Growing Up With Bhagavad-Gita.

Gopi-manjari devi dasi wrote this piece. Gopi grew up in England and actually met Srila Prabhupada when she was a baby. Although she went through turbulent times as a teenager, she landed on her feet as a very fine devotee and served in the Belfast Temple for several years. A power-house of energy, she pulled off quite amazing feats for the pleasure of Radha-Madhava, including Their beautiful new altar, and new kitchen. It was a sad day for Belfast when she left with her American husband to live in America...

Photos show Gopi's son Madhava das enjoying the pictures in Bhagavad-Gita.

My mother's words echoed within my mind, as the kids in school bulled and teased me for being Indian. The timeless teaching from the Bhagavad-Gita, spoken through my mother gave me solace, “you are not this body’ she said, “you are an eternal spirit soul, no one can hurt you within”. I remember repeating those same words when my brother and sisters would pick on me at home, “I don’t care, you can’t hurt me,” I would shout back, “I am not this body”!

As teenage years crept up, the suffering I faced either it be due to hormones, taking drugs, or sheer loneliness became thick. I would question, why is there so much suffering, what is the purpose of life, why is there so much external show and falseness in this world. Again the ancient teaching from the Bhagavad-Gita that my mother taught me surfaced to my consciousness. Karma—every action has an equal and opposite reaction, if you cause pain to another then it will come back to you, and vice versa if you do good, it will also come back in a reward. One's suffering is a reaction to ones past activities, if not in this life then in one's next life.

Reincarnation—Knowing that there was life after death, and that the activities that I carried out in this life, would predestine my next life as well as the happiness and distress I would face. Having this knowledge empowered me to take responsibility for my present life, instead of trying to escape my suffering through intoxication and other external means, I discovered that the Bhagavad- Gita became a source of great comfort and solace for me. It's contents being one of deep philosophy and theology satisfied my questions and search for the truth. It's literal meaning, “the song of God”, is a conversation between Lord Krishna (God), and Arjuna (his devotee), it takes place by a battlefield on the onset of a fratricidal war. The challenges and dilemmas that Arjuna faces is similar to the challenges we face in our lives. I like to see that the Bhagavad-Gita is a song of God sung to me, to help me through my difficulties and struggles.

The Bhagavad-Gita is a book of theology; it discusses God and our relationship with Him. The different processes of connecting with God are delineated in different paths of yoga which conclude in bhakti or love and devotion to the Divine. That pure spiritual love gives one peace and satisfaction and is the love that we all seek in life. In this journey of life I have become a seeker of that Pure Love, I would like to end by sharing one of my favorite verses from the BG. “ To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with Love, I give them the understanding by which they can come to Me”. (BG 10.10)"

Don't Miss the Bus!

Congregational member Bhakta Pat, wrote this piece describing how service to Krishna has it's own special, internal dynamic.

Funny how things work out. I remember waiting for a bus one morning whilst I was on my way to work. We were waiting, the usual crowd, for about ten minutes. Along came a blind man who was trying to cross the road about twenty yards from where we were standing. We all looked on as he tried to step out gingerly,then came back, and tried putting his other foot out. This went on for a few minutes. Then one good Samaritan in our bus queue went up to him and said, I know not what, but he took the blind man by the arm, and together they went across, a bit like the game 'frogger', and the blind guy got to the other side. I was thinking to myself. “Wow, why couldn’t I have done that? That guy has some good karma coming.” Just then the bus came, and we all got on. I was looking out the window at “our” Samaritan, now stranded by the traffic on the other side of the road. The bus left with me looking out the window at him. I never forgot that lesson!

“Never volunteer for anything”, is the advice that most raw recruits get on their way to join up. And yeah, I can see the logic in that. And mostly I’ve lived my life like that. But there is another type of logic which turns everything on its head. Logicians, mathematicians, and all sorts of brainy guys cannot fathom it out, because it just doesn’t make “sense”. They tell you that if you have a certain amount of something, and you give some away, you’ll have less of it. They do not know that this world is a reflection, and that some things run completely contrary to our rules, in the true realm. Devotees all know, for example, that if we give some understanding of Krishna consciousness to someone else, that somehow or other we have more than what we started out with. Usually when we do something for somebody we expect to get some return for it. But with Krishna, the payment is….to do more for Him.

