Bhagavad Gita Course 2016: Day 1

The beginning of the Bhagavad Gita course with Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda set the tone for the days to come. Participants took their seats at 10:00 in the morning, and waited for the arrival of the spiritual master. After the singing of bhajans, Swamiji arrived and the course officially began.

"When you come to the Master, you have to come as an empty vessel so that you can be filled. That mind must be emptied to receive. You have to have this willingness to change to have the full benefit. Don’t think what you are losing, think what you are gaining. Because if you start already to think what you are losing, you will never get anything. Because on the spiritual path you may lose everything outside, but in reality you are gaining everything, more than somebody which have some things. 

So here Arjuna is losing everything. He is sitting and crying, “What am I losing?”, forgetting that he is standing next – he is sitting next to the Supreme Lord Himself. But to whom else he would go? He is the only friend. He is the only true friend who really cares for you, no one else! Guru and God is the only one which cares for you. The rest are just a drama, a drama which you put on. 

Here Bhagavan Krishna is revealing that drama to Arjuna, “These are all drama, nothing else is real.” All these relationships that you put. What kind of ‘ship’? Friendship, relationship, what ‘ship’ else there is? Eh? Which ship you go in? Eh? Allship. Worship, partnership. Eh? Mothership, fathership, so all that kinds of ships will drown. So don’t enter this kind of ship. Only ship that you have to enter is Guruship. So in that boat you are safe." - Paramahamsa Vishwananda, 16 August 2016

On the first day of the course, Paramahamsa Vishwananda briefly summarised each of the 18 chapters and gave an in-depth foreshadow of the material to be covered. By providing the context of the Mahabharat and how this glorious conversation between Arjuna and Lord Krishna came to be, Swamiji started the course by giving an encapsulating introduction to the circumstances regarding the Gita itself.

"After the Kurukshetra war, one person was in a hurry to see the war, you know. So he arrived there, looked around, didn’t see anything, empty field, you know. Kurukshetra nothing can grow, even till today. He looked left – right, looking in the waste desert land, said, “There was a war here?” Holding the ground with his hand, trying to see all these thousands warriors, you know, have been killed, all this blood has been shed, but the land is dry completely, desert. He started wondering, “Am I in the wrong place or what happened? Is it an illusion? Is it Krishna have made everything disappear?” 

At that moment the sage appeared to him and said, “No my dear, you are in the right movie, not wrong one, but how you see it, what you perceive about it, that’s different.” Then he asked the question, “How the war happened?” The sage said, “Yes, it is still happening.” He said, “How?” Then the sage touched him and brought him to a different spheres, not outside of him, but inside of him. Then he perceived his inner struggle. He perceived this battle. Kurukshetra is this field, no? So he experienced this inner battle between the mind and the heart. So which one will win? Those who surrender, who have taken shelter to the Feet of Krishna, they will be victorious no matter what. Even if this world, even if this universe itself is annihilated, but those who surrender to Him will always be victorious. This is His promise in the Gita." - Paramahamsa Vishwananda, 16 August 2016

After Paramahamsa Vishwananda had done a summary on each chapter and spoke about the context surrounding the situation, Swamiji spent the latter half of the night giving commentary on Chapter 1 and almost half of Chapter 2. By the end of the night, it was nearly midnight, making the first day extensive and plentiful.

"Those who dwell only on the outside, even if they look for happiness, their happiness will always jump from one thing to the other. They will never have this inner satisfaction. But those – because the outside reality will never give one this satisfaction which you are looking for. The Kauravas stand for this outside reality which is looking, fighting, always want something, but it’s all material, it’s all external which brings superficial joy, joy for a very short time and misery for a longer time. Fully satisfied is the soul which has attained and realized the relationship with God. And this is where one finds real satisfaction, not just a superficial satisfaction, but eternal satisfaction, you know, which is forever, permanent. So due to for the sake of this satisfaction Bhagavan Krishna said, “Move from that reality which your mind understands to a different reality who you truly are." - Paramahamsa Vishwananda, 16 August 2016

Jai Gurudev!

