Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 14, No. 4
By Krishna-kripa das
(February 2018, part two)
North and Central Florida
(Sent from Tallahassee, Florida, on March 3, 2017)
Where I Went and What I Did
By Krishna-kripa das
(February 2018, part two)
North and Central Florida
(Sent from Tallahassee, Florida, on March 3, 2017)
Where I Went and What I Did
After
leaving Tallahassee, I attended the Friday night program at Krishna
House followed by a late night harinama
in
downtown Gainesville,
and a three-hour kirtana
at
University of South Florida the next day. Sunday
I went to the usual feast program in Alachua and heard some nice
kirtana
and
bhajans.
Monday
and Tuesday I chanted at Krishna Lunch in Gainesville. Wednesday and
Thursday I chanted at University of North Florida in Jacksonville,
and I spoke on meditation and its goal samadhi,
absorption of the mind in the Supreme Person, at their Krishna Club
meeting on Wednesday night. I spent the rest of February chanting in
Tallahassee, at Florida State University during the week and at Lake
Ella on the weekend, very happy to have five devotees joining me from
time to time.
I
share
many very inspiring quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s
books. His faith that Krishna has come in the form of His holy name
to curtail the activities of present-day demoniac politicians and
warmongers is inspiring, as are
quotes
from The
Nectar of Devotion about
the wonderful qualities of Krishna. I have notes on lectures by
Bhadra Prabhu speaking in Tampa and Alachua, Shastrakrit Prabhu
speaking in Tallahassee, and Tulasirani, Nanda Kumar, and Hanan
Prabhus speaking at Krishna House in Gainesville. I
share an interesting observation made by Sthita-dhi Muni Prabhu
during a conversation in a car.
Itinerary
March 19–March 23: Tallahassee (FSU)
March 23: Gainesville Krishna House Friday Night – Talk on Ratha-yatra
March 24: St. Augustine Ratha-yatra
March 25: Gainesville Krishna House
March 26–April 5: Tallahassee (FSU on weekdays, Lake Ella on weekends)
April 6: Tallahassee First Friday
April 7: Tallahassee Ratha-yatra
April 8: Gainesville Krishna House / Alachua Sunday Feast
April 9: Albany
April 10: Philadelphia
April 11–13: Washington, D.C.
April 14: New York City
April 15–19: Dublin
April 24: Edinburgh
April 25: London
April 26: Radhadesh
April 27: Amsterdam (King’s Day)
April 28: Radhadesh (Nrsimha Caturdasi)
April 29–May 1: Antwerp
May 2–3: Brussels
May 4: London
May 5–6: Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan
May 7: Newcastle
May 8: Edinburgh
May 9: Edinburgh and Newcastle
May 10: Sheffield
May 11: Leeds
May 12: Manchester, Chester, or Liverpool
May 13: Manchester
May 14: London
27: Vaishnava Summer Festival in Lithuania
July 31–August 4: Polish Woodstock
August 6: Dublin
September 3–28: Mayapur
September 29: Newcastle
September 30: Dublin
October 1–January 5, 2019: New York City Yuga Dharma Harinama Party
Krishna
House Friday Program and Harinama
Tsurit
chants Hare Krishna at Krishna House Friday program, and devotees and
guests dance (https://youtu.be/MnkzPfJKfe8):
Either
Friday or Saturday Krishna House devotees do a late night harinama
in
Gainesville. This week it was Friday, after the evening program.
Abhimanyu
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in downtown Gainesville with Krishna House
devotees, and onlookers dance with devotees
(https://youtu.be/kRE-2hZWpl0):
Animesh
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in downtown Gainesville with Krishna House
devotees, and onlookers dance with devotees
(https://youtu.be/E3OeRhv75II):
Chanting Hare Krishna at the University of South Florida at Tampa
Bhadra
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at a University of South Florida at Tampa
kirtan program and many dance, including one male student who never
attended our weekly program but wants to come now
(https://youtu.be/ZI60JHCr8yU):
Dr.
Sujoya Banik chants Hare Krishna at a University of South Florida at
Tampa kirtan program and many dance (https://youtu.be/oVek6z-tbRA):
At
that Tampa kirtan, many congregational devotees attended, and a few
students, passing by, stopped in for prasadam and
heard a little kirtan.
