Where I Went and What I Did
The fifteenth week of 2026 was a time of travel. I started out chanting in Depot Park in Gainesville on Thursday, then in Alachua I was interviewed by Namamrita Prabhu of the Alachua community and had a wonderful dinner with Panca Tattva and Yauvanananda Prabhus. Friday I chanted Hare Krishna in public in Gainesville with Krishna House devotees midday and with Alachua devotees in the afternoon and at the Alachua temple sandhya-arati. On Saturday I went to the St. Augustine Ratha-yatra and harinama, and I chanted Hare Krishna at the Deland temple sandhya-arati. Sunday I spoke at the midday program at Deland, and I chanted Hare Krishna on harinama with Devarsi Narada Prabhu and his wife and a friend in Orlando.
The last three days of the week I chanted with NYC Harinama at Washington Square Park every day.
I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam and Sri Caitanya-caritamrita. I share quotes from ISKCON in 1970s and Bhakti Haiku and Essays, Book 1 by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share notes on classes by Hridayananda Dasa Goswami in Alachua and by Rama Raya and Vraja Mohan Prabhus in New York City. I share realizations from a car conversation with Rasika Madhava Prabhu of Orlando.
Many thanks to Dattatreya Prabhu for his very generous donation. Thanks to Pran Govinda Prabhu for allowing me to stay at his ashram. Thanks to Trivikrama Prabhu for his rides from Gainesville harinama to Pran Govinda Prabhu’s ashram and from there the next morning to St. Augustine. Thanks to Pancha Tattva Prabhu for the wonderful dinner and the ride to Gainesville for harinama. Thanks to Rasika Mangala Prabhu for his ride from St. Augustine to Deland. Thanks to Namamrita Prabhu for the ride from Gainesville to Alachua and then to Pancha Tattva Prabhu’s place as well as for the stomach medicine. Thanks to Jagannatha Caran Prabhu for his ride from Deland to the Deland temple. Thanks to Hari Vilasa Prabhu for his ride from Islip airport to Islip LIRR and the wonderful Ekadasi lunch. Thanks to Avinash for his ride from Deland to Orlando. Thanks to Madhurya Rasa Devi Dasi for the video of me chanting with NYC Harinam in Manhattan. Thanks to Nartana Priya Devi Dasi for the video of me chanting at University of Florida. Thanks to the park photographer who took some photos of me there.
Itinerary
April 13–25: NYC Harinam
April 25: Fly to Amsterdam
April 26: Amsterdam harinama
April 27: King’s Day in Amsterdam
April 28–29: Harinama Ruci harinamas between Radhadesh and Simhachalam
April 29–May 3: Nrsimha Festival in Simhachalam, Germany
May 4–June 14: NYC Harinam
– June 13: New York Ratha-yatra
June 28: Paris Ratha-yatra
Chanting Hare Krishna in Gainesville
As my winter in Florida came to an end, I was happy to be chanting Hare Krishna and dancing with devotees from ISKCON Alachua and Krishna House at University of Florida midday on Friday.
I arrived first and thus led the first kirtan (https://youtu.be/Fy0r6_-mb4k):
Purusartha Prabhu plays the bass and chants Hare Krishna at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida (https://youtu.be/mDykfiwK_MA):
Panca Tattva Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the University of Florida in Gainesville (https://youtu.be/xcYXpWZe_C4):
Nartana Priya Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at University of Florida (https://youtu.be/qsv7LbG7lMk):
Advaita Prabhu and friends chant Hare Krishna at University of Florida (https://youtu.be/Hal8RbAUxGQ):
Advaita Prabhu and friends chant Hare Krishna some more at University of Florida (https://youtu.be/QFSFpt9kvaA):
Rocio and friends chant Hare Krishna at University of Florida (https://youtu.be/hRqIlx77vBM):
Rocio chants Hare Krishna at University of Florida (https://youtu.be/Z6j3KBNYmMc):
Godruma Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at University of Florida entrance with Alachua devotees (https://youtu.be/ED2MjqJsA3o):
Danesvara Swami chants Hare Krishna at University of Florida entrance with Alachua devotees (https://youtube.com/shorts/D1SV9PIKNzw?feature=share):
Nagaraja Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at University of Florida entrance with Alachua devotees (https://youtube.com/shorts/ZM2pVlqAgHs?feature=share):
Yudhisthira Prabhu plays guitar and chants Hare Krishna at University of Florida entrance with Alachua devotees (https://youtube.com/shorts/xjBkhK5oLAo?feature=share):
Chanting Hare Krishna in St. Augustine
Here devotees chant Hare Krishna near the beginning of the St. Augustine Ratha-yatra (https://youtube.com/shorts/7dCq8Zk4c2A?feature=share):
A couple of Ratha-yatra fans enjoy playing shakers (https://youtube.com/shorts/6V0b2ddQYSg):
Later that couple amazed me by pulling the cart for the rest of the Ratha-yatra (https://youtube.com/shorts/lVqliRaY770?feature=share):
The couple are not seriously practicing devotees, but they love Ratha-yatras, and they told me they saw the schedule on our web site (https://festivalofchariots.org). They said they went to the Daytona Beach Ratha-yatra four weeks before.
