Travel Journal#8.23: North Florida and New York State
→ Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 8, No. 23
By Krishna-kripa das
(December 2012, part one)
North Florida and New York State
(Sent from Brooklyn, New York, on January 7, 2013)

What I Went and What I Did

December started off with a new event for the North Florida Hare Krishnas on its very first day, the St. Augustine Christmas parade. In Gainesville, we had our last week of Krishna Lunch on the campus for the year, and I chanted on the campus through Wednesday. That Wednesday we had our usual harinama at the Gainesville Farmers Market, which had a special feature this time. Thursday Andy drove me to University of North Florida where Hladini, Amrita, Dorian, and Dorian’s friend, Tim, and I chanted together for four hours outside the Student Union as hundreds of students traded in their used books. Hladini also distributed many cookies and invitations to our Thursday evening program which Tim ended up coming to for the first time. On Friday I flew to Philadelphia where I saw Radha-Saradbihari and Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu, and Sraddha dd, and where I took my niece, Fern, to my friend Haryasva Prabhu’s Govinda’s Restaurant, along with Jaya Sita dd and Varuni, a couple friends from Florida. The next day I went to Stuyvesant Falls, New York, about 100 miles north of New York City, where my initiating guru, Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami had his Vyasa Puja ceremony that weekend. For the next week after that I served Satsvarupa Maharaja, by cooking his breakfast and lunch, cleaning his room, and washing everyone’s dishes. Muktavandya Prabhu, who was also assisting Satsvarupa Maharaja, and I went to Hudson on the warmest day of that week and did harinama for an hour, and we received some favorable gestures and smiles from a few locals and no negativity. On Saturday the 15th, I made a day trip to New York City to do harinama and kirtana, and to hear from my siksa guru, Niranjana Swami. That harinama was a special experience because of the response, and I share some video of some Santa Clauses dancing along with our party.

I share insights of visiting guests like Niranjana and Rtadhvaja Swamis and Malati Prabhu, as well as senior devotees in the Alachua Country community like Kalakantha and Sesa Prabhus. I tell of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s Vyasa Puja ceremony and include some nice excerpts from his autobiography, The Story of My Life, in which he describes the early days with Srila Prabhupada. Then I share details from presentations by newer devotees in Gainesville and Jacksonville.

Lord Jagannatha Blesses the St. Augustine Christmas Parade


By the grace of enthusiastic devotees from Alachua, Ratha-yatras are on the increase in North Florida. For the first time we had a Ratha-yatra cart in the St. Augustine Christmas parade. It was also special as this was first time as the new replica Jagannatha Deities rode on the cart. Dharma-raj Prabhu and his family, as usual, made all kinds of practical arrangements, getting the cart there, and decorated.



Although I love freely distributing promotional literature about Krishna consciousness because I am convinced it will benefit the people, I was not very enthusiastic during the beginning of the parade because I thought the authorities would not appreciate us doing that at the parade and that the vast majority of the people would not be interested. Of course, I did it anyway as a matter of duty, and I was very pleasantly surprised. Many, many people were happy to see the devotees, and they reached out with smiles and words and gestures of approval to take the Krishna, Reservoir of Pleasure and On Chanting Hare Krishna pamphlets that we were distributing. Of course, the prasadam candy canes were even more popular. After two-thirds of the parade, a light rain started, and I hid the pamphlets under my kurta for protection and continued to distribute. Later Kesava Prabhu got a call from the organizers in St. Augustine, saying that we won the award for the most unique float. Of course, that is not so surprising. Who is more unique than Lord Jagannatha, His brother, and sister on their glorious cart and His entourage of singing and dancing followers?

1565Today.com, St. Augustine, Florida’s newest online magazine, in an article “The St. Augustine Christmas Parade Wows the Kids” posted on December 1, writes “And honorable mention goes to the Hare Krishna devotees, who sang and tambourined their way through the city in a colorful injection of ethnic and religious diversity.” The two pictures illustrating this article were taken by Brian Nelson of 1565Today.com and are used with his permission.

A Special Harinama at the Farmers Market

With devotees working on Krishna Lunch and finishing up projects and papers and studying for finals as the semester ended, we had few devotees to chant at the first Gainesville Farmers Market in December. There was one surprise addition to our chanting party though, and that is our friend, Anna, a Quaker lady in her sixties, who originally came in touch with Hare Krishna at the very same Farmers Market perhaps a year or so ago. She developed a fondness for chanting Hare Krishna on beads, attends some programs, and sometimes helps serve out the Krishna Lunch on the porch of Krishna House. She chanted with us for an hour at the Farmers Market, spontaneously giving out invitations to those sitting or standing nearby, so they could benefit from some of the gifts the Krishna consciousness movement is sharing, as she herself has.

December 15 Harinama in New York City

As I walked from 34 West 31th Street, where the Chinese bus from Albany dropped me off, to find our harinama in Union Square, or as it turned out, Washington Square Park, I was amazed to see somewhere between 10% and 25% of the people were dressed as Santa Claus! “What is going on?” I wondered. Later as I researched this article, I found out, “SantaCon!” According to Wikipedia, “SantaCon is an annual mass gathering of people dressed in Santa Claus costumes parading publicly on streets and in bars in cities around the world. The focus is on spontaneity and creativity, while having a good time and spreading cheer and goodwill.” [Donaldson James, Susan (December 11, 2009). "Santa Con: Kringle Chaos is Coming to Town". ABC News. Retrieved December 18, 2011.]

People are in mood of celebration around Christmas, and during SantaCon, that is intensified. Thus during our five-hour harinama, many jolly Santas danced along with the devotees, as you can see in these videos by Bhakta Peter of The Bhakti Center:






We ended our harinama fifteen minutes to eight, a little early, as many devotees wanted to attend the rest of this month’s six-hour kirtana at the Bhakti Center, with Niranjana Swami as a special guest. We made an announcement to those dancing with us at the end to follow us to 25 First Avenue for some more singing, dancing, and refreshments, and about five or six of the Christmas partiers came along. I noticed two of them stayed at least two hours. The most enthusiastic was Yael, a NYU student, who was attracted to the kirtana in Washington Square Park being a percussionist. Although it was her first encounter with Hare Krishna kirtana, she played the djembe drum with the party for several hours, came to the Bhakti Center for more kirtana and prasadam, and she even washed a few pots. The next day she returned to catch the end of Niranjana Swami’s lecture.


She showed up for a few harinamas the next week, and hopes to visit the Chicago temple when she returns home for the holidays.

It was awesome for me to see all the people doing so many acts of devotion as a result of meeting the harinama party on the SantaCon day. This daily four-hour harinama in Manhattan organized by Rama Raya Prabhu is a very powerful outreach event!

Insights

Niranjana Swami:

To accept one’s imminent death as good news takes realization.

My mother was ninety and had no interested in hearing the word “death.” As far as she was concerned, she would live another hundred years. Although there were signs that things would not improve, she did not take them seriously. Five months before she passed away she was in a rehabilitation hospital and she told me, “I do not belong here. This place is only for old and sick people.” Life is meant for learn how to deal with the unavoidable event of death, but our present society is not dealing with this. My aunt got notice she was going to die within a week, and my sister invited me to visit her. My aunt said about me, “Look at him. Look at his eyes. Look at how peaceful he is! He looks like he knows the purpose of life.” Then she addressed me directly, “I can tell that you can accept whatever happens to you in life. Can you teach me to be like that?” People detected that something was going to happen and so they left, not for a long time as it turned out. I explained that soul exists beyond the body, and takes up another body according to one’s karma. Then an old friend came in and our conversation ended, but at least she could understand her situation and try to deal with it.

As it turned out I was with my mother alone in the room as she was dying. I saw her breathing was slowing down, and I decided to stop reading and chant Hare Krishna kirtana. And so I was chanting Hare Krishna for five minutes when my mother left her body. When I messaged Devamrita Swami, he replied that Prabhupada told Giriraja that parents of devotees at the time they leave their bodies will realize their good fortune of having a child who became a devotee. When my sister came in the room she said to me, “Your face is glowing. As soon as I saw your face. I knew everything was alright.”

We have to feel as a result of our devotional service that Krishna is there making arrangements in our life.

Bali Maharaja was cheated by the Lord, to whom He had offered three steps of land, but who had taken everything in two. But Bali was so elevated, he was not disturbed.

Voluntary repentance is the way to get the Lord’s attention, not to blame others.

Pariksit Maharaja saw the curse as an opportunity to become detached from all his material possessions and to become attached to Krishna.

The devotees have the greatest asset and the greatest benediction—to remember the Lord. The Lord minimizes other things in a devotee’s life to facilitate that.

We should practice developing this consciousness throughout our life, not just at the time of death.

from a conversation after the lecture:

In 1972 I lived in a hippy commune on Cape Cod. There were 15 fifteen of us, and we all had our own dogs. We considered that we would not want to kill our dogs and so it was hypocritical to kill animals for food, and thus we all became vegetarian. Many people liked to cook, but no one liked to clean up, so there were piles of dishes in the sink. As I was becoming a devotee by reading Bhagavad-gita, I knew Krishna would not accept the offering if the kitchen was not clean, so I would always clean the kitchen before I cooked. When the others understood that I would clean the kitchen before it was my turn to cook, they became even less enthusiastic to clean their own pots and dishes. I became resentful that I was doing everyone else’s dishes. When I came to the temple for the first time, I had been reading Bhagavad-gita for some days. When the devotees asked me if I wanted to do some service after the Sunday Feast, I agreed. They led me to the kitchen, and I saw a pile of pots that was bigger than I had ever seen before. I was shocked, but because I agreed to do some service, I did it, although reluctantly. When I was halfway through, another devotee came in. His name was Narendra. He was rejoicing seeing my fortunate position being engaged in the Lord’s service, but it was difficult to appreciate his mood. Then he spoke to me some words that completely transformed my consciousness: “By cleaning Krishna’s pots, you are cleaning your heart.” Then I saw the service in a completely different way. It was different than cleaning the pots at the co-op house. These were indeed Krishna’s pots, and I was becoming closer to Krishna by cleaning them.

Rtadhvaja Swami:

from Kalakantha Prabhu’s grandchild’s grains ceremony:

When we were having festivals almost every weekend in LA, Srila Prabhupada told us, “If you let me know, I can give you a festival for every day.”

These events, like the child’s grains ceremony, allow us to remember that human life is meant for self-realization not sense gratification.

There is a pastime with Narottama Dasa Thakura. He would not take the grains at his grains ceremony repeatedly. Then they realized that the grains had not been offered to Krishna first. They made a new batch, and offered it to Krishna, and tried again, this time successfully.

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami [Vyasa-puja address]:

The purpose of the guru is to guide the disciple to go back to Godhead as soon as possible. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura advised to go back in this life. Why wait for additional births?

Srila Prabhupada said if you are 75% pure you can go back.

Srila Prabhupada said, “If you hold on my dhoti I can take you back to Godhead. I have a key to the back door.”

My task is to represent Srila Prabhupada to you. I have been representing Srila Prabhupada to people since being temple president in Boston.

I am in stable health and sound mind, and I am determined to serve you for the forseeable future.

It is said of the guru that he lives forever, and the follower lives with him by his instructions.

We serve the guru by taking care of him and serving his preaching mission.

I preach by the way I live my life and by my writing.

I wrote Srila Prabhupada asking if I could write, but fearfully, that I was so daring to write when he has written so nicely.

Srila Prabhupada replied, mentioning all the acaryas [previous spiritual teachers] who wrote extensively and saying, “Any self-realized soul can write unlimited books not deviating from the original purpose.”

Lilamrita [Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s biography of Hare Krishna founder Srila Prabhupada] is second best selling Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) book next to Bhagavad-gita As It Is.

I am writing now for my daily web site, beginning with quotations from a rasa-sastra, accompanied by illustrations, and then a japa report. I continue the japa report although it is repetitious because devotees say it helps their japa. I draw a picture. Then I tell about my life, telling my interactions with the devotees I live with, the local devotees, and those who visit here, along with material from the books I am hearing each day. And finally I tell about my deity worship.

By reading these writings is the best way for my disciples to keep in touch with me. It takes only ten minutes to have a relationship for me in cyberspace each day.

I try to write a book a year and present it to my disciples on Vyasa-puja day.

We have 150 books on Kindle and e-readers.

Radhanatha Swami looked through Prabhupada Smaranam and liked it very much. He promised to get help to print many copies for his followers.

I have written about Prabhupada, practices of devotional service, and the chanting of the holy name.

It is the duty of us all to produce as many Krishna conscious books as possible. People can help with these different tasks:

  1. We have funds. We need cover designs and proofreading for fifty low run books.
  2. Locating and digitizing art work.
  3. Obtaining a tripod for photography.
  4. Typists and proofreaders for my autobiography.
  5. Visit and promote sdgonline.org and our Facebook site.
  6. Buy ebooks and post comments on them.
  7. Print 50 sets of 100 of my books to place in schools and libraries at $7 per book.
  8. Transferring audio tapes to digital format.

We owe such a debt to the Goswamis, Krishna dasa Kaviraja Goswami, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and Srila Prabhupada for all their books.

I wrote 25 books about Srila Prabhupada.

I give people Caitanya Vaishnavism through a variety of genres.

If you attain pure love for Krishna, I will consider my spiritual master duties successful, and you can bless me, and we can go back to Godhead together. Srila Prabhupada writes about this in connection with Dhruva Maharaja taking his mother back to Godhead. That is my request of you. Thank you very much.


Vyasa-puja Homages:

Haridasa Prabhu:

You have led us by your example to be a follower of Srila Prabhupada. You are his faithful and empowered representative. Your writing of books is a great contribution in this. You are inextricably linked with Srila Prabupada. Your honesty has endeared you to your readers.

Rama Raya Prabhu:

You have linked us to Srila Prabhupada wonderfully for so many years. When I have your association I feel Srila Prabhupada’s presence.

I could distribute cards for your site on harinama.

Krishna-kripa das:

You praised your disciples who are publishing and selling Russian translations of your books. I just wanted to say from my own experience at the Ukraine festival, Isani and Alexi Prabhus set up their GN Press book table at the very beginning of the festival and go to the very end. Instead of working a single book table together as many couples would do, they have two separate tables at different locations to increase sales. This year new and reprinted titles numbered five, including Entering a Life of Prayer, Prabhupada Appreciation, Japa Transformations, and Distribute Books.

When I quote from your journal on my blog, I could include a link to it.

A friend of my loved your Begging for the Nectar of the Holy Name in which you share your personal struggle. He learned from that it is alright for devotees to be personal and to share feelings, not just to be austere and stoic.

How did you help us? Your writings gave me faith in Srila Prabhupada and the holy name. Your instruction to dance more in kirtana has made me so enthusiastic to dance in kirtana, I do it even when everyone else is sitting down.

Haryasva Prabhu:

I feel sadness that I am not reading or distributing your books as I have in the past.
Prabhupada and the holy name are two gifts you emphasized.

I felt I just missed Srila Prabhupada, but through your writings I feel connected with him.

I find that new people find your books to be easy reading.

Baladeva Vidyabhusana Prabhu:

After three years of interviewing for Lilamrita, the message I got from the devotees was that they wished they had given Srila Prabhupada more time to write as that is what is left, and that they feel bad they did not take advantage of his presence while he was here. This is a realization I had that any disciple can help to do these two things in connection with you.

Mother Lilavatara:

When I met you I felt you were someone special and would be someone special, and you were.

Thanks for teaching us to be more regulated.

The pictures Guru Das posts are special to me.

Your drawings of the devotees are so funny to me and make me so joyful. They make my heart feel so light.

Thank you inspiring us to go back to Godhead by improving our chanting.
Your servants have done such a wonderful job for you over the years.
Thank you for guiding me to become more Krishna consciousness.

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami:

reading from his autobiography, The Story of My Life:

“No talent is required to make a combined diary and autobiography interesting.”—Mark Twain

“The Swami kept leading the chanting for a full half hour. After awhile I got bored, but I kept going and eventually entered into a trancelike stage. It was far out. I went past boredom and became absorbed in the sound vibration. . . . I had the mantra almost memorized, and I was mesmerized. By the time it was over I felt that I was high. I left the storefront and walked home chanting in my mind and feeling certain that I would continue to attend the meetings. I felt I wanted to change my life and become pure.”
“My first personal contact with Srila Prabhupada was in a formal setting — the question and answer period after his lecture. In the company of about fifteen people I raised my hand, and he recognized me. I asked, “Is misery eternal?” My question came from my reading of Van Gogh’s letters to his brother, Dear Theo. In one letter Van Gogh proposes to his brother that “misery is eternal.” I wanted to know what the Swami thought. Without hesitating he answered me, “Yes misery is eternal. You may break your arm and go to the hospital and have your arm healed. But then you may go out and break your leg. In this world there is no end to miseries. But there is another world . . . ” Swamiji explained that if you develop love of God and go back to the spiritual world you will be free of miseries, because there is no misery there. I was satisfied to be recognized, and his answer was assuring, overriding Van Gogh’s dismal view.”
“The early years with Swamiji were my favorite as ISKCON was a small movement, like a family.”

from a talk with disciples about japa:

Acaryas [the great spiritual teachers] say kirtana [chanting loudly with others] is more important than japa [individually chanting softly] because more people benefit, but that does not mean japa is not important, it is fundamental. Srila Prabhupada said it is the most essential instruction.

Japa is so personal. We speak to Krishna and Radha, and ask Them to engage us in Their service.

Lord Caitanya would not eat at the house of anyone who did not daily chant 64 rounds (100,000 names of the Lord).

I know one lady who plays the harmonium and sings kirtana, but does not chant her sixteen rounds of japa. Better that she would chant sixteen rounds first and then play the harmonium.

The mantras are a gift and should be handled gratefully.

In recent years, I have finally been able to pay attention to the names while I chant.

I pray to the holy name, “Please forgive me. Please protect me.”

I long for the day when I feel emotion like in “Siksastakam.”

Chanting is cozy, intimate and warms the heart.

Q: What does it mean no hard and fast rules?
A: It is not like Deity worship where you have to clean yourself first. You can chant morning or night. You can chant in the bathroom. The mantra can be chanted by anyone. You do not have to be initiated to chant. You can even still be doing sinful activities and still chant.

Q: Can you change the words?
A: No. Srila Prabhupada said not “Dear John.” No om, no sivaya. You can play any variety of instruments, and Prabhupada encouraged the musicians to play with us.

Q [by Rama Raya Prabhu]: How would you encourage us to preach in America?
A: Do Union Square harinama. There are bright spots: Kalakantha, Vaisesika, Hari Vilasa. Jayadvaita Swami said the Las Vegas center is encouraging. Take a place and do something, and it will become a bright spot that will be inspiring to others.

comment by Mother Lilavatara: I say Hare Krishna to the people. When they ask what it means? I said it is a blessing. They like that. They say, “I need all the blessings I can get.” Saying Hare Krishna to everyone I meet helps me, as now that I am older and cannot go out so much to share Krishna with people.

comment by Sankarsana Prabhu: Your example of chanting, getting up early, and being regulated, inspies me.

I yearn to progress to suddha-nama.

My disciple in Russia, Isani wrote a prayer, “Dear Lord, please give my guru maharaja nama-ruci [taste for the holy name].”

One should not chant too slowly.

Kalakantha Prabhu:

The conditions of Satya-yuga are similar to the Biblical description of the Garden of Eden. Then when Adam and Eve begot Cain and Able they two brothers got involved in agriculture which corresponds to the second age, Treta.

comment by Vaishnava Dasa: At Janaki Kunda in India one sage was reading the Vishnu Purana. There it said at the end of this age of Kali, the maximum age a human will live is seventeen years while the average is only twelve. A girl could conceive a child at age five.

No doubt that the teaching of Jesus Christ is pure bhakti, but with all that has happened over the years, it is hard to encounter his pure teachings.

I was involved with one meditation group where I had to pay for the mantra, and each successive class was more expensive than the last. The introduction to pure devotion is free, the intermediate instruction in devotion is also free, and the advanced classes in devotional service are also free.

Malati Prabhu:

There are two levels of liberation (1) freedom from material desires, and (2) positive engagement in Krishna’s service.

The Mayavadis accept the light but do not find out the source of the light, so theirs is an inferior understanding.

The natural instinct of the liberated person is to engage in the devotional service of the Lord.

Bowing down before the Lord is offering a service to Him.

Srila Prabhupada said we should not give children younger than ten the deities because they have not yet developed the necessary cleanliness.

Strictly speaking one should not set the holy books on one’s lap because the clothing below the waist is impure.

Srila Prabhupada’s father gave him 5-inch Radha-Krishna Deities which Prabhupada named Radha-Govinda like the larger Deities of his neighbors.

Srila Prabhupada said the Ratha-yatra cart is not different from the Lord and by decorating the cart one can make great advancement.

The Ratha-yatra symbolizes the gopis pulling Krishna from Kurukshetra to Vrindavana.

All religions are meant for awakening the dormant instinct for devotion for the Supreme Lord—to reconnect with the Supreme Lord.

When we went to England, we were thinking, “We are going to meet the Beatles and get them to chant Hare Krishna.” That was our strategic plan.

We could understand we needed special empowerment to spread Krishna consciousness in England. We had heard from the scriptures about the glories of the lotus feet of the spiritual master, so before leaving for England, we asked Srila Prabhupada if we could touch his feet. We had seen the Indians do it, but we could see Srila Prabhupada did not really like it. He consented, and so we did.

I have interviewed 183 of Srila Prabhupada’s female disciples and at least 180 said he was glowing.

When leading kirtanas in Tompkins Square Park, Srila Prabhupada would encourage people to sing along, and more people began to get involved.

Srila Prabhupada called his society “The International Society for Krishna Consciousness” because he wanted people to understand that Krishna is God.

As soon as George Harrison came in contact with the devotees his devotion sprouted up.

I have had people tell me that they had no idea what Hare Krishna was but because George Harrison made the record, they chanted.

From 1970 to 1971 was a Hare Krishna explosion with 32 new temples being opened.

In the beginning we called the Sunday Feast, the Sunday Love Feast. I think we should get back to calling it that. The world needs a lot more love.

On Srila Prabhupada’s morning walks you got insight on practically applying the teachings in life.

Srila Prabhupada was an expert musician, especially with mrdanga and harmonium, but he made it clear that playing the instruments was simply an accompaniment to the chanting of the maha-mantra.

Srila Prabhupada wrote 6,000 letters that have been archived, and 30,000 photos were taken of him and 70 hours of videos made about him.

Mahatma Prabhu was interesting how organizations were managed. He had seen the Hare Krishnas with their chanting and dancing and happy disposition, and wondered how they were managed. He secured the opportunity to witness a meeting between Srila Prabhupada and his main leaders. Prabhupada began by preaching. Two hours later he was still preaching. Then Mahatma understood that Srila Prabhupada managed by preaching.

Sesa Prabhu:

My daughter was teaching some 1st or 2nd graders as a student teacher as part of getting her teaching degree. One of the boys in the class said to her, “Miss Spellman, I saw you in the parade!” So she had to explain to the teacher and the class that she was in the UF Homecoming parade as a Hare Krishna devotee. The husband of the teacher came by and mentioned how he enjoyed the Krishna Lunch as a student. Then the teacher asked my daughter, “What do you believe?” Later at home at the dinner table, we discussed the best way to answer this, and concluded, “We believe the purpose of life is to love God and serve Him.”

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura considered that first three processes of devotional service, sravanam, kirtanam, vishnu smaranam, hearing, chanting, and remembering the Supreme Lord, are primary, and the other six are contained within these.

We can become absorbed in so many things in life, but they may not be good for ourselves or others, but Krishna kirtana is good for both ourselves and others.

Remembering the Lord is natural, especially when we are in difficulty. When the U.S. astronauts were in a dangerous situation, the American leaders advised the citizens to pray to God for their safety.

