Diary
of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 11, No. 8
By Krishna-kripa das
(April 2015, part two)
By Krishna-kripa das
(April 2015, part two)
Toronto,
Ireland, Holland, Radhadesh, Luxembourg, Germany
(Sent from Manchester, England, on May 18, 2015)
(Sent from Manchester, England, on May 18, 2015)
Where
I Went and What I Did
The
last half of April, I went on harinama
every
single day. Early the morning of April 16, I
returned from Sacred Sounds in New Jersey and caught two hours of
sleep before flying to Dublin via Toronto, where I had a twelve-hour
layover and visited the temple, caught up partly on my sleep, had a
couple meals, went on harinama
for
two hours, and chanted the evening arati
song
for the Deities. In Dublin we did three hours of harinama
the
first day and had our nine-hour harinama
the
next day. Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday we chanted in Dublin at least
three hours a day. Next we went to Kilkenny, Bagenalstown, and Cork,
before flying to Amsterdam to attend King's Day. I chanted with
Sivananda Sena Prabhu and wife, Moksa
Laksmi Devi Dasi, in Rotterdam, along with other six devotees two
days for two hours each day, and I spoke on harinama
at
the weekly Saturday night program there. On Sunday, the day before
King's Day, I chanted with Sivananda Sena Prabhu, Moksa Laksmi Devi
Dasi and two other devotees in Amsterdam, which was already very
crowded. King's Day was amazing with over 200 devotees chanting for
eight hours. More people from the crowd were enthusiastic to
participate than usual. The next day I went with Harinama Ruci, the
world harinama
party,
and devotees from Germany to do harinama
in
Luxembourg for two hours, thus beginning our journey to the
Simhacalam farm for the upcoming Nrsimha Caturdasi festival.
Amazingly, two people we met in Luxembourg joined our party for two
days. We stayed the night at Goloka Dhama and chanted with seven
devotees from there in Kaiserslautern the next day. That night we
stayed at our temple outside Heidelberg and chanted in Heidelberg the
next day.
I
share wisdom from Srila Prabhupada's lectures, realizations about
japa and
harinama from
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami's books and journal, and insights from
Duryodhana Guru Prabhu in Ireland and Kadamba Kanana Swami in
Radhadesh. I also share many interesting insights and realizations
from newer devotees I was doing harinama
with
in Ireland and Germany.
Thanks
to Eleanora, who kindly paid most of the cost of my bus from Kilkenny
to Cork. Many, many thanks to Sivananda Sena Prabhu of Rotterdam for
all the harinamas, and
his donation of many euros, a new watch and a new suitcase with
wheels. Thanks to Govinda Prabhu of the UK for donating the extra
euros from his trip to Amsterdam. Thanks to Sadbhuja Prabhu, who allowed me to travel from Radhadesh to Simhachalam, in his traveling temple bus.
Thanks
to Vishnujana Prabhu for the photos from our trip to Luxembourg and
Germany with me in them and the closeup of the Goloka Dhama sandesh.
Thanks to Simon P. whose picture of the Toronto temple I downloaded
from Wikipedia. Thanks to the Students of His Grace Sriman Sankarshan
Das Adhikari Worldwide, whose picture of the Toronto Hare Krishna
deities, Sri Sri Radha Ksira-Chora Gopinatha I downloaded. Thanks
to Krishna.com for the picture
of the Radhadesh deities, Sri
Sri Radha Gopinatha.
Toronto
When
I bought my round trip ticket from Dublin to New York last year, I
was very happy to find out I had a layover of twelve hours in Toronto
on the return. I had never chanted Hare
Krishna in the streets of Toronto nor visited our temple there, which
is in an old church building, and I was eager to do both. With the
expert directions of Bhakta Nick, I made it to the temple by bus and
subway in about an hour and a half. I took breakfast and a nap, and
went on harinama.
Apparently
two devotees regularly go on harinama
for
2½ hours each afternoon, but one was out of town and the other
decided not go to out. Bhakta Nick had to do reception, and I was
wondering if I would have to go out alone, when one Indian devotee,
Vijay Krishna Prabhu eagerly agreed to come out. He was a great
asset, playing the karatalas
in
time, singing on key, having a loud voice, and being agreeable to
chant in public for two hours. While we chanted, we met a young
devotee from Russia who joined us for the last forty-five minutes. A
few people were happy to see us, and I passed out several invitations
to the Toronto temple Sunday feast.
