(Sent from Tallahassee, Florida, on February 7, 2026)
Where I Went and What I Did
I spend four days in Tallahassee during the fifth week of 2026. Friday I went to Gainesville where I chanted Hare Krishna midday during Krishna Lunch and in the afternoon with the Alachua devotees, across from the corner of University of Florida. I attended the program for Lord Nityananda’s Appearance Day in the Alachua temple in the evening. Saturday I attended the Gasparilla Ratha-yatra in Tampa and a program at a Hindu temple we rented afterward. Sunday I chanted Hare Krishna in Depot Park and attended the Sunday feast in Alachua.
I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya-caritamrita. I also share quotes from a lecture by Srila Prabhupada and purport to a song as well. I share quotes from Stories in April and Gîte Stories and Alligators Says and I Say by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share quotes from Jayadvaita Swami’s The Vanaprastha Adventure. I share notes on temple lectures by Tamohara, Arcita, and Ramiya Prabhus. I share notes on a Zoom lecture by Kapiladeva Prabhu on Chapter 1 of God and Science by Sadaputa Prabhu.
Many thanks to Jagi Kirtan Prabhu for his generous donation and a ride to Ramiya Prabhu’s place. Thanks to Ramiya Prabhu for letting me stay at his place and giving me a ride back from Tampa. Thanks to Brahmatirtha Prabhu for his ride from Krishna House to the Alachua temple. Thanks to Trivikrama Prabhu for his ride from Friday harinama in Gainesville to the Alachua temple. Thanks to Bhadra Prabhu and Jaya Sri Krishna Prabhu for letting me come on the bus to the Gasparilla Ratha-yatra in Tampa. Thanks to Devala for his ride from Ramiya Prabhu’s place to the Gainesville bus stop.
January 12–mid April: harinama and college outreach in Tallahassee and Tampa
– March 14: Daytona Ratha-yatra
– March 15: Deland Holi Festival
– March 16–22: NYC Harinam
– March 21: Bhagavad-gita class at 26 Second Avenue
Chanting Hare Krishna in Florida
One Asian student came up to me and asked if there was an ISKCON in Tallahassee. I said yes and added her to our list. She is from Bangladesh, and she surprised me by saying that she is in the first year of a Ph.D. program in mathematics.
The day before Lord Nityananda Prabhu’s Appearance Day, a student stopped by my table at Landis Green and got a Higher Taste and a Spiritual Yoga. I asked for $4, but she gave me $5. After she walked 15 or 20 feet, she returned an offered me one of several flowers she was carrying.
I decided to bring the flower back to the temple and offer it to Lord Nityananda Prabhu on His Appearance Day at the morning arati.
I took the bus to Gainesville to chant at Krishna Lunch on Lord Nityananda Prabhu’s Appearance Day. In previous years we had ten or twelve devotees chanting together on that day, but we had fewer this year.
When I arrived, two devotees were singing, but one had to serve out the Krishna Lunch, and the other had to go to class. Then my friend, Chandrashekhara Acharya Prabhu, came. I continued singing, and he played the drum and sang the response with his sweet voice. After a few minutes a woman came up and said she liked the singing and donated four dollars. I gave her “On Chanting Hare Krishna” and “Krishna, Reservoir of Pleasure” as I did not have any books, and I gave the donation to Krishna House. She and her daughter, who was a junior in high school, were visiting the college. They were advised by friends to attend the Krishna Lunch, and they were happy they did. They were from Denver, Colorado, and I told them about our center on Cherry Street with its weekly Sunday program with music, food, and a class on meditation and yoga. They were pleased to hear about it and said it was not far from them. That was a sweet experience, and a bit rare for a campus.
