A Random Peek at Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th Ed.) mridanga n. [Skt.] : a drum of India that is shaped like an elongated barrel and has two heads of different diameters. Lord Caitanya favored the mridanga and had different drummers play in His sankirtana parties. It is an ideal accompaniment to Hare Krsna kirtana, one […]

February 26, 2019 I have already described the attack upon our house in Boston. We were also sometimes attacked when we went out on kirtana in public. One day, while we were chanting on the Boston Commons, on the grass, I saw in the distance a group of about ten Hells Angels. I dreaded that […]

February 10, 2019 In Caitanya-bhagavata, after Visvambhara takes sannyasa, He offers many prayers to the River Ganga. In fact, throughout the whole book the Ganga is very prominent. Lord Caitanya and some of His close associates sometimes jump into the Ganges with their clothes on when they hear blasphemy. Some persons who commit suicide do […]

February 4, 2019 I have a large photo of Radha-Madhava from Mayapura dhama that was mailed to me. The picture is 40 inches by 30 inches. It’s in my bedroom. When I wake up in the morning, I sit propped up with pillows facing the Deities. My feet are covered with blankets. There is a […]

February 1, 2019 Vapu (serving the guru in his personal presence) is considered less important than vani (following the instructions of the spiritual master). Vapu is temporary, whereas vani is eternal. But as long as the spiritual master is present in his spiritual body, the disciples must care for him and serve his vapu. I […]

January 23 We have just enjoyed seven weeks of expert Italian cooking, first by Manohara, and then by his wife Visakha. The Italian devotees in general love to cook for the devotees; they are so fond of their pasta preparations and offer them lovingly to their Guru and his associates. But Bala from Trinidad prefers […]

January 17, 2019 All I can think of to write is about the Caitanya-caritamrta that we are reading. That isn’t good. I must have other things for variety. Things about Viraha Bhavan, or thoughts on my mind. I am distracted by different troubles some of my disciples are having, but it’s not worth putting into […]

January 12, 2019 4:25 A.M. POEMS/From Every Day, Just Write. Caitanya-candrodaya has several times referred to the book as a “retrospective.” When a famous artist exhibits his paintings done over a period of years, they call the exhibit a retrospective. My book is a retrospective of my poetry. It was written in the late 1990s. […]