ISKCON of Harrisburg celebrates it’s 10th Annual Ratha Yatra Festival
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Hare Krishna During the Labor day weekend of 2018, The International Society for Krishna Consciousness in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, were preparing for our Annual Ratha Yatra festival. ISKCON of Harrisburg, formerly Institute of Higher Understanding (IOHU), will be celebrating its 10th Annual Ratha Yatra (Festival of Chariots) on Saturday, Sept 1st, 2018 with a parade on City Island, Harrisburg, PA.

UK report for World Holy Name Festival 2018
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Hare KrishnaBy Mina

The UK yatras were out in full force for the World Holy Name Festival (17 - 24th September) this year. The week kicked off with Kirtan Fest in Leicester, where the holy names were chanted throughout the weekend. This year's festival was made extra special as it was celebrating the 35th anniversary of Sri Sri Radha Madhava's installation, and that the Grade II listed temple was able to welcome new guests as part of Heritage Open Day, where historic buildings in the city open their doors to visitors to get a glimpse behind the scenes. In Newcastle, devotees dedicated their monthly Sacred Street Party in the city centre to the World Holy Name Festival. Over thirty devotees were joined on the streets by HG Jai Nitai Das and HG Bhava Bhakti Devi Dasi from ISKCON London for the event, and did two hours of kirtan, distributed 54 of Srila Prabhupada's books, 180 prasadam sweets, and 900 mantra cards. Temple President HG Chaitanya Vallabha Das said: "It was a wonderful event to bring our whole community together for the purpose of sharing Krishna Consciousness, especially the Holy Name!" Continue reading "UK report for World Holy Name Festival 2018
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Why Build the TOVP? Do We Really Need Another Temple? Part 3
- TOVP.org

In Part 1 of this series of articles we summarized the overall spiritual and philosophical reasoning behind building temples for Vishnu/Krishna as opposed to focusing on altruistic or philanthropic welfare work for human society through the opening of hospitals, feeding the poor, etc. Part 2 offered several important specific reasons from various perspectives why we are building the TOVP.

Part 3 reveals the shastric (scriptural) evidence that supports the building of a temple and the astounding spiritual benefits that accrue to anyone who participates in this incredibly auspicious service. Part 4 will dive deep into the esoteric and sublime causes of the TOVP’s manifestation.

The Benefits of Building a Temple of Vishnu

Agni Purana, Chapter 38, Texts 1-50

Agni said: I will now describe the fruits of making temples for the residence of Vasudeva and other deities. He who attempts to erect temples for gods is freed from the sins of a thousand births. Those who think of building a temple in their minds are freed from the sins of a hundred births. Those who approve of a man’s building a temple for Krishna go to the region of Acyuta [Vishnu] freed from sins.

Having desired to build a temple for Hari, a man immediately takes a million of his generations, past and future, to the region of Vishnu. The departed manes of the person who builds a temple for Krishna live in the region of Vishnu, well adorned and freed from the sufferings of hell. The construction of a temple for a deity dissipates even the sin of Brahmanicide. By building a temple one reaps the fruit which he does not even gain by celebrating a sacrifice. By building a temple one acquires the fruits of bathing at all the sacred shrines.

The construction of a temple, which gives heaven, by a religious or an irreligious man, yields the fruit reaped by persons slain in a battle undertaken on behalf of the celestials. By making one temple one goes to heaven; by making three one goes to the region of Brahma; by making five one goes to the region of Shambhu; by making eight one goes to the region of Hari. By making sixteen one attains all objects of enjoyment and emancipation. A poor man, by building the smallest temple, reaps the same benefit which a rich man does by building the biggest temple for Vishnu. Having acquired wealth and built a temple with a small portion of it, a person acquires piety and gains favours from Hari.

By making a temple with a lakh of rupees, or a thousand, or a hundred, or fifty, a man goes where the Garuda-emblemed deity resides. He who in his childhood even sportively makes a temple of Vasudeva with sand, goes to his region. He who builds temples of Vishnu at sacred places, shrines, and hermitages, reaps three-fold fruits. Those who decorate the temple of Vishnu with scents, flowers, and sacred mud, go to the city of the Lord. Having erected a temple for Hari, a man, either fallen, about to fall, or half-fallen, reaps twofold fruits. He who brings about the fall of a man is the protector of one fallen. By making a temple for Vishnu one attains to his region. As long as the collection of bricks of Hari’s temple exists, the founder of his family lives gloriously in the region of Vishnu. He becomes pious and adorable both in this world and in the next.

He who builds a temple for Krishna, the son of Vasudeva, is born as a man of good deeds and his family is purified. He who builds temples for Vishnu, Rudra, the sun-god, and other deities, acquires fame. What is the use to him of wealth which is hoarded by ignorant men? Useless is the acquisition of riches to one who does not have a temple built with hard earned money for Krishna, or whose wealth is not enjoyed by the Pitris, Brahmanas, celestials, and friends. As death is certain for men, so is his destruction.

The man who doesn’t spend his money for his enjoyment or in charities and keeps it hoarded is stupid and is fettered even when alive. What is the merit of him who, obtaining riches either by an accident or manliness, does not spend it for a glorious work or for religion? What is the merit of him who, having given away his wealth to the leading twice-born, makes his gift circulated, speaks of more than he gives away in charities?

Therefore a wise man should have the temples built for Vishnu and other deities. Having entered the region of Hari, he acquires reverential faith for Narottama [Vishnu]. He pervades all the three worlds containing the mobile and the immobile, the past, future, and present, gross, subtle, and all inferior objects. From Brahma to a pillar everything has originated from Vishnu. Having obtained entrance into the region of the Great Soul, Vishnu, the omnipresent god of gods, a man is not born again.

By building temples for other gods, a man reaps the same fruit which he does by building one for Vishnu. By building temples for Shiva, Brahma, the sun, Candi, and Lakshmi, one acquires religious merit. Greater merit is acquired by installing images. In the sacrifice attendant upon the setting up of an idol there is no end of fruits. One made of wood gives greater merit than one made of clay; one made of bricks yields more than a wooden one. One made of stone yields more than one made of bricks. Images made of gold and other metals yield the greatest religious merit. Sins accumulated in seven births are dissipated even at the very commencement. One building a temple goes to heaven; he never goes to hell. Having saved one hundred of his family, he takes them to the region of Vishnu.

Yama said to his emissaries: Do not bring to hell persons who have built temples and adored deities. Bring those to my view who have not built temples. Judge thus rightly and follow my commands.

Persons can never disregard your commands, except those who are under the protection of the endless father of the universe. You should always pass over those persons who have their minds fixed on the Lord. They are not to live here. You should avoid from a distance those who adore Vishnu. Those who sing the glories of Govinda and those who worship Janardana [Vishnu or Krishna] with daily and occasional rites should be shunned by you from a distance. Those who attain to that station should not even be looked at by you. The persons who adore Him with flowers, incense, raiment, and favorite ornaments should not be marked by you. They go to the region of Krishna. Those who smear the body [of Vishnu] with unguents, who sprinkle his body, should be left in the abode of Krishna. Even a son or any other member born in the family of one who has built a temple of Vishnu should not be touched by you. Hundreds of persons who have built temples of Vishnu with wood or stone should not be looked at by you with an evil mind.

By building a golden temple one is freed from all sins. He who has built a temple for Vishnu reaps the great fruit which one gains by celebrating sacrifices every day. By building a temple for the Lord he takes his family, a hundred generations past and a hundred to come, to the region of Acyuta.

