I was invited last Saturday on Salaam Namaste 104.9, which reaches the thousands of Indian/Pakastani locals, to speak about the significance of Janmastami and our local festival in Dallas. There is a kids section in the early part of the program, so the youth were also invited to do a live bhajan. Parents did not think that the kids would be up to it, being that they would have to up and ready to meet me to leave at the temple at 6am sharp. But the kids, Sakshi Gopal (10), Giri (10), and Madana Gopal (9) were fully excited. I found them in front of the temple bright and even earlier than expected. They sang the Nrisimha prayers very nicely, and I followed with an explanation about Sri Krishna Janmastami. You are all welcome to listen to it here and tell us your feedback about our show. The recording is not of the highest quality, I believe that it was just low quality automated recording so it must have sounded better on air.
ps. the link should be only available till Saturday. Then it will be updated with the next show which will feature Narottamananda Dasa and Bhakta James Cook speaking about the new upcoming Food For Life documentary, "AMMA means Mother"
MTV filmed the Sunday temple program in Dallas (08/17/2008)--they had a 5camera shoot. The story line (for real)was this 17 year old film student wentto three religious places she had never gone before-MTV followed her andfilmed.The segment will air on MTV september-January. The film student went to the Dallas Buddhist temple, the Bahai temple and the Dallas Hare Krishna temple. Anandini (my daughter)sat next to her in the temple restaurantafterwords-- "she took one bite of prasadam and said she had never tasted anything so good before." She also said she enjoyed the enthusiastic chanting and dancing in the temple room. She lives in Burleson(near Dallas) andNitayananda Chandra is planning to do a home program at her house.Pictures atat:http://www.flickr.com/photos/rupagopi/sets/72157606809881891/your servant behind the Dallas TV program,Pandava vijaya dasa
Following is a sankirtan story from some residents of Kalachandji's Community:
Mishra Bhagavan Dasa and his wife, Sri Rangavati Dasi, long-time sankirtan devotees, were traveling from from Houston after attending Tamal Krishna Goswami's Vyasa Puja Festival. She was wearing a bright pink sari and he had on a dhori and yellow T-shirt that said, "Prabhupada on Tour." They pulled into a little town known as Cameron, Texas, Population 2,258. Sri Rangavati suggested that they do sankirtana at some stores there. It looked really slow, the type of desolate parking lot that a tumbleweed would roll across. She reasoned that these people do not usually see devotees and anyone buying a book would bring Prabhupada to the town.
The second person they approached bought a Spanish "Easy Journey to Other Planets," and Rangavati said, "Srila Prabhupada has arrived in Cameron!"
The next fellow was a Rasta type who gave ten dollars for a Bhagavad Gita. An older lady named Cammy was difficult to approach and wary about whether they were true Christains. "These books do not replace the Bible, but compliment it," Misra Bhagavan said. She was impressed with the verse: "In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination for devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take place." Cammy admired their outfits and said that her son just come back from India. He worked for a bank that had sent him there. She bought the Gita to show her son.
A tattooed man with a bushy mustache named Lupe sat with his wife and children in the cab of a well worn pick-up truck. He liked the pictures and bought Bhagavad Gita in Spanish. An African-American lady asked, "Why have you come to Cameron?" They told her why and added that they didn't think the people would be interested. She gave a donation for a Gita and said, "Oh, you'd be surprised. People are smart in this town. We read a lot."
All in all, eleven people took books. Srila Prabhupada had arrived in Cameron!!!
In 1969, when Marinda Hollar first moved to Dallas from small-town west Texas, she remembers seeing a Hare Krishna on the street, which made her happy and realize she had moved into a "real city." Little did she know then that almost 40 years later, she would own a yoga center and host a Hare Krishna kirtan there.
In the same vein, I also did not realize that when I first came to the Arlington Yoga Center in early 2000, I would be organizing the aforementioned kirtan at the center 8 years later.
When I walked in, I was looking for some relief. My mother had recently passed away from cancer, and it had been a stressful year taking care of her before she left her body. Treating my physical body by doing yoga and attending dance classes was just what I needed. Being a massage therapist always looking for a good barter, I convinced Marinda, the owner and main teacher, to exchange massage for classes. It was a situation that benefitted both of us, and we became good friends. I learned a lot from her, and eventually we realized that I had something I could teach her as well.
On the spiritual side, I was committed to no particular path at that time. Though I had been involved with Krishna Consciousness off and on to varying degrees for 15 years, it held no distinct attraction to me any more than any of the other spiritual paths I had been exploring. I didn't present myself or think of myself as being a devotee of Krishna. But of course, once you have tried Krishna, nothing else really satisfies, which I was about to learn.
After a few months, I became a part of the community that Marinda worked very hard at cultivating. In the spring, I learned about a national Yoga conference that Marinda was attending. She had received some promotional materials and posted them in the center. The theme of the conference was "Bhakti," and who was on the poster, none other than Lord Jagannatha Himself smiling away! I remember smiling back at Him, recognizing such a sweet and familiar face.
