Diary
of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 19, No. 7
By
Krishna Kripa Das
(April 2023, part one)
Tallahassee,
Gainesville, St. Augustine, Tampa
(Sent
from Albany, New York, on April 22, 2023)
Where I Went and What I Did
I
stayed in the Tallahassee area for the first nine days of April,
chanting for an average of three hours each day, at six different
venues, many more than usual. In the course of chanting I distributed
26 books and 104 cups of halava. The
first day of the month we did several hours of kirtana at
our rural property, in place of the Tallahassee Ratha-yatra, which
was canceled because of rain. I had a very positive experience
chanting alone at First Friday, which I don’t usually do. I
celebrated Easter this year by singing an Easter song I recalled from
my Quaker youth to three groups of Christians I met in the days
leading up to and including that holiday, also a new experience. I was happy to
leave Tallahassee where I chanted by myself for 146 out of 155 hours
this year, and to go to Gainesville where I had many friends to
chant Hare Krishna in public with.
I chanted Hare Krishna in public five days at Krishna Lunch, with the Alachua devotees on Friday, and with Krishna House devotees on Friday night. I also attended three evening programs at Krishna House. My other mission in Gainesville was to work on the second edition of Life Comes From Life, which will be more faithful to the original transcripts. Saturday I went with Krishna House devotees to Ratha-yatra in St. Augustine. Sunday I went to Tampa where I chanted with Bhaktan Deva at the Riverwalk, and on Monday I chanted at the University of South Florida campus where Vivasvan Prabhu joined me for half an hour. Tuesday two Southwest stewardess asked me to play my instrument as soon as I boarded my flight in Tampa, and I chanted four mantras to please them.
I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita, and also from one of his morning walks. I share quotes from his servants from the later cantos of Srimad-Bhagavatam. I also share quotes from Prabandhavali, 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. I share notes from the books and Free Write Journal of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share notes on Kalakantha Prabhu and Shyamala Kishori Devi Dasi speaking in Gainesville and Vivasvan Prabhu speaking in Tampa. I share a realization Arthur had about chanting Hare Krishna.
I would like to thank Yogamaya Yajna Prabhu for his very kind donation, accommodation, transportation, and alimentation. Thanks to Vivasvan Prabhu for his rides to the campus and the airport, his books for distribution, his chanting with me at the campus, and his allowing me to stay at his temple. Thanks to Bhakan Deva for chanting with me at the Tampa Riverwalk. Thanks to Brahmatirtha Prabhu and the Bhaktivedanta Institute devotees and to Sruti Sagar Prabhu and the Krishna House devotees for assisting me in Gainesville. Thanks to Kaliya Damana Prabhu for letting me stay at the Tallahassee temple.
April 18–25: take care of mother in Albany
April 25: NYC Harinam
April 27: King’s Day harinama in Amsterdam
April 28–30: Kadamba Kanana Swami Vyasa-Puja Festival in Radhadesh
May 4: Nrsimha Caturdasi at Simhacalam
May ?: Leicester harinama
May 9: Leeds harinama
May 10–12: Newcastle harinamas
May 13–15: Dublin harinamas with Premarnava Prabhu
May 16–23: NYC Harinam
May 24–25: DC harinamas with Sankarsana Prabhu
May 26: Baltimore harinama
May 27: Baltimore Ratha-yatra
May 28–June 9: NYC Harinam
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–August 14: Paris harinama [June 25 Paris Ratha-yatra]
August 15: NYC Harinam
August 16: Montreal harinama
August 16–20: Vaishnava Sanga Festival in Canada
August 21–23: Montreal harinama
Chanting Hare Krishna in Tallahassee
When devotees decided not to have a Ratha-yatra cart in the Springtime Tallahassee parade out of fear of rain, Kaliya Damana Prabhu organized a six-hour kirtan on his rural property. Desiring to support kirtan programs and tired of singing alone in the city I joined them and recorded these sweet kirtans:
Keshava Gopal Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at New Jharikhanda, a rural retreat center, half an hour east of Tallahassee, Florida (https://youtu.be/EAsFRE8QB6E):
His wife, Karuna Gopi Devi Dasi, also chanted there (https://youtu.be/SrqTz9wH4uk):
It was nice to hear the voices of the others and to have the chance to dance.
An economics professor advised me I would have more customers if I gave out free ice cream like the COACH fashion company.
I told him a student said he liked my halava better than the ice cream. I explained I had no line because people did not know how good it was, and I suggested he try it and tell them, and he tried the blueberry halava for the first time and liked it.