Vishnu is identical with the seven worlds. He who builds a temple for him saves the endless worlds and himself attains immortality. As long as the bricks will last, the maker [of the temple] will live for so many thousands of years in heaven. The maker of the deity attains the region of Vishnu and he who consecrates the installation of the same is immersed in Hari. The person who builds a temple and an image, as well as he who consecrates them, come before Him.

This rite of pratishtha [installation] of Hari was related by Yama. For creating temples and images of the deities, Hayashirsha described it to Brahma.

Passages from Other Shastras

One who offers the deity gifts of the land, markets, cities and villages so that the regular worship and special festivals of the deity may go on continuously will achieve opulence equal to My own.

Srimad Bhagavatam

By installing the deity of the Lord, one becomes king of the entire earth, by building a temple for the Lord, one becomes ruler of the three worlds, by worshiping and serving the deity, one goes to the planet of Lord Brahma, and by performing all three of these activities one achieves a transcendental form like My own.

Srimad Bhagavatam

O devoted one, one who builds a beautiful temple for Lord Narasimhadeva will be freed from all sinful reactions and he will enter the Vaikuntha planets.

Narasimha Purana

Just by starting the construction of a temple for Lord Krishna, sins committed in seven births will be wiped out and one will deliver his forefathers who are suffering in the hellish planets.

Skanda Purana

Whoever constructs or helps to construct a Vishnu temple will protect eight generations of fathers, grandfathers, and forefathers from falling into hell.”

Skanda Purana

“By building a temple of Sri Madhava, one can attain the eternal spiritual world (Vaikuntha). One who offers a garden laden with fruits and flowers for the service of the deity will attain heavenly pleasures.”

Skanda Purana

 

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

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Support us at: www.tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities

The post Why Build the TOVP? Do We Really Need Another Temple? Part 3 appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

If after some wrongdoing, we feel guilty and don’t feel like coming close to Krishna, what can we do?
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Answer Podcast

The post If after some wrongdoing, we feel guilty and don’t feel like coming close to Krishna, what can we do? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Gita 01.01 The Gita’s first word dharma conveys its essential, universal theme
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

The post Gita 01.01 The Gita’s first word dharma conveys its essential, universal theme appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Sunday, September 30th, 2018
→ The Walking Monk

Caledon, Ontario

Couples

Just north of Brampton, in the Caledon district, there is this beautiful Nirvana Retreat Centre where a couple’s retreat was held over the weekend.  The previous weekend, one was held in Port Royal, Pennsylvania and the same coordinator / presenter offered her services for the first time in Canada, for couples of ISKCON membership.  The name of this incredible person is Krishnanandini, from Cleveland.  Alongside her is her equally incredible husband, Tariq; they were in addition to another champion marriage team, Partha and Uttama from British Columbia.  Thanks also to Radha Bhakti.

I sat in on Krishnanandini’s morning class because I highly support solid marriages and meaningful relationships.  This desire for successful marriages is something that deep down everyone hankers for.

Her class, based on the book Bhagavatam, concentrates on the story of the yogi, Kardama Muni, who wanted to have a wife.  Nothing wrong with that.  The challenge is in making something work in a relationship, and that takes a lot of work. However, it’s worth it.  So many skills are learned from the effort—human skills.  If we can’t develop good relations in this world, how can we cultivate a relationship with the Supreme?  Something to consider.

The class was worth attending.  Very inspiring!  I was inspired enough to ‘wing it’ when delivering a class myself in Scarborough on “The Opulence of the Absolute.”  Bhagavad Gita, 10.35, mentions the high points of the year—spring and fall—fall because of the harvest, which is now.

Indeed, this is a great time of the year.

May the Source be with you!
0 km


Training Oxen by Voice Commands Lesson 5 To Stand
→ Life With the Cows and Land



We are back again with the Training Oxen by Voice Commands series. Here is lesson 5 which deals with the importance of standing and how to train your oxen to stand. This time Kalyan Tamal is the ox in training. Kalyan and Dhruva, both rescued from a dairy where they were about to be slaughtered are the ox team in training. They live at the ISCOWP sanctuary where they are in training to show how intelligent they are and how they have a role to play in the family farm. They need not be slaughtered.

Flying your own plane
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, March 2018, Durban, South Africa, Ratha Yatra Human Relationships Lecture)

Our goal is to use the time that we have to deepen our lives. When devotees meet, it is not that we are just looking for some spiritual inspiration. Festivals where devotees come together are for lasting advancement. It is for transforming ourselves. The idea is that when devotees meet during festivals, it is not some form of entertainment or some mere questions and answers. No, it is about some deep genuine exchange and this is an opportunity to go deeper in our commitment.

As Srila Prabhupada said, “Everyone is flying their own plane!” Prabhupada would speak about how life is like a plane and when it is on the ground (the beginning) one can put fuel and one can check the tyres and so on. This is where we have intimate relationships that nurture us and assist us in our growth. But then at some point, we are not so small anymore and we take our lives into our own hands. Here, we are flying our own plane. And then when we are mid-air, we are all alone up there. This is when we have to persevere with whatever experiences and relationships we have gained, to grow closer to Krsna.

The article " Flying your own plane " was published on KKSBlog.

Krishna’s wonderful arrangement!
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Bhaktine Diana: I met this gentleman Nil at 7:28 pm, when Rama Raya prabhu was leading ecstatic kirtan and harinam was almost finished (for today:), I asked him where he was from and he said upper east side, then he just said “Wow. It’s crazy!”,-“what?”- I asked. He said, “you’re not gonna believe me!, “no,no please tell me, I love these kind of stories! What happened ?”

Indian Ambassador Inaugurates Ratha Yatra in Sofia, Bulgaria….
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Indian Ambassador Inaugurates Ratha Yatra in Sofia, Bulgaria.
On September 15th, Ratha Yatra was celebrated with great fervor in Sofia, organized by ISCKON. For the first time in the country’s history, the Indian Ambassador to Bulgaria, Ms. Pooja Kapur inaugurated the cultural festival.
To read the entire article please click here: https://goo.gl/pR6ZfT

Pro BMX Rider Pursues Adventure, Finds Krishna! Professional BMX…
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Pro BMX Rider Pursues Adventure, Finds Krishna!
Professional BMX freestyle rider Joris Coulomb always chased adventure. He didn’t realize that one day it would take him to a place of deep meaning where all his questions about life would be answered.
“The first night when we landed in Delhi, I found a Bhagavad-gita As It Is in our hotel room,” Joris recalls. “Looking through the chapter titles and contents, which described “the absolute truth,” “the most confidential knowledge,” and all types of yoga, I knew this was what I had been looking for.”
To read the entire article please click here: https://goo.gl/58kFwM

Saturday, September 29th, 2018
→ The Walking Monk

Beamsville, Ontario

Not Sour Grapes

The name of the place where we commenced our ‘continuation’ of the Bruce Trail is catchy.  It’s called “Megalomaniac” and it’s a winery.  https://youtu.be/qXmlNOv06wEYes, we are in the heart of grape country. Although our driver, Hari, went to grab two bunches to indulge in, from a carefully cultivated row of grapes, we got more excited about the less domestic wild grapes found on the trail.

Early on, Karuna and I found the Bruce providing us with blackberries and raspberries. Now it’s grapes.  My dear friend, Doctor Bandhari, who flew his private plane to meet me on the first Canada Walk in ‘96 on two occasions, partook of the tough walk of today, sampling the blue treasures—grapes.

