(March 2023, part one)
Tallahassee, Gainesville, Alachua, New York
(Sent from Tampa, Florida, on March 18, 2023)
Where I Went and What I Did
I stayed in Tallahassee for the first four days of March, chanting Hare Krishna by myself for three hours each day at Landis Green, behind the Florida State University library, for the first three days, where I invited students to take part in our Krishna Lunch program and sign our mailing list. The fourth day I was exceedingly happy to be accompanied by Srila Prabhupada’s disciples, Mitrasena and Kalki Prabhus, who sang with me on Saturday at the Tallahassee VegFest, where both Tallahassee and Alachua devotees distributed prasadam and where Alachua devotees did a book table. The next three days I chanted in Gainesville, at Depot Park, at Krishna Lunch, and along the streets near the University of Florida. Sunday was the celebration of Lord Jagannatha’s snana-yatra, and Monday was Gaura Purnima, and both days there were nice festivals in Alachua with lots of kirtan.
From March 8 through March 16, I lived at Sri Sri Radha Govinda temple in Brooklyn, and I chanted Hare Krishna with Rama Raya Prabhu’s NYC Harinam party four hours, except for two days when I had to leave earlier to give lectures and Sunday when I spent 1¾ hours with two devotees doing harinama on Brooklyn Bridge. On Thursday, March 9, I attended the Bhakti Center Thursday night kirtan. The next Saturday I gave the lecture to a small gathering at 26 Second Avenue, and the following Tuesday, I gave the lecture at the Brooklyn temple program for new people. I also gave a couple of Bhagavatam classes while in New York City.
In a separate section I share notes on a memorial service for Kadamba Kanana Swami in New York City. In the insights section, I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam and a lecture he gave on Gaura Purnima. I share excerpts from the writings of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share many notes on Prabandhavali, a book to be published by Touchstone Media consisting of translations of the Bengali articles that Bhaktivinoda Thakura published in the Gaudiya magazine. I share notes on lectures by Chaturatma and Bhadra Prabhus in Alachua, by Shyamala Kishori Devi Dasi in Gainesville, and by Candrasekhara Swami, Hansarupa Prabhu, Rama Raya Prabhu, Pran Govinda Prabhu and Arjunananda Prabhu in New York City.
Thanks to Avinash for his hospitality and very generous donation. Thanks to Atmanivedana Prabhu for his kind donation. Thanks to Upananda Prabhu for his donation. Thanks to Rama Raya Prabhu and Divyangi Devi Dasi for their photos and videos of NYC Harinam. Thanks to Damodar of Alachua for his very professional video of our chanting of Hare Krishna at the Tallahassee VegFest. Thanks to Amit of Albany who drove me from Tallahassee to Alachua and from Alachua to Gainesville twice. Thanks to Deva Krishna Prabhu and Caitanya Dasi for letting me stay at their place in Alachua and to Devavan Prabhu and Rasalila Dasi for letting me stay at their place in Gainesville.
Itinerary
March 19–23: Tampa harinama and college outreach
March 24: Gainesville harinamas at Krishna Lunch and with Alachua devotees
March 25: BI online zoom meeting on Vedic Cosmology and Astronomy
Depot Park harinama in Gainesville
March 26–April 13: harinama and college outreach in Tallahassee and Tampa
April 1: Tallahassee Ratha-yatra
April 14: Krishna Lunch harinama
April 15: St. Augustine Ratha-yatra
April 18–25: take care of mother in Albany
April 27: King’s Day harinama in Amsterdam
May 4: Nrsimha Caturdasi at Simhacalam
May 27: Baltimore Ratha-yatra
May: 3 days of harinama with Sankarsana Prabhu in Washington, D.C.
June 10: New York Ratha-yatra
June 12–17: take care of mother in Albany
June 18: Hartford Ratha-yatra
June 19: NYC Harinam
June 20: London harinama
June 21 to August 14: Paris harinama
August 15: NYC Harinam
August 16–20: Vaishnava Sanga Festival in Canada
August 21: Montreal harinama
Chanting Hare Krishna in Tallahassee
This vegan lady from Turkey, working on a Ph.D. at FSU, got a Gita and Easy Journey from Parmesvara Prabhu recently and a Chant and Be Happy from me today. I told her I was going to sing with my friends in NYC during spring break, and she said, “That’s where I first encountered Hare Krishna! In Union Square!” NYC Harinam ki, jaya!
I was all alone on an Ekadasi, so I had decided to cook quinoa and vegetables, which I had never done before. It came out pretty good. I always pray to Radharani for the ability to cook for Krishna.
I was overjoyed to be chanting Hare Krishna at the Tallahassee VegFest with Mitrasena Prabhu and Kalki Prabhu, both disciples of Srila Prabhupada who love kirtan. Thanks to Damodar Prabhu of Alachua, who took this video of part of it (https://youtu.be/gCCfAPaU7X8):
Later a young lady who had attended Krishna Lunch from 2010 and 2014 and who had visited Krishna House several times as well, learned the mantra and sang the response as her son played the shakers, and it was beautiful to see.
Chanting Hare Krishna in Gainesville and Alachua
Krishna Kripa Das chants Hare Krishna in Depot Park with four Krishna House devotees and Janardan (https://youtu.be/4tnkYI0KY5Y):
Nistha, playing the drum, says she is inspired to chant Hare Krishna in public every day for an hour. Let us all wish her success in this!
Nadiya Mani Dasi and friends chant Hare Krishna during Snana Yatra in Alachua (https://youtu.be/nBxddPjiqwg):
Thakura Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Alachua after the Sunday feast (https://youtu.be/LULvg8bf0U4):
Amala Harinama Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Alachua after the Sunday feast, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/fSYgvAXJtl4):
At the end of the evening the deities returned to their residence. Often male pujaris transport the deities, but here the Vaishnava youth ladies were enthusiastic to do the service of carrying Lord Baladeva to His vehicle.
Nagaraja Prabhu chants Hare Krishna during Guru Puja in Alachua on Gaura Purnima (https://youtu.be/23quTAI1zjA):
Purusartha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch at University of Florida in Gainesville on Gaura Purnima (https://youtu.be/AliaAoW5Sy0):
I took a Facebook Live video of the remaining Krishna Lunch kirtans that day, beginning with the rest of Purusartha Prabhu’s kirtan (https://youtu.be/jZXZ2Ys1VsY):
Sruti Sagara Prabhu, the temple president of Krishna House, chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch at University of Florida in Gainesville on Gaura Purnima (https://youtu.be/E9LuPQxEL-c):
Advaita Acharya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch at University of Florida in Gainesville on Gaura Purnima (https://youtu.be/K4agOKFTGp8):
Devavan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch at University of Florida in Gainesville on Gaura Purnima (https://youtu.be/Sscnn2mans0):
Adikarta Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Gaura Purnima afternoon in Gainesville (https://youtu.be/t3-idnPGfnU):
I took a Facebook Live video of the rest of that harinama (https://youtu.be/eyeD7Air64c):
Bhadra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Alachua on Gaura Purnima evening (https://youtu.be/CYkGD53U6tU):
Abhaya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Alachua on Gaura Purnima evening and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/Brl0J9b6Ia0):
Here I chant the Panca-tattva mantra at the Krishna House mangala arati the day after Gaura Purnima (https://youtu.be/Rp_3nED-4C4):
Vaishnava Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch at UF on the Jagannath Mishra Festival Day (https://youtu.be/y029baihHXk):
Steve of Syracuse chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch at UF on the Jagannath Mishra Festival Day (https://youtu.be/fbiLoBxMZ50):
Adikarta Prabhu and friends chant Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch at University of Florida in Gainesville (https://youtu.be/D22sAMQKo9Y):
As I boarded my bus to Orlando, these two French girls recalled me from the Krishna Lunch kirtan on Gaura Purnima and thanked me for the music. I told them it was extra special because we were celebrating the birthday of the person who originally promoted this public chanting in Bengal 500 years ago. I gave them the card for Yoga Lyrique as they study in Paris next year, and I gave one my ISKCON Boston card as she is at Boston College this year. I also gave them “On Chanting Hare Krishna” in both French and English.
