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Friday, January 05, 2018

Travel Journal#13.24: New York City and Albany

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 13, No. 24 
By Krishna-kripa das 
(December 2017, part two) 
New York City, Albany 
(Sent from New York City on January 5, 2017)

Where I Went and What I Did

I chanted with the Yuga Dharma New York City harinama party for the second half of December, six hours a day before Christmas Eve, when I was healthy, and four hours a day after Christmas Eve, when I was sick. To contribute to the December Prabhupada marathon, for the six days before Christmas Eve, I went out for an additional two hours of chanting to distribute more books. I visited my family in Albany on Christmas Eve and distributed prasadam at the Albany Friends Meeting and to my relatives. I read Five Years, Eleven Months and a Lifetime of Unexpected Love by Visakha Prabhu about her time with Srila Prabhupada, and I tell about that, sharing a few quotes from it. I tell a little about what is going on these days at 26 Second Avenue, where ISKCON had its first temple back in 1966. I share some photos from New York City, and I include my income and expenses for the year of 2017, for people who wonder how I spend the money I am given.

I share quotes from lectures by Srila Prabhupada and notes on lectures by Jayadvaita Swami at The Bhakti Center and at 26 Second Avenue. I do not have notes on all of the classes at The Bhakti Center as I was often sick or tired and skipped the second half of the morning program there. Those days I would play Srila Prabhupada lectures, while eating and doing laundry, and thus I could take few notes on them.

Thanks to Atmanivedana Prabhu, and Ilena and Yugala Piriti Devi Dasi, who regularly attend his Saturday Bhagavad-gita class at 26 Second Avenue, for their very kind and generous donations. Thanks very much to Victor Anderson of Albany for his kind Christmas donation. Thanks also to Bhakta Larry and those at ISKCON Queens for their donations. Thanks to my relatives for their Christmas gifts, especially to Karen and Victor for the gloves, Fern and Oliver for the socks, and to my mother for the figs. Thanks to Bhaktin Diana for her photos of me on harinama at 42nd St. / Times Square subway station. Thanks to Shyam Kishor Prabhu for his photos of me at 26 Second Avenue.

Itinerary

November 11, 2017–January 6, 2018: Yuga Dharma New York City harinama party
January 7–March or April: North and Central Florida campuses

Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City

I continued through December serving the Yuga Dharma New York City harinama party, sometimes singing and sometimes watching the book table.

Sometimes I danced and distributed “On Chanting Hare Krishna.”

Rama Raya Prabhu led many ecstatic kirtana’s at different venues:

Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Penn Station, a passerby dances with devotees, and a newspaper photographer takes pictures of Rama Raya Prabhu (https://youtu.be/E8hrT3IASQo):


Rama Raya Prabhu ends the day chanting Hare Krishna with great intensity at Union Square, and devotees and a passerby dance (https://youtu.be/kYnd6EmkB9E):


The young lady who chanted and danced had just purchased a Christmas set of three books from Vishnu-citta Prabhu, and we told her about the Thursday night kirtan at The Bhakti Center and our Wednesday night class on chanting Hare Krishna as a meditation at 26 2nd Avenue.

Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 14th St. / Union Square subway station, and a kid plays shakers, as his mother videos the scene (https://youtu.be/Rbhioh_y8_E):


Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the 14th St. / Union Square subway station by the 16th St. exit on New Years Eve (https://youtu.be/tQzxsFd3ehs):


Different people joined our party recently, some for a visit and others for a longer time:

Radha Govinda Prabhu, previously in Gainesville, Florida, now relocated to New York City for at least three years, chants Hare Krishna at 14th St. / Union Square subway station (https://youtu.be/TmVd430t4rs):


Radha Govinda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Jackson Heights, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/y-zDMUfUPMg):


Radha Govinda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/m0NebD9CJXI):


Radha Govinda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square and an Indian man joins the devotees in dancing (https://youtu.be/-2c4ZmRqGPc):


Radha Govinda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square on New Years Eve (https://youtu.be/-kjolU_25KA):


Shyamala Priya Dasi, a disciple of Radhanath Swami who visits New York City periodically, chants Hare Krishna at the Jackson Heights / Roosevelt Ave. subway station and two dance (https://youtu.be/m49yZhaE4Oc):


