Diary
of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 10, No. 15
By Krishna-kripa das
(August 2014, part one)
By Krishna-kripa das
(August 2014, part one)
Polish
and Czech Woodstocks, Czech Padayatra, Ancient Trance Festival,
Leipzig Ratha-yatra, Bratislava, and Prague
(Sent from Brooklyn, New York, on September 19, 2014)
Leipzig Ratha-yatra, Bratislava, and Prague
(Sent from Brooklyn, New York, on September 19, 2014)
The
end of July and beginning of August was the time of the Polish
Woodstock festival where many, many, tens of thousands of people came
in touch with Krishna sound and Krishna food. After the Polish
Woodstock I crossed practically the entire Czech Republic four times
in two weeks, first going to travel with the Czech padayatra
to obscure villages in the extreme southeastern part of that country,
chanting for hours a day with them and doing an evening program in
different towns. Then I went to the Ancient the Festival in Taucha,
Germany, just north of Leipzig, where devotees based in Leizpig share
kirtana with the people each
night. In the middle of that was the Leipzig Ratha-yatra. Then
I traveled across Czech Republic to Bratislava, Slovakia, to do
harinama and talk about Vedic
cosmology. After that I went to Prague for a harinama and
evening program on the way to Trutnov Open Air Music Festival
(Czech Woodstock), where Guru Das Prabhu was our senior guest for the
third year. My visit to Czech ended with Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa
Puja Day at the Czech farm with guests Guru Das Prabhu and Kadamba
Kanana Swami.
I
share notes from Srila Prabhupada’s lectures and a quote from his
books. I have quotes from Narottama Dasa Thakura’s
Prema-bhakti-candrika. I have
incredibly beautiful realizations from Indradyumna Swami about
sharing Krishna at the Polish Woodstock festival, and other valuable
realizations from other senior devotees who assist him. I share
beautiful stories revealing Srila Prabhupada’s charming qualities
told with affection by Guru Das Prabhu. I
share notes on Vyasa Puja offerings from Prabhupada disciples and
Kadamba Kanana Swami at the Czech farm. I also have notes on a great
class by Trilokatma Prabhu, a senior Czech devotee, and notes on a
class by Jivananda Prabhu, a Slovakian book distributor.
I
lost many of my pictures of this time period when I lost my camera
card in Brussels in August before I had copied all of them on to my
computer. I just have the few videos I took and a few special
pictures, specifically those of people who met me in different
places, those of people I distributed books to on Janmastami, and
those from the opening of the Trutnov Open Air Music Festival, with
the Hare Krishnas and the Christians together on stage.
I thank Vishnujana Prabhu for his photos of Czech Padayatra, Trutnov, and the Leipzig Ratha-yatra, Surya Kunda, Syama Sakti, Patrycja Siva, and Victoria Davydova for their pictures of the Polish Woodstock, and Der Fahrende Tempel for their photos of the Ancient Trance Festival and Leipzig Ratha-yatra, Asta Ivaškevičiūtė and Krishna Tempel Leipzig for their photos of Leipzig Ratha-yatra, and Dina Vatsala Prabhu for his picture of Kasturi Manjari dd.
I thank Nanda Kumar Prabhu and Punya Palaka Prabhus for their kind donations, the Bhakti Loka devotees for funding my trip to Bratislava, and the Czech Padayatra devotees for the prasadam snacks for my trip.
I thank Vishnujana Prabhu for his photos of Czech Padayatra, Trutnov, and the Leipzig Ratha-yatra, Surya Kunda, Syama Sakti, Patrycja Siva, and Victoria Davydova for their pictures of the Polish Woodstock, and Der Fahrende Tempel for their photos of the Ancient Trance Festival and Leipzig Ratha-yatra, Asta Ivaškevičiūtė and Krishna Tempel Leipzig for their photos of Leipzig Ratha-yatra, and Dina Vatsala Prabhu for his picture of Kasturi Manjari dd.
I thank Nanda Kumar Prabhu and Punya Palaka Prabhus for their kind donations, the Bhakti Loka devotees for funding my trip to Bratislava, and the Czech Padayatra devotees for the prasadam snacks for my trip.
Polish Woodstock
in General
People are coming
earlier every year, and the Hare Krishnas are the only ones there at
that time. Chaturatma Prabhu says the people he has talked to say
many people come early just to spend time with the devotees.,
Many of the early
comers were happy to see the devotees and danced with us, and later things really took off.
The first two days, I distributed invitations to our Krishna’s Village of Peace.
Sometimes I would dance at the same time.
The last two days we did not have invitations to our Krishna camp to pass out. Perhaps the organizers felt everyone knew about it from the first three days of flyer distribution. I had Polish mantra cards with me, and I decided to give them to people were dancing with us or pulling the cart. By the second day I had developed a strategy of showing the onlookers, who were helping to pull the Ratha-yatra cart, the mantra card and pointing to the words as we were saying them. I would do that three times during the response part of the kirtana, inducing them to respond. Then I would give them the cards, and the most fortunate ones kept singing. Then I would go on to the next person.
As
usual many people pulled the cart, danced, sang, and took the
maha-prasadam we
distributed with great pleasure.
You can see some of
the dancing in this series of video clips
(http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xL3YF3-ljne-TGRgrat18Zc):
Many people enjoyed
dancing with us in the Mantra Yoga tent.
We
started in the late afternoon. In the beginning, there were just a
few people participating, but they did so with great pleasure
(http://youtu.be/sqyb5BGVTS8).
As
time went on, more people would join in. Aditi Duhkhaha Prabhu, who
is a popular kirtana
leader at the Ukraine festival, chanted at the Mantra Yoga tent at
the Polish Woodstock for the first time and got many people dancing
(http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xL6FIUlzeVMVTG3xM_DO1Ct).
Acyuta
Gopi sang very lively tunes that were easy to follow, and many people
danced and some chanted as well
(http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xLSRTQYUO_gO05mgVVpUk3F).
Badahari
Das Prabhu sang sweet tunes with great devotion and many people
danced
(http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xKtePz6b4qC3DrF-LixsDfx).
Of
course, it is always extra special when Indradyumna Swami, the
inspiration behind our whole Krishna’s Village of Peace festival at
the Polish Woodstock, sings himself (http://youtu.be/Zyo5s1nmrxs).
Madhava
Prabhu was usually our last singer of the evening, singing for over
two hours, and ending sometime around 2 a.m. It was great to hear him
and see the influence of his chanting on the crowd
(http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xLfO_rfjxLiZjU7Ti9CZK_S).
We
started chanting at our Mantra Yoga tent a day earlier than
previously. We had kirtana
from
7:00 p.m. to almost midnight. The devotees were not planning to chant
so late the first night, but the audience was very enthusiastic for
us to continue, asking always for one more song.
One young man wanted
to talk to me. He learned some spiritual practice involving many
gods. I explained there was one supreme God. He was upset that his
wife broke up with him. I explained that our relationships in this
world are not perfect. I suggested before pursuing another girl, he
should try to advance spiritually.
