Introducing: Tattva Darsi – New Sankirtan Website for LA ISKCON
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Links: http://www.tattvadarsi.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tattvadarsi108/

Tattva Darsi means to see the absolute truth. We get our knowledge from the Vedic literatures. Our mission includes traveling to different schools and festivals in North America and providing books on yoga & meditation. Our home base is in Los Angeles, California. We are a group of monks who live together in a monastery. We have a temple open to the general public with spiritual music (kirtan), philosophy, and vegetarian feasts. Our society is the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, founded by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.

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This project is to present what we do as traveling monks, and a means to keep in touch with the people we meet both online and on the streets! (Universities, festivals, etc.)

We have been working on this project for almost five months now. Before it was just an idea of “we should make a website..” But now we are in full swing and have gathered content of our lifestyle and are trying to open it up to the general.

Our goal is to share with people the ancient teachings of spiritual India, the Vedas, which according to the Vedas is beyond all material designations. Its a spiritual tradition that has been practiced for thousands and thousands (and thousands) of years by monks, yogis, and spiritual conscious persons all over the world. Anyone can learn the ancient practices of yoga and meditation no matter who you are, or where you come from.

We as traveling monks come from an internation society for Krishna consciousness, founded by our spiritual teacher and guru, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Our guru has transplanted these teaching from the heart of India into the hearts of the western civilization, without compromise of its original spiritual identity. He has brought Bhagavad Gita as it is.

Over the past five thousand years the book Bhagavad Gita has been circulating through the minds of great thinkers and soul seekers around the planet. Which teaches the origins of meditation.

We as monks dedicate our lives to distributing this knowledge to awaken the hearts of today’s society of a meditative, yet practical way of life.

We hope that you would like to join us on our spiritual mission and keep up with us on our adventures throughout North America!

Prasadam Distribution for the 38th Anniversary of ISKCON Juhu…
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Prasadam Distribution for the 38th Anniversary of ISKCON Juhu (Album with photos)
To celebrate the 38th Anniversary of the inauguration of the Sri Sri Radha Rasbihari temple at Juhu, Mumbai devotees organized prasadam distribution in different localities.
HH Gopal Krishna Goswami, ISKCON Juhu Temple President Braja Hari Dasa and the devotees went around in these localities distributing prasadam while being accompanied by the Harinam Party.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/1Qo6mE

36th day Prachar Yatra Report. If we closely observe the…
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36th day Prachar Yatra Report.
If we closely observe the situation in the world it is full of exploitation: the ‘haves’ exploiting ‘have-nots’, strong exploiting the weak, masculine gender exploiting the female gender, human species exploiting the lower species, powerful country exploiting the weaker countries, irreligion exploiting religion, cities exploiting villages, man exploiting environment, etc. The list of exploitation is vast and gets longer as the influence of kali-yuga progresses further. The history is also full with such exploitative stories.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/fncyYA

January 18. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily…
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January 18. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Touched by His Greatness. Do not forget that Srila Prabhupada is your master. Never be condescending in your praise or estimation of him. As disciples, we worship our guru with affection as well as with objective evidence of his greatness. We also have to be regularly touched by his greatness. In describing Prahlada Maharaja’s prayers to Lord Nrsimhadeva, Prabhupada asserts that Prahlada was able to please Lord Nrsimhadeva even though others, great demigods and even Laksmidevi herself, could not. What was Prahlada’s quality that so attracted the Lord? Prabhupada goes right to the heart of it sweetly and simply, entering the mentality of Prahlada Maharaja and explaining it to us. A great teacher is one who can convey tremendous thoughts and experiences to the students. It is one thing to feel something, and it is an added empowerment to convey it to others. That teaching ability arises from compassion and empathy. Prabhupada was able to grasp the whole relationship of Prahlada Maharaja and Nrsimhadeva and give it to an audience—not of great scholars or long-time practicing sadhus—but to ordinary persons. He stressed the simplicity of Prahlada Maharaja’s approach: in a childlike way, he prostrated himself before Nrsimhadeva.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=4

Does spiritualist refer to a practitioner of spiritualism, not spirituality?
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If everything comes from Krishna why doesn’t everything take us to Krishna?
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QA with Christian students 4 – Is the Christian incarnation similar to Vedic avatar?
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QA with Christian students 3 – Does the Prodigal Son parable correlate with the fall of the soul?
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QA with Christian students 2 – Is there any bhakti equivalent to the Trinity?
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Soul & Body (Video)
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Consciousness is the essence of who and what we are. Consciousness exists without needing to be created, maintained, or destroyed. It expresses itself in various forms, seeking happiness. These forms need to be created, maintained, and destroyed. A specific form manifest from consciousness can die, but the essence of who and what we are never dies.

Is consciousness not even damaged by being stripped of its body? No, the soul is impervious – and is not really woven into the bodies it produces.

After explaining all this to Arjuna, Krishna turns his attention to Arjuna’s doubt, “Why should I believe any of this? Is there any proof that consciousness survives the death of the form it manifests?” In this video we explain the first part of Krishna’s answer, where he references the Upanishads. In the next video we will go into the other part of that answer, a logical answer without reference to the Veda.

Vraja Kishor explains this section of Bhagavad Gita by reading from his book, A Simple Gita, available through his website: http://www.vrajakishor.com


Gita 08.24 – Astrological positions and psychological dispositions contribute to the soul’s liberation
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Gita verse-by-verse study Podcast


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Is Ruci an Advanced Stage, or do we have Some Ruci Even from the Beginning?
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Question: From my understanding of your class on the nine stages of bhakti, it could take a number of years before one got any experiential taste of the practice.

 

No.

It’s true that it usually takes years (or lifetimes) to come to the stage of ruci (characterized by a taste for the beauty and joy of sādhana-bhakti), but nonetheless one gets small fragments and crumbs of ruci even from the very outset, the very beginning of being involved with Krishna-bhakti.

In fact, śraddhā itself (the first stage) is the seed of ruci, and the stages beyond ruci as well. Śraddhā is an attraction to the beauty and joy of Krishna-bhakti, which inspires one with faith and conviction that, “This would be great. I want this.” This śraddhā gradually becomes more intense and fully revealed as one progresses by practicing bhakti under the guidance of sādhus (sādhu-saṅga / bhajana-kriya), and thus dissolving antithetical things from the heart (anartha-nivṛtti). With fewer distractions from antithetical interests, we can practice with deeper concentration (niṣṭhā). This niṣṭhā is simply a more fully mature form of śraddhā, a more fully mature attraction to Krishna-bhakti. By practicing with concentration, we can appreciate the beauty of what we are doing – this is the next stage, ruci. Here, the śraddhā has become sufficiently intense so that it is now the main character of ones experience of sādhana.

The stages of sādhana refer to the primary, most prominent characteristic of our practice.

The stages of sādhana refer to the primary, most prominent characteristic of our practice. Every stage has some characteristics of some more advanced stages, but we are not at the more advanced stages until those more advanced characteristics become our primary, normal, predominant experience. For example, there is always some ruci (taste for the beauty of bhajan), even from the absolute beginning. But we don’t identify it as being the “stage” of ruci until that taste becomes the most prominent, constant, normative characteristic of our bhajan.

Vraja Kishor dās

www.vrajakishor.com

PS – More details about these stages are in my presentation of Mādhurya-kādambinī, entitled, To Dance in the Downpour of Devotion


Tagged: Bhajan, ruci, stages of bhakti

Retreat in Drakensberg, January 2016
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Written by Nimai

The Drakensberg Mountains are about midway between the cities of Durban and Johannesburg. Spiritual retreats with Kadamba Kanana Swami started there in January 2005 and took place for three consecutive years. After an eight year break, devotees from all over South Africa gathered again for five days of great association.

We arrived at the Mont Aux Souces hotel on the Sunday, 03 January and stayed until the 7th. Soon after reaching the hotel, Maharaj gave a class to introduce all the devotees to the retreat. He spoke about the two realities – the physical/material reality and the spiritual reality. He explained how we have to put our energy into spiritual life to make progress and to visualise this, he used the analogy of the material and the spiritual leg, where we take a step forward and shift the weight towards the spiritual side.

In the days that followed, Maharaj gave a many inspiring talks and there were some ecstatic kirtans as well!

