Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk: Travel Journal#11.6: Two Florida Ratha-yatras and More

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 11, No. 6
By Krishna-kripa das
(March 2015, part two)

Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Gainesville, and Alachua
(Sent from Brooklyn, New York, on April 15, 2015)

Where I Where and What I Did

I spent the third week of March at Krishna House chanting at Krishna Lunch every day. We had the first of many Florida Ratha-yatras in Saint Augustine on March 21, and it was so wonderful my friends at Krishna House were really blissed out for at least two days after. The final week of March I spent going to Tampa and Tallahassee to chant and promote our programs there. I participated in the Tallahassee Ratha-yatra on March 28.

I have insights from Srila Prabhupada's books and lectures, from Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Navadvipa Dhama Mahatmya, from a book by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, from Batu Gopala Prabhu, a wonderful Prabhupada disciple visiting from Hillsborough, North Carolina, and from the devotees at Gainesville's Krishna House.

I would like to thank Sankarsan Lila Prabhu and his wife Sanatani Radha dd of Gainesville for their wonderful South Indian meal and donation. Thanks to Victoria O'Hara for her video clip of me chanting at Florida State University. Thanks to Yamaraj Prabhu for his picture of Tallahassee Ratha-yatra, and Dhira Das, Sudevi Dasi, Vaisnava, and Marlon for their pictures of Saint Augustine Ratha-yatra. Thanks to Syamala Kishori Devi Dasi for the Farmers Market picture. Thanks to Raju for his pictures of the USF program in Tampa.

Itinerary

April 13–15: New York City

April 16: Toronto

April 17–23: Ireland (Dublin and Cork)

April 24–26: Rotterdam

April 27: Amsterdam (King’s Day)

April 28: Radhadesh, Belgium

April 29: Germany

April 30–May 3: Simhachalam, Bavaria, Germany (Nrisimha Festival)

May 5: London

May 6–8: Newcastle

May 9–10: Birmingham 24-hour kirtana

May 10–12: Newcastle

May 13: Sheffield
May 14–24: Sheffield and Manchester areas promoting their Ratha-yatras

May 25: London

May 28: Preston?

May 31: Leeds

Saint Augustine Ratha-yatra

Devotees from Alachua, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Orlando, and even Tampa, joined together to participate in the Ratha-yatra in Saint Augustine on March 21.

I traveled with the Krishna House devotees.

When we stopped for a bathroom break, Satyahit Prabhu, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, started singing and playing djembe, as we waited for everyone to return to our vehicles.

Several devotees danced in the parking lot of the gas station.

It was so warm sweaters were not necessary, and as it was cloudy, it was also not too hot during the parade itself and sunscreen was also not required.

Chelsea of Krishna House swept the road at one point.

Several people were so attracted by the chanting, dancing, and procession that they followed us and took pictures.

Karly of Krishna House leaped out of joy in the kirtana for Lord Jagannath.

I also danced a lot.

In addition to the Ratha-yatra, which follows a largely unpopulated route for much of the time, we do a one-hour harinama (chanting procession) up and down the very busy St. George Street.

Many people danced with us, some even reading the mantra on our sign and chanting along.

Here is a video clip in which two new guys, one in red and the other in lime green, took pleasure in singing and dancing with the devotees: (https://youtu.be/s-yBwrcl6zQ):

Tulasirani Devi Dasi encouraged one lady in dancing with us.

Over a case of the pamphlet, Krishna: Reservoir of Pleasure, was distributed and a number of books as well.

Mikey Prabhu from Krishna House was one of the distributors.

Many local people love the festival, one saying she has come for five years.

While I was telling one young resident of Saint Augustine and her friends about the history of the festival, she gazed at the devotees and interjected, “There is Tulasirani!” I was surprised. “How do you know Tulasirani?” I asked. She explained she was from Columbus, Ohio, and encountered the devotees there, including Tulasirani. “They taught me about yoga and it changed my life.”

Later she (right) and her friend (center) took prasadam with Tulasirani (left). They exchanged phone numbers, and she promised to meet Tulasirani the next time she came to Gainesville.

Chanting at Krishna Lunch in Gainesville

In the winter, my main engagement is to chant during Krishna Lunch at the University of Florida in Gainesville for 2½ hours while the devotees serve vegetarian food offered to Krishna to between 800 and 1200 college students.

