Sermon by Dr. Robert McNeish, 1972. ‘But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know, that the […]
by Sravaniya DiPecoraro Sanskrit seems to be making a comeback. Individuals are getting Oṁ symbols tattooed on their shoulders, chests and elsewhere, and are chanting verses at the beginning of their yoga workouts. Congregational singing accompanied with instruments (kīrtan) is arriving on the scene as a social activity. This can be a good thing, […]
by Jahnavi Harrison Whisper it beneath the summer oaks while swallows dive above Shout it in your morning shower, share it with the ones you love. Sing it loud, groups of ten, three or seventy-five, brand it on your beating chest and keep your heart alive. In the garden, on the bus, before exams and […]
Have you heard it said these days that the secret to happiness is to lower your expectations? It makes sense, doesn’t it? We often put so much pressure on ourselves or each other, due to our unnecessary or overblown expectations. But the other day I read a statement from the great Bhakti teacher, Bhaktivinode Thakur. He […]
I’m very happy to introduce the readers of Urban Devi to the poetry of one of my dearest friends, Ananda Vrindavan. In addition to being a beautiful poet, she is the community president of ISKCON of DC. Please visit their website at iskconofdc.org Please watch for her poems to be regularly appearing on our Urban Devi website. […]
Pranada Comtois It’s the nature of spiritual practice, or sadhana, to move from head-to-heart to become harmonized. This is why it took me several years after I began my practice of Bhakti yoga, nearly fifty years ago, to really internalize certain concepts beyond theory and let them find a deep place in my being. […]
Rukmini Walker ? [perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Theodore Roosevelt [/perfectpullquote] Most of us spend at least some of our waking energy comparing ourselves to others: our work output, our capabilities of various sorts, our intelligence, our beauty, our education, our agility in yoga, our financial stability, […]
Dear Friends, I was recently at Bhakti Center in New York where we have our monthly Urban Devi group. We are working with Visakha Dasi’s book, Five Years, Eleven Months, and a Lifetime of Unexpected Love. We discussed Chapter Seven, An Aristocratic Lady: Her metaphor for the awakening of faith in her heart. Visakha wrote: […]
The DC premiere of the film, Mantra, Sounds into Silence is on Sunday, July 8th. My son, Gaura Vani was interviewed in the film and he will be leading kirtan at the theater after the film. There are a few tickets still left. I hope you can join us! Click here for ticket for the […]
I attended a talk a few nights ago at Bhakti Center (bhakticenter.org) given by Vaisiseka Das. An exemplary, happy devotee of Krsna. It seems that his effusive happiness springs from an overflowing well of gratitude in his heart. Gratitude for what he’s received, gratitude for what he’s been gifted to share. I think this is a […]
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.