East Coast Gathering - Nov. 13-14 - Let's do it again!

Rupanuga Gaudiya Discussions is happy to invite all its members and readers to our second US East Coast gathering, on November 13th and 14th, at Lake Washington Retreat in upstate New York. The hosts of this second gathering will be I Hari Saran das, my wife Revati dasi, and our friends and owners of the retreat, Caitanya Caritamrta das and Lalita dasi.

Our very special guest speaker will again be Sriman Jagadananda dasji, esteemed raganuga bhakta and Sanskrit professor from Montreal.

If you missed the first gathering at Braja’s East Cost Gathering in August, this is your opportunity to come meet with other members and readers at Gaudiya Discussions, make questions, offer your views, or simply take advantage of non-sectarian devotee association in the atmosphere of a peaceful mountain retreat.



The retreat is located at 172 Airport Road, Yulan, NY 12792, approximately 2 hours an half from NY City or Albany. Accommodations are modest but comfortable. We plan to offer our guests three wholesome prasadam meals each day, but because this is no one’s private home but a retreat setting, the owners would appreciate donations from attendants so to cover costs of heating, cooking gas, etc. We suggest a contribution of about 20.00 from each attendant.

Aiming to accommodate one and all, we fully welcome your inquires, comments or suggestions. So please don’t hesitate to post here inquire and/or comments, or contact us by private message or phone at (610) 599-8824.

For organizational purposes please, confirm your presence as early as possible and how many are there in your party.

Special thanks to Anand, Jagat and Braj for the efforts to make this next gathering happening again.


Sincerely,

Harisaran Das, Caitanya Caritamrita Das,
Lalita Dasi and Revati Dasi.

Way to go!

Hari Saran,

Could you please post here a link for the retreat's web site so readers can obatain directions to the location and whatever other information available about the place?

The website is having problem with its hoster; Yahoooo….

At the moment, I advise to check directions with www.mapquest.com

For further info PM or call.

Radhe!

I may be a possible. Will let you know.

How are the preparations going? How big an audience do you expect?

Haribol!

I'm super psyked to hear about the 2nd gathering. I really enjoyed the first one! Any chance there is some accomodations for children? Any ideas on that? I have my daughter that weekend and I'm trying to make other arrangements, but if I can't I would like to come and bring her along anyway. Please let me know and perhaps the info will be useful to others on here. Thanks a bunch!

PS - That weekend is Govardhan Puja (11/13/04) for us east coasters! Giriraj Maharaj ki Jaya!

Jagatji,

Any items on the speaking agenda? Or do we have another suprise to look forward to?

I do not really know how big the event will be, but I know that we are all very enthusiastic to see everyone and to hear from Jagat.

The preparations are still going; Early-Birds volunteers are welcome!

Yes, accommodations for kids will be available. We plan to do the Govardhana Puja.

Nice that you bring kids too, my son, Nimai Chandra, will complete 7 just on that same day.



Radhe-Shyam!

As I didn't miss the first gathering at Braja’s East Coast Gathering, I was having this hesitation if I'm allowed to have this opportunity again!

You simply have to allow yourself to have this rare opportunity again!

Sweet is always sweet...

Can you tell us what you need help with? I think there's a good chance I'll be coming up Friday night before. I'm looking forward to it!

purifried,

Come and see, if there is anything you think you can do fine, if not take easy, relax and get to know the place. I will be there Friday evening, but Caitanya and Lalita are all day. How many are coming with you?

I was just wondering if I can bring a friend along who is not from Vaishnava tradition and is not a member of Gaudiya Discussions either, but spiritual and openminded.

Advitiya,

It was nice to have met you at the first East Coast Gathering and nice to know that you will be attending this second one as well. Since these gatherings are open to anyone interested in non-sectarian devotee association, I will firmly encourage you to bring along not only your friend but your family as well. I am bringing my family (husband and two daughters), and hopefully about 3 to 5 family friends. Some of these families are coming all the way from Alachua, Florida.

For the pleasure of the assembled devotees and their friends, there is a possibility of a bharanathyam dance performance presentation by some talented young ladies (to be confirmed).