It became apparent to Karuna and myself, that more people took to the trail today because it was Saturday and because it’s fall.  Better weather as opposed to the steaminess of this past summer. Groups of walkers told of sighting deer and coyotes.  We only saw rocks, but could hear hawks and blue jays.

I took well to my newly invested-in walking poles.  They worked great, and I'm sure the doctor will purchase a couple now that he has seen how effective they were for me.  “Try them out!” I offered him, and so he did.

Our team stopped after seven clicks (kilometres) due to time constraints, and as mentioned before, the Bruce is not a breeze.  It’s a hike more than a walk, with its ravines and rocks.  Full attention has to be given to where you step—like in life.

May the Source be with you!
7 km




Friday, September 28th, 2018
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Toronto, Ontario

Over Food

Karuna and I walked to and from Subuddhi’s home near Christie Pitts, and there we had the best meal of prasadamincluding turnips, a favourite when done by her.  A few guests also came as well as Sita.  It’s been a while since seeing her.  I remember when she first came in the late ‘70s to explore the consciousness of Krishna.

Originally from Montreal, her family was mostly of an Anglo background.  She met Jivan M, and they got married.  The couple eventually bought a farm near Duntroon, a bit north, and Sita has been the one to get the veggies going, organic and good.

Here’s another couple who has this agro-initiative for a life-style.  This is of course what our guru, Prabhupada, wanted. Good food means good health.  Good food means it is offerable to Krishna. This summer has yielded a bumper crop. Much sun and much rain.  Thank you, Sita, for the talk over an exceptional lunch.  Keep up the good work on production.

Speaking of production, my main anxiety, as of late, is pulling together the drama, “Many Mothers, Many Fathers,” to be slotted into the upcoming ‘Man-Tra Retreat’ next week.  I just don’t have the cast I need, and lack of experience is at the helm of my worry. When I got onto the practice this evening with novices Akshay and Pratik, I saw their potential.  What a relief!  Perhaps a couple of stars are born.

Incidentally, our guru also was super fond of transcendental dramas.

May the Source be with you!
5 km

Thursday, September 27th, 2018
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Toronto, Ontario

Walking Poles

Today’s venture was to Mountain Equipment Co-op, MEC, with twenty-four branches across the country, offering excellent merchandise for outdoor adventures.  It was the second day in a row that I didn’t exactly splurge, but spent an amount of cash to assist in my service to Krishna.

I walked the four kilometres to King and Peter Streets, through the downtown madness, to get myself a pair of walking poles.  With intent on continuing a pilgrimage already begun, the Bruce Trail awaits a yearning pair of feet.

In our order of renounced men, the order ofGaudiya sampradaya, or lineage, the sanyasi often uses his danda or holy staff.  Wrapped in saffron cloth, there are three thin bamboo rods which represent a surrender of body, mind and words to Krishna.

Now I haven’t used my danda,or holy staff of three, for years.  Travelling overseas has been a trial, because, for myself, I often carry props and costumes for our dramas.  A swami’s dandais just too much.

Now that I have two actual high-tech adjustable sticks or poles, they will indeed come into good use.  The Bruce Trail is more of a hike than a walk, and I have found that I need aid, especially for the knees.

I proudly held my new possessions—of which I have very few—in hand, ready for the test this coming Saturday morning on that glorious trail heading north.

On with the walking culture!

May the Source be with you!
8 km


Wednesday, September 26th, 2018
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Toronto, Ontario

Always Changing

Karuna and I walked to the local Canadian Tire store, a national automotive/hardware department store, to purchase some small but essential items.  I was standing at the corner of an aisle, in the cupboard section, when I overheard two middle-aged women, one of whom—as she was about to purchase some items—said, “They’re always changing everything.”

I poked my head out and replied, “Everything’s always changing.” A philosophical point.

The second woman said, “Oh, as in nothing’s permanent, right?”  Continuing on with the fun, she said, “That’s your department isn’t it?” confirming my vocational purpose in life.

“That’s right,” I concurred, and as the two moved on to other aisles, they laughed and so did I, and we all  went about our business.

On our return from the store, Karuna and I passed by Ramsden Park where a major renovation is taking place.  It’s getting spruced-up, but not with spruce trees.  What came to mind was the ‘change’ theme once again, and as the Gitaalludes, the mind itself is in a constant state of flux.

I looked at the park’s grass and thought about how a cow grazing on greenery, will change location, and wander a whole pasture day after day.  Yes, in a department store the routine is to shift the merchandise around so that everything gets altered, while in the Spiritual world, the Creator is changeless.

May the Source be with you!
5 km

Editor’s Note:
The September 25th, 2018 blog contained an error. The person named as JoAnn should have read, Joyce. We apologize for any confusion created. Thank you. 


Tuesday, September 25th, 2018
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Toronto, Ontario

Family

Today was something to do with nostalgia.  Two sisters, one brother and a sister-in-law came over for lunch, and for me.  They are not all from town.  Rose Ann is from Chatham, Ontario, and Paul, as well as JoAnn, are from British Columbia. We all get along.

A monk can have congenial relations with family.  At least in our order of monasticism we don’t completely cut ties and live in a cloistered way.  I do see the advantages of that lifestyle at times, but our guru, Prabhupada, taught that we should consider being inclusive instead of exclusive.

Personally, I'm very happy about my family, and we had a good time.  I place importance on the occasional get-together. I even sacrificed my walking time for the lunch together and the shooting-the-breeze.  In fact it was a great day overall for interaction with just the people who come to dine at our Govinda’s Restaurant, as well as for persons who came for darshan(deity viewing).

“Can you bless my baby?” asked the father of two, while his wife held onto their child.

“Surely.” And so I gave a blessing with my right hand on his head, and ring finger at the third eye, while chanting a mantra.

“Can you bless my other child?”  And thus I did service to this family with which I have no blood relation connection. It’s all part of being a monk/priest.

May the Source be with you!
2 km


Monday, September 24th, 2018
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Meeting Ben

Walking along Ben Franklin Parkway, I saw what looked like Ben, one of the founding fathers of America, himself.  I got closer to the man of his resemblance, who had just finished reading an historic plaque.  He was be-spectacled, and sporting a graying pony-tale.  He spoke first.

“Are you Buddhist?”

“No! Krishna.  Hare Krishna!…”

“Oh, yes.  You guys have a temple around here, right?”

And the man whose last name is Hickey went on to recall how he had seen us so active in the public before.

“Are you connected to Maharishi?” he continued.

From thereon,  I told him of the history with the Beatles first being involved with the Transcendental Meditation master himself, but then later becoming connected with the Hare Krishna.

“Our first temple in Europe was at John Lennon’s estate.  Then George Harrison donated a massive house to us, a manor, outside of London.” I explained.

Hickey was intrigued.  I told him of my walking ventures and how I completed the U.S. last year.  I left him with a mantra card, hoping he might take up chanting someday.

My visit to Philly is over.  In my short time here I gave three lessons in the Bhagavat philosophy, a lesson in chanting and dancing, and, to arouse the crowd, took to a conformist tribal dance session at the Chariot Fest on Saturday to top it all off.

I'm grateful for the friendships kept and made while here.

May the Source be with you!
6 km


Sunday, September 23rd, 2018
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Chicken?

“Would you like chicken in a wrap?” asked the restaurant manager.  And I said, “Yes!”  I did say “yes” with the fullest confidence because I know that Haryasva, the restauranteur-in-charge would not dare offer me actual chicken.  Only the look and the taste.  I ordered and ate with great relish and with trust.  It was, of course, imitation chicken.

