Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 13, No. 17
By Krishna-kripa das
(September 2017, part one)
The North of England, Dublin, New York City
(Sent from New York City on November 16, 2017)
Where
I Went and What I Did
After
chanting in Paris on Friday, September 1, I took a bus and train from
Paris to York, England,
and
did harinama
in
York during the day, and attended the monthly program on the first
Saturday. Sunday I chanted with Govardhan Dasi and Nitaichand Prabhu
in Scarborough in the morning and gave the Sunday lecture in
Newcastle afternoon. Monday I flew to Dublin and did harinama
with
Manu Prabhu on Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Appearance Day and attended the
evening festival. Tuesday I flew to New York City and caught the end
of our harinama
that
evening. For the rest of the first half of September I chanted with the
Yuga Dharma New York City harinama
party
four to six hours a day, happy to take a break from traveling. While
in New York City, we were happy to be visited by Mahavishnu Swami,
Harinama Ruci, and Indradyumna Swami and his traveling festival team,
all of which made for some extraspecial harinamas!
I
share excerpts from Sri
Ksetra: Vaikuntha on Earth by
Sundarananda Vidyavinoda Prabhu, a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura, which I proofread for several months in the summer
and which will be soon published by Touchstone Publishing. I share
notes from a class in York, England, by Bhakti Prabhava Swami, and
notes on a Skype class by
Mahatma Prabhu, which I heard in Dublin. I share notes on classes in
New York City at The Bhakti Center, by Candrasekhara Swami and a
visiting swami, and by Adi Purusa Prabhu, Yogesvara Prabhu, Caitanya
Carana Prabhu, Sundaranatha Prabhu, Vasudeva Prabhu, and Asin Govinda
Prabhu.
Many
thanks to Ron of Dublin for his very generous donation. Thanks to
Govardhan Dasi and Nitaichand Prabhu for their kind donation of our
harinama
collections
in York and Scarborough. Thanks to Dennis and the York nama-hatta
for
their kind donation. Thanks to the Dublin temple for reimbursing my
travel from the airport and for their donation from our harinama
collections
there. Thanks to Mahotsaha and Rama Raya Prabhus for their donations
of foreign currency. Thanks to The Bhakti Center staff for allowing
me to use their address as my “permanent” residence. Thanks to
the great State of New York for giving me Medicaid so I could
have my hernia operation done for free.
Thanks
to Bhaktin Diana for her photo of me on harinama
in
Union Square.
Itinerary
November 11, 2017–January 7?, 2018: Yuga Dharma New York City harinama
party
except:
December
2, 2017: Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami Vyasa-puja in Stuyvesant Falls
December
24, 2017: Christmas Eve with my relatives in Albany
Chanting
in York and Scarborough in The North of England
I
like to chant in the streets for three hours before our monthly
program in York on the first Saturday. Govardhan Dasi and Nitaichand
Prabhu, who love harinama,
are
almost always willing to join me. York is crowded on Saturdays with
both locals and tourists, and we pass out invitations that Govardhan
designed that tell about all our programs in The North of England.
That night I stay at their house, and we sing in their hometown of
Scarborough, where they have a monthly program at the local library.
We always meet some people attracted by the chanting and the
literature in both places. This time we were blessed to not have a
cold wind blowing in off the North Sea at Scarborough, so it was
easier than usual.
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Newcastle
I
was glad
to arrive in Newcastle from
Scarborough before
Vishnu Priya Devi Dasi finished her kirtan before the Sunday lecture
(https://youtu.be/sivNmTriYdo):
I
was happy to see the enthusiasm of the Newcastle devotees for
chanting and dancing in their
Sunday feast kirtan
as you can see in these videos:
Satya
Medha Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the Newcastle Sunday
feast and many devotees dance (https://youtu.be/aKXU9pW1Xk0):
Dhananjaya
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the Newcastle Sunday feast and many
devotees dance (https://youtu.be/2I5B2-hrAhU):
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Dublin
I
hoped we could get a few more devotees to do harinama
on
Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Appearance Day in Dublin as we had on Lord
Balarama's Appearance Day, but it was not to be. Still Manu
Prabhu and I chanted Hare Krishna on O'Connell Street in Dublin for
three hours altogether, and people donated about 28 euros and
accepted eight books, including two
Bhagavad-gitas
(https://youtu.be/u2VSnD6p7dI):
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Union Square
Every
autumn, as advised by Niranjana Swami, one of my spiritual
preceptors, I join Rama Raya Prabhu and his Yuga Dharma New York City
harinama
party.
