The Essence of Surrender:having no separate interest from Sri Krishna's interest 6/14/15 Ecuador

Dear devotees, accept all my affection from Ecuador,

These have been days of much nectar, visiting two or more programs in the day. The devotees of Ecuador, certainly, are working hard to preach. In Vilcabamba I was impressed, there were more than 50 people in the program, and that is a relatively new program. In the morning we start to drive again, happy to have been in Ecuadorian lands. Today I share a few words about the surrender;

Surrender is the absolute acceptance, in words and commitments, preferably in thoughts too. Distinguishing and accepting the favorable progress on the path back to God. Reaching the abode of God is the goal of life, there is nothing more important than that. There is nothing better than that, but on the way impediments will arise. Therefore, accepting conditions which are favorable in advancing in that direction is one of the symptoms of surrender. The second symptom of surrender is deciding and remaining determined to reject all that which is unfavorable for attaining the  Lotus Feet of Sri Krishna. Initially you may not be sure what is the goal we want to achieve, perhaps you only perceive some things, such as our goal is something positive, which is beyond duality and therefore we deliver true peace, which is beyond miseries and lies of this material world. However, the essence of surrender is connected with the frequency of having no separate interest from Sri Krishna's interest. And for that, one must ask oneself and pray asking what is the sweet will of the Lord, for me.

Surrender brings great changes in the life of a person, it is a transition, a major step, a change from guided selfishness towards complete spiritual dedication without the desire for personal gain. It takes practice to the extent that you use everything you have received in the loving service of the Lord. In South America we say: Make good use of a bad bargain. That is the philosophy of "yukta vairagya" use all we have to serve the Lord. For He is the source and origin of all. In frequency of surrender everything becomes positive and progressive, one must make the conscious effort to become aware of everything you have received as well as having proper discrimination, distinguishing things properly.
One must appreciate all that comes to him. Valuing life itself as a gift from God.

How important are we? That question can only be answered in relation to the cause of our existence. The cause of our existence is the purpose of it, and the purpose of human life is to be a servant of Krishna:

jīvera 'svarūpa' haya — kṛṣṇera 'nitya-dāsa'

kṛṣṇera 'taṭasthā-śakti' 'bhedābheda-prakāśa'

sūryāḿśa-kiraṇa, yaiche agni-jvālā-caya

svābhāvika kṛṣṇera tina-prakāra 'śakti' haya

(CC Madhya 20.108-109)

"It is the living entity's constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa because he is the marginal energy of Kṛṣṇa and a manifestation simultaneously one with and different from the Lord, like a molecular particle of sunshine or fire. Kṛṣṇa has three varieties of energy."


The purpose of human life is to be a servant of God, then the importance of one's life is measured in relation to the degree in which one is connected with God's service. And service to God is service to all souls, service so that other souls become conscious of God as well. That is the essence of our life, our lives therefore become very important. The value of our actions depends on where they are directed towards. If we act to serve, then our actions and our lives become very valuable. To the proportion that we have developed a service attitude towards other souls and the Lord, to that degree our life become more valuable. If we do not use our lives properly, then we are wasting time on things of the material world like a fashionable dress, having the best jewels, having fun in the most extravagant ways, etc, etc, etc. Life gets out of hand so fast that once we realize that we're already completely consumed by the jaws of the material world. Therefore, my dear, this is the right time to make a deep self-analysis and ask: Who am I? What makes my existence valuable?

And I have given you the process so you can answer these questions. There is nothing more beautiful and more auspicious than Truth. It is through conscious awareness that each soul has the capacity to realize how we are a part of that Truth. We need preparation to come to the realization of our essence as eternal servants. It is not artificial state, it is a realization that descends from the highest realm through causeless mercy. And most importantly, we must train ourselves to become good servants. Daily practice is the daily effort to prepare us for this. One advances to the extent that one longs to serve. It is proportional, more service, more progress. Devotional service is the real root of the whole matter.
How does one practically experience this devotional service in practice? By remembering God, to make plans for God's pleasure or connecting others with God. When you cultivate inspiration to be with God, when you work and make the effort to improve, eventually you become eligible to serve God. All of this. which we aspire for in the process of spiritual life, it is not something ordinary, quite the contrary. Rather, we are talking about the ultimate goal of life. Nothing less than that.
We can only connect with that goal as long as we remain linked with a reliable source of spiritual energy, and reciprocate this connection with the right attitude, that attitude is the surrender of which we spoke of at first. The attitude of rejecting all selfish interests separate from Sri Krishna. This is our opportunity to decide whether we surrender to the Supreme Source or continue being surrendered to materialism which we have served life after life. With these words I say goodbye today.
I hope you can reflect on this during the week.

Jay Srila Prabhupada!

Your always well-wisher,
B.A. Paramadvaiti Swami

Become fully grateful for all we have received. 05/18/2014 From Quito.

                                                           Conference.

Dear devotees, accept my affection today.

We were singing a very special bhajan, " Sri Guru carana kamala bhajan mana" .

"O mind, just worship the lotus feet of Gurudev, without the mercy of Gurudeva I have no strength in my sadhana, so worship Him and serve him at every turn."

Unless one head towards Sri Guru in this human birth, which is rare, we will continue to seek material pleasure. Oh , how lucky we are to have their partnership and receive the darshan of the devotees of Sri Hari. Sri Guru is the blessed recipient of the mercy of Sri Krishna and also the reservoir of compassion for the fallen souls.

He illuminate our bhakti, bhava and prema and he is the savior of the world. All srutis, smrtis and puranas describe the glories of Sri Krishna and His devotees. "Offering my body, my mind and my life itself to the Lotus Feet of Sri Gurudeva, chanting Sri Harinam without cessation."

Jaya Prabhupada
Jaya Prabhupada
Patita Pavana.

After this beautiful song dedicated to Gurudeva , I want to share with  you all a known and very precise verse:

Isvara parama krishna
sac-cid-ananda-vigraha
anadir adir govinda
sarva-karana-karanam

"Krishna, who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes."

It is a very clear verse, is it not. Need another confirmation of the supremacy of the Lord? He is the Supreme, He is the Controller, His body is eternal, full of bliss ... But what about your body? Are you the Supreme?

Your body is not full of bliss nor is it spiritual, unless you completely use it for the Lord's service. Until you fully use your energy for Krishna do not think you can free yourself from the suffering of the material world.

Using our body for the service of Krishna from morning to night is the goal, only in such a manner can we talk about a sensible occupation of the body. If we did not use the body from morning to night in service, then many attacks from the world of exploitation of the senses will come. Something always comes to disturb us. Always coming to test if our effort is sincere or not, if it's real or not.

The body of Sri Krishna is eternal, full of bliss and beyond the modes of material nature, but not yours ...but anyway you can still purify your body by using it in devotional service!

Your body is about to die at any moment, any time, it can be even tomorrow. Nothing is guaranteed in this world. A person may be fine in the morning but at night leaves the body . That is not under your control. Do not live with the conviction that you're going to be alive forever. Best to live every minute as if it were your last. Appreciate everything you have received. Pray with faith to surrender.