Danielle Veenstra, a student photographer, came by one day and took some nice photos which she sent me. These first three pictures of chanting at Krishna Lunch are hers.

Purushartha Prabhu, a Prabhupada disciple, who played the bass and drums before meeting the devotees and now also plays the harmonium and mridanga, sings at Krishna Lunch once or twice a week when he is not traveling and playing bass for Gaura Vani and his band called “The Hanumen.” One particular day his chanting was especially sweet. Here is some video (https://youtu.be/rl-VssH9qEY):

Syamala Kishori Devi Dasi, disciple of Indradyuma Swami, played the role of arranging educational programs and field trips for the devotees at the Krishna House. She is a talented singer and musician. In this video, she sings and plays harmonium, and her father, Batu Gopala Prabhu, disciple of Srila Prabhupada, plays the mrdanga (https://youtu.be/5-QjWUAKJBM):

Hari Priya, daughter of Yadubara and Visakha Prabhus, is another one of the beautiful chanters at Krishna Lunch.

During the rainy days we serve Krishna Lunch by the library. The drawback of that is we cannot play the karatalas (cymbals) as the library workers will complain to the police and we will get in trouble. On the other hand, we are closer to those who are serving the lunch, and they can take part in the chanting as you can see in the video below. Dhameshvar Prabhu, who is leading here, is the most reliable of all the Krishna Lunch chanters, coming out everyday for the whole time (https://youtu.be/QQMvGxf5Ckg):

Krishna Lunch on Sunday

Hanan Prabhu asked me to teach his Sunday Krishna Lunch participants a dance step, and just see how they responded! (https://youtu.be/5syEsdwVXz0)

Thanks to Tsurit who took the video using Syamala Kishori's camera.

Chanting at the Farmers Market

Every week a few of us chant at the Farmers Market in Gainesville for a couple of hours.

Chanting at the University of South Florida

I chanted almost three hours, sometimes with Raju, our Bhakti Yoga Club president, and we passed out flyers to students who showed some interest in us. A few people we distributed flyers to seemed happy to get them, and two people came come to our meeting as a result. Still we had many new people because one guy named Carlos, who had come before, invited a friend of his named John, and John invited a girl named Madison. Chris also learned of the program from John, and he brought Abigail and Taylor. So even though Carlos himself did not come, he was instrumental in at least five people coming!

That whole group of people all experimented with both japa and kirtana, and were very happy to encounter them. Several of them said they would be back and Chris and Abigail (sitting in front) purchased beads to chant on. The next week two carloads of students from Tampa came to Alachua for the Holi festival, including Chris and Abigail, who was wearing her chanting beads around her wrist.

The day after our club meeting I chanted on the campus in front of the University of South Florida Library for about three hours. I mentioned to one girl who came by as I was chanting in front of the library that our club does yoga and meditation, and that we talk about Bhagavad-gita, a well-known text which summarizes India's revealed wisdom and is the ultimate book on yoga and meditation. She sat down near my book display to look at the books, and she asked me what meditation was all about. I explained we did mantra meditation or meditation on spiritual sound, and I showed her the verse in the Gita [6.26] that explains how in meditation one must bring the mind back under the control of the self, from wherever it wanders. I taught her the mantra, and she tried singing the response, but to learn both the words and the tune were too much for her. I mentioned we also chanted the mantra softly on beads, and I pulled out my beads and demonstrated. She listened as I chanted, and then she chanted herself and liked it. I told her she could get some beads of her own at next Thursday's club meeting. In the midst of my meditation lesson, I talked to a couple about Bhagavad-gita, and the guy ended up buying it and a small book as well. Then at the end of the meditation lesson the girl I taught decided to buy a Bhagavad-gita too!

Tallahassee Ratha-yatra

Tallahassee Ratha-yatra is our participation in the Springtime Tallahassee parade viewed by many thousands of people.

We were limited to 30 devotees in our procession. There were many youthful devotees from Alachua and Gainesville. Bhadra Prabhu encouraged us to march and dance in a more choreographed way than in your average Ratha-yatra.

Visvambhara, Dhanya, (both above) and also Bali,
all of the Mayapuris, were among the singers.