During the Gita course, a great resource for many of the participants has been the new Shreemad Bhagavad Gita: Verses and Translations book. This book contains the Sanskrit verses of the Bhagavad Gita with their English translations. Also included are short excerpts from Paramahamsa Vishwananda about the specific section, a Mahabharat Family Tree, and a Sanskrit Pronunciation guide. You can learn more about this resourceful book by visiting: http://www.bhaktievent.de/magento/index.php/books/sri-swami-vishwananda/shreemad-bhagavad-gita-verses-and-translations.html

A Promise for Paramahamsa Vishwananda

“Whenever there is the fading of the dharma, like nowadays, and the uprising of unrighteousness, then I bring Myself forth into birth.” – Lord Krishna, Shreemad Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4 Verse 7

When Lord Krishna delivered the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna, He was living in a time when adharma (unrighteousness) had been on the rise. Demons like Kamsa had been wreaking havoc, and royal dynasties like the Kuru lineage had been corrupted by immoral inheritors. Hence, Sri Krishna vanquished the demons and guided the Pandavas to victory in the glorious Mahabharat War.

Nowadays, we are also living in a time that is saturated with adharma. The inner demons within people manifest themselves in acts of violence, cruelty, and other negative actions. One of the issues that Paramahamsa Vishwananda constantly voices out against is the brutality towards animals.

For those who follow Swamiji on twitter, you have seen the reality of how animals are treated when they are raised solely for human consumption. The state of this industry is shocking to say the least.

Recently during Gurupurnima, Paramahamsa Vishwananda shortly addressed this topic and had one request for the devotees present which can extend to all devotees and people worldwide. 

Transcription from Gurupurnima 19 July 2016

SV: Jai Gurudev everyone! If I ask you one thing, would you give it to me?

Audience: Yes.

SV: Do you promise?

Audience: Yes!

SV: Are you sure?

Audience: Yes!

SV: How many of you do promise that? And the rest? [laughing]

The ‘one thing’ I would like from you is that you spread vegetarianism; spread the message that people should not kill animals. Do you promise me that?

Audience: Yes!

SV: Good!

Audience: [clapping] Hari Bol!

SV: For the satisfaction of their own tongue, human beings are supporting the brutality towards animals. It’s really miserable to see. If you want peace, firstly we have to change the mind, right? And to change the mind is not an easy thing, but we can make it easy by controlling the senses. Like Bhagavan Krishna says in the Gita, if you want to control the mind, you start by controlling the senses. So start putting sattvic food inside of yourself and encourage people to become vegetarian. Like that, this change will be reflected upon the mind. 

What you put inside of you, it also reacts very deeply on the mind. So, much of the brutality in this world is also due to what we consume. Whereas, people who are vegetarian don’t have such aggressiveness inside of them. They are more serene and calm. Here you can see clearly how one can change the state of mind, and how one can change the way one thinks, for a better world, for a world with peace and love. Therefore, whoever is not vegetarian yet, please become a vegetarian. I guess all of you are, true?!

Audience: Yes.

SV: Good. Now, you have made a promise to me, right?

Audience: Yes!

SV: I hope I don’t need to come after you and poke you. Well, Mother Nature will do that work for me. It’s better if you do it by yourself, because if She does it, She has Her own ways. Maya Devi is very powerful. All of you know about that, eh? So don’t let Her come after you. Due to this promise you have just made to me, change! You will see that all goodness will come to you. 

The blessing of Mother Nature will flow to you and, together with that, the Grace and blessing of Giridhariji, because He is the great protector of animals. Many times, the Lord has taken the form of an animal, isn’t it? Tonight we have seen Devi Rani, Bhavani and Shen presenting a dance performance about the manifestations of Maha Vishnu: Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, and Narasimha. They were all animals.

Your body is a temple where the Lord Himself resides with all His splendour and all His love. So let’s remind everybody of this sacredness and keep the body healthy.

So that’s the ‘one thing’ I ask you. That’s it. Nothing else.

Jai Gurudev!