The five kinds of smaranam (remembering):
  1. to contemplate something we previously experienced
  2. dharana: to focus our meditation on a specific subject
  3. dhyanam: to meditate on a specific form of the Lord
  4. dhruvanusmriti: a flow of remembrance of some pastime of the Lord.
  5. samadhi: complete absorption.

comment by Mother Akuti: After I gave a class where we talked about how Lord Caitanya got all the animals to dance, we went on harinama, and I encouraged the devotees at least to get all the people to dance. That day we saw a lot of people dressed in animal costumes, and they all danced with us.

Citsukananda Prabhu was preaching in Trinidad, and he met the person who corresponded with Srila Prabhupada before he came to America about coming to Trinidad. The man even showed him the letters he received from Srila Prabhupada.

comment by Malati Prabhu: At the first arati of Radha-Shyamasundara in Vrindavana, Visakha Prabhu wanted to get a picture of Prabhupada doing the arati, but a tall sannyasi was standing in her way. She tapped the sannyasi on the shoulder twice, and the second time said pointing to her camera, “If you stand where you are, you will get a nice vision of Srila Prabhupada offering arati. but if you let me stand there the whole world will get that vision.” The sannyasi kindly traded places with her, and so we have that historic photo.

Tulasi Priya dd:

People who travel tend to be less bigoted, more tolerant, and more open minded.

A temple or place of pilgrimage is so powerful that no matter what your consciousness is, you will connect with Krishna simply by going there.

The Muslims have an idea that at least once in your life you should visit Mecca. Similarly, for us it is valuable if once in our life, we can go to India and visit Krishna’s birthplace.

We watch people’s lives like we watch a movie. We wonder what will happen to our friends next.

Dina Bandhu Prabhu:

In the purport to Bhagavad-gita 11.55 is a description of the spiritual world as having many planets. This tradition has more details of the spiritual world and what is going on there.

Our activities of exploiting material nature which we are thinking are making us happy are actually creating our distress.

Mental speculation is to think that by the power of our inductive reasoning we can understand the ultimate truth without hearing about it from a higher authority.

Bhagavad-gita 18.55 gives make practical suggestions of how to engage in devotional service to Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada explained to one devotee who was entering the household life and worried about how he would get good association there, “If when you are working, if you are remembering that you are working for Krishna, then you are associating with Krishna.”

Amrita Keli dd:

This Hare Krishna mantra is spiritual sound vibration, and it is completely different from any other sound vibration you have heard.

I started chanting Hare Krishna on my way to class, and I found my day went much better.

Bhaktin Laura:

As a result of chanting eight rounds a day, I became more peaceful and was not haunted by things I had done in my past. Recently, because of the end of the semester, I have been too busy to chant eight rounds a day, and I can see I am sometimes haunted by such thoughts as before. I am so glad I am finished now, and I can return to chanting eight rounds.

Bhakta John:

In addition to the famous example of God appearing to Moses as a burning bush, in the Bible it also says the Lord manifest as, “A pillar of a cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night.”

comment by Ananda Loka Prabhu: When I was a tennis instructor, I would remember Krishna by chanting before and after going to work, bringing prasadam to the students, and bringing a small set of beads I could chant on when not otherwise engaged.

comment by Sruti Sagar Prabhu: To avoid bad association, Indradyumna Swami advised me to chant 64 rounds then, glorifying that practice for two minutes before saying at least chant 16 very good rounds.

Krishna-kripa das:

Sign on a church between Gainesville and Jacksonville, “You are the only Bible some people will read.”

from a post on Facebook:

Forty years ago on this day, Dec. 9, 1972, I broke my leg skiing. It hurt like hell, and it was awkward using crutches for six weeks with the snow and ice. In July of that year, my father had passed away, and my grandmother was to pass away in May of the next year. Thus when the Hare Krishnas told me seven years later, that the material world was a miserable place, I felt they actually understood the truth.

-----

susrusoh sraddadhanasya
vasudeva-katha-rucih
syan mahat-sevaya viprah
punya-tirtha-nisevanat

“O twice-born sages, by serving those devotees who are completely freed from all vice, great service is done. By such service, one gains affinity for hearing the messages of Vasudeva [the Supreme Lord].” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.16)

Travel Journal#8.23: North Florida and New York State
→ Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 8, No. 23
By Krishna-kripa das
(December 2012, part one)
North Florida and New York State
(Sent from Brooklyn, New York, on January 7, 2013)

What I Went and What I Did

December started off with a new event for the North Florida Hare Krishnas on its very first day, the St. Augustine Christmas parade. In Gainesville, we had our last week of Krishna Lunch on the campus for the year, and I chanted on the campus through Wednesday. That Wednesday we had our usual harinama at the Gainesville Farmers Market, which had a special feature this time. Thursday Andy drove me to University of North Florida where Hladini, Amrita, Dorian, and Dorian’s friend, Tim, and I chanted together for four hours outside the Student Union as hundreds of students traded in their used books. Hladini also distributed many cookies and invitations to our Thursday evening program which Tim ended up coming to for the first time. On Friday I flew to Philadelphia where I saw Radha-Saradbihari and Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu, and Sraddha dd, and where I took my niece, Fern, to my friend Haryasva Prabhu’s Govinda’s Restaurant, along with Jaya Sita dd and Varuni, a couple friends from Florida. The next day I went to Stuyvesant Falls, New York, about 100 miles north of New York City, where my initiating guru, Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami had his Vyasa Puja ceremony that weekend. For the next week after that I served Satsvarupa Maharaja, by cooking his breakfast and lunch, cleaning his room, and washing everyone’s dishes. Muktavandya Prabhu, who was also assisting Satsvarupa Maharaja, and I went to Hudson on the warmest day of that week and did harinama for an hour, and we received some favorable gestures and smiles from a few locals and no negativity. On Saturday the 15th, I made a day trip to New York City to do harinama and kirtana, and to hear from my siksa guru, Niranjana Swami. That harinama was a special experience because of the response, and I share some video of some Santa Clauses dancing along with our party.

I share insights of visiting guests like Niranjana and Rtadhvaja Swamis and Malati Prabhu, as well as senior devotees in the Alachua Country community like Kalakantha and Sesa Prabhus. I tell of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s Vyasa Puja ceremony and include some nice excerpts from his autobiography, The Story of My Life, in which he describes the early days with Srila Prabhupada. Then I share details from presentations by newer devotees in Gainesville and Jacksonville.

Lord Jagannatha Blesses the St. Augustine Christmas Parade


By the grace of enthusiastic devotees from Alachua, Ratha-yatras are on the increase in North Florida. For the first time we had a Ratha-yatra cart in the St. Augustine Christmas parade. It was also special as this was first time as the new replica Jagannatha Deities rode on the cart. Dharma-raj Prabhu and his family, as usual, made all kinds of practical arrangements, getting the cart there, and decorated.



Although I love freely distributing promotional literature about Krishna consciousness because I am convinced it will benefit the people, I was not very enthusiastic during the beginning of the parade because I thought the authorities would not appreciate us doing that at the parade and that the vast majority of the people would not be interested. Of course, I did it anyway as a matter of duty, and I was very pleasantly surprised. Many, many people were happy to see the devotees, and they reached out with smiles and words and gestures of approval to take the Krishna, Reservoir of Pleasure and On Chanting Hare Krishna pamphlets that we were distributing. Of course, the prasadam candy canes were even more popular. After two-thirds of the parade, a light rain started, and I hid the pamphlets under my kurta for protection and continued to distribute. Later Kesava Prabhu got a call from the organizers in St. Augustine, saying that we won the award for the most unique float. Of course, that is not so surprising. Who is more unique than Lord Jagannatha, His brother, and sister on their glorious cart and His entourage of singing and dancing followers?

1565Today.com, St. Augustine, Florida’s newest online magazine, in an article “The St. Augustine Christmas Parade Wows the Kids” posted on December 1, writes “And honorable mention goes to the Hare Krishna devotees, who sang and tambourined their way through the city in a colorful injection of ethnic and religious diversity.” The two pictures illustrating this article were taken by Brian Nelson of 1565Today.com and are used with his permission.

A Special Harinama at the Farmers Market

With devotees working on Krishna Lunch and finishing up projects and papers and studying for finals as the semester ended, we had few devotees to chant at the first Gainesville Farmers Market in December. There was one surprise addition to our chanting party though, and that is our friend, Anna, a Quaker lady in her sixties, who originally came in touch with Hare Krishna at the very same Farmers Market perhaps a year or so ago. She developed a fondness for chanting Hare Krishna on beads, attends some programs, and sometimes helps serve out the Krishna Lunch on the porch of Krishna House. She chanted with us for an hour at the Farmers Market, spontaneously giving out invitations to those sitting or standing nearby, so they could benefit from some of the gifts the Krishna consciousness movement is sharing, as she herself has.

December 15 Harinama in New York City

As I walked from 34 West 31th Street, where the Chinese bus from Albany dropped me off, to find our harinama in Union Square, or as it turned out, Washington Square Park, I was amazed to see somewhere between 10% and 25% of the people were dressed as Santa Claus! “What is going on?” I wondered. Later as I researched this article, I found out, “SantaCon!” According to Wikipedia, “SantaCon is an annual mass gathering of people dressed in Santa Claus costumes parading publicly on streets and in bars in cities around the world. The focus is on spontaneity and creativity, while having a good time and spreading cheer and goodwill.” [Donaldson James, Susan (December 11, 2009). "Santa Con: Kringle Chaos is Coming to Town". ABC News. Retrieved December 18, 2011.]

People are in mood of celebration around Christmas, and during SantaCon, that is intensified. Thus during our five-hour harinama, many jolly Santas danced along with the devotees, as you can see in these videos by Bhakta Peter of The Bhakti Center:






We ended our harinama fifteen minutes to eight, a little early, as many devotees wanted to attend the rest of this month’s six-hour kirtana at the Bhakti Center, with Niranjana Swami as a special guest. We made an announcement to those dancing with us at the end to follow us to 25 First Avenue for some more singing, dancing, and refreshments, and about five or six of the Christmas partiers came along. I noticed two of them stayed at least two hours. The most enthusiastic was Yael, a NYU student, who was attracted to the kirtana in Washington Square Park being a percussionist. Although it was her first encounter with Hare Krishna kirtana, she played the djembe drum with the party for several hours, came to the Bhakti Center for more kirtana and prasadam, and she even washed a few pots. The next day she returned to catch the end of Niranjana Swami’s lecture.


She showed up for a few harinamas the next week, and hopes to visit the Chicago temple when she returns home for the holidays.

It was awesome for me to see all the people doing so many acts of devotion as a result of meeting the harinama party on the SantaCon day. This daily four-hour harinama in Manhattan organized by Rama Raya Prabhu is a very powerful outreach event!

Insights

Niranjana Swami:

To accept one’s imminent death as good news takes realization.

My mother was ninety and had no interested in hearing the word “death.” As far as she was concerned, she would live another hundred years. Although there were signs that things would not improve, she did not take them seriously. Five months before she passed away she was in a rehabilitation hospital and she told me, “I do not belong here. This place is only for old and sick people.” Life is meant for learn how to deal with the unavoidable event of death, but our present society is not dealing with this. My aunt got notice she was going to die within a week, and my sister invited me to visit her. My aunt said about me, “Look at him. Look at his eyes. Look at how peaceful he is! He looks like he knows the purpose of life.” Then she addressed me directly, “I can tell that you can accept whatever happens to you in life. Can you teach me to be like that?” People detected that something was going to happen and so they left, not for a long time as it turned out. I explained that soul exists beyond the body, and takes up another body according to one’s karma. Then an old friend came in and our conversation ended, but at least she could understand her situation and try to deal with it.

As it turned out I was with my mother alone in the room as she was dying. I saw her breathing was slowing down, and I decided to stop reading and chant Hare Krishna kirtana. And so I was chanting Hare Krishna for five minutes when my mother left her body. When I messaged Devamrita Swami, he replied that Prabhupada told Giriraja that parents of devotees at the time they leave their bodies will realize their good fortune of having a child who became a devotee. When my sister came in the room she said to me, “Your face is glowing. As soon as I saw your face. I knew everything was alright.”

We have to feel as a result of our devotional service that Krishna is there making arrangements in our life.

Bali Maharaja was cheated by the Lord, to whom He had offered three steps of land, but who had taken everything in two. But Bali was so elevated, he was not disturbed.

Voluntary repentance is the way to get the Lord’s attention, not to blame others.

Pariksit Maharaja saw the curse as an opportunity to become detached from all his material possessions and to become attached to Krishna.

The devotees have the greatest asset and the greatest benediction—to remember the Lord. The Lord minimizes other things in a devotee’s life to facilitate that.

We should practice developing this consciousness throughout our life, not just at the time of death.

from a conversation after the lecture:

In 1972 I lived in a hippy commune on Cape Cod. There were 15 fifteen of us, and we all had our own dogs. We considered that we would not want to kill our dogs and so it was hypocritical to kill animals for food, and thus we all became vegetarian. Many people liked to cook, but no one liked to clean up, so there were piles of dishes in the sink. As I was becoming a devotee by reading Bhagavad-gita, I knew Krishna would not accept the offering if the kitchen was not clean, so I would always clean the kitchen before I cooked. When the others understood that I would clean the kitchen before it was my turn to cook, they became even less enthusiastic to clean their own pots and dishes. I became resentful that I was doing everyone else’s dishes. When I came to the temple for the first time, I had been reading Bhagavad-gita for some days. When the devotees asked me if I wanted to do some service after the Sunday Feast, I agreed. They led me to the kitchen, and I saw a pile of pots that was bigger than I had ever seen before. I was shocked, but because I agreed to do some service, I did it, although reluctantly. When I was halfway through, another devotee came in. His name was Narendra. He was rejoicing seeing my fortunate position being engaged in the Lord’s service, but it was difficult to appreciate his mood. Then he spoke to me some words that completely transformed my consciousness: “By cleaning Krishna’s pots, you are cleaning your heart.” Then I saw the service in a completely different way. It was different than cleaning the pots at the co-op house. These were indeed Krishna’s pots, and I was becoming closer to Krishna by cleaning them.

Rtadhvaja Swami:

from Kalakantha Prabhu’s grandchild’s grains ceremony:

When we were having festivals almost every weekend in LA, Srila Prabhupada told us, “If you let me know, I can give you a festival for every day.”

These events, like the child’s grains ceremony, allow us to remember that human life is meant for self-realization not sense gratification.

There is a pastime with Narottama Dasa Thakura. He would not take the grains at his grains ceremony repeatedly. Then they realized that the grains had not been offered to Krishna first. They made a new batch, and offered it to Krishna, and tried again, this time successfully.

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami [Vyasa-puja address]:

The purpose of the guru is to guide the disciple to go back to Godhead as soon as possible. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura advised to go back in this life. Why wait for additional births?

Srila Prabhupada said if you are 75% pure you can go back.

Srila Prabhupada said, “If you hold on my dhoti I can take you back to Godhead. I have a key to the back door.”

My task is to represent Srila Prabhupada to you. I have been representing Srila Prabhupada to people since being temple president in Boston.

I am in stable health and sound mind, and I am determined to serve you for the forseeable future.

It is said of the guru that he lives forever, and the follower lives with him by his instructions.

We serve the guru by taking care of him and serving his preaching mission.

I preach by the way I live my life and by my writing.

I wrote Srila Prabhupada asking if I could write, but fearfully, that I was so daring to write when he has written so nicely.

Srila Prabhupada replied, mentioning all the acaryas [previous spiritual teachers] who wrote extensively and saying, “Any self-realized soul can write unlimited books not deviating from the original purpose.”

Lilamrita [Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s biography of Hare Krishna founder Srila Prabhupada] is second best selling Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) book next to Bhagavad-gita As It Is.

I am writing now for my daily web site, beginning with quotations from a rasa-sastra, accompanied by illustrations, and then a japa report. I continue the japa report although it is repetitious because devotees say it helps their japa. I draw a picture. Then I tell about my life, telling my interactions with the devotees I live with, the local devotees, and those who visit here, along with material from the books I am hearing each day. And finally I tell about my deity worship.

By reading these writings is the best way for my disciples to keep in touch with me. It takes only ten minutes to have a relationship for me in cyberspace each day.

I try to write a book a year and present it to my disciples on Vyasa-puja day.

We have 150 books on Kindle and e-readers.

Radhanatha Swami looked through Prabhupada Smaranam and liked it very much. He promised to get help to print many copies for his followers.

I have written about Prabhupada, practices of devotional service, and the chanting of the holy name.

It is the duty of us all to produce as many Krishna conscious books as possible. People can help with these different tasks:

  1. We have funds. We need cover designs and proofreading for fifty low run books.
  2. Locating and digitizing art work.
  3. Obtaining a tripod for photography.
  4. Typists and proofreaders for my autobiography.
  5. Visit and promote sdgonline.org and our Facebook site.
  6. Buy ebooks and post comments on them.
  7. Print 50 sets of 100 of my books to place in schools and libraries at $7 per book.
  8. Transferring audio tapes to digital format.

We owe such a debt to the Goswamis, Krishna dasa Kaviraja Goswami, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and Srila Prabhupada for all their books.

I wrote 25 books about Srila Prabhupada.

I give people Caitanya Vaishnavism through a variety of genres.

If you attain pure love for Krishna, I will consider my spiritual master duties successful, and you can bless me, and we can go back to Godhead together. Srila Prabhupada writes about this in connection with Dhruva Maharaja taking his mother back to Godhead. That is my request of you. Thank you very much.


Vyasa-puja Homages:

Haridasa Prabhu:

You have led us by your example to be a follower of Srila Prabhupada. You are his faithful and empowered representative. Your writing of books is a great contribution in this. You are inextricably linked with Srila Prabupada. Your honesty has endeared you to your readers.

Rama Raya Prabhu:

You have linked us to Srila Prabhupada wonderfully for so many years. When I have your association I feel Srila Prabhupada’s presence.

I could distribute cards for your site on harinama.

Krishna-kripa das:

You praised your disciples who are publishing and selling Russian translations of your books. I just wanted to say from my own experience at the Ukraine festival, Isani and Alexi Prabhus set up their GN Press book table at the very beginning of the festival and go to the very end. Instead of working a single book table together as many couples would do, they have two separate tables at different locations to increase sales. This year new and reprinted titles numbered five, including Entering a Life of Prayer, Prabhupada Appreciation, Japa Transformations, and Distribute Books.

When I quote from your journal on my blog, I could include a link to it.

A friend of my loved your Begging for the Nectar of the Holy Name in which you share your personal struggle. He learned from that it is alright for devotees to be personal and to share feelings, not just to be austere and stoic.

How did you help us? Your writings gave me faith in Srila Prabhupada and the holy name. Your instruction to dance more in kirtana has made me so enthusiastic to dance in kirtana, I do it even when everyone else is sitting down.

Haryasva Prabhu:

I feel sadness that I am not reading or distributing your books as I have in the past.
Prabhupada and the holy name are two gifts you emphasized.

I felt I just missed Srila Prabhupada, but through your writings I feel connected with him.

I find that new people find your books to be easy reading.

Baladeva Vidyabhusana Prabhu:

After three years of interviewing for Lilamrita, the message I got from the devotees was that they wished they had given Srila Prabhupada more time to write as that is what is left, and that they feel bad they did not take advantage of his presence while he was here. This is a realization I had that any disciple can help to do these two things in connection with you.

Mother Lilavatara:

When I met you I felt you were someone special and would be someone special, and you were.

Thanks for teaching us to be more regulated.

The pictures Guru Das posts are special to me.

Your drawings of the devotees are so funny to me and make me so joyful. They make my heart feel so light.

Thank you inspiring us to go back to Godhead by improving our chanting.
Your servants have done such a wonderful job for you over the years.
Thank you for guiding me to become more Krishna consciousness.

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami:

reading from his autobiography, The Story of My Life:

“No talent is required to make a combined diary and autobiography interesting.”—Mark Twain

“The Swami kept leading the chanting for a full half hour. After awhile I got bored, but I kept going and eventually entered into a trancelike stage. It was far out. I went past boredom and became absorbed in the sound vibration. . . . I had the mantra almost memorized, and I was mesmerized. By the time it was over I felt that I was high. I left the storefront and walked home chanting in my mind and feeling certain that I would continue to attend the meetings. I felt I wanted to change my life and become pure.”
“My first personal contact with Srila Prabhupada was in a formal setting — the question and answer period after his lecture. In the company of about fifteen people I raised my hand, and he recognized me. I asked, “Is misery eternal?” My question came from my reading of Van Gogh’s letters to his brother, Dear Theo. In one letter Van Gogh proposes to his brother that “misery is eternal.” I wanted to know what the Swami thought. Without hesitating he answered me, “Yes misery is eternal. You may break your arm and go to the hospital and have your arm healed. But then you may go out and break your leg. In this world there is no end to miseries. But there is another world . . . ” Swamiji explained that if you develop love of God and go back to the spiritual world you will be free of miseries, because there is no misery there. I was satisfied to be recognized, and his answer was assuring, overriding Van Gogh’s dismal view.”
“The early years with Swamiji were my favorite as ISKCON was a small movement, like a family.”

from a talk with disciples about japa:

Acaryas [the great spiritual teachers] say kirtana [chanting loudly with others] is more important than japa [individually chanting softly] because more people benefit, but that does not mean japa is not important, it is fundamental. Srila Prabhupada said it is the most essential instruction.

Japa is so personal. We speak to Krishna and Radha, and ask Them to engage us in Their service.

Lord Caitanya would not eat at the house of anyone who did not daily chant 64 rounds (100,000 names of the Lord).

I know one lady who plays the harmonium and sings kirtana, but does not chant her sixteen rounds of japa. Better that she would chant sixteen rounds first and then play the harmonium.

The mantras are a gift and should be handled gratefully.

In recent years, I have finally been able to pay attention to the names while I chant.

I pray to the holy name, “Please forgive me. Please protect me.”

I long for the day when I feel emotion like in “Siksastakam.”

Chanting is cozy, intimate and warms the heart.

Q: What does it mean no hard and fast rules?
A: It is not like Deity worship where you have to clean yourself first. You can chant morning or night. You can chant in the bathroom. The mantra can be chanted by anyone. You do not have to be initiated to chant. You can even still be doing sinful activities and still chant.

Q: Can you change the words?
A: No. Srila Prabhupada said not “Dear John.” No om, no sivaya. You can play any variety of instruments, and Prabhupada encouraged the musicians to play with us.

Q [by Rama Raya Prabhu]: How would you encourage us to preach in America?
A: Do Union Square harinama. There are bright spots: Kalakantha, Vaisesika, Hari Vilasa. Jayadvaita Swami said the Las Vegas center is encouraging. Take a place and do something, and it will become a bright spot that will be inspiring to others.

comment by Mother Lilavatara: I say Hare Krishna to the people. When they ask what it means? I said it is a blessing. They like that. They say, “I need all the blessings I can get.” Saying Hare Krishna to everyone I meet helps me, as now that I am older and cannot go out so much to share Krishna with people.

comment by Sankarsana Prabhu: Your example of chanting, getting up early, and being regulated, inspies me.

I yearn to progress to suddha-nama.

My disciple in Russia, Isani wrote a prayer, “Dear Lord, please give my guru maharaja nama-ruci [taste for the holy name].”

One should not chant too slowly.

Kalakantha Prabhu:

The conditions of Satya-yuga are similar to the Biblical description of the Garden of Eden. Then when Adam and Eve begot Cain and Able they two brothers got involved in agriculture which corresponds to the second age, Treta.

comment by Vaishnava Dasa: At Janaki Kunda in India one sage was reading the Vishnu Purana. There it said at the end of this age of Kali, the maximum age a human will live is seventeen years while the average is only twelve. A girl could conceive a child at age five.

