Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 13, No. 16
By Krishna-kripa das
(August 2017, part two)
The North UK and Paris
(Sent from New York City on November 11, 2017)
Where
I Went and What I Did
Vyasa
Puja evening I flew from Ottawa to Dublin, and then the next day I
flew
to Manchester and took a
train to York to do harinama
for
three hours to promote the first ever York Ratha-yatra. The next four
days Parasurama Prabhu and his Ratha-yatra team, along with Harinama
Ruci and a bus load of devotees from Bhaktivedanta Manor, performed
Ratha-yatras in York, Newcastle, Glasgow, and Edinburgh. Harinama
Ruci stayed on in Edinburgh for three days to chant at the Edinburgh
Fringe Festival, and I joined them for the first two. Then I went to
Liverpool and Manchester for a day each to do harinama
and
promote their Ratha-yatras that weekend. Friday afternoon I also
chanted Hare Krishna in Leeds and attended our Friday night program
there. After attending the Liverpool and Manchester Ratha-yatras on
Saturday and Sunday, I took a bus to Paris to sing there for one more
week, this time joined by
visiting devotees, Govardhan
Dasi, Adi-Guru Prabhu, Sundara
Lala
Prabhu, a sannyasa
candidate
from Maurituis, and Janananda
Goswami.
I
share notes from a letter and conversation of Srila Prabhupada and
notes on lectures by Janananda Goswami and Gopaswami and Bhavasindhu
Prabhus of Paris.
I
forgot to thank my sponsors for the beginning of August in my last
issue, so I start by thanking Krishna Dulal Prabhu, Surendra Prabhu
and his wife (the nice Indian congregational couple I stayed with in
Ottawa), and Vedavyasa Prabhu for their very generous and kind
donations in Canada. Thanks
to Victor Anderson for kindly trading all my Canadian dollars for US
ones. Thanks also to the Dublin temple for their kind donation.
Thanks to Adi-Guru Prabhu, the Newcastle temple, and Gauridas Pandit
Prabhu of York, and Malini Devi Dasi of Edinburgh for their kind
donations during the second half of August in the UK.
Thanks
to Jude
of
Liverpool for
several photos of me at the Liverpool Ratha-yatra. Thanks to
Janananda Goswami for photos of me in Paris. Thanks to Aharada Devi
Dasi for the photo of the protesters at the Liverpool Ratha-yatra.
York
Ratha-yatra
Parasurama
Prabhu, who does many Ratha-yatras all over England and Scandinavia
each summer, decided to create a new yearly event this year, The
North UK Ratha-yatra Tour.
Thus
from August 18 to August 27, he organized six Ratha-yatras, in the
following cities: York, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool, and
Manchester. York and Liverpool were special as Ratha-yatra was never
done there before, and in both cities, the Lord Mayor participated in
the event.
Janananda
Goswami chanted Hare Krishna through the streets of York before the
first ever York Ratha-yatra while simultaneously dancing and
distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books
(https://youtu.be/_kNAknLetBs):
Then
Tribhangananda Prabhu, a British disciple of Srila Prabhupada who
loves kirtan, chanted Hare Krishna, and Harinamananda Prabhu engaged
onlookers in dancing (https://youtu.be/N2EYm3zEAEY):
Dharmaraja
Prabhu of Mexico, traveling with Harinama Ruci, led the chanting of
Hare Krishna right before the Ratha-yatra procession began, and
devotees and onlookers both danced (https://youtu.be/ln5aYD0ej-s):
Barbara
Boyce, Lord Mayor of York, England, wearing a garland, dances with
Hare Krishna ladies before the first ever York Ratha-yatra on August
18. The mayor had visited India four times. She expressed deep
gratitude we invited her to the festival and asked us to please
invite her to all our festivals in York in the future! Dharmaraja
Prabhu of Mexico, traveling with Harinama Ruci, leads kirtan during
their dance (https://youtu.be/0N79foi72vU):
Here
we see part of the York Ratha-yatra opening ceremony with the
Lord
Mayor (https://youtu.be/3MNnvPIO2zQ):
Govinda
Prabhu led the chanting of Hare Krishna in York Ratha-yatra.
