Lord Krishna Forum - Krishna Talk

Madhava · Joined: 21 Dec 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Radha-kunda

Greetings to Everyone: Sri Radhe Radhe!

First, a word of introduction...

Lake of Flowers Productions was founded to facilitate the availability of educational and inspirational media connected with Sri Chaitanya's tradition, Gaudiya Vaishnavism – a branch of Hinduism prominent in Bengal and Vrindavan, India. Kirtan, festivals, views from holy places... We film it all and bring it to you – without a cost!

All video footage is published as: 1. DVD-quality MPEG2-files, 2. VCD-quality MPEG1-files, 3. x264-compressed AVI-files (recommended!), 4. Small MPEG4-files. All audio is available as: 1. Lossless FLAC, 2. MP3 VBR and 64kbps, 3. Ogg Vorbis. Currently hosting almost 100 GB and over 70 hours of free devotional media!

Available at http://www.lakeofflowers.com/.

:D

Madhava · Joined: 21 Dec 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Radha-kunda

Here is last week's video release:

Gauranga Jayanti - The Appearance of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (2005)

Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, also known as Gauranga on account of his golden effulgence, appeared in the land of Nadia, Bengal, to bless the people of this wretched age with the chanting of the divine Names laden with unprecedented amorous love for God, Krishna. His appearance is celebrated annually on the full moon day of the month of Phalgun.

Total running time: 34:46 min

http://www.lakeofflowers.com/entry/gaura-purnima

Madhava · Joined: 21 Dec 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Radha-kunda

This week in audio:

Festival of Siddha Baba of Surya-kunda (2005)

The festival of Siddha Madhusudana Das Babaji of Surya-kunda is one of the best attended and most beautiful festivals among the annual celebrations in Vraja. Devotees from all across Vraja-mandal gather to attend the occasion in Siddha Baba's sacred memory, many journeying on foot – on a pilgrimage within a place of pilgrimage. This is the audio-recording of 2005's festival.

Total running time: 115:55 min

http://www.lakeofflowers.com/entry/suryakunda-siddhababa-tirobhava

Madhava · Joined: 21 Dec 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Radha-kunda

Usually our audio releases come out on Mondays, videos on every Thursday. This week in video:

Festival of Siddha Baba of Govardhana (2005)

Siddha Krishna Das Baba of Govardhana was one of the four famous siddha-babas of Vraja. The festival is celebrated annually at Manasi-ganga, a lake said to have appeared directly from Krishna's thoughts, at Govardhan. This video features footage of the tirobhava-kirtan songs at a place near Siddha Baba's ashram, including a beautiful rendition of Thakur Mahashaya's Sri Rupa Paschate Ami.

Total running time: 42:34 min

http://www.lakeofflowers.com/entry/govardhana-siddha-baba-2005

Madhava · Joined: 21 Dec 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Radha-kunda

Holi at Shyamasundar Mandir (Video: 2005)

Holi, the wonderful festival of colors, is celebrated in the village of Radha-kunda for several weeks, with the devotees going from one temple to the next, singing songs of Radha and Krishna enrapt in the joys of the festival. As the songs reach their pinnacles, color-powder flies in all directions, covering the atmosphere in multi-colored clouds! This entry also contains the suchaka-song of Rasikananda Prabhu and a parikrama-procession visiting different temples of the village.

Total running time: 37:36

http://www.lakeofflowers.com/entry/holi-shyamasundar-mandir

Madhava · Joined: 21 Dec 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Radha-kunda

Kartta Sri Krishna Das Babaji's Tirobhava-festival (Audio: 2005)

Kartta Sri Krishna Das Babaji was a great leader among the Gaudiya Vaishnavas of Vraja in his era. With his great austerity, the ascetics of Radha-kunda were given the right to bathe in the sacred pond again. Towards the end of his life, Kartta Baba, then a renowned siddha-mahatma, settled at Nuton Ghera, Radha-kunda, where his memorial festival is annually celebrated.

Total running time: 48:00

http://www.lakeofflowers.com/entry/kartta-krishnadas-baba-tirobhava

Madhava · Joined: 21 Dec 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Radha-kunda

Adhivasa-kirtana - The opening songs of a festival (Audio: 2005-2006)

This week, the second half of the Adhivasa-entry has been released with some three and half hours of kirtan, completing the series. Adhivasa-kirtanas mark the opening of a festival, occuring anywhere from a few days up to a month before the actual event. As festivals come in two flavors, the ananda-utsavas or festivals of joy, and the viraha-utsavas or festivals of separation, so there are distinct songs.

