dasanudas

I thought love had abandoned us, so here's a quick reponse before adressing Dharmas kindness. Regarding Satyam Sivam Sundaram, of course you find most devotees are worshippers of Love and beauty this is our life, but we aspire to see all as personal, not a vague and nebulous conception. Just as there is a person behind your name, your name immediately appeals to the heart of a devotee as they see love as non-different from God. Therefor we relate you to God. That isn't to say you are God, but rather a spark of his potency which extends to us thru His loving sevants. Satyam the Truth is this, not be speculated upon. The Nature of the Soul Sat-chit-anandam these three things - (1) existence, (2)Knowledge of our own existence, (3) and the fulfillment of our existence. The figure of existence, the figure of consciousness, and the object of the search of the figure. Whoever is conceiving, when searching for something, that is the soul. What the soul wants to feel is higher, and what it is feeling at present is lower, and chit is in between. The level below is matter so it is not satisfactory, therefore we desire anandam, fulfillment, harmony and beauty from the higher level, without anandam existence is empty and chit- knowledge is dry, also unsatisfactory. Three kinds of existence sat-chit-anandam, Satyam-Sivam-Sundaram. Siva is generally represented by consciousness and sakti-potency by matter, and consciousness of the potency is Siva the figure, the person, and who can fulfill the search of the person? That is anandam Sundaram, who is beauty, harmony, love. Andanam is complete, full in Itself, both existence and the person you will find in anandam, but not in sat or chit, So existence and the figure of existence both need something more, so with beauty, love and ecstasy, that is perfect existence. Anandam is the Queen, and existence is the servant, the figure of our existence is to serve that ecstasy or bliss and who is the reservoir of that ananda? Govindasundara the beautiful. SSM Get it, this is personalism in it's uttmost fullfillment, the Lord of Divine Love an' Beauty is our heart and soul and to somehow express that beauty in all we do is our Divine Lifes mission. Yes, the means is the end. The pursuit of Beauty Themselves can be more fun then finding Beauty.

Weren't they his followers in Gladiator- The Barbarians! they were pretty barbarik. Possibly some connection there. Only kidding but the shoe does fit.

Sounds like Kalki concealed to me. Maybe that's where He got his future ideas for KaliYuga from.

This is especially for Valaya Prabhu I'm waiting for a lead

The Ideal World Everything in Vrindavana, the land of Krishna, is Krishna conscious. Every tree, creeper and shrub. Their consciousness may be understood in this way: if a man meditating does not move about and harm anybody, that does not mean he is paralyzed; he is simply in a passive mood. So also in Vrindavana, service may be rendered to the Lord in a passive mood. The Yamuna river is absorbed in rendering service in a passive mood. Then there is also Govardhan hill in Vrindavana. That is also a kind of pose. How this is so can be understood by the analogy of a drama. In a drama in the theatre, an actor may play the part of a dead man. As his body is being carried, he can't say anything, he can't move - but that does not mean he is dead. Similarly, a meditative devotee may assume a passive role as a creeper, a shrub, or a tree in Vrindavana, in order to enhance the drama of Sri Krishna's daily pastimes. Here in this material world a particle of sand is nothing; it is ignored. But there, everything is well-attended. In Vrindavana there is no ignorance. No interest of anything is ignored there; everything is harmonised within the Divine Pastimes of Sri Krishna, and therefore the conception of Vrindavana in Krishna consciousness is the highest concept of full-fledged theism. The ancient literature Srimad Bhagavatam says: "Whenever Krishna sets His feet like lotus petals on the ground within Vrindavana, the Earth Goddess personified says, "My fate is fulfilled, I have achieved my highest fortune." For in Vrindavana the earth, the very dust, feels the pleasure of the highest type of conjugal love merely by the touch of His lotus feet. Wherever Krishna puts His footsteps, the Earth's joy knows no bounds. By His touch, the Earth feels the most intense type of ecstacy. Srila B.R.Sridhara Maharaj This is now starting to enter eternality and getting away from origen but it's a simple clear and lucid account from a Self and God-realized soul. There is a very nice description of Srila Sridhara Maharajs conception of the soul at http://www.geocities.com/theopenheart Then go to Atma soul. good reading.

