Travel Journal#5.19: South Africa

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 5, No. 19
By Krishna-kripa das 
(October 2009, part one)
 South Africa

(Sent from London on November 19, 2009)

Highlights

Pretoria
Durban
Bhakti Yoga Societies
Soweto
Harinama Story
Insights from Partha Sarathi Goswami, Kadamba Kanana Swami,
and Bhakti Nrsimha Swami

Where I Am and What I Am Doing

On my fiftieth birthday, September 30, I arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa, a new city, a new country and a new continent for me. Srila Prabhupada so much stresses using the end of life to absorb oneself in devotional service and sharing it with others, I considered doing harinama in such an exotic new venue as Pretoria to be Krishna’s special birthday present to me.

South Africa was a mixture of reassuring and disturbing elements. At the airport, all the signs were in English only, a refreshing difference from the last five months I was in Europe. Yet doing harinama in downtown Pretoria, I realized I was a member of a very small racial minority. It was like going to parts of Philadelphia or Atlanta. Also, all the properties were surrounded by walls that were topped with barbed wire, an eerie reminder that there was a criminal element one must protect oneself from. Although I’d never been to far off South Africa, in Pretoria I met a devotee who remembered me from Mayapur, and in Durban I met Laksminatha Prabhu, an Indradyumna Swami disciple who I knew as a cook on the Polish tour.

I visited our Pretoria temple, the two temples in the Durban area, Chatsworth and Phoenix, and two temples near Johannesburg, one in Soweto and one in Lenasia.

I have more details about the outreach programs in South Africa, especially to the natives of that land, and the lives of many sincere devotees there, which I am saving for a Back to Godhead article I am writing on the subject.

Pretoria

Vraja Vallabha Dasa, Pretoria temple president, leads a lively harinama party.

The devotees in Pretoria are mostly in their twenties and are like a family. They go out on harinama at least three days a week, and often do book distribution. Demographically the temple residents are mostly blacks and the congregational members mostly Indians, but it does not seem to present too much of a problem. Both groups love kirtana and the young black Africans especially engage their youthful energy in it, prompting Bhakti Nrsimha Swami to say, “Pretoria is the best temple in South Africa, not the biggest but the best.”

I enjoyed going on harinama with them. You would see employees behind the counters of their fast food places swaying in time to the music, or a hairdresser, styling tools in hand, moving to the sound. Occasionally some people would dance like they do to contemporary music.

The man in the striped shirt, decided he would dance with the devotees. The young lady devotee dancing nearby, Manu Kanya Devi Dasi, is the organizer of the harinama party.

The authorities are not restrictive. Only if we stayed in front of a store too long, were we considered a problem, as in many places.

Durban

The Chatsworth temple in Durban is truly beautiful, and it can be seen from a good distance. Traveling to and from Durban, and even changing money in Johannesburg, I met people who knew about our famous Durban temple. I learned of the four-day Ratha-yatra festival they have in April and developed a desire to go. One year they had thirteen sannyasis attend. It is said to be the biggest Ratha-yatra festival outside of India.

Kadamba Kanana Swami did many home programs at the homes of Indian devotees and members, who were very respectful, hospitable, and well organized.

Bhakti Yoga Societies

While in Durban I went to a couple college programs. They have a very active Bhakti Yoga Society in all the major cities in South Africa and in Durban they do six college programs a week, four during the day and two in the evenings. I attended one at an almost exclusively black school. I was surprised that 95% of the attendees were ladies. In explanation, devotees told me in that part of South Africa, the natives are Zulus, who do not like to bow down to anyone, and thus there were few males interested in attending. My friend, Dhruva, who traveled with me this summer, demonstrated one technique at the Czech Woodstock, which I tried in this class. You ask for a volunteer to come up to the front of the room. You ask the name of the person. Then you tell the audience to call out the person’s name with great affection, and you ask the person how it feels. The people always like it. Then you explain that God is also a person and has a similar psychology. He likes it when we chant His name, and we can easily please Him in this simple way. You give a gift to the volunteer to thank them for being brave enough to come up before the class. In this case, I gave the girl a garland.

We did lots of kirtana as the devotees who did that program before said the students had very short attention span. I alternated between speaking and chanting several times. In the final kirtana, a group of three young ladies sitting together near the back were swaying to the music. I spoke to them afterwards, telling them that we do this singing and dancing in our temple on Sunday, and giving them an invitation. One of them said she would come. Later Kadamba Kanana Swami told me that there are people in the schools that are seriously interested in the philosophy, and it would have been better to have a longer class, so I decided to do so at the next program.

The other school was one that Srila Prabhupada visited on his one and only trip to South Africa in autumn of 1975. The devotees say that room we have the weekly program in is the same room that Srila Prabhupada spoke in. When I arrived just about on time, three Indian students involved in the organization of the program had a lively kirtana going, accompanied by harmonium, mridanga, and karatalas. I chanted a little more and then began to speak on the day’s topic, “Unlocking Your True Potential.” In the course of my talk, I explained how spiritual pleasure is actually the highest pleasure, and our true potential. I gave different examples of empiric evidence that support the Vedic conception of the soul, like Ian Stevenson’s studies on past life memories and Michael Sabom’s study on out-of-body experiences. I also mentioned evidence showing our practice of bhakti has positive results. I told about the University of Florida student who found he never got angry in the afternoon on the days he ate the Hare Krishna lunch. And then there was the story of the Tirupati public schools, where the daily problem of two or three cases of injuries by one student to another disappeared, when the devotees served the students Krishna prasadam for lunch. I told of Dhira Govinda Prabhu’s thesis for a Ph.D. in social work, where he showed that chanting Hare Krishna reduces stress, depression, and anxiety. The people found it sufficiently interesting that eight competed to get the five sponsored copies we had of The Science of Self-Realization. Another ten or so took Life Comes from Life. The leaders told me that usually the students do not take so many books. This reminded me that Hanumat Presaka Swami once told me he distributes books by giving informative and entertaining lectures at colleges then encouraging people to take books at the end. Perhaps I should adopt that strategy. We had a short kirtana  to complete the program, while prasadam was being distributed. Three enthusiastic young black girls sang, smiled, and moved their heads and hands in time with the music. They looked so happy! One of them did not even take her prasadam until the kirtana was over! Now that is rare for a such a new devotee!

Haladhara Prabhu, a black devotee, who joined from a Bhakti Yoga Society program in Capetown and who plays a leadership in the Durban society, says that roughly 70% of the student attendees are Indian, 20% black, and 10% white. This year two of the students showed a serious interest in Krishna consciousness, one Indian and one black. While in South Africa, I talked to devotees of all three racial backgrounds who had developed an interest in Krishna consciousness as a result of such college outreach programs, and thus they play a key role in outreach that country.

Soweto

Mahaprabhu Prabhu has been doing Food for Life practically since he met the devotees in the mid 1980s, serving thousands of school students prasadam each day. He is a very liberal person who makes arrangements to benefit others. His home in Soweto has a temple room which he fills up on Sunday at his feast program. I was surprised to see half the attendees were children, probably many who eat the prasadam he prepares for school lunches. We decided to do a harinama after the kirtana and before offering candles to Damodara, and everyone was very enthusiastic, especially the kids. We just went around the temple, down one street before it and up one street after. One man who had never come before joined the program from the harinama. It was a very nice experience.

Harinama Story

Nrsimhananda Prabhu, of the Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Culture, told me a harinama story from the early 1990s in Johannesburg. The devotees would go chanting twice a day, for half an hour before breakfast and then at 4:00 p.m. There was one man who every time would stand at the window of his apartment, a couple floors up, and curse at the devotees. For years he went on with his offensive yelling and screaming. But the amazingly result of that contact was that the man later became a devotee himself. Such is the power of the holy name and the association of devotees!

Insights from Lectures

Partha Sarathi Goswami:

[Partha Sarathi Goswami came to South Africa in 1975. He played a leading role in outreach to the Indian community with an ambitious tent program campaign in many of the Indian townships, especially in the Durban area. He was also instrumental in fund raising for the Durban temple and developing their elaborate Ratha-yatra festival. I attended his Vyasa-puja, which filled the entire Phoenix temple with devotees, many from an Indian background. He honored the disciples of his godbrothers on that occasion, giving them all garlands. I got the first one, as I was in front. He engaged a senior female disciple in garlanding the ladies.]

We should always follow the Vaishnava etiquette because it is pleasing to Lord Caitanya.

The legacy of Srila Prabhupada, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and Bhaktivinoda Thakura is one of love, giving without considering return. Their hearts are overflowing with prema (love of God). The nature of love is selfless. The letter of the law (sadhana regulations) is needed to attain the spirit of the law (prema).

“If you feel at all indebted to me, preach vigorously like me,” said Srila Prabhupada in a 1975 letter.

Please appreciate how fortunate you are and consider how you can reciprocate by doing some service to Srila Prabhupada’s mission and by doing your personal sadhana. By taking some role in the preaching mission, you will attain the legacy of love (prema).

Kadamba Kanana Swami:

On Kartika: When Krishna awoke He was hungry and his mother, Yasoda, forgot everything while breastfeeding Him. Then the pot of milk boiled over. Yasoda had seven or eight cows which she fed special grasses to make sweet milk, the yogurt from which she would churn into butter, because she was concerned that Krishna was stealing butter.

Although Yasoda had pure devotion for Krishna, she could not bind Him without special endeavor. Kartika means making a special endeavor to capture Krishna, not just to stay out of maya. It is practicing to be a pure devotee for a month so that we ultimately attain that stage. Each year we can take great leaps ahead in advancement during Kartika.

Q: How do we maintain our vows over time?

A: If our desire for Krishna is strong enough, then our determination is strong. If we have no faith in material desires then it is possible. Wherever we think we will find happiness, there we place our faith. If we have material desires, we are in maya (illusion), but if we have faith in our material desires then we are in even more maya.

The pastime of Ambarisa forgiving Durvasa Muni exhibits a mood rarely seen in this world. If we forgive we do so with great difficulty, and we do not forget the offense. Ambarisa treated Durvasa so nicely, he was completely satisfied.

Once on a japa walk, I passed a cemetery and saw that every grave had an American flag on it. I smiled—American from cradle to grave—an American corpse.

Srila Prabhupada did not have to think of a strategy to give Krishna consciousness to people. He knew if they contact the name of Krishna and the words of Krishna they would be purified. If there is any strategizing, it is how to bring them in contact with the name and words of Krishna.

Purity was the cause of Srila Prabhupada’s success, and indeed, only cause of success anywhere in the world. The purifying potency comes from the Bhagavatam and the holy name. The packaging may change but the contents of the package does not change. It we make the packaging too indirect, people may not take the time to unwrap the package.

The Kali play that devotees have performed for years in ISKCON is based on a play by Kavi-karnapura, an associate of Lord Caitanya, called Caitanya-candrodaya-nataka. Srila Prabhupada gave instructions to the early devotees to do a play based on ideas from this historical drama. Hindus know some of their culture, but not the real Hindu culture. Similarly the Africans only know traces of their African culture. The Muslims and the Christians have also lost their culture. We are trying to revive the original spiritual culture that was lost.

When Krishna appears, He does not come alone. He brings the spiritual world with Him. We also like to bring our paraphernalia when we travel. Krishna brings the spiritual world within the material world to show the maximum mercy. It is said that pastimes of Krishna in the material world are even more brilliant than in the spiritual world. When a jewel is on a black background, it appears more brilliant.

Material life is just like an elephant. Sometimes you are on top of the elephant, and sometimes the elephant is on top of you. The art is to climb back on top of the elephant again.

Chanting is like meeting with Krishna. When we are chanting, we can put a sign on our door, “Meeting with Krishna.” When we meet with Krishna we can set aside our preoccupation with the reactions of the material energy—the friction of our contact with the material.

Lord Brahma prayed to the dust of the lotus feet of the gopis for 60,000 years to understand their selfless love for Krishna.

Pray to Krishna, “I do not deserve to be before You, but somehow or other I am here. Please accept me.”

In this Kartika time we are trying to attain one-pointed focus on Krishna. We are talking about Vrindavana, and by this talking, we are going to Vrindavana. The question is, “What are we bringing with us?” The trouble is that we are in Vrindavana, but we are still thinking of South Africa. But we are only in transit in South Africa. Our activities are in relation with Krishna.

When I traveled overland to India, at the border I saw the customs office sitting at a desk under a tree, because of the hot sun. He asked why I came to India. I said I heard India was a very spiritual place. He smiled, and said, “Very good. You should go to Benares. You will go tonight. I will buy you a ticket.” And so he did.

The demigods see the Lord in relationship with this world because they are concerned with improving their condition in this life in this world. Lord Caitanya’s movement is different, and we are not concerned with improving our condition in this life but rather engaging Krishna’s property in His service and blessing the fallen conditioned souls. Even in mundane life, welfare workers are glorified.

Because everything is controlled by the Lord, He can give us factual protection. Now we live in a palatial temple. During festival time it is very easy to remember Krishna. But sometime, everything will be taken away, and we will see how much we remember Krishna.

When we are suffering, we are OK. When we are enjoying, we are in trouble. This is because our enjoying spirit causes us to forget Krishna, but when we are suffering, we call out to Krishna.

In the material world, we are all being cooked. Some are cooked faster, and some slower, some at a high temperature, and some at a lower temperature.

Birthdays: You are one year closer to death, and you get gifts to make you feel better about it.

Q: What about celebrating birthdays?

A: The appearance day of a Vaishnava is glorious. If we see a birthday as a hidden Vyasa-puja, that is good. I am all for placing a Vaishnava on a vyasasana and glorifying him.

[More from Kadamba Kanana Swami’s programs in South Africa in the next issue.]

Bhakti Nrsimha Swami:

When we understand that Krishna is unlimitedly powerful, we can take full shelter of Him. Ambarisa Maharaja had this realization and was not disturbed by the demon sent by Durvasa Muni.

Because we only believe in tangible things, it is difficult to have faith in God or even in the soul. 

By his surrender, Ambarisa became protected by Krishna. Similarly, the cowherd boys in Vraja were fearless of demons because they knew Krishna could kill any demon who appeared there.

Fear is a manifestation of the modes of nature nature. Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.7.7 states, “Simply by giving aural reception to this Vedic literature, the feeling for loving devotional service to Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sprouts up at once to extinguish the fire of lamentation, illusion and fearfulness.”

On the Damodara pastime: Krishna’s mischief does not affect just one house but the whole universe, so it is appropriate that Yasoda bind Him. But we should not bind our kids.

Krishna’s pastimes of stealing butter are eternal, but the demon killing pastimes are only occasional.

Krishna does not have to come to the gym to work out. He is the gym Himself.