The beginning verse helps us remember what the goal of our path is. Return to God, the Supreme Controller, return home. Never give up that goal. Never. Abandon that ideal is like receiving a special invitation to a wonderful party but rejecting it. Reject only the desire to enjoy temporal things. It's like getting an invitation to participate in the most important event in history, but refuse it just to go see a movie. It makes no sense.

Krishna is inviting you to utilize your body in sacred activities, you must take responsibility to make your life useful. Useful in service to God. You're not the enjoyer of this body. You're not the enjoyer of all. Parama Isvara is Krishna. The Supreme Controller and Enjoyer is Krishna. Any chance of enjoyment away from Krishna is nothing but a hoax. You have to get out of that deception. Stop at once the gratification of the senses and offer everything to Krsna. That's a wonderful thing. Even in marriage you can offer your family to Krishna.

Bhoktaram yajna-tapasam
sarva-loka-mahesvaram
suhridam sarva-bhutanam
jnatva mam santim ricchatii

The sages, knowing Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attain peace from the pangs of material miseries. (Bhagavad Gita 5.29)

That Krishna , the Supreme Controller , the Well-wisher of all , Krishna himself is the one who invites us to His loving and sincere service under the guidance of the spiritual master. It is inconceivable. Possible only by the mercy of His devotees. This is a strong enough reason to become fully grateful for all we have received.

With these words I conclude my message today.
Jay Srila Prabhupada!

Your always well wisher,
B. A. Swami Paramadvaiti .

Translating Personal Abilities & Our Internal Search into Practical Positive Actions 1/5/14

Colombia Coast Conference

My dearest devotees
I send all my love from the coast of Colombia .

The theme of the Chat today is how to translate our personal abilities & our internal search into practical positive actions for the world.

With this topic in mind I would like to offer my personal appreciation to really define what it means to become a real person. Becoming real means being honest with God and with everyone else.

Truthfulness means to follow the teachings of Guru, Sadhu and Sastra and to not speculate. We must not create fantasies or illusions about philosophy. Veracity means determination to be connected daily with the Srimad Bhagavatam, because the scriptures are our medicine against hypocrisy and falsehood.

Those who fail to connect daily with the Srimad Bhagavatam do not have the opportunity to develop healthy spiritual growth process. The Srimad Bhagavatam is the guide to develop a special sensitivity to the truth.

So it is clear that the * truth * is the first element that must be considered in the process of delivering our hearts in service. Truth in sanskrit is satyam . The second element is sivam, auspiciousness. And it refers to anything that pleases Krishna, Guru and Vaishnavas. So the question arises :
How to bring auspiciousness into our lives?

Well, it all starts with determination, becoming a consistent person .
Determination should be something always present in life. We should even underline it three times to take the important need: determination, determination and determination. As a kshatriya ... they followed the principle that if they promised something three times they rather die before not keeping their word. That should be the strength of our determination.

What am I determined to do? What is the purpose of my life? The lotus feet of Sri Radha Govinda should be the goal. The lotus feet of my Gurudeva ...
" pujala raga-patha gaurava bhange"

That was a phrase that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur frequently use to say.
This meditation brings us to remember that we are servants and we must do what Sri Radha- Krishna and my Gurudeva want me to do. I will give an example:

The first time I came face to face with my Gurudeva was in Paris , in one way or another I got to his room and it was full of people and, in one way or another, I could give my obeisances to his lotus feet. And so, just as I was coming back up Srila Prabhupada looked at me and said:

"Occupy the rest of your life to give to others what I have given you ".

And so, the first sentence that he said, the first time I saw him in person, he gave me a job for life. Not just something for the next three weeks, but a task for life. And that has become the focus of my life. The object of my determination. I have nothing else to do more than that.

I was looking for a Guru and he gave me lifetime service. I am very grateful for that fact. Finding the Spiritual Master is really a profound change for life.

Therefore, determination is very important. Determination is needed to have an auspicious life in service. Thus, the first two characteristics satyam ( truthfulness) and sivam ( auspiciousness ) correspond to very high ideals, now I'm going to talk about the third, sundaram.

What does sundaram mean ? I tell you with an example:
If a candle is beautiful, then 100 candles are even more beautiful ... So the logic is : get millions of beautiful candles so that everything becomes beautiful.

That's a metaphor that teaches us that everything we do should be done to the highest maximum of beauty possible . If you want to preach about Krishna in the Internet, you have to make the best effort, attention to detail is needed. For that you have to learn to make web pages, do the designs to make it pretty, learn how everything works on the web, so you can better promote your site , etc. . . . You have to train yourself properly for it.

The beauty is directly related to the intent that is put behind things that are done. Something done with honesty and pure intent is beautiful. And we should worry that things are done beautifully, that they are well made and well maintained. The beauty has meaning, if something is not beautiful then we do not give importance to it. What is true beauty? It is the beauty of the heart. And this beauty is manifested in action. It is like a beautiful chef who feeds others only with beautiful thoughts. He has to cook with beauty (with dedication) so that others eat. It's real. And how to apply beauty in everyday life? Well let all your actions become beautiful, everything you do should be done with increased dedication. To beautify explicitly means working hard for something. Working to make it look beautiful.

Beauty : work and dedication.
Satyam, sivam and sundaram : truth , auspiciousness and beauty is Vrindavan
The land of the personification of satyam , sivam , sumdaram ... the place of Srimati Radharani. The highest truth, auspiciousness and beauty.

That is why I am very involved with maintaining Vrindavan and Yamuna clean and beautiful, because they are essentially beautiful and should not be so contaminated. I feel Vrindavan should be glorious, that the beautiful temples and the worshiping of the deity must be wonderful . That's what Srila Prabhupada taught us and that's part of my own devotion. And my Gurudeva said: Transmit to others how beautiful Krsna is... and I have devoted myself to that over the years. I really want the glories of Sri Krsna to be disseminated without boundaries and that everyone can see them and fall in love ... that is why I feel that I have to help in the search for solutions to maintain the holy places like Vrindavan and Mayapur beautiful and clean. Same with our churches and farms. They should also be an example of satyam, sivam, sundaram. To achieve the opportunity to keep ourselves guided under these three features there is a great need of patience. Patience, determination and good organization.

And how do you organize everything correctly?

The first step of good organization is observation and that is found in the brahmacari life which translates into action of performing "sravanam" or to listen, listen and listen to the instructions of our acaryas. Our Spiritual Masters descended to this world not just to entertain, they came to tell us what are the right activities to perform in life. Please do not be negligent with this message. Apply it in your lives. It is basic ... one chooses to live in preyas or sreyas.

If your actions are focused on getting an immediate result of things then one is in preyas,  you are not thinking about the future or consequences ... The events in preyas only have negative results in the future .

However, sreyas is the way of wisdom . We have to look at things. Observe, observe and observe ... learn and apply, apply, apply. Why do we learn if we will not apply what we learn? There is no need to waste your time learning something if you will not then implement it. Apply!

