Kurukshetra program February

Kurukshetra program February

This month we have the mercy to celebrate a lot of vaishnava festivals with which we remember many saintly personalities.Starting from 08.02-Vishnu Priya´s appearance day,10.02-Sri Advaiti Acharya´s appearance day,16.02-Appearance day of Lord Nityananda,18.02-Appearance day of Narottam Dasa Thakura,22.02-Appearance day of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura...All the festivals will be celebrated in Kuruskehtra ashram,except the Appearance day of Narottam Dasa Thakura(18.02)-in Vrinda Kunja ashram,Kopenhagenerstr.34,13407,Berlin.

Also we are happy with our new project from Goloka Bihari das(Holger Voigt),every wednesday-17.00-19.00 .
Goloka gives a lecture every wednesday evening,19,30-20,30 as well.
Also we are kindly inviting you to a bhajan evening every friday 19,30.-21,00.

Angira Muni das countinues with the wonderful counscious moovie evenings every monday,19,30-21.00.

Patita Pavana Das started a new book of Walther Eidlitz,every tuesday-19,30-20,30.

Julyan Yatra das started again to share the work of Bhaktisiddantha and his magazine "The Harmonist",every thursday-19,30-20,30.

Prema Kishor das gives Sadhu sanga every saturday evening 19,30-20,30.

For all interested in Hatha Yoga:
every thursday classes with Gauramrita d.d.,18.45-20.00
every wednesday we have a new teacher-Petra,-19.30-21.00

More for the Bharatnatyam dancing art you can learn every tuesday evening from Varshanarani d.d.
And harmonium lessons you can have every tuesday,also from 18.00-19.00 from Draupadi d.d.

WELCOME!!!

Lecture from BR Swami Maharaj

 

 

We were talking about the essence of devotee life. There was one instance, where Srila sridhara Maharaj revealed it. It was on an ekadasi day and some disciples of Srila Prabhupada came to visit him. They performed kirtan at noon, so when the kirtan finished Sridhara Maharaja invited them to take prasada. One of them, a sannyasi, said: "Actually Maharaja, I'm observing full fast on ekadasi. I've been doing this for almost 20 years. This is my vow." He was about to reject but then in the next moment he realized that he can not disobey the superior order. He said: "Yes Maharaja, I have done this fasting for so long time and it is my vow, but as you are requesting me to take prasada, I will take." Upon hearing this Srila Sridhar Maharaj was very happy. He commented at that time: "Yes, he understood the essence of vaishnavism". So this is the essence of vaishnavism, to be obedient to superior agent. To be obedient to the guru in the first place and from this obedience, everything else will show. We will be able to adjust all other aspects of life to this. Because we need this mercy, guru kripa, vaisnava kripa, to be able to function in this world. Otherwise we can not maintain ourselves. We can not be brahmacaris, grhastas, vanaprastas or sannyasis. We can't fullfill the mission of life if we don't have the mercy. The Srimad Bhagavatam actually says that Kali Yuga means that brahmacaris will not be clean (will maintain impropper relationships), not actual brahmacaris. Grhastas who are generelly supposed to work hard and mantain their family and support the other members of the society, will be beggars and try to live easily without too much work, asking money from the government or however. The vanaprasthas will live in the village. Vanaprasta actually means forest dweller, but they will be living in the village, enjoying their previous comforts. This is attachment to comfort instead of tapasya. And the sannyasis will be greedy for wealth, instead of renouncing. This is the opinion of the Srimad Bhagavatam regarding brahmacaris, grhastas, vanaprastas and sannyasis of kali yuga. Kali yuga means that we are not in a good standing. This is our situation. But if we have at least some little bit of sincere desire in the heart and we somehow by the arrangement of the supreme Lord come in contact with a genuine spiritual master, a representative of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, then some hope is there. Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami is glorifying the devotees of Mahaprabhu, offering his obeisances unto them, who are like wells of spiritual inspiration, from whom a current of love and mercy is flowing to the desertlike hearts of the people of kali yuga. This current can save us. It can wake us up. It can give us a chance to give it a try and it can make us perfect. And this perfection is in the purpose, the sincerity of purpose. Humility of the heart, knowing that we can fail at any moment. And if failing, we get up and aproach the vaisnavas with more sincerity and pray to them that they help us to move on. 

