Diary
of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 11, No. 9
By Krishna-kripa das
(May 2015, part one)
By Krishna-kripa das
(May 2015, part one)
Bavaria,
Birmingham, and The North of England
(Sent from Newcastle upon Tyne, England, on June 4, 2015)
(Sent from Newcastle upon Tyne, England, on June 4, 2015)
Where
I Went and What I Did
I
attended the Nrsimha Caturdasi festival at Simhachalam, the Bavarian
Hare Krishna farm, which has a single, though awesome, deity of
Prahlad-Nrsimha. I joined the Harinama Ruci traveling party and some
festival attendees for harinama
in
Passau on Monday after the festival. Tuesday I chanted in Munich with
two friends before flying to London. Bhakti Rasa Prabhu really
impressed me by picking me up at the Megabus and chanting with me
downtown for 45 minutes before our Newcastle Wednesday evening
kirtana
program.
I chanted in Newcastle Thursday and Friday and spoke at the Friday
evening program. Saturday and Sunday I joined the Birmingham 24-hour
kirtana for the fifth time. Many of my friends from the UK were there, and it
was great to see them. Monday I chanted in Sunderland, where
Caitanya-candrodaya Prabhu and Prema Sankirtana Prabhu joined me, and
Tuesday in Newcastle, where in addition to them, Madhuri, Veera, and
Priyanka joined me. I spent the next thee days chanting in Sheffield,
advertising Sunday's Second Annual Sheffield Ratha-yatra which I
later attended. Saturday I chanted with Manchester devotees there,
and helped to advertise their Ratha-yatra the following week.
I
share great insights from Srila Prabhupada's lectures and books,
Sanatana Goswami's Brihad-bhagavatamrita,
Satsvarupa
Dasa Goswami's books and blog, and notes on lectures by Bhakti
Vaibhava Swami, Krishna Kshetra Swami, Sacinandana Swami, Kadamba
Kanana Swami, Jagatatma Prabhu, Manidhara Prabhu, Prithu Prabhu, and
more. I also share notes on an interesting seminar about death by
Devaki Mataji.
Thanks
to Kalki of Newcastle, Ali Krishna Devi Dasi of Oxford, and Haladhara
Baladeva Prabhu, Joe, and Mariana, all of Sheffield, for their kind
donations. A very special thanks to Hare
Krishna Festivals UK
for the great pictures of the Sheffield Ratha-yatra. Thanks to
Caitanya Candrodaya Prabhu for his picture of us chanting in Passau.
Itinerary
June
5: Newcastle
June
6: York
June
7–8: Newcastle
June
9: Chester
June
10–11: Sheffield
June
12–13: Brighton with Janananda Goswami
June
14: London Ratha-yatra
June
15–20: Manchester with Sutapa Prabhu and his party, including
Harinama Ruci
June
21: Stonehenge Soltice Festival and Oxford Summer Kirtan
June
22: Newcastle
June
23: Edinburgh
June
24: Newcastle
June
25: Blackpool and Preston
June
26: Southport and Liverpool
June
27: Newcastle
June
28: Paris Ratha-yatra
June
29–July 3: Paris harinamas
with
Janananda Goswami and Harinama Ruci
July
4: York harinama
and
Manchester kirtana
with
Madhava Prabhu
Harinama
at Simhachalam
My
favorite place to be on Nrsimha Caturdasi is Simhachalam, the farm
with Prahlad-Nrsimha deities in Bavaria.
The
Harinama Ruci world traveling party is so attached to doing harinama
that
during the Nrsimha Caturdasi festival at Simhachalam, they decided to do
harinama
there.
On
the day before Nrsimha Caturdasi, they chanted in the Simhachalam
barn.
The
guys danced.
The
ladies danced.
On
Nrsimha Caturdasi the small Prahlad-Nrsimha, riding on palanquin,
circumambulate their temple three times.
The Harinama Ruci party led
the chanting.
The
day after Nrsimha Caturdasi, the harinama
devotees
chanted through the main building.
Including
the hallway.
And
the shop.
The
shop harinama
must
have continued at least fifteen minutes, and it became very lively as
you can see from this video
(https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xKCbdHu2rPBR3Wb8lmaQqW8):
Thanks
to Nadia-jivani Dasi for the picture of us chanting in the shop.
Kadamba
Kanana Swami led a lively kirtana
for
those lingering on after the main festival
(https://youtu.be/Cl_GWxk1puw):
Harinama
in Passau
The
Harinama Ruci world harinama
party
consisting of Vishnujana Prabhu of Slovakia, Gaura Karuna Prabhu of
Czech Republic, Rasika Mangala Prabhu of Lithuania, Syamarasa Prabhu
of Croatia, Harinamananda Prabhu of Australia, and their
guest from South Africa, Savyasaci Prabhu, along with nine devotees
from the Nrsimha festival, chanted for two hours in Passau on
Monday, after the weekend festival. From the response of the residents, you could understand they do not
see many Hare Krishnas chanting in their town. Still, a few people chanted
the mantra with us, and a number of people were curious enough to take
invitations. Devotees sold several books.
We
chanted in a couple shops.
Harinama
in Munich
When
I arrived in Munich, I was so happy to encounter my harinama
partner
from France, Gadadhara Priya Prabhu, who had been living there for
three weeks. In Paris we would do Metroyoga on the metro, and in
Munich we, along with my godbrother from Ukraine, Caitanya Candrodaya
Prabhu, did a little U-bahn yoga on the way to and from our chanting
site, Marienplatz. It worked well, and at least a couple people gave
us donations on the U-bahn, although we made no endeavor to collect.
