Don't Be a Fool!

On this April Fool's Day - we reveal our simple three-step programme "How Not to be a Fool".

Foolishness is a matter for growing concern in our world today, as a quick glance at any newspaper will show; everyday there are new reports of outbreaks of foolishness, often quite close to home. Most worrying of all, many of our government-leaders, scientists and other prominent figures have become severely infected.

Doctors have no cure for this embarassing condition; as soon as it is brought under control in one area, it breaks out into a more virulent form somewhere else. Researchers suspect that many more people have the disease than previously thought, but being afraid even to admit it to themselves, they don't seek help.

If you worry about picking up this infection, or suspect you may already show symptoms - fear not! Help is at hand in our simple three-step programme. The best way to deal with any disease is to strike at the root rather than the symptoms and our programme is designed to completely eradicate the causes of foolishness and to provide immunity to re-infection.

Step One: Know thyself! The greatest folly is thinking you are something you aren't, so: Understand that you are not the body, but spirit-soul. Extend this knowledge also to all other living creatures and respect them accordingly.

Step Two: Read Bhagavad-Gita As It Is. This will give you a clear understanding of the nature of the illness and will strengthen the immune-system.

Step Three: Chant the maha-mantra daily. There is no more effective way of removing every trace of foolishness than this very simple remedy. It works rapidly and protects one from re-infection.

If followed carefully, this programme will restore us all to a healthy and natural state of wisdom. We recommend combining this programme with Humility and Compassion, for extra good results. Satisfaction guaranteed!

An Old Friend Passes On.

We were sad to hear that Samba, an old friend of ours, passed away last week. Actually, Samba was everyone's friend; a gentle and jolly devotee. At Belfast temple we used to see him when he came to visit his mother who worked for the Archbishop of Armagh. He would always pop in to see us too. He will be very much missed.

But as we all have to depart this world at some time, I don't think Samba would have wished for a better transition. He was surrounded by his family, by devotees and by the sublime sound of the chanting of Krishna's sacred names. Srutakirti from Bhaktivedanta Manor wrote a moving account of the final moments, which you can read here. The following is an excerpt:

"Everyone, including family members and hospital employees, remarked what a wonderful passing it was. Samba was very peaceful throughout. When we were getting ready to leave the room Samba’s sister came up to Amekhala and me, to tell us that a man in the far corner of the room had been sitting all day with his dying wife. He wanted to thank us for the chanting. I walked over and sat next to him. He said the chanting was so beautiful, ‘just like the singing of angels’."

We send our condolences to Samba's family and to his dearmost friends.

Bengali Hymn.

Hoorah for podcasts! Well, maybe "hoorah" is a bit too enthusiastic in this case, as the quality isn't perfect; but they're still very good to listen to. These two are from our recent Gaura-Purnima festival; Gopal hari sings a song by Narottama das Thakura. "Prayer to the Lotus Feet of Sri Gauranga" and comments on it afterwards (there's the tail end of a previous kirtan just before this song begins.) Gopal is a very good kirtaniyah - as I'm sure you will agree!

The second is Gopal's talk "From Bengal to Belfast" - the spreading of Lord Chaitanya's sankirtan movement. Many thanks to Lal-krishna for his technical help with these. And I hope you enjoy listening to them.

Rama-chandra's Festival Day.

This is a beautiful image of Lord Rama-chandra from Thailand. Traditional Thai art is always so exquisite, whether it is dancing, architecture, paintings or sculpture; I don't think I've ever heard any Thai music, but imagine it must be similarly so.

Anyway, here is Lord Rama-chandra for His appearance day, today. And as it is the perfect day for dipping into the great classic The Ramayana, I wonder if you've seen the version by Ranchor Prime - "Ramayana; a Journey"? (You can see it here.) It's an abridged version, telling the basic story very well, with beautiful accompanying pictures; good for both adults and children -these stories are so good for children!

Here's an amusing tale of how Sri Valmiki came to write the Ramayana:

"Millions of years ago, according to the Vedic sources, the Supreme Lord appeared on this planet as the Warrior, Rama-chandra, in order to execute His will and display the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As is stated in the Bhagavad-Gita, "From time to time I come, in order to vanquish the demons and rescue the devotees."

