Where I Went and What I Did
For week 41 of 2026 I was based at ISKCON NYC in Brooklyn, and I chanted Hare Krishna with Rama Raya Prabhu’s NYC Harinama party every day, except Sunday when I chanted by myself in a Brooklyn subway station for two and a half hours. Wednesday I learned that Drutakarma Prabhu left his body, and I submitted an article about his Forbidden Archeology to ISKCON News to glorify him and so that devotees do not forget that important book. I also wrote an article of more personal remembrance.
I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, and The Nectar of Instruction. I share quotes from Improvisations to Music, Book 2 by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami and notes on classes by Hansarupa, Sri Prahlada, Sri Gopal Pran, and Jagat Saksi Prabhus. I share a quote by Prishni Devi Dasi from a Zoom meeting on God and Science.
Thanks to Sevika Devi Dasi for the video of me chanting Hare Krishna in New York City. Thanks to Madhu Sri Prabhu for his donation. Thanks to the Indian man at the Sunday feast for his kind donations.
Itinerary
September 23–December 31: NYC Harinam
– October 25: Washington, D.C. harinama with Sankarsana Prabhu
– November 1–???: serve Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami at Stuyvesant Falls
Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City
Sevika Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/pFewFdPOZ9s):
After Sevika chanted, she took a video of me chanting there (https://youtube.com/shorts/ZzH_gdc5lN8?feature=share):
Keshava Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan, and a dog owner photographs his dogs (https://youtu.be/sXeWEwKGCkU):
Sri Gopal Pran Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/0TNxAF-tOz4?feature=share):
While he chanted, passersby played shakers and danced (https://youtube.com/shorts/HEiBVu6FF9M?feature=share):
Hadai Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/WpzPSojruJo?feature=share):
While Hadai chanted, a couple women played shakers and danced, and a skateboarder moved to the music as well (https://youtube.com/shorts/EoYoKfPB794?feature=share):
Maha Mantra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Tompkins Square Park on 60th Anniversary, and kids join in (https://youtu.be/uHos8FYrTqo):
Nityananda Chandra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Tompkins Square Park on 60th Anniversary (https://youtube.com/shorts/4IA8RWgLCUM?feature=share):
Pancharatna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Tompkins Square Park on 60th Anniversary (https://youtube.com/shorts/sx53q4qCj0U?feature=share):
Srikar chants Hare Krishna at Tompkins Square Park on 60th Anniversary (https://youtube.com/shorts/5DRmbnL_FPA?feature=share):
Keshava Madhava chants Hare Krishna at Tompkins Square Park on 60th Anniversary (https://youtube.com/shorts/GmmY9tDKNbI):
Ananta Govinda and friends chant Hare Krishna at Tompkins Square Park on 60th Anniversary (https://youtube.com/shorts/ybVtnneZYmg?feature=share):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Tompkins Square Park on 60th Anniversary (https://youtube.com/shorts/fPuSXtsC3ek?feature=share):
Pancharatna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Guru Puja at ISKCON NYC (https://youtube.com/shorts/K5E424lH_Qc?feature=share):
Gokulendra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/MMx94ABYmig?feature=share):
Druti chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan, and a woman dances (https://youtube.com/shorts/3bz_7pjJVdA?feature=share):
Devotee I do not know chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan, and a guy dances (https://youtube.com/shorts/Eo52p4bdNbk?feature=share):
Hadai Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan, and two woman play shakers and dance (https://youtube.com/shorts/FJ7oJLhOqUg?feature=share):
Locanananda Prabhu, who also led kirtan in New York City on Saturday, was the guest master at 340 West 55th St. in 1979 when I came to the temple for the first time. He showed me Science of Self-Realization, and I read enough of it to accept Srila Prabhupada as someone who knew what religion was all about and who had a practice that would lead to realization. It was great to see him again.
Here Locanananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/WHwmEzxuwpM?feature=share):
Here is some more of that kirtan (https://youtube.com/shorts/RGI3CaCeUwE?feature=share):
Sri Prahlada Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 26 Second Avenue (https://youtube.com/shorts/FuHKa15Moic?feature=share):
Meru, who takes more selfies than anyone I know, took this selfie with Sri Prahlada and myself.
Later I showed him the ultimate selfie which was posted on the Official Hare Krishna Humor Facebook page by William James.
When I shared that on my Facebook page, Sri Rangavati Devi Dasi shared a modified version which included Srila Prabhupada in it.
