Diary
of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 19, No. 23
By
Krishna Kripa Das
(December 2023, part one)
New York City and Upstate
New York
(Sent from Times Square on December 16, 2023)
Where I Went and What I Did
For the first half of December I remained living at ISKCON NYC in Brooklyn where I participated in Rama Raya Prabhu’s NYC Harinam party. Just one day we traveled upstate to participate in the Vyasa-puja of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami and to do harinama at the Hudson Winter Walk. For the Prabhupada Marathon in December the NYC Harinam party decided to chant in public seven hours a day Monday through Thursday and twelve hours a day on Friday and Saturday. Unfortunately, I got sick, and I could not participate for the whole time. Most of the days we did seven hours, I would come for two hours in the beginning and two hours at the end, resting up in between.
In the beginning of the harinama, we would only have four or five devotees at most. One Saturday I gave the Bhagavad-gita class at 26 Second Avenue, and on Ekadasi I made walnut burfi for the deities.
I share notes from Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam and Teachings of Lord Kapila as well as from his morning walks and lectures. I share notes from Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s books, Given Time and Gentle Power, and in a separate section I share notes on his Vyasa-puja celebration in Stuyvesant Falls. I share notes on classes by Amiya Vilasa and Candrasekhara Swamis, and Hansarupa, Rama Raya, Vraja Mohan, Gopal Campu, Janaki, and Hadai Prana Prabhus.
Many thanks to Atmanivedanta Prabhu, who organizes the Saturday Bhagavad-gita class at 26 Second Avenue, for his kind donation. Thanks also to Mera Chitra of Queens, a supporter of harinama sankirtana, for her kind donation. Thanks to Ahaituki Prema Prabhu for photos and videos of NYC Harinam.
Itinerary
November
27–January 6, 2024: NYC Harinam
–
December
30:
Bhagavad-gita
class
at 26 Second Avenue
–
January
6,02420: Bhagavad-gita
class
at 26 Second Avenue
January
7, 2024: Miami Ratha-yatra
January
8 – April 8: Tallahassee harinama
and
college outreach
–
January
27: Gasparilla Ratha-yatra
Chanting Hare Krishna in Hudson
Maya chants Hare Krishna at the Hudson Winter Walk (https://youtu.be/LgdhZGLsSf0):
Damodara Priya Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Hudson Winter Walk [portrait orientation] (https://youtu.be/EOJ6vretACw):
Damodara Priya Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at the Hudson Winter Walk and a roller skater dances, along with her friends (https://youtu.be/karK33-kPRs):
Damodara Priya Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Hudson Winter Walk (https://youtu.be/-_ddg3-stAg):
Hadai Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the Hudson Winter Walk, and vendors chant and dance (https://youtu.be/ybwbiEtnpUY):
Hadai Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the Hudson Winter Walk, and drummers play and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/jgHNSCBfjE0):
Hadai Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in a shop during the Hudson Winter Walk (https://youtu.be/GVEQcQRG0sc):
Hadai Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the Hudson Winter Walk, and several passersby dance (https://youtu.be/UuYgYtealCw):
Gurudasa Prabhu of Washington, DC, chants Hare Krishna at the Hudson Winter Walk, and passersby play shakers and dance (https://youtu.be/i6CrERZ-S-E):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the Hudson Winter Walk, and passersby, including a woman who said she studied under Radhanath Swami, chant, play the shakers, and dance (https://youtu.be/4FHcIvWtzyw):
Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City
Pavan Chandra Nitai Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station, and a woman plays shakers (https://youtu.be/pAVEz5ubE4c):
Later another woman played shakers (https://youtu.be/mSCxthzpDMI):
Others played shakers after that (https://youtu.be/gSjGADhTKGc):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station, and a man plays shakers (https://youtu.be/xO5KTdJg7cM):
While Rama was leading the chant, a passerby danced very enthusiastically (https://youtu.be/0FKK_p65BgA):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station to “Jingle Bells” tune (https://youtu.be/rvmSgpBEYj8):
Narayan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station, and guys play shakers (https://youtu.be/IZ3lyMCpx7Q):
Pavan Nitai Chandra Prabhu and friends chant Hare Krishna at ISKCON NYC Sunday feast program (https://youtu.be/_kPgOecx5Ak):
Here I chant Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station above the downtown A train (https://youtu.be/mbPKqg-LuOM):
Narayan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/3du-xGDc8NE):
Brandon came up to me at Times Square subway station and said, “Did you ever live in Tallahassee?”
I explained that I am in Tallahassee in the winter, and he said that he used to go to Krishna Lunch at FSU and he remembered me and Daru Brahma Prabhu, who ran the program there about ten years ago.
