Diary
of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 9, No. 13
By Krishna-kripa das
(July 2013, part one)
By Krishna-kripa das
(July 2013, part one)
The
North of England
(Sent from Bratislava, Slovakia, on August 11, 2013)
(Sent from Bratislava, Slovakia, on August 11, 2013)
Where
I Went and What I Did
I
spent the first half of July at my base in Newcastle, with a day trip
to York in the middle, and a journey south at the middle of the month
to Manchester, Stockport, Hazel Grove, and Sheffield, enroute to
London, ultimately to catch a flight to Lithuania for the summer
festival. I would go on harinama
everyday,
either alone or with friends. The first week I chanted in Newcastle
mostly, except to go to Sunderland, which Janananda Goswami calls
Syamasunderland, and which is one of the largest cities nearby and
which I like to go to once a week. The second week we also chanted in
Chester-le-Street and Durham.
I
have many great insights from Prabhupada’s books, some from
lectures by Janananda Goswami, a couple from the journal of
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, a few from recorded lectures by different
swamis, and a few from Back
to Godhead articles
by Jayadvaita Swami and Caitanya Carana Prabhu.
Itinerary
August
12–14: Bratislava, Slovakia
August
15–18: Trutnov Open Air Music Festival (Czech Woodstock)
August
19: Prague
August
20: Berlin
August
21–23: Newcastle
August
24: York
August
25: Leeds
August
26–29: Newcastle
August
30: Liverpool
August
31: Bolton
September
1–2: Dublin
September
4–6: Gainesville
September
6–10: Tallahassee?
September
11–26: Gainesville
September
27–30: Columbus?
October
1–November 25: Union Square harinama,
New
York City
November
26–February 19, 2014: Gainesville
[except five days per month in Tallahassee and one day per month in Tampa]
February
24–April 22, 2014: Mayapur
Harinama
in Newcastle
One
day Bhakti Rasa and Prema Sankirtana Prabhu joined me on
Northumberland Street. Some passersby joined in the dancing.
One
young lady really got into playing the tambourine and dancing with
pleasure.
A
jovial extroverted lady who has joined us previously in Newcastle
also came by, playing the tambourine and dancing.
Sometimes
she induces her friends or even people she does not know to
participate. Once when I was singing alone, she came by, and sang and
danced for a while. At one point, she encouraged some little girls
sitting on the bench to take interest. They came over and their mom
took pictures of them with us, gave a donation, and ended up taking a
book.
Once
on harinama
in
Newcastle a woman gave a donation. When I offered her a book, she
agreed to take one, saying, “Whenever I talk to you people, I
always feel more comfortable afterward.”
Another
lady gave 50 pence. She told me she really liked that fact that if
people do not have any money, they can eat at our restaurants in
exchange for an hour of service. I offered her a book, but she felt
her donation was not sufficient. I told her that she gave enough and
should take a book. She took a small book, which really did cost
about 50 pence, and gave a five-pound note on top of her 50 pence,
thus giving over $8 for a small book.
Once
Malvika surprised me by playing the karatalas while she held
Prema Sankirtana Prabhu’s child, Giya, something I had never seen
before.
One
day was mixed on harinama.
A middle-aged man gave me £1
to go toward “my next singing lesson.” A young man spit something
at the back of my sweater as I was chanting back to the temple. But
on the bright side, one middle-aged lady gave a donation, and when I
offered her a book, she said I gave her one last week. I asked if she
read it, and she said she was reading it and liked it, and her friend
visited our web page. Such are the daily dualities of outreach. The
guy who spit at me almost got hit by two different vehicles in the
next minute or two afterward. And I noticed it was hard for me to not
wish something bad would happen to him, but perhaps not that bad!
Later in the day I found the sweet rice I made for the evening
kirtana
program came out really good, so that minimized the previous
unpalatable events!
A
Day in York
Just this year
devotees began a weekly program in York on Saturday evening.
Govardhan Dasi, a Prabhupada disciple, and her husband, come out
early, and she plays the harmonium and sings for two hours, while her
husband talks to people and passes out invitations. The day I went,
she was willing to increase her program by chanting for three hours.
