Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 17, No. 24
By Krishna Kripa Das
(December 2021, part two)
New York City, Upstate New York
(Sent from Brooklyn, New York, on January 1, 2022)
Where I Went and What I Did
I continued staying at Radha Govinda Temple in Brooklyn, chanting three or four hours a day with Rama Raya Prabhu’s NYC Harinam party. From Thanksgiving till the end of the year, I did twenty-five extra hours alone or with some friends for the Prabhupada Marathon. I visited relatives for four days at Christmastime, and I gave and received gifts and offered a lot of food to Krishna and shared it. One day while there I visited Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, my diksa-guru, for lunch. I brought supplies for his ashram as a Christmas gift and did a few dishes, and his assistants loaded me up with prasadam, enough for my relatives, and beyond that, some to bring to the devotees in Brooklyn. On New Year’s Eve it was seasonably warm in New York City, and we chanted Hare Krishna for three hours in Midtown Manhattan, the Lower East Side, including Tompkins Square Park, and on the subways.
I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s Sri Isopanisad, Srimad-Bhagavatam and The Nectar of Devotion. I share writings from Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share notes on classes at ISKCON NYC by Candrasekhara, Kavicandra, and Prahladananda Swamis and by Rama Raya, Nikunjbihari, Yugal Kishore and Tulasi Prabhus. As a final quote at the end I share a prayer of Prahlada Maharaja, which Kavicandra Swami describes as “the best blessing.”
Thanks to my mother for the gloves. Thanks to Karen for the YumEarth candies. Thanks to Fern for the tea, treats, and notebook. Thanks to Cindy for the shoe sole accessory. Thanks to Gaurav for his donation. Thanks to Diania for her donation. Thanks to Victor for the use of his car. Thanks to those who gave me gifts which I am not at this moment remembering.
Itinerary
December 27–January 3, 2022: NYC Harinam
January 4: Tampa harinama
January 5‒14: Tallahassee harinamas and college outreach
January 15–16: Orlando harinamas
January 17: Apopka Martin Luther King Parade and Orlando harinama
January 17: Tampa harinama
January 18–February 14: Serving Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami in Stuyvesant Falls, NY
February 15–17: Tampa harinamas and college outreach
February 18: Gainesville harinama
February 19–20: Bhaktivedanta Institute Cosmology Conference 3
February 21–28: Tallahassee harinamas and college outreach
March: Mayapur with Jeremiah
April: Tallahassee and Tampa harinamas and college outreach
Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City
December 16 was a comparatively warm day so we chanted outside at Union Square Park. Because of the Christmas Market, we could not chant in our usual spot, so we chanted outside the subway entrance near Sixteenth Street instead. Here Devarsi Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/42sf64POwy0):
Natabara Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and a kid plays shakers and dances (https://youtu.be/q0xT6xNxnGk):
Jaya Jagannath Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/-9Zm-QEHd6U):
Jakub chants Hare Krishna at Jackson Heights / Roosevelt Avenue subway station (https://youtu.be/dUr8hBYmV0c):
Bhakta Alex, a young Ukrainian devotee, chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/ObNNS95X4Vs):
Harinamananda Prabhu, who brought his family of five on harinama, chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/KR2GrodNgzM):
Ananta Vijaya, the elder son of Harinamananda Prabhu, chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/2NMq3Lcpimk):
Hridaya Caitanya, the younger son of Harinamananda Prabhu, chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/BIY-BYknV9c):
That day so many people danced with us. Here Natabara Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square, and two ladies begin dancing after hearing the kirtan from a distance (https://youtu.be/xiH4tbszJeU):
Rama Raya gave the two ladies shakers, and they played the shakers and danced for quite a while (https://youtu.be/SqY6i0OULEU):
Ishan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and a guy plays shakers and dances with Rama Raya Prabhu (https://youtu.be/vD4EjIPfOkQ):
Harivenu Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station, and a big guy dances and then a little girl dances (https://youtu.be/aAiT59jN3tE):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and a guy dances (https://youtu.be/zoJakJ0QhO4):
Yugal Kishore Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the ISKCON NYC Sunday Feast (https://youtu.be/7HNhxDPH_wo):
Nate chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station, and a family buys books, plays shakers, and accepts a Jagannath sticker (https://youtu.be/xMU9m6iWFLs):
Harivenu Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station, and a guy dances (https://youtu.be/TUdEHE1nd4s):
Godruma Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on the disappearance day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura at Times Square subway station above the downtown A train (https://youtu.be/xcZwFzpbC-U):
Devaka chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/4-Mao6A3yBs):
Madhava Prabhu of Houston chants Hare Krishna, and a passerby plays shakers (https://youtu.be/syAEdENyzSE):
Madhava Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and a passerby plays shakers and dances (https://youtu.be/GpE1pvsE8i0):
Madhava Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and passersby and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/KGDaMABQNrc):
On the disappearance day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, in addition to chanting Hare Krishna with NYC Harinam for three hours, I decided to chant 1½ hours for the Prabhupada marathon and an extra hour in honor of Bhaktisiddhanta.
I chanted on the A/C/F platform at Jay St./MetroTech. Often people wait there for several minutes for their train, so I have a captive audience. In 2.6 hours people gave me $40.47 and took 8 books, which is a lot for me. It is the mercy of Bhaktisiddhanta who told Srila Prabhupada, “If you get money, print books.”