We are all in the same boat of constant failures, so no one should jugde the others becuase of their mistakes. Rather we should glorify the others becuase of their sincere effort to continue the struggle. And the sincere effort is to realise one' mistakes and not blaming others. Realise the mistakes and develop a more determined approach to our practice. More humble attitude in the service, more dandavats and more nice and kind words of encouragment to others. It works like this. So all this is the duty of a disciple. As Gurudeva says it is a natural symptom of a member of a spiritual congregation to be preoccupied with the well being of the others. He says further that the indifference towards others is just a symptom of impersonalism and material egotism, of being preoccupied only with oneself, one's own spiritual advancment and peace is imperosnalism. and material egotism is to be preoccupied with one's own gain and profit. Both are egotism. One is gross material, and the other apparently spiritual. This is in a practical field, not so much philosophy. But at the same time, we have to understand the things properly. Taking care for others wellbeing is not just sentimentalism. In the words of Bhaktivinod Thakura, sentimentalism is atheism. We have to know what is the real benefit for us. We have to be determined to follow it with heart and soul. In other words, we have to be surrendered to the teaching of Guru and Gauranga. Then we can also be preoccupied with the wellbeing of others. This will empower us. We just have to connect everyone and everything with the service of our spiritual master. We have to come to the understanding that we are neither enjoyers, propriators or controllers. The guru is. And we can help others with our proper behaviour, proper representation of the teachings of the spiritual master. We should be very careful not to become indepedent. Because if we are independent, how can we preach a proper relationship to the Guru? We need benedictions for everything. As Sridhara Swami, the famous commentator of the Srimad Bhagavatam, said that a service must be offered first and accepted. Then it is service. Of course there is a level of something called spontaneous service, but this is elevated. In general terms, it will only be our speculation, impulses from our karma and jnana inclinations. Even if we become brahmanas or sannyasis, or whatsoever in a way opposed to what the Srimad Bhagavatam said, what we mentioned above as kali yuga, even if we dare to thin that we can be something, nothing is won, only lost. We might think that we know it better than the Bhagavatam, than the guru, than the vaisnavas. Mahaprabhu said, I am not a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya or sudra, neither brahmacary, grhasta, vanaprasta or sannyasi. I'm only aspiring to be a servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord of the gopis. This is our line. Servant of the servant of the servant.

Servant of Krishna is not a very elevated concept. Servant of the servant is more close. It means servant of the guru. But it's not compete. We have to be servants of the servants of the servants. Then Krishna and Guru will be pleased. This is the final defeat of the ego. Because serving Krishna, I may be so proud that I consider myself to not need a Guru. Serving the Guru I may still be so proud and so not being able to serve the vaisnavas. The goal is to serve the vaisnavas at every step, in accordance with the teachings of the guru and the previous acaryas. Then the ego will be finished. As Gurudeva said, we read the last two times, you have to see every devotee around you as a unique opportunty to serve a vaishnava. Unique and most valuable. So we have to be happy with this, then we will be disciples. We will be aspiring vaishnavas. Becoming proud in the name of serving Krishna or the Guru will only make us more crazy. So we are serving the vaisnavas in their efforts to serve the Guru. And we are serving them sometimes in their effort to continue, to pass a difficult moment. Humility should be put always above all. Pride is our enemy. Mahaprabhu said, humbly chant, be humble, tolerant, respectful, do not ask respect and chant. All this should be there, these qualities and the chanting. And the area where we are practicing the qualities are in our service in the association of the devotees. This is a big task. But we have to continue with determination, knowing that mercy can solve everything. We have to feel like addicts for this divine mercy. Being eager to catch and preserve it in any way possible.

So in this way, I would say we can stop here.

//Bhakti Raksaka Swami

The Spoon Revolution and Kurukshetra´s Veggie Club

The Spoon Revolution

This is the tittle of a post in a local magazine called ``Zitty``,advertising different places in Berlin where you cango to eat,drink or enjoy the life.By some mercy we also had the chanse to avertise the delicious vegetarian food and the idea of being a vegetarian.

The Spoon Relution Ki Jay!