I played the drum for her when she sang, and she played the drum for
me. She chants in a crowded pedestrian area, so many people heard the
chanting. Next to London, devotees say that York is the biggest
tourist location in England, and tour groups came by, including one
from Italy. Two boys from that group, perhaps ten or twelve years
old, happily danced with us for fifteen minutes on two different
occasions, playing tambourines as well. Govardhan Dasi, who knows
some Italian spoke to them.
I told Govardhan
Dasi I like to speak on four topics: Krishna consciousness as a
science, bhakti as the universal religious principle, the
chanting of the holy name as the primary act of devotion, and the
necessity of daily spiritual practice, and I asked her to choose one.
She said they were all good topics and that I should speak on all of
them, and so I did. Several people liked the lecture which I uploaded
to ISKCON Desire Tree:
Indre, who met the
devotees in Newcastle, but who now lives in Scunthorpe, came with
another devotee from Scunthorpe, and had a good time.
Ganesh Prabhu kindly
provided transportation, prasadam, and a place to stay in York
to make my journey convenient.
I liked my
experience at York, chanting in another city, and being a small
addition to an existing chanting party, so I decided to go to York
one Saturday a month when I am in the Newcastle area.
Harinama
in Chester-le-Street
Last year, Prema
Sankirtana and I did a memorable harinama in
Chester-le-Street, a town equidistant between Newcastle and
Sunderland. One devotee, Atul, lives there and was happy to have us
chant there last year, so we decided to do it again. This year a new
devotee, Mark, also a resident of Chester-le-Street, joined us.
Although only associating with the devotees for a few months, Mark
has transcended the fear of being seen as a Hare Krishna devotee in
his home town. Malvika, who is between education and employment, also
joined us. As Chester-le-Street is a small town where we rarely sing,
we attracted a lot of attention. Some school students had a great
time singing and dancing with us and taking pictures of their friends
singing and dancing with us. One slightly intoxicated man and his dog
followed us the length of the town and stayed with us for a while at
the end. We collected a few donations and distributed a few books,
and the devotees were very positive about the experience.
Harinama
in Durham
Durham is a college
town where Rohit from India and Malvika from Malaysia studied for
several years, finally graduating this year. The last couple of years
they had Krishna programs there each Friday. Now after completing
their university education they decided to move into the Newcastle
temple, and on the day we went to Durham to collect their belongings,
we decided to do harinama there. Mark, our new devotee
friend from Chester-le-Street who was also off work that day joined
us. We chanted on a bridge in the middle of the town for a while.
Then we walked from
one end of the town to the other, at one point engaging a
construction crew in participating with us.
Later we chanted in
a central square in front of the HSBC bank.
Harinama
on the Beach in Sunderland
On the way to
Sunderland, I encountered a sign that was humorous for me as an
American. Apparently there is a town called Washington that is part
of the city of Sunderland. The sign upon entering the town says,
“Welcome to the Original WASHINGTON.” According to Wikipedia, the
ancestors of George Washington, who Washington, D.C., is named after,
lived in this town in England which bears the family name:
Aside from the beaches in Florida and Poland, I rarely do harinama on the beaches, but the weather was so excellent, a rarity in The North of England, that Lauris and Malvika suggested that we chant at the Roker Beach in Sunderland. Diya decided to join us, even though she is a little shy to chant in her hometown, and we were very happy she came.
Aside from the beaches in Florida and Poland, I rarely do harinama on the beaches, but the weather was so excellent, a rarity in The North of England, that Lauris and Malvika suggested that we chant at the Roker Beach in Sunderland. Diya decided to join us, even though she is a little shy to chant in her hometown, and we were very happy she came.
We started by chanting to the end of one pier.
Some
kids who were fishing complained that our singing was scaring the
fish away. A few people were happy for the entertainment, but many
did not know what to make of us. Two kids were intrigued and took
video of us for about half the length of the pier. Diya sang very
well for someone who had slept 45 minutes the night before and had
just got off a several-hour Megabus ride from Scotland.
After
the pier, we chanted on the sidewalk by the beach.
It
was low tide, and we went out on the beach so far the sand was very
moist. One young lady came running up to us when Malvika was singing,
and began dancing.
She
must have danced at least fifteen minutes. She did not know about
Hare Krishna, but she was the kind of person who did not miss an
opportunity to dance. Her friends left her at one point, disappearing
out of sight, but she did not care and went on dancing with us
anyway.
