Bhaktivedanta Manor: A Digital Beacon of Spiritual Influence in the UK
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By Dandavats Staff Writer

Bhaktivedanta Manor has established itself as a powerhouse of spiritual influence in the United Kingdom, leveraging an impressive digital presence across multiple social media platforms to spread Krishna Consciousness to hundreds of thousands of followers. With over 309,000 Facebook followers and more than 7.3 million combined YouTube views, the Manor has successfully transformed from a physical sanctuary into a digital spiritual hub that reaches far beyond its 78-acre grounds in Watford. The temple's digital outreach complements its extensive physical programs, which annually welcome thousands of visitors, including nearly 9,000 school pupils and over 1,400 college students. Continue reading "Bhaktivedanta Manor: A Digital Beacon of Spiritual Influence in the UK
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Govinda Ghosh Disappearance
→ Ramai Swami

Govinda Ghosh was one of the three brothers Govinda, Vasudev and Madhav, who were all dear associates of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu. According to Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (188), Sri Govinda Ghosh is a sakhi named Kalavati in Goloka Vrindavan, who beautifully sings songs composed by Srimati Vishakha Sakhi. 

Govinda Ghosh, in Mahaprabhu’s lila as well, was a celebrated singer with melodious voice. He, along with his brothers, was present in the kirtans at Srivas Angan, in the kirtan party which went to the Kazi’s house, in the kirtan’s at Raghav Pandit’s house and in the 4th sankirtan party during Rathayatra, the main dancer of which was Vakreshwar pandit.

He was also present in the party which accompanied Mahaprabhu on his journey to Vrindavan. Once, during the travel, Mahaprabhu wanted some Haritaki, a mouthfreshner, after his lunch. Govinda immediately gave one Haritaki to Mahaprabhu.

Knowing that he sometimes saved some Haritaki for later, Mahaprabhu got upset and said that he should remain at that place and establish a deity and worship Him. This was done by the Lord just to instruct the sadhakas that one should not hoard anything, having faith that Krishna will provide for all our necessities. 

Although greatly distressed, Govinda followed the instructions of the Lord and stayed at Agradwip. There he established the deity of Gopinath in accordance with Mahaprabhu’s directions. He then got married and also had a son. He, along with his family always engaged in affectionately serving Gopinath.

Why are some people more inclined to spirituality than others?
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Why are some people more inclined to spirituality than others? Answer, there can be broadly three reasons. The first is centered on their past life experiences. Experiences, while some people may or may not believe in the idea of a previous life and that whatever we experienced in a previous life has an effect on this life, we can nonetheless say that very few people can actually deny the fact that even small children have characteristics from their very start, which are very different from child to child.

What exactly is the cause of these distinctive characteristics is still something which eludes purely reductionistic explanations. So just as some children have an extraordinary interest in a talent for music or language or drawing or maths or chess, so similarly some people can have an extraordinary interest in spirituality right from their childhood itself, which is basically coming from the practice that they have cultivated in their previous life. The Bhagavad Gita talks about this in its sixth chapter in texts 43 and 44.

Apart from the past life inclinations, there could also be an upbringing from this life, which makes people more receptive to spirituality. If they have grown up in a family where life’s higher values and higher purposes have been talked about or grown up in a family where spiritual practices played a significant role in day-to-day life, then those impressions stay with them and prompt them to explore something similar in their own lives individually. The third factor broadly could be the realizations that the person has got through their own life experiences and that is where a person may start thinking more about what can bring greater meaning and value into my life.

That may be coming from either they having lost something very valuable in their life and the resulting disappointment and disillusionment may be inspiring them to redirect their entire life’s priority and focus or the other possibility is that they might be, they might have achieved something that they had dreamt of and they had found it unfulfilling and that dissatisfaction may prompt them to look for something higher in life. So it could be either the devastation of losing something of value or the dissatisfaction that comes from giving something of value and realizing that it is not as great as it was touted to be and thereby starting to explore something higher. So these three factors could be summarized by the acronym PER, P is for past life impressions, U is for upbringing and R is for realizations and all these three individually or collectively can contribute to a greater spiritual inclination in some people as compared to others.

The post Why are some people more inclined to spirituality than others? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Spiritual Insights, Community Updates, and Devotional Wisdom from ISKCON! March 23
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By Dandavats Staff Writer

Welcome to our latest collection of inspiring videos, articles, and reports from ISKCON communities worldwide! This edition brings together profound spiritual teachings, uplifting stories, and important updates from devotees dedicated to spreading Krishna consciousness.. Continue reading "Spiritual Insights, Community Updates, and Devotional Wisdom from ISKCON! March 23
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GBC Expresses Appreciation and Support to the Gift Prabhupada Project
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“The GBC expresses appreciation and support to the Gift Prabhupada project team for reaching out to hundreds of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples worldwide with a personalized offering of gratitude for their lifelong commitment to Srila Prabhupada and his mission. “The gift — a miniature lifelike brass murti of Srila Prabhupada in a box with a fragment
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Lord Śiva, Bhakti Devi, and ISKCON’s Commitment to Spiritual Growth and Service! March 22
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By Dandavats Staff Writer

Tulsi, the Goddess of Devotion, is central to the practice of bhakti and an essential part of ISKCON’s spiritual traditions. Srila Rupa Goswami included Tulsi worship in the Panchanga bhakti process, and Srila Prabhupada established daily Tulsi puja in all ISKCON temples. She is very dear to Sri Krishna, and devotees honor her with deep reverence. Other spiritual discussions include the GBC Meeting Highlights Report (March 19, 2025), which covered key topics from the online gathering, featuring readings from the Srimad Bhagavatam. Additionally, H.G. Lakshminath Prabhu shared insights on Lord Śiva's connection to Vāsudeva. ISKCON's initiatives extend to community services, such as free medical camps at Santipur. Various enlightening talks, including Bhakti Devi Expands From Sri Radha, continue to inspire devotees worldwide, reinforcing the importance of devotion, service, and spiritual wisdom. Continue reading "Lord Śiva, Bhakti Devi, and ISKCON’s Commitment to Spiritual Growth and Service! March 22
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*ISKCONResolve Foundations Course: A Guide for Addressing Kali Yuga Conflicts!*
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Hare KrishnaBy Vraj Vihari Das

ISKCON Resolve offers a comprehensive suite of confidential and neutral resources designed to empower individuals and cultivate a more harmonious community. Their services include: Ombuds Representatives: Trained listeners provide a safe and confidential space for devotees to discuss their situations, offering guidance and support. Mediation Services: Facilitating respectful dialogue, ISKCON Resolve helps parties in conflict work towards mutually agreeable resolutions. Continue reading "*ISKCONResolve Foundations Course: A Guide for Addressing Kali Yuga Conflicts!*
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How to respond to agnostics who say that God can’t be known?
→ The Spiritual Scientist

How to respond to agnostics who say that God can’t be known?

Question, how do we respond to an agnostic who says that God is unknowable? Answer, three steps. First is, based on that very philosophy, that if one is agnostic truly, then maybe one can be agnostic about one’s agnosticism also. That means, if we are considering the unknowability of God and we are considering that unknowability is so important, then maybe we should consider the unknowability of the unknowability.

Is God really unknowable? Can we know that for sure? So, agnosticism implies a certainty that itself is problematic based on the very essence of agnosticism, that we can’t know about God. But can we be sure, can we know for sure that we can’t know about God? So, applying agnosticism to agnosticism can open our minds a bit to explore further. Second is that, in general the quest for knowledge, the human quest for understanding has been premised on the broad, almost axiomatic assumption within science that reality is knowable for us in the domain of physical sciences.

If the pioneering scientists had been agnostic about nature, that, oh, we can’t know how nature works, then we would have had none of the advancement of scientific knowledge or the technological facilities and utilities, many of which have become necessities in our life today. And throughout history there have been, there will be naysayers who say that these things are too complicated for us to know. And there is some truth to what they say.

As we have dived deeper and deeper into the complexities of nature, for example, quantum physics has brought human knowledge to an often baffling stop, where not only is, according to some prominent quantum physicists, not only is it weirder than what we imagine, it is weirder than what we can imagine. Even though that is the present understanding right now, the journey to this understanding has had benefits, and quantum physics and in general the knowledge of the quantum world has significantly transformed the way we live. So the point is, even if there is an inability to come to a conclusive understanding, the quest for understanding itself can increase our understanding and can contribute to well-being in various ways.

So, the quest for knowing God need not be subjected to a standard different from what we have subjected other seemingly incomprehensible fields of knowledge. The human spirit of knowing need not be deterred or blocked by the philosophical premise of agnosticism that the ultimate reality is unknowable in principle. The ultimate reality may be unknowable in practice to a complete degree, but the attempt to know that may well help us survive forbidden human curiosity from exploring in that particular direction.

Of course, if some particular people do not wish to explore that particular domain, that is fair enough. Each individual has the opportunity to decide where they want to direct their curiosity and they have the autonomy for that. But just as they have the autonomy to decide not to explore, shouldn’t others have the autonomy to explore? So the first point is a logical challenge to agnosticism in terms of it.

Can we know for sure it is unknowable? Second is that even if there is ultimate unknowability, if there is incremental knowledge, might that not be beneficial and might human curiosity in that direction lead to something constructive? So this is more of a historical experiential approach that has been used elsewhere. And the third is more of a psychological approach. Agnosticism is often a reaction and a valid reaction to the certainty that certain religious traditions and especially competing religious traditions have about the conclusiveness about their revelation of divinity and the resulting conflicts from there.

One tradition may claim for sure that this is what the nature of the ultimate reality is based on their sacred books. Another tradition may have a completely different conception of the divine and when such traditions argue and go beyond argument to religious intolerance and violence, then they end up making the world worse in many ways. And agnosticism can seem to be a much safer bet for the well-being of humanity.

However, that reasoning is based on the questionable assumption that the quest for knowing God has to result in a certainty that will lead to intolerance and violence. In the broad Vedic tradition and in the tradition of the Bhagavad Gita, spiritual growth is seen in two different pathways. One is the growth in faith, which brings about certainty, but the other trajectory is the growth in humility based on understanding that God or the ultimate reality, however one names and conceives or realises that reality, is far bigger than me and far bigger than my capacity to conceive or realise.

Therefore, that profound humility brings about an acceptance of uncertainty and even comfort with uncertainty. In my particular tradition, this is conveyed by the idea that the ultimate reality is achintya, inconceivable. That in the Bhagavad Gita 10.15, Arjuna, after hearing from Krishna about the message of the nature of reality culminating in the glory of divinity, Arjuna makes two seemingly contrasting statements.

On one side, he declares with conviction that it is Krishna who is the ultimate reality and he accepts Krishna’s words in full and in that same breath, even without a pause apparently he says that, you, O Lord, are unknowable, that no one, neither beings more powerful than me or greater than virtue and wisdom in me can know you. That the ultimate reality is knowable only by the ultimate reality. So God will always remain greater than whatever conceptions we may have of God.

God will always remain greater than whatever revelations we may have of God. God will always remain greater than whatever traditions may have evolved in the search of God and the service to God. God will always remain greater than the religions that may have sprung in His name and God will always remain greater than any leaders or seers who claim to know God.

And this is the categorical conclusion of the Gita where it is said that we need to go beyond even the religions that may be devoted to Him to become devoted to Him. Sarva Dharmaan Parityajya Maam Ekam Sharanam Vraja. So, therefore, the true understanding of God as explained in the broad Bhakti Yoga tradition and in the Bhagavad Gita is not an understanding of an intolerant certainty.

While there is certainty about the way one has realised God, there is an implicit acknowledgement that God is greater than one’s realisation. And in the Vedic tradition, this is enshrined in the statement, Ekam Sat Viprabhoudhavadanti. There is one truth, but that truth is known and addressed by different sages in different ways.

So how exactly the revelations of one particular tradition or one particular teacher may reconcile with the revelations of another teacher may well be inconceivable for us. This does not create a theological free-for-all where any and every revelation may be considered to be a right revelation and we end up with unlimited and often mutually irreconcilable conceptions of the Divine. The principle of spirituality is that knowing is not just a matter of information, it’s a matter of transformation.

And so, how one conceives of God is important, but what is more important is what is the consequence on oneself of that conception of God. If one truly knows God, the result would be that knowledge and experience of God would be so enriching that one would not crave for any other experiences. And that is why this is one of the aspects of perennial philosophy also, which is very much in harmony with the teachings of the Gita that if we become authentically God conscious in the sense of coming to know something about God, the result would be that we would become attached to God and we would become detached from the material world.

And being detached from the material world also means being detached from wanting to force others to accept God as we have conceived Him. We may want to persuade, but we will be open to understanding that God may reveal Himself in different ways to different people. So, the metaphor often used here is that we are trying to climb up a mountain and there is a peak, but we come closer and closer to the peak, but we never actually reach the peak.

And the way the peak is seen by people climbing up in one path will always be different from the way the peak is seen by those climbing from the other side. Now, all these climbers may meet at the peak, but that peak is ultimately reached in another domain of reality and therefore arguing about whether one particular revelation about the nature of that peak is final and another is not, is ultimately not an optimal utilisation of time. Just as there are objective criteria that a person climbing up a mountain will be moving further away from the ground and coming closer to the peak and becoming increasingly captivated by its beauty.

Similarly, the objective criteria for spiritual growth is that one becomes more and more attached to God and becomes less and less interested in trying to… in material things, including the material notion of wanting to force one’s conception of God on others. So spiritual growth is centred not so much on proving, but on improving, not on trying to fight to categorically establish that one’s own revelation of the ultimate is the ultimate, but on letting that revelation bring about an existential transformation of our own heart and a redirection of our own life from the mundane to the divine. So to summarise three points.

The logical challenge with the claim that God is unknowable. How can we show that the unknowability of God is knowable? The second is a historical experiential that we haven’t given into the principle of unknowability in any other area of the search for human understanding. And third, Gnosticism’s concern that a certainty about God can lead to intolerance is valid, but knowledge of God doesn’t have to necessarily lead to an intolerant certainty.

It can lead to a profound humility that fosters commitment to one’s own revelation while also fostering openness to other revelations with a focus on improving oneself rather than proving to others.

The post How to respond to agnostics who say that God can’t be known? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Hare Krishna TV: Transforming Spiritual Media Landscape Through Devotional Service
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By Dandavats Staff Writer

The achievement metrics—650 million YouTube views, 2.3 million subscribers, presence across dozens of digital platforms, and extensive broadcasting reach—represent more than just media success. They reflect a sincere dedication to sharing Krishna consciousness globally and making spiritual wisdom accessible to people of all backgrounds. Continue reading "Hare Krishna TV: Transforming Spiritual Media Landscape Through Devotional Service
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Memories of His Holiness Sridhar Swami Maharaja
Giriraj Swami

Srivasa Thakura, one of the members of the Pancha-tattva, lived in Navadvipa-dhama in Mayapur, near the residence of Jagannatha Mishra and Sacidevi, where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared. Later, when Lord Chaitanya began His sankirtana movement in Navadvipa-dhama, He and His other most confidential associates would meet at Srivasa-angana, the home of Srivasa Thakura, and have kirtan throughout the night. The kirtans at Srivasa-angana were ecstatic, and only the most intimate devotees of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu were allowed to enter. In fact, the nocturnal kirtans at Srivasa-angana in gaura-lila are compared to the rasa dance in krsna-lila.

In his identity in krsna-lila, Srivasa Pandita is Narada Muni, the great preacher who travels throughout the universe chanting the holy names of Krishna and enlightening the fallen souls in Krishna consciousness. So it is most auspicious that His Holiness Sridhar Swami Maharaja left on Srivasa Thakura’s appearance day—that most auspicious day—in Sri Mayapur-dhama—that most auspicious place.

We now have a special opportunity and responsibility to honor and glorify His Holiness Sridhar Swami Maharaja.

My own association with Sridhar Swami goes back to Bombay, over thirty years ago. Srila Prabhupada had requested disciples from America to come to India to help him there, and in particular with his three main projects—Bombay, Mayapur, and Vrindavan. From 1972, Sridhar Swami served Srila Prabhupada in India, mainly in Bombay.

When we got permission from the municipality to build on Hare Krishna Land in Juhu, Srila Prabhupada wanted Sridhar Maharaja to take charge of the construction materials. Sridhar Maharaja had a hefty build, like a football player, so Srila Prabhupada thought he would be appropriate to keep track of the construction material and make sure none of it was stolen. But Sridhar Maharaja (he wasn’t a sannyasi then, so Sridhar das Brahmachari) said that he didn’t want to look after the construction material; he wanted to preach. I was the temple president in Bombay, so I was going back and forth between him and Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada again said that Sridhar Maharaja should look after the construction materials, so I went back to deliver the message to him, but Sridhar Maharaja insisted, “I want to preach!”

Maharaja had never really preached much in India before then, and we didn’t know how well he could preach to the aristocratic Indian gentlemen we were mainly approaching at that time. But he was so sincere in his desire that he became one of the best preachers in India, one of the best in the world. This story illustrates Maharaja’s sincere desire to preach, and his strong determination to serve Srila Prabhupada and the mission even in ways that he may not have found easy.

In India, Srila Prabhupada had introduced the life-membership program. And he based the society’s progress there on its level of success. He said that making someone a life member was almost as good as making him a devotee. He had introduced the program as a way to distribute his books, he explained, because if someone became a life member by paying a certain subscription, he would get a set of the books and a subscription to Back to Godhead magazine.

Eventually, Sridhar Swami led one of the life-membership teams in Bombay. I was the membership director, and the other team leaders were Maharaja, Lokanath Swami, Jagat-purusa Prabhu, and Haridasa Prabhu. In the early 1980s, Sridhar Maharaja became the Juhu temple president, and so he increasingly joined me in cultivating the most important people in Bombay. And between 1984 and 1990, when I was unable to return to India because of visa problems, Maharaja deepened his relationship with many of our most important members and they came to love him deeply.

In around 1991, Sridhar Maharaja proposed a fund-raising-by-mail program in Juhu. Many devotees criticized the idea, saying it would never work. To prepare the letters and post them would cost more than two lakhs—two hundred thousand—rupees, and there was no guarantee that we would ever get the money back. But in spite of all the negativity, Maharaja took the risk—Srila Prabhupada had said, “To preach means to take risks”—and the experiment proved to be successful. The first effort itself made money, and subsequent mailings proved even more profitable. Soon, Maharaja received invitations from centers in India and abroad to help them organize fund-raising-by-mail campaigns, and the campaigns proved to be successful everywhere. They became one of the most reliable sources of income many temples had. Even today, the BHISMA (Bhaktivedanta Information Services and Mailing) office started by Sridhar Maharaja raises funds for the Juhu temple by mail.

More recently, Sridhar Maharaja started the pioneering Vedic Applied Spiritual Technology (VAST) program, which used the latest multi-media methods to teach the corporate sector stress management and time management—all in relation to Krishna consciousness. Maharaja always tried to find innovative ways to present Krishna consciousness. He studied experts in various fields and applied what he learned to Krishna consciousness.

Many of my most vivid memories of Maharaja, and of his good influence on me and on others, are from the last few years. You may know that in 1977, some months before he left this world, Srila Prabhupada named eleven disciples to initiate devotees on his behalf while he was still here. After he left, the same disciples continued to initiate, and later, slowly, a few more, beginning with three others, were given that responsibility. Sridhar Maharaja was not one of the first to initiate, or even one of the early ones to be added; the attitude in the movement then was quite restrictive. At one stage, he joked that he wanted only three disciples—one to cook, one to do his laundry, and one to collect for him.

Eventually, Maharaja was given the responsibility to initiate disciples, and he took his duty very seriously; he was very sincere. In his first initiation ceremony, in Juhu, he gave hari-nama to a devotee from Croatia, whom Maharaja named Mayapur dasa and instructed to be a servant of Sri-dhama Mayapur. Even up to the end, Maharaja was very sincere in his duties to his disciples and in his care and affection for them. He really loved them very much. At the same time, he cared for devotees and people in general, and I think this is one of his most remarkable traits: his almost universal care for others. He was like an ocean of love.

In Kartik of 1999, Sridhar Maharaja and I met in Vrindavan. One morning we went to the Bhaktivedanta Ashram at Govardhana, where I was to meet His Holiness Indradyumna Swami and choose a Govardhana sila to worship. Indradyumna Maharaja placed two silas next to each other on his shelf and asked, “Who do these look like?” They looked like Radha and Krishna, and so I accepted them, and Indradyumna Swami also gave me his deity of Gopesvara Mahadeva. Earlier, he had told Sridhar Maharaja, “I will have something for you when you come to Govardhana.” Sridhar Swami was a great devotee of Lord Nrsimhadeva, and Maharaja gave him silas of Lord Nrsimhadeva and Varahadeva.

The next day, Indradyumna Swami took Sridhar Maharaja and me to Loi Bazar in downtown Vrindavan to get paraphernalia for our worship. We spent most of the day in various shops, looking for just the right items for the deities’ service and bargaining with the merchants. Finally, we became satisfied that we had done the best we could for our worshipable Lords—and besides, we all were hungry—and so we returned to the Krishna-Balarama Mandir.

During the same stay in Vrindavan, Sridhar Maharaja and I did Govardhana parikrama together with a group of devotees. We had wonderful krsna-katha all around Govardhana Hill. Although we both were ill, we did the full parikrama barefoot in the hot sun, and only afterward did we take prasada at the Bhaktivedanta Ashram.

Within a month, Maharaja and I were both in the hospital—he in a coma, with encephalopathy from hepatitis C, and me on the verge of a heart attack, about to have cardiac bypass surgery. Later, he praised the power of that parikrama—that it put us both in the hospital so quickly. He told me, “The only reason I went all the way around was to keep up with you.” And I replied, “But, Maharaja, the only reason I went all the way around was to keep up with you!” Such was our relationship, and such is the mercy of Giri-Govardhana.

Maharaja had been diagnosed with hepatitis C two years earlier—and with cirrhosis of the liver, a condition that over time is usually fatal. After Kartik, his condition deteriorated, and some fluid, called ascites, accumulated in his abdominal cavity—nearly twenty or twenty-five liters, which also caused massive swelling in his legs. So he returned to Bombay for tests and treatment.

In Bombay, Maharaja was admitted to Bhaktivedanta Hospital, which is run and staffed mainly by devotees. There, he had a further reversal and fell into a coma. His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami and some of Goswami Maharaja’s close friends—Giridhari Swami and Kesava Bharati Maharaja—came from Vrindavan to Bombay to visit Sridhar Swami in the hospital. Maharaja was very grateful to them for coming all the way from Vrindavan to be with him, and their visit had a deep effect. From then on, one of the main themes in his life was how much he appreciated his godbrothers, how much he wanted their association. He would say, “My godbrothers are my life,” and, as a humble Vaishnava, he felt dependent on them. Even at the end, in Canada, just before he left for Mayapur for the last time, he was asking different godbrothers, “Please help me. Help me to chant the holy name.” He was very, very humble.

