Diary
of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 11, No. 15
By Krishna-kripa das
(August 2015, part one)
By Krishna-kripa das
(August 2015, part one)
Czech
Padayatra, Wroclaw Food for Life, and Festival of India in
Poland
(Sent from Sheffield, England, on September 3, 2015)
(Sent from Sheffield, England, on September 3, 2015)
Where
I Went and What I Did
After
leaving the Polish Woodstock, I joined the Czech Padayatra for four
days. I then spent an afternoon chanting during Wroclaw Food for Life
with some friends. Finally, being invited by Indradyumna Swami, I
went to the Baltic coast to join his Festival of India in Poland.
Then I took the train to Wroclaw, en route to Czech Republic for a
rock concert where the devotees share spiritual food and music,
meeting on the way three people who were attracted to Hare Krishna,
and who wanted more Krishna opportunities.
I
share insights from several lectures by Srila Prabhupada and some
quotes from his books. I have some nectar from Bhaktivinoda Thakura.
I include an excerpt each from both a book of and the journal of
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I have lots of notes on classes by
Indradyumna Swami and Bada Haridas Prabhu, the two main speakers on
the Polish festival tour. I also have a realization from Bhagavat
Asraya Prabhu, and some wisdom from Muni Priya Prabhu, the leader of
the Czech Padayatra and from one Czech brahmacari.
I also include a few points I made in a lecture on the Polish tour
about how we can attain complete absorption in Krishna.
I
would like to thank Caitanya Candrodaya Prabhu for giving me his
extra Polish and Czech money, and to thank the people who gave me donations on
harinama in
Wroclaw.
I
would like to thank Indradyumna Swami for his pictures of me on
harinama at
Miedzyzdroje. I would like to thank Vishnu Patni Devi Dasi for her
many pictures of Food for Life in Wroclaw. Thanks to the unknown person in Wroclaw, who took pictures of Bartek and myself chanting before the train station.
Itinerary
September
4–7: Ireland
September
8–18: New York City Harinama
September
19–21?: Boston
September
22–25: New York City Harinama
September
26–27: Albany
September
28–November 15: New York City Harinama
November
16–18: Washington, D.C., Harinama
November
18–19: Jacksonville
November
20–December 16: Krishna House (except 5 days in Tallahassee)
December
16–January 3: New York City Harinama
Czech
Padayatra
After
chanting at the Kostrzyn train station to the Woodstock goers waiting
for their trains, I took 11 hours of trains costing just $22, split
evenly over two days with the night at our Wroclaw temple, to reach
Tynec nad Labem, at that time the location of the Czech padayatra.
Padayatra
really
captures the spirit of Lord Caitanya's desire that His name be heard
in every town and village. Lord Caitanya does not care just to deliver
the masses in the cities, but he wants His followers to go out, and
make Krishna consciousness available to everyone. That we have a
full-size murti
[form]
of Srila Prabhupada and large Gaura-Nitai deities on the Czech
padayatra reminds us even more that we are executing the mission of
Lord Caitanya according to the direction of His surrendered devotee,
Srila Prabhupada.
I
arrived for the last half of the day's walking and singing. I was
amazed we passed through two towns with about twenty houses in each,
but at our evening program in Tetov I counted at least 80 people and
some devotees said there were 120. That is even more amazing when we
consider that Tetov, according to the 2015 census has only 158
people. Also striking was that at least 75% of the people stayed for
the entire two-hour show of chanting bharat-natyam
dance,
drama, spiritual food, and devotional prizes.
It
was inspiring to see the enthusiasm of a handful of the attendees who
really seemed to have some spontaneous appreciation for the chanting.
Kids
liked to dance, which is a fairly common phenomenon.
They
even danced with the devotees on the stage.
Here
two ladies danced with upraised arms.
One
guy also delighted in dancing.
He
even let a devotee swing him around.
Here is a video clip of the kirtana in Tetov (https://youtu.be/ibMhTeyiNfU):
Tuesday
in the town of Řečany nad Labem, CZ, with a population of 1,364,
over 110 people (8%) came to our program of spiritual culture.
After
the program, we chanted with the ox cart and our Deities back to the
school that was our base.
Three villagers followed us the whole way and talked with the devotees afterwards.
One
lady who followed us was a photographer, and she came the next morning to take photos of our procession as we left the town.
Wednesday, in the larger town of Premouc, only 70 people came to the evening program. Perhaps that was because it started at 5:00 p.m. instead of 6:00 p.m., perhaps that was because in larger places the people are more sophisticated, or perhaps that was because there was a musical event in town that night.
Wednesday, in the larger town of Premouc, only 70 people came to the evening program. Perhaps that was because it started at 5:00 p.m. instead of 6:00 p.m., perhaps that was because in larger places the people are more sophisticated, or perhaps that was because there was a musical event in town that night.
One
young man was happy to get books.
Thursday
was another small village, namely Lany na Dulku, population 330, and not
surprisingly a small attendance at the evening program. Still
each program is special, and the amazing thing there was that twelve
villagers, or about half the people who had come, danced in the
kirtana near
the end, when the devotees give out prizes, such as books and pictures related to Krishna and incense, for the best performance in
several categories.
In
past years, I recall 50 to 60 people was a very good evening, but
this year they often had twice that. Devotees say one reason more
people may be coming to the evening programs this year is the
invitations. They listed the time and place of all twelve of the
evening programs throughout the two and a half week long padayatra.