-----

atah sri krishna namadi

na bhaved grahyam indriyaih

sevonmukhe hi jihvadau

svayam eva sphuraty adah

“Therefore material senses cannot appreciate Krishna’s  holy name, form, qualities and pastimes. When a conditioned soul is awakened to Krishna consciousness and renders service by using his tongue to chant the Lord’s holy name and taste the remnants of the Lord’s food, the tongue is purified, and one gradually comes to understand who Krishna really is.” (Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu 1.2.234)

Travel Journal#5.18: Ukraine and Paris

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 5, No. 18
By Krishna-kripa das
(September 2009, part two)
Ukraine and Paris
(Sent from London on November 2, 2009)

Highlights

Wisdom from Dhirasanta Prabhu
Harinama in Kharkov
A Day in Dnepropotrovsk
A Day in Lviv
Warning for Travelers to South Africa
 Unexpected Paris Visit

Where I Am and What I Am Doing

After the Ukraine festival, Dhruva Prabhu and I visited Kharkov, Dnepropotrovsk, and Lviv, in Ukraine, and stopped to see Adam in Katowice, Poland, enroute to Berlin, where Dhruva would return to America, and I would then go to South Africa. I was happy we could do harinamas in Kharkov and Lviv, and a house program in Lviv as well. By the mercy of Air France, I ended up staying in Paris for four days, enroute to South Africa.

Wisdom from Dhirasanta Prabhu

The process of Krishna consciousness is easy, but we come into Krishna consciousness with all our conditioning, our various designations, and imagining a variety of things about our identity. From Krishna’s point of view, we are either a devotee or a nondevotee. It looks like a there is a lot of similarity between the devotee and the nondevotee. We eat, they eat, we drink, they drink, we drive cars, they drive cars, but actually there is a world of difference between them.

The swan is a symbol of renunciation because it does not have a home but spends some time in one part of the lake and then later in another part of the lake. Also the swan is always cleaning itself and is very peaceful. It is very white. The crow is just the opposite. It is black and always making noise. It is very much attached to its abominable place. We have decided to give up the crow-like mentality and adopt the swanlike mentality.

We read the Vedas but only accept the cream, the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam.

[Dhirasanta Prabhu has a novel program of bringing toys with him when he gives the Sunday feast lecture to keep the children engaged so they do not cause disturbance, as well as bringing props to illustrate different points.]

To illustrate the covered nature of the conditioned soul, he asked for a volunteer from the audience, who he dressed in a black poncho, handcuffs, a ball and chain, extra long nose, a golden wig [symbolizing false ego], glasses with eyeballs that spring out of them, a rope attached to the tongue, extra big ears, and a few others. At the end, as everyone chanted Hare Krishna, a young girl removed all the coverings, one by one.

Nondevotees talk about the past, which they glorify, and the future, which they hope will be better. But they do not talk about the present because nothing special is going on.

It takes a long time to break free from our conditioning. Even while chanting Hare Krishna, we are half a devotee and half a nondevotee.

Srila Prabhupada says that the first twelve years in Krishna consciousness, what we say and do does not have much effect, because we do not have much faith. Our philosophy is a little for Krishna, a little for me.

There is a secret for dealing with the mind. This is what you should do. Say to your mind, "Mind, come here. Sit down. I am going to practice Krishna consciousness for the next thirty years, and I do not care what you think. You have done nothing for me. I have just followed you around. Now I am doing something for me. Now get lost. Go away." After thirty years, call your mind back. And ask your mind, "How do you feel?" "I feel so peaceful. Remember how crazy I was. Now I even sometimes think of going back to Vrindavana and Mayapur. Sixteen rounds ki, jaya. Mangala arati ki, jaya!"

Because the Srimad-Bhagavatam deals with past history, devotees have difficulty placing their faith in it, and nondevotees have an even more difficult time.

Situations like this make us ask if I really want to be a devotee, not just once, but regularly every day. Do you have enough faith that if I become a devotee of Krishna that I will attain everything I need to be happy in this life? Actually it takes many years to develop our faith to this point.

Even if our faith is not mature but is only blind faith, still by acting with blind faith in Krishna consciousness, we will progress. We will get some get some realization by doing the right thing.

Because our friends, our relatives, and our own mind are always offering reasons with we should go back to our previous lifestyle, it is difficult to practice long enough to acquire mature faith.

We should acquire faith gradually, not too fast and not too slow. If we try to fast, we may burn out and retreat from the path. If we are too slow, we may not attain success in this life.

In 1973 a boy joined in Scotland who had problems with his mind to a much greater extent than others. When the devotees were returning from a festival, the driver fell asleep, and that one boy was killed in the accident but the other devotees were unharmed. He had received initiation one week before, and when we wrote Srila Prabhupada about the incident, rather than chastising us for driving at night or driving carelessly, he said that the boy would take a better body in the next life. There is one lady in the British yatra who is convinced she is the incarnation of that boy. She is very enthusiastic to go out on harinama and play the drum. She went to the house of the boy’s mother and could explain about every room in it and identify the boy’s own room. The timing of her birth and the death of the boy is consistent with the idea.

We get knowledge and we give knowledge, and the reward is that we get more realization of the knowledge, and then we have more conviction to continue this process and realize more and more.

There are devotees who think they do not have to come to the temple, do not have to come to class, do not have take maha-prasadam, etc. They are sitting in their homes and chanting Hare Krishna, but they are like birds that are gliding. They are going slower and slower. We do need these different devotional practices and devotional association to maintain our forward momentum.

Q: If I am ignorant, how do I know where I can get enlightment?
A: Krishna is the Supersoul. If we are sincere, Krishna will make sure the right person gives us instruction.

Harinama in Kharkov

I go to Kharkov every year. I can count on the devotees to have harinama every day I am there, and I am never disappointed. The day I got there, we chanted for three and a quarter hours at a park with a natural spring where people are steadily coming to bathe and fill up their water jugs. There are more crowded places, but the people who come there are more interested in self-improvement and less rushed. Different people were attracted, children, people who came to bathe, etc. I chanted at one point, and one young lady, who had come by the temple Sunday program before, danced with great pleasure. I later talked to her. She said her philosophy was "God is everywhere." I encouraged her to come to our programs. She obviously liked to dance, and I told her we dance every morning and evening for half an hour or an hour. "In the ancient Vedic writings it is described in the spiritual world every word is a song and every step is a dance, and we are practicing to go there. At least once a week, you should come and dance with us." One solid middle-aged man, who watched for quite a while and talked with a devotee, gave an apple as a donation before he left. One lady who was bathing and had come to the nama-hatta programs talked with one of the devotee ladies for over an hour. Just by coming out we had different positive interactions with the public.

One unique feature of Kharkov is that in addition to rolling out some carpet for the devotee musicians to sit on, the devotees also roll out some carpet for the passersby to sit down and hear the kirtana. Actually that makes a lot of sense, Lord Caitanya recommends that His holy name chanters be humble like the straw in the street, and a simple expression of humility is giving others a place to sit, in addition to oneself. The next day, on the Saturday harinama at a downtown park, at once point, I counted thirty people sitting down listening to our kirtana, many on the carpet the devotees had rolled out. At the same time another thirty stood and listened. About twenty-five devotees attended, and half the devotees danced. Once we even had nine devotee men dance at a point when there were only four women. It is rare the male dancers outnumber the females. Usually we had about six of each, the men on one side of the singers and instrumentalists, and the women on the other side. They have one really good singer and a good mrdanga player who form the core of party. In addition to the Friday and Saturday evening harinamas, they do several weekdays on the sidewalk before the university.

A Day in Dnepropotrovsk

In Kharkov we learned that one of the more prominent temples in Ukraine, the one at Dnepropotrovsk was just three hours away. Dhruva Prabhu, who was traveling with me, had a strong desire to go there. I was doubtful I could convince them to do a harinama there, while I was sure we would do harinama in Kharkov, so I was not so eager to go, but I agreed to go away. Both Dhruva and I knew many people from the Polish Festival tour who are based there, and it was nice to see them. Dhirasanta Prabhu, who was a presenter at the Ukraine festival, gave some nice classes while we were there. During my visit, I developed a desire to go to the Dnepropotrovsk Ratha-yatra next year which occurs a week before the Ukraine festival. Then after the Ratha-yatra I could go to Kharkov and do harinama for a few days before the festival. Sounds like a plan!

A Day in Lviv

Although I crossed the Polish/Ukrainian border about seven times near the Ukrainian city, Lviv (Lvov in Russian and English), I never interacted with the Hare Krishna devotees there. This year, my friend Maksim, a Lviv resident, who was once Dhanesvara Prabhu’s translator for quite awhile, invited me to do a home program there, on my way back to Poland. The Ukrainian devotees have a very good service attitude toward guests. Vijaya Prabhu, who did driving for us, even drove us an hour and a half to the Ukraine border as we were leaving.

In the afternoon about seven devotees did harinama for an hour and a half or so in a park near a university. It was a nice location with a good amount of people. One older devotee lady enthusiastically distributed prasadam the whole time. One Greek Orthodox priest who taught religion in a military academy saw us and invited the devotees to speak about their religion
in his class at a future date.

After harinama we had some kirtana in the very large temple room of one devotee in Lviv. One new disciple of Niranjana Swami, who had cancer and couldn’t come to the Ukraine festival, needed someone to give her the beads he chanted on, and accept her vows, on behalf of her guru. I did a lecture on the importance of initiation, avoiding the ten offenses (which I explained), and remembering Krishna at the end of life. Maksim translated. In the talk, I mentioned I had great faith in Niranjana Swami, as he prayed to Krishna that I might stay in the New York temple thirty years ago when I first visited and thus I had ended up doing so. Maybe ten or twelve devotees were there. We then had Gaura arati, a half-hour Gita class, and light prasadam. It was a happy occasion.

I never had programs with the Lviv devotees before, but it was such a nice experience from now on I plan to do it whenever I come through.

Warning for Travelers to South Africa

As I prepared to board my flight from Paris to Johannesburg, the staff of Air France refused to allow me on the plane, as I did not have an entire blank page in my passport for my South African visa, a regulation I had not encountered ever before. They claimed that South African immigration agents would send me back to France, and the airline did not want to risk that. I suggested agents might put the South African visa on the inside back cover of the passport or on some of the inside pages that had nonessential writing on it, but they did not want to risk it. Thus at 11:30 p.m., I was stuck in De Gaulle International Airport near Paris, and I missed the Soweto Ratha-yatra, one of my main reasons for going to South Africa. I used the Internet to find the location of our new temple in France which had opened since my May visit there, and I slept behind a counter for a couple of hours, as the trains to Paris did not run till morning. As it was Friday night flight, I had to wait until Monday to get twenty-four complimentary additional visa pages added to my passport at the American Embassy in Paris. When I returned to the airport Monday afternoon, the ticket agent said because I did not use the Friday evening flight, my unchangeable ticket was thus altered and therefore invalid and I would have to buy I new one. That day and the following day, I asked four ticket agents and two supervisors at two ticket offices to adjust my ticket, and finally one supervisor who could identify with my plight amended my ticket for later that day. I gave a maha-prasadam sandesa to her and a mantra card to her employee. It was really Krishna’s mercy as I had already given up hope of getting the flight and was just stopping by the lost and found to look for the notepad I left in the airport the previous day when I noticed the second ticket office and ultimately met with success. And so I warn you from my personal experience. Do not try to go to South Africa without an entire blank visa page in your passport, or you may find yourself in a similar jam.

Unexpected Paris Visit

New Paris Hare Krishna Temple

Although I had not planned to visit Paris, because I know the devotees there, and some of them like to do harinama, it worked out OK. Gadadhara Priya Prabhu, the main harinama leader, was experimenting with chanting on the metros in Brussels and did not return for two or three days. Somehow or other I was able to gather a seven-person party, with devotees from India, Mexico, and Italy, as well as France, and we chanted at a local park before the Sunday feast. There was playground in the park, and the kids were fascinated to see our party. The two devotees ladies danced with three of the kids for a while. The community surrounding the temple is more culturally mixed and the devotees are not viewed with as much suspicion as at their previous location. The final day, just before leaving for the airport, since Gadadhara Priya had returned we could do harinama on the metros (metroyoga) as we usually do in Paris, and it was nice as always. Omkaranatha Prabhu, visiting from Czech Republic, kindly took some pictures.

Gadadhara Priya Prabhu on harmonium, Krishna-kripa das on karatalas, and Bhakta Raul on mridanga drum chant on train from temple to downtown Paris.


Gadadhara Priya Prabhu on harmonium, Krishna-kripa das on mridanga drum, Bhakta Raul on karatalas, and Bhaktin Sara of Italy, who distributes prasadam, flyers, and books, chant in the streets of downtown Paris.

-----

patrapatra-vicara nahi, nahi sthanasthana
yei yanha paya, tanha kare prema-dana

In distributing love of Godhead, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates did not consider who was a fit candidate and who was not, nor where such distribution should or should not take place. They made no conditions. Wherever they got the opportunity, the members of the Pañca-tattva distributed love of Godhead (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 7.23).

Travel Journal#5.17b: Another Wonderful Ukraine Festival

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 5, No. 17b
By Krishna-kripa das
(September 2009, part one, section two)
Ukraine Festival

(Sent from Paris, France on September 29, 2009)

Highlights

Another Wonderful Ukraine Festival
Insights from Niranjana Swami, Prahladananda Swami,
Devamrita Swami, Candramauli Swami, Prabhavishnu Swami,
Gopiparanadhana Prabhu, Srutakirti Prabhu,
Lilasuka Prabhu, and Mother Devaki

Another Wonderful Ukraine Festival

The Ukraine festival is always wonderful, and the devotees I talked to said it was one of the best ever. There are always many senior devotees giving great seminars and lots of kirtana. This year the weather was sunny and warm, practically every day. The Black Sea’s water is much warmer even in September than Poland’s Baltic Sea in midsummer. One devotee told me the high point of the festival for him was that his parents, who were formerly critical, came to the festival and enjoyed it. Some of the beachgoers were curious about what was going on, and that devotee’s mom explained to them about the devotees and their festival. Actually, many people on their vacations benefited spiritually, accidentally encountering the devotees at the beachside resort there in Zaozernoe, near Evpatoriya, in Crimea. Candramauli Swami, who attended the Ukraine festival for the first time, writes, “I can assuredly say it was one of the best all-round Krishna Consciousness festivals in the Western world. I have had similiar expierences with H. H. Radhanath Maharaja’s Pune Yatra program in India.”

For me this year was a different experience from before as I was a presenter for three years (and a guest of a presenter before that). This year I was just another of the nearly four thousand attendees. I missed the opportunities to talk with some of the senior devotee presenters over lunch and to hear their conversations. I also missed the opportunity to dance on the stage with the presenters and musicians during the evening kirtanas. So although it was all very nice, still I missed some of the experiences I was accustomed to having, and which I liked. I also felt I gave less to others than previous years, just a few smiles, hugs, and few dances. Although my previous seminars on science and Krishna consciousness were not well attended, some people always expressed gratitude that I presented them, and so I felt encouraged. This year, I also missed hearing several seminars due to proofreading the BTG, which always comes at this time. Previously I would tell the editor I couldn’t do it as I had to prepare and give presentations, but this time I tried to do it and learned it just takes too much time, especially because the final issue of the year has an index of all the year’s articles which as to be checked. So next year I plan to offer to do a seminar on the five most important items of devotional service and to avoid proofreading the November/December BTG.