No doubt that the teaching of Jesus Christ is pure bhakti, but with all that has happened over the years, it is hard to encounter his pure teachings.

I was involved with one meditation group where I had to pay for the mantra, and each successive class was more expensive than the last. The introduction to pure devotion is free, the intermediate instruction in devotion is also free, and the advanced classes in devotional service are also free.

Malati Prabhu:

There are two levels of liberation (1) freedom from material desires, and (2) positive engagement in Krishna’s service.

The Mayavadis accept the light but do not find out the source of the light, so theirs is an inferior understanding.

The natural instinct of the liberated person is to engage in the devotional service of the Lord.

Bowing down before the Lord is offering a service to Him.

Srila Prabhupada said we should not give children younger than ten the deities because they have not yet developed the necessary cleanliness.

Strictly speaking one should not set the holy books on one’s lap because the clothing below the waist is impure.

Srila Prabhupada’s father gave him 5-inch Radha-Krishna Deities which Prabhupada named Radha-Govinda like the larger Deities of his neighbors.

Srila Prabhupada said the Ratha-yatra cart is not different from the Lord and by decorating the cart one can make great advancement.

The Ratha-yatra symbolizes the gopis pulling Krishna from Kurukshetra to Vrindavana.

All religions are meant for awakening the dormant instinct for devotion for the Supreme Lord—to reconnect with the Supreme Lord.

When we went to England, we were thinking, “We are going to meet the Beatles and get them to chant Hare Krishna.” That was our strategic plan.

We could understand we needed special empowerment to spread Krishna consciousness in England. We had heard from the scriptures about the glories of the lotus feet of the spiritual master, so before leaving for England, we asked Srila Prabhupada if we could touch his feet. We had seen the Indians do it, but we could see Srila Prabhupada did not really like it. He consented, and so we did.

I have interviewed 183 of Srila Prabhupada’s female disciples and at least 180 said he was glowing.

When leading kirtanas in Tompkins Square Park, Srila Prabhupada would encourage people to sing along, and more people began to get involved.

Srila Prabhupada called his society “The International Society for Krishna Consciousness” because he wanted people to understand that Krishna is God.

As soon as George Harrison came in contact with the devotees his devotion sprouted up.

I have had people tell me that they had no idea what Hare Krishna was but because George Harrison made the record, they chanted.

From 1970 to 1971 was a Hare Krishna explosion with 32 new temples being opened.

In the beginning we called the Sunday Feast, the Sunday Love Feast. I think we should get back to calling it that. The world needs a lot more love.

On Srila Prabhupada’s morning walks you got insight on practically applying the teachings in life.

Srila Prabhupada was an expert musician, especially with mrdanga and harmonium, but he made it clear that playing the instruments was simply an accompaniment to the chanting of the maha-mantra.

Srila Prabhupada wrote 6,000 letters that have been archived, and 30,000 photos were taken of him and 70 hours of videos made about him.

Mahatma Prabhu was interesting how organizations were managed. He had seen the Hare Krishnas with their chanting and dancing and happy disposition, and wondered how they were managed. He secured the opportunity to witness a meeting between Srila Prabhupada and his main leaders. Prabhupada began by preaching. Two hours later he was still preaching. Then Mahatma understood that Srila Prabhupada managed by preaching.

Sesa Prabhu:

My daughter was teaching some 1st or 2nd graders as a student teacher as part of getting her teaching degree. One of the boys in the class said to her, “Miss Spellman, I saw you in the parade!” So she had to explain to the teacher and the class that she was in the UF Homecoming parade as a Hare Krishna devotee. The husband of the teacher came by and mentioned how he enjoyed the Krishna Lunch as a student. Then the teacher asked my daughter, “What do you believe?” Later at home at the dinner table, we discussed the best way to answer this, and concluded, “We believe the purpose of life is to love God and serve Him.”

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura considered that first three processes of devotional service, sravanam, kirtanam, vishnu smaranam, hearing, chanting, and remembering the Supreme Lord, are primary, and the other six are contained within these.

We can become absorbed in so many things in life, but they may not be good for ourselves or others, but Krishna kirtana is good for both ourselves and others.

Remembering the Lord is natural, especially when we are in difficulty. When the U.S. astronauts were in a dangerous situation, the American leaders advised the citizens to pray to God for their safety.

The five kinds of smaranam (remembering):
  1. to contemplate something we previously experienced
  2. dharana: to focus our meditation on a specific subject
  3. dhyanam: to meditate on a specific form of the Lord
  4. dhruvanusmriti: a flow of remembrance of some pastime of the Lord.
  5. samadhi: complete absorption.

comment by Mother Akuti: After I gave a class where we talked about how Lord Caitanya got all the animals to dance, we went on harinama, and I encouraged the devotees at least to get all the people to dance. That day we saw a lot of people dressed in animal costumes, and they all danced with us.

Citsukananda Prabhu was preaching in Trinidad, and he met the person who corresponded with Srila Prabhupada before he came to America about coming to Trinidad. The man even showed him the letters he received from Srila Prabhupada.

comment by Malati Prabhu: At the first arati of Radha-Shyamasundara in Vrindavana, Visakha Prabhu wanted to get a picture of Prabhupada doing the arati, but a tall sannyasi was standing in her way. She tapped the sannyasi on the shoulder twice, and the second time said pointing to her camera, “If you stand where you are, you will get a nice vision of Srila Prabhupada offering arati. but if you let me stand there the whole world will get that vision.” The sannyasi kindly traded places with her, and so we have that historic photo.

Tulasi Priya dd:

People who travel tend to be less bigoted, more tolerant, and more open minded.

A temple or place of pilgrimage is so powerful that no matter what your consciousness is, you will connect with Krishna simply by going there.

The Muslims have an idea that at least once in your life you should visit Mecca. Similarly, for us it is valuable if once in our life, we can go to India and visit Krishna’s birthplace.

We watch people’s lives like we watch a movie. We wonder what will happen to our friends next.

Dina Bandhu Prabhu:

In the purport to Bhagavad-gita 11.55 is a description of the spiritual world as having many planets. This tradition has more details of the spiritual world and what is going on there.

Our activities of exploiting material nature which we are thinking are making us happy are actually creating our distress.

Mental speculation is to think that by the power of our inductive reasoning we can understand the ultimate truth without hearing about it from a higher authority.

Bhagavad-gita 18.55 gives make practical suggestions of how to engage in devotional service to Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada explained to one devotee who was entering the household life and worried about how he would get good association there, “If when you are working, if you are remembering that you are working for Krishna, then you are associating with Krishna.”

Amrita Keli dd:

This Hare Krishna mantra is spiritual sound vibration, and it is completely different from any other sound vibration you have heard.

I started chanting Hare Krishna on my way to class, and I found my day went much better.

Bhaktin Laura:

As a result of chanting eight rounds a day, I became more peaceful and was not haunted by things I had done in my past. Recently, because of the end of the semester, I have been too busy to chant eight rounds a day, and I can see I am sometimes haunted by such thoughts as before. I am so glad I am finished now, and I can return to chanting eight rounds.

Bhakta John:

In addition to the famous example of God appearing to Moses as a burning bush, in the Bible it also says the Lord manifest as, “A pillar of a cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night.”

comment by Ananda Loka Prabhu: When I was a tennis instructor, I would remember Krishna by chanting before and after going to work, bringing prasadam to the students, and bringing a small set of beads I could chant on when not otherwise engaged.

comment by Sruti Sagar Prabhu: To avoid bad association, Indradyumna Swami advised me to chant 64 rounds then, glorifying that practice for two minutes before saying at least chant 16 very good rounds.

Krishna-kripa das:

Sign on a church between Gainesville and Jacksonville, “You are the only Bible some people will read.”

from a post on Facebook:

Forty years ago on this day, Dec. 9, 1972, I broke my leg skiing. It hurt like hell, and it was awkward using crutches for six weeks with the snow and ice. In July of that year, my father had passed away, and my grandmother was to pass away in May of the next year. Thus when the Hare Krishnas told me seven years later, that the material world was a miserable place, I felt they actually understood the truth.

-----

susrusoh sraddadhanasya
vasudeva-katha-rucih
syan mahat-sevaya viprah
punya-tirtha-nisevanat

“O twice-born sages, by serving those devotees who are completely freed from all vice, great service is done. By such service, one gains affinity for hearing the messages of Vasudeva [the Supreme Lord].” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.16)

Soon to be Spinning Again!
→ Sit Properly

It’s been nearly two years since I’ve done anything with this site. I had been in the middle of reconverting all of the Classic ISKCON Records from vinyl to digital. The older files (done in 2007) sounded fairly bad. The newer ones (from 2011) sound quite a bit better, but still don’t sound as good as I’d like them.

Coming up next!

Coming up next!

Recently, I’ve upgraded my equipment and will soon be going back through all of the Classic ISKCON Records and bringing them all up to the sound quality they deserve. They’ll be available in both high bitrate MP3 as well as lossless FLAC files.

That said, everything that I’ve ever converted from vinyl to digital is still available here. When I convert a new version, I’ll post it here and update the links, etc.

As for the Classic ISKCON Tapes, I would really like to update them as well. The problem is that I no longer have a tape deck. That will hopefully soon be remedied. No promises on the time frame though.

For now, I’ve got a record or two that I’ve never posted. They’ll be the first that I do and will become the template of everything I do from here on out.

If you are aware of any ISKCON records or tapes (recorded/released before 1979) that I don’t have, please let me know. I’d love to complete my collection and offer them to the assembled devotees.

Haribol!
-Eric

The Journey Home
→ Tattva - See inside out

I’ve just returned from Ireland. Great trip. As I catch my breath in London for a week, I simultaneously prepare for a flight to India this coming Monday. My destination is the holy village of Vrindavana where Krishna spent His childhood years. Located 130 km south of Delhi, it’s a mystical place which is full of inspiration, insight and intrigue. They say that nobody returns from Vrindavana the same person, and that’s exactly why I’m going there! We can present ourselves as spiritual doctors, but we are undoubtedly patients as well. People may accept us as teachers of wisdom, but we remain humble students. After a month of sharing spirituality with others, now comes an opportunity to explore my own heart and question whether that inner transformation is really taking place.

These trips are not just a physical journey to a special place but also an inner journey towards transcendence. The great saints of Vrindavana were so absorbed in meditation and prayer that they became indifferent to the external world. Their living quarters were not formal brick or wooden structures, but temporary arrangements like the hollow of a tree, a clearing under a thorny thicket, or an underground cave. One saint is renowned for performing his meditation in a vacant crocodile hole. In these austere and solitary settings the great saints would slide into spiritual trance and have their conversations with God. They would continue on for hours on end. Their chanting wasn’t a casual activity. It wasn’t a ritual. It wasn’t simply a discipline – but it was full of emotion and feeling. It was from the core of the heart.

Could I ever isolate myself and go that deep? Probably not, and neither is it recommended to try. But hearing of such remarkable personalities nevertheless inspires me to intensify my spiritual endeavors. I’m trying to break free of my mechanical and ritualistic approach. I’m trying to rediscover the freshness, enthusiasm and simplicity that attracted me to this path. I'm searching for that childlike innocence that I once had. I’m going back to basics. Core spiritual practices like mantra meditation, scriptural study and practical service to others are the bridge to the eternal reality. They are not to be taken lightly. I’m approaching Vrindavana in the mood of a beggar: spiritually impoverished but confident that I’ll find some sacred treasures along the way.

The Journey Home
→ Tattva - See inside out

I’ve just returned from Ireland. Great trip. As I catch my breath in London for a week, I simultaneously prepare for a flight to India this coming Monday. My destination is the holy village of Vrindavana where Krishna spent His childhood years. Located 130 km south of Delhi, it’s a mystical place which is full of inspiration, insight and intrigue. They say that nobody returns from Vrindavana the same person, and that’s exactly why I’m going there! We can present ourselves as spiritual doctors, but we are undoubtedly patients as well. People may accept us as teachers of wisdom, but we remain humble students. After a month of sharing spirituality with others, now comes an opportunity to explore my own heart and question whether that inner transformation is really taking place.

These trips are not just a physical journey to a special place but also an inner journey towards transcendence. The great saints of Vrindavana were so absorbed in meditation and prayer that they became indifferent to the external world. Their living quarters were not formal brick or wooden structures, but temporary arrangements like the hollow of a tree, a clearing under a thorny thicket, or an underground cave. One saint is renowned for performing his meditation in a vacant crocodile hole. In these austere and solitary settings the great saints would slide into spiritual trance and have their conversations with God. They would continue on for hours on end. Their chanting wasn’t a casual activity. It wasn’t a ritual. It wasn’t simply a discipline – but it was full of emotion and feeling. It was from the core of the heart.

Could I ever isolate myself and go that deep? Probably not, and neither is it recommended to try. But hearing of such remarkable personalities nevertheless inspires me to intensify my spiritual endeavors. I’m trying to break free of my mechanical and ritualistic approach. I’m trying to rediscover the freshness, enthusiasm and simplicity that attracted me to this path. I'm searching for that childlike innocence that I once had. I’m going back to basics. Core spiritual practices like mantra meditation, scriptural study and practical service to others are the bridge to the eternal reality. They are not to be taken lightly. I’m approaching Vrindavana in the mood of a beggar: spiritually impoverished but confident that I’ll find some sacred treasures along the way.

on fast forward
→ kirtaniyah sada hari


Last week as I was sitting down to chant my noon gayatri I realized something. I was trying to chant all the mantras really quickly as though I had some place to get to immediately. Truth was, the only thing I had lined up afterwards was checking my email! So why the need to rush?

When I analyze my life, I grudgingly realize it's something I do constantly. I fast forward through most of my spiritual practices as though there is some imaginary race that I must win. Even though I know faster isn't better, the challenge in slowing down is having to acknowledge the fact that I may be doing things imperfectly.

When I used to take singing lessons, the thing that challenged me the most was singing my scales slowly. And I'm not talking about just slowly, I mean excruciatingly slow. That was the time my teacher would always correct me. Over and over and over again would I have to repeat them until I got it right. Although frustrating, I never forgot what she told me. "If you don't get it right when you sing slow, you'll not only sing it wrong when you sing fast, but worse, you won't even notice that you're singing it wrong."

Similarly, as I hit fast forward in almost everything I do, I'm starting to realize the only person I'm short changing is myself. As aspiring bhakti yogis one of the most importantly lessons to imbibe is that it is the mood and consciousness that matters. When I rush, my consciousness is of stress, not devotion!

It's a humbling lesson. There's no need to fast forward. It's a good thing to hit pause and re-evaluate and even more important to be satisfied on play. That's the time when I'll grow.

on fast forward
→ kirtaniyah sada hari


Last week as I was sitting down to chant my noon gayatri I realized something. I was trying to chant all the mantras really quickly as though I had some place to get to immediately. Truth was, the only thing I had lined up afterwards was checking my email! So why the need to rush?

When I analyze my life, I grudgingly realize it's something I do constantly. I fast forward through most of my spiritual practices as though there is some imaginary race that I must win. Even though I know faster isn't better, the challenge in slowing down is having to acknowledge the fact that I may be doing things imperfectly.

When I used to take singing lessons, the thing that challenged me the most was singing my scales slowly. And I'm not talking about just slowly, I mean excruciatingly slow. That was the time my teacher would always correct me. Over and over and over again would I have to repeat them until I got it right. Although frustrating, I never forgot what she told me. "If you don't get it right when you sing slow, you'll not only sing it wrong when you sing fast, but worse, you won't even notice that you're singing it wrong."

Similarly, as I hit fast forward in almost everything I do, I'm starting to realize the only person I'm short changing is myself. As aspiring bhakti yogis one of the most importantly lessons to imbibe is that it is the mood and consciousness that matters. When I rush, my consciousness is of stress, not devotion!

It's a humbling lesson. There's no need to fast forward. It's a good thing to hit pause and re-evaluate and even more important to be satisfied on play. That's the time when I'll grow.

Winning life’s battles
Krishna Dharma das

The first question often asked about the Bhagavad-gita is why was it spoken on a battlefield? Despite a common view that religion is a major cause of war, in most people’s minds the two should remain separate. Religion or spirituality should result in peace not conflict. If one’s spiritual practises bring about the bloodthirsty desire to eliminate the followers of some other faith then they must be suspect. That would surely seem to make sense.

Nevertheless the Gita did arise from a war, the great Battle of Kurukshetra. Not only that, but its final message to Arjuna—a mighty warrior who had suddenly veered towards pacifism—was to give up his “petty weakness of heart” and sally forth to slay his enemies in battle. How then is it a religious text?

Perhaps we should begin by defining religion. Dictionaries usually describe it as a system of belief in some supernatural power. That is where the conflicts tend to arise. My beliefs may well be different to yours, and human nature is such that we identify with these to the point where we create divisions based upon them. Hence we have many religious communities going under different names—Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, etc. In most people’s minds this is what is meant by religion, all these various designations. The Gita however gives a broader definition.

In Sanskrit, the language of the Gita, the word for religion is dharma. This translates more accurately as the essential nature of a thing. In the case of a person this nature is to serve. We are always serving someone or something, be it our boss, family members, country, or maybe just our dog. We cannot avoid service. Even if we have no one to serve we will still serve our own mind and senses, which constantly demand satisfaction in one way or another. We cannot sit peacefully for very long before one bodily demand or another impinges upon us and we have to act to satisfy it.

Vedic wisdom tells us that this service propensity is actually meant for God. This is real religion, the dharma of the soul. No doubt the adherents of all the above named faiths and most others will concur with this, despite their external differences. Whatever our practises the ultimate aim must be to know and love God, to unite with him and serve him eternally. When we serve anything other than God we are never satisfied; we constantly search for the lasting fulfilment that no amount of sensual pleasure or material relationships can provide. As Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless till they rest in Thee.”

This is the message propounded by the Gita. It speaks of all beings as eternal parts of God having an unbreakable loving relationship with him. Arjuna’s dilemma as a warrior who was not inclined to fight was only the external context for a far deeper message than just getting him to take up his weapons. That message is encapsulated in the Gita’s key verse in the ninth chapter, where Krishna says, “Always think of me, offer me your respects, worship me and become my devotee. Surely then will you come to me.” This is the essence of all religion and it was what Arjuna had forgotten. He was thinking he had so many other duties which had all begun to seem onerous, conflicting and ultimately impossible. He got to the point where he did not know which way to turn or what to do. Krishna’s response was simple; just do what I want and you will be peaceful and happy.

As it happened at that time Krishna wanted Arjuna to fight. After all, sometimes fighting and violence are required when there are disturbing elements in society. We need the forces of law and order, which was Arjuna’s duty, but that’s not the real point. The ultimate message of the Gita is not about fighting or any other specific kind of work. It is about surrendering to God, acting only for his pleasure, recognising that this is truly in our own and everyone else’s best interests. When Arjuna understood this point his dilemma was over and he became peaceful. “My illusion is gone,” he told Krishna. “I am now free of duality and prepared to do whatever you ask.” And as Krishna asked him to fight that very fighting became a pure spiritual activity that led Arjuna to the highest point of self-realisation.

All of us are like Arjuna in so many ways. We stand on the battlefield of life faced with all kinds of challenges which often seem overwhelming. Sometimes we too don’t know which way to turn but the message of the Gita is also there for us. “Turn to me,” says Krishna. “I will always protect you and in the end bring you back to me.” That is the fight facing us all, turning from illusion towards Krishna, but with his help we like Arjuna will surely emerge victorious.

Sampradaya and Parampara: Sweet as a Stick of Rock
→ The Vaishnava Voice

A curious confection: The British ‘Stick of Rock’ is made entirely of pink and white coloured sugar and has the name of the seaside town where it is sold running all the way through it. No matter where you slice it, or suck it, you’ll always get the same name, the same sweet taste. So it is with the Vaishnava tradition. The sampradaya is sweet all the way through as is the Name of God. And the stick – the parampara – is the structure that delivers it.

 

The words sampradaya and parampara are often used interchangeably, as if they conveyed exactly the same meaning. Sampradaya means a school of thought or philosophical conclusion or siddhanta, embodied by a community of orthodox practitioners. Parampara is, quite literally, ‘one after the other’ – an historical chain of spiritual preceptors, each of whom was a legacy-holder for the same path and practice.

Sampradaya refers to what the sincere aspirant may contact in the here and now, how he may be taught the siddhanta in the present day, and locate a current exemplar of the tradition. Whereas parampara refers to how the siddhanta has been transmitted down through the years. It is a chain of illustrious preceptors, each of whom was connected to the previous one, either through accepting the teachings (siksha) or by becoming initiated with a mantra (diksha), or a combination of both. The parampara is a lineage of successive gurus which is established retrospectively, sometimes long after their physical demise. A leading member of the sampradaya – usually the current acarya himself – looks back over the centuries, traces his finger over the spiritual family tree, and concludes: ‘This is how we all got here.’

When we describe a parampara we single out certain persons who have contributed the most in establishing the siddhanta, explaining it to others; defending it from intellectual attack; and leaving behind a body of literature that served best to perpetuate the siddhanta beyond the lifetime of the authors. Yet in choosing some lineage-holders we simultaneously de-select others. They were not unworthy souls, rather, they were great Vaishnavas, each playing their part in supporting, defending and extending the sampradaya in their own time. But others were singled out to have their names as a permanent fixture in the list of the greatest historical contributors.

No devotees living today – including those who initiate disciples – know whether they will be ‘in the parampara,’ although by definition they are already ‘in the sampradaya.’ Of course, for disciples, their own chosen guru is the current representative of the parampara. But if the disciples do not initiate their own disciples then that singular branch of the parampara will terminate at the death of the last disciple.

It may be that the majority of current initiators in the ISKCON branch of the Gaudiya lineage – by this process of discipular termination – will not feature in the parampara 100 years hence, and what to speak of 300 years. They might be collectively featured in some future chronicle as the sincere and determined followers of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada; as those who met him personally and helped him in his mission to establish Gaudiya teachings outside India. But the moving index fingers of historians or acaryas of the far-distant future may pass immediately from Srila Prabhupada to the next major contributor in the chain. Names that are firmly fixed in the minds of all today, written in black ink as it were, may fade to grey or disappear completely, as many thousands throughout history have already done. Those who criticize the ISKCON movement for having what they consider to be less-than-suitable names ‘in the parampara’ should not unduly trouble themselves: time and tide will wash away anyone who is undeserving. And those who are already brilliant will continue to shine.


Sadness of Delhi Rape Death: Words from a Friend
→ The Vaishnava Voice

Words by B.B.Govinda Swami

 

I read, with sadness, of the death of the young Indian girl who was gang raped in Delhi.

My prayers go to that departed soul, to her family, and to her friend who was also beaten and thrown off the bus.

The present perverted culture of India allows rape and molestation of women to take place anywhere and everywhere in the nation.

I have been shocked in hearing the stories of my female students in Vrindavan;

A western lady told me how while standing in front of Radhe Shyam, her eyes closed in prayer, an Indian man approached her, grasped her breasts, touched her buttocks, and rubbed his hand against her private parts.

A forty-ish year old Indian lady told me how on Sri Krishna Janmastami, an Indian man pushed his genitals onto her as everyone was wedged in the crowd trying to have darshan.

I heard tonight on Indian TV that in one political party alone there are 31 accused rapists.

This tragedy stirs me up.

I wish the Indian youth were savvy enough, and courageous enough, to use the social media in the same way that it has been used over the past few years to bring a change to the status quo.

But I think the Indian youth are too afraid of what their parents and society would say. Rather, they use the social media to ape the degraded materialistic culture.

I wish the Indian old elite would do the right thing, step aside, and allow brains that work to develop a structure for the nation in which all the citizens were equal before the constitution.

Yet … a drastic change would bring no good result if there were no Krishna consciousness, God consciousness.

