By Krishna Kripa Das
(February 2022, part one)
(Sent from Gainesville, Florida, on February 19, 2022)
Where I Went and What I Did
I share quotes from the sections of Srimad-Bhagavatam heard in our daily online readings at Viraha Bhavan. There were more I wanted to include, but because I was listening as I was washing dishes, cleaning the kitchen, and eating lunch, it was difficult to take notes. I share some quotes from Caitanya-Bhagavata by the author, Vrindavan Dasa Thakura, and the commentator, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. I share notes on a class at ISKCON NYC on Lord Nityananda Prabhu on His appearance day by Kavicandra Swami and interesting insights from Vivasvan Prabhu, who has distributed Srila Prabhupada’s books in Tampa for many years. I include interesting observations by sociologists of religion from a course I am auditing at Florida State University this semester which I thought some devotees may like.
I thank Prishni Devi Dasi of Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies for sponsoring my travel from Tampa to Gainesville and from Gainesville to Tallahassee so I could attend their third conference on Vedic Cosmology the weekend of February 19 and 20.
Itinerary
February 19–20: Bhaktivedanta Institute Cosmology Conference
February 21–24: Tallahassee harinamas and college outreach
February 25–28: Gainesville/Alachua harinama and Sunday feast
March: India with Gaura Nitai and Yogamaya Yajna Prabhus
April: Tallahassee and Tampa harinamas and college outreach
May ?: harinama with Sankarsana Prabhu by the Washington, D.C., museums
May ?–June ?: NYC Harinam
June ?–August ?: Paris harinamas
Chanting Hare Krishna in Upstate New York
At Viraha Bhavan, the devotees focus on japa (quietly chanting the holy names), hearing the sastra (revealed literature), and performing service. For Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, the service is Krishna conscious writing, and for Baladeva, the service is taking care of his guru and the ashram. My favorite activity is harinama sankirtana, the congregational chanting of the holy name, so during my time at Viraha Bhavan I feel separation (viraha) from that! I would sing the Hare Krishna mantra for the beautiful neem deities of Gaura Nitai for ten minutes morning and evening, but no one would join me so it was a little austere. I would try to increase the harinama sankirtana going on in different ways to feel better about life.
One way was to play harinama and kirtan videos for Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami after lunch. I would play two or three every day, and the most impressive he would mention in his Free Write Journal for that week.
On the last day of January, after putting the upstairs deities and my guru to rest, it occured to me that the NYC Harinam party was still chanting for another few minutes, and I could listen to them on their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/ydnyc. Rama Raya Prabhu was leading a very ecstatic kirtan, and Baladeva, who had not taken rest early that night, came to watch. That day the devotees started singing late, so they continued to 7:20 p.m. instead of 7:00 p.m. Because Rama Raya Prabhu is a beloved disciple of our guru, I decided to show the video of that kirtan after lunch one day, and I did so two days later. Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami was so moved by the intense emotion of that kirtan, he wrote about at the very beginning of his Free Write Journal, issue 182:
Rama Raya’s Ecstatic Harinama
I watched an extraordinary harinama video of Rama Raya and a group of men chanting in the Atlantic Avenue subway station, one stop from the ISKCON Brooklyn temple. They go there two days a week and chant for hours. Rama Raya played a large harmonium, and his men played mrdanga and karatalas. It was filmed in late January and it was cold. Rama Raya was bundled up in layers of clothing, and he wore gloves which had the fingers cut off them so he could play the harmonium but keep his hands warm. The extraordinary thing was the mood of Rama’s chanting. He was crying out to the Lord with extreme emotion. It has to be seen and heard to believe it.
The actual date of the harinama was January 31. I advise my readers to tune in to this video:
It was in the last 25 minutes of that night’s harinama when Rama was at the peak of his ecstasies. He was wailing and screaming with a strong voice. He was completely oblivious to his surroundings. The other kirtaniyas were able to support his singing with their musical talents and join his mood. Rama was crying out to the Lord from the bottom of his heart.The group goes two days a week to the Atlantic Avenue station, but has many other stops where they go and chant. . . . The group posts in advance where they are going to be for chanting, so that people can go there and share the live performance. (To find out when and where Rama Raya Prabhu’s party is singing each day, text Natabara Gauranga Prabhu at (734) 355-1822.) Krishna Kripa has noted that he can pass out more literature when Rama Raya is singing.
