Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 13, No. 24
By Krishna-kripa das
(December 2017, part two)
New York City, Albany
(Sent from New York City on January 5, 2017)
Where
I Went and What I Did
I
chanted with the Yuga Dharma New York City harinama
party
for the second half of December, six hours a day before Christmas
Eve, when I was healthy, and four hours a day after Christmas Eve,
when I was sick. To contribute to the December Prabhupada marathon,
for the six days before Christmas Eve, I went out for an additional
two hours of chanting to distribute more books. I visited my family
in Albany on Christmas Eve and distributed prasadam
at
the Albany Friends Meeting and to my relatives. I read Five
Years, Eleven Months and a Lifetime of Unexpected Love by
Visakha Prabhu about her time with Srila Prabhupada, and I tell about
that, sharing a few quotes from it. I
tell a little about what is going on these days at 26 Second Avenue,
where ISKCON had its first temple back in 1966. I
share some photos from New York City, and I include my income and
expenses for the year of 2017, for people who wonder how I spend the
money I am given.
I
share quotes from lectures by Srila Prabhupada and notes on lectures
by Jayadvaita Swami at The Bhakti Center and at 26 Second Avenue. I
do not have notes on all of the classes at The Bhakti Center as I was
often sick or tired and skipped the second half of the morning
program there. Those days I would play Srila Prabhupada lectures,
while eating and doing laundry, and thus I could take few notes on
them.
Thanks
to Atmanivedana Prabhu, and Ilena and Yugala Piriti Devi Dasi, who
regularly attend his Saturday Bhagavad-gita
class
at 26 Second Avenue, for their very kind and generous donations.
Thanks very much to Victor Anderson of Albany for his kind Christmas
donation. Thanks also to Bhakta Larry and those at ISKCON Queens for
their donations. Thanks
to my relatives for their Christmas gifts, especially to Karen and
Victor for the gloves, Fern and Oliver for the socks, and to my
mother for the figs. Thanks
to Bhaktin Diana for her photos of me on harinama
at
42nd
St. / Times Square subway station. Thanks to Shyam
Kishor Prabhu for his photos of me at 26 Second Avenue.
Itinerary
November
11, 2017–January 6,
2018: Yuga Dharma New York City harinama
party
January
7–March or April: North and Central Florida campuses
I
continued through December serving the Yuga Dharma New York City
harinama party, sometimes singing and sometimes watching the book
table.
Sometimes I danced and distributed “On Chanting Hare
Krishna.”
Rama
Raya Prabhu led many ecstatic kirtana’s at different venues:
Rama
Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Penn Station, a passerby dances
with devotees, and a newspaper photographer takes pictures of Rama
Raya Prabhu (https://youtu.be/E8hrT3IASQo):
Rama
Raya Prabhu ends the day chanting Hare Krishna with great intensity
at Union Square, and devotees and a passerby dance (https://youtu.be/kYnd6EmkB9E):
The
young lady who chanted and danced had just purchased a Christmas set
of three books from Vishnu-citta Prabhu, and we told her about the
Thursday night kirtan at The Bhakti Center and our Wednesday night
class on chanting Hare Krishna as a meditation at 26 2nd Avenue.
