Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 18, No. 22
By Krishna Kripa Das
(November 2022, part two)
New York City, Albany, Stuyvesant Falls, Schenectady
(Sent from Stuyvesant Falls, New York, on December 2, 2022)
Where I Went and What I Did
I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam and from a couple of conversations and a lecture of his as well. I share quotes from Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s Free Write Journal and his Back to Godhead articles from the 1970s that were printed in A Handbook for Krishna Consciousness. I share quotes from Lord Caitanya, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. I share notes on articles from the Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies 2019 Consciousness in Science Conference by Hridayananda Goswami, B. V. Nemi Swami, Dhira Govinda Prabhu, Isvara Krishna Prabhu, and Abhinanda Prabhu. I share notes on articles in the March/April 2023 Back to Godhead magazine by Visakha Dasi, Pranada Devi Dasi, and Karuna Dharini Devi Dasi. Usually I include notes on more Back To Godhead articles, but I was busy proofreading other books at the same time. I also share notes on classes in New York City by Candrasekhara Swami, Bhakti Vijnana Goswami, Rama Raya Prabhu, Arjunananda Prabhu, and Hadai Prana Prabhu.
Many, many thanks to Atmanivedana Prabhu for his very generous donation. Thanks to Gaurav for his donation. Thanks to Rama Raya Prabhu for his videos of NYC Harinam.
Itinerary
September 26–November 22: NYC Harinam
November 23–December 14: three weeks of service to Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami
December 15–16: taking care of my mother near Albany
December 17–January 7, 2023: NYC Harinam
January 7: lecture at 26 Second Avenue
January 8: Miami Ratha-yatra
January 9: Miami harinama
January 10–12: harinama at USF in Tampa and USF Wednesday evening program
January 16: harinama in Apopka Martin Luther King Day parade near Orlando
January 28: Ratha-yatra in Gasparilla Parade
April 27: King’s Day in Amsterdam
May 4: Nrsimha Caturdasi festival at Simhachalam in Bavaria, Germany
May 27: Baltimore Ratha-yatra
June 10: New York Ratha-yatra
Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City
Hadai Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna during Tulasi kirtan at ISKCON NYC, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/l4jRZyjlf5I):
I chanted Hare Krishna at Fulton Street subway station in Manhattan, and Rama Raya Prabhu took this video (https://youtu.be/7Qkk6SySVAA):
When I wasn’t chanting I was distributing, or preparing to distribute.
Later while Alex was chanting Hare Krishna there at Fulton Street, a lady played shakers and danced (https://youtu.be/qmi-9I9MT0U):
Sevika Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at 34th St. / Penn Station subway station and a mother and her kid play shakers and dance (https://youtu.be/JcOWnREGxJc):
Candrasekhara Swami chants Hare Krishna at Mangala Arati at ISKCON NYC (https://youtu.be/TI_keXmImMU):
This video is from later in the same kirtan from a portrait orientation (https://youtu.be/n6XtMp37vDo):
Arjunananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station above the downtown A train (https://youtu.be/fIu2GPeOQgA):
Jayananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna there as well (https://youtu.be/N0T7fpDfdS0):
Nate chants Hare Krishna there too (https://youtu.be/UjJOytswZ44):
As Rama Raya Prabhu was not feeling well, Hadai Prana Prabhu chanted the final Hare Krishna kirtan there in Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/8vR53gbZc48):
Jayananda Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna there the next day (https://youtu.be/W1LSCBeJDSI):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the Sunday Feast at ISKCON NYC (https://youtu.be/XE-XV9Fdn1Y):
Arjunananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Tulasi Kirtan at ISKCON NYC (https://youtu.be/YYHvj2UIfXM):
Alex chants Hare Krishna at 34th Street – Penn Station subway station under the uptown A/C/E trains, and Ryan plays the flute (https://youtu.be/W3pe2xh5CJM):
I also chanted Hare Krishna there, and Rama Raya Prabhu took this video (https://youtu.be/KDSuOqi07Es):
At the end of the day, Rama Raya Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna to the “Jingle Bells” tune there at 34th Street – Penn Station (https://youtu.be/XTbwzBnBocQ):
Deva Damodara Prabhu, who left New York City for Mayapur that evening, chanted Hare Krishna at Tulasi Kirtan at Radha Govinda Mandir (https://youtu.be/hnp5-2Ht4-o):
I chanted my favorite Hare Krishna tune at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station in Brooklyn (https://youtu.be/PJ0uf_u7_Pg):
Nate chanted Hare Krishna there, and passersby played shakers and danced (https://youtu.be/tLf1UFtDNVM):
I chanted by the entrance of Albany Public Library for an hour on my way to serve Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami upstate.
One guy who was friendly but a bit rough took “On Chanting Hare Krishna” after we talked. I said the chanting improves your karma. He said, “I know. When I saw you, I saw peace, tranquility and happiness.”
One lady with long gray hair admitted to seeing the Hare Krishnas in San Francisco in the hippie days of Haight-Ashbury.
Another lady stood about twenty feet from me for several minutes while waiting for her bus. When the bus came, she turned toward me, and smiled and said “Thank you” as she rushed to board the bus. I hadn’t realized she had been listening till then.
After about 53 minutes the security guard in the library told me to move away from the entrance. Because the library had double doors and because I wasn’t using an amplifier, I did not think my chanting would bother them. I moved twenty feet away and finished out the hour.
I did my proofreading work in the library after that for an hour or so, and the staff was very accommodating. When I wanted a quiet place, they gave me my own room, and when people in the room next to mine made too much noise, they told them to be quiet.
I took the local CDTA bus to Schodack, which is just 20 minutes from Stuyvesant Falls, as is Hudson, which I usually take the train to. The best price you can get on the train is $31, but the cost of taking the Chinese bus to Albany and the local bus to Schodack was only $14.50. I chose that route as the train was sold out the day before Thanksgiving.