It has been said that the fish rots from the head down.

The world is rotting, India included.

Maybe India is rotting more … for turning away from its ancient spiritual traditions.

Did you ever visit a country of 1,241,491,960 people where over half of the people perform their toilet activities on the train tracks or the sides of the roads daily?

Urination in public is so socially acceptable?

Where people in towns and villages heap their trash in the middle of the national highways?

The rich build huge mansions, high boundary walls, and dump their garbage outside their walls.

Where sacred rivers have been killed, officially declared dead by the World Health Organisation.

Why? Due to the the unrestricted dumping of pollutants from factories and waste from slaughter houses? All run by greedy materialistic men.

A country where over 100,000 people die on the roads yearly, and where hundreds and thousands are left maimed for life.

Where there is noise everywhere, plastic everywhere, smoke and smog everywhere.

And to get the most simple deed accomplished you must give a gift?

As Prabhupada sat and wrote in his rooms at Radha Damodar, he stated that what we are seeing today is simply the burnt remnants of India’s great tradition of culture.

That was 50 years ago.

Yes, a revolution is needed. But, it should be a revolution of consciousness. Krishna consciousness, God consciousness.

These situations make me think, “if I were young I would join a revolution and pull down the rotten machine.”

Now, alas, I am too old to sling stones and could never tolerate gunfire.

But then, when I was young, I did join a revolution. And I am still a small part of it, and I am still trying to pull.

bharata-bhumite hoila manusya janma yara
janma sarthaka kari karo para-upakära

This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission, para-upakara.

His mission is to be very merciful to all people.

So, I will continue in the revolution of Srila Prabhupada and Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

I will continually try to assist my master to change the degraded consciousness of the world.

Please everyone, take the holy names, study the message of Bhagavad Gita, worship Sri Krishna.

By these activities, the degraded material consciousness of this world will change.

One poet said, “I’m starting with the man in the mirror.”

Another small Indian man said, “Be the change that you want to see in the world.”

Together …. Let’s make that change.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare


Welcome to Saudi Albany?
→ The Yoga of Ecology




Most observers would agree, though, that changes in regulation do not come from objective scientific studies. (Both sides, after all, can flood any government hearing with experts and impressive-looking scientific reports.) Regulations are determined, in large part, by politics. And the politics of fracking are changing and are very likely to change drastically in coming years. As examples from the last century suggest, the sudden discovery of oil and gas can transform an entire economy and regulatory system to serve the industry’s interests. Economists call this the resource curse — the perverse process in which a valuable discovery like oil, gas, diamonds or gold ends up enriching a few at the cost of impoverishing most of the population. At its worst, the resource curse leads to deeply corrupt regimes like those in Iraq, Iran, Myanmar and Libya. At its mildest, this can create one-industry economies in which there is little innovation and even less resistance to the whims of a handful of powerful interests. Many believe this already describes the oil economies of Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma and, increasingly, North Dakota, where the fracking industry is entrenched. Politically and economically, it’s hard to argue with an industry that has helped keep the state’s unemployment rate at about 3 percent.

If there is an uneasy equilibrium, right now, between environmentally concerned citizens and pro-fracking industrial groups, what will the political balance be like in a decade? What pressures will be on state legislatures and regulators if the projections are true and the millions of workers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and maybe New York will owe their jobs to fracking. There will be trillions of dollars of new wealth. Will environmental and health concerns have any chance against that juggernaut?

Welcome to Saudi Albany?
→ The Yoga of Ecology




Most observers would agree, though, that changes in regulation do not come from objective scientific studies. (Both sides, after all, can flood any government hearing with experts and impressive-looking scientific reports.) Regulations are determined, in large part, by politics. And the politics of fracking are changing and are very likely to change drastically in coming years. As examples from the last century suggest, the sudden discovery of oil and gas can transform an entire economy and regulatory system to serve the industry’s interests. Economists call this the resource curse — the perverse process in which a valuable discovery like oil, gas, diamonds or gold ends up enriching a few at the cost of impoverishing most of the population. At its worst, the resource curse leads to deeply corrupt regimes like those in Iraq, Iran, Myanmar and Libya. At its mildest, this can create one-industry economies in which there is little innovation and even less resistance to the whims of a handful of powerful interests. Many believe this already describes the oil economies of Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma and, increasingly, North Dakota, where the fracking industry is entrenched. Politically and economically, it’s hard to argue with an industry that has helped keep the state’s unemployment rate at about 3 percent.

If there is an uneasy equilibrium, right now, between environmentally concerned citizens and pro-fracking industrial groups, what will the political balance be like in a decade? What pressures will be on state legislatures and regulators if the projections are true and the millions of workers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and maybe New York will owe their jobs to fracking. There will be trillions of dollars of new wealth. Will environmental and health concerns have any chance against that juggernaut?

Today’s Produce
→ kurma News

Fresh produce from my garden. By the way dear readers, I now have transferred a lot of my energy to my new Facebook page. If you'd like to find me, and I know you, I will accept your friend request. Comment on this post to get that happening.

produce:

New Anti-Smoking Ad Campaign
→ The Vaishnava Voice

Interesting to see that yet another hard-hitting anti-smoking ad campaign is about to be released here in Britain. Although there’s been drastic changes here in the past ten years, there are still so many smokers who cannot conceive of the devastating cancer that lies ahead for them.

In my childhood – in the 1950s and 1960s – just about everyone smoked – and they smoked everywhere. My local cinema was so smoky you had to look through a fug to actually see the screen. Trains, buses, restaurants, pubs and clubs, schools and even in doctor’s surgeries. The doctor might even be smoking when you went to see him!

Now things have changed, and I am stunned that things have changed so much in a relatively short space of time. Now if you want to smoke you have to leave the public building you’re in and stand out in the street,no matter what the weather. But despite this, the intelligent, thoughtful, health-loving British public just doesn’t get it: smoking kills. And its not propaganda.

There are still 8 million smokers in this country; that’s one in every five adults. Last year 800,000 tried to give it up completely, and half of them were successful. That’s great news.

But half of all smokers – that’s 4 million in this country – will go on to die from smoking-related diseases. That’s a crying shame. And in a country where health is paid for from public taxation – not by the insurance company or by the person who is ill – that places a significant drain on public finances. 4 million people needing expensive cancer care is very expensive. Its also wrong if people who made a decision not to smoke are indirectly forced to pay for the healthcare of those that do. And with the financial recession there’s less money to pay for sick people.

Maybe that’s why the government in the UK is working hard to discourage smoking. At least they’re paying £2.5 million for this new campaign that starts soon. But with total tobacco revenue standing currently at £12 billion it would seem that they’re not trying all that hard.

Here’s the new campaign: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/dec/28/smokers-graphic-ad-campaign-tumour


Enough
→ Seed of Devotion

My alarm clock tone is the 1966 track of Prabhupad singing pranam and Hare Krishna. This morning I decided to put in my earphones and listen to the whole track.

Prabhupad's voice filled my being.

The thought came to me how I want this track to be playing at the time of my death. Seeing myself on my deathbed did not feel morbid at all. In fact, I experienced such peace.

No matter how much my body may change, if I travel the world or remain in a small town, who I marry or if I ever marry, disasters or triumphs that befall me, who my children are or if I ever have children, what my career is, if I accomplish famous deeds or remain utterly unknown, whatever may transpire in my life...

... everything becomes so simple in those moments before I leave this body.

Prabhupad.

The holy name. Krishna.

Listening to Prabhupad sing this morning while I laid in bed, I experienced quiet moments of perfection. I don't need to prove anything in this life, to conquer the world or something. I just need to be me. I am enough.

Prabhupad will come for me.





[for e-mail subscribers, click on this link: http://youtu.be/NCusDs1scmY ]

Subscribe

Enough
→ Seed of Devotion

My alarm clock tone is the 1966 track of Prabhupad singing pranam and Hare Krishna. This morning I decided to put in my earphones and listen to the whole track.

Prabhupad's voice filled my being.

The thought came to me how I want this track to be playing at the time of my death. Seeing myself on my deathbed did not feel morbid at all. In fact, I experienced such peace.

No matter how much my body may change, if I travel the world or remain in a small town, who I marry or if I ever marry, disasters or triumphs that befall me, who my children are or if I ever have children, what my career is, if I accomplish famous deeds or remain utterly unknown, whatever may transpire in my life...

... everything becomes so simple in those moments before I leave this body.

Prabhupad.

The holy name. Krishna.

Listening to Prabhupad sing this morning while I laid in bed, I experienced quiet moments of perfection. I don't need to prove anything in this life, to conquer the world or something. I just need to be me. I am enough.

Prabhupad will come for me.





[for e-mail subscribers, click on this link: http://youtu.be/NCusDs1scmY ]

Subscribe

Aspects of a Successful Parampara
→ The Vaishnava Voice

 

When one thousand people in the United States were asked the question: “What factors brought you to your present religious belief and membership of your current religious community?” the overwhelming majority, 85%, responded that ‘my friend got me interested,’ or ‘my friend was already involved,’ or ‘I went along to the meetings with friends.’ The findings of this survey suggest that a prime influence in religious self-identification (other than deeply-held personal conviction) is our circle of friends; and what we believe then influences our subsequent choices of friends. The committed relationships we maintain with our circle of friends also seem to be a key ingredient in the expansion, socialisation and sustainability of a religious community.

There will always be highly motivated, self-starting, lone seekers of spiritual wisdom. After a mystical experience, or a deeply heart-warming reading of an ancient text, and armed with only their own initial inspiration, they’ll search out a spiritual practitioner who can share his or her wisdom. They may even join a small, very dedicated, band of austere followers. In India it was formerly quite common for a guru to impart rahasya-vidya, secret teachings, to a handful of such disciples, sometimes only one or two. Those disciples would then pass on the secret mantras and tantras to another two disciples. Over the generations this would form a small and exclusive parampara; perfectly valid and intact, but not one that would have any far-reaching social consequences.

The paramparas associated with the Vaishnava community are, in contrast, dedicated to widespread dissemination of knowledge and practice. They are based upon the compassionate uplifting of humanity with the message of the most merciful incarnations and messengers of God. As such, the mantra – at least the particular parampara’s ‘great mantra’ – is distributed to all comers, irrespective of any material or social consideration. It is this friendship to all – the creation of lines of friendship so important to the socialisation of a religious message – that guarantees the widespread popularity of Vaishnavism and its endurance across the centuries.

Although a parampara is simply the handing down of knowledge from teacher to student – guru to sisya – it also generates a parallel manifestation due to its reaching out in friendship to others: a self-perpetuating community of spiritual friends that forms a distinct social grouping, steadily growing down through many centuries.

The authentic teachings of Vaishnavism in written form have become essential in perpetuating a parampara. For this reason modern-day Vaishnavas of ISKCON have digitized the founder-acarya’s teachings, audio recordings and visual images, and provided bomb-proof, museum-level archives for the original materials. Without preservation of the original teachings there would inevitably be philosophical divergence at some point in the future, threatening the perpetuation of the parampara.

But the other elements that serve to sustain a parampara are those that were amply demonstrated by the acarya himself. Firstly, the personal appearances: individual teaching and lecturing – upadesha and upanyasa – with guidance, correction, encouragement, and enthusiasm given to disciples by a living preceptor. Second, the formation of branches of the community, physical places where, in a dedicated environment, followers may gather together for prayer, meditation, worship and discussions. Third, the utter dedication to reaching out to others in a spirit of friendship: free hot meals of sacred food, theatre and colourful festivals, singing processions and sales of philosophical books in accessible language. It is difficult to imagine the present success of ISKCON without these components so generously arranged by the founder.

The sustainability of the parampara would thus seem to be best guaranteed by the preservation of the teaching; the living presence of the exemplars of the teaching; the proliferation of physical spaces where the practices of spirituality can prosper, and the spirit of reaching out to others. And of course, if everyone can remain friends then success is assured.


Will the West ever solve its water woes?
→ The Yoga of Ecology





"The Colorado River provides fresh water to nearly 40 million people in seven states out west: Arizona, California, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. A sizable chunk of U.S. agriculture relies on that water — about 15 percent of the nation’s crops and 13 percent of its livestock. (Indeed, the vast majority of the river’s water is used for irrigation and agriculture.)

But there’s a problem: The Colorado River may soon no longer have enough water to satisfy the region’s needs. Thanks to rapid population growth in cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix, water demand is surging. Meanwhile, the supply of water is dropping — and could keep dropping as climate change speeds evaporation, shrinks the snow pack in the Rocky Mountains, and makes droughts more likely."

Will the West ever solve its water woes?
→ The Yoga of Ecology





"The Colorado River provides fresh water to nearly 40 million people in seven states out west: Arizona, California, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. A sizable chunk of U.S. agriculture relies on that water — about 15 percent of the nation’s crops and 13 percent of its livestock. (Indeed, the vast majority of the river’s water is used for irrigation and agriculture.)

But there’s a problem: The Colorado River may soon no longer have enough water to satisfy the region’s needs. Thanks to rapid population growth in cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix, water demand is surging. Meanwhile, the supply of water is dropping — and could keep dropping as climate change speeds evaporation, shrinks the snow pack in the Rocky Mountains, and makes droughts more likely."

Hung Up
→ Devamrita Swami's Facebook notes

Sometimes what I read ties me in knots. Suddenly the purports in Srila Prabhupada's books reveal their unlimited depths, and I feel like a small child gazing upon the ocean for the first time: "When does it end; where is the bottom?" Let me plunge you into a section of Chaitanya-caritamrita that has overloaded my circuits for two weeks—therefore I didn't write anything (an excellent excuse).

In Jagannatha Puri the devotees of Mahaprabhu had gone to the sea to bathe, preparing for their awesome lunch. Meanwhile, Lord Caitanya sought out Haridasa Thakura—finding him, of course, chanting the mahamantra in ecstatic love of Krishna. Immediately Haridasa Thakura falls on the ground like a stick, offering his respects. Mahaprabhu picks him up and embraces him. 

Now, here is what has shut me down: "Then both the Lord and His servant began to cry in ecstatic love. Indeed, the Lord was transformed by the qualities of His servant, and the servant was  transformed by the qualities of his master." (Madhya 11:187)

Although Mahaprabhu, Krishna Himself, is always the predominator, and the living entity, the predominated, nevertheless, in the exchange of ecstatic love, both become transformed.

This is Krishna's intelligent design—the innermost mystery of existence. 

As Prabhupada writes in the purport:  ". . . the servant of the Lord is the heart of the Lord, and the Lord is the heart of the servant. . . .The Lord is always eager to congratulate the servant because of the servant's transcendental qualities. The servant pleasingly renders service unto the Lord, and the lord also very pleasingly reciprocates, rendering even more service unto the servant." 

 Meanwhile, we are afraid to intensify our relationship with Krishna? Such paranoid madness can only be the result of contact with maya. 


my inspiration for today
→ kirtaniyah sada hari


“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Marianne Williamson

I remember the way I felt the first time I heard this, "Wow, that's totally applicable to me and everyone I know!" Years later, I've realized it's not only beautiful and inspirational but more importantly, it's a call to action for all of us. Krsna has given all of us unique abilities and talents and it is our service to culture, nourish them and offer it back in His service. om tat sat. :D

my inspiration for today
→ kirtaniyah sada hari


“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Marianne Williamson

I remember the way I felt the first time I heard this, "Wow, that's totally applicable to me and everyone I know!" Years later, I've realized it's not only beautiful and inspirational but more importantly, it's a call to action for all of us. Krsna has given all of us unique abilities and talents and it is our service to culture, nourish them and offer it back in His service. om tat sat. :D

in honour of gita jayanti: a new blog
→ kirtaniyah sada hari


Today, Sunday December 23, 2012 marks Gita Jayanti- the anniversary of when the Bhagavad gita was spoken over 5000 years ago on the sacred grounds of Kurukshetra.

The Bhagavad gita - as it is, is one of my favourite books. In fact, I often comment that it's "my hand book for life". If I have a question, a problem, am frustrated or am in need of some inspiration, the Gita is always there for me. I never need to worry that it's too busy or doesn't have time for me. In short, the Gita never lets me down.

I wanted to do something to commemorate this significant day and so for the first time in my life I consecutively read all 700+ verses - in English. I've recited all the sanskirt verses before and it was a wonderful experience. However, since my understanding of sanskrit is minimal at best, I could only appreciate the beautiful sound vibration of the mantras and not the essence it contained within them.

That's why I challenged myself to read the English translation of all 700+ verses. At some point in time between Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 an idea came to me. Well...it was more like a challenge: write something about every single verse in the Gita. A verse a day on the importance of the topic discussed, the way it makes me feel reading it or perhaps even a question that comes to mind.

And so here I am at the start. Today marks the beginning of diving into THE greatest yoga text. I invite you to join me... www.gita-asitis.blogspot.com

in honour of gita jayanti: a new blog
→ kirtaniyah sada hari


Today, Sunday December 23, 2012 marks Gita Jayanti- the anniversary of when the Bhagavad gita was spoken over 5000 years ago on the sacred grounds of Kurukshetra.

The Bhagavad gita - as it is, is one of my favourite books. In fact, I often comment that it's "my hand book for life". If I have a question, a problem, am frustrated or am in need of some inspiration, the Gita is always there for me. I never need to worry that it's too busy or doesn't have time for me. In short, the Gita never lets me down.

I wanted to do something to commemorate this significant day and so for the first time in my life I consecutively read all 700+ verses - in English. I've recited all the sanskirt verses before and it was a wonderful experience. However, since my understanding of sanskrit is minimal at best, I could only appreciate the beautiful sound vibration of the mantras and not the essence it contained within them.

That's why I challenged myself to read the English translation of all 700+ verses. At some point in time between Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 an idea came to me. Well...it was more like a challenge: write something about every single verse in the Gita. A verse a day on the importance of the topic discussed, the way it makes me feel reading it or perhaps even a question that comes to mind.

And so here I am at the start. Today marks the beginning of diving into THE greatest yoga text. I invite you to join me... www.gita-asitis.blogspot.com

Podcast 006 – Vrindavan Kirtan
→ Oxford Kirtan

This kirtan podcast was recorded last week at our monthly kirtan at the Friends Meeting House. Our kirtan leader was Krishna-ksetra, a renowned musician and singer. The style of this short but very jolly piece is that of Vrindavan, the birth place of Krishna, in North India. It has a lively and spontaneous mood, engaging the emotions in its waves of pace.

Celebrate Krishna’s Eternal Song
→ Toronto Sankirtan Adventures


By H.G. Vaisesika Prabhu
This year, Gita Jayanti, the anniversary of Lord Sri Krishna’s speaking the Bhagavad-Gita to Sri Arjuna, falls on Sunday, December 23rd.
For those whose lives have been forever improved by meeting Lord Krishna personally in the pages of the Gita, Gita Jayanti is not only a day of celebration but also a chance to express their gratitude. And the best way to do so is to share the Gita with others. Krishna Himself says, “There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.” (Bg. 18.69)
The Gita teaches the essence of spiritual knowledge, purely and succinctly, in a way that anyone – in any situation of life – can practically apply its instruction and wisdom. And since Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, resides within the heart of every living being, He is always there to help the reader understand the Gita’s profound message.
Many people in the world are innocent; and when they hear the message of the Gita from a devotee, they at once embrace it and attain perfection.
Krishna says, “Again there are those who, although not conversant in spiritual knowledge, begin to worship the Supreme Person upon hearing about Him from others. Because of their tendency to hear from authorities, they also transcend the path of birth and death.” (Bg. 13.26)
More than ever before, people need the common sense and elegance of the Gita. Why? The modern media daily brings us foul rumors, incendiary disputes, and scenes of massacre. And a popular scientist has proclaimed, “The human race is just chemical scum on a moderate sized planet . . .” (Stephen Hawking, interview 1994).
It seems that the public demands these things—at least some studies suggest that they do. And news anchors across the world have come to count on the fact that people have developed an insatiable appetite for calumny and the gory details of tragic events.
As people disclose the acrimony and conflict that trouble their hearts in tens of millions of daily blogs, YouTube clips, Facebook postings, and interviews in the 24-hour news cycle, the resultant din is a toxic outpouring of malignant sound that flows into the ears of the innocent masses, leading the world’s population into anxiety, despair, and mental illness.
The delicate human ear requires Krishna’s soothing voice in the Gita to clarify the heart and fortify the intellect.
Even five thousand years after Lord Krishna’s departure from this world, “the Bhagavad-gita can be consulted in all critical times, not only for solace from all kinds of mental agonies, but also for the way out of great entanglements which may embarrass one in some critical hour.” (SB 1.15.27, purport)
Lord Caitanya exalts the Gita to Srila Sanatana Gosvami: “Kåñëa is so merciful that simply by aiming His instructions at Arjuna, He has given protection to the whole world.” (Cc Madhya 22.56)
The Gita issues from the beautiful lotus mouth of Lord Sri Krishna, our best friend and eternal benefactor. And as that message passes through the pen of Krsna’s empowered representative, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Bhagavad-gita “As It Is” becomes all the more relishable.
As Gita Jayanti approaches, please read the Gita, remember the Gita, give the Gita.
Humbly in service,
Vaisesika Dasa

Celebrate Krishna’s Eternal Song
→ Toronto Sankirtan Adventures


By H.G. Vaisesika Prabhu
This year, Gita Jayanti, the anniversary of Lord Sri Krishna’s speaking the Bhagavad-Gita to Sri Arjuna, falls on Sunday, December 23rd.
For those whose lives have been forever improved by meeting Lord Krishna personally in the pages of the Gita, Gita Jayanti is not only a day of celebration but also a chance to express their gratitude. And the best way to do so is to share the Gita with others. Krishna Himself says, “There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.” (Bg. 18.69)
The Gita teaches the essence of spiritual knowledge, purely and succinctly, in a way that anyone – in any situation of life – can practically apply its instruction and wisdom. And since Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, resides within the heart of every living being, He is always there to help the reader understand the Gita’s profound message.
Many people in the world are innocent; and when they hear the message of the Gita from a devotee, they at once embrace it and attain perfection.
Krishna says, “Again there are those who, although not conversant in spiritual knowledge, begin to worship the Supreme Person upon hearing about Him from others. Because of their tendency to hear from authorities, they also transcend the path of birth and death.” (Bg. 13.26)
More than ever before, people need the common sense and elegance of the Gita. Why? The modern media daily brings us foul rumors, incendiary disputes, and scenes of massacre. And a popular scientist has proclaimed, “The human race is just chemical scum on a moderate sized planet . . .” (Stephen Hawking, interview 1994).
It seems that the public demands these things—at least some studies suggest that they do. And news anchors across the world have come to count on the fact that people have developed an insatiable appetite for calumny and the gory details of tragic events.
As people disclose the acrimony and conflict that trouble their hearts in tens of millions of daily blogs, YouTube clips, Facebook postings, and interviews in the 24-hour news cycle, the resultant din is a toxic outpouring of malignant sound that flows into the ears of the innocent masses, leading the world’s population into anxiety, despair, and mental illness.
The delicate human ear requires Krishna’s soothing voice in the Gita to clarify the heart and fortify the intellect.
Even five thousand years after Lord Krishna’s departure from this world, “the Bhagavad-gita can be consulted in all critical times, not only for solace from all kinds of mental agonies, but also for the way out of great entanglements which may embarrass one in some critical hour.” (SB 1.15.27, purport)
Lord Caitanya exalts the Gita to Srila Sanatana Gosvami: “Kåñëa is so merciful that simply by aiming His instructions at Arjuna, He has given protection to the whole world.” (Cc Madhya 22.56)
The Gita issues from the beautiful lotus mouth of Lord Sri Krishna, our best friend and eternal benefactor. And as that message passes through the pen of Krsna’s empowered representative, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Bhagavad-gita “As It Is” becomes all the more relishable.
As Gita Jayanti approaches, please read the Gita, remember the Gita, give the Gita.
Humbly in service,
Vaisesika Dasa

5 Takeaways From NOAA’s New Study On Climate Change And Extreme Events
→ The Yoga of Ecology


Click here to read the full article from Kelly Levin at WRI Insights

Many people are understandably perplexed at the U.S.’s recent extreme weather events like record heat waves, torrential downpours, droughts, and wildfires. A new report published by scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other institutions may finally offer some insight into climate change’s connection to the damaging and costly extreme events that are on the rise.

