Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 15, No. 12
By Krishna Kripa Das
(June 2019, part two)
Paris and Sarcelles
(Sent from Sarcelles on July 6, 2019)
Where I Went and What I Did
I
stayed put in Paris for the second half of June, chanting Hare
Krishna three hours a day in public with Tulasi Prabhu of New
Zealand, who is a great asset because of his devotion, musical
ability, and knowledge of French. We were joined by four visiting
devotees for at least a week, and some even longer, all of whom were
so dedicated they chanted with us almost every day: Gaura Sundara
Prabhu of Ukraine, Aradhika Radha Devi Dasi of Russia who resides in
Vrindavan, Vraja Laksmi Devi Dasi of France, and Rasika of Bali who
lives in southern France.
Aradhika Radha and Vraja Laksmi distributed many invitations for
Ratha-yatra, and Vraja Laksmi also distributed many books. Gaura
Sundara, Aradhika Radha, and Rasika all
sang and played the instuments nicely. One day we were joined by
Janananda Goswami, who induced attendees of a gay pride parade to
participate in Lord Caitanya’s sankirtana
movement
by dancing.
I
share quotes from a book and a letter of Srila Prabhupada. I share
notes on a class by Janananda Goswami. I also share many inspiring
quotes and practical suggestions from senior brahmacari
book
distributor, Vijaya Prabhu. I share notes on classes by Rajadharma,
Nitai Gaurasundara, Gaura Nitai, Titiksu (GGS), Aksayananda, Gaura
Sundara, and Tulasi Prabhus. I share an interesting quote about God
from Marcel Proust, a French novelist.
Thanks
to Prema Mangala Devi Dasi of Ukraine for several photos and videos
of my kirtanas
at
Yoga Lyrique and at Les Halles. Thanks to Jagattarini Devi Dasi for
her photos of me at Yoga Lyrique and to Aradhika Radha Devi Dasi for
her photos of our harinama
party
at Les Halles.
Itinerary
May
19 – July 10: Paris [except BI seminar on evolution in FL: June
6–10]
July
11: London harinama
July
12–14: Bhaktivedanta Institute conference in Wales
July
15: Manchester harinama
July
16–19: Newcastle area harinamas
July
20: Sheffield Tramlines harinama
(afternoon),
Leeds harinama
(evening)
July
21: Birmingham Ratha-yatra
July
22: Manchester harinama
?
July
23: Sheffield harinama
and program
July
24–26: Dublin harinamas
July
27–28: Dublin and Belfast Ratha-yatras
July
29: Berlin harinama
July
30 – August 3: Pol’and’Rock Festival (formerly Polish Woodstock
Festival)
August
4–5: Berlin harinamas
August
6–11:
Vaishnava Summer Festival (Lithuania)
August
12: harinama in
Kaunas or Vilnius?
August
13: flights from Vilnius to Oslo
to Dublin to Montreal
August
14–18: Vaishnava Sanga Festival (Canada)
August
20: Dublin harinama
and
Tuesday Evening Kirtan
August
21–22: harinamas
in
the Newcastle area
August
23: Janmastami in Newcastle
August
24: Vyasa Puja at Soho Street
August
25: Leeds harinama
and program?
August
27: Sheffield harinama
and program
August
29: Accrington program?
August
30: Liverpool harinama
and program
August
31: Liverpool harinama
September
1: Liverpool Ratha-yatra
September
2–6: Newcastle area harinamas
September
7: York Ratha-yatra
September
8: Great North Run harinama
(Newcastle-upon-Tyne) or Leeds Ratha-yatra
September
9–10: Dublin
September
11–April 2020: NYC Yuga Dharma harinamas
& North Florida Colleges
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Paris and Sarcelles
This
was my core harinama
team for a week and a half here in Paris. Tulasi Dasa and Aradhika
Radha Devi Dasi have nice musical ability and devotion. It is great
to have people you can count on coming out every day! The lady who
took the photo bought a Life
Comes From Life and
listened to the kirtan for an hour along with her dog.
Soon after Aradhika Radha Devi Dasi joined us, Rasika, whose parents are devotees, also joined us.
And then Gaura Sundara Prabhu from Ukraine.