Rama
Raya Prabhu, our
fearless leader, chants
Hare Krishna with great devotion and great intensity at Union Square
on several occasions, here combined together in a single video clip
(https://youtu.be/yAoUxK7Qj1g):
On
the New York City harinama party,
I contribute by sometimes leading the chanting, sometimes dancing,
and often sitting at the book table.
I
have had
interesting
experiences sitting at our book table while we chant Hare Krishna in
Union Square. Once at our Union Square book table, I asked one young
lady who had donated three dollars what her occupation was. She said
she was an actor. I smiled and said, “You mean an actress.”
She
replied, “This world is so male-dominated, I like to think of
myself as an actor.”
I
asked her to take a book, and she selected Science
of Self-Realization.
To encourage her, I told her, “That book tells you how you can
become so powerful you can control God.” She said with a smile, “I
know. That is why I chose it.”
I
talked with a friendly older man at Union Square who had a great
attachment to the Beatles and to George Harrison.
In fact, he opened
his shirt up and showed me a prominent tattoo he had of George
Harrison on his chest.
An hour and a quarter later he returned and
donated $30 and accepted several books. I smile when
I think about how
George Harrison is selling Krishna literature even now!
I
am not a real book distributor, but occasionally I meet someone
actually sincere. This one fortunate student donated $20 and accepted
four books.
As
usual people play the shakers with us like this lady
or
her daughter.
The devotees always try to give passersby some devotional opportunities. Here Krishna Prasad Prabhu tries to engage a video team interviewing people about candy corn in filming the harinama party and getting Krishna literature.
I share some videos from harinama in New York City, mostly in chronological order. If you cannot watch them all, the ones with Indradyumna Swami and Mahavishnu Swami are especially lively.
Sandipani
Muni Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna and two girls dance at Union
Square. Mahotsaha Prabhu, who encouraged the girls in their dancing,
sold them a book (https://youtu.be/FbjsGkU1dZE):
Kaliya
Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and Candrasekhara
Swami joins the Yuga Dharma harinama
party in singing the response (https://youtu.be/_dbMVUH3sV8):
Braja-raja
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square and passersby play shakers
(https://youtu.be/Y9yQozfiHko):
Indradyumna
Swami and his festival team of talented musicians and dancers,
visiting the northeast USA for three weeks, one day visited the Yuga
Dharma New York City harinama
party, chanted Hare Krishna at Union Square, inspired many to dance,
attracted a large crowd and invited onlookers to their festival of
India's spiritual culture the next evening
(https://youtu.be/vn0OpK11i-E):
Kira
of the Bhakti House in Jacksonville, who loves to go on harinama
with
me there,
while in the greater New York area to visit The Bhakti Center, to see
relatives, and to avoid hurricanes, chanted Hare Krishna at Union
Square with the Yuga Dharma New York City harinama
party (https://youtu.be/b5Vs6p5Qxf4):
In
addition to joining us on harinama,
Kira assisted
Adi Purusha Prabhu, who with help from volunteers, distributes
prasadam
[Krishna food] to low income people three days a week in New York
City, Monday and Friday at Tompkins Square Park.
As
you can see Adi
Purusha Prabhu's prasadam
looks
really good!
