Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 17, No. 2
By Krishna Kripa Das
(January 2021, part two)
Orlando, Tampa, Gainesville
(Sent from Gainesville on February 6, 2021)
Where I Went and What I Did
I remained in Orlando, with a party of Krishna House devotees, many I knew from before, who are doing outreach at University of Central Florida. I was able to assist by chanting three hours with them at the University each day. Mitra Prabhu, a Prabhupada disciple and musician, stayed a few more days, giving us new life. While there I had a wonderful experience leading a kirtan program for new people called Meditation Monday. I also made two brief trips to Tampa, one for a Friday night harinama and the other for a Sunday feast lecture. While in Orlando, Chandra interviewed me about the holy name for his YouTube channel and mine. The last six days of January I spent in Gainesville, chanting Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch, at Depot Park, and at Krishna House. I also served Brahmatirtha Prabhu of Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies by helping to catalog the many books donated to the Institute’s library. In addition, I served Jayadvaita Swami by washing his deity paraphernalia after worship and offering items people bought for me to his Krishna Balarama silas. I am continuing to audit Beginning French 2 online through FSU, in hopes of being more useful in Paris in the summers.
I share inspiring quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s books, specifically Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Isopanisad, and Nectar of Instruction. I share a great quote from the Mundaka Upanisad. I share realizations from the writing of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, and quotes from Back to Godhead articles by Nagaraja Prabhu, Visakha Devi Dasi, Karuna Dharini Devi Dasi, and Caitanya Carana Prabhu. I share notes on lectures by Jayadvaita Swami and Janananda Goswami, and by Kalakantha, Mitra, Dvaipayana, Ananda Kirtan, and Brihad Mrdanga Prabhus.
I want to thank Kishor, Gaurav, and Sasha for their generous donations during the second half of January. Thanks to Prishni Dasi of BIHS for reimbursing my travel expense to Gainesville. Thanks to Jeff and Kishor for the rides between Orlando and Tampa. Thanks to Amrita for the many videos with me appearing in them at Lake Eola, downtown Orlando, and the Orlando temple. Thanks to Jaya-Radhika Shyam Devi Dasi for the video of me chanting Hare Krishna in Blanchard Park with ISKCON Orlando congregation.
Itinerary
January 26–February ?: Gainesville harinama and Bhaktivedanta Institute work
February 7: Super Bowl harinama in Tampa
February ?–April 5: Tallahassee harinamas and college outreach
Chanting Hare Krishna in the Orlando Area
Orlando Krishna House devotees, devotees from the ISKCON Orlando congregation, Seth, visiting from Melbourne, and Patita Pavana Gaura Hari Prabhu, visiting from Tampa, chanted Hare Krishna in downtown Orlando one Saturday night.
Different passersby interacted with our party [video by Amrita] (https://youtu.be/bsTljRx9R9s):
Here is a more extensive video taken by me (https://youtu.be/EEeXo46hYpk):
Here Brihat Mridanga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in downtown Orlando on a Saturday night and teaches a guy the mantra (https://youtu.be/bYy2M-8kM4g):
At one point, some passersby danced, including one who stayed with our party until we returned to our van twenty minutes later (https://youtu.be/Olvd1O2SWzE):
Sunday the Krishna House devotees based in Orlando and doing outreach there experimented with chanting Hare Krishna and distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books in Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando during the Sunday farmers market there. Both programs were incredibly successful. Six people joined our chanting party at different times and played instruments and chanted Hare Krishna for over half an hour. The book distributors found many people happy to receive the books.
One thing I like about chanting with a big party is that I do not have to play the instruments but can just dance!
Here Jeremiah chants Hare Krishna and two locals who were friends play the shakers and chant (https://youtu.be/QafSzmec02Y):
Mitra Prabhu, Prabhupada disciple and musician from North Carolina, chants Hare Krishna and two local musicians play the shakers and harmonium and chant the Hare Krishna mantra (https://youtu.be/HMt7nriGmYI):
Mitra Prabhu and Amrita chant Hare Krishna, three locals play the karatalas, shakers and drum and chant (https://youtu.be/2vDsRuILfDw):
Amrita took this video of the same kirtan with me dancing (https://youtu.be/50UsrqzACnI):
Mitra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, three passersby play the shakers and karatalas and chant and Jeremiah dances (https://youtu.be/L2AtwIcXdV0):
I wrote the organizer of the Apopka Martin Luther King parade at 6:00 a.m. the morning of the event. I said we were in the Gainesville parade each year but moved to Orlando, and we’d love to be in her parade. I told her that we contribute by singing, dancing, playing musical instruments, and praising the Lord’s name. She welcomed us. Only Ananda Kirtan Prabhu joined me because the other devotees were tired from doing harinama seven days in a row or else had other engagements. Still many people took videos, gave a thumbs up, smiled, waved, and danced as we chanted Hare Krishna, playing a full-sized harmonium on a strap and a drum. As we passed, the parade organizer read the brief statement about our group, Krishna House Orlando, from the form I had submitted online: “Our tradition comes from India. We sing names of God with musical instruments understanding that hearing divine names awakens our dormant love for the Lord and our brothers and sisters.” After the Apopka Martin Luther King Parade, Ananda Kirtan Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna as we walked back to our car, and a mom and kids took part by playing instruments, chanting, and dancing for quite a while (https://youtu.be/13P98ZmM6lQ):
As we returned to our car, we passed the organizer, and I thanked her for the opportunity. She said now that she had our contact information, we would get the forms in the mail before next year’s parade. I explained that since we had never participated in this Apopka event, others in our group had doubts about coming, but next year we should have more participants.
In Gainesville the Martin Luther King March has perhaps one or two hundred participants, but only ten or twenty people line the 1½-mile route to watch it. In Apopka there were over sixty groups participating and hundreds of people lined the parade route to watch, and thus many more people got to hear the chanting of the holy names in Apopka. It was so nice that I may take the trouble to go to Orlando just to attend it, even if I am elsewhere in North Florida at that time.
Mitra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna and plays the ukulele at Meditation Monday in Orlando (https://youtu.be/KswbhdMXtoc):
Here two University of Central Florida students lead the Hare Krishna chant while attending their first program of ours, encouraged by Mitra Prabhu (https://youtu.be/lvS-8Sy8g5U):
It was impressive to see the enthusiasm of the Orlando Krishna House devotees for engaging students in chanting Hare Krishna on the campus.
Here Amrita encourages a student to chant Hare Krishna at University of Central Florida, and Mitra Prabhu plays ukulele (https://youtu.be/TowGfd5mC4c):
Amrita chants Hare Krishna, and Vova teaches a student the mantra (https://youtu.be/wi-gkB6X3_k):
Jeremiah chants Hare Krishna, and Amrita engages two girls in chanting the mantra (https://youtu.be/VwkF_7A7GEw):
Ananda Kirtan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna during Thoughtful Thursday, an evening program for students in Orlando (https://youtu.be/76ACz6MbVuk):
Devotees spontaneously chant Hare Krishna in happiness after their first Thoughtful Thursday, which was very successful (https://youtu.be/zvEWUr1W6Vo)
Once a month the ISKCON Orlando congregation has a three-hour harinama on a Saturday, and I attended it to encourage them in that important service. They have a book table and distribute prasadam as well as having a chanting party. One lady picnicking nearby was attracted by the kirtan, and she took a Bhagavad-gita and gave a donation. Jaya-Radhika Shyam Devi Dasi took this video when I was leading the kirtan there (https://youtu.be/xvZ2mjBqe_E):
Because the Sunday harinama at the Lake Eola farmers market was so successful, we went there the next week also.