They
also advertise a contest which involves the chance of winning a
prize. They ask the people getting the invitations if our program is
for kids, youth, adults, senior citizens, or everybody. The correct
answer, of course, is that it is for everybody. They ask the people
to send a text message with their answer to the phone numbers of the
organizers, and say they must attend the program to win the prize.
There are two winners, picked randomly from the contestants, by the
youngest of the bharat-natyam
dancers.
The two prizes are Bhagavad-gita
and
Krishna book.
Another selling point advertised on the flyer is the “flying
bananas.”
At the end of the show, they throw bananas offered to the Deities from the Their cart to an eager audience.
The
play is a more dramatic and humorous version of “Liquid Beauty.”
Muni Priya Prabhu, the devotee who organizes the padayatra,
plays the prince, and his son, decked out with make up and wearing a
sari, is
the lady he is attracted to. There is no formal lecture but rather a
commentary on the drama.
There
are a couple of bharat-natyam
dancers.
One
small.
In
the middle of the program, a snack of pakoras,
raita,
and cherry tomatoes is served to the attendees in their seats.
She
also has a variety of Czech chips, referred to as chipsy.
that the devotees make themselves and market, and which are very
tasty.
And
of course, there are Srila Prabhupada's books.
Before
the kirtanas, the
smaller bharat-natyam
girl
passes out instruments, which are rattles in the shape of various
fruits, from the basket sitting on the harmonium.
Gaura
Karuna Prabhu, while riding his small portable bicycle, has
distributed books on five continents. When I asked him the best
place, he replied, “Czech padayatra.”
The oxen, the cart, the Deities, and the happy devotees chanting
awaken curiosity in the people, and they are happy to buy books
explaining what it is all about.
Friday
the program was in the city of Pardubice, a place where I had once done
harinama before a home program with Janananda Goswami. I did not go, but left
the padayatra, as
I was invited by the Food for Life coordinator in Wroclaw to chant at
their weekly Food for Life event there, something I had done once
before.
Chanting
at the Wroclaw Food for Life
I tend to travel through Wroclaw to other places and not contribute
much there, so I thought I should help out this time.
The
Food for Life person, Vishnu Patni Devi Dasi, is an initiated
disciple of Indradyumna Swami, who grew up on the Baltic Coast and
fell in love with the Festival of India, coming when the devotees
performed in the towns nearby her home. Gradually she took Krishna
consciousness more and more seriously. Now she is one of the main
pujaris in
Wroclaw, but once a year she takes a break for five days to sell
books at the Polish Woodstock festival. Once a week she does Food for
Life in Wroclaw as well. I thought I should encourage her by chanting
at her program as I have known her for many years from the festivals.
After
spending a few weeks on the Polish Tour and Woodstock, Caitanya
Candrodaya Prabhu, who I chanted harinama
with
in Bavaria and in Newcastle this year, visited the Prague temple, and
then stopped by Wroclaw on his way to Ukraine to see his parents, so
he joined our harinama
party,
along with a local devotee lady. Usually Vishnu Patni has to do Food
for Life alone, but she had three helpers that day.
Caitanya
Candrodaya Prabhu and I chanted for an hour or so where Vishnu Patni
and the other devotee lady were serving papadam
and
halava.
Vishnu
Patni did not want the local restaurants to complain about our
chanting, so she sent us to the popular Rynek Square, where the
devotees do Ratha-yatra in September or June.
In
Rynek Square we met Peter, who wore neck beads, and had come to our
yoga tent at Woodstock every day. He had heard we had a temple in
Wroclaw and was intending to visit it, but he never had. I gave him
an invitation, and he promised to visit in this coming Sunday. I also
told him about our free food on Fridays in Wroclaw and pointed out to
him where it was, and he went and got some, also promising Vishnu
Patni he would come to the temple on Sunday.
It
was a great day.
There
were people who liked the food.
Some
liked the the music.
Some
took books.
One
guy even got chanting beads.
Some
also gave donations.
I
was happy to go and make some contribution.
Chanting
in Wroclaw Before My Train
The
next day I was planning to chant in another city in Poland, between
Wroclaw and the Polish coast, but that plan fell through. Thus I
decided to chant alone in Wroclaw at the train station before my
train to the coast. I hoped to chant for at least two hours, but
breakfast was delayed, and I got a late start. As it was, I had to
grab a bowl of prasadam
and
eat it on the bus, so as not to lose another half hour. I chanted
right in front of the train station and did not even make it through
the preliminary mantras before the police told me to move. I moved
100 feet away and all was good for forty minutes until a policeman
came by again. This time I learned through an interpreter that his
complaint was I was collecting money near the train station. I asked
if singing alone was OK, and he said it was, so I put my donation
plate away and continued singing for twenty more minutes.
One
guy wanted me to give him some money. I declined but offered him a
cookie which he was happy about. One older lady give me a zlote
(about
a quarter), and when I gave her a cookie and a mantra card, she gave me
another.
A
young guy named Bartek, with long hair and a guitar came by, and said
he knew the Hare Krishnas from the Woodstock, even some individual
devotees. He mentioned Gatida Prabhu, who is in charge of questions
and answers. He expressed an interest in playing his guitar with me,
and he did his best to tune it to my funky harmonium.
