Dharmakshetre Kurukshetre

Dharmakshetre Kurukshetre Samveta Yuyutsava,

Mamka Pandavascaiva Kim Kurvata Sanjya.

This verse is the first verse in bahagavad Gita, spoken by King Dhritarashtra, enquiring from Sanjaya, about the activities of his sons and the sons of Pandu who had gathered in the religious grounds of Kurukshetra.

My grandmother's departure yet again sent us on a visit to this holy place where Lord Krishna delivered the instructions to Arjuna 5000 years ago. Kurukshetra is in the state of Harayana, a good 200 Km drive from New Delhi. W had to go to a small town adjacent to Kurukshetra named Peohwa. It is believed that Lord Krishna made King Yudhisthir perform rit

es for the departed Kuru clan to rectify mistakes in performing last rites for them.

In Vedic culture, it is advised that the dying person should be brought down from bed and lied down on the floor and Lighting a lamp and an incense. if one is not able to do that, then one has to go to Peohwa.

So we reached the Saraswati Kunda in the small town where many pandas (priests) are there. Only that panda will do the rites for you, whose ancestors did for your ancestors. We got ours by specifying our origin, gotra and current residential place. He then directed us to another priest who performed the actual rites at the banks of Sarasvati Kunda. Earlier it was a big river. But now it has disappeared underground and merges in the Ganga & Yamuna at Prayag.

After this we went straight to Krishna Arjuna Mandir, ISKCON.

Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and Sri Sri Jagannath Baladev

a Subhadra preside over this huge temple. The construction is small, but the land is huge. There is a beautiful garden and amidst a beautiful and a big pond filled with lotus flowers. After attending the noon arati and honoring Mahaprasadam, we then left for the next spot.

Next was Jyoti Sar, the exact spot, where the supreme lord delivered Bhagavad Gita. The place is an open and huge marble structure, quite neatly mantained. There is no temple as such or pndas that will harass you like in other holy cities. Still stands the Banyan tree said to have witnessed the great pastime 5000 years back. After reciting some Bg verses and chanting few rounds we got into our car and headed back for New Delhi.

Oh! in case I forgot to tell, I went with my parents and Mithilesh.

Illumination 3

As told to Saurabh Prabhu

"Surrender is possible only in association"

"Paramhamsas are always able to see god because they remember him by their active service."

Haridwar - The holy city

Haridwar is perhaps the one of the most popular holy city in India. Thousands and thousands of pilgrims keep inundating the city. I had visited Haridvar some 15 years back with my parents and maternal grand parents, and by the look of it, nothing much has changed there. Same shops loaded with devotional CDs, worship paraphernalia and Deity Pictures. And yes, lots of Baishnava Bhojanalaya.

Inevitability of Death causes hundreds of people visit Haridvar everyday for performing last rites for their departed dear ones. Especially in north India, people spread the remains of the body in the Holy Ganga, the river that provides liberation to anyone who takes a dip in her holy water. Everyone knows the origin of Mother Ganga also known as Vishnupadi as it flows from the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord.

The same fact

of life took us to Haridvar. We went to spread my grandmother's remains in the holy water. We reached Friday noon, took a room. We went to the Ghat, the famous Har ki Paudi (Hari's Stairs), took a dip in the freezing cold waters. Then went to the family panda whose family has done rites for our family since last 150-200 years, that covers about 7-8 generations. We then lit a lamp at Kusha Ghat to be kept burning whole night and then offered to Mother Ganga's waters in the wee hours. They say when the stars are still there.

Anyways, the day was very auspicious, Narsimha Caturdasi. After much struggle with my dad and uncle, I convinced them to visit the nearby ISKCON Centre. They were only reluctant because of being exhausted. My dad is also practicing all the rules & regulations of Krishna Consciousness and has been chanting 16 rounds for 2 years now. The centre was a 15 minutes rickshaw ride from Har Ki Paudi. The temple was under construction. When we went up, there were very few devotees. Most had gone for Vyas Puja of His Holiness Navyogendra Swami Maharaj in Jammu. But 4-5 devotees from different parts of India were all coincidently in Haridvar that day. We did Kirtan and heard pastimes of Lord Narsimha and Prahlada. After the Shayan Arotik, the devotees lovingly offered us Mahaprasadam. After that we left for our quarters.

Next morning, 4:30 we left for the Kusha Ghat banks, took the lamp and floated it in the river. I chanted a few rounds there in the calm and serene surroundings. It was very pleasing.

