Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 14, No. 7
By Krishna-kripa das
(April 2018, part one)
North Florida, Albany, Philadelphia, DC, and NYC
(Sent from Newcastle-upon-Tyne on April 21, 2018)
Where
I Went and What I Did
I
chanted at Lake Ella in Tallahassee on April 1 and at the Florida
State University campus the next five days. The evening of the last
day, we also chanted at First Friday at Tallahassee’s Railroad
Square Art Park, where Nama Kirtana Prabhu distributed a Krishna
dinner. Saturday was the Tallahassee Ratha-yatra during the day and
harinama
by
the bars across from the University of Florida in Gainesville
in the
evening. Sunday I heard Adikarta Prabhu lead the Sunday feast kirtan
in Alachua. Monday I made kofta
balls
for my sister’s birthday in Albany, New
York.
Tuesday I talked about the joy of harinama
with
Bhakin Kate Keen at the Bhakti Garden in
Philadelphia, where she hopes to increase harinama.
The next three days I chanted Hare Krishna with Sankarsana Prabhu in
front of the National History Museum in Washington, D.C., twice
accompanied by Gurudas Prabhu. Saturday I gave the morning class at
The Bhakti Center in New York City, and I chanted for at least three
hours at Union Square before flying out of Newburgh airport to Dublin
in the evening.
I
share notes on recorded talks by Srila Prabhupada. I include
many insights from Adikarta Prabhu’s lifetime of teaching Krishna
consciousness which
he shared
in Tallahassee and
notes on a Sunday feast lecture in Alachua by Nagaraja Prabhu. I
share notes on lectures by Manorama Krishna Prabhu in Potomac and
Dina Dayal Prabhu in Dublin. I also include notes on a devotee discussion in Potomac, and a quote from a letter to the editor my sister wrote regarding the popular issue of gun control in the USA.
Many,
many thanks to Gurudas Prabhu, disciple of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami,
who helps a lot on his book production, for his very liberal donation
to my travels. Thanks also to Victor Anderson, my sister’s partner
and former Buddhist monk who has really helped take care of her
during her recovery from an ankle operation, for again
as usual
contributing to my existence. Thanks to Sasha, supporter of the Yuga
Dharma NYC harinama
party
and the 26 Second Avenue Bhagavad-gita
class,
for his kind donation. Many, many thanks to Pundarik Prabhu of Tallahassee for repairing my harmonium and Nama Kirtan Prabhu for donating for the labor. Thanks also to Ananda Sankirtana of the Yuga
Dharma NYC party
for
printing documents and securing my mail. Thanks to Bhakta Josh and Natabara Gauranga Prabhus for letting me use a spare Yuga Dharma NYC iPhone, which is surprisingly handy, for the summer. Thanks to my sister, Karen,
for her photos of our kofta
party.
Thanks
to Kaliya Krishna Prabhu for his jazzed up photo of me. Thanks to
Redbubble for the T-shirt photo.
Itinerary
April
19–23: Newcastle-upon-Tyne
April
24: Edinburgh
April
25: London
April
26: Radhadesh
April
27: Amsterdam (King’s Day)
April
28: Radhadesh (Nrsimha Caturdasi)
April
29–May 1: Antwerp
May
2–3: Brussels
May
4: London
May
5–6: Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan
May
7: Newcastle-upon-Tyne
May
8: Edinburgh
May
9: Edinburgh and Newcastle-upon-Tyne
May
10: Sheffield
May
11–12: Leeds
May
13: Manchester
May
14: London
May
15–July 22?: Paris
July
24–27?: Vaishnava Summer Festival in Lithuania
July
28–30: Berlin Ratha-yatra and harinamas
July
31–August 4: Polish Woodstock
August
5: Berlin
August
6: Dublin
August
7–13: Vaishnava Sanga Festival in Canada
August
14–15: Montreal harinama
with Ekalavya Prabhu
August
16–September 2: North UK
September
3–28: Mayapur
September
29: Newcastle
September
30: Dublin
October
1–January 5, 2019: New York City Yuga Dharma Harinama Party
Notes
on Jayapataka Swami Vyasa Puja Program in
Tallahassee
Satyaraj
Govinda Prabhu, a disciple of Jayapataka Swami, who is enthusiastic
about cultivating members of the Indian community in Tallahassee,
organized a program in honor of his guru’s Vyasa Puja celebration,
which had occurred a few days before.