One girl found the
chanting had a good effect on her mind, and wanted to know more about
it.
At
least a couple people asked how they could join. I encouraged them to
buy some books and chant, and I asked where they were from, to tell
them of a temple or a nama-hatta
in
their area.
One guy said he saw
me every year for five years at Woodstock and once at Rewal at our
Festival of India on the Baltic coast.
One guy has seen me
every year since the Woodstock in Zary in 2002, and was happy to
encounter me again.
Many people were
happy to get mantra cards.
One girl who lives
near Wroclaw was happy to take an invitation to the temple.
Badahari
Prabhu said the people up front by the stage were all chanting. At
one point he had one side of the crowd chant the lead and the other
chant the response. It was amazing to see the participation. The
devotees tried to end the kirtana
early
the first night, but when they stopped, the people started chanting
Hare Krishna to a melody of their own. I was thinking that for most
of them, this was the first time they had chanted with the devotees
for a whole year, so it is no wonder that those who were touched by
the experience in previous years would be eager to do it again,
especially after such a long separation.
One
guy who stayed until the end of one evening kirtana
wanted
me to thank everyone in the band for him for he wonderfully
appreciated the atmosphere created by the music. I told him by
chanting the mantra himself, he could create such a spiritual
atmosphere. However, he was brought up as a Catholic and developed a
distaste for the idea of a supreme being, so he was not so inclined
to explore the philosophy behind the wonderful experience.
At
the end of Madhava Prabhu’s kirtana,
one
girl wanted me to teach her a dance step.
I
met two parties from Saxony (Sakschen) in Germany, who loved the
spiritual atmosphere and one of which was led by a girl who was
curious about the philosophy. I gave them German mantra
cards
with the contact details for the Leipzig temple and told them we were
going to do a festival on August 9 there in Leipzig with the cart,
which I pointed to, with singing, dancing, drama, and free vegetarian
food. Perhaps they will come.
The
third night I did not bring enough mantra cards, and so I danced the
last half hour or so. During Madhava Prabhu’s kirtana
at
the end it was wonderful to see the intensity of the dancing. The
wooden floor was visibly vibrating when the people were jumping up
and down at the same time.
While
giving out mantra
cards
to people who had been dancing at our tent as they leaving, when the
people were not too much in a hurry to be on their way, I would chant
the mantra with them along with the response part of kirtana.
Then
I would smile and said, “Dobrze! [Very good!]” In at least three
cases, instead of continuing on their way out, they went back in the
tent and continued dancing.
In
the late afternoon, when the kirtana
in
the mantra yoga tent was just beginning, there were just four girls
dancing up front, and me dancing at the rear. A new girl came up and
decided to follow my dance step, then a few people began to follow
and we had about seven. The others gradually left and that first girl
danced a while longer. I talked to her afterward, and learned she was
brought up as a Catholic, but was not satisfied with that and was
exploring other religions. She said she went to the questions and
answers tent and was impressed with what was said. She said she was
from Bialastok, and I pointed out that one of the four girls dancing
in front, Patricja. was also from Bialastok, and she could inform her
about our programs there. She expressed interested in that but the
friends she was with wanted to leave, and I never saw her again. I
gave her my card, and if she writes me I will attempt to connect her
again with Patricja.
Although
most of the German people I talked to were either from Berlin or
Saxony, just a bit to the south, I met one party from near Frankfurt.
I explained to her that we have a farm just two hours by train from
Frankfurt, and that we have a our biggest festival coming up on
August 17. They took a picture of the contact details from a flyer
the German devotees produced which has brief description of
bhakti-yoga, as
well as all contact information for all the temples in Germany and
the other German speaking regions of Europe.
I talked to a man
who had visited our Hare Krishna temple in Zurich years ago, and who
said the Hare Krishnas had the best food in the world.
A
new girl who came for the first time said she had three meals with us
each day, and she found the food was better and better each time. I
rejoiced hear of her great faith and love for prasadam.
During
the Woodstock each year, Isabela of Kostrzyn invites friends stay at
her family’s home in Kostrzyn, although she lives in Wroclaw now.
She always brings her friends to our camp for the prasadam,
spiritual
food. She said she just had three friends stay this time, since when
she had twelve stay it was too chaotic. It reminded me of how aging
makes us less adventurous in that way.
All
the devotees were saying that people were are getting more
appreciative each year. People were more inclined to shake hands,
slap hands, and even embrace the devotees, than before. So many
people danced with us in the kirtanas
with
great happiness. Many chanted with joy. Some seemed to realize the
more you put into it, the better it was.
One girl asked what
drug we were on, and I explained that we were happy from chanting the
mantra because it was a spiritual sound vibration. She responded, “Is
the idea that you are so happy from the chanting that you do not feel
the need to take any drug?” I replied, “Yes. You got it.” I was
very happy she understood. It is a simple point, but a lot of people
are so materially attached they cannot understand it.
Many people could
understand there was some special energy in our Mantra Yoga tent. We
would mention the spiritual energy when we explained the word “Hare”
in the mantra. There is a spiritual energy the helps us to connect
with God and a material energy that distances us from God. When we
chant “Hare” we are calling to the spiritual energy to connect
with God, Krishna.
After the Polish
Woodstock, from the point of view of your body and mind, you are
wiped out and are glad it is over, but from the spiritual point of
view, you are sad it has come to an end, you feel affection for the
others who shared the experience with you, and you look forward to
next year for another opportunity to be an instrument in giving a
higher taste of spiritual consciousness to thousands of people every
day.
As it has been for
the last 14 years, it was very fulfilling to see so many people
happily coming in touch with the spiritual energy, and it was very
fulfilling to be part of a very amazing team of devotees of different
ages, different races, different nationalities, and different
backgrounds, all cooperating together for the spiritual benefit of
all those they contacted.
Thanks to Indradyuma
Swami, and his leaders like Jayatam, Nandini, and Rasikendra Prabhus,
and all those who played a part in the great sacrifice.
Harinama at the
Train Station
I
was very happy that Syama Rasa and Vishnu Puri Prabhus were very
enthusiastic about coming on harinama
with
me at the train station in Kostrzyn the day after the Woodstock,
where many, many hundreds of people were waiting for trains to
different parts of Poland. Some of the people there were very happy
to encounter the jolly Hare Krishnas once more before returning home.
Some of them happily danced, sometimes in a circle around the
chanting party. Many people reached out to receive the mantra cards I
would show them as we passed. Devotees who were going to the train
station on the way to their homes joined us briefly.
We felt Lord
Caitanya blessed us for taking the trouble to go out and benefit the
people even in our exhausted state. One devotee said he felt a burden
of sin lifted from him. They all thanked me for inducing them to go
out and chant.
Harinama on the
Train to Poznan
I was hoping to
catch a ride with some devotees to avoid having to ride the crowded
Polish trains after the Woodstock and to avoid paying for the less
crowded but expensive German ones, but all I could do was hope. Even
though I took the train the two days after Woodstock, there were
still no seats. In fact, I could see that the queue to buy tickets
was so long I would miss my train, so I got on the train and bought
the ticket on board.
