Dear Devotees,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
We pray that you are all safe and well during this ongoing crisis.
As the levels of lockdown are decreasing and we are approaching the closest thing to the normalcy of six months ago, we also want to normalize our devotional practices to what they were previously.
sadhu-sanga, nama-kirtana, bhagavat-sravana: mathura-vasa, sri-murtira sraddhaya sevana. CC Madhya 22.128.
“One should associate with devotees, chant the holy name of the Lord, hear Srimad Bhagavatam, reside at Mathura and worship the Diety with faith and veneration.”
What I have personally missed the most during lockdown is undoubtedly, kirtan with the devotees, which is the most effective way for cleansing the heart – ceto darpanam marjanam.
In our small zoom meetings on strategy with temple leaders, we have come to support the plan of “bhakti-vrksa” which involves small meetings of 4 – 6+ devotees coming together for sadhu-sanga, kirtan and discussion of Bhagavad-gita and Bhagavatam while gradually inviting friends and family members to join in.
I have been reading a nice booklet, “A Vaisnava in every Neighborhood.” It is compiled by the devotees who established “Mathuradesh” a flourishing community of over 3000 devotees in an Arabian Gulf country.
They describe “The Gauranga difference.” Lord Caitanya’s mood and pastimes are unique, in that they are different from any of Lord Krsna’s pastimes in any earlier age. They are especially meant for the deliverance of the fallen souls of Kali-yuga. “Any devotional organization or endeavour cannot be truly successful in this age without imbibing the complete mood and method of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”
So, we have to imbibe Krsna-consciousness and we must also spread Krsna-consciousness. The bhakti-vrksa programme gives a simple and easy way to enhance our spiritual practice by helping others to come to Krsna.
We hope that all devotees will become involved in supporting this programme.
More details to follow.
Your servant,
Medhavi das