Murari Gupta Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 26 Second Avenue after the Saturday night Bhagavad-gita class there given by me (https://youtu.be/VDmavy2_h9A):
On Saturday night, at the end of the harinama, Pavan Nitai Chandra Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna through Times Square subway station, outside on 42nd Street between 8th and 7th Avenues, and back to the station (https://youtu.be/TzPKNVh2YUs):
Hadai Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station (https://youtu.be/VWgxp06jykI):
Vraja Mohan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna there, too (https://youtu.be/QFNVgi3rVls):
Pavan Nitai Chandra chanted Hare Krishna there as well (https://youtu.be/y7U_m5SjYr8):
Later at the temple, Hadai Prana Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna at the ISKCON NYC Tuesday evening program, and attendees danced (https://youtu.be/v6-FbkZgqt8):
Acarya-nistha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna during Guru Puja kirtan at ISKCON NYC (https://youtu.be/rzbf3YfLgKA):
Here I chant Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/52clZcFIe0M):
Braja Sakhi Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station (https://youtu.be/3amJFoHNDBo):
Narada Muni Prabhu chants Hare Krishna there, too (https://youtu.be/fO66ySjp3Ic):
Narayan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station (https://youtu.be/tdXRr1fgmHc):
While he chanted, kids played shakers and danced (https://youtu.be/UaK9VRYa8Xk):
Jaya Goracand chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station, and Jews dance (https://youtu.be/JdyOzByMWnw):
Narayan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station, and two women play shakers and dance (https://youtu.be/bICYiTWWCow):
Pavan Nitai Chandra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station, and a kid dances with Caranti Devi Dasi (https://youtu.be/E4Y1gNYugv4):
Pavan Nitai Chandra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station, and many play shakers (https://youtu.be/YzypnNhv8d0):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station, and kids dance with devotees (https://youtu.be/t1-KHCgsNP4):
Braja Sakhi Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/IyCwT8uFzDA):
Sometimes the phone of a traveler will become completely discharged, and the person will ask to charge his phone on the power supply we have for the phone for our YouTube Live video. Thus he is tricked into hearing additional holy names and becoming more purified.
Keshava Madhava Prabhu chanted there at Times Square, too, really inspiring some of the devotee to dance (https://youtu.be/DFnzdkD2-ZA):
Krishna Kumar Prabhu ended the evening by chanting Hare Krishna to the tune of “Jingle Bells” (https://youtu.be/fPWtAbkk1yc):
Divyangi Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station midday (https://youtu.be/q5XJkbz-XGk):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna there in the evening (https://youtu.be/ESLdPbtoQPA):
Keshava Madhava Prabhu chanted there, too, immediately after Rama Raya (https://youtu.be/a5ult3obtq4):
While he was chanting, a couple of ladies played the shakers and danced (https://youtu.be/KMB-tqFZFRk):
Notes on Vyasa-puja Ceremony of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
All the other sampradayas celebrate on one day, Guru Purnima, but the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya celebrates on the birthday of one’s personal guru.
Srila Prabhupada urged an 8-year-old kid to learn English to write Krishna conscious books. I wrote to Srila Prabhupada, saying, “What is the need for your followers to write when you have written so extensively?”
He replied, “You ask one question about the nature of books I want you to write as my disciples; on this point, Krishna Consciousness is not limited. Persons like all of the Gosvamis wrote so many books, Visvanatha Cakravarti, and all the acaryas wrote books, and still I am writing books. Similarly, also my disciples will write. So any self-realized soul can write unlimited books without deviating from the original ideas.” (Letter to Satsvarupa on February 28, 1972)
I have written many books, but because of my illness I can only speak a few words.
Although I am limited by Parkinson’s disease, I can still write with the help of my disciples at GN Press.
These books are very important to me. They are my service to Srila Prabhupada and my service to the devotees, especially to my disciples.
[The rest of the time Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami and Krishna Bhajana and Satya Sara Prabhus took turns reading quotes from Maharaja’s books.]
Krishna Bhajana and Satya Sara Prabhus:
Sanatorium:
Its theme of healing in community comes through more clearly with the re-editing of this new edition.
Reverend John Endler, who is a Baptist minister, had success in using Sanatorium in his pastoral counseling.
“It itself is a work of pastoral counseling.”
Harvey Hempel in Radhadesh has nice quotes.
“The book helps people accept themselves and others more fully.”
It is a novel about growth and renewal and healing within a community.
There are three new volumes of Guru Maharaja’s latest journal since volume one, which we shared at the July meeting:
Volume Two (Prabhupada Revival):
This volume contains quotes from Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Saranagati, and memories of Srila Prabhupada:
notes on 1966:
“I am happy writing random moments of Prabhupada katha.”
“I had no faith. Srila Prabhupada’s faith in Krishna consciousness made my faith.”