One
cloudy day at
Union Square Natabara Gauranga, Kaliya Krishna, Damodara, and Krishna
Prasad Prabhus kept the chanting of Hare Krishna going under an
umbrella until a storm passed. Thanks to Jayadvaita Swami for
visiting us. Thanks to Bhaktin Kate and Richard Richard for holding
the umbrella (https://youtu.be/y_LPTJAHdhM):
Priya
Krishna Prabhu, a disciple of Bhakti Charu Swami, works in the court,
but sometimes after work he chants with the Yuga Dharma New York City
harinama
party. Here he chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and Kaliya
Krishna Prabhu plays harmonium for him
(https://youtu.be/pMN-Z7gGsXM):
New
York City's resident swami, Candrasekhara Swami, chanted Hare Krishna
at Union Square with the Yuga Dharma harinama
party twice in early September. The second time Jayadvaita Swami also
joined us (https://youtu.be/5_zRz0mfIl4):
Lila
Padma Devi Dasi, who lives in New Jersey but comes to New York City
to teach yoga and who makes great cookies for our harinama
party, leads the chanting of Hare Krishna at Union Square while a
couple of her friends join with the Yuga Dharma New York City
harinama
party in singing the response (https://youtu.be/w6rXxo02D94):
Mahavishnu
Swami and Harinama Ruci chant Hare Krishna with the Yuga Dharma New
York City harinama
party at Union Square (https://youtu.be/N4In65I0TOQ):
Jaya
Jagannatha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Union Square, attracting
passersby to stop and play the instruments, sing, and dance
(https://youtu.be/Ogsxfs48ROY):
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Times Square
Times
Square is a great location for walking harinamas,
and
we often go there in the evening when we have visiting devotees who
like harinama.
Mahotsaha
Prabhu of the Yuga Dharma New York City harinama
party chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci in Times Square, getting
passersby to chant and dance (https://youtu.be/DUMhUPsBieE):
Mahavishnu
Swami and Harinama Ruci join with devotees from the Yuga Dharma New
York City harinama
party in Manhattan, the Radha-Govinda temple in Brooklyn, and the
Krishna-Balarama temple in Queens to induce people of a variety of
races, ages, and nationalities to chant Hare Krishna and dance in the
streets and shops of Times Square (https://youtu.be/zHUU1n8wWNI):
Mahavishnu
Swami chanted Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci and the local Yuga
Dharma party on the New York City subway to and from Times Square.
Devotees from Brooklyn joined us on the way home
(https://youtu.be/f0CXyo8Oi7Q):
Once
after chanting Hare Krishna in Times Square, Sandipani Muni Krishna
and Vishnu Jana Prabhus returned to Brooklyn on the C Train, and
Manhattan-based Yuga Dharma New
York City
devotees chanted Hare Krishna with them, as far as West 4th Street /
Washington Square, (https://youtu.be/2_IyBGCuWi4):
Chanting
Hare Krishna in the Times Square Subway Station
On
rainy days, we would sing in Times Square subway station, which is
actually much better for book distribution than Union Square. My
first full day back was such a rainy day.
Here
Kanai Krishna Prabhu of Germany chants Hare Krishna in the Times
Square subway station (https://youtu.be/vx8Gvy0t0OQ):
Jaya
Jagannatha Prabhu, now based in New York City, chants Hare Krishna in
the Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/BK0yAhQrU5g):
Chanting
Hare Krishna at The Bhakti Center
The
Yuga Dharma NYC harinama devotees
attend the morning program at The Bhakti Center every day. Here are a
couple of kirtans from there:
Vasudeva
Prabhu, a
disciple of Kadamba Kanana Swami who
teaches revealed literature at The Bhakti Center, chants Hare Krishna
at The Bhakti Center morning program and many devotees dance
(https://youtu.be/nrhVNxblqUU):
Virabhadra
Rama Prabhu, on the staff of The Bhakti Center, leads a lively kirtan
at The Bhakti Center morning program, bringing the
dancing to another level (https://youtu.be/Z2z-GY9CDqo):
Insights
Sundarananda
Vidyavinoda Prabhu:
From
Sri
Ksetra: Vaikuntha on Earth:
“There
is a story about Siddha Bakula that every morning three pieces of
twigs from
there are sent to Sri Jagannatha, Sri Balabhadra, and Sri Subhadra
for brushing Their
teeth. These twigs are collected the day before from the tree called
‘Kumbhatuya.’ One
day, suddenly one of the three Kumbhatuya twigs was accidentally lost.
It was the time for the Lord’s brushing His teeth, therefore either
by mistake or
knowingly one twig from the bakula tree was added and offered
to the Lord. After
the Lord uses these twigs, the pandas give them
to distinguished persons as prasada.
“On
this particular day the pandas offered Sri
Jagannathadeva’s remnants of the
bakula toothbrush to Sri Gaurasundara. Having received such a
remnant of Sri Jagannatha,
Sri Mahaprabhu became absorbed in ecstatic love and He planted that twig
at Sri Haridasa Thakura’s place. Gradually it grew as a giant tree
with lots of shade.
