Diary
of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 10, No. 18
By Krishna-kripa das
(September 2014, part two)
By Krishna-kripa das
(September 2014, part two)
New
York City and Philadelphia
(Sent from Brooklyn, New York, on October 17, 2014)
(Sent from Brooklyn, New York, on October 17, 2014)
Where
I Went and What I Did
I
rejoined Rama Raya Prabhu’s New York City Harinama party, living at
their ashram in Brooklyn and chanting six hours a day in Union
Square. There many, many people, from a variety of countries, have
positive interactions with the devotees and advance in spiritual
consciousness, and it is truly beautiful to see. In the midst of that
I spent three days traveling with the World Harinama Party devotees
to Philadelphia to do harinama
and
attend the Ratha-yatra there. In Philly I also spoke for three hours with Prishni dd, who is doing an oral history project on Sadaputa Prabhu. Contact her if you had personal association with him. One day in New York City I participated in the Climate Change March with my family, who visited from Albany. I
also played my harmonium and chanted Hare Krishna both in that parade
and alongside as it passed. I ended September by celebrating my 55th
birthday by making coconut sweets and sharing them with my friends
nearby.
I
share inspirational quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s books and from
the lectures of Bhatki Marga and Danavira Swamis and from those of
Abhirama, Laksmi Nrsimha and Rama Raya Prabhus.
Thanks
to Dharmatma Prabhu for his pictures at Union Square and Times Square
and to Murli Krishna Prabhu for his pictures at Union Square. Thanks to Vishnujana Prabhu (alias Harinama Ruci) for his picture of Ratha-yatra in Philadelphia. Thanks
to Jim
Peppler for his pictures of the Climate Change March. Thanks to Marc Gordon for the pictures of me at the book table at Union Square.
Harinama
in Union Square
Rama
Raya Prabhu’s New York City Harinama
party
chants in Union Square from 1:30 to 7:30 p.m., seven days a week, a
great example for the world of dedication to the dharma of the age,
the congregational chanting of the holy name.
Most
often I would contribute by dancing.
Sometimes
I would man the book table.
Sometime
I would talk to people who liked listening to us.
There
were many very positive kirtana
experiences
at Union Square. Some I photographed, some I videoed, and some I
described.
Ananta
Prabhu from Alachua led some kirtanas
that
were appreciated by the people in general
(http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xL_peUACOf1UwMm_Xo_2CwV):
Nikunja
Bihari Prabhu also led some pretty fired up chanting
(http://youtu.be/mtTzeK4h4Ws):
Vrajananda
dd from Lithuania sang and inspired a whole family to take part in
playing instruments and moving with the music
(http://youtu.be/abCGBEBXEAc):
One
time I was talking to a man in front of our party.
He said he played the harmonica and opened a case containing thirteen of them, one for every key.
He wondered what key Ananta Prabhu was playing in, and I suggested it was probably E or B because there were many black keys in it. He concluded it was E and took the appropriate harmonica and began playing along (http://youtu.be/AZxRJRR6kb0):
Arjuna
Prabhu, son of Prahlada Priya Prabhu, sang in such a lively way lots
of the devotees danced (http://youtu.be/Zcypg7Ev9Pw):
Sometimes
the kirtanas
were
so lively that many people watched and some people danced (http://youtu.be/jo5ZfRXlLpE):
Sometimes
people would bring their own instruments to play, like the guitar
player in the video below, while others would play our different
percussion instruments (http://youtu.be/38GiRaQ6Pd0):
Danavira Maharaja, who has great faith in the holy name and musical talent, kindly chanted with us during his visit.
One
lady held up the Bhagavad-gita
for all to see.
One
girl asked if she had seen me in Jacksonville. I explained that I
sometimes went to our programs at the University of North Florida,
and she had too. She knew Amrita Keli dd, our organizer there.
One
young lady who works in marketing stopped by our party at Union
Square after work. She found the chanting to be very soothing. She
took our free literature and also bought a book, took a mantra card
and had prasadam.
She
had a mild smile on her face the whole time and applauded at the end.
