Diary
of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 9, No. 15
By Krishna-kripa das
(August 2013, part one)
By Krishna-kripa das
(August 2013, part one)
Polish
Woodstock, Harinamas in Germany and Bratislava
(Sent from Newcastle upon Tyne on August 26, 2013)
(Sent from Newcastle upon Tyne on August 26, 2013)
Where
I Went and What I Did
The
devotees of the Sri Harinama Mandir traveling party dropped me at the
Krakow train station, and I took an overnight train, crowded with
young people, to Kostrzyn for my thirteenth time at the Polish
Woodstock. The Vaishnava youth European bus tour joined the many
regulars who come each year to share Krishna music, food, dance,
knowledge, and more, with many tens of thousands of people there at
the Polish Woodstock. New kirtana
leaders
are always coming, this year, Amala Harinam Darling and Jahnavi
Harrison, in particular, and they both did a great job. Jayatam Jaya
Sila Prabhu had printed thousands of Polish mantra cards with contact
information for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
in Poland which I distributed many of. Some of my friends chanted to
the crowds waiting at the Kostrzyn train station the day after the
Woodstock, and we got a good response as usual. I took another
amazingly crowded train to Berlin, and shared a car with people going
toward Kassel, to join Sadbhuja Prabhu and his van party,
distributing books and doing harinama
in
different German cities, which culminated in the Ancient Trance
festival in Taucha, near Leipzig. Then I shared a group ticket on the
train to Berlin, to go on harinama
with
the devotees there, before taking an overnight bus to Slovakia’s
capital of Bratislava to give the Sunday feast lecture. The next
three days I remained there, doing three hours of harinama
each
day with a party lead by Gaura Keshava Prabhu, who was inspired by
chanting three months in Union Square with Rama Raya Prabhu’s
party, to start a daily harinama
party
in Bratislava. Next I went to Czech Republic for the Trutnov Open Air
Music Festival, also known as the Czech Woodstock, for the fifth
time.
As
I was in places with no morning lectures such as the Polish
Woodstock, or where I gave morning lectures such as Germany and
Bratislava, I have very few notes on lectures, but lots of absolutely
wonderful quotes from my personal reading of Srila Prabhupada’s
books. In addition to those, there is a brief Prabhupada remembrance
by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, a note from a class by Bhakti Sastri
teacher, Adi Purusa Prabhu, and a reflection by myself on spiritual
dress.
Itinerary
August
26–29: Newcastle upon Tyne and nearby towns
August
30: Liverpool
August
31: Bolton
September
1–2: Dublin
September
3: Dublin, Philadelphia, Orlando
September
4–6: Gainesville
September
6–10: Tallahassee
September
11–12: Jacksonville
September
13: Gainesville
September
14: Jacksonville Beach Ratha-yatra
September
15–26: Gainesville [except one day in Tampa]
September
27–30: Columbus, Ohio
October
1–November 25: Union Square harinama,
New
York City
November
26–February 19, 2014: Gainesville
[except
with 5 days / month in Tallahassee, one day per month in Tampa]
February
25–April 20, 2014: Mayapur
The
Train to the Polish Woodstock
I
heard that PKP, the Polish train company, had scheduled many extra
trains to come to the Polish Woodstock, and to return home, but I had
never ridden one. Nor do I think I will ever ride one again!
Judging
from the number of people waiting at the Krakow train station, I
could understand the train would be crowded.
There
are always people who are not afraid to dress differently at such
events as Woodstock, like the girl below with the violet hair and
feathered cap.
The
train was first announced to be 25 minutes late, and then 40 minutes
late, 60 minutes late, and lastly 80 minutes late.
It
finally left Krakow 100 minutes late, and arrived in Kostrzyn 120
minutes late!
I
have been on trains with people who stay up late, but not that late.
In fact, there was no time when all the people were asleep and none
of the people were drinking, smoking, and talking loudly.
