Diary
of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 11, No. 7
By Krishna-kripa das
(April 2015, part one)
By Krishna-kripa das
(April 2015, part one)
Jacksonville,
Gainesville, Tallahassee, Washington, Albany, New York, New
Brunswick
(Sent from Rotterdam, Holland, on April 26, 2015)
(Sent from Rotterdam, Holland, on April 26, 2015)
Where
I Went and What I Did
April
started off with two great harinama
adventures,
chanting at the Jacksonville Art Walk on April 1, and chanting at
First Friday in Tallahassee on April 3.
In
between these, I chanted on the campus at University of North Florida
in Jacksonville, and I
attended their
Krishna Club, along with twenty-four others. On April 4 was a meeting
of Sadaputa Prabhu's associates, the Alachua Holi Festival, and an
evening program with Jayadvaita Swami. After a couple of days of
chanting at Krishna Lunch, I flew to Washington, D.C., to chant with
my friend and godbrother, Sankarsan Prabhu, on the mall by the Air
and Space Museum there. Then I spent a day with my family in Albany.
I ended the first half of April by singing with Rama Raya Prabhu
and his party at Union Square for three days, and attending the
Sacred Sounds event at Rutgers University in New Jersey where the
Mayapuris, Gaura Vani and Purushartha Prabhu played.
I
share insights from Srila Prabhupada's lectures, a beautiful quote by
Lord Krishna from Brihad-bhagavatamrita, notes on the journal of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, notes on a lecture
by Jayadvaita Swami to mostly Indian students in Gainesville, notes on lectures by Prabhupada disciples, Akuti Dasi, Brahmatirtha
Prabhu, Garuda Prabhu, and Urmila Dasi, and notes on lectures and
conversations of many more.
Thanks
to Shivam for his very liberal donation and for coming on two
harinamas in Washington, D.C.
Thanks to Sankarsana Prabhu of Washington, D.C., for his hospitality,
donation, and gift of karatalas. Thanks
to my friend Victor for his donation, especially the Canadian
currency for my trip there.
Thanks
to Amrita Keli Devi Dasi for her picture of me at UNF, Vaisnava
Prabhu for his picture of us at the Jacksonville Art Walk, Fahim Rahman for his picture of us at First Friday, and Alexis Jones for
her picture of us in Washington, D.C.
April
Fools' Day Test from Krishna
The
first day of April I decided to chant on the campus of the University
of North Florida in Jacksonville, my favorite school to chant at. The
devotee who usually drives me to the bus had misplaced his key to his
car, and I decided to take the city bus to the Greyhound station to
catch the bus to Jacksonville, rather than inconvenience another
devotee. Unfortunately, I was so tired, when I got off the city bus
near the Greyhound station, I left my computer bag on the bus. I had
to wait for the bus to go to the end of its route and come back, if I
was going to retrieve my bag, but by then the only bus to
Jacksonville that day would have left. All I could do was wait and
hope for the best. Over half an hour later, I intercepted the same
bus going in the opposite direction, and was overjoyed to be reunited
with my computer bag. I then went to the Greyhound station ten
minutes late and found to my great happiness the Jacksonville bus was
fifteen minutes late, and I had not missed it. I chanted Hare Krishna
throughout the whole time as I was in the process of completing my
daily quota of chanting, and I realized that it would only be by
Krishna's mercy that I would regain my bag and make it to
Jacksonville to chant at UNF for the last time this spring. On
writing this up it occurred to me this was April Fool's Day, and I
wonder if that was Krishna's April Fools trick on me.
Chanting
at the Jacksonville Art Walk
The
Jacksonville Art Walk, which occurs the first Wednesday of each
month, is a great venue for chanting the Hare Krishna mantra in
public and for distributing Srila Prabhupada's books. Somehow we had
missed every one this semester, but we were not going to miss this
last one. Mother Caitanya of Krishna House brought a van load of
about fifteen devotees from Krishna House, and we chanted and
distributed books for over three hours.
Mikey added to the kirtana by playing his saxophone.
The
devotees joyfully danced in a circle.
You
can get a feel for it from this video (https://youtu.be/9uEmwk7gCgk):
Many, many people of all sorts joined us in the course of the evening.
