Diary of a Traveling
Sadhaka, Vol. 12, No. 12
By Krishna-kripa das
(June 2016, part two)
(June 2016, part two)
London, Stonehenge, Tours,
Loche, Chateauroux, Paris
(Sent from Manchester, England, on July 6, 2016)
(Sent from Manchester, England, on July 6, 2016)
Where
I Went and What I Did
I
continued doing harinama with Harinama
Ruci in London into the second half of June, taking a break on the first
Saturday to attend the Weekend Warriors program at Shepard’s Bush, part of
greater London. Of course, I attended the legendary Saturday night harinama in London, with Harinama Ruci and
some devotee friends from other countries adding to the already ecstatic event.
The summer solstice was a harinama marathon
for me as I chanted at the Stonehenge Solstice festival between 1 a.m. and 6
a.m. with some of the Harinama Ruci devotees and devotees from London and
Northampton and then from 6:05 p.m. to 11:20 p.m. in Tours, France, with
Janananda Goswami, other of the Harinama Ruci devotees, and devotees from our New
Mayapur community in Central France. Apparently I was the only devotee to attend
both events. The next few days we chanted with some of the Harinama Ruci
devotees and New Mayapur devotees in nearby cities like Loche, Chateauroux, and
Tours. The day before the Paris Ratha-yatra we did harinama for many hours in Paris with Harinama Ruci, local Paris
devotees and devotees visiting for the Ratha-yatra. The Paris Ratha-yatra was
wonderful as usual with a four-hour procession, visiting devotees, many
enthusiastic Indian congregational devotees, and some Paris residents, who have
become Ratha-yatra regulars, and this year’s distinguished guests, Janananda
Goswami and Bhakti Prabhava Swami. We also did harinama around Les Halles for half an hour after the Ratha-yatra
stage show ended. Then I did harinama for
three hours a day for four days in Central Paris at Saint Michel, and had at
least three people join me each day, thus ending the very ecstatic month of
June.
I
share insights from lectures by Srila Prabhupada, the journal of Satsvarupa
dasa Goswami, a presentation by Satyanarayan Prabhu on distribution of foreign
language books, a class by Mahatma Prabhu, recorded lectures of Kadamba Kanana
Swami, a class by Bhakti Prabhava Swami, a class by senior brahmacari Gaura Hari Prabhu of Scandinavia, and a class by Ter
Kadamba Prabhu.
I
would like to thank Janananda Goswami for kindly paying for my travel to France
to do harinama and facilitating
future travel. Thanks to Jay Krishna of London for his donation. Thanks to
Caitanya Candrodaya Prabhu for his donation of Polish currency, Visnu Jana
Prabhu for his donation of Czech currency, and Rasika Mangala Prabhu for his
donation of American currency. Thanks to Valentin for contributing to my train
ticket to the Paris temple and letting me stay at his place and feeding me for
three days. Thanks to Cakradhara Prabhu of Paris for letting me stay at his
place one night and giving me lunch. Thanks to Harinama Ruci for the many
photos of harinama in Tours and one
of the Paris Ratha-yatra. Thanks to Caitanya Candrodaya Prabhu for his photo of
Stonehenge.
Itinerary
July
6: Newcastle
July
7–9: Polish Padayatra
July
10: Prague Ratha-yatra
July
12–16: Polish Woodstock
July
17–26: Polish Summer Festival Tour
July
27–29: Berlin harinama?
July
30: Berlin Ratha-yatra
July
31–August 4: Czech Padayatra
August
5–11: Baltic Summer Festival
August
12–14: Ancient Trance Festival near Leipzig?
August
15–17: ?
August
17: Prague?
August
18–21: Trutnoff (Czech Woodstock)
August
22: Prague
August
23: London
August
24–27: Newcastle [including Janmastami and Vyasa Puja]
August
28: Leeds
August
29: Newcastle
August
30: Edinburgh
August
31–September 1: Newcastle
September
2: Sheffield
September
3: York
September
4: Newcastle
September
5–12: Ireland
September
13–: New York City Harinam
London
Harinamas with Harinama Ruci
For
a week, I chanted each day in the streets of London with Harinama Ruci and the
London devotees.