When the Orlando bus stopped at its Ocala rest stop, a young Indian lady introduced herself to me as the one who danced with us on the Krishna House harinama the previous day, and she showed me a video she took of it. She said she was getting a Ph.D. in math, and I told her I worked 17 years for a Hare Krishna who had a Ph.D. in math, and I showed her a web site on Sadaputa Prabhu. She is also specializing in probability. I told her about his Mechanistic and Nonmechanistic Science, and how he explains that contemporary explanations of biological form do not work from the mathematical point of view, and I shared the invitation to the zoom meeting where we are discussing the book. Here is my video of her dancing on harinama (https://youtu.be/D22sAMQKo9Y):
I had only chanted Hare Krishna for 1:50 hours at Gainesville, and because I like to do 3 hours, I asked the devotee who picked me up in Orlando if he could drop me at a park near his place where I could sing for 1:10 hours. He did better than that. He came out too, and he got two friends to come out, and we sang for about an hour and a half.
Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City
Aditya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square, and Spiderman dances (https://youtu.be/1Bud1BDERjw):
Sundar Shyam Rupa Prabhu also chanted Hare Krishna there, and a man danced with devotees (https://youtu.be/LEPCgfhdnOA):
Kadamba Kanana Swami disappeared from this world on Thursday, March 9. Pancharatna Prabhu tells us that according to the lunar calendar that was the day Tukarama, the celebrated popularizer of sankirtana in Maharashtra, ascended to the spiritual world. That day we sang at Fulton Street subway station, the warmest both in terms of temperature and reception. More people danced and played the shakers in a mood of celebration that day than any other day I was in New York City.
Here Jagaddhatri devi dasi chants Hare Krishna in Fulton Street subway station, and passersby play shakers and dance (https://youtu.be/kNFuQ_dBqwE):
At another point in her kirtan, kids played the shakers (https://youtu.be/pYAIQvHDWfs):
Here Divyangi Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Fulton Street, and kids play shakers (https://youtu.be/0HrSjziGfsY):
While Divyangi Devi Dasi chanted Hare Krishna there, some passersby danced (https://youtu.be/HW0W_TaOqb8):
Balaram Naithani chants Hare Krishna in Fulton Street subway station, and passersby dance (https://youtu.be/ZmfU19T5QQM):
Arjunananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Fulton Street subway station and passersby dance (https://youtu.be/7alO8Z1wdJo):
Here Divyangi Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Jackson Heights / Roosevelt Avenue subway station. Usually I distribute the free literature and invitations, but as few devotees were present at the beginning of the day, I played the karatalas (https://youtu.be/JWbznFnnAjI):
Sevika Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Jackson Heights / Roosevelt Avenue subway station (https://youtu.be/hIFii9fW4Ag):
Matanga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna en route on the Brooklyn Bridge on a Sunday afternoon (https://youtu.be/AOp-C4BO4vo):
Matanga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on the Brooklyn Bridge on a Sunday afternoon (https://youtu.be/dRbhzSAA1so):
Krishna Kripa Das chants Hare Krishna on the Brooklyn Bridge with Matanga Prabhu and Freddy on a Sunday afternoon (https://youtu.be/Ds4gWGsEFcA):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the ISKCON NYC Sunday feast just before the evening arati begins (https://youtu.be/8A5sPtvB0N4):
Ekadasi Vrata Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Penn Station subway station (https://youtube.com/shorts/oqU93Kjzyok?feature=share):
Pran Govinda Prabhu came with me on NYC Harinam one day, and he was impressed to see the number of people hearing the holy names. The devotees gave him a Metrocard with insufficient funds so he had difficulty swiping into the subway. A policewoman, seeing he was having trouble, told him not to worry and swiped him in.
Arjunananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/XNXobfuVbGg):
Natabara Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at ISKCON NYC Tuesday program, and attendees dance (https://youtu.be/XUS7i8dGzKw):
Later in the same video, the dancing became more ecstatic, and I took a video in landscape orientation (https://youtu.be/m7CoGBsicyY):
Here I chant Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station above the 7 train (https://youtu.be/i9q_dWAIdN4):
Sundar Shyam Rupa Prabhu chants Hare Krishna there, too (https://youtu.be/WTRcdq_b_EI):
Narada Muni Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/W-0v7c0R9p8):
Nikunjabihari Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/qmioQhgW4jA):
Rama Raya Prabhu chanted this ecstatic kirtan there at the end of the day (https://youtu.be/zijrdl05g30):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Tulasi Puja in ISKCON NYC (https://youtu.be/Yj5ZBnN9noE):
Narada Muni Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Fulton Street subway station, and a mother and daughter play shakers (https://youtu.be/cjl2Pt8iEfw):
Nikunjabihari Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Fulton Street (https://youtu.be/Ux7jttAQFV8):
Narabara Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Fulton Street, and several people dance (https://youtu.be/KWEZ4fgBrHE):
Jayanta Prabhu:
He read some of my poems, and said, “These are pretty good. You should publish them.”
I did not take that very seriously, until Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, who had heard my guru’s words, told me that the guru’s words must be taken seriously, as he had done with Srila Prabhupada’s words.
From one poem: “He straightened up my life and then turned it upside down.”
Krishna Kripa Das:
I said I was happy that I was in the association of Kadamba Kanana Swami’s dedicated followers at this time.
I mentioned it was inspiring that at the initiation he gave in New York City last June, he told some of the new initiates to dedicate their lives to serving in New York City.
I spoke many things, most of which appear in this journal article I did on Kadamba Kanana Swami last fall: https://krishnamonk.blogspot.com/2022/11/kadamba-kanana-swami-special-benefactor.html
One thing I included in that article is some notes on a lecture he gave in Prague when he first heard that Aindra Prabhu unexpectedly left his body in July of 2010.
Rama Raya Prabhu:
We witnessed a rare event, the ascent to the spiritual world of a perfectly self-realized soul.
Death is a change of service, and when we change our service to Krishna, it is for the better.
He had the qualities of bravery, determination, and steadfastness.
Kadamba Kanana Swami was sent in to challenging situations.
Jayadvaita Swami asked Kadamba Kanana Swami to come to NYC when the struggle to regain control of the Brooklyn temple to save it from being sold began. He came for the 2018 Ratha-yatra.
I looked forward to developing a working relationship with him in developing New York City.
He made it clear to me that harinama-sankirtana is the blood pumped by the heart.
About harinama-sankirtana he said, “This is really what I like to do, not all these meetings.”
There is some parallel to Kadamba Kanana Swami’s passing and Srila Prabhupada’s passing. Both had disciples who were young and had not much more than 10 years of their guru’s association.
