Global Retreat Ujjain 2014 Glorification
Bhakti Charu Swami

  During the last week of December 2014 (25th-31st December) ISKCON Ujjain temple organized the Global Spiritual Retreat under the guidance of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Guru Maharaja. About 160 devotees came from different parts of the world including USA, Malaysia, Australia, Netherlands, UK etc to take part in this spiritual festival. Devotees from(...)

The shallow end of the swimming pool of religion
→ The Vaishnava Voice

 

In clarification of my post yesterday, I wanted to share with you some observations from a concerned Muslim scholar, Sheikh Dhiya Al-Musawi. You’ll see the video at the bottom. It is not only the Pope who describes the latest interpretation of Islam as a ‘deviant form of religion,’ because Islamic scholars – or at least one of them – are saying the same thing.

They say that religion is like a swimming pool – all the noise comes from the shallow end. When religion is not deeply understood or realised, there is a marked tendency for the followers to be noisy and argumentative. An analysis of the members of the Taliban found that many of them could not read, let alone read the Qu’ran. A similar analysis of the members of ISIS might discover many of them to be illiterate, poorly-studied in the religious texts, and having a child-like comprehension of their religion. No such study has been conducted, so I don’t know.

The idealism of the new Islamic fascism would seem to attract young men with more imagination than life experience, the type of young men who often respond to the notion of creating a better world without an understanding of the complexities of how that is achieved.

I know a little of this type of person because I’ve had both the pleasure and sometimes the frustration of knowing many hundreds of them over the past forty years. Of course, if they are introduced early on to forms of religion that are wholly life-enhancing, as Vaishnavism is, their early notions can be developed into a deeper understanding, and into sustainable and rewarding spiritual practise. But sometimes not. Sometimes the inherent conditioning within a person so shapes their perception and desire, they turn the ideas of even Vaishnavism into something self-destructive.

Take John, for instance. That’s his real name. White, British, and keen as mustard. He stayed with us for a year then said that he wanted something more exciting from religion, something more adventurous. As we normally do, we wished him well and hoped that he would use the teachings he’d learned to greater good in his life.

Later, we learned that his adventurous spirit had carried him to become a Muslim and join the Mujahideen. He had gone to Afghanistan to fight, and been shot dead on a hill just weeks after his arrival. His parents were devastated, and wanted to know how it had happened that the son they’d waved off to the Hare Krishna temple was now a dead Muslim fighter.

So although the spirit of youthful adventure can lead one to the greatest knowledge, if someone who is vulnerable contacts ‘deviant religion’ it can spell disaster. But don’t listen to me, listen to this sheikh:


Travel Journal#10.24: New York City, Albany, Puerto Rico, Gainesville
→ Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk


Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 10, No. 24
By Krishna-kripa das
(December 2014, part two)
New York City, Albany, Puerto Rico, Gainesville
(Sent from Gainesville, Florida, on January 13, 2015)

Where I Went and What I Did

I spent my last few days with the New York City Harinam party in mid December, chanting six hours a day at different subway stations. On December 21, I visited my family for one day in Albany and distributed prasadam at the monthly potluck of the Friends Meeting (Quakers) I attended in my youth. Then I flew from Albany to Puerto Rico via Orlando, where I met my Vaishnava youth friend, Dhameshvar Mahaprabhu, who assisted me in doing harinamas before and after the first ever Ratha-yatra in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, on December 27. The day after the Ratha-yatra we attended a twelve-hour kirtana at our temple in Gurabo, high in the hills overlooking San Juan. I returned to Gainesville on the last day of the year to spend the last two hours of the year chanting with my friends in the streets of that city to give the New Years Eve partiers a spiritually auspicious New Year.

I share an excerpt from a letter Srila Prabhupada wrote to Tamal Krishna Goswami. I have some notes on Tamal Krishna Goswami's memoirs which we were reading in the Harinam Ashram in New York City. I have notes on a class by Radhanath Swami at the Bhakti Center in New York City, and notes on a class by Laksmi Nrsimha Prabhu at the Harinam Ashram On Christmas Eve, Arisudana Prabhu, temple president of the ISKCON temple in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, invited the visiting Prabhupada disciples, to tell pastimes of Srila Prabhupada. Thus I have notes on the pastimes that Laksmimani, Akuti, and Sankha Prabhus told. I also have notes from classes by Adikarta Prabhu, who has been distributing Srila Prabhupada's books since the 1970s. In additional, I have notes on a class by Malati Devi the day before Ratha-yatra on the wonderful story of how Lord Jagannath and His Ratha-yatra came to San Francisco in 1967. There are words of appreciation by Puerto Rico GBC Virabahu Prabhu for devotees who helped make the first ever Ratha-yatra in Puerto Rico happen. I also share my recollections of all the new adventures I had in 2014.

I would like to profusely thank Namamrita Prabhu, a pilot for Airtran, who donated two extra complimentary tickets he had left at the end of the year so that Dhameshvar Mahaprabhu and I could go to Puerto Rico to advertise and attend the first ever Ratha-yatra there. Because round trip tickets are over $500 during the peak Christmas season, we would not have been able to go otherwise. Thanks to Hladini for the maha-prasadam and incense she brought back from India for the New York City Harinam party and the tilaka for me. Thanks to Dhameshvar Mahaprabhu for additional photos of Puerto Rico. Thanks to Caitanya Jivan, Jaya Sita, and Bhakti Shakti Prabhus for their wonderful hospitality at their yoga center, Yoga Cultura Puerto Rico, in Rio Piedras.

New York City Harinam


I spent my final five days on the New York City Harinam from December 16 to 20, 2014.

Two days a week we chanted in the largest subway station in New York City, 42 Street –Times Square.

Ananta Prabhu lead a lively kirtana, getting a couple of the ladies dancing, and a few people watching (http://youtu.be/j-psFv4rbdg):


Bhagavatananda Prabhu, who spent about a month with us, distributed invitations, pamphlets, and books.

We also chant at the 14thStreet –Union Square subway station two days a week.

Here Natabara Gauranga Prabhu sang a sweet kirtana, and one kid who regularly stops when he sees us, had a great time playing the shakers and dancing (http://youtu.be/wjNSTIKrXzU):


Later Ananta Prabhu lead some lively harinama there beneath Union Square, and people played shakers and moved with the music (http://youtu.be/_3orXDQenMc):



We get the best response at Roosevelt Avenue –Jackson Heights, where we chant one or two days a week.


Here Ananta Prabhu led a fired up kirtana that got a bunch of devotee ladies dancing, including an young Indian lady, who was passing by (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xJnHu4WdqqXMdMMCTj4BDRE):

On some Fridays we chant in the Delancey Street subway station by the uptown F train.

Here Rama Raya Prabhu, the truly fearless leader of the party, leads an enthusiastic kirtana getting a bunch of devotees dancing and causing wonder among the passersby (http://youtu.be/jsC0Zgd7tTM):


I have great respect for devotees for the New York City Harinam party for their dedication to chant six hours every day in New York City. It was a great benediction to live with and work with people with such faith and dedication to the holy name. It is nice to see they have their own place in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, just about 35 minutes from Union Square by subway. I hope Krishna continues to send serious people to join their party. I look forward to chanting with them for a couple days in April on my way back to Ireland, the gateway to the UK and Europe for me, and to rejoin them for three months in the autumn.

My Visit to Albany

My mother told me the day I chose to visit home before Christmas was the day they have a potluck lunch at the Quaker Meeting I attended in my youth, so I got up early so I could make a carrot coconut rice dish for it before mangala-arati as I had a 7:00 a.m. bus to Albany.I also had some coconut burfiI made the previous day and some doughnuts that my friend Kana, who works at the Doughnut Plant, had obtained for me. Thus the Quakers got a lot of prasadam. One lady at the Meeting named Crystal remembered that rice dish from my previous visit and wanted the recipe. Another named Barbara, who I met both in Albany and New York City, where she goes once a month for training as an interfaith minister, interviewed me about why I became a Hare Krishna devotee. 


At the meetinghouse there was a poster with a quote about spiritual outreach by Quaker founder George Fox that seems to have significance beyond that particular tradition.

For dinner, we made spinach and paneer with dal and capatis. My mother, my sister, Karen, my niece, Fern, my sister's boyfriend, Victor, and I also cooperated together in the cooking, and everything came out nice. I offered it all to a picture of Panca-tattva in Mayapur I got back in April.


Fern took a picture of the rest of us, including her dog, Farlo.


I looked in the meditation room at the Albany Airport as I awaited my flight to Orlando, on the way to Puerto Rico. I saw a book shelf and thought, “They should have Bhagavad-gita As It Is.” When I looked closer, I noticed they did.


They had meditation cushions and a natural scene to facilitate prayer and meditation, and I chanted on my beads there for awhile.

Harinamas in San Juan Before the Ratha-yatra Festival

The very night we got to San Juan, Dhameshvar Mahaprabhu and I did harinama from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. in Rio Piedras, near Jaya Sita dd's yoga center. We did not meet many people, but almost everyone we met was willing to take an invitation to Ratha-yatra.

On harinamain the Rio Piedras area the next day, one man asked me if I was in New York. He had returned from there on Thursday and thought he remembered seeing me. He probably did.