You
can see in this video how these guys
were happy to dance with us (https://youtu.be/mK9XbmzYHWQ):
One
mother with three children under her care was happily watching the
devotees sing and dance. She told me we were her favorite part of the
Jacksonville Art Walk.
Many
devotees distributed many books.
This
guy started reading his on the spot.
Laddus
and
lollipops were also distributed.
I met one older man who happily remembered the Hare Krishnas from seeing the first Ratha-yatra in 1967 in San Francisco. I told him about our Ratha-yatra in Jacksonville Beach, scheduled for August 15, and gave him a contact number for more details.
Chanting
at the University of North Florida
The
University of North Florida is always my favorite school to chant at
because so many students who attend the Krishna Club are willing to
chant with us on the green, at least for a few minutes when they have
free time.
Here Amrita Keli Devi Dasi plays the drum and sings, with Gudu (on left) and Jeseka and Braden (on the right).
Later
Dorian (left) and RaeJeana (middle) joined us. Jeseka (right) wanted
to learn a beat on the drum, and I taught her the only one I knew.
She picked it up really fast.
Jeseka
amazed me by staying with us for four hours as we chanted on the
green, and then coming to the Krishna Club meeting for three hours.
On the green she lent us her bicycle so we could get the drum we left
in the car and she got her allergy tablets from her dorm for the devotees
who had issues with the pollen.
Later
Kaki came by. She became so absorbed in reading Bhagavad-gita,
she
set the cookie we gave her on her knee until she finished reading.
She
smiled when she realized we were taking her picture.
Sometimes
students would stop and talk. We offered everyone one of Laura's
amazing cookies and invited them to our Krishna Club meetings. It was beautiful to spend the afternoon with my friends from University of
North Florida for the last time before my trip.
The
evening meeting of the Krishna Club was awesome with many regulars
and a few new people who had a great time, twenty-five people
altogether.
First
Friday in Tallahassee
After
returning to Gainesville from Jacksonville on Friday, in the
afternoon I drove nine devotees to Tallahassee for First Friday.
Babhru and Dhameshvar Mahaprabhu reviewed Bhagavad-gita
chapters
11 and 14, the second chapter of the Bhagavatam,
and
all of Queen Kunti's prayers with me, so I would not fall asleep
while driving.
Most
of the devotees were interested in doing book distribution, with just
three of us spending the 2½ hours singing kirtana.
I felt very indebted to Autumn and Kristina, who were very committed to the nama-sankirtana. One young man, Rahman, kindly sent me photos he took of us.
I felt very indebted to Autumn and Kristina, who were very committed to the nama-sankirtana. One young man, Rahman, kindly sent me photos he took of us.
Mikey
said he distributed more books in Jacksonville but had nicer
conversations with more interested people in Tallahassee.
The
Holi Festival in Alachua
I
went to the Holi festival in Alachua to see my friends from Alachua
and my friends involved in the college outreach in Jacksonville and
Tampa, who had traveled about two hours to take part. I was hoping I
could avoid getting entangled in paying the fee and in getting
covered with dye, but it was not to be. Fortunately I brought some
useless clothes, just in case, and it is always auspicious to donate
to the temple, so that was not a problem.
I
was amazed the Holi event attracted several college students in
Jacksonville and Tampa to come so far. Indeed a student who had come
to Krishna Club for the first time in Jacksonville just
two
days before ended up coming to Holi and also some very new
participants in the USF Bhakti Yoga Society also came. I hope they
increased in attachment for the association of devotees and the
kirtana, and
the sacred temple in Alachua as a result, and that they are motivated
to come to some of the more devotional festivals in Alachua in the
future.
Dhameshvar
Mahaprabhu invited some friends from his work at the Alachua County
Crisis Center to come, and he chanted a round of japa
with
them and showed them the temple room.
Harinama
in Washington, D.C.
After
Sankarsan Prabhu, the disciple of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, from
Potomac, had invited me several times to sing with him, for the first
time I decided to stop by. I was on my way from Florida to New York
City to fly to Europe for the summer.
Sankarsan
Prabhu, in addition to chanting in Washington, D.C., at the mall near
the Air and Space Museum regularly, does
pujari work
and cooking for the Potomac temple.