I was picked up by Purusha Prabhu, who I recalled from the 1980s as being a tall book distributor from Boston. As it turns out, his brother lives in Chatham, just 17 minutes from Viraha Bhavan, so he is doing a lot of service for our guru during his visit.
I was happy to be greeted by six kinds of pizza made by Manohar Prabhu of Italy during his final full day at Viraha Bhavan, before returning home.
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami described our Thanksgiving dinner next door in his Free Write Journal:
“Thanksgiving feast at Ravindra Svarupa’s. Many stories of early Ratha-yatras in Philadelphia, from Saudamani devi dasi and Ravindra Svarupa. I didn’t eat much except succotash, mashed potatoes, and a slice of pumpkin pie with vanilla ice cream. The conversations were Krishna conscious, but after a while they deteriorated and the devotees were talking about 9/11, the crashing down of the World Trade buildings. At this point I excused myself and went back to my room.”
At Viraha Bhavan a big daily event for us is reading Srimad-Bhagavatam together during meals as here at lunch. Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami has friends and disciples read to him for an hour at breakfast and an hour and a half at lunch. At present we just started reading Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Two. Between ten and twenty people join in, most via Zoom. We also chant a couple of Hare Krishna maha-mantras responsively afterward. All the participants are very dedicated to the group recitation, and that is inspiring to see. I think of myself as being attracted to hear about Krishna, but I am humbled to see so many people more enthusiastic than I am.
Sometimes Haridasa Prabhu of Schenectady comes to serve our Guru Maharaja at Viraha Bhavan for the afternoon, and his friend, Rishi Isvara Prabhu gives him a ride. Because they both like kirtan, I always take advantage of their presence, and invite them to sing for our Gaura Nitai deities. This time Amit, who has lived in Albany for years, but is moving to Viraha Bhavan, was visiting, and as he likes kirtan too, he joined us.
Here Rishi Isvara Prabhu of Schenectady chants Hare Krishna at Viraha Bhavan, the ashram of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami in Stuyvesant Falls (https://youtu.be/v8ABet1iFxk):
Rishi Isvara Prabhu brought us a Guyanese treat called “saltsev” which devotees in Schenectady are making and selling commercially to help fund their project. It is made with ground up yellow split peas mixed with spices and fried, and it was very tasty.
Here Ryan of Albany chants Hare Krishna at the ISKCON Schenectady Sunday program (https://youtu.be/NBP6bDSNooM):
He had attended the Brooklyn Sunday feast the previous week and joined us on harinama in New York the next day at 34th Street – Penn Station, and played his flute.
Mahaprakash Prabhu chants Hare Krishna during the Gaura Arati at the ISKCON Schenectady Sunday program (https://youtu.be/_N6ZEHM7VzU):
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.4.27, purport:
“Perfection is never attained until one is satisfied at heart. This satisfaction of heart has to be searched out beyond matter.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.6.19, purport:
“There is no mechanical process to see the form of the Lord. It completely depends on the causeless mercy of the Lord. We cannot demand the Lord to be present before our vision, just as we cannot demand the sun to rise whenever we like. The sun rises out of his own accord; so also the Lord is pleased to be present out of His causeless mercy. One should simply await the opportune moment and go on discharging his prescribed duty in devotional service of the Lord.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.6.23:
[Lord Krishna said to Narada, in his previous life:] “By service of the Absolute Truth, even for a few days, a devotee attains firm and fixed intelligence in Me. Consequently he goes on to become My associate in the transcendental world after giving up the present deplorable material worlds.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.26–30, purport:
“As far as the beauty of the Lord is concerned, He has some special features that distinguish Him from all other living beings, and over and above that He has some special attractive beautiful features by which He attracts the mind of even Radharani, the supermost beautiful creation of the Lord. He is known, therefore, as Madana-mohana, or one who attracts the mind of even Cupid.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.27, purport:
“The kṣatriya, or the man who is qualified to protect the sufferers, is meant to rule the state. Untrained lower-class men, or men without ambition to protect the sufferers, cannot be placed on the seat of an administrator. Unfortunately, in the Age of Kali the lower-class men, without training, occupy the post of a ruler by strength of popular votes, and instead of protecting the sufferers, such men create a situation quite intolerable for everyone. Such rulers illegally gratify themselves at the cost of all comforts of the citizens, and thus the chaste mother earth cries to see the pitiable condition of her sons, both men and animals. That is the future of the world in the Age of Kali, when irreligiosity prevails most prominently.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.18.31, purport:
“Repentance comes in the mind of a good soul as soon as he commits something wrong.”
“This book incarnation of the Lord [Srimad-Bhagavatam] gives much fascinating information of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord, like His rasa-lila with the spiritual cowherd damsels of Vrajabhumi. This specific pastime of the Lord has a special significance because anyone who properly learns about this particular pastime of the Lord will certainly be dissuaded from mundane sex desire and be placed on the path of sublime devotional service to the Lord.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.18.32, purport:
“Hatred of the lower orders of life began from this brahmana boy [Srngi], under the influence of Kali, and thus cultural life began to dwindle day after day. The first victim of brahminical injustice was Maharaja Pariksit, and thus the protection given by the King against the onslaught of Kali was slackened.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.18.33, purport:
“The downfall of the brahminical powers began as they gave importance to birthright without culture. The downfall of the brahmana caste began in the Age of Kali. And since brahmanas are the heads of the social order, all other orders of society also began to deteriorate."
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.16.37, purport:
“When something is arranged by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one should not be disturbed by it, even if it appears to be a reverse according to one’s calculations.”