When Marinda returned, she was very fired up to share what she had learned. She had attended a workshop on "Sanskrit chanting," and told me how much she enjoyed it. Unfortunately she could hardly remember how to pronounce them, and handed me a paper with several chants on it. I told her I was familiar with Sanskrit, as I used to hang with the Hare Krishnas. I said I could help her out with pronounciation, and would try to find some recordings of the chants so she could learn them.
I can barely remember now what most of the chants were, except for "Sri Isopanishad." However, that was good enough to make me pull out my recording of "Radha Krishna Temple," which I hadn't listened to in years. It felt good to hear it after such a long time. Krishna was already starting to call me back to Him.
I brought the recording to the yoga center and went through Sri Isopanishad with Marinda and a few others. Marinda was always open to new classes, and always wanted to promote what she called "true yoga." The idea came to her that I "teach" a class in Sanskrit chanting. Eventually, I taught Sri Isopanishad to them, along with the Govindam prayers and part of the Guruvastakam. The class only lasted a few weeks, but more importantly, it started me seeking out recordings of chants, kirtans and bhajans. I wasn't particular about who was singing them, or to whom they were singing to, but it was all I listened to for a long time, and I know it purified me.
Time marches on, and things have to change. Eventually, I ended up leaving Arlington Yoga Center to do other things, but being there had changed me. Marinda's openness to exploring chanting at her center had re-kindled something inside me. Even though it took some time to come to fruition, I can now see a direct connection between seeing Lord Jagannatha's face on the yoga poster and my eventual open-hearted return to the Dallas Temple and to Sri Sri Radha Kalachandji in 2002.
It is now 2008, and things have changed even more. I am now an initiated devotee, and when possible, I like to arrange preaching programs. Through a so-called "chance" meeting with one of her students at the temple, I reconnected with Marinda in 2007. The Arlington Yoga Center is still going, and earlier this year, she brought a group of her students to the Sunday Feast. I brought up the possibility of bringing our Kalachandji's youth bhajan group to her center for a kirtan and she liked the idea.
So, a few weeks ago, that's what we did. Marinda's teacher, Guruji, was visting and holding yoga workshops, so we came to close the Saturday session. About 30 of her students stayed for the kirtan program, which in total lasted about an hour and a half.
Halfway through the first bhajan, led by Haridas, the devotees and most of the female yoga students, including Marinda, stood up and danced. Afterwards, Gopi Gita led another bhajan in which everyone was asked to chant one Hare Krishna mantra. Not one student refused to chant! It was very enthusing to see such participation from the students. I credit Marinda for that, as she keeps the feeling at her center very open-minded. She allows people to feel safe about exploring and expressing spiritual beliefs, even if they aren't totally the same as her own. I felt it when I first met her in 2000, and here again, in 2008, I felt it once more. Things had come full circle.
So, I want to thank her, as it was having that freedom of expression which was such an integral stepping stone on my path that eventually allowed me to come back to Krishna.
In effort to compete with Sabjimata Mata and Kurma Prabhu's delicious prasadam blogs I hearby submit our twelve month sandwich. There are five main cooks who are always involved. The first one is Gaurachandra and on His right side stands Nitaichand and His left side stands Gadadhara. Nearby cooking is Advaita and Srinivas is holding the spatula. Sweet Mrdanga sauce is mixed in with spicy kartals accompanied with side orders of conch and bells. All the demigods headed by Lord Brahma line up to get an opportunity to relish this sandwich. In fact the flavor of this sandwich conquers the flavor of millions upon millions of curd sabjis. Lord Shiva, Sukadeva Goswami, and Narada Muni are all there and are choked in ecstacy to get but just a taste.
This sandwich is what we have had the pleasure to honor for the past twelve months. The ISKCON sandwich. During Srila Prabhupada's time he established a program of spiritual purification by which one can make steady progress in Krishna Consciousness. It was nicknamed the ISKCON sandwich, a Krishna Conscious Program of bhajan, kirtan, artik and class every morning and every evening. Many devotees eager to rapidly expand Krishna Consciousness asked Srila Prabhupada if it were ok to miss the evening program in the event of late evening book distribution and other such outreach functions. However when such late activities were decreased also the habit of returning back to regular programs in the evening waned. Instead of live chanting during the Gaura Artik more often it would be found that there was simply a tape playing. This one slice sandwich was not enough to fill up the spiritual staved soul therefore the devotees decided to return to the healthy diet of the double slice, Mangal mustard, Gaura Artik greens and a class ever few days for proper nutrition.
We have seen many health benefits to this diet given by Srila Prabhupada. Even our restaurant customers are finding new energy in their spiritual attraction. Before, in the evening, if they ventured into the temple they were greeted only by an electronic kirtan, hardly enough to encourage one to start singing with full lungs. But now we are serving the real organic kirtan, fresh from the hearts of the devotees. And as they say local is more healthy, these local lungs are inspiring to hear for all who enter. So whether you are at home, at the gym, watching TV, or out on book distribution make sure to get some daily doses of the ISKCON sandwich. Thank you
Hare Krishna
Your humble servant,
Nityananda Chandra Das
His Grace Urjasvat Prabhu has been leading devotees in the chanting of the Holy Names since the early 70's. His blissful and soulful chanting has inspired devotees all around the world. Perhaps you know his singing of the "Govinda Jaya Jaya, Gopala Jaya Jaya" track on the first New York Kirtans album or perhaps you know his kirtans from New York or LA Ratha Yatras. He helped organize wonderful harinams and sankirtan at both the LA and New York Temples. Well anyway he is a wonderful devotee.