She must have stayed two hours and said she will come again. It is
awesome to see new people connect with the chanting in such a
positive way. Several days later she stopped to listen for some time.
She said after she visited us before the Hare Krishna mantra had
stayed in her mind the whole next day, and she told her friends about
it. She had visited India once, and plans to return in November. I
advised her to visit Mathura and Vrindavan and to ask the devotees
about good places to visit.
World
Religions professor, Zachary Smith, of Cooper Union, brought his
entire class to Union Square to see the harinama
one Monday evening. Students listened for half an hour, got Krishna,
Reservoir of Pleasure, ate
prasadam
cookies, and talked with devotees. The professor told me he thought,
“What better way to teach them devotional Hinduism!”
Harinama
at Times Square
When
the World Harinama Party was visiting New York City they would
sometimes do harinama
in
Times Square. In the second half of September, they did one on the
Saturday night after the Climate Change March. We started by chanting
on the subway (http://youtu.be/39dXe3P5UpE):
And
then through the Times Square subway station.
We
chanted on a crowded street, and many people got into dancing with us
(http://youtu.be/M0V4SHJNFXA):
The
World Harinama Party devotees were brave enough to chant Hare Krishna
in the Times Square Radio Shack store, and the workers were all very
happy about it (http://youtu.be/Merjtj3qO2c):
On
the very day we returned from Philadelphia, they did harinama
again
in Times Square. Even through it was Sunday night, there were still
plenty of people there. Again we started by chanting on the subway
(http://youtu.be/Kj14nvKIdj8):
That
day we chanted through a shoe store (http://youtu.be/U4VAbVCSt-E):
Philadelphia
Harinamas
Haryasva
Prabhu, owner of Govinda’s restaurant in Philadelphia, greeted the
World Harinama Party with enthusiasm and had us sing kirtana
for
his large Panca-tattva deities as soon as we arrived. After prasadam,
we
rested and hit the streets.
Across
from Rittenhouse Square on Walnut Street, we met a trombonist and
trumpeter from Berlin, who loved playing and dancing with us
(http://youtu.be/wYQBRe-HyHk):
Some
students we met on the sidewalk danced with us
(http://youtu.be/JRXcHnIKFl4):
One worker danced
ecstatically in her shop when our party came to the door
(http://youtu.be/dfEBFLSZraY):
The
first day it rained, and there were not many people on the streets.
Still as you can see in the videos above, we found some people who
were happy to move to the beat of the kirtana
and
to hear about our Ratha-yatra festival.
We
passed some musicians playing guitar and djembe.
The
next day when we were on Walnut Street, he was playing with his
friends on the opposite side of the street, and then he saw us, he
crossed the street to play with us.
On
Friday during the day, famed kirtana
leader
Agnidev Prabhu from Trinidad lead us one harinama
on
Walnut Street.
A
guitar player later played with us in Rittenhouse Square.
On
Friday night, Agnidev Prabhu and a kirtana
leader
from Toronto both led harinama
on
crowded South Street. We passed out almost all of the invitations to
the Ratha-yatra.
Philadelphia Ratha-yatra
Harinamananda Prabhu read a description of the 1975
Philadelphia Ratha-yatra, and it sounded like the devotees had a
better route, including big shopping streets. Still there were many
people along the parade route who were very favorable when invited to
the festival after the parade near the museum.
Two years ago they did not have separate carts for the
three Jagannatha’s deities, but they did this time, and they also
had a separate cart for the Panca-tattva deities as before.
During the procession we passed a Shakesphere memorial
with his famous quote, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men
and women merely players.” Of course, that is a very Krishna
consciousness statement when we consider the players to be the souls
who are wearing different bodily costumes in each life.
In
the stage show afterward, the comedian Yadunatha Prabhu told a story
of a devotee who had difficulty with the loud kirtanas.
He
also had doubts about the restriction on elastic socks, finding it a
bit unreasonable. When the devotee asked Yadunatha Prabhu about that
restriction, at first Yadunatha said he was confused as he could not
think of any restriction on elastic socks. But then it occurred to
him that devotee meant “illicit sex” but because of the hearing
damage from the loud chanting he had not heard properly.
