By Krishna Kripa Das
(Week 34: August 20–26, 2025)
London, Liverpool, Crawley, New York
(Sent from Brooklyn, New York, on August 30, 2025)
Where I Went and What I Did
The thirty-fourth week of 2025, I was traveling extensively. On Wednesday I took the Eurostar to London where I chanted Hare Krishna with Harinamananda and Nitai Prabhus. Thursday I gave Bhagavatam class at ISKCON London and took the train to Liverpool where I chanted Hare Krishna for 3 hours, joined by Barbara and Kazz to promote the Saturday Ratha-yatra. I spent that and the next night in the Manchester temple. On Friday, Christopher of France, now based in Manchester, came with me to Liverpool where we chanted Hare Krishna three and a half hours, joined by Katie for part of the time.
Saturday was the Liverpool Ratha-yatra, after which I caught a ride to Watford with Parasuram Prabhu at whose house I stayed the night. Sunday I went with Parasuram Prabhu to Crawley for the Ratha-yatra there. I was invited to lead kirtan on the stage and in the Ratha-yatra procession. Acyuta Charan Prabhu kindly gave a ride to Croydon, where I could catch a train to London and join Harinamananda Prabhu for an evening harinama. On Monday I chanted Hare Krishna on Oxford Street for an hour in the morning before taking the train to Gatwick to fly back to New York in the afternoon. Tuesday I participated in NYC Harinam for four hours in the afternoon and evening, as I usually do when I am in New York, that day in Union Square.
I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, and The Nectar of Devotion, and one of his lectures as well. I share quotes from Sri Caitanya-bhagavata by Vrindavana Dasa Thakura and its commentary by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. I share notes on classes by Jayadvaita Swami in London, Bhagavat Dharma Prabhu in Paris, and Natabara Gauranga Prabhu in Paris.
Many thanks to Barbara of Liverpool and Krishna Katha Prabhu, formerly of Belfast, for their kind donations. Thanks to Tripada Prabhu, ISKCON London receptionist, for transferring British currency to my virtual bank account, so I can buy travel tickets online with it next year. Thanks to Parasuram Prabhu for the ride from Liverpool to Crawley and accommodation for the night between the two Ratha-yatras. Thanks to Jude of Liverpool for the photo of the police taking prasadam at Ratha-yatra and those of me in the Ratha-yatra and at the stage show.
Itinerary
August 26–December 31: NYC Harinam
– September 17–24: Syracuse harinamas
– September 25–26: Philadelphia harinamas
– September 27: Philadelphia Ratha-yatra
– September 28: Delaware Sunday Feast and harinama?
– September 29–October ??: Serve Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami in Upstate New York
Chanting Hare Krishna in London
Harinamananda Prabhu and Nitai Prabhus do harinama for several weeks in London in the summer, and I was happy to have their association. Here Harinamananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Oxford Street in London, and Italian tourists chant and dance (https://youtu.be/fAhAJMlId5s):
Harinamananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and French tourists chant and dance (https://youtu.be/5uIqN9NmM9Q):
Harinamananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and young women chant and dance (https://youtu.be/wxyFVe7mekI):
Harinamananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and a guy dances with a girl on his shoulders (https://youtube.com/shorts/6XlAegU7yD8?feature=share):
Harinamananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and a girl in a wheelchair dances (https://youtube.com/shorts/bf-x2swW1RM?feature=share):
Harinamananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and people interact (https://youtu.be/dRdjk-aX3dQ):
Harinamananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and young women dance (https://youtu.be/x631DVD3_ps):
I gave the morning class, and I was impressed seeing how serious the devotees are about advertising their programs, with screens visible from both the street and outside the temple room telling of upcoming events.
You can find their video of my class here (https://youtu.be/kLtT6jBommM?si=g72qCQoYF5RyYMTt):
Harinamananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Oxford Street on a Sunday evening (https://youtube.com/shorts/lSToIkQYjYc):
Harinamananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Carnaby Street, and people dance (https://youtube.com/shorts/ivLAMj_22P0):
Harinamananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in London, and people dance (https://youtube.com/shorts/2uDc4FtE6YE?feature=share):
I played the drum and chanted Hare Krishna for an hour by myself on Oxford Street in London on Monday before my afternoon flight to New York.
A driver for Biofood came out of his vehicle with his hand in his bead bag and greeted me with “Hare Krishna!”