Bhaktin Paula took us to Old San Juan the first time we went there on harinama. We met an Indian family on vacation who joined us for some time, helping to distribute invitations.

The next day we went to Old San Juan via public transportation, and we found that we could play our instruments and chant on the train and bus without being restricted which is not true everywhere, even in other parts of America.

The third day full day was Christmas Day. Adikarta Prabhu wanted to distribute books. Dhameshvar wanted to rehearse the play. Mother Akuti did not want to go out with so few people on harinama. Thus at 4:00 p.m., realizing there was no one to come out with me, I decided to go out by myself for three hours, playing the harmonium, chanting Hare Krishna, and distributing invitations to the Ratha-yatra. I would chant one mantra and then distribute invitations to nearby people, and then chant another mantra and do the same.


One man was selling small toy drums, and he played in perfect time to my music with great delight.

After chanting in Old San Juan for a couple hours, I chanted in the bus station as I waited for the bus home. I offered everyone an invitation. One man asked me to sing a song for him. I chanted one tune for him for a while, and he gave me a dollar.

I found a bus that went all the way to Rio Piedras, the region of San Juan I was staying in, but when we got to the final stop, I could not understand where I was in relation to where I was going. I explained to the bus driver that I knew where the church and the train station were but not the bus station, and after everyone got off the bus, the bus driver kindly drove me within walking distance of the church and explained how to get there, and thus I was able to get home.

First Ever Puerto Rico Ratha-yatra


One of the most visible and popular festivals celebrated by Hare Krishna devotees, Ratha-yatra, came for the first time to Puerto Rico, on December 27, 2014. 


In this festival, the Krishna deity known as Lord Jagannath, rides through the streets of the city on a cart, accompanied by His brother, Baladev, and sister, Subhadra. Devotees pull the cart with ropes, chanting the name of the Lord with musical instruments and dancing in procession. The venue was Paseo de la Princesa in Old San Juan. The weather was ideal, sunny and warm.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, when considering how to spread Krishna consciousness to the Western countries thought that the worship of Lord Jagannath, because of His nature as patita-pavana, the uplifter of those fallen away from spiritual Vedic culture, would be appropriate to introduce. When Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada brought this Hare Krishna movement to the West, Jagannath was in fact the first deity to appear. The day before the Puerto Rico Ratha-yatra, Malati Devi, disciple of Srila Prabhupada, gave a wonderful class telling about the appearance of Lord Jagannath and His Ratha-yatra festival in the Hare Krishna movement in San Francisco in 1967.

Malati told us that in March 1967, she was shopping at Cost Plus Imports in San Francisco, and was attracted by some carved wooden figures that were made in India. After all, Swamiji was from India and Hare Krishna was from India, so that was only natural. She spontaneously popped a blackish one in her bag. Later when Shyamasundara and Mukunda showed the figure to Srila Prabhupada, he surprised them by greeting the figure with joined palms in obeisance. He inquired about the origins of the figure, and Malati explained. He asked if there were more, and she said there was a white one and a yellow one. Srila Prabhupada asked that she get them. He explained about Lord Jagannath, who was a form of Krishna, Lord Baladev, His brother, and Lady Subhadra, His sister, and expressed his desire that a devotee carve a larger replicas of them for worship.
Malati explained, “Shyamasundar liked wood and worked with wood, but he had not carved anything before. Still when Srila Prabhupada wanted someone to carve a large Jagannath from wood, he immediately agreed to do it. We were able to do things beyond our normal scope by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada. Because Prabhupada told us the story about how the original Jagannath was carved from a log from the ocean, we decided to find a log from the ocean to carve Lord Jagannath. There was a salvage company that sold things found in the San Francisco Bay, so we went there. We told the guy in charge what we wanted, and he said to look around for it, and so we did. We found a large log, and were ready to go, but the guy in charge was no longer around, so we just left with it.
“Prabhupada said he would remain in San Francisco until Shyamasundar finished carving Jagannath. So Shyamasundar decided he would carve very slowly so Srila Prabhupada would stay with us longer.”

“When Srila Prabhupada unexpectedly came by our apartment to inspect the carving work, on the head of Subhadra was a pack of cigarettes. Shyamasundar said with genuine feeling, ‘I am sorry about the cigarettes.’ Srila Prabhupada said, ‘Yes, smoking is so hard to give up, but don’t let such a small thing as a stick of tobacco stand between you and your relationship with Krishna.’ With a flick of his walking stick he knocked the cigarette pack off the head of Subhadra. Then he gave Shyamasundar a practical strategy – to smoke one less cigarette each day until he was finished, and so he did.

“Their painting was the dress of the first Jagannath deities. Now we have elaborate deity ceremonies last three or five days, but ours was very simple. It must have pleased Lord Jagannath because He immediately reciprocated with us. Janaki was crying in the kirtana, and I asked her what was wrong. She said, ‘He is here. He is really here.’

“Srila Prabhupada explained that now the Lord Jagannatha had come they should observe the Ratha-yatra festival. The Skanda Purana gives a fixed date for Ratha-yatra, the second day of the bright fortnight in the month of Ashada [June-July], and the first one in 1967 in San Francisco was done on that day.”

Malati shared some of Srila Prabhupada instructions about the festival:

“Srila Prabhupada wanted profuse prasadam distribution. He said, ‘The cart is not different from Lord Jagannath. By decorating the cart, we are decorating our heart.’ He also explained, ‘Just looking at the cart is auspicious or touching the rope, touching at the cart.’

“Seeing Srila Prabhupada’s happiness hearing the report of our Ratha-yatra, we were overjoyed and became convinced about the festival’s great importance.”

Malati advised the devotees participating in Puerto Rico, “During the Ratha-yatra, interact with the public, smile at them, wave at them, and inspire them to take part.”

Paseo de la Princesa was a good place for the festival because it is part of a tourist section of Old San Juan and tourists both from Puerto Rico and abroad stroll through that area of the town.


The authorities gave us a less crowded time to pull Lord Jagannath on His chariot, but Bhadra Prabhu made up for it by doing a harinama, astreet procession of congregational chanting of the Holy Names, through a larger area later, at a busier time. Fortunately we had just enough invitations still left to invite people to partake of the spiritual food and the stage show.


On both processionsseveral onlookers were enchanted by the singing and dancing of the devotees, and began dancing themselves with great enthusiasm and it was beautiful to see. 


Many copies of the Spanish version of “On Chanting Hare Krishna” were distributed. We had a book table at our festival site that was practically always busy throughout the day.

For the stage show we had music, bharat-natyam dances, and a short play. Bhadra Prabhu invited devotees from Alachua who perform at the Florida Ratha-yatras to come for that event. Bali and Dhanya lead kirtana, along with some of the local Puerto Rican devotees. Students from Bhakti Kalalayam Dance Academy came, along with their director, Anapayini dasi, and they did bharat-natyam dances that depict pastimes of Krishna. For over an hour there was a final kirtana that was very lively which Bhadra Prabhu and others led. Several people danced in the crowd, and passersby were attracted to stop and watch.


The play was a rendition of the ISKCON classic about the fool who polishes the bird cage without tending to the bird inside till it reeks of death.

After the festival, Virabahu Prabhu, the Governing Board Commissioner for Puerto Rico, thanked everyone who took part in a very heartfelt way that was impressive to me:

“It is a very sweet moment to glorify devotees. We pray to the Lord to bless everyone who took part in making this Ratha-yatra festival happen. We want to thank everyone. Nothing is small if it is offered to the Lord.

“I am moved that you [visiting devotees] who have great love for the holy name, Lord Jagannath, and these festivals, were inspired to come here. You have made this festival.

“If you ever had any doubts about miracles, now you can believe.

“Everyone has made a sacrifice. Thank you making such a nice sacrifice.”

Virabahu Prabhu told the story of how the festival came to Puerto Rico:
“The story started with Caitanya Jivan being brought in by Jaya Sita. Jaya Sita, although she met the devotees elsewhere, is from Puerto Rico. Prabhupada wanted the locals to do the preaching. We have to thank them for many more things than just Ratha-yatra. They encouraged a bhaktinto donate enough to pay the entire mortgage for the temple property on Janmastami in 2011. And before, that Caitanya Jivan donated a restaurant. I was very grateful and thanked him and asked, ‘Is there anything I can do for you?’
Caitanya Jivan said, ‘Yes. I just want there to be Ratha-yatra in Puerto Rico.’”

Bhadra Prabhu, spoke up, “You mentioned to my wife a couple of years ago to do something with Ratha-yatra in Puerto Rico. I thought of December because it is cold in the north. There are many tourists, especially between Christmas and New Years. Thus I came in February to meet with the devotees and discuss it. When I was in Alachua, Jaya Sita would communicate with me three, four, or five times a day about Ratha-yatra organization. Arisudana Prabhu, temple president of our ISKCON temple in Puerto Rico, encouraged me saying, ‘I am glad you are doing Ratha-yatra. If you did not do it I would not be happy.’ We did 1,500 plates of prasadam.”