“Gradually he revealed Krishna consciousness. Gradually we soaked it in.”
“Faith is most important. But not blind faith.”
Srila Prabhupada was presenting: This Krishna consciousness temple is the hospital for the diseased spirit soul. And everyone is diseased. Come to this hospital. We shall take care of you and cure your material disease.
Srila Prabhupada was “an old man with a young man’s enthusiasm.”
“What should you write? What is in the books and your own take on them.”
“Study the verses of Bhagavad-gita and be lifted by Srila Prabhupada’s focus on love of Krishna.”
“Krishna is speaking to those and them, and we want to be included.”
“Even Srila Prabhupada liked reading his books. They give direct darsana of Krishna.”
Quotes from Volume 3:
Satya Sara:
“We are meant to be loving servants of Krishna.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
Books I read on dying tell little about the soul.
“You can write of your longings as Narottama Dasa Thakura.”
“I want to become a pure devotee and attract everyone to Krishna consciousness.”
Here is a letter I have written to Srila Prabhupada, something I do as a practice even after he is gone:
“I still serve you by writing, reading your books, and associating with your devotees.”
Srila Prabhupada has convinced me by his purports in the Ajamila section of the Sixth Canto that I am not going to the hellish planets.
Volume 4 (Increasing Prabhupada’s Presence):
Quotes:
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From another letter to Srila Prabhupada:
“Writing to you is crucial. For me it keeps my bond tight. I am confident you accept my words.”
“I want to increase your appearance in them [my journals].”
When I turned in my typing one day, Srila Prabhupada said, “This service is not mechanical. If you love me, I will love you.” That changed my life.
Krishna Bhajana Prabhu:
Srila Prabhupada was transcendental and empowered to preach all over the world.
Photos
Because it requires two hands to play properly, you cannot really play a mrdanga with your hand in your bead bag, but if you have two devotees, each with a hand in a bead bag, then you can play real mrdanga beats!
I have seen many unusual things in Hare Krishna ashrams before, including prasadam stashed in odd places, but I never saw prasadam sitting on top of a fire extinguisher!
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.27.4, purport:
“But instead of leaving proprietorship, enjoyment and the actual position as the friend of all living entities to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we claim that we are the proprietors, the enjoyers and the friends. We perform philanthropic work, thinking that we are the friends of human society. Someone may proclaim himself to be a very good national worker, the best friend of the people and of the country, but actually he cannot be the greatest friend of everyone. The only friend is Krishna. One should try to raise the consciousness of the conditioned soul to the platform of understanding that Krishna is his actual friend. If one makes friendship with Krishna, one will never be cheated, and he will get all help needed. Arousing this consciousness of the conditioned soul is the greatest service, not posing oneself as a great friend of another living entity. The power of friendship is limited. Although one claims to be a friend, he cannot be a friend unlimitedly. There are an unlimited number of living entities, and our resources are limited; therefore we cannot be of any real benefit to the people in general. The best service to the people in general is to awaken them to Krishna consciousness so that they may know that the supreme enjoyer, the supreme proprietor and the supreme friend is Krishna. Then this illusory dream of lording it over material nature will vanish.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.11.20, purport:
“Living entities, however, are never independent. As soon as they declare their independence of the supreme controller, they are immediately put into this material world to try their luck freely, as far as possible.”
From Teaching of Lord Kapila, verse 24:
“Instead of thinking, ‘Unless I have a drink, I will go mad,’ one should think, ‘Unless I associate with a sadhu [saint], I will go mad.’ When we can think in this way, we will become liberated.”
From class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.10.4 in London on November 25, 1973:
“Just like I want to see my wife and children happy, similarly, it is the duty of the human society to see that the cows feeling very happy. This is human civilization. Otherwise it is tiger civilization, meat-eaters. Meat is not eaten by human being. It is eaten by the dogs, by the tigers, by the animals.”
“So we have created a society for killing cows and eating the meat and maintaining slaughterhouse in the name of religion. This is going on. So how we can be happy? There cannot be happiness. It is not a sentiment. Therefore this is most sinful activity, meat-eating, cow killing. Most sinful activity. And you have to suffer for that. Unfortunately, these rascals, they do not know that what is the result of this sinful activity.
“They think the life will go on, and there is no more life. ‘After finishing of this body, everything will be finished.’ Atheistic theory.”
From a morning walk in Los Angeles on December 31, 1973:
“Bahulasva:
Srila Prabhupada, what can we do to curb down these rascals?
Prabhupada:
Chant Hare Krishna.
Bahulasva:
That will curb them down.
Prabhupada:
Yes. They will be purified. The more you chant Hare Krishna, they
will be purified.”
