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Janmashtami, Vyasa Puja, and a Traveling Krishna Festival – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

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Janmashtami, Vyasa Puja, and a Traveling Show – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

His Holiness Indradyumna Swami left Houston, Texas a couple of days ago but while in Houston he participated in so many nectarean events. Indradyumna Swami also celebrated Sri Krishna Janmashtami there with several of his Godbrothers, including His Holiness Giriraja Swami and His Holiness BB Govinda Swami. He also stayed there to celebrate the Vyasa Puja ceremony of his Godbrother, His Holiness Giriraja Swami.

At the ceremony, he read his beautiful offering to Giriraja Swami, which can be read on his profile on Medium.

So yes, we are friends, but I think a better terminology is that we are brothers, and you are the older brother. You are older in age, older in time spent in ISKCON, and older in your realizations and wisdom in Krsna consciousness. As such I take great pleasure in honoring you on this auspicious day. In fact, so much do I appreciate what you have done for me, that I honor you in the same mood as your disciples: as a representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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Since celebrating the sweet Vyasa Puja ceremony, His Holiness Indradyumna Swami and his festival team have been on the go, preaching at different centers in Texas and now Arkansas. He wrote an update regarding their show in Texas in a Facebook post:

The second show of our USA tour was another success. Over 1,000 people from all over Dallas, Texas attended. Many of them were coming into contact with Krsna Consciousness for the first time. We had many nice comments and a good number of books were sold.

For more on Indradyumna Swami’s transcendental travels and lectures, please visit the Swami’s facebook page and his lecture site at Narottam. On Indradyumna Swami’s official Youtube Channel, you can find many kirtans and classes from the Sadhu Sanga Retreat, his recent Russian tour, etc.

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Janmashtami in Houston – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

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Janmashtami in Houston – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

His Holiness Indradyumna Swami is still in Houston, Texas, where the festival team held a very nice devotional program for a group of yoga students. Indradyumna Swami also celebrated Sri Krishna Janmashtami there with several of his Godbrothers, including His Holiness Giriraja Swami and His Holiness BB Govinda Swami. So far, Indradyumna Swami’s American tour is so far off to a strong start.

 In fact, he wrote on his Facebook page:

We have just begun our festival tour here in the United States of America. Today we are celebrating Janmastami in Houston, Texas. The day began with a small program with some yoga students. We’re off to a great start!

He includes a video created by Ananta Vrindavan das to show a little from the program.

Today, he also wrote in another post:

Yesterday evening myself and some members of my festival team did a program for newcomers to Krsna consciousness. It was very blissful! Programs don’t always have to be big and gorgeous to be successful. A little Krsna-katha and sweet chanting of the holy names can satisfy any sincere spiritual seeker’s heart.

Of the Janmashtami celebration in Houston, he wrote:

Several days ago Janmastami was celebrated all over the world. In Houston, Texas we had a wonderful program for the presiding deities, Sri Sri Radha Nilamadhava. With many distinguished guests we discussed the Lord’s advent and then danced in ecstasy until way after midnight!

For more on Indradyumna Swami’s transcendental travels and lectures, please visit the Swami’s facebook page and his lecture site at Narottam. On Indradyumna Swami’s official Youtube Channel, you can find many kirtans and classes from the Sadhu Sanga Retreat, his recent Russian tour, etc.

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Srila Prabhupada in France – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

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Srila Prabhupada in France – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

His Holiness Indradyumna Swami is now in Houston, Texas in the United States for the next ten days. Very soon, his American tour will begin. Another rigorous schedule of preaching, this time in the United States, will mark the second annual festival tour for him in the U.S. Right now, his schedule indicates that the tour Devotees will visit twenty different universities in seven weeks. Last year, the American tour met with a lot of success from students, professors, and from the general public. In addition to university programs, the Devotees also carried out harinam sankirtan in Boston and Philadelphia. This year, after the tour, it won’t be long before he brings disciples and Godsiblings with him to the Holy Dhams in India: Sri Vrindavan Dhama and Sri Mayapur Dhama this year.

 With the upcoming appearance day anniversary of Srila Prabhupada, Indradyumna Swami wrote in a Facebook post today:

My dear spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada: Just today, on the eve of the celebration of your appearance day next week, I found these photos from your arrival in Paris, France 44 years ago. I cannot express how dear they are to me! By the Lord’s grace I am still singing your glories daily and I pray to continue so forever and forever more.

He included with the text of the post four pictures from Srila Prabhupada’s visit back then, and Indradyumna Swami can be seen playing mridanga and kartals during the kirtan.

For more on Indradyumna Swami’s transcendental travels and lectures, please visit the Swami’s facebook page and his lecture site at Narottam. On Indradyumna Swami’s official Youtube Channel, you can find many kirtans and classes from the Sadhu Sanga Retreat, his recent Russian tour, etc.