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square above the 7 train, and two ladies dance (https://youtu.be/2yoptANIkBI):
Nityananda Kisora Prabhu chants Hare Krishna and devotees dance during Tulasi Kirtan at ISKCON NYC in Brooklyn (https://youtu.be/B0u9dXgHBvE):
Radha Shyamananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station, and Prahladananda Swami dances (https://youtu.be/2cgbmdTKnqA):
Prahladananda Swami chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/Y_CeU8iM2G4):
Arjunananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and book distributors dance (https://youtu.be/HfgyXicuq64):
Vraja Mohan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station above the downtown A train, and passersby dance (https://youtu.be/PlKox9-gUOQ):
Bhakta Dylan, before leaving NYC Harinam to go to India, chanted Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/RKlANSHe3nQ):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/3LQ0dTABano):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna to the tune of “Auld Lang Syne,” a popular New Year’s song (https://youtu.be/P2QvUhZSFgU):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna during Tulasi Kirtan at ISKCON NYC in Brooklyn (https://youtu.be/33Hr5LJuQB4):
Nrikesari Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station above the 7 train (https://youtu.be/NU-Zf8jeoPQ):
Prahladananda Swami chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/Jewyji3OYyI):
Radha Shyamananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/z8yYISGrhfs):
Radha Shyamananda Prabhu chants another Hare Krishna tune (https://youtu.be/2Yl945iUNEw):
Rasika Mohan chants Hare Krishna during evening arati at Radha Govinda Temple in Brooklyn on New Year’s Eve (https://youtu.be/n5EJQyd6dkM):
Vraja Mohan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on the uptown Q train on New Year’s Eve, and devotee ladies dance (https://youtu.be/rKRTxANnWfw):
I took another video of that kirtan in portrait orientation (https://youtu.be/F4a1k_z4m38):
We chanted from Herald Square over to Fifth Avenue, and then up Fifth Avenue to 42nd St., and then east on 42nd Street till Grand Central Station, and I took a Facebook Live video of it (https://youtu.be/paiHhlTpVcQ):
Radha Shyamananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on the downtown 6 train on New Year’s Eve, and passengers who were going out to party appreciate (https://youtu.be/flWQVybJoQU):
When we reached Astor Place, and we all got off the train, those who had been listening to us for several minutes enjoyed dancing with us very much (https://youtu.be/XxVfuMMU2K0):
I took another Facebook Live video from St. Marks Place to Tompkins Square Park, and then along Avenue A to Houston Street, and then up First Avenue to the Bhakti Center, then to the F train station at Second Avenue, and on the F train itself until East Broadway (https://youtu.be/paiHhlTpVcQ):
Malini Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna on the F train beginning at East Broadway and continuing to Jay Street, then on the A train until Hoyt/Schermerhorn, next along Schermerhorn Street, and finally in the Brooklyn Hare Krishna temple lobby (https://youtu.be/zren6MiY7aI):
I did not go out extra for the Prabhupada Marathon in 2020 because of the concern over COVID, which I ended up getting last December. For that reason, I compare my scores for 2021 with those from 2019. I made my quota of 25 hours, a 33% increase, and my book sales increased by 30%. I found a new place where I had great success, the uptown and downtown A/C/F platforms at Jay Street / Metrotech, which is just a single short stop from the temple in Brooklyn. I look forward to increasing in 2022.
Christmas in Upstate New York
My sister, Karen, had a Christmas tree, with an impressive number of gifts at its base.
One of the more satisfying things at Christmas for me was to see Oliver, the husband of my niece, Fern, devour before my very eyes the entire bag of popcorn I made with nutritional yeast for him as a gift.
Because Oliver’s sister, Merete, is vegan, there was more consciousness of preparing eggless food this year, so I could offer more things to Krishna, including the Christmas cookies.
And the Christmas waffles.
I would offer the candies I was given, after checking the ingredients.
I cooked at my mother’s house each day.
The first day I made oatmeal with bananas and raisins.
Here I offered soup for lunch, carrots for snacks, and the YumEarth vegan candies I was given for Christmas.
While visiting relatives, I asked a young man, who could be described as an in-law of an in-law, whether he had encountered vegetarianism in his family before marrying his vegan wife. He said not in his family, but that the three girlfriends he had in his life were all vegetarian. It was interesting to me, how this young man who eats meat ended up having three vegetarian girlfriends and marrying the last. Perhaps he had the realization that vegetarians are just nicer people! As they are more kind to animals, they are more kind to people.
Accounting for 2021
In 2020 I noticed that because I was not traveling, I got very few donations. A friend encouraged me to apply for unemployment insurance as more benefits were available because of the COVID crisis. I know that Srila Prabhupada did not like devotees to make up stories to get aid from the government, so I applied saying that I was a monk who traveled and got about $5,000 per year in donations, but that because of COVID-19 restrictions I could not travel. Thus I was given unemployment insurance.
In the gifts category my biggest contribution was to pay the ISKCON Tallahassee mortgage for the first eight months of the year, before our Krishna Lunch resumed, when the temple had little income. I began doing that the previous year. Ramiya Prabhu funded and arranged for the extensive repairs on the building, and I paid the mortgage, and thus the Tallahassee temple, which was in danger of closing, is still existing, providing spiritual nourishment to Florida State University and the Tallahassee community.
I plan to use whatever extra money I have to sponsor books for distribution and to pay for travel. When I get a donation, when I am in the best consciousness, I pray to Srila Prabhupada to not use a farthing for sense gratification.
Funny Photo
In Sanskrit there is a term rasa-abhasa which means “tastes that are incompatible.” That is the word I thought of when I saw this. I just never would have thought of putting a rasgulla in my khichri, would you?
