Diary
of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 10, No. 1
By Krishna-kripa das
(January 2014, part one)
By Krishna-kripa das
(January 2014, part one)
New
York City, Tampa, Gainesville, Alachua
(Sent from Gainesville, Florida, on January 22, 2014)
(Sent from Gainesville, Florida, on January 22, 2014)
Where
I Went and What I Did
I
continued chanting in New York City as part of Rama Raya Prabhu’s
harinama
party for five or six hours a day and chopping vegetables for
Govinda’s Vegetarian Lunch. I also gave another lecture at 26 2nd
Avenue at Atmanivedana Prabhu’s program. I planned to go to Tampa
on January 6, but my flight was delayed because of the weather, and I
got to spend two more days in New York City. I chanted with friends
for a couple hours at the University of South Florida in Tampa,
before returning to Gainesville, where I chanted at Krishna Lunch on
weekdays and with Alachua devotees on Friday evenings.
Jayadavita
Swami spoke again at the Monday evening program at 26 2nd
Avenue, and I share notes from his lecture. Romapada Swami gave
thoughtful lectures at both 26 2nd
Avenue and the Brooklyn temple which I also took notes on. My friend
Prabhupada Dasa Prabhu has become the sannyasi,
Bhakti
Prabhupada Vrata Damodar Swami, or Damodar Swami for short, and he
spoke Friday in Gainesville and Sunday in Alachua. He has memorized
the entire Bhagavad-gita,
and
is very philosophical, all good qualities for a swami, and it was
nice to see him again and take notes on his classes.
Thanks
to Namamrita Prabhu, Yogesvara Prabhu’s son, who kindly gave me two
one way tickets on either Southwest or Airtran so I could return to
Florida from New York, now and in the fall.
Itinerary
January 22–February 19 - Gainesville, Florida (and a few days in Tally, JAX, & Tampa)
February
20 - Orlando and Philadelphia
February
21–24 - Dublin, Ireland
February
25 - Mumbai
February
26 - on a train between Mumbai and Howrah
February
27–March 4 - Mayapur
March 6–13 - Rishikesh
March 14–18 - Delhi, Vrindavan
March 20–April 14 - Mayapur
March 20–April 14 - Mayapur
April
16 - Mumbai
April
17 - Dublin, Ireland
April
27 - Kings Day, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
May–July
(first two-thirds) – The North of England, Birmingham 24-hour
kirtana, London Ratha-yatra, Stonehenge Solstice Festival
July
(last third)–August (first two-thirds) – Baltic Summer Festival,
Polish Woodstock, Czech Woodstock
August
(last third)–September (first half) – The North of England
September
(rest) – New York
Harinamas
in New York City
Looking
at the pictures I took the first few days in January in New York
City, I am simply amazed by the variety of the people attracted by
the devotees chanting Hare Krishna in the different subway stations.
They represented different ages, different races, and different
nationalities, but all shared an attraction to the chanting of the
names of the all-attractive Lord Sri Krishna.
Two
Muslim ladies danced at Times Square on New Years.
A
couple of other people danced there too.
Two
Chinese ladies danced at Union Square.
People stopped to take pictures of them.
Two
more ladies danced at Union Square.
A
young boy delighted in drumming.
An
even younger boy shook a rattle.
There
was an old man, who played shakers.
A
Spanish girl sat with us and played shakers.
An
Afro American lady danced with exuberance.
Another
lady loved playing the shakers.
Rama
Raya Prabhu wants me to write an article about the party. I thought I
should interview some of the devotees about their experiences.
I
interviewed Chandra Mohini Devi Dasi (right), our book table person, as she
was to return to Latvia on January 3. She told how she was on
vacation in New York City with a friend last summer when she found
the harinama
party,
and began spending an hour a day with them. Later she found herself
spending six hours a day on the party, and she stayed until her visa
expired. She told her guru, Bhaktivaibhava Swami, that she was
distributing books on harinama
in
New York City,
and
he was very pleased to hear of that engagement and said it was the
best thing she could be doing. Thus when her visa expired after three
months, she went back to Latvia, and got another three-month visa and
returned to joyfully encourage people attracted by our chanting to
take some literature.
During
the last hour of my last day on harinama
in
New York City,
I
saw one well-dressed gentleman smiling as he enjoyed listening to our
singing for a few minutes. I approached him and said that we gave out
the Krishna—Reservoir
of Pleasure for
free, if he wanted one. He was grateful that I spoke to him and took
the pamphlet. He said he had not seen the Hare Krishnas chanting in
New York City before. He asked about the mantra, and I explained
Krishna is a name for God meaning the all-attractive person, and that
Rama means the source of all pleasure. I said “Hare” is a address
to the spiritual energy of the Lord. Some people have a natural
inclination for God and spiritual things, because they are affected
by this spiritual energy, while others have an aversion to talk about
God and think this world is all there is, being affected by the
material energy. We are praying to the spiritual energy to move in a
spiritual direction. I mentioned the teaching was based on
Bhagavad-gita,
pointing
to the book table.
