Travel Journal#15.20: New York City and Hartford

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 15, No. 20 

By Krishna Kripa Das 

(October 2019, part two) 

New York City and Hartford 

(Sent from New York City on November 4, 2019) 

Where I Went and What I Did

For the second half of October I stayed in the Yuga Dharma Ashram in New York City, chanting in different subway stations in New York City six hours a day Monday through Saturday, except one weekend when I went to Hartford to hear Niranjana Swami, who invited me to live in Radha Govinda Mandir back in 1979 and was my first bhakta leader. I also did harinama in Hartford, a new city for me for public chanting. For the month of Karttika, on the New York City harinamas we started to engage the favorable passersby in offering lamps to Damodara. Kavicandra Swami, inspired by the Yuga Dharma Ashram devotees commitment to harinama and book distribution, decided to spend half of Karttika with us, instead of in Vrindavan. I attended Govardhan Puja festivals in Hartford, at the Yuga Dharma Ashram, and at Radha Govinda Mandir in Brooklyn, and I attended the festival for Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day at the Yuga Dharma Ashram. On Halloween, the last day of October, a group of devotees mostly from Radha Govinda Mandir chanted Hare Krishna in the NYC Halloween Parade, which I had never done before, and thousands of people got to hear the holy names and witness the joy of the devotee chanters.

I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s books and lectures and from the continuation of Srimad-Bhagavatam by his humble servants. I include excerpts from the Free Write Journal of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share notes on classes by Niranjana Swami speaking in Hartford and Kavicandra Swami and Kadamba Kanana Swami speaking in New York City. I share notes on classes by the Yuga Dharma Ashram devotees, Vishnu-citta, Kalki, and Mahotsaha Prabhus.

Many, many thanks to Raga Sindhu Prabhu of Hartford for driving me around, letting me stay at his place, feeding me, coming on harinama, and giving me a Motorola (Moto Z) Smartphone, which takes excellent HD video in very dim light, in addition to having a good battery and lots of memory, and which will be of great use to me. Thanks to Sasha for the videos of our Halloween harinama and to Bhakta Blake who let him use his iPhone to take them.

Itinerary

October 1 – December: NYC Yuga Dharma harinamas

January–April 2020: North Florida colleges, mostly Florida State University

Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City

“A person who offers a lamp to Lord Krishna during Karttika [October-November] attains the eternal spiritual world where there is no suffering.” (Skanda Purana, quoted in Hari-bhakti-vliasa 16.114) Yuga Dharma Ashram devotees invite passersby of different races, nationalities, and genders in New York City subway stations to offer lamps to Krishna in the form of Damodara and become eligible to attain the spiritual world (https://youtu.be/SBCvVVVxHG8):

Damodar Prasad Prabhu of Zurich chants Hare Krishna in Jackson Heights (https://youtu.be/2SRUHjshsBM):

Dipika Ray chants Hare Krishna in Jackson Heights / Roosevelt Ave. subway station (https://youtu.be/jAgYTYitseo):

Kadamba Kanana Swami chants Hare Krishna at 26 Second Avenue (https://youtu.be/8WboJUhFBiA):

Kalki Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station, and a guy dances (https://youtu.be/tZTotW7-x9Q):

Bipin Bihari Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Radha Govinda Mandir in Brooklyn (https://youtu.be/DbKoJWd2f_c):

Kadamba Kanana Swami chants Hare Krishna at Radha Govinda Mandir in Brooklyn (https://youtu.be/16XgwOTt3NY):

Natabara Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Penn Station subway station (https://youtu.be/2tuUsMfEoZQ):

Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Penn Station, and a devotee lady dances (https://youtu.be/Z_AW5-ubL4Y):

Rasika Gauranga Prabhu, having completed his education at the Mayapur gurukula, is spending several weeks at the Yuga Dharma Ashram, here chanting Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station, and a girl, who used to regularly chant with the devotees in Union Square when she lived in Brooklyn, plays shakers, overjoyed to meet the devotees again during a layover at Port Authority Bus Terminal (https://youtu.be/4Uq-xhFxrOs):

Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna and Mangala Arati Prabhu dances at Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/rTLoAwDchw0):

Kadamba Kanana Swami chants Hare Krishna at Tuesday program in The Lotus Room in Radha Govinda Mandir in Brooklyn (https://youtu.be/vXdBrBh66FA):

Kalki Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station in Brooklyn, a couple that likes Hare Krishna plays djembes, and some passersby dance (https://youtu.be/w0XjeCiDR4I):

Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station in Brooklyn, and a hooded man plays shakers (https://youtu.be/uTUkIjQfb_o):

Chanting Hare Krishna in Hartford

Niranjana Swami chants Hare Krishna during a home program in Hartford (https://youtu.be/SamFaXPM6IM):

Niranjana Swami chants “Radha Damodara” during a home program in Hartford (https://youtu.be/qeXIXneSSSI):

Niranjana Swami chants Hare Krishna before his Sunday feast lecture on Govardhan Puja in Hartford (https://youtu.be/Qa08VYaMJXk):

Prema Vilasini Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna during Govardhan abhiseka in Hartford (https://youtu.be/IZpP24x25us):

Govardhan Hill in Hartford

Niranjana Swami chants Hare Krishna during Govardhan parikrama in Hartford (https://youtu.be/T47oWwGxhgg):

A special feature of the Hartford Govardhan Puja festival I had never seen before was a butter churn that attendees of the festival were encouraged to churn.

Here one devotee demonstrates.

At the end of the evening, so many people had churned the cream or yogurt or whatever it was, that it actually became butter.

During the feast, they served it out.

I found the butter was very creamy, and I suddenly developed appreciation of why Krishna eats butter!