I had wanted to visit Govinda’s Restaurant in Philly for years.  I’d heard so many good things about the place.  So here I was, with Vishnu Gada, Naveen and Esa a young guy who accompanied me for two days on the first leg of my U.S. walk in 2015. I was also treated to the loft above where bhaktiprograms are held. Featured here is the beautiful imposing images of Pancha-Tattva, carved out of neem wood and adorned with simple attire.

Haryasva hijacked me away to the floor above—his quarters—at the corner of Brood and South.  Great location!

Fortunately it was a rather quiet day at Govinda’s.  Possible reasons VG offered were “Rain” and “the game.”

We made it back to the main temple in Germantown.  I was scheduled to give the class and to keep it introductory as students from Rutgers University were coming for the first time.  Nicole is the professor and has been here before.  I kept it simple as opposed to the more complex topic of the morning: “When you reject the guru.”  Heaven forbid!    https://www.instagram.com/p/BoIClYzgIKC/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=p2t446w347h5

May the Source be with you!
0 km / mi

Saturday, September 22nd, 2018
→ The Walking Monk

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Dancers, etc.

Dancers, chanters, comedians, musicians, food, parade, images and friendship were all spot-lit by the sun, wind and clouds at the Chariot Fest in Philly. The procession went down the main artery which is named after Ben Franklin.

This is the city of Brotherly Love, or Bro Prem if you want to Sanskritize it some. Lots of love leaked out of the chariots, numbering three, as they rolled down and around, to finish at the Museum of Art, near the steps where the famous Rocky Balboa trained for the championship.

In any event, today’s champ is Jagannatha Himself, the actual Lord of the Universe according to followers of the bhakti-yogatradition.

Personally, I got behind the dancing at thekirtantent and was also asked to do something on the main stage.  Somehow we succeeded in having the audience pull away from their chairs to dance and sing and, of course, all with a smile.

“It appears the festival is growing,” I mentioned to Vishnu Gada, who is one of the organizers and one of my Go Bros—Godbrothers.  VG joined in ’71 and first met Krishna followers who were from the West Virginia centre called New Vrindavan.  He is from Indiana and met devotees at a campus down Lafayette/Perdue way.

“Indiana = corn fields,” is what I said to VG, and he laughed.

“Yeah, that’s right.  I mentioned to him that that’s what I remember about the state when I walked through it.  Corn fields forever!

May the Source be with you!
5 km

Friday, September 21st, 2018
→ The Walking Monk

Toronto, Ontario

About Mantra and Kirtan

While waiting at the dentist’s for a cleaning, I picked up the most recent issue of “Reader’s Digest,” and I read with interest an article, “Finding Zen: A Former Worry Wart Speaks Out.”  The topic was worry, anxiety, stress, and the author spoke with a visitor from Australia who had this amazing calm energy.  “I asked her what her secret was, and she told me that she practised Vedic meditation, a type of silent transcendental meditation rooted in Ayurvedic tradition in which you repeat a mantra in your mind… Today I’m in Toronto, working in tech and still meditating twice a day.  I’ve made other healthy changes, like drinking less alcohol.  I sleep much better than I used to…” by Alexis Clarfield-Henry.

Yes, there is power in chanting and today being in mid-maha mantra,it was only appropriate for our group at the ashram to go out and do kirtan.  Our chosen location was the Kensington Market, a very walkers-friendly neighbourhood.  It is also hip in this enclave of Toronto.

We were armed with sitar, drum and tambourine.  Prepared we were for a greatkirtan, soft and subtle at the newly-renovated park.  One after another some fellows came over to be fascinated by instrument, clothes and sound.  I had the tambourine.

Kensington is just so ripe for higher consciousness.  It’s a real community.

May the Source be with you!
0 km

Thursday, September 20th, 2018
→ The Walking Monk

Toronto, Ontario

Bless Up!

“Bless Up!” said the fellow, which I mistook for, “What’s Up!”

“Not too much,” I replied.

“No, I said, ‘Bless Up!’”

“We can all use some blessings!” I responded.

He was cool about it, smiled and kept walking.

What else about the walk?  Oh, yes, there were three of them munching away—three skunks—a family, I suppose. They like bugs in the grass and were calmly going about their business, oblivious to the monk standing very close. They are city wildlife, quite used to us crazy humans.

Now, here’s a story to do with downtown and one of our regulars at the ashram. Cameron is a volunteer at our temple, and he holds a job in construction.  Recently, he was working on a building for subsidized occupants. He was underpinning when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, walked in.  Cameron was surprised to see him there.

“Hello! How are you?” started Justin.

“I’m fine. I'm Cameron, from Australia.”

“Australians and Canadians have a lot in common.”

“Yeah!”

“This is what you do?” Justin asked.

“Well, I hang out with the Hare Krishnas,” said Cameron.

“Oh, yes, the Hare Krishnas.  My dad (former prime minister, Pierre Trudeau) liked the Hare Krishnas.”

Cameron was really happy to hear that.  Justin moved on with more friendly inspections.

Bless up, Justin!

May the Source be with you!
6 km


Overcoming discouragement in spiritual life
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[Sunday feast class at ISKCON, Central New Jersey, USA]

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Our longing for love – comparing materialist, Abrahamic, impersonal and bhakti explanations
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[Sunday feast class at ISKCON, Delaware, USA]

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Srila Prabhupada’s Arrival in America
Giriraj Swami

To commemorate the anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in America, we shall sing and discuss the second poem that he wrote on the ship Jaladuta, when he arrived in the Boston harbor on September 17, 1965.

Poem [translation]:

1:  My dear Lord Krishna, You are so kind upon this useless soul, but I do not know why You have brought me here. Now You can do whatever You like with me.

2:  But I guess You have some business here. Otherwise, why would You bring me to such a terrible place?

3:  Most of the population here is covered by the material modes of ignorance and passion. Absorbed in material life, they think themselves very happy and satisfied, and therefore they have no taste for the transcendental message of Vasudeva. I do not know how they will be able to understand it.

4:  But I know Your causeless mercy can make everything possible, because You are the most expert mystic.

5:  How will they understand the mellows of devotional service? O Lord, I am simply praying for Your mercy so that I will be able to convince them about Your message.

6:  All living entities have come under the control of the illusory energy by Your will, and therefore, if You like, by Your will they can also be released from the clutches of illusion. I wish that You may deliver them.

7:  I wish that You may deliver them. Therefore, if You so desire their deliverance, then only will they be able to understand Your message.

8:  The words of Srimad-Bhagavatam are Your incarnation, and if a sober person repeatedly receives them with submissive aural reception, then he will be able to understand Your message.

9:  It is said in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.17-21): ‘Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses the desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who relishes His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted. By regularly hearing the Bhagavatam and rendering service unto the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is practically destroyed, and loving service unto the glorious Lord, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact. At the time loving service is established in the heart, the modes of passion [rajas] and ignorance [tamas], and lust and desire [kama] disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in goodness and he becomes happy. Thus established in the mode of goodness, the man rejuvenated by loving service to the Lord gains liberation from material association [mukti] and comes to know scientifically of the Personality of Godhead. Thus the knot in the heart and all misgivings are cut to pieces. The chain of fruitive actions [karma] is terminated when one sees the self as master.”

10:  He will become liberated from the influence of the modes of ignorance and passion and thus all inauspicious things accumulated in the core of the heart will disappear.

11:  How will I make them understand the message of Krishna consciousness? I am very unfortunate, unqualified, and the most fallen. Therefore I am seeking Your benediction so that I can convince them, for I am powerless to do so on my own.

