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Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 21, No. 7
By Krishna Kripa Das
(Week 7: February 12–18, 2025)
Tallahassee
(Sent from Tallahassee, Florida, on February 22, 2025)

Where I Went and What I Did

For the seventh week of 2025, I remained living at ISKCON Tallahassee and chanted three hours each day on Landis Green, behind the main Florida State University library, except for one day when it poured rain the entire day. No one joined me the other six days, so I chanted by myself. During the week, I distributed a few “On Chanting Hare Krishna” pamphlets along with fifty-six little cups of halava to promote our Krishna Lunch at the campus. I added three students to our mailing list. I describe some special interactions with students and Christians on Valentine’s Day, and I tell how we celebrated the appearance day of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura in Tallahassee. I spoke at our Saturday program on the glories of Lord Nityananda because His appearance day was earlier in the week on a weekday.

I share lots of quotes from the books, lectures, conversations, and letters of Srila Prabhupada, many I read in Bhakti Vikasa Swami’s soon-to-be-published book on the mood and mission of Srila Prabhupada. I share quotes from Sanatana Goswami’s Brhad-bhagavatamrita with commentary by Gopiparanadhana Prabhu, and a quote from Vrindavana Dasa Thakura’s Caitanya-bhagavata. I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada-lilamrita and The Final Frontier, the latest book of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, which is in the production stage. I share a great story which Vijaya Prabhu, the book distributor, heard in his travels. I share notes on a class on Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s appearance day by Rama Raya Prabhu in New York City and notes on Bhagavatam classes by Govinda Kaviraja Prabhu, our temple president here in Tallahassee.

Many, many thanks to Satyaraja Govinda Prabhu, who donated a variety of foods to offer to Gaura Nitai, in honor of his mother, who passed away not long ago. May she get the auspicious mercy of Lord Caitanya.

Itinerary

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

Chanting Hare Krishna in Tallahassee

Valentine’s Day was nice on the campus, with at least a couple people saying they liked my music and my presence there and more people accepting halava than usual. I taught a guitar player the chords to the Prabhupada melody, and he played several mantras with me. I sent him the recording that George Harrison made of the mantra.

One friendly young man gave me a red rose, which I offered to Gaura Nitai. 

Three Christians prayed for me. I told them, “Pray that my love for God always increases.”

Jay, the Tally Preacher, kindly refrained from blaspheming Krishna in his Valentine’s Day message. As he left, I offered to share a verse from our scripture about love, and he stopped to listen: “Desire to gratify one’s own senses is lust, and desire to satisfy the senses of the Supreme Lord is called love.” (Cc. Adi 4.165) He liked it and gave me a high five. I ended by saying, “There is truth in all the religions. It is not good to deny the Lord when He appears in other places.”

Also on Valentine’s Day one young lady on our list for Krishna Lunch wanted in addition to learn of our mantra meditation and Gita study programs.

In New York, NYC Harinam devotees enthusiastically celebrated the birthday of Rama Raya Prabhu, our fearless leader, which is Valentine’s Day according to the solar calendar. He was born in 1959, the year that Srila Prabhupada took sannyasa. I decided to look up when Rama Raya Prabhu was born according to the Vedic calendar, and it turns out to be incredibly auspicious – the appearance day of Advaita Acarya!

On Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s appearance day, we did a puspanjali and noon arati, singing “Guruvastakam” to the midday tune, followed by Hare Krishna. Since the cook thought the students had school off for President’s Day, the devotees did not cook Krishna Lunch, so I encouraged Ananga Mohan Prabhu to make something to offer to the deities on that festival day. He made a chickpea masala and rice, and I made laddus for Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s appearance day feast. I did the arati, and he sang the kirtan.

I shared with my Facebook friends this section from Srila Prabhupada-lilamrita about Srila Prabhupada’s first meeting with his guru: 

“Yet as he [Abhay] continued to listen to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta speak, he also began to feel won over by the sādhu’s strength of conviction. He could sense that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta didn’t care for anything but Lord Caitanya and that this was what made him great. This was why followers had gathered around him and why Abhay himself felt drawn, inspired, and humbled and wanted to hear more.” (Srila Prabhupada-lilamrita, Volume 1, Chapter 3)

I just love that phrase “Srila Bhaktisiddhanta didn’t care for anything but Lord Caitanya and that this was what made him great.” Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Thakura ki, jaya! 

Usually I find laddus too time-consuming to make, but for the last two festival days I made a quarter of the recipe, and they went very quickly, within the duration of an hour-long Bhagavatam class.

The next time I saw the student who had offered me the rose on Valentine’s Day, I thanked him. I told him I clipped the last inch or two off the stem and changed the water, and after six days it still looked fresh. He did not know that trick, which I just learned myself within the last year, and he was happy to hear it.

Here is that beautiful rose, still gracing the altar of Gaura Nitai after a full week.

Photos

“Sometimes I feel I have too many tabs open on my browser . . . Perhaps I haven’t attained vyavasaya-atmika buddhih [one-pointed intelligence] after all!”

Insights

Srila Prabhupada:

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.19.4, purport:

“The state of India should follow the example of Maharaja Pariksit, the ideal executive head, rather than imitate materialistic states, which have no idea of the kingdom of Godhead, the ultimate goal of human life.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.25.13, purport:

“A blind man can walk but not see, and a lame man cannot walk but can see. . . . The blind man may take the lame man over his shoulder, and as he walks the lame man may give him directions. Thus combined they may walk, but individually neither the blind man nor the lame man can walk successfully. . . . At the present moment, India may be compared to the lame man and the Western countries to the blind man. For the past two thousand years India has been subjugated by the rule of foreigners, and the legs of progress have been broken. In the Western countries the eyes of the people have become blind due to the dazzling glitter of material opulence. The blind man of the Western countries and the lame man of India should combine together in this Krishna consciousness movement. Then the lame man of India can walk with the help of the Westerner, and the blind Westerner can see with the help of the lame man. In short, the material advancement of the Western countries and the spiritual assets of India should combine for the elevation of all human society.”

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 9.50, purport:

“The members of ISKCON must increase this movement more and more, according to the principles that we are presently trying to execute. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, thus being pleased, will smilingly glance upon them, bestowing His favor, and the movement will be successful.”

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya, Concluding Words:

“Our society, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, has been formed to execute the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.”

From the chapter on Hegel in Dialectic Spiritualism:

“It was my mission to go to America and educate the Americans in Krishna consciousness because I knew that if they become Krishna conscious, the whole world will follow.”

From a lecture on The Nectar of Devotion in Vrindavan on November 2, 1972:

“The Krishna consciousness movement is started with this summary idea, that nobody should think himself as belonging to certain family or sect or religion or country or nation. All these designation[s] have created havoc in the world, these false designation[s].”

From a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.9.48 in Mayapur on June 14, 1973:

“My mission was that I shall go to America, and if some of the American boys and girls, younger section, would accept it, then I’ll bring them here [India] to show these rascals that how great this culture is.”

From a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.14–15 in Los Angeles on May 31, 1972:

“So if you actually feel for your country, for your community, for your people, just spread this Krishna consciousness. They’re dying. You spread this Krishna consciousness, they’ll come again to life, and everything will be actually beautiful. That is my request. I came to your country with this mission, that ‘The American people, they are feeling frustration. If they take to Krishna consciousness, they’ll be happy, and others will follow their example.’”

From a letter to Balavanta dasa on October 4, 1976:

“The main thing is to distribute books. . . . Introduce Ratha-yatra very nicely and distribute books.”

From a room conversation in New York on July 3, 1972:

“Krishna consciousness is not meant for India or America. Of course, I am deputed by my Guru Maharaja to spread this Krishna consciousness movement in the Western world. That is his grace. He wanted that Western people, who are intelligent, they should learn what is Krishna consciousness. So my mission is for the Western country, but it is not meant for any particular country, nation. It is meant for every living entity. ”

From a morning walk in Paris on June 13, 1974:

“Because in your previous life you had been pious, you have got your life in America, and now utilize it. Certainly I, several times I have told, that your previous life you were pious. There is no doubt about it. And now utilize that opportunity. You have got opulence. You have got money. You have got intelligence. Utilize it for Krishna. Then it is successful. And Krishna has also come. This Krishna consciousness movement has come to your country. So utilize it properly.”

From a morning walk in Los Angeles on June 6, 1976:

“They’ll understand as they read our books that we are all-round reformer[s].”

From a letter to Acyutananda and Yasodanandana on December 4, 1975:

“There is a big field in India, 600 million people. In every home there should be at least one BBT publication.”

From a letter to Ved Prakash on July 2, 1958:

“My idea of preaching in the foreign countries means that they are rather fed up with material advancement of knowledge. They are seeking the message guidance of the Vedanta-sutras or the Bhagavad-gita in an authorized way. And I am sure that India will again go back to the Vedantic life when the principle is accepted by the Europeans, Americans, etc., because the Indian people are now in the habit of begging, after neglecting their own property.”

From Science of Self-Realization, Chapter 7:

“Our mission is to bring these rascals to their senses. The rascals are suffering, but because they are sons of God they should not suffer. They do not know that there is God or that there is happiness. They know nothing of bliss or of eternal life. They are carrying on so much research and living for fifty, sixty, or seventy years. After that they do not know what is going to happen. They have no knowledge that life is eternal. Actually their position is like that of an animal. An animal does not know what is after death, nor does he contemplate death. He does not know why he is here, nor does he know the value of life. Under the influence of maya, the animal simply goes on eating, sleeping, defending, mating, and dying. That’s all. People are endeavoring so hard, but for what purpose? They say they are struggling so hard to make provisions for the next generation, but what are the provisions for? They cannot reply to that. This Krishna consciousness movement is meant to give real purpose to life by establishing Krishna, God, as the center of everything. It is therefore to the scientist’s benefit to understand this important movement.”

Sanatana Goswami:

[Brhad-bhagavatamrita translation and commentaries by Gopiparanadhana Prabhu.]

From Brhad-bhagavatamrita 2.5.218–219:

“One develops that love by practicing the devotional service whose main ways are meditation on and singing about the many Vraja pastimes of the Lord. That service becomes brilliant by sankirtana of the Lord’s most beloved holy names. In the company of people whose only taste is for devotional service in pure love, that love appears of its own accord. Yet one must try hard to keep it concealed.”

From Brhad-bhagavatamrita 2.5.223:

“An intelligent person should carefully cultivate speech, behavior, and thinking that fix him in utter humility, and anything that stands in the way of it he should avoid.”

From Brhad-bhagavatamrita 2.5.224:

“Dainya at its most exalted comes forth when prema, pure love of God, reaches full maturity, as it did in the women of Gokula when they were separated from Krishna.”

