Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka,
Vol. 10, No. 23
By Krishna-kripa das
(December 2014, part one)
By Krishna-kripa das
(December 2014, part one)
New York City and Stuyvesant
Falls
(Sent from Gainesville, Florida, on January 3, 2015)
(Sent from Gainesville, Florida, on January 3, 2015)
Where I Went and What I Did
On
December 1, I took the
Chinese bus from Jacksonville to
New York City to save money, and it was a pretty austere 19 hours,
though scheduled to be
17. I was still able to do 3 hours of harinama
when
I arrived the
next day.
Then I spent the
rest
of the first half of December with the New York City Harinam party,
doing nearly
6
hours of harinama
each
day in
different subway stations
except for December 6. That
day I
went with Rama
Raya and Bhagavatananda Prabhu of the party and a couple other
disciples, to Stuyvesant Falls, New York, to celebrate the Vyasa Puja
of our diksa guru,
Satsvarupa
Dasa Goswami.
One
night I gave a lecture at Atmanivedana Prabhu's program at 26 Second
Avenue, and I am always happy to see the enthusiasm of the devotees
who come to and
maintain it.
I also gave a lecture at Krishna Balaram temple in Queens, where I am
greatly impressed to see the enthusiasm of the devotees for the
congregational chanting. On
the A train
back to Brooklyn, I encountered three young Afro-Americans from the
Bronx who had also come to the Queens program and who were very happy
to chant kirtana
with
me until I got off the train at Utica Avenue, greatly inspiring me.
I share a quote from a Srila
Prabhupada lecture, notes on Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami's Vyasa Puja
address, and some homages by his disciples, and notes on lectures by
senior devotees at the Harinam Ashram, namely Abhiram Prabhu, Laksmi
Nrsimha Prabhu, Rama Raya Prabhu, Janmastami Prabhu (in transit from
Mayapur to Florida), and Lilananda Prabhu (visiting from Italy).
Thanks to Kaliya Krishna
Prabhu, who always makes sure I have enough money to ride the New
York subways. Thanks to the devotees at 26 Second Avenue for their
kind donation. Thanks to Bhakta John for driving us up to Stuyvesant
Falls for Vyasa Puja.
Itinerary
January 3 – April 8: Florida (Gainesville, Alachua, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, and Tampa)
April 9–11: Washington, D.C.
April 12: Albany
April 13–15: New York City
April 16: Toronto
April 17–24: Ireland
New York City Harinam
Because of the cold and wet
weather and because the Christmas Market took over our spot at Union
Square, we chanted in the subway stations during the first half of
December.
The Atlantic Avenue –
Barclays Center station in Brooklyn is a new one for us, and we
started chanting there for the first time in November 2014. In the
beginning, people did not know what to make of us, but as time went
by they became more favorable. According to Wikipedia, it is the
busiest subway station in Brooklyn because the B, D, N,
Q, R, 2, 3, 4, and the 5
trains all stop there and also the Long Island Railroad.
Even a police lady was seen
moving to our music.
A kid gave a donation and got
a pamphlet.
Ishvari Jahnava dd, originally
from Russia and visiting from Vancouver, developed so much love and
respect for the party seeing them online, she decided to come and
render service. Here she played a lively tune on the accordion,
getting Madhavi dd to dance.
Later a man joined in the
dancing.
Another man was attracted by
the presentation.
Others also danced with us
there.
You can get a feel for the
scene at Atlantic Avenue – Barclays Center from this video where
Rama Raya Prabhu is singing (http://youtu.be/sHQgI_5WrrI):
We also chant at 42nd
Street - Times Square subway station, said to be the busiest station
in the whole New York City subway system. There the A,
C, E,
N,
Q,
R,
1,
2,
3,
and 7
trains meet, as
well as the Times Square shuttle,
and there also
is
the Port Authority Bus Station.
Sometimes
people dance with us.
Sometimes they play the gong.
Sometimes they play the
shakers.
Sometimes they take photos of
themselves with the Hare Krishnas.