In the same way , in spiritual life we must see how things unfold and act under sreyas: considering the consequences that everything we do is going to bring something in the future. We must act while considering the impact of what we do. So we must act properly and that's always harder to do than doing the wrong thing .

Acting correctly requires dedication, care, and attention and that is all of a personal nature ... it applies to us and our relationships with others. Many details to take care of. It's not easy. Beautify, beautify and beautify it is not something external. It is not just about putting some lights around here and other relics there. It is internal, dedication, sacrifice ... It is the inner treasure within each of us.
Beauty is directly related to love. If you feel love than you want to do things beautifully. Or to put it in another way , when you have love for some thing then naturally it comes out beautiful .

Love makes things take significant importance and what is important we also want it to be beautiful.
That 's what we've learned from the Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam, the most important person, the most truthful, the most auspicious, and the most beautiful is called Krsna and He loves Radha  and she is the personification of satyam, sivam, sundaram. And Krsna is so charming that Radha, the embodiment of beauty, auspiciousness and truthfulness, loves Him more than anything in life.

And if you want to understand more about all this and want to enter into this world of perfection, beauty and love, then you have to give your heart completely. You have to surrender your existence to the most profound love. Give what is most sacred to you. Without it you will never enter the world of love. Srila Sridhar Maharaj used to call Krsna : "The wonderful wonder of all wonders " There is nothing more wonderful and amazing than Sri Krsna, He is the Supreme Beauty,  The Infinity Enchanter....
And How to link to that?

If you really want to reach the top and surrender the best of you, undoubtedly some will do. If you're not ready to give the best of yourself, you will not be able to achieve the best. It all depends on your ability to appreciate in knowing what is real and what you have to do to get the best. You can not buy Krsna in the corner store, you can not photocopy or make a pirated copy, no. You can not copy the bhakti in that manner. You must be ready to give whatever you have in the highest manner and only at that time can you understand how wonderful God is, beauty personified.

He is present at every moment, we are just not able to appreciate it. Krsna is manifested in the beauty of a flower, the beauty of a tamal tree, in the beauty of the Vaishnava.... Krsna Himself  wants you to make Him the goal of your life. That He becomes your life and soul. Then you will be able to see things that your eyes and your senses are not able to perceive.

Those are my words to you today. I thank you for reading them.
May the blessings of Srila Prabhupada fall on you in this new year.

With All my affection
Jay Srila Prabhupada!

Your always well wisher,
Swami B. A. Paramadvaiti .

Sri Krsna Bhajanamrta 12/1/13 From India

http://www.justin.tv/vrindaconferencias/c/3319897

Ten Years in Chat via Hotline 11/10/13 From India

Topic : Ten Years of Chat via Hotline . From India. 10/11/13

                                 Conference from Yamuna Kunja .

Sri Vrindavan Parikrama , ki jay !

Vrindavan is very beautiful , very wonderful . If you knew a little more of the story, you could feel a bit of what I feel . The temple that we recently visited ( Chaitanya Mission) looks like a replica of a real temple of Jagannath Puri. I was doing service there a few weeks before, and then I realized that Srila Bhakti Vaibhav Puri Maharaj, Srila Prabhupada 's spiritual brother, was in town wanted to buy that building. At that time I was a little sad because the temple had been there for 8 years, even had bought it ... It was a simple temple at that time and now it has become one of the most beautiful temples in Vrindavan thanks to the wonderful work of the sadhus who have made this temple so astonishing. Now it is a cultural wonder what has happened in Vrindavan .

Today is our traditional Sunday Chat from Yamuna Kunja . I remember many years ago when we first had our first Chat Sunday from this place, which was coordinated by Gour Kesava and I was very impressed that from the place of the 6 goswamis I could sit and give a lecture to all the devotees of South America. We are celebrating the 10 years of Chat via hotline . First of all we must say a big " All glories to Pancatattwa prabhu " and here we are giving a big hand to him for creating this platform chat . And yet we continue to use the same software, which is still wonderful.

My message today to all of you is this ...

Ten years of chat via hotline is an incredible achievement, which allowed me to keep in touch with my spiritual family around the world for ten years continuously . So, for 10 years we have been able to send messages to all of you. I am very grateful to you for having read these messages and more grateful to implement those messages.

Thank you very much for helping me create a family that has no limits, where each country welcomes us ... where each friend who wants to become a guardian of Mother Nature can enjoy the company of you Many thanks to all of you for giving this message of love to others. Thank you very much for being brahmacaris, vishnupriyas, grihastas, vanaprasthas, maharanis or sannyasis . Thank you very much for chanting Hare Krishna, I know that you yourselves are the biggest beneficiaries of them, but still I thank you, because thanks to your chanting you make it possible for us today to have a spiritual family .

This is really a center of the Gaudiya Math in Vrindavan ( Yamuna Kunja ) because one can hear the divine songs coming from every corner. I thank also those who distribute books everywhere, I thank Pancatattwa for creating this communication system, because thanks to him I can share my heart with all the devotees. I also thank all the chefs who have cooked both prasadam to all the devotees.

Thanks to all the devotees living in the Eco Villages and work for them. Thank you very much to all who serve as pujaris with faith in the deities. Our kind of worship is so simple and humble compared to other types of worship, but if I think of people like Prem Kishor in Berlin , my dear Radha Tulasi  en Varsana, we could continue to worship Krishna in many places and, by the mercy of Radharani, we can continue worshiping .

Thank you very much to all those who make the dresses for the deities, to all who make websites and keep them alive to so that we can all know what everyone is doing for Krishna and learn from them and gain more inspiration.

Thank you very much to all those who work hard at their jobs and do not forget Krishna and rather give donations to expand Krishna Consciousness . Your contribution is very important and greatly appreciated. Thank you very much to all children who give us their wonderful company. They have had a special fortune to be born in Krishna Consciousness and now, they are growing, they must decide what kind of responsibilities take in Krishna Consciousness.

All these children have given us their very beautiful company. The other day I spoke with Nimai , the son of prabhu Kanka and mother Vrindavanesvari, who has been with me since birth and is now he is a father and is working to take care of his family, his mother, his sister and expand Krishna Consciousness ... who is always near and dear to my heart. What else I can say , there are many people so talented and great artists ...

These children have given us many joys ... to see them grow around us is a joy .

I also ask forgiveness from our children, because in this movement have not taken the time for you and we have not been able to establish the education that you deserve ...Even you have grown and can see how much we love you though and everything I've done in my life has been for you. So you can understand that we have not forgotten you. I pray to Krishna that future generations can devote time to children.

I want to start organizing soon good schools, under the House of Wisdom, not only Krishna schools , but schools that preach the love of God, that can not be destroyed by sectarian people . For that we need highly qualified people in the Vrinda Mission to run it. Thank you very much to all sannyasis, that even with a few years old, have accepted the renounced order to support the Vrinda family within their capabilities .