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From Isopanisad 7, purport:
“The spiritual entities are meant for enjoyment, as stated in the Vedanta-sutra (1.1.12): ananda-mayo ’bhyasat. By nature every living being—including the Supreme Lord and each of His parts and parcels—is meant for eternal enjoyment. The living beings who are encaged in the material tabernacle are constantly seeking enjoyment, but they are seeking it on the wrong platform. Apart from the material platform is the spiritual platform, where the Supreme Being enjoys Himself with His innumerable associates. On that platform there is no trace of material qualities, and therefore that platform is called nirguna. On the nirguna platform there is never a clash over the object of enjoyment. Here in the material world there is always a clash between different individual beings because here the proper center of enjoyment is missed. The real center of enjoyment is the Supreme Lord, who is the center of the sublime and spiritual rasa dance. We are all meant to join Him and enjoy life with one transcendental interest and without any clash. That is the highest platform of spiritual interest, and as soon as one realizes this perfect form of oneness, there can be no question of illusion (moha) or lamentation (soka).
A godless civilization arises from illusion, and the result of such a civilization is lamentation. A godless civilization, such as that sponsored by the modern politicians, is always full of anxieties because it may be crushed at any moment. That is the law of nature. As stated in the Bhagavad-gita (7.14), no one but those who surrender at the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord can surpass the stringent laws of nature. Thus if we wish to get rid of all sorts of illusion and anxiety and create unity out of all diverse interests, we must bring God into all our activities.
“The supreme atma, or soul, is the Lord Himself, and the minute atma is the living entity. The supreme atma, or Paramatma, alone maintains all the individual minute beings, for the Supreme Lord wants to derive pleasure out of their affection. The father extends himself through his children and maintains them in order to derive pleasure. If the children obey the father’s will, family affairs will run smoothly, with one interest and a pleasing atmosphere. The same situation is transcendentally arranged in the absolute family of the Para-brahman, the Supreme Spirit.”
From Isopanisad 8, purport:
“A living being desires something, and the Lord supplies the object of that desire in proportion to one’s qualification. If a man wants to be a high-court judge, he must acquire not only the necessary qualifications but also the consent of the authority who can award the title of high-court judge. The qualifications in themselves are insufficient for one to occupy the post: it must be awarded by some superior authority. Similarly, the Lord awards enjoyment to living entities in proportion to their qualifications, but good qualifications in themselves are not sufficient to enable one to receive awards. The mercy of the Lord is also required.
“Ordinarily the living being does not know what to ask from the Lord, nor which post to seek. When the living being comes to know his constitutional position, however, he asks to be accepted into the transcendental association of the Lord in order to render transcendental loving service unto Him.”
From Isopanisad 9, purport:
“Modern civilization has advanced considerably in the field of mass education, but the result is that people are more unhappy than ever before because of the stress placed on material advancement to the exclusion of the most important part of life, the spiritual aspect.
“As stated in Mantra One, we should know that the Personality of Godhead is the proprietor of everything and that we must be satisfied with our allotted portions of the necessities of life. The purpose of all Vedic literature is to awaken this God consciousness in the forgetful living being, and this same purpose is presented in various ways in the different scriptures of the world for the understanding of a foolish mankind. Thus the ultimate purpose of all religions is to bring one back to Godhead.”
From Isopanisad 11, purport:
“The process by which one goes back to Godhead is a different branch of knowledge, and it has to be learned from revealed Vedic scriptures such as the Upanisads, Vedanta-sutra, Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. To become happy in this life and attain a permanent blissful life after leaving this material body, one must study this sacred literature and obtain transcendental knowledge. The conditioned living being has forgotten his eternal relationship with God and has mistakenly accepted the temporary place of his birth as all in all. The Lord has kindly delivered the above-mentioned scriptures in India and other scriptures in other countries to remind the forgetful human being that his home is not here in this material world. The living being is a spiritual entity, and he can be happy only by returning to his spiritual home.
“From His kingdom the Personality of Godhead sends His bona fide servants to propagate this message by which one can return to Godhead, and sometimes the Lord comes Himself to do this work. Since all living beings are His beloved sons, His parts and parcels, God is more sorry than we ourselves to see the sufferings we are constantly undergoing in this material condition. The miseries of this material world serve to indirectly remind us of our incompatibility with dead matter. Intelligent living entities generally take note of these reminders and engage themselves in the culture of vidya, or transcendental knowledge. Human life is the best opportunity for the culture of spiritual knowledge, and a human being who does not take advantage of this opportunity is called a naradhama, the lowest of human beings.”
From Isopanisad 14, purport:
“We must therefore save ourselves and our fellow man in the right way. There is no question of liking or disliking the truth. It is there. If we want to be saved from repeated birth and death, we must take to the devotional service of the Lord. There can be no compromise, for this is a matter of necessity.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.9.35, purport:
“The Lord diminished the duration of life of the opposite party by His merciful glance. It is said that all the fighters who assembled on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra attained salvation by personally seeing the Lord at the time of death. Therefore, His diminishing the duration of life of Arjuna’s enemy does not mean that He was partial to the cause of Arjuna. Factually He was merciful to the opposite party because they would not have attained salvation by dying at home in the ordinary course of life. Here was a chance to see the Lord at the time of death and thus attain salvation from material life. Therefore, the Lord is all good, and whatever He does is for everyone’s good. Apparently it was for the victory of Arjuna, His intimate friend, but factually it was for the good of Arjuna’s enemies. Such are the transcendental activities of the Lord, and whoever understands this also gets salvation after quitting this material body. The Lord does no wrong in any circumstance because He is absolute, all good at all times.”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 48:
“It is to be understood that any person who is constantly engaged in chanting the holy names of the Lord—Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—has attained a transcendental affection for Krishna, and as such, in any condition of life, he remains satisfied simply by remembering the Lord’s name in full affection and ecstatic love.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From “Is Old Age Inevitible?” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 24, No. 7 (July 1989):
“Although the scientists may eventually be able to retard the degenerative diseases and extend the human life span, that isn’t the real problem. The latter part of life is significant not merely for trying to prolong sense pleasure, but it’s the time that must be used even if earlier years weren’t fully used for spiritual life. To spend the remaining days reminiscing and becoming fearful of approaching death, or thinking that one is useless in material society, is the greatest misfortune. The Vedic scriptures are teaching us that elderly people should be sane enough and brave enough to leave behind all material entanglements and concentrate on preparing themselves for what comes next – death and the next life.”