Chanting Hare Krishna on the Streets of Hartford

In addition to the chanting of Hare Krishna at the home program and the temple in Hartford, I also chanted Hare Krishna in public with my host, Raga Sindhu Prabhu, who fortunately for me, has a great taste for harinama.

Whenever I speak about the possibility of doing harinama in Hartford, people always say that you can do it and they have done it, but there are no people in the streets. In Florida, we chant at different events, like football games and monster truck shows, outside the stadiums as people enter them. I searched Google for “Hartford events”, and I found there was a hockey game at the XL Center downtown on Saturday night. There was also the “Halloween Bar Crawl”, an event where people dress up in Halloween costumes and visit three or four bars in the city. There is even an award of $1000 for the best costume! I looked at Google Maps, and came up with a route that passed the transit station, all the participating bars, and the XL center. After we had encircled the downtown and passed several groups of costumed partiers, we sang in front of what appears to be one of two main entrances of the XL Center for forty-five minutes before the hockey game. At one point a policeman came out of the venue and patrolled around the entrance but he did not tell us to stop, to move, or to be quieter. Raga Sindhu had brought about five Krishna, Reservoir of Pleasure pamphlets and several small books. I did not expect the hockey crowd to be interested in the Krishna pamphlets, but I distributed all of them before the time of the game. We also invited two or three friendly people to the Govardhan Puja festival at the temple the next day. Although our harinama party consisted of only two people, because others who might ordinarily have joined us were preparing for the next day’s festival, I considered it very successful in that we did find a time when there are people on the streets of Hartford – when there are events at the XL Center. From my research, I found there is also a Xfinity venue that has events in Hartford. Hopefully, as a result of our experimental harinama, Raga Sindhu Prabhu and his friends can begin taking advantage of local events, using them as opportunities for harinama and book distribution, and increase Hare Krishna outreach in Hartford.

Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City

I returned from the Hartford Govardhan Puja festival with Nitai Gauranga and Prema Vilasini Prabhus, disciples of Niranjana Swami living in Brooklyn. The next morning I made saffron coconut burfi for our celebration of Govardhan Puja at the Yuga Dharma Ashram.

Govardhan Hill at the Yuga Dharma Ashram

Here Mahotsaha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Yuga Dharma Ashram Govardhan Puja festival (https://youtu.be/671tLyJIsrk):

Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station in Brooklyn, and Robert, who has visited our party a few times a week for years, dances with Jason. Robert mentioned he heard my morning class via internet that morning. I did not know he listened to the classes (https://youtu.be/5WNnVeo9Z7A):

Kalki Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station in Brooklyn, and Jason dances (https://youtu.be/u4CVP9RhF3w):

After chanting on harinama in Brooklyn, we stopped in Radha Govinda Mandir for the Govardhan Puja festival there.

They did abhiseka and arati to a Govardhan sila.

Brooklyn had the greatest quantity of food of all the three festivals.

Here Acyuta Gopi chants Hare Krishna at the Govardhan Puja festival at Radha Govinda Mandir in Brooklyn (https://youtu.be/8GG2_CjiCXI):

Jahnavi Harrison chants Hare Krishna to a beautiful tune of Bada Haridas Prabhu at the Bhakti Center Tuesday evening kirtan (https://youtu.be/thjufTLc0js):

Krishna Prasad Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Disappearance Day of Srila Prabhupada at Yuga Dharma Ashram in New York City (https://youtu.be/4V12NMpqrTg):

Chanting Hare Krishna in the New York City Halloween Parade

Two great days to chant Hare Krishna in the streets of America are Halloween and New Year’s Eve because many people are out and they are in a festive mood. Halloween is special because people wearing costumes feel less shy to interact with the Hare Krishna devotees than they ordinarily would. The last two years we chanted on 14^th Street, between Union Square and 6^th Avenue, which is the venue of the NYC Halloween Parade. This year I decided investigate the possibility of having a harinama party in the parade itself. I noticed they were very eager to get different bands to participate, so I decide to register a “Yuga Dharma Band.” I hoped that our Yuga Dharma Ashram devotees could participate as they are enthusiastic, musically talented, and they have a lot of faith in the chanting of the holy name, but leader Rama Raya Prabhu worried they might become wiped out and be unable to do their six hours of daily chanting and book distribution the next day. I knew I could not count on the Bhakti Center people because it was the same time as their Thursday Night Kirtan, one of their biggest weekly events. Thus I reached out to the ISKCON Brooklyn devotees who run the Monthly Sankirtan Festival there. Many of them thought it would be better to chant on 14^th Street than in the parade on 6^th Avenue because they could distribute books there as well. I considered that thousands of people would see the devotees and hear the chanting and be reminded of Krishna if we chanted in the parade. Thus I told them it was fine with me if they wanted to chant on 14^th Street because we had good experiences there in previous years, but I wanted to personally chant in the parade, even if I chanted by myself, because thousands of additional people would hear the holy name. What a nice offering to Srila Prabhupada on his disappearance day! Ben, Sasha, and Caranti Devi Dasi indicated said they would be happy to join me in the parade, but when Sasha and I arrived at the start of the parade I was happy to see nine devotees already there and to hear two more were coming. I just had a harmonium, a single pair of karatalas, a pair of shakers, an amplifier, and a handful of cookies so I was happy to see the Brooklyn devotees had brought a drum, additional karatalas, Yum-Earth organic hard candies, and a whole bag of cookies. In addition, Govind had brought his trumpet. 

