Diary
of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 10, No. 6
By Krishna-kripa das
(March 2014, part two)
By Krishna-kripa das
(March 2014, part two)
Vrindavan,
Bagru, Raya, Kolkata
(Sent from Mayapur, India, on April 11, 2014)
(Sent from Mayapur, India, on April 11, 2014)
Where
I Went and What I Did
I
decided to spend Gaura Purnima, the appearance day of Lord Caitanya
Mahaprabhu, the divine incarnation who promoted the congregational
chanting of the holy name as the best process for self-realization,
in Vrindavan, as it is the holy place of Krishna’s childhood
pastimes and is considered by Lord Caitanya to be identical with
Krishna Himself. On that day I did harinama
in
front of Krishna-Balaram temple to avoid being splashed with the dyes
of Holi, with my friend, Ananta Nitai Prabhu, who I have chanted with
in the UK and Ireland, and with five other devotees, who were
attracted by the chanting. Abhirama Prabhu, who participates in and
does organizational work for Rama Raya Prabhu’s New York City
harinama
in
Union Square invited me to go on harinama
in
Bagru, Rajasthan, the day after Gaura Purnima. The procession, with
Gaura Nitai Deities, pulled on a camel driven cart, attracted many
locals to join and follow along. The rest of my days in Vrindavan, I
did harinama
with
Ananta Nitai in front of the Srila Prabhupada’s samadhi,
often
being joined by Jagannatha Misra Prabhu, who I did harinama
with
in Mayapur and in Poland. Once Ananta Nitai chanted with me to the
celebrated Radha-Damodar temple, and another time,
Caitanya-candrodaya Prabhu and I did harinama
on
a rickshaw to a Mahadeva temple and then walking to the Radha Govinda
temple. The last full day of my visit, Caitanya-candrodaya and Ananta
Nitai Prabhus, who I had done harinamas
with
in Dublin and Belfast, decided to go to do a harinama
parikrama of
Govardhan Hill, which took us almost six hours. One day I went to the
Food for Life Hospital on the outskirts of Vrndavana and had my teeth
cleaned for $9 and a chipped tooth repaired for $5, a better deal
than I could find in the West! After leaving Vrindavan, I did a few
harinamas
on
the train and on the platforms of the longer stops as I returned to
Bengal. I spent the rest of March in Kolkata at the Bhaktivedanta
Research Centre at the request of Hari Sauri Prabhu, organizing nine
boxes of Sadaputa Prabhu’s research materials so future devotee
scientists could take advantage of them. One day I visited a
Vaishnava Ayurvedic doctor, who said I did not have a hernia, or
prostate or heart issues, but just weak digestion and low energy,
which he gave me medicine for.
I share wonderful notes from lectures and books by Srila Prabhupada, excerpts from Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s journal, and notes on lectures by and conversations with many swamis and Prabhupada disciples in Vrindavan, namely Sivarama Swami, Prahladananda Swami, Danavir Goswami, Bhakti Vijnana Swami, Bhakti Brhad Bhagavatamrita Swami, and Pancagauda and Abhiram Prabhus.
I share wonderful notes from lectures and books by Srila Prabhupada, excerpts from Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s journal, and notes on lectures by and conversations with many swamis and Prabhupada disciples in Vrindavan, namely Sivarama Swami, Prahladananda Swami, Danavir Goswami, Bhakti Vijnana Swami, Bhakti Brhad Bhagavatamrita Swami, and Pancagauda and Abhiram Prabhus.
Thanks
to Jagannatha Misra Prabhu for his kind donation and his arranging and
paying for a place for me to stay in Vrindavan. Thanks to
Caitanya-candrodaya Prabhu for taking us to Govardhan Hill to do a
harinama
parikrama,
buying me many meals, a wool cadar
and
a bag to carry my harmonium and my clothes, and taking me to the
dentist. Thanks to Abhirama Prabhu for inviting us to participate in
his Rajasthani harinama
adventure.
Itinerary
April 11–12 -
Mayapur
April 13 - Kolkata
April 13 - Kolkata
April 15–16 -
Mumbai
April 17–24 -
Dublin, Govindadvipa, Belfast
April 25 - London
April 26 - King’s
Day, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
April 27–30: The
Netherlands
May 1–2:
Manchester, England
May 3–5: North UK
Retreat
May 6–9: Newcastle
May 10–11:
Birmingham 24-hour kirtana
May 12–13:
Newcastle
May 17: Sheffield
Ratha-yatra
rest of May–July
(first two-thirds) – The North of England, London Ratha-yatra,
Stonehenge Solstice Festival
July (last
third)–August (first two-thirds) – Baltic Summer Festival, Polish
Woodstock, Czech Woodstock
August (last
third)–September (first half) – The North of England
September (rest) –
New York
Arriving
in the Krishna-Balarama temple on Gaura Purnima day, I was happy to
see my friend, Pancagauda Prabhu, chanting with the twenty-four hour
kirtana party.
Because
it was Holi many colorful characters were chanting in the kirtana.
Some youthful Hare Krishnas seemed absorbed in the spirit of Holi, and I asked if I could take their picture. They let me take a photo but did not let me get away without throwing at least a little dye on me!
I
heard my friend Ananta Nitai Prabhu, who inspired me to do three
twelve-hour harinamas in
Dublin, was in Vrindavan and doing harinama
every day, but I did not
know his phone or place of residence, nor could I find anyone who
did. I had given up the chance to do harinama
in Rohini, Delhi, with
hundreds of people on Gaura Purnima to come to Vrindavan and chant
with my friend, but I could not understand how I could find him, so I
decided to pray to Radharani expressing my plight. Within the hour, I
ran into him.
Senior devotees convinced us it would be folly to chant in the streets on Holi, so we chanted in front of the Krishna-Balaram temple.
A few devotees joined us including Mahabhavi Prabhu from Scandinavia, who had chanted with me in Rishikesh, and who played the one-headed drum.
Senior devotees convinced us it would be folly to chant in the streets on Holi, so we chanted in front of the Krishna-Balaram temple.
A few devotees joined us including Mahabhavi Prabhu from Scandinavia, who had chanted with me in Rishikesh, and who played the one-headed drum.
One older Indian man was happy to dance with us.
Many people watched.
On
Gaura Purnima in Vrindavan, I met Abhirama Prabhu, who knew from the
New York City harinama.
He
invited me to a harinama
he
was organizing about an hour outside Jaipur the next day. I invited
my friend, Ananta Nitai Prabhu to come as well, and since he is
interested in harinama
and
adventure, he agreed.