On returning to the temple I took
a shower and a nap, sang the evening arati
song,
and had dinner at the Govinda's restaurant in the temple building,
before returning to the airport by public transportation, thus
completing a quick but fulfilling visit to Toronto. One devotee had
made incredible oatmeal for breakfast in Toronto with dates, raisins,
and nuts, and I took some for my breakfast in Dublin the next day.
Thanks to Bhakti Marga Swami, who got me in touch with Bhakta Nick,
and Bhakta Nick himself for spending a lot of time facilitating my
visit.
Dublin
Nine-Hour Harinama
Ananta Nitai Prabhu said, “I usually just do five hours of harinama, so I was overwhelmed with the idea of doing nine hours. I decided I just had to surrender to it, and the time went by so fast.” Actually Ananta chanted over nine hours as he and Nimai did a harinama themselves in the morning to Temple Bar, where Gopi Gan and Karuneshvari sell samosas, to get some breakfast.
I
was also surprised how fast the nine hours went by, especially
considering the temperature was in the fifties (10–15° C), and it
was very windy.
One
Indian man from Dubai donated ten euros and took two books. I invited
him to Govindas, and when I saw him the next day, he took pictures of
us and told me he went to Govinda's. His wife is very involved in
ISKCON activities in Dubai and is impressed with Radhanath Swami.
One
young boy took an interest in the chanting party, and one of the
devotees gave him the karatalas,
showing
him how to play. He could not grasp the one-two-three, but he was
often in time. Most amazing to me was that he stayed for quite a
while for someone his age (https://youtu.be/jqKukztGa_8):
As
usual, some people danced with us.
Others
took photos.
We
went through the populated Temple Bar area, and a bunch of ladies
from a hen party joined us.
We
chanted outside a music store called Gandharva
Loka owned by a devotee.
At
7:30 p.m. we relocated to the usual Saturday night harinama
location.
While we were there, a
group of young people took part, taking pleasure in dancing with us.
I praised the best of the dancers, and they stayed and danced even
more (https://youtu.be/wWUtx8M97cE):
Harinamas
in Kilkenny, Bagenalstown, and Cork
Ananta
Nitai, Nimai, and I planned to chant in Cork for two days, but we did
not have any place to stay there, so we decided to stay with
Eleanora, a retired school teacher who is enthusiastic about harinama
and
lives between Dublin and Cork, near the city of Kilkenny, after doing
harinama in Kilkenny
the first day. Then we planned to do harinama
in
Cork the second day. That way we could do harinama
in
two places.
Kilkenny
has a castle, which was a popular site for tourists to visit, and by
chanting there we could count on people regularly coming by.
As is often the case, the people most interested in the harinama were little kids. The next most interested were school girls, who passed us while buying something from the shop. One group of them asked what we were doing.
As is often the case, the people most interested in the harinama were little kids. The next most interested were school girls, who passed us while buying something from the shop. One group of them asked what we were doing.
That
evening we chanted in front of the supermarket in Bagenalstown
between 6 and 7 p.m., and we also encountered a steady stream of
people going shopping after work. You could understand practically no
one had ever seen the Hare Krishnas before. Most people either smiled
or ignored us. One middle-aged lady inquired about what we were doing
and gave us a euro. We had forgotten to bring the books to this
second harinama,
but
I had a few pieces of literature in my computer bag in the car, so I
got them out and gave her a King
of Knowledge. She
considered it was probably worth more than one euro and gave another
one.
I
was amazed that on three occasions that day passersby shouted
complete gibberish at us as they walked or drove by. I guessed that
is because they are unfamiliar with us. In Dublin, where people know
us, they usually say “Hare Krishna” or “Hare Hare” as they
pass by. We are chanting in Dublin so often people have assimilated
some words from the chant.
We
were happy to chant in a new place, and Eleanora was very happy to be
doing harinama
near
her home.
We
found it was too expensive to go to Cork the next day, so the others
returned to Dublin, and I went to Cork alone as my flight was from
the airport there. We chanted for an hour in Kilkenny in the morning,
before traveling to our respective destinations. We saw people eating
breakfast at sidewalk cafes or on the way to work. Again people
mostly ignored us or smiled at us, as they passed. One lady who had a
spiritual mission of her own was very happy to encounter us,
considering it providential, and bought a book. We did not encounter
any real malice at either of the new places.
I
chanted outside the bus station in Cork by myself before taking the
bus to the airport. I set out my hat and a small Bhagavad-gita
and
three pamphlets. Three people gave me donations totaling €2.20 in
the forty minutes I was there, and not one wanted any literature.
Soon after I had begun singing a taxi driver who was from Kolkata
came up to me, exclaiming, “Where have you been? I never see any
Hare Krishnas chanting in Cork!” I told him we have few devotees in
Cork but that we have a restaurant and temple in Dublin, where there
are many devotees.
