Why This Site?

Principally, it serves the following instruction of Srila Prabhupada:

“Realization means you should write, every one of you, what is your realization…You write your realization, what you have realized about Krishna. That is required… Whenever you find time, you write. Never mind, two lines, four lines, but you write your realization…This is one of the functions of the Vaisnava. You are hearing, but you have to write also. This is cultivation of Krishna consciousness.”

Secondly, the participating writers create a forum for exchanging ideas and insights, with the intent of helping one another in his or her appreciation of Krishna consciousness. Continuing with Prabhupada’s instruction, “Hear, write, remember, try to understand…So that intelligence will come if you try to understand Krishna.” To this goal, responses from the other participants are expected and a section of the site is provided for such comments.

Finally, contributors are encouraged to direct friends and acquaintances to the site. If the articles are compelling, then other devotees, or general readers, may find it beneficial.

Twenty Reasons to Visit India

By Nalinikantha dasa

1- Increase your chanting and reading.
2- Austerities (the grueling travel and expenses, for example) empower you materially and spiritually.
3- Rid yourself of sins by bathing in the empowered water from the spiritual world, at Kumbha Mela in Haridwar; on the day of Chaitra Purnima, for example, the planetary combinations hadn’t been as powerful in 785 years.
4- Visit saintly people, such as the 105-year old naisthika brahmacari at Uttarakashi who gave us his invaluable blessings.
5- Spontaneously rise early after ignoring TV at night.
6- Give in charity by feeding 400 brahmanas for only $100.
7- Live for a week in a spiritual city where everyone is doing their devotional services…it transcended Woodstock by far!
8- Go to holy places like Sri Radha-Kunda, which confer increased love of Godhead.
9- See Srimate Radharani at the Krsna-Balaram Mandir in Vrndavan, who is most merciful and is the most beautiful Deity on this planet.
10- No dealing with mail and phone calls and “duties.”
11- Eat lighter, eat less, feel stronger.
12- Bow down at Sri Goverdhana Hill, Who is Krishna Himself.
13- See Srila Prabhupada in his room in Vrndavana, and remember the good times we had with His Divine Grace, and pray that we can get back to be with him eternally.
14- Buy devotional items for your Deities, and for yourself, at much less cost than at ISKCON stores.
15- Share your commitment to Srila Prabhupada with younger, foreign-born devotees who think they don’t have a relationship with him.
16- Pray at the Samadhi of Srila Rupa Goswami, who is our spiritual master (Jayadwaita’s mocking of such devotion notwithstanding) and who helped inspire Srila Prabhupada to come and lift us out of our darkness.
17- Try to actually think of self-realization.
18- Avoid looking at the beautiful women in the West. Sex drive is automatically reduced by going there.
19- Spend your earned money in a divine way.
20- Remember that Sri Vrndavan is our real home. Back to Home, Back to Godhead, my friends!

Nalinikanta das, April 2010

PS… I was fortunate to travel there for almost three weeks, with my wife Ratnesvari dasi,with Guru das from Denver, and with Pragitam from Boulder. Thanks for your encouragement and wonderful company