Rama
Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 14th St. / Union Square subway
station, and a kid plays shakers, as his mother videos the scene
(https://youtu.be/Rbhioh_y8_E):
Rama
Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the 14th St. / Union Square subway
station by the 16th St. exit on New Years Eve
(https://youtu.be/tQzxsFd3ehs):
Different
people joined our party recently, some for a visit and others for a
longer time:
Radha
Govinda Prabhu, previously in Gainesville, Florida, now relocated to
New York City for at least three years, chants Hare Krishna at 14th
St. / Union Square subway station (https://youtu.be/TmVd430t4rs):
Radha
Govinda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Jackson Heights, and devotees
dance (https://youtu.be/y-zDMUfUPMg):
Radha
Govinda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square, and devotees
dance (https://youtu.be/m0NebD9CJXI):
Radha
Govinda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square and an Indian man
joins the devotees in dancing (https://youtu.be/-2c4ZmRqGPc):
Radha
Govinda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square on New Years Eve
(https://youtu.be/-kjolU_25KA):
Shyamala
Priya Dasi, a
disciple of Radhanath Swami who visits New York City periodically,
chants Hare Krishna at the Jackson Heights / Roosevelt Ave. subway
station and two dance (https://youtu.be/m49yZhaE4Oc):
Madhu
Prabhu of Virginia chants Hare Krishna at 14th St. / Union Square
subway station and a guy plays an
electric guitar (https://youtu.be/FayH0oh5ARY):
Lizzy
of Brooklyn, on her winter break from college, chants Hare Krishna at
the Jackson Heights / Roosevelt Ave. subway station and several dance
(https://youtu.be/1HxVoDtr_M8):
Vaishnava
Das, also known as Owen, who remembers me from Gainesville where he
is originally from but who now lives in Puerto Rico,
chants Hare Krishna at Jackson Heights / Roosevelt Ave. subway
station (https://youtu.be/OsEOwBixg9Y):
w
Sometimes
people would dance along with our chanting:
Bhagavata
Purana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 42nd St. / Times Square subway
station, and a guy dances (https://youtu.be/oe0KAPhZGzo):
Here
is the dancer in the above video from the front, with me filming the scene from the book table behind.
Bhagavata
Purana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 42nd St. / Times Square subway
station, and a visiting brahmacari
and an Indian man dance (https://youtu.be/X66S95IT2IY):
Jaya
Jagannatha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 34th St. / Penn Station
subway station, and three guys play the shakers and dance
(https://youtu.be/3W53IXHgJls):
Abhaya
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 42nd St. / Times Square subway station,
and Richard, who has been joining us several times a week for a few
years, dances (https://youtu.be/chvXj8AHYXk):
Ananda
Bihari Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 42nd St. / Times Square subway
station, and his wife, Cinmayi Radha Devi Dasi, and daughter,
Gaurangi, dance (https://youtu.be/X4BerxQL7E8):
Chanchal
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Jackson Heights / Roosevelt Ave. subway
station and many dance (https://youtu.be/Mx4BzbXy3dI):
Krishna-kripa
Das chants Hare Krishna at the Jackson Heights / Roosevelt Ave.
subway station and several dance. Thanks to Natabara Gauranga Prabhu
for playing mrdanga,
to Lizzy for adjusting the focus of the camera, and to all the
wonderful dancers (https://youtu.be/Ulz4lsbJIjY):
Sometimes
people would play the shakers with us:
Abhaya
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Penn Station, and three friends play
shakers (https://youtu.be/n8xILX7y53s):
The
lady among them attends Hare Krishna programs near her home in New
York State.
Here
Bhagavata Purana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 42nd St. / Times
Square subway station, and a kid plays shakers and his mom gives a
donation (https://youtu.be/KN3xUMpN2Zk):
Jaya
Jagannatha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 34th St. / Penn Station
subway station, and an Oriental man plays the shakers
(https://youtu.be/INwc4chnaJQ):
One
man liked to play his djembe
drum
with us:
Krishna
Prasad Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and a guy played
djembe
for at least the third time this month
(https://youtu.be/tLqhL0X2f0w):
Bhagavata
Purana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and a guy plays
djembe
for the fourth time this month (https://youtu.be/Lp9pcgdwg40):
Another
guy played guitar:
Chanchal
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 14th St. / Union Square subway station,
and a guy plays guitar for awhile before becoming lost in the
chanting (https://youtu.be/B68yfF7ZvS4):
Bhagavata
Purana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Jackson Heights / Roosevelt Ave.