For those nice folks out there who have asked about helping and other things at the gathering, here are some tips:

It would be helpful if we had one or two volunteers to take care of the sound system, making sure wires are properly connected, mic working right at the time of lectures, etc. Also an hour or two in the kitchen would be a very much-appreciated help from anyone who would like to volunteer in that area.

Considering the unpredictable weather, it would be recommend wearing proper shoes, bring umbrellas and so on.

If you can confortably carry a sleeping bag with you on your way to the retreat, we do not discourage you in doing so. Otherwise, there should be a blanket per bed in each room available, but bring your won towels.



More info about schedules will be posted soon…

Thank you, Anand! It was nice to meet you too.

I would like to attend this program with my friend very much. Now it's all up to Damodara!

Why not gopi-dance or Govardhana-parikrama, perhaps?

I know few Mahamantra tunes which we could sing as we dance or do the parikrama.

We can make a Govaradhana mountain out of halva or brown sugar. Everybody can bring some sweets, laddus as they desire...

Just giving some ideas...

We had some discussion about temporary deities in another thread. However I wonder what the scripture says about eating the deity at the end of the worship!

(Honestly, this always puzzled me. Especially the marchpane cows on top of the hill. I always rolled them up into balls before eating.)

Ahh! That's going too far, I find. No, I wouldn't like it either.

You did the right thing, Madhava! I would have done the same. Luckily, I didn't have to face it.

At least, here they have improvised using plastic figurines instead!

How did they win those towels, I wonder?

Sounds like fun. Wish I could make the trip, but time considerations and my nonexistent budget would not allow for it at this juncture. Maybe next time around.
I have a nice khol that I purchased in Braj. Not quite as good as the ones made in Calcutta, but a pretty good drum. Just wish I knew how to play it - I'm more of a keyboards player anyways (don't own a harmonium though).

Does anyone know if Radhapada is going to make it to this one?

As far as I know Radhapad lives in Europe somewhere. So unless he has some family out here that he might be visiting, I don't think he's going to be there. It would be nice to see him and hear some of his bhajans though!

On a separate note, does anyone need me to bring instruments to the gathering? I can bring karatals, mrdanga & harmonium. Just let me know. I plan to be there Friday evening.

Ys,

Does anyone attending this gathering would be interested in taking home a Tulasi plant?

Please let me know (by pm) if you do, and how many.

Last I checked he was in Florida. He moved out of Croatia (?) first to Puerto Rico, where his family is from, and then onwards to Florida.

Radhe Radhe everyone,

As we are getting closer to the second ECG, curiosity and expectations are on the air…

To all folks, this weekend at WLR lets help everyone to drink as much as possible the lecture-like-nectar, which will be given by Sriman Jagat-ji. Let we all have a nice retreat with a remarkable experience of cooperation, love and peace!

Jagat-ji will be giving five lectures and we are planning to accomplish the celebration of Govardhana-Puja, Bhajans, Morning program, Tulasi-puja and more. Bring songbooks, so we can have nice bhajans with a variety of songs.

In order to provide the right accommodations, at this point I would like to ask to each one of the devotees who are planing to attend the event to please PM (if possible now!) with the exact # of people that are coming with you and the approximate time of arrival.

Another important detail is that from the building where the devotees will be accommodate to the Lake House (where the lectures will be given) there is a 3minutes walking distance; be prepare for raining or cold.

For direction please, check the Website http://washingtonlakeretreat.com/ or call (845) 557-8776 either Lalita Dasi or Caitanya Das will give you more detail about driving directions.

Yours,
Hari Saran Das

Dear All,

Jagat's computer is unexpectedly in for repairs so he won't be online for the next couple of days. If anyone needs to reach him, please PM me and I can pass on any messages.

My apologies for not following the thread more closely but I've been sick lately. I will still be attending the program with my family (wife + 2 children). We will arrive around midday Saturday and leave on Sunday afternoon.

Jagat will be going to the lake on Friday.

The program must be nearing its completion as of this post. Hope it all went well and that they have some photos to put up on the net.

Haribol.

I just arrived home from the gathering. No photos were taken that I know of and no recordings either, sad to say. However, Hari Sharan did get some video footage of one session. I'm not sure what he'll do with it.

