Many people have noted that their trips to Vrndavan begin with a period of transition and turbulence until one experiences the nature of the dham (place of residence of the Lord) Grumpy old Jewish gray stubblehead, Carries worries around like a crumpled brown bag with numbers written on it. Lord Balarama hooks it with his…

Just a Touch If one has even the smallest amount of faith in Krishna, the Deities, our sadhana, it should be acknowledged. If there is faith, understanding will follow. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, letter to Bob Cohen (Brahma Tirtha), June 16, 1972. Do I have faith? I told my friend, walking through Brooklyn streets to see…

Perhaps all devotees wonder at some point if the Lord can hear their chanting, their prayers, their inner lives. The desire to have Him respond is in itself sufficient to begin the establishment of faith, and His response occurs without delay. . Pretending to tire, Lord Baladeva laid His head upon the lap of a…

I walked through downtown Brooklyn streets, in these days converted into upscale homes, looking for the site of my inspiration fifty years earlier. It was an eerie moment, finding the place of so much excitement but also turmoil in my life. It had existed in memory as a collection of strong experiences, waiting for the…

In the early days of the pandemic, people took to crafts and activities they could do at home. So many people baked bread that the supermarkets ran out of flour. I decided I would try to learn how to cook foods pleasing to Krishna. I used Yamuna devi’s masterful cookbook and began to gather ingredients….

In my youth, I had a strong attraction for Krsna consciousness and the life in the temple at Henry Street in Brooklyn. I made the decision to enter that life, but couldn’t maintain it for very long. After that, I spent many years away from it, but it was never far from my thoughts. “…

*Phil and Rieko are dear friends. As graduate students in Madison, Wisconsin, we often drank tea in their perfect little apartment. Phil chose mysterious selections from his tea collection – Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and the prized Red Rose teabags. We sometimes sat in silence and let our thoughts roam. Phil poured from a tiny teapot,…

*It is said that devotees would rub Srila Prabhupada with mustard oil, and he attributed his good health to those massages. Following Harivilas suggestion, I soaked my new beads in mustard oil and dried them in the sun. I did not stop there, I applied mustard oil all over myself. One heats it, and notes…