The pastimes of Lord Rama are revealed in the famous Vedic scripture, The Ramayana, written by Sri Valmiki. Before being empowered to write the Ramayana, Valmiki had been a plunderer; but by the grace of the great saint Narada, he became a Vaishnava - a worshipper of the Personality of Godhead. Narada had first asked Valmiki to please chant the name of the Lord, but Valmiki replied that he would not. He was a murderer, so what had he to do with the chanting of God's names? Narada then asked him to meditate on his murders, by saying the name of "Mara" which means Death. Valmiki agreed to this and meditated on Mara. By rapid repetition of the word "Mara, Mara, Mara", he found himself saying "Rama, Rama,Rama" and by the power of reciting the holy name of God, his heart became purified".

From A Handbook of Krishna consciousness, by Satsvarupa das Goswami.

A Happy Rama-navami to you all! And may you not have to be tricked into chanting the holy names on this day!

St. Patrick's Day Offering.

It's a bit late to be sure, but not for want of trying!

We thought St. Patrick would like this. Our temple-musician, Vrajesvari devi, has rendered Lord Chaitanya's eight poems - the Shikshastakam - into verse and sung them to a stirring Irish tune, accompanied by guitar.

"Because love of country means wanting the best for one's country-folk, and Lord Chaitanya has put the essence of all happiness and love of God into these verses. By chanting the sacred names of God, as he advises, we can overcome unhappiness and frustration and learn to respect and live peacefully with everyone."

You can listen to it here: Vrajesvari Sings Shikshastakam. And the words are below.

All glories to Sri Sankirtana, the benediction moon
The blissful transcendental chant will cleanse the heart right soon
Samsara's wheel of birth and death, this shackle let us burn
And fully taste the nectar chant for which our hearts do yearn

O transcendental Lord, rain down Your mercy and Your grace.
The Name of Krishna and Govinda saves this human race
The gateway to the Lord of Lords is the chanting of His Name
T'is the only blessing of this age, thus let me chant the same.

With humble mind and lowly heart, as the Holy Name you speak
More tolerant than the sheltering tree, or the straw upon the street.
And full respect we're offering to the people that we see,
So in this way, we'll chant the Name of Krishna constantly.

Almighty Lord, life after life,Your servant would I be.
No wealth do I desire, likewise no female company.
I ask for no material boon, nor to grant me liberty
To this devotional cause I pledge as your servant endlessly.

O son of Nanda Maharaja! eternally I will serve
You are my only happiness, how will I deserve
Oh rescue me from this deep sea, from bondage set me free,
And at your lotus feet, dear Lord, an atom let me be.

Oh when, on chanting Krishna's names will tears flow from my eyes.
Oh when on chanting Names of God, will ecstasies arise.
Oh universal Lord, when will You pour Your grace on me?
At recitation of Your name Your bliss will nectar be.

At separation from Govinda, how my tears do pour,
And every moment we're apart is like ten years or more.
I feel all vacant in this world, which is not home to me.
Govinda, O Govinda, let your Name my watchword be.

No-one but Krishna do I know, Him unconditionally,
And ever so shall He remain, though He treat me carelessly,
And even if He break my heart by vanishing from me,
It's Krishna first and Krishna last, and Him eternally.

Dainty Doilies.

Someone made these wall-decorations for Gaura-Purnima out of cake doilies. Maybe not quite in the same class as William Morris whose influence can be seen in the architecture of the temple building! But pretty anyway; and the texts compliment the spirit of Lord Chaitanya's festival.


vijayata sri-krishna-sankirtanam. "All glories to the sankirtan movement; the congregational chanting of Krishna's sacred names." - Sri Siksastakam 1.

The holy name of Krishna is the highest nectar. It is my very life and my only treasure. - Srila Sanatana Goswami; Brhad-Bhagavatamrita.

"The treasure of love of God has descended from the spiritual world to Earth, as the congregational chanting of Krishna's names." - Srila Narottama das Thakura.

My First Gaura-Purnima Festival.

Padma-malini dasi, former President of the Belfast Temple wrote this about her first Gaura-Purnima. Padma is presently teaching art at a school in Luton.

My first experience of celebrating the appearance of Lord Chaitanya had a profound and lasting effect on my life. Although it was almost twelve years ago, I clearly remember how the Hare Krishna mantra touched me and strengthened my faith in the teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Krishna is present in His name and within His name there is the unlimited pleasure that we all want but usually run away from. I was fortunate to somehow catch a glimpse of the inner contentment and closeness to God that chanting can bring.

