Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 14, No. 16
By Krishna-kripa das
(August 2018, part two)
The North of England and Edinburgh
(Sent from Mayapur on Janmastami 2018)
Where
I Went and What I Did
After
the York Ratha-yatra on August 14, I did harinama
in
Newcastle for two days, where we had the great fortune to have the
association of Janananda Goswami, who joined us on harinama
the
second day
with
some of his followers. Then I went to Liverpool for two days to
advertise and attend the second annual Liverpool Ratha-yatra. The
next day I went with Bhakti Rasa Prabhu to the final day of the
Newcastle Retreat, where we got the association of Bhakti Caitanya
Swami, Janananda Goswami, and Dayananda Swami. I chanted in
Sunderland the day after the Newcastle Retreat with several visiting
devotees, and we had prasadam
and
kirtana
at
Ramai and Vrinda Prabhu’s home. Then I spent two days in Edinburgh
doing two harinamas
and
an evening program in between. Thursday I chanted with Atul Krishna
Caitanya Prabhu in his hometown of Chester-le-Street for almost an
hour and a half and then in Newcastle for two more hours with Cami,
who has recently moved in to the Newcastle temple. Friday I chanted
Hare Krishna in Leeds city center with Mitrasena (known as Mitra)
Prabhu, Srila Prabhupada disciple and musician from North Carolina,
and Adi-Guru Prabhu, who is driving him around England. Both Saturday
and Sunday I chanted Hare Krishna along with six or seven Newcastle devotees
on Northumberland Street. On Sunday one family who encountered us on
harinama
came
to the Sunday feast that very day, which was a special festival for
Lord Balarama’s appearance, with Mitra Prabhu as our guest speaker.
Three other new guests also came that evening. Monday I chanted Hare
Krishna in York city center with Mitra and Adi-Guru Prabhus, along
with Govardhan and Nitaicand Prabhus from Scarborough and local York
devotees. That night Jaya Krishna and Kanwar chanted with me in
Sheffield at Kanwar’s and Madhavi Dasi’s home. The next two days
I chanted Hare Krishna
in
downtown Manchester and advertised the Ratha-yatra to be held there on September 15. The two days after that I chanted Hare Krishna with devotees in
Liverpool to promote the monthly program the last Friday in the month
of August. After that evening program I took a train to York to
attend our program there the first Saturday in September, just the
next day.
I
share many excerpts from the Srimad-Bhagavatam
lectures
of Srila Prabhupada and a quote from one of his Srimad-Bhagavatam
purports.
I share insights from Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Jaiva
Dharma. I
share quotes by the humble servants of Srila Prabhupada from the
Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
I share notes on classes the final day of the Newcastle Retreat by Bhakti Caitanya
Swami and Dayananda Swami. I share notes on a recorded lecture by
Radhanath Swami on Lord Balarama. I share insights by Mitra Prabhu
from his spiritual discussion in Leeds and his Sunday feast lecture
on Lord Balarama’s appearance day in Newcastle. I share reflections
by some of those who attended the Newcastle Retreat which remind us
of the value of associating with devotees.
Thanks
to the Newcastle temple for their kind donation. Thanks to the Indian
man who gave me a donation at the Liverpool Ratha-yatra. Thanks to
Sujiv Deb and his brother for their kind donations. Thanks to Karthick
and another member of the Edinburgh congregation for their kind
donations. Thanks to Satya Medha Gauranga Prabhu for his kind
donations of laksmi
and
food. Thanks to Sheena for her generous donations of laksmi
and
food. Thanks to Kanwar and Madhavi Dasi for driving, prasadam,
accommodation, and a donation. Thanks to Prema Sankirtana Prabhu for
fixing my harmonium and for his donation of foreign currency. Thanks
to the Manchester temple for their kind donation. Thanks to Vrinda
Devi Dasi and Vishnupriya Devi Dasi for the great meals.
Thanks
to Ananda Vrindavan Dasi for her videos and photos of us chanting
Hare Krishna in Sunderland. Thanks to Vajendra Nananda Prabhu for his
videos of us chanting in Sunderland. Thanks to Rukmini Devi Dasi (Rima) for the videos
and photos of our harinama
in
Edinburgh. Thanks to Rianne Gargan for the brief video of Mitra and
Adi-Guru Prabhus and myself in Leeds. Thanks to Satya Medha Gauranga
Prabhu and his son, Bhanu, for their photos of our Newcastle harinamas. Thanks also to Satya for allowing me to use his camera to take videos. Thanks to
Peeter Aitai, a Liverpool photographer, for his photos of us chanting Hare
Krishna there.
Itinerary
[After
a challenging spring and summer of visiting many places, I look
forward to a simpler schedule for the rest of 2018.]
September
3–28: Mayapur
September
29: Newcastle harinama
September
30: Dublin harinamas
and
Sunday feast lecture
October
1–January 5, 2019: New York City Yuga Dharma Harinama Party
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Newcastle
I
was happy that devotees joined me on harinama
both
days I was in Newcastle. In particular, Janananda Goswami, and some of
the devotees visiting him, joined me the second day. He was so
determined that books be distributed that many more books went out
that day, although the collections were almost the same both days.
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Liverpool
It
was good that we distributed fliers for the Liverpool Ratha-yatra the
day before there as we chanted Hare Krishna. We met many nice people.
The kirtan was a little spaced out because of the focus on
distribution and the cold windy weather, but still the holy name was
vibrated and people benefited.
Liverpool
Ratha-yatra
On
the whole the Hare Krishnas are well liked in Liverpool, the home of
the Beatles.
This
year’s Lord Mayor joined the procession.
I
distributed invitations to the festival and danced.
We
had a menu to attract people and inform them about the prasadam.
A
crowd enjoyed prasadam
while
watching the stage show.
Onlookers
joined in
the dancing
to the stage kirtans later.
Newcastle
Retreat
This
is first Newcastle Retreat I attended although I have had a
relationship with the Newcastle temple for many years. Often the
retreats were at a bad time for me. Once Janananda Goswami said he
would rather have me do harinama
than
attend the retreat.
This
time he said I could come, but I wanted to advertise the Liverpool
Ratha-yatra and attend it because it is in the region of England that
I visit, it is an important city, and I am friends with the
organizers, thus I only caught the last day of the Newcastle Retreat.
Hearing
the reflections of the devotees, some of which I share below, I could
understand they were really inspired because of the retreat. Being so
inspired several devotees who were at the retreat attended the Sunday
feast in Newcastle just a couple of hours after the retreat was over,
and they participated with full enthusiasm. Also five devotees who
were on the retreat were inspired to join me for over two hours of
harinama
in
Sunderland the next day.
