Planet ISKCON

Fredericton, New Brunswick

Super Special Day

There is an expected rule for covid restrictions and therefore we have limited attendance for our extended festival of Govardhan, here in the province of New Brunswick. Nevertheless, those who came to the location, the home of Kadamba Priya, had a sweet time. Now, today, Sunday, November 7, we take on dutifully an event to honour our world teacher, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who passed away in 1977. It is an anniversary celebration today and we will remember him, sadly but gloriously, for the great contribution he has made.

What did he do for the world and, to better express it, what does he continue to do for humankind? The gifts he has offered us may be too many to list but let us begin with saying that he turned people’s lives around for the better. It begins with his making clear our true identity. We are spirits – servants to the world. We are not these bodies. We are the engine; the heart of the machine (the body).

Our priority is this: to come to terms with our actual nature in taking care of the needs of others and that of our maker, Krishna. There is the need to rekindle our connection with God. To do that we take measures to remove obstacles that stand in the way of achieving that ignored relationship.

Prabhupada insisted that we reconnect, that we love again, and what helps is looking at lowering bad habits. Clear-mindedness and challenging the mental clutter is a way forward. We live in a confused world with misdirection and imbalance being the norm. What he has left us is his good guidance through his books, letters, and conversations. Take advantage of that compassion. Make a commitment today to make needed personal improvements and better the world.

May the Source be with you!

8km

 

The article below appeared in NPR: News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville. Meet Alfred Ford, the great-grandson of Henry Ford and a Gainesville resident When most people hear the name “Ford,” they think of cars. But one heir to the company wanted to change that in his […]

The post Meet Alfred Ford, the great-grandson of Henry Ford and a Gainesville resident appeared first on ISKCON News.

Alfred Ford, 71, is the great-grandson of American industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1950 to Josephine Ford, the only granddaughter of Henry. That was three years after Henry died in 1947.

The disappearance day of Srila Prabhupada is observed by his followers by offering prayers to him and feeling his separation. Simultaneously, heartfelt gratitude is also expressed to please his divine grace and seek his blessings.

Once, on his guru maharaja’s disappearance day, Srila Prabhupada said, “On the absolute platform, there is no difference between the appearance and the disappearance of the spiritual master. Both are beautiful, just like the sunrise and the sunset.” So, although we feel separation, within that separation our remembrance of Srila Prabhupada is heightened, and thus we experience the beauty of his presence—in separation.

Srila Prabhupada’s departure is a painful topic, but remembering Srila Prabhupada’s words that the disappearance is also beautiful, I wanted to share with you a lesson I learned from his departure.

A few days before he was to leave us, Srila Prabhupada expressed a desire to travel by bullock cart to different holy places in India. His Holiness Lokanath Swami had been traveling by bullock cart to different places of pilgrimage, and Srila Prabhupada was very enlivened when Lokanath Swami reported to him in Vrindavan. And Prabhupada said that he too would like to go on pilgrimage on a bullock cart. He asked Lokanath Swami to arrange it, and Lokanath Swami was enthusiastic, having been encouraged by Prabhupada in such a direct way. He immediately went to organize the cart and make all the arrangements. Govardhana-puja was to take place in a couple of days, and Prabhupada said that he would begin his pilgrimage by traveling on a bullock cart to Govardhana Hill to celebrate Govardhana-puja with the Vraja-vasis.

At that time, Srila Prabhupada was bedridden and, one could say, emaciated. He was unable to eat, and he was able only to sip a little liquid. So he was very gaunt and weak, with almost no energy. He would just lie on his bed, and sometimes, with great difficulty, he would speak softly, often so faintly that only those very close to him could hear his words.

There were many devotees in the room when Srila Prabhupada had his exchange with Lokanath Swami. And immediately after the discussion ended and devotees went outside, they began to express two strong, heartfelt opinions about what Srila Prabhupada should do—and, more than that, how we as disciples should relate to Srila Prabhupada and serve him.

One group, which included Lokanath Swami and other esteemed, senior disciples, such as Hamsaduta Prabhu and Baradraj Prabhu, felt that we should just do what the spiritual master orders. We shouldn’t question his order; we should just execute it. And some of the other disciples, many of whom had been attending to Prabhupada’s personal care, felt that Prabhupada’s health would not sustain his travels on a bullock cart and that, because he was so emaciated (he had practically no flesh on his bones), it would be very painful for him to go. Even if they padded the cart with a mattress, it would still be a basic bullock cart, and the roads in Vraja were very rough, so the movement of the cart would jostle Prabhupada and he would feel pain. Some devotees feared that he might even give up his body on the way. So, they did not want him to be subjected to what they foresaw as certain pain—and perhaps the dire consequence of his death.

But this second position was very difficult to maintain under the circumstances, because Srila Prabhupada was so emphatic. “Let me travel to all the tirtha-sthanas,” he had said—to all the holy places. And whatever objections devotees had raised against the proposal, he had countered. “One-day experiment,” he had pleaded. “Rest assured. I will not die in one day.” When even Prabhupada’s kaviraja had predicted that with all the jostling on the bullock cart, Prabhupada would not survive more than two hours, Prabhupada had replied, “But I think I shall be cured.” Still, Tamal Krishna Goswami, Bhakti Charu Swami, Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaja, Bhavananda Maharaja, and others felt strongly that this “experiment” would have dire consequences. But how to convince Prabhupada?

So, the controversy continued. When Prabhupada said, “I think I shall be cured,” Hamsaduta and others took it that he was supporting their position. But the other side took it differently: “What does it mean that he is going to be cured? It means that he is going to leave his body and get a spiritual body. That’s how he is going to get cured.” Each party was seeing things in a particular way that supported its particular point of view.

Finally, things came to the stage where the bullock cart was waiting outside the gates of the Krishna-Balaram Mandir. Everything was being readied. And for the devotees who were in the mood that Srila Prabhupada should stay, it must have been like when the residents of Vrindavan saw Akrura getting the chariot ready to take Krishna to Mathura.

The evening before the planned parikrama, Srila Prabhupada was lying on his bed (many of you have seen his bed in his house in Vrindavan). Bhakti Charu Swami was in the room, and Srila Prabhupada’s godbrother Akincana Krishna dasa Babaji Maharaja came to visit. Babaji Maharaja was a very advanced devotee; Srila Prabhupada had said that he was a paramahamsa. He was always engaged in hari-nama—absorbed in hari-nama—and he was always blissful. And he and Prabhupada had an extraordinarily affectionate relationship. So, Bhakti Charu Swami thought, “Let me appeal to Babaji Maharaja. If he asks Prabhupada not to go, then Prabhupada may listen.” So, he was speaking with Babaji Maharaja.

