Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 16, No. 23
By Krishna Kripa Das
(December 2020, part one)
(Sent from Brooklyn on December 19, 2020)
Where I Went and What I Did
I continued staying at Radha Govinda Temple in New York City and assisting Rama Raya Prabhu with his NYC Harinam party, chanting four hours of Hare Krishna in public almost every day. I would also attend the Bhakti Center Thursday night harinama in the Lower East Side and their Sunday harinama in Washington Square Park. I also made laddus for Radha Govinda and Rama Raya Prabhu’s Govardhan sila.
I share notes on Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, The Nectar of Devotion, and Sri Brahma-samhita, and a variety of books by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share notes on lectures at ISKCON NYC by Candrasekhara Swami, and Hansarupa, Rama Raya, Shobha-mayi, Premananda Kirtan, Ter Kadamba, Hari Vilasa, Natabara Gauranga, Ananda-bihari, and Vraja Mohana Prabhus. I also share notes on a recorded lecture by Niranjana Swami.
Many, many thanks to Mera Chitra and Bhaktin Elena for their very generous donations. Thanks to Kaliya Krishna Prabhu for the many videos and photos in which I appear.
Itinerary
September 12–January 2: NYC Harinam
December ?: ISKCON NYC Sunday feast lecture (via zoom)
December 24: Albany, Christmas Eve with relatives (via zoom)
January 3–April 5: Orlando and Tallahassee harinama and college outreach
April 6: New York
Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City
During our four-hour harinamas, I would sing for between half an hour and an hour.
Most often I would either be in back of the book table or off to the side, dancing and offering pamphlets to those who appeared attracted by the chanting.
Kaliya Krishna Prabhu took a couple of videos of me chanting Hare Krishna in November which I forgot to upload:
Here I chant Hare Krishna at Columbus Circle (https://youtu.be/ajeiODPvVLQ):
And the next day I chanted Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park (https://youtu.be/1B-Iw_jcBTw):
That brings us up to December.
Here I chant Hare Krishna in Midtown Manhattan indoors, where we are obliged by the civic authorities to wear a mask (https://youtu.be/lnw-uNnxMUY):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Radha Govinda Temple after Guru Puja (https://youtu.be/gylrqhdAuTk):
Here I chant in Brooklyn (https://youtu.be/Jsa0gGUXLIU):
I chanted Hare Krishna in Downtown Manhattan the next day (https://youtu.be/_8I9eACM9UY):
Here Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna later that day (https://youtu.be/UoE_yNYzLSc):
Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan at a former venue of ours which was under construction for almost two years during which time we could not use it (https://youtu.be/or37BZabbQs):
Here I lead the Hare Krishna chant on the Bhakti Center Thursday night harinama outside a Lower East Side cafe while simultaneously filming diners enjoying dancing with the devotees (https://youtu.be/5YV6gtu9_28):
Devarsi Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Queens, and a passerby dances (https://youtu.be/SLxPwssp8dw):
Braja Sakhi Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna in Midtown Manhattan, and Ananda Kirtan Prabhu dances while distributing books (https://youtu.be/etZ0otKjaXQ):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Midtown Manhattan, a couple plays shakers and dances, passersby take videos, and Caitanya Priya Prabhu sells transcendental literature (https://youtu.be/ol6Atk08VV4):
Minna chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park during the Bhakti Center Sunday harinama (https://youtu.be/aJsWwgKAgf0):
Then Premananda Kirtan Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna along the streets of Downtown Manhattan (https://youtu.be/e-mBTLSiBJ0):
When the Bhakti Center harinama party returned to Washington Square Park, a tall lady dressed in black delighted in dancing with the devotees as Premananda Kirtan continued to sing (https://youtu.be/t_vyPhcJa-0):
Here I chant Hare Krishna in Midtown Manhattan (https://youtu.be/lnw-uNnxMUY):
Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in New York City, and Premananda Kirtan Prabhu plays trumpet (https://youtu.be/vf7MxTQkf5c):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants an especially fired-up Hare Krishna kirtan in Midtown Manhattan, and a passerby dances (https://youtu.be/bqrYmF-bD3c):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and a passerby dances with devotees (https://youtu.be/peuNaezPUeA):
Ananda Kirtan chants Hare Krishna in Midtown Manhattan (https://youtu.be/kAth7qyA5qE):
I chant in Midtown Manhattan, and Premananda Kirtan Prabhu plays trumpet (https://youtu.be/Ny4EBiUr4QE):
Later Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna, while Premananda Kirtan Prabhu continued to play trumpet (https://youtu.be/WvIUF1ByPlk):
Then Premananda Kirtan Prabhu led the Hare Krishna chant himself (https://youtu.be/w51dExvuP2o):
Braja Sakhi Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna in Downtown Manhattan (https://youtu.be/0ed1kcBSPbc):
Kaliya Krishna Prabhu also took some video of Braja Sakhi chanting (https://youtu.be/5KKKh1xb0qU):
Champakalata Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna on the Bhakti Center Thursday night harinama, and diners at several restaurants in New York City’s Lower East Side participate by playing the tambourine, clapping, taking videos, dancing, accepting literature and even chanting Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/r8gbVVfOfEM):
Champakalata Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna in front of 26 Second Avenue, the site of the first ISKCON center (https://youtu.be/_u51Mh2eg_8):
Premananda Kirtan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna and engages restaurant goers in chanting the response (https://youtu.be/mboBCr-UhTg):
Premananda Kirtan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna and passersby play tambourine, dance, and sometimes chant Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/6RLD4H2jy4k):
Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Midtown Manhattan, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/hj8rUaOt6Bc):
Ishan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Midtown Manhattan (https://youtu.be/wQSWbXp0YgQ):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna to the “Jingle Bells” tune in Midtown Manhattan (https://youtu.be/kNPY_CyzGXQ):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and a couple plays shakers, films, gives a donation, and accepts a book (https://youtu.be/3972hu2V2n4):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and two ladies dance, mostly with one filming the other (https://youtu.be/RuCa3fG16R8):
Premananda Kirtan Prabhu chanted Hare Krisna in Washington Square Park during the Bhakti Center Sunday harinama, and several middle school and high school kids happily danced with devotees (https://youtu.be/SOT0d4oiiDo):
Then Premananda Kirtan Prabhu taught the kids the Hare Krishna mantra, and they enjoyed chanting it as well as dancing (https://youtu.be/B68-sCruEDo):
Premananda Kirtan Prabhu briefly explained bhakti yoga to the kids after they enjoyed chanting and dancing with our kirtan party for several minutes (https://youtu.be/kt4wjXg_gDo):
I gave a couple of them “On Chanting Hare Krishna” after his speech.
