Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 13, No. 22
By Krishna-kripa das
(November 2017, part two)
New York City
(Sent from Hartford on December 11, 2017)
Where I Went and What I Did
By Krishna-kripa das
(November 2017, part two)
New York City
(Sent from Hartford on December 11, 2017)
Where I Went and What I Did
I
chanted with the Yuga Dharma New York City harinama
party
for the second half of November, without going anywhere else. One day
Ramesvara Prabhu, who is famous for his service with the BBT, came by
and chanted and danced with us for an hour. We were happy our leader,
Rama Raya Prabhu, returned from six weeks in Vrindavan. Satya Dasi of
Radha Govinda Mandir let our harinama
party
have their Thanksgiving feast for free, and it was very good.
I
share notes on and quotes from recorded classes by Srila Prabhupada.
I share notes on Radhanath Swami speaking at The Bhakti Center on
Gita Jayanti. I share notes on the morning classes at The Bhakti
Center by Rama Raya, Shyamananda, Shubha Vilas, Gaura Sarana, Karuna
Gauranga, Virabhadra Rama, and Mahotsaha Prabhus. I share excerpts
from Back
to Godhead articles
by Nagaraja and Caitanya Carana Prabhus. I share an interesting point
from a conversation with Jaya Jagannatha Prabhu, and two Radhanath
Swami quotes from Jai Giridhari Prabhu.
Thanks
to Atmanivedana Prabhu, who runs the Saturday night Bhagavad-gita
class
at 26 Second Avenue, for his very generous donation. This time at that program, while I led the kirtan, I prayed to Srila Prabhupada to be able to chant the same pure holy name of Krishna that he chanted there in 1966 and which he spread all over the world, and thus that kirtan became an especially ecstatic experience for me. Thanks to Dina
Bandhu Prabhu and his family, Larry, and all the other devotees at
the Gaura Nitai temple in Queens for their kind donations. Thanks to
Sunanda Prabhu and Bhakta Bob of the Krishna Balarama temple in
Queens for their kind donations.
Thanks
to Bhaktin Diana for the photos of me on harinama
in
Jackson Heights.
Itinerary
November
11, 2017–January ?, 2018: Yuga Dharma New York City harinama
party
except:
December
24 : Christmas Eve with my relatives in Albany
lectures
in New York City:
December
23: ISKCON Queens
December
30: 26 Second Avenue
Chanting
Hare Krishna in New York City
I
continued chanting with the Yuga Dharma New York City harinama
party
six hours a day, except on the days I had evening lectures.
I
mostly watched the book table, sometimes playing shakers and
sometimes dancing, as here in Jackson Heights. Besides
that I would lead the chanting usually for half an hour or an hour.
Rama
Raya Prabhu's kirtan attracts the most participation by both the
devotees and the passersby, and the devotees on the party were happy
he returned from Vrindavan.
Here
Rama
Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station, and
three passersby play instruments (https://youtu.be/OoJGRybbSW4):
Here
Rama
Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center
subway station, and a man dances (https://youtu.be/RsGqCM2ncdA):
We
like to give visiting devotees the chance to lead kirtan. Here little
Radha, whose family joins our Yuga Dharma NYC chanting party from
time to time when we are in Jackson Heights, plays the harmonium and
leads the chanting of Hare Krishna although she is only nine years
old (https://youtu.be/mvrQiG7O-sk):
Once
time Krishna
Prasada Prabhu chanted
Hare Krishna in Jackson Heights, and some youths played
shakers and danced.
I
personally encouraged them by handing them the shakers and dancing
myself.