Once
an older Indian man listened to us sing at the Tottenham Court Road tube
station for at least an hour. He said several remarkable things. First he said,
“I have been listening just ten minutes, and I feel so refreshed it is like I
had an hour’s rest.” Then he said that most people out here are sleeping. I
explained that we were hoping to wake them up by the chanting of the Hare
Krishna mantra. Later he said, “This is one of the best examples of compassion
I have seen. Thank you so much for doing this. You are truly great people.”
On
their last day visiting London, several Kentucky schoolgirls had a great time
singing and dancing with Harinama Ruci and the Soho Street devotees. After they
had danced with us for several minutes and were preparing to leave, one of them
told her friends, “I think I have found my religion!” (https://youtu.be/UbJmQp3oDF8):
Sometimes
people in bars, like The Flying Horse Pub on Oxford Street, are happy to invite
our chanting party in, and some of their guests have a great time singing and
dancing with us (https://youtu.be/eh9UEKBFKtc):
I
talked to an Italian man who lived in Scotland. He was happy to purchase a book
from one of our distributors because he had an interest in meditation and yoga.
He felt Italians were not as open to such alternative ideas as people in the
UK. I asked him where he lived in Scotland, and he said near Glasgow. I told
him we had a farm in Lesmahagow, and he heard of that town and knew it was not
far from him. He was happy to have me write the address of Karuna Bhavan, our
Scottish eco farm, in his book.
An
Indian family was also happy to encounter our chanting and to purchase a book.
The father said they were from Edinburgh, and I wrote the address of our
Edinburgh Gauranga Mantra Center and its hours in the back of his book. I felt
happy to connect these people with Hare Krishna programs in their area.
I
met several people from France over the several days I was in London, and I had
memorized the schedule of next Sunday’s Paris Ratha-yatra and would tell them. At
least one guy sounded like he would definitely go.
One delighted in swinging the harinama banner.
Dharmatma Prabhu, who I know from Alachua, always likes to get the association of devotees who are enthusiastic to share Krishna consciousness with others, like Parasurama Prabhu of London and the Harinama Ruci traveling harinama party. In London in June, he could connect with both of them.
I
have many video clips of chanting with Harinama Ruci and the London devotees in
Central London. Some were extra special, which I present individually, and the
others I merged together with those from the same day:
There
is a guy, who is appareled in a British flag, who regularly interacts with the
London harinama devotees, and in this
case, also with Harinama Ruci (https://youtu.be/zOEqm0Tw2JU):
Once
Harinama Ruci danced with workers and customers in Kingdom of Sweets shop (https://youtu.be/tKFOwMPHN-4):
Two
workers really enjoyed singing and dancing with Harinama Ruci in yet another
London shop (https://youtu.be/Xtl6LfsVmk8):
Chanting
Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci in London 2016 - Day 3 (https://youtu.be/PkM7iMDJcK0):
Chanting
Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci in London 2016 - Day 4
Chanting
Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci in London 2016 - Day 5
Chanting
Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci in London 2016 - Days 6 and 7
Shepard’s
Bush Weekend Warriors Program
At
the Northampton Ratha-yatra the previous Saturday, Jay Krishna, a college-aged
Indian youth invited me to attend his Weekend Warrior programs in London some
Saturday, so I decided to take him up on it the very next week. The location
was Shepard’s Bush, just about twenty minutes from our Soho Street temple on
the tube.
I
was happy to encounter Veera, a graduate of Newcastle University, who attended
our programs there, and on occasion came on harinama
with us. She frequently goes out on these Saturday programs with the other
devotees, mostly college-aged.
They have a book table.
And next to the table is
a chanting party.
While we were chanting Hare Krishna at Shepard’s Bush, some Moslems, who were set up nearby,
asked if we could be quiet for two minutes so they could say their midday
prayers. I thought it would be good for interfaith relations if we agreed to
their request, so I said yes. Then I remembered I also had to say my midday
prayer, Gayatri, so it worked out very nicely!
Earlier
one Muslim man and a lady with a video camera did an interview with me. I
attempted to clear up some of their misconceptions of Hindu ideas of God. In
our conversation, we agreed that God periodically sends messengers to enlighten
human society. The man was very convinced that Muhammad was the most recent of
these representatives of God, and therefore, that everyone should follow him
and become a Muslim. I explained that although we accepted Muhammad was
representing God, in fact, Lord Caitanya had come much more recently, in A.D.