Lauris
also got into a mood of performance.
We
gave the dancing lady an invitation to our Wednesday and Sunday
programs in Newcastle and hope she will continue her interest in
dancing with the Hare Krishnas. You can see her enthusiastic dancing
in this video (http://youtu.be/LqfGk76Lmnc).
Thanks
to Diya who took the above video of us chanting on Roker
Beach.
Later,
as we were getting in the car to leave for the day, some preteenage
boys earnestly asked us to play one more song before going thus
showing their appreciation.
Manchester
Monthly Harinama
I try to participate in the monthly Manchester harinama at least once a year.
Now
they do it on the second Sunday after the kirtana
and
the lecture, and before the feast, for those who do not mind eating a
little later. It is just short of two hours, otherwise the parking
fees become ridiculous. They are planning to get a van to reduce the
parking costs so they can stay out longer. There are lots of people,
especially in outdoor cafes, and many people hear the chanting, and
some people are attracted. Thanks to Agi Holland for the picture of
me at the event.
A
Day in Hazel Grove
I
planned to chant with Gaura and Gaura Gopala Prabhus in Manchester
one afternoon, but unexpectedly chanted for three hours in Hazel
Grove by myself instead. Gaura Prabhu left in the morning to
distribute books, while I proofread the Back
to Godhead magazine
above Matchless Gifts, the Hare Krishna charity shop and alternative
therapy center run by Jagadatma Prabhu in Hazel Grove.
When I left to join Gaura in Manchester, I could not get the key to
lock the door behind me, and his instruction “to fiddle with it”
was not sufficient for success. I tried moving the key in and out, up
and down, and left and right while I turned it, and I tried chanting
and offering a few prayers, but nothing seemed to work. I gave up in
frustration after 40 minutes and decided Krishna wanted me to chant
in Hazel Grove. The traffic was loud and smelly, and there were just
a few people on the street. One vegan lady who really liked George
Harrison came by, and of all the people, she was the most happy to
see someone chanting Hare Krishna in Hazel Grove. She thought it was
really progressive. I showed her Chant
and Be Happy, and
suggested that since she liked George Harrison she might like the
book, but she was low on cash till payday. I gave her an invitation
to our Thursday program there, but she was from a distance away. So
in three hours no one gave any donations or took any books. A few
drivers waiting for the stoplight, with windows rolled down, gave
expressions or gestures of appreciation. Still when Jagadatma Prabhu
returned and heard I chanted Hare Krishna for three hours in front of
the shop, he told me that if I stayed there and chanted there every
day, he would take care of my needs and find a way to send me to
Mayapur each year. I am committed to Newcastle, Gainesville, and New
York, so I will not do it, but the next time I go to Sheffield for
their Wednesday program, I will go to the Hazel Grove area and chant
for three hours and advertize and attend his program on Thursday. And
when I visit Manchester for their monthly harinama,
I
may spend two or three days chanting around Hazel Grove.
After
my chanting session, since the Hazel Grove library was closed, I sat
in little park nearby to see if I could pick up an unsecured wireless
signal to proofread my guru’s blog and check my email. I noticed
that Huffy’s next door had a secured wireless connection, and not
wanting to wander all over the town looking for a free one, I decided
to ask if I could use their connection since the library was closed.
The waitress said they usually like you to buy something. When I
asked for the cheapest item, an older man standing at the bar
overhearing our conversation offered to buy me whatever I wanted. I
just took a ginger ale and found a Krishna pamphlet in my computer
bag to give the man, and he shook my hand. Later, before he left, he
stopped by my table. He encouraged me to “spread the word,” gave
me a 5-pound note as a donation, and thinking I was following a path
from the East, he made a comment that he was in Vietnam for six years
and that it had more culture than the West. I smiled as I reflected
on what he said, and he shook my hand again, as he left. It was a
surprise to have such a pleasant encounter in Huffy’s Bar in Hazel
Grove.
A
Wonderful Wednesday
Gaura
Prabhu and I chanted in Stockport for 45 minutes before my train to
Sheffield. One young man with a beard sat on his skateboard about 13
feet (4 meters) from us, and listened while he ate his lunch. We told
him that we had a regular Thursday program in Hazel Grove, and gave
him an invitation, as he said that he was from there. After happily
listening for fifteen minutes or so, when he left, he smiled and
thanked us for coming there, saying he would see us on Thursday.