Here Radhika Chandra Devi Dasi of the ISKCON Orlando congregation chants Hare Krishna at Lake Eola in Orlando during the Sunday farmers market (https://youtu.be/5LviioyfpKc):
Jeremiah chants Hare Krishna, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/uhuNBTtSpiE):
Amrita chants Hare Krishna and plays ukulele, and a local musician plays guitar (https://youtu.be/RROakQPMtp8):
The Krishna House Orlando devotees let me lead their Meditation Monday program the day before I left for Gainesville. This was our third program for students, and two guests attended the first program, seven guests attended the second, and ten guests attended this third one. Usually they have introductions, they talk about the chanting briefly, and then they chant for forty-five minutes. I decided to split the forty-five minutes into two twenty minute segments with a brief talk about the mantra in between. I was pleased by the participation of the guests. Amrita took this video clip during our chanting session (https://youtu.be/1cSPWkkoS0I):
Sometimes kirtan leaders let some of the people in the audience lead one mantra during the kirtan. I usually do not do this because Srila Prabhupada did not do this and because if the people do not know the tune or rhythm very well it messes up the kirtan. However, the previous week Mitra Prabhu led the program, and he allowed others to lead for one mantra, even the two guests, a guy and a girl. The girl had a beautiful voice, and the guy did a good job as well. They seemed encouraged by being allowed to lead the mantra, and so I decided to let everyone have a chance to lead one mantra, if they wanted. If they did not want, we would just skip them and continue around the circle. Only two people, one devotee and one guest, wanted to be skipped. At the end we asked for feedback. One male guest said he was apprehensive about leading the mantra, and he almost decided to skip it, but when he was actually doing it, all his anxiety went away, and it felt completely natural. Later a female guest reported almost the same experience: apprehension beforehand, release from anxiety when chanting, and the feeling that it was completely natural. The couple that came to our first Meditation Monday, returned again, this time staying after the program and chanting with devotees for half an hour or so. They said they liked the second time better than the first, and I said, “You should try the third!” And as it turned out, that couple did come the following week to the Meditation Monday program. Adikarta Prabhu led that program, and he gave the girl a harmonium lesson afterward.
Chanting Hare Krishna in Tampa
A couple of friends of mine who were living in Tampa invited me to go there and do harinama. One specifically suggested Ybor City, where he had done a very successful harinama himself. Remembering good experiences chanting Hare Krishna in Ybor City in past years and wanting to encourage devotees to do harinama different cities, I planned to do harinama there the last Friday I was in the Orlando area. Four different devotees expressed interest in attending, but in the end only one of them did, so we had a two-person harinama in Ybor City for an hour and a half. I brought my shakers, and when a group of people showed interesting in our chanting, I would give my shakers to the person in the group who seemed most enthusiastic, and in the course of the evening two girls and a guy took pleasure in playing the shakers, and the girls also delighted in dancing to the kirtan. We passed by a lady with a djembe and a guy with a brass instrument who were taking a break from their street performance, and the lady really enjoyed playing her drum in time with the kirtan I was leading with a mridanga. My friend, Jeff, who lived in the NYC Harinam ashram back when we were on MacDougal St., gave me a ride all the way from Orlando to Tampa and back. He also played the shakers and passed out free literature during the harinama. One hippy was a little interested in the chanting, and Jeff invited him to the temple.
I gave the Saturday morning class at Vivasvan Prabhu’s temple in Tampa, and Kishor invited me to come back and give the Sunday feast lecture, promising to give me a donation and to drive me back to Orlando. Thus somehow or other, I made two trips to Tampa within two days, but I was happy because I felt I increased the devotional service going on there, and I met some old friends.
Chanting Hare Krishna in Gainesville
Brahmatirtha Prabhu, who plays a leading role in Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies in Gainesville, invited me to come there and help catalog the over three thousand books donated to their library. Srila Prabhupada considered the Bhaktivedanta Institute work very important, and because I worked with Sadaputa Prabhu for seventeen years, I felt I should continue to support it. Thus after spending thirteen days in Orlando, a couple with trips to Tampa, I relocated to Gainesville, where I chanted Hare Krishna during Krishna Lunch on the weekdays and in Depot Park on the weekends, and where I spent some time each day entering information on the books in the library into a computer.
I was very inspired to see so many devotees, who have joined Krishna House since my last visit in March 2020, are very enthusiastic for Hare Krishna kirtan.
Max, who has come to Krishna House within the past year, chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch at University of Florida in Gainesville (https://youtu.be/9agWT_K5SDg):
Alex, who has also come to Krishna House within the past year, chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch (https://youtu.be/39TkHJ6hsAM):
Evan, who I had chanted with in Washington Square Park sixteen days before, when he lived in The Bhakti Center, chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch (https://youtu.be/yDtnAQUVuQY):
Adikarta Prabhu, a Prabhupada disciple and book distributor who has convinced many students of the value of Krishna consciousness, chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch (https://youtu.be/ayZZqC5zMPA):
Here Adikarta Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch, and devotees and passersby dance. Alex (on the right) was the first to dance. She told me that my telling her that Lord Caitanya always would appoint at least one dancer in His kirtans was inspiring. Because she was cold, Adikarta Prabhu advised her to dance, and so she did, inspiring a couple of other devotees to dance in the course of the afternoon (https://youtu.be/hgPLWmkwZ7E):
Later Alex commented about her experience dancing in kirtan: “My excitement for the already incredible kirtan increased exponentially once I started dancing!!! 10/10, I recommend dancing for all kirtans!”
I replied, “Thank you . . . for sharing your realization. Dancing is one of the 64 items of sadhana-bhakti [devotional service in practice] and dancing is also a symptom of spiritual ecstasy. Contemplating His advent as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Lord said, ‘I shall personally inaugurate the religion of the age — nama-sankirtana, the congregational chanting of the holy name. I shall make the world dance in ecstasy, realizing the four mellows of loving devotional service.’ (Cc. Adi 3.19) Krishnadas Kaviraj says, ‘Sri Pañca-tattva themselves danced again and again and thus made it easier to drink nectarean love of Godhead. They danced, cried, laughed and chanted like madmen, and in this way they distributed love of Godhead.’ (Cc. Adi 7.22) Never stop dancing!”
Madhumangala Prabhu, who is in charge of the men’s ashram at Krishna House, chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch (https://youtu.be/w05QUE7Z8po):
Adikarta Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with enthusiastic, youthful Krishna House devotees at Krishna Lunch (https://youtu.be/aPkQC_pk3LI):
Ananta Vallabha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch, Arianna and Alex dance joyfully, the Krishna Lunch servers move with the music, and Adikarta Prabhu interests students in Srila Prabhupada’s books (https://youtu.be/lPuNpvR5tgM):
Adikarta Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch, and I dance (https://youtu.be/rb3eooyYMDY):
Ananda Kirtan Prabhu, visiting Krishna House in Gainesville with Krishna House Orlando devotees, chants Hare Krishna with the weekly ISKCON Alachua harinama party on Friday at the corner of West University Avenue and West 13th Street in Gainesville (https://youtu.be/ql-xyvoWAMs):
Madhumangala Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with Krishna House devotees on Saturday at Depot Park in Gainesville, and I dance (https://youtu.be/FIB90TwuOzg):
Ananda Kirtan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the Krishna House Saturday Three-Hour Evening Kirtan in Gainesville (https://youtu.be/_3OX0DmTrrU):
Nitai Prasad Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/dGnBuZmy14E):
Nitai Prasad Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and Madhumangala plays bass (https://youtu.be/Ek-j4stjMiE):
Arianna chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/JnbsFRgh-7c):
Arianna chants Hare Krishna, and Jeremiah dances (https://youtu.be/2oxUApaZP2Q):
Daryl chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/t7sTgKLbNBw):
Bhismadeva Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/lIxpb4eohUQ):
Bhismadeva Prabhu chants a lively Hare Krishna tune at Krishna House, and Brandi, who first met devotees in Union Square in July 2019 while hula hooping there, and Jeremiah, who developed a taste for kirtan last summer by chanting with me in Orlando, both dance energetically, with Brandi engaging her hula hooping skill in her dance for Krishna (https://youtu.be/oX2OGkbo8-w):
Ananta Vallabha Prabhu chants the final Hare Krishna tune at the Krishna House Saturday Three-Hour Evening Kirtan, and devotees dance, many inspired by Murali Gopal Prabhu (https://youtu.be/vHs8DQULcuc):
Chandra [also known as Chandrashekhar Acharya Das and Cyril Wohrer], who has a beautiful voice and a lot of devotion, and myself discuss revealed knowledge about the holy names and our practical experiences of its reality in our lives (https://youtu.be/NTLJYZOOCQU):
You might like to subscribe to his channel, LIBERANIMA, at this link, https://www.youtube.com/user/localbhakti, and check out his other videos.