Three Christian girls came by my table to invite me to their Easter program. They asked if I celebrated Easter. I said not usually, but that I had been thinking of a song from my Quaker youth, that was very much an Easter song, called “Lord of the Dance,” and I sang it for them. They were impressed and all ended up taking halava and invitations to Krishna Lunch. They offered to pray for me, so I suggested they pray my love for the holy name might dramatically increase.
For the first time at Cascades Park, I saw Maddie, a Christian girl who leads a Bible study and who stopped by my table on the campus many times. It was the day before Easter. I sang that “Lord of the Dance” song for her too.
Then on Easter itself I met another Christian preacher lady, who passed my table with a friend. I also sang “Lord of the Dance” for them.
It is unfortunate that although we are happy to glorify Lord Jesus Christ, as Srila Prabhupada did on many occasions, the Christians generally are not as enthusiastic to glorify Lord Krishna nor His representative, Srila Prabhupada.
It was predicted to rain while I was chanting at Cascades Park, so I relocated to Kleman Plaza, which is protected from the rain.
Pete came up to me there and asked, “Are you a Hare Krishna?” Turns out he ate Krishna Lunch at University of Florida nine years ago. He even helped them take down the tables afterwards. Now he knows the details about Krishna Lunch at Florida State University so he can continue his interest in Krishna prasadam.
I wasn’t enthusiastic to chant at First Friday because I do not like to go alone to events with lots of people, but there were many invitations left for our weekend retreat program and I thought I could pass out many of them at the event. I saw many groups of several friends, either high school or college age, as I walked around playing the harmonium and chanting Hare Krishna, with four shakers in my kurta pockets. If anyone in the group seemed attracted to my music, I would say, “I have extra instruments, if you want to play.” Often two or three people would play shakers, and sometimes all four were in use. After the young people played for a while, I thanked them, and I briefly described some of the highlights of the retreat, offering them invitations. It was a rewarding experience to engage so many young people in harinama sankirtana, and I will go to First Friday next time I am in Tallahassee on that day, even if no one will join me.
Here I chant Hare Krishna at Railroad Square, and some kids play shakers and dance at First Friday (https://youtube.com/shorts/vgLrkVho-4Q?feature=share):
Chanting Hare Krishna in Gainesville
Shyamala Kishori Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Krishna House at Meditation Monday (https://youtu.be/gDOePGZZSMo):
Purusartha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch at UF on a Tuesday (https://youtu.be/GEkqzFrIDd4):
Caitanya Dasi plays ukulele and chants Hare Krishna there (https://youtu.be/Rvulwqd3IHg):
Adikarta Prabhu chanted the final Hare Krishna kirtan that day (https://youtu.be/OpdoQZ7I2VY):
Shyamala Kishori Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Krishna House at Taco Tuesday (https://youtu.be/_1JFEiQhk6Y):
At the end of her kirtan many devotees danced (https://youtu.be/PG9PRy-XyL0):
Christina chants Hare Krishna at Mangala Arati at Krishna House Wednesday morning (https://youtu.be/tr7TqI0_0ws):
Purusartha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch at University of Florida on a Wednesday (https://youtu.be/uo5eqLbM5jU):
Nistha chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch (https://youtu.be/WfmL_SvphnM):
Bala Gopal chants Hare Krishna there (https://youtu.be/2_GCIc6NdLI):
Govinda Das chants Hare Krishna there also (https://youtu.be/4IH6HXpmiAI):
Rahel chants Hare Krishna at Mangala Arati at Krishna House on Thursday morning (https://youtu.be/gmJ0L4ja9YE):
Nistha chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch at University of Florida on a Thursday (https://youtu.be/hGV7ieuIdSU):
Tyler chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch (https://youtu.be/udmN6Q8B4xs):
Janardhana chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/9Ct8rUuOzuI):
I chanted Hare Krishna much of the time as we had fewer guest singers (https://youtu.be/1h5z5XaJNB0):
Narayani chants Hare Krishna at Mangala Arati at Krishna House on Friday morning (https://youtu.be/x6s3ZMz8ZVE):
Purusartha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch at University of Florida on a Friday (https://youtu.be/4h4rwKZE8jE):
Here a devotee from Alachua also chants Hare Krishna there (https://youtu.be/hLb36FVcs-0):
Abhaya chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch (https://youtu.be/THg25L3piCY):
Another devotee from Alachua chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch at University of Florida on a Friday (https://youtu.be/VjS1YpWvjiw):