Kurukshetra Mandir Ki Jay!

"We've had enough!" Say NO to GMO

A group of activists fom Vegetarsich-in-Berlin,representing the Spoon revolution,suported with presense a big demonstration in the center of Berlin.Here is little info from the organisators of the event:

Say no to Genetic Engineering, Factory Farms and Export Dumping!

At the invitation of the German federal government, international agricultural ministers and agro-chemical corporations will be meeting in Berlin on January 22, 2011. Within the framework of the "Grüne Woche" Monsanto, Müller Milch, BASF and others plan to further their agenda of industrializing farming through GMOs, factory farms and export dumping.

The agro-chemical companies want free markets and millions in additional subsidies for genetically engineered seed, chemicals and industrial food. They want factory instead of family farms. German Chancellor Merkel and her government support these companies and their plans.

Because of these plans, farmers, environmental activists and consumers got together to the streets on January 22, 2011.

Yes to family farms and organic agriculture. Yes to healthful and fair foods.

for more info : http://www.wir-haben-es-satt.de/

Here you can see some of us on the demonstration :

And some of the many gropus of activists:

So many people are awaking for the counscious life....I saw many inspired people there....and many of them are even not vegetarians.....This made me thing of the mercy we have got through the prasadam and the message of Mahaprabhu-how deeper philosophies we can be part from and how much more we are able to do ,becouse of this high goal?Important for this is the sadhu sanga and the being together.The team work.Human relationships are very complicated but wirth the wight atetude and organisation,with love,we can inspire others to seach for the highest.Big responsablity.Good luck and let´s make more together.Hari bol.

Vrindavan Kartik 2010

We want to share with you this amazing video from our friends from Quirio-Maha Vishnu d. and Murli d.d.. from Mexico,living in Berlin.They are wonderful counscious artits,creating music,making performances,theather,writing lyrics,composing songs,recording,filming videos,painting and .....and...and.....

More about what they do you can find here : http://quirio.com/

        

CART Records Ki Jay :)                  

Enjoy it :)

Eastern Mela 2011,Germany

English:Dear Friends, dear Devotees

The time has come again and we are looking forward to the Eastermela.

Cordially we want to invite you to celebrate the feast with us in Holiday Camp in Neu Sammit next to Krakow on the lake.
Svami Paramadvaiti will fortunately be with us.

The Mela takes place from 20th April 2011 to 25th April 2011.

Please register as soon as possible, that makes the organization more easy.

Soon we will send you a Programplan for these days.

See you soon

Deutsch:Liebe Freunde, liebe Devotees

Es ist wieder soweit. Das Osterfest steht wieder vor der Tür.

Wir möchten Euch Alle ganz herzlich einladen mit uns in dem Feriendorf Neu Sammit bei Krakow am See, zu Feiern.
Svami Paramadvaiti wird zu unserer großen Freude mit dabei sein!

Bitte meldet Euch so schnell wie möglich an , dann macht Ihr uns die Organisation leichter.

Ein Programmplan für diese Woche werden wir Euch bald zusenden.

Bis bald

 

Lectures with Swami Maharaj

We have happy news for all!!!Swami Maharaj is so mercyful with us to give us a weekly lectures on different topics.So the day  is not fixed to be the same for every week.We are making anouncements on Skype and Facebook-(you can contact Sanketvan Devi Dasi).Next week the lecture will be on 26 jan(wednesday),19h(german time) with the topic Personalism vs. impersonalism.

Everybody can conect and watch the lecture here :

http://www.justin.tv/sanketvan

Gaur Hari Bol!Swami Maharaj Ki Jay!

Sato Vritteh - Following in the footsteps of previous acaryas

Sato Vritteh - Following in the footsteps of previous acaryas

This book was written by Swami B. A. Paramadvaiti. Here he talks about different pastimes of many acaryas vaisnavas, who were always preaching with their example, and were teaching us how to love and serve the humanity in connection with the Truth.