Mahavishnu Swami and Janananda Goswami swung each other in dance, and
many other devotees as well as a few onlookers also took part in
dancing (https://youtu.be/mdPLxosHPWQ):
Mahavishnu
Swami chanted Hare Krishna around the cart after the York Ratha-yatra
(https://youtu.be/7ejFkk7WZ5Y):
After
that we went out chanting Hare Krishna through the streets and shops
of York with Mahavishnu Swami. A couple young sisters danced with our
party for quite some time. Sometimes even the shop employees would
dance (https://www.youtube.com/embed/K4A3tWHwbUs):
The
York Press covered the York Ratha-yatra, and you can read their
article, illustrated with ten photos here:
http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/15482956.Chariot_procession_through_York_city_centre/
Newcastle
Ratha-yatra
The
city council in Newcastle was the most restrictive of all the six
cities, and we could not pull the cart through the street. Thus the
cart remained at the end of Northumberland Street while we did
harinama up
and down the street a few times.
Caitanya
Vallabha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Newcastle Ratha-yatra
(https://youtu.be/oN0mz6WZWkE):
While
Mahavishnu Swami sang, some locals joined the dancing.
Here
Mahavishnu
Swami chants Hare Krishna in YO! Sushi in Newcastle. One employee was really into it
(https://youtu.be/8mHngGd8qH4):
Glasgow
Ratha-yatra
The
actual procession in Glasgow was very fast and very short [about 0.6
mile (1 km)], and I missed a lot of it because of having a
conversation with some favorable people I met during the harinama
we did beforehand, while waiting
for the Ratha-yatra to start.
According
to Google, where the procession ended, George Square, is “Glasgow’s
principal square and event venue.”
Harinamananda
Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna at
George Square after
the Glasgow Ratha-yatra (https://youtu.be/9MB_Stvx5Uo):
Devotees
enjoyed swinging with Hanuman as Harinamananda Prabhu chanted Hare
Krishna after the Glasgow Ratha-yatra (https://youtu.be/uzcC0sgY_zY):
After
the Glasgow Ratha-yatra ended at George Square, devotees led by
Govinda Prabhu, chanted Hare Krishna through the streets of Glasgow,
and a lot of onlookers joyfully participated in the dancing
(https://youtu.be/wKQxrP9ukHk):
Devotees
chanted Hare Krishna using the microphone and amplifier of a street
musician in Glasgow who accompanied them on his guitar
(https://youtu.be/VNINLaf-RLs):
Edinburgh
Ratha-yatra
Govinda
Prabhu, originally from Edinburgh, chants Hare Krishna at the
beginning of the Edinburgh Ratha-yatra
(https://youtu.be/EXmkobGxtG4):
I
was so busy distributing invitations, I did not take anymore video
until after the procession when we had more chanting, a drama, and
Krishna prasadam
at
a large, popular park called The Meadows.
Rama
Prasada Prabhu told me this year’s was the fourth Ratha-yatra in the
history of Edinburgh. Special guests were Mahavishnu Swami, Janananda
Goswami, and the world harinama-sankirtana
party,
Harinama Ruci.
August
is a month of festivals in Edinburgh, with The Fringe Festival, which
was in full swing, among the most prominent. Promoters say, “The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world's largest arts festival, which in 2017 spanned 25 days and featured 53,232 performances of 3,398 shows in 300 venues.” Thus people from all
over the world, coming to see and hear
performers at different venues throughout the city,
came in touch with Lord Jagannatha and His amazing procession. The
number of people looking at and taking photos of the cart and the dancing
devotees was impressive.
Also
The Meadows is a large park with a lot of foot traffic, so many
people encountered the prasadam, kirtan,
and drama after the procession ended there.
Chanting
Hare Krishna at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Mahavishnu
Swami and Harinama Ruci stayed in Edinburgh three days to chant
throughout the streets of Edinburgh during The Fringe Festival, and I
stayed for the first two. Both locals and people from many parts of
the world were attracted. I met a family from Jordan and two parties
from Philadelphia attracted by the chanting.
Day
1:
Govinda
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with Mahavishnu Swami and Harinama Ruci
with Gopinatha Prabhu playing the bass at the Edinburgh Fringe
Festival (https://youtu.be/Ne-jWojwpRM):
Mahavishnu
Swami chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci at Edinburgh Fringe
Festival (https://youtu.be/NMWUtKyWeuI):
Chanting
Hare Krishna with Mahavishnu Swami and Harinama Ruci in an Edinburgh
shop (https://youtu.be/GByEqYekmcA):
A
group of youths performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival danced
with Harinamananda Prabhu with great delight for quite a while as
Mahavishnu Swami chanted Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci
(https://youtu.be/5-tFvPCL0HA):
Day
2:
In
the morning, Mahavishnu Swami led the chanting Hare Krishna at Karuna
Bhavan in Scotland, inspiring the devotees to chant and dance
(https://youtu.be/yJRvZQTGDDc):
Sri
Kama Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci at Edinburgh
Fringe Festival (https://youtu.be/aUZNF5AtxiA):
Aditya
Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci at the
Edinburgh
Fringe Festival (https://youtu.be/yX7lC2sSmzE):
Govinda
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci at the
Edinburgh
Fringe Festival and gets lots of people from a restaurant to dance
wildly (https://youtu.be/cC-iJZ02Ef0):
Gopinatha
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci at the
Edinburgh
Fringe Festival (https://youtu.be/aP_SVesJwjE):
Mahavishnu
Swami chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci at Edinburgh Fringe
Festival, inspiring passersby to participate
(https://youtu.be/mDSCmH0VE58):
Different
onlookers participated like this man who chanted the mantra.