From
introduction by Satyaraj Govinda Prabhu:
Jayapataka
Swami said to a lamenting disciple, “I have doubled my lectures and
initiations since my stroke, so you do not need to lament for me.”
Notes
on video about Jayapataka Swami:
Srinathji
Prabhu:
My father was in the government, and Srila Prabhupada requested him
to make Jayapataka Swami an Indian citizen. My father was doubtful,
but Srila Prabhupada said, “This young man is an original associate
of Lord Caitanya. He will preach in the Bengali language and have
10,000 Indian disciples.”
In
1970 Jayapataka
Swami organized
a pandal program in Calcutta and 30,000 people attended, pleasing
Srila Prabhupada very much.
He
learned Bengali from local farmers.
He
won the
Guinness
record for most traveled person in a year.
From
a lecture in the video:
The
guru comes, appearing as another classmate or another citizen, but
because of his connection to Krishna, he can completely change your
destiny.
Chanting
Hare Krishna at Florida State University in Tallahassee
One
long-haired
male student riding a bicycle stopped by my book table as I was
playing harmonium and chanting Hare Krishna. He asked if I could play
“I Me Mine.”
I
said that actually I know very few other songs besides Hare Krishna.
I added that I was thinking of learning “My Sweet Lord” for those
times when someone asked me to play another song. He told me he was
just practicing “My Sweet Lord” on his guitar. I invited him to
the FSU Krishna Lunch, and he told me he goes all the time. “I like
the music they play,” he said. “They always play that album that
George Harrison made with the monks from London.” I told him that
album was my first encounter with Hare Krishna. I heard it when I was
in college back in 1978. It is wonderful to see that George Harrison
is connecting people with Krishna even now.
The
last day I chanted on the campus was special. More people stopped to
talk, and more of them were interested in hearing about our programs
or philosophy. Toward the end one student bought a hardbound
Bhagavad-gita
for
$10, which had only happened once before during this semester. It
seems that
Krishna always makes the last day better than usual, as if to inspire
me to return.
I
would chant on the campus for three hours each day, but one day each
week, usually Monday, I would chant at the Krishna Lunch.
Here
one happy young lady wears Gaura-Nitai’s garland from the previous
day’s Sunday feast program.
Adikarta
Prabhu distributed books to students for several hours each day the
last week I was in Tallahassee. Sometimes he was especially
successful.
This
fortunate girl purchased three books from Adikarta Prabhu.
Chanting
Hare Krishna at the Tallahassee Temple
It
was great to have Adikarta Prabhu’s association for the first week
of April in Tallahassee.
Here
Adikarta
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna tunes before the
Tuesday
evening
Bhagavad-gita
class in
Tallahassee and
devotees dance (https://youtu.be/HYauKLsdvgU):
Adikarta
Prabhu and Aris chant Hare Krishna, and two guests play instruments.
The djembe
player, having come to the Sunday feast after getting a card from
Garuda Prabhu, came with a friend, who plays bass, to this Wednesday
evening two-hour kirtan in Tallahassee
(https://youtu.be/132hc9CvL-8):
Bhaktin
Aris chants Hare Krishna at the Wednesday evening two-hour kirtan
(https://youtu.be/oidxQlZyutE):
Adikarta
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the Tallahassee morning program
(https://youtu.be/SOV0lEBUd8c):
Chanting
Hare Krishna at First Friday in Tallahassee
The
best part of our First Friday chanting program was that many
passersby took part in playing the instruments with us, thus
rendering service to the Lord in that way and also hearing the
all-auspicious Hare Krishna mantra for longer than they otherwise
would.
I
chanted
Hare Krishna at First Friday in Tallahassee with Moka singing the response. Wes, a student at FSU
who comes to Krishna Lunch, played
drum, and three kids
played
shakers, with the girl also doing a nice dance
(https://youtu.be/eidkF-OdM2A):
Bhaktin
Aris chanted
Hare Krishna at First Friday, and two girls played
shakers and danced,
the one who began dancing first donating three quarters and later on,
two more quarters, for which we gave her a small book and a “On
Chanting Hare Krishna” pamphlet. The parents were friendly
Christians and gave $20 to Adikarta Prabhu for some
of Srila
Prabhupada’s books (https://youtu.be/w9HBGrRp5Do):
Bhakta
Daniel chanted
Hare Krishna at night at First Friday and encouraged
a drunk lady to play the instruments (https://youtu.be/9I2BT9LbgWI):
The
lady left her purse on our mat when she went to use the bathroom and
completely forgot about it, but Daniel tracked her down and returned
it. She was so grateful, she gave us half the money she had with
her,
which amounted to ten dollars, and we gave her a book.