At
least three people we had invited during the harinamas
we
did the previous two days actually came to the festival. To one, who
I remember from his gigantic beads, I gave a On
Chanting Hare Krishna pamphlet
at the festival and along with my business card.
He
expressed interest in attending the programs at Govinda’s. Later he
bought a Bhagavad-gita
from
Harinamananda Prabhu.
One
girl I talked to remembered getting an invitation from us. She loved
dancing in the kirtana
at
the festival.
I
also gave her a On
Chanting Hare Krishna pamphlet
at the festival and along with my business card, and she also said
she would come to our programs. She gave me an extra samosa
she bought, and I gave her and her boyfriend some cookies. She was
from Jamaica and had no problem with the hotness of the spicy samosa.
Rasika
Mangala Prabhu talked to a young man named Brandon at the festival
who he had met on harinama
at
Rittenhouse Square. Brandon danced for hours in the kirtana
and
became a Facebook friend of Rasika.
He
changed his profile picture to one of himself wearing tilaka
and
with the chariots behind him.
People
were happy to receive the maha-prasadam
from
Lord Jagannatha.
They
also enjoyed the chance to fan Srila Prabhupada and the deity with
the camara.
I
talked to two or three people who lived in the area and saw or heard
our festival and were attracted to come. Some came from visiting a
college fair or the nearby art museum.
Our kirtana group was so lively many people were attracted to watch for some time and almost all took the “On Chanting Hare Krishna” pamphlets I offered them.
Our kirtana group was so lively many people were attracted to watch for some time and almost all took the “On Chanting Hare Krishna” pamphlets I offered them.
Both the vegan and vegetarian prasadam
were
very good, and I had a plate of each. I had a sense that there was a
larger quantity of prasadam
when I came two years ago, but I do not know if my perception is
valid.
New
York City Climate Change March
September 21, the day of the New York City Climate
Change March was crazy for me with four different events I wanted to
attend happening all at the same time. My mother, a social activist
who had her 90th birthday the previous week, wanted her
friends and family to celebrate by participating with her in the
Climate Change March. At the same time a group of Hare Krishna
devotees was chanting Hare Krishna in the march. Also that afternoon,
devotees had arranged a memorial service for Jada Bharata Prabhu, a
disciple of my diksa guru, Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, who was a
book distributor in Manhattan when I joined the temple on 55th
Street in 1979. And as usual we had our six-hour kirtana at
Union Square from 1:30 to 7:30 p.m.
As I do so few things for my mother, I decided to spend
some time with her and my other family members in the Climate Change
March. Then I planned to join with the devotees who were chanting in
that parade. I brought my harmonium, so in case I could not find the
other devotees to chant with, at least I could chant by myself.
My sister made special T-shirts for my mother’s 90th
birthday which had a picture of her at a protest on the front along
with the text “Happy 90th Birthday Pat Beetle” and a
favorite saying of hers on the back, “We are all in this together.”
My sister, Karen, her boyfriend, Victor, and I with my
harmonium, joined my mother, who was in a wheel chair only because of
the long distance of the march. When no one was talking or shouting
slogans and no bands were playing, I would sometimes play harmonium
and chant Hare Krishna, and Victor pleased me by chanting nicely
along with me.
A professional photographer friend of my mother’s, who
works for Albany Times Union newspaper, took several pictures,
three of which made the website of the newspaper. They were
captioned, “Pat Beetle, age 90, considered to be the grand dame of
Activism in the Capitol region, of Albany Fiends Meeting, marching
(via wheel chair) in the People's Climate March in New York City on
Sunday, September 21, 2014. Photo by Jim Peppler. Copyright Jim
Peppler 2014. All rights reserved.”
After spending time with my family, which included Gwen,
my niece, and her husband, Matt, and their friends, who did not make
the above pictures, I decided to look for my Hare Krishna friends in
the parade. I thought they were behind us, and walked alongside the
parade toward the end, chanting Hare Krishna and playing harmonium. I
did not find my World Harinama Party friends till almost the end of
the parade, and I could not join them because I had to run to get my
kurta (shirt) from my sister’s bag, where I put it when I
put on my birthday T-shirt, before she left to Albany by bus at 4:30
p.m. Still the result of me looking for the Hare Krishna party was
that many, many people got to hear the chanting of Hare Krishna as I
wondered around looking for them and that was Krishna’s mercy. I
was engaged in devotional service, but not in the way I had hoped.
