Travel Journal#14.19: Yuga Dharma New York City Harinama

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 14, No. 19 

By Krishna-kripa das 

(October 2018, part one) 

New York City 

(Sent from Yuga Dharma Ashram in New York City on October 19, 2018)

Where I Went and What I Did

On October 1, I flew from Dublin to Newburgh, New York, where Krishna Kumar Prabhu picked me up and took me to his family’s restaurant, Nimai’s Bliss Kitchen, for prasadam for the first time. Then I took the bus to New York City and joined the Yuga Dharma New York City harinama party chanting Hare Krishna six hours daily in Union Square Park on the good weather days and in subway stations at Times Square, Union Square, Grand Central, and Penn Station on the cold and wet days. During the first half of October I got to hear Indradyumna Swami sing at the Bhakti Center Thursday Night Kirtan and Bada Haridas Prabhu sing on a Friday night harinama organized by the Bhakti Center and attended by many members of Indradyumna Swami’s festival tour. I also got to hear Ananta Govinda and Acyuta Gopi and their family and friends chant at Radha-Govinda temple in Brooklyn one Wednesday night.

Many, many apologies for the low audio quality of the videos in this issue and the previous one. I bought an android smartphone in India for $42 that takes HD videos, but the audio quality is inconceivably bad. I hope to get a camcorder sometime soon to solve that problem.

I share excerpts from a lecture by Srila Prabhupada. I share excerpts from Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s latest writing project, a free write journal, and from his Srila Prabhupada-lilamrita. I share an important point from an address by Indradyumna Swami during the Bhakti Center Thursday night kirtan. I share a comment by Dayananda Prabhu during the announcements at the end of the Saturday program at 26 Second Avenue. I share notes on a lecture by Ramabhadra Prabhu of the Radha-Govinda temple in Brooklyn. I share comments from Arjuna and Rama Raya Prabhus from a going away lunch for the Yuga Dharma Ashram devotees at the Bhakti Center. I share excerpts from Pauranic Caritavali, an inspiring compilation of stories of sages and kings of the Puranas by Bhumipati and Isvara Prabhus, soon to be published by Touchstone Publishing.

I would like to thank Janananda Goswami for his donation to my travels. Thanks also to Ramabhadra and Satya Prabhus for allowing me to stay at the Radha-Govinda temple in Brooklyn for two weeks.

I would like to thank Mangal Arati Das Ramnarine for his videos and Murli Krishna Prabhu and Divyangi-devi Dasi (formerly Bhaktin Diana) for their photos, all of the Yuga Dharma New York City harinama party.

Itinerary

October 1–: New York City Yuga Dharma Harinama Party

October 20–21: with my family in Albany, New York

November 3: Bhagavad-gita class at 26 Second Avenue

December 24: Albany, New York, for Christmas Eve

Nimai's Bliss Kitchen

The family of devotees running Nimai's Bliss Kitchen in Newburgh, New York, headed by Mayapurcandra Prabhu, kindly agreed to pick me up after my flight from Dublin at Stewart Airport, from which Norwegian Airlines has several cheap flights to Europe. I went to their restaurant for the first time. I was happy to see Indradyumna Swami in the parking lot, which was not a complete surprise, as I knew his America festival tour performed in Newburgh two days before.

The restaurant had some very beautiful signs,

and the prasadam at the buffet was quite acceptable.

In general the food was not too spicy as it is sometimes is when people from India cook. I did not ask for any of the other things that one might order there, as I did not want to be a demanding guest. Krishna Kumar Prabhu got me at the airport, took me to the restaurant, and dropped me at the Newburgh stop of the Short Line bus to New York City, a destination an hour and a half to the south, so I could catch the last three and three-quarters hours of the harinama at Union Square Park with the Yuga Dharma Ashram harinama party.

Chanting Hare Krishna with the Yuga Dharma Ashram Harinama Party

I am happy to be back for another autumn with the Yuga Dharma Harinama party at Union Square in New York City, where every day is an adventure. The first day a pair of dinosaurs danced with us while an older lady delighted in playing the shakers (https://youtu.be/Yv6Jfc1X2vI):

The next day a lady named Marion stopped by who had attended the Hare Krishna love feasts in 1966 at the storefront temple and personally saw Bhaktivedanta Swami [Srila Prabhupada]! She was happy to learn we are renting 26 2nd Avenue even now and have a weekly Bhagavad-gita class there, and she took an invitation as well as three “On Chanting Hare Krishna” pamphlets, two for her grandsons who are interested in philosophy. She said she knew that Krishna was truth. 

I would mostly watch the book table, chant the response, 

play the shakers, and distribute the free literature. 

Sometimes I would dance.

This month Bhaktin Diana, who is always enthusiastic to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books, received spiritual initiation from Vaisesika Prabhu. She is now known as Divyangi-devi Dasi. All congratulations to her on this important event in her spiritual life.