Odd Photo
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From The Science of Self-Realization, Chapter 4:
“Therefore, even if you accept designations like ‘Hindu,’ ‘Christian,’ or ‘Muhammadan,’ if you simply chant the name of God found in your own scriptures, you will attain the spiritual platform. Human life is meant for self-realization – to learn how to love God. That is the actual duty of man. Whether you discharge this duty as a Hindu, a Christian, or a Muhammadan, it doesn’t matter – but discharge it!”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.22.20, purport:
“As silver becomes shiny by being polished, the heart of a materialistic person is cleansed of lusty desires by the good association of devotees. Actually the living being has no connection with this material enjoyment nor with lusty desires. He is simply imagining or dreaming while asleep. But by the association of pure devotees, he is awakened, and immediately the spirit soul is situated in his own glory by understanding his constitutional position as the eternal servant of the Lord.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.22.21:
“[Sanat Kumara continued:] It has been conclusively decided in the scriptures, after due consideration, that the ultimate goal for the welfare of human society is detachment from the bodily concept of life and increased and steadfast attachment for the Supreme Lord, who is transcendental, beyond the modes of material nature.”
From The Nectar of Instruction 7, purport:
“Although maya may be present, it cannot disturb a devotee once he attains the bhava stage. This is because the devotee can see the real position of maya. Maya means forgetfulness of Krishna, and forgetfulness of Krishna and Krishna consciousness stand side by side like light and shadow. If one remains in shadow, he cannot enjoy the facilities offered by light, and if one remains in light, he cannot be disturbed by the darkness of shadow. By taking to Krishna consciousness, one gradually becomes liberated and remains in light. Indeed, he does not even touch the darkness.”
From “Real Wealth in Ancient Times” Back to Godhead, Vol. 55, No. 3 (May / June 2021):
[Edited transcript of a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.9.2 in Los Angeles on May 16, 1973.]
“If you study every item, you will find that although you have created by the modern scientific advancement a little comfort of life, side by side you have created many discomforts. That is the way of this material nature. The way of material nature is that you cannot remain in comfort.”
“These things are understood and answered by this Krishna consciousness movement. That is the importance of the Krishna consciousness movement. All-round. It is not one-sided that we are thinking of Krishna. Thinking of Krishna means thinking of everything, because Krishna is everything.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.1.8, purport:
“The secret of success in spiritual life is in satisfying the spiritual master and thereby getting his sincere blessings.”
From Nectar of Instruction 2, purport:
“If a bag of rice is placed in a public place, birds will come to eat a few grains and go away. A human being, however, will take away the whole bag. He will eat all his stomach can hold and then try to keep the rest in storage. According to scriptures, this collecting of more than necessary (atyahara) is prohibited. Now the entire world is suffering because of it.”
“If people are advised not to collect too many goods, eat too much or work unnecessarily to possess artificial amenities, they think they are being advised to return to a primitive way of life. Generally people do not like to accept plain living and high thinking. That is their unfortunate position.”
“Human life is meant for God realization, and the human being is given higher intelligence for this purpose. Those who believe that this higher intelligence is meant to attain a higher state should follow the instructions of the Vedic literatures. By taking such instructions from higher authorities, one can actually become situated in perfect knowledge and give real meaning to life.”
“One should always engage in the service of the Lord in the association of the Lord’s devotees. Association with those engaged in a similar line of business is very conducive to advancement in that business. Consequently materialistic persons form various associations and clubs to enhance their endeavors. For example, in the business world we find such institutions as the stock exchange and chamber of commerce. Similarly, we have established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to give people an opportunity to associate with those who have not forgotten Krishna. This spiritual association offered by our ISKCON movement is increasing day by day. Many people from different parts of the world are joining this Society to awaken their dormant Krishna consciousness.”
“Modern warfare waged between capitalists and communists is due to their avoiding the advice of Srila Rupa Gosvami regarding atyahara. Modern capitalists accumulate more wealth than necessary, and the communists, envious of their prosperity, want to nationalize all wealth and property. Unfortunately the communists do not know how to solve the problem of wealth and its distribution. Consequently when the wealth of the capitalists falls into the hands of the communists, no solution results. Opposed to these two philosophies, the Krishna conscious ideology states that all wealth belongs to Krishna. Thus unless all wealth comes under the administration of Krishna, there can be no solution to the economic problem of mankind. Nothing can be solved by placing wealth in the hands of the communists or the capitalists. If a hundred-dollar bill is lying on the street, someone may pick it up and put it in his pocket. Such a man is not honest. Another man may see the money and decide to let it remain there, thinking that he should not touch another’s property. Although this second man does not steal the money for his own purposes, he is unaware of its proper use. The third man who sees the hundred-dollar bill may pick it up, find the man who lost it and deliver it to him. This man does not steal the money to spend for himself, nor does he neglect it and let it lie in the street. By taking it and delivering it to the man who has lost it, this man is both honest and wise. Simply transferring wealth from capitalists to communists cannot solve the problem of modern politics, for it has been demonstrated that when a communist gets money, he uses it for his own sense gratification. The wealth of the world actually belongs to Krishna, and every living entity, man and animal, has the birthright to use God’s property for his maintenance. When one takes more than his maintenance requires – be he a capitalist or a communist – he is a thief, and as such he is liable to be punished by the laws of nature.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya 2.7:
“When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was personally present, anyone in the world who met Him even once was fully satisfied and became spiritually advanced.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya 2.13:
“To deliver people in regions throughout the universe who could not meet Him, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally entered the bodies of pure devotees.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya 2.14:
“Thus He empowered living beings [His pure devotees] by manifesting in them so much of His own devotion that people in all other countries became devotees by seeing them.
Purport: As stated in the Caitanya-caritamrita (Antya 7.11):
kali-kalera dharma — krishna-nama-sankirtana
Unless one is empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, one cannot spread the holy names of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra throughout the world. Persons who do so are empowered. Therefore they are sometimes called avesa-avataras, or empowered incarnations, for they are endowed with the power of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.12, purport:
“By assimilation of such messages from the Vedic literatures, one can see the all-pervading localized aspect of the Personality of Godhead within his own self constantly. This is called samadhi.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.13, purport:
“The varnasrama institution is constructed to enable one to realize the Absolute Truth. It is not for artificial domination of one division over another. When the aim of life, i.e., realization of the Absolute Truth, is missed by too much attachment for indriya-priti, or sense gratification, as already discussed hereinbefore, the institution of the varnasrama is utilized by selfish men to pose an artificial predominance over the weaker section. In the Kali-yuga, or in the age of quarrel, this artificial predominance is already current, but the saner section of the people know it well that the divisions of castes and orders of life are meant for smooth social intercourse and high-thinking self-realization and not for any other purpose.
“Herein the statement of Bhagavatam is that the highest aim of life or the highest perfection of the institution of the varnasrama-dharma is to cooperate jointly for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (4.13).”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.14, purport:
“The actual object of glorification is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has created everything manifested before us. We have broadly discussed this fact from the beginning of the ‘janmady asya’ sloka of this Bhagavatam. The tendency to glorify others or hear others must be turned to the real object of glorification — the Supreme Being. And that will bring happiness.”
From Sri Isopanisad 18, purport:
“As soon as one becomes proud of his birth as the son of a brahmana and neglects to acquire the qualifications of a real brahmana, he at once becomes degraded and falls from the path of self-realization. Thus his life’s mission as a human being is defeated.”
