Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 17, No. 19
By Krishna Kripa Das
(October 2021, part one)
(Sent from Stuyvesant Falls, New York, on October 16, 2021)
Where I Went and What I Did
I spent the first five days of October in New York City, chanting Hare Krishna with Rama Raya Prabhu’s NYC Harinam party. On October 6, I took the train to Hudson, New York, to join the caretakers of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, in Stuyvesant Falls. I was inspired by Baladeva from Trinidad, who decided to relocate to Stuyvesant Falls to serve his guru for the rest of his life. I thought that because Baladeva had passed away untimely, I should volunteer to help. There I woke the deities, changed their water, decorated their altar, performed arati, made breakfast for Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, listened to his two and a half hours of Zoom readings of Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, cleaned the kitchen morning, noon, and evening, sang a morning and evening kirtan, and put the deities to rest. I dressed his Radha-Govinda deities every three days, although it is not a service I do well. On Sunday I attended a Sunday feast program in Schenectady, one of three principal cities, along Albany and Troy, which made up New York State’s Capital District. There for nine years Hare Krishnas mostly from Guyana have been having regular programs.
I share excerpts from Srila Prabhupada’s books, especially Sri Caitanya-caritamrita. I share excerpts from the writing of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share quotes from Vrindavan Das Thakura’s Caitanya-Bhagavata and from Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s commentary on it. I share notes on classes in New York City by Kavicandra Swami, Hansarupa Prabhu, Kadamba Kanana Swami, and Rama Raya Prabhu.
Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Tulasi Puja in ISKCON NYC (https://youtu.be/G07GYo7s3FE):
Jaya Jagannath Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and passersby happily dance, and even chant, with devotees (https://youtu.be/-ayNsKx8XcM):
A guy and a girl who were dancing with us and then tried chanting the Hare Krishna mantra both came up to me at once and asked, “What does it mean?”
I explained that the mantra was made of Sanskrit names for God, giving a brief definition for each. I ended by saying, “We are chanting for protection from the materialism that surrounds us.”
The guy said, “I want that too!”
Here is another video of that kirtan from a different angle and at a different orientation (https://youtu.be/sEwuCJ2TgXo):
Kaliya Krishna Prabhu took more video of Jaya Jagannath Prabhu chanting Hare Krishna at Union Square (https://youtu.be/17ZgiwWHo6E):
Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square (https://youtu.be/lxvblZ7LNKc):
I chant Hare Krishna at Union Square, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/My-f7MZQEp0):
Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/2KKTIuSoGgg):
Kadamba Kanana Swami chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and devotees dance (video by Kaliya Krishna Prabhu) (https://youtu.be/TarfLLniSAE):
I also took some video of Kadamba Kanana Swami (https://youtu.be/N7R5Ta_w6JM):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, a girl plays shakers and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/6jhGHHled6A):
Later more devotees danced, including Kadamba Kanana Swami (https://youtu.be/B-h6HzrZBio):
The previous two videos were by Kaliya Krishna Prabhu. I also took some video of that kirtan by Rama Raya Prabhu (https://youtu.be/anE0IGDWF5o):
I chant Hare Krishna at Union Square on a Saturday (https://youtu.be/R_c5It0S-gM):
Here is a vertical view of another point in the same kirtan (https://youtu.be/mZtsJYxUghU):
Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and a girl, who was suffering from a relationship that was breaking up, happily claps and moves to the divine sound (https://youtu.be/QRm-N8lIv1I):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and devotees and passersby dance (https://youtu.be/GioPibsnd38):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, a girl plays shakers and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/6jhGHHled6A):
Devarsi Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn on the day of the Atlantic Antic Festival, New York City’s largest street festival (https://youtu.be/Wwjp-10aeRY):
Natabara Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Terminal (https://youtu.be/iIK5cZx3DOA):
Jaya Jagannath Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Terminal, and local band members and other passersby enjoy dancing (https://youtu.be/5XeM0jpOzJU):
Kadamba Kanana Swami chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Terminal, and several passersby participate by dancing and playing instruments (https://youtu.be/tYMFWoHlITw):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Terminal, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/mMl_KxIWHr8):
Ananda Bihari Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Terminal, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/e4wO8TkS_o0):
Natabara Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Mangala Arati at ISKCON NYC (https://youtu.be/NvHuZ6y6O70):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at ISKCON NYC on a Monday afternoon (https://youtu.be/RY7tfPhAXsI):
Braja Sakhi Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Union Square (https://youtu.be/HlEKcrRiAMk):
Hari Venu Prabhu of Iceland, visiting for a couple of months, chants Hare Krishna at Union Square (https://youtu.be/xieyoQQYXX4):
One recent development at ISKCON NYC is a new sign for Govinda’s Restaurant, complete with the week’s menu.