On the second day, the class was based on the Priti Sandarbha, a wonderful book written by Jiva Goswami, with quotes from the Bhagavatam. The following day, Maharaj went on to explain the three types of devotees, namely kanistha (neophyte), madhyam (intermediate) and uttama adikhari (topmost). We learned about the kanistha, who has weak faith and many material desires, and about the madhyam, who has strong faith and therefore does not pursue his material desires. In the evening class, Maharaj finished off the topic by describing the uttama adikhari. Then he spoke about Uddhava, who was sent to Vrindavan as a messenger of Krishna and was just amazed by the love the gopis showed for Krishna. But Uddhava went as an outsider and Maharaj pointed out how this is also our situation. We cannot fully enter into Vrindavan yet, therefore we must take shelter of the philosophy and of the mercy of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

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During the retreat, we went for two morning walks/hikes. It was lots of fun, even though on the way back from the first walk, it became really hot and exhausting. Due to this, a smaller group of people ventured out the next day. The second walk led to what used to be a big waterfall. It had turned into a small trail of water due to the severe drought currently being experienced in South Africa. Maharaj gave a wonderful talk when we reached the ‘waterfall’, saying how we should learn from nature instead of living such artificial lives. He also spoke about ‘counting our blessings’ which means that we should appreciate all the good things we have in life. It was indeed very inspiring!

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On Wednesday evening, there was a special program since it was the last evening. We had an ecstatic kirtan and then Maharaj mentioned amongst many other things, different types of intelligence. The lecture was followed by several performances, one of them being a professionally performed drama showing the struggles in life with the three modes of material nature. Then devotees re-enacted some incidents which happened during the retreat, in a funny way! One of them showed the situation, where Maharaj almost walked into a snake.

Before we left the hotel on Thursday, Maharaj gave a final class where he thanked everyone for coming to the retreat and then we drove back to Durban. On Friday and Saturday, Maharaj did evening programs in Pietermaritzburg and Phoenix. On Sunday morning, we travelled to Johannesburg for a double dose of programs – the first was a mid-morning one at the Lenasia temple, followed by an afternoon one in Midrand which brought an end to the January visit to South Africa. On Monday (11 January), we left for Europe and we are currently in Czech!

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Next Official Mridanga-Drum Course: Feb 26 to Mar 6
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*** UPDATE - The course is now full! ***

The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple is, once again, offering a workshop for students to become well-versed with the mridanga-drum, which is one of the most revered, enjoyed and vintage sounds of Hare Krishna culture.

The course will be offered between Feb 26th and March 6th. The beginner/intermediate session will happen on the weekend of the 26th, 27th and 28th of Febuary, while the expert sessions will happen on the 5th, 6th and 7th of March.

Personalized sessions (1-on-1) will also be available to students during the weekdays between February 29th and March 3rd for registered students of the course.

You can officially register for the seminar through the form below or by clicking here.

The official course poster also contains more information:


Fifty percent
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By HH Kavicandra Swami

There seems to be a lot of confusion about what it means to give fifty percent. For most householders their income does not allow them to live and to give 50% to the temple.

The following from a purport by Srila Prabhupada might help to clear the air. I have inserted a few comments using [ ] to indentify them. The stress is on preaching, not what our our financial condition is. By finding some way to preach bhakti will be the most pleasing to guru and KRSNA. One need not be rich to please guru and Gauranga.

SB 1.5.37 Purport

The major portion of our monetary income, not less than fifty percent, must be spent to carry out the order of Lord Krsna. Not only should we give the profit of our earning to this cause, but we must also arrange to preach this cult of devotion to others because that is also one of the orders of the Lord.

[My understanding is that if one is using his home for the service of the Lord, offering everything to KRSNA and performing kirtan and scriptural studies with the family, the expense of the home is being used for devotional service.]

The Lord definitely says that no one is more dear to Him than one who is always engaged in the preaching work of the Lord’s name and fame all over the world. The scientific discoveries of the material world can also be equally engaged in carrying out His order. He wants the message of the Bhagavad-gita to be preached amongst His devotees. It may not be so done amongst those who have no credit of austerities, charity, education, etc. Therefore, the attempt must go on to convert unwilling men to become His devotees. Lord Caitanya has taught a very simple method in this connection. He has taught the lesson for preaching the transcendental message through singing, dancing and refreshment. As such, fifty percent of our income may be spent for this purpose.

[The home and spare time should be used for preaching. That could be by inviting guests for kirtan, discussion of philosophy and/or prasadam, depending on the persons invited. Sometimes it may only be prasadam. The family can also go for harinam sankirtan or book distribution.]

In this fallen age of quarrel and dissension, if only the leading and wealthy persons of society agree to spend fifty percent of their income in the service of the Lord, as it is taught by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu,

[Those who have wealth can support or build temples. They can finance KRSNA conscious festivals]

there is absolute certainty of converting this hell of pandemonium to the transcendental abode of the Lord. No one will disagree to partake in a function where good singing, dancing and refreshment are administered. Everyone will attend such a function, and everyone is sure to feel individually the transcendental presence of the Lord. This alone will help the attendant associate with the Lord and thereby purify himself in spiritual realization. The only condition for successfully executing such spiritual activities is that they must be conducted under the guidance of a pure devotee who is completely free from all mundane desires, fruitive activities and dry speculations about the nature of the Lord. No one has to discover the nature of the Lord. It is already spoken by the Lord Himself in the Bhagavad-gita especially and in all other Vedic literatures generally. We have simply to accept them in toto and abide by the orders of the Lord. That will guide us to the path of perfection. One can remain in his own position. No one has to change his position, especially in this age of variegated difficulties.

SB 1.5.37 Purport

Third Ratha Yatra in Batam, Indonesia
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By Hari Narayana Das

Batam is the largest city in the Riau Islands Province of Indonesia, across the Strait of Singapore, the third-largest city in Sumatra region and the eighth largest city in Indonesia. Located 20 km off Singapore‘s south coast, it is an industrial boomtown, an emerging transport hub and part of a free trade zone the Indonesia–Malaysia–Singapore Growth Triangle.

His Grace Samudrasena das (leader of ISKCON Batam) under the guidance of His Holiness Subhag Swami Maharaj organized the third Ratha Yatra festival with the help of devotees from different parts of Indonesia on 26th December 2015.

“Make the Ratha-yatra festival very great success. This will be a great introduction in your city and people will appreciate it.”– SPL to Shyamasundara, 4th May, 1967

The usual system in Indonesia is that the devotees join a local parade or cultural event with the permission of the Government and simultaneously hold the Ratha Yatra festival as one of the ‘acts’. The Ratha Yatra committee was considering joining the annual ‘Batam Anniversary Festival’ but the Lord had other plans. He wanted to have a festival of His own!

Invitations were sent out and preparations were underway. There are only five families practicing Krishna Consciousness in Batam presently but their spirit is large and that reflects in the way they serve together to please Srila Prabhupada. Many devotees from across Indonesia arrived the day before the festival and helped in various services. The majority of devotees were awake till midnight decorating the Lord’s chariot with various flowers and lighting arrangements.

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“The faith increases in Krsna consciousness by our voluntary increase of serving Krsna. Serving Krsna is unlimited and He can accept our unlimited service, and award us unlimited transcendental pleasure in the unlimited service of the Lord…..” SPL to Brahmananda 20th February, 1968.

On the day of the festival devotees from Singapore and other parts of Indonesia arrived. Special guest Atmanivedana Swami Maharaj made a boat journey to attend the festival from Singapore. At 3pm all assembled in front of Their Lordships who were beautifully decorated with a variety of fragrant flowers and stunning ornaments. Bhoga was offered and followed by an arati ceremony. A welcoming dance was then performed by the children of the ‘Batam Gauranga Centre’ to get everyone in the mood of the festival. The leader of Batam’s Hindu Parisad gave an ecouraging speech appreciating the devotee’s efforts in organizing the Ratha Yatra festival. Atmanivedana Swami Maharaj then spoke on the significance of the Ratha Yatra festival. A recorded message by Subhag Swami Maharaj was played. He spoke on the life of Srila Prabhupada and how he introduced the ‘Lord of the Universe’ to the West. Maharaj mentioned that Jagannath went to the West to bless the residents of those countries who had never heard about Him. Now by His sweet will He is travelling to different places in Indonesia and bestowing His unlimited grace upon all, especially those who are working hard to please Him.

After the series of cultural acts, Their Lordships were placed upon Their chariots and Jagannathastakam was harmoniously sung followed by arati led by Atmanivedana Swami Maharaj. Coconuts were broken and conch shells were blown in order to invoke auspiciousness. Devotees then pulled the ropes of the chariot and the Lord was on His way for a 2km ride. The kirtan team attracted the public to join in the festival and chant and dance with the devotees. With their cameras and mobile phones, the public were constantly taking pictures of Jagannath and His followers. With the help of a police escort there were fortunately no disturbances throughout the parade. Cookies and fruits offered to Jagannath were distributed to all.