As the Prabhupada disciples had to mature over the many years since he left, the same will be true of Kadamba Kanana Swami’s disciples.
He was an expert and a genius in so many ways.
Jayadvaita Swami said he excelled as a brahmana and as a ksatriya.
His kirtans were electrifying. Not all may appreciate his lectures, but all can appreciate his kirtans.
I would like to see a 24-hour kirtan in this city. At least let us embrace what we have and increase it.
Kadamba Kanana Swami was a sankirtana man, and if you come on the harinama you can see that as service to him.
Srila Prabhupada said, “Just give this one life to Krishna and see what the result will be.”
We are casting the seeds of Krishna consciousness everywhere. We do not know the result will be, but Lord Caitanya does.
Binda Madhava Prabhu:
I first recall meeting Kadamba Kanana Swami 5 years ago. He reminded me I sold him a laptop many years before.
I was in Vrindavana, and he let me stay in his room for 2 hours about 3 weeks ago.
Make the shoe room into a restaurant, a much better use of the space.
He was warm and friendly, like Sridhara Swami. I experienced his jovial mood just 3 years ago.
His kirtans were so wonderful, they brought new people to the movement.
I would pick up senior people at the airport. I wish I got more association with him.
Jagaddhatri Devi Dasi:
Kadamba Kanana Swami was a very friendly person, and I feel that is one of the reasons I joined the movement.
He said, “I hear you do interior design, could you do some for the temple?”
He would tell his disciples, “I want to have a friendly relationship with you.”
With COVID he could not come every two months as before, and so he would call us each individually to see how we were doing. He called everyone but me. Later I was talking with him, and I mentioned that he called everyone but me. He said that he did not call me not because he did not care, but because he knew I was doing OK. Later I reflected that to take our vows and services so seriously that the guru does not have to worry about us is actually a valuable service to him.
We all asked him for final instructions. He told me: “Keep your sadhana strong and make sure you stay with the devotees, and everything will be good.”
Shobhamayi Devi Dasi:
Almost every day I would listen to his kirtana.
He visited in the late 1990s, and he would do harinama. When he came more recently, he remembered, and said, “I remember you. You are always on the altar.”
Hari Vilasa Prabhu:
He was one of the first gurus I met.
He learned seven languages. He had the ability to look at a situation and just understand it.
Kadamba Kanana Swami looked after Srila Prabhupada’s projects. Kadamba Kanana Swami never started his own projects. He assisted with Srila Prabhupada’s projects, and projects that were very difficult, like Vrindavan and Mayapur. It is hard to push a project when you are not completely in charge of it. And he was able to convince others to dedicate themselves to these projects. He would endear others to himself, and on the strength of his friendship, get them to dedicate themselves.
Kadamba Kanana Swami said: “I wanted to give a place for the free spirits to survive in ISKCON.”
He was a free spirit, but he completely dedicated himself.
After the disappearance of the spiritual master, what we offer the spiritual master is most important.
He created space for individuals to be human.
He said, “If you are strong, assist others. If you are weak, give others shelter.”
[Great quote from book on spiritual master and disciple. Get from him.]
Although Maharaja was extremely jovial, he was extremely serious, especially about serious things.
He was impatient, and he admired the impatience in Srila Prabhupada.
Even if he took a shower at night, he put on tilaka. He asked me if I did. I said I didn’t. He said, “I do, in case I die in my sleep.”
The way to get his mercy is if you go beyond your limitations. Whenever he saw someone go beyond his limits, he had respect.
[At the end of the service, I informed the devotees about my harinama over Brooklyn Bridge after lunch. I told them it was an opportunity to go beyond their limitations and thus impress Kadamba Kanana Swami. Unfortunately, I did not get a lot of takers.]
Adarsi Prabhu:
It was a great honor to serve under him in ISKCON NYC. He was an inspiration. He had the same vision and preaching spirit for New York City as devotees who have been here for 50 years. He was 100% dedicated to preaching and building the movement all over the world. He was a true follower of Srila Prabhupada. It is a loss not having his leadership. I urge you all to continue along the path he outlined for you.
Hansarupa Prabhu:
We have so many wonderful kirtans to remember Kadamba Kanana Swami.
He was instrumental to the “no sale committee” for ISKCON NYC.
He was a brahmana and a kirtana person. But in addition, he was a doer.
I went with Surabhi Swami to Mayapur to take the measurement for the marble for the dome of the Puspa Samadhi and for the Vrindavan Samadhi. We had to go regularly 500 km to Makrana in the middle of the Rajasthan desert to make sure we got quality marble. The heat was austere, and the food was austere. The Queen of Makrana, who was vegetarian, finally was engaged to cook for us.
If he said something would be done or if he saw something that needed to be done, he would make sure it got done, regardless of whatever obstacles were there.
He wasn’t afraid of anything except to displease the spiritual master. That was evident to the last minute, as he preached by precept, example, or both.
He considered the austerities he faced in Vrindavan insignificant in comparison to the nectar of serving Srila Prabhupada.
From his morning announcement of the disappearance of Kadamba Kanana Swami:
We do not want our memory of Kadamba Kanana Swami to fade, but to remain and inspire us.
Kadamba Kanana Swami worked tirelessly to preserve Srila Prabhupada’s legacy in Vrindavan, New York, and many other places. His dedication is to be remembered and is an example to be followed.
We hope his followers are able to remain dedicated to their vows and services inspired by his example.
How does that relationship continue? That is something for the disciples to meditate on individually.
Srila Prabhupada said that when he left this world many of disciples also would leave. He said, “Don’t be surprised who leaves, be surprised who stays.”
Kadamba Kanana Swami was chanting as much as he could at the end of life.
Kadamba Kanana Swami:
From his final lecture video:
From the pastime of King Pariksit’s chastising Kali personified, Srila Prabhupada got the four regulative principles.
Lord Caitanya brought the yuga-dharma.
You are fortunate because you have gotten this transcendental knowledge, and you have become heros accepting these vows. Everything is nice. Nothing could be better.
I am blessed that I could be instrumental to inspire you to remain on that path.
I hope through my recorded words, recorded kirtanas, and memories, I will continue to inspire you to stay on this path, through thick and thin. Throughout all struggles, do not waver. The wealthiest man in this world is a pauper. You have the real treasure. Hold it close. Chant every day, hear every day. And your life will be wonderful. Go back to Godhead, and we will physically reunite and celebrate like we never celebrated before. That time is not far away. Srila Prabhupada said just give this one life.
I’ll stay with you by words and memories, and I’ll be waiting for you on the other side. Soon. Soon.
We will see love, bliss, and fulfillment beyond our imagination and expectation.
Stay on the path. Do not get lost. Come quickly. Let us join this festival of Krishna.
Thank you.
Hare Krishna.
Later that evening I shared on Facebook a video with Kadamba Kanana Swami dancing on NYC Harinam, saying:
Many people shared videos of Kadamba Kanana Swami leading wonderful kirtans. Here I show one of him as a dancer. Lord Caitanya valued dancers so much he appointed them. Srila Prabhupada danced himself and appreciated the dancing of his disciples. Dancing for the Lord is both an item of devotional service in practice and an expression of love of God. In the spiritual kingdom every step is a dance! (https://youtu.be/3ey89nmXu_M):
I heard that it is said the different demigods are situated on different parts of a cow’s body, but I was surprised to see a cow figurine with the pictures and names of several demigods decorating it on a friend’s altar.