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 3.17.4, purport:
“When natural disturbances occur on a planet, one should understand that a demon must have taken birth there. In the present age the number of demoniac people is increasing; therefore natural disturbances are also increasing. There is no doubt about this, as we can understand from the statements of the Bhagavatam.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.23.15, purport:
“When the spiritual spark, which is described as one ten-thousandth part of the tip of a hair, is forced into material existence, that spark is covered by gross and subtle material elements. The material body is composed of five gross elements – earth, water, fire, air and ether – and three subtle elements – mind, intelligence and ego. When one attains liberation, he is freed from these material coverings. Indeed, success in yoga involves getting free from these material coverings and entering into spiritual existence. Lord Buddha’s teachings of nirvana are based on this principle. Lord Buddha instructed his followers to give up these material coverings by means of meditation and yoga. Lord Buddha did not give any information about the soul, but if one follows his instructions strictly, he will ultimately become free from the material coverings and attain nirvana.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.1.14, purport:
“If we move according to the instructions of the Vedas, the perfect paths for our lives will be set. Otherwise, if we do not move in that way but act according to our whimsical ideas, our lives will be spoiled by confusion and will end in despair. Actually, because people at the present moment are not following the instructions of the Vedas, they are all confused.”
From “Simply Creating Problems” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 56, No. 2 (March/April 2023):
[This conversation between Srila Prabhupada and some American disciples took place in Surat, India, on December 21, 1970.]
“You don’t aspire for miseries, but they come upon you; they are forced upon you. Similarly, happiness will also be forced upon you, whatever you are destined to receive. So don’t try for getting happiness or avoiding distress. Happiness and distress will go on. You simply try for Krishna consciousness, which without your trying will never be achieved. You have to voluntarily try for Krishna consciousness, revive it.”
“Krishna can force you to become Krishna conscious. But He doesn’t do that. He doesn’t interfere with your independence. He simply says, ‘Do it.’ Therefore you have to try for Krishna consciousness, not for other things.”
“Prabhupada: . . . A prisoner has no eating problem. The government supplies what he needs. He only has the problem that he should not be a criminal. That is his problem. He should try for that: ‘I shall never again become a criminal.’ That is the real activity. It is not that in the prison he has to worry, ‘What shall I eat?’ No, eating is already there. Even if you are a prisoner, the government has supplied food. Similarly, God has supplied everyone with eatables, even cats and dogs. Why not you? You have created your own problem. The real problem is how to develop Krishna consciousness.
Disciple: These problems will take care of themselves if people develop Krishna consciousness?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes.”
From a room conversation on September 18, 1973 in Mumbai:
“Just like in hospital. A patient is ordered by the physician: ‘You should not eat anything.’ So he knows, ‘It is good for me.’ Similarly, a devotee, when he’s starving, he knows, ‘Krishna has put me in this starving condition. It is good for me.’ He never complains.”
From “Real Business” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 56, No. 2 (March/April 2023):
[From a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.1.4 in London on August 27, 1973:
“If one is unfortunate, you cannot make him correct. He is condemned. You cannot check one’s misfortune. If one’s unfortunate position can be changed, that is only by Krishna consciousness. There is no other way. You cannot make any philanthropic work and change the fortune of any person. No. That is not possible. It is not that because a child has got his father and mother he is happy or he should be happy. No. In spite of having a rich father and mother, if he is unfortunate he must be unhappy, just like these hippies. In spite of having rich parents and grandparents, they are lying on the street. I have seen it. Torn clothes. Why? Condemned. Condemned by God.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From Free Write Journal #222:
From Sri Caitanya Maha-kavyam: An Epic Poem Describing Caitanya’s Life by Kavi Karnapura, [Translation by H.H. Bhanu Swami]:
“All glories to Gauranga appearing in Navadvipa, who is the same Krishna but with a complexion golden because of constantly embracing the gopis tightly.”
From Prabhupada Meditations, Volume 1:
“One morning I told Swamiji it was hard to remain Krishna conscious at work. I said, ‘Swamiji, sometimes when the people in the office say nonsense, I chant within myself without making any sound. Is that all right?’
“Prabhupada replied, ‘Not only are they saying nonsense sometimes, but even the greatest philosopher is talking nonsense. So you can chant all the time like that within, when you can’t actually chant out loud.’”
“Prabhupada states, ‘The only prayer to Krishna to make is, “Dear Lord Krishna, please give me the strength to serve You.” Any other prayer, you’ll never be happy.’ (Lecture August 1975)”
“As Prabhupada advises, ‘We must simply pray, “Krishna, please pick me up,”’ not just once.”
“We live within a mortal anxiety, which builds during the day. Toward evening we sink and think, ‘Another day in which I have not done enough.’ When I feel like this, like a box within a box, I go to hear Srila Prabhupada in his 1966 kirtana. I chant with him and stop worrying about my failure to follow him. At least during the period of the kirtana I escape mortality. I hear the sweet roughness of his voice. I sing and clap. I crawl outside the boundary of the universe.”
From “How To Get Out of the Clutches of Maya” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 1 #36 (August/September 1970):
“The craziness of thinking that our eternal self is the temporary body is maya. But because the majority of people are in maya consciousness, this has become the standard of sanity in modern civilization. The proper use of the human form of life is to inquire with dissatisfaction about this state of suffering in maya.”
“When one comes to the conclusion that he is under the stringent laws of material nature, that he is in fact bound up by limiting conditions and limiting senses, and that he is not satisfied by any amount of sensual enjoyment, and when he can conclude that his position is temporary although he desires an eternally happy position, then he can seek out something greater, and he can inquire about God, the controller.”
“It is not that one has to leave the material world. One can remain in association with matter and still remain unaffected, if he is performing service to Krishna. If someone is in connection with the police department, that does not mean that he is a criminal. As long as one does not commit criminal acts, even though there is a police department, he is not punished. Similarly, the liberated soul is not affected, although he is in the material nature. Even the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes into association with matter when He descends, but He is not affected. So we can exist side by side with matter, but by using it for Krishna we are unaffected. This is called liberation and is achieved simply by engaging in devotional service.”
