priyasharan,

I've occassionally seen few other Vaishnavas here but the only other regular is continuum01 from Madhva sampradaya who's now having a fun exchange with someone claiming to be an advaitist.

Since you speak about Radha Krishna lila, the only other Vaishnava sampradayas dealing with it are Vallabhas and Nimbarkas. You'll have to contact them thru their websites.

Did you get a diksa mantra thru email? That's really a novel thing, to say the least. Did you pay anything for it?
For meditation on divya Vrindavan it's not required to be in the external Vrindavan. But it's an advanced stage anyway. Only the proper guidance is required.


Hope this helps. Hare Krishna

"This Krishna Consciousness is a science to understand what is the difference between a dead body and a living body". (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)

Your servant, bh. Jan

http://www.vrindavan-dham.com
http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz

Haribolo priyasharan ji,

jai Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu and Sri Sri Gandharvika Giridhari!

You're welcome.

> I don't know if it was a "diksa" mantra, because my understanding is that in diksa the guru has to say the mantra into your ear. That could be done via telephone or some live audio program, but not through text email.

Yes, therefore I'm wondering. Some even say that it has to be uttered directly from a mouth to an ear.

> There are other sampradayas that deal with Radha Krisha lila, aren't there? What about the Haridasi Sampradaya? I'd even like to hear from what the Gaudiyas despairingly call "sahajiya" sampradayas. I'm not prejudiced...anybody who wants to talk about Nikunj lila would be wonderful.

Swami Haridas of Banke Bihari (https://www.bihariji.org/) is from Nimbarka sampradaya.

As far as unorthodox groups, apasampradayas (sahajiyas being one of them) are concerned, Gaudiyas are pretty strict as per Sri Caitanya and our other acaryas's example. It's not a prejudice but a well-based discrimination (viveka). You may read more here:

http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/library/Apasamp.zip

> - Sri Radha Sudda Nidhi Stotram

That's a nice description of Pyariji. ;)

I know one very nice bhajan from Hita Harivamsa Gosvami called Yamunastakam. Streaming audio sample: http://www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/ … lternative

I've visited the main Vallabha mandir, Sri Nathji in Rajasthan. The book guide said they're not allowing Westerners in but in my Gaudiya attire I had no problems. Got three darsans of the Lord and lots of excellent prasad. Wonderful remembrances.


Hope this helps. Hare Krishna

"This Krishna Consciousness is a science to understand what is the difference between a dead body and a living body". (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)

Your servant, bh. Jan

http://www.vrindavan-dham.com
http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz

Haribolo Priyasharan ji,

thanks for your appreciation of Srila Prabhupada and our predecessor acaryas.

> My motivation was to to see what another tradition says. My experience with the Gaudiya sampradaya is that they say that you need to chant rounds and you can only receive "initiation" and a devotee name if you chant a certain number of rounds and fufill certain conditions. Over the years I've tried to fufill the conditions and have never been able to attain the minimum requirements.

Yes, these are the basics. Still, not many people can follow them, esp. in Western cities full of rajo and tamo guna. But that doesn't mean they're completely disqualified. Everyone should follow as much as possible, trying one's best. Mantra, devotee sangha and Lord' kripa will gradually purify us.

> I asked about practice and joining the sampradaya. The Goswami said I should chant their mantra, and he said that when one enters the presence of Sri RadhaVallabh Lal Ji and Sri Harivansh Mahaprabhu Ji with a desire to serve and enter into the Nikunj, then one is a member of the sampradaya.

Yes, the desire is primary. The qualification will follow it.

> I then asked about receiveing a devotee name and he wrote back and said that its about conversion of the heart and not conversion of the body. The only important thing is pure love towards Radha Vallabh Lal Ji. He said that if I did want a devotee name, I could use "Priya Sharan" He said Priya is a name of Sri Radha and Sharan means lovingly devoted, so I am "lovingly devoted to Radha." I thought that was beautiful.