Sometime after 5:00 p.m., I joined the Union Square harinama till
7:30 p.m., and then went to Times Square to sing with the World
Harinama Party in the evening, so it was a very full day with lots of
kirtana.
For additional photos of many of the activities described above, click on the link below:
https://picasaweb.google.com/103872792410945983719/TravelJournal1018?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJbo-cqqyK7U4wE&feat=directlink
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
6.19.5, purport:
“Lord
Krishna had the competence to win the Battle of Kuruksetra, but
nonetheless He induced His devotee Arjuna to fight and become the
cause of victory. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was quite competent enough
to spread His name and mission all over the world, but still He
depended upon His devotee to do this work. Considering all these
points, the most important aspect of the Supreme Lord’s
self-sufficiency is that He depends on His devotees. This is called
His causeless mercy. The devotee who has perceived this causeless
mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead by realization can
understand the master and the servant.”
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
7.9.46, purport:
“There
are many who like to chant the Hare Krishna mantra in a silent,
solitary place, but if one is not interested in preaching, talking
constantly to the nondevotees, the influence of the modes of nature
is very difficult to surpass.”
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
7.14.3–4, purport:
“Simply
by joining the kirtana
– Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare
Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare – and by hearing about
Krishna from Bhagavad-gita,
one
must be purified, especially if he also takes prasada.
This is all going on in the Krishna consciousness movement.”
“In
a dream we form a society of friendship and love, and when we awaken
we see that it has ceased to exist. Similarly, one’s gross society,
family and love are also a dream, and this dream will be over as soon
as one dies. Therefore, whether one is dreaming in a subtle way or a
gross way, these dreams are all false and temporary. One’s real
business is to understand that one is soul (aham
brahmasmi)
and that his activities should therefore be different. Then one can
be happy.”
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
7.14.5, purport:
“Certainly
one requires some means of livelihood, and according to one’s
varṇa
and asrama this means of livelihood is prescribed in the sastras.
One should be satisfied with this. Therefore, instead of hankering
for more and more money, a sincere devotee of the Lord tries to
invent some ways to earn his livelihood, and when he does so Krishna
helps him. Earning one’s livelihood, therefore, is not a problem.
The real problem is how to get free from the bondage of birth, death
and old age. Attaining this freedom, and not inventing unnecessary
necessities, is the basic principle of Vedic civilization. One should
be satisfied with whatever means of life comes automatically.”
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
7.14.7, purport:
“An
intelligent person should try to spread Krishna consciousness through
the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, and all the necessities of
life will automatically follow.”
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
7.14.8:
“One
may claim proprietorship to as much wealth as required to maintain
body and soul together, but one who desires proprietorship over more
than that must be considered a thief, and he deserves to be punished
by the laws of nature.”
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
7.14.10:
“Even
if one is a householder rather than a brahmacari,
a sannyasi
or a vanaprastha,
one should not endeavor very hard for religiosity, economic
development or satisfaction of the senses. Even in householder life,
one should be satisfied to maintain body and soul together with
whatever is available with minimum endeavor, according to place and
time, by the grace of the Lord. One should not engage oneself in
ugra-karma.”
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
7.14.13, purport:
“
.
. . if one intelligently considers the constitution of the body and
the soul beyond it, what is the value of the body? Antavanta
ime deha nityasyoktah saririṇaḥ:
[Bg. 2.18] the body may perish at any moment, but the soul is
eternal. If one gives up attachment for the body and increases his
attachment for the spirit soul, his life is successful. It is merely
a matter of deliberation.”