Some devotees were doubtful that it was practical to do Ratha-yatra in Puerto Rico in 2014, but Bhadra Prabhu pointed out that whenever they encountered an obstacle, that Krishna had always shown a way to overcome it and so they should be optimistic. Emanuel, one of the devotees who believed it possible, had a dream of Srila Prabhupada walking down Paseo de la Princesa, expectantly surveying the site and smiling.


I was impressed to see how Jaya Sita, who I had known for her competence as a cellist and yoga instructor, in Gainesville, Philadelphia, and Mexico, and her faith in her guru, Hridayananda Goswami, had really developed into a festival organizer. Krishna describes a yogi to be one who is always equipoised in the face of all dualities, and she really seemed to be in that spirit, dealing with all the issues arising the day of the festival and those leading up to it. Caitanya Jivan Prabhu played a humble role behind the scenes, with plenty of energy, always ready to do whatever was needed to make it happen. Bhadra Prabhu, who is the leader of a team of devotees who do eight Ratha-yatras in Florida, contributed his great experience and a lot of time, and he engaged many devotees in doing the needful to make it happen. One devotee left his family in Alachua for several weeks to work on the Ratha-yatra cart.

It was beautiful that different senior devotees came there to help to make it a successful festival, Virabahu Prabhu, Adikarta Prabhu, Sankha Prabhu, Malati Devi, Laksmimani Devi, and Akuti Devi. Sankha Prabhu missed the Ratha-yatra because he was cooking the whole time. It was a worthy sacrifice as none of the preparations, rice, chickpeas, sabji, or halava,ran out during the over five hours prasadam was served.

I was involved with doing harinama and distributing invitations before the festival. One morning Adikarta Prabhu, Dhamesvar Das, Leo, and I did harinamain the Rio Piedras area of San Juan for almost two hours. I was impressed that at least 95% of the people took Ratha-yatra invitations, far beyond what I experience anywhere, except with Indradyumna Swami’s festivals in Poland. Later we went to Old San Juan and found although the Puerto Ricans continued taking many invitations, the mainland American tourists were very reluctant. Only those from India were very interested. When we returnedthe next day via public transportation, Mother Akuti was impressed with the positive attitude of the people on both the train and the bus, who would tap to our music or even try to follow the words. The day before the Ratha-yatra, as Keshava Prabhu, Abhayananda Prabhu and I were taking the bus to Old San Juan, the city bus driver asked us to sing, and we sang the whole rest of the way! In most places, bus drivers are among the people who tell you to stop singing, but in Puerto Rico the people are so friendly, the bus drivers invite you to sing! When our harinama party encountered Adikarta Prabhu distributing books, he stopped and joined our kirtana party. Being invited by proprietors or customers, we chanted in a jewelry shop, a clothes shop, and a bar, and we also chanted with a street musician. You can see in this video our party chanting on the bus, in the shops, and with the street musician (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xJbi8eRhvMhb54CZGvTJaFk):


All the devotees on the party were so enthusiastic to invite people to the festival, we would stop playing our instruments or singing to hand out the invitations to anyone who looked a little interested. Adikarta would even pass out the invitations when he was leading the chanting, and other devotees had to take over for him temporarily. I was so happy to see everyone’s enthusiasm to invite people to the Ratha-yatra!

Virabahu Prabhu advised the devotees about the Ratha-yatra deities: “You can consider the new Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subhadra deities to be installed by the enthusiastic kirtana and participation in yesterday’s Ratha-yatra festival. Srila Prabhupada wrote in his Srimad-Bhagavatam6.3.25 purport, ‘Recently, when we established a large Krishna-Balarama temple in Vrindavan, we were obliged to have Vedic ceremonies enacted by brahmanasbecause the inhabitants of Vrindavan, especially the smarta-brahmanas,would not accept Europeans and Americans as bona fide brahmanas.Thus we had to engage brahmanasto perform costly yajñas.In spite of these yajñas,the members of our Society performed sankirtanaloudly with mridangas,and I considered the sankirtanamore important than the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies.’The next time a householder says that his deities are not installed, I will say, ‘Did you chant Hare Krishna before them?’”

The day after Ratha-yatra devotees had a twelve-hour kirtana in their temple in Puerto Rico, in a town called Gurabo, about 40 minutes outside San Juan on a mountain over looking the city and the ocean. Different devotees led for a half-hour or an hour. In particular, Dhanya’s kirtana was so lively it got everyone up dancing at one point. If you have Facebook, you can see it in this video at the link below:
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10153015138805996&comment_id=10153017106600996&offset=0&total_comments=3

Although many of us were wiped out from the Ratha-yatra, it was a good idea to do the sustained kirtana. It is always good to give people the chance to experience the higher taste the comes from being absorbed in the congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord. Lord Caitanya has said it is the nectar for which we are always anxious. Krishnadas Kaviraja Goswami says, “The Absolute Truth is Sri Krishna, and loving devotion to Sri Krishna exhibited in pure love is achieved through congregational chanting of the holy name, which is the essence of all bliss.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 1.96)

I was happy to go to the first ever Puerto Rico Ratha-yatra. I think Srila Prabhupada, who induced his father to do Ratha-yatra in their neighborhood, as a five-year-old child, feels some special joy to see the festival of his beloved Lord Jagannath come to another city. I went to the first Ratha-yatra in Brno, Czech Republic, in 2007, in Wroclaw, Poland, in 2009, in Fredrikstad, Norway, in 2011, in Passau, Germany, in 2012, and in Sheffield, England, in 2014, and I feel fortunate that by my friend Jaya Sita’s invitation and my friend Namamrita’s complimentary air tickets, my friend Dhameshvar Mahaprabhu and I could advertise and attend the first ever Puerto Rican Ratha-yatra.

This year I got to go early and do harinama and distribute invitations to the Ratha-yatras in Sheffield, London, Manchester, Dublin, Philadelphia, and Puerto Rico. Just the single day I spent promoting Dublin or the two days I spent in Philadelphia I felt was too short, so I went on six harinamas in five days in Puerto Rico. My realization is that the devotees put so much time and energy to organize festival programs to benefit the people in general, it is good if we become enthusiastic to promote them. On Indradyumna Swami’s Festival of India tour in Poland, for each festival site, he has three harinamas with fifty or sixty devotees, and each time in three hours, his eight distributors pass out seven thousand invitations, and nightly several thousand people attend his festivals. Such a commitment to advertising Ratha-yatras in ISKCON would really boost our popularization of Lord Krishna and His message of divine love.

Bhadra Prabhu hopes to make Ratha-yatra in Puerto Rico between Christmas and New Years a yearly event. For information on this coming year’s Ratha-yatra in Puerto Rico and those in North and Central Florida, check out his web site: www.festivalofchariots.org.

Harinamas in San Juan After the Ratha-yatra Festival

After the whole Ratha-yatra festival, we helped clean up for half an hour, and then did harinama to the taxi stand.


One lady wanted to have her picture taken with us.

Finding too few taxis, we took a bus, and Adikarta Prabhu led kirtanaon the bus, all the way to the train station. And then we chanted on the train all the way to Rio Piedras.

I had a feeling it would be difficult to get devotees to chant with me in Gainesville over the winter break, as well as to find populated places to chant, so I stayed in Puerto Rico until my ticket expired on December 31. I was glad I did because we got six devotees to chant together on harinama on December 29 in Rio Piedras and on December 30 in Old San Juan.

Krishna Keshava, Abhayananda, Atavi Krishna, Dhameshvar, and Sita Wolf chanted with me for about three hours in a busy shopping area on the streets of Rio Piedras near where Jaya Sita has her yoga center. 
 


One boy danced to our music.
 

Sita, though not famous among the Hare Krishna kids as a kirtana leader, had a pleasing and loud voice and sang well.


Many people were happy to see us, like this street vendor. 
 

One man, speaking to passers by his shop with a microphone, let us sing Hare Krishna into his microphone for as long as we wanted to, something that does not happen very often at all. Krishna Keshava started off.



Then Sita chanted into the mic.


The devotees chanted and danced in a circle in the middle of the street, where people were sitting on benches.


Bhakti Shakti dd, wearing green, who cooks for Jaya Sita's yoga center, joined us in the kirtana. She is well known as a experienced vegetarian cook in Santa Domingo, where she got to cook for visiting guests like Bill Clinton and the Prince of Spain. We were all satisfied with her cooking, especially the pizza on the final day.


One woman played her tambourine with us.


Several people gave us donations although we had no donation box.


We even chanted in an indoor market with many vendors and many stalls, but no one complained.

One woman played her tambourine with us.


In that market Krishna Keshava bought coconuts to drink for everyone in our party, and we continued chanting as we drank the coconuts. 


After the others had left, as Dhameshvar, Sita, and I chanted back to the yoga center, Billy, on the left of the above picture, came up and asked me, "Are you from Gainesville?" Turns out Billy grew up in Gainesville but now summers in NYC and winters in PR. He also said he saw me in Union Square in the fall! He eats at the Bhakti Cafe and attends kirtanas at the Bhakti Center, and wondered if we had prasadam and kirtana in Puerto Rico! I gave him the details. Thanks to Sita for the picture.   


The final day we returned to Old San Juan.