“Let them be without industry. Come to us. We shall give them food. Yes. Just like that . . . What is that? Mrgari, Mrgari. He was thinking that ‘Unless I kill animals, how I will eat, I shall live?’ And Narada gave him, that ‘I will give you to eat. Come here.’ So he became Vaishnava. So that is our propaganda. Stop this nonsense business. If you think that ‘How you shall eat?’ I shall give you eating. Come on. This is our program. ‘First of all you stop it. Then I will, see how I will give you.’ Just see. When I came first I was alone. I had no shelter, no food. And how we are maintaining now thousands of people, and giving them to eat, and nice shelter? How it is possible? It is possible. Because after all, Krishna gives everything. So if they become Krishnized, everything will come. Why they bother about the sinful activities?”
From a morning walk in Vrindavan on March 12, 1974:
“For management, this division must be there. Otherwise it will be mismanagement. Yes. A Vaishnava coming to the position of doing the work of a sudra does not mean he has become sudra. He’s Vaishnava. Try to understand this point. Just like in the stage. If you want to play something, one must be king, one must be queen, one must be . . . , but neither of them king or queen. That is stage play. Similarly to manage things in the material world we have to . . . Guna, karma. Karma there must be. Therefore the karma should be done, executed, according to quality.”
“Prabhupada:
You had no desire to take to Krishna consciousness, but you have been
taken to it by some, some way or other. That is management.
Hridayananda:
Jaya, Prabhupada.
Prabhupada:
That is management.
Hridayananda:
You are expert manager.
Prabhupada:
A child does not want to go to school, but it is the duty of the
parent to send him to the school by some way or other. So that is
government’s duty, that a man should be employed according to his
capacity. There should be no unemployment.”
From a morning walk in Vrindavan on March 14, 1974:
“Satsvarupa:
What would his business [the sudra]
be at that varnasrama
college?
Prabhupada:
Yes. That is also training, to become obedient. Because people are
not obedient. What are these hippies? They are not obedient. So
obedience also requires training. If you have no intelligence, if you
cannot do anything independently, just be obedient to the other,
higher three classes. That is sudra.
He must agree to abide by the orders of brahmana,
kṣatriyas, vaisya.
That’s all. So that nobody will be unemployed.”
“Passerby:
Radhe, Radhe!
Prabhupada:
Hare Krishna. Just see. Due to the past training, even an ordinary
man, he’s chanting, ‘Radhe, Radhe.’
Vishnujana:
When we had our boat, the boatmen every morning were . . .
Prabhupada:
This is India.
Vishnujana:
. . . worshiping . . .
Prabhupada:
Because, due to past culture, even the lowest class of men, he’s
also great philosopher than these rascals in Western countries.”
“Prabhupada:
Those who are not able to preach or to do other things, they must go
to the plough department, agriculture.
Hridayananda:
Those who cannot preach.
Prabhupada:
Yes. Those who are less educated, not very much expert in preaching,
they must be acting as ksatriya
or vaisya,
or as sudra.
Hridayananda:
And sometimes . . .
Prabhupada:
Not he’s sudra.
Always remember that. But he has to act to fulfill the, fill up the
gap. Proxy.”
“Hridayananda:
So we should encourage people, young people, young students to come
to our college.
Prabhupada:
They’ll automatically come if you are ideal. Because they are being
forced to poverty. So when there is a question of poverty they’ll
come.
Hridayananda:
Room and board and training.
Prabhupada:
Yes. This poverty. Why there is poverty? Because they are not
producing food. Everyone wants so-called comfortable life. So-called
education. Sitting idle in the table and chair and talking all
gossips, nonsense, and sleeping. They have been trained up in this
way, sudra.”
“We are sympathizer that so many people are being killed by this modern civilization. They had the opportunity to become Krishna conscious, but by the set-up of this rascal civilization they are being killed spiritually.”
“Don’t think that because you are teaching a sudra how to work like this you have become a sudra. You are not sudras under any circumstances, even though you teach a sudra how to work like a sudra.”
“Politics means planning for one’s own happiness. That is politics. So in our society there should be no diplomacy, no politics. Everyone should be eager how to do good to others. That is Vaishnava. If he’s planning something, that ‘I shall be leader,’ ‘I shall be doing something,’ that is not Vaishnavism. That politics is not good.”
From a morning walk in Hyderabad on April 20, 1974:
“This is also devotion, to teach a ksatriya, because this is necessary in the society. This is also devotion.”
“The gopis, they are village cowherd women. They are, according to social construction, they are not very high class. They did not belong to the brahmana class. But their worship, method of worship, has been taken the highest. Ramya kacid upasana vrajavadhu-vargena [Lord Caitanya’s statement: ‘There is no better method of worshiping Krishna than the method conceived by the gopis.’] They were village girls, and practically their character was also not good, because at dead of night they are going to Krishna. But why they have been taken as the most topmost devotee of Krishna? Because the love was so high-class.”