I distributed a couple of books, one on the U-bahn, and could have
done more had I been alert to offer one to everyone who gave a
donation that day. One lady smilingly gave us three pints of fresh
blueberries. She declined the offer of a book, saying she just liked
the music. One young couple really enjoyed listening to us. The guy
took a video of us, which he said he would send us, and the girl
bought Perfection
of Yoga for
2½ euros. We chanted to a group of handicapped people who were on a
field trip, and many of them were especially happy to
interact with us, appreciating our music and attention. One lady on
the U-bahn told us we were not allowed to play music and wanted us to
stop. We discontinued our chanting, and I announced that anyone who
wanted to continue their U-bahn yoga session could join us in the
next compartment of the train, where we continued after the next
stop.
As
usual, lots of children, of all ages, would smile, laugh, and dance
upon seeing our chanting party.
It
was a very positive experience, and I am very indebted to my two
friends for coming out and chanting with me for almost two and a half
hours before my flight.
Harinama
in Newcastle
I
told my friends I would be glad to do harinama
for
30 to 60 minutes in downtown Newcastle when they picked me up from my
6½ hour bus ride from London. I was happily surprised when Bhakti
Rasa Prabhu came to greet me with a mrdanga
around
his neck. It was so nice to be chanting on the streets instead of
cooped
up in a bus. The harinama
really
does give you energy. We were both happy to be chanting together
again after almost a year. Bhakti Rasa Prabhu has a beautiful loud
voice that does not need to be amplified, a lot of devotion, and the
ability to understand the locals, being from that area himself, and
thus he adds a lot to the harinama.
As
I sang by myself the next day, my first full day back in Newcastle, a
man asked, "Are you collecting for Hare Krishna?" I said
yes and he gave me £10. I offered him a Gita,
but he already had one. He majored in environmental studies in school
and told me he had a theory that the religions that believe in
reincarnation are more environmentally friendly. He spent the last 8
months living in a campground a two-hour walk from the city. You
never know what kind of people you will meet on harinama.
As
I was packing up, a girl who was perhaps ten years old, was moving to
my singing, as her friend of the same age watched. I started clapping
as it usually inspires others to either clap or get more into
dancing. The girl seemed to get more into it, so I gave her our
invitation with the words to the song, and she sang it several times.
I picked up my harmonium, saying “it is better with the harmonium,”
and we continued singing. Turns out she and her friend were going in
the same direction as I was for the next ten or fifteen minutes. They
walked a bit ahead of me, but periodically they would stop, turn back
and gesture to me and say the mantra. Krishna always arranges
positive experiences for me on my first day back in Newcastle.
The
day before the Birmingham 24-hour kirtana,
as
I was chanting down the hill past all the bike shops, one bike shop
lady came out to greet me. She had not seen
me since last year. Previously she bought Prema Sankirtana Prabhu's
old motor home and requested he throw
in some meditation beads for good luck.
She
told me she did not usually wear the beads but that very day she was
inspired to put them on.
The
last day I was in Newcastle before going to Sheffield, at one point
we had six devotees chanting all together. People forget how nice
chanting in public is if they do not go out regularly, and it made me
happy to see the devotees having a positive experience of harinama.
In
Kali-yuga, Lord Caitanya makes love of Krishna very easily available.
In that sense, it is like this week's offer of 90% off:
You can get
the highest experience of love of Godhead (krishna-prema)
simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord.
Madhuri Devi joined Caitanya-candrodaya and Prema Sankirtana Prabhus and I on harinama.
Then later Veera and Priyanka joined us. It was Veera's birthday, and I was happy to see Veera and her friend chose to go on harinama on her birthday. What a way to celebrate! What a way to purify one's birth!
Madhuri Devi joined Caitanya-candrodaya and Prema Sankirtana Prabhus and I on harinama.
Then later Veera and Priyanka joined us. It was Veera's birthday, and I was happy to see Veera and her friend chose to go on harinama on her birthday. What a way to celebrate! What a way to purify one's birth!
Here
Veera happily plays mrdanga as Madhuri sings.
You
can see a glimpse of how crowded Northumberland Street is.
Birmingham
24-Hour Kirtana
I
went to the Birmingham Ratha-yatra, featuring Sacinandana Swami and
Madhava Prabhu, for the fifth time. It is wonderful to be with so
many people committed to chant the holy name for so long, and it was
great to see my friends from all over the UK, Ireland, and France.
Ali Krishna Devi, who I originally met at a Rainbow Gathering, who
served at Krishna House for three years, and who has been living in
Japan with her husband, Krishna Sharana Prabhu, surprised me by
showing up in Birmingham, being based at Oxford for two months. Our
movement is so international. This year ten devotees came from
France.
Ananta
Nitai and Prema Sankirtana Prabhus, who once did a 24-hour harinama
in
Dublin, were happy to see each other again.
I
slept a couple hours at night, and woke up just a few minutes before
mangala-arati,
which
was attended by about fifteen or twenty people. I tried to stay
absorbed in the kirtana
as
much as possible. Talking with my many friends was the biggest
challenge to my absorption in chanting this year.
I
figured out that by chanting japa
while
the leader is singing and counting the one mantra I sing in response,
I can gradually complete sixteen rounds of japa
by
9:00 a.m., while participating in the kirtana
at
the same time.
Guys
danced.
Newer
people danced.
Even Nitai Charan Prabhu, the temple president, danced.