Here
Marat, another
harinama
regular,
chants Hare Krishna outside the famed church, Sacré Cœur, on
Montmartre hill, where we sing on Sundays because it is a short walk
from Yoga Lyrique, and a father and daughter play shakers
(https://youtu.be/qmIjfDgcxBs):
Tulasi
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Les Halles, and a man from Tunisia, who
played with me at Montmartre last year [see
https://youtu.be/GIlsGdg1vL0],
plays drum (https://youtu.be/8bzaFHIxeNE):
Marat
chants Hare Krishna at Garges Sarcelles, and passersby happily
interact with us (https://youtu.be/rT_xSCgGvjc):
Marat
chants Hare Krishna at Hôtel de Ville in Paris, a historic municipal
building now housing the tourist center, where we chant when rain is
predicted (https://youtu.be/wYqhMwO85Y4):
Ajita
Kari Prabhu of Ukraine chants Hare Krishna at Yoga Lyrique Wednesday
Kirtan (https://youtu.be/XtTYZ_LNeKA):
Jagattarini
Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Yoga Lyrique Wednesday Kirtan
(https://youtu.be/l-v75W2jGDc):
Tulasi
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Les Halles, and a lady becomes
attracted and buys a book, takes photos, and listens for at least an
hour (https://youtu.be/OBsnOeCsWHI):
Tulasi
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Saint-Michel, and a lady dances
enthusiastically for quite some time while holding a recorder
(https://youtu.be/4JYy1R21BQE):
Navadvip
Chandra Prabhu of Réunion chants Hare Krishna at Saint-Michel
(https://youtu.be/PDJhHknChnw):
Rasika
chants Hare Krishna at Montmartre, a Pakistani man plays guitar, and
a mom plays shakers (https://youtu.be/gCngOJigsuQ):
Aradhika
Radha Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Anvers at the base of
Montmarte in Paris, and the
Pakistani man continues
to play
guitar. The guitar player said he was a Muslim, but he was happy to
play with us. I mentioned that there is only one God, and He knows
who we are singing to. The Pakistani man liked that. The young lady
from
Paris speaking
with the devotee said she was in New York City for several months and
would regularly sing with the devotees in Union Square
(https://youtu.be/ow-Qpr4VcMw):
Ramanaji
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the ISKCON Paris Sunday Feast
(https://youtu.be/NV75whOYn4c):
This
year we had been chanting near the Indian shops on Fridays as I
realized when I did it on Sunday I got more complaints from local
residents. One week we missed Friday, so we did the next Monday, and
it was our biggest day. People donated €65 and took 16 books,
including three Bhagavad-gitas. The
next four videos are from that special day.
Aradhika
Radha Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna by the Indian shops in Paris
(https://youtu.be/HNd8_1URUQg):
While
Aradhika Radha Devi Dasi was chanting Hare Krishna, one devotee and
one small Asian girl who came by played shakers,
(https://youtu.be/W7_DuZ2-1Mo):
Later
three devotees passing by chanted, danced, and played shakers, and
another man danced (https://youtu.be/4C-I2uAwysI):
Every
Tuesday we sing at the Sarcelles Market in the same town as our
temple, just to the north of Greater Paris. Certain vendors express
pleasure at our visit, and devotees really like to do it. Even the
police, who pass by us sometimes while we sing in the market, do not
mind our presence.
We
chant an hour or so at the market, and the rest of the three hours at
a local train station, returning to the temple for lunch.
Here
Gaura
Sundara Prabhu of Ukraine, who visited Paris for a week, chants Hare
Krishna in Garges Sarcelles (RER) train station
(https://youtu.be/MLb9NAgabYU):
Jagattarini
Devi Dasi of Yoga Lyrique invited me to speak there one Tuesday
night, the night reserved for special guests. We settled on as a topic
“What I Learned from Working with Sadaputa Prabhu,” and she created
this ad for the event:
I
chanted
the evening tune of Hare Krishna before the talk at Yoga Lyrique. 
Usually
they do kirtan sitting down there, but early on,
devotees began
dance,
inspired by Vraja Laksmi Devi Dasi and Jagattarini Devi Dasi
(https://youtu.be/UZnNHA-7Jx4):
It
was inspiring for me to see the enthusiasm of the dancing devotees!