You have given me what I am trying to give my Guru, beautiful years of existence in the form of devotional service to establish the glories of Lord Caitanya in this world. That's a big sacrifice, especially when everyone is running after money , sense gratification , etc. . You have given the valuable years of your life to establish the Vedic culture in different cities. I am grateful to all of you on behalf of Srila Prabhupada.

Just as Srila Prabhupada took sannyasa from Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaj, who took sannyas from Srila Sridhar Maharaj and I also took sannyas from Srila Sridhar Maharaja and you have taken sannyas from me, it has become a very intense relationship. Of course, I must thank all our previous acaryas and all the writers of beautiful songs .

I also thank Srila Harijan Maharaj who gave me so much love and Atulananda Acharya, such a wonderful devotee as well as a great writer and poet . What more can I say about someone who accompanied me on this journey of love.

I can not think of a single time I had been displeased with Srila Harijan Maharaj and neither Atulananda I can say that . Instead, whenever I found them my heart felt the same joy as though I was coming in contact with Srila Prabhupada again. Srila Prabhupada gave us so much, it is unimaginable how such a man can give so much to everyone. He gave us Vrindavan ... and now we are here in Vrindavan, there is no place like Vrindavan worldwide. You know, we want to clean Vrindavan and offer to unveil even more of its beauty, but beyond that, there is no other place in the world as Vrindavan .

Srila Prabhupada gave us the task of going through the world as Krishna's representatives. He gave us such incredible faith, even if we do not understand much, yet we speak and preach to others. What can I say, Srila Prabhupada knew what he was doing and he made ​​a deal with Krishna... He told Krishna 'Krishna , if you do not help me in this mission , I'm going to complain to Srimati Radharani.'

I believe that Krishna was scared of it and said : Ok, Ok , I'll help you to do the impossible.

Srila Prabhupada gave us Vrindavan and gave the world . ... and then gave us the task of bringing Vrindavan to the world , and then gave us the task of bringing everyone to Vrindavan.

Jay , Jay , Jay

He gave us the Maha Mantra .

He gave us the purification of our existence.

He gave us an over abundance of prasadam.

He gave us our best friends.

We got the most beautiful architecture .

He gave us the wonderful dancers for Krishna .

Many forms of worship of Krishna, all from the Srimad Bhagavatam.

Someone who has been so generous to us, how can we forget it ?

I do not think that I can repay my debt to Prabhupada in this life, it will continue for life. Well without him I could not have known Krishna.

Therefore I  want to do something for Srila Prabhupada with blessings from you.

With the blessings of the Vaishnavas . I want to push any good idea that comes to us for the service of Srila Prabhupada and Krishna . And to all those who help me in the offices that are doing the work that I could not do for myself, you have become essential for this. I know that sometimes I have tired you with my insistence, but still, you continue helping me with this, now all I can give at this time is a small piece of dokla (Indian pie ) to celebrate this wonderful meeting at Yamuna kunja in celebration of  the 10 years of the Hotline Chat .

I pray for many years to come , where we share the news of the progress of the conditioned souls who are trying to become pure bhaktas .

Appreciativeness is not a  Vaishnava act, it is an incomplete thank ... instead of thanking one should say, I belong to you, do with me what you want ... so I put myself in service to you so that I may serve my Gurudeva :)

Haribol !

Hare Krishna , Hare Krishna , Krishna Krishna , Hare Hare

Hare Rama , Hare Rama , Rama Rama , Hare Hare

I want to remind all the family members Vrinda we decided to close all personal facebooks not have anything to do with a special service with a program.

Well that only 20 people are present in the Chat is very little, if they are on Facebook and are so in Maya , that they prefer to listen to the instructions of their spiritual master and that seems to be a very dangerous symptom. That is a decision we make and if anyone has any desire to use a facebook, it should represent a project. As the theme must be really in devotional service.

Before closing one's facebook  one should explain to all readers who are transforming their facebook to a Facebook dedicated to service and they do not want to lose their life in this game of "likes " and " do not like" .

With these words we close the chat's session today from Yamuna Kunja .

                                                                                                                                 

Your always well wisher,
Swami B. A. Paramadvaiti .

The temple should run like a symphony. 3/11/13 From India.

Today's message comes straight from my heart and I want to share it with you all. It's a personal opinion which I will try to explain in a poetic way .

What I want to convey today is related to the expertise of the orchestra conductor. One way or another, all things in life should be conducted in a way that it all ends up being harmonious. Now I will explain something in reference to our own preaching activities .

The sheet music is written and should be read as that defined score, but they still need an orchestra conductor, a leader who put his own style and can take the full orchestra to a harmonious result . A preacher, for example, should always speak in a way that encourages people to delve into the meaning of what they are saying.

An Inbound Yoga teacher , for example, should lead students in such a way that excites them to maintain themselves according to their own qualities and make them stay connected with Paramatma . In other words, the conductor must guide people to an intense joy for what they are doing . When you conduct something it must be done in a very harmonious and satisfying manner.

If we apply this same concept in the temple istagostis we will see that the president is able to allow each member of the ashram to feel as a valuable part of the orchestra. The temple should be ran like a symphony : the kitchen should be tuned, the reception should be tuned, volunteers must be tuned, the online promotion department must be tuned, etc. . The directing of a temple is like that of conducting a symphony. Sometimes even in the orchestra the conductor makes different members perform a "solo". A skilled leader will always bring others to their best potential. That also applies within music, dance, architecture, engineering, in all aspects. The ability to combine and harmonize the different elements and personalities is an art. Leading a spiritual community requires art, collection , preaching , music, sitting together to share, study, cooking, etc. . There are many elements to consider. The same applies to grhasta families.

We should never do things based on fear, on the contrary, we must increase the spiritual growth of each of the members of the community. A good leader is always ready to share with others . I myself consider a leader to also be one who is also trying to learn how to become a good one, so I think that communication is one of the most important things to keep alive. The failure of a leader is his limited capacity in communication, for example, now I have to communicate with all those who will remain in India for six months, I must communicate a plan to each of them and tell them what area in they will develop in.

Here in Vrinda Kunja we are committed to doing aratik nightly in Brahma Kunda, it is our responsibility and as the leader of the temple in giving others their delegated responsibilities so that everything is taken care of the way it should be and for that you need to be clear in what has to be done.

Our spiritual master , Srila Prabhupada was an excellent leader who managed to do amazing things in a few years. He is the perfect example of a leader. I insist that the main theme for a good leader is communication and for that we must be practical and have everything neatly annotated on lists with tasks to delegate to others. Do not rely on our short memory. My job as a leader is to transfer the responsibility of each department to the different leaders of those departments and who will get things done, and the symphony can get moving .

When you're a leader and your actions influence others you must be very careful with them and never discourage anyone. The leader's performance should be organized so that everyone is encouraged to participate and that everything flows smoothly. Everything must be in place and function properly. For each activity there is a science that is behind it defining how it should be done, and the number one rule is that no one should ever be unhappy. That's the tip of Krishna Consciousness .