On
the final day, toward the end, many devotees danced, including
Sacinandana Swami, and you can see some of it in these video clips
(https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xKfvaIxsejtgUMVKcKbjrK5):
Harinama
in Sunderland
After
Birmingham 24-hour kirtana,
I
took the Megabus seven hours to Newcastle, and then I
took
the metro to Sunderland with Caitanya-candrodaya Prabhu, and
we chanted kirtana
for most of the trip. Prema Sankirtana Prabhu later joined us in
Sunderland. We
chanted for three hours there,
before going to the home of Ramai and Vrinda for more kirtana
and
prasadam.
That
was a long day for
me!
Sheffield
Harinama and Ratha-yatra
In
addition to having their weekly Wednesday program with chanting, a
talk, and spiritual food at the Broomhall Center, I was inspired to
see the devotees have a new weekly program in Sheffield.
Every Thursday, they have lunch at 12:30 p.m. followed by a chanting session scheduled from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., which in reality goes for two or more hours.
I
saw at least two new people sing for the whole two hours, which
really impressed me.
The
Sheffield Ratha-yatra was a wonderful experience.
This year it was in a park and not the city center, but there were many park goers there who were exposed to it.
I
danced a lot as usual.
She
and her husband, Kanwar, helped pull the Jagannath
cart.
Several
devotees distributed books.
The
local Sheffield TV station did a story on our 2nd annual Ratha-yatra
there:
I
ran into at least a couple people from Sheffield, who are not part of
our regular congregation, but who came to the Ratha-yatra for its
second year having liked last year's experience. I told them both
about our Wednesday and Thursday programs in Sheffield and gave them
both my card so they could correspond with me.
These
included a mother and son who enjoyed dancing to our kirtana.
One
older man who had been to India and studied Buddhism attended, along
with his daughter, who appeared attracted to different aspects of the
festival.
One
lady enjoyed chanting the mantra, which she read from a card, along
with the devotees.
One
couple watched the stage show for awhile. I waved to them as they
were leaving, and the lady seeing me waving, raised her hands like a devotee dancing.
The devotee girl dancing in the kirtana, seeing the lady with her hands raised, invited her to dance, and thus she stayed a little while longer, dancing with the devotees.
The devotee girl dancing in the kirtana, seeing the lady with her hands raised, invited her to dance, and thus she stayed a little while longer, dancing with the devotees.
One
enthusiastic devotee lady taught people in the crowd watching the
stage show how to chant on japa
beads,
giving them beads and a sheet with instructions.
The
Hare Krishna Festivals team added a lot to the event.
Dayananda
Maharaj, who was born just a few miles away in Rotherham, was a
special guest.
You
could see there were many people encountering Hare Krishna in
Sheffield for the first time and having a positive experience.
Harinama
in Manchester
On
the Saturday between my harinamas
promoting
the Sheffield Ratha-yatra and the Ratha-yatra itself, I joined with
Manchester congregational devotees in doing harinama
and
promoting the Manchester Ratha-yatra the following week.
As we had
plenty of singers, I distributed a lot of flyers.
Thanks to Agi
Holland for her pictures.
Humorous
Pictures
Rupa
Goswami in his Upadesamrita
(The
Nectar of Instruction)
warns of the dangers of atyahara,
overeating
or over collecting. I have to worry that I do not collect so much that my
possessions do not fit in my suitcase and thus impede my travels.
Householders have greater issues with over collecting.
Can
you guess from this shoe rack how many people live in this household?
Just
two, a couple, and married just two or three years at that.
When
I expressed my surprise at the number of shoes, they said that was
not the full extent of it. They opened the closet door and said,
“There are more shoes on the racks in there, and the two big blue
containers are full of shoes!”
I
asked the husband if he had difficulty choosing which shoes to wear
each day, and he replied that he always wears the same ones. Now that
is over collecting!
Cleanliness
is one of the pillars of religion, and thus this advice found in a
devotee's bathroom is appropriate:
Keeping
all kinds of trash from being stuffed in the public toilets is always
a problem. One British train company addressed this in a detailed
sign affixed to the toilet:
To see photos of the same events not included in the blog, click on the link below:
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
From
a lecture in Durban, South Africa, at the City Hall, on October 7,
1975:
I
say, “This is my hand,” but if Krishna withdraws the hand’s
power, I cannot act. We should understand in this way, that none of
our senses belong to us. They are given to us for proper use.
Therefore, because they are given to us by the Supreme Lord, Krishna,
the master of the senses, they should be used for Krishna. This is
bhakti-yoga. We should know that although we have these
senses, they have been given to us to use but they do not belong to
us.”
This
is the whole lesson of the Vedic literature, that the human form of
life is meant for self-realization: “I
am not this body. I am spirit soul. My business is different from
simply taking care of the body.” This is human civilization.
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
4.16.4,
purport:
“.
. . an atheistic or godless government should never be supported by
a king or governmental chief. That is the test of good government. In
the name of secular government, the king or governmental head remains
neutral and allows people to engage in all sorts of irreligious
activities. In such a state, people cannot be happy, despite all
economic development. In
Kali-yuga, however, in the so-called secular state, the executive
branch of government is in the charge of so-called kings and
presidents who are all fools and rascals, ignorant of the intricacies
of nature’s causes and ignorant of the principles of sacrifice.
Such rascals simply make various plans, which always fail, and the
people subsequently suffer disturbances. To
counteract
this situation, the sastras
[scriptures]
advise:
harer nama harer namaharer namaiva kevalamkalau nasty eva nasty evanasty eva gatir anyatha
Thus
in order to counteract this unfortunate situation in government, the
general populace is advised to chant the maha-mantra:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama,
Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.”
From
a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.7.41–42 in Vrndavana on October 1, 1976:
The
Pandavas never said, “Krishna, you are our friend, why are we
suffering so many troubles?” Never.