1486, in Bengal, and therefore, we were following the latest divine messenger.
He, however, was not convinced.
It
was inspiring seeing all the young devotees coming out to share the chanting,
the literature, and the spiritual food, with the many people passing by the
Shepard’s Bush railway and underground station.
Ask a Monk
Some
devotees have had success in sharing Krishna consciousness by sitting down with
an “Ask a Monk” sign and talking to whoever comes by about spiritual topics.
If you get married, just make a minor adjustment:
Stonehenge
Summer Solstice Harinama
Although
previously the Stonehenge Summer Solstice festival was attended by nearly
30,000 people, this year there were 10,000–12,000 people there. This was
attributed to the fact they charged £15 per car for parking, when it was free
before, and they did not permit carrying of alcohol into the area immediately
around the stones. As a result there were fewer of the uncontrolled rowdy sort
of people who can make life unnecessarily difficult, and that was a blessing.
As
usual there were many people who enjoyed chanting and dancing with us, some for
quite a well. Since Mahavishnu Swami was not there, some of the younger
devotees had to lead the kirtanas, and
they did remarkably well.
As
usual, Parasurama Prabhu and his associates made wonderful prasadam and distributed it in the parking lot, just before the
path to the stones. Many people were very appreciative.
Sunrise
is an important part of festival, and fortunately it was clear enough to see it
this year.
I
encouraged my friend Caitanya Candrodaya Prabhu to come for the first time.
Afterward he wrote me, “I would do it every year. It’s pure bliss.” Not all my
friends have such a positive experience. Some have never come because they are
afraid it will be a burnout, and some have come once or twice and found it is
too much of a burnout for them. Others though, do not want to miss the
opportunity to share the chanting of Hare Krishna with many people who are more
open to it than your average crowd.
I
took some video of the darker parts of the festival with my phone, which
although has a lower resolution, has a light on it (https://youtu.be/LJYz4xM3EAY):
The
lighter parts of the festival I videoed with my camera (https://youtu.be/E2LnugViVVk):
Tours
Festival of Music Harinama
With
Janananda Goswami and Harinama Ruci
FĆŖte
de la Musique (Festival of Music) is an annual festival in France on June 21
when many musicians play in the streets. On that evening Janananda Goswami,
Harinama Ruci, and devotees from our New Mayapur community in Central France
chanted Hare Krishna for over 5 hours in Tours. Many people enjoyed chanting
Hare Krishna and dancing with the devotees.
I
did not catch more than two hours sleep on the van ride from Stonehenge to
London, the bus to the airport, and the flight to Tours, France, so I was not
in optimum condition for the event, but still it was wonderful to be a part of
it and to see all the people happy to interact with the devotees’ chanting
party.
Janananda Goswami encouraged a group of young people to chant the mantra.
They really took it seriously.
They even ended up getting books.
The whole group posed with the devotees afterward.
At
one point, a group of saxophonists played along with us. You can hear them in
the video below.
Here
are some highlights (https://youtu.be/bC6XPIpSgFI):
Chanting
with Harinama Ruci in Central France
Between
the Festival of Music in Tours on June 21 and the day before the Paris
Ratha-yatra on June 26, Harinama Ruci was based in New Mayapur in Central
France, and chanted in Loche, Chateauroux, and Tours. Tours was the most lively
of them all.
The
most striking part of the Tours harinama is
when a violinist joined us, then an accordion player, and finally a
saxophonist (https://youtu.be/npejbJ7pRFM):
Chanting
in Paris with Harinama Ruci
At
Saint Michel, one bride to be, dressed in white as an angel, and her many
bridesmaids, dressed in black as devils, delighted in dancing with the devotee
ladies.
Afterward
I asked Mangala-vati Devi Dasi to give her a garland, and the bride gratefully accepted it and said she would wear it on her
wedding day.
