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“My Favorite Places” – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

Harinam_Indradyumna_Swami

“My Favorite Places” – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

His Holiness Indradyumna Swami spent much of the month of February in the holy land of Sridhama Mayapur and gave a class in which he detailed his favorite places to travel to in Mayapur.

Some of his favorite places and pastimes in the Dhama include:

  • Performing Harinam Sankirtan through the streets of Navadvipa-Dhama

  • Meeting the people of Sri Navadvipa Dhama

Harinam

Indradyumna Swami and the group of Devotees he was traveling with went on harinam sankirtan several times through the same streets that Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu walked on so many years ago!

Pastimes recounted by Indradyumna Swami in a lecture delivered in Mayapur on February 7th, 2018.

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“Not only do they hear you, they reply to you.” – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

Kirtan_Indradyumna_Swami

“Not only do they hear you, they reply to you.” – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

His Holiness Indradyumna Swami spent much of the month of February in the holy land of Sridhama Mayapur traveling to various places, giving classes, and leading harinam sankirtan through the streets. He recounted all of his adventures in the Dhama in various Facebook posts. In early February, he gave a class in which many children were present and so he recounted many stories for them from his adventures in preaching through the years.

Gurudeva_kids

Indradyumna Swami mentioned in the class that he had always felt a connection with Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur. He said that he was shy when he was young, but one of his sankirtan leaders in France told him:

“Whenever you go to a town for the first time, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur accompanies you.”

Indradyumna Swami went on to say that Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur is the original pioneer of the movement. He not only rediscovered the Krishna Consciousness movement in Mayapur but he had the vision of the whole world becoming Krishna Conscious.

Toward the end of the class, Indradyumna Swami mentioned that he read that one time, someone asked Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, “When we pray to previous acharyas and great saintly people who have left this world do they hear our prayers?” As he was reading, Indradyumna Swami said that he was thinking to himself, “What’s the answer?” and covered the answer on the page with his hand.

Then, in order to draw it out even longer, he went and took some prasadam and then came back and revealed the answer:

Gurudeva_kids

Spoken by Indradyumna Swami in a lecture delivered in Mayapur on February 7th, 2018.

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A Special Meditation from Bhakti Ratnakara – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

Indradyumna_Swami_Lecture_Narottama

A Special Meditation from Bhakti Ratnakara – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

His Holiness Indradyumna Swami gave a wonderful class on the glories of Srila Narottama das Thakur at the very end of January just before leaving Vrindavan for Mayapur. There is a lot of nectar in the class, but a particular part of the class is most special. Indradyumna Swami recounts how Narottama das Thakur oversaw the carving of five sets of Krishna Deities and one Gauranga Deity. The Deity of Mahaprabhu had appeared to Narottama das Thakur in a dream and Narottama subsequently discovered Him in a granary.

So at the Kheturi Festival, Indradyumna Swami described, there was a big installation ceremony for these six Deities, and Narottama das Thakur led the kirtan for the ceremony. Meanwhile, Srinivas Acarya carried out the installation ceremony.

Indradyumna Swami said that Narottama das Thakur is one of his heroes, and that for everyone for whom Narottama das Thakur is their hero, they memorize and often recite the mantra cited below. Bhakti Ratnakara gives the following mantra for meditating on these six amazing Deities:

gauranga vallabhi-kanta shri-krishna vraja-mohana
radha-ramana he radhe radha-kanta namo’stu te

[ Bhakti-ratnakara 1.422-6 ]

Indradyumna_Swami_narottama_das_Thakur

Spoken by Indradyumna Swami in a lecture delivered in Vrindavan on January 31st, 2018.

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“Make the instructions of the Spiritual Master one with your heart” – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

Indradyumna Swami Mayapur

“Make the instructions of the Spiritual Master one with your heart” – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

His Holiness Indradyumna Swami spent a good part of the month of February in the holy land of Sridhama Mayapur and he recounted the various trips the devotees made while there and the ecstatic kirtans they participated in on his Facebook page in a series of posts. In early February, he gave a class in which a lot of children were present (see picture below). To encourage them in Krishna Consciousness and particularly in preaching, Indradyuma Swami told them enlivening preaching stories from his own experience.