This time we went to another tourist attraction, El Morro Fort (officially Castillo de San Felipe del Morro). Thanks to Jaya Sita for the picture.

The Trip Home to Gainesville

As we were flying standby, we decided to try for the early morning flight, which had four or five free seats the last time I checked. Turns out there when we arrived there were only two free seats and we were number seven and eight on the waiting list. Thus we did not make that flight and had to wait almost seven and a half hours for the next flight. As it was Ekadasi and I just wanted to chant extra japa of Hare Krishna on my beads and Dhameshvar Mahaprabhu just had to do some studying, because we could do both in the airport, we just stayed at the gate until the next flight. While waiting we also booked a Megabus for the evening from Orlando to Gainesville as we missed the Greyhound we previously booked.

When we got to Orlando, we still had to wait four and a half hours for the Megabus, but because the Orlando Airport has free wireless internet, we spent most of the time there.

New Years Eve Harinama in Gainesville

We arrived just before 10 p.m. in Gainesville, just in time for me to go on the New Years Eve Harinama which we had scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Krishna Keshava Prabhu kindly brought prasadam for me because all I had was tomato juice and peanuts on the airplane, and I was starving.

I was so happy we had thirteen devotees altogether. Some years I could only convince two or three people to come out on harinama on New Years Eve. This year I told Krishna Keshava Prabhu to organize it as I was out of town, and I asked Mother Mukhya, the temple president of Alachua, to advertise it, so we were much more successful.

Often passersby are too shy to participate in singing or dancing with us but on days like New Years Eve, and also Halloween, there is such a mood of celebration, many more people interact with the party, and knowingly or unknowingly get the benefit of serving the Lord by participating in His sankirtana movement, the congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord.

You can see passersby in the video below were attracted to celebrate with the Hare Krishna devotees in Gainesville (http://youtu.be/5nv4mghcbdU):


Recalling New Adventures in 2014

Every year has some special new adventures for me, and I like to recall them at year's end. The day after Gaura Purnima in 2014, I did harinama with Abhiram Prabhu in Bagru, Rajasthan, with the deities and sound system riding on camel driven carts. I did harinama all the way around Govardhan Hill for the first time with two friends from Ireland. I went to the first ever Ratha-yatra in Sheffield, England, and San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2014. In fact, I did harinama in Puerto Rico for the first time as well. I went to our Scottish temple, Karuna Bhavan, and did harinama in Glasgow, the city nearby, both for the first time, and also attended a kirtana program in Findhorn in the north of Scotland. Our harinama at the Green Festival in Newcastle, attracted participation by devotees from Scarborough and Leeds, and one of my Newcastle friends joined in our harinama in York. We also did harinama in a new city, Chester, England, for the first time, and also did an evening program there as well. These were so good we did both a second time this year too. It is nice to see the devotees in The North of England cooperating together to do more harinama. I was denied entry into the UK on August 25, the first time any country had denied me entry. I went couchsurfing in Lille, France, for the first time and ended up staying one night with a young Indian man, who had attended our temple in Hyderabad and who had gone to our Janmastami festival at Radhadesh the previous week, and a young lady from France, who had danced in our Mantra Yoga tent at the Polish Woodstock festival. I chanted in the Brussels Central Station for the first time. In Brooklyn we chanted in the Atlantic Avenue – Barclay's Center subway station for the first time. In San Juan, a bus driver told our harinama party to sing on the bus for the first time. 


I went to the Brooklyn Doughnut Plant for the first time to get prasadam doughnuts for my relatives. I flew out of the Islip MacArthur airport for the first time in order to get to Jacksonville in time to chant at the campus. I took the Chinese bus from Jacksonville, Florida, to New York City for the first time, to save Krishna's money, and lived to tell about it. I got a Smartphone for the first time from my friend Dorian, and it is great having all Prabhupada's main books in the palm of your hand. I made coconut burfi with saffron, cardamom, and rose water for the first time. I have a computer with the Linux operating system for the first time, thanks to Jiva Goswami Prabhu, and it is a pleasant change from Windows.

To see the photos I took but did not include in this journal, click on the link below:
https://picasaweb.google.com/103872792410945983719/TravelJournal1024?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLWc0a2Xp5fKzwE&feat=directlink

Insights

Srila Prabhupada:

from a letter to Tamal Krishna Goswami written in Bombay on November 21, 1974:

“Yes, train up the brahmanasvery carefully. Many Indians and foreigners criticize us how we can create brahmanas.They are under the impression that brahmanasare born like horses and asses are born. According to Bhagavad-gita brahmanasare according to gunaand karma. So the training of brahmanasshould be so nice that people will be forced to accept them as brahmanasby guna, quality, and karma, action.”

Tamal Krishna Goswami:

Srila Prabhupada told us that if we give up sense gratification and dedicate our life to serving Lord Caitanya, He will take us back to Godhead at the end of our life.

Book distribution is the most powerful service to make spiritual advancement because it forces one to take full shelter of guru and Krishna.

Radhanath Swami:

Kunti says that aspiring for wealth, parentage, beauty, and education blocks our spiritual progress, but if these assets are engaged in service to God, they become blessings.

In the Bible it is said it is easier for a rich man to get into heaven that to put a camel through the eye of a needle. If the rich man uses his assets in God's service, then God who is full of inconceivable power will help him put the camel through the eye of the needle, and then the impossible becomes possible.

Advice to businessmen: Earn with integrity; spend with compassion.

I was with Srila Prabhupada in Vrindavan and just about six people were in his room. Someone asked him, “Are you guru of the whole world?”
Srila Prabhupada replied, with tears in his eyes, “No, I am servant of everyone.”
Hearing that, I thought within myself, “He is guru of the whole world!”

Compassion gives ecstasy to the soul. Sense gratification cannot.

Laksmi Nrsimha Prabhu:

You get lots of realization from book distribution, even if you do not do so well at it. You notice that you do not do so well, and so you pray to Krishna, and then someone asks, “Do you have any Bhagavad-gitas?”

Even from the mundane point of view, if people see you do not really want to be there, they will not get into it. But if we are smiling and looking at the people, they will respond.

We are Caitanya Mahaprabhu's instruments, and we should let Him play us through our chanting and dancing. People will be attracted because they are experiencing dissatisfaction in life.

The Vedas actually describe how the Lord is everything. Krishna expands as Ksirodakasayi Vishnu and is situated in everyone's heart.

According to the degree of our purification we can see Krishna more and more.

Destiny is the language of God. One who is advanced see that everything is happening by the will of God. Things are happening forus not tous.

One psychologist says, “All suffering occurs because of resistance to what is.”

Bhaktiis a yoga system and must be practiced with strictness.

A few words from a pure devotee can determine our life's mission. Srila Prabhupada was able to speak in that way.

If a person can say a few words that inspires a country they are glorified, what to speak of a worldwide revolution of consciousness that challenges every kind of sense gratification. Unless we make a commitment to participate in his mission, we will not be able to understand. We must contact as many conditioned souls as possible and give them the opportunity.

Laksmimani dd:

There was a program in Buffalo toward the end of 1968 where different “spiritual” leaders were asked to speak, Timothy Leary, Ram Das, people from a group of people called the Hog Farm, that advocated unrestrained sense gratification, and His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. Timothy Leary and Ram Das were preaching that drugs were the way to spiritual realization. Srila Prabhupada was outstandingly different. He was genuine and there, over the next couple of years, 35 people became devotees as a result of hearing from Srila Prabhupada. These included Prahladananda Swami, Trivikrama Swami, Kusakratha Prabhu, etc.

I was always impressed by his conviction about the importance of worshiping Krishna. His compassionate desire to give Krishna to everyone and his sense of urgency, that we had no time to waste, were his most striking qualities.

In 1970, just three weeks after I became a devotee, we traveled to go to Ratha-yatra.

Comment by Akuti: That was the festival where Srila Prabhupada lay flat before the Jagannath cart, and then got up and starting dancing. That year, we walked six miles and ended in a auditorium, with ten thousand people. Srila Prabhupada was so happy to see all the people. He told them to dance and when they get tired to take prasadam.

My son was born while Srila Prabhupada was on that cart. Because my husband, Jagadisa, was a GBC, the devotees gave Prabhupada a note telling Srila Prabhupada about it. Prabhupada named him Nirmala Chandra.

Once Srila Prabhupada walked by the kitchen when a team of ladies were rolling chapatis. He told us that any of the ladies who were not wearing neck beads should leave. He told us we should put at least one strand of neck beads of those in the kitchen.

Once Srila Prabhupada asked us, “Is there anyone not chanting 16 rounds?” No one responded, and he repeated the question. They he said, “Is there anyone lying?” Finally some devotees raised their hands. Srila Prabhupada said, “It is not a difficult thing. One hour in the morning and one hour in the evening and you can chant 16 rounds. Somehow or other you must chant 16 rounds.”

I was in Mayapur in 1974, and the devotees were cooking outside under a tent. It came to Srila Prabhupada's attention that another lady and I were pregnant, and he had a devotee make sure the two of us got hot milk every night.

