Travel Journal#14:10: Paris

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 14, No. 10 
By Krishna-kripa das 
(May 2018, part two) 
Paris 
(Sent from Paris, France, on June 3, 2018) 

Where I Went and What I Did

For the last seventeen days of May I chanted three hours a day in Paris, in different venues, Gare du Nord, La Chapelle, Gare de Lyon and the nearby Promenade Plantée, Republique, Hôtel de Ville, Saint-Michel, Montmartre, the Eiffel Tower, Saint Lazare, and Les Halles. I always had a partner at least for part of the time, most often Prananatha Prabhu, a disciple of Janananda Goswami, who plays the mrdanga and has a lot of faith in the holy name. Thursdays and Saturdays are days Paris devotees have been regularly doing public chanting of Hare Krishna, and on those days we would have ten or fifteen devotees or even more. When we had a big party often people would dance with the devotees, and once a young man played the saxophone with us. At the Paris temple many guests came through including Sutapa Prabhu, the sannyasa candidate, who distributed books with devotees from Bhaktivedanta Manor for a couple of days, Madhavacandra Prabhu and his family, who are moving from Seattle to South India, visiting Paris and even joining us for harinama once on the way, Rachel and Vicky, two cycling sisters from Newcastle, the elder who had visited the temple, and Advaitapran Prabhu and Gita, from Michigan, who regularly do harinama with Deva Madhava Prabhu and his congregation from Ypsilanti.

I share insightful quotes from the books, lectures, conversations, and letters of Srila Prabhupada. I share excerpts from the latest book of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, Viraha Bhavan Journal, to be published in the fall. I include excerpts from Back to Godhead articles by Bhaktimarga Swami and by Satyaraja, Karuna Dharini, Gauranga Darsana, and Akshay Gupta Prabhus. I share notes on classes given in the Paris temple by Prabhupada disciples, Janananda Goswami and Manjuali Devi Dasi, and by Nitai Gaurasundara, Bhavasindhu, Raj Dharma, Sutapa, Acarya, Madhavacandra, and Devarsi Prabhus, as well as notes on Aksayananda Prabhu’s Sunday class in Central Paris.

Thanks to Krishna Dulal Prabhu of Ottawa for paying for my ticket to Canada’s Vaishnava Sanga Festival in August. Thanks to the Paris temple for reimbursing my weekly metro tickets. Thanks to Jagattarini Devi Dasi for donating ten Paris-Sarcelles train tickets to our harinama party. Thanks to the lady on the park bench with a camera who took the photo of me and our party chanting in the elevated park. Thanks to the man who danced with the devotees in the harinama video from Saint-Michel, for taking some video of me dancing too. Thanks to the devotee from Bhakti Loka who took the photo of me dancing in the kirtan there. Thanks to Jagattarini Devi Dasi for the photo of me chanting on harinama near the Indian shops by Gare du Nord and the photo of me chanting at Saint-Michel. Thanks to the disciples of Janananda Goswami who gave me the photo of me taking prasadam with him.

Itinerary

May 15–July 18: Paris

July 19: London harinamas and program at Parasurama Prabhu’s place

July 20: Northampton harinama and program

July 21: Sheffield Tramlines harinama and possible night harinama in Leeds

July 22: Birmingham Ratha-yatra

July 23: Fly to Lithuania via Nuremberg with possible harinama and program

July 24–30: Vaishnava Summer Festival in Lithuania

July 31–August 4: Polish Woodstock

August 5: Berlin

August 6: Dublin

August 7–12: Vaishnava Sanga Festival in Canada

August 13: Dublin 
August 14: York Ratha-yatra

August 15–16: Newcastle

August 17–19: Newcastle retreat [except August 18: Manchester Ratha-yatra]

August 20: Newcastle
August 21: Edinburgh program?
August 22–25: Newcastle 

August 26: Leeds program?

August 28: Sheffield program?

August 30: Accrington program?

August 31: Leeds program?

September 1: York

September 2: Newcastle

September 3–28: Mayapur

September 29: Newcastle

September 30: Dublin

October 1–January 5, 2019: New York City Yuga Dharma Harinama Party

Chanting Hare Krishna in Paris

Once we chanted for a while at a stoplight in an Indian section of Paris near the prominent train station, Gare du Nord. One bus driver opened his door, although he was not at a bus stop, desiring to listen to our chanting, as Vidura Prabhu sang a pretty Hare Krishna tune and I banged on the drum. When the light turned green, he gave the thumbs up gesture before closing the door of the bus and continuing on his way.

In Montmartre, a young guy danced in front of our party briefly, perhaps to show off to his girlfriend, but then he got the attention of a family that was watching us and pointed to our donation bowl. He repeated the gesture two more times, as if to insist that they should give us a donation. After a few minutes they actually did give a donation, and they accepted a small book. Thus that guy who had no relationship with us other than to dance a little bit ended up inducing someone to give a donation and get a book. Amazing!

Tired of the noise and fumes in the busy streets near Gare de Lyon where we were chanting, one devotee suggested we try the Promenade Plantée.

The London Guardian writes of the Promenade Plantée, “Paris has some of Europe’s most beautiful parks but for something different search out the Promenade Plantée. It’s a magical, green stroll 10 metres above the street, which begins at the Bastille and winds through the 12th arrondissement for three miles, coming out before the Bois de Vincennes. When a long-abandoned mid-19th century viaduct was converted into the world’s first elevated park walkway in 1993, most locals thought it a waste of money. Parisians needed time to take a project like this to heart, but now the Promenade is a cherished landmark.” (“A Magical, Green Walk Along Paris’s Promenade Plantée”, Guardian, June 7, 2017)

Here Nitai Caran Prabhu leads the Hare Krishna chant on the Promenade Plantée (https://youtu.be/zk0EHgr5JHE):

Once at République I talked to a London couple who liked to eat in our Govinda’s Restaurant on Soho Street. I told them I liked that restaurant too and that I stop in our London center whenever I travel between the UK and Europe. In fact I just had dinner at the restaurant last Monday night before coming to Paris. They asked if I had been to India, and I replied that I had been there ten times and was planning to go there in September. They asked where I was going, and I explained I was going to Mayapur, four hours north of Kolkata, the birthplace of that personality who originally promoted the public chanting of Hare Krishna. They asked if I had been to Mathura, and I said the last two times I went to India I spent two or three weeks in Mathura, but this time I wanted to focus on Mayapur. I wondered how these non-Indian Britishers knew about Mathura, the town of Lord Krishna’s birth, and they said they had been there. Wow! That is something that does not happen every day that you meet a Westerner who has been to Mathura!

