I went to a monthly event called Mantra Lounge in Neal’s Yard, Covent Garden. This event usually consists of Kirtan (congregational chanting of sacred mantras), Meditation & a Vegetarian Feast. Last Friday they had Chakrini as special guest, who happens to be my favourite Kirtaneer, and as a bonus they were offering a Vegan Feast (yes, I am a Vegan). To give you an idea about Chakrini, you have to imagine a celestial being having taken birth on this planet to bring joy and enlightment to us lost souls through the most powerful sound vibrations put into melodies for easier digestion Read more ›
1968 December 13 : "Take full advantage of this opportunity and perfect yourself in Krishna Consciousness. This is my request to all of you. Please continue to be very sincere and Krishna will give you all facilities to return to His Spiritual Abode." Prabhupada Letters :: 1968:
The more I think about it, people are ok with old age and death as long as they have their way, that they can be the controllers and the lord of all they survey. The power of control and enjoyment in this world is so intoxicating that one is ready to wager with disease and death.
So today is Gita Jayanti - the day Krishna spoke this epic dialogue with His devotee and friend Arjuna. In the introduction to the Bhagavad Gita, Srila Prabhupada comments that students who question old age, disease and death are the likely candidates to read this sublime discussion. And because most of us are not serious about reading the Bhagavad Gita, we can imply that we are happy controlling and enjoying in this world that we do not care so much about old age, disease and death.
Now, one may argue that I don't read the Gita because I don't believe in reincarnation or that the consciousness is independent of the body etc So if i don't believe in reincarnation then i don't have to worry about old age, disease and death as a problem because it happens only once in this life and i don't have to worry after that. This sort of childishness is a subtle way of saying I like to be in control, and that I am in control and that I want to enjoy. In other words, in order to enjoy and control, we believe what we want to believe versus the truth. But if we are sober, detached from worldly enjoyment, we will realize by mere observation of nature around us that consciousness is separate from the body and that consciousness is bound to be reborn in another body. All it takes is a cool head!
1969 December 13 : "Your decision not to publish this article is correct. What will people in general understand about Radha-Krishna Lila? Understand Krishna first. Read our Bhagavatam. The purports are there." Prabhupada Letters :: 1969
1970 December 13 : "Kali Yuga is the fallen age undoubtedly. Keep yourself brave and fit to face the situation with faith in Krsna and the Spiritual Master. Let us do something tangible." Prabhupada Letters :: 1970
From: Keshav
If everyone loves Krishna in Vrindavan,then does it mean people do not love anyother thing ? Do the parents of Gopas love Krishna or their son ? If it is different then comparision will be made as their can not be two love in absolute world. How can a girl who is married ,love his husband and Krsna in same way when everyone in Goloka Vrindavan is a soul.If she loves both husband and Krsna ,then will it not mean Krsna is not totally attractive ? Also a variety of relationship exists between individual souls and between god and individual soul in spiritual planet.So how come two love thoery exist there? Isn't Love is love , or its real meaning is yet to be discovered?
From: Keshav
Is the love of Soul toward God and love of Soul toward other soul different ?
A Question which Bhagavat Gita does not answers is, It is said that there is a relationship between God and Soul ,
but what is the inter-relationship between two Souls ? When we meet our dear ones after a long time,
we embrace them very tightly;so tighly that we feel if we can pass the ultimate love we have for them,but suddenly we realise that we can not pass that love because we are limited by our body,more embrace can damage our body . If one living entity feels love toward other living entity in such a strong way, then what is their relationship from soul point of view.
1972 December 13 : "We are not after so many centers, but we want to make pure devotees of Krishna, that is all. Better one temple with sufficient strong men than many temples with few strong men." Prabhupada Letters :: 1972
1972 December 13 : "Make big, big propaganda. Attract the public to hear our views and plans. You have got the best brains, now cooperate to place this Krishna Consciousness movement at the front of all others, that is my request." Prabhupada Letters :: 1972
1972 December 13 : "Real acting art is catching the ears. Emphasis should be given to the words of Bhagavat, they are spiritual and will have powerful effect. Now go on with your work and try to do something wonderful." Prabhupada Letters :: 1972
A big silver bus outfitted with bunkbeds and filled with youth will head out to Mexico tomorrow for the 2013 Winter Bus Tour. Two years ago I had the honor of going on the Tour to perform bharatanatyam dance, sing kirtan with Madhava Prabhu, and connect with the amazing people on and off the bus.
In tribute of the Bus Tour, here's a photo essay of some of the pictures I took two years ago.
waiting for prasadam
I often escaped to visit cathedrals
The Gita play
kirtan programs almost every evening
Agua Azul
kirtan with Madhava Prabhu
the ruins of Palenque
panoramic shot of a city wall
Our Bus Tour Gaura Nitai and Haridas Thakur deities. They're the ultimate adventurers.
1972 December 13 : "These things are going on, that I know. So how I can answer your question from here? Of course, my authorities and so-called officers, they sometimes order in such a way that everything becomes topsy-turvy." Prabhupada Letters :: 1972
1973 December 13 : "This sentimental idea of peaceful life in seclusion is not approved by me. It is all concoction. We must stay together and vigorously preach the Krsna Consciousness philosophy to the world. That is the real spirit of Lord Caitanya's Movement." Prabhupada Letters :: 1973
Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world...simply send me an introduction message and I will be happy to make you a member:
The U.S. Army is spending billions of dollars shifting toward solar energy, recycled water and better-insulated tents. The effort isn’t about saving the Earth.
Instead, commanders have found they can save lives through energy conservation. It’s especially true in Afghanistan, where protecting fuel convoys is one of the most dangerous jobs, with one casualty for every 24 missions in some years.
With renewable energy, “there is no supply chain vulnerability, there are no commodity costs and there’s a lower chance of disruption,” Richard Kidd, the deputy assistant secretary of the Army in charge of energy security, said in an interview. “A fuel tanker can be shot at and blown up. The sun’s rays will still be there.”
While President Barack Obama called on the U.S. government to cut greenhouse-gas emissions 28 percent by 2020, the Army is embracing renewables to make the business of war safer for soldiers. In May, it announced plans to spend $7 billion buying electricity generated by solar, wind, geothermal and biomass projects over the next three decades.
The transition is a sales opportunity for companies including Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT), which is installing small-scale power systems at U.S. bases, along with Alta Devices Inc. and Sundial Capital Partners, which make sun-powered systems. The moves threaten U.S. utilities, which stand to lose revenue when the Army shifts to photovoltaic panels from traditional power sources.
Through celibacy, can we get love of God? You can be celibate for a hundred lifetimes, do you think that will give you love of God? No, it is devotional service that will give us love of God!
“I am married to a devotee!” Do you think that will give you love of God? No, you yourself will have to be a devotee as well. You will have to do devotional service. It is not automatic. Even a lion has to go out and chase for breakfast. It’s not that the deer runs into the mouth of the lion… So, we have to do something in devotional service and that is what counts. Ashram issues are not so important, it’s only external. In one or the another, you are going to have to take some tapasya (austerity),
tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam suddhyed yasmad brahma saukhyam tv anantam (SB 5.5.1)
That is life in the material world, no matter what you do, there is tapasya. You decide which tapasya you like better; that’s what it is all about – the tapasya of being married or the tapasya of being alone. You decide as both have tapasya. Material life has that element of tapasya, of some austerity. Inevitably so, no one can avoid it – it is basically the design of the material world therefore Lord Rshabdev pointed this out to his one hundred sons – this human form of life is not meant for sense gratification; it is not going to work. Therefore we shouldn’t be too particular about how we live but some things have to be a little suitable.