From “Crows and Swans” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 24, No. 8 (August 1989):
“What is reported daily is often very repetitious and is produced by writers whose viewpoint is limited and motivated. It’s not just ‘the news’ you get when you read a so-called factual report; you get a whole set of prejudices and a complete omission of transcendental knowledge.”
“One time in India, a devotee entered Srila Prabhupada’s room with a daily newspaper, since at that time Prabhupada was occasionally hearing from it. ‘What’s the news?’ Prabhupada asked, ‘What are all the rascals saying? Newspapers means all the statements of the rascals.’”
From A Poor Man Reads the Bhagavatam, Volume Two:
“Srila Prabhupada said that we should have the information in our minds when we go to speak, not that we always have to run to the book. That’s personal realization too. Personal realization means you can cite the sastra in your own words without screwing out some obscure meaning which wasn’t intended by the text. You can add the spice of your bona fide understanding to make it clear, but don’t concoct.”
“This movement
is small in world influence,
but Lord Caitanya set it in
motion in Navadvipa and it will go on,
His devotees the moons reflecting
the sun of the original Lord.”
From The Wild Garden: Collected Writings 1990–1993:
“I heard that when Ganges water mixes with any water, even water in a drain, that water becomes Ganges. I beg that the genius of this place, Vrindavan, will mix with any streams of words I write and they will become Vrindavan writing.”
“O hari-nama, please forgive my offenses. When I come to You in the morning, please overlook my mistakes. Please appear in my heart.”
“Why don’t I open to the truth about myself, the real truth, and live in that? Why am I living in the back room of my self with only a small light on?”
“There is a stone in the throat of my desire to love Krishna by serving His holy names. Brothers and sisters, please pray for me to unlock this mystery. I want to be free.
“Do you doubt that anyone chants nicely? Do you look to see if they get ecstatic bodily transformations? No, no, I can’t know what they do or feel. That’s not my business.”
“Bowing at the base of Tulasi’s table, I pray to remember Nama Prabhu and to ask, ‘Please allow me to chant sincerely, as service. Tell me what I can do to improve and give me the strength to do it.’”
From The Twenty-six Qualities of a Devotee:
“#9 Akincana”
“ . . . Surrender of material possessions should be done in the awareness that one is giving up a burden, freeing himself from an entanglement. Material wealth creates an illusion. We put our faith in the power of our bank account. We depend on our country, our family, or friends. We love our material possessions. And in doing so, we cannot feel that Krishna is our only shelter. Utter dependence on Krishna includes becoming akincana, materially exhausted. Queen Kunti therefore addresses Lord Krishna as akincana-gocara. Krishna can be achieved by a person who does not put faith in material possessions.
“It is for our ultimate good that Krishna and Krishna’s representative tell us to surrender our material possessions. To think that certain riches belong to us is maya, illusion. At the time of death we will have to give up all our possessions; but the kama, the material desiring by which we possess our wealth, will drive us on to another body, where we will try again to become happy by material possessions and where we will again suffer the pangs of birth, death, disease, and old age. So as the transcendentalist must learn ‘I am not this body, I am spirit soul,’ he must also learn, ‘The possessions I have accumulated are not mine.’ Srila Prabhupada explains how material possessions can ‘intoxicate’ a person to the point of making him unable to properly chant the holy name of Krishna.”
From Karttika Moon:
“Prabhupada’s room
“Here I am, Prabhupada, one of your men, Satsvarupa dasa. Your Dictaphone is on your desk, just where you used to use it.
“Whatever you told me to do I would try to execute, although I was never able to walk through fire like some of your men. Please continue to engage me in your service in ISKCON. I do have a place at your lotus feet. I pray for strength to carry out the tasks entrusted to me by you, especially in regard to maintaining disciples, so that they are rightly connected to you as their savior, the Founder-Acarya of ISKCON.”
“The Krishna book (old edition) is open on your desk. I want to read it again and re-read all your books with devotion and attention.
“I’m leaving Mayapur tomorrow. As when we left Mayapur in 1973–77, I want to go out with your orders in my heart. I will cooperate with my brothers in this movement. I will also work on my own with integrity to my individual vows to you. I want to make myself a true servant of yours especially by brahminical services of reading and then presenting your teachings in my own words in lectures and writings.
“I want to surrender to the holy names, the Hare Krishna mantra.
“Dear master, I too am growing older, almost fifty-five now. I hope to serve you loyally and do what Krishna wants me to do. A disciple feels helpless before the spiritual master. I don’t want to bluff and make false claims.
“You know my weakness and inability. Still you maintain me. You once said I do whatever you say (although I wasn’t a good manager). I want to live up to that statement.
“I am pinning all hope on attaining a surrendered state by reading your books and encouraging devotees in chanting and hearing.”
From A Poor Man Reads the Bhagavatam, Volume 2:
“Originally the Mahabharata had 6,000,000 verses, but at present only 100,000 are available on earth. The rest can be found on higher planets, where people have lifespans and memories suitable for absorbing such huge amounts of information.”
