(Week 17: April 23–29, 2026)
(Sent from Simhachalam, Bavaria, Germany, on April 25, 2026)
Where I Went and What I Did
The sixteenth week of 2026, I lived at ISKCON New York in Brooklyn and chanted with the NYC Harinam party for three or four hours the first two days and a little over an hour the third day. I also offered the deities Their lunch two days. Saturday evening I flew to Amsterdam. I chanted Hare Krishna in public while traveling through the city to go to my residence three and in the course of buying a SIM.
April 27 was King’s Day, and I joined about two hundred friends and followers of Kadamba Kanana Swami, who chanted in Amsterdam for six hours or so. Many, many people were happy to chant and dance with us as usual. April 28 I chanted with devotees for two hours in Amsterdam and attended the temple’s Tuesday evening program before taking six trains and a bus to Passau, where I did harinama on April 29 with Harinama Ruci and devotees attending the Nrsimha festival at Simhachalam, our Bavarian farm community, near the Czech border.
I share a wonderful quote from Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam. I share quotes from Bhakti Haiku and Essays, Book 1 by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share a note from a recorded lecture by Bhakti Vikasa Swami. I share notes on lectures by Arcita and Caitanyananda Prabhus in New York City and Citralekha Dasi in Amsterdam.
Many thanks to Janikanatha Prabhu for allowing me to stay at his place in Amsterdam for two nights. Thanks to Citralekha Dasi for her gift of the donations received on her harinama. Thanks to the guy at IRS who agreed to give me a tax refund for 2021, which will assist me in my travels this summer.
Itinerary
April 29–May 3: Nrsimha Festival in Simhachalam, Germany
May 4–June 14: NYC Harinam
– May 29: Baltimore harinama
– May 30: Baltimore Ratha-yatra
– June 13: New York Ratha-yatra
June 28: Paris Ratha-yatra
Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City
Radha chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/9e9qkSqGxM8?feature=share):
Mani Manjari Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan, and a bird bobs to the mantra (https://youtu.be/-r3hZllp7Gg):
Keshava Madhava chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/vi4a5ZecwkA):
Godruma Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/CpGNby_AsM0):
Krishna Rai chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/4pcyFPMKSgA?feature=share):
I talked to a group of young guys who asked if I had heard of the band “108”.
“Yes,” I said, “I talked to the lead singer about 30 years ago.”
I found it amazing that these Hare Krishna hardcore band still have avid followers, and followers who were not even born yet when the bands began and were most popular.
Chanting Hare Krishna in Amsterdam
Devotees chant Hare Krishna as the King’s Day harinama begins (https://youtube.com/shorts/xcqJmUUIQhs?feature=share):
Parividha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at King’s Day in Amsterdam (https://youtu.be/BopJbNvw7Eg):
Young women enjoy chanting and dancing with devotees at King’s Day in Amsterdam (https://youtu.be/bfkltGZGJAE):
Rati Manjari Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at King’s Day in Amsterdam, and many dance (https://youtu.be/6Yl9282sKbw):
While Rati Manjari chanted Hare Krishna, people began to bridge dance (https://youtu.be/HbMmlRUink8):
As we proceeded through the streets, some devotees would swing the people we passed by who looked open to it (https://youtube.com/shorts/0oOZYhQmkbs?feature=share):
Here people dance on an Amsterdam roof as the harinama party passes (https://youtube.com/shorts/FeZyxik-aAI?feature=share):
Throughout the day people enjoyed dancing to Hare Krishna chant (https://youtube.com/shorts/zrIccbtu6sg?feature=share):
Sometimes they would dance in a chain that wound around through the crowd (https://youtube.com/shorts/sS53q_e75Wg):
Here Mahavishnu Swami chants Hare Krishna at King’s Day in Amsterdam, and many dance (https://youtu.be/gqlg4tXxJEU):
As he continued chanting, still more danced (https://youtu.be/VZinHxGbb84):
Recently he added a monkey to his costume, reminiscent of Vrindavan.
Dayal Mora Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at King’s Day in Amsterdam (https://youtu.be/CJ27uulLqrA):
Dayal Mora Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and engages onlookers in chanting and dancing at King’s Day (https://youtu.be/dmI5no3cP-U):
Devotees and passersby do bridge dance at King’s Day in Amsterdam (https://youtu.be/eVG2OZ0Tcl4):
Nitai Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at King’s Day in Amsterdam (https://youtu.be/S0nqKLJmfSQ):
While Nitai was chanting the devotee ladies engaged many passersby in dancing (https://youtu.be/HeNsiHoWPds):
Vraja Krsna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at King’s Day in Vondelpark, and many dance (https://youtu.be/fNLcE2KESrc):
As he continued chanting, more and more people danced (https://youtube.com/shorts/WKMm8yncVB0?feature=share):
Harinamananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Vondelpark, and many dance (https://youtube.com/shorts/CLS1xumtQUQ):
Sandipani Muni Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at King’s Day, and onlookers dance (https://youtube.com/shorts/zFqC4WDj-og):
In addition to dancing, some took pleasure in waving the Hare Krishna flag (https://youtube.com/shorts/XhSIUHxnsyo):
This young man, new to Krishna consciousness, but wearing a tulasi necklace, said, “This is the first time I have been sober on King’s Day!”