Madhu Prabhu of Virginia chants Hare Krishna at 14th St. / Union Square subway station and a guy plays an electric guitar (https://youtu.be/FayH0oh5ARY):


Lizzy of Brooklyn, on her winter break from college, chants Hare Krishna at the Jackson Heights / Roosevelt Ave. subway station and several dance (https://youtu.be/1HxVoDtr_M8):


Vaishnava Das, also known as Owen, who remembers me from Gainesville where he is originally from but who now lives in Puerto Rico, chants Hare Krishna at Jackson Heights / Roosevelt Ave. subway station (https://youtu.be/OsEOwBixg9Y):

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Sometimes people would dance along with our chanting:

Bhagavata Purana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 42nd St. / Times Square subway station, and a guy dances (https://youtu.be/oe0KAPhZGzo):


Here is the dancer in the above video from the front, with me filming the scene from the book table behind.

Bhagavata Purana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 42nd St. / Times Square subway station, and a visiting brahmacari and an Indian man dance (https://youtu.be/X66S95IT2IY):


Jaya Jagannatha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 34th St. / Penn Station subway station, and three guys play the shakers and dance (https://youtu.be/3W53IXHgJls):


Abhaya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 42nd St. / Times Square subway station, and Richard, who has been joining us several times a week for a few years, dances (https://youtu.be/chvXj8AHYXk):


Ananda Bihari Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 42nd St. / Times Square subway station, and his wife, Cinmayi Radha Devi Dasi, and daughter, Gaurangi, dance (https://youtu.be/X4BerxQL7E8):


Chanchal Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Jackson Heights / Roosevelt Ave. subway station and many dance (https://youtu.be/Mx4BzbXy3dI):


Krishna-kripa Das chants Hare Krishna at the Jackson Heights / Roosevelt Ave. subway station and several dance. Thanks to Natabara Gauranga Prabhu for playing mrdanga, to Lizzy for adjusting the focus of the camera, and to all the wonderful dancers (https://youtu.be/Ulz4lsbJIjY):


Sometimes people would play the shakers with us:

Abhaya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Penn Station, and three friends play shakers (https://youtu.be/n8xILX7y53s):


The lady among them attends Hare Krishna programs near her home in New York State.

Here Bhagavata Purana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 42nd St. / Times Square subway station, and a kid plays shakers and his mom gives a donation (https://youtu.be/KN3xUMpN2Zk):


Jaya Jagannatha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 34th St. / Penn Station subway station, and an Oriental man plays the shakers (https://youtu.be/INwc4chnaJQ):


One man liked to play his djembe drum with us:

Krishna Prasad Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and a guy played djembe for at least the third time this month (https://youtu.be/tLqhL0X2f0w):


Bhagavata Purana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and a guy plays djembe for the fourth time this month (https://youtu.be/Lp9pcgdwg40):


Another guy played guitar:

Chanchal Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 14th St. / Union Square subway station, and a guy plays guitar for awhile before becoming lost in the chanting (https://youtu.be/B68yfF7ZvS4):


Bhagavata Purana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Jackson Heights / Roosevelt Ave. subway station (https://youtu.be/xv4mwJ-d_B4):


Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 14th St. / Union Square subway station (https://youtu.be/9h6LIVKWm0o):


Jaya Jagannatha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 14th St. / Union Square subway station and attracts passersby (https://youtu.be/MXNVzHzn0kk):


Bhakta Josh chants Hare Krishna at the 34th St. / Penn Station subway station (https://youtu.be/AFzwAuTCSVU):


Natabara Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 42nd St. / Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/Ucs2qzrHjiM):


Priya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 42nd St. / Times Square subway station on Christmas (https://youtu.be/zDsgZsi0SuI):


Bhagavata Purana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Jackson Heights / Roosevelt Ave. subway station (https://youtu.be/a0hWQw0WXoc):


Ananda Bihari Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square on New Years Eve (https://youtu.be/EjfqC0xb5KM):


My Small Contribution to the December Prabhupada Book Marathon

Affected by the December Prabhupada Marathon fever of my book distributor friends, who vowed to distribute 6,000 books including 3,000 Bhagavad-gitas and who were actually successful, making the biggest marathon scores for New York City since 1989, I decided to do two extra hours of harinama each day for the week before Christmas to see how many books I could distribute by singing. I chanted, mostly by myself, in different New York City subway stations where we never sing, so as not to burn out our regular places.