Premananda Kirtan Prabhu continued to chant Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park, and a man chanted, danced and played the shakers (https://youtu.be/5dn89EcdFF8):
Caranti Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park, and passersby dance (https://youtu.be/U13rXVPhjiY):
Ananda Kirtan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Radha Govinda Temple, and ladies dance (https://youtu.be/WFwWq8Hg3_E):
Natabara Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Radha Govinda Temple, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/ArNZ6DWbddI):
Natabara Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Midtown Manhattan, and I dance and distribute phamphets (https://youtu.be/zM1mI0KruW4):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Midtown Manhattan (https://youtu.be/_5vQXn0TLbQ):
At breakfast it appeared Bipin made the biggest puris I had ever seen in my life.
I was informed they are a related preparation called
bhatura, and are meant to be very large.
Insights
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.7.28 verse and purport:
“The members of the assembly addressed the Lord: O exclusive shelter for all who are situated in troubled life, in this formidable fort of conditional existence the time element, like a snake, is always looking for an opportunity to strike. This world is full of ditches of so-called distress and happiness, and there are many ferocious animals always ready to attack. The fire of lamentation is always blazing, and the mirage of false happiness is always alluring, but one has no shelter from them. Thus foolish persons live in the cycle of birth and death, always overburdened in discharging their so-called duties, and we do not know when they will accept the shelter of Your lotus feet.
“Purport: Persons who are not in Krishna consciousness are living a very precarious life, as described in this verse, but all these circumstantial conditions are due to forgetfulness of Krishna. The Krishna consciousness movement is meant to give relief to all these bewildered and distressed persons; therefore it is the greatest relief work for all human society, and the workers thereof are the greatest well-wishers, for they follow in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya, who is the greatest friend to all living entities.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.6.6, purport:
“Whatever a person may be in the estimation of the social order of things, if a person tries to reciprocate a feeling of love towards the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is satisfied with the blessings of the Lord, he will at once feel the highest peace of mind for which he is hankering life after life.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.11.2, purport:
“Krishna consciousness and maya are always there, side by side. As soon as there is awakening of Krishna consciousness, all the illusory pains and pleasures of material existence are vanquished. Mayam etam taranti te: [Bg. 7.14] constant chanting of the maha-mantra will keep us always aloof from the illusory energy of maya.”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 11:
“In the Hari-bhakti-vilasa there is the following statement about self-surrender: ‘My dear Lord, a person who has surrendered himself unto You, who is in firm conviction that he is Yours, and who actually acts in that way by his body, mind and words, can actually relish transcendental bliss.’”
“In the Skanda Purana there is another statement about tulasi, as follows: ‘Tulasi is auspicious in all respects. Simply by seeing, simply by touching, simply by remembering, simply by praying to, simply by bowing before, simply by hearing about or simply by sowing this tree, there is always auspiciousness. Anyone who comes in touch with the tulasi tree in the above-mentioned ways lives eternally in the Vaikuntha [spiritual] world.’”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 22.103:
“‘The living entity who is subjected to birth and death attains immortality when he gives up all material activities, dedicates his life to the execution of My order, and acts according to My directions. In this way he becomes fit to enjoy the spiritual bliss derived from exchanging loving mellows with Me.’
