Newsletter June 2023

Dear devotees and dear Friends,

 Please accept our greetings and good wishes, all glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Finally, summer is knocking at the door! Here in Goloka Dhama, many extra services are becoming available in Radha Madana Mohan´s garden!

This month´s newsletter will have a particular thematic: “Visible and Invisible”

I remember a journey to Thailand in the year 1991. Intrigued by the peace and happiness of a poor population, my spiritual quest was reawakened. At that time, a voice seemed to speak in my heart: “There is something that you cannot see but you need to discover!”

So many things are visible to our eyes; nature, people, objects etc… But there are also things that we cannot see; like our self (the soul), the motivations, devotion and the thoughts of others! We can surely assume what other think but it is often an unsuccessful attempt.

Our life is mainly based on things we can perceive with our gross senses but is that the most important part of our life? Or is the most important thing lying in the invisible space of our heart. Is the amount of things we do in our life the most important or rather our intention that counts more?

In Bhakti, the intention is what makes the entire difference. In the kingdom of devotion, the invisible and unperceivable to our gross senses (the material energy) has not much importance anymore but our intention to please and connect with the Lord becomes the source of our real happiness. This is the foundation of Bhakti. Like the saying goes: “without intention, there is no devotion”!

Many years ago, as we were going out with devotees to sing the Holy Name in the streets of Zurich, my best devotee friend told me: “During our worship of the Holy Name, please keep the Holy Name in the foreground of your consciousness and all what you see around you in the back ground”. That was surprising but at the same time a powerful and inspiring meditation.

We often take life too real and forget its most important aspect. We get stuck in the visible and forget that the essence of our life is based and grounded in the spiritual dimension which is not directly perceivable by our gross senses. Therefore the Bhakti yogi is responsibly acting in this world but his main focus is rooted in his intention to please and glorify his dear Lord.

Narada Muni speaks about this very important ingredient of devotional love in devotional service. He says to Uddhava, "Indeed without love, the nine kinds of devotional service are like vegetables without salt, an elaborate meal without hunger, studying of these scriptures without understanding, or gardens without fruit." It is salt which brings out the qualities in vegetables, it is hunger which makes a meal attractive, and it is the understanding that makes your reading fruitful. In the same way, it is affectionate love which makes bhakti attractive, relishable, and also fruitful.

(written by Jay Sacinandana Prabhu)

Krishna´s pastimes take place on two levels. One is called aprakata or unmanifest. These pastimes go on eternally in the spiritual world. These everlasting and imperishable amusements are separated from the vision of ordinary materialists by a divider made of material energy. Only the rare human beings with the perfect spiritual realization can witness and participate in them.

The other level is called prakata or manifest. These pastimes take place in the material world. They are limited by time. As soon as the pastimes are over, they resume their play into another universe. Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura clarifies that in the prakata lila Krishna left Vrindavana to go to Mathura on the pretext of killing the evil king Kamsa. Although he promises to return soon, he never comes back. That drowns the dwellers of Vrindavana into an ocean of sorrow, known as vipralambha or separation, an emotion that stands as the highest spiritual achievement. On the aprakata plane Krishna goes to Mathura, kills Kamsa, comes back a hero, and continues to enjoy the company of the happy Vrindavana residents. Another difference is that in the prakata Krishna savours His plays as a baby and kills the wicked demons. In the aprakata Krishna is always sixteen years old and there are no demons there.

Srila Prabhupada writes that a devotee who becomes spiritually perfect, after death, is transferred to the material location where prakata lila of the Lord takes place. There, a devotee gets trained to serve Krishna in various suitable ways. When ready, a devotee gets promoted to the eternal spiritual realm, or the aprakata lila. Srila Prabhupada concludes that for a sincere devotee there is no real difference, because of the devotee´s constant absorption in the service of the Lord.

• 24th – 25th June: Week-end Musical workshop with Priya Manjari dd – “Vocal step to kirtan”
  info and registration at:
  https://www.goloka-dhama.de/english/events/vocal-step-to-kirtan/
  
  
• 1st to 7th August:
  Visit of Narayani Mataji (from Vrindavana)
  
  
• 7th to 13th August:
  European youth camp and visit of Urmila Mataji
  
  
• 12th August:
  Ratha Yatra in Trier
  
  
• 5th to 10th September:
  Janmastami and Srila Prabhupada´s appearance day

With gratitude for your continual support and on behalf of the Goloka Dhama community,

Your servant,

Gaurahari dasa