Serious
people had spray guns to shoot the dye with.
We
took a break at a small restaurant owned by Vaishnavas to have a
lassi,
and
we did a little kirtana
for
them.
We
got to Bagru a little after 3:00 p.m. At Bagru, the son of one
thakura
(landholder)
who saw a previous harinama
was
attracted and offered the use of his father’s fort and farmhouse
for devotional events.
First we stopped at the fort.
Then
we went to the farmhouse and eagerly took some very tasty prasadam
after
our five-hour trip.
I had been in harinamas with carts bearing deities which were pulled by people, oxen, horses, and also with motorized carts as well.
This, however, was the first time I experienced a camel driven cart. Actually we had two camel driven carts.
The other was for the sound system.
Since the sound system cart also transported the harmonium and
harmonium player, to free up space the devotees hung the speakers on
the sides of the body of the camel, underneath its decorated cover.
Abhirama Prabhu, our leader, is behind the sound system cart in this picture.
I had been in harinamas with carts bearing deities which were pulled by people, oxen, horses, and also with motorized carts as well.
This, however, was the first time I experienced a camel driven cart. Actually we had two camel driven carts.
One was for the Gaura-Nitai deities.
Abhirama Prabhu, our leader, is behind the sound system cart in this picture.
The
organizers made turbans for the devotees to wear.
Here Ananta Nitai Prabhu wears his.
We
began at the fort.
We may have had about twenty people in the start
of our harinama.
Toward the end, about two hours later, we had about one hundred since many people of all ages from the village followed the procession.
Devotees
distributed prasada
[spiritual food] from the back of the deities’ cart.
We
passed three different barber shops, in which all the barbers left
their customers partially shaved in their chairs as the barbers
themselves watched the chanting party from the doors of their shops,
and in at least one case, took the prasadam
being
distributed.
It
was a wonderful experience to see so many people in the town
appreciate the harinama.
After the harinama we did some more kirtana at the fort for the few people who followed us that far.
There
I saw even dogs could not escape the effects of Holi!
Harinama
in Raya
The
Vrindavan devotees organized a harinama
program in a small city northwest of
Mathura called Raya.
As
we waited in the bus to the program in front of Citrakuta temple,
just a block from Krishna-Balaram, one bold monkey leaped up, and
holding the frame of the bus window, took the glasses off a devotee
lady. People tried unsuccessful to barter with the monkey food in
exchange for the glasses, but he took the food in one hand and the
glasses in the other.
In
Raya, there is a temple of Radharani, where we saw the deity, and
took some pakoras before
the harinama. Another
singing group was there at the temple, but we chanted around the
town.
As usual, some people were happy to dance with us.
A
person from our group went ahead and gave local vendors flower pedals
to throw at the harinama party
which they did with great delight.
I
got to play my harmonium and sing for twenty minutes toward the end
which I was happy about. There was prasadam
for us in Raya, but our party
leaders chose to return to Vrindavan, where B. B. Govinda Swami had
sponsored a feast in honor of his mother who had left her body in the
beginning of March.
He
even served out the feast as well.
Harinamas
in Vrindavan
I
never really was able to get a regular harinama
program
together during my previous visits to Vrindavan, so I would chant in
the twenty-four hour kirtana,
but
this time I had at least two harinamas
to choose from.
I could go out with a party of twenty or so Russian-speaking devotees, some I knew from the Polish tour, a lively group as you can see from these pictures.
I could go out with a party of twenty or so Russian-speaking devotees, some I knew from the Polish tour, a lively group as you can see from these pictures.
Or
I could go out with my friend, Ananta Nitai Prabhu from the UK, who
had inspired me to do three 12-hour harinamas
in Dublin and who had come to Newcastle to chant with me last August.
I decided to chant with my friend, because I like him, it is good to
maintain friendships, and he has helped me so much in Ireland, and
because I would make more of a difference to a smaller party.
Although
traveling over five hours from Bagru, Rajasthan, and arriving after 6
p.m. Ananta Nitai Prabhu and I still wanted to to do harinama
in
Vrindavan. We chanted for an hour just inside of the Krishna-Balarama
gate, and people really reciprocated with us. Some people listened,
some clapped, some chanted, some danced, some took photos, some took
videos, some gave us maha-prasadam
(sanctified
food), and some gave us money. I saw it as Krishna being kind upon us
for us taking the trouble to go out despite our being tired.
We
chanted in the streets to the Radha-Damodar temple one day. Although
we were delayed and got lost, we arrived just in time to see the
12:30 p.m. arati
[worship
ceremony] for the deities.
Another
time, Caitanya-candrodaya Prabhu and I chanted in a rickshaw as went
to visit a temple of Mahadeva, Lord Shiva, who is worshiped as the
protector of the dhama
[spiritual
place]. There a pujari
(priest),
seeing my harmonium, asked us to sing for the deity. On the way back
we stopped at the abandoned Radha Govinda temple which was formerly
seven stories high but had the top four stories demolished by a
Muslim emperor. We chanted in the large main floor on the ground
floor, and the acoustics were great. I could not help but think it
would be a great venue for a 12-hour kirtana.
That
way it could still serve the Lord’s mission, even in its present
condition.
Ananta
Nitai Prabhu chanted every evening in front of Prabhupada’s
Samadhi, and I joined him every day but one.
Once I was accompanying Ananta Nitai Prabhu on the harmonium, and a young boy came by, and I taught him to play the same tune, which he did very well. An American brahmacari danced.
Jagannatha Misra Prabhu, who I had done harinama with in Mayapur and Poland, came out several days.
Once I was accompanying Ananta Nitai Prabhu on the harmonium, and a young boy came by, and I taught him to play the same tune, which he did very well. An American brahmacari danced.
Jagannatha Misra Prabhu, who I had done harinama with in Mayapur and Poland, came out several days.
He was good at inducing people to dance.
One day
Caitanya-candrodaya Prabhu also joined us.
Sometimes
devotees would come and encourage people to dance.
Even
old ladies would dance.
A
very enthusiastic group of youths both loudly sang the mantra and
danced exuberantly with the devotees.
All
in all, lots of people increased their devotional service by
encountering our little harinama
party
in Vrindavan.
Harinama
Parikrama of Govardhan Hill
I
like to go Radha Kund during each visit to Vrindavan because it is
such a sacred place, but I did not have the determination plan a trip
there.