“‘In Kali-yuga what is the value of collecting hundreds of thousands of other scriptures if one does not keep Srimad-Bhagavatam at home? . . . Learned brahmana Narada, wherever Srimad-Bhagavatam is present in Kali-yuga, the Supreme Lord goes there with the demigods. A person who faithfully recites one verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam every day, O sage, attains the fruit of reading the eighteen Puranas.’ (Skanda Purana, quoted by Jiva Gosvami in Sri Tattva Sandarbha, Anucchedha 22.3)”
“Being alone is not the same thing as achieving solitude. It takes heart and depth and a determined searching for God in the aloneness before a solitary life becomes solitude. Often, solitude allows us to hit a new vein of the rarest ores. Solitude is a life. I face my inability to achieve it at the end of each day.”
“That’s the amazing thing about Prabhupada. He maintained the same philosophy but varied the angle of his teaching in subtle ways. He is dear to Krishna, and that in itself constitutes his originality. He is enthused, and he enthused us.”
“Especially as the communications become increasingly technological, there seems to be no need for people to make a physical appearance in order to express something. Everything can be done by phone, video, or email. Still, the personal touch will never be out of vogue. Srila Prabhupada took the time and trouble to physically travel all over the world in order to sustain his devotees. His personal presence on the temple vyasasanas, on morning walks, and in room conversations gave his disciples the courage to serve him. Prabhupada wanted his disciples, especially his sannyasis, to continue the tradition of door-to-door preaching, which was extended to mean city-to-city and country-to-country. Because we are embodied, seeing the guru adds another dimension to our spiritual experience. That was true of Prabhupada’s disciples and of the nondevotees whom Prabhupada’s disciples contacted.”
From Begging for the Nectar of the Holy Name:
“At least we know that chanting is the way, although even that remains theoretical. Therefore, we are both fortunate and unfortunate. We have no way to map out our progress. We know we don’t want to try to squeeze out sense gratification from the chanting, but neither can we pay attention. Perhaps we are too proud. We keep refusing to see the obvious conclusion that we are offensive and bereft of self-realization. If we could accept our place as a blade of grass, without false ego, then tears could come, and submission to the holy names.
“‘One who chants with a pure heart experiences how divine bliss enters his heart and makes it soar with sublime light. This is the essential nature of the holy name.’ (Hari-nama-cintamani, p. 78)”
From Kartika Moon:
“Chanting the names of Jesus, they say, stopped the Lisbon plague of 1432.”
[Note: This article tells about it: https://www.heraldguide.com/spirit-weekly/15th-century-city-saved-from-plague-by-the-holy-name/#:~:text=A%20devastating%20plague%20broke%20out,away%20by%20the%20cruel%20sickness.]
From Free Write Journal #176:
“I received a card that said the best thing about Christmas was the gathering together. It showed people of different religions and races gathered together in a big house.”
From A Poor Man Read the Bhagavatam, Volume 2:
“I came to know him [Srila Prabhupada] and love him. I was just an insignificant New York City welfare worker, flotsam and jetsam in the world of karma, a writer/artist already feeling burnt out. How could I have met Prabhupada without the Lord’s direct intervention in my life? How else would I have had access to those ISKCON bullets that saved my spiritual life, or have tasted the strength of service to the Swami? Only by Krishna’s grace was I able to part from those who didn’t care for God.
“Everyone who has met Srila Prabhupada either directly or through his devotees or books will appreciate what I am saying. Krishna intervened not because we showed so much eagerness for spiritual life, but for His own reasons in His love for Prabhupada. Prabhupada wanted to spread the message of Krishna consciousness; we were given the opportunity to hear it. It is not an imaginary story.”
“Prabhupada didn’t want devotees in different asramas to avoid associating with one another, but he wanted them to learn how to associate properly. In his childhood, Prabhupada saw his father invite sadhus to his home. Although his father was not wealthy, he would invite at least four guests daily for meals. Unless the householder feeds others, he is not living in the grhastha-asrama and is considered a materialist.”
From Japa Transformations:
“Go and chant and pray to Krishna. This writing requires humility, and japa does also. All arts require humility and honesty. I am begging for attraction to the holy name.
“There’s nothing to say except, ‘Please help me.’ Other than that, I’m saying to myself, ‘Here are some ideas on how to help yourself.’ And I’m saying, ‘Here are some obstacles.’ And I’m saying, ‘This is what is happening’ (when I write as a reporter on reality).
“Japa is a grand feast of chanting the holy names. When it is going well, I feel happy. I know I’m doing a proper prayer and that Lord Hari and Srimati Radharani are hearing me. I have firm faith. Even if I can’t chant loudly, I chant with inner attention and keep my mind fixed. I did all this today, and in a speedy way. So I am not regretful, but thankful to Krishna for the gift of japa. It is so easy to do, simply repeating those sacred names and coming closer to Krishna in meditation. Even when I don’t ‘meditate’ in the deeper sense, I’m meditating by chanting the absolute sound vibration and keeping my mind away from all plethora of objects in the universe. It’s a chance to narrow my consciousness and pinpoint it on the most important thing. Lord Caitanya has given us a brilliant method just suitable for people in the age of Kali, and we should always be thankful to Him and take up His process.”
From Begging for the Nectar of the Holy Name:
“Srila Rupa Gosvami is chanting his japa in his sadhaka form. Srila Prabhupada is also chanting with japa-mala in his photo. He desired more than anything to give us the names. He possessed what he gave us and preached to us—devotion to the holy names and to the Hare Krishna movement.”
