Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 14, No. 11
By Krishna-kripa das
(June 2018, part one)
Paris
(Sent from Paris, France, on June 16, 2018)
Where I Went and What I Did
By Krishna-kripa das
(June 2018, part one)
Paris
(Sent from Paris, France, on June 16, 2018)
Where I Went and What I Did
I
continued to chant Hare Krishna three hours a day in different parts
of Paris, including Sarcelles Market, Garges – Sarcelles train
station, Les Halles, Saint-Michel, the Indian shops at Gare du Nord, the park at Porte
Dorée, Rue de Turbigo, Hôtel de Ville, and in front
of Printemps. Usually I was joined by at least one other devotee, but
thrice I chanted alone. Different visiting devotees joined our
harinama
party
including
Bhagavati Dasi, who I chanted with many times in Belfast, Sundaralala
Prabhu, a sannyasa
candidate
from Mauritius who chanted with us in Paris last year, and
Radha Sundari Dasi, a youthful disciple of Janananda Goswami from New
Zealand. I attended a Wednesday kirtana
at
Atmarama Rasa and Jagattarini Prabhus’ place and a Sunday morning
program at a place they call Krishna Loka, the home of Ukrainian
devotee couple who sells bridal gowns in downtown Paris.
I share excerpts from Srila Prabhupada's lectures and books. I also share excerpts from Jaiva Dharma by Bhaktivinoda Thakura. I include a quote from ISKCON in the 1970s, by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I have many notes on lectures by Janananda Goswami speaking at Paris ISKCON, where he kindly visited for several days. I also include notes on classes by visiting sannyasa candidate from Maurtius, Sundaralala Prabhu, and many devotees residing in Paris.
Thanks
to Bhagavati Dasi for her donation to buy books for distribution on
harinama.
Thanks
to Atmarama Rasa and Jagattarini Prabhus for their photos during Paris kirtana
programs.
Thanks to Mehdi and his martial arts guru for the photos of our
chanting in the park at Porte Dorée.
Itinerary
May
15–June 21: Paris
June
22–24: London harinamas
and
Ratha-yatra
June
25–July 18: Paris
July
19: London harinamas
and program at Parasurama Prabhu’s place
July
20: Northampton harinama
and program
July
21: Sheffield Tramlines harinama
and possible night harinama
in Leeds
July
22: Birmingham Ratha-yatra
July
23: Fly to Lithuania via Nuremberg with possible harinama
and program
July
24–30: Vaishnava Summer Festival in Lithuania
July
31–August 4: Polish Woodstock
August
5: Berlin
August
6: Dublin
August
7–12: Vaishnava Sanga Festival in Canada
August
13: Dublin
August
14: York Ratha-yatra
August
15: Leeds Ratha-yatra
August
16: Newcastle
August
17–19: Newcastle retreat [except August 18: Manchester Ratha-yatra]
August
20: Newcastle
August
21: Edinburgh program?
August
22–25: Newcastle
August
26: Leeds program?
August
28: Sheffield program?
August
30: Accrington program?
August
31: Leeds program?
September
1: York
September
2: Newcastle
September
3–28: Mayapur
September
29: Newcastle
September
30: Dublin
October
1–January 5, 2019: New York City Yuga Dharma Harinama Party
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Paris
Acarya
Prabhu and other devotees distributed many books at a Nepali festival
on Sunday in a popular park at Porte Dorée. Seeing many people
there, he encouraged me to do harinama
there
on Monday, the day when everyone else stays back.
As
I was boarding the train at Garges – Sarcelles, a man from
Bangladesh said “Hare Krishna” to me. He wondered why I was not
singing. I told him I planned to chant at a park downtown. He noticed
I was without my companions, and I said I could not find anyone to go
out with me. We talked about religion a bit. He was not practicing
anything, but he studied yoga twenty years ago, so I showed him the
French Perfection
of Yoga, and
he gave a euro for it.
At
Porte Dorée the park was beautiful with grass, trees, and lake, but
there were just a few runners, walkers, dog walkers, and people
practicing martial arts. I decided to stay for an hour to see what
would happen, and if I had no interactions with people, I would stop
at the Bastille on the way back to the temple, and chant for more two
hours.
Mehdi,
who was training for martial arts in the park, was attracted by the
harmonium because he plays the keyboards in a band professionally. I
taught him the mantra, explaining we chanted it responsively, and he
chanted Hare Krishna with me for over half an hour, which is very
rare for a new person. He picked up one tune I sang, and played and
sang it himself (https://youtu.be/X88rGBlHdpk):
Mehdi’s
martial arts guru came by. He goes to China to study from a master
there and even has a Chinese name meaning “white dragon.” When
Mehdi introduced him to me, he chanted the whole Hare Krishna mantra
perfectly. I asked him how he knew it, and he told me he spent a year
living in the Paris temple in the 1970s.
Mehdi
looks forward to chanting with me again in the park in the future and
spoke of bringing his kids to join in. He expressed interest in the
books but had no money with him, so I gave him the French Perfection
of Yoga as
a gift.
I
next met Solomon, who was interested in talking about the flat Earth
and Krishnamurti. He is burned out from the materialistic nature of
modern society but felt alone, finding few like-minded souls. I
encouraged him to associate with the devotees who hold programs in
downtown Paris, for some of them would certainly appreciate his
realizations and his search for truth. He listened to me chant for
fifteen minutes, which is also rare. He does not read, but listens to
lectures online. In fact, he had heard some of Srila Prabhupada’s
video lectures online. Because of his interest in the flat earth I
thought he might be interested in the cosmology of the Bhagavatam,
and
told him about vedabase.com
and the relevant chapters.
On
the harinamas
when
we have plenty of people to play the instruments, I sometimes talk to
people who stop to look at our chanting party, and I sometimes try to
interest them in books.