Other people seemed happy to see us and gave donations. The security
guard for the mall we were in front of came out a couple times, and
must have heard and seen us, but by the grace of the Lord, he did not
ask us to move, unlike the one two days before. It was a pleasant,
though brief, chanting session, and it was very encouraging to
encounter someone in Stockport who wanted to come to the program.
In
Sheffield, I chanted for an hour and a half myself before the other
devotees joined me for harinama.
During
that time, two young Indian ladies, one who was beginning her final
year at the university and another who was a working lady, both asked
me about Hare Krishna programs in Sheffield, and I took down their
emails for our mailing list, and gave them the phone number of Kay,
our local leader. I love connecting people who are attracted to
Krishna with our local programs.
After
the other devotees arrived, a lady perhaps in her fifties or sixties
came by and asked about what we were doing, and we gave her a mantra
card, and she chanted along for about 15 minutes. A friend of Geoff,
a member of our harinama
party
came by, and he explained to her what we were doing, and she also
took a mantra card and sang along with us for sometime. While those
two ladies were singing, a teenaged girl and a kid then came and
watched the chanting with curiosity. Later they sat on a nearby bench
with an older woman, who I thought was their mother but who turned
out to be the girl’s grandmother and who explained that the girl’s
mother was a Hare Krishna devotee in Birmingham. It was beautiful to
see all these people engaging in Lord Caitanya’s sankirtana
process
by coming in touch with our modest little harinama
party
in Sheffield.
Radha,
the daughter of Kay, who has been aware of Krishna her whole life,
has a nice voice and nice enthusiasm, and it was great to have her
sing part of the time on both the harinama
and
the evening program.
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
lecture
on Sri
Caitanya-caritamita, Madhya-lila
20.98–99,
July 4, 1976, in Washington, D.C.:
“The
moving power of the body is the spirit
soul. We are repeatedly trying to convince people of this simple
truth.”
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
6.4.24,
purport:
“Madhvacarya
quotes the following verse from the Skanda
Purana:
yatha
rajñaḥ priyatvam tu
bhritya
vedena catmanah
tatha
jivo na yat-sakhyam
vetti
tasmai namo ’stu te
‘As
the various servants in the different departments of big
establishments cannot see the supreme managing director under whom
they are working, the conditioned souls cannot see the supreme friend
sitting within their bodies. Let us therefore offer our respectful
obeisances unto the Supreme, who is invisible to our material eyes.’”
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
6.4.27–28:
“The
Supersoul is realized when one is eager for liberation from the
unlimited varieties of material life. One actually attains such
liberation when he engages in the transcendental loving service of
the Lord and realizes the Lord because of his attitude of service.
The Lord may be addressed by various spiritual names, which are
inconceivable to the material senses. When will that Supreme
Personality of Godhead be pleased with me?”
“When a devotee is eager to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he prays to the Lord:
ayi
nanda-tanuja kinkaram
patitaḿ
mam visame bhavambudhau
kripaya
tava pada-pankaja-
sthita-dhuli-sadrisaḿ
vicintaya
from
The
Nectar of Devotion, Chapter
19:
“There
are many societies and associations of pure
devotees, and if someone with just a little faith begins to associate
with such societies, his advancement to pure devotional service is
rapid.”
“In
the Narada-pancaratra
Lord
Shiva therefore tells Parvati, ‘My dear supreme goddess, you may
know from me that any person who has developed the ecstasy of love
for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and who is always merged in
transcendental bliss on account of this love, cannot even perceive
the material distress or happiness coming from the body or mind.’”
“This
relishing of transcendental mellow in discharging
devotional service cannot be
experienced
by all classes of men, because this sweet loving mood is developed
only from one’s previous life’s activities or by the association
of unalloyed devotees. . . . In other words, this transcendental
bliss is not to be enjoyed by any common man unless he is so
extraordinarily fortunate as to be in association with devotees or to
be continuing his previous birth’s devotional activities.”
from
The
Nectar of Devotion,
Chapter 24:
“Any
person who is reliable in all circumstances is called
dependable. In this connection Rupa Gosvami says that even the demons
were relying upon the dependability of Krishna, because they were
confident that Krishna would never attack them without due
cause.
