Sadaputa Prabhu: Words of Praise

Sadaputa Prabhu: Words of Praise

I feel I should say a few words about Sadaputa Prabhu, on the occasion of his disappearance, as I worked for him from 1988 to 2005, assisting mostly with book and video production. Actually beyond it being an obligation, I took as both a great honor and a great pleasure working for him, and I take great pleasure in glorifying him and his achievements.

Srila Prabhupada said, "The more we kick on Darwin's face, the more [we] advance in spiritual consciousness. He has killed the whole civilization, rascal" (Morning Walk, May 12, 1973, Los Angeles). Through his strong words, Srila Prabhupada made it clear that Darwin's materialistic theory has created a so-called civilization in which the quest for self-realization, the goal of human life, will never arise, and he wanted the theory completed discredited. Sadaputa Prabhu dealt many great blows in this connection, which I personally appreciate.

Before I went to work with Sadaputa Prabhu, I thought that in the sense the scientists are presenting that life came to be without God, you could say that are cheating. In Forbidden Archeology, Sadaputa Prabhu and Drutakarma Prabhu show that even according to the ordinary dictionary definition of cheating, the scientists are cheating. By discrediting evidence that does not fit the theory instead of altering the theory to accommodate the evidence, as their scientific method requires, they maintain a false theory and claim objective evidential support. This is a first class example of cheating, elaborately exposed by the grace of Sadaputa and Drutakarma Prabhus, who describe dozens of cases in their book. I hope in the future they both get the recognition for exposing that great hoax of an idea, namely that humans have evolved from apes. In Sadaputa Prabhu's video, "Models of Natural Selection," he shows that the probability of evolution by natural selection of even the simplest organism is out of the question, to the extent of 1 in 10 to the 84th power! In Mechanistic and Nonmechanistic Science he points out that according to information theory there is a conservation of information, and one cannot explain the existence complex biological forms with the simple laws of physics alone. All are wonderful contributions.

His analysis of the Bhagavata cosmology as meaningful in at least four different self-consistent ways is brilliant as is his discovery that the geocentric orbits of the planets line up with the oceans and dvipas of Bhumandala, which provides evidence of advanced astronomical knowledge in India thousands of years ago, and shows the Bhagavata description is not mythology, but a model encoding astronomical and geographical information, well ahead of its time.

Analyzing Vedic star coordinates and the present star coordinates and rates of motion, Sadaputa Prabhu, gave evidence for exact measurement of star positions in India sometime about 30,000 or 40,000 years ago. Such advancement of civilization in ancient times is consistent with traditional Vedic ideas but revolutionary for Western scholars, even the most liberal.

Some people did not appreciate his book on UFOs, because that topic is considered disreputable. Sadaputa Prabhu, a true scientist, was more interested in empirical evidence which provides insight into reality than academic or public opinion. He wrote the book because he read in the Bhagavatam about so many vimanas (flying machines), and so many species of humanlike living beings, many with supernatural powers. He thought if this Vedic version is the truth, there must be some empirical evidence for it. He found in the modern UFO literature amazing parallels with ancient accounts from the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and Bhagavatam. One reviewer of his book, Alien Identities, described it as "the most honest UFO book ever written." Most UFO authors are true believers who bend the facts to support the existence of the UFOs or debunkers who try to explain away all the evidence as deriving from man-made or meteorological phenomena. Sadaputa Prabhu was just interested in the truth about the phenomena, and thus that reviewer and many others were impressed.

When asked by one devotee why he accepted the Vedic knowledge with all its peculiarities, Sadaputa Prabhu replied, Because it can explain so many things." Consciousness, the complexity of biological form, inspiration, out-of-body experiences, past life memories, psychic healing, mystic power, telepathy, psychokinesis, precognition, teleportation, UFOs, ETs, ghosts, and all kinds of natural and supernatural phenomena can be explained with the Vedic world view. On the contrary, modern scientists' attempts to explain all these are either full of fault or else nonexistence because of their firm faith the phenomena cannot exist despite abundant human testimony.

Sadaputa Prabhu was hardworking, brilliant in analysis, consummately fair, humorous, honest and sincere, and faithful to Srila Prabhupada and the Vedic version. He never really disappointed me. I felt sad when people attacked him or didn't appreciate him. He is one who deserves to be appreciated for his sincere efforts.