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 22.109, purport:
“One has to learn to use a typewriter by following the regulative principles of the typing book. One has to place his fingers on the keys in such a way and practice, but when one becomes adept, he can type swiftly and correctly without even looking at the keys. Similarly, one has to follow the rules and regulations of devotional service as they are set down by the spiritual master; then one can come to the point of spontaneous loving service. This love is already there within the heart of everyone (nitya-siddha krishna-prema).”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 22.118, purport:
“In our Krishna consciousness movement we have therefore limited our study of the Vedic literatures to the Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Caitanya-caritamrita and Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu. These four works are sufficient for preaching purposes. They are adequate for the understanding of the philosophy and the spreading of missionary activities all over the world. If one studies a particular book, he must do so thoroughly. That is the principle. By thoroughly studying a limited number of books, one can understand the philosophy.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 22.128–129:
“One should associate with devotees, chant the holy name of the Lord, hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, reside at Mathura and worship the Deity with faith and veneration. These five limbs of devotional service are the best of all. Even a slight performance of these five awakens love for Krishna.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 23.69:
“The transcendental qualities of Lord Krishna are unlimited. Out of these, sixty-four are considered prominent. The ears of the devotees are satisfied simply by hearing all these qualities one after the other.”
[These are: “(1) beautiful features of the entire body; (2) marked with all auspicious characteristics; (3) extremely pleasing; (4) effulgent; (5) strong; (6) ever youthful; (7) wonderful linguist; (8) truthful; (9) talks pleasingly; (10) fluent; (11) highly learned; (12) highly intelligent; (13) a genius; (14) artistic; (15) extremely clever; (16) expert; (17) grateful; (18) firmly determined; (19) an expert judge of time and circumstances; (20) sees and speaks on the authority of the Vedas, or scriptures; (21) pure; (22) self-controlled; (23) steadfast; (24) forbearing; (25) forgiving; (26) grave; (27) self-satisfied; (28) possessing equilibrium; (29) magnanimous; (30) religious; (31) heroic; (32) compassionate; (33) respectful; (34) gentle; (35) liberal; (36) shy; (37) the protector of surrendered souls; (38) happy; (39) the well-wisher of devotees; (40) controlled by love; (41) all-auspicious; (42) most powerful; (43) all-famous; (44) popular; (45) partial to devotees; (46) very attractive to all women; (47) all-worshipable; (48) all-opulent; (49) all-honorable; (50) the supreme controller; (51) changeless; (52) all-cognizant; (53) ever fresh; (54) sac-cid-ananda (possessing an eternal blissful body); (55) possessing all mystic perfections. (56) He has inconceivable potency. (57) Uncountable universes generate from His body. (58) He is the original source of all incarnations. (59) He is the giver of salvation to the enemies whom He kills. (60) He is the attractor of liberated souls. (61) He is the performer of wonderful varieties of pastimes (especially His childhood pastimes). (62) He is surrounded by devotees endowed with wonderful love of Godhead. (63) He can attract all living entities all over the universes by playing on His flute. (64) He has a wonderful excellence of beauty that cannot be rivaled anywhere in the creation.” (The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 21)]
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 23.95–98:
“‘For those who are completely washed of all material contamination by pure devotional service, who are always satisfied and brightly enlightened in the heart, who are always attached to understanding the transcendental meaning of Srimad-Bhagavatam, who are always eager to associate with advanced devotees, whose happiness in the service of the lotus feet of Govinda is their very life, who always discharge the confidential activities of love — for such advanced devotees, who are by nature situated in bliss, the seed of love [rati] is expanded in the heart by previous and current reformatory processes. Thus the mixture of ecstatic ingredients becomes tasty and, being within the perception of the devotee, reaches the highest platform of wonder and deep bliss.’”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya 20.14:
“‘The result of chanting is that one awakens his love for Krishna and tastes transcendental bliss. Ultimately one attains the association of Krishna and engages in His devotional service, as if immersing himself in a great ocean of love.’”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam Introduction:
“The Lord’s congregational sankirtana movement at Puri was a unique exhibition for the mass of people. That is the way to turn the mass mind towards spiritual realization. The Lord inaugurated this system of mass sankirtana, and leaders of all countries can take advantage of this spiritual movement in order to keep the mass of people in a pure state of peace and friendship with one another. This is now the demand of the present human society all over the world.”
“He [Lord Caitanya] passed through the jungles of Jharikhanda (Madhya Bharata), and all the wild animals also joined His sankirtana movement. The wild tigers, elephants, bears and deer all together accompanied the Lord, and the Lord accompanied them in sankirtana. By this He proved that by the propagation of the sankirtana movement (congregational chanting and glorifying of the name of the Lord) even the wild animals can live in peace and friendship, and what to speak of men who are supposed to be civilized. No man in the world will refuse to join the sankirtana movement. Nor is the Lord’s sankirtana movement restricted to any caste, creed, color or species. Here is direct evidence of His great mission: He allowed even the wild animals to partake in His great movement.”
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura:
From Sri Brahma-samhita 5.38, purport:
“Nowadays also the devotees see Him [Krishna] in Vraja in their hearts, saturated with devotion although they do not see Him with their eyes. The eye of devotion is nothing but the eye of the pure unalloyed spiritual self of the jiva. The form of Krishna is visible to that eye in proportion to its purification by the practice of devotion. When the devotion of the neophyte reaches the stage of bhava-bhakti the pure eye of that devotee is tinged with the salve of love by the grace of Krishna, which enables him to see Krishna face to face. The phrase ‘in their hearts’ means Krishna is visible in proportion as their hearts are purified by the practice of devotion.”