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
7.14.14, purport:
“The
education of so-called scientists, philosophers and poets is now
engaged in the service of maya,
and the wealth of the rich is also engaged in maya’s
service. The service of maya,
however, creates a chaotic condition in the world. Therefore the
wealthy man and the educated man should sacrifice their knowledge and
opulence by dedicating them for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord
and joining this sankirtana
movement (yajñaih
sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi sumedhasah
[SB 11.5.32]).”
from
Srimad-Bhagavatam
7.14.29, purport:
“The
forest may be in goodness, the cities and villages in passion, and
the brothels, hotels and restaurants in ignorance, but when one lives
in the temple community he lives in Vaikuntha.”
from
The
Nectar of Devotion,
Chapter 44:
“Lord
Krishna has no rival; no one is equal to Him, and no one is greater
than Him. His beauty is also without any rival, and because He excels
all others in the pastimes of conjugal love, He is the original
object of all conjugal love.”
“A
pure devotee [of Krishna] follows in the footsteps of the gopis
and worships the gopis
as follows: ‘Let me offer my respectful obeisances to all the young
cowherd girls, whose bodily features are so attractive. Simply by
their beautiful attractive features they are worshiping the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Krishna.’ Out of all the young gopis,
Srimati Radharani is the most prominent.
Bhakti
Marga Swami:
from
a lecture before Ratha-yatra:
What
is the mood? The idea is to share, for Lord Jagannath to meet His
devotees. Who is that? Everybody.
We
want to express the joy that Lord Jagannath Himself expresses.
You
cannot force people, especially in North America. You just have make
it attractive so they will want to want to participate.
We
are introducing a whole new concept of how to enjoy. No meat eating,
no intoxication, no illicit sex.
Look
presentable. Sound presentable.
Q
[by Harinamananda Prabhu]: Do you have examples of people taking
Krishna consciousness more seriously as a result of Ratha-yatra?
I
have seen people increase their commitment as a result of
Ratha-yatra. Sometimes we do Ratha-yatra in a more secluded place and
it is like a family festival but the people become more happy about
their commitment as a result. [Later, at this year’s Ratha-yatra, I
asked a new devotee how he came to practice Krishna consciousness. He
had some books and read them, but he said that at a previous
Ratha-yatra he became really commited. When he said that I remembered
what Bhakti Marga Swami had said that very morning.]
my
comment: I talked to one girl I met on harinama
who
was happy to get from me an invitation to Ratha-yatha and who
gleefully told her friend, “This is the greatest festival!” One
year I talked to three groups of people who came to the festival, and
they had all come two or three times, although they were not devotees
but just residents of the city. There are a lot of devotees of the
festival in Philadelphia, more so than in many cities.
comment
by Nirantara Prabhu: Every group has their day. There is Gay Pride
Day, etc. Ratha-yatra is our day.
comment
Agnideva Prabhu: Ratha-yatra is Divine Dispensation Day.
after
the Sita’s trial by fire and Rama’s ultimate acceptance of her in
his Ramayana
play:
“Relationships
are always complicated, even in the divine and absolute realm.”
on
Srila Prabhupada singing “Parama
Karuna”
in
Atlanta in 1975:
He
enjoyed the mood of the kirtana.
There
were devotees from all over America present, and even Canada. Our
Canadian traveling party was in the USA, and we decided to follow
Srila Prabhupada.
Srila
Prabhupada played mridanga
although
in 1975, he rarely played it in public kirtanas.
from
a Srimad-Bhagavatam
class
on verse 7.3.36:
If
we are materialistic, and we all are to a certain extent, we try to
protect what is ours.
At
one temple while I was visiting I got attached to pacing back and
forth on a certain set of tiles while chanting japa.
Then
someone sat on one of my tiles, and I was upset.
And
I was just a visitor!
Hiranyakasipu
had four sons, but the most beloved was Prahlada.
If
anyone stands out in a Vedic text, it is saint. In this Kali yuga, it
tends to be the swindlers and bad elements that are heroes.
My
favorite quote by Benjamin Franklin is “Hide not your talents. They
for use were made. What’s a sundial in the shade?”
Successful
people, including Srila Prabhupada, encourage and engage people
according to their talents.
Ego
in this world is just like a balloon, and one little pin can make us
shrivel up.
Take
a humble position. Be a team player. Get on with life.
On
Ratha-yatra I like the short route. After an hour and a half people
run out of energy. The weather was great. Pretty good kirtana.
