Kalachandji Katha: Kalachandji Katha 1-25-11

Wednesday, January 26th - Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

At A Glance:

This Week

Wed., January 26th - Sun., January 30th: North American GBC/Temple President's Meeting

Saturday, January 29th: Sat-tila Ekadasi (fast from grains and beans). Break the fast the following

morning between 7:23 - 10:54

From Srila Prabhupada:

With determination. Otherwise, satatam kirtayanto mam..Satatam means twenty-four hours. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, kirtaniyah sada harih...Harer nama harer nama harer nama eva kevalam..But that we cannot do. Therefore to keep drdha-vrata, we have fixed up a certain quantity. Chant that.. About the Gosvamis-sankhya-purvaka: "So many times." Not only chanting, also offering obeisances. Sankhya-purvaka-nama-gana-natibhih. Nati means pranati. "I shall offer obeisances hundred times." Gosvamis, they used to do that. Still in Radha-kunda, Vrndavana, you'll see many devotees. They offer, counting, flat, so many times. So we have to take some labor. It is not so easy thing that you realize (chuckling) God so easily... The valuable time of human life should be utilized only for cultivating Krsna consciousness. That is perfect. No other business...But if you cannot do that, all right, make minimum: "So many times I shall chant. So many times I shall offer obeisances." Make some drdha-vrata. Then gradually it will be successful. -- "The Great Soul," Conversation, January 31st, 1976

Read and hear the entire conversation

His Holiness Bhakti Marg Swami - Blog Entry January 19th, 2011:

Ice and Tongue

Sidewalks are slippery. They are hard, smooth and shiny. I opted for trekking on the streets where salt is more dispersed to break the ice. Other pedestrians do as I do. Some remain inching along shuffling their way with baby steps on the sidewalks coming from work, school, shopping or the bar.

One woman shuffled her way to the temple. Her friend joined her minutes after the agreed appointment. Lady #1 said she drove by our building hundreds of times, tempted to come in. Its understandable, hundreds of thousands of vehicles pass by our temple on its west side while the east side of the structure, more scenely, is frequented by squirrels and racoons. Less so in the winter of course.

Lady # 2 has a history of living like our monks do in the ashram. She admits to having lived sixteen years in a cloistered nunnery or convent. I asked her how she found it. She expressed that she enjoyed her practice, but it had issues with "statues quo" as she put it. The vow of silence she honoured at that time was precious to her. It was austerity of speech.

"At least there was no gossip" I joked. We discussed that more lethal than a sword, a gun, an arrow, or a club was the tongue that is uncontrolled. Certainly there was a nod of agreement. The undignified warrior will use that weapon.

In the prayer by saint Bhaktivinode Thakur it is said of all the senses the tongue is the most voracious and uncontrollable. Therefore to become dignified, we eat prasadam (sanctified food) and that with limits.

Our two visitors, the two ladies, enjoyed their sattvic (good) food very much. Being vegetarian in the convent for her sixteen years term allowed her to be most confortable with the prasadam.

I was so happy to see that our two guests shuffled their way to our temple.

Wednesday, January 26th: Seminar with H.G. Rohinipriya Prabhu

At the home of Lalilta and Sanjay Prabhu

Contact : Rasaraj das: 214-642-2488
16817 Rustic Meadows Dr, Dallas, TX 75248

Time : 7:00 pm

About the Speaker: HG Rohinipriya Prabhu is a doctor from Mumbai University, India and a senior disciple of HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj. He decided to dedicate his life to the service of Lord Krishna in 1995 at a very young age (immediately after receiving his medical degree). For the past 15 years he has been practicing medicine and also distributing Krishna Consciousness to thousands of students and professionals in India and abroad. Every year he travels to Europe and North America to give seminars on Bhakti Yoga and Lifestyle Management based on the Vedas.