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Sunderland
MASSIVE
SAVINGS – “The fruits ripened and became sweet and nectarean. The
gardener, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, distributed them without asking
any price. All the wealth in the three worlds cannot equal the value
of one such nectarean fruit of devotional service. Not considering
who asked for it and who did not, nor who was fit and who unfit to
receive it, Caitanya Mahaprabhu distributed the fruit of devotional
service. The transcendental gardener, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu,
distributed handful after handful of fruit in all directions, and
when the poor, hungry people ate the fruit, the gardener smiled with
great pleasure.” (Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita,
Adi-lila 9.27–30)
On
the Monday after the Newcastle retreat we had a great harinama
with seven devotees in Sunderland! Vrajendra Nandana, Varsha, Vrishni,
Ananda Vrindavan, Kirti Kumari, and Cami Prabhus all joined me!
Five
of them were staying with Ramai Prabhu, who encouraged them to go
out.
We displayed books, and here I played harmonium in accompaniment.
Vrajendra Nandana Prabhu distributed books as well.
Here
are some video clips of devotees chanting Hare Krishna in Sunderland.
The lady in the first clip requested that we sing the traditional
Hare Krishna tune she recalled from over 20 years ago. The manager of
the cafe in front of our party in the last clip told Vrajendra
Nandana Prabhu that we should sing there more often because we filled
their need for entertainment. Apparently it is very boring there, and
we added a lot of life (https://youtu.be/OPctioMa5V4):
Here
Ananda Vrindavan Dasi chants Hare Krishna in Sunderland, and a young
man who watched our party for a while, after talking with Vrajendra
Nandana Prabhu, tries chanting the Hare Krishna mantra for the first
time (https://youtu.be/Bq8X7PGnXCs):
After
harinama
we
all had prasadam
at
Vrinda’s and Ramai’s house, along with Keshavananda Prabhu, who
drove half of us there after work. Then we played the videos we took
of harinama
and
took turns chanting Hare Krishna in their temple room for the
pleasure of their deities. It was so ecstatic it was as if we
extended the Newcastle Retreat another day!
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Edinburgh
The
first day I chanted in Edinburgh the weather defied the predictions
of mostly cloudy with a 5% chance of rain. It was raining when I set
up, but then it cleared up and became so sunny I got sunburned!
My
most exciting encounter was with a young Russian lady who knew many
Hare Krishnas from Russia and who had attended a Hare Krishna program
there. She gave £1, and I offered her a book, and she accepted it
reluctantly because did not feel she had given enough. Later she
stopped by and gave another £2 or £3. She also expressed interested
in knowing about our programs, and I gave her phone number to both Rukmini Devi Dasi and Suparno.
The
second day we chanted late in the day at 5:30 p.m. so devotees could
join us after work. Devotees from five families joined me, and we had
a total of about fourteen people, including three kids, and six of us
sang part of the time. I chanted the last hour and a quarter by
myself. An Indian family who visits our temple in Watford gave a
donation, and an Oriental family, headed a by lady wearing Vaishnava
tilaka who
was a life member, gave a donation and accepted the book called Veda.
When
I was chanting alone, a man interested in spiritual ideas who had a
friend who had done an exhibition on Bhagavad-gita,
purchased
a copy of Srila Prabhupada’s Gita,
from
me. Thus it turned out to be the best harinama
I
was ever involved in organizing in Edinburgh in terms of attendance
and donations received.
Rukmini
Devi Dasi (formerly Rima)
from Lithuania, who has been trying to promote Krishna consciousness
in Edinburgh for several years chanted Hare Krishna nicely
(https://youtu.be/Ez1xLVXblPE):
Satthik,
just
five-years-old, the
youngest member of the Deb family of Bangladesh who have Hare
Krishna programs at their home every Tuesday, chanted Hare Krishna
amazing well for someone so young (https://youtu.be/BzVLLvd466o)!
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Chester-le-Street
I
like to encourage Atul Krishna Caitanya Prabhu, life-long resident of
Chester-le-Street, situated between Newcastle and Durham, by chanting
Hare Krishna in his town at least once a year. Because of health
issues it is hard for him to visit the temple in Newcastle, but he is
almost always ready to join me when I chant on the streets of his
hometown. This time I hoped to have a couple more devotees, but they
could not make it so it was just the two of us. I was pleasantly surprised to see he now has his own clay mrdanga, which he was playing when I arrived. Usually we just sing
there for an hour, but this time we sang for an hour and a half.
People donated £17.16 and took four books. It was truly inspiring.
In
fact, Atul Krishna Caitanya Prabhu was so inspired he thanked me on
Facebook and announced, “From today there will be a regular weekly
Harinam in Chester-le-Street. Next week it will be Thursday between
12.30 till 1.30 pm. At the moment there will be just myself, but, if
any of the Vaishnavas in the area would like to join me I’ll be
very happy. Hare Krishna. Haribol.”
When
I wrote his guru, Janananda Goswami, he replied, “Fabulous – so
happy to hear – thank you – hope that harinama
can carry on in CLS. Send my blessings and thanks to Atul KC.”
Later
Prema Sankirtana Prabhu told me that he will go every week to assist
Atul in that harinama.
It
would be absolutely wonderful if whenever I chanted with some
devotees on harinama
in
their towns,
they
would be inspired to make harinama
a
regular occurrence there!
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Newcastle
I
returned by train from Chester-le-Street to Newcastle, where Cami, a
college-aged girl involved with Krishna consciousness for a year,
chanted with me for two hours. While we were chanting it rained three
times. Later when I complained to a friend, he said, “You mean it
stopped raining three times!”
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Leeds with Mitrasena and Adi-Guru Prabhus
I
was excited to learn that Mitrasena Prabhu, a Prabhupada disciple
from North Carolina who is a great musician, was traveling around
England with Adi-Guru Prabhu. Their first engagement in the north was
in Leeds. As I like to do harinama
in
Leeds anyway, I came three and a half hours early to have time to
chant on Briggate Street before the program. Unfortunately because of
traffic, their three-hour journey from Watford took five hours, and I
ended up chanting two and a half hours by myself. During that time,
it rained five times, or should I say, it stopped raining five times,
thus making Leeds tie with Belfast for the award of being the
rainiest city I have ever chanted in.
I
met three people interested enough in our Leeds programs to take down
the phone number of the devotee in charge.
A
group of three Muslim ladies and a girl took photos and listened
briefly to the chanting, and each of them gave a donation. One
praised the sound of the singing. I said to her, “You are very
pure.” How else could she find joy in my chanting?