I
talked to a few interesting people, like a boy who wanted to go to
India, and a another boy who sat next to me and meditated.
While
I was waiting in between the cars of the trains, in a queue for the
toilet, several young people chanted a few mantras with me.
Had
I been willing to spend 30 euros each way from the UK, I could have
brought my harmonium, and got more people into chanting.
At
one point, I realized it would not be able to get any more real
sleep, so I put my headphones on and played a Madhava kirtana
at
its full volume. Then I was smiling and moving to the music, and I
was pretty blissful despite my lack of sleep and all the craziness
around me. Some people looked at me and smiled, and I took the
headphones from my own head, and one by one, put them on the heads of
the four people who were watching me, so they could hear, and they
would smile. One girl sat diagonally across from me, and I put the
headphones on her. She said she liked the music, and I invited her to
our Krishna village, saying that the singer on the recording would be
performing in person there.
Polish
Woodstock
The
Polish Woodstock is a free rock concert organized by philanthropist
Jurek Oswiak, who appeciates Indradyumna Swami’s work in Poland,
and allows him space to a free Krishna festival with kirtana,
prasadam, dance,
drama, yoga, questions and answers tents, and much, much more. Thus
many, many tens of thousands of people mostly from Poland, get a very
positive experience of Krishna consciousness.
Joyful
to see thousands of people experiencing Krishna kirtana,
I
have been coming to the Polish Woodstock for thirteen years.
The
harinama
the first day attracted more people to sing and dance with us, and to
follow us back to our camp than ever before, and it was beautiful to
see.
My role on the harinamas and the Ratha-yatras was to distribute invitations to our Krishna’s Village of Peace.
At
one point, it began raining, and the devotees and onlookers continued
to chant and dancing, and Indradyumna Swami continued to photograph
them. As I was getting wet, I was looking at our main tent, which was
largely vacant, and wondering how many Hare Krishnas does it take to
figure out we would be better off in the tent. I decided to suggest
to Indradyumna Swami that we might chant in the tent, and he made a
beeline for the tent, and everyone followed him, surprising the
people who were taking prasadam
there,
and we chanted and danced in the
tent ecstatically for some time.
At
the Woodstock, during our lunch, Govinda Prabhu always share verses
that we have learned over the year. I taught him the only about how
everything becomes easy if one remembers Lord Caitanya, and he taught
me the beautiful one about Lord Caitanya that appears at the end of
this blog.
Some
people who saw me distributing mantra cards at the Mantra Yoga tent
remembered me from the train to Kostrzyn, and others from seeing me
last year. One man remembers
me
from Zary in 2002 or 2003, and comes by to say hello each year. One
man excited showed me the picture he took of me on his mobile phone
last year, and insisted on taking another picture this year.
I
met a girl named Frances from Berlin who was spiritually inquisitive.
It was as if she wanted to believe in God but had had too many years
of atheistic association to make it easily possible. I encouraged her
to explore our tradition, and to try the practice to see if she found
any benefit in it.
The
program in our main stage begins with chanting, and when I am free, I
go there and dance, and in that way try to inspire others. One girl
came up, wanting to learn my dance step. After following me a little
while, I suggested that Jahnavi Harrison take over as her dance
instructor, which she kindly did.
Caturatma
Prabhu did questions and answers a lot as usual, here translated by
Mandakini dd.
He
also would dance like mad in the Ratha-yatra kirtana.
Many,
many people enjoyed dancing in the Ratha-yatra.
These
include the brahmacari, Jon, below, who is a friend from
Gainesville.
We
had great singers in the kirtana
tent,
which was named Mantra Yoga.
These included B. B. Govinda Swami, Indradyumna Swami, Bada Haridas Prabhu, Madhava Prabhu, Amala Harinama, Jahnavi Harrison, Acyuta
Gopi, and her brother, Ananta.