12:  Somehow or other, O Lord, You have brought me here to speak about You. Now, my Lord, it is up to You to make me a success or failure as You like.

13:  O spiritual master of all the worlds! I can simply repeat Your message, so if You like You can make my power of speaking suitable for their understanding.

14:  Only by Your causeless mercy will my words become pure. I am sure that when this transcendental message penetrates their hearts they will certainly feel engladdened and thus become liberated from all unhappy conditions of life.

15:  O Lord, 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.

16:  I have no devotion, nor do I have any knowledge, but I have strong faith in the holy name of Krishna. I have been designated as Bhaktivedanta, and now if You like You can fulfill the real purport of Bhaktivedanta.

Signed—the most unfortunate, insignificant beggar,

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami,
on board the ship Jaladuta, Commonwealth Pier, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., dated 18th of September, 1965

 

Sri Prahlada dasa:

I shall read from the introduction:

“On September 17, 1965, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada arrived in Boston on board the ship Jaladuta, carrying within his heart the orders of his spiritual master to spread the teachings of Sri Chaitanya beyond the borders of India throughout the entire world. As he looked upon Boston’s bleak and dirty skyline, he could understand the difficulty of this sacred mission and felt great compassion for those godless people. Thus, with perfect humility, he composed this historic prayer in Bengali, praying for the deliverance of the fallen souls.”

Verse 1: “My dear Lord Krishna, You are so kind upon this useless soul, but I do not know why You have brought me here. Now You can do whatever You like with me.”

Here, Srila Prabhupada is expressing very strong sentiments. First, Krishna is always very kind to His devotee. Srila Prabhupada, in his humility, is calling himself a useless soul and asking Krishna, “You are so kind, but if You are so kind, why have You brought me to this place? Obviously, You have some plan.”

It is interesting how Srila Prabhupada sees his coming to America as Krishna bringing him, although he himself made so much endeavor to fulfill the mission of his spiritual master and come to the West, such as cultivating Sumati Morarji to get her to sponsor his journey. He had to convince her; it wasn’t easy. She was reluctant because of Srila Prabhupada’s age and the fact that he didn’t have any friends or relatives in America. So he had to convince her, but still he is saying to Krishna, “I don’t know why You brought me here.” Srila Prabhupada is seeing that it was actually Krishna who made the arrangements and who brought him to the United States.

That is how the devotee sees any experience he has in life: he sees it as Krishna’s mercy. It is said that when Gaurakisora dasa Babaji would go about Navadvipa, if he saw a boy who was dark, he would think of him as Krishna, and if he saw a boy who was fair, he would think of him as Gaura. And if one of the boys would touch him, he would say, “Look, Yasoda Mayi, your Gopala has punched me!” or “Look, Saci Mata, your Gaura is making a face at me!” So, he was seeing Krishna everywhere. We might see rascal boys misbehaving and become angry at them and want to correct them, but Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja’s vision was completely transcendental.

The principle here is to see everything as Krishna’s arrangement. And we also have to try to develop that vision, to see Krishna’s plan in everything, to see Krishna’s arrangement in everything—that we have surrendered to Him and so He is taking care of us. Sometimes we may experience setbacks or disappointments, but actually Krishna has some reason for giving them to us. We should try to understand that, and if we do, we’ll never be disappointed in life. We’ll be always happy in Krishna’s mercy, even in adversity.

Srila Prabhupada says, “Why have You brought me here? Whatever the case, do with me as You like.” And this is very much the mood of this poem—Prabhupada’s complete surrender: “I am Your instrument. You can use me. You can engage me as You wish. I have no personal agenda. My agenda is whatever You desire. I am here to accept Your desire as my life and soul, to give everything to please You, to serve You.”

Verse 2: “But I guess You have some business here. Otherwise, why would You bring me to such a terrible place?”

This is an interesting perspective. In India everyone wants to go to America because it’s the “land of the free and the home of the brave.” But here Srila Prabhupada is arriving in America and calling it “a terrible place.” When he was staying in London, there was a famous presenter who had a very popular television show. He would invite different personalities and ask them difficult questions that embarrassed them on the set, and that’s why he was so popular. So, he invited Prabhupada. Knowing the man’s reputation and thinking that he would try to humiliate Prabhupada on screen, the devotees were reluctant to let Prabhupada go. They humbly advised him, “Srila Prabhupada, we don’t think you should go for this.” But Srila Prabhupada replied, “No, it is our duty. We must go.”

So Prabhupada went, and he sat comfortably in the chair, and then the interviewer, as usual, began with some casual question—just to make the guest comfortable before he brought in the punch. He asked Srila Prabhupada, “So, how do you like it here in London?” Generally everyone would give the same clichéd answer: “It’s wonderful. I really like it. I am really enjoying myself here. It’s so good to be in this great city.” That’s generally the expected response—be positive on screen. But Srila Prabhupada answered, “London? London is hell!”

The interviewer was shocked. He didn’t know how to continue. It wasn’t the expected response. Prabhupada had actually stumped him. There was a short period of silence. He had his plan, but this—“London is hell!”—wasn’t part of the script. So there were some moments of uncomfortable silence. Then Prabhupada saved the day. He said, “But it is a great credit to the British people that they have built such a beautiful city under such hellish conditions, with hellish weather.” And from then on, the interviewer was very respectful, and Prabhupada actually got to preach. Srila Prabhupada was so expert.

Prabhupada’s view was that this material world is hellish. Whether it is America or England, it’s all the material world and so it’s hellish.

In his poem he has just come from Sri Vrindavan dhama, Radha-Damodar Mandir, and now he is arriving in Boston: “Why have you brought me to this terrible place?”

Another thing I remember here is Srila Prabhupada’s statement in Gainesville, Florida, while he was sitting on his vyasasana, after beholding a painting of Lord Chaitanya and His associates in the temple room: “It is so nice to see so many young boys and girls here in this remote corner of the world, so far away from the birthplace of Lord Chaitanya.” So, his perspective is that this is a terrible place, and that he is here only for Krishna’s work, only for Krishna’s pleasure, only to fulfill Krishna’s desire: to deliver the conditioned souls—to give them a spark of Krishna consciousness, a ray of bhakti.

Now Prabhupada describes why it is a terrible place:

Verse 3: “Most of the population here is covered by the material modes of ignorance and passion. Absorbed in material life, they think themselves very happy and satisfied, and therefore they have no taste for the transcendental message of Vasudeva. I do not know how they will able to understand it.”

So this is why people cannot understand—because they are covered by ignorance and passion. The nature of passion is that we become feverish to enjoy material life. We hanker. We make schemes and plans, and then when they are not fulfilled we become disappointed and fall into ignorance, depression, apathy, bewilderment, madness. This is bhoga-tyaga, desire for enjoyment and then so-called renunciation, the “sour grapes” philosophy of the fox that couldn’t reach some grapes: “Anyway, they are sour. Who needs them? Who wants them?” First he is trying so hard to jump and catch them, but when he is not successful, he says, “What is it, anyway? They are sour.” He becomes very renounced. So that is our situation in material life, material conditioning. We are constantly fluctuating between these two states of bhoga and tyaga, the desire for enjoyment and false renunciation. And because of this, it is difficult to develop attachment or attraction to the transcendental message of Vasudeva. We are so absorbed in materialistic life that the message of Vasudeva has no appeal. And so Srila Prabhupada is wondering, “How will I be able to tell them of Krishna? How will I be able to tell them of Sri Vrindavan dhama and devotional service?”