Chanting
in Rotterdam
Sivananda
Sena Prabhu and his wife, Moksa Lakshmi, are both very dedicated to
chanting Hare Krishna in public. They chant in Rotterdam, Amsterdam,
The Hague, and other cities in the Netherlands. Recently the
government has restricted them for using amplification and singing in
populated places in The Hague so they are focusing on Rotterdam,
their hometown, and Amsterdam, the largest city.
We
chanted in Rotterdam two days for two hours each, and both times we
had nine devotees, seven men and two women.
I
was amazed hear one young Muslim lady cry out, “Krishna!” as we
passed and slapped her friend's hand in approval. To hear the Muslims
chant the name of Krishna was rare for me, but Moksa Lakshmi says
that because they chant every week in Rotterdam, quite of number of
the Muslims call out “Krishna” when they see the devotees now.
Chanting
in Amsterdam the Day Before King's Day
Although I have come to Amsterdam each year since Kadamba Kanana Swami first invited me in 2008, I never had done harinama in Amsterdam the day before the event. Amsterdam was the most crowded I have ever seen it, except on King's Day itself. That we were chanting there was an unexpected surprise! The national train company in the Netherlands that Sivananda Sena Prabhu works for gave him Sunday off from work, informing him just a day or two before, and thus he could drive me to Amsterdam, and also go on harinama.
King's
Day Harinama
Kadamba
Kanana Swami brought 180 devotees from his Vyasa-puja festival in
Radhadesh to Amsterdam to chant eight hours on King's Day, when
Amsterdam is converted to one gigantic street party attended by many
tens of thousands of people. When I asked him how his party in
Radhadesh had gone, he replied, “This King's Day harinama
is
the real party. That party in Radhadesh is just an excuse to bring
people to the real party.”
People
were happy in the association of devotees.
Groups of people danced with us.
Young
ladies danced with the devotee ladies.
These
two ladies were so happy to dance with the devotees.
One
male devotee took pleasure in swinging the onlookers around.
A female devotee did as well.
People
enjoyed bridge dancing.
At
King's Day, you get people from all over the world. I talked to
people from Mexico this time.
One
man held a temple flyer in his mouth while taking photos of the devotees.
People
took pleasure in taking pictures of their family members with the
devotees.
One
couple spent time with the chanting devotees, and said they liked how
the chanting brought everyone together. I was explaining how the
chanting brings us in touch with God, and because of that, it also
brings us all together. I suggested they get a book from Gaura Karuna
Prabhu, and they did.
Many
people danced with the devotees, and a few were inspired to chant. To
people who were looking intently at the devotees, I would show the
mantra on the invitation card, pointing out each word as we were
saying it and encourage them to sing along.
Some
were very happy when I gave them the words to the mantra, and
sometimes they would continue to chant it on their own.
Here
is a video clip showing some people chanting and following the party
(https://youtu.be/uNRT318-q0Y):
Toward the end we chanted under a bridge in the park, and many, many people enjoyed dancing with us.
One
devotee from South Africa who came for the first time said, “You
really see what a good thing we have going with this harinama.
You
come to a place where people are supposed to be having fun, and they
are just dead.” The harinama
is
the real party.
It
seems to me that what we are doing at King's Day is demonstrating for
the people in general that if we enjoy in relationship with Krishna
we will have more fun than if we enjoy in ignorance of Krishna. I
think some people got a little realization that we had something real
we were offering them.
Many,
many hundreds of invitations were distributed. Gaura Karuna Prabhu of
Czech Republic of the world harinama
party,
Harinam Ruci, distributed 200 books and many others distributed books
too.
The
next day in class Kadamba Kanana Swami said, “Those
who did not go to King's Day, what can I say, you missed something
very, very special that could have given you a higher taste in your
spiritual life.”
Here
is a series of video clips from
the event
(https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xJhoCuZpa0T5sDHUIS4q4jq):
Japa
at Radhadesh
Japa
is
not one of my favorite activities, and I do not usually think of it
as fun, but I really enjoyed chanting my sixteen rounds at Radhadesh,
meditating on the beautiful form of the Gopinath deity. Getting back
late from King's Day, I missed the whole japa
period,
and I started chanting in the temple room at 9:00 a.m., after the
morning class. I was only going to chant four rounds and then have
breakfast. Then after four I decided to chant eight. After chanting
eight, I decided I would chant twelve rounds and then proofread my
guru's blog. But at twelve, I was chanting so briskly it would just
take twenty or so minutes more to finish sixteen, and so I did. I
like thinking of the mantra as the means to awaken my dormant love
for Krishna, and it helps to see the form of Krishna when I am
thinking in that way, to become inspired. Thus that japa
session
was probably my favorite of the year so far.