Eventually Maharaja was discharged from the hospital, but his condition remained delicate. Many devotees suggested that he return to Vrindavan and spend his last days there, hearing and chanting about Krishna. Again, he was so sincere that he accepted the advice of his godbrothers and well-wishers. But soon he felt, “This is not me, just to sit and chant and hear in Vrindavan.” And again he came to the same point: “I want to preach.” So, Maharaja stayed in Haridas Prabhu’s vacant flat at Mira Road in Bombay, and there he would meet devotees and friends—and preach.

In April of 2000, in an early stage of a hepatic coma, Maharaja was readmitted to Bhaktivedanta Hospital, and soon thereafter he had difficulty breathing and felt that he might actually leave his body. But he recovered from the crisis, and soon he got the idea that he would like to travel again. And he was adamant.

From the medical point of view, to travel was a doubtful decision, but Maharaja was determined. His first stop was to be Carpinteria, where I have a small ashram. He wanted to visit, spend some time with me, and rest and recuperate. Thus, in May of 2000, he and Mayapur dasa somehow got on a plane and reached Los Angeles. From the Los Angeles airport they came straight by car to Carpinteria, but by the time Maharaja reached the ashram, he was in a terrible condition. We were shocked. Already he had been terribly sick, but then he had caught the flu in Bombay, though the symptoms hadn’t manifested until he had reached Hong Kong. Some devotees said that he shouldn’t have traveled at all—he was too sick—and that the disease was affecting his discrimination. But in retrospect, I see his traveling in spite of his illness as his love and his desire to serve and preach. And sometimes I take it that he risked his life just to come and visit me.

So, he came, and we spent some time together. He was on a very strict diet that he didn’t much like, and he would cheat a little now and then. One night I went out to a preaching program. Maharaja wasn’t well enough to come, but he encouraged me to go, so we left him in the care of Mayapur dasa and my disciple Kuntidevi dasi, who could cook in case he needed anything. After I left, he decided that he wanted to indulge himself a little and asked for veggie burgers and French fries, which were not at all on his diet. Kuntidevi dutifully prepared them, and Mayapur reluctantly served them. Maharaja ate them, and he was in very jolly spirits.

In Bombay we had two highly aristocratic yet very devoted life members—Mr. Brijratan Mohatta and Mr. M. P. Maheshwari. Every Sunday, they and their wives would come to Juhu. Out of their deep affection for Maharaja, these two gentlemen began to call him “the jolly swami” because, well, he was always so jolly. The name stuck, and a few years ago, Maharaja’s brother Stuart actually wrote an article about him called “The Jolly Swami,” which was published in a magazine in Canada. Recently, the nickname became even more popular—and deservedly so—because Maharaja remained so jolly even up to the time of death.

So, happily enjoying Kuntidevi’s tasty burgers and chips, “the jolly swami” was in a very jolly mood indeed. The next morning, however, he wasn’t quite so jolly—or at least he didn’t manifest his mood. In fact, he wouldn’t get up. We thought, “He must be exhausted.” Time passed, and still he wouldn’t get up. We waited, tried again, waited, and tried again. Finally, we realized that he was in a coma, so we rushed him to the hospital, to the emergency room, and he was eventually put in the intensive care unit.

Physiologically, there was a certain course to be run, and the doctors were confident that Maharaja would come out of the coma. It just had to be treated in the proper way and the condition would reverse itself. Again, Maharaja’s great affection and care became evident. Because of the liver’s malfunction, it wasn’t able to take out the toxins—that was the basic problem. And eventually the toxins go to the brain and cause encephalopathy. If the toxins in the brain reach a certain point, the patient goes into a coma. Then the process of coming out of the coma and toxic influence is gradual. In a way, you could say that at first Maharaja was sort of delirious. But the beauty of his delirium was that his goodness came out freely: He just wanted everyone to chant. He wanted everyone—the doctors, the nurses, the nurses’ assistants, the room cleaners—to become Krishna conscious. He really just wanted everyone to become Krishna conscious.

And then, too, he would think of his brothers, Malcolm and Stuart, in Canada. He really wanted them to become devotees. He would talk to us about them, not completely coherently, but with great love and care. And he would talk with them on the phone, as well as with his mother and sister. He saw some spark in them that he wanted to fan. He really wanted them to become devotees.

When the crisis began, we informed his family. His sister, Fiona, was just wonderful—so helpful and responsible. And eventually his brother Malcolm came down and stayed with Maharaja and us for a while. Hridayananda Maharaja also visited Maharaja in the hospital. And again, Sridhar Maharaja was so appreciative. The two of them joked a lot, and soon Sridhar Maharaja was discharged and came back to the ashram. Throughout, despite his trying medical condition, he really was “the jolly swami,” so friendly to the nurses and staff and everyone.

 After some days, the bill from the hospital came—for almost $30,000. Maharaja studied it carefully. Finally, he concluded: “I want my money. They can take back my consciousness!” And later, after he had left, he would phone and say, “I want to come to Carpinteria and have some more of Kunti’s ‘coma burgers’!”

From then on, despite his hepatitis, Maharaja would travel a lot, sort of like Srila Prabhupada—more or less six months in India, based in Bombay, and six months traveling. He would visit London and Croatia and Slovenia, and he would always attend the New York Ratha-yatra. He made a point always to go to the New York Ratha-yatra. And he would regularly visit Alachua, Los Angeles, Vancouver, and Brazil. He had many disciples in Croatia and Slovenia; many young people there became initiated by him.

In September of 2001, accompanied by Nrsimhananda Prabhu of ITV, Maharaja came to Carpinteria for my Vyasa-puja. “For me, in my stage of life,” he said in his offering, “if I have learned even one little lesson, it is dasa-dasanudasah. Cultivate service to the Vaishnavas and you will get everything. We need a family in which we can love and trust each other and not fear. We have to preach to so many materialistic people. Their very aura is permeated with lust and greed and anger, and there is a possibility of getting infected. But if we can come back to a community of friends, of brothers and sisters, where we love each other and care—I am not talking of superficially saying something, but where we really care deep down inside that this person is suffering and care, even materially—we will be protected. Prabhupada cried when he saw people suffering materially in the material world. So, what to speak of exalted Vaishnava devotees—we should care for them and love them. This is our family.”

January 14, 2003, marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the grand opening of the Juhu temple, and Sridhar Maharaja took the lead in arranging the silver-jubilee celebrations. He wanted every devotee who had ever served in Juhu to come, especially those who had served in the time leading up to the grand opening, which was basically when Srila Prabhupada was personally present. The Juhu temple had a modest budget to help devotees with their airfares, but eventually another very nice devotee in Bombay, Krishna Chandra Prabhu (Hrishikesh Mafatlal), gave several lakhs of rupees to pay for devotees’ tickets. Maharaja tracked down every Prabhupada disciple who had served in Bombay. He phoned and personally requested them to come and offered free tickets as required.

So many came and the event was extraordinary. People couldn’t believe it—everyone there felt that Srila Prabhupada had manifested himself again. Even His Holiness Sacinandana Swami, who hadn’t served in Bombay earlier but who happened to be there for the celebrations, said that he tangibly felt Srila Prabhupada’s presence. Everyone gave credit to Sridhar Swami. And he deserved it, because he had gotten so many devotees to come and, with help from devotees in Chowpatty and Juhu, had made such wonderful arrangements.

During the ceremony, when it was time for the devotees to give their remembrances of the early days of serving Srila Prabhupada in Bombay, Maharaja wouldn’t allow the gurus and sannyasis to speak until other devotees had spoken. “We hear them all the time,” he said. “We want to hear others.” Of course, they also spoke, but mainly Maharaja wanted to give others the chance. He really was pandita sama-darsinah: he saw everyone equally. He truly saw the soul, and he appreciated everyone. He appreciated everyone’s good, and he wanted to encourage everyone.

Anyway, it was a wonderful event. Due to my own health problems, I couldn’t be there, but I phoned, just to be part of the celebrations. The guesthouse receptionist picked up the phone, and I asked for Maharaja, but he wasn’t nearby and it was going to take time to find him. In the meantime, I asked, “Who else is there?” Jagat-purusa Prabhu happened to be walking by, so I said, “Okay, I’ll speak to him.” Jagat-purusa was in high ecstasy. He wasn’t speaking; the ecstasy within him was moving him to speak. He said that he had not experienced such bliss in Krishna consciousness since the time he had been in Bombay with Srila Prabhupada. He went on and on, emphasizing that it was the most memorable occasion of his life, and I think everyone felt pretty much the same way, because they felt Srila Prabhupada’s presence. What more do any of us want? For us, the highest perfection is to be with Srila Prabhupada, and Sridhar Swami was instrumental in creating that situation in which Srila Prabhupada was pleased to manifest himself in such a vivid and personal way.

After a few days of recuperating from the effort of the celebration, Maharaja wanted to travel again, so he came to Los Angeles, but this time his schedule didn’t allow him to come to Carpinteria. Also, I think he was a little upset because I hadn’t come for the celebrations in Juhu, and he didn’t want to come to me. So I went to him, and, as always, he was wonderful. After Los Angeles, he went to Vancouver, and while he was there, I began to consider that I had offended him by not going to Juhu for the celebrations. I don’t think I could have gone, but at the same time I was concerned that I had offended him. So I phoned him to apologize and explain why I hadn’t gone, even though he and many others had so much wanted me to participate. I asked him to forgive me, and he was very gracious. He was sorry I hadn’t come, and he did want to understand why, but he said I hadn’t committed any offense.

Subsequently, Maharaja and I would frequently talk on the phone, and we would meet whenever he came to Los Angeles. Then, last November, he phoned from Bombay and told me he was planning to go to Vancouver in April for four to six months. I replied, “I will definitely come and spend time with you there.” Soon thereafter, however, I got an e-mail from him saying that he had been diagnosed in Bombay with liver cancer and was going to Vancouver immediately to see if he could get a liver transplant, which was his “only hope.”

So, Maharaja flew to Vancouver, and the first day he went for tests, the doctors found three places where cancer had affected his liver, which prima facie made him eligible for the transplant. When they did more tests, however, they found more cancer—and because the cancer had spread beyond the limit allowed for transplants, his “only hope” was dashed: he was ineligible for a transplant. So, it seemed like he was soon to leave his body.

Distressed, I phoned Maharaja, but he wasn’t answering his landline. When I finally got him on his cell phone, I asked, “Where are you?” and he said, “I’m shopping.” He seemed so jolly—like always. But then he confirmed my worst fears: “The doctor says that I could go at any time. Phone me back later. We have to talk.”

After that, we would speak every day, usually twice a day—long, wonderful talks. The question arose whether he should go to Mayapur. He decided he would, and eventually, in consultation with his godbrothers, he concluded that he should go as soon as possible.

He told me he had three desires: “I just want to survive until I reach Mayapur. Then, if possible, I want to live to see the Pancha-tattva installed. And then, if possible, I want to live until Gaura-purnima. And then—whatever.” He meant, of course—whatever Krishna wanted.

With these three desires in his heart, although no one knew how much travel his weakened body could bear, Maharaja flew to London, where he was joined by Indradyumna Swami. His sister, Fiona, had informed Indradyumna Swami of the doctor’s pronouncement, that if Sridhar undertook the journey, he probably wouldn’t make it. And she added, “If that happens, I want someone to be there with him.” So Indradyumna Swami flew to England to accompany Maharaja onward to Mayapur.

In London, devotees had rented a room for Maharaja in a hotel near the airport. He was so sick and weak that he could hardly walk. The devotees just had to get him from the airport to the nearest place possible—as soon as possible.

Because the news had spread that Maharaja was going to Mayapur to leave his body, many of his disciples from Europe—mainly from Croatia and Slovenia—came to London to meet him. They were crying because they knew they would never see him again. He told them, “You can cry when I go. You can cry for a few days, but then you have to get back into your service, and then you have to be happy.”

Maharaja wanted to reciprocate with the disciples who had come to be with him. He said, “The king is good for the people, and the people are good for the king. I never had my own family, but when I had disciples, I was able to benefit tremendously. I felt emotions I thought I never would. I just don’t think it will stop. When we love one another, we are together. Of course, when I leave, we can’t play football [soccer] together. But I can come along in the form of a picture.” It was so bittersweet; Maharaja was so sweet and so humorous. Yet his disciples were lamenting that they would never see him again. But he told them, “When I leave, we can be together in more significant ways.” He said that love in separation is actually stronger. And we do experience that when we are with people we love, we may take them for granted. But when they are gone, we realize how valuable their association was and how much we loved and still love them. And the feelings can become even more intense than when we were with them.

There were some disciples who didn’t have second initiation, so Maharaja decided to initiate them. Because of his disease, however, his brain didn’t always function properly. It had been infected by the toxins, and also he had to take an opioid painkiller, as prescribed by the doctor. So, he decided, “Okay, I’ll give second initiation—but all together, all five at once.” Still, when he began reciting the Gayatri mantra—“Om bhur . . .”—he couldn’t remember the next word. So he asked Indradyumna Swami, “What comes next?” and Indradyumna Swami pronounced the word and Maharaja repeated it to his disciples. When Maharaja couldn’t remember the next word either, he told Indradyumna Swami, “Look, why don’t you just say each word, and then I’ll repeat it, and the disciples will hear it from me.” And like that, they got through the first two lines. Then Indradyumna Swami, who himself was exhausted from his long flight from South Africa, couldn’t remember the next word. So Maharaja asked, “Are there any brahmans in the house who know the next word?” and one brahman told the word to Indradyumna Swami, and Indradyumna Swami repeated it to Sridhar Swami, and Sridhar Swami repeated it to the disciples.

Sridhar Maharaja remarked, “Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam. We don’t need this Gayatri mantra. Hari-nama is enough.” Then he started quoting:

 harer nama harer nama
  harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
  nasty eva gatir anyatha

[“In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.” (Brhan-naradiya Purana 3.8.126, quoted as Cc Adi 17.21)]

krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam
  sangopangastra-parsadam
yajnaih sankirtana-prayair
  yajanti hi su-medhasah

[“In the Age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the name of Krsna. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krsna Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons, and confidential companions.” (SB 11.5.32)]

kaler dosa-nidhe rajan
  asti hy eko mahan gunah
kirtanad eva krsnasya
  mukta-sangah param vrajet

 [“My dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: Simply by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.” (SB 12.3.51)]

When Maharaja had quoted all these verses in glorification of the holy name, Indradyumna Swami exclaimed, “Maharaja, you are perfectly quoting all these verses about the holy name, but you can’t remember the Gayatri mantra?!” Sridhar Swami explained, “The Gayatri mantra is just meant to assist us in chanting the holy name. The real thing is chanting the holy name. The Gayatri mantra just supports it—helps us to become purified—so we can chant the holy name.”

You may have heard how Maharaja arrived in Calcutta. Jayapataka Swami had sent his van to pick him up, and Maharaja lay unmoving in Jayapataka Swami’s bed in the van all the way from the airport to Mayapur. In Mayapur, thousands of devotees came out to receive him with kirtan—sometimes roaring and sometimes sweet.

Because Maharaja’s diseased liver wasn’t processing different materials properly, his body again filled with liquid and became bloated. In Canada, as well as in India, doctors would remove five to seven liters of liquid from him at a time. That was part of his discomfort. And after the installation of the Pancha-tattva, he had a physical setback, maybe because of the exertion and excitement in the ceremony. The situation looked grave, and in the evening he asked for devotees to come and do kirtan in his room. He didn’t know what would happen, but it looked like he was going to leave his body. Mayapur dasa informed the devotees, so they came: senior devotees and disciples alike gathered in Maharaja’s room, ready for the worst. As he lay silently on his bed, they performed kirtan, most of them crying, seeing that the end was near. A doctor was called to Maharaja’s bedside and felt around Maharaja’s torso as Maharaja lay motionless, his eyes closed. Maharaja’s abdomen was bloated from the accumulated fluids. The doctor put his hands on Maharaja’s abdomen and gently squeezed it to assess the situation—at which Maharaja opened his eyes, looked in the doctor’s direction, and said, “It’s a boy!”

Everybody cracked up. Maharaja was so funny, even in the most dire of circumstances. The devotees were going mad; they didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The situation was so critical, yet Maharaja was so funny. Maharaja told me that story on the phone, and I could tell he rather liked it.

So, a devotee can live or die. Both are the same. Certainly that was true of Sridhar Swami: he could live or die, because if he lived he would serve Krishna here, and if he died he would serve Krishna in the next life. For Maharaja, life and death were the same—jiva va maro. Thus, he was truly fearless and jolly. He really had no fear of death. Although he wanted to stay so he could preach, he wasn’t afraid of death. He knew he would continue to serve Srila Prabhupada in the next life.

A few days before Gaura-purnima, Indradyumna Swami came to see Maharaja to say farewell. At Maharaja’s room he met Mayapur dasa, who told him, “Maharaja is in the shower.” From inside, Sridhar Swami overheard the talk and shouted out, “Indie! Is that you, Indie?” He used to call Indradyumna Swami “Indie,” short for Indiana Jones, because Indradyumna Maharaja is such an adventurous preacher. When someone really loves you and is proud of you, he shows you off to his friends, and in this way, Sridhar Maharaja would show off Indradyumna Swami to people who came to his room, saying, “This is our Indiana Jones, but he is the real thing! This one is the real thing!”

“Indie! Is that you out there?” he called out. “Yes, Maharaja.” “Come on in!” “But Maharaja, you are in the shower.” “So what? Come on in.” So, Indradyumna Swami went in, and there was Maharaja without any cover. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “We are not these bodies!”

Indradyumna Swami was choked up, because he was feeling that he would never see Maharaja again. So he said, “Maharaja, I have come to say good-bye.” Maharaja said, “Don’t say good-bye.” Indradyumna Swami replied, “I may never see you again in this life.” “Don’t you know that old song?” Maharaja asked. And he sang: “Happy trails to you, until we meet again.” And that was it.

So, I think that is a good conclusion, especially for Indradyumna Swami: “Happy trails,” because his trails take him all over the world. Yet all of us, in our own ways, have our own trails and paths in devotional service, and Sridhar Swami wishes that they be happy—until we meet again.

I wanted to phone Maharaja every day, but the way it worked out with the time difference and all the difficulties in getting through to Mayapur, it averaged about every third day that I would speak with him. The last time, two days before he left, he was having a good day. The previous day had been a bad one, but the night before, they had given him some additional medication, so he was having a good day, and we had one of the best talks I have ever had with anyone in my entire life. We spoke mainly about the Mayapur project and Srila Prabhupada’s mission. I’ll cherish that talk—the experience of it and the lessons it contained—for the rest of my life.

That was Thursday, March 11. The next day, Friday, we installed beautiful brass Deities of Gaura-Nitai in our Carpinteria ashram. They had come from Vrindavan, originally commissioned by Mother Kirtida for Tamal Krishna Goswami. I felt that Their coming was also part of Sridhar Swami’s mercy, because he so fervently desired that the glories of the Pancha-tattva be spread and that we build the great temple for Them in Mayapur. So, two representatives of the Pancha-tattva had come, and I felt that Their arrival was his desire.

On Thursday I had told Maharaja, “I don’t know if I will be able to phone you again before then, but the Deities have come and we will install Them Friday evening, and by your mercy we’ll try to serve Them and Their dhama.” And now, whenever I look at Their beautiful forms and appealing faces, I feel that we have to do something for Them—we have to build Their wonderful temple, as Sridhar Swami always reminded me.

 This may be Maharaja’s main contribution in recent years, at least to me in my service: He impressed upon me—and upon our entire movement—the importance of the Mayapur project, of the “wonderful temple” (adbhuta mandira) that Nityananda Prabhu had desired for the service of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and that Bhaktivinoda Thakura had envisioned. Maharaja’s whole life was dedicated to Srila Prabhupada, and he felt that this was one of Srila Prabhupada’s main desires left to be fulfilled. He felt that we had to do it—and that we had to do it; it would benefit the whole society, and the whole world. He would quote Ambarisa Prabhu: “This will be the tide that will make all the boats rise.” So, although Sridhar Maharaja left so many wonderful legacies for us in terms of his personal qualities and activities, one legacy that may serve to unite the movement and fulfill one of Srila Prabhupada’s main desires is his inspiration to push on the construction of the great temple in Mayapur.

When I was a new devotee, in my first couple of years in the movement, I approached Srila Prabhupada one day while he was getting his massage on the veranda of the Calcutta temple. “Srila Prabhupada,” I said, “I have been thinking about what pleases you most.” Srila Prabhupada was so pure, he took every word into his heart. “Yes,” he replied. I said, “The two things that seem to please you the most are distributing your books and building the big temple in Mayapur.” Srila Prabhupada smiled with great appreciation and said, “Thank you very much.”

So, those were Srila Prabhupada’s two main strategies for spreading Krishna consciousness, and Sridhar Swami helped him with both. In his early days, Sridhar Swami was instrumental in developing book distribution in North America. And in his later years, he was involved with the Mayapur project, planning and raising funds for the great temple. And by Maharaja’s mercy, on Gaura-purnima, standing in front of the Pancha-tattva Deities in Laguna Beach, I got the inspiration: “Now it’s time for Mayapur. Sridhar Swami understood that long ago. Now it’s time for me to join the effort, too.” And that was important for me in other ways as well—to let go of the past, to forgive and forget. It was time for everyone to work together for Mayapur, for Sridhar Swami, for Srila Prabhupada, to build the wonderful temple.

When I asked Sridhar Swami how I could help, he requested me to speak about my experiences of Srila Prabhupada related to Mayapur. In 1973, when Srila Prabhupada came to Calcutta from England, he was so enthusiastic and excited about Mayapur. Tamal Krishna Goswami had gotten the first land, we had observed the first Gaura-purnima festival there, and now Srila Prabhupada had come with the plans for the first building. There was a detailed discussion, but at the end Srila Prabhupada said, “If you build this temple, then Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura will personally come and take you all back to Godhead.” Now I think that this may be my only hope, so I’d better get to work. We’d better build the Mayapur project, because I don’t know how else I will ever get back to Godhead.

His Holiness Sridhar Swami has given me a lifetime of work in service to Srila Prabhupada. Although jiva va maro, to live or die is the same for a devotee—and certainly that was true of Maharaja—my own feelings are mixed. I think, “He left so much service for me, gave me so many instructions.” I think the same about Tamal Krishna Goswami. “So I must stay and execute his mission.” Even though part of me misses them terribly and wants to be with them, mainly I think, “They left me so many instructions. I have so much service to do for them here.”

Of course, how long we have to do what they have asked, what they would want, all depends on Krishna. Therefore, whatever time we do have left we should use in the best possible way—in Krishna consciousness.