By being a vegetarian/vegan and advocating the adoption of a meatless diet, one immediately helps the world to heal and positively transform. The benefits for oneself and the world as a whole is impressive. Here are some facts (references below):

In a 2006 report, the United Nations said raising animals for food generates more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined.¹

Estimates of the water required to produce a kilo of beef vary, from 13,000 liters 2 up to 100,000 liters.3 Whichever figure you use, the damage is plain when you consider that the water required to produce a kilo of wheat is somewhere between 1,000-2,000 litres.

Several studies show that a plant-based diet increases the body’s metabolism, causing the body to burn calories up to 16% faster than the body would on a meat-based diet for at least the first 3 hours after meals.⁴

Large studies in England and Germany have shown that vegetarians are about 40 percent less likely to develop cancer compared to meat-eaters.^5-7  

May all the devotees of Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda spread vegetarianism and veganism to help uplift the Earth and its people. Jai Gurudev!

"For the deliverance of the good, for the destruction of the evil-doers, for the enthroning of the right, I am born from age to age." - Lord Krishna, Shreemad Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4 Verse 7

References

1. “Livestock a major threat to environment,” United Nations FAO Newsroom, Nov. 29, 2006:http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000448/index.html
2. Food and Agriculture Organisation. 22nd March 2007. FAO urges action to cope with
increasing water scarcity. Rome. http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000520/index.Html(link is external)
3. Pimental, D., Houser, J., Preiss, E., White, O., Fang, O., Mesnick, L., Barsky, T., Tariche, J.S. and Alpert, S. 1997. Water Resources: Agriculture, the Environment, and Society. Bioscience. 47 (2), 97-106.
4. Saunders, Kerrie K. 2003. The Vegan Diet as Chronic Disease Prevention. New York, NY: Lantern Books
5.Thorogood M, Mann J, Appleby P, McPherson K. Risk of death from cancer and ischaemic heart disease in meat and non-meat eaters. Br Med J. 1994;308:1667-1670.
6. Chang-Claude J, Frentzel-Beyme R, Eilber U. Mortality patterns of German vegetarians after 11 years of follow-up. Epidemiology. 1992;3:395-401.
7. Chang-Claude J, Frentzel-Beyme R. Dietary and lifestyle determinants of mortality among German vegetarians. Int J Epidemiol. 1993;22:228-236.
Facts and References found at: https://www.downtoearth.org/go-veggie/environment/top-10-reasons and http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/vegdiets/vegetarian-foods-powerful-for-health

New Sri Kripeshwarnath temple - the heart of hearts

Be one of the 312 angels who make it happen

Dear friends and family of Guruji

As you may be aware of, one of the main priorities for Guruji (Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda) is the creation of a new big temple at his main ashram Shree Peetha Nilaya.

The temple is named Sri Kripeshwarnath, which means “Grace of God” (kripa & ishwara), who is the ruler (nath) of this world. It reminds us, that God is ultimately behind everything and that his Love will undoubtedly conquer the world. He constantly pours out his Grace. Yet how the Grace manifests in our lives, depends on how we respond to God's ever loving presence, and what space we chose to give it. That's one of the reasons temples are important in our lives. They help us come in touch with God's Grace.

Be in the heart of hearts

Guruji’s mission Bhakti Marga is in his heart, it’s what he’s come here to do: 

To open the hearts of humanity. Shree Peetha Nilaya as the main ashram is the heart of his worldwide mission. 

The Sri Kripeshwarnath temple is in turn the heart of his main ashram. So by enabling this new temple to come into being, you are placing your name and your Love quite literally into the heart of hearts, for good. 

Sri Kripeshwarnath will benefit countless seekers from around the world who will visit Shree Peetha Nilaya over the coming years, decades and centuries. This sacred place will play a significant role in bringing about the transformation in the world that is so badly needed.

Whilst the current temple can hold around 100 visitors, the new temple will provide 4-5x the space. 

Ram Navami April 2016. Guruji chose the construction site of the future temple as the location for the ceremony

312 heartfelt pledges 

Often Guruji is emphasizing, that a temple is for everyone, and it can only happen if many helping hands and hearts want it and work together. For that reason we reached out to you all during Shivaratri 2016 with a special program called 300 (12), where the opportunity is presented to make a special pledge. 

