What is the role of the Kirtan leader, spiritually?
Q. Dear Bada Haridas, I led my first kirtan yesterday evening! I was wondering what is the role of the kirtan leader? I know that practically speaking they are playing an instrument and singing the mantra for the group to repeat, but what is their job spiritually? I felt a little bit nervous to take […]
When Krishna hides
Q. You were saying we can call out to the Lord and sometimes He can make Himself known, whereas at other times He may remain hidden. What were some experiences you have had in situations like these? Krishna and Balarama hiding from Mother Yasoda Radhe Shyam Alachua Krishna Hiding from the Gopis A. Krishna is […]
Chanting from the heart
Q. Your response was extremely encouraging, enthusing and refreshing to hear. Especially the part about it being an arrangement to learn to chant from the heart. With renewed vigor and patience I am going to try to do this. Meditation on the Holy Name of Krishna A. Thank you. I’m glad it was helpful. One […]
Japa meditation — beyond the physical body and mind
Q. Dear Bada Haridas, You may remember I emailed you regarding the japa workshop and you sent me some wonderful prayers that were also very helpful. After watching the workshop, trying to apply all the principles and making japa the central focus of my day I have to say my japa was revolutionized for about […]
Krishna, the Great Enchanter
Thank you for your blessings. Yes, I can personally attest to the unending stream of distractions. I was quite surprised when you said: “But we can develop some taste for chanting when we feel that chanting is our chance to escape the mundane mind and have the association of Radha and Krishna on the spiritual […]
Appreciate the Opportunity before you
Dear Bada Haridas, Thank you for such a thoughtful, well laid out and helpful email. I really appreciate how much effort you put into your response. Today I had the day off and was home alone so I decided to give things a try. I read through your email again and noted the key points. […]
Visiting Israel in September, in the midst of turmoil
As the conflict in Syria heightened, reports of chemical weapons made international news. Just a week before our scheduled visit, there was some uncertainty whether to go forward with our plans to visit Israel. The USA, UK, Israel and Turkey all looked like they might become involved, willingly or unwillingly, in war with Syria. In […]
JAPA — Our Time to be with Krishna
Question Dear Bada Haridas, I’ve been reading your blog posts and I really enjoy the question and answers format and content. I wanted to express my appreciation for your insights, suggestions, lifestyle, kirtan, everything. You are very inspiring to me and I am grateful to have your association. I hope that you come for a […]
Yoga and Peace
by Steven J. Rosen (Satyaraja Dasa) As a teenager coming of age in the 1960s, I was preoccupied with spirituality. I had become disinterested in the mainstream religion of my forbears, and I was passionately looking for a path that spoke directly to me as an individual. I didn’t want some amorphous, otherworldly transcendence, either […]
The Unheard World of Sound
Human beings are physically unable to perceive certain portions of the known vibratory spectrum. While extremely sensitive to sound waves of about 1,000 to 4,000 cycles per second (cps), man is all but deaf beyond 20,000 cycles per second. Dogs and cats, on the other hand, can hear up to 60,000 cps, while mice, bats, […]