Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 14, No. 2
By Krishna-kripa das
(January 2018, part two)
North and Central Florida
(Sent from Tallahassee, Florida, on February 5, 2017)
Where
I Went and What I Did
During
the second half of January, I chanted Hare Krishna in Tallahassee for
two weeks, at Florida State University during the weekdays and Lake
Ella on the weekend. I attended a potluck at Garuda Prabhu’s place,
half an hour east of Tallahassee, one Saturday and chanted an hour
and a half with a couple of people there. At the end of the month I
returned to the Gainesville area to attend the Tampa Gasparilla
Parade of Pirates Ratha-yatra with devotees from Krishna House.
Before chanting in the Ratha-yatra I chanted with Alachua and Tampa
devotees to thousands of people gathering on Bayshore Boulevard to
watch the Parade of Pirates. Then I went to the Alachua Sunday Feast
on Lord Varaha’s Appearance Day. The next day I observed Lord
Nityananda Prabhu’s Appearance Day both in Alachua, for the mangala
and
sandhya
aratis and
the evening feast,
and
in Gainesville, for the abhiseka
of
their Gaura-Nitai deities and for two harinamas,
one
at Krishna Lunch and the other at Tioga Tower Center.
Then I chanted at Krishna Lunch for another day. I ended the month by
going to the
University
of North Florida in Jacksonville with Adikarta Prabhu and chanting
there while he distributed books, and then attending the weekly
Krishna Club meeting with him.
I
share notes on Srila Prabhupada’s books and lectures. I share a point
made by Sacinandana Swami in a recorded class on Advaita
Acarya. I share notes on classes by Srila Prabhupada disciples
Adikarta Prabhu, Kalakantha Prabhu, and Tamohara Prabhu. I also share
notes on classes by Madhava Prabhu, Brajananda Prabhu, Amrita Keli
Devi Dasi, Abhimanyu Prabhu, and some Mormon missionaries at
University of Florida. I also have notes from conversations with
Bhismadeva Prabhu, Christina from Florida State University, and a
Mormon missionary at Florida State University, as
well as
insights from Kira of University of North Florida Krishna Club.
Many,
many thanks to Bhakta Chris and Jaya Govinda Prabhu for their very
kind donations. Thanks to Nama Kirtan Prabhu for reimbursing my
travel expenses to Tallahassee and for giving me the donations we
received for books at FSU and Lake Ella. Thanks to the homeless lady
at the Tallahassee Sunday feast for her very generous donation.
Thanks
to Mary Curran (https://www.mcurranphotography.com/)
for her photos of me at Lake Ella. Thanks to Saumya Radhika Dasi for
her photo of us
and Bhaktin Diana
on the way to Gasparilla. Thanks to JR for his photo of devotees chanting at Krishna Lunch on Lord Nityananda Prabhu’s appearance day. Thanks to Amrita Keli Devi Dasi for her
photos of Krishna Club at the University of North Florida.
Itinerary
February
4–16: Tallahassee (FSU on weekdays, Lake Ella on weekends)
February
17: Tampa, University of South Florida Campus Kirtan
February
18–20: Gainesville Krishna House
February
21: Jacksonville, University of North Florida Krishna Club
February 22–March 12: Tallahassee (FSU on weekdays, Lake Ella on weekends)
March 12–13: Gainesville Krishna House
March 14–15: Jacksonville (UNF)
March 16–18: Gainesville Krishna House / Alachua Sunday Feast
March 19–March 23: Tallahassee (FSU)
March 23: Gainesville Krishna House Friday Night – Talk on Ratha-yatra
March 24: St. Augustine Ratha-yatra
March 25: Gainesville Krishna House
March 26–April 5: Tallahassee (FSU on weekdays, Lake Ella on weekends)
April 6: Tallahassee First Friday
April 7: Tallahassee Ratha-yatra
April 8: Gainesville Krishna House / Alachua Sunday Feast
April 9: Albany
April 10: Philadelphia
April 11–13: Washington, D.C.
April 14: New York City
April 19–25?: Newcastle
April 27: Amsterdam (King’s Day)
April 28–29: Radhadesh (Nrsimha Caturdasi and KKS Vyasa Puja)
May 1?–4: Newcastle
May 5–6: Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan
May 7–14: Newcastle, Sheffield, and Leeds
May 15?–July 15: Paris
July 16–July 23: North UK
27: Vaishnava Summer Festival in Lithuania
July 31–August 4: Polish Woodstock
August 5: Berlin
September 29: Newcastle
September 30: Dublin
Chanting Hare Krishna at Florida State University in Tallahassee
I
had many experiences that encouraged me in my outreach at Florida
State University in Tallahassee.
One
day three people came by and told me they went to Krishna Lunch
because I invited them. The next day while the
devotees were setting up up for
Krishna Lunch, I saw two of them had come again. Although Krishna
Lunch has existed at FSU in Tallahassee for twenty years, I always
meet people who never heard of it, who are happy to learn of it and
who become
regular attenders.