Prema
Mangala Devi Dasi of Ukraine took these videos and photos of the dancers.
The
next day Marat
chanted
Hare Krishna at Les Halles, and two young girls happily played
shakers, one of them also dancing (https://youtu.be/yQLXA-U1F9I):
Here
Gaura
Sundara Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Les Halles in Paris
(https://youtu.be/aLULZn8zKZ4):
Ramanaji
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Yoga Lyrique Wednesday Kirtan
(https://youtu.be/4LwhQHzsXb4):
Tulasi
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Les Halles in Paris, and a man plays
shakers and dances (https://youtu.be/NpaoihE-_-0):
I was chanting Hare Krishna at Les Halles in Paris when a group of devotees
from Yoga Lyrique arrived, and then several of the devotees and a passersby began to dance.
I do not usually sing one tune so long, but devotees were having a
good time dancing, so I just kept it going, especially as it was my
favorite Hare Krishna tune. Many thanks to Prema Mangala Devi Dasi of
Ukraine for the nice video (https://youtu.be/03jH2cq_Iic):
Here
Gaura
Sundara Prabhu chants Hare Krishna by the Indian shops in Paris, both
leading a walking harinama
through the section with the shops and also sitting down in front of
one of them (https://youtu.be/oC2H41YgFLI):
Janananda
Goswami chants Hare Krishna at Saint-Michel in Paris, and gay pride
parade viewers and an interviewer dance along with devotees, some of
them playing shakers as well (https://youtu.be/oyxSen7l6_M):
Tulasi
Prabhu chants near Saint-Michel in Paris on Saturday harinama,
and a few people move with the music (https://youtu.be/7jRiM4f4bAI):
Gaura
Sundara Prabhu chanted during the final leg of that Saturday harinama
near
Saint-Michel (https://youtu.be/Wv765C9Zqu0):
While we chanted through the streets around Saint-Michel, we encountered the side of a building displaying lyrics from an American song from the idealist early 1970s, “Woodstock,” by Joni Mitchell.
Janananda Goswami chants Hare Krishna before morning class in Paris, accompanied by his disciples Rasikananda Prabhu on the harmonium and Tulasi Maharani Devi Dasi on the drum (https://youtu.be/FZam9ExV5dA):
Apparently that song was so popular it was later recorded by 351 artists!
Janananda Goswami chants Hare Krishna before morning class in Paris, accompanied by his disciples Rasikananda Prabhu on the harmonium and Tulasi Maharani Devi Dasi on the drum (https://youtu.be/FZam9ExV5dA):
The
Jagannatha Snana Yatra was a festive event, bringing the devotees
together in a happy mood.
The deities looked wonderful with their fruit garlands.
When they were bathed in red fruit juice they looked even more amazing.
Here
Tulasi
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Jagannatha Snana Yatra at ISKCON Paris
(https://youtu.be/WLKAdt-2XHM):
Rasika,
whose father, Titiksu (GGS) Prabhu, came to Paris to take care of
Lord Jagannatha before Ratha-yatra, chants Hare Krishna at Jagannatha
Snana Yatra (https://youtu.be/x2lF_-9TxZo):
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
From
a letter to Sankarasana written in Bombay on December 31, 1972:
“The
highest development of Krishna consciousness understanding will be
when you are able to give anyone the truth but in such a manner that
they will respond in a positive way.”
From
Sri Caitanya-caritamrita,
Adi 7.141, purport:
“We
simply give people the chance to hear about the Supreme Personality
of Godhead and give them prasadam to eat, and the actual
result is that all over the world people are responding to this
process and becoming pure devotees of Lord Krishna. We have opened
hundreds of centers all over the world just to give people in general
a chance to hear about Krishna and accept Krishna’s prasadam.
These two processes can be accepted by anyone, even a child. It
doesn’t matter whether one is poor or rich, learned or foolish,
black or white, old or still a child — anyone who simply hears
about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and takes prasadam is
certainly elevated to the transcendental position of devotional
service.”
Janananda
Goswami:
We
have seven books soon to be published in France, Srila
Prabhupada-lilamrita (abridged),
Higher Taste,
Nectar of Instruction, Science of Self-Realization, In Essence,
Srimad-Bhagavatam, and
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita. Previously
because books were not being distributed, there was no demand to
reprint them.