Good
location.
Q:
You go to Cuba every year? Tell us about it.
A:
I wear a dhoti.
No one harasses me. 50% of the cars are from the 1940s, 1950s, and
1960s, American cars with souped up Russian engines. I like the
people because they are down home. People are not wearing mp3
players. They say “Ola (Hello).” The people are friendly and
healthy. No pesticides. No pornography. Great fruits. Every day for a
week I have speaking engagements to curious artistic type people. A
few friends from Canada come with me. There are a few devotees there
and a few more taking initiation. Cuba and Canada have a loving
relationship.
Danavira
Swami:
Knowledge
of God is understandable and yet not understandable.
Krishna
consciousness is not just something a group of people believe, but it
is a verifiable science. Anyone who acts according to the Vedic
wisdom can experience the same result of liberation and attainment of
the spiritual world.
As
one advances, Krishna reveals more of Himself.
When
the Lord appears, it is in one of the forms that are described in the
revealed scriptures. For example, we do not have a picture of Krishna
riding a surf board. Although someone may like to think of Krishna
like that, it is not described in the revealed literature.
A
father may not tell a irresponsible son where his wealth is located
and how to get it, although he maintains him. So it is also with the
Supreme Lord.
Q:
How does a nondevotee become faithful?
A:
He can develop faith if he is willing to hear from the Bhagavad
gita or
from the devotee.
Q:
What mood do we have to have in our Deity worship to experience His
reciprocation and how can we recognize that reciprocation.
A:
We can reveal our minds to Him, offer prayers to Him, see His form,
remember Him, glorify Him, give gifts to Him. He reveals His mind to
the devotee, either by speaking or revealing knowledge in the heart.
He also speaks through His devotees, especially the spiritual master.
The spiritual master has the power of attorney to speak on behalf of
the Lord. On practical matters we consult the spiritual master or the
senior devotees. Even Lord Caitanya would go to a place only if His
senior followers gave their blessings.
Meditation
on the universe or nature is good for people who have no higher
knowledge.
In
Deity worship there are so many rules, but there are no rules
regarding the chanting of the holy name.
People
create forms like spider man, but they are not as amazing as the
Lord’s forms, like Nrsimha, half man and half lion. Movies with
imagined characters become tedious, but movies depicting the actual
pastimes of the Lord will remain ever fresh. The pastimes become more
interesting, and the philosophy becomes more deep.
In
the Bhagavad-gita,
the
Absolute Truth is personally speaking, but scientists looking for the
truth in other places are not listening, and for this reason they can
be considered foolish.
Krishna’s
promise of protection does not necessarily apply to the body, but it
definitely applies to the soul.
The
demigods were powerless to kill Hiranyakasipu because Brahma had
given him the benediction of not being killed by any demigod, man, or
animal.
The
demigods could understand that Nrsimha was Vishnu because a half man,
half lion is not among the 8,400,000 species of life.
There
is a name for Nrsimha meaning he wears a garland of intestines.
Krishna
protects His devotees because they have no other shelter than Him.
When
Indra was angry and inundated their homeland with water, the
residents of Vrindavan did not pray to Indra for protection but to
Lord Krishna.
One
must worship both the spiritual master and Krishna.
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati had a father and mother who were extraordinary Vaishnavas,
he had great knowledge of Sanskrit, the scriptures, and astronomy. He
said that his guru did not consider his many qualifications and that
was his guru’s qualification.
The
guru has to consider all praise, money, fame, and opulence given to
him is actually for Krishna.
If
we stay in ISKCON, we will be subject to correction, for everyone in
ISKCON is at least subordinate to the GBC, and then we can progress.
Otherwise, if we think that we are greater than the body of
Vaishnavas, then our faults will never be rectified.
Abhirama
Prabhu:
The
more we decorate our body and make arrangements for its glorious
accommodation and transportation, the more we become entangled in
false ego.
Pain
is the gap between our aspirations and achievements.
The
parent needs nothing that the child has but the child’s love, and
that love makes the relationship so very satisfying the parent is
willing to do everything for the child. Similarly we have nothing
that we can give the Lord that he does not have but our love, and
that love makes the Lord very satisfied.