From Brooklyn temple there were, on the right side of the above photo, Hari Vilasa Prabhu, Dasya Prema Prabhu, and Bhakta Ken [in back], and Jaya Radhe Devi Dasi and Caranti Devi Dasi [in front], Bhakta Blake [not in the photo] and Manish Prabhu [in pink]. There were two regular attenders of our Yuga Dharma Ashram harinamas, Sasha and Govind Prabhus [in white dhotis], and there was a Hare Krishna couple from Colombia [not in the photo], who were looking for Chinatown, and happened to encounter the Brooklyn devotees and joined the harinama.

Caranti engaged both parade participants and onlookers in playing the shakers, including a couple of policemen, and she danced with participants in the parade. Devotees made sure that everyone who interacted with us favorably got some prasadam, and they also gave out many invitations to the Saturday Bhagavad-gita class at 26 2^nd Avenue.

At one point Lord Shiva danced with us briefly! (https://youtu.be/nCSmAGMveO8):

Here Dasya Prema Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with devotees mostly from Brooklyn ISKCON in the queue before the NYC Halloween Parade, and different people interact with the party (https://youtu.be/L_FhE7-0oX8):



Dasya Prema Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in the NYC Halloween Parade (https://youtu.be/5ajMQ9ULooM)

Here Dasya Prema Prabhu chants the Nrsimha Prayers in the NYC Halloween Parade (https://youtu.be/u1UCEK0gGSw):

Hari Vilasa Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in the NYC Halloween Parade (https://youtu.be/G58YxSHDRnk):

Twice in the course of the above video, policemen played the shakers with us. If you didn’t notice, you can see in this clip (https://youtu.be/Qp7uEiYclbo):

Govind Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in NYC the Halloween Parade [video by Sasha] (https://youtu.be/OGFvrlv3R6M):

Here is my video of Govind singing (https://youtu.be/1qbDZWxbvGM):

Caranti Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna with mainly Brooklyn ISKCON devotees in the 14th St. and 6th Ave. (F/M) subway station after the NYC Halloween Parade (https://youtu.be/JJZHr7ybK-E):

My God is Awesome

I like to take photos of theistic T-shirts, and here is one I encountered:

I later learned it’s from a song by gospel singer Charles Jenkins.

Although in the Christian tradition, many of the lyrics are more general.

Here are some I liked:

My God is awesome

Heals me when I’m broken

Gives strength where I’ve been weakened

Praise His holy name.

His grace is why I’m living

Praise His holy name

Insights

Srila Prabhupada:

From Sri Caitanya-cartamrita, Adi-lila 12.37, purport:

“In the Bhagavad-gita (9.29) the Lord says, samo ’ham sarva-bhutesu na me dvesyo ’sti na priyah: “I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all.” The Supreme Personality of Godhead being equal to everyone, no one can be His enemy, nor can anyone be His friend. Since everyone is a part or son of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord cannot be partial and regard someone as a friend and someone as an enemy. Thus when Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu punished Kamalakanta Visvasa by no longer allowing him to come into His presence, although the punishment was actually very hard on him, Sri Advaita Prabhu, understanding the inner meaning of such punishment, was happy because He appreciated that the Lord had actually favored Kamalakanta Visvasa. Therefore He was not at all unhappy. Devotees should always be happy with all the dealings of their master, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A devotee may be put into difficulty or opulence, but he should accept both as gifts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and jubilantly engage in the service of the Lord in all circumstances.”

From a lecture on Vyasa-puja in Hyderabad on August 19, 1976:

“If you do not accept the Vedic knowledge through guru-parampara system, it is useless. You cannot manufacture an interpretation of the Vedic language.”

You cannot interpret the words of God.

“Who requires a guru? Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijñasuh sreya uttamam [SB 11.3.21]—one who is actually serious to understand the science of spirit soul. Tad vijñanam. Om tat sat. He requires a guru. Guru is not a fashion.”

“So Krishna says that acaryam mam vijaniyan: [SB 11.17.27] ‘You accept acarya as I am.’ Why? I see that he is a man. His sons call him father, or he looks like a man, so why he should be as good as God? Because he speaks as God speaks, that’s all. Therefore. He does not make any change.”

“Caitanya Mahaprabhu has asked everyone to become guru. Everyone. Because there is need of guru. The world is full of rascals, therefore there is need of so many gurus to teach them.”

“Suppose you are living in a small neighborhood, you can become a guru of that neighborhood and deliver them. ‘How it is possible? I have no education, I have no knowledge. How I can become guru and deliver them?’ Caitanya Mahaprabhu said it is not at all difficult. Yare dekha tare kaha ‘krishna’-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. This is your qualification. If you simply deliver the message given by Krishna you become guru. Krishna said, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. You preach, you request everyone, ‘Sir, you surrender to Krishna.’ You become guru. Very simple thing. Krishna said, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. You say that ‘You become a devotee of Krishna, you offer obeisances. Here is a temple; here is Krishna. Please come here. You offer your obeisances, and if you can you offer patram puspam phalam toyam [Bg. 9.26]. You don’t offer... But it is very simple thing. Anyone can secure a little flower, a little fruit, a little water. It is not at all difficult.’”

“People are giving me credit that I have done miracles, but my miracle is that I carried the message of Caitanya Mahaprabhu: yare dekha tare kaha ‘krishna’-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128].”

“Real contraceptive method is that if you are unable to deliver your son from the clutches of birth and death, do not become a father. That is wanted.”

“Vedic culture is to conquer over the next birth, that’s all.”

“Vedic culture means ‘By the evolutionary process we come to this human form of life. Here is the chance of stopping transmigration of the soul from one body to another.’”

Comment by Kavicandra Swami: George Harrison ordered 50 copies of the Happening album, and he would pass them out to his friends.