After I finished singing at République, before packing up I decided to see if the person sitting closest to me had any interest in the chanting or in Srila Prabhupada’s books. The young French lady told me she had actually lived in New Delhi for two years, and that while she was there, she visited Vrindavan with some friends. Vrindavan is that sacred place in the district of Mathura where Lord Krishna enjoyed his childhood pastimes. Thus within the span of one hour I encountered Westerner couple and a Western lady, who were not Hare Krishnas, who had visited the sacred land of Lord Krishna’s birth and childhood pastimes! Now that is something that never happens!

After chanting for an hour and a half at République, partly with Prananatha Prabhu and partly alone, I joined the regular Paris Thursday evening harinama party who were singing there for the next hour and a half.

Ghanashyam Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna at République, and devotee ladies danced with an onlooker (https://youtu.be/DyA3JF0SGd0):

Later Rohininandana Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna, and devotees danced. (https://youtu.be/d7GMPyz_h7I):

On Friday, Krishna Chandra Prabhu, visiting Paris with his family, on their way to India, leads the Hare Krishna chant and his family members join the Paris harinama devotees in singing the response. This is at Hôtel de Ville, which houses the city government offices (https://youtu.be/vAgsYk_ctYQ):

His sister also sung nicely (https://youtu.be/vmOwJ6x-O2o):

Saturday we chanted at Saint-Michel, a frequent venue for the regular Paris Saturday evening harinama, the more well attended of the two weekly events. Here Navadvip Chandra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and tourists delight in dancing with the devotees (https://youtu.be/Q70hT3WXMNM):

Ghanashyam Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Saint-Michel (https://youtu.be/dXXjclm9vqQ):

Here Ghanashyam Prabhu continues chanting and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/BsD-7jxurDU):

Tourists became inspired to dance with devotee the ladies (https://youtu.be/k2Wx8HjtrfY):

Later Rohininandana Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna, and girls delighted in dancing with the devotee ladies (https://youtu.be/odPrHl73dY8):

A while after that a man danced with a devotee (https://youtu.be/KvLozAXv1P4):

Olivier chanted Hare Krishna at Saint-Michel, and man played saxophone (https://youtu.be/jcp4LT9ozBE):

The chanting became so ecstatic that several onlookers danced with devotees (https://youtu.be/pSFOEzmTi6M):

Navadvip Chandra Prabhu led the chanting of Hare Krishna once again at the end of our harinama at Saint-Michel, and a couple of old ladies and a man danced (https://youtu.be/FPhn2k3ZAIM):

Aksayananda Prabhu has a Sunday program at his apartment in Central Paris called Bhakti Loka. After the lunch there is second kirtan, here led by Jagattarini Devi Dasi (https://youtu.be/Ou4TcJmkYXE):

As usual I danced to that kirtan.

On Sundays we chant Hare Krishna by the Indian shops between Gare du Nord and La Chapelle in Paris. Here Jagattarini Devi Dasi sings, and Olivier accompanies her on the harmonium (https://youtu.be/1BvSkJZdgPI):

At other times I would sing.

Two groups of passersby were simultaneously attracted to play our instruments as Prananatha Prabhu and I chanted Hare Krishna at Montmartre on Monday. A young man from Tunisia, whose friend took this video, played the drum, and some French kids played the karatalas (https://youtu.be/GIlsGdg1vL0):

Here Janananda Goswami chants Hare Krishna before Srimad-Bhagavatam class at the Paris Hare Krishna temple in Sarcelles (https://youtu.be/lOrnn-KbJHA):

Later in the week, Vidura Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna during the Paris Thursday evening harinama, this time at Hôtel de Ville (https://youtu.be/oCbm_r6PeBw):

Next Rohininandana Prabhu chanted (https://youtu.be/McNcb9j7ZZY):

After awhile devotees began dancing (https://youtu.be/-6MX7WNTwQ0):

At once point, even a little kid was inspired to dance (https://youtu.be/GKVLPerS5OQ):

Here Janananda Goswami chants Hare Krishna at Saint Michel, and devotees dance on the Paris Saturday evening harinama (https://youtu.be/LG5LVw4WFzs):

I chanted for half an hour after Maharaja.

Navadvip Chandra Prabhu led next (https://youtu.be/zSY0DFL1OOQ):

Then Ghanashyam Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/XHC31q5SDNc):

While Rohininandana Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna at Saint-Michel, a lady danced with a devotee (https://youtu.be/oV5RTGGWKeo):

Later a man and a boy danced with the devotees, the man later taking a video of me dancing (https://youtu.be/HrVWWZIzaHM):

During the Saint-Michel harinama one lady was so inspired by the chanting and by receiving a French Life Comes from Life, that she danced to the sound of the kirtan, holding the book in her hand!

While returning to the Paris temple in Sarcelles from chanting in Saint-Michel, Janananda Goswami chanted Hare Krishna with the devotees at Saint-Michel Metro Station on the northbound platform of Metro 4 (https://youtu.be/cLQVMeA8F9Y):

The devotees continued chanting through the Les Halles Metro station (https://youtu.be/5abbx5nmQ_0):

And while waiting on the northbound platform of RER D (https://youtu.be/dr30P2cJowI):

We are grateful to Janananda Goswami for visiting us.

Besides inspiring us by his kirtans and lectures,

he always likes to make sure the devotees get enough prasadam!

Here Jagattarini Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Hôtel de Ville during the Paris Thursday evening harinama, and passersby dance (https://youtu.be/U3b6P-nwXSk):

Next Rohininandana Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/LypQePL_Ciw):

Unexpected Guests

One Sunday, two sisters from Newcastle who are on a cycling tour of Europe, came to visit the temple. Rachel, the older one (on the left), organized a vegan festival in Newcastle, and the Newcastle devotees were among those attending. 

She also went to the Newcastle temple for the Wednesday evening kirtan and remembers feeling happier than she ever had felt in her life playing the tambourine and dancing with the devotees. They happened to come to Paris at a time when several devotees who spend time at our Newcastle temple were also visiting. I told them about some of the devotee farm communities they could visit in Europe, and also about Karuna Bhavan in Scotland, outside Glasgow, where many Woofers visit and work the land and learn about devotional service, which is not that far from Newcastle.

Advaitapran Prabhu and Gita, visiting from Michigan, came because their flight was rerouted through Paris. They took it as Krishna’s mercy and asked for an extra long layover so they could visit the Paris temple, and they got to catch the end of Janananda Goswami’s class, see the deities, and take breakfast prasadam, before continuing onward to their vacation in Greece. Turns out they are friends with the Ypsilanti devotees who often would come to New York City to spend time on our harinama party, and thus we have many friends in common, and they also like to do harinama.

Insights

Srila Prabhupada:

From a conversation with biochemist, Thoudam Singh, PhD, in Bhubaneswar, India, on February 3, 1977:

“Srila Prabhupada: Why is the government fostering this godless ‘evolution” science – this dishonesty? Because the government leaders are themselves dishonest. They want simply to accumulate money by inducing people to work in their big industries. So they are cheating the people out of their birthright: to live the simple, natural life, to become God conscious, and at life’s end, to go back home to God.