Srila Prabhupada's sister would never visit Srila Prabhupada alone, even if the room was full of people. One day she took me into Srila Prabhupada's room. Srila Prabhupada was explaining how in the Vedic society you could understand a persons role in society by how they were dressed. He gave some examples, and then he said but we try to dress simply. One lady asked, “Does that mean if our husband buys us expensive saris we cannot wear them.”
Prabhupada replied, “You can wear them but only when your husband is present. Otherwise who are you trying to attract? Krishna is not attracted by expensive saris.”
We have to give people engagement so they feel they have a place in Krishna consciousness.

Srila Prabhupada was not locked into a particular paradigm. Therefore he was able successfully spread Krishna consciousness in the Western world.

Akuti dd:

I was often in the kitchen when Srila Prabhupada was visiting the temple. The poor person who carried Prabhupada's plate was always harassed by everyone who wanted to grab Srila Prabhupada's remnants, even his salt or pepper.

Once I bowed down to Srila Prabhupada, and I noticed I was right next to his feet. I was a new devotee, but I knew I was not supposed to touch men. I decided to just lightly touch his slippers, and I am glad I did as it was my only chance.

We must control our anger or it will work its way to our tongue, and we will commit offenses in our speech.

There is a game where you take an ordinary material word and then have people use the word in connection with Krishna.

Sankha Prabhu:

In 1974 they asked me to make samosasfor Srila Prabhupada. I made 34 large samosasand sent them to Srila Prabhupada. Three days later I asked Brahmananda if Srila Prabhupada liked them. He said they never made it to him. A few days later one Indian devotee was cooking a special feast and he made very small dainty diamond samosas.Srila Prabhupada came in the kitchen and saw the samosas, andasked, “Did you make these samosas? I said, “No, Srila Prabhupada.” He replied, “You do not how to make samosas! You only know how to make footballs!”

Palika was Prabhupada's cook, but she was sick, so she sent me to buy fruit for Srila Prabhupada. I bought all kinds of fruit, then I saw an orange vendor. I tasted an orange, and it was so good. I bought a huge bag. Later on a morning walk, in the middle of a conversation, he suddenly said, “Who has bought all these oranges?” As a proud brahmacari I run up to him, and said, “I did.” He said, “These oranges are tenth class just like you!”

Adikarta Prabhu:

On his last visit to London, although Srila Prabhupada was very emaciated and hardly said anything, you could see he very much appreciated the kirtanas the devotees had instead of Bhagavatam class. He also liked the new Balaram drums that the devotees had made. Tamal Krishna Goswami once glorified different events in Srila Prabhupada's life in his presence, and Prabhupada, in his feeble condition, pointed out that he got a date wrong.

In the midst of a conversation, where the devotees were praising Srila Prabhupada for a past brave act, Srila Prabhupada told the devotees, “I am still very brave. How could I go to New York without any money?”

Once Srila Prabhupada was praying to Krishna, and devotees asked him what he was praying for, and he said he was praying to be protected from maya [illusion].

The insulation for the devotee is to be constantly hearing about Krishna.
The Smithsonian Institute had to formally apologize for destroying the bones of some humans found to be 8 to 10 feet high.

Prabhupada wanted us to get up early, 1½ to 2 hours before sunrise. That is why you see all the older devotees get up early and go to mangala-arati in Alachua, except for Sita [who is in her early twenties]. I tell Sita, “Why don't you invite your friends?”

Comment by Sita: I don't have any friends anymore. You guys are my friends.

If you can sit in one place and chant your japa, that is best.

Book distribution is a humbling experience because people reject you. But it is very sweet taste, if you can tolerate the austerity.

A disciple desiring Srila Prabhupada stay in India offered him the best mangoes hoping to convincing to remain. Srila Prabhupada replied, “Preaching in the snows of Russia is sweeter than any mango.”

About a year ago, Bill Clinton embraced one devotee who was distributing books, and said, “Hare Krishna.”

One lady I met on book distribution said she was a Hindu and knew about Krishna and knew Bhagavad-gita. I asked her what chapter two was about, and she did not know. Ultimately, she ended up buying a book and giving a donation.

Q (by Sita): You say it is important to chant japa, and it is important to do book distribution. How are we to understand what is more important.

comment by Sita: So japa is like eating, everybody has to eat.

Doing book distribution is not a sign of advancement. There could be cooks or pujariswho are more advanced. Occasionally someone who has done book distribution for 15 years suddenly leaves.

Malati Devi:

We served 100 people a day prasadam in San Francisco, but we did not ask for money. We would ask stores for leftover produce. We would trade in soda bottles we collected for food at the supermarket. And we would also go into the supermarket and just fill up a bag with food and walk out. And there was a convenience store across the street which would get deliveries every morning. Every day, while the delivery man was in the store, I would take two pounds of butter from the back of the truck. Once Srila Prabhupada saw me getting it. He asked me about it, and when I explained I was taking butter from the truck, Srila Prabhupada said, “Krishna was also a butter thief.” I understood after he said that, that we cannot imitate Krishna, and so I stopped doing it.

Srila Prabhupada explained to me that Lord Jagannath should have His own plate, one that has not been used by others, one that was silver, with a goblet and two small bowls, and that from then on everything prepared should be offered to Him, and the curtains should be closed while He ate.

We chanted the first line of Prabhupada pranama mantra because that was all we had, and the Panca-tattva mantra, and “namo brahmanya devaya . . . ”

Some hippies thought we closed the curtains to put drugs in the food. That was their explanation for the good feeling they felt from eating it. We explained that we closed the curtains because God likes to eat in private.

We would tell people to come to the temple and see God. They would come and we would show them Lord Jagannath. Some would accept and others would wonder, “What is going on here?”

There is a little YouTube clip of this first Ratha-yatra in San Francisco (http://youtu.be/tRV6lOie5Nk?t=4m27s) [at 04:27 minutes into the video]:


Srila Prabhupada wanted profuse prasadam distribution at the Ratha-yatra. I decided to make capatis. I realized I needed more help. I enlisted anyone who walked by. We did not have enough rolling pins. So I had people find empty wine bottles, rinse them out, fill them with water, and use them as rolling pins. Because we made them the day before, and we did not have enough money for butter, they were quite dry. Still we had such faith in prasadam, we would tell people it was spiritual food and they would eat it completely, without throwing any away.

To decorate the cart, went to the park and picked all the flowers. Even though the policemen later became aware that the park was stripped of flowers and that those flowers were decorating our cart, they did not say anything.

Although the cart is small, when the Lord is on board, it seems great.

In Puri the cart of Lord Jagannath has a name which means “tumultuous blissful sound.” It has 16 wheels with 45-foot canopy. Balarama's cart has a name meaning “significantly powerful rhythm.” Subhadra's cart has a name meaning “destroyer of pride.” Jagannath is 5 feet and 7 inches, Balaram is 5 feet and 5 inches, and Subhadra is just under 5 feet.
Virabahu Prabhu:

The holy name is sweetest, most auspicious, and the deliver of all.

Srila Prabhupada's aura is “Do more!” You can see this from that fact his appearance day is the day after Janmastami. After staying up to midnight, and then having an arati and a feast, we have do another festival the next day as if nothing happened the day before.

Vaisesika Prabhu:

We should always consider that Krishna knows what we need better than we do.

Rama Raya Prabhu:

The real neglected deity is the holy name.

-----

This beautiful verse reminds us how 
unforgettable the experience of Krishna-bhakti is:

na vai jano jatu kathancanavrajen
mukunda-sevy anyavad anga samsritim
smaran mukundanghry-upaguhanam punar
vihatum icchen na rasa-graho janah

[Narada Muni said:] “My dear Vyasa, even though a devotee of Lord Krishna sometimes falls down somehow or other, he certainly does not undergo material existence like others [fruitive workers, etc.] because a person who has once relished the taste of the lotus feet of the Lord can do nothing but remember that ecstasy again and again.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.19)

Monday, January 5th, 2015
→ The Walking Monk

Toronto, Ontario

Moderate

It was a biting cold that Nick and I took as the challenge on an evening high speed trek.  That’s fine, because you then come to appreciate warmth.  Whatever is the condition, it is there to remind you of some words of wisdom.  Verse 2.14 of the Bhagavad Gita convinces us of the dualistic reality and how to be persevering the world’s two faces. 

It will only be a matter of two days before I’ll be near equatorial territory, Guyana to be precise.  I’ll then be seeing the other wild side of nature.  At that time, I will be dreaming of cold when I sweat to pieces in Guyana.  Verse 2.14 will once again spring up.  It informs us that we should tolerate and moderate.  Toleration appears to be more of a psychological acceptance of things.  The verse 2.14 suggests that dualities arise from sense perception. 

Now, if you were to visit a place like Hawaii, where I’ve been, you encounter the almost perfect moderate weather.  Physically, you can enjoy, but still, the storm within exists and the climatic changes of the mind persist.  The moodiness of the mind is universal.  Every living being gets intense over issues, and they require some tempering.

They say if you temper steel first by heating and then by cooling, it improves the hardness and elasticity of the metal.  Moving through life and accepting its extremes is key to being neutralized in some way in becoming moderate.