Fortunately Caitanya-candrodaya Prabhu came up with the idea of doing a harinama parikrama around Govardhan Hill, which begins and ends with Radha Kund so I got my wish fulfilled. The entire path around the Hill is said to be about 15 miles (24 km), and it took us almost six hours.
I was happy that Ananta Nitai Prabhu was also interested to come so there were three of us. We had chanted together before in both Belfast and Dublin.
Fortunately Caitanya-candrodaya Prabhu came up with the idea of doing a harinama parikrama around Govardhan Hill, which begins and ends with Radha Kund so I got my wish fulfilled. The entire path around the Hill is said to be about 15 miles (24 km), and it took us almost six hours.
I was happy that Ananta Nitai Prabhu was also interested to come so there were three of us. We had chanted together before in both Belfast and Dublin.
Some
people go around the entire hill bowing down by laying their entire
body on the ground, and getting up and placing their feet where there
head was and bowing down again, thus going one body length each time
they bow down.
I saw a parent and a son doing this.
I also saw husband and
a wife.
There were also many individuals doing it.
Some
people were chanting on their japa or
meditation beads as they walked around Govardhan.
Others were very happy to join in and sing along with us, and a few danced.
Unfortunately I was too busy singing and playing the instruments because we only had three people in our party to take many pictures of this.
Others were very happy to join in and sing along with us, and a few danced.
Unfortunately I was too busy singing and playing the instruments because we only had three people in our party to take many pictures of this.
Even
after chanting for almost six hours at Govardhan, Ananta Nitai Prabhu
was so enthusiastic he chanted another two hours in front of Srila
Prabhupada’s Samadhi and I chanted an hour there with him. Chanting
so much harinama in
one day was not unusual for us because we had down three twelve-hour
harinamas in Dublin in
the past. It was just extra special to be chanting in the holy land
of Vrindavan, where the residents and pilgrims are happy to hear and make others hear the
holy names.
Reflections
on My Visit to Vrindavan
Ideally,
if we are progressive on the spiritual path, each visit to a holy
place should be better than the last. I hope that was true of this
visit to Vrindavan. When I arrived in Mathura on the morning of Gaura
Purnima on an overcrowded train that I fortunately had a reserved
seat on, I thought of how Vrindavan is always harder for me than
Mayapur. Great souls like Hare Krishna founder Srila Prabhupada and
the famed ISKCON kirtana
leader,
Aindra Prabhu, consider Vrndavana to be home, but I always felt more
at home in Mayapur, and Vrindavan always felt extra austere. In
Vrindavan, the temperatures were more extreme, I got my shoes stolen
(even though they had holes in them), it was more like a bustling
city, and I was less insulated from the challenges of living in
India. Anticipating the first challenge, the initial haggling with a
rickshaw driver for a decent price to Vrindavan, as I stood on the
train platform at Mathura Junction, I decided to pray to Radharani,
the Queen of Vrindavan, “please make it easy for me this time!”
And so She did.
One
day during Srila Prabhupada’s guru
puja ceremony,
as I was bowing down after offering flower petals to him, I said in
my mind, “Thank you for bringing me to your home in Vrindavan.”
As I arose, I continued thinking, “Please show me how it is my home
too.” Then one brahmacari,
who
was distributing, as prasadam,
the
extra garlands Srila Prabhupada received, put one of Srila
Prabhupada’s garlands around my neck. Later in the morning someone
gave me a garland from Radharani. That day we decided to do harinama
to
the Radha-Damodar temple, where Srila Prabhupada lived before coming
to America. With the samadhis
(tombs)
of some of our greatest saints like Rupa, Sanatana, and Krishnadasa
Kaviraja Goswamis, it is considered one of the most sacred places in
Vrindavan. During our harinama
procession
to Radha-Damodar, we met a Prabhupada disciple who was returning from
that very temple in a rickshaw. As he passed he removed a beautiful
garland of roses from his neck, and gave it to me, saying, “This is
Radharani’s garland.”
While
at Radha Damodar, at the rooms where Srila Prabhupada lived before
coming to America, which are worshiped and maintained by ISKCON
devotees, we were able to get prasadam
from
both Srila Prabhupada’s breakfast and his lunch, something that
does not happen every visit.
I see all these
experiences as different ways Radharani and Her confidential devotee,
Srila Prabhupada, tried to make me feel at home in Vrindavan this
time.
Rupa
Goswami’s samadhi
is at the Radha-Damodar temple, and since our whole line of spiritual
teachers comes from that intimate associate of Lord Caitanya and
Srimati Radharani and because I heard that Srila Prabhupada asked for
his blessings to advance his mission, I decided to pray to him. I
chanted 108 times the mantra from the Bhagavad-gita
which
glorifies him:
sri-caitanya-mano-’bhistam
sthapitam
yena bhu-tale
svayam
rupah kada mahyam
dadati
sva-padantikam
“When
will Srila Rupa Gosvami Prabhupada, who has established within this
material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya,
give me shelter under his lotus feet?”
And then I prayed to
him for three things, (1) to chant purely the holy name of Krishna,
(2) to attain Krishna-prema (love for God), and (3) to be able
to inspire others to take up the path of Krishna bhakti. I also put a
small donation in the donation box at his samadhi.
At
our Radha-Balaram temple, I would spend the end of each kirtana
dancing
in the courtyard before Radha-Shyamasundar, thinking that to serve
Radha and Krishna by singing and dancing for them in Vrindavan was
perfection.
On
the last day, I thanked Srimati Radharani for making my visit to
Vrindavan easier this time.
I think of Vrindavan
now as a place where people like to be reminded of Radha and Krishna
and a place where they like to remind others of Radha and Krishna.
And as I waited for
my train in Mathura, I felt a little sad I was leaving that holy
land.
Chanting Enroute
from Mathura to Howrah
There is only one
train from Mathura Junction that goes to Howrah, the Toofan Express.
The train, which has a negative reputation, is express in name only,
as it stops about 80 places and takes 32 hours. Amazing enough, it
arrived 3 minutes early in Mathura, but by the time it reached
Howrah, it was over 10 hours late!