Then at 8:00 AM, we went to Har ki Paudi, spread the remains. There went the last of what we were holding on to the physical existence of my grandmother. Suddenly there was this void. It felt like a dream. Some magic, that a person between had disappeared, gone invisible.

We again came back to Kusha Ghat, did some more rites called *pinda dana etc. Gave a bedding and cow in charity to the Brahmin priest doing the ceremony. After all this we went back to har Ki Paudi, took a bath. It was hot, but the water was again freezing cold.

We were fasting since morning, so afterwards we had a nice filling breakfast. Puri aalo and delectable chutney. Loved it. Yes my taste buds continue to control my mind. But trying to subdue them by Krishna prasadam and chanting.

We then went back to the Family priest place. There we entered the reason for our visit in a

book, that had the same kind of records for previous 7-8 generations.

Afterwards, we packed up and left back for Delhi.

Haridvar is always filled with pilgrims. Many congregation gatherings, many saints giving discourses. But in all that rush, most people i noticed were either seeming to be in the picnic mode, or karma kanda or monists. Having recently been to Mayapur, Haridvar offered an extreme contrast.

May the cooling rays of Sri Harinama Sankirtan Movement inundate this holy city soon.

*Pinda Dana: offering of a gross body to the departed soul. Since the gross body is destroyed, the soul in its subtle body still needs the gross body to enjoy the fruits of the past karma (good or bad). So balls of flour and rice are offered. Then bedding is given in charity to a brahmin, which ultimately gives the departed soul the right to use it in the nether worlds. Also a cow is donated. It is said, that there is a dangerous Vaitarani river, full of blood mucous and bile with crocodiles in it. The living entity has to cross it over. The departed soul then holds on to the tail of the cow and crosses over easily. But sinful souls face a very horrible condition. Hare Krishna!!! Ref to Garuda Purana.

**ISKCON centre at Bhima Gauda, it is a small preaching centre, looked over by HH Nav Yogendra Swami Maharaja. A big temple is also coming up on the Prabhupada Road to Rishikesh. I guess.

Farewell to a loved one.

My Grandmother, 76 passed away on April 30, 2009. She had been diagnosed with Urinary Bladder Cancer. After undergoing Surgery and Radiotherapy and cycle of being healthy and sick, in a short span of 6 months, she disappeared from our eyes.

Born and Brought up in pre-independence Pakistan, married in India raised 2 sons. One of them being my dad. Pious lady, very doting especially on me. I was her cherished grandson.

By the good will of the lord, she had also started chanting Mahamantra 10 rounds everyday. She even touched 16 for 2-3 months before she fell sick. She followed most of the regulative life that her advanced age allowed her to do.

Krishna had plans for her and she left her body on April 30 morning 9:20 AM. Fortunately enough she had been hearing incessantly for past 10 days and nights the holy name from the lips of the pure devotee of the lord - Srila Prabhupada. The night before we had read the 18th Chapter of Bhagavad Gita, applied tilak on her and gave her Garland prasad. Just before she took her last birth, my mother was quick enough to pour tulsi and sacred Ganges water in her mouth.

I was unfortunately no there with her at the time of her passing. I came back early from office and got engaged in the arranging for the funeral service. She was looking her prettiest. AVaishnava Tilak adorning her calm and smiling face. A devotee had gotten Maha Garlands from the Temple as well, Tulasi beads and a Tulasi Stem.

We took her body in the procession doing Harinama to the Funeral Centre. After whole lot of rites, finally her body was kept on a pile of wood. We all bid our final obeisances to her and then my father gave the fire to the woods. In 45 minutes, everthing was reduced to ashes.

A Very Krishna Conscious Departure!!!

Illumination 2

Yesterday night Suarabh Prabhu gave me a very nice tip to improve upon reading and hearing Srila Prabhupada. This was told to him by HG Mohan Rupa Prabhu.

It is very important to have apersonal inspiration with Srila Prabhupada when hearing his lectures. That is to meditate that the instructions that Srila Prabhupada are giving in the lecture are for me and not just lecture he delivered in the distant past. Srila Prabhupada is the Founder Acarya and Shisksha Guru of every single soul who has come or will ever come to ISKCON. This will increase our understanding of what Prabhupada is saying and will have a much greater impact on our consciousness. This way we can be more Krishna Conscious while remembering the instructions in the lecture or Bhaktivedanta Purports.

