Dependent

We just got back from visiting the 'Prabhupada Manor' in Cleveland and the 'Krishna House' in Columbus, Ohio. H.G. Malati devi gave a lecture in each Temple. The theme: JAPA

Here are a few things that stood out for me:

1. Chanting is like a disease, it is contagious. When a person, for example, has his/her first experience in kirtan, at first they may not move, or sing along, but shortly and gradually they find themselves tapping their foot in tempo, or making an attemp to utter out the words, and soon enough they are completely inmerse in the chanting. (sounds familiar? )

2. Is an acquired taste. Just like with some kinds of food, at first chanting may be bitter, but it doesn't take long before we start developing a taste for it.

3. "NO THINKING. JUST HEAR". H.G. Malati Prabhu tells us the answer Srila prabhupada gave to her when she asked about what one should be thinking of while chanting.

4. Pronounce every word clearly and correctly. We went over the common bad habits or tendencies of malpronounciation and tempo (too fast or too slow) that most of us are not aware or hesitate to correct or address.

5. Serving and worshiping the deity helps us keep that connection with Krishna of personal loving service, thus lifting our consciousness and establishing our relationship with Him. The moral here is: do your daily puja.

What should be the MOOD while chanting:

1. Chanting with affection and chanting for Krishna's pleasure
2. Enthusiasm
3. Krishna sees your sincere devotion - He reciprocates
4. Is a prayer between ourselves and the Supreme.
5. Call out like a child calling for his mother = be dependent
6. Service attitude while chanting
7. Attitude of gratitude

Lastly, but by no means least, we should have tolerance of our condition of life, patiently accepting all things that are coming to us knowing they all are coming from Krishna. Be dependent on Him.

Sweeter than honey

Lord of the Universe

The Vedas inform us that in the spiritual world there is competition for pleasing God or Krishna. Of course, this kind of competitive spirit is in a good transcendental nature, unlike the most common type of competititve consciousness we would witness in the material world. In this transcendental mood, we celebrated the 'First Annual Jagannath Cooking Contest' in glorification to the Lord of the Universe. It happened on Friday, and it was really a sweet gathering. And wow!...how much bhakti (love) was placed in those preparations!!

Dhara devi dasi won the first prize with her homemade Burfi (a delicious milk sweet), on second place was this most tasteful lasagna with peas, eggplant and riccotta cheese and on third place Gopa's unforgettable sweet balls made out of grinded dried fruit, nuts and coconut. They are my special favorite. I let my soul be absorbed in the taste of extatic Jagannath prasadam!

Rewinding

It's been almost a month now since I came back from Puerto Rico. The weather here in the Dhama has been a little extreme. Last week it snowed every day. We didn't have so much accumulation but still it was pretty snowee and below freezing cold. The lakes were frozen and I was very tempted to walk on them... but I didn't - Paramatma is keeping away from trouble : )

Last week I went to Columbus with H.G. Malati Prabhu. She flew out of Columbus to Boston to visit Gopi lila dd, a very dear and close devotee friend who has being diagnosed to be in the terminal stage of cancer. She is very dear to the devotees here in New Vrindaban since she spent a number of years here in the community before she was diagnosed and had to go to Boston to seek treatment. May Lord Nrisrimhadev protect her.

Last week also, I got a chance to take a walk around the Dhama, and I took the opportunity to take some pictures of the swans and frozen Radha Kunda in Govardhana Hill .

Absorbed

Krishna in the forest

In the mode of goodness

On December 23rd I flew to Puerto Rico. Most of my my family lives there and I grew up there until I left to come study in the US in the summer of 2001. In December last year I met two woderful people, one of whom I actually had seen before from swimming in the national league, and a new person I hadn't seen or met before.

They have become two very good friends whom I enjoy visiting up in New Govardhan Hill in the mountains of Gurabo, Puerto Rico. We talk about Krsna almost all of the time we spend together and it is just so enlivening to be around them.
I also visited my family and spent some nice quality time with my mom and grandfather. They were all very happy I came to visit and as always are hopeful to my return for good to the island. I've been playing with the idea of moving back, but for now I relish every moment I get to spend here in the Holy Dhama. I'm enjoying being soulfully inmerse in the


transcendental mode of goodness.

Warming Up

After two weeks in the Appalachian Mountains, with temperatures nearing 5 degrees F, we headed out to a warmer climate: Miami. It was a three-day drive with H.G. Malati Prabhu. I get that she most love to travel. She's been driving down to Miami during Christmas break for the past 5 years. And she also does a summer tour where she follows the different Ratha Yatra festivals in the US. Needless to say, she has very highly developed skills for organization, trip planning and picnicking, yum!

For me it was a very sweet experience. It was just the two of us. We enjoyed nice picnic prasad, nice discussions of sastra and lots of chanting. I dearly appreciate every time I spend with her as it teaches me humility, sincerity, and love for Srila Prabhupada.

H.G. Malati Prabhu
Miami Temple

Riding the 'super-highway' back to Godhead

Last Saturday, we witnessed Meghan's initiation by H.H. Hridayananda das Goswami.  Her spiritual name is Maha Lakshmi devi dasi!  A most auspicious event attended by several Senior Prabhupada disciples including: Malati devi dasi, Amoghalila dasa, Garuda dasa, Brahma Tirtha dasa, and many distinguished devotee scholars from higher education universities such as Harvard, Oxford and UPenn. This past weekend they were meeting in New Vrindaban for the annual ISKCON Arts and Science conference.

In his lecture Hridayananda Maharaja spoke about the great gift Prabhupada gave us. In specifically he was talking about how Prabhupada led the way for clearing a super-highway to the spiritual world. The process of attaining spiritual advancement and self realization has been made easy by the mercy of Lord Caitanya 500 hundred years ago, but now with Srila Prabhupada, us conditioned souls, have been granted special mercy to achieve enlightment in this age of Kali. Let us take advantage of it! Let your soul be inmerse in the chanting of the Holy names Hare Krishna and Rama!