I had some nice experiences. The first day Bhagavata Purana and Chanchal Prabhus joined me for three hours, and we played the harmonium, mrdanga, and kalatalas. On the noisy B, D, F, and M train platform at West 4th Street, people gave nine dollars and took nine small books. The other days I went out alone. The second day at the mezzanine above the A, C, and E trains at 14th Street, a friendly western Buddhist man purchased a Bhagavad-gita. The third day, finding competition on the L train platform at Union Square, I went one stop to 6th Avenue, where four people gave dollar bills and accepted three small books in the hour and twenty minutes I remained there. The four and sixth days I chanted on the B, D, F, and M train platform at 34th Street / Herald Square, doing better the first time as I stayed longer and all four trains were running with delays that gave me a captive audience. Once a lady gave a dollar and disappeared through an open train door before I could give her a book. I grabbed a book and ran to the door of the train, using my two arms to keep the door from closing on me, and said, looking at the lady sitting on the bench across from the door, “Thank you for your donation. Please take this book.” She got up and took the book out of my hand, as the conductor’s attempt to close the door failed because I blocked it. Victory! I had to do it that way because I could not risk the train door closing with me on the train, leaving my harmonium, amplifier, and books on the platform almost certainly to be stolen. The fifth day was my favorite, with larger books distributed and larger collections. 
On the L train platform at 8th Avenue, a subway conductor, having a few minutes at the end of the line before his train reversed, purchased a Bhagavad-gita and began to read it.

 A friendly young lady gave five dollars and took the Science of Self-Realization, because she already had the Gita, and three other people took small books. That fifth day I was tired and in a hurry, and I forgot to bring my harmonium, so I just played karatalas, yet I did better than on the other days. Thus I decided on the sixth day to save myself the labor of dragging the harmonium around and just play karatalas. After all, when Bhaktivinoda Thakura envisioned devotees chanting in the streets of Western cities, he described them as playing mrdanga and karatalas – the harmonium he did not mention.

My contribution to the marathon was very small, but it demonstrates that a person who does not like to initiate conversations with strangers, to sell things to people, or to ask them for money, can simply by faithfully chanting Hare Krishna, distribute a few books and collect some donations while freeing hundreds of people from their karma, planting seeds of devotional service in their hearts, and nourishing those seeds previously planted. It also shows that even one with unimpressive musical ability and assets in devotion can inspire a few people to contribute to the service of Krishna and accept books about Him.

Prabhupada Marathon 2017 Scores for Krishna-kripa Das
Date
People
Hours
Bg.
SSR
Small
Total
Laksmi
12/18/17
3
3


9
9
9.60
12/19/17
1
2
1

2
3
7.50
12/20/17
1
2


3
3
4.00
12/21/17
1
2

1
5
6
10.55
12/22/17
1
2
1
1
3
5
14.76
12/23/17
1
2


4
4
7.25
Totals
3
13
2
2
26
30
$53.66

Reflections on Five Years, Eleven Months and a Lifetime of Unexpected Love

Last spring Vishnu Priya Devi Dasi of Jacksonville gave me a copy of Visakha Dasi’s Five Years and Eleven Months and a Lifetime of Unexpected Love. Between the harinamas I do, the temple programs I attend, the journal I write, the Prabhupada books I read, and the books I proofread, I do not have time to read other books, and so I never read it. My mother likes to read and has read Radhanath Swami’s books, The Journey Home and The Journey Within, and I thought she might like to read the book of a Hare Krishna lady. Thus I decided to give Visakha’s book to her as a Christmas present. I talked to a couple devotees who spoke highly of the book but with a doubt that Visakha’s honest description of some of the insensitivity toward women by men in the movement might not be so good for one learning about Krishna consciousness to read. I planned to read it anyway, the week before Christmas, so I could see for myself. Because I spontaneously decided to do two extra hours of harinama each day that week, I had no time to read the book. I was running out of time. In the twenty-four hours before Christmas Eve, I spent five hours in reading two-thirds of the book, and I found it very absorbing. Fortunately after I gave it to my mother, I found a copy at the Yuga Dharma Ashram so I could finish reading it. In the front of that copy Visakha had written to the harinama devotees, “Thank you over and over to your dedication to the glorious holy names of Krishna! All success to you in pure chanting of the holy names.”