A nice feature was I got to share a place with my godbrother, Caitanya Candrodaya Prabhu, who is the webmaster for Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s web page, www.sdgonline.org. Because I proofread our guru’s online journal it was very convenient to be working out of the same office, so to speak, since I could proofread it as soon as he formatted it for the internet.

Insight from Lectures

Niranjana Swami:

I want to talk about Srila Prabhupada’s acceptance of sannyasa. His sannyasa was a facility to execute the order to preach in the English langugage, an order he received from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura on his first meeting with him back in 1922. Lord Kapila tells how the devotee gives up all friendly acquaintances in this material world to engage in staunch devotional service to the Lord. In the 1940s, Srila Prabhupada helped out B. R. Sridhara Swami and Bhaktisaranga Swami in their Gaudiya Matha preaching in Bombay. Sridhara Swami was impressed and suggested to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura that he might be the temple president in Bombay. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said, “No, in time he will do everything.” Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura marked our Srila Prabhupada as one who liked to hear. And Srila Prabhupada himself said, “He who hears nicely will preach nicely.”

I distributed Back to Godhead (BTG) magazines the same day the devotees shaved me up. I had such long hair, it took the devotee 45 minutes to cut my hair with scissors, and then he had to shave me. I went out with BTGs stuffed in a Boston Globe newspaper bag. The devotees just left us in town with the bag of magazines, and we had to figure out what to say. The blood was still moist from the shaving attempt, and people did not know what to think, seeing my appearance.

Srila Prabhupada, however, did everything for BTG, from writing, buying the paper, begging for money, and finally personally distributing it, in the tea stalls, bazaars, and in people’s homes. One person said they knew Srila Prabhupada was coming with a new issue of BTG because they recognized the sound of his old broken bicycle.

One time at 1:00 a.m. Srila Prabhupada pounded on Sridhara Maharaja’s door saying he had a dream of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura telling him to take sannyasa. Sridhara Maharaja had doubts about giving Srila Prabhupada sannyasa because he had connections with Srila Prabhupada’s wife’s family. In fact, two times Srila Prabhupada banged on Sridhara’s Maharaja’s door at 1:00 a.m. with the same message. Sridhara Maharaja suggested he start with bahudak first, where one does not complete give up the family connection and not rush into sannyasa. That very day, Srila Prabhupada, although not an initiated sannyasi, left home, without telling anyone. Before he took sannyasa, he was in Vrindavana, and he wrote a poem “Vrindavana Bhajana.” “Krishna has shown me the naked form of material nature . . . all that is left of this family life is a list of names . . . Everyone is your relative on the spiritual plane.”

In his condolence letter on the disappearance of Bhakti Prajna Kesava Maharaja, he said that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was speaking through him by inspiring him to take sannyasa.At that time, Prabhupada told how his disciples he was fearful to take sannyasa, but one who serves Krishna never loses. He gave up a few children and ended up with three hundred children. At the end of “Vrindavana Bhajana,” Srila Prabhupada writes “Dayita Dasa says, always preach your life will be successful, loud chanting is your initiation, destroy the nonsense sound of the radio by loud kirtana, come out of your cage, chanting the Hare Krishna loudly, remembrance of Krishna will come spontaneously.”

Bhakti Vilasa Tirtha Maharaja was claiming to be the real Gaudiya Math because he was in possession of the documents of incorporation, and thus Srila Prabhupada wrote to him about takingsannyasa and being sponsored on a preaching mission to America, as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura desired. Bhakti Vilasa Tirtha Maharaja encouraged him to come live in the temple, do some menial service, and someday sannyasa would come. Again Srila Prabhupada wrote a more emphatic letter saying that now is the time to seriously preach the message of Caitanya Mahaprabhu throughout the world especially in English, as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura desired, and he asked for sannyasa, sponsorship, and help with printing books in English. Bhakta Vilasa Tirtha Swami replied as before, except adding, “We have so many books Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura ordered us to print, but you can help, and when we finish, perhaps we will print some in English.”

Srila Prabhupada spoke an entire lecture in English on his sannyasa initiation day, although only B. P. Kesava Maharaja, Krishna dasa Babaji Maharaja, and Narayana Maharaja knew the language.

Krishna dasa Babaji Maharaja was nonpolitical as all he did was Krishna kirtana. Krishna dasa Babaji was happily chanting Hare Krishna on the occasion of his godbrother’s taking sannyasa. One person told him to chant softer, but Srila Prabhupada motioned, “Chant louder.” Later Krishna dasa Babaji Maharaja told Srila Prabhupada’s disciples when he received encouragement from Prabhupada to chant louder, he understood that Srila Prabhupada would be successful in his mission.

We honor Srila Prabhupada for 50^th anniversary of sannyasa and pray we can all make this Krishna consciousness our life and soul as Srila Prabhupada desired us to do.

Prahladananda Swami:

The Kumaras give many good instructions on spiritual life. To remember them all is difficult, what to speak of applying them.

The root is the most important. By watering the root of the tree one waters the whole tree. By pleasing the Lord, everyone is pleased. One learns how to please the guru from the guru in disciplic succession. Sri Caitanya-caritamrita tells that Krishna is the Lord in the heart, and the siksa guru is representing Him. Prabhupada explains there are two kinds of siksa gurus. One who is receiving Krishna’s instructions at every moment to execute His mission and has transcended material influences. He gets mercy from the ocean of mercy and can supply as much mercy as is needed. Srila Prabhupada is such a person. The other siksa guru is not fully realized but can instruct a person up to his level of realization and can repeat the instructions of the perfect acarya. Bhagavad-gitaverse 7.3 does not sound very encouraging, as so few attain Krishna, but verse 4.10 says that in the past, many people became purified through the yoga Krishna describes. Lord Caitanya teaches we must come to the point of crying out to Krishna, “Please accept me.” Bhagavad-gita 12.9 states that if we cannot fix our mind on Krishna, by engaging in devotional service, we will develop a desire to attain Him. ISKCON is under the protection of Srila Prabhupada’s instructions. Prabhupada, seeing the people in the depths of materialism, prayed in helplessness to Krishna to give him inspiring words to help the people.

In this civilization people work hard to create things that they do not need and which cause them difficulty. People take shelter of wealth, but are in anxiety that at any amount their money may be devalued. People are so bewildered they cannot see the wisdom of taken shelter of Srila Prabhupada. It is our task to help people to see why it is advantageous to take shelter of Srila Prabhupada.

By hearing about Krishna, we engage in devotional service, we become detached from material things, and we become attached to Krishna. By hearing about Krishna, we become purified and our minds become peaceful and we can hear more clearly about Krishna, and thus understand the value of pure devotional service and thus strive for it.

To accept Krishna means we must be ready to accept than we are only 1/10000 of a hair tip in size. If we have a grand conception of ourselves, that will be difficult.

Because of frustration from Krishna’s absence, Radharani tried to stop thinking of Him, however, the more She tried to stop thinking of Krishna, the more She became ecstatic by remembering Him. Unfortunately, we do not have that problem. Therefore there is a process to bring us to that point.

The devotees are fortunate because they practice thinking of Krishna, and thus they either elevated to Krishna’s abode, or they attain another human body in which to practice.

Japa is a great opportunity because we have a chance to hear our own chanting and thus have a chant to improve it. By chanting nicely we will feel Krishna’s presence. We must chant attentively. So it is good to think that this is my last round, not that I will live longer than Lord Brahma.

Sit in a nice place with things that remind us of Krishna.

Chanting is not a fight against the mind. It is question of using the intelligence so the mind becomes attracted to the chanting. We should feel that Krishna is present, and He is so great, all we can do is to chant as lovingly as possible, and let Krishna will reveal Himself as He desires, and we should not maintain preconceptions as to how.

At nistha, as soon as one chants “Hare Krishna” he is liberated. If any material desires appear, he does not take them very seriously. He is a madhyama, and sees everyone as Krishna’s servant.

In the groves of Vrindavan, all the living beings are serving the Divine Couple in pure love. Krishna appreciates the love of the residents of Vrindavana and reciprocates by loving in return, and feeling His reciprocation, the love of the residents of Vrindavan increases. Lord Caitanya is in anxiety to enter that loving festival. Everything is revealed through the chanting of the holy name.

If we cannot see Krishna in this world, how are we going to see Him in the bushes of Vrindavan? To perform devotional service, we should understand how the material energy works, so we are not tricked by maya. Practical service to the sankirtana movement is our first lila (pastime). Then we can see how Lord Caitanya’s pastimes provide models for our devotional lives. Otherwise we will be unable to appreciate Krishna’s pastimes in the spiritual world.

Q: Are there any other processes we should do besides the chanting of the holy name?

A: No, the chanting is enough. It was good enough for Lord Caitanya. It is good enough for us. There are the five potent processes, but these are all in relationship to the holy name.

Devamrita Swami:

Kamsa, materialistic as he was, thought Akrura would be impressed with the new chariot he provided for the trip to Vrindavana to get Krishna, and that Krishna and Balarama, as simple cowherd boys, would be attracted by it and want to ride on it.

Later in the Tenth Canto Vasudeva thanked Narada for agitating the situation so Krishna appeared earlier.

On Ekadasi, Akrura stayed up all night in ecstasy in anticipation of his trip to Vrindavana the next day. He even forgot to break his Ekadasi fast.

That Dvadasi was action-packed in Vrindavan, with Krishna killing Kesi, the last formidable demoniac opponent sent by Krishna. Vyomasura, a minor player, was killed later in the day.

Sometimes we think that great souls like Akrura do not have impediments in devotional service, only we have impediments.

Some people say, “It is so difficult to practice Krishna consciousness in Ukraine. Perhaps you have some nice service we can perform in Australia. We are sincere devotees. You have to find a situation free from impediments for us, Maharaja.” Do you know what percentage of Ukrainian devotees actually survive spiritually when they come to Australia? Practically zero.

How many of you have loved someone so much that upon seeing his footprints you roll in the dust. Akrura, although a wealthy aristocrat, did just that, although pride in social position would tend to prevent such a person from doing that.

What if Kamsa found out Akrura rolled in the dust of Krishna’s footprints? Kamsa may become angry and kill Akrura as he has killed so many others. For some, fear would be an impediment, but not for Akrura.

The yajnic brahmanas could not follow their wives good example and go to Krishna and Balarama because they were afraid of Kamsa.

To see everything in relationship with Krishna is to see Krishna.

When Srila Prabhupada came into to my BBT office, I first looked at his feet for some time. Then gradually I raised my vision to his face. He was smiling and looking around the room, and he didn’t say anything, but uttered a very satisfied “Hmmmmmm.”

Serving Krishna in Ukraine is the express train back to Godhead. To imagine yourself as an enjoyer of the material world in Ukraine, you have to be a great fool. So actually you are in a very good place. Problems and worries are Krishna’s reminder that you cannot enjoy here. So many leaders are telling you that the Ukraine festival is the best. So actually you are very wealthy. Even Bhakti Vijnana Swami, who is in charge of Russia [where they also have a large festival], says that the Ukraine festival is the best.

Akrura meditates on Krishna’s lotus feet. By the effulgence from even one of Krishna’s toe nails, many people have been delivered. Krishna’s feet have been worshiped by all the great demigods. On those feet, Krishna walked through the forest, and herded the cows with the cowherd boys. They are smeared with kumkum from the gopis’ chests.

Akrura anticipated seeing Krishna’s face surrounded by curling hair, with beautiful nose and cheeks, and reddish lotus eyes.

Candramauli Swami:

The materialists see one’s body or one’s bodily extensions as the center. The devotees see Krishna in the center.

Only on the platform of pure devotional service is complete selflessness manifested. The story of Krishna having a headache illustrates this. Only the greatest devotees, the gopis, would offer the dust from their feet to cure Krishna’s headache. The others were fearful of some sinful reaction.

Pride causes us to commit offenses because it creates within us certain expectations of how we will be treated. The pastime involving Siva and Daksa shows the havoc a little pride can create in Vaishnava relationships.

Devotees are respectable because of all the human beings, so few render devotional service unto the Supreme Lord.

Service is the principle behind devotional relationships.

Satyaraja Khan once asked Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, “Who is a Vaishnava?” “Anyone who has even once chanted the Hare Krishna maha-mantra once,” was the Lord’s reply.

One who respects superiors and learns from them, makes friends with equals, and is compassionate to less qualified people, can live without material anxieties. (SB 4.8.34) If we act in this way, we will be happy in Krishna consciousness.

There are misunderstandings because of languages or cultural conditioning. We should be careful not to let external circumstances keep new relationships from developing or cause existing relationships to spoil.

A king who had everything, out of his whimsy, asked his ministers for something that would make him happy when he was unhappy and unhappy when he was happy. The most intelligent minister gave him a ring with four words inscribed in it that he was to read when afflicted by happiness or distress: “This soon will end.”

Expert devotees make progress both in difficult and easy situations. If we can see Krishna in all situations, then we transcend the ocean of birth and death. The association of Vaishnavas is Krishna’s special mercy. By their association we acquire the qualities we need to chant the holy name.

Learning is more important than teaching, because to teach we first have to learn. Krishna gave you two ears and one tongue, so hearing is twice as important as speaking.

Although it can be said you should chant for twenty-fours hours, at least sixteen rounds you should chant in a place where you can chant attentively.

Tolerance is the beginning. Forgiveness is the end result. The more we can forgive, the easier it is to chant Hare Krishna. So a devotee is humble, tolerant, and forgiving.

Lord Caitanya would hear Gadadhara Pandita narrate Srimad-Bhagavatam pastimes like those of Dhruva and Prahlada up to one hundred times in the same day!

Hearing must be with rapt attention to be fully effective.

Chanting and hearing the glories of the Lord is the satisfaction of the soul.

One guru was saying that what gives him the most pain is to hear of devotees decreasing their program of hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord.

When asked what pleases the spiritual master the most, Srila Prabhupada answered it is that his followers develop love for God.

Srila Prabhupada once said, “Chanting Hare Krishna and you will understand everything.”

Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised that one avoid the association of materialistic people because that hampers our devotional service. Hearing from insincere people reduces our sincerity.

Rupa Goswami teaches the six kinds of loving exchanges between devotees, as he personally learned them from Lord Caitanya.

Srila Prabhupada says that ISKCON was created to facilitate the six kinds of loving exchanges. Also these six exchanges are the cause of the expansion of this movement.

The success is in purity of the practitioner. We want everyone to be a moon. The quality of our relationships is an essential part of our purity. Our material assets are not so important. Purity is the force.

Everyone should have a more advanced devotee one can reveal one’s mind to and get answers to doubts.

Preaching is charity or giving the gift of the holy name.

Giving a gift is a way of appreciating a devotee.