Here
is a video by MayapurTV of the first kirtana
by
B. B. Govinda Swami (http://youtu.be/465BK4a3ohE):
Here
is a video of Jahnavi Harrision from the Woodstock I found on YouTube
(http://youtu.be/nk4s6UIXcM0):
The
last two days in
Mantra Yoga, Madhava
Prabhu
sang for three and a half hours and then B. B. Govinda Goswami sang
for an hour and a half or two hours. It was awesome to see the number
of people happily participating by chanting and dancing. I
distributed many mantra cards. Somehow it seemed we had more people
at the end when Madhava Prabhu would sing first and B. B. Govinda
Swami later, and that is how we did it the last two nights.
Here
is a video by Mauritius Yatra from the last kirtana
of
B. B. Govinda (http://youtu.be/1yBFniSvriU):
During
Madhava Prabhu’s kirtana one
trio became so inspired that they really took up his instruction to
chant with all their hearts. The girl read the mantra from a card I gave her.
The
girl and two boys would chant during the lead, during the response,
and during the instrumental interludes. They did not stop! They
chanted loudly chanting with blissful smiles on their faces for over
half an hour, and you sensed that Krishna must have been
reciprocating with their enthusiasm.
I
met a German girl from Bonn, and I wrote down for her the web page
for the local temple in the adjacent city of Cologne as she expressed
some interest.
A
middle-aged German couple from Berlin asked me about Krishna
consciousness, the husband translating what I said for his wife.
I
met a girl from Poznan who came everyday to the kirtana
for
hours. I gave her the contact for the devotee in Poznan who
occasionally arranges programs there.
Izabela,
who I originally met on our festival tour in Kolobrzeg years ago, but
whose family lives in Kostrzyn, came to our camp, bringing friends
for prasadam as
she does every year. She studied in Wroclaw, then graduated and moved
there, and I gave her the contact information for our temple there.
Later she and a boy came back to the kirtana
tent,
and chanted and danced like anything. I do not remember her dancing
like that ever before!
One
girl with a bandaged foot told me lived in a place where we had no
temple or nama-hatta program,
but she was beginning her studies
in Warsaw at the university. I had no Warsaw temple invitations, so I
gave her my card, saying I would sent her the contact information for
the temple. She surprised me by writing me the very morning after the
Woodstock festival was finished. The vast majority of people I give
my cards to do not write.
One
man with one leg who was on crutches was so inspired by Bada
Haridas Prabhu’s kirtana that
he danced as best as one could in that condition. It was awesome to
see.
In
Mantra Yoga tent people sometimes happily dance in a chain,
sometimes
in a circle,
and
sometimes forming a bridge, and passing beneath it.
Older
people would dance.
And
younger people would dance.
I was surprised to see entire Polish families come more than once to our Mantra Yoga tent and dance with the devotees.
Some people would try to follow the dancing of the devotee ladies.
On
the last day, as the evening progressed, I saw greater interest in
the mantra cards, decidedly more so than in previous years. I would
give the new mantra cards, with the mantra and a brief description,
to people as they came out of our kirtana
tent,
thinking that the joy they experienced dancing with us might generate
some interest in the mantra. Others, standing outside the tent, would
see me handing out the cards, and they would approach me asking for
one. In several cases, they asked for two, three, four, or even five,
for their friends! Often when I gave someone a card they would smile
or fold their hands in gratitude. I found it difficult to remember
who I gave the cards to, and sometimes I noticed I thought I
remembered the people but I was wrong. A few cards were left on the
ground, but I think much less than one percent.
Harinama
at the Kostrzyn Train Station
We
planned to chant at the train station the day after the Woodstock
from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., but even though we ended our program by 2
a.m. the night before, much earlier than usual, devotees slept in so
late we ended up going out from 1:10 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. instead. We
would have stayed out longer, but I had a train to catch at 3:11
p.m., and I wanted to honor the post-Woodstock feast before leaving.