“For the present, you endeavor to make the Rathayatra Festival grand successful. You should arrange the procession and procedure so nicely that all the neighboring people may be attracted to join the procession.” SP letter to Upendra –1st June 1968

At 7pm the chariot arrived in Sumatra Conventional Building where prasad was distribute freely. The atmosphere was surcharged with a positive vibration that could be felt in all directions. The following day the festival appeared in the local newspaper.

“But I have not received any newspaper clippings, which I am very much anxious to see.” SPL to Shyamasundara, 15th July, 1968

The organizers of the Ratha Yatra committee would like to offer their obeisances to His Holiness Kavicandra Swami and His Holiness Ramai Swami, the GBCs for Indonesia. We are grateful for their support and for constantly guiding us in pushing forward Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s Sankirtan movement. We are extremely grateful to His Holiness Subhag Swami Maharaj who has been inspiring us to explore new frontiers in preaching and performing this Jagannath Ratha Yatra in every city in Indonesia for the pleasure of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. We thank His Holiness Atmanivedana Swami for attending this event and inspiring the devotees. We offer our respects to His Grace Samudrasena das the leader of ISKCON Batam for helping to make this festival a success. Last but not least we thank Sesa das and Rasikananada das for their melodious singing which attracted all.

Jaya Sri Sri Jagannath Baladev Subadra Maharani Ki Jaya!

Jaya Sri Jagannath Ratha Yatra Utsava Ki Jaya!

Jaya Srila Prabhupada Ki Jaya!

Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk: Travel Journal from North Florida and Atlanta
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By Krishna-kripa Das

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 11, No. 23
By Krishna-kripa das
(December 2015, part one)
North Florida and Atlanta
(Sent from Orlando, Florida, on January 16, 2015)
Where I Went and What I Did
For the first half of December I was based at our Krishna House in Gainesville, where I sang with their chanting party for 2½ hours each weekday while the devotees served about a thousand plates of Krishna food to the students, faculty, staff, and visitors at the University of Florida. The end of the first week we attended three outreach events where we shared the chanting of Hare Krishna with many people: the Jacksonville Art Walk, the Tallahassee First Friday, and the St. Augustine Christmas parade. At the Art Walk devotees also distributed many books. The second week I chanted at the Gainesville Farmers Market with just one other devotee. At Krishna House we had an end of the semester party with appreciations of the devotees and some humorous entertainment, and I share some of the parts most striking to me. I was part of our kirtana team at inspiring deity welcoming ceremony in Tallahassee that brought a lot of people together chanting Hare Krishna.

 I share notes on a Prabhupada lecture and quotes from his books. I share excerpts from the journal of Satsvarupa dasa Goswami. I share notes on classes by Prahladananda Swami, Radhanath Swami, and Bhakti Prabhupada Vrata Damodar Swami. I share insights from many Prabhupada disciples, including Adi Karta Prabhu, Ananta Devi, Garuda Prabhu, Kalakantha Prabhu, Ramiya Prabhu, Satyaraja Prabhu, Sesa Prabhu, and Tamohara Prabhu. I have an excerpt on Prabhupada’s padayatra by Gaurangi Devi from a Back to Godhead magazine article. I also have nice realizations from other devotees who speak at Krishna House such as Madhava Prabhu [from New Raman Reti], Mother Caitanya, Tulasirani Devi, Abhimanya Prabhu, Gauranga Prasada Prabhu, Dhamesvara Mahaprabhu Prabhu, Hanan Prabhu, and Ricardo.

Itinerary
January 16–17: Orlando
January 18: Gainesville
January 19–20: Orlando
January 21: Tampa
January 22: Orlando
January 23–26: Tallahassee
January 27–February 24: Gainesville area (and Florida campuses)
February 25: New York City
February 26–29: Dublin, Ireland
March 1­–April 14: India
April 14–: Dublin, Ireland


 Jacksonville Art Walk

The Jacksonville Art Walk started slowly with Gauranga Prasad Prabhu singing a mellow tune and Alex teaching a couple guys the mantra and a simple dance, but as the devotees become more fired-up and the streets filled with people, many delighted in chanting and dancing with the Krishna House devotees, who also distributed books, cookies, and incense in addition to the holy name. 

The very enthusiastic chanters, musicians, and dancers in our party inspired people to take part. I encountered many students from the local community college, but very few from University of North Florida, where we have programs. People took pictures of the devotees chanting and themselves and their friends with the devotees.

You can see how passersby were attracted by our chanting in this video (https://youtu.be/cu6qF5cO-HA):
First Friday in Tallahassee
Remembering previous good experiences chanting at First Friday, I encouraged my friends from Krishna House to go, and six of them did. Nama Kirtan Prabhu had not served prasadam at First Friday for a few months, but he decided to do so at the First Friday in December. We chanted near the prasadam serve out until there was a slow period, when I suggested we do a walking hariama around the circular Railroad Square. Christiana, who led the singing, offered shakers to people who were attracted, gave them mantra cards, and encouraged them to dance. Audrey and others assisted. It was incredible to see the openness of the people to take part and their joy in doing so. Audrey said it was the best harinama she ever went on, and she was so glad she came. Special thanks to Carlos for playing the harmonium, Bali and Vaishnava for playing the drum, and Ricardo for playing the karatalas.
In this series of video clips, you can get a taste for what it was like (https://youtu.be/mda6aQ84dLs):
St. Augustine Christmas Parade
I remembered the rain, the speed of the procession and the good reception by the public from previous years at the St. Augustine Christmas Parade, but this year the rain and the speed surpassed my memories. I was happy that twelve of us came in the Krishna House van to join with the Alachua devotees, who arranged for our participation in the event. Christiana did such a good job dancing enthusiastically in the front of the procession that Mother Mukhya, Alachua temple president, mentioned her in the Sunday feast program announcements the next day. Audrey also did a good job dancing. I let the two young ladies go in front until I was disturbed by the great gap between our party and the float ahead of us, and then I went to the front of our party, hoping to inspire the devotees to reduce the gap. Although I moved as fast as I could, dancing and proceeding forward at the same time, it was very difficult to bridge the gap. I was amazed that the other devotees did not make much endeavor to reduce the gap very much, even the ladies half my age, for whom walking quickly was not difficult. When we got to the center of town, fortunately for us, the procession slowed down, and everyone was able to catch up. Mother Akuti got some of the onlookers who seemed a little favorable to play the tambourine, and Christiana got a few people to dance. We were definitely the most lively and interactive group in the parade. Our float was a Ratha-yatra cart, but it was pulled by a vehicle instead of by the devotees, which lost some of the charm of the experience. Also the vehicle blocked our vision of the deities, a frustration. Apparently the city officials prefer we use a cart pulled by a vehicle rather than people so as it keep the parade moving at a brisk pace. Ironically, even with the vehicle pulling the cart, we could not keep up. Still it was a great event with many devotees participating, and lots of people were happy to see the devotees in the parade.
Mostly I was dancing, but I took a little video of our participation in the parade (https://youtu.be/39JH6BkBlfM):
Chanting Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch

Prahladananda Swami is almost always willing to go on at least one harinama wherever he goes. He chanted with us at Krishna Lunch one day during his visit (https://youtu.be/RCoOaQfRg30):
Saci, who has played in the Vrindavan 24-hour Kirtana and who now travels and plays drum for B. B. Govinda Swami, came twice to Krishna Lunch, leading the chanting of Hare Krishna on December 9 and 11 (https://youtu.be/vDnkIyadNms):
Yadubara Prabhu, the photographer and movie maker, whose daughter Hari Priya is a regular singer at Krishna Lunch, led the chanting of Hare Krishna on December 10 (https://youtu.be/s4oPhoxSfT8):
Purusartha Prabhu leads the chanting of Hare Krishna several times a month, when he is in the area. He also brings good musicians and good instruments. Here he sings on December 11 (https://youtu.be/q-lRImk3ajM):
Sometimes during the Christmas season, devotees chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra to the tune of “Jingle Bells”, a popular Christmas carole, as Dhamesvara Mahaprabhu das Prabhu does here (https://youtu.be/4_sLhsmtCbw):
As the semester came to an end, we stopped serving Krishna Lunch at the campus, but we continued at Krishna House for another few days.

I encouraged the devotees to go out and sing on the campus and remind passersby that we would still serving Krishna Lunch at our place, and some of us did.

We had a book table with free cookies along with the chanting party.