A
girl named Tiffany, who had come to the temple before, came by my
table on the campus, and I gave her an invitation for the Krishna
Lunch, and she came to the lunch that very day for the first time.
One
girl named Peyton came to the Tuesday
Bhagavad-gita
class
because her roommate, Emily, had taken a photo of the invitations she
received from me and sent them to her. A couple of days later a girl
came by my table, saying her roommate had come to our program and
liked it, and she was planning to come again on Sunday. I asked the
girl if her name was Emily, and it was. I asked her if Peyton was her
roommate, and she confirmed it. As
it turned out, she did come to the temple on Sunday, when devotees
celebrated Lord Nityananda’s Appearance Day.
One
young lady with an interest in yoga took Science
of Self-Realization, Coming Back, and
Perfection
of Yoga.
Another two guys took Bhagavad-gitas,
one
staying he previously read it. Two people I encouraged to read the
Bhagavad-gitas
which
they already had, one a literature major and the other a guy on a
spiritual quest who had read other quasi-spiritual
literature.
Garuda’s
Home Program in Tallahassee
Garuda
Prabhu of Tallahassee, also known as Soaring Turkey and Yogi G, by
the Rainbow and yoga communities respectively, has been encouraging a
variety of alternative people, yogis and seekers in their spiritual
lives for decades, mostly in the local area and at Rainbow
Gatherings. At least a couple of his followers became initiated Hare
Krishna devotees, and that is just the ones I am aware of. He had a
potluck dinner at his place, which I had never been to, half an hour
to the east of Tallahassee. He and his friends were working on fixing
the front porch and constructing a tepee when I arrived at least half
an hour late. I talked to a few people, meeting Danny and Brooklyn,
who remembered me from before. Since I am not so social I decided to
chant Hare Krishna with my harmonium until the program really started
happening. Danny, who has obtained good results from Christianity,
Buddhist meditation, and chanting Hare Krishna, and who thus has
faith in all three, was happy to sing the response as I led the
chanting. A lady named Moka also chanted the response much of the
time. I chanted twice, taking a brief break to check the progress on
the tepee. I must have chanted an hour and a half altogether, and I
was so grateful to Danny for singing the whole time. During the
evening I met several more of Garuda’s friends. Garuda invited people
to the Sunday feast at the Tallahassee temple, and I invited them to
chant at Lake Ella with me Sunday afternoon. I was pleasantly
surprised that one of them, Dar, who had also chanted Hare Krishna
before, joined me and Melanie in chanting at Lake Ella for at least
forty-five minutes or so. Thus I felt very victorious increasing the
chanting of Hare Krishna at Garuda’s program and getting someone to
chant with us at the lake the next day. It pays to go outside your
comfort zone to interact with others because occasionally they will
accept your spiritual gifts. I also brought to the potluck some extra
spicy upma
from
FSU Krishna Lunch that most of us thought was too hot, but which
Garuda’s people really loved, so that was another victory.
Chanting
Hare Krishna at Lake Ella
On
Saturday, I chanted
Hare Krishna at Lake Ella alone for three hours, displaying books,
temple invitations, and free vegan cookies.
Toward
the end of my stay, one
man pulled his car up right next to me. I offered him a cookie, but
he said he just wanted to listen to the music. After I chanted for a
while, he asked if we still have the chariot in the Springtime
Tallahassee parade, which he had pleasant memories of. I said we do,
and not only that, we will be having it in the Gasparilla Parade in
Tampa next Saturday. He never had been to Gasparilla and was
considering going.
On
Sunday Melanie chanted with me most of the three hours and Dar, from
Garuda Prabhu’s
program,
joined us for forty-five minutes. After both Melanie and I had sung,
I asked Dar if he knew of any Hare Krishna tunes.
He had chanted with devotees before and recalled one tune which he
sang. Later after the others had left, Mary, who somehow had
graduated from FSU without encountering Krishna Lunch, stopped by.
She pointed to the Bhagavad-gita
and
Science
of Self-Realization, saying
she already had them, and she took a Perfection
of Yoga.
She was a photographer with a very professional looking business
card.
She took photos of me, which I encouraged her to send me. She said she would stop by our temple programs sometime.
She took photos of me, which I encouraged her to send me. She said she would stop by our temple programs sometime.
Sunday
we also
met
a very friendly older couple with pleasant memories of the Higher
Taste restaurant, formerly run by a South American devotee couple,
and they took a flyer for the FSU Krishna Lunch to connect with
Krishna food again.
The
Tallahassee Sunday Feast
As
a new devotee, sweet rice was one of my favorite preparations at the
Sunday feast. Thus whenever I have time, I make it. As there are many
vegans these days, and I want to make something they can also eat, I
made it with almond milk. Its thickness and sweetness were almost
perfect. I recall the recipe to replicate it:
9
quarts almond milk
1¾
cups basmati rice
3
cups sugar
9
cups chopped strawberries, fresh or frozen
Bring
almond milk to a boil, and boil for 25 minutes. Add rice, and bring
back to a boil. Simmer for 22 minutes under low heat. Transfer to a
container that will fit in the refrigerator. Stir in the sugar until
it is complete dissolved. Stir in the strawberries. Refrigerate until
offering to Krishna. Offer and serve cold.