From “How to Check the Age of Kali” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 1 #37 (September/October 1970):
“The first victim of brahmana injustice was Maharaja Parikṣit, and after the incident of his being cursed, the intelligent class was not protected properly by the warrior class, the mercantile class began outright exploitation of the other classes, and the lower classes became dissatisfied because of not being protected and cared for.”
“As soon as a devotee meets a true representative of the Lord, he is guaranteed to go back to Godhead after leaving the present body. This depends on the sincerity of the devotee himself. The Lord is seated in the hearts of all living beings, and he knows well the movements of every individual person. And to that particular soul who is eager to go back to Godhead, He sends a bona fide spiritual master.”
From “Temple Worship” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 1 #38 (November 1970):
“There is a difference between American food and Indian food, yet the purpose of both is the same: to satisfy our hunger. Similarly, there are different rituals in churches and temples, but the goal is the same: to achieve love of God. If the goal is otherwise, then that is not real religion.”
“Once, when asked what a man should pray for, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada answered, ‘We should pray, “Dear God, please let me love you.”’”
From “The Cure for All Despondency” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 1 #41 (May/June 1971):
“Only when one tastes transcendental pleasure can he abandon satisfying his own senses and be intent on satisfying the senses of Krishna.”
From Free Write Journal #223:
From Prabhupada Meditations, Volume 1:
“Regardless of approaches, everyone has a direct line to reaching Prabhupada’s mercy. For some, it may be their service to his mission, even if they don’t find much time to read. The heart of attachment to him is dedication, and it may be taken up in many individual ways. Some devotees stress obedience to the vows of sadhana, and another group take as more important, the spreading of the teachings to new people. And everyone draws examples from the life of Srila Prabhupada to support their own way of serving him—whether by cooking, preaching, worshiping the Deities, leading kirtana, giving classes, teaching children, or whatever.”
From Prabhupada Meditations, Volume 4:
“#2 Noticing Prabhupada
“If we are fortunate to live in a society of devotees, then, whether we ‘notice’ or not, we are regularly being exposed to Prabhupada’s lectures, books, kirtanas, and way of life. Even when we don'’t actively remember him, we can be assured that our inner self is benefiting by exposure to Prabhupada. If an iron rod is placed in fire, gradually it will become hotter and hotter, even if only by imperceptible degrees. Prabhupada used to give the example that a preoccupied airplane passenger may not notice when the plane takes off, but, after a while, he will be surprised to see that he is thousands of feet above the earth. Similarly, even if we sometimes fail to notice the benefit of living in Prabhupada’s shelter, eventually, Prabhupada will bless us to become more aware.”
From Prabhupada Meditations, Volume 1:
“Now the Krishna consciousness movement is spread all over the world, and if one is too disturbed to live in the city, one can live on a Krishna conscious farm. Srila Prabhupada has spread the jurisdiction of Krishna consciousness so widely that one can confidently practice bhakti-yoga both in the city as well as in the country—and one can practice in one’s own home with one’s own family, as well as in the asrama of devotees in the ISKCON temple.
“In all cases, one should be directed by the spiritual master. When we choose to live in a certain country or city or farm or home, with the aim to please the Lord and the pure devotee, the place where we live becomes designated as prabhu-datta-desa. This means the place given by the spiritual master for executing our spiritual duties. A preacher can identify with a metropolis like New York City or London, and always think how to give the people of that area the benefit of Krishna consciousness. Or one may identify with a patch of land for development of varnasrama-dharma, by cow protection and living from the produce of the land. And certainly one can choose as prabhu-datta-desa one of the holy dhamas of this planet, such as Vrndavana or Mayapura. In each case, the ideal circumstance is created by dedicating oneself to a place for the pleasure of the spiritual master.”
From Prabhupada Meditations, Volume 4:
“Telling any story is a delicate operation. We have to have faith in the story we are telling and enter into it. And it must be accurate. Sometimes we hear a devotee retell a story like this: ‘One time, Prabhupada said to Guru dasa, “You say you want to be at my lotus feet, but my lotus feet are always moving.” When Prabhupada said that, he pushed Guru dasa away with his lotus feet.’ The difficulty with that last detail is that no one who was actually present for this episode said that Prabhupada actually pushed Guru dasa with his feet. In this way, stories sometimes get blown into tall tales. They may become very different from what actually happened.
“Therefore, it is good to be enthusiastic when telling Prabhupada stories, but we should never exaggerate or make up details. Our enthusiasm may capture the ears of some, and may even impress some people, but if the story has untrue elements, then people will have a false impression. The story has to be authentic and the story-teller has to be honest.”
From “The Glories of Sanatana Gosvami” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 1 #60 (November/December 1973):
“With the other Gosvamis, Sanatana helped construct seven important temples in Vrindavan for the worship of Lord with the other Gosvamis, Sanatana helped construct seven important temples in Vrindavan for the worship of Lord Krishna in the land where Krishna appeared. Sometimes writing, sometimes dancing and chanting by the River Yamuna, always feeling the ecstasy of Krishna’s love for the gopis and faithfully carrying out the orders of Lord Caitanya, the Gosvamis hardly slept at all—perhaps one or two hours a night—and they lived very austerely; but they were always feeling great happiness in executing devotional service to the Lord. Although Sanatana had given up an exalted position, he considered it insignificant, and he felt no remorse, for he had gained the great treasure of love of God.”
From “The Education to End All Miseries” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 1 #63 (April/May 1974):
“According to Vedic literature, the real self, as an eternal soul who exists in a loving relation to God, the complete whole, does not die when the body dies, nor does he grow old when the body grows old. He cannot be cut; nor can he be killed. He is joyful always. If one understands this, he can disentangle himself from his long history of suffering. But if one does not undertake this study, whatever else he does in his bodily identity is defeated at the time of death.”