On
the train someone who plays in a band asked about my harmonium, and I
used the opportunity to play and sing five Hare Krishna mantras. I
could see a couple of the guys were into the chanting, and I later
said if they would sing along, we could video it. The guy who played
in the band volunteered to record the video, but because he was most
enthusiastic, I said he should sing, and I found someone else to take
the video (http://youtu.be/TSAEDUKIRSg).
I was still a little
spaced from the festival, and I realized later that I should have
passed out cards with the mantra and sang it responsively as we
usually do. Tiredness really decreases the quality of my service and
my appreciation of practically everything.
Both
my friends who organize and those who participate in the Czech
Padayatra invited me to come this year. I had some time between the
Polish and Czech Woodstocks, so it worked out. I had hoped to spend
three or four days there, but because several potential rides from
Kostrzyn, the place of the Polish Woodstock, fell through, and I had
to unexpectedly take the train, thus I only had two and a half days
on padayatra.
Still it was worth it.
Lord
Caitanya predicted that his holy name would be chanted in every town
and village of the world, and we sometimes wonder how that will
practically happen. Padayatra
is
an important way we can see this could happen. Almost every day the
devotees and their ox cart go to a new town or village, and sometimes
they chant through other villages on the way. Through padayatra,
people
get to experience the three main gifts of the Hare Krishna movement,
the chanting of the holy name, the tasting of vegetarian food offered
to Krishna, and the philosophy of the Vedic literature. Most of these
people rarely go to the larger cities, like Prague, where devotees
have a temple, chant on the street at least twice weekly and where
there about seven Hare Krishna restaurants. Thus padayatra
brings
many people in touch with Krishna who would otherwise miss out. Thus
I think that these devotees, lead by Muni Priya Prabhu, will get so
much mercy from Lord Caitanya for performing that wonderful service.
On the way to Kyjov,
the place of the padayatra, I chanted for an hour or so at
Usti nad Orlici, a small city where I changed trains. One young boy
who was with his mother gave me a small donation, and then stopped a
little ways away, desiring to listen and not continue on his journey.
After a while, his mom convinced him to continue. Sometimes you
encounter people in tiny out of the way places who have some
attraction to the chanting.
I
was sad I missed the day’s padayatra,
but
the devotees did a harinama
after
lunch to advertise their evening program the next day, so as it
turned out, counting the harinama
in
the middle of my journey, I ended up doing three hours of harinama
on
the first day as well. We had nine devotees chanting and five
distributing books. As it was late in the day and most shops had
closed, often there would more book distributors in the street than
people.
The Czech book
distributors are very enthusiastic. They try to never miss an
opportunity to distribute a book. They would even approach bus
drivers, from one side of the bus, or the other.
Last
year they did 1,300 books on the whole padayatra,
but
this year they had already done 1,700 books when I joined them, and
they still had several days to go. By the end they had exceeded the
quota they strove for this year..
Padayatra
has
another nice feature beyond harinama
and
that is that the deities of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda come
along. It is Their desire that the chanting be spread to every town
and village, and Their visual presence is a reminder of that.
They
stay outside on Their cart at night, and their pujari,
Lila
Mohini dresses them warmly. The sides of the cart are also covered to
keep the wind and cold out.
Muni Priya Prabhu
has been organizing the party for many years, and his son, who is now
initiated as Nrsimha Caitanya Dasa, assists him. The party seems to
run very smoothly.
The
second day we did five hours of harinama
where
we were going to have the evening program. One young man danced a bit
with us on harinama,
and
later came to the evening program. There he participated in kirtana
and
purchased a book. As we would chanting enroute to the next town the
next day, he also spent a little time with our chanting party.
Muni
Priya Prabhu asked me to speak briefly about their “Peace Walk.”
I explained that on the material plane we have many differences. Some
people are strong, some are weak, some are intelligent, some are not
so intelligent. We have different races, genders, and nationalities.
Even religion, which is meant to bring us together as children of one
divine father, because of sectarianism, has become just another thing
to divide us. Although different religions and philosophies describe
us as all equal on the spiritual plane, generally we are offered no
clear way of attaining practical realization of this truth. In our
padayatra, our
walking festival, we share with people three powerful spiritual
activities that can help us to attain that spiritual plane where we
experience all living entities, whether they be plants, animals, or
human beings, to be children of one supreme spiritual father, and on
which we can live in peace. These are the chanting of the Hare
Krishna, study of the ancient Vedic literature, and tasting of food
that is offered to God in devotion, In this way, we help to bring the
people we meet to the spiritual plane, beyond our superficial
differences which become the causes of conflict. We invite you to
participate in these activities and get some experience of this
truth.
The
day we did the evening program in Kyjov, the local TV station did a
story on the padayatra.
If
you know the Czech language or have someone to interpret it for you,
you may like to see it at this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3HXYoMciyc#t=269
It includes a brief interview with me in which I praise the
enthusiasm of the Czech devotees for doing the event steadily.
The
third day we walked to a new city, Milotice, chanting for four and a
quarter hours on the way, and we had an evening program there. As the
evening program was at a different location than the school where we
stayed, we took the ox cart to and from the evening program, and I
led a kirtana each
way.
The
evening program consists of three or four kirtana
segments,
two or three bharat
natyam dances,
and a drama, “Liquid Beauty.” They give out gifts to those in the
audience who participate most in the kirtana,
like
incense, pictures of Krishna, pictures of Srila Prabhupada, a picture
of a horse, (there is a horse in the drama), and books.
One girl very
happily showed her mom the picture of Krishna she won.
One older lady
started moving her hands as if dancing while sitting on the bench.
Later she got up and actually danced. At the end, she donated all
kinds of vegetables from her garden.
People have a good
time, hear and often also chant the holy name, and hear a little
philosophy. At the beginning there were about 40 attenders in
Milotice and at the height there may have been 55 people. An
attendance of 80 is not uncommon for the evening programs and is
considered a good evening.
I
appreciate that the Czech devotees let me sing on the harinamas,
let me give
the morning class, and let me give a lecture during the evening
program, and thus I felt that I contributed something to the event. I
am not so interested in just attending events for the sake of
attending them. I like to make a contribution. Sometimes I go to some
program, and even though I am the most senior person there, the
leaders prefer to assign all the kirtanas
and
all the classes to others. I would rather go to places where the
people think I have something to contribute. I do not think my
contribution is greater than others. I just want to have the
opportunity to share something, and just do my quota of the talking
and the singing.
I
am not a very charitable person, because I appreciated their program,
I gave donations to the Czech padayatra,
once
when I left them, and then on Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa Puja day as
I ended my final visit to Czech Republic.