Some Appreciations of the Devotees at the End of Semester Party
These are not complete but just some that I found striking in some way. I left them in the order I heard them.
Salvador:
To Hanan:
You are always asking people at Krishna Lunch how they are doing today, and how their weekend went. I am impressed with your selflessness.
Srestha:
To Naomi:
I see you really focus on your service, even though it is tiresome.
Kalki Prabhu:
Because I associate with Srila Prabhupada and people who associate with Srila Prabhupada, that is my success.
Kalakantha Prabhu:
To Madhava Prabhu [of New Raman Reti]:
I see you have expertly balanced your life, having a successful career, maintaining your Krishna consciousness at a high level, and having a wife and kids that are nice devotees.
Bali [of LA]:
To Carlos:
Some people, if they instruct you, you turn away from it, but when you speak, I take it seriously.
To Ricardo:
Although I have only known you recently, I already look up to you. You inspire me by your honesty.
Tessa:
To Diane, Mother Caitanya’s mom:
I never have seen anyone hand out plates with such love.
Vaninatha Vasu Prabhu:
I observe Kalakantha Prabhu to be always a gentleman in Krishna consciousness, someone who is gentle, and someone with a vision to share Krishna consciousness. These qualities are the cause of the wonderful things going on here, and I am excited to see the future.
Dhameshvar Mahaprabhu Das Prabhu:
To Anthony:
I appreciate that although you have so much success in business, you have a drive for something deeper in life, and that is very rare.
Abhinav [student in both statistics and pharmaceutics]:
I appreciate that Kalakantha Prabhu, Dhameshvar, and Mother Caitanya have encouraged me in attending the morning program. I feel that has also benefited my studies.
Bhakta Tony:
Krishna House is like kirtana-sagara, an ocean of kirtana.
Entertainment at Krishna House End of Semester Party
Dhameshvar Mahaprabhu das Prabhu:
I’m notorious for my sense of humor at Krishna House. Many people don’t appreciate my jokes, but I enjoy them. At least they’re based on scripture, it could be verse.
How do I come up with these bad jokes you may wonder. I’m a pundit.
Impersonalists like my jokes. They merge into the punness.
Renunciates like my jokes. They consider it a form of punance.
You know what you call that when people are proud of their caste? Varnity.
People takes sides on the debate about the origin of the jiva. But personally, I’m marginal.
I was one day while thinking about the origin of the jiva and I tripped. I couldn’t figure out how I fell down.
The Christians say that we’re idol worshippers. But we’re actually quite active.
I realized something special about the words, ‘the Supreme Personality of Godhead’. It’s the clause of all clauses.
I was trying to figure out when the brahma-muhurta ends. And then it dawned on me.
Every time I try to sound the conch shell, I blow it.
Yama-Niyama Brahmacari:
You have used you human life for sense gratification not self-realization. You will have fun, fun, until the Yamadutas take you away.
You may sense gratify.
But I don’t know why,
You are going to die.
I am very positive:
I am positive we are going to die.
I am positive this world is a miserable place.
Krishna is always seeing us. We are the ones with the vision problems.
Some lyrics from “Karmi Grains”:
Prabhupada did not want
you to eat in a restaurant.
If you want to go nuts,
there is always Krispy Kreme donuts.
I would not risk it,
not even one biscuit.
Chanting Hare Krishna in Atlanta
I decided travel by bus back to New York City to save money when I found there was a $20 Chinese bus there from Atlanta. I chanted Hare Krishna by myself in Atlanta after arriving by Greyhound bus from Gainesville and before going to Doraville to catch the Chinese bus to New York. I thought I would chant outside the Garnett Transit station, where I would catch the train to Doraville, because there were no transit personnel to be seen, whereas security policed the Greyhound station. I hadn’t chanted five minutes when a transit police car rolled up and two policemen told me I had to relocate. I wandered around to check out the scene and decided to chant at the corner of Peacetree and Trinity for half an hour. There were not many people who came by. In the back of my mind, I  considered that if Krishna really wanted someone to run into me, He could direct them in my direction. The people who did come by pretty much ignored me or else looked but didn’t say anything. Then one lady come up to me and asked how Acaryadeva [Hridayananda Goswami] was doing. I mentioned his recent book on Bhagavad-gita. She also asked about Vaninatha Vasu Prabhu and Mother Duhsala, from the Gainesville / Alachua area. I had just talked to Vaninatha under a week ago. She said she had met the devotees both in Miami and Gainesville. I gave her the Bhakti book and wrote in it the address of the Atlanta temple, telling her about the 12-hour kirtana there on both Saturday and Sunday this weekend from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. I was happy that my chanting in Atlanta made a difference in someone’s life.
For more photos, which I took but did not include, click on this link below:
https://picasaweb.google.com/103872792410945983719/TravelJournal1123?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPyxtMGxjprHkgE&feat=directlink
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 8.7.44:
“There are different kinds of welfare activities in this material world, but the supreme welfare activity is the spreading of Krishna consciousness. Other welfare activities cannot be effective, for the laws of nature and the results of karma cannot be checked. It is by destiny, or the laws of karma, that one must suffer or enjoy.”
From a lecture in New Vrindaban on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.6:
In your country, you have got sufficient material opulence compared to other countries but still there is no satisfaction. So in spite of all good arrangement for material enjoyment, enough food, nice apartments, motor cars, roads, and very good arrangements for freedom in sex, and good arrangements for defense also—everything is complete—but still, people are dissatisfied, confused, and the younger generation, they are turning into hippies or protesting, because they are not happy.
“Ayur means span of life, and Veda means knowledge.”
“Formerly every brahmana used to learn these two sciences, Ayur-veda and Jyotir–veda.”
I am not this body. This is a vehicle. Just like we ride in a car, or drive a car, but we are not this car. Similarly, this is a yantra, car, mechanical car. Krishna or God has given me this car, I wanted it.”
“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. Not that simply going and take bath and business finished.”
“What kind of devotional service? Priti–purvakam, with love and affection. One who is engaged in devotional service of the Lord in love and devotion. What is the symptom of love? The symptom, the prime symptom, most important symptom of love is that the devotee wants to see that his Lord’s name, fame, etc., become widespread. He wants to see that ‘My Lord’s name be known everywhere.’ This is love. If I love somebody, I want to see that his glories are spread all over the world. And Krishna also says in the Bhagavad-gita [18.69], na ca tasman manusyesu kascit me priya–krttamah, anyone who preaches His glory, nobody is dearer to Him than that person.”
“If one knows Krishna, he knows everything. He knows politics, he knows economics, he knows science, he knows philosophy, he knows religion, he knows sociology, everything. Tasmin vijñate sarvam etam vijñatam bhavanti, that is the Vedic injunction. If you simply understand God,
Krishna, then everything will be revealed to you because Krishna says, buddhim dadami tam. If Krishna gives you intelligence from within, who can excel Him? Nobody can excel Him. But Krishna can give you intelligence provided you become a devotee, or lover of Krishna.” 
“We should accept a leader who is not blind. We therefore accept Krishna, the Supreme Person, who knows everything, past, present, and future. We take His` leadership or we take the leadership of His representative. That is our process.”
First of all, dharma is meant for the human society. The animal society has nothing to do with religion. Neither they know what is religion, what is this body, what is soul. It is not their business. Dharma is the business of the human society. Therefore in any human society, there is a kind of dharma, religion. It doesn’t matter whether it is Christian religion, or Hindu religion, or Buddha religion, or Muhammadan religion, some sort of religious propensities are there. Because without this propensity, dharma, religious, he is not a man, he is animal, because animal has no sense of religion. Dharmena hina pasubhih samana, anyone who has no religion, it doesn’t matter what kind of religion he has got, but he must have some religion. Without religion he is animal. 
Traveling all over the world, the only scarcity is sense of God, Krishna consciousness, God consciousness. They have practically rejected God consciousness. So that will not make him happy because he cannot become happy imitating the animals. Now they are imitating animals, becoming naked. That is they, that is their advancement of civilization, to become naked, nudist. 
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami:
From “Poem for December 4” in Viraha Bhavan:
“The Hare Krishna chanters in the City
are starting to experience cold weather.
Eventually they will have to
go down into the subway.
Either place, topside
or subterranean, their service
is the same – to sing
sacred kirtana. And in
either place there are plenty
of passersby. Their singing is heard
by the passionate urbanites,
and because it is the Hare Krishna mantra
it purifies the hearts of
the hearers. The people
may be thinking of something
else, but when Hare Krishna
penetrates their brains
and minds it works
like a broom
to clean away the dust. Lord Caitanya says
it polishes the mirror of the
mind so one can see the Self in truth.
These transformations take place just by
casual contact with the Names.
The steady appearance of the kirtana party
is changing people’s lives more than
they are aware of, and unconsciously
they are grateful for the gift.”
From “Poem for December 11” in Viraha Bhavan:
“Some devotees are introverted
and some are extroverted,
but when they go on harinama.
they all perform to
catch the attention
of the forgetful
fallen souls. They
put on an exhibition
in the service of
Lord Caitanya as welfare
work for the nondevotees.
It comes naturally because it is such
a pleasure to chant
and dance for the Lord.”
Prahladananda Swami:
We have two choices (1) to orient our desires to the misconception of identifying ourselves with the mind and body or (2) to orient our desires to serving Krishna through the instructions the disciplic succession.
Our disease is we want to have our cake, but we do not want to offer it too.
Our attempt to become free from miseries without taking shelter of Krishna is not realistic.
Srila Prabhupada said the problem with the devotees in the Krishna consciousness movement is that they do not believe in Krishna. Once in the garden in Los Angeles, Srila Prabhupada asked me three times, “Are you convinced about Krishna?” with a few minutes between each query. Each time I said, “Yes.” But by the third time, I wondered how convinced I was about Krishna.
Krishna recommends we give up our anxiety, but we are so attached to our anxiety, we cannot give it up.
In the course of our practice, because our taste (ruci) from Krishna consciousness is higher, we become attached to it (asakti).
Lord Caitanya came with His associates who are either nitya-siddha or sadhana-siddha devotees.
Q: How to avoid becoming proud?
A: Lord Caitanya advised Vasudeva Datta to keep chanting Hare Krishna to avoid pride. Also we can examine our situation: for many lives we have neither progressed materially or spiritually, and thus we have nothing to proud of.
Q: It is said a neophyte should not preach as he will be affected by the people he tries to convert. How do we know if we are ready to preach?
A: We have to monitor, both while preaching and at other times, how we are being affected. Are we becoming more materially affected or are we becoming more spiritually attached? We should be introspective.
If we have no attraction for hearing and chanting about Krishna, we must engage those things we are attracted to in Krishna’s service, and then we will become purified and ultimately become attracted to hearing and chanting about Krishna.
Q: If we experience we have gained something in devotional service, how can avoid being proud?