“The government must make sure that people develop genuine God consciousness. That is the government leaders’ actual business. They should promote genuine God consciousness, strict following of God’s natural laws. Anything not genuine should be finished. Nothing bogus allowed. This is real government. This we are working for.

“The government leaders’ business is to see that the scientific or intellectual group is giving the students a sense of the transcendent Personality of Godhead, a sense of the divine.”

“In real science, everything is absolutely certain, because we receive our knowledge from the Absolute. And in our experimentation we corroborate and amplify this knowledge that we have received from the Absolute. So we’re not speaking of some ‘view.’ As soon as you say ‘view,’ this or that puny-minded rascal will come forward to give his ‘view.’ Simply confusion. Another name for the Lord is Brahman – the supreme, all-embracing mind. Through the scriptures He has already given us all information. So how can there be some other ‘view’?”

From a class on Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 20.137–142 in New York City on November 29, 1966 [edited for Back to Godhead, Vol. 52, No. 5 (September / October 2018)]:

“The Lord says to Uddhava, bhaktya aham ekaya grahyah. Ekaya: simply by devotional service, by this one method. God is one, and to achieve Him the process is also one. For example, in your body there are nine holes: two nostrils, two ears, two eyes, one mouth, the genitals, and the anus. If you want to supply food to your body, there is one way – through the mouth. There is no other way. You cannot push the food through the ears or eyes or genitals. No. That is not possible. Therefore, similarly, if you want God, then there is one way, bhaktya aham ekaya.”

“Priyah satam: that bhakti, that process of devotional service, is very dear to the actual transcendentalist. Man-nistha means ‘fixed only on Me.’ To know simply ‘I believe in God’ is not sufficient. The ultimate goal is to attain a very intimate relationship with God, or love of Godhead. That is required.”

“Of course, to believe in God, to accept God, is all right. It is better than being an atheist. But that is not the end. You must develop yourself. You should not simply make God your order-supplier; you should be His order-supplier. To become God’s order-supplier is my perfection. And as long as I keep God as my order-supplier, that is not bhakti.”

“Similarly, when you are inclined to see that God is always satisfied, that is devotion. Then you can have God in your grip. God is so kind; Krishna is so kind. Nobody can conquer Him, but He becomes conquered by this kind of devotional service. This is the process of conquering Him. What is the use of becoming one with God? You can conquer Him. You can have Him within your grip. Such is the process of devotional service.”

“You cannot immediately go and purchase love of God from the market. You have to practice it. The love is there within you. It is not artificial, nor is it an imposition by some person. No. It is already there. If you submissively hear such topics as we are discussing, and if you practice, it will be very nice, and you will quickly develop in love of God.”

“One should not think, ‘Now I am materially happy. All my distress, all my poverty, has gone by devotional service of Krishna,’ or ‘I have become liberated.’ No. These are by-products. To become liberated and to become materially happy by prosecution of Krishna consciousness are by-products. You have to try for something further. And what is that? Prema-sukha-bhoga: to be absorbed in love of Krishna. That is recorded here, that this should be your ultimate goal of life. We should not stop: ‘Oh, now I am very happy. Now I have no material miseries,’ or ‘I am liberated. Now this material contamintion does not affect me.’ No. Lord Caitanya showed the result of being fully absorbed in love of God. He prayed, cakshusha pravrishayitam sunyayitam jagat sarvam govinda virahena me: ‘Oh, I am crying. Tears are coming just like torrents of rain from My eyes.’ Sunyayitam jagat sarvam: ‘I am seeing everything as vacant.’ Why? Govinda-virahena me: ‘I am in separation from Govinda.’ That is the highest stage of life. Govinda-virahena me. In this material world, if you love somebody and if he is dead and passed and gone, you see everything as vacant. So the test of being fully absorbed in love of God is govinda viraha, feeling separation from Govinda, Krishna. But we are foolish and don’t know that.

“Still, we know that everything will be finished here. We should think, ‘Why should I give so much attachment to this nonsense?’ Give your attachment to Krishna. He will never be finished. That is love of Krishna. We have to attain that stage. That is the perfection of life.”

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 20.142:

“The goal of love of Godhead is not to become materially rich or free from material bondage. The real goal is to be situated in devotional service to the Lord and to enjoy transcendental bliss.”

From a letter to Himavati written in Hawaii on March 18, 1969:

“If one attains perfection in Deity worship, that is called Arcana Siddhi. Arcana Siddhi means that simply by Deity worship one goes back to Godhead immediately after this life.”

Purport to “Bhajahu Re Mana”: 

“Krishna comes before the devotee as spiritual master just like sun enters your room by the sunshine.” 

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.2.35, purport: 

“We have been elevated to an exalted position by the mercy of Krishna and the spiritual master, and if we remember that this is a great opportunity and pray to Krishna that we will not fall again, our lives will be successful.” 

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.5, purport: 

“Hearing about and glorifying the Lord are identical with the transcendental nature of the Lord, and by so doing, one will be always in the association of the Lord. This brings freedom from all sorts of fear. The Lord is the Supersoul (Paramatma) present in the hearts of all living beings, and thus by the above hearing and glorifying process, the Lord invites the association of all in His creation. This process of hearing about and glorifying the Lord is applicable for everyone, whoever he may be, and it will lead one to the ultimate success in everything in which one may be engaged by providence.”

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:

From Srila Prabhupada-lilamrita:

“He [Srila Prabhupada] would reminisce freely about the British control of India and about Indian politics. He told them [his followers] it was not so much Gandhi as Subhas Chandra Bose who had liberated India. Subhas Chandra Bose had gone outside of India and started the Indian National Army; he entered into an agreement with Hitler that Indian soldiers fighting for British India who surrendered to the Germans could be returned to the Indian National Army to fight against the British. And it was this show of force by Bose, more than Gandhi’s nonviolence, which led to India’s independence.”

From Viraha Bhavan Journal:

“Big billboards along the highway are a nuisance for the eyes. I once saw a billboard with the Hare Krishna mantra printed on it. If the powers that be were transcendental, we could have billboards filled with Krishna and Caitanya-lila, and the highways would be like the spiritual world.”

“Prabhupada gave an analogy about light bulbs. The bulbs have different voltage power according to their needs—forty, sixty, one hundred, one hundred fifty. Similarly, different individuals are invested with power from the Supreme Powerhouse according to their needs. The jivas, demigods, Lord Vishnu expansions, have increasing power according to their needs. Krishna is the original, all-powerful source of light.”

“The holy name is so powerful that it overcomes our inadequate performance.”