Ancient Trance
Festival
I
went to the Ancient Trance Festival in Taucha, near Leipzig, for the
second year. Sadbhuja Prabhu and a group of devotees from Germany
regularly attend that event. They set up a yurt and have a campfire,
and sing kirtana
and
tell spiritual stories late into the evening. They also give the
people prasadam
halavah or
sweets from the restaurant.
What I liked most about it was seeing how
new people were very enthusiastic to chant and dance. Generally the
people at that event are open to esoteric knowledge and are more
receptive to hearing new ideas and trying new practices than at the
concerts we go to.
There
I met two people I had just seen the week before at the Polish
Woodstock, a girl from Belgium, and a boy from Germany. To Femke, the
girl, who took prasadam
with
us at Ancient Trance Festival and was next visiting Prague, I gave an
invitation to our restaurant there.
I
was happy to learn that the Govinda catering business in Leipzig
is now also a Govinda restaurant. They have three drivers, and people can
order prasadam on
the phone and have it delivered to their place, which is especially
popular on lazy Sundays and rainy days. Five devotees, headed by
Pradyumna Prabhu, work together on that business, and it is very
stable. They catered the Ancient Trance Festival, and I was always
happy to eat what they had made. Their vegan bread spread and their
two pasta sauces were especially nice. Their granola bar sweets were
also very tasty.
Leipzig
Ratha-yatra
In
the middle of the Ancient Trance festival, was the Leipzig
Ratha-yatra.
Kadamba Kanana Swami added a lot to the kirtana in the procession, chanting both at the beginning and also at the end.
Kadamba Kanana Swami added a lot to the kirtana in the procession, chanting both at the beginning and also at the end.
I
talked to a couple of onlookers who had encountered Hare Krishna but
never Ratha yatra before. They followed the procession and soon
became caught up in the chanting and dancing. I encouraged some of
the local devotees to talk with them.
The
route was in a crowded section of the market area and was better than
previous years. Augustusplatz, the place of the stage show, was also
a superior venue.
At
the beginning their were few devotees, and I hoped more people would
come from the German Kirtan Mela. Apparently people were give the
chance to sign up for buses to the event, but no buses were
organized. Still, by the end many devotees were participating and
many people were attracted.
Bratislava
Apparently
neither the devotees nor the other residents of Bratislava are
enthusiastic to go out in public when it rains. I could not relate to
rain as a reason to cancel harinama,
especially
after living so many months in the often rainy England, and so I took
the tram downtown and chanted by myself at a tram stop sheltered from
the rain, for an hour and twenty minutes.
One guy kicked my
donation basket, scattering the coins I had placed in it, and showing
disgust at the thought of helping me pick up the coins, continued on
his way. Some others helped me pick up my coins, and one man who saw
what happened asked if I was alright and contributed a few euro
cents, but had no interest in an invitation to the temple.
A
young man came up to me with a friend and showed me the invitation to
our 26 Second Avenue Saturday programs that I gave him in New York
City last fall. I gave him a card for our local temple in Bratislava,
telling how it is easy to find by tram. He then told me that he was
from France. His friend threw in a few coins, including one and a
half Croatian kunas.
A
man named Peter, who wore a single strand of tulasi
neck
beads, said he was aware of the temple. I invited him to my class
that evening of the cosmology of the Bhagavatam.
He
did not come but gave a small donation.
That was all my
interactions with people, except for an older man who smiled several
times while saying “Hare Krishna” and a few Slovakian words the
only one I could recognize was the equivalent for the word “ecstasy.”
Thus that day it
seemed to me that Bratislava was one of those places where the cost
of going downtown and back exceeds that amount that people contribute
in charity, at least in an hour and twenty minutes. That is pretty
amazing since the transportation is just 36% of what it costs in
Manchester. In some places the rainy days are better than the sunny
ones because the people appreciate the extra austerity of coming out
in the rain.
The
Bratislava devotees made up for it on the last day of my visit, as
nine of them came out the morning before my bus to Prague and chanted
for an hour. The weather was much better that day. We had seven men
and three ladies in our party, and we followed their usual harinama
route
through the downtown. It seemed a little quieter than usual because
it was morning. The tourists were the most excited to encounter us,
and many took pictures of us. There is not so much for tourists to
see in Bratislava, and I think we were probably the most exciting
event of their day. I was happy that so many devotees were able and
willing to adjust their schedule to come out.
Prague
A
friend of mine, a Kadamba Kanana Swami disciple, Mayapur Chandrodaya
Prabhu, invited me to come to Prague last April, and I told him the
best day was the day before the Trutnov Open Air Music Festival (the
Czech Woodstock). That is also Wednesday, one of the two regular
harinama days
in Prague. Vidya-vacaspati Prabhu, who has a lot of musical talent
and great dedication to harinama,
led
kirtana as
usual. We followed our usual route from Republic Square to Mustek, to
the museum, to Old Town Square, to the bridge across the river, and
back through Old Town Square to Republic Square.
Jasmine,
a regular attendee of Krishna Lunch in Gainesville, recognized me
while I was on the harinama.
She was so happy to remember Krishna Lunch she wanted to embrace me.
She has another year at University of Florida, so we will see her
when we return. I told her about our main restaurant in Prague, so
she could have more Krishna food, but it unlikely she would go,
having a flight the next morning to Florida.
I met a lady who
lives in Pushkar, Rajasthan, and who took pictures of our party with
great happiness. She told me that she loves living in India, that she
feels the people there have a lot to offer, and that this year she is
planning to visit Vrndavana, the land of Krishna’s attractive
childhood pastimes. I told her that Sunday is Krishna’s birthday,
and asked if she would still be in Prague. When she said yes, I told
her how we were having a big festival on that day on our farm, about
an hour from the city, and she took down the contact details for it,
and I gave her my card. She said she would definitely stop by our
main restaurant in Prague the next day..
While I was talking
to that lady, another asked me for directions to Govinda’s
Restaurant, and I described how I had just gotten to the restaurant
from Republic Square myself that very day.
One guy played his
guitar for a while and danced with the men. Then he danced with the
women.
As
usual Prague harinama
was
filled with nice interactions with the public, and I was glad I took
the trouble to come. Here is a little video from it (http://youtu.be/uOktodPYF0o):
Every Wednesday the
devotees have an evening program in Govinda’s Butik, on the ground
floor of the restaurant.
I volunteered to
give the lecture and spoke on how Krishna reciprocates with our
surrender, and how that might motivate us to surrender more and
experience the nectar of Krishna’s infallible and blissful
reciprocation.
I
added a standing kirtana
for
ten or fifteen minutes at the end of the program, reminding the
people that Srila Prabhupada’s original evening programs at 26 2nd
Ave. ended with a final kirtana.
and
it was beautiful to see everyone chanting and dancing,
Kasturi
Manjari Devi Dasi, who was my translator once recently on Czech
padayatra
was incredibly helpful, singing a nice initial kirtana,
translating
my lecture, and playing drum for my final kirtana.
Thanks to Nila
Madhava and Mayapur Chandrodaya Prabhu for their hospitality at
Harinam Mandir,
a new project in downtown Prague, that provides accommodation,
service, and worship opportunities in the city of Prague for several
devotees.
