Kartik meditations – Part III
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 11 October 2011, Melbourne, Australia, Home Program)

The pastime of binding of Krsna is interesting. We remember that Yasoda was trying to tie up Krsna and each time, the rope was two fingers short. She added more ropes, still two fingers short; more ropes, still two fingers short - no matter how many ropes she brought!

damodaraVisvanath Cakravarti Thakur said that she asked neighbours for ropes; she asked everyone in Vrindavan for more ropes. She was tying more and more ropes and in the end, there were just no more ropes to be found in Vrindavan. She was exhausted from running around and getting all that ropes and tying them together. When she was getting exhausted, pearls of perspiration began to form on her forehead. At that time, Mother Yasoda sort of reached the limits of her endeavour. She took it really to the limits and THEN Krsna’s mercy made up.

So, one finger is for the endeavour of Yasoda and one finger is for the mercy of Krsna. And suddenly Krsna was bound! So, if one wants to capture Krsna, there are these two elements. The endeavour from our side – which has to not just be half-hearted but one has to give everything. Complete! Yes, everything we have, we have to give and sacrifice to Krsna. That is actually the endeavour. So this month is a special month, it is the month for making a special endeavour.

 

 

Tips On Writing
→ NY Times & Bhagavad Gita Sanga/ Sankirtana Das


Several years back  I was  attracted by this two full page ad in the NYT Book Review section highlighting two pages of a new book's opening. It was The Man From Beijing, an international mystery thriller. I had thought of opening the Mahabharata like a mystery story.   Those two provocative and well chosen pages were a powerful hook, although it turned out they weren't  the book's very opening pages. I got the book and it promised to be a powerhouse, as was the premise of the book, and the flashbacks. But after mid way,  the story began to unravel as the author moved away from the basic premise.

Henning Mankell is one of Sweden's great writers, so it was alarming to see such a potentially good story fall flat on it's face. The author tried to take the story where it really didn't have to go. He lost momentum in the process.  If Mankill couldn’t get a handle on his story, how was I going to do it with the vast Mahabharata. Later, I found the reviewers and readers had a mixed response to his book.  A lot of people still seemed to like the book because it was from Mankill. Unfortunately, I did not have a dedicated following like he did.

For me, however, the lesson was  simple. That is, to stick to the premise of your story. Premise means the purpose, the idea, the essential message or meaning of the story. The basic truth of the story.  The premise should be a compass for the author. It may take a while working with the story to begin to fully define and  understand your premise. It's easy to start a story. You might have one definite idea or a jumble of ideas and scenes. But in the excitement, you can't let that jumble carry you away, which it did with The Man From Beijing which got into superfluous passages and scenes.  Once you find it,  keep your eye on  the premise. Don't lose sight of it.  As a writer, that's what you have to serve.

For more tips see www.Mahabharata-Project.com  - On Writing
Coming in November - Free Shipping on my book Mahabharata: The Eternal Quest

CARE PERSONIFIED BOOK
→ Gita Coaching

A collection of memories from the disciples and acquaintances of His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Care Personified Published by The Devotee Care Committee for the GBC of ISKCON. A11 quotations are from Srila Prabhupada’s books, letters, and conversations, as well as all illustsrations and other excerpts are from Bhaktivedant Archieves. Copyright © ISKCON Devotee Care

One Woman’s Road to Krishna
→ Dandavats.com

The reason I came back to New Govardhana is that it reminded me strongly of a farm that my church community is running in Eastern Germany. There I was trained how to be a volunteer in pastoral care for kids, leading groups, and so on. This was when I was 14-19 years old and for me these were some of the most significant times of my adolescence - serving, singing, having special conversations and just 'being'. I had never found a place that felt 'home' like this again until I came here. Read more ›

Tsunami of Service and KARTIK nectar! Come drown with us:) (Album 187 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

Kārttika could be thought of as the ultimate “buy one, get a-whole-lot-more free” sale, or the equivalent of a “super, multi-triple word score” in the game of Scrabble. For a limited time only, whoever is lucky (or greedy, or intelligent) enough to do some service for Krishna during this special month gets a uniquely huge return on their investment. The ultimate return: one becomes more Krishna conscious. Read more ›

Organised Chaos
→ Tattva - See inside out

When driving in India anything goes. No speed limits, no lane discipline, no right of way... do what you want, just make sure you horn so that everyone’s aware! Once, I witnessed a head-on collision, causing both vehicles serious damage. As the two drivers emerged unscathed, they came face-to-face and began debating whose fault it was. There was loud argument, fiery gesticulation and a crowd of excited onlookers who offered their “two rupees” worth. Within a few minutes, however, they came to some resolution, headed for a tea stall, and sat down together for a good old natter! It was an incredible sight! No animosity, no grudges, no bad feeling. It taught me something about their culture: chaos on the outside, calm on the inside.

