Bhakti Vriksha

His Divine Grace Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was an Indian spiritual teacher who was the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the "Hare Krishna movement". Followers of ISKCON view Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada as a representative and messenger of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Born in Calcutta (now Kolkata) to a Suvarna Banik family, he was educated at the Scottish Church College. While working at a small pharmaceutical business, he met and became a follower of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. In 1959, after his retirement, he left his family to become a sannyasi and started writing commentaries on Vaishnava scriptures. As a travelling Vaishnava monk, he became an influential communicator of Gaudiya Vaishnavite theology across India and the Western world through his leadership of ISKCON, founded in 1966.

His Holiness Nava Yogendra Swami Ji Maharaj

He was born on 12th May 1946 on the very auspicious day of Rukmani Dwadashi in the holy town of Udhampur (J&K). He hails from a royal family of Raj Purohits (family Brahmin priests of the king of Kashmir). His father Pandit Harichandra Ji and mother Smt. Durga Devi both were ardent devotees of Lord Krishna.
Maharaj Ji is a naishtik brahmachari (celibate since birth). It is a common saying “Morning shows the day”. Since his childhood his holiness exhibited Divine qualities of a saint and observed four regulative principles naturally. At the tender age of 9 years his holiness after seeing a movie “Dhruva Maharaj” left his home and proceeded towards the forest just to darshan of the Lord Krishna in person.

About Us

Bhakti Vriksha is a small group of congregational devotees. It’s a gathering which happens once in a week in order to practice, to grow and to preach the process of Bhakti Yoga based on Srimad Bhagwad Gita and Srimad Bhagwatam. It’s like a little family unit within the greater community of the temple. We include people of all classes, castes and educational backgrounds to build a very holistic community cooperating together to bring about the spiritual revolution.

What does the term Bhakti Vriksha mean?
The Sanskrit words Bhakti and Vriksha mean “devotion” and “tree” respectively, so Bhakti Vriksha literally means “tree of devotion.

”Why is it called “Bhakti-vriksha”?
In Shri Caitanya-caritamrita, Lord Caitanya and His movement are compared to the tree of devotion, the Bhakti-Vriksha. Srila Prabhupada writes in his summary of chapter nine of Adi-lila: “It is figuratively described that both the tree itself and the trunk of the tree are Shri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.… The tree surrounds the entire world, and the flowers of the tree are to be distributed to everyone. In this way the tree of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu intoxicates the entire world.”
Every small group of Bhakti-Vriksha’s congregation is therefore a branch of the branch, stemming from Lord Caitanya (the tree of bhakti). The Bhakti-vriksha group is a type of Nama-hatta group that is especially geared toward branching out. Just as in a tree, a branch of a certain thickness branches off into two; and the branching process continues until the tree has thousands and thousands of branches, all connected to the main root. Lord Caitanya is the original root, and even one single branch from the Caitanya tree can grow and form thousands of sub-branches, small twigs, leaves, and so on. We are part of the Caitanya tree and Srila Prabhupada is our connection.

What is the aim of Bhakti Vriksha programme?
The tree signifies that although we come from many different walks of life, we all have common roots – the aim of Bhakti Vriksha is to understand those roots through spiritual learning and practice in three key areas:

Knowledge (What to practice, and why)
Skills (How to practice)
Values (What is right)

So how does Bhakti Vriksha actually work?
Meeting every week in small, informal and interactive groups, Bhakti Vriksha members are taken through a structured curriculum covering various aspects of spiritual life. Each session explores a specific topic, pulls out key lessons from that topic, and explains how to practically apply those lessons in day-to-day life. In order to continually develop and enrich the spiritual understanding of members, they are taken through different levels supported by guided study of key bhakti texts such as the Bhagavad Gita. This progression is achieved through a variety of mediums, including group discussions, quizzes, presentations, retreats and day picnics. Each Bhakti Vriksha group also has a friendly personal guide who is there to provide support and encouragement.

What does a Bhakti Vriksha meeting constitute?
The meeting has six parts: association, kirtan, japa, discussion, question answers and finally prasadam. Bhakti-vriksha groups meet once every week, in the home of one of the members. Even after the weekly get-together, the members act as friends, keep in touch with each other, and participate in outreach programs and preaching excursions.