Krsna consciousness, bhakti, is not denying us this basic comforts. That is for the impersonalists. For them, everything in this material world is only maya. There is only maya in all directions therefore whatever they use has to be minimized… but we just use it for sustaining our Krsna consciousness, so sleep well – nice and warm and cosy, so that we can do devotional service – there is nothing wrong with that. Therefore we do not have to sleep on the hardest bed that we can find and use only a bed-sheet in the winter, no blanket!
I knew a devotee who never wore a kurta in winter, in Vrindavan. It was very cold and he was only wearing a lungi. You know, he lasted for fifteen years and then he got sick. What is the benefit of these things!? Great austerities – fasting, fasting, fasting… “I fast every ekadasi and dvadasi as well, for the last twenty-four years!”
Fine, you can do it for twenty-four lifetimes more and do you think you will make any more progress towards going back to the spiritual world with all your fasting!? Not really. In the Caitanya Bhagavat, there is the example of Caitanya Mahaprabhu who was having kirtans in the house of Srivas Thakur and the doors were closed, only devotees were allowed inside. The one day, Lord Caitanya couldn’t get into the mood and he felt that there was some intruder in the house. It turned out that Srivas had let in this brahmana who had been living only on milk for one year. Lord Caitanya had the brahmana thrown out, “Do you think that just by drinking milk for a year, you can attain me!” But later that brahmana was so excited that he had seen Caitanya Mahaprabhu and he was just praying to get a chance again, then Lord Caitanya let him back in.
So, it is not by austerity that we will attain Krsna! Although, austerity is highlighted by Lord Rshabdev in the fifth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, austerity in itself is not one of the limbs of bhakti. Renunciation and austerity are not limbs of bhakti. They don’t give you devotional service.
After much soul searching I’ve decided to resign indisputably from ISKCON and all of it’s affiliated segment’s.
It’s word’s I’ve sadly heard once to often, the reasons are always complex, the reasons always thought out and rationalised; indeed their has been times I have also thought of leaving and too have figured out that my logic is sound and my reasoning perfect in every way.
So why have I not left?
It’s an interesting question, given that their has been many reason’s to leave including broken promises, threats, and inter-personality difficulties.
Consider though this, how much do we actually love Srila Prabhupada?
Srila Prabhupada showed the greatest compassion and also tolerated so much including ridicule but was determined to do one thing, fulfil his spiritual master’s wishes to spread Krishna Consciousness to the whole world.
How much have we become attached to Srila Prabhupada’s mission?
How attached have we become to our Guru Maharajah’s request for us to serve?
Indeed how attached are we to the temple/preaching centre’s deities?
And finally how much effort have we put in to our personal relationships with devotees, no matter how difficult that may be?
Emotion’s are a hard thing to deal with, especially if we feel we have been wronged, the hurt goes beep, much deeper than some may feel able to admit. And in this age of quarrel and being under the influence of material nature, even in any spiritual movement we are going to find quarrel; despite our belief that were in a utopia.
Even if we leave, resign, turn our back’s on ISKCON one thing remains true, Srila Prabhupada’s word’s will in one way or another pierce even the frostiest of heart’s; it will remain their festering.
For some it will be the festering of hatred, not a good thing but sadly pride causes this. Or festering of the desire to fulfil Srila Prabhupada’s mission or refer to Srila Prabhupada’s works in a positive manor.
How much do we love, I mean really love Srila Prabhupada?
For if we say we love him, no matter what the difficulty we would never desire or want to leave what he set up; even if that means we continue following from a distance. Our meditation being that one day the way will open up for us to become an integral part of the movement, Srila Prabhupada nurtured and set up for everyone.
Yes Everyone even complete numptys like me.
So Please Please Don’t leave
Hare Krishna
Today marks the celebration of the day the Bhagavad-gita was spoken. It's a day when lovers of the Gita will sing its 700+ verses, reflect on the impact this great bhakti text has had on their lives and even give it as a gift to those who may not have a copy.
On a personal note, this day marks a year since I started this blog. :) I'll be honest - when I first began, I was writing primarily for myself. It was a therapeutic medium by which I could chronicle my thoughts and feelings and view it through the lens of the Gita. Never did I expect that this blog would create opportunities to meet people and develop friendships with individuals from all over the world whose curiosity, comments and encouragement have inspired me so much. To all those who have followed the journey so far (and will hopefully continue to do so!) - you have my deepest gratitude.
Writing on the Gita has brought it to life for me. It's taught that me that it's not just enough to read it as an observer but to experience it. And know what? It's amazing how easy it is to do so. After all, haven't we all felt some degree of despair and hopelessness, what to speak of struggled with discriminating between right and wrong, at some point in our lives? That's exactly what Arjuna goes through at the beginning of the Gita.
Arjuna's internal crisis reveals to us to that happiness and peace of mind is not attained through the externals. It can only be attained when we actually realize that we are spiritual beings having a material experience. Knowledge is not enough, as Arjuna finds out. To theoretically accept "I am the soul" is one thing, but to live our lives in that space is very different.
That is where the practicality of the Gita's guidance becomes strikingly apparent. It not only provides insightful knowledge but explains how to live our lives as spiritual beings at every moment.
On this special anniversary, I'd like to close by leaving you with one of my favorite verses of the Gita which serves to always put things in perspective for me and would like to invite you to leave yours in the comments below!
"O son of Kuntī, the non-permanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed."Bhagavad-gita 2.14
Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 18.34.
“Govardhana Hill is Krishna, but He is in the mood of a devotee. In that respect he is like Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is also Krishna in the mood of a devotee. In the mood of a devotee He is more magnanimous than in His original mood. The same applies to Govardhana Hill. That original idea of the gopis which they heard from Gargi—that one’s desires can only be fulfilled by great souls—that theme has been taken up by so many of our acharyas in their prayers to Govardhana Hill. In fact, Govardhana Hill is known to fulfill all desires. So whatever desires we have can be fulfilled by the grace of Govardhana Hill.” ———————————————————————- —————————————————————– Learning from Govardhana Hill
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS Founder-Ācārya: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami : oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya SB 1.3.40 This chapter is entitled as Kṛṣṇa Is the Source of All Incarnations idaṁ bhāgavataṁ nāma purāṇaṁ brahma-sammitam uttama-śloka-caritaṁ cakāra bhagavānṛṣiḥ niḥśreyasāyalokasya dhanyaṁ svasty-ayanaṁmahat […]
ISKCON’s Food For Life continues to feed victims of Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the Philippines on November 7th with winds of 195 mph.
One of the strongest tropical cyclones in recorded history, Haiyan has claimed nearly 6,000 lives in the Philippines, and thousands more are missing. Around 4 million have been displaced from their homes.
ISKCON’s Food For Life is one of the many aid organizations doing what it can to help in the wake of the disaster.
Between November 15th and 20th, the Nagar Sankirtan Party from Manila, headed by Balarama Das distributed 8,200 plates of hot sanctified vegetarian food in barangays or villages in Tacloban, the capital of Leyte Province. Read more ›
Manu and I got into a more than warm discussion. We were sitting in the corner of the senior’s dining room with our dear spiritual sister, Padyavali, when an intense conversation ensued.
Playfully, I charged Manu with being an ox, a mule, I even said ‘ass’ as in donkey. Why such colourful names? Well, I found him to be stubborn. I was encouraging him to take up an administrative role as a council member of our sizeable community in Vancouver. He has lots of qualifications, but he refuses to submit. In the heat of our discussion, Padyavali, who sat in a wheelchair and is suffering from a number of aging challenges, extended her arm interrupting our dialogue. We stopped talking. She protested our talk, saying, “This conversation doesn’t involve me, you’re ignoring me.” She had a dead serious look on her face.
