Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 22, No. 12
(Week 12: March 19–25, 2026)
New York City, Orlando, Tampa
(Sent from Tallahassee, Florida, on March 28, 2026)
Where I Went and What I Did
For the eleventh week of 2026 I lived in ISKCON NYC in Brooklyn for the first four days. I chanted Hare Krishna in public with the NYC Harinam party of Rama Raya Prabhu from Thursday to Saturday for three to four hours each day. Saturday was so warm we were outside. I also did a walking harinama on Sunday afternoon over the Brooklyn Bridge with about twenty devotees from the Brooklyn temple for a little over an hour. Sunday evening I flew to Orlando, and Monday morning I took the train to Tampa to chant Hare Krishna at the University of South Florida for the rest of the week and to promote their Bhakti Yoga Club on the campus. I attended their club meeting on Wednesday, where I led the chanting of Hare Krishna for about twenty minutes. At night, I attended Vivasvan Prabhu’s Wednesday evening program, which was focused on Lord Rama, whose appearance anniversary was the following day.
I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam and Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, as well as two letters of his. I share quotes from The Stowies and One-Hour Writing Sessions (1993) by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share notes on classes by Vivasvan Prabhu in Tampa and by Rama Raya, Jai Nitai, and Natabara Gauranga Prabhu in Brooklyn.
Many, many thanks to Vivasvan Prabhu, disciple of Srila Prabhupada, for his accommodation, prasadam, transportation, and donation. Many thanks to Anupama Prabhu for paying for my trains to and from the Newark Airport, thus facilitating my New York trip. Many thanks to Bhakta Max for getting me at the Orlando airport and dropping me at Orlando train station. Thanks to Arjuna for his donation in Tampa. Thanks to Lauren who gave me a donation for Perfection of Yoga and to another USF student who gave 50 cents because she liked the music.
Itinerary
January 12–April 10: harinama and college outreach in Tallahassee and Tampa
– March 28: Tallahassee Ratha-yatra
– April 4: Tallahassee Monthly Sankirtana Festival
April 11: St. Augustine Ratha-yatra
April 25: King’s Day in Amsterdam
April 29–May 3: Nrsimha Festival in Simhachalam, Germany
May 4–June 14: NYC Harinam
June 28: Paris Ratha-yatra
Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City
Pandava Bandhava Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Guru Puja Kirtan at ISKCON NYC (https://youtube.com/shorts/V2MoYitUllY?feature=share):
Radha chants Hare Krishna in Queens (https://youtube.com/shorts/3tAN6hx8Avk):
Maya chants Hare Krishna at Bhakti Center Thursday kirtan (https://youtube.com/shorts/UjdR3YgOA20):
Here is some more of that kirtan (https://youtube.com/shorts/arfolnV45MY?feature=share):
Ananda Govinda and family and friends chant Hare Krishna at the Bhakti Center Thursday kirtan (https://youtu.be/lZnIBU395J8):
Jai Nitai Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at ISKCON NYC Guru Puja (https://youtu.be/qL3GJWyjbJQ):
Jai Nitai Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at ISKCON NYC Guru Puja, and devotees dance (https://youtube.com/shorts/s-3y8lWbVxg?feature=share):
Madhurya Rasa Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/SYgJHP1H1hE?feature=share):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtu.be/LHFkXmOes84):
Hadai Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtu.be/WT24Ey3E-L0):
Hadai Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan, and a girl and her mom play shakers (https://youtube.com/shorts/nePCGIfk9x0?feature=share):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna outside in Manhattan (https://youtu.be/RF4sMMMQ1RQ):
Acarya Nistha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in ISKCON Guru Puja Kirtan (https://youtu.be/6wHVss3zuAE):
I am very grateful to the nearly twenty devotees who joined me on harinama across the Brooklyn Bridge on Sunday, my last day in New York. I never know how many devotees will join me, and once time I was only joined by one. I especially thank Tulsi Prabhu and Sri Gopal Prana Prabhu for encouraging others to come out.
Many people took pictures of us, and a good number took invitations and “On Chanting Hare Krishna” pamphlets. A few danced, some for quite a while.