Anapayini organized the dancers.

Afterwards we had prasadam at our temple in Tallahassee with the congregational devotees and sang some kirtana and told some pastimes about Lord Ramacandra as it was His appearance day. Thanks to Damodar Das for the great photos.

Chanting at Florida State University in Tallahassee

One middle-aged lady came up to me, surprised to see someone playing a harmonium, and asked if she could take a picture. I replied, “Yes, if you send it to me.” Turns out she is Victoria O'Hara, a music teacher at Blessed Sacrament Catholic School in Seminole, Florida, and she plays the piano and the guitar herself.

You can see her brief video clip (http://youtu.be/AgaPlOmZzkg):

Zeta Beta Tau fraternity had a giant ball they were trying to get signatures on. The idea was that a business would donate a certain amount to Children's Miracle Network for each signature on the ball.

I decided to sign it so people would see the name “Krishna” and become purified.

Kim, a young lady who loves the Florida State University Krishna Lunch, would come by my book table every day that I was at the campus behind the library in January, February, and March, and she would always take a free vegan oatmeal cookie. On my last visit for the year, I invited her to our club meeting. She came, and I taught her how to chant japa. The next day she told me she tried. It was hard because there was too much noise around. I encouraged her to continue.

One day a young lady came up to me with five dollars in her hand, saying she wanted the Gita. She had meant to get it on one of my previous visits but had not. The same day two Indian students came by. One recognized Srila Prabhupada from the picture on the back of the books. He knew Hare Krishna from visiting the Miami temple, and he also bought a Bhagavad-gita. He was studying at University of South Florida in Tampa but was visiting his friend at FSU. I gave him an invitation to our Tampa club, and I told them both about Krishna Lunch at FSU, and they went that very day and liked it.

I always meet nice students on the Florida campuses, and I enjoy giving them the chance to experience Krishna sound, Krishna wisdom, and Krishna food.

To see photos I took but did not include in this blog, click on the link below:

https://picasaweb.google.com/103872792410945983719/TravelJournal116?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCIrn2u2rteCm7gE&feat=directlink

Insights

Srila Prabhupada:

from a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.33:

As merely washing the clothes of a hungry man will not satisfy him nor will polishing the cage of a hungry bird satisfy him, satisfying the needs of the body will not satisfy the soul.

We need to give comfort to the soul.

To advance in life and to reduce our miserable condition of life is [real] science.

Even in the bird society, there are difference between the crow class and swan class. Similarly in human society there is a difference between the crow class of men and the swan class of men. By Krishna consciousness we can transform the crow class man to the swan class man, just as an uncultured man can be trained to become cultured.

It does not matter how fallen a man is, if he follows our instructions, he can be reformed.

When we understand we are part and parcel of God, that is the brahma-bhuta [spiritual] stage.

War, pestilence, etc., can kill so many people. Krishna does not have to come here to kill the demoniac. He comes when He is requested by His devotees.

When the scientists are in danger they pray to God, but when they are not in danger, they defy God.

Artificially we are trying to banish God.

From a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.24:

We are conditioned at every step. The animals cannot live in the town, and we cannot live in the jungle.

If you are in put in prison, you cannot improve your condition. You are given a certain cell.

In grhastha life one lives with wife and family but desires to improve spiritually.

It is all individual. I have to surrender to Krishna individually. Just like one has to fly his own plane. No one can help him. Not that when my husband will do I will do or when my wife will do I will do. And no one can check our individual surrender to Krishna.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura:

from Sri Navadvipa Dhama Mahatmya, Parikrama-khanda, Chapter Six: Sri Ganga-nagara, Prthu-kunda, Simantadvipa, Saradanga, Visrama-sthana:

“Therefore, Lord Gauranga's pastimes are considered the highest. Gauranga's abode, name, form, and qualities do not consider offense; rather, they expertly deliver one from any offense. If the devotee has some offense in his heart then Krishna's name and abode will deliver him only after a long time. But Gauranga's name and abode immediately bestow prema on the devotee, for offenses create no obstacle and are easily overcome.”