The
three couples starting the London temple were senior disciples
although just one year in the movement.
“In
the evening Prabhupada sat with the three couples – Shyamasundara
and Malati, Guru dasa and Yamuna, and Mukunda and Janaki. After a
year’s separation they were happily with Prabhupada, and he was
happy to be with them. The love they shared and their mutual
satisfaction at being together was based on a unifying desire to
establish Lord Caitanya’s sankirtana
movement in this important city.” (Srila
Prabhupada-lilamrita, Volume
4, Chapter 30)
The
first duty of a pujari
is
to make sure that every guest gets prasadam.
Half
a million people watched the gay pride parade in Paris, which was six
kilometers long. There were Muslims and Orientals. There were people
from all over the world. Imagine if we had a Ratha-yatra parade like
that!
The
Radha Krishna
Temple
album sold 50,000 copies in one day.
BNP
Paribas bank of France is the sponsor of Parasurama Prabhu’s
prasadam
distribution
program that feeds 5,000 people each day in London.
Just
over a year before, the three couples were drug-addicted hippies, and
now they were ambassadors of Lord Caitanya’s movement in London.
Srila Prabhupada explained that because they chanted Hare Krishna
with faith they had succeeded.
The
British Museum, which houses a copy of Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s book
that he sent to the west, was just 100 meters from our first temple
in London at 7 Bury Place.
An
Indian man from Bombay offered to send deities to the devotees in
Sydney, but the devotees moved their temple three times before the
deities arrived, so the postal service could not trace them, and They
were returned to Bombay. Srila Prabhupada happened to meet the donor
in Bombay, and hearing what happened, told the man that he was going
to Australia next, and his party could personally bring the deities,
and so they did.
Some
devotees from London came to Los Angeles help in the
Caitanya-caritamrita
marathon.
If
your heart is free from material motivation, the bhakti
will
naturally shine through.
Comment
by Rajadharma Prabhu: Although Srila Prabhupada said, “Impossible
is a word in a fool’s dictionary,” often he would say something
was not possible.
Reply:
That is because he knew we were fools.
Vijaya
Prabhu:
One
Muslim boy was reluctant to take a book from me because it was from
outside his tradition. I saw him another day, and he said, “I had
this dream the Bhagavad-gita came
to me glowing.” I again encouraged him to get the book, and after
repeated attempts, he finally accepted it.
This
knowledge can pull people out of the modes of material nature.
We
are still tinged, but we have come a long way.
We
are not distributing paper and ink but jewels.
I
tell the people, “You cannot put a price on this spiritual wisdom.
I gave my life. Give what you can.”
This
is an important verse indicating how we should deal with others: “The
Lord is very satisfied with His devotee when the devotee greets other
people with tolerance, mercy, friendship and equality.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam
4.11.13)
It
is not easy to promote Krishna consciousness. People came here to
forget Krishna. In prison, people are not glorifying the government.
I
told Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami that this example of the tree as a model
of tolerance did not sit well with me because a tree cannot talk.
Perhaps if it could, it would protest our carving our initials in it.
Satsvarupa
Dasa Goswami replied, “A devotee is more tolerant than a tree
because he can protest but he does not.”
We
have to pray for tolerance and compassion.
Srila
Prabhupada wanted pictures in the books for a reason. People are
attracted to art.
I
show the people I meet different pictures from the Bhagavad-gita and
briefly speak about them: the
changing bodies, the saint who sees with equal vision (wouldn’t it
be nice if everybody did?), the picture of the senses as horses
drawing the chariot in different directions, etc.
Book
distribution is mostly about prayer, before and while you are out
distributing.
The
golden rule of book distribution is that everyone should walk away
with a good impression. First impressions are lasting impressions.
You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.
Vaisesika
Prabhu uses this exit mantra. “It has been a honor meeting you.
Thank you for your valuable time. Have a wonderful day.” Sometimes
hearing that they decide to get a book after all.
Krishna
is the best boss. You can try to distribute books all day and not
sell a single one, and Krishna will still be pleased.
A
book distributor has the qualities of brahmana, ksatriya,
and vaisya.
We
become purified by remembering Krishna for He is the supreme pure.