Later a group of young ladies from Michigan danced with the female devotees, and they even chanted the mantra nicely, two words at a time. I gave one of them a garland and offered to send her the video I took of them, and she gave me her email. After I sent her the video, she wrote, “I was very happy when we were dancing and singing. It just made my day a whole lot brighter and happier. . . . Thank you so much for such a lovely experience.” I also told her the details of our Michigan Ratha-yatra, and she said she could not go herself, but one her friends who danced with us would go. At one point a whole busload of young tourists sang the mantra and danced in a circle with our entire party. On the bridge to the side of Notre Dame, several ladies danced with the devotee ladies, and some took great pleasure in singing the mantra. I invited one lady to the Ratha-yatra. From talking with her, I concluded she would like my garland, and she did. I invited her to dance with the devotee ladies, but she said she was too shy.
Later a group of young ladies from Michigan danced with the female devotees, and they even chanted the mantra nicely, two words at a time. I gave one of them a garland and offered to send her the video I took of them, and she gave me her email. After I sent her the video, she wrote, “I was very happy when we were dancing and singing. It just made my day a whole lot brighter and happier. . . . Thank you so much for such a lovely experience.” I also told her the details of our Michigan Ratha-yatra, and she said she could not go herself, but one her friends who danced with us would go. At one point a whole busload of young tourists sang the mantra and danced in a circle with our entire party. On the bridge to the side of Notre Dame, several ladies danced with the devotee ladies, and some took great pleasure in singing the mantra. I invited one lady to the Ratha-yatra. From talking with her, I concluded she would like my garland, and she did. I invited her to dance with the devotee ladies, but she said she was too shy.
One of them came and grabbed her hand, and she happily danced with them, and her friend soon joined her. These are some of the moments captured in this video (https://youtu.be/8Y2M8EuC4z0):
And some liked swinging.
Paris
Ratha-yatra
Nice
features of the Paris Ratha-yatra include its great length, four hours, long at
least for a Western Ratha-yatra.
The
route is in the center of the city, and passes Gare du Nord, its largest train
station.
There
are Paris residents, who though not fulltime devotees, who like to dress up and
take part in the procession.
As
you can see in the video below, there are many Indian congregational persons
who very enthusiastic chanting and dancing in the procession.
Some
of them also cook a sizable feast for the stage show afterwards.
Janananda
Goswami hurt his foot on the steps in New Mayapur, and unfortunately could not
take part in the dancing as he usually does.
I
saw someone playing a Western drum in the procession, an uncommon sight.
Many
tourists, such as these girls from Argentina, were attracted by the beauty of
the procession and the chanting and dancing.
You can see from these photos that many people really enjoyed watching Lord Jagannath’s Ratha-yatra procession.
Here
is some video of the Ratha-yatra procession (https://youtu.be/7Lw6qcH4sio):
Here
is some video of the kirtana during
the stage show after the procession
Harinamas
the Week After the Paris Ratha-yatra
The
day after the Ratha-yatra, I chanted at Saint Michel for an hour or so, and was
joined by Caroline, who has been living in Paris for three years as a sadhu,
with just a small plastic bag of possessions, and depending only on God for food
and accommodation. Next Sasha, who I know from the NYC Harinam party and who is
studying in Paris for two weeks, joined me. Then came Valentin (wearing a red hat), a Paris student
dedicated to harinama, and the four
of us chanted for two more hours. Valentin sponsored a Bhagavad-gita for Caroline, so she can perfect the life of a sadhu.
Valentin,
who had a small studio apartment in central Paris, kindly allowed me to stay at
his place for three days, and he also came out on all the harinamas. Besides Valentin, Caroline also came out every day for
at least part of the time, which was very amazing for such a new person. Each
of the four days we had at least four devotees, which is better than my
experience in a lot of places.
The
second day, Rohit (playing the drum below), the harinama organizer
in Paris, inspired a good crowd of devotees to chant. I would say we had at
least twelve people. Rohit was so enthusiastic with the final kirtana, we actually did three and a
quarter hours that day. Chakradhara Prabhu, a disciple of Lokanath Swami, who
is dedicated to distributing books on harinama,
came out for the last three days.
Toward
the end the devotees danced in a circle. They were joined by a Mexican girl,
who attends our temple in Mexico City, and was very happy to encounter our harinama, participating for half an
hour.
