WEEKLY KIRTAN/SATSANG
At Radha Krishna Dham we have Satsang every Wednesday evening and every Sunday morning. In addition, throughout the year we host 5 different preachers of Jagadguru Shree Kripalu Ji Maharaj, who travel throughout India, Canada, and the US, teaching Bhakti Yog ~ the path to perfect happiness, as revealed in the ancient Vedic scriptures of India.
JOIN US FOR SATSANG
WEDNESDAY SATSANG
Every Wednesday from 7:30PM to 9:00PM
SUNDAY SATSANG
Every Sunday from 10AM to 12:00PM
followed by a vegetarian lunch
ELEMENTS OF SATSANG
‘Sat’ means Divine and ‘sang’ means association; thus, satsang means Divine association. The satsang at Radha Govind Dham is designed to engage our mind in remembering the Divine names, forms, virtues and leelas of Radha Krishn. This is the practical form of bhakti (devotion) as told in the Hindu scriptures like the Gita and the Bhagwatam, and as taught by Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj. By participating in satsang and doing bhakti in this way, a person slowly purifies his heart and comes closer to God.
Prayer
After forming a mental image of Radha Krishn before us, we begin with a heartfelt prayer.
Kirtan
We then do kirtan (chanting of God’s names). Sometimes the chanting is a simple repetition of one or two Divine names (like “Radhey Govind”), and sometimes we chant a devotional song that describes the form, decorations, virtues, leelas (Divine playful actions) or abode of Radha Krishn. This helps to engage the mind in thinking of Radha Krishn. The names we chant are related to the eternal forms of God. You are welcome to sing along with or just listen to the kirtan.
The kirtan along with roop dhyan combine to develop feelings of affection and affinity in your heart for Radha Krishn.
Lecture
We then listen to a lecture on the philosophy of the Hindu scriptures. The lecture will either be a prerecorded video of Jagadguru Shree Kripalu Ji Maharaj (in Hindi with English subtitles) or a live speech by one of his sanyasi teachers.
Arti
Arti is performed by waving a diya (flame) in a circular motion before the image of Radha Krishn. This is a way of honoring God and expressing our dedication. The diya is then offered to everyone as a blessing. People take the blessing by passing the palms of their hands over the flame, then putting their palms to their head.
Prasad/Offering Bhog
Food that has been faithfully offered to God is called prasad. The act of offering is called “offering bhog”. It is done with the feeling that you are really offering the food to God, and you truly desire Him to come in person and accept your offering. We then eat the offered food as a blessing, and try to feel God’s grace.
Jaikar
Doing a “jaikar” is a way of glorifying God, a Saint, or a holy place by calling out their name and then saying “jai!” which means “all glories to”. We raise our arms in celebration and to symbolically reach up to God. The raised arms can also symbolize the receiving of God’s grace, which is raining down upon us all.
Silent Meditation
​The satsang is concluded by five minutes of silent meditation. During this time, we face the shrine and with eyes open or closed, try to imagine that we are seeing real Radha and Krishn in Their Divine abode, Vrindaban.
In our satsang, we use a devotional altar as the focal point for our attention. The altar normally has a beautiful picture of Radha Krishn as its centerpiece. This is used as an aid in meditation, where we try to visualize the form of Radha Krishn (see below). You may notice people bowing before the altar. This is a way of developing feelings of humbleness and surrender towards God. It is not compulsory — you are welcome to bow if and when you want to.
Roop dhyan (devotional meditation):
This is the most important part of satsang. Doing roop dhyan means picturing a personal form of God in your mind (like Radha Krishn) and faithfully feeling that They are present before you. Roop dhyan is practiced throughout the satsang, whether we are having darshan, saying the prayer, doing chanting, performing arti, or having silent meditation.