Not only is it very difficult, but it is almost impossible, and it is a miracle that Srila Prabhupada accomplished what he did. No one else could do it, not even all the other great acharyas who appeared in this world. They taught in Bharata-varsa, in India, where the Lord Himself made His appearance and where the Vedas are generally understood and respected. But that Prabhupada was able to come to this foreign land and instill this sraddha, this faith, within the hearts of the Westerners is a great miracle. Bhaktivinoda Thakura envisioned it and endeavored for it himself. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura spoke with Westerners (as did Bhaktivinoda Thakura) and personally sent his disciples to the West to try to do it, and he was maintaining them in London. But it was Srila Prabhupada who was actually successful in performing this miraculous feat. And by reading these songs, we can get a taste or a glimpse of how and why: it was by his surrender to Krishna, his humility, his absolute faith in the instruction of his spiritual master.

When we were in Bombay some years ago, some Sri Vaishnavas came to the Chowpatty Temple. They wanted to speak with somebody, and they were introduced to me. So, we sat in the temple room, and they said, “We have a very important question.”

“Yes—please. We are not very qualified, but we’ll try to answer.”

They asked, “Who is Prabhupada?”

“Prabhupada is our spiritual master. He took Krishna consciousness to the West and started . . .”

“No, no. We know that. We know about his life and his achievements. But who is he?”

It was a very esoteric question. I said, “You should explain a little more what you want to know.”

They explained, “Ramanujacharya—we know that he is Sesa, that he is Lakshmana, that he is Balarama. We know. So, Ramanujacharya was able to teach Vaishnavism throughout India, though mainly in Southern India. But your Prabhupada took it all over the world. Who is he?”

I replied, “We can’t answer that question. Once Prabhupada was asked, ‘Who are you?’ and he said, ‘If I told you, you would faint.’ And that is as much as we know. Still, we can understand that he is such an intimate servitor of the Lord that he performed such an important and confidential service, fulfilling the vision of the acharyas and the plan of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who said, prthivite ache yata nagaradi-grama: ‘In all the villages and towns of the world My name will be chanted.’ ”

Their next question was, “How did he do it?”

I answered, “You know, he went and chanted .  .  .”

But they interrupted, “No. That’s the external, but how actually did he do it?—because no one else was able to do it.”

I replied, “Well, this is also a difficult question to answer.” But I suggested that it was by his faith in the words of his spiritual master. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati gave him the order, and he understood that it was the desire of his spiritual master and of the acharyas and of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and that because it was their desire, so it would be. Because of that faith and surrender, he was able to do the impossible.

Verse 5: “How will they understand the mellows of devotional service? O Lord, I am simply praying for Your mercy so that I will be able to convince them about Your message.”

 

Giriraj Swami:

Verse 6: “All living entities have come under the control of the illusory energy by Your will, and therefore, if You like, by Your will they can also be released from the clutches of illusion. I wish that You may deliver them.”

Verse 7: “I wish that You may deliver them. Therefore, if You so desire their deliverance, then only will they be able to understand Your message.”

In reply to the question “How?” Srila Prabhupada answers, “By Your mercy,” by Krishna’s mercy. But Krishna’s mercy is not the whole answer; it is actually by Srila Prabhupada’s appeal to Krishna for His mercy.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura discusses how the conditioned souls get bhakti. He proves with evidence from the scriptures that one cannot get bhakti by karma or jnana (by fruitive activities or mental speculation), or by austerities, charity, mystic perfections, or any other pious acts. He quotes from the Bhagavatam (11.3.31), bhaktya sanjataya bhaktya: bhakti comes from bhakti.

How does bhakti comes from bhakti? What is the actual process? He says that someone may propose that one gets bhakti by the mercy of Krishna. But Krishna is equal to all. He is the supreme father of all living entities, so He must be equal to all. So we cannot simply say that the cause of bhakti is the mercy of Krishna, because Krishna would bestow bhakti equally on everyone, whereas we see that some get bhakti while others do not. Then Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says, “One could propose that one gets bhakti by the mercy of the devotee.” But again one might argue that the devotee, like the Lord, should be equal to everyone.

Here Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says that the preacher, the madhyama-bhakta, by nature shows partiality or discretion in distributing mercy, as stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.2.46): prema-maitri-krpopeksa yah karoti sa madhyama—he gives his love to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, makes friendship with devotees, shows mercy to the innocent, and neglects the envious. Thus, giving mercy, specifically to the innocent, is the preacher’s function. Therefore, even though a maha-bhagavata such as Srila Prabhupada in the ultimate sense sees everyone equally, everyone as a servant of Krishna and therefore in no need of mercy, when he takes the position of a preacher and functions as a preacher, he does give mercy, especially to the innocent.

Now, how does he give the mercy? He prays to Krishna to give mercy, and thus it is said that the mercy of Krishna follows the mercy of the devotee.

Here I have my own experience: I met Srila Prabhupada in 1969 in Boston, and I was touched by him. I felt that he was the spiritual master I had been looking for. After about three months, the devotees there needed another pujari. In those days one could be a pujari after first initiation. They thought, “He has been here for awhile; why not recommend him?” So Satsvarupa Maharaja, as the temple president, recommended me. Srila Prabhupada was in Los Angeles at the time, so I suppose in one sense I was actually initiated in LA. From there Srila Prabhupada sent back a letter: “Your initiated name is Giriraj. Giriraj is a name for Govardhan Hill where Krishna used to tend His cows. Sometimes devotees take a stone from Govardhan Hill and worship it as Krishna. So I marked it in your person when I was in Boston, and I prayed to Krishna that this good soul may be aware of the importance of Krishna consciousness.”

What is our qualification? I think that if I look for my qualifications, I don’t find any. Our only qualification is that Srila Prabhupada took compassion on us and gave us his mercy: He prayed to Krishna for us, just as he says here in the poem.

Coming back to Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura’s discussion, someone could question, “Why should Krishna listen to the prayers of the devotee? So many people are praying to Krishna; why should He listen especially to the devotee? Is that not also partiality in Krishna?” Here Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says that of all of Krishna’s qualities, the quality of being affectionate to His devotees, bhakta-vatsalya, is considered the supermost, the emperor that conquers over all the Lord’s other qualities and reconciles all contradictions. So being partial to His devotees is not a fault (dusanam) in Krishna but an ornament (bhusanam)—His most exalted quality. He really has no desire other than to please His devotees. Just as the devotees have no desire other than to please Krishna, Krishna really has no desire other than to please His devotees.

So when a devotee such as Srila Prabhupada prays to Krishna to give mercy to the fallen souls, or to a particular soul, Krishna readily does it—to please His devotee.

Years after my initiation, I found the verses that Srila Prabhupada paraphrased here in verses 6 and 7, in “The Prayers of the Personified Vedas” from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.87.14). The personified Vedas prayed to the Lord, “The fallen souls are under the control of maya, and maya is under Your control. Therefore, if you show them Your mercy, they can be released from the control of maya. We pray that You kindly do so.”

The same verse was quoted by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to Vasudeva Datta. Vasudeva Datta had prayed, “Let all the sinful reactions of all the living entities in the entire universe fall upon me,” and Lord Chaitanya became overwhelmed with love for him. Lord Chaitanya began to tremble and weep out of affection for Vasudeva Datta.

Generally, we wouldn’t accept the sinful reactions of even one living entity. There is the famous story of Valmiki. Valmiki was a thief, but he wasn’t stealing for himself. He was stealing for the sake of his family. Then Narada came and asked Valmiki’s wife, “Your husband is stealing for your sake, not for his sake. You are enjoying because he is stealing for you. Will you at least take some share of the sinful reactions?”