World is Not Safe

World is not safe

Aila, a cyclone that recently hit the coastal West Be

ngal and Bangladesh wrecked havoc in

the area. The death toll mounted to 800 and affected more than 400,000 people. Well, nobody was there to save them from the natural disaster. The hospital, where people go for getting a treatment but end up worse? Recently a fire at a western Turkish hospital left eight intensive care unit patients dead. Mike Tyson – the boxing champion, the powerful man could not save his own 4-year-old daughter when her neck apparently got caught in a treadmill cord at her Phoenix home. This kind of reminds one of the

slasher movies like Saw and Final Destination. Yes! the depictions in the movie may seem highly unlikely but actually they are happening everywhere. This was evident when eleven people were killed and forty were injured due to wire breaking down at a free concert by Moroccan pop star Abdelaziz Stati.

These numbers probably are too less to give us a jolt. But the recent Sri Lanka – LTTE civil war is fresh in everybody’s mind. The UN estimated in May 2009, that 7,000 civilians had been killed and another 16,700 had been wounded between January 20 and May 7, 2009, and another 1,000 were killed in heavy artillery bombardments by the SLA forces in the last week of fighting. Both the Sri Lankan Army and the LTTE were blamed for the civilian deaths. What are all these facts pointing too? What is that one common string that strings them together in a theme?

Once Srila Prabhupada, with his disciples was flying in a plane. Owing to bad weather the plane experienced some turbulence. After landing, the pilot announced that they landed safely. The disciples also sighed in relief repeating that they are safe now. Srila Prabhupada said, "Material

world is never a safe place. Danger is there at every step".

Srimad Bhagavatam also declares the same sentiment

samasrita ye pada-pallava-plavam
mahat-padam punya-yaso murareh
bhavambudhir vatsa-padam param padam
padam padam yad vipadam na tesam

Vipadam means dangerous position; Padam padam, every step in this material world; na tesam - not for the devotee.

So in this material world we may try our best to live very peacefully, but nature will not allow us. There must be calamity, war and death. Especially we see in European history, there were so many wars: Carthaginian war, Greek War, Roman War, Seven Years' War between France and England, and Hundred Years' War. And wars are still going on, not only between nation and nation, but also between man and man, neighbor to neighbor, even between husband and wife, father and son. This war is going on.

Then what is the solution? How do we protect ourselves from this onslaught where everyone is bound to die.

Srimad Bhagavatam gives us the answer.

etat saḿsūcitaḿ brahmaḿs
tāpa-traya-cikitsitam
yad īśvare bhagavati
karma brahmaṇi bhāvitam

[SB 1.5.32]

O Brāhmana Vyāsadeva, it is decided by the learned that the best remedial measure for removing all troubles and miseries is to dedicate one's activities to the service of the Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead [Śrī Krsna].

The most feasible and practical way to open the path of salvation or get relief from all miseries of life is to hear submissively the transcendental activities of the Lord from the right and bona fide sources. This is the only remedial process. The entire material existence is full of miseries. People have manufactured, many remedial measures for removing the threefold miseries pertaining to the body and mind, pertaining to the natural disturbances and in relation with other living beings. The whole world is struggling very hard to exist out of these miseries, but men do not know that without the sanction of the Lord no plan or no remedial measure can actually bring about the desired peace and tranquility.

The remedial measure to cure a patient by medical treatment is useless if it is not sanctioned by the Lord. To cross the river or the ocean by a suitable boat is no remedial measure if it is not sanctioned by the Lord. We should know for certain that the Lord is the ultimate sanctioning officer, and we must therefore dedicate our attempts to the mercy of the Lord for ultimate success or to get rid of the obstacles on the path of success. The Lord is all-pervading, all-powerful, omniscient and omnipresent. He is the ultimate sanctioning agent of all good or bad effects. So we should always depend on Krsna’s assurance. In any circumstances, any dangerous position, Krsna… Avasya raksibe krsna visvasa palana. This is surrender. We should, therefore, learn to dedicate our activities unto the mercy of the Lord.

Chanting Hare Krishna Mahamantra is the prescribed method for this age to attract Lord’s mercy.

So Please chant Hare Krishna……….Hare Hare and be happy.

Illumination 1

Mohan Rupa Prabhu told Saurabh Prabhu told me:

Dealings with Contemporary Devotees, ie Devotees with whom one shares a friendly relationship.

· Respect amongst devotees should be heartfelt.
Not just an outwardly show.

· Reveal your mind to each other and enquire about
other realizations.

· When together, focus on discussing Krsna Katha,
otherwise tendency is there to drift towards prajalpa.
This tendency results from the common aspects like age/interests etc.

· Render service to the devotee sincerely, i.e the
underlying principle of loving relationship.

Demons

When we hear the word Demon, we think of mythical creatures with ugly features, belonging to some other world, who do utterly mean things. That might all be true. Krishna however explains certain qualities of a Demon.