The Awakening of Brahma, The Imagineer Of The Universe The first position of a soul in the material world will be like that of Brahma, the creator. Then his karma may take him to the body of a beast like a tiger, where he is surrounded by a tigerish mentality, or to the body of a tree or creeper, where different impressions may surround him. In this way, one becomes involved in action and reaction. The case is complex; to analyze the details of the history of a particular atom is unnecessary. We are concerned with the general thing: how the transformation of the material conception springs from pure consciousness. Everything is conscious. As the present scientists say everything is matter, we have real cause to think that everything is consciousness. Matter does not evolve into a human form and brain and then produce the idea of "soul;" rather the soul contains within it, in one negligible portion, the conception of matter. Like an eczema, it is a disease. The concept of a "material world" exists like an eczema in a wholesome body. This is the understanding given by the Veda, the literature of ancient India. It would certainly be a wonderful miracle if stone could produce the soul, but it is easier and more reasonable for us to think that the soul has produced the conception of stone. In the soul, there are many conceptions, and one conception is that of stone. The conscious world is very near and the material world is very far off. Try to conceive of reality along these lines: Soul, Spirit, Consciousness, is nearer to you and you are a child of that soil. Matter is far, far away from you. But when we go to observe "objective reality" the interrupting planes of shadowy mundane consciousness are so close together that we don't see the nature of the spiritual reality, just as when you put your hand over your eye, you can't see your hand. But if the hand is one foot away, we can see it very clearly. Although the Buddhists and atheists argue that consciousness is a material thing, I say that there is no material thing. If I am to answer the question of whether or not consciousness is produced from matter, then I shall say that nothing is material. Whatever I feel, it is only a part of consciousness. Everything is an idea. We are connected only with consciousness from the beginning to the end of our experience. Beyond consciousness, we cannot go. Everything is an idea: the stone, the tree, the house, the body - all are ideas. The plane of consciousness is very much closer to us than we perceive. We are involved only with ideas. Everything within our experience is only part of our mind.

Continued: The Awakening Of The Awareness "I AM" In a primitive state when the individual egos are massed together as a common whole, that conglomerate false ego, the primitive sense of awarenes that "I am", develops from a state of equilibrium. It evolves, it differentiates into innumerable individual units of localised awareness. Just as an atom can be broken down into subatomic particles, electrons, protons, neutrons and so on, the conglomerate ego gradually breaks into its component individual egos: jiva souls. Their position is tatastha; marginal and undetectable. From that subtle, undetectable plane of marginal energy, consciousness first develops into the detectable plane as a whole, and then innnumerable individual spiritual units are manifest from that lump of ego, or mahat-tattva. Gradually, the other elements of creation develop within this negative plane of exploitation - negative, because here every living being feeds on the bodies of others. Consciousness is producing everything. Consciousness is eternal; this world is not eternal. So many times the sun, the Earth, and the solar systems disappear, and again spring up. We are in the midst of such thought in eternity. The sun, the moon, and all the planets appear and vanish: they all die and then again they are created. We are told by the sages who spoke the literature of the Veda to view things from this viewpoint: not only this living body I have, but the human race, the animals, the trees, the entire Earth, and even the sun, will all vanish, and again spring up. Creation, dissolution, creation, dissolution - it will continue forever in the domain of misconception. At the same time, there is another world which is eternal - the land of Sri Krishna. We are requested to enter there, to make our homes in that plane which neither enters into the jaws of death, nor suffers any change. In Vrindavana, the land of Sri Krishna, everything is conscious, though some things are posing in a passive way. But they are all conscious: the Yamuna river, the cows, the trees, the fruit - everything is conscious, spiritual; but they pose in different ways. Being able to contact the conscious characteristic in everything, the Aryans saw all of nature as conscious and personal, and addressed everything as conscious beings. The Aryans, the spiritually developed persons of former times, used to see everything as consciousness. Everything is a person. The great rishis, whose thinking is highly developed, address whatever they find within the environment as if they were all persons. In the Vedas, the ancient scriptural inheritance of India, we find that the sages are always in the midst of so many persons in their natural surroundings; in the background everything we experience is a person. It is all personal. And so the rishis with such a vision of reality used to address everything as a person: the trees, the mountains, the sun, the moon, the ocean. They are conscious persons in some mixed stages of consciousness; a person suffering karma. "Person" means not a fully developed spiritual person at present, but a person in a mixed, worldly condition.