Chanting
Hare Krishna at the Sunday Feast in Alachua
Mayuri, a very small but talented devotee girl, chants Hare Krishna after the Alachua Sunday Feast (https://youtu.be/m1YJ2uFaASM):
Amala
Harinama Prabhu chants Hare Krishna after the Alachua Sunday feast,
and I dance, as well as several youthful devotee ladies
(https://youtu.be/WHj_jWeiReo):
Chanting Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch in Gainesville
Abhimanyu
Prabhu plays guitar and chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch
(https://youtu.be/Smy2mk-_440):
Chanting
Hare Krishna at the University of North Florida in
Jacksonville
At
University of North Florida we chant either on the green or the
grassy area by the Student Union and tell people about our campus
Krishna Club.
Kira
designed an attractive poster with photos of different Krishna Club
activities with joyous participants and Amrita Keli Devi Dasi added captions such as:
“At
Krishna Club, we teach and practice Bhakti yoga – linking with the
divine, or God, through loving service.”
“We
use music as meditation, share a sanctified vegan meal to feed the
soul, and discuss the science of spirituality as spoken from the
Bhagavad-gita.”
“No
matter our beliefs, genetics, or backgrounds, we have found amazing
joy in simply coming together for a common cause – supporting one
another to seek the true self within, our Common Creator, &
selfless service in whatever we do.”
“Bhakti
teaches us that the body is a complex material machine covering an
eternal spirit soul, unique and beautiful.”
“Whether
you have it all figured out, have no idea what’s going on, or are
happily living somewhere in the middle, we welcome you and really
value your voice. Hare Krishna!”
Here
Kira
chants Hare Krishna on the University of North Florida green
(https://youtu.be/uz1NUTEkqes):
One
young man from Jordan stopped to talk with Kira and me, as we chanted
Hare Krishna on the University of North Florida green. He recalled
talking to a devotee before, and from his description we suggested it
might be Adikarta Prabhu, and he confirmed it. We talked about the
philosophy of Bhagavad-gita
and
Krishna Club, and Kira described her visit to Jordan. After talking
with us for a while he said, “Talking with you just now, and also
talking with Adikarta before, I feel completely cleansed. I really
like talking with you people.” Many verses in the Vedic literature
tell of purification by associating with devotees of God, but
practically never does anyone you meet in public spontaneously say
they experienced it. Of course, aspiring Vaishnavas do not imagine
their association to be so valuable. It must be Adikarta Prabhu and Kira are
such nice devotees that people feel cleansed by their presence!
Here
Courtney,
who last year led the chanting of Hare Krishna on the grass by the University
of North Florida Student Union for
her
first time ever, on
her birthday no
less,
visits our chanting party, and a student passing by takes a Krishna
Club invitation (https://youtu.be/r7ecvLwBVZw):
Two
friends also stopped to talk, one who found the cookies Kira had
made to be so delicious that she asked for the recipe. We met the two
the next day as I was chanting with Amrita Keli Devi Dasi, UNF Hare
Krishna chaplain, and they talked to us for some time, and even
chanted the mantra with us at Amrita’s invitation, after
Molly, a student who regularly attends Krishna Club and Bhakti House
meetings, briefly explained it
(https://youtu.be/Asmb0P-tmy8):
Here
I lead the chanting of Hare Krishna on the grass by the UNF Student
Union, engineering professor, Prema Vardhana Prabhu, plays drum,
Amrita plays karatalas,
and Molly plays the shakers (https://youtu.be/4t4bNtUbGk0):
Krishna
Club at the University of North Florida
This
Krishna Club meeting was especially exciting as a film crew doing a
documentary called Sounds of Devotion came to video the
kirtan, and two journalism students attended, one who ended up
writing a rather favorable article, which I responded to in a letter
to the editor.
At
the meeting, I
was asked to choose the icebreaker (a
question that serves to relieve inhibitions or tension between
people, or start a meeting) for our introduction part of the
program. This question came to mind:
Q:
What inspires you to come to a higher level?
A
(by Agustin): Authenicity.
A
(by Prema Vardhana Prabhu): Association of devotees chanting the
glories of the Lord.
A
(by Lila Kishor Prabhu): Reading about inspired persons.
A
(by Djana): Acts motivated by love, and people sharing these.
A
(by Isa): Seeing beauty in nature.
A
(by Laura): Seeing
people in a lower stage of consciousness does not appeal to me, and
so I am inspired move to a higher level so I can uplift others.