subway station (https://youtu.be/xv4mwJ-d_B4):
Kaliya
Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 14th St. / Union Square subway
station (https://youtu.be/9h6LIVKWm0o):
Jaya
Jagannatha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 14th St. / Union Square
subway station and attracts passersby (https://youtu.be/MXNVzHzn0kk):
Bhakta
Josh chants Hare Krishna at the 34th St. / Penn Station subway
station (https://youtu.be/AFzwAuTCSVU):
Natabara
Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 42nd St. / Times Square subway
station (https://youtu.be/Ucs2qzrHjiM):
Priya
Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 42nd St. / Times Square subway
station on Christmas (https://youtu.be/zDsgZsi0SuI):
Bhagavata
Purana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Jackson Heights / Roosevelt Ave.
subway station (https://youtu.be/a0hWQw0WXoc):
Ananda
Bihari Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square on New Years Eve
(https://youtu.be/EjfqC0xb5KM):
My
Small Contribution to the December Prabhupada Book Marathon
Affected
by the December Prabhupada Marathon fever of my book distributor
friends, who
vowed to distribute 6,000 books including 3,000 Bhagavad-gitas
and
who were actually successful, making the biggest marathon scores for New York
City since 1989, I
decided to do two extra hours of harinama
each
day for the week before Christmas to see how many books I could
distribute by singing. I chanted,
mostly
by myself, in different New York City subway stations where we never
sing, so as not to burn out our regular places.
I
had some nice experiences. The first day Bhagavata Purana and
Chanchal Prabhus joined me for three hours, and we played the
harmonium, mrdanga,
and
kalatalas.
On
the noisy B, D, F, and M train platform at West 4th
Street, people gave nine dollars and took nine small books. The other
days I went out alone. The second day at the mezzanine above the A,
C, and E trains at 14th
Street, a friendly western Buddhist man purchased a Bhagavad-gita.
The third day, finding competition on the L train platform at Union
Square, I went one stop to 6th
Avenue, where four people gave dollar bills and accepted three small
books in the hour and twenty minutes I remained there. The four and
sixth days I chanted on the B, D, F, and M train platform at 34th
Street / Herald Square, doing better the first time as I stayed
longer and all four trains were running with delays that gave me a
captive audience. Once a lady gave a dollar and disappeared through
an open train door before I could give her a book. I grabbed a book
and ran to the door of the train, using my two arms to keep the door
from closing on me, and said, looking at the lady sitting on the
bench across from the door, “Thank you for your donation. Please
take this book.” She got up and took the book out of my hand, as
the conductor’s attempt to close the door failed because I blocked
it. Victory! I had to do it that way because I could not risk the
train door closing with me on the train, leaving my harmonium,
amplifier, and books on the platform almost certainly to be stolen.
The fifth day was my favorite, with larger books distributed and
larger collections.
On the L train platform at 8th Avenue, a subway conductor, having a few minutes at the end of the line before his train reversed, purchased a Bhagavad-gita and began to read it.
A friendly young lady gave five dollars and took the Science of Self-Realization, because she already had the Gita, and three other people took small books. That fifth day I was tired and in a hurry, and I forgot to bring my harmonium, so I just played karatalas, yet I did better than on the other days. Thus I decided on the sixth day to save myself the labor of dragging the harmonium around and just play karatalas. After all, when Bhaktivinoda Thakura envisioned devotees chanting in the streets of Western cities, he described them as playing mrdanga and karatalas – the harmonium he did not mention.
On the L train platform at 8th Avenue, a subway conductor, having a few minutes at the end of the line before his train reversed, purchased a Bhagavad-gita and began to read it.
A friendly young lady gave five dollars and took the Science of Self-Realization, because she already had the Gita, and three other people took small books. That fifth day I was tired and in a hurry, and I forgot to bring my harmonium, so I just played karatalas, yet I did better than on the other days. Thus I decided on the sixth day to save myself the labor of dragging the harmonium around and just play karatalas. After all, when Bhaktivinoda Thakura envisioned devotees chanting in the streets of Western cities, he described them as playing mrdanga and karatalas – the harmonium he did not mention.
My
contribution to the marathon was very small, but it demonstrates that
a person who does not like to initiate conversations with strangers,
to sell things to people, or to ask them for money, can simply by
faithfully chanting Hare Krishna, distribute a few books and collect
some donations while freeing hundreds of people from their karma,
planting seeds of devotional service in their hearts, and nourishing
those seeds previously planted. It also shows that even one with
unimpressive musical ability and assets in devotion can inspire a few
people to contribute to the service of Krishna and accept books about
Him.