From Subjective Evolution By Srila Sridhara Maharaj we find this account I hope you find it enlightening. This world is sometimes pushing forth and sometimes withdrawing. In the same way that a heart expands and contracts again and again, the whole universe expands and contracts. Regrouping within the one, and again manifest as the many - the one and the many - the evolution and dissolution of the material universe takes place. As a heart expands and contracts, the whole universe is manifest and withdrawn. One ancient literature of India, the Manu Samhita, begins by describing the creation. In that book, it is written how, before the creative movement began, the tatastha potency of the Lord was in eqilibrium. Tatastha means equilibrium. Everything was in darkness, fully enveloped by ignorance. There was no possiblility of estimation; no symptoms of reality existed by which any conjecture or inference about the nature of reality would have been possible. And that state of being was unknowable: science has no capacity for investigating the nature of that stage of existence. We can only say from here that it was completely immersed in deep sleep. The analogy of deep sleep may give us some conception of that period: Material existence was at that time as if in sound sleep. At that time, movement began from within the spiritual plane, and light came. Light was seen by the suddenly awakened seers, the sages present at the moment of creation. That light was pre-existent, but at that moment the awakened seers received the vision to see light. They began to see. The first conception of this material world after light was water. The light revealed a moving substance like water seen by the sages. That primal light is compared with personality. That light, or personality, first gave birth to onlookers - to the feelers of material existence - and then to an objective substance like water. The conscious world is represented by light and the first objective reality is represented by water. Then the seeds of consciousness are sown in the causal water which is the shadow of that light. Although the actual element of water was created long after this, the first conception of matter is compared to water because water is an accommodating, moving solution. The Sanskrit word for water - apa - means "of lower conception." In this way, the lower creation began. Then, in connection with the seeds of consciousness and primal water, the next production was known as mahat-tattva: the energy of consciousness represented by light, mixed with matter as a mass. When the mass of matter is infused with the energy of light-consciousness, that is known as mahat-tattva. After further development, that entity was divided into many units of ego. First there is a mass ego as a whole. The element of conglomerate ego is called mahat-tattva; and from that conglomerate a watery objective substance evolves - by the influence of consciousness. That objective substance expresses itself in five main ways: as substance that can be seen, smelled, tasted and touched and heard. These fivefold elementary substances are the primitive principles of material existence, known as fire, earth, water, air and sky (ether, space).

Dandavats to all the Honourable Vaishnavas, It's that time of year when Nirjala ekadasi has come around, I'm not sure who follows what, where, but this according to the calendar of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math is the day of Nirjala Ekadasi. 2. (Sat) 26 Trivikram. Gaura-ekadasi. Fast of Nirjala-ekadasi (without water). Due to us living in Australia and the sun rising here before most other countries, we can at least inform some time in advance to help devotees not forget ekadasi which will possibly be observed tomorrow our time in America, or five hours down the track in India. Dates and times calculated for Calcutta, India, as referred to at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Sri Nabadwip Dham. This calendar is based on the translation of the Bengali Vaisnava Calendar, "Sri Gaudiya Parvva Talika," compiled by Sriyukta Dibyendu Bhattacharyya, M.Sc., B.T., Jyotibhushan, Headmaster. Translated to English by Sripad Bhakti Nirmal Acharyya Maharaj. Happy Fasting if that's possible!! Stay engaged in harikatha

Howsit fellow patients, regarding that stuff that turns you inside out. Whenever I went on pilgrimage to India and took a bottle with me I never got any loose bowel syndrome. It definitely worked but doesn't mix too well with dahl, so take many hours apart or you may lose friends. Unfortunately in the west I just look at the bottle every morning, my mind seems to always opt for the choice of something milky to start the day. Just regarding antibiotics I also feel if worse comes to worse, they can be resorted to but not depended on as they do have an extreme affect on the immune system. My feeling in India after experiencing some heavy critter invasions is to knock it on the head and fast when returning to a more stable environment because I feel those little critters just laugh at some of the natural remedies that are used to keep them at bay.

Thank God for small mercies and keep chanting for inestimateable unseen mercies Because on top of all that you may have been given, there is every chance that those who read this here are among a fraction of 1% that Lord Krsna has personally blessed with the chance to sing His glories. "Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth." Bhag-Gita Txt3.Ch7. And further more "Among many thousands of brahmanas, a yajnika brahmana is best. Among thousands of yajnika brahmanas, one who fully knows Vedanta is best. Among millions of knowers of Vedanta, one who is a devotee of Visnu is best. And among thousands of devotees of Visnu, one who is an unalloyed Vaisnava is best." Bhakti-Sandarbha 177 Nice info. Atma Prabhu, have to keep that for those times when in the 'woe is me syndrome.'