When Rama, Sita, and Laksmana all returned to Ayodhya, Sita felt so grateful to Hanuman for his sacrifice of going to Lanka to reassure her of Rama’s coming, she decided to offer him a necklace that Rama had formerly given her. She took off the necklace, looked toward Rama for His permission, and He nodded, and she placed the necklace on Hanuman.

One godsister of mine, Mother Nidra, gives gifts regularly to devotees and really exemplifies this teaching of Rupa Goswami. The story of how she became married is an interesting one. [I will include it in a future issue of this journal.]

Feelings of appreciation are natural, because Krishna appreciates every one of us.

If you do not forgive, it hurts you and not the other person. You have to continue to carry the burden of the offense with you.

Material relationships: If your happiness benefits me, then it is worth pursuing.

Vaishnava association has no material goal, but the association itself is considered valuable.

Treat problems as soon as they arise by talking with others, or they could become worse.

Prasadam stealing at New Vrindavan was an epidemic because prasadam was austere and only at regulated times. The maha-prasadam was locked up. The resident sannyasi decided to punish the offense of prasadam stealing by making the punishment that the thief had to get married. In this way many of the brahmacaris were married to the brahmacarinis, thus solving the problem of all the finding husbands for the girls. They increased the security by putting nails sticking out around the inside of the small opening in the cabinet that remained when it was locked. Finally they got a refrigerator with a chain locked around it. Then some stole the whole refrigerator and used some dynamite to blow the lock off.

Who can you reveal your mind to? An important consideration is to find someone who does not have the same problem. What about someone who once had the problem but overcame it? That is alright, but their problem may come back. The best qualification is that the person is successful is solving other devotees’ similar problems.

Everyone should have someone in the movement to whom you can open your heart completely.

Srila Prabhupada would appear to one girl and speak to her, and she became proud of that and mentioned it to many people. Later she said that Srila Prabhupada stopped speaking to her as soon as she started talking about.

It is said when bhava (preliminary love of God) develops, one should not reveal it.

At an initiation ceremony of Niranjana Swami’s disciples, Candramauli Swami, was asked to speak:

Accepting initiation is the beginning of human life. By accepting a guru one can know and love Krishna. Krishna empowers the gurus to do His work of delivering the souls back to Godhead. The disciple must merely whole-heartedly execute the order of the guru. Srila Prabhupada credited his success to his eagerness to execute his guru’s order.

Prabhavishnu Swami:

One can attain the spiritual world only by the mercy of the Lord, but an important manifestation of the Lord’s mercy is His instructions.

Although the Lord appears in nonhuman forms, generally we see He interacts with the members of human and demigod society. On rare occasions the Lord delivers animals, like Sivananda Sena’s dog, who attained a spiritual form by the grace of Lord Caitanya and who returned to the spiritual world.

This age of Kali-yuga is so unfortunate that after transmigrating through so many species and attaining the human form, we use our intelligence for sense gratification, and thus go downward back to the lower species.

Instead, we should take advantage of the Lord’s instructions. Occasionally one is instructed by the Lord Himself, but generally one receives the Lord’s instructions through the line of spiritual teachers. The qualification of the guru is that he presents Krishna’s instructions are they are. It is not that we have a few gurus and they are sufficient, but rather, everyone should try to become guru, because only if people hear the Lord’s instructions can they attain the spiritual world.

It is nice to see you all here absorbed in performing sankirtana for that will give you strength to serve Lord Caitanya all year.

Gopiparanadhana Prabhu on ISKCON’s purposes:

The people in general, neophyte devotees, and probably most of us, need to be told to live a “simpler and more natural” way of life and thus Srila Prabhupada included that in the purposes of ISKCON.

Raghunatha das Goswami lived in Radha Kunda forty-seven years. Most Russian and Ukrainian devotees who try to live in Radha Kunda last two or three months on average.

Srila Prabhupada gave practical programs to engage the senses of his followers. Publication and distribution of books, and centers (which do recruitment and training) are some of these.

If you understand life is simply for preaching Lord Caitanya’s message, then varnasrama is not required.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura dressed his sannyasis, grhasthas, and brahmacaris, in different ways.

It is more natural that devotees recognize their varna and not try to do all services at once.

Do for Krishna what you do well, and do not worry about doing that which you do not do well.

When Krishna reveals Himself, there is nothing left to achieve.

Q: How do you understand the needs of the mind vs. the whimsical demands of the mind?

A: The mind makes it very difficult to understand what it needs and what is superfluous. Therefore we must take the help of someone who can objective analyze our situation and advise us. But we have to be honest with the spiritual master. If you do not tell the doctor your actual symptoms, he cannot help you.

Q: Why doesn’t Prabhupada mention prema in the seven purposes of ISKCON.

A: It is implicit. It is too imitate for a public document. Krishna consciousness is mentioned and you cannot be conscious of Krishna without loving Him. Coming closer to Krishna is mentioned and without love one cannot get near Krishna.

Once when Kamsa was frustrated that all the demons he sent to Vrindavan were killed by Krishna, he decided to go to Vrindavan Himself. He drove to the Vrindavan border, got off his chariot, and asked some old ladies where to find this boy Krishna. They said to wait, and that they would send someone to look for Him. While waiting, they suggested he help them make cow patties, which he did. After there was no news and several hours had elapsed he returned to Mathura. Without love for Krishna, you cannot come near to Him.

Srutakirti Prabhu:

Srila Prabhupada would always say, “Devotional service is voluntary.” One sannyasi told Srila Prabhupada, “I am a sannyasi. I want to preach in America and distribute your books, and make devotees.”

Srila Prabhupada replied, “But I need you in India.”

The conversation went back and forth, their voices becoming louder on both sides. It was so intense, that Srutakirti Prabhu, who had never spoken above a whisper to Prabhupada, was feeling increasingly uncomfortable. Finally Srila Prabhupada said, “Chant sixteen rounds, follow the four regulative principles, and do whatever you want.” He said that because devotional service is voluntary. He said the same thing on other occasions as well.

Q: Srila Prabhupada amazingly spread Krishna consciousness all over the world. Is there anything he felt he didn’t complete?

A: Yes. He said he only completed 50% because he did not implement varnasrama dharma. He left that for his disciples and granddisciples.

When my godbrothers complain they cannot preach because if they go to the temple no one will listen to them, I tell them to go to Ukraine and thousands of people will listen. Go to Eastern Europe.

Everyone is empowered by Srila Prabhupada in this society. Just use every opportunity you have to spread this movement. You do not have to wait. Srila Prabhupada said, “You can change the whole world.” It becomes our responsibility. And the more you give Krishna, the more you get Krishna.

I have come to this Ukraine festival because Niranjana Maharaja said he could not imagine a festival without Srila Prabhupada katha and he invited me to come. I feel very close to him. He is very faithful to Srila Prabhupada’s instructions. He knows how to treat devotees. Niranjana Swami had a dream of being in Srila Prabhupada’s room massaging Srila Prabhupada’s feet, and then he saw me [Srutakirti Prabhu], and felt very embarrassed because I was accustomed to do that service. So we each took one foot, and continued the massage, and the dream ended. Niranjana Swami said Srila Prabhupada’s feet felt very smooth and very cool. He spoke to me by phone soon after and was happy to have me confirm the qualities of Srila Prabhupada’s feet.

Lilasuka Prabhu:

Conditioned souls:

1. have forgotten Krishna

2. and so identify with body, false ego, and have a sense of “this is mine”

3. thus they became attached to the happiness of the body, and their minds became uncontrolled

4. and finally they endeavor for temporary things

Fortunate souls:

1. never engage their senses in sense gratification, only for Krishna

2. are free from attachment, fear, and anger

3. are free from dualities based on the body

4. always engage in hearing the topics of Krishna

Items favorable to devotional service:

These I gathered from many readings of Bhagavatarka-marici-mala by Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

We cannot control material nature. Material nature is much more powerful than we are. However, simply by fixing our mind on Krishna, we can transcend the influence of material nature.

1. Associate with devotees.

When I first came to the temple, I noticed two things. The devotees had time to listen to me, and they served me. When someone serves, you can understand they love you. Sarva-bhuta-bhutatma.(Bg. 5.7) Even the neophyte devotee is a friend to all.

2. Become absorbed in Krishna’s pastimes and activities.

“Because My devotees are without material desires [they think only of Me], I am residing in their hearts,” the Lord to Durvasa Muni (Ninth Canto).

Once while Srutikirti was massaging Srila Prabhupada, Srutakirti said, “I do not see any love for you in my heart.” Srila Prabhupada was silent. Several hours later, however, he said, “How can you say that you do not love me. You are serving me so nicely.” From this we can conclude that if we see someone nicely serving Krishna, there must be some love there.

3. Pray for the association of devotees.

Once time I was on vacation in southern Germany with my family, and for two weeks and I did not see one devotee. I prayed to Krishna that I might see a devotee. I went on a japa walk and just as I finished my 16^th round, I saw a devotee standing before me. We should pray for the association of devotees.

4. Never find faults, but glorify devotees.

We should never criticize devotees. Instead glorify their good qualities. Make a vow each morning to glorify at least three devotees that day, and see how it transforms your devotional service. If you glorify good qualities in others, you develop them, and when you meditate on faults in others, you will develop them in yourself. That is how it works. A manager may have to correct someone, but he should do it as a service to benefit the person, and not focus on the fault. The spiritual qualities are the reality. When one acquires a spiritual quality, it remains eternally.

A spiritual master does not think of himself as a guru, but a servant of his disciples.

What is important in the heart of the devotee is the determination to become a pure devotee of Krishna. If one is in the shower, one should not criticize him for being dirty, for he is being cleansed.

5. Discuss topics about Krishna.

Our desires are the subtle cause for our conditioned state or our liberation. If we desire sense enjoyment, we contact the material energy, but if we desire to serve Krishna alone, we are imperceptibly liberated. In time our complete liberation becomes manifest. In one lecture given in New Mayapur, Srila Prabhupada says, “I guarantee if you chant 16 rounds daily and follow the four regulative principles, you will go back to Godhead.” This is because of the purifying power of devotional service.

6. Follow the great souls.

One who is spiritually advanced understands his desires are mental concoctions and does not act on them. Hankering and lamentation absorb us in material consciousness. By absorbing oneself in hearing about Krishna one forgets these material conditions.

7. Be satisfied with whatever one achieves.

One should be satisfied with one’s condition because he is put into his condition by the supreme will. If we are put into happiness, we are diminishing our past pious reactions, and if we are put into suffering, we are diminishing our past impious reactions. As we attain unhappiness without endeavoring, we will also attain happiness without endeavoring.

8. Remember life is temporary.

We should always remember life is temporary, and all our achievements are like decorations on a dead body.

When you die, what do you take with you? Your sinful reactions. Thus we should live without sin and be Krishna conscious.

9. Forgive.

We should forgive. If we do not forgive, we keep an aversion to the person in the heart. If someone offends us, it is because we offended in a previous life, and they are delivering the reaction.

10. Do not waste time.

Prahlada recommends that one begin devotional service at five years old. We have limited time and cannot buy back a moment. But in this one life we can attain perfection.

The animal has no choice but to identify himself with his body, he does so automatically, but in the human form of life, we have the intelligence to transcend bodily identification.

Why are we covered by designations? It is our fault. Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita 13.21, by the association of the soul with the material nature he enjoys the happiness and distress of this world. Krishna advises to regulate the senses (Bg. 3.43). By engaging all the senses in the devotional service of the Lord this is accomplished.

We are 1/10000 tip of a hair in size, as spiritual souls, and thus we cannot control the material nature, but by engaging all the senses, beginning with the mind, in Lord Krishna’s service, one can transcend the material nature.

If Krishna is in our mind, then there is no room for material desires, but if we do not engage in Krishna’s service, even for one moment, maya will come in.

Complete renunciation begins with understanding how everything in this world is connected with Krishna and how Krishna is actually doing everything. When we understand that everything belongs to Krishna, we will use everything in Krishna’s service.

Spirit is the only dominant factor in this world. Material nature cannot transform itself. A beautiful flower comes into being because of the soul in the body of the plant.

During this festival we all had the opportunity to engage in devotional service from morning to evening and this was a great fortune. When we leave we should try to keep ourselves fully engaged in this way.

Mother Devaki:

Q: What if we serve someone who cannot uplift us?

A: Then we should make sure that we have an uplifting influence on them. If we cannot uplift one another, then what is the point of the relationship? As listeners, you have an uplifting influence on me. The more qualified the audience, the more inspiring it is to speak.

Srila Prabhupada did not need so many years to prepare himself, but he set an example for us who do require to prepare ourselves for many years to be fully absorbed in the guru’s mission.

Srila Prabhupada makes the point that it does not matter what position one is in. As long as one is not duplicitous, he can gradually advance to the platform of pure devotion.

Gour Govinda Maharaja makes the point that simplicity is Vaishnavism. Don’t be calculating materially within like a politician while dressed as a Vaishnava. Then you are a Kali-cela and cannot become a follower of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Simplicity has both an internal and an external feature—simplicity in mind and simplicity in action.

One who dresses as a Vaishnava to earn money, fame or followers, is a disciple of Kali and not Vaishnava at all.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura advises one to “give up with special care” those who accept the external signs of religion but are sense enjoyers within. “Such hyprocrisy ruins everything. Better to associate with a sense enjoyer than such a hypocritical so-called religionist.” Such people are hard to rectify because they are pretending, both to the world and to themselves.

One might ask what is the difference between a Kali-cela and a sincere person who is not yet on the level he aspires to be? Someone might say that we are all Kali-celas because we are dressed like Vaishnavas and still desire sense enjoyment within. The answer is that the sincere person also has a real desire to attain pure devotion in the heart.

One might argue why should I offer obeisances if I do not really feel humble. Better I don’t. But in reality if we bow down and have a strong desire to be really humble within, we will progress toward real humility. Therefore we have to be cultivating the proper desire within as well as executing the proper behavior.

One might be very expert in preaching, teaching, and leading kirtana, but he may do it for name, fame, or profit.

Gaura Govinda Swami says, “The moment the thought ‘I am a Vaishnava’ enters the mind is the most dangerous moment. Then you cannot be ‘amani,’ without a desire for respect. If that thought remains in your heart, it will take you to hell.”

Without humility and tolerance, our Hari bhajana will be simply cheating.

Thinking “I am a senior devotee” or “I am a brahmana” will also keep us from offering respect to others.

Krishna consciousness is an internal process. We must be attentive to our motives. If something makes us angry, investigate our motive. There may be some material attachment causing this.

Becoming a pure servant is the solution for all the problems in the material world.

The real Vaishnava mood is not to proudly think “he is so fallen” I should not associate with this person, but rather humbly feel “I am so fallen, I cannot uplift this person.”

The process is one must deeply lament and repent to Krishna to eliminate these bad qualities. Krishna is the killer of all kinds of demons, and so we have to sincerely beg that He enters our hearts. He will do the job, if we sincerely ask. And therefore, we can see again, that it all comes down to cultivating a sincere desire for devotional service to Krishna.

