Come and join us to celebrate Lord Jagannatha’s Chariot Festival, see the spectacle unfold as a gigantic colourfully decorated chariot carrying Lord Jagnnatha is hand- pulled up Queen Street. The Festival is followed by Kirtan , Dance , Drama and a sumptuous Feast at Mission Bay Beach.
Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.53.
“The only thing that matters to Krishna is if we want to serve Him with love. So there is no point trying to change the type of work that we perform according to our natures, because we will be forced to perform that type of work anyway, and Krishna does not discriminate between different types of service. He accepts all types of service equally. What He does consider is the mood of devotion—the purity of purpose. That said, there is a special service that Krishna especially appreciates—the service of preaching. In the Bhagavad-gita He says that for one who explains the confidential science of the Bhagavad-gita to the devotees, devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Him. Lord Krishna says, ‘There is no servant in this world more dear to Me, nor will there ever be one more dear.’ And that service can be done by anyone. It is the same process of sravanamkirtanam performed by every devotee, but instead of doing it alone one does it with others.”
I don't think any pics would do this justice. The pujari room is beyond description! A room for parents with young children to listen to class and has a big window to look into the playground, and the marble, and the carved wood, and the paintings, and all the devotion. Read more ›
Indradyumna Swami: The lake of Mansarovara was formed by the tears of Radharani when She was angry with Krsna for arriving late at the Rasa Dance. The natural scenic beauty of the spot was perfect for our bhajans and discussions on the pastime. We all enjoyed a surprise visit by Deena Bandhu prabhu who enlightened us with his deep knowledge of Sri Vrindavan Dhama. Read more ›
Lilah, a student at NYU, frequently walked past our chanting party at Union Square. Her mother remembered seeing the devotees chanting in the 1970s. Lilah decided to do a video story on the return of Hare Krishna chanting to the streets for a school project. Her friend Ronan was her cameraman. For hours she interviewed devotees involved in the harinama party and in the Brooklyn temple and produced this brief video Read more ›
After being questioned by her friends, Srimate Radharani recommends that in the future, "those who are unable to circumambulate Giriraj directly, should build a a replica of Goverdhana hill out of cow dung. Decorate it with twigs, vines, leaves, rocks and flowers and perform circumambulation. Thus the worship of Giriraj will be complete" Read more ›
Please view the following galleries: Abhishek Offerings Evening Dipa Dhan Srila Prabhupada’s day of departure from this world was celebrated in grand style here in Sri Dham Mayapur, beginning with Srila Prabhupada’s procession to the Samadhi Mandir. Everyone then assembled in Srila Prabhupada’s Pushpa Samadhi auditorium to watch an enthralling class by Srila Prabhupada. The […]
http://youtu.be/vKTGk9imCyQMahavishnu Swami gives a short talk at Cambridge University, 7 November 2013www.youtube.comHare Krishna Festival at the West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge University, 7 November 2013. Continue reading →
Despite his complaint of heart strain yesterday Srila Prabhupada did go out on a walk today. He didn’t speak much and he kept it short. At the end of his walk he visited Radha-kunda. Then after greeting the Deities and receiving guru-puja he went to the large hall in the new building. Although there are no doors or windows fitted — just gaping holes — the marble floor is laid and the devotees had hung flags and festoons from the thick wooden roof beams, ready for a grand initiation ceremony.
Prabhupada’s asana was set up at one side with a fire pit in front. From there he gave a very brief class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.6.16. Prahlada Maharaja criticizes those whose only goal in life is to accumulate money. In support of this Srila Prabhupada reiterated one of the sections of Bhagavad-gita we read during evening darsana. Then he told us that our philosophy is communism — but a different type than the politically-based one.
“If we become too much attached for getting money, that is the material world. There is no satiation. Idam praptah, that Bhagavad-gita word: ‘I have got so much money, now my bank balance is so much, and I shall get further money and my bank balance will be like this.’ This is the demonic mentality. We shall require money, whatever is absolutely necessary, that much money I must get. That is an order.
“We cannot take more than what is necessary. This is actually spiritual communism. If everyone thinks that ‘Everything belongs to God and I am son of God, so I have got right to enjoy the property of my Father — but as much as I require, not more than that,’ this is spiritual communism, bhagavata communism.
“So a grhastha, of course, required to accumulate some money because he’s living with family, but so far brahmacari, vanaprastha and sannyasi is concerned, they should not keep any money. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was so strict that His personal servant, one day he was taking after eating a little, haritaki. So one day he was giving and Caitanya Mahaprabhu inquired, ‘Where you got this?’ So he said, ‘I kept it from yesterday.’ ‘Oh, you are stocking?’ He immediately criticized him. ‘This is not good.’”