Other than that, I took a few pages of notes that I'll start to unpack once I get a paper finished for school that is due tomorrow evening. It was a nice little get together. The place (Washington Lake Retreat) was simple and peaceful. Not a four star accomodation, but decent.

I look forward to doing it again as it is always nice to listen to and contribute to meaningful discussions about Vaishnavism. Sri Giri Govardhan ki jay!

One little tidbit for y'all... Jagat was reading his translation of Gopal Campu by Jiva Goswami, the chapter about Govardhan lila. There was something about Indra's plans being frustrated, just like when you "urinate in the wind" ! Any chance we can get that verse put in here Jagat?

Take care!

Ys,

- NMd

I think the katha made you forget about external life… Did you forget about the pictures I took when all were having lunch on Saturday and another one with my son, Nimai? I do not blame you far that; everything was really magic... I will try to update the pictures as soon as I can.

The meeting was nice! I’m just reflecting on the songs that we were all singing this morning (mangalarati) lead by Jagat-ji. “Mangala Aroti Goura Kisor… Mangala Nityananda Jora Hi Jor... and then “Lalita Vishaka Sakhi Preme Agor….”

Of all the insights and verses that I am sure surfaced during the gathering this is the one to be shared with everyone first? Wow. I guess that such things excite some people.

Well, yeah, we're kind of a wacky bunch...but there was a context, of sorts. Early on we had talked about people finding "evidence" for their beliefs in whatever places they could, e.g. the world was Vedic, Sanskrit the mother of all languages, etc., and somehow we kept coming across words and ideas that supported those connections in amusing ways.

And for the record, I'd like to retract my comparison of Indradeva to Bush. I drove home with many a fearful glance at the sky above.


The Gopal Champu readings were the centerpiece of the gathering and in Jagat's expert hands, it really came alive. I can't wait till we can see this work published as Jagat seems to have caught the right mix of Jiva Goswami's mastery of lila, wit, and philosophy. If anyone has just received an inheritance, let me make a suggestion for where you might like to direct some of it.

Many thanks also to Hari Saran and Revati, who worked (and worried) to make the event happen, to Chaitanya Caritamrta and Lalita for the hospitality, to G Dasi for the fires--in the kitchen and in motivating some of us who are a little less organized.


I think we have a great future in these gatherings and can work at making them more accessible. I'd love to have feedback from others in the US who would be interested in attending and/or holding programs. It seems that we might be able to have another in Florida in the not-too-distant future, and the New England area remains a constant. Any preferences for holiday weekends or other specific times, longer programs, shorter programs, more or different content, etc., are also welcome. Please email me and we can start threads as needed (or keep them private).

Ah, an Indian origin of the saying "Don't urinate against the wind"? Must be nectar to many!


Do you feel that the vaiSNava tradition gives a fair portrayal of Indra? Perhaps the account in the BhAgavatapurANa and other vaiSNava texts is biased and unfair.

Indra is an interesting character and I do not think that his feats are less than those of KRSNa.

indrasya nu vIryANi pra vocaM yAni cakAra prathamAni vajrI |
ahann ahim anv apas tatarda pra vakSaNA abhinat parvatAnAm || Rgveda 1.32.1 ||

(I left out the accent marks due to laziness. Sorry!)

Indra's heroic deeds now I want to proclaim --
Those first that the Thunderer performed:
He killed the dragon, he pierced water (channels),
He cut entrails of mountains.



aheryAtAraM kamapashya indra hRdi yat te jaghnuSo bhIragachat |
nava ca yan navatiM ca sravantIH shyeno na bhItataro rajAMsi || Rgveda 1.32.14 ||

Nice comeback!

By the way, this verse should be read as:

aher yAtAraM kam apazya indra hRdi yat te jaghnuSo bhIr agacchat |
nava ca yan navatiM ca sravantIH zyeno na bhIto ataro rajAMsi || Rgveda 1.32.14 ||

Dandavats. All glories to the Vaisnavas.

Well from reading many participants posts it seems our next GD Retreat will be in Vrindavan in late December! It would be great if we set a date for another US retreat in the Spring. Something very far in advance which would allow many on the West Coast and Midwest time to work our logistics. Maybe we can work on bringing Madhava and Malati over?

As far as location goes I would be open. The Alachua area would be nice although I would like NY just because it is the bes transportation hub.