I laugh when I think of being invited, along with my support guy, Dave, on my first cross Canada trek, to “A brandin’”.  A cowgirl/woman asked if we wanted to go to a brandin’ at a local ranch in Alberta.  You, know, it’s when you mark the side of cattle with heat.  We declined and indicated that we were too cool for that. 

May the Source be with you!

7 KM

Sunday, January 4th, 2015
→ The Walking Monk

Montreal, Quebec

The Noise of Winter


I set out at 3 AM.  Overnight snowplows had scraped the streets addressing the surprised flurries.  Even at this hour,  you hear the occasional home snow shovel scratching a concrete surface.  Someone, somewhere is moving the white fluff in order to make a walking passageway. 

I’m doing alright and contributing to music with a crunch crunch sound of my boots gripping the snow.  Snow doesn’t make sound, but it invites.  Somehow, snow is a silencer and a softener of sorts.  I can appreciate being in its presence. 

I came indoors after some time to partake in sadhana.  Hours later I met with Khosro Shemiranie, editor in chief of Journal Hafteh, geared to the Iranian/Afghan community.  Khosro and I sat in ISKCON’s library room with the window to our backs.  Khosro asked questions pertinent to spirituality, mainly honing in on the concept of fear. 

I offered to say that fear is dealing with the unknown and living with the uncertainty of being harmed.  It is a component of life.

He also asked me about my major walks, and how fear played into these treks.  I told him that initially I carried the fear of whether I’d be accepted or not.  Would a public that’s mostly secular embrace the notion of a monk who hails from a tradition not yet well known.  Khosro wanted to know if I had overcome that fear, and I said, “Yes, people seem to accept the principle of pilgrimage and the good workout that goes along with it.”  I explained that as long as you bear self confidence, believing in your own spirit as distinct from the body, people will end up admiring who you are and what you are doing. 

As we spoke with that window to our backs, I was actually angled in such a way as to catch a glimpse of the outdoors.  I could see that snow had turned into crystallized ice on the trees.  Suddenly, a branch of a tree snapped off, and it came crashing down with all the crystals.  It came with an incredible noise, the noise of a wintery day. 

May the Source be with you!

6 KM

Saturday, January 3rd, 2015
→ The Walking Monk

Montreal, Quebec

Did Not!


Today The Walking Monk did not walk, he trained. 

I boarded Via Rail at Union Station in Toronto for the trip to Montreal.  It was a pleasant ride.  Western trains generally are a leisure way to travel.  The scenery was alright between the two cities.  It just becomes a bit tiring seeing the colour of winter brown.  That gradually changes as you go northeast.  The ground becomes covered, like icing sugar, with sprinkled snow.  White becomes more prominent by the time Montreal is reached. 

Next to me on the train, I met a young male passenger who’s on an adventure in life.  He’s on his way to join the armed forces.  “Why?” I asked him.  His answer was honest and innocent, “I come from a poor family.  Joining the forces as opposed to furthering my education right now will help me financially.  Also, I thought it’s a good thing to defend the country when in need.”

I thought it to be a commendable remark.  I was happy for him.  I couldn’t see this fellow getting deeply into drugs, drink, and girls.  At best, he’d be a moderate in habits of such sorts, I speculated.  Anyways, I wished him well as we detrained. 

My analysis of this day is me feeling real good about conducting another of those seminars on kirtan standards, where some young people showed up and kept engaged in the interactiveness that took place.  When you consider that there are lots of options out there on a Saturday night, they vied for doing something very positive.

May the Source be with you!

0 KM

Friday, January 2nd, 2015
→ The Walking Monk

Toronto, Ontario

Marriage and Makeover


One of our ashram residents asked a question, “Why are we putting so much energy into this wedding?”  When I heard this query, I did not take it as a challenge, but as innocent curiosity coming from someone who leads the simple devotional life with a group of other monastic people.  Shekar and Christina were getting married, and our main kirtan hall was going through a kind of makeover.  My response to the question was, “Marriage is an important day in a person’s life.  It’s a major commitment, and the couple needs blessings.”

I thought more about what I had said and wanted to add something.

We live in an era of lack of commitment.  We quit on people and projects so easily.  It’s a lack of determination – not a good trait.  In marriage, you demonstrate maturity through vows and keeping them.  You learn to communicate and learn the game of give and take.  When there’s kids involved (which is natural between a couple), show them that you have some conviction by being committed.  Try to avoid defraying the fabric of a family.  And people don’t always get along, even when you make a new arrangement.  Show some tolerance and patience.  Of course, there are cases of abuse.  Granted, you may need to break off.  But the word abuse is very casually used.  Break off can be a last resort.  This opens up a new door of discussion.  People have become non-congenial.  Much is to be said about the selfish world in which we live, and about an educational system which does not build character and avoids spiritual based values.

Yes, a makeover on us would be good.

The wedding, by the way, went well.  I wish the couple all the best.  I had to leave early to attend a funeral for Mark Mulair, also known as Muralidhar.  He died from cancer.  His new existence means a makeover of sorts. 

May the Source be with you!

10 KM

Thursday, January 1st, 2015
→ The Walking Monk

Brampton/Toronto

Here’s What They Said


So here’s what some actors and viewers had to say about our new theatrical production held at the annual Prabhupada Festival – the production called “Blue Mystic”:

Actor Kanaad (From Toronto) – I learned so much about the pastimes of Krishna.  Being on the stage like that helped me to gain more personal confidence. 

Viewer, Stephen (From London, Ontario) – It was like CBC Tapestry radio show, very cultural… I also noticed from the audience that they could not set their eyes away from the stage.

Actor, Natalia (From Montreal) – Oh my God, I had to question how we could pull it all together in just a week.  It was exciting playing multiple roles from the pious Devaki to the compelling goddess, Durga. 

Viewer, Dakshin (From Miami) – I liked it very  much, very visual.  A great way to give training to the youth, future leaders. 

Me – It was most rewarding working with the crew I had, rather, the crew that was sent my way by divine arrangement.

The drama, “Blue Mystic” was a way to bring in the new year.   In this more tweaked version from the pilot production of last summer, I hope to take it to my 2015 destinations worldwide. 

Happy New Year, and congratulations to the three new initiates from Brampton.  Rajneesh has received the name Nanda Maharaja Das, Alka is now Ananda Mayi, and Raj is now Rasaraj.

May the Source be with you!

0 KM

Wednesday, December 31st, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Toronto, Ontario

People, Drums, New Year’s


People in this city ride the transit rail all the time.  The subway, which it is referred to, is that regular commuter that transports people to work, school, etc., to and fro.  On this evening the ride has a different intent for mostly younger folks.  Their destination is the City Hall, as it is ours, for the final countdown to mark the end of a year, and opening up what will historically be the one and only January 1st of 2015. 

A group of us, monks and lay Krishna members numbering 60 strong, helped to fill one of the cars on the subway line.  As soon as we stepped in from the subway platform sitting and standing passengers noticed our entry as we corralled in fully equipped with drums and anticipated faces. 

“What are they going to do?” milled through the minds of the curious. 

Here’s what we did.  The train doors closed.  The subway car moved south on the Yonge Street line, and after the first stop, the major Yonge and Bloor juncture, we waited for those doors to close once again.  Two massive tom-toms with mallets and one additional djembe were poised and now rolling with sticks and hands to stir up the kind of excitement that ushers in a new beginning. 

A core group of us sang, “Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy New Year!”  Response came.  We delivered a few more bars of that, then we switched to “Hare Krishna…”  That resounding vibe occupied the space of the people and stayed with the public for the whole ride and there ever after to the location of Old City Hall, that impressive building on Queen Street.  Thousands were drawn in to the song and dance.  The energy provoked by mantra and drum was nothing short of ecstasy. 

May the Source be with you!

6 KM

Gita 04.01 – Yogic knowledge comes from transcendental source through extra-terrestrial route to terrestrial recipient
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Gita Verse-by-verse Podcast

Download by "right-click and save content"

Harinama, prasadam and book distribution in Warsaw, Poland …
→ Dandavats.com



Harinama, prasadam and book distribution in Warsaw, Poland (Album 68 photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra is the easiest process of meditation in this age. As soon as one chants the Hare Krishna mantra, he sees the forms of Krishna, Rama and Their energies, and that is the perfect stage of trance. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.8.53 Purport)
See them here: http://goo.gl/zWirC2

Are you going back into your cage?
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, March 2014, Sydney, Australia, Bhagavad-gita 4.39)

KKS_CPT_dec_2014When things get diluted, it is second best – compromised. From a compromised position, we still can enter spiritual life because we can enter from any position in life. We can be compromised with the mode of ignorance and have that habit of drinking the wrong things, [imitating] “I’m trying to stop it but it is not easy.”

Yes… alright, but do service! So we may start from a compromised position but do service because by that service, we will become free. From that compromised position with the lower modes of nature, that is compromised with unhappiness and compromised with foolish habits; it is so difficult to change now, just because we have done it for so long.

Srila Prabhupada speaks about a bird that had been kept in a cage for a very long time. Then one day, they took the cage, put it in the field and opened the door. So the bird was looking… sitting all alone in the cage… and the door is opened and then whhhooop… the bird was out! Flyyyyyying! Freeeeee in the sky!