From Brhad-bhagavatamrita 2.7.107:

“Krishna also touches the gopis with His feet and hands and glances at them very mercifully—but in addition the gopis receive the good fortune of Krishna’s embrace. In Vrindavan, therefore, the gopis are surely Krishna’s most favored devotees.”

From Brhad-bhagavatamrita 2.7.111:

“The vibration of His flute is the sweetest of all songs.”

“The waves of the rivers are like arms, with which the rivers take hold of Krishna’s feet in utter humility, gently covering those lotus feet in their embrace. The rivers do this just to calm the fever of lust in their hearts.”

“The rivers express their love for Krishna by catching hold of His feet with their waves.”

Vrindavana Dasa Thakura:

From Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya 13.160:

“Any sinful person who takes the side of one Vaishnava and blasphemes another Vaishnava is certainly ruined.”

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:

From Srila Prabhupada-lilamrita, Volume 1, Chapter 9:

“Westerners, he [Srila Prabhupada] had concluded, were not satisfied with a materially comfortable life devoid of spiritual understanding; more than his fellow Indians, they would be open to the message of the Absolute Truth.”

From Srila Prabhupada-lilamrita, Volume 7 (Srila Prabhupada-lila), Chapter 3:

“‘What if people don’t want to hear our message?’ Pradyumna asked.
“‘The people might not understand our message, but Krishna will be pleased,’ Prabhupada replied. ‘And that is our mission. They thought Jesus Christ’s mission was stopped. They killed him. But his mission was attained. He preached three years only, but so many followers. He pleased Krishna. We must not be disappointed that no one is hearing Krishna consciousness. We will say it to the moon and stars and all directions. We will cry in the wilderness, because Krishna is everywhere. We want to get a certificate from Krishna that, “This man has done something for Me.” Not popularity. If a pack of asses says you are good, what is that? We have to please Krishna’s senses with purified senses.’”

From The Final Frontier:

“I don’t mean to say my spiritual master was in any way short-minded in love of God. Rather, he was the one with true spiritual religion. He saved me from short-visions or sectarianism in religion. He is the one who has given me real sight of the Divinity.”

“My advice to younger devotees is to keep on trying to please Krishna until their last days. I am at the border of my last days, this uncharted territory, and I want to send back a message to the younger devotees to tell them what to expect. They should hold on to their vow to their spiritual master until the end of their days. If they are true to their vow given to their guru, they please him and they please the Lord Himself, and they will go back to Godhead.”

“I don’t know how much time I have on this Dictaphone, just as I don’t know how much time I have to live.”

“John Endler reminded me that although I write books somewhat like a free-writer, I always make sure it’s spiritual fare. I pray to Krishna through my words. I don’t leave it mundane. Prabhupada has taught me everything, and whatever I’ve learned from teachers like Natalie Goldberg, all of that, it is minor. My real teachers have been Prabhupada himself and spiritual writers.”

“I’m saying these words and
they give me a pain in the head
but I’d rather have pain in the head
for pleasing Krishna
than anything else in the world.”

“I am doing my best and will continue writing until I have no more energy and no more creativity in my body. I will go on writing until it is no longer creative, until it is no longer filled with the drive of loving Krishna. I will go on writing until they take the Dictaphone from my hand and say, ‘That’s enough, you cannot write creatively anymore.’ They will take the Dictaphone from my hand.”

Mukunda Goswami:

From Miracle on Second Avenue:

“I suddenly realized how America’s current [1967] interest in spirituality left people wide open to be exploited by those offering some flavor of Eastern culture with a personal motive attached–be that fame, power or wealth. I knew from my own observation of our swami that he was not after any of these things; he was driven by a desire to fulfill the wishes of his spiritual master, and I felt immensely grateful to have found him in the great mystical melting pot that was America’s alternative culture.”

[I found this description humorous:]

“The Swami and I filed past a gaunt woman with knee-length hair who blew a perfect ring of marijuana smoke as she stared at us.”

Vijaya Prabhu:

From a post to his book distribution mailing list:

“I’m visiting the relatively new Rohini temple in New Delhi, and I asked Sukha Priya Dasa, the temple commander, how he joined.

“While in college, he had to write a paper on the Bhagavad-gita. So he read two versions – by Dr Radhakrishnan and Gandhi – and because of reading them, he became an atheist.

“Then he started working in France and Germany as an engineer. He met another worker who followed the Bhagavad-gita As It Is, and they would have conversations about the Gita. He would always be defeated by the devotee.

“Finally he became submissive and asked, ‘What is death?’ The devotee spoke with him on this subject for six hours.

“Then he asked the devotee, ‘What should I do?’

“The devotee suggested that he start by chanting eight rounds a day. He did. And eventually he joined the temple in Rohini.

“Now he’s the temple commander of the beautiful temple. All glories to the Bhagavad-gita As It Is, and down with the Bhagavad-gita as it isn’t.”

Rama Raya Prabhu:

From a class on the appearance day of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura:

The position of humility is to expand the mission of our spiritual master. Any other position is a position of pride.

In the course of years of practice we can see how the message of the parampara is strong and reliable, never failing us.

Govinda Kaviraja Prabhu:

From Bhagavatam classes in Tallahassee:

We have to be useful, and then we will be maintained. First there is dharma, and then there is artha, economic development. I see so many homeless people who are not maintained because they are not useful to anybody.

The demigods want to enjoy and to control, but they also want to serve all living beings by maintaining and protecting them. The demons want to enjoy and to control, but they also want to exploit all living entities.

It is not like all the demigods have the same consciousness. There are varieties of demigods and varieties of consciousness.

Just as we lost the taste for eating meat, we will lose the taste for happiness in the mode of passion, and then we will lose the taste for happiness in the mode of goodness, and ultimately we will only be happy in devotional service.

One priest told me that there are 251 fast days in the Eastern Orthodox Church on which they are not supposed to eat meat but people do not follow.

Bhakti Vijnana Swami says that preaching means to help people come up to the next level.

When I would serve prasadam at events, sometimes homeless people would ask me for food. I would ask them to chant three Hare Krishna mantras before I would give them anything. Sometimes at first they would not be interested, but after a few minutes, they would come back and agree to chant the mantras. Then they would even invite their friends to come for prasadam.

-----

Everyday people engage in activities which they feel are very important. Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his “Arunodaya Kirtana Song 1” reminds us that in transferring ourselves from this world of temporality and misery to the world of eternal happiness, we actually have only one business – taking shelter of the holy name of the Lord.

Recently as I have been chanting on the campus of Florida State University for three hours a day by myself, to keep focused I have been reminding myself that taking shelter of the holy name is my only business.

jivana anitya janaha sar

tahe nana-vidha vipada-bhar
namasraya kori’ jatane tumi
thakaha apana kaje

“This temporary life is full of various miseries. Take shelter of the holy name as your only business.” (“Arunodaya Kirtana Song 1,” verse 6)

By Dandavats Staff Writer

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By Dandavats Staff Writer

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Many devotees came from all over the wold to attend the 2025 Leadership Sanga in Sridham Mayapur. The conference went for four days with morning and afternoon sessions.

The first part of each day comprised presentations like empowering future leaders, varnasrama, book distribution, cow protection etc. Usually the devotees were given time to ask questions and have around table discussions amongst themselves. In the afternoon devotees attended smaller seminars in various classrooms.

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(Based on a recent lecture of HH Banu Swami in Mayapur: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0eJwIsinJ4) Introduction The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has grown exponentially since its founding by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1966. Central to ISKCON’s spiritual framework is the concept of guruship, where a spiritual teacher or guru plays a pivotal role in guiding
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Sri Gaura Purnima 2025 on Friday 14th March 2025 with Special Guest: H.H Devamrita Swami Maharaj at Sri Sri Radha Giridhari Temple (1229 Coatesville Riverhead Hwy, Kumeu)

Saturday 8th March 2025 from 12:30pm around the Hare Krishna Auckland farm.

By Dandavats Staff Writer

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Dear Devotees, Dandavats! Jaya Srila Prabhupada! The movie HARE KRISHNA!, is now FREE on YouTube in a short version of 47 minutes instead of the full 90 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAXmpRpkhy4e4H03cVer7pLt1-QQyIrKs It is meant especially for schools and universities and other venues with limited time slots. Kindly share widely. With gratitude, Your servants, Yadubara das and Visakha
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Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s Transformative Contributions to Lord Chaitanya’s Movement Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura (1874–1937) stands as a monumental figure in the revitalization of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, the devotional tradition inaugurated by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in 16th-century Bengal. His life’s work redefined the propagation of Krishna consciousness through strategic reforms, technological innovation, and unyielding opposition to
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Sri Prahlada Dasa:

Today is the holy appearance day of our grandfather or great-grandfather spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja Prabhupada. On Giriraj Maharaja’s instruction, I will attempt to say something about Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s history and share my realizations regarding his contribution and mood. I pray for the mercy of the Vaishnavas that this realization aligns with his authentic teachings.

The appearance of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati is most significant. His father, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, emerged as a great spiritual reformer at a time when Gaudiya Vaishnavism had become marginalized and in many ways perverted. While not universal, there were deviations from the mature teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in various areas. Recognizing this, Bhaktivinoda Thakura sought to reestablish Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission in this world.

In his personal endeavors Bhaktivinoda Thakura wrote extensive literature and established nama-hatta, the marketplace for the holy name, organizing sangas to facilitate the association of Vaishnavas. He also prayed for assistance in this significant task. Bhaktivinoda Thakura harbored a vision to spread Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s movement to the Western world, and he prayed to Krishna for help in its realization. It is understood that the appearance of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was the fulfillment of that prayer.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura was living in Puri at the time of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s appearance on February 6, 1874. The site of his birth lies on the Grand Road between the Jagannatha and Gundica temples, where Jagannatha’s chariot procession takes place each year. Biographies recount various significant signs indicating the transcendental nature of his appearance. One such sign was the umbilical cord draped over his left shoulder and then across his chest resembling an upavita, or what is often called a “brahman thread.” Another indication was an incident that occurred during the chariot festival. The procession halted right in front of Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s house for a significant duration, unable to move. Seizing the opportunity, Bhaktisiddhanta’s mother, Srimati Bhagavati Devi, took her baby, then named Bimala Prasada, onto the chariot, placing him at the lotus feet of Jagannatha Swami. As she prayed at Jagannatha’s lotus feet, a garland fell around Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, interpreted as Jagannatha’s benediction upon the child.

As a side note, Brahmananda Prabhu recounted a story of when Srila Prabhupada paid his obeisances to Radha-Krishna deities and Krishna’s garland fell not around Prabhupada but in front of him. Prabhupada turned to Brahmananda and exclaimed, “Did you see? Krishna’s garland has fallen. He is pleased with me!”

