I just received an email update from some devotees of Narayana Maharaja in regards to Bodhayan Maharaja's upcoming visit. Just curious as to if he may visit Audarya on this trip or perhaps in September?
---------------------
Dear Friends,
We are honored to be receiving Srila B.B. Bodhayan Maharaja in the Bay Area
both in July and in September. Please pass on this information to anyone you
know who may be interested in attending.
Bodhayan Maharaja's July schedule will be:
Monday, July 17th at 6pm
Gayatri Foundation
Kilimba & Radhanath's home
944 Aileen St, Oakland, CA 94608
510-595-7696
Tuesday, July 18th at 6pm
Ramdas & Krishna dasi's home
353 Summit Ave. San Rafael CA
415-482-0211
Wednesday, July 19th at 6pm
Jagadishwar & Dhira Lalita's home
956 Kenmore Lane, Santa Rosa, Ca 95407
707-527-6307
We hope that you will join us for these special events.
Srila Bodhayan Maharaja will again be here from September 12 - 17. Specific
programs have not yet been scheduled. If you are interested in hosting an
event with Maharaja, please contact me at kd@mandala.org or call
415-482-0211.
In service,
Krishna dasi
The address for Ramdas and Krishna dasi's home should read:
352 Summit Ave., San Rafael, CA 94901
Bodhayan Maharaja just spent a week here on the Big Island. There were also two other sannyasis visiting while he was here (B.V. Tridandi Maharaja of Narayana Maharaja's sanga, and B.V. Madhava Maharaja of ISKCON), but he still was able to make a strong impression, perhaps even stronger than on previous visits. One thing he emphasized was the importance of chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra in kirtan. Because so many devotees from Narayana Maharaja's group have moved here over the last 3-4 years, many of our programs feature 60-90 minutes of chanting wonderful bhajans, but very little mahamantra chanting. When NM was here a couple of years ago, my friends Vidagdha Madhava, Govinda dasi, and I approached the leaders of his group and implored them to have devotees chant Hare Krishna more, at least at the public programs. It worked, but just for the time being. At one of the programs we had 1 1/2 hours of bhajans and three minutes and thirteen seconds of the mahamantra the whole evening (yeah--I was so peeved that I actually timed it!).
Bodhayan Maharaja repeatedly requested that devotees here chant the mahamantra for at least half an hour before classes. And while he was here, he enforced his request. During our very long Guru-purnima Vyasa-puja ceremony, we had nothing but Hare Krishna, and then more Hare Krishna kirtan. We chanted the mahamantra in kirtan for 3 1/2-4 hours that day, and it was great! We'll see what happens now that he's gone.
prabhu kahena, -- ‘krsna-seva', ‘vaisnava-sevana'
‘nirantara kara krsna-nama-sankirtana'
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied (when asked by Satyaraja Khan how to make spiritual progress), "Without cessation continue chanting the holy name of Lord Krsna. Whenever possible, serve Him and His devotees, the Vaisnavas."
I went to Ramdas' house in San Rafael yesterday for the hari-katha. Bodhayan Maharaja was a little under the weather and was complaining of a headache and fever, which didn't prevent him to deliver a very sweet talk on importance of submissiveness, and how to be humble on the path of bhakti. He also spoke at length about Tulasi Devi and importance of unity between vaisnava sects because "it all goes to the root and the root is Krsna". Then he spoke about how to stay focused on the path in any weather (in good and bad circumstances) by pointing your compass towards Krsna. Then even if total darkness surrounds you, you will still proceed in correct direction. The group was surprisingly very small (only about 15 people) which allowed intimacy. We started with kirtan and arotik around 7:30, the talk and then prasadam. I left at 11 PM, and was the first one to do so. Bodhayan Maharaja is a very nice devotee and time was very well spent. He will be back to Bay Area in September.