On our first Saturday harinama
in
June I met one young lady who really seemed to like the chanting, and
she said knew the devotees from Ukraine. She wanted to get initiated
by Sacinandana Swami who apparently did not accept disciples from
there, so she moved to Paris. She was with a friend who was not so
interested in the harinama,
so
I encouraged her to come and join us in the future when we chant with
a large party in Paris on Thursdays and Saturdays. Later a friend
told me she was in charge of the brahmacarini
ashram
in Kiev.
Here
Navadvip Chandra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Saint-Michel on the
Paris Saturday night harinama
(https://youtu.be/_YS2UGjuxmU):
Then
Prananatha Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna, and a lady danced with a
devotee (https://youtu.be/GC0T5-bHGxE):
When
Gauranga Prema Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna at Saint-Michel, quite a
variety of passersby danced (https://youtu.be/qNX1TnPxxlE):
Next
Rohininandana Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna with
intensity, and several passersby also danced
(https://youtu.be/2mNzgXgf488):
Navadvip
Chandra Prabhu chanted again at the end of the Saint-Michel harinama,
and some old men danced (https://youtu.be/QpsB2J-Q3Cw):
On
Wednesday a visiting disciple of Janananda Goswami, Radha Sundari
Dasi, chanted Hare Krishna at Galeries Lafayette on Haussmann
Boulevard, which claims to be the best shopping mall in Paris. She
chanted just for a short time before security stopped us
(https://youtu.be/MTjlZGZego4):
After
we were asked not to chant in front of Lafayette and before we took
shelter of Printemps to avoid the rain, Bhagavati Dasi chanted Hare
Krishna on Rue de Caumartin, near a church
(https://youtu.be/SJThkDudqCw):
At
that location, one Asian man gave 20 euros and accepted four books
including Bhagavad-gita.
Here
Vidura Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Printemps, one of our rainy day
venues for Paris harinamas
(https://youtu.be/aZA_ynZLUO4):
I
like to support kirtan programs by attending them thus teaching by my
example that they are worth going to. After all, the yuga-dharma
(the
religion of the age) is harinama-sankirtana
(the
congregational chanting of the holy names). Bhagavati Dasi, who likes
kirtan, also came to the Paris Wednesday night kirtan at the home of Atmarama Rasa and Jagattarini Prabhus in central Paris.
Seeing
we had six people, I decided to chant for ten minutes (one-sixth of
the time).
Then
Bhagavati Dasi led a nice tune.
I
was tired of interacting with people from having just done
three hours of chanting in public, so I just closed my eyes, listened
to the chanting, and forgot everything else.
When
I did open my eyes, it was inspiring for me to see how much the
devotees were focused on hearing the holy names!
Jagattarini
Devi Dasi led the final Hare Krishna kirtan that evening
(https://youtu.be/RUwu4Dmg10I):
Sannyasa
candidate Sundaralala Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna at the Paris temple
morning program, getting all the devotees dancing
(https://youtu.be/eylLoGmdfwo):
Here
Gauranga Prema Prabhu chants Hare Krishna outside a Paris restaurant,
where the owner invited us to sing and happily offered our party
water to drink, cherries to eat, and a €5 donation
(https://youtu.be/vHn3V3X-lpA):
We offered the restaurant owner the French Perfection of Yoga which he happily accepted and gave to his mother who has an interest in yoga.
Next Gauranga Prema Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna at Hôtel de Ville, and devotees danced (https://youtu.be/HO6pzcmpfT8):
Next Gauranga Prema Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna at Hôtel de Ville, and devotees danced (https://youtu.be/HO6pzcmpfT8):
Here
Olivier chants Hare Krishna at Hôtel de Ville, and Muslim ladies
dance (https://youtu.be/IQcKbfxLcUc):
On
the way home to the temple from chanting Hare Krishna at Hôtel de
Ville, some people were making a commotion on the train, so the
devotees started a kirtan, and they ended up continuing to chant for
the whole twenty-minute train ride!
Here
Radha Sundari Dasi leads the chanting of Hare Krishna on the RER D
between Gare du Nord and Garges – Sarcelles
(https://youtu.be/qiKAVAuaL3I):
Sarcelles,
the community in which our Paris ISKCON temple is situated, has a
market day on Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday. We decided to chant there
on Fridays.
Here
Radha Sundari Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Sarcelles Market, and a
lady happily dances (https://youtu.be/65rDLeiRTBo):
Then
Gauranga Prema Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna at the Sarcelles Market
(https://youtu.be/nx-br-5CkcU):
Then
Vidura Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna at Garges – Sarcelles, the
busiest of the two train stations near Paris ISKCON in Sarcelles,
where we chanted for the next hour after spending an hour in the
market (https://youtu.be/BXcWaLWZ1Cg):
Before
our final pass through the Sarcelles Market, Vidura talked to a man
who said, “I haven’t seen you in 20 years! Where have you been?
You bring happiness to the people! Why did you disappear?” He
added, “People are too sad now. I hope to see more of you.”
On
Saturday Rohininandana Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna at Hôtel de
Ville, accompanied by sannyasa
candidate, Sundaralala Prabhu, from Mauritius, on harmonium
(https://youtu.be/Hq8YbRRjYEo):
Then
Sundaralala Prabhu himself chanted Hare Krishna at Hôtel de Ville,
and a variety of passersby danced. We were short of singers, and he
chanted about half of the three-hour harinama.
Here
Gauranga Prema Prabhu chants Hare Krishna by the Indian shops near
Gare du Nord, where we distributed Ratha-yatra flyers in Tamil to the
local Indians and in French to others (https://youtu.be/grLia15EPWM):
After
spending an hour and a half there, we joined Rohininandana Prabhu and
his party in chanting across from Hôtel de Ville in front of a shop
with a sidewalk protected from the threatening rain. One man joined
us, listened and danced a bit, gave a small donation, and took a
Ratha-yatra invitation (https://youtu.be/w-Xmi8q07Ic):
Once when we chanted Hare Krishna in Les Halles, an Indian man stopped by who attended different ISKCON temples in India but who now resides in Paris. He was happy to learn that we have a Radha-Krishna temple in Paris.