Its the qualities and actions that make a person demon, not the external physical experience. Let us look inside our hearts to gauge our demoniac quotient.

For your benefit and mine, here I compile a few of the characteristics of demons from the Bhagavad Gita verses that I studied sometime back.

1. The demoniac man knows no limit to his desire to acquire money.
2. He does not hesitate to act in any sinful way for illegal gratification.
3. He believes in his own strength, and he does not know that whatever he is gaining is due to his past good deeds.
4. Anyone who comes into competition with such a demoniac man is his enemy.
5. Each demoniac person thinks that he can live at the sacrifice of all others.
6. Demoniac preacher tells his followers: "Why are you seeking God elsewhere? You are all yourselves God! Whatever you like, you can do. Don't believe in God. Throw away God. God is dead."
7. The demoniac accept that the enjoyment of the senses is the ultimate goal of life.
8. But one who is demoniac has no knowledge of Vedic scripture, nor has he any faith; therefore he feels free to do anything for sense enjoyment, regardless of the consequences.
9. They make a show of performing sacrifices, or they worship the demigods, or manufacture their own God.

The Real Enemy

The Real Enemies

In the wake of recent happenings in Mumbai, the thought that so many innocent lives were taken is very disturbing. It’s natural to conclude the reason for the brutal acts like this to be the most apparent one. We feel that India is being made a target of hatred by a certain community. We also feel cheated when we see that our own Government was handicap in protecting us from this impending danger. There was a fault in the NSG procedures, police action and good for nothing politicians.

Throughout the history of world we see many such incidents. The primitive America was involved in intertribal wars amongst the Mayans and Incas, Europeans were busy waging wars, annexing neighboring kingdoms. And India has never been a stranger to these plunders. From the ancient history of being attacked by Alexander to Mughals in medieval times and Britishers in the recent history, all we see is human tragedy – millions and millions of humans suffered/died. So the cause of brutalities like the one in Mumbai cannot be restricted to just one community or country, but to something much more global, much more universal.

There are various aspects to these incidents, however if were to find a real and permanent solution we would have to go to the deep depths of human nature, where lies the root of this problem. Real enemies of humanity are not some group or alliance of people, but the very ugly propensities ingrained in them from long. These are lust, greed, anger, envy, illusion and pride. Time and again we have seen that the perpetrators of the most gruesome crimes are driven by one or more of the above mentioned traits. Be it Napoleon (greed), Hitler (envy for Jews), America’s bombing of Hiroshima (anger). And people in absence of real knowledge by their own free will agree to be affected by these. They then become instruments/puppets in the hands of these all destructive propensities and end up using anything and everything to serve their nefarious acts including misuse of religion! This only leads to endless miseries to themselves and this world.

Each one of us is affected to different degree and our real nature is held hostage by these ugly propensities or terrorists! We have no hopes on our own; they are extremely powerful, dangerous and well armed! Our only hope for rescue from such treacherous conditions is external help – the commandos!

The timeless Vedic knowledge from Bhagavad Gita have throughout

history been working like commandos, destroying the ugly propensities (lust, greed, anger, envy, illusion and pride) in the hearts of people who ever sought their sincere help. Bhagavad Gita warns us of the serious consequences if we ignore this most important matter for ourselves and this world: For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will remain the greatest enemy (as it serves as the h

ead quarters for these ugly propensities).

One of the most important practices mentioned in Vedic knowledge for our times(Kali Yuga) to win this war is to incessantly Chant the Maha-Mantra Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare and make our lives peaceful, happy and sublime – even amidst all the insanity of this world.

For more information, please feel free to contact: shalav.delhi@gmail.com

Roots of Secularism

Religious Extremism v/s Secular Extremism

To start with, let us revisit the definition of Secularism. A secular state is a state or country that is officially neutral in matters of religion, neither supporting nor opposing any particular religious beliefs or practices. A secular state also treats all its citizens equally regardless of religion, and does not give preferential treatment for a citizen from a particular religion over other religions. Atheism is about not believing in god, in other words, denying the existence of god.

Some time back, there was a nice poem circulating in the chain mails that caught my attention. It described how through the history of America, in the name of secularism, instead of becoming intolerant to religious discrimination, it has become intolerant to religion itself. Removing all forms of prayers from schools, public assemblies; religious passages from text books and many other such acts has made the Western civilization godless. Though these countries wear the garb of secularism, but instead of being tolerant to all the religions they have become intolerant to all religions. And sadly, India is marching forward in this direction.

On scrutinizing study of the religions of the world, any intelligent man can recognize that the underlying principles are the same. They can be summarized as:

· God is one, the supreme.

