Where I Went and What I Did
During the beginning of the thirty-third week of 2026, I flew to Prague, Czech Republic, to participate with the Czech devotees in their four days of sharing of kirtan and prasadam at a rock concert called the Trutnoff Open Air Festival. There was so much kirtan that it was like a kirtan mela for me, and I got to see some of my old friends from Poland and Czech Republic. I took many, many video clips of all the ecstatic kirtans there. Monday I chanted at arrivals at the Prague airport for an hour before my flight back to Paris, and the last two days of the week, I lived at ISKCON Paris in Sarcelles and chanted with Paris devotees at Stalingrad and Hotel de Ville.
I share quotes from a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam by Srila Prabhupada. I share quotes from Writing Sessions in Cozzile by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami and notes on classes by Niranjana Swami, Bhakti Carudesna Swami, and Vraja Krishna Prabhu.
Thanks to Vidyavacaspati Prabhu for his rides to and from the Prague airport. Thanks to Narakriti Prabhu for his ride to Trutnov and to the sound man at the festival for his ride back to Prague. Thanks to Govinda’s in Prague for all the nice prasadam at the festival. Thanks to Radhanandini Dasi for the photo of me holding an umbrella over Radhanath Swami at Berlin Ratha-yatra in 2005. Thanks to Pavani Devi Dasi for the wonderful prasadam for my return journey to Paris. Thanks to Gourakaruna Prabhu for the photos and videos of me chanting and dancing at the Trutnoff festival.
Itinerary
June 16–August 28: Paris harinamas
‒ August 25–27: Balarama Festival at New Mayapur
August 29: Fly to India
August 30–September 21: Mayapur harinamas
September 22: Paris harinama
September 23: Return to New York
September 24: NYC Harinam
September 25: harinama to promote Philadelphia Ratha-yatra
September 26: Philadelphia Ratha-yatra
Chanting Hare Krishna in Czech Republic
Vraja Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna through vendor area at Trutnoff Open Air Festival (https://youtube.com/shorts/DM38YPlsNpI?feature=share):Narayani chanted the first Hare Krishna at the Krishna Camp at Trutnoff Open Air Festival this year (https://youtube.com/shorts/CLdygu1fByw?feature=share):
Punya Palaka Prabhu, the organizer of our Krishna Camp, chants Hare Krishna at that camp at the Trutnoff Open Air Festival (https://youtube.com/shorts/Cl5ooDu3fn0?feature=share):
As during many of the kirtans, I would play the shakers and dance to the side of the stage as you can see here (https://youtube.com/shorts/MquFz_2rzG4?feature=share):
Vraja Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the Krishna Camp at Trutnoff Open Air Festival on Thursday (https://youtube.com/shorts/frUhD0pq9rM?feature=share):
Vraja Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Camp at Trutnoff Thursday, and devotees dance (https://youtube.com/shorts/ameA4adjZV0?feature=share):
Here I chant Hare Krishna at the Krishna Camp at Trutnoff Open Air Festival the last kirtan on Thursday night (https://youtube.com/shorts/FpcqGn7pbUg?feature=share):
Vraja Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Trutnov harinama, and a passerby chants and dances (https://youtube.com/shorts/a6yALGGJ0ys?feature=share):
I talked to that enthusiastic young man, who fortunately knew English. He accepted the “On Chanting Hare Krishna” and invitations to our temple and restaurant in Prague. He already knew of Govinda’s.
Vraja Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Trutnov harinama, and two passersby dance (https://youtube.com/shorts/JaCi9xG6Vus?feature=share):
Later some guys danced with our harinama party (https://youtube.com/shorts/u4lNf773f8k?feature=share):
Varada Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at a tea stall at Trutnoff Open Air Festival, and people dance (https://youtube.com/shorts/m9OpOLIr9HQ):
Pavani Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at the Krishna Camp at Trutnoff Open Air Festival on Friday afternoon (https://youtube.com/shorts/yWqFej5fjvU?feature=share):
While she sang, people danced (https://youtube.com/shorts/VO8CzV3BxLM?feature=share):
After Pavani chanted, Jayagurudeva Prabhu, a Srila Prabhupada disciple from Prague, played devotional songs on guitar. I have no video as I chose to play the shakers and sing the response. I enjoyed talking with him as he is a senior devotee with a lot of appreciation for the writing and painting of my guru, Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami.