Numerous studies have shown that the Earth is warming rapidly, due in large part to human activities. While existing research focuses on climate change’s implications for the intensity and frequency of extreme events like storms and heat waves, due to scientific complexities, most scientists to date have tip-toed around attributing any single event to climate change.

Until now, that is. Last week, scientists from NOAA, the UK’s Met Office, and other institutions published a special report in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (BAMS) that attributed a number of recent extreme events to human-induced climate change.


5 Takeaways From NOAA’s New Study On Climate Change And Extreme Events
→ The Yoga of Ecology


Click here to read the full article from Kelly Levin at WRI Insights

Many people are understandably perplexed at the U.S.’s recent extreme weather events like record heat waves, torrential downpours, droughts, and wildfires. A new report published by scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other institutions may finally offer some insight into climate change’s connection to the damaging and costly extreme events that are on the rise.

Numerous studies have shown that the Earth is warming rapidly, due in large part to human activities. While existing research focuses on climate change’s implications for the intensity and frequency of extreme events like storms and heat waves, due to scientific complexities, most scientists to date have tip-toed around attributing any single event to climate change.

Until now, that is. Last week, scientists from NOAA, the UK’s Met Office, and other institutions published a special report in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (BAMS) that attributed a number of recent extreme events to human-induced climate change.


Travel Journal#8:22: Alachua and Gainesville, Florida
→ Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 8, No. 22
By Krishna-kripa das
(November 2012, part two)
Alachua and Gainesville, Florida
(Sent from Radha Govinda Temple, Brooklyn, New York, on December 21, 2012)

Where I Went and What I Did

I had greatly hoped to make it to Alachua in time to hear the wonderful remembrances on Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day, but I just caught the end of the kirtana and the feast, and a few remembrances in the evening, which I include below. The next day, we chanted for two hours before the football game in Gainesville, and Dravida Prabhu, who loves to chant, joined us, making it even better than usual. That night we went to a nice festival Madhava Prabhu from the Alachua community had at his place with beautiful kirtanas, enlightening talks, and tasty prasadam in celebration of the anniversary of the appearance of Krishna as Govardhan-sila in his life. Sunday was the Govardhan Puja festival in Alachua. For several days leading up to The Festival of the Holy Name in Alachua, Madhava Prabhu, the kirtana leader from Switzerland, sang kirtana for two or three hours every night and by the grace of Krishna and my friends with cars, I was able to attend all of them. Wednesday we had an amazing harinama at the Farmers Market with thirteen people taking part. Thursday I got to speak about gratitude for Thanksgiving, and people said they liked the lecture. I sent it to the ISKCON Desire Tree website, and you will be able to find it there in a few days. This year’s Festival of the Holy Name was the best so far, and I will mention a few high points for me. Dravida Prabhu, who visits this time of year specifically for the Festival of the Holy Name impressed me by taking eight hours out of the festival to drive with us to Tallahassee to lead the harinama before the football game for a couple of hours. For the final week of November, I stayed in Gainesville’s Krishna House, helping to maintain the harinamas and evening programs, and inspired to see and work with some very enthusiastic new devotees.

Among the insights, there are many wonderful quotes from the letters of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura, soon to be published as Patramrita, by Touchstone Publishing. Also particularly inspiring are realizations from Dravida and Kalakantha Prabhus. And there are other gems as well.

Prabhupada Disappearance Remembrances

Rasa Lila dd:

Srila Prabhupada patiently teaches me every day something new about Krishna, just as he did when he was present.

He taught you can do something amazing for Krishna at any age, and now that we are approaching his age, we might consider that if we are thinking we are too old to do anything, we should think again.

Mukunda Prabhu:

The Bhaktivedanta Archives is building a concrete room with a door like a bank vault to preserve Prabhupada’s materials and just today on his disappearance day someone came through with a donation.

Vegavati dd:

In Hawaii there were two camps of devotees that disagreed, but when Srila Prabhupada was there and the kirtana was going on, there was so much spiritual love no differences existed.

Puskara Prabhu:

I was in Vrindavan in 1977 the whole time from April to November, when Srila Prabhupada left this world.

Toward the end, rickshaws were delivering salt for the samadhi [holy tomb] but we were in some kind of illusion thinking that Srila Prabhupada would stay.

I was given the job of calling Ramesvara in LA to tell him that Prabhupada had left.

When there was a debate about whether Srila Prabhupada would go to Govardhan or not [just a few days before he left this world]. I asked Bhagatji [a friend of Srila Prabhupada’s] whether Prabhupada would go, and he said with conviction, “He will not go,” as if I were a fool for asking.

There was a devotee Sac-cid-ananda who would sing every day for Srila Prabhupada in his last days. One day he did not sing and Prabhupada asked for him to.

Several times Krishnadasa Babaji Maharaja came. Prabhupada very much liked his association. At different times Srila Prabhupada said he was paramahamsa [topmost devotee].

Once I was painting trees in Vrindavan, thinking all the trees in Vrindavan were desire trees and so it was OK. Then I felt bad because Krishna wasn’t there, so I added Krishna and some cowherd boys. I showed it to Srila Prabhupada. Prabhupada looked for a long time and didn’t say anything. Then he said, “What is the idea? Where is it in the books?”
I said, “The Nectar of Devotion.”
“What verse?” Srila Prabhupada replied.
I said, “Krishna is unlimited.”
Srila Prabhupada replied, “Krishna is unlimited, but you are limited. Stick to the book.”

Gauranga Prasada Prabhu’s Going Away Party

Gauranga Prasada Prabhu was a new devotee in Gainesville who was very eager to apply himself to different aspects of Krishna consciousness such as cooking for the Lord and playing the harmonium and singing. He left Krishna House after not even two years to become the bhakta leader in the Tucson temple, and the Krishna House devotees had a nice going away party for him.

Kalakantha Prabhu: Gauranga Prasada was seeking the truth. He was immediately attracted by Krishna consciousness. He was supported by his family. He has many talents. It is clear he is continuing his practice from a previous life.

Hanan Prabhu asked devotees to say three things each about him:

Clayton: Sincerity, simplicity, wailing on the harmonium with total absorption. Ananda Loka Prabhu: His bright smile. Srutisagara Prabhu: Hard-working, humble. Ghee, butter, hing. Tulasi Priya dd: A good example for me. Dr. Dina Bandhu Prabhu: Always said “welcome home” each weekend when I returned from Jacksonville. New lady: Made me feel at home. Girl with glasses: Eye-opening, laughter. Tall Indian male: Positive. Jai Nitai Gauranga Prabhu: Reliable. Father: An old soul. He had a wisdom about him. He has given so much. Mother: He is well loved. Thank you all here for showing him compassion and giving him safety. Haribol. Amrita Keli dd: Completely lovable, without fault, potent. Just today he came into my dream to remind me to help in the kitchen five minutes after I said I would be there. Andy: A mine of valuable gems like potency, kindness. I feel very enriched. Syamala Kishori dd: Enthusiasm. I love your kirtana.

I mentioned his enthusiasm, his happiness, and his kindness. He kindly sent some Krishna sweets to my relatives for me when I was overseas. I wish him well.

Gauranga Prasada Prabhu:

My plan for life was originally very clear, go to school, get a job, raise a family, but now I feel my life is much more uncertain, but in the best possible way. I just want to serve Krishna and be with the devotees. The rest is just details.

I am grateful for the service opportunities here at Krishna House, which I think are more extensive than any other temple.

comment by Kalakantha Prabhu: I appreciate you were always willing to do the needful.

Harinama at the Farmers Market

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving there were no classes at University of Florida, and so both students and Krishna Lunch workers had more free time. Thus we were able to have a harinama with thirteen people at the Farmers Market! Four of us came together, driven by Michele, a new devotee who loves kirtana. Then a couple more devotees joined us. Then two Krishna Lunch workers along with the sister of one of them. Michele gave the new girl a mantra card, and she chanted Hare Krishna for the first time. Jaya Sri Krishna Prabhu joined us and played the drum. One lady on a nearby bench seemed to be enjoying the kirtana, so we gave her a mantra card, and she chanted along. Later Damodar Prasada gave her a book. Thus Krishna really reciprocated with my desire to have a well-attended harinama in the Farmers Market upon my return to Gainesville. It was great that two new people chanted the mantra.

The Festival of the Holy Name

Festival of the Holy Name is an annual kirtana festival during Thanksgiving weekend featuring two days of 12 hours of kirtana at ISKCON New Raman Reti in Alachua, Florida. This year’s was the third festival.

It was a treat having Niranjana Swami fly in just to be part of the Festival of the Holy Name this year. Agnidev Prabhu, a legendary Hare Krishna kirtana leader, also was a special guest. And of course, there were Madhava and Amala, as usual, as well as Mitra Prabhu, who came from North Carolina, and locals like Visvambhara and Jagannatha Kirtana Prabhus, to name a few.

One friend from Tallahassee, Sara Black, a young Mormon music major, who just completed her Ph.D. dissertation on kirtana at Hare Krishna festivals came to the Festival of the Holy Name for at least the second year. Inspired by her research, she is now writing a book on the recent explosion of interest in kirtana. I encouraged her to stay and hear Niranjana Swami, and she stayed and appreciated the kirtanas of both Niranjana Swami and Agnidev Prabhu. In fact, she and her husband stayed to hear Visvambhara Prabhu whose singing they had previously developed an attachment for and who did the last segment on Friday evening. It was wonderful to see them both intently singing Hare Krishna and clapping along with the music. She developed an interest in Hare Krishna festivals when she grew up in Utah and attended the Holi festival that Caru Prabhu organized his temple in Spanish Fork.

The group of local second generation American Vaishnavas including Gaura Shakti, Krishna Dhama, Govinda, and Ramachandra, and many more, who organized the festival did a great job, and it gets better every year. All thanks and blessings to them.

Insights

Srila Prabhupada:

from a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.1, given in Bombay, on December 25, 1976:

“This is the difficulty at the present moment that we take leadership of the society although we remain in the bodily conception of life.”

There is a not a problem of overpopulation. We are all sons of Krishna, and He is providing for us. The problem is that we are mismanaging and then claiming God is not providing.

The more you become godless, the more miseries will be inflicted by material nature.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura (from Patravali, a collection of his letters soon to be published by Touchstone Publishing in an abridged work called Patramrita):

If the mind does not become disturbed at the time of chanting mantras then it should be understood that the chanting is being done perfectly.

In order to test us and benefit us, the Supreme Lord has placed different types of inconveniences in this world. We have to realize those things as being beneficial for us and thus accept them gracefully. Glorious are those who serve the Supreme Lord. In the midst of all difficulties, keep hearing about, chanting, and remembering the Supreme Lord. Other than this I have no better advice. You should always chant a fixed number of rounds of the holy names of Lord Hari. If there is any problem for openly decorating your body with tilaka then you can do it mentally while chanting the appropriate mantras. Know for certain that the holy name of Hari and Lord Hari Himself are one and the same. Know for certain that chanting the holy names of Hari and meeting the Supreme Lord directly are one and the same. Sri Harinama Prabhu is the worshipable Lord of liberated persons.

There is no comparison to Sri Gaurasundara’s compassion, and there is no limit to Sri Krishnacandra’s sweetness.

Simply by reading about glorification of the Supreme Lord and the devotees, all our needs will be fulfilled. Do not be impatient for the result, but rather always chant the holy names of Krishna with patience and tolerance. The Supreme Lord will certainly not sit quietly. According to the degree of one’s sadhana, Sri Gaurahari certainly awards one auspicious results. Service to Hari is called bhakti. You will realize that chanting of the names of Krishna is in itself bhakti.

The forefathers of that family in which a devotee takes birth attain special benefit so that their lives become successful. There is no need to pray for them separately.

Dreams are false. They are manifestations of the enjoyment of one’s thoughts, and they are the results of one’s previous bad association. Therefore just throw away those things from the heart.

Sri Gaurasundara tests us in various ways by putting us into difficulties and different kinds of association. It depends on the good fortune of the living entities for them to pass those tests. As the indwelling Supersoul, Sri Gaurahari has revealed the eternal truth in the hearts of the living entities out of His causeless mercy. Those who have taken shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Hari and the spiritual master never trust the illusory words of misguided people. Only unfortunate people become bewildered by hearing deceitful words. One need not worry about that.

It is the duty of householders to worship the deity of the Supreme Lord with faith and devotion. A householder who has taken complete shelter of the holy names, having realized his relationship with the Supreme Lord, respects deity worshipers. Those who avoid worshiping the deity just to save money incur the sin known as vittasa?hya, or miserliness. Householders with abominable characters and restless minds must engage in deity worship.

You are a learned person and so you must know the scriptural evidence the smarta Bhattacarya Raghunandan has quoted in the ekadasi-tattva.

devata pratimam drstva. yatinacaiva tridandinam
namaskaram na kuryaccet upavasena suddhati
“You are the father, but still you should offer obeisance to your sannyasi son, otherwise you will have to purify yourself of that fault by observing a fast for one full day.”

You were inspiring him to enter a miserable family life, which is a more severe form of vow than the severe vow one takes to worship Hari, because it instills a great fear in one’s mind. Your attempt was not proper.

Those who are faithful and devoted never face obstacles or inauspiciousness. Only those who desire material enjoyment and liberation face inauspiciousness in life.

I have been wandering about since my birth for the attainment of the goal of life about which you have been deceived for the last twelve years. I did not feel any need to hanker after sense gratification, which is the aim of your life and wealth. I never felt any need to accumulate wealth to mitigate my hunger, to maintain my wife and children, or to supply fuel for my illicit desires. I have never made any endeavor for material wealth like you.
Lord Krishna has never put me into any sort of difficulty or anxiety regarding filling my belly, like He has you. I only try to earn that much wealth with which I can engage in the service of Lord Vishnu, and with which I can keep my sinful body healthy just to serve Lord Hari. Apart from that, I never tried to earn any wealth whatsoever. Even today, I am not greedy for anyone’s wealth. I am not greedy for perishable material wealth like you.
Please bless me so that I can remain greedy for eternal wealth, birth after birth. I wish that even my greatest enemy would not have greed for enjoyable wealth. May I not have any desire other than to pray for the benefit of my greatest enemy. Bless me that I may not see in the last days of my life the face of atheists who are greedy for wealth for the purpose of enjoying profit, adoration, distinction, gold, and women.

We, surrounded by enemies, are determined to engage in the service of Lord Hari and His devotees. All of us are more or less forgetful of Lord Krishna while serving the six enemies. All of you together should serve Lord Hari with unity. This is my request. Ekaki amara nahi paya bala. “I have no strength to do it alone.” Remembering this line, all of you should continue to execute kirtana-yajña, which is the goal of life. The responsibility of the leaders in charge of the execution of kirtana-yajña is to make friendship with all, and especially satisfy all the Vai??avas, while engaging in the service of Hari.

This material world is temporary—nobody has come here to live forever. When the Supreme Lord keeps one in a particular place, he should gladly stay there and accept His rewards and punishments. All types of rewards and punishments awarded by the Supreme Lord are meant for our benefit. We welcome the rewards of the Lord’s external energy, maya, whereas we consider her punishments as troublesome. Since the punishments of maya are awarded so that one can obtain the Lord’s mercy, the devotees do not disregard them; rather they gladly accept them as the Lord’s mercy and simply tolerate them. Those who cannot understand worldly inconveniences to be the Lord’s mercy ultimately fall into a state of disappointment while searching for material happiness and advancement.

Our material miseries and scarcities will go away by participating in festivals in the association of those who serve the Supreme Lord. To always remain engaged in hearing and chanting the glories of Lord Hari is the instruction of saintly persons, scriptures, and the Supreme Lord.

According to proper etiquette, in day-to-day business, one should normally start a letter by saying, “all glories to,” or by offering obeisances at the top of the letter.

By calling out the holy names of the Supreme Lord while fixing our mind upon Him, all auspiciousness is achieved. The Supreme Lord alone is the one who awards worldly prosperity, happiness, and distress. We are maintained by Him and are surrendered unto Him. Whatever arrangements He makes for us, we should humbly accept.

Every disturbance is a fault of my mind; nobody can actually harm me in this world.

Try to avoid quarreling. There is no possibility of disharmony if the purpose is one. In the spiritual world, apparent conflict of interests helps to increase the glories of loving service to the Supreme Lord.

Even by riding on the motorcar of the Madras Gaudiya Matha, the principle and guise of a sincere beggar can be maintained. There is no need to externally display artificial renunciation, or luxury by imitating the sahajiyas. Renunciation is a state of the heart. There is a gulf of difference between the considerations of those who misuse renunciation and that of the followers of King Janaka and Raya Ramananda. By taking advantage of, and by imitating, King Janaka or Raya Ramananda, and thus acting like Ravana, is not internal renunciation, or yukta-vairagya. When duplicity is externally displayed, having entered the heart, nobody can achieve his true welfare.

People are extremely averse to us and so their behavior will surely be exhibited according to this mentality. If we can patiently tolerate their insults then one day they will definitely repent their misdeeds.

None of you should be afraid of natural calamities, such as heavy rain or disease. Embrace them and then bid them farewell in due course of time. Srila Jagannatha Dasa Babaji Maharaja used to say that when painful diseases come to our body, if they are not pampered, or do not get excellent food, they will automatically leave. Diseases stay longer in the bodies of aristocratic people because of their luxurious living.

As soon as bodily pleasures are increased, the propensity for serving the Supreme Lord decreases. That is why the Supreme Lord spreads thorns on the path of all kinds of comfort for those upon whom He shows mercy.

I have received your humble letter dated the 29th March and have understood your present physical and mental condition. Always remember the lotus feet of Lord Hari, the spiritual master, and other Vaishnavas without interruption while accepting that all physical and mental miseries are a result of one’s previous karma. In this mood, always pray for the mercy of the Supreme Lord. Gradually, by Krishna’s will, all types of miseries will be destroyed and you will become empowered for the service of the Supreme Lord so that the inclination for constantly worshiping Lord Hari will be awakened. All impediments in the form of bad association will be removed and the propensity to always serve Lord Hari, the spiritual master, and the Vaishnavas will predominate.
I hope that you will soon be cured of your physical and mental illness by the Lord’s mercy so that you will increase our happiness by being engaged in the worship of Hari. It is quite warm here. If you feel extreme pain then invite a devotee known to you from Gaudiya Matha and hear from him Hari-katha and Hari-nama.
There is no happiness in the material world. The material world creates many disturbances by manifesting various kinds of disasters. Although there is good and bad, and partial purity in it, material life often produces varieties of disturbances. That is why the tat te nu’kampam verse has been presented.
There are no such disturbances in the abode of Goloka. Anyway, there is no alternative but to tolerate all inconveniences that come to us at various times and at various places.

Let them harass you as much as possible; you simply must quietly tolerate these disturbances. We firmly believe that the people of the world will not allow injustices to predominate. The Supreme Lord arranges everything for our benefit—this is our firm faith. The atheists cannot flourish in this world for long, for eventually they are pulled down by the punishment of providence. Everything takes place by the will of the Supreme Lord.

The duty of relatives is that they should first offer some foodstuffs to the Supreme Lord on the day of sraddha and then offer some portion of the Lord’s prasada to the departed soul and thus help him achieve his ultimate welfare. Offering the departed souls prasada will satisfy the devotees of the Supreme Lord. There should also be performance of harinama.

When maya conditions us, we remain busy calculating who is big and who is small.

We should unconditionally accept whatever condition Krishna puts us in at any time. The desire to gain physical health with the sole intention of worshiping Krishna is also favorable for devotional service. A non-devotee’s endeavor to demand service from the Supreme Lord, such as becoming cured so that he can attain the platform of anarthas is not acceptable. But to pray for good health to the destroyer of obstacles, Ganesa, and at the lotus feet of the destroyer of obstacles, Lord Nrsimha, for the sake of Krishna bhajana is certainly acceptable.

If our photograph is worshiped when we are alive; this will make us fall down.

If you constantly engage your mind in the Lord’s service then no one can harm you. If you are restless or dissatisfied with others then an inclination for the Lord’s service will not be present within your mind. Your words, body, and mind will form a mental displeasure that will not allow you to serve Hari. Therefore become tolerant like a tree, and by the Lord’s will stay at Samanta-pañcaka. This will be beneficial for you. Wait for the day when Lord Gaura Hari will send you elsewhere.

The dear devotees of Sri Gaurasundara have no other business than to take the treasure of His distribution of Krishna-prema [love of God] and distribute it door to door. This business is their only means of livelihood as they execute their loving devotional service to Krishna.

As Srila Rupa Gosvami elaborately explains in his Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu, there are five principal rasas—neutrality, servitude, friendship, parental love, and conjugal love—and seven secondary rasas—amazement, humor, chivalry, compassion, fury, fear, and dread. Altogether there are twelve rasas, the supreme object of them all is Sri Krishna. In other words, our love and affection are actually meant for Sri Krishna. Unfortunately, out of ignorance, we stubbornly try to squeeze happiness and love out of material relationships, which are not directly connected to Krishna, and thus life is experienced as a constant frustration. The solution is simple: surrender to Krishna, love Krishna, love Krishna’s devotees, and be happy forever.

Pray to the holy name with your heart and soul so that the holy name may bestow mercy upon you. Remembering astakaliya-lila is not to be performed when one is full of anarthas. Only by kirtana can smarana be practiced. At that time, realization of astakaliya-lila-seva is possible. One should not artificially practice astakaliya-lila-smara?a.

We are insignificant beggars. If a rich person or a particular community harasses us then Lord Nrisimha will protect us. No community can hurt our feelings for our religious beliefs.

When the futility of false ego is understood, then we give up bad association and come to know that worldly happiness, worldly knowledge, and worldly settlement, etc., are all useless in comparison to realization of the Supreme Lord, who is eternal, and full of knowledge and bliss. Only when one is initiated into Krishna consciousness like this can he obtain supreme auspiciousness.

By installing deities of Lord Jagannatha and Lord Mahaprabhu in the villages of England and offering Indian foodstuffs to the Lord and then distributing them as maha-prasada, gradually the people of England will support the service of the Supreme Lord by showing sympathy and being faithful. In the future, qualified persons will go there and benefit the people by propagating pure sanatana-dharma.
Oh!When will the time come when all the people of that country honor the transcendental maha-prasada in the Lord’s temple while chanting the holy names of Lord Gauranga with a purified heart and thus understand the value of spiritual life?

Because we will forget the Supreme Lord if we are are satisfied with material happiness, the merciful Lord has created various dangers to test us. Happiness in this material world guarantees forgetfulness of Krishna. Hence, miseries are examples of His compassion.

There are differences of opinion between the resident devotees of the matha and the “big” householder devotees. According to the considerations put forth by Maharaja in Delhi, the Supreme Lord and His devotees are the only objects of service. Just by serving the Supreme Lord and the devotees, the weight of our attached household activities will decrease. But if the residents of the dhama think of themselves as “big devotees,” just like the sahajiyas of Kuliya, and transform the servants of the matha into their servants, then rather than serving the dhama, they will imagine themselves as being objects of service in Vaiku??ha. Living in the dhama is only to serve the devotees, but if instead of serving the Supreme Lord and the devotees, service is demanded from them and displeasure is shown at their activities, then rather than dhama-seva, an offense called dhama-bhoga will be committed.
It is better to live in a place of material enjoyment and serve the devotees of the dhama from a distance than to be an enjoyer of the dhama.