His Holiness Sridhar Swami Maharaja ki jaya! Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! Sri Pancha-tattva ki jaya! Nitai-gaura-premanande hari-haribol!

*          *          *

EPILOGUE

Three days after Sridhar Maharaja left, I was on my daily walk in Santa Barbara when I suddenly began to experience great bliss, and I felt Maharaja’s presence. Then I felt that he was giving me two instructions. The first was, “I am still here. Be happy.” And the second was, “Just be yourself. Each one of us has his own contribution to make, so just be yourself and make your contribution.”

After he left, I considered what had happened. Clearly, his two instructions were not meant only for me; they were meant for everyone. And they covered all points. He had said it all: “Just be yourself and make your contribution.”

Thank you, Maharaja. We love you.

Hare Krishna.

[Talks by Giriraj Swami in Laguna Beach and Los Angeles, March 14 and 15, 2004]

Travel Journal#21.11: Gainesville, Alachua, Daytona Beach, Tallahassee
→ Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 21, No. 11
By Krishna Kripa Das
(Week 11: March 12–18, 2025)
Gainesville, Alachua, Daytona Beach, Tallahassee
(Sent from Tallahassee, Florida, on March 22, 2025)

Where I Went and What I Did


For the
eleventh week of 2025, I remained living at Krishna House in Gainesville and chanting Hare Krishna for about three hours each day during the Krishna Lunch at University of Florida through Friday. On Thursday I celebrated Gaura Purnima in Gainesville during the day and in Alachua in the evening. Friday I also chanted with the Alachua devotees near the entrance to the University of Florida. Saturday I attended the Daytona Beach Ratha-yatra with devotees from all over northern Florida. Sunday I attended the Alachua Sunday feast, and on Monday I returned to ISKCON Tallahassee. I chanted Hare Krishna on Monday and Tuesday at Landis Green, behind the main Florida State University library. In Tallahassee, I distributed fourteen little cups of halava to promote our Krishna Lunch at the campus.

I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s Sri Caitanya-caritamrita. I share quotes from Miracle on Second Avenue by Mukunda Goswami, from The Delaware Diaries by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, and from Golden Avatar, a soon-to-be-published biography of Lord Caitanya, by Yogesvara Prabhu. I share notes on a Sunday feast lecture by Krishna Abhishek Prabhu and a Monday morning lecture by a local Govinda Prabhu, both in Alachua. I share notes on a class by Gopi Jivana Prabhu at Krishna House.

Thanks to Bhakta Henry, formerly of Washington, D.C., for his kind donation. Thanks to Gopal Krishna Prabhu for driving me to Alachua for Gaura Purnima and to Jackson for driving me back to Krishna House. Thanks to John for driving me to Daytona Beach for Ratha-yatra and back. Thanks to Jackson for driving me to Alachua for the Sunday feast. Thanks to Ananga Mohan Prabhu for driving me to Tallahassee. I get by with a little help from my friends!

Itinerary

January 6–April 11: Tallahassee harinamas and FSU college outreach
– March 9–16: Krishna House Gainesville harinamas and UF college outreach
– March 15: Daytona Beach Ratha-yatra
April 12: St. Augustine Ratha-yatra
April 13: Gainesville harinama
April 14–15: USF harinamas in Tampa
April 16–20: Washington, D.C., harinamas with Sankarsana Prabhu
April 21–22: NYC Harinam
April 23: Flight to Brussels
April 24: Layover in Oslo
April 25: Kadamba Kanana Swami Vyasa-puja at Radhadesh
April 26: King’s Day in Amsterdam
April 27: Liege harinama
April 28–May 1: Paris harinamas
May 2: Sarcelles market harinama
May 3–4: Amsterdam Kirtan Mela and Sacinandana Swami seminar
May 5 and 6: harinama in Amsterdam, Antwerp, or Brussels
May 7: Flight from Brussels to New York City
May 8–June 15: NYC Harinam
mid June–mid August: Paris
– June 22: Paris Ratha-yatra
– July 11: Amsterdam harinama
– July 12: Amsterdam Ratha-yatra
– July 13: Netherlands harinama

Chanting Hare Krishna in Gainesville

Purusartha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch on Wednesday (https://youtu.be/QhZpYPPg0Rg):


Pundarik Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch (
https://youtu.be/RRsKhZcQ4fU):


Advaita Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch (
https://youtu.be/VD-W-0eiB7g):


Krishna House women chant Hare Krishna at mangala-arati on Gaura Purnima (https://youtube.com/shorts/2hQGTkB9Aqs?feature=share):


Shyamala Kishori and Sruti Sagara Prabhus chant Hare Krishna at Gaura Purnima abhiseka in Gainesville (https://youtu.be/R4oa_Y8HCqs):


Sruti Sagara Prabhu continued chanting Hare Krishna there (https://youtu.be/L3eUEJ0HuA0):


Kunti Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch on Gaura Purnima (https://youtu.be/iXifktJCVA8):


Gopal Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch on Gaura Purnima (https://youtu.be/JUoPKYkVad8):


Deva Krishna Prabhu plays harmonium, and devotees chant Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch on Gaura Purnima (https://youtu.be/6tNegw8ryjM):


As I was chanting Hare Krishna on Gaura Purnima on the University of Florida campus after the Krishna Lunch, it occurred to me that the Muslims observing Ramadan would fast the entire day and thus get credit for fasting on that most holy day. Now that’s real ajñata-sukrti!

Nartana Priya Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at mangala-arati at Krishna House (https://youtube.com/shorts/MPxGIMWykfY?feature=share):


Purusartha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch (https://youtu.be/usEiG5Hzys0):


Kunti Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch (https://youtu.be/_RAaF4Sk1aY):


Nartana Priya Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch (https://youtu.be/qIy8zcDUZVo):


Cintamani Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch (https://youtu.be/u91LPpMCpqQ):


Purusartha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch, and a snake listens with rapt attention (https://youtu.be/eT9MoLD8-U4):



Kalki Prabhu says he has seen the snake several times over the last few years. This time the snake stayed listening in what seemed to me to be an awkward position, with its head raised and motionless, for a least ten minutes.

Advaita Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch in Gainesville, and a passerby chants the mantra (https://youtu.be/tKQfUsDfzs4):


Man Mohini Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna across from the University of Florida entrance with Alachua devotees (https://youtu.be/4zvgzAWbJ4I):


Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna across from the University of Florida entrance with Alachua devotees (https://youtu.be/ZbLzAwuMIWA):


Kayadhu chants Hare Krishna with Alachua devotees across from the University of Florida (https://youtu.be/Bgy16A8kiuI):


Godruma Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with Alachua devotees across from the University of Florida (https://youtu.be/fIQ4dViOOOM):


Chanting Hare Krishna in Alachua

Bali Rico chants Hare Krishna at Gaura Arati at ISKCON Alachua Gaura Purnima festival (https://youtu.be/YseazuGAd6s):


Nadiya Mani Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Final Arati at ISKCON Alachua Gaura Purnima (https://youtu.be/gawf0YZUclQ):


Chanting Hare Krishna in Daytona Beach

The day of the Daytona Beach Ratha-yatra was the anniversary of the passing away of Kadamba Kanana Swami two years ago according to the lunar calendar. I remember Kadamba Kanana Swami as one who increased my devotional service to Krishna. In the early spring of 2008 he invited me to his Queen’s Day (now King’s Day) harinama in Amsterdam. When I came that April, he told me to come every year. I wrote an article about it for BTG. He bought me a ticket to South Africa, and asked me to write about the preaching there for BTG as well. He encouraged me to preach in the UK outside of London because all the swamis go to London, and thus I visit the North of England almost every year. Because of that I got to meet Janananda Goswami, who I now serve in Paris. In November 2022, I wrote more elaborately about how Kadamba Kanana Swami inspired me, and I share the link to that . . . https://krishnamonk.blogspot.com/2022/11/kadamba-kanana-swami-special-benefactor.html

Orlando devotees chant Hare Krishna on stage before Daytona Beach Ratha-yatra (https://youtu.be/PahzFs0k00w):


Bhadra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Daytona Beach Ratha-yatra, and passersby dance and pull cart (
https://youtu.be/140HubCNTCc):


Bhadra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and passersby dance (
https://youtu.be/bH1S2VFj2y4):


Nimai Govinda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Daytona Beach Ratha-yatra, and passersby dance in a snake (
https://youtu.be/dqYMwuHzGNM):


Nimai Govinda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Daytona Beach Ratha-yatra, and passersby dance
(https://youtu.be/iaBJw152Gio):


Toward the end of the procession, I would invite people to play the four shakers I had brought from India. Invariably the people would also dance in the kirtan. In this video you can see three groups of people who were happy to play the shakers and dance as the devotees chanted Hare Krishna at the Daytona Beach Ratha-yatra (
https://youtu.be/n5-uVi-GSAo):


Devotees
chant Hare Krishna in the Daytona Beach Ratha-yatra, and engage passersby in repeating the mantra (https://youtu.be/KvVsB5goj08):


Chanting Hare Krishna in Tallahassee

The day after spring break, toward the end of my harinama I sang my favorite Hare Krishna tune as I like to save it for near the end. A student passing by glanced in my direction with seeming interest. I said one of my usual lines, “This is a harmonium, and the song is a mantra, a song of spiritual upliftment.”
She replied, “I love it. I can feel it in my soul. Keep smiling.”
Often on my first day back to Tallahassee or the last day before I leave, Krishna sends some appreciative person to encourage me.

Photos


Are you having difficulty finding lighters when you make up arati trays? Maybe you just need a bigger box.

Insights

Srila Prabhupada:

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 12.37–38, purport:

Devotees should always be happy with all the dealings of their master, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A devotee may be put into difficulty or opulence, but he

should accept both as gifts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and jubilantly engage in the service of the Lord in all circumstances. . . . One should not be unhappy when

reverses come upon him by the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A devotee should always be happy to receive the fortune awarded him by the Supreme Lord, which seems pleasant or unpleasant according to one’s judgment.”

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 14.153:

Although some of the gopis are talkative, some mild, some equipoised, all of them are transcendental and faultless. They please Krishna by their unique characteristics.”

Mukunda Goswami:

From Miracle on Second Avenue:

After an hour or so of sound testing, we did a four-minute take of the Hare Krishna mantra. I thought we sounded pretty good, but George didn’t think so.

“‘The sound needs to be bigger, especially at the end,’ he said. ‘Shyamasundar and Yamuna, you guys sound good, but the response is a bit weak. We need more singers so that it sounds like a choir.’

“‘We can probably round up some more people,’ I said. ‘But we’d need some time to find them. I mean, we’d have to come back another day to finish the record.’

“‘No, we need to finish it today, because today’s the only time I was able to book for us in the studio,’ George said. ‘Hang on. I’ll find some people.’

Ten minutes later he returned with thirty people in tow – secretaries, sound engineers, agents and janitors from the adjacent EMI offices.

“‘OK, let’s get all these guys miked up and we’ll do it again,’ George said.

With nearly forty people singing the response, the second take sounded great. Many of the members of the improvised choir closed their eyes and swayed as the sound of the mantra swelled to fill the studio: ‘Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.’ At the end of the take, Malati spontaneously picked up a mallet and, without looking back, struck the brass gong that sat behind her. As soon as the engineers gave the official indication that the take was over, everyone burst into surprised laughter.”

We had become a regular sight around London, and it had gotten out that George Harrison was into chanting Hare Krishna. As we left the studio, we were greeted by a group of a dozen adolescent females singing the Hare Krishna mantra outside of Abbey Road studios, presumably hoping to catch sight of one Beatle or another.

“‘My god,’ I thought. ‘If it’s like this now, what will it be like when the record comes out?’”

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:

From The Delaware Diaries, Volume 2 (Tachycardia):

A disciple of Bhakti Tirtha Swami showed up at Sri Advaita’s house and asked me to speak of my relationship with his spiritual master. Before the whole family, I spoke for about half an hour, telling my whole relationship with Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja, starting from when he came to Dallas as an uninitiated devotee and I was a sannyasi. I told of the library party days and the very last days of his life, when we reestablished our close friendship and how I talked with him weekly on the telephone. Bhakti Tirtha Swami’s disciple cried tears during my talk just to hear someone speak about his spiritual master in friendly terms.”

The magnificent little ship of electronic nerve endings and brain waves tolls a dreary bell. He’s not a knock-about but a delicate arrangement of blood vessels expanding and contracting. His psyche is at the center of it, and the spirit soul is transcendental. One must learn to tolerate the changes from happiness to distress as one tolerates the changes from summer to winter season. In the winter, January and February, he must still take his bath. In the hottest months of the year, May and June in India, the housewife still cooks in the kitchen. And when medication is not effective, you try another one. But when do you stop and just suffer it?”

Baladeva is very partial to Vrndavana and has realization that it’s a special place. ‘It ain’t New Jersey.’”

Tomorrow is Prabhupada’s disappearance, and we’ll each speak something about His Divine Grace and read from the final days in Srila Prabhupada-lilamrita. I hope I can enter a sincere mood of appreciation for him. I owe him so much. If he had not come, I’d be dead by now or alive with atrocious karma and disappointed dreams. No matter how I complain about being a subpar devotee, I’m blessed with a life of Krishna consciousness. And no matter how many faults I find with ISKCON, I am very grateful for its shelter. I treasure my duties and the peaceful life I’ve been allowed in my later years.

I’m happy to have come in the very beginning, when Prabhupada was Swamiji, the dear guru-father of a small family. To be picked up out of my Lower East Side marijuana daze and embraced by such a kind doctor of the soul is my life’s greatest memory and fortune. He alone could do it. I had never fraternized with any swamis or groups and came in ignorance and innocence into his room. How quickly he transformed me! From the very first night, I gave up all my bad personal habits and followed the Vaishnava way. I am formed in his image, made in his way. 

“‘Swamiji, is there a stage in Krishna consciousness from which you don’t fall down?’
“‘Yes,’ he answered, and said no more.
“I believed him, although it has taken me many years to learn the lesson.”

From Increasing the Presence of Srila Prabhupada:

If we had any last vestige of trying to enjoy ourselves, old age is ridding us of those illusions.”

Yogesvara Prabhu:

From Golden Avatar:

As Chaitanya and Kalakrishna continued north, they arrived at the monastery known as Shringeri Math—math or school—former home of the renowned sixth century monist Shankara.

“‘Legend says that during his travels across India, the great Shankara came across a pregnant frog sitting on the road under a blazing sun,’ Chaitanya told Kalakrishna. ‘Then he watched as a snake unveil its hood like an umbrella to shield the pregnant frog. Shankara believed one way to recognize a holy place was that in such a place animals acted kindly toward one another. That is why he chose to build his first math here.’”

He [Kedarnath (later Bhaktivinode)] even picked up a few habits from his British superiors such as keeping a pet dog, to the embarrassment of his Hindu acquaintances.”

After reading Chaitanya Charitamrita a second time, Kedarnath began having dreams. ‘Chaitanya appeared to me last night,’ he told a friend. ‘He said there is a service I am to perform in Navadwip. What should I do?’”

Despite the lack of response from abroad, Bhaktivinode pushed on writing and publishing in English. By 1903, declining health finally compelled him to ease his pace, but even then, he refused to yield entirely. A vision of the world united as Chaitanya had foretold, dancing and singing Krishna’s names, remained his greatest joy.”

From a young age, Bimala Prasad, Bhaktivinode’s sixth child and his successor as head of the Chaitanya community, was drawn to monastic life. Starting in boyhood, he preferred wearing a traditional dhoti—a length of cotton cloth wrapped around the waist, ends passed between the legs and tucked in front and back—over the more modern wardrobe favored by his father.”

Bimala Prasad also chose to remain a lifelong celibate, and by the time he opened his own school in 1918, students were calling him by his sannyas title: Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, “he who embodied the conclusion (siddhanta) of devotion (bhakti) and knowledge (as bestowed by Saraswati, Goddess of Learning).

Despite his conservative leanings, by age thirty Bhaktisiddhanta was challenging orthodox behavior with innovative programs for spreading Chaitanya’s movement. He drove to appointments in automobiles, contrary to the protocol of renunciants circulating exclusively on foot. He arranged for disciples to travel to Europe, in defiance of the injunction that no Hindu monk should cross “the black ocean.” With the help of wealthy supporters he financed construction of schools in the middle of big cities, rather than in more traditional rural locations, and mounted tented festivals featuring secular as well as religious exhibits. More or less everything he did defied the cliché of the impoverished, conservative guru living in contemplative seclusion.”

The anti-Krishna rancor ran so deep that the British imposed monetary fines on printers who dared to publish descriptions of him dancing with the gopis.

Since the work at hand attempts to analyze Kali Yuga as a largely human disaster, help tracing the science was critical. Betty Smocovitis, professor in the Department of History and Biology at the University of Florida, shared her vast knowledge of science history and pointed me in the direction of peer-reviewed publications. She once told me that the history of science has been ‘the systematic removal of the metaphysical from the physical.’ That phrase has stuck with me, and I am indebted to her for her guidance and insights.”

Krishna Abhishek Prabhu:

Bhakti Charu Swami says that the name of India, Bharata, does not just refer to the different kings named Bharata, but Bharata means that land which is meant for progressing spiritually. To the extent that India is meant for progressing spiritually then India is Bharata.

Both the Mahabharata and Bhagavatam deal with the balance between justice and mercy. Your mercy cannot allow cruel behavior to flourish, but your justice cannot be without mercy.

We chant Krishna’s names, but we do not enjoy it because we have not mastered tolerance and humility. We enjoy the music of the kirtan and we enjoy finishing our japa quota, but we do not necessarily enjoy chanting Krishna’s names.

The first offense against the holy name, sadhu ninda, can be put more simply as “don’t bad mouth good people.”

Mahabharata is endless, and it will capture you.

Every person in India has the responsibility of sharing spiritual knowledge with the world.

Krishna wanted all the sixteen kingdoms at the time he was present to have spiritually progressive rulers.

At that time, the kingdoms avoided fights through marriage alliances.

The first syllable of Bhagavad-gita is “dha,” and the last syllable in Bhagavad-gita is “ma.” Thus from beginning to end, Bhagavad-gita is all about dharma.

Krishna told Arjuna, “You are not fighting for a kingdom. You are fighting for dharma.”

Govinda Prabhu of Alachua:

From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.14.19 in Alachua:

Lord Shiva teaches by his example to search for the happiness within.

Musk deer only lives in the Himalayas, and the male musk deer produce a rare fragrance that is more expensive than gold.

The musk deer is captivated by his own fragrance, and runs around looking it, not realizing it comes from himself. Similarly we look for happiness outside ourselves, not knowing true happiness is within.

There is a story that sages are looking for the greatest. One said the sky is greatest because it is so vast. Another said the cloud that rests in the sky is greatest. Another said that the mountain is greatest. Another said that the Lord, the source of everything, is the greatest. The conclusion was that the devotee is greatest because he can capture the Lord by his love.

The best time for procreation is three hours after sunset or three hours before sunrise.

Srila Prabhupada explains that the verse describing the one can attain perfection by a moment’s association of a pure devotee denotes the case when the person is spiritually ready to receive and apply the knowledge knowledge the guru is revealing.

Comment by Pran Govinda Prabhu:

There is a Vishnu-tattva Shiva who is completely transcendental. There is also a Rudra-tattva Shiva who is a product of the material energy. See Cc. Madhya 20.311, purport.

There are three features needed for an act to be considered bhakti. It must give pleasure to Krishna and His devotees. It must be done with the intention of pleasing Krishna. It must engage our senses.

The Lord appreciates that attitude more than the magnitude of our offering.

Gopi Jivana Prabhu:

Not only does Srila Prabhupada show great spiritual knowledge, but especially in the First Canto, Srila Prabhupada shows great worldly knowledge, such as politics, as well.

Srila Prabhupada choose very exact words to convey specific ideas.

To set an example for others was a motivitating factor for action in the Vedic culture.

A friend of mine who is an astrologer said Trump approached him for a reading before his first term. So we see that some government leaders know of this Vedic knowledge, but they use it for material purposes.

The whole social structure of varnasrama is meant for ultimate renunciation.

It is not about giving up relationships but about giving up the false understanding of relationships.

-----

Sometimes the many, many statements in the revealed literature bewilder our minds, and we wish that someone could just share the essence of all the instructions with us so we could focus on it and apply it in our lives. Rupa Goswami has done that favor for us in his Upadesamrita, which Srila Prabhupada kindly translated as The Nectar of Instruction:

tan-nama-rupa-caritadi-sukirtananu-

smrtyoh kramena rasana-manasi niyojya

tisthan vraje tad-anuragi-jananugami

kalam nayed akhilam ity upadesa-saram

The essence of all advice is that one should utilize one’s full time—twenty-four hours a day—in nicely chanting and remembering the Lord’s divine name, transcendental form, qualities and eternal pastimes, thereby gradually engaging one’s tongue and mind. In this way one should reside in Vraja [Goloka Vrndavana dhama] and serve Krishna under the guidance of devotees. One should follow in the footsteps of the Lord’s beloved devotees, who are deeply attached to His devotional service.” (The Nectar of Instruction, text 8)

How do we practically do this? Srila Prabhupada has given some hints in his purport to Bhagavad-gita 12.2: “For one in such Krishna consciousness there are no material activities, because everything is done for Krishna. A pure devotee is constantly engaged. Sometimes he chants, sometimes he hears or reads books about Krishna, or sometimes he cooks prasadam or goes to the marketplace to purchase something for Krishna, or sometimes he washes the temple or the dishes—whatever he does, he does not let a single moment pass without devoting his activities to Krishna. Such action is in full samadhi.

Vrindavan’s Sacred Legacy: Pilgrimage, Philosophy, and the Power of Devotion! March 21
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By Dandavats Staff Writer

The discussions and events covered today highlight key aspects of Krishna consciousness, devotion, and spiritual wisdom. HH Mukunda Goswami expounds on Srimad Bhagavatam 3.4.22, emphasizing Krishna’s supreme role, unity in diversity, forgiveness, and philosophical depth. ISKCON Vrindavan commences its 50th Golden Jubilee Vraj Mandal Parikrama at Madhuvan, celebrating Lord Chaitanya’s visit with devotional singing and scriptural narratives. Bhakti Vijnana Goswami shares Krishna’s words to the gopis, deepening their devotion. Srimati Radharani’s baking class teaches traditional recipes with spiritual insights. Srivasa Pandit’s transcendental role is honored, along with discussions on the importance of chanting and a spiritually conscious life. The New Bhakta Department and ISKCON’s spiritual training initiatives continue to nurture seekers. Additionally, the significance of cows in Vedic culture is highlighted, along with Gomata products. Other key events include the 9th Tribal Convention, spiritual ashrams, and ISKCON dramas, all fostering devotion and Krishna consciousness worldwide. Continue reading "Vrindavan’s Sacred Legacy: Pilgrimage, Philosophy, and the Power of Devotion! March 21
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When we criticize someone for doing bad things, is their karma transferred to us?
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Is it that when we criticize someone, their bad karma gets transferred to us, and if we exaggerate while criticizing, then our good karma gets transferred to them? Answer, karma is a very complicated concept, as Krishna explains, gahana karma nogati. At one level, the essential implication is very logical and essential, that we are responsible for our actions, and we will be held accountable for them. However, once we get into the specifics, things become quite complicated, and while there are some specifics mentioned in scripture, for example, somebody who eats meat will get XYZ punishment, or somebody who does a particular wrong activity will get a particular suffering.