Viryavan Prabhu of Poland, who came with his wife, Radhanandini Dasi, and with Kavicandra Prabhu, chants “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya” at Krishna Camp at Trutnoff Open Air Festival (https://youtube.com/shorts/kLd0yAKi-rM?feature=share):
Viryavan Prabhu chants “Govinda Jaya Jaya” at the Krishna Camp at Trutnoff Open Air Festival (https://youtube.com/shorts/faL3D9t9ytw?feature=share):faL3D9t9ytw
Viryavan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the Krishna Camp at Trutnoff Open Air Festival (https://youtube.com/shorts/GNHXwTuRv-Y?feature=share):GNHXwTuRv-Y
Here he chants another Hare Krishna tune there (https://youtube.com/shorts/fQxP7Rin_z8?feature=share):
Here he chants a third Hare Krishna tune there (https://youtube.com/shorts/ouBGsVG_2F0?feature=share):
Kavicandra Prabhu engages the Krishna Camp audience in chanting Hare Krishna at Trutnoff Open Air Festival (https://youtube.com/shorts/ie3fyK9fy9g?feature=share):
As Kavicandra Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna there, devotees danced in a circle (https://youtube.com/shorts/tdu0gNAt-CM?feature=share):
Kavicandra Prabhu chants another Hare Krishna tune at Trutnoff, and people sway to the music (https://youtube.com/shorts/kW5ZNzDLXqY):
Kavicandra Prabhu chants his final Hare Krishna tune at Krishna Camp at Trutnoff, and people sway to the music (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Z228xXx7LJ4):
Vraja Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the Krishna Camp at Trutnoff Open Air Festival on Friday (https://youtube.com/shorts/m-q0zeXL7tQ):
Later as Vraja Krishna Prabhu chanted devotees danced (https://youtube.com/shorts/9xqTZq9ED4A?feature=share):
Here is more from Vraja Krishna (https://youtube.com/shorts/2b2XUUTE8rI):
At one point, Vraja Krishna engaged the audience in chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra (https://youtube.com/shorts/qM_s0FcQPe4?feature=share):
On Saturday afternoon a band of Trutnov devotees played a few songs. Here they chant “Govinda Jaya Jaya” (https://youtube.com/shorts/Zk2HgEBZxrc?feature=share):
A band of Trutnov devotees chants Hare Krishna there at the Trutnoff festival (https://youtube.com/shorts/hU2Z93NpMDE?feature=share):
Then the Trutnov devotees chanted another Hare Krishna tune there (https://youtube.com/shorts/5lfLHegr3jY?feature=share):
Viryavan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the Krishna Camp at Trutnoff Open Air Festival on Saturday (https://youtube.com/shorts/I5o-zZn16UM?feature=share):
Vraja Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Camp at Trutnoff (https://youtube.com/shorts/ZEpMVElcsbY?feature=share):
Vraja Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Camp at Trutnoff Saturday, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/1Rl79Slbw3E):
As he sang, they danced more and more (https://youtube.com/shorts/aIr5kjVzTXQ?feature=share):
Vraja Krishna Prabhu chants another Hare Krishna tune at Krishna Camp at Trutnoff on Saturday (https://youtube.com/shorts/54ed33LuSuI?feature=share):
Vraja Krishna Prabhu chants Prabhupada tune of Hare Krishna at the Krishna Camp at Trutnoff on Saturday (https://youtube.com/shorts/9KoAtQQ5bec):
Vraja Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Camp at Trutnoff on Saturday night, and people dance (https://youtu.be/bYOdVxpGDPE):
While Vraja Krishna Prabhu chanted, more and more people danced (https://youtube.com/shorts/VJ5b-AMkIDg):
Gourakaruna Prabhu took a video of that kirtan when I was among the dancers (https://youtube.com/shorts/0y03d3FtBGE):
Viryavan Prabhu chants “Govinda Jaya Jaya” on the main stage at Trutnoff Open Air Festival (https://youtube.com/shorts/P_v3iSyzMto?feature=share):
Viryavan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on the main stage at Trutnoff Open Air Festival (https://youtube.com/shorts/NFGdBrvLXBI?feature=share):
Vraja Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on main stage at Trutnoff Open Air Festival (https://youtube.com/shorts/y9H6TeN3K20?feature=share):
Gourakaruna Prabhu shared this video with me of Vraja Krishna Prabhu chanting Hare Krishna from the viewpoint of the stage (https://youtu.be/pdRjq2Ktjns):
Narayani chants Hare Krishna at the Krishna Camp at Trutnoff Open Air Festival on Sunday afternoon (https://youtube.com/shorts/-GP59fPBzaU?feature=share):
Varada Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the Krishna Camp at Trutnoff Open Air Festival on Sunday afternoon (https://youtube.com/shorts/eNyxII0otTY?feature=share):
Here is a landscape video of that kirtan (https://youtu.be/x2Aw3xL13ys):
I got lead a kirtan the last day. The high point of that for me was toward the end when four young people came into our camp and chanted Hare Krishna and danced to the music for a few minutes before continuing on their way. It was like they wanted to have one last Hare Krishna kirtan experience before the festival was over, and I was glad to facilitate it.