The
third day, we had fewer people, but we had some who had not come the previous
days, including Gaura Bhakta Prabhu, who I see regularly at the Birmingham
24-Hour Kirtan, and one devotee lady, who had joined us on Saturday, when
Harinama Ruci came out. Valentin distributed two books to someone who was
seeking spiritual knowledge.
One
boy enjoyed dancing with us, but when he saw me take his picture he seemed a
little displeased. I was worried I offended him in some way, but later he gave
us a donation.
On
the final day, we did a walking harinama,
when half an hour before we were going to stop, a louder musical group
wanted to play. While walking from Saint Michel to Notre Dame, and onward to
Les Halles, we encountered one person who wanted to know about joining the
ashram and a young lady named Radha Dasi, who likes harinama.
Reflecting
on my experience in Paris, I felt very happy that we did three hours of harinama each day with at least four
persons, and new people with spiritual aspirations had the chance to encounter
the chanting of Hare Krishna and the wisdom in Srila Prabhupada’s books.
To see the photos I did not use in this journal, click on the link below or copy it to your browser:
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To see the photos I did not use in this journal, click on the link below or copy it to your browser:
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Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From a letter addressed to Sir sent from New Delhi, on April 15, 1961:
“Without spiritual culture a human society is another polished edition of the animals. There is no value of education in the animal society as the trained up lion in a circus is never to be trusted. The lion is not trusted because it cannot assimilate spiritual knowledge. But a man is able to take up this knowledge and his formation of the brain is meant for it. It is nothing extraordinary for him because he is prepared for this culture and is awaiting proper administration only.”
From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.31 in Mayapur on October 11, 1974:
From a letter addressed to Sir sent from New Delhi, on April 15, 1961:
“Without spiritual culture a human society is another polished edition of the animals. There is no value of education in the animal society as the trained up lion in a circus is never to be trusted. The lion is not trusted because it cannot assimilate spiritual knowledge. But a man is able to take up this knowledge and his formation of the brain is meant for it. It is nothing extraordinary for him because he is prepared for this culture and is awaiting proper administration only.”
From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.31 in Mayapur on October 11, 1974:
Durga
is so fearful yet she cannot disobey Krishna’s order. . . . That fearful agent
is also fearful of Krishna.
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.32
in Mayapur on October 12, 1974:
If
we please Krishna, all our problems are solved.
To
be happy it is not sufficient to know you have money, you actually have to
utilize the money. Similarly it is not sufficient to know “I am Brahman” (I am
spirit), but you have to engage in Brahman activities, service to the Supreme
Brahman (service to the Supreme Spirit, Krishna).
How
will the impersonalists take shelter of the lotus feet of Krishna for they
think the Supreme Brahman has no legs?
To
accept God as the supreme father or mother means to exploit God for your sense
gratification. The Vaishnava idea is to accept God as son and to render so much
service to Him.
Yashoda
is not upset that Krishna distributed her butter to the moneys, but she is
upset that the butter meant to feed Krishna was no longer present and He might
go hungry.
The
monkeys that Krishna gives butter to are not ordinary monkeys. They are
devotees playing as monkeys for Krishna’s satisfaction.
Actually
the sun does not rise or set; it is always present. In the same way, Krishna
does not appear or disappear, although it seems that way; He is always present.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami:
From
“Poem for June 15” in Viraha Bhavan:
JAPA POEM
“Prabhupada gave us the mercy
of the holy names. He
made us brahmanas, sannyasis and gosvamis
despite the fact that we were Western-
born mlecchas.
He was transcendental
to Hindu-Muslim-
Christian religion. He saw us under
our material coverings
as pure spirit-souls.
He brought us our good qualities,
and the best
quality is distributing
Krishna consciousness to others.”
of the holy names. He
made us brahmanas, sannyasis and gosvamis
despite the fact that we were Western-
born mlecchas.
He was transcendental
to Hindu-Muslim-
Christian religion. He saw us under
our material coverings
as pure spirit-souls.
He brought us our good qualities,
and the best
quality is distributing
Krishna consciousness to others.”
Mahatma Prabhu:
Once
a man asked Srila Prabhupada, “Can you see God?”
Srila
Prabhupada replied, “Yes, and you can see Him too. He is on the cover of my
latest book.” [The book had a picture of the Lord as paramatma on its cover.]