Once
at Times Square,
Bhagavatananda Prabhu noticed a Christian was approaching him. Before
the Christian had a chance to open his mouth, Bhagavatananda Prabhu
said to him with a smile, “Hey brother, Jesus loves you!” The guy
was caught off guard, was a little frustrated that Bhagavatananda had
stolen his line, and complained through his little sound system that
we did not understand
about the love of Jesus.
Jackson Heights, which is
populated by a lot of Indians, other Asians, and Hispanics, is where
we get the most people to stay for some and listen to our kirtana.
There we sing in the Roosevelt
Avenue – Jackson Heights subway station, the warmest of all the
ones where we sing.
When Rama Raya Prabhu sings
with unparalleled enthusiasm, often we get a crowd listening
(http://youtu.be/onuwal3PHlo):
There
we chant just near the stairs leading down to the subway, and when
the trains come in, lots of people pass by us as you can see in this
video, in which a local guitarist also
joined us
(http://youtu.be/GqTks5cMtPQ):
Because we sing at Union
Square in the good weather, we are generally well received also in
the Union Square subway station.
Here one man who received a
pamphlet read it immediately.
If Madhavi dd can find another
girl, like Clarissa, to join her, then she will become inspired to
dance.
Lee, although 70 years old,
often will come and play the flute at Union Square.
Rama Raya Prabhu chanted Hare
Krishna to the “Jingle Bells” tune and a passerby in a Christmas
costume danced (http://youtu.be/zWsbKxgq4c4):
Michael Collins, who I know
from chanting together in Gainesville, sometimes sings with us. Here
he sings a lively tune at Union Square (http://youtu.be/znTvqEkBdTA):
Ananta Prabhu led a kirtana
that got many
of the devotees dancing (http://youtu.be/PQksg8XhgTs):
One kid enjoyed dancing to the
Hare Krishna music so much his mom had great difficulty dragging him
away (http://youtu.be/pd_z-ddSoZg):
Ishvari Jahnava dd describes a
wonderful incident at Union Square which I missed, having left early
to give a lecture in Queens: “On December 14 a six-year-old could
not pass us by . . . she stayed with us dancing and playing a shaker.
And then she started to chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra,
reading it from the card with her dancing sister. And when her dad
came to pick her up she confidently took a card with the maha-mantra
from the book table and handed it to her dad making him to chant with
her. I could not believe my eyes . . . ” You can see some of this
in her video if you have access to Facebook:
Vyasa Puja of Satsvarupa
Dasa Goswami
Satsvarupa
Dasa Goswami, one of the early disciples of Srila Prabhupada, most
famous for having written his authorized biography, Srila
Prabhupada-lilamrita, was
born seventy-five years ago, and his disciples observed the standard
Vyasa-puja celebration in his honor. There were more people there
than usual.
In this picture, he wears the string of red beads that Srila Prabhupada chanted on at his initiation in 1966.
In this picture, he wears the string of red beads that Srila Prabhupada chanted on at his initiation in 1966.
He gave a talk and people read
homages. The oldest disciples, beginning from those initiated in 1978
read their offerings first. There were so many disciple those
initiated in 1983, like myself did not get speak. I will
include my offering below, which I had written, after the others.
When
I came up to get a copy of the the third and final volume of his
autobiography, The Story
of My Life, I
told Guru Maharaja that I had put my Vyasa Puja offering in the book
of offerings that the devotees had given him, but I had forgotten a
couple things. In his daily journal, he often writes, “I called out
to Krishna because without His blessings I cannot do japa
on my own endeavor. ” I told him I liked that sentiment when I
initially read it, but it took two weeks or so before I was able to
consistently pray like that every day, but now I can and I think it
helps. I also told him, “Because you have faith in the holy name,
we are able to have faith in the holy name, and because you have
faith in Srila Prabhupada, we are able to have faith in Srila
Prabhupada. Thank you.” He was pleased to hear that.
I saw Satya Devi, the wife of
Ramabhadra Prabhu, the temple president of Radha Govinda Mandir, at
Vyasa Puja for the first time in quite a while. She came with a
friend, Lalita Devi, and they were glad that they came.
Satya gave Guru Maharaja a
garland from Govinda in Brooklyn.