In the meantime, Tamal Krishna Goswami and Bhavananda Maharaja were upstairs in what had been Prabhupada’s bedroom before his bed had been moved down some months earlier. And while Babaji Maharaja was sitting at Prabhupada’s bedside, they came down—in a very emotional state. Prabhupada was aware of what they were thinking, and he asked, “So, you request me not to go?” And Tamal Krishna Goswami responded, “Srila Prabhupada, we were getting so upset. Two devotees told me this road is so bad that if you go on this road you’re going to be jolted back and forth. The road is terrible. I just can’t understand, Srila Prabhupada, why it has to be tomorrow that we have to go. If anybody wants you to travel, I do. But why do we have to go when you’re in this condition? I can’t understand it.”

“All right,” said Srila Prabhupada. “I will not go.”

“Thank you, Srila Prabhupada,” said Bhavananda. “I was in too much anxiety.”

“No, no, I cannot put you in anxiety. I shall do what you like. My left hand and my right hand—I cannot refuse.”

Then Tamal Krishna said, “Actually, Srila Prabhupada, we’re so attached to you that you practically drive us to madness sometimes. Tonight we were becoming mad.” Prabhupada said, “No, I shall not do that.” And to Babaji Maharaja he said, “Just see how much they love me.” Then Tamal Krishna said, “Srila Prabhupada, the way you deal with us simply deepens our attachment every moment.” And Prabhupada replied, “It is my duty.”

For the devotees in the room, it was a jubilant occasion that Prabhupada had agreed to wait. As Tamal Krishna Goswami had said, “We will take you on tirtha-yatra, to all the places. Just get a little stronger.” But when the news reached the other group, they were upset: “This is not our duty as disciples, to try to prevail upon our spiritual master. Our duty is to execute his will. He said that he wants to go by bullock cart to Govardhana, and our duty is to arrange for what he wants. Our duty is not to advise him or prevail upon him according to our perception.” The controversy continued until the end—the anniversary of which is today.

Prabhupada spent his last three days with his disciples at the Krishna-Balaram Mandir, and the last day he didn’t speak. His only words were in the morning, when the kaviraja asked him to drink some juice and he replied, “Meri kuch iccha nahin”: “I have no desire.” After that, Prabhupada didn’t speak. He was in a completely internal state of consciousness, and the devotees surrounded him with kirtan. For the last few hours, in the afternoon, the leaders opened up the doors to everyone. Young, old, children, men, women—all were allowed to be in the room with Srila Prabhupada and to reciprocate love with him. Then, at about 7:26 p.m., his tongue and mouth moved—Hare Krishna—and he left.

As for the controversy, it continued; even after Prabhupada left, the feelings still ran strong on both sides. And I still couldn’t determine who was right. There were devotees senior to me on both sides—devotees whom I respected and had served. Personally, I may have been closer to some of the ones engaged in Srila Prabhupada’s personal service, but still I wasn’t sure who was right. I just wasn’t sure, and it was on my mind.

It was my habit, or practice, to chant japa in Srila Prabhupada’s rooms (of course, not when he was there), and after he departed, I did that. I was in his room chanting japa, and behind his bed was an area with his bookshelves. So, I found a little corner there and was chanting japa, when somehow my eyes fell upon the new volume of Srimad-Bhagavatam that had just arrived—the Tenth Canto, Volume Two. It had been delivered into Srila Prabhupada’s hands in his last days. When the devotees had presented the book to Srila Prabhupada and he was looking at the pictures, everyone could see the love in his eyes. Tamal Krishna Goswami had remarked, “How much love for Krishna Prabhupada has,” as evident from the way Prabhupada had been looking at the pictures of Krishna. So, I saw the book. It had gold embossing, made especially for Srila Prabhupada. I opened it up, and it happened to open to Chapter Nine: “Mother Yasoda Binds Krsna.” I read a few verses and purports, and then I came to a verse that, to me, answered the question:

TEXT 19

evam sandarsita hy anga
  harina bhrtya-vasyata
sva-vasenapi krsnena
  yasyedam sesvaram vase

TRANSLATION

O Maharaja Pariksit, this entire universe, with its great, exalted demigods like Lord Siva, Lord Brahma, and Lord Indra, is under the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yet the Supreme Lord has one transcendental attribute: He comes under the control of His devotees. This was now exhibited by Krsna in this pastime.

COMMENT

The pastime is encapsulated in the previous verse:

TEXT 18

sva-matuh svinna-gatraya
  visrasta-kabara-srajah
drstva parisramam krsnah
  krpayasit sva-bandhane

TRANSLATION

Because of Mother Yasoda’s hard labor, her whole body became covered with perspiration, and the flowers and comb were falling from her hair. When child Krsna saw His mother thus fatigued, He became merciful to her and agreed to be bound.

COMMENT

When I read these verses, I thought, “This is what happened.” The spiritual master is the transparent medium through which Krishna manifests Himself. Of course, in vraja-bhakti the relationship with Krishna is different. In Vraja, Krishna exhibits nara-lila, humanlike pastimes, in which there is complete intimacy and freedom between the devotees and the Lord. In the relationship between the disciples and spiritual master, there is always an element of awe and reverence—and duty. Still, duty is meant to lead to love. And Srila Prabhupada did say to Babaji Maharaja, “Just see how much they love me.”

One month earlier, there had been another incident. Srila Prabhupada had stopped drinking. Previously, he had said that when his father had wanted to leave his body, he had stopped drinking, and that this was a bona fide way to give up one’s body when the time came. Prabhupada didn’t make any announcement or anything; he just stopped drinking.

Upendra dasa, a very sweet devotee who was Srila Prabhupada’s servant at the time, said to him innocently, “Prabhupada, you have to drink. If you don’t drink, you will become dehydrated. And Prabhupada said, “Oh, you want me to drink? Call the GBC.” That decision—whether Prabhupada should drink or not—was no small matter.

So, Abhirama informed the GBC, and the GBC and senior devotees came into the room. Prabhupada said, “If I want to survive, of course I’ll have to take something. But my survival means so many inconveniences. Therefore I have decided to die peacefully.”

“Everything is in the hands of Krishna,” said Tamal Krishna. And that had been the mood, coming from Srila Prabhupada: everything depended on Krishna. Many times, Prabhupada had said that he would accept whatever Krishna desired. If Krishna allowed him to stay, he would stay. And if Krishna wanted him to go, he would go. Previously, a disciple had asked Srila Prabhupada, “You said that your guru maharaja left early because he was disgusted. Is that the case with you?” And Srila Prabhupada had replied, “No. If Krishna allows me to stay in your association, I will be most happy to stay in your association.”

Now, however, Srila Prabhupada opened his eyes and said, “Krishna wants me to do as I like. The choice is mine. He has given me full freedom.” This was a different mood—a completely different answer. And it gave—and gives—us a glimpse into the intimate reciprocation between Krishna and Prabhupada.

We all went out into the anteroom and discussed. Kirtanananda Swami’s point was most clear and lucid and intelligent. “If Krishna has given Prabhupada the choice and Prabhupada is giving us the choice,” he said, “then we should ask Prabhupada to stay.” Everyone agreed: “Yes, we should ask him to stay.” Then a devotee said, “But all the GBC men aren’t here.” And Brahmananda retorted, “Come on. What GBC is going to say that they don’t want Prabhupada to stay?” So, it was decided, unanimously. We would go back into Prabhupada’s room and tell him that we wanted him to stay; Kirtanananda Swami would be the spokesman.