Chanting
Hare Krishna Before and After the Tallahassee Ratha-yatra
Our
Tallahassee Ratha-yatra is our float in the Springtime Tallahassee
parade, always around the end of March or beginning of April each
year.
Here
Jagi
Kirtan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna before the Tallahassee Ratha-yatra
(https://youtu.be/x4JV-GDXRY0):
Here
Amala
Harinam Prabhu chants Hare Krishna after the Tallahassee Ratha-yatra,
and many devotees dance (https://youtu.be/cg9wjhKxlnI):
Later
Amala
Harinam Prabhu chanted
Hare Krishna in a Tallahassee car park, which devotees took shelter
of to escape the rain while they waited for lunch
prasadam
after the Ratha-yatra, and many devotees danced
(https://youtu.be/8iz86Ap2eqM):
Chanting
Hare Krishna by the Bars Near University of Florida
As
I was returning from Tallahassee to Gainesville with the Krishna
House devotees in their van, I asked what their usual Saturday night
program was. They said they usually do harinama.
I
asked if anyone was up for it. I did not have much hope as they had
spent five hours traveling to and from Tallahassee and had
already
done a Ratha-yatra, but it never hurts to ask. Morgan was really into
it. Animesh and Richie agreed, and so did Josh. Thus five of us from
the Ratha-yatra party were enthusiastic enough to go on with the
evening harinama.
Six
others from the Krishna House community joined
us, and Daryl, who attends our programs, happened to pass by our
party
and joined us, so we had twelve people for part of the time. I was
happily surprised by the enthusiasm of the Krishna
House crew,
who are mostly,
if not all,
under thirty. It gives me faith that the public chanting of Hare
Krishna will continue after some of us old timers leave this world.
Animesh
Prabhu chanted
Hare Krishna with the
Krishna
House devotees
by
the bars near University of Florida Saturday evening. Several people
danced
with the devotees (https://youtu.be/lOFRYNSQQsQ):
At
the
end
of
the harinama,
Animesh
led the kirtan again, and one lady inside a bar enjoyed moving with
the music (https://youtu.be/PmIo8xefDCY):
Richie
Prabhu also
chanted
Hare Krishna near the bars across from UF. One lady in a bar, seeing
that the devotees were obviously having a great time, came
out and asked
if she could join us, and she happily danced with the devotee ladies
for quite awhile. She had never heard of Krishna House or Krishna
consciousness before, but
she seemed very happy to participate in the kirtan
(https://youtu.be/bunNZnhCP0U):
Chanting
Hare Krishna at the Sunday Feast Program in Alachua
Here
Adikarta
Prabhu, playing the accordion, chants
Hare Krishna with friends
who he let lead sometimes at the Alachua temple Sunday feast program
(https://youtu.be/J8L0Q1-
nHqs):
Making
Koftas in Albany
I
stopped by Albany to see my mother, my sister, Karen, and her
partner, Victor. Karen’s birthday was two days before, and I
promised to make her spaghetti and kofta balls to celebrate.
Victor kindly got me at the airport and suggested we stop at the
co-op and get ingredients for dinner on the way home. I only slept 3½
hours the night before and had taken two flights to reach Albany. I
hate shopping anyway, and I didn’t have the recipe so I was not very
excited about the idea. I turned on data on my phone and searched for
Krishna and kofta, and the recipe from The Higher Taste
appeared. Victor and I split up the shopping so it was bearable, and
he bought me some dried fruit and nuts for the upcoming Ekadasi.
Somehow
we all cooperated together so the whole meal was a breeze.
I made the
kofta batter,
and Victor made the sauce and cooked the spaghetti.
Karen rolled the
kofta balls.