“In this mantra of Sri Isopanisad, the devotee prays to the Lord to rectify him from within his heart. To err is human. A conditioned soul is very often apt to commit mistakes, and the only remedial measure to take against such unintentional sins is to give oneself up to the lotus feet of the Lord so that He may guide one to avoid such pitfalls. The Lord takes charge of fully surrendered souls; thus all problems are solved simply by surrendering oneself unto the Lord and acting in terms of His directions. Such directions are given to the sincere devotee in two ways: one is by way of the saints, scriptures and spiritual master, and the other is by way of the Lord Himself, who resides within the heart of everyone. Thus the devotee, fully enlightened with Vedic knowledge, is protected in all respects.”
“Hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord is itself an act of piety. The Lord wants everyone to hear and chant His glories because He is the well-wisher of all living entities. By hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord, one becomes cleansed of all undesirable things, and then one’s devotion becomes fixed upon the Lord. At this stage the devotee acquires the brahminical qualifications, and the effects of the lower modes of nature (passion and ignorance) completely vanish. The devotee becomes fully enlightened by virtue of his devotional service, and thus he comes to know the path of the Lord and the way to attain Him. As all doubts diminish, he becomes a pure devotee.”
From The Nectar of Instruction, Preface:
“In all spiritual affairs, one’s first duty is to control his mind and senses. Unless one controls his mind and senses, one cannot make any advancement in spiritual life. Everyone within this material world is engrossed in the modes of passion and ignorance. One must promote himself to the platform of goodness, sattva-guna, by following the instructions of Rupa Gosvami, and then everything concerning how to make further progress will be revealed.”
From The Nectar of Instruction 1, purport:
“To try to create a vacuum in the mind is artificial. The vacuum will not remain. However, if one always thinks of Krishna and how to serve Krishna best, one’s mind will naturally be controlled.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.15, purport:
“Liberation means freedom from the cycle of reactionary work. This liberation automatically follows for one who constantly remembers the transcendental pastimes of the Personality of Godhead. This is because all the activities of the Supreme Lord (His lila) are transcendental to the modes of the material energy. They are all-attractive spiritual activities, and therefore constant association with the spiritual activities of the Supreme Lord gradually spiritualizes the conditioned soul and ultimately severs the knot of material bondage.
“Liberation from material bondage is, therefore, a by-product of devotional service. Attainment of spiritual knowledge is not sufficient to insure liberation. Such knowledge must be overcoated with devotional service so that ultimately the devotional service alone predominates. Then liberation is made possible. Even the reactionary work of the fruitive workers can lead one to liberation when it is overcoated with devotional service.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.16, purport:
“The eagerness to hear about God is the first qualification of a devotee eligible for entering the kingdom of God.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.17, purport:
“The Lord is reciprocally respondent to His devotees. When He sees that a devotee is completely sincere in getting admittance to the transcendental service of the Lord and has thus become eager to hear about Him, the Lord acts from within the devotee in such a way that the devotee may easily go back to Him. The Lord is more anxious to take us back into His kingdom than we can desire. Most of us do not desire at all to go back to Godhead. Only a very few men want to go back to Godhead. But anyone who desires to go back to Godhead, Sri Krishna helps in all respects.”
“To become restless in the contact of women and wealth is not an astonishment, because every living being is associated with such things from remote time, practically immemorial, and it takes time to recover from this foreign nature. But if one is engaged in hearing the glories of the Lord, gradually he realizes his real position. By the grace of God such a devotee gets sufficient strength to defend himself from the state of disturbances, and gradually all disturbing elements are eliminated from his mind.”
From Narada Bhakti Sutras 1, purport:
“Only when a person is perfectly situated in the realization that he is not the body but a spirit soul can he begin the process of bhakti, or devotional service.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya 3.11, purport:
“A devotee should be fixed in the conclusion that the spiritual master cannot be subject to criticism and should never be considered equal to a common man. Even if there appears to be some discrepancy according to an imperfect devotee’s estimation, the devotee should be fixed in the conviction that even if his spiritual master goes to a liquor shop, he is not a drunkard; rather, he must have some purpose in going there. It is said in a Bengali poem:
yadyapi nityananda sura-baḍi yaya
‘Even if I see that Lord Nityananda has entered a liquor shop, I shall not be diverted from my conclusion that Nityananda Raya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.’”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya 3.51, purport:
“Those who are following in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu should take the Lord’s mission most seriously. In this Age of Kali, people are gradually becoming less than animals. Nevertheless, although they are eating the flesh of cows and are envious of brahminical culture, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is considering how to deliver them from this horrible condition of life. Thus He asks all Indians to take up His mission:
bharata-bhumite haila manusya-janma yara
‘One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India [Bharata-varsa] should make his life successful and work for the benefit of all other people.’ (Cc. Adi-lila 9.41) it is therefore the duty of every advanced and cultured Indian to take this cause very seriously. All Indians should help the Krishna consciousness movement in its progress, to the best of their ability. Then they will be considered real followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”
“One who identifies himself as a follower of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu should feel like Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who said, iha-sabara kon mate ha-ibe nistara: “How will all these yavanas be delivered?” Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was always anxious to deliver the fallen souls because their fallen condition gave Him great unhappiness. That is the platform on which one can propagate the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya 3.52, purport:
“When the Lord is unhappy because of the condition of the fallen souls, the devotee consoles Him, saying, ‘My dear Lord, do not be in anxiety.’ This is service. Everyone should adopt the cause of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to try to relieve Him from the anxiety He feels. This is actually service to the Lord. One who tries to relieve Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s anxiety for the fallen souls is certainly a most dear and confidential devotee of the Lord.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.22:
“Certainly, therefore, since time immemorial, all transcendentalists have been rendering devotional service to Lord Krishna, the Personality of Godhead, with great delight, because such devotional service is enlivening to the self.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.26, purport:
“The demigods, being like other living entities in the material world, are all liquidated at the time of the annihilation of the material structure. They are themselves unable to get liberation, and what to speak of giving liberation to their devotees. The demigods can award the worshipers some temporary benefit only, and not the ultimate one.
It is for this reason only that candidates for liberation deliberately reject the worship of the demigods, although they have no disrespect for any one of them.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.32, purport:
“As from wood, fire can be manifested, or as butter can be churned out of milk, so also the presence of the Lord as Paramatma can be felt by the process of legitimate hearing and chanting of the transcendental subjects which are especially treated in the Vedic literatures like the Upanisads and Vedanta. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the bona fide explanation of these Vedic literatures. The Lord can be realized through the aural reception of the transcendental message, and that is the only way to experience the transcendental subject. As fire is kindled from wood by another fire, the divine consciousness of man can similarly be kindled by another divine grace. His Divine Grace the spiritual master can kindle the spiritual fire from the woodlike living entity by imparting proper spiritual messages injected through the receptive ear. Therefore one is required to approach the proper spiritual master with receptive ears only, and thus divine existence is gradually realized. The difference between animality and humanity lies in this process only. A human being can hear properly, whereas an animal cannot.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya 3.76, 81, and 83:
[Haridasa Thakura speaking to Lord Caitanya:]
“You have preached the loud chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra and in this way freed all moving and nonmoving living entities from material bondage.”
“Previously, when Lord Ramacandra left this world, He took with Him all the living entities of Ayodhya. Then He filled Ayodhya again with other living entities.”
“Formerly, when Lord Krishna descended in Vṛndavana, He freed all living entities in the universe from material existence in the same way.”
From The Nectar of Instruction 3, purport:
“Devotional service is not a matter of sentimental speculation or imaginative ecstasy. Its substance is practical activity.”
