Congrats to a nice devotee!

Yesterday HH Bhakti Caitanya Swami blogged that HG Brhat-mrdanga Prabhhu has been approved for sannyas. I wish to say congrats to this inspiring devotee. Brhat-mrdanga Prabhu joined Iskcon in Durban, South Africa in around 1980's. He was previously a school teacher and also had a Masters degree.

He has made incredible contributions as a humble servant. One really outstanding achievement is that he distributed more that 60 000 of Srila Prabhupada's books. I recall when I joined as a full time devotees and was sent out to do sankirtan. After my first day out on the street I was asked my score before the Srimad Bhagavatam class. I did 8 books for the entire day. Then the score of Brhat-mrdanga Prabhu was mentioned and it was many sets of Srimad Bhagavatams!!


After inundating schools with thousands of books HH Giriraj Swami asked Brhat-mrdanga Prabhu to structure a program were people study these books. Brhat-mrdanga Prabhu then went to India to study his Bhakti Sastri at VIHE. He returned to South Africa and founded the Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Culture in July 1991 in Durban, South Africa. The college has since served as a forum to discuss and relish the translations and purports of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

After establishing the Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Culture, Brhat-mrdanga Prabhu trained many teachers who now continue to teach these courses based on Srila Prabhupada's books. He then travelled and still travels abroad to Brampton, Houston, Inisrath, London, Mauritius, Nairobi, Phillippines, San Diego, Toronto, Vancouver and other places and teaches these structured courses. He has also formed a section of the college with a special children's syllabus.

Since the inception of the BCEC in 1991 to date, and under the able guidance and inspiration of HG Brhat-mrdanga Prabhu, 13 470 students internationally have graduated in various courses based only on the teachings of His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. I got the stats from my husband, Nrsimhananda Prabhu who is the co-international director of BCEC.

BCEC has something for everyone as Srila Prabhupada's teachings are so attractive!!

Pictured above is a BCEC class in Toronto, Cannada. Brhat-mrdanga Prabhu in saffron is without the jersey in the above pic.

We wish Brhat-mrdanga Prabhu continued succes in his endeavours to serve Srila Prabhupada's mission.

Appearance Day Anniversary of HH Bhakti Tirtha Swami - 2009

Dear Bhakti Tirtha Swami Maharaj,

Please accept my humble obeisance in the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to your dedication to his mission, your life.

Once at our temple in Hillbrow you revealed
How you would arise at 2pm to chant when you joined
Determination to overcome a bad birth you said
Inconceivable humility you had

Distributing books behind the iron curtain
On one meal of fruit you did yourself sustain
Eating only after the books were distributed
To the sankirtan mission you selflessly contributed

Through the media you impressed Lord Caitanya's message
Your presentations were bold and full of courage
At universities your conquered the students challenges
Effecting their hearts with transcendental changes

In your youth the adventures of book distribution
Earned you Srila Prabhupada’s appreciation
Pleasing him immensely were your letters
Bring him in his last days great joy in tears

As my spiritual uncle so much care to us you showed
Thus so much hope despite hardship you in us bestowed
I miss your association in vapu these days
Your smile, your enquiries, your emails - in so many ways

On this auspicious day of your appearance I pray
That I too within Srila Prabhupada’s mission stay
Using your example as my oar
May my devotion to Prabhupada soar

May I stay on the boat you left behind
May the sterling example of you always me remind
How to serve in dedication Srila Prabhupada’s mission
I offer my prayers to you in submission

Your insignificant servant,
Madri dasi

Mangal arati with the early risers

Bhakta April played whompers and the kirtan soon soared to its peak with the devotees dancing ecstatically. Later he was throughly elated when Nrsimhananda Prabhu gifted him with a new mrdanga. Here in Africa beat is in the blood! At the end of the kirtan everyone is wet and blissed out.