I then protested her protesting, “My dear Padyavali, this conversation involves our community, which is very close to your heart, and since you are part and parcel of this community, you are definitely involved.
At this, she broke out in her first smile of the day. I reminded her that being a Newfie with Irish blood, she should be liking our spicy session, “You used to like these things, you are a fighter.” Her smile broadened. I was happy for her because her gloominess broke. She’s struggling and can’t remember things too well. I reminded her that she was married in ’63 and on the day after John F. Kennedy’s assassination. She can’t remember that she told me that once, nor can she remember that date of matrimony. So, at least she got a bit excited in a good way.
I felt that my pastoral duty was done for today. Being a monk within a community, it obliges you towards such responsibilities. I hope that Manu didn’t get too offended with the style of pressure that I put on him. He’s a good guy with a big heart and regularly pays a visit to our friend, Padyavali, who has given many years of service as a spunky nun. If Manu didn’t drive me to this senior’s home for the visit, it would take me 2 hours of walking, which I don’t mind, of course. Sometimes you have to take a spin in a car for a visit and then value the few moments with the driver who affectionately, I say, is still an ox.
Kuala Lumpur - ISKCON Malaysia celebrated the 1Malaysia Deepavali Damodara festival at Panggung Anniversary, Lake Gardens, Kuala Lumpur on 26th Oct 2013.
This auspicious event which celebrates Lord Krishna’s pastimes in His childhood form was launched by the guest of honour the Right Honorable Deputy Minister of Federal Territories YB Senator Datuk Dr. J. Loga Bala Mohan (HG Loka Bandhu Gauranga Prabhu).
The stage was beautifully decorated and transformed into the likes of a palace courtyard in Vrndavan. The colorful yet subdued lights, customized backdrops and opulent dais added much glamour, beauty and ambience to the whole event.
The event consisted of the launch, cultural programs, Bhagavad Gita books distribution to school children and mass offering of ghee lamps by all devotees and guests. Around 1,000 people took part in the event.
The cultural skit performed by Krishna children, painstakingly trained by SJMKL’s Gokul Garden teachers depicted the childhood mischiefs of Lord Krishna. The children did justice to their training and performed with great enthusiasm and childish aplomb. The arrival of devotees dressed as Lord Rama, Sita Devi, Laksmana, Hanuman and palace officials as part of the entourage was a fitting finale of the cultural program. The Patabishegam (coronation of Lord Rama) that was staged on the main dais was as beautifully enacted as it was symbolic … the return of Lord Rama to the throne of Ayodhya on Amavasya (on a moonless Deepavali night) that coincides with the symbolic lighting of the ghee lamps to welcome Their Lordships to the palace after 14 years of exile in the forest. A unique feature of the evening was the serving of prasadam to guests at the very places that they were all seated in the amphitheater. The idea was novel and very effective as it kept guests at their seats all evening. It provided for the guests to enjoy the program uninterrupted and to fully absorb the story lines as they were played out and enjoy the live music that was performed. The special guest of honour, Dato Geethanjali G, the President of Malaysian Association of Women Empowerment and Malaysian Association of Indian Film and Entertainment Industry, Actress and Social Activist, gave a donation of RM 10,000.
Jeannie (now named Vegan Indira) came home Saturday (December 7, 2013). She was living at a dairy and she could no longer produce enough milk for her owner to make a profit and therefore keep her. She was headed for slaughter when Judy, who works at the dairy, asked us to take her. Now she will never be sold for meat! Read more ›
The accusation of sexual abuse leveled against Tarun Tejpal, former Tehelka editor, highlights the dangerous riot of sexual energy in today’s culture. Irrespective of the truth of the allegation, the undeniable tragic truth is that sexual abuse, even if under-reported, is widespread in our society. But as long as such abuses happen in remote villages, mainstream India tends to ascribe it to the backwardness of those people.
However, as happened in the Nirbhaya gangrape case, when sexual abuse happens in the heart of mainstream society, in a bus on the streets of the national capital, and to someone who is very much a part of the forward-looking society – a medical student returning after watching a movie, that makes India sit up in alarm and take notice, in fact, march up in anger and demand action. The Nirbhaya case provoked national outrage and rightly so.
But how does one respond to an accusation wherein not only is the victim a member of mainstream society but the victimizer is a popular leader of that same society, a person widely considered by contemporary standards a shining success story?
One response is typical of the paparazzi: flesh out every juicy tidbit, aggravate the pitch of the scandal and exploit reader interest to make a merry business. Due to such sensationlization, the author of The Alchemy of Desire finds himself at the receiving end of a reverse alchemy. The person who had been treated like a golden boy, admired for uncovering sleaze among the high and the mighty, is now reviled as the alleged sleaze on him is reported extensively in the media. It’s possible that due to a few moments of lethal weakness during an elevator ride, the person who was declared one of the 50 most powerful Indians in 2009 may well have to endure a lifetime of disgrace. No doubt, justice must be done and whatever wrong has been done must be penalized. But the frenzied demand for the head of one hero-devolved-to-villain with the sensationalist media acting as plaintiff, judge and jury isn’t going to uncover the truth even in this case, leave alone resolve the bigger issues raised by the case.
More serious media pieces have addressed the issue of the sexual pressure that women face in the workplace and the inadequacy of the present safeguards. This is certainly an important issue with implications much bigger than the specific scandal.
Addressing such grave issues requires us to probe deeper. The problem stems from the sexually volatile atmosphere that pervades today’s culture. Consequently, unfettered sexual energy can go on a riot at slight provocation, wherein temptation seduces people into imagining perversity to be an opportunity. The usage ‘sexual energy on the riot’ may seem unusual, but it conveys in current idiom what is happening inside the minds of people today. A riot essentially involves a dangerous force going on a destructive rampage. When the sex drive impels people into deleterious deeds, those instances comprise sexual energy on the riot. The Bhagavad-gita (03.36-37) cautions that sexual energy can act as a deadly enemy, impelling one to grievous misdeeds, and in the process devouring one’s spirituality, morality and integrity.
A History of Depravity
Unmanaged sexual energy has always been a threat to humanity throughout the ages. Many wars have had at their root unmanaged sexual energy in political leaders, often in the form of a depraved craze to conquer the opposite sex or the deprived rage at failure in such a conquest. The lives of rulers like Cleopatra contained festering sexual problems that contributed to the violent conflicts characterizing their lives. Even in post-monarchic times, several prominent democratic leaders have been guilty of sexual misdemeanor with the whole nation having to bear the consequences. The trial of Bill Clinton for sexual malpractice cost the American taxpayer 50 million dollars.
The riot of sexual energy has not spared the religious establishment either. During the centuries before the European Renaissance, several popes led debauched lives, even fathering many illegitimate children. Railing against such travesties by those professing to be monks, Protestantism reacted by rejecting monkhood itself. Martin Luther, an erstwhile monk, married a nun and penned a scathing diatribe against monkhood.
Sadly however, marriage alone hasn’t been enough to check the onslaught of sexual energy. Several famous Christian evangelists such as Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart who preached passionately for marital fidelity were caught having extra-marital affairs.
Worse still, the Catholic Church has been rocked by child abuse charges – all the more so because of its attempts to cover up, and delay or deny justice. In India too, several spiritual teachers have been guilty of sexual misconduct. Regrettably, ISKCON too has seen some of its leaders falling from the expected standards of sexual morality.
The point is that everyone, secular or religious, is at threat due to the rampage of sexual energy. The Bhagavad-gita goes to the heart of the matter when it issues a call (18.66) to go beyond ritual religiosity to substantial spirituality. Such serious spirituality centers on training to harness sexual energy. As long as sexual energy remains un-integrated, it can impel anyone to grievous misdeeds.