From a morning walk at Villa Borghese in Rome on May 25, 1974:
“It is very difficult to close the factory. That is not possible. So whatever you have done it is all right. But you chant Hare Krishna. Then things will be adjusted. We are giving chance to everyone, who is degraded or who is not degraded, by the simple method of|chanting Hare Krishna. We do not neglect anyone. We do not say, “You are neglected. We don’t accept you.” No. I accept you and I accept others.”
“To become devotee, worship the Lord in the temple, prepare food for Him, and take the prasada—where is the difficulty? The program which we have introduced, where is the difficulty there? But the rascals will not take. That is the difficulty. They will become hippies, but they will not become devotees, although a better position. This is their misfortune. Duskrtina, misfortune. In spite of the things being so easy to perform, they will not take to it, on account of misfortune. Duskrtina. Because they have committed so many sinful activities, it is difficult to accept this.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From Given Time:
“I
work under the aegis of my Swami and always
hope
some subtle propaganda value
will
come out of my spontaneous art scrawl.”
“I
read outside Gita
but
come
home to Him, our Lord,
our
pure devotee, and me alone performing
for
their pleasure.”
“Not
bhakti,
but fundamentalism,
confusion,
lack of focus.
I
could make a list of
the
endless troubles in our religion,
but
better I chant and read
Srila
Prabhupada’s books, take
prasadam
and preach,
live
a simple life and outlive
the
rest.”
“Krishna
is everywhere,
yet
dances in His own world,
where
He’s the
center
for those who
love
Him.”
“O
Krishna
the
sand and the babas
the
dogs, hogs, monkeys,
parrots,
peacocks, mice, flies,
temple
towers,
even
the politics and
gundas,
tourists, money,
wasted
time, bodily ills,
our
obeisances.”
“Hare
Krishna, freight your lines
with
holy names, and you can’t
go
wrong.”
“We
have screened the goat from our vision
with
a curtain—he’s so arrogant
he
wants to come into our house
and
take over. He wants us to serve him.
It
will never happen.”
“(Daruka
suggested we tie him up and
make
him a scapegoat.)”
“He
dreams not sphurti
vision.
He
dreams the worst scenario
and
exits by “EXIT” sign—
wakes
up in time before
he
gets sliced to pieces
or
falls in love with her.”
“Lord
Krishna lets us do as we like for
a
while before we get zonked
with
reactions from illusion and sin.”
“Swami’s
Easy
Journey to
Other
Planets
affected me
when
I read it in ’66.
The
body dies. There
are
five rasas
plus seven, and
we
just have to pick one of
nine
bhakti
methods.
Pick
at least one.”
“A
very good morning because
I
remembered you are supposed to
think
of Krishna and be happy.”
From Gentle Power:
“Srila
Prabhupada, deliver me all year.
You
rule me and all of us.
I
pay my obeisances in
cold
dirt to you and
Vrindavan
and your
followers
blessed.”
“Vrindavan
is not me. I’m not even
a
speck of touchstone sand here.
I’m
grit from the West
in
battery-warmed socks.
But
I’m grateful to be here.”
“In
Vrindavan, nightly meetings
with
my disciples,
warm-cold
room,
japa-katha
and
my
fatherly role,
their
love—is
it false? No, it’s
protected
by our Guru Maharaja.”
“O
Krishna, although I
am
shackled in bad, long
habits
of inattention, I beg
You
to give me mercy to
chant
Your sweet
holy
names.”
“In
Vrindavan I dreamt
Dwight
D. Eisenhower
was
furious at my friend.
Ike
had never been so angry in his life!
I
woke and thought, ‘What kind of dream is this
to
be having in the holy land?’”
“I
wish I could get beneath the
veneer
of ‘Hare Krishna’ with
its
cultish or institutional buzz word
connotations.
But even unappreciated,
misunderstood,
‘Hare Krishna’ is absolute.
In
journalists’ usage it stands out
as
a diamond, even in an essay
on
fashion where a male
model
wore a skirt and shaved his head
and
they said, ‘Mr. Greer looked
like
a Hare Krishna monk.’”
“Be
a man, brave,
true,
gentle, and modest.
What
do I mean? Start off in the
direction
given by Prabhupada.
Read
his books carefully and
when
you’re tired and can’t pay attention,
do
something else that befits his follower.”
“I
am in France, just off the highway, writing this
alone,
to Krishna. I am nervous. I have no
shelter
but You. Please give me Your shelter
and
entrance into Your name and
my
spiritual master’s purports.