Are you going to pass or shall we do that here?

Now, to be a good leader one should also stand out being transparent. A good leader should be honest, loving and trustworthy to be able to lead a spiritual symphony .

To become a good leader you have to be very aware of all the things you have to do to qualify yourself as such : become an expert in all areas and then lead others in the symphony. We have to take responsibility, without liability nothing will manifest. If we accept in becoming leaders we must know what that means so we can become efficient managers and implement our service. And if we make mistakes, we must be humble enough to apologize for them.

To become a good leader one should also be a good crier,someone who cries for mercy, a beggar of love. In other words, conducting the symphony of a spiritual family is a big task and one can not do any nonsense, it is not something you're going to be able to give up tomorrow, it is for life ... and never let anyone fall, never let anyone feel bad. And if you ever let someone down humbly beg for forgiveness. But never become a scoundrel who is unmoved by anything.

Responsibility and accountability at every level of life in which you are a leader, in a temple, in the family, at the Academy of yoga, in preaching, vegetarian programs ... in any area in which you develop, always taking on more responsibility and serving others, without thinking that it is yourself who gets things done.
Each of us has a symphony to lead.

A leader has the lives of others in their care, so they have to be very responsible and if not a very experienced leader, then you should lead slowly and with great care. A leader must consider many aspects when leading. Also, we must take into account many details to become good leader.

Your always well-wisher,
Swami B. A. Paramadvaiti .

Vishnu Priya Ashram From Guatemala 8/25/13

Conference.

My very dear devotees,
Accept my affection from Guatemala.
Today I want to speak of Vishnu Priya Ashram and the beautiful opportunity we all have to become Vaishnavas or vaishnavis.

The illusory condition in which we find makes us waver between good deeds and bad deeds all the time. Men can behave in positive or negative ways as well as women. Vaishnava and vaishnavi is synonymous with sainthood. A person who intends and tries to be a Vaishnava or vaishnavi is on the path of holiness. Sure, a true Vaishnava or vaishnavi never consider themselves Vaishnavas. They see themselves as  not "Vaishnava" and see all others as Vaishnavas. A true devotee should think: I'm not a Vaishnava, I'm not a vaishnavi. If I think others are not Vaishnavas, I become offensive and if I think I am a Vaishnava then I have gone crazy. That's the secret of success: seeing all others as Vaishnavas, but thinking of oneself as a Vaishnava. That is the correct Vaishnava mind, humble and respectful.

Now I want to refer specifically to vaishnavis. But I do not just mean how men should view women, but as men should see and appreciate the vaishnavis and further more, how the same devout vaishnavis should see and appreciate the other vaishnavis and Vishnupriya Ashram, the place of the vaishnavis.

The number one lesson here is:
-That all women belong to Vishnupriya Ashram, but even if a mother does not live in the Vishnupriya Ashram, she is part of it. Each devotee should engage herself in having a concrete link with Vishnu Priya Ashram. Why? Because spiritual education of women is the basis of society.

Also, something very important is that both our family and the mission of Mahaprabhu in general is full of mothers. Even if we did a count among which we are now in this room, we can see that there are more mother devotees. Imagine! This was not so in the beginning of our own Mission. Actually, the fact that more men or women is not the main point. The important thing is to understand that women are mothers, are vaishnavis and that they are the "secret weapon" of Srimati Radharani. "Secret weapon" of Srimati Radharani means that they are the best preachers and moralizing agents, that mothers can maintain the standard of Vedic culture, as the vaishnavi is also a representative of Mother Earth, they are the basis of religion.

Women are much more inclined to religion than men. As soon as a woman has a child all the potential of  protection and conservation blooms because a child is not a fad, a child means responsibility and care to minutest detail. If we get to the plane of preaching, each new soul that comes to the temple, each new bhakta is like a son to care for. And the same care that is required by the new bhaktas is also needed by the Deities, the administration of the temple, the Laksmi of Krsna, etc. Well, it all belongs to Srimati Radharani in Her service to Sri Krishna.

Those who look after the children, who are the future of society, that responsibility and care also comes from the mothers. Therefore children are born from the womb of women and not men's arms :) God knows how things are organized. The design of God is perfect, we need not correct it ... but now human nature has become so crazy that they think they can do it as well.

So think a bit and analyze the position of women:
She is the guardian by nature, cautious and steady.Therefore they are compared to the Goddess of Fortune, because they are full of qualities. Thus, a Vishnu Priya Ashram is the refuge of vaishnavis serving Srimati Radharani. They are sites of protection to women, mothers, young women. Protection of women by women. Women should be protected, but never feel independent, that is against their nature and their own psychology. So the role of men is to become guardians of the mothers and where there is no man who fulfills this role, a senior mother should give the other mothers the greatest care. In a spiritual family there is also the guru and his supporters like the sannyasis, who are the protectors of all, both men and women, however, mothers need guidance in daily life and for that there is no one better than another mother who the can protect them if there is no husband to do so.

A Vishnupriya Ashram is the site of maximum protection for women and children. Therefore, our spiritual family must be aware to always support the Vishnupriya Ashram, our daughters, sisters and mothers should never feel abandoned. The reality of the spiritual life is that we are servants and to Krishna we are all feminine in nature, Krishna is the only Purusha, and we are all Prakriti.

The temporary male or female body is just that, temporary. No matter the rank or role we have, what matters is how we develop it, because if not properly used it becomes useless. So women in our family are protected, they are never abandoned, they are not independent and yet are empowered to do all that is at their fingertips.

The Vishnupriya Ashram school is for mothers to become pure devotees, servants and protective experts of Vedic values, family and society. Several of the larger projects we are doing are headed by women in our family: the House of Wisdom, the Oidatherapy, the Spoon Revolution, the Global Awareness Compact ... most are mothers who bring the pulsing beat of these services. Therefore devotees should become qualified to become true protectors of mothers, responsible true leaders of deep religious values, otherwise, without these they will be guided only by their own mind which will seek to satisfy the senses. So men should work hard to be trustworthy people, 100 percent, and fulfill their guardianship to  mothers in all circumstances.

A devotee should strive to become a great devotee and set aside anything which is unfavorable to the development of bhakti. A devotee, just one vaishnavi is someone very powerful. So I started the Vishnupriya Ashrams, to encourage them to take leadership, to preach and to protect other mothers. Every devotee is able to establish a new Vishnupriya Ashram, making programs, preaching, etc.. A mother must recognize the validity in all that has been received and refrain from being exploited by others, not to be minimized or belittled, there in Krishna Consciousness there is magic , because you can transform the karmic qualities into the service of Lord and His devotees.

Vaishnavi Dignity in action. Mothers who have been abandoned by their husbands, single mothers, etc.. are only the symptoms of Kaliyuga and a society of irresponsible sex addicts. There should be no unprotected women and single mothers. However, all of them can find refuge in the Vishnupriya Ashram. The capacity that mothers have are wonderful and those who minimize this are fools who does not understand anything. Even in some of our churches there are mothers who are temple presidents who have done their service much better than all the devotees who came before.