At a very young age Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati learned the entire Bhagavad-gita. It is said that at the age of seven he could recite the entire Gita and explain its verses. Evidently, he received thorough training from his father. Bhaktivinoda Thakura also performed the upanayana samskara, Vedic initiation into the Gayatri mantra, for him at around the same age. Additionally, he entrusted Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura with the service of worshipping a Varaha sila.

The Varaha salagrama was unearthed while excavating the site for Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s home, Bhakti Bhavan, in Calcutta. Bhaktivinoda presented the salagrama to his son, Bimala Prasada Datta, along with a mantra to Lord Nrsimhadeva. This mantra was revealed to Bhaktivinoda Thakura either in meditation or in a dream, wherein Nrsimhadeva bestowed it upon him. Later, when Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati sent three sannyasis as preachers to the West, he gave them a salagrama sila, a Govardhana sila, a Dvaraka sila, and this Nrsimha mantra to protect the mission.

There is a famous story of how Bhaktivinoda Thakura was strict with Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. Once, when some fruits and vegetables were brought into the house, the young child selected a mango and said, “This one is for me.” Bhaktivinoda Thakura replied, “What is this? Before Radha-Giridhari have been offered this fruit, you are already claiming it as yours.” The Deities worshipped in Bhakti Bhavan were Radha and Giridhari. The young child, Bimala Prasada Datta, took this correction very seriously, and he made a vow to never eat mangoes again. Whenever he was offered mangoes or preparations made with mangoes, he would respond, “No. I am an offender.” That too was a sign of his spiritual seriousness and determination.

During his college years Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati exhibited remarkable brilliance and acquired knowledge in astrology and astronomy. He translated, if not commentated upon, the Surya Siddhanta, a shastra on astronomical science and Vedic cosmology. He also learned Sanskrit and assisted his father by proofreading and editing various publications Bhaktivinoda Thakura produced in English and Bengali.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati once described himself, saying, “I am not only a proofreader of the press; I am a proofreader of men—I see their faults and try to correct them. I am also a proofreader of religion. I have appeared in the zodiac sign of the crab, so whenever I see anything nondevotional, I act like a crab. If I see any so-called devotion, not actually in the true unalloyed spirit, I shall pierce it!” Thus, he functioned as both a literal and metaphorical editor and proofreader.

In college he formed a student society called the August Assembly, for which the key requirement for membership was maintaining celibacy, or brahmacharya. The society would meet and discuss philosophy and, I suppose, social issues as well.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati gave up his college studies prior to graduating due to concerns that his father would get him married if he had a degree and potential for a job. As a staunch naistika-brahmachari, committed to lifelong celibate life, he wished to avoid entanglements. Consequently, he quit his studies early and left home to work for one of the maharajas of India, serving as the court astrologer and administrator. In this role he conducted an extensive review of the maharaja’s administration to eliminate corruption and to reorganize the systems. Although the circumstances of his leaving that post are unclear, at a certain point he decided to redirect his focus toward his father’s mission of establishing and preaching Krishna consciousness.

When Bhaktivinoda Thakura discovered the Yogapitha, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati took up residence there in a grass hut and pledged to chant a billion names of the Lord. To complete this vow, he engaged in chanting the same number of rounds as Haridasa Thakura—192 rounds each day. Once, during a visit in the rainy season, someone noticed a leak in the roof of the grass hut. Instead of taking the time to repair the hole, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati simply sat in the hut with an umbrella and continued chanting his japa. This vow was a long-term commitment that took him several years to complete.

Around the same time, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati took spiritual initiation from Gaurakisora dasa Babaji—possibly before he undertook the vow mentioned earlier. Gaurakisora dasa Babaji had a policy of not accepting any disciples. However, Bhaktivinoda Thakura urged Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati to seek initiation from him.

Initially, when Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati approached Babaji Maharaja, Maharaja did not agree. After some time, Bhaktivinoda Thakura encouraged Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati to approach Babaji Maharaja again. This time, Gaurakisora dasa Babaji responded, “I will have to ask Gauranga. We will see what Gauranga decides.” On another occasion, when Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati inquired about Gauranga’s decision, Gaurakisora dasa Babaji did not provide a direct answer.

Giriraj Swami: He said he forgot to ask.

Sri Prahlada Dasa: Oh, yes. Finally, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati expressed that if Gaurakisora dasa Babaji did not give him spiritual initiation, he would end his life. Understanding Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s unwavering determination, Gaurakisora dasa Babaji agreed to initiate him. Often when this story is recounted, it is mentioned how Gaurakisora dasa Babaji was illiterate, while Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was a highly erudite scholar. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was sometimes referred to as a walking encyclopedia due to his extensive knowledge on a wide range of topics.

After completing that vow to chant one billion names, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati began his preaching mission. I’m not sure, but I believe disciples had already approached him while he was chanting. In either case, he began his preaching mission. He started to travel to Calcutta and Puri. Eventually he founded a matha in Calcutta at Ultadanga Road, and more and more devotees, disciples, started to come and take shelter of him and assist him in preaching work.

There is an incident relating to Gaurakisora dasa Babaji’s disappearance. In his humility, he had expressed a desire: “When I die, I should be tied in rope and dragged through the streets of Navadvipa and then I will get some benefit.” Upon his disappearance, the babajis of Navadvipa wanted to do that—tie him with a rope and drag his body through the streets. When Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati came to hear of it, he crossed the river from Mayapur with a couple of disciples and strongly opposed the babajis’ plan.

The babajis were insistent but could not agree on the final resting place. A dispute had arisen among them regarding who would get to make his samadhi in their matha. Knowing that he was a great soul, pilgrims would come and offer donations, and so there was this quarrel amongst them. When Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati came, he forbade any of them to touch the holy body of Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja. He said, “As a disciple, I have the right to honor the body of my spiritual master after his disappearance.” The babajis did not appreciate that argument. In response to their resistance, he challenged them, and as far as I understand, the local police constable was with him as well. He issued a challenge: “If there is anyone here that has not had illicit sex in the past six months, then you can come forward and touch the body of my spiritual master.” No one stepped forward. He then reduced the time frame: “If there is anyone that has not engaged in illicit sex in the past month, then you can come forward.” And no one came forward at that either. Then he then asked, “Anyone who has not had illicit sex in the past week, come forward.” And no one did. He asked about the past two days, and then the past day, and finally the past night—and none of the babajis came forward. With this, he picked up the body of his spiritual master and carried it to the banks of the Ganges, where he placed it in samadhi. Later, he relocated the samadhi to Sridhama Mayapur to the Chaitanya Matha, where the samadhi remains today.

After the disappearance of Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati felt a need to reestablish the sannyasa order in the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya to further the preaching mission. He sat before a picture of Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja and performed his own sannyasa ceremony according to the rites that he had researched while in South India during an earlier visit. There, in the Sri Sampradaya, Vaishnava sannyasa is still present and has been practiced for a long time. At the time of his spiritual initiation he had received the name Varsabhanavi-devi-dayite dasa, and on taking sannyasa he assumed the name Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.

As a sannyasi, he continued his dynamic preaching, and he started awarding the sannyasa order to his disciples. I know of one case when a disciple of Bhaktivinoda Thakura took sannyasa from Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati—Bhakti Pradipa Tirtha Maharaja. Bhakti Pradipa Tirtha Maharaja was one of the preachers who visited the home of Prabhupada in Allahabad. After that visit, Prabhupada became more actively involved in the Gaudiya Matha.

There is one other really wonderful story, out of chronology now, about Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s preaching—a famous incident. A debate arose concerning the position of a Vaishnava and the position of a brahman, and Bhaktivinoda Thakura was invited to speak at a sabha assembly of learned scholars, pandits who would present their views and debate with the other pandits holding opposing views. Bhaktivinoda Thakura was to represent the Vaishnavas and present the Vaishnava conclusions, but due to illness, he was unable to attend and requested Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati to go in his place.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati delivered a masterful presentation that is currently available as a book called Brahman and Vaishnava. He initiated his presentation by glorifying the brahmans, quoting numerous Vedic texts from the shastras glorifying the exalted position of the brahman. This was the first day of his presentation, and all the brahmans were pleased. They were all very happy after the first day of his presentation.

On the second day, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati began quoting verses establishing the position of the Vaishnava, highlighting how the Vaishnava was even more glorious than the brahman. He emphasized that whether the Vaishnava was born in a family of even dog-eaters or even in the family of a non-Aryan race, their position was still exalted, even higher than the brahman. When he concluded his presentation, the crowd that had assembled there rushed forward to touch his feet and take the dust. Organizers were worried about the danger of the crowd pressing forward, prompting one of them to pour water over Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s feet, mix it in with a larger container of water, and throw it over the crowd. And the people in the crowd were satisfied that they had received the mercy of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s lotus feet. It is also said that at the other side of the pandal where that program had taken place, as the crowd dispersed, Gaurakisora dasa Babaji was seen. He had been watching the entire proceedings and giving his mercy, his blessings, to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati.

Now I want to touch on some things—first Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati organizing a mission, organizing a religion. In a sense, that was not done prior to him—in the sense of institutionalizing Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Before him, Gaudiya Vaishnavism had always been practiced informally, without the structure of an institution. In Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s time there was no established institution as such, and at the time of the gosvamis as well, it remained an informal association. When Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati established the matha at Ultadanga Road, he said that he was not creating a new institution but rather reviving that which had been already organized by Rupa Gosvami as the Vishva Vaishnava Raja Sabha. Vishva means universal or . . .

Giriraj Swami: Worldwide.

Sri Prahlada Dasa: Worldwide, international. Vaishnava Raja Sabha means the world assembly of the Vaishnavas. We would have it later translated as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. But Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati made that statement that he was reviving that Vishva Vaishnava Raja Sabha. Later he formalized it as the Gaudiya Matha. He thus formalized Gaudiya Vaishnavism in that sense, and he also reestablished varnashrama. It was always there, particularly in the time of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu—there were brahmacharis, grihasthas, sannyasis. But for a period after Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s disappearance pastime, Gaudiya Vaishnavism had been practiced mainly by monastic babajis residing in holy places—Navadvipa, Vrindavan, Radha-kunda—doing their solitary bhajana, or meditation, chanting, hearing.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati organized groups of brahmacharis living in a city who would go out with the sannyasis and preach to the grihasthas. In that way he gave a different face to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission. He would strongly criticize the babajis, as we have heard in the story of Gaurakisora dasa Babaji’s disappearance. He saw most of them as hypocrites. In encouraging varnashrama, he made the practice of Krishna consciousness practical and acceptable to common people. The teaching, or the practice, of the babajis was that one should remain in a single place, live very simply, and just do bhajana. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s point was that for most people that is not possible. He wrote a song, or a book, in which he addresses the mind—dusta mana! tumi kisera Vaishnava?—“Crooked mind, what type of Vaishnava are you?” He spoke about the difficulties of trying to do nirjana-bhajana, sitting in one place and just focusing on hearing and chanting. He said, “You are sitting. You have the externals of a Vaishnava, but your mind is thinking of sense gratification. Your mind is thinking of the opposite sex, of money, of position and respect.” He saw that that practice of Krishna consciousness as it was attempted by the babajis was impractical for the conditioned souls of this age and that those who were attempting it were mostly cheaters of others and cheaters of themselves.