A: We have been misusing Krishna’s property for lives and have been thrown in this material prison. How can be proud of our prison life? Imagine a prisoner putting pictures of his cell on Facebook! It is pride but pride in madness.
We have some love for Krishna, but we still have some love for material existence. So we keep performing devotional service and increase our love Krishna and decrease our love for material existence.
It is described that in Dvapara-yuga, the Lord is worshiped by service (paricarya). Where do we find that word in Bhagavad-gita? In the description of the activities of the sudras. But this not ordinary service, but the service of Lord.  
Commentary by Abhimanyu: Srila Prabhupada indicated the deity worship of Jagannath Puri is similar to the scale of the deity worship of Dvapara worship.
In Satya-yuga people meditated on Lord Vishnu, but it was not that they sat in meditation all day. They performed all their activities seeing Vishnu’s presence in everything.
Passion means you start becoming attached to the material nature. Instead of seeing things as Krishna’s property, you see them as yours. In Treta-yuga people threw their property in the fire as sacrifice.
One time some devotees decided they wanted to centralize ISKCON. Srila Prabhupada was disturbed by this, and he suspended the GBC. I was temple president and received a letter from Srila Prabhupada saying I should not listen to the GBC but should follow him. I already wasn’t listening to the GBC and was following him.
We should follow Krishna’s instructions, but not just follow them. Follow them as a sacrifice to please Lord Vishnu.  
Tolerance is on the platform of liberation.
People think lust, greed, and anger are the causes of pleasure, but actually they are the cause of misery.
Meat eating, intoxication, gambling, and illicit sex have been made glorious, but we could describe them in such a way that no one would be attracted.
If we chant with the attempt to avoid offenses we are separated an inch from life’s miseries.
By performing sacrifice in Treta-yuga one comes to the level of Satya-yuga where he can always meditate on the Lord.
Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura said when our men become sahajiya they will be worse than the others because they will have the whole philosophy to support their sahajiya activities. The Gaudiya Matha fell apart because they forgot about the sankirtana mission of Lord Caitanya.
Our movement is so exacting it has relevance to our lives.
Sinful desires still arise in our minds because we have not fully taken shelter of the holy name.
When we see good examples, it occurs to us what we can do to make progress, and when we do that, Krishna sees that and reveals more to us.
Q: How could sahajiya manifest in ISKCON?
A: Just look around. You see some devotees engaged in devotional service and other devotees not engaged in devotional service. The tendency to take everything as very easy is the sahajiya tendency.
Radhanath Swami:
If the Vedic brahmanas could not revive an animal by the power of Vedic mantras, they were subject to the reactions for killing the animals.
Bhakti Prabhupada Vrata Damodar Swami:
In the beginning of Chapter 8 of Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna asked Krishna to define some of the terms in He used in the last verse of Chapter 7.
In the purport to the last verse of Chapter 7 is a compendium of Bhagavad-gita philosophy, which is justifiable as it is summarizes the chapter.
Everyone is concerned with the art of living, but unfortunately no one is concerned with the art of dying.
The German philosopher Heidegger made the point that if there is no thought of death, one is not living authentically.
The word “understanding” is not used cheaply by Srila Prabhupada.
This most important point often made by Srila Prabhupada is made here: “This human form of life is an opportunity to regain Krishna consciousness, and it should be fully utilized to attain the causeless mercy of the Supreme Lord.”
One who is Krishna conscious can remember Krishna because he is enthralled with the amazing knowledge revealed by Him and about Him in Bhagavad-gita.
Even very learned philosophers are baffled about the identity of the self because they do not accept the knowledge descending from the Supreme Lord.
The problem with Cartesian dualism is that Descartes considered the fundamental duality was of body and mind instead of body and soul.
Q: Could you speak of the origin of bhakti?
A: Bhakti is eternal. Its origin is in the spiritual world.
Sadaputa Prabhu made that point that superstition means standing above.
Adi Karta Prabhu:
Although Harvard is the top university, 50% of students have anxiety issues.
This [Hare Krishna] mantra can give us the understanding we are all equal and can give so much spiritual knowledge.
Not much knowledge is given in the Christian and Islamic traditions about God. Is he just sitting on a throne judging people?
Ananta Devi:
I got Bhagavad-gita during summer vacation from school. I read it continuously for a month in my room. I would just come down and watch TV from time to time so my parents did not suspect anything weird was going on with me.
I was not happy living with my parents. They were not happy with me living with them either. I considered that if I moved into the temple, my parents would not like it, but they did not like me living with them anyway, so that did not matter. And I thought that I may like it or not like it, but that Krishna would definitely like it. Thus I thought if I move in the temple, at least one person, namely Krishna, would like it, and thus I decided to move in the temple.
Once I was feeling very hopeless about advancing in Krishna consciousness because of personal deficiencies. In that state of mind, I heard Srila Prabhupada say in a lecture, “There is no such thing as hopelessness as long as one associates with devotees.”
Garuda Prabhu:
Passion for one’s service to Krishna is different from the mode of passion. Working hard for material gain is the mode of passion.
Human beings are never happy just serving themselves. By pleasing others, we feel good.
One cannot work for the benefit of others without having a place of satisfaction within. You cannot nourish another without nourishing yourself first. Bhakti is to first find nourishment for ourselves.
The best way to give someone Krishna consciousness is to give them an experience of your own experience of Krishna consciousness.
In Chapters 7, 9, and 10 of Bhagavad-gita, Krishna connects the beautiful things of this world to Himself.
Harvey Cox is perhaps the most famous modern theologian. He wanted to go to the Ratha-yatra one time. He stayed with me, and we spent the day together. While he was visiting, before going to the Ratha-yatra, he suggested we visit one of his favorite churches. It was one of those black churches, and there was so much energy. We both found ourselves moving with the music and came out of there very much enlivened.
Harvey Cox would have the students in his class go to mangala arati at the temple. The students could not get up that early, so they would stay up that late.
Our presentation of bhakti is more sharing a positive experience. Our preaching is teaching and sharing.
Homiletics is the art of preaching.
Comment by Dhameshvar Mahaprabhu das Prabhu:
In Christianity, you have to be saved, and the only way you can be saved, is to accept Lord Jesus Christ as your only Lord and savior. Whereas in bhakti, you do not have to believe. Whether you believe or not, if you take prasadam you can begin your spiritual journey.
Sharing begins with hearing from another person. By hearing from the people we get the sense of how the Lord is in their hearts, and how He can speak to us through them.
Sages disagree, but the behavior of the devotee is more powerful as a demonstration of religious principles.
In sharing bhakti we can say, “These books, or this teaching, changed my life.” Or even, if it is more honest, “These books, or this teaching, is beginning to change my life.”
A symptom is a sign of a disease [or a diseased condition], but in ISKCON we tend to erroneously use it to mean a sign of anything, for example, “consciousness is the symptom of the soul.”
Q: We learn we should hear from more elevated persons and if we hear materialistic persons we will be become contaminated. How can we listen to the materialistic people we are preaching to?
A: If we feel are being degraded, then we might stop hearing, but when we can hear and share and both be inspired spiritually, it can be very positive.
Q: What about telling the people about accepting the authority of guru, sadhu, sastra?
A: Better tell how you have benefited personally by guru, by sadhu, and by sastra. That will be more convincing.
Srila Prabhupada said that all true religion has bhakti.
For sixteen years I made my students buy Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is, read it, and write about. Then I wrote my version of Bhagavad-gita based on my experience of teaching it.
We have to consider with great care how to present Krishna bhakti. The more you personalize your presentation of Krishna bhakti, the more powerful it is.
Sadaputa Prabhu and I spent 7 hours distributing books in Washington, D.C. We each distributed two Bhagavad-gitas. Sadaputa talked to one interested man for an hour, and I talked to a very interested person for two hours. We were both very excited. When the sankirtana leader asked how many books we did and learned we did only four between us, he wasn’t happy. I made the point that these books were going to be read, valued, and contemplated! But he was not impressed. That was the last time we were sent out on books.
First we have to do mad-citta mad-gata-prana [think of Krishna and devote our life to Krishna] then we can bodhayanta parasparam [enlighten each other].
Because I am a professor, I give grades to ISKCON. We get an A for deity worship, and B for prasadam, because it tastes good but it is not always healthy. Education gets a C in terms of gurukula. Bhagavatam class gets D, because the speakers do not always ground the classes in the essential part of the purport. I would give kirtana a D. Why? Srila Prabhupada started kirtana in the West, but we missed our opportunity to share it. Now Krishna Das, who is not a Krishna bhakta, is famous as introducing the genre of kirtana, in the West.
A cultured devotee protects bhakti.
The temporary things matter because they can be engaged in the permanent things that matter.
Bhaj is the root of the word bhakti, which means (1) to divide and (2) to share. Thus the idea is that God is present and absent at the same time.
Bhakta means one who is offering love to God and one who is loved by God.
Women are less intelligent in the ways that men are intelligent, and men are less intelligent in the ways that women are intelligent.
Medha is more practical emotional intelligence, whereas buddhi is more analytical.
Can you connect with Krishna through and with someone? That is the question. Everyone is valuable as a unique infinitesimal portion of Krishna.
Comments by me:
I had some experience of your statement, “The best way to give someone Krishna consciousness to give them an experience of your own experience of Krishna consciousness.” I told a nominal Christian college student I liked the idea that souls are present in animals and plants, in addition to humans, and the idea we had previous lives, which explains why we are differently situated at birth, two ideas I found in the Gita. Considering my explanation, she replied, “OK, I will take one.” I was surprised. Just by sharing what I liked about the philosophy, I sold a book.
The Christians are preaching, “Christ is the only way.” Coming from this background, when we become devotees, sometimes we preach “Srila Prabhupada is the only way” or “Narayana Maharaj is the only way.” Srila Prabhupada did not preach, “Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura is the only way.” He explained there are four Vaishnava samprayadas [spiritual lineages] that teach Krishna bhakti, and one must accept a guru from a current representative of one of them.
Prabhupada is seen often as very exclusive, but actually many of his statements are very inclusive.
Kalakantha Prabhu:
The compassion of Prahlada is the ornament on the crown of this pastime. He asked the Lord deliver his father, although his father tried to kill him in many different ways.
When one is self-controlled, he has no enemies, and he can really be compassionate.
Subreligious principles, like giving charity, can still be done with a selfish motive.