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:

from Day by Day: A Record of a Seven Day Japa Vrata:

“ . . . whatever we gain here, when we can recall it later, we'll see that it wasn't some evanescent short period in which we imagined something, but that we were touching the most indestructible entity, Krishna Himself, the holy name, and our chanting link with Him.”

Batu Gopal Prabhu:

Krishna sees things in a different way than we.

It is as important as bathing to bathe ourselves in optimistic thoughts about Krishna consciousness. Optimism fuels your enthusiasm.

Q: How do we see Krishna when we are busy doing things that have no direct relationship with Krishna?

A: The more you become Krishna consciousness the more you see Krishna everywhere. The first and foremost thing is to give up the fruits of work. Everyone who is working can give something to Krishna.

Krishna thinks about each living creature, “Even though he is in a state of rebellion, let him at least have something to eat.”

Of every dollar we earn, we should give so many cents to Krishna. You will be surprised how such a small discipline provides so many rewards, and I do not mean material rewards, I mean the revelation of Krishna in different circumstances.

Krishna accepts all the people who come with material motives and gives them more than they deserve. He says the person in knowledge is the best, but He accepts them all.

Q: How to practice Krishna consciousness our whole life?

A: You will not be able to escape. Lord Caitanya is spreading a net to capture everyone, and He will not let you escape. Krishna is not like us. He is wonderful. Our imagination cannot approach the mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Everyone who has taken prasadam or heard the holy name in any city is on their way to joining this sankirtana mission.

Q: In my travels sometimes people ask how they can inspire their children to become Krishna conscious. Your daughter who is here (Syamala Kishori) is very enthusiastic about Krishna consciousness. How were you successful in inspiring her?

A: The more there are talks about Krishna, everyone benefits. Other talks should be kept to a minimum. So also it is true in our homes. The more there is talk about Krishna, wonderful things will happen. People will acquire a thirst for these topics.

Religious people consider God is great, but the extent of his greatness is not known. Because God is so great that universes emanate from Him, even people who are devotionally inclined tend to see Him impersonally.

Brahma was curious about Krishna, and as if performing a scientific experiment, he stole His friends and calves, to see how Krishna would react. Krishna responded in a nonaggressive way because ultimately Brahma is a devotee of the Lord. Similarly because Indra is a devotee, Krishna did not pick up the mountain and throw it him like He could have. [He just held it as umbrella to protect His devotees.]

The worst feature of Kali-yuga for me is that evil appears to be rewarded and piety is ridiculed.

One qualification of God that is not so obvious to most people is that God is the Supreme Enjoyer. How else could he enjoy all the offerings offered to Him? How else could He reciprocate the devotion of all living entities?

If I love myself, and I do, it must be because I am part and parcel of Krishna. I am lovable only because I am part and parcel of the Supreme Person, Krishna.

Q (Tulasirani dd): Brahma's prayers are amazing and cover all important parts of the philosophy yet all Krishna did was simply nod at Him. How is that?

A: You do not understand the significance of His nod. Just like His sidelong glance.

Krishna's business is to make sure all His devotees are fully satisfied.

There is always the next chapter with Krishna because He is eternal.

Krishna says in Bhagavad gita 7.27 that all living beings are born into delusion. That includes us. Generally we rebel if someone says we are deluded, but we cannot do that with Krishna. Fortunately, however, Krishna does not end there. He reveals His transcendental nature and ours, and He tells how we can escape this delusion. We can follow Krishna's instructions and get out of here. This is a gradual process, and it takes time. But even in the beginning, just by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra we experience a lessening of delusion.

Q (by Syamala Kishori dd): What about people who feel that everything is OK in their life, and they do not have the inclination to apply Krishna's teachings?

A: Srila Prabhupada would explain that everyone bows down to Krishna, either voluntarily to Him personally or forcibly to His form as death.

Q (by Arjuna): How exactly are we bewildered by these dualities?

A: Although we are spiritual beings we identify with our body, and because of that, we are affected by these dualities. Again and again I am pursuing the objects of the senses although I repeatedly experience they do not satisfy me. This is delusion. Actually because we are spiritual, nothing in this world can satisfy us.

This world is not as we wish, where beloved relatives get old, sick, and die, where we are laid off by our employer despite so much faithful service.

There is simultaneous realization of the self and God by practicing this bhakti-yoga.