I cooked the first batches, and Victor cooked the others as I was
making the offering to Krishna. While I cook at home, I always play a
recording of Madhava chanting Hare Krishna at the Ukraine festival
the last year I attended it because it is
such
a mellow kirtan no one objects to it:
http://audio.iskcondesiretree.com/03_-_ISKCON_Prabhujis/ISKCON_Prabhujis_-_K_to_R/His_Grace_Madhav_Prabhu/Bhajans/Madhava_Pr_Bhajans_-_Hare_Krishna_Kirtan_-_2012-09-20_Ukraine.mp3
Because
Karen and I were brought up Quakers, we did the standard Quaker
grace, sitting in silence, holding hands in a circle, for a few
seconds before the meal.
I usually say a few Hare Krishna mantras in my mind during the
silence.
Karen has to keep her foot up as she is recovering from an
ankle operation, so she and my mother held on to her crutch instead
of holding hands, as they were sitting at a distance.
Both
the sauce and the koftas
came
out really well, revealing The
Higher Taste to
have another very reliable recipe. Years ago
I made the Gauranga potatoes from The
Higher
Taste
recipe, and it came out perfect the first time.
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Philadelphia at the Bhakti Garden
I
scheduled my visit to Philadelphia, on my way from Albany to
Washington, on Tuesday night as for years they had a program at the
Bhakti Garden above Govinda’s in downtown Philly then. As it turned
out, that regular program does not exist, but they still have their
kirtan program on the first Friday of the month and they also have
other programs from time to time. Since Devamrita Swami was speaking
the next day, it was unlikely that many people would come to hear me
speak, but it never hurts to invite people. As it turned out we had
three people for kirtan before the Pancatattva and two people for
class, but I am always happy to try to inspire even one person to
appreciate more the chanting of the holy name.
Haryasva
Prabhu has been talking about selling pizza at his Govinda’s
restaurant in Philadelphia for years, and he is finally doing it!
Vegetarian,
vegan, kosher,
and
gluten-free pizza are available there now, and I had four pieces to
keep me going during Ekadasi.
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Washington, D.C., by
the Natural History Museum
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Washington, D.C., in front of the Natural History
Museum, especially
in April,
is certainly an opportunity to share the spiritual
sound
with young people who would not otherwise be likely to encounter it.
People attracted by the chanting that I talked to came from places
like Rockville, Ohio, and Brunswick, Georgia, and a couple of others
came from Maine. Of course, places like Virginia were more popular.
Some kids clapped, some danced, some smiled, and some did a thumbs up
gesture of approval. Some
accepted lollipops
and literature. There
was little negativity or mockery.
Sankarsana
Prabhu has been chanting in Washington, D.C., for decades, and he is
very dedicated to making the sound of the holy name available to the
locals and countless tourists there. He sings sweet tunes that one
never tires of listening to, and I look forward to joining him for a
few days each year.
Besides
the spring breaks from school, April is especially crowded in
Washington because of the cherry blossoms, a tourist attraction.
You
can see lots of people would pass by our chanting party.
Here
Sankarsana Prabhu and
I chanted
Hare Krishna in front of the Natural History Museum, and a small girl
enthusiastically did a spontaneous dance, and her mother videoed the
whole scene (https://youtu.be/RYHZpExRVoA):
I
chanted Hare Krishna in front of the Natural History Museum, and two
girls on a field trip with their school danced
to the music (https://youtu.be/7alTH9vVDgQ):
Here
I chanted Hare Krishna in front of the Natural History Museum, and a
few boys danced to the music (https://youtu.be/YZLyFISWQzs):
Here
Sankarsana
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in front of the Natural History Museum,
and several boys dance, some taking photos of their friends
(https://youtu.be/4WPRIy4sZTo):
Here
Sankarsana
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in front of the Natural History Museum in
Washington, D.C. and passersby interact, donating apples and
money,
accepting literature and
lollipops,
moving with the music, clapping,
and
giving the thumbs up gesture of approval
(https://youtu.be/xzLMroz21FQ):
Once
Gurudas Prabhu, also a disciple of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami,
encouraged a group of students to chant as well as to move with the
music. They were from the Miami area, and I showed one of the more
favorable ones (the girl wearing a red hat who is furthest to the
right in the video) an invitation to the Miami temple, and she took a
picture of it while exclaiming, “That’s just a few blocks from my
house.” You can see the end of that encounter in this video
(https://youtu.be/YyMYp2G5Zms):
Thanks
to Mahotsaha Prabhu of ISKCON DC for taking the part of the video
with me in it.