From Sri Brahma-samhita 5.55:
“I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, the meditators of whom, by meditating upon Him under the sway of wrath, amorous passion, natural friendly love, fear, parental affection, delusion, reverence and willing service, attain to bodily forms befitting the nature of their contemplation.”
“Purport: Bhakti is roused by following with a tinge of faith in the rule of the sastras [scriptures] and instruction of the preceptors. Such bhakti is of the nature of loyalty to the scriptural regulations. It continues to be operative as long as the corresponding natural feeling is not roused. If a person loves Krishna out of natural tendency. there is the principle of raga, which is no other than a strong desire to serve, which turns into bhava or substantive feeling. When the substantive feeling is aroused the devotee becomes an object of mercy of Krishna. It takes much time to attain this stage. Devotion which is of the nature of feeling is superior to that connected with scriptural regulation, soon attains to the realized state and is attractive to Krishna.”
From Sri Brahma-samhita 5.56:
“I worship that transcendental seat, known as Svetadvipa where as loving consorts the Laksmis in their unalloyed spiritual essence practice the amorous service of the Supreme Lord Krishna as their only lover; where every tree is a transcendental purpose tree; where the soil is the purpose gem, all water is nectar, every word is a song, every gait is a dance, the flute is the favorite attendant, effulgence is full of transcendental bliss and the supreme spiritual entities are all enjoyable and tasty, where numberless milk cows always emit transcendental oceans of milk; where there is eternal existence of transcendental time, who is ever present and without past or future and hence is not subject to the quality of passing away even for the space of half a moment. That realm is known as Goloka only to a very few self-realized souls in this world.”
From Sri Brahma-samhita 5.59:
“The highest devotion is attained by slow degrees by the method of constant endeavor for self-realization with the help of scriptural evidence, theistic conduct and perseverance in practice.”
From Sri Brahma-samhita 5.60, purport:
“He who cultivates the preliminary devotional activities anxiously keeping in view that realized state of devotion can alone attain to that object of all endeavor.”
The humble servants of Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.12.69:
“Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, the son of Vyasadeva, Sukadeva Gosvami. It is he who defeats all inauspicious things within this universe. Although in the beginning he was absorbed in the happiness of Brahman realization and was living in a secluded place, giving up all other types of consciousness, he became attracted by the pleasing, most melodious pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna. He therefore mercifully spoke this supreme Purana, Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is the bright light of the Absolute Truth and which describes the activities of the Lord.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.13.11–12:
“From beginning to end, the Srimad-Bhagavatam is full of narrations that encourage renunciation of material life, as well as nectarean accounts of Lord Hari’s transcendental pastimes, which give ecstasy to the saintly devotees and demigods. This Bhagavatam is the essence of all Vedanta philosophy because its subject matter is the Absolute Truth, which, while nondifferent from the spirit soul, is the ultimate reality, one without a second. The goal of this literature is exclusive devotional service unto that Supreme Truth.”
“Purport: Thus the ultimate goal of Srimad-Bhagavatam is to train the sincere reader in love of Godhead. Lord Krishna is supremely lovable because of His eternal, transcendental qualities. The beauty of this world is a dim reflection of the unlimited beauty of the Lord. Without compromise, Srimad-Bhagavatam persistently declares the glories of the Absolute Truth and is therefore the supreme spiritual literature, awarding a full taste of the nectar of love of Krishna in full Krishna consciousness.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From Free Write Journal #120:
“Prabhupada says we should always be engaged in Krishna conscious thought, and I try to do that faithfully.”
From Prabhupada Meditations, Volume 4:
“If we are fortunate to live in a society of devotees, then, whether we ‘notice’ or not, we are regularly being exposed to Prabhupada’s lectures, books, kirtanas, and way of life. Even when we don’t actively remember him, we can be assured that our inner self is benefiting by exposure to Prabhupada. If an iron rod is placed in fire, gradually it will become hotter and hotter, even if only by imperceptible degrees. Prabhupada used to give the example that a preoccupied airplane passenger may not notice when the plane takes off, but, after a while, he will be surprised to see that he is thousands of feet above the earth. Similarly, even if we sometimes fail to notice the benefit of living in Prabhupada’s shelter, eventually, Prabhupada will bless us to become more aware.”
“Until each of us can honestly say we like Prabhupada’s company, how will Krishna bring us to Prabhupada in the next life? Krishna looks deep into our hearts at the time of death. As Supersoul, He fulfills our heartfelt desires. He also gives us what we deserve. We may say we want to go to Prabhupada, but if we do not deserve it by our surrender and service, or if we do not really desire it, then Krishna will reward us accordingly. Of course, Prabhupada will not forsake us, and he will return in some form or other to awaken our Krishna consciousness and bring us back to His service. Our duty is to realize Prabhupada’s mercy on the heart level and then to serve the pure devotee. We cannot realize his mercy only philosophically. As we advance more, we will come to relish his company.
“One aspect of Prabhupada’s mercy is that he allowed people to approach him in different ways. Some devotees liked to be close to Prabhupada and to engage themselves directly in his personal service; others preferred to serve his order in other ways. There is not necessarily any difference in each person’s affection for Prabhupada. While Prabhupada might praise his servant for his nice cooking, another devotee serving away from Prabhupada may receive his encouragement when he hears of that devotee’s preaching. Prabhupada himself said that the preacher is more important than the ‘oil-smearing secretary.’
