Aashishs Blog

On this day, I went out for Books Distribution with the ISKCON Pandava Sena!!! This is a day where we try and distribute Spiritual books of Srila Prabhupada to everyone in the hopes that we can stop the downward decline of Human Society into Hell. Sounds like a task also for the Pandava Sena!!!

I am happy to report that I have distributed 1 Perfection of Yoga book! So, thats the 2nd book that I have sold in my lifetime! What? Well, I am getting there! Plus, don't underestimate the Power of a Perfection of Yoga Book...oh and the lovely Kirtan that happened on Carnaby Street was because of the matajis; they brought with them a harmonium, a mrdanga and kartals - and it was so nice! The power of the Holy name surely had an effect on the passers-by - quite a few were just standing there looking absorbed in the Holy Names! Thats how I sold the Book - I took advantage of the Brain-Washing that was occuring and offered a young woman a Yoga book. Heheheheheheh......

Towards the end of my stay, I was feeling blissful and very serene - such spiritual potency there is in Sankirtan! I regretted that I had to go, but there you go...

Below is a short video of the nice and mellow kirtan that happened on Carnaby Street:

On the 19th was Radhastami - the Appearance of Srimati Radharani. On this day, I spent a lot of the time in the Temple Room listening to the most wonderful music I have ever heard! Just to sit there and trying to listen attentively and sing along was a very mellow experience. Everyone was singing with so much Love that I could feel like I was starting to be carried away with those Waves of Love.

Sri Radha had a most beautiful form on this day and she was smiling sweetly from her Altar, as was Krishna (London-ishvara is the name of the deity in the Temple). This conception was slowly starting to creep into my consciousness. The Deities are Real! Because we are covered with Maya (Illusion), we cannot see the Lord, but he mercifully manifests in his Deity form for all to see.

"I have bought medicine to awaken every living being from perpetual sleep. Please receive the Holy Name of the Lord, the Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra and Awaken"

Here are some videos of the Bhajans and Kirtans that occured today. Maybe you will hear a glimpse of the Waves of Love that was experienced on that day! OK quality mobile phone videos.

God may have to take time out from looking after the Universe - to appear before a US Judge.

The Almighty is being sued by a politician in Nebraska for causing 'widespread death and destruction'.

State senator Ernie Chambers claims God has terrorised both him and his constituents. He is seeking a permanent injunction against the Lord for causing 'fearsome floods, horrendous hurricanes and terrifying tornadoes'.

Mr Chambers' injunction adds that God should be blamed for causing 'calamitous catastrophes resulting in the widespread death, destruction and terrorisation of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants including innocent babies, infants, children, the aged and infirm without mercy or distinction'.

The 70-year-old politician, from Omaha, said he tried to Contact God numerous times without success.

Mr Chambers claimed the move had a serious point - to point out how many frivolous lawsuits were clogging up the US legal system.

He said he was moved in particular to act by an earlier suit filed by a woman against a judge who recently barred words such as 'rape' and 'victim' from a sexual assault trial.

Source: The Metro on 20/09/2007

Well, what on earth do you guys think! I am speechless!! As if God is going to come down to a US Court! Even if he does, it will probably be his Chakra coming down to get him.....nah, he doesn't even deserve that!!!

I just saw this article in The Times today. Basically, the Government is saying that the Ramayana is a myth and Lord Rama never existed. I can't believe what I am hearing! I thought that the Archaeological Survey of India was a respectable organisation, but denying the Ramayana ever existed and that the Personality Lord Rama is a myth is like taking the heart out of India. It looks like the godless, atheistic class of people are now the leaders of society...Read the full story by clicking on the Source Link below:

Source

I was upstairs in the Soho Street Temple in the Brahmacari Ashram, and this is what I saw in the bathroom:

"The scriptures describe the benefits of taking a cold bath early in the morning. Such a bath can purify even a sinner, for it has the power to wash away all external and internal contamination's. Whereas a warm water bath cleanses physically, cold water revitalizes the subtle body, removing the influence of sleep and dreams as well as of evil-minded persons. The cold bath also gives strength, sensitivity, longevity, effulgence, and purity. Taking an early-morning cold bath increases one's knowledge and determination and affords peace of mind. It removes unhappiness, lamentation, degradation, and bad thoughts. In short, it counteracts all the ill effects of sin. At night the nine holes of the body become filled with waste products, which are continuously produced. The early-morning bath most effectively removes all of this dirt so that the body can begin its daily activities in a fresh state. In this way the early- morning bath has positive physical, mental, and spiritual effects, and is therefore highly glorified in the scriptures".