Srila Prabhupada is not a theoretician, espousing impractical ideals. He lives according to what he speaks. “Of course, even if we do not stock, don’t think that we’ll starve. Krsna has provided. But we should be depending on Krsna. There is no anxiety. We have experienced this. I was alone for many years but not a single day I was starving. No, there was food.”
Right after his discourse, he awarded initiation to the waiting candidates grouped around the fire arena. Devotees from many temples were in attendance — St. Louis, Buffalo, Cleveland, Baltimore — and there are seven Radha-Damodara buses and vans. As the initiates began to come forward one by one to receive their japa beads, Prabhupada stopped the proceedings and wanted to know why they did not have new neck beads on. He said that they should have been put on at the beginning. Then he paused a second time and chided a boy for wearing only one strand, saying that there should ideally be three and at least two. He reproached the temple presidents for not knowing this.
* * *
Cleveland Ratha-yatra was held in the middle of last week and was a big success. The parade route took Their Lordships and Their entourage through the main business districts and many people crowded the windows of the buildings to see Them. Visakha had gone to take photos and do an article on it for BTG and the day after Prabhupada called her in for a detailed report on it.
Pradyumna’s wife Arundhati dasi and son Aniruddha arrived a day or two ago. They were en route to India from Los Angeles but will now join Srila Prabhupada’s party. Pusta Krsna Maharaja has been complaining of too great a work-load, what with his secretarial duties and tape transcribing. Because Arundhati is an expert typist and experienced in transcribing Prabhupada’s tapes, Srila Prabhupada has agreed that she should travel with us and assist her husband.
Pusta Krsna Swami appears to be having some personal problems. He half-jokes about “being in maya” and makes oblique remarks as to how difficult it is to control the senses and the mind. His sadhana has become very irregular, and he is oversleeping and still not chanting all his rounds. He had excused himself to Balarama in Melbourne that he was overworked. Now it appears that there is more to it. He has approached Pradyumna for advice and today Pradyumna prabhu discussed his situation with me. We both agreed that something practical must be done and so we decided that the best thing, rather than disturb Prabhupada, was to get Tamal Krishna Goswami to talk to him when we arrive in New York.
* * *
Giriraja prabhu wrote from Bombay. He informed Srila Prabhupada that the Gita Pratisthan meeting has been postponed until later in the year to enable Srila Prabhupada and others to attend. He reported some progress with the construction efforts. In fundraising several important men have pledged large donations for the construction of the gurukula and the library. As far as the building work itself goes, the twin towers are scheduled to be finished by December but Srila Prabhupada’s rooms on the top floor could be ready to use in August. However, he said the elevators would not be ready until February next year because they have to be custom — made and installed.
On other matters, Gopala Krsna is going to pursue having our case raised before the Parliament in Delhi.
He also enclosed a lengthy questionnaire, sent by Bhavan’s Journal, the most prestigious and popular of India’s religious magazines. They posed twenty-one questions, which they are presenting to every major guru and holy man, soliciting their opinions on the decline of religion, the current state of Hinduism, how can it be revived, etc. He said Bhavan’s is eager to receive Srila Prabhupada’s response and they will print it as the last in the series of interviews.
Prabhupada is keen for the visa problem to be dealt with and he outlined once again to Giriraja some of the arguments to use. “Concerning our proposal to be presented to the Parliament, anyone coming from ISKCON should be given permanent residence. India’s original culture and religion is being spread all over the world, and out of their religious feeling if they come to stay in Vrindaban especially, why the government should harass them.
“Our Goswamis have said: nama-gane sada rucih, pritis tad-vasatisthale. (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.3.25).
“A devotee is very much anxious to chant Hare Krishna and to live in that place where Krishna has His pastimes, generally Vrindaban, Mathura, Dvaraka, like that. All of our men who are coming to India for this purpose, they are properly initiated and following the regulative principles. In this connection, the certificates of the S. Indian authorities gotten by Yasodanandan Swami can be used, where in they certify that our ISKCON men are proper vaishnavas, decorated with tilaka in twelve places, etc., etc.”
As for the fundraising he stated his pleasure that Mr. Brijratan Mohatta is willing to help. Apart from his own wealth, Prabhupada said he could help us in other ways also. “Personally he may give what he wants but let him help collect funds. He is such a big man in Bombay. What I know is that if he likes he can help us, and he is favorably inclined to our movement. Rs. 25,000, he can collect from at least 100 men in Bombay. So he can collect and help raise 25 lacs very easily, although we require about 10 lacs. To pay Rs. 25,000, there are thousands and thousands of men in Bombay who can very easily do it. Bombay is the richest city in India.”
For the questionnaire, Prabhupada told Giriraja he was in the process of answering the questions and he would send it as soon as it is completed.