The other group that he preached against was the caste gosvamis. These were lines of devotees that had descended from a significant personality in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes—a line descended from Advaita Acharya, Advaita-vamsa; a line descended from Nityananda Prabhu, Nityananda-vamsa; and lines descended from the disciples of the gosvamis of Vrindavan. The teaching of these caste lines is that unless you are initiated by someone who is born in one of these families, you can’t make advancement in Krishna consciousness, receive the seed of love of God, and go back to Godhead. The qualification for a guru, according to this view, is to be born as a descendant of one of these personalities, and unless one had taken shelter there, there is no chance of awakening love of God.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati preached against both of these perversions of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings. One does not find that theory or that teaching in any of the scriptures or the teachings of Caitanya-caritamrta or Caitanya-Bhagavata. These perversions developed after Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s time. Many of the personalities born in these lines did not have much or any spiritual qualifications other than their birth. They were shallow in terms of learning or realization of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings and the practice of sadhana. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura reestablished the pure understanding—kiba vipra, kiba nyasi, sudra kene naya yei krsna-tattva-vetta, sei ‘guru’ haya—that one may be a brahman or a sannyasi or a sudra, but if one understands the teachings of Krishna consciousness—yei krsna-tattva-vetta—that person is spiritual master. He spoke very strongly on these topics, on the practices of both the gosvamis and the caste brahmans, and therefore he made enemies as well as friends.

In speaking truth, he had enemies. It is said that Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati developed a hernia and was considering an operation. In fact, arrangements had already been made for an operation in the hospital when a high-level policeman came to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and informed him that he had been offered a bribe by some of the people from this group. They planned that when Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati went for the operation, the doctors would kill him and that, as the high-level police officer, he should not investigate or convict them for the murder. Accordingly, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati did not undergo that operation; he remained with the hernia for the rest of his preaching mission.

It is also said that when he organized a parikrama around Vraja-mandala, the caste gosvamis and the others who saw him as an enemy would boycott the parikrama. Pressure would be put on the shopkeepers not to sell any food or supplies to the devotees in the group. At other times, the devotees would be pelted with stones and bricks as they made their parikrama.

There is one story that once when Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was lecturing on parikrama a band of ruffians came and attacked the group. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was implored by one of his leading disciples, Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja, to exchange clothes. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati put on Kesava Maharaja’s brahmachari clothes, for Kesava Maharaja was a brahmachari at that time. And Kesava Maharaja wore Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s sannyasa clothes. And in the clothes of a brahmachari, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati escaped from that situation, and Kesava Maharaja risked his life for his spiritual master.

In another story, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was at Radha-kunda and one of the brahmans there—perhaps one of the brahman guides—was insisting that Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati respect him. Because the brahman was not receiving the attention that he believed was his due, he said, “The gosvamis, they respect.” Even if you go to Radha-kunda today, they will tell you, “My grandfather was Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Maharaja’s priest. And I was Prabhupada’s guide.” And “I am the guide of Sivarama Maharaja and Giriraj Maharaja.” This brahman told Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, “Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was offering his obeisances to us brahmans here at Radha-kunda. Why are you not respecting us?” Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati took offense at that statement of that brahman as belittling the position of Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, and he refused to eat. He said, “Unless that brahman apologizes, I am not going to eat.” In the camp, because the acharya was not eating, the disciples also would not eat.

Hundreds of devotees were fasting, and so they went to that brahman and said, “Please come and apologize to our guru maharaja, because hundreds of devotees are fasting.” It was a long period of fasting, but eventually the brahman came and apologized to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. In response, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati said, “I have no personal grievance to be affected by your words, but as an acharya, as a teacher of disciples, I am obliged to establish the proper siddhanta and maintain the proper etiquette. Therefore, if someone speaks against or belittles the position of Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, it is my duty to respond; I am not allowed to ignore it. Therefore, please don’t be offended by my response; it was my duty to respond in this way.” Once the brahman made his apology and begged forgiveness, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati took prasada. And all the Vaishnavas on his parikrama took prasada as well.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was very strict and uncompromising. Sometimes the devotees would call him “simha guru.” It is said that when he would come to town, the Mayavadis and the hypocrites would leave. Or, if they saw him walking on one side of the street, they would cross to the other side, or they would turn around and go in the opposite direction—so that they would not have to encounter him. He was very strict in establishing the pure teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and challenging wherever he saw perversion or misrepresentation.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati had a great desire that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings could come to the West. We all know how he instructed Srila Prabhupada in their first meeting on the rooftop at Ultadanga Road, Calcutta. As Prabhupada rose from paying obeisances, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati said to him, “You are an intelligent young man. You should preach Sri Chaitanya’s message of Krishna consciousness in the English language.” Prabhupada felt it his duty also to challenge and test what Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was saying, so he replied, “Who will hear Sri Chaitanya’s teachings while we are still an occupied country? Who will hear the teachings of an occupied country? First, we need to be liberated; then we can show India’s glory to the world.” Prabhupada appreciated Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s strong reply: “Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings are too important to wait for political change. Political situations will always be in flux. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings don’t depend on an ideal political situation. Regardless of the political situation, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings must be spread.” Prabhupada appreciated that answer. He felt defeated and he felt happy—happily defeated. It is said that Prabhupada did not generally accept defeat, but in this instance Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati quickly defeated him and Prabhupada felt very happy. On leaving that meeting, Prabhupada’s friend Naren Babu asked him, “So what did you think?” And Prabhupada replied, “Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings are in very capable hands.”

At different times Prabhupada received from Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati the same instruction to preach in the English language. Just weeks before Bhaktisiddhanta’s disappearance, Prabhupada wrote to him and asked, “Do you have some instruction for me? How can I serve you?” And he received the same response: “Preach Krishna consciousness in the English language.” Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati sent three disciples to England to establish Krishna consciousness, and he maintained them there, in London. He would regularly send them money so that they could establish a mission. But they were mostly unsuccessful, and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati eventually called them back to India.

We have spoken about Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s preaching drive, his missionary spirit. He also instructed Prabhupada to print books. This is an instruction Prabhupada heard from Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati at Radha-kunda: “If you ever get money, print books.” On the Gaudiya Matha logo, there is a six-pointed star in the middle with Krishna’s six qualities—beauty, wealth, fame, strength, detachment, and knowledge—in each triangle. To the right there is depiction of Radha and Krishna with the word Raga. Just beneath them is depicted a printing press and a mridanga with the word Kirtanam, and above them is a book with the word Bhagavatam. To the left, there are deities of Lakshmi-Narayana and the word Vidhi. Just beneath them is depicted a bell and a lamp with the word Archanam, and above them is another book with the word Pancaratra.

This logo reflects Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s teachings on bhagavata-vidhi and pancaratrika-vidhi. Pancaratrika-vidhi is temple worship, vaidhi seva, service of the Lord according to strict Vedic rules and regulations. Bhagavata-vidhi means to hear about, remember, and glorify Krishna, particularly by hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati also explained preaching and book distribution as bhagavata-marga—hence the printing press in the logo. It is in the same line of spontaneously hearing and remembering Krishna, not according to the strict rules and injunctions of temple worship and Vedic injunctions, but motivated by feeling in the heart. Pancaratrika-vidhi, or temple worship according to the regulated duty of service, is particularly important for neophytes. It is often overlooked by the babajiis who focus solely on the bhagavata-marga. They are meant for hearing about, chanting the names of, and remembering Krishna—or at least they are supposed to be. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, while emphasizing that bhagavata-marga is superior to the pancaratrika-vidhi, nonetheless explained that both are necessary for advancement in Krishna consciousness.

As I said earlier, he gave more emphasis to varnashrama—brahmacharis living in the matha, trained in the matha according to a regulated program; the sannyasa ashrama; and grihasthas who lived around the matha. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati had thousands of grihastha disciples. I heard a figure, 60,000 disciples. Is that right?

Giriraj Swami: I hadn’t heard that. That is a lot.

Sri Prahlada Dasa: By equating preaching activity with bhagavata-marga, he gave it a very high position of significance. He taught that devotees can advance in the bhagavata-marga by actively engaging their senses in the preaching mission. He traveled tirelessly all over India and in Burma. To establish the preaching in bhagavata-marga, he employed means that were not always understood by the kanistha-adhikari or the neophyte, caught up in the rules and regulations of vaidhi-bhakti even though they may have thought of themselves as advanced bhagavatas. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati would drive an expensive automobile when the occasion called for it, especially in Calcutta. He wore expensive shoes, even polished leather shoes. A large Sikh man served as his driver and bodyguard. He exhibited opulence in that way to make Krishna consciousness acceptable, respectable, and understandable both to the British who held significant influence in India at that time, and to the educated Indians, many of whom were embarrassed to be associated with less sophisticated presentations of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati organized large functions, including exhibitions of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings and dioramas in different cities across India. He also hosted government leaders and scholars. There is a famous photo of the governor of Bengal being received in Mayapur at the Chaitanya Matha, where a prominent gate bears a sign that reads, “God Save the King.” As I heard the story, not everything at the banquet was prasada; some items on the menu were according to the taste of the British governor. In that picture you can see some of his brahmachari preachers dressed in distinctive attire—a black robe or suit with a white collar, complemented by pocket watches dangling from chains, and black turbans. This uniform reflected a smart appearance for the preachers interfacing with the British during that period in India’s history.

When Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati relocated his matha from Ultadanga Road to Bagh Bazaar, he hired a marching band to perform and play their music, as the Deities went in procession from Their old temple to Their new one in the heart of Calcutta. He would also preach and give lectures on the All India Radio in Calcutta, often on Saturdays. With these activities, he was recognized as a very powerful preacher dedicated to furthering Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s sankirtana mission.

There is a story about Subhas Chandra Bose and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. Subhas Chandra Bose was a radical nationalist, a freedom fighter. He had a different approach than did Gandhi, who was a pacifist, fighting the British by non-violent resistance. Subhas Chandra Bose advocated armed struggle. During World War II he had an agreement with Hitler that as the Indian soldiers fighting for the British were captured, rather than being kept as prisoners of war in a Nazi prison camp, they would be given to Subhas Chandra Bose for his Indian National Army being organized in Japan. From Japan they marched into Burma and fought the British, hoping to liberate India.