Later
while Mitra was singing, two of the same Muslim ladies walked by
again with the same girl, and the girl gave another donation.
Mitra
Prabhu played a homemade stringed instrument fashioned from an olive
oil can and led a Hare Krishna chant in Leeds while Adi-Guru Prabhu
played karatalas
and I danced. This brief video was taken by a passerby named Rianne
Gargan, who shared it with me by email
(https://youtu.be/6BBGbiTiopY):
I
felt sorry for Mitra that only two people came to the program. That
is one of the smallest attendances I have ever seen. That it was a
three-day weekend and many people were away must have been a
contributing factor.
Mitra
summarized the first four chapters of Srimad-Bhagavatam
and
spoke on an important verse from Chapter Five, text 18, “Persons
who are actually intelligent and philosophically inclined should
endeavor only for that purposeful end which is not obtainable even by
wandering from the topmost planet [Brahmaloka] down to the lowest
planet [Patala]. As far as happiness derived from sense enjoyment is
concerned, it can be obtained automatically in course of time, just
as in course of time we obtain miseries even though we do not desire
them.”
Then
we had a lively kirtana.
We
ate dinner in a restaurant called Hansa run by Gujaratis who cooked
preparations without onion and garlic especially for us. When
Adi-Guru Prabhu went to pay, they said the meal was on the house.
Adi-Guru gave them some first-class incense from his incense business
in reciprocation.
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Newcastle
I
was so happy that on Saturday seven devotees from the Newcastle
area sang with me on Northumberland Street.
Sunday six devotees joined me.
The sankirtana
is
so lively with many devotees!
On
Sunday, which happened to be Lord Balarama’s Appearance Day, one
lady who had experimented with meditation and whose husband visited
ISKCON London on Soho Street stopped to talk. The lady, whose kid was
in a stroller, was saying that she wanted to get back to meditation
again. We told the couple about our Sunday program, and they said
they would try to come after getting some lunch.
I
borrowed Satya Medha Gauranga Prabhu’s phone to take some videos of
the different devotees who chanted on our Balarama festival day
harinama.
To
avoid the light rain, we took shelter of the awning above a Superdrug
shop, a reminder that Lord Caitanya is the supreme physician and the
congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord is His ultimate
remedy for our disease of chronic materialism.
Satya
Medha Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Newcastle on
Northumberland Street on Lord Balarama's Appearance Day
(https://youtu.be/KuVmdM7FLy4):
Vishnu
Priya Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna on Northumberland Street
(https://youtu.be/QaktOzHEwOE):
Prema
Sankirtana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Northumberland Street
(https://youtu.be/3Pkcg0vOz6g):
Lord
Balarama’s Appearance Day Festival in Newcastle
Six
guests came to the temple for the first time on Lord Balarama’s
appearance day: a family of three we met on harinama
earlier
in the day, a young Indian couple, and Natalie, who had walked past
the temple many times but found it closed. They all had a good time.
Mitra
Prabhu interviewed Natalie of Newcastle, who shares her experience
(https://youtu.be/R90q3mWibpo):
Dhananjaya
Prabhu cooked an amazing feast which was highlighted by a wonderful curd
sabji,
three
desserts, and of course, varuni!
Chanting
Hare Krishna in York
Mitra
and Adi-Guru Prabhu and I drove to York to chant there on Monday, a
bank holiday in the UK. Govardhan Devi Dasi of Scarborough impressed
me by humbly playing the harmonium for the other singers although she
is an awesome singer herself. A few people were attracted. Somehow I
did not get it together to borrow a camera and take any videos.
Because we got a late start and traffic was backed up, we only
chanted for an hour and forty minutes. Normally I would have chanted
another hour and twenty minutes myself, but Jaya Krishna Prabhu, who
was taking me to Sheffield wanted to get going and by the time we got
to Sheffield the streets would be empty.
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Sheffield
I
was hoping to advertise and attend both the program the last Tuesday
of the month and the weekly Wednesday program in Sheffield, however,
they were canceled because of lack of a venue. Jaya Krishna Prabhu
offered to drive me to Kanwar and Madhavi’s place, where I usually
stay when visiting Sheffield, and have kirtan there for half an hour,
so we did that. Madhavi had rounds to chant and was not feeling well,
but Kanwar fully participated. Kanwar is a Sikh, but he has a nice
appreciation of both kirtan
and prasadam.
Thus
we had a little program in Sheffield after all.
While
visiting Jaya Krishna Prabhu, I purchased an iPhone for £90 to
replace the one I broke three weeks before in Berlin. It was very
useful and functioned as a phone, an alarm clock, and a camera, and
it had all of Srila Prabhupada’s books on it, and I got tired of
missing those facilities. Because I borrowed the previous iPhone from
the Yuga Dharma New York City harinama
party,
I thought I should replace it, and I also wanted to benefit from its
usefulness for the five weeks before I return it. A company called I
Need a Mobile, which boasts a 99.4% satisfaction rating, sells them
on Ebay with a twelve-month warranty and free shipping to the the UK.
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Manchester
When
I was in Paris, I told Prananath Prabhu, a disciple of Janananda
Goswami who I often did harinama
with,
that I would most likely be in Manchester the last week of August, as
he spoke of going there. Thus for that reason and because it is on
the way to Liverpool, my next engagement, I went to Manchester and
chanted in public for two days. The first day a young bhakta,
who
regularly distributes books in downtown Manchester, played the
karatalas
and
sang with me for fifteen minutes. He said the experience improved his
consciousness. The next day Prananath Prabhu came out with me, as did
Raj, a young Indian doctor, who loved to attend our kirtan programs
when he lived in the Newcastle temple and who knows how to play
several instruments. Prananath Prabhu was happy to experience the
bliss of harinama
again.
That day Raj came back to temple with us for a study of the
Introduction to Bhagavad-gita
As It Is which
happens there on Wednesday evenings.
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Liverpool
Several of us chanted Hare Krishna both Thursday and Friday to advertise the
program the last Friday of the month in Liverpool. The second day Mark joined us, and Alan joined us for part of the time.
I danced and distributed invitations as usual.
We
met many favorable people. One guy we met the first day said he would
come to the program, and he actually did. Another guy who was from
Preston was intrigued by the chanting and the philosophy. I told him
I had a ticket from Preston to Liverpool for the next day that I was
not using and that I could give to him if he wanted to come to our
program. He said he was going to London the next day, so I gave him
an invitation to our daily lunch program there. The first day I took
videos of each of the singers with my new iPhone.
