Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 18, No. 5
By Krishna Kripa Das
(March 2022, part one)
(Sent from Mayapur, Nadia, West Bengal, on March 19, 2022)
Where I Went and What I Did
On March 1 I traveled to India with Yogamaya Yajna Prabhu of Krishna House, chanting Hare Krishna with harmonium in the Atlanta, Amsterdam, Mumbai, and Kolkata airports on the way. Yogamaya even chanted on our Mumbai-Kolkata flight. We stopped at ISKCON Kolkata for a meal at Govinda’s and a shower, and took the train to Nabadwip, and then a rickshaw to the boat ghat, and a boat to Hulor Ghat near Mayapur, and another rickshaw to our final destination. I played the harmonium and chanted Hare Krishna on the rickshaws and the boat, but I was so wiped out from nights on airplanes with practically no sleep, I slept the whole train ride. The day I arrived I chanted Hare Krishna with the Mayapur daily harinama party.
However, the rest of the days I chanted with Harinama Ruci, who I knew from Europe. In addition to the daily harinamas, I attended evening kirtans with Madhava Prabhu twice and Niranjana Swami once. Doyal Gauranga Prabhu, a disciple of Niranjana Swami I knew from Europe, also sang after his guru. I also attended a Bhakti Tirtha Swami Vyasa-puja festival which included both a harinama and a kirtan. Normally I write about the first two weeks of a month, but I do not have time to tell about more than the first ten days of March.
I share notes on Srila Prabhupada’s books and lectures, excerpts from the writings of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, and notes on the lectures of Lokanath Swami and Basughos, Deena Bandhu, Prithu and Jaya Gaurasundar Prabhus, all speaking in Mayapur. I share interesting points from conversations with Gaura Nitai Prabhu, a travel partner, and quotes from an article by Maureen Reindl Benjamins, who writes on religion and health.
I would like to thank Yogamaya Yajna Prabhu very, very much for sponsoring my trip to India. Many, many thanks to Vaikuntha and Jahnavi Prabhus for letting us stay in their apartment in Mayapur. Thanks to Syamaras Prabhu of Harinama Ruci for his very generous donations. Thanks to Brahmatirtha Prabhu for his donation of US dollars and Indian rupees. Thanks to Gaura Nitai Prabhu for helping us get to the Kolkata temple from the airport and to Mayapur from Kolkata via public transportation. Thanks to Mayapur Mellows and Harinama Ruci for their photos of me.
Itinerary
March 21–24: Vrindavan harinamas with Harinama Ruci
March 25–28: Chowpatty harinamas and visit to Govardhan Eco Farm near Mumbai
March 29–30: Juhu harinama on the beach
March 31: flights from Mumbai to Gainesville, airport harinamas
April 1: UF Krishna Lunch harinama and Tallahassee First Friday harinama
April 2: Tallahassee Ratha-yatra
April 3–21: Tallahassee and Tampa harinamas and college outreach
April 22–24: Gainesville harinamas and college outreach
April 25–May 6: Tampa harinamas and college outreach
May 7: Clearwater Beach Ratha-yatra
May ?–May ?: harinama with Sankarsana Prabhu by the Washington, D.C., museums
May ?–May ?: Syracuse harinamas
May ?–June ?: NYC Harinam
June ?–July ?: Colorado Rainbow Gathering
July ?–August ?: Paris harinamas
August ?–?: Canadian Vaishnava Sanga Festival
August 22–September ?: Tallahassee, Gainesville, Tampa harinama and outreach
September ?–September ?: Philadelphia harinamas and Ratha-yatra
Chanting Hare Krishna in Four Airports
Previously I have only chanted in the Istanbul airport, but I know Harinama Ruci chants in all the airports, so I decided to try to increase.
Here Yogamaya Yajna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with me in Atlanta Interfaith Airport Chapel between flights (https://youtu.be/g8oqHk4L5A8):
I sang first, then we let a Muslim guy pray for five minutes, and then Yogamaya Yajna Prabhu sang.
Yogamaya left a Chant Now mantra bookmark in one of the holy books there.
Yogamaya Prabhu found a free shower in the Amsterdam airport whereas I found a padded bench to sleep on. In Amsterdam our departure gate changed, and I played harmonium and chanted Hare Krishna through the airport from the old departure gate to the new one, where an Indian lady from ISKCON Toronto, who clapped and sang along, was happy to encounter us. On the way, a young black lady from Los Angeles interested in meditation asked if I accepted donations. I said I give literature to people who give donations, and I gave her “On Chanting Hare Krishna” when she offered me about seventy euro cents. I mentioned that we had a temple and vegetarian restaurant at 3764 Watseka Avenue in Culver City, and she might look them up, and she was happy to hear that.
In Mumbai Gaura Nitai Prabhu, also of Krishna House, joined us for the rest of our journey to Mayapur. I slept half an hour in a prayer room in the airport as I was so tired from the journey. We got a late start so we were among the last to board, however, after the officials checked our boarding passes and before we boarded the plane, we chanted Hare Krishna while waiting for the long line of passengers to physically enter the plane. Seeing our harmonium, a stewardess commented that now she knew where the music was coming from, and she said that she liked it.
Yogamaya Yajna Prabhu was bold enough to play harmonium and chant Hare Krishna on our SpiceJet flight from Mumbai to Kolkata, and I attempted to film him from the middle seat directly behind him as best as I could (https://youtu.be/D36IhFCnLG0):
I played harmonium and chanted Hare Krishna throughout the Kolkata airport and outside as we waited for a taxi, but it was way too crowded to play harmonium on the Kolkata metro.