Vaisesika
Prabhu got only one instruction from Srila Prabhupada, “Read my
books.”
We
are a giving society. We are giving prasadam, giving
the holy name, etc.
The
devotee serves more and becomes inspired by Krishna who reciprocates
more, and thus the devotee serves even more and gets additional
inspiration from Krishna. It continues on like this, forever
increasing.
There
is a saying that God gives and gives, and forgives, and we get and
get, and forget.
Lord
Nityananda delivered Jagai and Madhai not so He would become famous,
but so Lord Caitanya would become famous.
Many
devotees first started chanting Hare Krishna from reading one of the
books. I started chanting Hare Krishna from reading Bhagavad-gita.
I
tell the people, both the Christians and the atheists, “We are not
trying to change your beliefs.” Of course, it is nice if they join,
but we just want them to hear about Krishna, for in that way they
will become cleansed.
I
sell a lot of books to Christians. I tell the Christians. “Oh,
thank God, I thought you were an atheist. It is terrible how atheism
is rising these days. These books give a lot of good arguments for
the existence of God.”
Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi went into meditation for three days, and when he came out
they asked him for his realization. He said, “Krishna consciousness
is the highest realization.” He also told his teachers if they
wanted more, they should see A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami.
Srila
Prabhupada said that you quickly get realization by giving out this
knowledge.
If
you sincerely pray to help the conditioned souls, it is amazing the
number of books that can be distributed.
95%
of book distribution is our sadhana.
In
the spiritual world, there are only devotees. Therefore, we have to
learn how to live with the devotees very nicely here, if we expect
Krishna to allow us to live there.
Comment
by Rajadharma Prabhu: Kolaveca Sridhara would chant Hare Krishna all
night. Annoyed people would throw rotten vegetables at him, but he
was so tolerant that he did not care.
We
are going out on book distribution to please Krishna, as an offering,
the highest offering. Thus before we go out, we pray that Krishna
accepts the offering.
Harinamananda
Prabhu did 900 big books one day.
Srila
Prabhupada said the profession of the neophyte is to bicker.
Comment
by Tulasi Prabhu: They say the reason people pray to Hanuman to find
lost items is because he found Sita.
Comment
by Nitai Caran Prabhu: Also because Hanuman found that medicine on
the mountain.
In
general at least chant all your rounds before you go out on book
distribution, if you cannot read.
No
one can know Krishna completely, but a sincere person can, by the
grace of Krishna, know something of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.
I
tell the atheists I meet, “There are millions of things you do not
know.”
They
generally agree.
Then
I say, “One of the things you do not know is whether there is a God
or not.”
Most
of them accept that.
In
the history of varnasrama-dharma, no
one has ever had to pay for a mantra, but the TM people charged $35
for a mantra in Prabhupada’s time, and now the price is $1,500.
Srila
Prabhupada said a sadhu
is someone who is always trying to alleviate the distress of the
conditioned souls.
It
is interesting that Srila Prabhupada only started one center himself,
26 2nd
Avenue. He sent people out to start the others.
If
we are tolerant, we can develop compassion.
Thousands
of people were in the bhakti-vrksa groups
started by Bhaktivinoda Thakura in West Bengal.
Krishna
explains in Bhagavad-gita
18.69 that one who distributes His
message of Bhagavad-gita
is most dear to Him.
Sometimes
people object to Krishna inducing a nice guy like Arjuna to fight
despite his reluctance to kill his relatives. Krishna did it because
He did not want the society to be led by evil leaders who were so
cruel they wanted to kill the purest people on the planet, the
Pandavas.
We
did not know what to do or what not to do until we encountered Srila
Prabhupada’s books, and the members of today’s society are in the
same state.
As
devotees, we are not concerned only with our own good fortune, but we
want others to become fortunate.
The
main disease in society at present is stress.
There
is so much speculation in India, that unless one meets a pure
devotee, he will become confused.
Canakya
Pandit said there are four kinds of blindness. The first is physical
blindness. The others are the states of being blinded by pride, being
blinded by greed, and being blinded by lust. Those who are blinded by
pride are worse off because they cannot take good instruction.
Trust
or fidelity is one of the most important aspects of a relationship.
Because
we have turned away from Krishna and we are now busy enjoying his
property, it is difficult for us to attain bhakti.