As
it was, I reached the train two minutes before it left. We
started out with just four devotees on the harinama,
Syama Rasa Prabu on the accordion, Vishnu Puri Prabhu on the mrdanga,
and
Mathura-pati Prabhu on the karatalas,
and
me, dancing and distributing mantra cards. It was so ecstatic to just
be out chanting again, sharing Lord Caitanya gift of unlimited good
fortune through the medium of his holy names. There were people who
expressed their joy in seeing us by smiling, moving with the music,
taking photos and accepting mantra cards. One man with a bandaged
foot chanted with us on two occasions, reading the mantra from the
card I gave him. He also danced the best he could in that condition
and got cards for his two associates.
Two
girls shook small boxes of candy in each hand in time with the music. One boy tried singing the mantra along with us.
Another
time several girls danced as we passed them.
A
couple of guys, luggage in hand, sang and followed us. We were joined
by four Indian-looking devotees who encountered our party while
looking for a taxi to the green school and who stayed for half an
hour or so. The wife of Subuddhi Prabhu, who does art on the tour,
was happy to join us and danced for a similar length of time, while
her husband purchased rail tickets. When we returned to the school
that was our base the devotees were serving out the feast, and those
waiting in line were happy to encounter the kirtana
party.
A guy joined with another mrdanga,
two
guys played kalatalas,
and
three young ladies danced with enthusiasm.
Harinama
in Germany
I
chanted a couple days in Erfurt, in the center of Germany, with
Sadbhuja Prabhu (playing harmonium below) and his van party.
Once
some kids who were bathing in playground delighted in dancing with
us.
Thereafter
we went to Taucha, northeast of Leipzig, for the annual Ancient
Trance festival, where they set up a yurt and chant and tell Krishna
stories late into the night during the three-day event. Apparently
Sadbhuja Prabhu has known the organizers from even before he became a
devotees. Pradyumna Prabhu from Leipzig, also does vegetarian
catering at the ancient trance event, and his food was tasty,
especially a soup I had seconds on. Last year another group did the
catering, but the organizers wanted Pradyumna back this year because
he had done a better job. I liked the ancient trance event and was
sorry I had to go to Berlin to catch a bus to Bratislava.
The
Berlin police foolishly told the devotees they could do their
Ratha-yatra on the same day as they had previously allowed another
group do to a large festival. Therefore, although the devotees had
printed and distributed 4,000 flyers for the Ratha-yatra, they had to
cancel the event, and replace it with a harinama.
The harinama only lasted an hour and a half, and which was attended by about
twelve devotees. Still it was nice to go on the harinama,
although
it was brief.
Some
guy danced to our music.
And
a lady danced with us as well.
Harinama
in Bratislava
While
enroute from Berlin to Bratislava, I was grateful that I could
proofread my guru’s journal using the free WiFi for adjacent buses
at the Berlin terminal and using the WiFi at the Prague bus station,
where we had an hour layover.
Jivananda
Prabhu kindly picked me up from Bratislava bus station, although the
bus was scheduled to arrive at 2:30 a.m. Such a sacrifice for him! I
did not wish to come at that time, but my desires to go to the Berlin
Ratha-yatra [which was later canceled], to speak at the Bratislava
Sunday feast, to save money, and to have to time recover from the
journey left only that one option.
When
I saw Gaura Keshava Prabhu on Rama Raya’s harnama
party
in New York City in April, I had no idea that he would become so
inspired that he would start a similar program in Bratislava when he
returned three months later, and that I would join him there for
three days in the summer. The Lord works in mysterious ways.
Although
Adi Purusa Prabhu was teaching a Bhakti Sastri class attended by 30
devotees in the temple at the same time, we still had at least 6
people for most of our 3-hour harinama
the first day in Bratislava, and at one point we had 9 people! That
is pretty fired up!
The
red-haired girls had met the devotees previously at a festival.
Some
people played the instruments,
and
some danced with us, and some did both.
A
group who was having a vegan dinner listened and ate some vegan
halava we
made just for them.
The
second day, we chanted downtown.
A
girl played the tambourine with us.