Gandhi
used to read the Gita
every
day, and the American transcendentalists, Thoreau and Emerson, also
appreciated it. He said he had heard of the Bhagavad-gita,
and
walked over to the book table and picked up the book. I said they
were five dollars, and he gave ten and said to keep the change. He
left in a happy mood, and I joked with Rama Raya Prabhu that Krishna
always arranges nice experiences for me on the last day so I feel
inspired to come back.
Other
New York Experiences
One
day on the subway I met a Christian with a CD player playing
Christian songs about God’s love.
He speaks to the people and tries
to induce them to buy his CD.
Returning
to the temple I saw a devotee, probably on the way home from work,
chanting japa
with
determination,
undisturbed
by the chaos of a crowded New York subway.
Devotees
are very creative in stashing prasadam,
spiritual
food.
I
imagine this is the stash of Yudhisthira Prabhu, visiting from
Slovakia, who was in the processing of painting the Brooklyn temple.
Harinama
in Tampa
Leaving
New York City, I flew into Tampa. Nama Kirtan Prabhu picked me up at
the airport and drove me to the University of South Florida campus
where we met Raju, who attends our club meetings there. Then Uma Devi
Dasi joined us. I had a great time chanting with my friends there.
More students showed interest than I expected, and Raju was very
enthusiastic to invite them to look at Srila Prabhupada’s books.
One physical plant worker took a break for ten minutes just to hear
our kirtana.
Harinama
at Krishna Lunch
After
New York, it was so nice to be singing Hare Krishna outdoors in
weather so warm a short-sleeve shirt was sufficient if you sat in the
sun.
Visvambhara
Prabhu of the Mayapuris band played with us a couple different days.
The
second day he was in an especially happy mood as his professor gave
him permission to go to India for a month in the middle of the
semester, and thus he can go to kirtana
melas in
Mumbai and Mayapur and do other kirtana
events
as well.
Bhakta
Mike brought his saxophone out on Wednesday, and did a great job in
improvisation, which made it especially lively. We hope he brings it
out more often.
Mantra
Meditation Class
Whenever
I come to Krishna House in Gainesville, if our program to teach
mantra meditation has lapsed, I like to start it up again. My
realization is that if people come to like to chant the Hare Krishna
mantra, they can very easily take up the whole practice of devotional
service, with all its amazing spiritual benefits like liberation and
love of God. I invited one girl who had come to our yoga class before
it started for the semester to come to my mantra meditation class,
and she did. Amy invited a guy, and Caitanya invited a girl who
brought a friend so we had four people at the first meeting. It was
awesome to see the seriousness with which they chanted their first
round of japa.
Three
of the four took beads to chant one round a day for a week as an
experiment. One young man, originally from London, said his mother
had wanted to become a Hare Krishna devotee, but it never happened.
Bhakta Mike, a new devotee, felt very much protected by the chanting
and liked the powerful experience of chanting japa
in
unison with a group of people. He noticed with the addition of the
two late comers, the chanting become more powerful. Jaya Sri Vrinda
Devi Dasi came to participate to improve her japa
and
liked the class. She agreed to continue the class when I go to India
in six weeks. Even if none of the four new people keep up with the
meditation and the classes, still the spiritual benefit they get from
chanting one round of japa
makes
teaching the class well worth it. One girl later wrote, “Thank you
so much for having us today! Me and my roommate had a wonderful new
and eye-opening experience!” The girl who had taken our yoga class
later wrote, “Thank you! It’s been going great. Have a fantastic
week friend.”
To
see pictures I took but did not include, click on this link:
Note: The pictures I used appear first, before the other pictures.
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.2.60,
purport:
“The
living entity within the body is never annihilated; therefore one
should surely know that whether one has many friends or many enemies,
his friends cannot help him, and his enemies cannot do him any harm.
One should know that he is a spirit soul (aham
brahmasmi)
and that the constitutional position of the soul is unaffected by the
changes of the body. In all circumstances, everyone, as a spirit
soul, must be a devotee of Lord Vishnu and should not be concerned
with bodily relationships, whether with friends or with enemies.”
from
Isopanisad
14, purport:
“One
can be saved only by complete knowledge of the eternal life of bliss
and awareness. The whole Vedic scheme is meant to educate men in this
art of attaining eternal life. People are often misguided by
temporary attractive things based on sense gratification, but service
rendered to the sense objects is both misleading and degrading. We
must therefore save ourselves and our fellow man in the right way.
There is no question of liking or disliking the truth. It is there.
If we want to be saved from repeated birth and death, we must take to
the devotional service of the Lord. There can be no compromise, for
this is a matter of necessity.”
from
Isopanisad
15, purport:
“In
Srimad-Bhagavatam,
the author, Srila Vyasadeva, has established that one will describe
the Supreme Truth as Brahman, Paramatma or Bhagavān according to
one’s realization of Him. Srila Vyasadeva never states that the
Supreme Truth is a jiva,
an ordinary living entity. The living entity should never be
considered the all-powerful Supreme Truth. If he were the Supreme, he
would not need to pray to the Lord to remove His dazzling cover so
that the living entity could see His real face.”
from
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya
11.189, purport:
“The
Mayavadi philosophers try to explain the equality of master and
servant in terms of quantity, but they fail to explain why, if the
master and servant are equal, the servant falls victim to maya.