Chanting Hare Krishna in Mayapur
Within an hour of arriving in Mayapur, I searched for a harinama party, and I was happy to encounter the Mayapur daily harinama party which Jivanatha Prabhu, chanting Hare Krishna here, is happy to be leader of (https://youtu.be/yINSXYJ-xng):
Here Syamaras Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci on our first full day in Mayapur, and passersby dance (https://youtu.be/bDdKNah4zXQ):
Syamaras Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci in Mayapur, and Yogamaya Prabhu dances with devotees (https://youtu.be/g6Ok97J3ZjY):
Syamaras and Jivanatha Prabhus chant Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci and the Mayapur daily harinama party (https://youtu.be/UslVvPMTPrE):
Ananda Rupini Dasi, a long time fan of NYC Harinam who is very much inspired by Rama Raya Prabhu, regularly attends the daily harinama in Mayapur, where she relocated three years ago. Here she leads the Hare Krishna chant (https://youtu.be/U3yRD9ccT9Q):
Syamaras chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci and the Mayapur daily harinama party on day 2 (https://youtu.be/7mUPL4f23Ls):
Syamaras and Jivanatha Prabhus chant Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci and the Mayapur daily harinama party on day 2 (https://youtu.be/L4T4ZYpM50o):
Yogamaya Yajna Prabhu and Caitanya dance as Harinama Ruci chants Hare Krishna in Mayapur (https://youtu.be/3inC1dG5Lhs):
Vishnu Das Prabhu chants Hare Krishna after Guru Puja in Mayapur (https://youtu.be/IX-9M8SoUM4):
Syamaras Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on day 3 (https://youtu.be/YcfRvs6xYHc):
Syamaras and Jivanatha Prabhus chant Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci and the Mayapur Daily Harinama during their Mayapur Sunday electric kirtan (https://youtu.be/cCsOJEjbh5E):
Madhava Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Mayapur Mellows at Kanai-Balai Assembly Hall at Jalangi Dham (https://youtu.be/rUsPwnzKECM):
Here is the official video of his whole Mayapur Mellows kirtan (https://youtu.be/Lov0UKxd5kE):
What was I doing when not filming? Dancing! What else!
Mahavishnu Swami chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci in Mayapur (https://youtu.be/wVYHO9wwT84):
Mahavishnu Swami chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci in Mayapur on a tower of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium which is under construction and is scheduled to be usable by December 2024 (https://youtu.be/-yCiMB3rgpk):
Madhava Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Gaura Village in Taranpur (https://youtu.be/1hwtDciTVLs):
Niranjana Swami chants Hare Krishna at Rasamrita Kunj in Mayapur, where he has kirtan programs on Monday and Friday evenings at 7:15 p.m. (https://youtu.be/bECHsAYX63c):
Doyal Gauranga Prabhu, disciple of Niranjana Swami, chants Hare Krishna at Rasamrita Kunj (https://youtu.be/uT3o3vL95jA):
Syamaras Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci in Mayapur - Day 5 (https://youtu.be/_rGeHpgAqgE):
Mahavishnu Swami leads a spontaneous Hare Krishna kirtan after Srimad-Bhagavatam class in Mayapur (https://youtu.be/r46Dsc-WfmI):
Mahavishnu Swami chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci and the Mayapur daily harinama party in Mayapur (https://youtu.be/OpMKZV8bDt4):
Vishnu Das Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on a harinama for the Appearance Day of Bhakti Tirtha Swami in Mayapur (https://youtu.be/9IB2IsOGaQA):
Another Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on the Appearance Day of Bhakti Tirtha Swami in Mayapur (https://youtu.be/cHvzuZnTWzw):
Syamaras Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci in Mayapur - Day 7 (https://youtu.be/C3PoYqUOaFs):
Food for Life was an important program for Srila Prabhupada,
as we can understand from this sign.
Young devotee ladies decorate the road for the weekly elephant procession.
Even the cakes at Govinda's are decorated in Mayapur.
My Life in Mayapur
I would go to mangala-arati every day. I would view the Nrsimha arati from the courtyard where there was plenty of room to dance without bumping into anyone. When I accidentally woke up early, I would go to the mangala-arati at Srila Prabhupada’s Puspa Samadhi which was at 4:10 a.m. I chanted up through my tenth round near our temple, behind the Conch Building, because a Gaudiya Math near where I lived blasted their morning kirtan so loud I couldn’t hear my japa and because the pigeons made this hellish groaning sound that agitated my mind.
I find the deities of Radha-Madhava and Their eight girlfriends to be the most beautiful in the world. This crude photo cannot do them justice. Seeing them reminded me of this quote from The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 44: “Let me offer my respectful obeisances to all the young cowherd girls, whose bodily features are so attractive. Simply by their beautiful attractive features they are worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna.”
I would hear the Bhagavatam class, pick up water where they sell it for 2 rupees a liter, and have breakfast from the maha-prasadam shop, Govinda’s or Madhu Bakery.
The first night I went to the Gaura Arati, the most impressive in ISKCON. The other nights I was engaged in harinama at that time. When I schedule harinamas, I try to avoid having them at the same time as the evening kirtan.
Mayapur is nice because you meet many friends. Navin Shyam Prabhu and I took the Bhakti-sastri course in Mayapur back in 2005. This was his first visit to Mayapur since then but my eighth! We had lunch together at Madhu Bakery along with his wife, Krishna Priya Devi Dasi, who I knew when she went to our girl’s high school in Alachua, and their two daughters, Varada and Kaira. He came on harinama several times, which was something we used to do together, especially at Krishna Lunch, when we lived in the Alachua area.
Ananda Rupini Dasi I met originally on NYC Harinama. She is a disciple of Niranjana Swami. Now a resident of Mayapur, she helped me learn of his programs and get rides to them.