Subhas Chandra Bose once approached Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and said, “You have so many men. You are engaging them in chanting and preaching Srimad-Bhagavatam while our country is occupied by the British. Why don’t you give me some of your men and we will make them into soldiers to liberate India?” Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati replied, “No, these men are too weak. They are not strong enough to be soldiers. They are not suitable for your purposes, so don’t think about them.” What is significant here is that a political leader would consider making this request for Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s collaboration in liberating India from British rule.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was a powerful and revolutionary spiritual leader, teacher, and reviver of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission. At the end of his manifest pastimes, he resided at Cataka-parvata, near the Tota-Gopinath temple in Jagannatha Puri. Cataka-parvata is considered nondifferent from Govardhana Hill. According to one biography, while residing there he was often heard to say, nija nikata nivasam dehi govardhana tvam, “O Govardhana, please give me residence near to you.” That was his prayer and meditation near the end of his manifest pastimes. Finally he made his disappearance in Calcutta on January 1, 1937, and he was placed in samadhi at the Chaitanya Matha in Sridhama Mayapur.

In conclusion, we have contemplated Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s transcendental appearance, inspired by the prayers of Bhaktivinoda Thakura. His unwavering courage in preaching Krishna consciousness and his revolutionary methods to reestablish Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission, all while maintaining strict adherence to and intolerance of any deviation from Lord Chaitanya’s teachings, reflect his extraordinary spiritual commitment. Upon reflection, it becomes evident that he must be most pleased with Srila Prabhupada’s monumental achievement—successfully bringing Krishna consciousness to the West, establishing it as a household word worldwide without change or deviation, and subsequently returning to revive Krishna consciousness in India. It appears to be gaining momentum year by year—Krishna consciousness in India is like an explosion. We can be sure that Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati is most pleased with that success. Srila Prabhupada consistently attributed his success to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, saying, “If I have any credit, it is that I followed the instruction of my spiritual master,” or “I had faith in the teaching of my spiritual master.” On occasion, he even stated that his disciples were sent by his spiritual master. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati is therefore pleased with this movement and actively watches over it. According to Prabhupada’s statement, he is aware of the movement and consequently is also aware of our service and prayers for his mercy. We aspire to be instruments in his mission, set examples for others, inspire them, and advance in the process of Krishna consciousness as he taught it.

There is a beautiful prayer, a poem that Srila Prabhupada wrote called “Viraha Astakam.” He offered it on Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s disappearance day in 1959, some twenty-two years after his physical departure from this world. In this lament, Prabhupada expresses concern over the degradation of modern society and the increasing sinfulness of people as Kali-yuga advances. He also laments the lack of unity and preaching focus in what remained of the Gaudiya Math. The refrain of this prayer—“You personally suffer to see the suffering of the fallen conditioned souls. On this day of your separation, I am utterly despondent”—conveys a strong sense of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s mood of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls and his desire to help the conditioned souls by preaching Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission. This also provides insight into how Prabhupada was able to imbibe Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s mood, compassion, and understanding of how Krishna consciousness can save the world. Both Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and Prabhupada shared that conviction.

My final concluding point is that by reading Srila Prabhupada’s books and understanding his mood as it is, one can also understand the mood and teachings of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati very clearly—because they are the same. Large passages of Caitanya-caritamrta are almost directly translated from Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s commentary on the Caitanya-caritamrta. If you read The Nectar of Instruction, Upadesamrta, you will notice that the second half of Prabhupada commentary for each verse is a paraphrase of the commentary of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura on the same verse. Of course, he did that according to time, place, and circumstance. Prabhupada took Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s teachings as they were and translated them into our language in a way that we could understand. He gave them to us “as it is” without any distortion or dilution, watering down, or adding his own ideas from his studies or readings. He was a very faithful disciple of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. This is also an example to us that if we are faithful followers of Srila Prabhupada, we will be placed as followers of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and we will be successful in practicing and teaching Krishna consciousness.

Giriraj Swami:

Thank you very much for that flow of nectar, Sri Prahlada.

Just two points about the history. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was such a brilliant student that one of the colleges in Calcutta offered him a post as a teacher when he graduated. That was another reason why he left college before he graduated—otherwise, they would have put pressure on him to join their faculties, which he did not want to do. Another point is that when his spiritual master left his body and he went to the site to claim the body and challenged the people that wanted the body to stay with them, according to the report of a brahmachari who accompanied him, when he challenged them, no one protested. They just walked away, one by one, and the police officer who had been there was so struck . . . Of course, the challenge itself was very bold and very telling, but the officer was also struck by the spiritual power of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. The opposition lost their spirit to fight with him.

My first experience of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s appearance day came in February of 1970. Srila Prabhupada instructed us, his disciples, to write offerings to his guru maharaja. I took the instruction seriously, as did the other devotees, and not really knowing much, two facts struck me. One was that Srila Prabhupada, who was such an intelligent and powerful and realized soul, saw fit to surrender himself to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. I thought, What must be his position, that someone like Srila Prabhupada had surrendered to him? And the other fact that struck me was that he was the one who gave the order to Srila Prabhupada to come to the West and preach, and where would we have been if Srila Bhaktisiddhanta had not sent Srila Prabhupada to us?

The next year on Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s appearance day, we were with Srila Prabhupada in Gorakhpur. Prabhupada had us fast until noon and then break the fast, but he wanted to have a program in the evening so that more people could attend—mainly our friends from the Gita Press—and have the feast then. The feast was served downstairs on a veranda outdoors. So, we were honoring prasada. Others may have too, but I definitely had digestive problems then—drinking the water—so it was a mixed experience, relishing the feast but wondering what the consequences would be. Toward the end of the feast, Srila Prabhupada’s servant Nanda Kumar dasa came down. He would always bring us some remnants—at least some maha salt and maha ginger—and news. He informed us that while Srila Prabhupada was honoring prasada he had made two comments. “This prasada was so good that I could not control my senses.” And “My guru maharaja is pleased with all of you.”

One significant incident for me took place in 1989 or ’90, after I had just gotten back into India after seven years of visa problems, and I was on my way to Mayapur. I stopped at Chaitanya dasa’s house in Calcutta to spend the afternoon and night, and he received a phone call from a devotee in Bombay who asked him to get some books from the Gaudiya Matha. So, he said that he was going to go to the Bagh Bazar Matha to get the books and asked if I would like to come. So, I joined him, and while he was downstairs, I went up to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s quarters. He had two rooms: a bedroom with the bed from which he left the world, and an office with a table and chair and cupboards with books and personal effects. I could feel his presence there very strongly. Then later I visited his quarters in Mayapur. Standing on the balcony of his house, looking toward ISKCON’s Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir, I felt how pleased he was with Srila Prabhupada and how Srila Prabhupada was really the one who had carried on his line and mission.

As far as his teachings, there is subtle point. He made adjustments and established the necessity both for pancaratrika-vidhi and bhagavata-marga, while at the same time he said that bhagavata-marga was more important and that bhagavata-marga included preaching. Ultimately, preaching is kirtan—glorification of Krishna and Krishna’s message. And the business of advanced devotees is to preach and write books. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura really took up the mood of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura to preach and to establish the proper understanding of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the proper presentation of His teachings.

Still, perhaps partly because people were becoming more influenced by the lower modes of nature and partly because Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was establishing an institution that had to have the same standards and principles for everyone, he somewhat avoided some of the practices about which Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura himself had written, especially siddha-pranali. Thus, some people concluded that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was not being faithful to Bhaktivinoda Thakura, was not continuing in the same line, and they criticized him for that.

Even now, although not in the exact same terms, there is criticism of ISKCON because we don’t emphasize certain esoteric topics (and perhaps practices). How does this criticism fit with the fact that we emphasize bhagavata-marga over pancaratrika-vidhi? The answer is that we do want to chant and hear, but we want to chant and hear about topics that are considered appropriate for us by our masters, by Srila Prabhupada and by his spiritual master, Sarasvati Thakura. And they have given emphasis to the holy name and to the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. Everything is included in what they have given us, but in a certain proportion.

Now, there may be some truth to the idea that we need to hear and chant more. Of course, ISKCON is a big society, and different leaders in different places give more or less emphasis to hearing and chanting. But overall, there may be a point to be made that there should be more hearing and chanting. Yet at the same time, the hearing and chanting should be of the topics that are considered appropriate for us. There are many statements by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura to the effect that one can attain the highest realizations of Krishna consciousness just by chanting the holy names and that everything will be revealed through pure chanting. Sri Bhakti-sandarbha also confirms that the highest sentiments in bhakti are best evoked through congregational chanting, sankirtana.

So, I feel very grateful, ultimately to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and more immediately to Srila Prabhupada, for placing me in a situation where there are devotees nearby—especially Sarvatma Prabhu, who is such a qualified singer and speaker—so that we can meet together and engage in the most important process of hari-nama-sankirtana.

Srila Prabhupada sometimes said that the grandfather is more kindly disposed to the grandchildren than is the father, and he told us that he asked his guru maharaja to take care of us. At the same time, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta was very strict. Srila Prabhupada himself said that his guru maharaja was very strict but that he himself was very liberal. So, ultimately, we can just try to serve Srila Prabhupada. Of course, even Srila Prabhupada did not tolerate hypocrisy or any obstacle that would interfere in our relationship with him. But ultimately his goal was to encourage us in devotional service and help us in our efforts to serve his servant. So, I believe, as you said, that he is pleased with Srila Prabhupada and that if we are connected with Srila Prabhupada, somehow we form some small part of his effort, knowingly or unknowingly.

Also, on this date Srila Prabhupada began Back to Godhead magazine.

We can take advantage of this occasion to pray to His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura to help us in our service to Srila Prabhupada and to bless us with his mercy that we can chant and hear without offense and be instrumental in his hands and in the hands of his servants to further his mission—the only panacea for the world’s problems.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura did things that were shocking. In those days hardly anyone—only the richest people—had a car. It would be comparable today to having your own jet. And then the way he dressed. So, that was in Srila Prabhupada. His original idea for Vrindavan was to build a skyscraper, which really would have shocked local people. That was there, but again, time, place, and circumstance, I feel that Srila Prabhupada was not as confrontational, and his mood in Vrindavan was actually quite different. Of course, his preaching was the same. Once, he told Gurudas and Yamuna, “In Vrindavan there are five thousand babajis, five thousand gosvamis, and five thousand widows. We have to keep good relations with all of them.” I think part of it may have been because we were foreigners, we were guests.