The first step is that we recognize our little Kali-cela in the heart, and that should lead to us crying out to Krishna. O Lord, “I have so many bad qualities. Please help me.”

If we are simply meditating on our bad qualities, without connection to Krishna, it becomes a kind of mundane depressiveness. That will not help us. Spiritual means we have to connect it to Krishna. Our hopelessness must result in our taking shelter of Krishna. When we chant in the mood, “I need your mercy. Please pull out these weeds in my heart.” we can chant as Lord Caitanya recommends.

-----

‘sadhu-sanga’, ‘sadhu-sanga’ sarva-sastre

kaya lava-matra sadhu-sange sarva-siddhi haya

“The verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment’s association with a pure devotee, one can attain all success.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 22.54)

Travel Journal#5.17: World Holy Name Week

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 5, No. 17
By Krishna-kripa das 
(September 2009, part one)
World Holy Name Week
Budapest, Brno, Slovakia, and Ukraine

(Sent from Zaozernoe, Ukraine on September 17, 2009)

Where I Am and What I Am Doing

After Radhastami in New Vraja, I traveled to Budapest, Hungary, Modra, Bratislava, and Kosice, Slovakia, and Brno, Czech, and on to the Ukraine festival on the Black Sea at Crimea, after a day in Kiev. It was World Holy Name Week, and I was blessed to go out on harinama almost every day, and on the other days, we did extra chanting in a temple. I raised my japa quota to nineteen rounds also to celebrate World Holy Name Week.

World Holy Name Week

I appreciate the idea of ISKCON leaders to spend a week focusing on the dharma of the age, the chanting of the holy name. This was so much stressed by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu who had a daily program of harinama sankirtana in the Navadvipa area. Also in early ISKCON history, devotees chanted in public many hours each day. Because of this they were very happy. Many people were attracted, simply by seeing their happy faces. The constant congregrational chanting also kept the devotees in a very purified consciousness.

I am not a big organizer myself, but I did try to increase harinama in the places I went that week, assisted by Dhruva Prabhu, from Los Angeles, who decided to be my traveling partner for two months. I also decided to chant nineteen rounds instead of eighteen each day.

Originally I planned to chant in Vienna with some friends for a few days and then a few days in Brno to promote their Ratha-yatra. The people I planned to chant with in Vienna changed their minds and the permissions for the Brno Ratha-yatra were not granted, so I had to make another plan.

In Budapest, devotees do a weekly Friday harinama. I asked if I could do some extra ones as World Holy Name Week was beginning, and they ended up facilitating my desire by adding Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday harinamas for two hours in downtown, and chanting for twelve hours in the temple on Sunday.

On the first extra harinama twenty-seven devotees participated. The leader Gunagrahi Prabhu plays the harmonium and sings nicely, and a group of six ladies danced in front. There was a djembe player in addition to the mrdanga and karatalas.

Eighteen devotees came out on Thursday.

A much larger group came on Friday, their regular day. I enjoyed participating with them very much Wednesday through Friday, and they wanted me to come back again.

On Saturday, we went to Modra, Slovakia, to do a nama-hatta program. While enroute, we had some extra time at a train station in Hungary called Hegyshalom, not far from the Slovakian border, and I chanted there with my accordion while waiting for the train for fifteen minutes. Although Paramesvara and Gopali Prabhu's house programs are a month apart, Saturday's program was just two weeks after the previous one. The hosts wondered how many people would come and were pleased that twenty did. Last year when I visited only about six people came. It is a pot luck event and there was quite a variety of prasadam, including five desserts. In addition to the usual kirtana part of the program, there was kirtana for a congregational member Zuzana, who had left her body that week. After the lecture, the devotees were so enthusiastic there was even more kirtana, and after that, someone decided we should sing the evening arati song! I was happy to see the chanting of the holy name going on there nicely due do the natural enthusiasm of the devotees. Paramesvara Prabhu told me that one guest said, "Last month's program was the best in three years, but this month's was even better. I am wondering what you will have for us next month!"

Next I went to the Sunday afternoon program in Bratislava. There I was pleased to see they heard and chanted about Krishna for three hours straight, alternating between kirtana and readingKrishna book. Just a few devotees live in the temple, usually too few to do an evening kirtana. But on the days we were present, Sunday and Tuesday, we were able to get people to do an additional kirtana in the evening. On Sunday, we sang for a whole hour, letting others take turns leading. In Kosice, there also was not a regular evening program, but we were able to inspire enthusiasm for an evening kirtana there on Wednesday.

Monday took a day trip to Brno, Czech Republic, about two hours from Bratislava. Only two people now reside in that temple, Kuba and his wife, Kristina, but they are a good kirtana couple, he, with nice mrdanga talent and knowledge of a few tunes on the harmonium and she, with kalatala ability and a sweet voice. We chanted almost two and a half hours in the late afternoon in a park there. Many people stopped to listen, many took invitations, and many kids watched us with curiosity, often looking backwards to continue seeing us while they passed along with their parents. One lady, perhaps in her sixties, along with another, perhaps in her thirties, looked at us with broad smiles, almost transfixed. They stayed for five or ten minutes and began singing the mantra along with us. As they left they continued smiling, and accepted invitations with great gratitude. It is so nice to meet people with such a natural attraction. I encouraged Kuba and Kristina to chant in the park whenever they get a chance, and I hope they do. I felt so happy to have come there to do harinama in another city this year, and to support some nice devotee friends who are struggling to maintain a presence there in Brno, the second largest city in Czech.

Raghunatha Priya, the temple president in Bratislava, rescheduled their Wednesday harinama for Tuesday so we would be there for it, as we had to leave early Wednesday for the Ukraine festival. In Slovakia, public opinion of the devotees is improving due to great media coverage. There was a favorable report on the devotees" Janmastami harinama in Kosice on the evening news, which included a very positive comment by a Christian leader, who spoke of the devotees as representing a genuine religion. Later T-Mobile made a television advertisement with the devotees doingharinama in the background. On our harinama in Bratislava, I could sense a better reception than last year, when I noticed people were much less favorable than in the neighboring Czech. This year I did not see a real difference. Many people took invitations and were very happy to see our chanting party. They had no harinama accordion or harmonium player, so I played a couple catchy tunes on my small accordion, and people seemed to like them. I try to avoid singing more than half the time, as there are better singers, I cannot claim a monopoly on devotion, and it is good to give others a chance, so they may be inspired too.

Devotees from New Ekachakra farm in eastern Slovakia gather from time to time, but not always every week, at Govinda's restaurant in Kosice and do harinama around the town. I was fortunate that on Wednesday we passed through Kosice on the way to Ukraine, they were planning to do harinama. I got to play the accordion again as their singers who play harmonium were both absent. I found people in the city very receptive, and many smiled and took invitations. Where we do harinama in Kosice is less passionate than the Bratislava venue and more beautiful with parks and trees, and the whole atmosphere was very pleasant. Many cafes had outside seating and thus many people got to hear our harinama. The Slovakian devotees talk about doing Ratha-yatra there some year. I think it is a great idea. They already have padayatra the week before Janmastami in the towns near New Ekachakra, and I am considering attending some year.

Thursday I got to briefly chant Hare Krishna and play the accordion at 1 a.m. in Chop, Ukraine, when the Ukrainian customs officer saw my minature accordion and asked me to play something. It was definite a case of ajnata-sukriti (unknowing devotional service) on her part. I also chanted for ten minutes at Hmelnickii, in mid-Ukraine, when our train stopped for a break.

On Friday, Dhruva who is from an Indian background, tried to arrange to give a lecture or informal talk with students of Indian culture at Kiev University. While he was doing that I chanted with my small accordion at a busy intersection across from the university while lots of pedestrians. I set out my chadar and placed a Russian book and some invitation to the two Kiev temple weekend programs on it. One person gave a donation of one grivna, a very small sum ($0.12).

Thus ends the description of my small offering of increased chanting of japa, increased sankirtana in the temple, and increased sankirtana in public. I hope the devotees, acaryas, beginning with Srila Prabhupada, and Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda, Lord Krishna, and His beloved consort, Radha, are all pleased.

Insights from Lectures

Srila Prabhupada disciple, Patita Pavana Prabhu, and his wife, Abhaya:

The Precetas are grandsons of the famed King Prthu.

From the astrological point of view, the western direction is associated with enjoyment and ultimate destruction or abandoning what one has acquired.

Srila Prabhupada understood that Krishna consciousness must be spread in the West to completely hammer down the spirit of enjoyment on the planet.

Every devotee should make sure his wife is a preacher. Srila Prabhupada appreciated the contributions of the ladies. Once, appreciating the instructive artwork of his disciple Jadurani, he brought to her Montreal to speak.

Srila Prabhupada was very cordial, but then in the spirit of a sadhu, he would speak the truth about the soul and the body. To become a sadhu, one must simply accept the words of your spiritual father on your head. That was the key to Srila Prabhupada’s success. He followed his guru’s instructions to go to the West and preach. He performed many austerities to preach in the West, suffering two heart attacks on the boat, and one later on.

When you bring people to the temple, you are bringing people back to Godhead. As people visit the temple, the elements of their body are spiritualized.

Q: Many devotees have come and gone, but you have served Srila Prabhupada for so many years. What is your secret so we can benefit by it?

A: We can hope and pray that Srila Prabhupada will notice us. We have many godbrothers who have pleased Srila Prabhupada. For example, Indradyumna Swami, whose shoulder is permanently damaged from carrying a book bag on sankirtana for ten years. When he began he felt he could dedicate his whole life to preaching and he has. Although sixty years old, he is out leading thesankirtana party.

We must become Prabhu, then Prabhupada’s name, which means “he who at whose feet many Prabhus sit” will be true.

When I got brahmana initiation in 1969, Srila Prabhupada told us, “I expect all of you to become spiritual masters.” There is no question of rtvik. We must follow the tradition of spiritual masters.

Dhruva Prabhu:

We are meant to be aloof from the material world just like lotus floats on the water.

Arjuna was very intelligent and could understand the purport of Krishna words without Krishna having to comment at length on them. Others study the Gita their whole lives and do not understand it.

Gandhi tried to use Bhagavad-gita for political independence, but knowing the Gita in truth one can achieve greater independence, independence from the three modes of material nature.

We all love something, our car, our dog, our house, ourselves. We know how to love. We just have to turn that love to Krishna.

In India when people go to a temple, they receive a morsel of prasadam, but then people go home and eat all kinds of bhoga. That is like taking a shower with a drop of water and then rolling in the mud. How can one become cleansed in that way? Srila Prabhupada taught that one should only eat prasadam. By eating only prasadam and chanting Hare Krishna one can get purified very quickly. 

Arjuna was worried about sinful reaction and thus had so many doubts about fighting. Therefore, Krishna concluded his instructions by promising Arjuna that He will take all sinful reactions for one who surrenders to Him.

Prabhupada was a chemist expert in mixing medicine. Similarly he mixed the different items of devotional service in a formula, his morning and evening programs, to cure our material disease. 

If you do not study Srila Prabhupada’s books, you gravitate toward a position of blind faith, which is a weaker position than faith based on intelligence.

Doubts are like blocks in our devotional service. By inquirying, we become free from these blocks.

Many temples have only a morning program but no evening program. That is like hopping on one leg.

Practice makes perfect, if we have a perfect practice.

Jitendra Dasa:

People may be attracted to Krishna consciousness because they are interested in peace and the devotees are peaceful. Those who have tried for happiness in the material world and failed may be attracted to the peaceful devotees. We can tell people this to motivate them toward an interest in Krishna consciousness.

One who does not follow the guru is like a dead branch on the tree.

Most problems in spiritual life have to do with inattentive chanting.

One devotee wrote to Srila Prabhupada that the brahma-bhuta platform is devoid of anxiety but I still feel anxiety. Srila Prabhupada replied saying that he was also in anxiety about how to spread Krishna consciousness.

-----

harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty evna
nasty eva gatir anyatha

In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 17.22)

Travel Journal#5.16: Czech Woodstock

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 5, No. 16
By Krishna-kripa das
(August 2009, part two, section one)
Polish Tour, Czech Woodstock, Hungary
(Sent from Marianka, Slovakia, on September 8, 2009)

Highlights

Enroute to Wroclaw
Enroute to Trutnov
Czech Woodstock
Personal Interactions
Insights from Indradyumna Swami,
Kratu Prabhu, Mother Sitala, and Others

Where I Am and What I Am Doing

I did harinama on the Laksmi-Nrsimha festival tour in Poland through August 18, when we left to attend the Czech Woodstock, where I got to do a lecture and encourage people in Krishna kirtana, and Dhruva did a lecture and a lot of face painting, including tilaka. Ratha-yatra was a new feature of the Czech Woodstock this year, making it much more festive. Then on to the Zagreb and New Vraja Radhastami festival I described separately and then a few days in Budapest, where they have beautiful Deities of Doyal Nitai Vijaya Gauranga, a solid book distribution program, some lively kirtana musicians and the best internet connection I have encountered in ISKCON. Although they have just a weekly Friday harinama, they did several extra ones in honor of world holy name week.

Enroute to Wroclaw

The bus we hoped to take from our base to the local city, Kolobrzeg, apparently does not run in the summer. We started hitchhiking but had only half an hour to get a ride. Dhruva Prabhu suggested I ask a guy who was filling up his gas tank at the station across the street. I explained to the man that we were going to Kolobrzeg, but there was no bus. The man said in a helpful mood that we could come with him. In the car, he told us how the devotees brought Krishna food to his house one time and he liked it so much. I told him of our festivals in the nearby towns of Ustronie Morksie and Kolobrzeg the next five days, and gave him a couple alu-patras which he was grateful to receive as well as mantra cards, festival invitations, and a number to contact for more information. Just as the last time I hitchhiked, once again I met a person who knew and liked the devotees, and we benefited by our mutual interaction.

Enroute to Trutnov

Enroute from Wroclaw to Trutnov, the site of the Trutnov Open Air music festival, popularly known as the Czech Woodstock, upon reaching Hradec Kralove by train, things got wild. The platform was filled with kids on the way to the Czech Woodstock.

There was standing room only on the train. I showed some high school kids videos of Village of Peace playing at the Polish Woodstock and all the young people dancing. I told them we had a Krishna Camp there at Trutnov, showing them where it is mentioned on the promotional flyer. Some train officials removed a wall, revealing a large empty space we could spread out in. I played my accordion and chanted Hare Krishna. Some of the kids sang along. The most favorable was a girl who told me later she came to our Krishna Camp last year for two hours and really loved it. You could see how it had made an impression on her. The kids wished I could play other songs, and it occurred to me perhaps I could learn George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord," because it has devotional sentiments. One kid seriously asked me what we believed, and I explained about how the soul is the active principle of life in the humans, animals, and even plants. The consciousness is more or less covered, depending on the body. The chant helps to uncover the consciousness. When some of the people said that they were atheists, I told them that people become atheists because religion is not explained in the right way. That many religions cannot inspire people with an interest in God is their defect. Some listened. It was a nice experience, but it was challenging for me to be interesting enough to keep the kids attention and to try to inspire them. When one boy expressed difficulty conversing with me, I joked that I observed there is an inverse proportion between beer consumption and ability of Czech people to understand English. The favorable girl agreed it was true. Dhruva Prabhu taught her Srila Prabhupada's explanation of spiritual mathematics, and she appreciated. I was thinking if I was a great musician or someone with some natural charisma, I could have better engaged the people. For now, maybe I will learn "My Sweet Lord" when I get a chance.