Aspiring to serve the Vaisnavas,
Rasaraja dasa

I don't recall the chapter title from Gopal Champu but part of it was something like 'crushing Indra's pride,' so yes, there does seem to be a consistent characterization of him as someone who represents power run amok. IIRC, Jiva Goswami has Indra arguing that he was only testing Krsna (or trying to create a situation where Krsna's position could be displayed) by his sending in the rain but this seemed a bit disingenuous on Indra's part, at least to some of the audience, leading to a question as to why his followers didn't see thru that. My suggestion was that he was a war time president (the demons always ready to attack) so they were in a state of fear/loyalty.

When Sankhacuda turns up to congratulate Indra, Indra realizes that perhaps his actions weren't of the right type. (Hmm, wonder if there is another modern example of this?) He begins to wonder whether his epithet of gotrabhit (?) indicates that he'll be a destoyer of the family rather than of mountains. Seems kind of fair that he gets a comeuppance in the form of a mountain though, doesn't it?

[some of the details may be a little off--blame my little bundles of joy for the distracted attendance]

There is some kind of school break in February that might be a good time. I'd favor Florida for a meeting at that time. But I do admit that I am a shameless seeker of heat. That gives us 2.5 months or so to make arrangements. And yeah, let's see if we can get a wider range of both mahants and audience.

Our place and Lake Washington are better suited for gatherings outside of the chilly season, IMO.

Elpisji, I'm not pandit, so I cited the verse such as I found it at some internet site (with one change made from version in devanagari which was actually wrong - bhItataro, while in Itrans version there was bhItoataro). Thanks for correction.

I would suggest a date later than February since many are traveling to Vraja and/or just recovering from Holiday. It is also a rather expensive time for Florida as most are trying to escape the cold at that time. I was thinking of some time in March/April. That also allows us flexability in where to have the Retreat as it is a bit warmer.

Aspiring to serve the Vaisnavas,
Rasaraja dasa

The stem form would be gotrabhid, a word which originally--that is, in the Vedic context--refers to the opening of the pen of the cows, i.e. the waters freed by Indra, but which in later literature is connected with Indra's cutting off the wings of the mountains.

Just a brief point regarding the translation. In the first pAda the verb is pra vocam. The poet is not saying that he wants to proclaim Indra's heroic deeds, he is saying that he will proclaim the Indra's heroic deeds. My translation: "I shall now proclaim the heroic deeds of Indra."

In the Vedic context Indra and ViSNu are friends and allies. I like the story (Rgveda and ZatapathabrAhmaNa) of how it was Indra ViSNu who were able to divide 1000 by 3.

I have a great idea! Let's do this one in North Carolina. Strategically situated in-between Alachua and N.Y. No, not because I live here and can't get away for these gatherings.

Good idea Madan Gopal. We could have it at my home.

Just got back on line. I too would like to thank everyone who came. The atmosphere was very relaxed. So though Hari Saran's schedule was very imposing, we did not follow it in the slightest. We had kirtan, ate, read shastra, discussed, ate again, did kirtan again, more or less as sentiment moved us and Nimai allowed.

I would especially like to thank all those whose generosity made it possible for me to come. I felt just like I was among friends, which is the way devotional association should be. And, of course, we were all left hungry for more. (And I cannot recall hearing faultfinding of anyone, except George Bush maybe.)

As to "urinating in the wind," this was one of the translations I felt a little doubtful about as I read it. (I actually translated this in 1990, so a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. An appropriate analogy, as the term in Sanskrit was "pravAhe-mUtritam." Jiva himself glosses this in Harinamamrita Vyakarana (6.91) as "ativyartha-karmaNi" or "complete waste of effort." The idea that Indra was doing more than simply wasting his effort led me to take liberties. I felt that "pissing in the [river] current" didn't work as well. Maybe the origin was from a type of "pissing contest" -- the image of ten-year-old boys on a bridge, urinating into the river comes to mind. That too would be applicable, as Indra was trying to outdo Krishna in some kind of useless one-upmanship.