Manmohini Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna with devotees from Alachua across from the University of Florida entrance (https://youtu.be/YN4g83CVdX0):
Nagaraja Prabhu also chanted Hare Krishna there (https://youtu.be/2S_KVxSrgPw):
So did Guru Vagmi Prabhu (https://youtu.be/sFDkDua-g0c):
Caitanya Dasi plays ukulele and chants Hare Krishna there, too. (https://youtu.be/Y4V62UHKwgs):
Amrita chants Hare Krishna at the Krishna House Friday night program (https://youtu.be/i4EXMlwMjTM):
Advaita Acharya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the end of the Krishna House Friday night program (https://youtu.be/R5ndCEGQKIA):
As the kirtan continued, the dancing became more ecstatic, and I took this video in portrait orientation (https://youtu.be/PNe7PrmV4GA):
After Kalakantha Das spoke on being a giver in a world of takers, eleven Krishna House devotees decided to give Gainesville residents the chance hear the holy names and assist with the music and dance of the Sri Krishna sankirtana (https://youtu.be/SOo5DmD6lWY):
Chanting Hare Krishna in St. Augustine
Gopal Govinda Shyam Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the St. Augustine Ratha-yatra (https://youtu.be/Jxw6ketn7x4):
Ladies enjoy dancing with devotees on St. Augustine Ratha-yatra (https://youtu.be/FM5AbjZsX4E):
Devotees chant Hare Krishna in the St. Augustine Ratha-yatra (https://youtu.be/8gLesDo7dwI):
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in St. Augustine, and devotees and passersby dance (https://youtu.be/gmzowi9LeXU):
These two young ladies, happy to chant, dance, and play shakers in the St. Augustine harinama, had just learned about Hare Krishna kirtan in the yoga teaching training course they were completing, and they were pleased to actually experience it. They were just two of many attracted by the devotees’ enthusiastic kirtan.
As the stage show at the St. Augustine Ratha-yatra came to an end, Lilananda Prabhu led a kirtan inspiring passersby to dance with devotees (https://youtu.be/gfu9F5sYrFk):
During his kirtan onlookers watched and took videos (https://youtu.be/z3KeCVFxIO4):
Jonathan, an ambulance driver who lives near Tampa, was happy to see Bhaktan Deva and I chanting Hare Krishna on the Riverwalk. He told us that his brother is visiting India, and I gave him an invitation. He came to the Sunday feast, loved it, and picked up a Gita and a set of beads. He said meeting me was the high point of his day, and I said meeting him was the high point of mine.
He told me that his brother in India decided to shave his head and live with some sadhus, and he showed me this photo of his brother before and after shaving up.
Vivasvan Prabhu sang Hare Krishna kirtan that Sunday at his temple (https://youtu.be/DFtWFLZqagI):
Charles of Ohio learned about our Bhakti Yoga Club at USF in January and got a Gita. He attended several meetings. On my last day chanting Hare Krishna in Tampa this year, he chanted, played the shakers, and talked with us for half an hour, receiving beads and Life Comes From Life from Vivasvan Prabhu.
After boarding my Southwest Airlines flight to Laguardia at Tampa International Airport, the stewardesses, seeing my instrument, asked me to play a tune, and thus I played harmonium and sang four Hare Krishna mantras for them. One took this video (https://youtu.be/TH0bMJf1k2A):
As I boarded a bus in Gainesville to attend Krishna House's Meditation Monday kirtan program the driver said, “Hare Krishna. Do you know Bhagavat Das?”
Remembering the Prabhupada disciple by that name who has lived in the Alachua area and who I have known for 40 years, I said, “Yes.”
He replied, “He’s my brother!”
Bhagavata
Maharaja commented, “Yes, that is my brother Thomas. I have not
seen him in a long time because I have not been to the area. I hope
he is doing well.”
I replied, “He seemed well. He recalled many cities you have lived in, and he was impressed that you have kept your faith for so many years, and he respected that.”
I was surprised and impressed that that was the most popular of my Facebook posts for April so far.
While walking to mangala-arati at Krishna House, I passed this humorous brake repair ad outside a Gainesville automotive shop:
While backing up my old DVDs before leaving Tallahassee, I found this 2007 photo of me dancing on the Polish festival tour of Indradyumna Swami:
Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.30.20:
“Always engaging in the activities of devotional service, devotees feel ever-increasingly fresh and new in all their activities. The all-knower, the Supersoul within the heart of the devotee, makes everything increasingly fresh. This is known as the Brahman position by the advocates of the Absolute Truth. In such a liberated stage [brahma-bhuta], one is never bewildered. Nor does one lament or become unnecessarily jubilant. This is due to the brahma-bhuta situation.”