The
Liverpool program was advertised to be about the travel adventures of
a Hare Krishna monk. I had wanted to talk about Krishna’s
appearance since Janmastami was the next week, so I decided to talk
about both topics. I explained how Krishna appears to teach dharma
and that the purpose of traveling monks is also the same. I showed a
playlist of YouTube videos from some of my favorite harinamas
called
“Memorable Moments on Harinama” (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xIv3FbcbKKgHTy7uKE6MtWb):
Five new people came: three from Facebook, one we met on harinama, and one who attended a Hare Krishna event in another city and who was advised by the devotees about our programs in Liverpool. I talked about how harinama transforms the consciousness of people from demonic to divine, and I gave some examples I had seen and others I had heard of.
Five new people came: three from Facebook, one we met on harinama, and one who attended a Hare Krishna event in another city and who was advised by the devotees about our programs in Liverpool. I talked about how harinama transforms the consciousness of people from demonic to divine, and I gave some examples I had seen and others I had heard of.
All
the new people liked the presentation as well as many of the
regulars.
The
program is now held at the Liverpool Central Library, a modern
facility with clean bathrooms, WiFi and facility to project computer
presentations on a screen. It is just a few minutes walk both from
our chanting spot and the train station. The only challenge is that
we have to end early because the library closes at 8:00 p.m. sharp.
The
train to York had very few passengers and was thus nice and quiet,
and there was free WiFi, so the journey was a rare pleasant
experience.
To see pictures I did not include in this blog, click below:
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
“This Hare Krishna movement, this Krishna consciousness movement, is simply educating people so that at the time of death one can remember Krishna. That’s all. . . . And if he is fortunate enough to do this, immediately he is transferred to the Krishnaloka. Immediately, within a second. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9].
So
why we should waste our time thinking so many nonsense things? Why
not think of Krishna, how beautiful He is, standing here with
Radharani? If we come here and take the impression and simply think
of Him, our life is perfect. This is Krishna consciousness. What is
the difficulty and what is your loss? If you gain such big profit
simply by thinking of Krishna, why should you lose this opportunity,
this human form of life? A cat cannot be educated. A dog cannot be
educated. If I teach a dog, ‘My dear dog, please think of Krishna,’
he is animal; it is not possible. But a human being, although at the
present moment he is like a dog, but he can be trained to become a
human being and think of Krishna. That is possible. So we should take
the opportunity.
Bahunam
janmanam ante
[Bg.
7.19]. This life is gotten after many, many births. We do not know.
We have forgotten. This is the opportunity.”
“Real
yoga
practice
means one becomes so perfect that he will not die natural death. He
will die when he likes. He will not be forced to die. When he thinks,
‘Now I am fully prepared. Now I shall leave this planet. I shall go
to such-and-such planet, such-and-such loka,’
he will be immediately transferred. That is yoga
practice.”
“.
. . this
Krishna consciousness, bhakti-yoga
system,
is so easy and perfect that if you simply think of Krishna, and if
you become perfect and to think of Krishna at the time of death, then
immediately you are transferred to the Krishnaloka.”
“You
can be packed up in a box – we have seen it – and you’ll come
out. In Bose’s circus, Calcutta, in our childhood, we saw this
yogic practice. A man was tied up, hands and legs, put into a bag.
The bag was sealed up, again put into a box. The box was locked and
sealed. And the man again came out. We have seen. So yogic practice
is such.
. . . But still, that is all material power. That is not spiritual
power. The real spiritual power is that you give up this body, you
give up this material world, go to the spiritual world, go back to
home, back to Godhead. That is your perfection, and that is very
easily obtained by this Krishna consciousness attitude.”
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.15.50 on December 27, 1973, in Los Angeles:
“The
necessity of spirit soul, because it is part and parcel of Krishna,
he is hankering to unite with Krishna. That is Krishna consciousness
movement. That is Krishna conscious. . . . The soul is hankering
after uniting with the supreme soul.”
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.15.51 on December 28, 1973, in Los Angeles:
“You
can find God everywhere if you have got eyes to see. But the real
business is not to see. God wants to see you, what you are working
for God. That He wants to see. To see God is not very difficult
business. Anyone with eyes to see, he can see God. But to be seen by
God, do something by which you can draw the attention of God and He
can see you, ‘Oh, here is My devotee,’ that is wanted. Let God
see you! Don’t try to see God.”
“Why
the spiritual master should be accepted as directly as the Supreme
God? Kintu
prabhor yah priya eva tasya. This
priya,
again, priyanam:
‘Because he is very, very dear to Krishna.’ Not that because he
is worshiped as Krishna, therefore he thinks himself Krishna and
declares, ‘Now I am Krishna.’ No. Kintu
prabhor yah priya eva tasya.
This priya.
Priya
is word. So therefore try to become priya
of Krishna. Do, act in such a way that Krishna can understand that
you are very dear to Him.”
“Our
only business is, ‘Just become dear to Krishna.’ That’s all.
Krishna consciousness movement means ‘You are trying to be dear to
so many things.’ Somebody is trying to be dear to his father, to
his mother, or to his family, children, or country, community,
society, nation. Everyone is trying to be dear. ‘I will do such and
such thing for you. Please give me vote. Please make me president.’
They are trying. And after all, the president also is not dear,
neither people is . . . dear. The real fact becomes disclosed after a
few days when the . . . mask . . . is over. That’s all.
So
this kind of trying to become dear is no use. It is simply waste of
time. So if you try to become dear to Krishna, that is siddhi.
That is perfection.”
“That
is sraddha
[Cc. Madhya 22.62], firm faith. It cannot be changed at any cost, at
any circumstance. That is called firm faith. If that firm faith is
not obtained, then we are still on the imperfection platform.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.5.18,
purport:
“Every
man everywhere is trying to obtain the greatest amount of sense
enjoyment by various endeavors.”
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.16.4 on January 1, 1974, in Los Angeles:
“In
the Kali-yuga everyone is a sudra.
Therefore naturally he will elect one sudra.
The sudra
is not fit for government management. As such, we find so many
difficulties in the government because the head or the head man, they
are all sudras.
They have dressed like administrator, but they are sudras.
This is the symptom of Kali-yuga.”
“Sometimes
we’ll find in our society, all intelligent class, and they fight
each other. That’s all. Everyone is thinking, ‘I am intelligent.
I am boss. I must order you.’ And the other is thinking, ‘Why you
shall be boss? I am also boss.’ So [laughs] fighting will go on.”