From a letter written in Los Angeles on 26th February, 1969 to Pradyumna:

“By no means should you stop kirtan and chanting. Of course I know that you cannot stop kirtan or chanting but it must be done regularly because that is our strength. We are always in the whirlpool of maya, and only this chanting of Mantra can save us from all pitfalls.”

The humble servants of Srila Prabhupada:

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.87.32, purport:

“As the Lord Himself says in the Ramayana (Lanka-khanda 18.33):

sakrd eva prapanno yas
 tavasmiti ca yacate
abhayam sarvada tasmai
 dadamy etad vratam mama

‘To whomever even once surrenders to Me, pleading “I am Yours,” I give eternal fearlessness. This is my solemn vow.’”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.87.34, purport:

“The Brhad-aranyaka (4.4.9) and Katha (6.14) Upanisads confirm:

yada sarve pramucyante
 kama ye ’sya hrdi sritah
atha martyo ’mrto bhavaty
 atra brahma samasnute

‘When a person completely gives up all the sinful desires he is harboring in his heart, he exchanges mortality for eternal spiritual life and attains real pleasure in the Absolute Truth.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.87.38, purport:

“Srila Sridhara Svami prays:

nrtyanti tava viksanangana-gata kala-svabhavadibhir
 bhavan sattva-rajas-tamo-guna-mayan unmilayanti bahun
mam akramya pada sirasy ati-bharam sammardayanty aturam
 maya te saranam gato ’smi nr-hare tvam eva tam varaya

‘The glance You cast upon Your consort comprises time, the material propensities of the living entities, and so on. This glance dances upon her face, thus awakening the multitude of created entities, who take birth in the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. O Lord Nrhari, Your Maya has put her foot on my head and is pressing down extremely hard, causing me great distress. Now I have come to You for shelter. Please make her desist.’”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.87.39, purport:

“O Lord, those who practice yoga only for sense gratification must suffer punishment both in this life and the next: from death, who will not release them, and from You, whose kingdom they cannot reach.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.87.40, purport:

“‘For those who live in Bhadrakrishna [the district of Mathura], I am the object of all worship. Even if the residents of that place fail to properly cultivate the religious principles that one should observe in the holy land, they still become devoted to Me just by virtue of living there. Even if Kali [the present age of quarrel] has them in his grip, they still get credit for living in this place. My devotee who lives in Mathura is just as dear to Me as you [Brahma] and your sons — Rudra and his followers — and Goddess Sri and My own self.’ (Gopala Tapani Upanisad, Uttara 16)”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.88.8, purport:

“That devotional service to Lord Krishna eradicates all karmic reactions is confirmed in this passage of the Gopala-tapani sruti (Purva 15): bhaktir asya bhajanam tad ihamutropadhi-nairasyenamusmin manah-kalpanam etad eva naiskarmyam. ‘Devotional service is the process of worshiping the Supreme Lord. It consists of fixing the mind upon Him by becoming disinterested in all material designations, both in this life and the next. It results in the dissolution of all karma.’”

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:

From “Writing Session #5” in Free Write Journal #61:

“I don’t live in Vrindavan, and maybe it’s just as well. But by reading Cc., I can enter the divine realm of Gaudiya Vaisnavism at its best, with Srila Prabhupada as my guide.”

From “Writing Session #8” in “Free Write Journal #61:

“Where you go is real self-interest, more than what you leave in this world. But what you leave is also important, as a contribution. You should do something worthy.”

From “Writing Session #5” in “Free Write Journal #63:

“I wuz sayin’ Jimmy Durante is gone, all uncles are gone, years of the past are gone, youth is gone . . . Happy Krishna consciousness brightens our future. Goodbye to the past means no sorrow over that. Miles past. Next life comes up like a sign on a highway for the next town.”

Kavicandra Swami:

From a speech on Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day:

The real glorification is to distribute the books and carry on the mission.

Everything Srila Prabhupada did was amazing.

He took long flights but never got jet lag.

He did not talk about Bhaktisiddhanta so much. He would say, “What can I say? He was a Vaikuntha man.”

Many times he would say, “My books are better than I am.”

Somehow the lectures were recorded, which was a miracle, especially considering the technology of the 1960s. Umapati recalls that when the reel-to-reel tape machine would get jammed, Prabhupada would wait until it was fixed before continuing to speak.

Because he was surrendered, he was completely guided by the Supersoul. He would say like that.

When reading his books, he would say, “I want to see what Krishna has written.”

The lawyers told Srila Prabhupada he would never win the Bombay case because the devotees had given up. He had to tell the lawyers what to do, but in the end he won.

His guru approved his writing: “Impersonal calamity thou has moved.”

He carried the message of the previous acaryas through his purports.

Despite giving so many lectures, writing so many letters, and traveling extensively, he published so many books.

He would say he would visit whatever temple distributed the most books so there was intense competition.

He knew the power of his books.

Sometimes people who have been gone for twenty or thirty years are interviewed and have such clear memories of their time with Srila Prabhupada.

Now some second generation devotees are more intimate than his disciples from such intensively study of his books.

He gave us everything.

The Goswamis read everything and commented on everything, not just the most intimate pastimes of the Lord.

Srila Prabhupada has attracted so many people to come to Vrindavan and Mayapur.

It is important to distribute Lilamrita so people get to know Srila Prabhupada.

If you look at the mosaic on the ceiling in Mayapur, a single piece does not seem significant, but the whole picture is amazing. Similarly Srila Prabhupada picked us all up, who did not seem to have much going for us, and created this wonderful movement.

The big interest in vegetarianism came ultimately from Srila Prabhupada.

Niranjana Swami:

From “On the Holy Name” at Kirtan-mela in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on October 5, 2019:

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura explains that if we are humble we will seek the help of another. Otherwise we will not be inclined.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said that “trnad api” is the siddha-pranali, the mantra to attain perfection.