My last day in New York City, I had a nice experience. On harinama, Donnie, a NYU graduate student in music technology, enjoyed listening to the kirtan and bought a bhakta stack (Bhagavad-gita, Science of Self-Realization, and Easy Journey to Other Planets). I invited him to our evening program. He came, and finding our group Hare Krishna mantra japa meditation had a more positive effect on his mind than his previous meditation, got some beads to begin the practice.
Alia of Morocco, a month in NYC, also new to our program, found the chanting and devotee sanga improved her mental state as well.
Give them your blessings that they may become regular attenders at our programs!
October 9 was the anniversary of the first Hare Krishna kirtan at Tompkins Square Park back in 1966. I could not visit this year, being upstate, but I remembered my visit last year, https://krishnamonk.blogspot.com/2020/10/tompkins-square-park-birthplace-of-hare.html.
The next day was the anniversary of the New York Times article on that first Tompkins Square Park kirtan which Srila Prabhupada considered marked the beginning of his Hare Krishna movement in the West:
Chanting Hare Krishna in Viraha Bhavan
“Viraha Bhavan” is what Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami calls his ashram in Stuyvesant Falls, New York, 2½ hours by car north of New York City. He explains the name in the issue of his journal dated July 6, 2010, “It occurs to me that at seventy and a half years old [, I am in a last stage of my life and want to increase my feelings of separation from Radha-Krishna and Srila Prabhupada. In the Krishna book Prabhupada explains that the Gaudiya Vaisnava spiritual masters should inculcate feelings of separation in their followers. ‘To acquire this strong feeling of separation is the teaching of Lord Caitanya and His direct disciplic succession of Gosvamis. When we are not in physical contact with Krishna, we can associate with Him like the gopis, through feelings of separation. Krishna’s transcendental form, qualities, pastimes and entourage are all identical with Him. There are nine different kinds of devotional service. Devotional service to Krishna in feelings of separation elevates the devotee to the highest perfectional level, to the level of the gopis.”
Reflecting on the atmosphere here a phrase came to mind, “quiet intensity.” It is quiet in that we are in rural New York and just four of us live in the ashram. Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s impressive schedule of devotional activities, for someone over eighty years old and challenged by health issues, and his caretakers full engagement in assisting him, make for the intensity.
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami rises at 2:00 a.m. and begins chanting his sixteen rounds of japa around 2:30 a.m. His principal caretaker for many years, Baladeva Vidyabhusana Prabhu, rises at the same time and assists him. Bhakti Rasa Prabhu, visiting for three months from Newcastle, England, rises at 3 a.m.
I get up usually between 4 and 5 a.m. and try to chant sixteen rounds before taking my shower at 6:15 a.m. After showering I wake the downstair’s deities, chant gayatri, and make my guru’s breakfast, which is offered to five sets of deities here, Radha-Govinda, Lord Caitanya, Gaura Nitai, Lord Nrsimha, and Srila Prabhupada, at 7:30 a.m.
From 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami has a Zoom meeting where devotees take turns reading from Srila Prabhupada’s books. Now we are on Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila, the part about Lord Caitanya’s tour to South India. Devotees join in from Ireland, the UK, Trinidad, India, and different parts of the U.S.A.
I clean the dishes and the kitchen, decorate Gaura-Nitai’s altar with flowers [on this day, Baladeva helped], perform arati while chanting “Guruvastakam” and ten minutes of Hare Krishna, and collect tulasi leaves.
Then I sit down to a breakfast of all the maha-prasadam, as the other two caretakers have their own diets and times of eating.
Every third day I dress Radha Govinda.
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami has a lunch cooked by Bhakti Rasa Prabhu at 1:00 p.m., and the Zoom meeting goes from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m., continuing where we left off in our reading of Sri Caitanya-caritamrita.
Satsvarupa Maharaja works on his journal with Baladeva Prabhu in the afternoon.
I chant four extra rounds and go for a walk, passing Stuyvesant Falls on my way. It is so peaceful to not be in a city like New York, Paris or Tallahassee!
I clean the kitchen after both lunch and the evening snack. I also chant the “Gaura Arati” song and ten minutes of “Hare Krishna” for the downstairs deities and put them to rest.
In the evenings I work on the production of a book authored by Satyaraja Prabhu on the history of Hare Krishna in New York and I work on this journal. Thursday I proofread Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s Free Write Journal. People here take rest around 7:30 p.m., but I stay up to 10 p.m. or 11 p.m., so it is very quiet working in the evenings.
Chanting Hare Krishna in Schenectady, New York
During this visit to Upstate New York I learned that for nine years Hare Krishna devotees, many originally from Guyana, have been having regular programs in Schenectady, one of the three largest cities in New York State’s Capital District. Because I really love Hare Krishna kirtan and the devotees in Stuyvesant do not have regular kirtans, I decided to attend the Sunday program in Schenectady, about fifty minutes away by car. The program presently alternates between the homes of two different devotees, but the group has purchased a property and will ultimately have programs there. They also do harinama on Saturdays.