Take my own case. I haven’t done anything for years. Gaura purnima was coming up, so I decided that I would get some yellow balloons to decorate the temple, and maybe make some Krishna badges to give to the guests. So that’s what I did. People seemed pleased with them, and that was reward enough as far as I was concerned. The next day I got it into my head to look up Lord Jagganatha on the internet, and I found what I thought was some interesting stuff. “Hey,” I thought, “the devotees at the temple might be interested in this.” So I printed it out, and the following Sunday I brought it along. Yep! Everyone was interested. So much so that I got orders from people who each wanted a copy for themselves. I was pleased (my reward?), and the following Sunday I brought along several copies of the print-out, which were well received. A couple of days later I get a telephone call from a devotee I haven’t heard from in ten years or so. Can I do something for him?.. it so happens that I can.. so I do. The next thing I know is that I get an e-mail from another person whom I haven’t seen for a long time, asking how I am, and sort of passing the time of day. The upshot of which is that I am now engaged in writing this!….. Will I take the hint? This time if I get on the bus and look out the window, I could miss the bus! And what would the mathematicians make of that? Eh!

Special Feast and Kirtan This Sunday.

There's to be a special feast and kirtan, in the temple, this Sunday, in honour of our dear friend Krishna premavati, who passed away a few weeks ago. Madri and Shyama will be cooking the feast and including some of Krishna premavati's favourite prasadam dishes. As Madri and Syama were both very close to KPV, they are glad to be doing this on her behalf and would like to invite anyone who knew her to come and take part.

I'm sure anyone who knows Madri and her cooking will be there anyway! It's a while since Madri cooked in the temple, but her feasts are unforgettable.

This picture shows Krishna-premavati at last year's Ratha-yatra festival, shading Srila Prabhupada from the sun.

Praghosa das will also be visiting the temple on Sunday, and speaking on Bhagavad-Gita. So please, one and all, feel welcome to join us.

Letter From Anuttama.

We've just received this very nice letter from Anuttama das, in Washington, sympathising with the loss of our Krishna-premavati. Anuttama is a senior member of ISKCON and Communications minister on the Governing Board Committee. Thank you Anuttama!

Dear Devotees in Belfast,

I am saddened to hear of the departure of Krishna Premavati devi dasi. I was fortunate to have met her during a short visit to Belfast several years ago. Although brief, my time with her was memorable. We had several conversations, I visited her home, and she took me to visit herhusband, who was living in a care facility.I was deeply impressed by her aristocratic mannerisms, her sharp intellect,her composure, her beautiful Krishna conscious home, her compassion, and her enthusiasm for her spiritual practice.She was a devotee who exuded confidence in Lord Krishna and Srila Prabhupada. She made me feel I was in the presence of a woman who was highly educated, confident, well-connected, artistic, and, to put it in a brief American term, "classy".

Although I only knew her for a few short days, I will miss Krishna Premavati devi dasi. Certainly, you will all feel her loss very acutely. She was an important part of your community and she brought life and energy to the temple and sanga. While you will miss her, you are blessed to know that through your friendship, love, and shared services you were able to bring each other closer to Krishna, our Supreme Friend and shelter. The time you shared together was based on Krishna, and thus was built on love and mutual care. That love undoubtedly helped her be steady on the path of bhakti. By connecting each other to Krishna you gave her--and she gave you--the greatest gift. There is no better way to show love...there is no better way to bless a friend...there is no better way to find solace in a loss...than to know that while we were together we brought each other closer to home and to our Supreme Beloved Lord.

Your servant,
Anuttama dasa

Prayer to Lord Nrsimhadeva.

Here's a prayer to Lord Nrsimhadeva, written by one of Radha-Madhava's devotees in Oxford. I'm sure we can all relate to the sentiments expressed therein!

Dear Lord today once more I pray
Hiranyakasipu you’ll slay;
For though to save Prahlad he died,
He lives within my heart as Pride.

His lusty greed for name and fame
Is my sad search for just the same;
Like him I long for words that flatter,
Not truths that leave this ego shattered.

And just like him I think I’m king,
Of mice and men and Oxford kin.
I wince in pain and loudly moan
When others would usurp my throne .

This demon Pride destroys true sight
And turns all truth to darkest night.
Instead of seeing myself as Thine,
I think this world should all be mine.

Although my name ends in ‘das'
I act more like a stubborn ‘ass' .
When someone pleases not my will,
I deem them fools and rascals ‘till…

They come to share my view and see -
The world’s best ‘know-it-all’ is me .
I fail to see how life’s an act,
Of practising one of two true facts:

‘You are Lord and I am servant’.
My role is overdue and urgent,
But Pride likes not this deep insight:
‘How dare these fools deny my right.

To be the one upon the throne
And have servants all of my own!’
So Dearest Lord today I pray,
(With heart contrite for going astray)

"Please help me serve, that’s all that matters
And rip Pride out once more in tatters. "