When we went back into the room, Prabhupada was lying quietly on his bed. As soon as we finished offering obeisances, Kirtanananda broke down and started sobbing. He couldn’t speak. Brahmananda, sitting behind him, rubbed his back to soothe him. Then Kirtanananda managed, “If Krishna has given you the choice, then don’t go! We need you!” Srila Prabhupada asked, “Is this your joint opinion? Have you discussed?” “Yes, we have all met together. We want you to remain and lead the movement and finish the Srimad-Bhagavatam.”

Prabhupada was silent for what seemed like an eternity. Then he yawned and said, “All right.” Just like that. He agreed to stay in such a nonchalant way. All the devotees were jubilant. Within ourselves, we were rejoicing: “Prabhupada is going to stay! Prabhupada’s going to stay! He is not going to leave us. He is going to finish Srimad-Bhagavatam. He is going to lead the movement.”

And Prabhupada said, “This is real affection.”

So, when I read this verse from the Tenth Canto, I thought of these two incidents and put them together. In both cases, when the disciples had expressed themselves—“We want you to stay,” “We want you to get healthy”—Prabhupada had said, “This is real love,” “Just see how much they love me.” So, I think that all the disciples in this controversy were acting on the basis of their realization of their devotion for Srila Prabhupada, but I believe that what Prabhupada really was doing was drawing out our loving sentiments—beyond our just following the order. Following the order is a given; there is no question. We have to follow the order of the spiritual master. To disobey the order of the spiritual master is an offense against the holy name. It is a basic principle of spiritual life. So, we are not talking about disobeying the order of the spiritual master; we are talking about developing loving feelings for the spiritual master and expressing them to him. When Srila Prabhupada brought us to that stage in those two incidents, he commented, “This is real love,” “Just see how much they love me.”

Relating the verse from the Tenth Canto to what Srila Prabhupada did with us, there’s also a parallel between the damodara-lila and that principle of spontaneous love. Every night during the month of Damodara, we recite the Damodarastaka, including verse three:

itidrk sva-lilabhir ananda-kunde
  sva-ghosam nimajjantam akhyapayantam
tadiyesita-jnesu bhaktair jitatvam
  punah prematas tam satavrtti vande

“By such pastimes He is drowning the inhabitants of Gokula in pools of ecstasy and revealing to those devotees who are absorbed in knowledge of His supreme majesty and opulence that He is only conquered by devotees whose pure love is imbued with intimacy and is free from all conceptions of awe and reverence. To this Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, whose belly is bound not with ropes but with His devotee’s pure love, I offer my humble obeisances.”

The damodara-lila shows pure, spontaneous love’s special power to conquer the Lord. The Lord comes under the control of such pure love. In the same way, Srila Prabhupada—not exactly that he came under the control of our love, but I would say that he brought that love out from deep within the recesses of our hearts, and then he reciprocated with us by coming under our control, by agreeing to our requests.

So, this is a very deep pastime of Srila Prabhupada’s. Among the disciples who were around him at the end, it was understood that he was the perfect acharya—he had taught us by his own example how to live in Krishna consciousness, and now he was teaching us how to die in Krishna consciousness. That was the general idea in those months and weeks, that he was showing us how to retire to a holy place and how to be absorbed in hearing the holy names of the Lord, and how up until the end, even in his delicate condition, he was trying to push forward the mission and was translating and dictating purports to Srimad-Bhagavatam—until the very end. In that way, he was showing us how to die in Krishna consciousness. But within that final lesson he also brought us to this more intimate level of exchange where we could express to him our heart’s deepest desires even in spite of the barriers that I would say he deliberately put up. He deliberately put up the barriers, but then he inspired us to break through them to reach out to him and express our love for him and ask him to stay with us.

Even though Srila Prabhupada has now left that body, we still have that choice: Do we want him to stay with us or not? And I remember that at that time, although we had been going along in the mood that whatever Krishna wanted was all right, when we understood what really should have been in our hearts—that we wanted him to stay—we thought, “Maybe we want to be the controllers, to be the enjoyers.” So, there is always that question: Do we want the kingdom of God without God, without God’s representative, or do we want the kingdom of God with God, with His representative, as their humble servants? And so I pray to Srila Prabhupada that I will always remember this lesson and always pray and act in such a way that he will be pleased to stay with each of us individually and all of us collectively, and bind us to his lotus feet eternally.

Hare Krishna.

[“Srila Prabhupada’s Departure—Drawing Out Love,” a talk by Giriraj Swami on Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day, November 14, 2007, Mayapur]

Trenton/Fredericton

Piece of the Great Trail

For Tyler and I, Trenton Park, with its trails, was a new discovery. Ravi knew the place but never went onto the trails. There are the dominant coniferous trees but not without the deciduous ones.

Ravi had done a wise thing the day before. He contacted New Glasgow’s town website, and notified folks maintaining it about my coming to town. So, on our walk on what is an extension of “the Great Trail” we met at least two couples who read the notice about the Walking Monk in town and offered congratulations.

For wildlife, we only sighted a chipmunk, hence there were two monks on the trail. The only thing is, I’m not gifted with climbing trees like the other guy. He’s agile, fast and chatters better than I can.

The trail trekking with Tyler was just great company for Ravi and I, and we accomplished a 5km stretch before Ravi and I left with his family for the next province, New Brunswick, to its capital city of Fredericton. The trip was a planned visit to a South Indian couple’s home. His name is also Ravi and it was at this place that we delighted in light kirtan chanting in honour of Krishna as the weight-lifter. Indeed, He hoisted that sacred hill, Govardhan, to protect His fellow villagers from a torrential deluge. Four families and I partook in a sweet ritual to revere a symbolic form of a hill placed on a chair that we circumambulated.

People here have many choices for how to spend a Friday night. We had our modest but fulfilling program set out for us.

May the Source be with you!

5km

 

Stellarton, Nova Scotia 

Lots of Gulabjamuns

Happy Diwali! Happy Govardhan Puja!

Two important days on the Vaishnava calendar are mentioned above. But, for that matter, every day is special. You have to make it that way.

Ravi, Daniel, and I were welcomed by the sun and urged by our own will to hit the Albion Trail, which merges with the Samson Trail; a former route for the local railway line in what is called rails to trails. Freight and passenger trains were once the major channels or mobilizing goods and people.

Regarding people, most of the pedestrians on this pathway, which edges along the East River of Pictou, are seniors which of course are precious entities. The problem with towns like this is that younger folks who grew up here depart for the bigger places like Halifax or Toronto. I’ve come to know that many business enterprises are individually trying to figure out how to keep or attract a younger generation. I imagine the issue is a global concern.