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.17.17, purport:
“The Lord is very kind and affectionate toward His devotees, and therefore a devotee, in any condition, is not subjected to the results of karma. A devotee never aspires for the heavenly planets. The heavenly planets, liberation and hell are nondifferent for a devotee, for he does not discriminate between different positions in the material world. A devotee is always eager to return home, back to Godhead, and remain there as the Lord’s associate. This ambition becomes increasingly fervent in his heart, and therefore he does not care about material changes in his life.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.7.36, purport:
“When a devotee is completely purified, he becomes anyabhilasita-sunya. In other words, all of his material desires become zero, being burnt to ashes, and he exists either as the Lord’s servant, friend, father, mother or conjugal lover. Because one thinks constantly in this way, one’s present material body and mind are fully spiritualized, and the needs of one’s material body completely vanish from one’s existence. An iron rod put into a fire becomes warmer and warmer, and when it is red hot it is no longer an iron rod but fire. Similarly, when a devotee constantly engages in devotional service and thinks of the Lord in his original Krishna consciousness, he no longer has any material activities, for his body is spiritualized. Advancement in Krishna consciousness is very powerful, and therefore even during this life such a devotee has achieved the shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.7.38, purport:
“The Supreme Lord, in His Paramatma feature, exists as the best well-wisher and friend. As confirmed in the Vedas, sayujau sakhayau. The Lord, in His Supersoul feature, always stays in the heart along with the living entity. The Lord is so friendly to the living entity that He remains within the heart so that one can always contact Him without difficulty. One can do this simply by devotional service . . . As soon as one hears of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (krishna-kirtana), one immediately comes in touch with the Lord. A devotee immediately comes in touch with the Lord by any or all of the items of devotional service . . .
“Therefore there is no difficulty in coming in contact with the Supreme Lord (ko ’ti-prayasah). On the other hand, going to hell requires great endeavor. If one wants to go to hell by illicit sex, meat-eating, gambling and intoxication, he must acquire so many things. For illicit sex he must arrange for money for brothels, for meat-eating he must arrange for many slaughterhouses, for gambling he must arrange for casinos and hotels, and for intoxication he must open many breweries. Clearly, therefore, if one wants to go to hell he must endeavor very much, but if he wants to return home, back to Godhead, there is no difficult endeavor. To go back to Godhead, one may live alone anywhere, in any condition, and simply sit down, meditate upon the Supersoul and chant and hear about the Lord. Thus there is no difficulty in approaching the Lord.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.7.39, purport:
“The pure souls are eternally in love with Krishna, and this permanent love, either as a servant, a friend, a parent or a conjugal lover, is not at all difficult to revive. Especially in this age, the concession is that simply by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra (harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam) one revives his original relationship with God and thus becomes so happy that he does not want anything material.”
Class on Gaura Purnima on Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.38 in Mayapur on March 16, 1976:
“When Krishna said, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam [Bg. 18.66], they took it: ‘Who is this person ordering like that, Sarva-dharman parityajya? What right?’ That is our material disease. If somebody is ordered to do something, he protests, ‘Who are you to order me?’”
“Therefore the same Lord came again as Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”
“This whole process is submission. Krishna wants this. Sarva-dharman parityajya [Bg. 18.66]. So if you want to approach Krishna, you have to become very submissive. And to whom? ‘Krishna is not here. To whom I shall submit?’ No. To His devotee, to His representative. The business is submission.”
“So Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared this day for giving mercy to the fallen souls who are so foolish they cannot take to Krishna consciousness. He is personally teaching how to take to Krishna consciousness. And that is this kirtana.”
“But our process is to submit. Unless we submit, there is no hope of advancing in Krishna consciousness. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s teaching.
trnad api sunicena
taror api sahiñnuna
amanina manadena
kirtaniyah sada harih
[Cc. Adi 17.31]
“If you want to chant Hare Krishna mantra, then you have to take this principle, trnad api sunicena. You have to become humbler than the grass. Grass, it is lying on the street. Everyone is trampling down. Never protests. In the lawn you are . . . Everyone is trampling the grass. There is no protest. Taror api sahisnuna. And tolerant than the tree. The tree is giving us so much help. It is giving us fruit, flower, leaves, and when there is scorching heat, shelter also. Sit down underneath. So beneficial, still, we cut. As soon as I like, I cut it down. But there is no protest. The tree does not say, ‘I have given you so much help, and you are cutting me?’ No. Tolerant. Yes. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu has selected, taror api sahisnuna. And amanina manadena. For oneself one should not expect any respectful position, but he, the devotee, should offer all respect to anyone. Amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. Adi 17.31]. If we acquire this qualification, then we can chant Hare Krishna maha-mantra without any disturbance. This is the qualification.”
“He [Krishna] is prepared to be appreciated by you in any condition of life if you take His instruction how to realize Him. And if you manufacture your own way, no, that is not possible.”
“Even if you are most ordinary man, still, you can realize Him. There is no difficulty. How? Krishna said, raso ’ham apsu kaunteya: ‘My dear Arjuna, I am the taste of the water.’ Now, who does not drink water? Anyone? The animal also drinks water and the human being also drinks water. But the animal cannot understand God, although God is there in the water, and the man can understand because he is human being. Therefore a human being is different from animal. If we remain like animals—we are drinking water, but we are not realizing Krishna—then you are animal. This is animals. And if we drink water—everyone drinks water many times—so many times we can remember Krishna.”
“Everyone drinks water, and as soon as you drink water when you are thirsty, and the taste of the water appeases your thirst, so if you simply remember that ‘In the Bhagavad-gita it is stated that this taste is Krishna,’ then immediately you remember Krishna. And as soon as you remember Krishna, it is devotional service, smaranam.”
“So Krishna taught everything for becoming Krishna conscious, but still, we are so rascal we could not understand Krishna. Therefore Krishna came again: ‘These rascals failed to understand Me, and now I shall teach how to become a devotee of Krishna by My personal behavior.’ That is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”
“Just like somebody is giving massage to my body. So he’s not giving properly. So immediately I take his hand and I began to give massage, ‘Do like this. Do like this.’ That does not mean I am masseur or I am servant of that person. Similarly, don’t forget that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From Prabhupada Meditations, Volume 2:
“Wisps of ’66 Memories From the Swami’s Room
“He hears from the Bible.
“One of the boys was reading something to Swamiji from the Bible. The passage referred to a prophet’s lineage with worship and respect for the forefathers. When the person was described (let us say his name was Jacob), his name was given in connection with his forefathers. It was something like, ‘Jacob, a man of God, whose forefathers were so-and-so.’ As soon as this passage was read, Swamiji said, ‘Yes, this is the way in spiritual life. One refers to himself in terms of his previous teachers and forefathers.’ Prabhupada approved of the parampara principle in this passage of the Bible. He then gave examples from Vedic literature. He told the story of Lord Brahma who went to visit Lord Krishna in Dvaraka. At first Brahma was not allowed in, and the doorkeeper asked, ‘Which Brahma are you?’ Brahma replied, ‘I am the father of the Kumaras.’ He identified himself in relationship to the recognized devotees, the four Kumaras.”
From Prabhupada Meditations, Volume 3:
“The Red Beads
“Although Swamiji had a bead bag, he often chanted his beads by holding them in two hands. The boys followed this method, and even when we were not chanting, we would wear the beads around our necks in a double strand. Swamiji thought this was acceptable; he told us either keep them in a bead bag or wear them around our necks. And you can take them on the street like this, ‘If you’re not ashamed.’”