Pure love is the goal. Sadhana, seva and adhyaya (study of sastra) are the path.

Sharanam means literally 'shelter' so Priyasharan means 'one who takes shelter of Priya', in Her loving seva.

> I also asked about how I should practice. I asked if I should chant the mantra on a mala and keep count. I said that what I have been doing is that I say the mantra as much as I can to myself throughout the day and that I try to have a meditation period in the morning and evening where I say the mantra and try to visualize the loving form of Radha and Govinda in the Nikunj.
In responce the Goswami said that it was good to have a fixed time for meditation and that visualizing Radha and Govinda together is good.

It also depends what one visualizes. Therefore there are many descriptions of the lila in sastras and from acaryas who directly experience it. By reading, remembering and meditating on it one develops devotional attachment to it. The whole process is gradual.

> He said that we are trying to get admission into the Nikunj, which is the eternal Vrindavan and that I don't have to worry if I can come to the external Vrindavan and that I am never far away from the Nikunj because Nikunj is in my heart.

Yes. But to realize that takes time spent in purification.

> I asked about what aspects of Vedic culture I should adopt and he said that anything that purifies the heart is good and that is the goal.

Yes

> My main motivation for writing here on this forum is to see if I can have association with other devotees and also have association with the wider "hindu" community.

As you can see, the hindus on this forum are mainly advaitists and liberals who are opposed to Lord's seva.

I haven't met any Vallabha Vaisnavas online so far. You're the first.

> I live in LA and while there are several mandirs in Southern California, I don't drive and not many of them are not easily accesible by public trasport from where I am. The ISKCON mandir is relatively easy to get to, so I sometimes go there.

I see. LA mandir is very nice.

> I just have a strong hesitation to get too involved with ISKCON. My impression with many Gaudiya devotees is that they are very strict in their observance and are very educated in the scriptures and their tradition (and I do admire that) but I have yet to see the "bhava" that I am looking for. Mostly they are reluctant to talk about Nikunj raas because they say it is for "advanced" devotees only. Maybe I am reading too much into it, but to me that sounds too elitist. Only a select "in group" is "advanced" or everyone is saying they are not "advanced" and so no one is able to relish the beauty of the love of Sri Radha Madhav. Also my impression of Gaudiya devotees is that they are comitted to their practice, but often appear as rigid and inflexible and also try to get everybody to do things their way. Again, these are just my impressions. I'm sure they don't completely reflect reality.

You're right about the observance and study. These are our pillars. Most devotees are in the beginning stages of devotional service - up to anartha nivritti stage as per the nine level scheme from Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.4.15-16 (recommended reading). Some are more advanced but that also means more humble - they won't 'advertise' their feelings (bhava). But if one gets to know them and talks to them in an informal way they may reveal some of their advanced realizations. But they usually tend to live in the Vrindavan or Mayapur dhama and engage in their seva. It's not elitism - the advancement lies in realizations, not in being selected by anyone. On the other hand, earlier some devotees who were considered advanced couldn't follow their vows and returned to a materialistic life. So they weren't really as advanced as many thought.
Some rigidity there may be sometimes, depending on a person. However, the role of the guru is to give a disciple a fitting sadhana, besides the basics. So you can see all types of sevas performed by various devotees - not everyone must do the same thing in the same way.
Spiritual life is full of variety, since it mirrors the spiritual world.

> So anyway. I feel a bit isolated and would like to have satsang with other like minded people who want to talk about the Nikunj leela. Actually I would be happy to hear about any Krishna leela. I find that in Gaudiya temples, when have classes, they tend to talk too much about philosophical things and don't just simply talk about God's leelas. I would much rather hear about Radha Krishna (or just Krishna) leela than about abstract philosophica concepts that I don't really understand.