The
pure devotee will never try to take anything from Krishna but will
try to give everything to Krishna.
Sanatana
Goswami:
From
Brihad-bhagavatamrita:
“Because
nama-sankirtana
invariably leads to the treasure of pure love for the Lord, true
connoisseurs of devotional service consider nama-sankirtana
the very fruit of bhakti.”
“Dearer to the Lord than even His own beautiful form, His easily worshiped holy name benefits the entire world. Indeed, nothing is as full of nectar as the holy name of the Lord.”
“Devotees
who have material desires first enjoy the material results for which
they hanker, and later, on the strength of devotional service, they
enjoy the true fruit of devotion. But because that fruit does not at
first appear, pure devotees decry what those worshipers first
achieve. Pure devotees, after all, think that seeing the Lord
constantly, attaining bliss from taking part in His pastimes, and
relishing subsequent pleasures are the fruit of devotional service,
and its root as well. Those devotees cannot tolerate even a moment’s
delay in obtaining that fruit, nor can the Lord neglect such devotees
for even a moment. Thus all the other fruits of desires are paltry,
even liberation. From the Personality of Godhead they are easily
obtained, but His pure devotional service is not.”
Bhakti
Vaibhava Swami:
The
name Prahlad indicates he is always experiencing transcendental
bliss.
The
reciprocation of the Lord for those who try to kill Him is that they
themselves are killed by Him.
The
pastimes are for real. You can go to Ahovalam and see the place where
Nrsimha appeared.
For a devotee to be unable to render some service to the Lord is a hellish condition.
Liberation,
for a devotee, is to be always engaged in the Lord's service
(svarupena
vyasvasthitih).
An analogy showing how the devotee enjoys the same opulence as God is that of a servant who enjoys like the king in the sense that he lives in
the same palace as the king.
Liberation
is not the interest of the devotee but the by-product of his
devotional service. Automatically by engaging in devotional service
one transcends the three modes of material nature.
Dhruva
considered the opulent kingdom he desired to be like broken glass
while he considered Krishna Himself to be the most valuable gem.
As
long as we are fully engaged in devotional service, Krishna will
provide what we need, and sometimes even more.
There
is the story of the crane and the peacock, where the peacock is proud
of his plumes and speaks in a belittling way of the crane, but the
crane responds by flying away toward the sun while the peacock has to
stay on the ground on the farm with the pigs.
The
materialists think that the devotees are forcing themselves to lead a
very restricted life, but as the result is they attain Krishna, who is
illuminating like the sun.
Krishna
Kshetra Swami:
We
are celebrating the sudden appearance of Nrsimhadeva and the
disappearance of Hiranyakasipu.
Prahlad
had advised his father to leave home for the forest [in Vrindavan]
and take shelter of Krishna. One might also go to the Bavarian forest
and take shelter of Lord Nrsimha [here at Simhachalam].
People
do not like to be considered demons these days, but they do not mind
being considered atheists.
There
are organizations of atheists who are promoting that vision, and
their minds are absorbed in God in a negative way.
For
those who do not want to see God, the Lord reciprocates by appearing
to be nonexistent.
It
is said we should be grateful to Hiranyakasipu, for without him,
Nrsimhadeva would not have appeared.
Whatever
the atheistic do, however impressive, is a failure. Krishna describes
this in Bhagavad-gita
9.12: “Those
who are thus bewildered are attracted by demonic and atheistic views.
In that deluded condition, their hopes for liberation, their fruitive
activities, and their culture of knowledge are all defeated.”
The
result of atheistic activities is destruction. People can see this.
Everyone is concerned that we are destroying the planet, but they do
not know what to do.
Demons
are very much interested in power, but they do not where that power
is coming from.
Ravindra
Svarupa Prabhu has a lecture series entitled “Defeating Mayavada
Philosophy” which you can find on ISKCON Desire Tree
(http://audio.iskcondesiretree.com/index.php?q=f&f=%2F03_-_ISKCON_Prabhujis%2FISKCON_Prabhujis_-_K_to_R%2FHis_Grace_Ravindra_Svarupa_Prabhu%2FSeminars%2FDefeating_Mayavada_Philosophy)
Platinus
is root of Western mayavada
philosophy.
The
sannyasis
of
Varanasi were embarrassed by Lord Caitanya, who although presenting
himself as a sannyasi
like
themselves, did not study Vedanta but chanted Hare Krishna and
danced.
“My
dear Lord, O master of the universe, since I have directly seen You,
my transcendental bliss has taken the shape of a great ocean. Being
situated in that ocean, I now realize all other so-called happiness
to be like the water contained in the hoofprint of a calf.”
(Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya
14.36).
In
summary the mayavadis
say
that through bhakti
(devotion) you can attain jnana
(knowledge),
and then you do not need bhakti
any more. Narayana is sattva-guna,
they
say, and above Him is brahman.
The
Mimamsakas say that the Vedas are apauruseya
which
they say means not coming from either an ordinary person or a
transcendental person, but the Vaishnavas says that apauruseya
means
the Vedas are not coming from an ordinary person because in reality
they come from the Supreme Lord.
The
scholars date Sankara to the eighth century, and at least then, the
Vedas were considered as a final authority.
Sankara
considered that Vedanta,
the Upanisads,
and the Bhagavad-gita
were
Vedic sources supportive of his philosophy, although devotees wonder
how such an apparently personalist text as Bhagavad-gita
could
be interpreted in a impersonal way.
Lord
Caitanya says that those who listen to Sankara's indirect
explanations of the Vedic literature are ruined.
Some
scholars consider that Sankara was responsible for Buddhism leaving
India.