· Love God - This includes chanting his name, worshipping him.

· We, the living entities (humans, animals & plants) are all his children.

· Be a good human being - cultivate honesty, compassion, mercy.

· Restrain from sinful life - stealing, killing, adultery etc

The details, terminology may differ a little bit, but the goal remains the same. But deluded by greed, lust and anger, we have forgotten this. And in the name of religion we are either waging wars or turning totally deaf to the message of God. People ask, "If God is there and if religion is so perfect than why are the things happening in the world that are happening?" If a person is given instructions and follows them whimsically, then only a dull headed lame person would conclude that the instructions are wrong and should be done away with.

Similar is the present condition of our country today. Thanks to the sponsorship by the state, our great spiritual culture is withering away. There may be many committees formed for maintaining peace, but no matter how many peace keeping forces be created and deployed, but no peace can come unless we take the message of god in all earnest.

In Bhagvad Gita, Lord Krishna declares "samah sarvesu vedesu", i.e. one who knows oneself to be a part and parcel of the supreme god, has a vision of equality and then he sees all equal. What to speak of human beings, he considers even a cow, an elephant, a brahmana, a dog and a dog eater at same level. Why? Because he sees the supreme self in all. This principle brings us to real secularism. Roots of secularism are thus embedded in the religion – True religion. Artificially trying to turn the country into a godless society will only lead to demoniac results. Recent unfortunate events of Mumbai are one of them.

[Update: Read this new article. It talks about how secularists in US are bent on taking out Christ from Christmas]

Gaura Candra - The Moon of Nadia appears

Sri Gaura Purnima, the day when Sri Gaura Candra- The moon of Nadia appeared to extinguish the burning sensation of material life by the soothing moon rays of Congregational chanting of the holy names of Lord Hari marks an importnat day in the lives of Gaudiya Vaishnavas. This year festivals at Sri Sri Radha Parthasarathi Temple spanned 4 days comemorating it by a procession of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai through the streets of Delhi accompanied with Maha Sankirtan bestowing the greatest gift of holy name to the common people of Delhi. After which His Grace Mohan Rupa Das Prabhu - Temple President of ISKCON, Delhi gave a lecture on the life and teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This was the first in the series of lectures delivered everyday upto Gaura Purnima.

On the eve of Gaura Purnima, March 10, a big pandal program was arranged in the temple. The program started with Hari Nama Rock which attracted people of all ages and showed how even music can be employed in the service of the supreme lord. People could be seen tapping their feet and enjoying themselves hearing to the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. The soothing effect on the people in general was apparent. This was followed by a very culturally vibrant dance by the members of IGF. The show displayed the colorful Holi played by Krishna and the Gopis with flowers. After this the much acclaimed actors of Vaikuntha Men Group presented a beautiful drama on the Life and Teachings of Ras Khan - a Muslim by birth and a great devotee of Lord Krishna. The drama tried to show how Krishna Consciousness is not sectarian but teaches pure religion. After this Mohan Rupa Prabhu gave an enlightening lectures about the pastimes of Sri Krishna Caitanya. Krishna Prasadam was next on the menu. The program was wonderful in sense that it norished both the soul and body of the people who had taken time out to attend it. This shows that Krishna Conscious movement is a complete solution to all the world's problem.

The most awaited day was here - The auspicious appearance day of Sri Krishna Caitanya. He is non different from the Supreme Lord Krishna and his pleasure potency combined who appeared to establish the principle religion of Kali Yuga - The congregational chanting of the Holy names of

Lord Hari. The day begun with Mangala Arotik where all the devotees enthusiastically participated in greeting the lord. During the day there was continuous kirtan and Gaura-katha in the temple hall which was like nectar to the ears of the devotees. At 5:30 pm in the evening the festivities begun with the Maha-Abhisheka of Gaura Nitai. The temple was filled with devotees keen on witnessing this trancendental pastime when Lord is bathed with various items and scented waters. Hare Krishna kirtan was resounding everywhere and the blowing of conchshell continuing marking the auspicious moment to be arriving soon.

The abhisheka went for half an hour and ended with a continuous shower of flower petals. His Holiness Janananda Swami and His Holiness Maha Vishnu Swami also graced the event. After this a grand bhoga was offered to the lord including a big cake, freshly baked for the pleasure of their lordships.

The program then moved from temple hall to the pandal, where Vaikuntha Players presented an hour long drama on the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu leading upto his acceptance of Sanyasa. His Grace Mohan Rupa Das Prabhu then ended the program with a short lecture on the ontological positiong of Sri Krishna Caitanya and thanking all the devotees who had made this big festival a success. There was a big feast later on and everyone honored prasadam upto his full satisfaction.