The
rest will follow naturally.”
“My
dear Lord Krishna,
someone
asked if we prayed
just
to Prabhupada or to You.
I
said, ‘Prabhupada taught us to pray
to
Krishna. We see the Deity
on
the altar and the Lord in His names
because
the Swami said so.’
|He
said, ‘That’s great.
You
get both guru and Krishna.’
Yes,
I said, that’s the way
Prabhupada
taught.
He
never said he was God and that we
should
chant his names.”
“I
love the life of chanting and
beads
and bead bags and people
who
chant and any sincere enthusiastic
praise
of japa
I hear.”
“I
know Krishna will protect me, but I’m not eager to have
it
tested in tight places. Krishna’s protection comes
at
His bidding.”
“He
seeks their ways,
strange
that those nondevotee poets haunt
and
influence more than we’d
like
to acknowledge.
What
is their power? To be able
to
write a graceful line, uncork
a
truth? I want to learn it
for
Krishna, but it is dangerous to go
to
them and ask, ‘Teach me.’ They will
extract
a price I don’t want to pay.”
“He
lived what he taught: ‘Please Krishna.
Make
Him comfortable. That is Vṛndavana.’”
“Knowledge
of You is the confidential
secret
of the Vedas.
Knowledge
of Gaura the
secret
within that.”
“Prayer
is not always words,
but
the hope He’ll notice our intentions
and
the schedule we followed
offered
in bhakti.
Whether He
accepts
it is His choice.”
“It’s
a yogic siddhi
to be able to
fix
the mind the way Prahlada
prayed
to Nṛsiṁha.”
Amiya Vilasa Swami:
Lord Krishna said to Arjuna, “Bhagavad-gita is My heart. I maintain this world by the knowledge of Bhagavad-gita.”
By the knowledge of Bhagavad-gita we become free from the miseries of material life.
Srila Prabhupada would challenge people, “Can you say you are free from anxiety?”
Although birth is distressful, we are celebrating every year, “Happy Birthday!” This is ignorance.
You can say a million times “I am not this body,” and still you think you are this body. You have to practice. Simply talking is not enough. Follow four rules, and chant 16 rounds every day. Then you will be able to realize.
Srila Prabhupada did not have a bhakti-sastri degree, but he was a realized acarya.
Candrasekhara Swami:
You really need devotional service, knowledge, and detachment at once. You will not do devotional service unless you have preliminary knowledge of it, and unless you have some detachment, you will be put off by so much focus on devotional service and lack of sense gratification.
Because we are attached to the material body and materialistic thinking, although devotional service is actually simple and straightforward, it seems like thousands of miles away.
As long as we have material desires we cannot realize we are not the body although we may hear that and even understand it intellectually.
We are trapped by our material desires, but if we cultivate gratitude to Krishna, we will gradually feel satisfied in devotional service and give up the game of material life.
By trying to do things nicely for Krishna and starting a dialog with Krishna, we come to have desires in relationship with Krishna that supplant our material desires.
Krishna never gives us a boring situation.
The false ego gives us newer and newer programs for enjoying the material world.
We have experienced enough of the emptiness of material life that we are willing to try something else.
Sraddha in Sanskrit has a deeper meaning than just faith. It also means to focus on something.
The easiest way to get free from material life is to chant Hare Krishna, but we have to have faith in it.
A doubt is also an emotional reaction or attitude toward something.
All of us are controlled by our emotions. We cannot just throw them away.
If we can force our mind to hear the holy name, we can become purified from the doubts.
The more we chant Hare Krishna attentively, the more we will see the world as it is described in the sastra (the revealed literature) and the less we will see it as everyone else does.
If we keep trying different techniques to improve our japa, then ultimately Krishna will show us one that works.
I spent many years thinking that my japa would automatically improve, but it really didn’t, and I found I had to really endeavor.
The stubborn reality is that we will not attain the spiritual world unless we perfect our japa. Confronting that, we attempt to improve.
Hansarupa Prabhu:
Srila Prabhupada explains that these different benedictions such as gaining a thousand times the benefit by doing devotional service in Vrindavan during Karttika are to motivate those not engaged in devotional service on a regular basis but not for the devotees.
Even the most abominable things as mass murder and torture are justified in the minds of those who perform them.
The devotee who is engaged in the service of his spiritual master feels protected from the challenges created by material nature.
There are some religions in which they recommend self-flagellation as penance but that is not based on any scripture.
Srila Prabhupada had to tolerate so many offenses by his early disciples, who would use his bathroom and even his towel.
Pray to have no other desire but to serve the mission of the spiritual master.
The higher taste is given by the Supreme Lord through the agency of the spiritual master.
Sometimes people perform extra austerities for recognition, but this is not beneficial.