I
was to exhausted to chant at Agra Cantt, a twenty-minute stop just
over an hour from Mathura, but I felt bad about it and decided to
chant at all the the other stops 10 minutes or longer. Before the
next long stop, in Kanpur, a couple young men inquired about what I
was doing on my laptop for four or five hours. I explained I was
working on my blog, a travel journal, and because I was a computer
science major, it was not unnatural for me to spend so long on the
computer. I lost most of my business cards when I lost my bag, so I
had one of them take a picture of my business card with my email and
my blog address so he could look at it. They said they were also
travelers. They were from Lucknow, but were just coming back from
visiting Puskar, which I recently learned is a popular place for
Westerners to visit, those not so interested in gross sense
gratification as those who go to Goa. One young man was a professor
of finance and the other had his own business. There was nearly half
an hour left till Kanpur, and I got out my harmonium and began
chanting. The two guys had gone to the door of the carriage as they
thought Kanpur was one stop sooner, but when I began singing the
young finance professor came back. He sat next to me and sang along
with me as I sang Hare Krishna to the three-part evening melody,
since it was just after sundown. He did surprising well grasping the
tune. After a little while, he encouraged his friend to join us,
since there was still time before reaching Kanpur and it would add to
the adventure of their trip.
His friend, Rahul R. Mishra, director of Supreme Infradevelopers Pvt. Ltd., came, and took the above picture of us singing, and then also sang along. When we got to Kanpur, I gave them some maha-prasada from Radha-Madhava and told them to them to keep in touch. Perhaps we could meet again sometime. The young finance professor bought me a bottle of water before I left, and I chanted at the Kanpur platform for the 15 minutes or so we stopped there.
I thought I would
not be able to chant at Mughal Sarai Junction, as we were scheduled
to stop there from 1:05 to 1:20 a.m., but it turned out we were six
hours late at that point so I was able to chant at that platform too.
I
missed chanting at Danapur for ten minutes because the train
mysteriously made up 20 minutes, but I was able to chant at Patna
Junction for at least ten minutes. One guy who liked the chanting
there on the platform sat in the same compartment with me. As he
boarded the train he continued singing the melody, although I had
stopped. After fifteen minutes or so, the people in my compartment
asked me to play the harmonium, and so I chanted for them for fifteen
minutes, distributed maha-prasada,
and
asked if anyone spoke Bangla (Bengali) since I had a couple Bengali
books. One man did. He asked if the books were for sale. Through a
interpreter, I said, “There is no fixed price. I do not need any
money, but it is good to give a donation.” He took a book and gave
ten rupees, and I gave him and his friend maha-prasada
and
thanked him for the donation. I would have done better if I had Hindi
books, but because my trains were going to and from Bengal, I had got
two copies in each language. One the way to Rishikesh, I had
distributed the two Hindi books so I just had the Bengali ones left.
On the bus from
Howrah, as I approached the place where the Bhaktivedanta Research
Centre, I saw a sign on a church “The Lord is my shepherd. I shall
not want.” (Psalm 23)
I smiled. I had a
sense that Krishna was taking care of me and making the journey
easier. I found the bus to the Research Center also passes by the
Kolkata temple and only cost 7 rupees, and my 32:30-hour train
journey that had become 43:05 hours, due to delays, was behind me.
The Bhaktivedanta
Research Centre
When my friend,
Sthita-dhi Muni Prabhu shipped Sadaputa Prabhu’s research materials
to Hari Sauri Prabhu for the Bhaktivedanta Research Centre in
Kolkata, I never dreamed I would ever see them again, but I was
wrong. Hari Sauri Prabhu saw me in Mayapur and asked if I could help
go through the stuff. I allocated two days to do it, but I did not
realize it was nine big boxes.
Even by eliminating harinama and the evening program from my life and reducing reading, it still took seven days to do. I meditated on it as being service to the Vaishnavas, a highly recommended devotional activity, although not as immediately enjoyable to me as what I sacrificed, doing harinama in Mayapur.
Even by eliminating harinama and the evening program from my life and reducing reading, it still took seven days to do. I meditated on it as being service to the Vaishnavas, a highly recommended devotional activity, although not as immediately enjoyable to me as what I sacrificed, doing harinama in Mayapur.
It was odd seeing articles I had copied at libraries ten or twenty years before, with my handwriting documenting where they were obtained and how. There were also notes to Sadaputa Prabhu in my handwriting beginning with “Dear Prabhu,” and signed “kkd.” There was a file of articles I copied on multiple witness apparition cases, more evidence consistent with the Vedic world view, with its 400,000 human like species, including varieties of ghosts. There was an eight-inch stack of articles on biological transmutation, a phenomena where plants and animals produce chemical elements they do not ingest, effectively doing fusion reactions at low temperatures, combining sodium and oxygen to produce potassium, and the like. This phenomena occurs in the Vedic literature where the yogis combine bell metal and mercury to produce gold. Most physicists generally consider biological transmutation impossible but some have studied it. Srila Prabhupada would say that matter does not produce life, but life produces matter, and so it does, in ways only the most revolutionary scientists are discovering.
Acyuta Prabhu, the librarian at the Bhaktivedanta Research Centre library, who I worked with in organizing Sadaputa Prabhu’s materials, contributed to the library a large collection of books related to India which he had personally acquired over the years. Now he is happily situated doing as devotional service something he always loved, dealing with books. I thank him for the pictures of me at work.
I went to the
morning program in Gita Bhavan, which shares the building with the
Bhaktivedanta Research Centre.
Gita Bhavan is a small ashram of enthusiastic young men most having jobs and some studying, but all hoping to become full time residents of the Kolkata temple after their training is complete. Once Ananda Vardhana Prabhu from the Kolkata temple asked me to speak the morning class at Gita Bhavan. The topic was Indra and demigods being defeated because they had failed to respect their spiritual master, Brhaspati, while their demoniac enemies were victorious because they pleased their guru, Sukracarya. In the course of the discussion I emphasized how much Krishna is pleased simply by the endeavor to satisfy one’s guru, and I glorified Srila Prabhupada for satisfying his guru by his attempts to spread Krishna consciousness all over the world, which were a grand success. The devotees asked me about my guru, Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, and I spoke of his exemplary dedication to chanting japa, his affection for Srila Prabhupada, and his using his natural talent of writing in the Lord’s service in a big way, writing well over a hundred books.