Of course, I was very happy to see and do harinama with the Harinama Ruci devotees, who I have chanted with in Germany, France, the UK, Ireland, Czech Republic, Holland, Luxembourg, the USA, India, and probably a few other places. We decided to follow them to Vrindavan after Gaura Purnima and continue doing harinama with them.
I will tell about other people I met next time.
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.28, purport:
“The feeling of separation from the Lord is undoubtedly painful to the devotee, but because it is in connection with the Lord, it has a specific transcendental effect which pacifies the heart. Feelings of separation are also sources of transcendental bliss, and they are never comparable to contaminated material feelings of separation.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.29, verse and purport:
“Arjuna’s constant remembrance of the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna rapidly increased his devotion, and as a result all the trash in his thoughts subsided.
“Material desires in the mind are the trash of material contamination. By such contamination, the living being is faced with so many compatible and incompatible things that discourage the very existence of spiritual identity. Birth after birth the conditioned soul is entrapped with so many pleasing and displeasing elements, which are all false and temporary. They accumulate due to our reactions to material desires, but when we get in touch with the transcendental Lord in His variegated energies by devotional service, the naked forms of all material desires become manifest, and the intelligence of the living being is pacified in its true color. As soon as Arjuna turned his attention towards the instructions of the Lord, as they are inculcated in the Bhagavad-gita, his true color of eternal association with the Lord became manifest, and thus he felt freed from all material contaminations.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.31:
“Because of his possessing spiritual assets, the doubts of duality were completely cut off. Thus he was freed from the three modes of material nature and placed in transcendence. There was no longer any chance of his becoming entangled in birth and death, for he was freed from material form.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.31, purport:
“By assimilating the instructions of the Bhagavad-gita, one is sure to be released from such bewilderment because real knowledge is knowledge that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva, Lord Krishna, is everything, including one's self. Everything is a manifestation of His potency as part and parcel. The potency and the potent are nondifferent, so the conception of duality is at once mitigated by attainment of perfect knowledge.”
“By attainment of absolute knowledge, one can be in association with the Lord constantly, even in this present life, simply by hearing, chanting, thinking of and worshiping the Supreme Lord. One can see Him, one can feel His presence even in this present life simply by understanding the advaya-jñana Lord, or the Absolute Lord, through the process of devotional service, which begins with hearing about Him.
“Lord Caitanya says that simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord one can at once wash off the dust on the mirror of pure consciousness, and as soon as the dust is removed, one is at once freed from all material conditions.”
“One is not able to feel the presence of the Lord in all circumstances until one is endowed with the required transcendental vision made possible by devotional service prescribed in the revealed scriptures.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.33:
“Kunti, after overhearing Arjuna’s telling of the end of the Yadu dynasty and disappearance of Lord Krishna, engaged in the devotional service of the transcendental Personality of Godhead with full attention and thus gained release from the course of material existence.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.8:
“As long as Yamaraja, who causes everyone’s death, is present here, no one shall meet with death. The great sages have invited the controller of death, Yamaraja, who is the representative of the Lord. Living beings who are under his grip should take advantage by hearing the deathless nectar in the form of this narration of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord.”
From a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.8 on January 5, 1974 in Los Angeles:
“So Yamaraja is a great devotee Vaishnava. We should not be afraid of Yamaraja.”
“The Christian also believe, ‘the day of judgment.’ The judgment is given by Yamaraja. But who goes to his court for judgment? The criminals, those who are not devotees, those who are not Krishna conscious, they go to the court of Yamaraja.”
“A man is a living entity, and a cow is also a living entity. Why this discrimination, that if a man is murdered or killed, that murderer must be punished? But that law is not permissible in God’s law. In God’s law, either you kill a man or you kill an ant, you are punishable. You are punishable. You cannot avoid this. Because in the eyes of God, the Brahma, Lord Brahma, and a small ant, they are all sons of God.”
“Every word is for the good of the human society. Every word, each and every word. Therefore we stress so much in the book distribution. Somehow or other, if the book goes in one hand, he will be benefited. At least he will see, ‘Oh, they have taken so much price. Let me see what is there.’ If he reads one sloka, his life will be successful. If one sloka, one word. This is such nice things. Therefore we are stressing so much, ‘Please distribute book, distribute book, distribute book.’”
“Superficially, externally, there may be, this nation is better than that nation. That is fact. The Aryans and non-Aryans. There are divisions: civilized, noncivilized; educated, noneducated; cultured, noncultured; black, white; this and that. There are... Externally these divisions... But that distinction is of the body.
But spirit soul is not this body. He is spirit. That quality is one. There is no such distinction, ‘This is better,’ ‘This is lower,’ ‘This is black,’ ‘This is white,’ ‘This is civilized.’ In the spirit soul platform, everyone is one, one.”
“When one is self-realized, aham brahmasmi... ‘I am not this body. I am not Christian, I am not Hindu, I am not black, I am not white, I am not fat, I am not thin. I am Brahman.’ Brahmasmi. That is called Brahman. ‘I am spirit soul, part and parcel of God. My only business is to serve God, because I am part and parcel of God.’”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 5.159, purport:
“There are four points of instruction one should consider in the story of Sakshi-gopala. First, the Deity (arca-vigraha) of Sri Gopala is eternally sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1], the transcendental form of the Lord. Second, the Deity surpasses material regulative principles and extends the reality of transcendental principles. Third, one can be situated in a transcendental position after becoming a brahmana, but as a brahmana, one has to follow the regulative principles very strictly. Lastly, brahmanya-deva indicates Lord Sri Krishna Himself, who is worshiped thus: namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca/ jagad-dhitaya krishnaya govindaya namo namah. This indicates that a devotee who is under the protection of Krishna is automatically situated as a brahmana, and such a brahmana is not illusioned. This is factual.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From A Poor Man Reads the Bhagavatam, Volume 2:
“When tired and bored I grope to revive hope and realization.”
