From the Editor's Desk |
The
all-pervading Supreme Lord resides in our heart, playing hide-and-seek.
If we can discover Him, we can attain the infinite, eternal bliss.
However, our finite mind and intellect cannot realize Him, unless He
bestows His grace upon us. He does that on only one condition - nishkām prem (selfless love.)
It
is our love for God that "opens the door to the impossible and makes
way for the inaccessible," says Swami Mukundananda ji. When Shree
Krishna descended, He bestowed upon us that rare opportunity to fill our
heart and mind with that selfless love.
|
 | Bhakti Ras
Why Did Shree Krishna Descend?
When
Sage Narad came to know that God has descended to earth in Dwapar yug,
he went to Nand Baba's palace in Gokul, to have His darshan. When Narad
ji reached, what he witnessed there bewildered him. He saw a
two-year-old boy tugging on to a middle-aged woman's sari, crying,
stamping and flailing his feet, and begging, "Maiya, take me into your
lap." 
Narad
ji, who had gone to have the darshan of God, wondered which one of them
- the child or the woman - was God. The soul is the one that usually
pleads and begs God, "O Lord, I have fallen into the deep, dark ocean of
Maya, please grant me your support and take me into your lap." Since
the child was crying and pleading, Narad ji first thought he must be the
soul and the woman must be God, but he remembered that God has
descended in the male form. Once this thought came to him,
shedding tears and contemplating on how blessed mother Yashoda was, he
marveled:
किम् ब्रूमस्त्वाम् यशोदे कति कति सुक्रतक्षेत्र व्रिन्दानि पूर्वम् ग़त्वा कीहग्विधनैहि कति कति सुक्रितह् न्यर्जितनि त्वयैव
kim bruumastvaam yashode kathi kathi sukrati kshetre vrindani purvam, Gatwaa kiihagvidhanaihi kati kati sukritah nyarjitani twayaiva
"Mother
Yashoda, what spiritual practices did you do, that God is yearning to
come into your lap? What devotion did you do to attain this exalted
position of being his mother?"
Mother Yashoda was blessed to feed Him, bathe Him, and rock Him to sleep. The Purushotham (Supreme Divine Personality,) who measured the three worlds with three steps in Vamana avatar, allowed Yashoda to teach him how to walk. The Sarvavyaapak (All Pervading Lord) allowed her to bind him with a rope! Why does He perform these leelas? Or for that matter, why does He descend?
There are several reasons for His descension, but the most important of all is, as Vyas Bhagavan says:
भवेऽस्मिन्क्लिश्यमानानामविद्याकामकर्मभिः श्रवणस्मरणार्हाणि करिष्यन्निति केचन bhave'sminkliśyamānānāmavidyākāmakarmabhiḥ ṣravaṇasmaraṇāhāṇi kariṣyanniti kechana (Bhagavatam - 1.8.35)
"You
descend for the welfare of the suffering souls, giving them a chance to
relish the sweetness of devotion by hearing, remembering, and
worshiping you."
Out of His causeless mercy and benevolence, He
descends in His loving form to nurture love in our hearts. He makes one
soul his father, another mother, and another friend, yet another servant
or beloved. Hiding His almightiness and bound by the love of these
blessed souls, He displays amazing leelas, which become a basis for our bhakti (devotion.)