Tomas of Lithuania said he went to a retreat held at Bhaktivedanta Manor and became attracted by Krishna consciousness four months ago.
Since then his and his family visited New Mayapur in France, where the ox trainer is also Lithuanian. He also attended a program by Mahatma Prabhu at Reading, the closest devotional community to his residence. He is amazed to see how quickly his life is transforming in positive ways.
Chanting Hare Krishna in Liverpool
On my first day of harinama to promote the Liverpool Ratha-yatra, I was assisted by Barbara and Kazz. I had hoped to chant with the Liverpool brahmacaris, but they were too entangled in the logistics of making the festival happen. Thus I ended up doing harinama with their most enthusiastic congregational members who were all women.
The second day Christopher, who I knew from France and who is now based in Manchester, joined me along with Katie, a local, who really enjoys kirtan.
Here Christopher chants Hare Krishna in Liverpool with Katie playing shakers in back, and a stag party and other passersby play shakers and dance (https://youtu.be/2kD-EpyHGlg):
Pancha Tattva Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Liverpool Ratha-yatra (https://youtu.be/r2Vko4J-mbA):
Here is the end of his kirtan in portrait orientation (https://youtube.com/shorts/lKfXGb6wPIg?feature=share):
Tribhangananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Liverpool Ratha-yatra (https://youtu.be/myJ8NMDTNJY):
Tribhangananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Liverpool Ratha-yatra (Portrait orientation) (https://youtube.com/shorts/98wKFMZeikg?feature=share):
Tribhangananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at end of Liverpool Ratha-yatra (https://youtu.be/wCzBtOOz8YM):
During the Liverpool Ratha-yatra, I would play the shakers, dance, and talk to people who were attracted to the chanting or the procession and give them “On Chanting Hare Krishna” and/or invitations to our local programs.
When I arrived in Liverpool the morning of the Ratha-yatra, I had seen some kind of demonstration outside the main train station. During the Ratha-yatra I met a woman who was filming our kirtan. She told me she had been at the demonstration which I later learned was a notable anti-fascist (counter-) demonstration held to oppose a UKIP-organised “mass deportations” march at which eleven people were arrested. She was struck by the contrast between the argumentative, angry mood of the demonstration and the happy, peaceful mood of our procession, and she said she was going to share videos of both to people and tell of her experience.
Subhadra chants Hare Krishna at Liverpool Ratha-yatra stage show (https://youtu.be/6ECTpokoncE):
Abhay Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Liverpool Ratha-yatra stage show, and many dance (https://youtu.be/E2-rrBeGLBI):
Parasuram Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Liverpool Ratha-yatra stage show, and many dance (https://youtu.be/OzAWH5_a8VY):
Some people encountering the chanting of Hare Krishna for the first time were captivated by it. The woman in the blue shirt happily played the pink shakers and danced for quite a while.
Many people were happy to experience the Krishna prasadam in Liverpool, including these two police.
I told a couple of the new people attending our devotional programs in Liverpool, who had a great time chanting and dancing in the Ratha-yatra and its stage kirtans, about the Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan so they can have more kirtan experiences next year, and they were very happy to learn of the event.
Between Saturday’s Liverpool Ratha-yatra and Sunday’s Crawley Ratha-yatra I rode in the back of Parasuram Prabhu’s van. It was used for food distribution in Ukraine, and Para credited the Russians for the holes in the roof which provided illumination.
On the way to Crawley, I could have all the pappadams I could eat for breakfast.
Chanting Hare Krishna in Crawley
I felt blessed to be able to lead the first kirtan on the stage before the Crawley Ratha-yatra and also the first kirtan in front of the cart itself. I have videos of some subsequent kirtans.
Acyuta Charan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Crawley Ratha-yatra (https://youtu.be/KwPeyrXJQio):
Manjari Prema Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Crawley Ratha-yatra (https://youtu.be/O1VIEx64fxY):
Mandakini Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Crawley Ratha-yatra (https://youtu.be/Z-jt-IHhpg8):
Now our NYC Harinam party chants at four different locations, but originally for the first years, we were always at Union Square, and it was great to be back.