Half-way through my degree course in Belfast I took a year out to focus on my spiritual education. I had spent three years at a reputable university yet wanted more. I wanted to learn about more metaphysical and philosophical topics, and to bring more discipline into my life. I was attracted to Srila Prabhupada’s uncomplicated presentation of eastern philosophy and its practical application, and so decided to take time out from university to attend a one year residential course at the Belfast ISKCON temple.

Life in the temple was different. Rising before 4am daily to attend temple services and engage in meditation and prayer—how often had I gone to bed at this time as a student! Apart from assisting with various duties in the temple, my day was filled with classes and personal study. Not only was there so much information to learn, relating to the tradition but also codes of etiquette and guidelines that covered numerous aspects of life. I learned so much and began to feel energised and cleansed of my short yet intense spurt of student life.

Half-way through my course we began to prepare for Gaura Purnima, the celebration of the birth of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. We learned about His life and teachings, and how He introduced the congregational chanting of Hare Krishna. Preparations for the festival started months in advance, ranging from sending invitations to finalising menus. A ten-hour sponsored kirtana was organized to encourage congregational members to chant together for an extended period on this auspicious festival day, as Lord Chaitanya had done daily with associates and disciples. Read more ...

Discovering Lord Chaitanya.

Our first encounter with Lord Chaitanya and His sankirtana movement is a very special time for devotees. Most of us grew up never having heard of either of Them, yet suddenly this becomes the most important thing in our lives - an understanding and an experience which we can never turn our backs on. There are two pieces of writing on this subject which you might like to read, on the way to Gaura-purnima. Here's the first:

Yadunandana das, a Vaishnava monk from Spain, Principle of Bhaktivedanta College , relates his first encounters with Lord Chaitanya's sankirtana movement.

When I first came in contact with the Hare Krishna movement, the personality of Sri Chaitanya intrigued and attracted me. Having being trained as a Catholic in my childhood, I had great appreciation and feeling for Jesus, although I was not practicing his teachings very much. To hear and read about Sri Chaitanya evoked in my heart some of those feelings I had experienced during my confirmation, but in an increased way. I liked that Sri Chaitanya had shown the path to spiritual perfection by giving up everything to serve the Lord and that he widely disseminated the chanting of the holy name.

In those beginning days, I used to read and re-read Srila Prabhupada’s introduction to Srimad-Bhagavatam, in which he wrote a summary of the life of Sri Chaitanya. In the description, I learned that Sri Chaitanya had been a great scholar almost from his childhood and had astounded and humbled great intellectual and spiritual champions of his time such as Kesava Kasmiri, Prakasananda Sarasvati, and Sarvabhauma-Bhattacharya. These influential, renowned philosophers and teachers became followers of Sri Chaitanya or, at least, accepted the Vaisnava teachings after meeting him. It was amazing to read, that in spite of being such a prodigious scholar, Sri Chaitanya had written only eight verses. The translations of these verses appeared at the end of Srila Prabhupada’s summary; I used to enjoy their poetry and deep spiritual feeling. They express the greatness of God and how tiny we are in comparison to Him and yet, how a very intense, sweet—sometimes bittersweet—relationship develops between the Lord and His devotee. I felt moved by those sublime expressions. I saw it, and still see it, as an ideal to be achieved: deep, loving attachment to God and open and honest communication with Him.

Later on, when I became a novice in a Hare Krishna temple in Spain , I would recite those same verses every morning, both in Sanskrit and Spanish, as part of the morning spiritual programme. Now, after 27 years, I still derive great inspiration from them. These eight verses of instruction, embody the teachings and mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They reveal the process of pure love of Godhead, bhakti, and the congregational chanting of the holy name of Krsna (sankirtana) as the best method for spiritual perfection in this difficult age. In the first verse, Sri Chaitanya expresses the purpose of his advent on earth. He says: “Let there be all victory to the Sri-Krishna-sankirtana”. Sri Chaitanya is described by Srila Prabhupada as the great apostle of love of God and the father of congregational chanting. Every day Sri Chaitanya would go into the streets with his devotee companions and perform public congregational chanting of the holy name, inspiring other people to join in. He requested His followers to do the same for the benefit of others.