“Question: When you say Deity darsana (or for that matter, japa) is “intense,” what does that mean to you, and how does one develop that intensity?
Answer: The repetition of the Names, the constant gazing at the transcendental forms, is intense. It is a physical and spiritual act. One keeps up the intensity out of devotion and determination. At first it is done in the mood of vaidhi-bhakti, following of the rules and regulations, and later it becomes spontaneous. But always, steady bhajana is done intensely. Practice makes perfect. Success comes to the sincere practitioner.”

“It has been over
52 years
since I first went
to a barber on the Lower East Side
and asked him to shave
the whole head
except for a small patch on the back.
I went
to Swamiji and bowed down to show him.
He said, ‘Thank you very much,’
and I was blissful with that.”

“Mukta told
me a temple president from Washington, D.C.
asked me for advice
and I said, ‘Love them.’
He smiled and said as acting temple president
he tries to do that, but he cannot love them all.
He sees to it that
everyone attends the
morning program.”

“Trump is unfit but they say he has
excellent physical health to
mislead the country for
three more years. His lawyer
paid off a porno prostitute
to be quiet about his affair
with her. Can nothing be
done? The harinama party
in public is averting the
worst. They cry
out to Radha and Krishna,
and Their Lordships
respond. They answer
your desires: ask for devotional service. Not
five or six lukewarm
singers but
a hundred heart-and-soul
singers like Rama Raya
inspired by Aindra Prabhu
and staying out six hours every day.”

“Hooey-balooey, I can’t
dance with you,
my left ankle has been fused
two times in surgery.
The metatarsal
bone is number four on a
pain scale. I claim
I can’t travel on planes
to Mayapur and see the Vedic
Planetarium; it will
have to come to me. They
clinched my ankle-bone,
and I have little balance.
I don’t pray for physical
recovery but to
focus on the holy name.
If you try to travel
they take off your
shoes and search
for bombs. I don’t
have the balance
to go through that.
So I stay here and write free-write
poems to Radha-Govinda
and Gaura-Nitai.”

“Krishna is the greatest
secret; He won’t reveal
Himself to everyone. To those
who have the ointment of love
of God, He is visible everywhere. They
can see Him in the heart.
But if I fail to see Him,
it’s because I am the lowest
of men. Narottama dasa
Thakura, the Vaishnava kavi,
laments that he has
wasted his life
by not worshiping Radha and Krishna.
I am like that.
But I have my
Radha-Govinda murtis. They
are kind to me.
I can see Them
in Their personal forms
on the altar. But I didn’t see
the complete darsana.”

“I chant mechanically, and I can’t seem to do it better. But I am always aware of it and try to make progress.”

“The President says, ‘Make America stronger.’ He has no conception what stronger means. It doesn’t mean more smart bombs, missiles and nuclear weapons. Stronger means surrender and depend on Krishna. ‘Just give up all forms of religion and surrender to Me. I will protect you from sinful reactions. Do not fear.’

“When Krishna wants to protect someone, no one can kill him; when Krishna wants to kill someone, no one can save him.”

“Yasoda wants to paint a picture of a tiger who ate a saintly person who had just honored rice prasadam, and the tiger is going back to Godhead. I said I doubted the authenticity of the story. But he said it’s from the Narada-pancaratra.”

“I have been writing only about myself. I want to write about Radha-Krishna, Lord Caitanya, Srila Prabhupada, etc. In ‘The Love Locket’ by Visvanatha Cakravati Thakura, Krishna, disguised as an angelic woman from heaven, descended and approached Srimati Radharani in Bhauma-Vrndavana. Radharani is charmed by the angelic lady and asks Her what She can do for Her. The heavenly woman says, ‘I have been watching You from the sky, and I feel very compassionate towards You. I am saddened by how You give Your pure love to Krishna, and He doesn’t treat You faithfully. He meets in rendezvous with other gopis and sometimes stands You up all night, not appearing to You in Your lonely waiting. Then when He finally comes to You in the morning, He bears marks of smudged cosmetics and nail-scratches from lovemaking with another gopi. You manifest jealous anger and don’t want to talk to Him, but later, when He entreats You and plays His mind-enchanting flute, You become soft-hearted and forgive Him. O Radha! Why don’t You reject Him? That blackish Boy is just a lusty debauchee!’
Radharani became quiet and thoughtful. She took the angelic lady by the hand and brought Her to a solitary place. Radharani said, ‘I am attracted to You. You seem to be a sincere and compassionate person. I want to open My heart to You and tell You My confidential feelings about Krishna, but don’t disclose it to anyone else.’
Krishna, beneath His feminine disguise, felt goosebumps. He was going to hear Radharani’s actual feelings toward Him without Her usual coyness and concealment!
Radharani told the heavenly woman, ‘As far as I am concerned, Krishna can do no wrong. My only desire is that He be happy. If Krishna derives satisfaction embracing another gopi in front of Me, that brings Me bliss. If a gopi is reluctant to go meet with Krishna, I say, “Let a thunderbolt fall on her head.” Certainly when We are together I feel great joy, but when We are separated, I find He is still with Me, and that produces a greater ecstasy.’
Radharani went on disclosing Her pure confidential love to the angelic lady. Finally Krishna disbanded His disguise, and Radharani was not at all embarrassed or angry with Him. They embraced in conjugal love and retired to a Govardhana cave for further amorous play.
Krishna was extraordinarily happy that Radharani had shown Him Her ‘love locket,’ Her pure, unconcealed feelings for Him. Radharani was also satisfied to share it with Her Beloved.”

Bhaktimarga Swami:

From “Out Walking in the USA” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 52, No. 5 (September / October 2018):

“In this conservative neighborhood, I could easily be mistaken as an escaped prisoner in an orange jumpsuit.

Police were called to investigate after receiving several calls. They dashed to our location in front of a farmhouse, and went through the regular formalities of questioning. All was fine. I was frank with the officers.

‘You know, people are rather paranoid. They watch too many horror movies and too much TV and news.’

They agreed with me. ‘We’re just walking to promote peace – the walking culture. It’s really needed right now.’

Once again they agreed.”

“I came upon a walker, a short and sweet middle-aged woman. She told me why she walks regularly.

‘I walk every day to be fit to serve my Lord and others.’

Good, I thought. She hit the nail on the head.”

Janananda Goswami:

In most previous cultures, Druids, Red Indians, etc., they could understand we are not the body, and we will have another body in a next life.

Karma is what causes us to continue getting bodies in this world.

What would the judge say if you said, “I was not going too fast, the car was going to fast”? What would he say if you said, “I did not kill the man, the gun killed the man”? The conscious soul within is responsible for the behavior of the body.

Any consciousness being does want not to die. We see this in the struggle of plants, animals, and humans to conquer over danger.

I do not know how a mobile phone works, and I do not really care to know, but there are people who do, and we can consult them for that knowledge. Similarly there are people more interested in and more knowledgeable about spiritual life than we are, and we can consult them to proceed spiritually.