Here devotees chant Hare Krishna near the middle of the St. Augustine Ratha-yatra (https://youtu.be/c6m0bBuwrsE):
I lent my shakers to a young couple at the end of the Ratha-yatra, and they enjoyed playing them. I inquired where they were from, and they replied, “Ukraine.” They said they did not know English very well, so I engaged one of the Russian dancers in speaking with them. She was so inspiring that the couple stayed for the rest of the festival, including the nearly two-hour harinama on St. George St.
The Ukrainian woman, in white, was happy to dance with the Russian dancers.
Here Rocio and Kunti Devi Dasi of Krishna House chant Hare Krishna at the St. Augustine Ratha-yatra stage show, and a woman plays shakers (https://youtu.be/X6FWfef8zsY):
Devotees chant Hare Krishna on St. Augustine harinama (https://youtu.be/F9sGEu5KS-s):
As the harinama continued, passersby would happily dance with the devotees (https://youtube.com/shorts/loppMfZ1Vtc?feature=share):
Here a family plays shakers on St. Augustine harinama (https://youtube.com/shorts/u5oC5nKtdV8?feature=share):
Here boys in scout uniforms dance with devotees in St. Augustine harinama as Bhadra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtube.com/shorts/_dwqHYV52_M):
Mahatma Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at St. Augustine Ratha-yatra stage show (https://youtu.be/1mukrMk1_pI):
Later I gave some passersby some shakers which they happily played (https://youtu.be/S0tdvlvFzL8):
I was hoping to do harinama with the Deland devotees after their Sunday feast, which they sometimes do, but there was a birthday party that day and some of the people were involved in that so the temple president said it would not work out.
I asked some of my friends from Orlando if they could drive me there to do harinama and if I could stay the night with them and fly out the next day. Avinash was busy with Orlando temple commitments, but Devarsi Narada Prabhu was free and happy to do harinama with me so that’s what happened.
Devarsi Narada Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, with his wife and a friend, in Orlando off of International Drive (https://youtu.be/ktOm4kuT8_c):
Later a passersby took a selfie video of herself and her partner playing the shakers and dancing with us (https://youtube.com/shorts/dvraPFRfsxA?feature=share):
Because the weather was great and there are lots of young people in Washington Square Park, we chanted there the whole week.
Monday:
A park photographer asked to take a photo of me. After he did, I suggested he take one for me.
Tulasi Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtu.be/6A32NnCLe4U):
Madhurya Rasa Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtu.be/TFWwcfIPv2M):
Srikar chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/94hXdCd_fT0?feature=share):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/4sHbWkYJa1I?feature=share):
Tuesday:
Param Brahma Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan, and a guy dances while balancing a bike (https://youtu.be/n4iA9io7W34):
Maha-mantra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/QCYFCZAidH8?feature=share):
Sevika Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/TZabwGJ_2F0?feature=share):
As she sang, a guy played shakers and danced (https://youtube.com/shorts/qmsKuW7ChfE?feature=share):
Kairava chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/vyQFQzx2Uu4?feature=share):
Later devotees danced as she sang (https://youtube.com/shorts/N0oVg_OHRXM?feature=share):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan again (https://youtube.com/shorts/ky4ZXpp5ShE?feature=share):
Wednesday:
On April 15, we had more devotees than usual on harinama because a couple of devotees who sometimes join us had birthdays that day, namely Keshava Madhava and Dhruti, and they came, along with their friends, to celebrate.
Keshava Madhava chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/QSAn-7H_CRQ?feature=share):
Keshava Madhava chants Hare Krishna, and devotees and passersby dance (https://youtu.be/w-kKAH19CyU):
Dhruti chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/izDGLDh6d-8?feature=share):
Hrith chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/c29ammrNqew?feature=share):
I also chanted there in Manhattan, inspiring Natabara Gauranga Prabhu to dance (https://youtube.com/shorts/YSVkE9m0vF8?feature=share):
Vasudev chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan, and a guy plays shakers and dances while balancing a tire (https://youtube.com/shorts/KES11i9BHgI?feature=share):
Here is more from Vasudev (https://youtu.be/6LL7yeOvsZY):
Do you find yourself always running out of dish soap? Perhaps you just need a larger bottle, like they have in Deland.