We
sang the popular melody that Srila Prabhupada used on harinama
in
the beginning, which almost everyone can sing, and which is one of
the few tunes I know the chords to.
He
looked very blissful playing the guitar and singing Hare Krishna.
We
also chanted a lively Village of Peace tune, and he helped me transpose
it into a key which does not use the defective note on my harmonium.
Someone wanted us to take pictures of him and his friends, and in
exchange, we got him to take pictures of us playing the harmonium and
guitar. I told Bartek how he could find out the schedule for our
festivals on the coast on the web, gave him the invitation for our
Wroclaw Sunday feast, and gave him details about our Friday Food for
Life in Wroclaw, as he really loved our food at Woodstock.
Thus
I felt very victorious that in Wroclaw both days I was able to give
an interested person information by which he could increase his
Krishna-related activities there.
Festival
of India in Poland
After
a nine-hour train ride I very happy to be greeted at Trzebiatow by
Jananivasa and Mandakini, who both translated for me when I did
questions and answers years ago, along with their child. It was so
nice to see them again.
The
Festival of India in Poland, organized by Indradyumna Swami and his followers, gives many opportunities to hear Krishna
sound. The festivals are advertised by three hours of harinama
six
days a week. Then each evening festival begins and ends with half an
hour of chanting, includes a lecture on Bhagavad-gita,
a
main drama depicting a transcendental pastime and also puppet shows
bringing to life other Krishna pastimes. Thus thousands of people every day benefit spiritually from the transcendental sound vibration, making it a very important program. Beyond this, hundreds of people daily take Krishna prasadam.
This
year they had a new drama about Usha and Aniruddha with lots of
colorful costumes and beautiful dances. There was also a new version
of Ramayana, and
the martial artists performed one show together, instead of all
individually as before.
On
the Festival of India on Poland's Baltic coast, my service was to
attend the morning program, give a couple morning classes, and
distribute invitations on our daily three-hour harinamas.
Doing
harinama on
the beach, where we do it the most, was a severe challenge this time
as I had a popped blister and had to keep the wound dry so it would
heal. Thus I could not walk on the moist sand but had to walk in the
dry sand which is much more difficult. It was hard to keep up with
the party, and because I was distributing flyers, I would sometimes
get behind, and it was very difficult to catch up. I like to be where
I can hear the kirtana
and sing the response, so I was really suffering.
Fortunately my
wound healed after four days, and the situation improved.
There
is a saying “the body is a temple.” That's why we mark it with
tilaka. Of
course, some people do not act like their body is a temple. Some of
them admit it.
When
we did harinama
in
the city of Miedzyzdroje, sometimes people participated
(https://youtu.be/0QiRzJ5WNHM).
Another
time, after our harinama, a
family danced with the devotee ladies.
Srila
Prabhupada said, “A young man cannot eat too much, and an old man
cannot eat too little.”
Seeing
fifteen-year-old Vikram's plate of prasadam brings
to mind this quote.
Speaking
of prasadam, once
we had an incredible potato salad with curd in it.
Although
the evening festival has many attractive features, because I love the
chanting and dancing, that is what I always take videos of. It is
wonderful for me to see the onlookers getting caught up in the
ecstasy of the kirtana.
Here
is some video from the first evening kirtana
I
attended, the last day of our festival in Rewal
(https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xIzezas9XsYu0uA09sfO8jM).
I
gave mantra cards to the most enthusiastic dancers, and when the
kirtana was
over, I told them that Tuesday through Thursday we would be in
Pobierowo, if they wanted to join us.
The
three evenings we were in Pobierowo many people chanted at the final
kirtana led
by Indradyumna Swami.
This
last girl came every day, and each day she was more enthusiastic. She
told me she loves to dance. She was from Stargard Szczecinek, and I
encouraged her to leave her email with the devotees at the book tent,
so she can learn of our programs in her area.
Here
are video clips from two of the evenings in Pobierowo
(https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xJxtBFbP9JokHSCbijOiWf4):
Here
is some video from the larger city of Miedzyzdroje
(https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xKDf5yNIB_jcIgrSTM8TQ4N):
I
lived in Alachua the same time Bada Haridas Prabhu was living there,
but we would only hear him lead kirtana once
or twice a week and maybe give class once a month. On the tour he was
singing mangala-arati and
Jaya Radha Madhava every
day and also singing
on the stage in the evening. He would also give class almost every
day. Thus ironically I was getting more of his association away from
our home in Alachua.
His
sweet kirtanas
bring joy to my soul. I remember when he chanted at his 50th birthday
party in Alachua, I thought, “I wish I could travel all over the
world with Bada Hari and dance to his kirtanas.”
Krishna fulfilled that desire in part those ten days I was on the
Festival of India tour in Poland. The last Monday I was there he led
a wonderful kirtana
that got all the tour devotees dancing beginning with me
(https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xJohWGAeMNoE2B6x_LS5NDn):
Encounters
on the Way to Back to Wroclaw
When
I travel I love meeting people who had positive experiences
encountering Krishna music, Krishna food, and Krishna philosophy. I
like to find out where they are from and suggest how they can have
more Krishna experiences. The day I left the Festival of India in
Poland I met three such people.
On
the first train enroute to Wroclaw, after leaving the Polish Festival
tour, I met a girl who went to our festival the night before in
Niechorze.
She
was delighted to show me the henna she received there.