Puppets of sexual energy
Vedic wisdom is candid in acknowledging the power of sexual energy. The Vedic literatures depict even powerful gods and renounced sages falling prey to the libido. For example, Indra’s extra-marital dallying with a sage’s wife earned him a curse that covered his body with his unmentionables – only after desperate begging for forgiveness was the covering converted into eyes, thereby getting him the name sahasra-aksha (the hundred-eyed one). Or Saubhari Muni, impelled by desire, went from monkhood to polygamy, going to the extent of marrying fifty princesses
Such stories would have been gorged down by today’s scandal-hunting paparazzi. In sobering contrast, the Vedic literatures don’t dwell on the lurid details. Instead, they focus on the fearsome power of misdirected sexual energy that can fell the high and mighty. And more importantly they describe how the power of spiritual devotion can combat and conquer this degrading energy. Thus, the Srimad Bhagavatam describes in its ninth canto how Saubhari Muni over time returned to his spiritual senses, and by tapping spiritual power reinstated himself in a position of integrity and respectability.
Of course, not everyone wants to be reformed – a sad truth that the Vedic literatures acknowledge. In addition to describing how even the virtuous can fall, those literature also depict villainous characters habitually given to vice. Ravana, for example, abducted Sita, and Dushasana dishonored Draupadi. And the Vedic literatures explain in detail how in those times the virtuous leaders like Rama or the Pandavas took great pains to punish such incorrigible criminals, even to the point of capital punishment where warranted.
Yet even while describing the depravities of such villainous characters, Vedic wisdom doesn’t miss the bigger picture. It reminds us that these people are dancing as if puppets under the control of a larger power – unregulated sexual energy. Therefore, Vedic wisdom focuses on delineating purificatory methods of yoga that check the destructive flow of sexual energy and redirect it along more constructive channels.
This purification centers on living in harmony with our complete being. In our original pure state we are spiritual beings, while our present existence is two-dimensional: spiritual and material. Sexual energy, when imbalanced, causes people to obsess compulsively on just one dimension – the material, wherein fantasies of sexual gratification, consensual and forcible, are played and replayed in an endless auto-mode. This compulsive obsession with the material tends to give one a distorted view of others as merely bodies who exist only for one’s own gratification at one’s own whim.
Violation of rights
“When a woman says no, she means no,” reads one protest slogan, exhorting men to recognize the physical autonomy of women – no one should touch a woman’s body without her consent. Undisciplined sexual energy incites people to violate that right, sometimes discreetly, sometimes brazenly. But that energy also goads us all to violate another right – our right to our own souls. When sexual energy overruns our consciousness, it deprives us of our spiritual awareness and thereby strips us of our right to the devotional happiness that is a part of our nature.
We have an eternal loving relationship with the all-attractive Supreme Being known by various names in various traditions and as Krishna in the Vedic tradition. In our pure state, the spiritual energy that flows in this divine relationship surcharges our heart with the ecstasy of love – the supreme happiness. When we forget our relationship with Krishna and seek pleasure in matter, that spiritual energy becomes misdirected as sexual energy. The Vedic texts offer a systematic program of bhakti-yoga for harnessing sexual energy and reverting it to its sublime spiritual state.
This bhakti program centers on purifying our consciousness so that we can through our inner meditation connect ourselves, along with the things we do, with our source – Krishna. Illustrating this, the Bhagavad-gita (07.11) asserts that sex life harmonious with the principles of religion is a manifestation of the divine. Sex can thus offer us the sublime pleasure of becoming co-creators with God and assist him in bringing beautiful new life into the world.
However, unidimensional obsession with the material divorces sex from its divine aspect, thereby removing the control valves on the surge of sexual energy. Imbalanced sexual energy threatens not only our spiritual recovery but also our material well-being, as we discussed earlier.
While this threat has always been present, today’s culture has aggravated it and made it dominant. Hardly ever before in world history has there been such a pervasive sexualization of the entire culture. Today, vested commercial interests have made sex their central tool for capturing people’s minds. With magazines and movies and websites depicting tons of sexually provocative material, with ads featuring sexual double-entendres, with the ubiquity of sexually suggestive or explicit images, our culture has veritably issued a standing invitation to sexual energy to go on riot.
By no means is the riot metaphor meant to absolve the guilty of responsibility. We are all accountable for our individual actions and whoever does wrong must be punished. But a sustainable social corrective requires much more than that – just as when riots occur, restoration of law requires both punishing the individual wrongdoers and calming the volatile social atmosphere that facilitated the riot. The fact is that in today’s sexually surcharged atmosphere everyone is vulnerable – everyone is a potential victim, even those who later transmogrify into victimizers.
Certainly women who are the prime targets of sexual abuse deserve special protection. We need stronger laws, sharper vigilance and stricter enforcement. But along with those things we also need to collectively combat the onslaught of sexual energy by devising appropriate socio-cultural strategies that help restore a balance between the material and the spiritual.
Individual Initiative
Today’s liberals like to bash India’s traditional culture as sexually prohibitive, but it was in many ways pre-emptive – pre-emptive in recognizing the danger of unrestrained sexual energy and equipping people to keep that power at bay. As the French philosopher Auguste Comte “To control the sexual impulse efficiently has always been and ever will be regarded as the highest test of human wisdom.”
Today, as the culture is already surcharged with sexual tension, the time for pre-emptive measures is long past. But thankfully the time for redemptive measures isn’t.
Adopting redemptive measures doesn’t mean that we turn back the clock; rather, it means that we turn on the compass. We all have within us an inner compass that can not only show us the right way but also empower us to move forward on that way. Being parts of God, as the Gita (15.07) indicates, we are all godly. We are at our core pure, beyond the reach of the strongest of evil passions.
Once we get caught in their clutches, as we are presently, we can’t break free on our own. But we aren’t alone; Krishna is with us, always. We have an intrinsic loving connection with the omnipotent Supreme Being who out of his love for us grants us access to his omnipotence. We can tap that power by reviving our dormant love for Krishna.
As Krishna is the loving parent of all living beings, love for him helps us develop a loving connection with everyone. This sublime connection redefines our relationships with others – we no longer need to see them as bodies meant for our sensual gratification. It becomes easier to see them as persons in their own right, as precious parts of God. With this holistic vision as the foundation for our relationships, our interactions can symbiotically help in accelerating our spiritual evolution.
Each one of us has the power to become an agent of positive change. We can re-spiritualize our own consciousness and thereby contribute towards the balancing of the broader culture. If we choose to take up the challenge of re-spiritualization, Vedic wisdom stands ready to empower us. It can provide us time-honored insights and techniques: philosophical insights that help us perceive the spiritual underlying the material, and devotional yogic techniques of meditation that help us relish the spiritual. The more we learn to delight in higher inner happiness, the more we gain the strength to curb the riot of sexual energy, and channelize it for individual and social well-being.
The courts will in due course of time give the verdict in the Tejpal case. But we don’t have to wait till then to do our part in constructively harnessing sexual energy. And even if we wait, that verdict won’t make much lasting difference unless we take individual initiative. The verdict that will make the ultimate difference rests with each one of us: will we continue to be puppets of sexual energy or will we rise to the challenge of becoming its masters?
Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 9, No. 22 By Krishna-kripa das (November 2013, part two)
New York City, Florida (Sent from Jacksonville, Florida, on December 11, 2013)
Where I Went and What I Did
The second half of November, I continued chanting on harinama six hours a day at Union Square in New York City with Rama Raya Prabhu’s party, and living in Radha Govinda Mandir in Brooklyn, cutting vegetables for their lunch program and Sunday feast. On Saturday, November 23, I gave the lecture at 26 2ndAvenue. Then on November 25, I flew to Tampa, where I chanted with my friend Nama Kirtan Prabhu for three hours at the University of South Florida, on my way back to Gainesville and Alachua for the Festival of the Holy Name, their twenty-four hour kirtana at the end of November. Before that festival we had Thanksgiving dinners in Gainesville and Alachua, with a few words of thanks, evening kirtanas leading up to the festival. We also chanted at the Farmers Market in Gainesville before the festival and at the football stadium during the festival.
On my last day in New York City, I attended lectures by Radhanath Swami in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and I share my notes on these. I also have notes from Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s journal. I have notes from the classes of and a seminar on the editing of Srila Prabhupada’s books by Dravida Prabhu, with comments by senior devotees. Also I share notes on lectures by other Alachua County devotees and some interesting insights from some senior citizens from Tampa.
Itinerary
December 12 - Jacksonville, Florida
December 13–23 - New York City
December 24–25 - Albany, New York, area
December 26–January 5 - New York City
January 6 - Tampa
January 7–9 - Gainesville, Florida
January 10–12 - Houston
January 13–February 7 - Gainesville, Florida
February 8–11 - Tallahassee
February 12–13 - Jacksonville, Florida
February 14–February 19 - Gainesville, Florida
February 20 - Orlando and Philadelphia
February 21–24 - Dublin, Ireland
February 25 - Mumbai
February 26 - on an Indian train
February 27–April 14 - Mayapur
April 16 - Mumbai
April 17 - Dublin, Ireland
April 27 - Kings Day, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Union Square Harinamas
One day we had to change our venue because of the Union Square Christmas Market.
Some Afro American youths enjoyed dancing with us.
A girl on a skateboard played the shakers.
A young lady changed her yoga class so she could stay and chant with us.
An older lady closed her eyes, meditating on the the spiritual sound.
On Saturday at Washington Square Park one young lady sitting on a nearby bench listened for some time, and then purchased a book. Then she sat down with the kirtana party.
She had a book in one hand and a cigarette in the other, and when I offered her the shakers, she put down the cigarette on the walkway and it burned out, as she played the shakers along with the kirtana.
The last day I was on harinama in Union Square we chanted in the subway station as it was very cold. Many uncommon things happened. One young man sat in front of us with the biggest microphone I have ever seen.
It looked to be about a foot long (30 cm) and four inches wide (10 cm).
He did a radio show and wanted to record some of the music in the subway stations, and we were the first group he recorded.
One guy who had never come by before, really liked the sound of the chanting and sat down with us. He started moving with the music and meditating on the sound, and ended up staying over an hour and was chanting Hare Krishna at the end.
Another guy sat down and played the saxophone with us for over an hour. Then Tarun Prabhu came by, playing his trumpet.
Then another saxophone player came by, who danced as he played. Thus for part of the time we had two saxophones and a trumpet playing with us.
At one point we engaged a family of four children in playing the shakers.
Some of them played with great delight.
Ultimately they joyfully danced in a circle with Braja-raja Prabhu.
About 10 meters (30 feet) from the party an old man was waving a conductor’s baton, as if directing our music. He continued do that at least half an hour.
Chanting at the University of South Florida
I flew to the cheapest city within 2 hours of Gainesville, namely Tampa, and my friend Nama Kirtan Prabhu met me at the airport, and we chanted for three hours at University of South Florida.
USF was great. Uma Devi Dasi faciliated us by bring us a harmonium, some blankets to sit on and some prasadam.
Hearing us chant Hare Krishna, a couple guys in their 60s came by. Valentine had seen Prabhupada on Second Avenue in New York City. Bobby remembered a conversation with a Hare Krishna in New York City who was so committed to search for the ultimate truth and who spoke such in heartfelt way that really drew you into the conversation that he never forgot it. They gave donations three times and each took a book. Bobby came by again and gave me a set of rosary beads. Several interested students took invitations to our USF programs, and Keren, a regular attendee at our USF programs, chanted with us! I am looking forward to chanting at USF after my next flight from New York City after the winter break!
Chanting at the Gainesville Farmers Market
We had just a few devotees chanting when we started singing at the Gainesville Farmers Market. I gave one of the guys who hangs out there a tambourine to play when he came close to watch. He played it briefly, and wandered off with it in his hand. I was carefully watching him to retrieve the tambourine before the man disappeared, but our lead singer was worried and got up in the middle of the kirtana to walk over and ask the guy to give it back. The guy became a little violent, and our singer resumed his duty, and I continued to watch the man, wondering how I was going to get the tambourine back from him. After twenty minutes, two policeman came up to the guy and asked him to return the tambourine, and he tossed it on our blanket, and the policemen continued talking with him. As the policemen passed by on their way out, I thanked them, and they replied suitably. We had not called the police, but someone was watching out for us. Krishna for sure was watching, and perhaps some friends we did not know we had. Later, our fortune improved.
A person sat with us and played the tambourine.
Then another came bringing two djembes and playing one.
Then someone played the other djembe.
It was inspiring to see people spontaneously join the kirtana. The chanting of the name ofKrishna is all-attractive like Krishna, and everyone is meant to take part.
Thanksgiving Appreciations from Some Krishna House Devotees
Kalakantha Prabhu:
Srila Prabhupada started his movement without the help of others, just his faith in Krishna and His holy name, and he gave us that and a lot, lot more.
Alex:
When we go on field trips, we immediate notice that absence of any one of us because we are such a close family.
Govinda:
You are a great family for me. I felt like I was at home. My brother stayed here two years ago and said Krishna House stole his heart, and for me the same is true. Kalakantha Prabhu, even though you are the boss, you are very humble and a great example to follow.
Karen:
Thank you, Krishna, for allowing me to be here.
You are so fortunate in Alachua in America to have all these nice temples and devotees. Take advantage of it. In my country of Colombia, we have few. It was great serving Krishna Lunch.
Prateek:
Thanks to Srila Prabhupada. Thanks to Kalakantha for carrying on what he gave. I see being at Krishna House is like a being in a airplane going 500 miles per hour. You just have to sit in the plane, and you go that fast. You cannot go like that chanting on your own.
It feels more like a family than my own family. I was amazed to find such a spiritual situation in America. I learned a lot from each and every one of you.
Comment by Kalakantha Prabhu: Prateek is so enthusiastic, he is the first student at Krishna House to make his professor Krishna consciousness.
Caitanya Dasi:
When I came Krishna House, Kalakantha Prabhu was reading Krishnabook as the devotees ate popcorn, and afterward he talked to me and asked where I was from. In 2000 when I was here practically no one came to the morning program. All the development you see here is due to one person, Kalakantha Prabhu. I was doubtful about staying when Hanan invited us to be part of Krishna House. I was in my gypsy mode, but my husband said if we travel we will distribute prasadam and talk to people about Krishna, and you can do that all right here, and so we stayed.
Reflections on the Festival of the Holy Name (Alachua Hare Krishna Temple’s Twenty-four-Hour Kirtana)
Agnideva Prabhu:
We chanted on the boardwalk in Laguna Beach for hours.
Badahari Prabhu was traded because we need sankirtana devotees. When I found Balahari Prabhu could play the harmonium, I told Ramesvara Maharaja I made him Vice President, so he could not return him to New York.