* * *
Prabhupada decided to present his answers to Bhavan’s Journal in the evening darsanas. He is giving it serious attention and today Pusta Krsna, taking the role of interviewer, put the first seven questions to him, in front of an audience of devotees. Prabhupada’s answers were a lengthy, critical analysis, not just of the population in general, which is the subject of most of the questions, but of the questionnaire itself. It speaks in terms of “Hinduism,” a concept of recent origin which is foreign to the Vedas. The real religion he said, is sanatana-dharma, which is for everyone, not just the so-called Hindus.
1965 November 10: "Under the guidance of a bonafide devotee the way is open. Americans, Kirata, Pulinda, Pukkasa, Yavana, all can be trained up under the pure and bonafide devotee. That is the instruction of Sukadeva Goswami." Prabhupada Letters :: 1965
1970 November 10: "All of our success is due to following the regulative rules of devotional service. So our good standing will be diminished if we join with groups who permit intoxicants, etc. If we wish to remain pure and strong we should not compromise on this point." Prabhupada Letters :: 1970
1975 November 10: "As a child going to the neighboring Mallik temple, I was thinking when will I have such nice Deity. Now Krsna is so kind, I am establishing temples all over the world." Prabhupada Letters :: 1975
1975 November 10: "This is the way for the neophyte devotee to absorb his mind. The more the Deity is decorated, the more your heart will be decorated with Krsna consciousness. Never think stone or wood. Krsna is personally present." Prabhupada Letters :: 1975
1975 November 10: "The Deity is proof of the sincere service. It is the duty of GBC to maintain this. Their duty is how to enthuse and maintain. Now I want that there should be established 108 temples before my death, so you think how to do it." Prabhupada Letters :: 1975
1975 November 10: "I have introduced this Deity worship amongst the non-believers, the mlecchas and yavanas. I pray to Krsna, I am inviting You, come. And may He not be insulted by disrespectful behavior." Prabhupada Letters :: 1975
1975 November 10: "Now the GBC has become more than Guru Maharaja? GBC is simply for looking after pounds, shilling, pence? The GBC does not look after spiritual life? They will have to become Guru, but our students are not qualified - this is a difficulty." Prabhupada Letters :: 1975
1975 November 10: "As soon as one thinks that he is greater than the Spiritual Master that is the greatest offense. Krsna will give one everything, but to these offenders - everything is lost." Prabhupada Letters :: 1975
“Chanting ‘I’m late, I’m late!’ like the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. But I shall not let it ruin the quality of my rounds. I’ll say them with rapid attention and hear the syllables go quickly through my mind. I’m chanting to please Krishna and not to complete a race. I ask Him to forgive me if I rush and I’ll try to pray, not run.”
Diwali celebrates the return of Lord Rama, with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana to Ayodhya after a 14 year exile, and a war in which he killed the demon king Ravana. It is believed that the people of Ayodhya lit ghee lamps along the way to light their path in the darkness.
The festival spans a five day period and is followed a little differently according to the region. Generally, the first day is dedicated to Lord Danvantari’s appearance, carrying the nectar of immortality from the ocean of milk.
The second is Krsna and Satybhama’s killing of Narakasura. The third is dedicated to Lord Rama or in some areas, Lakshmi Devi. The fourth is Krsna’s lifting of Govardhana hill and the fifth, Bhratri dooj, where brothers visit their sisters to ask of their welfare. Long ago, Yamaraja visited his sister Yamuna and gave her the boon that whosever visits her on this day will be freed from sins and attain moksa.
The pictures are of the celebration at the Bhakti Centre on the Gold Coast.
I remember studying a module on Human Resource Management at UCL. The lecturer emphasised the necessity of understanding people’s personality in order to maximise individual potential and create synergy in teams. I came across the "DISC model" a few days ago and decided to asses myself. The results clearly indicated that I was a "steady-cautious" type (as opposed to dominant or influential). The descriptions corroborated with my observations; I appreciated the opportunity to discover more about the strengths, weaknesses and fears I may have. Try scribing a word with your non-writing hand - it takes twice as much time and effort, feels uncomfortable and awkward, and usually comes out quite shabby and unclear! Similarly if we engage with the world in a way that is foreign to our natural personality, we end up struggling, sweating and falling short of our true potential.
We are spiritual beings on a human journey. Having passed through many chapters of existence, we are left with strong impressions from the myriad of experiences we go through. This, along with our childhood and upbringing, forms our ‘material personality’. Nature and nurture leave us with a body and mind that are wired to act and respond in a certain way! Aspiring spiritualists can also take advantage of understanding the material framework within which they exist. When committing oneself to spiritual practices, roles and responsibilities in a devotional community, it helps to be aware of our personality and the potential pitfalls we may encounter.
The Bhagavad-gita, however, goes further than modern psychology. Krishna explains that beyond our psycho-physical makeup, is an eternal spiritual personality endowed with its own divine and attractive traits. If one connects with the ‘higher self ’, to that extent one can also transcend the temporary material personality we receive. If one comes to the profound realisation that the body and mind are simply coverings of the soul, the limitations of their psycho-physical makeup can somewhat diminish. It’s comforting to know that each one of us has a unique, pure and perfect character that we simply have to reawaken. The trick is to suitably engage and absorb our temporary personality in eternal spiritual practices. Then we can really be ourselves.