A
(by Amrita): Seeing beautiful qualities in others and their
expression of them.
A
(by Kira): Realizing the dissonance between me and society originally
inspired me to come to higher level. In Krishna consciousness, all
kinds people from all kinds of backgrounds come together and that
inspires me now.
A
(by me): Seeing dedication in others inspires me to become more
dedicated myself.
A
(by Terri): Seeing growth in myself.
A
(by Jaime): Having spiritual experiences.
A
(by Javiera): Setting a goal, and after attaining the result, finding
another.
Kira
played on the harmonium as she spoke nicely introducing the kirtan (https://youtu.be/LfSnCUu_-QA): [Unfortunately her voice was soft and meditative, the harmonium was
loud in comparison, and my camera was too far away to record it
nicely, thus when I amplified it I got a lot of background noise as well.]
Three
students filmed the kirtan led by Kira (https://youtu.be/zrsY35QGpkQ)
for a movie they are doing which is tentatively titled Sounds
of Devotion:
Sounds
of Devotion – what
an amazing topic and just perfect for Hare Krishnas to appear in!
Cori,
one
of the journalism students,
did not stay for the whole meeting. I intercepted her on the way out,
inviting her to try the Krishna prasadam,
and
she took a plate to go. Her friend, Isa, said she had a rare
opportunity
for
ride to Wal-Mart which
she
wanted
to
take advantage of. Lila Kishor Prabhu
sent me and
Krishna Club leaders a
link to her
article published in
Spinnaker,
UNF’s
#1 New Source,
five
days later
(https://unfspinnaker.com/65907/features/unf-krishna-club-an-outsider-experience/).
My
favorite parts were:
Immediately upon walking in the door, my friend and I were greeted with welcoming smiles from three current members who were very excited to have us there . . .
We sat in a circle and chanted “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare” repeatedly with the goal of putting ourselves into a meditative state. . . .The meeting ended with goodbyes, thank you’s, and hugs from all who attended. Hare Krishnas believe that by chanting the mantra one is spiritually awakening their soul (“mantra” means “to free the mind”). . . .As a whole, members of this devotion emphasize love and acceptance among people, above all else. Their ultimate goal is to have a relationship with their God, Lord Krishna. Chanting is their form of worship. While to some it may seem like simple repetition of words, to them it is a beautiful expression of love.
. . . the Krishna Club at UNF is filled with friendly faces who are eager to educate new people about what they believe and recruit new followers. I’m not sure if I will be attending again, but if I feel the need to further awaken my soul, I know where to go.”
I
wrote a letter to the editor:
Dear Editor:
Thanks to Cori for writing the interesting, informative, and rather favorable article about her experience at the UNF Krishna Club meeting.
I was the guest speaker at the program that night, and I enjoyed meeting Cori, and her friend, who stayed the entire time.
I proofread many Hare Krishna publications as a service, so it is natural for me to notice little errors. Please do not take offense.
1. “Hare” refers to the spiritual energy of God, who brings us closer to Him, not to God Himself. We see some people have a natural attraction to God, and this is brought about by His spiritual energy. Others, under the influence of God’s material energy, are averse or indifferent to God. Thus we address His spiritual energy, desiring to approach Him.
2. The duration of the chanting was nowhere near two hours. Judging from the creation time on my video files, it was very close to half an hour.
3. This statement “Their ultimate goal is to have a relationship with their God, Lord Krishna.” does not sit comfortably with me. I think “Their ultimate goal is to have a relationship with God, who they refer to by the name Krishna.” is better. God is the supreme being, thus everyone who is worshiping the supreme being, is worshiping the same God. Different traditions have more or less, or even different, knowledge about that unlimited and inconceivable God, but still the supreme being is One. This idea of my God and your God causes unnecessary conflict in the world. Religion is meant to bring the individual souls together to worship and serve their creator and maintainer, God, who goes by different names in different traditions but is the same entity. When religion becomes sectarian, its purpose is lost; rather than bringing souls together in unity, it divides them.
4. There was a half-hour talk on meditation after the chanting and before the meal, which although Cori did not stay for, her friend did, and which might be mentioned to make the report of the meeting more complete.
I visit Krishna clubs at different universities in Florida and beyond, and Cori correctly perceived how much affection the club members have for each other and for the new people who come, and that is one of the best features of our club at University of North Florida and makes me inspired to come there as much as possible. Generally the Hare Krishnas are friendly, but at UNF, they are especially so.
