Sacinandana Swami Devotees can be thought of in three categories according to their advancement - conventional, committed and confidential. A very important point is the attitude of these different devotees. The conventional devotee is usually found to ask something of Krsna. One time, I met with such devotees and they said to me, ”O Maharaja we are building a house, but there are many obstacles. We have prayed to Krsna to overcome them, and we want to ask for your blessings

And so it happens. Life meets us with various storms of intensity - physically, mentally, and emotionally. Here are five lessons on how to respond to the challenges of being alive in this material world. It’s from Krishna Book and the story of the Lifting of Govardhan Hill (link here) Storms Happen Not a day goes by without feeling some pain within ourselves or being impacted by the experiences of others. Like bad weather, difficulties will show up. Instead of trying to be in

On the scale of things, a small fracture in a small kneecap is minor. But whether minor or major, unexpected interruptions in our life demand attention, on many levels. It was a sunny afternoon when I fell and the damage was immediate. Pain shouts its message, which is a good thing. My body reacted in other ways too, and my emotions. The first was denial. “It’s just badly bruised,” I told the kind shopkeepers who brought ice, even though the swelling was clear and my loud ye

Sacinandana Swami In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam , Arjuna has the painful task of delivering the message of Kṛṣṇa’s disappearance to Yudhiṣṭhira. In this conversation, Arjuna says, “ O King! The Supreme Personality of Godhead Hari, who treated me exactly like an intimate friend, has left me alone. Thus my astounding power, which astonished even the demigods, is no longer with me .” (1.15.5) Śrīla Prabhupāda comments: “ The power and energy which were bestowed upon Arjuna were requi

The first red leaf greeted me this morning Among the dull colors of the other fallen leaves It’s redness smiled a reminder of time passing A reminder of cycles of birth and death Of leaves separating from the trees As the body separates from the soul We stand and watch the leaves fall As we watch our own body change Life within is the only life that matters The red leaf kissed the earth And we thanked her for it Autumn makes philosophical reflection easy. The movement, the co

Sacinandana Swami As devotees, we have to be careful. The new year will bring a lot of busyness into our lives, like the years before. Have you noticed that life isn’t becoming more peaceful and less busy, it seems to get faster and faster? We live in a very fast-paced society. Maybe this is the heavy price we have to pay in Kali-yuga: being more and more dedicated to activity on the outside. And we miss Krishna. We surround ourselves with people and projects and lack the dir

“The holy name, character, pastimes and activities of Krsna are all transcendentally sweet like sugar candy. Although the tongue of one afflicted by the jaundice of avidya [ignorance] cannot taste anything sweet, it is wonderful that simply by carefully chanting these sweet names every day, a natural relish awakens within his tongue, and his disease is gradually destroyed at the root.” Nectar of Instruction, Verse 7 This most important verse about the key practice of mantra m

We just finished a community reading of the story of Madhavendra Puri and the pot of sweet rice. This is from the beautiful Caitanya Caritamrita and details a journey of service, reciprocation, support, storytelling and expressions of love. What I also learned from this experience is the power of hearing from each other. Although we all read the same text, it spoke to us differently. When we shared, we brought the text to life. We saw things we had not seen before. We were en

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Listen again, O mighty-armed Arjuna. Because you are My dear friend, for your benefit I shall speak to you further, giving knowledge that is better than what I have already explained." Bhagavad-gita 10.1 My verse of the week is from Chapter 10 of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is. “Listen again,” Krishna says. It’s a beautiful thing, this listening, this calling one closer. Come, He says, I have something even better to tell you. To listen t

Find balance, joy, and growth connected to Krishna every day. Balance to know when to say enough, to add more or do less. Joy to be...