Here
Sankarsana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and I dance and distribute
pamphlets (https://youtu.be/rlCtNvu-g_E):
Here
Sankarsana
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in front of the Natural History Museum
several
melodious tunes pleasant to hear (https://youtu.be/ZLW29xjtHTQ):
Here
Gurudas Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in front of the Natural History
Museum in Washington, D.C. (https://youtu.be/add40_cnU6k):
Here
I chant Hare Krishna in front of the Natural History Museum,
sometimes leading and playing the drum and sometimes singing the
response while Sankarsana Prabhu plays his synthesizer
(https://youtu.be/Nq5QaOBefu0):
Sankarsana
Prabhu is experimenting with chanting Hare Krishna to different
popular tunes to capture the attention of passersby in front of the
Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. This is just one example
(https://youtu.be/VJdj2wDX7dc):
Chanting
in New York City with the Yuga
Dharma NYC Party
[The
above photo was jazzed up by Kaliya Krishna Prabhu, a regular on the
Yuga Dharma NYC harinama
party.
If you have Facebook, you can see photos he jazzed up of other
members of the party and frequent attenders at
https://www.facebook.com/charles.sullivan.31508/media_set?set=a.10157087473819622.1073742019.819559621&type=3.]
It
was great to spend a day with my friends from the Yuga Dharma NYC
harinama party and The Bhakti Center. Usually I just spend
four hours there on my way to Europe for the summer, but people
encouraged me to stay the whole day and attend the morning program,
and so I may change my program in the future. Chanting in New York
City with the Yuga Dharma NYC party
was wonderful. The weather was excellent, sunny and in the 70ºs F (20ºs
C), and because it was Saturday, we began harinama
at 11:30 a.m. instead of 1:30 p.m. to take advantage of all the extra
people at Union Square
for the Greenmarket.
Navina Nirada Prabhu was visiting for a week, and it was inspiring to
see his absorption in distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books. The
devotees let me lead for two half-hour blocks, and it was most
rewarding for me to see the book distributors selling books to those
who had stopped to listen to the chanting.
I
also manned the book table and was able to encourage some people to
get books.
I
took videos of almost all those who chanted before I left at 4:20
p.m. except myself.
I
flew out of Stewart Airport in Newburgh for the first time as
Norwegian Airlines has some really budget flights to Dublin and a few
European destinations from there. Hari, son of Mayapur Chandra
Prabhu, whose family runs an
Ayurvedic clinic and a vegetarian restaurant and catering business
(http://www.nimaisbliss.kitchen/) in Newburgh and another employee kindly picked me up at the Beacon train station and drove to the airport twenty minutes away. Hari, who reads my blog, remembered me from seeing me on the Polish Woodstock twice, and it was nice to connect with him.
Photo with a Message
While
on the Florida State University campus, I saw several times students
with the T-shirt saying “Respect Existence or Expect Resistance.”
It reminded me of how the law of karma works: whatever violence you
do comes back upon you. Also Sri Isopansad (1–2) makes the
point: “Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe
is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only
those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota,
and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they
belong. One may aspire to live for hundreds of years if he
continuously goes on working in that way, for that sort of work will
not bind him to the law of karma. There is no alternative to this way
for man.”
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
From
a recorded talk:
Not
that we have to live in a palace and then we can chant.
From
a conversation:
One
disciple commented that psychology is very popular in the schools,
and 80% of the students take a course in it. When asked why they take
classes in psychology, they say that they want to find our more about
themselves. Thus it seems in the west psychology is the closest thing
to self-realization.
One
disciple mentioned that at one university they had to put glass
around the tower to keep students from jumping off of it.
One
disciple mentioned that some psychologists, although still having a
bodily concept speak of transcendence as the goal.
Disciple:
Some scientists admit their knowledge is relative, and there could be
something much greater than they presently know.
Srila
Prabhupada: There is, rascal, but you do not take it. That is
Bhagavad-gita.
Adikarta
Prabhu:
Most
people’s only goal is to enjoy their bodies, but that is just like
an animal.
It
is inconceivable that people can give up devotional service after ten
or twenty years of practice, but it happens, and it is because they
still have some unfulfilled material desires.