The submissive nature of the mothers qualify them for such things. And that submission is very important in the spiritual process, it is the submission to the Guru and the Vaishnavas what makes someone to assume more responsibility in their service. Spiritual life without service, just does not work. The Guru can not be present in every little detail, especially when the family grows and spreads quickly, so leaders need confidence to help you make your service better and protect others. Men and women who are responsible. Thus a vaishnavi decides to abandon a life of worldly womanhood and instead of becoming a fool watching TV or running after men, or someone influenced by consumerism she decides to assume the role of a representative and protector of dharma.

My dear vaishnavas and vaishnavis, this is an invitation to a life rendered in service and backed by sincerity, a life dedicated to the service of the Lord and the Vaishnavas. So I am giving this lecture today, because I want each of you understand the importance of Vishnupriya Ashrams and become committed to supporting the protection and development of the vaishnavis. Without the Vishnupriya Ashram one can not guarantee the protection of children, or the conservation of dharmic values. And all those pious youth living in Vishnupriya Ashrams like brahmacarinis and are doing service, but also have aspirations to find a good devotee with whom they can establish a beautiful family in service to Sri Krsna, they will achieve that only with lioness preaching ... preaching and serving so selflessly and honestly.

It is the spiritual intelligence of women and the vaishnavi's qualities which allow a family to remain united and dedicated to God. The essence of our life is to serve, serve and serve and thus the Vishnupriya Ashram school teaches one to learn to serve. We must move away from the exploitative and selfish mentality that has been spread throughout the  material world of illusion and help dedicate lives to service.

Whoever worships Krishna becomes someone very special and if you do so from the bottom of your heart, all imperfections disappear soon. So we continue in appreciating the Vaishnavas and Vaishnavis who worship Krishna. From Guatemala I leave you with a special greeting with great fondness. I am very happy to see the pioneer devotees here. Preaching and pioneering is very nice. It is the best use of one's life that can be done in this human birth. When I see the work that the couple of Rupa Manohar Prabhu and Mother Parvati in Guatemala have done I get excited by seeing the power and mercy that Krishna delivers to a family dedicated in their service to Him. At the same time I am very happy that tomorrow I get back to my Datadesh prabhu, where Sri Krishna allowed me to do service over the years.

I believe that every day that I can do service it is an extraordinary gift that Srila Prabhupada has given me in life. I firmly believe that the essence of this process is to be happy with what you have and the people around you, because only when you learn to appreciate what you have and you are happy with it you can make others happy. I feel really happy in Mexico, Guatemala and am now in Colombia. Happiness is unique to each site. I ask you, my dears, do not stagger over the inconsistencies. That is the happiness I wish for all of you and it is the happiness I'm experiencing anew for approximately the last forty years.

Of course, there is also sadness in the way and certainly the highest sadness is not able to meet any of you, or worse, not even knowing how you are. Srila Prabhupada once said: "I receive too many letters, but still I feel anxious when I do not receive a letter from you" :) Imagine, Srila Prabhupada had such tenderness for each of us. With these words I say goodbye for today is my last day in Guatemala and there are many things still to be done.
I leave you with a big hug from the heart.
Srila Prabhupada ki jay!

Your always wisher,
Swami B. A. Paramadvaiti.

The importance of Bhakti Yoga. From Mexico 08/18/13

                                                           Conference.

My dear devotees

Accept my love from Mexico.

Today I want to talk about the importance of Bhakti Yoga above any process.

For a person who is just approaching these transcendental concepts, the science of astrology can help you greatly, for it seeks to decipher the karma of the people, confirming that there is reincarnation and that every action we take has an effect.

The level of detail that can be achieved with astrology is impressive, one can know up to the last point of life. So astrology, cosmology,seeks to interpret mathematically each tone that moves in the universe. It may seem as an exaggeration, but in quantum physics one is led to the same absolute conclusion of the cosmos, so scientists can not deny that all that they monitor and analyze of situations have an origin that goes far beyond this small birth we have. Everything has a reason and influence. If you are Mexican or Guatemalan, if you're rich or poor. All this has a reason and influence.

In the way that karma works in this world is very difficult to understand, but the fact that it works and the understanding of the natural law of karma gives us faith in the Infinite. If this knowledge is not enough for someone to develop faith in the Infinite, then that person does not deserve such faith. That vision of faith is not cheap. It is the spiritual vision  which can help one understand the mysticism of existence. If we want to root it from a materialistic point of view, we can focus from the quantum physics aspect, from cosmological analysis and it becomes very interesting that rational science and mysticism meet and are able to give explanations to each other. It is a paradigm that has emerged in recent times and has not yet been acknowledged openly. Why?:

-Because the materialists have a hard time admitting to mistake and change, it means recognizing that they have been wrong and that is not allowed by their false ego which covers everything. We do not want to accept that we were wrong or that materialistic teachings are wrong. Materialism wants to ensure happiness, but it only sells illusion. However it is so simple to check one's very experience to the extent that one becomes spiritualized since life becomes happier, but materialistic life materializes suffering only.

The Ashram life of  Bhakti Yoga is wonderful. It is an example of spiritualization and happiness. It is very beautiful, full of discipline and smiles because people feel happy. It is an unparalleled happiness which is obtained only by the infinite mercy that allows us to recognize our true identity. This happiness to recognize our true identity can be illustrated as follows: Imagine that you are very, very poor, have no money, no possessions but a small lottery to live off of. So crying is there, having nothing to eat, and one day you start to dig in the ground and find a wonderful treasure filled with gold and precious stones ... immediately you are overcome with joy, no more need or suffering from hunger, and you want to dance out of so much joy. Of course, the joy of knowing our true identity is much deeper, but it's like finding a wonderful treasure. The treasure that you have been looking for all your life.

The Vaishnavas who follow the process of bhakti-yoga come to the Ashrams to come together in their practice of sadhana-bhakti and are very happy. They discover that the gift they have received is more valuable than all the gold and precious stones in the world. That knowing their spiritual identity is the real treasure, which goes beyond any material treasure. Well, material treasures really do not exist since there are only illusions. Why?

-Because if you have a material treasure you have two permanent problems: you're always in anxiety over  the fear of losing your wealth and there is always very envious people around you. That is not happiness. It's just happiness in illusion and in reality it is suffering.

Our eternal nature is the pursuit of happiness. Happiness is the intrinsic nature of the soul, but because of the material conditioning, we forget it and look in the wrong places.

Some think that they will find happiness in material possessions. Others become intoxicated to "get happy", but again, they only engage in more and more suffering ... becoming increasingly despondent, becoming addicted to substances that take away the memory, will, and only  cause depression. Alcohol and drugs are the main causes of depression, not happiness. Illicit sex does not give happiness. People are guided by the gratification of the senses, they become enthusiastic to satisfy them so they work in order to indulge themselves. They base their human relations in the gratification they can obtain from others and thus this gives rise to their minds so that they do everything they can think of. But what can you expect from a lustful mind? Nothing good comes of it.