From “The Reality of Krishna’s Appearance” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 1 #64 (May/June 1974):
“One should not mistakenly think that Krishna’s appearance and pastimes are mythical or allegorical. Rather, we should accept Lord Krishna as the Absolute Truth, the cause of all causes, who actually appeared in a humanlike form and walked the earth. Bhagavad-gita states that the proper transcendental understanding of His appearance is so important that if one realizes only this one subject, at the time of death he does not have to return to the material world, but goes to join Krishna in the eternal spiritual world called Vaikuntha.”
From “Secretary to a Pure Devotee” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 1 #68 (December 1974):
“He talked often with the Christians about why they disobey God by killing other living entities. Finally one of them complained that we were just talking the whole time about meat eating. ‘Why can’t we talk of higher principles?’ they asked. Śrīla Prabhupāda said, ‘So long as one is sinful, there is no question of understanding higher principles.’”
“‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.’ This means that the word preceded the creation. Therefore it was transcendental. We have to inquire, ‘What is a transcendental word?’ The poet Narottama dasa Thakura says, golokera prema-dhana hari-nama-sankirtana: ‘Hare Krishna comes from Krishnaloka.’ This means it is a transcendental, not a material, sound or word. The creation comes from the word of God. For example, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada has started what is now a very large spiritual movement. In the beginning of the movement there were no buildings and students; he came to this country without money, only with the word. But by preaching the transcendental word, all of ISKCON has become manifested. That’s an example of the creative power of the word. The transcendental word of God, existing before the creation, is eternal, above the material creation—and it is the cause of the whole creation. Therefore by transcendental sound we are chanting Hare Krishna and becoming God conscious.”
From “Renunciation: The Higher Taste” in Back to Godhead, 10(5/6) (May/June 1975):
“As long as we are in the material world, to live we have to satisfy our senses, but we should regulate them by offering all our activities to the Supreme. Because our misconceptions and materialistic habits run deep, we need to hear patiently about renunciation from a genuine spiritual master. If one thus understands that he is a tiny living entity who possesses nothing and who therefore has nothing to renounce, he won’t be afraid of losing out by giving everything to the Supreme. Thus he will be eligible to transcend the frenetic race for sense gratification and taste nectar even in this life. And if he develops full love of God, at the end of this lifetime he will transcend the material world and join with Krishna in the kingdom of God.”
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu:
From Sri Caitanya-bhagavata, Adi-khanda 14.145–147:
“‘Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.’ This verse is called the maha-mantra. It contains sixteen holy names of the Lord composed of thirty-two syllables. If you continually chant this maha-mantra, the seed of love of God will sprout in your heart. Then you will understand the goal of life and the process for achieving it.”
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
From Tattva-viveka 21, Commentary:
“There is only one God. If there were more than one God, this material world would not be organized so well. If there were many competing independent Gods, they would decree different conflicting material laws, each according to his own desire. . . . Looking at the material world, an intelligent and thoughtful person cannot fail to accept the idea that it was created according to the will of a single supreme person.”
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati:
“Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami has very concisely explained the essence of all the scriptures in Sri Caitanya-caritamrita.”
From Amrita Vani, “108 Essential Instructions”
“Just because mundane thoughts appear in the mind while we chant the holy name does not mean we should slacken our chanting. The useless thoughts will gradually disappear as the irrevocable fruits of chanting the holy names. Do not be in a hurry.”
From Brahma-samhita 5.55 verse and purport:
“I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, the meditators of whom, by meditating upon Him under the sway of wrath, amorous passion, natural friendly love, fear, parental affection, delusion, reverence and willing service, attain to bodily forms befitting the nature of their contemplation.”
“By the promise of Gita, ye yatha mam prapadyante taṁs tathaiva bhajamy aham [Bg. 4.11] (‘I serve one according to his submission’), those, who allow themselves to be actuated by the sentiments of fear, anger and delusion, attain to sayujya-mukti (merging in the Absolute). The santas obtain bodily forms with aptitude for addiction to Brahman and Paramatma. The dasya and sakhya classes of worshipers attain bodily forms characterized by masculine or feminine disposition according to their respective grades of eligibility. The vatsalya class of worshipers get bodily forms befitting fatherly and motherly sentiments. The amorous lovers of Krishna attain the pure forms of gopis (spiritual milkmaids of Vraja).”
Candrasekhara Swami:
Both the Nazis and the communists consider that man is the measure of things, neglecting the authority of God. Whoever is strongest makes the rules, and they both tried to take control.
Before the Greek philosophers, all over the world there were theistic philosophers. There were rules that people followed, and priests that would advise others.
From a conversation:
Q: How can you account for terrible tragedies like the Holocaust with karma?
A: You cannot choose how you receive karma. Krishna can give you all your karma in a short period of time, and then you get purified all at once, perhaps so much so that you attain heaven. Or in other cases, your suffering could drag on many years. He can arrange the karma to come at once for a group of people for shock value, to wake people up.
Hridayananda Goswami (Howard Resnick):
From “The Epistemology of Physics and Metaphysics” in 2019 Consciousness in Science Conference:
“For two and a half thousand years of recorded Western history, physics and metaphysics have at times lived in peace, at times gone to war as allies, and at times gone to war against each other. This history clearly shows that human society has most prospered in times of peace and cooperation between those focused on both the physical and the metaphysical dimension of reality.”
“Were a professor at a public university to seriously claim that Zeus is the god of sky and thunder, they would likely be fired for preaching religion. On the other hand, should that same professor claim that Zeus is not the god of sky and thunder, and that there are various neurological and historical reasons that people believed such nonsense, she would be considered a scholar – even though by denying that Zeus is the god of sky and thunder she is equally making a religious claim. Thus, in public universities – and basically all non-religious universities – you are free to preach metaphysical religious positions so long as they are negative, even though both positive and negative claims are within the same domain. This is just one logical point that is routinely overlooked in our incredibly brilliant philosophical age!”