It doesn’t mention over there, how many, about specifics again within that, is it that somebody who eats meat once will get the same destination as somebody who has been eating meat every meal of their life, throughout their life? The karma is logical, it’s not diabolical, such a, any system, ultimately the system of justice, any system of justice which punishes a one-time crime at the same degree as a one-time criminal as a habitual criminal would be considered a problematic justice system. So, in general, the specifics, they are a possibility, but they are not a necessity, that’s the broad understanding that can be inferred. Their patterns and sometimes the principles of accountability work in very visually graphic ways, sometimes they don’t work in that way.

So therefore, trying to attribute a specific, either a specific result to a specific past karma or warning that a specific action will lead to a specific result in the future, that’s a hazardous business, even if we can find an explicit quote in scripture for that. Because law is complicated and justice, if it is to be furthered, it has to be done in a way that the law has to be applied carefully and that’s why we have, we don’t just have the law of karma as an impersonal law, we also have a personal deity, Yamraj, who gets involved and there is a certain amount of individual discretion over there. Now, of course, we can go further and say that there are instances where even Yamraj makes a mistake.

So those are told to illustrate particular points within the broader context. I wouldn’t consider those as habitual errors. Now, having given this background, any specific correlation, if it is mentioned, I would say causation is out of question, but correlation, causation means A leads to B and correlation is A goes together with B, may be caused or they may be concurrent, they occur at the same time for different causes, we don’t know.

Whenever any kind of connection between some action and some results are talked about, I feel it’s best to stick to the principle and when a speaker is communicating, there also is an underlying principle. So, for example, don’t become habitually negative in our speech by looking at all the bad that is being done by people and fixating on the apparent iniquity of the world. So that principle is more important, but does that literally mean that when a particular bad action is, if we point out to the bad actions of others, then their bad karma comes to us.

For instance, the Kauravas do horrendous things and the Pandavas point that out. So are the Pandavas getting the Kauravas’ karma? If we take this logic, literally, how would any system of justice ever work? If a person who bears testimony in a court to a crime, where a murderer, that person has seen a murder happening, and the person bears testimony over there, and that person just by becoming a witness over there, gets the karma of the murderer, especially what kind of system of justice would that be? So sometimes certain statements, the spirit of those statements needs to be taken and the spirit is that, okay, as I said, there is much that is unfair in the world and to accept it, we need to come to peace with it and we need to stop fixating on it. So some people are habitually gossipy, habitually cynical, now that’s bad.

But the line between when is it gossipy, when is it gossip, and when is it not, is very difficult to precisely figure out. And that’s why somebody might be expressing a grievance or a complaint and somebody else might label it as a gossip. Now in the Bhagavatam, there is a statement which again could be used to support this idea that when Dharma is being beaten by Kali, Parikshit stops Kali and then he asked Dharma, the bull, what is the cause of your suffering? And then Dharma replies, it’s very difficult to know because different philosophers have proposed different things.

And then Dharma replies, Krishna replies, bravo, he says that you are surely, it’s a wise answer that you are Dharma. And those who point to a wrongdoer get the same destination as the wrongdoer. Now what does that mean? If that were to mean literally the same thing, then why does Parikshit Maharaj even intervene over there to stop Kali? So, it means more in a philosophical sense that if you don’t see the bigger picture, then we will stay in the same ignorance with as the ignorance with which the wrongdoer is doing the wrong.

Parikshit Maharaj punishes Kali also. So in a devotional setting, we may not want to highlight the wrongdoings of devotees in public forums. So, it could be applied at two levels, the particular statement in spirit, but that don’t be habitually negative and don’t voice grievances or don’t speak negative about devotees in public forums.

Having said this, reality is complex and I would be very careful to not make statements categorically about karma and to not make, especially not use those statements to insist on a particular specific action in a specific situation. Some devotees take up a lifelong cause of say correcting particular wrongs, maybe some financial misappropriation, maybe some child abuse and that becomes their mission. So, they will be regularly looking for faults.

So would this imply that, say, the Child Protection Office in our moment, it points out the faults of those who have committed such thing and then publicizes that. So, is it those who are in the CPO, are all of them giving their good karma to the predators who have actually violated children and as the CPO, such child abusers, karma coming to the CPO officers. So, to summarize, karma is a principle of accountability and responsibility.

That’s why we need to become careful and contemplative about what we do. Beyond that, specifics, even when they are given in scripture, the specifics are given without further nuancing of context and that’s why even though specifics may not apply universally and beyond that, certain logical aspects or certain ways of coordinating karma that might seem logical in some way, I think they need to be taken more in the principle of what can be learned for healthy human behavior. But beyond that, I would not mention them as absolute principles.

The post When we criticize someone for doing bad things, is their karma transferred to us? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Inspiring Global Reach: How ISKCON Vrindavan Connects Hearts with 42M+ Views
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Hare KrishnaBy Dandavats Staff Writer

ISKCON Vrindavan's social media presence is a powerful tool for spreading the teachings of Lord Krishna and fostering a global community of devotees. Their impressive statistics—42 million YouTube views, 549,000 Facebook followers, and a growing Instagram presence—highlight their success in leveraging digital platforms to connect with a vast and diverse audience. By combining traditional spiritual values with modern technology, ISKCON Vrindavan continues to inspire and uplift millions, making a profound impact on the digital spiritual landscape. Their efforts serve as a model for other organizations seeking to use social media for positive change and spiritual outreach. Continue reading "Inspiring Global Reach: How ISKCON Vrindavan Connects Hearts with 42M+ Views
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Ancient Teachings, Scientific Debates, and Cultural Celebrations in Vaishnava Traditions Worldwide! March 20
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By Dandavats Staff Writer

A diverse range of inspiring spiritual, philosophical, and cultural topics within the broader Hare Krishna and Vaishnava traditions. It includes insightful discourses from esteemed speakers, significant events, and thought-provoking discussions on spirituality, ethics, and modern challenges. H.G. Sikhi Mahiti Prabhu’s Srimad Bhagavatam class offers deep wisdom from sacred texts, emphasizing devotion and self-realization. Similarly, other Bhagavatam classes by HG Govinda Dāsa and HH Prahladananda Swami provide further spiritual nourishment. The recognition of Visakha Dasi, ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor President, at 10 Downing Street for International Women’s Day highlights the growing acknowledgment of spiritual leadership in mainstream society. Another thought-provoking discussion features Gauranga Das, Henrique Jorge, and Dr. Sajeev Nair exploring biohacking, AI clones, and longevity, balancing scientific advancements with spiritual values. The Indonesian President’s appreciation of the Bhagavad Gita underscores the global impact of Krishna consciousness. Meanwhile, ISKCON New Vrindavan’s recognition as a top spiritual community showcases the movement’s influence. Additionally, the Rishikesh Kirtan Fest and the renovation of ISKCON’s first temple preserve cultural and devotional heritage. The celebration of Sri Srivasa Pandita’s appearance reminds us of the rich legacy of Vaishnava saints. Altogether, these events and discussions reflect the dynamic and growing influence of Krishna consciousness in the modern world. Continue reading "Ancient Teachings, Scientific Debates, and Cultural Celebrations in Vaishnava Traditions Worldwide! March 20
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When we are told to accept the unchangeable does that include accepting our own misdeeds done under the influence of others?
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Question, how much should we accept the things that are not in our control, especially when it is we who have made some terrible mistake, maybe someone else pushed us or triggered us or even doing something wrong, but we cannot blame that person alone, we are also responsible. And additionally, we feel some regret. So should we just accept that this has happened and move on? Three distinct aspects to this question.

First is the idea of accepting what is unchangeable. The second is our own actions. And third is others influence on us in those actions.

So generally, acceptance is primarily focused on what has happened to us or what others have done to us. It cannot be simplistically used for what has been done by us, we are much more responsible for that. So for example, if we get some disease and fall sick, or because of some medical mistake, we become sick, then at that time acceptance is necessary.

Within that, acceptance is easier when something has happened because of natural forces rather than human agents. So it is much easier for the Pandavas to accept, say something like the death of their father, than the attempt by Kauravas to burn them alive. Having said that, now what about when sufferings come upon us because of our own actions? So consider the example of Yudhishthir, gambling and losing everything, where he could say that he was instigated by Shakuni and Karna and Duryodhana and others, could also say that he was well-intentioned and he was obligated because as a Kshatriya he had to accept a challenge.

So generally when things are beyond our control and especially when things have happened to us and things have been done to us, but we don’t want to get into the business of taking revenge against that person and that person is no longer an active influence in our life, then it is important for us to let go of things, accept it and just move on with life. Life sometimes is hard and resentment makes it a hundred times harder. Now when it comes to things that we have done ourselves, so should Yudhishthir accept what he did? Well yes, there also acceptance is required because ultimately we have to live with ourselves and if we have a very hostile relationship with ourselves, where either we are beating ourselves down constantly for what we did or we are trying to justify what we did all the time.

Both ways would be a problem. So the second part is that, so here also we need to come to acceptance but the way we do it is by carefully analyzing what went wrong over there and what we can learn from it so that we don’t do something similar. So the amount of wrong that happened through Yudhishthir was devastating for him.

What the Mahabharata depicts is that a person who is especially conscious of wanting to do good, when that very person ends up doing not just bad but a catastrophic bad thing, how difficult it will be to accept. He was repeatedly asking sages in the forest, trying to make sense of what happened. So he did three broad things to ensure that a similar thing would not happen.

First at a practical level, he learned gambling. When we say gambling has got him into trouble, why learn gambling now? So he was not a gambling addict and that was not a fear for him but he wanted to prepare for the contingency that in future if he is challenged to a gambling match, Shakuni should not be able to do the same thing that was done to him. Then at a philosophical level or you could say at a more philosophical ethical level, he understood that just one principle like obedience to one’s elders is not the sole factor for decision-making.

So his elders had called him for a match and he said I should obey my elders. But later on Yudhishthir was told by Dhritarashtra that you are already a vanaprastha, why do you want to become a grhastha, just stay in the forest. And he was refused to offer his kingdom, he didn’t uncritically obey Dhritarashtra.

So one is we improve our practical skills that are required for dealing with the situation. Second is that we improve our value system. I say not so much value system whereas our decision-making apparatus or decision-making process.

And the third is that Yudhishthir, even when he was gambling, he was thinking that Arjuna is so dear to Krishna, Draupadi is so dear to Krishna, surely they will not be lost in a gambling match. So the hard-nosed reality of the world is that good intentions are no substitute for good intelligence. That while God protects, just because we are good and we have good intentions, that does not necessarily mean good things will happen to us if we are not taking ground-level actions.

So, that’s why in the war, he was always quite strategic and even when he was reluctant to send Abhimanyu inside and when Abhimanyu was sent inside, it was only with a proper plan that the Pandavas would follow him from behind. Of course, Jayadrath thwarted that plan. So the next day when Arjuna went inside, Yudhishthir also felt anxious and then he sent Satyaki and then he sent Bhima inside.

Arjuna was trying to get to Jayadrath on the 14th day. So the point is that he learned at a hard level that we have to, along with a devotional intention or a devotional consciousness, we also have to have practical strategic intelligence. So, it is the three learnings at a level of practical skill, at a level of sound decision making and at a level of balancing spiritual consciousness with sound material assessments.

Now, as far as the role of Shakuni is concerned, when that raises the question, did Yudhishthir blame Shakuni? Well, in his case, Shakuni is an enemy and letting oneself be manipulated by the enemy into gambling more and more. That was his mistake. But then somebody who is a friend or a well-wisher, or at least we think of them as friend and well-wisher and that person manipulates us, as happened when Simanthara manipulated Kaikeyi, then it’s a different situation.

And sometimes it may well happen that the other person may even be well-intentioned, but despite being well-intentioned, the advice that the person gives turns out to be harmful for us. It turns out that that advice gets us into more trouble. So, either way, we don’t want to simply pass the blame to the other person.

But what we need to learn is that ultimately it’s our decisions and whom we let ourselves be influenced by is something we need to become more watchful about. Like, is it that I let myself be… whose words am I listening to, whose opinions am I taking seriously, whose criticism I’m taking seriously. So if you become more self-aware, then we will be less likely to be influenced by others.

Now depending on what the other person’s motivation was in doing a particular thing, based on that we may decide whether we want to continue to have a relationship with that person or we just want to have nothing to do with that person thereafter. Thank you.

The post When we are told to accept the unchangeable does that include accepting our own misdeeds done under the influence of others? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Global Reach, Timeless Teachings: HH Sivarama Swami’s Social Media Impact on ISKCON
→ Dandavats

HH Sivarama Swami, a highly respected ISKCON guru and spiritual leader, has made a significant impact through his social media presence, particularly on platforms like Facebook and YouTube. His ability to connect with a global audience, share profound spiritual wisdom, and inspire devotees has established him as a key figure in the digital outreach of
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Srivasa Pandit Appearance
→ Ramai Swami

Srivasa Thakura is understood as tatastha-shakti, a marginal energy of Bhagavan, Krishna in person. Devotees who are headed by Srivasa Thakura are described as ‘parts’ of transcendental body of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (his eyes, ears, hands, disc/cakra, etc.).

They all participated in His transcendental pastimes. They all helped to spread Krsna consciousness, sankirtana-yajna. On the other hand, Srivasa is also Narada – an eternal transcendental associate of Lord Krsna.

Srivasa was studying Srimad-Bhagavatam with Advaita Acarya, who was at that time in Navadvipa. The home of Srivasa, Srivasa-angam, was a place where Sri Caitanya perform sankirtana-yajna, congregational chanting of Krsna’s Holy Names, and it was a place where the Kazi, a noted Muslim leader, ruled. 

However, the Kazi had a dream where Sri Caitanya said that he should allow devotional service, so since that time he promised that he would never oppose sankirtana-yajna, and also that no one from his family would ever be against Krsna. 

Srivasa Thakura had previously lived in Sri Hatta, but because he wanted the association of devotees he went to live on the banks of the Ganges in Navadvipa. Srivasa Thakura had three brothers: Sripati, Srirama and Srinidhi. He also had one son, but at a young age his son died.

In the house of Srivasa, Chaitanya showed His transcendental form to all His eternal associates. So Srivasa-angam is also a place from which the Krishna Consciousness movement around five hundred years ago was started.

Spiritual Wisdom, Joyful Celebrations, and Divine Mercy Inspire Devotees Worldwide! March 19
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By Dandavats Staff Writer

Today a rich tapestry of teachings and events from various spiritual leaders and communities. From insightful lectures on expanding one's lifetime duration and Lord Chaitanya's transformative mercy, to celebrations marking milestones like ISKCON Botswana's 30th anniversary and reflections on the profound teachings of Queen Kunti and Narada Muni, each moment resonates with deep spiritual wisdom. These stories inspire with their messages of humility, devotion, and the boundless mercy of the divine. Embrace a journey filled with gratitude, devotion, and the joy of spiritual community! Continue reading "Spiritual Wisdom, Joyful Celebrations, and Divine Mercy Inspire Devotees Worldwide! March 19
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Gaur Gopal Das: The Modern Monk Inspiring Millions
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Gaur Gopal Das, a renowned spiritual leader and motivational speaker, has become a beacon of inspiration for millions worldwide. As a senior monk in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), he has dedicated his life to spreading wisdom, positivity, and the timeless teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. With an impressive 322,894,415 views on his
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Meet Kaliya Krishna Das: Bridging Spiritual Tradition and Digital Artistry
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Kaliya Krishna Das stands as a remarkable figure in the contemporary spiritual art scene, combining devotion to Krishna consciousness with digital artistry to reach hundreds of thousands of followers worldwide. Based in New York City, this Hare Krishna devotee has successfully created a significant online presence that spreads spiritual messages through visually compelling digital art
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ISKCON’s Transformative Pilgrimages, Discourses, and Festive Sankirtan Gatherings! March 18
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By Dandavats Staff Writer

In 2025, ISKCON Youth Services embarked on a transformative journey through Haridwar and Rishikesh, fostering spiritual growth and community connection. Elsewhere, Sri Padmanabha Goswami's visit to the Radharaman Temple exemplified reverence and cultural exchange, promoting understanding and goodwill. Discussions on sustainable practices by Yasodamayi Dasi highlighted a harmonious blend of Krishna consciousness and environmental stewardship. The seminar on Harinam Chintamani by HH Bhanu Swami emphasized the transformative power of chanting Krishna’s name, guiding seekers towards spiritual fulfillment. Gauranga Mahaprabhu’s impassioned call to awaken from worldly illusions resonated deeply, urging all to embrace Krishna’s divine love through the purifying vibrations of Harinaam Sankirtan. Across diverse platforms, from Srimad Bhagavatam discourses to vibrant youth tours, ISKCON continues to inspire, educate, and uplift souls worldwide, fostering a global community devoted to spiritual awakening and service. Continue reading "ISKCON’s Transformative Pilgrimages, Discourses, and Festive Sankirtan Gatherings! March 18
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How to avoid getting angry with people having opposite opinions?
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Question, whenever we are confronted by someone with a different opinion or different ideology, our first nature is that we are given to our impulses and become angry. How do we deal with that? Answer, anger management is a very individual activity and each one of us has to find out what is it that is triggering our anger. Broadly, especially in terms of the educational context, there could be three things.

One is we are just angry that a worldview or ideology different from ours exists. Second is that we are angry with the attitude of the other person who seems irrational, sentimental or even arrogant or judgment, arrogant or dismissive of us, disrespectful and dismissive of us. And third is that we ourselves are insecure and we feel threatened because we are not able to prove the correctness of our philosophy.

So, in the first, if it is the first case, we have to get used to the fact that there are always going to be different schools of thought. Even Krishna himself in the Bhagavad Gita, in the 18th chapter, talks about two schools of thought. Those who say that Yajna Tapa should never be given up and those who say that Yajna Tapa should be given up.

And Krishna says that, in 18.3, he refers to even those who hold an opinion that is opposite to his, that they should be given up. He calls them even as Manishinaha. So, there Krishna does not look at the conclusion of their thought process or their philosophy.

He sees the fact that they are at least considering how to be disentangled from the world. Even if how exact, their strategy or their method for disentangling themselves is not what Krishna recommends. So, like that, even if somebody has a different philosophy, the fact that they have a philosophy and that they have put in some thought into it, to at least consider a more philosophically informed way to live, we can appreciate that.

Second is, if the person is, person’s attitude is an issue, then we have to decide whether we are the best person to deal with that person. Maybe we are not and we can just offer them our respects and keep a distance from them. In 3.26, Krishna says, na buddhi-bhedam janaye dhagyanaam karva-sangeenaam.

Don’t disturb the minds of those who are ignorant. So, sometimes giving a cutting or a savage reply might make them a bit humble and take us a little more seriously and respectfully. But that kind of approach is a double-edged sword.

And only if we are good at it, should we try it. Otherwise, it’s best not to even try to use anger to make a point. It’s just best to end the interaction according to note and move on.

Third is, if it’s our own insecurity that is causing the anger, then we need to ensure that our spirituality is not based on such an external foundation where we need to be able to prove to others that our thought system is right. Only then we have our own faith and confidence. Ultimately, spirituality is not so much for proving as it is for improving.

So, if we have practiced and we have found that we have improved by the practice, then that itself should be sufficient for us to be able to move on in our life. Maybe we can dwell more on how the philosophy has benefited us and recognize that just because we are not able to persuade someone does not mean a failure for us at a personal level. It just means that the basis of our faith has to be shifted from outward to inward.

Thank you.

The post How to avoid getting angry with people having opposite opinions? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

RISE – Bhakti Sastri 2025
→ Hare Krishna Auckland

RISE - Bhakti Sastri 2025
RISE - Bhakti Sastri 2025

On the auspicious occasion of Sri Gaura Purnima 2025, RISE (Rupanuga Institute of Spiritual Education) launched their new website: https://iskconrise.org.nz/ under the educational wing & guidance of ISKCON Auckland (Sri Sri Radha Giridhari Temple).

Srila Prabhupada emphasized the importance of devotees gaining a systematic understanding of the profound Vedic philosophy presented in his books. Such study would deepen one’s philosophical conviction and fine-tune one’s spiritual practice.

RISE presents this opportunity through the upcoming courses (i.e. IDC, Bhakti Sastri, Bhakti Vaibhav...), workshops (Deity Worship, Japa, Kirtan...), seminars (Bhagavad Gita for beginners) & training (TTC1, 2 & 3).

Information & starting dates on the above will be now readily available on the RISE website.

Please note Registration for Bhakti Sastri 2025 is currently open for enrolment.

Orientation begins on Sunday 13th April 2025 from 12pm - 2pm at the Hare Krishna School. This course will be in a hybrid classroom format, with in-person & online attendance to allow students to join from any location.

For further RISE-related information or to contact us visit https://iskconrise.org.nz/ or via the above QR code.

Chanting, Preaching, and Festivals: Uplifting Devotional Activities Across ISKCON Communities Worldwide! March 17
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By Dandavats Staff Writer

Highlights of various spiritual discourses and events within the ISKCON community. H.G. Daivishakti Mataji discusses Srila Prabhupada in NY, while HG Mahatma Prabhu emphasizes unwavering faith in transcendental knowledge. A Harinama event in London gained attention, blending spirituality with public enthusiasm. The concept of love for God is explored through different transcendental relationships. HH Romapada Swami stresses the importance of moral education, while HH BV Narasimha Swami and HG Bada Haridas Prabhu delve into Bhagavatam’s teachings on surrender and faith. A special Lila Kirtan in ISKCON Perth celebrated Gaura Purnima, and Jagai-Madhai’s transformation was discussed in a preaching session. Other topics include the nature of material ignorance, Narasimha’s role in yoga, and spiritual reciprocation. The collection also features photos from Gaura Purnima 2025, a theatrical performance on Nimai and a scholar, and insights from Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī. Continue reading "Chanting, Preaching, and Festivals: Uplifting Devotional Activities Across ISKCON Communities Worldwide! March 17
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Sri Nrsimha Caturdasi 2025
→ Hare Krishna Auckland

Sri Nrsimha Caturdasi 2025
Sri Nrsimha Caturdasi 2025

Sri Nrsimha Caturdasi, the divine Appearance of Lord Narasimhadeva will take place on Sunday 11th May 2025. ISKCON Auckland invites you and your family to participate in the Maha Yagna of Lord Nrsimhadeva from 5pm onwards. Followed by Abhishek, Arati, Mahaprasadam Feast & Sayana Arati.