From Bhagavad-gita 2.17, purport:
“This current of the spirit soul is felt all over the body as consciousness, and that is the proof of the presence of the soul. Any layman can understand that the material body minus consciousness is a dead body, and this consciousness cannot be revived in the body by any means of material administration.”
From Bhagavad-gita 6.24, purport:
“The yoga practitioner should be determined and should patiently prosecute the practice without deviation. One should be sure of success at the end and pursue this course with great perseverance, not becoming discouraged if there is any delay in the attainment of success. Success is sure for the rigid practitioner.” [My italics.]
From Bhagavad-gita 6.25, purport:
“Although one is involved with matter as long as the material body exists, one should not think about sense gratification. One should think of no pleasure aside from the pleasure of the Supreme Self.”
From Bhagavad-gita 9.9, purport:
“The Lord is always neutral in the material activities of the created world. This neutrality is mentioned here with the word udasina-vat. Although He has control over every minute detail of material activities, He is sitting as if neutral. The example can be given of a high-court judge sitting on his bench. By his order so many things are happening—someone is being hanged, someone is being put into jail, someone is awarded a huge amount of wealth—but still he is neutral. He has nothing to do with all that gain and loss. Similarly, the Lord is always neutral, although He has His hand in every sphere of activity.”
From Bhagavad-gita 12.11, purport:
“If one decides to sacrifice for the supreme cause, even if he does not know that the supreme cause is Krishna, he will come gradually to understand that Krishna is the supreme cause by the sacrificial method.”
From Bhagavad-gita 12.12, purport:
“In summary, to reach the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the highest goal, there are two processes: one process is by gradual development, and the other process is direct. Devotional service in Krishna consciousness is the direct method, and the other method involves renouncing the fruits of one’s activities. Then one can come to the stage of knowledge, then to the stage of meditation, then to the stage of understanding the Supersoul, and then to the stage of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One may take either the step-by-step process or the direct path. The direct process is not possible for everyone; therefore the indirect process is also good. It is, however, to be understood that the indirect process is not recommended for Arjuna, because he is already at the stage of loving devotional service to the Supreme Lord. It is for others, who are not at this stage; for them the gradual process of renunciation, knowledge, meditation and realization of the Supersoul and Brahman should be followed. But as far as Bhagavad-gita is concerned, it is the direct method that is stressed. Everyone is advised to take to the direct method and surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna.”
From Bhagavad-gita 17.19, purport:
“To undergo penances for something which is impossible is certainly in the mode of ignorance.”
From a morning walk on December 10, 1973 in Los Angeles:
“Therefore
the best education, scientific advancement, is to recognize God
behind everything. That is perfection. We are canvassing, ‘Accept God. Accept God.’ But if the modern scientist, philosopher, they present, ‘Yes, here is God,’ by calculation, then people will take it more seriously: ‘Oh, the scientist is saying.’ That is wanted. We are fighting with the scientists and others because they do not accept God. That is their fault. Otherwise, they are friends. They are giving more stress on the physical laws, nature, but they do not know under whose indication the physical laws are working, the nature is working. That they do not know.”
From the humble servants of Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.5.25–26:
“One must conquer the modes of passion and ignorance by developing the mode of goodness, and then one must become detached from the mode of goodness by promoting oneself to the platform of suddha-sattva. All this can be automatically done if one engages in the service of the spiritual master with faith and devotion. In this way one can conquer the influence of the modes of nature. ‘The spiritual master should be considered to be directly the Supreme Lord because he gives transcendental knowledge for enlightenment. Consequently, for one who maintains the material conception that the spiritual master is an ordinary human being, everything is frustrated. His enlightenment and his Vedic studies and knowledge are like the bathing of an elephant.’”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.3.46:
“If a person hears about, glorifies, meditates upon, worships or simply offers great respect to the Supreme Lord, who is situated within the heart, the Lord will remove from his mind the contamination accumulated during many thousands of lifetimes.”
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 “The Glories of Sadhu-sanga” in Prabandhavali:
“To approach a sadhu and say things like, ‘This place is very hot,’ ‘That place is good for health,’ ‘This person is good,’ ‘How will the crop be this season?’ etc., is not sadhu-sanga. These are unnecessary talks influenced by the illusory energy. A sadhu, being absorbed in the ecstasy of self-realization, may reply to these statements, but is this considered sadhu-sanga? Does it help one attain devotional service to Krishna?
“Any discussion that helps one become inclined toward Krishna is krishna-katha. And those discussions that make one averse to Krishna and inclined toward sense gratification are worldly topics.”
“Despite being faithful, those who are unable to make progress in spiritual life should increase their sadhu-sanga. It is due to a lack of sadhu-sanga that one experiences impediments on the path of spiritual advancement.”