Czech Woodstock

The Czech Woodstock lasts four days and 20,000 or 30,000 attend, paying 30 euros to see the many bands playing on their main stage. On the site, we have a Krishna Camp, organized by Punya Palaka Prabhu of Prague, and on our stage, we have traditional Hare Krishna bhajana, contemporary devotional music, music of people who are friends of the devotees, and bharat-natyam dancing. Some of the people who come by really get into singing and dancing with us as you can see from this brief movie.

[If the above video is too fuzzy, try this version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THNHunZswZk]

Our Hare Krishna chanting always went late into the night, as long as there were listeners. Friday night I left at 2:00 a.m. but was told that the others continued to 3:00 a.m. They said they tried to stop five times but the people wanted to hear more. Saturday night I left just before 5:00 a.m. as the sky was beginning till lighten. Then ten people were dancing and another fifteen listening. Some of the devotees continued playing to a gradually waning crowd till 9:00 a.m. when two listeners were left. Both the enthusiasm of the devotees to chant and that of the Czech young people, most of whom are atheistic, to hear, was impressive to me. Toward the end, between kirtanas, I told the people we have programs in different parts of Czech with Krishna music and food, and if they give their emails, we could give them details. One girl who knew English gave her email, and I engaged her in personally telling the others individually what I had said, but in the Czech language, so they could understand. Thus I got seven emails to give to the Czech devotees who like to cultivate relationships with the new people.

The last night, as the devotees were packing up, I stayed up chanting with the few remaining people, first playing the drum and then the harmonium. One boy stayed until the devotees finished packing about 4:20 a.m. That boy had some natural rhythm and did his best to play along on the mrdanga, and he was sad to see me go. I got his email to send more information.

It is inspiring to witness increases in our programs of Krishna consciousness in the places I visit. In 2007, the Czech devotees introduced Ratha-yatra to Brno, in 2008 to Prague, and this year, Lord Jagannatha appeared on His chariot in Trutnov.

Jagannatha's smiling face is not new to Trutnov. Martin, the organizer of the entire festival, is a friend of the devotees and has a fascination for Jagannatha. Thus Jagannatha's face appears on all the promotional material for the festival, the wristbands of the attendees and even the plastic beer cups.

This year, many of the attendees were fortunate to see Jagannatha in His grand position, decorated on a cart, pulled by His devotees, and blessing everyone with His glance.

In this uncommon picture, you can see on the right Lord Jagannatha's face decorating the Trutnov Open Air main stage, and Lord Jagannatha personally appearing on His cart, on the left.

Tomas and Jakub, a couple of young devotees from Slovakia, travel around Europe selling Srila Prabhupada's books. Trutnov was unexpectedly good for them and they almost depleted their entire supply of books in one day. Then they got more books sent from Prague and continued with similar success.

Personal Interactions

I remembered several people from last year's Czech Woodstock and they remembered me. Some remembered my dancing and one boy from Ukraine remembered that I drank water in the way Prabhupada taught by his example. I remembered some who chanted and danced and some I conversed with. We were glad to see each other. As before, some spent hours in our tent.

Prasadam is a key element in the devotees' outreach at Trutnov. The devotees are experienced at it, with their three restaurants in Prague, two Govinda's and a Balarama's, now joined by a fourth, Gopal's, just this summer. The best dessert the devotees had at their three prasadam venues was made with yogurt, rice, and strawberries, and I had some every day.

They also had these "spitz" which were made of several pieces of cut vegetable placed on a wooden skewer, which was then dipped in a batter and fried like a pakora, another tasty treat. One day I talked to two people who said we had the best food at the event, and Jakub, one of the book distributors, was told the same thing.

A couple girls chanted the "Govinda Jaya Jaya" song with charming delight, following Prabhupada disciple Jaya Gurudeva, who plays guitar and sings in a reggae style to attract the participation of the youth. They were two of four high school friends who are from Trutnov and came by to take part in our program two or three times a day. Although aged sixteen, because two of them spent a year in America, their English was excellent. I got one of their emails and will send them the video clip and the contact of a local devotee who has programs in their area.

One girl, using her phone as a camera, stood as close as possible to our stage to take a picture of something. Wondering what fascinated her so, I looked into the camera's viewer and saw she was trying to focus on the Hare Krishna mantra. To make her life easier I gave her a mantra card. Receiving the mantra card, she was so happy, she wanted to embrace me. Such an expression of happiness to obtain the mantra!

Insights from Lectures

Indradyumna Swami festival lecture:

[Each night on the tour, Indradyumna Swami tells about India's spiritual philosophy and his talks are full of meaning and good examples. Below is a summary of one.]

We do not want think of death, especially when we are on vacation. But we do not want to be like the ostrich. Better to face the truth in knowledge.

If I ask to write down where you are going in detail at death, most of you would not know what to write. But we do want to know where we are going. No one plans to go on vacation without knowing where there are going. After packing your car for your vacation journey, if you asked your husband where you were going and he said he didn't know, you would worry. If you ask your teenage girl where she is going on Saturday, if she says she doesn't know, you won't let her out the door. We always want to know where we are going. That is why death is an uncomfortable subject for us, because we do not know where we are going.

If you do not pass the exam, you cannot go on to the next grade but have to redo the same grade again. Similarly, if you are not self-realized, you have to be reborn again. According to your desires, you take birth in the womb of a certain mother.

Just as we have cars, simple or fancy, to get around in this world, at death we get another body to move around this world.

We say in America, "I have been there and done that." In the course of time, in different incarnations, we have been everywhere and done everything.

Reincarnation is just another feature of this world like sunrise and sunset. Thus we should try to understand ourselves beyond these changing bodies.

Don't think for a minute that any amount of material opulence will satisfy the soul. Just as a fish cannot be satisfied with any objects of enjoyment until he is returned to the water, we, who are spiritual beings, cannot be satisfied until we attain the spiritual world.

Love of God is natural. Love is natural. Just like love for your wife. You do not have to go to school to learn to love. Similarly, love of God is natural.

There is one God. He has no competitor. He is present in His name. If you want His association, sing His name. Water is different than the substance water, so by saying "water" your thirst is not quenched. But God is nondifferent than His name, so by chanting you are getting His association and become spiritually satisfied.

You never see a picture of God as an old man in India. He is eternally youthful. There is so much detailed spiritual knowledge there.

I went over my time limit because I saw some of you where listening very attentively. Sometimes I do that because I know some of you, in addition to having important positions in society, are very interested in spiritual knowledge.

Kratu Prabhu:

[Srila Prabhupada's purport to Sri Caitanya-caritamrita Madhya-lila 3.182 is a very nice description of Lord Caitanya's teachings.]

One verse that describes that Krishna's dharma or intrinsic nature is that He is enjoyer of all rasas (rasa-sekara) and is very compassionate to all living entities. Thus He devises many ways to reclaim the souls and deliver them back to Godhead, so He can enjoy pastimes with them.

Lord Caitanya tried to be a spotless sannyasi, explaining that even a little back spot on a white cloth is immediately visible.

Lord Caitanya situated Himself at Jagannatha Puri to simultaneously be near His home and also to spread the congregational chanting of the holy name. Sometimes devotees have an idea to perform their chanting in a secluded place, but the yuga-dharma is sankirtana, the congregational chanting of the holy name. Lord Caitanya recommended Krishna nama (name), Krishna katha (activities), and Krishna aradhanam (worship).

Many lives we can chant, but if we are inattentive and do not chant with our heart, we will not attain love of God. Srila Prabhupada said that we should be "serious and sincere." No laziness or craziness.

As Krishna is topmost of gods, Siva is topmost of Vaishnavas, and the Ganges is topmost of rivers, so Srimad-Bhagavatam, the spotless Purana, is topmost of the Vedic literatures. The glory of Srimad-Bhagavatam is that it describes Krishna Himself and His activities. It should be daily recited to awaken our love for God. (SB 1.2.18)

Sukadeva Goswami did not mention Radharani by name in the Srimad-Bhagavatam because Radharani told him not to and because he would experience too much ecstasy to continue reciting it.

Srila Prabhupada describes in The Nectar of Devotion that Deity worship can make you a raganuga-bhakta. In sadhana-bhakti the external senses is important, and in raganuga-bhakti the internal meditation of the heart is important. Both the tongue (rasana) and the mind (manasi) should be engaged as mentioned in Nectar of Instruction, verse 8.

Congregrational preaching programs were originally established by Nityananda Prabhu, and then reestablished by Bhaktivinoda Thakura, and now Jayapataka Swami and Radhanatha Swami.

Sivarama Swami is writing a book about New Vraja dhama. This is very good, because then it is much more likely to continue.

Q: I do not see myself developing so much the mentality of raganuga-bhakta in my Deities' seva.
A: Be patient. Talk to the Deities, they will become your friends.

Q: Here Prabhupada says one need only be "interested" to install Deities.
A: My understanding is that refers to Gaura-Nitai Deities. Srila Prabhupada wanted them widely distributed. For Radha-Krishna worship, one must be fixed in devotion.

Mother Sitala:

In the SB 4.2.31 purport, Srila Prabhupada mentions that the proof of the authority of the Vedas is that those people who do not follow them become degraded.

Just as one cannot swim across the ocean, one cannot swim across the ocean of material existence but must take the boat of dharma, the Vedic direction.

Lord Caitanya's special mercy is like the extra lane in which you can drive extra fast. Srila Prabhupada has given us the opportunity to get into that fast lane. All the austerity Srila Prabhupada went through in publishing his books was to give us this gift.

Gargamuni Prabhu in the early days at 26 2^nd Avenue asked Srila Prabhupada if there was anything else to do to advance spiritually. Srila Prabhupada answered very gravely, "You can help me with my mission." Gargamuni wondered all day what was Prabhupada's mission. He concluded that it involved printing his books, and when he saw a Dictaphone, he decided to buy it and give it to Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada was so happy because he appreciated how the Dictaphone could help him in his book production.

When the first Krishna book came off the press, Srila Prabhupada wanted to give it to George Harrision, because he kindly gave a donation. George spent an hour in Srila Prabhupada's presence looking at the Krishna book page by page.

When our temple got the first shipment of the Krishna book, Bhagavan told us that Srila Prabhupada wanted us to distribute them on the street. I thought it was a crazy idea, who would book buy one of those big gray books on the street? On harinama we would chant half an hour, and then Bhagavan would nod at different people and then they would begin to distribute. I decided to keep my eyes closed so I would not have to do it, but you can only keep your eyes closed for so long, and when I opened them, Bhagavan was looking right at me. I knew there was no way out of it. I took a book and place in front of the next person who walked by. I didn't even say anything at first. The person opened it to the foreword by George Harrison, and decided to buy it, asking the price. I was shocked. I think Krishna was using me to inspire the devotees because if I, with all my reluctance, could sell a book, then anyone could sell a book.

Govinda Prabhu, disciple of Hridayananda Dasa Goswami, from Bhaktivedanta Manor:

One in ignorance will automatically be attracted to the scriptures in that mode. Materialistic people following the materialistic parts of the Vedas will in gradually become purified because sacrifice to Vishnu is part of any sacrifice and because by associating with those in the Vedic tradition eventually one will meet the pure devotees and attain the seed of bhakti.

Cursing and countercursing cause one to lose piety, thus the wise do not engage in them. The Siva-Daksa pastime exposes the cheating religion of both the materialistic bhahmanas and the degraded followers of Lord Siva.

Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami says Krishna, Krishna bhakti, and prema are the three topics of the Vedas. These translate into sambandha, abhideya, and prayojana. Six types of hellish vision include seeing the Deity as stone, the guru as ordinary man, the scriptures as ordinary books, considering the water washed the feet of Vaisnava as ordinary water, etc.

Hungarian devotee:

As Gopisvara, we pray to Lord Siva to become residents of Vrindavana dhama.

Atheism existed before Darwin, but Darwin developed a scientific justification for it. Previously Lord Siva as Sankaracarya gave a metaphysical justification for it.

From the example of Lord Siva as Sankaracarya teaching atheism as a service to Krishna, we can understand that we may be given a service that is not very relishable, but we can benefit by doing it, and so we should it enthusiastically.

Chota Haridasa was given a very heavy punishment for a slight offense, but because it was ordained by the Lord, he could accept it in a positive way. We can learn from this, and not get angry if we feel punished in an excessive way for a small offense or nonexistent offense, but continue and do our service nicely. When a devotee is in a difficult situation, he prays to God, and that is a good mentality. Humbleness is very good. If you are humble, you will never leave the spiritual path.

-----

patrapatra-vicara nahi, nahi sthana sthana
yei yanha paya, tanha kare prema-dana

"In distributing love of Godhead, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates did not consider who was a fit candidate and who was not, nor where such distribution should or should not take place. They made no conditions. Wherever they got the opportunity, the members of the Panca-tattva distributed love of Godhead." (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 7.23)

Travel Journal#5.16b: Radhastami (Zagreb & New Vraja)

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 5, No. 16b
By Krishna-kripa das 
(August 2009, part two, section two)
 Radhastami (Zagreb & New Vraja)

(Sent from Budapest, Hungary, on September 1, 2009)

Highlights

Radhastami at Zagreb
Radhastami at New Vraja
Insights from Sacinandana, Kavicandra, and Devamrita Swamis

Where I Am and What I Am Doing

By the grace of the Lord, I was able to attend two wonderful Radhastami festivals, one in Zagreb, Croatia, with Kavicandra and Sacinandana Swamis, and another at the New Vraja farm in Hungary with Candramauli, Devamrita, Niranjana and Sivarama Swamis. At the Polish Woodstock, the visiting Croatian devotees had tipped us off to the existence of the four-day festival in Zagreb with Sacinandana Swami and planted in us a desire to go there, in addition to the New Vraja festival, which I knew about, having attended in 2007. Although in a bordering country, Zagreb is no further than Budapest from New Vraja, just over two hours.

Radhastami in Zagreb

Sundarananda Prabhu, temple president of Zagreb, told me that they celebrate all the big festivals with a harinama in downtown Zagreb, and I was in bliss. As that is the dharma for this age, I think it is a great idea, and I was very happy to go on harinama with at least sixty devotees on the Radhastami day. The party was so large than neither all the devotees nor all those looking at the party would fit in a single photo.

Like other European cities there are many restaurants with outside seating, giving many the opportunity to see the harinama.