He was very humorous. In his Origins lectures series, discussing the faith the scientists have in their imperfect theories, he exclaims "And the scientists, they BELIEVE in their theories! They BELIEVE in their theories as much as any Baptist BELIEVES in Lord Jesus Christ!"

I left working for him not because of disagreement, but because at the end, I was just doing accounting and shipping, which I felt any secretary could do. What needed to be done was to promote his books, and I did not have the vision to do that, and unfortunately, I did not even have the determination to enlist someone who did. I felt out of place in Alachua--one brahmacari among a handful, in a household community. I think he understood. Perhaps if he were in my situation, he would have left too.

I still show his videos. I showed "Mind and Brain," "Natural Selection, " and "Mysterious Orbits" in Finland this month, and I showed the Russian version of "The Hidden History of the Human Race" last week at the Ukraine festival. They are valuable and devotees desire to get them to help with their academic programs. I thought he should get some royalties for the videos I distribute, and I asked if I could send money to his email address, but he never wrote me back.

On September 22, in Wroclaw, I met Karanam Prabhu, who published many of Sadaputa Prabhu's books in Polish. He sold at least 60,000, and maybe even 70,000 copies of the Polish version of the abridged Forbidden Archeology. Just this week, he told me, an order came for 300 more.

In February 2007, I sent Sadaputa Prabhu an article about about the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research lab closing after nearly thirty years of fruitful research into the paranormal. He quoted from their studies, and so I thought he would be interested. Sadaputa Prabhu wrote me back the last email I ever got from him, "Thanks. The end of an era..." That too is how it feels for me now that he has disappeared, "The end of an era..."

As Sadaputa Prabhu is a faithful follower of Srila Prabhupada, playing a key role in his mission, I am hopeful of his attainment of Srila Prabhupada's full mercy, which he bestows on those who give their valuable human lives fully to his service. At least we can all pray for that.

I submit these words for the pleasure of the devotees. Please accept them.

In addition, I think a book and video should be produced telling of his life and his achievements. I do not have the determination to do it personally, but I am willing to suggest and contribute content and to proofread the book. I would like it if anyone interested in that might contact me. I have an account on PAMHO, where my user name is "Krsna-krpa SDG". Also perhaps at the Mayapur festival this year, some special program honoring him might be included.

Thank you for your kind attention.

Your servant,

Krishna-kripa das

a very imperfect servant of Sadaputa Prabhu and the other glorious followers of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada, founder-acarya, of ISKCON, BBT, and BI.

travel journal#4.16b: Czech Woodstock 2008

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 4, No. 16b
By Krishna-kripa das
(August 2008, part two)
Czech Woodstock
(Sent from Helsinki, Finland on 9/8/08)

Where I Am and What I Am Doing

Reminded of my taste for encouraging people in kirtana at the Polish Woodstock, I decided to go to the Czech Woodstock instead of the Polish nama-hatta festival after the Polish festival tour.

Czech Woodstock

I had heard of the Czech Woodstock from my friends in recent years but was always busy when it was held. This year, however, it occurred just after the Polish festival tour, so it was easy to go to. I spent three days in between at our Wroclaw temple, where I learned a great Hare Krishna tune on the harmonium. My plan to take buses to the Polish border, walk across the border, and take a buses on the Czech side was foiled when the last Czech bus driver refused to accept my euros, saying firmly "Cheska koruny!" [Czech crowns] and pointing to the door of the bus. So much for the European Union! As it was last bus for the evening, I decided to hitchhike the 16 kilometers to Trutnov, the site of the 21^st annual open air music festival, now attended by 20,000 people willing to pay the 40 euros to get it. After walking two kilometers I got a ride with a couple young ladies in their twenties, who were also going to the Trutnov festival. I gave the driver our Polish mantra yoga card in exchange for the ride. [Persons living near the border can mostly understand the language.] And I gave an invitation to Govinda’s to her friend from Prague. They showed me the VIP entrance where, after I had been waiting in line for fifteen minutes, Mother Vrindavana Priya of Prague, who schedules our kirtana tent at the Polish Woodstock arrived. I was eager to meet the devotees and know how to deal with the registration, and she was eager to avoid waiting for fifteen minutes in line, so it was fortunate we met.