Harinama
in Luxembourg
One
African man was the first person to delight in dancing with our
lively international party of nine male devotees on our two-hour
harinama
in
Luxembourg the day after King's Day (https://youtu.be/8Q__Ji1nUHU):
At
one point we met a group of Nepalis who were very enthusiastic to
meet the devotees. You can see how they participated
(https://youtu.be/B5EPxY8RTSw):
One lady watched us, along with her husband and kid. She ultimately danced with us for a while. She knew the mantra and told me she encountered Hare Krishna in Geneva but lives in Luxembourg now. I told her about our castle in Radhadesh and said we had lots of festivals there (https://youtu.be/v_Xu_1pde-E):
We
met one young man named
Jason who
had only
heard
of Hare Krishna from the Internet. He followed us for an hour,
sometimes dancing, sometimes chanting, sometimes banging on the drum,
and sometimes clapping. He had so much energy one devotee asked him
if he was on some drug, and he replied, “No, Hare Krishna is giving
me so much energy.” Later on a older man with a tambourine joined
us briefly. Both appear in this video clip
(https://youtu.be/uAhyZ6AlmYk):
One
young lady named Michele bought a book and then followed us for over
half an hour. Both she and Jason were generous enough to offer us
food and drinks they had bought, but there was nothing that we could
accept.
They
both came back to the van with us, and were even considering
following us to the German farm in the lady's car, but we had trouble
locating it and were behind schedule.
Altogether
in Luxembourg, the devotees distributed about thirty books.
I
slept in the hallway of the men's ashram at Goloka Dhama because
people were snoring in the rooms, and just after midnight I was
awakened by the guy and girl who had followed us on the Luxembourg
harinama. They
had gotten lost trying to find Goloka Dhama. We did not want to wake
up the devotee ladies to accommodate the new girl, so we let her
sleep in the van. It was too cold, however, and as a result, she
ended up coming inside, instead of sleeping in, and she went to
mangala-arati.
They
both went to the second part of the morning program, and they came on
harinama with
us that day, before returning to Luxembourg.
Harinama
in Kaiserslautern
The
devotees at Goloka Dhama were excellent hosts, cooking us a wonderful
feast of Ekadasi prasadam.
Then
about seven of them joined us on the day's harinama
at
Kaiserslautern. They were happy to have an additional ten people at
their morning program, and to have the opportunity to go on harinama
with
such a lively group of devotees.
It
was beautiful seeing Michele, who joined us from Luxembourg, dancing
with us on harinama.
The
same was true for Jason.
Our
chanting party went into several shops.
A
worker in a clothing shop, although shy at first, danced in a circle
with us, and an older lady chanted (https://youtu.be/ZPweEOyxcA0):
A
cashier in one shop chanted the mantra and also danced in a circle
with us (https://youtu.be/PCUtsWlGC6E):
A worker in an optical shop invited us into her store and then danced with us (https://youtu.be/f5fnthAMX3s):
We
would dance at the pedestrian malls, and many people would watch and
take pictures.
One
guitar player joined us briefly.
Sometimes guys danced with us (https://youtu.be/7YWVPefHWaU):
Sometimes guys danced with us (https://youtu.be/7YWVPefHWaU):
Then, just before lunch, we devoured the amazingly colorful and tasty
varieties of sandesh
which
the Goloka Dhama devotees had given us.
Chanting
in Heidelberg
A
couple of young ladies, who were smiling as if pleased to see our
party, disappeared into the entrance of a building, and I followed
them to give them an invitation to our Heidelberg temple. One told me
she was a kindergarten teacher, and that very morning they had done
Indian dance, and the song they had danced to was Hare Krishna. She
was surprised to run into us chanting Hare Krishna on the street on
the very same day. I encouraged them to come to our Sunday program at
least once, and said it included the chanting and a free vegetarian
dinner. The other girl was a vegetarian, and I suggested they visit
together.
Many
people took pictures of us in Heidelberg.
We
continued chanting in shops including “The Pure Shop.” You can see
what it was like (https://youtu.be/6E_N_exSA-o):
I
talked to a tourist from Orange County in California, who was happy
to see us, and I told her I lived in our temple in San Diego for six
years, and I said we had a place in Laguna Beach.
The
book distributors were happy with Heidelberg as it was busier than
the previous city.