From “The Purport of Bhagavad-gita” in Prabandhavali:
“‘Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.’ In this verse, Sri Krishna instructs Arjuna ,‘In the course of instructing you, whatever I have described about the knowledge of Brahman and Paramatma, the principles of varnasrama, the acceptance of the renounced order of life, renunciation, controlling the mind and senses, and accepting subordination to the Supreme Controller, should be given up and you should surrender unto Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I will deliver you from all the sinful reactions from your present conditional life, as well as from the sins which you will incur by giving up the above-mentioned religious principles. Do not worry, considering yourself to be an unaccomplished person. By engaging in unalloyed devotional service, the spiritual propensity of the conditioned soul automatically awakens. There is no need to separately observe any other religious principles, prescribed duties, atonement, cultivation of knowledge, or practice of mystic yoga and meditation. In the course of your physical, mental, and spiritual activities in your conditioned state, you should simply remain surrendered unto Me, the Supreme Lord, who am the source of all kinds of beauty and sweetness.’”
“The whole purport of the Bhagavad-gita is briefly described in the eighteenth chapter. Although karma-yoga and dhyana-yoga are described, they culminate in the most confidential knowledge regarding pure devotional service to Hari. This is the essence of the Bhagavad-gita. The attainment of jñana, which is a gradual process achieved by the selfless performance of karma-yoga while leading a religious life according to one’s varna, is the confidential understanding. When the cultivation of knowledge gradually culminates in dhyana-yoga, it is a more confidential understanding. The most confidential understanding is attained when one reaches the stage of devotional service performed with complete surrender to Sri Krishna. This is the purport of the Eighteenth Chapter.”
“One should cultivate devotional service, beginning with hearing, while leading a righteous life according to one’s qualifications. One should execute his own occupational duty and engage in activities that are favorable for devotional service. By doing so, one will gradually give up attachment for one’s occupational duty as a means for enjoying material facilities and come to the stage of full surrender to the Lord. Thus, within a short time, one will manifest pure unalloyed love of God. In this way, by being situated on the platform of pure goodness, one will become fully absorbed in one’s loving relationship with the Lord, by His grace, and thus, being freed from attachment and lamentation, one will attain the platform of immortality.”
“Those who earn a lucrative salary, after paying the fixed amount to the king as taxes, should use the surplus wealth to maintain their livelihood, and some money should be saved for emergencies. One should utilize his accumulated wealth for executing religious activities. Eating meat and fish, watching dramas, and so on, spending money for useless court cases, and giving charity to unsuitable persons, are some of the ways one misuses his wealth. Those who wish to become Sriman Mahaprabhu’s servants should spend their surplus money for spiritual purposes, and not for sense gratification.”
“Serving guests, feeding distressed and hungry people, giving medicines to diseased persons, opening educational institutions, and helping poor parents get their daughters married—apart from these proper uses of wealth, there is another much more important use of wealth, which is to spend money for the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the devotees of the Lord.”
“If people offer respect to an acarya, that is not unjust, but when one demands honor, then where is his credibility? Moreover, if someone fails to offer obeisances by falling flat to the ground, it is highly improper to be angry with him. In order to show respect, pious people give the acaryas separate seats and thus observe the proper etiquette for offering respect to an acarya as prescribed in sastra. But it is very sad to see someone sit on that seat as an acarya and become angry. This kind of behavior simply arises out of a desire for fame.”
“Mere humble utterings do not yield anything. I say that I am not even qualified to be a servant of a Vaishnava’s servant, but in my mind, I think that the audience will respect me as a pure devotee by hearing this! Alas, desire for fame does not leave us alone.”
“Only by the association of pure devotees and service to Vaishnavas can the desire for fame be definitely destroyed. We should carefully look for a pure Vaishnava and associate with him and serve him. This is our utmost duty.”
“Love of God is communicated from one soul to another. It is like how a flash of lightning flashes from one cloud to another. Due to association, when the feelings of love of God spontaneously travel from a Vaishnava soul to another person, immediately all wicked desires are removed from his heart, and his original nature is simultaneously established.”
From “The Character of Devotees in the Renounced Order Life Must Be Spotless” in Prabandhavali:
“It is the duty of spiritual masters to treat their disciples like their own children. For the sake of money, they should not harass their disciples on some pretext or other. They must treat their disciples’ wives like they would their own daughters.”
“Renounced Vaishnavas are naturally rarely seen because it is not possible to keep the position of a renounced Vaishnava unless one forsakes all worldly happiness and chants the holy name of Hari throughout the entire day and night.”