Our modern culture is often the complete opposite: orderly on the outside, but chaotic on the inside! We have complex infrastructure, documented rules for everything and refined social niceties that govern day-to-day dealings. External social intercourse may be prim and proper, but many individuals experience huge chaos within. People are often inhibited from revealing their hearts, and instead lock up things within, causing destructive emotions to brew up and eventually surface in unhealthy ways. While modern culture may have succeeded in organising society into a well-oiled machine, there are clear deficiencies in the areas of community, relationships and meaningful human interaction. We’ve learnt how to live a life of organised chaos; bottling everything up, it’s often a case of smiling faces but parched hearts.

A self-development guru once held up a glass of water in front of her audience. While everyone was expecting the usual “half empty half full” exercise, she instead asked them how heavy the cup was. The answers varied from 3 oz to 10 oz. She then explained that the weight and volume of the water is not what makes it heavy – rather it’s the length of time for which we hold it. Similarly, everyone goes through challenges, anger, frustration and unrest in their life (the water in our cup). The problem is when we carry these things and fail to let go. Good social structures allow people to ‘get things off their chest’ and get on with living life. The freedom of expression helps keep things in perspective. We need to free up some internal breathing space, lest we choke our consciousness.

Kartik meditations – Part II
→ KKS Blog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 11 October 2011, Melbourne, Australia, Home Program)

kks_goverdhanIn the Bhagavad-gita 10.35, Krsna says that of all the months, “I am marga-sirsa,” which is a name for the November-December period. It is said that before Krsna, first comes Radha – Radha-Krsna, Radha-Syam, Sita-Ram, like that. First the consort of the Lord is mentioned. Therefore the month of Kartik, which comes before this month of marga-sirsa, is a month of Radharani. It is a month when we are meditating on pure devotional service because she is the proprietor of pure devotional service! No compromise at all, no self-interest whatsoever, only the interest of Krsna in mind and nothing but the interest of Krsna.

That is pure devotional service and that is found in Srimati Radharani, so this month of Kartik is about that. So everyone who is ordinarily sort of compromised in his devotional service, in the month of Kartik, will try for pure devotional service. In this month, one can take vows to perform some special service because this month is the month of Srimati Radharani. She is especially noticing the service that we render and when she recommends us to Krsna, then Krsna will also be inclined towards us. Radharani is very compassionate and soft-hearted. Therefore, this month is especially a very favorable time to try and attract the mercy. In that way, we prepare for the month of Kartik and see what special service can we offer?

 

 

Radhadesh, Daily Darshan 22-10-2013 (Album 42 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

Radhadesh is a spiritual community based in a 19th century chateau in the Belgian Ardennes. There are presently around eighty people living in the community, which was founded about 1980. In the Château, which has been beautifully renovated by the present inhabitants, you can see a gorgeous temple-room which is unique in Belgium and the Netherlands. Yearly we have about 40.000 visitors. Radhadesh is the main center for ISKCON (the International Society for Krishna Consciousness) in the Benelux Read more ›

Monday, October 21st, 2013
→ The Walking Monk

The Jungle and the Temple

Mahabaleshwar
 
There was a high concentration of saffron at our morning sadhana program.  This simply means that monastic fellows were in good attendance.  The venue was the conference room at Ram Sukh Resort.  We enjoyed singing in gratitude to guru, to Krishna, to His pleasure potency Radha - Female Divine.  And for meditation on the Earth green we praised Tulasi, the sacred herb mentioned over and over in ancient texts of bhakti (devotion).
 
To prove our amicable nature towards the earth's bounties coupled with a fever for seeing old and antiquated anythings, a few of us set foot to trek in the local wilderness.  We had in mind to explore.  Two groups went their own chalked out routes.  Lokanath Swami heading the first group and Dominique was our guide for the second group.  It was a two and a half hour exploration through the low jungles of the area.  We then ventured to a Siva Lingam Temple, a structure from another era; rewinding time 5000 years to when the warrior Bhima of the famous Pandavas erected this piece of wonder.
 