In Bombay, when the police commissioner refused to give permission for the temple because the kirtans were a “nuisance,” Prabhupada became furious. A group of disciples came down from Vrindavan (they had been there for the Mayapur-Vrindavan festival), and Prabhupada was saying, “We will have satyagraha. We will march to the police commissioner’s office and go on a hunger strike.” He was getting us to hold meetings all over the city and preach. He really got us going. That side was there. But in the end, he said, “Maybe we shouldn’t do that.” Then he cited the saying “Don’t pick a fight with an alligator while in the jurisdiction of the water.” It was like, “We’re in India, and this is their territory,” and if they don’t like us, they can just say, “We don’t want you. Get out.” So, certainly, his preaching was like that. It was completely pure and without compromise, but in terms of his interaction with others . . . But even Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, when Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose came, he did not say, “What is this nonsense, freedom movement? You should preach the message of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.”

I guess that is always the challenge: to preserve the integrity and purity of the teachings and the spirit of not compromising, as well as to adjust according to time, place, and circumstance. Because of that order to preach in the English language, Srila Prabhupada’s priority really was that. But he was perfect: he did everything perfectly. But considering us, he had to take care in certain ways that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta did not have to worry about with his disciples.

[Talks by Sri Prahlada Dasa and Giriraj Swami on Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s appearance day, February 21, 2005, Carpinteria, California]

(More photos: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZDPF2oqL021aV1SwkR4T8oM-4M5gohFZ )   On February 10th 2025, ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Gita Academy (BGA) Kolkata hosted the World’s Largest Indoor Nityananda Trayodashi Celebrations at the prestigious Nazrul Mancha Indoor Auditorium. The grand event was held under the direction of HH Bhakti Purushottama Swami and organized under the leadership of HG Lakshmi Govinda Das and Team,
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Hare Krishna, Please accept my obeisances, all glories to Srila Prabhupada. I hope this message finds you well. My name is Khushi, and I’m reaching out as a representative of the Dharma Endowment Fund (DEF). Whilst DEF is a global initiative, it was founded by a group of UK devotees (Navina Krishna Prabhu and Rasa
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On the fifth day of the dark lunar fortnight of the month of Govinda [corresponding to February 6th, 1874 A.D. by the western calendar], at 3:30 in the afternoon, Bimala Prasad Datta, later to be known as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, made his appearance in Purusottama Ksetra [Jagannatha Puri] in the state of Orissa, not far from the temple of Lord Jagannatha.

He was the fourth son of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Sriyukta Bhagavati Devi, and at the time of his birth all thirty-two bodily symptoms of a maha-purusa, a great personality, were pointed out by an experienced astrologer. Furthermore, the boy was born with his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck like a Brahmin’s thread.

The astrologer commented at his birth, “I have done many horoscopes in my life, but I have never before seen such a horoscope filled with all the signs of a great personality. This child will become world famous as a brilliant teacher of life’s ultimate goal.”

When the child was six months old, Lord Jagannatha’s Rathayatra Festival was in procession, and the cart stopped in front of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s house for three days. Following the instructions of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Bhagavati Devi brought the child before the cart and an offered garland fell from the neck of the Lord, encircling the boy.

This was taken as a sign of special favor by all present. The grain ceremony was observed on the cart at this time and was done with Jagannatha prasada. When the boy’s vocational inclination was tested, he immediately embraced the Srimad-Bhagavatam, indicating his future as a preacher.

Therefore, from the very beginning of his appearance, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura exhibited all the signs of an exalted, eternal associate of the Lord, who had descended in answer to Srila Bhaktivinoda’s prayer for a “ray of Visnu” to help him spread the Krsna Consciousness Movement.

By Dandavats Staff Writer

Iskcon, Our Vaikuntha Airplane - HG Govardhan Prabhu. IC Newsletter - February 2025. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati - Appearance Day. Please Maintain My Japa. Quantum Physics, Maya, and Krishna Walk Into a Class. My Visit to TOGO, West Africa - HH Kavicandra Swami. Feedback from a happy inpatient Sri Mayapur Community Hospital. Revival of Brahminical Culture in Kali Yuga. Harinama - Kali Yuga's "spiritual soundtrack". When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu danced... As a spider creates, maintains and winds up its web. The Kali Yuga in Ancient Texts and Modern Reality. Continue reading "Today’s ISKCON: Growth, Teachings & Sacred Journeys. February 16
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By Dandavats Staff Writer

Bali Maharaja - HG Bhakta Prabhu. 25 Years of Spiritual Legacy - Mayapur Institute Celebrations. What exactly happens at the moment of death. Kirtan Love Fest. Sri Purusottama Thakur. Free Write Journal. Spiritual Energy: Now You See It, Now You Don't! Lord Chaitanya's glories - HG Radha Mohan Prabhu. Hema Sundari Devi Dasi distribution. Harinama in Australia. Iskcon Balaramdesh photos. The great sage Maitreya. Continue reading "Spiritual Milestones: ISKCON’s Impact Today. February 15
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Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 21, No. 6
By Krishna Kripa Das
(Week 6: February 5–11, 2025)
Tallahassee and Alachua
(Sent from Tallahassee, Florida, on February 15, 2025)

Where I Went and What I Did

For the sixth week of 2025, I remained living at ISKCON Tallahassee and chanted three hours each day on Landis Green, behind the main Florida State University library. I was joined on Sunday by an aspiring devotee who learned three of my harmonium tunes at one sitting. During the week, I distributed four books along with fifty-five little cups of halava to promote our Krishna Lunch at the campus. I added four students to our mailing list. I describe some special interactions I had with some of the students and with the Sister Cindy, the famous Tik Tok preacher. 

We had a three-hour kirtan in place of our usual Saturday program, and I would dance in the back, as that is the only opportunity I have to dance in Tallahassee the whole week as usually I am doing the arati or playing the instruments. 

On Monday I went to Alachua to celebrate Nityananda Trayodasi.

I share lots of quotes from the books, lectures, conversations, and letters of Srila Prabhupada, many I read in Bhakti Vikasa Swami’s soon-to-be-published book on the mood and mission of Srila Prabhupada. I share quotes from Sanatana Goswami’s Brhad-bhagavatamrita and a quote from Vrindavana Dasa Thakura’s Caitanya-bhagavata. I share quotes from Writing Sessions in the Depths of Winter: A Literary Medley, the latest book of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, which is in the production stage. I share notes on a Bhagavatam class by Govinda Kaviraja Prabhu, our temple president here in Tallahassee.

Thanks to Ananga Mohan Prabhu for driving me to Alachua for the auspicious festival of Nityananda Trayodasi.

Itinerary

January 6–April 15: Tallahassee harinamas and FSU college outreach
– March 9–16: Krishna House Gainesville harinamas and UF college outreach
– March 15: Daytona Beach Ratha-yatra
– April 12: St. Augustine Ratha-yatra
April 16–20: Washington, D.C., harinamas with Sankarsana Prabhu
April 21–22: NYC Harinam
April 23: Flight to Brussels with a layover in Oslo
April 24–25: Kadamba Kanana Swami Vyasa-puja at Radhadesh
April 26: King’s Day in Amsterdam
April 27–May 6: European harinamas and either Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan or Amsterdam Kirtan Mela
May 7: Flight from Brussels to New York City
May 8–June 15: NYC Harinam
mid June–mid August: Paris
– June 22: Paris Ratha-yatra
– July 4: Amsterdam harinama
– July 5: Amsterdam Ratha-yatra

Chanting Hare Krishna in Tallahassee

On Thursday a friendly young man bought a Gita, giving me twice the price I asked, signed up to hear of our weekly meetings, took a flyer for Krishna Lunch at FSU, and later came by and told me how much he liked the chili we served for lunch.

I chanted at First Friday at the Railroad Square Art Park. They have redesigned it so there are a lot of parking opportunities there now, which saves time for us on harinama.

My first interaction was with a security guard who liked the music and was happy to try the halava. Events go better when the security guards are favorable.

At least four groups of high school students were attracted by my one-man band, playing the portable harmonium and chanting the holy names. In two of the groups, all four sets of shakers I brought were played by the students, who often also moved their bodies with the music. In another group two girls played the shakers while standing on a wall and dancing and a friend of theirs took a video of it. One girl happily sang at least seven mantras with me as she played the shakers. When I told her about the FSU veggie Krishna Lunch, she said she was vegetarian. She was the most enthusiastic of all.

One FSU student commiserated with me about the rude Christian who criticized Krishna.

A couple of FSU students were happy to hear about the lunch program, and one tried the halava.

All together five people were brave enough to try the blueberry halava, and only one did not really like it so much.

I just spent one hour there as I chanted two hours at the campus in the afternoon, and it is stressful for me to do events all by myself because I am not so social by nature.

We decided to do a three-hour kirtan once a month for our Saturday program, and because Lord Nityananda’s appearance was coming up, we decided to do it the Saturday before. It was great to see several different devotees enthusiastic to chant the holy names.

I chanted for the first fifteen minutes, and then I explained the meaning of the verse beginning “iti sodasakam namnam” from the Kali-santarana Upanisad, in which Lord Brahma tells Narada Muni that if you look through all the Vedas you will not find a better religious practice for this fallen age of Kali than the chanting of the sixteen-word Hare Krishna mantra, which destroys all its anomalies.

Krishna chants Hare Krishna at ISKCON Tallahassee Saturday program (https://youtube.com/shorts/QGloWHc6gQc?feature=share):

Kirti Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna there too (https://youtube.com/shorts/cTOv_ymJsMI?feature=share):

Govinda Kaviraja Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/6gVtHUbjwzw):

Here is a video of him in portrait orientation (https://youtu.be/TXl7WNufMqg):

Satyaraja Govinda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtube.com/shorts/tJE9EF8WORA?feature=share):

One student was so happy to get the free dessert and Krishna Lunch invite she gave me a beautiful thank you card she had made from recycled materials.

I think she gave the card to me because she really appreciated that I realized she was an artist. She was dressed better than 90% of the students, so I asked her if she was majoring in art, and she laughed and said, “I wish I was majoring in art!” Then as a parting gesture she gave me that card.

One aspiring devotee equipped with a personal harmonium learned three of my two-part Hare Krishna melodies in five minutes each. One young woman played the shakers as her friend filmed her. Twelve people took halava. It was a good Sunday.

On Tuesday, seeing a crowd up ahead, a student asked, “What’s happening?”
I replied, “Sister Cindy, the famous Tiktok preacher, is here.”
He responded, “I think I'd rather listen to you.”
Then he sat down and listened to ten minutes of Hare Krishna kirtan.

Last year when Sister Cindy came to FSU I thought of a question to ask her, but I didn't want to take time from my harinama and Krishna Lunch promotion. This year I asked a student who liked the halava to ask her the question for me, “What is the goal of life and do we attain it?” 