Radhanath Swami offers heartfelt observations about the "eye camps" he organizes in the holy land of Varsana, India, where the impoverished are treated for various eye diseases. Doctors from all over the world who provide this service free of charge, amazingly, consider their acts as their own humble efforts to "see" God. Read more ›
Our parikrama party celebrated Govardhan Puja next to Radha Gokulananda temple in Vrindavan. BB Govinda Maharaja spoke and we had hours and hours of kirtan with him, Bada Haridas and Madhava. Simply sublime!
1967 November 9: "I am now thinking about our society. We were very smoothly going on but this disruption created by Kirtanananda has plagued and disturbed the situation. The best thing is to do our duty nicely with faith in Krishna and everything will be adjusted." Prabhupada Letters :: 1967
1967 November 9: "Kirtanananda is a crazy man. That is proved. Try to convince by argument and reason but do not become angry. We should always try to represent Lord Nityananda Prabhu in the matter of preaching work." Prabhupada Letters :: 1967
Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 9, No. 20 By Krishna-kripa das (October 2013, part two)
New York City Harinama Adventures (Sent from New York City on November 9, 2013)
Where I Went and What I Did
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. I also gave two evening lectures, one at Sunanda Prabhu’s Krishna Balarama temple Sunday program in Queens, and another at Atmanivedana Prabhu’s Saturday program at 26 Second Avenue.
I share insights from a Prabhupada lecture I heard, excerpts from Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s blog, mostly about the public chanting of the holy name, and notes I took on Yogesvara Prabhu’s (Joshua M. Greene’s) weekly Bhagavad-gita class at Jivamukti Yoga School in Manhattan. I also share a couple of interesting points from conversations.
Harinamas at Union Square
Lilah, a student at NYU, frequently walked past our chanting party at Union Square. Her mother remembered seeing the devotees chanting in the 1970s. Lilah decided to do a video story on the return of Hare Krishna chanting to the streets for a school project. Her friend Ronan was her cameraman. For hours she interviewed devotees involved in the harinama party and in the Brooklyn temple and produced this brief video (http://youtu.be/3eigSPP5w4Y):
Film majors taking video clips of our party is not uncommon, but for journalism students to do a whole little documentary is rare. Thanks so much to Lilah and Ronan for their nice service.
Some days we had many chanters at Union Square.
Sometimes many people were in the audience.
Tarun Prabhu, a Prabhupada disciple,
sometimes plays trumpet.
Once a young man, strolling with his friends, took time out to play his trumpet with us.
Sometimes people danced with us.
Often their faces show their joy.
Here an older lady, dressed colorfully like a hippie, dances with Janette.
Janette was so enthusiastic she even danced with this old Chinese lady who was not really the dancing type.
Here a lady dances while kids play instruments.
Here a lady dances while a guy plays a instrument.
Chandra Mohini dd would invite people to sit and play with us, like the guy above, and the two girls below.
Here a guy played his guitar.
Here a kids holds five shakers at once.
Here a young lady reads a Krishna pamphletwhile two guys play the shakers.
Sometimes when you see something far out,
you think “Only New York!”
Some days people brought so much prasadam for the harinama devotees, we could even distribute some to onlookers as well.
On the subway back to Brooklyn, a young adult asked if I was with the Hare Krishna people singing in Union Square. I said yes and explained we chant there from 2 to 8 p.m. each day. We conversed, and I learned the person was called Dustin and had gotten Science of Self-Realization and read almost all of it. Dustin personally believed that there is one God with many names, and hearing that, I gestured with the “thumbs up” of approval. Dustin does practices he has found from different traditions. Because the Brooklyn temple is closest, I gave Dustin an invitation card for its Sunday and Wednesday programs with free vegetarian meals, and gave my business card as well, saying, “If you go, let me know how you like.” We parted wishing each other well.
It is awesome spending Karttika in New York City. You can sing “Damodarastakam” and offer lamps at Union Square at 7:00 p.m. (or 6:00 p.m., now that daylight saving time has ended), at the Krishna-Balarama temple in Queens at 8:00 p.m., at the Bhakti Center in Manhattan at 8:15 p.m., or at the Radha Govinda temple in Brooklyn at 8:30 p.m. So many choices!
At Union Square, not only did the devotees offer lamps to Damodara, but Rama Raya Prabhu decided to allow anyone to, and Janette enthusiastically would invite anyone who walked by. She was hard to refuse.
This new girl is offering a lamp to Damodara for the first time.
This boy, who was just passing by, offered a lamp to Damodara and then joined the kirtana party, playing the shakers and begging from me a card with the words to the Hare Krishna mantra on it.