More you cna find here:  http://satovritteh-book.blogspot.com/

January

OM Club in Vrinda Kunja ahram

Der Omclub ist ein für alle offener Veranstaltungsort. Unsere Veranstaltungen widmen sich Kunst und Kultur und orientieren sich vor allem an einer ganzheitlichen spirituellen Entwicklung der Persönlichkeit, mehr als an der reiner künstlerischer Fähigkeiten. Wir wollen an diesem Ort gleichzeitig einen inneren Ort erschaffen, einen Ort im Herzen für alle diejenigen, die wie wir auf der Suche sind nach einem spielerischen, offenen und liebevollen Weg zur Bewußtwerdung unser ganz eigenen spirituellen Identität.

Der Omclub Berlin veranstaltet jede Woche in Eigenregie organisierte Workshops, bei denen jeder, der mag kostenlos mitmachen kann.

Der Omclub Berlin versteht sich als offener Ort für kreative Unruhe und neue Ideen, welche weiteren künstlerisch-spirituellen Aktivitäten an diesem Kreativ-Ort in Reinickendorf stattfinden können.

Aktuell bieten wir wöchentlich an bestimmten Tagen (freitags und sonnabends) die Möglichkeit, Alternativ- oder Independent-Filme – professionelle wie Amateurarbeiten – zu präsentieren. Alle Videokünstler sind herzlich eingeladen, ihre Arbeiten mit uns und dem Publikum zu teilen.

Der Ort verfügt über eine kleine Theaterbühne, Beleuchtung, Soundanlage und einiges mehr, um die künstlerischen Ansprüche aller Beteiligten zu sättigen.

Es geht uns darum, die Möglichkeit zu eröffnen, sich zu begegnen, andere Kulturen und ihre Menschen kennenzulernen, und dies zu keinem größeren oder geringeren Zweck als dem zu TEILEN: Erleben, Erlebnisse und Gewohnheiten genauso wie (auch das gehört dazu) die Schattenseiten des menschlichen Daseins auf diesem kleinen Planeten Erde. Wir scheinen so unterschiedlich, so getrennt und so entfernt zu sein... aber im Grunde.... ist dies nur eine weitere Illusion.

Kinder sind für den Omclub Berlin die Ehrengäste. Aktuell suchen wir Menschen mit Interesse an der alten Kunst des Puppentheaters, um Szenarien zu schreiben, Puppen zum Leben zu verhelfen, Musikeffekte zu erschaffen und  schließlich zu spielen. Natürlich möchten wir unser künstlerisches Tun an dem „universellen Bewußtsein“ ausrichten, daß – quasi einen Wimpernschlag in der Geschichte später...sei es nun Fluch oder Segen – die Kinder von heute die Großeltern von morgen sein werden. Wir wünschen uns, daß diese Großeltern zufriedene, liebevolle Großeltern sein werden, weise und voll de Gefühls der Dankbarkeit.

Der Omclub Berlin finanziert sich dank der Unterstützung von Freunden und anderen nahestehenden Menschen, die uns monatlich oder gelegentlich ihre Zuwendung geben. Dies tun sie von ganzem Herzen, großzügig und mit natürlicher spontaner Geste.


mehr für Vrinda Kunja ashram in Berlin: http://vrindakunja.de/

Intensive memories.....JAY GURU DEVA!!!

 

 

Asthanga-Bhakti Yoga Seminar

7 & 8 of January ´11. Asthanga-Bhakti Yoga Seminar. Start your new year with new energy in body and soul with the original mexican yoga teachers Erika and Salomon. Enjoy of a refreshening Asthanga Yoga Routine, followed by a relaxing Bhakti Mantras Session. No skills in singing or yoga required. Tee included. Inbound School of Yoga, invalidenstrasse 145, 10115 Berlin.
5-7 p.m.

2 Days Seminar: 22€
1 Day: 12€
Totally free (kostenlos) for Hindu Gemeinde Members

Maharaj Swami in Berlin

Mothly activities for December

Conecting with the nectar

Guru Maharaj,aug ´10,Kurukshetra mandir,Berlin,Germany

Dear friends,I want to share with you a link,where you can conect with the nectar of Guru Deva,Paramadvaiti Swami,and his present morning lectures from Sri Vrindavan dham,India.They are from this kartik month and  lot of them are in english.Guru Maharaj is always trying to enthusiast us that we are in touch with the Vrinda family around the world,becouse this gives is the chanse to don´t live only in our own little world.It is a mercy,which keeps us conected with the instructions of our beloved master and opens us a horizont,where we can see much more love and joy in all.Please,try to be as much conected as posible.This is just for your own happiness.:)

http://es.justin.tv/vrindaconferencias/b/274558593

 