Coming
for darsana is presenting ourselves
to God in the deity form so He can see us.
One
man was telling me that you get to a point where you lose your identity. I
questioned him, “How do you know you have lost your identity? If you lose your
identity, how can you know anything?”
Humility
means to understand that you are completely dependent on Krishna.
Some
philosophies, although not outwardly atheistic, imply that it is possible to
figure out everything for oneself, which is not a fact.
Sudama
saw Srila Prabhupada chanting and crying. He came back later. Prabhupada was
still crying. Srila Prabhupada asked why he left when he came before. Sudama
said because he was crying. Srila Prabhupada said, “Yes, I was crying because
for a moment my spiritual master, by his mercy, let me see Krishna.” Sudama
began crying. Prabhupada asked why Sudama was crying, and Sudama explained he
was crying because Srila Prabhupada was crying.
When
I was a new devotee, we were often warned, “Don’t speculate.”
We
should never think, “By my own power, I can become successful.”
If
you think you have devotion you don’t, and if you don’t think you have
devotion, you do.”
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura said that if you think you’re a devotee that you are not a
devotee.
A
devotee thinks in any condition he is servant.
And
what is inconceivable for the conditioned soul is that the pure devotee thinks
everyone else is a better devotee than he.
It
used to be things were confirmed by the clicking of the lizard; now they are
confirmed by the ring of a mobile phone.
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura said not to give phony speeches that you are the lowest
devotee but to actually feel it.
You
cannot have a humble atheist in the true sense. Humility is meant to be in
relation to God.
Srila
Prabhupada said, “A devotee is satisfied with a little service, a little prasadam, and a place lay down.”
We
encourage people to engage their nature in devotional service. But if they move
into the ashram, they will have to do what they are told, for that is brahmacari training. Later one will have
the chance to engage his talents in Krishna’s service. And then at another
level, one is satisfied doing whatever needs to be done.
We
understand what is humility, but we do not imitate it. Humility can start with
appreciation of the service and qualities of the other devotees.
Satyanarayana Prabhu
(BBT):
We
are producing many books in the Far East, Middle East BBT focusing on making
attractive covers, which take into account cultural differences. We find by
focusing on the cultures we increase the sales.
Our
printer entered some of our book covers into some contests, and they won
awards.
We
found many people are thrilled to get books in their own language. They are so
grateful that we have produced attractive books they can easily read, that also
buy more English books from us than they would previously, and thus both
foreign and English book distribution increases.
More
than a billion devout Muslims worldwide are experiencing an identity crisis, or
even an existential crisis, due to what’s going on it the name of their
religion. Thus it is great time to share with them the wisdom in Srila
Prabhupada’s books.
When
the airports in Los Angeles were closed to Hare Krishna book distribution,
devotees started doing tables at universities and tourist spots and found they
did two or three times more books than before. Tourist spots and universities
are unbelievably good places to sell books.
I
am responsible for books in fourteen languages, but I am concentrating on the
big six, Arabic, Farsi, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese books. Arabic
and Chinese are the most popular.
I
was in the room in 1976 when Srila Prabhupada made the legendary statement, “Anyone
who distributes books or preaches in the Middle East, I take the dust from his
feet and put on my head.” He made that comment after we told him that a Muslim
university had taken a set of his books.
To
see in detail what the Far East, Middle East BBT is doing, to see samples of
their book covers, and to help distribute their books, please check out their
web sites,
http://www.bbtfeme.com and https://www.facebook.com/bbtfeme.
http://www.bbtfeme.com and https://www.facebook.com/bbtfeme.
Kadamba Kanana Swami:
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.1.24
in Vrindavan on November 6, 2005:
Everywhere
Srila Prabhupada saw Krishna.
It
is not only that the devotee loves Krishna, but Krishna has a deep love for His
devotee.
If
we see the kindness and the loving arrangements Krishna has made, that will
enhance our love for Him.
What
the atheists see as smashing thunderbolts are Krishna’s loving slaps.
No
one lost in the battle of Kurukshetra. All who died in the presence of Krishna
attained liberation.
An
element of love is already there even in the beginning of devotional service.
During
an airport arrival reception for Srila Prabhupada, all the devotees were crying
such tears of love to be seeing Srila Prabhupada, all except Srutakirti Prabhu.