Actually
anyone who even tries to be Krishna conscious is very rare and
should be respected.
I
spend my whole time trying to find people who are completely serious
about spiritual life, but it is very difficult. You find people who
seem like they are really into it, and who may be for awhile, but
many of them do not last.
Even
if the Vedas
were
imaginary, still the person who came up with them would have be
glorified as supremely intelligent.
We
have to be very serious to read Srila Prabhupada’s books because
that is how we learn about Krishna.
We
can understand the mood of acaryas
[spiritual
teachers] by reading their books.
Lord
Jesus never wrote any books, nor were his conversations recorded. We
are so fortunate that Srila Prabhupada left us so many books and
recorded lectures and conversations.
We
see through the scripture because we are lost, identifying ourselves
with our material bodies.
When
we read this literature, we understand what a real devotee is, and we
are reminded of how fallen we are, so we can be motivated to advance.
The
wealthiest man in England is Indian.
Formerly
kings used the wealth they gained in conquering other kingdoms to
glorify God. Now leaders use it for their own sense gratification.
In
society people have to work hard to attain modern so-called
conveniences, and it is difficult to live simply.
In
Krishna consciousness we are so satisfied from our spiritual practice
that we do not need to pursue material pleasures. This is a far cry
from our modern civilization in which almost all activity is aimed at
sense gratification.
We
should not be surprised that not many people are coming to the temple
because people have come to the material world to forget God.
In
the USA 6% of the world’s population uses about 45% of the world’s
resources.
We
have to be careful to use all our time in Krishna consciousness,
otherwise we will act in material consciousness.
Many
devotees realize that material consciousness is a dead end, but
unless they are fixed in their spiritual practice, they will not
attain Krishna.
Our
dedication to our spiritual practice must be there. We may have to
have a job and a house, etc., but our dedication to our spiritual
practice must always be there.
Krishna
comes here to tell us how to get back to the spiritual world.
We
should always aspire to be better devotees. If we do, Krishna will
help us. It is hard, but if we are enthusiastic and determined, it is
possible.
This
knowledge is available for everyone, but it is the most secret of all
secrets because people do not have the intelligence to pursue it.
Comment
by Nama Kirtan Prabhu: Universities now are like corporations which
get as many students as possible and put them in debt, paying off
student loans for years, while the universities make money on the interest.
Anyone
who is serious about Krishna consciousness should do service for the
cows.
Maharaja
means great king. A sannyasi
is
a great king because he can control the senses, and that is a great
accomplishment.
Formerly
girls would get married before puberty because at puberty sex desire
is very uncontrolled.
I
was reading an article that was saying that although Indian girls
wear blue jeans and shorts and go to parties, they still largely
avoid illicit sex and accept arranged marriages.
If
women do not have children when they are young and breastfeed them,
they have a higher incidence of breast cancer. In the cities in India
breast cancer is increasing although formerly in the villages it was
practically unheard of.
The
Western intellectuals tend to be atheists because the example of
religion they are aware of is Christianity, which they have seen
to have so many faults in its teachings and practice in the course of
history.
You
cannot ascertain your varna
by
yourself. Traditionally the guru would tell you.
You
just have to do your own duty, and if you try to do someone else’s
you will probably make a mess of it.
Srila
Prabhupada wanted brahmanas
with
good qualities to inspire others.
The
varnasrama
system
benefits all living beings because they are all ultimately engaged in
the service of the Lord.
The enjoyment people pursue in this world all has strings attached – karma.
The enjoyment people pursue in this world all has strings attached – karma.
We
do not how far our karma goes back.
We
cannot tell how much karma we have left.
We
also cannot tell why Krishna does a particular thing.
Lord
Brahma must have felt really bad after having stolen Krishna’s
boyfriends or else he would have not spoken such a verse as “my
dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless
mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of
his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his
heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has
become his rightful claim.”
Whatever
happens to us, we have to remember that actually Krishna is our
friend. Krishna is very friendly toward all living entities. Although
Putana approached Krishna to kill Him, Krishna accepted her offering
of milk and elevated her to the spiritual world.
Kubja
was Surpanakha in her previous life.
Krishna
cannot do anything bad. He can only do good.
Jayapataka
Swami, although having severe physical challenges, has a mind that is
as sharp as ever, and according to Bhakti Charu Swami, he points out
discrepancies at the GBC meetings in their following of the proper
meeting protocol.