They try to explain that when the servant, the living entity, is out
of the clutches of maya,
he immediately becomes the so-called master again. Such an
explanation is never satisfactory. Being unlimited, the master cannot
become a victim of maya,
for in such a case His unlimitedness would be crippled or limited.
Thus the Mayavada explanation is not correct. The fact is that the
master is always master and unlimited, and the servant, being
limited, is sometimes curtailed by the influence of maya.
Maya
is also the master’s energy and is also unlimited; therefore the
limited servant or limited living entity is forced to remain under
the master or the master’s potency, maya.
Being freed from maya’s
influence, one can again become a pure servant and equal
qualitatively to the Lord. The relationship between master and
servant continues due to their being unlimited and limited
respectively.”
from SB 7.4.12,
purport:
“It
appears that even in the higher planetary systems, to which people
are promoted by pious activities, disturbances are created by asuras
[demoniac beings] like Hiranyakasipu. No one in the three worlds can
live in peace and prosperity without disturbance.”
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
7.4.19, purport:
“As
far as material sense gratification is concerned, materialists may go
on increasing their enjoyment as far as they can imagine, but because
people in such a material condition are servants of their senses,
they cannot be satisfied.”
from
The Nectar of
Devotion, Preface:
“The
basic principle of the living condition is that we have a general
propensity to love someone. No one can live without loving someone
else. This propensity is present in every living being. Even an
animal like a tiger has this loving propensity at least in a dormant
stage, and it is certainly present in the human beings. The missing
point, however, is where to repose our love so that everyone can
become happy. At the present moment the human society teaches one to
love his country or family or his personal self, but there is no
information where to repose the loving propensity so that everyone
can become happy. That missing point is Krishna, and The
Nectar of Devotion
teaches us how to stimulate our original love for Krishna and how to
be situated in that position where we can enjoy our blissful life.
“In
the primary stage a child loves his parents, then his brothers and
sisters, and as he daily grows up he begins to love his family,
society, community, country, nation, or even the whole human society.
But the loving propensity is not satisfied even by loving all human
society; that loving propensity remains imperfectly fulfilled until
we know who is the supreme beloved. Our love can be fully satisfied
only when it is reposed in Krishna. This theme is the sum and
substance of The Nectar
of Devotion, which
teaches us how to love Krishna in five different transcendental
mellows.
“Our
loving propensity expands just as a vibration of light or air
expands, but we do not know where it ends. The
Nectar of Devotion
teaches us the science of loving every one of the living entities
perfectly by the easy method of loving Krishna. We have failed to
create peace and harmony in human society, even by such great
attempts as the United Nations, because we do not know the right
method. The method is very simple, but one has to understand it with
a cool head. The Nectar
of Devotion teaches all
men how to perform the simple and natural method of loving Krishna,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If we learn how to love Krishna,
then it is very easy to immediately and simultaneously love every
living being. It is like pouring water on the root of a tree or
supplying food to one’s stomach. The method of pouring water on the
root of a tree or supplying foodstuffs to the stomach is universally
scientific and practical, as every one of us has experienced.
Everyone knows well that when we eat something, or in other words,
when we put foodstuffs in the stomach, the energy created by such
action is immediately distributed throughout the whole body.
Similarly, when we pour water on the root, the energy thus created is
immediately distributed throughout the entirety of even the largest
tree. It is not possible to water the tree part by part, nor is it
possible to feed the different parts of the body separately. The
Nectar of Devotion will
teach us how to turn the one switch that will immediately brighten
everything, everywhere. One who does not know this method is missing
the point of life.”
from
The Nectar of
Devotion, Introduction:
“The
author of Bhakti-rasamṛta-sindhu,
Srila
Rupa Gosvami, very humbly submits that he is just trying to spread
Krishna consciousness all over the world, although he humbly thinks
himself unfit for this work. That should be the attitude of all
preachers of the Krishna consciousness movement, following in the
footsteps of Srila
Rupa Gosvami. We should never think of ourselves as great preachers,
but should always consider that we are simply instrumental to the
previous acaryas,
and simply by following in their footsteps we may be able to do
something for the benefit of suffering humanity.”
“ .
. . the execution of Krishna conscious activities with the body
should be directed by the spiritual master and then performed with
faith. The connection with the spiritual master is called initiation.
From the date of initiation by the spiritual master, the connection
between Krishna and a person cultivating Krishna consciousness is
established. Without initiation by a bona fide spiritual master, the
actual connection with Krishna consciousness is never performed.”
“As
long as one identifies himself as belonging to a certain family, a
certain society or a certain person, he is said to be covered with
designations. When one is fully aware that he does not belong to any
family, society or country, but is eternally related to Krishna, he
then realizes that his energy should be employed not in the interests
of so-called family, society or country, but in the interests of
Krishna. This is purity of purpose and the platform of pure
devotional service in Krishna consciousness.”
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
7.4.22–23,
purport:
“During
Hiraṇyakasipu’s time, his influence was everywhere, but he could
not force his influence into the places where the Supreme Personality
of Godhead had His pastimes. For example, on this earth there are
such places as Vrindavana and Ayodhya, which are called dhamas.