Thanks again to Cori, for sharing her experience through her nicely written article.
All the best to all of you on your spiritual journey,
Krishna-kripa das, Hare Krishna traveling monk
I
was worried I could not stay for that Krishna Club meeting. I hoped I
could convince devotees from Krishna House in Gainesville to come to
the meeting and give me a ride an hour and a half back to Gainesville
afterward, but I failed. I thought of taking a bus the next day. The
problem with that is I would have no time to chant at either
University of North Florida or University of Florida because the only
bus takes over four hours in the middle of the day. I even started to
book my bus ticket because I really wanted to go to the Krishna Club
meeting instead of catching a ride back to Alachua with the devotee
who dropped me off in the morning, but the low battery on my computer
did not permit me to finish. While walking across the campus to
relocate our chanting party, as a professor had complained about our
volume, I met Prema Vardhana Prabhu, who teaches electrical
engineering there and who planned to come to our Krishna Club
meeting, stay over night, and drive back to Alachua in the middle of
the afternoon the next day, after a midday appointment. He kindly
agreed to give me a ride to Gainesville, half an hour out of his way, and thus I could attend the Krishna Club
meeting and also chant at the campus the next day. I could see that
Krishna was really reciprocating with me!
Chanting
Hare Krishna at Florida State University in Tallahassee
Some
Fridays we do not have Krishna Lunch in Tallahassee, thus I was
fortunate to have Krishna Lunch servers, Aris, who leads the singing
here, and Daniel, who plays the
karatalas,
to join me in chanting in the free speech area at Florida State University (https://youtu.be/4NJHb6rE2eI):
The
next Tuesday and Wednesday, college book distributors Shastrakrit
and Kumari Gopal Prabhu joined me two days, doing a book table near
the Florida State University Student Union and chanting Hare Krishna
in response to my kirtan. It was inspiring for me to see their
dedication to distributing books on the campus and to have them to
chant the response to my kirtan at the same time
(https://youtu.be/UDhtYl50MaI):
Chanting
Hare Krishna at Lake Ella in Tallahassee
I
chanted both Saturday and Sunday at Lake Ella in Tallahassee and was
fortunate to have Bhakta Daniel and Bhaktin Aris join me both days
for the three hours and Brahma Haridas Prabhu to play the drum for
two and a half hours on Saturday!
I
chanted and Brahma Haridas Prabhu played the drum and Aris, the
karatalas
(https://youtu.be/BCmrg-26Dsw):
While
Aris sang, some kids played shakers while their mom moved with the
music (https://youtu.be/R1phQT8y_RM):
At
the end of our Saturday kirtan, I chanted my favorite Hare Krishna
tune (https://youtu.be/17AnFOqXE5Y):
Sunday
we chanted for an hour, and then took shelter either
of
our
van or
the gazebo by the lake and chanted japa
for
an hour while
it rained. Then we chanted another hour of kirtan. Here Bhaktin Aris
chants Hare Krishna at Lake Ella in Tallahassee on that
rainy Sunday (https://youtu.be/D8XgPNkwkMg):
The young man behind our chanting party in the above video and in the first video from the day before was attracted to the books and the chanting, and Daniel invited him to the temple for the Sunday feast. He came back with us in the van, and he liked the whole program.
Chanting Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch in Tallahassee
I
do not usually chant Hare Krishna at the Krishna Lunch itself in
Tallahassee but elsewhere on the Florida State University campus to
inform the students of its existence. Monday, however, was predicted
to have occasional thunderstorms all afternoon, and having to take a
break to wait out the rain as I did the previous day did not appeal
to me. Thus I decided to chant at the cafeteria of the Center for
Global Engagment where the lunch is served out. Usually I do not eat
in the middle of a short three-hour harinama,
but
I fasted half the day for Ekadasi so I was really hungry and thus I
engaged Aris in singing while I ate. I talked with a jovial young
black guy named Wis, who was very enthusiastic about Krishna Lunch.