I went to the Notting Hill Carnival on the 26th August on a Sunday. I had known the dangers of going there as one Brahmacari, who was also going there to sing & dance (for Krishna), had told me of sighting "topless dancers" at the previous year! I had started to wonder whether it was even worth going or not as you could easily fall down and go looking at other things *cough* S****ep **e**ha [Fill in the stars! Had to change it due to a - urm - complaint! LOL] *cough*!

You know, I did get a glance of some of the dancers (these were wearing some clothes) and they all looked bored and no life in them. Not a single trace of ecstacy. Just watch the video below of our Devotees dancing and singing away to see where the real ecstacy was!

Regardless of what I had thought and heard, I started to see several advanced devotees participating in this adventure. Basically, all the devotees were going there to distribute books, give out some lovely Transcendental sweets and sing the Holy Names to purify the people and it worked wonders! Lots of people were surrounding us as we sang away the Holy Names and everyone who took our sweets loved them. Book distribution went well, though I have some way to go to...

2007.08.26-Notting Hill Carnival

"China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission. This article is both hilarious and sad, looking at the lengths to which a government will go to regulate thought through censorship. It also goes into some of the more subtle politics of the current 72-year-old Dalai Lama as he thinks about his political and spiritual successor. The Dalai Lama 'refuses to be reborn in Tibet so long as it's under Chinese control.'"

Source

On the 10th August 2007, His Holiness BB Govinda Swami came to Soho Street Temple to give some wonderful bhajans and a review and update on the Kazakstan situation plus a fundraising at the end.

This is the first time I have seen this Maharaja, and I really loved his Kirtans, I had made several videos so do watch them below! On the Kazakstan situation, it appears to be going nowhere, but Maharaja did say that for the United Kingdom Devotees, it took 15 years (?) of campaining to prevent Bhaktivedanta Manor from closing down. What a long, tough road the Kazakstan devotees may have to traverse...please pray for them!

Part 1: Guru Puja

Part 2: Bhajans 1



Part 3: Bhajans 2


Part 4: Bhajans 3

After a long while, I finally uploaded the video of His Holiness Bhakti Chaitanya Swami doing an amazing Harinama through the streets of London. You just have to watch it! The video is about 30 minutes long.

INMATES at a jail in southern India are eating so well many are reluctant to leave and other convicted criminals are trying to move in.

The Parappana Agrahara prison in Bangalore is crowded with 4700 inmates, more than twice its capacity, because petty criminals are refusing to apply for bail, the Bangalore Mirror says.

Juvenile offenders are also overstating their age to qualify as adults and get in.

The reason is the healthy food served by Hare Krishnas, who began serving pure vegetarian fare on May 21, under contract from the prisons department.

Lunch and dinner typically include piping hot rice, two vegetables and a spicy lentil dish called sambar and buttermilk. A dessert is added on festival days and national holidays like Independence Day, and also once a week.

"When we are getting tasty, nutritious food three times a day here, why should we go out and commit crimes?" said prisoner Raja Reddy, who has been arrested 20 times in 30 years for theft, robbery and burglary.

"Our going out of the prison will only benefit pawnbrokers who purchase stolen items at a throwaway price from us, advocates who fleece us to fight our case and the police who collect bribes." - AFP

Source

I was just reading A Transcendental Diary by His Grace Sruti Kriti Prabhu, and I came across a wonderful description of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada:


He walked at an easy gait, accompanied by a small handful of devotees. He spoke only intermittently, strolling along with a quiet serenity. Srila Prabhupadda has a wonderfully aristocratic bearing - erect stature, upwardly tilted head, cane firmly wielded, his hand clasping the silver handle with the forefinger extended, sharp eyes, penetrating and clear - yet at the same time he is completely approachable and never aloof from his surroundings and his followers. He has weight. He is a presence one cannot ignore. Even when he is silent you know he has a lot to say. And when he does speak he reveals a wealth of information. As he told us in Bombay, a devotee is expert, which means that "he knows everything about something, and something about everything." Srila Prabhupadda is certainly the most expert.

Yesterday (Wednesday), I went on Food For Life (as I do every week), and just when we came back from our Food Distribution, two curious young people (with a pint in their hands) begin to ask Asish Soni Perfect Questions, which in reply they certainly did get Perfect Answers! Asish is an amazing Devotee, but you have to be with him to realize his Depth of Devotion. Watch this amazing video clip below of this amazing Preaching:

I was in the Soho Street Temple the other day, and I came across these amazing facts:

Books Distributed Globally So Far
427,526 in April, 2007 alone
1,044,779 so far in 2007
450,000,000 since ISKCON was founded

Jaya Srila Prabhupada!

I was at Soho Street Temple today and His Holiness Devamrita Swami gave a really nice Bhagavad Gita Class. Unfortunately, I didnt bring my camera and my tripod, so i recorded the class on my Sony-Ericsson Phone, but you can hear the whole class clearly. See it below, it is about an hour long:

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