I
felt victorious as Nama
Kirtan Prabhu, the
temple president, liked it.
One
homeless lady, who liked my lecture, and who comes by whenever she is
in Tallahassee, gave a donation, saying she had recently got some
money. She has been to other temples in different parts of the
country, including Jacksonville and St. Augustine.
We
were happy that Garuda Prabhu came, as well as Satyaraj Govinda
Prabhu and his family, who arrived recently from Minnesota to live in
Tallahassee. He is enthusiastic to do Bhakti
Vrska Programs and to chant Hare Krishna in public.
The
Appearance Day of Advaita Acharya
At
7:15 a.m. on January 23 it occurred to me that Advaita Acharya’s
appearance was coming up, and it might even be that day. I
immediately checked the calendar and found out just in time that it
indeed
was
Advaita Acharya’s appearance day. I played a lecture by Sacinandana
Swami speaking on Advaita Acharya at Goloka Dhama on January 27,
1999, and I made a sweet for the holiday with ingredients available
in the kitchen: peanut butter, dried coconut, and confectioner’s
sugar.
That
day on the campus, I chanted almost three and a half hours, and I met
one girl who was excited to be added to the mailing list and to learn
of our special programs.
At
the evening Bhagavad-gita
class
I talked about Bhagavad-gita
4.7,
which discusses the appearance of the Lord in the world. One new girl
named Peyton attended, whose friend had taken photos of the fliers
she received and sent them to her. She is a freshman at FSU and had
just become vegetarian. She chanted, liked the food, and the program
and said she would come back. Danny, who has been coming on and off
for six years, and who I chanted with at Garuda’s program the
previous Saturday came, and he was interested in having an additional
kirtana
after
the program, so after prasadam
about
eight of us chanted for half an hour.
Thus
a lot of auspicious things happened on the glorious appearance day of
Advaita Acharya this year in Tallahassee.
For
the next two days book distributors Brajananda and Dasya Prema
Prabhus visited Tallahassee and thus our
morning and evening programs were more lively than usual.
Here
Brajananda Prabhu, now
first and second initiated by Radhanath Swami, who
first met devotees in Tallahassee and first took prasadam
at
the FSU Krishna Lunch, leads a lively evening kirtan
(https://youtu.be/VDJ0OkXzhzg):
Brajananda
Prabhu’s traveling book distribution partner, Dasya Prema Prabhu,
dances and plays the karatalas.
Aditya
(standing) lives next door and often comes for the morning and/or
evening program, and Suresh (sitting) often stays over, and then
comes to the morning and/or evening programs. In the evening we would
chant the Gaura Arati song, ten minutes of Hare Krishna and the
Nrsimhadeva prayers. We would also chant the Sanskrit of
chapter 15 of Bhagavad-gita,
one
of my personal vows for this year.
Gainesville
Krishna House Friday Night Program
Friday
afternoon, after two weeks in Tallahassee, I took the Megabus to
Gainesville.
Here
Sucitra
Devi Dasi of South Africa chants Hare Krishna at the Krishna House
Friday Program (https://youtu.be/a1UrotavNy4):
I
gave the lecture and spoke on Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita 7.23
which talks about the mood of Lord Caitanya and His associates in
distributing love of God: “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 Pañca-tattva distributed love of
Godhead.”
Then
I showed how devotees from different nationalities are distributing
Krishna consciousness to others of different nationalities, thus
demonstrating the universality of the principle and practice of
Krishna consciousness, and especially the congregational chanting of
the holy name. I showed a playlist of my twenty-one most popular videos from
2017 on YouTube
(https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xIrTjuTTNfnWHe4h8IZW6za):
I
did not have time to play all of each video in the playlist, but I
just showed a few minutes from each one and talked about the devotees
and places involved. Generally people liked the presentation.
Gasparilla
Parade of Pirates
This
is the seventh year that Hare Krishna devotees from Alachua County
joined with devotees from the Tampa area and chanted before the
Gasparilla Parade of Pirates on Tampa’s Bayshore Boulevard. Many
passersby, attracted by the enthusiasm of the devotees, danced with
the Hare Krishna party, played the tambourine, and accepted lollipop
prasadam
and “On Chanting Hare Krishna” pamphlets. Although some of the
youth who usually sing with us were absent because of getting ready
for the parade, and we had an older group of devotees, still we were
able to encourage many passersby to dance to the kirtan. Every year
it gets better! (https://youtu.be/fjDdGOc7NcM):
One young lady from Florida State University excitedly came up to me as I was videoing the devotees chanting Hare Krishna before the parade, and said, “I know you! You go to Florida State and you sit outside at Landis.”
“Yeah.
Yeah.” I replied.
That
is the second year in a row I met an FSU student who remembered me at
Gasparilla!