We
are singing the glorification of the Lord. We are not a performance
group, but we try to create a situation by our singing and playing of
the instruments that inspires others to participate.
The
pure devotee lives in a state of amazement seeing the glories of the
Lord expanded everywhere.
Glorifying
the Lord is to precisely describe the Lord according to our
realization.
For
Mother Yasoda, the worst catastrophe is that some danger would befall
her child, Krishna. This is a manifestation of her love.
There
are people who live in Vrindavan and who decorate themselves
beautifully with tilaka
but
spend their time
looking for faults in the devotees and broadcasting them on the
Internet. Just see how the false ego of thinking “I am better”
persists! This is opposite to Lord Caitanya’s recommendation to
think oneself lower than a blade of grass.
Although
Srila Prabhupada was happily living in Vrndavana, where he was
appreciated by the residents and where he was able to witness the
pastimes of Krishna, yet he came to the West where no one knew him
just to benefit the people in general.
“How
to cultivate humility?” Srila Prabhupada was asked, and he
responded. “Preach vigorously.”
In
a report of the activities of my temple that I submitted to Srila
Prabhupada, I included the comment, “The devotees appear to be
happy.” Srila Prabhupada replied, “If the devotees are happy,
then Krishna is happy.”
There
are so many amazing devotees in history to inspire us. Even one would
be enough, but the Lord has given us so many.
The
difficulties that we have are all manifestations of false ego, and
the false ego is attacked by humility. Thus we can eliminate all our
problems by cultivating humility.
Our
whole life people are doing things to benefit us beginning with our
father and mother, but at a certain point we start claiming “this
is mine, that is mine.” But what is actually ours? Everything has
been given to us!
Laksmi
Nrsimha Prabhu:
Prahlada
Maharaja says that Krishna is the best of those we can offer prayers
to.
My
Uncle Rick challenged me saying, “Why did you become a devotee?
You
could have been so successful in the world!” I asked him, “For
you, what is success?” He said one word only, “Money.” I said,
“Success for me is to connect with God. Money comes and goes.”
Bhakti
energizes karma and jnana.
In
jnana
yoga, atma is
the primary meditation, in karma it is dharma, in dhyana
yoga it
is the Lord in the heart, and in bhakti
yoga it
is Krishna.
Krishna
reserves the right to reveal Himself to only those in pure devotional
service because those not in the proper consciousness will try to
exploit Him.
Because
of their advanced devotional activities, the Six Goswamis of
Vrindavan were completely satisfied and fulfilled, although they were
so impoverished they had no place of residence and stayed under a
different tree each night.
The
Christians say you cannot attain God by good works alone. We also
agree that Krishna cannot be attained simply by pious acts.
When
we see Krishna alone we are not satisfied because we know He wants to
be with Srimati Radharani.
Rupa
Goswami says that nama
kirtana energizes
the other four of the five primary practices of bhakti.
A
proud man is seldom grateful because he never thinks he gets what he
deserves.
Gratitude
is the cause of our happiness.
There
is a difference between taking and receiving. In both you get
something but in receiving you cultivate gratitude.
The
perfection of kirtana
is
to attract people to the holy name.
I
did kirtana
at
a yoga program. About twelve people had never done kirtana
before.
They did not even know the word. One lady who looked to me to not be
attracted by it later said, “I do not know what that was. I did not
know the words, but that was the most incredible experience of my
life.”
Mangala
Maharaja told me when he visited Radha-Govinda Mandir that Srila
Prabhupada’s specific greatness was that he created guru
bhakti, and
that was his success.
Without
guru
bhakti there
is no chance of Krishna bhakti.
It
is offensive to consider what a devotee was before attaining
perfection. It is irrelevant.
Sadhana
is
conscious application of the principles of bhakti.
We
need to be aware of the other creepers that may grow in addition to
the creeper of bhakti.
Things
can make you happy for a moment, but they do not ultimate fulfill
you.
Reserved
means not yapping.
Millions
of thoughts come. What you do with them is what matters. Do you hold
on to them?