How is Bhakti Vriksha as a community?
All three experiences of community—in a small group, in a larger gathering, and at a big festival—are essential in the life of the devotee. The small group gives the opportunity to share deeply and intimately with close friends. The weekend Sunday Feast or gathering of the groups provides the chance to enthusiastically celebrate with many devotees. Celebrations like Ratha-yatra or the Mayapur and Vrindavana Yatra, offer the great inspiration of seeing Krsna consciousness practised by thousands and shared with the masses.

How can Bhakti Vriksha help one to deal with day-to-day life, especially during hard times? Our actions determine our daily habits, which in turn determine how we shape our lives. With this in mind, Bhakti Vriksha members are guided to seek constructive association and opportunities that ultimately transform the way they go through their day. Particularly during difficult times, the presence of our dedicated care team is a blessing – they support the individual by listening to their challenges thoroughly and devising potential solutions.

Bhakti Vriksha Amritsar
Started in 2014, in the Holy City of Amritsar, HG Hari Kripa Prabhu under the kind guidance of HG Inderanuj Prabhu, has been tirelessly preaching Krishna Consciousness under the banner of Bhakti Vriksha through daily classes at various locations all over Amritsar. Hundreds of residents of Amritsar are partaking in these classes and getting spiritually benefitted.

Who can Join?
These classes are open to anybody and everybody. The only prerequisite is sincere inquiry and an open mind.
For joining contact (M) 92168-15777

Blessings of a Pilgrimage Vaishnava Yatra

Pilgrimages help you break free from your daily routine and mundane problems, and perform devotional service to God. While for the wandering monks, life itself is a long pilgrimage to the abode of Brahman, for the householders it is an opportunity to practice temporary renunciation, in which they have to briefly leave everything behind and go on a spiritual journey to the abode of God.

Happiness

Pilgrim places are powerful energy centers. They are filled with sacred presence and aura of the deities as well as the strong vibrations caused by the prayers and supplications of devotees, priests and saintly people. When you visit them, you become soaked in that positive energy and feel refreshed and uplifted. The strong currents of spiritual energy radiating from these powerhouses cleanse your mind and remove your negativity and impurities.

Abundance

As a pilgrim, you will find many opportunities to engage in purification practices such as charity and selfless service and cultivate virtue. In Hinduism, many rituals and sacraments are customarily performed at religious places so that devotees can benefit from the visit by engaging in good actions.

Nexus

Many spiritual people, sadhus and holy men regularly visit them and make them the centers of their activities. Hence, when you go on a pilgrimage, you will come across many spiritual people, yogis and babas, with whom you can interact and benefit from the association (satsang), seeking their advice, knowledge or blessings

Knowledge

Lord Krishna lives everywhere, but still it is very easy to approach Him in holy places of pilgrimage because these places are inhabited by great sages. Visiting a holy place of pilgrimage means neutralising the reactions of sinful life. The holy places all over the earth are meant for purifying the polluted consciousness of the human being by an atmosphere surcharged with the presence of the Lord’s pure devotees.

Stimulus Therapy

To travel to different places of pilgrimage means to attain emancipation from material bondage. This emancipation, however, is not the highest perfectional stage. After attaining this liberated stage, one has to become engaged in devotional service to the Lord. After attainment of the brahma-bhuta stage, one can further advance to engagement in devotional service. So this attainment of transcendental loving devotional service to the Lord is the goal of life.

Purpose

Bhakti Vriksha Amritsar has been providing divine opportunity to visit various Holy Places all over India for many years. Every year Yatras are organised for various sacred places like Vrindavan, Mayapur, Jagannatha Puri and many more. These Yatras are organised on a non-profit basis. Only the actual expenditure is collected through willing contributions made by Bhakti Vriksha members. The sole purpose of these Yatras is Spiritual Rejuvenation of Bhakti Vriksha members.

Bookings

For more details about upcoming yatras and booking, download our android app - VAISHNAVA YATRA

His Divine Grace Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

His Holiness Nava Yogendra Swami Ji Maharaj

About Us

Blessings of a Pilgrimage Vaishnava Yatra

Happiness

Abundance

Nexus

Knowledge

Stimulus Therapy

Purpose

Bookings

bhaktivriksha@gmail.com

+91 92168 15777

Upcoming Yatras

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