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Every step is a dance – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

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Every step is a dance – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

Indradyumna Swami and his team of Polish tour Devotees have now completed their Summer tour in Poland. Very soon, he will be off on his American tour with a subset of the Polish Festival tour team (75 devotees). In the meantime, they have been packing and sending 60 tons of equipment in five big trucks to Warsaw for storage. In America, the Devotees will visit over 20 universities in seven weeks. The Devotees ended their two-month tour in Poland with ecstatic kirtans that had the Polish people up and dancing.

 Indradyumna Swami wrote in a Facebook post last week:

Our yearly Festival of India in Poland allows people to experience the wonderful world of Krsna consciousness in a variety of ways. Through music, dance, theater, prasadam, seminars and more, our guests are introduced to a culture that exists eternally in the spiritual sky. A culture where every step is a dance, every word is a song and blissful festivals are a daily affair.

For more on Indradyumna Swami’s transcendental travels and lectures, please visit the Swami’s facebook page and his lecture site at Narottam. On Indradyumna Swami’s official Youtube Channel, you can find many kirtans and classes from the Sadhu Sanga Retreat, his recent Russian tour, etc.

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First impressions: Sankirtan in Poland – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

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First impressions: Sankirtan in Poland – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

Indradyumna Swami and his team of Polish tour Devotees have really refined their festivals over the last almost thirty years of operation. In this time, they’ve learned how best to attract people to the lively and ecstatic movement of Lord Caitanya.

Indradyumna Swami wrote in a Facebook post about a video that Ananta Vrindavan das created that showcases the festival programs and the participation of the local Polish people.

The title of this short video is, “First Impressions.” There is a saying that “first impressions are the most important.” A well organised, colorful, musical, devotional and blissful harinam is a great way to introduce people to Krsna consciousness for the first time. It creates a very favorable impact that encourages people to inquire further. It is said that Lord Caitanya’s samkirtan movement will continue to grow for 10,000 years. No doubt, much of that will be due to the original formula of taking the chanting of the holy names to the streets.

For Indradyumna Swami, these festival programs of large-scale preaching are his life and soul. In the video, Indradyumna Swami says that when people see the Devotees performing kirtan, they smile and it’s a sort of spiritual awakening for them. When they see the Devotees so happy, he says, “It’s infectious in a transcendental way.” He describes how the Polish people love to dance. You don’t have to encourage them and explain to them the benefits of dancing in kirtan. He says that as soon as the Devotees start singing kirtan, the Polish people join in.

For more on Indradyumna Swami’s transcendental travels and lectures, please visit the Swami’s facebook page and his lecture site at Narottam. On Indradyumna Swami’s official Youtube Channel, you can find many kirtans and classes from the Sadhu Sanga Retreat, his recent Russian tour, etc.

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Everyone Dances to the Holy Names! – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

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Everyone Dances to the Holy Names! – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

Anyone who knows His Holiness Indradyumna Swami knows that preaching Srila Prabhupada’s message around the world is his life and soul. For almost three decades now, he has been dedicated to the large-scale preaching program in Poland.

Indradyumna Swami and the Polish festival team are wrapping up a summer of festivals along the Baltic Coast in Poland with wonderful programs and unprecedented results! More people than ever before are dancing to the Holy Names during the kirtans at the festival programs. Indradyumna Swami wrote in a Facebook post about a guest who attended the festival a few days ago and walked off with twelve of Srila Prabhupada’s books.

This is a guest who came to our festival yesterday. His name is Patrick. He came a little late and only caught one minute of my lecture from the stage. But somehow the philosophy of Bhavagad Gita had a profound affect on him. He immediately went to the book table and purchased 12 books. When I met him there I said, “You must be an avid reader!” He replied, “Actually, no. In my entire life I’ve only read 3 or 4 books. But what you shared with us from the stage really touched me. I promise you I will read all 12 of these books within no time!” Jaya Srila Prabhupada!

Indradyumna_Swami_Guest

A few days before, Indradyumna Swami had posted on Facebook:

“In a variety of ways, the inauspiciousness of the earth is destroyed by the feet, the inauspiciousness of the directions is destroyed by the eye glances and the inauspiciousness of the heavens is destroyed by the arms of a Visnu-bhakta dancing out of joy.” [ Hari-bhakti-vilasa 8.288 ]

The Polish tour Devotees have been dancing along the coastline and in kirtans at the festival and the amazing part of this all is that the Polish people join in with great enthusiasm and joy.

Today, Indradyumna Swami posted an update that mentioned:

When inaugurating the samkirtan movement 500 years ago Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu introduced chanting the holy names and dancing in ecstasy. His followers have continued with the same formula down to the present day. The potency of such kirtan is that often those who have never seen devotees before immediately join in and sing and dance in great happiness. All glories to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!