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.16.5 on January 2, 1974, in Los Angeles:
“If
I would not have taken the advantage of the aeroplanes, how I could
preach Krishna consciousness all over the world so swiftly? We must
take all advantage – but for Krishna. That is Krishna
consciousness. We shall encourage people, but the thing is that we
may not forget. If by material opulence we forget Krishna, then that
is suicidal. . . . Therefore we have to be little careful. We may
drive the Rolls-Royce car, but may not identify with the car – ‘Oh,
now I’ve become Rolls-Royce. You are Chevrolet; I’m Rolls-Royce.’
[laughter] Don’t become nonsense like that. Rolls-Royce car is
different from you, and Chevrolet car is also different from you. You
can take advantage of them. Don’t identify. They are identifying
with the matter. That is the defect. That is called maya.
He’s not identifying with Krishna, that ‘I am part and parcel of
Krishna.’”
“Anyone
who is trying for Krishna, to make people Krishna conscious, he is a
representative of Krishna, real representative. Therefore guru is
offered the respect exactly like Krishna. Saksad-dharitvena
samasta-sastrair uktas tatha bhavyata.
Because he is kintu
prabhor yah priya eva tasya,
he’s . . . doing the most confidential service.”
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.16.6 on January 3, 1974, in Los Angeles:
“Canakya
Pandita says that every moment of life is so valuable that you cannot
get back it even offering hundreds and thousands and millions of
dollars. That is not possible. So if that moment is wasted for
nothing, just imagine what is your loss. A thing which you cannot get
back by paying millions of dollars, if that is lost unnecessarily, so
how much loss you are suffering just imagine. This is material
calculation. Why we keep some valuable things, some jewel, very
carefully? Because we know, ‘If I lose this jewel, I will lose so
much money.’ Similarly, we should always consider that. The modern
civilization, rascal civilization, they do not know how to utilize
life. So many days, so many hours, they are simply wasting, simply
wasting.”
“Talking
means decreasing your duration of life. Talking. So why should you
decrease your life unnecessarily? Every moment you have to utilize,
‘Whether it is used for Krishna?’ This is sadhana.
This is sadhana,
practice. Unnecessary talking, unnecessarily making enemies.
Unnecessarily, ‘You are my subordinate; I am your master.’ Who is
master? Everyone is subordinate to Krishna. Nobody is master. Why you
talk unnecessarily?”
“Big,
big politicians, they read Bhagavad-gita,
in our country. But by their action it is seen they did not
understand even a word of Bhagavad-gita.
Even a word of Bhagavad-gita.
Big, big politician. They became very big, big mahatmas
or great men, but they tried for this body, which is to be finished.
Antavanta
ime dehah.
Nobody tried for that thing which will never be finished, that is
eternal. You find from their life, they never instructed about the
soul.”
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.16.7 on January 4, 1974, in Los Angeles:
“There
are many social problems in your country – I do not wish to discuss
– but . . . very grave problems. But they do not know how to
systematize the human form of life because they do not know what is
the aim of life. That they do not know. So aim of life is to stop
this repetition of birth and death. That is the aim of life. The
so-called scientists, they do not know it, and neither they work for
it.”
“One
must be serious and execute Krishna consciousness, follow the rules
and regulation, very simple, and chant Hare Krishna mantra, and they
will be saved from Mrityu, Yamaraja [death].”
Bhaktivinoda
Thakura:
From
Jaiva
Dharma, Chapter
Fourteen:
“Raghunatha
dasa Babaji, ‘A diminutive portion of the svarupa-shakti
is present in the jiva,
therefore
Her three properties are also present within the jiva
in a small quantity. The hladini-shakti
is present in the jiva
as perfect brahmananda,
the bliss of Brahman transcendence, which is ready to be realized at
any time. The samvit-shakti
is manifested in the jiva
as brahma-jnana,
knowledge of the undifferentiated Absolute Truth, and sandhini-shakti
is manifested in the jiva
as anu-caitanya,
the minute spark of the supreme consciousness. When these same
properties are projected into the maya-shakti
on
the material plane, they behave differently because of the resultant
contamination. The hladini-shakti
is exhibited as gross mundane pleasure, samvit-shakti
as materialistic knowledge, and sandhini-shakti
as the fourteen planetary systems of the material creation and the
physical forms encasing the jiva.’”
“Raghunatha
dasa Babaji, ‘. . . On this material plane, conflicting and
contradictory natures cannot coexist in one place or in one person
because such contrasting natures mutually destroy one another.
However, the shakti
of Sri Krishna is so inconceivable that the seemingly contrary
emotions, nature, and qualities of the spiritual world eternally
coexist harmoniously in pristine splendour.
“Sri Krishna is simultaneously personal with a beautiful form and impersonal with an awe-inspiring presence; both all-pervasive and embodied; inactive and dynamically creative; unborn and born of His parents, Devaki and Vasudeva, and Yashoda and Nanda; the Supreme Godhead, worshiped by all, and yet a simple cowherd boy; omniscient and yet accepting an incarnation that manifests human emotions; with form and qualities, yet also formless and unqualified; beyond sense perception and yet the personification of rasa; unlimited and yet limited by performing His pastimes as incarnations; unattainable and far away, yet very near in the heart of everyone; immutable and unconcerned, yet filled with consternation at the anger of the gopis. There are innumerable examples of how these apparently conflicting emotions sustain as well as accelerate the transcendental pastimes of the Lord, be it in regard to the personality of the Lord, His dhama, His associates, or paraphernalia. The eternal harmony of these opposing aspects indicates the inconceivable status of His shakti.’”
“Raghunatha
dasa Babaji, ‘. . . the Supreme Lord, who is described everywhere
as captivatingly beautiful, descends at will and on the spur of the
moment to sport in pastimes with the jivas.’”
“Raghunatha
dasa Babaji, ‘The following unequivocal statement is cited from the
Taittiriya
Upanishad,
2.7.1:
yadvaitat
raso vai sah
rasam
hy evayam labdhvanandi bhavati
ko
hy evanyat kah pranyat
yad
esa akasha anando na syat
esa
hy evanandayati
“The One who has been described (in the previous verse of the Upanishad) as the paragon of piety and merit is in truth parama-brahma, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the embodiment of rasa. Only when the jiva is able to attain Him, the rasa svarupa, the embodiment of spiritual mellows, can he be truly happy. Who could breathe without the Lord giving breath? Who could be happy without the Lord giving happiness? It is He who gives transcendental bliss.”’”
“The One who has been described (in the previous verse of the Upanishad) as the paragon of piety and merit is in truth parama-brahma, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the embodiment of rasa. Only when the jiva is able to attain Him, the rasa svarupa, the embodiment of spiritual mellows, can he be truly happy. Who could breathe without the Lord giving breath? Who could be happy without the Lord giving happiness? It is He who gives transcendental bliss.”’”