We met some fine people who came to visit. Tyler moved here from Hamilton. He’s in the food and restaurant business. Divyan’s now been here for three years and came from Toronto. He works as the Director of Community Development. Hamilton and Toronto are bigger places. So, we can see that some adjustments are in the making – at least in the district of New Glasgow/Stellarton.

By the way, Ravi hosted a small Diwali function at his home. A banker, moved from Toronto, came and so did a dentist as well as their families. We just had a great time. There were lots of questions. Lots of gulabjamun sweets.

 

May the Source be with you!

6 km

 

Stellarton, Nova Scotia

A Story and Trails

He was only twelve and at school he got confused. He thought maybe he should be a girl, and so he started doing some “new things,” such as putting nail polish on the fingernails. Some of the kids were making fun but he was supported by the staff. Some months had passed and he figured out that “maybe I am really a boy,” and he was relieved of confusion. Now, some years ago, he is the captain of his local hockey team and the path is more clear for him.

The above story was told to me by a relative of the boy. You can draw your own conclusions on the story. For me, it conjures up concerns about our school system. Should the system educate and enlighten or should it indoctrinate and confuse young students through its “sex education.”

I was told this story as I walked with a companion, along Albion Trail. I trekked with different co-walkers today, while at the Bedford Basin; Jitney Trail and Albion. Biting into an apple from abandoned trees along these pathways was irresistible. “Organic juice bodies,” is how I might describe the darlings. There was a fun sign at the beginning of the Jitney Trail, addressing dog walkers, saying that the poop fairy doesn’t do her job here. Nope, it’s a dog owner’s responsibility.

Daniel drove me to New Glasgow and its twin town, Stellarton. It’s the location of Sobey’s food empire headquarters and our gracious host, Ravi, is an employee. Ravi invited Mexican co-worker Samuel. We engaged in great conversation on metaphysical and higher consciousness.

May the Source be with you!

7 km

Happy Diwali!

 

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

 

A Dynamite of a Day

 

An interesting name for a pathway – the “Dynamite Trail.” Well, it does exist. I have the proof as I walked on it this morning. And I had the glory of trekking on the bridge overlooking the Mush-a-mush River. Beautiful sight! And the smells – nostril arousing – especially the pines.

 

This phenomenal trail led me to the South Shore Waldorf School where one of its teachers, Yogendra, offered me to speak to three of the classes. It was a stimulating day doing these classes – one on the story of Dhruva, another on “Saints” and finally the topic of pilgrimage. Indeed, I was dredging up memories of pedestrian pastimes and sharing them with youngsters and teens who are at an age wondering about their own futures.

 

I do like to think that my tales from trails urge some of them to journey to areas of adventure that will contribute to their further formation of good character. Nice school. Nice teachers! Nice building!

 

From the school, Yogendra drove us to his farm, a two-acre home with barns, garden and pasture, all situated on a ridge. Two of the teachers came by for company and there, after soup and bread, we read from the resilient book “Sri Isopanisad,” the first mantra which highlights the need for all entities to contribute to the function of the Whole. The follow-up discussion was enlivening.

 

Yogendra led us to his Highland breed of cows and his sheep. A good day! Peaceful creatures!

 

May the Source be with you!

4 km

 

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 22 November 2018, Surabhi-Kunda, Govardhana, India, Parikrama 2018 Lecture)

Our chanting is not based on a technique. I read a book that described that certain types of music create alpha waves, causing the brain to become very receptive. I thought, “Rubbish!” Even if it would work, it would only be a temporary fix. It would not be substantial at all because if we really want to chant, we have to become attracted to Krsna. That is how we come to the point of chanting attentively.

It is said that currently, our consciousness is invested in the sensual platform, therefore we take prasadam to satisfy these senses. For the mental platform, we have kirtana. For the intellectual platform, we have philosophy. We can intellectually make plans for Krsna. We can use our senses to do things for Krsna and in this way, they become purified and they will not harass us so much because, indriyani mano buddhir asyadhisthanam ucyate (Bhagavad-gita 3.40) – lust is situated in the senses, the mind and intelligence. It is lust that creates the problem. We chant, but influenced by lust, we cannot focus. By engaging the senses, mind and intelligence in service, lust diminishes and then our chanting will improve. Our absorption will improve in this way.

The article " Diminishing lust for improved chanting " was published on KKSBlog.

The article below appeared in WUFT News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Meet Alfred Ford, the great-grandson of Henry Ford and a Gainesville resident

When most people hear the name “Ford,” they think of cars. But one heir to the company wanted to change that in his own life.

He’s doing so from his home in Gainesville.

Alfred Ford, 71, is the great-grandson of American industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1950 to Josephine Ford, the only granddaughter of Henry. That was three years after Henry died in 1947.

The idea of working for the family company never appealed to Alfred Ford as he was growing up, even though members of the family, such as his grandfather, Edsel Ford, gave their lives to the business.

“I was always interested in the bigger questions. Who am I? Why am I here? How big is the universe? What’s on the other side of the universe? Who was God? What is my relationship with God?” Ford said.

He said he didn’t hear a lot of stories about his late great-grandfather. However, he did know one thing.

“Henry Ford kind of had two different sides to him,” his great-grandson said. “One of them was a genius, engineer and businessman. And the other one was a searcher after the truth and various religious paths. So I took after that side of it.”

And so Alfred Ford did that by joining the Hare Krishna movement.

Alfred Ford, 71, is the great-grandson of American industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford. (Photo courtesy of Alfred Ford)

The Hare Krishna movement, formally known as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), was founded in 1966. It now has 500 major centers around the world for its millions of members. According to the official website of the Hare Krishna movement, the movement “belongs to the Gaudiya-Vaishnava sampradaya, a monotheistic tradition within the Vedic or Hindu culture. Philosophically it is based on the Sanskrit texts Bhagavad-gita and the Bhagavat Purana, or Srimad Bhagavatam.”

Alfred Ford first became interested in the movement when he was 23 years old after seeing devotees chanting on the campus of Tulane University, where he studied.

“Immediately, the philosophy was very attractive to me,” Alfred Ford said.

Two years later, in 1975, he was initiated. Compared to his upbringing, which included boarding school at age 15, the Hare Krishna lifestyle was very different for him —so much that his spiritual master didn’t expect him to renounce everything.

“He knew that I was accustomed to a certain lifestyle. And when you become a Hare Krishna, you don’t necessarily have to give up everything…you utilize what you have to serve,” he said. “It’s very simple.”

Now, Alfred Ford and his wife of 37 years, Sharmila, are utilizing the family name to “help push forward the movement,” both in Gainesville and abroad. Since 2004, the couple has lived in Gainesville, and their two daughters, Anisha and Amrita, went to Oak Hall School.

One year after he was initiated into the movement, Ford had a conversation with the founder of the Hare Krishna movement, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, in Detroit. They talked about Prabhupada’s plans to build a big temple in Mayapur, which is the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, an incarnation of Krishna.