Candrasekhara Swami:
Some devotees doubt the idea that we had a previous relationship with Krishna that we hope to revive. There is a section of the Srimad-Bhagavatam in the Puranjana analogy, however, that indicates that such a previous relationship existed: “The brahmana [who is representing the Supersoul] continued: My dear friend, even though you cannot immediately recognize Me, can’t you remember that in the past you had a very intimate friend? Unfortunately, you gave up My company and accepted a position as enjoyer of this material world. My dear gentle friend, both you and I are exactly like two swans. We live together in the same heart, which is just like the Manasa Lake. Although we have been living together for many thousands of years, we are still far away from our original home. My dear friend, you are now My very same friend. Since you left Me, you have become more and more materialistic, and not seeing Me, you have been traveling in different forms throughout this material world.”
The idea is that we are in this material world because of our own fault and not that Krishna started us off here.
As you cannot have detailed knowledge about a baker by studying his bread, you cannot really know the creator by studying the creation. By studying the creation for centuries, you could not guess that Krishna, the ultimate source of everything, is a cowherd boy with a bluish hue who plays the flute.
We take the material world as complex, and the scientists also take it as complex.
The material world is not what it appears to be. It appears substantial, but it is ultimately illusory.
Q: How can you get what you want out of the material world?
A: Ask the Supreme Lord. The good thing about asking the Supreme Lord for something is that if He does not think it is good for you, He will not give it to you. We should always ask for that which assists in our devotional service to Him.
Often when describing the Supreme Lord, when you say one thing about Him, you realize you also have to say the opposite thing about Him too.
The material world is like a Halloween party, where all your friends are wearing different costumes. If you know what it is you will recognize your friends as wearing costumes, but if you do not understand you may be completely confused thinking the costumes are the real identities of the people.
Scientists can describe so many details about the material world, but they cannot answer the questions of who we are, why we are here, and why we suffer. We can find the answers to those questions in Srimad-Bhagavatam.
The demigods manifested from the mode of goodness during the process of creation are just the ten demigods which control the ten senses, the five knowledge acquiring senses and the five working senses. The other demigods are created later.
At one point in creation, millions of Rudras are created.
Unlike the four Kumaras, Lord Shiva was enthusiastic to create living beings, however, the living beings he created began to destroy the universe even in the beginning of its creation. Thus in the beginning of his service, Lord Brahma had to encounter so many difficulties.
The entire population of the universe, including the various species, except for a few demigods in the beginning, were created from the sixty daughters of Daksa.
This solid reality is just a projection and those who have higher knowledge of the working of the universe, like the demigods, can easily manifest something completely different just by chanting a few mantras.
There are cases where people apparently have no physical damage to their senses yet their senses do not seem to function, and on the other hand, there are other cases where people have sense organs that are damaged but are able to perceive normally. This is because the demigods are actually the controllers of the senses.
Workers in end-of-life facilities report many cases of people who were in a vegetative state for weeks or months and then suddenly sat up and said a few things to their relatives and after that left their bodies. That is not explainable by medical science.
Kavicandra Swami:
One way we can teach people if we are not learned is to give Bhagavad-gitas as gifts.
Srila Prabhupada’s guru, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said, “We should wish only the greatest good for our worst enemies.”
Krishna loved everyone, but he killed many demons and when they were killed they attained liberation.
When I first encountered the devotees, I was impressed that they knew so much.
As a new devotee, someone asked me a question, and I just quoted Bhagavad-gita, and the devotees appreciated my response very much.
One lady was telling me that the Bhagavad-gita was very complicated. I said, “No, it is not. It is very simple. It is we who are very complicated.” She agreed.
George Harrison wrote a song called “I Me Mine” dealing with our self-centeredness. [That was actually the last new song the Beatles recorded together. According to Wikipedia, “Among music critics, several writers have identified ‘I Me Mine’ as a powerful final performance by the Beatles and an apt statement from Harrison.”]
Every year there are more tornadoes, hurricanes, forest fire, and epidemics. These are sinful reactions.
Many devotees stopped smoking without thinking about it, although that is often very difficult for people to do. They did not want to stop chanting to smoke.
Kali-yuga is the age of quarrel, and we see quarrel is going on everywhere.
An astrologer was telling me that people come to him looking for the ideal soulmate they will have a perfect relationship with, but he has to tell them that is not possible. They will get what their karma allows.
If you do not surrender to Krishna, you will find it difficult to avoid all the different ways of getting bad karma.
When Srila Prabhupada came there was practically no vegetarianism in America, but now so many people are vegetarian.
Many people became vegetarian from reading Bhagavad-gita, although Krishna never specifically says, “You must become vegetarian.” Just by reading, the people come to the mode of goodness and decide to become vegetarian.
Someone told Bhaktisiddhanta that this is so nice, there should be a temple in every city. He replied, “I want to make a temple in every heart.”
America spends the most on healthcare yet Americans have the worst health.
Someone said they gave Bhagavad-gita to the teachers in their children’s school, and the teachers appreciated.
In the 1970s, there was a Gallup poll asking people what is their religion. Hare Krishna wasn’t a choice. People had to choose “other” and write it in, and 500,000 people did.
The president of a Vedanta society where Sura Prabhu used to do kirtan was glorifying him at his memorial service. He said Sura was fearless of death. Once he collapsed with internal bleeding. He could not get up. His phone was not around. He prayed to Krishna, “If you want me to go, I am ready.” He could reach the bedspread, and he pulled it and his phone fell on his chest. He took it that Krishna wanted him to live, so he called 911, and he was saved for a few more years.