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.6.37, purport:
“Every living being is anxious for full freedom because that is his transcendental nature. And this freedom is obtained only through the transcendental service of the Lord. Illusioned by the external energy, everyone thinks that he is free, but actually he is bound up by the laws of nature. A conditioned soul cannot freely move from one place to another even on this earth, and what to speak of moving from one planet to another. But a full-fledged free soul like Narada, always engaged in chanting the Lord's glory, is free to move not only on earth but also in any part of the universe, as well as in any part of the spiritual sky. We can just imagine the extent and unlimitedness of his freedom, which is as good as that of the Supreme Lord. There is no reason or obligation for his traveling, and no one can stop him from his free movement. Similarly, the transcendental system of devotional service is also free. It may or may not develop in a particular person even after he undergoes all the detailed formulas. Similarly, the association of the devotee is also free. One may be fortunate to have it, or one may not have it even after thousands of endeavors. Therefore, in all spheres of devotional service, freedom is the main pivot. Without freedom there is no execution of devotional service. The freedom surrendered to the Lord does not mean that the devotee becomes dependent in every respect. To surrender unto the Lord through the transparent medium of the spiritual master is to attain complete freedom of life.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 4.226:
“Lord Caitanya is Sri Krishna Himself, the absolute enjoyer of the love of the gopis. He Himself assumes the role of the gopis to taste the predominated happiness of transcendental mellows. He appeared in that mode, but simultaneously He propagated the religious process for this age in a most fascinating way. Only the confidential devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu can understand this transcendental secret.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From ISKCON in the 1970s:
“We forget from one day to the next and we forget from one life to another, one body after another. Lord Krishna pointed this out to his disciple, Arjuna, in the Bhagavad-gita: ‘Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them but you cannot.’ That is the difference between God and man: He never forgets, we do. Krishna had just stated that He first spoke the Gita to the sun-god millions of years ago, and Arjuna then inquired, ‘How could You have spoken millions of years ago since You are my contemporary?’ Krishna instructed Arjuna that we are all eternal beings— Arjuna was also present in another identity millions of years ago, but he cannot be expected to remember it since he is not as good as God.”
“Don’t become another ‘Christian party.’ Christ said, ‘Thou shalt not kill,’ and they killed him first. They started their life by killing him. Still they are killing, and yet they claim to be Christians.
“Don’t violate all the rules and still claim to be Krishna’s. ‘We must follow what Krishna says, then we are Krishna’s.’”
“Concerning social elevation, why be so eager to elevate within the prison from third-class to first-class prisoner? Everyone in material life is a prisoner. Vedic society teaches us how to become free and go back to Krishna, never mind sudra, vaisya, whatever—He takes everyone. But we are more concerned with the prison facilities. No knowledge.”
“Out of love we should not fight, husband and wife, between Godbrothers, or break rules. Out of love we should try to surrender to devotional service. Preach out of spontaneous love or at least out of duty (love in deep gratefulness to the spiritual master for what he has given us).”
“We have to admit that there has been a change since Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance. Because he was personally present to sit us all down together before him, he was able to correct the party spirit of the grhastha-sannyasi debates. He is not present in the same way now to solve such disagreements, which regrettably still go on among his devotees. This means that now we have to be even more sober, and it is expected that we will be, since we have grown up over the years. If we study Prabhupada’s vani, and if we all act humbly as servants, we can still come before him—at least in spirit—and try to solve our problems.”
“In some of the ongoing debates that continue in ISKCON, there is often intricate discussion of detailed arguments. We might better take the advice Prabhupada gives as quoted in this chapter: ‘When too many questions were asked, he said, “Too much detail will make us lose the central thing.”’ When hearing both sides as to why sannyasis should be allowed to take men from the temples, or why the temples should not be disturbed by the sannyasis, Prabhupada kept emphasizing, ‘Why this party feeling?’ Even more important than the rightness or wrongness of the individual arguments was the need to stop the party spirit, which could crack the movement’s unity. Everyone should be a servant, Prabhupada said.”
“As for our ambitious natures, Prabhupada gave us plenty to aspire for: ‘As I have five thousand disciples, or ten thousand, so you have ten thousand each. In this way, create branches and branches (of the Caitanya tree).’”