She
was from Trzebiatow and was happy to learn from me that when she
returns home in two days, we will be having our festival in nearby
Mrzezyno.
On
the second train, the girl across from me named Alicja loved our
Krishna food at Woodstock and ate it every single day. She was happy
to learn of our Friday Food for Life and Sunday feast in her home
town of Wroclaw, and she enjoyed a spiced potato patty I had packed
for my lunch. The friends she sings with in Miedzyzdroje told her
they had enjoyed our festival there last week. Originally I was not inclined to talk to her, but I saw she was reading a book by Kafka and thought that she might be interested in philosophy. Turns out she read the book because it was required for school but had no special interest in philosophy. In the course of our discussion, she mentioned she had gone to Woodstock, and I asked if she went to Krishna's Village of Peace there. In this way, I learned of her love for Krishna food.
When
I got to Wroclaw's main station, a lady named Margarita (on the
right), greeted me with “Hare Krishna.” She attends our farm in
Czarow and nama-hatta in
Lodz. She is going to the coast, and wanted to know the schedule of
the festivals. I told her the next two are in Mrzezyno, and I gave
her the flyer with the web page with the whole schedule.
Krishna is amazing! Although I left the festival, I was still engaged in promoting it and our other programs in Poland.
Krishna is amazing! Although I left the festival, I was still engaged in promoting it and our other programs in Poland.
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
From
a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.17 on October 28, 1972, in
Vrndavana:
The
Krishna consciousness movement means we are giving people a chance to
hear about Krishna.
From
a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.16 on August 19, 1972, in
Los Angeles:
One
may know or not know but if he just appreciates, that is a touch of
spiritual life. It is so nice.
This
movement is spreading simply by hearing. I gave a chance for people
to hear.
By
hearing one acquires a taste, but one who is too materialistic will
not have such a taste.
Taste
means you like to do it, not that you have to be forced. If you have
such a taste you can very easily go on chanting Hare Krishna.
We
have no taste because there is lacking in the previous processes,
sraddha [initial faith],
sadhu-sanga [association with
devotees of the Lord], bhajana-kriya [spiritual
practice under the guidance of a guru], and
anartha-nivritti [freedom
from unwanted desires].
In
the beginning no one was interested in Krishna consciousness. We have
created the taste.
Hearing
about Krishna is natural because Krishna bhakti is
in everyone's heart.
If
you associate with people addicted to sex life, you fall down.
It
is easy if we are determined that, “in this life I will go back to
Godhead.”
From
a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.2.17 on August 20, 1972, in Los Angeles:
If
we become purified by hearing about Krishna, how much we can become
purified by dancing with Krishna?
Brahma
is unhappy, Indra is unhappy, what to speak of an insignificant
creature, because they have accepted what can never make one happy,
sense gratification.
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.11.24
verse and purport:
“O
my Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, will I again be able to be
a servant of Your eternal servants who find shelter only at Your
lotus feet? O Lord of my life, may I again become their servant so
that my mind may always think of Your transcendental attributes, my
words always glorify those attributes, and my body always engage in
the loving service of Your Lordship?
“Purport: This verse gives the sum and substance of devotional life. One must first become a servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord (dasanudasa). Śri Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised, and He also showed by His own example, that a living entity should always desire to be a servant of the servant of the servant of Krishna, the maintainer of the gopis (gopi-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah). This means that one must accept a spiritual master who comes in the disciplic succession and is a servant of the servant of the Lord. Under his direction, one must then engage one's three properties, namely his body, mind and words. The body should be engaged in physical activity under the order of the master, the mind should think of Krishna incessantly, and one's words should be engaged in preaching the glories of the Lord. If one is thus engaged in the loving service of the Lord, one's life is successful.”
From
Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya
22.38–39:
“Krishna
says, 'If one engages in My transcendental loving service but at the
same time wants the opulence of material enjoyment, he is very, very
foolish. Indeed, he is just like a person who gives up ambrosia to
drink poison. Since I am very intelligent, why should I give this
fool material prosperity? Instead I shall induce him to take the
nectar of the shelter of My lotus feet and make him forget illusory
material enjoyment.'”
Bhaktivinoda
Thakura:
From
Sri-Sri
Kalyana-kalpataru
(The
Desire-Tree of Auspiciousness),
translated
by Dasaratha-suta dasa:
“Statements
like 'tat
tvam asi'
(you belong to Krishna)
are fully permeated with tangible love
for Krishna, and meditating
on such Vedic statements
helps the aspiring
devotee to ultimately attain
the shelter of Krishna’s lotus feet.
Then one will gain residence
in Krishna’s transcendental abode of Vrndavana,
which is completely pervaded
with supreme, undivided bliss.
Thus one will come to know
the original personal form of Parabrahman,
Who is situated far beyond
the impersonal Brahman effulgence.”
(you belong to Krishna)
are fully permeated with tangible love
for Krishna, and meditating
on such Vedic statements
helps the aspiring
devotee to ultimately attain
the shelter of Krishna’s lotus feet.
Then one will gain residence
in Krishna’s transcendental abode of Vrndavana,
which is completely pervaded
with supreme, undivided bliss.
Thus one will come to know
the original personal form of Parabrahman,
Who is situated far beyond
the impersonal Brahman effulgence.”
