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Ekadasi Eve

🤲 Preparing for the auspicious arrival – (♻️ post)

🤲 Preparing for the auspicious arrival – (♻️ post)

This Ekādaśī Eve, I’m reposting something I wrote for this mailing list a couple of years ago. Although it was originally written just before Nityānanda Trayodāśī in 2023, I feel it’s even more relevant to reflect on now, as we approach the Vyāsa-pūjā of Gurudeva, Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa

Finding My Anchor: The Benefit of Daily Reading with Friends

Finding My Anchor: The Benefit of Daily Reading with Friends

I had no idea how auspicious my visit to see Śrīpāda Tridandi Mahārāja in his humble dwelling, nestled in the jungly forest beside Svananda-sukhada-kuñja, would turn out to be. Now, looking back on that meeting nearly 4 ½ years ago, I am just beginning to understand what an impact it made.

“I do not know Kṛṣṇa at this time, but I do know my gurudeva.”

“I do not know Kṛṣṇa at this time, but I do know my gurudeva.”

Over the past ten days, our readings from A Life of Devotion – a biography written by Śrīmatī Devamayī Dīdī depicting the life and teachings of Śrīla Bhakti Pramoda Purī Gosvāmī Mahārāja – have been a source of great nourishment for me, and for the Ekādaśī posting today, I wanted to share

Kalyāṇa-kalpataru Overview – Introduction & First Branch

Kalyāṇa-kalpataru Overview – Introduction & First Branch

In 2012, I stayed at the Bhaktivedanta Research Centre (BRC) for a week to work on the abridged edition of Śrī Gauḍīya Gīti-guccha. If you're not familiar with it, the BRC is a library run by ISKCON, dedicated to collecting and preserving a vast collection of ancient Vaiṣṇava

Reorganizing My Life's Focuses

Reorganizing My Life's Focuses

I've previously shared a quote from Śrīla Vāmana Gosvāmī Mahārāja here about how Ekādaśī is a day for us assess ourselves and make necessary adjustments. It's been a while since I've done that, so in this post, I want to take the opportunity to

Śrīla Gurudeva's Rūpānugatva and the Meaning of Rūpānuga

Śrīla Gurudeva's Rūpānugatva and the Meaning of Rūpānuga

Tomorrow's Pavitrāropaṇa Ekādaśī marks the beginning of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda's five-day Jhūlana-yātrā festival—celebrated throughout Vraja and the entire world by devotees of various sampradāyas. After that comes the day, which, for us in our line, is probably the most significant occasion in the entire year:

From Śrīmad Bhāgavata to Caitanya Bhāgavata

From Śrīmad Bhāgavata to Caitanya Bhāgavata

In our daily Bhāgavatam reading today, the auspicious disappearance day of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, we have arrived at the culmination of Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī's seven-day bhāgavata-kathā to Parikṣit Mahārāja. The timing felt incredibly fitting: After three years of reading Bhāgavatam almost every day, we had the great opportunity on