Journey of the Heart

I wrote this poem at a time in my life when I was at a spiritual crossroads in my life…   I had been practicing bhakti yoga for 24 years and had done a variety of services for Krishna. For seven years I was a pujari (altar priestess) in a temple in Calcutta, India, then seven years distributing Bhagavad Gita throughout Mumbai and several states of India, then for another seven years I was a mother. But in 1994 my son went to gurukula (boarding school), and for the first time in my life I was alone. My husband had left me the previous year, so I did not know what my next service to my spiritual master and Krishna would be. I decided to chant Hare Krsna meditatively and listen for an answer. The answer was this poem: "To Be a Cloud for Krishna". Whatever I had learned over so many years should be shared with others, like rain falling from clouds! This poem was an actual experience I had while chanting which showed me my future service. This is the same s...

At the age of eighteen I traveled from my home in Italy to India on a personal spiritual search… My journey ended in an ashram in Vrindavana, or Vraja . T he early nights in the ashram were long, hot and humid. But they became tolerable by the mesmerizing sound of Veena singing. I loved sitting in her room listening to her poetic songs. Once, Veena taught me how to write a poem: She asked me to visualize an emotion and consider how to express it in words. So I started writing. From then on whenever I felt impelled to write my realizations, or feelings, or emotions, it was natural for me to express it through poetry. To me, poetry is the language of the soul on this long path to surrender and to love. As a practitioner of bhakti yoga, I need to cultivate a soft heart. Poetry helps me greatly in this sense. I was taught that in bhakti yoga the ultimate goal is "never to forget Krsna", so my poetry is mostly about Krishna. The book Gopala Champu by Jiva Gos...

From the editor:  Today is Radhastami, or the appearance day of the Supreme Goddess, Radha, in the  Bhakti  Yoga  Tradition, celebrated by millions all around the world. Happy Radhasthami!    This poem is based of the divine qualities of Srimati Radharani, or the Supreme Feminine Divine; the Goddess, in the bhakti yoga tradition... Fair Beauty by Braja Sorensen Radhika, Queen of Vraja-dhama Replete with qualities, full of charm, Krishna’s darling, Varshana’s girl,  The reigning queen of all three worlds. O child of Varshana, fair and sweet, We pray now at Your lotus feet, One drop of bhakti please bestow, That service to You we may always know. ‘Tis sweetness she personifies,  A fresh young girl with restless eyes, Bright smiles grace her lotus face, Krishna is maddened by her taste. Sri Radha’s voice, a sweet, clear sound, Her lilting song makes His heart pound, Expert in every female ar...