Krsna consciousness continues to grow in leaps and bounds throughout Russia, 44 years after Srila Prabhupada visited Moscow. I never cease to be amazed at the number and quality of people joining. This was especially evident when myself and Bada Haridas did last Sunday’s love feast program in Moscow. Easy to love these devotees with [...]
Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 11, No. 6 By Krishna-kripa das (March 2015, part two)
Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Gainesville, and Alachua (Sent from Brooklyn, New York, on April 15, 2015)
Where I Where and What I Did
I spent the third week of March at Krishna House chanting at Krishna Lunch every day. We had the first of many Florida Ratha-yatra in Saint Augustine on March 21, and my friends at Krishna House were really blissed out for at least two days after it was so wonderful. The final week of March I spent going to Tampa and Tallahassee to chant and promote our programs there. I participated in the Tallahassee Ratha-yatra on March 28.
I have insights from Srila Prabhupada's books and lectures, from Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Navadvipa Dhama Mahatmya, from a book by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, from Batu Gopala Prabhu, a wonderful Prabhupada disciple visiting from Hillsborough, North Carolina, and from the devotees at Gainesville's Krishna House.
I would like to thank Sankarsan Lila Prabhu and his wife Sanatani Radha dd of Gainesville for their wonderful South Indian meal and donation. Thanks to Victoria O'Hara for her video clip of me chanting at Florida State University. Thanks to Yamaraj Prabhu for his picture of Tallahassee Ratha-yatra, and Dhira Das, Sudevi Dasi, Vaisnava, and Marlon for their pictures of Saint Augustine Ratha-yatra. Thanks to Syamala Kishori Devi Dasi for the Farmers Market picture. Thanks to Raju for his pictures of the USF program in Tampa.
Itinerary
April 13–15: New York City
April 16: Toronto
April 17–23: Ireland (Dublin and Cork)
April 24–26: Rotterdam
April 27: Amsterdam (King’s Day)
April 28: Radhadesh, Belgium
April 29: Germany
April 30–May 3: Simhachalam, Bavaria, Germany (Nrisimha Festival)
May 5: London
May 6–8: Newcastle
May 9–10: Birmingham 24-hour kirtana
May 10–12: Newcastle
May 13: Sheffield May 14–24: Sheffield and Manchester areas promoting their Ratha-yatras
May 25: London
May 28: Preston?
May 31: Leeds
Saint Augustine Ratha-yatra
Devotees from Alachua, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Orlando, and even Tampa, joined together to participate in the Ratha-yatra in Saint Augustine on March 21.
I traveled with the Krishna House devotees.
When we stopped for a bathroom break, Satyahit Prabhu, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, started singing and playing djembe, as we waited for everyone to return to our vehicles.
Several devotees danced in the parking lot of the gas station.
It was so warm sweaters were not necessary, and as it was cloudy, it was also not too hot during the parade itself and sunscreen was also not required.
Chelsea of Krishna House swept the road at one point.
Several people were so attracted by the chanting, dancing, and procession that they followed us and took pictures.
Karly of Krishna House leaped out of joy in the kirtana for Lord Jagannath.
I also danced a lot.
In addition to the Ratha-yatra, which follows a largely unpopulated route for much of the time, we do a one-hour harinama (chanting procession) up and down the very busy St. George Street.
Many people danced with us, some even reading the mantra on our sign and chanting along.
Here is a video clip in which two new guys, one in red and the other in lime green, took pleasure in singing and dancing with the devotees: (https://youtu.be/s-yBwrcl6zQ):
Tulasirani Devi Dasi encouraged one lady in dancing with us.
Over a case of Krishna: Reservoir of Pleasures were distributed and other books as well.
Mikey Prabhu from Krishna House was one of the distributors.
Many local people love the festival, one saying she has come for five years.
While I was telling one young resident of Saint Augustine and her friends about the history of the festival, she gazedat the devotees andinterjected, “There is Tulasirani!” I was surprised. “How do you know Tulasirani?” I asked. She explained she was from Columbus, Ohio, and encountered the devotees there, including Tulasirani. “They taught me about yoga and it changed my life.”
Later she (right) and her friend (center) took prasadam with Tulasirani (center). They exchanged phone numbers, and she promised to meet Tulasirani the next time she came to Gainesville.
Chanting at Krishna Lunch in Gainesville
In the winter, my main engagement is to chant during Krishna Lunch at the University of Florida in Gainesville for 2½ hours while the devotees serve vegetarian food offered to Krishna to from 800 to 1200 college students.
Danielle Veenstra, a student photographer, came by one day and took some nice photos which she sent me.
Purushartha Prabhu, a Prabhupada disciple, who played the bass and drums before meeting the devotees and now also plays the harmonium and mrrdanga, sings at Krishna Lunch once or twice a week when he is not traveling playing bass for Gaura Vani and his band called “The Hanumen.” One particular day his chanting was especially sweet. Here is some video: (https://youtu.be/rl-VssH9qEY):
Syamala Kishori Devi Dasi, disciple of Indradyuma Swami, played the role of arranging educational programs and field trips for the devotees at the Krishna House. She is a talented singer and musician. In this video, she sings and plays harmonium, and her father, Batu Gopala Prabhu, disciple of Srila Prabhupada, plays the mrdanga (https://youtu.be/5-QjWUAKJBM):
Hari Priya, daughter of Yadubara and Visakha Prabhus, is another one of the beautiful chanters at Krishna Lunch.