“To claim that consciousness is wholly material is to make not a scientific, but rather a metaphysical claim. One cannot scientifically claim that consciousness is wholly physical because the claim itself is metaphysical in nature.”
“Science has enriched our lives immeasurably and actually saved us from very dangerous, violent forms of religious fanaticism; although sometimes, science itself becomes a dangerous form of religious fanaticism.”
“Certain forms of philosophical postmodernism, for example, claim that there are no “great truths” – which, of course, is itself a “great truth.” Indeed, one of the hallmarks of postmodern philosophy is its great capacity for self-contradiction. Their foundational great truth is that there are no foundational great truths. Ultimately, foundationalism seems to be all-pervading, even among anti-foundationalists, when one closely examines what they are saying.”
“The Greeks and Romans strongly believed that when encountering other cultures with a different religion, you should do a comparative study and see that the other group is basically saying what you’re saying, but with different language, different names for the same metaphysical deities and so forth. The Roman Pliny the Elder, who probably wrote the first encyclopedia, noted long ago that there is actually one reality, but it takes different names. The same view is found in verse 1.164.46 of the Rg Veda, the earliest Sanskrit text and perhaps the oldest book in the world: ‘Truth is one, but sages describe it in many ways.’”
“We need to get away from fanaticism – whether it pretends to be science or religion. Working together, we should restore the balance between the physical and the metaphysical. The scientific revolution was conducted by scientists that derived essential ideas from their religion. And religious people benefit greatly from reason and science. Let us move forward together along those lines.”
Swami B.V. Nemi:
From “The Science of the Knower, the Known, and Knowing” in 2019 Consciousness in Science Conference:
“Material scientistics accept exclusively objective knowledge. This is a subjective decision, which they cannot describe objectively.”
“Srila Jiva Goswami defined tattva (essential reality) as ‘that which is true by direct experience, and cannot be sublated.’ In other words, it cannot be replaced by anything else, or reduced to anything more fundamental.”
“Nobel Laureate Erwin Schrödinger pointed out that how inconsistent it is to cut one’s ‘own personality, the subject of cognizance’ out of the picture, and then try ‘to find oneself in the picture.’”
“As Nobel physicist Eugene Wigner pointed out, consciousness is the absolute context of science. We cannot explain the absolute context in terms of the relative content (e.g., our experience of the nervous system and brain cells). That is an illogical and invalid approach.”
“Material scientists want to explain consciousness in terms of physical objects and interactions of which they are already conscious. This is an example of deeply inconsistent ‘tangled hierarchies.’ Consciousness does not logically depend on physical objects and interactions of which we are already conscious. Rather, our conscious experience of physical objects depends on our consciousness.”
“This «I» who looks for the conscious self is actually the conscious self. The conscious subject is self-evident in the denial of its essential reality. Hence, it is self-validating, and the denial is self-invalidating.”
“Max Planck pointed out, ‘I regard matter as derivative from consciousness. We cannot get behind consciousness. Everything that we talk about, everything that we regard as existing, postulates consciousness.’ Consciousness – and not matter – is the prime reality.”
Visakha Devi Dasi:
From “Entitlement: Does Anything Belong to Us?” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 56, No. 2 (March/April 2023):
“What we’re entitled to, what we have the right to, is to serve Krishna and His devotees. And that service can be as simple as remembering Him with gratitude. With this in mind, we can attentively avoid acquiring an inappropriate sense of entitlement.”
Pranada Devi Dasi:
From “Dying in a Kirtan Culture” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 56, No. 2 (March/April 2023):
“Grace, we learn from bhakti texts, is Krishna reciprocating our love. Thus we have our own participation in grace.”
Bhakti Vijnana Goswami:
The mode of goodness is the best of the three and has some benefits, but it is not worth selling our soul for.
Mostly human society is in the mode of passion. You may take a vacation in the forest, but then you come back.
We have to see if we are free.
Raja-guna binds us to more and more sensual enjoyment.
By acting in the mode of passion we have no freedom and no satisfaction.
If a civilization cannot give people freedom and satisfaction but instead creates people who are neurotic, the world tends toward degradation.
This transcendental knowledge can help us navigate so we elevate rather than degrade ourselves.
We must be cautious of the mode of passion because we can be cheated by the immediate pleasure it offers.
At the end of Chapter 14 of Bhagavad-gita, Krishna tells how to transcend the modes.
We can become a detached observer. Animals cannot do that. By doing that we can elevate ourselves.
Prabhupada said the standard of happiness in this present civilization is the mode of passion. Formerly it was the mode of goodness.
In varnasrama people have different engagements, but they value the mode of goodness.
When we live in a society where people act properly we are encouraged to also act properly. We must stick to such good association.
The brahmacari serves his guru and feels he is getting so much from his guru in return that he is satisfied. Then he retains some detachment through his family life.
Practicing to be the observer in all situations can greatly help us.
At one point Srila Prabhupada was confronting many challenging situations, and then he received a telegram with another challenge. Srila Prabhupada read it and disappeared into his room. His servant peeked in and saw him lying on the floor laughing.
If you practice unconditional service to persons who are not qualified to receive it, you will be disappointed. You can practice it, but do not be too attached.
It is good to attach ourselves to some devotional service. For me it is talking about Krishna.
It is hard to change our personal qualities, but by associating people who have those qualities, even in your mind, you can gradually develop them.
It is not enough to believe in God to be saved. You have to imbibe His instructions in the scriptures.
If we think “my religion is so great that everyone who follows another religion should be killed” then that is false pride and that is demoniac. In fact, that is dambhah, the first of the demoniac qualities listed by Krishna in Bhagavad-gita 16.4. Srila Prabhupada and many acaryas agree that dambhah refers to the pride of being a religious person.
Before Krishna gives us the ultimate test of death, Krishna will give us other severe tests of fearful situations when we have to make the right choice at a critical moment.