“He [Prabhupada] never presented Krishna consciousness as a sectarian religion with us as converts. He knew that Krishna was God and that it was in everyone’s self-interest to learn the science of love. That’s how he taught.”
“We are each both complex and simple. Once I asked Prabhupada, ‘Out of all the persons I could be, which one does Krishna want me to be?’ It was a roundabout, complicated question, and I was confused. Prabhupada cut through with his answer: ‘This boy Steve is nice. He types and gives money. You should all be like him.’ Maybe life is like that. We’re actually simple. The complications are artificial. We just have to be a person and do what is most favorable for our bhakti.”
From Wild Garden: Collected Writings 1990–1993:
“Krishna, I do love to be a devotee. I want to be a devotee, although I am not ready to pay the full price. I have no desire to be something other than a devotee. I want to go on parikrama; and bow at the roots of the kalpa-vrksa trees. I want to hear from the Vaishnavas and serve them. And I want to please Srila Prabhupada by my actions.”
From Prabhupada Nectar, Volume 3, Number 43:
“Everyone knew that pushing on Krishna consciousness was great trouble for Prabhupada—his travel, his anxiety, his hard work—and yet his glancing, smiling eyes showed that he was above the struggle.”
From The Wild Garden: Collected Writings 1990–1993:
“As yet gentle sunshine. We walk the opposite way on the parikrama trail. Cows with decoration, around their necks. No way I can describe the external phenomena of even a quiet ten-minute walk in the back section of Vrindavan. Don’t try.”
“In a sense it was truthful to openly admit that it has gone down. Did you think that it could be the same when the great soul was here blazing the way for us, pushing and creating a harmony that no longer seems possible? We must be loyal, and it is loyal to admit that things were special when Prabhupada was here.”
“Although we regret we haven’t attained full surrender or spontaneous devotional service, that awareness should not overshadow the gratitude we feel for the position we have already attained.”
From Talking Freely to My Lords:
“Last night we caught two mice
and when returning from the temple,
another one came out—
a bright gray fellow,
faster than the dark ones.
Madhu and I chased him,
but he wouldn’t be caught.
If this keeps up, how will I be able
to concentrate on Radha and Krishna?”
Going to Damodara
“Photos can’t catch Him,
you have to go and see Him.”
From Passing Places, Eternal Truths: Travel Writings 1988–1996:
“A monk is a person who asks every day, ‘What is a monk?’”
From Truthfulness, the Last Leg of Religion:
“We are so accustomed to lies, we think of truthfulness as old-fashioned, like the ‘impossible’ vows that the heroes of the Mahabharata were always making. Truthfulness may seem extreme nowadays for practical men. ‘This isn’t the age of chivalry.’ But Krishna consciousness is not supposed to be a product of the age. By lying propaganda the last leg of religion will be broken.”
From Calling Out to Srila Prabhupada:
“O Prabhupada, who brought liberation and bhakti and maha-mantra and Krishna into the English language, and who brought puris and halava and dhal and sabji into the Western diet, and who didn’t insist that his followers shave their heads and wear robes and saris, but whose disciples wanted to change their jeans for dhotis and wanted to wear tilaka and kunti mala for pleasing you.”
From Free Write Journal #186:
“Prabhupada writes that not only Maharaja Prthu but even his ordinary citizens should not reveal their treasuries or their plans.”
“If I could sing|
I’d say
‘Watch out, world,
you’re heading for disaster.’
O world, taste the mercy of Krishna consciousness.
Chant the holy names.
Drop your pride
and simply remember that you will die.
Call out God’s name in love.
Let me accept this advice for myself.”
“The worst is yet to come. A devotee has hari-nama. I’m not such a savior or warrior or scholar, but I have hari-nama. Chant while you can.”
“O Vyasadeva, I want to read your book in a quiet place and always remain a devotee. The world thinks I am irrelevant, but I don’t care. What matters is that I believe in your power and kindness, dear Bhagavan Vyasa, and the mercy of my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. Any one of the nine limbs can save me. I am alone now and will be alone at death, but not completely alone. I will have you by my side in the form of your instructions.”
“Prabhupada says that our submissiveness will increase as we realize the urgency of practicing spiritual life. If we don’t feel that death is practically upon us and know that we could be swept away by time and karma, we will not feel the necessity to give up our sense gratification and mental speculation. Therefore Prabhupada defines qualification to hear not in esoteric terms—we don’t have to know any secret mantras or perform any Vedic rites or be born in a brahmana family or even have been purified through ‘samskaras’—but according to the candidate’s submission and surrender to a bona fide spiritual master.”
“I like it that Vyasadeva began his search by looking within. He knew it wasn’t a material dissatisfaction, not something related to body or mind. He searched his heart for the root cause, which is always beyond matter.”
“Marilyn Monroe commits suicide, Elvis gorges himself to death—no one can keep fame and youth forever, and what was once satisfying later turns into poison. That’s how it is. Prabhupada says, ‘Perfection is never attained until one is satisfied at heart. This satisfaction of heart has to be searched out beyond matter.’ (Bhag. 1.4.27, purport)”
“It was expected that Vyasadeva would be satisfied. What is exciting to me about Vyasadeva’s story is that although he thinks he has completed his life’s work, he is actually only on the verge of it. He is about to discover his real purpose. Krishna can now be the center of his life. He doesn’t have to pander to anyone who doesn’t like Krishna-katha. He can speak straight, but he’ll have his vision first.”