The “300” campaign is looking for 300 angel devotees who give 100 eur per month over a period of 12 months. The “12” campaign is where 12 angels give 30’000 eur over the period of 12 months.

Many of you responded, and we are delighted to let you know that already 83 have pledged for the “300” program, that’s more than 25%, and 8 have pledged for the “12” program - more than 65%! 

This is a great start in a short period of time, and we thank you wholeheartedly. Still, to reach our goal, we need more of you to join this effort.

The goal: Opening in Summer 2017

The renovation of the current Darshan building consists of the three phases, of which the first phase is the most important: building the new temple. You can see monthly updates on the construction at our website - https://www.bhaktimarga.org/fundraising.

It is located in the basement (former swimming pool) and construction works commenced half a year ago. Based on the assessment of our architects we need 800’000 euros to complete the works for the temple. Our goal is to open it in summer 2017. 

We’ve collected over 270’000 euros thus far. For us to reach the needed 800’000 euros, our “army” of 312 angels who are determined to make the special pledge needs to grow further. As a sign of your connection to the temple and to Guruji, and in turn of his connection to you, your name (and if you want that of your family members) will be engraved on the future Sri Kripeshwarnath altar (see video on https://www.bhaktimarga.org/fundraising). You can also join forces and build teams whereby several people together make one pledge. Some of you have already done that - it’s another beautiful way to support this initiative.

Recently as Guruji exited the current temple and saw how many people had to stay outside due to its limited size, he said: "There are so many people, we really need the new temple. If we had it, you could all fit in."

It’s not the master who needs us, it’s us who need him, his Love and Grace. This temple is for us and humanity, and it’s us who have to want to make it happen. By giving a part of ourselves, we show to God and Guru that we really want him to be present in our lives. So let’s do this!

Altogether Bhakti Marga is active in more than 40 countries. On average this means less than 10 individuals in each country. If you feel you can be one of these angels who are building this temple for humanity’s sake, simply send an email to fundraising@bhaktimarga.org with the subject line “300” (or “12”), and we will provide you with instructions of how to make your contribution. We look forward to hearing from you.

Many thanks!

For more information and latest news about the new temple, visit our fundraising page: https://www.bhaktimarga.org/fundraising

Much Love

Swami VishwaKurunandhanananda

Bhakti Marga Fundraising - +49 178 320 48 01 – fundraising@bhaktimarga.org

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 

Matthew 6:21

Paramahamsa Vishwananda blesses Bhakti Marga UK Ashram

Directly a day after receiving the Bharat Gaurava Award, Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda blessed the site for the Bhakti Marga UK ashram. The blessing of the ashram and its surrounding area came in the form of Guru Puja, Abishekam, and a special yagna dedicated to Lakshmi-Narasimha, all with the presence of the living Master. 

Paramahamsa Vishwananda also announced that the presiding deity for the ashram's temple will be Mohini Devi, the female-form of Narayana. Lord Narayana had taken this form during the Churning of the Milky Ocean to ensure that the devas received the Amrit of immortality, and that the demons would not consume any. 

During the Shreemad Bhagavatam course in 2015, Paramahamsa Vishwananda told the story wonderfully about Mohini Devi which we would like to share with you now. This is a direct excerpt from the book, The Essence of Shreemad Bhagavatam by Paramahamsa Vishwananda: 

The Story of Mohini Devi

"…at that moment, they saw in front of them a beautiful lady, even more beautiful than Maha Lakshmi. She was Mohini Devi. The demons were mesmerised by Her beauty. As soon as they saw Her, they stopped fighting, and they even forgot about the Amrit. That’s the power of temptation. Like when you say, “Come, sing the Name of the Lord! Come, pray to God in order to attain Him! Come, I will give you the Love of God!” Then, you put a beauty there. People would say, “I’ll take that one.” If you put a million there, most people would say, “God can wait till I die. After I die I’ll see. Now let’s enjoy what is here.” But how would you see Him when you die? You would not see Him. You have to start seeing Him now! If you don’t see the reality now, you will never see it. 

