Radhadesh Mellows Hare Krishna bhajans

To say they are fabulous is saying the least....... No words to describe the flow of bakthi and great love for the godhead.

So many beautiful kirtaniyas........ Bada Haridasa Dasa, Achyuta Gopi, Anantha Govinda, Chakrini devi, Jahnavi Harrison, to name a few.

I like ISKCON way of devotion as it is focussed on so many real bakthi fronts, like observing Ekadashi fast, bhajans and kirtans, simple living, mahamantra japa (16 rounds each day), book distribution and so forth.

Whereas I'm from South of India where our focus had been all the while more on temple worship, reciting slokas and such. Not many even do Shaligrama puja or recite the mahamantra. Very rarely a few worship via abhishekams and archanas. But not the everyday worshiper does that even.

To me, ISKCON way of worship means a lot.

Jai Srila Prabhupad ki!

Viraja said:

I like ISKCON way of devotion as it is focussed on so many real bakthi fronts, like observing Ekadashi fast, bhajans and kirtans, simple living, mahamantra japa (16 rounds each day), book distribution and so forth.

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#MeToo

I stayed in the Ashram together with my Master for 10 years.

We had daily lining up (04h30) for Omkaram (5h20) in the sanctum sanctorum followed with meditation in the temple. Then ca. 45 minutes of Nagara Sankirtan. Then Darshan of the Master, followed by 1 hour Bhajans. And then in the Afternoon something similar. Took me a while, being a Dutch engineer, to drop my scientific mind and start enjoying it. But after being in the Ashram for like 3 years, I just loved this routine

These were the best 10 years of my life, I am for ever greatfull that my Master called me and 'invited' me to stay for so long.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba Ki, Jai

stvdv said:

#MeToo

I stayed in the Ashram together with my Master for 10 years.

We had daily lining up (04h30) for Omkaram (5h20) in the sanctum sanctorum followed with meditation in the temple. Then ca. 45 minutes of Nagara Sankirtan. Then Darshan of the Master, followed by 1 hour Bhajans. And then in the Afternoon something similar. Took me a while, being a Dutch engineer, to drop my scientific mind and start enjoying it. But after being in the Ashram for like 3 years, I just loved this routine

These were the best 10 years of my life, I am for ever greatfull that my Master called me and 'invited' me to stay for so long.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba Ki, Jai

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By Ashram then I assume you mean Saibaba's ashrama. That is a lot of devotional practice indeed. Enough to tame the mind! I am not employed (outside the home that is) these days and I long for such an ashrama life... at least I want to have an early retirement, at Vrindavana or Mayapur in India and get a chance to visit Radhamadhava every single day of my life! At my age, turning back, I gather the simple living and prarthanas have yielded a more fruitful and fulfilling feeling to me than anything else. I can envision how enriching your 10 yrs at ashram might have been!

Haribol.

Viraja said:

By Ashram then I assume you mean Saibaba's ashrama.

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Yes, I stayed with Sai Baba

Viraja said:

That is a lot of devotional practice indeed. Enough to tame the mind!

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True, Bhakti is a good way to tame the mind, and for me it was the easier way, mainly because I was with a living Guru.

Although, even reading about those amazing Gurus in India takes me to Heaven. I have never read so many books (on Saints) as when I was in the Ashram.

You really have a wonderful and unique culture in India; so rich and amazing. Once I went to Rishikesh, and just walking there felt so amazing. We have in Holland nothing that comes even close to this.

Viraja said:

I long for such an ashrama life... at least I want to have an early retirement, at Vrindavana or Mayapur in India and get a chance to visit Radhamadhava every single day of my life!

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I can imagine you long for such a life

It was the best time of my life, but not the easiest for me. I went through a lot of cleansing, The first 7 years I was really sick most of the time. The last 3 years were easier; not sick so much any more, while being in the Ashram.

I wish your dream come through, and you can spend time in your Ashram with early retirement. Sounds good.

Shri Hari!