We
stayed out for about 2½ hours. Gaura Karuna Prabhu, who distributes
books, and I, who like to do 3 hours of harinama
each
day, decided
to go back out for another 45 minutes, while the others took lunch.
Gaura Karuna Prabhu sold another Gita
during that time.
As
we were traveling to our next location, during a five-minute toilet
stop, Dvarakadhisa Prabhu, a German book
distributor, sold two books to a couple of German ladies who were
traveling to Prague. I then gave them an invitation to the Prague
temple and the main restaurant.
To
see the pictures I did not include in this issue from the same time
period, click on the link below:
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.3.20 on September 25, 1972, in Los Angeles:
We
are educating people to gratify their senses through Krishna. If you
want to dance, dance through Krishna.
Painting
is not to be stopped, but it must be diverted to Krishna and then
there is purification.
In
Vedic culture the tax was 25% of the gain. If you had a loss there
was no tax.
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.18 on August 21, 1972, in Los
Angeles:
Krishna
in Bhagavad-gita, Krishna as
Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa, and Krishna as Lord Caitanya are all
teaching how to approach Krishna. Only Krishna can teach how to
approach Krishna.
Satsvarupa
Dasa Goswami:
from
Japa
Transformations:
“Early
morning is a good time, but if you cannot spare it then, then do it
[your chanting] in the afternoon when you save some time for it. But
a good block of reserve time is essential. During that time, you
should create an environment in which you’re not being bothered by
your children or your work worries. Even worse is externally dividing
your time between chanting and other duties. Be determined to find a
time in the day which is your japa
time,
and carry it out faithfully every day. Steady performance of this
routine will bring you good results. It does not exactly matter
whether it is early in the morning or later in the afternoon, as long
as it is a time of peace and uninterrupted chanting. Strive to find
that time and carry it out for Krishna’s sake and for our sakes.
It’s too important to be neglected.”
“By
the force of Prabhupada’s movement
they [the harinama devotees] are fulfilling Lord Caitanya’s
prediction that His names
would be sung in every
town and village of the world. In their
multicolored, informal clothing
they are going out
independently to chant Hare Krishna
in public.
By this
act they are purifying
their minds and
the performance of
the yajna is
imperceptibly bringing
peace and prosperity
to the world.”
they [the harinama devotees] are fulfilling Lord Caitanya’s
prediction that His names
would be sung in every
town and village of the world. In their
multicolored, informal clothing
they are going out
independently to chant Hare Krishna
in public.
By this
act they are purifying
their minds and
the performance of
the yajna is
imperceptibly bringing
peace and prosperity
to the world.”
“The
ecstasy comes from
chanting the Hare Krishna mantra,
which cleanses the mirror
of the mind and increases
the ocean of transcendental bliss.
It helps one to get a taste of the nectar
for which we are always anxious.
By chanting in public
these devotees are doing
the greatest welfare work
for humanity.
The casual passersby may
not appreciate at first,
but if the devotees are determined
and go out every day, the people’s minds
will be changed. They will find themselves
singing Hare Krishna to themselves
and opening to the Lord who gives them bliss”
chanting the Hare Krishna mantra,
which cleanses the mirror
of the mind and increases
the ocean of transcendental bliss.
It helps one to get a taste of the nectar
for which we are always anxious.
By chanting in public
these devotees are doing
the greatest welfare work
for humanity.
The casual passersby may
not appreciate at first,
but if the devotees are determined
and go out every day, the people’s minds
will be changed. They will find themselves
singing Hare Krishna to themselves
and opening to the Lord who gives them bliss”
“These
three
devotees appear like
free spirits, chanting
in public with no
inhibitions. They
are dancing freestyle
and smiling with genuine emotions.
They know they are the lucky
ones out of millions in ignorance.”
devotees appear like
free spirits, chanting
in public with no
inhibitions. They
are dancing freestyle
and smiling with genuine emotions.
They know they are the lucky
ones out of millions in ignorance.”
“Sankirtana
men are like soldiers
in the army of Lord Caitanya.
They don’t use lethal
weapons but a nonviolent
chant which is very effective
in cleansing the mirror
of the mind. They fight
illusion (maya) by singing
the names of Lord Hari.
They do battle with
the forces of evil by
chanting sixteen rounds
and controlling the
senses by avoiding
the four types of prohibitive
sins. By chanting hari-
nama in public, they
feel full satisfaction,
and at death Krishna
promotes them back to Godhead.”
in the army of Lord Caitanya.
They don’t use lethal
weapons but a nonviolent
chant which is very effective
in cleansing the mirror
of the mind. They fight
illusion (maya) by singing
the names of Lord Hari.