When
we contemplate on Shree Krishna's glorious names, splendid form,
sublime virtues, and delightful pastimes, the joy we attain is
boundless. Why is that so? It is because He is an ocean of infinite
bliss, and we souls are his tiny parts. Therefore, we are naturally
drawn to this bliss, as everything is madhuram (sweet) about the Madhuradhi Pati, the Supreme Lord of Sweetness! |
| | Inspirations for Living
Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum 
When Vasudev sent Shree Krishna to Sandipani Muni's ashram to obtain
spiritual knowledge, the all-knowing Supreme Lord resided in the ashram
like any other common disciple did. Following the instructions of His
guru, He served him with great devotion. The Sarva Vidyā Pravartak
(the originator of knowledge) played the role of an ordinary human
disciple for sixty-four days, receiving Vedic knowledge from Sandipani
muni, only to set an example of how one needs to be humble and receive
the true knowledge from the right source. Behind His every
divine leela, there is a loving instruction for us, but it is hard to
discern as we have material intellect. Unless we have the grace of
Hari-Guru, we cannot comprehend the leelas that He performed as a child,
cowherd, brother, beloved, disciple, messenger, charioteer, warrior,
and in myriad other roles. However, the one instruction that is apparent
not only in Bhagavad Gita, but also in His leelas is how to
remain unaffected by this world. From the moment He descended, no matter
what leela He was performing - either playing with gwalaks, or
annihilating the demons, or imparting knowledge on the battlefield of
Kurukshetra - the sweet, captivating smile never left His radiant
face. That smile, which shelters us from the worldly despair, is
His tender directive. The poet, Leelashuka states: मधुरतरस्मिताऽमृतविमुग्धमुखाम्बुरुहम्
मदशिखिपिञ्छिलाङ्छितमनोज्ञकचप्रचयम्।
विषयविषामिषग्रसनगृध्नुनिचेतसिमे
विपुल विलोचनम् किमपि धाम चकास्ति चिरम्॥
madhuratarasmita mritavimugdhamukhamburuham
mada shikhi pinhcha lanhchita manogna kacha prachayam|
vishaya vishamisha grasana gridhnuni cetasi me
vipula vilocanam kimapi dhama cakastaciram||
(Krishna Karnamrutam, 1- 5)
"Let
His attractive lotus-like countenance that is more lustrous with His
ambrosial smile, and His curling locks decorated with peacock feather
that enthralls His devotees, forever shine within my heart, which was
tantalized by the sense objects due to separation from Shree Krishna." Only
through such contemplation, we can steer away from Maya, the material
world. The gopis are the quintessential example of how we can practice
it. They thought of Shree Krishna incessantly. Whether they were milking
the cows, churning the butter, picking up the cow dung, cleaning their
house, or working in the fields, they were engrossed in His thoughts. So
did Arjun, who followed this instruction of Shree Krishna to the
letter: सर्वेषु कालेषु मामनुस्मर युध्य च (sarveṣhu kāleṣhu mām anusmara yudhya cha)
"Always remember me and do your duty of fighting the war"
This
is the glaring instruction that our compassionate Jagadguru has given
us in Bhagavat Gita and this is what He modeled in His pastimes. |
| | Bal-Mukund: Playground for Vedic Wisdom
Bala Krishna Showered Joy upon Gokul One
day, a gopi was busy cooking, but every now and then, she was coming
out of the kitchen and was checking the butter pot that she had in the
courtyard. Although she hung the butter pot high so that the children
cannot reach it, she did not know when Krishna, the mischievous butter
thief would sneak in with his friends to steal the butter. When she went
back for the fourth time to check on her butter, she saw exactly what
she was waiting for since that morning. The
butter pot was on the floor; Krishna and His friends were comfortably
seated around the pot. Without making any noise, He was slowly taking
out little butterballs with both hands, and was eating while feeding his friends. When the gopi walked out of
the kitchen, all His friends ran away, but Krishna continued relishing
the butter, as he could not see the gopi standing behind Him. The gopi,
although she knew who he was, she slowly walked close to him and
grabbing him by his shoulder she asked, "Who are you?" Krishna, without any trace of fear and with a cheeky grin said, "I am the younger
brother of Balaram." The gopi pretending to be upset questioned, "Why
are you here?" Krishna, widening his already big lotus eyes said,"Oh,
this is not my house? I thought it was" and tried to wiggle his shoulder
free from her grasp.
Surprised at his quick-witted answer, and tightening her grip on his shoulder, she asked, "Why did you take down that pot?"
"I lost my murali
(flute) this morning; I was searching for it in this pot. Nevertheless,
who are you? Why are you pestering me with these questions?" said
Krishna freeing himself from her grip, and ran away like the wind.
The
gopi stood there disappointed for letting him go so quickly. Bala
Krishna was irresistibly beautiful in every way. He was so attractive
that everyone in Gokul was drawn to him naturally. His mesmerizing
looks, his nectarous smiles, his exuberant boyish pranks, and his
hypnotizing flute always filled Gokul with love, laughter, and
joy! |
| | Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas |
Friday, Nov 6th, 2015
South Fork Ranch, 3700 Hogge Dr. Parker, TX 75002 All proceeds go toward building the temple right here in our community! | |
|
| | Community Events
 
The
Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas recently hosted a very successful series
of yoga, meditation, and lectures by Swami Mukundananda ji in Frisco,
Allen, and Dennison, that deeply touched the community. These
events drew large crowds of all ages from different backgrounds, and
inspired many to join the JKYog's local activities in the Dallas
metroplex, including the weekly satsangs.