Here Mahaprakash Prabhu, president of the Hare Krishna Preaching and Vegetarian Catering Center (Schenectady), chants Hare Krishna at their weekly Sunday home program (https://youtu.be/DFd6SJ3cREA):
The altar where the home program was had an impressive array of deities, the most striking being one of Lord Nrsimha, with Hiranyakasipu and Sri Prahlada:
I am happy to learn that devotees are regularly doing kirtan somewhere in the Capital District, and I look forward to going whenever I get a chance.
Visiting Relatives
My mother, now ninety-seven years old, lives half an hour from Stuyvesant Falls, in Schodack Center, in the same house where I grew up. One day I had dinner with her and my sister, Karen.
Another day, my niece Gwen [left], and her husband and daughter [right] joined us, along with Karen and her partner, Victor [both center]. I am happy to share with them all the nice prasadam that the devotees here make for our guru and to see how they are doing. My mother, Karen, and Victor all remember the nice prasadam that Baladeva has given them over the years, and they think well of him.
Itinerary
October 6–November 21: Serving Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami in Stuyvesant Falls, NY
November 21–December 3: NYC Harinam
December 4–December 11: Serving Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami in Stuyvesant Falls, NY
December 11–January 3, 2022: NYC Harinam
January 5‒April: Tallahassee harinamas and college outreach
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.4.10, purport:
“The Lord reciprocates with His devotees on the basis of transcendental love and not on the basis of philosophical knowledge or fruitive activities. In the transcendental loving service of the Lord, there is no place for monistic knowledge or fruitive activities. The gopis in Vrindavan were neither highly learned scholars nor mystic yogis. They had spontaneous love for the Lord, and thus He became their heart and soul, and the gopis also became the heart and soul of the Lord. Lord Caitanya approved the relationship of the gopis with the Lord as supreme.”
From Bhagavad-gita 2.18, purport:
“So from both viewpoints there is no cause of lamentation, because the living entity as he is cannot be killed nor can the material body be saved for any length of time or permanently protected.”
From Bhagavad-gita 2.20, purport:
“The soul is full of knowledge, or full always with consciousness. Therefore, consciousness is the symptom of the soul. Even if one does not find the soul within the heart, where he is situated, one can still understand the presence of the soul simply by the presence of consciousness. Sometimes we do not find the sun in the sky owing to clouds, or for some other reason, but the light of the sun is always there, and we are convinced that it is therefore daytime. As soon as there is a little light in the sky early in the morning, we can understand that the sun is in the sky. Similarly, since there is some consciousness in all bodies – whether man or animal – we can understand the presence of the soul. This consciousness of the soul is, however, different from the consciousness of the Supreme because the supreme consciousness is all-knowledge – past, present and future. The consciousness of the individual soul is prone to be forgetful. When he is forgetful of his real nature, he obtains education and enlightenment from the superior lessons of Krishna.”
From Bhag. 4.24.10, purport:
“The members of the Krishna consciousness movement should perform sankirtana-yajnas one after another, so much so that all the people of the world will either jokingly or seriously chant Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare, and thus they will derive the benefit of cleansing the heart.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 5.76, purport:
“Actually, if we can attain the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, we do not need anything else. We certainly do not need those things which a mundane person considers to be material assets.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya 16.108–112:
“Everyone has tasted these material substances before,” said Sri Caitanya, in the sixteenth century. “However, in these [now offered] ingredients there are extraordinary tastes and uncommon fragrances. Just taste them and see the difference in the experience. Apart from the taste, even the fragrance pleases the mind and makes one forget any other sweetness besides its own. Therefore it is to be understood that the spiritual nectar of Krishna’s lips has touched these ordinary ingredients and transferred to them all their spiritual qualities.”
From a letter Damodar on January 10, 1971:
“Every one of you should be thoroughly convinced of the power of the Hare Krishna mantra to protect you in all circumstances and chant accordingly at all times without offense. Then advancement will be swift and you will gradually come to see everything clearly so that you may act for the pleasure of the Lord without uncertainty. When one is spontaneously engaged in this way, always in the service of the Lord and anxious to avoid all mundane activities, he is actually experiencing the taste of bliss in Krishna consciousness.”
From Nectar of Instruction 5, purport:
“Caitanya-caritamrita (Antya 4.192):
diksa-kale bhakta kare atma-samarpana
sei-kale krishna tare kare atma-sama
‘At the time of initiation, when a devotee fully surrenders to the service of the Lord, Krishna accepts him to be as good as He Himself.’
When a person is serious about accepting diksa, he must be prepared to practice austerity, celibacy and control of the mind and body. If one is so prepared and is desirous of receiving spiritual enlightenment (divyam jñanam), he is fit for being initiated.
Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.3.21) also prescribes: tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijñasuh sreya uttamam. ‘When one is actually interested in the transcendental science of the Absolute Truth, he should approach a spiritual master.’”
From Bhagavad-gita 2.10, purport:
“It appears that the talk between the master and the disciple was openly exchanged in the presence of both armies so that all were benefited. So the talks of Bhagavad-gita are not for any particular person, society, or community, but they are for all, and friends or enemies are equally entitled to hear them.”
From Bhagavad-gita 2.11, purport:
“Arjuna argued that religious principles should be given more importance than politics or sociology, but he did not know that knowledge of matter, soul and the Supreme is even more important than religious formularies. And because he was lacking in that knowledge, he should not have posed himself as a very learned man. As he did not happen to be a very learned man, he was consequently lamenting for something which was unworthy of lamentation. The body is born and is destined to be vanquished today or tomorrow; therefore the body is not as important as the soul. One who knows this is actually learned, and for him there is no cause for lamentation, regardless of the condition of the material body.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 4.125, purport:
“As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (7.5.23), there are nine kinds of devotional service: hearing (sravanam), chanting (kirtanam), remembering (vishnoh smaranam), serving (pada-sevanam), worship of the Deity (arcanam), praying (vandanam), carrying out orders (dasyam), serving Him as a friend (sakhyam) and sacrificing everything for the Lord (atma-nivedanam). Although each process appears distinct, when one is situated on the absolute platform he can see that they are identical. For instance, hearing is as good as chanting, and remembering is as good as chanting or hearing. Similarly, engaging in Deity worship is as good as chanting, hearing or remembering. The devotee is expected to accept all nine processes of devotional service, but even if only one process is properly executed, he can still attain the highest position (paramahamsa) and go back home, back to Godhead.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 4.133, purport:
“Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu encouraged the public chanting of the holy name on a huge scale for as many hours as possible.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 6.84, purport:
“Lord Brahma admitted that his own extraordinary powers within the universe were not in the least comparable to the unlimited powers of Lord Krishna. If Lord Brahma can make a mistake in understanding Krishna, what to speak of ordinary persons, who either misunderstand Krishna or falsely present a so-called incarnation Krishna for their own sense gratification.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 8.56, purport:
“For the general public, sankirtana is the most effective method to awaken Krishna consciousness. If possible, one should discuss the principles enunciated in the Bhagavad-gita. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu followed this principle very strictly and discussed the philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita with learned scholars like Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭacarya and Prakasananda Sarasvati. However, He taught the principles of the bhakti cult to students like Sanatana Gosvami and Rupa Gosvami, and He discussed with Sri Ramananda Raya the topmost devotional dealings between Krishna and the gopis. For the general populace, He performed sankirtana very vigorously. We must also follow these principles in preaching Krishna consciousness all over the world.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 8.70:
“‘Pure devotional service in Krishna consciousness cannot be had even by pious activity in hundreds and thousands of lives. It can be attained only by paying one price — that is, intense greed to obtain it. If it is available somewhere, one must purchase it without delay.’ [Padyavali 14]”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 8.73:
“‘By serving You constantly, one is freed from all material desires and is completely pacified. When shall I engage as Your permanent eternal servant and always feel joyful to have such a perfect master?’
This is a statement made by the great saintly devotee Yamunacarya in his Stotra-ratna (43).”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 8.83, purport:
“One should not make a livelihood by forming a professional band to carry out congregational chanting, nor should one perform devotional service when one is attached to mundane society, friendship and love. Nor should one be dependent on so-called social etiquette. All of this is mental speculation. None of these things can be compared to unalloyed devotional service. No one can compare unalloyed devotional service, Krishna consciousness, to mundane activities.”
“The purport in presenting this verse necessitates explaining the comparative positions of the transcendental mellows known as santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhurya. All these rasas, or mellows, are situated on the transcendental platform. Pure devotees take shelter of one of them and thus progress in spiritual life. Actually one can take shelter of such spiritual mellows only when one is completely uncontaminated by material attachment. When one is completely free from material attachment, the feelings of the transcendental mellows are awakened in the heart of the devotee. That is svarupa-siddhi, the perfection of one’s eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord. Svarupa-siddhi, the eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord, may be situated in any one of the transcendental mellows.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 8.128, purport:
“The brahmana is supposed to be the spiritual master of all other varnas, or classes, but as far as Krishna consciousness is concerned, everyone is capable of becoming a spiritual master because knowledge in Krishna consciousness is on the platform of the spirit soul. To spread Krishna consciousness, one need only be cognizant of the science of the spirit soul. It does not matter whether one is a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, sannyasi, grihastha or whatever. If one simply understands this science, he can become a spiritual master.