From
Sri-Sri
Kalyana-kalpataru (The
Desire-Tree of Auspiciousness),
FIRST BRANCH: UPADESA (Advice), SONG 19 – LUST IS NOT DEVOTION
FIRST BRANCH: UPADESA (Advice), SONG 19 – LUST IS NOT DEVOTION
Verse
3
Only
in the following sequence
does pure love for Krishna awaken:
First one develops sraddha (faith) in the process
of Krishna Consciousness;
then, due to that faith one becomes enthusiastic for sadhu-sanga
(the association of devotees);
then, by performance of bhajana-kriya (devotional worship)
in the company of the devotees
there awakens nishta (steadiness in service),
then ruci (taste),
then asakti (attachment to the Lord);
this attachment then gives rise
to bhava (genuine ecstatic emotions),
from which prema (pure love for Krishna)
manifests its re-awakening. Only in this sequence does prema come into being.
does pure love for Krishna awaken:
First one develops sraddha (faith) in the process
of Krishna Consciousness;
then, due to that faith one becomes enthusiastic for sadhu-sanga
(the association of devotees);
then, by performance of bhajana-kriya (devotional worship)
in the company of the devotees
there awakens nishta (steadiness in service),
then ruci (taste),
then asakti (attachment to the Lord);
this attachment then gives rise
to bhava (genuine ecstatic emotions),
from which prema (pure love for Krishna)
manifests its re-awakening. Only in this sequence does prema come into being.
Satsvarupa
dasa Goswami:
From
Shack Notes:
“What
makes the work acceptable to Krishna is the bhakti.
It is not our arrogant
self-confidence
that forces Krishna to accept the offering. The devotee puts all he
can into the offering, tears well up in his eyes, and he humbly
places himself before the Lord, begging to be accepted, 'Don't kick
me away.'”
“In Boston, in the late 1960s
and early 1970s, we would go
to chant harinama on Sunday
in Cambridge Square Park.
Hundreds of people gathered there
listening to various speakers
like Timothy Leary.
Our planned program
was to sing for half an hour and
then give a five minute sermon.
We had strong chanters like
Baradraja and Nanda-kisora,
and I sometimes led the chanting.
We attracted a crowd.
When we stopped chanting to
lecture, the crowd got out
of control. They would yell
verbal abuse at us
and sometimes throw things.
I thought the little
sermons were important,
so I wrote to Prabhupada
to ask what to do. He wrote me back:
If the people are too
disturbing, don’t give
lectures, but just go on chanting.
So we held kirtana
for an hour and then
took a little break
to change singers and change mridanga players.
The people started
to harass us, but
we didn’t give them
a chance.
We stopped them by launching
into another kirtana. We felt secure
in the protection
of vigorous chanting which
kept the young lions quiet,
interested, and even
mesmerized. If we
had attempted to lecture them,
we would be committing
the offense of revealing the
confidential nature of the holy name
to the faithless.
We chanted through the long afternoon
without disturbance from the crowd,
which gave us great pleasure.”
Indradyumna
Swami:
Human
beings' distinguishing quality is intelligence.
In
the last three hundred years, we have advanced greatly using our
intelligence materially but we know practically nothing about our
spiritual self, without which the body is just dead matter.
The
first item in self-realization is to understand the soul is not the
body.
Your
body, the doctors say, is 72% water, but are you 72% water?
If
you do not know who you are, you do not know how to live in such a
way as to find the happiness you are looking for.
Bhagavad-gita
is
meant to fill our present void of spiritual knowledge.
This
knowledge should not be rejected because it is not Polish. You accept
pizza and have pizza parlors in even the smallest towns, but pizza
was not invented in Szczecin, Wroclaw, or Warsaw. It is from Italy.
These
are not sectarian truths but universal truths. These truths are not
only valuable; they are essential.
We
learn from Bhagavad-gita,
that
the soul is 1/10000 the tip of a hair in size and situated in the
region of the heart. We intuitively understand the soul is in the
heart, and if we are asked to point to ourself we point to our chest
or if we point to someone else, we point to their chest not their
foot.
We
are in fear of death because we are in ignorance. Bhagavad-gita
can
free us from fear of death. Krishna explains that as the soul passes
from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul enters into another body
at death.
Reincarnation
is a subtle law of nature.
Something
is changing, and something is staying the same. The body is changing,
and the soul is staying the same.
We
should not make the mistake of overidentifying with our present body
and its surroundings, as we have had many bodies.
We
should be very inquisitive about our eternal souls.
We
are not meant to live in the material world. We are strangers in a
strange land.
We
search for happiness because it is the intrinsic nature of the soul
to be happy.
You
may not expect to hear a philosophical lecture at a cultural
festival, but knowledge is very important in Indian culture, and thus
a presentation on Indian culture would not be complete without it.
If
I invite you on the stage, you could talk for hours about your body,
but how long could you talk about your spiritual self. This is
because in our Western culture, we are lacking this knowledge.
Bhagavad-gita
can fill this void.
It
is human nature to prepare for the important moments in life. Death
is such a moment. Bhagavad-gita
gives insight into
what happens at death: “As the embodied soul continuously passes,
in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly
passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered
by such a change.” (2.13)
The
spiritual world is not an hallucination. Real people coming from the
spiritual world have described it.
Love
of God is our visa to attain the spiritual world.
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura sent a disciple to Oxford to get a Ph.D. in
Theology. He was so smart the college gave him a full scholarship.