Ford said the conversation planted a seed in his heart to take up the challenge. But it wasn’t until 2009 that construction started on the Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir – Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. As chairman of the project, Ford has had to deal with several challenges over the years, such as a lack of cooperation from the communist government in West Bengal and, more recently, the pandemic.

“I put in quite a bit of seed money and that got the project off the ground,” he said. “I’m one of the people driving the agenda there, so it’s been a wonderful adventure.”

Despite all of the delays and difficulties, Ford hopes the temple opens by 2024 or 2025.

“Where I see the opening as being is when the deities, which is a form of Krishna that is in the temple that we offer our worship to, when they’re moved into the new temple from where they are now, I will consider that to be a grand opening,” Ford said. “I’m looking forward to that.”

Although Ford said most of his attention and energy is focused on the construction of the temple in India, he and his wife have stayed connected with the local Hare Krishna community in North Central Florida, which is one of the largest in the U.S.

“I just think that this community is wonderful, Gainesville and Alachua,” Ford said. “The people here are very fortunate to have such a wonderful temple and so many devotees that are doing outreach. If I was growing up here, I would feel very lucky to have so many opportunities to become enlightened.”

 

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Highlights of Govardhan Puja celebrated on 5 Nov 2021 at ISKCON Chowpatty

Persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh: with HG Amogha Lila Das!

* What's the reality for Hindus in Bangladesh? Is there hope for communal peace or is it just a mirage for Bangladesh?

* As vaisnavas, how do we respond to such violence?

* ISKCON trains people to become Brahmanas. Don't we also need Kshatriyas?

* How can we build more #unity amongst the Hindu community?

* What can ISKCON do to bridge the gap between themselves and the Hindu community?

Amogha Lila Das is a #spiritual leader and inspirational speaker, especially for the youth with over 1 million subscribers on youtube! He is the Vice President of #ISKCON Dwarka (New Delhi); B.Tech (Computer Science, Delhi University); Co-Faculty at IIMs Ahmedabad for teaching 'Principles, ethics and morality in leadership'; Director of #ISKCON Youth Forum Dwarka, for uplifting the character amongst youth; Co-Director and Corporate Trainer for V-SERVE (Vedic Solutions to #Empower Resources by #Value Education) – a spiritual corporate training wing. He also delivers weekly sessions at NSIT and has delivered sessions on stress management, anger management, conflict management etc. in companies like Max New York Life, Emami, Nestle, Maruti, Holland tractors, Ernest and Young, Prakash Industries to name a few.

Forty-four years ago this year, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada left this world for the divine abode of Sri Krishna and His pastimes. During his empowered life as a preacher of Krishna consciousness from 1965-1977, he accomplished more than practically any acharya in history, bringing the opportunity for the highest attainment of Goloka […]

The post Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance Day and the TOVP appeared first on ISKCON News.

Forty-four years ago this year, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada left this world for the divine abode of Sri Krishna and His pastimes. During his empowered life as a preacher of Krishna consciousness from 1965-1977, he accomplished more than practically any acharya in history, bringing the opportunity for the highest attainment of Goloka Vrindaban to millions of souls throughout the world. We are brought to tears no longer having his association in our midst.

Early this morning Srila Prabhupada’s beloved disciple, my dear godbrother, Sankha Dasa departed this  world. You can read about him and his wonderful service to Srila Prabhupada in Juhu in the following excerpt from my book I’ll Build You a Temple: The Juhu Story. I have no doubt that Srila Prabhupada has called Sankha Dasa back to him. He is in the front row at the far left in the attached photo.

After Nara Narayan left, we didn’t have a steady gardener for almost two years—until Sankha dasa arrived after Gaura-punima in 1974. “I didn’t know how to do anything,” Sankha later admitted, “but I feel in my heart that I was blessed by Prabhupada to learn gardening. When I arrived, Caitya-guru, the temple commander, took me to see Prabhupada, and I said, ‘Srila Prabhupada, you have asked me to come to Bombay. What would you like me to do?’ ‘I want you to plant a flower in every square inch of Hare Krishna Land,’ he told me. And we offered our obeisances and left.

“The next day, we went back for clarification, and I asked Prabhupada, ‘Would you like me to grow vegetables?’ ‘No,’ he said, ‘our space is limited; it will be cheaper to buy them in the local market.’ ‘What about fruits?’ ‘Yes—guavas, chikus, bananas.’

Prabhupada passed by the garden every day on his morning walk, and some time after Sankha’s arrival, he noticed that there still weren’t any fruits or flowers growing. “Where are the flowers?” he asked Sankha, but there never were any. “He’s just bluffing,” Prabhupada commented. “He doesn’t know what he’s doing. Simply bluffing.”

Then one morning, after he had returned from traveling in India, Prabhupada went out for his walk and saw that the garden was full of fruits and flowers. He was very pleased with Sankha’s service, and thereafter, Sankha would offer Prabhupada a flower every day and became known as “Prabhupada’s flower boy.”

Sankha grew papayas, guavas, chikus, and strawberry bananas—small and pink inside, and very sweet. “One day at the airport when Prabhupada was about to depart for London,” he recalled, “I brought a big load of ripe bananas and asked Prabhupada if he would like one. He opened his eyes wide and said, ‘You grew these?’ ‘Yes,’ I replied, ‘I have grown them for you.’ He grabbed one, peeled it, and ate it all. ‘These are very good,’ he said. ‘Now pass them out to everyone in the airport.’ And while I was distributing the bananas, Harikesa jumped up on a table and started preaching. Prabhupada really appreciated when we grew our own food.”

Hare Krishna.

In the splendid Tuscan settings of Villa Vrindavana ISKCON (where the  ” Goshala Balarama ” Cow Protection Sanctuary is located), an initiative dedicated to children aged between 3 and 9 was started. ”Om” Giardino in Natura is a family-oriented project of devotees designed to help children to grow in harmony with themselves and with the […]

The post ”Om” Giardino in Natura at Villa Vrindavana ISKCON – Italy appeared first on ISKCON News.

In the splendid Tuscan settings of Villa Vrindavana ISKCON (where the  '' Goshala Balarama '' Cow Protection Sanctuary is located), an initiative dedicated to children aged between 3 and 9 was started.

It is said that acceptance of uncertainties in life leads to adventure. On top of being a devotee leader par excellence, Nityananda Pran Das (Nachi Lolla) is certainly an adventurous man. At the peak of his professional career as a marketing executive at a fortune 500 company making a 6-figure salary, he quit and became […]

The post Nityananda Pran Das: On a Mission to Improve Marriages and Parenting in ISKCON appeared first on ISKCON News.

It is said that acceptance of uncertainties in life leads to adventure. On top of being a devotee leader par excellence, Nityananda Pran Das (Nachi Lolla) is certainly an adventurous man. At the peak of his professional career as a marketing executive at a fortune 500 company making a 6-figure salary, he quit and became the full-time temple president of Chicago ISKCON. That too with wife and a young child in-tow. Do not try this at home, folks! This unique path which included being the Temple President and leader for 13+ years and building one of the top ISKCON communities in the USA without any personal income to maintain his family is only for the very adventurous and courageous!