It is said that Srila Haridasa Thakura used to chant his rounds under
this tree.
“After
the disappearance of Sri
Haridasa
Thakura,
during the time of his follower, Sri
Jagannatha Dasa Gosvami Mahasaya, the royal officials of Puri came to
cut this
tree in order to make wheels for the chariot. Sri Jagannatha Dasa
objected to this
proposal, understanding that this tree was worshipable because it was
planted by
Sriman Mahaprabhu and is included in the spot where Thakura Srila
Haridasa performed
his bhajana, but since the royal officials were not
prepared to hear the appeal
of the possessionless Vaishnava, he then thought that it must the
will of Sri Jagannathadeva.
The day before the king’s men were to cut the tree, it suddenly turned
into a hollow tree. When they came on the next day and saw the
condition of
the tree, they were astonished and informed the king what had
happened. From that
time onward people address this tree as Siddha Bakula.
“It
is said that Sriman Mahaprabhu planted the toothbrush twig on the
last day in
the month of Caitra, hence there is a festival dedicated to this
incident at Sri Siddha
Bakula matha even today. On that day the Sri
Siddha Bakula tree is bathed with
108 pitchers of water.”
313
“Fifth
Vaibhava
“Cuttack
“One
can go to the village of Caturdvara by crossing the river Mahanadi from Cuttack.
The local people call this village Cauduyara.
In this village there is a place called
Canapada-ghata.
At this place there are wonderful footprints marked by nature on
a large stone slab. These footprints are said to be Sriman
Mahaprabhu’s
lotus footprints.
When Sri
Gaurahari, who was intoxicated with love of God, walked through
Caturdvara
village, even hard stone melted by the touch of His lotus feet and
thus created these footprints. However, there is no Deity there at
present.”
Candrasekhara
Swami:
Most
of the Vedas deal with pravrtti-marga,
the
path to heaven, which is a waste of time because you can only stay in
heaven
temporarily, and there is no relief from the cycle of birth and
death.
We
strive for nrvrtti-marga,
the
path of renunciation. What we renounce is not the material world, but
the spirit of enjoying separately from Krishna.
God
is God, and Santa Claus is Santa Claus. Keep the two separate. God is
not our order supplier.
By
performing devotional service, we become free from ignorance and
passion, and closer to the goal of serving Krishna for His pleasure.
Only
by bhakti
will
the seeds of our sinful desires be fried so they will never sprout.
We
are convinced by avidya [ignorance] that
we can be happy by sense enjoyment, and we are surrounded by others
having the same idea. Bhakti
can
free us from this false conviction.
We
see others as objects we can suck some enjoyment from. This
misconception is defeated by the practice of bhakti
as
we derive a higher satisfaction.
A
swami visiting The Bhakti Center:
Hell
is a consciousness and a place, but if you have the right
consciousness, the place does not matter. The devotee can find the
opportunity to serve Krishna anywhere.
For
the materialist, suffering is when the world goes against your
attachments.
There
is a story about a guru who sent his disciple to get fire every day.
One day he could not find sufficient wood for fire. When he came back
to the guru and told him of his failure, the guru told him to go to
hell. As an obedient disciple, he went to hell. He was very happy to
see so much fire there, and he asked Yamaraja for some fire. Yamaraja
replied, “There is no fire here.”
The
surprised disciple exclaimed, “But I see so many people burning!”
Yamaraja
explained, “Oh, they brought their own fire.”
One
man in Vrindavana, the proprietor of many beautiful gardens, was
telling me how he lost so much money, and that he had to get his four
daughters married and needed a suitable dowry. Although apparently
complaining, he still appeared very happy. I asked him about that,
and he replied, “Real happiness comes from a heart full of devotion
to God, not external things.”
Karma
is the parenting technique of God. The degree of our selfishness is
the degree of the reaction we will get to wake us up from our
selfishness.
The
Jains have a very developed understanding about karma. Those advanced
in it can tell you why you are suffering and what you can do now to
counteract it.
There
are different degrees of severity of an offense that be neutralized
by different acts, here listed in order of rectification for
offenses of increasing severity: apologizing, atonement, and
suffering the sinful reaction.