“Raghunatha
dasa Babaji, ‘There are two groups of maya-baddha-jivas,
conditioned souls. One group are parak,
spiritually apathetic; they turn their back to Sri Krishna and are
attracted to matter. The other group is pratyak,
spiritually attracted; they face Sri Krishna and are drawn to the
inner self and Sri Krishna. The extroverted parak
jivas
deny Sri Krishna and by turning their back on the Lord are thereby
deprived of beholding the sublime beauteous splendour of the Lord.
Their consciousness is projected into the material phenomena; thus,
they see and think only of matter. On the other hand, the introverted
pratyak
jivas
are averse to maya
and are attracted to Sri Krishna, being therefore eligible to
perceive Sri Krishna who is the embodiment of the all-blissful
spiritual mellows.’”
“Raghunatha
dasa Babaji, ‘The Kathopanishad,
1.2.23, states:
nayam
atma pravacanena labhyo
na
medhaya na bahudha shrutena
yam
evaisha vrinute tena labhyas
tasyaisha
atma vivrinute tanum svam
“Knowledge of the Supreme Absolute Truth is neither acquired through endless debates, nor through a sharp intellect, nor through erudition. Yet, when the jiva soul turns to the Supreme Lord with a mood of service and begs for His mercy, the Lord from within reciprocates and reveals Himself to such a sincere soul.”’”
“Knowledge of the Supreme Absolute Truth is neither acquired through endless debates, nor through a sharp intellect, nor through erudition. Yet, when the jiva soul turns to the Supreme Lord with a mood of service and begs for His mercy, the Lord from within reciprocates and reveals Himself to such a sincere soul.”’”
“Sri
Mayapura is the maha-yoga-pitha,
the eternal abode of Sri Radha and Sri Krishna surrounded by their
eternal and intimate associates, within Sri Navadvipa-dhama.”
“The
Srimad-Bhagavatam,
7.9.38, narrates: …channah
kalau...
‘In Kali-yuga the full incarnation of the Supreme Lord makes a
covered appearance.’ Similarly, the same principle is applied to
Navadvipa-dhama—in
Kali-yuga Navadvipa is the covered dhama.
In Kali-yuga there is no tirtha-yatra,
pilgrimage, superior to visiting Mayapura. Furthermore, only those
who understand the transcendental significance of Mayapura are
eligible to reside in Vraja-dhama. To the extroverted gross
materialist, who cannot understand the actual spiritual position and
importance of the dhama,
Vraja and Navadvipa appear inert and ordinary. Those jivas
who are extremely fortunate acquire transcendental vision and can see
the dhama
in all her splendour.”
“The
residents of Navadvipa are immensely fortunate—they are the
associates of Sri Caitanya. On account of innumerable pious deeds a
person is promoted to reside in Navadvipa. Certain aspects of rasa,
which are not expressed in Vrindavana, find their expression in
Navadvipa. Only a person who has become qualified to understand these
particular rasas
will be able to perceive them.”
“Navadvipa-dhama
and especially Mayapura are so spiritually potent that anyone
executing sadhana
there will very soon be crowned with the highest success by the
attainment of krishna-prema.
The house of Sri Jagannatha Mishra is the nucleus of Mayapura. It is
the yoga-pitha,
and
the eternal supramundane pastimes of Sri Gauraìga are enacted and
seen there by the most fortunate souls.”
“Raghunatha
dasa Babaji, ‘Sri Gauranga is worshiped in two ways, depending on
His respective consort. In the sadhana-bhakti
stage of arcana-marga,
Deity worship of Sri Gauranga and Sri Vishnupriya is in the mood of
awe and reverence. In raganuga-bhajana,
the spontaneous stage of raga-marga,
Sri Gauranga and Sri Gadadhara Prabhu are worshiped.’”
From
Jaiva
Dharma, Chapter
Fifteen:
“‘Out
of the flames of a fire fall innumerable tiny sparks, similarly, from
the rays of the transcendental sun, Sri Hari, emanate millions of
minute particles of consciousness, the infinitesimal spirit souls,
the iivas.
The jiva
is non-different from the Supreme, Sri Hari, and yet simultaneously
he is distinct from Sri Hari. The eternal difference between the
Supreme Lord Sri Hari and the jiva
is that the Lord is always the master and controller of the
maya-shakti,
whereas the jiva,
even in his liberated state by his very constitutional nature is
vulnerable to come under the sway of the maya-shakti.’”
“‘In
the very beginning before creation, when only that One Eternal
Non-dual Truth existed, was there anything besides Brahman?’
“So
if Brahman was the only one in existence, where did bhrama,
illusion, come from? Secondly, who is under illusion? If the answer
is that Brahman is in illusion, then you are degrading Brahman from
His supreme transcendental position to something insignificant and
secondary, and thus Brahman is not Brahman, the Supreme. Furthermore,
if one argues that illusion is a separate entity, then this proposal
contradicts the concept of non-duality, monism.”
“The
jiva
becomes perfect through sadhana—that
is he becomes a sadhana-siddha—and
then experiences the same level of spiritual bliss as that of a
nitya-siddha.”
“The
four classes of sakhis
serving Srimati Radhika are nitya-siddha.”
The
Humble Servants of Srila Prabhupada:
“Lord
Krishna intensifies our love for Him by apparently separating Himself
from us, and the result is that we achieve what we really wanted and
prayed for: intense love for the Absolute Truth, Krishna. Thus Lord
Krishna’s apparent negligence is actually His thoughtful
reciprocation and the fulfillment of our deepest and purest desire.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam
10.32.20, purport)
“Here
the Lord indicates that though the gopis
were already perfect in their love for Him, still, to inconceivably
increase their perfection and show an example for the world, He acted
as He did [disappearing from them and throwing them in an ocean of
lamentation].” (Srimad-Bhagavatam
10.32.21, purport)
“Any
living being who hears of the spontaneous loving attraction the gopis
felt for Lord Krishna will have his desires for material sense
gratification destroyed at the root and will develop his natural
propensity for serving the Supreme Lord, the spiritual master, and
the Lord’s devotees.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam
10.33, Chapter Summary)
“Material
activities never entangle the devotees of the Supreme Lord, who are
fully satisfied by serving the dust of His lotus feet. Nor do
material activities entangle those intelligent sages who have freed
themselves from the bondage of all fruitive reactions by the power of
yoga. So how could there be any question of bondage for the Lord
Himself, who assumes His transcendental forms according to His own
sweet will?” (Srimad-Bhagavatam
10.33.34)
“Since
Lord Krishna is the Supreme Lord dwelling within the gopis,
their so-called husbands and all other living beings, what possible
sin could there be on His part if He embraces some of the beings He
Himself has created? What fault could there be if the Lord goes with
the gopis
to a secret place, since He already dwells within the most secret
part of every living being, the core of the heart?”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam
10.33.35, purport)
“Srila
Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura glorifies the Lord’s conjugal
pastimes, stating that these romantic affairs have an inconceivable
spiritual potency to attract the polluted heart of conditioned souls.