Or
this man who opened his window to check us out.
A
street musician sang
“My Sweet Lord” to please our Hare Krishna chanting party in
Edinburgh (https://youtu.be/sHtHGWVUTDU):
Liverpool
Ratha-yatra
As
at most, if not all, of the North UK Ratha-yatras, we were blessed by
the association of Mahavishnu Swami (right) and Janananda Goswami (left), two swamis
with exemplary faith in the chanting of the holy name of the Lord and
enthusiasm for its distribution.
While
Mahavishnu Swami was singing, he gave me his danda to
hold, and thus this may be the only photo of me carrying a danda
this life.
During
the first ever Liverpool Ratha-yatra, which occurred during
International Beatleweek, the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Malcolm
Kennedy, happily gave an address mentioning George Harrison, swept
the street in front of Lord Jagannatha, and danced with Hanuman and
Garuda, along with his wife (https://youtu.be/m1Wi3L-QFYk):
The
Lord Mayor also danced with the other devotees in the procession.
And
he danced with his wife as well.
Our
procession passed by some protesters who joined us for sometime.
I would distribute invitations and pamphlets.
Tribhangananda
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the Liverpool Ratha-yatra
(https://youtu.be/jlcIlvCtc6c):
At
the stage show after the Liverpool Ratha-yatra, Sakhya Prema Prabhu
sang “Do the Swami”, a song about Srila Prabhupada introducing
the chanting of Hare Krishna and “The Swami Step” to the West
(https://youtu.be/8efUbEV2DC4):
Sakhya
Prema Prabhu also
chanted
Hare Krishna at the Liverpool Ratha-yatra stage show
(https://youtu.be/HNwch-XHTfs):
Devotees
chanted
Hare Krishna at the end of the Liverpool Ratha-yatra stage show
(https://youtu.be/g0UqBEvReQA):
After
the stage show, we did a harinama
to
the place where Mahavishnu Swami’s driver was parked, and thus a
few more people got to hear the holy names.
A special feature of our festival there in Liverpool was a booth completed dedicated to George Harrison, his spiritual quest and his relationship with Hare Krishna. A couple young ladies, dressed like hippies, who really got into singing and dancing along with the stage show kirtan, told me they liked The Beatles, and I showed them the booth and told them about programs we have in their area.
A special feature of our festival there in Liverpool was a booth completed dedicated to George Harrison, his spiritual quest and his relationship with Hare Krishna. A couple young ladies, dressed like hippies, who really got into singing and dancing along with the stage show kirtan, told me they liked The Beatles, and I showed them the booth and told them about programs we have in their area.
Manchester
Ratha-yatra
In
Manchester, both the procession, which was very short, and its origin
and destination, Albert Square, were not in the most populated part
of England’s
third largest city. Still I was happy seeing some new people getting
some mercy.
Here
Mahavishnu
Swami chants Hare Krishna before Manchester Ratha-yatra
(https://youtu.be/x07_zN7GK7A):
Employees working in a restaurant in the building to the right in the above video, looked with happy curiosity at that kirtan, and so I went in and told them about our festival. Later I brought them cups of shrikhand which they really liked.
Govinda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Manchester Ratha-yatra (https://youtu.be/YQ6WQwzQf7g):
Govinda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Manchester Ratha-yatra (https://youtu.be/YQ6WQwzQf7g):
Tribhangananda
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna after Manchester Ratha-yatra
(https://youtu.be/3B4tHWA6Jso):
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Paris
When
I heard some of my friends were thinking of chanting in Paris the
last week of August, I realized could adjust my schedule to join
them. Thus I decided to chant in Paris from Monday, August 28,
through September 1.
On
Radhastami because devotees were fasting half the day, and we had a
program at the temple in the evening, we decided not to chant in
downtown Paris but instead to chant at the local market in Sarcelles
and at the nearby Garges-Sarcelles train station, the busier of the
two stations nearest our Paris temple in Sarcelles.
