3rd time lucky?

Got the Nokia N96 now (see above pic) .... sent x2 phones back and was told only gonna get one more and that is it !

What is in a phone you might ask?

For me it serves as a lifeline to my services - I can text so many devotees and call them and also with these new mobiles you can fit in Krsna activities all the time with the facility to watch lectures and listen to them too.

It is great !

Yukta vairaghya at it's best - engaging everything in the service of the Lord.

R.I.P

Michael Jackson

1958 - 2009

I pray you find Krsna and the shelter of Srila Prabhuapada's ISKCON.

The problem is we want other things

In the same way Brahma (approached); before Krsna revealed the Absolute Truth to him, Brahma was in the similar situation, Sanatana Goswami posed himself in a similar situation, Maharaj Parikshit in a similar situation, only 7 days to live, there was no other purpose in his life other than hear about Krsna from the great persons. So we must have the eagerness, we must have this intensity, and if we don’t; then we must pray for it and cultivate it by associating with people that have that eagerness, by following the principles of Krsna consciousness in such a way that the eagerness in our heart will develop. If you want Krsna then Krsna wants to give Himself to us, but the problem is that we want so many of the other things in this world and therefore Krsna gives us that - struggle, straining, fighting, declaring wars, just to get something of this world and ultimately all we get is frustration.

H H Radhanath Swami Maharaj

How we must approach Bhagavad Gita

Similarly, Arjuna; Arjuna was a very exalted personality but Krsna purposely put him in a situation on Kuruksetra battlefield just to teach the world through him. Krsna wanted to teach the Bhagavad Gita to all of us but first He wanted to show us how we must approach the Bhagavad Gita. Therefore He used Arjuna as an example. Arjuna was put into a perplexity that was so severe that he didn’t know who he was, where he was, what he was suppose to do, tears were flowing from his eyes in frustration and anxiety, his entire complexion became white, his limbs were trembling, his hairs were standing on end, his mouth was dry, his Gandiva bow slipped out of his hand, in that state he approached Krsna, that I don’t know what is to be done and what is not to be done I am a soul who is surrendering to You, You are my spiritual master please instruct me. Then Krsna smiled, called him a fool then He began the Bhagavad Gita.

H H Radhanath Swami Maharaj

Here today... gone tomorrow !

Gave the Blackberry back ... way toooo distracting for me !

Kept getting emails sent to my mobile every 10-15 mins... and just HAD to check them and reply to them. aarrghhh!!!

Anyway I requested an upgrade to the mobile I have now... modern yet simple.

More time for simple living and high thinking just as Prabhupada prescribed ...

There Is a Reason for Everything

“There Is a Reason for Everything” by Helen Steiner Rice


Our Father tests us often

With suffering and with sorrow;

He tests us not to punish us,

But to help us meet tomorrow.

For growing trees are strengthened

When they withstand the storm;

And the sharp cut of a chisel

Gives the marble grace and form....

So whenever we are troubled

And when everything goes wrong,

It is just God working in us

To make our spirits strong.

Illusion

Some days the holy names are such a chore to chant.

The books are dry. Wanna read the paper instead.

Devotees are a drag... why are they sooooooo spaced out??

Ain't got a taste to hear the Bhagavatam speaker ... prefer to have a longer time in bed.

Sooooooo what to do when this happens?

You got to MAKE yourself chant more.

MAKE your read more.

MAKE yourself associatiate with devotees more.

This is a crucial time when Maya has you at your most weakest.

This is the time when you convince yourself you don't need to chant or read or do your service.

This is the greatest illusion you can be in.

Instant karma?

Got an upgrade from Vodafone on Monday.

It is a new Blackberry mobile.

I can check my emails, free internet usage, free texts etc etc... watch movies on the phone and listen to music.

One devotee commented it was instant karma that I got this phone for a good deed they thought I did earlier this week.

I think it is instant Maya personally... I have been sooooooo distracted by it this week. Wasted 2 evenings just getting to grips with it.

What about Srila Prabhupada's books??

And the novelty of having access to my emails lasted all of 5 mins. Now I wanna scream as I receive yet another email on my mobile !!

I guess this is the nature of this material world.

It looks nice and shiny and glossy on the outside but step closer... get attached... try to enjoy... and bham ! You are caught up in a web of complications and commitments and there is no way out.