He links to a beautifully recorded video that Ananta Vrindavan das put together to illustrate how the Polish people are joining the Devotees in chanting the names of the Lord in kirtan.

For more on Indradyumna Swami’s transcendental travels and lectures, please visit the Swami’s facebook page and his lecture site at Narottam. On Indradyumna Swami’s official Youtube Channel, you can find many kirtans and classes from the Sadhu Sanga Retreat, his recent Russian tour, etc.

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A Newsletter from His Holiness Sivarama Swami

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A Newsletter from His Holiness Sivarama Swami – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

In his most recent August newsletter, His Holiness Sivarama Swami tells of a beautiful exchange between His Holiness Indradyumna Swami and himself:

Jaya Radha-Syama!

In a recent text exchange with Indradyumna Maharaja, he wrote, “I am ever grateful to Srila Prabhupada … and the association of godbrothers like yourself. Regarding your writing – if I may – I would say your writing is the most important of all your sevas. It’s what we leave behind. It stays and guides our followers and many others as well once we depart. And writing requires solitude and focus. ‘What is not well written is not well read.’  I hope you can arrange your time in that way. Your Nava Vraja-mahima is your magnum opus (and still requires a mass marketing scheme) but it is not your ‘swan song.’  Please somehow or other make writing your priority.  I will say in all humility that Nava Vraja-mahima is my constant companion and my life and soul.  Thank you for everything you do … thank you for who you are.  Your’s always, Indradyumna Swami.”

I replied, “Your message is an eye-opener and a wakeup call. Yes, I shouldn’t sacrifice my writing time. Right now I have my hands in 3 books, but I’m still GBC, guru, doing outreach, and getting old. It’s probably the latter that’s knocking me out the most. But I take to heart what you wrote and thank you very much for it. Amongst god-brothers you are the one encouraging me most for writing. I need the encouragement. It’s what keeps me going. Thank you for that. I’m trying to make appropriate changes to facilitate your advice.”

Indradyumna Maharaja’s letter brought to the fore my service priority – writing. The result of the efforts I invest into other projects may dwindle in time. It’s the sad reality. But books and their message are permanent. Srila Prabhupada’s movement has transformed greatly in the 40 years after his departure. But his books remain unchanged, and as they did 50 years ago, they continue to transform the lives of those who come in touch with them. I too must organise the last part of my life to do outreach preaching and to write. I see those two as my calling. It will be painful to let go of other services, but, c’est la vie. I know how productive I can be when I have quality time to write.

I remember while writing Volume 4 of Nava Vraja-mahima, I first included the text of Vilap Kusumanjali as an appendix. Then I thought, “It would be so much better if there was a commentary to the text.” However I worried that if I did that, I would get distracted from the main composition, NVM. So I put the thought aside. But it kept haunting me and so one evening I vowed, “Give me one month to do Vilap, and then I will return to NVM.” And in less than one month I did the commentary to Vilap Kusumanjali—250 pages. I feel that there are many other books that I could write, given the time to do so. It’s up to me to make the time and as inspiration to do so, I keep in mind Indradyumna Maharaja’s words “I hope you can arrange your time in that way,” and “Please somehow or other make writing your priority.”

Yours in Krishna’s service,
Sivarama Swami

His Holiness Sivarama Swami ki jai! His Holiness Indradyumna Swami ki jai!

Indradyumna_Swami

For more on Indradyumna Swami’s transcendental travels and lectures, please visit the Swami’s facebook page and his lecture site at Narottam. On Indradyumna Swami’s official Youtube Channel, you can find many kirtans and classes from the Sadhu Sanga Retreat, his recent Russian tour, etc.

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The Lord Protects His Devotees – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

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The Lord Protects His Devotees  – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

To keep the Devotees inspired, His Holiness Indradyumna Swami has been giving Srimad Bhagavatam classes in the morning for the Devotees serving on the Polish Festival tour. Last week, he spoke on a nice verse about conquering fear: Srimad Bhagavatam 7.9.15:

My Lord, who are never conquered by anyone, I am certainly not afraid of Your ferocious mouth and tongue, Your eyes bright like the sun or Your frowning eyebrows. I do not fear Your sharp, pinching teeth, Your garland of intestines, Your mane soaked with blood, or Your high, wedgelike ears. Nor do I fear Your tumultuous roaring, which makes elephants flee to distant places, or Your nails, which are meant to kill Your enemies.

Indradyumna Swami read Srila Prabhupada’s purport aloud to the assembled Devotees, which included:

Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva’s fierce appearance was certainly most dangerous for the nondevotees, but for Prahlāda Mahārāja such a fearful appearance was not at all disturbing. The lion is very fearsome for other animals, but its cubs are not at all afraid of the lion.