Thus came the end of the festival, May this pastime of Sri Krishna Caitanya goes on continuously in our hearts and help us develop pure love of Godhead.

Pushpa Abhisheka @ Radha Parthasarathi Temple

Sunday, January 18, 2009 we celebrated the Pushya Abhiseka of our dearmost Sri Sri Radha Parthsarathi at ISKCON, New Delhi. A special flower dress was offered to their Lordships on the occasion. The devotees had whole day plucked petals to be used for showering the deities with them.

The Abhiseka ceremony started right after Gaura Arati when the Utsava deities were brought out and seated on a raised platform. After putting a Tulasi Garland and offering the lamp, the magnificent affair began. While the petals started pouring over the deities, Muktidata Prabhu raised the tempo of Kirtan creating an ecstatic atmosphere for devotees. Blessed were the visiting tourists who saw the Transcendental Pastime. They would have never seen such a beautiful affair in their life. But Radha Parthasarathi had chosen to bestow their mercy on a chosen few who decided to visit the temple that day and capture their hearts forever.

One by one the Pujaris were showering hoards of petals, inundating the deities. The whole temple hall was imbued with the fragrance of flowers especially Rose. Just as we thought it was over, the Pujaris up there surprised the eager devotees by going behind the Radha Parthsarathi (Archa deities) and started showering petals at them too. It was literally a rain of flowers. It could be judged that Their Lordships were certainly pleased as they were gently smiling at the devotees.


After that the petals were thrown on the devotees, and then they started playing Holi with flowers. It was a great festival.

May such events come again and again and forever remind devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead – Sri Krishna and his pastimes.

Kartik Yatra Day 3

Kartik Yatra Day 2

Its said that lying down on the ground in Sri dhama is equivalent to offering obeisances to the Lord. So after some sleep, IYF boys started getting up. Quite a few were ready in their pristine white dhoti kurtas, neat tilaks chanting their rounds. The effulgent devotees chanting the holyname always seem to be like vishnudutas. Such an auspicious sight. The usual routine followed then which takes quite a time for me.

We reached Krishna Balarama Mandir where Samsara Davanala Prayers had already begun at Prabhupada's Samadhi Mandir. The feeling of being in that moment is very different. One can distinctly hear the ringing bell in the hand of the pujari offering arotik, in the silent atmosphere. A very faint voice coming from inside is heard, accompanied by a single kartal and mridanga. The mild cool breeze of Vrindavan flows. The sky is clear and still dark with twinkling stars. Devotees hushing in the temple and paying obeisances. Everyone is happy and in their hearts praying to their spiritual master and thanking them for their good fortune. One thing I always pray and hope is that my conscious be forever like this. Believe me!! those people who have never attended the Mangala prayers in Vrindavan or even in their cities, they don't know what bliss is. It's like having personal darshan of the lord. One feels a part of the few chosen ones. Though there is no restriction, but still only few fortunate souls can witness the Mangala Arati Mahotsava.

Kartik is a special time in Vrindavan. Devotees from India and rest of the world visit Sri Dhama to recharge their spiritual batteries. Srila Prabhupada used to say that Dham Yatra is the fruit of the devotional service performed round the year. So because of so many devotees, having nice and satisfying darshans of lord during mangala arati is difficult. So to avoid being left standing in the courtyard, devotees start moving inside the temple hall before the kirtan ends at Prabhupada's Samadhi. Inside the temple hall uninterrupted harinama keeps going. The portion in front of Sri Sri Radha Shyamsundara is already filled with Matajis. I guess it has been like that always. No grudges for that, but sometimes it becomes impossible to capture a good shot of the altar. So as the clock strikes 4:30, the grand doors of the 3 altars open and from inside appear the personal attendants of their lordships. The powerful sound of blowing conches makes the environment auspicious, announcing that soon the lord will be appearing to give joy to the heart of devotees. The curtains open and there THEY are. Dressed simply without many ornaments and garlands, yet the most beautiful objects of vision in the whole universe. I particularly station myself in front of Krishna Balaram. Slowly the vibhavari shesha prayers begin after a roar of jaya radha shyamsundar and krishna balaram ki jaya.