Photos
of Radha-Parisisvara
I
do not take many photos of the deities in our temples. I feel
devotees who are better photographers than I am have already done
that, and people can find them by searching online. I also have a
feeling that Krishna reciprocates when you take the trouble to see
Him in person, and thus the photos are never as nice as seeing the
deity in real life. Still sometimes the deities look especially nice,
so I took some photos of Them anyway, during the Nrsimha prayers,
when They are dressed very simply and the beauty of the deities
Themselves in their less ornamented state is revealed. Lord
Krishna's feet are described in Srimad-Bhagavatam
to
be more beautiful than a lotus (10.31.11). The beauty of His smile
(10.31.6) and His hair are also glorified (10.31.12). When His dress
did not obscure His feet, His flute did not obscure His smile, and
His turban did not obscure His hair, on those rare days, I would take
His photo.
Ten
years ago when Sitala Dasi, disciple of Srila Prabhupada, visited the
Polish tour, she
told us about
Srila Prabhupada seeing
the
Paris deities. Here are my notes on it:
“When
Sitala was head pujari
in Paris, she peeked through the curtains to watch Srila Prabhupada
take darsana
of the Deities. She was amazed to see two tears come straight out of
Srila Prabhupada’s eyes as he viewed the Deities. She felt a little
embarrassed to be in the middle of their intimate exchange.”
To see other photos that I did not include, click on the link below:
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
From
a class on Bhagavad-gita
2.3
in London on
August 4, 1973:
“So we have no connection with Krishna. But if we chant Hare Krishna maha-mantra, immediately our first chance to contact Krishna begins. So it has to be practiced. Not that immediately I realize Krishna. That is not... Of course, if one is advanced, it is possible immediately.”
“So
in order to see Krishna, in order to understand Krishna, the first
business is to control your tongue. Therefore we say don’t take
meat, don’t take liquor. Because it is controlling the tongue. The
tongue is the most strong enemy as sense, as perverted sense. And
these rascals, they say, ‘No, you can eat whatever you like. It has
nothing to do with religion.’ But Vedic sastra
says, ‘You rascal, first of all control your tongue. Then you can
understand what is God.’”
“All
the gopis,
they passed their days simply crying for Krishna, but never condemned
Krishna. . . . Krishna also was thinking of them, because gopis
are the greatest devotees, topmost devotees. There is no comparison
with the devotion of the gopis.
Therefore Krishna was always obliged to them. Krishna said to the
gopis
that ‘You have to be satisfied with your own business. I cannot
return you anything for your love.’ Krishna, the Supreme, the
all-powerful, He was unable to repay the debts for the gopis.
. . . Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, ramya
kacid upasana vraja-vadhu-vargena ya kalpita
[Caitanya-manjusa]:
there is no more better worship than what was conceived by the gopis.
So gopis
are the topmost devotees. And amongst the gopis,
Srimati Radharani is the topmost. Therefore Srimati Radharani is
greater than Krishna. So this is Gaudiya-Vaishnava philosophy. It
requires time.”
“It
is very, very difficult to control the senses. Therefore the yoga
process, mystic yoga process—just to practice how to control the
senses. But for a devotee, . . . Just like the tongue, if it is
engaged only in the business of chanting Hare Krishna mantra and
eating only Krishna prasadam,
the whole thing is done, perfect yogi.
Perfect yogi.”
Comment
by Nitai Caran Prabhu: I notice when I control the tongue and take
prasadam
regularly,
on book distribution people listen to me more seriously. My mind is
more peaceful, and I can think more clearly.
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.5.8–9 in New Vrindaban on May 24, 1969:
“And
the whole world is problem for ordinary persons, but to us it is not
problem. Because we see everything Krishna’s. If there is problem,
it is Krishna’s problem. Why my problem? Krishna can know how to
solve problem. So we have no problem practically. Krishna’s
problem. Krishna will see to it. Just like Arjuna was, I mean to say,
encouraged that nimitta-matram
bhava savyasacin
[Bg. 11.33] ‘You don’t worry about your victory. I have already
arranged.’ So we should have such faith and conviction and let us
try. Let us do very sincerely and seriously. Then everything Krishna
will do. I haven’t got to do anything.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.13.60:“Vrindavana is the transcendental abode of the Lord, where there is no hunger, anger or thirst. Though naturally inimical, both human beings and fierce animals live there together in transcendental friendship.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.13.60, purport:
“This is Vrindavana life. Why should I live and you die? No. That is material life. The inhabitants of Vrindavana think, ‘Whatever is given by Krishna, let us divide it as prasada and eat.’ This mentality cannot appear all of a sudden, but it will gradually develop with Krishna consciousness; by sadhana [our spiritual practice], one can come to this platform.”
“In the material world one may collect funds all over the world in order to distribute food freely, yet those to whom the food is given may not even feel appreciative. The value of Krishna consciousness, however, will gradually be very much appreciated. For instance, in an article about the temple of the Hare Krishna movement in Durban, South Africa, the Durban Post reported, ‘All the devotees here are very active in the service of Lord Krishna, and the results are obvious to see: happiness, good health, peace of mind, and the development of all good qualities.’ This is the nature of Vrindavana. Harav abhaktasya kuto mahad-gunah: without Krishna consciousness, happiness is impossible; one may struggle, but one cannot have happiness. We are therefore trying to give human society the opportunity for a life of happiness, good health, peace of mind and all good qualities through God consciousness.”