Q:
What about people who do not follow strictly? Do we have to tolerate
them?
A:
Yes, we have to tolerate them. This is a voluntary movement. We
cannot force people. Srila Prabhupada taught by his example of good
behavior, and we should also.
In
many letters Srila Prabhupada advised devotees to read a chapter of
Bhagavad-gita every
day.
The
Silicon Valley temple, which is just a congregation with no temple
residents, influenced
by Vaisesika Prabhu, gets 200 devotees to come out once a month on
book distribution. They are
number two in America now, and number one in BBT remittances.
Comment
by Acarya Prabhu: Bhakti Vikasa Swami says that one of the best
temple presidents they had in the history of London, back in the
1970s, was a book distributor, who went out five days a week on book
distribution.
Don’t
chant to get bliss. Chant to please Krishna. If you chant to get
bliss, you will not get bliss, because that is selfish.
Rajadharma
Prabhu:
Real
wealth is not money but punya
(piety).
My
spiritual master said that we are constantly punished day and night
due to our sinful activities.
One
who is spiritually advanced is known by his qualities of humility and
tolerance.
Justice
is what you deserve, but mercy is far beyond what you deserve, and it
comes from above.
Nitai
Gaurasundara Prabhu:
Devotees
never claim knowledge they have not received from the disciplic
succession, and Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami is a typical humble
Vaishnava.
You
have to be very advanced to understand “Although Radha and Krishna
are one in Their identity, previously They separated Themselves. Now
these two transcendental identities have again united, in the form of
Sri Krishna Caitanya.”
Three
times indicates repetition. Thus in Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita,
Adi 1.53 (Srimad-Bhagavatam
2.9.33) Krishna says “aham” (which means “I”) three times so people will get the point that the Lord, who is the
source of everything, is a person.
The
Lord is a person. He has His likings. He has His personal beauty.
The
Mayavadis are very dry because the impersonal Brahman has the sat
feature
of the Lord but not the ananda,
blissful,
feature of the Lord.
Lord
Caitanya reveals to His associates the roles they previously played
in His pastimes, to their great delight.
You
cannot enjoy being isvara,
or a lord, in this world, eternally, but only for some time, and then
you fall down again.
The
problem is that
most
people misuse their senses with the understanding that they are
enjoyers.
To
understand that Krishna is beyond the creation requires some practice
and some prayer.
Vrtrasura
is a special person in the Bhagavatam
because
although he appeared in a demonic family, he is an advanced devotee.
We
can see from the words of Krishna in Bhagavad-gita,
Chapter
16, that demoniac qualities lead to destruction.
Krishna
Himself makes the distinction between the divine and the demoniac.
The
demoniac qualities drag us away from Krishna.
The
demoniac are never happy because of unfulfilled desires.
There
is a big problem in society in that people do not understand what is
meant by eternity.
Comment
by Hari Katha Prabhu: Though having the same father and mother and
growing up in the same place and eating the same food, the parents’
several sons have completely different qualities. Why? That is karma.
One
way to deal with the question of hell is to say that we are living in
hell now.
Comment
by Rajadharma Prabhu: Gauri is quoted in the front of The
Nectar of Book Distribution as
saying the people are so far away from what we are presenting in
these books that the only thing that makes the people take the books
is the desire of the devotees.
Gaura
Nitai Prabhu:
I
wrote a poem this morning. I was so proud, but actually I prayed to
the Lord for some words. Then I selected some of the words, but that
was also under a higher control. So actually it was all Krishna’s
grace that I was able to write anything.
Here
the illusion is making us feel we are with others, and in the
spiritual world the illusion makes us feel we are separate from
Krishna, although He is always present.
Because
we are never independent by our own constitution, we do not have to
worry about becoming independent.
Srila
Prabhupada gave us the wisdom to know what Krishna wants.
We
have free will but not unlimited free will. Just like we have some
money, but we do not have unlimited money.
If
you give your money to Krishna, He will give it back. Actually He
will give you more and more.
The
mother parrot pushes the small parrot out of the nest because the
young parrots are always reluctant to fly for the first time. The
mother parrot knows just when to do it.
The
servant has free will, but he always remains the servant. The Lord
has free will, but He always remains the Lord.