Therefore, with faith and confidence, they used to live with their
doors wide open. And the demigods, although afraid of the demons,
were confident of the protection of Krishna. Therefore, even in the
midst of danger they were engaged in sportive activities. Persons who
had never undergone the reformatory ritualistic ceremonies of the
Vedas
were
confident that Krishna would accept only faith and devotion, and so
they were engaged in Krishna consciousness and were freed from all
anxieties. In other words, all kinds of men, from the demigods down
to the uncultured, can
rely
on the
causeless mercy of the Supreme Lord.”
from
The
Nectar of Devotion,
Chapter 25:
“When
a devotee is never tired of executing devotional service and is
always engaged in Krishna conscious activities, constantly relishing
the transcendental mellows in relationship with Krishna, he is called
perfect.”
“Anyone
who becomes exhilarated by hearing of the pastimes of Lord Krishna
when He was present on this earth with His associates is to be
understood as nitya-siddha,
eternally
perfect.”
from
a lecture of Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.7
given in New Delhi on November 13, 1973:
Krishna
is explaining Himself personally in Bhagavad-gita.
He is accepted by all the big, big stalwart acaryas
[great
spiritual teachers]
for
hundreds of years. Everyone accepts Krishna is God. And this rascal
is searching out what is God. See the rascaldom! God is here, and he
is searching after God.
from
a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.2.6
on September 5, 1972 in New Vrindavan:
When
a scientist dies, we can easily understand the body is not the
scientist, the soul is the scientist.
Ayurveda
is
based on very simple principles, knowing the situation of the bile,
mucous, and air in the body, based on feeling the pulse. The doctor
understands the situation and asks patient if he is feeling like this
to confirm his investigation. Then the medicine is prescribed.
Krishna
talks with a bona fide person not any nonsense person. Just as a big
man in human society does not talk with just anyone.
The
greatest symptom of his love is that the devotee wants to see the
Lord’s name, fame, etc., becomes widespread.
If
Krishna gives you intelligence from within, who can excel you?
Krishna can give you intelligence if you always engage in His service
with love.
To
select the path back to Godhead or to select the path to hell is up
to us.
When
I understand I am spiritual, my occupational duty changes to bhakti.
Without
religion, it does not matter which religion, one is an animal for
animals have no religion. One cannot be happy by imitating the
animals. We should not decline to animal life. We should progress.
As
if we have a good car, we have a more comfortable ride, if we have a
good body we have a comfortable life. Once we have a attained a
particular type of body, we get a certain level of comfort. That
cannot be changed. Whatever God has given you, be satisfied with
that, and use your time to endeavor for spiritual advancement.
Bhakti
is not checked by an material condition. Not that “I was very sick
so I could not chant.”
from
a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.2.7 given on April 21, 1974, in Hyderabad:
“Practice
bhakti-yoga
and be Krishna conscious, and make your life successful. That is our
mission. We are teaching. It is not a business, that ‘Give me some
money; I will teach you.’ It is open. We are asking everyone,
‘Chant Hare Krsna mantra.’ What is the difficulty? There is no
loss. You haven’t got to pay anything.”
“And
why should you go to see dancing elsewhere? Dance at home. Make
family organization in that way. You will be happy. Then you will
understand what is your position.”
“This
bhakti-yoga
process
is polishing the mirror of your heart, and when it is nicely
polished, you will see what is your position, what you are, what is
your business, how you shall be happy. Everything will come out.”
from
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya
4.79, purport:
“Within
the [Krishna consciousness] society we must try to serve the
predecessors by preaching Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s cult and spreading
His name and fame all over the world. If we attempt this seriously
within the society, it will be successfully done. There is no
question of estimating how this will happen in the mundane sense. But
without a doubt, it happens by the grace of Krishna.”
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
6.5.36,
purport:
“The
Vedic civilization therefore enjoins that at the end of one’s
fiftieth year one must give up household life [to pursue spiritual
realization]. This is compulsory. However, because modern
civilization is misled, householders want to remain in family life
until death, and therefore they are suffering. In such cases, the
disciples of Narada Muni advise all the members of the younger
generation to join the Krishna consciousness movement immediately.