The
Buddhists say the ultimate truth has no varieties and is void while
Sankara presented that the ultimate truth has no varieties and is
one. Thus there was not so much difference between them. Sankara,
however, accepted the Vedas as the source of his knowledge, whereas
Buddha did not.
We
also ascribe to nondualism, but that is half the story.
Mayavada
is making the living entity and the Lord one singularity.
There
are 550 sutrus
or
verses in the Vedanta-sutra.
Brahman
is
unchangeable. How has everything come about if brahman
is
unchangeable? Sankaracarya says that Vyasadeva was mistaken, but the
Vaishnavas say it is the energies of the Lord that transform and not
the Lord Himself.
Q:
How can the Mayavadis say everything is one if there are both brahma
and
illusion.
A:
They say maya
does
not exist nor not exist. Sankaracarya says that it is avacaniya
or
indescribable.
Ramanujacarya
taught what was called visistadvaita,
or
qualified monism, in which the one is composed of cit
and
acit,
conscious
beings and unconscious matter. He considered brahman
to
be the soul of the universe.
Madhvacarya
was not happy with visistadvaita,
and
taught dvaita,
or
dualism.
Baladeva
Vidyabhusana, who is the Vedanta scholar in our Gaudiya Vaishnava
line and taught acintya-bheda-abheda-vada,
considered
that we come in the line following Madhvacarya, but there are
definite differences.
The
followers of Sankara consider this world to be illusion, and
interestingly enough, some of the verses in Bhagavatam
make
it clear that this world is illusion.
The
rope-snake analogy is from the Upanisads.
Our
understanding is there is God. He has a name, form, and activities,
and these are all spiritual. By connecting with Him through service,
we come to realize these. The chanting of Hare Krishna is important
among these services.
Gopala
Bhatta Goswami had a salagrama-sila
while
Rupa Goswami had the deity of Govinda. There are limited services you
can offer as far as dressing the sila,
and
so Gopala Bhatta Goswami was feeling some lacking in his worship. On
one Nrsimha Caturdasi, Gopala Bhatta Goswami was meditating on the
activities of Prahlad Maharaj and also feeling this lacking. He went
to sleep in that state of mind, and found in the morning the deity of
Radha-Ramana self-manifested in place of his sila.
Thus
His appearance is celebrated on the day after Nrsimha Caturdasi. You
could say the Lord appreciated Gopala Bhatta Goswami's devotion for
Prahlad Maharaj and showed that by manifesting as Radha-Ramana.
Srinivas
Acarya is a disciple of Gopala Bhatta Goswami.
King
Bir Hambir in southwest Bengal became a great Vaishnava by the
influence of Srinivasa Acarya and established many Radha-Krishna
temples in his kingdom.
Sacinandana
Swami:
Of
all the
devotional
processes, kirtana
is
the best, but better than kirtana
of
the
holy name is sankirtana,
the
congregational chanting of the holy names.
Sankirtana
is
special because it can evoke devotional feelings and change the
heart.
One
study showed that twelve minutes of kirtana
calms
the mind as much as three hours of meditation.
As
ginger purifies the body, kirtana
purifies
the mind and soul.
Kirtana
does
not just give good psychological results, but it gives the ultimate
spiritual result.
If
you have a pure life, you can chant the holy name purely. When you
sit down to chant, your whole life sits down with you.
“May
my singing give pleasure to Krishna's ears and heart” is the spirit
of purity.
Be
real priests and put Krishna in the center, at least for the 24 hours
of the kirtana.
You
and your ego should move out of the way, and then you can enter the
world where Krishna is in the center.
Sing
for the pleasure of Krishna. When you do that, we will not need these
lights, as your bright faces will illuminate the room.
Bhaktivinoda
Thakura says to pray to Krishna with tears in your eyes, “Krishna,
please accept me, please engage me in your service.”
Satsvarupa
Dasa Goswami:
From
“Poem for May 5” in Viraha
Bhavan:
“I
experienced a couple of minutes
of chanting as boring and mundane.
I turned to Lord Caitanya and
prayed for relief. It worked. I returned, realizing the mantras
were holy and potent.”
of chanting as boring and mundane.
I turned to Lord Caitanya and
prayed for relief. It worked. I returned, realizing the mantras
were holy and potent.”
From
“Poem for May 6” in Viraha
Bhavan:
“
.
. . Sometimes you
have to prod yourself to become aware of the
great gift of the maha-mantra
and overcome your lack
of taste. In Siksastakam
Lord Caitanya says that comes by
committing the offenses against the chanting of the Name.
When it happens, you
can desperately call for help from guru
and Radha and Krishna and Gaura-Nitai. They will be generous.”
have to prod yourself to become aware of the
great gift of the maha-mantra
and overcome your lack
of taste. In Siksastakam
Lord Caitanya says that comes by
committing the offenses against the chanting of the Name.
When it happens, you
can desperately call for help from guru
and Radha and Krishna and Gaura-Nitai. They will be generous.”
From
Japa
Transformations:
“Chanting is the most important thing for keeping focused on your Krishna consciousness, especially early in the morning. Repetition of the mantras is like a heartbeat to keep you in touch with Radha and Krishna. I like to do it, and I don’t find it boring. I like the climb in numerical strength. It requires awareness that you don’t drift off into “la-la” land. It’s so easy to lose concentration, but it’s also easy to keep it if you just keep your wits about you and remember the important yajna [sacrifice] you’re performing. Being aware of the importance of the Hare Krishna mantra keeps you on the track. You easily utter the mantras and hear each syllable clearly. It’s not a difficult thing when executed properly. It has to be taken seriously, and preferably with love. Routine love. You have come again another morning to be with the holy names. In your remaining lifespan, no time should be wasted. It should not be done with dull mechanism but by taking a fresh opportunity on a bright new day. Take shelter at Krishna’s lotus feet. The wonderful opportunity of another day, another chance offered by Krishna to come close to Him and build up your devotion. Each day you can either do it successfully or blow it.”