Prabhupada
Marathon 2017 Scores for Krishna-kripa Das
|
|||||||
Date
|
People
|
Hours
|
Bg.
|
SSR
|
Small
|
Total
|
Laksmi
|
12/18/17
|
3
|
3
|
9
|
9
|
9.60
|
||
12/19/17
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
7.50
|
|
12/20/17
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
3
|
4.00
|
||
12/21/17
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
6
|
10.55
|
|
12/22/17
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
5
|
14.76
|
12/23/17
|
1
|
2
|
4
|
4
|
7.25
|
||
Totals
|
3
|
13
|
2
|
2
|
26
|
30
|
$53.66
|
Reflections
on Five
Years, Eleven Months and a Lifetime of Unexpected Love
Last
spring Vishnu Priya Devi Dasi of Jacksonville gave me a copy of
Visakha Dasi’s Five
Years and Eleven Months and a Lifetime of Unexpected Love. Between
the harinamas
I
do, the temple programs I attend, the journal I write, the Prabhupada
books I read, and the books I proofread, I do not have time to read
other books, and so I never read it. My mother likes to read and has
read Radhanath Swami’s books, The
Journey Home and
The
Journey Within, and
I thought she might like to read the book of a Hare Krishna lady.
Thus I decided to give Visakha’s book to her as a Christmas
present. I talked to a couple devotees who spoke highly of the book
but with a doubt that Visakha’s honest description of some of the
insensitivity toward women by men in the movement might not be so
good for one learning about Krishna consciousness to read. I planned
to read it anyway, the week before Christmas, so I could see for
myself. Because I spontaneously decided to do two extra hours of
harinama
each
day that week, I had no time to read the book. I was running out of
time. In the twenty-four hours before Christmas Eve, I spent five
hours in reading two-thirds of the book, and I found it very
absorbing. Fortunately
after I gave it to my mother, I found a copy at the Yuga Dharma
Ashram so I could finish reading it. In the front of that copy Visakha
had written to the harinama
devotees,
“Thank you over and over to your dedication to the glorious holy
names of Krishna! All success to you in pure chanting of the holy
names.”
Unlike
Radhanath Swami, Visakha was not on a search to find God, although
she had no faith that the materialistic lifestyle of those
surrounding her in her youth would satisfy her. Assisting her
boyfriend, and would-be-husband, in doing photographic stories on
Hare Krishnas in Brooklyn and in India, she got the association of
Srila Prabhupada and his followers. Though she was very skeptical,
the transcendental association of Srila Prabhupada and the more
saintly among his followers attracted her soul and gradually
dissolved her doubts.
I
found the book more emotionally stirring than any I have read
recently. Part of that may be from reading so much of it in such a
short time. Mostly I think it was because she addressed a lot of
themes that come up in the life of a Westerner who has decided to
embrace the path of Krishna consciousness. I appreciated her distain
for the value Americans place on pointless conformity in dress and
behavior and her observation that those who were materially
successful around her had degraded habits and lacked the satisfaction
with life they were aspiring for. In becoming a devotee she had to
contend with devotees who had some attachment for Srila Prabhupada
but at the same time still had arrogant and disrespectful attitudes
not appropriate for a devotee and who made her life and the lives of
others difficult.
Returning
to the US after a couple of years with Srila Prabhupada and the
devotees in India, she wrote, “After two and a half years in India,
Yadubara and I had returned to our homeland with two suitcases that
contained all our possessions. We had no employment or prospects for
employment, no income, no home, no car or no other assets, and no
medical or life insurance. Yet none of that bothered me. I felt not
only secure but verifiable rich from all we had: Prabhupada, Krishna,
a family of devotees, a path to follow, a cause to live for, a goal
to attain.”