Portland’s only vegan Jewish deli and bakery is open for business and is devotee run and operated. Ben and Esther’s is modeled after a traditional New York-style Jewish deli but is completely plant-based. You’ll find their menu filled with classic New York deli staples like lox, matzo ball soup, rugelach, knishes, and kugel.  ISKCON News […]

The post Ben & Esther’s, Portland’s Only Vegan Jewish Deli appeared first on ISKCON News.

Wise Love: Bhakti and the Search for the Soul of Consciousness, an innovative introductory book to the path of Bhakti for a modern Western audience, has been translated into Spanish as Amor Sabio, and is now available in paperback and Kindle editions. Author Pranada Dasi, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, first released Wise Love in […]

The post Award-Winning Introduction to Bhakti “Wise Love” Released in Spanish appeared first on ISKCON News.

As the year nears its conclusion, Team ISKCON Alachua, the book distribution effort of the biggest Hare Krishna community in the Western world, is already in the midst of its final marathon of 2021, the Live to Give Campaign. Running from September until the end of the year, Live to Give is an international book […]

The post Book Distribution Keeps Team ISKCON Alachua Connected appeared first on ISKCON News.

By The GBC Strategic Planning Team

On Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day festival , here are some lesser-known facts related to ISKCON Founder acharya Srila Prabhupada by Praghosa Das GBC Strategic Planning Team (SPT) is pleased to invite you to the Day 2 of our 3 day series celebrating Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day festival reflecting on the role of Srila Prabhupada as our preeminent Siksha Guru with Praghosh Das. Continue reading "Powerful Life Lessons Everyone Should Learn From Srila Prabhupada-Our Preeminent Siksha Guru (video)
→ Dandavats"

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Govardhan Puja is celebrated the day after Diwali. It is the day Lord Krishna defeated Indra, the King of Heaven and deity of thunder and rain. As per the story, Krishna saw huge preparations for the annual offering to Lord Indra and questioned his father Nanda about it.

He debated with the villagers about what their ‘dharma’ truly was. They were farmers, they should do their duty and concentrate on farming and protection of the cows. He continued to say that all human beings should merely do their ‘karma’, to the best of their ability and not pray for natural phenomenon.

The villagers were convinced by Krishna, and did not proceed with the special puja. Indra was then angered, and flooded the village. Krishna then lifted Mt Govardhan and held it up as protection to the cowherds and cows from the rain. Indra finally accepted defeat and recognized Krishna as supreme.

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Diwali celebrates the return of Lord Rama, King of Ayodhya, with his wife Sita and brother Laksmana to Ayodhya after a 14 year exile, and a war in which he killed the demon king Ravana.

It is believed that the people of Ayodhya lit ghee lamps along the way to light their path in the darkness. Since Lord Rama traveled from South India to his kingdom in North India, he passed through the south earlier. This is the reason why the festival is celebrated a day earlier in South India.

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We shall read from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Two, Chapter Seven: “Scheduled Incarnations.”

TEXT 32

gopair makhe pratihate vraja-viplavaya
  deve ’bhivarsati pasun krpaya riraksuh
dhartocchilindhram iva sapta-dinani sapta-
  varso mahidhram anaghaika-kare salilam

TRANSLATION

When the cowherd men of Vrndavana, under instruction of Krsna, stopped offering sacrifice to the heavenly king, Indra, the whole tract of land known as Vraja was threatened with being washed away by constant heavy rains for seven days. Lord Krsna, out of His causeless mercy upon the inhabitants of Vraja, held up the hill known as Govardhana with one hand only, although He was only seven years old. He did this to protect the animals from the onslaught of water.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Children play with an umbrella generally known as a frog’s umbrella, and Lord Krsna, when He was only seven years old, could snatch the great hill known as the Govardhana Parvata in Vrndavana and hold it for seven days continuously with one hand, just to protect the animals and the inhabitants of Vrndavana from the wrath of Indra, the heavenly king, who had been denied sacrificial offerings by the inhabitants of Vraja-bhumi.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

Lord Krishna was playing the part of a young boy. Here the Bhagavatam says salilam, playfully: just as a small child picks up a frog’s umbrella (a mushroom shaped like an umbrella) and plays with it, so Lord Krishna picked up Govardhana Hill and held it like an umbrella to shelter the residents of Vrindavan from the torrential rains of Indra.

PURPORT (continued)

Factually there is no need of offering sacrifices to the demigods for their services if one is engaged in the service of the Supreme Lord. Sacrifices recommended in the Vedic literature for satisfaction of the demigods are a sort of inducement to the sacrificers to realize the existence of higher authorities. The demigods are engaged by the Lord as controlling deities of material affairs, and according to the Bhagavad-gita, when a demigod is worshiped the process is accepted as the indirect method for worshiping the Supreme Lord. But when the Supreme Lord is worshiped directly there is no need of worshiping the demigods or offering them sacrifices as recommended in particular circumstances. Lord Krsna therefore advised the inhabitants of Vraja-bhumi not to offer any sacrifices to the heavenly king Indra.

COMMENT

Many of you know the story: Nanda Maharaja and the other men of Vrindavan were collecting the paraphernalia to perform the Indra-yajna, and when the child Krishna saw the men so engaged, He asked His father, “Dear father, kindly explain to Me the purpose for which you are gathering this paraphernalia. Is this ritualistic performance based on scriptural injunctions, or is it simply customary? What is to be gained by this performance?” Srila Prabhupada tells us the implication of Krishna’s inquiry: We should not engage in rituals simply because our parents or grandparents did—without any gain. Although we may have had forefathers who worshipped demigods, Lord Krishna here suggests that there is no need for us to continue such worship. Therefore, in due course, Krishna advised the residents of Vrindavan to stop the sacrifice to King Indra. So, in principle, we should not engage in ritualistic performances without any result. There should be some positive benefit from our activities, as there is with devotional service, which, according to the Bhagavad-gita and to practical experience, is joyfully performed. Pratyaksavagamam dharmyam su-sukham kartum avyayam: “It gives direct perception of the self by realization, and it is joyfully performed.” (Gita 9.2)

The Bhagavad-gita also explains that worship offered to demigods is actually meant for Lord Krishna but is avidhi-purvakam: it is offered indirectly, improperly, to the demigods.

ye ’py anya-devata-bhakta
  yajante sraddhayanvitah
te ‘pi mam eva kaunteya
  yajanty avidhi-purvakam

“Those who are devotees of other gods and who worship them with faith actually worship only Me, O son of Kunti, but they do so in a wrong way.” (Gita 9.23)Therefore Lord Krishna, by His own example, showed us that we need not worship the demigods.

The question may be raised that if there is no need to worship demigods, why are sacrifices to demigods recommended in the Vedas? The answer is that although there is no need to worship the demigods when we worship the Supreme Lord, the fact is that the demigods are superior to ordinary human beings. They are entrusted with the management of different affairs within the universe. So, for those without knowledge of Krishna, sacrifices to demigods are recommended so that the performers at least acknowledge their debt to and their dependence on superior authorities.