He
makes the mangala-arati
sweets with the ahimsa
milk they get from Gitanagari Farm, and they were really good.
The
first day, Jahnava Devi Dasi, Sankarsana Prabhu's wife, took this
video. In it one boy is attracted to film our chanting, but his
friends object. He does not let them push him around
(https://youtu.be/YXkUS5MGNEE):
You
can see Sankarsana's harinama set
up.
He
is in a great location, with lots of tourists visiting the national
museums passing by.
The
next day I chanted with Shivam, who I knew from when he lived in
Tallahassee. He would sing with me at First Friday there. Guru Das,
the disciple of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami,who posts his blog every day
on the internet, joined us.
Several
people, mostly school children, danced to our kirtana,
These
included
a group from Ohio.
Besides
dancing, some would read the mantra from the pamphlet and try to sing
along.
She
smiles, seeing us photographing them.
Sankarsan
Prabhu has a great location between the Washington Monument and the
Capitol on the Mall, near the Air and Space Museum. He has a powerful
sound system with a generator, a mixer, three microphones, and three
speakers. He is short of people to help him. Only his wife, and a
couple devotees who distribute pamphlets and talk to people,
regularly assist him.
A
Day in Albany
Shivam's
wife made some cookies for me to distribute at my mother's Quaker
meeting, and Sankarsana Prabhu's wife made lunch the previous day
which I ate for breakfast, so I had less cooking to worry about on
the way to Albany. I also picked up some doughnuts for my relatives
at the Doughnut Plant in New York City, which fortunately was just a
few blocks from where the Megabus from Washington dropped me off the
night before.
At
the Quaker meeting I spoke about how we are so conditioned, both
individually and collectively, that only by the power of God's mercy
can we progress and thus it is essential that we perform devotional
activities to advance in life. I mentioned the bus driver who
realized that only by a higher power could he give up smoking. At
least a couple of people liked it.
I
offered the fruit my mother brought to Krishna and distributed the
cookies after the meeting.
Later
I cooked dal, spinach and
panir, and capatis
for dinner, with the help of my
mother, my sister, and Victor. I played Madhava kirtanas
the whole time. They were mellow
enough that no one complained. Victor had a friend visiting named
Eric, who at age seventy was retiring from teaching Buddhist
seminars. Eric is very respectful of other traditions, having been
involved in them and having friends involved in them. He liked the
prasadam very much. It
was nice to distribute prasadam to
others in addition to my family members.
Chanting
at Union Square
It
was striking to see how well Rama Raya Prabhu's harinama party
is established with a solid team of devotees, especially in contrast
to the small party I had just experienced in Washington, D.C. Rama
Raya is very happy to have Ananta Gauranga Prabhu and his brother
Kishor Prabhu,
who are great musicians, and who are very steady and devotional.
There were some new people since I was last there who were also
contributing.
One
day a whole group of people danced with us.
You
can see they were really into it.
And
they were very happy about it.
You
can see in this video their enthusiasm
(https://youtu.be/-6ORAVWzDqA):
Typically
there is a lot of participation at Union Square. In this short video,
one guy dances, a young lady plays the shakers, and another guy
smiles and claps (https://youtu.be/Bue6pzwD9ms):
As
usual, kids are fascinated with the kirtana.
A guy dances with a devotee.
Two
devotees dance.
The
Harinam Ashram has a business
to help support themselves, Krishna's
Bakery,
and John
let me sample one of their
new products.
It
was great to connect with that vibrant harinama team
dedicated to six hours of chanting in Union Square every day, and I
look forward to rejoining them in September.
Sacred
Sounds
I
like kirtana programs and
also sharing Krishna with college-aged people, and so I was attracted
to attend the Sacred Sounds event at Rutgers, the University of New
Jersey, at New Brunswick, an event the student bhakti-yoga
club puts on once each semester.
The
Mayapuris were there with Gaura Vani and Purusharta Prabhu as well.
They played a nice reggae Hare Krishna tune, and a creative love song
to Krishna based on the idea that He is the “1” before our string
of 0s that gives our life
value.
I
made encouraging comments to some of the students, appreciating their
participation, and I danced to all the music. You could see that
there were some students there who were having a positive experience
with Krishna kirtana for
the very first time. There were a few hundred students attending.
