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. "

Radha-Madhava's Installation.

Shaunaka Rishi Das, the (21 year old) temple-president of Dublin at this time, remembers how Radha-Madhava's installation came about.

SRD: "The Deities had been brought from India over a month before and had been standing in my office covered in cloth. One day, I suddenly got a phone-call from our leader Prithu das in India, he said that His Holiness Satsvarupa Maharaja would be visiting Ireland at the end of the week, and we would install the Deities then. This was completely unexpected! We had less than a week to prepare for this momentous event and were immediately plunged into intense activity, to get everything together in time. There was so much to do: There were no clothes for the deities to wear, so we brought expert seamstress Bhakti-lata dasi over from England and a team of sewers worked day and night. There were also curtains and backdrops to be made. The deities were unpainted and Saksi-Gopala carefully and painstakingly painted Their features, hands and feet. He and Aniruddha also did carpentry work, preparing the altar where the Deities would reside. We had quickly to send out invitations to guests and the media, order a marquis, scrub the temple from top to bottom, prepare a menu and shop for a huge feast and many other things."

The installation ceremoney took place in a big marquis in the grounds of the temple. Installing a deity means that Radha and Krishna are personally invited to enter the deity form, so that They are actually present before the worshipper. It's not a statue that we are seeing and serving, but God Himself, who has kindly come there to enable us to develop our intimate relationship with Him.

A large crowd gathered to witness the event. His Holiness Satsvarupa Maharaja performed the ceremony gravely and with devotion, to the accompaniment of enthusiastic kirtan. Nitai-sachinandana remembers:

"I had spent several hours shining up the brass paraphernalia for the occasion - brass pots to hold milk, honey, water and other ingredients, lamps, bells and trays. It had been glorious weather for the previous few days, but on the day of the installation it poured with rain. My strongest memory is of seeing Radha-Madhava being carried into the marquis with umbrellas held above Them. They looked very beautiful; Saksi-gopal had painted Them exquisitely and it was hard to take your eyes off Them!

After the ceremony, Radha-Madhava were brought from the marquis to Their altar in the temple, where they were dressed in a rich-looking red velvet outfit and adorned with flower garlands. When the curtains opened, Satsvarupa Maharaja offered Them Their first arti and there was a really ecstatic kirtan. Everyone was swept up by the chanting and the atmosphere was spiritually charged. Everyone remarked on it, even people who had only come to a temple for the first time. It was tremendous." The occasion wound up with a sumptuous prasadam feast - the first cooked offering to Their Lordships.

Sri Sri Radha-Madhava presided over the Dublin Temple for over a year, until circumstances became difficult for the devotees in Ireland and arrangements were made for Them to move to Belfast. Here They stayed temporarily in Wellington Park, until we found a suitable place for Them. In 1985, They came here to Their temple, "Brooklands" in Dunmurry on the outskirts of Belfast, where They are the joy of the Vaishnava community in Belfast. All glories to Their Lordships, Sri Sri Radha-Madhava!

The pictures here are sketches by Padma-malini from photos of the actual event. They show Satsvarupa Maharaja installing Radha-Madhava.

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!

Gaura-Purnima Photo Gallery.

For those who couldn't make it to the temple on Gaura-Purnima - don't despair! Here are some pictures of our Lordships at the festival. If you click on the pictures, they expand and you can see them in greater detail.

Sri Sri Radha-Madhava in Their new outfit, designed and made by Shyama. It is a sort of midnight purple, with hand-sewn beadwork and a gorgeous shimmering backdrop. Bhagavata dressed the Deities that morning. Huge orchids in Radharani's hand and at Krishna's left ear!

This one shows the lovely hand-carved altar and the flower decorations. Sandra, Nina, Tsvety and Kathleen made the garlands and flower arrangements.

Sri Nityananda and Sri Chaitanya wear fragrant hyacinth garlands made by Shelina.

Head-pujara (temple-priest) Susakha performs the bathing ceremony to our tiny Gaura-Nitai deities.

Gaura-Nitai enjoying Their bath.

Milk, honey, yogurt, sugar-water and ghee are Their favourite bathing liquids.

Guests enter into the devotional mood.

Festival Preparations.

We're busily preparing for Gaura-Purnima - the feast day of Lord Chaitanya. It takes place on Saturday, 3rd of March, less than a fortnight away.

We want to make the festival, here in Belfast, as gorgeous an offering as we can, but as well as running around planning and organising, we're trying to prepare in a contemplative way too - reading from Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita and The Teachings of Lord Chaitanya, and becoming inwardly strengthened and purified by His sublime activities and instructions. Then when the festival day comes, we'll feel more thoroughly "in the mood".