Life is said to be an ocean of ills. As a baby, there are so many spills. So many things are coming up. As child in school there are so many drills. In puberty there are so many thrills. In household life there are so many bills. In old age there are so many ills for which you have to take so many pills. At the end, we write our wills.
When there is no consciousness of enjoying this world, there is no sense of proprietorship.
When people are invested in the material world, it is very difficult for them to appreciate Krishna consciousness.
Srila Prabhupada said when some people see devotees, they see death personified. These people are challenged by people who are strongly convinced about something.
To be satisfied chanting Hare Krishna, taking prasadam, and associating with devotees, we are acting on the highest platform of yoga.
Q (by Amy): What if you want to be devotee but you do not want to be polarizing presence?
A: It difficult not to be. People are dissatisfied because they have not gotten the sense gratification they are aspiring for or they have and it has not satisfied them, and then a devotee comes in and says, or shows by his very life, that you do not need sense gratification. That cannot help but polarize people.
Comment by Tess: From my experience at work I see that what you say about a devotee polarizing people is spot on. I felt there was always tension. When I forgot to take off my tilaka one day before work, everyone looked at me strange. They did not say anything, there were just the strange looks. When I started bringing prasadam it really changed things. Even just one bite. One person, who had never spoken to me, after taking one bite of maha-prasadam from Alachua, said, “Tess, did you bring this? It is really good.”
The Srimad-Bhagavatam is critical for understanding Vaishnavism in this age. To meditate on the pastimes of the Lord is easier than other kinds of meditation.
The Bhagavatam says that it itself is an incarnation of the Lord for the age of Kali.
Something that promises ultimate happiness in a place where we do not belong cannot be the ultimate religious principle.
If we do not understand the difference between the soul and the body, our service to the Lord will not be unmotivated or uninterrupted. We will simply worship the Lord for material benefits.
By hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam, we attain a taste for Krishna, and then we achieve detachment. This is easier than forcing ourselves to be detached. We simply have to attend Srimad-Bhagavatam class daily.
We tend to focus on the all-pervading aspect of God because of disappointment in relationships in this world.
Without a relationship of service there is no sustainable realization.
Comment by Krishna-kripa das: At first I had difficulty appreciating Srila Prabhupada saying that our disease is that we want to become God. Then I considered that we do want to be able to do anything we want without there being any negative reaction as God can do. We do want to live forever like God. In this way, I could see the truth in what Srila Prabhupada was saying.
Verses 4 through 22 of the Second Chapter of the First Canto summarize bhakti-yoga.
Comment by Dhameshvar Mahaprabhu das Prabhu: I think it is wonderful that Krishna is so kind to us that He comes with us as the Supersoul to guide us. We focus though, on Krishna Himself, because that is where the most happiness is.
At Krishna House, I find if everyone can do the service that they really love to do for Krishna, then they will be very inspired.
From a breakfast conversation:
From the preaching perspective, to keep women from being diksa [initiating] gurus would not be effective. It would only be appreciated by people like Mormons and evangelical Christians, who are not likely to become Hare Krishnas anyway, and it would alienate the liberal people who tend to be more receptive to Krishna consciousness. 
Ramiya Prabhu:
From a conversation:
When I became a Hare Krishna devotee, I thought my friends would be really into it because I was really into it, but they were not interested, so I had to make new friends. But my new friends were better. They were always willing to help me, and they were interested in what I was interested; not that I had to pretend to be interested in what they were interested in.
Satyaraja Prabhu:
From “Does Yoga Equal Asana?” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 50, No. 2:
“In this way a clear picture emerges about the methods and goals of yoga
practice: One begins by controlling the body and mind, making it a finely
tuned instrument. But this is just a beginning step. After that, one uses this instrument in the Lord’s service. This is the perfection of yoga, technically
called bhakti-yoga.  In the end, then, to use a poorly tuned instrument
(a body not tuned by hatha-yoga) in Krishna’s service is better than using a
perfectly tuned instrument (a yogi’s body) for other things.”
“Comfortable in their conceptions of spirituality, yogis may feel they already have knowledge and don’t need further progress. If they deem themselves happy, they have a hard time believing they could be happier still. But higher realms exist. Ancient yoga texts describe the happiness derived from ordinary yoga practice as being like the water in a calf’s footprint when compared to the ocean of bliss found in the practice of bhakti-yoga.”
“This chanting [of Hare Krishna] is the essence of bhakti-yoga, which is the essence of yoga in general. Thus chanting is the essence of the essence. This is so because by chanting one learns to give one’s heart to Krishna, the soul of all souls. One learns how to truly unite with the divine. Patañjali [the author of the Yoga–sutras], too, recommends isvara–pranidhana, or giving one’s life to God with a mood of full devotion. Although most yogis today don’t know it, this is what yoga is really all about.”
Sesa Prabhu:
From a Sunday feast lecture on Bhagavad-gita 18.63 in Alachua:
This verse shows how much Krishna respects the will of the individual in choosing how to act in his relationship with the Lord.
Because we are part of God, we have the same characteristics, and thus as the Lord has the quality of independence, so do we, and Krishna respects that independence. Not only does He respect it, but He encourages it. That is a way He shows His love for us.
In Mahabharata, at least three times Krishna did things that were against His interest to facilitate the independence of a living being:
(1) He gave Duryodhana, who He had come to chastise, the choice of Himself or His army in the Battle of Kurukshetra.
(2) He gave Duryodhana the choice of accepting a peace proposal, and thus avoiding the war. Duryodhana misused that attempt by trying to arrest Krishna.
(3) Here, in verse 18.63, after explaining to Arjuna the entire Bhagavad-gita, he gave him the option to fight or not.
Srila Prabhupada explains that unless one has an opportunity to misuse it, there cannot be true independence.
Krishna respects the independence of the living being because if there is no choice there can be no love.
Now that we have the human form of life, we have the option to make the good choice of loving God, by making a commitment to the words of Krishna in Bhagavad-gita now.
We each have a relationship with Krishna which is unique to us. Because He is unlimited, He can maintain relationships with everyone at once.
It is important in our dealings that we also respect the choice of others.
How we present Krishna consciousness largely determines how people accept it.
Srila Prabhupada said in a letter to Karandhar, in December 1972, “Our leaders shall be careful not to kill the spirit of enthusiastic service which is individual, spontaneous, and voluntary.”
Do something special for the 50th anniversary of ISKCON to spread Krishna consciousness.
The lesson of Mahabharata is that if you choose dharma at every step, you will be successful, even if by material calculation everything is against you.
Q: It is difficult, when given the choice, to make the right choice.
A: Therefore we have to educate people.
Q: In order to have love, there must be free will, but giving people free will means a person can do something which will ruin the lives of many people, and so some people find fault with God for allowing that.
A: God gives those people who hurt others reactions to their activities, and He advises people not to act in that way, and therefore, He cannot be blamed for their misuse of free will.
From a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 8.23.16:
Not only are the words of the great sages powerful, but as devotees of the Lord, our words are very powerful. We should be careful to use our words to encourage people in the devotional service of the Lord and not just criticize them.
Srila Prabhupada was very proud of his disciple Giriraja, who rejected his wealthy parents offer of millions dollars, if he would give up chanting Hare Krishna.
Faith in the mantra is like the active ingredient.
The blessings of the guru are necessary so that the Vedic mantras will remain fresh in our mind, and we will not lose a taste for them.
Karna told Parasurama that he was a brahmana so Parasurama would teach him. In the course of being instructed, Karna was bit by a scorpion. When Parasurama saw how he tolerated the pain, he realized Karna was actually a ksatriya.
Those drunken people who are chanting with the harinama party cannot conceive of the benefit they receive by the chanting of the holy name, and even we ourselves cannot conceive that great benefit.
Our job is trying to give, give, give as much as possible this transcendental sound vibration.
Tamohara Prabhu:
From a welcoming ceremony for the Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai:
This age of Kali is described as the age of quarrel and hypocrisy, and that is very fitting. All you have to do read the newspaper to see that is true.
The Lord had to devise a method whereby such unfortunate people could be delivered. Thus He came as Lord Caitanya and taught the chanting of the holy name.
Lord Caitanya does not kill the demons. He kills the demonic mentality, for His mission is to give love of God.
He has given the easiest process of self-realization and also the highest.
He took the essence of all the Vaishnava philosophies, and taught His philosophy of acintya-bheda-abheda-tattva.
If you are out on the street and you are chanting Hare Krishna, you are helping to save the world.
Lord Caitanya’s instruction is to distribute these fruits of love of God. “Distribute this Krishna consciousness movement all over the world. Let people eat these fruits and ultimately become free from old age and death.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 9.39)
In Miami in 1973 we would regularly chant down by the Lincoln Mall. There were a lot of retired Jews from New York there, and the people really liked us. When we had stopped for some time, we got a call from the mayor of Miami asking where we were. He said, “Everyone has been asking about you!”
Gaurangi Devi:
From “The 40-Year History of ISKCON Padayatra” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 50, No. 2, pp. 41–42:
“In 1953, Srila Prabhupada, the Lord’s own senapati-bhakta  (“commander-
in-chief devotee”), used padayatra to spread Krishna consciousness in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. His regular sankirtana party around the city would attract up to fifty followers. And once, with his first disciple, Acharya Prabhakar, he went on padayatra to Chirgaon, a small town about 30 km north of Jhansi.”
Madhava Prabhu [from New Raman Reti]:
By accepting Krishna consciousness we are declaring war on the material energy. In other words, we are making a statement that we do not agree with anything that is going on here. Naturally there will be some protest to that and if we are not strongly situated, we might be disturbed in our determination.
It took a long time in the dull body of an elephant for Gajendra to get the realization that he should surrender completely to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
As we go through many differing circumstances in this life, our devotional service to Lord Krishna continues, and thus it makes sense that after this life, our devotional service to Krishna will continue.
Sukadeva Goswami is inspiring Pariksit Maharaja through the Gajendra pastime to surrender completely to the Lord as his life is rapidly coming to the end.
Even if we do not know we want it, we want it. We want the joy of connecting to Krishna, for that is the ultimate joy for the soul.
Attaining spiritual perfection may take more than one life, but a devotee, because he is convinced of Krishna’s promise of protection, is not disturbed.
The recommendation is that we try to attain perfection in this life although we will have another chance. This is discussed in this morning walk conversation from June 3, 1976 with Srila Prabhupada:

Mahendra: Sometimes, although a devotee understands that he must take birth again if he does not, if he is not strict, he thinks, “Oh, it is so difficult to be strict. Maybe I’ll just take it easy and remain engaged in devotional service, then I’ll take another birth as a devotee and maybe next time I’ll finish up my business.”
Prabhupada: Yes. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. He gets good opportunity of material enjoyment, and then take birth in good family, aristocratic or brahmana. Then where he ended in last life, he begins again. There is a verse: paurva–dehikam. Paurva–dehikam means previous birth.
Mahendra: It seems, though, that in that respect, he’s gambling.
Prabhupada: Gambling?
Mahendra: Yes, he’s gambling, that he’s thinking that “Oh, next life I will come back in a better condition,” but his next might be different.
Prabhupada: Why should he desire like that? That means he has not understood what is meant by Krishna consciousness.
Tamala Krishna: Yes. One who understands wants to get out in this lifetime.
Prabhupada: Hm?
Tamala Krishna: One who understands Krishna consciousness should want to finish the business of material life.
Prabhupada: Yes, therefore he’s required to read Bhagavad-gita thoroughly. It is said clearly, “This is a place of misery.” Why do you desire to keep yourself in this…. That means you do not understand what is spiritual life.
Hari–śauri: Still thinking he’s this body.
Prabhupada: Thinking. Thinking, he’s under the influence of maya. maya is dictating, “Why you are trying to go away? Come on, here, Santa Monica.” (laughter) And when you become detestful either this Santa Monica or any Monica, “I am not interested,” then your spiritual life is . . .
Mother Caitanya:
I would like to thank Srila Prabhupada, who came to Gainesville, and who told us to chant Hare Krishna and distribute prasadam here. Because Kalakantha Prabhu has taken this seriously we have so much success here.
Tulasirani Devi:
Krishna, although He knows everything, was curious how Radharani was enjoying serving Him more than He was enjoying accepting Her service, thus He descended as Lord Caitanya in the mood of Srimati Radharani.
Lord Caitanya was here just 500 years ago, which may seem like a long time if we are considering our own life, but a very short time in the history of the earth.
In the beginning of His pastimes, even the devotees of the Lord did not recognize Lord Caitanya’s identity as God Himself, but they were still inconceivably attracted to Him and did not know why.
I heard in a class that we are not trying to be great devotees but to be more humble than a blade of grass so we can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.
If our desire to be a pure devotee is to be greater than others then that is not good. If you want to be a pure devotee to serve Krishna without ulterior motives that is ideal.
Comment by Michael: The false ego is the conception that we are other than the authenic self.
Because Isvari Puri took care of his guru at the end of his life and pleased him by reciting the glories of the Lord, he was blessed with pure devotion to Krishna.
When Isvara Puri came to Navadvipa, he was eager to hear about Krishna, and sought out the devotees, and entered their assembly to hear about Krishna. Advaita Acarya Prabhu could understand that he was a very special devotee. The devotees started a kirtana, and Isvara Puri could not repress the signs of love of Godhead, thus everyone could understand he was a highly advanced devotee.
Lord Caitanya wanted to show the transition someone goes thorough on the way to becoming a devotee, thus in his early pastimes, he acted as a proud scholar.
Mukunda was so tired of debating with Lord Caitanya in His mood of a scholar that once when he saw Lord Caitanya, he walked in the opposite direction. Lord Caitanya called after him, “I will become such a great devotee, Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva will worship me as a great devotee, and then you will never be able to give up my association.”
Abhimanyu Prabhu:
What is the meaning of life to you?
Comment by Mount: To express the most truth you can.
Comment by John: Find your own truth and your own happiness.
A reporter asked Srila Prabhupada what is the meaning of life, why are we even here? I was struck by Srila Prabhupada’s reply. Srila Prabhupada said the meaning of life is to enjoy. Then he explained life is not meant to enjoy on the material platform, but to enjoy on the spiritual platform.
Looking for happiness is what is underlying our activities.
Srila Prabhupada explains that we have to search for our satifaction of heart beyond dull matter. Why is that? Because we are not dull matter.
I studied psychology in college and studies show that once people have the basic necessities of life, additional wealth does not make for additional happiness.
Every body dies but nobody dies. By this I mean the body dies, but the soul, the person within the body, does not die.
We are hankering for relationships with other people, and if not people, animals, or even plants. It is an integral part of the nature of the soul to seek relationships with other souls. Matter alone cannot satisfy us.
Krishna can give himself fully to each one of us. I can give myself partly at Krishna Lunch and partly to my mother, but I cannot give myself completely to Krishna Lunch and completely to my mother, but Krishna can give Himself completely to everyone.
The fact that we are always striving to live forever indicates we are eternal.
Srila Prabhupada said we can please him by our anxiety to take on responsibility in his mission.
Gauranga Prasada Prabhu:
Even learning to write is a celebration in Vedic culture, and even more so for Lord Caitanya.
Nimai could write the letters of Bengali, seeing them just once.
Lord Caitanya, at the time of beginning his education, manifested his form as Vamana to confidential associates.
Gangadasa Pandit was the teacher Nimai wanted to study under. He was an incarnation of Sandipani Muni.
Lord Caitanya was thinking of eclipsing the vanity of Kesava Kashmiri but not destroying him. Thus he met him in private by the Ganges shore.
After defeating Kesava Kashmiri Lord Caitanya made the point that knowledge is not everything. Devotion to the Lord must be there.
The goddess Sri Ekadasi, asked the Lord, “Please bless those who even fast half a day on Ekadasi with a religious attitude, wealth, and ultimately liberation.”
To Dhameshvar Mahaprabhu das Prabhu:
I think the best times we have had together are singing and dancing in streets.
Dhameshvar Mahaprabhu das Prabhu:
We have never seen atoms, but we have faith in the scientists so we believe in their idea that everything is made of atoms. In the same way, one could have faith in the Bhagavad-gita, and accept the existence of the soul although we cannot see it.
It is actually the soul we love in each other, and it is the soul that makes us happy. When someone dies, even though their body is right in front of us, we lament because their soul has gone.
If there is only oneness, then there is no love, for love requires two. Therefore we put so much energy into defeating the Mayavadi philosophy, because it eliminates the love that we are all looking for.
From a breakfast conversation:
In ISKCON, women are not their bodies, until they want to become gurus.
Garuda Prabhu makes an interesting point. You can say a man is more intelligent because he is a man, and a woman is less intelligent because she is a woman. But we are not our bodies. Does this mean we have no intelligence? [Obviously we all, male or female, have the spiritual intelligence of the soul.]
Hanan:
When our heart is clear, we can see ourselves and we can see Krishna.
In Citrakuta, I was enjoying the beautiful scenery in India as I was chanting Hare Krishna. Then a big monkey came up, the kind that are surrounded by twenty female monkeys. I showed him a stick, and said, “Hut!” He was not impressed, and he came closer. I again showed him the stick, and said, “Hut!” This time he came closer and he showed me his teeth. When a monkey shows you his teeth, it means he wants to fight. I calculated that if I ran then he would catch me and bite me, and I would have to have 20 kinds of shots. And if I fought, it would be worse. So I closed my eyes and chanted, this time with attention, and when I opened my eyes I saw the monkey had run away.
Ricardo:
From a comment in class:
I was thinking that I could deal with maya and not be overwhelmed or carried away, but I was wrong. I got in a relationship with a girl, and after quite some time, she broke up with me, and it was very painful for me and I was all alone. In my depression I ended up taking over 100 pills of a sedative. The doctors said my heart stopped for 3 minutes, and they were all amazed I came back to consciousness and there was no brain damage. When I recovered, I took shelter of Krishna, and I called my devotee friends, who I had not seen in a year and a half, and I got back into practicing Krishna consciousness. I was very humbled by the experience.
—–
patrapatra-vicara nahi, nahi sthanasthana
yei yanha paya, tanha kare prema-dana