Govardhan
Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Sarcelles Market on Radhastami
(https://youtu.be/TVzJ2Z4d1x8):
Gaura
Bhakta Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Sarcelles Market on Radhastami
(https://youtu.be/S6IhsPUF8_0):
Adi-Guru
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Garges-Sarcelles, north of Paris, on
Radhastami (https://youtu.be/UWr0-fUobnA):
Govardhan
Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Garges-Sarcelles on
Radhastami (https://youtu.be/-3AvceeAeDo):
Republique
is a popular spot in Paris, and we often chanted there.
Here
Sundara
Lala
Prabhu, a sannyasa
candidate from Mauritius, chants Hare Krishna at Republique
(https://youtu.be/kOXIr3O6Vxs):
On
the last day of August, Janananda Goswami joined
us in chanting at Republique, and added
to the ecstasy of the harinama.
Here
Janananda
Goswami chants Hare Krishna at Republique in Paris, inspiring many
devotees and passersby to dance and one young man to play his drum
(https://youtu.be/lNh_fE25iOg):
Rohininandana
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and Jagattarini Dasi plays clarinet at
Republique (https://youtu.be/WZh1cClTykI):
Adi-Guru
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna outside Pompidou Center in Paris and many
Dutch youth sing and dance, give donations, and accept literature
(https://youtu.be/ZHRNAKHeQ0M):
In
addition to chanting in the streets of Paris, we, along with our
friends from England, attended the Wednesday night kirtan at the
apartment of Atmarama Rasa and Jagattarini Prabhus. Here are a couple
of video clips from that:
Rohininandana
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and Jagattarini plays clarinet at the
Paris Wednesday Kirtan (https://youtu.be/QNvIzgb1p-4):
Marat,
originally from Russia, is retired and often attends harinama.
Here he chants Hare Krishna at the Paris Wednesday Kirtan
(https://youtu.be/A2iyGZLtRuE):
On
September 1, I left Paris for the last time this year, having done
over 66 harinamas there this spring and summer . . .
Remembrances
of Mohan Dasa Prabhu of Bhaktivedanta Manor
Janananda
Goswami:
After
having a stroke, Mohan took his devotional service very seriously and
was very grateful for all the devotional opportunities he was given.
He
never wanted to criticize devotees or hear criticism of devotees.
He
was expert in electronics and used that in Krishna’s service,
especially in making videos of the devotees.
He
was part of a mangala-arati
sweet stealing conspiracy. Seeing the sweets were disappearing, the
devotees locked them in the temple president’s office, but they
still kept disappearing. The management had a devotee hide in the
office, and he heard the maintenance people unscrew the window, take
the sweets, and screw back the window.
Although
suffering the after effects of a stroke, he was very happy in Krishna
consciousness. I just saw him recently at the Leicester Ratha-yatra.
Mahavishnu
Swami:
He
was not one of the leaders, but he was a supporter of the leaders.
Tribhangananda
Prabhu:
He
had quite a collection of devotees’ watches. As a maintenance man
at the Manor, he tired of devotees borrowing tools and made them
leave watches or other valuables as collateral. When they did not
return the tools he ended up with lots of watches.
He
was expert in putting a lot away a lot of prasadam.
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
From
a letter to Bali Mardan and Upendra, May 10,
1970:
“Prabhu
means master and the leader of the masters is called Prabhupada. So
if the prabhus
have surrendered to the Prabhupada why shall there be such mentality
of occupying the superior position.”
From
a room conversation, June 1975, Vrindavan:
“Anyone
who is Krishna conscious, it is the duty to distribute it. It is his
duty. When I came here, I never came because American people wanted
me. They did not feel any need of my presence. But I came here
because it is my duty. My Guru Maharaja ordered me. So one may think
there is need or no need—it is the duty of Krishna conscious
persons to spread it. Just like the example I have already given. The
mountain does not want rain, the sea does not want, but the cloud
throws water everywhere.”
Janananda
Goswami:
If
we surrender to the service of the Lord, we are not dependent on the
material dualities. Imagine such freedom – not to be worried about
old age and death!
Mother
Kalingana joined in 1972. It was hard to find cooks then because we
never had any bhoga [food
to be offered to Krishna],
but
she could make an amazing meal with just rice and potatoes. She was
very empowered in that way. She had great faith in Srila Prabhupada.
It
used to be the horse was man’s best friend, then it was the dog,
and now it is the mobile [cell phone].
If
we live simply on God’s gifts we will become free from karma.