He told them about how he had been going out on sankirtan in France in the early days, but at some point, the Devotees had reached every single town in France. What next? Indradyumna Swami went to Italy, and then to Spain, and then to the Netherlands, and then Europe was finished. So he took a plane to Brazil and went to the Amazon. Meanwhile, he was always remembering the statement his Sankirtan leader had told him in France: “Whenever you go to a town for the first time, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur accompanies you.” After Brazil, Indradyumna Swami went on to Chile, Colombia, and then on to Paraguay, where he and the Devotees were amazed to discover 50 Russian Devotees who had been there for five years and were running a farm community!

Indradyumna_Swami_Mayapur

In the lecture, Indradyumna Swami said:

We will also not be satisfied until the fourteen worlds are chanting Hare Krishna. This is what it means to make the instructions of the Spiritual Master one with your heart. Yes, we want to go back to Godhead. But the secret of going back to Godhead is to fulfill the desires of the Spiritual Master here, so you can fulfill his desires in the spiritual world.

Spoken by Indradyumna Swami on a lecture delivered in Mayapur on February 7th, 2018.

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The Great Acarya – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

Indradyumna Swami Mayapur 2

The Great Acarya – Indradyumna Swami Nectar

His Holiness Indradyumna Swami gave a wonderful three-part seminar on the glories of Srila Haridas Thakur while in Sri Mayapur Dhama. In the first lecture, Indradyumna Swami notes the two qualities of Srila Haridas Thakur which set him apart, according to Sanatana Goswami.

Srila Santana Goswami maintains that:

  1. Some preach, but have poor acara.
  2. Some have good acara, but do not preach.

Santana Goswami contends that Srila Haridas Thakur perfectly performs both duties in relation to the Holy Name—personal behavior and preaching.

Indradyumna Swami goes on to describe that the Acharya or Spiritual Master carefully chooses a group of disciples who help him in his mission. Mahaprabhu chose different associates to accomplish different parts of his Sankirtan movement. Through Srila Sanatana Goswami, He relayed the essence of devotional service. Meanwhile, through Srila Rupa Goswami. He revealed the ecstatic love and the transcendental pastimes of Vrindavan. Srila Haridas Thakur became the Nāmācārya even though he was born in a family of Yavanas.

Indradyumna Swami Mayapur 3

Indradyumna Swami quotes Srila Sanatana Goswami who says in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (2.12) that anyone can be elevated to the position of a brāhmaṇa by the process of initiation:

yathā kāñcanatāṁ yāti kāṁsyaṁ rasa-vidhānataḥ / tathā dīkṣā-vidhānena dvijatvaṁ jāyate nṛṇām

“As bell metal is turned to gold when mixed with mercury in an alchemical process, so one who is properly trained and initiated by a bona fide spiritual master immediately becomes a brāhmaṇa.”

Srila Prabhupada also frequently quoted the above verse.

Srila Haridas Thakur, Indradyumna Swami said, is an example for all of us—that no matter how low our birth is, by the mercy of Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga, we can be elevated to the platform of Vaisnava and Vaisnavi.

Indradyumna Swami Mayapur

Spoken by Indradyumna Swami in a lecture delivered in Sri Mayapur Dhama on February 5th, 2018.

For more on Indradyumna Swami’s trip to Mayapur and the blissful kirtans performed in the land in which the Holy Name was first inaugurated, please visit Indradyumna Swami’s facebook.

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Reflections on Preaching – Srila Prabhupada quoted by Indradyumna Swami

Indradyumna_Swami

Reflections on Preaching – Srila Prabhupada quoted by Indradyumna Swami

On February 18th, His Holiness Indradyumna Swami left Mayapura for a two-week preaching tour in South Africa, as he related in a Facebook post. Before leaving Mayapur, on the way through Kolkata, Indradyumna Swami mentioned that he stopped by the Bhaktivedanta Research Center. The BRC is a project that was started by Indradyumna Swami’s Godbrother, Hari Sauri Prabhu, for the purpose of gathering, preserving and disseminating the works of our previous Acaryas on Gaudiya Vaisnavism and other Vedic literatures.