He liked the question and returned after at least 30 minutes with the answer, “To know God through a relationship with Jesus.” We might answer like that except replacing Jesus with one’s guru. Not satisfied with the Tattvavadi acarya’s answer to the same question which Lord Caitanya had asked him, Lord Caitanya gave His own answer: “According to the verdict of the sastras, the process of hearing and chanting is the best means to attain loving service to Krishna.” (Cc. Madhya 9.258)

When asking the question to Sister Cindy for me, the student had prefaced it by saying, “My Hare Krishna friend told me to ask you this question.” In the course of her answer, she told the student to invite his Hare Krishna friend to come. Thus I decided when the devotees came to take me back to the temple, I would give them the table, chair, and the sign, and I would stay on the campus to visit Cindy and her crowd of listeners with my harmonium, halava, and books. Jiva Goswami Prabhu from Venezuela, who cooks the Krishna Lunch here, decided to join me.

As we walked toward the green where Cindy was, we passed some Mormons who asked the students, “What brings you PEACE?”

I wrote on their chalkboard, “CHANTING HARE KRISHNA,” while Jiva wrote, “Surrendering to RADHA’s will.”

Cindy was asking how many students were virgins, and at most three out of sixty raised their hands. Someone asked her about President Trump, and I was surprised to see her enthusiasm for him, despite his possession of a number of the demoniac qualities listed in Bhagavad-gita.

I thought about what to ask her and decided on this question. “Three places in the Bible it is said, whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. In different traditions God is known by different names. Do you think Jesus is happy if we chant these?”
She responded to that by saying, “No, only the name of Jesus Christ.”

I was not impressed. One of the references about being saved by calling on the name of the Lord is in the Old Testament, “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered.” (Joel 2:32) That was before the appearance of Jesus Christ, and thus that cannot be the name that is being referred to. A Gainesville rabbi once told me that in the Jewish Kabbalah, God has 72 names. Later someone told me that “Hari” and “Rama” are two of these. The Muslims have 100 names of Allah, and in the Hindu tradition the “Vishnu Sahasra Nama” tells of 1000 names of Vishnu. Thus I am never impressed by those who claim to have the only true name of God. Even in Bhagavad-gita alone, Krishna is referred to by several names like Govinda, Madhava, and Madhusudana, to name a few.

After answering my question she gave me an autographed “Ho No Mo” button. Later on the Internet, I learned that “Ho No Mo” is an abbreviation for “hoe no more” where “hoe” is slang for prostitute. Among other things, she is campaigning against premarital sex, and thus that is her slogan. After accepting her button to make her happy, I offered her a free dessert. She declined to accept it but encouraged me to offer it to the crowd of students around her. I distributed all I had left! 

Maia, my last customer, asked what the dessert was. When I replied, “halava,” she was excited. Her father ate Krishna Lunch as a UF student from 1987 to 1991, and she had halava several times, most recently when touring UF at age 15. Hopefully we will see her at Krishna Lunch at FSU!

Chanting Hare Krishna in Alachua

Godruma Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Nityananda Trayodasi festival in Alachua (https://youtu.be/Cbfr6yyWK38):

Bhadra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in the Gaura Arati kirtan at the Nityananda Trayodasi festival in Alachua (https://youtu.be/13MSR0XTOM0):

Twenty-seven minutes later, Bhadra Prabhu was still chanting Hare Krishna in that ecstatic Nityananda kirtan, occasionally letting another devotee lead for a mantra or two (https://youtu.be/X0vUbcBmJnI):

Photos

We invited this Indian student to the temple when we encountered his car at a red light. Jiva, who runs Krishna Lunch at FSU, gave him “On Chanting Hare Krishna.”

As of the end of this week, February 11, I chanted by myself 20 days out of 24 this spring semester in Tallahassee. That is not as relishable as chanting with others, but on the bright side, I do get all the blueberry halava I want!

Insights

Srila Prabhupada:

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.10.3, purport:

“The conception of one world state can only be fulfilled if we can follow the infallible authority. An imperfect human being cannot create an ideology acceptable to everyone. Only the perfect and infallible can create a program which is applicable at every place and can be followed by all in the world.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.4.18, purport:

“The politicians of the world may remain in their respective positions because the pure devotees of the Lord are not interested in political leadership or diplomatic implications. The devotees are interested only in seeing that the people in general are not misguided by political propaganda and in seeing that the valuable life of a human being is not spoiled in following a type of civilization which is ultimately doomed. If the politicians, therefore, would be guided by the good counsel of the devotees, then certainly there would be a great change in the world situation by the purifying propaganda of the devotees.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.21–22, purport:

“The brahmanas should always be worshiped, and under their guidance the ruler should discharge his duty and rule the citizens. Unfortunately, in this Age of Kali, the executive is not selected by very intelligent people, nor is he guided by qualified brahmanas. Consequently, chaos results. The mass of people should be educated in Krishna consciousness so that according to the democratic process they can select a first-class devotee like Bharata Maharaja to head the government. If the head of the state is guided by qualified brahmanas, everything is completely perfect.”

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 5.14, purport:

“The disease of the modern civilized man is his disbelief of everything in the revealed scriptures.”

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 4.93, purport:

“When the people are Krishna conscious, naturally the government will be so also.”

From a garden conversation in New Vrindaban on June 22, 1976:

“Everyone will be benefited. Simply you have to preach. You have to preach in the same way that where there is no necessity, there also the preaching will go on. You have to become like cloud. Therefore you sing every day, samsara-davanala-lidha-loka-tranaya karunya-ghanaghanatvam. Ghanaghanatvam means deep cloud. You have to become deep cloud and pour water. This blazing fire will be extinguished. When there is blazing fire in the forest, the small fire brigade or bucketful of water will not help. It requires cloud, ghanaghanatvam, to pour water—finished. You have to do like that. . . . One who can do this, he is guru.”

From a letter to Sukadeva on December 13, 1972:

“Enter into the universities and colleges wherever possible and preach there with a view to recruiting some first-class devotees for helping me manage and push on this movement all over the world. Overall there is shortage of first-class, experienced men to manage things just to the highest standard, as you are doing. Therefore I am calling upon you the big leaders to push this idea forward, namely, to attract some educated men to join us.”

From Science of Self-Realization, Chapter 1:

“At present, human society is being misled by leaders who are blind, for they do not know the aim and objective of human life, which is self-realization and the reestablishment of our lost relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the missing point.”

From a morning walk in Mauritius on November 5, 1975:

“Actually, the Supreme Lord is the source of everything. So if one is actually scientist, by his scientific explanation he will point out, ‘Here is the cause of all causes.’ By scientific knowledge he will point out that God is the origin of everything. Then his scientific study is perfect.”

From a morning walk in Los Angeles on May 3, 1973:

“The whole world is running on a false theory that life is born out of matter. But that is not a fact. So how to defeat this theory? That is our business. We have to defeat this rascal theory. We have to challenge all these rascals and defeat them. How it is possible? By logic, by science. . . . We have to make program. Because this is most misleading. The whole human society is affected by this misleading theory. We have to make program, go from place to place and invite all big men, all scientists. That program we have to make. We cannot allow this nonsense theory to go on.”

From a conversation with Raymond Lopez, Wally Strobes, and Bob Bourne in Melbourne on May 22, 1975:

“You are putting this theory, that life has come from chemical[s]. So science means observation and experiment. Now experimentally prove that the chemicals have produced a life.”

From a letter to Svarupa Damodara on December 17, 1975:

“So try to prove that chemical combination can never bring about life, this is our main argument. If we can prove this particular subject matter, that the soul cannot be manufactured by combination of chemicals, then gradually we can prove that vedic knowledge is perfect, while other sources of knowledge by speculation and imagination are all wrong.”

From a morning walk in Johannesburg on October 20, 1975:

“Experimental science is condemned. . . . You are imperfect. What is the value of your experiment? Therefore it is rejected. Whatever you’ll do, that is imperfect. First of all you become perfect; then you make experiment. But you . . . remain imperfect, and you [are] making experiment, what is the value of it? ”

From a letter to Svarupa Damodara on December 17, 1975

“Why should we blindly accept imperfect scientists, they are imperfect because they are changing their position in the name of progress. The word progress is used when there is imperfection at the beginning. So this regular changing of standard knowledge in the name of progress proves that they are always imperfect. It is a fact that they are imperfect, because they gather knowledge with imperfect senses.”

From a letter to Dr. W. H. Wolf-Rottkay on February 7, 1977:

“More and more in the future Svarupa Damodara and others like him will be working to force the educated public to accept that there is God. Whatever cooperation you can give in this connection will help your own spiritual life and will give the greatest benefit to others.”

From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.19 in Los Angeles on June 15, 1972:

“The only opportunity of becoming happy is that you preach this Krishna consciousness movement among the people, so if the people become educated in Krishna consciousness, and if they decide that ‘we shall vote for a Krishna conscious leader,” then there will be happiness.”

The humble servants of Srila Prabhupada:

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.87.21:

“My Lord, some fortunate souls have gotten relief from the fatigue of material life by diving into the vast nectar ocean of Your pastimes, which You enact when You manifest Your personal forms to make known the unfathomable science of the self. These rare souls, indifferent even to liberation, renounce the happiness of home and family because of association with devotees who are like flocks of swans enjoying at the lotus of Your feet.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.22.10:

[Krishna speaking to Uddhava] “Because a person who has been covered by ignorance since time immemorial is not capable of effecting his own self-realization, there must be some other personality who is in factual knowledge of the Absolute Truth and can impart this knowledge to him.”

Sanatana Goswami:

From Brhad-bhagavatamrita 2.3.27, commentary:

“One would normally think that to attain liberation one must reject material nature; but in fact one achieves liberation when material nature chooses to release one.”

From Brhad-bhagavatamrita 2.3.28, commentary:

“Pure Vaishnavas do not care for liberation, but still they respect Prakriti for other reasons. She is Lord Vishnu’s humble servant and sister, born as Subhadra from the womb of Yasoda, and she helps Lord Vishnu’s devotees make progress in devotional service. Although Maya is not identical with Lord Vishnu’s internal energy (antaranga-shakti), she is the expansion of that energy, embodied in the external elements.”

From Brhad-bhagavatamrita 2.3.41, commentary:

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead always invites His part-and-parcel jivas to share loving reciprocations with Him, even in the abode of liberation. He kindly considers the liberated souls who surround Him there His bhaktas, but actually they are hardly interested in personal service. The only bhakti they offer the Lord is to decorate Him as particles of His effulgence.”

From Brhad-bhagavatamrita 2.3.50, commentary:

“Lord Shiva’s garland of bones was in fact auspicious and beautiful because it was made from the bones of departed Vaishnavas.”