Gita Bhavan is a small ashram of enthusiastic young men most having jobs and some studying, but all hoping to become full time residents of the Kolkata temple after their training is complete. Once Ananda Vardhana Prabhu from the Kolkata temple asked me to speak the morning class at Gita Bhavan. The topic was Indra and demigods being defeated because they had failed to respect their spiritual master, Brhaspati, while their demoniac enemies were victorious because they pleased their guru, Sukracarya. In the course of the discussion I emphasized how much Krishna is pleased simply by the endeavor to satisfy one’s guru, and I glorified Srila Prabhupada for satisfying his guru by his attempts to spread Krishna consciousness all over the world, which were a grand success. The devotees asked me about my guru, Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, and I spoke of his exemplary dedication to chanting japa, his affection for Srila Prabhupada, and his using his natural talent of writing in the Lord’s service in a big way, writing well over a hundred books.
Ayurveda and
Bhagavad-gita
Hari
Sauri Prabhu recommended one Vaishnava Ayurvedic doctor to me, Dr.
Pradyumna, and I spent part of one of my days in Kolkata visiting
him. As I glanced at the prescription Dr. Pradyumna gave me, the name of his clinic, Prasida, caught my attention.
I smiled and exclaimed,
“The word prasida
is
in Bhagavad-gita,
in
Chapter Eleven! It’s verse 25, I believe.” Struck with awe,
seeing the universal form of his friend, Lord Krishna, Arjuna offers
prayers and asks that the Lord be pleased with him. There Srila
Prabhupada translates the word prasida
as
“be pleased.” Dr. Pradyumna’s face lit up with happiness, and
he explained, “No cure is possible unless the Lord is pleased with
us. We get a disease because of our karma, and until our karma is
nullified, we cannot be cured. But who has the power to nullify our
karma? Only the Supreme Lord can do that! I can give people with the
same disease the same medicine, and one will be cured and one will
not. Thus only if the Lord is pleased with us, a cure can come.
Therefore, to remember this important point, I named my clinic,
Prasida.” I thanked him for his consultation and association and
left. I saw in the waiting room, a beautiful murti
(statue)
of Krishna playing the flute, wearing a fresh flower garland.
Overwhelmed by the two-hour Kolkata bus ride, I had missed it when I
entered. As I left to fill my prescription, I heard the Hare Krishna
mantra playing on the sound system.
To see the photos I did not include in this blog, click on the link below or copy it to your web browser (the unused photos follow the used ones):
https://picasaweb.google.com/103872792410945983719/TravelJournal106?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCN7w7KWWyuClhgE&feat=directlink
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
from
Sri Caitanya-caritmrita,
Adi-lila 13.39, purport:
A
person who is advanced in Krishna consciousness always feels
separation from Krishna because such a feeling of separation excels
the feeling of meeting Krishna. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in His last
twelve years of existence within this world at Jagannatha Puri,
taught the people of the world how, with a feeling of separation, one
can develop His dormant love of Krishna. Such feelings of separation
or meeting with Krishna
are different stages of love of Godhead. These feelings develop in
time when a person seriously engages in devotional service. The
highest stage is called prema-bhakti, but this stage is
attained by executing sadhana-bhakti. One should not try to
elevate himself artificially to the stage of prema-bhakti without
seriously following the regulative principles of sadhana-bhakti.”
from
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila
17.1, purport:
“Even
Christian priests are greatly surprised that all these boys from
Jewish and Christian families have joined this Krishna consciousness
movement; before joining, they never regarded any principles of
religion seriously, but now they have become sincere devotees of the
Lord. Everywhere people express this astonishment, and we take great
pride in the transcendental behavior of our students. Such wonders
are possible, however, only by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
They are not ordinary or mundane.”
from
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila
14.16, purport:
“Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s special mission is the deliverance of all
fallen souls in Kali-yuga. Devotees of Krishna must persistently seek
the favor and mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to become fit to
return home, back to Godhead.”
from
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila
14.18, purport:
“The
conclusion is that being the servant of the servants of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is the highest benediction one can desire.”
from
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila
14.45, purport:
“Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore advised the beggars to chant ‘Haribol!’
while taking prasadam.
Chanting means accepting one’s self as the eternal servant of
Krishna. This is the only solution, regardless of social position.
Everyone is suffering under the spell of maya;
therefore the best course is to learn how to get out of the clutches
of maya.
. . . Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised the beggars to chant the Hare
Krishna maha-mantra
for elevation to the transcendental position. On the transcendental
platform, there is no distinction between the rich, the middle class
and the poor.”
from
a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.2.19
given on August 22, 1972, in Los Angeles:
If one is Krishna
conscious, he will be free from lust and greed. That is the test.
If we engage in the
four sinful acts we will remain in darkness. By chanting 16 rounds we
will be fixed in goodness.
You have to come the
spiritual platform then there is the question of love for all beings.
Otherwise it is all bogus propaganda.
Inactivity and sleep
is ignorance. Activity for material gain is passion. Seeing things as
they are, “I am the eternal servant of the Lord, I should serve the
Lord” is goodness. And being fixed in the service of the Lord is
transcendental.
from
a lecture given on Brahma-samhita
5.35
in New York on July 31, 1971:
“That
is the Vedic way of understanding. We take knowledge from the
authority and do not bother unnecessarily speculating. We don’t
waste our time in that way. Our time is very valuable. Instead of
researching how Govinda enters into the atom, we chant Hare Krishna
and utilize our time in that way.”
“In
the beginning, if one is not fortunate enough to see Krishna although
He is sitting in this temple, let him see Krishna in these other
ways. If he’s not fortunate to come here and to see Krishna, take
prasada,
and dance in ecstasy, then let his unfortunate condition be
diminished by seeing Krishna in water, in sunshine, in moonshine, in
this and that.”
Satsvarupa
Dasa Goswami:
“Today’s
drawing shows three
devotees dancing and
chanting with
upraised arms.
There are only three
of
them, but they are
enthusiastic
and brave. Sometimes
it
is hard to convince
devotees
to
go out on harinama.
They are
disinterested or
the authorities
think there
are higher
priorities.
In Trinidad Agnideva
is the temple president,
and he personally
takes
the
devotees on harinama
for three hours. The
people
love it so much they
come
forward and give
donations without being asked.
In the early days of
the Movement
all the temples
would go out
every day. Now it
has
become mostly a
weekly affair.
I think Agnideva has
got
his priorities
right. Prabhupada said
if we are always
preaching,
management will be
at our fingertips.”
“Today’s
drawing shows four
devotees dancing and chanting
with upraised arms.
They are smiling and having
fun. In the early years of the Movement,
Prabhupada was challenged
by a critic, ‘What do your
devotees do for recreation?’
Prabhupada replied, ‘We are chanting
and dancing. We are taking
prasadam. Practically everything
we do is recreation. Can you name
something that is not recreation?’
