Where I Went and What I Did
The forty-fourth week of 2025, I lived at Viraha Bhavan, the ashram of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, my Guru Maharaja, in Stuyvesant Falls, New York. I helped his caretakers with different services like cleaning the kitchen, waking up the deities, singing for Them, and uploading dictation tapes. I also did some personal service for Guru Maharaja. Most days I would play the harmonium and chant on the porch for half an hour. Some people would smile and wave as they passed by. I attended the Chatham Wednesday Program, which included three kirtans.
On Friday I went to New York City just for the day to attend the additional harinamas for Halloween, and I ended up chanting Hare Krishna for five and a half hours and engaging people in playing shakers and telling them of their local Hare Krishna centers so they can develop their attraction to Krishna.
I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s Sri Caitanya-caritamrita and The Nectar of Devotion. I also share quotes from two lectures by Srila Prabhupada. I share notes on a presentation by Prishni Devi Dasi on Sadaputa Prabhu’s book, Maya: The World as Virtual Reality. I share a quote by Edgar Allan Poe on the supernatural.
Many thanks to my friend, Tara Prabhu, who I last saw in Poland when I went there for Ratha-yatra a few years back, for his generous donation. Thanks to Arcita Prabhu for the photos of me filming and giving out temple invitations on the walking harinama in Greenwich Village on Halloween and for his video of that event. Thanks to Ahaituki Prema Prabhu for the video and photos me on harinama in Washington Square Park.
Itinerary
September 12–November ?: serve Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami
November ?–December 31: NYC Harinam
– December 6: Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami Vyasa-puja / Hudson Winter Walk harinama
Chanting Hare Krishna in Upstate New York
Patrick chants Hare Krishna at the Chatham Wednesday Program (https://youtu.be/v_f2RGqCFp8):
Later Patrick chanted “Radhe Govinda” there (https://youtu.be/wQWjAekAdtc):
Damodara Priya Devi Dasi sang “Damodarastakam,” but instead of reading the English translation, she then sang the English version of the song made by Kalakantha Prabhu. Here the devotees sing verses 3 to 5 of that English version (https://youtu.be/uNMQy5aihvs?si=-q-ysr3-fvp_5CN4):
After prasadam, Patrick chanted another Hare Krishna tune (https://youtu.be/n1iAaFN_D0A):
Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City on Halloween
Although I was living at Stuyvesant Falls, I planned to return to New York City for Halloween because it is such a good day to interact with the public through our outdoor programs of Hare Krishna chanting. I planned to stay in New York City, but devotees thought I should continue to help out in Stuyvesant Falls, so I parked the car at the Hudson station, and took the last train from New York City to Hudson in the evening to return there.
I took the Amtrak from Hudson to Poughkeepsie and the Metro North from Poughkeepsie to Grand Central Station to save money. From there I found it was just two stops on the subway to Washington Square Park, one on the 4 train to Union Square and another on the R train to 8th Street / NYU. I arrived 10 minutes before 3 p.m., the scheduled time of our harinama, so I chanted japa till then.
I noticed what Gokulendra Prabhu called a Washington Square Park Prophet.
At 3 p.m. I started chanting Hare Krishna with shakers, and Gokulendra Prabhu joined me. The NYC Harinam devotees arrived fifteen minutes late, so I ended up chanting with my shakers until 3:20 p.m., when I began chanting with the harmonium.
Here I chant Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park on Halloween (https://youtube.com/shorts/7zadftJrASI?feature=share):
After I completed my half-hour of chanting with the harmonium, I would interact with people who appeared interested.
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This British couple, who always enjoys encountering the Hare Krishnas, is now based in Amsterdam, a city I went to three times this year, and they were happy to receive an invitation to ISKCON Amsterdam from me.
Earlier I gave someone who spoke to me in French, an invitation to our downtown center in Paris, Yoga Lyrique.
I met a Belgian man, who told me he knew of our Radhadesh castle, and he was happy to receive an invitation to our restaurant and temple in Brooklyn.
I also enjoyed meeting a couple from Bern, Switzerland, and I told them how I attended the Basel Ratha-yatra the previous year.
I took a short video of each of the devotees who led kirtan in Washington Square Park that day:
Gokulendra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park on Halloween (https://youtu.be/SkpD6bVijwk):
Natabara Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park on Halloween (https://youtu.be/Se2Kg6sPeEc):
Radhesa Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park on Halloween (https://youtu.be/l5H3U1NL43I):
Narada Muni Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park on Halloween (https://youtu.be/xv_p08GVYrs):
Devotees did well on book distribution that day, even among the costumed living entities.