Everyone was telling Ravana if you just give Sita back, you will not have to worry about Rama, but Ravana was so lusty, he could not hear them. On the third day of the battle Ravana came face-to-face with Rama, and Rama destroyed his weapons and his chariot. Ravana had never experienced such defeat. Rama then let him go as it is not proper to fight a man without weapons.
We are at war with maya, and our weapons are the holy name, Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and prasadam. We uplift more and more people’s consciousness.
We have to be out there meeting them again and again, giving them association. Somehow or other we have to keep giving association to those fortunate enough to have already given a donation and taken a book.
Lord Caitanya showed a universal form to Advaita Acarya.
One devotee artist studied all the descriptions of the universal form and then meditated for a while before painting a picture of it.
Every book counts. We do not know the result of each book that goes out.
I met a tour guide in the park. He said he always takes people to Tompkins Square Park and tells them, “This is where the Hare Krishna movement began.”
When you study the nervous system, there are so many more nerves involved with pain than those involved in pleasure.
You cannot enjoy all the time, but you can suffer all the time.
Srila Prabhupada was surprised that Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura remembered that he stayed back to hear him rather than visit Sesasayi Vishnu as that had happened many years before.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura only gave Srila Prabhupada two instructions: preach in English in the West and if you get money print books.
If you want to choose between reading the translations or the purports, you are better off reading the purports. People become devotees from reading the purports not the translations.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura hired surveyors from England to establish the site of Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s birthplace because people still had doubts about it.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura installed the printing press in the room next to the deity so the deity could hear the printing going on.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura had a car for preaching when there were only 3 cars in India.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura spoke better English than the English themselves so they had to listen to him.
Mayapur has a post office because Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was getting so many letters.
Quotes by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura:
To learn how to be tolerant is one of the biggest responsibilities of living in the matha.
Become united with one purpose and serve Hari.
We are initiated into the mantra kirtaniya sada harih.
One who criticizes me is my friend, and one who praises me is my enemy.
There is no way to associate with transcendence other than hearing.
A flatter cannot become a guru or a preacher.
Preaching without practicing is just a ritual of karma-kanda.
[He would take out big harinama parties with 50 devotees that would stop traffic in Calcutta.]
Only if our bodies fall chanting the glories of Lord Hari do we have a successful life.
The spiritual path is full of thorns.
[He was arguing with a Mayavadi on the train. He made the Mayavadi eat some mangoes that had gone rotten, arguing that they were all one. They had been donated the mangoes, but because he would not eat them and therefore his disciples would also not eat them, they went rotten. After eating the rotten mangoes the Mayavadi said he would never again preach Mayavadi philosophy.]
When we are free from offenses in chanting, Krishna’s name will manifest His form, His pastimes, etc. There is no need to meditate on them separately.
If I do not preach the unbiased truth for fear people will not like it, I am not following the Vedic way, and ultimately I will become atheistic.
Brahman is the object of knowledge, Paramatma is the object of nearness, and Krishna the object of service.
There is no work as auspicious as serving the spiritual master.
If we take full shelter of the lotus feet of the spiritual master one will become free from illusion, fear, and distress.
Prahladananda Swami:
As far as New Year’s resolutions are concerned, the only resolution we need is the resolution to go back to Godhead. If we do not have that resolution, other resolutions will not really help us.
According to Bhagavad-gita our real home is in the spiritual world, so we are all actually homeless.
What is the ultimate cause of COVID? The will of the Supreme Lord. Now why would the Lord want so much trouble come to nice people like us?
We have a tendency to want to control the world.
Our whole economic system is based on exploitation, not only on exploitation of the cow and the bull, but exploitation of everyone.
We cannot change the whole economic system, but Krishna is changing it. He wants a golden age where people live simply and chant the names of God.
Just as a three-year-old child cries when his parents take away his toys, now that Krishna is taking away our toys, people are crying.
Anyone who preaches knows that people are more interested in Krishna consciousness in countries which are less economically developed.
The society is mad, and Krishna is correcting it. How He is correcting it, we shall see. All we can do, however, is to correct ourselves.
How Lord Caitanya is bringing about the golden age is not within our understanding, but we can see things are gradually moving in that direction. We should welcome the golden age.
Whatever problems are there, they are actually making the preaching better. People are realizing the present society is unsustainable, and they are looking for alternatives.
There is no industry and no technology in the spiritual world. If the Lord felt these were valuable He could have provided them there, but He did not.
Modern society is a small group of cheaters and a large group of cheated. The government is simply assisting the small group of cheaters.
It is very valuable and practical to know the details about the three modes of material natures because we are surrounded by them and until we are fixed in goodness there is no hope of transcendence. Thus Krishna explains them in the Fourteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita.
We are meant to be aware of all this knowledge that Krishna is giving.
We may be engaged in chanting the holy name but if we are absorbed in the modes of ignorance and passion we will not be able to chant without offense and thus we will not progress.
In one year, I think it was 1972, the GBC decided it would be good to centralize the society, especially in North America. They elected another GBC who was to be in charge of the finances for North America. They did not even consult Srila Prabhupada about whether he liked the idea. Srila Prabhupada responded by writing to all the temple presidents telling them to disregard the GBC. Then he wrote the GBC and told them not to centralize anything except the BBT.
We should see that we are becoming attracted to things that lead us toward Krishna and detached from things that lead us away from Krishna.
If we are agitating other people’s minds, then our minds will also become agitated.
Even if we are trying to be truthful, if we do not know the absolute truth is Krishna, we will end up being untruthful.