As to Rigveda, I am woefully ignorant of Indra's wondrous feats therein. However, in my introduction to the discussion, I did remark that Indra had already been marginalized by the Buddhists and had lost much of his following by the time the Hindu revival came along. The Govardhana Puja story is in the earliest Krishna-cycle and probably a part of that tradition, whereby Hindus joined in chorus with the Buddhists by placing higher truths beyond Indra, namely Vishnu-Krishna. The primary purpose of this story is to marginalize Indra yet again, for anyone who hasn't yet got the point from the Vritrasura story and the various other stories that make him a laughing stock in the Bhagavata and elsewhere.

At any rate, the Gopala Champu version of the story was a bit of good fun. I'll try to revise it and make it available if I get the time I need. There were a lot of passages that read poorly or were suspect. I can honestly say that I hadn't read it since 1990. Some of the flow was poor also, like the section about how Krishna picked up the mountain. It seems to have actually flown up itself and let Krishna get underneath. Indra later attributes this miracle to the sacrifical offerings that had been stolen from him.

Jai Radhe!

I forgot to mention a double thank you to Revati Devi for the wonderful service she gave my Giriraj (Gokulananda by name). He is very pleased, especially for his new peacock feathers. If Hari can post a picture, I would like to see it very much. It's been a long time since Giridhari Gokulanandajiu has looked so good.

Just quickly. Monier-Williams, under the entry pravAha, says that an explanation of pravAhemUtrita as "doing a useless action" is given by a commentator on PANini's sUtra 2.1.47. Did you follow up on that lead when you translated the passage? I wonder if the commentator's gloss is identical to that of JIva and if he provides further explanations or images. (I only have the ASTAdhyAyI at hand, but no commentaries, so I cannot check this myself at this point in time.)

Obviously I did not look every single thing up. "pravAhe-mUtritam" actually seems pretty clear in meaning. I was taking the "urine" element and it seemed that "pissing in the wind" was appropriate though not exactly the same in meaning. The vulgarity of pissing combined with the idea of having one's own actions coming back to haunt one seemed appropriate.

It would appear also that since 2.1.46 (or 47, i.e., the preceding sutra) states kSepe, the element of blame or censure would have to be strong. (I have two commentaries, but neither lists examples other than the one given in the sutra itself, pAtre-samitam. (saptamI + kta pratyaya in a tat-purusa compound).

The HNV sutra is "tIrtha-kAkAdayaH pAtre-samitAdayaz ca kSepe sAdhavaH." sAdhavaH looks like a paribhASA, but I think it just means "these forms are permitted, or are appropriate in the context of kSepa."

Of course not. That was not what I meant (and I apologize if my posting gave that impression). From the previous postings I gathered that you had given your translation of this phrase some thought and had perhaps looked it up. As I was curious about whether JIva had used the ASTAdhyAyI commentary in his work, I decided to ask.


I agree that the meaning seems clear, but such expressions can have connotations which someone outside the tradition (which we, as foreigners removed in time, are) does not pick up.

And perhaps Indra


If someone in the eighth century had said that the Hagia Sofia would one day become a mosque, I am sure the reply would have been something like, "Hagia Sofia a mosque? But that is the Byzantine empire, the height of culture. Impossible!" A number of centuries can change many things. Indra, whom MacDonnel called "the national hero of the Vedic Indians" (citing from memory), became marginalized and made into a laughing stock. (The story of the slaying of VRtra in the BhAgavatapurANa is, by the way, rather uninteresting compared to the story as it is told in the Rgveda.) Who would have guessed that this would happen in Vedic times? Maybe one day the same will happen to KRSNa, who, when marginalized, will perhaps be portrayed as a village idiot or an incompetent king. I find it hard to take anything too seriously...

One seeks God in the highest thing that one can conceive. This was one of the things that came up on the weekend, actually. All Krishna's demon killing. If you look at the three main versions of the (Vrindavan) Krishna cycle--Harivamsa, Vishnu-purana and Bhagavata, there is a progressive increase in the number of demons, with a few more being added in each. Some in the Bhagavata (e.g., Vyoma) are almost an afterthought.