During the rainy days we serve Krishna Lunch by the library. The drawback of that is we cannot play the karatalas (cymbals) as the library workers will complain to the police and we will get in trouble. On the other hand, we are closer to those who are serving the lunch, and they can take part in the chanting as you can see in the video below. Dhameshvar Prabhu, who is leading here, is the most reliable of all the Krishna Lunch chanters, coming out everyday for the whole time (https://youtu.be/QQMvGxf5Ckg):
Krishna Lunch on Sunday
Hanan Prabhu asked me to teach his Sunday Krishna Lunch participants a dance step, and just see how they responded! (https://youtu.be/5syEsdwVXz0)
Thanks toTsurit who took the video using Syamala Kishori's camera.
Chanting at the Farmers Market
Every week a few of us chant at the Farmers Market in Gainesville for a couple of hours. Chanting at the University of South Florida
I chanted almost three hours, sometimes with Raju, our Bhakti Yoga Club president, and we passed out flyers to students who showed some interest in us. A few people we distributed flyers to seemed happy to get them, and two people came come to our meeting as a result. Still we had many new people because one guy named Carlos, who had come before, invited a friend of his named John, and John invited a girl named Madison. Chris also learned of the program from John, and he brought Abigail and Taylor. So even though Carlos himself did not come, he was instrumental in at least five people coming!
That whole group of people all experimented with both japa and kirtana, and were very happy to encounter them. Several of them said they would be back and Chris and Abigail (sitting in front) purchased beads to chant on. The next week two carloads of students from Tampa came to Alachua for the Holi festival, including Chris and Abigail, who was wearing her chanting beads around her wrist.
The day after our club meeting I chanted on the campus in front of the library for about three hours. I mentioned to one girl who came by as I was chanting in front of the University of South Florida Library that our club did yoga and meditation, and that we talked about Bhagavad-gita, a well known text which summarizes India's revealed wisdom and is the ultimate book on yoga and meditation. She sat down near my book display to look at the books, and she asked me what meditation was all about. I explained we did mantra meditation or meditation on spiritual sound, and I showed her the verse in the Gita [6.26] that explains how in meditation one must bring the mind back under the control of the self, from wherever it wanders. I taught her the mantra, and she tried singing the response, but to learn both the words and the tune were too much for her. I mentioned we also chanted the mantra softly on beads, and I pulled out my beads and demonstrated. She listened as I chanted, and then she chanted herself and liked it. I told her she could get some beads of her own at next Thursday's club meeting. In the midst of my meditation lesson, I talked to a couple about Bhagavad-gita, and the guy ended up buying it and a small book as well. Then at the end of the meditation lesson the girl I taught decided to buy a Bhagavad-gita too!
Tallahassee Ratha-yatra
Tallahassee Ratha-yatra is our participation in the Springtime Tallahassee parade viewed by many thousands of people.
We were limited to 30 devotees in our procession, many youthful devotees from Alachua and Gainesville. Bhadra Prabhu encouraged us to march and dance in a more choreographed way than in your average Ratha-yatra.
Visvambhara, Dhanya, and Bali of the Mayapuris were among the singers.
Anupayini organized the dancers. Afterwards we had prasadam at our temple in Tallahassee with the congregational devotees and sang some kirtana and told some pastimes about Lord Ramacandra as it was His appearance day. Thanks to Damodar Das for the great photos.
Chanting at Florida State University in Tallahassee
One middle-aged lady came up to me, surprised to see someone playing a harmonium, and asked if she could take a picture. I replied, “Yes, if you send it to me.” Turns out she is Victoria O'Hara, a music teacher at Blessed Sacrament Catholic School in Seminole, Florida, and she plays the piano and the guitar herself. You can see her brief video clip (http://youtu.be/AgaPlOmZzkg):
Zeta Beta Tau fraternity had a giant ball they were trying to get signatures on. The idea was that a business would donate a certain amount to Childen's Miracle Network for each signature on the ball.
I decided to sign it so people would see the name “Krishna” and become purified.
Kim, a young lady who loves the Florida State University Krishna Lunch, would come by my book table every day that I was at the campus behind the library in January, February, and March, and take a free vegan oatmeal cookie. On my last visit for the year, I invited her to our club meeting. She came, and I taught her how to chant japa. The next day she told me she tried. It was hard because there was too much noise around. I encouraged her to continue.
One day a young lady came up to me with five dollars in her hand, saying she wanted the Gita. She had meant to get it on one of my previous visits but had not. The same day two Indian students came by. One recognized Srila Prabhupada from the picture on the back of the books. He knew Hare Krishna from visiting the Miami temple, and he also bought a Bhagavad-gita. He was studying at University of South Florida in Tampa but was visiting his friend at FSU. I gave him an invitation to our Tampa club, and I told them both about Krishna Lunch at FSU, and they went that very day and liked it.
I always meet nice students on the Florida campuses, and I enjoy giving them the chance to experience Krishna sound, Krishna wisdom, and Krishna food.
To see photos I took but did not include in this blog, click on the link below:
As merely washing the clothes of a hungry man will not satisfy him nor will polishing the cage of a hungry bird satisfy him, satisfying the needs of the body will not satisfy the soul.
We need to give comfort to the soul.
To advance in life and to reduce our miserable condition of life is [real] science.
Even in the bird society, there are difference between the crow class and swan class. Similarly in human society there is a difference betwwen the crow class of men and the swan class of men. By Krishna consciousness we can transform the crow class man to the swan class man, just as an uncultured man can be trained to become cultured.
It does not matter how fallen a man is, if he follows our instructions he can be reformed.
When we understand we are part and parcel of God, that is brahma-bhuta [spiritual] stage.