“There are different ways to express loyalty and love for Prabhupada. By Prabhupada’s grace, we can all find a way to like his company.”
“Where should one go with such shameful doubts? Therefore I appreciated that Prabhupada was always available for us to hear our most basic, obnoxious doubts. We often expressed them on morning walks in what appeared to be a mock debate. He often invited us to take the roles of scientists and theologians. Prabhupada would say, ‘What do they say?’ He was inviting us to bring out our own skepticism. In the name of giving scientific arguments, we eagerly expressed our doubts. Then Prabhupada would directly confront them and defeat them. He defeated us with direct, simple logic and sastra. Prabhupada never shied away from dealing with us, even when we were doubtful; he never told us we had no right to be doubtful, but instead dismantled our skeptical thoughts and built our faith. It was refreshing.”
From My Purpose at Isola di Albarella:
“SP said, ‘Birth, marriage and
death are important – a father
spends a fortune for the first two
and the son spends on death.’”
“You are not living with devotees in a temple. ‘Can you live outside and practice Krishna consciousness?’ Someone asked SP after a lecture in Melbourne. He said, ‘Yes, this is just an example (what we are doing in our temple). You can do it in your own home.’ He said that. Practice KC wherever you are.”
From Free Write Journal #121:
“Some disciples with a ‘mystical’ attitude think I know everything about them without their telling me. But Prabhupada once wrote me, ‘Don’t keep me in the dark.’ He wanted regular correspondence and hearing from me about my service to him in the message.
“Unless they write to me, how can I respond to them and keep up to date with their activities and struggles? Not writing to me weakens their position.”
From Prabhupada Meditations, Volume 4:
“Doing the Needful
“Prabhupada always did the needful—whatever was best for spreading Krishna consciousness. His own Krishna consciousness was mature; therefore, he wanted to give Krishna consciousness to others. As he preached, his own enthusiasm and attachment to Krishna increased more and more. Although he was perfect, the ocean of Krishna consciousness is always increasing.”
From The Qualities of Sri Krishna:
“Most Powerful
“The holy name is so powerful that compared to it, everything else appears inconsequential. Whatever good is to be found in anything in this world, it is only in its ability to lead someone to the feet of the holy name. Scriptural study, which leads the intellect to understand the difference between matter and spirit, is culminated when the scholar chants the holy name. Karma-kandiya activities culminate when the fruitive worker realizes that he must surrender to Krishna through His holy name. Every activity culminates in surrender to the holy name.
“Srila Prabhupada was immersed in chanting Hare Krishna—Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare. Aware of the holy name’s power, he was confident enough to travel to America. He knew that although the Hare Krishna mantra would sound foreign to Western ears, the holy name was so powerful that it could manifest in their hearts regardless. By Srila Prabhupada’s mercy, the powerful movement of chanting the holy names is spreading to every town and village around the world.
“The holy name’s power is not yet fully unleashed in Kali-yuga. People can see Krishna, if only they will take wholeheartedly to chanting. Those who are already chanting can see the holy name’s power in their lives. Spreading the power of the holy name is the work of the Hare Krishna movement.”
From Japa Walks, Japa Talks:
“When I say we have to show Krishna our sincerity by our chanting effort, and that wonderful, auspicious things will come from the Lord when we increase our efforts—I feel excited. I start getting the inkling for an idea. Maybe it’s another vain idea, and I can attain the summit by increasing my numerical strength of chanting, or something. But what is a person supposed to live for, except the hope to improve?”
Candrasekhara Swami:
The virat form of the Lord is described to be imaginary. It is said to exist to help those who have an impersonal idea of God to conceive of God in a personal way.
Arjuna asked to see the universal form of Krishna so people could see that not only could Krishna talk about His opulence as the Supreme Lord, but He could practically demonstrate it.
Opulence and sweetness cannot go together. Otherwise you have rasa-abhasa.
Krishna does not say the living entities are His temporary parts but that they are His eternal parts.
The Mayavadis really have no answer to the question, “Where does the illusion come from?”
The Mayavadi philosophy sounds good when you first hear it, but the more you examine it, the more problems you find with it, and one of these is that the Vedic literature does not support it, and Srila Prabhupada quotes many verses to this effect.
People put forward philosophies by explaining creation so it is important to know about it.
In this material world, we imagine the various screen plays we have written for ourselves are actually factual.
The senses come from the Supreme Lord, and they are meant to serve the Supreme Lord.
Q (by Premananda Kirtan Prabhu): Is there a difference between the universal form in Srimad-Bhagavatam and the universal form in Bhagavad-gita?
A: I had the same question, and I looked in the Folio, and it looks like they are pretty much the same. In the Gita, Krishna speaks about His opulences in Chapter 10, and He demonstrates them in Chapter 11. In both cases there is a correspondence between some part of the universe and some part of the body of God.