They
had such a good time participating in our harinama
that although they tried to leave twice, they could not go. Finally
Mahotsaha Prabhu brought their dancing to another level
(https://youtu.be/3QEqthgZWn0):
Krishna
Prasad Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and Ramesvara Prabhu, who did a
lot for Srila Prabhupada’s BBT and presently gives occasional
lectures at The Bhakti Center, dances at Penn Station subway station
(https://youtu.be/PJLgrzPjzm8):
Kalpavrksa
Prabhu of New Jersey chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue /
Barclays Center subway station, and some boys dance
(https://youtu.be/00tYeQZZSsk):
Kalpavrksa
Prabhu of New Jersey chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue /
Barclays Center subway station, and two kids play shakers
(https://youtu.be/TsNwriivCQ0):
Kanai
Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Jackson Heights, and a young
girl plays shakers as her mom watches (https://youtu.be/olw6zaLxSKA):
Natabara
Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and a mom and daughter play
shakers in Grand Central subway station
(https://youtu.be/MD_fN0wWbqw):
Kanai
Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and two kids play shakers and
dance at Jackson Heights / Roosevelt Ave. subway station
(https://youtu.be/CRWRHkstcfo):
Mahotsaha
Prabhu chants, and two Ukrainian tourists who attend Hare Krishna
programs in their country play shakers and dance
(https://youtu.be/wTZ-ngTcPFU):
Kaliya
Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station,
and a man dances (https://youtu.be/iDSeT4Qlvww):
Kaliya
Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station,
and Mikey and Richard dance (https://youtu.be/CQne9XtpLMM):
Tota
Gopinath Prabhu, originally a full time member of our New York City
harinama
party, chants Hare Krishna in Penn Station after work
(https://youtu.be/vB3TQ8JyYmk):
Natabara
Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station
(https://youtu.be/ffbkCTeGmew):
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
From
a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam
3.25.2
in Bombay on November 2, 1974:
Krishna
is maintaining all the large elephants, all the small ants, all the
8,400,000 different species. Why are we worried about Him maintaining
us?
“Therefore the conclusion is that ‘Don’t try for your so-called happiness or so-called distress. Try to achieve that position where you can understand Krishna and get shelter at His lotus feet.’”
“Therefore the conclusion is that ‘Don’t try for your so-called happiness or so-called distress. Try to achieve that position where you can understand Krishna and get shelter at His lotus feet.’”
“President
Nixon was thinking, ‘I am very fortunate. I have become the
President of United States.’ But now he’s realizing, ‘I am the
most unfortunate.’”
Sometimes
a yogi may show a little mystic power by manufacturing some gold, and
we are so foolish that we accept him as God. However, we forget that
the real yogi, the Supreme Lord Himself, has created millions of gold
mines and is floating them in space.
What
is the difficulty? God personally explains Himself as He is, and if
we accept the Bhagavad-gita
as it is, we shall no longer have to transmigrate. Tyaktva
deham punar janma naiti. We
shall no longer have to endure birth and death, for we can attain our
spiritual bodies (sac-cid-ananda
vigraha)
and live happily in Krishna’s family. Krishna is providing for us
here, and He will also provide for us there. So we should know that
our happiness is in returning home, back to Godhead, where we can
eat, drink, and be merry in Krishna’s company.
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.13.12 given in Geneva on June 3, 1974:
A
lesson to be learned from the destruction of the Yadu dynasty is that
“if we fight amongst ourselves, even we belong to the family of
Krishna, we are ruined.”
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.15.1
in New York on November 29, 1973:
“Actually,
he [Arjuna] was unhappy on account of being separated from Krishna.
Similarly, not only Arjuna, all of us. . . . he is also a living
entity, we are also living entity. So we are also unhappy because we
are separated from Krishna. These modern philosophers or scientists,
they may suggest . . . that they can improve the world situation in
their own way, but that is not possible. We are unhappy on account of
being separated from Krishna. They do not know that. Just like a
child, a child is crying, nobody can say why he is crying, but
actually a child is generally in crying condition being separated
from the mother.”
“Everyone
of us [is] very intimately connected with Krishna, and Krishna is
sitting in everyone’s heart. Krishna is so kind, that He is simply
waiting, ‘When this rascal will turn his face towards Me.’ . . .
He is so kind. But we living entities, we are so rascal, we shall
turn our face to everything except Krishna. This is our position.”