Dear Kairali, This is a considerably vast subject but if you are interested to research further perhaps you might be interested in this link to a recent story on VNN news desk entitled New book on Human Origens. Here you will find some very interesting information http://www.vnn.org/world/WD0105/WD24-6765.html

I know a few devotees who do. But they do devotional service the other 365 days.

I once recall a godbrother while overlooking the Jamuna chanting his Malika having his beads ripped off him from behind, the large male then sat in a tree directly in front of the shell-shot devotee, took the beads from the bag and commenced to break them up with his teeth spitting them on the ground. Heavy dude!He retieved them and eventually got them repaired with the local Mala Wallah, but it definately made him question the state of his Japa chanting. God knows what he was thinking at the time. I've had those big rascals come in on me and almost break my kitchen door down, when they know there's food to be had I just vacate and leave 'em to it, it takes a brave or foolish heart to stand your ground, if you sense they are determined, no amount of martial arts training will psyche them back. They've even been known to rape helpless Matajis. They don't like dandas and it helps to have one handy.

It's very reassuring that the true essence of Gaudiya Vaisnavism, Madhva Vaisnavism and Gaudiya-Madhva Vaisnavism is alive and well. And there are those within it who are practising that essence of both Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Madhvacharyas teachings in unity or separate for the benefit of the whole human race.It takes the vision and heart of the mahabhagavats to harmonise any apparent different differences in all the teachings emanating from divinity I especially relish this wonderful more than good news of proper honor to Caitanya Prabhupad as is only befitting.

I might just add here Krsna, who you say you are praying to Sirona, is the God of knowledge, fame, renunciation, wealth, power and beauty.He is full in all these opulences like no other, but may distribute them thru any of his expansions, just as when one writes to the head of a vast corporate business one of his agents may address that reply. In Bagavad Gita Ch.10 T.34 Krsna states, kittihsrirvak ca narinam smrtir medha drhtih ksama "Among women I am fame, fortune, speech, memory, intelligence, faithfullness and patience." Qualities we could all do with no doubt, and guess who's distributing them accordingly, to those worthy and faithful recipients. I find it so wonderful how Krsna knows our heart and needs, more than we know ourself. Just see how He bestows divine treasure to the simple clean hearted soul and withholds it from others. Faith is truly a tangible thing and by his grace we can all attain it in varying degrees.

