Religion in context...

"There is no point to religion if it doesn’t include such genuine spirituality, and no point in spirituality if it doesn’t result in being a person with good manners, kind speech, and clean habits. And the gentle art of spiritual conversation is to know what to say, with all types of people and in all circumstances, that will both please and elevate the person in front of you."

Kripamoya Das
Vaishnava Voice

Hare Krishna!

"Sometimes Indians both inside and outside of India think that we are preaching the Hindu religion, but actually we are not. People should not think that we are preaching a sectarian religion. No. We are simply preaching how to love God. We are giving a spiritual culture that can solve all the problems of life, and therefore it is being accepted all over the world."

Srila Prabhupada
The Science of Self-realization


I am rereading The Science of Self-realization after first picking it up when I was at primary school (I was far too young to appreciate the importance of the writings). This quote really jumped out at me as I'd forgotten that even the term "Hindu" never appears in Vedic literature. Hindu has been introduced by Muslims; there is a river called Sindhu bordering north western India, and since Muslims there could not pronounce Sindhu properly, they instead called both the river and inhabitants of the surrounding land Hindu. Therefore Hindu is a name given by the Muslims and to call a vast range of people with different beliefs under one name is not relevant anymore.

Music for the soul

I am ashamed to say I haven't really listened to many kirtans/ bhajans, and am currently entranced by AKS (As Kindred Spirits). Their album called Nectar of Devotion is so beautiful I cannot listen to it enough. I particularly love Hey Gopal and Vaishnava Thakura. I have never felt so moved before, all I can say is listen for yourself and see what you think.

Another chance

"The person whose mind is always free from attachment, who has subdued the mind and senses, and who is free from desires, attains the supreme perfection of freedom from Karma through renunciation." Bhagavad Gita

The last six months have been difficult to say the least, and I had become preoccupied with my health and generally dissatisfied with life. The root of my unhappiness has been unclear and I always thought it was the tiredness from Lupus. Yesterday afternoon I felt as if I finally opened my eyes and realised it wasn't so much my circumstances, but the fact I had lost myself in the materialistic world we live in.

Luckily my aunt had posted me a CD with an MP3 reading of the Bhagavad Gita as it is. I now have a pretty long commute into work so thought it would be perfect to listen to in the car. After rubbing my bloodshot eyes and jumping into my car at six in the morning I never thought the translation of Sri Krishna's words would give me such peace. It is like I was caught up in a murky ocean and have only swum out to see clearly. I have now the strength to cope with my condition, and the slower pace of life lets me focus on Him and I relinquish any fruits of my actions to Him.

I am immediately drawn to a Sattvic diet and after just a short time of chanting the mahamantra feel that I will be alright. I feel no need to pray for anything as I know He will give me strength and just need to learn to still my mind and free myself from becoming entangled again in materialism. Today has been a good day and I hope I can learn more and raise my consciousness as I feel very ignorant right now.