From Nectar of Instruction, text 5:
“The chanting of the holy names of Krishna is so sublime that if one chants the Hare Krishna maha-mantra offenselessly, carefully avoiding the ten offenses, he can certainly be gradually elevated to the point of understanding that there is no difference between the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura:
From Jaiva Dharma, Chapter 4:
“Implicit faith in the scriptures inspires the udita-viveka to relish the chanting of harinama, which then creates an eagerness to associate with and serve the Vaishnavas.”
“Darkness is always far away from the light; similarly, maya remains at a good distance from Sri Krishna and His devotees.”
“The material nature acts as a dungeon wherein he [the jiva or individual soul] is held captive; however, whilst imprisoned he can also take advantage of saintly association to help him begin the process of chanting harinama. Then, gradually, by the mercy of Sri Krishna, he becomes situated his svarupa, eternally perfected spiritual identity, and relishes the sweet nectar of devotional service to the Lord in His transcendental abode. This is the confidential truth about the eternal relationship between these three principles.”
“Begin by seriously chanting harinama. Amongst the different limbs of bhajana, chanting is the most efficacious. Harinama and the proprietor of harinama are the one and same person. Chanting without committing offences will quickly lead one to complete perfection. Take up chanting with full faith. The other branches of devotional practices, all included within chanting, are hearing, remembering the Lord’s pastimes, serving His lotus feet in meditation, worshiping His Deity form, offering prayers, becoming His servant, becoming His friend, and totally surrendering to Him.”
“Nothing is superior to prema, and Sri Krishna, the embodiment of transcendental Absolute Truth, is subdued by prema alone.”
From Jaiva Dharma, Chapter 5:
“The siddhi-kami are absorbed in the attempt to enjoy the fruits of karma-kanda, ritualistic performances. They want to obtain mystic powers and thus display miracles by pressing into service different yaga, rites; yajña, sacrifices; and the system of ashtanga-yoga, eightfold yogic discipline. They take the view that if an Isvara, Supreme Controller, exists then He is subservient to the laws of karma. Modern scientists belong to this group.”
“At first, the form of Bhagavan appears in the spiritual consciousness of the devotee and is reflected within his mind. The sri-murti is then constructed according to this vision of the devotee, and through the potency of bhakti, Bhagavan is attracted to manifest His sac-cid-ananda form from within the sri-murti. When the pure devotee sees the sri-murti of Bhagavan, that sri-murti unites with the transcendental form of Bhagavan that the devotee sees within his heart.”
From Jaiva Dharma, Chapter 6:
“This is confirmed in the Skanda Purana, Kasi-khanda 21.63, which is quoted in the Hari-bhakti-vilasa 10.106:
brahmanah ksatriyo vaisyah
sudro va yadi vetarah
vishnu-bhakti-samayukto
jñeyah sarvottamas ca sah
“Whether one is a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, or an outcaste, if he has taken shelter of vishnu-bhakti, he is considered to be superior to all.’
“‘The Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.16.44 declares: yan-nama sakric chravanat – ‘Merely by hearing harinama only once, even candalas, men of the lowest class, are freed from all material contamination.’”
“Dharma meekly follows bhakti everywhere. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the source of dharma, and He allows Himself to be easily conquered by bhakti. Maya, who enslaves the jiva, is immediately dispelled when the Supreme Lord is invited to occupy the throne in the heart of the jiva. No other method of sadhana is needed or is as effective. As soon as the spiritual aspirant becomes a bhakta, dharmic fervour suffuses his heart and steadily manifests all virtues. When kama, lust for sense enjoyment, is uprooted, then peace and tranquillity enter the heart.”
“The pure devotees of the Lord perform the activities of bhakti such as the congregational chanting of harinama in towns and villages. A person who participates in these spiritual activities or any other similar activities, such as cleansing the Lord’s temple, offering a lamp to the tulasi plant, observing the Hari-vasara, different spiritual festivals such as Ekadasi and Janmastami, connected to the Supreme Lord, and so on, is performing bhakti-kriya-sanga.”
“If somehow or other these activities are not executed with pure sraddha, but accidentally or even inattentively and hastily, still they result in sukriti that fosters bhakti to the Supreme Lord. When this sukriti accumulates into a driving force over many lifetimes, it brings one to the stage of acquiring sraddha for sadhu-sanga and ananya-bhakti, pure unalloyed bhakti. All the levels of purity within bhakti add to the development of sraddha; furthermore, only these bhakti-kriya, devotional activities, have the inherent potency to generate the required sukriti. If they are executed with sraddha, the results are marvellous, but even when done disinterestedly or indifferently, they still increase piety in the form of nitya-sukriti, as pointed out in the Mahabharata, Prabhasa-kandha, which is quoted in the Hari-bhakti-vilasa, 11.451:
madhura-madhuram-etan mangalam mangalanam
sakala-nigama-valli-sat-phalam cit-svarupam
sakrid api parigitam sraddhaya helaya va
bhrigu-vara nara-matram tarayet krishna-nama
“‘The chanting of harinama is the most beneficial of all spiritual and pious activities. It is more relishable than the sweetest honey. It is the transcendental fruit of all the sruti scriptures, the Vedas. O best of the Bhargavas! If any person chants harinama offenselessly even once, be it with sraddha, or with derisive indifference, harinama immediately offers him liberation.’
“Thus, all sukriti which enhances one’s bhakti to the Lord is nitya-sukriti. This form of sukriti leads to sadhu-sanga and ananya-bhakti when patiently seasoned. In the Puranas, we find the story of the sinful hunter who unknowingly, by force of circumstance, fasted and stayed up the night of siva-ratri, thus performing a siva-vrata. He attained bhakti to Sri Hari as a result of this nitya-sukriti, because Lord Siva is a very elevated Vaishnava. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, 12.13.16, it is stated: vaishnavanam yatha sambhuh ‘Amongst all Vaishnavas, Lord Siva is the best.’
“Thus, even accidentally observing a vow in his honour enables one to attain hari-bhakti. This is substantiated by all the scriptures.”