Trutnov Open Air
Music Festival (Czech Woodstock)
As
we waited in line to register at the Trutnov Open Air Music Festival
(Czech Woodstock), one guy played “My Sweet Lord” for us on his
guitar (http://youtu.be/SmVcHIYMQOQ).
The opening ceremony included participation by both the Christians and the Hare Krishnas.
After
speaking Guru Das Prabhu embraced the Christian priests.
Then
Nrsimha Caitanya Prabhu led such a lively kirtana,
that
even the Christians clergyman were dancing.
At
one point Harinamananda Prabhu swung some of the Christian men around
in the kirtana.
Tulasi Sukova, a young
devotee lady, swung one of the Christian ladies around.
A couple of the
Christians were from Ukraine, and they held a Ukrainian flag on the
stage. People expressed sympathy for the Ukrainians who are killed or
displaced due to Russian aggression.
At one point, they were clapping during our Hare Krishna kirtana, while holding their Ukrainian flag at the same time!
At one point, they were clapping during our Hare Krishna kirtana, while holding their Ukrainian flag at the same time!
After the opening
program on the stage one jolly Christian preacher, who liked our kirtana very much, came
to our Krishna camp along with his wife and talked with the devotees and had prasadam.
The preacher’s wife was vegetarian and does tai-chi.
The first night
during the evening kirtana in our Krishna camp one young man
told me he remembered me from last year. He thought I was amazing. He
said he liked how I danced in front of the stage with the onlookers
last year. Although I was tired, and therefore unsociable, and thus
more inclined to dance on our stage, I danced a little with the crowd
in front of the stage just to please him. He ended up chanting along
and also would sometimes join us dancing on the front of our stage in
addition to dancing in the crowd. He came every day at least for some
time, and you could see he really liked to sing and dance with the
devotees.
Friday,
the first full day of the festival, we always do a Ratha-yatra or
harinama in
the Trutnov city center and then through the Trutnov festival site
and finally ending up at our Krishna Camp.
In the town, we would chant on the sidewalks and streets.
Some people are always
willing to chant and dance with us during this event.
As
the harinama party
arrived at our Trutnov Krishna camp, I noticed one lady who was
smiling radiantly and looking steadily in the direction of the
kirtana party.
I talked to her after the harinama
was
over. She explained that she and her husband had been coming to our
camp for three years, and that they loved the chanting. They had been
waiting all morning for us to begin our chanting, and so they were
overjoyed when the kirtana
party
had arrived. They were from Brno, and I told them about our programs
there. They live within a kilometer of our temple, and knew of a
friend who had gone to it, and they promised they would visit after
they returned home. They wrote me an email after the festival.
On
Saturday, Hare Krishna devotees got to chant on the second stage at
the Trutnov festival, which does not happen every year. One musician
canceled, and we were given his slot. Noon is not a popular time, but
a few people listened, chanted, and danced with us
(http://youtu.be/F4sY9z9zkOg).
After
we chanted on the second stage, we did a harinama
to our Krishna camp at the event (http://youtu.be/3uyrYpXnEFU).
The people were so happy to chant with us!
Later
in the festival we did another harinama
through
the woods where the vendors were set up as in the above video, and we
were so inspired to see how people participated by singing, and
dancing, and following our chanting party, some even coming back with
us to our camp, that we all became more determined to return again to
Trutnov next year to share kirtana
with
the people.
The
World Harinama Party went to Prague to do harinama
on
Janmastami and then to attend the festival at the Czech farm, but I
stayed at the Trutnov festival. Gaura Karuna Prabhu gave me a
Bhagavad-gita As
It Is and
two Krishna book,
volume twos, telling me to distribute them. I am not a real book
distributor but how could I turn down the chance to distribute books
which are so dear to Srila Prabhupada on such an auspicious day as
Janmastami. Amazingly enough, talking to no more than eight people, I
was able, relatively effortlessly to distribute all the books.
Karel
of Trutnov bought Bhagavad-gita
As It Is.
A
student at Hradec Kralov bought
a copy of Krishna: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Part Two,
and immediately began reading it.
Martin (right) of Žamberk bought bought Krishna: The Supreme Personality
of Godhead, Part Two. He and Oto (left) are friends from high school. Oto is from Brno but will study in Prague beginning this fall.
Our
leader, Punya Palaka Prabhu, has different friends he sometimes
engages in performing on our Krishna camp stage. On Sunday, the final
day of the festival, and the auspicious Janmastami day, Dasa Vokata,
“the mother of the Czech underground”, along with her partner,
Olda Kaiser, sang the Hare Krishna mantra to the tune made popular by
George Harrison in “My Sweet Lord.” According to Punya Palaka,
“It was quite something. They have been a popular couple since the
80s, even in the mainstream society, often appearing on TV and in the
most prominent movies.” What amazing good fortune for them to sing
Hare Krishna on Janmastami to an receptive audience!
(http://youtu.be/GoMtTLWXA3U)
Before that Jirka
Labusa, famous Czech actor and colleague of Olda Kaiser, read from
Krishna book on our stage.
In
previous years we would chant late into the evening at our Krishna
Camp stage. People would drop by our place after the bands finished
on the main stage for a final kirtana
of
the year. Martin, the Trutnov organizer and friend of the devotees,
got complaints from neighbors for the loud music extending late into
the night and had to pay expensive fines. Thus he told our Krishna
organizer, Punya Palala Prabhu, that we had to end at midnight. I did
not know that, and as everyone’s voice was scratchy from singing so
much, I got to sing the last kirtana.
I sang from midnight to 12:30 a.m. on Janmastami, the time of the
traditional midnight arati
on
that day, a singing opportunity I never would have gotten at any
temple. I sang simple, lively tunes, and I saw many people dance,
with quite a good number chanting. One middle aged lady took a lot of
video of it. That made it a very rewarding Janmastami for me. After
the kirtana
I honored the prasadam
I
had stashed for the midnight break fast.
Desiring to hear the
glorification of Srila Prabhupada on his Vyasa Puja Day, after
sleeping just two hours and fifteen minutes, I took three buses and a
metro to the Czech farm where guest speakers Guru Das Prabhu and
Kadamba Kanana Swami were observing that festival with the Czech
devotees. Notes on the wonderful words spoken are included in the
insights section below.
I
was defeated by the feast, which seemed to never stop, as they served
everyone plenty of Srila Prabhupada’s maha-prasadam from
the many offerings made by the devotees in addition to the feast
preparations. I had to say “no” to maha, something
I never do.
Gaura
Karuna Prabhu, in his liberality, let me keep the profit from my
Janmastami book sales. I donated half to the Czech Padayatra and also
supported the Czech farm by buying prasadam for
my journey to Paris the next day.
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
As
we are becoming purified by hearing about Krishna, the gopis
became
purified by dancing with Krishna.