Simply by worshiping Hari, the body, mind, and soul will remain healthy, but if one is averse to bhajana, these three will act unfavorably.

The tendency for material enjoyment is one hundred percent present in the Western countries. Therefore their faith in God is very weak.

Sastra says, “One should take shelter of saintly persons while giving up bad association.” Those who mistake nondevotees to be devotees make a mistake like trying to cheat a blacksmith out of steel. We need not talk about others, but while serving Lord Hari, the spiritual master, and other Vaishnavas, discussions of Agha, Baka, Ravana, and so on automatically arise. Anyway, everything is the Lord’s test. I did not expect such unfavorable behavior from my so-called disciples. Anyhow, this is Kali-yuga and so everything is possible.

To ascertain the varna of a person is the essence of varnasrama. To merge familial identity with one’s personal nature is not its purpose.

The followers of Sri Rupa, without putting faith in their own power, attribute all their successes to the original source. We too do everything for the pleasure of Sri Krishna Caitanya, Sri Rupa, Sri Bhaktivinoda, and our spiritual master.

Bhakti Tirtha Swami (from a YouTube video lecture):

The Vedic scriptures are the oldest scriptures on the planet, and if you follow them, they will make you a better Christian or a better Moslem. And the end result of that is that you will understand that we are servants of God, beyond all sectarian designations.

In our movement we have people of different nations and races all working together to benefit society. Where else is there such an example?

Niranjana Swami:

When a diplomat visited Prabhupada in Geneva, Srila Prabhupada started out by asking if he had any questions. The man said, “No.” Then Srila Prabhupada asked for the harmonium, and played a beautiful Hare Krishna tune for twenty minutes or so. Then he said to the man, “This is what we do.” Then he asked Guru Gauranga Prabhu to give the man prasadam. So I tell this story as a simple introduction to this 12-hour kirtana program. This is what we do.

Badahari Prabhu (from Krishna House):

Using mechanical substitutes for essential body parts or functions cannot extend life without the sanction of the Lord.

Our hearing apparatus works 24/7 and thus can protect us from calamity at all times.

Morning is best for the spiritual cultivation because the ether is not polluted by materialistic sound vibrations.

Srila Prabhupada and Krishna are ready to take you with them, if you are willing to give up the desire to control.

It is hard to be detached from the material world, but because someday you will need to be, it is good to practice.

Beg borrow or steal, somehow get devotional service. The more devotional service we do, we build up our spiritual body.

Comment by Gauranga Prasada Prabhu: Laksmimani dd says that pride, such as that in Vedic scholarship, is one thing that remains as indicated by the word prayesu [almost to nil] in Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.18.

Caturatma Prabhu:

In Vrindavan, I was noticing three Govardhan silas on Indradyumna Swami’s altar at the MVT. I asked the origin of them. He said he had to confiscate them from his disciples, and he did not know what he was going to do with them. I said, well I have been wanting to worship Govardhan for some time, I would like to worship them. He said, “Well you’re not shy about asking.” He also had a very large sila, one that was completely impractical to travel with and, he did not have a clue what he would do with Him. I said, “I know just the person, a hefty devotee, who has a desire to worship Govardhan. That was Madhava [from the Alachua community].”

Dravida Prabhu:

The prayers of Brahma are very conclusive and many acaryas have written explanations of them.

Brahma had just experienced that his intellect had failed to appreciate the divinity of Krishna, and so he spoke this verse (SB 10.14.3): “Those who, even while remaining situated in their established social positions, throw away the process of speculative knowledge and with their body, words and mind offer all respects to descriptions of Your personality and activities, dedicating their lives to these narrations, which are vibrated by You personally and by Your pure devotees, certainly conquer Your Lordship, although You are otherwise unconquerable by anyone within the three worlds.”

“What is the ultimate goal of life and how to attain it?” is the main question of a seeker.

There is a logical order to the four imperfections of a conditioned soul. First we have imperfect senses, then we make mistakes, and when we make enough mistakes, we become illusioned, and when we present our illusions as factual knowledge we cheat others.

Adhoksaja is a combination of three words, ja meaning janma or birth, aksa meaning the eyes, or the senses in general, adha which means pushing down. Aksaja thus means knowledge born of sense perception, and adhoksaja therefore means that which pushes down this knowledge born of sense perceptions.

Krishna wants only one thing: love.

One may be a multi-millionaire but if he has no one to exchange love with he is unhappy.

How to serve the topics of the Lord? With our body, by following His instructions, with our minds, by thinking of the topics, and with our words, by repeating them to others.

Two of Jarasandha’s daughters were wives of Kamsa, so he was upset with Krishna for killing Kamsa and leaving them unprotected.

Everything begins with hearing. If we had not heard about Krishna, how could we have become attracted to Him?

Kathamritam means that hearing about Krishna is like nectar, but you cannot drink too much of such nectar, nor does it have any bad side effects.

Our constitutional position is not to be a university student nor to work a certain job, nor to be a man or woman, nor even a human being.

On Halloween people dress in costumes but if they forget it is just a costume and continue to act as a ghost or Napolean, then they really have a problem. That is our situation in this world.

The topics glorifying Krishna are the purifying force.

The most valuable thing you have is your desire to be Krishna consciousness, and that we must increase by our practice.

The main reason we stay in the material world is because of our desire to hear about things other than Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada said if you take one step toward Krishna, Krishna takes ten steps toward you. These steps are the taste He gives you.

Everything depends on the intensity of one’s attention.

The secret is to keep everything fresh and new. For me it is verses. There are always more verses, and the verses have great depth. The verses are like old friends. And the books . . .

The sastra [with a long ‘a’ (the scripture)] cuts off our attachments, but the sastra [with a short ‘a’ (the weapon)] cuts off our head.

The Siksastakam is throughout the Padyavali (a collection of verses) of Rupa Goswami and was gathered together by Krishnadas Kaviraja Goswami.

Step to memorize verses:

  1. read translation
  2. figure out meter
  3. look at word meanings for the first line
  4. practice saying the first line while remembering its meaning
  5. repeat steps 3 and 4 with all the lines of the verse
  6. practice your verses periodically


The “Madhurastkam,” which describes the sweetness of Krishna, only works because it is about Him. It would become trite to describe any other person as being sweet in so many ways.

Similarly if anyone were dressed as opulently as the Deity one would consider the person to be overdressed but for Krishna such opulence is appropriate and pleasing.

Some people look for the bliss at this festival and that festival, but hooking up with Lord Caitanya and His movement and all the previous spiritual masters by making a contribution to the mission, we taste the real bliss. We forget that this is something bestowed upon us.

Constant prayer and willingness to do austerity for Krishna makes us advanced.

Prabhodananda Sarasvati said, “Lord Caitanya is more magnanimous than ten million mothers.”

The real friend is the friend who will introduce you to your eternal friend Krishna.

The real guru inspires you to chant the holy name.

The holy name is like a touchstone. When our consciousness touches the holy name it becomes transformed.

The chanting is attractive because Krishna is present there.

Three things come from devotional service, the pleasure of serving Krishna, direct experience of Krishna, and detachment from other things. This is compared to the pleasure of eating, nourishment, and freedom from hunger.

Ajamila was so grateful that the holy name saved him from the Yamadutas that he very seriously took to devotional service and attained perfection.

The holy name is supremely pure and made of spiritual bliss.

If we want to associate with Krishna, He is willing to associate with us, primarily through His avatar as the holy name.

There is no downside or bad effect to the pleasure of the holy name. It is all up. Stay high forever.

Talks of materialistic people steal the most valuable gem, our desire for Krishna.

By associating with the faithful, we become faithful.

Progressing in devotional service means refining our activities so they are supportive of chanting.

By chanting japa during class we can commit two offenses at once, inattention to chanting and insulting the Bhagavatam speaker.

Srila Prabhupada was always completely focused on what he was doing for Krishna, and thus he was able to do so much in just eleven years.

In the Eleventh Canto, one verse states that the greatest pure devotee does not want to forget Krishna even for a moment, even in exchange for all the wealth in the world.

Comment by Lilananda Prabhu: Bringing a television into your home is like bring in billions of people who are against Krishna.

Comment: If one chants the names of Nitai Gauranga, Bhakti devi comes chasing after you.

Comment by Kaliyaphani Prabhu: Regarding the Gauranga campaign you mentioned where devotees in Scotland put up posters saying “Chant Gauranga” everywhere, I have a couple stories:

“A devotee doing street sankirtana [book distribution] in Scotland stopped a young mother with a small son. He was a scruffy, cheeky-looking kid. After the exchange, the devotee said to the kid, ‘Can you say Gauranga?’ The reply was, ‘Aye, I can. But it’s nae Gauranga, it’s Gauruunga!’

“Two devotees going door-to-door in central Edinburgh entered a very posh-looking restaurant with the idea of going round the tables to collect. There were big pillars, chandeliers, etc. They hesitated at the doorway thinking it was too posh. Then a customer at a table must have recognized them and at the top of his voiced yelled out, ‘Gaaaaauuuuraaaangaaaa!’ the sound reverberating round the hall and shattering the devotee’s doubts!”

If you make a habit of glorifying devotees you will derive such pleasure from that activity that you will not feel the tendency to criticize devotees. Radhanath Swami is a good example of that.

When we are doing japa and kirtana, we should think, “Now is my time to associate directly with Krishna and to forget everything else.”

We have to come to the platform of always following Srila Prabhupada’s instructions to attain purity in chanting.

Dhanesvara Prabhu was the manager of the production team of me (Dravida Prabhu), Gopiparanadhana Prabhu, and Hridayananda dasa Goswami to complete Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavatam translation. At one point, things were difficult and Gopiparanadhana Prabhu suggested that we worship the Bhagavatam. So we set up an altar and put the Bhagavatam on it, and worshiped it, and ultimately we were successful in completing the translation and publishing it.
We should think, “By chanting the holy name purely all my aspirations will be fulfilled.”

Because we are chanting Hare Krishna, Krishna is reducing our taste for meat eating, illicit sex, intoxication, and gambling.

All of us have the capacity to appreciate the holy name as Rupa Goswami did: “I do not know how much nectar the two syllables ‘Krish-na’ have produced. When the holy name of Krishna is chanted, it appears to dance within the mouth. We then desire many, many mouths. When that name enters the holes of the ears, we desire many millions of ears. And when the holy name dances in the courtyard of the heart, it conquers the activities of the mind, and therefore all the senses become inert.”

We can pray to the holy name for the strength to avoid sinful activities.

Kalakantha Prabhu:

One devotee walked from Africa to Mayapur chanting Hare Krishna. The devotees in general were very impressed with him, but Srila Prabhupada was not impressed. That devotee eventually stopped talking with other devotees and lived alone, saying he wanted to focus on his chanting. Ultimately, however, he went away because people stopped paying attention to him.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura was opposed to the idea of seminal succession of spiritual masters, and so rather than initiating his son, he advised his son to approach Gaurakisora Dasa Babaji Maharaja for initiation.

We cannot become advanced by imitating the symptoms of advanced devotees, but rather absorbing ourselves in Krishna and naturally becoming advanced.

Whatever taste we have for hearing about Krishna is our greatest gift.

The great acaryas [spiritual teachers who teach by example] are not appointed but emerge.

After a day of searching by the order of Dronacarya, their teacher, Duryodhana could not find anyone superior to himself and Yudhisthira could not find anyone inferior to himself. Dronacarya then proclaimed, “Yudhisthira is fit to rule the world and Duryodhana is fit to have his body eaten by jackals.”

Anuttama Prabhu tells a story of an experience on sankirtana:
One man said, “I don’t want your book. I have my own religion. You are going to hell.” Anuttama replied, “What religion are you?”
The man said, “Christian.”
Anuttama inquired, “Are all Christians going to heaven?”
The man said, “No, not all Christians.”
Anuttama asked, “So only people in your church?”
The man replied, “No, not all people in my church are going to heaven.”

The madhyama devotee’s relationship with the innocent person is this: “I want to help this person as much as he wants my help.”

As soon as you take to spiritual life seriously, some people will love you and other people will hate you.

The neophyte devotee cannot abandon the society, friendship, and love of the material world to pursue Krishna.

In no religious scripture will you see a statement like “I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me.” Only Krishna is so bold as to say this, but He says it not because He is arrogant, but to establish the truth. He does this in half a verse. And in rest of the four main verses He talks about His devotees and how He reciprocates with them.

There is a long standing discussion in theology about whether God is attained by works or grace. The relationship between the two is cleared up in Bhagavad-gita: “To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” (Bg. 10.10)

If the most important thing to a person is God, then that person is a devotee or a Vaishnava.

Nondevotees consider the activities of the Lord are too amazing to be true. But what do you expect God to do? Actually the more amazing the activities of Krishna are, the more they are worthy of God, and the more they give us faith in Krishna.

Often in the rest of the Bhagavatam, Sukadeva Goswami quotes other sages, but in the Tenth Canto he speaks himself.

We are frustrated with relationships, we have been hurt in relationships, and so the last thing we want is a relationship with God.

It is pleasing to associate with people who think God is the most important.

Who do we talk to? Who do we reveal our mind to? That is how we associate.

As for seeing someone reputed to be a sadhu: See him once. Take notes. Point out where he differs from Bhagavad-gita. If invited again, point out the differences between his philosophy and Bhagavad-gita, and say you would rather read Bhagavad-gita than hear him.

We cannot gain a taste for Krishna consciousness by pretending we have it.

In fund raising, there is happy money and unhappy money. Unhappy money is that is received by making people feel guilty or which they regret giving and never give again. Happy money is money people feel good giving because they are shown the practical benefits.

Statistics show that a man who retires without a good positive engagement generally dies within two years after retirement.

The highest principle is relationship among the devotees, so if to proceed with our agenda damages our relationship with others, we might consider making an adjustment.

If I ask someone to do something and they say no, I take it that Krishna is telling me to find someone else.

Our standard for wearing saffron at Krishna House is that the devotee as been chanting Hare Krishna for year, and he has a commitment to work full time on the mission for at least two years.

Sesa Prabhu:

Bhakti is compared to an ocean, as there are levels of depth of understanding.

I like to use the indexes in Srila Prabhupada’s books because they are prepared by the devotees with the devotees’ point of view in mind [rather than using the different search engines].

One feature of sin is that it causes us to do more sin.

Sin does not just mean you go and rob a store. You could go to a store and purchase something and also be engaging in sin, if that object you purchase does not help you remember Krishna.

Sinful activities take away knowledge of our constitutional position as loving servants of God.

If you do not want to have a relationship with God, you get the reactions as you deserve.

The results of chanting:

The good results of nama-aparadha (offensive chanting):
it will fulfill one’s desires, but not give love of Krishna
it will allow one to occasionally chant without offense, and that inoffensive chanting will purify the chanter, and thus he gets the association of devotees who instruct him how to chant properly.

Chanting is namabhasa (the clearing or intermediate stage) when done in ignorance, but nama-aparadha (offensive chanting) when done for liberation or sense enjoyment, or by a Mayavadi (one who denies the form of the Lord). Namabhasa has these benefits:
elimination of sinful reactions
liberation from Kali and material consciousness
freedom from fear and worries
contentment
freedom from fear of demons
boundless spiritual bliss

benefits of pure chanting, suddha-nama:
chanting once clears sins from millions of births.
chanting twice gives Krishna prema, love of Krishna.

Krishna is so kind he steals away our sins, even though we may not desire it.

Madhava Prabhu (from Alachua County):

Underneath the Govardhan Hill that Krishna was lifting, each resident of Vrindavan experienced that Krishna was looking at him or her. All of them were free from all material tribulations.

Madhumangala offered to hold the hill for Krishna with his stick, thinking that Krishna must be tired.

Yasoda prayed to Giriraj (Govardhan, the king of hills) to become soft so Krishna would not feel distress in the course of holding it with His soft hand.

Viewing Krishna as he was lifting the Govardhan Hill, the residents of Vrindavan said, “Until now we have not appreciated how Krishna is the very ornament of the earth. He glances lovingly at us. He is delighting our minds with his gentle smile. He is more dazzling than anything.”

Krishna’s ankle bells worshiped Krishna in silent meditation. When he lifted the hill, they jingled slightly, charming the demigods, who worshiped them.

Madhava Prabhu (from Switzerland):

It is said that Krishna will only appear in purified heart, but the holy name is so merciful He will appear even before our heart is pure.

Kirtana is Krishna’s time, or rather, our time with Krishna. You can always talk later.

Srila Prabhupada would say to cry for Krishna, and Aindra Prabhu would say, “If you cannot cry for Krishna, then cry that you cannot cry for Krishna.”

Sacinandana Swami advises to make a resolution at the beginning of kirtana-melas to chant for eight of the twelve hours each day.

Pray to the mind, “I have served you so nicely, just lay off for the next few hours.”

Jai Nitai Gauranga Prabhu:

When asked for evidence that Krishna consciousness is a science, Srila Prabhupada would often quote Bhagavad-gita 2.13, “As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.”

If people come from all over the city to honor someone, that is amazing, but it is more amazing if people come from all over the nation. In the case of Maharaja Pariksit, people came from all over the entire universe to witness the end of his life.

It is not enough to have theoretical knowledge of God and His protection to become free from fear.

a Vaishnava youth:

Because we are eternal spiritual souls, death is unnatural for us, and it creates fear within us.

Once I was in a new city and was involved in a relationship with someone who was my best friend at that time and who cheated on me, abruptly ending the relationship. In my distressed condition I chanted japa, and as I chanted, I came to realize that all the things I usually take shelter of, like my family and friends, were temporary, and that Krishna is the real shelter. I understood that Krishna had created the situation so I would realize that truth. Since then I have found Krishna to be my true shelter in other situations as well.

Hanan Prabhu:

Anger will make you miserable and make your life shorter.

Anger is like holding something burning in your hand.

Researchers had angry people blow on a glass and analyzed that it produced poison. In an hour an angry person can produce enough poison to kill a guinea pig.

There is a story that Alexander the Great came to Vrindavan. He sent his servant to tell a sage that Alexander the Great was here. The sage, who was worshiping Krishna, the greatest of the great, was not impressed with Alexander, and said, he had no interest in coming out to meet Alexander, but that if Alexander liked he could come in. Alexander, who was used to getting a more royal welcome, was upset. The sage, hearing that Alexander was upset, referred to Alexander as the servant of my servant, which angered Alexander even more, and so he came with drawn sword, demanding to know why. The sage explained that because he had conquered anger while Alexander was still controlled by it, that Alexander was the servant of his servant.

People deal with anger in three ways: by not expressing it, by expressing it violently, and by managing anger and expressing it in a positive way.

-----

‘sadhu-sanga’ ‘sadhu-sanga’ — sarva-sastre kaya
lava-matra sadhu-sange sarva-siddhi haya

“The verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment’s association with a pure devotee, one can attain all success.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 22.54)


Travel Journal#8:22: Alachua and Gainesville, Florida
→ Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 8, No. 22
By Krishna-kripa das
(November 2012, part two)
Alachua and Gainesville, Florida
(Sent from Radha Govinda Temple, Brooklyn, New York, on December 21, 2012)

Where I Went and What I Did

I had greatly hoped to make it to Alachua in time to hear the wonderful remembrances on Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day, but I just caught the end of the kirtana and the feast, and a few remembrances in the evening, which I include below. The next day, we chanted for two hours before the football game in Gainesville, and Dravida Prabhu, who loves to chant, joined us, making it even better than usual. That night we went to a nice festival Madhava Prabhu from the Alachua community had at his place with beautiful kirtanas, enlightening talks, and tasty prasadam in celebration of the anniversary of the appearance of Krishna as Govardhan-sila in his life. Sunday was the Govardhan Puja festival in Alachua. For several days leading up to The Festival of the Holy Name in Alachua, Madhava Prabhu, the kirtana leader from Switzerland, sang kirtana for two or three hours every night and by the grace of Krishna and my friends with cars, I was able to attend all of them. Wednesday we had an amazing harinama at the Farmers Market with thirteen people taking part. Thursday I got to speak about gratitude for Thanksgiving, and people said they liked the lecture. I sent it to the ISKCON Desire Tree website, and you will be able to find it there in a few days. This year’s Festival of the Holy Name was the best so far, and I will mention a few high points for me. Dravida Prabhu, who visits this time of year specifically for the Festival of the Holy Name impressed me by taking eight hours out of the festival to drive with us to Tallahassee to lead the harinama before the football game for a couple of hours. For the final week of November, I stayed in Gainesville’s Krishna House, helping to maintain the harinamas and evening programs, and inspired to see and work with some very enthusiastic new devotees.

Among the insights, there are many wonderful quotes from the letters of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura, soon to be published as Patramrita, by Touchstone Publishing. Also particularly inspiring are realizations from Dravida and Kalakantha Prabhus. And there are other gems as well.

Prabhupada Disappearance Remembrances

Rasa Lila dd:

Srila Prabhupada patiently teaches me every day something new about Krishna, just as he did when he was present.

He taught you can do something amazing for Krishna at any age, and now that we are approaching his age, we might consider that if we are thinking we are too old to do anything, we should think again.

Mukunda Prabhu:

The Bhaktivedanta Archives is building a concrete room with a door like a bank vault to preserve Prabhupada’s materials and just today on his disappearance day someone came through with a donation.

Vegavati dd:

In Hawaii there were two camps of devotees that disagreed, but when Srila Prabhupada was there and the kirtana was going on, there was so much spiritual love no differences existed.

Puskara Prabhu:

I was in Vrindavan in 1977 the whole time from April to November, when Srila Prabhupada left this world.

Toward the end, rickshaws were delivering salt for the samadhi [holy tomb] but we were in some kind of illusion thinking that Srila Prabhupada would stay.

I was given the job of calling Ramesvara in LA to tell him that Prabhupada had left.

When there was a debate about whether Srila Prabhupada would go to Govardhan or not [just a few days before he left this world]. I asked Bhagatji [a friend of Srila Prabhupada’s] whether Prabhupada would go, and he said with conviction, “He will not go,” as if I were a fool for asking.

There was a devotee Sac-cid-ananda who would sing every day for Srila Prabhupada in his last days. One day he did not sing and Prabhupada asked for him to.

Several times Krishnadasa Babaji Maharaja came. Prabhupada very much liked his association. At different times Srila Prabhupada said he was paramahamsa [topmost devotee].

Once I was painting trees in Vrindavan, thinking all the trees in Vrindavan were desire trees and so it was OK. Then I felt bad because Krishna wasn’t there, so I added Krishna and some cowherd boys. I showed it to Srila Prabhupada. Prabhupada looked for a long time and didn’t say anything. Then he said, “What is the idea? Where is it in the books?”
I said, “The Nectar of Devotion.”
“What verse?” Srila Prabhupada replied.
I said, “Krishna is unlimited.”
Srila Prabhupada replied, “Krishna is unlimited, but you are limited. Stick to the book.”

Gauranga Prasada Prabhu’s Going Away Party

Gauranga Prasada Prabhu was a new devotee in Gainesville who was very eager to apply himself to different aspects of Krishna consciousness such as cooking for the Lord and playing the harmonium and singing. He left Krishna House after not even two years to become the bhakta leader in the Tucson temple, and the Krishna House devotees had a nice going away party for him.

Kalakantha Prabhu: Gauranga Prasada was seeking the truth. He was immediately attracted by Krishna consciousness. He was supported by his family. He has many talents. It is clear he is continuing his practice from a previous life.