“No! Why should I? He is the one who is doing the stealing—not I.”

So, we don’t want to take anyone’s sinful reactions. Just our own sinful reactions are hard enough to tolerate. Yet here Vasudeva Datta is saying he will take the reactions for every living entity in the whole universe. We cannot even conceive of how much suffering he would have to undergo. “Let me suffer in a hellish condition perpetually,” he said. And he spoke without duplicity. Sometimes we may say things to sound good, to say the right thing, to sound like a pure devotee. But Vasudeva Datta was serious. Thus, when Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu heard what he said, His heart melted and He told Vasudeva Datta, “You need not suffer their sinful reactions. By your desire alone they can be liberated. Krishna fulfills the desires of His pure devotees. So by your desire He can liberate them without your accepting their sinful reactions.” And Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu quoted the same verse from “The Prayers of the Personified Vedas”: “O Lord, kindly conquer the nescience of the living entities by Your grace.”

So from one point of view, this is the secret: In his sincere love and compassion, and in his intimate relationship with Krishna, Srila Prabhupada prayed for us, and Krishna reciprocated.

But again, what is the method by which we get the mercy? Srila Prabhupada wrote, “So I prayed to Krishna that this soul may be aware of the importance of Krishna consciousness.” In other words, we must become aware of the value of Krishna consciousness and then take to the process that Srila Prabhupada gave. Thus we come to the second part of Verse 7: “If You so desire their deliverance, then only will they be able to understand Your message.”

Many people heard Srila Prabhupada’s message, or Krishna’s message, but not all developed faith in the message. The beginning of bhakti is faith (adau sraddha). Thus, when we ask how one gets bhakti, we really mean, how does one get sraddha, which is bhakti in its initial stage.

Here “faith” means faith in the words of the scriptures and the words of the spiritual master that glorify and explain the process of bhakti. Therefore Prabhupada, in utter humility, prayed that Krishna make his words suitable, and he also prayed that Krishna enlighten us, or inspire us, with appreciation for His message. Thus Srila Prabhupada, in the mood of utter surrender, really saw that Krishna was doing everything: Krishna was inspiring him to speak, and Krishna was inspiring us to appreciate what he said.

Even we, as servants of Srila Prabhupada, had the same mood—though not to the same degree—when we tried to distribute books. We prayed, “Please empower me to approach this person; please inspire me to approach this person. Please make my words suitable.” We would pray to Krishna—especially while the person was looking at the book and considering whether or not to buy it—“Please inspire this person to take the book. Please inspire this person to do service.” That is the mood.

Of course, here Srila Prabhupada is speaking in the mood of compassion, praying for the sake of others, but we can pray even for our own protection. It is not wrong to pray for our own protection. Once, in a lecture at Bhaktivedanta Manor, Srila Prabhupada said, “All of you can fall down, but I cannot fall down.” After the lecture, Srila Prabhupada came before the Deities and was praying, and later one disciple asked him, “Srila Prabhupada, what were you praying?” Srila Prabhupada replied, “I was praying that I may never fall down.” The disciple, astonished, objected, “But Srila Prabhupada, you just said that you cannot fall down.” And Srila Prabhupada explained, “Yes, because I am always praying that I may never fall down, therefore I can never fall down.”

Verse 9 is actually a series of five verses from Srimad-Bhagavatam, and we shall read the translations:

Verse 9: “It is said in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.17): ‘Sri Krishna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses the desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who relishes his messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.’ ”

Earlier Srila Prabhupada had said, “Because the population is absorbed in material enjoyment they cannot appreciate the message of Vasudeva.” And now he is saying, “If they hear the message of Vasudeva, the desire for material enjoyment will be cleansed from their hearts.” The idea here is similar to Rupa Gosvami’s verse that says that even though the sweet holy names, forms, qualities, and pastimes of Krishna may be bitter to the diseased conditioned souls, if they take the medicine of the holy names they will be cured of the disease, and then they will be able to relish the sweetness.

“By regularly hearing the Bhagavatam and rendering service unto the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is practically destroyed, and loving service unto the glorious Lord, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.” (SB 1.2.18)

So both methods work—serving the person bhagavata and reading the book Bhagavata—and from the very beginning Srila Prabhupada engaged the devotees in service. One famous example was when a man walked into the storefront at 26 Second Avenue with some rolls of toilet paper and offered them to Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada accepted them and said, “He has begun his devotional service.” Another time, someone came to the storefront in New York with some Mayavadi leaflets, and Srila Prabhupada accepted them too. Later, when the devotees were distributing prasada, he handed out those leaflets for the guests to use as paper plates. So Prabhupada knew the value of service, and he did whatever he could to engage anyone and everyone in devotional service.

“At that time loving service is established in the heart, and the modes of passion [rajas] and ignorance [tamas] and lust and desire [kama] disappear from the heart.” (SB 1.2.19)

Earlier, Prabhupada had prayed, “People are covered by passion and ignorance; how will they be able to understand Your message?” Now he says that by hearing the book bhagavata from the person bhagavata and rendering service to the person bhagavata, one will be freed from the lower modes and become established in goodness. Then he will be able to understand the message. “Then the devotee is established in goodness, and becomes happy.” (SB 1.2.19)

“Thus established in the mode of goodness, the person rejuvenated by loving service to the Lord gains liberation from material association [mukti] and comes to know scientifically of the Personality of Godhead. Thus the knot in the heart and all misgivings are cut to pieces. The chain of fruitive actions [karma] is terminated when one sees the Self as master.” (SB 1.2.20–21)

So, Srila Prabhupada prayed to Krishna to give His mercy to us, to make his words suitable and to make us appreciate his message. But then again, we also have to take up the process, and here I think of the example of a person fallen in a well. On his own, he cannot get out. But if someone comes and sends a rope down into the well, he can be delivered. Still, he has to make the effort and hold on to the rope. The mercy of the spiritual master is that he gives us proper instructions, and if we hold on to the instructions, he will lift us out of the well of material existence and deliver us to the lotus feet of Krishna.

Once, in Bombay, a disciple said to Srila Prabhupada, “Please give me your mercy that I may follow your instructions,” and Srila Prabhupada replied, “It is like you are in a well and I hand down a rope to lift you out and you are praying, ‘O Prabhupada! O Prabhupada! Please make my fingers curl around the rope and hold on.’ ” Srila Prabhupada explained, “My mercy is that I send down the rope, but you have to hold on to it.” So, Srila Prabhupada’s mercy is that he gives us the instructions and prays to Krishna that we can appreciate the instructions. But we also have to do our part. Therefore, because both are involved—mercy and effort—if someone was too far on one side, Srila Prabhupada would emphasize the other side to bring the person to the proper position.

Another time in Bombay, an Indian gentleman came to Srila Prabhupada and said, “Swamiji, Swamiji, please save me. Only you can save me. I am drowning in the ocean of material existence. Please save me. Only you can save me.” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “I cannot save you. But I can give you the method by which you can save yourself. But you have to do the work.” So this is the combination that works: on the one side Srila Prabhupada’s mercy in the form of his instructions and his prayers to Krishna that we can appreciate His mercy and instructions, and on the other side our efforts. But of course, Srila Prabhupada also inspired us to make efforts, and he continues to do so today.

