On the Search for Pleasure
On Unity
Three Planes of Consciousness
On Karma
On Positive Attitude
Spiritual Lessons from a Crane
Radhanath Swami Returns to Speak at the School of Oriental and African Studies
Govardhan Eco Village Receives IAA Olive Crown Award
Honoring Srimati Yamuna Devi
Engineering a Better World
May 20, 2013
We learn from the great souls what is truly of value in life. We will really understand what the treasure of life is by following in the footsteps of great souls. What is the fulfillment and aspirations of the soul? By hearing from great souls like Prahlad we will find out material desires go deep into the heart due to conditioning since time immemorial. Even if we have some understanding that this is not good for me, still it is very difficult to overcome. It takes determination, tolerance and engaging the...
May 17, 2013
One of the greatest powers in all fields of life is unity. But there is a fundamental problem, that there are so many diversified distinctions between living beings. Everyone has their own conception of their identity, and this creates a natural conflict amongst those who look different, think different, or act different. There has always been conflict between the castes, not only in India but all over the world, it may go by different names. There is the educational class, administrative class, working class, and there is the class...
April 30, 2013
Essentially there are three planes of consciousness: enjoyment, renunciation and devotion. 1. Enjoyment In order to survive, the environment is geared towards exploitation. Why? Because of selfishness. We put ourselves in the center and this results in conflict as everyone has a different center. 2. Renunciation It is taught that there can be no peace in this material existence because everything is temporary and there is so much conflict. To renounce everything and have a deep dreamless sleep – no more pain and suffering, everything is just peaceful! Yet death...
April 29, 2013
The law of Karma is like gravity – whatever comes up must come down. You do good and you get good – you do bad and you get bad. You can’t escape. It’s a law. But Krishna says in the Bhagavad-Gita, if you surrender to God you are free of karma. How is that? Because when you offer your work to the Supreme Lord with love it is no longer in the realm of material existence. Just like gravity, the law is only in affect within the atmosphere of the...
April 28, 2013
When we associate with people who are positive and when we choose to engage in a positive perspective with positive activities, then we recondition ourselves in that way. The special virtue of human life is we always have a freedom of choice. You may not be able to control the environment but you do have full control of how you are going to respond and react to the environment. If you are on a boat, you may not have control over which way the wind blows but you do have...
April 23, 2013
The crane is standing on one leg and looking down into the stream at all the little fish that swim around him. He just waits patiently and lets them pass, absorbed and concentrated in his focus. As soon as the big fish comes, he immediately eats the big fish. He doesn’t concern himself with the little fish. I am not promoting eating fish, but the lesson behind this is that we should not be concerned with petty things. We should focus on what is really important in our life. The...
April 22, 2013
On March 25th the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London hosted Radhanath Swami as the keynote speaker for their charity cultural show entitled The Sacred Forest. The event was held at the prestigious Brunei Gallery and attended by over 275 students and guests. Coming at the end of the University term, excitement surrounded the occasion. For many, the evening served as an introduction to the culture and history of Vrindavan through music, dance and drama. The cultural show also served to raise awareness and support for the...
April 16, 2013
The India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (an international body of Media & Advertisers) conducted the Olive Crown Awards for the year 2013 in Mumbai on the 1st of April. A Special Jury Award was conferred upon the Govardhan Eco village (GEV) in recognition of its continued efforts towards environmental sustainability. On behalf of the Govardhan Eco village, the award was collected by Shri Hrishikesh Mafatlal, Shri Kushal Desai and Shriman Gauranga Dasa. Under the inspiration and guidance of Radhanath Swami a dedicated community began the development of the GEV in 2003 with the aim...
April 8, 2013
On January 8th and 9th Radhanath Swami attended a ceremony in Vrindavan to honor his godsister Srimati Yamuna Devi Dasi on the one year anniversary of her passing away. On the first day he spoke, along with many others, at ISKCON’s Krishna Balaram Temple, sharing his respectful appreciations of Yamuna Devi. Later he attend the establishing of a holy samadhi (memorial) at the grounds of the ISKCON Goshala (place where the cows are cared for). The following day Radhanath Swami took part in the immersion of Yamuna Devi’s ashes in...
April 5, 2013
Despite only two days to the end of term and looming coursework deadlines, approximately 150 students packed into a lecture theatre at Imperial College in London on Thursday 21st March to hear Radhanath Swami speak on the topic of “Engineering a Better World”. Imperial College is regarded as one of the best engineering schools in the country and often ranked 3rd in the UK rankings after Oxford and Cambridge. This would be the first time a Swami was addressing students at this institution, and follows on from events held last...