But as the gopi portions take more and more place in the imagination, the demon killings become less and less interesting. In the Goswamis, they are nothing more than a backdrop, a kind of uddipana for the gopis to think of Krishna as a hero, like the Sankhachuda story as told in Lalita-madhava Act 2. Or think of the role the demons play in the Rasa lila--where the gopis act out the lilas in 10.30, or in the Gopi-gita prayers--like 10.31.3 "You saved us continually from so many demons, now save us from our burning desire for you." Statements like this become theologically meaningful--"God protects us materially, but the burning absence of God is the root of our suffering. Therefore, the true prayer is to seek unification with him."

The mythical hero (dragon-slayer) is symbolically narrower than the lover. The hero is Manichean in essence, a creature of duality. The lover is the symbol of cosmic oneness, especially when united with his energy, Radha.

Bhaktivinoda dispenses with the (17, I think it is) demons killed in the Vrindavan cycle by identifying them with certain anarthas. This shows how allegorical interpretation and true religious symbolic interpretation differ. An allegory is reductionist--it neutralizes potential doubt (Krishna is a God of love? Sure seems to be a lot of bloodthirstiness going on!) whereas an eternal symbol like the divine couple goes on forever. It is like the sun, blinding us to almost everything else.

Looking at Gopala Champu, the love story IS the story; the demons are merely milestones that mark the time between Krishna's departure from Vrindavan to his return (in Uttara). In Purva Champu, they are also time markers. Sometimes Jiva just lumps a whole bunch of them into a single chapter, dispensing with them rapidly, making a few jokes or word plays according to the opportunity provided by the demon's being a horse or a bull (one that has some special interest).

Gods are constantly changing--or even interpretations of Gods. Is the Jesus of Paul the same as that of Origen, Augustine, Luther, or Schweitzer or Renan or Bonhoeffer? A powerful symbol has the ability to change shape according to time and circumstance--to reappear in new avatars, one might say.

At any rate, though part of the religious task is to imagine whether our own concept of God is adequate for an imagined future, we have to take into account various factors, not the least of which is that our imaginations are limited, and that God appears to us much in the way that a lover does--surprisingly, and not necessarily in the form we might have expected. And that is not rational. Like the song says, "Comes love, nothing can be done." (Artie Shaw)

Of course "comes love" something can be done, and that is "love." Then reason becomes a servant of love, if it is thought necessary at all!

================================

Come a rain storm put your rubbers on your feet,
Comes a snow storm you can get a little heat;
Comes love nothing can be done.

Comes a fire then you know just what to do,
Blow a tire You can buy another shoe,
Comes love nothing can be done.

Don’t try hidin' cause there isn’t any use,
You’ll start slidin' when your heart turns on the juice.

Comes a headache you can lose it in a day,
Comes a toothache see the dentist right away;
Comes love nothing can be done!

Comes a heat wave you can hurry to the shore,
Comes a summons you can hide behind the door;
Comes love, nothing can be done.

Comes the measles you can quarantine the room,
Comes a mousie you can chase it with a broom;
Comes love nothing can be done.

That’s all brother, If you’ve ever been in love,
That’s all brother, you know what I’m speaking of!
Comes a nightmare you can always stay awake,
Comes depression you may get another break;
Comes love nothing can be done!

The ECG2 was an unforgettable experience! For those folks out there who could not come, I tell you, “you really missed something!" A devotee like Jagat-ji is a rare one to be found anywhere nowadays. He is just like one of those legendary personas that you never forget!

My sincere compliments to Braja for the ECG1 and all of you that came and helped to make the ECG2 possible, it was a great pleasure to meet and serve each one of you! Let’s not forget Anand Ma, the good lady behind the veil, Caitanya Dasa and Lalita Dasi for their big heart!

At this point I would like also to extend my sincere thanks to Madhavananda and Malatilata, for their enthusiastically work to keep this Vaishnava Community (GD). I can actually say that these gatherings are the fruits of their endless endeavor, blended with Padita-ji’s blessings!


Our sincere pranamas to everyone!

Yours,

Hari, Revati and Nimai

Wait Hari Saranji! It's not finished yet until we do the jayadhvani.

Jay Jagadanandaji ki Jay!

Since my computer was out of order I couldn't participate for a while. I hope it's not too late. It was my misfortune that I missed such a program and your sanga.

Haribol!

Everybody missed you and asked after you. We are sorry that we had a good time without you. If you don't come next time, we promise to be miserable.