This girl did not know it is not proper etiquette to use your lamp to light your cigarette before offering the lamp to Lord Damodara. Phalguni Radhika dd is both amused by her behavior and amazed at the extent of the mercy of the Lord. It reminded me of the people at the Polish Woodstock that hold their beer cars in one hand and pull Lord Jagannatha with the other.
After that girl offered the lamp to Damodara, she did a nice dance before the altar for a few seconds, but I was not fast enough to photograph it.
We would invite people to pray when they offered a lamp, and some took it very seriously.
Michael Collins continuing leading lively kirtanas that attracted a lot of attention.
Here one friendly young yoga lady does a dance by swirling multicolored flags in time with the music.
I have a couple additional videos of Michael Collins singing, one with several people playing instruments and a couple chanting and dancing (http://youtu.be/_eVvmLhVCwM), and the other with some lively dancers (http://youtu.be/wdoZuBxI4WE):
On October 23, due to rain we chanted “Damodarastakam” in the subway station. Thanks to Zina for the photo.
It was a first for many of us. Unfortunately, due to regulations we could not offer the candles there, but Chandra Mohini dd and I did that later in Brooklyn.
On October 24, it was really cold, probably the low 50s F (11–13º C). On the Union Square harinama,Sofia, a Russian-speaking young devotee lady who is a regular, was mentioning how cold it was. I smiled and said, “But you must be used to cold. Where exactly are you from?” To my great surprise. She replied, “Siberia!” Then she explained that she had become conditioned to the warmer temperatures of New York.
Despite the cold, I had so many wonderful experiences:
Later we had six children from several different families playing instruments at once!
Apparently the cold temperatures did not dampen the public response to our chanting!
That day a French couple came up to me and asked if I was ever in Croatia. “Three times,” I replied, “2009, 2010, and 2011.” Then they asked if I was in Zadar in 2011, and it was true. I was there with the devotees who called their group, “Mediterranean Meets India"—two hours of harinama each morning and evening. I tell about it here:
It should be like this, wherever people go on vacation in the world they meet Hare Krishnas! Maybe they will even try chanting Hare Krishna some day!
Also the same day I met a 59-year old lady who remembered when we had a restaurant in the basement of our temple on 55thStreet 33 years ago. She recalled liking the stuffed zucchini. I told her about our Radha Krishna Temple, and Govinda’s Vegetarian Lunchin Brooklyn.
One little girl tried playing almost every instrument we had.
A man who has sat behind our chanting party for hours over the last few days described our singing as beautiful and even fantastic. He told me also that he felt my dancing added something to the singing. Later I was distracted from the dancing, giving “On Chanting Hare Krishna” pamphlets to all those who offered lamps to our Damodara picture in Union Square. Seeing this, the man told me to dance more, which I did, until I got talking with those offering lamps. When he left, he said he would have stayed longer had I kept dancing. I think Krishna is teaching me through this that my service of dancing is more important than I generally think it is.
One day a girl enjoyed dancing to our chanting, and I offered her an “On Chanting Hare Krishna” pamphlet as she passed by and told her we sing from 2 to 8 p.m. each day, inviting her to come by when she was in a dancing mood. She said she was visiting from London, and I told her about our afternoon harinamathere on Oxford Street, which leaves at 3:00 p.m. from in front of our restaurant at 10 Soho Street, which she copied the address of.
One day in Union Square, during the beginning of our chanting session when we had just five or six devotees participating, a young lady came by and asked if I knew where the “Hare Krishna” was. I had to restraint myself from laughing. We were singing Hare Krishna and had a sign with the Hare Krishna mantra written on it, and I was personally dressed in traditional Hare Krishna robes. I explained that we were the Hare Krishnas. Then she asked, “Where is everybody?” I explained that usually around 6:00 p.m. we have twenty people, but that we had just started and had only a few. Then she replied, “No, I mean where are all my friends?” Apparently her friends had all agreed to meet in Union Square at “the Hare Krishna,” and she did not have a clue about what the Hare Krishnas were! It was striking for me to learn from this that the Hare Krishnas are such a permanent fixture in Union Square that people plan to meet their friends at “the Hare Krishna.”
Another day a man who was watching our chanting at Union Square seemed so pleased I went to give him a pamphlet, but he said he already had one. In fact, he said he already had the Bhagavad-gita. He told me he just likes to stand and listen for awhile whenever he passes by. He said that now, in talking with his family and friends, he does not even call it Union Square anymore, but Hare Krishna Square instead!
One guy who lived in Dallas for part of his life, went to a festival there at which the devotees catered the vegan/vegatarian food. He played music with them and loved their food. Later he became a Christian, seeing that different prophecies in their scripture came to pass, but he had nice memories of being with the Hare Krishnas, and so he sat down in the middle of our chanting party and played the drum for half an hour.