About
meeting relatives and acquaintances on her return, she wrote “If I
hadn’t met Srila Prabhupada and spent time in magical Vrindavan,
I’d have been thinking the same thing that he [a former employer]
and my parents were. I’d experienced far more than I could convey
to them or to anyone. That I couldn’t begin to convey it saddened
me.”
That
is a very important point. In practicing Krishna consciousness we
encounter so much transcendental knowledge and have so many joyful
transcendental experiences it is difficult to communicate them to
others. Acquaintances who are also on some kind of spiritual path may
be able to relate to it, but it is mystifying for others. For others
to completely understand, they would have to read the literature and
engage in the practice and gain their own experience, but few are
enthusiastic enough to understand our situation that they are willing
to do that.
Visakha
Dasi beautifully captured Srila Prabhupada’s nonsection spirit in
this excerpt from her book:
“Reporter:
Do you feel that in getting truths from various places like the
Bible, the Koran, and so forth – don’t you run into conflicts at
all, or contradictions in those particular philosophies.
Prabhupada:
No, I don’t find any conflict, because the ultimate goal is God.
You have understand God and try to love him. So you can go through
any religious process. If the goal is attained, that you understand
what is God and you try to love him, then your life is perfect.
“I
loved the broad inclusiveness of Krishna consciousness, the
equitableness of it. Prabhupada wasn’t saying that any group or
religion was better or worse than any other. He was saying that I was
meant to understand who I am – a spiritual being – and to
progress toward where I was meant to go – back to God. I realized
that as soon as I felt myself superior or inferior to any other
person or group, I’d misunderstood what Prabhupada was teaching.
Prabhupada’s words, based on Krishna’s, snapped me out of my
habitual retreat into parochial thinking. I felt opened up, expanded,
released from some suffocating and sticking box that I didn’t fit
in and was never supposed to be in anyway. What Prabhupada was saying
was true and beautiful and something I needed to make my own.”
By
reading some statements from Srila Prabhupada’s books, some people
conclude he minimized women, but that was not Visakha’s experience:
“From
the moment I’d met him, all I’d experienced – and was still
experiencing – was his encouragement. He aroused in me a spirit of
voluntary, enthusiastic service. He generated an atmosphere of fresh
challenge and I enthusiastically agreed to rise and meet it. He drew
out my spontaneous loving spirit of sacrificing my energy for
Krishna. He appreciated my efforts. He wanted me to be all I could be
for Krishna. I never sensed a smidgen of male chauvinism or misogyny,
superiority or self-righteousness, hubris, or haughtiness in him.
Neither a whiff of desire to exploit, oppress, or repress women or
anyone else.”
Visakha
shares her experience of Srila Prabhupada as being the
personification of encouragement in the devotional service of the
Lord and reveals many of his appealing transcendental qualities
through her writing.
I
only hope that hearing Visakha’s personal story encourages many
skeptics to open their eyes to the possibility of faith and love for
God and move in that direction, being inspired by this transcendental
narration about Srila Prabhupada by his pure devotee.
26
Second Avenue
Within
the Hare Krishna movement, 26 Second Avenue is famous as being the
location of the first center of the International Society for Krishna
Consciousness (ISKCON), started
back in 1966.
Today
Atmanivedana Prabhu, along
with his wife, Subhangada Devi Dasi, maintains
a Saturday night Bhagavad-gita
class
which has been running for several years. He invites local and
visiting swamis and lecturers to speak on Bhagavad-gita
each
week. The program begins at 5:30 p.m. with chanting, then at
6:00 p.m. regular attenders review an important verse from the
Bhagavad-gita
which
they memorized for that week. Then there is lecture on the Gita
till
7:15 or 7:30 followed by some more chanting and some wonderful Hare
Krishna food that is mostly vegan.
I
usually speak there once a month in the fall.
These
days Bhakti Vasudeva Swami of South Africa, who is presently residing
in New York City, gives a couple classes a month.