He saw going out on harinama
as a great pleasure for devotees.
Early leaders like Vishnujana
Swami would take the
devotees out for many hours
a day. He tirelessly sang and
played the mrdanga.
We should remember Prabhupada’s
definition of Krishna consciousness as recreation
and participate in it in that spirit.”
devotees dancing and chanting
with upraised arms.
They are smiling and having
fun. In the early years of the Movement,
Prabhupada was challenged
by a critic, ‘What do your
devotees do for recreation?’
Prabhupada replied, ‘We are chanting
and dancing. We are taking
prasadam. Practically everything
we do is recreation. Can you name
something that is not recreation?’
He saw going out on harinama
as a great pleasure for devotees.
Early leaders like Vishnujana
Swami would take the
devotees out for many hours
a day. He tirelessly sang and
played the mrdanga.
We should remember Prabhupada’s
definition of Krishna consciousness as recreation
and participate in it in that spirit.”
“This morning’s drawing shows three
bhaktas dancing and chanting
with upraised arms.
They are smiling and happily moving.
Going on harinama is a
delightful experience. At first
a devotee may be reluctant,
thinking he is tired, or
he or she may be afraid they
will be mocked by the public.
But once they get out there
and sing with the group
the spiritual energy
takes over. The pleasure-
giving potency infuses one with
bliss, and Krishna gives courage
to endure any unfriendly
reception from the nondevotees.
The more regularly one goes
out one gains confidence
and wants to do it every day.”
“Sri
Stavamala by Rupa Goswami
Ballavendra, The
King of the Gopas
“May
Lord Murari, who with all propriety
made the young gopis mad with happiness
and who gave His intimate friendship
to one very fortunate gopi,
kill all your desires for anything but Him.”
made the young gopis mad with happiness
and who gave His intimate friendship
to one very fortunate gopi,
kill all your desires for anything but Him.”
“Aindra
Prabhu
wrote in his book that
harinama sankirtana
is the highest priority.
His conclusion is correct.
Lord Caitanya quoted the harer nama
verse from the Upanisads
that there is no other way,
no other way, no other way
to attain God-consciousness in the
Age of Kali, but the chanting of
the holy names, chanting the
holy names, chanting the holy names.
It is repeated three times
for emphasis. Those who
take this order submissively
on their heads and chant
Hare Krishna in the temple and
in public are obedient
servants of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
They please Him, and
their lives will become successful.”
wrote in his book that
harinama sankirtana
is the highest priority.
His conclusion is correct.
Lord Caitanya quoted the harer nama
verse from the Upanisads
that there is no other way,
no other way, no other way
to attain God-consciousness in the
Age of Kali, but the chanting of
the holy names, chanting the
holy names, chanting the holy names.
It is repeated three times
for emphasis. Those who
take this order submissively
on their heads and chant
Hare Krishna in the temple and
in public are obedient
servants of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
They please Him, and
their lives will become successful.”
“Devotees
who go out on
harinama wash away all
their maya and anxieties.
Some of them may be
hesitant to join at first,
but once they start
singing with the groups
their hearts are bathed
in bliss. The veterans are
more confident and know
that it will work every time.
They feel increased energy
each time they go out
and never want to
stop this sacred yajna.
They pray to the Lord
to give them strength,
health and facility to continue their steady service.
Krishna reciprocates and gives them
assurance: “Declare it boldly, Arjuna,
My devotee will never be vanquished.”
harinama wash away all
their maya and anxieties.
Some of them may be
hesitant to join at first,
but once they start
singing with the groups
their hearts are bathed
in bliss. The veterans are
more confident and know
that it will work every time.
They feel increased energy
each time they go out
and never want to
stop this sacred yajna.
They pray to the Lord
to give them strength,
health and facility to continue their steady service.
Krishna reciprocates and gives them
assurance: “Declare it boldly, Arjuna,
My devotee will never be vanquished.”
“Sri
Stavamala by Rupa Goswami
“Ballavendra,
The King of the Gopas, Verse
14
“O
Lord Mukunda, who has the power
to demand pure love for You,
the smallest sprout of a fragment
of which makes the sages’ hearts
that taste it at once dislike
the happiness of impersonal liberation,
my only prayer is that my desire
to attain that love may increase, birth after birth.”
to demand pure love for You,
the smallest sprout of a fragment
of which makes the sages’ hearts
that taste it at once dislike
the happiness of impersonal liberation,
my only prayer is that my desire
to attain that love may increase, birth after birth.”
“Harinama
brings happiness
to the heart. The holy name
is nondifferent from Krishna,
and He is sad-cid-ananda vigraha,
the eternal form of bliss and
knowledge. When you chant
Hare Krishna, Krishna is dancing
on your tongue. It is
no wonder the devotees
love to go on harinama.
They are associating with
Krishna through the transcendental
sound vibration. It
is said that between the personal form of Krishna
and His presence in His name,
the name form is more merciful.
Therefore everyone should take
shelter in chanting Hare Krishna.”
to the heart. The holy name
is nondifferent from Krishna,
and He is sad-cid-ananda vigraha,
the eternal form of bliss and
knowledge. When you chant
Hare Krishna, Krishna is dancing
on your tongue. It is
no wonder the devotees
love to go on harinama.
They are associating with
Krishna through the transcendental
sound vibration. It
is said that between the personal form of Krishna
and His presence in His name,
the name form is more merciful.
Therefore everyone should take
shelter in chanting Hare Krishna.”
Sivarama
Swami:
Srila
Prabhupada extensively quoted the verse “krishna-varnam
. . .”
in his books. The acaryas
also quoted it, and Lord Caitanya’s personal associates quoted it.
It is the most authoritative verse on Lord Caitanya. The principle
characteristic is He is “akrishna”
(golden) in complexion. And the secondary characteristic is that He
engages in sankirtana,
congregational
chanting of the holy name of the Lord.
“Uddhava-gita”
glorifies devotional service even more than Bhagavad-gita.
Srila
Prabhupada would always quote from Garga Muni’s statement in
Krishna’s name giving ceremony that Krishna had come in white and
red forms, and will soon come in a yellow form.
Although He was
akrishna (nonblackish) in complexion, when Lord Caitanya as a
child played with the cooking pots, he again became blackish from the
soot.
Srila
Prabhupada explained the members of the Krishna consciousness
movement as astras
(weapons)
of Lord Caitanya. By their service, they also become His associates.