One girl named Nicole from New Jersey, who works in Manhattan, was fascinated to see our chanting party. She knew of Hare Krishna because her father was a devotee and liked to watch Prabhupada videos, but she never saw the singing in public before. Her mom was a Catholic, but she felt closer to the Hindu views as she saw a broader description of the divinity—a God who could appear in many incarnations, and therefore, could appear to those in different traditions. Originally, being a skeptical New Yorker, she refused the cookie I offered her, but after our conversation she happily accepted it. She said she would tell her father about her encounter with us.
The two sisters playing the karatalas in these pictures are not the children of Hare Krishna devotees as I originally thought.
They have have just seen the devotees chant for almost two years in Union Square, and stopped by enough times to learn how to play the kalatalas and to do an impressive job of it.
One kid who played the shakers with us, was transporting a pumpkin in a stroller, a new sight for me.
As we were setting up our book display on Halloween, one young lady wearing a special robe for Halloween came up and noticing the Bhagavad-gita, asked its price. I said they were five dollars, and she immediately purchased one. I explain that we were setting up, and would be singing in a few minutes, continuing to 8:00 p.m., if she wanted to come back and hear. She made some comment like “if it is on my path,” and I just assumed we would never see her again. I was wrong. Later I saw her sitting in the center of our party and meditating on the sound of the kirtana, and afterward taking some prasadam.
Although Sad-hari Das has a turban like a Sikh, he has Vaishnava initiation from Bhakti Sundar Govinda Swami, successor of Srila Prabhupada’s godbrother, Sridhara Maharaja. He has many ISKCON devotee friends and comes several times a month to listen to the Union Square kirtana.
Alex, who calls himself Alex Vaisnava on Facebook, comes almost every evening for an hour or two, and often takes very beautiful pictures. Here he is taking pictures on Halloween.
Some costumed people danced in the kirtana.
Some played instruments.
Tarun’s instrument made him easy to recognize despite his mask.
Others offered lamps to Lord Damodara. Thanks to Alex Vaisnava for the first photo.
One older devotee couple from South America comes to New York every year to visit their relatives, and each year they spend a few hours on the Union Square harinama.
One young lady offered a candle to Damodara and then seemed to really get into dancing to the kirtana. She teaches gardening at an alternative school in Harlem, but was very familiar with seeing the devotees as her boyfriend sells crystals at Union Square.
She must have danced at least half an hour with a very blissful, meditative mood!
To see the additional pictures I took but did not include in this blog, click on this link:
The pictures I did not use appear at the end of the album.
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
from a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.16, on August 19, 1972, in Los Angeles:
“Just like small children, a baby, he’s also appreciating, trying to stand up with his cymbal. Appreciating. From the very beginning of life, appreciating, ‘It is nice.’ He knows or does not know, it doesn’t matter. Simply appreciation is giving him a touch of spiritual life. It is so nice. Sraddha [faith]. If they do not go against, simply appreciate, ‘Oh, they are doing nice . . .’ So development of spiritual life means development of this appreciation, that’s all.”
“Whatever you want, especially in this human form of life, whatever you desire, Krishna will give you chance. It may be very unpalatable, but this is a fact. We have heard from authorities. That is why in Vrindavana there are so many hogs and monkeys and dogs. This is very mysterious thing. . . . Those who are executing devotional service, but at the same time cheating . . . Cheating means outwardly very devotional, inwardly doing all sinful activities. Such living entity is given the chance to become a hog and dog in Vrindavana so that the reaction of the sinful activities, they get this body; at the same time, due to their touch with the dust of Vrindavana, they become eliminated of all sinful activities and liberated. So these hogs and dogs, they’re also very important. They are not ordinary thing. But this is the explanation. . . . Therefore a devotee, when he’s punished in that way for the short time, they’ll be liberated. Undoubtedly.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
from The Waves at Jagannatha Puri and Other Poems:
[a description of the Indian vacationers]
“I like their innocent do nothingness, the no-ghetto-blaster mood, the no fighting, no bikinis, no strutting, and even though their visit is a karmi’s[materialist’s] vacation, they go for darsana of Lord Jagannatha.”
“Today’s drawing shows three tilaked devotees dancing and chanting with upraised arms. Each is a unique individual: The man on the right has a pink head and an elongated neck. The girl in the center is brown-faced and the boy on the left is bright-faced with a big smile. Devotees come from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds with different psychophysical natures. Prabhupada spoke of seeing ‘the unity within the diversity and the diversity within unity.’ There is no attempt to squelch a person’s individuality but all come forward to cooperate in the sacrifice of harinama sankirtana.”
“Today’s drawing shows four bhaktasdancing and chanting with upraised arms. I drew with only a black pen as a variety from the multicolored sports clothes. They are just as happy as the colorful version and vigorously dancing. These men of mine compensate for the fact that I no longer can go out and dance and chant. I advocate that those devotees who are fit and healthy should go out in public and chant and dance.