The way the planning is going on it seems I am already out!
Not everyone can be so lucky !

Nila Madhava's notes make an excellent first entry in the pilgrimage diaries.

Thanks everyone for patience. It took me awhile to resize these pictures; I’m sorry!

Here is your Giridari Gokulanandajiu, Jagat:

Yes! It is never late for a Jayadhvani!

Nimai’s Birthday!
Devotees on the picture are:
Form left to right, Jagat-ji, Nila Madhava-ji, Braja-ji, Caitanya-ji (WLR) and Nimai-ji, (my son).

Saturday noon, devotees are having lunch.

From left to right:

Revati Dasi (my wife) holding Pandita-ji's picture, myself, Jagat-ji and Lalita Dasi (Caitanya's wife) and Nimai Chandra.

Revati Dasi holding Sri Sri Radharaman-ji on the way out back home...

Nice photos! Thanks!

Some of you may think, “why Hari Saran did not take more pictures”?

The thing is when an event like that happen everyone involved wants to participate by attending the lectures, the conversations so and so. The time goes very quickly and one easily forgets the external world...

Therefore, I suggest that next time to everyone bring cameras and exercise the idea of sharing that particular moment which you consider important and might others would be happy to see. However, excuse my fault.

This is our Sri Sri Radha-Ramana-ji.
This picture was taken one month before the event.

This is Pandita-ji's picture under a Tulasi Devi tree. It was given to us by his first Brazilian disciple, Phulakalika Das. He gave it two years ago. One thing is true, it is very interesting how a picture of a Holy Man can change so many things in anyone’s life.

Of course that it can totally be coming out of imagination, but actually, Pandita-ji in this picture have some kind of shakti that pervades and emanates from it. Even devotees from other lines feel great respect just to look at it. We consider it to be a God-given treasure!

Check for more pictures on page Four

Thanks for the nice pictures, Hari Saranji!

Now, we are anxious to see the picture of Jagadanandaji as a pAThaka. Did you take one or two pictures during Harikatha?

How about posting some pictures from our last gathering at Albany? Braja did take some pictures, I remember.

I just came across these last night Mallika so it surely must be time to post them:

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(I left this one a little bigger to catch the expression. And who is that person on the right? Is it the same person we know from here?)

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Frank and Chief.

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Nila.

[attachmentid=1124]

I just came across these last night Mallika so it surely must be time to post them:

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(I left this one a little bigger to catch the expression. And who is that person on the right? Is it the same person we know from here?)

[attachmentid=1121]

Frank and Chief.

[attachmentid=1122]

[attachmentid=1123]

Nila.

[attachmentid=1124]

I just came across these last night Mallika so it surely must be time to post them:

[attachmentid=1120]

(I left this one a little bigger to catch the expression. And who is that person on the right? Is it the same person we know from here?)

[attachmentid=1121]

Frank and Chief.

[attachmentid=1122]

[attachmentid=1123]

Nila.

[attachmentid=1124]

I just came across these last night Mallika so it surely must be time to post them:

[attachmentid=1120]

(I left this one a little bigger to catch the expression. And who is that person on the right? Is it the same person we know from here?)

[attachmentid=1121]

Frank and Chief.

[attachmentid=1122]

[attachmentid=1123]

Nila.

[attachmentid=1124]

I just came across these last night Mallika so it surely must be time to post them:

[attachmentid=1120]

(I left this one a little bigger to catch the expression. And who is that person on the right? Is it the same person we know from here?)

[attachmentid=1121]

Frank and Chief.

[attachmentid=1122]

[attachmentid=1123]

Nila.

[attachmentid=1124]

The last one looks a little tranced out.

Great work, everyone! I am looking forward participating in our next meeting in Vraja this month. The plane is flying in nine hours, and it's now midnight... The remote hope of taking a nap in between seems ever so more remote with each passing hour here...

Thanks, Braja! Finally!

From now on, at the very end of the program one picture should be taken in these gatherings of all these devotees who have been assembeled.

samaveta-bhakta-vRnda ki jay!

Yes, that is a great idea! But hey, keep in mind to ask everyone to bring cameras and other media devices... It will be nice to broadcast a full-cover of the samaveta-bhakta-vRnda