As a child, I asked my mother, “Does God exist?”

She answered conclusively, “No.”

I inquired, “How do you know?”

She replied, “I have not seen Him.”

We have been given a chance to purify ourselves from selfish desires and attain unmotivated love for the supreme and ultimately everyone else.

What is needed is not a skin-deep repentance but a deep change in attitude based on a realization of our degradation and a desire to reform.

At a Glastonbury festival in 1971, I did something I regretted and I suffered terribly, thus I was determined to reform and never do it again, and although I was tempted, I did not actually do it again.

One thing is to give up something, and the other is the attitude with which it is given up.

To fulfill our needs by something more satisfying is the secret.

Instead of praying for forgiveness, it is better to pray not to do wrong.

It used to be on Friday in England you would never eat meat. You would eat fish.

In November and December of 1971, while I would travel 8 km to work every day by bicycle, I would chant Hare Krishna and feel very blissful. I gave up my habit of intoxication without difficulty, although I had struggled with it for years, as I had a higher satisfaction.

The beginning is not the end, but without the beginning there will not be an end.

Without the mercy of the Lord, our free will desires cannot be fulfilled. We are more helpless than a baby.

Some dacoits raided a temple during the morning class. One of them was posted near the temple room to warn the others if anyone left the class. At the time of the death, Yamaraja sentenced all the dacoits to be punished for their sinful lives, except the one who waited by the door and heard the Bhagavatam class. To that man, Yamaraja gave the choice of getting the result of his sins or getting the result of hearing the Bhagavatam class first. He took the result of hearing the Bhagavatam class first, which was to take a human birth and hear another Bhagavatam class. In this way, he gradually became purified.

In San Francisco Srila Prabhupada told the hippies, “All of you who have seen Lord Jagannatha today will go back to Godhead in the next life.”

In Bombay, Srila Prabhupada, while organizing a Ratha-yatra before the temple was constructed, explained that for one who sees Lord Jagannatha on his cart, at the time of death all the impressions of one’s life fill one’s mind, and when that vision of Lord Jagannatha appears, all the other impressions are eliminated. It is just like sunlight exposes all the images on a film.

There are 150,000 abortions performed a day.

In the 1990s there was a statistic that the average Russian woman had four abortions.

The scriptures say the best opportunity in life is the association of devotees, and thus the devotees always go out to give people that opportunity. That good fortune is never lost.

Honesty is the main quality of a human being.

Richard Dawkins talks more about God than almost any religious person on the planet.

There is a story of an atheistic tiler, who was working on the roof, and who slipped and was sliding down the roof, and yelled out, “God save me!” As it turned out, his brace got caught on a nail, keeping him from sliding off the roof. He forgot God, and said, “It is good I put that nail there yesterday and saved myself.”

Srila Prabhupada quoted this verse from Bhagavad-gita more than any other, [Krishna says to Arjuna:] “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.” (Bg. 15.15)

The pure devotees of the Lord never forget the service one renders to them.

Krishna takes a personal interest in you from the very moment you contact His devotees, whether or not your attitude is favorable. You do not experience just your karma after that, but Krishna adjusts things.

The glorification of the guru is service not just words.

Krishna can take anyone back to Godhead on the spot if one has the right attitude. It is up to us to do whatever we can to attain the right attitude.

In most cases we try to give people the books because they get the purest association.

Although some people chant Nitai Gauranga, Srila Prabhupada emphasized chanting the entire Panca-tattva mantra.

There is a story about a lady who was crying thoughout the entire lecture of a sadhu. Afterward the sadhu asked her the cause of her tears. The lady said, “When I see your beard it reminds me of my goat, who was very dear to me and died last week.”

Symptoms of love of God occur when one is free from all mundane interests, at least beyond the fourth stage of devotional service, anartha-nivrtti.

If one’s heart has not changed, the symptoms of love of God are not genuine but reflections at best.

Although we may not be aware of it, our tendencies are karmic reactions.

Bhakti is awoken by contact with bhakti alone. Not material pious act can do it.

When we are free from sinful reactions then we can execute pure devotional service.

Attentive chanting helps free us from that which distracts us from devotional service.

Depending on the degree of our coverings and our dedication to practicing without offenses, it may take sometime to attain love of God.

If we chant in a motivated way, Krishna may not reciprocate by fulling our motivated desires.

The attitude in chanting the holy name and in serving Radha and Krishna is the key.

We must first approach Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda before chanting Hare Krishna and worshiping Radha Krishna.

Q: People want me to chant Hare Krishna faster so I can do more service.

A: We have to see what pleases Krishna. Srila Prabhupada indicated it should take about 2 hours to chant our rounds, so if it takes us 6 hours, we have to investigate what is going on. If you follow that Prabhupada japa tape where he chants 12- or 13-minute rounds, it may take you 3 or 3½ hours. You should pray, “Let my chanting become pleasing to you, my Lord.” Not that we pray to chant fast or slow.

After Lord Caitanya forgave Madhai who had gotten Nityananda’s mercy, Madhai still felt very bad because of his degraded activities. This dainya, genuine regret for one’s past sinful activities, is described by Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his songs. This keeps the devotee in a humble, dependent mood. Understanding the dissatisfaction in Madhai’s mind, Lord Caitanya assumed jet black color, and He said to Madhai, I have taken on your sinful reactions, and I am saving them to distribute to those criticize the Vaishnavas.

One devotee in England was a butcher before he began chanting Hare Krishna.

Very quickly by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, after having received it from a pure devotee, one’s life changes.

The devotee wants to please Krishna by engaging all His parts and parcels in His service.

It is easy to get proud and start comparing devotees and finding fault with them.

All the devotees of Lord Caitanya like Sanatana Goswami and Haridasa Thakura had a deep genuine humility.

One devotee who had difficulty with drugs ended up in prison. He explained that his situation was much worse then because it was so easy to get drugs in prison.

We think that sense gratification is our friend when actually it is our enemy.

It is only by great fortune that we come in touch with a devotee and break out of the cycle.

We need to come to the point of feeling, “I am so wretched please save me.” Not save me from my sinful reactions, but save me from the abominable mentality of exploiting Krishna’s energy.

When we feel repentance, we can take shelter of the holy name.

Praying for the right thing is very powerful.

Devotional service is the eternal nature of the soul. It is the only safe position.

Stopping the sinful activities is the first step and is a major step, but we also have to change our internal consciousness.

Once Srila Prabhupada explained that you come to quality in chanting when you come to quality in chanting. For now you chant, and you render service.

Sometimes we have to do something that gives us a taste just to keep going.