Nagaraja
Prabhu:
Srila
Prabhupada would often divide the world into two classes, the
materialists and the transcendentalists. The materialists, even
though they may have some conception of God, are focused on being
happy in this world, and the transcendentalists, often called mystics
in the west, want to experience God.
I
like Srila Prabhupada’s analogy of the train to explain the levels
of transcendental realization. The train from a distance appears as a
light, as it comes closer you see it is made of metal and makes
noise. When it is right up close you can see so many people and so
much variety. Seeing the light of the train is compared to Brahman,
seeing it closer is compared to the Supersoul, and seeing the train
with all its variety of activity is compared to Bhagavan, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.
All
three phases of Brahman are pleasurable because in all cases one is
contacting Krishna.
Realizing
Brahman, you are joyful because you do not have to die anymore.
As
you cannot get close to celebrities without their permission,
similarly you need God’s sanction to come close to Him.
The
source of the Brahman which is so amazing and the Paramatma who is so
amazing is Krishna. How amazing must Krishna be!
Srila
Prabhupada has convinced us that Krishna exists.
He
is akhila-rasamrita-murti,
the
complete form of pleasurable spiritual tastes.
Although
there are a lot a problems with relationships, still we seek and find
happiness in relationships.
Relationships
are disappointing in this material world because of its very nature
as temporary.
The
impersonalists teach, “You are God, but you have forgotten
somehow.” We think this is ludicrous.
Why
did God create me? I did not ask to be born. These are expressions of
frustration in this world.
It
is more enjoyable to serve God than to be God, thus Krishna comes as
a devotee to experience that.
The
devotees are described to be containers of love for Krishna. Krishna
wants to see what is it like to be the container of that love.
Srila
Prabhupada points out the absurdity of desiring to become God or
merge into God by comparing it to a child wanting to return to its
mother’s womb.
Realizing
Brahman is insecure compared to being situated in devotional service
to Krishna. It is like standing on a rock instead of standing on the
earth. You can fall off a rock, but you are not going to fall off the
earth.
We
depend on Krishna, whether we are materialists or transcendentalists,
therefore we might as well just worship Krishna.
Q:
What is meant that everyone is on Krishna’s path?
A:
Srila Prabhupada first breaks it down into the different kinds of
transcendentalists and shows how each of them is on Krishna’s path.
Then he explains how the different results of the materialists are
rewarded by Krishna.
Comment
by me: Just because we are on Krishna’s path does not mean we are
going toward Krishna. We might be going away from Krishna. It is said
Krishna engages people in pious activities so they can go to heaven
and in sinful activities so they can go to hell.
Amsa-visesa
avatar is an incarnation of a part of Radharani.
The
Lord does not only want to only taste sweetness but other tastes as
well. Thus He appreciates anger also, when it springs from pure
devotion.
Once
Lord Jagannatha would not move, even when two hundred people tried to
lift Him. The head priest came out and chastised the Lord, and then
just two people could pick Him up.
Manoram
Krishna Prabhu from ISKCON DC:
As
the children get the qualities of the parents, the disciples get the
qualities of the guru, and the gopis
get
the qualities of their leader, Radharani.
In
Dvaraka, Rukmini and Satyabhama think that the gopis
have
what they do not have. The queens wanted to worship them, considering
them as superior devotees. Krishna is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, but in His dreams He speaks of the gopis.
How
great they must be!
Radharani
is called Hema Gaurangi. Hema
means liquid, and thus Radharani has the complexion of liquid gold.
A
drop of hot milk spilled on Krishna, and Satyabhama noticed it made a
red spot. Later when Satyabhauma saw Radharani, she noticed on
Radharani’s beautifully effulgent body there was also a spot of
red. Thus she came to realize the nondifference of Radha and Krishna.
Satyabhama
said to Radharani in glorification, “Krishna is with us physically,
but He is with You mentally.”
It
is said Radharani appeared from the left shoulder of Lord Krishna. It
is said one meaning of “Radha” comes from “ra”
meaning immediately and “dha”
refers to “dhavati”
meaning running.