“The material world is a place of confinement for the living entities who are by nature ananda-maya, pleasure-seeking. They actually want to be free from the confinement of this world of conditional happiness, but not knowing the process of liberation, they are bound to transmigrate from one species of life to another and from one planet to another. In this way the living entities are wandering throughout the material universe. When by good fortune one comes in contact with a pure devotee and hears from him patiently, one begins to follow the path of devotional service. Such an opportunity is offered to a person who is sincere. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness is giving such a chance to humanity at large. If by fortune one takes advantage of this opportunity to engage in devotional service, the path of liberation immediately opens.
In all phases of life one has to perform devotional activities under the direction of the spiritual master in order to attain perfection in bhakti-yoga. It is not that one has to confine or narrow one’s activities. Krishna is all-pervading.”
“Thus the devotee can understand that since nothing is independent of Krishna’s energy, everything should be dovetailed in His service.”
“These activities must be executed with patience. One should not be impatient in Krishna consciousness. Indeed, this Krishna consciousness movement was started single-handedly, and in the beginning there was no response, but because we continued to execute our devotional activities with patience, people gradually began to understand the importance of this movement, and now they are eagerly participating..
“In this Krishna consciousness movement we require everyone to rise early in the morning, by four A.M., and attend mangala-arati, or morning worship, then read Srimad-Bhagavatam, perform kirtana, and so forth. Thus we hold continuous activities in devotional service twenty-four hours daily. This is called sato vrtti, or following in the footsteps of the previous acaryas who expertly filled every moment of time with Krishna conscious activities.”
“Engagement in the devotional service of the Lord is the life and soul of the living entity. It is the desired goal and supreme perfection of human life. One has to become confident about this, and one also has to be confident that all activities other than devotional service – such as mental speculation, fruitive work or mystic endeavor – will never yield any enduring benefit.”
“Devotional service is so pure and perfect that once having begun, one is forcibly dragged to ultimate success.”
From The Nectar of Instruction 4, purport:
“The International Society for Krishna Consciousness has been established to facilitate these six kinds of loving exchanges between devotees [offering gifts in charity, accepting charitable gifts, revealing one’s mind in confidence, inquiring confidentially, accepting prasada (food offered to the Lord) and offering prasada]. This Society was started single-handedly, but because people are coming forward and dealing with the give-and-take policy, the Society is now expanding all over the world. We are glad that people are donating very liberally to the development of the Society’s activities, and people are also eagerly accepting whatever humble contribution we are giving them in the shape of books and magazines dealing strictly with the subject matter of Krishna consciousness.
“The life of the Krishna conscious society is nourished by these six types of loving exchange among the members; therefore people must be given the chance to associate with the devotees of ISKCON, because simply by reciprocating in the six ways mentioned above an ordinary man can fully revive his dormant Krishna consciousness.”
From Bhagavad-gita 6.7, purport:
“One has to abide by superior dictation. When one’s mind is fixed on the superior nature, he has no alternative but to follow the dictation of the Supreme. The mind must admit some superior dictation and follow it. The effect of controlling the mind is that one automatically follows the dictation of the Paramatma, or Supersoul. Because this transcendental position is at once achieved by one who is in Krishna consciousness, the devotee of the Lord is unaffected by the dualities of material existence, namely distress and happiness, cold and heat, etc. This state is practical samadhi, or absorption in the Supreme.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.24, purport:
“We are glad that people are taking interest in the nonviolent movement of Lord Buddha. But will they take the matter very seriously and close the animal slaughterhouses altogether? If not, there is no meaning to the ahimsa cult.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.31:
“Clouds and dust are carried by the air, but less intelligent persons say that the sky is cloudy and the air is dirty. Similarly, they also implant material bodily conceptions on the spirit self.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.33:
“Whenever a person experiences, by self-realization, that both the gross and subtle bodies have nothing to do with the pure self, at that time he sees himself as well as the Lord.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.33, purport:
“The difference between self-realization and material illusion is to know that the temporary or illusory impositions of material energy in the shape of gross and subtle bodies are superficial coverings of the self. The coverings take place due to ignorance.
“When the living being desires to be an enjoyer of material energy (illusory phenomena), the Lord covers the living being in the mystery of forgetfulness, and thus the living being misinterprets the gross body and subtle mind to be his own self. And by culture of transcendental knowledge, when the living being prays to the Lord for deliverance from the clutches of forgetfulness, the Lord, by His causeless mercy, removes the living being’s illusory curtain, and thus he realizes his own self. He then engages himself in the service of the Lord in his eternal constitutional position, becoming liberated from the conditioned life. All this is executed by the Lord either through His external potency or directly by the internal potency.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.34:
“If the illusory energy subsides and the living entity becomes fully enriched with knowledge by the grace of the Lord, then he becomes at once enlightened with self-realization and thus becomes situated in his own glory.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.34, purport:
“The external energy, which is employed in illusioning those living beings who want to have it, subsides by the will of the Lord in terms of repentance and penance for the conditioned soul.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.35, purport:
“We should always take advantage of the narrations of the activities of the Lord, which are meditations on Brahman in the most convenient and palatable form.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.6.19:
“My dear sons of demons, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, is the original Supersoul, the father of all living entities. Consequently there are no impediments to pleasing Him or worshiping Him under any conditions, whether one be a child or an old man. The relationship between the living entities and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always a fact, and therefore there is no difficulty in pleasing the Lord.”
“Purport: As there is no difficulty in establishing the intimate relationship between a father and son, there is no difficulty in reestablishing the natural, intimate relationship between Narayana and the living entities. . . . Therefore, pleasing Narayana does not require as much endeavor as pleasing one’s family, community and nation. We have seen important political leaders killed for a slight discrepancy in their behavior. Therefore pleasing one’s society, family, community and nation is extremely difficult. Pleasing Narayana, however, is not at all difficult; it is very easy.”
From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.1.3 in London on August 19, 1971:
“If anyone wants happiness, santi, peace, then he must know these three things. What is that? That Krishna is the enjoyer of everything. Krishna says, bhoktaram yajña-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram. You can perform yajña, you can perform austerities, penances, but the result should be enjoyed by Krishna. That is Krishna consciousness.”
“There is competition. I am enjoyer, you are enjoyer; therefore there is competition. Individually, man to man, family to family, society to society, nation to nation, there is always competition. But this competition will stop as soon as there is Krishna consciousness, that ‘I am not proprietor. We are not proprietor. Krishna is proprietor.’ That’s all. That is the means of santi.”
“Actually He’s our supreme friend. He’s always trying to get us back to home, back to Godhead. Not only He’s sitting within our hearts, but He’s descending as Krishna. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam sṛjamy aham [Bg. 4.7] He comes and canvasses. What is that canvassing? Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]: ‘Why you are engaged in so many so-called occupations? You simply surrender unto Me.’ Aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami. But we are so engulfed in matter that we cannot take the advice of Krishna. Therefore Krishna again comes as a devotee, Lord Caitanya. Lord Krishna said that ‘You surrender unto Me.’ Same Krishna came as devotee of Lord Krishna.”
“Bhaktivedanta means ultimate understanding of Vedanta is bhakti, not to become impersonalist.”
“In the Vedanta-sutra the first quote is, athato brahma jijñasa, ‘Now we have to inquire about Brahman, the Absolute Truth.’ That is the business of human being. Because in other life other than the human form of body, we have simply passed our time in the matter of bodily necessities of life, ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam. If you are simply engaged in these four principles of life—eating, sleeping, sex life and defending, or fearing—then what is the difference between a man and a dog? There is no difference. The only difference is athato brahma jijñasa. A man can come here in this temple and he can inquire about Krishna, or the Absolute Truth. That is the difference.”
“So this Krishna consciousness movement means we are giving chance to everyone to come and inquire about Brahman. Athato brahma jijñasa.”
“So this Krishna consciousness movement means to understand the Absolute Truth as the ultimate issue. That means to understand the Absolute Truth as the Supreme Person.”