The next day, which was her birthday, Citralekha Dasi chanted Hare Krishna in Amsterdam with visiting UK devotees eager for additional harinama opportunities (https://youtube.com/shorts/t3M2OiVasVU):
As Citralekha Dasi chanted Hare Krishna in Amsterdam devotees danced (https://youtube.com/shorts/X6tsqbnwroY?feature=share):
And then they dance some more (https://youtu.be/DB4vdoHfKpA):
Indeed, they danced even more (https://youtube.com/shorts/VHTo_-eF4jc?feature=share):
They also danced with passersby (https://youtube.com/shorts/yAVZe3R9O64):
Abhay chants Hare Krishna at Dam Square, and passersby and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/ngZXbomLgRQ):
Later, passersby would chant as well as dance (https://youtu.be/6j-DLMJtyYA):
Citralekha Dasi was given a birthday cake at the Tuesday evening program.
Chanting Hare Krishna in Bavaria
Acharya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci in Passau (https://youtu.be/prpmj-DK2Wk):
Acharya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci in Passau, and a young woman chants and dances (https://youtu.be/k5XnSRvb0nM):
Acharya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci in Passau, and among others, some boys chant and dance (https://youtu.be/gXGzG7xcrBU):
Acharya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci in Passau, and boys play shakers (https://youtu.be/qZdRd_6WyIE):
Acharya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci in Passau, and devotees swing passersby (https://youtu.be/U6bgI0yBkJk):
A Bavarian waitress chants Hare Krishna and dances to Hare Krishna tune of Acarya Prabhu of Harinama Ruci in Passau (https://youtube.com/shorts/99KgTS1IDuI):
We did harinama again in Passau two days later, and she again participated.
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.28:
“My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, because of my association with material desires, one after another, I was gradually falling into a blind well full of snakes, following the general populace. But Your servant Narada Muni kindly accepted me as his disciple and instructed me how to achieve this transcendental position. Therefore, my first duty is to serve him. How could I leave his service?”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From Bhakti Haiku and Essays, Book 1:
“Prabhupada has said it elsewhere
‘Live for delivering Krishna
‘seventh heaven’
“what is physical pain?
goes on writing”
“Don’t forget who
to acknowledge the Lord”
Bhakti Vikasa Swami:
From a recorded lecture my roommate played in Amsterdam:
The quote the “money is the root of all evil” attributed to Jesus is actually “love of money is the root of all evil.”
Arcita Prabhu:
Krishna is the supreme producer and the supreme director, and everything He does is perfect, even it is seems bewildering to us.
We are not convinced that only spiritual happiness is real happiness thus we still try to find happiness in this world.
Jahnava, although female, played the role of guru. In discussing that, Srila Prabhupada said that if a woman is perfect in Krishna consciousness, she could be a guru. Some people doubt if there are women who are perfect in Krishna consciousness, but one could also doubt if there are any men who are perfect in Krishna consciousness.
Caitanyananda Prabhu:
Good management requires spiritual guidance and accountability.
Lack of truthfulness will keep us from advancing spiritually because we will not be able to get past certain unwanted habits.
People now do not understand who they are, what they are, or why they are.
We have an opportunity to make a huge impact on society individually just by giving up the four sinful acts and chanting Hare Krishna, and we if share that knowledge the impact will be even greater.
At Ratha-yatra we create the five most important limbs of bhakti for a few hours in Washington Square Park.
Citralekha Dasi:
People try to connect in different ways in pursuance of yoga:
Body with nature.
Body with mind.
Mind with soul.
Intelligence with soul.
Connection of the soul with God is the ultimate connection in prema.
Kundalini Yoga focuses on breathing.
This transforms the energies of the bodies in ways potentially dangerous.
The idea is to connect with the unlimited energy.
Hatha Yoga
“Hatha” comes from two words, “ha” meaning “sun” referring to the body and “tha” meaning “moon” referring to the mind.
In bhakti-yoga God is experienced in fullness where as other yogas just reveal some aspects of God.
Through sankhya-yoga you realize the your self has nothing to do with the elements making up the material world.
The other yogas can assist you the practice of bhakti-yoga. For example, the hatha-yoga can help you sit properly and focus when you chant japa.
Comment by Janikanatha Prabhu: The other yogas do not really work in Kali-yuga without connection with bhakti.
Comment by me: Although Krishna mentions four kinds of yoga in Bhagavad-gita, in three verses he mentions that He is realized as He is only through bhakti. The one most quoted by Srila Prabhupada is 18.55. The other two, Bg. 8.22 and Bg. 11.54, stress that Krishna is only attained by ananya or pure bhakti. The others yogas are meant for those not willing to perform bhakti, and their goal is to bring people to a point where they will take up bhakti.
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I asked Harinamananda Prabhu if Kadamba Kanana Swami had any favorite verses. He said that Maharaja liked these verses so much he would sing them in kirtan.
sei pañca-tattva mili’ pṛthivi asiya
paṅce mili’ lute prema, kare asvadana
“The characteristics of Krishna are understood to be a storehouse of transcendental love. Although that storehouse of love certainly came with Krishna when He was present, it was sealed. But when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came with His associates of the Pañca-tattva, they broke the seal and plundered the storehouse to taste transcendental love of Krishna. The more they tasted it, the more their thirst for it grew.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 7.20–21)
People in general are unaware of the existence of the transcendental pleasure obtainable by serving Lord Krishna with affection. Lord Caitanya and His associates want to make that knowledge and experience available to one and all. We are fortunate to be aware of that and to have the chance to assist them in sharing it, sometimes in a big way, like at King’s Day.