For
several months, the Yuga Dharma Ashram has been running an
introductory program on mantra meditation at
26 Second Avenue every
Wednesday night starting at 7:30 p.m. They chant for fifteen minutes,
talk about mantra meditation for half an hour or so, and do fifteen
more minutes of chanting followed
by a vegan snack. Many new people, mostly from the harinamas,
have
been coming. One enthusiastic young couple, Adrian and Adi, from that
program began to regularly attend The Bhakti Center morning program
and to chant with us on harinama
whenever
they can.
Gopal
Campu Prabhu, disciple of Vaisesika Prabhu and book distributor on
the Yuga Dharma New York City party, a native Spanish speaker, is
starting a Spanish Bhagavad-gita
class on
Monday nights at
26 Second Avenue.
We meet many
Spanish speakers on the harinama,
and they
often take at least one of the four Spanish books we have on our
table. Thus we are thinking this program will be very successful.
It
is wonderful see Krishna outreach expanding at this sacred venue
where Srila Prabhupada began his movement in New York City back in
1966.
Christmas
Eve in Albany
Every
year I go home for Christmas Eve to see my relatives and to
distribute prasadam
to
my friends in Albany. I like to make the carrot coconut rice from
Yamuna Devi’s cookbook which is easy and comes out perfect every
time. Peeling and grating the carrots is the only time consuming
thing about that
recipe.
This time no one was in the ashram on
Christmas
Eve morning, and we happened to have all the ingredients in stock, so
it was a real breeze to make. I put on a Madhava kirtan
tape
and cooked away. I got it all offered and cleaned the kitchen before
the devotees returned from
The Bhakti Center morning program.
I stopped by the Doughnut Plant on the way to the Chinese bus, and
supplemented the two dozen leftover doughnuts from the previous day
with some fresh ones my relatives requested.
I
was surprised to see my niece Fern wearing a shirt with a saying
attributed to Gandhi. It reminded me of her mother and grandmother,
both social activists. Interestingly enough, I researched the quote
finding
an article stating:
“Gandhi’s
words have been tweaked a little too in recent years. Perhaps you’ve
noticed a bumper sticker that purports to quote him: ‘Be the change
you wish to see in the world.’ When you first come across it, this
does sound like something Gandhi would have said. But when you think
about it a little, it starts to sound more like . . . a bumper
sticker. Displayed brightly on the back of a Prius, it suggests that
your responsibilities begin and end with your own behavior. It’s
apolitical, and a little smug. Sure enough, it turns out there is no
reliable documentary evidence for the quotation. The closest
verifiable remark we have from Gandhi is this: ‘If we could change
ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man
changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change
towards him. . . . We need not wait to see what others do.’ Here,
Gandhi is telling us that personal and social transformation go hand
in hand, but there is no suggestion in his words that personal
transformation is enough. In fact, for Gandhi, the struggle to bring
about a better world involved not only stringent self-denial and
rigorous adherence to the philosophy of nonviolence; it also involved
a steady awareness that one person, alone, can’t change anything,
an awareness that unjust authority can be overturned only by great
numbers of people working together with discipline and persistence.”
(Brian Morton, The
New York Times, August
29, 2011,
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/30/opinion/falser-words-were-never-spoken.html)
In
the afternoon my relatives always go to the Christmas Eve program at
the Albany Friends Meeting which my family attended since we were
kids. They always dramatize the story of the birth of Jesus, with
volunteers from the audience.
Victor (left), my sister’s partner, volunteered to be a shepherd. They sing several Christmas carols in the course of the drama. Here players from the audience in the nativity drama sing “We Three Kings of Orient Are” (https://youtu.be/RpX6W8dITS8):
The
rice prasadam
I
made that
morning was for
the potluck meal my Quaker friends have
after
the drama.
Another
family ritual is reading The
Best Christmas Pageant Ever,
a
book
by Barbara Robinson, which
is a
humorous story about the Herdmans, a family of juvenile delinquents
who end up playing the major roles in a drama about the appearance of
Lord Jesus Christ. From point of view of Bhagavata philosophy the
interesting part of the story is that Herdmans went from taking
pleasure in causing to distress to others to being concerned for
others’
welfare and giving charity without desiring anything for themselves,
simply by hearing, meditating on, and enacting the birth pastime of
Lord Jesus Christ. The
power of the transcendental glorification of God to transform lives
in a spiritual way is an important theme in the Hare Krishna
movement.