“There
are also living entities [in the spiritual world], but they know
perfectly well that real enjoyer, proprietor, is Krishna. That is
spiritual kingdom. Similarly, even in this material world, if we
understand perfectly well that we are not enjoyer, Krishna is
enjoyer, then that is spiritual world. This Krishna consciousness
movement is trying to convince everyone that . . . we are not
enjoyer. Enjoyer is Krishna. Just like, this whole body, the enjoyer
is the stomach, and the hands and legs and eyes and ears and brains
and everything, these should be engaged to find out the enjoyable
things and put it in the stomach. This is natural. Similarly, we are
part and parcel of God, or Krishna. We are not enjoyer.”
“We
living entities, we are eternally servant of Krishna. That is our
position. But if we deny this position, ‘Now why shall I become
servant of Krishna? I am independent,’ then suffering begins,
immediate. Krishna bhuliya jiva bhoga vancha kare, as soon as you desire to enjoy independently, immediately that means immediately he is captured by maya. Krishna bhuliya jiva bhoga vancha kare pasate maya tare japatiya dhare. It is very easy to understand. Just like if you don’t care for the government laws, if you want to live independently, that means immediately you are in the clutches of the police force. . . . So our position is always dependent on God. We should understand this. This is Krishna consciousness.”
You
Americans consider you can take by force the Arabian oil which is
Krishna’s property, but you should let the Arabs freely live on
your land which is also Krishna’s property.
Radhanath
Swami:
From a lecture at The Bhakti Center on Gita Jayanti:
From a lecture at The Bhakti Center on Gita Jayanti:
Arjuna
was thinking “I can’t not fight yet I can’t fight. . . . This
bewilderment is beyond my control.”
From the very beginning of the Gita Krishna tells Arjuna that each of is eternal and individual. Our nature is to serve the Lord and to love the Lord.
That
question philosophers have been asking for centuries “Who am I?”
Krishna answers in chapter 2. Who is seeing through these eyes?
Love for God and all living beings is what we are and what we have always been. When we do not find that love within us, we look for it outside of us.
Love for God and all living beings is what we are and what we have always been. When we do not find that love within us, we look for it outside of us.
To awaken the dormant love of God in our hearts is the perfection of yoga.
The sun ray is not the cause of the sun, but the sun is the cause of the sun ray.
Prabhupada defined bhakti as devotional service because when we love we want to serve.
God’s happiness is my happiness. God’s will is my will.
Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita 18.66 “live in the spirit of love.”
When the leaves falls from the trees we see it is beautiful. Death can also be seen as beautiful.
My
mind is my underwear, and my body is my clothes. No one laments the
change of clothing.
Bhagavad-gita was spoken to activate Arjuna to act in this world but not be of this world.
A warrior is the last person you would think to talk to about peace and love.
When our mind is acting in harmony with our soul it is our friend.
According to our association and activities we are controlled by the ropes of material nature. Bhagavad-gita tells us how we can become free.
The
nonsectarian nature of knowledge in Bhagavad-gita has made it loved by people of
every religion.
Bhagavad-gita 4.7 tells how the Lord is always coming to deliver us.
Srila Prabhupada said that to awaken the innate love for the Supreme in our hearts is religion.
Krishna says one who is advanced in love for Him sees all living beings equally (Gita 5.18).
The illiterate brahmana who daily read Bhagavad-gita according to his guru’s order had so much love for his guru he didn’t mind being ridiculed for his mispronunciation. He would visualize Krishna acting as the driver Arjuna’s chariot as he read, and he told Lord Caitanya, “When I think of how much love Krishna has for His devotee it makes me cry.”
By applying the basic principles of the Gita in our lives we attain perfection.
The Gita teaches us how we can live in this world and remain pure like a lotus and really make a difference.
Haridasa Thakura said the goal of kirtan is prema, unconditional ecstatic love for God and all living entities.
We should pray to be free from false ego and situated in love of God. We should desire to be an instrument of God’s love.
Nagaraja Prabhu:
“Once
we’re convinced that we must revive our relationship with Krishna,
how do we go about it? . . . We do everything we can to keep
ourselves in Krishna’s company right now.