But then, after about ten to fifteen minutes, it came back into the cage, on its own. Are we that bird? Are we going back into our cage? Just because we are so accustomed to it, are we going back to a compromised state?

Well, it is difficult to surrender, you know. It is very difficult. It is difficult to be a servant. Of course, I know I should be, but… and I know I should give up sense enjoyment but it is SO GOOD. The senses will drive you because the senses are not grateful. They will never be satisfied with whatever you bring. Therefore why serve the senses!? Serve Krsna! Krsna is the opposite. Krsna is very grateful for the smallest service rendered. Krsna is immensely grateful and it says that Krsna will immensely reward you very generously.

 

Srila Rupa Goswami on Raganuga Sadhana Bhakti
→ The Enquirer

Rāgānugā

Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.2.270

virājantīm abhivyaktāṁ vraja-vāsī janādiṣu
rāgātmikām anusṛtā yā sā rāgānugocyate

Rāgānugā means to cultivate the unique affections (rāga-atmikā) that manifest most powerfully among the devotees, especially those who are residents of Vraja.

Rāgātmikā

271

rāgānugā-vivekārtham ādau rāgātmikocyate

To define rāgānugā, first I will define Rāgātmika (the unique affections).

272

iṣṭe svārasikī rāgaḥ paramāviṣṭatā bhavet
tan-mayī yā bhaved bhaktiḥ sātra rāgātmikoditā

“Rāga” is natural and all-engrossing desire for a desirable object. Those whose bhakti is composed of that natural, all-engrossing emotion are denoted here with the term, “Rāgātmika.”

273

sā kāmarūpā sambandha-rūpā ceti bhaved dvidhā

She manifests in two ways: in the form of romance (kāma-rūpā), or in the form of some other type of relationship (sambandha-rūpā).

274-275 quote Bhāgavatam 7.1.30-31

276-279 explain the above quote.
280 calls a reference from Bhramāṇda Purāṇa as part of the explanation.
281 explains its relevance.
282 quotes Bhāgavatam 10.87.23

These quotes show the power of intense emotional absorption in Krishna (Rāga),
Either by romantic or other relationships,
even showing some benefit from inimical, non-devotional relationships.

Kāma-Rūpā Rāgātmikā

283

tatra kāmarūpā -
sā kāmarūpā sambhoga-tṛṣṇāṁ yā nayati svatām
yad asyāṁ kṛṣṇa-saukhyārtham eva kevalam udyamaḥ

Romantic Absorption (Kāmarūpā) ~

This Kāmarūpa has an inherent thirst for sensuality, but Krishna’s pleasure is its sole concern.

284

iyaṁ tu vraja-devīṣu suprasiddhā virājate

It shines most brilliantly and perfectly in the Goddesses of Vraja.

āsāṁ prema-viśeṣo ‘yaṁ prāptaḥ kām api mādhurīṁ
tat-tat-krīḍā-nidānatvāt kāma ity ucyate budhaiḥ

This most remarkable type of prema allows them to obtain indescribable sweetness. It is the sole cause of many, many sports which the wise call “pleasure” (kāma).

285

tathā ca tantre ~
premaiva gopa-rāmāṇāṁ kāma ity agamat prathām

It is well known that what is called the “Lust” (Kāma) of the cowherd lovers is certainly the most wondrous “love” (prema).

286

ity uddhavādyo ‘py etaṁ vañchati bhagavat-priyāḥ

Therefore even great devotees like Uddhava desire it.

287

kāma-prāyā ratiḥ kintu kubjāyām eva sammatā

However, the affection of Kubjā can be determined to not quite be on the level of true romance (“kāma”).

Sambandha-Rūpā Rāgātmikā

288

tatra sambandha-rūpā ~
sambandha-rūpā govinde pitṛtvādy-ābhimānitā

Natural Relationship:

Natural Relationship (sambandha-rūpā) consists of the sense of being Govinda’s father, and so on.

atropalakṣaṇatayā vṛṣṇīnāṁ vallavā matāḥ
yadaiśya-jñāna-śūnyatvād eṣāṁ rāge pradhānatā

This quality is found in Krishna’s family, but is is especially significant in the cowherders [Vraja-vāsī], because their emotional attachment to him is uniquely devoid of conscientiousness regarding Krishna’s majesty.

289

kāma-sambandha-rūpe te prema-mātra-svarūpake
nitya-siddhāśrayatayā nātra samyag vicārite

But romance (kāma-rūpā) and relationship (sambandha-rūpā) are intrinsic parts of prema, experienced by the eternally perfect devotees. Therefore to describe them at more length is not called for here [in this section on sādhana]

Two Types of Rāgānugā

290

rāgātmikāyā dvaividhyād dvidhā rāgānugā ca sā
kāmānugā ca sambandhānugā ceti nigadyate

Because Rāgātmikā has two varieties, Rāgānugā also has two varieties. They are known as Aspiration for Romance (kāma-ānugā) and aspiration for relationship (sambandha-ānugā).

Qualification for Rāgānugā

291

tara adhikārī ~
rāgātmikaika-niṣṭhā ye vraja-vāsī-janādayaḥ
teṣāṁ bhāvāptaye lubdho bhaved atrādhikāravān

Qualification:

Intense emotional attachment to Krishna is firmly established in devotees headed by the Vraja-vāsīs. Someone who is eager to acquire their devotional mood becomes a qualified person for this Rāgānugā.

292

tat-tad-bhāvādi-mādhurye śrute dhīr yad apekṣate
nātra śāstraṁ na yuktiṁ ca tal-lobhotpatti-lakṣaṇaṁ

The sign of this eagerness is that one becomes very alert and eager to hear all about the sweet mood, etc. of those devotees, naturally, not as a result of any intellectual or moral force.

293

vaidha-bhakty-adhikārī tu bhāvāvirbhavanāvadhi
atra śāstraṁ tathā tarkam anukūlam apekṣate

Those who are qualified for Vaidhi-bhakti, however, do not develop such natural inclinations. They remain dependent on intellectual and moral motivation until they come to the stage of Bhāva-bhakti. 

Practices of Rāgānugā

294

kṛṣṇaṁ smaran janaṁ cāsya preṣṭhaṁ nija-samīhitam
tat-tat-kathā-rataś cāsau kuryād vāsaṁ vraje sadā

Always immerse yourself in Vraja by constantly relishing discussions all about Krishna’s relationship with the devotee whose affections you specifically aspire to attain.

295

sevā sādhaka-rūpeṇa siddha-rūpeṇa cātra hi
tad-bhāva-lipsunā kāryā vraja-lokānusārataḥ

Perform your devotional service (sevā) in your current, external form, but certainly also follow the essence (anusāra) of the desired mood of that Vraja devotee by investing those services (atra) with that perfect internal significance (siddha-rūpeṇa).

Note: Devotional service in Rāgānugā must be performed externally, but with internal contemplation of the significant similarity the external action bears in regard to the perfect devotion one aspires for. To offer an example, one performs kīrtan with internal awareness of the mood of the gopīs performing Kīrtan, perhaps during rāsa-līla, or during a boat-ride or in some other situation.

296

śravaṇotkīrtanādīni vaidha-bhakty-uditāni tu
yāny aṅgāni ca tāny atra vijñeyāni manīṣibhiḥ

And the wise sādhaka should certainly carefully perform the practices of Vaidhi bhakti – hearing, chanting, and so on -in a conducive manner.

Kāmānugā Rāgānugā

297

tatra kāmānugā ~
kāmānugā bhavet tṛṣṇā kāma-rūpānugāminī.

Aspiration for Romance (Kāmānugā):

Aspiration for Romance (Kāmānugā) is that which has a thirst to follow those with Romantic Absorption (Kāma-Rūpa Rāgātmikā).

298

sambhogecchā-mayī tat-tad-bhāvecchātmeti sā dvidhā

She manifests in two aspects: The desire for romantic pleasures (sambhoga-icchā), the desire for the romantic mood within all of them (tat-tad-bhāva-icchā).

299

keli-tātparyavaty eva sambhogecchā mayī bhavet
tad-bhāvecchātmikā tāsām bhāva-mādhurya-kāmitā

The desire for romantic pleasures (sambhoga-icchā) is the purport of all romantic pastimes. The desire for the romantic mood (tad-bhāva-icchā) is what manifests the sweet romantic mood in those pastimes.

Note: If the desire for romantic pleasures is more prominent in a sādhaka, they will wind up becoming a gopī who interacts with Krishna but competes with Rādhārāṇī, like Candrāvalī. If the desire for the sweet romantic mood is more prominent, the sādhaka winds up becoming a gopī who assists Rādhārāṇī’s interactions with Krishna. The later is a superior ecstasy.

Qualification for Kāmānugā

300

śrī-mūrter mādhurīṁ prekṣya tat-tal-līlām niśamya vā
tad-bhāvākāṇkṣiṇo ye syus teṣu sādhanatānayoḥ
purāṇe śruyate pādme puṁsam api bhaved iyam

Those who develop eagerness to attain this Romance – perhaps after seeing the beautiful deity of Krishna with his Beloved, or after hearing all about their pastimes – can practice this sādhana. Padma Purāṇa documents that this aspiration can arise even in males.

