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In 1970, at the age of only nineteen, Radhanath Swami left his home in America seeking adventure and spiritual knowledge. After trekking across Europe for months, he reached his long hoped for destination: India. After living there for many years as a sadhu or wandering monk, he returned to America in order to share the sacred knowledge and wisdom he had learned from the many holy men and women he had met there. It was an extraordinary choice, given what he had survived to get there: a journey filled with bizarre characters, mystical experiences, and dangerous adventures. The story is recounted in his recently published memoir The Journey Home (San Rafael, CA: Mandala Publishing, 2009). Reviewers have called Radhanath's saga "at once an engaging yarn, a love story, and the evocation of a transcendent paradise in all its savagery, solitude, and splendor.
Radhanath Swami emerged from his years of travel wanting to explain for others the beauty and rewards of a life devoted to God, and therein lay a dilemma. His many followers and friends describe him as completely selfless and consequently unwilling to take credit for his work and restless when a spotlight is focused on him. By choosing A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami (1896-1977), a spiritual activist, as his guru (after declining offers of initiation from several tyagis or renunciants in the Himalayas), Radhanath Swami cast his fate to the wind, cut his matted locks, and entered back into the society.
Radharani
Srimati Radharani- The Embodiment Of Pure Devotional Service
Om Namo bhagavate Vasudevaya
Om Namo bhagavate Vasudevaya
Om Namo bhagavate Vasudevaya
Today at Sri Radha Gopinath temple, we are celebrating the appearance day of Smt. Radha Rani. On the eight day of the bright moon on the month of Bhadra, The supreme personality of Godhead, eternal pleasure potency appears within this world to bestow the highest benediction upon all living beings. The subject matter of Radhastami is of the highest esteem of all the spiritual topics. There are two types of pure devotees of the Lord, The Nitya Siddha and the Sadhana Siddha. Nitya Sidda's are those divine personalities, who are ever perfect in their original spiritual consciousness. When the supreme personality of Godhead descends into this world, such persons descend from the spiritual world with him. Like the Lord they are never conditioned by the three modes of material nature. They participate according the Lords own sweet will in his transcendental past times.
Read moreWe Need Blessings of Srimati Radharani
Sunday Feast Class - Attaining Ultimate victory by chanting the holy names - 23rd August 2009
We welcome everyone to Radha Gopinath temple for our weekly Sunday festival. Very grateful you are all here. Back in the mid 1970’s, two devotees, one of my dearest friends, god brother and god sister – Rukmini and Bharadvaj Prabhu. From heart of hearts, they prayed to have child and that will spread the glories of god name through out the world and Gaur vani was born. (Haribol! Haribol! Haribol!). They prayed, they performed tapasya, they cried seeking their Gurudev Srila Prabhupad and the Lord that their child will be empowered and for this purpose. And when the baby was born they named Gaurvani, which means one who would spread vani or the message of God, Lord Caitanya. And what is the message? Jéva jägo jéva jägo gauracanda bole kota nidrä jäo mäyä-piçäcéra kole. Lord Caitanya’s message is very deep and profound – there are volumes and volumes describing the intricate explanation on philosophy of every aspect of life. But in principle it is very simple. Wake up, wake up, sleeping souls. You are sleeping in the lap of illusion. Essentially, we are all spiritual; we are all part of God. Krsna tells in Gita,
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