Unfortunately,
I could not stay to the end as I had a flight out of LaGuardia at
7:30 a.m. the next morning, and it took me almost three hours to get
back to Brooklyn.
To
see photos I took but did not include in this journal, please click
on the link below:
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
From
a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.7.28–29 in Vrndavana on September
25, 1976:
Nothing
is bad when it is utilized for Krishna. Nothing is good if it is used
for your sense gratification.
From
a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.54
in Vrindavan on April 9, 1976:
If
you do not understand what is spirit, then where is the question of
spiritual life or advancement?
There
are those who are sreyas-kama [desirous
of ultimate benefit] and those who are preyasa-kama
[desirous of immediate sense
gratification]. This Krishna consciousness movement is meant for
those who are sreyas-kama.
The
yogis control the breathing. In this way they extend their life. Just
like if you can control your spending, you can extend your vacation.
Without
becoming dhira [sense
controlled] one cannot make advancement in spiritual life.
Lord
Krishna:
From
Brihad-Bhagavatamrita:
".
. . a person who can remind one of a beloved not present is
considered the most sincere and helpful friend. Please understand:
When somehow made mindful of those one loves, one is given back one’s
life. Forgetting those more dear than one’s own breath is more
painful than dying. Those dear as life one can never forget but when
reminded of them in a special way one feels happy like one who has
lived a life of good fortune."
Satsvarupa
Dasa Goswami:
“In
the beginning at 26 Second Avenue
no one danced during the kirtanas.
Then one night a young man
named Bob Lefkowitz stood
up to dance. His pants were low
on his hips, and I thought
he danced in an egotistical
and erotic way. I didn’t like it,
but Swamiji looked at him
approvingly and smiled. Soon after that, Swamiji
taught us the 'swami step,'
a sedate movement where
you held your arms in the
air and took small steps.
We all began doing it in the
temple. Over the years, the
dancing grew more vigorous and even rowdy. Almost
without exception, Prabhupada approved.
He just wanted to see the devotees’ enthusiasm.”
no one danced during the kirtanas.
Then one night a young man
named Bob Lefkowitz stood
up to dance. His pants were low
on his hips, and I thought
he danced in an egotistical
and erotic way. I didn’t like it,
but Swamiji looked at him
approvingly and smiled. Soon after that, Swamiji
taught us the 'swami step,'
a sedate movement where
you held your arms in the
air and took small steps.
We all began doing it in the
temple. Over the years, the
dancing grew more vigorous and even rowdy. Almost
without exception, Prabhupada approved.
He just wanted to see the devotees’ enthusiasm.”
“Prabhupada
gave great emphasis
on chanting the maha-mantra.
In the Bhagavad-gita, in the beginning
of the eighth chapter where
Arjuna asks Krishna how
to think of Him at the time
of death, Prabhupada repeatedly writes
out all the words of the Hare Krishna mantra.
Prabhupada writes that of all
the instructions of the spiritual master,
the chanting of sixteen rounds is essential.
But ultimately he says that
congregational chanting is more important
because the conditioned souls
get a chance to hear. That
is why the harinama party is so vital.”
on chanting the maha-mantra.
In the Bhagavad-gita, in the beginning
of the eighth chapter where
Arjuna asks Krishna how
to think of Him at the time
of death, Prabhupada repeatedly writes
out all the words of the Hare Krishna mantra.
Prabhupada writes that of all
the instructions of the spiritual master,
the chanting of sixteen rounds is essential.
But ultimately he says that
congregational chanting is more important
because the conditioned souls
get a chance to hear. That
is why the harinama party is so vital.”
“I
finished reading the first volume
of Yamuna-devi’s biography/memoir.
It was a wonderful, inspired read.
Compared to her, I feel unsurrendered
and insignificant. She was definitely
a pure devotee, one hundred percent
dedicated to pleasing Prabhupada and
very beloved and intimate to
him. Because of her generous, humble
qualities I feel no envy in
reading of her greatness as a Vaisnava.”
of Yamuna-devi’s biography/memoir.
It was a wonderful, inspired read.
Compared to her, I feel unsurrendered
and insignificant. She was definitely
a pure devotee, one hundred percent
dedicated to pleasing Prabhupada and
very beloved and intimate to
him. Because of her generous, humble
qualities I feel no envy in
reading of her greatness as a Vaisnava.”