It is an undeniable fact that any pure- or simple-hearted person who
hears narrations of the loving affairs of Krishna will be attracted
to the lotus feet of the Lord and gradually become His devotee.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam
10.33.36, purport)
“Anyone
who faithfully hears or describes the Lord’s playful affairs with
the young gopis
of Vrindavana will attain the Lord’s pure devotional service. Thus
he will quickly become sober and conquer lust, the disease of the
heart.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam
10.33.39)
“Therefore
it is by the causeless mercy of Lord Krishna that He exhibits His
rasa-lila
within this world. If we become attached to this narration, we will
experience the bliss of spiritual love and thus reject the perverted
reflection of that love, which is called lust.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam
10.33.39, purport)
Bhakti
Caitanya Swami:
I
asked you to try giving a gift or giving prasadam
to
someone. I will not ask if you did it, but it really helps develop
loving relationships.
Once
you have been around for a while, it is not difficult to deal with
seniors. You can hear from them or offer to serve them. They are
generally more broadminded. But dealing with juniors requires more
sensitivity. They may be more temperamental, and they may have not
even decided to commit themselves fully.
If
you really do sadhu-sanga
[association
with devotees] nicely with all three levels of devotees, you will
feel a natural attraction for devotional service.
A
big part of dealing with juniors involves helping them deal with
their problems.
Forgiveness
and the understanding that Krishna is there in the background can
help juniors deal with their problems. This includes understanding
how Krishna gives tests and how you can benefit from these tests by
seeing them in the right way.
Bhakti
Tirtha Swami famously said, “Whenever I see a test coming, I think,
‘Here comes Krishna in the form of test!’”
What
should we look for in someone we want good association from?
Dedication to Srila Prabhupada. This is a foundation of all good
qualities.
One
devotee went to see Jayananda Prabhu in the hospital when he had
leukemia. He did not see him in the bed in his room. The devotee
thought he might have been taken out for tests. Then he looked closer
and saw the sheets folded carefully on his bed and a photo of Srila
Prabhupada on the pillow, and behind the bed was Jayananda on the
floor. He asked Jayananda why he was on the floor. Jayananda
explained that in his whole life he never had such a comfortable bed
as this hospital bed, so he thought he should offer it to Srila
Prabhupada.
Duryodhana
liked to cook although there were so many cooks in the palace.
Bhismadeva ate what he cooked, and thus his consciousness was
affected, and he sided with the Duryodhana against the Pandavas.
Kaliya
represents poisoning the hearts of devotees.
If
you spontaneously have a negative attitude toward a devotee because
of hearing something bad about him that is evidence that your
consciousness has been poisoned.
As
Kaliya was exiled from Vrindavan, although he had surrendered to
Krishna, we may be effectively exiled from the association of
devotees if we poison the consciousness of devotees.
Jiva
Goswami argues that Bharata Maharaja became attached to a deer
because of offenses in his spiritual practice because at the stage of
bhava
all
reactions to sinful activities have already been vanquished.
One
should not criticize devotees for four things:
1.
the last traces of sinful activity
2.
their birth
3.
accidental deviation or momentarily lapse
4.
their sinful activities prior to becoming Krishna consciousness
The
devotees had an elephant on a padayatra
party. The elephant liked to lead the party. The elephant did not
like others to lead the party and would flick them with her trunk if
they came too far forward. One elderly devotee got in the front of
the party, and the elephant flicked him. He was so ecstatically
absorbed in the kirtan, he came again in front of the elephant, and
the elephant flicked him again. Being absorbed in the kirtan, he
again came before the elephant a third time. This time the elephant
picked him up with his trunk, smashed him to the ground and sat on
him. Thus you should not make an elephant mad.
We
should not criticize Ramacandra Puri, although his activity of
criticizing devotees should not be followed, because he was a
personality from Krishna-lila specifically to play a role in the
pastime. He was Jatila, Radharani’s mother-in-law.
Radhanath
Swami:
From
a recorded lecture about the pastimes of Krishna and Balarama:
Hearing
about the pastimes of Krishna purifies our heart and pleases Krishna
because it awakens our love for Him.
By
Balarama’s potency the whole dhama
is
engaged in Krishna’s service.
The
propensity to play is there because it is there in Krishna and
Balarama, who we are part of.
Krishna
will play along with your maya.
Do
not think you can fool Krishna. Krishna may allow you to execute your
folly, but ultimately there will be a reaction to it.
It
is only by the mercy of guru and Krishna we can conquer our anarthas.
Pralambhasura
represents lusty inclinations and desire for personal honor.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura says we cannot overcome these alone but need the
mercy of guru and Krishna.
Mitrasena
Prabhu (a Prabhupada disciple visiting England from North Carolina):
From
a spiritual discussion at the Friday night program in Leeds:
The
Bhagavatam
describes
that the sages performed sacrifice to diminish the effects of
Kali-yuga. It is like our ancestors looking out for us.
When
Krishna returned to His abode, all that is good went with Him.
I
have sold thousands of Bhagavatams
all
over America. Now I am trying to get people to read them.
Someone
says one sentence, and we think, “Now I get it.” If that sentence
came at another time, we would not have noticed it, but at that
certain time in your life it clicks.
Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.2.6
does
not specify a certain deity. It says develop devotion for that which
lies beyond your senses and not for the purpose of gaining something
material. When presented like that, the idea will appeal to a wider
audience, including those not yet ready to surrender to some deity.
We
all enjoy sense gratification, but if the goal of your life is to
enjoy your five senses, you will end up having a very shallow life.
It is like salt. Salt makes food taste better, but you cannot eat
only salt.
Sukadeva
Goswami was so advanced spiritually that he saw no reason to be born.
Srila
Prabhupada makes the point that Vyasadeva was not satisfied by
writing Vedanta, and therefore, one cannot expect to be satisfied by
studying it.
I
saw a T-shirt with the slogan “I have 99 problems, and all of them
can be solved with a beer.” There are actually many people who
think that way.
You
cannot push darkness out of a room, but just light a candle . . .
We
are convinced that adding bhakti
will
solve all problems.
Two
comments by Manoharini Radha Devi Dasi:
Happiness will come to you anyway, so you do not need to endeavor for it. Just endeavor for devotion.
