The members of Cambridge Community Kirtan (CCK) felt so honored and fortunate to host Sripad Bhaktivedanta Madhava Maharaja’s enlightening speech at the church which is located near Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA on 7^th Jun, 2017 evening. The members from the greater Boston area assembled enthusiastically to chant Bhajans and listen to informative and instructive speech by a Hindu Guru Madhava Maharaja Ji.

This beautiful evening of chanting and spiritual discourse in community was organized by the very dedicated members of the Cambridge Community Kirtan with their featured well learned guest of the evening, Madhava Maharaja. The CCK’s events are scheduled and managed by community volunteers, and are run on a donation basis. The program is running successfully by bringing community people in their collective chanting performance with different Indian musical instruments. It is a genre of religious performance arts that developed during India's bhakti devotional traditions. Musical recitation of hymns, mantras, and the praise of deities has ancient roots in Hinduism, as evidenced by the Samaveda and other Vedic literature. After their melodious chanting, Sripad Bhaktivedanta Madhava Maharaja shared his wisdom and insights on the Bhakti path.

Sripad Bhaktivedanta Madhava Maharaja is a renowned teacher, scholar, and author in the Bhakti Yoga tradition. He has been the personal servant of Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja for nearly 30 years and has written a biography of his life and teachings. He has been a full-time practicing monk in the Gaudiya Vaisnava tradition since 1979, when he accepted initiation from his spiritual master, Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Vamana Gosvami Maharaja. Since then, he has wholeheartedly dedicated himself to the life of service and love by continuously praising Sri Radha and Krishna. Maharaja Ji has been a guide to many across the world.

Sripad Bhaktivedanta Madhava Maharaja said that collective chanting is the best practice in this Kali Yuga. When you sing loudly it will be heard not only by people around you but also by plants, gross, and animals and provides them happiness too. You can see a magical smile on their faces if you keenly look at them. Eating non-vegetarian food, drinking alcoholism, and having illicit relationships create confusions, problems, and complications in life. So it is important to keep your body and mind unadulterated and pure. In his speech, he also narrated many Vedic mythological stories as examples of long broadcasted belief that many discoveries of modern science and technology were known to the people of ancient India. He also stated that cosmetic surgery and reproductive genetics were practiced by Indians thousands of years ago. There must have been a plastic surgeon at that time who got an elephant’s head on the body of a human being and created Lord Ganesha. He also proudly affirmed that Bharat is the country which had these all and many more capabilities.

After thought provoking speech by Shri Madhava Maharaja Ji, delicious Prasad – Kichari with  salad was served to all the members and Tom and Shakti Rowan thanked all for coming out and making another beautiful night!!!

I was so excited to participate in this Wednesday’s Cambridge Community Kirtan amazing evening!!! I enjoyed singing with group and listening to very inspirational speech – said one of the participants.

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