After hearing all Arjuna’s reasons for not wanting to do his duty of fighting the battle, Krishna diagnoses Arjuna as having “weakness of heart.”
When we read scriptures there is danger of filtering out things that we do not like, and therefore, it is better to hear scriptures.
If we come habituated to following the instructions of God, then we will have nothing to fear in terms of the ocean of birth and death.
Q (by Phil): When things are going well, how do we keep from becoming complacent?
A: Stay in the association of devotees. They will keep you on the progressive path.
Q (by Arjunananda Prabhu): What about people who are convinced that they cannot overcome certain limitations they have?
A: Actually the whole Bhagavad-gita is to address the problem of weakness of heart. If it was not possible to overcome this weakness of heart why is Krishna giving so much instruction on this point? If we hear Bhagavad-gita, like Arjuna we will say to Krishna, “My illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy. I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions.”
Q (by Candrasekhara Swami): Many people think they will be saved because they belong to a certain religion. Some actually know the philosophy of the religion, and fewer actually practice. Can you said something about the sadhana (practice)?
A: Sadhana can be very ritualistic, and we can be become proud of performing the externals of sadhana. If we remember the purpose of the sadhana then we will not become proud as we will see how far we still are from the goal.
Q (by Divyangi Devi Dasi): Sometimes people use sastra like a weapon.
A: Actual study of the sastra makes us humble, and humility brings kindness. Misuse of sastra is not a reason to not study sastra.
Q (by Divyangi Devi Dasi): If everyone studies sastra does that mean everyone will act the same?
A: No, that is the beauty of the Vedic scriptures. There are different instructions for different people. [That reminds me of Hridayananda Goswami’s famous line, “Varnasrama dharma – different slokas [pronounced “slokes”] for different folks.”
Q (by Dhenukari Prabhu): Is fear a sign that we are not advanced spiritually?
A: To the extent that we take shelter of Krishna, we will become free from fear.
If we are only following our minds we will definitely be confused. If someone realizes that he cannot find the solution to his problems by himself, then Krishna will send him an ideal solution. No one is doomed in this material world. First we have to become frustrated at trying to solve the problems ourselves. Only those who think they can solve their problems by themselves are doomed.
The first two cantos are just an introduction to Srimad-Bhagavatam. Thus the Bhagavatam really begins with Canto Three.
This pastime of Hiranyaksa illustrates the problem of human greed.
The mind of a human being wants more than his body can assimilate.
Hiranyaksa means gold eyes, but it is not that his eyes were gold. Rather wherever he looked, he saw gold, and he endeavored to attain it.
Bhagavatam brings us from being affected by material qualities to just wanting to please Krishna, as we go from the Third to the Tenth Canto.
Because we are spiritual by nature no matter how much matter we accumulate, we will not become happy.
Greed destroys the whole environment. The whole earth is now suffering due to this insatiable greed. Hopefully our greed will be finished before the whole earth is finished.
The great atheist Stephen Hawking said this planet is already finished. We should relocate to another planet. Of course, if we do that, we will destroy that planet by our greed too.
We cannot pretend we do not have this tendency.
India was the most prosperous country in former times. Why was India so prosperous? Because the people knew the secret of sacrifice.
If we only take but we do not give, we get into trouble.
We have to express our gratitude on a daily basis. Householders in India used to perform sacrifice morning and evening.
We should chant Hare Krishna in the spirit of gratitude: “Krishna has given us so much. We should give something to Him.”
By sacrifice we gradually destroy the greed in our heart, the desire to enjoy.
Pride gives impetus to the desire to enjoy, but humility and gratitude will destroy this desire to enjoy.
When cars are produced, there is so much testing to be sure the cars will not create a disturbance. But when we produce children, there is no such consideration.
When there are too many demoniac people, even simple things become difficult to do.
The whole Vedic understanding is that everything is interconnected. Thus we cannot become happy without being concerned with others. We cannot be happy causing trouble to others. Thus we should do good to the people around us to become freed from this demoniac tendency.
Q (by Gopala Campu Prabhu): Sometimes sacrifice feels difficult.
A: Sattva, goodness, means a little trouble in the beginning, and then greater enjoyment later on.
Q (by Caitanya): Some people say by chanting Hare Krishna you can transcend your astrology.
A: It is only when you are completely transcendental to the mind and body that astrology does not affect you.
Rama Raya Prabhu:
Although there are so many different kinds of people in the world, the sastra [scripture] divides people into just two, demons and demigods.
Demons are angry with God for different reasons. One is they are trying to be superior, but they cannot be superior to God, and thus they do not like to be reminded of His position.
Demons are solely concerned with physical upliftment.
Demons are interested in expanding their wardrobe while the devotees are interested in expanding the wardrobe of Radha Govinda.
Because Hitler thought his was the best race in the world, he killed so many innocent people. People who think their race is superior and cause trouble to others are simply waiting to be vanquished themselves.
By chanting the holy names in public, we are forcing people to become pious, whether they know it or not and whether they like it or not.
Just by maintaining the mode of goodness, we advance.
Comment by me: By steadiness (nishta), we attain ruci (taste).
Srila Prabhupada said that we cannot expect everyone to take part in this Krishna consciousness movement, but that those who do so will be greatly benefited.
Maithuna Prabhu:
Visvarupa Prabhu, a temple president in Trinidad, would say, “You never see a $100 bill cooking a Sunday feast.” He was making the point to the congregational devotees that it is better to help out than to just think that giving money is enough.
Karuna Dharini Devi Dasi:
From “Defending: Our Most Challenging Animal Tendency” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 56, No. 2 (March/April 2023):
“We can rise above this deep trait we share with animals [defending], by using the faculties allotted to human beings alone.”
