August 29th Krishna Janmastami!
On Wednesday August 29, 2018 we will postpone our usual showing of the Mahabharat video to host the annual Krishna Janmastami festival. The actual lunar date is September 2nd or 3rd, depending on where you are located.
For those who are unfamiliar with the word Janmastami it is a Sanskrit word that is made up of two smaller words Janma (Birth) astami (eight). This is a reference to Krishna’s appearance on the eighth day of the Holy Shravan month. Krsna also happened to be Mother Devaki’s eight child who was predicted to be the one who would come to deliver the pious and annihilate the miscreants as stated in the Bhagavad Gita.
“To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium.” – Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Chapter 4, Transcendental Knowledge. Text. 8..
Traditionally it would not be possible to talk about religion without discussing the concept of God, but as we move deeper into the dark age of Kali, the concept of a Supreme Personal God is becoming obsolete. Now peoples idea of spirituality is simply their “higher self,” an indistinct co-creator, or even something as vague as white light or pure energy. It seems that the concept of a Personal God has fallen out of favor as science steps up with more imaginary ways to explain for our existence without the need for a divine origin.
For those who are not comfortable with adopting the pure atheistic world view, the next best thing is the Neo-Advaita idea that the highest stage of realization is non-duality. What makes this particularly attractive is that the ancient Vedic literatures from India acknowledge Advaita as a valid path for self-realization. Acknowledging a cognizant devine being requires patience, and the humility to recognize ones’ own shortcomings. It’s much easier to sit in silent meditation and simply accept the mysteries of life as an riddle that can never be resolved.
Consequently, it has become very popular because in the non-dual paradigm everything gets amalgamated into one vibrating energy source with no distinctions. That eliminated the need for a God. As soon as the idea of a personal God enters into the equation, all the concomitant questions that about that God also show up such as: What is His nature? Why does he allow suffering? & What is our relationship with Him? The list goes on. It just appears to be easier to live without a definitive concept of God, especially if there is a whole squad of people praising you for how wise and “Spiritual” you are. Many people are being swept up into the Neo-Advaita zeitgeist because that is exactly what it offers, ie; being spiritual without a need for a God.
Unfortunately, what the followers of the Neo-Advaita tradition don’t generally know is that the Vedas also clearly indicate that in this age of Kali, everyone is to proud, quarrelsome, and controlled by their unregulated senses to practice the path of Advaita successfully. The Neo-Advaita path can provide a place to hide when life gets tough, but it’s either a very lonely hiding place or a self-created pseudo-spiritual high hallucination. That level of consciousness will not help one at the time of death therefore those who have settled for this path are at best simply wasting their time if it doesn’t lead them past the stage of quiet contemplation. Withdrawing from the field of actions can be a helpful step in seeing the transient nature of this world but it can also become a deep well of ignorance if undertaken as a way to avoid further growth.
If one is not ready to declare God dead then the question that naturally comes up is what is His nature and how can I meet Him? It is easy to observe that everywhere we look we see endless variety. No two people are the same and that is also true in all the other aspects of this world such as botany or the animal kingdom. Anyone who has grown crops or raised animals know they all have their own unique personality too. No two trees and no two fish are the same etc.
Therefore, if individuality is evident everywhere, then how would it be possible for the origin of all this diversity not also have His own unique most extraordinary personality? After all, He is the ultimate Source of everything. The good news is that the Vedas, the oldest and most comprehensive scriptures available, tell us He is the most attractive Person! Getting to know and connecting with His transcendent personality is not only the purpose of life, but where the deepest meaning and satisfaction in life comes from. Everyone wants to be happy, but they just don’t know what the formula is to obtain it. Some are miserable but just pretend to be happy because they are too ashamed to admit their own sorrows, some consider happiness a luxury they cannot afford because they are too busy struggling to survive, while others are so miserable all they can do is mask their suffering with drugs, alcohol, addictions or other self-destructive behaviors.
Krishna Janmastami is an opportunity for everyone to get to know the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna in a very tangible and life changing way. Simply by hearing about that Supreme Person, the troublesome things that accumulate in one’s heart starts falling away.
“By regular attendance in classes on the Bhagavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact. As soon as irrevocable loving service is established in the heart, the effects of nature’s modes of passion and ignorance, such as lust, desire and hankering, disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in goodness, and he becomes completely happy.” – SrimadBhagavat Purana Canto : Creation Chapter 2, Divinity and Divine Service, Text 18 &19.
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If you are in the Ojai, California area on the evening of Wednesday Aug 29at 7pm, do consider joining us for this festive and uplifting event. We will have a robust kirtan, a wonderful discussion, a short video, and a sumptuous sanctified vegetarian feast for all who attend. This event is FREE to all who are open/broadminded enough and wish to take advantage of such a benediction.
Saturday Hari Katha (Transcendental) Discussion Group 2pm-4pm
We invite all those who receive this newsletter to join us for the American Vedic Association Fellowship Discussion we host every Saturday from 2pm to 4pm. The format of the event is we start with kirtan, then read from a mutually selected sacred scripture such as Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Nectar of Instruction or Srimad Bhagavatam etc. Guests are then invited to share how the content of what we read applies to their life. This gives everyone a chance to share themselves whilst learning together with the contributions of their realizations and experiences through the instructions gained from great sages. We always have some type of light refreshments and everyone goes home feeling refreshed and inspired to venture more deeply into restoring their own lost relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, best described through His name Krishna, The All Attractive Person!
Mahabharata – Vedic Movie Night! Every Wednesday 7pm!
For those of you who cannot join us on Saturdays we started a new program every Wednesday at 7pm. It includes a 45 minute episode from B.R.Chopra’s award winning presentation of the great Mahabharat! This presentation captivated India and brought the whole country to a standstill when it was first shown in the year of 2000. It provides the full background for India’s greatest scripture the Bhagavad Gita. This life changing sacred text is embedded in this extraordinary epic tale presenting the richest spiritual culture in the world. It captivates the heart of all those who take the time to carefully consider its profound content. The video will then be followed with a discussion about the content for clarification and further erudition. Light prasadam (sacred refreshments) will be shared and guests are invited to participate by bringing potluck offerings consistent with the Vaishnava diet. (No meat, fish, eggs, mushrooms, garlic or onions.) This program is intended to help those of us who have been raised in the Western hemisphere to become more familiar with the extraordinary culture of ancient India which culminates in remembering that we are all eternal, blissful servants of the Supreme Lord.
Telephone: (805)640-0405 Venue: 687 West Villanova Road Ojai, California 93023 Always Free!
I look forward to seeing you all at the next AVA Fellowship gathering! Thank You!
mayesvara dasa ACBSP
AKA: William Roberts MBA/MIS, CCP
Director: American Vedic Association
Destroy the Darkness of Ignorance With the Torchlight of Knowledge. – Bg 10.11
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