Mohini was standing there very elegant in Her incomparable beauty, but the devas knew that She was the Lord’s Maya. Then Mohini said, “Listen my dear ones, give me this pot of Amrit. I shall give both of you the nectar.” The demons could not say ‘no’ to Her. The mesmerised demons told Her, “Take it, my dear.” Next, Mohini instructed them, “Sit in two lines, here the demigods and there the demons. I will pass by all of you, and I will give each one of you your share.” Mohini started dancing because She knew the mind of the demons, how stupid they were. They would be attracted to that beauty which does not last for long time. That’s why the Lord took that aspect. If He had appeared as Narayana in front of them, they would have not paid any notice. 

The Lord said to Himself, “These fools.” He knew their weaknesses. Everybody has their own weakness and the Lord knows them all. So Mohini took the pot of Amrit and started serving them. First, She went to the devas. She poured the amrit on their hands, and the devas drank it. Then She moved to the demons side, changed the Amrit by Her power, and gave them normal water to drink. Like that, the devas were getting the Amrit, but not the demons. At that time, the demons didn’t notice anything, because they were busy looking at Her beauty. They were staring at Her in such a way that they could not see that She was changing the Amrit into water for them. 

Among the demons was one by the name of Rahu. He saw that when the devas drank the Amrit they were full of energy, but there was not such a visible change in the demons. So Rahu quietly slipped into the line of the demigods. He got the Amrit but as he was swallowed it, Surya (the Sun) and Chandra (the Moon) noticed that he was not one of the demigods. At that moment they raised their voices to say, “Mohini, this is not a demigod, he is a demon!” Mohini turned immediately and She became Maha Vishnu again. Then, He threw His Sudarshana Chakra and beheaded Rahu. 

Due to the nectar that he had drunk, the head became immortal. Bhagavan sent his head up into the sky, and ever since then, Rahu has been known as the eighth planet, one of the planets that brings darkness into your life. It is said that it is Rahu that covers the Sun and the Moon on eclipse days to take revenge on them. The demigods were very happy and praised the Lord, whereas the demons lost all faith in God, because due to their selfishness, they lost the opportunity to receive the Amrit. Whatever the demigods were doing, they were always praising God and they were always offering everything to the Lord..." - Paramahamsa Vishwananda, Essence of Shreemad Bhagavatam

Since the presiding deity to be installed and inaugurated at the ashram is Mohini Devi, one can be reassured that the divine qualities of each spiritual seeker will be well taken care of, just as Mohini Devi had taken care of the welfare of the devas. Check out some more pictures from Swamiji's visit to the ashram by following this link to the Bhkati Marga Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bhaktimarga/albums

Paramahamsa Vishwananda receives Bharat Gaurav Award at the House of Parliament

On Saturday, July 2nd, 2016, Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda was presented in the House of Parliament, the Bharat Gaurav Lifetime Achievement Award. Though never expecting this honour, Paramahamsa Vishwananda accepted this award tweeting out, "Receiving the Gaurav Award in the House of Parliament but #Love need no recognition, it's unconditional." Honoured to receive the award, Paramahamsa Vishwananda graciously spent time talking with the organisers of the award, including a dinner later with devotees and other guests.

( The prior two pictures of the award ceremony 

are from Swamiji's personalTwitter account

https://twitter.com/vishwananda)

So what is the Bharat Gaurav Award?

As mentioned on the Bharat Gaurav Award website, (http://www.bharatgaurav.in/), the Bharat Gaurav Award is a prestigious award given to a few selected people from all over the world who have achieved a landmark, or a great feat, in their working area. For Paramahamsa Vishwananda, it is apparent that he has received the award for all the work that he has done through Bhakti Marga. By guiding thousands of spiritual seekers, opening up temples worldwide, giving out various sadhanas to attain unity with the Divine, and so much more, Swamiji's life has been an immeasurable blessing for the planet and its people. 

During Paramahamsa Vishwananda's visit to the House of Parliament, he was accompanied by devotees, who were thrilled to see Swamiji being publicly recognised for the incredible service that he renders to the world.