While Bhakti Bhringa Govinda and Radhanath Swamis were being treated for leech attacks, the balance of us zealously stepped into a moment of great honor in time.  At this temple courtyard a stone carving of Siva's bull Nandi spouts out from his mouth the pure water source of one of India's sacred rivers, The Krishna.  The river flows for hundreds of kilometers to the southern state of Kerala - awesome.  We stand to be corrected however, because just a few meters in elevation is another temple where apparently 5 rivers converge in the form of spring water, which come forth like little trickles before they transform into volumes of Bhumi's (earth) elixir.
 
Prahlad Rathi, our resort owner, so kindly ventured with us.  And although he may be classified as being in the big-shot category as a swanky businessman, on the contrary he is as humble and accommodating as they come.  It is not that saintly hood only comes in packages of saffron or in the dress of the royal order like the hero Bhima, but you can find it streaming from anywhere and everywhere like the many springs that rhythmically descend to the base of the Krishna Valley.  By the end of the day we fondly looked at the sun's bowing out in this magical valley.
 
May that great Source be with you!
 
10 KM

Sunday, October 20th, 2013
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Horn Not
 
Mahabaleshwar, India
 
From Juhu a bus load of us elders (I guess you could say) journeyed to the Shayadri Mountains, one of three major ranges in India.  We ventured to a secluded place at the summit of a hill station - The Ram Sukh Resort in Mahabaleshwar where we were to chill for three days.
 
Juhu was our place of business, discussion, and strategic planning.  This resort was to be a place to relax with a non-compulsory program.  It's a first.  Yet it is understood that sadhana or the minimum requirement of japa chanting was still standard.
 
After an interesting zig-zag ride with tight curbs on a windy trail our bus could go no further due to lack of ample maneuvering space.  Conveyance by car took us to the entrance of the resort, a full-vegetarian heaven-on-earth tourist trap.  The rear parking lot has a sign attached to it which reads "HORN NOT OKAY PLEASE."  Not all motorists read the message.  As I made my way with luggage to the Solitarie Building for accommodation, a person insisted on tooting.
 
We lunched with Bhanu Swami (a Japanese Canadian monk), Bhakti Purusottam Swami from Bengal, and Madhusevata (a guru from Italy).  Then it was American-born Kavichandra Swami and I who took to a mediocre-rough trail after lunch.  When Kavichandra was young he was like a Tarzan in spirit.  At the outskirts of his Minniapolis family house were woods galore and he trained himself to move with speed through the forest.
 
Our guide was Dominique Saunders from Madhya Pradesh and he let us know that we should expect wild buffalo, wild boar, deer, and monkeys along our trail of numerous Ayurveda herbs and trees.  We spotted monkeys who appeared to want privacy as we watched them springing from tree to tree.  Deer hoof-prints were on the foot path but no trace otherwise.  Wild boars made their mark with turned-over soil which happens to be richly red.  And as for the wild buffalo - yes, footprints were there.  One nonchalant foot placement by Kavichandra happened to not clear a fresh patty on the forest trail.  I'm sure Tarzan stepped in a lot of this stuff in his time.
 
Fascinating was the presence of volcanic rock in addition to a splendorous view of the Krishna Valley that is spring fed, fueling one of India's sacred rivers that goes by the same name - Krishna.  We happened to be near its source.
 
In December of 1976 our guru, Srila Prabhupada, came to Mahabaleshwar.  Unfortunately the journey to and fro created motion-sickness.
 
May the Source be with you!
 
4 KM

The Way The Mind Works
→ Japa Group

Radhanath Swami advises us to ignore the mind while chanting Hare Krishna, lest it deludes us and distracts us from the path of spiritual progress:

“In life, some of the most dangerous enemies cannot be seen, we don’t even know they are there; we may even consider them as our friends. That is the way the mind works.” Radhanatha Swami

337. Our true size
→ 9 Days, 8 Nights

As the human ego is on a tragic increase, this video helps us understand our small position in the astronomical world.

What does Srila Prabhupad have to say?