The first night the Prague devotees led some lively kirtana for an hour.

Next Danavir Goswami arrived, and led a wonderful kirtana, chanting the simple Prabhupada melody for three hours. After half an hour, asking the audience to arise, he demonstrated the swami step from the stage, and I demonstrated it, facing him, in the front of the audience. He had between fifteen and forty people dancing at any one time. Most amazing for me was that probably about 80% of them also chanted. I noticed one girl chanted the entire four hours, smiling the whole time. I was glad to see Srila Prabhupada’s program of making hippies into happies is still effective.

The first full day of the festival, organizer Punya Palaka Prabhu, told the people waiting in our tent for the program to start, that we were going to chant around the festival site and downtown, and they were welcome to come.


About eight people, including a couple girls who had chanted almost the entire previous evening joined our party of about ten devotees. It was a great idea to engage the people like that, and they had a great time.

One girl carried the mantra sign the entire hour and a half.

To see about ten harinama pictures included in a gallery of an electronic newspaper, click here.

Punya Palaka explained the people who come are special. Like with the Polish Woodstock, some come to the Czech Woodstock only to attend the Hare Krishna camp. One year, when the devotees began setting up their sound system, the eager attendees waiting for them to play urged them to chant without it. When the devotees did not comply, the Woodstock attendees themselves took up the instruments and had their own Hare Krishna kirtana as the devotees continued setting up the sound!

The devotees have been attending the festival since 1999, when the organizer, who is very favorable, made Hare Krishna the theme of that year’s festival. Ever since then, the devotees have had their own stage at the festival site, and the organizer has put Lord Jagannatha’s face on the festival advertisement each year. In fact, Lord Jagannatha’s smiling face can be seen even the armbands that the festival goers received this year. And although dozens of bands played music at Trutnov, the Krishna hard core band, Shelter, was listed in the top four.

Realizing that I am not a good enough singer or musician to play on the stage with the other devotees, I danced to the music of the kirtana in front of the stage, off to the side. I smiled at the people in the audience, and using gestures, encouraged them to sing and dance, and I appreciated their attempts.

Danavir Goswami lead an electric kirtana the second night, accompanied by two devotees on electric guitars, one on the bass, one on a full drum set, and another on djembe. Maharaja would chant the lead, and point the microphone toward the crowd on the response, encouraging the people to sing along. It was very lively. Occasionally Maharaja would hold the microphone and let one of the guitar players chant the lead. The last half of this video shows what it was like.

Afterwards I saw one girl with hair having streaks of light blue, who had danced right in front of the stage in the middle and chanted with vigor the whole time. I later thanked her for her contribution, and she told me how the chanting gave her so much energy she was amazed and did not know what to do with it. Her friend expressed that although she was very tired, her feet could not stop dancing. I explained that that was all the result of contacting the spiritual energy. The girls, who were from Prague, had seen us on harinama there, and I told them the time and location of our harinamas in case they wanted join in. They loved both our food and our music and had been to Govinda’s. They did not know, however, about the Wednesday evening program at Govinda’s, so I told them that they could come and sing and dance and have a free prasadam meal.I later I saw the girl who had chanted for four hours, when she came up to me and thanked me for my encouragement. She had not originally planned to come back but to go to a punk rock festival the next day. I found she was from Brno, and I gave her a Brno invitation card I got when visiting there in June, and introduced her to Mayapur Chandrodaya Prabhu, one of the most active devotees in that center.

Three girls practically lived in our tent for the better of the four days, often chanting along. They are seen in the far left of this photo, in front, two sitting on the ground, chanting and smiling, and one behind on the bench. When I decided to pick up the trash during a break in the action, two of them helped me.

One young man, who likes to chant "Haribol!" loudly, throwing his arms in the air, wanted to give me his black leather wrist bands, appreciating my enthusiasm in the kirtana. Such things are not part of my natural wardrobe, and I declined them with the quite real excuse that, as devotees, we do not unnecessarily use leather products because of the violence behind them. I appreciated his sentiment and gave him a mantra card. A devotee told me that previously the man had purchased some books. One girl gave me some pakoras and a container of tissue paper in appreciation. For me, the appreciation of individual people made the festival especially sweet.