“I
know you! I talked to you!” she repeated.
I
replied, “Yeah. I am going to be there in a week.”
She
said to a friend, “I
met him!”
“That’s
cool,” I said, “I like FSU. There are lots of nice people.”
She
continued, “I was running once, and I stopped and talked to you.”
“Oh,
cool!” I said, and asked her, “Have you ever been to the Krishna
Lunch?”
She
answered, “No, I haven’t.”
I
encouraged her, “You’ve really got to check it out.”
She
said, “OK, I’ll look out for you.”
I
explained, “It’s in the Globe. You know, the Global Engagment
Center. 11:30 to 2.”
She
replied, “OK. Cool.”
Bhadra
Prabhu entered a Ratha-yatra cart in the Gasparilla Parade of Pirates
in Tampa for the first time ever this year. He presented it to the
authorities as item of culture rather than something religious, since
religious floats are not allowed in the parade.
The
Krishna House devotees were part of the Ratha-yatra, so I joined
them.
I
was surprised that Saumya Radhika Dasi and Bhaktin Diana, who I knew
from the New York City harinama,
were
visiting Krishna House for a few days. They enthusiastically participated in the
Ratha-yatra.
Here
Visvambhar Prabhu chants Hare Krishna before the Gasparilla
Ratha-yatra, as the devotees wait for the Parade of Pirates to begin
(https://youtu.be/nRJqkZbIC9M):
Visvambhar
and Jagannatha Kirtan Prabhus led very lively Hare Krishna chanting
in front of the cart with many instrumentalists and dancers from
Alachua, Gainesville, and Tampa participating. It was amazing to see
the positive response of the onlookers, who waved, smiled, danced,
jumped up and down, shrieked in joy, and even shouted “Krishna!”
(https://youtu.be/wx-Ug63Sd3s):
While
I was videoing the Gasparilla Ratha-yatra, someone threw some beads
with such force they knocked my camera out of my hand and onto the
pavement below! Amazingly enough, the camera continued recording
video throughout the incident, and it still functions properly even
now! (https://youtu.be/9oloMW-OXdw)
For the Hare Krishnas, the end of the parade is never the end of the party! After the Gasparilla Parade of Pirates, Hare Krishnas chanted as the floats behind us in the parade passed by, and other parade participants waved, smiled, danced, embraced the devotees, and even inquired about what we were doing (https://youtu.be/q618Z2lSxjU):
Alachua
Sunday Feast on the Lord Varaha’s Appearance Day
Nagaraja
Prabhu led the chanting of Hare Krishna at the Alachua Sunday Feast
program on Lord Varaha’s Appearance Day
(https://youtu.be/Ubr3k5UF-ro):
Tamohara
Prabhu gave the lecture, and notes on it are under “Insights”
below.
Lord
Nityananda’s Appearance Day
Lord
Nityananda Prabhu’s Appearance Day was very busy, with two trips to
Alachua to celebrate and two harinamas
in
Gainesville.
I
did not sleep well the night before Lord Nityananda’s Appearance Day,
thus I was awake when the devotees were preparing to leave for
mangala-arati
in
Alachua, so I decided to go with them. Then we went to another
mangala-arati
at
Krishna House.
During
the time usually reserved for the morning Srimad-Bhagavatam
class
we did an abhiseka
[bathing
ceremony] for the Krishna House Gaura-Nitai deities.
Here
Shyamala Kishori Dasi beautifully chants Hare Krishna during
Gainesville Krishna House Lord Nityananda’s Appearance Day abhiseka
(https://youtu.be/8CoUPfJ0FOA):
Shruti
Sagar Prabhu chants Hare Krishna during Gainesville Nityananda
abhiseka
(https://youtu.be/ibCUOGUOdPk):
Bhaktin
Aris Ferreira, new to Gainesville’s Krishna House since my visit last
spring, chants Hare Krishna during Nityananda’s Appearance Day
abhiseka
(https://youtu.be/RzvdQQusx_E):
The
end of her kirtan got very lively, inspiring
many devotees to dance! (https://youtu.be/fbPOJQwSlHU):
Here
Abhimanyu
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna after the Nityananda’s Appearance Day
abhiseka
(https://youtu.be/AmZmtjyVc3w):
Extra devotees chanted at Krishna Lunch in honor of Lord Nityananda, and thus it was especially ecstatic!