Sometimes
your well-wishers do not instruct you because they know you will not
listen. God also knows He cannot tell you how to improve because you
will not listen, so He creates situations whereby you will learn.
Q
(by me): In the class yesterday, someone made the point that we do
not actually know what offense we are suffering for and thus karma
does not work to discourage us from committing a particular activity.
A:
We may not know the particular act, but through the suffering we will
still become purified of the sinful mentality. Ultimately, when you
follow your selfishness you will come to a desperate situation, and
then you will ask, “Is there something else?”
Our
goal is not just speaking truth but having truth understood.
Adi
Purusha Prabhu:
Marx
wrote his manifesto, but it was not till 70 years later
it
was spread around the world and a third of the world was ruled by
communism.
Confucius's
teachings were carried on by his disciples for three hundred years
until one ruler took them seriously and for 2,400 years children were
required to learn Confucius's teachings in school.
It
is difficult in this world to live without doing something that is
spiritually illegal.
We
met a man from the Pentagon whose appendix exploded. He told us he
saw beings which he described to be like the Yamadutas coming to get
his soul. Because of his religious upbringing, he heard a voice which
he interpreted as that of Jesus, saying “Pray now!” He cried,
“Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!” The people coming to get his soul said,
“It is too late!” but he could see the
praying
was having some effect so he kept crying, “Jesus!” He then
re-entered his body and was saved. Out of gratitude he created an
interfaith meditation and prayer room within that place of war, the
Pentagon.
Comment
by Sundari Gopi Devi Dasi: Jayapataka Swami tells the story of one
disciple who left her practice for many years. She was present as her
uncle was leaving his body, and she was given the vision of seeing
the Yamadutas coming to get his soul. She was so scared seeing that
reality that she wrote Jayapataka Swami and apologized for leaving
her practice and again began to practice Krishna consciousness.
Srila
Prabhupada said that if someone offends us that is their ignorance,
but if we take offense, that is our ignorance.
Obstacles
are an opportunity to cry out to the Lord.
Mahatma
Prabhu:
From
a Skype class in Dublin on Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Appearance Day:
Ananda
Dasa Babaji glorified our Srila Prabhupada for having done more than
anyone else to spread Krishna consciousness, but
it is Bhaktivinoda Thakura who developed the idea of taking Krishna
consciousness to the West and set the scene for Srila Prabhupada.
Bhaktivinoda
Thakura played the lila
of an ordinary person, being educated, studying philosophy, studying
Christianity, and when he encountered Caitanya-caritamrita
he
became a Vaishnava.
You
can see he was empowered because he spent six
hours a day writing about the philosophy of Lord Caitanya, and he wrote a
hundred
books in his life!
Srila
Bhaktivinoda Thakura took initiation because people would criticize
him for preaching without being initiated. Although
he took initiation from a caste goswami as he could not find anyone
else at that time, his siksa-guru
[instructing guru] Jagannatha das Babaji Maharaja was more influential
in his life.
Srila
Bhaktivinoda Thakura, in addition to presenting the philosophy, gave
a lot of practical advice about chanting the holy name.
Once
after you have read Srila Prabhupada's books two or three times, you
should read Jaiva
Dharma, a
book by Bhaktivinoda Thakura that Srila Prabhupada recommended and
which he said contains the whole philosophy of Krishna consciousness.
Sri
Caitanya Siksamrita
is the philosophy in Jaiva
Dharma without
the story.
Even
though Srila Prabhupada did so much, he considered himself
insignificant in comparison to Bhaktivinoda Thakura. That is his
humility.
Bhaktivinoda
Thakura wrote to increase faith in Vaishnavism among those in the
intellectual class.
We
are told to follow in the footsteps of the great souls, like
Bhaktivinoda Thakura, but they are so far ahead of us, sometimes we
might get discouraged. The proper understanding to be inspired by
them to move in their direction even though in a small way.
The
king was misspending the money and becoming degraded, and thus
Bhaktivinoda Thakura engaged him in making so many daily offerings of
food to Lord Jagannatha.
Srila
Prabhupada explained that a pure devotee knows what Krishna wants him
to know for his service.