“The
whole twenty-four hour day has to be arranged so that japa
is chanted under the best conditions. You have to go to sleep early
so that you’re not tired in the morning. Alert, awake chanting is
very important. Drowsy chanting is no good. A round should not take
nine minutes, as one of mine did today. Chanting should reach
meditation or calling out, like a child calling for the mother. It
should be a real emotional confrontation, not a mechanical act. We’re
calling to the persons Radha and Krishna from our needful position.
We need Them; we need the holy names. We’re up early to call on
Them. It’s the most personal devotion of the day. Attentiveness is
key; inattention is madness (pramada).
Your lifestyle, your daily duties, your health and mental state
should all be contributing so that you are in top condition for this
period of a few hours. That’s how the priority should be arranged.
Not that the chanting gets neglected because of other considerations.
Chant as many rounds as possible in good time. Your
life is molded so that it’s the life of a Hare Krishna chanter.”
From
“Poem for May 15” in Virana
Bhavan:
“I
once
asked Srila Prabhupada, “The workers
in the welfare office are
always talking nonsense; is
it all right if I chant
Hare Krishna in my mind?” He replied,
“The workers are talking
nonsense? The greatest
philosophers are talking
nonsense! – Yes, you may
chant Hare Krishna in your mind.”
asked Srila Prabhupada, “The workers
in the welfare office are
always talking nonsense; is
it all right if I chant
Hare Krishna in my mind?” He replied,
“The workers are talking
nonsense? The greatest
philosophers are talking
nonsense! – Yes, you may
chant Hare Krishna in your mind.”
“Those
who are going out
on harinama every day
are giving utmost
pleasure to Lord Caitanya.
He is blessing their lives and transforming
them into pure devotees.
He very much appreciates
their compassion in
giving harinama
to the conditioned souls. Thus they
live charmed lives and their
future is brilliant.”
who are going out
on harinama every day
are giving utmost
pleasure to Lord Caitanya.
He is blessing their lives and transforming
them into pure devotees.
He very much appreciates
their compassion in
giving harinama
to the conditioned souls. Thus they
live charmed lives and their
future is brilliant.”
Jagadatma
Prabhu:
Whenever
I lose something I always chant “jaya sri-krishna-caitanya prabhu nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-
Kadamba
Kanana Swami:
Because
Prahlad Maharaj is a devotee, and we are aspiring devotees, his
prayers to Lord Nrsimhadeva are very relevant.
The
demigods were afraid to approach Lord Nrsimhadeva because of His
angry mood. Lakshmi did not approach Him as a matter of chastity as
she had never seen this form of the Lord before and had some doubt
that He really was her Lord.
When
we offer glorification to the Lord, we ourselves become glorified.
Although
all animals are afraid of the lion, the lion cubs are not afraid but
feel protection. Similarly although Lord Nrsimhadeva seems very
fearful to all, Prahlad Maharaj was not afraid of Him but felt His
protection.
When
our bhakti falls short, if we have cultured the mode of
goodness, we will still perform our prescribed duties.
“Oh
Prahlad, What about the pit of snakes your were thrown in?”
“But my father, Narayana, rests on a bed of snakes. A son is comfortable on his father's bed.”
“But my father, Narayana, rests on a bed of snakes. A son is comfortable on his father's bed.”
“What
about that poison you drank?”
“But Lord Shiva drank an ocean of poison, and my father Narayana, is superior to Him. Why should I be afraid of poison?”
“But Lord Shiva drank an ocean of poison, and my father Narayana, is superior to Him. Why should I be afraid of poison?”
A
disciple of mine said, “When I go back to my parents I see a museum
of my old habits.”
Bhaktivinoda
Thakura reminds us that we have to give up all our old attachments to
progress spiritually.
In
the West we are willing to spend millions of dollars to save a life.
In India it is not like that.
In
the Netherlands, you never see a body in the street. When I first
went to India, I saw a dead body on the street in Benares. Then I
recognized it. It was a beggar I had seen the day before. I saw
people were throwing money on the body. Soon it was covered with
coins. I inquired why. A person said when the soul leaves the body he
hovers over the body wanting to reenter it but he cannot, thus they
burn the body so the soul can continue on his journey. But the beggar
had no money for the firewood to burn the body, so we are all giving
something to help him out. To save his soul, they are willing to
spend, but to save his body, they were not willing to give anything.
In the West it is just the opposite. They just spend for the body,
but for the soul they give nothing.
I
saw in the beginning in Czech Republic the devotees were cooperating
together on a bakery. But in Western Europe, they were not. They
would get money from the government and live on their own. So
material advancement is not necessarily favorable.
The
more we can focus on Lord Nrsimhadeva on this day of Nrsimha
Caturdasi, the more we will feel by the end of the day a real
connection with Lord Nrsimhadeva.
Prahlad
Maharaj considered how he was indebted to his guru, Narada Muni, and
he did not want any other benediction than to be engaged in his
service.
The
guru is more than an official representative of the parampara
(spiritual
lineage).
Brahmananda
Prabhu was glorifying Srila Prabhupada again and again. One devotee
said, “I see for you that Srila Prabhupada is God.”