Unlike Radhanath Swami, Visakha was not on a search to find God, although she had no faith that the materialistic lifestyle of those surrounding her in her youth would satisfy her. Assisting her boyfriend, and would-be-husband, in doing photographic stories on Hare Krishnas in Brooklyn and in India, she got the association of Srila Prabhupada and his followers. Though she was very skeptical, the transcendental association of Srila Prabhupada and the more saintly among his followers attracted her soul and gradually dissolved her doubts.

I found the book more emotionally stirring than any I have read recently. Part of that may be from reading so much of it in such a short time. Mostly I think it was because she addressed a lot of themes that come up in the life of a Westerner who has decided to embrace the path of Krishna consciousness. I appreciated her distain for the value Americans place on pointless conformity in dress and behavior and her observation that those who were materially successful around her had degraded habits and lacked the satisfaction with life they were aspiring for. In becoming a devotee she had to contend with devotees who had some attachment for Srila Prabhupada but at the same time still had arrogant and disrespectful attitudes not appropriate for a devotee and who made her life and the lives of others difficult.

Returning to the US after a couple of years with Srila Prabhupada and the devotees in India, she wrote, “After two and a half years in India, Yadubara and I had returned to our homeland with two suitcases that contained all our possessions. We had no employment or prospects for employment, no income, no home, no car or no other assets, and no medical or life insurance. Yet none of that bothered me. I felt not only secure but verifiable rich from all we had: Prabhupada, Krishna, a family of devotees, a path to follow, a cause to live for, a goal to attain.”

About meeting relatives and acquaintances on her return, she wrote “If I hadn’t met Srila Prabhupada and spent time in magical Vrindavan, I’d have been thinking the same thing that he [a former employer] and my parents were. I’d experienced far more than I could convey to them or to anyone. That I couldn’t begin to convey it saddened me.”

That is a very important point. In practicing Krishna consciousness we encounter so much transcendental knowledge and have so many joyful transcendental experiences it is difficult to communicate them to others. Acquaintances who are also on some kind of spiritual path may be able to relate to it, but it is mystifying for others. For others to completely understand, they would have to read the literature and engage in the practice and gain their own experience, but few are enthusiastic enough to understand our situation that they are willing to do that.

Visakha Dasi beautifully captured Srila Prabhupada’s nonsection spirit in this excerpt from her book:

“Reporter: Do you feel that in getting truths from various places like the Bible, the Koran, and so forth – don’t you run into conflicts at all, or contradictions in those particular philosophies.
Prabhupada: No, I don’t find any conflict, because the ultimate goal is God. You have understand God and try to love him. So you can go through any religious process. If the goal is attained, that you understand what is God and you try to love him, then your life is perfect.

“I loved the broad inclusiveness of Krishna consciousness, the equitableness of it. Prabhupada wasn’t saying that any group or religion was better or worse than any other. He was saying that I was meant to understand who I am – a spiritual being – and to progress toward where I was meant to go – back to God. I realized that as soon as I felt myself superior or inferior to any other person or group, I’d misunderstood what Prabhupada was teaching. Prabhupada’s words, based on Krishna’s, snapped me out of my habitual retreat into parochial thinking. I felt opened up, expanded, released from some suffocating and sticking box that I didn’t fit in and was never supposed to be in anyway. What Prabhupada was saying was true and beautiful and something I needed to make my own.”

By reading some statements from Srila Prabhupada’s books, some people conclude he minimized women, but that was not Visakha’s experience:

“From the moment I’d met him, all I’d experienced – and was still experiencing – was his encouragement. He aroused in me a spirit of voluntary, enthusiastic service. He generated an atmosphere of fresh challenge and I enthusiastically agreed to rise and meet it. He drew out my spontaneous loving spirit of sacrificing my energy for Krishna. He appreciated my efforts. He wanted me to be all I could be for Krishna. I never sensed a smidgen of male chauvinism or misogyny, superiority or self-righteousness, hubris, or haughtiness in him. Neither a whiff of desire to exploit, oppress, or repress women or anyone else.”

Visakha shares her experience of Srila Prabhupada as being the personification of encouragement in the devotional service of the Lord and reveals many of his appealing transcendental qualities through her writing.