Guru Maharaja took off his
previous garland and gave it to her.
The
prasadam was
awesome as usual, and there was plenty of it. Baladeva Vidyabhusana
Prabhu's spinach and panir
was very tasty, and his sweet rice was wonderful.
There was a winter festival
that night in Hudson, the largest city nearby, and we hoped chant
there with our instruments afterward. It was a cold and wet night,
however, and no one except me still wanted to go out chanting. I
thought we should have chanted one time down the street despite the
bad weather conditions because there is so much benefit in it for all
concerned.
Doughnut Plant
Part of my relationship with
my niece, Fern, and my sister, Karen, is to go to the Doughnut Plant,
the prasadam business run by
Hare Krishna devotee
Mark Israel, which has just opened a new location in Brooklyn, at 245
Flatbush Avenue. We always go to the one in the Chelsea Hotel, which
is generally closer to where
we are.
Here
Fern and Karen are happy after doughnuts and hot chocolate with vegan
marshmallows, a favorite.
ISKCON News had a nice story on the Doughnut Plant and its founder andhistory, which you may be interested in.
To see photos that I took but
did not include in this blog, click on the link below:
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
“Srimad-Bhagavatam
is filled with descriptions of the characteristics of various
devotees, with reference to the service of the Lord. This Vedic
literature is called Bhagavatam
because it deals with the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His
devotee. By studying Srimad-Bhagavatam
under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master, one can
perfectly understand the science of Krishna, the nature of the
material and spiritual worlds, and the aim of life. Srimad-Bhagavatam
amalam puraṇam. Srimad-Bhagavatam
is the spotless Vedic literature, as we have discussed in the
beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Therefore, simply by
understanding Srimad-Bhagavatam,
one can understand the
science of the activities of the devotees, the activities of the
demons, the permanent abode and the temporary abode. Through
Srimad-Bhagavatam,
everything is perfectly
known.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
Ravindra
Svarupa's book on Srila Prabhupada as founder-acarya
is
well researched and worth reading. I recommend it to everyone.
I
am a Prabhupada cela,
although
I have disciples. I instruct them to read his books.
Regarding
my book Readings
in Vedic Literature,
Srila Prabhupada told me, “You having quoted the rascals without
becoming contaminated.”
When I inquired from Srila
Prabhupada about writing he replied, “Persons like the Goswamis
wrote so many books, and so I am writing. My disciples will also
write. Unlimited books can be written without deviating from the
original source.”
Srila Prabhupda advised, “We
should assimilate and present in our own words.”
The goal of the devotee artist
is glorify Krishna with heartfelt expression.
Prabhupada
Smaranam is one of my
favorite books.
The
BBT in Russia has printed Prabhupada,
Readings in Vedic
Literature, and
Narada-bhakti-sutra. They
are also printing the full length Srila
Prabhupada-lilamrita.
Devamrita Swami wrote me
greatly appreciating Prabhupada Smaranam, how the book draws
you into it and shares beautiful insights about Srila Prabhupada, and
you cannot put it down.
My disciples and I are a
family within in the family of ISKCON. There are no temples of my
disciples, but they can unite around my books. Some disciples who
teach seminars use my books.
Chanting
japa is
a very personal connection with the spiritual master. It is the one
vow you made to me, to Prabhupada, to the Deity, to the fire. Japa
is becoming increasingly the essence of my Krishna conscious bhajana.
From “Free Writing in
ISKCON”:
Telling them “Not quarreling
or fault finding.”
Bowing down before him,
feeling surrender in your bones.
Prabhupada
gave it [the danda,
the
staff of one in the renounced order of life]
to you with the instruction, “Preach, preach, preach.”
Srila Prabhupada said
Bhaktivinoda Thakura's desire was fulfilled when Bengalis and
Westerners chanted Hare Krishna together.
Prabhupada
was satisfied whether I was in Boston, Dallas, or traveling.
From “Vani and Vapu”:
It
became different when there was only vani
[Srila
Prabhupada's instruction] and
not vapu [Srila
Prabhupada's personal presence].
I had a Prabhupada murti
[worshipable
statue] to
keep in touch.