They do battle with
the forces of evil by
chanting sixteen rounds
and controlling the
senses by avoiding
the four types of prohibitive
sins. By chanting hari-
nama in public, they
feel full satisfaction,
and at death Krishna
promotes them back to Godhead.”
“They
are smiling and moving
with a bounce. In Prabhupada’s time
when he raised his arms
hundreds of devotees would
get up and dance. On the
occasions when he personally
began to dance, the place
would go wild with jumping
and leaping. Even today
there are eruptions of
en masse dancing in
temple rooms or down
the streets at Ratha-yatras.
Dancing is a symptom
of ecstasy. Lord Caitanya
moved even the tigers
and elephants to dance
in the Jarikhanda Forest.
In the beginning of the Movement
the people used to think
that dancing Hare Krishnas were high on LSD.
Now they know it is natural ecstasy,
and sometimes they join in.”
with a bounce. In Prabhupada’s time
when he raised his arms
hundreds of devotees would
get up and dance. On the
occasions when he personally
began to dance, the place
would go wild with jumping
and leaping. Even today
there are eruptions of
en masse dancing in
temple rooms or down
the streets at Ratha-yatras.
Dancing is a symptom
of ecstasy. Lord Caitanya
moved even the tigers
and elephants to dance
in the Jarikhanda Forest.
In the beginning of the Movement
the people used to think
that dancing Hare Krishnas were high on LSD.
Now they know it is natural ecstasy,
and sometimes they join in.”
Duryodhana
Guru Prabhu from Ireland:
from
a lecture entitled, “Do Your Dharma, Eliminate Your Karma”:
If
you are leading a life with no direction, then you are not doing your
dharma.
The
average word in Sanskrit has 22 meanings. I used to run the Sanskrit
department for the production of Srila Prabhupada's books for some
time when Srila Prabhupada was on the planet.
Examples
of dharma are the law, justice, an expression of your nature, and
your essence.
The
dharma based on the body and the dharma based on the soul are both
important, but the dharma of the soul is more important.
Service
to God is eternal. It generates no karma. As long as we generate
karma we have to come back to this material world and suffer birth,
death, old age, and disease.
Let
say you are a creative type, an artist, but your parents convince you
go to school for an MBA. You may get a good job and make a lot of
money, but because you are not acting according to your nature, you
will not be satisfied at heart.
If
you are not contributing to society, you are not doing your dharma.
If
our desires are not in harmony with our dharma, then we should not
endeavor to fulfill them.
Srila
Prabhupada's dharma was to bring the philosophy of India to the west,
which was too absorbed in technology and other manifestations of
materialism, and to teach the people out to use their material
resources for Krishna and become spiritually perfect.
If
you do your dharma, you will feel fulfilled, but satisfying selfish
desires provides only temporary happiness.
Did
you ever count all the thoughts that your mind comes up with in one
minute? Just
like rivers flowing to the sea, the desires which enter our mind are
endless.
Joining
the Hare Krishna movement, I had experiences I never had before. I
had a charmed life and blessed life in many ways.
Your
dharma does not have to be big. You can do spider dharma and not
monkey dharma.
Dharma
resides in your heart.
Bhagavad-gita
is
God talking. If you do not think it is God talking, read it. Have you
ever heard anyone talk like that? No. Only God can talk like that.
People
who are proud of figuring out how to “get away with” doing as
little as possible and still retaining their job, will not be able
rise above that consciousness.
“Do
not make yourself crazy because you are not perfect” is one message
we can gather from Bhagavad-gita
18.48: “Every endeavor is covered by some fault, just as fire is
covered by smoke. Therefore one should not give up the work born of
his nature, O son of Kunti, even if such work is full of fault.”
Doing
your dharma for God is sacrifice.
Krishna
said, “Think about what I said, and then do what you wish to do.”
He does not say, “I will force you.” or “I will make you feel
guilty for the rest of your days.” God is love.
If
you are forcing people to do things, you are not being God-like.
In
Bhagavad-gita 18.66,
Krishna says in
effect, “About all those
other things you think you have to do, set them at My feet, and you
are good to go . . . I don't want you to stress over them.”
Q
(by me): Could you describe the difference between the heart and the
mind?
A:
What does Krishna say about the mind? It can be our best friend or
worst enemy, but God is in the heart.
Interjection
(by me): Krishna says when we have attained tranquility, the
Supersoul [God within] is reached.
A
(continued): Yes. When the mind is in balance, we can connect with
God in the heart.
The
mind thinks, and the heart loves.
Our
intuition is always right, but sometimes it is clouded by desire.