Later while massaging Srila Prabhupada, Srutakirti mentioned this. Prabhupada
did not say anything, but the next day during the massage, Prabhupada said, “This
is also love.”
We
must give mercy, although we may not have so much mercy to give.
The
Panca-tattva first drank the nectar from the storehouse of love of God again
and again, and then they distributed it.
When
we come to ISKCON it is like we get a little cup to get a few drops of nectar
and to distribute it, but as time goes on that cup gets bigger, and if we
distribute lots of nectar the cup grows faster.
Tamal
Krishna Goswami had so many jewels from his personal association with Srila
Prabhupada to share. “What do I have to offer the devotees?” I thought. I
decided to sing for the pleasure of the Vaishnavas and the Lord.
It
is false humility if we think we cannot give mercy, because we have been given
mercy.
The
kanishta (neophyte) worries, “Suppose
I give up my material desires and I do not get the higher taste, what will I
do? I will be lost. I will be in nowhere land.”
We
must get to the point of deciding to go back to Godhead this life. Then we may
become an advanced devotee.
When
the sannyasi leaves home, he leaves all his relations in the care of Krishna.
Indeed, he realizes that he cannot actually protect them and that Krishna is
their only protector.
We
tend to preach “you can practice Krishna consciousness at home,” but how
glorious are those who can give up everything and live in the temple!
Krishna
is inside the universe, and yet the universe is within Krishna. That is our inconceivable
Krishna.
We
should serve the devotees because we depend on their blessings.
We
cannot take much credit for what we have done because Srila Prabhupada created
this whole movement, and we more or less just stepped into it. Everything was
all set up for us.
We
have doubt, “Have I done enough service that Krishna will give me love of God?”
It is best we think we have not, and therefore, we need the blessings of the
Vaishnavas. If they bless us, then it is as if their service is added to ours.
We
pray, we serve, we take all opportunities, we ask for blessings, and thus we
hope we will advance toward love of God.
When
the devotees kick us, that is also a blessing. They may kick us very hard, but
we will not go away.
It
is not that it is automatic that living in the temple is better, but there are
many opportunities there.
Formerly
the sages went to the jungle, not worrying about all the ferocious animals,
depending fully on Krishna’s protection.
Comment
by a devotee: Actually to go to the West to distribute Krishna consciousness is
more dangerous than the yogis going to the jungle.
Comment
by another devotee: Different devotees can give mercy to different degrees. The
prema bhakta can bring people up to
his level. The bhava bhakta can bring
one to suddha-nama-ruci. A pure
devotee sadhaka can bring people to
faith in pure devotional service. Even if we are not at any of these levels, by
distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books we give people that association of a prema bhakta.
From a class on Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila 8.194 in Radhadesh on
September 7, 2003:
When we feel separated from Krishna, that is the
time to intensify our practice to attract Krishna.
Better we get serious about our spiritual
practice before falling down rather than after.
Bhakti Prabhava Swami:
That
we have material attachment is no surprise, but when we are too much attached,
that is detrimental to our spiritual life.
Everyone
wants to be happy in this world, but do you know anyone in this world who has
only happiness?
We
must hear from the right person with rapt attention to advance spiritually.
Inquiring
means asking the spiritual master how to practically apply the knowledge in
one’s life.
When
the spiritual master and Krishna are pleased, we get realization. Krishna, with
the shining lamp of knowledge, destroys the darkness born of ignorance.
We
think we are the enjoyer and that some things are ours, but that is illusion.
In
Flanders, where I am from, young couples value building their own homes. Thus
they get a bank loan and build a house. They spend 30 years paying off the bank
loan. Just a couple years before they get their pension, they can finally say,
“It is mine.” And then in just a very few years they are gone.
We
have so many desires from our past lives, and Krishna, who is in the heart,
reminds us of them, not all at once, because that would be too much, but one
after another.
When
desires arise in the mind, we must let them go and not try to catch them.
One-pointed
intelligence means being one in interest with Krishna.
Srila
Prabhupada said, “I am never separated from my spiritual master.”
Attachment
to sadhus is valuable because if we are attached to the sadhus, we will hear
from them and become purified.