Hanan Prabhu asked devotees to say three things each about him:

Clayton: Sincerity, simplicity, wailing on the harmonium with total absorption. Ananda Loka Prabhu: His bright smile. Srutisagara Prabhu: Hard-working, humble. Ghee, butter, hing. Tulasi Priya dd: A good example for me. Dr. Dina Bandhu Prabhu: Always said “welcome home” each weekend when I returned from Jacksonville. New lady: Made me feel at home. Girl with glasses: Eye-opening, laughter. Tall Indian male: Positive. Jai Nitai Gauranga Prabhu: Reliable. Father: An old soul. He had a wisdom about him. He has given so much. Mother: He is well loved. Thank you all here for showing him compassion and giving him safety. Haribol. Amrita Keli dd: Completely lovable, without fault, potent. Just today he came into my dream to remind me to help in the kitchen five minutes after I said I would be there. Andy: A mine of valuable gems like potency, kindness. I feel very enriched. Syamala Kishori dd: Enthusiasm. I love your kirtana.

I mentioned his enthusiasm, his happiness, and his kindness. He kindly sent some Krishna sweets to my relatives for me when I was overseas. I wish him well.

Gauranga Prasada Prabhu:

My plan for life was originally very clear, go to school, get a job, raise a family, but now I feel my life is much more uncertain, but in the best possible way. I just want to serve Krishna and be with the devotees. The rest is just details.

I am grateful for the service opportunities here at Krishna House, which I think are more extensive than any other temple.

comment by Kalakantha Prabhu: I appreciate you were always willing to do the needful.

Harinama at the Farmers Market

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving there were no classes at University of Florida, and so both students and Krishna Lunch workers had more free time. Thus we were able to have a harinama with thirteen people at the Farmers Market! Four of us came together, driven by Michele, a new devotee who loves kirtana. Then a couple more devotees joined us. Then two Krishna Lunch workers along with the sister of one of them. Michele gave the new girl a mantra card, and she chanted Hare Krishna for the first time. Jaya Sri Krishna Prabhu joined us and played the drum. One lady on a nearby bench seemed to be enjoying the kirtana, so we gave her a mantra card, and she chanted along. Later Damodar Prasada gave her a book. Thus Krishna really reciprocated with my desire to have a well-attended harinama in the Farmers Market upon my return to Gainesville. It was great that two new people chanted the mantra.

The Festival of the Holy Name

Festival of the Holy Name is an annual kirtana festival during Thanksgiving weekend featuring two days of 12 hours of kirtana at ISKCON New Raman Reti in Alachua, Florida. This year’s was the third festival.

It was a treat having Niranjana Swami fly in just to be part of the Festival of the Holy Name this year. Agnidev Prabhu, a legendary Hare Krishna kirtana leader, also was a special guest. And of course, there were Madhava and Amala, as usual, as well as Mitra Prabhu, who came from North Carolina, and locals like Visvambhara and Jagannatha Kirtana Prabhus, to name a few.

One friend from Tallahassee, Sara Black, a young Mormon music major, who just completed her Ph.D. dissertation on kirtana at Hare Krishna festivals came to the Festival of the Holy Name for at least the second year. Inspired by her research, she is now writing a book on the recent explosion of interest in kirtana. I encouraged her to stay and hear Niranjana Swami, and she stayed and appreciated the kirtanas of both Niranjana Swami and Agnidev Prabhu. In fact, she and her husband stayed to hear Visvambhara Prabhu whose singing they had previously developed an attachment for and who did the last segment on Friday evening. It was wonderful to see them both intently singing Hare Krishna and clapping along with the music. She developed an interest in Hare Krishna festivals when she grew up in Utah and attended the Holi festival that Caru Prabhu organized his temple in Spanish Fork.

The group of local second generation American Vaishnavas including Gaura Shakti, Krishna Dhama, Govinda, and Ramachandra, and many more, who organized the festival did a great job, and it gets better every year. All thanks and blessings to them.

Insights

Srila Prabhupada:

from a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.1, given in Bombay, on December 25, 1976:

“This is the difficulty at the present moment that we take leadership of the society although we remain in the bodily conception of life.”

There is a not a problem of overpopulation. We are all sons of Krishna, and He is providing for us. The problem is that we are mismanaging and then claiming God is not providing.

The more you become godless, the more miseries will be inflicted by material nature.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura (from Patravali, a collection of his letters soon to be published by Touchstone Publishing in an abridged work called Patramrita):

If the mind does not become disturbed at the time of chanting mantras then it should be understood that the chanting is being done perfectly.

In order to test us and benefit us, the Supreme Lord has placed different types of inconveniences in this world. We have to realize those things as being beneficial for us and thus accept them gracefully. Glorious are those who serve the Supreme Lord. In the midst of all difficulties, keep hearing about, chanting, and remembering the Supreme Lord. Other than this I have no better advice. You should always chant a fixed number of rounds of the holy names of Lord Hari. If there is any problem for openly decorating your body with tilaka then you can do it mentally while chanting the appropriate mantras. Know for certain that the holy name of Hari and Lord Hari Himself are one and the same. Know for certain that chanting the holy names of Hari and meeting the Supreme Lord directly are one and the same. Sri Harinama Prabhu is the worshipable Lord of liberated persons.

There is no comparison to Sri Gaurasundara’s compassion, and there is no limit to Sri Krishnacandra’s sweetness.

Simply by reading about glorification of the Supreme Lord and the devotees, all our needs will be fulfilled. Do not be impatient for the result, but rather always chant the holy names of Krishna with patience and tolerance. The Supreme Lord will certainly not sit quietly. According to the degree of one’s sadhana, Sri Gaurahari certainly awards one auspicious results. Service to Hari is called bhakti. You will realize that chanting of the names of Krishna is in itself bhakti.

The forefathers of that family in which a devotee takes birth attain special benefit so that their lives become successful. There is no need to pray for them separately.

Dreams are false. They are manifestations of the enjoyment of one’s thoughts, and they are the results of one’s previous bad association. Therefore just throw away those things from the heart.

Sri Gaurasundara tests us in various ways by putting us into difficulties and different kinds of association. It depends on the good fortune of the living entities for them to pass those tests. As the indwelling Supersoul, Sri Gaurahari has revealed the eternal truth in the hearts of the living entities out of His causeless mercy. Those who have taken shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Hari and the spiritual master never trust the illusory words of misguided people. Only unfortunate people become bewildered by hearing deceitful words. One need not worry about that.

It is the duty of householders to worship the deity of the Supreme Lord with faith and devotion. A householder who has taken complete shelter of the holy names, having realized his relationship with the Supreme Lord, respects deity worshipers. Those who avoid worshiping the deity just to save money incur the sin known as vittasa?hya, or miserliness. Householders with abominable characters and restless minds must engage in deity worship.

You are a learned person and so you must know the scriptural evidence the smarta Bhattacarya Raghunandan has quoted in the ekadasi-tattva.

devata pratimam drstva. yatinacaiva tridandinam
namaskaram na kuryaccet upavasena suddhati
“You are the father, but still you should offer obeisance to your sannyasi son, otherwise you will have to purify yourself of that fault by observing a fast for one full day.”

You were inspiring him to enter a miserable family life, which is a more severe form of vow than the severe vow one takes to worship Hari, because it instills a great fear in one’s mind. Your attempt was not proper.

Those who are faithful and devoted never face obstacles or inauspiciousness. Only those who desire material enjoyment and liberation face inauspiciousness in life.

I have been wandering about since my birth for the attainment of the goal of life about which you have been deceived for the last twelve years. I did not feel any need to hanker after sense gratification, which is the aim of your life and wealth. I never felt any need to accumulate wealth to mitigate my hunger, to maintain my wife and children, or to supply fuel for my illicit desires. I have never made any endeavor for material wealth like you.
Lord Krishna has never put me into any sort of difficulty or anxiety regarding filling my belly, like He has you. I only try to earn that much wealth with which I can engage in the service of Lord Vishnu, and with which I can keep my sinful body healthy just to serve Lord Hari. Apart from that, I never tried to earn any wealth whatsoever. Even today, I am not greedy for anyone’s wealth. I am not greedy for perishable material wealth like you.
Please bless me so that I can remain greedy for eternal wealth, birth after birth. I wish that even my greatest enemy would not have greed for enjoyable wealth. May I not have any desire other than to pray for the benefit of my greatest enemy. Bless me that I may not see in the last days of my life the face of atheists who are greedy for wealth for the purpose of enjoying profit, adoration, distinction, gold, and women.

We, surrounded by enemies, are determined to engage in the service of Lord Hari and His devotees. All of us are more or less forgetful of Lord Krishna while serving the six enemies. All of you together should serve Lord Hari with unity. This is my request. Ekaki amara nahi paya bala. “I have no strength to do it alone.” Remembering this line, all of you should continue to execute kirtana-yajña, which is the goal of life. The responsibility of the leaders in charge of the execution of kirtana-yajña is to make friendship with all, and especially satisfy all the Vai??avas, while engaging in the service of Hari.

This material world is temporary—nobody has come here to live forever. When the Supreme Lord keeps one in a particular place, he should gladly stay there and accept His rewards and punishments. All types of rewards and punishments awarded by the Supreme Lord are meant for our benefit. We welcome the rewards of the Lord’s external energy, maya, whereas we consider her punishments as troublesome. Since the punishments of maya are awarded so that one can obtain the Lord’s mercy, the devotees do not disregard them; rather they gladly accept them as the Lord’s mercy and simply tolerate them. Those who cannot understand worldly inconveniences to be the Lord’s mercy ultimately fall into a state of disappointment while searching for material happiness and advancement.

Our material miseries and scarcities will go away by participating in festivals in the association of those who serve the Supreme Lord. To always remain engaged in hearing and chanting the glories of Lord Hari is the instruction of saintly persons, scriptures, and the Supreme Lord.

According to proper etiquette, in day-to-day business, one should normally start a letter by saying, “all glories to,” or by offering obeisances at the top of the letter.

By calling out the holy names of the Supreme Lord while fixing our mind upon Him, all auspiciousness is achieved. The Supreme Lord alone is the one who awards worldly prosperity, happiness, and distress. We are maintained by Him and are surrendered unto Him. Whatever arrangements He makes for us, we should humbly accept.

Every disturbance is a fault of my mind; nobody can actually harm me in this world.

Try to avoid quarreling. There is no possibility of disharmony if the purpose is one. In the spiritual world, apparent conflict of interests helps to increase the glories of loving service to the Supreme Lord.

Even by riding on the motorcar of the Madras Gaudiya Matha, the principle and guise of a sincere beggar can be maintained. There is no need to externally display artificial renunciation, or luxury by imitating the sahajiyas. Renunciation is a state of the heart. There is a gulf of difference between the considerations of those who misuse renunciation and that of the followers of King Janaka and Raya Ramananda. By taking advantage of, and by imitating, King Janaka or Raya Ramananda, and thus acting like Ravana, is not internal renunciation, or yukta-vairagya. When duplicity is externally displayed, having entered the heart, nobody can achieve his true welfare.

People are extremely averse to us and so their behavior will surely be exhibited according to this mentality. If we can patiently tolerate their insults then one day they will definitely repent their misdeeds.

None of you should be afraid of natural calamities, such as heavy rain or disease. Embrace them and then bid them farewell in due course of time. Srila Jagannatha Dasa Babaji Maharaja used to say that when painful diseases come to our body, if they are not pampered, or do not get excellent food, they will automatically leave. Diseases stay longer in the bodies of aristocratic people because of their luxurious living.

As soon as bodily pleasures are increased, the propensity for serving the Supreme Lord decreases. That is why the Supreme Lord spreads thorns on the path of all kinds of comfort for those upon whom He shows mercy.

I have received your humble letter dated the 29th March and have understood your present physical and mental condition. Always remember the lotus feet of Lord Hari, the spiritual master, and other Vaishnavas without interruption while accepting that all physical and mental miseries are a result of one’s previous karma. In this mood, always pray for the mercy of the Supreme Lord. Gradually, by Krishna’s will, all types of miseries will be destroyed and you will become empowered for the service of the Supreme Lord so that the inclination for constantly worshiping Lord Hari will be awakened. All impediments in the form of bad association will be removed and the propensity to always serve Lord Hari, the spiritual master, and the Vaishnavas will predominate.
I hope that you will soon be cured of your physical and mental illness by the Lord’s mercy so that you will increase our happiness by being engaged in the worship of Hari. It is quite warm here. If you feel extreme pain then invite a devotee known to you from Gaudiya Matha and hear from him Hari-katha and Hari-nama.
There is no happiness in the material world. The material world creates many disturbances by manifesting various kinds of disasters. Although there is good and bad, and partial purity in it, material life often produces varieties of disturbances. That is why the tat te nu’kampam verse has been presented.
There are no such disturbances in the abode of Goloka. Anyway, there is no alternative but to tolerate all inconveniences that come to us at various times and at various places.

Let them harass you as much as possible; you simply must quietly tolerate these disturbances. We firmly believe that the people of the world will not allow injustices to predominate. The Supreme Lord arranges everything for our benefit—this is our firm faith. The atheists cannot flourish in this world for long, for eventually they are pulled down by the punishment of providence. Everything takes place by the will of the Supreme Lord.

The duty of relatives is that they should first offer some foodstuffs to the Supreme Lord on the day of sraddha and then offer some portion of the Lord’s prasada to the departed soul and thus help him achieve his ultimate welfare. Offering the departed souls prasada will satisfy the devotees of the Supreme Lord. There should also be performance of harinama.

When maya conditions us, we remain busy calculating who is big and who is small.

We should unconditionally accept whatever condition Krishna puts us in at any time. The desire to gain physical health with the sole intention of worshiping Krishna is also favorable for devotional service. A non-devotee’s endeavor to demand service from the Supreme Lord, such as becoming cured so that he can attain the platform of anarthas is not acceptable. But to pray for good health to the destroyer of obstacles, Ganesa, and at the lotus feet of the destroyer of obstacles, Lord Nrsimha, for the sake of Krishna bhajana is certainly acceptable.

If our photograph is worshiped when we are alive; this will make us fall down.

If you constantly engage your mind in the Lord’s service then no one can harm you. If you are restless or dissatisfied with others then an inclination for the Lord’s service will not be present within your mind. Your words, body, and mind will form a mental displeasure that will not allow you to serve Hari. Therefore become tolerant like a tree, and by the Lord’s will stay at Samanta-pañcaka. This will be beneficial for you. Wait for the day when Lord Gaura Hari will send you elsewhere.

The dear devotees of Sri Gaurasundara have no other business than to take the treasure of His distribution of Krishna-prema [love of God] and distribute it door to door. This business is their only means of livelihood as they execute their loving devotional service to Krishna.

As Srila Rupa Gosvami elaborately explains in his Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu, there are five principal rasas—neutrality, servitude, friendship, parental love, and conjugal love—and seven secondary rasas—amazement, humor, chivalry, compassion, fury, fear, and dread. Altogether there are twelve rasas, the supreme object of them all is Sri Krishna. In other words, our love and affection are actually meant for Sri Krishna. Unfortunately, out of ignorance, we stubbornly try to squeeze happiness and love out of material relationships, which are not directly connected to Krishna, and thus life is experienced as a constant frustration. The solution is simple: surrender to Krishna, love Krishna, love Krishna’s devotees, and be happy forever.

Pray to the holy name with your heart and soul so that the holy name may bestow mercy upon you. Remembering astakaliya-lila is not to be performed when one is full of anarthas. Only by kirtana can smarana be practiced. At that time, realization of astakaliya-lila-seva is possible. One should not artificially practice astakaliya-lila-smara?a.

We are insignificant beggars. If a rich person or a particular community harasses us then Lord Nrisimha will protect us. No community can hurt our feelings for our religious beliefs.

When the futility of false ego is understood, then we give up bad association and come to know that worldly happiness, worldly knowledge, and worldly settlement, etc., are all useless in comparison to realization of the Supreme Lord, who is eternal, and full of knowledge and bliss. Only when one is initiated into Krishna consciousness like this can he obtain supreme auspiciousness.

By installing deities of Lord Jagannatha and Lord Mahaprabhu in the villages of England and offering Indian foodstuffs to the Lord and then distributing them as maha-prasada, gradually the people of England will support the service of the Supreme Lord by showing sympathy and being faithful. In the future, qualified persons will go there and benefit the people by propagating pure sanatana-dharma.
Oh!When will the time come when all the people of that country honor the transcendental maha-prasada in the Lord’s temple while chanting the holy names of Lord Gauranga with a purified heart and thus understand the value of spiritual life?

Because we will forget the Supreme Lord if we are are satisfied with material happiness, the merciful Lord has created various dangers to test us. Happiness in this material world guarantees forgetfulness of Krishna. Hence, miseries are examples of His compassion.

There are differences of opinion between the resident devotees of the matha and the “big” householder devotees. According to the considerations put forth by Maharaja in Delhi, the Supreme Lord and His devotees are the only objects of service. Just by serving the Supreme Lord and the devotees, the weight of our attached household activities will decrease. But if the residents of the dhama think of themselves as “big devotees,” just like the sahajiyas of Kuliya, and transform the servants of the matha into their servants, then rather than serving the dhama, they will imagine themselves as being objects of service in Vaiku??ha. Living in the dhama is only to serve the devotees, but if instead of serving the Supreme Lord and the devotees, service is demanded from them and displeasure is shown at their activities, then rather than dhama-seva, an offense called dhama-bhoga will be committed.
It is better to live in a place of material enjoyment and serve the devotees of the dhama from a distance than to be an enjoyer of the dhama.

Simply by worshiping Hari, the body, mind, and soul will remain healthy, but if one is averse to bhajana, these three will act unfavorably.

The tendency for material enjoyment is one hundred percent present in the Western countries. Therefore their faith in God is very weak.

Sastra says, “One should take shelter of saintly persons while giving up bad association.” Those who mistake nondevotees to be devotees make a mistake like trying to cheat a blacksmith out of steel. We need not talk about others, but while serving Lord Hari, the spiritual master, and other Vaishnavas, discussions of Agha, Baka, Ravana, and so on automatically arise. Anyway, everything is the Lord’s test. I did not expect such unfavorable behavior from my so-called disciples. Anyhow, this is Kali-yuga and so everything is possible.

To ascertain the varna of a person is the essence of varnasrama. To merge familial identity with one’s personal nature is not its purpose.

The followers of Sri Rupa, without putting faith in their own power, attribute all their successes to the original source. We too do everything for the pleasure of Sri Krishna Caitanya, Sri Rupa, Sri Bhaktivinoda, and our spiritual master.

Bhakti Tirtha Swami (from a YouTube video lecture):

The Vedic scriptures are the oldest scriptures on the planet, and if you follow them, they will make you a better Christian or a better Moslem. And the end result of that is that you will understand that we are servants of God, beyond all sectarian designations.

In our movement we have people of different nations and races all working together to benefit society. Where else is there such an example?

Niranjana Swami:

When a diplomat visited Prabhupada in Geneva, Srila Prabhupada started out by asking if he had any questions. The man said, “No.” Then Srila Prabhupada asked for the harmonium, and played a beautiful Hare Krishna tune for twenty minutes or so. Then he said to the man, “This is what we do.” Then he asked Guru Gauranga Prabhu to give the man prasadam. So I tell this story as a simple introduction to this 12-hour kirtana program. This is what we do.

Badahari Prabhu (from Krishna House):

Using mechanical substitutes for essential body parts or functions cannot extend life without the sanction of the Lord.

Our hearing apparatus works 24/7 and thus can protect us from calamity at all times.

Morning is best for the spiritual cultivation because the ether is not polluted by materialistic sound vibrations.

Srila Prabhupada and Krishna are ready to take you with them, if you are willing to give up the desire to control.

It is hard to be detached from the material world, but because someday you will need to be, it is good to practice.

Beg borrow or steal, somehow get devotional service. The more devotional service we do, we build up our spiritual body.

Comment by Gauranga Prasada Prabhu: Laksmimani dd says that pride, such as that in Vedic scholarship, is one thing that remains as indicated by the word prayesu [almost to nil] in Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.18.

Caturatma Prabhu:

In Vrindavan, I was noticing three Govardhan silas on Indradyumna Swami’s altar at the MVT. I asked the origin of them. He said he had to confiscate them from his disciples, and he did not know what he was going to do with them. I said, well I have been wanting to worship Govardhan for some time, I would like to worship them. He said, “Well you’re not shy about asking.” He also had a very large sila, one that was completely impractical to travel with and, he did not have a clue what he would do with Him. I said, “I know just the person, a hefty devotee, who has a desire to worship Govardhan. That was Madhava [from the Alachua community].”

Dravida Prabhu:

The prayers of Brahma are very conclusive and many acaryas have written explanations of them.

Brahma had just experienced that his intellect had failed to appreciate the divinity of Krishna, and so he spoke this verse (SB 10.14.3): “Those who, even while remaining situated in their established social positions, throw away the process of speculative knowledge and with their body, words and mind offer all respects to descriptions of Your personality and activities, dedicating their lives to these narrations, which are vibrated by You personally and by Your pure devotees, certainly conquer Your Lordship, although You are otherwise unconquerable by anyone within the three worlds.”

“What is the ultimate goal of life and how to attain it?” is the main question of a seeker.

There is a logical order to the four imperfections of a conditioned soul. First we have imperfect senses, then we make mistakes, and when we make enough mistakes, we become illusioned, and when we present our illusions as factual knowledge we cheat others.

Adhoksaja is a combination of three words, ja meaning janma or birth, aksa meaning the eyes, or the senses in general, adha which means pushing down. Aksaja thus means knowledge born of sense perception, and adhoksaja therefore means that which pushes down this knowledge born of sense perceptions.

Krishna wants only one thing: love.

One may be a multi-millionaire but if he has no one to exchange love with he is unhappy.

How to serve the topics of the Lord? With our body, by following His instructions, with our minds, by thinking of the topics, and with our words, by repeating them to others.

Two of Jarasandha’s daughters were wives of Kamsa, so he was upset with Krishna for killing Kamsa and leaving them unprotected.

Everything begins with hearing. If we had not heard about Krishna, how could we have become attracted to Him?

Kathamritam means that hearing about Krishna is like nectar, but you cannot drink too much of such nectar, nor does it have any bad side effects.

Our constitutional position is not to be a university student nor to work a certain job, nor to be a man or woman, nor even a human being.

On Halloween people dress in costumes but if they forget it is just a costume and continue to act as a ghost or Napolean, then they really have a problem. That is our situation in this world.

The topics glorifying Krishna are the purifying force.

The most valuable thing you have is your desire to be Krishna consciousness, and that we must increase by our practice.

The main reason we stay in the material world is because of our desire to hear about things other than Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada said if you take one step toward Krishna, Krishna takes ten steps toward you. These steps are the taste He gives you.

Everything depends on the intensity of one’s attention.

The secret is to keep everything fresh and new. For me it is verses. There are always more verses, and the verses have great depth. The verses are like old friends. And the books . . .

The sastra [with a long ‘a’ (the scripture)] cuts off our attachments, but the sastra [with a short ‘a’ (the weapon)] cuts off our head.

The Siksastakam is throughout the Padyavali (a collection of verses) of Rupa Goswami and was gathered together by Krishnadas Kaviraja Goswami.

Step to memorize verses:

  1. read translation
  2. figure out meter
  3. look at word meanings for the first line
  4. practice saying the first line while remembering its meaning
  5. repeat steps 3 and 4 with all the lines of the verse
  6. practice your verses periodically


The “Madhurastkam,” which describes the sweetness of Krishna, only works because it is about Him. It would become trite to describe any other person as being sweet in so many ways.

Similarly if anyone were dressed as opulently as the Deity one would consider the person to be overdressed but for Krishna such opulence is appropriate and pleasing.

Some people look for the bliss at this festival and that festival, but hooking up with Lord Caitanya and His movement and all the previous spiritual masters by making a contribution to the mission, we taste the real bliss. We forget that this is something bestowed upon us.

Constant prayer and willingness to do austerity for Krishna makes us advanced.

Prabhodananda Sarasvati said, “Lord Caitanya is more magnanimous than ten million mothers.”