The dirty thing is
“I will be happy by material sense enjoyment.” That we must
counteract.
from
Krishna, Chapter
1:
“Those who are
demoniac or atheistic by nature can hardly assimilate any good
instruction, however authorized it may be. That is the difference
between demigod and demon. Those who can accept good instruction and
try to live their lives in that way are called demigods, and those
who are unable to take such good instruction are called demons.”
Narottama
Dasa Thakura:
from
Prema-bhakti-candrika,
Chapter One:
Text
7
“The
various characteristics of loving devotional service have been
deliberately described by these two great personalities [Rupa and
Sanatana Goswamis] in their books. One who hears these descriptions
feels transcendental happiness in his heart and takes shelter of the
sweet Divine Couple.”
Text
10
“My
desire is to have my heart purified by the statements of the
Vaisnavas, scriptures and spiritual master and seeing the unity of
these three I will always float in the ocean of love of God.”
from
Prema-bhakti-candrika,
Chapter
Three: Atma-nivedanam
(“Self-surrender”):
“O
Lord, Narottama is very unhappy. Please make me happy by inspiring me
to perform sankirtana.”
Indradyumna
Swami:
You have come from
all different countries, even nations at war with each other [Russia
and Ukraine], and you are working together. This is because you have
the spiritual vision that all are souls and all are equal. Srila
Prabhupada described this movement as the United Nations of the
spiritual world.
You have come to
share Krishna’s message of peace and love with anyone who comes to
the festival for whatever reason.
Why are we sharing
the holy name with all the drunks at Woodstock? Some people may ask
what is the point of sharing something so great with those who cannot
appreciate it. Those people do not understand the power of the holy
name. The holy name creates within people the impetus for spiritual
life.
Srila Prabhupada
said humorously that as Lord Ramacandra conquered Ravana with an army
of monkeys and bears, he with his disciples was spreading Krishna’s
message in this world.
Krishna performed
His pastimes as if on a stage to attract people, but Lord Caitanya
brings the audience up on the stage and engages them in the pastimes
so they may become attracted to be part of them.
The sages at
Naimisaranya desired to benefit the people in general by stopping the
influence of the age of Kali. We are following in their footsteps by
thinking how to spiritual benefit the hundreds of thousands of people
who have come for Woodstock.
Devotees
in our sampradaya
have
a history of being innovative in thinking of ways to attract people
to Krishna, and we try to following in their footsteps. We have some
bands the people like playing in our tent, and these attract 10,000
people a night, and then the people become attracted by the prasadam
and
the kirtana.
We are all
liberated, or almost so, and we do not have any problems except those
in our minds, and in a few short years we will be back in the
spiritual world. Therefore we can focus on our service to help the
people.
We watch people come
in touch with Krishna for the first time. There is something special
about that first time. These kids are taking their first steps to
Krishna, and that is wonderful for us. We do not care about what they
look like or the mistakes they make. We are just happy they are
performing devotional service for the first time.
I think of how
pleased Srila Prabhupada is for you cooperating together and how you
will get unlimited benefit.
Prabhupada told Guru
das, “The Krishna consciousness movement will save the world in its
darkest hour.”
Prabhupada said, “We
will take over the world with culture.”
Someone told us,
“The Christians just come and preach but you Hare Krishnas put on a
great festival.”
We should always
maintain a feeling of humility. We were doing just the same things as
them a very short time ago. We are not better than them, just a
little more fortunate, and we want to make them more fortunate.
Srila
Prabhupada said in Geneva, “I have been everywhere and seen
everything, and my advice is to take sannyasa.”
The
kirtana in
the mantra yoga tent is probably the most important part of the
festival. Do not stay up in front and dance; bring the others in.
This festival is to facilitate them.
Chaturatma
Prabhu:
You are in the right
place at the right time and with the right people. This is one of the
best opportunities to share the holy name with hundreds of the
thousands of people. Every morning thank the Lord that you are able
to be part of this great opportunity to spread Krishna consciousness.
a
senior devotee guest at the Polish Woodstock:
You
cannot beat the words of Lord Caitanya. This sankirtana
is
the prime benediction. It is the nectar for we are always anxious.
If you have no
taste, associate with someone who has the taste.
Bada
Haridas Prabhu:
Like Caturatma said,
I would like to give you all a big hug.
Although some of you
have your own personal difficulties, you have come out here to
benefit others. That is Vaishnava.
We just need the
eyes to see how Lord Caitanya’s mercy is flowing.
It takes some time
to attain perfection, but the result one receives from chanting or
hearing the holy name, is that he is freed from hellish conditions.
We see young people
who never met Srila Prabhupada who have dreams of Srila Prabhupada
and who have taken Krishna consciousness very seriously.
Our whole idea of
getting mercy is to show mercy.
Guru
Das Prabhu:
Srila Prabhupada
asked me to ask the American ambassador to give the devotees a house
for the American devotees in Delhi. It was Sunday, so I had do go to
the ambassador’s house. His wife answered the door and was furious.
She did not robes and shaved heads, especially on Westerners. She
slammed the door. I stayed in the driveway and chanted. The
ambassador came with the car, and asked what he could do. I said that
I was a disciple of Bhaktivedanta Swami and I was from Brooklyn, and
I needed to talk to him. He knew that his wife would be upset and
took me to the furthest part of the property to talk. I said that my
guru wanted a free building for his American disciples studying in
Delhi. He did not go for that, and I presented Srila Prabhupada’s
plan two, that we would be willing to pay for such a building, in any
currency of the world.
People tend to deify
Srila Prabhupada, but he came in human form, and his humanity is most
endearing to me. He appears to have had to struggle with the same
things that confront us.
The Swamiji before
Srila Prabhupada was very compassionate, smiling, etc.
Srila Prabhupada
tamed his disciples in different ways.
Because of Srila
Prabhupada’s pure actions Krishna bestowed His mercy upon him.
Srila Prabhupada
missed India, especially Vrindavana.
Once
Acyutananda wanted me to preach in yellow. Why? Because I was
grahasta but
I was preaching. I could not relate to it and neither could Srila
Prabhupada. There is enough separation in our movement, what to speak
of the world!
More than once Srila
Prabhupada went to the office in New York where the boats are
dispatched to India. The man in the office said, “You come here to
look at the times, but you never go.”
Srila Prabhupada said, “No, I cannot go. I have to stay here and execute my mission, but still I have this desire to go. So I come here.”
Srila Prabhupada said, “No, I cannot go. I have to stay here and execute my mission, but still I have this desire to go. So I come here.”
Bhaktisiddhanta
Saravati Thakura had a disciple who was a thief. He confessed to
Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura that he still had a desire to steal,
but not for the things, but to see the people’s reaction afterward.
Wise Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura asked the disciple if he did it
one more time, would he get it out of his system? He said yes. So
Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura told him to move the pilgrims stuff
into another room.
One lesson to learn
from the story of Narada and his disciple the snake is that we should
use our propensities in Krishna’s service.
Slowly, slowly,
Swamiji charmed us into becoming devotees.