While talking, I mentioned to him how good the Ekadasi carrot halava
was and offered to get him some. When I came out of the kitchen with the
Ekadasi halava
to
put some on his plate, I saw he was no longer at the table. When I
returned to the kitchen, I saw Wis was playing the mridanga
for
Aris in her kirtan (https://youtu.be/QUPd3UVHE10):
Chanting
Hare Krishna at the First Wednesday Two-Hour Kirtan in Tallahassee
Because
of an influx of devotees who like kirtan, I started a Two-Hour Kirtan
every Wednesday evening in Tallahassee, from 6 to 8 p.m., like we
have in Newcastle. Suresh, chanting Hare Krishna here, is one of four
lead singers at the inaugural program, the day before Gaura Purnima
(https://youtu.be/29PJNtN51xg):
Here
Bhaktin Aris chants at that first Wednesday evening kirtan program
(https://youtu.be/_b8aAUfcUA0):
An Uncommon Photo
Religious groups and people involved with them have different ideas to reach out to the student community. Here is a Catholic strategy:
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
10.3.31, purport:
“The
form of the Lord with a flute in His hands is most attractive, and
the one who is most sublimely attracted is Srimati
Radharani,
Radhika.
She enjoys supremely blissful association with Krishna.
Sometimes people cannot understand why Radhika’s
name is not mentioned in Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Actually, however, Radhika
can be understood from the word aradhana,
which indicates that She enjoys the highest loving affairs with
Krishna.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.3.37–38, purport:
“If we go back home, back to Godhead, our real relationship with the Lord is revealed, and we eternally engage in our eternal relationship. By chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, we gradually develop our eternal relationship with the Supreme Person and thus attain the perfection called svarupa-siddhi. We should take advantage of this benediction and go back home, back to Godhead.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.3.33, purport:
“If one follows religious principles, he automatically practices birth control because if one is spiritually educated he knows that the after-effects of sex are various types of misery (bahu-duhkha-bhaja). One who is spiritually advanced does not indulge in uncontrolled sex. Therefore, instead of being forced to refrain from sex or refrain from giving birth to many children, people should be spiritually educated, and then birth control will automatically follow.”
“The
beginning is to hear about Lord Krishna
in the association of devotees who have themselves cleansed their
hearts by association. Hearing about the transcendental activities of
the Lord will result in one’s feeling transcendental bliss always.”
From
The
Nectar of Devotion,
Chapter
21:
“Devotees
have accepted the beginning of His youth as the most attractive
feature in ecstatic love. At this age Krishna
is described as follows: ‘The force of Krishna’s
youth was combined with His beautiful smile, which defeated even the
beauty of the full moon. He was always nicely dressed, in beauty
surpassing even Cupid, and He was always attracting the minds of the
gopis,
who were thereby always feeling pleasure.’”
“When
Krishna
politely bade His father, Nanda Maharaja,
to stop the ritualistic offering of sacrifice to the rain-god, Indra,
a wife of one village cowherd man became captivated. She later thus
described the speaking of Krishna
to her friends: ‘Krishna
was speaking to His father so politely and gently that it was as if
He were pouring nectar into the ears of all present there. After
hearing such sweet words from Krishna,
who will not be attracted to Him?’”
“Krishna’s
speech, which contains all good qualities in the universe, is
described in the following statement by Uddhava: ‘The words of
Krishna
are so attractive that they can immediately change the heart of even
His opponent. His words can immediately solve all of the questions
and problems of the world. Although He does not speak very long, each
and every word from His mouth contains volumes of meaning. These
speeches of Krishna
are very pleasing to my heart.’”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
10.3.21, purport:
“Krishna
appears in this world for two purposes, paritranaya
sadhunam
vinasaya
ca duskrtam:
to
protect the innocent, religious devotees of the Lord and to
annihilate all the uneducated, uncultured asuras
[demons],
who unnecessarily bark like dogs and fight among themselves for
political power. It is said, kali-kale
nama-rupe
krishna
avatara.
The Hare Krishna
movement is also an incarnation of Krishna
in the form of the holy name (nama-rupe).
Every one of us who is actually afraid of the asuric [demoniac]
rulers and politicians must welcome this incarnation of Krishna:
Hare Krishna,
Hare Krishna,
Krishna
Krishna,
Hare Hare/ Hare Rama,
Hare Rama,
Rama
Rama,
Hare Hare. Then we will surely be protected from the harassment of
asuric rulers. At the present moment these rulers are so powerful
that by hook or by crook they capture the highest posts in government
and harass countless numbers of people on the plea of national
security or some emergency. Then again, one asura defeats another
asura, but the public continues to suffer. Therefore the entire world
is in a precarious condition, and the only hope is this Hare Krishna
movement. Lord Nrsimhadeva
appeared when Prahlada
was excessively harassed by his asuric father. Because of such asuric
fathers — that is, the ruling politicians — it is very difficult
to press forward the Hare Krishna
movement, but because Krishna
has now appeared in His holy name through this movement, we can hope
that these asuric fathers will be annihilated and the kingdom of God
established all over the world. The entire world is now full of many
asuras in the guise of politicians, gurus, sadhus,
yogis
and incarnations, and they are misleading the general public away
from Krishna
consciousness, which can offer true benefit to human society.”