Total running time: 501:24 min

http://www.lakeofflowers.com/entry/adhivasa

Madhava · Joined: 21 Dec 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Radha-kunda

Niyama-seva Parikrama - Circumambulating Radha-kunda (Video: 2005)

Niyama-seva, occuring annually in October-November, is a one-month period during which followers of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition embark on pilgrimage, often to the sacred land of Vraja, leading a simple life full of austerity and increased spiritual practices. In the village of Radha-kunda, parikrama-processions around the village to the accompaniment of kirtan, with visits to different temples, are a daily event.

Total running time: 58:02

http://www.lakeofflowers.com/entry/niyama-seva-parikrama

Madhava · Joined: 21 Dec 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Radha-kunda

Anyone downloading? :)

Madhava · Joined: 21 Dec 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Radha-kunda

Gopala-prakata-lila - Discovery of Gopala (Audio: 2005)

Several times a year, on blessed days such as Maghi-purnima, the full-moon day of the month of Magh, devotees from Radha-kunda gather and circumambulate the Govardhan-mountain with a procession to the accompaniment of kirtan. A part of the yearly tradition is a stop at Govinda-kunda, where the kirtaniyas sing the touching story of Madhavendra Puri's discovering the deity of Gopala from Chaitanya Caritamrita.

Total running time: 47:43

http://www.lakeofflowers.com/entry/gopala-prakata-lila

Madhava · Joined: 21 Dec 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Radha-kunda

Niyama-seva kirtana - Songs in the temples (Video: 2005)

The sacred month of Niyama-seva, occuring annually in October-November, is brimming with devotional festivity. In the village of Radha-kunda, the devotees circumambulate the village to the accompaniment of kirtan, stopping at different temples to relish songs authored by the blessed poets of the Gaudiya Vaishnava heritage. This is the first of a series of four compilations of songs. Kirtaniyas: Sanatana Das Babaji, Visvambhara Das Babaji.

Part 1: Miscellaneous kirtan
1. Jaya Jaya Guru Vancha-kalpataru (SD) • 2. Kirtan at Jagannath Mandir (VD) • 3. Keno Gelam Yamunar Jale? (SD) • 4. Shyama Teri Vamsi (SD) • 5. Yamunar Kinare (SD)

Total running time: 18:49

http://www.lakeofflowers.com/entry/niyama-seva

Madhava · Joined: 21 Dec 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Radha-kunda

Gostha-lila - Krishna at the pastures (Audio: 2005)

Gostha-lila, or Krishna's leaving for the pastures with the cows and the calves, is a popular, recurring theme in lila-kirtanas, or songs describing his pastimes. This session, led by Anath Bandhu Das Babaji, was recorded on Gopastami at Radha-kunda.

Total running time: 55:46 min

http://www.lakeofflowers.com/entry/gostha-lila

Madhava · Joined: 21 Dec 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Radha-kunda

Week 23 - A summer break

Lake of Flowers Productions will be on a summer break until Thursday, June 22nd, when our next video release will be coming out. It's not a holiday, really – we badly need some time to wrap together a number of other ongoing Gaudiya Kutir endeavors and also just try and tend to plain old "work for living", too.

Madhavananda, the project director who's taking care of the release of new material, will be migrating to India mid-September and has a ton of things to wrap together before the grand occasion. We also hope to finish a number of DVDs and have them available by the end of the break. We Gaudiya Vaishnavas do not manifest four-armed Vishnu-forms, which severely limits our ability to multi-task.

An audio release came out on this week's monday, the next new video comes out after the break. (Sorry – we just didn't have time to get the video processed for this week!) In the meantime, check out our older entries, and while you're at it, leave a review or two.

Madhava · Joined: 21 Dec 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Radha-kunda

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Madhava · Joined: 21 Dec 2005 Posts: 29 Location: Radha-kunda

Niyama-seva kirtana - Songs in the temples #2 (Video: 2005)

The sacred month of Niyama-seva, occuring annually in October-November, is brimming with devotional festivity. In the village of Radha-kunda, the devotees circumambulate the village to the accompaniment of kirtan, stopping at different temples to relish songs authored by the blessed poets of the Gaudiya Vaishnava heritage. This is the second of a series of four compilations of songs. Kirtaniyas: Sanatana Das Babaji, Visvambhara Das Babaji.

Part 2: In Praise of Gaura
1. Goracanda Piritaho (VDB) • 2. Nitai Guna Mani • 3. Marame Legeche Gaura (SD) • 4. Dadhi Mangal at Raghunatha Das Gosvami's samadhi

Total running time: 28:50 min

http://www.lakeofflowers.com/entry/niyama-seva

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Nityananda Trayodasi - 2006

Nityananda Trayodasi, the appearance day of the eccentric saint Nityananda, Caitanya Mahaprabhu's dear companion, is one of the popular celebrations of the spring, occuring on the light fortnight of the month of Magh. This is a recording of the kirtana at 2006's festival.

Total running time: 61:56 min

http://www.lakeofflowers.com/entry/nityananda-trayodasi-2006