Here Chandrashekhara Acharya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch in Gainesville on Nityananda Trayodasi (https://youtu.be/YqjDbufxhn0):
Chandra kept singing as Prabhupada disciple, Satyahit Prabhu, joined us (https://youtu.be/RT7O64wrAoM):
Later I danced (https://youtu.be/yi-wvTIs-g0):
Toward the end, Chandrashekhara, who was tired from his travel from Mayapur, took a break, and Ananta Vallabha Prabhu, who I have chanted with in New York City and Orlando, as well as Gainesville, led the final kirtan (https://youtube.com/shorts/mZE7cEUgmLM):
They canceled our Saturday program in Tallahassee because of the extreme cold, so I offered the sweet rice I made for to Lord Nityananda on His Appearance Day, and I distributed much of it to my friends at Krishna House and others in the Gainesville/Alachua community.
Here Bhakti Prabhupada Vrata Damodara Swami chants Hare Krishna with Alachua devotees at University Avenue and West 13th Street in Gainesville on Lord Nityananda’s Appearance Day (https://youtu.be/F0as66njcW4):
Danesvara Swami chanted Hare Krishna there too (https://youtu.be/ok5XjNrl0Kc):
That night in Alachua, I saw Mahatma Prabhu for the first time after his two serious health crises, and I told him I was happy that Krishna decided He wanted him to stay around for some more time. He was also grateful. That evening he sang my favorite Hare Krishna in a beautiful voice.
Mahatma Prabhu chants Hare Krishna after the feast on the Appearance Day of Lord Nityananda in Alachua (https://youtu.be/_cpJc5ON1uM):
The last Saturday in January in Tampa there is the Gasparilla Pirate Festival attended by hundreds of thousands of people. Bhadra Prabhu got our Ratha-yatra cart into parade, and a busload of about sixty devotees from the Alachua/Gainesville area attended, along with some from Orlando and Tampa.
Devotees chant Hare Krishna before the Gasparilla Ratha-yatra in Tampa, and onlookers are attracted (https://youtube.com/shorts/OP3jIkgpFis?feature=share):
Kunti Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna before the Gasparilla Ratha-yatra in Tampa (https://youtube.com/shorts/UERPr9AdCRI?feature=share):
Other devotees chant Hare Krishna before the Gasparilla Ratha-yatra, and onlookers dance with devotees (https://youtu.be/AwuLBIXc7LI):
Bhadra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna near the beginning of the Gasparilla Ratha-yatra in Tampa (https://youtube.com/shorts/bxhozFwkwk8):
It is just incredible to see the enthusiasm of the parade fans when the Ratha-yatra party goes by. Here are some photos in case you do not have time to look at the videos.
Devotees chant Hare Krishna in Gasparilla Ratha-yatra in Tampa, and onlookers interact enthusiastically (https://youtu.be/IoDqV4vbNYs):
This video is just the reaction of the onlookers (https://youtu.be/RBCn_KMuT-I):
Bhadra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with his Ratha-yatra team and ISKCON Tampa devotees at Ayyappa Temple in Tampa after the Ratha-yatra and dinner (https://youtu.be/Cxel8GzIjVA):
Later many, many devotees danced in that kirtan (https://youtube.com/shorts/LQ0LmbM6j1Q?feature=share):
Jitari Prabhu chants Hare Krishna during the Sunday feast at ISKCON Alachua (https://youtu.be/cDOOz0Wcvuw):
Here Justin and Naveen chant Hare Krishna at ISKCON Alachua after the Sunday feast (https://youtu.be/SATCeRVTeDI):
Next Jagi Kirtan Prabhu and friends chanted Hare Krishna there in Alachua, and I was very happy to dance as I get few chances in Tallahassee (https://youtu.be/lRrH-rnbOVU):
Here is another shorter video in portrait orientation of the kirtan (https://youtube.com/shorts/rE26L0R95tc):
Back in Tallahassee, I met a nice older couple on Wednesday, while I was set up at the HCB Building on the FSU campus to avoid the rain. They were longtime residents of Tallahassee and came to the Wednesday market which was canceled because of the weather. You could see they were familiar with Hare Krishna from the 70s. The woman, Rosemarie, took a halava, and later decided to get the softbound Gita as she already had the hardbound one.
