Reflections on a misspent life
Ramesh Baba inaugurating the improvements at Seva Kunj. See below.
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VMA 1.50 :: “Do you know the secret of defeating death?”
O Brother, Do you know for certain when you will die? Do you know some great magic spell that will check almighty death? Do you think that death will patiently wait and allow you to die at the time you prescribe? Is it for these reasons that again and again you fearlessly leave Vrindavan to go elsewhere? (1.50) bhrātas te kim u niścayena viditaḥ svasyānta-kālaḥ kim u tvaṁ jānāsi mahā-manuṁ balavato mṛtyor gati-stambhane | mṛtyus tat-karaṇaṁ pratīkṣata iti tvaṁ vetsi kiṁ vā yato vāraṁ vāram aśaṅka eva calase vṛndāvanād anyataḥ || Commentary Here Prabodhananda brings us back to basics. He speaks to his mind, and his mind represents all aspirants for pure devotion and residence in the Dham. When he says, "You fearlessly leave Vrindavan to go elsewhere," he means not only leaving physically, but leaving mentally also. This verse thus continues the theme of the previous one ( 1.49 ) Saraswatipada begins by reminding us of the fleeting nature of human lif...
Dana Lila in Barsana : Bhadra Shukla Trayodasi
The dana-lila has so many manifestations. Here is another one that had passed me by. I posted this on Vrindavan Today today, crossposting here: Women spectators crowded on the slope. Barsana, 2011.09.14 (VT): The Radhastami celebrations at Barsana turn into a festival that lasts a week. On the Bhadra Trayodasi, which this year fell on September 10, people in Barsana run from door to door through the village with young boys on their shoulders. Dressed as Krishna and Radharani with her girlfriends, these young boys are given yogurt and sweets at each house. This tradition is a part of the Sankari Khor pastime, which is all about Krishna stopping Radharani and her friends and asking them to pay taxes for their yogurt and other wares. It is also known as the burhi-lila festival, It is reenacted every year in a very special way at the Sankari Khor site itself. The custom is said to have been inaugurated by Shri Narayan Bhatt, one of the 16th century stalwarts of Braja bhakti, the...