I only hope that hearing Visakha’s personal story encourages many skeptics to open their eyes to the possibility of faith and love for God and move in that direction, being inspired by this transcendental narration about Srila Prabhupada by his pure devotee.

26 Second Avenue


Within the Hare Krishna movement, 26 Second Avenue is famous as being the location of the first center of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), started back in 1966.

Today Atmanivedana Prabhu, along with his wife, Subhangada Devi Dasi, maintains a Saturday night Bhagavad-gita class which has been running for several years. He invites local and visiting swamis and lecturers to speak on Bhagavad-gita each week. The program begins at 5:30 p.m. with chanting, then at 6:00 p.m. regular attenders review an important verse from the Bhagavad-gita which they memorized for that week. Then there is lecture on the Gita till 7:15 or 7:30 followed by some more chanting and some wonderful Hare Krishna food that is mostly vegan.


I usually speak there once a month in the fall.

These days Bhakti Vasudeva Swami of South Africa, who is presently residing in New York City, gives a couple classes a month.

For several months, the Yuga Dharma Ashram has been running an introductory program on mantra meditation at 26 Second Avenue every Wednesday night starting at 7:30 p.m. They chant for fifteen minutes, talk about mantra meditation for half an hour or so, and do fifteen more minutes of chanting followed by a vegan snack. Many new people, mostly from the harinamas, have been coming. One enthusiastic young couple, Adrian and Adi, from that program began to regularly attend The Bhakti Center morning program and to chant with us on harinama whenever they can.

Gopal Campu Prabhu, disciple of Vaisesika Prabhu and book distributor on the Yuga Dharma New York City party, a native Spanish speaker, is starting a Spanish Bhagavad-gita class on Monday nights at 26 Second Avenue. We meet many Spanish speakers on the harinama, and they often take at least one of the four Spanish books we have on our table. Thus we are thinking this program will be very successful.

It is wonderful see Krishna outreach expanding at this sacred venue where Srila Prabhupada began his movement in New York City back in 1966.

Christmas Eve in Albany

Every year I go home for Christmas Eve to see my relatives and to distribute prasadam to my friends in Albany. I like to make the carrot coconut rice from Yamuna Devi’s cookbook which is easy and comes out perfect every time. Peeling and grating the carrots is the only time consuming thing about that recipe. This time no one was in the ashram on Christmas Eve morning, and we happened to have all the ingredients in stock, so it was a real breeze to make. I put on a Madhava kirtan tape and cooked away. I got it all offered and cleaned the kitchen before the devotees returned from The Bhakti Center morning program. I stopped by the Doughnut Plant on the way to the Chinese bus, and supplemented the two dozen leftover doughnuts from the previous day with some fresh ones my relatives requested.


I was surprised to see my niece Fern wearing a shirt with a saying attributed to Gandhi. It reminded me of her mother and grandmother, both social activists. Interestingly enough, I researched the quote finding an article stating:

“Gandhi’s words have been tweaked a little too in recent years. Perhaps you’ve noticed a bumper sticker that purports to quote him: ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world.’ When you first come across it, this does sound like something Gandhi would have said. But when you think about it a little, it starts to sound more like . . . a bumper sticker. Displayed brightly on the back of a Prius, it suggests that your responsibilities begin and end with your own behavior. It’s apolitical, and a little smug. Sure enough, it turns out there is no reliable documentary evidence for the quotation. The closest verifiable remark we have from Gandhi is this: ‘If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. . . . We need not wait to see what others do.’ Here, Gandhi is telling us that personal and social transformation go hand in hand, but there is no suggestion in his words that personal transformation is enough. In fact, for Gandhi, the struggle to bring about a better world involved not only stringent self-denial and rigorous adherence to the philosophy of nonviolence; it also involved a steady awareness that one person, alone, can’t change anything, an awareness that unjust authority can be overturned only by great numbers of people working together with discipline and persistence.” (Brian Morton, The New York Times, August 29, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/30/opinion/falser-words-were-never-spoken.html)

In the afternoon my relatives always go to the Christmas Eve program at the Albany Friends Meeting which my family attended since we were kids. They always dramatize the story of the birth of Jesus, with volunteers from the audience.