In the previous issue of his journal, Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami described two other videos I showed him once on Ekadasi:
After lunch, Krishna Kripa showed me videos of harinama, one from Indradyumna Maharaja’s Poland festival, with many young people chanting and dancing with the devotees,
and another of young people enthusiastically dancing and chanting with the devotees in Dublin, Ireland.
He has a big collection of such harinama videos, and I’m pleased to watch them regularly.
Occasionally we would have guests who like kirtan. Sometimes Amit would come from Albany to do service, or Haridas Prabhu would come from Schenectady, along with his driver, Rishi Isvara Prabhu, to dress the downstairs deities. Then we would do some kirtan for Gaura Nitai.
One Sunday I attended the weekly program of a dozen or so devotees mostly from Guyana called ISKCON Schenectady to get another kirtan opportunity. Here Rishi Isvara Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the home of a devotee (https://youtu.be/CpP6hWB9jrs):
Krishna Kumari Devi Dasi, who also lives in Stuyvesant Falls, loves to do harinama sankirtana in the streets, but of course, in the Upstate New York winters, there are not so many opportunities.
Thus when she heard of a local anti-mask mandate rally, she decided to go there and do harinama, just as devotees would do sometimes at protests back in the 1960s and 1970s. Being an activist in that field, she was friends with some of the people at the protest, and they did not mind us chanting quietly next to them, except once when the drum reverberated too much. One Indian man joined us so we had three altogether. Krishna Kumari was also able to distribute at least three Bhagavad-gitas, and I handed out an “On Chanting Hare Krishna” or two to interested people. We saw several policemen in the vicinity, but although we were indoors on the concourse between the Empire State Plaza and the New York State Capitol, they did not restrict us in any way. Krishna Kumari considered that place to be a potential venue for future harinamas, especially in the cold weather. I was happy to support her harinama by attending it.
I was successful in pleasing my guru during my nearly four-week stay with him as I could tell from these excerpts of his latest Free Write Journal #183:
The printer on our computer broke down, and I couldn’t receive my mail. Krishna Kripa took time out from his personal duties to fix the printer. This means he had to give up his sacred nap, his health walk, and some of his extra rounds. He was a little disturbed by this because he’s very regulated. That’s how he gets so much done. He also lost a couple of hours by going on harinama in Albany.
Krishna Kripa changed the dress of Radha-Govinda for the last time today. He did a decent job with Govinda’s turban, following Krsna dasi’s instructions.
It’s a beautiful violet dress with embroidery on it made by Tapan in Vrindavan. Krishna Kripa has been here four weeks. It’s been an austerity for him because he’s so committed to daily harinama in public. But he made the sacrifice, and I’m grateful to him for it. He’s been good in his duties here under trying circumstances, since there’s only Baladeva and I and him. He always chants Hare Krishna mantra even in my presence. That’s a nice thing about him. He leaves tomorrow on the 14th, which is Nityananda’s Appearance Day, and gets to New York City to chant with Rama Raya and the harinama party there. Then he’ll go to the evening Nityananda festival in the Brooklyn temple. From there he’ll fly to Tampa, and gradually make his way up to Tallahassee, Florida, to be with Kaliya Damana at his preaching center for the winter.
When he thanked me for chanting Hare Krishna in his presence, I replied that it was by his mercy, because he initiated me into the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra. Our personal conviction can only keep us chanting for so long, but our promise to our guru to chant keeps us steady in devotional service.
According to Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy, if one can please one’s guru, one can get the mercy of Krishna, so I felt my visit to Viraha Bhavan was successful.
Baladeva is a great cook and has perfected many culinary treats including the sandwich.
I only know how to make a few things. Once I had become proficient enough at my services so I had extra time, I volunteered to make upma for lunch once. My guru liked it and wrote about it in his Free Write Journal:
Krishna Kripa prepared lunch today. He asked if it was all right if he made upma, since it is one of the few preparations he knows.