When Krishna went to make His final peace offer between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, Duryodhana had a plan to capture Krishna and hold Him for ransom. When his soldiers moved forward to do this, Krishna said, “Oh, you think I have come here alone?” and He manifested from His body a universal form with all the demigods, etc., and Duryodhana became inert in surprise, having no clue what to do next. Then Krishna absorbed the universal form back into Himself and left. Later Duryodhana spoke of Krishna as playing some mystical trick.
Regarding the Purusa-sukta, sukta comes from two words, su meaning auspicious and ukta meaning said. Thus sukta means ‘well said’.
The material world is designed in such a way that the living beings cannot understand where it came from. Only a very sincere person who studies the Vedic literature and serves the Supreme Lord, can understand why the universe exists, how it is deployed, and how we can get out of it.
There is a rare phenomena where someone has been in a vegetative state for months and then suddenly they become fully functional for an hour or so and then they die. Medical science really has no explanation for how this can happen.
There are others cases where people who have hydrocephalus and are missing 60 to 80% of their brains are fully functional.
These cases show there are other principles that are functioning which science does not know about.
From a conversation:
Materialism does not just bring down individuals; it brings down whole societies.
Materialism ends up with people smoking more and enjoying less. You are doing the same things, but they do not do the same thing for you.
Niranjana Swami:
From a class on Brhad-bhagavatamrita:
It is important to hear of the greatness of the Lord so we come to understand He is in a superior position and that we should serve Him. When we understand we are meant to please Him, we can come to have a more intimate relationship with Him.
Hansarupa Prabhu:
Several times during a 1976 visit to Mayapur, Srila Prabhupada mentioned to the devotees that if one sees a situation contaminated by the mode of ignorance and one does not act to correct it, he himself is contaminated by the mode of ignorance.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura had a vision of a city where devotees from all over the world would chant the holy name of the Lord together. Srila Prabhupada expanded upon that original vision.
The Mayapur Chandra deity originally in Prabhupada’s hut is now in his room.
Sometimes a teacher marks on a curve when everyone in the class does poorly as a concession. Lord Caitanya gives such a concession to the residents of the Kali-yuga.
We are simply trying to distribute this transcendental knowledge.
Sometimes our members go elsewhere to acquire knowledge, but generally that knowledge tends to disconnect them from Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada told Acyutananda Prabhu, who was a swami at that time, “Never trust a swami who doesn’t dance.” He meant that a swami who does not take pleasure in his spiritual practice must be taking pleasure from a material source.
Srila Prabhupada spoke minimum words with maximum effect.
He would quote a Bengali saying that your bhajana [meditation] and puja [worship] will be tested at the time of death.
When people say, “I have no time” they mean “I am wasting so much time in useless fruitive activities, I have no time to hear about the eternal benefit of the soul.”
In the beginning I was attracted by the incense. You could smell it outside the temple. We all had incense in those days [the 1970s], but the incense from the temple was something special.
Several times Srila Prabhupada said, “The temple is Vaikuntha [the spiritual world].”
Kali-yuga is fertile ground for sharing spiritual wisdom because people can see how the material world is a miserable place.
“There is nothing I can do to guarantee my happiness” – I had tried everything by age 23 and that was my realization.
Lust converted is intense hankering for the Personality of Godhead.
One should retire at fifty years and go to the preaching field, while he still has something to give. Then one will have no regrets.
There is no guarantee we will be surrounded by devotees chanting Hare Krishna at the time of death. There was a devotee who retired to Vrindavan, but when he was near the end of his life, his family forcibly took him away, so he died in some unknown location away from devotees. There has been more than one case like that.
As a new temple resident I saw the poster of Radha and Krishna holding a flute together. I asked Dravida Prabhu, “Why is Krishna holding a pipe?” Dravida expressed some surprise and explained that Krishna plays the flute. He went on to tell of some of Krishna’s pastimes with the flute which were over my head at the time.
Every moment is an opportunity to preach.
In those days, at Govinda’s it was $1.99 all you can eat, and we would give a free book.
Books have a mystical effect on people because they know within them is knowledge.
Comment by Natabara Gauranga Prabhu: Knowledge is power. So books are a superpower.
Robert Nelson did all kinds of things for Srila Prabhupada when he lived uptown. I was locking up the temple at 55th Street after the Sunday feast. I saw a street person outside the temple. “Where is Swamiji?” he said.
“Which Swamiji? Do you mean Srila Prabhupada?” I replied.
“Yes, Prabhupada,” he answered.
I told him the sad news, “He left this world a few months ago.”
He was devastated.
He ended up doing a lot of handyman work, not at 55th St, but here at 305 Schermerhorn St. He became initiated by Vipramukhya Swami as Jagannatha Prasad. He passed away years ago. The devotees did a nice memorial service for him.
Comment by Bhakta Alex: One man I saw on 3rd St. said I met your Prabhupada outside a drugstore. The man started tearing up, and said, “He is not from this planet. He was sent here on a mission.”
Even in Genesis it is said the living entity is injected into the material elements from the breath of God.
Everything is related to the Supreme Lord. There is nothing bad because the Supreme Lord is ultimately good.
We should strive to attain the level of consciousness where we are not bewildered by the appearance and disappearance of the Lord in this world.