This
year instead of reading the book, we watched a movie of it we learned
was on YouTube (https://youtu.be/icZwm6Aact8):
Sometimes
the movies are a let down because they do not represent the book so
well, but this movie was pretty well done as
most reviewers agreed.
New
York City Scenes
Even
dogs dress up for winter!
four
subway scenes:
We
try to enjoy even in awkward places.
Taking
prasadam
and
reading a Prabhupada lecture transcript. [It
is faster to read transcripts than play lectures, so when I’m
in a hurry I
do that.]
The
best sight in Manhattan –
Sri
Gauracandra and Sri Sri Radha-Muralidhara
Financial
Report
Income and Expenses for 2017 for Krishna-kripa Das in US Dollars
Description
|
Amount
|
donations
|
3,976.83
|
cash
rewards from banks
and PayPal
|
62.69
|
total
income
|
4,039.52
|
travel in the US, Canada & Europe
|
2,942.54
|
gifts
to temples, devotees, and relatives
|
467.81
|
clothes,
toiletries, drivers
license, etc.
|
191.96
|
internet,
phone, camera,
computer, etc. |
44.09
|
health
|
53.34
|
food
|
1.31
|
total
expenses
|
3,660.44
|
balance
|
338.47
|
Details are available upon request.
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.15.24 in Los Angeles on December 3, 1973:
Describing
how our situation in this material world is like being in prison,
Srila Prabhupada says, “In the prison, government prison house,
there are some prisoners who are called first-class prisoners. They
are given special favor by the government, and there are third-class
prisoners also. But both of them are prisoners. And prison is not
meant for comfortable life. It is meant for suffering. The
Bhaktivinoda Thakura therefore sings, ‘anadi
karama-phale pari’ bhavarnava-jale taribare na dekhi upaya.’
One who is sane person, he knows that ‘I may be first-class
prisoner, that does not mean I am not prisoner. I am prisoner.’ The
suffering of the prison house, that I have no independence to do
anything, that is prison life.
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.15.25–26 in Los Angeles on December 4, 1973:
“Tapasa
brahmacaryena
[Srimad-Bhagavatam
6.1.13], not to have sex life without any purpose, that is called
brahmacari.
Brahmacari
does not mean celibacy. Brahmacari
means who does not use sex life for any other purpose than begetting
nice children. He is brahmacari.”
Jayadvaita
Swami:
To
worship Lord Vishnu means to worship Lord Vishnu and His devotees.
Just as it is mentioned that Lord Caitanya is worshiped along with
His associates.
Krishna
is never alone. That was the standard for paintings of Krishna for
Srila Prabhupada. Krishna is always with His devotees.
Just
as a child feels protected in the presence his father, the devotee
always feels protected by Krishna.
Srila
Prabhupada tells how during a scarcity of rice in Calcutta all his
devotee friends somehow had enough.
Everyone
is looked after by the Lord, but they do not admit it. They think it
is their personal prowess.
Srila
Prabhupada protected us against the Mayavadis, the gross
materialists, the prakrita
sahajiyas, envious
Gaudiya Vaishnavas, and from our own selves.
Q:
How do I know if I am being punished by Krishna or it is my karma?
A:
It is all Krishna. If it is your karma, Krishna is rewarding your
karma.
We
see things as our fault or the external energy working on us, and if
the external energy is working on us, it is our fault.
Comments
by Adi Purusa Prabhu:
Sometimes
when a devotee undergoes difficulty it shows the glory of the
devotee.
If
we are trying to serve Krishna, even if due to the circumstances we
cannot do something wonderful, Krishna will be pleased.