I told him that Prabhupada wrote me a letter asking me if I knew what was upma. He was describing in a letter [dated December 30, 1967] about his health. He said he was fit. Gaurasundara was giving him massages and Govinda dasi was preparing him upma. He asked me if I knew what upma was, and if I didn’t he would send the “formula” so that Jadurani could make it. Krishna Kripa said this letter using the word upma is the only letter in the Archives where Prabhupada uses the word. I have learned to make upma to my satisfaction (and the Lord’s satisfaction, I hope). It is a wonderful winter comfort meal. It is like a savory version of halava, but not sweet—grains, vegetables and butter. Krishna Kripa made very good upma. He learned to make it from the BTG layout devotee Yamaraja dasa. Krishna Kripa said not many devotees prepare upma nowadays—it’s too expensive for ashrams to afford, especially because of all the butter. That’s a shame because it’s such a favorite dish.
I shared this story with my Facebook friends, and Amanda-vikrama Prabhu said:
I found out Prabhupada’s upma recipe from a Bhakti Charu Maharaj book where Prabhupada teaches him how to do it. It’s funny how Maharaj said he thought he knew how to do it when he was asked, and Prabhupada’s verdict was - salty halava. He then gave a recipe:
1 part semolina
1/2 part ghee
2 parts water
Vegetables: cauliflower, potatoes, eggplant
Fry vegetables.
Fry semolina until golden.
Fry a spoonful of urad dal and add to semolina.
Boil the water, add some hing, salt and lemon juice and pour it onto the semolina.
Usually I only cook if someone tells me to or there is nothing to eat. The only real exception is that I like to make sweets for the Lord on His festival days. The first two Mondays in February were Advaita Acharya’s and Nityananda Prabhu’s appearance days, and I made eight pieces of walnut burfi for the first . . .
Both sweets I learned to make in San Diego. The cashew burfi I made from a recipe I got from Badrinarayan Swami which has saffron and rose water in it and which tastes amazing. Both were well received.
I went for a walk once when the temperature was in the 20s F (below 0° C), and I decided I would not venture out until it was at least above freezing after that.
One day it exceeded 40° F (5° C), and the previously frozen Stuyvesant Falls had thawed considerably.
Another time it exceeded 50° F (10° C), and Stuyvesant Falls was back to normal.
My sister went to a Buddhist retreat so she was not around when I would visit my mother on Tuesdays, so the last Sunday I was there I visited her, along with her partner, Victor, and her dog, Rio, at my mother’s place.
After Karen, Victor, and Rio left, I read to my mother from Yamuna’s biography which I had given her for Christmas. I read the section where George Harrison records the devotees led by Yamuna singing the Hare Krishna mantra. I played for her this YouTube video of that recording illustrated with photos of the devotees and George Harrison by the Chant Now people which I hadn’t seen before (https://youtu.be/VS-_nnJ-QD4):
As a college student in 1978, I heard the Hare Krishna mantra for the first time on that recording by George.
Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City on Nityananda Trayodasi
I always like to chant for some time with the NYC Harinam party whenever I pass through New York City, so I plan my trips to spend at least part of an afternoon with them. When I arranged my travel, I forgot to look at the Vaishnava calendar, and thus by the Lord’s mercy, I happened to be in New York City on the all auspicious appearance day of Lord Nityananda Prabhu and participate in two hours of harinama and the evening festival at Radha Govinda Mandir in Brooklyn.
Arjunananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station under the downtown 2/3 train on Nityananda Trayodasi and passersby dance (https://youtu.be/pnU4B7e8oPE):
Rama Raya Prabhu chanted there later in the evening, and passersby danced (https://youtu.be/XhujEbD6wWw):
As Rama Raya continued chanting Hare Krishna, a couple devotees danced and a lady vendor near us joined them (https://youtu.be/y2bOSG_6MUA):
Bipin Bihari Prabhu, who is originally from Godrumadvipa in Navadvipa Dhama, chants Hare Krishna at Radha Govinda Mandir in Brooklyn on Nityananda Trayodasi, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/6alEYHw8cis):
Then Srila Prabhupada disciple, Bhusara Prabhu, continued the kirtan (https://youtu.be/1APhOnE94eg):
Then Narada Rishi Prabhu chanted (https://youtu.be/UisyUJC7Nzg):
After Narada the leader was Priya Krishna Prabhu, who I did not catch on video, and finally Tulasi Prabhu (https://youtu.be/3n1Cn-nT4qU):
Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.8, purport:
“The need of the spirit soul is that he wants to get out of the limited sphere of material bondage and fulfill his desire for complete freedom. He wants to get out of the covered walls of the greater universe. He wants to see the free light and the spirit. That complete freedom is achieved when he meets the complete spirit, the Personality of Godhead.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.15.24, purport:
“Brahmaji condemns very vehemently the condition of the human being who does not take interest in the Personality of Godhead and His transcendental abode, Vaikuntha. The human form of life is desired even by Brahmaji. Brahma and other demigods have much better material bodies than human beings, yet the demigods, including Brahma, nevertheless desire to attain the human form of life because it is specifically meant for the living entity who can attain transcendental knowledge and religious perfection. It is not possible to go back to Godhead in one life, but in the human form one should at least understand the goal of life and begin Krishna consciousness. It is said that the human form is a great boon because it is the most suitable boat for crossing over the nescience ocean. The spiritual master is considered to be the most able captain in that boat, and the information from the scriptures is the favorable wind for floating over the ocean of nescience. The human being who does not take advantage of all these facilities in this life is committing suicide. Therefore one who does not begin Krishna consciousness in the human form of life loses his life to the influence of the illusory energy. Brahma regrets the situation of such a human being.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.15.25:
“Persons whose bodily features change in ecstasy and who breathe heavily and perspire due to hearing the glories of the Lord are promoted to the kingdom of God, even though they do not care for meditation and other austerities. The kingdom of God is above the material universes, and it is desired by Brahma and other demigods.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.15.39:
“The Lord is the reservoir of all pleasure. His auspicious presence is meant for everyone’s benediction, and His affectionate smiling and glancing touch the core of the heart.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.15.39, purport:
“The Lord, being equal to all, and being especially inclined to His devotee, looked as mercifully at the offenders as at the offended. This attitude of the Lord was due to His unlimited quantity of transcendental qualities. His cheerful attitude towards the devotees was so pleasing and heart-touching that His very smile was attractive for them.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.15.45, purport:
“Real yoga is to search out the four-handed Supersoul within one’s heart and see Him perpetually in meditation. Such continued meditation is called samadhi, and the object of this meditation is the four-handed Narayana, with bodily decorations as described in this chapter of Srimad-Bhagavatam. If, however, one wants to meditate upon something void or impersonal, it will take a very long time before he achieves success in yoga practice. We cannot concentrate our mind on something void or impersonal. Real yoga is to fix the mind on the form of the Lord, the four-handed Narayana who is sitting in everyone’s heart.
“By meditation one can understand that God is seated within one’s heart. Even if one does not know it, God is seated within the heart of everyone. Not only is He seated in the heart of the human being, but He is also within the hearts of cats and dogs. Bhagavad-gita certifies this fact by the declaration of the Lord, isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese. The isvara, the supreme controller of the world, is seated in the heart of everyone. Not only is He in everyone’s heart, but He is also present within the atom. No place is vacant or devoid of the presence of the Lord. That is the statement of Isopanisad. God is present everywhere, and His right of proprietorship applies to everything. The feature of the Lord by which He is present everywhere is called Paramatma. Atma means the individual soul, and Paramatma means the individual Supersoul; both atma and Paramatma are individual persons. The difference between atma and Paramatma is that the atma, or the soul, is present only in a particular body, whereas the Paramatma is present everywhere. In this connection, the example of the sun is very nice. An individual person may be situated in one place, but the sun, even though a similar individual entity, is present on the head of every individual person. In Bhagavad-gita this is explained. Therefore even though the qualities of all entities, including the Lord, are equal, the Supersoul is different from the individual soul by quantitative power of expansion. The Lord, or the Supersoul, can expand Himself into millions of different forms, whereas the individual soul cannot do so.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.17.1, purport:
“The difference between the demigods and ordinary human beings is that the demigods approach authority, whereas the inhabitants of this earth defy authority. If people would only approach the authority, then every adverse condition in this universe could be rectified. Arjuna was also disturbed on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra, but he approached the authority, Krishna, and his problem was solved. The conclusive instruction of this incident is that we may be disturbed by some material condition, but if we approach the authority who can actually explain the matter, then our problem is solved. The demigods approached Brahma for the meaning of the disturbance, and after hearing from him they were satisfied and returned home peacefully.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.17.16, purport:
“There are two classes of men in the world; one is called the demon, and the other is called the demigod. The demigods concern themselves with the spiritual upliftment of human society, whereas the demons are concerned with physical and material upliftment.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From A Poor Man Reads the Bhagavatam, Volume 2:
“Our present talks of ecology and recycling are more like cosmetic work because they are not God-centered.”
