appreciation makes perfect.

One morning silence overcame me as I was taking my breakfast. This beautiful painting of Lord Buddha captured my eyes. I was blessed with the vision of Lord Buddha as being a Person who was most contemplative and compassionate. My gaze could not be removed from His face. I saw the face of Lord Krishna, Lord Chaitanya, Srila Prabhupada and my own personal spiritual guide. I began to cry as I remembered a lecture about the Lords Avatars. In that lecture Lord Krishna's most compassionate self was glorified as being a Personality who would give up the opulences of the spiritual world and accept the clothes of a mendicant just to deliver the fallen souls.

Lately I have been meditating upon Krsna Consciousness being the path of appreciation. We don't love Krsna. We didn't do anything to deserve Him. Often we didn't even ask Him to be in our lives. Some how or another He is there. The goal of every activity possible in this existence is Lord Krishna. Is there anything left for us to do? The perfection of any activity lives with us now. What is there left to do? All that we can do is simply perform all of our activities with the mood of appreciation not with the aim of attaining something. Krsna only lacks the love of our human hearts. Hearts which He knows are filled with so many unwanted things. Yet the Lord eagerly desires for you to notice Him. He knows you don't love Him. He knows how attracted you are to this wonderful world and how busy you are trying to live. Compassionately, His love for you is not dependent up on your reciprocation. Accepting His love and trying to show your appreciate for His love is our life. It is a Krsna Conscious life and as repeated to me again and again this summer, "Enthusiasm in one's service is the display of one's intent to Love Krsna."

somethings in life are useful.

In one dirgha breath I say.......
Today, in two different confirmations, I realized that anything that happened to me in life will be referenced in service. Specifically as a "teacher" any attempts for purification or any struggles I travel through will be referenced to assist others who go through he same difficulties. I am now more eager to conquer those most formidable enemies, push my edges, break through barriers, and to compassionately self observe myself so I can have the realizations to share with others on the same path. You know, like that Gandhi story about the sugar, the boy, and the weeks worth of time before Mahatma said, "boy, stop eating sugar."

Today, Naren Prabhu, Chase Prabhu and I went to Sri Venkateshvara temple in Pittsburgh and had special darshan of the Lord's flower outfit. I spent alot of time with Sri Andal devi. She was easily approachable. This is a photo which I illegally took to show all of you. This is the month where she is culturally honored.


http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/alvars/andal/

Pretend I just called you....

Pretend I just called you and you ask how I'm doing and I blurt out with an uncontrolled tongue....

Ive been in New Vrindaban for a week. Seven days in New Vrindaban makes one weak. I have not eaten one fresh vegetable or fruit since Ive been here. No salads nothing alive(if you are what you eat does that make me dead or fried). Ive eaten more wonderfully fried and sugary delectables than I ever could imagine. Not because I am a glutton but because those are my options. Fasting seems like a wonderful alternative. Water is the freshest thing I get here. Its bottled and shipped in from another state. I did get the inside scoop though, Jaya Prabhupada our resident cowboy has an amazing spring on his land. He is going to start refilling my bottles. I don't mean to sound negative but its true. I feel sleep deprived and physically tired. Waking up at 4, dressing the deities, morning program, yoga, cooking rajbhoga, and eating lunch. By 1 pm I'm a dead guy. Then I have to try to chant my rounds, work on various projects which need to get done asap, reading and preparing lectures, and talking to every friend devotee which I haven't seen in a month or longer and each asks, "how are you doing? you look tired." Then somehow or another if there is any energy left in this little body I put my ipod in my ears and start to sweep and mop the hallways. Then between 10:30pm and midnight I lay my head on my yoga mat and try to sleep. Today I woke up for mangal aarti but didn't go down stairs. I just hid in my room and chanted not feeling up to playing mridanga and singing any songs. I didn't leave the ashram until 12:30 when I went to see the cows and wash my clothes. I took pictures of potential spots for the desired Yoga studio and analyzed the possibilities of converting the Santee House into a sustainable eco house and cafe. Then I ate really spicy pasta, hung my clothes on the line, spoke with Gauranga Kishore Prabhu who had great news for me from Mumbai, taught Kamalavati how to edit movies(she did a great job!), ate some mahaprasad brownies and cashews with Soma Prabhu, mopped and swept the hallways(hope no one slips and dies), now I'm speaking to you. The conch shell is about to blow and I should go since I havent attended any temple functions today. Im not the best example wearing my dickies and hoodie, but it is a sure way to get out of having to give class to our guests when you are not in the mood of being a sadhu(or pretending to be).

by the way, Sri Sri Radha Vridaban Chandra are so beautiful they are waiting for you to come and see them.

An Expert Presentation about Your Life!

http://www.storyofstuff.com/index.html

Gita Jayanti!

I hope all of you have a great Gita Jayanti. Im taking the "Chinese Bus" tomorrow after early morning Bikrams from Philly to NYC. I'll visit Eddie Sterns Ashtanga Yoga Studio to assist with their Gita Jayanti celebration.

http://www.ayny.org/puja.php

The studio cares for two altars. Sri Ganesha is cared for by Eddie Stern and Sri Sri Radha Damodar is cared for by HG Kaustubha Prabhu. Since both the Transcriber and the Speaker of Bhagavad Gita reside in the studio they are holding a nice celebration in honor of Srimad Bhagavad Gita. There is word that both HG Vaishesika Prabhu and HG Dravida Prabhu will be there. If anyone is in the NYC area please stop in!

Recently I have been in great appreciation for the New Translation of Bhagavad Gita by Garuda Prabhu(ACBSP). I highly recommend it for personal reading and gift giving. The essays in the back are very enlightening. Purchase it on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-Beloved-Lords-Secret/dp/0060754257/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198074245&sr=1-1

If you are looking for music to inspire you or someone else to read Bhagavad Gita purchase the song "Sojourn of Arjuna" from Bela Fleck via the Itunes Store.

http://www.apple.com/search/ipoditunes/?q=bela+fleck+sojourn+of+arjuna

a slideshow

I guess every three months I will post something.

This is a picture of a picture of HH Radhanath Swami. Soon I hope to post pictures and stories of my recent travels and study of Yoga(asana) on the East coast over the past month. The picture has its origin in my life on the very day that I left New Vrindaban for my December travels. A close friend sent me a gift package with a yoga bag, a bead bag, some organic candy and this picture of Maharaja which was nicely framed. As I left the mail man came and he had the package! It was a nice blessing while I hit the road alone and nervous as to what laid in store. Maharaja so lovingly(tolerating my quick turns and singing out loud) accompanied me for the last thousand miles of travel. Im in Philly now sweating to Bikrams Yoga and chilling with my brother. Ill head back to New V on Saturday after a short trip to see the family in DC area. I now have a laptop computer so I have little to no excuse for not writingwithin from now on. Keep a look out!