Indradyumna Swami in the News
November 30, 2016: Variety of Culture
Not feeling well for a couple of weeks I had not journeyed outside.Yesterday I took a short walk for some fresh air and brought my camera along with me. It’s amazing what variety of culture one capture in Vrindavan in 90 minutes!
Original post and comments on Facebook
November 28, 2016: Winter’s Approach
A short tour around Vrindavan town as winter approaches.
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November 27, 2016: Sadhu Sanga Retreat
Announcing the 6th Annual Sadhu Sanga Retreat 2017.
Dates : Memorial Day Weekend: May 26 to May 29, 2017.
Venue : Boone, North Carolina, USA. The retreat center is located in the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains. The center covers 381 acres of forested mountains, with the main retreat facility set on the mountaintop.
Confirmed Guests : BB Govinda Swami, Radhanath Swami, Sacinandana Swami, Giriraj Swami, Indradyumna Swami, Bada Haridas, Madhava Naidoo, Vaisesika Dasa, Mukunda Datta, Sri Prahlada, Nadia Mani dd. Tentative: Jahnavi Harrison
Registration open now at www.sadhusangaretreat.com.
Param Vijayate Sri Krishna Sankirtanam!
November 20, 2016: Lord Nrsimhadeva
“Let me offer my obeisances unto Lord Nrisimhadeva who is always enlightening Prahlada Maharaja within his heart and who always kills the nescience that attacks the devotees. His mercy is distributed like the moonshine, and His face is like that of a lion. Let me offer my obeisances unto Him again and again.”
[ Painting by Mahaveer Swami – jaypore.com ]
November 19, 2016: Radharani’s Appearance Place
Five thousand years ago, Srimati Radharani appeared in a small village in greater Vrindavan called Raval. To this very day, it retains it’s simplicity and charm. During the month of Kartika our parikrama group visited Raval and recounted many pastimes of Srimati Radharani. Kartika is over now and I am missing those days ….
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November 18, 2016: Fakir Mohan prabhu
Sadly, a saintly person and close friend of mine, Fakir Mohan prabhu, left this world a few hours ago in Orissa, India. He was a learned scholar, expert speaker and had deep love for the holy names of the Lord. An admirer of Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON, he lectured for many years each Kartika in Vrindavan to all who were fortunate to hear from him. I will miss him dearly.
November 18, 2016: Snake Charmers By Trade
The other day while doing Vrindavan parikrama I came across two snake charmers. Curious, I stuck up a conversation with them. The two nephews, Ravindra Nath and Sukadeva Nath, belong to a generation of snake charmers and have been practicing their humble trade since childhood in Vrindavan. They catch cobras for their occupation but only keep the snakes for 12 days and then release them back into the jungle. Then they catch new snakes and the process is repeated. The cobras they use are fully poisonous but are kept subdued with a special round black berry that the snake charmers put in front of the snakes mouths every 5 days. As a result, the snakes are not able to open their mouths to bite and the poison in their mouths is reduced. Ravindra has been bitten by cobras over 20 times. He survives by applying a potent root called Ari Gras that acts as an antidote to the poison. His guru finds the rare root once a year in a remote jungle. As we left he gave me his Adi Gras root out of appreciation. He said, “We are vaisnavas, but by destiny we have this humble trade. Thank you for showing an interest and spending time with us. If you ever see a cobra here in Vrindavan just show this root and he will immediately go away. And if by chance a cobra does bite you, smell the root 3 times and rub it on the wound. You will survive, I promise you.”
Original post and comments on Facebook
November 16, 2016: The Snake Charmer – Lecture
Dear disciples: The final lecture of our Kartika parikrama in Vrindavan is now available on www.narottam.com. It is entitled, “The Snake Charmer.”
November 15, 2016: A Touching Moment
A walk to the Yamuna river and a boat ride on her sacred waters revealed much about the people and faces of Vrindavan. A touching moment was when we put the ashes of several devotees loved one’s in the holy water of the Yamuna.
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November 14, 2016: Vrindavan’s Sacred Parikrama
The famous 3-hour parikrama around Vrindavan encompasses walking around thousands of temples, as many samadhis and a multitude of cows, brahmanas, sadhus and sacred places of all kinds. Some Vraja-vasis do it once or even twice a day. By the grace of the Srila Prabhupada, who introduced the world to Sri Vrindavan dhama, our Kartika parikrama group walked that sacred path twice during the month of Kartika.
November 13, 2016: The Lake Of Love
The lake Prema-sarovara consists of the tears of Radha and Krsna, formed during a pastime in which they felt intense separation from each other. Who can measure our good fortune in being able to visit that divine kunda, situated as it is in Prema-van, the forest of love?
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November 11, 2016: Sacred Land
The other day our parikrama party visited Kusum Sarovara and Radha Kunda, two of Vrindavan’s most sacred sites. Once again, a big thank you to Ananta Vrindavan das for capturing the mood for all of you who aren’t here in Vrindavan this Kartika.
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November 10, 2016: Gopinath!
The beautiful deity of Gopinath was discovered at Vamsivat in Vrindavan 500 years ago by Madhu Pandit and Paramananda Bhattacarya. Madhu Pandit served Gopinath with great love and devotion for many years. Centuries later Gopinath was moved to Jaipur where He has been worshipped along with Srimati Radharani ever since. The temple is popular with the people of Jaipur, who come together daily to chant Radha Gopinath’s glories. Our parikrama party eagerly visits the temple each Kartika.
November 9, 2016: Radharani’s Palace
Varsana and the hills surrounding the home of Srimati Radharani are most dear to devotees of the Lord. Our parikrama party spent an entire day exploring that transcendental abode.
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November 7, 2016: O Resident of Kailash! – Diary of a Traveling Monk – Volume 14, Chapter 11
November 7, 2016: Saubhari Muni’s Asrama
The other day our parikrama party visited the ancient asrama of Saubhari Muni in a small village on the banks of the Yamuna River. Bada Haridas prabhu gave an enlightening talk and Madhava prabhu melted our hearts with his bhajan. Once again, Ananta Vrindavan das captured the special day in photos.
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November 5, 2016: Govindaji
Govindaji is the beloved deity of Srila Rupa Goswami, who discovered the
November 3, 2016: Sacred Abodes
Yavat is where Radharani lived with her husband Abhimanyu and her in-laws. Ter Kadamba is the place Nanda Maharaja kept 900,000 cows and where Rupa Goswami did bhajan 500 years ago. Our parikrama party spent many hours discussing the pastimes of each place and relished chanting the holy names in those sacred abodes.
Original post and comments on Facebook
November 2, 2016: Beautiful Vrinda Kunda
Vrinda devi helps Purnamasi plan and orchestrate Radha and Krsna’s daily pastimes in Vrindavan. Our parikrama party had the good fortune to visit her kunda ( pond ) and discuss her glories and chant her holy names in that beautiful and sanctified abode.