As
you get older you do fewer
varieties of service. You do japa,
read, and write. You hope Srila Prabhupada is pleased with you.
I experienced sweet weeks of
living like a sadhu in Vrindavan.
One
is invited to do fiction by the acaryas
who
have written fiction [like Bhaktivinoda Thakura].
I
decided to end this series called The
Story of My Life because
it may seem egotistical to have so many volumes with that title. I
will create a new series with the working title Looking
Backwards. Rupa
Vilasa my proofreader suggested I abbreviate it to Looking
Back, and
explain in the introduction the reason. I
want to review the books I have written in my life.
Offerings:
Disciples from 1978:
Janmastami Prabhu:
I
had the honor of garlanding you when you came for the first time to
55th
Street in New York.
I was thrilled. You spoke on Srila Prabhupada's mood and the maya
sukhaya [illusory
happiness] verse. You
have always talked
about the chanting. You would say that Srila Prabhupada said we
should use our best intelligence to chant Hare Krishna. And
throughout our relationship you have always emphasized the chanting,
and I am so grateful for that.
In
Mayapur Suresvara Prabhu talked to all the devotees about Srila
Prabhupada from Lilamrita
today, your Vyasa Puja day.
Brahma-sampradaya Prabhu:
You say you do not travel, but
you are traveling all around the world every day by your web site.
Syama Gopa Rupa Devi:
I
first heard you speak dispelling doubts arising by Srimad-Bhagavatam
Canto
5, Part 2. I was impressed by your pure devotion to Srila Prabhupada
and his presentation of Vedic Cosmology.
You publish your daily journal
which is honest and transparent.
I am blessed to be able to
assist you publishing your writings.
We are an eternal spiritual
family, and yet we do not know each other so much, so we should get
together more.
Mukta-vandya Prabhu:
I was always fried about a lot
of things, but when I heard you were going to be the guru for the
devotees in Boston, I was happy because I had experienced you before.
You say for those who were
first initiated by Prabhupada, they could take you as spiritual
master or not, and I decided I would. Later disciples of Srila
Prabhupada could not easily have his association, but if they were
brought in my you or TKG, they could come right in. I feel if I am
with you I will be with Prabhupada.
Samika Rsi Prabhu:
You said guru is like father
and disciple is like son.
You
lovingly taught us how to chant the gayatri
mantra.
My mother wanted some material
blessings for her son, and you explained the spiritual master is just
for spiritual blessings.
You
would write notes to Anarta, my wife, about what you wanted to eat,
and that was a very personal connection.
Haridasa Prabhu:
You spoke in Dallas after
Srila Prabhupada's leaving.
One cannot think of you
without thinking of Srila Prabhupada, and one cannot think of Srila
Prabhupada without thinking about Krishna.
Disciples from 1979:
Haryasva
Prabhu:
I wanted to know and love
Srila Prabhupada. And you have given me that, and are giving me that
more and more.
You have given me a family of
wonderful godbrothers and godsisters.
I
have always felt love from you. The same as I felt from my mother
except this is better.
Your books are a treasure. I
understand more your enthusiasm to distribute them.
Lila-avatara
dd:
I appreciate how you stress
chanting the holy names.
Once you told me, “If you
cannot chant on your beads, chant in your mind, but do not forget the
chanting.”
We
want to emulate you by giving others so many things to benefit their
spiritual lives.
I find by the chanting I
forget about the pains of illness.
Your pictures and drawings of
devotees dancing with upraised arms make me happy.
A
person who chants japa
and worships Madhusudana attains the spiritual kingdom.
Baladeva from Trinidad:
We are celebrating your almost
50 years of service to Srila Prabhupada.
Laksmi Narayana Prabhu:
Even disciples of other gurus
glorify your books for inspiring them in spiritual life.
Kirtan Rasa Prabhu:
Pray to Krishna I may always
go along with you. Pray to Krishna for your health and long life. Do
not think it is selfish.
Vishnu
Aradhanam Prabhu:
Thank you for your tapes,
books, and website for telling us about Krishna and His holy name.