Danavir
Goswami:
Brahmanas
have all good qualities, such as truthfulness, self-control, austerity, etc., and
therefore, they should be followed.
Modern intellectuals
who do not have these good qualities are not actually qualified to
teach.
If we can speak what
we have learned from our spiritual master, that is our perfection.
The Krishna
consciousness movement is pointing out that Krishna is Supreme
Personality of Godhead, and therefore, His instructions should be
followed by everyone.
People do not know
about Krishna, and therefore, they do not accept Him. It is our duty
to inform them about Him. If one knows about Him, one will come to
love Him.
Because Krishna is
great, if one follows Krishna he becomes great, and if one is the
follower of a follower of Krishna, he becomes great.
God is not very
popular now because spiritual activities are not very popular, and
God is always trying to engage people in spiritual activities.
Celibacy is one example.
Why is Christ great?
He followed God and told others to follow him. Srila Prabhupada is
great for the same reason.
You can become a
messiah very easily just by following the spiritual instructions you
have received and teaching them to others.
The chanting will
give us love of God, if we keep ourselves without sin by following
the four rules [no meat eating, no illicit sex, no intoxication, and
no gambling].
Ananta Shanti
Prabhu, the first Russia devotee, heard from Srila Prabhupada for a
few hours, and he told others what he learned and now there are
thousands of devotees in Russia.
People are desiring
to do good for the world, but if they do not have knowledge, what
good will they do?
Kubja was not
saintly being a servant of the demoniac Kamsa, but by Krishna’s
association she became pure.
When I was drafted
into the Israeli Army, I argued, “If I go into the Army I will
preach, and all the people will become devotees, and that is not what
you want, is it?” They agreed but sent me to the Army anyway to
show that even if you are a Hare Krishna leader, you still must spend
time in the Army.
I never learned
Hebrew so I did not know what the army officer was talking about in
his lecture, but it looked like he was showing where you must aim
your gun to kill someone. I raised my hand, and they were very happy
to see I had a question because I was almost always silent. I said,
“You appear to be showing the place to fire a gun to kill someone.
Is that true?” The officer responded affirmatively. Then I asked,
“When you kill someone, do you kill their body or do you kill their
soul?” That question baffled the officer, and he went back and
forth on it. After his talk, he came up to me, and we had a nice
discussion about the difference between the body and the soul.
Q [by Pancagauda
Prabhu]: The preaching in America is not apparently going so nicely
as in the past. Why is that?
A: Because you from
America have come to other places. That is my answer.
Prahladananda
Swami:
Everything should be
done to please Krishna.
According to our
intelligence, our mind follows.
Everyone is looking
for people to love them. No one is looking for people to hate them.
We cannot serve
Krishna unless we see how everything is connected with Him.
Our speech must
awaken transcendence awareness in those who hear us so it must be
truthful, not agitating, pleasing, beneficial, and following the
scriptural conclusions.
Our safest situation
is when we think that we have no idea what to say and we look toward
Krishna, and He advises us what to say. If we are too familiar, we
think ‘I know what to say,’ and often we do not say things that
actually benefit others.
My temple president
described being in the garden in Los Angeles with Srila Prabhupada, and
how he made the atmosphere just like the spiritual world.
We
are not here to enjoy the holy name, prasadam,
and
the devotees, but to appreciate these things in such a way that we
are inspired to share the mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu with others.
Q by Bhaktisiddhanta
Swami: Is there spiritual sense gratification that causes you to not
remember Krishna?
A: Krishna in
Bhagavad-gita 6.20–23 describes pleasure experienced through
transcendental senses. We should fill our senses with Krishna’s
form, Krishna’s pastimes, etc.
Q
by Bhaktisiddhanta Swami: Suppose I put my tilaka
on
like this, I hold my danda,
like
this, but I have lost my taste.
A:
Yes. That is because you are thinking in terms of “I” and “my.”
It is nice to put your tilaka
on
like this and hold your danda
like
this, but not do to it for yourself, but to do it to please your
spiritual master and to please Krishna.
For now we are
trying to find receptive people and give them Krishna consciousness
as we have received it.
Bhakti
Vijnana Swami:
Because Bangladesh
is a Moslem country and not so influenced by Western culture, the
culture is much like during Lord Caitanya’s time. Devaki dd [who
preaches in Bangladesh] considers this an arrangement by the Lord to
preserve that culture.
Srivasa
Thakura did not do anything in his life except read
Srimad-Bhagavatam.
If
someone is as pure as Srivasa Thakura one will find all his needs taken
care of by the Lord.
The
rich pandits
[intellectuals]
of Navadvipa did not like Srivasa Pandit because he did not sell
knowledge like they did. They even talked about pushing his house
into the Ganges.
Simplicity was the
most striking quality of Srivasa Thakura. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
Thakura considered that simplicity is a principal quality of a
Vaishnava. Without having simplicity, we cannot accept Krishna as He
is.
Lord Caitanya was
worshiped by everyone in Navadvipa because of His knowledge.
Srivasa Pandit
addressed Lord Caitanya, “O crest jewel of arrogant people, what is
the use of all your scholarship if you do not become a devotee of
Krishna?” Lord Caitanya smiled and said, “If you pray that I
become a devotee of Krishna, because you are a devotee of Krishna,
someday I will also become a devotee of Lord Krishna.” And so it
was.
The
materialistic pandits
of
Navadvipa blamed Srivasa Thakura for Lord Caitanya becoming a
devotee.
Everyone connected
with Srivasa Thakura became a devotee. Lord Caitanya revealed his
form as Krishna to Srivasa Thakura’s drunken, meat-eating Muslim
tailor who subsequently became a mendicant sannyasi who always
chanted “Hare Krishna.”
Srivasa Thakura’s
complete faith in the divinity of Lord Caitanya as Krishna Himself
made him among the greatest associates of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Only by the mercy of
the Lord or His devotee, can one understand that Lord Caitanya is the
Supreme Lord Himself.
Bhakti
Brhad Bhagavatamrita Swami:
Srila Prabhupada
wanted to travel to the U.S.A. one last time at the very end of his
life.
Even at the Manor
two or three months before he left this world, he inquired from
Balabhadra Prabhu about extending his residency in the U.S.A.
Srila
Prabhupada said he wanted to live a little longer to make everything
more perfect. When Tamal Krishna Goswami inquired how, Prabhupada
expressed he wanted to go to Gitanagari and teach devotees to live
according to varnasrama
dharma.