Book
distribution is not just one of many services we might choose from,
but it is a service by which we develop all the qualities of the pure
devotee.
The
most important thing on book distribution is to create a good feeling
in the person we try to stop.
Book
distributors know how important it is to control the situation. That
is not just by speaking louder than the other person, but by creating
a situation where the person experiences a higher taste.
Although
Jatayu was defeated by Ravana, he pleased Lord Ramacandra by his
endeavor to protect Sita.
Indradyumna
Swami asked one disciple in a remote village in Russia to distribute
books every day. Fifteen years later he came to visit her. She was
famous in the city because in all kinds of weather the people would
see her distributing books. She would go to the market, and often she
got kicked out by the guards, but after half an hour she would
return.
Trying
your best means trying to see if we can do a little better each day.
The
service will remain fresh if we try to increase it. We can learn from
others how to improve our service.
Services
have different parts – preparation of consciousness, collecting the
material ingredients, distribution of the results of the service,
etc. We can think about how we might improve in the different areas.
Being
qualified as Lord Caitanya advised, “Trnad
api sunicena taror api sahisuna –
having humility like the grass and tolerance like a tree” helps us
keep us steady in our service.
Although
in the very awkward position of being mortally wounded, Vrtrasura was
trying to benefit his enemy, Indra, by offering him good instructions
for his ultimate spiritual benefit.
Titiksu
Prabhu [GGS]:
There
is one verse that states, “As Krishna is great, the Bhagavatam
is
great.”
It
takes some time to realize that we are not this body but the soul and
that we are the eternal servant of Krishna. We need the mercy of the
Bhagavatam, both
the book and the devotee, to get this realization
Srila
Prabhupada quotes Madhvacarya, who describes that the jiva
soul
is anisa, or
never the controller. We cannot even control our body and mind, what
to speak of controlling others.
Comment
by Rajadharma Prabhu: Whether you are a pot washer or temple
president, if you have come to control, everyone will hate you, but
if you have come to serve, everyone will love you.
King
Pariksit was actually glad that he was cursed to die in seven days,
because it is rare that one knows when he will die and has a good
opportunity to prepare for death.
Comment
by Rajadharma Prabhu: One sadhu
explained
that if a guru is fully surrendered to Krishna, than he can fully
neutralize his disciple’s sinful reactions but if he is just 50%
surrendered to Krishna, the guru will have to suffer partly for the
disciple’s sinful reactions.
If
someone is outside the swimming pool, he can completely pull you out
of the water, however if he is still swimming, he can only help you
in a limited way. In the same way, it is best to have a guru who is
completely liberated.
Why
is pure bhakti
mentioned? Because there is such a thing as contaminated bhakti,
and it is important to understand the difference.
By
the grace of Srila Prabhupada, we can come to the platform of
following in his footsteps.
Krishna
appeared crooked in both
form
and behavior, but Lord Gauranga is straight in both form and
behavior.
As
a mother can understand whether her child’s crying is genuine or
capricious, the Supreme Lord can understand if we are really crying
for His association or just making a show.
The
sadhu’s duty
is remembering and reminding.
Aksayananda
Prabhu:
Sometimes
people think of children as just another possession like furniture.
One
should beget children to benefit society and to benefit the children
themselves.
The
nine different expansions of Kardama Muni had nine different moods
and conceived nine daughters with the different moods. These
daughters were later married to sages with nine different
temperaments.
The
greatest austerity is to apply the instruction of the spiritual
master. It is more difficult than nirjala
Ekadasi [fasting without drinking water].
Kardama
Muni was told by his father, who was his guru, to marry and have
children. So many people are marrying and having children. What is
difficult about that? He did not find a woman in the street but
performed austerity. The Lord appeared and told Kardama that
Svayambhuva Manu would come and offer his daughter to him in
marriage. Kardama carefully followed the Lord’s instructions.
Krishna
explains that the different
kinds of austerity are meant to purify the heart, and one who is not
willing to perform austerity will not be able to purify the heart.
In
the beginning to give up eating meat may have been an austerity, but
now it is not. But without austerity we cannot purify our heart. So
Krishna will give us additional austerities for otherwise our hearts
would not continue to become purified. Maybe we will get some disease
or an incompatible neighbor.