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
6.3.22:
Yamaraja
explains his final conclusion on what is dharma in this verse:
“Devotional service, beginning with the chanting of the holy name
of the Lord, is the ultimate religious principle for the living
entity in human society.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam
6.3.22)
People
may ask what is the result of all this chanting and dancing you are
doing. That is answered here:
“After
chanting the holy name of the Lord and dancing in ecstasy, one
gradually sees the form of the Lord, the pastimes of the Lord and the
transcendental qualities of the Lord.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.3.22, purport)
People
may say this world is a beautiful place. It is a beautiful place of
birth, death, old age, and disease. That is why Krishna reminds us of
this in Bhagavad-gita.
We
are helpless. We imagine so many friends, relatives, financial
advisors, etc., can save us, but they cannot save themselves what to
speak of us.
The
karmis
try
to solve the problems by economic development. The jnanis
try
to solve the problems by making them go away. The yogis
try
to solve them by mystic power. The devotees, realizing they are
helpless, call out the name of Krishna, and Krishna saves them.
Krishna
is there in the holy name. It is only a question of realization.
The
goal is devotional service, and the process is devotional service. We
do it because it is the supreme dharma of the soul.
We
do not just have a doctrine. We have a philosophy, and we can analyze
things from different angles. Thus Srila Prabhupada would say
different things at different times, analyzing in different ways.
There
are different scriptures with different information, but does not
that make some of them invalid. Just like Webster’s Collegiate
Dictionary still has value although it is not as complete as
Webster’s Third Unabridged Dictionary.
If
you are interested in God, there is more information we can give you
from the Vedic tradition.
From
the Wednesday evening introductory program:
I
am all-pervading within my body but not in your body, just in this
little space. There is oneness in that both we and God are
all-pervading, but we are just all-pervading in this little space and
God pervades the universe.
These
philosophical concepts we are discussing, which are seen by the
tattva-darsis
[those
who have seen the truth], we can realize by chanting Hare Krishna.
Q
(by Mahotsaha Prabhu): How do we understand who is a tattva-darsi?
A:
A tattva-darsi
is
one who has the same understanding as Krishna, who is the ulimate
tattva-darsi.
Krishna
explains in Bhagavad-gita
2.55
that a tattva-darsi
is
one
who has given up all imaginations of happiness in this world. Because
we are spirit, we cannot find happiness in matter. The tattva-darsi
understands
this, and he looks for happiness within. Realization of spirit is
complete when we realize the Supreme Spirit. That happiness that
comes and goes is not of interest to the tattva-darsi.
We
have to look for lasting happiness on the platform that lasts, the
spiritual platform.
Q:
If the material energy is created by Krishna, why can’t we realize
Krishna through the material energy?
A:
The prison is created by the government, and the college is created
by the government. That is like asking, “Why can’t we get a
college degree from the prison?”
The
self-realized soul knows “because I have a body, I will experience
all these desires.” And thus he is not disturbed by them.
The
Hare Krishna mantra is Krishna Himself. It is not a sound of this
world. When I chant, I am coming in touch with Krishna, who is all
happiness and all knowledge, and so all enlightenment and fulfillment
are there.
The
Srimad-Bhagavatam
differentiates
between the mind, intelligence, and false ego by their functions.
The
intelligence guides the mind.
False
ego is the point of contact between matter and spirit, when we
falsely identify with our material bodies.
When
we chant, we are looking up to the spiritual platform.
Krishna
advises we see other people like ourselves, atmaupamyena
sarvatra [Bg.
6.32], and not just people, all living beings.
Although
Srila Prabhupada was happy in Vrindavan, he came to New York City
because he wanted to do some good to others.
Because
a self-realized soul is satisfied, he does not have a need to exploit
others. People pick up on that, and they feel good about such a
person.
-----
This
prayer by Prahlada Maharaja is a nice Christmas message. It also
contains the message of the two commandments which Jesus Christ
considered most important: (1) to love the Lord with one’s body,
mind, and soul and (2) to love one’s neighbor as oneself.
svasty astu visvasya khalah prasidatam
dhyayantu bhutani sivam mitho dhiya
manas ca bhadram bhajatad adhoksaje
avesyatam no matir apy ahaituki
“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)