“As
Kamsa
was not expected to kill the beautiful child [Krishna] of Devaki
and Vasudeva, the uncivilized society, although unhappy
about the advancement of the Krishna
consciousness movement, cannot be expected to stop it. Yet we must
face many difficulties in many different ways. Although Krishna
cannot be killed, Vasudeva, as the father of Krishna,
was trembling because in affection he thought that Kamsa
would immediately come and kill his son. Similarly, although the
Krishna
consciousness movement and Krishna
are not different and no asuras
[demoniac people] can check it, we are afraid that at any moment the
asuras
can stop this movement in any part of the world.”
Sthita-dhi
Muni Prabhu:
From
a car conversation:
“The
whole conditional realm is just a place for atheists to fantasize.”
Bhadra
Prabhu:
From
a kirtan program at the University of South Florida in Tampa:
This
life is meant for chanting, dancing, and feasting, and then going to
the Lord.
So
you have experience of the joy of chanting. This is not some
sectarian religion. The process is scientific.
Just
as a train runs on two tracks, not one, we have to take of our
spiritual life in addition to our material life.
Frustration
comes in the life when we are not balancing, and instead, are going
more in the material direction.
On
one side we keep a dog and a cat very nicely, but we eat the chicken
and the calf for dinner. What kind of civilization is that? The worst
thing you can do is eat meat.
This
is not mythology. Who at the age of 70 comes from India to America to
each some mythology?
If
Krishna did not provide earth, water, air, fire, etc., Lord Brahma as
the secondary creator could not create.
It
is easy to create, but maintaining is difficult. It is easy to create
children but to maintain them is a big endeavor. Thus Lord Vishnu is
in charge of maintanance.
From
a Sunday feast lecture in Alachua:
Lord
Shiva is unique. He is above Lord Brahma as Lord Brahma himself says.
Bhaktivinoda
Thakura says Lord Shiva is touched by the mode of ignorance, he is
touched by the marginal energy, and he is touched by the junction of
samvit,
cit,
and hladini
potencies.
Lord
Shiva is not bound to the extent that the jiva
or marginal potency is.
When
Bhrgu kicked Lord Vishnu, Lord Vishnu apologized both for the
hardness of His
chest and also for not properly greeting him.
Lord
Caitanya told the story of Bhrgu Muni testing the guna-avataras
to show that Lord
Vishnu
is supreme.
Lord
Shiva is one of the mahajanas
[great
personalities
who know the ultimate religious principle of
pure devotion to God],
and
he is the leader of a Vaishnava sampradaya,
and
thus he is the greatest of Vaishnavas.
In
India people go to Dvaraka in the West, Jagannatha Puri in the East,
Ramesvaram in the South, and Badrinath and Kedarnath in the North.
All these are situated in Vraja [Vrindavan],
so if one does Vraja-mandala parikrama,
he
does not need to go to these places separately.
In
Brahma
Vaivarta Purana, Radha
asks Krishna, “Shiva is your great devotee. Why does Shiva wear
ashes, have matted hair, wear snakes in his hair, and wear the skull
garland?”
Krishna
answered Radha’s question by saying, “The ashes are from when
Sati burned herself to ashes. Because Garuda always chases the
snakes, they take shelter of Lord Shiva. The skull is also from Sati.
Shiva is unconcerned with externals so he has matted hair.”
Prahlad
Maharaja is not able to enter into Lord Krishna’s pastimes in
Vraja, but Lord Shiva is. Thus Narada glorified Shiva for his
greatness.
Lord
Shiva thinks he is not dear to Krishna because Krishna tells him to
preach impersonalist philosophy as Sankaracarya, although he did not
want to do it.
There
are so many Lord Shiva temples in Vraja because he is relishing the
pastimes of Lord Krishna.