“In distributing love of Godhead, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates did not consider who was a fit candidate and who was not, nor where such distribution should or should not take place. They made no conditions. Wherever they got the opportunity, the members of the Pañca-tattva distributed love of Godhead.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 7.23)

Preparation of Cow Dung Patties in Vrindavan (8 min video) In…
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Preparation of Cow Dung Patties in Vrindavan (8 min video)
In the rural areas of India it is customary to make patties from cow dung. Each family has a few cows, the cows eat fresh grass or hay, they give milk, and their dung is made into patties and used as fuel, for cooking, for heating and many other purposes. The video shows a few rural women making the dung patties, drying them and storing them in a hut, which is also made of cow dung. This is a maximal and very practical utilization of the cow’s products - therefore in India the cow is considered a mother. If the cows are raised with love, fed with the proper food, and cared for, in a very natural way according the cow nature, they give back.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/xkzkP5

Harinama in Lagos, Nigeria (Album with photos) Mahat Tattva…
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Harinama in Lagos, Nigeria (Album with photos)
Mahat Tattva Dasa: Lively Harinama in the company of a dozen or so devotees in a large market area. I was pulled over by police for taking a photograph of a police officer. After much yelling and shouting, the police let me go and returned my camera. Before I left, their mood drastically changed to where they were all smiling and chanting Hare Krishna.
During the Harinama devotees were distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books, On Chanting pamphlet and prasadam fried-banana chips.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/zsbxlz

Sri Jagannatha Mandir, ISKCON Malaysia HQ: Mattu (Cow) Ponggal…
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Sri Jagannatha Mandir, ISKCON Malaysia HQ: Mattu (Cow) Ponggal celebration at new Godruma farm, Malaysia 16/11/15 (Album with photos)
About 50 devotees participated in Mattu (Cow) Ponggal celebration at New Godruma Farm, Lanchang today. We had ten ponggal pots and we divided into small groups to cook Ponggal (rich brown sweet rice cooked with ghee, cashews) and later offered them to Sri Sri Radha Govinda. Ponggal festival is joyful and what more to speak when you celebrate it at our farm with all our beloved father bulls, mother cows and calves! Calf Vaishnavi was the most popular today and she having lots of fun playing around with children, eating lots of jackfruit! We performed Go Puja, fed the cows and of course concluded with sumptuous prasadam feast eaten traditionally on banana leaves. We ate fresh organic fruits and quenched our thirst with the first class sugarcane and lemon juice from our farm! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/M0Vw1K

January 17. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily…
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January 17. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Staying in Love. Turn to Prabhupada. What do I mean by that? You are facing in one direction and you hear a sound, or your mind tells you that you want to look in another direction. Physically, you move your neck and head in order to see the desired object, or you may turn your whole body. At least you turn your attention. When we turn to Prabhupada, what do we see? Like dawn, at first we do not see much. We strain our eyes and wait as outlines start to become clear. We see the peaks of hills and can clearly distinguish the horizon. The sun is not up yet, but we desire to be with Prabhupada—so we talk of him. Way off in the mind’s eye, we see him going out on another walk, and we run to catch up. Abstractly, but in truth, we think of how our lives have been made fortunate by meeting a great devotee of the Lord. He gives us salvation and turns us to the next life without so much fear. As Christ says, “To those who are given, more is expected.” Because we have been given his association, there is an obligation. This is guru-daksina. People who have a relationship bound in love are obliged to continue it. One reason relationships diminish is that people do not communicate. The same thing can happen in the guru-disciple relationship. One can continue to perform the rituals but lose the sense of being in love. When the guru-disciple relationship begins, it is romantic. One is swept off one’s feet in adoration. You promise to give everything. However, we have to learn how to stay in love with Srila Prabhupada.
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