“In the Padma Purana it is said:
na sudra bhagavad-bhaktas te ’pi bhagavatottamah
sarva-varnesu te sudra ye na bhakta janardane
‘One who is actually advanced in spiritual knowledge of Krishna is never a sudra, even though he may have been born in a sudra family.’”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 8.138, purport:
“In the mantra klim kama-devaya vidmahe puspa-banaya dhimahi tan no ’nangah pracodayat, Krishna is called Kama-deva, Puspa-bana and Ananga. Kama-deva is Madana-mohana, the Deity who establishes our relationship with Krishna; Puspa-bana (‘He who carries an arrow made of flowers’) is Govinda, the Personality of Godhead who accepts our devotional service; and Ananga is Gopijana-vallabha, who satisfies all the gopis and is the ultimate goal of life.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 8.207–8:
“There is an inexplicable fact about the natural inclinations of the gopis. The gopis never want to enjoy themselves with Krishna personally. The happiness of the gopis increases ten million times when they serve to engage Sri Sri Radha and Krishna in Their transcendental pastimes.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 8.212–218:
“Although the gopis, Srimati Radharani’s friends, do not desire to enjoy themselves directly with Krishna, Srimati Radharani makes a great endeavor to induce Krishna to enjoy Himself with the gopis. Presenting various pleas for the gopis, Srimati Radharani sometimes sends the gopis to Krishna just to enable them to associate with Him directly. At such times, She enjoys a happiness ten million times greater than that enjoyed through direct association. The transcendental mellow is nourished by that mutual behavior in transcendental love of Godhead. When Lord Krishna sees how the gopis have developed pure love for Him, He becomes very satisfied. It is to be noted that the natural characteristic of the gopis is to love the Supreme Lord. Their lusty desire is not to be compared to material lust. Nonetheless, because their desire sometimes appears to resemble material lust, their transcendental love for Krishna is sometimes described as lust. ‘Although the dealings of the gopis with Krishna are on the platform of pure love of Godhead, such dealings are sometimes considered to be lusty. But because they are completely spiritual, Uddhava and all the other dearmost devotees of the Lord desire to participate in them.’ [Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu 1.2.285] Lusty desires are experienced when one is concerned with his own personal sense gratification. The mood of the gopis is not like that. Their only desire is to satisfy the senses of Krishna. Among the gopis, there is not a pinch of desire for sense gratification. Their only desire is to give pleasure to Krishna, and this is why they mingle with Him and enjoy with Him.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From Srila Prabhupada-lilamrita, Volume 6, Chapter 51:
“Srila Prabhupada did not mind the primitive facilities [in Bhubaneswar, India]; in fact, he liked them. Although he was ill and for personal comfort could have been residing in his choice of comfortable buildings in the West – a manor in London, a castle in Paris, a penthouse apartment in New York City – he felt perfectly at home and happy living in a primitive mud-and-thatched hut on a secluded patch of land in the dust of Orissa.”
From Free Write Journal #162:
“I received a letter from a disciple whose daughter told her that I said she should write to me once a year. This disciple just wrote me and said she’s ashamed at the fact she has not written. But she feels so overwhelmed by her physical and emotional problems that she’s been unable to write. Anyway, she finally wrote me and asked me if there was anything I could advise her in her devotional service, although she admitted there’s not much she can do. She writes, ‘If you like, can you please continue to instruct me about devotional service? I am a little afraid to ask this because there isn’t much I can physically do, even to take care of my own self. Maybe you should share about what services I might do while continuing resting my exhausted body. You can even instruct me about how to prepare for my final departure from this world.’ I’ll inquire from her whether she can chant japa on her beads and advise her to try to chant sixteen rounds. If she can do this it will be sufficient even though she’s ill. As for instructions to prepare for her final departure from this world, my advice is the same thing: practice chanting the quota of Hare Krishna japa and follow the four rules. This will keep you free from sin, and you can serve Krishna the best in this way. Krishna likes His devotees to call out to Him in a helpless way.”
From A Poor Man Reads the Bhagavatam, Volume 1:
“I do not know Vasudeva. I am an outsider to the nectar of His name and pastimes. But this Bhagavatam quest is doing me good, bringing me in from the cold.”
“Krishna, You operate this body. I am helpless. If You like, You can allow this body to keep going a little longer. I know it’s a flopping instrument. Sooner or later, its dance will be done. Please let it dance for you. Let my rude words soften and sound mellifluous to the devotees. Let my brain be more inclined to speak more directly in the channel of Krishna consciousness. Let my ear be receptive to His Divine Grace’s words. Let me be Yours.”
“Prabhupada said that in teaching children, you should apply continual pressure, the way you control a plant by tying it next to a stick. By a gentle, continual pressure, the plant or child will be kept in control, but if you try to apply sporadic pressure of a more violent sort, you may break him.”