The police would always harass us and take our instruments. Once at the end of the arati we were chanting, and they took our instruments. We continued singing the Nrsimha prayers beating on the floor instead of the drum and chanting in unison, and that really agitated them. They picked up me and another devotee and handcuffed us and took us to the police station. I told Ramesvara Maharaja, and he decided we would get the best lawyer, Barry Fisher, to deal with it. He decided to sue the City of Laguna Beach for 33 million dollars. It made the newspaper headlines. The lawyer for the City realized they did not have a case and decided to settle out of court. I decided not to take their money, because then they would be really angry, and I wanted to continue preaching in Laguna Beach. Barry Fisher got them to pay for his costs as our lawyer. The police were respectful after that, guarding the procession in our temple opening ceremony. There was a huge kirtana party with five hundred devotees, coming from Los Angeles and San Diego, walking down both sides of Coast Highway. You could not even hear the traffic.
Badahari das Prabhu:
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura had 72-hour nama yajnas [congregational chanting sessions of the holy name] to create harmony in the matha [temple].
,
Dhruva Maharaja:
During that last kirtana I remembered that verse by Rupa Goswami, “I do not know how much nectar the two syllables ‘Krish-na’ have produced . . . ” It is amazing how much nectar there is in this simple practice.
Let us bless all the organizers for organizing this wonderful festival.
Indrayani dd:
Thank you for singing so sweetly and giving us the holy name. The scriptures say there is no difference between Krishna and His holy name. Last night I felt like I experienced that. I envision Krishna as the protector of Vrindavana by His lifting Govardhana Hill, and think He is always ready to protect us if we just chant His holy name just as the residents of Vrindavana did.
I’m so thankful to Srila Prabhupada for all he has given us.
Jessica, friend of Krishna Kishore, who came to the Alachua Festival of the Holy Name for the first time:
I have seen Vish [Visvambhar Steth] and Kish [Krishna Kishore] at many kirtana events all over America, but nothing has compared to this event in Alachua, and I think that must be because of all you people here. Thank you so much.
Gaura Shakti Prabhu (a festival organizer):
Your smiling faces give us the motivation to do it year after year.
Krishna-kripa das:
I was inspired to see the number of people attending because it demonstrated to me that they have great faith in the holy name.
I saw many smiling faces and joyful dancers.
Once Amala Kirtan and Amala Harinama Prabhus led together.
Dhirodatta Prabhu, the sound man, even strummed his guitar.
Gaura-Nitai enjoyed the sacrifice,
done as service to Srila Prabhupada,
with Aindra Prabhu present in the form of his picture.
On the second day, Lord Jagannatha, Lord Baladeva, and Lady Subhadra appeared, as if attracted by the devotees’ chanting.
The evening kirtanas with Madhava Prabhu leading up to the festival were wonderful as usual. Having Agnideva and Badahari Das Prabhus there was also very wonderful.
Lalita, who was in Laksmimoni dd’s ashram just after I moved to Alachua in 1994, led some lively Hare Krishna tunes, and many friends were there to support her. It made me feel old to consider how many years have gone by and how many changes have taken place since then!
I was happy to see the people who came with Adi Karta Prabhu from Kentucky were really appreciating it. Several devotees I knew from New York City came for the festival. I was sad that Niranjana Swami could not make it and that Mitra Dasa Prabhu did not have a singing slot despite his devotion and his talent. Except for lunch on the first day, when they ran out of prasadam, the prasadam program was great. I liked the festival so much I was eager to give a donation toward it (and get a couple cupcakes too). I look forward to attending next year, God willing. May all who organized it get the full blessings of Lord Caitanya and all His devotees!
Chanting at the Gators-Seminoles Game
I have gone to many harinamas at the football stadium in Gainesville but not one attended by over forty devotees! I recall thirty-six once on Radhastami but not more than forty.
Fortunately the game was played in Gainesville so we did not have to miss five hours of the Festival of the Holy Name driving to Tallahassee and back. As usual, many fans danced with us, even though they were not as drunk as usual as it was a noon game.
I was amazed that a large number of enthusiastic Indian devotees visiting for the Festival of the Holy Name took time out to chant at the football stadium and many were interested in distributing devotional literature.
To see the pictures I took but did not include in this blog, click on the link below:
You will find the unused pictures after the used ones.
Insights
Radhanath Swami:
By reconnecting with Krishna, we also reconnect with all other living beings.
When asked how one could see Krishna everywhere? Srila Prabhupada responded in this way, “When you see my eyeglasses, what do you think?”
The devotee replied, “I think that these Srila Prabhupada’s eyeglasses.”
Then Prabhupada inquired, “And how do you feel when you see my glasses?”
The devotee said, “I feel affection for you.”
Srila Prabhupada explained that everything the pure devotee sees reminds him of Krishna, and he feels affection for Krishna.
To see everything connected with Krishna is natural.
In bhakti the goal and means of approaching the goal are the same.
The power of bhakti is that whatever we desire, we ultimately attain perfection.
When we associate with the all-attractive, we become attracted.
When we associate with the supreme pure, we become purified.
The thief listened to the Bhagavatam class with great attention because he had the desire to rob Krishna. Because of his intense desire, he was able to see Krishna. Krishna was not afraid of the thief, but he was afraid of what His mother would say if he returned home without His jewels. As he conversed with Krishna, he became purified and lost his desire to take Krishna’s jewels, and became a great devotee of Krishna.
Bhakti-yogais about reconnecting with the all pure, and purification naturally takes place.
One man in Jagannatha Puri was always chanting with such relish, because the name of Krishna is not different from Krishna Himself. He did not want to chant while evacuating, but his tongue automatically chanted, and he tried to restrain it by holding his tongue. A five-year-old child named Gopal watching this told the man that there were not hard and fast rules for chanting. Lord Caitanya, seeing this, marveled at the faith of the child in the holy name. The child jumped on Lord Caitanya’s lap, Lord Caitanya cried with tears of love for Gopal, and Gopal cried with tears of love for the Lord. Lord Caitanya said to child, “Because of your faith in the holy name, from now on you will be Gopal Guru,” and he grew up to be a great spiritual teacher in the line.
Sangameans we associate with others to come together and focus on Krishna.
Service to Krishna is more fulfilling than liberation.
“akamah sarva-kamo va moksha-kama udara-dhih tivrena bhakti-yogena yajeta purusham param—A person who has broader intelligence, whether he be full of all material desire, without any material desire, or desiring liberation, must by all means worship the supreme whole, the Personality of Godhead.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.10)This verse gives the greatest hope to the hopeless.
When Srila Prabhupada arrived in New York City, he had the conviction, “The power of bhakti will purify anyone and everyone.”
It is said that the elephants after their bath come out of the water, and spray themselves with dirt. I was curious to see that, so I would watch the elephants bathe and sure enough they would spray themselves with dirt. The males would always do it, and the females would not always do it. And sometimes the males would spray the females with dirt.
Q (by Laksmi Nrsimha Prabhu): Could you define perfection? Sometimes we have difficulty understanding how it is possible to do anything perfectly.
A: Perfection is prema, pure love for Krishna. Our natural capacity is to love Krishna and have compassion for all beings. Perfection is the awakening of that love. Pure love must be unmotivated and uninterrupted in order to completely satisfy the self. If we are enthusiastic and never lose sight of the goal, we can transcend all obstacles. Sat-sanga, association of saintly persons,is important to keep us focused. By association with persons who are satisfied with pure service, we become free from false motives like liberation.
Khatvanga Maharaja attained liberation in a moment by completely surrendering to Krishna. That possibility is open for all of us. But for most of us, it is a gradual process of redefining our priorities.
We must be enthusiastic and patient. If we are just patient we will get nowhere, and if we are just enthusiastic, we will be discouraged if we do not attain immediate success.
If it takes five or ten lifetimes, considering the greatness of the goal, that is nothing.
When our bad habits come back, when can take it as an opportunity to show our sincerity.
One Indian man said his mother always told him no matter how successful you are, only your spiritual values go with you. In the white sheet that covers the body at the crematorium, there are no pockets.