In the dhama,
there is no influence from Kali-yuga or any demon. If one takes
shelter of such a dhama,
worship of the Lord becomes very easy, and resultant spiritual
advancement quickly takes place. In fact, in India one may still go
to Vrindavana and similar places to achieve the results of spiritual
activities quickly.”
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
7.4.25–26,
purport:
“.
. . there is no difference between seeing the Lord, offering prayers
and hearing the transcendental vibration. Pure devotees, therefore,
are fully satisfied by glorifying the Lord. Such glorification is
called kirtana.
Performing kirtana
and hearing the vibration of the sound Hare Krishna is actually
seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly. One must realize
this position, and then one will be able to understand the absolute
nature of the Lord’s activities.”
from
a lecture:
Even
now, many people go to Kurukshetra on the occasion of a solar
eclipse.
Krishna
accepts everyone’s devotional service equally offered with love and
affection.
If
your offering is accepted by Krishna, your life is successful.
Because
Krishna accepts simply a leaf, flower, fruit, or water, even the
poorest man can worship Him.
Our
mission is to teach people how to worship the Personality of Godhead,
for without worshiping the Lord, we cannot become happy.
As
the mother maintains the child by the milk of her breast, Mother
Earth supplies food for all living entities. This is all an
arrangement by the Supreme Lord.
We
do not accept the idea of overpopulation. The Supreme Lord has no
difficulty supplying food to any number of living beings. We are
simply mismanaging.
Human
beings have higher intelligence to understand God. Animals like dogs
cannot understand God. If we do not use our intelligence to
understand God, we are no better than animals.
Please
do not take this Krishna consciousness movement as a sectarian
movement. It is the science of God. We have so many books.
from
a Vyasa Puja lecture:
I
want to explain my position as being worshiped as exalted personality
as in this age of democracy we do not accept anyone as being exalted
unless he is elected by the general populace, no matter how rascal he
may be.
The
Vedic knowledge has to be accepted as it is. We cannot accept some
portions and reject other portions. You cannot interpret the words of
God. You cannot manufacture religion at your home just as you cannot
manufacture law at your home.
The
worship of the guru is the system of honoring the representative of
God and thus honoring God. The scripture enjoins that the guru must
be worshiped.
The
scripture enjoins that to receive spiritual knowledge one must accept
a guru.
Krishna
says, “Surrender under Me.” and guru says, “Surrender to
Krishna.” Because he does not make any change, he is guru.
Lord
Caitanya wanted everyone to become guru.
In
this age there are so many rascals. There is need of so many gurus to
teach them.
You
can become guru of your neighborhood. It is a simple thing. Just
repeat Krishna’s message.
My
success is because I carried the message of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
It is not that I am an extraordinary man coming from an extraordinary
place.
The
real contraceptive method is that if you unable to deliver your
children from the clutches of birth and death, then do not become a
father. Not that you have sex like cats and dogs, and kill the baby
in the womb. That is a most sinful activity.
If
we follow the great souls, we progress toward liberation.
There
are two things Krishna and Maya, light and darkness. If you are not
serving Krishna, you are serving Maya. And then there are the
Mayavadis, who in the name of Krishna, are serving Maya, imagining
themselves to liberated.
from
The Nectar of Devotion,
Chapter
1:
“So
that was the position of the Pandavas; although Krishna is the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, the greatest among all greats, He
remained with those royal brothers, being attracted by their
devotion, by their friendship and by their love. That is the proof of
how great this process of devotional service is. It can attract even
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. God is great, but devotional
service is greater than God because it attracts Him. People who are
not in devotional service can never understand what great value there
is in rendering service to the Lord.”
from
Srimad Bhagavatam 7.5.3,
purport:
“Devotees,
especially, do not create friends and enemies. A devotee sees that
every living being is part and parcel of Krishna (mamaivamso
jiva-bhutah [15.7]).
Therefore a devotee treats friends and enemies equally by trying to
educate them both in Krishna consciousness. Of course, atheistic men
do not follow the instructions of pure devotees, but instead consider
a devotee their enemy. A devotee, however, never creates a situation
of friendship and enmity.”
from
Srimad Bhagavatam
7.5.12,
purport:
“There
is no question of enmity between servants. Everyone should be allowed
to render service to the Lord to the best of his ability, and
everyone should appreciate the service of others. Such are the
activities of Vaikuntha. Since everyone is a servant, everyone is on
the same platform and is allowed to serve the Lord according to his
ability.”
from
The Nectar of
Devotion, Chapter
2:
“Narada
Muni mentions this sadhana-bhakti
in Srimad-Bhagavatam,
Seventh Canto, First Chapter, verse 32. He says there to King
Yudhisthira, "My dear King, one has to fix his mind on Krishna
by any means." That is called Krishna consciousness. It is the
duty of the
acarya, the
spiritual master, to find the ways and means for his disciple to fix
his mind on Krishna. That is the beginning of sadhana-bhakti.
“Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given us an authorized program for this
purpose, centered around the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra.
This chanting has so much power that it immediately attaches one to
Krishna. That is the beginning of sadhana-bhakti.
Somehow or other, one has to fix his mind on Krishna.”
“It
doesn’t matter whether one is a beginner — a brahmacari
— or is very advanced — a sannyasi. The principle of remembering
the Supreme Personality of Godhead constantly and not forgetting Him
at any moment is meant to be followed by everyone without fail.”