“When he held initiations, that was a good chance for us to watch him chant. He gave us instructions about chanting on our beads at that time. He told us to chant by starting with the bead next to the ‘head bead.’ Chant the Hare Krishna mantra on each bead by using the thumb and third finger. Don’t touch the beads with the pointing finger. Go around once, and when you reach the summit bead, don’t cross over, but start back in the other direction.”
“Srila Prabhupada said that someone once found an old gourd and a metal string, and from these rejected pieces, he made a beautiful vina. When we pick up the bits and scraps of our lives and make them into something useful in Krishna consciousness, we feel a lift of happiness. ‘Let me show this to Prabhupada.’”
“The highest standard of offering is a devotee’s full energy and self, dovetailed with the interest of Krishna.”
From Prabhupada Meditations, Volume 4:
“Around 1970, ISKCON devotees began to follow more rigid schedules for the temple programs. Prabhupada encouraged us. He told us that if we followed this schedule, there would be no peephole for maya to enter.”
From The Qualities of Sri Krishna:
“Steadfast
“After being trained in Krishna consciousness and having our eyes fixed on the goal, maya may attempt to divert us. Whatever the reason may be to give up our steadfastness, it is petty and should not turn us away from Lord Krishna’s devotional service. We need bala, strength, to remain fixed. Even if we fail to take Krishna’s help, Krishna will remain loyal to His vow never to abandon us. He will wait for us and present us with opportunities to return to Him. Krishna is not a quitter, and we shouldn’t be either.”
From Prabhupada Meditations, Volume 2:
“A living being is so lively and curious that if he doesn’t hear of the pure devotee, he will hear something else. So Prabhupada meditation is a way to keep the mind fixed at the lotus feet of the pure devotee.”
From Upstate:
“The Lord is more delicious than any berries. His service is the tastiest. I have tasted it sometimes.”
“In my own way I do want to thoroughly expose a Krishna conscious enduring way of life to the people of this here world. Not by kicking Darwin, which has to be done, but by kicking the habit of dullness.”
From Japa Transformations:
“Fight the drowse, fight complacency.
Rise, spirit soul,
and meet the mantra in a higher place.”
Bhaktivinoda Thakura:
[Prabandhavali is a book to be published by Touchstone Media consisting of translations of the Bengali articles that Bhaktivinoda Thakura published in the Gaudiya magazine and which I am proofreading.]
From “Interpretation Regarding the Glories of Sri Gangadevi” in Prabandhavali:
“Recently, a famous scholar in chemistry from America gave a highly elevated status to Bhagirathi Ganga. He was in India some time ago. After carefully analyzing Ganga water, he concluded that it is absolutely pure. There is no kind of impurity, or even germs and bacteria, present in it. Every river of the world is full of all kinds of impurities, but the Ganga of India is free from all contamination, and completely pure. The chemist made a thorough analysis of a pot of Ganga water and understood that the glories of Ganga mentioned in the Vedic scriptures are factual. After returning to his country, he published his findings in all the newspapers. He also said that not only is Ganga water pure, but the water of the rivers that flow into the Ganga also become purified. He has proven this fact by his scientific analysis.”
“The American scholar and the publishers of the newspapers were impressed by the mundane glories of Ganga. Apart from that glory, unlimited glories are present in Ganga-devi. Pure devotees reveal that simply by residing near the Ganga and drinking Ganga water, devotion to Lord Hari is awakened.”
“If one argues that many people take bath in the Ganga and drink its water but never worship Hari, the answer is that whatever quality is present in an object spreads to other objects which are free from impediments, or resistance. Electricity flows through a good conductor, but it does not flow through a bad conductor. Similarly, among the conditioned souls, those who have committed grave offences are bad conductors of the electricity of devotional service.”
“Those who commit sin on the strength of relying on Ganga-devi’s purification are grave offenders to Ganga-devi. Such offenders are not purified by bathing in the Ganga, but all other sins are destroyed by bathing in the Ganga. It is for this reason that nowadays, many people do not understand the spiritual potency of the Ganga and simply see it as ordinary water.”
From “Kali” in Prabandhavali:
“In spite of receiving spiritual initiation from a bona fide sampradaya and engaging in the worship of the Lord’s Deity, we have not achieved love of God. Despite studying and teaching various scriptures, we have not come to the platform of pure devotion for Lord Krishna. Even after observing many vows, and so on, we are not yet engaged in pure devotional service. In spite of taking birth in a Gosvami family, we do not feel intense devotion for Lord Gaura. Despite accepting the sacred garb from a visiting Vaisṇava, we simply remain absorbed in the materialistic way of life. It is Kali who deceives us and is thus the only cause of all of our disturbances.”
“It is karma, or fruitive action, that binds the conditioned soul to the cycle of birth and death. To get freedom from that bondage, the congregational chanting of the Lord’s holy names is the only means in this age of quarrel.”
“Kali is such an unrighteous friend and harmful enemy of the conditioned soul that during his reign, he does not allow anyone to remain fixed in the pure religious system of sankirtana. Sankirtana has been glorified as the only means of deliverance in the age of Kali.”
“Scholars of the scriptures know that without the performance of harinama, people will not be able to restrain themselves from sinful behavior, because this is dictated as the result of their karma.”
“Only by the association of devotees and a taste for chanting the holy names of the Lord does the mind become controlled, and not merely by good instructions.”
“By studying the histories of King Nala, Yudhisṭhira, Duryodhana, Sakuni and others, it is seen that gambling always involves cheating and a disastrous loss of wealth. Even today, gambling casinos are destroying many persons’ chances for religiosity, economic development, sense gratification, and liberation. Those who gamble destroy their character and become filled with fear and anxiety. Where is the doubt that Kali resides in places where gambling is indulged in?”
“Betel nut, tobacco, gañja, wine, and liquor—all these destroy one’s sacred vows. Each is stronger than the previous one. By chewing betel, one’s desire for sex life, which is always difficult to control, increases. Betel nut creates restlessness of the mind. Tobacco brings about a loss of memory, laziness, and an aversion to God. Smoking gañja destroys one’s intelligence. Opium, and the eight kinds of liquor, quickly turns a two-legged man into one who is no better than a four-legged animal. To block the godless people’s chances for engaging in devotional service, Kali has created these impediments.”
From “The Argument Regarding Sri Mahaprabhu” in Prabandhavali:
“O devotees! In the last four hundred years, various anarthas have arisen in the Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya. It is the main duty of the descendants of the acaryas to completely uproot all those anarthas.”
“What is the meaning of the word acarya? Only he who teaches dharma by his own example is an acarya. Simply by attaining prosperity, or by raising some issue, one does not become an acarya. Those who are acting as acaryas in the Gaudiya sampradaya should try to remove all anarthas from it.”
“Even though the custom of the guru and disciple examining each other is mentioned in Sri Hari-bhakti-vilasa, it is not in practice. Therefore, degradation of both the guru and disciple, as well as the pollution of the sampradaya, was inevitable. Where there is no purity and good qualifications, everything becomes useless. Alas! How far has the vaisnava-dharma propagated by Sri Mahaprabhu become polluted!”