We never heard Srila Prabhupada say I am not translating today, I am going to chant in the room.
Not that I am going to follow Raghunath Goswami’s diet, but not follow his spirit of service.
We just have to follow. Who knew in the beginning how hard that would be! But it is easier in the association of devotees.
The temple is for making devotees, keeping devotees, and protecting devotees.
Everyone who comes to the temple says it smells so nice because we put the incense in the lobby after it is offered.
If we spend extra time on our diet or doing yoga that is alright as long as it does not affect our service.
Rama Raya Prabhu:
Srila Prabhupada recorded himself chanting the prayers of Sukadeva Goswami when he lived uptown before coming to the Lower East Side.
The soul is the witness to the changes of body.
Divya Devi Dasi:
I had tried hatha-yoga where I grew up, in communist Bulgaria, when spiritual activities were forbidden, but I gave up after three days. I realized I need a teacher. While walking down the street, I met someone who was teaching bhakti-yoga. I found the ashram had such a pure and clean atmosphere, and the people were very kind and authentic. I volunteered to do service for their ashram.
Vaidya Ramakant Mishra is my main teacher.
Ayurveda is the Indian system of medicine.
Its advantage is that it has been tried and tested for thousands of years.
It provides knowledge for health and food.
The food we eats affects the way we feel.
All the branches of Vedic knowledge ultimately connect to the divine source.
Being healthy depends on the flow of prana.
What
to do with prana:
1.
increase (through lifestyle choices)
2.
conserve (through lifestyle choices)
3.
balance the flow
4.
channel (use it to get more)
5.
purify (make it more subtle, change the thought-wavelength)
What
Depletes / Stagnates Prana:
1.
eating foods you don’t fully digest [even
if it is the right food]
2.
overeating
3.
lack of sleep
4.
overworking
5.
lack of exercise [if
you do 30 minutes of physical activity daily, you’ll feel more
energetic and you’ll need to sleep less.]
Ayurveda is protecting our health and preventing illness.
Health Care & Bhakti-yoga
In
bhakti, we accept that:
my
body belongs to Krishna
my
body is the instrument for my service
health
care is a service to Krishna
I overworked in developing Krishna consciousness in Bulgaria. I became so sick, I could hardly move out of bed.
How
Ayurveda Can Help Our Spiritual Practice
sattvic
diet and lifestyle
healing
tools for the body and mind
The root cause of all problems is disconnection from God.
Because we have different issues from earlier in our life, healing tools are useful in our practice.
If I have a chance to influence anything, I always try to keep a clean and pure atmosphere, because that makes a big difference.
For a healthy person, sleeping during the day is not recommended except in summer.
Nothing is good or bad in Ayurveda. It is what works for you and what does not work for you, and that may change in the course of your life.
The most nourishing sleep is before midnight. It is twice as effective.
Sleep is rejuvenating. Our brain detoxes during sleep. Many diseases come from insufficient sleep.
In general, we need less sleep as we get older.
Many people have chronic diseases in their old age because of not taking care of the body throughout their lives.
You can be at your best in your old age because of your developed consciousness.
Ahara is not just food but that which we take in with our senses.
We must be selective with what we take in.
Anybody notice that when you eat junk food that you have junk thoughts?
“When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.” (Ayurvedic proverb)
73% of the food that which is eaten in the US is ultra-processsed. (Northeastern University Network Science Institute)
35% of cancer is caused by ultra-processed food.
Even vegan food that is ultra-processed food is bad.
Ultra-processed
food increases these diseases by these amounts:
23–51%
obesity
29%
cardiovascular
44–65%
type 2 diabetes
Sattvic
foods:
invigorating
charged
with prana
seasonal
nutritious
easy
to digest
energizing
colorful
balancing
prolongs
life
makes
you happy
restores
the body’s healing intelligence
Rajasic
food:
lackluster
less
prana
harder
to digest
not
fresh
leftovers
frozen
out
of season
taste
good but results in discomfort
eaten
under stress
can
lead to mild imbalance
Tamasic food:
depleting
little
to no prana
void
of nutrients
heavily
processed
artificial
microwaved
deep-fried
canned
clogging
very
hard to digest
makes
you lethargic
regular
consumption can lead to disease
For most people tofu is hard to digest.
Years ago at a seminar when I was explaining that microwaving food destroys its prana, a chef on a submarine said, “That makes sense. When we throw the leftover microwaved food into the ocean, even the sharks will not eat it.”
Food that you can digest is food that is right for you.
If you have an important guest, if you cook a meal, will you serve the guest first or yourself first? The guest. So that is the idea behind prasadam. You offer the food to Krishna first.