“To watch a sparrow or a pigeon is to see a creature in a nearly continuous state of defensiveness. Throw her some crumbs, and she may peck at them, but every other moment the little head rotates this way and that. Who is coming? How much longer can I stay here? Where to fly to? Birds know no peace. Nature has not equipped them with hands or arms, only wings, and with those they are ever ready to escape.
“There is no moment when the soul in an animal’s body becomes self-examining, questioning who it is or what it is doing. In the human form of life, however, we are offered better equipment, a finer brain, and the potential for greater sensitivity. Krishna designed the human form of life for the adventure of self-discovery.”
“Concentration on defensive measures makes us no better than the animals.”
“For one who has understood the glories of the soul, the Lord, and their eternal relationship, there is no sound reason to ardently defend the indefensible body against every threat, real or imagined.”
Dhira Govinda Prabhu (David B. Wolf):
From “Establishing Maha Mantra Japa Chanting as Evidence-Based Practice” in 2019 Consciousness in Science Conference:
“Damerla et al. (2018) recently published a study on the beneficial effects on heart health of chanting Hare Krishna maha-mantra japa. A few weeks ago, while visiting family, I mentioned about this study, to a dentist relative of mine, whom I overheard speaking about his less than satisfying experiences with various types of meditation. Being medically-trained, the heart-rate variability (HRV) research especially interested him. He asked me to show him how to chant Hare Krishna maha-mantra japa, and he has integrated this practice into his life.”
“Bhakti sastra asserts that the precepts and effects of bhakti-yoga, while not dependent on material sensory perception, are empirically verifiable, and not merely metaphysical or abstract. Actual knowledge in bhakti translates to ‘direct perception of the self by realization’ (Bhagavad-gita As It Is, 9.2).”
Isvara Krishna Prabhu (Istvan Tasi):
From “Instincts as a Mystery in Science” in 2019 Consciousness in Science Conference:
“It is widely known that Darwin himself did not deal with the origin of life at all. He devoted a chapter to instincts but he declared: ‘I have nothing to do with the origin of the mental powers, any more than I have with that of life itself’. He also admitted that an explanation of behaviour forms posed a great challenge to his ideas: ‘Many instincts are so wonderful that their development will probably appear to the reader a difficulty sufficient to overthrow my whole theory’. He gave only a very general answer: instincts came into existence – somehow or other – by natural selection. But he did not give detailed answers to how the specific behavioural patterns appeared.”
Abhinanda Prabhu (Alexey Timoschuk):
From “Phenomenology as a Cross-cultural Bridge Between Science and Religion, East and West”:
“It doesn’t matter which anchors are left in the mind of man, either virtuous or sinful, his restless subtle body leads the soul to incarnate again. Therefore, the subtle body in Vedanta is also called karana deha, causal body.”
Arjunananda Prabhu:
The first time Srila Prabhupada experienced loss in his life and encountered verse Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.88.8, he shuttered in fear. He consulted his godbrother, Sridhara Maharaja, who confirmed that Krishna was arranging the loss for his spiritual benefit. However, the second time, he encountered loss, he quoted that verse and laughed, considering it was Krishna’s will.
Krishna puts His devotees face-to-face with their attachments so that they can get beyond them.
Radhanath Swami said that Draupadi’s call to Krishna for protection when her body was being disrobed was pure because she considered her body to be Krishna’s property and did not want it to be insulted.
We neither want to be sentimental nor hard-hearted as Krishna is neither sentimental nor hard-hearted.
There is a Puranic story of a hunter who indiscriminately was killing any animal he saw. When a rabbit realized he had no means of escape, he lay down flat before the hunter and cried tears, begging to be to spared. The hunter let him go. This shows that even a cruel hunter has some level of compassion.
Krishna put Arjuna in the middle of the battlefield so he could confront his attachment.
Comment by Candrasekhara Swami:
Up through ruci it is sadhana. At asakti you some idea of your eternal relationship with Krishna.
There was a mom who did not want her daughter to be involved with Krishna consciousness. The mom and daughter went into our Prabhupada museum on the third floor. While there she saw Srila Prabhupada move, and the result was she lost all fear of her daughter being involved with Krishna consciousness.
There was a guy the devotees had not seen before who visited the temple. The doorman let him in, and he went into the temple room and saw Radha Govinda. Suddenly the doorman heard a scream, and the man ran out of the door saying, “It’s alive!” It is funny that devotees are hopeful to have some personal interaction with the deity, waiting many years for it, and this guy just got some special mercy!
Hadai Prana Prabhu:
Once when people were complaining about the government, Srila Prabhupada said that the people do not have the karma for a good leader.
When demons take birth, inauspicious signs like hurricanes uprooting trees occur, but when Krishna took birth there was a breeze that was pleasing to the touch and which fanned the sacrificial fires so they burned better.
A thief may steal, but he will always be in anxiety about being caught. Similarly if we enjoy without reference to the laws of God, we will be in anxiety because some reaction will be coming.
In my class in high school, there were two or three suicides due to cyberbullying.
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This is one of my favorite verses because in it Krishna informs us of a superior pleasure to any that we know of, and He indicates how we can achieve it. He speaks about enjoying a pleasure within that is unlimited and which is obtainable by concentrating on the Supreme. In the Hare Krishna movement we advocate concentrating on the Supreme by chanting the names of the Supreme in the form of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. If, however, you are attached to another tradition, you may chant the names of the Supreme in that tradition, and concentrate on the Supreme in that way. Actually everyone wants unlimited happiness, and here Krishna teaches us a new paradigm of attaining happiness, by concentrating on the Supreme, and He informs us that the result will be the unlimited happiness we are looking for.
bahya-sparsheshv asaktatma
sa brahma-yoga-yuktatma
sukham akshayam ashnute
“Such a liberated person is not attracted to material sense pleasure but is always in trance, enjoying the pleasure within. In this way the self-realized person enjoys unlimited happiness, for he concentrates on the Supreme.” (Bhagavad-gita 5.21)