Lord Caitanya said to string that verse on the garland of the holy name and wear it around your neck.

Lord Caitanya says that even if a tree is drying up, it does not ask for water.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura says if someone comes to cut the tree down, the tree will still give shade to that person.

“The devotees of the Lord are so forbearing that even though they are defamed, cheated, cursed, disturbed, neglected or even killed, they are never inclined to avenge themselves.” (SB 1.18.48)

Although because of spiritual understanding the devotees do not take insults very seriously that does not reduce the offense of the person committing the insult.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura compares initiating people without faith in bhakti to casting pearls before swine or dressing a monkey in fancy clothes.

Hearing the glories of devotional service nourishes our faith in bhakti.

Even hearing of the existence of pure devotion, even though we do not have it, is purifying.

To chant the Lord’s names means to take the Lord’s help, but if we use the Lord for our own ends, we can never attain the state of humility.

If we hear what purity is, then we become purified. In fact, it is the best way to become purified.

To chant the Lord’s names for any reason other than to develop our pure devotion is an offense.

From a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.9.19 in Hartford on October 25, 2019:

Srila Prabhupada makes the point in the purport, “This bhrtya-vasyata does not mean that He [Krishna] is under the control of the servant; rather, He is under the control of the servant’s pure love.”

Yashoda considered because the milk she was boiling was ultimately for Krishna’s pleasure, it was something important for her to tend to so she stopped breastfeeding Krishna and set him down.

Krishna does not come to this world to collect some offerings or servants but to reciprocate the spontaneous love of His devotees here.

Krishna does not have to wonder what is the motive of the person because he is omniscient.

Because He does not have to do anything, He does what he wants to do, and what he wants to do is exchange with the devotees who have spontaneous love.

In Vrindavana-campu, it is described that Krishna broke so many pots of butter and yogurt that there were rivers of those substances pouring out of the house.

Kunti was perplexed that Krishna was genuinely afraid of His mother.

Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura lists other contradictions within Krishna:

Although personified goodness, He becomes angry.

Although self-satisfied, He becomes hungry.

Although condensed bliss, He experiences sorrow.

Love is so powerful that it makes Krishna forget that He is God.

The acaryas point that usually we wait for the judgment of God but in this pastime Krishna awaits the judgment of Yashoda.

The cowherd women, seeing that all the additional rope Yashoda added was not making the rope long enough to tie up Krishna, advised her to stop. She told them she wanted to see the extent of Her son’s waist, and told the women to bring all the rope they had in their homes.

Krishna’s heart melted when Krishna saw Yashoda’s determination to bind him, a manifestation of her bhakta-nistha.

From “On the Holy Name at Almaty Kirtan” in Kazakhstan on September 21, 2019:

Anarthas obstruct us from appreciating Krishna’s presence in His holy name.

Anarthas are things we are attached to but which have no real value.

Hrdayam daurbalyam (weakness of heart) has four divisions according to Bhaktivinoda Thakura:

1. attachment to things that have no connection with Krishna.

2. envy of other living beings

3. pride in material things

4. duplicity and fault-finding

Persons who wonder how they can find time to chant have this weakness of heart. I ask them if they have time to eat. Generally they are very regulated, and they find time to eat very day. Why? Because they realize if they do not eat, there are consequences very soon. They get weak, etc. Similarly we need spiritual nourishment, and if we do not get it, there are consequences. The trouble is that we do not perceive these immediately. Thus maya lures us into thinking things are not so bad.

The more we associate with the holy name, the more we become purified.

The purpose of this life is that at the time of giving up our body we have to remember Krishna.

We may think that “attachment to things that have no connection with Krishna” is not a problem for us because we understand everything has a connection with Krishna, however, if we are seeing something is for our sense gratification, then we are not seeing its connection with Krishna.

If we chant the holy name while maintaining faith in the glories of the holy name we conquer over offenses.

Tattva-vibhrama means to not be aware of the obstacles in devotional service.

The acaryas give us so much knowledge of the anarthas so we can get beyond them and taste the presence of Krishna in His holy name.

Even though I do not experience the presence of Krishna in His holy name I have faith that if I continue chanting and I try to give up the anarthas someday I will experience Krishna’s presence in His name. This much faith we have to have.

If we do not hear, we forget. That is the nature of this world. And forgetfulness is the most dangerous place to be in the material world.

Every day chant Hare Krishna, even if you cannot chant 16 rounds.

From a lecture on Govardhan Puja in Hartford:

This is a festival that Krishna Himself started to worship the cows, the brahmanas, and Govardhan Hill.

Krishna Himself gave a description of how it should be performed. He was the inaugurater of that festival and wanted it performed.

Krishna also wanted to promote complete devotion to Himself as the Supreme Lord and not worship of the various demigods.

Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura said that Krishna spoke to reduce the pride of Indra, to begin a blissful annual festival, and to spend seven days in the association of His intimate friends.

The sweetness is Krishna subordinating Himself to those with spontaneous affection.

In kevala-bhakti, yogamaya acts so those with an intimate relationship with Krishna are not distracted by His opulence and His divinity.

Yashoda actually feels responsible for Krishna’s naughty behavior. If she were always conscious of His opulence and divinity she could not correct Him.

If someone tries to correct Him without unalloyed love, they are not going to be able to get away with it.

Not only does He reveal His spontaneous love and thus attract people during His manifest pastimes, He leaves descriptions of His pastimes so people in the future will also become attracted.

Krishna has nothing He has to do because everything is done by His energies. Thus what He does is what He likes to do the most, experience these pastimes with His eternal associates.