The devotee hardcore band, Shelter, from America, resurrected for Trutnov, played for about an hour, led by Raghunatha Prabhu, who now is a fulltime yoga teacher in upstate New York. In this video, you can see the glowing Jagannatha face on the stage above the band as they play! Raghunatha is very personable with the audience, who reciprocated nicely. He inserted different philosophical points from time to time, between songs. For example, he said that it is not how well you play the guitar but that you sing from the heart. He mentioned that he would be singing at the Krishna Camp the next day, and invited the people to come. I had not seen him since the Polish Woodstock five years ago.
Prasadam is very popular and the devotees served it at least three different venues. After one chanting session I saw two high school girls, who had chanted and danced nicely for almost an hour, eating some pakoras and chutney. I asked if they liked food. They smiled, saying they did, listing with joy all the preparations they had tried, culminating in the sweet rice with berries in it, which was also my favorite. Although they knew of the Govinda’s on Palmovka in their hometown of Prague, they had never eaten there. I told them of the other Govinda’s with their chanting and dancing and free dinner program on Wednesdays and gave them an invitation. They had seen the devotees chanting in Prague, and I told them how they meet at 4 p.m. at Republic Square on Wednesdays and Fridays, so they could also take part. In the course of talking I explained that we are spiritual beings who are by nature always happy but feel distress due to material identification. The mantra is a spiritual sound that elevates us to a higher level where the problems of the material world do not exist. Because they had chanted nicely in the kirtana, they could appreciate to some extent how that was true. Material solutions do not help but result in more problems, as in the case of one who takes shelter of drinking to avoid his miserable condition. He still has his previous ninety-nine problems, but now one more—a drinking habit. I gave them cards with the mantra to take with them. The two friends had a wonderful experience in our Krishna camp and promised to return later in the evening.

Another fan of prasadam was a one software tester who works in Prague and used to eat regularly at Govinda’s on Palmovka when her office was located there. Last year she went to India for two weeks and had such a nice time she wants to go again. I told her how I lived in India the last three winters and mentioned some of our projects there like Mayapur, Vrindavana, and Chowpatty, giving her the addresses of their web pages, and telling her about Krishna.com which lists all our centers worldwide. One who goes to these music festival programs may wonder how much benefit is gained by the people, who although they like to sing and dance with the devotees, are still drinking their beers and puffing on their cigarettes, sometimes all at once. In this regard, a nice point is made in The Nectar of Devotion in the beginning of chapter three: "On account of his association with mahatmas, or great souls one hundred-percent in the devotional service of the Lord, one may attain a little bit of attraction for Sri Krishna. But at the same time one may remain very much attached to fruitive activities and material sense enjoyment and not be prepared to undergo the different types of renunciation. Such a person, if he has unflinching attraction to Krishna, becomes an eligible candidate for discharging devotional service." From this it seems that if we can encourage the people to develop their attraction to Krishna to the extent that it is unflinching, they too may take up the practice of sadhana-bhakti in serious way and attain love of Godhead in due course.

From the three restaurants (two named Govindas and one called Balarama) and two weekly harinamas (four in the summer) in Prague, and from previous festivals, like Trutnov and the devotees’ Happy Days festival, many, many people in Czech Republic think favorably of the devotees and appreciate some kinds of devotional service. It was nice to meet these people and try to encourage them even more. I thank my friends from Czech who invited me to come, and Punya Palaka Prabhu for organizing our participation. For more information, you may want to see Punya Palaka’s article on the Czech Woodstock festival in general on Dandavats.com, or see the official Trutnov festival site. Czech devotees have their own article at http://www.harekrsna.cz/ with photos as well.

sanketyam parihasyam va

stobham helanam eva va
vaikuntha-nama-grahanam
asesagha-haram viduh

One who chants the holy name of the Lord is immediately freed from the reactions of unlimited sins, even if he chants indirectly [to indicate something else], jokingly, for musical entertainment, or even neglectfully. This is accepted by all the learned scholars of the scriptures. (SB 6.2.14)

Srimati Radharani Talks to a Bumblebee

Srimati Radharani Talks to a Bumblebee

(a poem by Krishna-kripa dasa based on Srila Prabhupada's
Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead)

Uddhava, servant of Krishna,
Entered the holy Vraja land.
Krishna sent him with a message
To give to the gopis by hand.