My disciple Krishna-kripa always dances on harinama because I asked him to do it. It purifies the atmosphere and shows the people that the Hare Krishna movement is alive and flourishing.”
Second Ray of Light Morning Pastimes (Pratah-lila) 6:00–8:36 A.M.
“Thus Radha cooks innumerable preparations with enticing aromas for the pleasure of Krishna, Balarama, Nanda and Yasoda.”
[It was striking to me that even Radha, Krishna’s most beloved, cooks for Krishna’s devotees, in addition to Krishna Himself.]
“Prabhupada used to say the devotees were not doing ordinary ‘ballroom dancing.’It is a symptom of transcendental ecstasy that when one is chanting in kirtana he spontaneously rises and starts to dance. Prabhupada was very pleased when the first devotee got up to dance. Soon we were all doing it. He taught us the ‘Swami Step’upstairs in his room. Later devotees began improvising their own sometimes wild styles. Prabhupada usually encouraged all kinds of dancing because he saw it as a sign of their enthusiasm.”
“Today’s drawing shows three devotees dancing and chanting with upraised arms. This style of harinama was introduced by Lord Caitanya and His associates in Navadvipa and Jagannatha Puri over five hundred years ago. The upraised arms are a sign of surrender to Krishna and an expression of joy. The dancing feet are a physical response to an inner feeling. These three devotees, a woman and two men, are all smiling out of natural happiness. It is not a staged or professional performance but a pure movement of the soul.”
“Today’s drawing shows four bhaktas dancing and chanting with upraised arms. Four men is a good enough number to attract the attention of passersby. They may be startled or think them crazy fellows. But if they continue to pass by daily they will be impressed by the determination of the chanters. They may begin to make out the words of the mantra and even find themselves repeating it during the day. A steadily appearing harinama group has the potency to transform people’s lives. It is pleasing to guru and Gauranga, and it certainly purifies the hearts of the chanters.”
Yogesvara Prabhu:
[Yogesvara Prabhu (Joshua M. Greene) gives Bhagavad-gita class each Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Jivamukti Yoga School NYC, 841 Broadway 2nd Floor, New York, near Union Square]
I asked my teacher, Srila Prabhupada, “Why would some people want Krishna as a friend, some as a child, and some as a lover?”
He replied, “It is question of personal taste.”
It is good to have an altar. It is important to acknowledge the foundation.
Aratiis offering the elements of God’s creation back to God.
The Gita is a dialog which scholars later dividedinto chapters.
Krishna and Arjuna are lifelong friends.
Srila Prabhupada said, “If you are going to do something for Krishna, it is worth doing it right.”
Bhakti-yoga or what Srila Prabhupada called “Krishna consciousness” is that yoga that transforms every moment and act of your life into devotion to God.
Srimad-Bhagavatam gives the most knowledge about bhakti of the eighteen Puranas.
Anxiety is the result of thinking something is outside the will or control of God.
The first result of bhakti is freedom from anxiety because you know you are in good hands with Krishna.
The foundational understanding of Bhagavad-gita is: I am not the body. I am the soul. I am part of God. I can be satisfied only by connecting to God through the practice of devotion.
In a conversation with Professor Kotofsky, the professor made the point that there is always revolution in the world, thesis, antithesis, etc. Srila Prabhupada explained that when one comes to Krishna, that is the final revolution.
comment by Sharon Gannon, cofounder of Jivamukti: “Vallabhacarya says, ‘Spend one, or at most three, hours each day maintaining your existence in the world, but do not forget the Lord in that pursuit.’”
Two things you can learn from the Gita: The story is deeper than it seems, and you can do more than you think.
If we think in each situation “How can I serve here?”, that will greatly improve our experience of life.
One religious writer says ritual can be empty or it can be everything, all depending one’s mentality.
Whatever you have learned from your spiritual practice, find someone to share it with.
The book Bhagavad-gita is worshipable as the literary embodiment of the divinity. Just like in a Jewish synagogue there is an altar with the Torah on it that people bow to.
Karma is so complicated it is like untangling a large ball of twine. Krishna advises Arjuna not to try to unravel it, but to take the sword of knowledge and cut it.
I rather get one thing clear in these Tuesday Gita sessions rather than go prattling on about many things.
Sattva, goodness, is the doorway to transcendence, yet it is still material.
As you are reading Bhagavad-gita, read a few verses before and after to place a verse in its context.
The longer we reside in this material world, the more we come to believe that we are actually the body.
One you have desired something, you cannot make the material nature act in a certain way.
Don’t blame God for the results of your desires.
There are lot of Bhagavad-gita ideas in Plato.
The power of bhakti is that it elevates you above all actions and reactions of the material world.