“At the present stage also, we see that many persons who are coming from the brahminical family, but they have been contaminated by the other two qualities, passion and ignorance. So there is possibility. In the material goodness there is possibility of being attacked with the other two qualities and thereby fall down. But when you transcend the material platform of goodness and come to this transcendental platform of goodness, then you cannot fall down. That is called sattvam visuddham vasudeva-sabditam. That sattva, that existence of pure goodness, is called vasudeva. In that pure transcendental platform of goodness you can understand Vasudeva.”
“Vasudeva is already there within your heart, but you simply realize it by placing yourself in the pure consciousness, pure platform.”
“This Srimad-Bhagavatam was written by Vyasadeva. And it was spoken for the first time by Sukadeva Gosvami, his son. He wrote this Srimad-Bhagavatam under the instruction of his spiritual master, Narada, and he taught his son, beloved son, Sukadeva Gosvami, that ‘You preach. I am writing; you preach.’ That is the duty of the student. The spiritual master writes, and it is a duty of the disciple to preach. And if the student is also as pure as the spiritual master, then it becomes very nice.”
“Everyone is trying to get out of the painful situation. That is struggle for existence. But they do not know what is the ultimate life, free from all painful activities. That is called liberation. The whole Vedic civilization is based on this point, how to get liberated and enjoy eternal happiness.”
Comment by Mitrasena Prabhu: When we water the tree, we do not see the root. We have to have faith that by pouring water at the bottom of the tree, the tree will be nourished.
Srila Vyasadeva:
From Mundaka Upanisad 3.1.4:
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the life of all. He is the Supersoul splendidly manifest in all living beings. One who knows Him becomes wise. That person turns from the logicians’ debates. He meditates on the Lord’s pastimes. He loves the Lord. He serves the Lord. He is the best of transcendentalists.”
Havir Rsi:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.2.55:
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead is so kind to the conditioned souls that if they call upon Him by speaking His holy name, even unintentionally or unwillingly, the Lord is inclined to destroy innumerable sinful reactions in their hearts. Therefore, when a devotee who has taken shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet chants the holy name of Krishna with genuine love, the Supreme Personality of Godhead can never give up the heart of such a devotee. One who has thus captured the Supreme Lord within his heart is to be known as bhagavata-pradhana, the most exalted devotee of the Lord.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From Free Write Journal #127:
“He [Bhakti Caitanya Swami] told the story of a devotee who went to Prabhupada complaining about another devotee. He went on and on, saying how difficult this devotee was. But Prabhupada simply said, ‘You have to tolerate him.’ The devotee persisted in saying how difficult it was to live with this devotee. Prabhupada said, ‘You have to tolerate him, just as I am tolerating you.’”
“My Experience of Living Packed Up with the Devotees
“After living two years packed up in triple bunks on the U.S.S. Saratoga in the Navy, it was with great relief that I got out and found an apartment on my own. I was living like that when I met Swamiji and the boys. For months I continued to keep my apartment and donated money to the temple. But then one day I told the devotees they could use my apartment to do their bathroom duties or to take a nap. This destroyed my life of solitude. The next day devotees came early in the morning to use the bathroom. Gaurasundara and his wife Govinda dasi took a shower together. The other men used the shower alone. During the daytime Hayagriva and a friend came over and crashed out on my mattress and slept. Raya Rama, the editor-in-chief of Back to Godhead, asked me if he could move in and be a permanent roommate. I agreed, and he took up the second room in my apartment, bringing in a big desk. I thought at the time that the trade—my solitude for the association of devotees—was a gain for me. Whatever inconvenience I felt was balanced out by seeing so much of Swami’s followers.
“One time I used Raya Rama’s toothbrush to brush my own teeth. He discovered it and became very angry. He said I was ‘disgusting.’ I took the reprimand quietly but thought to myself, ‘You’re lucky I’m giving you a place to live, so don’t go too far in criticizing me.’ Previously the devotees had used Swamiji’s bathroom, and he sometimes had to wait in line, so this was a great relief for him, that my bathroom became the one used by everyone. The talk at my place became a mixture of prajalpa and Krishna consciousness. It stayed that way until the year ended, and I was sent to Boston to open a new center there.”
From Here is Srila Prabhupada:
“Srila Prabhupada was not whimsical. His show of anger toward a disciple was always for correction and was never a sign of his rejection. He showed annoyance for the same reasons he voiced encouragement—simply to teach the disciple how to behave. Prabhupada’s sarcasm or gestures of displeasure always battered the false ego, but by accepting them, one became more closely aligned as his sisya.”
“I know my fear of Prabhupada is exaggerated. It will gradually clear. The bottom line is obedience to his order. It’s just so hard to determine exactly what his order is for all situations, in all times, and for all people. To know that, we can only pray that he reveal himself to us and again give us his words of encouragement or his little gestures of disapproval. In that knowledge of what he wants from us, we can pass beyond fear.”
“Statisticians estimate that the average person accomplishes only ten percent of his promises, is open to only ten percent of his emotions, and his heart is only ten percent alive with love. It is frightening to consider that I will miss out on so much in life. I have the greatest fortune to be linked to the Supreme Lord and to His best devotees, but if I give only ten percent of my love, that is the greatest misfortune.”
“Krishna consciousness is about love. It is the art and science of love, not just ordinary love, but supreme love—love of God. Krishna loves us and He wants us to love Him, ‘Offer Me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit . . .’ But I am not immersed in love. Therefore, my relationship with Krishna takes place through my connection with my spiritual master. I need to learn how to love Srila Prabhupada. When I know how to love him, then he will teach me how to love Krishna. I am groping towards this end.”
From My Dear Lord Krishna: A Book of Prayers:
“In fact there are five most potent practices in devotional service that are repeated and asked for by devotees: (1) chanting Hare Krishna; (2) reading Srimad-Bhagavatam; (3) associating with devotees; (4) residing at Mathura; and (5) worshiping the Deity. Do You mind that I repeatedly ask for Your grace in attaining strength in these practices? I think You want to help me become a better devotee, but You want to see me strive to attain devotional service. What is the balance between attaining Your causeless mercy and working for it?”
“What is the right balance? I believe it is an all-out endeavor accompanied by a feeling of helplessness. This is Rupa Gosvami’s famous Great Hope, or ‘hope against hope.’ I feel I am unqualified in so many ways, but I maintain a hope of achieving You, ‘and this hope is giving me great pain.’ Describing the mind of a sincere devotee, Prabhupada writes, ‘Because I am trying my best to follow the routine principles of devotional service, I am sure that I will go back to Godhead, back to home.’ (The Nectar of Devotion, 1970 edition, p. 137) This is the optimistic expression of the balance between hard work and Your mercy.”
From The Wild Garden:
“I do have a bona fide spiritual master, and that’s much more than the flies have. They know only eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. And yet, as Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes in his commentary to the trnad api sunicena verse, grass and creatures like grass have a modest sense of ego whereas human beings are puffed-up way out of proportion. We tend to think we are the center of existence. Lord Caitanya advises us to be more like a blade of grass. Use human intelligence to become more modest and humble than the grass.”
From My Purpose at Isola di Albarella:
“Don’t be selfish, serve others. Do it in the way you can.
“Be kind to others, starting with those around you and reach as far as you can.”
From Free Write Journal #128:
“Many devotees are thinking about retirement as they grow older and consider their priorities. They should at some point consider cutting down their material needs and decrease their involvement with social media in order to increase their sadhana and preaching. Householders acquire TVs and dogs, often to satisfy their children. But now their children have grown up and left the home, so there’s no justification for keeping the distractions. One can keep a time-chart schedule and scrutinize how one is spending his time. I’ve done this for years and always tried to emphasize the most important things, reading, chanting, and telling others about Krishna. Now with more time spent at home, one can prepare simple prasadam like cookies and distribute them to one’s neighbors and business contacts. H. D. Thoreau said, ‘Simplify! Simplify! Simplify!’ One can do this by eliminating prajalpa and unnecessary material activity and spending one’s time in chanting, hearing, etc.”