Someone has a girlfriend who appreciates and rewards her to the extent that she allows you to do everything you want. And worse, you are proud of your girlfriend and the gratification that comes. But sex is not a permanent happiness it is only temporary pleasure and then comes the account of that pleasure. The girlfriend who has been gratifying you now really wants marriage and then want to control the man and not only him, but also his economy. So then they want a credit card, buy them "stuff", etc.., Etc.., Etc..

A lustful mind is not happy, rather they only receive a greater nature of exploitation and seek it at a higher luxury. The alleged "sex brings happiness" at the end leaves you without economic freedom. It is a real fraud. The opposite of illicit sex is spiritual family. That means that, despite a couple having material bodies, all they do is run to the center, to God, and together they work to raise a family which is offered to God. A spiritual family has protected children which are led to happiness by their parents like real gurus. That's very nice, that's happiness.

I can give more examples of false happiness of materialism:

-The capitalist mafia industries have organized everything so well in order to exploit the poor in the best way. So the rich with anonymous consortia do not have to pay taxes, while the poor are exploited to pay. But that does not give happiness. The world of betrayal and exploitation can not give happiness. It's just a temporary illusion. That is the material world ...

The prison of the material world. But you can get out of here following  trusting people and you becoming a trust worthy person as well. What God gives is linked to happiness, it belongs to all and for all and confidence emerges naturally from it. But when it is something material it will only deliver suffering, and generates betrayal and distrust. The material world can not give happiness, it is a hell, there is nothing further from happiness than material illusion. Fortunately there are spiritual sanctuaries within the material world. Places where we can become trusted people working for a common good. Sites where we work together for maintenance and of which everyone can take part in, without exception, a house with the door open to all who wish to serve and strive for the welfare of all souls.

In the Ashram there is no illicit enrichment, all that is there in the temple belongs to everyone and to Krsna. If you are devoted then you become responsible for taking care of things and if you are not a devotee of Krsna, then you will become one, for we are here to make devotees. Devotees do not seek illicit enrichment, like Pariksit prabhu who has been here in Mexico with me for 20 years and never sought illicit enrichment, he came from Costa Rica for the sole purpose of serving. Thus, each of the farms and Ashrams of our family has the sole purpose of serving and not of illicit enrichment.

A few days ago in Bolivia a hippie community had a farm decided to give it to the devotees, so they reached the temple, we were invited to the place and made the scriptures. Now Bolivia has a beautiful estate for Krsna, who is under the care of all the devotees and now it can become another new place with open doors for everyone. And why give us a farm? Because they know that devotees tend the Ashrams to Krsna and not unlawfully enrich them.

Devotees give everything of what they get, because they know that we are all children of God and that the last owner of all is God Himself. And rather the child should behave in such a manner that he or she honors and satisfies their father. True happiness is God's side, you want to be happy you must go to God. Lord Krsna says very clearly that from the highest planet in the material world to the lowest there is only misery. But with God there is never misery, there is only happiness and love. The devotees, servants of God provide links to eternity. Real links. The spiritual world to which the soul belongs to  is beyond karmic constellations. If you want to get to that spiritual world you have to start acting like if you're a member of that world.

Devotion to God, bhakti-yoga is the process in which one subscribes to the transcendental cosmic amnesty to the absolute mercy. The material world causes such a tremendous addiction to illusion that it is almost impossible to get out of it, only those who take refuge in God can escape this world of organized fraud. Man must honor their special gift of life and develop spiritual discernment, the knowledge of the true spiritual identity which we have lost conscious awareness of due to contact with the material world. So our spiritual side is anesthetized, but we must work to revive that dormant state. Karmic life has no happiness, it's just mathematical logic: everything you do you will receive it back, period.

Everything that happens is because it has to happen, because there is a reason behind it. So there is nothing to fear, the negative that has come is there because it is part of the law of action and reaction. But the important thing is to that we do not live only for the astrological details of our past, no. The important thing is the goal, the goal that we are walking towards. That is essential and our goal is to awaken our true spiritual identity, back to our origin. That is the lesson that my dear Srila Prabhupada gave us in detail.

And today, this morning we have only reviewed the abc's of that divine transcendental teaching. That's my message for today, I thank each of you for joining me for another day and the nice service that you all do in the family of Srila Prabhupada.

I leave you with my love from Mexico.

The land of Radha Madhava

Jay Srila Prabhupada!

Your always well wisher,

Swami B. A. Paramadvaiti.

Srila Narottama Das Thakura Cleaning Project 7/28/13

My dearest devotees,

Receive all my affection from Nandafalva. I've been sharing my days with all the devotees here. Beautiful concerts, news, new initiates ...

Today I wish to share with you a few words about a very important personality in our sampradaya. One of the greatest poets who composed many of the songs we sing every day in our programs,Srila Narottama Das Thakura.

Narottama Das Thakura was a disciple of Srila Lokanath Das Goswami and he reminds us of the true meaning of initiation. Narottam Das Thakur Das received initiation from Srila Lokanath Das Goswami after a long time. Narottam Das Thakur was announced by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself. He had the direct inspiration of Krishna Prema that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu deposited in the river Padma for Srila Narottama Das Thakura.

So, it is told in the book called "Narottam Vilas" which tells about the time Sri Narottama Das Thakura went to the river, and how the personality, Padma River gave Krishna Prema to a young Narottama .

Since the beginning of his existence, Srilaa Narottam Das Thakur was a very inspiring acharya, someone who had a clear mission in the world to share love of God with others. He was the son of a great king. His father was very anxious to make young Narottama his successor, but the young man did not want anything to do with kingdoms. He invested his time listening  to a brahmana tell the glories of Gauranga and Nityananda. He was always very eager to hear more about the glories of the Lord.

Finally, Narottam escaped his father when he was going to present him as his successor. When he traveled on the float for the event, Narottam asked to stop to go to the bathroom and escaped, hiding in the jungle. So he walked through the jungle for days without food or rest. Until he came to a crossroads where he passed out from exhaustion. There, one of the guards from his father found him and told him he would take him back. Narottama was very determined. Narottama told the guard "you better do something else, because I'm to Vrindavan and have important things to do there."

Narottama he argued in such a wonderful poetic form, which convinced the guard to go back without him. Narottama said to the guard, " many have come to find me and none of them yet to find me, so there is no problem, you can be another one of them and no one will be surprised. Please let me go and continue on your way."

So the young Narottama finally came to Vrindavan. An incredible story of great renunciation, so much so that he  left all varieties of  an opulent lifestyle just to follow his ideal of service to the Lord. Sometimes, for someone who has almost no material possessions it is easy to say, leave everything because they have not had much, but a special personality such as Narottama das Thakur, who had access to all opulence, he shined more when he gave them up and gave his life to God, with no interest in material things.