Krishna Rai chants Hare Krishna, and kids and parents play shakers and dance in Washington Square Park on Halloween (https://youtube.com/shorts/a4BOgpUDV4k):
One girl was especially into dancing, and she danced to the kirtan several times that afternoon (https://youtu.be/mBj2KRVsJyU):
I gave both her and her mom cookies. Her mom said they often had seen the devotees chanting there in Washington Square Park, and they always enjoy listening to them. I told her about our Sunday feast program, with its over four hours of chanting plus a feast and lecture, and she was interested in coming some time.
Kamesi and Gopal Campu Prabhus danced with joy as Hadai Prana Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna at Washington Square Park on Halloween, and Premamani Devi Dasi also danced with some congregational devotees who had come to join our kirtan (https://youtube.com/shorts/OGc-bp8xDsU?feature=share):
Rama Raya Prabhu planned to chant Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park until 7 p.m., and then do a walking harinama around Greenwich Village as we had done the previous year. The police, however, had another idea. They wanted to kick everyone out of the park at 6 p.m. When they told us to pack up, we were not so enthusiastic to leave. When they returned, they asked why we continued playing when they told us to stop. I thought jokingly we should have said, “We thought that was just your costume!” Anyway, they were adamant, so we had to leave. It turned out good for me because our walking harinama ended around 8:30 p.m., and I had plenty of time to catch my train upstate, and even do some shopping first.
Arcita Prabhu made a nice video that shows our walking harinama in action (https://youtu.be/tz-UwZR5UY4):
I took several clips showing people interacting favorably with our party:
Here Hadai Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Greenwich Village on Halloween, and passersby chant and dance (https://youtu.be/GjN4-INynRs):
I edited the above video for Instagram and for YouTube shorts in order to get more views (https://youtube.com/shorts/oOEvI_g0I7g):
After Hadai led, Mani Manjari Devi Dasi chanted Hare Krishna there in Greenwich Village on Halloween (https://youtube.com/shorts/l4iCjJLoMoM?feature=share):
While she was chanting Hare Krishna, she encouraged some young people to chant the mantra (https://youtube.com/shorts/zhTvg_3tZE0?feature=share):
Later people in costumes danced with the devotees (https://youtube.com/shorts/RhKxclwnsYA?feature=share):
After Mani Manjari led, Rama Raya Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna in Greenwich Village. He brought our whole kirtan party inside a Malaysian restaurant by the name of Rasa (https://youtube.com/shorts/LU6wOCDzsuM?feature=share):
It was so windy that there were white caps on the Hudson River.
I’d never seen that before. It requires a wind of 19–24 m.p.h.
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Preface:
“On the basis of the sankhya philosophy of acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, which maintains that the Supreme Lord is simultaneously one with and different from His creation, Lord Caitanya taught that the most practical way for the mass of people to practice sankhya-yoga meditation is simply to chant the holy name of the Lord. He taught that the holy name of the Lord is the sound incarnation of the Lord and that since the Lord is the absolute whole, there is no difference between His holy name and His transcendental form. Thus by chanting the holy name of the Lord one can directly associate with the Supreme Lord by sound vibration.”
“Anyone who is fortunate enough to be attracted by Lord Caitanya is sure to be successful in his life’s mission. In other words, those who are interested in attaining spiritual existence can easily be released from the clutches of maya by the grace of Lord Caitanya. The teachings presented in this book are nondifferent from the Lord.”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 1:
“In the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya Prahlada Maharaja, while satisfying Lord Nrsimhadeva by his prayers, says, ‘My dear Lord of the universe, I am feeling transcendental pleasure in Your presence and have become merged in the ocean of happiness. I now consider the happiness of brahmananda to be no more than the water in the impression left by a cow’s hoof in the earth, compared to this ocean of bliss.’”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 3:
“Srila Rupa Gosvami remarks in this connection that one who is actually attracted by the beauty of the lotus feet of Sri Krishna or His service, and whose heart, by such attraction, is always full with transcendental bliss, will naturally never aspire after the liberation which is so valuable to the impersonalists.”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 4:
“In the Seventh Canto of the Bhagavatam, Sixth Chapter, verse 25, Maharaja Prahlada says, ‘My dear friends born into atheistic families, if you can please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, then there is nothing more rare in this world. In other words, if the Supreme Lord Krishna is pleased with you, then any desire you may have within the core of your heart can be fulfilled without any doubt. As such, what is the use of elevating yourself by the results of fruitive activities, which are automatically achieved in all events by the modes of material nature? And what is the use for you of spiritual emancipation or liberation from material bondage? If you are always engaged in chanting the glories of the Supreme Lord and always relishing the nectar of the lotus feet of the Lord, then there is no necessity for any of these.’ By this statement of Prahlada Maharaja it is clearly understood that one who takes pleasure in chanting and hearing the transcendental glories of the Lord has already surpassed all kinds of material benedictions, including the results of pious fruitive activities, sacrifices and even liberation from material bondage.”