From “The Varnasrama-dharma for Devotees” in Prabandhavali:
“The Vaishnavas are not embarrassed if their actions violate the rules and regulations of the varnasrama system, because their only purpose is to increase their devotion for the Supreme Lord.”
“It does not matter whether a Vaishnava is a brahmana, mleccha, or candala, whether he is a householder or a renunciate, or whether his position in society is one of honor or dishonor. For a Vaishnava, to go to hell or to heaven for the sake of devotional service to the Lord is the same. The love he exhibits while meeting the Supreme Lord does not diminish while in separation from Him. A Vaishnava does not desire anything for his personal self. He has no feeling of scarcity.”
From “Sadhana-Bhakti Based on Complete Shelter” in Prabandhavali:
“One’s only duty is to chant the holy name of the Supreme Lord without duplicity.”
“The chanting of the holy name must continue without interruption. One should be careful to restrain his mind and senses from external engagements while chanting the holy name of the Lord. It is recommended that one chant the holy name constantly.”
“The holy name of Krishna chanted sincerely, without any offence, and with sambandha-jñana, is known as the pure name. It is difficult to estimate the benefit of chanting the pure holy name because by such chanting, one develops love for Krishna. Indeed, Krishna, along with His associates, becomes captivated by His devotees. What to speak of the pure name, even if one has not understood sambandha-jñana, but sincerely and offenselessly chants the holy name, it is called namabhasa. The wonderful and auspicious benefit of namabhasa is being described here. The four kinds of namabhasa are chanting indirectly, jokingly, for musical entertainment, and negligently. Even by chanting the holy name of Krishna in these ways, all of one’s sinful reactions are destroyed.”
“Inattentive, careless chanting is deliberate negligence with regards to chanting the holy name of the Lord. Therefore, one should control his mind and sense propensities and always hear, chant, and remember the holy names of the Supreme Lord, Hari. Then one can begin to chant the holy name without offense.”
From “The Nine-Fold Processes of Devotional Service” in Prabandhavali:
“Of the limbs of devotional practises, kirtana has been described as the best of all. Especially in the age of Kali, kirtana alone is capable of delivering the fallen conditioned souls. This is confirmed again and again in sastra.”
“In the Vishnu Purana it is stated:
“dhyayan
kṛte yajan yajñais
tretayaṁ
dvapare ’rcayan
yad
apnoti tad apnoti
kalau
sankirtya kesavam
“Whatever is obtained by meditation in Satya-yuga, by sacrifice in Treta-yuga, and by worship in Dvapara-yuga can be obtained by chanting the holy name of Krishna without offense. The kind of purification of the heart accomplished by chanting the holy name of Hari is not achieved by any other means. When many devotees assemble and chant, it is called sankirtana.”
“Remembering Krishna’s name, form, qualities, and pastimes is called smarana. Smarana is of five kinds. Merely looking for something is known as smarana. To withdraw the mind from thoughts of sense objects so that it can be concentrated on one point is called dharana. To practice meditation on the Supreme is known as dhyana. Like a flow of nectar, uninterrupted meditation is known as dhruvanusmrti, and a continuous manifestation of the object of meditation is called samadhi.”
“Of hearing, chanting, and remembering; chanting, or kirtana, is the most important because hearing and remembering are included in kirtana.”
“Padaseva should be accompanied by hearing, chanting, and remembering. While performing padaseva, one must feel oneself to be destitute and totally unqualified for rendering service. Padaseva can be performed while looking at the face of the Lord, touching the Lord, circumambulating the Lord, following the Lord in a procession, and while visiting the Lord’s temples, the Ganges, Jagannatha Puri, Dvaraka, Mathura, Navadvipa, and other holy places. While describing the sixty-four limbs of devotional service, Sri Rupa Gosvami has clearly mentioned all these. Serving Sri Tulasi and saintly persons are also included in this limb of devotional service.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From June Bug:
“Write and be alive in Krishna consciousness one way or another today.”
“I argued against that ex-disciple who said Krishna consciousness is sectarian. I said the Bhagavad-gita teaches what will nourish any spiritualist. You cannot complete your spiritual life just by eclectic talking and feeling and listening to your heart. I said that’s like trying to reinvent the wheel—why waste time? Consult wisdom teachers in books. Bhagavad-gita is one.”
“June is cold and wet in Ireland. After waiting so many months through winter and spring, you get more of the same in this country. Better stay indoors and hear krishna-katha.”
“Srila Prabhupada speaks of someone who comes to practice Krishna consciousness for a motive. After a while he goes away. You need more than preliminary faith. You also need knowledge of the scriptures. You need to keep moving forward, or you’ll slip down if you stay at the lowest rung.”