One devotee speaking in Leeds said that as devotees we are also suffering but we know where to take shelter.
You
can look everywhere with your material senses, but you will not find
bhakti.
From
a Sunday feast lecture in Newcastle:
Comment
by Craig, a newcomer: I think of Krishna as being beyond the
existence of all we know here.
We
believe love is the highest thing, and we go through deep
conversations in Sanskrit to prove it.
Love
is the substantial thing. It even motivates God.
After
reading Bhagavad-gita,
you
can read the Krishna
book
and see how Krishna lives His life.
When
you hear the philosophy it really puts everything in perspective.
The
moon appears to go through different phases, but in reality it
remains the same. Similarly the soul, despite the changes of bodies,
remains unchanged.
Comment
by Adi-Guru Prabhu: The most important thing is the most important
thing. The problem is that we get entangled in things that are not so
important.
Comment
by Caitanya Vallabha Prabhu: My guru, Indradyumna Swami, likens one
too absorbed in material life to someone who becomes so entangled in
shopping in the duty-free shop that he misses his plane.
If
we do not take care of basic needs, we end up doing something
desperate.
Comment
by a devotee: Work to live. Don’t live to work.
Comment
by Caitanya Vallabha Prabhu: Love is a verb, a doing word. We can do
something to show our love.
How
can we practically increase our love? We can hear about and talk
about the object of love.
Chapter
Three of the First Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam
gives
a whole list of incarnations, and toward the end, it mentions that
this Srimad-Bhagavatam
is
an incarnation of Krishna for this age.
Poets
like Rumi pray to be like a flute that God blows through to manifest
His will.
Our
asset is our attraction to Krishna. That we must keep growing.
If
you cannot find any interest in Krishna among the people, you can
spark some interest. That is what Srila Prabhupada did, and he
created a whole movement.
Because
we have feelings for matter it causes us pain, but when we develop
love for spiritual topics that pain will be diminished.
Once
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, instead of dismantling one
Mayavadi’s philosophy, which he could have easily done and which he
often did, spoke in detail about the personality of Krishna, and
gradually the Mayavadi’s heart was changed to accept the personal
feature of God as superior.
Dayananda Swami:
Srila Prabhupada made the instructions of his spiritual master one with his heart, and therefore, he was successful.
In one purport in Caitanya-caritamrita, Srila Prabhupada paraphrases the four regulative principles and adds a fifth, freedom from duplicity.
Srila Prabhupada says that if we cannot be straightforward, we cannot make advancement.
Once Bhakti Tirtha Swami was advising that one with a mental grievance should present it before the deities and ask what to do. Then one should put oneself in the place of the deities and then listen to one’s own complaint. I found when I did that, the answer to my own problem came to me.
We need to make others feel that their contributions are important.
Comment by Bhakti Caitanya Swami: If we understand that someone offends me because of something I have done in the past then in one sense the need for forgiveness is not really there because actually I am the cause of my own suffering.
Q: If we feel that we are not engaged properly, can we question how we are being engaged?
A: Yes, especially we have been around for a while and we have a clear indication of how we can best contribute.
When we realize that Krishna is providing what we really need, we become more surrendered.
If we have some issue and read Srila Prabhupada’s books regularly, we will always find what we need to know, wherever we read from. Srila Prabhupada’s books are so complete!
Caitanya
Vallabha Prabhu:
Vaisesika
Prabhu always asks for reflections after a class. Reflections are
things that you take away from the class.
If
you do not hear, very soon you will not be here.
Tribhuvanatha
Prabhu would say, “Being casual results in casualties.”
Kirti-Kumari
Devi Dasi:
Bhakti
Caitanya Swami reminded us of the amazing truth that when we
associate properly with devotees the threefold miseries will exist no
longer.
Gaurakisora
Prabhu:
We
may not have the time or the inclination to go deep into Srila
Prabhupada’s books, so for us the representatives of Srila
Prabhupada bring Srila Prabhupada’s books to life.
These
retreats are transformational for communities.
Vrajendra
Nandana Prabhu:
The
retreat is like a rain after a long period of drought.
I
feel the speakers like Bhakti Caitanya Swami, Janananda Goswami, and
Dayananda Swami all carry a little sample from the time of Srila
Prabhupada so we can experience what that was like.
Jagannathesvari
Devi Dasi:
It
takes gallons of blood to make devotees, but it takes one word for
them to be gone. So it makes me really think about how carefully I
must be in dealing with devotees.
Nitaicand
Prabhu:
I
am a great getter but not a very good giver. I apologize for that.
Here you have really been giving, and I have really been getting, and
I thank you for that.
-----
The
loving exchanges between devotees of the Lord was the theme of the
Newcastle Retreat, and thus reading the reflections on the retreat
above, I am reminded of this most famous verse on that topic. I am
embarrassed to quote it as I do not excel at these exchanges, but I
share the verse because it is important, and I recognize that our
devotional lives are more pleasing the more we apply this verse.
dadati
pratigrihnati
guhyam
akhyati pricchati
bhunkte
bhojayate caiva
shad-vidham
priti-lakshanam
“Offering
gifts in charity, accepting charitable gifts, revealing one’s mind
in confidence, inquiring confidentially, accepting prasada
and offering prasada
are the six symptoms of love shared by one devotee and another.”
(Nectar
of Instruction, verse
4)
One example of giving gifts that Srila Prabhupada mentions in his purport to that verse is giving the holy name: “Contributing or distributing the holy name of the Lord is a sublime example of contributing or giving charity (the dadati principle). By the same token, one must also follow the pratigrihnati principle and be willing and ready to receive the transcendental gift.” Srila Prabhupada explains that this is a valuable gift because “simply by hearing and chanting—sravanam kirtanam [SB 7.5.23]—one’s heart is directly purified, and one’s original Krishna consciousness is immediately awakened. Krishna consciousness is not artificially imposed upon the heart, it is already there. When one chants the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the heart is cleansed of all mundane contamination.”
One example of giving gifts that Srila Prabhupada mentions in his purport to that verse is giving the holy name: “Contributing or distributing the holy name of the Lord is a sublime example of contributing or giving charity (the dadati principle). By the same token, one must also follow the pratigrihnati principle and be willing and ready to receive the transcendental gift.” Srila Prabhupada explains that this is a valuable gift because “simply by hearing and chanting—sravanam kirtanam [SB 7.5.23]—one’s heart is directly purified, and one’s original Krishna consciousness is immediately awakened. Krishna consciousness is not artificially imposed upon the heart, it is already there. When one chants the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the heart is cleansed of all mundane contamination.”