When it came time to write the thesis, he asked Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura what should be the topic of the thesis.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura replied, “Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu,
His philosophy and His teachings. And I will help you write it.” It
was lost in a Gaudiya Math for years, but just a few weeks ago it was
found, and Hari Sauri Prabhu scanned it and send it to me. It is over
600 pages. He also sent me Sarasvati
Jaya Sri, a
compilation of remembrances of those who had personal association
with Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, compiled after he left this
world.
We
are fortunate to be able to share this tradition of 500 years of
wisdom.
I
am sometimes amazed by the amount of energy you have to do this work.
This is Gaura-sakti [the energy of Lord Caitanya], not muscle power.
Just
as karmis [the
people in general] like parties, demigods like yajnas
[sacrifices].
Prabhupada
would say that anything can happen at every moment. Recent a lady
went to Yosemite for a picnic with her family. After three days her
hands and feet started turning black and began to fall off. Turns
out she was bitten by a tick and got the Rocky Mountain Spotted
Fever, and they had to cut off her hands and feet to save her body.
They
had a festival in Kolkota for the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada's leaving Calcutta on a voyage for America.
Radhanath Swami spoke to a crowd of perhaps 10,000 people including
the president of India and the governor of West Bengal.
When
I was young I read All's
Well on the Western Front, about
the victory of the Allied Forces in World War II. I lamented I missed
out on being part of it, but I see I am involved now in a more
important movement for the emancipation of humanity.
In
Miedzyzdroje, one young man with a box of 15 cups of beer for his
friends strapped to his body, stopped by our program. He began
dancing in the kirtana,
and
the strap broke and they all spilled on the ground. He looked at the
sky crediting providence for the occurrence, and he continued
dancing.
One
man who has come to the festival for 15 years admitted he was
listening to the lecture and something clicked, and he bought a book
for the first time.
One
seventy-eight-year- old engineer came back to our restaurant five
times to get a samosa,
and those samosas
are like a meal in themselves. His company was based in India, and he
spent many years there. He said, “I like your samosas
because they are better than the Indian samosas.”
One
man after the final kirtana
said,
“When you people
sing the combined effect is like touching the feet of the gods.”
If
you give to someone engaged in the Lord's service, you get back many,
many times what you gave, and if you take from a devotee, you will
suffer many, many times the suffering you caused the devotee.
I
thought I recognized one man from a previous festival, and I asked
him about it. He said that he was on the Baltic coast on vacation and
his family went to the festival. He explained, “Afterward for a
whole week, my daughter was always singing 'Gopal Nandalal, Gopal
Nandalal, Gopal Nandalal, Gopal Nandalal,' and talking about the
festival, and she wanted to go back. I said I would drive her back to
the coast on the weekend if she stopped singing, “Gopal Nandalal,”
and she agreed, and so I drove her 10 hours up here again. I had
spent my vacation money and had to take from my pension fund.”
The
more knowledge we have about God and our relationship, the stronger
our faith will be.
We
are so attached to everything, but at death we have to leave it all
in a moment.
From
a conversation with me:
It
is a sign of maturity that some of Satsvarupa dasa Goswami's
disciples have been able to stick with him, despite his difficulties,
as all he has done for Srila Prabhupada has certainly outweighed
whatever his problems were.
It
is too bad that Sadaputa Prabhu, who was a real genius, was not
supported to do his scientific work. It is one of ISKCON's serious
mistakes. He could really present our message in the language of the
scientists.
Keep
doing harinama. In
the beginning we did more harinama
and
there were few problems. As a brahmacari
you
have the facility, and it will also keep you pure.
Come
for a week of the tour after the Woodstock each year.
Bada
Haridas Prabhu:
Vrtrasura
is telling Indra that he will get his heavenly enjoyment because that
is what he wants, but Vrtrasura himself is more interested in going
back to Godhead.
We
can get anything from Krishna, but the important thing is what we
want.
If
we want to be satisfied in the heart, we have to develop pure
devotion.
Going
to the heavenly planets and returning to this earthly planet of death
(martya-loka)
is like working all year to go on a two-week vacation. At the end of
the vacation, it is all over, and you have to go back to work again.
Bhagavatam
is
trying to give a vision of eternality. There is more than our
experience of a little enjoyment in a spot life.
Vrtrasura
recalled being Citraketu and being cursed and having to attain this
horrible demoniac body. Indra was destined to kill that body and thus
release him from the curse. Thus Vrtrasura was very eager to be
killed by Indra and return back to Godhead.
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura said, “When our hearts become free from all
material desires, we will see all the impediments in our life as
Krishna's mercy.” Thus if we were are not seeing all impediments as
Krishna's mercy, then we still have material desire in our hearts.
Do
you ever wonder what Krishna is trying to teach us by the difficulties in
our life?
Does
a day go by without anxiety? That is the material world, a place of
anxiety.
The
difficulties are Krishna's mercy on us to get us to go back to
Godhead.
The
Christians used to challenge, “If you die today, would you go to
heaven?” So based on Bhagavad-gita
we
would respond, “We do not want to go to heaven. Heaven is for
losers. We just want to love Krishna.”
That
is the beauty of devotional service. As long as we can serve Krishna,
it does not matter where we go.
Bhaktivinoda
Thakura said, “One of the realizations a developing devotee gains
is the faith that Krishna will take care of him.” That comes from
sadhana and
hearing.