Other features of the celebration were bathing ceremonies for Radha-Krishna with beautiful bhajanas sung by Sacinandana Swami and others, and nice talks about Radharani, nice prasadam, including the famed Radha red chutney, and nice community spirit.

The day before Sacinandana Swami told us that if one even once surrenders to Radharani that Krishna promises to accept that person, even if the person is unable to do anything else. It was such I nice idea that I decide to pray to Radharani, “I am Yours,” just to try it out, and I think that contributed a lot to my appreciation of the festival.

The whole mood was very blissful, and except for the Radhastami celebration in 2000 in Alachua when Radha-Syamasundara were installed, it was my favorite Radhastami.

On Radhastami, I also enjoyed teaching a couple devotees one verse from Sri Caitanya-caritamrita I had learned about Srimati Radharani:

radha purna sakti, krishna purna saktiman

dui vastu bheda nai, sastra paramana

Sri Radha is the full power, and Krishna is the possessor of full power. The two are nondifferent as the evidenced by the revealed scriptures.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 4.96)

One devotee also taught me a verse about Radha which I placed as the concluding verse at the end of this journal.

Radhastami in New Vraja

In Hungary, they have a great Radhastami festival the Saturday after Radhastami, making attendance in two Radhastami festivals a real possibility.

New Vraja is famous for its beautiful Radha-Syamasundara Deities, and many plantings and bas relief depictions of the pastimes of Load Krishna and Lord Caitanya. Once I got to narrate all the pastimes illustrated to an English-speaking guest, who asked me at the end, why we worship only Krishna if Krishna and His incarnations are nondifferent. Then I got to talk about the special pastimes and qualities Krishna alone has. The New Vrajakirtanas are long and melodious, with a variety of contemporary instruments complementing the traditional Indian ones. I was especially happy that myvartma-pradarsaka guru, Niranjana Swami led three wonderful kirtanas while I was there, singing one of my most favorite tunes. 

Srila Prabhupada’s seat was nicely decorated.

Even in their evening outfit, Radha and Syama look so beautiful.

New Vraja is one of the few places in ISKCON where even the men dance nicely together in patterns. Even the day after the festival, there was such nice dancing.

Insights from Lectures

Sacinandana Swami (Adi-vasa ceremony for Radhastami):

Srila Prabhupada explained that it is our duty to serve Radharani, and through Radharani, Krishna.

Krishna once appeared, with Radharani, before Lord Siva, and told him, “A person who surrenders unto Me but does not surrender unto Radharani does not attain Me. A person who once surrenders unto Srimati Radharani saying, ‘I am yours’ attains Me, even without doing anything else. A person who wants to attain Me should surrender unto Radharani without reservation. Lord Siva, this is my most confidential instruction.”

In the morning we should chant japa, “Oh Krishna, Oh Radha, please accept me. Please give me some service.” We should give up meditating on our problems, and meditate on Radha and Krishna by chanting Hare Krishna. During the day, periodically ask yourself the question, “Am I pleasing to Radha and Krishna?”

When praying, first glorify, then connect to your situation, and then make a request. 

Radha’s complexion is more golden than gold. This is because of Her effulgence.

Everyone is looking to God, but God is looking to Radharani.

How can one who is so low ask for something so high? How can a criminal ask for a post in the government? Radharani is very compassionate, and Her heart is like butter, which melts easily.

Once a disciple brought her dog with her to meet Sacinandana Swami at the Belgrade airport. He was doubtful but concluded that Krishna must have some plan. Then she told her story. A small dog who was without its mother showed up at her doorstep. Her heart melted, and although she was abrahmana and dogs are dirty, she welcomed the dog to stay. If a practicing devotee’s heart can melt, why not Radharani’s?

Tomorrow, Radhastami, is a day of hope. We can ask Radharani to be kind to us. Tomorrow we must try to please Radharani and try to please the devotees. During the day, we should ask ourselves “Am I pleasing to Radha?” “Am I pleasing to the devotees?”

Kavicandra Swami (Radhastami):

I am glad to hear you are going on harinama on Radhastami. She is the supreme sankirtana leader. She is the best singer and dancer.

Srila Prabhupada said at the Deity installation of Gaura-Nitai in Los Angeles, to get the mercy of Krishna, you need the mercy of Radharani. To get the mercy of Radharani, you need the mercy of Lord Caitanya. To get the mercy of Lord Caitanya, you need the mercy of Lord Nityananda. To get the mercy of Lord Nityananda, you need to get the mercy of Jagai and Madhai, in other words, you need to go out and preach.

One who wants rati should meditate on the beautiful eyes of Radha-Krishna.

Radha wears a red sari with a blue shawl.

There is nothing Radha and Her friends will not do for Krishna’s pleasure.

All the holy places of Vrindavana are there in Navadvipa, but they are more accessible. 

Our pride thinking we have some qualifications keeps us from crying out to Krishna. By considering the spiritual master to be Krishna’s representative, and serving him we can come to the proper understanding.

It all depends on the audience, if one is able to speak.

I never prayed so much as I did when visiting Jayapataka Swami, for him to be able to stay with us.

Sacinandana Swami (Radhastami):

“The essence of all advice is that one should utilize one's full 

time--twenty-four hours a day--in nicely chanting and remembering the 

Lord’s divine name, transcendental form, qualities and eternal pastimes, thereby gradually engaging one’s tongue and mind. In this way one should reside in Vraja [Goloka Vrndavana dhama] and serve Krishna under the guidance of devotees. One should follow in the footsteps of the Lord’s beloved devotees, who are deeply attached to His devotional service.” (Nectar of Instruction, verse 8)

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati told his devotees on parikrama, “You must get on the spiritual path by hearing the holy names and by hearing Krishna-katha. Please understand Krishna’s holy name reveals in your heart, His form, His pastimes, and His associates. Then you must act accordingly. Then you attain remembrance, self-realization, and the kingdom of God.”

At noon, Radha is decorated by Her girl friends with earrings, which are the holy names of Krishna. Krishna wonders how, although the whole world is enchanted Him, He is completely captivated by Her qualities.

Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura describes Lalita and Visakha are group leaders with Radha as the chief. As maidservants of Sri Radha we should always live at Radha-kunda.

It is important to have in our mind our spiritual ideal and then we will go there because we always go to the place that we are thinking about.

Radha delivers souls out of the material world, takes pleasure in hearing flute songs, is dear to Krishna, and is fond of meditating on Lord Krishna.

Bhakti-devi is an expansion of Radharani, simultaneously one and different from Her. When we celebrate a festival dear to Krishna, Bhakti comes in our heart.

Sometimes during the day, stop and consider if you are pleasing to Krishna. Only if you are pleasing to Krishna will bhakti enter your heart.

Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura preached to some school children who were previous instructed by a materialistic swami who taught them, “Better to water an eggplant, not water Tulasi-devi.” Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura said Tulasi-devi is an explanation of Radharani who is very dear to Her and so is very dear to Krishna as well. An eggplant is only dear to Krishna when offered to Him. Tulasi-devi is the ticket collector for the entrance to the rasa dance. Without the mercy of Tulasi-devi, no one can attain the spiritual world. 

Krishna said to Radha if someone worships Me without first worshiping You, he will not get any benefit. Without Your merciful glance, no one can attain Me. One who follows in your footsteps has no fear of Yamaraja and attains a body to serve Me in the spiritual world. 

Lust and love are as different as iron and gold. Lust is to please your own senses, and love is to please Krishna’s senses.

Lalita saw Radha walking through her courtyard, which was filled with water, thorns, and dangerous snakes. She asked why She kept her courtyard in that condition? Radha replied she was practicing to serve Krishna expertly during monsoon season and in the depths of the dangerous forest.

Once Krishna told Radha that Her name was worth hundreds of His names. Radha laughed, and said No, Yasomati is your dearmost. Krishna said, “Soon you will see.” One evening, the gopis encouraged Krishna to dance for them, and so He did. Then Mother Yasoda came and reprimanded the gopis,“Krishna spends all day taking care of the cows and now he is tired, do not make Him dance, let Him take milk and take rest.” The gopis replied, “Your Krishna may take milk and take rest, but our Krishna dances with us.” Yasoda was bewildered, and went home, and saw the words of the gopis,were, in fact, true—her Krishna was lying in bed. The gopis invited Yasoda to ask her Krishna to come, and let the two Krishna’s dance together, and said, “I bet we will see your Krishna is our Krishna and our Krishna is your Krishna.” Radha put some sandalwood pulp on Her Krishna to distinguish Him from Yasoda’s Krishna. In the dancing, Gopinatha Krishna danced so wonderfully that Gopala Krishna gave up and merged back into Gopinatha Krishna, acknowledging defeat. Yasoda was disturbed at the disappearance of her Krishna, but Radha said, “Do not worry, you will find Him sleeping in bed at home.” And so she did. We each have our own Krishna, who expands just to be with us. Krishna is there for us, but are we there with Krishna?

You cannot say directly, “Krishna, I am Yours.” You must say, “Radha, I am Yours.”

Sacinandana and Kavicandra Swamis, Questions and Answers:

Sacinandana Swami: We all have questions, otherwise we would be so ecstatic in spiritual ecstasy we would not experience the miseries of the material world.

Q: To get the greatest benefit on our Vrindavana trip, what should I do, what should I look for, and how should I look for it?

A (SNS): You need to cross from the material vision to the spiritual vision. You should not think it is hot, dusty, dirty, and full of cheating rikshaw drivers. You should make a spiritual connection with Krishna. Trnad api. Be tolerant and respect everyone as more advanced for being dhama residents, and chant the holy name. Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura would saydhama means nama. Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura told his disciples not to look around on parikrama, because what you see is not the holy dhama.First hear from the sadhu and hear the holy name, and then you can pay attention to the cultural aspects. Take appropriate literature to read. Just like if you look at the Hare Krishna movement, if you do not hear from the scripture, then you see a very chaotic group of well-intentioned people in a new religious movement. But it is so much more. In the dhama, make sure you render some service. Vrindavana is a land of seva. There everyone serves.

Q: Based on your travels in the world, what makes someone take to bhakti, rather than merely to enjoy pious life?

A (KCS): Like the verse says, hearing the Bhagavatam and taking it seriously. Souls are the same everywhere. Local management may differ. Understanding Krishna is the Supreme Lord, just like first Gita catur-slokiverse indicates is primary. Giving without desiring to receive is difficult. Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura once told a disciple “be thankful for opportunities to practice tolerance.” Prabhupada said that if a good spiritual practice is there, management will follow. The process works for everybody, if it is applied.

Q: We heard yesterday that we should take shelter of Radharani yet sometimes we feel that it is taboo in ISKCON to talk about Radharani and Her pastimes. How do we adjust this?

A (SNS): Prabhupada was very careful that we would understand everything properly. Once the devotees had swimming competitions at Radha-Kunda, so Srila Prabhupada discouraged people from bathing there, although the Nectar of Instruction recommends it. Similarly, Prabhupada wanted to make sure that Radharani was understood in the right way. If you approach the highest in the wrong way, then it can become the lowest.

Q: Sometimes people speak according to the scripture but it has a negative result. How to avoid this?

A (KCS): There is guru, sadhu, and sastra. We see how Srila Prabhupada acted.  

A (SNS): It is very important to check our motivations. Why does someone only quote the scriptural statements on one side of an issue and not see them all. Bhakti is all motivation. We must be trying to please Krishna.

Q: Is it possible to approach Krishna directly?

A (SNS): Follow your own calling if it fits into the general guideline of guru, sastra, and sadhu.

A (KCS): In the Deity worship, we approach Krishna directly, but we do it by approaching the guru first.

Q: Whatever we are doing, we need the blessings of the guru to succeed. How do we serve the guru in such a way to get his blessings?

A (KCS): I like the saying “Just do it.” If we endeavor in that way, under our guru’s order, we will be successful. If we try to serve the devotees, Krishna will take care of us. I would like to give up my endeavor to be comfortable in this body. Please give me your blessings. 

A (SNS): I would focus on one particular instruction of the guru. It is hard to do everything. Srila Prabhupada said that in the endeavor to please the guru, an ant does not have to become an elephant.

Sacinandana Swami:

One brahmana cried to Krishna lamenting his wife wanted to him to find a husband for his daughter but he had no dowry. Krishna appeared and asked the brahmana what he wanted. The brahmana explained. Krishna said, “I am just a poor cowherd boy. All I have is my stick and Radharani. So I will give you Radharani.” Thus the brahmana received Radharani but he was in double anxiety because now he would have to get two daughters married. The gopisdiscovered Radha was missing, and searched for her, eventually finding her. Radha explained the situation. The gopis asked the brahmana was he wanted in exchange for Radharani. He noticed their jewels and asked for a pile of jewels equal to the weight of Radha. Thus Radha was placed on one side of a scale and the gopis’ jewels were piled on the other side until they were of equal weight. Then Krishna, Radha and gopis, and the scale all disappeared, but the jewels remained. This shows the Krishna gives us what we want, no matter how foolish it is. The brahmana lamented when he realized that he could have had the association of Radha and Krishna and Their service, but instead he just had a pile of jewels.

Meanwhile a jackal that was being tortured by some boys cried helplessly, “Radhe!” Hearing the piteous cries of the jackal, Radha had Lalita rescue the creature, which she brought before Radharani. Because the jackal cried out Radha’s name in helplessness and not asking for a specific material benediction, Radha blessed her to become Her eternal maidservant and the jackal assumed the spiritual form of a small gopi and returned to the spiritual world. The moral of the stories is that it is better to take shelter of Radha than Krishna, and it is better to just surrender in helplessness and not to ask for material benedictions.

At night devotees offer lamps to Radha-Kunda and chant this prayer:

munindra-vrinda-vandite triloka-soka-harini prasanna-vaktra-pankaje nikunja-bhu-vilasini vrajendra-bhanu-nandini vrajendra-sunu-sangate . . .

Once sadness personified (hereafter, Sadness) was lamenting in a field quite miserably. An old woman inquired about why she was so sad. Sadness said I am sad because no one loves me. I am Krishna’s servant, and I appear to people to soften their hearts so they will take shelter of Krishna. But everyone chases me away. They try to be tough. They drink beer. In this way, they avoid me. The old woman let Sadness cry out her unhappiness until she was done. Then Sadness felt better. “I will travel with you,” said the old women, “and we shall visit people together.” Sadness was ecstatic. “Can I know your name?” The old woman said with a smile, “Yes, I am Hope. When people cry out their hearts in sadness, I will come and give them hope.”

Devamrita Swami:

In Radharani and in Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu there are simultaneously compassion to save the fallen and the ecstatic feelings of separation from Krishna.

As you cannot separate heat and light from fire, you cannot separate Krishna from His potencies like Radharani.

Although Krishna is self-satisfied, the beauty of Vrindavana, and the beauty of gopis, headed by Radharani, inspire Him to enjoy the rasa dance.

There is anger associated with Radha-Krishna’s pastimes. In the beginning, Krishna is treating all the gopis equally, but Srimati Radharani became angry.