Victor (left), my sister’s partner, volunteered to be a shepherd. They sing several Christmas carols in the course of the drama. Here players from the audience in the nativity drama sing “We Three Kings of Orient Are” (https://youtu.be/RpX6W8dITS8):


The rice prasadam I made that morning was for the potluck meal my Quaker friends have after the drama.

Another family ritual is reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, a book by Barbara Robinson, which is a humorous story about the Herdmans, a family of juvenile delinquents who end up playing the major roles in a drama about the appearance of Lord Jesus Christ. From point of view of Bhagavata philosophy the interesting part of the story is that Herdmans went from taking pleasure in causing to distress to others to being concerned for others’ welfare and giving charity without desiring anything for themselves, simply by hearing, meditating on, and enacting the birth pastime of Lord Jesus Christ. The power of the transcendental glorification of God to transform lives in a spiritual way is an important theme in the Hare Krishna movement.

This year instead of reading the book, we watched a movie of it we learned was on YouTube (https://youtu.be/icZwm6Aact8):


Sometimes the movies are a let down because they do not represent the book so well, but this movie was pretty well done as most reviewers agreed.

New York City Scenes

Even dogs dress up for winter!

four subway scenes:

Not only the Hare Krishnas advocate freedom from intoxication.

I would not have thought of using a subway window as a mirror for shaving.


We try to enjoy even in awkward places.


Taking prasadam and reading a Prabhupada lecture transcript. [It is faster to read transcripts than play lectures, so when I’m in a hurry I do that.]

The best sight in Manhattan –
Sri Gauracandra and Sri Sri Radha-Muralidhara

Financial Report

Income and Expenses for 2017 for Krishna-kripa Das in US Dollars


Description
Amount

donations

3,976.83
cash rewards from banks 
   and PayPal
     62.69
total income
4,039.52


travel in the US, Canada & Europe
2,942.54
gifts to temples, devotees, and          relatives
   467.81
clothes, toiletries, drivers 
   license, etc.
   191.96
internet, phone, camera,
   computer, etc.
     44.09
health
     53.34
food         
       1.31
total expenses
3,660.44


balance
   338.47

Details are available upon request.

Insights

Srila Prabhupada:

From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.24 in Los Angeles on December 3, 1973:

Describing how our situation in this material world is like being in prison, Srila Prabhupada says, “In the prison, government prison house, there are some prisoners who are called first-class prisoners. They are given special favor by the government, and there are third-class prisoners also. But both of them are prisoners. And prison is not meant for comfortable life. It is meant for suffering. The Bhaktivinoda Thakura therefore sings, ‘anadi karama-phale pari’ bhavarnava-jale taribare na dekhi upaya.’ One who is sane person, he knows that ‘I may be first-class prisoner, that does not mean I am not prisoner. I am prisoner.’ The suffering of the prison house, that I have no independence to do anything, that is prison life.

From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.25–26 in Los Angeles on December 4, 1973:

“Tapasa brahmacaryena [Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.13], not to have sex life without any purpose, that is called brahmacari. Brahmacari does not mean celibacy. Brahmacari means who does not use sex life for any other purpose than begetting nice children. He is brahmacari.”

Jayadvaita Swami:

To worship Lord Vishnu means to worship Lord Vishnu and His devotees. Just as it is mentioned that Lord Caitanya is worshiped along with His associates.

Krishna is never alone. That was the standard for paintings of Krishna for Srila Prabhupada. Krishna is always with His devotees.

Just as a child feels protected in the presence his father, the devotee always feels protected by Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada tells how during a scarcity of rice in Calcutta all his devotee friends somehow had enough.

Everyone is looked after by the Lord, but they do not admit it. They think it is their personal prowess.

Srila Prabhupada protected us against the Mayavadis, the gross materialists, the prakrita sahajiyas, envious Gaudiya Vaishnavas, and from our own selves.

Q: How do I know if I am being punished by Krishna or it is my karma?
A: It is all Krishna. If it is your karma, Krishna is rewarding your karma.

We see things as our fault or the external energy working on us, and if the external energy is working on us, it is our fault.

Comments by Adi Purusa Prabhu:

Sometimes when a devotee undergoes difficulty it shows the glory of the devotee.

If we are trying to serve Krishna, even if due to the circumstances we cannot do something wonderful, Krishna will be pleased.