Bhaktin Lucy sings Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch on Lord Nityananda’s Appearance Day (https://youtu.be/_hUuWrEvIO4):
Saumya
Radhika Dasi sings Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch on Lord Nityananda’s
Appearance Day (https://youtu.be/r5w1YoJ0CRg)
Len
Cohen plays ukulele and chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch on Lord
Nityananda’s Appearance Day (https://youtu.be/uEfTjKr_c5w):
Animesh
Prabhu sings Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch on Lord Nityananda’s
Appearance Day (https://youtu.be/rGu4-X9Xr-Y):
Shruti
Sagar Prabhu chants at Krishna Lunch on Lord Nityananda’s Appearance
Day, and Murali Gopal Prabhu and Janaka Rsi (JR) Prabhu dance
(https://youtu.be/AzV4efE-qhg):
On
Lord Nityananda’s Appearance Day, Krishna House devotees planned to
chant at the Tioga Monday Market, which we found unfortunately ended
an hour and a half early. Thus we chanted at the sparsely populated
Tioga Tower Center nearby. Still, some of the ladies distributed a
few books of spiritual wisdom, and Shruti Sagar Prabhu taught two
boys to chant the Hare Krishna mantra (https://youtu.be/AxzCcauSEFA):
After
the Tioga Tower Center harinama,
most
of us drove to Alachua to catch the end of the Gaura Arati kirtan and
the feast.
Here
Mahatma Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Alachua on Lord Nityananda’s
Appearance Day, and many devotees jump up and down and dance in joy
(https://youtu.be/aTYKvmdMrOk):
After
Mahatma Prabhu finished singing his Gaura Arati kirtan on Lord
Nityananda’s Appearance Day in Alachua, Dhira Prabhu continued the
chanting a while longer for those not ready for the ecstasy to end
(https://youtu.be/csgJPf9jKLY):
Chanting
Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch
The
day after Nityananda’s Appearance Day, I chanted at Krishna Lunch. I
spend three weeks a month in Tallahassee, where I usually chant by
myself, but I delight in coming for a few days to Gainesville each
month and to chant at Krishna Lunch with the Krishna House devotees
(https://youtu.be/9ahCM9hfzM4):
My
friend, Michael Collins, a musician who I chanted with in Gainesville
many years ago, and more recently in New York City, got off from work
early one day and sang wonderfully at Krishna Lunch
(https://youtu.be/XBsYLWatAsY):
Here
Bhakta Daniel chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch
(https://youtu.be/_WVeH76DaVg):
Once
I
chanted my favorite Hare Krishna tune at Krishna Lunch with Lucy
accompanying on the drum (https://youtu.be/-wWyObzBWQo):
Chanting
Hare Krishna at University of North Florida in Jacksonville
The
last day of January, Adikarta Prabhu and I drove from Alachua to
Jacksonville to share Krishna consciousness with the students at
University of North Florida.
I
chanted for three hours, and he distributed books for three hours. As
usual, we met some people who regularly attend the Krishna Club and
other people who had some interest in it.
Among
Adikarta Prabhu’s special encounters on book distribution were one
young guy who took four books, someone who gave a $40 donation, and a
jovial professor of history who purchased Bhagavad-gita
and
Science
of Self-Realization. He
also met at least a couple students who had previously purchased books
from him at UNF.
University
of North Florida Krishna Club
At
the Krishna Club program I talked to a young lady named Taylor (wearing head band above) who
regularly chants Hare Krishna on beads and whose head swayed to the
music of the kirtan the whole time. Another young lady named Terri (blonde),
who is also a
regular, had gotten
books from Brajananda Prabhu during The Warped Tour.
Here
Kira leads the chanting of Hare Krishna at the University of North
Florida Krishna Club meeting (https://youtu.be/ek43zrCW0Rg):
Sorry
the video is so dark. Some people like to do kirtan in dim light
which makes it hard to take videos, especially if you do not want to
disturb the singers mood by shining the light of your camera on them.
Adikarta
Prabhu (center) spoke,
and my notes on his class are below under “Insights.”
To see other photos I have but did not include here, click below:
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
From
a class on
Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.15.27 in New York on March 6, 1975:
In
the material world, everyone’s heart is burning with anxiety.
If
anyone says he has no anxiety, he is lying.
Of
course, if one is Krishna consciousness, he will have no anxiety.
If
a man goes on suffering like this and makes no attempt to relieve it,
he is no better than an animal.
Chanting
Hare Krishna is not a material sound vibration. The proof of this is
that you can go on chanting twenty-four hours a day and not get
tired.
Arjuna
says that when he remembers Krishna’s instructions in Bhagavad-gita,
he
becomes free from anxiety.
Gandhi
did not understand Bhagavad-gita
or
Krishna, yet still he felt relieved by reading Bhagavad-gita.
Maya
[illusion]
is very strong unless one is very determined.
If
we understand this life is meant for advancing in Krishna
consciousness, our life will become successful.
Our
problem is we are not serious about spiritual life.
Because
the illiterate brahmana
had firm faith in his guru and was therefore reading
Bhagavad-gita, Lord
Caitanya, who is Krishna Himself, personally came to see him.
“So
many big, big leaders and politician[s] and so-called swamis and
yogis, they have exploited people by bluffing, and now India’s
position is: it is neither spiritual nor material. . . . The example
is, if there are two boats and if you place your leg this boat and
that boat, the position is very precarious.”
Technology
is the business of the sudras.
It
is not meant for the brahmanas,
ksatriyas, and
vaisyas.
Our
Krishna consciousness movement is based on Bhagavad-gita.