Guru Maharaj,kartik 2010,Vrinda Kunj,India

And another great mercy is the weekly sunday chat,which is a wonderful way that we keep us always updated with the latest instructions of Guru Deva and our brothers and sisters around the world.If you have a computer and you don´t know how to conect with the chat,please,ask a devotee around you who can help.And if you don´t have or you are too busy in that time of sunday,the devotees from Sweeden are also revealing their mercy to make the service to edit and corect the english translation of the chat and send it to many devotees by email,every week.You can see the chats here :

http://sunday-chat.blogspot.com/

If you want your email to be added to this newsletter or you want to share coments on the chats,you can write to the devotees from Nimai Huset.If this is also a dificulty,contact us in Kurukshetra:) Here we also will have the chat again every week,so you can come and read it.

Be inspired,be conected with the nectar => conect yourself!It is very easy...Mercy is always there to save us!

Hari bol!

Radhe Radhey!

OKIs virtual marathon

From November 21 to 28th, the members of the Spoon Revolution Hill perform a virtual marathon of OKIS, and for this the idea is to “inundate” Internet with these messages of vegetarianism, ecology, love and respect for the animals.

The idea is that all the contacts and all the contacts of the contacts of the activists may have an OKI in their screens for the first time. Put OKIS in your profile picture, tag all yoour contacts, put them in the walls of your friends, OKIS´ slides in blogs and websites, send them by mail, so in this way, we can draw the attention of the people so they can be aware of this message.

This marathon will be full of surprises and it is known that a very big one will be there for the one who publishes more OKIs.

If you still do not know what´s an OKI, visit:

http://okipictures.blogspot.com/   (English)

http://okigraphics.blogspot.com/   (Spanish)

 …and join the marathon!!!

 

More about the campaign you can find here : http://maratonokis.blogspot.com/

Little nectar from Sri Vrindavan

Radhe Radhey!Some of us have the mercy to be in Sri Vrindavan dham for the month of kartik and the parikrama with our beloved Guru Maharaj.The circumstances don't allow me that i can share a lot of nectar with you,but later more posts and reports will come.Please be patient :)Here a few photos for you and wishings for a beautiful Diwali festival and specialy Govardhan puja festival tomorow!

The beautiful Vrinda Kunj Mandir

Their Lordhips Gouranga Radha Vraja Mohan

Paramadvaiti Swami always blessing us with his mercy.

Parikrama in the holly land of Love.Kesi ghat,where Krsna killed the Kesi deamon.

Visiting special places as Radha Damodhar temple...

Following the footsteps of the acharyas....

like Rupa Goswami.....

Singing the holly name....

The place where Krsna was decorating the hair of Radharani and the favorite place of Nityananda prabhu in Vrindavan....Please,notice the deities of Goura Nitai,often we meet Mahaprabhu in this form,but personaly  i have never seen Lord Nityananda with this position of the hands.And the deities in front of them are very special...

Chir ghat,where Krsna stole the clothes of the gopis.

 Guru Deva realy loves the holly dham.He is organising a lot of cleaning programs on the Yamuna and many other places from the parikrama.He is not only organising it but he is cleaning with his hands.Special is that he cleaned a few holly kundas throwing the garbage from inside with a stick.Guru Maharaj is great.

Cleaning the holly places cleans your heart.

And to pray for more purification in the month of kartik is even more intensive while cleaning the holly dham.

 

Today is Dewali festival and we are going to have a nice festival in Vrinda Kunj.After we wil visit Mungir mandir,the place of Sadhu Maharaj.Guru deva has a special meditations in this kartik giving us many homeowrks,questions to which we have to write an answer.In one of the next posts the topics will come,but the homework from today is:write a letter to krsna to explain him what do you realy want.This is a strong meditation n which we have to be honest.And also to be careful,becouse Krsna is going to read it and he is fulfilling all desires.Good luck.Radhe Radhe!!!

Govardhan fest

Diwali fest