“I’m
grateful to say
the problem of inattention
while chanting is mainly a
thing of the past. In my
concentrated bhajana from midnight
to 3:00 A.M. I am able to hear
the Names clearly and attentively. Some minor distractions and
digressions come and go but
nothing serious. I have not
been able to sustain prayer from
the heart, but at least I
follow Prabhupada’s order to
“Just hear;” I listen to
the transcendental sound vibration
with awareness that this
is a significant achievement.
I am at the namabhasa stage
of chanting where the first
ray of dawn penetrates the night.
I have a far distance to go
to reach suddha-nama, where
the Lord’s form, qualities, and pastimes
are revealed to the chanter
and bodily transformations take
place. I may not attain that stage
in this lifetime.
I take shelter in the holy names.”
the problem of inattention
while chanting is mainly a
thing of the past. In my
concentrated bhajana from midnight
to 3:00 A.M. I am able to hear
the Names clearly and attentively. Some minor distractions and
digressions come and go but
nothing serious. I have not
been able to sustain prayer from
the heart, but at least I
follow Prabhupada’s order to
“Just hear;” I listen to
the transcendental sound vibration
with awareness that this
is a significant achievement.
I am at the namabhasa stage
of chanting where the first
ray of dawn penetrates the night.
I have a far distance to go
to reach suddha-nama, where
the Lord’s form, qualities, and pastimes
are revealed to the chanter
and bodily transformations take
place. I may not attain that stage
in this lifetime.
I take shelter in the holy names.”
“They
are
like ordinary folks,
but they are chanting
Hare Krishna, and this makes them
extraordinary. Just as
Krishna could not be
appreciated by themudhas when He
descended to this world
in His humanlike
form, His devotees
are ignored and met
with indifference when
they sing in the streets.
But the potency of
the mantra still works
and the mudhas are
blessed by the sankirtana yajna.”
like ordinary folks,
but they are chanting
Hare Krishna, and this makes them
extraordinary. Just as
Krishna could not be
appreciated by themudhas when He
descended to this world
in His humanlike
form, His devotees
are ignored and met
with indifference when
they sing in the streets.
But the potency of
the mantra still works
and the mudhas are
blessed by the sankirtana yajna.”
Jayadvaita
Swami:
We
become enlightened by hearing, even in ordinary knowledge.
Srinvatam
means those who are eager to hear.
In
order to hear, someone has to be chanting, so hearing and chanting go
together.
This
body is temporary yet I am thinking that through the senses of the
body, I will get some fulfillment. That is illusion.
We
have so many illusions about ourselves, and we are thinking through
these illusions we will become happy.
Krishna
is the friend of everyone, but if we approach Him, He will approach
us.
When
we hear about Krishna, Krishna from within purifies the heart.
The
name of Krishna and the message of Krishna is not different from Him.
The
man be the CEO of Apple, but if you like his dog, he will be pleased
with you. Similarly God is pleased if you appreciate His servant.
We
can read Bhagavad-gita
every
day, one or two pages.
The
result of passion is suffering, but the result of goodness is
knowledge, happiness and satisfaction.
You
can read how to do heart surgery from a book. This is jnana,
knowledge.
Vijnana is
realized knowledge. This is like if you are trained by an experienced
surgeon, and you have assimilated it so you can become a licensed
heart surgeon yourself.
One
of my godsisters was receiving some solicitation. There was a older
woman in a bathing suit, enjoying life, and saying, “My goal is to
live forever, and so far I am doing very well.” That is like
someone who has fallen 25 stories from a 50-story building saying,
“So far, so good.”
Even
the animals meet Mr. Right, have lots of kids, and die.
Q:
You renounced everything at the age of 29. How were you convinced you
could do it for life at such a young age?
A:
Well, renunciation does not mean giving up everything. It means
dedicating everything to Krishna, and I had been doing that for 10
years. So I was just continuing what I was doing before. After all,
you decide to go to graduate school after only four years of
experience with college, and I had ten years of experience of
renunciation.
Goodness
is compatible with bhakti,
while
ignorance is incompatible with bhakti.
By
performing bhakti, you
advance to goodness without having a separate program.