“In my diary last October, I advised myself, ‘Think of the book you want to read and then write it.’”
From Geaglum: Free Write Diary:
“All his Vedic studies prove false if at the time of death, he is pitifully attached and afraid and wants to go on living. That’s a test. Don’t fail it. Let go when it comes. You did all you could.”
“One has to give up all conceits and act to please Krishna. It’s possible that reveries and art, etc., even free-write diaries, might be a refuge that a person creates against the harsh reality of the material world which he cannot bear (bear again?) to face. Thus, it’s an illusion. Better just to serve Krishna. Yes, serve Krishna, but by the phrase, ‘serve Krishna,’ do we blot out the life of imagination and art and being alone? Can’t we serve Krishna in who we are? What if material life and even ISKCON life seem to me so demanding that I seek to be apart from it? Seek my private life. Is that wrong in itself? No, but neither is it right all to itself. Let it be used to serve Krishna.
“Srila Prabhupada says that the world is in dire need of Krishna consciousness, so the Lord is pleased with those who try to spread it. Okay, it is spread in various ways. People, however, resist, despite all preaching. We are distributing millions of books, and only a few respond. Even when people respond, many later become disillusioned by what they find in life in the temple or what the movement offers them. We have to admit that our preaching efforts aren’t always effective. It’s hard to get success, souls committed to the full practice of Krishna consciousness for the whole life. Therefore, preaching can use innovation, new approaches. Here is one: from the individual who craves solitude and communicates to other individuals like him. I cut through.”
From Free Write Journal #240:
“Here is an excerpt from a memory spoken by Gauridasa Pandit:
Once, someone asked Prabhupada if they could get rid of the cockroaches in the temple by spraying them. Prabhupada said, ‘No! The cockroaches are there because you are too lazy to clean. Instead of cleaning, you leave the place dirty and kill the cockroaches.’ Unless it was an extreme emergency, he didn’t want us to kill pests.
In Bombay, I had just become Prabhupada’s servant when Tamala asked Prabhupada, ‘Can we kill mosquitoes?’ Prabhupada said, ‘If they are biting you, you can kill them. But otherwise, you shouldn’t.’”
“A devotee sent me some pages from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. It was a list of people from Staten Island. It read,
‘This is a list of notable people who were either born or who have lived in Staten Island, today a borough of New York City, New York, at some time in their lives.’
I was born in Queens, New York City, but at eight years old our family moved to Staten Island. I lived there with my family for thirteen years, and then I went into the U.S. Navy. So I lived a good amount of my life in Staten Island.
“Under ‘Religion,’ I am listed along with many priests and bishops. Here is the entry:
“Satsvarupa dasa Goswami (born Stephen Guarino, 1939—), writer, poet, artist, and guru for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.”
“I am giving another excerpt from Memories: Anecdotes of a Modern-Day Saint.
“Brahmananda:
In the final days we were with Prabhupada in Vrndavana, taking turns to softly chant with little cymbals in a vigil kirtana. At a certain point, I got sick. I collapsed in my room with a fever, and it took me about a week to recover. Then I was again able to go and see Prabhupada. When I came into his room, Prabhupada was lying on his bed conversing with his servants. Sometimes he would ask who was leading the kirtana. That particular day he mentioned my name. Prabhupada said, ‘Oh, Brahmananda?’ I came forward. He said, ‘You are ill? You’re not feeling well?’ Here is Prabhupada, completely shriveled up from fasting, but he was concerned that I was not feeling well. I just had a little fever, and here’s Prabhupada on his departure bed, saying, ‘Oh, you are not feeling well?’ with such concern and love. I was totally affected by that, how Prabhupada could be thinking that I wasn’t feeling well.
The thing that affected me most was how much Prabhupada loved us although we were not very lovable, as we all had defects. Why did Prabhupada love us? He loved us because he saw us as servants of Krishna. He said that we were sent by his Guru Maharaja to help him in his mission. Prabhupada saw us as Krishna’s servants, and Prabhupada’s mission was to spread Krishna consciousness. Whatever we could do to assist in this cause of Krishna consciousness, Prabhupada very much appreciated. I think this is the essence of Srila Prabhupada: he can see us as servants of Krishna. So let us just try to be that. That’s all.”
From A Poor Man Reads the Bhagavatam, Volume 1:
“Everything is practice to free us to carry out Krishna’s will.”