We do not manufacture anything.
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.15.29
in Los Angeles on December 7, 1973:
“And
even Mr. Nixon is in such exalted post, he’s also full of anxiety,
when he’ll be kicked out. You see. So find out any man who is not in
anxiety. Not only human being but also animals, birds, beasts –
everyone. That is the symptom of material existence, anxieties.”
“Here
is Vasudeva, Krishna. You come here and see, very minutely, how
Vasudeva is dressed nicely, how He is playing on His flute, how He is
situated with His eternal consort, Srimati Radharani, how He is
enjoying Her company. So nice thing for meditation. But why you are
after zero? (laughter) Just see the rascaldom. Here is such nice
object for meditation, and they are trying to meditate upon zero.”
“Why
you are full of anxiety? Because you have accepted this material
body. So if you stop accepting material body, there is no anxiety.
That can be done by vasudeva-anudhyanam,
constantly thinking of Krishna. So you haven’t got to pay any price.
You are not losing anything, but you are becoming a great, perfect
man. Why . . . don’t you accept this process, Krishna consciousness?
Why you are after something, false thing? Just see how unfortunate
people are in this Kali-yuga. They will not accept the real thing
without any payment, without any loss. Everything is gain. They will
accept something nonsense and go to hell. Just see. This is
Kali-yuga. The Kali-yuga is so powerful that it will not allow you to
accept the real thing. You will be after non-real thing and waste
your time and valuable life. This life is meant for Krishna
realization. It is not meant for anything, any other business.”
From
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita,
Antya 1.32, purport:
[Commenting
on the liberation Sivananda Sena’s dog, Srila Prabhupada writes:]
“Therefore,
everyone in the human form of life should be induced to associate
with devotees. By rendering a little service, even by eating
prasadam,
what to speak of chanting and dancing, everyone can be promoted to
Vaikunthaloka [the spiritual world]. It is therefore requested that
all our devotees in the ISKCON community become pure Vaishnavas, so
that by their mercy all the people of the world will be transferred
to Vaikunthaloka, even without their knowledge. Everyone should be
given a chance to take prasadam
and thus be induced to chant the holy names Hare Krishna and also
dance in ecstasy. By these three processes, although performed
without knowledge or education, even an animal went back to Godhead.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.11.26,
purport:
“And
those who are artists, overtaken by the beautiful creation, should
better see to the beautiful face of the Lord for complete
satisfaction. The face of the Lord is the embodiment of beauty. What
they call beautiful nature is but His smile, and what they call the
sweet songs of the birds are but specimens of the whispering voice of
the Lord.”
Sacinandana
Swami:
From
a class on Advaita
Acharya at Goloka Dhama
on January 27, 1999:
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura said that Lord Caitanya again sent Svarupa Damodara
Goswami to come as Gaurakisora Dasa Babaji Maharaja and Gadadhara
Pandit to come as Bhaktivinoda Thakura to bring up the current of
bhakti
which
had diminished after Lord Caitanya had left.
Adikarta
Prabhu:
The
sound of the Hare Krishna mantra is very powerful and can help you
control the mind.
Controlling
the mind is the secret for being happy.
I
talked to many students today who were on medication for anxiety.
Because
you are young, you think you can be happy enjoying your body, but if
you go to an old folks home, you will see people are not enjoying
their bodies.
The
body does give you enjoyment, but it gives you more suffering.
The
body is a bag of chemicals, and chemicals do not feel pleasure.
The
enjoyment we get through the bodily senses is very temporary.
The
body is not very beautiful. It looks great from the outside, but if
you scratch a little, you will see it is not beautiful.
Intelligent
people do not try to enjoy temporary things because temporary things
get you down.
Life
is meant to understand real happiness that does not have a beginning or
end.
We
cannot understand the inconceivable anymore than an ant can
understand a computer.
We
have to be humble and realize how insignificant we are.
Donald
Trump is riding high now because of past good karma, but because he
is very discriminatory, he could wind up poverty stricken in his next
life.
Chanting
the Hare Krishna mantra gives us spiritual strength to help control
the mind.
One
friend of mine who works at the University of Florida discovered
through his research that raw milk has certain enzymes that fight
cancer.
Kalakantha
Prabhu:
Rama
wouldn’t listen to his younger brother, Laksmana, and Krishna
wouldn’t listen to his older brother, Balarama, so when Lord
Caitanya’s spiritual brother, Nityananda, appeared, He resolved to do
whatever He wanted as an avadhuta.
As
Dasaratha died out of shock when Rama went to the forest, so Hadai
Pandit died out of shock when Nitai left with the traveling sannyasi.
In
the late 1960s, while Srila Prabhupada was taking prasadam,
a devotee interrupted him saying there was a phone call for him. He
said, “Is it worth a $1000?” The devotee said no, and Srila
Prabhupada did not take the call.
We
enjoy varieties of relationships. How can God deny himself an
experience we all enjoy? The truth is that the Lord has a variety of
relationship with His pure devotees.