Failing to find interested people to do harinama with me in Prague the last day of my visit to Czech Republic, I decided to chant Hare Krishna at Prague Airport Terminal 2 Arrivals near a bus stop for an hour before I had to go through security for my flight (https://youtube.com/shorts/-yU3MaX6IYg?feature=share):
During the last five minutes, a man who smelled heavily of cigarettes, sat on the same bench as me and said a few partial mantras and tapped the bench in time with the music. He was happy to accept our temple and restaurant invitation, with the mantra on the reverse side, as he boarded the bus.
After chanting at the airport, I was happy to take the lunch prasadam that Pavani Devi Dasi had prepared. She asked both Vraja Krishna Prabhu and me what we wanted for lunch and make separate lunches for each of us.
Mine was so nice I took photos of it.
Chanting Hare Krishna in Paris
Sankirtana leader, Dayal Nitai Prabhu, had a rare experience at Stalingrad. A woman took the French Introduction to Bhagavad-gita. Then several minutes later, she traded the book for the full French Bhagavad-gita As It Is!
The next day we chanted at Hotel de Ville. It was interesting that we chose that place because at lunchtime the Prabhupada disciple, Guru Gauranga Prabhu, showed devotees photos from the 1970s of Srila Prabhupada and his disciples at that very same Hotel de Ville in Paris which we planned to sing at later in the day!
Here Chanda Mataji chants Hare Krishna at Hotel de Ville in Paris (https://youtube.com/shorts/GoQe-lihLWQ):
Marat chants “Haribol” at Hotel de Ville in Paris, and a young woman dances (https://youtube.com/shorts/VBLItduOXqI?feature=share):
Photos
I encountered a nice memory while at the Trutnoff event, the time I held an umbrella over Radhanath Swami in the 2005 Berlin Ratha-yatha. An Alachua devotee gave me a Florida Gators umbrella during the football harinamas the previous fall, and I brought it to Europe. On the Polish tour it rained during one harinama, and I became cold and got sick. Thus the rest of the summer I tied the strap of the umbrella in the knot of my dhoti so I would never be without one. So I was prepared to serve Radhanath Swami in that way during the rain at Ratha-yatra. Thanks to Radhanandini Dasi, my translator on the Polish tour, also doing kirtan at a Czech music festival last weekend, for the sweet photo.
Maha-punya, a devotee I taught science to in gurukula, now age forty-four, introduced himself to me at Trutnov. I am bad with facial recognition, and I would not have recognized him so I was glad he approached me. He was traveling in Europe, and festival devotees invited him to come and play the mrdanga as they were short on drummers this year, and as you can see in the videos, he got lots of opportunities. It was nice to connect with him after so many years. I tried to facilitate his travels with my knowledge of European transportation.
One man named Radek spoke to me the first evening, recalling me from previous years. He asked what hours we would be having chanting and dancing in our tent. I told him from 6 to 11 p.m. every evening. He said he was from Brno, so I asked if he attends our weekly programs there, but he said he was too busy. He takes three days off from work for the Trutnov event each year, and comes to our tent and sings and dances as much as possible.
Govinda’s from Prague catered the prasadam for the event, which was wonderful as usual. One day the flavor of the sabji was absolutely amazing.
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From a lecture of Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.9.6–14 in Tokyo on May 2, 1972:
“Caitanya Mahaprabhu is speaking when it [India] was already conquered by the Muhammadans, the Pathans, but still He said, ‘Those who have taken birth in India, they must do this para-upakara, do good to others.’