Regardless of Love fading Dharma, I'd still like to pursue this topic a little further as I said, I feel it does have some impact on my conciousness at present. Of course I don't think it is going to save my life, I have a different Sraddha in that regard. But due to me being architechturally and graphicly minded I take interest in such conceptions. Our own house I have designed previously with mandala and yantra in mind, but as we evolve new light is being shed on our lives, and I would like to pursue this science furtherIt seems to be constantly evolving. It's an intuitive feeling I'm following. I endorse divine order in all this chaos around, and firmly believe our environment has a deep effect on our consciouness. I feel a need for things harmonious, and to be surrounded by beauty that reminds me of the source of all beauty. Kind of like a heavenly archetype complimenting our earthly existence if we can somehow align that revelation to our world I feel it will make a difference to the way people feel about themselves and others. Like when one enters a tasteful church or temple they sometimes feel a sense of wonder and divinity. Of course it doesn't have to be oppulent , it can be a mudbrick kutir, sometimes the simpler the better. My role models are the Goswamis. Just see how Sri Rupa lived in extreme austerity, but that didn't prevent him from creating a beautiful house of worship for Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Govinda to reside in, still envious tyrant antiparties just like aurangazeb endeavour to dismantle such development. I'm sure these divine monuments of Love and beauty dedicated to the glory of God are external manifestations of some sadhakas internal heart and design brought out onto the visible environment, not that building is the goal. But it sure beats designing new weapons of destruction or corporate towers of Babal. The fact is that I will probably embark on another attempt at building as soon as some land we have sells. And I would like to understand this vaastu science more before I start, as it's too late once the concrete foundations are laid. Our previous home I designed on a diamond concept and it was very effective in creating a sense of well-being, very high energy, but there were some aspects that were'nt satisfactory, which i need to meditate further on. Srila Govinda Maharaj in Navadwipdham built the samadhi mandhir of Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhara Maharaj spontaneously meditating as its organic form manifest from day to day. Unbeknown to him what it would eventually be, the result speaks for itself. I like this way of designing living structure. I'm glad my intuition seems to be on track with the arches I have recently aquired 4 very nicely carved wooden arches from Madhura Island in Indonesia that i wish to incorporate into the new home with a very old exquisite Indian Temple arch I have my eye on for the entrance to our gardens. You may notice different types of meditations or mystical experienes are affected by the direction you are facing. Confirmed The thing about vaastu as Love said, the karma is also a factor as to ones susceptability. Some can stay in terrible places and suffer no ill effect. Others can sleep on nails. Agreed, but I also understand that various actions nullify karma and swing your samskars in a new direction, of course a transcendentalist is beyond all reaction. Actually my inner desire is to live in chintamani Dham but untill such benediction graces me, practically I'm trying to make the best of a bad bargain, or cutting my cloak according to the resources I have been given, a dress rehearsal so to speak. Usually in such a move things can get worse-actually much worse for quite some time. But if the same "hyperspeed karma" situation were to happen in a place with faulty vaastu it would be an absolute hell. I'm used to that, 'it's par for the course,' as Baga Vance would say. This is not a figurative example. I have seen it over and over again. Whether the person is aware of that phenomena or not it, still occurs. The difference is that in a terribly faulty vaastu house that there is little energy for such insight. Just when you think it can not get any worse, it does. Or it just goes on and on. "When will it ever end.If only." and "I should have" become predominate thoughts. Others are constantly blamed for misfortunes-be it the priests or the president, ones children or the iRS. Worse yet there is resignation. "That's life." or "It's my karma." or "It's God's will that I suffer." becomes the mantra. Eventually numbness sets in or he manages his sorrow and becomes like a living corpse. I hear you! I do not know if vaastu is so much a science as a philosophy. It to many people is not rational. Nor is much else about Hinduism-yet the effects are empiracle. Those who study vaastu and feng shui will know that the history of the previous inhabitants will follow the future inhabitants. You will see many houses that are up for tax lien sale or every one who stays gets divorced, or perhaps there is a nervous disorder amongst the people. In some places the males do not live past 40, or there is brain cancer. Making a few chnaging in the plot level can change the fortunes of all future inhabitants. Hmmm no denying this reality, do you suppose it applies to planets also, I think it's time for a spring clean up of our house. Where might you live may I ask Prabhu? Ys dasanudas

I'm sure the Devas and Devis are quite multi-lingual Shvu, and Srimati LaxmiDevi is capable of transmitting a multitude of different blessings. Maybe Srimati Saraswati Devis grace is also included in Srimati Laxmi Devi. Cheers

Dear Sirona, Kindly accept my respects, How very fortunate to have such a visitation. It seems you already had some attraction to Lord Krsna and due to this I would say the Goddess of fortune has blessed your faithful prayers. In the Bhagavad Gita Krsna States that"All are worshiping Me directly or indirectly thru inumerable Devas " Meaning those who are focused on a particular diety or demigods' worship are actually indirectly serving Krsna as He is the Source of all life. Or the cause of all causes, The Lord of Lords and the friend of friends, so all are moving under his divine will. Including even Lord Visnu and His Divine consort Srimati Laxmi Devi who is expanded from Adi-Purusutam (the original Lord) It is not unusual for devotees to hear such whispers from eternity, some are open to such communication regularly, that is not to diminuish such a truly wonderful experience as it is. I hope you can continue to keep the line open. This account reminds me of my own Spiritual master when he was once sitting for an exam in west Bengal. Due to his extreme interest in spiritual life he failed to study for his exam, but as it turned out the Lord in his heart (paramatma)helped him thru the exam and he topped his class with flying colours to the amazement of his fellow students. May I ask where this fortunate event took place? Your sevant dasanudas

Just saw a show last night on aids hitting china in a massive outbreak from infected blood transfusions. With possibly millions being infected and the government doing nothing to help. Just cordoning off the infected areas and leaving those infected to die. Kind of makes you thankful for small mercies huh!

It's the monkeys you have to keep an eye on when they are swinging on the electricity lines above you. Absolutely no morals. They just won't stick to the rules and regulations. So be careful of unexpected showers of anything but nectar.