One Indian doctor failed his final exam after eighteen years of schooling. I encouraged him to study and take the test again. He did, but failed again. I encouraged him to study harder, and take it again. He ended up failing four times, and I told him to take shelter of Panca-tattva, Lord Caitanya, who appeared in five features, and he passed, and he is successful in his career and he is liked by all. Do not stop trying.
Challenging situations convince us of the need to seek the shelter of Krishna. Krishna put Arjuna in a difficult situation, and he sought wisdom and shelter in Krishna and was successful. Krishna arranged that situation just to teach us.
If we blame others, even if we are right, we lose the opportunity for spiritual progress.
When Krishna is personally present, He reciprocates so quickly, as in the washerman example. The washerman performed thousands of lifetimes of worship to have the benediction of seeing the Lord, but because of the bad association of Kamsa, he had no desire to serve Krishna.
In the old days, timingilafish could eat whales like you eat blueberries.
Serving the lotus feet of the Lord means serving without selfish motives.
One gardener who made garlands for his Vishnu deity was ordered by his deity to speak at an assembly of scholars to the king about the true meaning of liberation. He protested, saying that he was not a scholar. His deity replied that he should just go to the assembly and open his mouth, and the Lord would speak through him. The gardener had so much faith that he walked to Madurai and spoke about how pure devotion to the Lord is actually the ultimate liberation. He spoke so perfectly that all of the great scholars unanimously praised him and decided that the gardener was to be the guru of all of them. They had a great festival glorifying the gardener now guru, and he went along with it, understanding that it was all the Lord’s mercy. And on the occasion of the festival Lord Vishnu was so pleased, he descended with His associates, and the gardener could see Him. The gardener offered prayers in which he decried the ecstasy of seeing the Lord, and felt bad that the Lord had come to this miserable world on his account. One day the gardener found a baby girl beneath the tulasis he was growing. He was a renounced person and suddenly he had this girl named Andal. Andal had this habit of wearing the garlands he made for Vishnu for an hour, smiling and looking at herself in a mirror. Once her father saw her do that, and reprimanded her and refused to offer the garland to Vishnu, thinking it had been desecrated. Vishnu appeared in a dream, saying that he liked to wear the garlands that Andal wore because she has so much devotion, they become consecrated.
Andal would accept Vishnu aloneas her husband. She had her father read the names of all the deities in South India. When he got to Raghunatha, she became shy and humble and entered a trance, and his father understood she wanted to marry Raghunatha. The priest of Raghunatha had a dream in which the deity asked for a procession to Andal’s home because He wanted to marry Andal, and He wanted His priest to propose to her on His behalf.
According to Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, bhakti is obstructed by profit, sensual enjoyments, fame or recognition. If we want fame, everything becomes tainted.
The joy of Srila Prabhupada’s heart was in seeing others learning to love Krishna.
I recall seeing Srila Prabhupada gazing at Radha Govinda, and Radha Govinda gazing at Srila Prabhupada.
Advanced devotees see themselves as small before the greatness of God.
Today’s drawing shows three bhaktas dancing and chanting with upraised arms. They appear blissful and are moving with grace. People who watch them become mesmerized and feel a personal elation in their softened hearts. One woman, who was a clinical psychologist, stayed watching the party at Union Square for an hour before she left. A couple of hours later, she returned. When asked why she had come back, she said, “This chanting just makes me feel so peaceful.” There are many examples of people having effects like that. The chanting is not a sectarian religious experience. It has a transcendental nature of love of God for all people. The soul is free and engages in the service of Krishna with great happiness.
from My Relationship with Lord Krishna:
“Atheists not only don’t believe in God, they make it sound as if no intelligent person can believe.”
“Radha throws [the dice] again with a great desire for victory. Although Radha wants to win, She has no desire to enjoy the results. Radha cannot defeat Krishna, the very victory flag over the world. And Krishna cannot defeat Radha, a second victory flag over the world. Interestingly, the only winner is Cupid.” (Krishnahnika-kaumudi)
Muktavandya told me that the devotees in Boston went out on harinama at Fenway Park for the Boston Red Sox World Series games. I wonder how the crowd perceives the devotees. Did they think we were sectarian religionists proselytizing our sect? Did they see us as a disturbance to the baseball fever? Or did they welcome us as adding to the celebrative event? The fact is the devotees were purifying the presiding modes of passion and ignorance. The chanting has nothing to do with the material world. Wherever the devotees show up chanting they cleanse that place and make it transcendental. Knowingly or unknowingly the baseball fans received the mercy of harinama for its nature is supernatural.
dancing in bliss. They have found the secret source of joy. The nectar for which we are always anxious. It is lamentable that only a relatively few people chant the holy names and that people think of it as sectarian religion or mythology or brainwashing. The devotees are trying their best to chant the names, but they are a minimum amount of people in the world. When, o when, will the people of the world take to the chanting of the Names and taste the nectar of holy love?”
“We are not going to observe Thanksgiving in a special way. It is mostly a mundane holiday where the karmis arrange a family gathering and an obnoxious turkey feast. We may have some extra preparations for Gaura-Nitai but nothing extraordinary. Every day is thanksgiving for us with deep gratitude to Prabhupada and Lord Caitanya for giving us a life free of hellish karma.”
Dravida Prabhu:
from a seminar on editing Srila Prabhupada’s books:
Prabhupada’s greatness is that he translated the message into English, and were it not for that we would not be here tonight.
Srila Prabhupada acknowledged that his original Bhagavatam had some grammar and typographical issues. It was certainly Krishna’s will that one of Srila Prabhupada’s first contacts in America was Hayagriva, an English professor. Srila Prabhupada engaged him in editing, “Put it nicely.”
Srila Prabhupada wrote, “If the books are printed with spelling mistakes and other mistakes, that will be a discredit for our publication. So please see that editorial work is done very nicely.”
Pradyumna Prabhu wrote to Jayadvaita Prabhu, “Prabhupada said that if there is one mistake in one book then you spoil the whole book, murder the whole book.”
Prabhupada to Radhavallabha Prabhu, the BBT production manager, “Concerning the editing of Jayadvaita Prabhu, whatever he does is approved my me. I have confidence in him.” That confidence in Jayadvaita Swami continued throughout Srila Prabhupada’s life.
Many things that were left out in the Macmillan Gita were restored in the 1983 edition.
Garuda Prabhu, who is a scholar, uses the 1983 edition as a text in his classes, but he said he could not use the Macmillan edition because of the faults in it.
Even in the “rascal editors conversation” of June 1977, Srila Prabhupada still expressed confidence in Jayadvaita Swami.
from a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.28.16:
in the Gopal Campu the pastime of Varuna holding Nanda Maharaja was on Patala-loka. Krishna became so angry that Varuna’s men took Nanda that Krishna’s bluish color became red with anger. Nanda Maharaja had been meditating on Lord Narayana, and until Krishna came to rescue him, he did not realize what had happened or where he was.
Krishna’s pastimes can be understood on many levels. One is the ocean of loving exchanges with Krishna. Each entity is serving Krishna in an intimate way, and Krishna is reciprocating with each in a personal way.
Festivals are to come together and glorify the Lord. At the drop of a hat practically, devotees will hold a festival and get together and chant and take prasadam.
On the japa retreats you are chanting or talking about the holy name practically the entire time, and therefore everyone is very blissful afterward.
One interested in the ultimate good (sreya uttamam) must inquire from a guru who is fixed in the scripture (sabde)and in the Lord Himself (pure).
Devotional service in practice generates devotional service in spontaneous love.