Tamohara
Prabhu:
This
is something people might wonder about – an incarnation of the Lord
who is a boar.
Usually
when Srila Prabhupada was asked these questions, like how could the
Lord come in the form of a boar, he would reply “Why not? God is
unlimited. What is there that God cannot do?”
What
need is there for so many incarnations? Why not make it simple and
just have one form of God? God takes on many forms for His own
enjoyment and for the enjoyment of His devotees.
Bhismadeva
was a special personality. Can you imagine giving philosophical
instructions with arrows through your body?
Although
Bhismadeva’s worshipable form of the Lord was the Lord as
Partha-sarathi, the chariot driver of Arjuna, he remembers the gopis
and
their
pastimes as lovers of Krishna.
The
Lord manifests a specific quality for each individual soul so each
soul has a special appreciation of Him. This is explained in the
purport of Srimad-Bhagavatam
10.14.7: “Srila Sanatana Gosvami further explains that the Lord
manifests a specific spiritual quality for the benefit of each living
entity. Since there are innumerable living entities within the
confines of the material creation, the Lord manifests infinite
qualities. Thus every conditioned soul can appreciate the Supreme
Lord in a particular way.”
When
I was young I read many books by Sai Baba and Rama Krishna. It is
actually amazing I became a devotee. In the 1970s there were
incarnations coming from India almost every month. Actually, however,
one should accept only the incarnations described in the scriptures.
Otherwise, although one may be sincere, he will be cheated.
Krishna’s
pastimes are ever fresh. How many of you have seen a play of Lord
Nrsimhadeva killing the demon Hiranyakasipu? How many have you seen
more than one? Is it exciting the second time? Yes. Even though you know
Lord Nrsimha is going to jump out of the pillar, it is still
relishable.
Sixteen
rounds of Hare Krishna is ten million names of Krishna a year.
One
swami read Bhagavad-gita
over
three hundred times.
Each
time we hear the same transcendental literature, we gain deeper
realization.
Srila
Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam
4.22.25 purport lists four steps to perfection: “[1] The more we
hear from realized souls, [2] the more we make advancement in our
devotional life. The more we advance in devotional life, [3] the more
we become detached from the material world. The more we become
detached from the material world, as advised by Lord Caitanya
Mahaprabhu, [4] the more we increase in attachment for the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.”
Two
comments by me:
You
spoke about how Krishna conscious topics are ever fresh. I have a
friend who saw the movie Hare
Krishna!
(2017) five times.
There
is a favorite verse of mine from the pastime of Lord Varaha, which
you did not mention, so I would like to share it: “Sri Maitreya
continued: After thus killing the most formidable demon Hiranyaksa,
the Supreme Lord Hari, the origin of the boar species, returned to
His own abode, where there is always an uninterrupted festival. The
Lord was praised by all the demigods, headed by Brahma.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam
3.19.31) If even the boar incarnation has an uninterrupted festival
going on in His abode, can we imagine what kind of festival Krishna,
the source of all incarnations, has going on in His place of
residence?
Response:
In the beginning of Hare Krishna movement we just had a few movies by
Yadubara, The
Spiritual Frontier (1976),
etc.,
and
we would watch them every week, yet we never got tired of them.
Madhava
Prabhu:
Three
features of Lord Nityananda are especially important. He is the
original guru. He delights in serving Krishna. He delights in
distributing mercy. In fact, His service to Lord Caitanya is to
distribute mercy by engaging everyone He meets in chanting about
Krishna, worshiping Krishna, and following Krishna’s instructions.
Brajananda
Prabhu:
King
Pariksit took advantage of the brahmanas
curse
to inquire about the best way to spend his time before death.
The
Aryan culture is to become God-realized, not to live for material
benefit.
It
is our birthright to become eternal and engage in the service of the
Lord.
The
father does not give the greater part of his
estate to a bad son but an obedient one.
Although
having all opulence, King Pariksit inquired from Sukadeva Goswami,
who did not even have any clothes.
Because
King Pariksit had surrendered to the Lord, he was fearless.
We
do not ask the Lord to provide for us. He is already doing that. We
just need to pray for devotional service.
Bhismadeva
Prabhu:
From
a conversation:
Sharing
is caring.
Much
of devotional service is promotional service.
Amrita
Keli Devi Dasi:
I
was in a morose mood the whole day once on Lord Nityananda’s
Appearance Day. I went with the Krishna House devotees to Alachua for
the festival. Toward the end of the festival, Chaturatma Prabhu threw
a watermelon off the altar right at me. Watermelon was my favorite
food, and getting Lord Nityananda’s mercy in that way really cheered
me up. I still remember it years later.
The
chanting is meant to connect us with our creator regardless of our
bodily differences.
We
can connect together through a process that gets us beyond the body.
Krishna
is a name for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Is that a cool term
or what?
Abhimanyu
Prabhu:
Guru
Prasada Swami said self-sustainability is the pinnacle of preaching.
People
work all week so they can drink all weekend and forget how hard they
worked all week, and they work to maintain their bodies, so they can
do it all over again, week after week.
