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There was a well not far from the oceanside in which a frog had lived his whole life. Being foolish and proud, he considered the well to be his own property, and thought there was no better place for a frog to live. Indeed, the frog thought the well to be the whole world. One…

Today I just observed one class and prepared my resources for the teaching I’ll have to do starting Wednesday this week. I like to put a lot of time into my resources as I have experienced that the students can tell whether or not there has been much of an effort put into their lesson.

A landlord engaged a professional priest to worship the family Saligram-sila. Daily he brought chestnuts to the priest that he might offer them to the Deity. The priest received the nuts, took them onto the altar and closed the door, and–as far as the landlord knew–offered them to Sri Saligram. But what actually happened would…

In the courtyard of a king a pack of monkeys sported happily in the trees. Their leader was old and exceptionally wise. Now, once the wise old monkey was reflecting upon the happenings in the courtyard. He observed that the sons of the king played there every day with pet lambs. These lambs would often…

Sweetest Description of Janmastami-lila from Ananda Vrindavan Champu by Srila Kavi Karnapura Translated by Bhanu Swami & Subhaga Swami Published by Mahanidhi Swami —————————————— Now we will discuss the truth about the transcendental birthplace of Bhagavan and the appearance of Lord Sri Krishna. Once upon a time, Bhumi, the predominating deity of the earth, felt…

There was once in a jungle village of Bengal a young lad named Pancanam. Because in these hots climates young boys run naked, he was given the nickname “Naked Penco.” As Penco grew up he showed himself to be a bright young fellow. He excelled in his studies, was well-behaved and in general became a…

SB 4.8.34 Narada Muni to Dhruva Maharaja gunadhikan mudam lipsed anukrosam gunadhamat maitrim samanad anvicchen na tapair abhibhuyate guna-adhikat—one who is more qualified; mudam—pleasure; lipset—one should feel; anukrosam—compassion; guna-adhamat—one who is less qualified; maitrim—friendship; samanat—with an equal; anvicchet—one should desire; na—not; tapaih—by tribulation; abhibhuyate—becomes affected. Every man should act like this: when he meets a…

Today I realized something …. I like teaching. I took 3 classes today and at the end of the day I was practically floating home. The kids seemed to like my teaching too. Its amazing that a few weeks ago I was affected by a bit of apprehension and uncertainty. Today I feel like I…

By Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, from his Foreword to Sri Krishna Caitanya. The references are to chapters and verses of Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 10. Krishna is possessed of an unlimited intellect. (88/22) Krishna is inaccessible to sensuous knowledge. (16/46) Krishna is lord of the infinity of worlds.(69/17) Krishna wields the power of creating the unlimited.…

Some herons were standing next to a boggy pond. A swan happened to pass by. One of the herons asked the swan, “Why are your eyes, face and toes so reddish?” The swan answered, “Well, I’m a swan.” The heron then asked, “Where do you come from?” “From Lake Manasarovar,” the swan replied. “So, what’s…

Today I taught 2 lessons on design using the PowerPoint. The response from the students was very favourable. From looking at their earlier work I could see that they were keen on design. Because this enthusiasm was in place I thought that, with permission, I could introduce them to a few more design principles. My…

In the introduction to Sri Isopanisad Srila Prabhupada emphatically states: “The Vedas are not compilations of human knowledge. Vedic knowledge comes from the spiritual world, from Lord Krishna. Another name for the Vedas is sruti. Sruti refers to that knowledge which is acquired by hearing. It is not experimental knowledge. Sruti is considered to be…

Srila Prabhupada writes in the preface to NOD: “The principle of Lord Caitanya’s movement in educating and elevating everyone to the exalted post of a gosvami is taught in The Nectar of Devotion.” Here he reveals his purpose in presenting the summary study of Srila Rupa Goswami’s Bhakti-rasamrita-sindu. He very plainly wants to elevate and…

From Lilamrita: After the plane had reached cruising altitude, a uniformed gentleman emerged from the cabin. Immediately he caught sight of Srila Prabhupäda sitting by the window and walked over. When he leaned over and asked Prabhupäda how he was, Prabhupäda saw that the man wanted to talk, so he asked Upendra to get up…

A boatman used to earn his money by towing a barge up and down a canal. This he would do by walking along the canal-side pulling the barge behind him with a rope, stopping here and there to load or deliver goods. As he went about his business, he would sometimes dream of what he…