“The Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.51.53, states: bhavapavargo bhramato yada bhavej janasya tarhy acyuta sat-samagamah sat-sangamo yarhi tadaiva sad-gatau paravarese tvayi jayate ratih “‘O Acyuta! The jiva is eternally enthralled in the continuous cycle of birth and death. By the mercy of the Lord, when the time for release from this vicious circle arrives, he first attains the association of saintly persons. Right from that moment, he develops attachment to Your lotus feet. You are the Lord of both the material and the spiritual worlds and the shelter of the saintly souls.’
“Furthermore, the Kathopanishad, 1.3.9, states: vijñana-sarathir yas tu manah pragrahavan narah so’dhvanah param apnoti tad vishnoh paramam padam “‘One who possesses vijñana, realization of the Lord, as his charioteer, and who thus maintains a steady control of the mind, which is like the reins that control the horses of the bodily senses, crosses this material reality and attains the supreme abode of Sri Vishnu, who is the omnipresent Supersoul known as Vasudeva.’”
From Jaiva Dharma, Chapter 7:
“sadhu-sange krishna-nama’—ei-matra cai
samsara jinite ara kona vastu nai
‘The only desirable goal is to chant harinama in the association of pure and saintly devotees. This is the best and only way to conquer nescience.’” [Sri Prema-vivarta by Jagadananda Pandita, verse 6.13]
The Humble Servants of Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.14.28, purport:
“Realization of the Supersoul and the individual soul is so pleasing and satisfying that a self-realized person automatically gives up everything irrelevant to his spiritual advancement.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.14.36, purport:
“In conclusion, by studying the extraordinary status of the residents of Vrindavana, we can see that the essential quality of their lives is pure Krishna consciousness—the rendering of loving service to the Lord without a trace of material desire or mental speculation. Such loving service to the original Personality of Godhead immediately creates the atmosphere of Sri Vrindavana-dhama, the kingdom of God.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.15.27, purport:
“As stated by Lord Kapila in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.28.32), hasam harer avanatakhila-loka-tivra-sokasru-sagara-visoshanam aty-udaram: ‘The smile and laughter of the Supreme Lord Hari is most magnanimous. Indeed, for those who bow down to the Lord, His smile and laughter dry up the ocean of tears caused by the intense suffering of this world.’”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From ISKCON in the 1970s:
“September 27, 1975
“Speaking Krishna’s upadesa [instructions] is so nice because at that time, one is mostly lost of false ego and one’s absorption in plans and images of the body. Mostly he is actively attacking and destroying the false concepts and acting in words to glorify the Personality of Godhead. It is a constant attempt of the words and intelligence to persuade listeners to consider Krishna consciousness as the topmost goal. Because the lecturing is always parampara, one is simply transmitting Vedic sound and becoming purified. The more of such speaking the better.”
Janananda
Goswami:
Is
Krishna asking us to abandon all varieties of religion and become
irreligious? No, He is asking us to surrender to the Supreme Lord.
Real
religion is to realize our actual self. Usually people become
attached to some sect or practice but do not come to the platform of
love of God.
Religion
is meant to develop our eternal and natural love for the Supreme Lord
which is unalloyed. Not that I love God and so many others things,
and if God supplies the other things, I love Him.
If
our understanding of mathematics is 2 + 2 = 4, that is alright, but
it is expected we will progress beyond that. If we say that we
understand mathematics completely when we just know simple arithmetic
and that algebra and calculus are rubbish, we will not progress.
Our
system of perception must be cleansed.
The
Absolute Truth is not to be ascertained by our experiment but by
purifying our senses according to a genuine process. Religion is
meant to effect this purification.
We
are looking for eternal relationships with temporary objects.
Religions are meant to provide our actual eternal relationship with
God, but they are often not practiced in a way that end is attained.
Religions
are meant to give us a higher taste, not to provide the objects of
our lower taste.
In
real love the only intention is to please the beloved. We are meant
to be cultivating this relationship with God.
Srila
Prabhupada would speak the truth, unconcerned with how it would
affect his audience.
In
this account from Srila
Prabhupada-lilamrita,
the aspiring disciple wanted to accept Srila Prabhupada as his guru,
not to gain something, but because he found shelter, a home, a
realized person, a real person.
In
real yoga nothing blocks our attraction to Krishna.
We
should be always grateful for the opportunity given by the parampara
[the lineage of spiritual masters] to engage in devotional service
and try to develop the desire to please the previous teachers by
following their teachings.
The
Lord comes as the deity so we can develop our personal relationship
with Him by doing things for Him. Otherwise the idea of service to
God is just theoretical.
The
devotees were attracted to join Srila Prabhupada because of his
purity.
One
argument Srila Prabhupada used for astronauts not being able to enter
the moon planet was they did not have a suitable body.
We
have to have a spiritual body to touch spirit.
The
pure devotees of the Lord come into this world to show how we can
transform from matter into spirit. They teach us how to get a visa to
go back to Godhead.
The
consciousness of seeing our material body as separate from Krishna is
material consciousness.
In
our very body we can attain the transcendental state.
Most
people just try to adjust the effect while neglecting the cause.
Devotional
service is the remedial measure to change our material consciousness.
Now
there are golf courses and tennis courts in Vrindavan, but Vrindavan
is not meant to be a place for our sense enjoyment.
Fear
comes from identification with the material body.
Meditation
on the form of the Lord purifies us from our meditation on our
material body.
Everyone
wants to do it their way. There was one famous pop song “I want to
do it my way.” [In fact, Sinatra’s version of “My Way” spent
75 weeks in the UK Top 40, a record which still stands. (Wikipedia)]
But to go back to Godhead we have to do it Krishna’s way.
Kirtanananda
asked Srila Prabhupada why Vrindavan appeared so dirty, and Srila
Prabhupada replied, “Because your heart is dirty.”