Just
because something is predicted to happen, it does not minimize the
glory of the person who makes it happen. In fact, that Srila
Prabhupada did spread Krishna consciousness all over the world, means
he was especially qualified to be so empowered.
Srila
Prabhupada felt if one percent of the people could become Krishna
conscious brahmanas
then
the demoniac face of the world would change. If you see demoniac
things and become disgusted, that can be an impetus to increase your
own purity.
We
were relevant in the 1960s and 1970s. Then if you were weird, you
were cool. If your values were different than society's you were
respected. Now it is not that way. We have to become relevant to the
present mentality. Now people want to be successful materially and
have spirituality to keep themselves from going crazy.
Yogesvara
Prabhu:
The
descriptions of the hellish punishments are too difficult to accept
for some people who are willing to accept many other aspects of
Krishna consciousness.
We
do not make progress in Krishna consciousness, but rather knowledge
is revealed to us. Knowledge is not revealed to people who are not
ready for it.
We
have to be sensitive to people who are not yet able to accept
different parts of the philosophy.
The
moon appears barren when seen through a telescope but when seen
through the scripture it is full of life and gardens.
In
the USA we have the greatest percentage of people in prison of any
other country. Considering that, verses that offer heavy punishments
for telling a lie will not be appealing.
Accepting
scripture without discernment is fanaticism.
Sometimes
if we read something that is too much for us to accept, we adjust it
in our mind, “Srila Prabhupada could not have meant that.”
My
memories of traveling with Srila Prabhupada and seeing him dealing
with different issues have kept me in Krishna consciousness.
Although
some drastic punishments are there, there are also descriptions of amazing mercy, and these are much more numerous and more important.
Softness
of the heart is necessary to approach scripture. If you have an
agenda or a manipulative intent, you will never understand it.
Bhakti
Prabhava Swami:
Krishna
explains to Arjuna how to connect with Him through bhakti-yoga.
The
first quality of the soul that Krishna reveals in Bhagavad-gita
is
that the soul is eternal.
Krishna
says our disease is identifying with the body.
We
are meant for higher things – spiritual love.
Love
is the purity of giving without asking anything in return.
We
do not have to become anything in this world. We have only to realize
our self.
Attachment,
fear, and anger arise from false identification of ourselves with the
body.
The
material energy is constantly changing.
What
do we control? Not very much. We do not control our digestion or our
heart rate.
The
first lesson is that everything is Krishna's and for His pleasure.
The
material body is a machine to give pure suffering. If you do not
understand this, wait a few years.
Krishna
is our only protector and maintainer.
Ravana
wanted to separate Sita from Rama for His enjoyment, and he was
destroyed. Spiritual vision to unite Sita with Rama.
We
assist Radha in engaging everything for Krishna's pleasure.
All
the residents of Vrindavan want to unite Radha and Krishna.
In
Vrindavan everyone is conscious of Krishna, but they have forgotten
that He is God. They see Him according to their relationships with
Him.
Abhimanyu,
the husband of Radharani, is said to be the shadow of Krishna.
[Maharaja
told a pastime
of Krishna leaving His flute in Radha's room which
was too elaborate for me to note down. You can hear him tell it in
his Radhastami lecture on SB 10.30.28 at
http://kadamba.net/lilasuka.html.]
If
we love Krishna, we love everyone because everyone is part of
Krishna.
We
become free from our attachment to material objects by associating
with spiritual objects.
Caitanya Carana
Prabhu:
The
Srimad-Bhagatavam
was
spoken to help Pariksit remember Krishna at death, and it can help us
remember Krishna.
Five
questions give us insight into the purpose of a book.
1.
What is at the beginning?
Remembrance
of Krishna.
2. What is at the end?
Remembrance
of Krishna.
3.
What is repeated most?
That
bhakti
is sufficient to maintain liberation.
Bhakti
can give all perfection.
5.
What is not mentioned in earlier literature?
Krishna-bhakti
in Vraja.
Srila
Prabhupada says scripture is self-evident. Why then does he comment
on it? Often that which is self-evident is not evident to the self.
Why? Because our previous conceptions keep us from seeing what is in
the scripture.
Because they are only aware of the Judeo-Christian conception of hell, people have
a negative reaction when they hear hell is mentioned in the Vedas.