“A disciple should value reprimands from the spiritual master for the corrective value, and also as a sign of intimacy.”
From Dear Sky: Letters from a Sannyasi:
“The stories of how a devotee comes to Krishna consciousness are among the favorite stories devotees share. A person coming to Krishna consciousness may have overcome some oppressive situation such as opposition from parents or the government. At the beginning, circumstances may have been very difficult, but still, Krishna guided the devotee on, sometimes touching the devotee’s life in extraordinary ways. To hear these stories is encouraging.
“Even the conversion stories of great souls like Narada Muni or Valmiki are among our favorites in the sastric narrations. For when we hear how Sukadeva Gosvami or the Kumaras were impersonalists and became devotees, we see the potency of the spiritual energy and how it touches lives. And then we think, ‘Yes, it’s real, it’s true, and I can do it too.’ The example of others also impels us to want to make our own story a success, not an aborted tale of someone who came and then fell away.
“The initial coming to Krishna consciousness is a triumphant story. But it would be superficial to end all the stories by saying, ‘And then she moved into the temple and lived happily ever after in Vaikuntha bliss.’ That initial story has many subsequent chapters. Those are harder to write.
“Sometimes the story ends after a few chapters when someone quits practicing, apparently for this lifetime. Or the story gets lost in so many duties, and we only reminisce about the time that we rose up as a spirit soul. Or, as I said in the beginning of this letter, we keep hitting up against the wall of the same personal defects, the same limitations, and it seems like we can go no further. So in that case, rather than say, ‘She lived happily ever after,’ we would say, ‘And then after twenty years, she realized she could go no further because she could never overcome her basic defects.’ That’s not a very triumphant ending. Let’s keep going and find a way to get Krishna’s mercy so that we can say and feel, ‘Jaya Jaya Sri Krishna—param vijayate sri-Krishna-sankirtanam.’”
From Journal and Poems, Book 2:
“My six months’ confinement in Gita-nagari is soon coming to an end. I have already left the monk-like concentration in solitude. But I loiter around the cows in a field, at sunset, savoring the old Gita-nagari magic, if only for a little while. They are fortunate who live here in this village and follow Prabhupada’s dictate for Krishna conscious farm life. He said their perfection would be that they never have to leave the farm; everything here is self-sufficient and they are satisfied.”
From The Story of My Life, Volume 2:
“Nowadays we face challenges we never had to face in the past. Back then no one dared say that Prabhupada didn’t give us everything, that Prabhupada only ‘cleaned the pot,’ that he only chopped down rough jungle weeds of Mayavada philosophy, and now we’re ready for someone else to give us the nectar. These challenges have been made, and now we have to meet them by finding everything in Prabhupada’s books. What we need is there in the Caitanya-caritamrta and in Prabhupada’s other books, but there are also warnings: ‘Don’t take them cheaply.’ For that reason I pray that I will be able to do whatever I can to find satisfaction in Prabhupada’s books alone.”
From Karttika Moon:
“This is my first day in Mayapur, and I am not
perfect, not even aware of Lord Caitanya’s
personal presence and yet the dhama is so
merciful I get the benefit just to sleep here
and Navadvipa-mahatmya says there’s
no offense
even if you overeat. In Kali-yuga all
tirthas have diminished but not Navadvipa.
This is the benefit of living in the dhama.”
“When so much pain came, the young girl couldn’t concentrate on Krishna and Radha. She finally died with her guru saying holy names in her ear and a picture of Radharani near her.”
“Come to the dhama to serve
by vigorous dancing, he said.
Oh, I can’t do that.
But my heart does.
And my words.”
“This is Mayapur where
you can’t commit offenses.
Everything you do is blessed.
The Two Brothers reign.
They bring you to gopi-bhava.
I’m on good behavior.”
From Japa Transformations
“Be a renounced person who humbly accepts whatever he can get, but who goes on chanting.”
Vrindavan Dasa Thakura:
From Caitanya-bhagavata, Adi 8.22:
“All glories to Sri Gauracandra, who accepted the form of Lord Vamana! Please donate Your lotus feet in charity to my heart.”
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Ṭhakura:
From his commentary on Caitanya-bhagavata, Adi 8.7:
“it is stated in the Vedas: asta-varsam brahmanam upanayita—‘When the son of a brahmana becomes eight years old, he should be awarded the sacred thread.’”
From his commentary on Caitanya-bhagavata, Adi 14.118:
“In devotional scriptures there are sixty-four limbs of sadhana described. And among these limbs of sadhana, five limbs have been described as the best. Among these five, the topmost limb of sadhana, congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord, is the path demonstrated by Sri Caitanyacandra. None of the limbs of devotional service can be performed properly until and unless one accepts the support of chanting the holy names. Without sadhana, one can never achieve peace of mind—the purport of this statement is that chanting the holy names, the basis of pleasing Krishna, is the only sadhana, and until one develops love for Krishna, which is the only sadhya, achieving perfection in sadhana is difficult and incomplete.”