In the lecture, Indradyumna Swami describes about how experience is a good teacher. In fact, personal experience is also accepted as evidence in Vedic culture. From four types of evidence: Vedic knowledge, direct experience, traditional wisdom, and logical induction one can understand the temporary, insubstantial situation of the material world, as a result of which one becomes detached from the duality of this world (Srimad Bhagavatam, 11.19.17). Sometimes you experience something, and then it hits you: “Oh, now I understand.” But the first-class student learns by hearing and does not need to experience difficulties in order to understand that they are troublesome.

Prahlada Maharaja is fearless because he was put in the most danger and yet every time, Krishna saved him. He knew that he did not need to be fearful. His father threw Prahlada off a cliff, and Krishna appeared halfway down and caught him in his arms. His father also threw him in a pit of snakes, tried to have him crushed under the feet of elephants, had his servants try to attack him with all manner of weapons, but Krishna always protected His devotee, Prahlada.

In this connection, Indradyumna Swami quoted from Bhagavad Gita 9.31: “O son of Kunti, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.”

For more on Indradyumna Swami’s transcendental travels and lectures, please visit the Swami’s facebook page and his lecture site at Narottam. On Indradyumna Swami’s official Youtube Channel, you can find many kirtans and classes from the Sadhu Sanga Retreat, his recent Russian tour, etc.

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Conquering Fear – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

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Conquering Fear  – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

His Holiness Indradyumna Swami has been giving classes in the morning for the Devotees who are serving on the Polish Festival tour. Last week, he spoke on a nice verse about conquering fear: Srimad Bhagavatam 7.9.15:

My Lord, who are never conquered by anyone, I am certainly not afraid of Your ferocious mouth and tongue, Your eyes bright like the sun or Your frowning eyebrows. I do not fear Your sharp, pinching teeth, Your garland of intestines, Your mane soaked with blood, or Your high, wedgelike ears. Nor do I fear Your tumultuous roaring, which makes elephants flee to distant places, or Your nails, which are meant to kill Your enemies.

Indradyumna Swami read Srila Prabhupada’s purport aloud to the assembled Devotees, which included:

The water of the sea is certainly dreadful for all living entities on the land, but within the sea even the small fish is unafraid. Why? Because the small fish has taken shelter of the big ocean.

In the lecture, Indradyumna Swami went on to describe that fearing is one of the principal activities of material, conditioned life. Whether people want to admit it or not, everyone is full of fear. They can put on a big smile, but deep in their hearts, he mentioned, everyone is full of fear in this world. Whether they will accept it or not, this world is a very dangerous place. “Anything can happen at any time,” Srila Prabhupada would say.

In the lecture, Indradyumna Swami recounts a pastime in which Srila Prabhupada had mentioned that he [Prabhupada] did not wish to come down to this horrible place [the material world]. However, he said, “Krsna told me, ‘You just go down [to the material world] and preach Krsna Consciousness, and I’ll take care of everything else.'” Only the most foolish person is not afraid in this world. Srila Prabhupada mentioned that only two people are not afraid of death: the pure devotee of the Lord and the fool. A nice, sobering point!

For more on Indradyumna Swami’s transcendental travels and lectures, please visit the Swami’s facebook page and his lecture site at Narottam. On Indradyumna Swami’s official Youtube Channel, you can find many kirtans and classes from the Sadhu Sanga Retreat, his recent Russian tour, etc.

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Preparing for Polish Woodstock – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

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Preparing for Polish Woodstock  – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

His Holiness Indradyumna Swami and the Polish festival team have been preparing for the upcoming Woodstock Festival for the past week now. The preparation efforts for Woodstock are rigorous for setting up “Krishna’s Village of Peace”. Indradyumna Swami wrote in a Facebook post:

Polish Woodstock 2018 [ Now Pol’and’Rock ] is still one week away. But our boys are already on the field setting up ‘Krsna’s Village of Peace.’ Over 1 million people are expected at the event. We plan to distribute over 150,000 full plates of prasadam [ 40 tons of foodstuffs ] and have Ratha Yatra 4 days in a row through the masses of people. Srila Prabhupada, please shower your mercy upon us that we may successfully achieve our goals to please you! We live only to serve you.

Indradyumna Swami describes about how people are beginning to trickle in and set up their tents at the event, which is free. The festival team takes the opportunity to try to serve the attendees and give them a taste for the bliss of spiritual life and of service to the Supreme. In another post, Indradyumna Swami wrote, “As our men continued setting up our ‘village’ I took the opportunity to walk around and meet some of the people who had arrived early.”

For more on Indradyumna Swami’s transcendental travels and lectures, please visit the Swami’s facebook page and his lecture site at Narottam. On Indradyumna Swami’s official Youtube Channel, you can find many kirtans and classes from the Sadhu Sanga Retreat, his recent Russian tour, etc.