Kalki Devi:
“YOU ARE MY INSPIRATION. You
inspire me by the description of your feelings when you write about
your chanting sessions.”
“So many human beings have
been touched by these writings which are coming from your heart.”
“You share so much of
yourself in many ways, and therefore this helps to bring us (your
disciples) closer together under your shelter.”
“I just pray I can follow
even in a small way your example and make this lifetime successful.”
When I see Radha-Damodara I
think of you. You are together in my mind.
Disciples of 1980:
Bhagavatananda Prabhu:
I
heard Srila Prabhupada had just left and there were new spiritual
masters and one was
coming. I returned and heard you. Sitting way in the back, I could
hardly hear. I heard you was coming again. I returned and also sat in
the back and did not really hear or understand. When I left the room
and hit the street, I recalled that being in your association was so
peaceful, quite unlike the street scene I was entering.
You gave me the service of
preaching in Jamaica, and I am not done with it.
Your disciples are very
powerful.
That Jada Bharata Prabhu left
us. I think he was the first of us to go. We should take note that we
also will go, and we should associate while we can.
I have been with Rama Raya
Prabhu his party. To be in the association of like minded people
chanting Hare Krishna in New York, I am refreshed and invigorated
like the old days and optimistic about the future of ISKCON. I am
inspired you have produced disciples like that.
Disciples from 1981:
It
was my great, great fortune that you were my zonal acarya.
When you give a class, you are
giving us Krishna in a very direct way.
You wrote me once, “Janmastami
[your leader on the book distribution party] is not your spiritual
master.”
Rama Raya Prabhu:
That
you have wonderful disciples doing things all over the world is
evidence of your position as a bona fide spiritual master. You have
led the way for all the devotees in ISKCON, stressing the chanting of
the holy name. Many of your godbrothers are inspired in that way
following your example. Srila Prabhupada said it is the first duty of
a sannyasi
to give a literary contribution, but you have given many, many
literary contributions, and these are lasting contributions.
I
am very inspired by your realization of the harinama.
You
are inspiring us in that.
Krishna-kripa das:
“You
teach by your glorious example to put the japa of
the holy names as a top priority by rising early and doing the bulk
of your japa before
other things. 'Of
all the instructions of the spiritual master, the order to chant
sixteen rounds is essential.'
You always strive to improve the quality of your chanting, especially
in attentiveness, and you share your struggles with others for their
benefit. You remind us that the maha-mantra is
composed of Radha’s and Krishna’s names and is a prayer to be
engaged in Their service. You inspire us by telling how you are now,
for the most part, not disturbed by outside thoughts. And you teach
us to yearn for the day when we see the form and pastimes of the Lord
spontaneously appearing in our minds when we chant.
“Now
I am chanting with Rama Raya Prabhu’s party in Union Square, and
you inspire us all by your appreciation, replete with choice
scriptural references, of the supreme importance of nagara
sankirtana, and your words
especially encouraging us in our venue in New York City. Through your
paintings and drawings of happily dancing devotees, you also remind
me of the instruction you gave me back in the 1980s to 'dance
more in kirtana.'
By promoting the dancing you follow Srila Prabhupada, who always
appreciated the dancing of the devotees, and Lord Caitanya and
Nityananda, who are always dancing, even in Their Deity forms.
“Through your daily writing
and artwork you teach the importance of engaging your God-given
talents in His service, as well as reminding us that Srila Prabhupada
wanted us to write down our realizations every day. Your writings
provide inspiration for us to apply Srila Prabhupada’s instructions
in our lives and thus attain spiritual perfection.
“Your determination to make
good on your promises to Srila Prabhupada for the reminder of your
life inspires us to keep our promises to you.
“Thank you for inspiring us,
your disciples, as well as the devotees in general, by your personal
example and your literature.
“Please bless us that we
might always follow your path back to Godhead, your life of devotion
to guru and Krishna.”
To see all the offerings in
the tributes book for 2014, click on the link below:
Abhiram Prabhu:
There is a tendency for people
to create an aristocracy, a privileged class. This is so powerful it
happens even in a spiritual movement.