From My Letters from Srila Prabhupada, Volume Three, “I Am Never Displeased with Any Member”:
“In the last paragraph of this letter, Prabhupada mentions the police commissioner’s letter. Although the reference to it is brief, it was an important issue. ISKCON Boston was quite concerned with obtaining the legal right to chant on the street. We had discussed much of this with Prabhupada when he had come. The police interfered with our harinamas constantly. They have been doing this since our arrival in Boston, saying that we were disturbing the peace. They were especially adamant about our not distributing pamphlets, incense, flowers, or books and canvassing for donations. By 1970, this police block had become a legal question. We wanted to know what it was about our activities that was illegal.
“Other centers were experiencing similar difficulties. There was no legal precedent on the books for dealing with harinamas. We didn’t think they had a right to prosecute us. Sometimes devotees would both obey the police and disobey them; they would stop what they were doing when approached by the police in one section of town, then move to another section of town and begin the same activity again until they were again stopped.
“I don’t remember the exact details, but somehow I decided to go to the library to research the Supreme Court’s decision about the type of activity we were carrying out. I discovered that almost all these decisions were made by Supreme Court Justice Warren in the ’40s and ’50s, and almost all the cases referred to the Jehovah’s Witnesses. There was one lawyer, I noticed—he was himself a Jehovah’s Witness—who had gone again and again to the Supreme Court and won. In delivering the judgment, Justice Warren had made strong statements about how the First Amendment approves the right of people to share their religion in public places. The fact that they ask for donations didn’t make it any less religious. Thus I discovered that the Supreme Court had clearly defended ISKCON’s right to witness our religion on the streets and to collect money for our tracts.
“After that, whenever we would be stopped by the police, I would explain that to them. I even carried photocopies of the judgments. The average policeman on his beat, however, did not care about Supreme Court decisions, and eventually I went to see an ACLU lawyer. The lawyers were interested in us because they knew about the Supreme Court decisions and that the police were defying them. One young lawyer in particular took interest in our case. He met people behind the scenes, and because he was a lawyer, they couldn’t brush him off. He had lunch with the city attorney, who told him the police should leave us alone. Then he told me to call him if anything else happened.”
From My Search Through Books:
“It is not a small omission when writers do not know anything about the self.”
From Story of My Life, Volume 1:
“One day while walking home from my welfare office job on Fifth Street in Manhattan I passed Second Avenue on the way to my apartment on Suffolk Street, just south of Houston Street. At the corner of Second Avenue and First Street my eye caught the window of the storefront. The signboard said ‘Matchless Gifts,’ and I had passed it many times. It was a curiosity shop and featured the sale of little matchboxes which had pictures on them from Hollywood movies. But now the window display was empty and the storefront vacant; they had gone out of business. There was a small piece of paper taped to the window with the following words: ‘Classes in Bhagavad-gita / Monday, Wednesday and Friday 7 P.M. Transcendental Sound Vibration.’
“I had read the Bhagavad-gita in the Mentor paperback edition, translated by Swami Nikhilananda and Christopher Isherwood and I was interested in the transcendental philosophy of the ‘atma,’ although I really couldn’t understand it clearly. I decided to attend the class. That night, wearing black chino pants, dirty white sneakers and a drab shirt, I entered the door of the storefront about five minutes to seven. There were about five men in their twenties milling around or sitting on straw Chinese mats. A man with a ruddy-colored beard and curly hair approached me with a smile and greeted me. He introduced himself as Ray, and I told him I was Steve and we shook hands. He asked me if this was the first time I had attended the class and I said yes. I asked what to expect. He said the Swami would come out at any minute and he would explain everything. He would lead us in chanting and then he would give a lecture. Within a couple of minutes the Swami entered through the side door. He was a short, golden-hued monk from India. He slipped out of his pointy rubber shoes and walked over to a straw mat and sat facing the front door. The boys formed an audience facing him. He greeted a few of the boys who he already knew and then handed out a few pairs of hand cymbals. The cymbals were strung together with cloth. He struck up a 1-2-3 beat and indicated that others should follow. At first they couldn’t catch the beat, but he stopped and deliberately began again, saying, ‘One, two, three . . . one, two, three . . .’ until everyone was playing in unison, slowly.”
From Remembering Srila Prabhupada: A Free-Verse Rendition of the Life and Teachings of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness:
“‘WHEN I HEAR THAT MY BOOKS ARE SELLING NICELY, I BECOME ENERGETIC LIKE A YOUNG MAN’
Because he had no material desire
nothing material could encourage him;
but news of the books going out,
seeing his young followers take it seriously,
hearing competition between the temples,
translations into different languages,
favorable reviews by esteemed professors,
seeing copies of just-published volumes,
these were the sweet juices encouraging Srila Prabhupada.
As long as books were being printed
and widely distributed
the illness of his body
was relieved;
and problems for money
for construction in India
were solved.
‘I never thought this Krishna Consciousness Movement
would have been so successful,’ he said.
‘Actually, the whole thing rests upon these books.
There is no such literature anywhere in the world
as our books. So go on selling more and more books!’
His clear message—
received from his Guru Maharaja
and carried down to us—
get the books out,
by hook or by crook,
which doesn’t mean criminally,
but you have to find a way;
you cannot say,
‘I cannot give out these books.’
It is his order for all time.
That is Prabhupada.
Everyone knows that’s what he wants.
And that is what the people need.”
From The Wild Garden: Collected Writings 1990–1993:
“Prayer rightly performed doesn’t make one puffed up. It makes one feel tiny before the Supreme, and it opens one to honoring and helping other souls. Lord Caitanya states that we should become devoid of all sense of false prestige and ready to offer all respects to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.
“Humility and prayer should spread to all other activities in the day. Not that we meekly confess wrongs before God and then go out and lord it over everybody else. Just because we are deputed to act on Krishna’s behalf doesn’t mean we have a right to look down on others or to try to control them. Pride is a constant danger and sincere prayer will always help us to avoid it.