Sitaram Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on the Brooklyn Bridge (https://youtu.be/SPYP2Q3VYxs):
Sitaram Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on the Brooklyn Bridge, and devotees dance in a circle (https://youtu.be/
Pandava Bandhava Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on the Brooklyn Bridge, and two people dance (https://youtube.com/shorts/gSTO67q2nAg?feature=share):
Pandava Bandhava Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on the Brooklyn Bridge, and several young guys dance (https://youtu.be/46zu94OjvZo):
Tulsi Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on the Brooklyn Bridge (https://youtube.com/shorts/NNQ4wobvc_8?feature=share):
Chanting Hare Krishna in Tampa
On Wednesday morning, it occurred to me to make halava to distribute to the students at USF just like I do in Tallahassee for the students at FSU.
Lauren came up to me by the USF library on Wednesday desiring a Perfection of Yoga since the copy she had gotten from another distributor had fallen out of her pocket. She says whenever she sees a Hare Krishna she always buys a book from him, and she thanked me for making this knowledge available. She was happy to accept the halava as well. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone were like that!
I got 8 people to take a photo of our club details one day and 13 people another day. Still no new people came to the event, so it was a bit frustrating. One year at USF I just chanted Hare Krishna for three hours the very day of the event, and 7 people came because I was out there promoting it!
I led the Hare Krishna kirtan at the program, and it was one of the best ones because all of the three people in attendance chanted the mantra and played the shakers until it was time to pack up to leave the room. Everyone was unusually focused, and I praised the club president who led the hatha-yoga before the kirtan for putting everyone in a meditative state of mind. Almost always some people do not chant the mantra the whole time, which makes it feel incomplete to me.
Wednesday evening Vivasvan Prabhu observed Rama Navami, which was the next day. Here he chants “Sita Rama” (https://youtu.be/2fvMJ2ri4AY):
Afterward he chanted Hare Krishna there (https://youtu.be/n9Z0G1V5HWA):
Insights
Smilla Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.15.50:
“O Lord, we therefore offer our respectful obeisances unto Your eternal form as the Personality of Godhead, which You have so kindly manifested before us. Your supreme, eternal form cannot be seen by unfortunate, less intelligent persons, but we are so much satisfied in our mind and vision to see it.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.16.5, purport:
“A devotee should always see that his Vaishnava qualities increase with the advancement of his Krishna consciousness.”
“The devotee’s duty is to be always conscious in his dealings with others, especially with another devotee of the Lord.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.16.23, purport:
“If the authorities or the leaders of society do not give special respect to the brahmanas and Vaishnavas and do not offer them not only sweet words but all facilities, then the path of progress will be lost to human civilization. The Lord personally wanted to teach this, and therefore He offered so much praise to the Kumaras.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.16.25, purport:
“In general, when dealing with devotees, we should not try to find faults. In Bhagavad-gita also it is confirmed that the devotee who faithfully serves the Supreme Lord, even if found to commit a gross mistake, should be considered a sadhu, or saintly person. Due to former habits he may commit some wrong, but because he is engaged in the service of the Lord, that wrong should not be taken very seriously.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.16.26, purport:
“Therefore, just as on a theatrical stage someone takes the part of enemy to the proprietor of the stage, although the play is for a short time and there is no permanent enmity between the servant and the proprietor, so the sura janas (devotees) were cursed by the sages to go to the asura jana, or atheistic families. That a devotee should come into an atheistic family is surprising, but it is simply a show. After finishing their mock fighting, both the devotee and the Lord are again associated in the spiritual planets. That is very explicitly explained here. The conclusion is that no one falls from the spiritual world, or Vaikuntha planet, for it is the eternal abode. But sometimes, as the Lord desires, devotees come into this material world as preachers or as atheists. In each case we must understand that there is a plan of the Lord. Lord Buddha, for example, was an incarnation, yet he preached atheism: ‘There is no God.’ But actually there was a plan behind this, as explained in the Bhagavatam.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.16.31, purport:
“Bhakti-yoga is so powerful that both demigods and asuras can derive its benefits if they always think of the Personality of Godhead. The basic principle of bhakti-yoga is to think of the Supreme Lord always.”