Adi
Purusa Prabhu himself came out after his class, setting a good
example.
The
final night, we chanted by a statue.
Devotees
came after the Bhakti Sastri class, and we had 14 devotees and three
onlookers who joined our party.
Imagine
if devotees from all the major cities of the world came to New York
City, became inspired by Rama Raya Prabhu’s harinama,
and
returned to their own cities and started daily harinamas
for
three or four hours. That would give Lord Caitanya’s mission a big
boost!
Thanks to nama-hatta.pl for their pictures of me at the Polish Woodstock, thanks to a German bhakta for pictures of me at Efurt, and thanks to Gaura Keshava Prabhu for his pictures of the harinamas in Bratislava. I
have additional pictures I took which I did not include in this blog.
If you want to see them, click on this link, or paste the URL into
your web browser:
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
6.11.24:
“O
my Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, will I again be; able to
be a servant of Your eternal servants who find shelter only at Your
lotus feet? O Lord of my life, may I again become their servant so
that my mind may always think of Your transcendental attributes, my
words always glorify those attributes, and my body always engage in
the loving service of Your Lordship?
“Purport:
“This
verse gives the sum and substance of devotional life. One must first
become a servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord
(dasanudasa).
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised, and He also showed by His own
example, that a living entity should always desire to be a servant of
the servant of the servant of Krishna, the maintainer of the gopis
(gopi-bhartuḥ
pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasaḥ).
This means that one must accept a spiritual master who comes in the
disciplic succession and is a servant of the servant of the Lord.
Under his direction, one must then engage one’s three properties,
namely his body, mind and words. The body should be engaged in
physical activity under the order of the master, the mind should
think of Krishna incessantly, and one’s words should be engaged in
preaching the glories of the Lord. If one is thus engaged in the
loving service of the Lord, one’s life is successful.”
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
6.12.7, purport:
“Vritrasura
encouraged Indra, saying, ‘Don’t be morose because of my victory.
There is no need to stop fighting. Instead, you should go on with
your duty. When Krishna desires, you will certainly be victorious.’
This verse is very instructive for sincere workers in the Krishna
consciousness movement. We should not be jubilant in victory or
morose in defeat. We should make a sincere effort to implement the
will of Krishna, or Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and we should not be
concerned with victory and defeat. Our only duty is to work
sincerely, so that our activities may be recognized by Krishna.”
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
6.12.22, purport:
“A
pure devotee is never
attracted to any exalted position within this material world. He
simply wants to associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead
like the inhabitants of Vrindavana—Srimati Radharani, the gopis,
Krishna’s father and mother (Nanda
Maharaja and Yasoda), Krishna’s friends and Krishna’s servants.
He wants to associate with Krishna’s atmosphere of Vrindavana’s
beauty. These are the highest ambitions of a devotee of Krishna.”
“Any
material happiness is like
water in a ditch, whereas the spiritual happiness eternally enjoyed
in the spiritual world is like an ocean of nectar in which a devotee
wants to swim.”
from
The
Nectar of Devotion, Chapter
48:
“It
is to be understood that any person who is constantly
engaged in chanting the holy names of the Lord—Hare Krishna, Hare
Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama,
Hare Hare—has attained a transcendental affection for Krishna, and
as such, in any condition of life, he remains satisfied simply by
remembering the Lord’s name in full affection and ecstatic love.”
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
6.15.2, purport:
“This
world is temporary, but
because of our previous karma we
come here and accept bodies, creating temporary relationships in
terms of society, friendship, love, nationality and community, which
are all finished at death. These temporary relationships did not
exist in the past, nor will they exist in the future. Therefore at
the present moment the so-called relationships are illusions.”
The
Nectar of Instruction preface:
“In
all spiritual affairs, one’s first duty is to control his mind and
senses. Unless one controls his mind and senses, one cannot make any
advancement in spiritual life. Everyone within this material world is
engrossed in the modes of passion and ignorance. One must promote
himself to the platform of goodness, sattva-guna,
by following the instructions of
Rupa Gosvami, and then everything concerning how to make further
progress will be revealed.”