From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.3.22:

Yamaraja explains his final conclusion on what is dharma in this verse: “Devotional service, beginning with the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, is the ultimate religious principle for the living entity in human society.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.3.22)

People may ask what is the result of all this chanting and dancing you are doing. That is answered here:
“After chanting the holy name of the Lord and dancing in ecstasy, one gradually sees the form of the Lord, the pastimes of the Lord and the transcendental qualities of the Lord.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.3.22, purport)

People may say this world is a beautiful place. It is a beautiful place of birth, death, old age, and disease. That is why Krishna reminds us of this in Bhagavad-gita.

We are helpless. We imagine so many friends, relatives, financial advisors, etc., can save us, but they cannot save themselves what to speak of us.

The karmis try to solve the problems by economic development. The jnanis try to solve the problems by making them go away. The yogis try to solve them by mystic power. The devotees, realizing they are helpless, call out the name of Krishna, and Krishna saves them.

Krishna is there in the holy name. It is only a question of realization.

The goal is devotional service, and the process is devotional service. We do it because it is the supreme dharma of the soul.

We do not just have a doctrine. We have a philosophy, and we can analyze things from different angles. Thus Srila Prabhupada would say different things at different times, analyzing in different ways.

There are different scriptures with different information, but does not that make some of them invalid. Just like Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary still has value although it is not as complete as Webster’s Third Unabridged Dictionary.

If you are interested in God, there is more information we can give you from the Vedic tradition.

From the Wednesday evening introductory program:

I am all-pervading within my body but not in your body, just in this little space. There is oneness in that both we and God are all-pervading, but we are just all-pervading in this little space and God pervades the universe.

These philosophical concepts we are discussing, which are seen by the tattva-darsis [those who have seen the truth], we can realize by chanting Hare Krishna.

Q (by Mahotsaha Prabhu): How do we understand who is a tattva-darsi?
A: A tattva-darsi is one who has the same understanding as Krishna, who is the ulimate tattva-darsi. Krishna explains in Bhagavad-gita 2.55 that a tattva-darsi is one who has given up all imaginations of happiness in this world. Because we are spirit, we cannot find happiness in matter. The tattva-darsi understands this, and he looks for happiness within. Realization of spirit is complete when we realize the Supreme Spirit. That happiness that comes and goes is not of interest to the tattva-darsi. We have to look for lasting happiness on the platform that lasts, the spiritual platform.

Q: If the material energy is created by Krishna, why can’t we realize Krishna through the material energy?
A: The prison is created by the government, and the college is created by the government. That is like asking, “Why can’t we get a college degree from the prison?”

The self-realized soul knows “because I have a body, I will experience all these desires.” And thus he is not disturbed by them.

The Hare Krishna mantra is Krishna Himself. It is not a sound of this world. When I chant, I am coming in touch with Krishna, who is all happiness and all knowledge, and so all enlightenment and fulfillment are there.

The Srimad-Bhagavatam differentiates between the mind, intelligence, and false ego by their functions.

The intelligence guides the mind.

False ego is the point of contact between matter and spirit, when we falsely identify with our material bodies.

When we chant, we are looking up to the spiritual platform.

Krishna advises we see other people like ourselves, atmaupamyena sarvatra [Bg. 6.32], and not just people, all living beings.

Although Srila Prabhupada was happy in Vrindavan, he came to New York City because he wanted to do some good to others.

Because a self-realized soul is satisfied, he does not have a need to exploit others. People pick up on that, and they feel good about such a person.

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This prayer by Prahlada Maharaja is a nice Christmas message. It also contains the message of the two commandments which Jesus Christ considered most important: (1) to love the Lord with one’s body, mind, and soul and (2) to love one’s neighbor as oneself.

svasty astu visvasya khalah prasidatam 
dhyayantu bhutani sivam mitho dhiya 
manas ca bhadram bhajatad adhoksaje 
avesyatam no matir apy ahaituki


“May there be good fortune throughout the universe, and may all envious persons be pacified. May all living entities become calm by practicing bhakti-yoga, for by accepting devotional service they will think of each other’s welfare. Therefore let us all engage in the service of the supreme transcendence, Lord Sri Krishna, and always remain absorbed in thought of Him.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.18.9)
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