“Goloka-namni nija-dhamni. There is a planet in the spiritual world. The material world, you can see the material sky, limit of the sky, the horizon, but you are not able to reach even the moon planet, the nearest planet. But within this universe, within this horizon, there are innumerable planets. Asesa. Yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti kotisv asesa-vasudhadi vibhuti-bhinnam [Bs. 5.40]. By the shining effulgence from the body of Krsna… That is called brahmajyoti. Within that brahmajyoti or effulgence there are innumerable universes. Ananta-koti. Yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti. Koti means innumerable. One million, ten millions equal to one lakh. Such hundred lakhs makes a koti. So actually we see there are innumerable planets but beyond this creation, this is material creation, one-fourth manifestation, one-fourth manifestation of God’s creation, this, this material world… This is also only one universe. There are innumerable universes clustered together and beyond this clustering of universes there is another sky which is called paravyoma or spiritual sky. If you want to go there, then you have to penetrate through the material coverings — earth, water, fire, water, fire, air, like that. Each layer so big. And the next layer is ten times more than the first layer. In this way there are seven layers. So penetrating through that seven layers you reach the spiritual sky. And after reaching the spiritual sky, there are so many Vaikuntha planets, spiritual planets.”


Invitation to the Launch of 1Malaysia Deepavali-Damodara at Panggung Anniversary
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BY SRI JAGANNATH MANDIR, KL

More photos here

KUALA LUMPUR - ISKCON Malaysia will be celebrating the 1Malaysia Deepavali-Damodara festival at Panggung Anniversary, Kuala Lumpur Lake Gardens this Saturday, 26 October from 6pm-9pm. Many exciting cultural programmes and a grand vegetarian dinner awaits you. Entrance is free! Kindly share this message with all your friends. Please help us spread this message on behalf of our sweet Lord Krishna. 

The first principle
→ KKS Blog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 11 September 2013, Durban, South Africa, Lalita Sasti Lecture)

sp collectionKrsna’s message must be delivered. Prabhupada made it very clear.

Prabhupada came to this world as a messenger and dedicated his whole life to being a messenger. He humbly requested us to be messengers so that we would assist him. He alone, of course, did more to spread the message than all of us are doing together. But still, everyone has to take something of the message and carry it a bit further along the way. He carried it with great steps in enormous quantities. We carry little drops of mercy. But something of a messenger we must be. That is the first principle.

 

 

 

 

Travel Journal#9.19: New York City Harinamas
→ Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 9, No. 19
By Krishna-kripa das
(October 2013, part one)
New York City
(Sent from New York City on October 22, 2013)

Where I Went and What I Did

Niranjana Swami encouraged me to support Rama Raya Prabhu’s program of chanting for hours each day in New York’s Union Square, and so I decided to do it for two months this year, October and November. Devotees chant on the southwest corner of Union Square, right in front of the subway entrance, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. every day, except Saturday when they try to begin at 10 a.m. and continue to 10 p.m.! On weekend evenings sometimes we would also have a walking chanting party in Times Square beginning at 8:30 p.m. Once we visited Tompkins Square Park. Also during the beginning of October, Karen, my sister, visited New York City for four days for a seminar, and I arranged she have three Krishna prasadam lunches.

The insights section includes quotes from my reading of Srila Prabhupada’s books and hearing his lectures, from reading Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s blog, and from hearing a recorded lecture by Niranjana Swami.

Harinama in Union Square

When I joined Rama Raya Prabhu’s harinama party in Union Square for a few days last April, the devotees would chant 4 hours a day and 6 hours on Saturday. Now they chant 6 hours a day and 12 hours on Saturday! That is an increase from 30 to 48 hours per week!

When we start at 2:00 p.m. we may have only 4 or 5 people chanting, playing the instruments, or dancing, but by 6:00 p.m. or so, we often have 20. 


On three occasions over the last two weeks I counted over 27 people altogether.

Sometimes we attracted quite a crowd.


Perhaps 6 or 7 people in our group do not do any other Hare Krishna practice. They are local people who have just become attached to regularly taking part in the sankirtana in Union Square by playing instruments, clapping, dancing, and/or sometimes chanting.

Sally, the eldest of the regularly attending locals, is 78 years old and still works as a clinical psychologist.


She comes out almost every day and sits in a chair the party has provided for her.


She chants for an hour or so, puts a donation in our box, and goes on her way. I met her in November 2012 when I spent several days on the party. One of those days she spontaneously exclaimed, “This is the best thing that has happened in Union Square since I moved here over 40 years ago!” During my visit this time she surprised me by coming out twice in the same day. I asked her about it, and she said she likes to come because the chanting has a good effect on her mind. She explained that it has the unusual ability to make you feel both relaxed and energized at the same time. She said when she comes to Union Square to chant with us, if she had problems on her mind, when she leaves, she cannot remember what the problems were. She was thankful about that.

Our chanting party sets up in Union Square directly across East 14thStreet from a shop with a sign “FOREVER 21.”