“In the material planets there are different grades of sinful activities, of which disrespecting a brahmana or a Vaishnava is the most sinful. Here it is clearly stated that one can overcome even that grave sin simply by thinking of Vishnu, not even favorably but in anger. Thus even if those who are not devotees always think of Vishnu, they become free from all sinful activities. Krishna consciousness is the highest form of thought. Lord Vishnu is thought of in this age by chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. From the statements of the Bhagavatam it appears that if one thinks of Krishna, even as an enemy, that particular qualification—thinking of Vishnu, or Krishna—cleanses one of all sins.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.17.1, purport:
“The difference between the demigods and ordinary human beings is that the demigods approach authority, whereas the inhabitants of this earth defy authority. If people would only approach the authority, then every adverse condition in this universe could be rectified. Arjuna was also disturbed on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra, but he approached the authority, Krishna, and his problem was solved. The conclusive instruction of this incident is that we may be disturbed by some material condition, but if we approach the authority who can actually explain the matter, then our problem is solved. The demigods approached Brahma for the meaning of the disturbance, and after hearing from him they were satisfied and returned home peacefully.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.17.4, purport:
“When natural disturbances occur on a planet, one should understand that a demon must have taken birth there. In the present age the number of demoniac people is increasing; therefore natural disturbances are also increasing. There is no doubt about this, as we can understand from the statements of the Bhagavatam.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.2.45, purport:
“In conclusion, the individual soul is different from the body, senses, living force and the airs within the body, and above him is the Supersoul, who gives the individual soul all facilities. The individual soul who renders everything to the Supersoul lives very happily within the body.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 2.117, purport:
“Although the use of thoughts and arguments is a most suitable process for inducing an uninitiated person to become a devotee, neophytes in devotional service must always alertly understand Krishna through the vision of the revealed scriptures, the bona fide devotees and the spiritual master. Unless one hears about Sri Krishna from such authorities, one cannot make advancement in devotion to Sri Krishna.”
“The desired change of heart referred to above is visible in the reluctance to do anything not congenial to the devotional way. To create such a change of heart, conclusive discussion about Sri Krishna and His potencies is absolutely necessary.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi, Chapter 3, Summary:
“Only Krishna Himself can explain the confidential loving service performed in the four principal varieties of loving affairs between the Supreme Lord and His devotees. Lord Krishna therefore personally appeared, with His plenary portions, as Lord Caitanya.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 3.1:
“I offer my respectful obeisances to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. By the potency of the shelter of His lotus feet, even a fool can collect the valuable jewels of conclusive truth from the mines of the revealed scriptures.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 3.4:
“May the Supreme Lord who is known as the son of Srimati Saci-devi be transcendentally situated in the innermost core of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has descended in the Age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation has ever offered before: the most elevated mellow of devotional service, the mellow of conjugal love.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 3.11:
“Santa-rasa [the relationship of neutrality] is not given much importance because as soon as there is a slight understanding between the knower and the known, active loving transcendental reciprocations and exchanges begin.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 3.12:
“The descent of Sri Krishna, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, is very purposeful. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that one who knows the truth about Sri Krishna’s descent and His various activities is at once liberated and does not have to fall again to this existence of birth and death after he leaves his present material body. In other words, one who factually understands Krishna makes his life perfect. Imperfect life is realized in material existence, in five different relationships we share with everyone within the material world: neutrality, servitorship, friendship, parental love and amorous love between husband and wife or lover and beloved. These five enjoyable relationships within the material world are perverted reflections of relationships with the Absolute Personality of Godhead in the transcendental nature. That Absolute Personality, Sri Krishna, descends to revive the five eternally existing relationships. Thus He manifests His transcendental pastimes in Vraja so that people may be attracted into that sphere of activities and leave aside their imitation relationships with the mundane. Then, after fully exhibiting all such activities, the Lord disappears.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 3.19:
“I shall personally inaugurate the religion of the age—nama-sankirtana, the congregational chanting of the holy name. I shall make the world dance in ecstasy, realizing the four mellows of loving devotional service.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 3.78, purport:
“Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the father and inaugurator of the sankirtana movement. One who worships Him by sacrificing his life, money, intelligence and words for the sankirtana movement is recognized by the Lord and endowed with His blessings. All others may be said to be foolish, for of all sacrifices in which a man may apply his energy, a sacrifice made for the sankirtana movement is the most glorious.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 3.79, purport:
“But the real fact is that Krishna and His name, being transcendental, are far above all mundane pious activity. Pious activity is on the material platform, but chanting of the holy name of Krishna is completely on the spiritual plane.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 3.81, purport:
“Even though many devotees always think of Krishna, none can surpass the gopis, among whom Radharani is the leader in thinking of Krishna. Radharani’s Krishna consciousness surpasses that of all other devotees. Lord Caitanya accepted the position of Srimati Radharani to understand Krishna; therefore He was always thinking of Krishna in the same way as Radharani.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 3.91, purport:
“Devotees accept only the bare necessities of life to keep themselves fit to act in Krishna consciousness. The balance of their energy is used for developing Krishna consciousness, through which one can be transferred to the abode of Krishna by always thinking of Him, even at the point of death.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 3.97, purport:
“The fact is that in this material world there is no scarcity of anything except Krishna consciousness. Material necessities are supplied by the mercy of the Supreme Lord. We sometimes feel scarcity because of our mismanagement, but the real problem is that people are out of touch with Krishna consciousness. Everyone is engaged in material sense gratification, but people have no plan for making an ultimate solution to their real problems, namely birth, disease, old age and death. These four material miseries are called bhava-roga, or material diseases. They can be cured only by Krishna consciousness. Therefore Krishna consciousness is the greatest benediction for human society.”