Sri Nrsimhadeva ki jaya!

Empowering ISKCON’s Future: Leadership, Vision, and Global Expansion Plans! March 16
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By Dandavats Staff Writer

​The International Leadership Sanga (ILS) 2025, held from February 17-20 in Sri Mayapur Dham, convened ISKCON leaders—including temple presidents, zonal secretaries, and Regional Governing Body members—to strengthen leadership within the movement. Facilitated by the Governing Body Commission (GBC), the event featured discussions, workshops, and collaborative sessions emphasizing dialogue and cooperation. Key topics included book distribution, Varnasrama, youth engagement, outreach strategies, and leadership succession, all aligned with Srila Prabhupada’s governance model. The ILS 2025 reaffirmed ISKCON’s commitment to spiritual growth, organizational integrity, and global outreach, equipping leaders with insights and strategies for future development. Continue reading "Empowering ISKCON’s Future: Leadership, Vision, and Global Expansion Plans! March 16
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ILS 2025: ISKCON Leaders Unite to Strategize Growth, Strengthen Community, and Inspire Devotion! March 15
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By Dandavats Staff Writer

The 2025 International Leadership Sanga (ILS), held from February 17-20 in Sri Mayapur Dham, brought together temple presidents, zonal secretaries, Regional Governing Body (RGB) members, and other key ISKCON leaders dedicated to strengthening the movement’s leadership. GBC member Kavicandra Swami shared his reflections, noting, “The idea was to get together, and now it’s more organized. It seems to be working very nicely; at least all the leaders I spoke with were happy.” Continue reading "ILS 2025: ISKCON Leaders Unite to Strategize Growth, Strengthen Community, and Inspire Devotion! March 15
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Sri Jagannatha Mishra’s Festival
Giriraj Swami

Today we continue our celebration of the appearance of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna who descended in the age of Kali in the role of a devotee. He appeared on what we now call Gaura-purnima, in the evening of the full-moon day in the month of Phalguna. At the time, there was a lunar eclipse, and as was the tradition, as was recommended in scripture, Hindus immersed themselves in the Ganges and chanted the holy names. Eclipses are considered inauspicious, and to counteract the inauspiciousness, strict followers of the Vedic scriptures stand in a sacred body of water—a river, a kunda or lake, or the sea—and chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. So, from the very beginning, Lord Chaitanya was surrounded by the chanting of Hare Krishna, and He induced people to chant Hare Krishna more and more.

Advaita Acharya and Haridasa Thakura danced in ecstasy. And on the plea of giving charity to brahmans on the occasion of the eclipse, Advaita Acharya and others distributed various gifts. All the devotees were jubilant, and they danced, performed sankirtana, and gave charity. The whole world was full of auspiciousness, and everyone was filled with transcendental bliss.

nadiya-udayagiri, purnacandra gaurahari,
   krpa kari’ ha-ila udaya
papa-tamah haila nasa, tri-jagatera ullasa,
   jagabhari’ hari-dhvani haya

“Thus by His causeless mercy the full moon, Gaurahari, rose in the district of Nadia, which is compared to Udayagiri, where the sun first becomes visible. His rising in the sky dissipated the darkness of sinful life, and thus the three worlds became joyful and chanted the holy name of the Lord.” (Cc Adi 13.98)

When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a baby, sometimes He would cry and the elders would try to pacify Him in different ways, as people do when a baby cries. They would try to comfort Him, distract Him, and please Him, but nothing worked. Soon they discovered that if they chanted the holy name of Krishna, He would become peaceful and stop crying. So thereafter, whenever He cried, they would chant, and He would immediately become happy. His appearance inspired chanting, and His activities thereafter inspired more chanting.

sei-kale nijalaya, uthiya advaita raya,
  nrtya kare anandita-mane
haridase lana sange, hunkara-kirtana-range
  kene nace, keha nahi jane

“At that time Sri Advaita Acarya Prabhu, in His own house at Santipura, was dancing in a pleasing mood. Taking Haridasa Thakura with Him, He danced and loudly chanted Hare Krsna. But why they were dancing, no one could understand.” (Cc Adi 13.99)

By His divine will, Krishna arranged for His associates from Goloka Vrindavan to come to earth to join Him in His pastimes as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Some associates played the parts of elders, and they took birth before He did. Advaita Acharya and Haridasa Thakura were elders, and they were friends with each other. Advaita Acharya is Maha-vishnu, and Thakura Haridasa is Lord Brahma, and Lord Brahma is a disciple and direct servant of Maha-Vishnu. So, it is natural that they became close.

When the news spread that Sacimata had given birth to a baby boy, all sorts of respectable brahman gentlemen and ladies came with gifts and blessed the newborn child. Even the wives of the demigods came, disguised as the wives of brahmans, and presented various gifts. The day after the purnima, there was a great celebration at Jagannatha Mishra’s home. That day is observed today as the festival of Jagannatha Mishra, or the feast of Jagannatha Mishra, because to celebrate the birth of his son he received many visitors and well-wishers and gave presentations to them all. And in the end they all feasted.

We shall read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Chapter Thirteen, “The Advent of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu,” beginning with the chapter summary:

“The thirteenth chapter of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta describes Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s appearance. . . .

“A learned brahmana named Upendra Misra, who resided in the district of Srihatta, was the father of Jagannatha Misra, who came to Navadvipa to study under the direction of Nilambara Cakravarti and then settled there after marrying Nilambara Cakravarti’s daughter, Sacidevi. Sri Sacidevi gave birth to eight children, all daughters, who died one after another immediately after birth. After her ninth pregnancy she gave birth to a son, who was named Visvarupa. Then, in 1407 Saka Era (A.D. 1486), on the full-moon evening of the month of Phalguna, during the constellation of Simha (Leo) on the horizon, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared as the son of Sri Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra. After hearing of the birth of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, learned scholars and brahmanas, bringing many gifts, came to see the newly born baby. Nilambara Cakravarti, who was a great astrologer, immediately prepared a horoscope, and by astrological calculation he saw that the child was a great personality. This chapter describes the symptoms of this great personality.”

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

We can see the resemblance between the pastimes of Lord Chaitanya and those of Lord Krishna. In Mathura, Lord Krishna’s parents, Vasudeva and Devaki, first had six sons, all of whom were killed by Kamsa. Their seventh child was Balarama, but by the arrangement of Yogamaya under Krishna’s direction, Balarama was transferred from the womb of Devaki to the womb of Rohini in Vrindavan, and thus Devaki appeared to have had a miscarriage.

The eighth child was Krishna. Vasudeva did not want Kamsa to kill—or even try to kill—Krishna, and by Yogamaya’s influence all the guards in Kamsa’s prison fell asleep and all the locked doors opened. Vasudeva then carried baby Krishna across the Yamuna to Gokula. There he found that Yasoda had given birth to a baby girl, but Yasoda was so exhausted from the labor of childbirth that she didn’t know if she had given birth to a son or a daughter. Vasudeva placed baby Krishna on Yasoda’s bed and picked up her daughter, whom he carried back to Kamsa’s prison in Mathura.

As soon as the baby girl was placed in the prison room with Vasudeva and Devaki, she began to cry, and Kamsa surmised that Devaki had given birth to a daughter. Earlier, on the occasion of Devaki’s wedding, Kamsa had heard a voice from the sky (akasa-vani) that said that the eighth son of Devaki would kill him. This child was a girl, but Kamsa was such a demon and was surrounded by such demonic advisors that he thought, “Let me not take any chances.” So, he snatched the baby to dash her on a rock and kill her as he had killed the other six children, but she slipped from his hands and flew into the sky, manifesting her form as the goddess Durga, and said, “You fool! The person who will kill you has already taken birth elsewhere.”

This—“the person who will kill you has already taken birth elsewhere”—is a striking statement, because from the account so far, Krishna had taken birth in Kamsa’s prison in Mathura. But Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, as quoted by Srila Prabhupada, cites evidence from within Srimad-Bhagavatam and from other Puranas, such as the Hari-vamsa, that Yasoda actually gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The girl was an expansion of Yogamaya, and the boy was the original Krishna. When Vasudeva carried Vasudeva Krishna to Gokula, the Vasudeva Krishna entered into the original Krishna, and Vasudeva carried the baby girl back to Mathura.

Here in caitanya-lila we find that Sacidevi gave birth to eight daughters and that all of them died. Then finally she gave birth to a son, Visvarupa. At an early age Visvarupa left home and took sannyasa, and so for all material purposes he was dead. Srila Prabhupada said that sannyasa means civil death. The day on which Visvarupa took sannyasa is called Visvarupa-mahotsava—the same day on which Srila Prabhupada took sannyasa some four hundred years later.

In any case, it was a great occasion that Sacidevi had given birth to a boy, and all the devotees from the area, such as Advaita Acharya and his wife Sita and Srivasa Thakura and his wife, Malini, came and brought gifts and offered blessings to the new child.

TEXT 100

dekhi’ uparaga hasi’, sighra ganga-ghate asi’
  anande karila ganga-snana
pana uparaga-chale, apanara mano-bale,
  brahmanere dila nana dana

TRANSLATION

Seeing the lunar eclipse and laughing, both Advaita Acarya and Haridasa Thakura immediately went to the bank of the Ganges and bathed in the Ganges in great jubilation. Taking advantage of the occasion of the lunar eclipse, Advaita Acarya, by His own mental strength, distributed various types of charity to the brahmanas.

PURPORT

It is the custom of Hindus to give in charity to the poor as much as possible during the time of a lunar or solar eclipse. Advaita Acarya, therefore, taking advantage of the eclipse, distributed many varieties of charity to the brahmanas. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam there is a statement in the Tenth Canto, Third Chapter, Verse Eleven that when Krsna took His birth, Vasudeva immediately took advantage of this moment and distributed ten thousand cows to the brahmanas. It is customary among Hindus that at the time a child is born, especially a male child, the parents distribute great charity in jubilation. Advaita Acarya was actually interested in distributing charity because of Lord Caitanya’s birth at the time of the lunar eclipse. People could not understand, however, why Advaita Acarya was giving such a great variety of things in charity. He did so not because of the lunar eclipse but because of the Lord’s taking birth at that moment. He distributed charity exactly as Vasudeva did at the time of Lord Krsna’s appearance.

COMMENT

In Vedic culture householders observe all auspicious ceremonies by giving in charity. They are happy, and they know they are happy by the grace of the Lord and the devotees. And in their happiness, they want to give charity and receive more blessings. When the children become adults and observe their own birth anniversaries, they also give charity. A friend of the Juhu temple who was very strict about Vedic traditions did not like that we celebrated birthdays by giving presents to the birthday boy or girl. He said, “Birthday means the birthday person gives charity.” And he didn’t like birthday cakes either. He said, “You should distribute sandesa, rasagulla, or gulabjamun. Those are real sweets.”

TEXT 101

jagat anandamaya, dekhi’ mane sa-vismaya,
  tharethore kahe haridasa
tomara aichana ranga, mora mana parasanna,
  dekhi—kichu karye ache bhasa

TRANSLATION

When he saw that the whole world was jubilant, Haridasa Thakura, his mind astonished, directly and indirectly expressed himself to Advaita Acarya: “Your dancing and distributing charity are very pleasing to me. I can understand that there is some special purpose in these actions.”

TEXT 102

acaryaratna, srivasa, haila mane sukhollasa
  yai’ snana kaila ganga-jale
anande vihvala mana, kare hari-sankirtana
  nana dana kaila mano-bale

TRANSLATION

Acaryaratna [Candrasekhara] and Srivasa Thakura were overwhelmed with joy, and immediately they went to the bank of the Ganges to take bath in the water of the Ganges. Their minds full of happiness, they chanted the Hare Krsna mantra and gave charity by mental strength.

TEXT 103

ei mata bhakta-tati, yanra yei dese sthiti,
  tahan tahan pana mano-bale
nace, kare sankirtana, anande vihvala mana,
  dana kare grahanera chale

TRANSLATION

In this way all the devotees, wherever they were situated, in every city and every country, danced, performed sankirtana, and gave charity by mental strength on the plea of the lunar eclipse, their minds overwhelmed with joy.

TEXT 104

brahmana-sajjana-nari, nana-dravye thali bhari’
  aila sabe yautuka la-iya
yena kanca-sona-dyuti, dekhi’ balakera murti,
  asirvada kare sukha pana

TRANSLATION

All sorts of respectable brahmana gentlemen and ladies, carrying plates filled with various gifts, came with their presentations. Seeing the newborn child, whose form resembled natural glaring gold, all of them with happiness offered their blessings.

TEXT 105

savitri, gauri, sarasvati, saci, rambha, arundhati
  ara yata deva-narigana
nana-dravye patra bhari’, brahmanira vesa dhari’,
  asi’ sabe kare darasana

TRANSLATION

Dressing themselves as the wives of brahmanas, all the celestial ladies, including the wives of Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Lord Nrsimhadeva, King Indra, and Vasistha Muni, along with Rambha, a dancing girl of heaven, came there with varieties of gifts.

PURPORT

When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was a newly born baby, He was visited by the neighboring ladies, most of whom were the wives of respectable brahmanas. In the dress of brahmanas’ wives, celestial ladies like the wives of Lord Brahma and Lord Siva also came to see the newborn child. Ordinary people saw them as neighborhood respectable brahmana ladies, but actually they were all celestial ladies dressed in that way.

COMMENT

Savitri is the wife of Lord Brahma, Gauri is the wife of Lord Shiva, Sarasvati here is mentioned as the wife of Lord Nrsimhadeva, and Saci is the wife of King Indra. They all disguised themselves as brahman ladies, looking like ladies of the neighborhood, and came to offer respects to the newborn baby.

TEXT 106

antarikse deva-gana, gandharva, siddha, carana,
  stuti-nrtya kare vadya-gita
nartaka, vadaka, bhata, navadvipe yara nata,
  sabe asi’ nace pana prita

TRANSLATION

In outer space all the demigods, including the inhabitants of Gandharvaloka, Siddhaloka, and Caranaloka, offered their prayers and danced with musical songs and the beating of drums. Similarly, in Navadvipa city all the professional dancers, musicians, and blessers gathered together, dancing in great jubilation.

COMMENT

Bhata means “professional blessing-givers.”

PURPORT

As there are professional singers, dancers, and reciters of prayers in the heavenly planets, so in India still there are professional dancers, givers of blessings, and singers, all of whom assemble together during householder ceremonies, especially marriages and birth ceremonies. These professional men earn their livelihood by taking charity on such occasions from the homes of the Hindus. Eunuchs also take advantage of such ceremonies to receive charity. That is their means of livelihood. Such men never become servants or engage themselves in agriculture or business occupations; they simply take charity from neighborhood friends to maintain themselves peacefully. The bhatas are a class of brahmanas who go to such ceremonies to offer blessings by composing poems with references to the Vedic scriptures.

COMMENT

Vedic culture is very beautiful and highly elevated. Even now in India the culture is there, though not as much as before. When I was in Bombay last December, I visited an old friend, a very nice devotee who is related to the Birlas. And it just so happened that there was an engagement ceremony in the Birla family, from the mother’s side. Sri Brijratan Mohatta had married Seth R. D. Birla’s daughter, and their son’s daughter was about to be engaged. So, I went to the engagement reception, and there I met a bhajana singer named Purushottam Das Jalota. When I first went to India, in 1970, he was very popular. He sang bhajanas in aristocratic Hindus’ homes and gave lessons in voice and harmonium. As he grew older, his son, as happens, became his apprentice and also began to sing bhajanas and play harmonium. So, we invited his son, who was relatively unknown then, to perform at our auditorium in Juhu.

At the engagement reception Purushottam approached me. He is about eighty-seven now and was wearing a traditional Hindu jacket and cap. After we spoke for some time, he made an indication and said, “Anup is there,” and he tried to call him, but because his voice was not so loud, his son Anup could not hear him. I said, “That’s all right. I’ll go and see him.” I guess the father wanted me to bless and encourage his son.

Anup remembered his first performance in the ISKCON auditorium. I didn’t usually attend such performances, but somehow that evening, near the end of the performance I had felt drawn into the auditorium and had found a seat toward the back and sat down. The whole atmosphere had been surcharged—I can’t explain it—and he had sung with such devotion that his words and voice had entered people’s minds and hearts. It had been a very special performance, and the devotees had recorded it and produced an audio cassette that they would distribute on sankirtana—and it had become a hit. Many people would come and ask for Anup Jalota’s tape.

When I met Anup at the reception, he remembered that night. He said that when he had entered the auditorium he had not been sure whether or not he would pursue a career as a singer. He had prayed, “Lord Krishna, I am Yours. Whatever You want You can do. If You want me to pursue this career, You can make me a success. If You don’t, that’s all right—whatever You wish.” And he remarked that it was because of his performance in the ISKCON auditorium and the recording of it that he had become a success as a singer. (I knew that was the case, but I didn’t want to say it. But he also knew it, and he said it—and it was true.)

That culture and that mood are becoming rare—that mood of devotion, of surrender, of dependence on the Lord—but they are still there.

Now we return to the description of Jagannatha Mishra’s festival:

TEXT 107

keba ase keba yaya, keba nace keba gaya,
  sambhalite nare kara bola
khandileka duhkha-soka, pramoda-purita loka,
  misra haila anande vihvala

TRANSLATION

No one could understand who was coming and who was going, who was dancing and who was singing. Nor could they understand one another’s language. Yet all unhappiness and lamentation were immediately dissipated, and people became all-jubilant. Thus Jagannatha Misra was also overwhelmed with joy.

TEXT 108

acaryaratna, srivasa, jagannatha-misra-pasa,
  asi’ tanre kare savadhana
karaila jatakarma, ye achila vidhi-dharma,
  tabe misra kare nana dana

TRANSLATION

Candrasekhara Acarya and Srivasa Thakura both came to Jagannatha Misra and drew his attention in various ways. They performed the ritualistic ceremonies prescribed at the time of birth according to religious principles. Jagannatha Misra also gave varieties of charity.

TEXT 109

yautuka paila yata, ghare va achila kata,
  saba dhana vipre dila dana
yata nartaka, gayana, bhata, akincana jana,
  dhana diya kaila sabara mana

TRANSLATION

Whatever riches Jagannatha Misra collected in the form of gifts and presentations, and whatever he had in his house, he distributed among the brahmanas, professional singers, dancers, bhatas, and the poor. He honored them all by giving them riches in charity.

TEXT 110

srivasera brahmani, nama tanra ‘malini’,
  acaryaratnera patni-sange
sindura, haridra, taila, kha-i, kala, narikela,
  diya puje narigana range

TRANSLATION

The wife of Srivasa Thakura, whose name was Malini, accompanied by the wife of Candrasekhara [Acaryaratna] and other ladies, came there in great happiness to worship the baby with paraphernalia such as vermilion, turmeric, oil, fused rice, bananas, and coconuts.

PURPORT

Vermilion, kha-i (fused rice), bananas, coconuts, and turmeric mixed with oil are all auspicious gifts for such a ceremony. As there is puffed rice, so there is another preparation of rice called kha-i, or fused rice, which, along with bananas, is taken as a very auspicious presentation. Also, turmeric mixed with oil and vermilion makes an auspicious ointment that is smeared over the body of a newborn baby or a person who is going to marry. These are all auspicious activities in family affairs. We see that five hundred years ago at the birth of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu all these ceremonies were performed rigidly, but at present such ritualistic performances hardly ever take place. Generally a pregnant mother is sent to the hospital, and as soon as her child is born he is washed with an antiseptic, and this concludes everything.

COMMENT

The parents and other elders did whatever they could to ensure the wellbeing of the child in all respects. They knew that the purpose of the child’s life was to serve and please God and that the child’s success in all respects depended on the mercy of God and His devotees.

TEXT 111

advaita-acarya-bharya, jagat-pujita arya,
  nama tanra ‘sita thakurani’
acaryera ajna pana, gela upahara lana,
  dekhite balaka-siromani

TRANSLATION

One day shortly after Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was born, Advaita Acarya’s wife, Sitadevi, who is worshipable by the whole world, took her husband’s permission and went to see that topmost child with all kinds of gifts and presentations.

PURPORT

It appears that Advaita Acarya had two different houses, one at Santipura and one at Navadvipa. When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was born, Advaita Acarya was residing not at His Navadvipa house but at His Santipura house. Therefore, as formerly explained (text 99), from Advaita’s old paternal house (nijalaya) in Santipura, Sita came to Navadvipa to present gifts to the newborn child, Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TEXT 112

suvarnera kadi-ba-uli, rajatamudra-pasuli,
  suvarnera angada, kankana
du-bahute divya sankha, rajatera malabanka,
  svarna-mudrara nana haragana

TRANSLATION

She brought different kinds of golden ornaments, including armlets, necklaces, anklets, and bangles for the hands.

TEXT 113

vyaghra-nakha hema-jadi, kati-pattasutra-dori
  hasta-padera yata abharana
citra-varna patta-sadi, buni photo pattapadi,
  svarna-raupya-mudra bahu-dhana

TRANSLATION

There were also tiger nails set in gold, waist decorations of silk and lace, ornaments for the hands and legs, nicely printed silken saris, and a child’s garment, also made of silk. Many other riches, including gold and silver coins, were also presented to the child.

PURPORT

From the gifts presented by Sita Thakurani, Advaita Acarya’s wife, it appears that Advaita Acarya was at that time a very rich man. Although brahmanas are not the rich men of society, Advaita Acarya, being the leader of the brahmanas in Santipura, was considerably well-to-do. Therefore He presented many ornaments to the baby, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. But Kamalakanta Visvasa’s asking for three hundred rupees from the King of Jagannatha Puri, Maharaja Prataparudra, on the plea that Advaita Acarya was in debt for that amount, indicates that such a rich man, who could present many valuable ornaments, saris, etc., thought it difficult to repay three hundred rupees. Therefore the value of a rupee at that time was many thousands of times what it is now. At present, no one feels difficulty over a debt of three hundred rupees, nor can an ordinary man accumulate such valuable ornaments to present to a friend’s son. Probably the value of three hundred rupees at that time was equal to the present value of thirty thousand rupees.

COMMENT

The value of the thirty thousand rupees mentioned in the purport is now probably three hundred thousand rupees or more.

TEXT 114–116

Riding in a palanquin covered with cloth and accompanied by maidservants, Sita Thakurani came to the house of Jagannatha Misra, bringing with her many auspicious articles such as fresh grass, paddy, gorocana, turmeric, kunkuma and sandalwood. All these presentations filled a large basket.

