Devotional processes – Light of Godhead

Aarti for the new kids’ altar
Aarti for the new kids’ altar

Aarti for the new kids’ altar

Though we bought them the stuffed toys of Radha Krsna, Nrsimha deva, Prahlad maharaja etc. when the kids were as young as a year old, I never saw them consciously treating them as the forms of the Lord. To my great surprise, with the addition of new small Radha Krsna yesterday, Maharathi was fired up to setup an altar for all of them and insisted on performing the aarathi.

Kids took turn in the ceremony, performing the aarthi and practicing their new mrdanga learning skills.

Thanking Krsna and kids for showing me this day.

syamala2019-09-17T13:55:37+00:00September 16th, 2019|Categories: Krsna consciousness, Worshipping|Tags: aarthi, spontaneous|

Next Generation Kirtaniyas
Next Generation Kirtaniyas

Next Generation Kirtaniyas

One of the elements of the “Nitai Nimai Summer Camp 2019” was attending the afternoon aarthi at the temple. Seeing that no one is there to sing, Divya mtj (Vinamra’s mom) encouraged the kids to take turns and sing. Our lordships Sri Sri Radha NilaMadhava known for their merciful nature kindly allowed these 6 year olds to sing for them and accepted their devotion.

These kids are normally very shy – though they would sing at home while playing, taking bath etc., especially if we ask them to sing in front of others, they become very self-conscious and refuse to do

syamala2019-09-05T18:40:01+00:00August 21st, 2019|Categories: Camp sessions, Kirtanam, Videos|

Prayers chanted before reading Srimad Bhagavatam

Om namah bhagavate vasudevaya

I offer my obeisances to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva

nārāyaṇaṁ namaskṛtya
naraṁ caiva narottamam
devīṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsaṁ
tato jayam udīrayet

Before reciting this Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is the very means of conquest, one should offer respectful obeisances unto the Personality of Godhead, Narayana, unto Nara-narayana Rishi, the supermost human being, unto Mother Sarasvati, the goddess of learning, and unto Srila Vyasadeva, the author. (SB 1.2.4)

śṛṇvatāḿ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi
vidhunoti suhṛt satām

Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the

syamala2019-04-08T18:38:01+00:00February 8th, 2019|Categories: Prayers|

Why should we pray?

Speaker: HH Radhanath Swami
Source: Krishna knows everything

Why should we pray if God already knows everything? If He already knows our thoughts, why should we say anything? Because, life is about reciprocation, love is about reciprocation. Yes, the Lord knows our heart and the Lord knows our mind, but it pleases the Lord when by our free will we express ourselves—with the proper intention, proper honesty and integrity. And the Lord will reciprocate! When we offer prayers with sincerity, we enter into the presence of Lord; our lives are transformed.

syamala.ids@gmail.com2017-07-11T13:19:34+00:00July 10th, 2017|Categories: Philosophical concepts, Prayers, Supreme knower|Tags: free will, reciprocation|

Preaching is also samadhi

Speaker: Srila Prabhupada
Source: Wonderful cure for illusion

Sridhara Svami says that “This process is for giving liberation from all kinds of material bondage.” Akhilasya bandhasya muktaye tam anusmara smrtya varnayata.(?) And again Sridhara Svami gives note herewith that “Not only you meditate, but you preach. That will help your meditation.” Just like I am speaking to you. I am meditating simultaneously. Unless I remember, how can I speak to you? Unless my attention is concentrated without any diversion in Krsna subject matter, how can I speak to you? So that is also samadhi. Don’t think that one who

light-of-godhead2016-03-30T20:04:33+00:00March 30th, 2016|Categories: Liberation, Preaching, Remembering, Sadhana-bhakti, Sridhara swami|Tags: Samadhi|

Our main business

Speaker: Srila Prabhupada
Source: Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Jayapataka

If you have got some time, the best thing would be to chant Hare Krishna more and more. Because our life is very short, and we have to finish our Krishna Consciousness this life very quickly. We do not know when we shall meet our next death, our next exit from this platform. But before going out of this platform, we may try to finish Krishna Consciousness. That is our main business.

light-of-godhead2016-03-08T21:09:12+00:00March 8th, 2016|Categories: Chanting, Death, Sadhana-bhakti|Tags: No wasting time|

Living with Krsna

Speaker: Srila Prabhupada
Source: Make Sure To Pass That Final Examination At Death

Satatam means anywhere and anytime. Just like my residence is at Vrndavana. That is the place of Krsna, when Krsna advented Himself He was there. So now I am in America, in your country, but that does not mean that out of Vrndavana. Because if I think of Krsna always, so it is as good as I am in India. In Vrndavana, I am as good as in New York, in this apartment. The consciousness is there. So Krsna consciousness means you already live with Krsna in

light-of-godhead2016-02-18T22:14:25+00:00February 18th, 2016|Categories: Krsna, Remembering, Vrndavana|

I am so unfortunate

Speaker: Srila Prabhupada
Source: Spiritual Life Is Scientific

So if you want to know God, then you have to follow the prescribed rules and regulations of bhagavad-bhakti-yoga. It is very simple. It is made very easy, especially in this age: simply by chanting Hare Krsna mantra. It’s so made easy, but we are so unfortunate that we do not take advantage of this. Etadrsi tava krpa bhagavan mamapi durdaivam idrsam ihajani nanuragah. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu laments, “My dear Lord, You are so compassionate and merciful upon us that in this

light-of-godhead2015-07-31T19:01:16+00:00July 29th, 2015|Categories: Analogies, Chanting, God realization, Lord Caitanya|Tags: Lament, No taste, Rules and regulations, Unfortunate|

You saw only stone

Speaker: Indradyumna Swami
Source: His Lotus Feet

Once, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was giving a talk in the temple. It had a lecture hall and a temple room. In the middle of the lecture, the conch sounded for aarti. Some of the disciples stood up and went to the next room to watch the aarti. They left the lecture to join the aarti. Then, they came back and sat down to hear the rest of the lecture. But Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura stopped speaking and he said, “Where did you go?” The

light-of-godhead2015-07-15T23:40:56+00:00July 9th, 2015|Categories: Hearing, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati|Tags: Aarti, Stone|

Srila Prabhupada saved from third stroke in New York

Speaker: Dinatarini devi
Source: Yamuna Devi: A Life of Unalloyed Devotion

On Memorial Day, May 30, 1967 in New York, Srila Prabhupada suffered a stroke in New York. The prognosis was grave.

Yamuna: Swamiji had sent us a telegram which said, “If you pray to Lord Jagannatha, and if He hears your prayers, I will stay; otherwise I may go.”

Srila Prabhupada taught the devotees in New York the prayers to Lord Nrsimhadeva and asked them to request the Lord to allow him to remain alive longer to spread the

light-of-godhead2015-06-10T15:26:57+00:00April 26th, 2015|Categories: Lords protection, Pastimes of Srila Prabhupada, Prayers|