Start making your plans to get out of this material situation. No matter how long it takes, it is the only reasonable direction to go in.

Even in the most primitive civilizations, God has provided some way of progressing.

Don't give this up. Even reading one verse of Bhagavad-gita can save your life. In a dark time, even simply remembering that Bhagavad-gita exists can be a cause for optimism.

Syamala Kishori Devi Dasi:

The Hare Krishna mantra is an individual prayer to Krishna, but it is powerful to do it together, and it creates a spiritual bond between us.

Krishna took more pleasure in glorifying Balarama than in glorifying Himself.

Krishna was conscious of the desires of the plants and animals in addition to those of the human beings.

Krishna is a God who is willing to be tricked by His friends

If you think that the spiritual world is a boring place, Krishna book can remove that misconception.

Comment by Dhamesvara Prabhu: When the gopis saw Krishna dancing on Kaliya, they developed the urge to dance with Him.

Giriraja Swami asked how Krishna could dance on all of Kaliya's hoods. Srila Prabhupada explained Krishna expanded Himself to dance on each hood, but the residents of Vrindavan saw just one Krishna, and he reminded Giriraja Swami it was not possible for him to understand Krishna from his own point of view.

We hope to become the kind of the people that the devotees will pray to Krishna for.

We can pray that Krishna may dance on our tongue in the form of the holy name.

Sanatani Radha dd:

My parents came from India to visit me and my husband in America for three months. My father was a Communist and an atheist, and in the beginning, he was challenging my beliefs and practices at every step. Then gradually things changed. When I was out, my mother would make snacks for him and first offer them to Lord Jagannatha. Once she forgot to make the offering, and my father complained they tasted nasty and asked if she made some mistake in the preparation. She thought about it and concluded that she had made them the same way she always had and just forgotten to offer them to Lord Jagannath. My father told her to make them again and offer them to Lord Jagannath, and then they tasted as good as usual.

We do not have a TV or get the newspaper so my father was bored without anything to do. We gave him the Srila Prabhupada-lilamrita to read, and he read the entire book. His conclusion at the end was that Srila Prabhupada was a genuine person.

Now my parents are back in India. My father has insomnia at night, and my mother sees him pacing back and forth and softly chanting Hare Krishna, until he is tired enough to sleep.

My mother's friends find her to behave differently. She only speaks when it is required, and spends much of the rest of her time chanting Hare Krishna. Before she would just chant one round a day.

Vaishnava Prabhu (from New Vrindavan):

Growing up in New Vrindavan I got to take care of the cows. By doing that I feel I could relate more to Krishna's pastimes as a cowherd boy. The cows are worshipable because they are very dear to Krishna.

Krishna's friends were so confident of Krishna's protection they fearlessly entered the body of the snake demon. This confidence in Krishna's protection is a symptom of a great soul advanced in devotional service.

Krishna performs many pastimes in order to facilitate our remembrance of Him.

A devotee lady Yamini has written songs for children describing Krishna's pastimes.

Comment by Kalakantha Prabhu: The Romans had a pagan worship centered around the worship of a deity represented as a bull. As Christianity became more popular it ultimately became the state religion during the time of King Constantine. Then the bull became a symbol of Satan.

Having moved from New Vrindavan to Gainesville, I miss the nice places in the woods to chant japa.

Q (my me): It is amazing the cowherd boys were so confident of Krishna's protection they fearlessly entered the mouth of the demon. How can we attain this level of confidence in Krishna's protection?

A: We can begin by making a simple prayer to Krishna, “I am not very surrendered, but I want to be surrendered.” Then by associating with devotees, and by taking advantage of preaching opportunities, we become more surrendered.

Hanan Prabhu:

The example of the musk deer searching for the fragrant smell that comes from itself, sages use to illustrate that our real happiness comes from within although we do not know it.

I was working for an insurance company in Israel, which was ripped off by a thief, and the managers decided they would come out ahead if they settled it out of court. I was the person sent to carry the money, which filled an entire suitcase. I found when I was carrying this suitcase of money, I had this consciousness that I was very important for the time I was doing that service.

Because we want to be selfish, we get entangled in karmic reactions.

Q: Why is bhakti-yoga powerful?

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Travel Journal#11.6: Two Florida Ratha-yatras and More