Honoring compassionate mentors in our lives- our mothers, Srimati Sita Devi (wife of Lord Ramachandra ) and Srimati Jahnava Devi (wife of Lord Nityanada). I gave this class on Mother Day for the Gita Nagari Eco Farm and Sanctuary in PA. The class can be found at this link I hope you enjoy it! All […]
~by Rukmini Walker The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either, but right through every human heart. ~Alexander Solzhenitsyn Why does there have to be violence? Why do there have to be bullies on my child’s playground? Why do people cheat on their wives or […]
As Srila Prabhupada dramatically underscored that, ‘you are not your body’, how do we deal with the fact that we are our bodies? Some propagate that following Vedic culture and gender norms is the panacea for solving all of ISKCON’s social issues. However, do Vaishnava and Vedic culture always align? Will being ‘Vedic’ help or […]
Last Saturday, here at our Potomac, Maryland temple we held our 25th Annual Vaisnava Christian Dialogue. Our participants are, for the most part, scholar/practitioners who come from the Catholic, and Protestant traditions, as well as Vaisnavas of different lineages. Many of the participants are priests or professors or chaplains at universities. Our theme this year […]
I gave a class at New York’s Bhakti Center on gratitude and the aspects of wonder from the Srimad Bhagavatam – wisdom for higher state of mindfulness and for a grateful attitude. In the image below, the transition from lower to higher state is by staying engaged, curious and maintaining a sense of wonder. To listen […]
In our April Urban Devi* Ladies Syama Sangita Devi Dasi takes us on a journey into Sri Krishna’s main teachings of this sacred book. Born and raised in NYC, Syama Sangita has performed stand-up comedy on hundreds of stages in Canada, U.D., U.K., and Hong Kong. Wanting to take her craft to new heights, she […]
Dear Friends, For the last several days, I’ve been listening with deep gratitude to a most illuminating discussion on The Monk’s Podcast in six separate episodes. Dear friends of ours, Chaitanya Caran, Madhavananda, and Armarendra Prabhus have been discussing The Gopi Gita, the songs of Lord Krsna’s Vrndavan gopis from the Srimad Bhagavatam Tenth Canto […]
~by Ananda Vrindavan devi dasi ————————————– Come mind, let’s sit together And chant the holy name I know you’ll find more Interesting things to do You’ll wander here and there But I’ll pull you back with affection Don’t you know your dreaming Is nothing compared to this moment With this mantra? Just once chanting is […]
We live each day in a world of duality. Here in the Washington DC area, the month of March, roars in like a lion with blustery cold winds, rain and hail. Yet, at the same time, the whole city is beautiful— blooming with yellow forsythia, the first pale pink cherry trees, and wild white flowering pear […]
In part five of The Heart of the Sacred Feminine, Ashley Liteckly Elenbaas and I explore sweet stories of Lord Caitanya. May you find our conversation as engaging as I do! To listen in, please click on this link or on the video image below. —- All the best, Rukmini Walker *Connect with Rukmini through her […]
Photograph by Tatiana Kiseleva
Urban Devi is a community of women who gather to explore and excavate their identities as urban women living the spiritual life. An urban devi is in the world, but not of the world. She acts in the world to uplift, and shift the consciousness of those around her to a higher place of Bhakti, or love in action.