From My Dear Lord Krishna: A Book of Prayers, Volume 2:
“I pray for all the devotees who are suffering terminal illness and are near death’s door. May they make auspicious departures and go back to Godhead. Or as You desire, may they recover and serve many more years in devotional service.”
Kalakantha Prabhu:
Covey, who wrote the book on seven habits of effective people, says many people want to be understood, but very few want to understand.
I spoke for an hour with someone. I decided I really wanted to understand him. I asked him many questions and learned much about him. He asked me one question: how old I was.
The top 10% of wealthy people own 76% of the total wealth.
The bottom 50%, the least wealthy people, have 2% of the total wealth.
A bumper sticker slogan: whoever dies with the most toys wins.
Comment by Advaita: Everyone wants to go to paradise, but no one wants to die.
Spiritual knowledge is so nice to have and share.
It is said one who is one’s own guru has a fool for a disciple.
If we have the capacity to free ourselves from all our problems, we would have already done so.
Humility is required to search for spiritual knowledge.
There is no limit in giving spiritual knowledge. There is no risk.
The difficulty in being a spiritual giver is it is hard to find takers.
A true spiritual giver has to be giving knowledge that he has received.
There is no record of Srila Prabhupada exploiting his followers in any way.
Just chant Hare Krishna and be happy. You do not have to join any organization or subscribe to any teacher.
Comment by a devotee: Advaita tells students to chant Hare Krishna for a week and then not chant Hare Krishna for a week, and then after that to decide for themselves.
When one follows a genuine spiritual practice compassion is a natural result.
As we advance spiritually we see how attachment to the material is a cause of suffering, and we become inspired to share spiritual knowledge to benefit others.
Someone
asked Srila Prabhupada, “Why chant Hare Krishna? Why not chant
Coca-cola?”
Srila
Prabhupada said, “You can chant Coca-cola, and when you get tired,
chant Hare Krishna.”
Vivasvan Prabhu:
How can you be that baby body from the past and the adult body of the present? Actually you are different from the body.
We work so hard we have no time for our spiritual lives and thus we waste our lives.
When the soul leaves the body, it is not Christian or Hindu, it is pure spirit.
The Self-Realization Fellowship people lock the door after their program starts so late guests do not disturb their meditation.
In the beginning, Arjuna had so many reasons why he did not want to do what Krishna wanted him to do, just as we have so many reasons why we do not want to do what Krishna wants us to do.
If we do not voluntarily engage in spiritual activities, we will be forced to engage in materialistic activities.
Shyamala Kishori Devi Dasi:
People are interested in developing themselves, but sometimes in the course of this, by becoming self-absorbed, they become lonely.
Research shows empathy is only 10% hereditary, so there is a lot we can do to increase our empathy.
The derivation of the word compassion means that one is suffering with others.
Comment by Christina: I realized that I had to have compassion for myself first in order to be compassionate to others.
If we feel secure in ourselves we have more to give.
Comment by Madhu: I think that St. Francis said something about seeing other’s problems as greater than our own.
We are never suffering so badly we cannot benefit someone else, if only in a little way.
Being grateful for what we have been given helps us to feel like giving to others.
There is an analogy of a lifeguard, which teaches that if we are strong ourselves, we can save others.
Comment by a young Indian lady: A barrier to compassion for me is narcissistic people taking advantage of my compassion.
It is helpful to remember that we are not the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and that we are never the ultimate answer to a particular person’s problems.
Comment by Chris: I find depersonalizing people, discounting them because of one attribute that I find negative, causes me to lose compassion for them.
To find something within ourselves, that correlates to an issue that someone else has, makes it easier to show compassion to that person.
In one study, radiologists were divided into two groups. One received details about the people who scans they were reading and the other group did not. Those with details about the persons lives wrote much more detail about the scans.
Arthur:
I find that chanting divine names is the most joyful experience I have ever encountered, and it is the most powerful in uprooting miseries.
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From time to time during the several weeks I was doing the morning program by myself and chanting at the campus by myself in Tallahassee, I recalled this verse from the conversation between Lord Caitanya and Ramananda Raya:
‘duḥkha-madhye
kona duḥkha haya gurutara?’
‘krishna-bhakta-viraha
vinā duḥkha nāhi dekhi para’
“Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked, ‘Of all kinds of distress, what is the
most painful?’
Sri
Ramananda Raya replied, ‘Apart from separation from the devotee
of Krishna, I know of no unbearable unhappiness.’”
Devotional service is always nice, but it is many times nicer in the association of devotees. And if you are accustomed to doing devotional service in the association of devotees, when you do it alone, you experience that something valuable is missing. I think Krishna put me in in this situation so that I would better appreciate the value of the association of devotees.