If
we want the reality we have to give up our addiction to its perverted
reflection.
We
think “I have done so much service for Krishna. What has He done
for me?” Thus we have misconceptions.
Krishna
does not need a djembe
player
or guitar player in Goloka Vrindavan, or even a mrdanga
player.
He is looking for our devotion.
Until
we change our materialistic mentality, we have to stay in the
material world.
We
depend upon Krishna by depending on Krishna’s directions.
Comment
by Rajadharma Prabhu: There is a story of man who saw crabs that were
dying on the sand of the beach, having been left there by the tide.
The man decided to throw them in the water to give them some relief.
A man coming from the opposite direction, who observed him said,
“What is the use?” There are thousands of crabs along the miles
of beach, and you can benefit so few!” The man replied, “Yes, but
for those few, it makes a big difference.”
Sundaralala
Prabhu:
Ajamila
is being given a second chance to attain spiritual perfection.
The
holy name is described to be a bud which flowers into revelation of
the form, qualities, and the pastimes of the Lord.
No
one knows better the glories of the holy name than Haridasa Thakura.
No one else has been given the title Namacarya.
The
gayatri
mantra
has a few holy names in the middle of it, but the maha-mantra
is
composed entirely of holy names. Gayatri
is
considered more powerful when chanted silently, but the holy name is
considered more powerful when chanted as loudly as possible.
There
are some things we keep secret: our donations, our service, our
personal deity, our guru, and our mantra (gayatri),
but the holy name we broadcast widely.
The
guru does not just give the holy name, but he gives it with
conviction, faith, purity and determination.
Atonement
is like cutting the grass of sinful activities, but chanting the holy
name is like uprooting its roots. It will not grow back.
All
the eight elements are offered to the Lord in the arati
ceremony.
The mind is offered by chanting the mantras. The ego is offered when
offering obeisances.
The
mind is the culprit in so many acts these days.
How
does the mind overtake the intelligence in Kali-yuga? Because the
intelligence is sleeping.
Ajamila
fell down because of his mind, when he meditated on the prostitute,
but he was ultimately liberated by his mind, when by practicing at
Haridwar, he fixed his mind in meditation on the Vishnu deity.
Lust
is sitting in the senses, mind, and intelligence, and thus even
though we may go to the forest, it will accompany us.
We
should chant our japa
so
we can hear it but not so loud it disturbs others.
Visvanatha
Cakravati says we may say we became a devotee because of good
fortune, but that is not true as fortune is material. He also says we
cannot say we became a devotee because of the mercy of the Lord since
the Lord is equal to everyone. The mercy of the devotee is the actual
cause.
Gaura
Nitai Prabhu from Hungary:
This
canto (six) deals with how to protect ourselves and others.
One
beautiful sunny day I was excited to go surfing. While I was surfing,
the wind was coming from such a direction that it blew me further and
further from the shore. Although it was sunny, the water was so cold
my muscles were not working properly. Seeing the distance from the
shore, I began to doubt I would survive. Fortunately a friend of mine
on the shore noticed I was in trouble and sent someone with a boat to
rescue me. I learned from this that my enjoyment in this world could
come to an end at any moment, and that began my spiritual search that
ultimately ended in my coming to Krishna consciousness.
When
we learn that we are not the body but a spirit soul then we can be
satisfied with just the bare necessities of the body. If we have been
practicing spiritual life for ten years, and we are not satisfied to
have just what we need, we have to review that initial lesson that we
are not the body but a spiritual soul.
If
we are serving the Lord and we are serving the devotees, and yet we
are not satisfied then that is a problem that needs to be examined.
It
is painful to Srila Prabhupada if we do not make back to the
spiritual world in this life, so we should try.
The
Hindus were used to religious celebrations on certain festival days, but Lord Caitanya’s followers were celebrating every day by
chanting and dancing in the streets. That was one doubt that caused
the Hindus to complain to the Kazi.
By
going out every day on harinama
sankirtana we
are giving protection to the people.
We
try to become humble, but actual humbleness comes from the Lord.
Acarya
Prabhu:
In
the material world to be accepted we are trained to say whatever we
have to to get ahead, and sometimes we bring that mentality into the
temple situation.
In
every situation, whether one of success or failure, we have to
maintain a feeling of gratitude to Krishna.
Bon
Maharaja was lamenting his failure in preaching in the West, and
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura
said it may take Westerners hundreds of years to catch even a glimpse
of bhakti.
In
the Srimad-Bhagavatam
a
devotee prays to the weapons of the Supreme Lord, which shows that
the weapons are also personalities and also shows the humility of the
devotee.
In
1931 Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura began to become disgusted with
his disciples for becoming attached to material possessions and rooms
in the temple.
In
the beginning, yukta-vairagya
is
easy because we have practically no possessions, but the more we
acquire the more difficult it becomes.
Material
attachments are so deep-rooted that beggars have shopping carts of
their possessions which they carefully carry with them all day.
Srila
Prabhupada stressed the personality of Krishna, and seeing how
Krishna is manifest everywhere.
At
Tirupati in the kirtana
I
saw all the bhaktas [new devotees] were
happily dancing while the senior devotees wearing saffron were
looking at their watches, waiting to go on to their more important
engagements, and I was thinking, “better I always remain like the
bhaktas
and
not become a senior devotee.”
King
Prithu, although king of the universes, was loved by all the citizens
because of his love for the holy name, his affection for the sages,
and his attachment for devotional service to the Lord.
Srila
Prabhupada told one devotee that advancement is not about our
external position but how humble and tolerant we have become.
There
was one person who was formerly a postal worker, but later advertised
himself as the incarnation of Godhead, Kalki. At the height of his
fame people would pay 100,000 rupees for an audience with him of a
few seconds. Later on various scandals surrounded him. There are many
such cheaters in India.