The first time I heard congregational chanting, was in a small room my friends and I had rented in the cultural centre of my hometown. We had a youth group for research about yoga and the paranormal. That day, when I came into the room, two or three of my friends were there, euphorically singing, accompanied by hand cymbals and a little metal box, which they used as a drum. They had not taken any drugs nor drunk any alcohol. They were simply singing with their hearts and voices, bodies moving from side to side, following the rhythm of the chanting and the instruments, their faces beaming. When I entered the room I felt my whole being caught up in an intense, spiritual happiness. This was not ordinary singing or music. It was full of tangible, spiritual power.

Some weeks later, I went to the temple in Barcelona for the first time. I was already chanting the Hare Krishna mantra on my beads, reciting sixteen rounds of 108 mantras every day and my friends and I used to meet regularly and have our kirtanas (chanting sessions), sometimes in one of our yoga rooms, which we had transformed into a temple, and other times in a nearby forest or park. Still, when I took part in my first kirtana in the temple, with all the temple devotees gathered and their enthusiastic and graceful dancing, the experience was even stronger. I felt immersed in an ocean of bliss. This may sound like an exaggerated expression, but I have no better words to describe it. After that kirtana I decided: “I want to come here and live with these people”. Since it was my first time in the temple, I had not made any friends. Yet, the experience was so powerful that it increased my desire to follow Sri Caitanya’s teachings and mission.

During the week, I could hardly wait for the weekend, to go to the temple, which was thirty kilometres from my hometown, to join the devotees and sing and dance with them, and to experience the happiness of that chanting. For me, this was a living proof that made me identify with the character of Sri Chaitanya and fanned in my heart a growing vocation to follow him, a vocation that has profoundly marked my life and that I pray will continue until my last breath.

Shortly afterwards, I participated regularly in the Sunday chanting processions in the streets of Barcelona. I was not dressed like the other devotees and I was less experienced than them, but this did not make any difference to me. I was going out to bring the experiences I was having so that others could have the same opportunity. Somehow the sankirtana of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his devotees had touched me so deeply that I became part of his mission and was actively spreading it. The happiness I experienced, and still experience, surpasses beyond any comparison, the ordinary happiness of the mind and senses. Therefore, as Sri Chaitanya says in this verse: "param vijayate sri krsna sankirtanam, let there be victory to the Holy name of Krsna which expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life!"

©2005 iskcon.com

"Detox"

It feels right, at the beginning of a new year, to think of clearing the decks, throwing out unnecessary clutter and unwanted habits, and starting clean and fresh. However things worked out for us in the old year, whatever dissatisfactions we may have with our situation, we have the chance now to review our lives and make plans for improvement.

This 'clearing out' extends to our bodies as well. Have you noticed, at this time of year, all the talk of Detox programmes? In the media it is the topic of the moment. Having binged at Christmas, now is the time (they say) to clear the system of nasty toxins which clog it up and bog it down, and may cause future disease. We should go jogging, or do a grape fast, or book into a health spa.

But search as you might, it would be hard to find advice on how to clean the mind of the nasty things which clog it up and which fester there, leading also to serious problems in our lives. As the mind is known to have a powerful effect on the body, this is surely a good place to start, if we want health and happiness. Negative impressions we take into our minds stay there and become a heavy load; deep, unwanted habits affect our abilities at work and in relationships and make us dissatisfied and unhappy.

Until we begin to clean the mind, we often don't even realise how dirty it is - like cleaning our windows at home. We get used to them being dirty, but when we clean them, then we really notice how much light comes in, and how clear and bright the colours are outside.

So our advice for detoxing the mind is to take a course of Kirtan - chanting! Scientifically tried and tested over thousands of years, there is no surer, nor speedier method of deep-cleaning; for the maha-mantra is not only antiseptic, but also "prophylactic" - it will protect us from further contamination. As we chant, our original buoyancy and joyfulness will emerge, and spread to every aspect of our lives.

And the best thing is, that unlike detox diets, kirtan is sweet, yet you can have as much of it as you like. So if you want to lose the weight of anxiety and fight the flab of dullness, come to the Belfast Temple "Health Spa" and try it out, with the rest of us!

Kirtan every Wednesday evening 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. at 140 Upper Dunmurry Lane. Tel: 02890 287590 for details. Free of charge.