “Women of Bhakti.” Her second book, Bhakti-Shakti: The Goddess of Divine Love is due out in 2021 through Mandala Publishing. Connect with Pranada here.
Commitment Leads Us To Freedom
~by Rukmini Walker
To listen to an audio version of this blog read by Rukmini, please click on the audio link below:
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"The need of the spirit soul is that he wants to get out of the limited sphere of material bondage and fulfill the desire for complete freedom. He wants to get out of the covered walls of the greater universe. He wants to see the free light and the spirit. That complete freedom is achieved when he meets the complete spirit, the Personality of Godhead." (Bhaktivedanta purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.8)
I’ve been thinking a lot about freedom recently. People these days want to be free to do anything they want, to say anything they want, and to even alter truth, if they feel like it.The spirit soul has a natural longing for freedom. But how counterintuitive it is, that the more we indulge our wild minds and senses, the more we become imprisoned by them!When an alcoholic commits to no longer drink, she becomes free from her addiction to the bottle. When a student commits to apply herself to her studies, she gains greater freedom in her future academic pursuits. When we commit to the daily regimen of a job, we gain the freedom of financial security.When we commit to show up each day for our spiritual practice, we begin to free ourselves from the temporary. We begin to see ourselves as spirit, to never again be dissolved by death.Commitment enables us to hear the voice within that beckons us to the free light and the spirit. We begin to taste the eternal. That commitment leads us to one day meet the complete spirit, the Personality of Godhead.Commitment leads us to freedom.All the best,Rukmini Walker
How Our Actions and Choices in Everyday Life Affect Our Chanting
~from an online lecture by Sacinandana Swami on May 3, 2020
Similar to what we are experiencing today with the internet, everything you do in this world is being ‘recorded’ and it stays there for as long as this manifestation of the world exists. It creates an impression, a samskara, which then informs your future actions and reactions. This is how by your choices, by your activities, you develop a certain pattern of action, choices and response – it is based on deep samskaras. Sometimes we call it habit or conditioning. This can affect your relationship with the Holy Name, because all our perceptions and experiences are affected by the ‘spectacles’ through which we look at the world. For this reason, devotees follow a few rules that help them to avoid those impressions which can distract you in a harmful way. On the other hand, we do things like for instance associating with devotees and reading sacred scriptures that affect us in a positive way, which cause positive samskaras that in turn affect our relationship with the Holy Name.
A Letter to a Young Woman Devotee
This is my reply to a young woman who is new to the path of Bhakti. She has been regularly attending temple programs in one city in the US. Sometimes she is discouraged hearing a sectarian or misogynist slant coming from the speaker during the morning class. With her name omitted, I thought to share my reply to one of her emails. I hope you will find my reply to her helpful in your life as well. ~ All the best, Rukmini Walker
Dearest Sister,My very fond affection to you. Jaya Prabhupada.There are always many reasons to become discouraged, especially when interacting or serving in a multicultural international community or environment where people have different values and cultural norms. Please always remain vigilant to be a seeker of the essence and don't lose the precious baby when throwing out the bathwater. It's most important. Never allow yourself to become isolated from the temple sanga, no matter how discouraging some voices may be. Find the ones there with whom you find resonance. Prabhupada has shed many gallons of blood to establish these communities for you- and for all of us, without discrimination.Certain speakers at the temple might be speaking with a sectarian perspective, or sometimes you might think the Bhagavatam itself is that way. Actually, Srimad Bhagavatam exposes materialistic thinking wherever it appears - in men, in women, in high caste people, in low caste people... Generally, it will tell stories that bring down the proud, the high and mighty; and uplift the humble people - time and time again. We have to read it all in context. Like water, grace flows down. Like water, keep flowing down, keep going around any obstacles, keep seeking your Source - Sri Krsna, the origin of us all.You and I - and so many others - love the ideal of the worship of Sri Radha, but we also always have to remember that she is divine - and also that we are ourselves are not women - we are atma, jivatma, beyond this material body. The controlling, dominating ego must be given up - whether it appears in the mind and heart of a man or a woman. Of course, we hear that spiritually all living beings are of the feminine nature, in relation to the one Supreme male, Sri Krsna.There is the beautiful story of Mirabai when she came to Vrndavan and sought the darshan of an esteemed holy man. She approached the ashram and asked the brahmacarya disciple if she could have the saint's darshan. The disciple said that his guru doesn't see any women. Then Mirabai, in her deep wisdom and realization replied, "But I thought that Sri Krsna was the only male in Vrndavan!" The disciple was stumped and said, "Ok, let me go ask". Then he came back and said to her, "Yes, you are welcome, my guru said to come immediately!"So what an example she is. Mirabai was certainly humble in herself, in her prayers, and in her outlook. But her ardent love made her bold also. She could not be dissuaded from her love for Krsna. When Srila Prabhupada was asked by one woman book distributor, how can we be both humble and bold at the same time? He replied, "Be a lion on the chase, and a lamb at home". Not easy, but these dichotomies can be resolved with deep realization.In order to understand Sri Krsna, we seek the compassionate sidelong glance of Sri Radha. But today, on the Appearance Day of Nityananda Prabhu, we seek His blessings in order to achieve the grace of Lord Caitanya. Grace flows down like water, seeking the lowest place, seeking those who are humble.There is a pivotal verse given in the Sri Caitanya Candramrita of Prabhadananda Sarawati. It says:
yatha yatha gaura padaravinde
vindeta bhaktim krta-punya-rasih
tatha tathotsarpati hrdi akasmad
radha-padambhoja-sudhambu-rasih
When a pious person attains the dust of the lotus feet of Lord Gaura (Lord Caitanya), the ocean of nectar from the lotus feet of Srimati Radharani suddenly floods his heart.You are a deep thinker, and you are also trying to enter deeply into the consciousness of loving Krsna. Our candid conversations are a joy and an honor for me. Let's please keep these conversations going, ok? Hare Krsna,With all my love and prayers for your continuing advancement in Krsna Bhakti,Your sister in service,Rukmini
Lecture: Our Personal Relationships in Connection with Krishna
Presented by Rukmini Walker
Please find below a lecture I recently gave on Our Personal Relationships in Connection with Krishna, drawing from the Srimad Bhagavatam (SB 11.26.06) and other sacred texts. This lecture was given at the Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Temple, ISKCON Chowpatty on January 28, 2020.
Please click here to listen to the lecture
All the best,
Rukmini Walker
