RADHASTAMI KRISHNA JANMASTAMI REPORT Radhadesh E-Magazine Issue 17 September October 2022 SRI KRISHNA JANMASTAMI also in this issue:
Dedicated
to... CONTENTS This newsletter is dedicated to His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness We remain forever indebted to him, our eternal spiritual master, and pray for his blessings so that we may continue to establish Vrindavan here in Radhadesh Krsna Consciousness is full of festivals! Every year we celebrate them again and again! Find out which are the upcoming ones What is Bahulastami? Many people confuse this sacred festival for the appearance of Radha Kunda Read this article to know more! Bahulastami 12 U13 pcoming festivals Read an excerpt of Srila Prabhupadas lecture on the appearance of Srimati Radharani View a variety of high quality pictures of the 2022 Krishna Janmastami festival! Radhastami Janmastami picture report 14 17
Upcoming Yoga Retreats Radhadesh Ratha Yatra goddess worshiped by the kings of sages, goddess who remove the sufferings of the three worlds, goddess whose face is a blossoming lotus, O goddess who enjoy pastimes in the forest, O daughter of Vrishabhanu, O companion of Vraja's prince, when will You cast Your merciful sidelong glance upon me?" Rādhā kṛpā kaṭākṣa stava rāja by Lord Śiva to Parvati
Radhadesh hosts many Yoga retreats Want to join them?
Radhadesh took our dear Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra on a small Ratha Yatra through the Radhadesh grounds with the ecstatic kirtan and guidance of Sacinandana Swami 24 35 29 Bhumi Puja
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On the auspicious appearance day of Balaram purnima Radhadesh did a Bhumi Puja for the new contruction of the Prasadam hall
Relax and retreat with our expert teachers
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Editorial team : Shyamsakhi dasi, Surabhi Kunja dasi, Syamananda das Photography: Syamananda das, Surabhi Kunj dasi, Gert Eelen / Brocco Photo, Gour Govinda, INFO LUX, Kamalavati devi dasi IIllustrations: Saccidanandana das, Radhe Gendron & unknown artists Graphic design: Surabhi kunj devi dasi Proofreader: Shyamsakhi dasi
DEAR READER,
This summer ended with the greatest celebration of the year, Sri Krishna Janmastami The event we look forward to be extra pious and spiritual Meditating on the different pastimes of Sri Krishna. These vedic stories have many different layers and every time you finish Krishna book and start again you will discover a deeper layer of these timeless stories Srila Prabhupada made it clear that we will stay connected to Krishna through chanting, seva and reading his books The pastime we chose for a drama was the one from King Nrga, a story which not many of us actually remembered A powerful story about giving charity not for good karma, but out of love for Sri Krishna and how its important to have Brahmana's in our society Even Sri Krishna shows in this pastime that he also shows his respects. On this note, I would like to thank you for supporting Radhadesh in many ways. For the Cultural Janmastami we had 4000 guests from all over to celebrate this wonderful occasion with us The appearance day of Srimati Radharani also passed, but many auspicious dates are still coming. We invite you to celebrate the many more upcoming festivals with us, to share a connection and help each other to always remember Radha and Krishna Hare Krishna, Shyamsakhi dasi
For
We would like to invite potential candidates to our upcoming three month Radhadesh Bhakta Program called "Bhakti Sadācāra" which will start in in spring next year, from the end of March 2023 to the end of June 2023 Please help us spread the word and direct towards us any potential candidates that are ready to have a residential experience within our Radhadesh temple ashram Over a period of three months, the following modules will be covered: Theology and Philosophy, Devotional Practice and Vaishnava Culture. This will also include a full dose of daily early morning sadhana & kirtanas, wonderful temple & community service opportunities, plenty of delicious prasadam and load's of Krsna conscious fun guaranteed! Fee: Only 108€ for all 3 months! Radhadesh Bhakta Program more information, please contact: gopinatha@radhadesh com
The
Bhakti Sadācāra