Here Gokulendra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and a passerby dances (https://youtu.be/HwJhaB4_Uuo):
Here Krishna Nandalal Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square (https://youtu.be/gguRbgvQ5rM):
I also had the opportunity to chant Hare Krishna at Union Square (https://youtube.com/shorts/cP1HlSQvne0):
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.9.26, purport:
“The Lord is so kind that He is always prepared to help any living being attain spiritual enlightenment if he simply concentrates his mind to find out the source of his existence.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.9.29, purport:
“Any person authorized by either the Lord or His bona fide representative is already blessed, as is the work entrusted to him. Of course, the person entrusted with such a responsibility should always be aware of his incapability and must always look for the mercy of the Lord for the successful execution of his duty. One should not be puffed up because he is entrusted with certain executive work. Fortunate is he who is so entrusted, and if he is always fixed in the sense of being subordinate to the will of the Supreme, he is sure to come out successful in the discharge of his work. Arjuna was entrusted with the work of fighting on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra, and before he was so entrusted, the Lord had already arranged for his victory. But Arjuna was always conscious of his position as subordinate to the Lord, and thus he accepted Him as the supreme guide in his responsibility. Anyone who takes pride in doing responsible work but does not give credit to the Supreme Lord is certainly falsely proud and cannot execute anything nicely. Brahma and persons in the line of his disciplic succession who follow in his footsteps are always successful in the discharge of loving transcendental service to the Supreme Lord.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.9.32–33:
“Only when you attain that state of transcendental vision in which You see Me in all living entities as well as all over the universe, just as fire is situated in wood, will you be able to be free from all kinds of illusion. When you are free from the conception of gross and subtle bodies, and when your senses are free from all influences of the modes of material nature, you will realize your pure form in My association. At that time you will be situated in pure consciousness.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.9.33, purport:
“The Mayavada school shudders at the thought of a service attitude in the living entity, not knowing that in the transcendental world the service of the Lord is based on transcendental love. Transcendental loving service is never to be compared to the forced service of the material world.”
“In transcendental loving service, the servitor is as free as the Lord. The Lord is svarat, or fully independent, and in the spiritual atmosphere the servant is also fully independent, or svarat, because there is no forced service. There the transcendental loving service is due to spontaneous love. A reflected glimpse of such service is experienced in the service of the mother unto the son, the friend’s service unto the friend, or the wife's service unto the husband. These reflections of service by friends, parents or wives are not forced, but are due only to love. Here in this material world, however, the loving service is only a reflection. The real service, or service in svarupa, is present in the transcendental world, in association with the Lord. The very same service in transcendental love can be practiced in devotion here. Thus one can become from from material contamination and be situated in full independence in association with the Lord.”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Introduction:
“The author of Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Srila Rupa Gosvami, very humbly submits that he is just trying to spread Krishna consciousness all over the world, although he humbly thinks himself unfit for this work. That should be the attitude of all preachers of the Krishna consciousness movement, following in the footsteps of Srila Rupa Gosvami. We should never think of ourselves as great preachers, but should always consider that we are simply instrumental to the previous acaryas, and simply by following in their footsteps we may be able to do something for the benefit of suffering humanity.”
“In our mental activities we should always try to think of Krishna and try to plan how to please Him, following in the footsteps of the great acaryas and the personal spiritual master. There are activities of the body, activities of the mind and activities of speech. A Krishna conscious person engages his words in preaching the glories of the Lord. This is called kirtana. And by his mind a Krishna conscious person always thinks of the activities of the Lord—as He is speaking on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra or engaging in His various pastimes in Vrindavana with His devotees. In this way one can always think of the activities and pastimes of the Lord. This is the mental culture of Krishna consciousness.”
“From the date of initiation by the spiritual master, the connection between Krishna and a person cultivating Krishna consciousness is established. Without initiation by a bona fide spiritual master, the actual connection with Krishna consciousness is never performed.”
“Lord Caitanya states that it is a fortunate person who comes in contact with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Krishna. One who is serious about spiritual life is given by Krishna the intelligence to come in contact with a bona fide spiritual master, and then by the grace of the spiritual master one becomes advanced in Krishna consciousness. In this way the whole jurisdiction of Krishna consciousness is directly under the spiritual energy—Krishna and the spiritual master. This has nothing to do with the material world.”
“Actually, Krishna consciousness can be based simply on hearing, chanting, remembering, etc. Described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam are nine different processes, besides which everything done is unfavorable to Krishna consciousness. Thus, one should always be guarding against falldowns.”