We
say there is no difference between Krishna and His name, so we can
understand that theoretically, and we can even tell others. By
chanting Hare Krishna, one can experience Krishna's presence in His
name, and then it becomes vijnana
or
realized knowledge.
The
vibration comes from the spiritual platform and when we hear the
chanting we come to the spiritual platform.
In
the 1970, we were publishing Back
to Godhead, with
a company representative, Paul Blair, from a local printing company.
Because of working on our account, he associated with the devotees,
who gave him some chanting beads. One day he said, “When things get
really rough at the office, I just close the door, get out my beads,
and chant Hare Krishna.” So he had gotten
some realization about the chanting.
When
you think in terms of eternity, the things that are disturbing your
mind are truly insignificant. Because the chanting of Hare Krishna
brings us to the plane of eternality, we become free from anxiety.
We
are eternal, full of bliss and knowledge, yet we are suffering in
this world. Why? Because we are subjected to maya.
But
Krishna is not suffering under the control of maya.
He
is the controller of maya.
Therefore
we and Krishna are not one.
If
there is only one consciousness, then why is Arjuna in ignorance and
Krishna in knowledge?
The
smoke is part of the fire, but it is the part of the fire that
obscures the fire. Similarly maya
is
the manifestation of Krishna that obscures Krishna.
If
you are saying you are one with God, but that you do not realize you
are one with God, then how are you one with God? God is never lacking
realization.
Joke:
Arjuna merges with Krishna in the 19th
chapter of Bhagavad-gita.
If
everything were one there would not be the different interpretations
of theoretical physicists.
Some
people, when asked when they will become Krishna conscious, say,
“when God desires.” They do not know that God already desired
that in Bhagavad-gita.
When
asked when you are going to get your degree, you do not say, “when
God desires.”
Akuti
Dasi:
When
we go away, we tell our best friends to keep in touch. But when we
left Krishna, we did not want to keep in touch. We thought, “I am
out of here.” But Krishna wants to keep us in touch, thus He sends
His representative and expands Himself into everyone's heart. He is
waiting for many, many births for us to turn to Him. We must take
advantage and keep in touch through the holy name.
Because
we think we know how to do everything ourselves, it is hard to take
shelter of the Lord. That is our false ego.
After
acting as if independent for years, in the beginning, it is hard to
act according to Krishna's direction.
Srila
Prabhupada said, “I came here to teach you what you forgot.
Everyone is a devotee of Krishna.” He pointed to everyone. “But
these people,” he pointed to his disciples, “admit it.”
The
holy name works for everyone. I see this in my travels.
Bhaktivinoda
Thakura says if you give the holy name you get a commission.
When
you have not seen people for a long time, it takes time to revive the
relationship. And so it is with our relationship with Krishna.
Each
person has a different task Krishna wants him to perform.
We
may feel bad we missed the pioneer days of this movement, but the
pioneer days are still here.
There
is a saying: “You can go fast by yourself, but you can go far
together.”
Brahmatirtha
Prabhu:
Three
keynote speakers at a conference attended by 3600 psychotherapists
agreed, “We are mental health professionals, but we do not know
what the mind actually is. We do understand, however, that the mind
is not limited to just the brain.”
Garuda
Prabhu:
I
was the first devotee that went to back college to get a degree in
the religion field.
What
is Krishna consciousness?
Ideas
from the audience:
Selfless
service to God.
Pure
enjoyment.
Learning
how to love to God.
A
process by which we can act as our true selves.
A
loving dynamic relationship with God.
Awakening
our natural relationship with God.
[Comment
by Syamala Kishori Devi Dasi: Niranjana Swami said, “We have a
Krishna-shaped hole in our heart that only Krishna can fill.”]
We
seek self-realization because Krishna is calling us because He loves
us. We tend to neglect this important point. That Krishna desires us
is the greatest secret of yoga.
Bhagavad-gita 18.64 is most emphatic, saying “you are desired by me.” This is
the essence of Krishna consciousness.
The
maha-mantra is
a unique mantra as (1) it is composed of proper names and
(2) it is all in the vocative. “In the vocative” means that we
are desiring to get Krishna's attention. Krishna is responding to our
calling.