War, pestilence, etc., can kill so many people. Krishna does not have to come here to kill the demoniac. He comes when He is requested by His devotees.
When the scientists are in danger they pray to God, but when they are not in danger, they defy God.
Artificially we are trying to banish God.
From a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam1.2.24:
We are conditioned at every step. The animals cannot live in the town, and we cannot live in the jungle.
If you are in put in prison, you cannot improve your condition. You are given a certain cell.
In grhastha life one lives with wife and family but desires to improve spiritually.
It is all individual. I have to surrender to Krishna individually. Just like one has to fly his own plane. No one can help him. Not that when my husband will do I will do or when my wife will do I will do. And no one can check our individual surrender to Krishna.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura:
from SriNavadvipa Dhama Mahatmya, Parikrama-khanda, Chapter Six: Sri Ganga-nagara, Prthu-kunda, Simantadvipa, Saradanga, Visrama-sthana:
“Therefore, Lord Gauranga's pastimes are considered the highest. Gauranga's abode, name, form, and qualities do not consider offense; rather, they expertly deliver one from any offense. If the devotee has some offense in his heart then Krishna's name and abode will deliver him only after a long time. But Gauranga's name and abode immediately bestow premaon the devotee, for offenses create no obstacle and are easily overcome.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
from Day by Day: A Record of a Seven Day Japa Vrata:
“ . . . whatever we gain here, when we can recall it later, we'll see that it wasn't some evanescent short period in which we imagined something, but that we were touching the most indestructible entity, Krishna Himself, the holy name, and our chanting link with Him.”
Batu Gopal Prabhu:
Krishna sees things in a different way than we.
It is as important as bathing to bathe ourselves in optimistic thoughts about Krishna consciousness. Optimism fuels your enthusiasm.
Q: How do we see Krishna when we are busy doing things that have no direct relationship with Krishna?
A: The more you become Krishna consciousness the more you see Krishna everywhere. The first and foremost thing is to give up the fruits of work. Everyone who is working can give something to Krishna.
Krishna thinks about each living creature, “Even though he is in a state of rebellion, let him at least have something to eat.”
Of every dollar we earn, we should give so many cents to Krishna. You will be surprised how such a small discipline provides so many rewards, and I do not mean material rewards, I mean the revelation of Krishna in different circumstances.
Krishna accepts all the people who come with material motives and gives them more than they deserve. He says the person in knowledge is the best, but He accepts them all.
Q: How to practice Krishna consciousness our whole life?
A: You will not be able to escape. Lord Caitanya is spreading a net to capture everyone, and He will not let you escape. Krishna is not like us. He is wonderful. Our imagination cannot approach the mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Everyone who has taken prasadam or heard the holy name in any city is on their way to joining this sankirtana mission.
Q: In my travels sometimes people ask how they can inspire their children to become Krishna conscious. Your daughter who is here (Syamala Kishori) is very enthusiastic about Krishna consciousness. How were you successful in inspiring her?
A: The more there are talks about Krishna, everyone benefits. Other talks should be kept to a minimum. So also it is true in our homes. The more there is talk about Krishna, wonderful things will happen. People will acquire a thirst for these topics.
Religious people consider God is great, but the extent of his greatness is not known. Because God is so great that universes emanate from Him, even people who are devotionally inclined tend to see Him impersonally.
Brahma was curious about Krishna, and as if performing a scientific experiment, he stole His friends and calves, to see how Krishna would react. Krishna responded in a nonaggressive way because ultimately Brahma is a devotee of the Lord. Similarly because Indra is a devotee, Krishna did not pick up the mountain and throw it him like He could have. [He just held it as umbrella to protect His devotees.]
The worst feature of Kali-yuga for me is that evil appears to be rewarded and piety is ridiculed.
One qualification of God that is not so obvious to most people is that God is the Supreme Enjoyer. How else could he enjoy all the offerings offered to Him? How else could He reciprocate the devotion of all living entities.
If I love myself, and I do, it must be because I am part and parcel of Krishna. I am lovable only because I am part and parcel of the Supreme Person, Krishna.
Q (Tulasirani dd): Brahma's prayers are amazing and cover all important parts of the philosophy yet all Krishna did was simply nod at Him. How is that?
A: You do not understand the significance of His nod. Just like His sidelong glance.
Krishna's business is to make sure all His devotees are fully satisfied.
There is always the next chapter with Krishna because He is eternal.
Krishna says in Bhagavad gita7.27 that all living beings are born into delusion. That includes us. Generally we rebel if someone says we are deluded, but we cannot do that with Krishna. Fortunately, however, Krishna does not end there. He reveals His transcendental nature and ours, and He tells how we can escape this delusion. We can follow Krishna's instructions and get out of here. This is a gradual process, and it takes time. But even in the beginning, just by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra we experience a lessening of delusion.
Q (by Syamala Kishori dd): What about people who feel that everything is OK in their life, and they do not have the inclination to apply Krishna's teachings?
A: Srila Prabhupada would explain that everyone bows down to Krishna, either voluntarily to Him personally or forcibly to His form as death.
Q (by Arjuna): How exactly are we bewildered by this dualities?
A: Although we are spiritual beings we identify with our body, and because of that, we are affected by these dualities. Again and again I am pursuing the objects of the senses although I repeatedly experience they do not satisfy me. This is delusion. Actually because we are spiritual, nothing in this world can satisfy us.
This world is not as we wish, where beloved relatives get old, sick, and die, where we are laid off by our employer despite so much faithful service.