Did you read Srimad Bhagavatam? Tons of lilas. Gaudiya acaryas teach that before one gets to the tenth canto (with Krishna lila) one should read all the preceding nine cantos to understand Krishna tattva (ontology). To deal with lila without understanding tattva is risky since one can easily be mislead by pseudospiritual ideas of the apasampradaya kind.
Srila Prabhupada used to say: "Religion without philosophy is a sentiment and philosophy without religion is a dry speculation." There must be a balance of both. Yet I agree that there should be more Krishna lila in ISKCON lectures. It's life giving.

Take a look at www.vrindavan.de where Vrindavan nitya vasis are described.

> Thank you for these websites, they are very nice!

Thanks for your appreciation. Any further comments, suggestions, etc. most welcome. We appreciate if you link to us from your blog or website and recommend us.


Hope this helps. Hare Krishna

"This Krishna Consciousness is a science to understand what is the difference between a dead body and a living body". (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)

Your servant, bh. Jan

http://www.vrindavan-dham.com
http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz

Hare Krishna Priyasharan ji,

> I don't know when I'll ever get a chance to go to India, but I can see the main temples in Vrindavan and around the country via their websites. Such a blessing!

Why not? Many devotees go, some even every year. However, as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur said, going to Vrindavan doesn't just mean to buy a ticket. Iow, it's an internal journey, changing of consciousness from a bhogi to a bhakta:

Atmendriya-prIti-vANchA—tAre bali ‘kAma’
kRSNendriya-prIti-icchA dhare ‘prema’ nAma

"The desire to gratify one’s own senses is kama [lust], but the desire to please the senses of Lord Krishna is prema [love]." (Caitanya Caritamrta 1.4.165)

Some of these websites are new and I'll ask my friend to add them to links at http://www.vrindavan-dham.com

> Maybe we can say that the goal and the path work together. I'm sure that's not an orthodox view, but I have alway been rather unorthodox.

Yes, they're connected. Bhakti is both the goal and the end, i.e. nitya seva.

> I am so thankful that many of these wonderful texts have been translated and are easily available.

And many more texts haven't been translated...

> I'm not sure how you define "liberal." I consider myself liberal and I think that one can put learn to state things in a way that would be palatable to people of all constitutions.

Without getting into details, in this context it's non-adherence to guru, sastra and sadhu but replacing them to various extent with one's own imperfect opinion. These people always proclaim that sastra is manmade/obsolete/full of errors/biased/etc. to avoid its instructions. Such people exclude themselves from Vedic culture.

> Yes. I have Srila Prabhupada's Srimad Bhagavatam, but it seems a bit daunting to get through. So I ended up getting a copy of the Gita Press edition which has the Sanskrit text and a translation. Sometimes the traslation seems akward, so if I have a passage is confusing, I look at how Srila Prabhupada translates it and that usually clarifies things.

Well, ok, but in this way you miss many important related points. I'd suggest you read the full Srila Prabhupada's SB after finishing the Gita Press edition, as your time allows.

> My understanding (and again I am sure I am mistaken, so please let me know if I am)

I guess you have this info from their website so in that case it should be taken as authentic. I don't know enough of your tradition to find mistakes. ;)

> Will do!

Thanks.

> Are you connected with www.vaisnava.cz ? Thats another site I enjoy. They have good photos of holy places in India. I very much enjoy going there.

No. This is done by another devotee here in Prague. It's nice but he doesn't have much time to update it, as he told me. He is independent of ISKCON since some years back but sometimes comes to public programs.

> Thank you very much! I very much enjoy your association! Just what I am looking for.

You're welcome. If you'd want to talk with more ISKCON devotees, try

http://connect.krishna.com/forum

It seems most of them are from U.S. The whole Krishna.com has lots of quality content.


Hope this helps. Hare Krishna

"This Krishna Consciousness is a science to understand what is the difference between a dead body and a living body". (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)

Your servant, bh. Jan

http://www.vrindavan-dham.com
http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz