Priya's Diary

Near Death Experience

bbhakti — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:09:27 +0000

Today I could have died. Sounds melodramatic doesn’t it? Winding back to the morning, I was merrily driving on a very wet country road. I was joyfully singing along to Lokanath Swami’s kirtan (recorded in Vrindavan) when I drove a bit too fast on the final bend on a rather twisty road.

The edge of the road had a lot of mud and wet grass, and before I could take a breath I had totally lost control, my stomach lurched like when you are on a roller coaster. I heard screaming when I realised I was sliding across the grass at fifty miles per hour and was on the wrong side of the road – facing the opposite direction! A split second later I realised it was me screaming (I don’t yell so this was a rare occurrence!)

Fortunately the lady on the other side was an excellent driver who saw my car, and stopped immediately and put her hazard lights on. She then pulled up next to me to make sure I was okay.

After a deep breath, I realised I was feeling an overwhelming sense of relief. I was relieved to not have hurt anyone. I did notice my mind was completely caught up in the moment. Despite hearing the Hare Krishna mantra on the stereo – all I was focused on was the car skidding across the road. Perhaps it was this concentration that prevented a fatal incident, who knows? All I know is I was not thinking of the beautiful flute-player from Vrindavan. Luckily I have been given the chance to learn from this and try to take shelter of the Holy Name.

I Love…

bbhakti — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 08:55:49 +0000

Hugs. Watching snow fall. Walking on freshly fallen snow, that crunch is so satisfying. Icicles. Non human foot prints in the snow. Stars on a clear night. A walk on a bright crisp morning. Blogging. Friends. Ginger tea. Dried fruit. My mother’s smile. Painted toenails. Overcoming challenges. Tears of joy. Expanding my vocabulary.

Secret tattoos. Spontaneous adventures. Berry picking. Pebbles. Hearing birds tweeting. A new hair cut. Lotuses. As Kindred Spirits. Journaling. Yoga. Getting up early in the morning. Photography. Hand made cards. Unusual plants. The weekend. Personal development. Foreign films. Reading. Snuggling in thick warm blankets. Home made popcorn. Anything from Lush. A good hair day. The smell of lavender and vanilla. A long hot shower. New sketchbooks. Crafts. Leonardo Da Vinci. Ache free days. Poetry. Driving home after a productive day. A working computer. Making gifts. Inspiring young minds. Respect. Kindness. Meditation. Wearing new clothes. India. Exploring the unknown. Shells. The sun streaming through my window. Sunsets. Sunrises. The moon. Mehndi. Crystallised ginger. Baking cookies and cakes. Simplicity. Handmade textiles. Hats. Art Nouveau. Graffiti. Painting. Standing next to a hot radiator on a cold day. Ladybirds. A tidy home. Truth. Courage. Oneness.

Invitations

bbhakti — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 08:14:53 +0000

A good friend of mine is getting married soon. I have been asked to maybe help with the Photoshopping of the wedding invitations. While taking a look at my former invitation designs I came across the below image that I used for my friends E-vite to her hen night many years ago. It was a surprisingly elegant theme (for a hen night) with Egyptian outfits being the order of the day.

The Journey Home

bbhakti — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 08:01:10 +0000

I greedily enjoyed a mammoth reading session this morning and completed Radhanath Swami’s The Journey Home. I was struck by how driven he was to fulfill his spiritual quest and feel shallow in comparison. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Reading List

bbhakti — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 19:31:40 +0000

I do adore reading and lately the list has been slowly but surely growing. Most of my books are by Srila Prabhupada but there are others that seem to complement Krishna conscious literature beautifully.

1. ~~The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni~~

2. Sri Caitanya-siksamrita by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur

3. Sri Brahma-Samhita by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura

4. ~~The Journey Home by Radhanath Swami~~

5. ~~Teachings of Lord Caitanya by Srila Prabhupada~~

6. Nectar of Instruction by Srila Prabhupada

7. ~~Teachings of Queen Kuntī by Srila Prabhupada~~

8. ~~Yajnaseni by Pratibha Ray~~

9. Raga Vartma Chandrika by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura

10. ~~Sri Vraja Riti Cintamani by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura~~

11. Preyo bhakti Rasarnava by Nayananda Thakura

12. Sri Vrndavana-dhama by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura

13. Angel’s Chic by Arjuna Krishna-Das

Firstly it is only essential to deeply read and understand Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, Nectar of Devotion, Teachings of Lord Caintanya and Sri Isopanishad. However these ten books seem to be calling out to me I figured if I make this list public it will motivate me to get on with it.

Sky Blue

bbhakti — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 19:52:46 +0000

The sky is a deep blue,
with hints of turquoise.
The sprinkling of stars are gone,
like mischievious boys
playing hide and seek.
The moon is a witness to the farce,
the beings obsessed with their toys.
Rushing, always impatient and
angered when not getting their way.
It is a mystery in this land.
Who is happy? No one can say.
Joy is in the present moment,
forgetting the past and future.

Waiting to Check In

bbhakti — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:06:29 +0000

We can’t check-in until 3.30am so there is plenty of time to kill. I’m sitting peacefully doing japa. Strange thing about Birmingham is there isn’t a lounge or even comfy seats like most airports.

This quiet time is perfect to reflect on the journey to Vrindavan. Hopefully we will feel a tiny amount of ecstasy like Akrura felt when he first saw the holy dust that touched the soles of Krsna’s lotus feet.

Anticipation

bbhakti — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 11:59:27 +0000

Leaving for India tonight and I feel rather excited yet nervous. After a nice conversation with my Kaki who mentioned that the sakhis are making elaborate preparations for the wedding of Radha Shyamsundara in Vrindavan. My heart skips a beat when it finally hits me that we’re actually taking Their outfits to Vrindavan. Wow what a responsibility!

While listening to one of Prabhupada’s lectures I came across this:

“Actually the job is to go to such pilgrimages, holy places, to find out experience spiritual advancement. Because many spiritually advanced men, they live there. Therefore one should go such places and find out the experienced transcendentalist, and take lessons from him. That is really going to pilgrimage.”

(Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.6 – New Vrindaban, September 5, 1972)

I hope to gain inspiration from the devotees I meet there. It feels like a dream that we’re going so soon after our last visit.

Kaki advised to write a diary while in Vrindavan to record my realisations, and says I will cry for Vrindavan when I return. I pray I may develop such genuine longing for the holy Dham.

Dreams, Adventures and Restless Resolutions

bbhakti — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 03:03:03 +0000

Happy New Year.

2010 flew by and I treated it with my usually jaunty contempt with few photographs capturing important memories. In 2011 I want to do better. My new year’s resolutions (a first) are simple with three things that I wish to achieve:

~ A photo album diary capturing the highlights of this year (my memory sucks so at least I’ll be able to remember stuff this way…)

~ Relish the joys of travel and hopefully more than one exciting trip abroad and plenty of delightful Ratha Yatras.

~ To seriously explore my spirituality.

Lost in Creativity

bbhakti — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:29:25 +0000

I have been busy like you can’t imagine. Ideas are whizzing round my head all the time. I wake up in the middle of the night and scribble down ideas, I am in the midst of a spurt of creativity. And I am loving it!

Surrounded by ribbons, sequins, beads and thread I have been in heaven making gift tags and boxes. I am working on gift sets with matching cards, tags and gift bags. As always I am very grateful to people who donate materials for me to recycle. I have a huge box of card (misprinted copies) from Eckington School which I look forward to delving into. Right now I am inspired by my trip and am filling up a sketchbook fast with ideas.

I have even started working on Christmas designs as I have a few craft fairs coming up and it is my busiest time of year. I am using a lot of embroidery in my work, and making gift boxes at the moment. I like to give gifts which are beautifully wrapped using reclaimed materials and I want my clients to have the same option. Above you can see a sneak preview of one of my fabric Christmas greeting cards.