From a letter to Vidyapati Dasa on May 3, 1973:
“So if the intelligent men of the world like yourself cooperate with this all-important mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, we can save the world from the state of misery and chaos that now prevails.”
From a letter to Vidyapati Dasa on January 27, 1977:
“You lament that you are not qualified to present Krsna Consciousness properly, but this is the qualification: hold kirtanas with your friends, read passages from my books, distribute prasadam and try to get more people to read the books.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From Stowies:
“Prabhupada used to say you could not go [to the spiritual world] ‘if you lacked the proper visa.’ Of course, he also said that most people don’t even want to go to the spiritual world. Only a small percentage of the population thinks it valuable. If you are among them, and especially if the hankering to go overcomes you at the moment of your death, then you should know what it takes. There are no successful stowaways. You can’t cheat your way there, can’t carry a false passport or even a false motive. The voyage is fueled and the goal achieved only on the strength of your laulyam.”
“Can we say that Prabhupada stowed away the Vedic culture and brought it to us in the West? Few Americans liked it. For that matter, few Indian caste brahmanas liked it either. Even most of his Godbrothers didn’t like it. But he stowed away the Srimad-Bhagavatam, carrying it to New York, then later to Moscow, this elderly, harmless-looking, poverty-stricken sadhu. What they didn’t know was that as he stowed the Bhagavatam, so he stowed us within the culture of bhakti—all these millions of born and unborn jivas, all claimed for Lord Caitanya’s mission. He unleashed us gradually, and we spread as quickly as bioterrorism.”
“Sweet Prabhupada, now you have left us and it seems that every week your disciples are leaving too. Are you stowing them all away to Vaikuntha? Please don’t forget us.”
“Krishna, my ebony king.
“John [Coltrane] showed me God
by George Harrison.”
“Today I also have to write a letter to a girl who is always thinking of God as the order-supplier. I want to tell her to think differently and to accept whatever He gives and serve Him, even though I can’t do it myself.”
“It’s 1976, and I’m on the roof of the first Mayapura building,
It seemed our bliss would never subside.”
“‘I know You are reasonable, all-powerful, and all-merciful, so please do with me as You like.’ It was a prayer of trust.”
“I pray to God not to be a cynic. There’s a reason for everything.”
“Krishna, I’m not against
for the individual, who
needs a break.
“Let that friend wear his
to guru, chairman
and remain liberal
while God saves all us
individuals.”
“I read that the isvaras can do no wrong, even if they appear to act abominably. That’s not true of us earthly religionists. We have to be very careful. Any spot on our white cloth will be seen by everyone and sent out all over the Internet.”
“I want plenty of people around, meaning no one in particular.”
“He returned her wedding ring and called it his karma.”
“Once I had my sannyasa danda well wrapped in plastic to protect it in transit. When I tried to enter Puerto Rico, they insisted I unwrap it. But the tape with which I had sealed it was so tough they couldn’t cut through it even with their knives. When I explained the religious nature of the danda they let me go. In Australia, however, they made me unwind all the cloth and poles, the bastards.”
“Don’t mess around with the Lord.
“Cowherd boys: ‘Krishna, open Your mouth. We want to give You a nice sweet.’ Then they placed a flower in His mouth instead.
“Krishna dressed as a barber’s daughter and served Srimati Radharani to Her amazed ecstasy. All kinds of cheating and posing and stowing away in the realm of divine love.”
From The One-Hour Writing Sessions (1993–94):
“My God is yours, but
August Preceptor,
White Bearded Sistine,
Rage of Almighty,
God at Death,
I know Him
only as I’ve heard
from my spiritual master—
as Krishna the Supreme,
who plays with His dearest
devotees,
but I can’t tell you ’cause
you’re faithless.”