The shop reminded me of a selection from Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is, verse 4.6, purport, where he describes the transcendental nature of Lord Krishna’s body:
“And although His body does not deteriorate like a material body, it still appears that Lord Krishna grows from childhood to boyhood and from boyhood to youth. But astonishingly enough He never ages beyond youth. At the time of the Battle of Kurukṣetra, He had many grandchildren at home; or, in other words, He had sufficiently aged by material calculations. Still He looked just like a young man twenty or twenty-five years old. We never see a picture of Krishna in old age because He never grows old like us, although He is the oldest person in the whole creation — past, present, and future.”
In the spiritual world, which anyone can attain by pure chanting of the holy name of the Lord, all the residents have transcendental bodies like Krishna’s which are not subjected to aging, and it was wonderful to be reminded of that truth by seeing the shop sign.

I was discussing about “Forever 21” with our party leader Rama Raya Prabhu, in the presence of my sister, Karen, who was visiting. Having come on one harinama with me briefly in London in May during a stopover on her flight to South Africa, Karen pointed out that the Hare Krishnas also chant outside young adult clothing shops in the UK, a humorous similarity that I would have never noticed!


Our chanting set up includes an altar facing the singers for inspiration.

We have no dress code. Some devotees dress in dhotis and saris. Some were casual clothes. Some coming from or going to work, wear more formal Western clothes.


We bring lots of extra instruments for both the devotees and the onlookers to play.


Children especially like to play instruments.


Sometimes the parents get into it too.


Also the children would sometimes dance.



And adults would clap.



Guys often like to play the djembe, the one-headed African drum.


One guy plays that drum, while his daughter plays the shakers.


Some people bring their own instruments.
One man likes to drum with drum sticks on an inverted bucket.


Some people both play the instruments and dance.

One guy enjoyed dancing with us.


And then sat down to chant with us.


Srila Prabhupada’s books can attract even kids.



Often Lila Padma dd would make great cookies which Candra Mohini dd would distribute.


Sometimes locals would sweep before the party.


One danced and swept at the same time!


A local artist occasionally comes by
and makes a drawing of our party.


One evening on the Union Square harinamaI had a wonderful experience. One couple stood watching us for over an hour, smiling, singing, clapping, dancing, and ultimately playing the shakers. The lady came up to me and asked if I was in Rishikesh in March of 2012. I had been there assisting Navina Nirada Prabhu with “The Bhakti Experience,” a two-week program of gathering each noon with lots of chanting, a little talk about bhakti (the yoga of devotion), and spiritualized vegetarian food. She said that time in Rishikesh was the second time she met the Hare Krishnas, but the nearly two hours of chanting made it especially profound. She showed me the chanting beads she bought from us then and said she chants on them every day. She has been to our temple in her home country of Kazakhstan and has met B. B. Govinda Swami, our leader there. She told me she has a 15-year-old son and wanted to know of an ashram in the west where he could spend the summer doing harinamaevery day. I told her about Rama Raya Prabhu and the program in New York City, and I will tell her about the programs with regular harinamas in Soho, Bhaktivedanta Manor, and Ann Arbor, as well.


The next day she came back to Union Square to talk with Rama Raya and stayed to chant for a few minutes before her flight home, playing the personal set of karatalas she was traveling with. We always wonder about the effect of our outreach programs, especially when we and those attending them are from different countries and may never meet again, and so it was very inspiring for me to hear her story.

Another day at Union Square, an older man who was photographing the harinamaparty told me that he used to sing with the Hare Krishnas and the Swami in Tompkins Square Park. He said later he did a photo article on Prabhupada’s Palace for Lifemagazine.


Sara was wandering around New York City in a depressed state of mind, until she encountered the Harinama NYCchanting party in Union Square, and then her fortune changed. She was amazed to see so many happy people. She listened for several minutes, got a pamphlet “On Chanting Hare Krishna,” talked for quite a while with Rama Raya Prabhuand a another devotee, who liberally gave her a Gitaalthough she did not have the money. She was very grateful.


She told me her birthday was coming up on Wednesday, and she did not have any friends in New York City to celebrate it with. I invited her to celebrate it with us as we would be singing here at Union Square from 2 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, and I said I would try to bring her a special sweet. She liked the idea and said she would come. Satya dd, wife of Ramabhadra Prabhu, temple president in Brooklyn, kindly donated a Hare Krishna T-shirt and a couple cupcakes as a gift, and I obtained some Radha-Govinda maha-sweets, but unfortunately Sara did not remember her plan to return to see the devotees at Union Square on her birthday. We keep the T-shirt with us, for her next appearance.