Srila Prabhupada has compared the demigods to ministers in the cabinet of a king, and Lord Krishna to the king. The ministers are actually servants of the king and are obliged to do their jobs as directed by the king. So, if we satisfy the king, we need not satisfy the demigods separately. If the king wants to grant us some favor, the ministers are obliged to execute his order. And even if we approach some minister for some favor, if the king is against it, the minister has no authority or power to grant it.

Srila Prabhupada has also given the example that if you pay your taxes to the central government, you don’t have to go separately to the various offices to bribe them. When you pay your taxes to the central government, your money is automatically distributed among the different departments of the state. You don’t have to pay each department separately, and as a tax-paying citizen you’re entitled to all benefits.

Here Lord Krishna is acting on the principles of the Bhagavad-gita, in the role of a small child. He stopped the worship of the demigod Indra and ordered that the paraphernalia be used for the worship of the cows, the brahmans, and Govardhana Hill, which is actually the Supreme Lord Krishna Himself. As revealed later in the govardhana-lila, although Krishna, playing the part of a seven-year-old boy, accompanied the Vraja-vasis around Govardhana Hill in worship, He also expanded Himself into a separate, gigantic form and declared, “I am Govardhana Mountain.” Thus, together with the people of Vraja, the original, small Krishna bowed down to this form of Govardhana Hill, who was Lord Krishna Himself.

After Lord Krishna advised the inhabitants of Vraja-bhumi not to offer any sacrifices to Indra, the heavenly king, Indra, not knowing the position of Lord Krishna in Vraja-bhumi, became angry with the inhabitants of Vraja-bhumi and tried to avenge what he considered to be their offense to him. He ordered the Samvartaka clouds, the clouds used at the time of partial devastation to inundate the universe, to flood Vrindavan. We can just imagine: here is a simple cowherd community in Vraja, and King Indra was so blinded by pride that he summoned the clouds used to inundate the universe to attack this little community of cowherds, cows, and calves.

PURPORT (continued)

But competent as the Lord was, He saved the inhabitants and animals of Vraja-bhumi by His personal energy and proved definitely that anyone directly engaged as a devotee of the Supreme Lord need not satisfy any other demigods, however great, even to the level of Brahma or Siva.

COMMENT

The Fourth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam states:

yatha taror mula-nisecanena
  trpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopasakhah
pranopaharac ca yathendriyanam
  tathaiva sarvarhanam acyutejya

“As pouring water on the root of the tree benefits the trunk, branches, twigs and leaves, and as supplying food to the stomach nourishes the senses and limbs of the body, so worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead through devotional service automatically satisfies the demigods, who are parts of that Supreme Personality.” (SB 4.31.14) Yet here in the govardhana-lila we find that although the Vraja-vasis worshipped the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, still the demigod Indra was not satisfied. In fact, he was most dissatisfied. Why? Because of his false pride. Govardhana Hill was being worshipped with paraphernalia meant for him. And because he was blinded by ignorance, he could not understand that the little cowherd boy Krishna was the Supreme Personality of Godhead and his eternal master. And certainly, he could not understand that Govardhana Hill was the same Supreme Personality. But demigods are not supposed to be proud—or ignorant. They are supposed to be faithful servants of Krishna. Thus, to break the false pride of Indra and bring him back to his original consciousness, Lord Krishna enacted the govardhana-lila.

The scriptures describe that for a moment Krishna thought that maybe He should just kill Indra but then decided no, He should bestow mercy upon him, crush his false pride, and bring him back to his original position of service to Him. And so Krishna playfully lifted up Govardhana Hill. Any of you who have visited Vrindavan know that Govardhana Hill is quite long—at least eight kilometers—no toy for an ordinary person. But it was like a toy for Lord Krishna, and He lifted it and held it over His head with the tip of His little finger. The scriptures say that Krishna wanted to prove that He could defeat the mighty power of Indra with the tip of the little finger of His left hand. That was all He needed to dispose of the king of heaven. Eventually, after seven days, Indra came to his senses and realized that he, not the Vraja-vasis, was the one who had committed the offense, and so he withdrew the Samvartaka clouds and came to Vraja-bhumi to beg for forgiveness from Lord Krishna. And then he worshipped Lord Krishna.

As part of the worship of Govardhana Hill, Lord Krishna ordered the Vraja-vasis to prepare all sorts of foodstuffs, which they did, and they offered them to Govardhana Hill, and Govardhana ate them all. So, later in the day we’ll be having the celebration in which we offer, as the Vraja-vasis did, all sorts of preparations to Govardhana Hill, and He will eat them all. But out of His kindness He will again return them to us to honor as maha-prasada.

PURPORT (concluded)

Thus this incident definitely proved without a doubt that Lord Krsna is the Personality of Godhead and that He was so in all circumstances, as a child on the lap of His mother, as a boy seven years old, and as an old man of a hundred and twenty-five years of age. In either case He was never on the level of the ordinary man, and even in His advanced age He appeared a young boy sixteen years old. These are the particular features of the transcendental body of the Lord.

COMMENT

There are impersonalists who try by yoga or meditation to become God, but Krishna is not that kind of God. He did not have to become God by yoga or meditation; He was always God. From His very appearance in the prison of Kamsa, when He manifested His four-armed form as Vishnu, He was God. When He was a three-month-old baby and killed the great demoness Putana, He was God. When He was a seven-year-old boy and lifted Govardhana Hill, He was God. And when He spoke the Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna, He was God. Even at that time, although by material calculation He was a great-grandfather and more than ninety years old, because His body never ages or deteriorates, He appeared like a youth of sixteen. Krishna’s body is spiritual and not subject to disease, old age, or death, like the bodies of ordinary conditioned souls. After Krishna’s body matured to the point of appearing like a youth’s, it never grew older. That proves that Krishna had a spiritual body. We never see a picture of Krishna as an old man with gray hair and wrinkles, walking with a cane. He always looks like a handsome young man.

One more note about Krishna’s appearance and activities. We know from Krishna’s statement in the Bhagavad-gita, paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam (4.8), that He appears to deliver the devotees and to annihilate the miscreants. But actually, He does not have to come personally to destroy the miscreants; He has many agents to do so. The real reason He comes is to give pleasure to His devotees, and the special feature of the govardhana-lila is that Krishna gave His association—and the greatest pleasure—to all of the residents of Vrindavan continuously for seven days. Usually the residents of Vrindavan were with Krishna for only so many hours every day. For example, in the afternoon when Krishna would return from the pasturing grounds and enter His home and have dinner with Nanda Baba, He would give His association to Nanda and Yasoda and others in their household. And then He would take rest. But while He was taking rest at home, the cowherd boys were in separation from Him, eagerly anticipating, “Oh, when can we be with Krishna again? Oh, we have to wait until morning when we all take the cows to pasture.” So they were in separation. And in the morning, when Krishna went into the pasturing grounds with the cowherd boys, Nanda and Yasoda and the residents of the village of Vrindavan were in separation.