“For
example a brahmaṇa,
who is born out of the head of the Lord, has as his business to
preach the transcendental Vedic sounds, or śabda-brahma.
Because the brahmaṇa
is the head, he has to preach the transcendental sound, and he also
has to eat on behalf of the Supreme Lord. According to Vedic
injunctions, when a brahmaṇa
eats it is to be understood that the Personality of Godhead is eating
through him. It is not, however, that the brahmaṇa
should simply eat on behalf of the Lord and not preach the message of
Bhagavad-gita
to the world.”
from
The Nectar of
Devotion, Chapter
3:
“The
wise man is he who has thoroughly understood that he is spirit soul
and not simply a body. Because he realizes that he is spirit and
Krishna is the supreme spirit, he knows that his intimate
relationship should be with Krishna, not with this body.”
Romapada
Swami:
Spiritual
intelligence is given by Krishna, as He states in Bhagavad-gita
10.10.
to whose serve Him with love. By following this intelligence we
attain the spiritual world.
I
spoke to a roomful of people in Jaipur, and decided to ask them a
question so I could understand where they were coming from. I said,
“Listen to this statement, and then say ‘Yes.’ if it is true.”
Then I said, “The purpose of religion is to act in such a way that
one lives happily and prosperously in this world, and attains a
heavenly realm in the next life.” The answer was overwhelming
affirmative. I asked if anyone had another idea. One girl in the back
raised her hand, and I asked what is her idea. The purpose of
religion to serve Krishna in this life and to go to the spiritual
world and serve Him in the next life. She had heard Bhagavad-gita
As It Is.
Where there is
cultivation of spiritual knowledge sufficient material prosperity
follows. Srila Prabhupada was predicted to be fabulously wealthy . .
.
Devotee parents have
a great responsibility teaching their children spiritually because
Krishna sends them children who are advanced spiritually from a
previous life so they can finish up and attain perfection in this
life.
I
first heard the Hare Krishna mantra on the album of the Broadway
musical Hair. I
checked it out at the library, and I played it again and again
because for some reason I was really attracted to it.
When people ask me
if I am Buddhist monk, I say, “No, I am a Krishna monk.” Then
they inquire, “What is a Krishna monk?” And I can explain what a
Krishna monk is.
I remember when I
was four or five, a couple of my sisters and I would play around
doing some yoga postures, some of the more difficult ones. Where did
we get that?
Although it is
possible for people in heaven to advance in devotional service it is
not so likely. It is like on this planet, you can make spiritual
advancement in Hawaii or in Goa, but the atmosphere is not ideal for
it.
If you were Krishna,
you would design things so people could remember their past lives,
but Krishna has not done so, therefore you are wondering why He has
not.
When people can
remember previous lives, it does convince them of the reality of
reincarnation, but does it really help them that much to advance on
the path back to Godhead?
Krishna does give us
the right remembrance at the right time.
Karma is unequal,
but not unfair, because each of us creates our own destiny.
I was distributing
books to a wealthy couple, and the man was saying he was a lot
happier when he had less.
The
Gita says
do not consider a better or a worse situation in this world, but act
for the benefit of the soul.
Our situation is the
result of our karma. More importantly, we should consider, “Where
is the consciousness being directed?”
Srila Prabhupada
said that success is certain for a strict follower. A strict follower
does not mean rigid, ultraconservative, or hard, but it means making
attaining spiritual perfection our top priority.
from an initiation
lecture, January 5, 2014:
Real happiness is in
relationship to Krishna.
The tendency for
enjoying without regard for Krishna is very deep rooted. We seek a
happy position in this unhappy world.
Still the holy name
is so powerful it can dissolve our false ego and its false desires by
awakening our real ego of rendering service to Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada
would often review the ten offenses at initiation lectures, and he
advised the initiates to avoid them to advance to the ultimate goal.
I will mention
three, (1) to offend the devotee, (2) to neglect the guru’s order,
and (3) maintaining materialistic desires despite chanting.
Each of the ten
offenses involves seeing something that is divine as ordinary.
Because devotees are
humble they may not become disturbed if offended but still there will
be a decrease in the offender’s devotional service.
The guru is a well
wisher like a parent and by neglecting his instruction one will get
into trouble.
Be eager to achieve
life’s purpose.
Initiation is
submission to the disciplic succession, formal acceptance by the
succession, and responsibility to act according to the direction of
the succession. You can no longer do as you wish, but should act so
that your guru will smile. It is a weight of responsibility but also
a privilege.
The Vedic literature
is filled with the idea of acting for the pleasure of one’s
predecessors.
We must act nicely
so that Srila Prabhupada will be well thought of.
If we are thinking
that we are representing a great personality, Srila Prabhupada, then
we will act nicely.
Acting
in a way that is pleasing to our founder acarya
and
the line of previous teachers is real pleasure for the soul.
The more we know
about Krishna, the more we are inclined to love Krishna, because He
is so qualified.
It is imperative to
accept a guru to understand Krishna. Submission and humble service,
along with eagerness to know, are the qualifications of the disciple.