The gopis remembered Lord Krishna,
Hearing of Uddhava's mission,
So much so they forgot their homes
And their external position.

Sri Radha, mad with Krishna thought,
In touch through devotion complete,
Talked to a nearby bumblebee,
Who tried to touch Her lotus feet.

'When you're after honey, dear bee,
Each and every flower will do.
Now you convey Krishna's message,
For He's the same nature as you.

'Red kunkum adorns your moustache
As you most proudly let Me see.
It clung to Krishna's garland when
He embraced one other than Me.

'You have come here with His message,
And you're daring to touch My feet,
But I warn you sir, don't touch Me!
You cheating servant of a cheat!'

These sarcastic words of Radha,
Directed at the bumblebee,
Reveal Her doubts about Krishna
And His servant, Uddhavaji.

'Your nature is so like Krishna's
You take a flower's honey then leave,
As Krishna let us taste His lips,
Then, suddenly left us to grieve.

'Why does Sri Lakshmi serve Him so,
Knowing His real character.
We're smarter and won't be cheated
By Him nor by His messenger.'

As Krishna expands as Vishnu,
From Radha comes the goddess Sri.
Although she's goddess of fortune,
She wants to become a gopi.

'Dear bee, You chant Krishna's glories
Thus seeking a reward from Me.
Why this simply useless attempt?
It's foolish as foolish can be!

'We have left all our possessions
And our homes and families too.
We know this Krishna very well.
We all know Him better than you.

'Since Krishna moved to the city
And is known as friend of Arjuna
He now has many new girlfriends
Who think He's the ultimate boon.

'Happily blessed by Krishna's touch
They'll smile as you chant His glories.
Tricky friend of tricky Krishna,
Please go! Enough of your stories.

'Though you're great at solving conflicts,
Your words and Krishna's I can't trust.
We gave up everything for Him,
But He treated us just like dust.

'He can't live without young women,
But city girls aren't so naive.
Not like innocent cowherd girls,
Who charmed by His words, believe.

'Want to lead us to Mathura?
And then again, whatever for?
Krishna's smile is so enchanting
Any woman would just adore.

'Krishna smiles, His eyebrows dancing,
Enticing women all around.
Compare to those, led by Lakshmi,
We're just like straw upon the ground.

'He presents Himself, a noble,
And sages praise Him with respect.
One so great should show His mercy
For we are pained by His neglect.

'Foolish servant, you don't know Him.
He's been so hard-hearted and cold
In this life and in former ones.
The details Paurnamasi's told.

'She claimed He came as Rama, the king,
But His actions were a disgrace.
He killed Vali like a coward,
Without fighting him face to face.

'Attached to Sita's pure beauty,
He drove Surpanakha to tears.
Instead of appeasing her lust,
He chopped off her nose and her ears.'

'Next He came as the brahmana boy
Asking alms from Bali, the king.
Then displeased, He punished Bali,
Though Bali'd offered Him everything.

'We know that Krishna very well.
He's hard-hearted, restless, and mean.
How can we stop our talks of Him?
This certainly remains to be seen.

'Not only we, but great souls too
All have these same proclivities.
We can't see how we'll ever stop
Discussing His activities.'

Because Krishna is absolute
Both His kind and mean acts please.
Opportunities to hear of them
Great devotees will always seize.

Caitanya taught that Krishna's free
To leave us and bring dejection.
He may crush us or embrace us,
Still, we serve Him with affection.

'No one should hear these Krishna talks,
For if a drop goes in one's ear,
One's freed from all dualities
And things materially dear.'

Free of material desire,
One gives up family and home.
Wandering in search of Krishna,
Going here and there, he will roam.

To understand Krishna's nature
Is hard in actuality,
His name, form, comrades, and pastimes
Are of transcendent quality.

'Please don't speak anymore of Krishna.
Give us another topic to hear.
Krishna charmed us with His sweet words
As hunters' tunes entrance a deer.

'In our present doomed condition,
We think of His glittering feet,
And become lusty for His touch.
Please, from your talks of Him, retreat!'

All these talks of Radharani
With the messenger bumblebee
Which refer to Krishna alone
Symptomize topmost ecstacy.