When we are attracted to someone, our combination of the gunas (material qualities) is attracted to their combination of the gunas. A transcendentalist does not act on that attraction, and in particular, avoids the tendency toward exploitation, desiring to render service to the person instead.
I know many people who are miserable because they partnered with someone that their senses were attracted to, and not someone their intelligence selected.
In the transcendental position you engage your natural qualities in God’s service. You do not develop a completely different personality. You are also conscious of your weaknesses, and you understand what you are unable to engage in the Lord’s service and therefore must avoid altogether.
Donavan, a famous singer of the 1970s, met Srila Prabhupada. For a while Donavan just looked at Srila Prabhupada, not knowing exactly what to say. Srila Prabhupada quoted a verse from the Vedas that glorified music as the perfection of education, and that immediately put Donavan at ease. Then Srila Prabhupada explained how he had given George Harrison spiritual ideas to express through his songs, and he offered to do the same for Donavan.
Nanda-nandana Prabhu:
from a conversation:
I spent a whole month preaching with Srila Prabhupada’s godbrother, Krishna dasa Babaji. Krishna dasa Babaji would be chanting Hare Krishna practically all the time. He carried one bag with him that was just filled with slips of paper with “kirtaniya sada harih” [always chant Hari (a name of the Lord)] written on it in both Bengali and English. He would give these to everyone he met. Thus all he did was chant always and advise others to always chant.
Muslim man at a fragrance and oils shop in Brooklyn:
from a conversation:
Allah originally told Moses that he wanted His followers to offer prayers fifty times a day. Moses explained to the Lord that it was too much, and Allah reduced it to forty times a day. Moses said that it was still too much. Allah reduced it again. This continued until Allah reduced it down to offering prayers five times a day. When Moses said that it was still too much, Allah said that He was tired of changing it, and that if they would just offer prayers five times a day, it would count as if they had offered prayers fifty times a day.
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“The living entities ears are sacrifical openings. The tongue is a sacrifical ladle. The sound of Lord Krishna’s glories is charming sacrifical ghee. When the ladle of the tongue pours that ghee into the openings of the ears, the ghee enters the heart. In the heart the ghee adds fuel to the fire of ecstatic love. It makes that fire burn with great flames. The flames of that fire make the body tremble. They make the body’s hairs stand erect. Freed from sin in this way, the living entities dance. Salokya [attaining the same planet as the Lord] and the other kinds of liberation follow behind them. However, the living entities will not cast even a sidelong glance at liberation. Instead, tasting the sweet nectar of Lord Krishna’s glories, they joyfully dance. The Vaishnava acaryas [spiritual teachers] all perform this yajna [sacrifices]. Please know that sankirtana-yajna [the sacrifice of congregational chanting of the holy name] is the best of all yajnas.
(Caitanya Mangala, “Mahaprabhur Vividhavese Prema-vitarana [Lord Mahaprabhu's Manifestation of Various Divine Forms and His Distribution Then of Ecstatic Spiritual Love],” verses 81–85)
1970 November 9: "As President, see that everyone is following a regulated schedule of chanting sixteen rounds, reading, Sankirtana, and temple worship. Any breakage in the performance of one's duties will surely be a hindrance in one's advancement." Prabhupada Letters :: 1970
Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.53.
I don't think any pics would do this justice. The pujari room is beyond description! A room for parents with young children to listen to class and has a big window to look into the playground, and the marble, and the carved wood, and the paintings, and all the devotion. Read more › 
Indradyumna Swami: The lake of Mansarovara was formed by the tears of Radharani when She was angry with Krsna for arriving late at the Rasa Dance. The natural scenic beauty of the spot was perfect for our bhajans and discussions on the pastime. We all enjoyed a surprise visit by Deena Bandhu prabhu who enlightened us with his deep knowledge of Sri Vrindavan Dhama. Read more › 
Lilah, a student at NYU, frequently walked past our chanting party at Union Square. Her mother remembered seeing the devotees chanting in the 1970s. Lilah decided to do a video story on the return of Hare Krishna chanting to the streets for a school project. Her friend Ronan was her cameraman. For hours she interviewed devotees involved in the harinama party and in the Brooklyn temple and produced this brief video Read more › 
After being questioned by her friends, Srimate Radharani recommends that in the future, "those who are unable to circumambulate Giriraj directly, should build a a replica of Goverdhana hill out of cow dung. Decorate it with twigs, vines, leaves, rocks and flowers and perform circumambulation. Thus the worship of Giriraj will be complete" Read more › 
Srila Prabhupada's Disappearance Day in Beautiful Mayapur Read more › 
Radhanath Swami offers heartfelt observations about the "eye camps" he organizes in the holy land of Varsana, India, where the impoverished are treated for various eye diseases. Doctors from all over the world who provide this service free of charge, amazingly, consider their acts as their own humble efforts to "see" God. Read more › 