“Fortunately
for us, that’s easy to do, in theory at least, because everything
about Krishna is Krishna. When we chant Krishna’s name, read books
about Krishna, hear classes about Krishna, and so on, we’re with
Krishna directly because, being absolute, He’s identical to
everything related to Him. We’re trying to live with God –
Krishna – constantly so that we become qualified to be with Him
eternally. That’s what Hare Krishna is all about.”
Rama
Raya Prabhu:
Niksepa
(regret) is one category of Vaishnava expression, and many songs of
Narottama Dasa Thakura are in that category.
Illicit
sex is the worst offense in Vrindavan, where everyone is meant for
Krishna’s enjoyment.
We
should always be on guard against becoming proud of whatever little
respect we have achieved within the Krishna consciousness movement.
There are still many ways we can serve Krishna which have not yet
been revealed to us.
Except
for sincere devotional service, everything else is simply a show.
Hellish
punishment is meant for people who have so misused their human form
of life that nothing but such punishment could wake them up.
When
Srila Prabhupada was informed about the rock bank “Kiss” who some
say consider themselves servants of Satan, he said, “They have been
sent from the hellish planets to bring people back there.”
The
potency of the Krishna consciousness movement is very great because
it is the movement of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Having
a material body is like having a prison uniform, and we can easily
understand our fallen position if we possess one.
By
giving our utmost to this Krishna consciousness movement, we will
become qualified to go back to Godhead.
The
problem of Arjuna was an acute bodily conception of life which is the
problem of all of us.
The
Bhagavad-gita
can
solve all mental agonies – we
do not have to go to a psychologist.
Those
merely engaged in temple worship should be respectful toward and
offer all facility to those in spreading Krishna consciousness.
Because
Krishna chastised Kaliya in the cold December water of the Yamuna,
Radharani was concerned He would catch cold. Thus Aditya, the sun
god, manifested twelve suns on the hill, therefore known as
Dvadasaditya, to warm Him.
Bankibihari
is the form of the Lord who killed Kamsa.
Maya
keeps people in illusion until they give up the idea of trying to
imitate Krishna by being the enjoyer.
2042
is the 500th
anniversary of the Radha-Ramana deity of Vrindavana.
In
Bhagavad-gita
Krishna
tells people what
they need to know, what they need to hear, and what they need to
blessed with.
It
is wonderful that forty years after Srila Prabhupada’s departure
book distribution is still going on in America.
When
a maha-bhagavata
like
Srila Prabhupada was present, people could go far beyond their
realizations in rendering service.
In
1975, there was a book distribution marathon between the Chicago and the Los
Angeles temples the day before Thanksgiving, 2,042 hardbound books were
distributed by Chicago and 1,800 by Los Angeles. One devotee
distributed 210.
When
I was doing books in New York City as a young man your age, it was a
privilege to be in Manhattan, what to speak of on 5th
Avenue.
What
are good places to distribute books in New York City?
Fifth
Avenue from 34th
Street to Central Park, 34th
Street itself, and Astor Place and St. Marks Place at night.
Shyamananda
Prabhu:
Srila
Prabhupada came to America with a pamphlet “India’s Message of
Peace and Goodwill.”
When
someone said to Srila Prabhupada before his transcontinental ocean
voyage, “So you are going to America?” Srila Prabhupada humbly
replied, “Srimad Bhagavata is going to America.”
One
man asked an abbot, “What do you do in the monastery, in one
sentence?”
He
thought for awhile and replied, “We fall, and we get up, we fall,
and we get up, we fall, and we get up.”
Arjuna
has hatred for the sons of Dhrtarastra, affection for his grandfather
and teacher, and pity for the others who would be killed.
Duryodhana
just wanted the kingdom.
Dhrtarastra
wanted his sons to get the kingdom and was worried about the
influence of the holy place.
There
is no one who says, “Everything belongs to me.” Only Krishna says
that. He is either a lunatic, or it is true. You have to decide.
We
see that Krishna’s devotees are enjoying. The gopis
are
enjoying, the cowherd boys are enjoying, Mother Yashoda is enjoying,
Lord Caitanya’s associates are enjoying, and they are inviting us
to join them.