These symptoms of mahabhava
In Radha and the gopis too,
Acaryas have closely studied
To explain the things that they do.

Radha acts as if bewildered,
And She talks in different ways.
This all comes from Her Krishna love
As from jewels come sparkling rays.

Sri Radha's talking with the bee
Cured Her woe of separation,
But then when the bee disappeared,
She went mad in desparation.

Thinking the bee went to Krishna
Telling Her words of demotion,
She feared that She made Krishna sad,
And thus She felt great emotion.

When the bee appeared before Her,
She felt Krishna to be most kind:
He ignored Her disruptive words
And sent the bee to calm Her mind.

Then Sri Radha spoke with great care
Thus addressing the bumblebee.
This time She was speaking sweet words
And not words full of infamy.

'My dear friend, you are most welcome.
To send you, Krishna is so kind.
He ignored My words against Him,
Though they couldn't have pleased His mind.

'Oh My friend, you're welcome to ask Me
Whatever you desire, dear bee,
For I shall give you anything
Because of your kindness to Me.

'You've come to take Me to Krishna
Because He cannot come to Me,
For there new girlfriends surround Him.
But you're too small to take Me, dear bee!

'How can you help Me meet Krishna?
For there He is taking His rest
Along with the goddess of fortune
And embracing her to His chest.

'Oh, never mind! Forget these talks
Of My going or sending you.
Tell Me how Krishna is faring.
In Mathura, what does He do?

'Does He miss His father Nanda?
And His most loving mother too?
What about His cowherd boyfriends?
And we gopis? Give us a clue!

'I'm sure He sometimes sings of us,
We who all served Him without pay.
We simply were His maidservants.
To embrace Him once more, we pray!

'Oh, when will His arms surround us,
Always fragrant with aguru scent.
Oh, please ask Krishna these questions,
Without Him we simply lament!'

This worship in separation
By the gopis of Their dear Lord
Is most praised by Lord Caitanya
As giving the supreme reward.

This reward of love of Krishna
Is certainly the highest goal.
It's this Caitanya came to teach,
And it is this He did extol.

travel journal#4.16a: Wroclaw, Leipzig, Berlin, Bremen

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 4, No. 16a
By Krishna-kripa das
(August 2008, part two)
Wroclaw, Leipzig, Berlin, Bremen
(Sent from Tampere, Finland on 9/2/08)

Where I Am and What I Am Doing

After to the Polish festival tour, I went with Giridhari Prabhu to Wroclaw, where I spent three days, waiting for the start of the Czech Woodstock, which I will describe in the next article, as it requires a whole article itself. After that I went to Leipzig and Berlin, on the way to Bremen, Germany, where I caught a flight to Finland. Airport security threw out my less than 100 ml of sun screen merely because it was in a bottle marked 200 ml, although I showed them that the bottle was clearly less than half full! I plan to write the company for compensation. Fortunately there was a power outlet at the boarding gate, and I could work on this journal! Now I am in Finland, researching an article on the Finnish yatra, especially its programs for academia, for Back to Godhead and meditating on speaking on the glories of Radharani for Radhastami.

Devotional Meditations

Thoughts from Indradymuna Swami’s lectures:

Religion is meant to purify ourselves. If we do not become purified, we are either following a bogus religion or incorrectly following a real religion.

As a brahmana, Ajamila knew what was sinful and yet he acted sinfully. The holy name, however, delivered even him.

The holy name, like any incarnation of the Lord, is meant to protect the pious, to rectify the demoniac, and to reestablish the principles of religion.

Festivals like the Polish Woodstock are golden opportunities to share Krishna consciousness with many thousands of people. Such chances happen only a few times in our entire lives.

Tale from the History of Krishna Consciousness in Bulgaria

My friend Jagannatha Misra Prabhu, who led harinama this year on the Polish tour, told me some of the interesting history of Krishna consciousness in Bulgaria. After the Soviet Union collapsed, many religious groups appeared in Bulgaria. At one point, the Bulgarian parliament met for seven days to decide about prohibiting several of these “new” religions. Hare Krishna was first on their list. The devotees chanted in front of the parliament from early in the morning each day. They also distributed a statement of their philosophy and a list of their leading members and their occupations. This was so effective that by the end of the week, the parliament decided to ban all the new religions except Hare Krishna. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church was infuriated with this decision, and decided to put all their energy into stopping the devotees. However, on that very day, a split occurred in the church, and so instead, they put all there energy into fighting between the two divisions. That dispute continues even today. In this way, Krishna protected His devotees, who are able to carry on their distribution of spiritual knowledge there in Bulguria.