The young damsels too were almost always in separation, except on special occasions when they would secretly meet Govinda at midday or in the dead of night. The young gopis could never gaze directly at Krishna except at their trysts, when they engaged in transcendental amorous pastimes.

So, the devotees were always alternating meeting and separation. Yet for the seven days of the govardhana-lila, all the inhabitants—the servants, the friends, the elders, and even the young damsels—could be with Krishna continuously. Thus the govardhana-lila, while it achieved the purpose of crushing the false pride of Indra, also achieved the purpose of satisfying the devotees, who hankered to have Krishna’s association without cessation.

So, here is another special feature of Govardhana Hill. Because of differences in rasa, Krishna could not reciprocate openly with certain devotees in the presence of other devotees. In the govardhana-lila, however, He could reciprocate with each and every devotee no matter what relationship they had, in the presence of all the other devotees. Therefore Govardhana Hill is very special, because Govardhana is witness to Krishna’s pastimes in all different mellows.

We can learn from this pastime that whatever onslaughts of material nature come upon us, if we take shelter of Krishna we can be protected and at the same time have all our desires for transcendental love and bliss satisfied in Krishna consciousness.

Hare Krishna.

Are there any questions or comments?

Devotee: You mentioned that Krishna comes especially for the devotees, to bestow His association upon them and give them pleasure—not for the purpose of killing the demons. So, the special demons killed by Krishna were not happy to be killed by Krishna? Can you comment?

Giriraj Swami: Krishna achieves many purposes with one action. Although His primary purpose is to please the devotees, His secondary purpose is to kill the demons, and He does both simultaneously. Actually, Krishna does not kill the demons personally; Vishnu within Krishna kills them. If His only purpose were to kill the demons, He would not appear personally. He really appears to pacify His devotees, though simultaneously He also kills demons.

Devotee: Lord Indra is such an elevated soul. How is it possible that he could not see Lord Krishna in the little seven-year-old boy? What stopped him from seeing that?

Giriraj Swami: Indra was proud, and vraja-lila is very special. In such nara-lila, humanlike pastimes, Krishna appears just like an ordinary human. Suppose, for example, if someone who held a high position in China—say, the Premier of China, whose face is not familiar to us—were to come here in disguise. We would not recognize him, because he would look just like everyone else. So, Krishna looked like everyone else. He looked like all the other cowherd boys; there was nothing special about Him. What distinguished Him was His potency. The head of a country is also a human being. There is nothing about his physical features that distinguishes him from others. What distinguishes him is his potency. He has the whole military under his command. He may be sitting here just like any of us, but if we order, “Declare war! Invade!” nothing will happen, and if he orders, “Declare war and invade!” it happens. That is the difference. He has potency that we do not have, but still he looks the same. Because Indra was already proud and was not really interested to know more—he just wanted to be worshipped as usual—he saw superficially, “They are just a cowherd community, and Krishna is just a small child. He is so puffed up that he thinks he can stop my worship, and these adults are so foolish and so enamored of this boy that they follow his advice.” He thought that there was something really wrong, because that is how it looked. Therefore, sastra-caksuh: we should see the Lord through the eyes of scripture.

Devotee: Krishna came to earth to show favor to the human beings, but what about the demigods? The demigods also came to earth to participate in Krishna’s pastimes, but then we have this incident with Indra and another incident with Brahma, when they became bewildered.

Giriraj Swami: The demigods, although very powerful, can be covered by illusion just like any of us. We can be covered. We can chant Hare Krishna and feel great enthusiasm, and then later stop chanting. We are the same person, but something has happened. One day we were enthusiastically chanting and dancing, and the next day we were out in the material world. So, what happened? We got covered, and maybe puffed up. “Pride cometh before a fall.” That is what we have heard, and that is what we have experienced. Therefore Krishna mercifully displays some of His potency so that they realize His position as Supreme Lord and their own position as His eternal servants.

Sometimes when Krishna would return from the pasturing grounds with His cowherd friends, the demigods would come and shower flowers.

vatsalo vraja-gavam yad aga-dhro
  vandyamana-caranah pathi vrddhaih
krtsna-go-dhanam upohya dinante
  gita-venur anugedita-kirtih

“Out of great affection for the cows of Vraja, Krsna became the lifter of Govardhana Hill. At the end of the day, having rounded up all His own cows, He plays a song on His flute, while exalted demigods standing along the path worship His lotus feet and the cowherd boys accompanying Him chant His glories.” (SB 10.35.22)

So, the demigods also get to witness and worship Krishna in His pastimes. And although the cowherd boys would see the demigods worship Him, still they would not think of Krishna as God. They would think of Him as their dearest friend. There is a difference between Krishna’s two mayas, energies—yoga-maya and maha-maya. Yoga-maya partially reveals the Lord and partially conceals Him, so the residents of Vrindavan love Krishna but are unaware that He is God. They just love Him spontaneously. In Vaikuntha the devotees love the Lord but are aware that He is God. And the conditioned souls covered by maha-maya forget that Krishna is God and sometimes forget God altogether. Their eternal love for Him is covered. Generally, demigods are also conditioned souls. Consequently, influenced by illusion, they can also forget that Krishna is God and need to be reminded.

Of course, one could say that the pastimes are there to instruct us; and they do manifest eternal principles. So we should learn from them, become Krishna conscious, and go back home, back to Godhead, to serve Lord Krishna and His associates in love.

Sri Giri Govardhana ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

[ A talk by Giriraj Swami on Govardhana-puja, October 26, 2003, Houston]

Hare Krishna!
Please accept our humble obeisances!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga!


Date: 7th Nov 2021
Day: Sunday
Time: 11 am to 12 noon
Topic: Special class on Srila Prabhupada's disappearance day
Speaker: HG Adi Gadadhar Das


Link to join the class from your desktop or laptop:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9150790510?pwd=Wk5GYXVRMkJmdk84MzZJRXBKYUgwUT09


HG Adi Gadadhar Das

Adi Gadadhar Das was introduced to Krishna consciousness by Gaur Gopal Prabhu and Gaurānga Prabhu in August 1998 at the age of 18 years while studying at Grant Medical college and JJ Hospital, Mumbai. He completed the Bhakti shastri course taught by Caitanya Charan Prabhu. He received first and second initiation from HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj. He currently serves as the congregation director for ISKCON Atlanta. He is a physician and completed his medical training at Emory university. He serves as a Geriatric Hospitalist and lives in Atlanta with his wife Radhabhava Devi and two children Gopal and Maithili.

ISKCON Scarborough
3500 McNicoll Avenue, Unit #3,
Scarborough, Ontario,
Canada, M1V4C7
Website: www.iskconscarborough.org
Email:
iskconscarborough@hotmail.com
scarboroughiskcon@gmail.com