There is nothing wrong in this.”
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
6.5.41,
purport:
“It
is not a fact that because material enjoyment involves so many
painful conditions one will automatically become detached. One needs
the blessings of a devotee like Narada Muni. Then one can renounce
his attachment for the material world. The young boys and girls of
the Krishna consciousness movement have given up the spirit of
material enjoyment not because of practice but by the mercy of Lord
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His servants.”
from
lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam
5.5.2:
Although
a devotee is harassed in many ways, he never becomes angry. If he
does, he falls down.
Tolerance
and compassion are the principal qualifications of a sadhu (saint).
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
4.8.48,
purport:
“The
Krishna consciousness movement has been started especially to create
qualified brahmanas
to broadcast spiritual knowledge all over the world, for thus people
may become very happy.”
Janananda
Goswami:
We
are singing the glories of the mundane for no ultimate benefit.
Better we use our human form to sing the glories of God and attain
the ultimate benefit and the supreme security.
One
can say that Durga is represented in the Panca-tattva, because as the
external energy, she is an expansion of the internal energy,
Gadadhara Pandit.
Srivasa
Thakura and his wife were practically second parents of Lord Caitanya
and Lord Nityananda.
After
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took initiation from Isvara Puri he began the
congregational chanting at Srivasa Thakura’s house. Lord Caitanya
was very selective in allowing only pure devotees to participate in
the kirtana
there.
Even before that, the Vaishnavas would gather and glorify the Lord at
Srivasa Thakura’s house. Vaishnavas were a minority at that time,
while the shaktas
were
in the majority, and there were threats on Srivasa Thakura’s life.
Advaita Acarya was very angry at this situation, and thus he appealed
for Lord Krishna to appear.
When
Gopala Capala was suffering from leprosy, he approached Lord Caitanya
to deliver him from his physical misery but not from his material
life. Because he insulted Srivasa Thakura, Lord Caitanya did not
immediately deliver him.
When
Srivasa Thakura’s son died and the women were lamenting, Srivasa
Thakura said to them, “If your crying disturbs Lord Caitanya, I
will give up my life.”
Srivasa
Thakura had so much faith in the fact the Krishna would maintain him,
he told Lord Caitanya, “If three days go by and the Lord does not
send us anything, I will jump in the Ganges.” Lord Caitanya was
very pleased to hear of his faith in the Lord.
The
sankirtana
party
arranged by Lord Caitanya to protest the Muslim Kazi’s prohibition
of the public chanting, was said to be so large you could not count
the people. Some accounts say millions of people.
One
brahmana
was not allowed to enter the kirtanas
at
Srivasa Thakura’s house, and out of anger he cursed Lord Caitanya
to be bereft of all material happiness. For a shakta
[one
who worships Goddess Durga for material blessings] that is a curse
worse than death, but Lord Caitanya was in ecstasy.
Jayadvaita
Swami:
from
Back
to Godhead, Vol.
47, No. 5, pp. 15–16:
“Vedic
sages say, I am not my body. I am the spark of consciousness within
the body. This way of thinking is not merely theoretical. It has
consequences, social, political, economic, and personal.”
Even
my body—which I certainly say is mine—is mine only for some time.
And even then, I can’t fully control it. I can’t, for example,
stop it from getting old, nor from dying. So finally the grave or the
funeral pyre takes it and says, “It’s mine.”
Niranjana
Swami:
from
a recorded lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam
given
in Boston in June 2013:
We
want to establish a relationship with Krishna, so we establish a
relationship with Krishna’s holy name. There is no difference
between Krishna and His holy name.
Radhanatha
Swami:
The
verse trnad
api encapsulates
the entire culture of devotional service.
Sacinandana
Swami:
Bhaktivinoda
Thakura gave great inspiration to Vaishnavas by discovering the
birthplace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Now we can all come to Mayapur
to be spiritually uplifted.
Satsvarupa
Dasa Goswami:
Syama
told me not to be
worried that my poem to Radha-Govinda
is repetitious.
Pujari service is the same, but there is always
variety of dresses, ornaments,
flowers and prasadam.