“In this atmarama verse it is stated that even those who are completely liberated from material contamination are attracted by the transcendental qualities of Lord Krishna. The purport of this verse is that a liberated soul has absolutely no desire at all for material enjoyment; he is wholly freed from all kinds of material desires, yet still he is irresistibly attracted by the desire to hear and understand the pastimes of the Lord. We may therefore conclude that the glories and pastimes of the Lord are not material. Otherwise, how could the liberated persons known as atmaramas be attracted by such pastimes? That is the important point in this verse.”
From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.1–8 in New Vrindaban on May 23, 1969:
“And when I was in New York, one old lady, she used to come to my class. Not in Second Avenue; when I first started in 72nd Street. So she had a son. So I asked, ‘Why don’t you get your son married?’ ‘Oh, if he can maintain a wife, I have no objection.’ . . . And still we are very much proud that we are advancing. Even a bird maintains a wife, even a beast maintains wife. And human being hesitates to maintain a wife? You see? And they are advanced in civilization? Hmm? It is a very horrible age.”
From a class on Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 20.137, in New York on December 6, 1966:
“What is the purpose of concentrating the mind? Just to find out myself, where I am within this body, and then find out where is Lord. This is the perfection of yoga.”
“Because they cannot find out even the particles of the Supreme Lord—we living entities, we are all particles of the Supreme Lord—so if they cannot find out the particle, what there is chance to find out God? So they cannot also find out God.”
“Dharma means rituals. Everyone has got some faith . . . Just like Hindus are going to the . . . temple, and the Christians are going to the church, or Muslims, they are going to the mosque, . . . with idea that ‘Here is God.’ That is, of course, beginning. It is nice. But because they are trapped in simply the rituals, they have no other, further knowledge, so that also cannot help to reach, because they are trapped. Every religious faith . . . Of course, that conviction must be there. But they do not try to make any further advance. They think that ‘Here it is ended. Everything is ended here.’ Therefore they cannot make any progress.”
“So one has to come. Maybe you go by the yoga process, maybe you go by the philosophical process, maybe you go by the ritualistic process, maybe that you go by penances and by study. But unless you reach to this point of Krishna consciousness, your attempt..., not failure, but there are different degrees. So people are satisfied with that different degrees only. . . . Hardly they try to reach the final goal. But if anyone wants to reach the final goal, then he has to take this process of Krishna consciousness . . . That process alone can take you to the Supreme Lord.”
Prishni Devi Dasi:
It was Pascal’s wager that got me to join the Hare Krishnas.
I had a relative in the health care field with a lot of degrees who said 85% of cures are based on the patient’s faith in their doctors. And she was a atheistic Darwinist.
Q (by me): How did Pascal’s wager get you to join the Hare Krishnas?
A: Pascal, known as the father of probability theory, was one of my favorite mathematicians, and he had experienced a mid-life religious conversion. During a philosophy class in graduate school, I encountered his famous “Pascal’s Wager,” which offers a probabilistic argument for why you should believe in God. So I switched my major to linguistics to find the oldest language to begin my search for God. When I learned it was Sanskrit, I began reading Srila Prabhupada’s books.
Edgar Allan Poe:
From his short story, “The Mystery of Marie Rogêt”:
“There are few persons, even among the calmest thinkers, who have not occasionally been startled into a vague yet thrilling half-credence in the supernatural, by coincidences of so seemingly marvellous a character that, as mere coincidences, the intellect has been unable to receive them. Such sentiments . . . are seldom thoroughly stifled unless by reference to the doctrine of chance, or, as it is technically termed, the Calculus of Probabilities. Now this Calculus is, in its essence, purely mathematical; and thus we have the anomaly of the most rigidly exact in science applied to the shadow and spirituality of the most intangible in speculation.”
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Krishna makes the point at the end of Chapter 8 (“Attaining the Supreme”) that if you just engage in His devotional service (bhakti-yoga), you can attain whatever you can get by other processes, plus you attain his spiritual realm. Thus that is best course of action.
vedesu yajñesu tapahsu caiva
atyeti tat sarvam idam viditva
yogi param sthanam upaiti cadyam
“A person who accepts the path of devotional service is not bereft of the results derived from studying the Vedas, performing sacrifices, undergoing austerities, giving charity or pursuing philosophical and fruitive activities. Simply by performing devotional service, he attains all these, and at the end he reaches the supreme eternal abode.” (Bhagavad-gita 8.28)