“The chanting, Bhaktivinoda says, is the only substance, the only solace. It is nothing material, the chanting: Ajamila called the name of Narayana and was saved. Then he said batches of devotees should come to Mayapur so there are always five hundred men here. A devotee said that in America, they are trying to chant more, twelve hours a day, trying to get a twenty-four-hour kirtana schedule. Yes, everywhere, Srila Prabhupada said. This chanting should go on. Instead of meetings, resolutions, dissolutions, revolutions, and no solution, there, should be chanting.”
“It is significant that most Western philosophers were never deep students of Vedic knowledge in their dismissal of theism, and that if they did read the Vedas, it was not according to the authorized method of studying under the guidance of a spiritual master.”
From Bhakti Haikus and Essays, Book 1:
“I can’t walk
there will be some
relief when it’s all over”
“I sit back watching my Prabhupada murti
and pray that he will
accept this as devotional service”
“I pray to see Them
not as brass
but sac-cid-ananda vigraha”
“all my authored books
will not save me
maybe SPL”
“I sit in silence
and write before dawn
God has given me this vocation”
“my Swami’s books will last
ten thousand years
His followers have to read them”
“in the end Aquinas said
all his books proving God
were like dry straw”
“yawning I remember
Krishna defeated Siva
with a yawning weapon”
“he painted ‘Starry Night’
but died poor crazy and unknown
now his pictures sell for millions
the world is cruel”
“the body is breaking down
but the spirit feels young
for the octogenarian”
“I sometimes get confused—
are we living at Stuyvesant Falls?
wherever you are chant Hare Krishna on beads!”
“the Namacarya prayed
‘Please let me die before
You leave Your worldly pastimes’”
“damn the critics
write from your heart
be humble”
“K.C. haiku aren’t easy
but if everyone were doing them
it would be a better world”
“my first question: ‘Is misery eternal?’
in answer he told me ‘yes ...
but there is a spiritual world’”
“the poets and philosophers
used to place a skull on their desk
to remind them”
“the joints of the old donkey
are tight and tender
but he’s not his body”
“he was disowned by his parents
they knew nothing of his guru
the eternal father”
“‘don’t think this won’t
happen to you,’ Master appearing
to be ailing in his last days”
“he is being punished
for chanting Hare Krishna
but Caitanya has his back”
“who or where would I be
if I hadn’t met
my spiritual master Prabhupada”
“my own life I
want to turn it over
to Prabhupada if he’ll take me”
“on my deathbed
may I remember
my spiritual master who was kind to me
he gave me service”
“Bashō wrote that his last
utterance was not his death poem
but all of them were death poems”
“I want to live forever
as a servant of Guru
and the Lord”
“checkered record
I repent
depending on his mercy”
“New Year’s Eve
“They will celebrate in Times Square
with the lowering of a big ball
in freezing cold
“everyone getting drunk
wasting life
which should be spent
in bhajana and sadhana”
“sacrifice everything for Krishna
‘that’s asking too much’
says the conditioned soul”
“my question was
inaudible and confused
his answer perfectly clear:
‘you ask me if misery is eternal
material misery will be repeated
but spiritually it can be stopped.’”
“he said my statement,
‘I’ll try’ was too weak
but it’s all I’ve got”
“don’t copy others
try to keep remembering the
best years and moments with him”
“he will always be with me
and I will always be with him
he lives forever”
“you said you had a key to the back door of Goloka
will you take me with you?
can I bring my friends?”
“look for a miracle
something better than good—
the Lord is kind to submissive devotees”
“when I was still married
Srila Prabhupada wrote to us
“do you know what is upma?”
we were thrilled to receive
his handwritten recipe”
“Don’t forget Krishna in
your haiku He is the
root of all that be”
“how sweet was the podcast
last night they gave me
two hours of Q and A
about Swamiji in 1966”
“in the preliminary stage
of devotional service
they relish the transcendental pleasure
from the service itself
“in the mature stage
they are actually situated
in love of God
“once situated in that transcendental position
they relish the highest perfection
exhibited by the Lord in His abode”
“thus the realized souls in Krishna consciousness
take continual pleasure in hearing
such transcendental literatures
just as a young boy and girl
take pleasure in association”
“hitting a streak of
three simple liners
like home runs”
“since 1966 I poured out
my memories to the podcasters
two hours without a headache”
“my Prabhupada murti
living with me
since 1978 reciprocal love”
“we used to say
‘keep on truckin’’
now we say ‘Jaya Radhe!’”
“where is Krishna
in the moment
of an ordinary day?”
“day after day no mail
he utters half-jokingly
‘nobody loves me!’”
