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Festival of the Divine Protector – God of Yoga @ Bhakti Center

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Join the Bhakti Center in celebrating The Festival of the Divine Protector, the divine appearance day of Lord Narisimha (God of Yoga), one of the most powerful festivals of the year!

Date: Sun, May 11th from 2pm onwards (See schedule below)

Scroll down for more details and a registration link (Free!)

Celebrate Mother’s Day in a powerful way..

Bring your mom and give her a treat she won’t forget!!

From the Bhakti Center Festivals Team..

Narasimha is the God of Yoga, as Yoga-Narasimha
(graphic from previous Bhakti Center festival)

We will have a 2 part program – the earlier half will be part of our regular Bhagavat Shravan program at the Bhakti Center from 11am, that our regular guests attend weekly. We are honored to have esteemed speaker, Chaitanya Charan das from Mumbai as our special guest for this auspicious evening. See bhakticenter.org/narahari for more details.

After a lunch break, there will be a havan/yajna from 2PM (fire offering with mantric oblations), led and performed by Gaur Sharan das (who was trained at GEV) – this powerful experience for your protection is generally a paid event however for this special festival day, it’s free to participate!

This is followed by a congregational chanting parade of the Holy Name (Harinam) on the streets of New York around the Bhakti Center – this will be led by Jai Nitai das!

The second part of the progam for the evening, will be kicked off with kirtan and abhishek (a ceremony where the Deity is elaborately bathed with different liquids (milk, water, etc). Next there will be a drama led by Jai Nitai das and Yadunath das (renowned performing artists / festival actors). We then launch into hearing from the famous Gaur Sharan das, prolific speaker and Bhakti course guide who will explain the significance of this event : Festival of the Divine Protector!

The grand festival will conclude with a special lamp offering sung together (arati) so we can bring our hearts together in a sweet offering to the Divine Protector, Nrsimha. The arati will begin with the usual song sung at 6.30pm daily at the Bhakti center, called Gaura arati. Of course, when this is done, everyone will be treated to a sumptuous vegetarian feast (prasad) where you can dine to your heart’s content!

Let’s come together in the spirit of devotion and joy to celebrate this powerful and action packed festival! You will leave sheltered and empowered.

To embrace the festive spirit, we encourage everyone to wear yellow, red, orange, or pink —shades of the color of fire, symbolizing power, effulgence and protection.

♦ Free link to register ♦
Limited participants – until capacity reached!

Jai Narisimha!

Above graphic from Bhakti Center event notifications

Festival of the Divine Protector Schedule

2:00pm – 3:15pm – yagna
3:00pm – 4:15pm – Harinam
4:15pm – 5:00pm – abhishek
5:00pm – 5:30pm – drama
5:30pm – 6:30pm – class by Gaur Sharan das
6:30pm – 6:50pm – Gaura arati
6:50pm – 7:15pm – Nrisimha arati
7:00pm – 8:00pm – prasad

Secure your spot at the event now
♥ Register here ♥

Powerful mantra for stress relief

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There is a powerful mantra that forms the basis of effective meditation and kirtan. It’s also called the mahamantra or “great mantra” that can penetrate to our inner core or soul… ready for it?

Introducing the Hare Krishna mantra, composed of these 16 words in the specific order listed below (Hare is pronounced as “huh-ray”, Rama as “rah-mah”)

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Meditation beads
Meditation beads made from Tulasi (holy basil plant), kept in a bead bag with counter beads

The word “Hare” refers to the divine feminine potency of God. “Krishna” means the all-attractive one, and “Rama” is the reservoir of all pleasure. The sound vibration from this mantra is said to penetrate all layers and have a direct positive impact on the soul.

Here’s a clip where you can hear the mantra chanted by Srila Prabhupada — try playing it to experience the effects, especially in the morning.

The Hare Krishna mantra can be chanted on beads in meditation (there are 108 beads in a set). This mediation when done especially in the early morning infuses one with energy for the day and gives the inner strength to deal with stress and daily challenges we face.

Here’s an example of Hare Krishna mantra meditation — click the image to find out details on the program in NYC:

 

Also, the same powerful mantra forms the basis for kirtans which are sung in a variety of tunes and rhythms. Typically, a harmonium, mridanga (clay drum), and kartals (small cymbals) are used in traditional kirtans. Kirtan Chakra will have resources on kirtans where you can listen and download kirtans.

A blissful experience – Hare Krishna kirtan

For more, read about the Thursday night kirtan at the Bhakti Center, in Manhattan. Also, this blog page by Ananda from Washington DC on “Lean into Kirtan” has some deep reflections on kirtan.

Check out this related article on YogaChanti “Meditation via Kirtan“:

Meditation via Kirtan

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As you may have heard, meditation helps us to relieve stress and focus clearly on the tasks at hand. There are several ways meditation can be achieved – one very effective medium is Kirtan. Contrary as it may sound – with singing aloud and with others – Kirtan is a direct proven way to focus your energies within.

Prama seen here with books displayed at the Thursday night Kirtan – Bhakti Center, NYC

Prama is a regular at the Thursday night kirtan in Manhattan- she is in business school and visits the Bhakti center often to ground herself. In her words, she believes business and Bhakti can go hand in hand although one may wonder how this is possible.

The books on display here explain more on yoga and meditation. If music can help us meditate and relieve stress, it surely must be good!

 

Reconnect with your inner potential – Kirtan meditation!