People
do not realize that the mass slaughter of animals in slaughterhouses
has a mass karmic reaction for the whole society that supports that
industry in many ways.
The
Sanskrit word for meat is “mamsa.”
This comes from two words, “mam”
means “me” and “sa”
means “he.” The implication is that in this life I eat the animal
and in the next life he
eats me,
and so on, life after life.
Kadamba
Kanana Swami:
Every
action has future consequences, whether it is spiritual or material
activity. The mind, however, focuses on one thing, and we think we
must have this one thing.
Sex
life is full of all kinds of consequences and thus the sages
recommended it be eliminated or reduced to the minimum.
If
devotees are too attached to sex life, they will find they have less
energy for devotional service. When they increase their enthusiasm
for different activities of devotional service, then they can
naturally reduce absorption in sex life. If one tries to reduce sex
life to follow scriptural injunctions or out of a sense of duty, it
will not last. It will become a heavy duty.
Bhakti
is described as loving devotional service, that we actually love to
do the service. It is done with a sense of love, even before the
stage of prema.
In
the middle of the King's Day kirtana,
there
is no chance for the people to do their nonsense. We have so many
devotees, we create a transcendental atmosphere that affects the
people. When we go in the tunnel it is amplified, and they come
running into the kirtana.
We
can see from that how our devotion can be increased. [By immersing
ourselves in a spiritual atmosphere.]
If
we take our material desires and put them in a box and put them on a
shelf, and just get absorbed in devotional service, we will find that
when we have free time, and we take down the box, it is half empty.
We may exclaim with alarm, “Who has stolen my material desires?”
It is Krishna, who is a thief.
I
do not know how much love I have for Krishna, but I cannot imagine a
life without serving Krishna.
Being
from Holland, I loved water and boats. When I became a devotee, we
had a program on a boat, and it was nice but nothing special. The
best part was the audience could not escape. Either they heard about
Krishna from me, or they jumped in the water.
This
practice is not boring. Not like we have to give up so many things.
We have colorful personalities. We have a movement that is based on
individualism. Everyone uses their individuality in serving Krishna,
and that lifts us above the ordinary. It is not just devotion but
service to Krishna.
In
my youth, at King's Day, I would play my guitar and sing, “It is a
free day and in a free way, we are going to play.” But now I know
what real freedom is.
Orange
[the color worn by those in the renounced order of life], for me,
means “I belong to Krishna.” The others wearing orange there at
King's Day do not know.
Bhakta
Rick reserves our spot at King's Day. You do not just sign up at the
city council. You have to tape it off, stay there the night before,
and fight for it. But he has been doing that as a service for years.
Those
who did not go to King's Day, what can I say, you missed something
very, very special that could have given you a higher taste in your
spiritual life.
Bhakti
comes from bhakti.
That is the secret.
If
we make an effort to stay close with the other devotees, as at this
festival, that will help us in a time of need.
Radhadesh
is here because of sacrifice. It is not like one rich man donated the
castle and everything else. Sacrifice for the glorification of
Krishna is what will save us and what will save the world.
Ananta
Nitai Prabhu:
When
I distribute books at the houses, some people recognize me from
harinama, and
even though they do not know what harinama
is, they say “it has a calming effect on my mind, keep doing it.”
They speak such encouraging words about the harinama,
and
they are not even in ISKCON.
I
chanted “Gauranga” in the presence of one pregnant lady, and she
said the baby started kicking.
I
remember before I moved in the temple I was addicted to smoking. I
decided I would smoke and chant Hare Krishna and one of them would
have to go, so I did. I would smoke a cigarette and then chant Hare
Krishna, and then smoke another cigarette and chant Hare Krishna.
Eventually the smoking went away.
People
think it is either book distribution or harinama
sankirtana [chanting
in the street] but you can do both. By doing harinama
the
people get to know you, and then when you do books at the houses, it
is easier because they know you.
When
you are selling books on the street, you only reach a certain number
of people, but with harinama,
you
touch everyone.
I
would distribute books during the London Saturday night harinama,
I
would do thirty books in an hour which is what I usually do in a
whole day.
Spiritual
life is not about following social trends but doing your individual
dharma according to your nature.
One
lady said to us in Dublin while we were chanting in the streets,
“What you are doing will get harder and harder. I hope your prayer
reaches God's ear.”
There
were a couple girls who were chanting with me. I was a little worried
I was spending so much time with them. Before they left I took down
their addresses in my iPad. Later my iPad exploded. I took it to the
shop, and they said, “This never happens.” I concluded Krishna
was protecting me.