From his commentary on Caitanya-bhagavata, Adi 8.66:
“The word sarva-jña is another name for the original Vishnusvami. He appeared at Candanavana-Kalyanapura, in the province of Pandya. He is the first Vaishnava acarya in this age of Kali. He defeated the philosophy of Buddhism and brought Sri Jagannathadeva to Sundaracala. Three hundred years before Christ a king named Vijaya Pandya appeared. After he conquered Sri Purusottama and brought Lord Jagannatha to his own province, the Buddhists returned Lord Jagannatha to Nilacala. A few hundred years later, during the reign of Sundara Pandya, he was reminded of the place where Lord Jagannatha was brought while going to conquer the northern provinces. That place, known as Sundaracala, later became known as Gundica. Shortly before this incident a disciple of Sankaracarya named Padmapadacarya built a matha at the place known as Chatrabhoga. Later on this matha was shifted to the shore of the ocean by Sri Ramanujacarya. There is a book named Sanksepa-sariraka in the Sankara-sampradaya that is said to be written by Sarvajñatma Muni. But this Sarvajñatma Muni cannot be the Sarvajña Muni who established the philosophy of suddhadvaita. There is another Sarvajña in the Jain sampradaya as well. In the disciplic succession of Sarvajña Muni there were many disciples, including Brihaspati.”
Kavicandra Swami:
Lord Caitanya visited a four-armed deity of the Supreme Lord in Alalanatha when Lord Jagannatha was in seclusion after snana-yatra in Jagannatha Puri.
Krishna reciprocates according to how we surrender. The gopis wanted to dance with Krishna, so Krishna danced with them. Kamsa wanted to fight with Krishna, so Krishna fought with him.
After Sita was banished and Lord Ramacandra was going to perform a sacrifice, the brahmanas advised him to marry again because a king is supposed to perform sacrifices along with his wife. Lord Ramacandra had taken a vow to accept only one wife, so he was unwilling. Instead He made a gold deity of Sita to perform the sacrifice with.
Many times Narottama Dasa Thakura says that you need the mercy of Lord Nityananda to attain Radha and Krishna.
Keep the kirtana going. Go out and spread the holy name.
We want to make an epidemic of the holy name.
We have to keep reminding people because they are so distracted.
People believe in crystals, jewels, and things like that, thinking that if they just keep them in their house they will be benefited. Our books are actually like that. If people reject the books, saying they will never read them, you can tell them that if you keep the books in your home, there will always be auspiciousness. Lord Caitanya told Devananda Pandit that about the Bhagavatam.
During Srila Prabhupada’s time, there would be kirtana after Bhagavatam class, and Srila Prabhupada would play the gong. Those kirtanas were often very ecstatic.
People think lust is just sex, but actually it is any selfish desire
By engaging in devotional service, especially in chanting the holy name, we can become purified from this lust.
Although committing practically every other sin, why is it that Jagai and Madhai never offended a devotee? Because the devotees stayed far away from them.
People buy things they do not need with money that they don’t have to impress people that don’t care.
The Hare Krishna mantra is like an icebreaker that breaks the ice of Kali-yoga so we can proceed.
One man made very accurate predictions until 1971. But after that he could not predict. In 1971 the devotees were doing hours of chanting of Hare Krishna in the streets and thus everyone’s karma changed.
Hansarupa Prabhu:
The pandal programs when Srila Prabhupada was present in Bhubaneshwar were not well attended as they were insufficiently advertised. Just a few farmers, some women, and some children were there. Still they all achieved inconceivable good fortune to see and hear from Srila Prabhupada, an exalted devotee of the Supreme Lord.
George Harrison had a song called “Devil’s Radio.” It tells of the evil ideas put in our minds from the radio.
We have to rack our brains to distribute this transcendental literature.
Every villager is worshiping his deities at home. Srila Prabhupada had something more in mind for his disciples: sharing Krishna consciousness.
We might come to Krishna consciousness at different points in our life, but the key is not to leave.
If one is always thinking of how to serve the spiritual master and Krishna, one will not be otherwise engaged.
Raghunatha Dasa Goswami was always looking for the opportunity to leave his material situation and join Lord Caitanya.
The materialists have whole seminars on the topic of “focus,” but the devotees are focusing every day on chanting the holy name.
Srila Prabhupada said, “Old age means impending death.”
In the Caitanya-caritamrita we do not hear any talk of overthrowing the Muslim emperor by the devotees. They were all happy chanting the holy names, speaking about Krishna, and sharing their message.
People seek protection from the virus through vaccination. We achieve protection from materialism by chanting Hare Krishna.