The Goswamis of Vrindavan
accepted Bhaktivinoda Thakura because he was initiated by Bipin
Bihari Goswami, but they consider the line stopped there. They do not
accept Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and what to speak of Srila
Prabhupada?
Comment
by Laksmi Nrsimha Prabhu: On a morning walk in Central Park, Srila
Prabhupada saw a branch detached from a tree and said, “Asara
(useless).”
Then he explained that because the branch was detached from the tree
although it was green now it would soon dry up. Similarly he
explained that because the different apasamprayadas
[unauthorized
lineages] are detached from Lord Caitanya they are worthless.
Many
persons I met in India while doing business were born in brahmana
families
and wore brahmana
threads,
but their activities were indistinguishable from the others in
society.
It is easy for elitism to
creep in. “I have been here for two years but this person has only
been here two months.”
There is no special door to
Krishnaloka marked “Prabhupada disciples.”
We offer respect to a superior
because no one attains a superior position without the blessing of
Krishna.
It is a great credit to
realize that we are dependent on God for our daily bread, but simply
to worship God to attain bread is a subreligious idea.
Lord
Caitanya's teachings are available, and we can execute this bhagavata
dharma and
attain perfection.
We
have the tendency to serve someone great. This is natural and not
wrong, but ultimately the Supreme Lord is meant to be the object of
our complete devotion.
Laksmi Nrsimha Prabhu:
The San Diego devotees had a
Govardhan festival in Balboa Park in the 1970s. Between that and a
college program, four people joined. On Radha Damodar it was not
unusual to have two or four join the party from a program.
My greatest realization is
that God is a person.
The Mayavada philosophy has
the defect that we have a quality, namely form, that is not present
in the Supreme.
Bhakti is to meditate
on the name, form, qualities, and pastimes of the Lord.
Golf is the materialists'
sannyasa. The forest is the golf course, and the danda [the
staff of the renounced order] is the golf club.
When the Radha-Damodara party
became more oriented toward book distribution and the mood changed,
the original members of the party dispersed, mostly to India.
Srila
Prabhupada did not want divorce, and Srila Prabhupada did not want
remarriage. That is clear. Yet he sometimes permitted these when he
felt that otherwise the devotee would leave the society of devotees.
A
pujari in
the Gaudiya Matha fell down with a woman, and the temple leaders
kicked him out. When Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura found out, and
he was angry and said, “I
will not come to your temple until you get that man back.”
The
verse, Bhagavad-gita 9.30
is for us to recognize a sadhu
and to respect him, not for the sadhu
himself.
Recognition,
remorse, rectification, and reunion are the four stages of recovering
from a falldown.
There
is one tribe when if you do something wrong they
put you in the center of all the members and each one says something
good about you. Then when the offender is inspired by the love of the
others he generally rectifies himself.
Comments
by Janmastami Prabhu: There was a case when a sankirtana
leader had sex with two sankirtana
unmarried ladies. Prabhupada called the ladies in and advised them,
“Do not that
do anymore because it is not good for your spiritual life.” He
called the sankirtana
leader and chastised him by sentencing him to not have sweets for a
year.
Fault faulting has been
compared to bathing in the urine of an ass. You think you are getting
clean, but you are actually becoming more dirty.
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura had a retreat center where a sannyasi
could go who had some falldown to gain strength. That kind of thing
is what should be done.
Look how Krishna dealt with
Ajamila's falldown.
Comments by Brajaraja Prabhu:
If a soldier falls on the
battlefield, you do not imprison him or kill him, but you bring him
to a hospital.
Comments by Abhiram Prabhu:
In
crowd dynamics the consciousness of a crowd tends to descend to the
level of the lowest member.
Bhavananda and Ramesvara said
Yamuna and Dinatarine were cut off from ISKCON because they were
living on their own and not in the temple. They asked Srila
Prabhupada what temple he wanted them to live in. He said that he saw
no need for them to move, that they were nicely situated with their
Deities, and explained that association can be two or two hundred,
but it must be favorable.
From
a class on Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita,
Adi 1.63:
The
moralist tries to make a better life in the material world but not
transcend it, and so he is considered by Bhaktivinoda Thakura to be a
materialist.