But the Vedic conception of hell is temporary and is meant for
reformation not punishment. The negative reaction of suffering
in hell
keeps people from continuing on a self-destructive path.
The
biggest Christian seminary in India trains preachers for ten years.
Only 25% of the curriculum is the Bible. 50% is Hinduism, and 25% is
contemporary Indian culture. The reason for that is preachers need to
know where the people are coming from to preach to them.
The
purpose of the elaborate cosmological sections of the Bhagavatam
is
to fix the mind on Krishna. If they do not have that effect, we can
focus on Srila Prabhupada's purports which remind us of that point.
It
is our responsibility to see that people actually understand what we
are presenting.
In
Srila Prabhupada's speaking he used strong language, calling people
fools and rascals perhaps 500 times. But if you look at his books,
you will find 50 times such
words
are used. But if you eliminate books compiled from his lectures, then
they appear just 20 times.
Pandering
to people occurs if we refuse to present parts of Krishna's message
they cannot appreciate. We must present Krishna in a way that people
have the opportunity to become attracted to Him.
Sundaranatha
Prabhu:
Krishna
has set up the rules, and it is up to us how we play the game. If we
violate the rules, there is a penalty. He set it up in such a way
that if we surrender to Him, we will be victorious.
Although
the city maintains the prison and prisons are required, the prison is
not in the center of the city and the prison is not the main focus of
the city administration. So also is the relationship of the hellish
planets with the universal government.
According
to Manu-samhita,
there
are different punishments according to the person's situation in the
varnasrama
social
system. This is because the goal is reformation. For example, a
brahmana
who
steals is lightly scolded, a ksatriya
is
more severely scolded, a vaisya
is
required to pay a fine, and a sudra
is
beaten or put into prison. The particular punishment is sufficient to
bring about the reformation of persons in the different levels of
consciousness.
Comment
Adi Purusa Prabhu: Suffering provokes the inquiry, “What did I do
to deserve this?”
Even
if Krishna revealed to us all the misdeeds we did in all our previous
lives, it would not help us to become free from the reactions or the
tendency to commit sin. The real solution to attain the spiritual
world.
Vasudeva
Prabhu:
At
the end of the Fifth Canto, Sukadeva Goswami tells that he explained
the layout of the universe to describe the glories of the Lord.
Everyone
should ask the question, “Why I am dissatisfied?” as Vyasadeva
did to Narada, his guru. Then our spiritual life will really take
off.
Krishna
never leaves His body. He is eternal.
Seeing
the greatness of the Lord, spiritual feelings are evoked.
Superficially
it appeared as if Krishna was killed being shot in the foot by a
hunter, but how is it that Krishna, who had killed so demons, could
be killed simply by being shot in the foot by arrow? Krishna enacts
such pastimes so people who desire to can imagine Him to be ordinary.
Jiva
Goswami glorifies Bhagavan in an elaborate sentence, which is like
ten sentences put together, the essence of which is that all
contradictory attributes are resolved in Him.
Asin
Govinda Prabhu:
Although
externally surrendering one's body is not as important as
surrendering internally, those who are proud cannot even bow down.
Different
disciples of Srila Prabhupada show exemplary surrender. When the
devotees were on a train in India, one man offered some land in Delhi
for a temple, and Srila Prabhupada asked some of his disciples to get
off the train in the middle of their journey, along with the man, and
get the land and start a temple, although they were young and
inexperienced.
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For
those who chant the name of Krishna, authorized verses from the
revealed literature proclaiming its glories are an inspiration. This
is one of many favorite verses of mine.
nama
cintamanih krishnas
caitanya-rasa-vigrahah
purnah
suddho nitya-mukto
’bhinnatvan
nama-naminoh
“The
holy name of Krishna is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all
spiritual benedictions, for it is Krishna Himself, the reservoir of
all pleasure. Krishna’s name is complete, and it is the form of all
transcendental mellows. It is not a material name under any
condition, and it is no less powerful than Krishna Himself. Since
Krishna’s name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there
is no question of its being involved with maya [the material
energy of the Lord]. Krishna’s name is always liberated and
spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature.
This is because the name of Krishna and Krishna Himself are
identical.” (Padma Purana, quoted
in Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya
17.133)