Acarya Nistha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Guru Puja at ISKCON NYC (https://youtube.com/shorts/ru1sNumMelY?feature=share):
Achintya Govinda Prabhu and friends chant Hare Krishna at the Sunday Feast Kirtan at ISKCON NYC (https://youtube.com/shorts/9txvhMuDqtg?feature=share):
Visakha Shyam Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/7WtTFN6FHVY?feature=share):
Srikar Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/ZbjZZCA9xLY?feature=share):
On Wednesday, Hadai Prana Prabhu, still on a roll from cooking for the Tuesday night program, made pizza for breakfast. The flavor of the sauce was perfect, as confirmed by Maha Mantra Prabhu.
That afternoon, I talked to Victoire, who was enjoying listening to the kirtan. She was from Paris, and she was happy to learn about Yoga Lyrique and the Paris temple. I explained the temple was largely attended by Indians, but because she works with Indians she said that was not a problem for her.
Ankit Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/uH7SlJX5o0k?feature=share):
Srikar Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan, and two women dance (https://youtube.com/shorts/HfzVlEx6-pw?feature=share):
Srikar Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan, and a guy dances (https://youtube.com/shorts/s1-iGFzyVes?feature=share):
As Srikar chanted, the guy danced even more (https://youtube.com/shorts/BeNMp_Ds1-8?feature=share):
Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.22.36, purport:
“It is stated in the Gita that those who are in the mode of goodness are promoted to better living conditions in higher planets, and those who are in the mode of passion remain within this material world on the earth or on heavenly planets, but those who are in the mode of ignorance are degraded to an animal life on planets where life is lower than human. But one who is Krishna conscious is above these three modes of material nature. It is stated in Bhagavad-gita that anyone who engages in devotional service to the Lord automatically becomes transcendental to the three destinations of material nature and is situated in the brahma-bhuta [SB 4.30.20], or self-realized, stage.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.22.37, purport:
“Distresses due to cold in winter and severe heat in summer always inflict miseries on the living entities in this material world, but one who has completely taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord in Krishna consciousness is in the transcendental stage; he is not disturbed by any miseries, either due to the body, the mind, or natural disturbances of summer and winter. He is transcendental to all these miseries.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.23.7, purport:
“In the material world, if someone accumulates a million dollars, he is always full of fear because he is always thinking, ‘What if the money is lost?’ But the benediction of the Lord, bhagavat-prasada, is never to be lost. It is simply to be enjoyed. There is no question of loss. One simply gains and enjoys gaining.”
“After devotional life begins, we can achieve the full result of love of Godhead. Love of Krishna is the highest perfection of bhagavat-prasada, or divine mercy. This transcendental achievement is so greatly valuable that no material happiness can compare to it.”
“In his previous life, Narada was a maidservant’s son, but his mother was engaged in the service of great devotees. He got the opportunity to serve the devotees, and simply by eating the remnants of their foodstuff and carrying out their orders he became so elevated that in his next life he became the great personality Narada. For spiritual achievement the easiest path is to take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master and to serve him with heart and soul. That is the secret of success.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.23.8, purport:
“Love of God is not an ordinary commodity. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was worshiped by Rupa Gosvami because He distributed love of God, krishna-prema, to everyone. Rupa Gosvami praised Him as maha-vadanya, a greatly munificent personality, because He was freely distributing to everyone love of Godhead, which is achieved by wise men only after many, many births. Krishna-prema, Krishna consciousness, is the highest gift which can be bestowed on anyone whom we presume to love.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 5.52, purport:
“Having missed the goal of life, materialists run after self-sufficiency, not knowing that material nature is already self-sufficient by the grace of God. Thus creating a colossal hoax in the name of civilization, they create an imbalance in the natural self-sufficiency of material nature.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 5.53:
“The earth, water, fire, air and ether of Vaikuntha are all spiritual. Material elements are not found there.”
From The Nectar of Instruction, Text 3, purport:
“Endeavor executed with intelligence in Krishna consciousness is called utsaha, or enthusiasm.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From Improvisations to Music, Book 2:
“Everything is temporary
and you got KC
so why complain?”
“Nama’s power
be true to it
to hari-nama”
“My dream
will come true,
and it won’t be the kind
that makes me forget my Lord.”
“You never leave us alone
but become the One
before all our zeroes.”
“Remember the old woman who
told her doctor to stop the morphine?
‘I’ve caused others suffering,’ she said,
‘so now let me suffer.’”