“O Kesava, Your material nature is very strange. I don’t want to stare in fascination at it. I want to come gaze at Your lotus feet in the temple. But wherever I look, it is Your kingdom and Your potency. Please bring my attention to the best place, devotional service, to the names, pastimes, and qualities of the Supreme Lord.”
From The Wild Garden:
“Traffic jams occur in the town of Vrindavan. I am trying to see them in a more relaxed way from the seat of my rickshaw. Today our rickshaw driver stopped because an unmanned motor rickshaw blocked half the road. The other half of the road was blocked by a large oxcart. Workers were unloading big stone slabs from the cart. A car approached from the other direction, but he couldn’t get through either. Then from our direction came a dozen pack mules. They hesitated, afraid to go between the long-horned bullock and the parked motor rickshaw. By the time the motor rickshaw driver arrived, there was a traffic jam. Horns honked, bells rang, and the drivers were angry. All we needed to complete the scene were a few camels or elephants and maybe a motorcycle. Gradually, by moving aside, backing up, gesticulating wildly, and yelling back and forth—along with bystanders contributing their advice—the jam dissolved, and we continued on our way. Not your average bumper-to-bumper, grind-to-a-halt you meet in the West.”
From Passing Places, Eternal Truths:
“Our Krishna conscious transcendentalism alienates us from most people. Our view is extreme. They are looking for the ideal enjoyment, but I know they will never find it. The only ideal with any hope to be realized is love and direct union with the Supreme.”
“O Holy Name, the power of illusion grabs me. Please wrap me in the sonata and serenade of kirtana-life-giving and the breath of japa utterances.”
“Ask now—what would it take for me? I seem unable to do much. Kierkegaard wanted Christians to admit their failure. That was the first big step, but they couldn’t take it; they were too complacent and wanted a religion to lull them in this unhappy world.
“I cannot do much more. What austerities would I perform? Eat less? Increase japa? Dive into ISKCON’s front ranks? None of the above? Write better?
“If I could discern the truth amid all the deception and follow that truth, I’d be a devotee according to the Lord’s desire. I know that in theory, but it seems hard. We act for our own pleasure. In ISKCON, including its outer reaches and critics, everyone discusses issues which almost divert you from the real point—your individual surrender to please Krishna.”
From Why Not Fiction?:
“Yes, we’re enlightened as long as we stay as the servant of the servant of the Lord. That is our eternal svarupa. To recognize that is liberation. Then, having received the light by which we can see ourselves and the world, we are obliged to give it to others.”
From Writing Sessions – May Apples:
“And the best offering is to chant His holy names. Know you have nothing that Krishna needs. But you need His love. Pray He accepts your chanting as service.”
Jayadvaita Swami:
From an evening Zoom lecture at ISKCON NJ:
I noticed during Srila Prabhupada’s last visit to New York City in 1976, whenever he had free time, he would always chant Hare Krishna on his beads. Previously he would interact more with the devotees in a more leisurely way.
Our goal is to remember Krishna at the time of death, not to spend as many days here as possible.
They have “advance directives” forms for the different states.
We are all in a queue for leaving this world. The more we can prepare by becoming attached to Krishna and free from the material, the more successful we will be.
Janananda Goswami:
There is a Crown Casino in Melbourne with 120 casinos and 100 bars. There are young girls willing to take your money if you have not spent it all on drinking and gambling. The average is one suicide per day in that place. This is craziness.
The Rolling Stones played at Hyde Park in the 1970s. They had this song, “I can’t get no satisfaction . . .” I had no interest in Krishna consciousness at that time. I was thinking, “Everyone is worshiping them. They are millionaires. They can have any girl they want. How am I going to get satisfaction by listening to them?”
If you have a child, you do not want him to experience unnecessary stress. Thus Krishna advises in Bhagavad-gita, Chapter Three, to not take the trouble to disturb the people who are completely absorbed in material activities and who would not be interested. The devotees, however, because of their compassion, tolerate their personal inconvenience to make attempts to enlighten the people.
Comment by Julian: On harinama, because there is a kirtan the books go out very easily.
Comment by Mandakini Devi Dasi: In England, in the early days with Shyamasundar, we would do harinama in the nightclubs.
When we appreciate the message of the books more and more in our lives, we will become more inclined to share the message with others. Even if you do not feel that right now, you can still preach. You can come on harinama, distribute prasadam, give out invitations, etc. Preaching by our behavior is a very powerful form of preaching. When people see devotees speaking kindly and respectfully, it has a great effect. As our consciousness is purified, we naturally become inclined to share what has benefited us.
In a beautiful orchestra, everyone is playing a different instrument. One may play a very small part, but they are all coordinated and they are a part of a team, and they are all following the direction of the conductor.
Seeing the devotees dancing on harinama – the memory sticks in their hearts.
Using the harmonium case to collect donations worked quite well. Then you give them a book as soon as they give a donation.
Kalakantha Prabhu, temple president of Krishna House in Gainesville:
From a class via Zoom at ISKCON Orlando:
If we have a taste for Krishna consciousness, that taste in itself is sufficient motivation to continue the practice.
Dogs are different in India. They are not pampered but all are farel and are running wild. There are not all the different varieties but just one mutt. Srila Prabhupada found it amusing how Americans take so much care for their dogs.
Why is our rasa with Krishna special? It is the one rasa that does not conclude, and it is impervious to all material influences.
Reverence for God is foundational. It is there in all religions.
In servitude, action is added to the rasa.
Krishna is the Supreme Lord, our object of reverence, the Lord of all sacrifices, our object of our service, and the best friend and well-wisher, the object of our friendship.
When nasty things happen, if we do not think of Krishna as our friend, we will think of Krishna as our enemy. We might think, “Our best friend would not make life difficult for us.”
When we understand that Krishna shows His friendship in ways that are not initially pleasing to our minds and senses, we can progress.
You can say there is a glimse of conjugal rasa in preaching because we are bringing other parts of Krishna into relationship with Him for His enjoyment.
We do not have to endeavor to develop the good qualities. Simply by devotional service we will become purified and develop the good qualities.
Comments by me:
There is a nice section of The Nectar of Devotion, Introduction, which I was reminded of, hearing your presentation, and which I wanted to share:
“Without relishing some sort of mellow, or loving mood, in one’s activities, no one can continue to perform such activities. Similarly, in the transcendental life of Krishna consciousness and devotional service there must be some mellow, or specific taste, from the service. Generally this mellow is experienced by chanting, hearing, worshiping in the temple and being engaged in the service of the Lord. So when a person feels transcendental bliss; that is called ‘relishing the mellow.’ To be more clear, we may understand that the various feelings of happiness derived from discharging devotional service may be termed the ‘mellows’ of devotional service.”
I remember being in situations where I have thought, “How is Krishna going to get me out of this one?”
In our Alachua temple back when only fifty people came to the Sunday feast, I used to serve out. After everyone had been served firsts and seconds, there was no one to take prasadam with because everyone had finished. I would feel lonely, and I would pray to Krishna, who is in everyone’s heart, to be my companion during prasadam, and I would feel better.
Mitrasena Prabhu:
Astanga-yoga was being practiced during the time of Krishna’s appearance. The knowledge of yoga that was lost was that of bhakti-yoga, and that is what Krishna teaches to Arjuna.
Nagaraja Prabhu:
From “Welcome” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 55, No. 3 (May/June 2021):
“Krishna is not obliged to reveal Himself to us; He does so as a pure act of mercy.”
Visakha Devi Dasi:
From “Victims All?” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 55, No. 3 (May/June 2021):
“If I remain ignorant and continue to misidentify the body and mind as my self, then I also remain bewildered and weak and a victim of Krishna’s powerful illusory energy. My basic misidentification makes me prey to a cascade of difficulties and suffering. Therefore Bhagavad-gita begins with the spiritual instruction that no one is his body or mind but each one of us is a spiritual being existing within the body and mind. Forgetting this, I become a victim of whatever befalls my body and mind.”