We are protected by the Lord
when we are acting according to the scriptures and saints.
A great Muslim saint said that
words that come from the heart go to the heart.
Krishna's love enters the
heart of the pure devotee, and from the heart of the pure devotee it
comes into our heart.
In
the association of a pure devotee are found the four other principle
limbs of bhakti, namely
the chanting of the holy name, hearing of Srimad-Bhagavatam,
faithfully
serving the deity, and living in a holy place.
We cannot distribute Srila
Prabhupada's books without reading them and appreciating they are the
panacea for all the sufferings of humanity.
The
goal is to always remember and never forget Krishna, and Srila
Prabhupada and the acaryas
[the
previous great spiritual teachers] have given us many ways to do
this.
Materially tinged means having
the tendency to put ourselves in the center.
Of
the six Puranas in the mode of goodness, only the Srimad-Bhagavatam
is
known as amalam-puranam,
having
no material touch.
Janmastami Prabhu:
If
we can find some area that Srila Prabhupada wanted developed that has
been neglected and we make some significant contribution in that
area, that will be a great source of spiritual strength.
After
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura departed, he had made it clear he
wanted his mission to go on under the direction of a governing body.
His disciples ignored this and elected someone to be their leader.
That leader found out what his eternal relationship with Krishna was
and engaged in raganuga-bhakti
performing
nirjana-bhajana,
all
against the desire of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. What
was result? He fell down and the preaching mission of the Gaudiya
Matha was curtailed.
Bhaktivinoda
Thakura says that the full pastimes of the divine couple are within
the form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Srila Prabhupada said that we
have wasted many lifetimes but that if we dedicate this one life to
the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, even if we are not perfect,
the Lord will make up for it, and we will go back to Godhead at end
of life. Srila Prabhupada is so dear to Krishna that Krishna will
certainly fulfill his words.
Srila Prabhupada put so much
importance on writing books because he could understand by doing
that he could massage the hearts of his followers for generations.
There
is a verse that says there is no difference between bhakti
that is performed with a taste or without a taste as long as the goal
is the same.
Srila
Prabhupada said that a representative for a company may negotiate a
contract. Later the proprietor of the company may review the contract
and disagree with it, but because his representative negotiated it,
he will honor it anyway. When Giriraja Swami heard this, he
found it bewildering how that the acarya
could disagree with Krishna, but later he was able to appreciate that
the Lord and His representatives have different personalities.
At the end of Nirguna Prabhu's
life, there is no question that his eternal relationship with Krishna
was revealed to him. He was a completely dedicated book distributor,
distributing many thousands of books.
The
first picture Nirguna had seen as a new devotee was Krishna lifting
Govardhan Hill. About 10 days before he left this world, he got the
intimation that he was a manjari
in
Krishna lila, but was not for sure. He talked as if he was waiting
for an invitation to go back to the spiritual world and enter this
pastime. Hari Sauri Prabhu asked him from time to time if he had
received such a sign, but he said no dejectedly. When he had
practically no pulse and was breathing 2 or 3 times a minute, and was
unconscious, the doctor said he had just a few hours to live. They
had kirtana all
night. Kurma sang seven hours. Around 7:22 a.m. he
became conscious and began singing along with the kirtana,
although
he previously could just make a whisper. Nirguna said he was told,
“Get your piece and go.” A devotee asked him, “What is that?”
He replied, “Giriraja.” The devotee repeated his understanding,
“Giriraja said to go and take Him?” Nirguna replied, “Yes.”
He was asked, “Did
you get your invitation?” “Yes.” he said, very blissfully. One
of the Govardhan silas
was
not found after he had passed away.
We
do not endeavor for raganuga,
but
it will be revealed as our preaching matures.
Rama Raya Prabhu:
As long as we identify our
self with our body and mind, we are slaves to the illusory energy of
the Lord.
There
is a limit to how much knowledge you can give people, but there is
not a limit to how much harinama
[congregational
chanting of the holy name] you can give them.
You do not get realization
about something you do not do.
By desire we come to this
material world, by desire we stay in this material world, and by
desire we go back to the spiritual world.