“There are many examples of exalted devotees who pray to the Lord to be spared from pride. Aware of his tendency to become puffed up, Lord Brahma submitted to the Supreme Lord:
“‘I pray only to engage in His service in the creation of the material world, and I pray that I not be materially affected by my works, for thus I may be able to give up the false prestige of being the creator.’ (Bhag. 3.9.23).
“When Lord Caitanya favored the leper Vasudeva, and transformed him into a beautiful young man, Vasudeva worried that he would become proud of the grace he had received. ‘To protect the brahmana, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised him to chant the Hare Krishna mantra incessantly. By doing so, he would never become unnecessarily proud.’” (Cc. Madhya 7.147).
Lokanath Swami:
These days no one retires, so this is a message that “the Pandavas retire timely.”
Another message is, “What use is residing on a planet without the presence of Krishna? Better to go where Krishna is present.”
How frequently should we practice devotional service do the scriptures say? Anuksana or at every moment.
The Pandavas went north, with their backs to the world.
Our Narada Muni traveling sankirtana party was in Badrikasrama in 1977 before Srila Prabhupada’s departure, and we saw the place where Bhima left his body. We also visited the cave of Vyasadeva. When we again saw Srila Prabhupada, I told him, “We showed your Bhagavad-gita to Srila Vyasadeva,” and he smiled.
No one talks about the existence of the spiritual world nor the possibility of going there, but Srila Prabhupada did, and he did so all the time. He named his first publication, “Back to Godhead.”
Srila Prabhupada, in a letter to the first president of India, asks for help in promoting his Back to Godhead. He says he has a hint that he is going back to Godhead, and that he wants to bring all living beings with him.
Many people think the spiritual world does not exist, and others think that it may exist, but they do not actually care about it or desire to go there.
The Bhagavad-gita is an invitation by Krishna to all its readers and listeners to go back to Godhead (Bg. 4.9, 10.10, 15.6).
Once Srila Prabhupada said, “We follow four regulative principles, ‘man-mana, bhava mad-bhakto, mad-yaji, mam namaskuru – Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me.’ [“Me” meaning Krishna.] (Bg. 9.34)”
We are dear to the Lord, but sometimes maya is more dear than the Lord to us.
It is good to know that the Lord likes us. We are always wondering who likes us. Suppose you learned that the Lord likes you. In the spiritual world, the Lord likes you and the devotees like you.
Srila Prabhupada gave us the Mayapur festival 50 years ago. He gave us the Hare Krishna mantra and Sri Caitanya-caritamrita. And these are all manifestations of the Lord. And he gave us the idea of going back to home, not a new idea, an eternal idea, but Srila Prabhupada emphasized it more than anyone else, even among the acaryas [the linage of spiritual masters].
ISKCON is like an embassy of the spiritual world, Goloka. The spiritual master approves you and stamps your visa, and you can go.
Mahabharata gives a reason why each of the Pandavas leaves.
Q: Why so much variety in the pastimes of Krishna as opposed to Lord Caitanya?
A: Krishna is the supreme enjoyer, and variety is the mother of enjoyment. Thus so many varieties of pastimes are there for His enjoyment.
Although Yudhisthira is famous as ajata-satruh [one whose enemy has never been born], all pure devotees can also be called ajata-satruh.
Q: Is there anything besides the sastra to give evidence of the scripture world?
A: When Lord Caitanya and His associates appeared, the spiritual world descended, and there were people who experienced the spiritual world and who could therefore describe it, such as Rupa Manjari (Rupa Goswami), who described so many details in his Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu and Ujjvala-nilamani.
It is never too early to prepare yourself to go back to Godhead, and it is never too late.
When the Lord’s name is chanted, the Lord makes His appearance. And isn’t that place a holy place where the Lord is residing?
Q: It is said that one should only stay in the dhama for three days . . .
A: Srila Prabhupada had one-week festivals in the dhama. Ultimately, we will have to spend a lot more time in the dhama than that.
Srila Prabhupada encouraged devotees to visit the dhama, and he felt it would encourage the devotees in their services.
When we come to the dhama, we should say “Samadhi now. Work later.”
Basughos Prabhu:
Even though Brahma ultimately became creator of the universe, when he was born he had no clue where he was. He heard “tapa” and understood he should perform austerities.
When Indra saw his son, Arjuna, he offered him Urvasi, a heavenly society girl, for his enjoyment. Arjuna offered her respects by bowing down, considering Urvasi on the level of his mother and was not inclined to enjoy with her. She became angry, and she cursed him to become a eunuch.
Srila Prabhupada gave us so many aspects of Vedic culture, such as dress and behavior.
Although Krishna says that one’s position in varnasrama is not ultimately dependent on birth (Bg. 4.13), elsewhere He indicates that birth is a factor (Bg. 6.41): “The unsuccessful yogi, after many, many years of enjoyment on the planets of the pious living entities, is born into a family of righteous people, or into a family of rich aristocracy.”
In 1975 Srila Prabhupada gave a lecture to 10,000 people in a hostel in India. Srila Prabhupada requested people with folded hands, “Please do not give up your culture.”
In 1976 Srila Prabhupada arrived in Nellore via a train from Chennai. Two thousand people came to receive him. Brahmanas were chanting mantras. Shenais were playing. Little girls (kanyas) with coconuts were there. Srila Prabhupada said to us, “The Vedic culture is more intact in South India.”
Srila Prabhupada wanted the Vedic culture maintained as it is supportive of spiritual advancement, and it is sad to see that people are giving it up.
Where this fighting is going on, in Russia and Ukraine, is where ISKCON has the most Western devotees. Otherwise in America and Europe, so much of ISKCON is populated by Indian expatriots.