Now Mayapur is a tourist destination. There was a group from NYU who took a tourist boat up the Ganges from Kolkata, got off at Prabhupada Ghat, and walked to our temple in Mayapur.
People specialize in certain areas of the law because there are so many laws. In the field of religion, we specialize in unalloyed devotion to the Supreme Lord.
How do devotees go on with confidence in these trying times? Because they have full faith in the Personality of Godhead.
The devotees do not have time to worry because they are busy trying to increase their service to the Supreme Lord.
To touch the fabric of the spiritual realm we have to engage in the activities of that realm.
To continue to taste in spiritual life one must continue the pure motive. We must be willing to follow the minimum standard of chanting 16 rounds, following the four rules, and rendering service.
If one sins and asks for forgiveness each week, what if he dies before the next confession?
If we practice to always remember Krishna we will find it is possible.
Every enjoyment known to man is fleeting.
We are the only ones who know how to get pleasure without artificial means.
We get pleasure reading this transcendental literature and discussing it among devotees. We have all experienced this.
So many people who have read Science of Self-Realization have become devotees because it is as if Srila Prabhupada is personally speaking to them.
People are always seeking direction. Formerly they used stars; now they use artificial satellites.
All knowledge is at our fingertips, if we want it.
Srila Prabhupada said if you do not know what day it is, you are in maya.
God is in control. Thus we do not have to worry.
In martial arts they say, “Do not block what is not going to hit you.”
You get a new vision with each stage of advancement.
Rama Raya Prabhu:
Srila Prabhupada was ordered three times by his guru in dreams to take sannyasa [the renounced order of life]. The final time was in Vrindavan, and his guru said previously the time was not right, but now it was time to take sannyasa.
There was a young man from Amsterdam who was an architect, and Srila Prabhupada gave him photos of a prominent Vrindavan temple and asked him to design the Juhu Bombay temple. He gave him initiation immediately, along with that important engagement. That is from the memoir of Surabhi [who was himself that architect].
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said that the motto of his Gaudiya Math is everyone goes back home back to Godhead.
People tend to not understand how much purification is required to attain an intimate relationship with Krishna. In particular the prakrta-sahajiyas seriously misunderstand this.
Srila Prabhupada stopped a very showy devotee in the beginning of his attempt to chant the guru-puja kirtan, and asked a gurukula boy who was not particularly musically inclined but was very enthusiastic to sing instead, and Srila Prabhupada greatly appreciated the boy’s kirtan.
In the spiritual world there is no duality between the devotee’s internal consciousness and his expression of it as you often find with people in this world.
Srila Prabhupada saw a deity plate and pointed to one item and asked his disciple what it was. The devotee explained it was the daily sweet. Srila Prabhupada said he could understand that but asked what sweet it exactly was. The devotee replied that it was peanut burfi. Srila Prabhupada impressed upon him that he had taught them so many wonderful sweets that there was no need for that concoction.
Prabhupada said carob is for hippies and not to be offered to the deities.
In Sri Sri Radha-kripa-kataksha-stava-raja, Radharani is glorified for being natural and spontaneous.
God does not force us to go away from Him. It is just our choice.
The devotees do not require material bodies because material bodies are only needed by those who have material desires.
The result of attempting to render pure devotional service is that you realize how much additional purification you still have to do.
Shobha-mayi Devi Dasi:
Because King Pariksit was a great devotee of Krishna he could accept the fact that he was cursed to die in seven days was Krishna’s mercy.
By worshiping some demigods, you may get your desires fulfilled, and you may achieve this planet or that planet, but you have to come back here when the results are finished.
Five powerful warriors could not save Draupadi, but Krishna saved her.
Premananda Kirtan Prabhu:
The universal form contains things we can actually perceive with our senses and thus we can connect with God in that way.
Although we have so much knowledge given to us, sometimes we are still confused. When this happens, by the association of the Vaishnavas we can get the inspiration and direction to continue.
As we do our harinama and book distribution, we have to see ourselves as instruments of Krishna’s mercy.
When my family visited me on the Polish tour for three days, that was more transforming for them spiritually than any other previous interaction I had with them, but that could not have happened if I did not maintain a positive relationship with them for years.
Comment by Rama Raya Prabhu: Srila Prabhupada writes that the prayer of the devotee for the upliftment of others is always answered.
Ter Kadamba Prabhu:
A transcendental religion as opposed to a mundane religion can show how everything is connected with God.
Brahma is happy that Narada is inquiring from him about the source of the universe rather than trying to figure it out by his own experiment and speculation.
You see a materialist after ten years, and you see they are dealing with the same issues, but you see a devotee after ten years, and you see how much they have progressed.
People sometimes say, “I do devotional service when I feel like it.” That is not spontaneous. That is sporadic.
Hari Vilasa Prabhu:
We are ordained a certain place in this world, and we are placed there.
Similarly we can be placed in the kingdom of God, but we cannot enter there by force.
To attain any position, you have to pay the price to go there.
If we attain a place based on our consciousness, the question is how to attain the consciousness of the kingdom of God.
The universe is organized so people with a similar mentality live together.
To advance we have to seek the association of those who are more advanced.
There is a saying, “If you are the smartest person in a room, you are in the wrong room.”
If you can be friends with devotees, 90% of your spiritual life is successful.