Indradyumna_Swami_Bhaktivedanta_Research_Center

At present the library has over 20,000 books, including a hand-written autobiography by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur. Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, Indradyumna Swami has said, was always a significant inspiration for him on his sankirtan and preaching tours. In a recent lecture delivered in Mayapur, Indradyumna Swami mentioned that his Sankirtan leader in France once told him, “Whenever you go to a town for the first time, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur accompanies you.” Indradyumna Swami went on to say that Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur is the original pioneer of the Bhakti movement. He rediscovered the Krishna Consciousness movement in Mayapur and had the vision of the whole world becoming Krishna Conscious.

Along the same lines, Indradyumna Swami reflected on Srila Prabhupada’s injunction to preach the message of Krishna Consciousness in his latest facebook post. He quoted from one of Srila Prabhupada’s letters (copied below):

My Dear Mahamaya dasi, Please accept my blessings. I have received your letter undated, and have noted the contents carefully. I am very pleased by your attitude to surrender yourself completely by engaging cent per cent in Krishna’s service. Somehow or other always to be thinking about Krishna, that is the goal of Krishna Consciousness process. So now you please help me to spread this information all over this earth planet, especially by helping to distribute my books and literatures, as many as possible. Then you will get the credit, and know it for certain that very soon you will go back to Home, back to Godhead.

I hope this finds you in good health and cheerful mood.

Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
November 23, 1971

Letter quoted by Indradyumna Swami on his facebook post from February 24, 2018.

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“The Charioteer, Lord Gaura’s lotus feet” – Verse quoted by Indradyumna Swami

Indradyumna_Swami_Santipur

“The Charioteer, Lord Gaura’s lotus feet” – Verse quoted by Indradyumna Swami

On February 17th came the highlight of His Holiness Indradyumna Swami’s trip the holy land of Sridhama Mayapur, as he related in a Facebook post. He took a large group of devotees to Santipura on February 16th. There, in the temple of Madan Gopal, they had darshan of the original salagrama-sila worshipped by Advaita Acaraya to invoke the advent of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu!

Salagram

Indradyumna Swami wrote that by some incredible and causeless mercy the pujari kindly placed that most worshipable salagrama-sila on his head for several minutes. Meanwhile, he wrote that he prayed feverishly for more service in spreading the holy names of Krsna all over the world. It was an amazing experience, Indradyumna Swami said, and the highlight of his visit to Mayapura.

Indradyumna_Swami_salagram_sila

Continuing in his meditation on Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Indradyumna Swami quoted from a beautiful bhajan about fixing the mind of Mahaprabhu just a few days prior to this ecstatic experience.

so rasa-jaladhi mājhe maṇi-geha
tahiṁ rahu gori suśyāmera deha

In the middle of the ocean of bhakti-rasa is a house decorated with precious jewels in which brilliant complexioned Radha and dark complexioned Shyam reside.

sārathi leī milāyaba tāya
govinda-dāsa gaura-guṇa gāya

The charioteer, Lord Gaura’s lotus feet, will help you meet these two, Radha and Shyam. It is for this reason that Govinda Das sings the glories of Gaura.

[ Translated by Hari Parshad Das from Vaiṣṇava-padāvalī, fourth edition, April 2010. ]

Verse quoted by Indradyumna Swami on his facebook post from February 13, 2018.

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“Bathe thoroughly in the waves of prema” – Verse quoted by Indradyumna Swami

Mahaprabhu

“Bathe thoroughly in the waves of prema” – Verse quoted by Indradyumna Swami

The last week was filled with kirtan in the holy land of Sridhama Mayapur, as His Holiness Indradyumna Swami related in a Facebook post. He wrote that he took a large harinam party of international devotees through the streets of Navadwip in Mayapura. Remembering that Lord Caitanya Himself chanted and danced through the same town 500 years ago the devotees were in ecstasy.

Indradyumna Swami related that the people of Navadwip loved the Devotees’ harinam. They also had the fortune of taking darshan of the famous deity of Lord Caitanya worshipped by Visnupriya after the Lord took sannyasa. There they had kirtan for hours! He mentioned that the Devotees ended the day by visiting the samadhi of Srila Jagannatha das babaji.

Many pictures were taken of the ecstatic kirtans that resulted!