“He never says, ‘Don’t allow anyone [to come to India].’ The Muhammadans have come. He did not care whether Muhammadans comes or Christians come. He knew that ‘Indian culture is so strong, these rascal cannot do anything. They will come here and plunder for some years and then go away. That’s all. So let them do that. But your culture, Indian culture, is so great that you should distribute.’ Bharata-bhumite manuṣya-janma haila yara [Cc Ādi 9.41].”
“If by trying in one life, I am getting the chance of entering into Krishna’s kingdom to have eternal, blissful life, if I reject it, how much unfortunate I am. Even if you fall down. But there is a chance of becoming immediately being transferred. But even there is no chance, even there is not fully completed, even it is failure, still it is said, ‘It is auspicious,’ because the next life guaranteed a human form of life.”
“Take advantage of these books! Then your life will be successful. My duty—I have given you so valuable things, day and night trying to convince you, each word to word. And if you don’t take advantage of this, then what can I do for you?”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From Writing Sessions in Cozzile:
“In Tehran, Srila Prabhupada said that Krishna accepts many kinds of service; people don’t understand this. He is not one-sided. He did not ask Vyasadeva to fight on the battlefield. Vyasadeva wrote Vedanta-sutra and Arjuna fought, and they both pleased Krishna equally.”
“But we want to worship Prabhupada and do our service as fully as possible while life duration is with us.”
“When you hear of Krishna, you want to be there with Him in Tenth Canto pastimes and Eleventh Canto too.”
“Read on, read on each day this feast that goes on and you can’t eat too much of it, it’s never bad for your health, but the more you take the better it is for you—reading, reading the pastimes of the Lord.”
“Relax and be yourself, yet be a devotee who follows the rules. Surrender from the core of your being because you want to. Stay alive to emotions and the body, and when you preach, it will be human and come from your heart and being. You will ask Krishna, ‘Please take this person back. Remove from him the remaining dross. He wants to be a pure soul beyond American and beyond Indian Hindu too.’ To be pure soul with the Lord. Oh, I can’t expect to do it so soon.”
“Cats and dogs, cats and dogs, he keeps saying and I hang in there. It’s a fact and begins to dawn on me that people without God are cats and dogs and that includes most people.”
“The people of India didn’t care much for that petty illusory freedom but sought freedom from birth and death.”
“Next month I plan to give one lecture on why we are all dissatisfied. It is the same reason why Vyasadeva was dissatisfied. He did not praise Krishna in the center of his writings. That is the main thing; even if we don’t feel it, we should know that that is what we need. The self is not satisfied by satisfaction of tongue or other senses or mind or any forms of material sense gratification. Not even Brahman oneness. The self needs to be serving Krishna. Only then can he be happy. The more direct the service, the happier the self.”
“I like to take retreats and an ideal retreat is one in which you are prosecuting devotional acts in a balanced way.”
“Don’t live in a make believe world.”
“Something prevented me from becoming the most debauch and addictive person. I think it was Krishna’s mercy, Him sparing me so I could live and not be so badly polluted and offensive that I would mistake the chance when the Swami came.”
“You have to care for people or at least you care for God and guru, and you genuinely follow them and try to serve them and your reward is you feel happy to tell people of God. You live for Him.”
“And then the preacher took an assignment. He helped to spread the movement. Nothing is romantically ideal with no hitches, no grind. Even a lion has to work to get his meal.”
“Sats, do please be satisfied and write as best you can based on the Krishna consciousness you have received.”
Niranjana Swami:
From a class on Brhad-Bhagavatamritam on August 16, 2026 in Budapest, Hungary:
When Lord Shiva gives a boon to an enemy of the Lord or His devotees, because of Shiva’s loyalty to the Lord, he makes sure that the boon is incomplete. There is always some loophole.
Bhakti Carudesna Swami:
From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.1.14 in Paris on August 18, 2026:
The heart is the seat of the Paramatma. As we do not want to stay in a dirty room, Krishna does not want to manifest in a dirty heart.
We have to be very attentive.
The only thing one has to do is listen to Srimad-Bhagavatam. The example is Maharaja Pariksit.
The Srimad-Bhagavatam is the medicine for a sick society.
In the Bhaktivaibhava course, we recite a verse glorifying Srimad-Bhagavatam as our only friend and source of enlightenment.
The devotee accepts only that which is connected to Krishna.
Pariksit heard with rapt attention. He was not distracted by anything.
Without the sacrifice performed at Naimisaranya Kali would have come in sooner.