There is simultaneous realization of the self and God by practicing this bhakti-yoga.
Start making your plans to get out of this material situation. No matter how long it takes, it is the only reasonable direction to go in.
Even in the most primitive civilizations, God has provided some way of progressing.
Don't give this up. Even reading one verse of Bhagavad-gitacan save your life. In a dark time, even simply remembering that Bhagavad-gitaexists can be a cause for optimism.
Syamala Kishori Devi Dasi:
The Hare Krishna mantra is an individual prayer to Krishna, but it is powerful to do it together, and it creates a spiritual bond between us.
Krishna took more pleasure in glorifying Balarama than in glorifying Himself.
Krishna was conscious of the desires of the plants and animals in addition to the human beings.
Krishna is a God who is willing to be tricked by His friends
If you think that the spiritual world is a boring place, Krishna book can remove that misconception.
Comment by Dhamesvara Prabhu: When the gopissaw Krishna dancing on Kaliya, they developed the urge to dance with Him.
Giriraja Swami asked how Krishna could dance on all of Kaliya's hoods. Srila Prabhupada explained Krishna expanded Himself to dance on each hood, but the residents of Vrindavan saw just one Krishna, and he reminded Giriraja Swami it was not possible for him to understand Krishna from his own point of view.
We hope to become the kind of the people that the devotees will pray to Krishna for.
We can pray that Krishna may dance on our tongue in the form of the holy name.
Sanatani Radha dd:
My parents came from India to visit me and my husband in America for three months. My father was a Communist and an atheist, and in the beginning, he was challenging my beliefs and practices at every step. Then gradually things changed. When I was out, my mother would make snacks for him, and first offer them to Lord Jagannatha. Once she forgot to make the offering, and my father complained they tasted nasty and asked if she made some mistake in the preparation. She thought about it and concluded that she had made them the same way she always had and just forgotten to offer them to Lord Jagannath. My father told her to make them again and offer them to Lord Jagannath, and then they tasted as good as usual.
We do not have a TV or get the newspaper so my father was bored without anything to do. We gave him the Srila Prabhupada-lilamrita to read, and he read the entire book. His conclusion at the end was that Srila Prabhupada was a genuine person.
Now my parents are back in India. My father has insomnia at night, and my mother sees him pacing back and forth and softly chanting Hare Krishna, until he is tired enough to sleep.
My mother's friends find her to behave differently. She only speaks when it is required, and spends much of the rest of her time chanting Hare Krishna. Before she would just chant one round a day.
Vaishnava Prabhu (from New Vrindavan):
Growing up in New Vrindavan I got to take care of the cows. By doing that I feel I could relate more to Krishna's pastimes as a cowherd boy. The cows are worshipable because they are very dear to Krishna.
Krishna's friends were so confident of Krishna's protection they fearlessly entered the body of the snake demon. This confidence in Krishna's protection is a symptom of a great soul advanced in devotional service.
Krishna performs many pastimes in order to facilitate our remembrance of Him.
A devotee lady Yamini has written songs for children describing Krishna's pastimes.
Comment by Kalakantha Prabhu: The Romans had a pagan worship centered around the worship of a deity represented as a bull. As Christianity become more popular it ultimately became the state religion during the time of King Constantine. Then the bull became a symbol of Satan.
Having moved from New Vrindavan to Gainesville, I miss the nice places in the woods to chant japa.
Q (my me): It is amazing the cowherd boys were so confident of Krishna's protection they fearlessly entered the mouth of the demon. How can we attain this level of confidence in Krishna's protection?
A: We can begin by making a simple prayer to Krishna, “I am not very surrendered, but I want to be surrendered.” Then by associating with devotees, and by taking advantage of preaching opportunities, we become more surrendered.
Hanan Prabhu:
The example of the musk deer searching for the fragrant smell that comes from itself, sages use to illustrate that our real happiness comes from within although we do not know it.
I was working for an insurance company in Israel, which was ripped off by a thief, and the managers decided they would come out ahead if they settled it out of court. I was the person sent to carry the money, which filled an entire suitcase. I found when I was carrying this suitcase of money, I had this consciousness that I was very important for the time I was doing that service.
Because we want to be selfish, we get entangled in karmic reactions.
Q: Why is bhakti-yoga powerful?
Suggested answers by the audience:
We can eat food.
You can do it with anyone and with anything.
It is practical because we are active, and we can engage our senses, which are otherwise disturbing elements.
It is fun.
It is the natural situation of the soul which is going on in the spiritual world.
The first step in dealing with a challenging situation is to accept it.
The whole Srimad-Bhagatavam is an answer to the question, “What is the duty of a man at death?”
Dennis:
We have to be more enthusiastic in sharing Krishna with people than they are to remain in material life.
I found I could introduce Krishna only very gradually at my office. All I did was to burn incense for years. Then my coworkers were ready for prasadam.
comment by Krishna Kumara Das: One professor explained 60 years of research in social psychology shows that people are convinced by emotional arguments more so than by rational arguments. Rational arguments can be used later to make the people feel their choices were reasonable.
comment by Tulasirani Devi Dasi: We are not meant to defeat the mind or intelligence of the people but to conquer their hearts.
Ricky Lee:
from an ice breaker called “What did I last lend and not get back?”:
I lent people a lot of time, and I never got any of it back.
Darlina:
from an ice breaker called “What did I last lend and not get back?”:
I never let anyone borrow anything that I want back.
Marlon:
What is the use of having a gold cage if you have a dead bird?
Naomi:
Hearing that I am a soul, my first question is what are the needs of the soul?