He never demanded
anything. His trunk was his desk. He walked long distances and
quickly.
He said to study
nature for it is a high manifestation of Krishna.
On his morning walk,
he would use nature to teach us things.
As Srila Prabhupada
saw the good in us, I understood we should see the good in each
other.
During a walk, a
policemen leaned out of the window of his car, and said, “Hiya
Swamiji!” Srila Prabhupada commented, “He has heard us on the
radio show.”
Going with Srila
Prabhupada was always fun. So many unexpected things would happen.
These were miracles. Miracles are defined as deviations from normal.
In the midst of
chaos, Srila Prabhupada would be peaceful.
I had so much
association with Srila Prabhupada, I often think when confronted by a
bewildering circumstance, “What would Prabhupada do?”
We have so much to
be thankful for! We have a nice way of life. We have nice people to
associate with, beautiful people who talk about high-minded things,
not just passing sense gratification.
As Srila Prabhupada
said, he has given us a tangible way of life.
As he smiled and
encouraged us, I am sure he would smile and encourage you because you
are doing the same things he taught.
He just wanted us to
be happy. Like a material father, he just wanted us to be happy.
Q:
What was Srila Prabhupada’s idea of the brahmacarini
ashram?
Some people say it is unnatural.
A: He did not tell
the unmarried ladies it would be better if they were married. He did
feel everyone should be protected. He dealt with them individually.
Srila
Prabhupada’s proof that the brahmacaris
and
brahmacarinis were
satisfied was they were happy living on their respective floors of
the ashram without mixing.
If Srila Prabhupada
comes to you in a dream, you should take it as a great blessing.
Jeep story.
In the beginning
there was not so much quarreling, but then people developed different
ways of seeing and doing things.
Dasa
anudasa [thinking
ourselves the servant of the servants of Krishna] can save the world
if we take it seriously.
Srila Prabhpada
would say things like, “the table can come here,” as if the table
were a person.
We are all
individuals. Even our watches have different times.
If you are absorbed
in the ecstasy of serving Krishna, how do you have time to quarrel?
Try to keep a sense
of humor, keep a sense of time, and be humble like a tree, even if
someone carves his initials in you.
Every place I go I
see the devotees are so nice. But I have to realize that the devotees
are being so nice to me. Sometimes people say the other devotees are
not always as nice as they are to me, but they can be that nice,
because they are that nice to me. Acting in that way can eliminate
quarrel.
These
are Yamuna’s karatalas.
They are magic. He rings them. [They rang for a long time.] One man
in Hawaii originally joined in London. After 35 years, he admitted to
me, “I stole Yamuna's karatalas,
and
I returning to you.”
Madhudvisa
Swami had just become a swami, and he was determined to not associate
with women. He would try to avoid thinking of women, and reading
about women. When he had been a swami for just a week, Srila
Prabhupada sent Madhudvisa Swami alone with Yamuna Devi to Jaipur.
Sometimes they would have to go places by rickshaw. The rickshaw was
small, and Yamuna was large. He said, “I tried to put my danda
[rod the swamis carry] between us, but I could not help rubbing up
against her.” But gradually he came to see things on spiritual
plane that it did not matter.
Yamuna’s motto
about bhakti was, “If you live it, you can give it.”
No
one would sell karatalas,
mrdangas, and
Srila Prabhupada’s books to Siddha- svarupa Swami’s hippy-like
followers, so I did. I sold them $309 worth, and someone told on me
to Prabhupada. I was called in. He asked if I had sold books, etc. to
those people. I said yes. He said with happiness, “They are reading
my books? They are doing kirtana
in
the streets?” He said this to minimize those who protested my
action.
Srila Prabhupada did
not like artificiality and pettiness.
I could never lie to
Prabhupada. The first time I tried, he read my mind and busted me. It
was terrible.
“What would Srila
Prabhupada do?” If I could not understand how to a apply the
scripture in my life, I would think “What would Srila Prabhupada
do?”
George Harrison
chose Prabhupada as his guru like I did by seeing that Prabupada was
such a great personality and yet he was so human. George said that
Srila Prabhupada made him feel so comfortable. He made us all feel so
comfortable. That is why we joined him. Even when he chastised us, as
for delaying the Krishna-Balaram temple opening, it was like a
caress.
At a George Harrison
celebration in Berkeley, there was a problem with the sound system.
The musician playing at the time had played sitar since age 3. He was
a showman though, and would do amazing rifts just to impress the
audience. He said he had never experienced such a terrible sound
system in his life. He was about to leave. Then a devotee leaped out
of the crowd and adjusted the system so he could continue.
The
Govardhan pastime is special because all the residents of Vrndavana
can see Krishna for seven days straight. At one point Krishna lets
the hill shake, and the gopas
and
gopis rush
to help Him.
But
does He need our help? Does he need our wealth? No, he wants our
love. It is all about loving Krishna, loving the devotees, and loving
the people in general.
Prabhupada
said the two secret weapons of Krishna consciousness are prasadam
and
kirtana.
One
day Srila Prabhupada told us, “This is the appearance of Lord
Caitanya. Stay in the temple and chant japa
and kirtana.”
And he gave us a manuscript of Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita he
had worked on. So we did that. He told us to fast. Around 1:00 p.m.
even the most advanced of us got restless. We decided to go out and
chant in the street. We chanted outside his apartment, he came to the
window and gestured to us, by waving his arms downward. We took it as
he was upset that we disobeyed his order to stay in the temple. We
were crestfallen and started walking back to the temple. Upendra
Prabhu came running after us, saying Prabhupada wanted to see us. We
were frightened about what Srila Prabhupada would say, but what he
said was wonderful, “Lord Caitanya has given you the intelligence
to chant outside the temple. This is called harinama-sankirtana.
Now do this every day.”
That is how harinama
started in California.
There was an
unconscious rivalry between San Francisco and New York. The New
Yorkers were by the book, and we were by the heart. I am not
advocating one way or another. Both are important.
Jaya
Gurudeva Prabhu [a Prabhupada disciple from Czech Republic]:
I was with some
summer students in India. I felt a pain in my heart of separation
from my godbrothers. Next we visited the ISKCON temple in
Bhubhanesvara. I saw arrangements for a festival, and inquired about
it. They said it was the Vyasa Puja of Gaura Govinda Swami. My
godbrother Gaura Govinda Swami was being honored, and my godbrother
Subhaga Swami was speaking and conversed with me afterward. The pain
of separation went away.
When you think of
Srila Prabhupada he is there, and he responds.
Guru
Gauranga Prabhu was my vartma
pradarsika guru [the
person who showed me the spiritual path]. When I was initiated, Guru
Gauranga told Srila Prabhupada, “This boy is from Czechoslovakia.”
“Is it a small country?” he asked.
“Yes, it is small country,” I replied.
Srila Prabhupada said, “I want you to translate my books into Czechoslovakian.”
When my godbrothers asked what name I was given, Guru Gauranga Prabhu shouted “Jaya Gurudeva.” Srila Prabhupada added from the vyasasana, “Das!”