The appearance of Radha Kunda is commonly referred to as Bahulastami Bahulastami is a beautiful pastime wherein the cow Bahula takes shelter of Krishna. On the bank of Krishna Kunda, in Vrndavan, are deities of a cow and her calf, a brahmana, a tiger and Krishna, all of which remind pilgrims of the beautiful pastime of Bahula
BAHULASTAMI Sri Radha Kunda manifested on the eighth day of the waning phase of the moon in the month of Kartik This day is observed by bathing in the holy waters at midnight, which is said to be the time Radha Kunda manifested At this time, thousands of devotees gather at the banks of Radha Kunda in Vrndavan The devotees assembled there not only offer various gifts and offerings such as water, milk, fruits, sweets, garlands, lamps and money, but they also offer their minds, bodies and souls Unified in prayer, they glorify Sri Radha Kunda, which is non different from Srimati Radhika Herself In the purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 10 36 16, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura beautifully describes the pastime of the appearance of Radha Kunda
Once, the cow Bahula was peacefully grazing, when a tiger attacked her Bahula requested the tiger to allow her to return to her calf, feed it, and bid it farewell before it made a meal of her Agreeing to her proposal, the tiger waited for her return In the meantime, the cow went to her master, a brahmana, and to her calf and told them what had happened When they heard her pitiful story, they volunteered themselves to go in her place as the tiger’s meal. Bahula declined their selfless offer, but in the end all three cow, calf and brahmana returned to offer themselves to the tiger, who was delighted by this exceedingly favourable turn of events
Source: https://iskconnews org/bahulastami/
Bahulastami
While the tiger contemplated which victim to eat first; who should appear but Lord Krishna, the presiding Deity of Dharma and the guardian of all the residence Vraja Holding His chakra in one hand, Krishna assured the tiger of everlasting fame if he were to show leniency to the cow and its kin for their truthful and honorable conduct The tiger released Bahula from her promise, and the calf and brahmana rejoiced on their mother being spared and felt blessed by Krishna’s merciful intervention
Being so pleased with Bahula’s truthfulness and integrity, Krishna named the forest after her Bahulavan and blessed her to become His consort, thus in her next birth, Bahula became one of Krishna’s wives This day was also named after her Bahulastami
04 September 17 October 07 September 09 October 26 2October 3 October 28 October Radhastami The appearance day of Srimati Radharani Appearance of Radha Kunda Bahulastami Vamana Dvadasi Appearance day of Lord Vamana The fifth avatar Kartik Start of the all auspicious Damodar Month Govardhana Puja Worship of the Govardhana Hill Diwali Celebrating the triumph of good over evil and Lord Rama's return to Ayodhya Srila Prabhupada disappearance Upcoming Festivals
Radhastami
There are many hundreds of instances in Indian history that to realize the Brahman pleasure they gave up everything They gave up everything That is the way Tapasya means voluntarily accepting something severe for realizing the supreme pleasure. That is called tapasya So if, for tasting a little Brahman pleasure, all materialistic pleasures are to be given up, do you think that the Supreme Brahman, Lord Kṛṣṇa, is enjoying this material pleasure? Is it very reasonable? This Kṛṣṇa, He's enjoying lakṣmī sahasra śata sambhrama sevyamānam [Bs 5 29] Hundreds and thousands of goddess of fortune are engaged in His service Do you think these lakṣmīs are material women? How Kṛṣṇa can take pleasure in the material women? No This is mistake Ānanda cinmaya rasa pratibhāvitābhis tābhir ya eva nija rūpatayā kalābhiḥ [Bs 5 37] In the Brahma saṁhitā you'll find that He expands His ānanda cinmaya rasa, the mellow of transcendental pleasure potency And these gopīs are expansion of His pleasure potency. And Rādhārāṇī is the center. Rādhārāṇī is the center. So Rādhārāṇī is not Don't take that Rādhārāṇī is an ordinary woman like we have our wife or sister or mother No She is the pleasure potency And the birth of Rādhārāṇī was not from the womb of any human being She was found by her father in the field While father was plowing, he saw one little nice child is lying there, and he had no children, so he caught it and presented to the