“In order to remove all these anarthas, the above-mentioned Vaisnavas should combine to create a sampradaya fault-removing committee. With folded hands, I request the respected initiating spiritual masters to arrange for such a committee and try to remove these anarthas. Among the initiating spiritual masters, those who have unflinching devotion for Sri Gauranga will naturally endeavor to keep their sampradaya pure and faultless.”
“If a raganuga devotee blasphemes the functions of the vaidha-bhaktas, it is unjust, just as it is unjust for the initiating spiritual masters, or maṇtracaryas, to tell anuragi-bhaktas what to do. These are examples of unauthorized interference that simply invites quarrel and yields no good result. With folded hands, I request that no one interfere with the current separate processes of worship practiced by the vaidha and raganuga devotees in regard to the worship of Sriman Mahaprabhu.”
From “The Living Entities Have no Friend Other than the Holy Name of Hari” in Prabandhavali:
“A chanter of the holy name is beyond the jurisdiction of Kali. As stated in the Bṛhan-naradiya Puraṇa:
hare kesava govinda vasudeva jaganmaya
itirayanti ye nityaṁ na hi tan vadhate kalih
“‘Kali has no jurisdiction over those who chant the holy names, such as Hare, Govinda, Jaganmaya, and Vasudeva.’”
“Harinama bestows all benedictions. As stated in the Skanda Purana:
etat saḍ-varga-haraṇam ripu-nigrahaṇam param
adhyatma-mulam etad dhi visṇor-namanu kirtanam
“‘Constant chanting of the holy name of Visṇu destroys the six transformations of the material body, subdues the six enemies, including lust, and is the root of spiritual knowledge.’”
“Harinama is the only ultimate goal of the conditioned souls. As stated in the Skanda Puraṇa and Padma Puraṇa:
idam eva hi mangalyam etad eva dhanarjanam
jivitasya phalas caitad yad damodara-kirtanam
“‘This chanting of the holy name of Damodara is the only auspiciousness, the only treasure, and the only goal of life.’”
“It should be understood that all the limbs of devotional service exist under the shelter of harinama.”
“While chanting, one should always remember that Krishna and His holy name are non-different.”
“Of the nine processes of devotional service, beginning with hearing and chanting, the chanting of the holy name of the Supreme Lord is the most powerful practice of sadhana. Even if the other limbs are not practiced while chanting the holy name in ecstasy, there is no insufficiency.”
“The Lord of the heart, Sri Gauraṇga Mahaprabhu, told Satyaraja Khan that one who chants the holy name of Krishna once is a Vaishnava. One who always chants the holy name of Krishna is a superior Vaishnava, and a Vaishnava who simply by seeing, one automatically chants the holy name of Krishna, is the topmost Vaishnava. Therefore, those who faithfully chant the holy name of Krishna from time to time also deserved to be called Vaishnavas.”
“A person who develops bhakti distributes love to everyone and becomes the object of everyone’s love throughout the whole world. He easily becomes the shelter of all good qualities and obtains all happiness and all kinds of auspiciousness. Learned persons describe all these as auspiciousness.”
From “Divine Qualities and Devotional Service” in Prabandhavali:
“If, after observing the methods of serving Krishna followed by the Vrajavasis, you develop greed for serving Hari, then you can worship Krishna on the raganuga path. But if you have not developed such a hankering and yet have a taste for worshiping Hari, then keep on serving Hari by practicing the nine-fold methods of devotional service.”
“May Sriman Mahaprabhu shower His mercy upon the people who are polluted by Kali and give them good intelligence.”
From “The System of Sampradaya” in Prabandhavali:
“Persons who present opinions opposed to the system of authorized sampradayas consider themselves outsiders. But by propagating their concocted theory, they create a new sampradaya. If we analyse the matter seriously, we conclude that the outsiders who do not wish to belong to a sampradaya are gross materialists in the bodily concept of life.”
“If the major portion of an object is good, even though there are some bad elements, learned people eagerly accept it. Is there anything within the world which is faultless? Can a learned person avoid living in this world, which is full of faults? Is material life, even when passed with happiness and piety, faultless? In the present state of affairs, is there any alternative for a conditioned soul to living in a religious society?”
“By studying history, we understand that previously there was never any propaganda against the system of sampradaya in this holy land of India. Only since India came in contact with scholars from the Western countries have some of her people become opposed to the system of sampradaya.”
“The duty of an intelligent person is to try to purify the sampradaya after joining it.”
“Without giving up bad association, one cannot achieve the ultimate goal of life. One who indulges in worldly association cannot receive any benefit even after performing thousands of sadhanas.”
“Nowadays, many persons adopt the path of bhajana and observe the limbs of sadhana, but even after a long time, they are not found to have made any advancement in spiritual life. When, after a long time, progress is not visible, one is naturally disappointed, and because of disappointment, the whole spiritual endeavor is abandoned. Just think over deeply to see why progress is not being made. The simple truth is that without good association, spiritual advancement is not possible.”
“On every Ekadasi, we should seriously examine how much progress we have made in spiritual life during the previous fortnight. If we find that we have made no progress at all, or we have become degraded, then we should conclude that bad association is the cause of this, and we should endeavor to give it up.”
“Being averse to the Supreme Lord, the conditioned souls, due to their desires for material enjoyment, wander about within this universe, hoping to enjoy happiness. Until the conditioned souls’ desire for worldly happiness becomes exhausted, they do not become inclined toward the Supreme Lord. Only by the mercy of the Supreme Lord, which is invoked by the accumulation of piety, does the conditioned souls’ desire for material life becomes weak so that they consequently develop a desire for associating with saintly persons.”
“As a conditioned soul discusses topics of Krishna in the association of devotees, his faith gradually increases, and as he enthusiastically cultivates Krishna consciousness, he is soon hankering after attaining the Supreme Lord. Therefore, one should take shelter of the lotus feet of a pure devotee spiritual master and learn from him the art of performing bhajana. By the strength of his bhajana, the devotee obtains the Lord’s grace. One must practice sadhana-bhakti to elevate himself from the stage of deep absorption in illusion to the stage of becoming qualified to receive the Lord’s mercy.”
“Sadhana vina sadhya vastu keha nahi paya: ‘The goal of life cannot be achieved unless one practices strict sadhana.’ This is a statement from Sriman Mahaprabhu’s lotus mouth. The lives of those who, after developing even a little faith in the Lord’s service, give up strictly following the principles due to laziness, are uselessly spent with the achievement of no tangible benefit.”
“The fully independent Krishnacandra can give His darsaṇa [audience] to anyone, but one who has no interest in achieving His favor by the performance of sadhana [spiritual practice] cannot be accepted as a genuine seeker of the truth.”
“The performance of sadhana is nothing but a means to increase one’s thirst for attaining the Supreme Lord. While practicing sadhana with care and enthusiasm, one attains Krishna’s mercy in proportion to the enhancement of his thirst. As soon as his thirst is fully manifested, Krishna cannot wait, but manifests Himself. The conditioned souls must not neglect the performance of sadhana, but should execute it with care and attention.
“What is sadhana? Sri Rupa Gosvami has said: . . . ‘When transcendental devotional service, by which love for Krishna is attained, is executed by the senses, it is called sadhana-bhakti, or the regulative discharge of devotional service. Such devotion eternally exists within the heart of every living entity. The awakening of this eternal devotion is the potentiality of devotional service in practice.’ (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.2)”
“Sadhana refers to the process by which that love is withdrawn from sense enjoyment and directed towards the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
“Those who are recipients of Sriman Mahaprabhu’s mercy, sincerely and exclusively take shelter of the holy names of Hari. By cultivating chanting of the holy names of Hari, they attain the holy name as sadhya, or the ultimate goal of life at the time of perfection because, the holy name is both the sadhya and the sadhana. The holy name and the Supreme Lord are non-different.”