I
have to work and do some things, but ultimately I am maintained by
Krishna.
Srila
Prabhupada said that Krishna like a wealthy man who wants to give you
everything. But if you disagree to surrender, you remain poor. That
is our situation, but if we chant Hare Krishna we will come to the point
of agreeing.
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura said, “When
you begin to chant the holy name without offense, you will be
convinced that all perfection comes from chanting the holy name.”
Spiritual
knowledge is not sectarian. It does not matter your nationality or
religion. Just like with technical knowledge, if there is a
technological breakthrough, everyone is interested in utilizing it,
no matter the source.
Why
are we not finding the happiness we desire within despite so many
endeavors?
Bhagavad-gita
explains
how we can experience spiritual happiness from within.
This
vibration of Hare Krishna is spiritual and thus we never get tired of
it.
God
has many different names, but there are not many different Gods. Just
like the sun is called by different names in different countries, but
there is only one sun.
People
who get more and more become less and less satisfied. By material
means, satisfaction cannot come because we are not the body. We must
satisfy the need of the soul.
Some
of the people who put on this festival come from nations that are at
war with each other, but we are satisfied working together because we
are spiritual beings. This is a practical demonstration of spiritual
truth.
Those
who are advanced in devotional service always think of the lotus feet of
the Supreme Lord. Because they always think of Krishna, Krishna
always thinks of them.
Krishna
already loves us, but we will never experience that unless we love
Him.
The
Christians say, "God loves you" or "Jesus loves you." That is good
information, but that is not the issue. The issue is why we do not
love God.
If
we love Krishna, He will accept us as His own. But we have to accept Him
as our own.
Srila
Prabhupada explained he had a plan to become successful in business, but
at one point, he could see that was not Krishna's plan. Krishna has a
better plan. We are all thankful for Krishna's plan.
When
we want a material thing, it may seem like just a simple thing, but
it comes with a price.
Indra
is the king of the demigods, but he has to deal with the same issues
we do (envy, quarrel, excessive endeavor, pride) because of having
material desires.
Bhaktivinoda
Thakura advises us to live in a house, not thinking ourselves the
proprietor, but rather the servant.
In
the pastime of Vrtrasura and Indra we see the contrast between the
pure devotee and the devotee with material desires. In particular we
see the problems created by maintaining material desires.
The
defect is not the material things but the conception that they belong
to us.
As
it is foolish if a man enters a bank and proclaims that he renounces
all the money in the bank because it does not belong to him, it is
foolish for a person to renounce anything in this world, because it
all belongs to Krishna.
To
understand everything is Krishna's and should be used for Krishna,
according to Rupa Goswami, is real renunciation.
Srila
Prabhupada saw a man carrying a half-burned piece of firewood with
him on a train in India. What is the value of a half-burned piece of
firewood? Yet the man was taking care of it very carefully, thinking
of it as valuable property.
Encountering
Srila Prabhupada's devotees, we get the chance to experience the
nectar of Krishna's lotus feet, which makes us forget material
desires, although we originally had no desire for it.
Jayapataka
Swami used to say Lord Caitanya is so kind he gives us the dessert
first.
Q:
Although Rupa Goswami preaches to engage opulence in devotional
service, the Goswamis example was to give it up. Why is that?
A:
There were different Goswamis, and they had different lessons to
teach. Raghunatha dasa Goswami, in particular, taught extreme
personal renunciation. He showed it was practically possible to live
with almost nothing, and yet, he was in transcendental ecstasy. Srila
Prabhupada advised us not to imitate Raghunatha dasa Goswami or we
would fall down. Some of the other Goswamis did accept material
opulence for the service of the Lord, building great temples like
Govindaji. Because they were Goswamis and not householders, it was
their duty to live simply, but when given opulence, they would use it
for Krishna.
This
knowledge of Bhagavad-gita
was originally spoken, not to a monk or priest, but to a military
man, an administrator. This indicates that is meant for the people in
general.
Usually
we are not interested in spiritual knowledge, but at some time in our
lives, when we encounter difficulties, we wonder, “Is there more to
life than this?”
Although
we have made elaborate plans for happiness for our bodies and minds,
we are perhaps more dissatisfied than at any other time in history.
We
may have a connection with different people, such a business
relationship or a family relationship, but the strongest connection is
through a relationship of love. Similarly bhakti-yoga
is
the most powerful because it is based on love.
As
we may not see the sun in the sky because of clouds, but we can tell
it is there from its light, we can tell the soul is present because
of consciousness.
Here
we have Vrtrasura, who appears to be a demon, without material desire
and prepared to go back to Godhead, and Indra, who is going to use
the Lord's blessings to kill Vrtrasura, so he can enjoy his heavenly
kingdom.
I
would think, as a new devotee, since Krishna fulfills our desires as
a result of engaging in devotional service, suppose we do not desire
to go back to Godhead but rather just to enjoy in heaven. That is a
real problem. This verse gives the solution, to pray as Vrtrasura
did: “O my Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, will I
again be; able to be a servant of Your eternal servants who find
shelter only at Your lotus feet? O Lord of my life, may I again
become their servant so that my mind may always think of Your
transcendental attributes, my words always glorify those attributes,
and my body always engage in the loving service of Your Lordship?”
In
the material world, we desire to be the lord of the lords, to move up
the ranks, but Srila Prabhupada explains that in spiritual life we
aspire to be the servant of the servant of the Lord.