We
see Paramatma is personal when we realize Paramatma has feelings of
concern for us. He is not a passive observer but an active observer.
The
body is an organic robot. It is not our own being. We can understand
that because it does not always function as we desire.
When
the heart is pure, the desire of the soul manifests.
When
we speak of the heart, it is not the heart organ, but the center of
all the senses including the mind, intelligence, and ego.
The
atheist Kapila explains the same Sankhya philosophy but without
reference to the source of everything. Lord Kapila, on the other
hand, in His Sankhya philosophy explains that the Supreme Lord is the
goal, and devotional service is the way to attain the Supreme Lord.
The
Sankhya philosophy of Lord Kapila can be considered part of Vedanta
philosophy.
The
blacksmith has to beat the metal to get it in shape. Cuddling the
metal will not work. Similarly the guru has to be heavy to reform the
disciple. If the guru says, “Whatever you do is alright,” he is
not a guru but a hypocrite.
We
do not fully trust the guru because we think the guru has faults.
Such a person cannot be a real disciple. We should not accept a guru
unless we are sure that he is realized.
If
we go to a dentist, but we do not open our mouth, the dentist can do
nothing for us. Similarly if we are unwilling to submit to a guru, he
cannot help us.
Sometimes
people accept a guru because he sings nicely, dresses nicely, and
smiles sweetly, but those are not the real qualifications of a guru.
Rupa Goswami gives the preliminary qualifications of the guru in the
first verse of Upadesamrita:
“A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind’s
demands, the actions of anger and the urges of the tongue, belly and
genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world.”
Gaura
Sundara Prabhu:
Sometimes
the Bhagavatam is
described in relationship to this pastime of Vrtrasura because it is
a most amazing and instructive pastime.
Who
can inspire someone else to kill them by enlightening them on dharma?
Only a pure devotee like Vrtrasura!
In
the Bhagavatam
Krishna
describes ten categories of existence and shows how they are affected
by the modes of material nature.
People
are divided into classes according to their psychology.
Varna
also
means color.
Because
the modes of material nature are manifested from Krishna Himself they
are so powerful.
In
one of his books, Bhaktivinoda Thakura describes religion in the
different modes of nature. Religion in which there is no God is in
the mode of ignorance. In religion in the mode of passion, there is
knowledge of karma and the existence of a higher state. Religion in
the mode of goodness is worship of the impersonal Brahman.
You
can say we live in a manic depressive society. In the mode of
passion, people work enthusiastically, but when they get the fruit
they
strive for and realize it does not satisfy their souls, they become
depressed.
The
power of devotional service is that it can completely purify
ourselves from the influence of material nature.
Despite
our material desires, we try to please Krishna now by our acts,
maintaining that pure intention.
Tulasi
Prabhu:
The
amazing thing about chanting these names of the divine is that all
potency is within them.
When
we chant in the mood of giving pleasure to the Divine Couple instead
of asking for something for ourselves, like we usually do, it is most
powerful.
Marcel
Proust (a French novelist):
“It
has even been said that the highest praise of God consists in the
denial of him by the atheist who finds the creation so perfect that
he can dispense with a creator.”
-----
There
is a lot of psychology in Bhagavad-gita. This
pair of verses in an example. When I meet psychology students, I show
them verses like these to interest them in the philosophy and in
purchasing a Bhagavad-gita. Often
it works. As practitioners of bhakti-yoga, instead
of contemplating the objects of the senses, we contemplate the names,
forms, qualities, and pastimes of Lord Krishna, and we think about
how to do our service nicely to please Him. In this way, we are not
only saved from this path of degradation described by these verses,
but we become advanced in Krishna consciousness and ultimately fall
completely in love with Krishna.
dhyayato
visayan pumsah
sangas
tesupajayate
sangat
sanjayate kamah
kamat
krodho ’bhijayate
krodhad
bhavati sammohah
sammohat
smrti-vibhramah
smrti-bhramsad
buddhi-naso
buddhi-nasat
pranasyati
“While
contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment
for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger
arises. From anger, complete delusion arises, and from delusion
bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is
lost, and when intelligence is lost one falls down again into the
material pool.” (Bhagavad-gita
2.62–63)