The real friend is the friend who will introduce you to your eternal friend Krishna.

The real guru inspires you to chant the holy name.

The holy name is like a touchstone. When our consciousness touches the holy name it becomes transformed.

The chanting is attractive because Krishna is present there.

Three things come from devotional service, the pleasure of serving Krishna, direct experience of Krishna, and detachment from other things. This is compared to the pleasure of eating, nourishment, and freedom from hunger.

Ajamila was so grateful that the holy name saved him from the Yamadutas that he very seriously took to devotional service and attained perfection.

The holy name is supremely pure and made of spiritual bliss.

If we want to associate with Krishna, He is willing to associate with us, primarily through His avatar as the holy name.

There is no downside or bad effect to the pleasure of the holy name. It is all up. Stay high forever.

Talks of materialistic people steal the most valuable gem, our desire for Krishna.

By associating with the faithful, we become faithful.

Progressing in devotional service means refining our activities so they are supportive of chanting.

By chanting japa during class we can commit two offenses at once, inattention to chanting and insulting the Bhagavatam speaker.

Srila Prabhupada was always completely focused on what he was doing for Krishna, and thus he was able to do so much in just eleven years.

In the Eleventh Canto, one verse states that the greatest pure devotee does not want to forget Krishna even for a moment, even in exchange for all the wealth in the world.

Comment by Lilananda Prabhu: Bringing a television into your home is like bring in billions of people who are against Krishna.

Comment: If one chants the names of Nitai Gauranga, Bhakti devi comes chasing after you.

Comment by Kaliyaphani Prabhu: Regarding the Gauranga campaign you mentioned where devotees in Scotland put up posters saying “Chant Gauranga” everywhere, I have a couple stories:

“A devotee doing street sankirtana [book distribution] in Scotland stopped a young mother with a small son. He was a scruffy, cheeky-looking kid. After the exchange, the devotee said to the kid, ‘Can you say Gauranga?’ The reply was, ‘Aye, I can. But it’s nae Gauranga, it’s Gauruunga!’

“Two devotees going door-to-door in central Edinburgh entered a very posh-looking restaurant with the idea of going round the tables to collect. There were big pillars, chandeliers, etc. They hesitated at the doorway thinking it was too posh. Then a customer at a table must have recognized them and at the top of his voiced yelled out, ‘Gaaaaauuuuraaaangaaaa!’ the sound reverberating round the hall and shattering the devotee’s doubts!”

If you make a habit of glorifying devotees you will derive such pleasure from that activity that you will not feel the tendency to criticize devotees. Radhanath Swami is a good example of that.

When we are doing japa and kirtana, we should think, “Now is my time to associate directly with Krishna and to forget everything else.”

We have to come to the platform of always following Srila Prabhupada’s instructions to attain purity in chanting.

Dhanesvara Prabhu was the manager of the production team of me (Dravida Prabhu), Gopiparanadhana Prabhu, and Hridayananda dasa Goswami to complete Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavatam translation. At one point, things were difficult and Gopiparanadhana Prabhu suggested that we worship the Bhagavatam. So we set up an altar and put the Bhagavatam on it, and worshiped it, and ultimately we were successful in completing the translation and publishing it.
We should think, “By chanting the holy name purely all my aspirations will be fulfilled.”

Because we are chanting Hare Krishna, Krishna is reducing our taste for meat eating, illicit sex, intoxication, and gambling.

All of us have the capacity to appreciate the holy name as Rupa Goswami did: “I do not know how much nectar the two syllables ‘Krish-na’ have produced. When the holy name of Krishna is chanted, it appears to dance within the mouth. We then desire many, many mouths. When that name enters the holes of the ears, we desire many millions of ears. And when the holy name dances in the courtyard of the heart, it conquers the activities of the mind, and therefore all the senses become inert.”

We can pray to the holy name for the strength to avoid sinful activities.

Kalakantha Prabhu:

One devotee walked from Africa to Mayapur chanting Hare Krishna. The devotees in general were very impressed with him, but Srila Prabhupada was not impressed. That devotee eventually stopped talking with other devotees and lived alone, saying he wanted to focus on his chanting. Ultimately, however, he went away because people stopped paying attention to him.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura was opposed to the idea of seminal succession of spiritual masters, and so rather than initiating his son, he advised his son to approach Gaurakisora Dasa Babaji Maharaja for initiation.

We cannot become advanced by imitating the symptoms of advanced devotees, but rather absorbing ourselves in Krishna and naturally becoming advanced.

Whatever taste we have for hearing about Krishna is our greatest gift.

The great acaryas [spiritual teachers who teach by example] are not appointed but emerge.

After a day of searching by the order of Dronacarya, their teacher, Duryodhana could not find anyone superior to himself and Yudhisthira could not find anyone inferior to himself. Dronacarya then proclaimed, “Yudhisthira is fit to rule the world and Duryodhana is fit to have his body eaten by jackals.”

Anuttama Prabhu tells a story of an experience on sankirtana:
One man said, “I don’t want your book. I have my own religion. You are going to hell.” Anuttama replied, “What religion are you?”
The man said, “Christian.”
Anuttama inquired, “Are all Christians going to heaven?”
The man said, “No, not all Christians.”
Anuttama asked, “So only people in your church?”
The man replied, “No, not all people in my church are going to heaven.”

The madhyama devotee’s relationship with the innocent person is this: “I want to help this person as much as he wants my help.”

As soon as you take to spiritual life seriously, some people will love you and other people will hate you.

The neophyte devotee cannot abandon the society, friendship, and love of the material world to pursue Krishna.

In no religious scripture will you see a statement like “I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me.” Only Krishna is so bold as to say this, but He says it not because He is arrogant, but to establish the truth. He does this in half a verse. And in rest of the four main verses He talks about His devotees and how He reciprocates with them.

There is a long standing discussion in theology about whether God is attained by works or grace. The relationship between the two is cleared up in Bhagavad-gita: “To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” (Bg. 10.10)

If the most important thing to a person is God, then that person is a devotee or a Vaishnava.

Nondevotees consider the activities of the Lord are too amazing to be true. But what do you expect God to do? Actually the more amazing the activities of Krishna are, the more they are worthy of God, and the more they give us faith in Krishna.

Often in the rest of the Bhagavatam, Sukadeva Goswami quotes other sages, but in the Tenth Canto he speaks himself.

We are frustrated with relationships, we have been hurt in relationships, and so the last thing we want is a relationship with God.

It is pleasing to associate with people who think God is the most important.

Who do we talk to? Who do we reveal our mind to? That is how we associate.

As for seeing someone reputed to be a sadhu: See him once. Take notes. Point out where he differs from Bhagavad-gita. If invited again, point out the differences between his philosophy and Bhagavad-gita, and say you would rather read Bhagavad-gita than hear him.

We cannot gain a taste for Krishna consciousness by pretending we have it.

In fund raising, there is happy money and unhappy money. Unhappy money is that is received by making people feel guilty or which they regret giving and never give again. Happy money is money people feel good giving because they are shown the practical benefits.

Statistics show that a man who retires without a good positive engagement generally dies within two years after retirement.

The highest principle is relationship among the devotees, so if to proceed with our agenda damages our relationship with others, we might consider making an adjustment.

If I ask someone to do something and they say no, I take it that Krishna is telling me to find someone else.

Our standard for wearing saffron at Krishna House is that the devotee as been chanting Hare Krishna for year, and he has a commitment to work full time on the mission for at least two years.

Sesa Prabhu:

Bhakti is compared to an ocean, as there are levels of depth of understanding.

I like to use the indexes in Srila Prabhupada’s books because they are prepared by the devotees with the devotees’ point of view in mind [rather than using the different search engines].

One feature of sin is that it causes us to do more sin.

Sin does not just mean you go and rob a store. You could go to a store and purchase something and also be engaging in sin, if that object you purchase does not help you remember Krishna.

Sinful activities take away knowledge of our constitutional position as loving servants of God.

If you do not want to have a relationship with God, you get the reactions as you deserve.

The results of chanting:

The good results of nama-aparadha (offensive chanting):
it will fulfill one’s desires, but not give love of Krishna
it will allow one to occasionally chant without offense, and that inoffensive chanting will purify the chanter, and thus he gets the association of devotees who instruct him how to chant properly.

Chanting is namabhasa (the clearing or intermediate stage) when done in ignorance, but nama-aparadha (offensive chanting) when done for liberation or sense enjoyment, or by a Mayavadi (one who denies the form of the Lord). Namabhasa has these benefits:
elimination of sinful reactions
liberation from Kali and material consciousness
freedom from fear and worries
contentment
freedom from fear of demons
boundless spiritual bliss

benefits of pure chanting, suddha-nama:
chanting once clears sins from millions of births.
chanting twice gives Krishna prema, love of Krishna.

Krishna is so kind he steals away our sins, even though we may not desire it.

Madhava Prabhu (from Alachua County):

Underneath the Govardhan Hill that Krishna was lifting, each resident of Vrindavan experienced that Krishna was looking at him or her. All of them were free from all material tribulations.

Madhumangala offered to hold the hill for Krishna with his stick, thinking that Krishna must be tired.

Yasoda prayed to Giriraj (Govardhan, the king of hills) to become soft so Krishna would not feel distress in the course of holding it with His soft hand.

Viewing Krishna as he was lifting the Govardhan Hill, the residents of Vrindavan said, “Until now we have not appreciated how Krishna is the very ornament of the earth. He glances lovingly at us. He is delighting our minds with his gentle smile. He is more dazzling than anything.”

Krishna’s ankle bells worshiped Krishna in silent meditation. When he lifted the hill, they jingled slightly, charming the demigods, who worshiped them.

Madhava Prabhu (from Switzerland):

It is said that Krishna will only appear in purified heart, but the holy name is so merciful He will appear even before our heart is pure.

Kirtana is Krishna’s time, or rather, our time with Krishna. You can always talk later.

Srila Prabhupada would say to cry for Krishna, and Aindra Prabhu would say, “If you cannot cry for Krishna, then cry that you cannot cry for Krishna.”

Sacinandana Swami advises to make a resolution at the beginning of kirtana-melas to chant for eight of the twelve hours each day.

Pray to the mind, “I have served you so nicely, just lay off for the next few hours.”

Jai Nitai Gauranga Prabhu:

When asked for evidence that Krishna consciousness is a science, Srila Prabhupada would often quote Bhagavad-gita 2.13, “As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.”

If people come from all over the city to honor someone, that is amazing, but it is more amazing if people come from all over the nation. In the case of Maharaja Pariksit, people came from all over the entire universe to witness the end of his life.

It is not enough to have theoretical knowledge of God and His protection to become free from fear.

a Vaishnava youth:

Because we are eternal spiritual souls, death is unnatural for us, and it creates fear within us.

Once I was in a new city and was involved in a relationship with someone who was my best friend at that time and who cheated on me, abruptly ending the relationship. In my distressed condition I chanted japa, and as I chanted, I came to realize that all the things I usually take shelter of, like my family and friends, were temporary, and that Krishna is the real shelter. I understood that Krishna had created the situation so I would realize that truth. Since then I have found Krishna to be my true shelter in other situations as well.

Hanan Prabhu:

Anger will make you miserable and make your life shorter.

Anger is like holding something burning in your hand.

Researchers had angry people blow on a glass and analyzed that it produced poison. In an hour an angry person can produce enough poison to kill a guinea pig.

There is a story that Alexander the Great came to Vrindavan. He sent his servant to tell a sage that Alexander the Great was here. The sage, who was worshiping Krishna, the greatest of the great, was not impressed with Alexander, and said, he had no interest in coming out to meet Alexander, but that if Alexander liked he could come in. Alexander, who was used to getting a more royal welcome, was upset. The sage, hearing that Alexander was upset, referred to Alexander as the servant of my servant, which angered Alexander even more, and so he came with drawn sword, demanding to know why. The sage explained that because he had conquered anger while Alexander was still controlled by it, that Alexander was the servant of his servant.

People deal with anger in three ways: by not expressing it, by expressing it violently, and by managing anger and expressing it in a positive way.

-----

‘sadhu-sanga’ ‘sadhu-sanga’ — sarva-sastre kaya
lava-matra sadhu-sange sarva-siddhi haya

“The verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment’s association with a pure devotee, one can attain all success.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 22.54)


Guru and Disciple: New questions are the same as the old ones
→ The Vaishnava Voice

I often get asked questions by people who are looking for a guru: “What sort of teacher should I be looking for?” is shortly followed by: “And where do I begin looking for someone like that?”

After they’ve thought a few moments the next question is: “What sort of things do I have to do before I can become someone’s student?” “What happens if I don’t quite measure up?”

Some time later the questions are more about what will happen after they become initiated: “What is he supposed to teach me?” “How do I know if he’s teaching me the right things?”

Lots of questions but, strangely enough, the same questions that people have been asking for a long time. Proof of this is that way back in the 14th century a great spiritual teacher named Vedanta Deshika gave answers to these questions in a short book  - Nyasa Vimsati. The answers proved so popular and correct that Gopala Bhatta Goswami included them in his handbook of devotional practise, standard for Gaudiya Vaishnavas for the last 500 years.

This is one post for those who like lists! (But worth the effort of reading it)

Fourteen Qualities of the Guru

Taken from the Nyasa Vimsati by Vedanta Deshika (1268-1370)

As included in the Hari Bhakti Vilasa by Gopala Bhatta Goswami (1503-1578)

  1. Sat-sampradaya siddham – He is firmly established in the sampradaya
  2. Sthira dhiyam – His mind remains firmly fixed, even in debates based on deceitful reasoning
  3. Anagam – Free from sin, and never swerves from shastra
  4. Srotriyam – Fully conversant with the Vedas and Vedanta
  5. Brahma nistham – He has resolute devotion to God, free from blemishes
  6. Sattvastham – Dominated by sattva guna
  7. Satya vacam – Free from deceitful speech, he always tells the truth
  8. Samaya niyataya sadu vritya sametam – Adept at anushtanams (prayers and religious practices).
  9. Dambha asuyadhi muktam – No inauspicious characteristics such as egoism or jealousy
  10. Jita visayi ganam – Does not engage in conduct prohibited by the Bhagavat shastras. Has controlled senses
  11. Dirgha bandhum – He is a friend and guide for all those who have sought his  refuge, always seeking their welfare, and lifting them up  to the ultimate destination
  12. Dayalum – Has spontaneous compassion and kindness for his disciples
  13. Skhalite sasitaram – Corrects his disciples and recommends improving actions for  them
  14. Svapara hitaparam – Determines what is mutually good for him and his sisya (disciple) and acts accordingly

Fifteen Qualities of the Good Disciple

  1. Sadh buddhi – Good intelligence
  2. Sadhu sevi – He has the disposition to mingle with, and serve, the sadhus
  3. Samucita carita – He is marked for his righteous conduct, both personal and social
  4. Tattva bodha abhilasi – Has an eagerness to learn spiritual teaching
  5. Susrusu – He excels in helping the guru in his seva
  6. Tyakta mana – He has become humble or at least free from the gross manifestations of pride
  7. Pranipatena para – He has implicit obedience to the guru and bows down in his presence
  8. Prasna kala pratiksa – He waits for the right time to clear his doubts about what he has learned from the acarya
  9. Santa – He is peaceful and self-controlled
  10. Danta – Controls both his mind and speech
  11. Anasuya – Free from jealousy
  12. Saranam upagata – Always eager to hear ‘instructions of divine grace’ from his guru
  13. Sastra visvas Sali – Has total faith in shastra
  14. Paristam prapta – Ready to undergo any tests set by the guru for assessing his state of preparedness to be accepted as a deserving disciple
  15. Krita-vid sisya – He will be a grateful disciple for all that is to be received from the acarya.

Vedanta Deshika concludes: “Tattvata – abhimatam sikshaniya.” (Truly, such a person with these qualities is fit for instruction by the acarya).

Four Key Instructions the Guru must teach the Disciple

  1. The creation, sustenance and dissolution of everything that is animate and inanimate are under the total control of the Lord and His consort. We have to comprehend the Lord as:

(a)    Jagat Karanan – The Creator of all

(b)   Jagat Rakshakan – The Protector of all

(c)    Sarva Samharakan – The Destroyer of all Creations

(d)   Karma Pravrtti Niyamakan – The Commander of all acts initiated by the soul

(e)   Sarva Karma Phala Dhayakan – The Granter of the fruits of all karmas

2. Understanding this unique role of the Lord, please do not consider anyone else as your goal.

3. Do not seek anyone other than Him as a means to reach Him.

4. Knowing that both fear and fearlessness about samsara arises from Him, please do not break His commands in shastra.


New Zealand’s Kuli Mela Aims for Unity, Love and Devotion
→ Seeking The Essence

New Zealand’s Kuli Mela Aims for Unity, Love and Devotion

An article written by Madhava Smullen for ISKCON News and originally posted on December 7th, 2012.

Kuli Mela New Zealand organizers Saraswati Howie and Vrinda Taylor

Kuli Mela has already hit the US, Europe, Russia and Australia. And now, the festival that aims to unite and inspire those who have grown up in the Hare Krishna movement is coming to New Zealand.

 

 

Around 120 “Kulis” are expected to attend the nearly two-week-long event, which will continue to revise the mood and activities of the Kuli Mela template.

The “Kiwi Mela,” running from December 27th to January 6th, is being organized by two childhood friends, Vrinda Taylor and Saraswati Howie. Both attended the local gurukula on the ninety-acre New Varshana farm near Auckland, where the event will be held. To them, all the generations in the community, not just their own, are important.

“This Kuli Mela is not just a youth festival,” says Saraswati. “ Because we don’t live in a youth bubble. We’re trying to create a bond between the generations. To create real and genuine relationships between the younger kids and the older gurukulis; between us and the senior devotees.”

True to this goal, preparations for the Kuli Mela have brought New Zealand devotees of all ages together—all the way from twelve-year-old current gurukula students to 82-year-old Madri mataji. The togetherness has been healing for the devotees, who have been recovering since February of last year from the loss of their Christchurch temple and Deities in an earthquake.

As well as all generations, Kiwi Mela is also attempting to create a space where people from all spiritual affiliations will feel welcome. Organizers hope this will go some way towards healing old rifts and wounds in the New Zealand Hare Krishna community, which has been split for many years between ISKCON and followers of Narayan Maharaja.

 The New Varshana Farm and temple, the location for Kiwi Mela

“It’s about coming together, putting our differences aside, and focusing on the commonality that we have,” says Saraswati.

She also wants Kulis from all levels of spiritual practice to feel welcome and free from judgement.

“I hope to create an atmosphere where youth don’t feel that they have to ostracize themselves from Krishna when they go through whatever they’re gonna go through, as my generation did,” she says.

At the same time, Saraswati sees the Kiwi Mela as a chance to create a deeply Krishna conscious event that helps remove Kulis from any remaining perception by older devotees that they’re just “partiers.”

“As we mature, our events will mature accordingly,” she says.

Combining good healthy fun with Krishna consciousness, the Kiwi Mela will be split into two parts.

The first, “Golden Moon,” will run from December 27th until January 1st in Rotarua, one of New Zealand’s top tourist attractions. A beautiful geothermal hotspot, it’s filled with volcanos, geysers, hot waterfalls and thermal lakes.

 Kulis will bathe in the thermal lakes at Rotarua

Kulis will travel there from Auckland’s New Varshana farm on a specially donated bus at 9:30am on the 27th, launching into a “raging kirtan” as they depart. During the three-and-a-half-hour drive, they’ll also stop for a “Harinama picnic” at one of New Zealand’s most beautiful picnic spots.

At Rotarua, they’ll stay in forest cabins on land owned by the Maori—the native New Zealand tribal people— and will be welcomed by the local Maori tribe.

The first day at Golden Moon will be a relaxed get-to-know-each-other affair, with fun games and a feast in the evening.

The next four days will feature a packed schedule of hikes, bike rides, swimming and other nature activities.

On New Year’s Eve during the afternoon, Kulis will head out for a huge Harinama, chanting Hare Krishna on the streets of Rotarua town.

“Then we’ll return to our camp, where we’ll hold a Holi celebration, followed by what Vrinda has referred to as a gulab shindig,” laughs Saraswati. “We’ll be cooking about 500 gulabjamuns [syrupy sweets] and having gulab eating, throwing and catching, and juggling contests. Sounds rather dangerous!”

Kulis will then settle into a night of kirtan in the forest with a whole host of singers including Nitai and Vijay from US group the Kirtaniyas, who will be fusing traditional mantras with electronic dubstep beats.

 Pohutu geyser, Rotarua. (Courtesy of Destination Rotorua Marketing)

On January 1st, the group will have a spiritual program in honor of Vaishnava saint Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s Disappearance Day, and then return to the New Varshana farm.

The official Kuli Mela will run from the 2nd to the 6th of January on the waterfront property, where a 20 x 15 meter marquee will be set up with a full stage and Jagannath Deities from Whangarei preaching center to bless the event. A large yurt will also be set up for bhajans.

An elaborate opening ceremony on the 2nd will feature dances and other performances, as well as a welcome by VIP guests including a local Maori representative. It will be followed by get-to-know-each-other group activities, and in the evening a vegetarian barbecue and Hangi.

“Hangi is a traditional Maori way of cooking,” Saraswati explains. “You heat up rocks in the fire, wrap your food in leaves, and put it in a basket. Then you bury it with the hot rocks underground for three or four hours. When it comes out, it’s infused with the taste of the earth and is just like nothing you can even explain.”

January 3rd and 4th will be packed with activities. After the morning program at the temple and breakfast, Kulis will attend workshops and seminars from 10am to 1pm, break for lunch, and attend more workshops from 3pm to 6pm.

Offered by a host of senior devotees and Kulis, these will include everything from study of Krishna’s pastimes, to relationship skills and nurturing Krishna’s children, to yoga, Ayurvedic cooking, and martial arts, to creative arts like drama, jewelry-making, graffiti, wood-carving, and t-shirt-making.

 Thermal pool, Rotarua. (Courtesy of Destination Rotorua Marketing)

There will also be a major forum, led by Krishnendu Das and Damodara Das, which will explore what kind of vision Kulis would like to shape for the future, and what kind of responsibility they would like to take in the Hare Krishna movement.

At the end of each day, after evening arati at the temple and a buffet dinner, there will be an entertaining variety show from 7:30pm until 11:00pm. It will include dramas, puppet shows, Bharat Natyam dance, and acrobatics and martial arts from multi-talented artist Hari Narayan Das.

There will also be a packed roster of kirtan artists, including Sri Prahlad, Hari Bhakti Dey, and Sudevi and Kishori Mohan.

Finally, audiences will laugh and be thrilled at Kuli’s Got Talent, a humorous Kuli spin on the hit international TV show.

Judges including New Varshana temple president Kalasamvara Das and gurukula drama teacher Bhakti Marga Dasi will cast their verdicts on a variety of extremely talented mridanga players, acrobats, salsa dancers, jugglers and much much more.

Audiences will even get to enjoy the kind of hilariously bad performances featured at the beginning of the TV show, with senior devotees and Kulis delivering purposefully lame talents.

On the evening of January 4th, meanwhile, Kulis will head out onto Auckland’s Queen Street for an epic Harinama, after which they will invite members of the public back for an open event.

The Kuli Mela will end with a closing ceremony on Sunday the 6th, followed by a Kuli-led Sunday Feast at the temple.

“Kulis will be leading the kirtan, giving the class, cooking the prasadam, and serving and looking after everybody,” says Saraswati.

She hopes that attendees will come to Kuli Mela with an open mind and heart, and leave with deepened relationships, feeling inspired and empowered for the future.

“I want to show people that regardless of all our differences, we can work together, and we can create greatness—for Srila Prabhupada,” she says. “I just want to make him happy, and proud of us.”

To book your tickets and for more information, please visit http://kulimelanz.com.