We see that Hindus, by developing Western culture, are becoming tamasic, and that leads to degradation (Bg. 14.18).
The solution is more than chanting Hare Krishna. There is Bhagavad-gita, and the Goswamis gave so many books. Srila Prabhupada writes in the Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, that Vaishnavas should study the Vedanta.
The Vedic education is to memorize. In the West, we read, take a test, and then forget everything.
Ph.D. is a modern qualification, but it is not a Vedic qualification.
Deena Bandhu Prabhu:
We are fortunate in Vrindavan to have the original Radha-Madhava deities of Bhaktivinoda Thakura situated at the lotus feet of Radha-Shyamasundara during the month of Karttika.
Sometimes Arjuna appears to be in illusion, as when he was bewildered because of attachment to his relatives who were about to fight, but that was the will of the Lord so the Bhagavad-gita could be spoken.
Srila Prabhupada instructed that we discuss the activities of a person who has left his body after three days so the grief diminishes somewhat and we can recall the person’s activities.
At age eleven I saw my grandfather’s body at the mortuary after his death. I could see that was not my grandfather, who used to smoke smelly cigars and tell funny stories, but just a shell.
We are fortunate because Krishna tells us in so many places that those engaged in devotional service either attain the spiritual kingdom or a nice situation to continue their spiritual development, and so we do not have to worry.
Lord Krishna has given us a four point program:
1. think of Me
2. become my devotee
3. worship me
4. bow down to me
I heard Srila Prabhupada once say, “If you chant sixteen rounds and follow the four regulative principles you will go back to Godhead in this life. I guarantee it. I guarantee it.”
In a lecture Srila Prabhupada was stressing that if you have one material desire you cannot go back to Godhead. He saw that the devotees were worried. As stepped down one step of the vyasasana, he said, “Even if you are 90% pure, you can still go.” As he stepped down the next, he said, “Even 80%.” Coming down another step, he said, “Even 75%.” [Some devotees recall he said 70%.]
We have to desire on behalf of Srila Prabhupada and Krishna, just as Arjuna fought in the Battle of Kurukshetra on behalf of Krishna.
The Pandavas were assisting a sage whose arani sticks for starting his fire had gotten caught in a deer’s antlers by chasing after the fleeing deer. They entered the forest of Kamyavana and became thirsty from traveling, and looked for water. They came upon Dharma-kunda. One of the Pandavas approached to drink, but was warned not to until he answered some questions. Ignoring the voice, he perished. One by one the other Pandavas had a similar experience until Yudhisthira, the eldest, approached the lake.
Yudhisthira said, “How can I talk to a voice? Take a form, and I will answer your questions.” A whole chapter of Mahabharata, “Yaksha Prashna,” tells of these questions and answers to the being who assumed the form of a Yaksha. There were yes and no questions, fill in the blank questions, multiple choice questions, and essay questions. Srila Prabhupada’s favorite question was, “What is the most surprising thing?” The answer is, “We see everyone around us is dying, but we think and act as if we will live forever.” The Yaksha said that he would revive one of the brothers and Yudhisthira choose Nakula or Sahadeva. The Yaksha was incredulous, saying, “To help you in the war, you will need either Bhima or at least, Arjuna.”
Yudhisthira said, “If I bring back either Bhima or Arjuna, then Madri will have no representative.”
The Yaksha was pleased, revealed himself as Yamaraja, and brought back all the brothers to life.
For our material life, we should be satisfied with what we have. For our spiritual life, we should never be satisfied. We should be always trying to increase our spiritual service.
There are many stories in the Padma Purana of sages who performed so much austerity that their gurus had to warn them that it was also important to take care of their health.
Prithu Prabhu:
In other traditions there is a lack of knowledge that the form of God is nondifferent from God Himself.
My name, my body, and my activities have nothing to do with my spiritual self.
Our activities in material life are like that of a hamster running on a wheel. He is running but not going anywhere. The wheel of the hamster is like the cycle of birth and death. In this way, our life is not progressive.
Chanting Hare Krishna is the most important activity in the universe. It is the most progressive thing you can do.
Ajamila was destined to hell for a life of sinful activities, but he chanted Narayana and was saved from so many sinful reactions and ultimately he attained the kingdom of God. Thus that chanting of the holy name of the Lord was the most progressive thing he could have done.
Because of a lack of knowledge people can not discriminate between deity worship and idol worship.
At Rajapur, one boy tried to steal Subhadra’s nose ring and Balarama extended his hand and slapped the boy across the temple room, and the impression of five fingers remained on the boy’s cheek for his surprised parents to see.
If you go to Vrindavan, you can only see what you are qualified to see. Krishna and the gopis are there even now but only highly qualified people can see them.
A devotee was telling a story of Narada asking Krishna to show him His maya. They are walking for some time, and Krishna says that He feels tired and stops to rest and asks Narada to get some water. Narada goes to a house to ask for water. A beautiful woman answers and he is captivated by her beauty and ends up marrying her. Srila Prabhupada was hearing the devotee telling the story from his room, and peeked his head out, and said, “That could not have been Narada. Narada never falls down.”
The scholars are always striving to find truth, but they maintain the same consciousness of children in kindergarten: “This is my toy.” “No, it is my toy.”
Because of a lack of knowledge, religion is written in blood. So many people have been killed because of blind faith in this dogma or that dogma.
Srila Prabhupada asked one Christian professor his philosophy. The professor spoke classic Christian philosophy: “Only by accepting Jesus Christ can you be saved. There is no other way. Otherwise you will go to hell. You have to take shelter of Jesus by joining your local church.” Srila Prabhupada was silent for a moment, and then he said, “Two thousand years have passed and still you have not understood Jesus.” The professor asked him what he meant by that. Srila Prabhupada said, “If you understand Jesus, you will understand Krishna, and if you understand Krishna, you will understand Jesus. If you want to love Jesus, but you do not want to love Krishna, then you have not understood.”