My web site is: www.divyas.com
Regarding prasadam, acknowledge that it is a gift you are offering back.
Don’t eat doughnuts every day, even if they are prasadam!
Nandu Prabhu:
Our expertise is to realize, like Arjuna, that we are instruments in Krishna’s plan. If we understand that then we are relieved from a lot of anxiety.
Kurma Prabhu was very enthusiastic to protect cows in the Vrindavan gosala. I said to him, “Do you think that by your service you will be able to stop the cow slaughter on this planet in this degraded age of Kali?”
He replied in a way that I will never forget. He said that the point is not to stop the flow of time or the flow of Kali-yuga, because Kali-yuga is also Krishna’s plan. The point is to do some service for Krishna to the best of our ability. We are not here to change the world but to save a few cows for Krishna’s pleasure.
Krishna is not impressed by our accomplishments. He is the one who accomplishes much more Himself.
In bhakti we really have to strive to assimilate this mood of service to others because all around us are people who are busy serving themselves.
Our enemies, like lust, greed, and anger, are not part of the jiva. They are superimpositions because of maya. Krishna has already put these enemies to death.
If we are not pure within, we cannot be an instrument of Krishna.
Krishna is the supreme truth personified.
This verse, Bhagavad-gita 11.33, was my brother, Balarama’s, favorite verse, so I chose to speak on it.
It seems like Krishna is like a big brother, encouraging Arjuna to fight for righteousness.
We can consider what are we doing each day to become instruments of this truth.
Vraja Mohan Prabhu:
In a fire sacrifice, it is said that Agni acts as the tongue of Vishnu, accepting the offerings and giving them to Vishnu.
You should never move a deity, but if you do, there are certain things that you have to do, such as asking for the blessings of the new direction.
If we adopt a practice from another tradition, the danger is we will attain its goal not ours. If we take up practices from the Sri sampradaya, we will end up attaining the Lord of Vaikuntha and not Radha Krishna.
Gopal Campu Prabhu:
My spiritual master, Vaisesika Prabhu, recalls a meeting between Srila Prabhupada and the book distributors in 1975 in which the devotees were telling him how many books they had distributed. Srila Prabhupada mentioned that he had not written the books only for them to distribute, but for them to read and to understand, so they would go back to Godhead.
Krishna wants to have a loving relationship with us, but we are getting in the way.
Comment by Param Brahma Prabhu: To take a vow not to touch your phone during japa is a big vow these days.
Janaki Devi Dasi:
We need to have some anxiety about waking up from the dream of material life.
By understanding Krishna as described in Bhagavad-gita 5.29 then we can be freed from the features of material nature that are designed to disturb us.
Sometimes the guru is described as a doorway. He does not get in the way, but he makes Krishna accessible.
When I first encountered the devotees, I noticed that they were very self-satisfied and very generous, and I wanted to find out how they had so much to give.
Comment by Jagaddhatri Devi Dasi: My guru (Kadamba Kanana Swami) says the people we approach on sankirtana are already devotees. We just have to wake them up.
Comment by me made after class:
Sadaputa Prabhu would use the analogy of the virtual reality. The Mayavadi’s speak of the world as false, but actually it is a very complicated virtual reality and such a complicated virtual reality requires a very intelligent person behind it.
The example of giving charity in Srila Prabhupada’s purport to the Nectar of Instruction, verse 4, is giving the holy name: “We are not powerful enough to enchant the lower animals such as tigers, snakes, cats and dogs or entice them to dance, but by chanting the holy names of the Lord we can actually convert many people throughout the world to Krishna consciousness. Contributing or distributing the holy name of the Lord is a sublime example of contributing or giving charity (the dadati principle).”
Hadai Prana Prabhu:
Ayurveda teaches that when you take medicine you should remember Lord Vishnu because Vishnu is the active principle in the medicine.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that sambandha-jnana includes seven items: Krishna, His sakhi, His rasa, His jiva, the jiva’s entanglement, his absolution from that entanglement, and acintya-bheda-abheda tattva.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says, “Know the highest soul knows himself to be the lowest.”
-----
I find this verse reminds me of the importance of self-realization, and in particular, the need to value it above everything else if we want to achieve perfection. Just today I thought of it in relationship to our practice of japa and our attempts to be attentive. Why are we inattentive? We value hearing the concoctions of our mind above hearing the transcendental sound of the holy name of Krishna, which is nondifferent from Krishna Himself, and the goal of our life.
natah
parataro loke
pumsah
svartha-vyatikramah
yad-adhy
anyasya preyastvam
atmanah
sva-vyatikramat
[Sanat-kumara said to King Prithu:] “There is no stronger obstruction to one's self-interest than thinking other subject matters to be more pleasing than one's self-realization.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.22.32)