“I
sometimes remember that when I spoke in Portland, there were many
Christians there, and they were very much favorable whenever we
mentioned that we also are lovers of Christ. So you may preach in
that way. We are not canvassing people to convert or criticize; we
are canvassing that they should simply use their time for loving God
by engaging in His devotional service, whether they are Christian,
Catholic, Jew, or whatever. We are after God, that’s all. We are
servants of God.
“So preach like that, very simply, and hold sankirtana all over the city, and distribute prasadam profusely, especially to the youth, then everything will be successful.”
from 73/08/26 London, lecture on Bhagavad-gita 2.21–22:
“But if you engage yourself in the service of Krishna, you’ll find new and new encouragement. That is spiritual. If you find it hackneyed, then you must know that you are not yet serving spiritually, you are serving materially. Formality, stereotype. But if you feel new and new energy, then you know that you are serving spiritually. This is the test. Your enthusiasm will increase, not decrease.
“So
the test is within our hand. If during mangala-arati
we
feel laziness, that means I’m not yet spiritually advanced. And if
one feels enthused, ‘Now it is time for mangala-arati,
let me stand up, let me do this,’ then it is spiritual. Anyone can
test.”
from
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita,
Madhya 7.82 verse and purport:
“Upon
seeing the chanting and dancing of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Lord
Nityananda predicted that later there would be dancing and chanting
in every village.
“Purport:
“This
prediction of Sri Nityananda Prabhu’s is applicable not only in
India but also all over the world. That is now happening by His
grace. The members of the International Society for Krishna
Consciousness are now traveling from one village to another in the
Western countries and are even carrying the Deity with them. These
devotees distribute
various
literatures all over the world. We hope that these devotees who are
preaching the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu will very seriously
follow strictly in His footsteps. If they follow the rules and
regulations and chant sixteen rounds daily, their endeavor to preach
the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu will certainly be successful.
The
Nectar of Instruction, verse
1, purport:
“As
for the urges of the tongue, we all experience that
the tongue wants to eat palatable dishes. Generally we should not
allow the tongue to eat according to its choice, but should control
the tongue by supplying prasada. The
devotee’s attitude is that he will eat only when Krishna gives him
prasada. That
is the way to control the urge of the tongue.”
from
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita,
Madhya 7.101, purport:
“In
order to become an empowered preacher, one must be favored by Lord
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu or His devotee, the spiritual master. One
must also request everyone to chant the maha-mantra.
In this way, such a person can
convert others to Vaishnavism, showing them how to become pure
devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
from
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita,
Madhya 7.129, purport:
“This
is an opportunity for everyone. If one simply follows the
instructions of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, under the guidance of His
representative, and chants the Hare Krishna mantra,
teaching everyone as far as possible
the same principle, the contamination of the materialistic way of
life will not even touch him. It does not matter whether one lives in
a holy place like Vrindavana, Navadvipa or Jagannatha Puri or in the
midst of European cities, where the materialistic way of life is very
prominent. If a devotee follows the instructions of Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu, he lives in the company of the Lord. Wherever he lives,
he converts that place into Vrindavana and Navadvipa. This means that
materialism cannot touch him. This is the secret of success for one
advancing in Krishna consciousness.”
from
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita,
Madhya 7.130, purport:
“At
whosever house Sri Caitanya accepted His alms by taking
prasadam, He
would convert the dwellers to His sankirtana
movement and advise them just as He advised the brahmana
named Kurma.
“Purport:
“The
cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is explained here very nicely. One
who surrenders to Him and is ready to follow Him with heart and soul
does not need to change his location. Nor is it necessary for one to
change his status. One may remain a householder, a medical
practitioner, an engineer or whatever. It doesn’t matter. One only
has to follow the instruction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, chant the
Hare Krishna maha-mantra and
instruct relatives and friends in the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita
and Srimad-Bhagavatam.