Brahmananda
Prabhu replied, “No, no. I made that mistake in 1970. He is not
God, but he is as good as God. Actually now I am thinking he is
better than God because he came to the Lower East Side and saved me.”
Then
tears came to his eyes.
Now
that we have come to this temple of Lord Nrsimhadeva we should take
advantage and pray for Him to remove all obstacles on our spiritual
path, and who does not have obstacles?
Prithu
Prabhu:
In
the Jewish, Christian, and Moslem traditions the soul is not defined
very precisely.
Recently
the Pope was asked if animals had souls, and he replied they have an
immaterial, nonspiritual soul. For us this does not make sense
because if something is immaterial it is spiritual.
Tamal
Krishna Goswami organized a week-long seminar on the nature of the
soul at Harvard University. After three days, the scholars of the
other traditions gave up and admitted that they did not have a
defined conception of the soul.
The
Vedic knowledge comes directly from Krishna and thus its conception
of the soul is not the product of mental speculation.
Lord
Caitanya describes the soul as qualitatively one with God but always
situated as a servant.
The
explanations of theologians cover the truth. In the Vedic tradition
Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya is an example. After he explained Advaita
Vedanta for seven days he asked Lord Caitanya if he had he understood
it. Lord Caitanya replied He understood Vedanta quite clearly, but
that Sarvabhauma was covering it by his explanation.
The
Catholics say you are doomed if you accept the soul had preexistence.
I
became an atheist at age twelve because the priest could not explain
why my brother suffered and died at such an early age.
Mundane
religiosity is better than no religion at all, but it is not as
advanced as sanatana
dharma, which
is revealed by God.
Krishna
is facilitating the complete operation of our body at every moment.
Supplying bread is peanuts for Him.
If
we want knowledge, we must approach the Vedas.
If
you are king, you can just let all prisoners go. You do not have to
sacrifice your own son in order to free them.
Chanting
helps us to overcome our stubbornness.
Every
single material thing will be taken away at death.
Even
when we are chanting, we are looking for solutions outside the chanting.
Q:
How to treat Christians, Jews, or Moslems?
A:
Engage them.
I
was on the train from Dublin to Cork, and I was chanting. A man
across from me said, “That chanting will not help you. You must
drink the blood Lord Jesus Christ.” I replied, “How do you know?”
Then I challenged him, doubting he was a real Christian. I said, “How
much money do you have in your pocket?”
He
protested, “What does that have to do with anything?” I persisted
and he said, “100 dollars.”
I
said, “Give $50 to me.”
“Why?”
he inquired.
I
said, “Christ said, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' So give me
half. Love me.”
So
he gave me $50, and I gave it all to the temple.
We
are doing two things (1) collecting those who have sukrti
(pious
credit) and (2) creating piety in others.
Q:
Why is it so hard to get out of the material world?
A:
Krishna does not want us to go to the spiritual world until we are
qualified.
We
are buried in the material world under layers of universal coverings,
but if you turn to Krishna at any time you can go back to the
spiritual world.
Manidhara
Prabhu:
When
I was a new devotee in the beginning of the movement, I slept on the
stairs. It is not something that comes naturally. You have to learn
it. Otherwise you roll over on the guy on the stair below you.
We
had some taste that was so powerful from preaching.
I
had no emotional problems as a brahmacari
because
my emotions were not accepted. I learned what is worth feeling and
what is not worth feeling.
While
doing book distribution. I felt in the right place doing the right
thing. Krishna is here. Prabhupada is here. It was very liberating.
We felt even if we died, it would be OK.
Even
people with extreme behavior became angels in front of Srila
Prabhupada.
The
first challenge in preaching is to convince people they are
suffering. The second is to convince them that they are serving
anyway, so they might as well serve Krishna.
How
to shape truth so they like it, when they like to be cheated. It is a
challenge.
Krishna
is the greatest painter. He can paint a brilliant creation so
convincingly people consider it real.
We
were young and naïve, but we took the real thing, and we did it full
time. Now people treat Krishna consciousness as a spice that they add
to what they are cooking.
Srila
Prabhupada's dealings were multicolored, sometimes soft and sometimes
fiery, but all of them inspired followers to greater devotion.
Selling
books is simple. You have to be convinced. You have to approach
people.
The
mood of Krishna consciousness is challenge. We are challenging the
material world. And there is the war with our false ego. Boldness
should be with introspection. The public will notice if you are
arrogant.
All
passion is taken out of the body, piece by piece. Old age is nice
from the spiritual point of view.
We
just have to stay. There is nothing to get out there. I tell people
if you can show me something better I will do it, but no one has
anything significant to offer.
Where
people are accustomed to follow authority, distributing Krishna
consciousness is easier, like in Russia or in India. But following
should be with conscious understanding, not blindly. But still,
following is better than not following.
Devaki
Mataji:
In
the course of pursuing Krishna consciousness, if we are not
introspective, we can end up feeding the false ego, instead of
reducing it.
Srila
Prabhupada says in The
Nectar of Devotion, as
long as we desire to become more and more important, either
materially or spiritually, we cannot really taste the really sweet
taste of devotional service. When I read that, that really struck me.
Intense
absorption in remembering Krishna and never forgetting Him are the
main way we delete our material conditioning. Festivals and visits to
the holy dhama
are
useful for this.
I
flood my mind making plans for service to Krishna, and even if they
do not manifest, they are accepted by Krishna and keep me from making
material plans.
Acting
according to our nature makes it easier to fully absorb ourselves in
our service, for in the beginning, our service is our main connection
to Krishna. After we have a taste for hearing and chanting about
Krishna, what we actually do for Krishna is secondary.