So about a year ago I received a phone call from the temple line. It was an older gentleman and he had many wonderful questions regarding Krishna Consciousness. He told me his very nice life story about how in the 70's he joined the temple for perhaps 8 months and had the time of his life. He said that Urjasvat Prabhu was his Bhakta Leader (spiritual coach) at the time and that he really valued that time he spent with Urjasvat Prabhu. At the time he was just getting out of the military and was getting much more interested in spiritual life. At some point he moved out of temple due to some previous attachments but later became ordained as a Catholic priest. His said that it was only due to remembering the instructions of Urjasvat Prabhu regularly that he was able to stay a celibate Catholic monk for 11 years. He said, "Urjasvat Prabhu may or may not remember me but I know that when I die and leave this world I will probably be thinking of him." This gentleman called again a month ago and randomly came across me, he was calling temples to chit chat about Krishna. In his call he lamented about not being able to make advancement and surrendering and was comforted when he was told that Krishna is very kind and looks for any excuse, without breaking the rules, to take us back to the spiritual world. This is what the Lord revealed to Gopa Kumara in the Brhad Bhagavatmrta. This story and another one as well brought him to tears of joy, jaya. His 3 children are all grown up and he is now getting more encouragement in chanting Japa. He was a very pleasurable man to speak on the phone with.
His Grace Urjasvat Prabhu in the last two months has suffered from two strokes. The first one took place while he was giving class at the temple in Phoenix Arizona during one of of his preaching tours. These strokes have impaired speech so currently he is not giving classes nor is able to lead kirtan. Please pray for his speedy recovery so that we all can benefit from hearing from this great soul.
Hare Krishna
Your humble servant,
Nityananda Chandra Das
P.s. Got another call today from a middle aged women who asked in regards to how she could get the Hare Krishna Ashrama experience.
*Photos by Rupa Madhurya Prabhu
**"Urge for Urj" is what devotees in Dallas say when they are longing to hear kirtans lead by Urjasvat.
Yoga with the Yogis meaning: Connecting (Yoga) to Yoga people (Yogis) I am taking classes at BKS Iyengar Yoga school here in Dallas and they are going quite nicely. I am training to become a teacher. There is a great demand for yoga classes here at the temple. 100% of the yogis at the classes either love Kalachandji's or long very much to visit. Many, after the class, come up to me to request cards for the temple and restaurant. One such a person came up to me today and told me that she was just simply fascinated with Krishna. She told me about how she went to India and learned that Krishna is greater than any of 'them' even 'the three' (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva) and about how she interested in the Bhagavan feature. She also explained that she enjoyed reading the Bhagavad Gita. I responded that I also enjoy reading the Bhagavad Gita and I that I regularly give classes on the Bhagavad Gita. She said, "Oh you should teach classes here." It was nice to hear that from one of the teachers in training. We are actually going to be hosting a Kirtan concert at the studio with Temple Bhajan Band and Amala Kirtan Das. I am always now since the classes, running into on a regular basis, students from my classes. Mostly business people in their 40's and up and knowing them from the classes makes for a nice way to connect with them again at the temple. The following is a shloka that we chant before class followed an excerpt from the explanation given by BKS Iyengar's daughter Geeta S. Iyengar perhaps you will like it:
Yogena cittasya padena vacam
Malam sarirasya ca vaidyakena
Yopakarottam pravaram muninam
Patanjalim pranjalir anato'smi
Abahu purusakaram
sankha cakrasi dharinam
sahasra sirasam svetam
pranamami patanjalim
Hari Om
"Let us bow before the noblest of sages Patanjali, who gave yoga for serenity and sanctity of mind, grammar for clarity and purity of speech and medicine for perfection of health. Let us prostrate before Patanjali, an incarnation of Adisesa, whose upper body has a human form, whose arms hold a conch and a disc, and who is crowned by a thousand-headed cobra."
From the explanation:
"The two slokas (verses) that we chant to invoke Lord Patanjali begin the Bhojavritti, Bhoj’s commentary on the Yoga Sutras. It says, first of all, that Lord Patanjali is considered to be the incarnation of Adhishesha, the cobra, which is the seat for the Lord Vishnu, the very creator of this world. It is said he took birth three different times, giving three different sciences for people to improve themselves. The first is yoga..... ...We chant so that at the very beginning that feeling of sanctification comes from inside, with the feeling of surrendering oneself, because nothing can be learned in this world unless you have the humility to learn. So the moment you think of the Lord at the beginning of doing a practice, you know that you are very small in front of that greatest soul." Hare Krishna Your humble servant, Nityananda Chandra Das