Another nice meditation before Gaura-Purnima is Lord Chaitanya's Eight Poems - the Sri Shikshastakam. A couple of years ago, Belfast devotees Lal-krishna das and Keshava dasi, commissioned reflections on these verses by eight contemporary Vaishnavas, to be posted on ISKCON.com., one a week, before Gaura-Purnima that year. They're very well worth reading and you can find them here on ISKCON.com. Beautiful pictures there too, and you can also listen to Srila Prabhupada singing the Shikshastakam prayers with deep devotion. Satisfaction for all the senses!

The Birthday Boy.

Sri Nityananda enjoying His birthday celebrations.

**Festival Day!**

We hope you can come to the temple this evening for chanting, dancing and feasting, in the good old-fashioned way! The Deities on the altar are looking bright and beautiful and ready to receive you. Please scroll down for details of the festivities.

Sri Nityananda's blessing.

Lord Nityananda's name, composed of two Sanskrit words, nitya - eternal and ananda - bliss, give us a clue to His essential nature and to our relationship with Him. Devotional songs often play on this meaning; while Sri Nityananda is experiencing eternal bliss, we are having the opposite experience. Our lives are often a struggle to grasp even the barest minimum of happiness, through so much misery and dissatisfaction. The happiness we manage to find is hard to keep hold of, and nowhere near as strong as we would like. We can never feel secure in it as long as we can see how much suffering there is in the world.

In one of his best-known songs, the devotee poet, Srila Narottama das Thakura prays, "My dear Lord Nityananda, You are always joyful in spiritual bliss. Since You always appear very happy, I have come to You because I am most unhappy. If You kindly put Your glance upon me, I may also be happy".

It's not ordinary, mundane happiness which Lord Nityananda gives, but that transcendental bliss which comes from completely selfless devotion to Krishna. This can seem a far-off dream to those of us who are struggling with weak faith or shaky sadhana, but no matter how 'off the radar' we may consider ourselves in spiritual life, and no matter how often we may fall away, Lord Nityananda is quick to help us and give us spiritual strength if we turn to Him. And He gives us tastes of that bliss even at the foothills of devotional service.

Fortunately He doesn't expect us to become pure and perfect overnight; as expressed in a song by Bhaktivinode Thakura, Lord Nityananda requests only three simple things: "Chant Krishna, worship Krishna and teach others about Krishna.

The next verse of that song is so nice, we'll put it here: "Being careful to remain free of offenses, just take the holy name of Lord Krishna. Krishna is your mother, Krishna is your father, and Krishna is the treasure of your life." Happy festival!

Gita-jayanti.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of Krishna speaking Bhagavad-Gita, some 5,000 years ago. We will be celebrating Gita-jayanti at the temple on Sunday. You are very welcome to come and hear why Krishna spoke the Gita and the importance of His teachings for us today.

Although our Vaishnava tradition has many important literatures, the Gita is usually the first book which newcomers and devotees read to gain an understanding of the 'science of self-realisation'. As it was spoken (or rather sung!) in simple Sanskrit verses, devotees like to memorise key verses as an aid in the day-to-day practise of Krishna-consciousness.

Here are some favourite verses by Belfast devotees:

Shyama devi dasi

This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realisation, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed. B-G 9.2

This is one of my favourite verses. Having knowledge is a great treasure, it gives one freedom and this verse is saying that this knowledge is the king of education and the purest knowledge. I don't need to look elsewhere or to find out in a few years time that what I have learned is useless and has now been proven wrong by another theory or experiment. It is everlasting. It reassures me that to apply this knowledge in my life isn't a chore but a joyful experience.

***

Nitai-sachinandana das

(Arjuna said) The mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krishna, and to subdue it , I think, is more difficult than subduing the wind...(Krishna said)For one whose mind is unbridled, self-realisation is difficult work. But he whose mind is controlled and who strives by appropriate means is assured of success. That is My opinion. B-G 6.34&36

These are the verses which most often come to my mind. I see the truth of them every day. The mind is a powerful force, and by controlling it and using it for spiritual life instead of for sense-gratification we can become peaceful and spiritually strong.

***

Mayeshvara das

The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy. 18.61

I like to contemplate this verse; there's a lot in it. The description of the body as a machine is intriguing and I use it often when preaching, to illustrate the difference between spirit and matter.

More verses tomorrow...