All in all, the visit and award ceremony at the House of Parliament was a great success filled with smiles, gratitude, and the grace of the Guru. To see Paramahamsa Vishwananda honoured in such a public setting is not only inspiring but also motivating for each of us to continue and help grow his mission, Bhakti Marga, to the greater heights it is destined to reach. As Paramahamsa Vishwananda often teaches, it is not only about receiving Love, but it is important what we do with it once it has been received. For us to support Swamiji and his mission the most, we must share the Love that he is always giving, and become living examples of his universal teachings. That is how we can all give the greatest recognition to Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda.

Jai Gurudev!

Dr. Satya Narayana Das Babaji visits Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda

Guruji’s dear friend from Vrindavan, Dr. Satya Narayana Dasa Babaji, arrived yesterday for a short visit to Shree Peetha Nilaya on his way to a tour in Poland and Lithuania. Satya Narayana Das is a world renowned scholar on Vedic scriptures and philosophy, and co-founder and director of the Jiva institute of Vedic Studies in Vrindavan.

Director of the Jiva institute of Vedic Studies, Satya Narayana Dasa has been visiting SPN from year one (2008), and has supported Guruji’s mission in many ways. This has been especially true over the past few years in Vrindavan, where Bhakti Marga has built an ashram near his home, the Jiva Institute. http://www.jiva.org/

Guruji and Satya Narayandas visited the BM Academy Teacher Training in the afternoon, where Babaji gave a satsang to the teacher trainees about Vedanta (Hindu philosophy), and about the philosophies of the different sampradayas (spiritual lineages within Vaishnavism).

Later on, after evening prayers, Guruji and Babaji visited the temple and sang bhajans with devotees. Guruji sang bhajans for Radhe, and Babaji sang the Gopi Gita with everyone, before the temple closed for the night with an arati.

Livestream video from Periscope during the visit

Here some pictures and a blog article about Satya Narayan Das, and some past visits to Shree Peetha Nilaya President of India Honors Babaji Satyanarayan Dasa

http://www.chakra.org/2012articles/2012-12-01.html

Flickr album of his visit in 2009: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bhaktimarga/sets/72157620444476952/

Visit to SPN in 2012:

http://swamivishwananda-info.blogspot.de/2012/08/satsang-with-dr-satya-narayana-dasa.html

Jai Gurudev, we wanted to remind everyone that in December there will be an amazing pilgrimage coming up with Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda in South India. Swamiji (and possibly you) will be visiting some of the most auspicious temples and pilgrimage sights for all Vaishnavas, many of which are nearly impossible to have granted access without the presence of Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda. If you are interested in going, you can learn more about the pilgrimage by clicking on this link: https://www.bhaktimarga.org/southindia2016

(Registration closes on June 31st, so it's important to reserve your spot soon)

Following the Master: Vrindavan & Jaipur Day 6-7 Conclusion

Day 6 of the pilgrimage was a very special day as it was Akshaya Tritiya, as well as, the main bathing day for the Kumbh Mela happening in Ujjain.

During the day we celebrated our own version of the Kumbh Mela by taking a dip in Radha Kund and doing puja to Govardhan. The Govardhan Hill has immense spiritual importance among the devotees of Lord Krishna. After Krishna protected the inhabitants of Vraj from the wrath of Indra, He counselled them to worship Govardhan Hill, for which they did through Puja and a Parikrama around the hill.

In the evening we celebrated Akshyay Tritiya by visiting the Banke Bihari temple. Akshyay means something that does not perish, or in more simple words, you do not suffer any loss on account of it. All the acts performed on this day become perennial in nature. The ancient wisdom teaches us to give, to donate for a noble cause, and to look for the divine blessing on this day.

On this day it is common for everyone to visit the Prince of Vrindavan, Sri Banke Bihari Ji. It is only on this day throughout the year that devotees get a chance to see and admire the beauty of His feet. As sung by exalted and divine devotee, Saint Surdas: this is by the grace of Darshan and Dhyan (meditation) of the Lotus Feet of Lord that all impossible things become possible in the world. The lame can cross high mountains, the blind can see each and every thing, the deaf can hear, the dumb can speak and the poor can become rich and powerful so as to be honoured to move with Chhatra (ceremonial umbrella, generally used in grand processions).