Himacala
and Vrindacala were brothers. Himacala had one daughter Parvati, who
married Lord Shiva. Vrindacala was jealous, and prayed to have a
daughter who would marry the master of Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu. Lord
Vishnu considered only Radha could be His wife. Thus Radha appeared
as son of Vrindacala. Kamsa heard that the person Radha married could
never be defeated, and he sent Putana to kidnap Her. Putana took Her
away from Vrindacala, but the sages performing sacrifice offered an
oblation to reduce the power of the demoniac and thus Putana had to
release Her. She landed on a lotus and was later found by Vrsabhanu
who wanted a child.
Radha
kept Her eyes closed at birth because She had received the boon of
seeing no one first but Krishna.
ISKCON
DC devotee discussion:
One
should not be envious of those less advanced but should be
compassionate toward them.
Serving
is the best way to counteract envy.
Forgetting
the source of our qualities and achievements causes us to be proud.
Our
envy of others derives from our envy of Krishna, and that can be
removed by service.
If
we are not compassionate to those who do not have Krishna
consciousness and give them the opportunity then we are acting
enviously of them.
Sometimes
on book distribution we want to benefit the people but they deal with
us in such a way that we give up on them, and we find our compassion has a
limit, but if we were completely free from envy that would not be.
Bhakti
Tirtha Swami said that if you are not envious you will go beneath
someone and push them up, not considering advancing your own
position.
Helping
someone comes from appreciating their value not from thinking we are
superior and have something to give.
Glorifying
those we are envious of counteracts the envy, but it is hard to do.
The
Christian saint Theresa describes the most elevated persons see
themselves as least qualified just as we understand from our
tradition that the maha-bhagavata,
highest
devotee,
does also.
Someone
may have done so many things, but they are all insignificant compared
to Krishna’s mercy.
It
is not that we just offer respect to the Supersoul in others and
neglect the souls themselves.
If
I am superior and I am happy about it, or if I am inferior and I am
unhappy about it, it is really the same thing.
Every
soul has the potential to please Krishna eternally, so how valuable
they are! Thus I should serve them.
We
are not just receiving from superiors, but we receiving in all our
relationships.
Relationships
that are give, give, give, or take, take, take, are imbalanced.
When
you are envious of someone you are distant from them, but when you
serve them you start developing affection for them, and then they
start developing affection for you.
Attention
is the beginning of love.
Although
Srila Prabhupada hated Mayavadis, when Dr. Mishra was sick, Srila
Prabhupada cooked for him, and Dr. Mishra said that Swamiji had saved
him by his love.
Comments
by me:
Yudhisthira
could not find anyone lower than himself because he appreciated
everyone good qualities.
Satsvarupa
Goswami mentions humility is based on truthfulness. [I did not
mention this in class.]
“Nonviolence
is generally taken to mean not killing or destroying the body, but
actually nonviolence means not to put others into distress. People in
general are trapped by ignorance in the material concept of life, and
they perpetually suffer material pains. So unless one elevates people
to spiritual knowledge, one is practicing violence. One should try
his best to distribute real knowledge to the people, so that they may
become enlightened and leave this material entanglement. That is
nonviolence.” (Bhagavad-gita 13.8–12, purport) [I did not mention this in class.]
Karen
Beetle (my sister), Licenced Mental Health Counselor:
From
a letter to the editor of the Times
Union (Albany,
New York):
“As
a mental health professional, I see it as my job to stand for an end
to gun violence, in all its forms, and for the right of all children
to safety and legal protection.”
-----
At
The Bhakti Center one of the verses I gave class on had a purport
which mentioned that deserts were impure and not suitable places to
perform sacrifice. Nirada Nirada Prabhu had doubts that this
restriction applied in the case of the sankirtana
yajna, the
sacrifice of the congregational chanting of the holy name. This
called to mind a wonderful verse by the spiritual master of the
demons, Sukracarya, spoken to Vamanadeva, who had asked him to
analyze the sacrifice of his disciple, Bali Maharaja:
mantratas
tantratas chidram
desa-kalarha-vastutah
sarvam
karoti nischidram
anusankirtanam
tava
“There
may be discrepancies in pronouncing the mantras and observing the
regulative principles, and, moreover, there may be discrepancies in
regard to time, place, person and paraphernalia. But when Your
Lordship’s holy name is chanted, everything becomes faultless.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 8.23.16)
Nagaraja
Prabhu told me about this verse when I once asked him for verses
glorifying the holy name many years ago.