Last Night's Sankirtan Party Santa Monica

Yesterday I decided to go out on Sankirtan. I figured well it's time to get out some and see the city a bit since Im in a new area. Our Sankirtan party met in front of the temple around 5:45pm. Ganesh Prabhu was the driver. Ganesh Prabhu is a funny guy always cracking some transcendental joke. But I liked his enthusiam. I was chatting with a few of the devotees while we waited for the others to show up. About 12 to 15 of us went on Sankirtan.

It was about a 10 minute drive to Santa Monica. We were at this giantic out door mall. The trees surrounding the area had bluish white lights decorated all around. It was actually a beautiful spot to hold a harinam and there were hundreds of people walking the streets. There were other people however doing their little performances. I saw a sign being held up called Jokes For $1.00. Kind of silly if you ask me but this is Kali yuga and people will do anything to get their money in. Then I saw someone else holding up a sign that said "God Kills  Repent."  and on the back of it said "Jesus Loves and Hates." What is interesting about that sign is that it reminded me of Krishna because Krishna is God and He does kill, He kills the demons inside of us and around us. But He still loves us and wants us to return to Him. And the things that Krishna hates are envy and pride in His devotees and in other ordinary people.

Anyways we were out on Sankirtan for two hours so I put some more service in that way by chanting and then I gathered up enough courage to distribute our yellow cards that advertises our temple New Dwaraka that has the maha mantra on it. I distributed at least 40 of those cards. Then as the kirtan got even more ecstatic, I even dug through the boxes of books we brought with us and made an attempt to do some book distribution. I didn't distribute any last night but I came VERY close to distributing one book to this middle aged lady but she couldn't make a donation so I gave her one of the yellow cards about our temple on it instead. So how I gathered up courage to do a little book distribution was that I looked for people who looked friendly or that were just standing there watching us with interest. I managed to speak to a few people out there. They were polite at least. I know Krishna will eventually send someone to me who may be rude but I will just have to deal with that. There is always one bad apple in the crowd.

But the realization I had from the sankirtan is this: I felt Srila Prabhupada's presence alot more strongly than I have ever before. I never met Srila Prabhupada personally because he left this world before I was born. But I felt him standing near me, and before I went to grab some books to hand out I could almost hear him giving me a little push gently by saying "Go on and try it. Distribute my books." I hope he will forgive me as I did not distribute any that night but i at least made an attept to distribute and even came close to giving one out.

Anyways, here is a short video of the sankirtan party last night and some pictures.

click on the blue highlighted link to watch the video.

http://youtu.be/sGH4SCpCDlA

Today's Darshan Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarakadish 12-31-2011

Daily Darshan of Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarakadish

Today's darshan of Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarkadish 12-30-2011

My Gaura Nitai Deities And Message From My Guru Maharaj

Today I had gotten my very own Gaura Nitai Deities. I loved Them the moment I found Them. They are 6 inches tall and They are a copper color. I loved how Their Lotus Faces looked. I bought Them a nice purple outfit with crowns to match and a cup to offer Them water everyday until I can do more for Them. I had begged Them for Their mercy and to forgive me for any offenses the minute I brought Them into my room. Gaura Nitai accepts all offenses which is why I got Them first. I hope and pray I can do more for Them soon because I want to.

Here is what They look like.

I hope to buy Them a few more outfits soon. I saw a nice green and yellow outfits that I saw in the gift shop today that I liked for Them. But I wanted purple as that is my favorite color.

I really want to do an aarti for them but I don't have the items yet to do that with.  I have to save some laxshmi for that first.

And today the best news yet I had received an email from my guru Maharaj! I was so happy to see his email. He told me that he was happy to hear from me and he told me he got my package that I sent to him in the mail. I bought him a new bead bag because I thought he could use it and I hope he will use it soon. He was very pleased with it. That made me happy. He also left me some instructions. He told me to always remember that we are servant of the servant of the servant of the gopis and he also told me to do well with Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarkadish's blessings. He also hopes to meet my dad one day too. I hope he will come here. I really want to see my guru Maharaj again soon. I hope my phone hurries up and activates the long distance so that I can call him sometime too. 

Daily Darshan of Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarkadish

Todays darshan of Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarakadish 12-29-2011

A Familiar Bhagavad Gita Verse

Today I was in the pujari room a lot. This moring I had to help with the flower arrangements. I had to trim off the stems and put them in buckets. I had to bring in the buckets from outside. Then I helped in the kitchen for 2 and a half hours. I cut up tomatoes, red, and green peppers. Later in the day after lunch I went into the pujari room again to do a little cleaning. I cleaned up in the room where they keep the Deities' clothes. I had to clean the baseboards around the room. I had to move heavy things around all of which were not easy for me to move but I somehow managed it determined to do my service. My service didn't take me long to do however only about an hour. I also swept the entire pujari room and wiped off the counter top where they do the flower arrangements. So I did a total of about four hours today. I still haven't reached six hours of service yet.