Got to keep chanting and taking the medicine of Srila Prabhupada's books.

It will be bitter at first but as we get better (purified of material desires and attachments) we will start to really relish the taste.

Hare Krsna!

If you want to understand the truth...

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarswati Thakura says ‘do not try to see Krsna try to serve Krsna in such a way that He wants to see you’. How to do this? How to please Krsna? We cannot know Krsna by our own good fertile brain Prabhupada says, we cannot know Krsna even by exhaustedly studying the revealed scriptures, we cannot know Krsna by any severe degrees of austerities and penances, we cannot know Krsna by any means other than the mercy of Krsna. When Krsna sees that we are honestly and sincerely trying to love Him and serve Him, He reveals Himself to us, there is no other means. Krsna says only through devotional service I can be understood as I am, there is no other way. What is the beginning of that devotion to actually want Krsna, to actually want to understand why am I suffering and how to get out of it; with this purpose one must approach a spiritual master. No one can understand what is the truth of the Vedas without approaching a proper spiritual master. Krsna says if you want to understand the truth you must approach a spiritual master in a humble state of mind, inquire submissively and render service.

HH Radhanath Swami

Chant and Be Happy !

"The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter."

Mark Twain

**********************

Srila Prabhupada said we should chant and be happy... so simple.

Just recite three words " Hare, Krsna and Rama" and you can experience happiness beyond your wildest dreams.

Today's Spiritual Counsellee Meeting

Today I had a meeting with my counsellees from 6pm to 8pm.

Attendees: Yogesvari, Cassie, Sonal, Tivra Bhakti dd, & me!

Apologies: Josna, Cintia, Priya, Bhavisha, Julia, Gopi

Agenda:

1) Individual recital (in Sanskrit and English) of the homework verses which were Bg 2.13 and Bg 3.27.

2) Topic talk by Tivra Bhakti dd entitled " Our motives in taking to Krsna Consciousness".

This was based on the 5 types of actions mentioned in the Bg.

3) Continuation of my talk on the demons in Vrindavan (in Srila Prabhupada's Krsna book).

We read and discussed: Sakatasura (the cart demon). Carrying the burden of the cart-load of old and new bad habits, lethargy and vanity & Trnavarta (the whirlwind demon). The false pride arising from material scholarship, which gives rise to bogus philosophies.

4) Group japa

5) Prasadam - kept it simple - just chips!

Hare Krsna!

Temporary relief from material reactions

I was reading Srimad Bhagavatam today in the morning.

Canto 7 - one of my favourite parts - where Lord Nrsimhadev rips out the
heart and intestines of Hiranyakasipu.

Nrsimhadev Bhagavan ki jay !

There was a nice section which I came across in the purport and it said
that for a while Nrsimhadev let go of Hiranyakasipu like a cat lets go
of a mouse.

The mouse thinks it is free of the clutches of the cat and breathes a
sign of relief but then after a few seconds the cat swoops upon the
mouse and kills it.

I have seen this type of cat and mouse game up front as we used to have
a fat cat called Ginger (I named him Ginger as he was ginger in colour
!).

Anyway back to the main point ... All the demigods were perturbed as
they saw Hiranyakasipu get out of the clutches of Nrsimhadev and they
thought he will kill them. However Srila Prabhupada explains in the
purport that just as in material life we see a sinful man 'enjoying' and
think how can that be? eventually we see that his sinful activities
catch up with him and that material life only temporarily backs off
him..

Similarly Nrsimhadev let Hiranyakasipu temporarily have a breather but
eventually devoured him.

I also heard once in a Srila Prabhupada lecture that life is like a
movie reel. We judge people and circumstances by the here and now but we
do not know what happened several lives before and what is yet to come
several lives down the line... and so we gotta judge less and seek to
learn more.

Fasting

Today is Bhima Ekadasi... no food or water for 24 hours.

If you observe this nicely then you have observed all the Ekadasi's in the whole year.

Oh Krsna .... not long now before bedtime.

I hope ...!!

Hee hee!

Managed to read an hour extra and listen to a lecture by my Guru Maharaj at work.

Will try and listen to another lecture before bedtime.

Good luck if you are observing this fast today.

I pray you come closer to Krsna.