One
great soul named Asuri Muni performed austerity for thousands of
years and could see Radha and Krishna in his heart. Once however he
was unable to have his usual darsana
in the heart.
Frustrated
he looked everywhere for Radha and Krishna. He came across Lord Shiva
in Kailasa, and he asked Lord Shiva, where is the Lord? Lord Shiva
was very happy because usually people just ask him for material
benefit or liberation. They never ask to see the Lord. Lord Shiva
said, “I was also thinking of going to see
the
Lord. Let us go together.” They came to the arena of the rasa
dance,
and the gopis
welcomed
them as brahmanas,
but
told them they could not be part of the dance. Paurnamasi arranged
that they dip in a lake and come out as gopis.
Thus
Lord Shiva and Asuri Muni both became gopis.
The
other gopis
were
suspicious of them, however, Lord
Krishna
was happy to see his great devotee Lord Shiva in the form of a gopi
and
asked him to request any benediction. Shiva asked to reside in Vraja
to witness His pastimes. Thus Krishna blessed him to become Gopisvara
Mahadeva, the
protector
of Vraja.
At
Nanda Maharaja’s place, even now, after the offering is made to
Nanda, Yashoda, and Krishna, it is then brought to Nandesvar
Mahadeva.
Sanatana
Goswami was bothered by the mosquitos at Manasa Ganga. Cakresvar
Mahadeva, located there, appeared as a brahmana
and
asked him not to leave because he valued his association. When
Sanatana Goswami said the mosquitos were disturbing him, the brahmana
said
he would solve that problem, and so he did. There are not mosquitos
there to this day.
Shastrakrit
Prabhu:
There
is a purport behind the Vedas, and we need a guru to understand the
essence.
Blindly
following rituals does not satisfy oneself. Krishna advises his
father, Nanda Maharaja, on the occasion of Govardhan Puja, if we do
not act in knowledge, we will not get the full result.
One
man was digging a hole, and another man was filling it in. This went
on all day. An onlooker inquired why. One of
the men explained
they were supposed to be planting trees, but the man with the trees
did not show up, so the others were
just doing their part.
Krishna
advises, “Do not try to adjust things. This world is meant to be a
miserable place.”
People
have all kinds of misunderstandings. People thought black people have
no souls. People thought women have no souls.
Devamrita
Swami always says this world is a correctional facility not an
educational facility.
We
are in anxiety about what will happen to us, but we are part of God,
something so great, what can possible happen to us? Our situation is
that we are like someone watching a horror movie who is terrified
because of identifying with it when otherwise his situation is quite
pleasant.
Srila
Prabhupada said if all his temples closed and all his followers left,
so many of his books had been distributed that someone would read one
and start it all over again.
Scientists
say for everyone on earth to live like the North Americans we would need five earth
planets.
Prahladananda
Swami said America is like one giant shopping mall.
Caitanya
Bhagavata says
to please Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu you must please Lord Nityananda
Prabhu and to please Lord Nityananda Prabhu you must please Lord
Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but you can please both of them by chanting Hare
Krishna.
Indians
seek the wealth of the west, but they end up getting beef eating,
abortion, etc., along with it.
If
you take to the sankirtana
movement,
Kali-yuga will not stop, but you will not be affected,
just as a person with an umbrella is not affected
by
the rain.
Devamrita
Swami says compared to now the 70s was like Satya-yuga [the
golden age of truth].
Now he has to have a doctor and a psychologist to patch the new
people up just so they can practice bhakti-yoga.
Devamrita
Swami says we should pray to Krishna to become expert doctors in
administering the medicine of Krishna consciousness.
Tulasirani
Devi Dasi:
From
a discussion of the recent mass shooting at
a high school in Florida:
Comment
by Rupachandra Prabhu: There is a video of a gun owner in which he
says that if by giving up his right to own a gun, people feel more
safe, he is willing to do it, and then he saws his gun in half.
Q:
Why does America have so many shootings?
A
(by a student): We focus more on the individual than on the society,
and you can get in a space where you are alone and feel isolated and
think others are against you, and you want to lash out.
A
(by Gopal and Tulasirani): It reminds me that Bhakti Tirtha Swami
says that acts
of hate come from frustrated desires to either give or receive love.
A
(by others): People become desensitized to violence because of video
games.
A
(by Josh): People take so many psychotropic drugs in America it is no
wonder people do crazy things.