queen, "Oh, here we have got a very nice child " "How you got?" "Oh, in the field " Just see Rādhārāṇī's janma is like that. So this janma is today and Rādhā, this name is sometimes not found in Bhāgavata So the atheistic class of men protest this Rādhārāṇī's name is not in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam How this name came, Rādhārāṇī? But they do not know how to see it There is anayārādhyate There are many gopīs, but there is mention that by this particular gopī He is served more pleasingly. Kṛṣṇa accepts this gopī's service more gladly. Anayārādhyate. Ārādhyate This ārādhate, this word, ārādhyate means worshiping From this word ārādhyate, Rādhā has come. But Rādhā's name are there in other Purāṇas. So this is the origin Srila Prabhupada Lecture: Radhastami, Montreal, August 30, 1968
Srila Prabhupada Lecture: Radhastami, Montreal, August 30, 1968 So Rādhā, so Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the enjoyer and He wants to enjoy. So He's the Supreme Brahman He cannot enjoy anything, ātmarāma, He can enjoy it in Himself Therefore Rādhārāṇī is the expansion of His pleasure potency Kṛṣṇa hasn't got to seek external things for His pleasure No He is in Himself full, ātmarāma So Rādhārāṇī is expansion of Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa is the energetic, and Rādhārāṇī is the energy Just like energy and energetic, you cannot separate Fire and the heat you cannot separate Wherever there is fire there is heat, and wherever there is heat there is fire Similarly, wherever there is Kṛṣṇa there is Rādhā. And wherever there is Rādhā there is Kṛṣṇa. They are inseparable. But He is enjoying So Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī has described this intricate philosophy of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in one verse, very nice verse Rādhā kṛṣṇa praṇaya vikṛtir hlādinī śaktir asmād ekātmānāv api bhuvi purā deha bhedaṁ gatau tau [Cc Ādi 15] So Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa is the one Supreme, but in order to enjoy, They have divided into two Again Lord Caitanya joined the two into one Caitanyākhyaṁ prakaṭam adhunā That one means Kṛṣṇa in the ecstasy of Rādhā Sometimes Kṛṣṇa is in ecstasy of Rādhā Sometimes Rādhā is in ecstasy of Kṛṣṇa This is going on. But the whole thing is Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa means the one, the Supreme.
CULTURAL JANMASTAMI
Bhumi PUJA
On Balaram Purnima we had a Bhumi puja for the new prasadam hall of Radhadesh which is being build This is a Vedic tradition in India that before they build an important building, may it be a temple or a house They do Bhumi puja and place a Ananta Sesa detie in the ground before the building is being build It was a beautiful ceremony done by our head priests H G Dhira Krsna prabhu and H G Gopi Ramana prabhu who also organised it
the new
for making this beautiful
RADHADESH GOSHALA cows are finally under shelter of barn. one sponsors well wishers building reality season
has started and that means our cows get to go outside and graze in the beautiful Radhadesh pastures full of luscious grass They are being served by a dedicated team of hardworking cow servants, and served many delicious things a day If you would like to support the cows, please donate through one of the mediums here! Jambavan, Ganga and Dharma Account Name: Cow Sanctuary IBAN: BE97 7512 1123 7849 OR if you’d like to use Paypal: Paypalme/RGoshala
Our dear
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of their enthusiastic
We would like to thank every single
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for them The Summer
Memberships programs Become a member and directly serve Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha For more information go to radhadesh com/members or email members@radhadesh com Radhadesh is a non profit organization with over 100 permanent residents and more than 5000 congregational members and friends Become part of this wonderful spiritual family and participate in our lovely programs from your home From only €10 a month you are then united with us in helping Radhadesh achieve amazing things You can then also become part of our annual member's weekend and participate in this joyous occasion You also with us plenty of attractive benefits depending on the support package of your choice! Bronze membership € 10 / month Silver membership €30/month Gold membership €50/month Platinum membership from€84/month