Realizations Shared at an Evening Program:
Krishna-kumara Das: Vaisesika Prabhu says practice is always effective. Even a little regular practice goes a long way.
Vaishnava: If one is of good character, that is more convincing than speaking nicely.
Karly: Speaking your actual realization to someone is most powerful.
Varangi Radha dd: I heard a class in which Devamrita Swami was explaining how just as we encounter distress without endeavoring for it, in the same way we will encounter happiness even if we do not endeavor for it. Thus it is better to endeavor for spiritual life and be satisfied with the happiness that comes without endeavor rather than wasting time endeavoring for happiness. Since I am always endeavoring for happiness so much, this was a great realization for me.
Vaisnava's father: When you just serve, without worrying about anything, you experience real happiness.
Naomi: It is awesome how the Bhagavatamthough written so long ago is so relevant to our lives.
Lavanga: When Brahma told Priyavrata to get married after Narada had previously instructed him in renunciation, it was amazing to me that Narada did not get envious and object, but rather Narada actually appreciated Brahma's instructions.
Karly: I was just meditating during the kirtana how wonderful it is that everyone here and even the plants and animals nearby are benefiting from the kirtana. How wonderful is the holy name!
Christina: When Kalakantha Prabhu was reading about the first devotees that Prabhupada initiated by in 1966 who were very inexperienced in very basic ways, I felt relieved thinking there is hope for me.
Mike: There is a purport in the Second Canto where Srila Prabhupada mentions peace and satisfaction three times as results of practicing Krishna consciousness.
Syamala Kishori Devi Dasi:
My father was saying that the Bhagavatam is a book of happy endings, and Krishna is the author of happy endings.
At Payne's Prairie, I was telling my father, “If we chant Hare Krishna to this caterpillar that will be the best day of its life. He agreed and so we did, and my father chanted it so loud it jumped from his position and fell a ways down.”
Comments on my class on improving sadhana:
Carlos: In India I was busy running around to holy places and doing many things, but I felt some dissatisfaction I could not explain. Then in Vrindavan I read for two hours and felt satisfied. Then I realized I was dissatisfied because I had not time to read.
Syamala: Reading puts everything in perspective. In Vrindavan I read 2 or 3 hours a day and got more realizations than ever before.
Autumn: When you read you realize you do not always have to be busy doing something, and you are more in the mode of goodness.
Chelsea: Reading is my time with Srila Prabhupada.
Syamala: Reading the Varaha pastime, I felt I was on a safari and Srila Prabhupada was my tour guide.
Marlon: Devamrita Swami said when he heard the devotees say that the sense gratification we have is the same as that of the dogs and hogs that convinced him to pursue spiritual life and his telling of that inspired me in the same way.
Carlos: Aindra Prabhu said japa[chanting privately on beads] is like a pill but harinama[singing in a group] is like a shot.
Vrinda:
This idea of doing a fast and praying to Lord Shiva for a good husband is such apart of Hindu culture my mother did it in her early life and trained me to do it too. The last time I did it, we recited the translation of the prayers. The final one was a prayer to attain Lord Shiva's abode, and once I realized that, I stopped it as I wanted to attain Krishna's abode.
Comment by Dennis: There was one lady in Denver was not a very expert cook, but because she was so sincere, everything tasted wonderful, although the puriswere misshapen. In contrast someone who cooked very expertly did not produce food that tasted so good.
In the pastimes of the brahmanas wives, Krishna reveals that devotion to Him is not attained by proximity to Him but by hearing and chanting about Him.
Krishna's diverse qualities can attract.
What qualities of Krishna attract you?
Dennis: He is humble.
Dhameshvar: He is in everyone's heart.
Naomi: He is able to relate to everyone individually.
Mother Caitanya: He is funny.
Vrinda: He is a trickster.
Madhava: We may not always experience His reciprocation at every moment, but we see as time goes by that He ultimately reciprocates.
Suresh:
Valmika's Ramayana is divided into seven divisions called khandas, and these are divided into sargas. The first khanda is called Bala-khanda, and its first sarga is a one hundred verse summary of the entire Ramayana.
Someone has also composed a list of names of Rama which tell the whole story of Ramayana. Its refrain is: rama rama jaya raja rama, rama rama jaya sita rama
Some people analyze that the Ramayana is a series of examples of different living beings taking shelter of Lord Rama and Him giving them all protection.
-----
ramante yogino ’nante
satyanande cid-atmani
iti rama-padenasau
param brahmābhidhīyate
“The mystics derive unlimited transcendental pleasures from the Absolute Truth, and therefore the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, is also known as Rama.” (Padma Purana)
Sunday’s love feast program in Moscow (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Krsna consciousness continues to grow in leaps and bounds throughout Russia, 44 years after Srila Prabhupada visited Moscow. I never cease to be amazed at the number and quality of people joining. This was especially evident when myself and Bada Haridas did last Sunday’s love feast program in Moscow. Easy to love these devotees with all one’s heart and soul. [ Photos by Nicole Demeshik ]
See them here: http://goo.gl/4eN812
Harinama in Israel (Album with photos)
“I always chant the holy name of the Lord, alone and in the association of the devotees. That holy name of Lord Krishna sometimes causes Me to chant and dance, and therefore I chant and dance. Please do not think that I intentionally do it. I do it automatically.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 7.95-96)
See them here: http://goo.gl/vZiU1d
Chester, UK, Hall Program 2015 (Album with photos)
A wonderful day. So many people came, every seat in the hall was filled. The people enjoyed bhajans, a dance, drama, video, Bhagavad-gita class, an ecstatic final Kirtan and finally a feast cooked by the amazing Parasuram; rice, paneer sabji. samosas, puris, cream cake! Many books went out…. more pictures and videos to follow!