Caitanya Carana Prabhu:
From
“See Criticism with a Critical Eye” in Back
to Godhead, Vol.
52, No. 2 (March / April 2018):
“Returning
to our discussion about outer cynics, neglecting them entirely is
difficult because we are social beings. We need a supportive circle
that encourages and appreciates us. Our social needs remain even when
we start practicing spiritual life. Materialists are usually critical
of spiritualists. So, if we are to persevere on the devotional path,
we need the association of devotees. When we get a sense of belonging
in devotee circles, we can develop the necessary thick skin to endure
the inevitable criticisms of materialists.”
“Ultimately,
to sustain our devotion amidst criticism, we need to connect
spiritually with the one who has given us our gifts and for whom we
are striving to develop them. Our relationship with Krishna
established through prayer, meditation, and worship provides us an
inner sanctuary beyond the reach of critics. By finding affirmation
and inspiration in His loving remembrance, we access inexhaustible
inner empowerment for persevering despite the world’s criticism.”
Shubha
Vilas Prabhu:
After
reading the final chapter of the Fifth Canto, you can get very
depressed hearing all the different hells you can suffer in for
making different mistakes, and thus in the first chapter of the Sixth
Canto, Sukadeva Goswami tells how by chanting the holy name you can
easily escape all the hells.
The
Ajamila story is the story of all of us because we were destined to go
to hell, but by the mercy of the devotees, we received a change of
destination.
Ajamila
was kind to one sadhu who advised him to name one of his sons
Narayana.
The
guru gives direct instructions, and when that is not possible, he
gives indirect instructions.
King
Uttanapada had two wives, Suruci and Suniti. Suruci means a taste for
material things. Suniti means attraction for higher principals.
Actually we often have these two choices.
Bhakti
means engaging what you have in Krishna consciousness. Do not
worry about what you do not have. If you can’t sing, if you can’t
cook, if you can’t dress the deities, do not worry. Just engage
what you have in Krishna’s service.
The
monkeys fighting for Lord Rama would engage what they had in the
fight.
The
spiritual master is like a vessel. If you want to heat water, you
need a vessel. You are like the water, Krishna is like the fire, and
the spiritual master is the vessel. Without the vessel it is not
possible to heat the water.
Lanka
is symbolic of temptation, and Hanuman’s burning Lanka was his
response to the situation of temptation.
If
you do not check temptation, it can grow out of hand.
Some
people think the proper way to deal with desires is to fulfill them,
but the Bhagavad-gita
says
something else. If you fulfill your desires, they will just become
more and more uncontrollable.
If
we succumb to temptations, we become unable to follow the spiritual
master.
The
role of the Paramatma is to give us warnings if we go in the wrong
direction.
Ajamila
repented after the fact, but it is better to hear the guidance of
Paramatma beforehand.
Our
heart beating fast before we did some mischief as a child is an
indication from Paramatma. We have to learn to listen for such
indications.
Gaura
Sarana Prabhu:
Comment
by Adi Purusha Prabhu: It takes two years for a bamboo seed to
sprout, but when it does so it grows three feet a day for thirty
days. In the same way, there will be effect from the chanting of the
holy name, but we must wait to see it.
Comment
by Natabara Gauranga Prabhu: Visvanatha Cakravarti says that the
effect of chanting the holy name is not immediate and dramatic by the
arrangement of Krishna so as to allow people to still have faith in
karma [works] and jnana
[knowledge].
It
can just take a moment to regret our past misdeeds and turn toward
Krishna.
In
this age of Kali, even in India, people may think they are pious, but
in reality they engage in so many materialistic activities that is
just their mental conception.
Karuna
Gauranga Prabhu:
Not
only the holy name, but also the deity and the prasadam
purify
if received jokingly or critically.
Even
though we loved to play with dolls and toys as a child, we have
absolutely no interest in them now. Similarly the material things
that allure us now will not disturb us in the least when we advance
in devotional service.
One
devotee asked Srila Prabhupada why he had to suffer so much although
he was a pure devotee. Srila Prabhupada explained that the material
world spares no one. Even Krishna encountered so much difficulty in
the material world.