Jaya Gaurasundara Prabhu:
When we act properly we benefit ourselves, and we also benefit others, as they become inspired to also act properly.
One hundred thousand e coli bacteria can fit on the head of a pin. One hundred thousand bacteriophages can fit on one e coli bacteria. Thus there are living entities so tiny we cannot see.
Krishna is so small He is within a small atom.
So much power is in the atom that when it splits, you can destroy big cities like Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The Lord personally appears as the Hare Krishna mantra and as the deity.
Indian brahmacari in Mayapur 1:
Actually the sages ordinarily would not have the power to curse the eternal associates of the Lord in Dvaraka, but it happened due to the will of the Lord.
Srila Prabhupada said that we should never consider that the laws of nature are working independently. They are working under Krishna direction. The whole cosmic manifestation is created by Krishna and controlled by Krishna.
Whether an action is good or bad can be judged by whether it pleases or displeases Krishna. Thus we must always adjust our actions according to Krishna’s pleasure. We can surely have peace in the world if we act in this way.
Indian brahmacari in Mayapur 2:
Anudhyana means meditation continuously, and it also means following the previous acaryas.
When we are pure we can see the naked form of material nature. Naked form means real form.
A bubble is air trapped in water. The bubbles come from the ocean and return to the ocean. Similarly we are souls trapped in bodies which have come from the material nature and which return to the material nature.
If we follow that one instruction “satatam kirtayanto mam” [“always chanting My glories”] of Krishna in Bhagavad-gita 9.14, which Lord Caitanya also taught, we can attain all perfection.
Comments by Mahavishnu Swami:
We have to clean up the trash in human society. Everyone is suffering from the trash in their hearts: disease, old age, politics, war, etc.
This chanting is ceto darpana marjanam, cleansing the mirror of the mind.
Krishna says those who distribute these teachings of Bhagavad-gita are most dear to him. By remembering and sharing these instructions of Krishna the trash in our thoughts will subside. It is good for us and good for others.
Gaura Nitai Prabhu:
As a resident of Mayapur for fifteen years, a great joy was associating with all the visiting devotees coming for the festival. However, when they would leave I missed them so much. Once on a posted festival schedule, I crossed out the last item, “Devotees leave,” and wrote “Devotee leaving canceled.”
In India it is a law that if you have one elephant, you have to have two because they are social animals and do not do well alone.
[I am auditing an online course called “Sociology of Religion” through Florida State University in Tallahassee this spring semester, and I share quotes from the required reading which may interest devotees, such as these below:]
Maureen Reindl Benjamins (author on religion and health):
From “Religion and Functional Health Among the Elderly: Is There a Relationship and Is It Constant?” in Journal of Aging and Health, Vol. 16, No. 3 (June 2004): 355–374:
“More than 100 studies have analyzed the relationship between religion and depression, and the vast majority have found that, ‘The religiously active are less likely to become depressed and less likely to stay depressed.’ (Koenig et al., 2001, p. 216).”
“Religious involvement is related to marital stability over time (Call & Heaton, 1997; Musick, 1996; Strawbridge, Cohen, Shema, & Kaplan, 1997; Wilson & Musick, 1995), which, in turn, has been linked with specific health outcomes, physical and mental. For example, House, Landis, and Umberson (1988) reviewed a wide range of studies and concluded that individuals with a high quality, and sometimes high quantity, of social relationships, including marriage, have lower risks of mortality. Although not an ideal measure of social support, marital status is included in the analyses as a potential mediating factor between religion and health.”
“There is a variety of evidence to support this idea of the increasing importance of religion throughout the life course. Within a nationally representative sample, weekly church attendance rates showed increases at every age group, with those aged 65 and older reporting the highest level of attendance (Princeton Religion Research Center, 1994). Similarly, the percentage of individuals who report that religion is very important in their lives increases with age (Markides, 1983). This measure of religiousness peaks at the oldest age group with more than three fourths of elderly respondents stating that religion is very important in their lives (Princeton Religion Research Center, 1994).”
References:
Call, V. R., & Heaton, T. B. (1997). Religious influences on marital stability. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 36, 382–392.
House, J. S., Landis, K. R., & Umberson, D. (1988). Social relationships and health. Science, 241, 540–545.
Koenig, H. G., McCullough, M. E., & Larson, D. B. (2001). Handbook of religion and health. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Markides, K. S. (1983). Aging, religiosity, and adjustment: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Gerontology, 38(5), 621–625.
Musick, M. A. (1996). Religion and subjective health among Black and White elders. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 37(3), 221–237.
Princeton Religion Research Center. (1994). Importance of religion climbing again. Emerging Trends, 16, 1–4.
Strawbridge, W. J., Cohen, R. D., Shema, S. J., & Kaplan, G. A. (1997). Frequent attendance at religious services and mortality over 28 years. American Journal of Public Health, 87, 957–961.
Wilson, J., & Musick, M. A. (1995). Personal autonomy in religion and marriage: Is there a link? Review of Religious Research, 37, 3–18.
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This verse, the second in the Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, often comes to mind in Mayapur, and I frequently chant it when encountering Gaura Nitai deities:
vande sri-krishna-caitanya-
gaudodaye puspavantau
citrau san-dau tamo-nudau
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto Sri Krishna Caitanya and Lord Nityananda, who are like the sun and moon. They have arisen simultaneously on the horizon of Gauda to dissipate the darkness of ignorance and thus wonderfully bestow benediction upon all.”