Krishna is self-sufficient because all the ingredients for creation are within Himself. First Krishna creates time, for without time there cannot be a beginning of anything.

Sukadeva Goswami speaks to Maharaja Pariksit Krishna’s pastimes to bring Him to the point of complete resolute faith and absorption in Krishna.

Some places it is amazing how Govardhan Puja is celebrated. At New Vraja in Hungary they would fill 40% of the temple room with hundreds of preparations as the altar was already full.

From a personal conversation:

Me: We have been given so much knowledge about God and the relationships we can have with Him. For many of us who were on a spiritual journey, we found Srila Prabhupada’s books to answer all our questions. Now I am spending six hours a day in public with a group who are dedicated to sharing this knowledge with the people in general, but we see so little interest in it that sometimes it is depressing.

Niranjana Swami: “Manusyanam sahasresu . . . Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.” (Bg. 7.3) Actually when I see too many people coming forward for initiation, I become worried. [Are the people really serious enough to take initiation?]

Me: Radhanath Swami has the people wait five years before initiating them.

Niranjana Swami: I have people wait at least four.

Kadamba Kanana Swami:

Kunti was so interested in Krishna she did not care about anything else. She said, “My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are materially exhausted. One who is on the path of [material] progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education and bodily beauty, cannot approach You with sincere feeling.” (SB 1.8.26)

As soon as we glorify the devotee, Krishna is immediately attracted.

Krishna comes from the word akarsna which means He is attractive, but Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura explains that akarsna also means that Krishna is attracted. What is He attracted by? Devotional service.

Karttika is a sale like Black Friday. Everything is given away for nothing.

Some people during Karttika take vows to do positive things, like reading a chapter of Krishna book. Imagine you do that for 30 days. You will be off the ground by the end of the month. You just read Krishna book, and you’re already back to Godhead.

Our present emotions give just a hint of genuine spiritual emotions. Krishna’s humanlike form can capture our emotions.

We take vows to develop attachment to Krishna. I embrace the positive vows because they awaken our love for Krishna.

Because as souls we are eternal, we want things to last.

This is the abode of ignorance. We do not know what will happen.

In the spiritual world there is no unknowing.

Do you think your family members will protect you? How can they protect you when they cannot protect themselves?

The soul cannot enjoy the material world, so it takes a dormant position, and the mind takes the position of enjoying the world, but if that very mind becomes attached to Krishna it can be the cause of one’s liberation.

Krishna steals from every house in Vrindavan to accept the offerings of His different devotees.

Thank you for coming here to spend Karttika with Radha Govinda in Vrindavan. This has nothing to do with New York. You did not notice it, but when you stepped into this temple room, you stepped into Vrindavan. This is because when Radha-Govinda come here, They bring Vrindavan with them.

In the atmarama verse all the other words refer back to atmarama which is the subject of the verse.

The soul can never be satisfied with anything which is not sac-cid-ananda [eternal, cognizant, and full of spiritual pleasure].

The endeavors for liberation and mystic perfection do not free one from material desire.

The sixty-one different explanations by Lord Caitanya and the nine other explanations by Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya have never been exactly enumerated. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati gives a lot of information in this regard, and Srila Prabhupada includes this in his purports to the Sri Caitanya-caritamrita.

The body and mind relate to the soul but are not the soul.

Brahmananda includes the happiness of liberation from the material world and the happiness of connecting with the Lord’s effulgence, the brahmajyoti.

If we thoroughly understand that we have absolutely nothing to do with our body, we become completely fearless.

The impersonalists say everything is illusion but brahman, and the Buddhists say that everything is illusion including brahman.

We agree with the impersonalists that we are spirit and not matter, but we have an additional understanding that matter engaged in the service of the Lord can be transformed into spirit.

There are two kind of yogis, those who realize that the Supersoul is different from themselves and those who think they are the Supersoul and become impersonalists.

In Vaikuntha there are 2½ rasas, neutrality, servitude, and reverential friendship.

The mood of the unalloyed love of the gopis is the core of the Lord Caitanya’s movement.

The idea of the Radha Kunda babajis that you are given your relationship with Krishna by your guru is not actually the Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy.

One yoga teacher was aghast when I mentioned I was a Hare Krishna. She explained that she was someone who could not say no, and a Hare Krishna devotee convinced her to buy an entire set of Bhagavatams, and everyone in her family teases her about it. I asked her if she read the books. She said no. I told her, “These books are actually very good. Why don’t you read the books? Then you could tell friends, ‘I did not get cheated. The books are actually very good.’”

She was very grateful for that advice saying, “You have given me a way out!”

Among other things, Arjuna was worried that so many elders would be killed in the Battle of Kurukshetra and that would not be good for society.

Chapter Three of Bhagavad-gita describes that the desire to enjoy our senses in this material world causes our consciousness become more and more covered, so that we cannot understand spiritual reality. That is what is going on today.

Yoga is regaining our spiritual consciousness by attaining transcendental knowledge.

We see form and personality in the creation. Why do we then suppose that the creator is devoid of these?

Chapter One is entitled Arjuna-visada-yoga, the yoga of Arjuna’s lamentation.

Compassion is required to perform yoga and that is why yoga is present in this chapter.

Chapter Two is sankhya-yoga. Three is karma-yoga, and Four is jnana-yoga.

Chapter Five is the yoga of renunciation.

Living simply keeps our consciousness free, and it gives us energy to pursue the spiritual.

Chapter Six is dhyana-yoga. The final verse of Chapter Six is the verse that speaks about meditation.

Yoga is not something you do for a while, but a way of life. That way of life frees one from the cycle of birth and death, which is not everything but is valuable.