301-302 quote Padma Purāṇa, the story of the Sages of Daṇḍakāraṇya

303

riraṁsām suṣṭhu kurvan yo vidhi-mārgeṇa sevate
kevalenaiva sa tadā mahiṣītvam iyāt pure

Those who have Romantic aspirations but perform their service according to Vidhi-mārga only, they eventually become his Queens in the City [Dvārakā].

304 quotes Mahā-kurma Purāṇa to give an example of the above.

305-308 define sambandhānugā-sādhana.

309

kṛṣṇa-tad-bhakta-kāruṇya-mātra-lābhaika-hetukā
puṣṭi-mārgatayā kaiścid iyaṁ rāgānugocyate

This [sambandhānugā] is sometimes called the Nourished Path (Puṣṭi-Mārga). The mercy of Krishna and his devotee are the essence of attaining its cause.


New Vrindaban devotee Gopisa’s India Journal: “When you eat this you will never take birth again”.
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

This is the 4th and last in a series of entries from Gopisa das on his recent trip to India.

DAY 7

Dearest family,

Today was a very special day. We went to Srimati Radharani’s temple for mangal aroti. I was pushed to the middle quite close and had a wonderful view of Sriji. Sacinandana Swami was also there and after the services he offered me some rock candy maha prasad with the following words, “When you eat this you will never take birth again”. I also cleaned Sriji’s floor with a new chadar for Abinanda Prabhu and collected some flower petals as well. Hope customs doesn’t go crazy on our way home.

We arrived in Vrindavan today. I’ve seen pictures of the deities here but photos don’t do Them justice. Also Srila Prabhupada’s Samadhi was very emotional and quite spectacular!

This was quite a day…

I’m headed to an internet cafe to send these emails out. Jaya Krsna’s phone has only now started to work…….very strange indeed!

Love and Krsna to you all!   g

Srila Prabhupada's Samadhi Vrindavan

Srila Prabhupada’s Samadhi Vrindavan

DAY 8

Dearest family,

Today we somehow missed the alarm and didn’t get up till 4:30. Caught the end of mangal aroti, Tulasi puja and japa, then greeting the Deities. They are spectacularly beautiful! Saw Veda Vyasa Swami, he didn’t recognize me at first then gave me a long twirling hug.

Saw Srila Prabhupada’s room in the Krsna-Balarama temple, another emotional experience. Went to Loi Bazaar. Got clothes and deity plate set…it’s very nice! Will get incense next trip. Had my watch stolen. Jaya Krsna lost his glasses to the monkeys, cost 100 rupees to get them back. I was hit three times but all failed. No one’s laughing at my strap and hat now! Of course pride in this cost me my watch!

We visited a couple temples including Radha Damodara where Srila Prabhupada’s room is. Chanted japa there. Saw Kesi ghat…very sad to see all the pollution in the Jamuna River.

The president of India is coming tomorrow for a new temple opening so lots of cops and the streets will be closed for a while. We will plan our day around them. Till tomorrow my precious ones.

Love and Krsna to you all!    g

 

Bhaktivedanta Hospital Annual Day, January 11, Mumbai
Giriraj Swami

bvhRadhanatha Swami, Bhakti Rasamrita Swami and Giriraj Swami spoke at the hospital.

“Spiritual care became the basis of everything — genuine compassion for the souls of everyone who came. When a doctor has that compassion for a persons soul, without discriminating their external features, then that doctor will be most empowered to heal the body the mind and also — by Krishna’s grace — the soul.”

—Radhanatha Swami

Radhanatha Swami
Bhakti Rasamrita Swami
Giriraj Swami

Gita 02.49 – Take shelter of the intelligence to ultimately take shelter of the source of intelligence
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Holy Name Meditation Podcast:

Download by "right-click and save content"

Harinama and theatrical presentations at Iskcon Kiev, Ukraine…
→ Dandavats.com



Harinama and theatrical presentations at Iskcon Kiev, Ukraine (Album 96 photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Constant chanting of the holy name of the Lord after the ways of the great authorities is the doubtless and fearless way of success for all, including those who are free from all material desires, those who are desirous of all material enjoyment, and also those who are self-satisfied by dint of transcendental knowledge. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 2.1.11)
See them here: http://goo.gl/13vzuV

Why we need philosophers as much as we need police…
→ The Vaishnava Voice

paris

I learned today that France has deployed some 10,000 extra security personnel, both police and army, and that half of that number are for the country’s 700 Jewish schools. I also learned that the police now think that a Jewish school was the real target on the second day of the attacks in Paris, when one gunman shot a policewoman. Extra security may give some slight reassurance to the Jewish population of the country, some 478,000, but many of them are already talking about leaving.

The Jewish community is one of the ‘canaries in the mine’ for religious tolerance. Their ongoing persecution in Europe, notably France, has been increasing steadily over the past three years. When it reached an unprecedented height, with little or no alarm and no extra protection from the authorities despite their repeated appeals, the terrorists struck again.

The loss of 17 lives is tragic, and the manner of their death appalling, but it is entirely in keeping with the way the new breed of Islamists have been acting around the world for some time. The attack on Charlie Hebdo was not directly about attacking the principle of ‘free speech’ or ‘striking a blow at democracy’ but quite simply about attacking the enemies of Islam. The very next target was a Jewish school, and that being frustrated, a Jewish supermarket.

It is the first time that France has experienced atrocities on such a scale, but Islamist terror groups have been slaughtering defenceless people in large numbers, in creatively barbaric ways, for many years. Although they have no hesitancy to kill even Muslims, the main target is always those who stand in the way of Islamic domination.

The situation in Kashmir, India has been one of ongoing and brutal cross-border killings, such that many thousands of people have fled their homes. These regular atrocities go largely unnoticed by the world’s media. On the other side of India, Hindus in Bangladesh are all but disappearing because of years of social ostracising, brutality, and killings. And while we’ve all been watching the events in Paris, another Islamist group, Boko Haram, have slaughtered ‘several hundred’ in Nigeria.

Religion – any religion – can help people become more tolerant, peaceful, generous and forgiving, but when it becomes ‘bad religion’ it can do much damage.

Speaking today at the Vatican, Pope Francis denounced the religious fundamentalism that inspired the Paris massacres and ongoing Middle east conflicts, saying the attackers were enslaved by “deviant forms of religion” that used God as a mere ideological pretext to perpetuate mass killings.

I second his opinion. If Islam is a ‘religion of peace’ and is ultimately about ‘submission’ to the one God who is God of all, then something has become seriously deviated in these latest forms of an old faith. And if ‘deviant religion’ is the problem, the solution is not only more security, but more philosophers. The twisted theological calculations in the heads of which ever preachers are inspiring these young men and women to give up their lives and to take others with them must be dealt with by even stronger argument. The new, deviant form of Islam must be exposed for what it is.

We need to respect all followers of every religion, but we must reserve the right to debate the core beliefs they hold. Some religious beliefs are good, wisely-held, and life-enhancing; some are logically inconsistent, vague and weak; and some are deviant, misleading, and extremely harmful. Where religion has descended into mere totalitarian political ideology – what one writer terms ‘religiofascism’ -then it no longer deserves the full protection and respect accorded to other groups of believers.

 


The following transcriptions have been uploaded.
→ The Spiritual Scientist

What is artistic license and how can it be used in devotional dramas?

How do we reconcile different Puranic versions of the origin of Lord Shiva?

How to choose between doing our worldly repsonsibilities devotionally and doing directly devotional activities?

Why did Yaksha ask so many questions to the Pandavas?

How do we know whether we desire to preach for fame or for pleasing Krishna?

What does vikalpa mean in the mind’s sanklpa-vikalpa?

How do we decide when to forgive and when to fight back?

Is the Gita’s teaching that women are sinful resposible for female infanticide?

 

 

 

 

 

ISKCON Detroit Youth Kirtan at Homeless Shelter (2 min…
→ Dandavats.com



ISKCON Detroit Youth Kirtan at Homeless Shelter (2 min video)
ISKCON Detroit Youth Group led an amazing kirtan for homeless guests as they enjoyed wonderful Sri Sri Radha Kunjabihari prasadam prepared with love by the youth. The kirtan had the guests clapping, bobbing their heads and even some dancing. When they stopped for a break, the guests began pounding on the tables chanting “‘more more more.” It was amazing. Of course the youth were thrilled to oblige and drowned the place in a thunderous kirtan. What a scene. About a 100 dear souls enjoying wonderful prasadam and kirtan by the hard work of the Youth Group and mercy from Srila Prabhupada. Hare Krishna is all attractive!!
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/EkW5oL

Dear Kirtan Londoners, Happy New Year! We hope that 2015 has…
→ Dandavats.com



Dear Kirtan Londoners,
Happy New Year! We hope that 2015 has opened with a hop, skip and a jump for you so far…
Though the days are grey and the nights still long and cold, we are excited to be bringing you more opportunities than ever to come together and sing. This year we start a new ‘residency’ at the Special Yoga Centre in North London. It’s a beautiful space and we will be hosting a kirtan there once a month on a Saturday evening. Light vegetarian treats and wonderful company go without mentioning of course…
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/RkkPpb