Once the UK yatra had a lot of debts, and we were selling records to pay them off. I felt I did not join the Hare Krishna movement to sell records. I was pretty good at it, but I did not like it. I was suffering so much, I must say. I thought, “Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I will pray to Him, ‘If You want me to do this, You will have to give the strength to do it and the proper attitude to do it.’” Actually the next day, I was singing on the street. My attitude had completely changed. That weekend at the temple, my authority came up to me and said, “I am very sorry we have to change your service.” And he gave me a service that I was thinking I would like.

In the spiritual world, the mentality is “How can I serve?” not “How can I enjoy?” Automatically the pleasure comes.

A pure devotee has never finished his rounds. Devotional service is eternal.

Assisting His dear devotee evokes the mercy of Krishna.

Associating with the pure devotee means accepting his instructions.

Manjuali Devi Dasi:

From a Paris Sunday feast talk:

I gave Srila Prabhupada the check for $50 that my mother gave me for my marriage gift. Srila Prabhupada signed it and deposited it. Later my mother said I have something you might like, and she gave me the check with Srila Prabhupada’s signature on it, and I still have it.

Srila Prabhupada told us, “Married life is successful if Krishna is in the center. Affection comes through service. Serve Krishna through this marriage, and it will be successful.”

Srila Prabhupada asked if I dressed the deities. I said, “Yes, is everything all right?”
He said, “You have done well. The more we decorate Krishna, we decorate our hearts with Krishna consciousness. Krishna is not stone or wood. Krishna is present. Always remember Krishna, always love Krishna, and always serve Krishna, and this life will be perfect, and next life will be perfect because you will go back to Him.”

Srila Prabhupada gave me $20 for Krishna’s service, and I said, “This will go for Their next outfit.”

Srila Prabhupada would always say, “Thank you for serving. Now share what I have taught you with others.”

Satyaraja Prabhu:

From “Krishna’s Long Journey from Braj to Brooklyn” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 52, No. 5 (September / October 2018):

“The same truths are reflected in one of the sacred Vaishnava Gayatri mantras chanted three times a day by ISKCON brahmanas worldwide: Madana-mohana, Govinda, and Gopinatha are referred to in this mantra, though in slightly veiled form. Traditionally, the word krishnaya (“unto Krishna”) in the mantra is taken to refer to Madana-mohana, govindaya to Govindadeva, and gopijana vallabhaya to Gopinatha. These three deities, according to the Gaudiya sampradaya, represent the full embodiment of the Absolute Truth.”

Nitai Gaurasundar Prabhu:

We understand that Srimad-Bhagavatam was made sweeter for us by Srila Prabhupada’s mature realizations expressed in his commentaries.

The early disciples of Srila Prabhupada all tell how much Srila Prabhupada was personally available for them.

Our congregational chanting is opposing the congregational sinning going on all over the world.

In five or six years, forty attempts were made on Hilter’s life, but all failed. In 1939, one German man who could not accept Nazism, organized a bombing. He noticed that Hilter would give a lecture at a certain restaurant at a certain festival every year in front of a certain pillar. Over the course of a year, he planted two bombs in the pillar set to explode during the time of the lecture. Hilter had to take a train to his next engagement instead of a plane because of bad weather, thus he had to give the lecture early, and the bomb exploded thirty minutes after Hitler left, killing ten and injuring a hundred.

The devotee laments more for the ignorance of God of the people rather than the suffering of their bodies, because by knowledge of God and surrender to God the people can free themselves from all suffering forever.

I went to the funeral of John Filipe who had done service here. The entire family is atheistic, but they asked me to do the funeral. We had the chanting of Hare Krishna and the philosophy of the eternal soul. The niece of John Filipe had made a little statue of Krishna because she knew he liked Krishna, and family presented it to me. I suggested we put it on the coffin. The family was very respectful and later thanked me because it soothed them that we brought the chanting and some philosophy to a painful event.

Raj Dharma Prabhu:

One of the kinds of material miseries is those caused by others. Sartre said, “hell is others,” and “man is wolf for a man.”

Bhakti Charu Swami says, “Unfortunately we are attracted to what we should not be attracted to.”

Find a way to be happy in Krishna consciousness, and your happiness will attract others.

I was attracted to the devotees because they were normal people. They were actually sane.

People can relate to that which they are familiar with. If we present ourselves as too different, people will not be interested.

Poor people make a quilt by sewing together scraps of cloth they find. Such was the quilt Sanatana Goswami, in his renunciation, traded his valuable blanket for.

Radhanath Swami was challenged by one lady inquiring about what sadhus like him are doing to clean up the world. He reflected on it and replied, “If you clean up the world, if the hearts of the people are not changed, the dirt will come back. We are teaching a process to clean the hearts of the people.”

Lust originates in the subtle body and from there enters the gross body.

Bhavasindhu Prabhu:

The fact that Ajamila is referred to as a brahmana indicates despite his falldown he was still considered respectable. We can learn from this that one who has accepted a spiritual master is to be considered eternally connected even if he leaves his service circumstantially for some time, and often those people come back and resume their service.

It is important to remember that the parampara [the lineage of spiritual masters] is the bona fide way to receive knowledge.

Forgetfulness is one of the big problems in this age.

The temple is to help us connect with Krishna through the parampara.

We should be nice to everyone but be clever enough to show others, who are newer, how they can advance spiritually.

Sutapa Prabhu:

Krishna says He comes to establish dharma (Bg. 4.8), but then later He advises one to give up all dharma (Bg. 18.66).

In what situation can dharma be given up? You can give up a lesser dharma for a greater dharma, you can give up dharma to surrender to Krishna, and you can give up dharma in an emergency.

Lord Kapila says that activities that do not lead to dharma are useless, dharma that does not lead to renunciation is useless, and renunciation that does not lead to bhakti, devotional service to the Lord, is useless.

Brahmanas are protected because they give knowledge, they represent God, and they are nonviolent.

Old people are protected out of gratitude for what they have done, because they are weakened by old age, and because they have a lifetime of experience.

The tacit knowledge, which is contained in the minds of its employees, is said to be the greatest asset of a corporation.

All five groups are vulnerable in some way, and therefore, they need protection.

Women are protected because they are responsible for the next generation.

Because these five groups are not presently protected, civilization is degrading.

We need to talk about the need for vanaprastha ashram. We need to build ashrams in the holy dhama for vanaprasthas to live.

Sometimes people say they want to protect someone, but in reality they want to control them, and thus the people they are trying to protect are not interested.

Comment by me [unspoken]: We can always pray for the people who will not accept our protection and thus protect them in that way.

Karuna Dharini Devi Dasi:

From “The Right to Lament” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 52, No. 5 (September / October 2018):

“A devotee may accept lamentation, when it is a matter of hankering for the association of a great devotee of the Lord. Arjuna had to fight Bhisma for taking the side of adharma, and Krishna required Arjuna to let go of his lamentation to challenge Bhisma. When the wounded Bhisma was on his deathbed, however, Krishna and Arjuna shared strong lamentation for the stalwart warrior, who had served as a great devotee of the Lord.”