Kirtana means chanting, and sankirtana means total chanting, and that includes dancing. Srila Prabhupada introduced the dancing. Lord Caitanya introduced the dancing. Before Him it was not done. Engaging our entire body in Krishna’s service helps get us free from false ego.
I highly recommend the yoga series lectures by Srila Prabhupada.
Sankirtana enhances japa. Japa also enhances sankirtana.
We have an ocean of bliss in our heart, but we are looking outside at the reflection. That is the great tragedy. The solution is the chanting of the holy name.
Approaching Krishna for us means approaching His holy name.
Our practice is simply bringing the mind back to the holy name.
When we see people blissfully chanting, that inspires us.
What we have done during the day will appear in our mind during our japa, so you cannot expect to chant nice japa if your mind has been all over the place all day.
Rising early, taking rest early, reading spiritual books regularly, all aspects of our practice help us in our chanting of the holy name.
Srila Prabhupada was asked what we should think about when we chant Hare Krishna, and he replied, “Hare Krishna.”
When a spiritual aspirant asked Gaura Kisora Dasa Babaji Maharaja how he would learn of his particular relationship with Krishna and his service in the spiritual abode, Babaji Maharaja replied, “That will all be revealed to you by the syllables of the holy name.”
Even if we have other desires, when we are chanting the holy name we should pray to be without such desires. That is the standard.
Advice about attending the holy name festival:
First thing is to attend.
Bring your pure consciousness to the festival.
Stay as long as possible.
Drink in the nectar.
Comment by Bhadra Prabhu on the Varuna pastimes:
That happened on the Ekadasi after Krishna lifted Govardhana Hill. Just previously the cowherd man had asked Nanda Maharaja about the identity of Krishna, who had performed so many amazing pastimes. He described how Gargamuni said that Krishna was like Narayana. Then when he saw Varuna worshiping Krishna, Nanda concluded that Krishna was in fact Narayana.
from a class on Srimad-Bhagavtam 2.1.11:
If we commit sins on the strength of chanting the holy name, then we will lose our taste for chanting.
Srila Prabhupada said that if you try to cheat Krishna, He will cheat you, in a bigger way.
The holy name makes it even possible to refrain from intoxication, meat-eating, gambling, and illicit sex.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that inattention is the worst offense. If we absorb our mind in the holy name we will not be inclined to commit the other offenses.
Srila Prabhupada even gave some sample announcements that the devotees could make on harinama to the crowd during pauses in the kirtana.
It is hard to follow all the instructions of the spiritual master, but the more we are able to do so, the more we will be able to appreciate the chanting.
Kalakantha Prabhu:
Feeling happy about our present situation and feeling hopeful about the future is the transcendental position.
If you are in someone’s will, all you have to do is stay alive to inherit. In the same way, we just have to not abandon our spiritual practice to attain the spiritual world.
Ranjit Prabhu:
We have proof that the purple Gita, the Collier Gita, is the one the Srila Prabhupada personally read and went over mostly. Hayagriva Prabhu told Prabhupada that Rayarama had ruined the Gita.Prabhupada told Hayagriva he had confidence in Ramaraya Prabhu, but if it was not too late, he would be willing to read over the galley before it was printed. Apparently that was done, and Srila Prabhupada made corrections on only twelve pages of the galley.
Srila Prabhupada told Hayagriva that the translations were not the main thing but the rather that purports are. Hayagriva looked at other Gitas and used some of the more poetic ones in preparing his. Jayadvaita Swami restored those that differed from Srila Prabhupada’s originals, and thus some devotees who memorized the more poetic ones do not appreciate the changes.
Often foreign translators found some of the mistakes in the English edition. They were told to correct them in their translations. Thus there is the problem of standardization of the books.
That devotees take the editing of his books very seriously on either side of the issue indicates they have great devotion and regard for Srila Prabhupada.
We have Srila Prabhupada’s handwritten Bengali script of Gita Gan in the archives.
The BBT is the sole publishers of Srila Prabhupada’s books. The BBT was pledged to give 30% of profits to ISKCON temple construction. The BBT is a trust with ISKCON as the beneficiary. That was all approved by Srila Prabhupada.
Advaita Acarya Prabhu:
I was born in a Vaisnava family, but it was all hodgepodge to me, until I read Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is.
Another prabhu (sorry I forgot to ask his name):
Some pictures were omitted from the newer Gitas because they were copyright by the original artists who later left ISKCON.
Prana Govinda Prabhu:
Srila Prabhupada’s Bengali Gita Gana has additional ideas not present in his English Gita translations. What about that?
[Answer by Ranjit Prabhu] That is poetic license.
Madhava Prabhu:
I was on the graveyard shift for a year, from 10 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. on the twenty-four-hour kirtana party in Vrindavan. Sometimes it was so hard, it was like the clock stopped. But when I chanted just to please Nama Prabhu, the time would fly by. It was amazing.
Let us all pray for Srila Prabhupada’s mercy, for he has given us this wonderful Hare Krishna mantra, and he is the reason we are all sitting here together tonight.
Gaura Shakti Prabhu:
It gives us so much bliss [as organizers of the Festival of the Holy Name] to see the members of our community get together and chant the holy names in great happiness.
Damodara Prasada Prabhu:
As when you are on a plane you move at the tremendous speed of the plane, Dhruva because of being fixed in meditation on the Lord moved with weight of the Supreme Lord and was able to push down the entire Earth with his toe.
Jiva Goswami advises that kirtana is the primary form of bhakti.
The result of your sadhana is dependent on your degree of faith.
Although there is no difference between the holy name of Krishna and Krishna Himself, the holy name is considered to be more merciful than Krishna Himself. Similarly although there is no difference between Lord Caitanya and Lord Krishna, Lord Caitanya is more merciful than Krishna Himself.
Although the holy name appears to be just another sound vibration, it can grant all spiritual perfection. Similarly although Srila Prabhupada just seems to be another person, he made all spiritual perfection available.
Bobby, an older Christian gentleman at University of South Florida:
Don’t go pointing your crooked finger.
Better we are looking at the things that unite us, and not the things that separate us.
Let he who stands take heed, lest he fall.
Always remember who is holding you up.
Valantine, an older gentleman at University of South Florida (who saw Srila Prabhupada in New York City at 26 2nd Ave.):
“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-lila 1.96)
I went to a monthly event called Mantra Lounge in Neal’s Yard, Covent Garden. This event usually consists of Kirtan (congregational chanting of sacred mantras), Meditation & a Vegetarian Feast. Last Friday they had Chakrini as special guest, who happens to be my favourite Kirtaneer, and as a bonus they were offering a Vegan Feast (yes, I am a Vegan). To give you an idea about Chakrini, you have to imagine a celestial being having taken birth on this planet to bring joy and enlightment to us lost souls through the most powerful sound vibrations put into melodies for easier digestion Read more › 
ISKCON’s Food For Life continues to feed victims of Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the Philippines on November 7th with winds of 195 mph.
One of the strongest tropical cyclones in recorded history, Haiyan has claimed nearly 6,000 lives in the Philippines, and thousands more are missing. Around 4 million have been displaced from their homes.
ISKCON’s Food For Life is one of the many aid organizations doing what it can to help in the wake of the disaster.
Between November 15th and 20th, the Nagar Sankirtan Party from Manila, headed by Balarama Das distributed 8,200 plates of hot sanctified vegetarian food in barangays or villages in Tacloban, the capital of Leyte Province. 
Answer by Devamrita Swami 
Jeannie (now named Vegan Indira) came home Saturday (December 7, 2013). She was living at a dairy and she could no longer produce enough milk for her owner to make a profit and therefore keep her. She was headed for slaughter when Judy, who works at the dairy, asked us to take her. Now she will never be sold for meat! 