We
can see that the false ego is very subtle because we find ourselves
constantly identifying with it.
Death
gives us insight into eternal reality because we see that so many
things that are so important to us have absolutely no significance at
the point of death. All we have is our relationship with Krishna.
Eight
years ago I was diagnosed with cancer, and I got more realizations
from that than anything else.
Srila
Prabhupada compares our life in this material world to a nonsensical
stage performance. We are thinking it is important, but it is
completely meaningless.
One
dying man wrote on a paper to share with his relatives, “It is all
illusion.”
The
only wealth of a person who is about to leave this world is religion.
Thus an intelligent person, especially one who is dying, will invest
in religion.
When
we understand what is going on at the moment of death, that will
create a sense of urgency for us to take our spiritual life
seriously.
What
about fear of pain at death? Because pain is on the level of the
mind, if we can fix our mind something, we can get past pain.
In
my youth, I was so absorbed in trying to win a hand ball match, I
continued to play for half an hour after seriously breaking my
finger, without feeling any pain at all.
When
Bhakti Tirtha Swami was dying of cancer, Radhanath Swami helped him
become completely absorbed by reading Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita. Bhakti
Tirtha Swami attained such a high level of absorption, at one point
he exclaimed, “Life cannot become any better than this.”
Pain
causes a Vaishnava to take more shelter of Krishna, and then Krishna
reveals Himself more, and that is a joy for the Vaishnava.
Sickness
is an opportunity to prepare for death. For that reason, we should
try to take shelter of Krishna, by continuing to chant japa,
even
when we are sick.
Visvanath
Cakravarti Thakura says that for a pure devotee who is intensely
absorbed in devotional service in relationship with Krishna, the
devotee's loving feelings are so powerful they afford him all
protection.
What
saves us is our relationship with Krishna, and the main tool for
developing that is the holy name. But we must chant the holy name
while turning toward Krishna, longing for our relationship with Him.
With
our guru, we are practicing to serve Krishna. The same dedication
that is meant for Krishna, we are to serve the guru with, as he is
His representative. Thus we say our relationship with our guru is as
good as our relationship with Krishna.
“How
can we give our life to our guru if he may fall down?” we may
worry. But we should not worry, because the principle of surrender to
guru is an eternal principle. Even if the guru has to step back,
Krishna accepts our surrender. Krishna sends the right person at the
right time to bring us further.
Once
we realize what death is all about, it will really shake us up, and
we can really move forward with determination in our spiritual life.
I
have helped several devotees at the time of death, and people can
connect on a very deep level at that time.
Once
we have had some experiences of people dying in a good consciousness,
we will be less fearful of death.
One
devotee from Ukraine, who was just thirty-five years, was very
determined to live although he had leukemia and his body was
completely emaciated. I brought the Krishna
Art book
to get him to focus on the spiritual world, but it did not work. At
one point, I said you must have something very important that you are
staying here to do. He said, “Yes. I am the bhakta
leader
in Kiev.” I could see from this how powerful false designations
are. I said, “Perhaps they already have someone else to do the
service. Krishna may have something special for you.” One doctor
appeared on the scene saying, “I can cure you.” He had a
treatment with all kinds of bark applied to the body. At first I was
annoyed, thinking the doctor should just let him die. The sick devotee appeared to
improve for two days but then went down. Then I could see Krishna had
made that arrangement to destroy his last hope. Then he said to me he
understood that Krishna wanted him to leave, and that night he left
this world.
Near
the end of Bhakti Tirtha Swami's life, he said, “Do not call me
Bhakti Tirtha Maharaj or Guru Maharaj anymore. They are all false
designations. I do not want them in my mind.”
If
all we want to do is serve, then the transition is easier.
When
we chant longing to serve, that frees the heart.
If
we really are begging Krishna for two hours every day just to serve
the Lord and His devotees and nothing else, we will assimilate the
idea that “I am a servant.”
It
is actually good that the teenagers do the opposite of what their
parents want, because at that point in the relationship, it is time
for the parents to begin to let go. Just as Krishna always keeps the
door open for us, the parents have to do the same for the children.
In
the grhastha
asrama there
are so many purifying tests if one actually applies himself
correctly. Only if one acts only for sense enjoyment does it become
the blind well of the grhamedhi.
Bhaktivinoda
Thakura says, “Faith is the currency by which we purchase Krishna.”
Bhakti
Tirtha Swami says in his book Die
Before Dying that
to accept that we will actually have to leave is the most difficult
thing.
Losing
fear of death is evidence that our relationship with Krishna is well
established.
I
visited Nepal with my mother. We happened to see the places where
they burn the bodies. Several bodies were burning. It did not smell
very good. There was a little area encircled by a curtain, and I
asked about it. People said there is someone there who is dying, and
when he dies, his body will be burned like the others. I found this
to be amazing, so I looked behind the curtain. There was a dying man,
and there were relatives chanting prayers. So I saw it was true.
Krishna
sends calamities so people feel helpless and turn toward Him. A
devotee knows this and welcomes and embraces difficulties.
-----
This
strikes me as an ideal prayer of a pure devotee:
svasty
astu visvasya khalah prasidatam
dhyayantu
bhutani sivam mitho dhiya
manas
ca bhadram bhajatad adhokshaje
avesyatam
no matir apy ahaituki
[Sri
Prahlad said:] “May there be good fortune throughout the universe,
and may all envious persons be pacified. May all living entities
become calm by practicing bhakti-yoga, for by accepting
devotional service they will think of each other's welfare. Therefore
let us all engage in the service of the supreme transcendence, Lord
Sri Krishna, and always remain absorbed in thought of Him.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.18.9)
