Jayadvaita Swami

You may have seen things on the internet written by "Madhudvisa Dasa." And you may have wondered, Is this the Madhudvisa, the senior disciple of Srila Prabhupada? Or perhaps you assumed it was. In fact, there are two Madhudvisas, two entirely different people. The senior Madhudvisa Dasa The junior Madhudvisa Dasa Age: 61 Nationality: American Civil name: Michael Morrissey Initiation: First and second initiation in 1968, both ceremonies performed directly by Srila Prabhupada. First initiation in San Francisco, … [Read more...] about Is this Madhudvisa that Madhudvisa?

For those who doubt we live in a world where peace can be attained, I saw this advertisement today in Leicester, UK, in the window of a mortician: "Discover the peace of mind that comes from planning and paying towards your funeral." … [Read more...] about How to achieve peace of mind

Mr. William F. Buckley, Jr., the politically conservative founder of the magazine National Review, an opinionated intellectual whose views I have sometimes agreed with, sometimes disagreed with, and often not known or cared about but whose skill as a writer I have often admired, died on Wednesday at 82. Among his other roles, for thirty-three years he served as host and combatant on "Firing Line," a television program of highbrow discussion and debate. An article today in The New York Times about Mr. Buckley and his program relates an anecdote told by Richard Brookhiser, a conservative … [Read more...] about Mr. Ginsberg and Mr. Buckley

I subscribe to a free e-mail newsletter that arrives twice a month with brief extracts from valuable Krishna conscious writings. In the latest issue I found these instructions from Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, which I thought I'd share: varjile e saba sanga sadhu ninda naya ihake ye ninda bale sei varjya haya One should avoid the association of persons who criticize saintly devotees. ei saba sanga chadi ananya-sarana krsna-nama kari paya krsna-prema-dhana Anyone who avoids these persons, chants Krishna's holy name, and takes shelter of Krishna and no one else attains … [Read more...] about Avoiding bad association

In Vrindaban, India, on the evening of December 22, my godbrother Vibhu Chaitanya Dasa, a pure devotee of Krishna, passed away from this world, surrounded by devotees singing the Hare Krishna mantra. He was 84 years old. Vibhu Chaitanya joined the followers of our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, in 1975. Some time earlier in Kolkata, Vibhu Chaitanya had renounced family life, and now he showed up at the Krishna-Balarama Temple in Vrindaban and asked to join. Srila Prabhupada’s followers at that time, mostly Westerners in their twenties, quickly warmed to this humble, joyful Bengali … [Read more...] about The departure of a pure-hearted soul

The BBT's digital edition of the Monier-Williams Sanskrit Dictionary does work under Windows Vista, once you've replaced an old font file with a new one. Without the fix, a few diacritical characters won't show up. With the fix, all works fine. Here's the fix: Download this zip archive. (It's small: 5 KB). Extract the file MWD.FON and put it in your Monier-Williams Dictionary folder, replacing the old version of the file. You're done. Thank you to Ramakanta Dasa, who wrote the dictionary program, for providing the fix. If you don't already have the dictionary, it's … [Read more...] about The Monier-Williams Sanskrit Dictionary: Fix for Windows Vista

My latest reading: "Greetings from Vrindāvana" by Dhanurdhara Swami. This 206-page book, smartly designed, consists of entries from a journal Dhanurdhara Swami kept in 2000 through 2003 and shared with friends and followers. The entries are full of deep, thoughtful insights into Vaishnava philosophy and practical spiritual life. Dhanurdhara Swami takes us on tour with him as he leads friends from New York on pilgrimage in Mayapur and Vrindavana. What a zesty mix--America and India, metropolis and village, modernity and eternity, New York and Vrindavana! The pilgrims encounter saintly … [Read more...] about “Greetings from Vrindavana” published