See them here: http://goo.gl/DSnHMp
Hare Krishna! 10 Easy Steps to Dress Deity
While dressing Deities have you faced a situation that you have put garland first and then you realize that you should have actually put the necklaces first? Due to which you land up in repeating things one after another which results in a delay in dressing the Deities. Ultimately darshan arati is delayed. In order to quickly finish dressing we sometimes mishandle the Deities, mishandle the jewellery and sometimes forget something like applying tilaka or putting anklets, etc. All these things put you into an unwanted anxiety.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16851
Hare Krishna! The Glorious Life of Kuntidevi
1) Life Of Kunti devi His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 2) Akrura’s Meeting With Kunti Devi Sri Krishna-dvaipayana 3) Conversation between Kunti Devi and Lord Krishna Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakur 4) The prayer for calamities Satyanarayan Das We pray at the lotus feet of Lord Chaitanya that this edition brings some pleasure to the devotees.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16848
Hare Krishna! “The Lord is coming! The Lord is coming! Haribol! Haribol!”
Jayapataka Swami: This was the situation then. The devotees were going to Advaita saying, “What to do?” “My name is Advaita. It means non different. So if there is any meaning to my name, I will bring down the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna. He is the only one who can save the infidels. If I cannot bring Him down, I will manifest four arms and I’ll chop these people down. I will chop them down! Finished!” He began to fast and worship the Salagram Sila with Ganges water and Tulasi manjaris. He would loudly cry out, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.” It would go on, his tapasya, his chanting, his worship. His loud chanting was cracking the universal shell. It was vibrating, even in the spiritual world.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16840
Lord Nrsimhadeva at Sri Mayapur is very merciful deity form of the Lord. Devotees worldwide have a special loving relation with Him. His appearance day, Sri Nrsimha Caturdasi is very dear to His devotees. So, every year devotees celebrate this festival at ISKCON Mayapur in a grand way. The highlight of the festival is […]
Hare Krishna! With a powerful chopper of Nama Sankirtana, I will cut the knots of demoniac desires from the hearts of everyone
Suresvara das: I’m so glad that Jayapataka Maharaj mentioned that Senapati bhakta verse. He made an allusion, a reference to the prediction that he would send his military field commander to go and capture us and bring us here to chant Jaya Sacinandana Gaura Hari. A lot of us know that verse. Here’s the verse. “With a powerful chopper of Nama Sankirtana, I will cut the hard knots of demoniac desires from the hearts of everyone.” “Even if the sinners reject religion or flee to foreign countries, I will send mora Senapati bhakta, my military field commander to go there and deliver them.”
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16838
This year is the 50th year anniversary/golden jubilee of the Jaladuta Diary.
April 1965: While approaching the Scindia Steam Navigation Company in Bombay to sponsor his passage to America, Srila Prabhupada received one of their complimentary diaries. He used it at first as an appointment book. Once his voyage to America on the Jaladuta began in August of that year, he made regular entries in the diary to record the events of the journey.This diary of the voyage of the Jaladuta is a personal account of the challenging journey that launched Srila Prabhupada’s life mission. Readers will find it to be a remarkable document in the history of religious movements. It reveals the full measure of Srila Prabhupada’s devotion, faith and self−abnegation, which qualify him as one of the world’s few genuine spiritual leaders. We hope this book will inspire others to appreciate Srila Prabhupada’s triumph over adversity and to follow in his footsteps.
Read it online here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16783
Sunday, April 5th was another busy day for us. In the morning we visited Nimai’s Bliss Kitchen run by Mayapur Chandra prabhu and his family in Newburgh, New York. We presented the TOVP project to a small group of devotees, receiving pledges for more than $25,000.
From there we drove back to Towaco, New Jersey for a special blessing by the Padukas of the property where the new temple will be constructed. We then made our way to the Towaco temple for the evening TOVP presentation. Madhupati prabhu introduced the TOVP Team which again included Ambarisa prabhu, and Radha Jivan took over. He and Ambarisa, besides speaking about the TOVP, encouraged the devotees in their new temple project and promised to come back to help fundraise. Jananivas prabhu spoke about Mayapur and the TOVP and the various predictions of Lord Nityananda that have all come to pass. In the end over $300,000 was pledged and prasadam was served to all the devotees.
My day started with some trekking along Jarvis Street in Toronto, a head start en route to the airport before my driver would pick me up. Who knows if I’d get the chance otherwise to do what I need to do and love to do, stretching the legs. While trekking at the early hour 4:45, some people partying from a second floor veranda looked down below and sent me a ‘Namaste’. I reciprocated, and with a “Hare Krishna” too. I gather from this encounter and many more like this that the world is slowly becoming Vedic.
Much later in the day, I found myself at Unity Yoga, a studio just off of Commercial Drive in Vancouver. I was asked to give a schpeil on my walking experiences, so I did. I was in the room with about 40 folks, mostly Caucasian, whom I consider incremental Vedic people.
I opened up with a ‘Namaste’ and then, ‘Hare Krishna’, and then took off from there on, lessons and happenings along the pilgrims trail. I threw in a few jokes, but ultimately emphasized that each and every one of us are essentially spiritual beings on a journey. “We are not these bodies, we are spirits. We have an obligation to cultivate our spiritual side.” There were other people leading the chant, Katelin and Nitai Priya. We had the most ecstatic dance at the end of the evening. The kirtan, the chant and dance enjoyed by all, and the healthy prasadam consumed, confirms that the world is going directions east. Namaste!