“As long as one identifies himself as belonging to a certain family, a certain society or a certain person, he is said to be covered with designations. When one is fully aware that he does not belong to any family, society or country, but is eternally related to Krishna, he then realizes that his energy should be employed not in the interests of so-called family, society or country, but in the interests of Krishna. This is purity of purpose and the platform of pure devotional service in Krishna consciousness.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 15.106, purport:
“Any devotee who believes that the holy name of the Lord is identical with the Lord is a pure devotee, even though he may be in the neophyte stage. By his association, others may also become Vaishnavas.”
From a class on The Nectar of Devotion in Vrindavan on November 13, 1972:
“We have to accept the principles laid down by the acaryas.”
“So we have no difficulty. Tandera carana-sevi-bhakta-sane vasa. That’s all. Let us follow the footprints of the acaryas, Gosvamis, and live together as sincere, serious devotees. Then our life is successful. It is not very difficult. . . . Simply we have to . . . become very serious and sincere. Then everything is all right.”
“So if our bhajana-kriya is proper and in the line, then anartha-nivrttih syat, then all the anarthas, unwanted things, bad habits, that will be immediately vanquished.”
“This society, Krishna consciousness society, is made just to create some devotees so that people, by the association of the devotees and following the footprints of the Gosvamis, they’ll be automatically elevated to the transcendental platform.”
“The India is made for doing good to others. India is not meant for exploiting others. That is not India’s mission. From the very beginning, from long, long distant place, people used to come here to learn spiritual advancement of life. It is said that Lord Jesus Christ also came here, and he lived here for twelve years. Similarly, many Chinese scholars and transcendentalists used to come.”
“That is the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that those who are intelligent person, intelligent Indians, they should take advantage of the gifts of the great sages and saintly persons, make their life successful and preach the cult all over the world. That is the mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Our Krishna consciousness movement is meant for that purpose.”
“As a man’s mental disease is cured by the directions of a psychiatrist, so this sadhana-bhakti cures the conditioned soul of his madness under the spell of maya, material illusion.”
“The first principle is that every devotee must try to rise early in the morning. That is first business. This practice should be done first. No one should sleep more than six hours.”
“Sadhana-bhakti means we have to practice it. And it does not require much education. It does not depend on your riches, that you have to become a very rich man to follow the regulative principles, rise early in the morning.”
“Without practicing astanga-yoga, you simply practice the one simple thing, simply thinking of the lotus feet of Krishna always; then you become a first-class yogi.
“It is not our statement; it is Krishna’s statement.
yoginam api sarvesam
mad-gata antaratmana
sraddhavan bhajate yo mam
sa me yuktatamo matah
[Bg 6.47]
[And of all yogis, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all.]”
“This Krishna consciousness movement is so nice that if we take it seriously, then immediately, on the first stage, we become a first-class yogi.”
“It is the duty of the spiritual master to engage his disciple’s talent in the service of the Lord so that constantly he can think of the Lord. This is spiritual master’s duty.”
“Some way or other, if you fix up your mind on the lotus feet of Krishna, that is perfection of yoga.”
“Regulative principle means authorized—as they are mentioned in the authorized scriptures and as it is confirmed by the spiritual master.”
“Who requires a spiritual master? One who is inquisitive of sad-dharma, not asad-dharma.”
“A man requires a spiritual master when he’s inquisitive to know about the transcendental subject matter.”
“Without bona fide spiritual master, you cannot go a step forward.”
“Just like Arjuna surrendered to Krishna. When he saw that ‘The questions which have arisen in my mind, it cannot be solved by ordinary person,’ therefore he selected. He told Him that ‘I can understand, without Your Lordship nobody can mitigate all the doubts in my mind.’”
“Arjuna accepted Krishna as Param Brahman; you accept Krishna as Param Brahman; then your study of Bhagavad-gita is perfect.”
“Krishna did not leave Bhagavad-gita to be understood by your commentation. Try to understand Bhagavad-gita as it is; you’ll be benefited.”
Comment by one devotee:
Srila Prabhupada always ends his lectures by saying, “Chant Hare Krishna.”
Vrindavana Dasa Thakura:
From Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya 19.220:
“The words and activities of Vishnu and the Vaishnavas are incomprehensible. Only by their mercy can one understand them.”
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura:
From Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya 19.230, commentary:
“Actual, pure, real knowledge manifests in the hearts of the living entities from the descriptions of the Vedas.”
From Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya 19.233, commentary:
“The three separate manifestations—Sri Nityananda, Sri Advaita, and Sri Mahaprabhu—are the bridge for approaching the Absolute Truth. By following the conceptions preached by these three personalities, the living entities can easily cross the ocean of material existence.”
From Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya 19.255, commentary:
“Prabhu Nityananda and Prabhu Advaita are the right and left hands of Gaurasundara. Therefore there is factually no possibility of any bad feelings or misunderstanding between Them. Both are intoxicated with love of God.”
Jayadvaita Swami:
From a class on Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 11.56 at ISKCON London on August 24, 2025:
Our qualification is not who we have descended from biologically but who we are following spiritually.
It is not that the medical board will ask you if your father is a doctor. You have to have your own qualifications.
Everyone is looking for Krishna, but some are looking in very much the wrong place.
I am not qualified to tell you how you can keep your children in Krishna consciousness, but there are very qualified people like Urmila Dasi and Radhika Ramana’s mother who can help you.
Our principles we do not compromise: Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
It is said that those who marry the spirit of the age will become widows because the age will be finished.
Our duty is not to make Krishna consciousness popular but to present what we have heard from authorities.
Srila Prabhupada said our business is not to please the crowd but to please the Lord and the spiritual authorities.
It is the nature of household life that you have less time to do outreach. For eight or ten hours you have to do what your boss wants, and then you go home and you have to do what your other boss wants.
If you want to reach the masses, reach the person closest to you, and then the next one, and the next one.
Give the real thing, and everyone will love you.
From Srila Prabhupada’s Kirtana Standards, p. 34:
“Revatinandana Dasa relates an instructive incdent: One devotee had picked up a chant in India: he krishna, govinda, hari, murari/ he natha, narayana, vasudeva. When Prabhupada heard it, he called us into his room and said, ‘This is not a Vedic mantra; this is a cinema song. An intelligent disciple just takes whatever his spiritual master provides for him, considering that to be sufficient. There are many names of God you can chant, but it’s best to take what comes in disciplic succession and what the spiritual master introduces.’54”
From Srila Prabhupada’s Kirtana Standards, p. 43:
“Havi Dasa relates: In 1975 in New York, Citsukhananda started a kirtana, and in the middle of the kirtana he started to sing, ‘Jaya Jaya Sri Caitanya Jaya Nityananda Jayadvaita Candra Jaya Gaura Bhakta Vrinda.’ And Prabhupada immediately stopped him and asked him to chant Hare Krsna. ‘Don’t chant this. Chant Hare Krsna.’69”
From Srila Prabhupada’s Kirtana Standards, p. 50:
“‘Responsive chanting is very nice; one good singer may lead, and the others may join in. That is the system in India. It is very good for two reasons especially: One, the chanter gets to rest, so he does not become tired, and two, you get to chant and hear, that is the process.’ SP quote, 84”
Bhagavat Dharma Prabhu:
From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 9.9.34:
King Saudasa spared the life of a raksasa, but he ended up killing a brahmana. Thus his mercy ended up getting him into trouble.
If I am a guru, I am also a servant. I try the best to help my dependents come closer to Krishna.
The Bhagavatam stresses that one should not play any kind of leadership role unless he can deliver his dependents from the cycle of birth and death.
If people are against our help, then we try to benefit them in a way that will not disturb them.
Natabara Gauranga Prabhu:
The maidservants of Dhruva Maharaja’s mother must have be highly elevated to understand that Dhruva had attained perfection from constant meditation on the Supreme Lord.
Our goal is to constantly remember Krishna.
We should think that although I cannot attain love of Krishna quickly, I can attain it.
Visvanath Cakravarti Thakura says we should have a strong conviction to attain Krishna in this life or the next.
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Once Puskara Prabhu, the Srila Prabhupada disciple and artist based in Alachua, taught me this verse about the power of the holy name, which explains why chanting the holy name is superior to other spiritual processes.
na niskrtair uditair brahma-vadibhis
yatha harer nama-padair udahrtais
tad uttamasloka-gunopalambhakam
“By following the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies or undergoing atonement, sinful men do not become as purified as by chanting once the holy name of Lord Hari. Although ritualistic atonement may free one from sinful reactions, it does not awaken devotional service, unlike the chanting of the Lord’s names, which reminds one of the Lord’s fame, qualities, attributes, pastimes and paraphernalia.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.2.11)