Ratha Yatra
AUTUMN REFLECT
It has been an interesting time to say the least for many Allot of us have been a little stagnant waiting for our chance to bounce back into action. Some of us have taken time to nourish ourselves, start a hobby or do some creative internal work that you may have planned to do but never had the time. Either way, now is your chance to re stimulate your mind, body and senses with an uplifting weekend of Yoga, movement, Creativity, Expression, Gardening, Walking and tasty hot nourishing meals. 21 Oct, 17:00 22 Oct, 15:00 28 Oct, 17:00 30 Oct, 14:00 WWW.RADHADESHRETREATS.COM
WARMING FALL RETREAT BREATH AND RELEASE
Experience the best of Kundalini Yoga including morning Sadhana (sacred morning practice) before daylight, transformative meditation and praanayam, mantra chanting, Soul Sound healing & relaxation with Gongs, and nature walks Connect within, release emotional blockages and dysfunctiinal programming to allow your energies to flow Balance your stress response through a revitalized glandular system, awaken your senses through Breathwalk and connect on a deeper level with your authentic human potential
In the 12th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Krsna explains that the best thing you can do is to 'just fix your mind upon Me' Of course, most of us are not able to 'just' do that all the time Therefore Krsna continues to say that if we cannot do that, we should engage ourselves in sadhana bhakti, meaning to rise early, chant the holy names, read Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam, etc But again, not all of us are able to continuously engage ourselves in sadhana bhakti and therefore Krsna says that if we cannot do that, we should work for Him
. In that way we can anticipate your visit and arrange some particular service for you For your inspiration, let us consider the following:
Radhadesh highlights!
Are you coming to Radhadesh?
In fact, the combination of remembering Krsna, hearing and chanting about him and doing some practical service is a very powerful one Feel free and inspired to visit Radhadesh and experience this combination yourself
For those of you who would like to sometimes visit Radhadesh and do some practical devotional service, kindly write to us in advance to service@radhadesh.com
Plan your outdoor wedding in Radhadesh. Wedding season is from May - August. Email to weddings@radhadesh.com "When there is love in our heart, only love will come out" RADHANATHSWAMI WEDDINGS
Buyonline Long cotton skirt White cotton dhoti Ganesha WWW.RADHADESH.COM/ESHOP Brass Ganesha statue in blessing pose Lord Ganesha is also known as Elephant God and is a considered a remover of obstacles He clears the obstacles and paves the way for us to move forward in life The large elephant head of Lord Ganesha symbolizes wisdom, understanding and a discriminating intellect that one must possess to attain perfection in life Created by craftsmen in India An auspicious gift for yourself and others 100% cotton The skirt is sewn from many thin panels, each panel edged with a thin line that matches the border of the skirt The drawstring waist provides a relaxed fit A side zipper closure adds even more comfort. Navy blue with red. One size Other colors are also available €42,00 €25,00 €25,00 S o m e o f o u r p r o d u c t s a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e . . . 4m long white cotton dhoti with rich embroidery
Guidedtoursof CHÂTEAUDEPETITESOMME *only during the weekends From October till June, we are closed on Mondays Except for school and bank holidays and pre booked groups Due to government guidelines and to avoid disappointments, we recommend you book online, by e mail, or by phone Visitors without a reservation are still welcome but may be refused if the capacity is reached Currently, there is a maximum of 20 people per tour. French Dutch English 1 october - 30 june 15:30 10:30 | 11:30* | 15:00 16:00 11:00 | 15:30 10:30 | 11:30 | 15:00 | 16:30 16:00 1 july - 30 september
for more information WWW.RADHADESH.COM WE ARE OPEN! visit @RADHADESH OFFICIAL @CASTLE DURBUY @RADHADESH MELLOWS @GOVINDAS RADHADESH @PREMACULTURE @DURBUYBOUTIQUE @RADHADESH COWS YOUTUBE COM/C/RADHADESHTV YOUTUBE COM/C/ISKCONRADHADESH FB.COM/RADHADESH FB COM/RADHADESHBOUTIQUE FB COM/RADHADESHGOSHALA