Her husband was a little philosophical, and he was wondering about the destination of atheists, so I shared this verse which came to mind: “Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead, who possesses unlimited transcendental qualities. Acting from within the cores of the hearts of all philosophers, who propagate various views, He causes them to forget their own souls while sometimes agreeing and sometimes disagreeing among themselves. Thus He creates within this material world a situation in which they are unable to come to a conclusion. I offer my obeisances unto Him.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.4.31) That verse really shows how God always has the upper hand.
I met a typical pushy Christian that day as well. I have been dealing with Christians for decades, and finally got tired of it, so I pointed out to him that his claim that Christ was God and that he died on cross did not make a bit of sense. God is all-powerful! Who can nail Him to a cross! Dozens of people tried to assassinate Krishna, and they all failed, most ending up dead themselves. When he said that Christ died out of mercy to save people from their sins, I said that Krishna can save people from their sins without personally suffering Himself, so that makes Him a more powerful deity. He went on with the usual spiel, but at least he got to hear an alternative view. My acceptance of Christ as the son of God, and my appreciation of his two commandants, to love Thy Lord with Thy body, mind, and soul and to love Thy neighbor as Thyself, as being the essence of religion, and something that any monotheist could agree to, is never enough for them.
That night we had the biggest attendance at our evening kirtan in Tallahassee on a non-program night, seven people. Here Ananga Mohan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/rsSmXOSk9bo):
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From Bhagavad-gita 3.10, purport:
“The Lord created this material world to enable the conditioned souls to learn how to perform yajñas (sacrifices) for the satisfaction of Vishnu, so that while in the material world they can live very comfortably without anxiety and after finishing the present material body they can enter into the kingdom of God. That is the whole program for the conditioned soul.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.8.24, purport:
“A pure devotee cuts off the limited ties of affection for his family and widens his activities of devotional service for all forgotten souls.”
“If one takes shelter of Vrindavan under Vrindavanesvari, Srimati Radharaṇi, certainly all the problems of his life are solved very easily.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 5.1:
“Let me offer my obeisances to Lord Sri Nityananda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose opulence is wonderful and unlimited. By His will, even a fool can understand His identity.”
From a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.5 in Vrindavan on October 16, 1972:
“Nityananda-vamsa means one who takes the risk of preaching work, he can claim Nityananda-vamsa. Not that easy-going. The preaching work is not easy-going. There are so many difficulties. All the big, big preachers... Sri Ramanujacarya. His life was attempted to be killed. Why Ramanujacarya? My Guru Maharaja was attempted to be killed.”
“Suprasidati. Prasidati means to become satisfied, and su means super, extra satisfied.”
Purport to “Nitai-pada-kamala”:
“Jagat, this material world, which is progressing towards hell, and there is always a blazing fire, everyone is struggling hard, nobody finds peace. Therefore, if the world wants to have real peace, then it should take shelter under the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda, which is supposed to be cooling like the shining moon, millions in number. Nitai-pada-kamala, koṭi-candra-susitala, je chayay jagata juray. Juray means relief. If you actually want relief from the struggle of existence, and if you actually want to extinguish the blazing fire of material pangs, then Narottama dasa Thakura advises, ‘Please take shelter of Lord Nityananda.’”
“This Krishna consciousness movement is for approaching Radha-Krishna, to be associated with the Supreme Lord in His sublime pleasure dance. That is the aim of Krishna consciousness. So Narottama dasa Thakura’s advice is that ‘If you actually want to enter into the dancing party of Radha-Krishna, then you must take shelter of the lotus feet of Nityananda.’”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From “Witness Life” in Stories in April and Gîte Stories:
“I’d like to leave many little volumes of stories for people to pick up and read in Krishna consciousness. The readers don’t have to be my disciples. I don’t have to be guru. I can witness life, that’s all.”