Desire is like a spotlight, and wherever that spotlight is there we will go.

Chapter Seven is vijnana-yoga, the yoga of wisdom.

Srila Prabhupada’s titles of the Gita chapters are not always literal translations but capture the essence.

We think of karma in terms of action and reaction, but Krishna defines karma as action pertaining to the development of the material bodies of the living entities. If we are busy working to enjoy the material world, we will get another material body.

The suffering in old age is to remind us to focus on the Supreme Lord as there is not much time left.

The Ninth Chapter is the yoga of royal and hidden knowledge.

We learn that to get the most confidential knowledge we have to overcome envy.

If we are not free from envy, we have to try to control our envy with our intelligence.

We learn everything is controlled and connected to Krishna.

If the Lord did not appear in a human form how could we relate to Him? Arjuna has difficulty relating to Krishna when in Chapter Eleven He appears in His universal form.

Many verses in Chapter Nine warn us of distraction and misunderstanding, but 9.13, 9.14 and 9.34 tell about the most confidential knowledge.

We learn our complete focus should be on Krishna.

Chapter Ten shows how we can see Krishna in the manifestations of great power in this world.

It is not enough to understand Krishna is the Supreme Lord, but we also have to see Him everywhere.

There are four verses that are said to summarize the Bhagavad-gita. In this day and age people are always looking for brief expressions.

In Bg. 10.8, we learn that beyond seeing Him everywhere, we have to worship the Lord with all our hearts.

Because the heart is involved, the devotees derive bliss talking about Him.

Chapter Eleven is called visvarupa-darsana-yoga, and the important thing to learn here is that God is ultimately a person.

Chapter Twelve is bhakti-yoga.

Who can fix their mind on Krishna without deviation? Therefore we have to practice the regulations of bhakti-yoga.

The other options are like the slow boat to China, but they are there.

Chapter Twelve makes it clear that the essence of bhakti-yoga is to please Krishna. That is clear because the last eight verses describe the qualities of one who is dear to Krishna.

Chapter Thirteen is the yoga of distinguishing matter from spirit.

In this chapter we learn that we are not the proprietor of our own bodies.

Srila Prabhupada explained to one guest that the soul does not die because it is eternal, and the body does not die, because being matter, it is already dead.

The mode of goodness is more transparent to spirit.

It is difficult to try to act in goodness. It is easier to associate with goodness.

You could not catch Srila Prabhupada doing something that was unconnected to Krishna.

Q: What is the difference because love and attachment?

A: Love has a component of wanting to please the other person which may not be there in attachment.

A transcendental person has unconditional love. Parents love their child, but then they want him to be a doctor.

In Bhagavad-gita 2.7, Arjuna accepts Krishna has his guru, but he does not completely give up his own ideas till later in the book.

To be a disciple in this age is difficult because we are so independent.

To take birth in a wealthy family is good karma, but to take birth in a family where spiritual values are cultured is better karma.

Ultimately suffering is a blessing because it wakes you up.

Who in Kali-yuga has a good deal?

We stand before the deity with devotion, but we do not fall down in spiritual ecstasy like Lord Caitanya, so how much do we actually realize that the deity is Krishna Himself?

It described when the demon Putana fell down dead, her body destroyed Kamsa’s favorite orchard.

Putana represents the false teacher because the first guru is one’s mother, and though acting as if a mother, she betrayed Krishna.

Aghasura took the form of snake because he had absolutely no feeling for others.

Why did Krishna appear as a child? Somehow children have the ability to attract attention. If kids were not cute, why would you want to look after them?

When we see Krishna as a child, so many opportunities for service are there.

Although we value liking our job, if we like our job too much, our job could take our attention away from Krishna.

Krishna is one of those kids who likes to sleep in.

Krishna begins milking the cows even before his bath as their udders are quite full, and the cowherdmen will not begin their milking until Krishna starts.

The great dependence of Krishna upon devotees is unique to this tradition. Elsewhere we just see the dependence of the devotees on the Lord.

Krishna’s pastimes are so human and so within the range of human emotion that they are very attractive.

After Krishna and Balarama defeated Canura and Mustika, then They wrestled with some of the cowherd boys, and They were defeated, which did not make Kamsa feel very good.

The pastime of Nrsimha is finished very quickly, but Krishna’s pastimes are extensive and have many nuances.

One of the best things to read during Karttika is the Krishna book.

Although the residents of Vrindavan do not think of Krishna as God they see Him as the most wonderful person they have ever known and who has ever been in this world.

Krishna empowers yoga-maya to put a spell on Him. He can shake it off if He wants to, but He generally does not.

At times it dawns upon the residents of Vrindavan that Krishna is God but at most times not.

This month of Karttika is meant to meditate on Krishna’s pastimes.

What takes birth can be controlled by astrological influence, but that applies just to the body but not the soul. Likewise karma can affect only the body but not the soul. But as long as we identify with the body, we will be affected.

Although there is no reaction to sinful thoughts in this age of Kali, we if continue to meditate on sinful thoughts, some day will end up performing sinful actions.

Someone asked Srila Prabhupada about Freud’s idea of an Oedipus complex that every man has an idea of having sex with his mother. Srila Prabhupada said, “Maybe you but not me.” Srila Prabhupada came from a different realm.

Lord Caitanya could have accepted the most famous guru of his time, Madhavendra Puri, as his spiritual master, but instead he decided to accept the servant of Madhavendra Puri, Isvara Puri, as his spiritual master, thus highlighting the glory of the servant of the great personality.

Lord Caitanya writes the script of His own life, but as for ourselves we are not really sure about the script of our life, and sometimes we are not particularly happy about it.