When Sita Thakurani came to the house of Sacidevi, bringing with her many kinds of eatables, dresses, and other gifts, she was astonished to see the newborn child, for she appreciated that except for a difference in color, the child was directly Krsna of Gokula Himself.

Seeing the transcendental bodily effulgence of the child, each of His nicely constructed limbs full of auspicious signs and resembling a form of gold, Sita Thakurani was very pleased, and because of her maternal affection, she felt as if her heart were melting.

TEXT 117

durva, dhanya, dila sirse, kaila bahu asise,
  cirajivi hao dui bhai
dakini-sankhini haite, sanka upajila cite,
  dare nama thuila ‘nimai’

TRANSLATION

She blessed the newborn child by placing fresh grass and paddy on His head and saying, “May You be blessed with a long duration of life.” But being afraid of ghosts and witches, she gave the child the name Nimai.

PURPORT

Dakini and Sankhini are two companions of Lord Siva and his wife who are supposed to be extremely inauspicious, having been born of ghostly life. It is believed that such inauspicious living creatures cannot go near a nima tree. At least medically it is accepted that nima wood is extremely antiseptic, and formerly it was customary to have a nima tree in front of one’s house. On very large roads in India, especially in Uttar Pradesh, there are hundreds and thousands of nima trees. Nima wood is so antiseptic that the Ayurvedic science uses it to cure leprosy. Medical scientists have extracted the active principle of the nima tree, which is called margosic acid. Nima is used for many purposes, especially to brush the teeth. In Indian villages ninety percent of the people use nima twigs for this purpose. Because of all the antiseptic effects of the nima tree and because Lord Caitanya was born beneath a nima tree, Sita Thakurani gave the Lord the name Nimai. Later in His youth He was celebrated as Nimai Pandita, and in the neighborhood villages He was called by that name, although His real name was Visvambhara.

COMMENT

Visvambhara means “one who maintains the universe.” Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi 9.7) describes how Lord Chaitanya appreciated that name:

prabhu kahe, ami ‘visvambhara’ nama dhari
nama sarthaka haya, yadi preme visva bhari

“Lord Caitanya thought, ‘My name is Visvambhara, “one who maintains the entire universe.” Its meaning will be actualized if I can fill the whole universe with love of Godhead.’ ”

In my youth, my dentist was a family friend who had served in India during World War II, and as he worked on my teeth, he would tell me about his experiences in India as a dentist in the American army. He remarked that he had always seen the native Indians squatting along the roads brushing their teeth with twigs. As part of his work, he would treat Indians too, and he said that when he looked into their mouths, he was astonished to see the most beautiful white teeth he had ever seen—without any cavities. And all these people did was brush their teeth with twigs!

TEXT 118

putramata-snanadine, dila vastra vibhusane,
  putra-saha misrere sammani’
saci-misrera puja lana, manete harisa hana,
  ghare aila sita thakurani

TRANSLATION

On the day the mother and son bathed and left the maternity home, Sita Thakurani gave them all kinds of ornaments and garments and then also honored Jagannatha Misra. Then Sita Thakurani, being honored by mother Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra, was greatly happy within her mind, and thus she returned home.

PURPORT

On the fifth day from the birth of a child, as also on the ninth day, the mother bathes either in the Ganges or in another sacred place. This is called niskramana, or the ceremony of coming out of the maternity home. Nowadays the maternity home is a hospital, but formerly in every respectable house one room was set aside as a maternity home where children would take birth, and on the ninth day after the birth of a child the mother would come into the regular rooms in the ceremony called niskramana. Of the ten purificatory processes, niskramana is one. Formerly, especially in Bengal, the higher castes observed four months after the birth of a child as a quarantine. At the end of the fourth month, the mother could see the sun rise. Later the higher castes, namely the brahmanas, ksatriyas, and vaisyas, observed only twenty-one days as a quarantine, whereas the sudras had to observe thirty days. For the sections of society known as kartabhaja and satima, the mother of the child was immediately purified after the quarantine by the throwing of hari-nuta, small pieces of sweetmeat, in sankirtana. Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra, with the newborn child, were honored by Sita Thakurani. Similarly, while Sita Thakurani was returning home, she was also honored by Sacidevi and Jagannatha Mishra. That was the system in respectable families of Bengal.

COMMENT

Srila Prabhupada was also born in a separate house, under a jackfruit tree, that belonged to his mother’s parents. Last November His Holiness Radhanath Swami and I visited that place in south Calcutta, saw the tree under which Srila Prabhupada had been born, and visited the Radha-Krishna temple that Prabhupada’s mother had frequented, imagining how she and the rest of the family must have prayed for the welfare of the new child, whom they named Abhay Charan, “one who is fearless, having taken shelter at Lord Krishna’s lotus feet.”

TEXT 119

aiche saci-jagannatha, putra pana laksminatha,
  purna ha-ila sakala vanchita
dhana-dhanye bhare ghara, lokamanya kalevara,
  dine dine haya anandita

TRANSLATION

In this way mother Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra, having obtained a son who was the husband of the goddess of fortune, had all their desires fulfilled. Their house was always filled with riches and grains. As they saw the beloved body of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, day after day their pleasure increased.

PURPORT

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore everyone offered respects to Him. Even the denizens of heaven used to come in the dress of ordinary men to offer their respect to the Lord. His father and mother, Jagannatha Misra and Sacidevi, seeing the honor of their transcendental son, also became very pleased within their hearts.

TEXT 120

misra—vaisnava, santa, alampata, suddha, danta,
  dhana-bhoge nahi abhimana
putrera prabhave yata, dhana asi’ mile, tata,
  visnu-prite dvije dena dana

TRANSLATION

Jagannatha Misra was an ideal Vaisnava. He was peaceful, restrained in sense gratification, pure, and controlled. Therefore he had no desire to enjoy material opulence. Whatever money came because of the influence of his transcendental son, he gave it in charity to the brahmanas for the satisfaction of Visnu.

TEXT 121

lagna gani’ harsamati, nilambara cakravarti,
  gupte kichu kahila misrere
mahapurusera cihna, lagne ange bhinna bhinna,
  dekhi,—ei taribe samsare

TRANSLATION

After calculating the birth moment of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nilambara Cakravarti privately said to Jagannatha Misra that he saw all the different symptoms of a great personality in both the body and birth moment of the child. Thus he understood that in the future this child would deliver all the three worlds.

COMMENT

Although Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had all the signs of a great personality and was in fact the Supreme Personality of Godhead, His father, Jagannatha Mishra, considered Him to be his son.

As a child, Lord Chaitanya was quite naughty, and Jagannatha Mishra would often chide Him and instruct Him in proper behavior. One night Jagannatha Mishra had a dream in which a brahman angrily told him, “You do not know anything about your son. Because you think Him to be your son, you rebuke and chastise Him.” Jagannatha Mishra replied, “He may be a demigod, a mystic yogi, or a great saint, but whatever He may be, I know Him only as my son, and it is my duty to teach Him religion and morality. Otherwise, how will He learn? Even if He is Lord Narayana Himself, it is the duty of the father to instruct the son.” Even in his dreams, Jagannatha Mishra was absorbed in the mellow of pure parental affection.

In His youth Lord Chaitanya asked an astrologer to tell Him who He had been in His past life. Through calculation and meditation, the astrologer saw the brilliantly effulgent form of the Lord as the resting place of the Vaikuntha planets. Struck with wonder, he said, “In Your previous birth You were the shelter of all creation, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full of all opulence. And You are the same Personality of Godhead now.” Lord Chaitanya smiled and said, “I think you do not know very clearly what I was, for I know that in My previous birth I was a cowherd boy. I was born in a family of cowherd men and gave protection to the cows and calves, and because of these pious activities, I have now become the son of a brahman.”

TEXT 122

aiche prabhu saci-ghare, krpaya kaila avatare,
  yei iha karaye sravana
gaura-prabhu dayamaya, tanre hayena sadaya,
  sei paya tanhara carana

TRANSLATION

In this way Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, out of His causeless mercy, made His advent in the house of Sacidevi. Lord Caitanya is very merciful to anyone who hears this narration of His birth, and thus such a person attains the lotus feet of the Lord.

TEXT 123

paiya manusa janma, ye na sune gaura-guna,
  hena janma tara vyartha haila
paiya amrtadhuni, piye visa-garta-pani,
  janmiya se kene nahi maila

TRANSLATION

Anyone who attains a human body but does not take to the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is baffled in his opportunity. Amrtadhuni is a flowing river of the nectar of devotional service. If after getting a human body one drinks the water in a poison pit of material happiness instead of the water of such a river, it would be better for him not to have lived, but to have died long ago.

PURPORT

In this connection Srimat Prabodhananda Sarasvati has composed the following verses in his Caitanya-candramrta (37, 36, 34):

acaitanyam idam visvam yadi caitanyam isvaram
na viduh sarva-sastra-jna hy api bhramyanti te janah

“This material world is without Krsna consciousness. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna consciousness personified. Therefore if a very learned scholar or scientist does not understand Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, certainly he is wandering uselessly in this world.”

prasarita-maha-prema-piyusa-rasa-sagare
caitanya-candre prakate yo dino dina eva sah

“A person who does not take advantage of the nectar of devotional service overflowing during the presence of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s cult is certainly the poorest of the poor.”

avatirne gaura-candre vistirne prema-sagare
suprakasita-ratnaughe yo dino dina eva sah

“The advent of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is just like an expanding ocean of nectar. One who does not collect the valuable jewels within this ocean is certainly the poorest of the poor.”

Similarly, Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.3.19, 20, 23) states:

sva-vid-varahostra-kharaih
  samstutah purusah pasuh
na yat-karna-pathopeto
  jatu nama gadagrajah

 bile batorukrama-vikraman ye
  na srnvatah karna-pute narasya
jihvasati dardurikeva suta
  na copagayaty urugaya-gathah

 jivan chavo bhagavatanghri-renum
  na jatu martyo ’bhilabheta yas tu
sri-visnu-padya manujas tulasyah
  svasan chavo yas tu na veda gandham

“A person who has no connection with Krsna consciousness may be a very great personality in so-called human society, but actually he is no better than a great animal. Such big animals are generally praised by other animals like dogs, hogs, camels, and asses. A person who does not lend his aural reception to hearing about the Supreme Personality of Godhead must be considered to have earholes like holes in a field. Although that person has a tongue, it is like the tongue of a frog, which unnecessarily creates a disturbance by croaking, inviting the snake of death. Similarly, a person who neither takes advantage of the dust of the lotus feet of great devotees nor smells the tulasi leaves offered to the lotus feet of the Lord must be considered dead although breathing.”

Similarly, Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.1.4 states:

nivrtta-tarsair upagiyamanad
  bhavausadhac chrotra-mano-’bhiramat
ka uttamasloka-gunanuvadat
  puman virajyeta vina pasu-ghnat

“Who but the animal-killer or the killer of the soul will not care to hear glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Such glorification is enjoyed by persons liberated from the contamination of this material world.”

Similarly, Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.23.56 says, na tirtha-pada-sevayai jivann api mrto hi sah: “Although a person is apparently living, if he does not serve the lotus feet of great devotees he is to be considered a dead body.”

COMMENT

By the mercy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and that of His devotees, especially Srila Prabhupada, we have been given real life—the chance to live in Krishna consciousness

TEXT 124

sri-caitanya-nityananda, acarya advaitacandra,
  svarupa-rupa-raghunathadasa
inha-sabara sri-carana, sire vandi nija-dhana,
  janma-lila gaila krsnadasa

TRANSLATION

Taking on my head as my own property the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu, Acarya Advaitacandra, Svarupa Damodara, Rupa Gosvami, and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, I, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, have thus described the advent of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on the occasion of Jagannatha Mishra’s Festival,March 22, 2008, Dallas]

 

 

 

Travel Journal#21.10: Tallahassee, Alachua, and Gainesville
→ Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 21, No. 10
By Krishna Kripa Das
(Week 10: March 5–11, 2025)

Tallahassee, Alachua, and Gainesville
(Sent from Gainesville, Florida, on March 15, 2025)

Where I Went and What I Did

For the tenth week of 2025, I remained living at ISKCON Tallahassee for the first five days. Wednesday and Thursday I chanted an average of three hours each day on Landis Green, behind the main Florida State University library. On Friday, Ananga Mohan Prabhu chanted with me, both on the campus at Landis Green and at a monthly event called First Friday at Railroad Square, where Melanie also joined us. We had a lot of positive experiences at Railroad Square. Saturday and Sunday I chanted at Kleman Plaza because of rain. During the week, I distributed a few “On Chanting Hare Krishna” pamphlets, along with forty-three little cups of halava to promote our Krishna Lunch at the campus. One Indian student, happy to encounter the prasadam, bought a Bhagavad-gita. We decided to do a three-hour kirtan one day each month at our Saturday evening program in Tallahassee. We chose March 8 for it this month as it is the Saturday before Gaura Purnima, and Lord Caitanya really promoted the congregational chanting of the holy name. On Sunday afternoon I went to Alachua to attend the Sunday feast program there, which featured the snana-yatra ceremony for Lord Jagannatha. 


Monday and Tuesday I chanted Hare Krishna on the campus of the Un
iversity of Florida during the Krishna Lunch there, and several devotees joined me, at least for part of the time.

I share quotes from the books, lectures, conversations, and letters of Srila Prabhupada. I share quotes from The Delaware Diaries, Volume 2 (Tachycardia) by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami and from Golden Avatar, a soon-to-be-published biography of Lord Caitanya, by Yogesvara Prabhu. I share notes on a Sunday feast lecture in Alachua by Bhadra Prabhu on Lord Jagannatha. I share notes on lectures by Madhava, Devaprastha, Gadadhar, Gopala Krishna and Campakalata Prabhus speaking at Krishna House in Gainesville. I share notes on a class by Govinda Kaviraja Prabhu speaking in Tallahassee. I share quotes from articles in Back to Godhead by Srila Prabhupada and Caitanya Carana, Dinabandhu Caitanya, and Hari Bhakti Prabhus.

Thanks to Anupama Prabhu of New York for his very generous donation. Thanks to Ratipriya of Philadelphia for her kind donation on the occasion of her daughter’s birthday. Thanks to Subir Prabhu for driving me to Alachua for Jagannatha snana-yatra.

Itinerary

January 6–April 11: Tallahassee harinamas and FSU college outreach
– March 9–16: Krishna House Gainesville harinamas and UF college outreach
– March 15: Daytona Beach Ratha-yatra
April 12: St. Augustine Ratha-yatra
April 13: Gainesville harinama
April 14–15: USF harinamas in Tampa
April 16–20: Washington, D.C., harinamas with Sankarsana Prabhu
April 21–22: NYC Harinam
April 23: Flight to Brussels
April 24: Layover in Oslo
April 25: Kadamba Kanana Swami Vyasa-puja at Radhadesh
April 26: King’s Day in Amsterdam
April 27: Liege harinama
April 28–May 1: Paris harinamas
May 2: Sarcelles market harinama
May 3–4: Amsterdam Kirtan Mela and Sacinandana Swami seminar
May 5 and 6: harinama in Amsterdam, Antwerp, or Brussels
May 7: Flight from Brussels to New York City
May 8–June 15: NYC Harinam
mid June–mid August: Paris
– June 22: Paris Ratha-yatra
– July 11: Amsterdam harinama
– July 12: Amsterdam Ratha-yatra
– July 13: Netherlands harinama

Chanting Hare Krishna in Tallahassee


I updated the Krishna Lunch flyer, and posted copies on either side of the kiosk near the library where I chant, near the middle of the kiosk. 


Last year, by checking my posters every day or every other day, by fixing the tape and removing posters taped over them, they remained for as many as five or six weeks.

The last time I chanted Hare Krishna at First Friday, I was alone. I still had many positive interactions, but having Ananga Mohan Prabhu and Melanie with me this month made it really special. Because it was the Friday before spring break, there were much fewer people than usual, but still we connected with a lot of people. Very soon an FSU student who lives in Tallahassee began moving to the kirtan beat and ended up playing the shakers for several minutes. Other people would play shakers and dance as we walked around the square. Anyone we talked with, we would offer the free dessert to and inform about Krishna Lunch. One street performer, who was recording his performance for Tiktok and YouTube, enjoyed dancing to our music. I hope to track that down and share it with you. One young woman who had gotten the free dessert on the campus came up to me and reminded me of that, and I offered her another one. Seeing someone so positive about the dessert, made it easy for me to offer it to the person I had been talking to. As we passed groups of high school students, many would be happy to play the shakers or dance. We passed a guy who was quietly sitting alone on a bench, past most of the groups of students. Later we passed him again as we were leaving, and he asked about our philosophy. He said he had just read Siddhartha and that the book made him think differently about life. That was striking for me, as Siddhartha was the first book on Eastern philosophy that I had read in my life, under the recommendation of my cousin, Peter. We gave him “On Chanting Hare Krishna,” taught him the mantra, and told him about our Saturday program. It was wonderful to meet someone who was actually inquisitive.


On Saturday, I chanted Kleman Plaza because of the predicted rain. I set up outside a science museum with an IMAX theatre called The Challenger Learning Center. After I had chanted there for over two hours and was packing up, a staff member from the museum told me he loved my singing and gave me a bottle of water. 


He accepted the blueberry
halava, and I told him about our Krishna Lunch and our Saturday evening program. 


He said he could not come that week but would try to come another week.

Govinda Kaviraja Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Tallahassee three-hour kirtan in March (https://youtu.be/1GEyiJDNtmI):


Ayusha chants Hare Krishna at Tallahassee three-hour kirtan in March (
https://youtu.be/HsvD_WhWlkk):


Here she continues chanting (https://youtu.be/A5YaR-AYgAI):


Jane chants Hare Krishna at Tallahassee three-hour kirtan in March (
https://youtu.be/qI6NC85iKXs):


Here she chants another tune (https://youtu.be/bEvzO4zHD8Q):


Satyaraj Govinda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna during Gaura Arati on Saturday in Tallahassee (
https://youtu.be/pSfJylSwMHc):


The weather for Sunday was predicted to be worse, so I set up again at Kleman Plaza, which is situated in a very central location in Tallahassee, as you can see from this sign:


I was reminded that Tallahassee was one of the ten most rainy cities in the United States when the rain came down in torrents. Although I was in a place protected from rain directly above, rain drops blew in from the side, so I had to dry off my books and put them away. While I was doing that my chair and table were surrounded by water.


Then I saw water cascading down the stairs to the car park below.


I even took a video of it (https://youtube.com/shorts/gkQ6Y9D6ZYM?feature=share):


The amazing thing was in under an hour, everything was back to normal, and I set up my book table as before.

Chanting Hare Krishna in Alachua

Prana Govinda Swami chants Hare Krishna as Lord Jagannatha travels to Alachua Temple for Snana Yatra (https://youtu.be/Zwo4N0aBFUE):


Bhadra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna after Lord Jagannatha came to Alachua Temple for Snana Yatra (
https://youtu.be/5ww79j9rjWw):


Gopal Govinda Shyam Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at ISKCON Alachua Sunday feast program (https://youtube.com/shorts/NFvBSNdbBNk):


During the
abhiseka of Lord Jagannatha, Bhadra’s son, Visvambhar, and his friends chanted Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/RKOWh2u9hko):


They continued at an increased tempo (
https://youtu.be/SY1tvOimTk0):


Champakalata Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at
mangala-arati at Krishna House, and devotees dance (https://youtube.com/shorts/MxP3OarGeLg):


And at the end of the kirtan, it was even more ecstatic (https://youtube.com/shorts/m0JgJXebkhg?feature=share):


Ananga Mohan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch in Gainesville (
https://youtu.be/OKXNzuzycYc):


Kunti chants Hare Krishna at Krishna House in Gainesville
in the evening (https://youtu.be/jkTuK3Uz1cw):


I took another video of Kunti in portrait orientation (
https://youtu.be/Z-1cfKT0A-E):


Maya Cabrinha,
visiting from the Bhaki Center in New York, chants Hare Krishna at Krishna House once more before returning home (https://youtu.be/KGy3trZDtrk):

Photos

I found that the “Tally Preacher” who previously described Krishna as a demon in a chalk message on the sidewalk also has issues with others who claim to be followers of Lord Jesus Christ.


I asked the Christian who gave me the free Bible what he thought of that message. He seemed to
sympathize with where it was coming from. I told him I know a lot of Mormons who seem to have a lot of love for both God and their neighbors, implying that I thought they were legitimate Christians and as good as the others.

I am thinking of letting the Mormons know about what the “Tally Preacher” is saying about them, and offering to assist them if they want to protest his “hate speech” which I think should not have a place on the campus. I think the “Tally Preacher” should just stick to glorifying Lord Jesus Christ and not attack others.

Insights

Srila Prabhupada:

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.6.21, purport:

A pure devotee of the Lord, therefore, follows in the footsteps of the great devotees like Narada and Prahlada and engages his whole time in glorifying the Lord by the process of kirtana. Such a preaching process is transcendental to all material qualities.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.6.34, purport:

The almighty Personality of Godhead, by His causeless mercy, descends to the earth and manifests activities almost on the line of the worldly men but at the same time extraordinary because He is almighty. He does so for the benefit of all conditioned souls, so that they can turn their attention to transcendence. By doing so, the conditioned souls will gradually be promoted to the transcendental position and easily cross the ocean of nescience, the source of all miseries. This is stated from personal experience by such an authority as Sri Narada Muni. And we can have the same experience also if we begin to follow in the footsteps of the great sage, the dearmost devotee of the Lord.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.24, purport:

Not a blade of grass moves without the will of the Lord. Whenever, therefore, there is disobedience of the established rules enacted by the Lord, there is war between men and between nations. The surest way to the path of peace, therefore, is dovetailing everything with the established rule of the Lord. The established rule is that whatever we do, whatever we eat, whatever we sacrifice or whatever we give in charity must be done to the full satisfaction of the Lord. No one should do anything, eat anything, sacrifice anything or give anything in charity against the will of the Lord. Discretion is the better part of valor, and one must learn how to discriminate between actions which may be pleasing to the Lord and those which may not be pleasing to the Lord. An action is thus judged by the Lord’s pleasure or displeasure. There is no room for personal whims; we must always be guided by the pleasure of the Lord. Such action is called yogah karmasu kausalam [Bg. 2.50], or actions performed which are linked with the Supreme Lord. That is the art of doing a thing perfectly.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.37, purport:

The symptoms of the Kali-yuga, as mentioned above, namely avarice, falsehood, diplomacy, cheating, nepotism, violence and all such things, are already in vogue, and no one can imagine what is going to happen gradually with further increase of the influence of Kali till the day of annihilation. We have already come to know that the influence of the Age of Kali is meant for godless so-called civilized man; those who are under the protection of the Lord have nothing to fear from this horrible age.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.24.57:

If one by chance associates with a devotee, even for a fraction of a moment, he no longer is subject to attraction by the results of karma or jñāna.