The guru’s qualification is he has heard the truth and that he is
fixed in it, and he can explain it and remove doubts about it.
from a Sunday feast
lecture in Brooklyn:
According to
Bhaktivinoda Thakura, the first forest fire Krishna swallowed is
compared to arguments between Vaishnava groups or between different
religions or attacks on another’s deity. The second is compared to
the attacks of atheists on Krishna consciousness.
The residents of
Vrindavan would always cry to Krishna for protection, but when
Krishna Himself was in danger, being attacked by the serpent Kaliya,
who could they go to for shelter? Thus overcome with anxiety for
Krishna they fainted.
When
we become dry or weak in our bhajana
or
sadhana [spiritual
practice], fire may arise in the form of useless quarrel with others.
Visvanatha
Cakravarti Thakura explains that the residents of Vrindavan were not
afraid for their lives on the occasion of the forest fire but rather
they worried that if they died they might be separated from Krishna.
Krishna
had His cowherd boyfriends close their eyes when He swallowed the
forest fire. Some acaryas
[spiritual
masters] say He did not want His friends to see Him because they
would tell His mother, and she would be unnecessarily worried about
Him. Others say He did not want His friends to worry about Him.
“Although
swanlike personalities may accept a particular practice from birth or
childhood according to instructions they have received, they
nevertheless remain indifferent and nonsectarian.”
“Harmony
is possible only where one has obtained a firm footing in the dharma,
the function, of the soul.”
Two
quotes above are from the inaugurual English edition of
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s Harmonist
25.1, June 1927.
Srila
Prabhupada writes, “Krishna consciousness is not a sectarian
religious movement. Rather, it is meant for all-embracing welfare
activities for the world. One can enter this movement without
discrimination in terms of caste, creed, religion or nationality. If
one is trained to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Krishna, who is the origin of Vishnu-tattva, one can become fully
satisfied and perfect in all respects.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam
8.5.49)
China is a place
that I really like to preach. China has such a different culture.
There is not even a word for God or a concept of God there. Still the
devotion of the Chinese Hare Krishna devotees is wonderful and is
evidence that devotion for Krishna is a natural quality of the soul
and is not dependent on one’s background.
Satsvarupa
dasa Goswami:
from
My Dear Lord Krishna:
“I
am a very small devotee, and I’m aware of my lack of
qualifications. I’ve been told that an advanced devotee feels he
has no good qualifications at all. If that’s true, then I’ve got
something working in my favor. But the advanced devotees are fully
engaged in Your service, fearlessly, compassionately, and in full
renunciation. So I should not make a claim for advancement based on
my poor qualities. That would be too cheap and cheating. I only ask
You and Radharani to take pity on me and bless me with actual
qualifications and true humility. I say ‘Bless me,’ but what do I
mean by that? The burden of improvement is on me. You are giving all
opportunities according to my capacity. It is I who have to enter the
circle of blessing by taking up the mood of my spiritual master,
Srila Prabhupada, and becoming a preacher and sadhaka
of good habits. Still, I ask You both to please stand before me and
give me Your grace. Let me behold You and go on hearing Your radiant
pastimes.”
from
“Poem for January 4” from ViharaBhavan:
Today’s drawing shows four
bhaktas dancing and chanting
with upraised arms.
They are in a good mood
and displaying active movements.
They are performing harinama
for the benefit of the people.
People don’t realize it,
but they are giving out
the greatest treasure without
asking any payment.
They are distributing the
holy names of Krishna
which are the panacea
to all ills.
These men
do not expect any
praise or fame.
They are singing
God’s names
because it is their constitutional
position as part and parcel
of the Lord.
These men
are self-satisfied and just
want the privilege to go on chanting.
Jayadvaita
Swami:
There are reasons
Arjuna gives for accepting as the supreme soul and worthy of all
homage.
Even great persons
in human society make so many mistakes. They do not compare to
Krishna.
When Brahma appears,
all was dark as the sun was not created yet.
As the sky
accommodates everything but is beyond it, everything is within
Krishna.
By remembering the
glorious features of Krishna, one advances and makes progress on the
path back to Godhead.
Bhakti
Prabhupada Vrata Damodara Swami:
Real knowledge must
be transcendental knowledge because knowledge of a mirage has no
meaning.
In
Spanish they differentiate between something that temporarily is
something (estar)
and something that permanently is
something (ser).
Epistemology means
what is knowledge. Ontology means what is real.
This world is real
in the sense it is coming from the Absolute Truth.
Everything in this
material world is just a dream. That is the secret conclusion of the
Vedic literature. This world is described to be a world of names
only.
How can you expect
metaphysical knowledge without qualification? When Srila Prabhupada
was asked, “Can you show me God?” he would reply, “What is your
qualification to see God?”
If it were not for
the chanting of Hare Krishna we would not be here now. There are so
many dangers from natural calamities, financial collapse, nuclear
war, etc., but because of the chanting of Hare Krishna on the planet
we have been protected from devastation.
We may not think “I
am God” but we do think we are independent enjoyers and the lord of
all we survey.
It is not just that
we will go to hell for engaging in sense gratification but that our
spiritual vision will be covered by lust.
The whole religion
is in the mode of passion when they think that animals do not have
souls.
Many
philosophers consider we can never know reality but only our
perception of it, but that is because they do not know about sabda,
spiritual
knowledge that is heard from authority.