Say something pleasing to people and then they may be inclined to listen to you: Thank you for stopping. You look like a very intelligent person.
We should be thinking, “How can I speak in such a way that it is pleasing, beneficial, and truthful?”
If we are conscious of these things throughout the day, we can fill the gaps in our remembrance of Krishna with something practical.
100% is our endeavor. Krishna’s mercy is already there. Krishna is all merciful.
Srila Prabhupada writes, “The Lord is not partial toward anyone. Everything depends on one’s practical performance of duties in Krishna consciousness, which helps one control the senses in every respect and conquer the influence of desire and anger.” (Bhagavad-gita 5.29, purport).
Yamuna Devi:
From recorded memories:
When Srila Prabhupada looked at you, he looked at you, in you, and through you.
Rama Raya Prabhu:
When the Gaudiya Matha split up, it was to our Srila Prabhupada’s advantage to be living outside.
When a disciple gave Srila Prabhupada $50,000 she had received in a life insurance settlement, he immediately used it to print books, following the instruction he had received from a personal meeting with his guru, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.
Nikunjabihari Prabhu:
As people tend to criticize us without looking into our scripture, we tend to criticize others without looking into their scripture.
I made a display of 100 paintings, 50 each from both the Jain and Hindu traditions, showing the great similarities between the two traditions, and it was well received by people in both.
Within the Vedic scriptures, there is impressive consistency in different accounts of the same pastime in the different books.
As we have our Vaishnava scriptures, the Saivites have their scriptures and the Shaktas have their scriptures.
You can show that Saivism supports Vaishnavism and Shaktism, Shaktism supports Vaishnavism, and Vaishnavism supports Saivism and Shaktism.
We tend to divide the people into opposing groups instead of seeing the commonalities between them.
We search here and there, but what we are looking for is pure consciousness.
If we are not dovetailing our activities in relation with Krishna, we should make the resolution to do it now.
I added on to the story of the rabbit and the tortoise by having them run another race, with the tortoise offering to tell the rabbit how he won, and the rabbit accepting him as a guru. Although the rabbit could easily have won with a burst of speed at the end, he crosses the finish line at the same time, feeling grateful for the wisdom the tortoise shared with him, and they both win.
People are on the shore of the ocean of nescience and are wondering how to cross. If you know, you should tell them. That is what Srila Prabhupada wants us to do.
In Sanskrit there are 76 words for water alone!
Yugal Kishore Prabhu:
In addition to the time when Krishna was accused of eating dirt, once as a child when He yawned, He showed His mother His universal form.
In a lab you have so many chemicals, but you need a scientist to mix them. Krishna is the scientist who mixes the material elements.
In India they invited many people who claimed to be incarnations of God on a TV show and asked them to discuss among themselves who was actually God and they fought among themselves on TV.
Srila Prabhupada said if we do not do the deity worship with faith and love some day we will feel our guru has simply given us a burden.
One devotee woke up late, and he began running to make it for mangala-arati as he had never missed it and did not want to break his record. Understanding His devotee would arrive late, the Lord mercifully appeared to the running devotee and offered the option that he could do mangala-arati for Him there. The devotee offered obeisances to the Lord, but then he continued running. The Lord asked why, and the devotee replied saying, “Actually the Deity in the temple is more merciful than You because I can see Him whenever I want whereas as You just appear when You feel like it, so therefore I am going there.”
Someone asked if I had seen God. I replied anyone who has been performing this process for any length of time has some vision of God.
Every week after the Sunday feast in New Vrindavan on Monday morning, Lord Nityananda’s kaupin would never fit because He would eat so much. Every week it would fit on Tuesday but never on Monday. Lord Caitanya, who ate more moderately, did not have this problem.
Bhakti Tirtha Swami could not come to New York Ratha-yatra in 2005, so Lord Jagannatha came to Gitanagari to see him just 10 days before he left his body.
Bhakti is simple but not easy.
Tulasi Prabhu:
It is good to understand that we are eternal servants of Krishna, but it is better to also practically engage in Krishna’s service.
We have to give people the Vedic knowledge so they come to this understanding.
Sometimes we may be engaged in devotional service but within we are focused on material sense gratification, so that creates some tension. If we find some devotional service we really like, then our internal meditation will be consistent with our activity.
In Bulgaria there are instances of a couple different ladies who came to Krishna consciousness, although their husbands and children were not originally into it. After some time the husbands gradually became interested in it, and then the children as well.
In one case, one of daughters did not like Krishna conscious because she could not have a boy as a friend unless they were married, so she lived separately from her family and found a boy to be a friend. He was a rock star who had videos with millions of hits. He was attracted to her devotional qualities and behavior and asked about them. She started preaching to him, although she was not so serious herself, and ultimately he became more serious about Krishna conscious than she was and he encouraged her.
When I got the Perfection of Yoga, I was tired of school, and I was not attracted to doing that for the next six or seven years, but I did not know what I would do instead. The language of the book was very heavy, but I could see it was the truth.
They gave me a plate of food big enough to last for a whole day. I ate it, and I was amazed I did not feel any heaviness afterward.
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I thought that this prayer by Prahlada Maharaja would make a great New Year’s blessing:
svasty astu visvasya khalah prasidatam
manas ca bhadram bhajatad adhoksaje
avesyatam no matir apy ahaituki
[Prahlada Maharaja prayed:] “May there be good fortune throughout the universe, and may all envious persons be pacified. May all living entities become calm by practicing bhakti-yoga, for by accepting devotional service they will think of each other’s welfare. Therefore let us all engage in the service of the supreme transcendence, Lord Sri Krishna, and always remain absorbed in thought of Him.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.18.9)