When I arrived at the Pretoria Temple at 4am to attend mangal arati with a group of karate kids from Bhakta April's Karate Academy I was throughly elated to see that everyone was up and waiting in great enthusiasm to see what was in store for them. Their foreheads were anointed with tilak and the female all were clad in beautiful saries. This program was collaborated by Bhakta April and Nrismhananda Prabhu with support from the Pretoria management team and left the attendees eager to come back for more next Sunday.

Japa demo

This is fifteen year old Bhaktin Rasalila who said she throughly enjoyed her sleepover.

The women clad in saries for the first time chanted with great determination.

Many first time chanters showed great enthusiasm. On the left is Nrsimhananda Prabhu demonstrating chanting on beads.

Explaining my choice of name for this blog

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur formed a group and named it the August Assembly - he formed the Cirakumara Sabha or the August Assembly amongst his friends with whom he met regularly at Calcutta's Beadon Square. There they used to discuss topics related to religion, and the members were required to take a vow of celibacy. The Society was formed with the purpose of giving people a chance to remain seriously engaged in worship of the Lord and detached from family life. But Bimala Prasad was the only one who observed his vows immaculately.

We strive to reach out to newsouls and introduce the on the path of Bhakti. This blog will report on such activities. As lectures/preachers at Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Culture for the last 15 years we have had by Krsna's mercy many new souls come and have their lives transformed.

After advertising for new students via email, posters and radio shows we hold an open day were Nrsimhananda Prabhu does a vibrant presentation and normally this results in the students coming back and sometimes with new friends or family members.

Thus far majority of the students stay and become initiated members of the Iskcon Society voluntarily. The preaching entails a Bhakti Sadhacara course consisting of Science of Self Realisation, then Vaisnava Ettiquette and thereafter Spiritual Master and Disciple. This is done in the first year. So this blog will serve to broadcast the preaching strengths to inspire others who have the common motive in life.

Sunday's Preaching in Pretoria

Nrsimhananda Prabhu, my husband and I spent Sunday morning with some very special souls! Bhakta April Prabhu who runs a karate school teamed up with my husband, Nrsimhananda Prabhu to have a sleepover at Iskcon Pretoria with and entire crew of students. We woke at 2am and drove there to join them for mangal arati. Having arrived at the temple at 4am we were so enlivened so see that the devotees were all awake and excited in anticipation of the forthcoming dose of Krishna Consciousness.



Most of these students were extremely new to Krishna Consciousness. Eleven of them never even had japa beads or bead bags. They awoke at the temple, showered and put on tilak before coming to the temple room. The youngest was 11 years old.



All of the females doned saries and tilak and looked absolutley fabulous. They danced in great ecstasy in the kirtans and after being gifted with chanting beads and bead bags chanted japa with great enthusiasm. Once during our japa session I could here a new voice repeating the mantra clearly and loudly and when I glanced in the direction that the voice was coming from I saw one of the students chanting with a look of great happiness. Later in a conversation he told me that this was his first experience at chanting japa! Indeed who can fathom the mercy of Lord Nityananda!

Three of the 11 year olds chanted for the entire japa period non stop and remained awake throughout the entire class, despite having awoken for mangal arati at 4.30am. During the class, which was session one of the Bhakti Sadacara Course at BCEC (Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Culture) Nrsimhananda Prabhu gave a profound presentation - as he has been doing for the past fifteen years since the inception of BCEC in Johannesburg. His presentation will appear on his webpage, which is still under construction, in the near future.

After the class here are some comments from the audience:
First time chanter sounded like an ld timer
"Thank you for the outstanding presentation. The philosophy was presented so simply that the students could understand this profound subject matter! We are all in awe of what we just learnt." Bhakta April

"Left me completely enlivened!" Niri

"No one told me purpose of life before!! Actually this was so incredibly logical!" Bhaktin Rasalila

Most of these students assumed devotional names and suprised us all when they introduced themselves individually. Prior to coming to the temple they wanted to feel very much part of the society. Hence they called thhemselves; Nitai, Rasalila, Parijata, etc.