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila 15.106, purport

Any devotee who believes that the holy name of the Lord is identical with the Lord is a pure devotee, even though he may be in the neophyte stage. By his association, others may also become Vaishnavas.”

From “God Says, ‘I Eat.’” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 59, No. 4 (July/August 2025):

By arguments we cannot reach the Supreme Truth. Srutayo vibhinnah. Nor can we do so by purchasing books from the market and reading them. No. That also will not help you. You may purchase the Bhagavad-gita, the Bible, the Koran. There are many authorized literatures. That’s all right. But you cannot learn them by your own study. One must go and learn from the spiritual master. If you purchase some book on medical science, you will never be acknowledged as a medical practitioner. You have to admit yourself into the ‘disciplic succession,’ the medical college. You have to attend lectures. Then, when you earn the degree, you will be acknowledged as a medical practitioner.”

From “Education to Expand Illusion” (Prabhupada Speaks Out) in Back to Godhead, Vol. 59, No. 4 (July/August 2025):

We want that you learn from Bhaktivinoda Thakura, from Vyasadeva, from Narada. But why are you learning from Darwin, Freud, and other rascals? Education means you should learn from a person who is divinely authorized, who is without mistake, who is without illusion, who does not cheat – just as, for instance, we are learning from Krishna. That is education. And if you learn from rascals and fools, then what is that education? Education means to learn from a learned person.”

People are restless. They are hungry, starving. But what can their cars and big buildings do for them? Why are they committing suicide? Because they are not happy. There is no food for the spirit soul – the actual self. Is that education?”

Now, where is the educational institution to remind me, ‘I’ll have to enter another body after death, so let me be careful about what kind of body I shall have’? Where is that educational institution? These so-called educators are blind.”

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:

From The Delaware Diaries, Volume 2 (Tachycardia):

Prabhupada expands on the bhakti theme, which is permeating all sections of Bhagavad-gita, whether it be the section on action and inaction, the three divisions of faith, the modes of nature, yoga, or the divisions of varna and asrama.

The soul is a servant of God. He can fulfill his subordinate role only by loving service unto the Supreme. There is no other way. Behind any section in Bhagavad-gita, this message shines forth.”

To become completely perfect and go back to Godhead requires the greed of the surrendered soul.”

When Prabhupada chanted on my red beads in 1966 and said to chant sixteen rounds a day, that was it. Sometimes I chanted in the temple room with all the devotees, adding to the general buzz and keeping awake, especially in my youthful years when drowse never overcame me. Sometimes I chanted in my own room with votive candles before the altar until I heard that the smoke might cause headaches. Sometimes I took long walks on the back road near Tuscarora Creek at Gita-nagari until my ankle prevented me from walking. But always the chanting has been the basic principle of my daily sadhana.

I always think I’m not doing enough, and I always conclude that I can’t do more. I should be more satisfied.”

I needn’t worry so much what others may think of me, especially regarding my falldown. I have dealt with it personally, and the GBC has dealt with it, and the results are final. I am recovering. If some people are still dissatisfied with me, that is their problem. I live with repentance every day, and when I read the scriptures, it stares me in the face that I did not control my senses, that I acted wrongly. But the scriptures also say that if one is resolutely serving in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he should not be derided, and his sinful reactions are taken away without any separate prayascitta or atonement.”

I will always be scarred, but I have to keep my positive will to live and serve those who still consider themselves my disciples, as well as the devotees in general. I shouldn’t allow myself to become depressed.”

Yogesvara Prabhu:

From Golden Avatar:

[Describing Lord Caitanya chanting Hare Krishna during His South India tour:] “The singing came not just from his throat but from the depths of his heart, and whoever saw him dance and heard him sing forgot where they were going and followed. He embraced them and bid them return home, where they reported the encounter to family and neighbors and demonstrated the dancing and singing that he had taught them. They, too, took it up, and the sankirtan movement blossomed through South India.”

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and Chaitanya and Kalakrishna traveled from one holy place to another until the number was beyond counting, and in every town and village, Chaitanya induced the residents to sing Krishna’s names. It did not matter if until that moment they had been devoted to Shiva or Rama or the Goddess Durga or to no one at all. Chaitanya respected their dedication to their chosen path, and his courtesy predisposed them to join him in singing.”

Kashi Mishra had nicknamed the hut gambhira or “cave-like,” since to pass through the small doorway, one had to stoop low.”

With no small degree of pride, Puri’s historians boasted that the Rathayatra festival, the journey (yatra) of the chariots (ratha), had been held every year for at least two thousand years.”

Madhava Prabhu:

We see here that Krishna’s family, like Arjuna’s family, was destroyed by fratricidal war.

In the chapter “The Pandava’s Retire Timely” we see Arjuna and his intimate relationship with Krishna depicted, which is important, because we do not encounter this again until the Tenth Canto.

The potential to become free from suffering at every moment is always there simply by remembering Krishna.

We can take darsana of Krishna through the pages of Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam.

We spend so much of our time scrolling our phones. Even if we spend a fraction of that time focusing on a verse of Bhagavad-gita, we will greatly advance.

The more you read, the more you will have something to recall.

Everyone thinks he is the center of the universe, but he is unable to convince even one person of this.

As Krishna is speaking to Arjuna, Srila Prabhupada, through his books, is speaking to us.

Comment by Maya: Self-deprecating comments really limit your spiritual progress.

Presence: Once a friend in an extreme situation exclaimed to me, “What are your gifts, and why aren’t you giving them to us?” It made me really think about what my gifts were, and that affected the course of the next seven years of my life.

Champakalata Devi Dasi: One devotee told me, if you can dedicate yourself to just one of the instructions of your guru you will attain success in life. I thought of one. Once Radhanath Swami said to me with great enthusiasm, “Fill yourself up with light, and if you do, there will be no room for darkness.”

Comments by me:

Simply by one’s giving aural reception to this Vedic literature, the feeling for loving devotional service to Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sprouts up at once to extinguish the fire of lamentation, illusion and fearfulness.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.7.7)

Engaged constantly in chanting and hearing about Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the sadhus do not suffer from material miseries because they are always filled with thoughts of My pastimes and activities.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.23)

Bhadra Prabhu:

From a Sunday feast lecture in Alachua on Lord Jagannatha:

In Kali-yuga Lord Krishna does not appear as the Lord Himself. Lord Caitanya is a covered incarnation. But the Lord does appear Himself as Jagannatha as daru Brahman.

As Jagannatha He has no eyelids, and thus He does not sleep. The Jagannatha temple is open till midnight and reopens at three or four in the morning. Even then He does not sleep. What does He do? Talk. Jagannatha talks and eats.

Jagannatha has outstretched hands because He wants to embrace His devotees.

Just by seeing Lord Jagannatha and taking His prasadam you are going back to Godhead.

Lord Jagannatha cuts down the miseries of His devotees, and gives them unlimited transcendental bliss.

Usually a smaller version of the temple deities go on procession, but Lord Jagannatha is so merciful, He goes Himself.

Lord Jagannatha is called the Mahabhava-prakasa form of the Lord.

The Lord wants to connect with us, but we do not want to connect with Him.

Srila Prabhupada has given us up to madhura-rasa. We should always stay in his shelter.

Rohini said she would tell the queens of Krishna about the childhood pastimes of Krishna and Balarama, but they had to ensure that Krishna and Balarama did not hear. They posted Subhadra as a guard at the door. All the queens and Subhadra were so absorbed in the pastimes they lost consciousness of their surroundings, and Subhadra forgot to guard the door. Krishna and Balarama came and listened to the pastimes, and They exhibited the highest spiritual ecstasy in which the limbs of the body become contracted. Narada saw this form, and he requested the Lord manifest the form so he could worship it. Thus the Lord agreed to appear in that form in Puri.

According to Skanda Purana it is said that the day of snana-yatra is the appearance day of Lord Jagannatha.

In Puri the Lord is bathed with 108 golden pots.

In the Gasparilla parade, religious floats are not allowed. It is a pirate parade. I told them that pirates come from East India, and so does this float.

Gasparilla is the third parade in the USA. The first is the Thanksgiving Day parade in New York, and the second is in California.

Devaprastha Prabhu:

I can attest to the fact that Lord Caitanya is the deliverer of the most fallen from my personal experience.

Giriraja Swami once said, “Krishna consciousness is just love, but it masquerades as a philosophy.”

We often say “I love you,” but that love is often dependent on that person doing something for us, and if that is not there, then the relationship ends.

Although Krishna is detached from the material world, He is always thinking of performing pastimes that will attract the residents of the material world to come back to Him.

When Durvasa Muni asked the Lord in Vaikuntha to have compassion on Him, He said could not because He had given His heart to His devotees. Thus Durvasa Muni should approach His devotee, Ambarisa, for mercy.

We will do much more for someone out of love than we will out of fear.

It is amazing that Lord Caitanya gave us just eight verses.

Caitanya Carana Prabhu:

From “What Makes Life Worth Living?” in 
Back to Godhead, Vol. 59, No. 4 (July/August 2025):

“The problem with letting any one aspect of our identity become our defining or driving identity is that it can be taken away from us, leaving us with an existential identity crisis that can cause intolerable angst.”

Our search for meaning and purpose is not a subjective construction imposed on a chaotic world but a discovery of our place in an ordered and meaningful universe.”

Dinabandhu Caitanya Prabhu:

From “Snubbing the Phubbing Tendency” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 59, No. 4 (July/August 2025):

As humans, we yearn for meaningful and fulfilling relationships, which can be achieved by connecting with like-minded virtuous souls on a journey of inner discovery. Such positive association will reinforce the uplifting qualities such as selflessness, compassion, and humility inherent within us and propel us forward on the spiritual path, ultimately connecting us to God within and around us.”

Virtuous living is not merely a personal choice but a responsibility we hold toward ourselves, humanity, and Krishna.”

Hari Bhakti Prabhu:

From “A Tale of Longing and Fulfillment” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 59, No. 4 (July/August 2025):

Krishna walks barefoot only in Vrindavan, the ground of which is marked with His footprints. All the cowherds, animals, and even the wind, it is said, are careful not to erase Krishna’s footprints.”

Kṛṣṇa embraced Akrura, who stood with his head bowed. Balarama offered him a seat, bathed his feet, and served him milk with honey. Krishna became so helpless out of affection for His devotee that He could do nothing. Although He has unlimited powers, He becomes powerless before the love of His surrendered devotees.”

Govinda Kaviraja Prabhu:

Bhaktivijnana Swami makes the point that we have many, many courses, and thus we have a lot of theoretical knowledge. We have courses about the anarthas, but not a course that if you take it, at the end you will be free of anarthas.

Because we just play part of the role of the brahmana, people do not fully appreciate our contribution. We give the transcendental knowledge, but we do not do all the rituals that they expect.

Srila Prabhupada in one purport describes that a dvija is one who is just initiated, a vipra is one who is learned, and a brahmana is one who is fully qualified.

Gadadhara Prabhu:

From a class at Krishna House on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.24 on March 11, 2025:

I can think of dozens of different ways that the Lord could have used to facilitate the removal of his family from this world rather than have them kill each other in bloody battle.

Not only did Arjuna express doubts in the course of Bhagavad-gita, but even afterwards, during the battle, Arjuna expressed doubts to Krishna about killing Bhisma, although Krishna had previously explained everything in Bhagavad-gita.

One lesson of the pastime of the removal of Yadu dynasty is that the Lord and His pastimes are truly inconceivable.

It makes sense that pastimes of the Lord would be so amazing that they would always be remembered because He is more qualified than all other beings.

Although Arjuna was one of the fiercest warriors on the planet, he was not afraid to show his emotions in public.

Comments by me:

From Krishna’s point of view, the happiness and distress of the body are truly insignificant. It is quoted in The Nectar of Devotion that Lord Shiva told Parvati, “A person situated in Krishna prema does not even feel the happiness and distress coming from the material body.”

Regarding Arjuna’s grief at the beginning of the chapter, it shows the great affection that the pure soul has for God.

The austerities of the Gosvamis were not performed to advance themselves in devotional service, but rather they were so absorbed in devotional service they naturally gave up material things.

Gopala Krishna Prabhu:

From a class at Krishna House on Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 1, Chapter 15:

By following guru, sadhu, and sastra we become more and more able hear Krishna as Paramatma within the heart.

We do not give people tulasi plants, but we give them seeds. It takes a lot of bhakti to grow tulasi plants successfully, so we do not give them away indiscriminately.

Although Akrura’s prayers are not the longest in the Bhagavatam, they exemplify a very nice mood.

Most of the time pujaris are engaged in cleaning.

If we are initiated we are at an advantage because we have made a lifelong commitment to follow the instructions of our guru.

Another benefit of having a guru is that you join his spiritual family, and then you have brothers and sisters looking after you.

Champakalata Devi Dasi:

From a class for new people at Krishna House on the topic of wealth:

If you want to understand how rich you are, count how many things that money cannot buy.

There are different kinds of wealth: emotional wealth, social wealth, health wealth.

Radhanath Swami says, “True happiness of the heart is to love and be loved.”

Everyone agrees that they would rather have unconditional love than conditional love.

Everyone wants a love that lasts forever.

Spiritual practice is to recognize it and to experience it.

No one can steal this wealth from us.

It is difficult to conceive of unconditional love although we have a desire for it.

At a Christian retreat center there was a sign that said, “God does not love you because you are worthy, but rather you are worthy because God loves you.”

Mayavada is offensive, but impersonalism is just a lack of understanding. I was on the yoga path before meeting the devotees, and I know many people who had an impersonal understanding. Many of these are now becoming more inclined to bhakti.

As a six grader I did an experiment on three frogs. I played rap music for two weeks, classical music for two weeks, and no music for two weeks. I measured the heart rate and breathing rate of the frogs and noted how often they jumped out of my hands. With the rap music, their heart and breathing rates were high, and they frequently jumped out of my hands. One of them even died. With classical music, their heart and breathing rates were low, and the peaceful frogs were not inclined to jump out of my hands. With no music, the result was in between the others.

Although in all traditions God has a feminine aspect, that is not often spoken of.

Presence: I am living without doing service in exchange for money for some time and sometimes I have $0 in my bank account, but the wealth I do have is trust which was not there when I was working for money.

-----

Srila Prabhupada kindly translated Srimad-Bhagavatam into English, and he engaged his followers in translating it into many other languages. In our temples, Srila Prabhupada wanted residents to discuss at least one verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam every morning. How auspicious is this Srimad-Bhagavatam? This verse gives us some idea.

yasyam vai sruyamanayam

krishne parama-purushe
bhaktir utpadyate pumsah
soka-moha-bhayapaha

Simply by one’s giving aural reception to this Vedic literature [Srimad-Bhagavatam], the feeling for loving devotional service to Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sprouts up at once to extinguish the fire of lamentation, illusion and fearfulness.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.7.7)

Are you tired of lamentation, illusion and fearfulness? Take the remedy recommended by the sages. Hear Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Festival of Jagannath Mishra
→ Ramai Swami

The day after Gaura Purnima, Jagannath Mishra festival is celebrated. Just as Nanda-baba celebrated Nandotsava on the appearance of Lord Sri Krishna, similarly, the wonderful appearance of the Lord increased the happiness of everyone in Srimati Sacidevi’s house. Both Sri Jagannatha Misra’s and Srimati Sacidevi’s hearts were joyous while looking at the Lord’s beautiful face. 

Sri Visvarupa would pick up his brother in his arms and smile gleefully at the Supreme Lord, the abode of all transcendental bliss.

Some chanted mantras of enchantments in the Lord’s room for His protection. The Vishnu Raksa mantra (invoking Lord Vishnu’s protection) or Devi mantra (invoking Durga devi’s protection) were chanted while some people circumambulated the Lord’s house.

The Festival of Jagannath Mishra is an observance of the Jata Karma samskara for baby Nimai (Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu). Following the fast for Gaura Purnima, which is broken upon the rising of the moon, the next day is held for feasting. On Jagannath Mishra festival day, the devotees meditate upon the Jata Karma ceremony.

Celebrating Gaura Purnima 2025: Kirtan, Drama, and Krishna Consciousness Awakening! March 14
→ Dandavats

By Dandavats Staff Writer

Bhaktivedanta Manor Presents: Gaura Purnima 2025. Sannyasa Awarding Ceremony in Mayapur. Glorification of Lord Caitanya in Vrindavan. The Pañca-tattva. Experiencing Krishna Through Love and Realization. Awakening from Maya: Seeing Krishna Everywhere. What if this is our last day on this planet? The history of Krishna lunch. Overcoming Death through Mercy – A tale of a Silent Book Distributor. BBT Announces the Śāstra Mandala Book Club in Celebration of Gaura Purnima. London tourists get the mercy on Gaura Purnima . Gaura Purnima Maha-Abhishek - March 14, 2025 Continue reading "Celebrating Gaura Purnima 2025: Kirtan, Drama, and Krishna Consciousness Awakening! March 14
→ Dandavats"

Sri Gaura-purnima
Giriraj Swami

We welcome you to the most auspicious celebration of Sri Gaura-purnima, the appearance day of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna Chaitanya. According to Vedic scriptures, the Absolute Truth is realized in three features: Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan. Impersonalist speculators want to merge and become one with God, with the impersonal brahmajyoti, which is nothing but the transcendental effulgence emanating from the divine body of Sri Krishna. Beyond the impersonal Brahman is Paramatma, the Lord within the heart, and the purusa-avataras—Karanodakasayi Vishnu, Garbhodakasayi Vishnu, and Ksirodakasayi Vishnu—are the soul of the universe, the soul of creation, the soul of souls. And beyond realization of the impersonal Brahman and localized Paramatma is realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, who is the source of Paramatma and Brahman.

That same Krishna who appeared about five thousand years ago appeared again some five hundred years ago as Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Why is it that Krishna, who came five thousand years ago and spoke the Bhagavad-gita and exhibited so many pastimes, came again? In the authorized scripture Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Lord Krishna’s thoughts after He had manifested His pastimes on earth five thousand years ago are recorded. These thoughts explain why He came again five hundred years ago as Sri Krishna Chaitanya.

We are all sitting here by the mercy of Sri Krishna Chaitanya and His followers in disciplic succession, especially His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. And practically every activity that takes place here is based on the instructions and example of Krishna Chaitanya. You can hardly find any aspect of the Krishna consciousness movement that is not based on His teachings and precedents. So it is very important—essential—to understand Him, because without understanding Him we cannot progress very far toward the ultimate goal of life.

We read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Chapter Three: “The External Reasons for the Appearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu”:

TEXTS 13–16

Lord Krsna enjoys His transcendental pastimes as long as He wishes, and then He disappears. After disappearing, however, He thinks thus:

“For a long time I have not bestowed unalloyed loving service to Me upon the inhabitants of the world. Without such loving attachment, the existence of the material world is useless.

“Everywhere in the world people worship Me according to scriptural injunctions. But simply by following such regulative principles one cannot attain the loving sentiments of the devotees in Vrajabhumi.

“Knowing My opulences, the whole world looks upon Me with awe and veneration. But devotion made feeble by such reverence does not attract Me.”

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

After His appearance, Lord Krsna thought that He had not distributed the transcendental personal dealings with His devotees in dasya, sakhya, vatsalya, and madhurya. One may understand the science of the Supreme Personality of Godhead from the Vedic literature and thus become a devotee of the Lord and worship Him within the regulative principles described in the scriptures, but one will not know in this way how Lord Krsna is served by the residents of Vrajabhumi. By following scriptural injunctions one may enhance his appreciation for the glories of the Lord, but there is no chance for one to enter into personal dealings with Him. Giving too much attention to understanding the exalted glories of the Lord reduces the chance of one’s entering into personal loving affairs with the Lord. To teach the principles of such loving dealings, the Lord decided to appear as Lord Caitanya.

TEXT 19

yuga-dharma pravartaimu nama-sankirtana
cari bhava-bhakti diya nacamu bhuvana

TRANSLATION

“I shall personally inaugurate the religion of the age—nama-sankirtana, the congregational chanting of the holy name. I shall make the world dance in ecstasy, realizing the four mellows of loving devotional service.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

The Lord came to introduce the yuga-dharma, the recommended process for self-realization, or God realization, in the present age, and that is nama-sankirtana, the chanting of the holy names of the Lord.

TEXT 20

apani karimu bhakta-bhava angikare
apani acari’ bhakti sikhaimu sabare

TRANSLATION

“I shall accept the role of a devotee, and I shall teach devotional service by practicing it Myself.”

PURPORT

When one associates with a pure devotee, he becomes so elevated that he does not aspire even for sarsti, sarupya, samipya, or salokya, because he feels that such liberation is a kind of sense gratification. Pure devotees do not ask anything from the Lord for their personal benefit. Even if offered personal benefits, pure devotees do not accept them, because their only desire is to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead by transcendental loving service.

COMMENT

This is a very important point. One may engage in devotional service externally, and that is very good, but what really matters in devotional service is the consciousness. We are living in the material world, which is composed of and influenced by the three modes of material nature: tamo-guna, rajo-guna, and sattva-guna—the modes of ignorance, passion, and goodness. Beyond even sattva-guna is suddha-sattva, or the state of vasudeva, which is transcendental to all three modes. Within the material world no one can be in pure ignorance, pure passion, or pure goodness. There is always some mixing of the different modes. Only when one comes to the transcendental platform is one freed from the influence of the modes.

Srila Prabhupada has explained different mentalities that one can have in the practice of devotional service. The same principles are enunciated in the Third Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Srila Prabhupada has phrased his explanation in a way that we can easily understand and relate to. Someone engaged in devotional service under the influence of the mode of ignorance will think, “I’m the only devotee. No one else here is a real devotee. I am the only one who is doing anything of value; everyone else is useless.” That is devotional service influenced by the mode of ignorance. In devotional service influenced by the mode of passion, one thinks, “I want to be the best devotee. I want to be known for being the best devotee.” Someone influenced by the mode of goodness will think, “I want to go back home, back to Godhead.” And someone who is transcendentally situated in pure devotional service will think, “I just want to please Krishna.”

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came to teach and show by His personal example pure devotional service in which a devotee has no selfish desire even to go back to Godhead. As Srila Prabhupada says, the pure devotee considers the liberation of going back to Godhead to be sense gratification. He wants only to serve the Lord. That is pure devotional service. That is what Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came to teach and exemplify, and that is what Srila Prabhupada also taught and exemplified and wanted us to follow.

PURPORT (continued)

Therefore, when the Lord took the place of the incarnation of Kali-yuga to spread the glories of chanting Hare Krsna . . .

