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If you are reading this blog
24th of June, 2007 - 8:42
Yes — you — if you're reading this blog, please read this post and take one or two minutes of your time to send in a comment on the Journal. Important!
Remembering Sri Krishna Caitanya dasa Babaji Maharaja
23rd of June, 2007 - 20:20
The following is a touching excerpt from a text I am working on, Paratattva-sammukhya by Sri Kunjabihari dasa Babaji Maharaja. In the following dedication of the text, the author remembers his beloved siksa-guru, Sri Krishna Caitanya dasa Babaji Maharaja, of whom we have heard little. Despite the lack of biographical information, the depth of the author's feeling speaks volumes on the exalted nature of this mahatma.
Travel Tips to Rural India
23rd of June, 2007 - 15:55
Traveling to rural India is an experience in a great number of ways. To ensure sweet memories, it is a good idea to eliminate some aspects of the overwhelming experience by remembering a number of small but important travel tips.
Introduction to Bhagavad Gita
21st of June, 2007 - 17:39
Bhagavad Gita, ”The Song of God”, is one of the core religious texts of Hinduism. Its 700 verses cover a vast array of religious and philosophical themes in a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna at the battlefield of Kuruksetra.
A Tour of Vrindavan, the Sacred Land of Krishna's Pastimes
21st of June, 2007 - 4:25
Vrindavan, located in northern India a three-hour drive south of New Delhi, is one of the most popular places of pilgrimage in India, the land where Krishna spent his youth, hosting thousands of temples and sights of nature.
How to send a parcel from India
18th of June, 2007 - 19:00
This entry belongs to a series of how-to articles meant to make life easier for people new to all those wonderful Indian complications we would never anticipate. Today's theme is sending a parcel in mail from India to the West: how to pack it, how to ship it, and how to get through the experience alive and in good spirits.
Heat wave subsides
15th of June, 2007 - 10:02
Those of you who've been following up news or discussions at Vilasa Kunja know it's been a bit intense at this end of the world with the extreme heat we've been baked in. The mercury has been hanging at an average of 45 C (113 F), with AccuWeather's Real Feel estimates routinely past 50 and even 60 on some days! Since two days now — god thank! — it's been cooling down.
Dealing with indignations
10th of June, 2007 - 15:38
A recent detour to different corners of the cyberspace has yet again brought before my eyes things long absent from my horizon. The intense online debates between devotees. You know, those with friends and enemies, pharisees and heresies, yes, and the apostate and the witch too for a full cavalcade. My eyes and heart have grown since the days of my last encounters with the such, and a reflection or two are in place.


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Heat wave subsides
Posted: 15th of June, 2007 - 10:02
Those of you who've been following up news or discussions at Vilasa Kunja (Pretty Damn Hot!) know it's been a bit intense at this end of the world with the extreme heat we've been baked in. The mercury has been hanging at an average of 45 C (113 F), with AccuWeather's Real Feel estimates routinely past 50 and even 60 on some days!

The official death toll figures in Uttar Pradesh, the worst affected of all places, are somewhere past 60 — which is most likely a gross underestimate, given that just recently — on one single day — we had six people die of heat here at Radhakund. Nobody bothers to keep track of people in rural areas... When electricity goes and fans stop, sweat begins to pour down in literally dozens of streams. It's hot all right, and people are getting dehydrated!

Since two days now — god thank! — it's been cooling down. The indoors temperature has gone down by 6 C — we used to have it at 40 here in our old Gauradham house day and night, now we're at 35 or thereabouts, and a bit less at night. The word's out the monsoon is coming over soon. Last year they missed out on the rains, let's hope this summer isn't an encore of the previous one. I hope we're over the worst now! In fact, I can hear the sounds of thunder as I'm writing... Let's see if it'll rain! It's in the air, there's no doubt about that.

I can't say it would have been an easy summer. Coping with heat this extreme is very taxing to both the mind and the body. I won't go into detail on all things heat can cause, but regardless of particular ailments it will exhaust you altogether, and it's tough for the heart as well. "Let the troubles come again and again to let us meet with you again and again" were Kunti's famous words, but I cannot say this particular experience would have worked as an impetus for remembering — rather to the contrary...

Our house project and the underground was supposed to be done in good time before the summer, but alas we're still not living underground! A part of the delay has been with the weather and with the "India factor", and a good deal more with the shortage of funds and delays with income. For future reference, people should start working when they have the necessary funds together! Regardless it's all for the good, one more experience that makes one grow and reflect.
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