“Krishna’s devotees possess the right to useful and genuine lamentation because it is based on missing the actual person who has left, a pure soul whose association reveals Krishna consciousness to us. We strongly, deeply miss a soul whose memory only enthuses our love of God. To remember that great soul is the most precious link to the beauty, grace, and moods of love present in the spiritual world in exchanges between Krishna and His dear confidential loved ones. Feeling separation from Srila Prabhupada, the greatest teacher of Krishna conscious practice, is the very basis of the lives of the hundreds of thousands of Krishna conscious practitioners he left behind. Amazingly, in the feelings of lamentation in separation from His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada there is no separation, for remembering him and serving him only renews and intensifies the relationship.”

“Realizing that we are not these material minds and bodies and being sorry that we are not fully Krishna conscious is the beginning of our journey home, back to Godhead.”

“Lamentation that inspires us, once and for all, to let go of our attachments to this world and to only hanker for the supreme goal of love of God is the perfection of lamentation.”

Acarya Prabhu:

Even if you do book distribution for years you can find you still have a deep-rooted desire for fruitive results. When you do not as well as you previously did and the scores are announced that kind of purification is difficult to take.

On book distribution I met a man who was moving 10% as fast as an ordinary person. He said he would not purchase a book now but would do so later, but how much time does he have left to live? In this way people are illusioned.

You do not have to ask how people are. You can see in their faces whether they are happy or not.

Bhakti Vikasa Swami says we should not be so concerned with how we are but how Krishna is.

All of the mahajanas [great souls know the ultimate religious principle] show in their personal lives great attachment to the chanting of the holy name.

In India even retired people manifest their great attachment by listing all their former employments and honors next to their names.

If we have an intense desire for Krishna consciousness that can save us from our tendency to intensely desire material things, influenced by the mode of passion.

When we abandon the material plane, where we are calculating our own personal happiness, we can chant the pure holy name.

In the history of the universe there are many amazing devotees with amazing devotional qualities yet Ajamila, because his life demonstrates the power of the holy name, appears in the Srimad-Bhagavatam.

If we desire to have many harinama parties, so whenever people come out of the metro, people encounter the chanting of Hare Krishna, Krishna can make it come about as that is His desire.

After one year, I experience it is easier to distribute books in Paris than it was previously.

Srila Prabhupada made the prediction that one day people will wait in line to get his books.

We should not aspire to be known as a great cook but think “by my cooking let Krishna be glorified.”

Comment by Raj Dharma Prabhu: Srila Prabhupada once said they should put on his car, next to his name, “spiritual master of the USA.”

If we think that we are above the rules and do not have to follow the injunctions regulating association with the opposite sex very strictly, we will end up having difficulties.

Srila Prabhupada was so absorbed in publishing publications to please Krishna, one printer told how Prabhupada would walk for an hour across Delhi instead of taking the bus and skip breakfast to save money for printing.

One Gujarati businessman, who is a disciple of Bhakti Vikasa Swami, after chanting his sixteen rounds reads Srimad-Bhagavatam every day for one and a half hours. He says he could give up his business and his family, but he could not give up reading Srimad-Bhagavatam.

If we meet someone on the street, and he says, “I am Julius Caesar, the emperor, and you must bow down to me,” we would laugh, but people in general are so much convinced their illusory material identities are real, it is equally laughable.

Sukadeva Goswami is famous because of his realization of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, not because he was so detached, like the Naga Babas, that he did not even wear clothes.

I worked in a slaughterhouse for a week or so. The first task was to cut the animals into smaller pieces. You could see that some people there took great pleasure in doing that, and they were thinking they were really enjoying themselves, and on top of that, they were getting paid for it. Others, however, found the smell disagreeable, and found it difficult even to grasp the large knives. Thus it is easy to see people are situated in different modes of material nature as described in Bhagavad-gita.

The whole meditation of Srila Prabhupada for hours a day was compassionately thinking of how to benefit people by producing literature.

As long as we are not attracted by the amrita (the deathless nectar of spiritual life), we have to worry about mrtyuh (death) chasing us.

When one is completely absorbed in devotional service, the spiritual energy takes over and empowers the devotee.

Comment by Raj Dharma Prabhu: Srila Prabhupada said you can judge your advancement by your freedom from envy.

Madhavacandra Prabhu:

Srila Prabhupada said he had one unfulfilled desire. A devotee asked if it was that he did not finish translating Srimad-Bhagavatam. Srila Prabhupada replied saying that was not it rather he had not established varnasrama.

There are four kinds of varnasrama dharma:

1. karma-kanda varnasrama dharma

2. asuric

3. emergency

4. daiva varnasrama

Because people do not perform the samskaras, it is said that everyone in Kali-yuga is a sudra.

Only the brahmacaris and the sannyasis are allowed to beg in the varnasrama system. When a brahmacari begs the householder would offer ingredients for cooking which the brahmacari would take to the ashram and offer to his guru, however, when a sannyasi begs the householder would offer him cooked food because he cannot cook for himself.

It is not that in a devotee’s marriage there are no problems, but he knows how to deal with what problems arise because he is willing to take guidance.

You should consult at least five brahmanas when making an important decision.

Aksayananda Prabhu:

It is confusing that Maitreya combines two appearances of Varaha in one.

Someone can come from the spiritual world and tell about occurrences in previous material manifestations.

What do you do when you can’t do something yourself? You ask your father. Similarly Svayambhuva Manu asked Brahma what to do about the earth being displaced, and Brahma asked his father, Lord Krishna.

Although we can request Krishna, we cannot force Krishna to do anything.

We can ask Krishna to feed us, but He may not. If He doesn’t, we can think, “actually fasting is good for my spiritual life” and be happy about it.

You can ask the Christian God or Allah to adjust your material situation, and the result will be the same because He is the same person.

The form of the result depends on Krishna’s will.

Brahma must always control his mind because it is so powerful whatever he thinks comes into being.

Why did Krishna as Varaha appear from the nostril of Brahma? It demonstrates His freedom of choice and His freedom from false prestige. We would be embarrassed to come from such a place thinking it would contaminate us, but Krishna is not disturbed by such conceptions.

Brahma is such an important personality, he is always an object of public attention. Thus the appearance of Varaha was noticed by all, and thus they wondered about it and about Brahma.

The important thing is the sages realized Varaha was not an ordinary boar.

Each of the 8,400,000 forms of the living entities facilitates the fulfilling of different sensual desires that that particular form is designed to fulfill.

Krishna appears in different forms to sport in different ways for His enjoyment.

When Krishna glances at you, through His glance He gives you His blessings.