We
have a vision of divinity calling us and waiting for eternity for us
to respond.
Krishna
does not manipulate. There is no manipulation in love.
God
is the source of unconditional love. We cannot love people
unconditionally unless we participate in His unconditional love.
The
virat-rupa (the
universal form) and the paramatma
(God
within the heart) are ways in which Krishna is already embracing us.
Krishna
is gradually elevating Arjuna to the highest form of yoga.
To
aid other persons in bhakti
you must understand their present situation and be sensitive to their
needs.
Vishnu-smaranam
(remembrance of Vishnu) is our definition of samadhi.
Aparadha
means
literally “opposing devotion.” If I discourage someone in their
devotion or I move someone away from Krishna that is aparadha.
It
is better to ask, “how can I make it up to you?” than to ask,
“will you forgive me?” “Will you forgive me” means it is
still about me.
There
can be no love if there is no knowledge of or awareness of the
feelings of others.
Meditation
means nothing exists except you and the divinity.
We
are in effect having Krishna and the gopikas
[His
cowherd girlfriends] dancing
around our heart in the mala
[the
garland
of chanting
beads].
Urmila
Devi:
For
us to be happy with Krishna and with the gifts He has given us is
very pleasing to Krishna.
Hari Parayana Prabhu:
I
was impressed with the similarities between Srila Prabhupada's
commentary and that of Sridhara Swami, the original commentator on
the Bhagavatam, and
I began noting them down.
I stopped when I realized they were too
numerous to enumerate.
Sankarsana
Prabhu [from Potomac]:
Remembrances
of Yamuna Devi:
I assisted Yamuna Devi cooking for an occasion of guests once in D.C. She was very meticulous and seemed situated in transcendence while she cooked. She played the same Prabhupada lecture over and over in the kitchen. She said she assimilated the lectures best that way. I slightly burned some walnuts baked for a prep, and she said overcooked nuts could seriously alter the flavor, and I should make more. She made very dainty light baked samosas. The serve out and plate arrangements for the guests was done to a science with the cold preps out first for guests to start on. That 10-course meal she prepared was the best prasadam I ever tasted by far.
Later she asked me to tell her about myself. She said that it was important to get to know the devotees you serve with.
On a few other occasions I visited where she stayed in D.C. for morning programs. The altar and temple room she and Dina Tarine kept seemed straight from Vaikuntha. The atmosphere was extra special and perceivable. It must have been the pleasure of their deities Radha-Banabihari that made it such. Materially speaking everything was pristine and top notch from the deity cups to the flower arrangements. The class discussions were open. Yamuna appreciated my karatala playing was sweet and not overbearing.
Giri
Govardhan Prabhu [from Potomac]:
Krishna
is always enjoying with his internal energy while Shiva, whose
consort is the material nature personified, is completely renounced.
We
engage in material activities because we are not self-satisfied.
The
senses become used to certain stimuli, so you have to do something
different to keep feeling that things are new and exciting.
In
material life if someone else enjoys we do not benefit.
That
Krishna is the enjoyer and everyone else contributes to his enjoyment
does not seem a good deal for us according to material calculation.
The
Krishna is the Supreme Enjoyer does not mean He is the only enjoyer
or the biggest enjoyer, but He is the best enjoyer because He enjoys
wonderfully and shares His enjoyment with others.
Lord
Shiva's best devotees become devotees of Lord Vishnu according to
Brihad-bhagavatamrita.
It
is not that Krishna is stingy as the Supreme Enjoyer, not giving
material opulence, but rather he wants give spiritual opulences.
In
the form of Lord Caitanya, He is chasing after us and sending His
devotees to chase after us, while as Krishna, He is asking us to
surrender.
Those
people that Krishna says remain in demoniac species birth after birth
are saved by Him as Lord Caitanya and by His devotees.
In
the Sermon on the Mount Jesus Christ says one cannot leave hell until
he has paid the last farthing, not that there is eternal damnation,
but rather the law of karma.