Along Mud Creek the ash trees have been cut down and more are to follow. The reason? According to signs posted along the ravine, we are informed that the emerald ash bore a pesky green beetle, and it is taking the life out of these trees.
The Parks and Recreation Department is on the assignment to manage the forest along the creek. What can I say? I hate to see trees go, but then, someone who knows more than me has to manage. My observation is that nature seems to be cruel unto itself. It nurtures and then demolishes.
While on this walk by the creek, my walking partner, Durjoy, and I, came upon a group of youths mildly intoxicated. Humans are always interesting. We also nurture and destroy. I guess because we are an integral part of nature. Self destructive might be the term. In any event, the kids, if I may call them so, were curious about us. Handshakes were exchanged and they were happy to receive the mantra we are known for, “Hare Krishna”. But now, back to the trail. Much energy is going into the restoration of the forest and the creek along the way. The mud deepened due to the sinking tires of trucks occupying the space during the day. The thick mud forced us to turn back. Boulders have been brought in and dumped to evade erosion I guess. In one sense, it’s encouraging and commendable to see the efforts made to keep the forest and the creek alive.
Much investment needs doing within our own psycho physical being, like the work done at the creek.
It was a type of conversation I’ve had before with people who have mystical notions about monks. I was walking and came to the juncture of Ave and Dav when two young guys, one with hoodie and one with toque, saw me. “Are you a monk?” said one.
“Sure am!” said I.
“I thought monks don’t speak.”
“In some orders they have taken vows of silence. Our group makes lots of good noise. We drum and we chant mantras...”
I invited them to our ashram just two blocks away saying that our morning session was about to begin at 4:30 AM. They weren’t quite ready for such a wakeup experience.
“We’ll come, promise, sometime soon.”
Another person I met on my way to see Devamrita Swami, a monk friend from the States, works with the Parks and Recreation division of the city. He was in uniform and was parked on the side of the street. He starts to speak, “Are you chanting? Did you have your prasadam?” I never met this person before to my recollection. Then he identified himself as Michael and said he has a brother in Florida whose name is Mahavir, and who recently started a Hare Krishna bikers club.
“I know him,” I responded, “he opened up so many Krishna centres in South America, right?”
The fellow got a little jovial and then said, “Yeah, his hair’s a bit too long. When it comes to hair, I’m more like you guys.” And with that he pulled off his hat to demonstrate his lack of hair.
And then I remarked, “Yeah, he looks at times a little like Shirley Temple with his hair.” (Laughter) “Come to our temple sometime, we have a great restaurant, you’ll love it.”
As the plane flew through the African sky, my heart throbbed over the feeling for those good souls I spent the last week with in Durban. Two of those souls from the Zulu background had received diksa initiation. Bhaktin Lobe became Lila, and Bhima became Bhishma. Congratulations!
To them, and to all who gave me so much support and love during my stay, in both South Africa and Mauritius, I offer my humble obeisance. As usual, I put the recent past behind and look ahead. Only occasionally would I revisit moments of the now gone. For the present, well, being in a plane and looking at the screen in front of me about the story of a woman who walked across Australia’s desert with four camels and a dog gave me mixed feelings. I found the docudrama not very interesting, but it did make me hanker for being hugged by the Earth. My mind raced very fast to the future in anticipation for a walk from Boston to Butler Pennsylvania, and then New York, this September. That will be heaven, to get out of the straight jacket seat at J57 in the aircraft that I was in, and then walking the northeast of the US, that would be heaven.
I must remind myself, however, of patience as the ultimate virtue.
Now that the festival is done, we managed to squeeze in some free time. Like most years, after the Durban event I would chill with some of the members of our drama troupe. We would organize a walk, a picnic, and engage in a kirtan, a read from shastra, the pastimes of Krishna. One year we did all of the above, in addition to playing baseball.
I do recall at that time that wearing a dhoti is not so practical for baseball. You can’t take the broad strides required to make a home run.
Today a group of us decided to hit a great trail somewhere out of the city. Within a half hour drive, we came to one of those very rural paths at a provincial park. Low and behold, we were greeted by a family of zebras. Oblivious to our presence the group of healthy typically African mammals were just grazing away. We meant nothing to them, even though you could go arm’s length distance from them. That was about it as far as sighting wildlife was concerned, except for a small snake that slithered by. Going down a windy trail amidst foliage, bush, cacti and trees, a dhoti, once again, proves impractical. All is pleasant until you brush against smaller plant life. All these little things start sticking to your clothes, such as something called ‘black jacks’ and also ‘sweethearts’. It would be interesting to know the technical Latin terms for them. Our guru, Srila Prabhupada, was quite attuned to the botanical terminologies for exotic trees. He wasn’t just familiar with Sanskrit verses and philosophy, he was all around quite expert at so many things.
After a fabulous meal at the home of a prominent Krishna follower, Kala and I took to some walking. For directions to the festival site one of the attendees explained, “You go left to the second robot, then turn right and go to the next robot. There you will be near the site.”
Now, I was reminded what is meant by the word “robot”. It means “street light”.
Before we departed, however, a dinner guest, giving deliberation on whether it was safe enough to do some promenade in the neighborhood, finally said, “It should be ok.”
We set off walking in this posh area yet each lot with its well manicured grounds had its cameras, hedges, walls, gates and whatever security device possible including, in some cases barbed wire. Welcome to South Africa, where crime is at optimum level. In fact I never fail to hear of stories where there is vandalism, violence and murder.