The kirtan is melodious and soft that one can distinctly hear the ringing of bells in the altar. This can be experienced even if one hears the recorded version. "Vibhavari Sesa, Alok Pravesa. Nidra Chhari Utho Jiva. Bolo Hari Hari, Mukunda Murari, Rama Krishna Hayagriva........" Devotees get lost while hearing the transcendental names and qualities of the supreme lord and drinking the nectar of the unlimited and unsurpassable beauty of the forms of the lord. The prayer depicts the whole Vrindavan and one can remember about the pastimes the two heroes must have performed. In fact the very position, the two princes stand is like they are observing the miserable conditioned souls and out of mercy are inviting them to join their eternal pastimes. Balaramaji's arm resting on Krishna's shoulder - and cows sitting at their feet - a direct scene from Goloka Vrindavan. Srila Prabhupada has given us a philosophy which is the summit in spirituality and then the beautiful deities to kep us attracted. A very dear friend has a inner desire to dress and decorate the two brothers once in this lifetime.

The Kirtan that follows is extremely soothing. By this time the jubilation is evident on the devotees' face. They are tapping their feets, smiling, as if talking to the deities, calling out to Sri Guru, Srila Prabhupada and Krishna and Radharani to help them come out of the deplorable situation of material existence and bestow the highest benediction of pure devotional service at the lotus feet of their lordships.

The Kirtan fades with devotees already feeling the mood of separation, for soon the altars will close and the deities will be no more visible. That day, Deena Nayak Prabhu led the Narasimha prayers in his sweet voice. Then is the time for announcements. These announcements are very typical to IKCON and have become part and parcel of the temples' daily routine. It starts with declaring the book distribution scores for the pleasure of the deities, srila Prabhupada and the Vaishnavas, Then the big altar doors close concealing behind them the object of everyone's affection. In Kartik, it is mostly Devamrita Prabhu making the announcements. I remember it like I heard recently "we welcome all the devotees who have just arrived in Sridhama Vrindavan and we wish them a pleasant stay. We also welcome 1200 devotees who have come from New Delhi and NCR." "Today the Braja parikrama Yatra will move from so and so place to such and such place, devotees who are interested can board the buses immediately after these announcements which are standing right outside the temple." And so on....so very reminiscent of Kartik Yatra.

Tulasi Arati time: Two Aratis simultaneously go on. One in the main courtyard, where all the prabhujis are present and one in front of the matchless gift shop for matajis. At the time of yani kani ca papani portion of the prayer when devotees circumambulate Tulasi mahrani, it looks like a giant my fair lady ride. Soon after, the Japa Period starts. Devotees spread across the Krishna Balarama Temple, in temple hall, courtyard, stairs, walking the temple parikrama marg, samadhi mandir, Prabhupada quarters, Guest house reception and some go on a Vrindavan Parikrama. The whole atmosphere is filled with the pure vibration of the holy name. What different would be the Spiritual world from what we experience right here in temple. The weather was mildly cold that day.

7:00 AM we were supposed to report in Phogla Ashram for Guru Vandana. But I along with few others decided to stay back and attend Sringar Arati and Guru Arati in KB temple itself. For we would not get that chance again in this Yatra especially so me. Who knows when will I get this opportunity again. So darshan arati started at 7:15 AM, the lord appeared in a purple dress today. Srila Prabhupada had been seated today on the stairs in the courtyard for Guru Puja. Probably to accommodate large number of devotees. The kirtan started with Jaya Prabhupada, Jaya Srila Prabhupada and then Guru Vandana. Suddenly I realised that the voice is known and this melody is heard before. Where ? It was none other than His Holiness Loknath Swami Maharaja. It was too good to be missed. So I recorded some portion of the event in the camera. Slowly we noticed that many devotees had stayed back to witness this. After this AGP, Saurabh Prabhu and I proceeded towards Phogla Ashram where a snack prasadam was awaiting.

After this we were supposed to be going to visit places like Radha Damodarji, Radha Ramanji, Nidhu Vana and Seva Kunja. So the congregation of 1200 devotees started from Phogla Ashram with Brahmacaris leading the kirtan at the front. Some devotees were manging the crowd and keeping them on one side of the road. We first went to Radha Damodar Mandir. After taking darshans, we circumambulated the temple. It is said that it is equivalent to giriraja goverdhan parikrama. This took a lot of time as the temple was packed with devotees. Mohan Rupa Prabhu was in full form, leading Kirtan, singing hare krishna mahamantra and Vaishnav Bhajans. This temple also houses the samadhi of Srila Rupa Goswami, Bhugarbha Goswami, Bhakti Sidhhant Saraswati Goswami amongst other prominent Vaishnava Acarya. It was this temple where Prabhupada had stayed and written Srimad Bhagvatam Canto 1 before he embarked on a journey which was to change the course of history of mankind.