“Vyasadeva saw the anomalies, and the ignorance that would cause them, and arranged to help. That’s no joke. We devotees have to take our work seriously.”
“Kali is the worst of ages and the best of ages, and I am here for two more weeks to write about it.”
“We are ‘unlucky fellows’ with our diminished statures, diminished brain substance, diminished patience, diminished power, diminished poetry, education, culture—we have nothing of value left except the holy names. And even that we chant poorly.”
“Life is tottering like water on a lotus leaf. Time is slipping through your hands and what progress have you made? At any moment you could fall prey to the senses and the mind. The holy name is all we have. Pray to Krishna.”
“Am I worshiping the dust of the Six Gosvamis’ feet or the Three Stooges and Alan Freed?”
From “Stanzas for Lord Vishnu” in Journal and Poems:
“Lord of Vaikuntha,
You are like the running deer:
I cannot reach You.
Lord of Vaikuntha,
You are like the fir treetop:
I cannot reach You.
But
Lord of Vaikuntha, You are like the dawn:
I see You every day.
Lord of Vaikuntha,
You are like the running creek:
You are always near.
Lord of Vaikuntha,
there is no one else like You:
You are in Your name,
and You are my all.”
From Begging for the Nectar of the Holy Name:
“Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes in Sri Bhajana-darpana, his commentary on ‘Manah-siksa,’ that the twelve verses of ‘Manah-siksa’ are ‘the source of life and inspiration to the entire Gaudiya Vaisnava community, for by instructing his own mind, Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami teaches all Gaudiya Vaisnavas.’ (‘Manah-siksa,’ p. 1)”
From From Imperfection, Purity Will Come About: Writing Sessions While Reading Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Saranagati:
“Dear Lord, dear energy of the Lord, please engage me in Your service. We think proper thoughts sometimes—they float across our complacent attention. The sinner has more strength. He wholeheartedly prays for forgiveness. Though he claims he has no strength to continue his miserable life, he’s still able to fix his contrite and painful mind upon the Lord and seek His shelter. He does not doubt or hesitate. He has arrived at this point by a torturous route. We should all be so fortunate.”
From Srila Prabhupada-lilamrita, Volume 1, Chapter 7:
“Dr. Sastri also spoke of the lore of Jhansi: The site of the present city had formerly been a part of the forest in which Lord Ramacandra had practiced austerities many thousands of years ago. The Pandavas had lived here during their exile, and since then many great Vedic sages had had their hermitages in the area.”
[Sastri of Jhansi remembers Srila Prabhupada:] “He-the old man missionary worker-he was just like a young man. I was a young chap, and he was just like my friend, my elder brother. He was like my guide and teacher – because the preacher is a friend, philosopher, and guide. He was always trying to create a good atmosphere through Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita. The whole Bhagavad-gita was his practical life. His mission was not a mission of preaching only, but of practical action.”
“Mr. Mitra saw that Abhay’s ambition was no less than to make the whole city of Jhansi alive with Krishna consciousness. Abhay quoted Caitanya-caritamrita: ‘One who has received the great fortune of taking birth in India should make his life perfect and then do good for others by spreading Krishna consciousness.’ ‘And,’ Abhay would add, ‘the whole world is waiting, Mr. Mitra, for our spiritual revolution.’”