Divya
Simha Prabhu [from Poland] speaking at Amsterdam Sunday feast:
I
used to do Olympic sports. I believed, like many people, that to be
successful at something, I should put all my energy into it, and so I
did. Now as a devotee, I am trying to put all my energy into two
things, the holy name of Krishna and talks about Krishna. I used to
worry, “how can I be free from anger?” or “how can I be a
better person?” Now I find by chanting about Krishna I am becoming
tolerant and humble. We can understand the third verse of “Siksastaka”
in
reverse. By always chanting the holy name, we will become tolerant
and humble.
After
a few days you can attain ruci,
the
platform of taste, if all you do is chant the holy name and talk
about Krishna.
If
we get a taste, we can pray to Krishna that we never lose the taste.
I have had a taste and lost it. Now I pray to Krishna to never lose
the taste.
Premarnava
Prabhu:
Comment
on a class on Krishna's protection:
The
devotees were doing really well on sankirtana
in
Londonderry during the time there were many riots. Once they were
distributing books while a riot broke out. They kept on distributing
books until it got really bad, and then went to their van. Two IRA
guys overpowered them and started driving away with their van. In
those days, the IRA would burn vehicles as a protest. Mo did not know
what to do so he just grabbed onto the leg of one guy as they were
driving away and cried out, “Nrsimhadeva” as loud as he could.
Two guys suddenly appeared and came to their rescue, pulling the IRA
men out of the van. Mo got in the driver's seat and started to drive.
Looking at the IRA men in the rear view mirror, they appeared
completely confused by what had just happened.
Comment
on a class about restricting sex life:
One
disciple of Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura made an independent
arrangement to get married. Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura found
out about it and engaged some of his stronger disciples in physically
retraining the man from attending the wedding he had arranged for
himself. Later that disciple took sannyasa,
the
renounced order of life, and he spoke with tears of gratitude about
how Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura had saved him.
Savyasaci
Prabhu [from South Africa]:
We
have to find that person who we feel happy to bow down to.
People
think the God must be perceivable by our senses to exist, and because
they do not see Him, they think He does not exist, and therefore,
they are free do whatever they want.
Even
though the people at King's Day felt happiness in the association of
devotees, but because are not taught in present day society that that
is a valid way of being happy, they could not accept it, although
they experienced it.
From
a van conversation:
When
I went on my first retreat with the devotees, as we returned I said
to my friend, “Do you realize that we sang the same song the whole
weekend? If anything is spiritual, that must be it. Otherwise we
would have gotten tired of singing the same song.”
Rasika
Mangala Prabhu [from the Soho St. temple]:
From
the comments section of a class:
One
devotee gave his mother a tulasi
necklace,
but after some time she returned it. She said found it was hard for
her to eat meat while wearing it, but she was not ready to become
vegetarian.
I
had some friends who I used to drink beer with. One time I went out
with them after I became a devotee, but I did not drink. I shared
with them some nuts that were mixed with some maha-prasadam
spicy
preparation from Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura's temple in
Mayapur. In the course of the evening, our discussion turned toward
spiritual topics. Two of my old friends expressed interest in
learning meditation, and I agreed to teach them how to chant Hare
Krishna on beads as a meditation the next day. One of them was too
drunk to remember his promise, but the other came and learned Hare
Krishna meditation. He liked it and kept up with it for awhile.
-----
Some
people doubt that devotees in the International Society for Krishna
Consciousness are greatly advanced in spiritual life, but you can see
many of these symptoms of bhava,
the
preliminary stage of love of Godhead, manifest in different devotees:
kshantir
avyartha-kalatvam
viraktir mana-sunyata
asa-bandhah samutkantha
nama-gane sada rucih
asaktis tad-gunakhyane
pritis tad-vasati-sthale
ity-adayo ’nubhavah syur
jata-bhavankure jane
viraktir mana-sunyata
asa-bandhah samutkantha
nama-gane sada rucih
asaktis tad-gunakhyane
pritis tad-vasati-sthale
ity-adayo ’nubhavah syur
jata-bhavankure jane
“When
the seed of ecstatic emotion [bhava]
for
Krishna fructifies, the following nine symptoms manifest in one’s
behavior: forbearance, concern that time should not be wasted,
detachment, absence of false prestige, hope, eagerness, a taste for
chanting the holy name of the Lord, attachment to descriptions of the
transcendental qualities of the Lord, and affection for those places
where the Lord resides – that is, a temple or a holy place like
Vrindavana. These are all called anubhava
(subordinate signs of ecstatic emotion). They are visible in a person
in whose heart the seed of love of God has begun to fructify.”
(Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu
1.3.25–26)