“The purport is that the body and senses of a person who eats too much or eats too little, who sleeps too much or sleeps too little, will not be able to properly practice sadhana. By moderately eating, sleeping, enjoying, and endeavoring in every activity so that the body remains healthy and the senses remain strong, sadhana is easily accomplished and thus all miseries are mitigated.
“One must engage his mind in remembering the holy name of the Lord and protect himself from the four kinds of anarthas—misidentification of one’s constitutional position, thirst for material enjoyment, weakness of the heart, and offences. One should engage his senses in constant chanting of the holy name of the Lord and protect them from the bad habits of eating too much, sleeping too much, endeavoring too much for sense gratification, and other unfavorable activities. This is the expertise of a sadhaka, or practitioner of devotional service.
“A sadhaka must be determined and take utmost care about rejecting things that are unfavorable for devotional service and accepting things that are favorable for devotional service. Householders often face unfavorable situations in the course of their bhajana, and unless those situations are quickly resolved, they will be impediments on the path sadhana and delay the achievement of the ultimate goal.
“‘Let me enjoy this object today, and tomorrow I will give it up.’ Such a weakness of heart will never yield any auspiciousness. Whatever you understand to be an obstacle on the path of devotional service should immediately be given up with the help of Sriman Mahaprabhu’s mercy. Determination is the root of good sadhana. Without determination, sadhana cannot proceed even a single step forward.
“Association of devotees is the main support of one’s sadhana. The heart of a conditioned soul is captivated by anarthas so that despite trying hard, he may not be able to give them up. However, if there is sadhu-sanga, then the anarthas will lose their prowess.”
“By chanting the holy name of the Lord in the association of devotees who are devoted to chanting, all offenses are destroyed and very quickly nama-tattva appears within the heart. Our humble prayer at the lotus feet of Sriman Mahaprabhu is, ‘May we quickly attain nama-rasa while constantly chanting the holy name of the Lord in the association of pure devotees. We do not pray for anything other than the mercy of the holy name.’”
Candrasekhara Swami:
I feel I wasted thirty years of my life not really focused on the holy name. Just in the last three months or so things have really improved. I have really been thinking of the holy name as a person and that has been really helpful.
When I hear Srila Prabhupada say you can chant 24 hours Hare Krishna without getting tired, I realize I am not there, but I am closer than I was six months ago.
There are many things we can do to benefit our spiritual life, but the biggest bang for the buck so to speak is to find out how we can increase the quality of our chanting.
Lord Vishnu was so impressed with the austerities of Kardama Muni because of his great devotion that he cried tears of compassion.
Bg. 9.13–14 describe the akama devotees, and Bg. 7.16 describes sakama devotees. Bg. 9.15 describes three lower grades of worshipers.
Even if I am chanting very poorly, I notice if I am struggling to chant nicely, I see there is some effect.
For years I have prayed to the deity to be able find a way to chant better.
It is important to always to strive to chant better. If we maintain this desire, ultimately Krishna will fulfill it.
There is no ideal situation in the material world. Marriage is a compromise on both sides. There is always something about them you did not know originally and that you aren’t so happy to find out about, and there is something about us that they are not so happy to ultimately find out about.
Comment by Nikunjabihari Prabhu: I find Mahatma’s japa affirmations are very helpful.
Bhurijana Prabhu points out that the principal motivation of Kardama Muni to get married was to serve Lord Brahma by generating progeny.
Grhastha life is a commitment to vows not a commitment to sense gratification.
The stock market of sense gratification is always up and down, and thus when it is down, relationships that are based on sense gratification dissolve.
In our present society, we do not really have monogamy, one spouse, but serial monogamy, one spouse at a time. This creates a certain amount of baggage or even trauma from broken relationships.
Either you have good marriage karma or you don’t.
And for devotees, sometimes the Lord gives one a traumatic experience so one will not want to pursue male-female relationships again.
Actually all we want is to be happy, and the more we become happy by our practice of Krishna consciousness, the less we will make arrangements for our own happiness and the less we will keep score about how much happiness and distress we encounter.
I consider it that was Krishna’s benediction on the women of this world that I was inspired to practice celibacy so that none of them had to suffer from having a relationship with me.
If both partners are interested in spiritual life or both partners are averse to spiritual life they are more likely to be successful in marriage, whereas if you have one partner interested in spiritual life, it is likely not to work out.
If there is physical abuse in a marriage it is time to seek counseling about breaking off the relationship. No persons should feel they have stay in such a situation.
One my favorite parts of the Mahabharata is after the second gambling match:
Draupadi says to Yudhisthira, “You are righteousness personified, yet we are sleeping on the cold floor while Duryodhana, who is offense personified, is living in an opulent palace. This is proof that karma does not work.”
Yudhisthira replies, “You are speaking exactly like an atheist.”
Draupadi admits that she was just speaking out of frustration.
If we meditate on people’s misbehavior we will pick up their misbehavior, but if we think of their good qualities, we will attain their good qualities.
Chaturatma Prabhu:
“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I descend Myself.” (Bg. 4.7) is a very relevant verse to speak about on the appearance of Lord Caitanya because the Kali-yuga we are living in is characterized by decline in religious practice and rise of irreligion.
Lord Shiva and Maha-Vishnu appeared as Advaita Acarya, and Lord Brahma appeared as Haridasa Thakura, but they felt incapable of reviving interest in religion. Thus Advaita Acarya requested Lord Krishna to appear Himself, and thus He appeared as Lord Caitanya.
If someone tells you how to serve them, it comes off as sounding arrogant, but for the Supreme Lord it is appropriate.
Jagannatha Misra was born in south Dacca, in Sylhet.
There is a book Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura wrote confirming the identities of the eternal associates of the Lord mentioned in Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika.
I researched it extensively, and none of the acaryas said anything about the identities of the eight daughters of Saci who died immediately after birth and who preceded Lord Caitanya.
Doing ulu-dhvani is a privilege of ladies. If the men do it, it shortens their lives. When it is done, the mouth should be covered, because the tongue wags and that should not be seen in public.
Young children are presented different items at either the name giving ceremony or the grains ceremony. The child Nimai ignored the grains, the gold, and all other offerings, but picked up the Bhagavatam and embraced to His chest. Scholars seeing this, predicted he would be a great scholar who would distribute Vishnu-bhakti all over the universe.
Gangadasa Pandit educated Nimai Pandit, but at a certain point, Gangadasa said, “There is nothing more I can teach you. You should open your own school. I will help you start it.”
Especially on these festival days, we can do extra hearing and chanting and extra service to help celebrate the festival.
By sitting and watching the abhishek, one gets the same benefit as those performing the abhishek.
Hansarupa Prabhu:
If one leaves he has not understood that he is an eternal servant of Krishna.
We find peace in Krishna consciousness, but we have to maintain that peace by our spiritual practice.
If we experience frustration, we have to analyze what our problem is.
Everyone is seeking priority, with the airlines, or in this or that situation, but Narottama considers himself most fallen and therefore having priority to get the mercy of Lord Caitanya.