Even the sameness
is a steadying influence
as we get to know
Them better every day. In
the spiritual world
Radha and Krishna play the same sports
in Their asta-kaliya
lila throughout the hours of the day and night.
But there are always newer and ever-fresh rasas as experienced by Them.
I don’t want any extraordinary change.
I just want to see Them as
They are. As I grow in devotion,
the change will take place in my heart.
worried that my poem to Radha-Govinda
is repetitious.
Pujari service is the same, but there is always
variety of dresses, ornaments,
flowers and prasadam.
Even the sameness
is a steadying influence
as we get to know
Them better every day. In
the spiritual world
Radha and Krishna play the same sports
in Their asta-kaliya
lila throughout the hours of the day and night.
But there are always newer and ever-fresh rasas as experienced by Them.
I don’t want any extraordinary change.
I just want to see Them as
They are. As I grow in devotion,
the change will take place in my heart.
Everyone
should make himself
a submissive
hearer of Srimad-Bhagavatam and pass his
days in enlightened hearing.
a submissive
hearer of Srimad-Bhagavatam and pass his
days in enlightened hearing.
Jagadatma
Prabhu:
As
it is amazing to the materialistic the wonderful descriptions of the
Lord’s incarnations and features of his creation, it is amazing to
the devotees that the materialists can think their pleasures which
are like those of the animals are the ultimate goal of life.
Devotees
must have some direct experience otherwise it would not be possible
for them to continue to engage in devotional service.
Both
people who are highly intelligent and people who are simple and who
admit their ignorance can surrender to the Lord.
A
blind person may inquire how to see the sun, but what possibility is
there that he can see the sun?
The
human being is equipped with the ability to come in contact with God
through the process of yoga.
Materialists
accuse the devotees of convincing themselves of a certain way of
viewing the world, but materialists have to convince themselves that
to work hard from nine to five and get money to enjoy sense
gratification will give them ultimate satisfaction.
Materialists
challenge, “Show me God, and I will believe in Him.” and Krishna
says, “Believe in Me, and I will reveal myself to you.”
Krishna
reveals Himself to the devotee in such a way that he cannot deny Him.
Srila
Prabhupada said that if someone gives one penny, Krishna will never
forget him. He will think, “This man has given Me one penny.”
A
man sees what he wants to see. So when they want to see God they will
see Him.
Once
someone said to Srila Prabhupada, “You must have to give up a lot
to become a Hare Krishna devotee.” Srila Prabhupada replied, “You
only have to give up your misery.” The inquirer was shocked and
could not ask a further question.
Sometimes
I think that if I had as much faith in Krishna as the materialists do
in materialism I would already have Krishna prema.
In
Melbourne the devotees asked Srila Prabhupada if reading his books is
enough, and he replied no, they must be personally trained by someone
who had understood his books. He explained that just as there are
medical books at the market place, one cannot become a doctor simply
by reading them. One must be trained by a doctor.
Even
in psychology they understand that the desire to control is the root
cause of all other material desires.
A
group of devotees from Australia visited one of Prabhupada’s
godbrothers. Srila Prabhupada asked who authorized the visit. He then
asked what his godbrother said. They replied, “It is good that you
are chanting Hare Krishna. In your next life, as a result, you will
take birth in India.” Prabhupada said that by hearing from him they
were ruined. Prabhupada greatly opposed this artificial distinction
made between Indian and Western devotees.
Several
devotees have told me that toward the end of his life, Prabhupada
said, “My only regret is that I could not personally train you. I
was so busy organizing the society.”
I
asked one Russian lady who read auras to read mine. She explained
that the Hare Krishna devotees have special characteristics in their
auras. They always have a blue-violet effulgence around the throat,
and instead of being protected by one or two spiritual guides, they
are all protected by hundreds.
Caitanya
Carana Prabhu:
from
Back
to Godhead, Vol.
45, No. 5, p. 37:
“Just
as a blazing fire can provide far greater warmth than a tiny spark,
the Supreme Lord can provide far greater warmth of love for our
hearts than any worldly person.”
-----
yac-chaktayo vadatam vadinam vai
vivada-samvada-bhuvo
bhavanti
kurvanti
caisaḿ muhur atma-moham
tasmai
namo ’nanta-gunaya bhumne
“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.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam
6.4.31)