When
asked if it was a necessity for a sannyasi
to
go though the previous three ashramas,
and
Prabhupada replied that it was normal but not necessary.
He
explained that brahmanas
go
through all the four ashramas,
the
ksatriyas, through
the first three, vaishyas,
through
the first two, and the sudras
just
the grhastha
ashrama.
The
ashramas
regulate sense enjoyment, especially for those who are not able to
chant sixteen rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra or give up meat
eating, illicit sex, intoxication, and gambling.
For
one who is brahmana,
chanting sixteen rounds and giving up sinful activities is required.
He would be expected to go to mangala
arati, while
the ksatriyas,
vaishya, and
sudras would
not. The other
divisions
would
appreciate the brahmanas
greater
spiritual commitment and would follow their instructions.
Q:
People ask me about their children, who do not feel inclined to chant
japa or
come to the temple. What to do?
A: It requires a
village or a community to bring up children. If that is not there, it
will be difficult, but if you keep your heart open to them, even if
they do something wrong, they will understand they can always turn to
you for help, and they will progress.
When
a mother explained to Srila Prabhupada it was difficult to follow the
morning program. He replied, “You must do two things in the
morning. Chant your sixteen rounds and hear Srimad-Bhagavatam.”
If
communities come forward and support financially couples who are
vanaprasthas, then
these couples can be free to act as brahmanas
for
their communities.
Whose
responsibility to create farm communities?
You
can say it is everyone’s responsibility, but then who will take
responsibility? Actually it is the grhasthas
responsibility.
The sannyasis can
only give guidance.
A
grhastha could
buy a farm, and demonstrate by his own example how live by farming.
The
main point is if people can identify those who are qualified as
brahmanas, respect
them and follow their instructions, then progress will be there.
Pancagauda
Prabhu:
We have to increase
our taste for the holy name.
Chanting sixteen
rounds is the minimum dosage for chanting the holy name so we do not
relapse into materialism.
As in an army, you
cannot refuse an order because it comes from a mere commander and not
the commander-in-chief, similarly in spiritual life we must also
follow the authorized representatives of the spiritual master.
We are thinking the
more we can accumulate the happier we will be. One presidential
candidate in the U.S.A. had about 12 houses. During an interview, he
could not recall the actual number.
We live in a culture
where we name our children after names of Krishna, and thus our
attachment to them can cause us to remember Krishna.
Repeated chanting of
the holy name, the association of devotees, and following the
principles of the scriptures will give us the intelligence to not
throw the dirt of offenses upon us after we bathe in purifying waters
of the holy name.
If we genuinely want
help advancing in spiritual life, Krishna will provide help.
If you have faith in
your doctor, you just take your medicine, and you become cured.
Abhiram
Prabhu:
from a car
conversation:
Rajasthan and
Gujarat are the best states in India in many ways, culturally, in
terms of cow protection, educationally, and spiritually.
In Jaipur people
walk barefoot 5 km to see the deity Govindaji, even the rich ones.
from a restaurant
conversation:
Tamal Krishna
Goswami was half Jewish and half Catholic. It is hard to imagine more
different influences. Srila Prabhupada said that Jews became devotees
because they were intelligent, and that Catholics became devotees
because they were pious.
Q: What happened to
Vishnujana Swami?
A:
He committed suicide. While preaching at a festival, he was talking
with a hippie women who invited him to spend some time with her, and
that idea stuck in his mind, although he did not act on it. He was so
absorbed in spiritual activities since he had taken sannyasa,
thoughts
like that had not disturbed his mind before, and he felt he had
fallen from the strict standard of sannyasa
life.
He inquired from Srila Prabhupada if committing suicide, as Chota
Haridasa had done, was the proper way of atoning for falling down
from sannyasa.
Srila
Prabhupada answered affirmatively, considering that Chota Haridasa
had done the right thing and not anticipating that suicide was on
Vishnujana Swami’s mind. Early the next day my godbrother Sridhara
Prabhu, who is in Australia now, said he saw Vishnujana Swami
intently chanting japa
on
the roof of the Lotus Building. Vishnujana Swami said to him, “In
our spiritual life, we must be real.” That is the last thing anyone
heard him say. He was not at mangala-arati.
Bhagavata
Prabhu saw him at the Krishnanagar train station and called to him
across the tracks in a voice he was sure he could hear, but he did
not turn back. Some brahmanas,
who
were shown his picture, said they recognized him, and that he had
paid them to wrap his body in chains and throw him in the confluence
of the three sacred rivers at Prayag. Srila Prabhupada was sorry when
he heard about it, saying that he did not have to do that. The
important part of the story to consider is how elevated Vishnujana
Swami was, being completely absorbed in Krishna consciousness for so
many years, that he considered a little material attachment to be a
serious deviation.
Louis
Pasteur:
from a quote found
in Sadaputa Prabhu’s files:
“Posterity
will one day laugh
at the foolishness of modern materialistic philosophers. The more I
study nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator. I
pray while I am engaged in my work at the laboratory.” (The
Literary Digest, October
18, 1902)
-----
Because I was in Vrindavan, which is a facsimile of Lord Krishna’s abode in this world, I was inspired to include this verse by Lord Brahma which describes the original abode of Lord Krishna.
sriyah
kantah kantah parama-purushah kalpa-taravo
druma
bhumis cintamani-gana-mayi toyam amritam
katha
ganam natyam gamanam api vamsi priya-sakhi
cid-anandam
jyotih param api tad asvadyam api ca
sa
yatra kshirabdhih sravati surabhibhyas ca sumahan
nimesardhakhyo
va vrajati na hi yatrapi samayah
bhaje
svetadvipam tam aham iha golokam iti yam
vidantas
te santah kshiti-virala-carah katipaye
“I
worship that transcendental seat, known as Svetadvipa where as loving
consorts the Laksmis in their unalloyed spiritual essence practice
the amorous service of the Supreme Lord Krishna as their only lover;
where every tree is a transcendental purpose tree; where the soil is
the purpose gem, all water is nectar, every word is a song, every
gait is a dance, the flute is the favorite attendant, effulgence is
full of transcendental bliss and the supreme spiritual entities are
all enjoyable and tasty, where numberless milk cows always emit
transcendental oceans of milk; where there is eternal existence of
transcendental time, who is ever present and without past or future
and hence is not subject to the quality of passing away even for the
space of half a moment. That realm is known as Goloka only to a very
few self-realized souls in this world.” (Brahma-samhita 5.56)