How
do we become detached? We become attached to Krishna and service to
Krishna and His devotees.
Detachment,
devotion, and direct perception of the self are the results of pure
devotional service.
The
devotee is confident that Krishna will bestow His mercy, but how that
mercy will manifest may not be exactly what he might imagine.
One
sannyasi
was
falling asleep in class. Srila Prabhupada reprimanded him, “If you
cannot stay awake in class, you are a sudra.
Better
you go out and plow the fields.” The next day in the distance,
Srila Prabhupada saw a saffron figure out in the field in Mayapur
behind a plow, and he asked who it was. He was told it was
Pancadravida Swami, the devotee he had corrected in class. Prabhupada
replied that it was very good, but he should come to class.
By
properly associating with devotees more advanced than ourselves,
those on our own level, and those who are less advanced, we become so
satisfied that we will not seek the association of materialistic
persons.
According
to Bhaktivinoda Thakura, even the hypocritically devout devotee is a
materialist.
If
we are despondent in devotional service, we have not sought out
sufficient association of advanced devotees.
Reading
Srila Prabhupada’s books is one of the best ways of strengthening
your intelligence.
Advaita
Prabhu (the professor at Rutgers) told me that one day after
practicing devotional service for thirty years, he realized that
devotional service is yoga, and he then began to practice it with the
seriousness of a yogi.
A
peer is someone you feel an attraction to because of their qualities.
They may not be the same age as you. But they are someone who
enthuses you in devotional service.
We
have the right to choose who to associate with, but we do not have
the right to be disrespectful to anybody.
When
you choose a guru, an important part if it is his mood.
Rama
Raya Prabhu:
We
should not think that harinama
sankirtana is
antiquated and was suitable for Lord Caitanya’s time but not for
the present.
Without
prioritizing sankirtana,
putting it in its rightful place as the most important activity,
whatever else we do will not be complete.
One
of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s disciples who preached
in London was explaining how it was not possible to preach to those
people of London and told his guru that he did not understand the
actual situation. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was so disturbed
by the disciple’s mentality, he told him to never again come into
his presence.
Lord
Nrsimha was so angry that even Laksmidevi, the Lord’s eternal
consort, was not able to pacify Him.
By
asking Prahlada to request some benediction Nrsimhadeva is revealing
the glory of the devotional mentality.
Vallabha
Bhatta says that only one who is empowered by Krishna can preach.
Because
the advanced devotee is absorbed varieties of devotional service, he
has no material needs.
Just
as a New Yorker knows all the subways, buses, and streets, the
advanced devotee knows the details of the relationships and mellows
of love of Godhead.
Some
people say that you have to personally hear from a rasika
Vaishnava
who is physically present to attain the highest level of Krishna
prema,
but
that is not our philosophy. The spiritual master does not have to be
personally present to reveal the highest knowledge. By serving the
instructions of one’s guru in separation one can gain all
perfection.
To
think we need to go outside of Srila Prabhupada’s movement is a
reprehensible and abhorrent idea.
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura tells a story about a landlord who could not
motivate his workers to increase their service. A friend advised him
to feed them bhasmati rice and cow ghee and to not ask them to do
anything for six months. Then he could begin asking them to do
something. Some of them rebelled at being engaged in service and went
away, but they came back because of the bhasmati rice and cow ghee
and consented to do the service. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura
explained we have to give people profit, adoration, and distinction
to motivate them to do something in the Lord’s service. Those who
are advanced, however, do not need such motivations.
If
we are engaged in harinama
sankirtana, book
distribution, and prasadam
distribution,
we can know we cannot be very far off the mark.
Devotee
who cooks at Govinda’s:
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura said thinking the spiritual master an ordinary man
is the root of the other nine offenses.
-----
yuñjann
evam sadatmanam
yogi
vigata-kalmasah
sukhena
brahma-samsparsam
atyantam
sukham asnute
“Thus
the self-controlled yogi,
constantly engaged in yoga practice, becomes free from all material
contamination and achieves the highest stage of perfect happiness in
transcendental loving service to the Lord.” (Bhagavad-gita
6.28)