If you do not get taste in devotional friendship, you will seek it elsewhere.
Respect is the basis of Vaishnava relationships and not just an official respect demonstrated by acting in certain ways.
To think you are entitled to someone’s time or association is the most objectionable mentality.
You do not choose your friends. Others choose you as a friend. You consider yourself to be their servant. In this way friendships are sustained.
When two devotees can act on the Vaishnava platform, they have already entered into the kingdom of God.
The mood of the preacher is to look for signs of sincerity and then willingly extend himself or herself.
When we associate with advanced devotees, if we are fortunate we can see Krishna through their eyes.
We see in the Bhagavatam in different peoples’ lives at some point they have a breakthrough.
In the mode of passion, all you can see is what you want.
It is amazing how much people suffer unnecessarily simply because they are stubborn.
Even people with great spiritual potency can only help you if you allow them to. Some people who met Srila Prabhupada surrendered themselves completely and became his disciples while others considered him an ordinary man.
Q (by me): My father died when I was 12, and my grandmother died when I was 13. It is hard to develop intimate relationships with people when I know I will be separated from them by death.
A: Although as with others, we are separated from our devotee friends when they die, our attachment to devotee friends who have departed draws us closer to Krishna and therefore they are valuable spiritually.
This world is not a comedy or an action movie but a tragedy.
Lord Rama shows the tragic reality of human life, but if it is done in terms of dharma, it is noble and glorious.
Natabara Gauranga Prabhu:
In Jaiva Dharma Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that a society’s impiety is indicated by its lack of varnasrama [the system of social and spiritual orders recommended by the Supreme Lord and meant to uplift society spiritually].
In our present society everyone is encouraged to study in school, in elementary school, in high school, and then in college, but that is not actually ideal. Many occupations do not require so many years of education, and thus many people are simply wasting their time.
In Krishna’s own life as a vaisya youth, He did not require much education to help his father tend the cows. Only later after he left Vrindavan, he studied under his guru, Sandipani Muni, as a ksatriya prince.
The brahmana’s education never stops.
Unless a brahmana performs the three compulsory duties, he has no right to accept charity.
According to Lord Caitanya, eating karmi grains gives you karmi brains.
Q (by Caranti Devi Dasi): What do you do if people give you unofferable things on sankirtana.
A: It is important for them that you accept what is offered, but it is important for yourself that you do not eat or offer forbidden things. Thus you have to somehow dispose of it.
Ananda-bihari Prabhu:
In sharing Krishna consciousness we have to figure out how to bypass a person’s ego.
“You are a person. You have likes and dislikes. God can not be less than that.”
God’s only business is to exchange love with His devotees.
This coronavirus is not coming from China. It is coming from Krishna. It is to help us to learn that this world is not a place to become comfortable in.
If you think “I am not paying my bills, I am paying Krishna’s bills,” it is a lot easier to get excited about paying them.
When we encounter challenges in life, we can think, “Let this purify me.”
Kaustubha says that the impersonalist idea of reducing activities to zero to achieve peace is like a debtor aspiring to be out of debt instead of aspiring to have a positive balance.
Because Krishna is giving us our karma, He can take it away.
Comment by Divyanga Devi Dasi: Instead of thinking “Why is Krishna doing something to me?” we can think “Why is Krishna doing something for me?” Just one word difference.
Our material life can end in a second, just as a nightmare can end in a second as soon as we wake up.
If you work for God, you do not have to worry about Him going out of business.
Comment by Lumi: I decreased my expenses so I would not have to work so much, and I would have more time for my spiritual life. Now I live in a van.
Vraja Mohana Prabhu:
Aindra Prabhu was asked by a devotee why he had not attained suddha-nama, the pure chanting of the holy name, although he had chanted for so many years.
Aindra Prabhu snapped back, “Who is stopping you?” In this way, he reminded us that it is our fault we have not attained that stage.
In Harinama-cintamani it is said that offensive chanting can give one impersonal liberation, but by nama-abhasa chanting can give one of the Vaishnava kinds of liberation in Vaikuntha-loka [the spiritual world]. Thus one who passes by the harinama party and chants a couple of holy names can actually attain the spiritual world.
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jivera ‘svarupa’ haya — krishnera ‘nitya-dasa’
[Lord Caitanya tells the inquisitive Sanatana Goswami:] “It is the living entity’s constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Krishna because he is the marginal energy of Krishna and a manifestation simultaneously one with and different from the Lord.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 20.108)
This important verse by Lord Caitanya informs us that as spiritual souls we are marginal energy and can thus take shelter of the spiritual energy of the Lord or the material energy of the Lord. When under the control of the material energy we suffer varieties of inevitable miseries in our material life although we constantly endeavor for happiness. Thus the best course is to take shelter of the spiritual energy of the Lord for then we will just experience spiritual pleasure even when situated in this material world. We can take shelter of the spiritual energy by performing acts of devotion to the Supreme Lord, the most recommended one being for this period in time, according to the Vedic literature of India, the congregational chanting of the holy name of the Supreme Lord. I encourage everyone to attempt this and see if you like how the spiritual energy feels compared to the material energy, and set yourself up for the best possible future.