Kirtan

Continuing in his meditation on Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Indradyumna Swami quoted from a beautiful bhajan about fixing the mind of Mahaprabhu.

ratha-rohana karu prāṇa-turaṅga
āśā-pāśa jori naha bhaṅga

Engage your five life-airs (prāṇa, apāna, udāna, vayāna and samāna) as the five horses driving this chariot. Let āśā, the hope of attaining the Lord, be the strong rope controlling these horses so that the chariot may never break down.

līlā-jaladhi tīre calu dhāī
prema-taraṅge aṅga avagāī

Using this chariot, go quickly towards the shore of the unlimited ocean of the Lord’s loving pastimes. Having reached there, bathe thoroughly in the waves of this ocean of prema.

rasa-taraṅgī saṅgī hari-dāse
rati-maṇi deī puraba abhilāṣe

In this ocean, you will swim along with other servants of Hari who are delighting in the waves of bhakti-rasa. These servants of Hari will fetch you the rare jewel of prema from the depths of this ocean and will thus fulfil your most cherished desire.

[ Translated by Hari Parshad Das from Vaiṣṇava-padāvalī, fourth edition, April 2010. ]

Verse quoted by Indradyumna Swami on his facebook post from February 13, 2018.

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“Make the feet of Lord Gaura your charioteer” – Verse quoted by Indradyumna Swami

Indradyumna Swami

“Make the feet of Lord Gaura your charioteer” – Verse quoted by Indradyumna Swami

While in Sridhama Mayapur last week, Indradyumna Swami wrote in a Facebook post that the Devotees took darshan of the samadhi where Lord Caitanya’s hair is kept, as well as the samadhi of Kesava Bharati Maharaja. They prayed at the historic tree under which Lord Caitanya’s beautiful long hair was shaved and also bowed down to the samadhi of Das Gadadhar. Naru Gopal Prabhu explained that Lord Caitanya had kirtan where the Devotees were for 3 days straight after taking sannyasa. 

Following in His footsteps, Indradyumna Swami and the Devotees chanted and danced for hours in front of a beautiful deity of Lord Caitanya in a large temple on the grounds.

Sankirtan

Continuing in his meditation on Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Indradyumna Swami quoted from a beautiful bhajan about fixing the mind of Mahaprabhu.

re mana! kāhe karasi anutāpe
pahuṁka pratāpa-mantra karu jāpe

yo kichu vicāri mano-rathe caḍabi
pahuṁka caraṇa-yuga sārathi karabi

O mind! Why do you keep burning repeatedly in the fire of worldliness? Simply keep chanting the mantra of your dear Lord.

Think carefully about the ultimate aim of your life and then climb on the chariot of the [purified] mind. Make the feet of Lord Gaura your charioteer.

[ Translated by Hari Parshad Das from Vaiṣṇava-padāvalī, fourth edition, April 2010. ]

Verse quoted by Indradyumna Swami on his facebook post from February 13, 2018.

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“The joyous waves of prema” – Verse quoted by Indradyumna Swami

Harinam

“The joyous waves of prema” – Verse quoted by Indradyumna Swami

Recently, His Holiness Indradyumna Swami was in Sridhama Mayapur. He wrote in a Facebook post that ever since taking sannyasa in 1979, he has had a strong desire to visit the town of Katwa, where Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa 500 years ago. On February 11th, he was able to make the journey from Sridham Mayapur to Katwa.

Indradyumna Swami wrote that Naru Gopal Prabhu took the Devotees to the exact spot where Mahaprabhu was shaved up by a barber and where He took His sannyasa vows from Kesava Bharati Maharaja (pictured below).

Kesava Bharati

A few days later, Indradyumna Swami quoted from a beautiful bhajan focused on Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu:

śrī-pada-kamala-sudhā-rasa-pāne
śrī-vigraha-guṇa-gaṇa kari gāne
śrī-mukha-vacana-śravaṇa-anuṣaṅgī
anubhavi kata bhela prema-taraṅgī

By drinking the nectarean honey of the lotus feet of Sri Gaura, by singing the glories of Sri Gaura’s deity, by listening to the instructions of Sri Gaura, and by associating with devotees who follow his instructions, so many fortunate individuals experienced the joyous waves of prema.
[ Translated by Hari Parshad Das from Vaiṣṇava-padāvalī, fourth edition, April 2010. ]

Verse quoted by Indradyumna Swami on his facebook post from February 13, 2018.

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