Sunday, February 9

We end our eParikrama right here in the Sri Sri Krsna-Balarama Mandir in the heart of Sri Vrndavana dhama. We meditate on the holy dhama through the harinama and pray that we are able to evolve our consciousness so that we are always situated in Vrndavana. Check out Maharaja’s kirtans and lectures below, along with a few photos, from his many journeys to Vrndavana over the years.

We are in Vrndavana to collect some spiritual fortune. That is why we came. We need something to take back; something that will give us a little more strength in our chanting and absorption in the Srimad-Bhagavatam; something to overcome our material desires which usually bother us like flies buzzing around. You can chase them away but they always come back. We need a tail to deal with all these flies. Animals do, and since we are two-legged animals, we also need one. For all these material desires we do have a tail; we have a sikha and the ladies have a braid. (laughter) If you do not have a tail then you are in trouble and the flies will get you. I have got a mini tail that does not want to grow. What to do? (laughter) The point I am trying to make is that we need more spiritual strength. So this Vrndavana parikrama is for that. Going to these places gives us mercy by creating samskaras or impressions.

Jiva Goswami states in his Bhakti Sandarbha that Vrndavana is a state of consciousness. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta once said that there is an intimate correlation between nama (the holy name) and dhama (the holy land). He said that it is only within the dhama that the nama fully manifests. Of course, where there is namadhama becomes manifest, but dhama means ‘the state of consciousness of Vrndavana’. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “My mind is like Vrndavana.” He said that for most people, the mind and the heart is the same; whatever they desire, that is where the mind will be. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was speaking in the mood of Srimati Radharani to Krsna and he said, “But in my case, my mind is Vrndavana and since you like Vrndavana, please place your footsteps there, in my mind.” Vrndavana is that place which is cent per cent dedicated to the pleasure of Krsna. Everything in Vrndavana is simply an arrangement for the pleasure of Krsna. So by chanting, gradually our mind will become purified and gradually, Golokera prema-dhana, the entire wealth of Goloka will manifest in our mind. And we will become like the walking dhama; wherever we are, we will be in Vrndavana and we can transform places into Vrndavana like Srila Prabhupada did.

During my stay at the Krsna-Balarama mandir, initially, I was very impressed by the deities and the temple. But gradually it began to dawn on me that Prabhupada was even more prominently present in Vrndavana than Krsna. Krsna is present in Vrndavana everywhere! But I realized that in the Krsna-Balarama mandir, Prabhupada is even more present and that by satisfying Prabhupada’s desire, we will attain Krsna. That became very apparent to me. And suddenly, I understood the secret of the Hare Krsna movement. I understood that the sincerity, the dedication that I had mistaken for fanaticism, was actually found in the devotees’ love for Prabhupada. Because at the time when I joined, the movement consisted of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples. They were very sincere and dedicated simply because of their love for Prabhupada. That was a unique feature. That is the one thing this movement had over others, and we see that it brought about much greater changes in peoples’ lives.

In the end, the holy dhama is where we belong. In the dhama, the spiritual energy of the spiritual world is very much manifest. So in this way, this is our home!

Kadamba Kanana Swami Damodarastakam & Kirtan, Parikrama 2017, Sri Sri Krsna-Balarama Mandir, Vrndavana, India
Kadamba Kanana Swami Harinama, Parikrama 2017, Vrndavana, India
Kadamba Kanana Swami Lecture, Bhagavad-gita 9.26, Sri Sri Krsna-Balarama Mandir, Vrndavana, India
Kadamba Kanana Swami Kirtan, Parikrama 2017, Srila Prabhupada House, Sri Sri Krsna-Balarama Mandir, Vrndavana, India
Kadamba Kanana Swami Damodarastakam & Kirtan, Parikrama 2018, Sri Sri Krsna-Balarama Mandir, Vrndavana, India
Kadamba Kanana Swami Harinama, Parikrama 2018, Vrndavana, India
Kadamba Kanana Swami Lecture, Parikrama 2018, Russian House, Vrndavana, India
Kadamba Kanana Swami Kirtan, Parikrama 2019, Sri Sri Krsna-Balarama Mandir, Vrndavana, India
Kadamba Kanana Swami Kirtan, Parikrama 2019, Sri Sri Krsna-Balarama Mandir, Vrndavana, India
Kadamba Kanana Swami Kirtan, Parikrama 2019, Srila Prabhupada House, Sri Sri Krsna-Balarama Mandir, Vrndavana, India

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