Janananda Goswami:
From Prabhupada in Malaysia:
“While others are busy building houses for themselves, Prabhupada truly built ‘A House For The Whole World To Live In.’”
Vivasvan Prabhu:
The demons were advanced in Vedic knowledge. They just did not want surrender to Krishna.
Formerly God was locked up in the church, but Srila Prabhupada brought God out to the streets.
We call them “inconvenience stores” because they encourage people in breaking all the four principles against sinful activities.
One reason people come to God is because they are in need of money. God has everything, so they ask, “Can I have a little?”
Dasaratha was such a saintly king, he did not want to remain in power till death but set an ideal example by retiring and having his son take over.
The kings are supposed to be more concerned with the citizens than themselves.
The brahmanas are qualified to receive all kinds of charity because they do not keep it for themselves but use it in the service of the Lord.
By accepting the order of the spiritual master we come under the control of the spiritual energies and become free from the control of the material energy.
I stayed a Fogel Ashram in 1976. Across the street is a Sita-Rama temple, and all day and night the devotees enthusiastically chant Sita-Rama there, and it was very inspiring.
I was in Vrindavan with Srila Prabhupada on Rama Navami in 1976, and Prabhupada told the devotees they could take prasadam at 4 p.m. We were all happy about that.
Rama Raya Prabhu:
Narada is an ideal sannyasi, and in Lord Caitanya’s pastimes he appears as an ideal grhastha, Srivasa Thakura.
The sun is perhaps the most important representative of the Lord in this world because all life is dependent upon the sun.
If you fail to conquer your mind and senses, you will not be successful in life although may conquer this land or that land.
This body is like a rental car. Thus suicide is rejected as criminal as it would be criminal to destroy a rental car.
In his final instructions to King Pariksit just three chapters before he is bit by the snake-bird this verse appears: kaler dosa nidhe.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura did not have to have his disciples vow to give up meat-eating, intoxication, illicit sex, and gambling, because the people at that time and place were not inclined to engage in them.
Jai Nitai Prabhu:
Commonly people think surrender means giving up.
Surrender in Sanskrit is saranagati means “going for [agati] shelter [sarana]”.
Surrender may not be giving up something but using that thing in Krishna’s service.
Surrender is a gradual process but a certain one.
We scroll on our phone hoping that the next scroll will bring us the ultimate experience.
Comment by Chatamayi Devi Dasi: Srila Prabhupada, siksa-guru, Sridhara Maharaja said surrender is like getting dressed. You get dressed for a purpose. The purpose is Krishna-prema.
Comments by me not spoken:
In japa you can realize how surrendered or unsurrendered you are.
Because Krishna is omniscient and compassionate, surrendering to Him makes sense.
Govinda Priya Devi Dasi:
When Srila Prabhuapada was asked about the reason for his success, often he would point to his bead bag.
How can the holy name transform the world in amazing ways? The holy name purifies us so we can follow the infallible directions given by Krishna, and then great things can happen.
If we stay in the shower, we are guaranteed to become clean. How dirty we were before we got into the shower affects how long that will take.
Our sadhana is like sharpening a tool for use in Krishna’s service.
If we have the desire to become instruments for guru and Gauranga, we can come empowered.
Pray to say something that will touch the hearts of the people.
Find something you like to do for Krishna and distraction will be minimized.
Comment by me:
When Rama Raya Prabhu moved his harinama party from the Lower East Side to Harlem, he gave a little speech at the Bhakti Center, where we had attended services.
He said that he just wanted to create a daily harinama-sankirtana program, but he ended up also creating a brahmacari ashram and a book distribution party, which he had not intended to.
Natabara Gauranga Prabhu:
In the Mahabharata it is said that if you protect dharma then dharma will protect you and if you destroy dharma then dharma will destroy you.
Because Lord Caitanya is Radha Krishna, all the benedictions of relationship with Radha Krishna can be obtained by pleasing Him by doing sankirtana.
-----
When people ask for my blessings, often I quote this verse, and say, “May you always remember Lord Caitanya.”
kathañcana smrte yasmin
vismrte viparitam syat
sri-caitanyam namami tam
“Things that are very difficult to do become easy to execute if one somehow or other simply remembers Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. But if one does not remember Him, even easy things become very difficult. To this Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu I offer my respectful obeisances.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 14.1)