Jamuna mayi Ki jai! You may be pleased to learn that due to the persistent dedicated efforts of 'The Friends of Vrndavan' the sewage has now been diverted and bathing is now returning to the way it always used to be, not an apprehensive experience. They (FOV) are looking for environmentalists to assist in the beautification and replanting of the bankes along the bathing ghats. It could truly be made a wonderful place with some effort to garden this area, so there are some nice meditative groves of Kadamba, Fig Poinciana etc. as it always used to be in Mahaprabhus time. It would take some transcendental vision to see and smell past the garbage dump as of recent times, but i guess it's been well composted for an oasis to grow out of this rubbish dump they made there. The next thing is to influence the government to pass strict laws regarding the thousands of industries including nuclear, to stop dumping their sinful loads onto Sri Jamuna Mayi and start serving her with true honor befitting her dignity. If they can do it in the west for mundane rivers, surely they can make some effort for a pure Devi of the Lord. It's one of the only times my mind would ever rest, in the early hours floating gently down stream chanting Japa in such a sweet setting. Words fail to express it. Or Kesi ghat in the evening before aratik. I have many wonderful videos I've filmed there I think I'll just go and revisit them now, all this talk of the dham is stirring up some attraction to go back soon. Maitreya I may just see you over there. Thanks for the spark Atma.

Valaya Prabhu dandvats, Could you kindly tell me where you aquired this poem from?

I'm actually trying to get more on it myself but if no one has any info. I thought I might have to humbly aproach the bona-fide spiritual master and enquire from them the TRUTH of the matter. How's that sound. No I'm not in the habit of locking up Acharyas. Sounds like a dangerous activity.

Yes we can all relate to the ole Indian Rattle snakes, makes me wonder how they keep on with the sheer volume of people they transport. How's this it's a little off the beaten subject and somewhat mundane but a very human tale Krsna is somewhere behind it all no doubt. On my first trip I was intrigued with the indian coastline, as I grew up a surfer, so here I was luggin' a surfboard all around India, talk about travelling light. Anyway after a few months I decided to make a beeline for Jugganath Puri as it seemed it had great potential and I'd also heard Lord Caitanya swam there every day so altho I was already rather depleted from some intensive travel I decided to check the waves. Unfortunately i went to another spot on the coast first where our bus got pulled up in the middle of the night by a linch mob of vigilantes hunting down a murderer and they were mad as hornets. a long night in a very remote place south of Calcutta. Any way that episode is a book in itself. t'cut t the mainline I ran out of money and could'nt change travellers checks, at the same time I dehydrated in the hot season, somehow I managed to squeeze onto a train with no ticket and there was no where to even stand on this animal and produce train, so as I slid between the sweaty bodies none of whom could speak any English, I had to brace myself between two walls above the crowd of people suspended with a surfboard, and everyone was complaining. I was almost non-compos from the dehydration and truly wondering if I would arrive at my destination which was Bhubaneshwar. Eventually when some of the passengers alighted, I managed to slide down the wall, to get to stand on one leg and had to fight for that with an irate 80 year old man who was screaming obscenities at me. I was trying to explain I was sick but nobody took any notice, I was slowly losing consciousness in the heat and don't remember most of the journey. But we did make it to Bhubaneshbwar only to find out it was a Saturday and no banks were open, so there was nowhere to change travellers cheques. So I conveniently collapsed at the station totally exhausted. Next thing I knew as I awoke I was looking into the face of an angelic fellow countrywoman, who was enquiring after my welfare. After telling a delirious tale she hired a rickshaw and hauled me off to the local hospital where I passed out again and didn't wake for about 36 hours, when I did come too, she helped get some sustenance for me and cashed a travellers cheque and got me on the road to recovery which was a bus to Jagganath Puri ki jaya!! When I arrived in the holy dham refreshed from my convalescence, in the process of searching around for accommodation an American devotee offered for me to stay on the roof of a guest house on the beach. It just so turned out to be looking into the courtyard of Haridas Thakur's samadhi mandir where we could hear 24 hour kirtan all through the day and night. This kind of accommodation couldn't be equalled anywhere in India as it had airconditioning straight from the ocean so we could sleep in the open under the stars to the sound of the waves and kirtan, no mosquitos that constantly played on my mind with the various beggars of Jagganath Puri stricken with elephantitis. Anyway, for six weeks I convalesced and relished the holy environment of Purushottamaksetra. Some days the only one surfing uncrowded waves alongside the fishermen in their dugouts, to standing ovations from the amazed spectators on the beach who had never seen such water sports. These days that building has been demolished to make way for a luxury resort hotel. But just a little further south Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math has been established with wonderful accommodation for all pilgrims with a very friendly company of devotees there to help with pilgrim's needs. A great place to stay while in Puri. I'll continue with some Brajadham information a little further down the track when I find some time. affectionately in the service, dasanudas