Mahabharata
shows
how the culture of how human beings should live to elevate their
consciousness. Both good examples and bad examples are there. The
essential message of the Mahabharata
is
Bhagavad-gita.
We
have to take Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita
As It Is.
Because he is a pure devotee of Krishna and because Bhagavad-gita
is
spoken by Krishna, he has inside knowledge of it.
The word spiritual
is often used to mean some subtle emotion or mystical experience but
we understand spiritual means transcendental to matter.
A big problem
requires big solution. Death is such a problem.
The real problem is
we are in the wrong world. We ignore the fact that we are creatures
of spirit and not matter.
We cannot shed light
on the effulgent spiritual world with our imperfect speculation.
In one sense, our
chanting and dancing is like a rehearsal, and yet it is also the real
thing.
The atheists either
say there is no solution to the problem of death, or that the
scientists will find and alter the aging gene and thus solve the
problem.
I was visiting
Vaikuntha Prabhu, who is 84 years old, in an old age home, and he was
very happy, preaching to his roommate. He knows he does not have long
to live, but he is Krishna conscious.
Srila Prabhupada
said you could eat your way back to the spiritual world.
In
Isopanisad, Srila
Prabhupada says the Lord has millions of kinds of energy.
One devotee asked
Srila Prabhupada, “How do I become more determined?”
Srila Prabhupada
explained that determination comes from yourself and it is up to you.
One thing Srila
Prabhupada said that always struck me from very beginning was that
eating, sleeping, mating, and defending are activities also done by
the animals, and if they are our only focus, then we are no better
than animals.
I was in a hospital
in Texas, and I saw a very rich man come in. His clothes alone could
have been worth five thousand dollars. He came with an entourage of
people. He was sitting in a wheelchair and looked utterly miserable.
He might as well have been someone who did not have a dime ($0.10).
Nanda
Devi Dasi:
Even one of the
calamities the Queen Kunti experienced would be enough to agitate our
minds for the rest of our lives, and yet she wanted more of these
calamities as impetus to remember Krishna.
Kunti’s
consciousness contrasts with that of conditional life in which we are
agitated by the least disturbance and try to adjust the situation.
The world is
manufactured to be a place of calamities, and if we do not understand
that, we will be disappointed. Kunti understood this and took shelter
of the Lord in the calamities.
Without piety,
calamities will not drive one to the Lord for shelter.
We try to take
shelter of Krishna at every moment to be ready for the inevitable
calamities.
Every now and then I
have a thought of Prabhupada and Krishna among the numerous other
thoughts.
My neighbor is a
cattle farmer. One day he sent the young calves away, presumably for
slaughter, and for the next two days the cows were mooing in
lamentation.
comment by Gopala:
If we really understand something we act on it.
comment by Laura: In
talking with devotees, I over and over again hear stories in which
something apparently bad happened to them, but later on they
discovered that “bad” thing had created advantageous situation.
In extreme
situations, it is easier to think of Krishna because it is just so
painful not to.
Our problem in
condition life is like Ekendra Prabhu expresses in his song, “When
it lets up a little, I think I like it here.”
Krishna wants our
intense undivided affection, because that is our actual identity.
Vipralambha
bhava
is like ice. If you put ice on your skin, sometimes you experience it
as burning, but its real effect is cooling. Similarly vipralambha
bhava, although
appearing to be suffering, is a cause of intensified happiness.
comment by Jaya Sri
Vrinda: It seems to me you have to really like your drama queen side
to appreciate the feelings of separation of the spiritual world.
comment by myself: I
have heard one philosophical explanation of why the ecstasy of
separation is greater than that of meeting. Krishna is supreme bliss,
and when He is absent, the devotees are more absorbed in meditation
Him, through strong feelings of separation, and thus they experience
greater pleasure through the increased meditation on Him.
comment by
Kalakantha Prabhu: If we think we are innocent and this world is
wonderful, we are in double illusion. Actually we have committed
misdeeds, and we will experience suffering as a result which this
world is set up to deliver.
comment by Damodara
Prasada: To emphasize the importance of practice in spiritual life,
Vasesika Prabhu quotes a violinist who said, “If I do not practice
one day I notice the difference, if I do not practice two days my
teacher notices the difference, and if I do not practice three days,
the audience notices the difference.”
comment by Laura: I
experience that I am in more anxiety if for some days I do not go to
the morning program or if I do not chant my rounds.
Madhava
Prabhu [from
Alachua]
Everyone experiences
misery in this material world. Even Lord Brahma, the creator, is not
exempt from suffering.
Brahma was surprised
by the simplicity of Lord Krishna playing as a cowherd boy. Was He
really his Lord, the almighty Vishnu? Thus Brahma decided to make a
test.
The cowherd boys did
not want Krishna to go hungry while they ate lunch so He grabbed a
little of yogurt and rice as He went in search of the cows.
Susamiksamanah
meaning
“earnestly hoping for” has the prefix “su” which stresses the
intensity of the hope.
Kunti never thought,
“I am a devotee of Krishna. Why is He letting so much trouble come
upon me.”
Krishna came to
establish the importance of being virtuous in all circumstances, and
the thus the Pandavas were seen to undergo so much suffering and yet
retain their righteousness.