Michael Collins from Gainesville is one of my favorite singers.


He played in a band and is really talented, and he just puts a lot of energy into the kirtana. He chooses lively tunes that are easy to sing, and the passersby are often attracted as you can see in these video clips (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xLr23RqjCzrPXxcGe18SbR8):


A couple groups of friends all decided to dance with us, and Candra Mohini dd was their leader with Phalguni Radhika dd helping out later. You can see how happy they were.




Here is some video of it (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xKmoh9hN8UzWNXBHmFnkT97):


Did you ever see a man with angel wings

dancing on harinama?


How about a guy in purple underwear?


What about a girl playing kalatalas

and eating an ice cream cone?




How about seeing all this in the same day?

That is Union Square!

When Rama Raya Prabhu was leading the chanting, the man with angel wings danced with the guy in purple underwear as you can see in this video (http://youtu.be/6vcoVRR2ltM):



One day when I was singing, Candra Mohini dd invited two girls to sit on the blanket next to her. She taught them to chant which they did for twenty minutes, and then they began to dance. After I finished I thanked them for dancing, and asked them about their experience with Hare Krishna. They said they had seen the chanting in Union Square many times but had never stopped before. That was the first time. They mentioned they were now thinking of going to the Sunday program at the Bhakti Center. They asked if there was early morning chanting in the park. I told them the Bhakti Center does chanting indoors at 6:30 a.m. The only outdoor morning chanting I know of is in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, near the pier at 7:00 a.m. on Sundays. They seemed very happy that they stopped and chanted and danced with the Hare Krishnas and got pamphlets and invitations, and I hope they come by again.

Two girls who are in a masters program in media studies had to record sound for a course project. One of the girls was born in Kolkata and attended our largest temple in Delhi, while getting her undergraduate degree there. As she regularly passed by the Union Square harinama, her school being nearby, there was no doubt about what sound she was going to record for her course! In addition to recording ten minutes of chanting with professional equipment, she and her American-looking friend got prasadam cookies, and her friend got the pamphlet “On Chanting Hare Krishna.”

Dustin, a new devotee from Canada, who comes twice a year to New York City to work with the Metropolitan Opera, joined us one day on the Union Square harinama. Although Dustin prefers to listen, considering kirtana to be another style of singing than his own, Rama Raya appreciating his booming, resonant voice, engaged him in leading a Hare Krishna tune, which turned out to be my favorite and I had a great time dancing to it. Many people were attracted to listen to his nice singing.

One girl in purple tights who came by, showing a little interest, explained that her dog was named Krishna.

One morning in our Brooklyn temple, I was surprised to encounter Citraratha dd, a Prabhupada disciple from Geneva, who I had once chanted Hare Krishna with on the Paris metro a few years ago. She is vacationing in New York City, desiring more association with Hare Krishna devotees than she gets in Geneva, where we do not have a temple. I told her about the Union Square harinama party, and she came out that very day. She sang the response and talked to people who appreciated the chanting. One lady she spoke with came from a Muslin background and then married a Christian man. As as result, neither had a spiritual practice for many years, and now they are on a spiritual search. Citraratha, after talking with the lady for several minutes, invited her to a Hare Krishna program in the local area and is hopeful that they will come.

Amazing enough, in the first half of October, we had only one rainy day. Then we chanted in a crowded, but very loud area of the Union Square subway station, just above the downtown 4, 5, and 6 trains.




I share below some more video clips showing the chanting and dancing at Union Square (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xJ4mQKXgH5CZY9jA1DK69JU):


To see the rest of the pictures I took, but which I did not use to illustrate this journal, most of which are of harinama at Union Square, go to this link:



Times Square is so crowded in the evenings it is a great place to share the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra with people. Sunanda Prabhu, and his party from our Krishna Balarama temple in Queens, would join devotees from the Union Square harinama party, and chant from 8:30 p.m. onward.

Sometimes we would chant on the subway to Times Square.



Once Yadubara Prabhu, who produced the Following Prabhupada DVD series, as well as many other video and photographic Hare Krishna projects, came and sang with us at Times Square.



Some young people very much enjoyed clapping, dancing, and playing instruments with us.




Here is a short video clip of it (http://youtu.be/8g1MpbeS7k8):


Once in Times Square, one man exclaimed as the harinamaparty passed, “I thought they were extinct!”