Sri Prahlada dasa:

We also have the example of Yasoda trying to bind Krishna with ropes but being unsuccessful. The ropes are always two inches too short. She is struggling, taking ropes from all over the house, tying them together, but still the ropes are two inches too short! When Krishna sees the perspiration on her forehead, when He sees that the flowers that were decorating her hair have fallen to the ground and that her hair has become disarrayed, and how she is working so hard to bind Him, He thinks, “Okay. Let her bind Me.” And so she finally ties that knot, and Krishna is bound. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says that the two inches of rope that were missing represent two things: one is the endeavor of the devotee, and the other is Krishna’s mercy, Krishna’s agreement. When Krishna gives His mercy and the devotee endeavors to take that mercy, then we are successful in binding Krishna, or achieving Krishna. Of course, that mercy comes to us by Krishna’s grace.

Giriraj Swami:

Verse 10: “He will become liberated from the influence of the modes of ignorance and passion and thus all inauspicious things accumulated in the core of the heart will disappear.”

The three modes of material nature (sattva, rajas, and tamas) are the constituents of material nature, and the spiritual nature also has three constituents—samvit, sandini, hladini, or eternity, knowledge, and bliss (sac-cid-ananda). They translate in this material nature as goodness, passion, and ignorance. They are the opposite of transcendence. Because we are covered by these modes of material nature, we cannot appreciate the message of Vasudeva. However, by contacting the pure devotee and hearing that message, these troublesome things in the heart are cleaned away, and then we can appreciate the message of Vasudeva.

Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says, ceto-darpana marjanam: the cetah, or the consciousness, which is also the heart, is cleaned of all the dust accumulated for years on it. When a mirror is covered with dust, you cannot see yourself in it. You cannot see who you are. But when that dust is cleaned away, you can see yourself. Similarly, when the mirror of the heart is cleaned, we can understand our nature as soul, as servant of Krishna.

Verse 11: “How will I make them understand the message of Krishna consciousness? I am very unfortunate, unqualified, and the most fallen. Therefore I am seeking Your benediction so that I can convince them, for I am powerless to do so on my own.”

It is not something mechanical or artificial; one has to become empowered by the Lord. One has to become saktyavesa, an empowered representative of the Lord, and then that dynamic is there. Certainly Srila Prabhupada was empowered by Krishna because of his full dedication, full faith, and full surrender. It is not a material phenomenon, that one can represent the Lord and transform the heart of the conditioned soul. It is a transcendental phenomenon.

Verse 16: “I have no devotion, nor do I have any knowledge, but I have strong faith in the holy name of Krishna. I have been designated as Bhaktivedanta, and now if You like You can fulfill the real purport of Bhaktivedanta.”

Bhakti means “devotion” and vedanta means “knowledge.” Actually, veda means “knowledge” and anta means “the end.” So vedanta means “the end of knowledge,” or “the conclusion of all knowledge.” Here Srila Prabhupada is saying, “I am designated as Bhaktivedanta, but I have no bhakti or vedanta. But if You like, You can make me Bhaktivedanta.” And so we come back to Srila Prabhupada’s secret. How did Srila Prabhupada succeed? He says, “I have strong faith in the holy name of Krishna.” Sri Prahlada mentioned Prabhupada’s faith in his spiritual master and in the previous acharyas, and along with such faith comes faith in the process of devotional service and especially in the holy names.

Srila Prabhupada had a godbrother named Akincana Krishnadasa Babaji Maharaja who was always absorbed in hari-nama. Srila Prabhupada said he was a paramahamsa, a liberated soul. I heard that Krishnadasa Babaji Maharaja met a godbrother . . .

(Now, before I continue with the story I want to give a little preamble about how we should deal with other Vaishnavas or Gaudiya Vaishnavas. We should treat them with respect. Obviously, if they directly or indirectly criticize Srila Prabhupada or Srila Prabhupada’s movement, or attack Srila Prabhupada or his movement, we have to defend Srila Prabhupada. But otherwise, our attitude should be respectful. We should appreciate their service, however big or small it may be. So I am telling the story just to illustrate Srila Prabhupada’s faith in the holy name and the secret of Srila Prabhupada’s success.)

So, Krishnadasa Babaji met another of Srila Prabhupada’s godbrothers, who had been sent by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura to England to preach. Babaji Maharaja asked him, “You went to the West and Swami Maharaja (our Srila Prabhupada, Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja) also went to the West. You presented the teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and he presented the teachings of Mahaprabhu. You chanted the holy name of Krishna, and he chanted the holy name of Krishna. Yet he was successful, and you were not. Why?” Then Babaji Maharaja himself gave the answer: “Because Swami Maharaja had full faith in the holy names, that if the Westerners just chanted the holy names of Krishna, gradually they would become Krishna conscious, they would become devotees.”

For some time in Calcutta the temple president somehow became absorbed in doing business, in making money for the temple, and the devotees in the temple were sort of neglected. Of course, we were poor—very poor. We couldn’t afford milk. And even if we could, we wouldn’t know what white liquid we might get. It seemed likely to be a combination of buffalo milk, water, and paper. Milkmen used to soak paper in watery milk to add bulk to the liquid.

So, there was a devotee there named Sudama Vipra. He had tattoos, and he was really strong. But even he was starving. We all were starving. So after the arati, he would get the ghee wicks and squeeze them to try to get a drop or two of ghee out.

We were all just waiting for Srila Prabhupada to come and save us. Srila Prabhupada did come, and different devotees met him and complained, and then he called a meeting. He listened very patiently and sympathetically to all the devotees’ complaints. At one point the GBC there said, “Srila Prabhupada, I was just trying to execute the will of Your Divine Grace.” And Srila Prabhupada said sarcastically, “Is it My Divine Grace’s will that all the devotees should be disturbed?”

So he was very sympathetic to the devotees. He said that we should have meetings every week and that we should record our resolutions in the minutes book and stick to the resolutions. He was very concerned.

But then Srila Prabhupada’s mood changed. He told us that we shouldn’t be too absorbed in these material matters, because the tendency of the conditioned souls is to become engrossed in material things, and if we get too preoccupied and just talk about material things, we’ll forget Krishna. We won’t talk about Krishna.

And then he told us, “My motto has always been ‘Everything for Krishna and nothing for myself.’ Therefore I never complained.” He said, “I suffered so much for the sake of this movement”—for our sake, really. “I had two heart attacks on the ship on the way to New York. Then in New York City I had a stroke.” And he confided, “Even otherwise, I had headaches and ringing in my ears. . . . You cannot conceive of how much I suffered, and I don’t want to discuss it. But my motto was always ‘Everything for Krishna and nothing for myself.’ ” And that is Prabhupada. That is Prabhupada.

Then: “Signed—the most unfortunate, insignificant beggar, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami.”

This poem was first published in Back to Godhead many years ago, by early 1971, which is when I first heard it. A few of us were living in the Sea Palace Hotel in Bombay. Srila Prabhupada had a friend from England named Ramchand Chhabria, who owned the hotel. He was vegetarian and the hotel was vegetarian, and we didn’t have any other place to stay, so he invited us to stay there. When the magazine came, there were just a few of us—Guru dasa Prabhu, Yamuna Devi, and myself. The first article was the poem. Yamuna Devi read it out loud. And when she came to this—“Signed—the most unfortunate, insignificant beggar, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami”—she burst into tears. She just couldn’t contain herself.

So what can we say here?

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

[A talk by Giriraj Swami and Sri Prahlada dasa, September 28, 2002, Three Rivers, California]

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Professional BMX freestyle rider Joris Coulomb always chased adventure. He didn’t realize that one day it would take him to a place of deep meaning where all his questions about life would be answered. Read ISKCON News article on Joris.