Whatever
you like, use that in Krishna’s service. Krishna advises that in
Bg. 9.27. The result of doing that He explains in Bg. 9.28: “In
this way you will be freed from bondage to work and its auspicious
and inauspicious results. With your mind fixed on Me in this
principle of renunciation, you will be liberated and come to Me.”
People
ignorantly ask God for things that bind them to this material world
like the old woman who, when she dropped the sticks she was taking to
sell at the market, asked God to pick them up and put them back on
her shoulder.
Going
on Ratha-yatra every day is one way to get a taste. Another is to go
on daily harinama
sankirtana. Another
is to take really good prasadam.
How
many lifetimes have we been foolishly chasing after material things?
Do
not do it again.
Our
real freedom is to serve the sankirtana
mission
of Lord Caitanya. Srila Prabhupada explained that the greatest
fortune is to come to this movement, and the greatest misfortune is
to leave it.
Millions
of universes containing cells of unimaginable complexity all come
from a spark of Krishna’s splendor.
If
we perceive imperfection in the universe that is our imperfect
vision.
In
2017 we think we are the most intelligent beings that have ever
existed anywhere at any time.
For
most of us computers are completely mystifying. Similarly so many
features of the material nature of Krishna are not understandable.
How the digestion is going on, who can really understand?
Even
vimanas have
their limitations, yet Narada Muni never crashes.
Gopaswami
Prabhu:
When
I read in Srila Prabhupada’s books that the child remains in the
womb for ten months, as a doctor, it disturbed my mind because of my
education and my experience to the contrary until I learned that it
was referring to lunar months, which are slightly shorter.
We
must appreciate that
the
Srimad-Bhagavatam
gives
us so much more than other traditions in terms of help through
knowledge.
One
friend who was always tormented by jnana
[mental
speculation] left his body. I found in his wallet a quote by Pope
John XXIII: “You are an intellectual and therefore you are sick. You
make simple things complicated with your brain. I will teach you how
to accept complicated things with a simple heart.”
Faith
is included in love. It is its first step.
We
have so much knowledge to satisfy our intellect and to open our
hearts.
We
have to make a leap of faith in the beginning often, and later
Krishna reveals to us the truth.
Although
there are so many things we cannot conceive of in the Bhagvatam,
there
is so much knowledge of God, the soul, and their relationship.
If
we take the leap of faith, God and His representatives reward us.
Sometimes
we may have some doubt. Should I chant my rounds or should I go to
this seminar on mind control? But if we chant, we will see we get a
better result.
Comment
by Adi-Guru Prabhu: Sometimes we see in India people do things in a
way we cannot understand, but we later see it has a amazingly good
result. Once I had some incredible bananas, and I was told they
watered them with milk.
Q
(by Adi-Guru Prabhu): Sometimes we encounter someone with some
special qualifications that make us humble. What to do in that
situation?
A:
We admit they may have some real spiritual qualities, but they still
do not have all the wisdom we have been given as Gaudiya Vaishnavas,
and we can try to give that to them out of duty, but better than
giving it out of duty is to give it out of ecstasy.
Comment
by Sundara Lala
Prabhu: In a garland that is expertly made, you cannot see the
thread. Krishna says everything rests on Him as pearls are strung on
a thread, and He is so expert that the people in general cannot see He is
the thread holding everything together.
Bhavasindhu
Prabhu:
The
Indologists of the 19th-century
took advantage of the supernatural aspects of the Bhagavatam
cosmology to dismiss it as a
fairy
tale.
The
mission of going back to Godhead is mentioned in every word of
Srimad-Bhagavatam.
The
drop of water cannot take the position of challenging the ocean.
Although
the water of the rivers appear to merge into the ocean, actually the
molecules of water retain their individuality.
Krishna
is coming quite often [from His point of view] as He comes every day
of Brahma.
Although
Krishna gives different reasons for His coming, the main reason is to
exchange with His devotees.
Most
problems in the temple arise because devotees do not fully realize
that God is a person. If people consider that
Krishna
is a person and they
want
to please Him, they will automatically act in ways that please the
devotees.
Comment
by Rajadharma Prabhu:
Srila
Prabhupada was asking some scientists the motivating factor behind
their becoming scientists. It was to have a more comfortable life.
-----
In
the middle of the Dublin Ratha-yatra in 2013, Bhakti Vikasa Swami
taught me a verse:
sadhya
sadhana tattva ye kichu sakala
harinama-sankirtane
milibe sakala
“Lord
Caitanya said to Tapan Mishra, ‘Everything
is accomplished by the congregational chanting of the holy name of
the Lord, including the goal of life (sadhya)
and the means for its attainment (sadhana).’”
(Sri
Caitanya-bhagavata, Adi
14.143)