Tulasirani
Devi Dasi:
from
a Facebook post to my timeline:
“So
my mom was just in town, and all of a sudden I heard her in the
kitchen saying 'Gauranga' over and over again. So I came and asked
her what she was doing, and she said, 'Your magnet says, “call out
Gauranga be happy.”' So I asked if she was happy and she said
YES...... Thanks for the magnet! Just see the potency of your desire
to spread the holy names; you may have left Gainesville, but still
you are getting people to engage in chanting the holy names here. :)
GAAAUUUUUUURAAANGAAAAAAAAAAAAA”
Bhimakarma
Prabhu [in Brooklyn]:
The
words of a pure devotee come from the spiritual platform and
therefore have a powerful spiritual effect on our consciousness.
Amrita
Keli Devi Dasi:
Spiritual
life is not about believing but experiencing. If you have an
experience of something, no one can convince you that you have not.
At age fourteen I had Krishna Lunch at University of Florida for the
first time on Spaghetti Wednesday. After I ate it, I thought, “What
is the food? Who are those people?” I kept trying to find something
that tasted that good, in my high school cafeteria, in Indian
restaurants, in Thai restaurants. Nothing was quite as good as
prasadam.
Krishna
is so wonderful. He says you can just offer Him a leaf. There are
leaves everywhere.
I
would offer food to Krishna on an altar in my room at college.
Sometimes my roommates would knock on my door. I would say, “Just a
minute.” And I would hide all my paraphernalia for worship. I felt
like was kid trying to not to get caught smoking pot.
Youssef:
I feel old at times and young at times.
Matt:
I never feel older or young just the same.
Laura:
I have a childlike perspective but a lot of wisdom I have
accumulated.
Alice:
I am very young and very old, and that never leaves you.
Mallory:
I feel old like one hundred. I feel I was around in the sixties and
the seventies, and it didn't work out so I am back.
Amrita:
When I am thinking about my future, I feel my age, but when I do our
Krishna Club activities I feel young.
Michaelangelo:
I felt ten years younger or twenty years older, never my age.
Dorian:
I feel old in the morning, then 8 years old, and then old at night.
Laura:
I am 29 and feel that way because I graduated from college and have a
job and act like an adult, but I lack the wisdom that comes from
experience.
Kara:
I felt old signing a lot of paperwork . . .
Rebecca:
I feel the age of the people I am around.
Lovelesh:
I feel a little older, but I would like to be kid and play all day.
Brandon:
I am the middle child of nine, and I feel I deserved that.
One
lady in the Alachua area was dying in a hospice with few friends and
relatives who were concerned with her. She had three acquaintances
who were devotees, and when there were informed of her plight, they
came every day to give her prasadam,
to
give
her transcendental knowledge, to give her friendship, and to give her
Krishna's blessings in different ways. Thus by just a little contact
with devotees, she got such benefit at the end of life!
Ryan
[the youngest regular attender at Krishna House]:
Technically
nothing is impossible because Krishna is able to do anything.
I
do not think I have time to be famous because it would get in the way
of my devotional service to Krishna.
Eric
[who does Buddhist workshops]:
My
friends and I, who protested the Vietnam War, because we were
motivated by anger, eventually gave up activism, but the Quakers, who
were motivated by compassion, continue protesting senseless wars until
this day.
-----
sri-bhagavan
uvaca
prakasam
ca pravrittim ca
moham
eva ca pandava
na
dveshti sampravrittani
na
nivrittani kankshati
udasina-vad
asino
gunair
yo na vicalyate
guna
vartanta ity evam
yo
'vatishthati nengate
sama-duhkha-sukhah
sva-sthah
sama-loshtasma-kancanah
tulya-priyapriyo
dhiras
tulya-nindatma-samstutih
manapamanayos
tulyas
tulyo
mitrari-pakshayoh
sarvarambha-parityagi
gunatitah
sa ucyate
“The
Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O son of Pandu, he who does not
hate illumination, attachment and delusion when they are present or
long for them when they disappear; who is unwavering and undisturbed
through all these reactions of the material qualities, remaining
neutral and transcendental, knowing that the modes alone are active;
who is situated in the self and regards alike happiness and distress;
who looks upon a lump of earth, a stone and a piece of gold with an
equal eye; who is equal toward the desirable and the undesirable; who
is steady, situated equally well in praise and blame, honor and
dishonor; who treats alike both friend and enemy; and who has
renounced all material activities – such a person is said to have
transcended the modes of nature.” (Bhagavad-gita
14.22–25)