Comment
by Rupachandra Prabhu: Most people in America do not want people to
have guns, but a small minority influences politicians to keep guns
legal. I am from Singapore, and only one person in fifty years has
been shot and killed with a gun.
Comment
by two other students: Addressing mental illness is important.
Comment
by Jeff: Social media has contributed to feelings of isolation.
Comment
by Shruti: Kalakantha Prabhu said a group did a study at University
of Florida
and found social media was a cause of depression.
Comment
by Lavanga Devi
Dasi:
Studies of the backgrounds
of these killers shows they were bullied, and they found they can get
prominence, although negative, by these acts of violence.
Comment
by Cayman: Most killers are male. The culture of masculinity is a
cause as men are discouraged from showing their feelings.
Americans
own 42% of civil guns although just
4.4% of the world’s people.
In
the USA and in London crime rates are about the same, but in the USA,
54 times as many people die as a result of crime.
The
National Rifle Association has donated 4.2 million dollars to
Congress members.
Comment
by person who works as correction officer in the
local
jail: 40% of the people in jail have mental illness or drug
dependencies. There should be mental tests and capability tests
to
purchase guns.
By
caring for others we can help reduce people’s feelings of
isolation.
If
one feels happiness within, as from chanting Hare Krishna, one will
not be inclined to act in violence.
Some
people protest Trump’s suggestion to pray for the victims of the
shootings, but prayer is powerful, and if you like you can offer a
candle and say a prayer. I am happy to find there is something that
Trump and I actually agree on!
While
you eat your tacos, you can meet people face to face, off of
Facebook.
[After
the discussion, Ramai Prabhu, a second-generation devotee, led Hare
Krishna kirtan to one of my favorite tunes, and I recorded it:
Four
or five new people came to that program and most of them stayed quite
awhile, enjoying the taco prasadam
and taking with the devotees.]
Nanda
Kumar Prabhu:
Vidura
came back to
deliver his elder brother out
of compassion, although he had previously left because of being
insulted by those he wanted to help.
If
we do not have a guru, the ocean of material existence seems
immeasurable, but with a guru, crossing that ocean is possible.
As
you cannot get a PhD unless you have some new insight in
your field of study,
similarly the Vedic munis
each
had their own unique opinions.
We
should not approach a guru as a fashion or to improve our business
but to cross the material ocean.
Complete
dedication to Krishna is the main qualification of the guru.
The
greatest miracle is to change someone’s heart and situate them on
the spiritual path.
Comment
by Rupachandra Prabhu: We should not imitate the guru’s gait,
speech, mannerisms, etc., but try to follow the guru’s
instructions.
Radhanath
Swami told his disciples to count the trees on their property to be
used for their eco farm. They wondered about this but did it anyway.
When the government officer giving permits for construction asked
different details about the property, he said, “Do you even know
how many trees are on the property?” They
told him. They
knew because they had followed their guru’s instruction.
Caitya-guru
is always there in the heart, life after life, as our constant guru.
Q:
Does the
guru
know everything?
A:
The
guru
knows everything worth knowing. It is not that the
guru
is an encyclopedia of everything. If there is something specific he
needs to know, the Lord within will tell him.
Hanan
Prabhu:
In
the Vedas anna
does
not refer just to food, but anything enjoyed by any sense. The mind
digests that food.
If
we chant the holy name without the proper understanding we get the
shadow of the holy name. Suppose instead of eating a meal, I try to
eat the shadow of a meal. Will I get nourished?
-----
Encountering
this verse from Bhagavad-gita
was
important on my personal journey. I was brought up as a Quaker, and
the Quakers often speak of God as the Inner Light, who gives divine
inspiration from within. In fact, in their meetings, anyone is
allowed to speak because it is understood that God can inspire anyone
from within to speak the Truth, not just some priest or pastor. Here
I learned that the inner guide, Lord Krishna (the speaker of the
Bhagavad-gita),
and the Vedas (the revealed literature of India, summarized in
Bhagavad-gita)
are all one voice, and thus I should take the instructions of
Bhagavad-gita
spoken
by Krishna to be the same as the divine wisdom from within.
sarvasya
caham hrdi sannivisto
mattah
smrtir jñanam apohanam
ca
vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
vedanta-krd
veda-vid eva caham
[Lord
Krishna said:] “I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come
remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to
be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower
of the Vedas.” (Bhagavad-gita
15.15)