Everyone is affected by Kali-yuga. Only who hears Srimad-Bhagavatam is unaffected.
Srimad-Bhagavatam is an incarnation of Krishna. It is filled with Krishna and His great devotees.
Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita are unknown in this world.
We have to ask essential questions. Not just not how to get to Montparnasse?”
By hearing the Srimad-Bhagavatam we gradually lessen the attraction to the material world. We have to develop a higher taste. We have to become attracted to the transcendental sound coming from Goloka Vrindavan.
Speaker and hearer should be on the same transcendental platform.
The false teachings of the bogus swamis are gramya-katha.
Srimad-Bhagavatam is not to improve material life but to stop material life.
We can’t afford the original item, so we get the second-hand item. But we want the oriiginal devotional service.
Q: Why do people get cheating gurus?
A: Because they are not completely sincere. By harinama, by distributing books, we help people come to a higher level.
In Satya-yuga people would regularly offer things to Krishna out of duty. In Treta it was less so. In Kali-yuga people throw things in the air and whatever does not fall, they offer to God.
Vraja Krishna Prabhu:
From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.22.1–3 at ISKCON Prague on August 17, 2026:
Baladeva Vidyabhusana explains that bhakti is like a king, and karma and jnana are servants of the king, coming before and after the king. Both the Gita and the Bhagavatam are divided into these three divisions, with bhakti in the middle.
We study sankhya because it promotes vairagya, renunciation.
Our goal is not vairagya but engagement of everything in Krishna’s service.
Robert Lanza argues that scientists have not understood consciousness.
We should always be sharing this knowledge because it is the truth. Otherwise people will listen to those who are unaware of the truth and become confused.
It is good at least every day to share this knowledge with at least one person. If you cannot do it personally you can do it with social media.
If you are not sharing the message, you are not fully in Krishna consciousness.
Srila Prabhupada is a real pioneer. He tried so many innovative ideas.
Our bhakti will be sustained if we are compassionate.
In Oddessy movie there are some Vedic ideas, such as the idea of treating a guest as God, until he proves unworthy. Also the understanding that if you are a cheater in war even if you win, you will be a loser. The sound of the sirens said to kill us is the promises we made but did not keep.
Krishna, because of love, respects the will of the individual.
Comments by me:
Regarding the point in the purport about spectulation not revealing truth I love this quote from the Hamsa-guhya prayers: “Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead, who possesses unlimited transcendental qualities. Acting from within the cores of the hearts of all philosophers, who propagate various views, He causes them to forget their own souls while sometimes agreeing and sometimes disagreeing among themselves. Thus He creates within this material world a situation in which they are unable to come to a conclusion. I offer my obeisances unto Him.” (SB 6.4.31)
“The foolish cannot understand how a living entity can quit his body, nor can they understand what sort of body he enjoys under the spell of the modes of nature. But one whose eyes are trained in knowledge can see all this.” (Bg. 15.10)
You cannot renounce something you do not possess.
Krishna’s final statement on how many material elements there are reveals His great liberality: “Therefore, no matter which of these thinkers is speaking, and regardless of whether in their calculations they include material elements within their previous subtle causes or else within their subsequent manifest products, I accept their conclusions as authoritative, because a logical explanation can always be given for each of the differen theories.”
Regarding the compassion of Srila Prabhupada, I showed my family the film, Hare Krishna: The Mantra, the Movement, and the Swami Who Started It All. My sister’s partner, Victor, who is not a practicing Hare Krishna devotee and has some Buddhist sentiments made an amazing statement about Srila Prabhupada: “It seems his eyes are full of tears of a compassion that is not occasional but is an integral part of his being.”
Regarding our being compassionate, one day, over thirty years ago, I entered the temple room in San Diego, and before I could even bow down, Kavicandra Swami said to me, “We have to desire that people become devotees. So many people became devotees simply because Srila Prabhupada desired it.”
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In this famous verse by Lord Caitanya, He advises Indians to perfect their lives and teach others how to do so also. Sometimes Srila Prabhupada, in the course of encouraging his countrymen, would say, “See what one Indian has done!” The idea is that there is so much spiritual knowledge available in India, there is so much opportunity for people to perfect themselves spiritually, and if they are able to do that, they can benefit the whole world by sharing that knowledge.
bharata-bhumite haila manusya janma yara
“One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India [Bharata-varsa] should make his life successful and work for the benefit of all other people.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 9.41)