How can you have conflict if you are thinking of yourself to be the servant of the servant of the servant?
Whoever is coming here is very special. They are not coming here by accident.
Just because I cannot say the right thing at the right time, doesn’t mean I cannot be friendly, and smile, and say, “Hare Krishna.”
We have to see things from Srila Prabhupada’s point of view. ISKCON is like Srila Prabhupada’s body. Why would we want to cause trouble to Prabhupada’s body.
Krishna consciousness is not a spectator sport.
Whatever you don’t want to do, that is surrender.
If you associate with people who are unsurrendered, you will remain unsurrendered. But if you associate with people who are always trying to do extra service, you become like them.
Srila Prabhupada noticed that devotees were drifting away from the mission, and thus he wrote Nectar of Instruction.
Srila Prabhupada said that the GBC are not managers. They are meant to make sure everything is going on in their zone according to Srila Prabhupada’s desires.
We should consider there is nothing more important than this International Society for Krishna Consciousness, and we should act to protect it. If there is something wrong, we should work to correct it.
Rama Raya Prabhu:
Kardama Muni was not an ordinary person because here Lord Vishnu is personally speaking with him. Lord Vishnu does not speak to just anyone.
Srila Prabhupada had an arranged marriage. He did not like his wife very much, and he was thinking of getting a second wife. His father advised him not to get a second wife, saying that the fact he did not like his wife would facilitate his spiritual life. He accepted the decision of his father not begrudgingly but with appreciation.
Kadamba Kanana Swami did a great service to not just his disciples but all of humanity because he showed how to pass away from the world in complete fearlessness.
Comment by Pran Govinda Prabhu:
Tukarama was truly thankful to Krishna that his wife was so problematic that he would never pursue male-female relationships again.
Bhadra Prabhu:
Because King Prataparudra assisted Ramananda Raya, who is a great devotee, ultimately Lord Caitanya was merciful to Him. The king was so determined to attain Lord Caitanya he considered that his kingdom and even his life had no value to him without attaining Lord Caitanya. Hearing of this great determination, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya predicted that the Lord would soon show him mercy. Because of the king’s following all the advice given by his guru, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, is another reason he attained Lord Caitanya’s mercy.
Persons who have received the mercy of Lord Caitanya can understand that He is Krishna. Otherwise one cannot understand.
There were seven kirtan parties, and Lord Caitanya manifested Himself in the center of all seven parties simultaneously. Because Lord Caitanya had bestowed His mercy upon the king, he could see this.
The king could also realize there was no difference between Lord Caitanya and his worshipful Lord Jagannatha.
The devotees encouraged the son of King Prataparudra to dress in such a way that one who saw him would be reminded of Krishna. He did so, and they presented him to Lord Caitanya, who was in ecstasy seeing Him, being reminded of Krishna. Lord Caitanya embraced him, and the prince attained the ecstasy of love of God. Later when the king embraced his son, he attained the ecstasy of love of God. This is how Lord Caitanya distributes His mercy.
Another reason that King Prataprarudra got the mercy is he asked the devotees for their mercy.
Pran Govinda Prabhu:
Krishna says if you do something in full knowledge you get the full result, but if you act in partial knowledge you only get a partial result.
Krishna did not instruct Arjuna at first, he listened to Arjuna. Then at a certain point, Arjuna inquired from Krishna. Then Krishna began His instructions.
If you have some problem, come before the Lord, glorify Him, express gratitude, and ask for some service. Don’t make God serve you.
Krishna is the best psychologist. Krishna uplifted Arjuna by changing his focus.
We are complete but our completeness depends on Krishna, like the completeness of the finger depends on its serving the whole body.
Before hearing from Krishna, Arjuna was on his own. Afterward he was acting under Krishna’s direction.
Our functional identity must be under our fundamental identity as servant of Krishna.
We can attain love for Radha Krishna if we are happy to serve Their devotees. In particular in ISKCON, we serve Srila Prabhupada.
Nectar of Instruction advises in verse 8 to follow a resident of Vrindavan. Which vraja-vasi to follow, the devotees asked Srila Prabhupada, who said, “I am here.”
Bhakti Charu Swami said that Srila Prabhupada said, “If I tell you my svarupa, you will faint.”
Regarding marriage, it is better to depend on the decision of senior devotees. I asked Jayadvaita Swami when thinking about getting married, and he said to take advantage of the opportunity. I did so because I valued his opinion as a senior devotee. Thirty years later I accepted his encouragement to renounce family life.
We become free from karma by uttering the pure name, constantly chanting, and by association with devotees.
When you do kirtan in public, you nourish the good souls but the demons get disturbed.
If a devotee disturbs you in some way, develop the habit of forgiveness immediately. Consider that devotee has a particular relationship with Krishna that is complete unique.
The soul is dynamic.
The tailor of Srivasa Thakura, although drinking liquor while stitching clothes, because he appreciated the sweetness of the relationship between Mahaprabhu and Srivasa, developed a greed for such a relationship.
The better our relationships with the senior devotees, the easier we advance toward developing our relationship with the Lord.
Through the Lord’s associate we have access to the love of the Lord we have in the heart.
You feel you do not need anything of this world to survive.
Intensity and purity. These two produce the result. They are up to you.
Even the cats and dogs in the house of Srivasa Thakura attained Krishna prema. No one was exempt.
Jiva Goswami said we directly connect with the eternal associates of Radha and Krishna when we celebrate their appearance and disappearance days.
You do not join rasa-lila first. First you go to Srivasa Prabhu’s house and join the kirtan.
One tattva, the guru, reveals the Panca-tattva.
We should not think the guru is alone. When we bow to guru, we bow to all the gurus in the line.
Advaita Acarya and Srivasa Thakura never attained the appearance of old age.
Guru, acarya and scriptures are how we understand the identity of the Lord.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura says in Harinama Cintamani three things keep us from having perfect faith in the holy name:
1. Not being focused on the goal.
2. Laziness.
3. Being distracted by unimportant things.
By association with serious devotees, we gain faith.
Shyamala Kishori Devi Dasi:
Even if people fix their minds of Krishna through negative emotions they still benefit from that remembrance.
It must have been amazing to see the gopis suddenly drop their engagements, like serving dinner, and run off into the forest to join Krishna.
For a soul completely dedicated Krishna, to be without Krishna is unthinkable.
Vipra means distance. Lambha means attain. Thus vipralambha means to attain that which is at a distance.
By separating Himself from the gopis in addition to increasing their love by making them yearn for Him in separation, Krishna also purified them from any lingering material contamination by making them intensely concentrate on Him.
Arjunananda Prabhu:
During the year it took Indra to cut off Vrtrasura’s head with his weapon, Vrtrasura offered prayers to Lord Vishnu.
Nikunjabihari Prabhu:
From a conversation:
Danavir Maharaja stressed to me as a new bhakta leader that I must desire that people become devotees.
In sales they say it takes seven exposures to make a sale so it is not so surprising we do not sell more books or get more people to come to our programs.
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Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami and his followers were reading the end of the Sixth Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, where this famous and important verse spoken by Lord Shiva to his wife, Parvati, which glorifies the pure devotional mentality, is found:
narayana-parah sarve
svargapavarga-narakesv
api tulyartha-darsinah
“Devotees solely engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, never fear any condition of life. For them the heavenly planets, liberation and the hellish planets are all the same, for such devotees are interested only in the service of the Lord.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.17.28)