The
surrendered devotees can turn a place into a pastime place by
creating places that remind us of Krishna’s pastimes, like the
replicas of the Vrindavan temples in the Govardhan Eco Village near
Mumbai.
Comment
by Vaninatha Vasu Prabhu: Bhismadeva at the beginning of his speech
said the age depends on the leader. It is not the leader is dependent
on the age.
King
Venu, as boy, would not just bully his playmates, he would murder
them.
Comment
by Murali Gopal Prabhu: Sam’s Club and Walmart every day throw out
food from the previous days to make room for new shipments.
Comment
by Lavanga Devi Dasi: Some stores now put locks on their dumpsters so
homeless people can no longer eat the unopened packages of food that
were thrown out.
Comment
by Kalakantha Prabhu: In America in the 1950s, Republicans, who are a
minority, began to engage religious leaders in promoting their ideas
so they would stand a chance of getting elected. This is an example
of how in Kali-yuga the brahmanas
are
puppets in the hands of the vaisyas
instead
of being independent and able to protect religious principles.
Comment
by Richie: America wastes 40% of its food while 20% of Americans do
not have enough food to eat.
Kira,
from University of North Florida Krishna Club:
Kirtan
does not take musical ability. It takes devotion and sincerity.
The
icebreaker can be anything from “What is your favorite ice cream?”
to “How do you want to change the world?”
Christina,
a Florida State University student:
From
a conversation:
One
pastor in Tampa always says: “You do the natural, and let God do
the supernatural.”
Mormon
missionaries at University of Florida:
From
their presentation at Krishna House in Gainesville:
The
missionary program is voluntary.
Women
(sisters) serve 18 months, and men (elders) serve two years.
We
make the money before doing our missionary work to cover our
expenses, but we give it to the mission and they disperse it.
We
rise 6:30 a.m. and rest at 10:30 p.m. We first exercise, and then
study. We stay out till 9:00 p.m. talking to people about the
teachings of Lord Jesus Christ.
Though
born in a Mormon family, I came to realize the Mormon path is true in
the course of time.
Q:
How do you see people from other religions?
A:
We see the other religions help people, and they are all good.
God
loves and knows each of us personally. He has given us many
blessings, including our families.
We
learn from the prophets in the Bible, for example, Abraham.
We
see a pattern. God calls prophets. In due course, people kill the
prophets. People become wicked. Then there is a period of darkness.
Then God sends another prophet.
We
see Joseph Smith as being the next prophet after Christ.
Q:
What do you think is the purpose of life?
A:
To come to earth, receive a body, and attain experience. By following
the path of Christ and making promises to God, we become qualified to
go back to God.
Q:
What is the response at UF?
A:
We get a variety of responses. Some people are nice. Some are
uninterested.
We
don’t drink coffee or tea (except herbal tea). No tobacco, no drugs,
no alcohol.
We
eat things good for the body, and do everything in moderation.
Some
Mormons become vegans or vegetarians because it is better for health.
We
do not want to be controlled by addictions, so we reject these things
like coffee, tea, tobacco, drugs, and alcohol.
We
read the Bible, The
Book of Mormon,
and The
Doctrine and Covenants.
The
teachings of Christ are so simple a child can understand, and yet
also so deep you can study them your whole life.
We
consider that God, the son, and the holy spirit are separate but have
the same purpose.
I
find the teachings have changed my life, and they have changed other
people’s lives. I know it is truth. I know God loves each of us.
I
have found the message of Jesus Christ brings a lot of happiness, and
people, in this time especially, are looking for happiness.
God
sometimes commands polygamy to help expand the gospel, but it is not
something we presently practice.
Q
(by me):
Does the church help those who sacrifice their time to act as
missionaries for two years by helping them get set up with jobs and
marriages afterward?
A:
No, they just gain the fulfillment that comes from the experience
itself.
Q
(by me):
Does the church encourage people to become missionaries?
A:
It is voluntary. My sister did it and liked it, so I was inclined to
also do it.
A
female Mormon missionary at Florida State University:
From
a conversation:
Mormon
founder, Joseph Smith, writes, “Those who know the true value of
the soul will not even kill a fly.”
-----
We
had a shortage of pujaris
when I lived in San
Diego, so I learned how to dress the Gaura-Nitai deities to help out.
There were two prayers in the instructions for worship, one for Lord
Caitanya and one for Lord Nityananda, which
we were supposed to say
at the conclusion of the dressing. As Lord Nityananda’s Appearance
Day occurred during the end of January, I recall here that sweet
verse about Lord Nityananda, the original source of which is unclear,
but which is consistent with authoritative descriptions of Him.
nityanandam
aham naumi
sarvananda-karam
param
hari-nama-pradam
devam
avadhuta-shiromanim
“I
bow down to the Supreme Lord Nityananda Prabhu, who is the awarder of
the highest joy to all, the bestower of the holy name and the crest
jewel of all paramahamsa
mendicants.”