One has to learn humility and
meekness at home, following the instructions of Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu, and in that way one’s life will be spiritually
successful.”
from
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita,
Madhya 7.132:
“While
on His tour, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would spend the night at a
temple or on the roadside.While on His tour, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
would spend the night at a temple or on the roadside.”
comment
by Krishna-kripa das: Spending the night at a temple or on the
roadside me of traveling with Parasurama Prabhu. Then it was mostly
on the roadside.
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.15.3:
“O
King, as small particles of sand sometimes come together and are
sometimes separated due to the force of the waves, the living
entities who have accepted material bodies sometimes come together
and are sometimes separated by the force of time.”
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.15.5,
purport:
“A
dream does not exist before one falls asleep, nor does it continue
after one awakens. The period for dreaming exists only between these
two, and therefore it is false in the sense
that it is impermanent. Similarly, the entire material creation,
including our own creation and those of others, is impermanent. We do
not lament for the situation in a dream before the dream takes place
or after it is over, and so during the dream, or during a dreamlike
situation, one should not accept it as factual and lament about it.
This is real knowledge.”
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.15.6,
purport:
“The
present chaotic conditions of the world are due to the ignorance of
leaders who forget that they have been appointed to act by the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because they have been appointed by
the Lord, their duty is to consult the Lord and act accordingly. The
book for consultation is Bhagavad-gita,
in which the Supreme Lord gives
directions. Therefore those who are engaged in creation, maintenance
and annihilation should consult the Supreme Person, who has appointed
them, and should act accordingly. Then everyone will be satisfied,
and there will be no disturbances.”
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
6.15.21–23:
“O
King, owner of the state of Surasena, one’s wife, his house, the
opulence of his kingdom, and his various other opulences and objects
of sense perception are all the same in that they are temporary.
One’s
kingdom, military power, treasury, servants, ministers, friends and
relatives are all causes of fear, illusion, lamentation and distress.
They are like a gandharva-nagara,
a nonexistent palace that one imagines to exist in the forest.
Because they are impermanent, they are no better than illusions,
dreams and mental concoctions.”
The
disciples of Srila Prabhupada:
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.7.39:
“A
learned sage should take his satisfaction in the simple maintenance
of his existence and should not seek satisfaction through gratifying
the material senses. In other words, one should care for the material
body in such a way that one’s higher knowledge is not destroyed and
so that one’s speech and mind are not deviated from
self-realization.”
Satsvarupa
Dasa Goswami:
from
his journal, Viraha
Bhavan,
“Poem for July 30”:
“Once
I wrote to Prabhupada that
I had little Jagannathas, and he
wrote back that Jagannatha is neither big or small.”
I had little Jagannathas, and he
wrote back that Jagannatha is neither big or small.”
Adi
Purusa Prabhu:
Visvanatha
Cakravarti says Chapter 7 of Bhagavad-gita
describes
six types of the devotees, the four mentioned in verse 7.16, the
jnana-misra
bhakta [whose
devotion is mixed with desire for knowledge],
and
the pure devotee. All attain Vaikuntha, but it is a question of time.
Those desiring sense gratification delay their success. Motive
determines the speed we attain perfection.
Krishna-kripa
das:
an
observation:
“The
superiors of Radharani do not like
Krishna or His cowherd friends to associate with Her; therefore these
friends sometimes clothe themselves in female dress so they can give
Radharani a message from Krishna.”
The above statement from The
Nectar of Devotion
is evidence that men and women dress differently in the spiritual
world. This is contrary to a recent trend in the material world of
women dressing as men do.
-----
sruyatam
sruyatam nityam
giyatam
giyatam muda
cintyatam
cintyatam bhaktas
caitanya-caritamritam
“O
devotees, may the transcendental life and characteristics of Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu always be chanted and meditated upon with great
happiness.” (Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya-lila
12.1)