Many
books are there about chanting, giving different ideas about it, but
Srila Prabhupada stressed that from hearing attentively the holy name
we will automatically come to the point of seeing the pastimes within
ourselves.
If
we see Krishna is helping us by giving us challenging situations so
we come to a higher level of consciousness, we will always be happy
in our spiritual life.
By
taking guidance, we can come to the point of transcending the modes
of material nature.
In
this purport Srila Prabhupada talks about swamis who fall down from
the spiritual platform to engage in material activities. In India the
Hare Krishna movement is becoming known more and more for feeding the
poor. We have to be careful that we do not follow in the footsteps of
these swamis.
Mayavadis
from Dvaraka put out propaganda that Sai Baba was falsely claiming to
be a avatar of Krishna. Sai Baba’s followers were very upset. There
were arguments in the Indian newspapers on both sides. It is very
interesting that ISKCON remained silent and did not take a public
stand because of not wanting to be unpopular.
Ramanujacarya
once very boldly spoke the truth about Krishna in the presence of a
yavana
king
although the king did not care for it. As the result the king’s
consciousness changed for the better.
Our
harinama
seems
very small, but in Krishna’s eyes it is very big.
One
senior devotee couple in The Netherlands saw that their children were
not particularly happy going to school there, so they sent them to
Mayapur where they became radiantly happy and came to have many
friends. The children told their parents they were so happy they sent
them to Mayapur.
Srila
Prabhupada explained that until children are seven they are
comparatively pure but after that they take to identify with the body
more and more and become covered with passion.
Once
I found myself in a place where I could not do my service of book
distribution for several months. After a couple of days, I decided to
read Srimad-Bhagavatam
for
several hours a day,
and
my lamentation over not being able to do my book distribution went
away, and I read eleven cantos in several months.
On
book distribution we can keep things simple and not introduce things
that people will have difficulty accepting immediately, then when we
see they want more, we can give them more. Then this problem of
committing the offense of preaching to the faithless will not be so
much there.
If
we are not pleased with our speaking to the people in the streets, it
may be a sign that Krishna is also not pleased with it.
Gopaswami
Prabhu said in the early days of the Paris yatra
on Saturday the devotees would have four harinama
parties
that would start out in different places in the city and then join
together and become one, and their joining together was very
impressive to see.
Gauranga
Prema Prabhu:
Sivarama
Swami explains in his book on bhakti
that the eternal associates of Krishna have two eternal, liberated
forms, a perfected form in Krishna-lila
and a sadhaka
form in Caitanya-lila.
Reading
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita is
the bridge to take us from where we are to Krishna’s Vrindavan
lila.
It
is possible that we can get so absorbed in taking care of the deities
we have no time for the other devotees and we have no time to go out
and bring people to see the deity, and we have to watch out for that.
We
can cultivate a relationship with people in their own place, and in
the course of time, we can describe the deity in such a way that the
people will want to come and see Him.
If
we do not want to associate with devotees, we should examine why. We
can pray for the desire to desire to associate with devotees.
Jhadu
Thakura accepted Kalidasa’s verses praising the elevated position
of the Vaishnava, but being truly humble he said he was not such a
Vaishnava, and so the verses did not apply to him.
Radhanath
Swami tells a story of two devotees struggling to touch each other’s
feet in which one devotee ended up breaking the ankle of the other.
That
devotees desire to accept the remnants of the Vaishnavas and to touch
their lotus feet means we consider we are their servants. The
pleasure is to serve the devotees, not to be served by them.
Comment
by Rajadharma Prabhu: As multiple lenses bring an image closer, being
the servant of the servant brings us closer to the Lord.
Comment
by Acarya Prabhu: Once there was a liter of water from washing
Lokanath Swami’s feet sitting in the Tirupati ashram for over a
day, so I drank it all, and I am convinced that is one of the reasons
I am still practicing Krishna consciousness.
Acyutananda
Prabhu tells in Blazing
Sadhus
how he asked Srila Prabhupada how to understand these verses from
Bhagavad-gita
9.4–5:
“By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded.
All beings are in Me, but I am not in them. And yet everything that
is created does not rest in Me. Behold My mystic opulence! Although I
am the maintainer of all living entities and although I am
everywhere, I am not a part of this cosmic manifestation, for My Self
is the very source of creation.” Srila Prabhupada explained that
the energy of the sunlight is present in the trees, but the sun
itself is not present in the tree. Similarly Krishna is present
everywhere through His energy. After Srila Prabhupada explained this
so nicely, he thanked Acyutananda for his question, which really
impressed him.
Krishna’s
form does not limit Him.
I
learned more reading Srila Prabhupada’s books than in four years of
studying philosophy and English in the university, although there I
had the association of some really amazing scholars.
We
will be completely satisfied if we have love of God. That is faith.
Canakya
Pandit said time is the most precious thing because we cannot buy it
back with any amount of money.
By
reading Srila Prabhupada’s books you will acquire so much knowledge
that you can easily see that you can smash anyone’s arguments but
if you do that they will not like you, and you will not be able to
give them Krishna consciousness which is your mission.
Krishna
is impartial in His application of the law of karma, yet He is
partial in that if you turn to Him even in a small way, He changes
your karma.
If
Krishna did not care about us, why would He make so many arrangements
to enable us to come back to Him? He inserts the Vedas in human
society. He comes Himself from the spiritual world. He manifests as
the deity. He comes as the holy name. He comes as the pure devotee.
We
need to take our sadhana [spiritual practice] seriously
to get the same result as Ajamila did by going back to Godhead.
All
we do is to purify our heart.
Srila
Prabhupada was basically given two instructions by his guru (1) to
preach in English in the West, and (2) if you get money print books,
yet with these instructions, he did so much.
To
be a pure devotee, you do not have to be Srila Prabhupada, or someone
with all the skills that Srila Prabhupada had. You just have to love
Krishna.