From “Scabs, Don’t Scratch Them” in Stories in April and Gîte Stories:
“Srila Prabhupada had hopes. He told his disciples to stop quarreling and deliver Krishna consciousness to the suffering people of the world.”
“Hell all around. Don’t be a Disney sentimentalist.”
From “Didn’t Want to Draw Blood” in Stories in April and Gîte Stories:
“God is all-pervading. He is also untouched by matter and apart even from the work of His immediate Viṣṇu expansions. He is not menacing to me unless I’m foolish enough to try to menace Him or His creation or His devotees.”
From Alligators Says and I Say:
“Some of them have exposed my poem on gopi-bhava as too much and actually they are right about it. I can’t admit it to them in public. They get some points for being right. And when they hurt me with their cruel, untruthful slur and slander, what can I do but accept that very abuse and thus learn the tolerance like a tree which Lord Caitanya recommended. And when they hint they may push me, humiliate me, even hurt me physically or in any way they can, then what can I do but turn to Krishna for protection like a faithful child to its parents, and turn philosophically to reciting and believing that only if Krishna wants can I be hurt, and if Krishna wants to kill me then no one can save me. So my enemies are testing me to bring out heroic qualities in me or prove me to be shallow and a coward. Let us see, O enemies in this trial of arms, who will come out victorious. Let us hope we all learn the truth and come closer to Krishna as a result.”
Jayadvaita Swami:
From The Vanaprastha Adventure:
“Old people shouldn’t spend the rest of their life just dwindling. They should seize the opportunity to free themselves from entanglements, develop thoughtfulness and introspection, chant Hare Krishna, become Krishna conscious, make spiritual progress, and share Krishna consciousness with others.”
“In family life we tend to become so attached to our homes, to our security and comforts, that we can’t conceive of a different life. ‘If I weren’t here, how would I live?’ ‘If I weren’t working, what would I do?’ Or we’re attached to a position in service in which we think, ‘What would I do if I weren’t a temple president’ or ‘if I weren’t a BBT trustee’ or ‘if I weren’t a GBC man’—or whatever the service might be. Apart from holding us back, such a mentality holds others back as well. We think, ‘No one else can take my place.’ We guard our turf. And we see young people as a threat: ‘If some young guy learns my job, what will happen to me?’ Such fears come into the mind, sometimes almost subconsciously, and keep us stuck, and hold back the next generation, who can’t get a space because all the positions are filled by people who have passed their peak but won’t let go. That can happen in our workplace, or it can happen in our directly devotional work.
“Older devotees who let go timely can provide young devotees wisdom and guidance. The young devotees can ask questions, and new ways of doing things can unfold. But if the old men hold on till the last minute, that opportunity is lost. The old men die, and new people take over without guidance from those who came before. Or else the younger people—especially the brightest young people—quickly figure out that the society of devotees has no place for them and go elsewhere.”
“When Srila Prabhupada appointed GBC men to serve ‘for life,’ this would help avoid elections and keep down politics, but it’s unlikely that what he intended was to make sure his GBC men would hold on to their posts till their dying day.”
“Srila Prabhupada mentioned that in Vrindavan there are many retired men who have given, say, ninety-nine percent of their money to their families and kept one percent in a bank account to provide themselves a monthly income. This, Srila Prabhupada said, they call ‘perfect Vrindavana living.’ But Srila Prabhupada took a dim view of it. If we dedicate nearly everything for our family and only a few rupees for Krishna, he said, Krishna will reciprocate accordingly.”
“He [Srivasa Prabhu of Ghana] says, ‘So I still stay at home, and she cooks for me. She washes sometimes, I wash sometimes. But the relationship is more like brother and sister, and I can see that relationship as sweeter and better than the relationship of husband and wife. “Husband and wife” is more or less exploitative. There are expectations. The husband is expecting something from the wife, the wife is expecting something from the husband. The children are expecting something from the parents, the parents are expecting something from the children. So it’s a whole cycle of expectations. And when those are not met, then there is a crash, there are problems. But with the current situation there are no expectations.’”