During the Secrets of Spiritual Sadhana program, Swamiji shed light on the true meaning of bhakti (devotion) and helped us understand our eternal relationship with God. With the transforming series of lectures on The Art of Mind Management, Swamiji took us on a profound journey into the mind, giving us a sovereign formula on how to attain peace and contentment.
The Labor Day weekend retreat began in a festive mood with the devotional chanting, dancing, and showering baby Krishna with selfless love on the day of Janmashtami. Taking Maharshi Patanjali's Yog Sutras as the central theme for this retreat, Swamiji explained how these sutras provide tools to live our life purposefully. Swamiji further described how to use the path of sadhan bhakti, yoga, and meditation, to master our mind and attract the grace of God. The outdoors Parikrama
with Swamiji is indescribable; it gave us an opportunity to experience
the divine bliss, especially while observing Swamiji's state, which
reminded many of the almost natkhat leelas of Bal-Gopal. |
Upcoming Community Events
Family Picnic and Satsang with Swami Mukundananda
Join us for fun-filled walks, talks, and much more on Saturday, 17 October 2015.
Do not miss this wonderful opportunity to interact with Swamiji and the
like-minded devotees of the Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas. Watch
out for more details in the coming weeks at: |
Other Ongoing Community Events
From
weekly satsangs and chanting groups to yoga classes and intellectual
discourse, the Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas is already becoming known
for its voluntary activities for the benefit the community.
|
 | Weekly Satsangs
These
satsangs truly propel one in the ocean of bhakti through a combination
of prayer, singing bhajans/kirtans, viewing a video lecture, and
followed by arati, and Prasad.
For local satsang information visit: www.radhakrishnatemple.net or [email protected]. |
|
|  | | Bhagavad Gita
Study Group | Free Community
Yoga Classes | Vishnu Sahashra
Naam Chanting At: 4020 Sendero Trail
Plano, TX 75024
On: 1st Sat, 3 to 4 PM
Details & Registration |
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|
 |  'Dollar A Day' - Pledge Continuous Support! Donate a Dollar a Day towards the building and upkeep of the Radha Krishna temple! By donating just $1 everyday,
you'll help this noble cause!
How many of us have the opportunity and are fortunate enough to build a house for God? Set up monthly contributions through credit card/debit card by calling: 860-605-3685 or by visiting temple website at Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas (click). |
|
| | Wellness for Life
Is the Grass Really Greener on the Other Side? No,
not really, we just suffer from this greener-grass syndrome. When we
meet those who have less than we do, we feel elated; if we run into
someone who has more than we do, we feel dejected. In other words, we
are never happy with what we have. In fact, our scriptures say that
there is no happiness until all the way up to Brahma lok, the highest
abode in this material universe. There is no end to the desires, which
always leave us unhappy. So, is there a cure for this greener-grass syndrome? Yes, there is. The Taittiriya Upanishad states: रसो वैसः रसं ह्येवायं लब्ध्वानन्दी भवति
raso vai saḥ rasaṁ hyevāyaṁ labdhvā 'nandī bhavati (2.7.2)
"God is all-bliss. When the soul attains God, it becomes satiated in bliss."
When
we understand that our soul is a tiny part of God, and that our Eternal
Father has made this world to maintain the body, which allows us to
tread on the spiritual path and cultivate devotion, we detach from this
world. Since our body is made of the same five elements that this world
is made of, the subject of body is the world. Where as the subject of
the soul is God, so our real happiness is in God. The material pleasures
can never fulfill the spiritual yearning of the soul. There are
two worlds - outer world and inner world. While God created the outer
world, we create our inner world. The external world stops tormenting us
when we fill our internal world with selfless love for God. Therefore,
we need to purify our inner world. How do we do that? Shree Krishna gave
us the ultimate medicinal formula for the mind - Karm Yog, to
fix our mind in Him while performing our worldly duties. Carry out every
task in loving devotion of God. That's when we naturally become
indifferent to the material pleasures. "This detachment that comes
through devotion is firm and unshakable," says Swami Mukundananda ji. |
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