“It’s true I love the freedom
the song returned love
to work free of pain
but there is woundedness,
yin and yang, both ways,
the crucified, the risen
the joyful, the heartache
and we must go to Krishna as we are.”
“O Krishna, I ask Your mercy on all
us slow students
who unlike liberated souls
can’t climb to You
until we rid ourselves of
the slow torture
of this
world.”
“All we can do is hope
we can reincarnate somewhere in sari
or dhoti, some temple somewhere
in the CIS or Hong Kong—
a cook in the temple kitchen with
no past bubbling up
so importantly
and only the simple resolve
to march with the Swami
to Vrindavan.”
“Please, Lord, in the times
ahead when we feel
too much pain, please
let us remember You
and find inner peace.”
“O Krishna, please
never leave me,
and may I increase my
gratitude my
awareness—
what I want and can’t seem
to find.
I am a broken man
soft, weak,
and You know how
to strengthen me
to make me a
supple bow
in the hands of
the great preacher.”
“In this shed I beat with hammers
on piano strings to make
a string of words
to serve the Lord
of eternity, bliss, and knowledge.”
“And our minds seeking that peak moment
when we actually hear
Krishna speaking to us.”
“The mind,
the sweet moments of this
life now—may we become free of maya
and live only for God
more tender
and true.”
“Really meant to be a nice fella
the way my Mom and Dad thought
but you know how it is
Prabhupada captured me like
Narada got the ten thousand.”
“What do you expect
peace you want
a piece you get.”
“Write
while you can your
spurts of devotion.”
“When I face God—I cannot.
But I think about Him and resolve
never to leave His camp—that much.”
“The brahmanas’ wives took Krishna into
their hearts, He couldn’t stop
them because they were free to do
what they liked.”
“Don’t forget, a brahmana doesn’t want political power.”
“We simply complained
and got nothing
not realizing
that the Lord of
Vrindavan was here
all the time.
It never entered
my mind.”
“O Bhakti, I’m the happy
Recoverer recluse
singing the story
of a poet (restless) who just
wants a little fruit with his yogurt
and everyone to say he is really
good.”
“I write for You
in me even while I seek You.”
“Radha a star
always with Krishna
and what I want to know is how
such a rough person, an angry person, can be
Krishna conscious. Because he can
because even stubby fingers
can turn the pages of a book
and Krishna can accommodate
even rough souls
turn them smooth
enough to hear
the Krishna conscious melody.”
“Little man we mortals pray
“My song has been laid down by
previous masters, and I repeat it
in my own way
natural my
voice
I don’t invent no
God or sastra.”
“Krishna, Krishna
I was there to commit
many mistakes but
always sang
for Your pleasure
or wished
I did.”
“The sky in this world is
a spark of Your splendor my
song a spark of His song He
empowers me to sing
it here and later
in the spiritual world.”
“Are you pure?
Do you see gopis
at night?”
No, not now, but I tell you
when I do it’ll be no
treat for you.
I’ll keep it to myself.”
“So? I am glad I’m awake
free of the fear of death
for real and
maybe I’ll get through
just once
and even if I don’t chant
if I bite the dust and can’t remember
Krishna
Krishna won’t forget me.”
“Srila Prabhupada said he turned American Airlines
toward serving Krishna because he flew
in their planes
to Dallas
instead of flying
pigeon-back.”
“O tender friend, this
once tormented soul
prays to steer the gang
Your way.”
“I sing I
sit I walk and
trip and look for the holy
because I am supposed to
and not only that
but I really want
to find it.”
“When was I last ecstatic
loving God as a monk loves God?”
“Forgive me
but I won’t give up
working though my anarthas
will hear the master at
his best and live in
old-time
happiness.”
“I want to add that the best
of all music is when the master
makes it with us.
To see him again doing that!”
“Of the first [Gaura-Purnima] I remember
being glad we could break the fast
Rupanuga saw the moon rising from a
tenement roof and rushed into
the storefront to announce it.”
“And I remember being in Mayapura, of course
on a roof, a boss
and torn, I looked down at the masses
of devotees filing into the temple and felt
the specialness of the holy land.
That was the place to be on
Gaura-Purnima
where it actually happened and
still is happening
and where the people
know and love Gaura.”
“There are plenty of ways to please
Lord Hari
your mind
must be
on Him.”
“Yes, I do like the bird
its song is not kirtana but
it can be.