“Srivasa says, ‘Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja used to tell me, “Everyone has their plan. But Krishna has his master plan. And it’s Krishna’s master plan that will prevail.”’”
“So if our family life turns bitter or disastrous—if my partner dies or leaves me or throws me out of the house or my son becomes a rogue—we can take it as a blessing. ‘All right, getting free from householder life is what I was supposed to be doing anyway, and I wasn’t, so now Krishna has made it happen. How wonderful! Let me take advantage of Krishna’s arrangement.’”
TKG letter to Madhusudana on May 19, 1977 from Vrindavan:
“Prabhupada said: ‘We do not want all these rituals. Chanting Hare Krishna is our only business. According to the Manu-samhita you are all mlecchas and yavanas. You cannot touch the Manu-samhita, what to speak of translating it. So if you try to follow the Manu-samhita then you become a mleccha and yavana and your career is finished.’”
Tamohara Prabhu:
Srila Prabhupada explained instinct as a combination of learned behavior and Paramatma instructing within the heart.
Lord Caitanya gave the highest philosophical understanding and the simplest process.
Lord Nityananda was twelve years older than Lord Caitanya.
Although Lord Balarama is older than Lord Krishna and Lord Nityananda is older than Lord Caitanya They both consider themselves as servants of the Lord.
By assisting Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda in distributing Their mercy we can be delivered like Jagai and Madhai.
Arcita Prabhu:
If they cover their ears on harinama it is too late, the holy name already went in.
Ramiya Prabhu:
Nityananda is Balarama coming to assist Lord Caitanya.
Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda played the role of servants of Krishna to show how elevated the position of servant is in the spiritual world.
Lord Nityananda is most kind to us in this Kali-yuga.
Srila Prabhupada has introduced us to Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda, and through him Their mercy is flowing. Srila Prabhupada created ISKCON to enable people to take shelter of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda.
Kapiladeva Prabhu:
From a lecture on Chapter 1 of God and Science by Sadaputa Prabhu:
There are many approximations in mechanical physics, and some scientists consider it all approximations.
Some scientists consider the laws of physics to be emergent, and thus change over time. Rupert Sheldrake is noteable in accepting this idea.
The smaller the scale the less continuous motion appears.
There are systems where the future conditions bear no relationship to the present conditions.
Some people think turbulence is deterministic, but there is a lot of randomness there.
In a pinball machine you can get practically any result you want by altering the initial conditions very precisely. Thus it is compatible to have a supreme being or a conscious self able to control a mechanical system.
Sadaputa makes the point that the Paramatma makes it appear that matter acts independently by making it appear to follow certain rules. Similarly there are psychological regularities created by Paramatma.
Thus the conclusion of Sadaputa Prabhu is that physical laws that have been known all along can be interpreted nondeterministically thus allowing control by Paramatma.
Q: How can Krishna know everything and yet the jiva have free will?
A: That Krishna knows what we will desire does not effect our freedom to desire what ever we want.
Prishni: Krishna was still trying to negotiate with Duryodhana about not fighting and that implies that he still had the free will to give the Pandavas five villages and avoid the war.
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I heard a lecture by Tamohara Prabhu on Lord Nityananda in Alachua and one by Ramiya Prabhu in Tampa. Then I was asked to give a lecture on Him in Tallahassee. This verse gave me hope.
vande ’nantadbhutaisvaryam
sri-nityanandam isvaram
yasyecchaya tat-svarupam
ajñenapi nirupyate
“Let me offer my obeisances to Lord Sri Nityananda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose opulence is wonderful and unlimited. By His will, even a fool can understand His identity.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 5.1)