The deity that we have served we experience to be the most beautiful deity.

We are very much conscious that the body is not the self but rather an awkward encasement that is embarrassing.

Bhakivinoda Thakura says we have to admit that we are ultimately defeated by materialistic life.

In the beginning we are too young for this and that, and then all of a sudden, we become too old for this and that.

In Krishna consciousness we realize the material body is simply to be used in devotional service.

We can work to maintain ourselves, but to maintain ourselves in Krishna consciousness.

Our main focus is not going back to Godhead but taking others back to Godhead. How can we take others back to Godhead if we are not sure we are going ourselves? By being messengers.

Whether we have material desires or we do not have material desires, we are meant to forcefully engage in devotional service.

In one Jesuit book it says that if you have a sinful thought you have to repent, and if you have the same thought again, you have to repent again and to also repent that your first repentance was not sincere. In reality, just by doing devotional service we will surpass all these sinful reactions.

This movement is ours to take care of, not ours to take advantage of.

Working to expand the movement gets us beyond the platform of the body.

Parasurama Prabhu asked me, “Where are you going?”

I said, “To a retreat.”

Parasurama Prabhu replied, “Don’t retreat. Go forward.”

We all have some special qualities. Someone threw a rock at a beehive, and all the bees came out and covered Jagadisa Prabhu. He remained silent for fifteen minutes, and the bees went away, and he did not have a single sting.

Ayurveda is the science that occupies itself with the machine.

Our body has certain advantages and disadvantages based on the consciousness we had at our previous death.

Ayurveda is not about curing diseases, but it is about maintaining health, which is a better strategy.

We keep the body healthy, and we engage the mind in spiritual activities. The mind must always be engaged in positive activities.

Luther was a monk who later gave it up and got married. He exposed a lot of corruption in the church, but he realized that he had a lot of corruption within himself. He came to the realization that only through grace could he surpass his internal corruption, and he taught that.

Twenty-six Second Avenue is a place of pilgrimage on the level of Vrindavan, where Krishna appeared, Navadvipa, where Lord Caitanya appeared, and Jagannatha Puri, where Lord Jagannatha appeared, because it is the place where Krishna appeared in the West in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Vishnu-citta Prabhu:

The followers of Madhva and Ramanuja generally do not preach because they think that people will become interested in devotional service automatically after perfecting their prescribed duties. They may preach to a few highly qualified people but not others.

The Madhvas openly say this.

We give people devotional service, and piety comes later.

I and matter are different, and I do not want to associate with matter.

Krishna does not expect us to be without problems. Arjuna was glorious because he chose to consult Krishna to solve his problems. We will be successful by following Arjuna’s example.

Because of attachment we cannot see what is best for us, and therefore, we require a spiritual master.

Arjuna is thinking of his relatives as friends he wishes to enjoy the company of and not as dangerous people that he as a warrior should protect society from.

Although Arjuna was practically the best archer in history, he was very humble. The Battle of Kurukshetra was an opportunity for him to become world famous, yet he seriously proposed renouncing the battle.

Lord Caitanya’s point is that devotional service can attract any type of person.

In Vrindavan, even the grass, the river, the animals, etc., all are worshiping Krishna.

The caste goswamis may profess faith in the power of the holy name of Lord, but in reality because they do not accept that Westerners chanting the holy name are becoming purified, they do not have such faith.

In the verse, “Dhrti is the fullness felt due to the absence of misery and the attainment of knowledge of the Supreme Lord and pure love for Him. The lamentation that accrues from not obtaining a goal or from losing something already attained does not affect this completeness.” Spiritual lamentation in relationship with Krishna is being mentioned here because at the stage of dhrti mundane lamentation is not present.

Once an architect created a design for the devotees which he was very proud of, but the devotees did not like it. The devotees played around with it for two or three hours and showed it back to the architect, who was most impressed to see they had come up with a much better design than he had, although they had no academic qualifications.

If a particular class of people cannot be elevated [which we do not agree with], then there is no use in preaching to them.

Comments by Kavicandra Swami: Mada which means mad also means intoxicated. Now they have prescription drugs that are worse than the street drugs. How do we know if Krishna is happy? If the devotees are satisfied with us, Krishna is happy.

The point of following sva-dharma is to become attached to Krishna not to become attached to sva-dharma.

Kalki Prabhu:

All the instructions of the yoga system are to make the mind peaceful so one can focus on the Paramatma.

Although the demons perform austerities, there is no purification of their hearts. Rather they retain enmity toward Krishna.

Mahotsaha Prabhu:

The ecstasy of love of God cannot be contained in the material body, and thus there are so many ecstatic symptoms which become manifest.

Who had greater advancement in devotional service in recent years than Srila Prabhupada, and yet he only rarely manifested ecstatic symptoms.

One may ask, “Why does Krishna not give bhakti to everyone?” The answer is “You cannot force someone to love you.” Krishna does not like to interfere with the free will of the living entity.

When one glorifies the Lord he becomes purified and conquers over material existence.

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Although as pure souls we are full of spiritual wisdom, in this world our knowledge is covered. What is it covered by? Kama, selfish desire. Unfortunately in our present civilization, advertising professionals inflame people’s desires for completely unnecessary things thus keeping them in bondage and illusion. People imagine they can achieve satisfaction by fulfilling such desires, but Krishna enlightens us that it is not actually possible. True satisfaction is found on the spiritual plane.

avrtam jnanam etena

jnanino nitya-vairina

kama-rupena kaunteya

duspurenanalena ca

“Thus the wise living entity’s pure consciousness becomes covered by his eternal enemy in the form of lust, which is never satisfied and which burns like fire.” (Bhagavad-gita 3.39)