When Narottam came to Vrindavan, Srila Jiva Goswami was still there. So Narottam visited all the major Vaishnavas of that time. But his heart was completely conquered when he met Srila Lokanath Das Goswami. Narottama decided to become his disciple. He approached and Srila Lokanath Das Goswami accepted him as his disciple. Srila Lokanath Goswami was very moved by the request and replied: My dear boy, I am very flattered by what you're saying, but I regret to inform you that I vowed to never accept any disciple, and that can be done by someone else, so go your way, please. Srila Lokanath Goswami was one of the busiest in the dhama seva in Vrindavan. He found more than 300 holy places in the dhama, identified them and made sure that those places of lila were clear. He was someone very important in that service, therefore, he was always moving from one place to another. So Srila Lokanath Goswami continued and said, please find someone who can accept you as his disciple, Vrindavan is full of great souls who can.

Narottama was very sad with this answer ... not knowing what to do and so he asked for advice from other devotees. They told him to try to do some service. Then Narottama turned to Srila Lokanath Das Goswami and said,  "Goswamiji, Is there a service I can do for you?" But Goswami Lokanath thought Narottama was trying to convince Him again and said to not insist any further. Narottam again became extremely sad. Hecried and cried without cessation. Then someone said, 'Why do not you do a secret service Lokanath Goswami? So, Narottama started watching Lokanath Goswami every day in secret. He saw everything he did and followed him, with an intense longing in his heart to serve. He saw when Srila Lokanath stood, when he went to take his bath in the Yamuna, when he went to the temple of Sri Radha Gokulananda to worship their deities ...

My dear devotees ... imagine that determination of Narottama Das Thakur to serve his Gurudeva in anyway. We are very fortunate to connect with the pastimes of the Vaishnavas ... and we are more fortunate at our temple in Vrindavan, Vrinda Kunja which is located right in the heart of the area where these pastimes occurred. So when we started our little attempt to do service for the dhama, we called it the "Narottam Das Thakur cleaning project" in honor of the intense service that Srila Narottama did for his Gurudeva and the Dhama.

Well, we're cleaning the same areas as Srila Narottam Das Thakur cleaned in honor of his Gurudeva. Thus Narottama Das Goswami would clean all the areas where Srila Lokanath Das Goswami had been, even the area where his Gurudeva performed his physical needs. He cleaned everything with love ... and did so for a long time without Srila Lokanatha Goswami knowing. (All this is narrated in the Bhakti Ratnakar, a book full of nectar.).

Our devotees also perform annual cleaning of the 64 samadhi places of Vrindavan, near the temple of Radha Govindaji ... it is one of the qualities that make our Braj Mandal Parikrama something very special, because we do not just visit the holy places, but the devotees go and do service there, a genuine connection with the dhama.

Our service in the dhama is always a guided meditation in the service of Srila Narottam Das Thakur who was always looking to please his Gurudeva, even if at the time he did not know. But there came a time when Srila Lokanath Das Goswami began to realize that someone was cleaning the forest. One way or another, Srila Lokanath Goswami began to question what was going on, he realized that something strange was happening. One day, he decided to wait and hide to watch what happened. So he did all of his daily activities and instead of leaving, he sat behind a tree to see what happened ... and so Srila Narottama Das appeared in a gamcha with his broom and started cleaning the place where Srila Lokanatha Das Goswami had been, even cleaning where Srila Lokanatha Das Goswami performed his physical needs. Henceforth, Srila Lokanath Goswami appreciated and told Narottama angrily: Who gave you permission to do that? Narottam replied: Oh Gurudeva, nobody has given permission, but seeing my sadness, some devotees said I should do a secret service for you. And that might please you, even with this indirect service. So Srila Lokanath Goswami felt affected by it all and said softly:

I told you to go to any place where the goswamis were and ask them for initiation. I want you to be happy, have a service and you stay in Vrindavan. But understand that I can not accept disciples, as I did take a vow. Please walk and visit the other Vaishnavas. Then, Narottam Das Thakur intensely composed a poem whose meaning is more or less like this:

"When a woman is in love with a man, but her father arranges for her to marry another, this marriage will never work, because she is really attached to the first."

So, Narottama said this to Lokanath Goswami and Goswami said: you are very foolish, do what you want ... Narottam was very happy and said, Joy! Now my service is authorized by my Gurudeva :) And so he went on cleaning with much more enthusiasm. Sometimes devotees approached Srila Lokanatha Goswami and said to him why do you not take this young man who has so much love for you and give initiation? But Srila Lokanath Goswami was very serious about his vow to not accept disciples.

Until one day, he accepted Srila Narottama and sent for him. When Narottam heard Srila Lokanath Goswami was looking, he ran up and prostrated himself at his feet vigorously. Lokanath Goswami said Narottam My dear, I made this vow to never accept disciples ... and it seems that you made the vow that I should be your Guru. Well, I have concluded that your vow is even more powerful than mine ... so he brought together the ingredients for the initiation ceremony and Narottama's happiness was overwhelming and with the same enthusiasm he brought everything needed for initiation.

Remember the beautiful hobbies and loving exchanges of these Vaishnavas, they fill the heart with happiness. They are able to transform your heart and  teach you what really is sadhu-sanga ... of the way in which the devotees are related to each other, how they reciprocate and appreciate. All these experiences  are very sweet. They are examples that we can apply in our own life's relationships. So, Narottama became an official member of the Gaudiya Sampradaya. And then he continued to incessantly preach and spread the message of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in many places.

In the same way that Srila Lokanath Goswami initiated Srila Narottam Das Thakur only, Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji also had only one disciple, Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta ... In both cases, the only disciple was a real gem in the sky of Gaudiya Vaishnavism and they each managed to bring the message of Divine Love to many souls. Spiritual life is not a matter of form or quantities, it is a matter of quality and substance.

When I think of Srila Narottam Das Thakur, I feel very fortunate to be connected with his beautiful songs and such. Thus, all our family members who have the ability to share for a month in the Braj Mandal Parikram can live the experience of visiting these sacred places that Narottama and the goswamis were present in and do service there.

Our main service is to serve the Vaishnavas via the Vishva Vaishnava Raj Sabha, providing a bit with our volunteering service through the Internet, etc.. We pray for the blessings of all the Vaishnavas to be useful in this endeavor, because their pleasure is the only goal of our effort. We do not have any other purpose.

I take this opportunity of this Chat Sunday to remind all of you of the great service we have in Colombia for our Ishtadevas Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Radha Vrajesvara, who really are our life and soul.

The Yoga Project Planetarium is a humble offering to Them, our Lords ... I'm really grateful for the great work that devotees are doing there and my sincere hope is that more devotees participate there, either helping in the construction or the arts or financially supporting this offering. Even if its going to take several years to finish it all, the support of all of you will be of great help in this. This is one of the historical architectural contributions of the Vrinda Mission to the world. With this invitation and remembering the sweet pastimes of Srila Narottama Das Thakur I say goodbye for today ...

I am very happy that soon we will meet again in the Latin lands to share more nectar and service to Srila Prabhupada.

With all my affection for you.

Jay Srila Prabhupada!