In
the Adi Purana, Krishna
says those who claim to be His devotees are actually not His
devotees, but rather that those who are servants of His devotees are
His devotees.
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura met
many Rama bhaktas in
South India, and he would ask them if they were directly the servant
of Lord Rama. Most of them would say yes, and Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura would say they were bogus.
Regarding
Krishna's request to always think of Him, Srila Prabhupada would
explain “You have have been thinking of so many nonsense things,
now just think of Krishna.”
Srila
Prabhupada explained that the duty of the guru is to serve his
spiritual master and the duty of the disciple is to assist him.
Srila
Prabhupada says over and over again that to think of Krishna means to
chant Hare Krishna.
Srila
Prabhupada said, “If you chant your sixteen rounds of the Hare
Krishna mantra and hear every syllable, you will remember Krishna
perfectly all day.”
Lord
Caitanya gave us so much, but he only gave us eight verses, so we can
understand these are very important, the essence.
Lord
Caitanya said, “In all my births I do not desire woman, wealth, or
followers.”
Even
if we do not have many material desires, we still desire not to
suffer. Thus the desire for liberation is difficult to give up.
Here
the Lord is addressed as samañjasa
— O source of all opportunities.
Through
the Bhagavatam we
do not only learn the philosophy, but we imbibe the feelings of the
pure devotees.
We
may feel bad we did not get the personal association of Srila
Prabhupada, but he says his Bhaktivedanta purports are his devotional
ecstasies. That is why it is important to read Srila Prabhupada's
books – in addition to acquiring knowledge, we come to appreciate
his devotional ecstasies.
The
Bhagavatam is
compared to a ripened fruit. Have you ever have had a ripened fruit?
Now they pick them green and ship them 5,000 miles.
Bhagavata
Asraya Prabhu:
from
a conversation with Trisama Prabhu, a nama-hatta
leader
in Poland:
To
be good leaders, it is important that we regularly hear from Srila
Prabhupada's recorded lectures and that we inspire the devotees we
are taking care of to do the same. No other religious leader has had
so many hours of recorded lectures as Srila Prabhupada, and we should
take advantage of it.
Muni
Priya Prabhu:
From
the Vishnudutas Ajamila got a second chance, the association of
devotees, and spiritual instruction.
To
surrender we must accept everything favorable and reject everything
unfavorable. This we can determine from verses 2 and 3 of the Nectar
of Instruction.
Surrender
is not so simple, so Lord Caitanya came to demonstrate.
Our
surrender is to assist Lord Caitanya in expanding His mission.
One
book telling how to become a successful businessman says the first
item is to overcome stress.
People
are worried about giving to Krishna, but they are in illusion because
everything is already belonging to Krishna.
Krishna's
plan is the best plan. Our business is to seek out Krishna's plan.
The
padayatra
is like chutney, sometimes hot and sometimes sweet.
Czech
brahmacari:
Everyone
is attracted by the devotees, even the demons. The Six Goswami were
glorified dhira-adhira
. . .
The
devotee because he is in the most fortunate position is not envious
of anyone.
Srila
Prabhupada's books are slowly destroying this materialistic
civilization. Vegetarianism, meditation, and yoga are all increasing.
People are seeing that this materialistic civilization is defective
and does not have answers.
Krishna-kripa
das:
There
are different things we can do to rise up to the complete absorption
in Krishna that Vrtrasura had:
Just
by engaging in the devotional service given by our spiritual master,
we can attain it, if we are careful to avoid offenses. Devotional
service is so purifying, we will be purified if we simply avoid the
offenses to it.
Vrtrasura
was feeling that Krishna is everything. We can get to this stage by
first thinking how Krishna is everything. Thinking, feeling, and
willing are the functions of consciousness. If we practice thinking
how Krishna is everything, we will come to the stage of feeling that
Krishna is everything. Krishna is the source of our very being.
Krishna is the source of everything dear to us. Krishna is the
fulfiller of all our desires. By thinking like this, we will
gradually come to feel that Krishna is everything.
We
can offer prayers for pure devotion following in the footsteps of
great souls. We can pray as Queen Kunti prayed, “O Lord of Madhu,
as the Ganges forever flows to the sea without hindrance, let my
attraction be constantly drawn unto You without being diverted to
anyone else.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.8.42)
Or we can offer this prayer from the Padma
Purana mentioned
in The Nectar of
Devotion: “My
Lord, I know that young girls have natural affection for young boys,
and that young boys have natural affection for young girls. I am
praying at Your lotus feet that my mind may become attracted unto You
in the same spontaneous way.” Imagine offering that prayer every
day for a year. It would definitely boost your affection for Krishna.
-----
Just
a reminder of the good fortune to be sharing Krishna's instructions:
ya
idam paramam guhyam
mad-bhaktesv abhidhasyati
bhaktim mayi param krtva
mam evaisyaty asamsayah
mad-bhaktesv abhidhasyati
bhaktim mayi param krtva
mam evaisyaty asamsayah
na
ca tasman manusyesu
kascin
me priya-krttamah
bhavita
na ca me tasmad
anyah
priya-taro bhuvi
[Lord
Sri Krishna said:] “For one who explains this supreme secret to the
devotees, pure devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he
will come back to Me. There is no servant in this world more dear to
Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.” (Bg. 18.68–69)