Caitanya
dd [from Krishna House]:
There
are so many jewels in the Bhagavatam,
and
when we are asked to give a class, we have to dive deeper and gather
more.
When we encounter a
reversal, usually our first reaction is not to think, “Oh, this
must be the mercy of the Lord.” We think things like, “Why did
this guy do that?” But the great devotees immediately understand
reversals to be the Lord’s mercy.
One Mayavadi lady
was completely disgusted with her visit to Vrndavana. She complained
how she was gored by cow, her camera was stolen, her computer bag
fell off a cart due to the bumpy roads, and her body was sick for
many days. She also protested how everyone was saying everything was
Krishna’s arrangement. I explained to her that in Vrindavana,
Krishna acts to take away our material possessions so we can focus
completely on our spiritual life. Unfortunately she said she was not
ready for that.
During King
Pariksit’s reign, this evil age of Kali had no influence, but now
Kali’s influence is everywhere.
How
could Pariksit Maharaja, who was saved from the attack of the
brahmastra weapon
by the Lord in the womb, be killed by a curse, if it was not the
Lord’s arrangement?
If you have a scam
to make money, many people will come, but if you talk about
self-realization no one will be interested.
In this age, people
want to be seen as spiritual, but they do not want to be spiritual.
My blind
mother-in-law took most of the money I saved up that was stored in
her house, and rather than get into with her and get it back, I took
it as an opportunity to leave home and travel and preach. As a result
I was able come to Krishna House and do so much service, and I can
see it is Krishna’s mercy.
from a introductory
lecture at Krishna House:
We never see order
without intelligence.
I graduated from the
University of Hawaii, and they did not have a class Soul 101.
Because we are not
taught about the soul, we are so absorbed in our body. When our body
came into this world, our birthday, we celebrate.
Everyone has heard
about karma. We talk about good karma, or say, “I hope he gets his
karma.”
Because our senses
are imperfect, we cannot get perfect knowledge.
Beliefs are always
changeable, but there are spiritual laws which are not a matter of
belief.
You can take this
knowledge your are getting tonight and apply it in your life.
Knowledge we acquire that we cannot apply in our life is simply a
burden.
One has to rise
above the sensual and mental platform through encountering a
self-realized person.
The spiritual energy
is ever fresh unlike the material energy.
We never want to
come down from the blissful state, but if we take shelter of
something temporary we are destined to be frustrated.
There is something
that has watched all those changes of body we have experienced in
our life and that is the soul.
It is not the body
that we are attracted to but the soul. Even our attraction to our pet
dog is because the dog is consciousness. When the dog dies, we no
longer have the same attraction to its dead body.
In spiritual life,
we check with the scripture, the spiritual teacher, and the community
of saints, and if there is disagreement, then we have to consider why
one is not lining up, before we proceed.
Gopal
Prabhu:
Lord Caitanya set
the example that we should be wary of wealth by refusing to see King
Prataparuda.
One reason too much
material wealth can impede spiritual progress is that it enables
people to afford to perform sinful activities.
comment by Alex: We
were discussing why devotees of Lord Shiva are rich and devotees of
Lord Krishna are pure. This is because Krishna specifically arranges
what happens to a devotee so that he comes to attain the highest
level of devotion, while Lord Shiva gives benedictions to his
worshiper regardless of the results.
two comments by Jaya
Sri Vrinda Devi Dasi:
I
was trying very hard to absorb myself in family life and make my
family life very devotional, but I failed and my family remained
uninterested, and then everything fell apart. I was very frustrated.
I was thinking Krishna is so cruel. But now I am initiated and living
happily in Krishna House, and I have so many supportive friends.
I
had some siksa
gurus who
were very fallen, and I would have never met them if they hadn’t
been fallen because I was in a very fallen place. I concluded we do
not know who these people are and what Lord Caitanya’s plan is for
them.
Vaishnava
Dasa Prabhu:
Someone who was
following another religion told Srila Prabhupada that God cannot
incarnate. Srila Prabhupada replied by asking, “Who will stop Him?”
Krishna says He
rewards one who surrenders to Him. How? By giving knowledge within
the heart.
Evan Prabhu:
comment after a
class:
Krishna has all the
time in the world for us, but the question is do we have time for
Him?
Krishna-kripa
dasa:
from a conversation
at an introductory program:
Q: What about people
you hate?
A: You hate people
because of their demoniac qualities. But if you can engage them in
acts of devotion, they will develop divine qualities, and you will no
longer hate them. For example, one student eating the Krishna Lunch
told me that whenever he eats Krishna Lunch, he does not become angry
the whole afternoon. So let us say you hate some person because he is
angry, you could encourage him to eat Krishna Lunch and in this way
free him from anger. Thus you would become free from hatred of him
and benefit him at the same time.
-----
sa
hanis tan mahac chidram
sa
mohah sa ca vibhramah
yan-muhurtam
ksanam vapi
vasudevam
na cintayet
“If
even for a moment remembrance of Vasudeva, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, is missed, that is the greatest loss, that is the greatest
illusion, and that is the greatest anomaly.” (Vishnu Purana,
quoted in purport to Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.9.36)