Krishna disappeared to get Radharani to experience the ecstasy of separation.

The gopis cannot imagine that Krishna can enjoy without them.

Caitanya-caritamrita says Radha and Krishna are the exchange of love.

Our topmost spiritual teachers never complete their mission, never attain their goal. Their mood was always, “Where is Krishna? How can I find him?”

Everyone wants to belong to someone. Even Krishna wants to belong to someone.

If one small part of Krishna’s feet feels pain, Radha doesn’t wish to live.

-----

radhe vrindavanadhise

karunamrita vahine

kripaya nija padabjam

dasyam mahyam pradipatam

“Oh Radha, Queen of Vrindavan, carrier of the nectar of mercy, please bestow upon me the service of Your lotus feet.” (Deity worship prayer)

Travel Journal#5.15b: Berlin Ratha-yatra, Polish Festival Tour

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 5, No. 15b
By Krishna-kripa das 
(August 2009, part one, section two)
Berlin Ratha-yatra, Polish Festival Tour 

(Sent from Zagreb, Croatia, on 8/26/09)

Highlights

Berlin Ratha-yatra
Polish Festival Tour Experiences
Kavicandra Swami Reception Address
Janmastami Lecture
Instructions to Initiates by Indradyumna Swami
Nectar from Vyasa Puja Offerings

Where I Am and What I Am Doing

After the Polish Woodstock, Dhruva Prabhu and I joined the Poland summer festival tour for a couple weeks. They had more devotees than they needed, and we are grateful to Jayatam and Nandini Prabhus that we were allowed to come anyway. We took a break one day to attend the Berlin Ratha-yatra, which was for me, my fifth consecutive one. 

Berlin Ratha-yatra

Sacinandana Swami, and Kadamba Kanana Swami were there, along with Prithu Prabhu. Every Ratha-yatra has unique features. In Berlin, they have a small ratha cart which the children pull that goes in front of the larger one. Also Gaura-Nitai Deities ride on a palanquin carried by four men, or sometimes four women, ahead of the Jagannatha cart. Sometimes when the Jagannatha cart stops, the devotees turn the palanquin around so Gaura-Nitai can see Jagannatha and the devotees singing and dancing before Him. This reminds us of Lord Caitanya’s pastimes with Lord Jagannath when He was in Puri, and He exchanged feelings of love with Lord Jagannath in the course of the Ratha-yatra there. Once when the women were carrying Gaura-Nitai, a line of woman dancers danced underneath the palanquin, a sight I had never seen before. The following video hints at what it was like:

The crowd, like that in Prague, was full of tourists, and I talked people from America, Holland, and Spain, and of course, other parts of Germany. I could see the festive atmosphere created by the blissful devotees, colorfully decorated, singing and dancing, and pulling the cart, created quite a curiosity in the people. Because of this curiosity many more people took invitations than they would otherwise.

The Berlin devotees always do a good job with the feast, always a curd subji, and one special sweet, often malpura, this time srikand. 

The stage show did not started immediately after the Ratha-yatra. The feast was served out inside. Feeling a lack of transcendental sound, Kadamba Kanana Swami, picked up my mini accordion and played to fill the gap:

Kadamba Kanana Swami told me he is thinking of bringing me to South Africa, to do harinama, and to write a Back to Godhead article on the cultivation of the black community there.

Poland Summer Festival Tour Experiences

As a newcomer to this year’s tour, at first, my name was not yet on the list of devotees for the harinama bus. One day I chose not to compete for a seat on the harinama bus, but take a city bus or hitchhike to harinama instead. Because it was Sunday, buses were so scare, hitchhiking was the only opportunity. Three young men picked up me and Lilesvara Govinda Prabhu, my Mayapuri companion. They asked to hear me play my accordion, and thus unknowing got to hear the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. We gave them mantra cards and good wishes, and they dropped on the main highway, 89 km from Miedzyjdroje, our destination. We did not get a ride for two hours, but on the up side, we did chant a lot of kirtana while waiting. Finally a minivan bus came by and took us to within 10 km of our festival site, the time to reach the harinama site before its end, having elapsed. As I sat waiting for my friend to shop at a bench by an intersection, two persons photographed me sitting playing the accordion and chanting Hare Krishna there and many more watched with curiosity. It took only ten minutes to catch a ride to our festival. When the driver saw we were Hare Krishnas, he smiled and asked if we were at Woodstock, and we said, “Yes.” He showed us his red Woodstock patrol badge, and told how he came for three years, and how he liked our food. We gave him and his wife a mantra card and invitation to our Wroclaw temple, which is near their hometown. They did not know about our festival in Mrzezyno, the town they visiting, and were happy to find out about it. It is always interesting to see who Krishna arranges for us to meet up with. Almost always we can see how both ourselves and those we encounter benefit by the experience. At the end of the evening, back at the base, Jananivasa Prabhu told me that the couple came to the festival, stopped by the book tent, and the lady purchased a copy Ramayana. That really made my day!

Insight from Lectures

Kavicandra Swami (reception address):

Christ washed the feet of his disciples to teach them to serve each other. Through this reception of me, Indradyumna Swami is showing how to honor one’s godbrothers, not only how to honor his godbrothers.

What the devotees do, Krishna is doing through them, so by glorifying the devotees you glorify Krishna. The devotee knows Krishna is doing everything, but that Krishna also wants to give the devotee credit.

I come here on the Polish tour for the inspiration. Except for Mayapur, there are more devotees working together here than any other place. Worshiping the Deity and teaching others to worship the Deity is exemplified here more than any other place. So much prasadam distribution.

Lord Caitanya made it easy, “Where every you go, whoever you meet tell them about Krishna.”

We have to make arrangements for people to find us, because by a moment’s association one can attain perfection.

I met a man who got a mantra card in Africa 30 years before. He said whatever I get into trouble, I chant the mantra. I advised him that it is good to chant both in happiness and distress. But the experience showed me how important it is to distribution mantra cards, books, etc.

My mother was very prejudiced, especially against Africans, so Krishna sent me there to preach to purify me so I can see all people as spirit souls.

The year 2012 is end of a calendar and the end of an age, but not the end of the world. Now is a very auspicious time because the Lord Caitanya’s movement is spreading all over the world. Many things are happening but this sankirtana is the leading edge. In Greece, the devotees chant at the yoga groups. The yoga groups sometimes have their own kirtana groups

It is heavy to accept all kinds of respect and gifts, because we have to pay back. We should never accept anything without giving back.

When I first came around the temple, the devotees told me you had better join right now because this movement is going to spread all over the world, and you don’t want to miss the opportunity to get in on the beginning of it.

Leipzig is the first place in East Germany to get Srila Prabhupada’s books. Now there are many enthusiastic young devotees there.

Usually Siva is famous for destroying the universe, but in the case of the churning of the milk ocean, he saves the universe by drinking an ocean of poison.

The demigods ultimately win because they take shelter of the Supreme Lord.

In Bangkok, there is a large diorama of the churning of the milk pastime which is the first thing you see coming from the airport, with Kurma, the big mountain, and parties of demons and demigods.

People are suffering because of their karma and there is not anything you can do to change it. One time some Americans arranged to send a boat of food to some starving people, and so many impediments arose, the food never reached the people.

Preaching Krishna consciousness is the most pleasing thing to Krishna, and for one who has pleased Krishna, there is nothing one cannot attain. Krishna fulfills such a devotees desires without his asking.

Some people wanted to stop the free food distribution in London. They were worried that it would encourage people to become or remain homeless, so they could get free food. Former homeless people, now much better situated materially, testified, “The Hare Krishnas saved my life.” The spokesman for those opposing the free food said, “The Hare Krishnas can distribute free food, but the others must stop.” He recognized that the devotees, led by Parasurama Prabhu, were doing more than just offering physical nourishment. They were changing people’s lives for the better.

We should be thankful to Lord Nityananda for giving us this opportunity.

If Krishna sees that a person gives up everything to help others, Krishna will take care of that person better than he could by himself.

Janmastami lecture:

Bhaktivinoda Thakura says holy days like Janmastami are the mother of devotion for those who celebrate them. Srila Prabhupada recommended kirtana, katha, abhiseka, and a prasadam feast.Kirtana is an expression of love from the heart. Thus Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura would sometimes purposely have the less expert musicians play to stress the devotion is more important than the music. Take full advantage of the freedom we have to chant kirtana in the streets. We have not always had it, and may not always continue to have it. Bhavisya Purana states when the citizens of Mathura asked when Krishna had taken birth so they could have a festival. He told them persons eight or older should observe it by fasting and that His Janmastami would someday be observed in every town and village of the world. Krishna’s conception is the original immaculate conception as He appeared in the mind of Vasudeva and was transferred to the mind of Devaki. Jiva Goswami in Gopala Campu comments that in addition to Yogamaya, Yasoda had a boy, Krishna, and that Narayana was born to Devaki. When the Narayana was swapped with Yogamaya Yasoda was left with both Krishna and Narayana until Narayana merged into Krishna in the next moment. 

The day after Janmastami is called Nandotsava, and Nanda Maharaja gave charity in honor of Krishna’s birth. That Krishna arranged that Srila Prabhupada take birth on that day is Krishna’s greatest charity to the world. We are grateful to Srila Prabhupada that he is engaging us in fulfilling Lord Krishna’s own prediction, that Janmastami will be celebrated in every town and village of the world.

The real nectar of the Vyasa Puja Day is to hear the glories of the honored personalities that the Lord reveals in the hearts of their faithful followers.

 

Instructions Given to Different Initiates by Indradyumna Swami:

Be strict in your practice and merciful to those who have no connection to this movement. Follow your vows strictly and you will get spiritual strength. Srila Prabhupada said after initiation you should chant in earnest. Be brahmacari as long as you can. Take good care of your fiancé. It is nice to accept as disciples those people born in Vaishnava families—in these cases, we feel we are just adding the finishing touches. And read Srila Prabhupada’s books—all essential knowledge is there.

Nectar from Vyasa Puja Offerings

Indradyumna Swami:

Vyasa Puja Day is an important day of all of us in ISKCON. We can remember his pastimes and sacrifices. We are all recipients of his mercy, and we all have some realizations of this. Someday people may appreciate what he did for the world. For now, appreciation lives in the hearts of his followers. Prabhupada wanted Krishna to be a household word, and it is to a large extent. We must similarly try to make Srila Prabhupada famous.

Sri Prahlada Prabhu: 

About eight years ago, some Sri Vaisnava pandits came to a temple in South India, and asked to talk someone. They were sent to me, and they asked their question, “Who is Prabhupada?” I replied, “He is the founder of ISKCON, and disciple of Bhaktisiddhana Sarasvati Thakura. He spread Krishna consciousness all over the world.” They said, “No, that is his biography. Who is he?” I said, “Could you explain what you mean by that question?” The Sri Vaishnava explained, “In our tradition, we understand that because Ramanujacarya spread Vishnu-bhakti in South India in a miraculous way, and we understand he must be Balarama, the Lord’s personal expansion. But your teacher, spread Krishna consciousness not only in South India, but all over the world. Therefore we are wondering who is your master.” I replied, “When Srila Prabhupada was asked that question, he merely said, ‘If I told you, you would faint.’”

One time a book distributor in San Diego encountered a person who was excited to find he was distributing Bhagavad-gita. The man took the book, and turned it over, and saw Prabhupada’s picture. “That’s him, that’s him,” the man excitedly said to his wife. “He came to me in a dream and told me to read Bhagavad-gita.”

Prahlada-Nrsimha Prabhu:

In Ecuador, the authorities decided to stop book distribution to raise money to buy temples instead continuing to rent houses. I fought it, and they let me keep the book distribution going in my temple alone. I worried I offended many Prabhupada disciples in my arguing. That night I had a dream with Srila Prabhupada leading my through the woods to a break in the trees wherein we saw Krishna and Balarama and their friends playing. Then Balarama turned to us, and from His hands emanated a pile of coins and jewels. Next in the dream, Srila Prabhupada told me not to worry. “Just maintain the book distribution and everything will come.”

Indradyumna Swami:

By your desire to save me, I have been saved from a life like my contemporaries ending in being harassed by material desires, though wanting peaceful autumn years. By reflecting every day on your mercy upon me, I recommit myself daily to your service. There is no difference between your traveling the world fourteen times over to preach and frolicking in Goloka with Krishna, Balarama, and their cowherd boy friends. For us, such preaching results in our joining the eternal pastimes. One you lamented how the Mayavadis were flourishing as the Vaishnavas retired to nirjana bhajana. We wish that we may save you from such lamentation by our preaching. You spoke of preaching vigorously in Poland. We are now in our 20^th year doing Festival of India on the Polish sea coast. At least 75,000 people come and appreciate bhajanas, katha, dramas, prasadam, etc. At Woodstock we distributed 130,000 plates of prasadam. We appreciate you are engaging some of us hapless souls in assisting your mission. I would gladly do this preaching work eternally. Service to your lotus feet is more attractive than all the charms the world has to offer.

Sitala Mataji on Srila Prabhupada:

Why is it difficult to write a Vyasa Puja offering to Srila Prabhupada?

1. He is like a gem with so many facets that you cannot describe it.

2. His brilliance exposes all. We realize our actual position—how far we have to go and how insignificant we are.

Govinda dasi had more association with Srila Prabhupada than practically any other female. Once in the early days, Govinda dasi made a birthday cake for Srila Prabhupada and placed it on his altar with candles flaming. She explained that is how we celebrate birthdays in America. She continued, “You make a wish and then blow out the candles.” Prabhupada compiled expertly blowing out every last candle and exclaiming, “I have done well.” She explained, “Now your wish will come true,” Govinda Dasi said. Srila Prabhupada explained, “I wish only for Krishna and for Krishna’s service.” In her remembrance, Govinda dasi expressed gratitude that Srila Prabhupada accepted her offering of an American birthday party, and then shared his important and instructive realization about the value of Krishna’s service with her.

Sitala recalled that in 1971 the devotees made a chocolate cake for Srila Prabhupada on his Vyasa Puja day and offered him a piece which he began to eat as he disappeared into his room. The devotees devoured the remain cake, and when Srila Prabhupada asked for another piece, the devotees were ashamed there was nothing more to give him.

Govinda dasi recalled how Srila Prabhupada told her to chant to a poor slug which she had expressed disgust at seeing. She was grateful to witness his compassion in this way.

Once Hari Sauri was trying to remove a mosquito from Srila Prabhupada’s mosquito net before Prabhupada took rest. He hit it so hard that it fell to the ground resting on the sheet. Prabhupada had a pained look on his face, and Hari Sauri felt like he had murdered someone. They both looked at the mosquito for some time and then suddenly it flew away, and Srila Prabhupada expressed relief, saying, “Oh, I thought he was gone.” 

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“In the Bhavisya Purana it is said, ‘In such a ceremony, if even a candala [dogeater], simply out of curiosity, sees the Lord on the cart, he becomes counted as one of the associates of Vishnu.’” (Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 9)