Sri Swami Vishwananda and the group visited the Banke Bihari temple in the evening for Darshan. It was extremely crowded and there was a lot of pushing happening, but everyone in the group was lucky enough to get a glimpse of the murti. The evening Darshan of the Lord carried an even bigger blessing as he was only wearing a dhoti (loincloth) around his waist. It is called the Sarvang Darshan – Darshan of the whole body of Shri Banke Bihari Ji.  It was definitely the most action packed day of the pilgrimage.

As day 6 was filled with events, day 7 was more relaxed and a fitting end to the pilgrimage. The participants were given an opportunity to spend some personal time with Swamiji as well as go shopping before concluding the pilgrimage. The day ended as we celebrated Sri Ramanajua Acharya’s 999 birthday and wished Swamiji farewell to the airport. As with every pilgrimage with Sri Swami Vishwananda and Bhakti Marga, it was filled with external and internal experiences that can only be had by the grace of the Master, by "following the Master" wherever He may lead you.

Thank you for following our blog series during Swamiji's pilgrimage, if you yourself are interested in getting the whole experience of such a pilgrimage, then check out the pilgrimage in South India coming up (Registration ends June 1st): https://www.bhaktimarga.org/southindia2016

Following the Master: Vrindavan & Jaipur Day 4-5

Day four of the pilgrimage proved to be the longest and most exciting day thus far. After doing abishekam to Sri Swami Vishwananda’s personal deity, Giridhari, we made our way back to Vrindavan. Even though the trip from Jaipur to Vrindavan is only "five hours long", it took us over 13 hours to get back. Along the way, we made plenty of stops to visit different saints and temples, and each stop was an amazing experience in and of itself.

One of the stops included a very beautiful ashram directly outside of Jaipur. The venerated saint of the ashram would have darshan of Hanuman and Lord Ram on a regular basis. Even though the saint had passed away, the disciples continued to keep the ashram alive with puja and kirtan everyday.

The main highlight of the day was the visit to the Madan Mohan temple in Karoli. Karoli is about 182 kilometers southeast of Jaipur and about 100 kilometers southwest of Vrindavan. It is a small town and home of the amazing Madan Mohan Temple. Madan Mohan means “one who can even enchant Cupid.” In the temple, there are three altars. Madan Mohan stands on the centre altar, with Sri Radha on his left and Lalita Devi on his right.

The deity of Madan Mohana, also known as Madana Gopala, was first discovered by Advaita Acharya, a disciple of Chaityana Mahaprabhu. It was installed at a place overlooking the river Yamuna by Srila Sanatana Goswami and it was the very first temple to be built in Vrindavan after the long years of abandonment. The original deity of Madan Mohan was taken to Karoli in Rajasthan for safety during the attack on Vrindavan by Aurangzeb.

After visiting many saints and temples, we arrived in Vrindavan at 3:00 a.m. in the morning. Everyone was extremely tired from the long journey.

The fifth day of the pilgrimage had a late start since most people got some well-needed rest after the long journey the day before. The majority of the morning was spent getting situated in the rooms and performing the abishekam to Giridhari (Swami’s personal deity).

Later in the day, we traveled with Guruji to various temples around Vrindavan. The highlights being the Banke Bihari temple and the Radharaman temple. In previous blogs, these temples have been talked about quite a lot, but just to say briefly, that these are the temples that truly capture the experience of Vrindavan, as they are a must to visit. Not only that, but it is also interesting to note that the Banke Bihari temple is Guruji's favorite temple.

All in all, the fifth day was very relaxed since we had gathered the necessary rest after the long journey the day before. But even though the fifth day was down time for the group, the locals were busy preparing for the upcoming Akshyay Tritiya, a very special holiday in Vrindavan.