From Free Write Journal #183:
“The Passing Away of Hari Bhakti Vilasa
“My dear disciple Hari Bhakti Vilasa has passed away due to COVID-related illness. We can get very little information from the hospital about him. He was in the ventilator for some time but didn’t improve. I always remember Hari Bhakti Vilasa as the first devotee I initiated in Mayapur in 1978. He has always been a very humble devotee, very respectful to me, to Srila Prabhupada and to all the devotees in ISKCON. He did some book distribution early in his career, but later he became more introverted and mostly read Prabhupada’s books and my books. He had health issues. He was my personal servant for months at a time, both in California and in Wicklow, Ireland. He served me very competently and respectfully. He was a recent participant in our out-loud readings on Zoom with my other disciples. I am sure Hari Bhakti Vilasa has a good destination in his next life because he never hurt anyone, and he was always serious about Krishna consciousness.”
From A Poor Man Reads the Bhagavatam, Volume 2:
“As we appreciate Vyasadeva’s presentation of the Vedas, we should also follow his mood. In every age we need to meditate on how best to present the Vedas so that innocent people on all levels can be encouraged to reach the ultimate purpose: shelter at Krishna’s lotus feet. Any approach to Vedic literature that falls short of clearly presenting the goal of life is compared to the attempt to taste honey by licking the outside of the bottle.
“Srila Prabhupada is an ideal example of a modern representative of Vyasadeva. He too concentrated and took considerable time to make the Srimad-Bhagavatam understood by common men.”
“It may be that the work to which we are so attached now will no longer be required of us later. Krishna may require something else. If we are attached to the work itself, rather than using the work as an expression of devotion, we will suffer when we lose it.”
From Morning Songs:
“Krishna
is the greatest artist, and
His flute-playing and
dancing captures the minds
of all living entities.”
From The Wild Garden: Collected Writings 1990–1993:
“The sky is clear today. The air carries a pleasant November chill. The sparrows chirp and the parrots screech. Vrindavan is such a nice place. You can feel its specialness. All of this is possible because Srila Prabhupada left Vrindavan to bring Vrindavan to us, and to bring us here.”
Vrindavan Dasa Thakura:
From Caitanya-Bhagavata, Adi Khanda 9.227–228:
“Vaishnavas are always pure and full of knowledge, so if there is ever any quarrel between them you should know it is simply part of their pastimes. If a person takes the side of one Vaishnava and criticizes another, he is certainly vanquished.”
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura:
From Caitanya-Bhagavata, Adi Khanda 9.118, commentary:
“The second line of this verse refers to the Vishnu-kanci residents, who are Vaishnavas, and the Shiva-kanci residents, who are devotees of Shiva, the devotee of Sankarsana. Due to their poor fund of knowledge, these two groups always debate over the positions of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. In other words, after observing their fierce animosity towards each other, Sri Nityananda Prabhu, who is nondifferent from Mula-Sankarsana Vishnu, began to laugh.”
From Caitanya-Bhagavata, Adi Khanda 9.22, commentary:
“It should be understood that the apparent act of quarreling on the pretext of criticizing Nityananda by the pure devotees of Gaura, headed by Advaita, is meant to awaken the living entities’ interest and increase their service attitude towards Nityananda, because all of Sri Gaura’s devotees are eternally pure and endowed with pure transcendental knowledge. Ignorance, such as dualities, aversion, or opposition to Vishnu and the Vaishnavas, cannot remain in them.”
Kavicandra Swami:
Lord Nityananda traveled all over India on pilgrimage looking for Krishna but never found Him. Then He heard that Krishna had appeared in Navadvipa.
There are places that Lord Caitanya would always go, and one such place was where Lord Nityananda Prabhu was dancing.
When I was first coming to the temple on Sunday, I would think, “I have heard this philosophy before. When will it be time for the feast?”
Lord Nityananda, intoxicated with love of Godhead, did not consider a person’s situation but gave love of Godhead to everyone.
Everyone who wants to cross the ocean of material existence and drown in the ocean of devotional service should worship Lord Nityananda.
Just by talking about Lord Nityananda one awakens his love of Krishna and manifests different symptoms of transcendental ecstasy.