From Brhad-bhagavatamrita 2.3.158–159:

“Of the many ways to chant Krishna’s glories, foremost is His nama-sankirtana. It is deemed the best because it can evoke at once the treasure of pure love for Krishna. When relished with love in countless ways through service rendered constantly by the tongue, the nectar of Sri Krishna’s name delights the heart. Who can describe the unequaled excellence of that nectar of Sri Krishna’s holy name?”

From Brhad-bhagavatamrita 2.3.165, commentary:

“Nama-sankirtana so quickly and infallibly leads to prema that the two are considered virtually identical. Wherever prema is seen to have developed, one can presume that nama-sankirtana must have been performed. Nama-sankirtana is the necessary and sufficient cause of prema.”

From Brhad-bhagavatamrita 2.4.188, commentary:

“Since Sri Krishnadeva is the boundless ocean of all superexcellent glories, why doesn’t every devotee serve Him and Him alone to obtain the highest possible happiness? The answer is that every Vaishnava, no matter what form of Vishnu he worships, achieves a special individual happiness, suited exactly to his own attitude, and this completely fulfills his heart’s desires. All the Supreme Lord’s pure servants know such perfect satisfaction, so they all attain the ultimate limit of happiness available in their own rasas.”

From Brhad-bhagavatamrita 2.4.207–209, commentary:

“If persons doing devotional service to Me happen to fail to execute some of their karmic duties, thirty million exalted sages carry out those obligations on their behalf.” (Padma Purana)

From Brhad-bhagavatamrita 2.4.210:

“One can reach perfection by honoring even a blade of grass—provided one sees within it the presence of the Supreme Lord—or by just once uttering or hearing even a faint semblance of the Lord’s name.”

Vrindavana Dasa Thakura:

From Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya 13.58:

[Lord Nityananda, observing the condition of the two drunken brothers, said:] “Now they are fully intoxicated and do not know themselves. If only they could become intoxicated like this under the influence of Krishna’s names.”

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:

From Writing Sessions in the Depths of Winter: A Literary Medley:

“The children of the Krishnas are growing up. No one is writing to me anymore. But I have new friends.”

“Let me be with my friends and not be bitter about those who have scorned me, and those who I did not treat well.”

“Humility is one of the gems of a devotee’s life. Being humble can make up for one’s faultiness and pride. Krishna is very pleased when one of His devotees is truly humble. A truly humble bhakta or bhaktin gains great credit in the eyes of the Lord. I wish I were humble! Then I could make up for my pride and my blunders and mistakes in performing so-called Krishna consciousness.”

“Double It!

“Prabhupada wanted us to be active. On his order we went into the streets, and we chanted the Hare Krishna mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. It didn’t take us long to print and produce our own magazine, Back to Godhead. This was a great tool for preaching. Devotees took it into the streets, approached people and made a short pitch for buying a copy of Back to Godhead. They were attractive magazines, and they sold easily.

“Prabhupada asked that each issue have one of his lectures featured, and also he asked that his own students write for the magazine, sticking straight to parampara philosophy, which was what Prabhupada was speaking in his lectures, and what he said in his printed magazine articles and books. Back to Godhead was the first tool for preaching, and devotees were given credit by how many magazines they sold. We were limited in how many copies we could print by our crude equipment.

“How joyful it was to circulate the crowds and streets distributing BTG. Those who did the most were able to boast. Prabhupada encouraged those who could distribute many magazines, and he wished them to do many and more. Some of the devotees even devised a saying, ‘Double it.’ They meant take the quota your spiritual master may give you and ‘double it.’ He wanted more. Double it! Do more!

“He recognized those who did the most. In other words, he encouraged competition. Krishna conscious activities were not above competition. He liked competition among devotees, and would even publicly point out who had done more than others. Double it! His devotees took up the cry.

“Many magazine sellers could not meet the call of ‘Double it!’ They became tired, or they got headaches just by pushing themselves too much to meet what they thought was Prabhupada’s standard.”

“Dear Swamiji,

“I will remember and treasure one of the high points that occurred between you and I early in our relationship. You saw that I was a good prospect, but that I also had some misgivings toward you. I was certainly displaying utsaha, eagerness to serve you. I did this by typing your manuscripts and giving money from my welfare job. But the high point I’m thinking of was your acknowledgement of my favorable acts. One time, after I had accumulated a great deal of typing, I brought it to you. (It happened to me the day after Janmastami in 1966, and I missed the first initiation.) Prabhupada, you said nothing to criticize my missing initiation. You just took all the typing and gave me a few grapes in return. Then you said some words to me that I will always treasure. You said, ‘This typing is not automatic. If you love me, then I will love you.’ When you said this, you broke through all my remaining misgivings toward you. I automatically loved you in a natural, spontaneous way. We now became close companions, although you were the guru and I was just your servitor. I was so happy at your words I exploded in glee. You gave me some more typing, and then I went downstairs overcome with happiness. I went to the basement and picked up my huge double-bass from my jazz days. I began to strum it and sing Hare Krishna with a happy beat.”

“I don’t ever want to forget those stellar moments with Prabhupada, and so I press them either on the letters or verbal exchanges, or sheer touching memories.”

“In the Bhagavad-gita Krishna declares that even if one commits ‘an abominable act,’ if he surrenders to Krishna and stays fixed in acts of devotional service, the Lord will forgive him and purify his soul. If a person doesn’t forgive a sincere, repenting devotee, then he is making a great mistake and Krishna is not pleased with him.”

Govinda Kaviraja Prabhu:

When my wife was pregnant she would listen to the kirtan tapes of Aindra Prabhu all the time. After our son was born and grew to be a child, the boy’s grandmother gave the boy a tape player, and he would play the three Aindra kirtan tapes we had all the time. Now as an adult in his twenties he is really into kirtan.

The samskaras help us to put our consciousness in state so we can progress.

When we are covered we cannot understand it until someone else points it out and then we can realize it.

-----

Srila Prabhupada gives special attention to this verse which stresses the power of hearing from realized souls. In the previous verse, Krishna describes three kinds of people who attain the perfection of seeing the Lord within themselves, those who perform the yogas of meditation, knowledge, and action. Here He describes how the bhakti-yogi attains perfection.

anye tv evam ajanantah
srutvanyebhya upasate
te ’pi catitaranty eva
mṛtyum sruti-parayanah

“Again there are those who, although not conversant in spiritual knowledge, begin to worship the Supreme Person upon hearing about Him from others. Because of their tendency to hear from authorities, they also transcend the path of birth and death.” (Bhagavad-gita 13.26)

Srila Prabhupada comments, “This hearing process is very important. Lord Caitanya, who preached Krishna consciousness in the modern world, gave great stress to hearing because if the common man simply hears from authoritative sources he can progress, especially, according to Lord Caitanya, if he hears the transcendental vibration Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.” (Bhagavad-gita 13.26, purport)

On harinama-sankirtana we give people the chance to hear the Hare Krishna and purify their consciousness. Thus they will make more spiritually advantageous choices spontaneously and gradually advance in Krishna consciousness.

The GBC body, Sabha, GBC Deputies and other leaders once again assembled in Sridham Mayapur for the annual conference. The first day comprised of many topics and one was a progress presentation of the Temple of Vedic Planetarium.

A construction update was given, along with the financial income and expenditure for the last few years. It was explained how much more money was needed to open the temple at the end of 2027. This, of course, means that fund raising would need to continue around the world in earnest.

The first phase of the TOVP A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Legacy Museum is opening on February 18, 2025, showcasing rare personal paraphernalia, artifacts, books, letters, and other historical material for the glorification and perpetuation of the spiritual legacy of ISKCON Founder-Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

In keeping with our understanding that His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was the greatest proponent of Vedic wisdom in history, and specifically the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition following in the line of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Legacy Museum will be a world-class museum displaying his life and teachings for the benefit of millions of pilgrims visiting Mayapur for generations to come. Utilizing state-of-the-art means to present the above, the museum will be a sanctuary of divine inspiration through Srila Prabhupada’s vani and vapu in various forms. In its final phase the museum will be an immense 21,000 sq. ft., the largest museum for any single person in history.

For more information and to gift Srila Prabhupada paraphernalia to display go to the A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Legacy Museum page.

Grand Opening Schedule

February 18, 2025

4:30pm – Procession bringing Srila Prabhupada to the museum
5:00pm – Srila Prabhupada welcome arati
5:20pm – Opening of the museum with lamp lighting
5:30pm – Speeches by senior ISKCON leaders and devotees
7:30pm – Prasadam / Devotees can begin viewing the museum

View, download and share the schedule:

Download the A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Legacy Museum schedule.

View the A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Legacy Museum schedule online.

 

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By Dandavats Staff Writer

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By Dandavats Staff Writer

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Appearing as the son of a king, Shri Narottama Dasa Thakura (Shri Thakura Mahasaya) showed all the bodily symptoms of a mahapurusha (an exalted divine person). He had long arms, a deep navel, golden-complexioh, beautiful eyes shaped like the  lotus petals. 

In school, he was a sruti dhara (able to memorise whatever he hears). Although he quickly mastered Sanskrit and the Vedas, he hankered to serve Krishna. He was a lifelong brahmachari. By the mercy of the Holy Name Gaura-Nitai, Narottama became detached, left his opulent family, and ran to Vrindavana. He took diksha from Shri Lokanatha Goswami and siksha in Gaudiya philosophy from Shri Jiva Goswami.

When he arrived in Navadwipa-dhama all the devotees asked him about the health and activities of the Goswamis in Vrindavana. Then he went to see the devotees and Shri Chaitanya’s pastime spots in Shantipura, Shri Khanda, Kanthak Nagar, Ekachakra, and Kheturi Gram.

In Kheturi, Shri Narottama Dasa Thakura arranged the famous Kheturi Mahotsava. This was the first “Gaura-Purnima” festival to honor the divine appearance day of Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. During the festival six Deities were installed: Shri Gauranga Deva, Shri Vallabhi Kanta, Shri Vraja Mohana, Shri Krishna, Shri Radha Kanta, Shri Radha Ramana.     

Narottama Dasa Thakura wrote many devotional songs about the spiritual master, the devotees, devotional service, the six Goswamis, Gaura-Nityananda and Radha-Krishna. Although composed with sweet melodies in simple Bengali language, Narottama Dasa’s songs give shastric siddhanta and devotional inspiration. 

Srila Prabhupada often sang these bhajans, considering them non-different from Vedic sastra and quoted them in his Bhagavatam lectures. Prarthana and Prema-bhakti-chandrika are Narottama’s most famous works.

Narottama Dasa serves Shrimati Radhika as Chamaka-manjari. His samadhi is in Radha Gokulananda’s Temple courtyard. 

By Dandavats Staff Writer

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By Dandavats Staff Writer

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