Great to hear both experiences, and I am so happy for both of you.
I am so happy for you VirajA that you have found your home sampraday,

I agree with your observation, but Shri VaishNavs were champions of the archanA-abhishek wing of the navadha bhakti :
shravaNam kirtanaM vishnoh,
smaraNam vandanam archanam,
dAsyam sakhyam Atma-nivedanam

GaurAng (Chaitanya Mahaprabhu) took 2 good/best things from each of the 4 established/authenticated VaishNav sampradAy ,

From Sri VaishNavs (Shri Sampraday - Lakshmi) : he took archanam and dAsyam with vandanam overlapping
From Hamsa sampraday of NimbarkAcharya - Yugal Kishore worship (pair) and the corresponding bhAv
From Madhwa -- philosophical clarity, siddhAnta, ontology, theology
From PushTi kul -- Kumar Sampraday of VallabhAchArya --- bhAv , kirtan, KanhA at home, tanu-vitteja seva, philosophy

stvdv said:

It was the best time of my life, but not the easiest for me. I went through a lot of cleansing, The first 7 years I was really sick most of the time. The last 3 years were easier; not sick so much any more, while being in the Ashram.

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I listened to Bakthi Vikas Swami's lecture on "how ISKCON Vellore rocks and he has said about how residential sadhus there have to bear with or rather 'live with' no electricity, lie down on floors alone, get up very early in the morning and clean toilets on turns, etc, along with strict devotional and regulatory/purificatory routines and I learnt that contrary to imagining that ashrama life is always relaxing and cheerful, that in reality a true ashrama's goal is to change the individual from within and thus is challenging, to say the least. Thank you for sharing your experiences!

ameyAtmA said:

Shri Hari!

Great to hear both experiences, and I am so happy for both of you.
I am so happy for you VirajA that you have found your home sampraday,

I agree with your observation, but Shri VaishNavs were champions of the archanA-abhishek wing of the navadha bhakti :
shravaNam kirtanaM vishnoh,
smaraNam vandanam archanam,
dAsyam sakhyam Atma-nivedanam

GaurAng (Chaitanya Mahaprabhu) took 2 good/best things from each of the 4 established/authenticated VaishNav sampradAy ,

From Sri VaishNavs (Shri Sampraday - Lakshmi) : he took archanam and dAsyam with vandanam overlapping
From Hamsa sampraday of NimbarkAcharya - Yugal Kishore worship (pair) and the corresponding bhAv
From Madhwa -- philosophical clarity, siddhAnta, ontology, theology
From PushTi kul -- Kumar Sampraday of VallabhAchArya --- bhAv , kirtan, KanhA at home, tanu-vitteja seva, philosophy

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That is such a marvelous information!

As a Srivaishnava myself, I can tell it for a fact that modern days, not too many staunch devotees can be seen and to see such devotees, you have to reside near some place like Sri Rangam perhaps.

When I grew up, my family did not even pray to Ranganatha or Krishna, they were devoted to other devatas. Not that my family was not devout, they were truly devoted to these other devatas and were regular temple-goers and that was the norm around where we lived - Srivaishnas were rather devoted to anyone they liked, and not strictly Vaishnava gods.

In olden days, saints like Ramanujacharya advocated living in a kshetra like Melkote and practice 'prapatti' (total surrender to god) in order to make spiritual progress! The above para perhaps explains why he chose to advocate this.

ISKCON seems to advocate strict guidelines and there are lot of gurujis and dedicated followers to keep oneself motivated. That is why I like the organization.

Thank you for sharing such a precious piece of information!

Viraja said:

ISKCON seems to advocate strict guidelines and there are lot of gurujis and dedicated followers to keep oneself motivated. That is why I like the organization.

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Of Course. Agreed.
Shrila PrabhupAd made it a hub and haven for those who make/choose Gaudita Vaishnav dharma as their path/goal..

Thank you for sharing such a precious piece of information!

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Any time!

Hare KRshNa