To offer a balance to this assessment on this place that I come to each year, I would say that everyone I meet, whether it be an Afrikaan, a Zulu, an Indian, black, white or brown, are very human. They are kind, sweet even.
Yes, by nature, everyone is good. Only motives stand in the way.
More rain. More greyness. I don't mind. Temperatures are comfortable.
Even in the tent called “Bhakti Cloud”, designed as a young person's place for devotional dance, it gets hot. It's usually like being in a sweat lodge. And I'm supposed to be the “dance master”. That's how it’s dubbed. I'm the dance master. Today with cooled down temperatures it was pleasant.
What happened during that session, some women had come from church, stumbled upon our fest and joined in our improvised dance. My God! Did they work up a sweat! They were Zulu, rather elderly, and not slim but they got everyone going with their Zulu steps to the djembe beat and the mantra I was resounding. They were appareled in their Sunday dresses and hats. They were enjoying the rousing music and took it, I am sure, like a Gospel-thumping ecstasy dance.
That one-half hour session went in a flash. Time takes on a different meaning when caught in the fever of devotion. It's a timeless zone. You can chuck out your watch and forget tomorrow. A sumptuous of transcendence. It's a great moment, or non moment if you will.
It was a hard and yet fun full day at the site of the festival. I was immersed in staging the drama “Sati”, a story of heroism the wife of Lord Shiva. She stood up against her own father's mistreatment towards her due to the malice he felt over her husband Shiva. In any event the story was highly appreciated in its presentation well rendered by my usual local crew from Durban and Pretoria mostly.
One other person who pitched into help in the production, back stage, was a fellow from another city in South Africa – Newcastle. He agreed to walk with me, a short distance really, to his hotel. From there I was to be picked up for the journey to my flat in Chatsworth. After a day of people, it really was an ideal “chill”. It's also unusual to have so much rain happening in Durban at this time.
Mathuranath from Newcastle, and I, took those unwinding steps under an umbrella when a young man, a Zulu, squeezed his way through a fence to access the streets. He began speaking and even boasting about his life in the street. “I spent three years in Joburg, then some time in Pretoria and now I've been in Durban for a few month living on the street. Sometimes I stay under a bridge. But yah know as long as yah live, right?” I could not one hundred per cent agree with his philosophy on life but he had an upbeat attitude towards living and didn't mind saying “Hare Krishna” a few times in his dialogue with us.
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 19 March 2015, Pretoria, South Africa, Evening Lecture, Bhagavad-gita 1.1)
In the third chapter of Bhagavad-gita, Krsna speaks about lust. There are several verses describing lust and how lust is the nitya-vairina (Bhagavad-gita 3.39), the eternal enemy of the living being and how the living being is, somehow or other, caught by lust. Not only human beings but all living beings are caught by lust, so it is described. There are 8 400 000 species of life – so many, from very complex species to germs but all are driven by lust! So even germs are driven by lust. Lusty germs! Ever thought of that! Anyway, so that is interesting.
From the fourth chapter in the Bhagavad-gita until the sixth chapter, we are slowly coming to the point that there is a need for sense control, that unless we control the senses, we will be a slave of the senses. Rupa Goswami describes that kamadinam kati na katidha palita durnidesas tesam jata mayi na karuna na trapa nopasantih (Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 22.16) and he explains that the senses are merciless. They are na karuna na trapa nopasantih, they are merciless because whatever you do for them, whatever you do for them, it is never enough.
“Bring, bring now for my enjoyment! Now!”
But when you bring, then the senses say, “Is that all? Is that all? Bring more!”
It is never enough, na karuna na trapa nopasantih. Rupa Goswami explains. No mercy. No matter how much trapa nopasantih, no matter how much austerity you perform.
Mahatma dasa takes us through many good techniques for improving the quality of our Japa. Email subscribers please click the large blue link above to see the video.
K - Kamala Kanta R - Rama S - Sad guna pati (Lord of the six opulences)/ Lord of Svetadvip H - Nara-Narayana Rishi N - Narasimha A - Agni bhuk (ultimate beneficiary of all fire sacrifices)/the eternal one
Hare Krishna! Krishna, Lord of Paradox
The Bhagavad-gita is one of the world’s perennial wisdom texts. Because it offers knowledge of the Absolute Truth, some of its texts can be difficult to understand. Few are as difficult as verses four and five of Chapter Nine: “By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them. And yet everything that is created does not rest in Me. Behold My mystic opulence! Although I am the maintainer of all living entities and although I am everywhere, I am not a part of this cosmic manifestation, for My Self is the very source of creation.”
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16831
Hare Krishna! Desire Nothing But Bhakti
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhuapada
Suppose you go to Svargaloka and become Indra, the king of the heavenly planets. That is not a permanent position. By pious activities you can become Brahma, Indra, and so many demigods. You can hold such posts. But even if you go to Brahmaloka, the planet of Brahma, what is the benefit? You have to come back. Similarly, even you go to the Brahman effulgence, the impersonal spiritual energy emanating from Krishna, you will eventually fall back to the material world.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16828
In the third chapter of Bhagavad-gita, Krsna speaks about lust. There are several verses describing lust and how lust is the nitya-vairina (Bhagavad-gita 3.39), the eternal enemy of the living being and how the living being is, somehow or other, caught by lust. Not only human beings but all living beings are caught by lust, so it is described. There are 8 400 000 species of life – so many, from very complex species to germs but all are driven by lust! So even germs are driven by lust. Lusty germs! Ever thought of that! Anyway, so that is interesting.