For the sake of the pastimes so He can experience the joy of discovery Krishna hides His omniscience potency.

We cannot imagine the size of a boar who could lift the earth.

If I go through a door, it is not that the door created me. If I come out of a car, it does not mean the car created me. Similarly if Krishna appears from a certain person or place it does not mean He was created by them.

The earth is a main character in the pastime. Radha appears to assist the Lord in His pastimes. In this case, Radha manifests as the earth. This is described in Garga-samhita.

There are two kinds of taste, partiva-rasa, where we taste something but it does not reciprocate, gaining a taste from us, and svargya-rasa, where that which we are enjoying is enjoying us as well.

Although Brahma is known as the creator of all the living beings, Sarasvati, the wife of Brahma, is a manifestation of Shiva and Durga. Otherwise you would have the anomaly of Brahma marrying his daughter.

It is said the Vedas appear from the breathing of Brahma, and thus Varaha, who is the personified Vedas, appeared from the same place.

Q: If Manu-samhita is ultimately meant to bring us to Krishna bhakti, how is it bhakti is not mentioned?

A: It is a dharma-sastra. It was written by Svayambhuva Manu, for those who do not have bhakti yet, to create a consciousness favorable for bhakti.

Q: Will we ultimately get bhakti if we just follow varnasrama?

A: No, varnasrama deals with our external situation based on the conditioning of this body. Bhakti appears when we come in touch with bhakti. It does not come from any external material situation. If we are not aware of the existence of or the taste of bhakti, we will not desire it. Religion, renunciation, and service all seem like bhakti, but they are not exactly bhakti. Bhakti is unmotivated devotional service, and thus it is very rare.

We chant our sixteen rounds in the morning, and we wonder what Krishna will give us in reciprocation.

The taste from performing the devotional service is the result of performing devotional service. Prema bhakti is the perfection of unmotivated devotional service to Krishna.

Gauranga Darsana Prabhu:

From “Bound by Love” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 52, No. 5 (September / October 2018):

“In this damodara-lila, Krishna shows Yasoda and the whole world that only love can bind Him. And even in that bound state, He retains His quality of liberating others. Therefore He was able to liberate the sons of Kuvera by pulling down the Yamalarjuna trees.”

“The word yasoda means “giver of fame.” By binding Krishna with her ropes of love, Yasoda gave Krishna the fame of being controlled by His devotees.”

“To love and be loved is the need and innate nature of every person, not to speak of the Supreme Person, Krishna. Krishna loves every individual soul, who is part of Him, and He desires that every soul also love Him. But only His unalloyed devotees completely realize their relationship with Him and love Him unconditionally. Love includes being controlled and dominated by one’s beloved and thus presenting oneself as a subordinate to such love. Thus Krishna finds great pleasure in being controlled by His unalloyed devotees and is purchased by their love. This quality of Krishna’s is celebrated as bhakta-vasyata.”

Devarsi Prabhu:

The Srimad-Bhagavatam teaches how to purify ourselves and others.

Pure devotional service is doing everything for Krishna’s pleasure.

Srila Prabhupada would always tell the Indians to share Krishna’s message with others.

Controlling the senses means employing them in Krishna’s service.

We experience disturbances our practice of sadhana bhakti because of a lack of bhakti (devotion).

I gradually would spend more and more time in the temple being more and more attracted, and I would increase my services.

Until the mind is situated in perfection, it is alright to do a variety of services so as the restless mind will not cause too much disturbance.

We are practicing to remember Krishna at the time of death.

Krishna has saved me many times.

It is my personal experience that when I stay on the temple property I do japa or clean something, but when I leave the property, so many allurements are there I get distracted.

When I went to the Eiffel Tower to show a friend, I brought my karatalas, and I did some chanting, and I noticed that while I was chanting I was not at all distracted by beautiful women or anything else. So if you leave the temple property with Krishna’s business on your mind, He will protect you.

Comment by Raj Dharma: We have a saying in French, when you talk about the wolf, he appears.

Lord Caitanya gave so many nice instructions that if we follow them our life will be successful.

Comment by Raj Dharma Prabhu: Lord Caitanya wanted to rescue Krishnadasa from being seduced by a Bhattathari gyspy lady because he was a disciple of Lord Nityananda although for a slight offense of begging rice from an old woman he chastised Chota Haridas by refusing to see him anymore.

Comment by Navadvip Chandra Prabhu: Gaura Govinda Swami says if you just chant nicely your heart will become pure and the pastimes will automatically appear.

Comment by Madhavacandra Prabhu: We mainly try to hear the whole name, and then Krishna manifests His form, qualities, and pastimes.

Akshay Gupta:

From “Dealing with Difficulties” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 52, No. 5 (September / October 2018):

“As the saying goes, ‘We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.’”

“He [Arjuna] began to lament, feeling he was in a total lose-lose situation. Should he win the war, he would feel anguished on account of the bloodshed he had committed, especially since some of his relatives were fighting on the other side, and should he fail to conquer his enemies, he would die in the battle. Lord Krishna, Arjuna’s charioteer and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, looked at the situation from a different point of view. Rather than looking at the battle as a hopeless situation, Krishna saw it as a hopeful one. Should Arjuna win the war, he and his brothers would enjoy an unrivaled kingdom on earth. Should they die in battle, they would be promoted to a higher realm because a warrior who dies on the battlefield fighting for justice is eligible to enter heaven.”

“Bhakti-yoga goes beyond the physical aspect of modern-day yoga and connects us with Krishna, or God, thus enabling us to taste spiritual bliss. Because the activities of bhakti-yoga give joy directly to the soul, we naturally experience a higher taste and find inner fulfillment. Thus we feel self-satisfied and no longer rely on external factors for happiness, such as money, wealth, or bodily pleasure.”

“Even a lifelong problem can last only as long as our body lasts. While a lifetime sounds like a long time, compared to eternity it is merely a flash. The Gita (2.20) teaches us that we are everlasting, and therefore we are fortunately entitled to eternal life. Thus, while we may be constantly plagued with problems, if we understand the bigger picture of life we can realize how insignificant such problems really are in the grand scheme of things.”

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Sometimes we experience difficulty in our spiritual life. What to do? Remember Lord Caitanya! In Philadelphia in the early 1980s I had a tough time learning how to blow the conch shell before the arati. Bhurijana Prabhu suggested I pray to Lord Caitanya, quoting this verse which has become a favorite of mine. I still pray to Lord Caitanya when I confront a conch shell that is especially difficult to blow, and also when I have a tough day on harinama:

kathañcana smrte yasmin

duskaram sukaram bhavet

vismrte viparitam syat

sri-caitanyam namami tam

“Things that are very difficult to do become easy to execute if one somehow or other simply remembers Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. But if one does not remember Him, even easy things become very difficult. To this Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu I offer my respectful obeisances.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 14.1)