Then we went to Radha Ramanji, the special thing about this deity is that apart from being extremely beautiful, that he mercifully has allowed himself to be photographed. Whereas in other Goswami Mandirs it is not. Nowadays in Krishna Balaram Temple also it is very difficult to click photographs for security reasons. At this temple there is a special rabri mahaprasad which is given to devotees in a clay pot. I was fortunate to get some. Due to heavy rush of devotees and personal agendas I lost company of Saurabh Prabhu and Ajita Govind Prabhu, So I moved fast to our next destination.

It was Nidhi Vana this time, where Shyamanand Prabhu found anklebells of Srimati Radharani and subsequently blessed by her. Its an area densly covered with small height trees.I guess they were Tulasi shrubs. I could hear Mohanrupa Prabhu's voice from far away. In the midst of the forest was the Vishakha Kund situated deep below the ground level. There were a row of stairs to get there. After doing acaman and dipping our beads in the holy water, we proceeded further. I walked fast to catch up with the main party, as I could hear Mohanrupa Pr describing the pastimes and philosophy. Near the end of the way there is a big open space, where devotees had gathered around and intently heard from Mohanrupa prabhu. Prabhuji described the pastime of Shyamananda Prabhu's meeting with Srimati Lalita Devi and then subsequently Srimati Radharani. Its a very beautiful pastime between the Princess of Vrindavan and a pure devotee and how she gave the deity of Sri Shyamsundar (the form/deity in her heart) to Shyamanand Prabhu. Then after this we proceeded further and came near the exit. I was finally able to catch up with Saurabh Prabhu and Ajita Govinda Prabhu.

Our next destination SevaKunj, which was near by. There is a temple right at the start with Lalita Kund in the adjacent vicinity. There we heart from a young brajwasi boy about the pastime of Srimati Radharani getting into Mana and Krishna - the reservoir of all rasas serving her. The whole narration was rendered poetically which also made it humorous. At the end the boy asked everyone to laugh loudly. Everybody did. However the last sentence made Brahmacaris to stop and think. He said, "Jo yahan hasta hai, kehte hain usi ka ghar basta hai" (One who laughs here, settles in family life soon). Then we headed back to Phogla Ashram for Prasadam.

On my way I purchased pedas for bhoga offering from the famous Brajwasi Sweet Shop. Had lunch. Was thoroughly exhausted after the long walk so took a rickshaw and went to my ashram. Took rest, washed clothes. Then as everyone left for Phogla ashram, I went to Krishna Balaram Temple. Had to do many chores like purchase Kanthi mala for dad, offer that and sweets to Krishna Balaram, get a book from the counter, get charan tulasi )enough to last for 2 months). After this came back and then with saurabh prabhu went to Phogla ashram just in time for Prasadam. One desire had been lurking in my heart was to do little seva. But my flickering mind had manage to get me away for a number of times. But this time by mercy of Krishna, I got inside the Prasadam hall for serving seva. I joined Parthasarathi Mitra Prabhu's team. Have served under his guidance many a times in Delhi temple. It had been so arranged that the area we were serving in had all the senior devotees coming and honoring Prasadam. One quality of PMP and PujaPriya prabhu I have observed is that they take such good care of devotees serving under their management. And they never shy away from serving themselves if need be. Then they also make sure that who ever was serving is fed sumptuously and comfortably. This, very quality is what attracts one to Vaishnavas and then develop faith in Krishna.

Then later on feasting upto neck, we got ready to go back to KB temple. Demodarastakam Prayers were over. But the atmosphere in the KB temple was magical. It was something indescribable. Oh! It was something heavenly. It must have been trancendental also, but I do not know how to distinguish between two. Stepped up in the temple hall. There on the extended platform was seated His Holiness Kadamba Kanan Maharaja was leading the kirtan and besides him was ISKCON Kirtan Samrat - His Grace Aindra Prabhu. Believe me it was unbelievable. The mahamantra was resounding everywhere. Devotees were dancing. Not a corner was left in the hall and the courtyard. I won't write anymore because I am incapable of describing it anymore.
After this AGP, Saurabh Pr and me went to Govindas as previously decided. But I was too overloaded and could not afford to have anything. It turned out that any order would take a minimum of half an hour. So we cancelled the idea. On our way out we say Kadamb Kanan Maharaja was talking to another Maharaj, so we paid our obeisances. In turn Maharaja blessed us by giving his maha garland. The same garland which he would have gotten from Srila Prabhupada. We left AGP at his Dharamshala on our way to ours. It was the usual but very appropriate dinner consisting of Milk and puffed rice.