I hear it and say
inside, O Hari!
You’re the one who lifted
Govardhana lifted
the earth on Your tusks
sent Śrila Prabhupada
to lift me
and my generation.”
“You enable singers to sing,
and we hide Your glory
we misfits—but You are the source
of all song
of all sound
vibration.”
“We must out-race
maya and dance
on the temple room floor.
Because we are made to dance.”
Hansarupa Prabhu:
There are no courses on “realized knowledge” in the schools. The closest thing to that is the school of hard knocks.
Srila Prabhupada had many attractive qualities, but his purity was the most attractive quality. People could see that in his demeanor.
Timothy Leary was considered to be a guru, but he was just a drug dealer.
We offer respect to Durga because of her relationship with Krishna not because of what she can do for us.
Sometimes Krishna separates faithless people from the association of devotees so they do not commit further offenses.
The spiritual master expects us to look after each other.
Letting a person sleep through mangala-arati is not friendship, waking him up is.
Prishni Devi Dasi:
From a Zoom meeting on God and Science:
I did a brief review of the history of science when I was twenty-one, and that’s why I became a Hare Krishna. The presentation of the scientists just seemed too fantastic.
Sri Prahlada Prabhu:
The most confidential knowledge is at the very center of the Bhagavad-gita, chapter 9 out of 18.
Bg. 9.34 and Bg. 18.65 are practically the same, and that repetition indicates the verse is very important.
In Bg. 18.65, Krishna says, “If you do these four things, think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me, and offer Me prayers or obeisances, you will become dear to Me.”
We have a tendency in the West to make everything into a metaphor to make it understandable to ourselves, and in this way we make it about ourselves and eliminate Krishna from the picture. Then we do not need to surrender to Krishna any more.
There is a banyan tree at Kurukshetra, and it is said that Krishna spoke the Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna under that tree.
It is said that Srila Prabhupada wanted to build a temple in the form of a chariot at Kurukshetra.
The best examples of always thinking of Krishna are the residents of Vrindavana such as Yasoda and Radharani.
We do not usually consider ourselves devotees, because a devotee is such an exalted personality, like Rupa Goswami.
It can be said there is a hierarchy. Think of Me always. If you cannot do that, then become My devotee. If you cannot become a devotee, at least worship Me. If you cannot worship Me, at least bow down to Me.
Srila Prabhupada really believed that the process of bhakti was so powerful that his disciples could very soon become purified, and many did and thus were empowered to do many important services.
The broad definition of the devotee is to protect us from offending devotees.
Sri Gopal Pran Prabhu:
One becomes happy when he becomes a devotee because his heart is becoming purified.
If we do our service superficially, we will not feel satisfied.
Our material disease has these characteristics:
Bodily identification: Thinking, “I am this body,” rather than understanding that we are eternal spiritual souls.
False ego: Thinking, “I am the controller, the enjoyer, and the proprietor.”Material desires: Believing that lasting happiness will come from acquiring more possessions, recognition, or sensory enjoyment.Envy and resentment: Allowing unfavorable feelings toward others to disturb our consciousness.
Mental speculation: Trying to understand life independently of the revealed knowledge given by Krishna and the spiritual authorities.
In a heart full of gratitude and humility the seed of bhakti can grow.
Weeds can grow that choke the bhakti creeper.
The mind can make you feel that what you are doing is good even when it is not.
Before we attain nistha we have to be very careful.
Jagat Saksi Prabhu:
A materially minded person is concerned with the immediate cause. A spiritually minded person is concerned with the ultimate cause.
A materialistic person tries to seek revenge while a spiritually minded person tries to change his karma.
Buddha said if a monk has not used something in his possession for six months he no longer possesses it.
Buddha said a learned person will silence his achievements and not broadcast them.
King Indradyumna, when cursed by Agastya Muni, deeply considered the reason, and concluded it was his karma and the plan of the Lord.
Do not give the mind more and more information about a situation, and it will not be disturbed by that situation.
It is better to lose an argument and win a person’s heart.
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Different verses in Bhagavad-gita reveal the path to the supreme destination, the kingdom of God. One that is not so often quoted but that is still quite relevant is this one:
etair vimuktah kaunteya
acaraty atmanah sreyas
tato yati param gatim
“The man who has escaped these three gates of hell [lust, greed, and anger], O son of Kunti, performs acts conducive to self-realization and thus gradually attains the supreme destination.” (Bhagavad-gita 16.22)