If you'd also like to attend a pilgrimage in India, check out the pilgrimage in South India coming up with Sri Swami Vishwananda. Registration ends June 1st: https://www.bhaktimarga.org/southindia2016

Following the Master: Vrindavan & Jaipur Day 2-3

The second and third day in Jaipur started off with abishekam to Guruji’s personal deity, Giridhari, as well as to two Radha Krishna murtis. These deities are called "Radha Madhav" and are from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu himself who gave them to Khanja Bhagavan Das, one of his companions.

Through out the second and third day, the group had some time to go shopping in India, and find deals and interesting spiritual items for sale at the local shops. Because the weather is very hot out, most temples typically don't open until later in the evening, giving the group some extra leisure time.

On the second night specifically, we visited the Gopinath Temple. The Gopinath Temple reminds one of the colourful Indian culture and the rich music associated with it. Not only that, but to be here with our Guruji, in the presence of a living master, the blessings are felt tremendously and the atmosphere is too special to truly explain.

The next night we spent visiting the Radha Vinod Lal temple which was installed by Lokanath Goswami. Lokanath Goswami was the first devotee sent to Vrindavan by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. One of Lokanath's notable disciples is, Narottama Dasa Thakur, who became well-known as a great poet and composer who had written many moving Vaishnava songs.

Another temple we visited was the Radha Damodar temple which was established by Jiva Goswami in the year 1542 C.E.  The deities themselves had actually been discovered by Rupa Goswami, who later gave them to his dear disciple and nephew – Jiva Goswami for service and worship. Though due to the terror of the Muslim king Aurengzeb, the Sri Radha Damodar deities were shifted to Jaipur. Till now there is a discussion if the original deities are still in Jaipur, or if they were brought back to Vrindavan.

The third night concluded with a satsang from Guruji as he shared with us the glory of Krishna, and what it means to truly have Love for God. The last two days were full of grace and tomorrow we wake up early to go back to Vrindavan, and (of course) along the way, we will be visiting a few temples. Jai Gurudev!

If you'd also like to attend a pilgrimage in India, check out the pilgrimage in South India coming up with Sri Swami Vishwananda. Registration ends June 1st: https://www.bhaktimarga.org/southindia2016

Following the Master: Vrindavan & Jaipur Day 1

After the completion of the Atma Kriya Yoga retreat, we left very early in the morning on 4 May 2016 to Jaipur for the next part of the pilgrimage. The plan is to spend four days in the holy city of Jaipur visiting the famous temples of the city.

The trip from Vrindavan to Jaipur was approximately 5 hours (taking into account Indian traffic), the time was spent singing bhajans and of course, periodically stopping to have a chai tea. After arriving in Jaipur, the group went directly to the airport to welcome Sri Swami Vishwananda, as he was flying into India from Frankfurt, Germany. After a quick lunch we set out for our first visit to the temples of Jaipur.

The first temple we visited in Jaipur was the Govind Dev Ji temple. It is the most well known temple in Jaipur, and thousands people visit it daily. The murti in the temple is of Krishna, and the story of it goes back thousands of years.

Sri Krishna ́s grandson Vajranabha had three deities carved according the descriptions of Krishna. When they were finished, it is said that Govinda Dev had the same face as Krishna. The murti was then installed in Vrindavan and opened for devotees to worship.

In the 16th century, Vrindavan was abandoned and only deep forests remained there. It was the appearance of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu that brought the discovery of this Sri Krishna deity in Vrindavan. Then, during the years of the fanatical Muslim attacks on the hHndu temples, the deity was taken away and hidden in Jaipur.

After having Darshan of Govind Dev Ji, the entire pilgrimage group started to sing kirtan at the temple. We ended up staying at the temple for nearly two hours. As many people were drawn to the large western group and kirtan, Guruji in his humility gave time to many of the curious onlookers and blessed each one that came to him.

On Day 2, the group starts early with temple visits, and also a satsang with Guruji - stay tuned.


If you'd also like to attend a pilgrimage in India, check out the pilgrimage in South India coming up with Sri Swami Vishwananda. Registration ends June 1st: https://www.bhaktimarga.org/southindia2016