But to get to my point when i was cleaning the room where the Deities' clothes were kept I saw a familiar Bhagavad Gita verse on the door to the room. It was from Ch. 18 Text 42. That verse reads Peacefullness, self control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom, and religiousness-these are the natural qualities of a brahmana's work. Maharaj had told me to memorize this verse to prepare myself for second initiation next year. I had asked Maharaj if I should still try for second initiation and he said yes. I asked him when he thinks I'd be ready for second intiation, and he said next  year! I was so shocked when he told me this. I was expecting him to say in two to three years! But apparently he thinks I am ready for it. My anniversary of my initiation day is Janurary 1st. I am going to send Maharaj another written offering to him to show him appreciation for accepting me as his disciple.

I should ask Maharaj to give me another Bhagavad Gita verse to memorize. It seems like if he tells me what verses to memorize then I can become determined to memorize them somehow. Next time I email him I will ask him to send me a verse to memorize. That too will help me to advance more and to remember Krishna more.

Nirantara Prabhu My Shiksha Guru

Tonight I attended my shiksha guru (instructing guru) class tonight. He was giving the Bhagavad gita class. We went over ch. 1. His lectures are so very inspiring! I can feel my diksha (initiating guru) through Nirantara Prabhu. My guru maharaj knows Nirantara and they had become good friends. They both have spoken about me when Nirantara was up in Canada for Thunder Bay's Ratha Yatra. I was bashful about that. So seeing Nirantara tonight has helped to ease the pain of separation from Maharaj. The way Nirantara gives class pretty much reminds me of maharaj a lot almost as if maharaj was physically here himself giving the class. Nirantara Prabhu's sense of humor also reminds me alot of Maharaj. Tonights class was so inspiring and funny!

When Nirantara saw me tonight, he asked me when I got here. And I had thanked him again for sending Maharaj his favorite song by him Dock of Bombay, and Nirantara Prabhu said "Anything for you and your guru." He's so kind. I love Nirantara! He's so awesome. He too has helped me to spiritually advance as well. Im very grateful to Krishna for letting me find Nirantara Prabhu also to help me hear about Him.  And before I left I had gone up to him and thanked him for class. He touched my head and said "May Krishna bless you and protect you."

Nirantara Prabhu does mean a lot to me just as my own guru Maharaj means so much to me. So I will pray to Krishna to protect Nirantara Prabhu whereever he goes.

Today's darshan of Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarkadish

Today's darshan Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarakadish 12-28-2011

Mercy From Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarakadish

Somehow or other Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarkadish have been so merciful to me just like Sri Sri Radha Ksiracora Gopinatha have. I don't know why. Im unqualified to have Their mercy.

This morning at the deity greeting when the doors opened They looked even more beautiful then They had the first week I was here. They are wearing a gorgeous white and gold outfit that sparkles in the light.  I took several photos of Them today. I think what They have on is one of my favorite outfits.

I had finished my rounds at 6:45am and was able to read a bit in the Bhagavad Gita which I try to do during japa time. The Bagavad Gita verse I was reading this morning is Ch. 11 Text 54 where Krishna says " My Dear Arjuna, only by undivided devotional service can I be understood  as I am, standing before you, and can thus be seen directly. Only in this way can you enter into the mysteries of My undertanding." It is a very long purport so I have not finished reading this text. Certain verse like this one grab my attention. I like the verses explaining how one can come directly to Krishna through devotional service. Those ones I write down on an index card and when I have time I try to memorize it. Im not too good at memorizing sanskrit but memorizing the english part is easy for me to do.

Then after Guru Puja, I went into the pujari room. One of my permanant services here now is making flower garlands for the Deities not all of them of course. This morning Mother Narayani who is in charge of making the flower garlands, said I would be making the big Lord Jagannatha Deities' flower garlands. I was shocked when she told me that. We almost didn't have enough flowers for the Deities this morning but we had to use what we have. So I hope the garlands will look okay on Lord Jagannatha tomorrow at least I hope He will forgive me if I made any offenses when making the garland for Him.

 I love how they make Lord Jagannatha's turbans here. They are so HUGE but very beautiful.  Gaura Nitai had flowers in both of Their hands this morning too. All the Deities just looked stunning with Their beauty very opulent. Radharani's hair braid had a sunflower at the top. I love it when they decorate Radharani's hair.

But it's nice to know that the Deities do let you know if They are pleased with your service. Both Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarkadish and Sri Sri Radha Ksiracora Gopinatha had both in Their own way let me know if They were pleased or not. In Toronto I could easily tell with Radharani if She was pleased or not because often times when I would take darshan of Her, I could tell Her facial expressions have changed like I can tell if She's smiling or not. My last few days when I was there there was something different about Radharani in Toronto. I don't know what it was. I cannot speculate on the reason why She looked a bit different. I wish I didn't have to leave Sri Sri Radha Ksiracora Gopinatha in Toronto but They knew I had to and Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarakadish lured me in to stay with Them for awhile. Krishna knows where I need to be and how I can spiritually advance. He knew West Virginia wasn't for me and I know He didn't want me to falldown because I felt if I had stayed in West Virginia any longer that might have happened so I believe Krishna has brought me here to LA for a good reason. I am very grateful to Him for bringing me here and not having to go back to West Virginia. Krishna fullfills desires of His devotees and knows what is best for His devotees.

Today's Darshan of Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarakadish

Today's darshan Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarakadish 12-27-2011