Jaya
Jagannatha Prabhu:
From
a conversation:
I
find if I speak tattva
(spiritual truth) to people, they feel I am caring for them.
Virabhadra
Rama Prabhu:
I
was born in a devotee family so I knew all the practices, but when I
was a teenager they were not a part of my life. I had other
interests. I worked with Arjuna Prabhu doing land surveying, and
after work he would suggest, “Why not stop at the temple?”, and
after we got there, “Why not offer obeisances? Why not honor the
caranamrita?”
And
then in time he would gradually include other ideas. “Why not offer
a donation? Why not stay here and chant a round? Why not read a
verse?” In this way because of his compassion, he gradually created
a taste for all these devotional activities within me.
Comment
by Gopal Campu Prabhu: One lady who talked to us on book distribution
came back an hour later accusing us of stealing her wallet. The
police listened to her story, and said to us, “We have seen you
coming here for seven years without any incidents, so it is difficult
for us to believe her story.” Two of the policeman asked for books
before they left.
Comment
by Jaya Jagannatha Prabhu: Gaura Govinda Swami explains that sin is
like a layer of dust that can easily we wiped out, but aparadha
[offense to the devotees, the scriptures, the guru, the Lord, etc.]
is like a thunderbolt that cannot be destroyed. Our scriptures do not
emphasize sins because the fire of bhakti
can easily destroy them all, but aparadha
is
greatly warned against.
Yashoda
Dulal Prabhu in New Jersey told me there was one person who would
regularly come to The Bhakti Center Thursday kirtan with
alcohol on his breath. He kept coming and gradually progressed to
chanting sixteen rounds a day and becoming an initiated devotee.
Jai
Giridhari:
From
The Bhakti Center Gita Jayanti festival:
Radhanath Swami says:
“The sirens remind us there is suffering in this world.”
“What good is there in being eternal and full of knowledge if you are not happy?”
Mahotsaha
Prabhu:
Everyone
is walking around with God in their hearts, but the saints are always
realizing this.
If
you become humble, then you can surrender to a guru.
If
you aware of abhidheya
[the
practice of devotional service] and prayojana
[love
of God] but you do not know sambandha
[your
position as God’s servant]
you
will become a prakritya
sahajiya, one
who does sense gratification in the name of devotional service.
Narada
advises Yudhisthira that householders can advance by hearing sadhus.
Comments
by Adi Purusa Prabhu:
In
the story of Ajamila we see how one can be dragged down by
association with a sinful person, but there are examples how a sinful
person can be lifted up by good association, like the pastime of Haridasa Thakura
delivering the prostitute.
At
a devotee marriage, the priest asked the couple if they wanted their
love to grow and grow. They said yes. He advised them to encourage
each other in acts of Krishna consciousness. Otherwise he said that
if they simply engaged in acts of sense gratification it would soon
come to an end.
Comment
by Vasudeva Prabhu: Bhurijana Prabhu, who has been married
practically longer than anyone in ISKCON, says that in marriage in
the West there is love and then commitment, but in the East there is
commitment and then love.
-----
There
are many verses describing the great potency of chanting the holy
name of the Lord. This is one of three I memorized from the Ajamila
pastime in the beginning of the Sixth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Why does the holy name have such potency? Because it is not different
from the Lord Himself. It is the incarnation of God in the form of
transcendental sound! People may joke about or ridicule our chanting
parties on the street, but by saying “Hare Krishna” the rascals
advance spiritually despite their negative intentions. One devotee
tells how one man in Johannesburg, South Africa, criticized the
chanting party every day when it passed his apartment, yet ultimately
he became a devotee.
sanketyam
parihasyam va
stobham
helanam eva va
vaikuntha-nama-grahanam
asesagha-haram
viduh
“One
who chants the holy name of the Lord is immediately freed from the
reactions of unlimited sins, even if he chants indirectly [to
indicate something else], jokingly, for musical entertainment, or
even neglectfully. This is accepted by all the learned scholars of
the scriptures.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.2.14)