When we go out in public and see people disturbed by so many things, we can be thankful for the transcendental knowledge we have been given.
We saw Srila Prabhupada continuing share Krishna consciousness when his body was in the most difficult situation.
Q (by Kavicandra Swami): What do you mean by cooperation?
A: To maintain the management structures for ISKCON that Srila Prabhupada set up and see it continues to the next generation.
Comment by me:
The verse talks about the value of ajnata-sukriti, unknowing devotional service. One of the most powerful purports of Srila Prabhupada on that subject is the one to Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya 1.32:
“This is the result of sadhu-sanga — consequent association with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and promotion back home, back to Godhead. This result is possible even for a dog, by the mercy of the Vaishnava. Therefore, everyone in the human form of life should be induced to associate with devotees. By rendering a little service, even by eating prasadam, what to speak of chanting and dancing, everyone can be promoted to Vaikunthaloka. It is therefore requested that all our devotees in the ISKCON community become pure Vaishnavas, so that by their mercy all the people of the world will be transferred to Vaikunthaloka, even without their knowledge. Everyone should be given a chance to take prasadam and thus be induced to chant the holy names Hare Krishna and also dance in ecstasy. By these three processes, although performed without knowledge or education, even an animal went back to Godhead.”
Kadamba Kanana Swami:
Taking full shelter of Krishna is the example of our acaryas.
Whether he lived or died, Prahlada Maharaja left it up to Krishna.
We can only trust in Krishna and those who have given their lives to Krishna.
Bhagavatam gives us the association of these great personalities.
Srila Prabhupada says by hearing about or reading the works of great personalities, we are associating with them.
By such association we develop all good qualities.
By reading about Krishna, we become captured by Krishna.
When Krishna is outside Vrindavan and He wants to make it clear that He is Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He shows His four-armed form.
Srila Prabhupada had difficulty getting paper to print Back to Godhead during World War II in India because the paper was controlled by the military. Srila Prabhupada approached a military officer and asked for paper. The officer said, “I am sorry. We need all the paper for the important war.” Prabhupada said, “I need the paper for the important cause of peace.” The officer gave him the paper.
The Supreme Lord did not make any borders on this earth. That is a human invention.
Although the people coming to Srila Prabhupada’s lectures in 1966 were not previously aware of the Vedic knowledge, they had the one good quality: they could recognize a pure devotee of the Lord.
In a class in South Africa, I asked the question, “Is anyone in complete control of his life?” Only one person raised his hand, and he had a band-aid on his finger. Thus he was exposed.
You have to choose the vaccine or the COVID. You have to brave it in both directions.
Once Srila Prabhupada made the point that “We think we are players, but actually we are the ball, and at any moment we can be kicked off the field.”
The pure devotee does not identify with any material situation.
Although something may appear to begin in a bad way, the end is always good because God has a purpose and God is good.
The whole world needs to be reminded about Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada came to New York City as the gateway to the world.
The pure devotee sees the whole world as his family, and he wants the best for his family. The best thing is to become Krishna conscious, and so he works for that.
Externally freedom does not exist. Internally we can have freedom if we have love for God.
Rama Raya Prabhu:
After hearing of all the problems of Govinda Dasi and Gaurasundara Prabhu at their first encounter with him, Srila Prabhupada said, “Simply come to my classes morning and evening, and all your problems will be solved.” They accepted it, and the rest is history.
Comment by Kavicandra Swami: Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu encountered the Hinduism professor who Srila Prabhupada heavily chastised perhaps twenty years earlier. Ravindra Svarupa was worried, but the professor recalled his meeting with Srila Prabhupada as a very wonderful experience and was grateful to have the opportunity.
Once Srila Prabhupada was pointing out some defect at a temple and asked a disciple why it was present. The devotee said, “I don’t know. I am not from this temple.” That was the wrong thing to say. Srila Prabhupada wanted everyone to be responsible.
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Lord Caitanya ordered Ramananda Raya: “Recite a verse from the revealed scriptures concerning the ultimate goal of life.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 8.57)
Ramanananda Raya did so, but Lord Caitanya replied, “This is external.” Then Lord Caitanya would press him to go further. This verse is the first one that Lord Caitanya accepted:
jñane prayasam udapasya namanta eva
sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhir
ye prayaso ’jita jito ’py asi tais tri-lokyam
[Lord Brahma said to Lord Krishna]: “Those who, even while remaining situated in their established social positions, throw away the process of speculative knowledge and with their body, words and mind offer all respects to descriptions of Your personality and activities, dedicating their lives to these narrations, which are vibrated by You personally and by Your pure devotees, certainly conquer Your Lordship, although You are otherwise unconquerable by anyone within the three worlds.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.14.3, quoted in Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 8.67)
So if you want to know how to conquer God, now you know, and what difficulty can there be for one who can conquer God?