COMMENT

This too is an important point—that Krishna Himself does not come in every Kali-yuga as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and that Krishna Himself doesn’t come in every Dvapara-yuga. There is a yuga-avatara, or incarnation, every Satya-yuga, every Treta-yuga, every Dvapara-yuga, and every Kali-yuga, but only once in a day of Brahma, which is about four billion three hundred and twenty million years, will Krishna, the original Personality of Godhead, come in Dvapara-yuga, and only once in a day of Brahma will Krishna come again as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Kali-yuga—the Kali-yuga immediately following the Dvapara-yuga in which Krishna appears. How fortunate we are to be living in the Kali-yuga in which Sri Krishna Chaitanya appeared!

When Lord Chaitanya was present, He predicted, prthivite ache yata nagaradi-grama, sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama: “In every town and village on the surface of the earth, My name [Krishna’s name] will be preached.” That prediction seemed almost inconceivable. Yes, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu spread Krishna consciousness throughout India, but the idea of spreading Krishna consciousness throughout the world seemed impossible. Even followers of Lord Chaitanya thought He might be speaking in a poetic or metaphorical way, not that it would actually happen. In Sri Caitanya-mangala Srila Locana dasa Thakura explains that Lord Chaitanya appeared and preached in Navadvipa to establish the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra as the religious process for the Age of Kali. Lord Chaitanya said, “I want to flood the whole world with the chanting of the holy names. I will personally preach and flood India with the holy name. Later, My commander-in-chief devotee [senapati bhakta] will come, preach in distant countries, and flood the world with the chanting of Hare Krishna.”

A very special soul would be entrusted to carry out this otherwise-impossible assignment. And that, we know, was His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He left this world in 1977, only thirty-three years ago. So anyone older than thirty-three was on the planet at the same time as Srila Prabhupada, the senapati bhakta who was personally sent by Krishna, by Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And we are sitting in a temple within his society that was established by one of his direct disciples, Sripada Tamal Krishna Goswami. We have an amazing opportunity, and we should understand how fortunate we are to have this opportunity and take full advantage of it. How? We first have to understand what that means. We have to understand what Lord Chaitanya and Srila Prabhupada came to give us, so that we can recognize it and accept it.

Lord Chaitanya said, “I shall accept the role of a devotee, and I shall teach devotional service by practicing it Myself.” In the purport Srila Prabhupada says, “Therefore, when the Lord took the place of the incarnation of Kali-yuga . . .” In other words, the Lord Himself doesn’t personally come to be the yuga-avatara in every Kali-yuga.

PURPORT (concluded)

When the Lord took the place of the incarnation of Kali-yuga to spread the glories of chanting Hare Krsna—the system of worship recommended in this age—He also distributed the process of devotional service performed on the platform of transcendental spontaneous love. To teach the highest principles of spiritual life, the Lord Himself appeared as a devotee in the form of Lord Caitanya.

COMMENT

Now I will read from another section of Caitanya-caritamrta about two of the most important principles of devotional service that Lord Chaitanya taught and that we are meant to learn and adopt. This discussion took place between Lord Chaitanya and the Mayavadi sannyasis in Benares. In the Shankara-sampradaya it is expected that sannyasis will study Vedanta, and Varanasi is full of Mayavadis, full of followers—or so-called followers—of Shankaracharya. When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came to Varanasi, He performed hari-nama-sankirtana, nagara-sankirtana, and thousands of people joined Him, but the Mayavadi sannyasis, impersonal sannyasis who want to realize Brahman, could not understand the transcendental activities of the Lord. They thought that the Lord’s activities were material. That’s why they are called Mayavadis, because they themselves are material, on the material platform, and they see the Lord—His name, His form, His qualities, His pastimes, His service—as material, as maya. They think that the Deity is material, that in the beginning we may focus on the Deity but that when we are advanced enough, we go beyond the Deity and merge and become one with the impersonal light. In other words, they are atheists.

There is a very nice verse in the Padma Purana saying that anyone who thinks that the Deity is just stone, who thinks that the guru is an ordinary human being, who thinks that a Vaishnava belongs to a certain caste or community, is a resident of hell. That word is used—naraki.

arcye visnau sila-dhir gurusu nara-matir vaisnave jati-buddhir . . .
sri-visnor namni mantre sakala-kalusa-he sabde-samanya buddhir . . .
yasya va naraki sah

“One who considers the worshipable Deity of Lord Vishnu to be mere stone, the spiritual master to be an ordinary human being, a Vaishnava to belong to a particular caste, and the mantra of the holy name of Vishnu, which destroys all impurities, to be a material vibration, is a resident of hell.” (Padma Purana)

So just consider: If you think the Deity is made of stone—of course, in theory we may say that the Deity is Krishna, but to what extent do we actually believe that the Deity is Krishna, as shown by our behavior? If one thinks that the spiritual master is an ordinary person—and again we may outwardly show respect, but the real test is to what extent we follow the spiritual master’s instructions. If we think that a Vaishnava belongs to a certain community or ethnic group—for example, if I think, “That’s an American Vaishnava,” or an African Vaishnava, a Mexican Vaishnava, or Bengali Vaishnava or Gujarati Vaishnava—that is a hellish mentality (naraki sah).

To really benefit from what Lord Chaitanya and Srila Prabhupada came to give us, we have to understand what they taught and practiced, so that we can follow their instructions and example. I was discussing Lord Chaitanya’s speaking with the Mayavadi sannyasis. There was a meeting of all the sannyasis of Varanasi, and the leader of the Mayavadi sannyasis asked Lord Chaitanya, “Why don’t you study Vedanta? All sannyasis are supposed to study Vedanta.” Lord Chaitanya replied, guru more murkha dekhi’ karila sasana: “My spiritual master considered Me a fool, and therefore he chastised Me.”

This shows what should be the mood of a disciple in relation to the spiritual master. As Srila Prabhupada said, one should always feel oneself to be a fool and be ready to be chastised by the guru. In the bodily concept of life we feel insulted: “How dare he call me a fool! Doesn’t he know who I am?” One of Lord Chaitanya’s chief disciples was Srila Sanatana Gosvami, a very learned scholar. He was fluent in Sanskrit and Persian and knowledgeable in scriptures and philosophy, but when he approached Lord Chaitanya, he told Him, “In ordinary dealings people call me a learned scholar, pandit, but I am such a pandit that I do not even know who I am or what is the goal of life. So please instruct me.”

When we come to that position where we feel that we are fools who need to be instructed, we can approach a spiritual master. The same sort of incident took place in the Bhagavad-gita. In the beginning, Arjuna was speaking with Krishna more or less on an equal level, talking as friends. Krishna was telling Arjuna that he should fight, and Arjuna was coming up with so many reasons why he should not fight. From a certain point of view, the reasons may have sounded good, but in the end, Arjuna came to the point where he admitted he really didn’t know what he should do. And then he told Krishna (like Sanatana Gosvami, in a way), “Now I am confused about my duty.” Sisyas te ’ham sadhi mam tvam prapannam: “Now I am surrendering to You as Your disciple. Please instruct me.”

karpanya-dosopahata-svabhavah
  prcchami tvam dharma-sammudha-cetah
yac chreyah syan niscitam bruhi tan me
  sisyas te ’ham sadhi mam tvam prapannam

 “Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of miserly weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me for certain what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.” (Gita 2.7) And from that point, when Arjuna surrendered to Krishna as his spiritual master, Krishna was able to instruct him and spoke the Bhagavad-gita.

Guru more murkha dekhi’ karila sasana. Lord Chaitanya said, “My spiritual master considered Me to be a fool, and he chastised Me. He told Me, ‘You are not qualified to study Vedanta philosophy.’ ” Was Lord Chaitanya unqualified? He is Krishna Himself. In the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna says, vedanta-krd veda-vid: “I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.” But Lord Chaitanya was showing us the example that we should not be so proud that we think we can understand Vedanta, because in Kali-yuga you really can’t understand Vedanta. He was setting the example. “My spiritual master considered Me a fool and said, ‘You are not qualified to study Vedanta philosophy, and therefore You must always chant the holy name of Krishna.’ ” And Lord Chaitanya said, “I took the instructions of My spiritual master to heart and I always chant the holy name, but while chanting, I lose Myself, and thus I laugh, cry, dance, and sing just like a madman. I began to think that My knowledge was being covered, so I approached My spiritual master for clarification.”

I will read that verse and purport. It is a very short purport. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Chapter 7: “Lord Caitanya in Five Features.”

TEXT 80

“I saw that I had become mad by chanting the holy name, and I immediately submitted this at the lotus feet of My spiritual master.”

PURPORT

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as an ideal teacher, shows us how a disciple should deal with his spiritual master. Whenever there is doubt regarding any point, he should refer the matter to his spiritual master for clarification. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that while chanting and dancing He had developed the kind of mad ecstasy that is possible only for a liberated soul. Yet even in His liberated position, He referred everything to His spiritual master whenever there were doubts. Thus in any condition, even when liberated, we should never think ourselves independent of the spiritual master, but must refer to him as soon as there is some doubt regarding our progressive spiritual life.

COMMENT

There are details in how to apply this, but it is the principle that even when we are liberated, we are not independent. We are still subservient to the spiritual master and are meant to be under his control.

Lord Chaitanya’s spiritual master was very pleased, because he could understand that Lord Chaitanya had developed ecstatic love for Godhead. This is the benefit of chanting the holy names of Krishna properly. There are offenses to be considered when one chants the holy name, and if one commits offenses while chanting, one will not get the desired result. Caitanya-caritamrta says bahu janma, that one can chant the holy name for many lifetimes, hundreds of lifetimes, thousands of lifetimes, but that if one’s chanting is infested with offenses, one will not get pure love of Godhead, which is meant to be the result of the chanting. So, it is understood that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was chanting without offense. Of course, He was Krishna, but as a devotee He was chanting without offense. Therefore He developed ecstatic symptoms of love of Godhead, and His spiritual master was very pleased. It is said that the spiritual master takes more pleasure when he sees a disciple advance than when he himself advances. If a disciple becomes a pure devotee, then the spiritual master can say that his mission is a complete success.

I will skip ahead to an important verse and purport, a short purport:

TEXT 91

bhala haila, paile tumi parama-purusartha
tomara premete ami hailan krtartha

This is Lord Chaitanya’s spiritual master speaking to Him:

TRANSLATION

“It is very good, my dear child, that You have attained the supreme goal of life by developing love of Godhead. Thus You have pleased me very much, and I am very much obliged to You.”

PURPORT

According to the revealed scriptures, if a spiritual master can convert even one soul into a perfectly pure devotee, his mission in life is fulfilled. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura always used to say, “Even at the expense of all the properties, temples and mathas that I have, if I could convert even one person into a pure devotee, my mission would be fulfilled.”

COMMENT

We have heard about Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, that he constructed a beautiful marble temple in Calcutta, the Bhag Bazaar Gaudiya Matha, to preach Krishna consciousness, but that his disciples, who were quite neophyte and materialistic, began to fight over the property—who would occupy which room, who would have which position. When he was on parikrama in Vrindavan—this was one of the rare times that Srila Prabhupada got to be with his spiritual master personally—Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura told Prabhupada, “There will be fire in this Gaudiya Matha.” He could see that there would be the fire of conflict and party interest. He said, “I have built this beautiful marble temple, but now I am seeing that my disciples are quarreling. If I could, I would sell the marble and use that money to print books.” Then he told Srila Prabhupada, “I had a desire to print some books. If you ever get money, print books.” And that direct instruction from his spiritual master became Srila Prabhupada’s guiding principle in his mission. Of course, he did everything, because it is all part of the process: he established Deities, he established farm projects, he established schools, he did everything, but he took the instruction of his spiritual master to print and distribute books to heart. So, Prabhupada is quoting his guru maharaja here:

PURPORT (concluded)

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura always used to say, “Even at the expense of all the properties, temples and mathas that I have, if I could convert even one person into a pure devotee, my mission would be fulfilled.” It is very difficult, however, to understand the science of Krishna, what to speak of developing love of Godhead. Therefore if by the grace of Lord Caitanya and the spiritual master a disciple attains the standard of pure devotional service, the spiritual master is very happy. The spiritual master is not actually happy if the disciple brings him money, but when he sees that a disciple is following the regulative principles and advancing in spiritual life, he is very glad and feels obliged to such an advanced disciple.

COMMENT

Of course, we accept money to use in Krishna’s service, but not at the expense of following the regulative principles of devotional service. So, Srila Prabhupada presents this dichotomy. The two don’t have to be opposed to each other, but they can be, because money is such a thing that even devotees who are trying to make advancement get bewildered by it. Money is such a thing.

On a morning walk on Juhu Beach, Srila Prabhupada said that money is simply a botheration; it is simply trouble. To get money is a problem, to hold onto the money is a problem, and when you lose the money, that’s also a problem. At every stage, money is a problem. So, here Srila Prabhupada says that the spiritual master is not actually happy if the disciple brings him money, but when he sees that a disciple is following the regulative principles and advancing in spiritual life, he is very glad and feels obliged to such an advanced disciple.

Reading this reminded me of an incident in Juhu, Bombay, where, as many of you know, Srila Prabhupada established a big, beautiful temple. One evening Srila Prabhupada was sitting on the terrace of one of the buildings at the back. This was before we actually got permission to build anything on the property. There were some tenement buildings with tenants, and one of the tenants left, so at least we had one apartment where Srila Prabhupada could stay. So, he was sitting on the terrace one evening, and his disciple Haridas was fanning him. At seven o’clock Srila Prabhupada said to Haridas, “Did you hear that?” Haridas strained to hear, but he said, “No.” Srila Prabhupada said, “You don’t hear the sound of kirtan coming from the temple?” Haridas Prabhu listened and said, “No, Srila Prabhupada, I don’t.” And Srila Prabhupada said, “That is exactly the point. There is no kirtan in the temple. It is arati time, but there is no kirtan in the temple. Where are all the devotees?” Haridas Prabhu said, “Well, Srila Prabhupada, they must have gone to the city to collect for the project and haven’t come back yet.” Actually, there was a little speculation there, because it just so happened that that night we were performing kirtan on the request of one of our best life members and donors, whose mother had passed away, so it wasn’t quite what Haridas said, but Prabhupada’s point is very instructive.

Srila Prabhupada said, “This was not my idea, that the devotees should go to the city and collect all day and night. Our process is to please Krishna. They may go at nine in the morning and return by five in the evening and then chant in front of the Deities. Otherwise, they will become like karmis.” Then he asked Haridas, “Do you know why we were successful in getting this land?” There had been a big struggle. If any of you have read Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta—and I do recommend that every devotee read it—you would know that the owner of the land, Mr. Nair, was a prominent person in Bombay. He had been the sheriff, owned one of Bombay’s three English daily newspapers, and was wealthy and influential. So, Srila Prabhupada asked Haridas, “Do you know why we were successful and Mr. Nair wasn’t? We are successful because we try to please Krishna and Krishna is merciful and reciprocates with us. Otherwise, Mr. Nair was much more powerful than we. He had money, influence, his own daily newspaper¾he had contacts, so many politicians and government officers. And who were we? We had no money, no influence, and no support. Yet we were successful because we were simply trying to please Krishna, following the regulative principles of devotional service¾by Krishna’s grace.

“So, we should come and sing and dance in front of the Deities and please Them, and by Their grace we will get all success. We are not successful by our own strength; we are successful by Krishna’s grace.”

This is a very important principle in devotional service: Whatever we do, we should do for the pleasure of Krishna, and then depend on His mercy. We cannot be successful by our own independent endeavors. There is a saying that without the mercy of Lord Chaitanya, even easy things become difficult, and that with the mercy of Lord Chaitanya, even difficult things become easy. So, we should endeavor to please Lord Chaitanya, to please the Deities, to please Srila Prabhupada, by following their instructions and adopting their mood. And by that endeavor, under proper guidance, we will be successful in our own personal spiritual lives and successful in preaching, in spreading the mission of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

On this auspicious occasion we pray to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu and Their associates to bless us to become free from the anarthas and avidya within our hearts, to purify our hearts and empower us to serve Them properly as They would like. That’s the only way we can be successful.

Upon his arrival in America, Srila Prabhupada wrote a beautiful poem. Not knowing anyone, not having any money, not having any influence, he prayed to Lord Krishna—the same mood was there from the very beginning, until the very end—“How will I be able to convince them of Your message? Most of the population here is covered by the material modes of passion and ignorance. How will I convince them?” It is a beautiful poem, and we should study it. It is in Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta. We should study whatever we can about Srila Prabhupada. In his poem, Srila Prabhupada wrote, “I have been designated as Bhaktivedanta.” Bhakti means “devotion,” and vedanta means “knowledge,” or the end of knowledge. He said, “I have been designated as Bhaktivedanta, but I have no devotion, nor do I have any knowledge. But You are the most expert mystic, and Your causeless mercy can make everything possible. I am simply praying for Your mercy so that I will be able to convince them about Your message.”

And then, at the very end, he said, “I am just like a puppet in Your hands.” Just like a puppet. What life does a puppet have? None. It is a limp doll. That was Prabhupada’s humility. He wrote, “I am just like a puppet in Your hands, so if You have brought me here to dance, then make me dance, make me dance. O Lord, make me dance as You like.”

That should be our mood—just puppets in the hands of our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, the previous acharyas, the Deities. “Make me Your puppet. I have no capacity on my own. Make me Your puppet, O Lord, and make me dance as You like.” In that mood we can get this priceless treasure that Lord Chaitanya came to the world to give and that Srila Prabhupada came to the West and traveled all over the world to give us. We pray for their mercy that we may open our hearts to the gift they came to give us and see it in the proper mood. When we truly accept it in our hearts, then we can also give it to others, share it with others, and that’s the second half—to accept it and then to share it.

Hare Krishna.

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Gaura-purnima, February 28, 2010, Houston]

Gaura Purnima 2025: A Global Celebration of Devotion, Joy, and Spiritual Unity! March 13
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By Dandavats Staff Writer

A heartfelt message from Govardhan Das, the new Chair of the GBC, extending blessings to devotees worldwide, emphasizing the joy of devotion and Krishna's Holy Names. The celebration of Gaura Purnima 2025 is highlighted by HG Praghosa Prabhu, stressing Lord Caitanya's kindness and Srila Prabhupada's teachings on chanting, dancing, and feasting. The festival in Mayapur is described as the most significant of the year, featuring rituals like Ganga Puja and abhiseka of Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Continue reading "Gaura Purnima 2025: A Global Celebration of Devotion, Joy, and Spiritual Unity! March 13
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Gaura Purnima
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Caitanya Mahaprabhu was born in Mayapur in the town of Nadia just after sunset on the evening of the 23rd Phalguna (1407 Sakadba), answering to the 18th of February 1486 of the Christian Era.

The moon was eclipsed at the time of His birth, and the people of Nadia were then engaged, as was usual on such occasions, in bathing in the Bhagirathi with loud cheers of Haribol. His father, Jagannatha Misra, a poor ‘brahmana’ of the Vedic order, and His mother, Saci-devi, a model good woman, both descended from ‘brahmana’ stock originally residing in Sylhet.

Mahaprabhu was a beautiful child, and the ladies of the town came to see Him with presents. His mother’s father, Pandita Nilambara Cakravarti, a renowned astrologer, foretold that the child would be a great personage in time; and he, therefore, gave him the name Visvambhara. The ladies of the neighbourhood styled him Gaurahari on account of His golden complexion, and His mother called Him Nimai on account of the ‘nimba’ tree near which He was born. 

Reason for appearance

Lord Krishna thought in Goloka, “I shall personally inaugurate the religion of the age; nama-sankirtana, the congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord in the form of Lord Gauranga. By accepting the role of a devotee, I shall make the whole world dance in ecstasy, and thus realize the four mellows of loving devotional service. In this way, I shall teach devotional service to others by personally practicing it, for whatever a great personality does, common people will follow. Of course, My plenary portions can establish the religious principles for each age, but only I can bestow the kind of loving devotional service which is performed by the residents of Vraja.”

Besides this secondary reason for Lord Krishna to appear once more, taking the form of a devotee, there is another confidential purpose of a very personal nature. Even though Lord Krishna had tasted the essence of loving mellows by performing His conjugal pastimes in the company of the gopis, He was not able to fulfill three desires.

Therefore, after His disappearance, the Lord thought, “Although I am the Absolute Truth, and the reservoir of all rasas, I cannot understand the strength of Radharani’s love, with which She always overwhelms Me. Indeed, the love of Radharani is My teacher, and I am Her dancing pupil, for Her love makes Me dance in various novel ways. Whatever pleasure I get from tasting My love for Srimati Radharani, She relishes ten million times more, by Her love. Although there is nothing greater than Radha’s love, since it is all pervading, it nonetheless expands constantly and is completely devoid of pride. There is nothing purer than Radha’s love, and yet its behavior is always perverse and crooked.”

“Sri Radhika is the highest abode of love, and I am its only object. I taste the bliss to which the object is entitled, but Radha’s pleasure is ten million times greater than Mine. Therefore, My mind becomes mad to taste the pleasure that is experienced by the abode of love, although I cannot do so. Only if I can somehow become the abode of that love, will I be able to experience its joy.”

This was one desire that increasingly blazed in Lord Krishna’s heart. Then, upon seeing His own beauty, Lord Krishna began to consider as follows: “My sweetness is unlimitedly wonderful. Only Radhika can taste the complete nectar of My sweetness, by the strength of Her love, which acts just like a mirror whose clarity increases at every moment. Although My sweetness, being without limit, seemingly has no room for expansion, it shines forth with newer and newer beauty, and thus constantly competes with the mirror of Radharani’s love, as they both go on increasing without admitting defeat.” “Devotees taste My sweetness according to their respective love, and if I see that sweetness reflected in a mirror, I also become tempted to taste it, although I cannot. Upon deliberation, I find that the only way I can relish My sweetness is to take the position of Srimati Radharani.”

This was Lord Krishna’s second desire, and His third desire was expressed while thinking as follows: “Everyone says that I am the reservoir of all transcendental bliss, and indeed, all the world derives pleasure from Me alone. Who then could give Me pleasure? I think that only someone having a hundred times more qualities than Myself could give pleasure to My mind, but such a person is impossible to find.”

“And yet, in spite of the fact that My beauty is unsurpassed, and gives pleasure to all who perceive it, the sight of Srimati Radharani gives pleasure to My eyes. Although the vibration of My flute attracts everyone within the three worlds, My ears become enchanted by the sweet words spoken by Radharani. Although My body lends its fragrance to the entire creation, the scent of Radharani’s limbs captivates My mind and heart. Although there are various tastes due to Me alone, I become charmed by the nectarean taste of Radharani’s lips. Although My touch is cooler than ten million moons, I become refreshed by the touch of Srimati Radharani. Thus, in spite of the fact that I am the source of happiness for the entire world, the beauty and attributes of Sri Radhika are My very life and soul.”

Desiring to understand the glory of Radharani’s love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness that She feels upon realizing the sweetness of His love, the Supreme Lord, Gauranga-Krishna, decided to appear in a form that was richly endowed with Her emotions.