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura: If the sadhu speaks flattering words, he will
mislead people into sense enjoyment.
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura: Tolerance and humility are meant to aid in
preaching
the Absolute Truth.
Bhaktivinoda
Thakura blessed Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati with the ability to preach
the truth despite all opposition by the people in general.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
explains that pure presentation of the truth is so powerful that even
when it is opposed, it will be accepted by all honest people who hear
it.
This material world is where
people come to be the big fish. They do not want to be reminded that
they are not the big fish but are meant to serve the big fish.
By serving the mission of the
master, we get the vision of the master.
Actions
speak louder that words. Lord Caitanya delivered millions of people
in South India simply by harinama-sankirtana.
He
only spoke philosophy to just a few people.
The holy name is all merciful.
It is up to us to arrange the meeting.
All the service the disciple
performs for the guru is not for the benefit of the guru but the
benefit of the disciple. This is just like the mathematical problems
given by the math teacher and solved by the student are meant for the
student's benefit not the benefit of the math teacher.
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura: Any deception in devotional service is actually
only self-deception.
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura: Only one who has
candidly surrendered everything to the service of the Lord can obtain
the ultimate good.
Prabhupada
got into an argument with a unsubmissive hippie in India purposely to
separate the audience in to those think the sadhu should always speak
sweetly, who left, and those who are willing to hear the truth, even
if uncomfortable, who stayed.
It is natural for people to be
with their family members so for Krishna to tie someone into a family
relationship with Him [as with the Pandavas] is a great favor.
Abhiram Prabhu says we cannot
go back to Godhead without our Godbrothers because when we get there
Srila Prabhupada will say, with displeasure, “Where is so-and-so
Prabhu?”
In
the rasa dance
all the gopis were
together, yet they were experiencing Krishna individually. It is also
like that when as a group we take darsana
[or
view] the Deity, we are all there together, but each of us has his
own experience.
In
our kirtana we
should pray for the pure holy name to appear and deliver everyone.
Lord Shiva appears in four
places to guard Vrindavan.
People tend to glorify those
who are superior but that is misused to glorify leaders in sense
gratification instead of the Lord who is possessed of all divine
qualities.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
describes that just as the sun can be never seen at night by using
artificial lighting, the Supreme Lord, the guru, and the Vaishnava
cannot be understood by the mental speculation of materialistic
persons but only when they reveal themselves.
A hippie challenged Srila
Prabhupada, “How will this Hare Krishna benefit the world?”
Srila Prabhupada replied, “You
are not of this world? As it has benefited you, it will benefit
others.”
Lilananda Prabhu:
Although Krishna is
inconceivable, He can be partially understood by the grace of the
lineage of spiritual teachers.
Srila Prabhupada once said,
“Anyone who gives one cent to Krishna will not have to go to hell.”
As
guru dakshina
[remuneration to the guru] Prabhupada and his followers, who saved us
from hell, wanted us to spread these teachings.
Although Jagannath Das Babaji
Maharaj did not preach, he had a strong desire that Lord Caitanya's
teachings be spread.
In Italy the people are pious,
and they can generally understand whether they are meeting a
genuinely religious person or someone bogus.
We were taught to always give
everyone something, spiritual food, literature, chanting, etc., and
we try to do that.
Matysa Avatar Prabhu has
cultivated academics and other leaders in society, encouraging them
to chant Hare Krishna.
-----
This is one of my favorite
quotes about the holy name because gives me great conviction about
its amazing value:
“The name of Krishna is
purely spiritual. There is no knowledge as great as that of the name,
and no practice of austerity or meditation, no result of spiritual
activity, no form of renunciation, no act of sense control, no pious
act, and no goal that can match it. The name is supreme liberation,
the supreme destination, and the supreme peace. The name is eternal
life itself. The name is supreme devotion and the supreme
intelligence. The name is supreme love and the supreme remembrance.
The name is the soul’s reason for existence. The name is the lord
of the soul, the most worshipful object, and the supreme guru.”
(Agni Purana, quoted in Nama Rahasya by Sacinandana
Swami)