Hridayananda dasa Goswami:
From a class in Alachua on April 10, 2026:
There are different words for husband and wife:
Bharta – maintainer (husband)
Bharya – who is maintained (wife)
It is interesting to note that eating too little or sleeping too little are against the principles of Krishna. (Bg. 6.16)
The word bhoga comes from the root bhuj meaning to enjoy.
A topic that Krishna mentions and talks about a lot more than we do is the three modes of material nature.
You may be offering food to Krishna, but those foods are in the modes of nature.
If you think “the mode of goodness is higher, therefore, I will not engage my passion in Krishna’s service” then that passion will come out in another way.
“Ignite” comes from the Sanskrit agni.
Verse 4.24
sam-a-dhi: has three
san – means together
a – an intensifier
dhi- absorbing the mind
The prefix san in Sanskrit meaning “together” comes into English as “syn.”
The word jana meaning people in Sanskrit appears in English words like gentile and generation.
Pariksit recognized the personality of Dharma because he refused to blame anyone else for his suffering.
If we take it that “I am a victim” and “that person caused my suffering” is a complete description of what happened, we are ignoring the hand of God and the law of karma, and we will not be able to attain liberation.
Anukampam which means compassion comes from anu which means following and kampam which means trembling. So one who is trembling along with you has compassion.
Words like politics derive from puri or city.
We have to keep the ideal of husband and wife in Kali-yuga although so many people are unqualified. Otherwise things will go to hell.
The monarchy in the Vedic conception was a constitutional monarchy not an absolute monarchy. The king had to follow the parliament which was the assembly of brahmanas. Kings had to follow dharma.
Too much guilt means you are not paying attention to Krishna, who is all good, but to yourself.
Krishna says throughout the Gita that our consciousness is covered. We just have to remove the covering.
Question (by Mahananda Prabhu via WhatsApp): “You were talking about the verse tat te nu kampam... that we shouldn’t feel like the victims. How to get to that stage? I guess faking it doesn’t work.”
A: Like other aspects of devotional service, we have to practice. We have to ask the deities for their mercy.
I took it as a new devotee that I had discovered a pure soul who is serving God and I was serving him.
Tolerating the minor offenses of others is part of our tapasya. We do not do other austerities in this age. The austerity in this age is simply to live with each other.
I always worried about “more tolerant than a tree” because people carve their initials in trees.
In this movement, if you have false ego, watch out!
Revealing your mind is meant to be with people who have earned your love not with everyone on social media.
Rama Raya Prabhu:
Hiranyakasipu was the personification of what not to be.
Yamuna said that George Harrison told her that he could promote her to be the most famous of female singers, but she declined because she feared it would distract from her service to Srila Prabhupada.
Aksaya Tritiya is the appearance day of the deity of Radha-ramana. Also it is the first day of Satya-yuga and the appearance day of Lord Parasurama. It is also the beginning of the candana-yatra.
One disciple wondered if the tests from Krishna keep coming. Srila Prabhupada indicated that at some point you do pass all the tests and you are no longer tested.
The great devotees lead lives that we can emulate.
Srila Prabhupada indicated different great devotees took birth in different places to assist him in spreading the Krishna consciousness movement.
Rasika Madhava Prabhu:
From a car conversation:
In India you have probably all kinds of “sadhus” from those who are complete crooks to those who talk with God.
When the Lord appeared to Precetas, he did not congratulate them on their penance but on their mutual cooperation during their penance.
A lot of devotees have some kind of fall down but with the leaders you notice it more.
When I read Caitanya-caritamrita I developed the faith that by the mercy of the Lord anything was possible.
Vraja Mohan Prabhu:
We know the politicians will not keep their promises, but still we vote for them.
If you are God conscious you can be satisfied in any situation.
Real ksatriyas would sacrifice their lives to keep their word.
Comment by Chatamayi Devi Dasi: One devotee told me, “Krishna does not facilitate peace. Krishna facilitates ecstacy.”
-----
The spiritually purification resulting from acts of devotion to the Supreme Lord is highlighted in this verse which I once memorized but forgot. This year I plan to rememorize it.
yan-namadheya-sravananukirtanad
yat-prahvanad yat-smaraṇad api kvacit
svado ’pi sadyah savanaya kalpate
kutah punas te bhagavan nu darsanat
“To say nothing of the spiritual advancement of persons who see the Supreme Person face to face, even a person born in a family of dog-eaters immediately becomes eligible to perform Vedic sacrifices if he once utters the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or chants about Him, hears about His pastimes, offers Him obeisances or even remembers Him.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.33.6)