Gaura Hari Prabhu [from
Norway]:
There
is a psychological experiment where subjects were shown a movie of a basketball
game and told to count the number of times the ball was passed. After seeing
the video, they were asked the question, “Did you see the gorilla?” When they
said no, the video was replayed, and this time they saw the gorilla, although
some could not believe it was the same movie they had previously seen.
On
a battlefield, no one says, “Go ahead and kill me. Don’t hesitate,” as
Vrtrasura did to Indra.
If
we are a failure, it is still good for us. Why? Because we took the trouble to
attempt to please the Lord.
The
purity of a servant is seen in adverse conditions.
We
all know about Srila Prabhupada’s great success, but it is good to remember his
struggle.
Some
people look forward to death, and even commit suicide, because life is so
miserable, but a devotee looks forward to death because he is convinced of his
future superior destination.
If
someone is able to maintain enthusiasm in devotional service to the Lord for
many years that is an indication there is something real there.
The
fact that Kripacarya was entrusted with taking care of the young Maharaja
Pariksit although he had previously assisted in the death of his father shows
that in Vedic times people were not judged as enemies forever because of past
inimical dealings.
Ter Kadamba Prabhu:
The
Buddhists and Mayavadis consider this material world as unreal but we actually
experience it. Where did it come from? They say it comes from the jiva, the individual living entity. Where
does the jiva come? They said it
comes from the illusion. This has the problem of circular reasoning and the
also the problem that you have two, Brahman and illusion, and not the One they
promote.
The
people who having a great time in the material world are the people we should
feel sorry for since life is meant for leaving the material world.
The
secondary activities like cleansing our body are not things that can be done
unlimitedly like chanting Hare Krishna.
Our
duties are given by an authority. They are not self-made.
Jiva
Goswami makes the point that if something is mentioned in the beginning it is
important, if it is mentioned in the end it is important, and if it is repeated
it is important.
The
rasa is subservient to the tattva yet the rasa is more important. [The tattva
is that Krishna is the whole and we are the parts, thus our position is to
serve Krishna. All the rasas [enjoyable
devotional relationships with Krishna] are based on this service. The rasa is what is actually relishable, but
if we aspire for this without understanding the tattva, we will become like sahajiyas,
who take devotional service very cheaply.]
Even
in the spiritual world people do their own duties. Mother Yashoda always acts
as Krishna’s mother. She does not go out to the fields and play with Krishna as
the cowherd boys do, although it might be fun.
Krishna
enjoys playing with His energies, and playing with His conscious energies,
rather than dull matter, is more fun for Him.
We
cannot trust our judgment, and therefore, we have authorities.
Some
people think we are too much attached to the rules, and they think they are
superior because of that. Sometimes they have some feeling for devotional service and
they think because they have some attachment to Krishna, they can do whatever
they like. The actual standard is to follow the rules with attachment to
Krishna.
Lord
Brahma is occasionally covered by lust or anger, and yet he is the leader of
our whole sampradaya [spiritual
lineage]. This is evidence that you
can be a guru even you are not an uttama-adhikara,
a devotee on the highest level.
If
we do not feel that we are equipped to handle a situation, it may a situation
Krishna has created for us to become qualified to handle such situations.
The
madhyama [the devotee at the middle
level] is 75% free from his
conditioning and the 25% remaining is so insignificant it does not keep him
from executing his devotional service nicely.
If
a yatra [devotional community] is
strong, it tends to remain strong because of good association.
If
you are worried about not having a taste, then do not focus on the taste but on
your duty, for by acting out of duty, you will get a taste.
An
advanced devotee thinks how much I can give and how little I can take.
After
initiation what happens to you is given by Krishna for your advancement. [It is
not your karma.]
-----
This
Sri Caitanya-caritamrita verse
greatly inspires me in chanting in public in all kinds of different situations
as it reveals that to be the mood of Lord Caitanya and His intimate associates:
“In distributing love of Godhead, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates did not consider who was a fit candidate and who was not, nor where such distribution should or should not take place. They made no conditions. Wherever they got the opportunity, the members of the PaƱca-tattva distributed love of Godhead.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 7.23)
patra-apatra-vicara nahi, nahi sthana-asthana
yei yanha paya, tanha kare prema-dana