We
have to let the process of sadhana
work.
We have to want to become pure.
Krishna
is impartially distributing mercy, but He becomes partial to
those who accept the mercy.
Comment
by Sundaralala Prabhu: One devotee reminds us that Krishna’s name
is also bhakta-vatsala,
He
who is inclined to His devotees.
Some
shops offer free sandwiches, but Krishna is offering free diamonds in
that the love of God He is distributing as Lord Caitanya is valuable
like a diamond.
Rohininandana
Prabhu:
Different
material qualifications are necessary to be able to perform karma-,
jnana-, and
hatha-yoga
properly,
but there are no material qualifications required to practice
bhakti-yoga
nicely.
Also
the other yogis
are
focusing on some selfish desire, while bhakti-yogis
just
want to serve Krishna.
Prahlada
Maharaja did not desire a particular situation in his future life but
just wanted to remember Krishna in whatever condition the Lord put
him.
King
Ambarisa performed sacrifices just to please the Lord and not to get
some particular material benefit.
Demanding
to see God is like making God your servant, like we ring a bell and
God comes in.
A
normal person if I try to attack him will try to protect himself but
not Ambarisa. Without his asking the Lord’s ultimate weapon
immediately appeared to protect him.
Lord
Narayana explained to Durvasa Muni that as His devotees always think
of Him, He always thinks of them, and as He is everything to His
devotees, His devotees are everything to Him.
The
devotees are always ready to hear anything about the Lord. King
Pariksit had one week to live, and he decided to use it to hear about
the Lord not to empty his bank account and spend it on sense
gratification.
Vrindavan
does not mean just the town Vrindavan itself but means a place where
Krishna is staying.
When
Gopa Kumara returned to the spiritual world, Krishna said, “I think
about you every day. I was waiting for you. After each life, I was
hoping you would return to Me. I could not wait anymore, so this life
I became your spiritual master.” Thus we can see how eager Krishna
is eager for us to return.
If
we cannot spontaneously remember Krishna, we can practice hearing
about Him regularly.
Krishna
is ready to give His mercy to anyone, but only the devotees are eager
for that mercy.
When
Duhsasana attempted to rip the sari off of Draupadi in the assembly,
she appealed to all the Kuru elders for help, but only Vidura
protested the action and no one listened to him.
Comments
by me [spoken during prasadam
afterwards]:
Bhagavad-gita 8.14 appeared in the notebook of Jayananda Prabhu as it was a
favorite verse of his.
You
mentioned that Vrindavan is where Krishna resides. Once Krishna explained to Narada where He resides:
naham
tisthami vaikunthe
yoginam
hrdayesu va
tatra
tisthami narada
yatra
gayanti mad-bhakta
“I
am not situated in the Vaikuntha planets nor in the hearts of the
yogis,
but
I am situated, O Narada, where My devotees are chanting My
glories.” (Padma
Purana)
Prananatha Prabhu:
The
holy dhama
is
a special place, but we have to give up the bodily conception of life
anywhere.
I
recall seeing the devotees distributing books when I was a student.
One showed me The
Nectar of Devotion, and
I said, “No way.” But here I am, so any contact with devotees has
a positive effect.
It
is said that the Lord performs different pastimes in different
dhamas.
In
Dvaraka, He rules. In Puri, He eats.
We
can attain perfection by different ways in different dhamas,
by
chanting the holy name in the Mayapur, rolling in the dust of
Vrindavan, and honoring prasadam
in
Jagannatha Puri. It is also recommended to cry to Radharani for Her
mercy in Vrindavan.
You
can live in the dhama
in
your mind by remembering the different places you visited there, and
from time to time these places will spontaneously appear in your
mind.
Lord
Jagannatha specifically appears in Puri to accept offerings and to
distribute prasadam
to
save the fallen souls.
There
is universal rule and by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and the
revealed literature we are being made aware of that, and unlike with
state laws, breaking the universal rules never goes unnoticed.
Now
sinful activities have become so normal, people do not even consider
they are sinful.
From
attachment to Krishna, detachment, freedom from sins, and so many
things follow.
It
is a incredible system, that all the activities of all living beings
are noticed.
It
is said that Yamaraja engaged in harinama-sankirtana
and
went unconscious in ecstasy at the deliverance of Jagai and Madhai by
Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda.
One
UK devotee told of a man who saw the photos of the Yamadutas, the
servants of the controller of death, on the cover of that devotee’s
Srimad-Bhagavatam,
and
said, “I saw those guys! I was in the hospital, and I saw those
guys.” As a result the man purchased some books from the devotee.
Krishna-kripa
das:
While
looking for the proper diacritics for “mataji”
using Google Translate, I found that the sentences used to illustrate
the meaning of “mother” reflect the social anomalies of this age:
Definitions
of mother
noun
a
woman in relation to a child or children to whom she has given birth.
In
eight of these cities, more than 60% of births were to unwed mothers.
verb
give
birth to.
Emma
O’Leary mothered four sons before her husband ran off with another
woman, leaving her to raise the boys on her own.
-----
We
are forever looking for short cuts to success in all aspects of our
life, including our pursuit of spiritual perfection. In the following
Bhagavad-gita
verse,
Krishna is explaining how we can easily attain Him, good news for
lazy people like myself. Apparently the famed ISKCON saint, Jayananda
Prabhu, liked this verse, and it was found in a notebook of his. Thus
in liking it, I am in good company! In Paris recently a young devotee
chose to speak on this verse, and thus I was reminded of it and also
the especially nice purport that Srila Prabhupada wrote explaining
it.
ananya-cetah
satatam
yo
mam smarati nityasah
tasyaham
surlabhah partha
nitya-yuktasya
yoginah
“For
one who always remembers Me without deviation, I am easy to obtain, O
son of Prtha, because of his constant engagement in devotional
service.” (Bhagavad-gita
8.14)