Tompkins Square Park

Deva Madhava Prabhu, who comes from Michigan one week a month to chant in Union Square, describes an amazing experience he had at Tompkins Square Park, also in New York City, where Srila Prabhupada began outdoor chanting with his disciples back in 1966:



“These children are standing around ‘the Hare Krishna Tree’ in Tompkins Square Park in New York City, famous as the place Swami Prabhupada began singing Hare Krishna. Their teacher Deborah asked me, ‘Is their a spirit in this tree?’ While I assured her all tree’s have souls, I did let her known about the saint who had began his teachings their over 40 years before. Deborah has for the last 11 years been bringing her classes to the tree to sing ‘The Tree Song.’ They sing to the tree, hug the tree, draw the tree and even kiss the tree. October 9 is the anniversary of Swami Prabhupada’s first time chanting under the great elm. I could feel him there last Friday when I asked the teacher if the children would like to learn the song the saint sang under the same tree years ago, and as they chanted Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare I remembered a miracle is not seeing that God has done one thing, but realizing that He does everything.”

On October 9, after finishing our chanting at Union Square, the harinama team came to celebrate the 47thanniversary of Srila Prabhupada and his followers first chanting in that park back on that day in 1966. Some of the devotees chanted in a procession there from Union Square.



We chanted as we circumambulated the park’s famous Hare Krishna tree, and then sat down and talked about spreading the chanting of the holy name and Srila Prabhupada’s mission.

My Sister Karen’s Prasadam Lunches

Karen, my sister, is a licensed mental health counselor living in Albany, and occasionally comes to New York City, as she did the second weekend in October, for a four-day seminar on counseling techniques for people working with refugees. The person giving the seminar was from India and incorporated ideas from different traditions in his course, including Ayur Veda and the conception of the subtle body.


Friday I met Karen and brought her salad, bread, koftas, and eggplant parmesan from Govinda’s Vegetarian Lunch, the restaurant run by Satya dd in the Radha Govinda temple in Brooklyn.


Saturday I saved some subji, rice, and dal from the temple breakfast for her lunch and she met me at the kirtana party at Union Square.


Sunday we went to the Doughnut Plant, a doughnut shop in Manhattan owned by Mark, a Hare Krishna devotee. Karen bought me a peanut butter and banana cream-filled doughnut as a belated birthday present and had a chocolate cake doughnut for herself. I also gave her some cheese cake that Satya dd gave me and a piece of pera and a tulasi leaf from Radha Govinda. All and all Karen did well taking lots of Krishna prasadam during her trip to New York!

Over meals, when discussing conflicts between those of different faiths, I happened to mention about the three levels of devotees mentioned in our Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition and their different qualities. The neophytes are those who recognize God and the saints only within their tradition but not beyond. The second level can identify God, the saints, the innocent, and the those averse to God by their qualities in whatever tradition or in whatever place they appear. People on this level serve the Lord with love, make friends with those devoted to Him, enlighten those open to spirituality, and avoid those antagonistic to spiritual life. Those on highest level see God in everything and in everyone, and so are very kind to every living being. My sister commented that it seemed practical that those on second level could make the distinctions needed to run the society so those on the highest level could be free to show kindness to everyone. That observation impressed me.


Living in New York City


I live in our Brooklyn temple where I have the incredibly good fortune of seeing Radha Govinda for mangala-arati every day, as well as honoring their maha-prasadam, and doing service for Their restaurant.


They were the first Radha Krishna deities I ever saw, and when I was a new devotee in Their temple on 55th Street, I would transfer Their mangala-arati sweets.


Although not a tourist, I saw the famed Statue of Liberty in the distance, both from the air while arriving in New York and from the subway daily enroute to Union Square from Brooklyn.





Insights

Srila Prabhupada:

from Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 8.310, purport:

“All Vedic literatures declare that transcendental subjects cannot be understood simply by argument or logic. Spiritual matters are far above experimental knowledge. Only by Krishna’s mercy can one who is interested in His transcendental loving affairs understand them. If one tries to understand these transcendental topics simply by using one’s material brain substance, the attempt will be futile. Whether one is a prakrita-sahajiyaor a mundane opportunist or scholar, one’s labor to understand these topics by mundane means will ultimately be frustrated. One therefore has to give up all mundane attempts and try to become a pure devotee of Lord Vishnu. When a devotee follows the regulative principles, the truth of these talks will be revealed to him.”

fromSri Caitanya-caritamrita,Madhya 9.8, purport:

“The holy names of Krishna and Hari, or the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra,are so spiritually powerful that even today, as our preachers go to remote parts of the world, people immediately begin chanting Hare Krishna. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. There cannot be anyone who can compare to Him or His potencies. However, because we are following in His footsteps and are also chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra,the effect is almost as potent as during the time of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Our preachers mainly belong to European and American countries, yet by the grace of Lord Caitanya they have tremendous success wherever they go to open branches. Indeed, everywhere people are very seriously chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.”

from a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.14 on August 17, 1972, in Los Angeles:

“Krishna consciousness is so nice even those who are incorrigible can be delivered. This is mentioned in Srimad-Bhagavatam [2.4.18]:Kirata hunandhra pulinda pulasa.”