“To stop being a victim, I need to address its root cause – that I’ve misidentified the body and mind as my self – and correct that misconception. My misidentification creates three kinds of mundane urges: the urge to speak, the urges or demands of the mind, and the demands of the body. In Prabhupada’s words, ‘When a living entity falls victim to these three types of urges, his life becomes inauspicious. One who practices resisting these demands or urges is called a tapasvi, or one who practices austerities. By such tapasya one can overcome victimization by the material energy, the external potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.’ (The Nectar of Instruction, Text 1, Purport)”
“The unhappiness suffered by a sincere devotee is technically not a karmic reaction; it is rather the Lord’s special mercy to induce His devotee to completely let go of the material world and return home, back to Godhead.”
“As a child learning to walk will regularly fall down and get up to try again, we may sometimes fall into blaming others and then get back up to continue our heroic efforts.”
Karuna Dharini Devi Dasi:
From “Krishna’s Mercy” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 55, No. 3 (May/June 2021):
“Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the example of the distribution of such all-pervasive mercy. Sometimes His mercy is compared to a great, unlimited flood of love of God in which some people drown while others only float. He inaugurates the mass distribution of the holy names of Krishna – nama-sankirtana – by loud singing and dancing, whether by outside public performance or inside temples. His movement has grown so far-flung that it has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people the world over, often even without their complete awareness of it. The sacrifice for this age, the continual practice of nama-sankirtana, is the incomparable method for distribution of love of God.”
Caitanya Carana Prabhu:
From “Bending Low & Rising High” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 55, No. 3 (May/June 2021):
“How do the unqualified get opportunities to have loving exchanges with God? By assisting Him in His activities in this world.”
“Some people think that devotion means eternally bowing down to a God who delights in our servility. Far from such a stereotype, the bhakti tradition reveals a God who delights in our abilities and adventures. Rama profusely appreciates, privately and publicly, Hanuman’s stupendous feats such as penetrating Lanka single-handedly to find Sita. God’s greatest joy is not in proclaiming His own glories, but in proclaiming the glories of those who proclaim His glories. Such is the wondrous dynamic of the devotee-God relationship.”
“Can we too enter into such loving exchanges with God now when He is no longer manifest in this world? Yes, we can, by assisting in His mission, which continues even without His manifest presence.
“During His descent in the world, the activities God performs are many. But all those activities, indeed His descents themselves, are driven by an overarching mission: to raise human consciousness from the material level to the spiritual level. Significantly, this mission doesn’t end when God’s descent to this world ends – it continues forever. And that mission provides opportunities for service to all people at all times. To aid in this mission, we need to take the responsibility to raise our own consciousness and help others raise theirs.
“Even though God isn’t visibly manifest at present in the world, He is always present invisibly in our heart. If we compare our body to a chariot, Krishna is present within this body-chariot as the charioteer, guiding our wanderings in material existence (Gita 18.62). We just need to change the chain of command in our relationship with Him: instead of asking Him to execute our plans, we ask Him how we can execute His plan.
“By that change, we all can gain the privilege of being parts of a divine plan far bigger than us and our plans. The divine plan acts around us, through us – and for us. When we become committed to doing His will, He empowers us to do that will by channeling our individuality, creativity, and ability. Our entry into His team begins with our determination to serve Him in a mood of surrender.”
“For many people, surrender connotes defeat and domination – for example, when a frustrated military general faced with a far superior opponent raises the white flag of surrender. However, in the devotional context, surrender is entirely different: it is the willing and loving offering of oneself to one’s object of love. And such devotional surrender ushers us to a life of adventure, not indenture.”
Dvaipayana Prabhu, temple president of ISKCON Orladno:
From a class via Zoom at ISKCON Orlando:
Many of us had some religious background, but we did not become devotees until we met someone connected to the disciplic succession.
The disciplic successions of the Sri sampradaya and Brahma sampradaya are still intact, but the Nimbarka and Vishnuswami sampradayas have breaks.
I went to the North American temple presidents meeting. We discussed our vision for ISKCON in North America. Some examples of what devotees came up with are:
“ISKCON NA is at its best when welcome and care for each and every person as if they are more valuable than gold, and when we bring people under the shelter of Krishna, Srila Prabhupada, Temple and ISKCON. ISKCON NA leaders are at their best when we create beautiful environments where everybody wants to stay and we humbly and enthusiastically live and share Srila Prabhupada’s teachings.”
“ISKCON NA is at its best when we welcome everyone to contribute their unique abilities in service to Srila Prabhupada’s movement in a cooperative mood of honesty and transparent communication which lead to trusting and inclusive relationships. We hear lots of thoughtful, appreciative talk. We see lots of obeisances. Loving relationship are palpable. We are helping each other grow in spiritual life. We are building trust, temple leadership is transparent and honest, empowering devotees to grow and lead. We facilitate one-on-one confidentiality, providing spiritual and emotional support.”
Ananta Kirtan Prabhu:
Where do you find people spending hours hearing and chanting about God every morning and trying to dedicate their activities to God? It is practically unheard of!
There are many letters in which Srila Prabhupada encouraged different disciples to study his books from different angles of vision.
There was one lawyer who was so inimical to the devotees in Fiji, he wanted to get them to leave the island, and he even had thought about physically destroying their building. He had a conversation with Tamal Krishna Goswami in which Tamal Krishna Goswami challenged him saying, “Live in the temple for a month, and if you do not experience a higher taste, we will give you the building.” Tamal Krishna Goswami had him engaged in services he did really well like peeling potatoes, and he also told the managers that he should be engaged in giving a few classes, because then he would have to study Srila Prabhupada’s books. He did get a higher taste, and now he is the temple president of Dallas, Nityananda Prabhu.
My friend Madhavendra Puri Prabhu would say, “If you do not have the need to read, you will become conquered by lust and greed.”
We have to go from raja-guna to Radha Kunda.
Malati Devi Dasi says that several devotees who did not know Hindi heard Srila Prabhupada give a Hindi class. Afterward they got together and discussed the class, and they were amazed how much they got out of it although not knowing the language.
Spiritual realization is not something that can be gained by force. If we have humility, a service attitude, and sincerity, we can be blessed.
Brhat Mrdanga Prabhu:
From Thoughtful Thursday:
Q: What are people looking for?
A (by Student 1): Connection, and through that, happiness.
A (by Student 2): Purpose.
According the Vedas, this age is called Kali-yuga, the most degraded age, which is characterized by quarrel and hypocrisy. Do you see quarrel and hypocrisy? Do you see it in yourself sometimes?
According to Bhagavad-gita, all our problems are caused by thinking of ourselves as this body and thinking that to satisfy the senses of this body at all costs is life’s goal.
Everyone is seeing himself as the central character in his own drama and all others are supporting actors.
I am almost nothing, but I am connected to the source of everything, and I can be guided by that source.
The easiest way to advance spiritually is to keep yourself near spiritually advanced people.
Student 3: My mother is a hardcore Buddhist and she told me about the three features of the Absolute Truth that you mentioned [the all-pervading spirit, the source of inspiration in the heart, and the Supreme Personality].
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Sometimes we are asked what the three words, “Hare,” “Krishna,” and “Rama” in the Hare Krishna mantra actually mean. I personally like to give answers based on the revealed literature, and I love this definition of “Rama” from the Padma Purana, which Srila Prabhupada quotes in his purport to Bhagavad-gita 5.22. It is also quoted by the South Indian brahmana, who Lord Caitanya encountered in his journey and who always chanted the holy name of Lord Rama. In the purport to the reference in Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Srila Prabhupada mentions, “This is the eighth verse of the Sata-nama-stotra of Lord Ramacandra, which is found in the Padma Purana.” The idea of deriving “unlimited transcendental pleasures from the Absolute Truth” appeals to me as a person looking for the ultimate happiness.
ramante yogino ’nante
iti rama-padenasau
param brahmabhidhiyate
“The mystics derive unlimited transcendental pleasures from the Absolute Truth, and therefore the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, is also known as Rama.” (Padma Purana)