Wroclaw

Although there are not many devotees in Wroclaw, and I was one of the two or three at the morning program and evening kirtana, I was reminded how nice it is to do the devotional activities Srila Prabhupada has given us, even in the association of just a very few devotees.

Another Venue for Sharing the Mercy

Visvarupa Prabhu, a book distributor based in Wroclaw, told me of an innovative program he does in the lake filled region of northeastern Poland. He and a couple friends rent a boat, and go from one port to another, doing bhajanas and distribution of prasadam sweets for about two hours every evening. Since the boats are a bit expensive, he meets more upper class people. Sometimes the people even invite the devotees on their boats to play for them. It is a combination of a vacation and an opportunity to share spiritual nectar. The downside is it is a bit pricy; the most inexpensive boats rent for $1000 for two weeks.

Lots of Love in Leipzig

Taking four trains, two buses, and a tram, I traveled from Trutnov, Czech, to Leipzig, Germany, arriving in time for the end of the Prabhupada Vyasa Puja feast. I told the prasadam server I would take one of each of the sweets and received a plate with fifteen different desserts! Although half the devotees left for a program with Kadamba Kanana Swami in northern Germany, in that small, recently created temple ten devotees came on harinama with me one day and eight the next! I was so inspired by their enthusiasm, I decided to make the carob coconut burfi I used to make for harinama when I lived in San Diego and Alachua. One devotee took the trouble to roll it all into balls. They are a cooperative bunch of devotees there. On our second harinama, several people stood and watched for some time, several promised to come to the temple, one wanted her picture taken with us, another drew a sketch of our party (above), and yet another wanted the recipe for our sweet. All in all, I was pleased both by the response of the pubic and enthusiasm of the devotees, and I hope to return to Leipzig during the first half of June next year, during which they participate in two well-attended public festivals, doing a lot of kirtana and prasadam distribution. Kadamba Kanana Swami also likes the Leipzig temple since the youthful devotees are very enthusiastic, their minds free of the complaints which sometimes haunt those who have lived through decades of temple life.

Bliss in Berlin

Both days I was in Berlin we did harinama, and I made carob-cocnut burfi for distribution. The first day, one mataji surrendered to driving four brahmacaris to Alexanderplatz, a crowded area great for harinama. One man who saw us chanting was impressed with our sincerity and called the temple about our program the next day. As it turns out, we met him again on harinama the next day and gave him a ride back to the temple for the program. His story is that he came to the temple in Berlin twenty years ago. I talked to him after the program led by Kadamba Kanana Swami, and he said he had a good time. On the second harinama, nine men, mostly brahmacaris went out. We met someone from Scotland, and he also came to the Saturday program. The practicality of harinama as a way to interest people in coming to the temple could not be more obvious than we experienced in Berlin. We also realized it was a great idea to do harinama just before the weekly feast program to generate interest, and even bring people to the temple. My thanks to the Berlin and Leipzig devotees for encouraging me by doing harinama for four days out of my five-and-a-half-day visit to Germany.

ekala malakara ami kahan kahan
yaba ekala va kata phala padiya vilaba
ekala uthana dite haya parisrama
keha paya, keha na paya, rahe mane bhrama
ataeva ami ajna dilun sabakare
yahan tahan prema-phala deha’ yare tare

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “I am the only gardener. How many places can I go? How many fruits can I pick and distribute? It would certainly be a very laborious task to pick the fruits and distribute them alone, and still I suspect that some would receive them and others would not. Therefore I order every man within this universe to accept this Krishna consciousness movement and distribute it everywhere.” (Cc. Adi 9.34-36)

“Here Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu indicates that the distribution of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra should be performed by combined forces. Although He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He laments, “How can I act alone? How can I alone pick the fruit and distribute it all over the world?” This indicates that all classes of devotees should combine to distribute the Hare Krishna maha-mantra without consideration of the time, place or situation.” (Cc. Adi 9.34, purport).