“Is it a small country?” he asked.
“Yes, it is small country,” I replied.
Srila Prabhupada said, “I want you to translate my books into Czechoslovakian.”
When my godbrothers asked what name I was given, Guru Gauranga Prabhu shouted “Jaya Gurudeva.” Srila Prabhupada added from the vyasasana, “Das!”
The day after the
Prague Ratha yatra, the Prague paper had the headline, “Lord
Jagannatha Visits Our City of Prague.”
Mahadyuti
Prabhu:
Some devotees speak
their offerings as though speaking to Srila Prabhupada and others as
if speaking about Srila Prabhupada.
I was never good at
speaking to Srila Prabhupada. When I came within 5 meters of him, my
body would start shaking. I was terrified of him. Once I tried
speaking directly to Srila Prabhupada, and he shouted at me.
Some people say you
should not compare gurus. I do not know about that. Srila Prabhupada
is the best guru. He was especially empowered by Krishna to preach
Krishna consciousness at a certain time and place and under certain
circumstances. He had to undergo extreme austerity. Others had the
same opportunity to spread Krishna consciousness before Srila
Prabhupada. They had the same knowledge, and they had the same
facility, in other words, they also had nothing. But they did not do
it. Even among extraordinary gurus Srila Prabhupada is super
extraordinary, and it is important that we keep that understanding
within us and express it through our activities.
Sometimes devotees
are in a quandary about a certain issue, whether we should to this or
that, and they consult their friends, a sannyasi, or a senior
devotee, but what amazes me is sometimes Srila Prabhupada is the only
person they do not consult. That is unfortunate and also a little
scary. Actually now people have more access to Srila Prabhupada and
his teachings than his disciples did. If you have a computer and an
internet connection, you can access practically all of his teachings.
It is important we stay united around Srila Prabhupada and his
teachings. There are others that represent Srila Vyasadeva, but they
do that by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada. Without Srila Prabhupada
they would not be doing anything.
We must continually
try to increase the quantity of our service to Srila Prabhupada’s
mission and try to improve the quality of our service to his mission.
The debt we have to
Srila Prabhupada is impossible to repay, but it is our duty to try to
the best of our ability.
Kadamba
Kanana Swami:
from his Vyasa Puja
offering to Srila Prabhupada:
“We didn’t
really know Krishna, but you convinced us that He is God, first of
all by your own incredible dedication to Him, by basing everything
you said on scripture, and by using logical arguments. And
simultaneously you melted our hearts with prasadam and
kirtana.”
“In your maturity
you brought to the West the fruits of a lifetime dedicated to
Krishna, of being a disciple of a great spiritual master. You were
the great lover of Krishna, the wise grandfatherly person with the
perfect human touch. You were the expert manager. You sang with a
strong and melodious voice and were an expert mridanga player
and an excellent cook. You were the perfect leader, with all the
necessary experience, and in the process you just transcended old
age.”
Trilokatma
Prabhu:
There
is a science in the Vedic scripture of omens. Some people perform
activities to counteract inauspiciousness, but that comes in the
karma-kanda
section
of the Veda and is not of interest to devotees. Srila Prabhupada
explains that only by Krishna consciousness can you eliminate all
material inauspicious.
Our happiness and
distress in this life comes from our actions in our past life, and
only by engaging in devotional service can we surpass it.
People wonder why
they encounter suffering in this life. Suffering can inspire us to
inquire about higher truth. By not trying to counteract negative
things we show we are surrendered to our destiny.
Srila Prabhupada did
not want us to wait for or plan for future happiness, rather we act
to please Krishna.
We may make
elaborate plans for future happiness, but we practically see that
material nature can and does easily frustrate our plans.
Some people argue
against the idea of free will saying that because of our conditioning
we are not actually free.
Our Vaishnava
philosophy explains we have two options: (1) to try to enjoy without
reference to Krishna and (2) to try to enjoy in relationship with
Krishna. If we think we can enjoy without Krishna we become
controlled by the three modes of material nature. Then our expression
of free will is limited. For example, as a cow, we can choose to eat
grass here or to eat grass there. We imagine that we can enjoy in so
many ways, but that is due to our lack of vision. We are like animals
within an enclosure who can only choose to go here or go there within
that enclosure.
The dying person can
see the servants of Yamaraja coming for him at the time of death. The
pastime of Ajamila is evidence of this. When the gross body fails,
still the subtle body functions.
Some
people who got the book Second
Chance and
previously had near-death experiences told the book distributors that
they actually saw those beings that come and get you at death [the
servants of Yamaraja] that are described in the book.
Only by surrendering
to Krishna can we counteract inauspicious things in our lives.
Krishna takes all
the karma at the time of initiation but leaves enough to inspire us
to take our spiritual path seriously.
Whatever happens to
the devotee, he sees as directly under the control of Krishna for his
ultimate benefit.
In
the form of paramatma,
Krishna
is waiting to reciprocate as a living entity surrenders in some way
or other.
We can only stay in
the society of devotees by Krishna’s mercy, and we should always
pray for Krishna’s mercy.
When we put our
service to Krishna first in our life, then everything becomes very
easy.
Srila Prabhupada
expected that those he initiated would dedicate their lives fully to
Krishna’s service.
That we are all
choosing to serve Krishna with our free will is what we have in
common despite our many differences.
We should not focus
on the defects of devotees. There are others whose service it is to
regulate the lives of the devotees.
Everyone has
responsibility for himself and how he is representing this Krishna
consciousness movement.
We try to change
what we can influence, and tolerate that which beyond our control.
How we react in the
moment makes our future.
Even when we are
under the three modes of matter, we have the free will to surrender
to God or to try to make a material solution.
comment by Avadhuta
Prabhu: It seems we have the choice to accept that what happens to us
is proper or that it is improper. If we are humble and we have an
idea of the Supreme, we will accept it is proper. [As a doctor, he
experiences that many patients do not accept what happened to them is
fair.]
Jivananda
Prabhu:
The hippies were
very attached to doing just the opposite of what Srila Prabhupada
taught by engaging in illicit sex and intoxication, but because they
chanted Hare Krishna they changed.
We may not be great
preachers but we can give the people Srila Prabhupada’s books, and
by reading them they can become purified.
Even a small child
can take part in chanting and even take part in preaching.
In our own lives,
through the chanting we have changed so much.
Previously very few
people were vegetarian. Now there are many. We can see this Krishna
consciousness movement is having an effect.
It is not necessary
to travel outside our country. Even within our countries there are
plenty of places no one has ever chanted Hare Krishna.
In society, people
take care of the dogs with such dedication it is as if they are
deities. Instead of going back to Godhead, they are going back to
doghead.
-----
nitya-siddha
krishna-prema ‘sadhya’ kabhu naya
sravanadi-suddha-citte
karaye udaya
“Pure love for
Krishna is eternally
established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something
to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by
hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens.” (Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya
22.107)