“If you say why are you interested to save the human society—that is Krishna’s business. Krishna wants, God wants that all these living entities they should back home back to Godhead. Why are they suffering? Therefore Krishna comes personally. . . . He wants, “Come back home. Dance with Me. Eat with Me.” . . . Because we are Krishna conscious, we are servants of God, therefore, it is our duty to save this civilization.”

from Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.17.29, purport:

“Those who are not narayana-para,pure devotees, must be disturbed by this duality of the material world, whereas devotees who are simply attached to the service of the Lord are not at all disturbed by it. For example, Haridasa Thakura was beaten with cane in twenty-two bazaars, but he was never disturbed; instead, he smilingly tolerated the beating. Despite the disturbing dualities of the material world, devotees are not disturbed at all. Because they fix their minds on the lotus feet of the Lord and concentrate on the holy name of the Lord, they do not feel the so-called pains and pleasures caused by the dualities of this material world.”

from Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.17.31, purport:

“One who engages in unalloyed devotional service to Vasudeva, Krishna, automatically becomes aware of this material world, and therefore he is naturally detached. This detachment is possible because of his high standard of knowledge. The speculative philosopher tries to understand that this material world is false by cultivating knowledge, but this understanding is automatically manifested in the person of a devotee, without separate endeavor.”

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:


Sri Radha-rasa-suddha-nidhi (The Book of Radha) by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja translated by Dasaratha Suta Prabhu

“(257) A Prayer to Sri Govinda for Bestowing Maidservice to Sri Radha

O Sri Govinda!
That crown jewel among all Vraja gopis
Her lotus feet’s sheer splendor and majesty
is supremely dear to You
even greater than millions upon millions of hearts
—Please accept me in Her maidservice
full of the most unique fresh new rasa—
Again and again—every moment, O Lord of lords!
I beg this of You with all my heart and soul!”

“(259) Krishna-bhajana as a Feature of Radha-dasya

Constantly meditating
on He who wears the peacock-feather crown
incessantly singing
His nama-sankirtana [congregational chanting of His name]
worshipfully serving
His lotus feet
chanting quietly
His best of mantras . . .
holding in my heart only the supremely cherished
eternal service to the lotus feet of Sri Radha.
When, O when, by His grace
will I become a participant
in Their extremely astonishing festival of divine love?”

from “Poem for October 3 [2013]”in Viraha Bhavan:


“Today’s drawing shows four bhaktas dancing and chanting
with upraised arms.
Where are they located?
Are they with Rama-raya’s harinama party in Union Square?
Are they at the campus of
the University of Florida in Gainesville?
Are they in some remote
countryside with no one in sight?
Use your imagination
and place them where you will.
It’s bound to be auspicious
wherever Hare Krishna is sung.”

[This poem was striking to me because I chanted at the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville in September, and I chanted with Rama-raya’s harinama party in Union Square in October, and my diksa-guru, Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, mentioned both places in this poem!]

Niranjana Swami:

Visvanatha Cakravati Thakura says that Krishna does not consider maintaining a devotee who is fully dependent on Him to be a burden just as a family man does not consider taking care of his family a burden or a man does not consider carrying his lover a burden.

In his copy of Bhagavad-gita, Arjunacarya changedthe wordvahami to the word karomi in verse 9.22, because he did not think that Krishna personally provides for His devotee.

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krsir bhu-vacakah sabdo
naś ca nirvriti-vacakaḥ
tayor aikyaḿ paraḿ brahma
krishna ity abhidhiyate


“The word ‘krish’ is the attractive feature of the Lord’s existence, and ‘na’means spiritual pleasure. When the verb ‘krish’is added to the affix ‘na,’it becomes ‘Krishna,’ which indicates the Absolute Truth.” (Mahabharata,Udyoga-parva 71.4, quoted in Śri Caitanya-caritamrita,Madhya 9.30)