Lord Nityananda would go house to house and beg people to chant the holy name. He did not threaten them to get them to chant.
Srila Prabhupada had very much the mood of Lord Nityananda, preaching to everyone and not considering their situation.
Vivasvan Prabhu:
While distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books, sometimes I find people who say, “I have no time to read that book.” I tell them, “That is exactly why you should read this book!”
Srila Prabhupada-lilamrita is definitely Satsvarupa’s masterpiece. So many details of Srila Prabhupada’s struggle, struggle, struggle, to preach Krishna consciousness, and so inspiring!
Children inquire so many things from their parents, but in the animal kingdom, we do not see the young animals inquiring from their parents.
The new stadium in LA cost 5 billion dollars. So much intelligence was required for the construction, but it was misdirected.
There is a country song that says everyone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to go right now!
The body that you are so proud of eventually will go to the earth.
Elwood Carlson, professor of sociology at Florida State University:
“Charles Darwin’s son Christopher called religion the cohesive force which allows the society or culture to exist at all in the first place.”
“William James, one of the founders of the field of psychology in the United States, wrote a book called Varieties of Religious Experience, dealing with this question of an innate human need for religion.”
Franklin Hamlin Littell:
From “Religious Freedom in Contemporary America,” Journal of Church and State, 31:222 (1989):
“In the last two decades [the 1970s and 1980s] there have been more court cases (all levels of the judiciary) involving religion liberty issues than in the entire history of the United States.”
Alan S. Miller and John P. Hoffman:
From “Risk and Religion: An Explanation Gender Differences in Religiosity” in Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 1995 34 (1): 63–75
[Regarding possible explanations for why women are more religious, a trait that Srila Prabhupada also pointed out:]
“The first focuses on differential socialization and argues that females are taught to be more submissive, passive, obedient, and nurturing than are males, and that these traits are associated with higher levels of religiosity (Mol 1985; Suziedelis and Potvin 1981). The most compelling research to date notes that these characteristics are predictors of religiosity not only between the sexes but also within each sex (Thompson 1991). In other words, men who exhibit these personality traits tend to be more religious than men who do not exhibit these traits, and the same holds true for women. Thus, it is argued, the apparent gender difference is related to the fact that more females than males possess these personality traits.”
“The second explanation argues that females are more religious than males because of their structural location in society. In general, this perspective argues that lower participation in the labor force and greater responsibility for the upbringing of children lead women toward greater involvement in religion. The contention is that lower participation in the labor force leaves women with more time for church-related activities and also a greater need for a source of personal identity and commitment (Luckmann 1967; Martin 1967). Moreover, some suggest that women’s prominent role in raising children increases their religiosity because it correlates with concern for a family’s well-being (Glock, Ringer, and Babbie 1967).”
“As age increases, the perceived risk associated with a lack of religious commitment increases.”
Glock, Charles, Benjamin Ringer, and Earl Babbie. 1967. To comfort and to challenge. Berkeley, California: University of California Press.
Luckmann, Thomas. 1967. The invisible religion. New York: Macmillan.
Martin, David. 1967. A sociology of English religion. London: SCM Press.
Mol, Hans. 1985. The faith of Australians. Sydney: George, Allen and Unwin.
Suziedelis, Antanas and Raymond H. Potvin. 1981. Sex differences in factors affecting religiousness among Catholic adolescents. Journal for Scientific Study of Religion 20: 38–50.
Thompson, Edward H. 1991. Beneath the status characteristic: Gender variations in religiousness. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 30:381–394.
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People in general think that they will be happy by fulfilling their own desires (kama), but according to Bhagavad-gita 3.39 this is a mistake:
avrtam jñanam etena
kama-rupena kaunteya
duspurenanalena ca
“Thus the wise living entity’s pure consciousness becomes covered by his eternal enemy in the form of lust [kama], which is never satisfied and which burns like fire.”
What then is the true path of satisfaction? Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.6 enlightens us:
sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
ahaituky apratihata
yayatma suprasidati
“The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.”
Because the souls are part of Krishna, by satisfying the desires of Krishna we actually become happy. By acting in that way, we can realize that truth.