One day someone attracted by the devotees’ tilaka asked that we put some on him. As I am not very artistic I invited Kalki Prabhu to do that service.

The most enthusiastic participation from the public came one time when we were chanting in the Union Square subway station and Rama Raya Prabhu was leading and a group of several people delighted in dancing with us for several minutes (https://youtu.be/_nqeGwgB53o):

Rama Raya Prabhu, our leader, chanted many lively Hare Krishna kirtans, usually at the end of the day, and often the devotees and others would dance.

Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and onlookers dance with devotees (https://youtu.be/NqQtsnqrkZo):

Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and two devotees ladies dance (https://youtu.be/drubyUFd0ns):

Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Union Square and a new guy dances with Mahotsaha Prabhu (https://youtu.be/hZVzciDY4hc):

Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Penn Station subway station, and Mahotsaha Prabhu dances (https://youtu.be/W6Y_JNUCv68):

Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and a bystander claps and moves to the music (https://youtu.be/I0hJOHl4vV4):

Sometimes Rama Raya Prabhu would dance when others like Kaliya Krishna Prabhu would chant Hare Krishna, as here in Union Square (https://youtu.be/bRpqZMDj5EI):

Here Keli Lalita Devi Dasi, who teaches yoga and performs kirtan in Upstate New York, chants Hare Krishna in Union Square, and Rama Raya Prabhu dances (https://youtu.be/YD3ZfP50J4g):

On several occasions, Padmalaya Devi Dasi of Russia, who became a regular on the Yuga Dharma Ashram party since my visit last year, chanted lively Hare Krishna tunes at Union Square (https://youtu.be/lqooniHGJrc):

Jayesa Prabhu from Sweden has joined our Yuga Dharma Ashram also and also Bhakta Marcel, who was traveling and distributing books with Brajananda Prabhu.

Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and devotees and onlookers dance with delight (https://youtu.be/8CsY1RESrHI):

Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square and a mom and son play shakers with Rama Raya Prabhu (https://youtu.be/x4T7He-iCpE)

Kanai Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and onlookers dance (https://youtu.be/Y9tiGg1bUDE):

Here Kanai Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna and a University of Miami graduate in religious studies who donated $20 and accepted Bhagavad-gita, Science of Self-Realization, Sri Isopanishad, and Nectar of Instruction learned to chant the mantra, encouraged by Krishna Prasad Prabhu (https://youtu.be/EfwfLV-3GqM):

She also played the shakers.

In the end she happily accepted a garland.

Mangal Arati Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Grand Central subway station, and onlookers dance with devotees (https://youtu.be/Xs3iXbh8Fko):

Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and a boy plays the shakers and dances (https://youtu.be/arGr8qEX1ac):

Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and a devotee mom dances with babe in arms (https://youtu.be/5CUu0prQr58):

Karuna Sindhu Prabhu of Germany chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/QhkPycSVY9o):

Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna and an onlooker dances with devotees (https://youtu.be/gminZkcpi3Q):

Here Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and a passerby and I dance [a live Facebook video by Mangal Arati Das Ramnarine] (https://youtu.be/OWUNfLJbtig):

Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and two devotees dance (https://youtu.be/pmIglV1obVc):

Padmalaya Devi Dasi leads the chanting of Hare Krishna and Kishorirani Devi Dasi and Nadia, also from Russia, dance nicely, bringing Union Square harinama to another level (https://youtu.be/_zvZ_zzAvDk):

I also dance as usual as you can see in this Facebook live video by Mangal Arati Das Ramnarine (https://youtu.be/TPH7qDjtAYY):

Here I chant Hare Krishna at Times Square Subway Station [a live Facebook video by Mangal Arati Das Ramnarine] (https://youtu.be/titjjvS656I):

The day the Yuga Dharma harinama devotees moved from their apartment in the Lower East Side to their building in uptown Manhattan, many devotees from the Bhakti Center joined us on harinama in the Times Square subway station:

Here Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station, and Murali Gopal Prabhu of the Bhakti Center dances (https://youtu.be/m5pNjpnAtNI):

Later Jaya Jagannatha Prabhu of the Bhakti Center chanted Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station, and onlookers and devotees danced (https://youtu.be/3SInEpHXarI):

Youssef, a resident of the Bhakti Center who I chanted with at University of North Florida when he was a student, chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/PMKkhTuNY6Y):

While Yuga Dharma and Bhakti Center devotees were chanting Hare Krishna in the Times Square subway station, a group of youths danced with delight and became curious about what we were doing (https://youtu.be/bc5PAodZtGY):

Rama Raya Prabhu often speaks briefly on the glories of sankirtana, the congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord, after the harinama.

This brief speech is from October 2 (https://youtu.be/pch-ztx5EnY):

And this one from October 3 (https://youtu.be/j59VgvG2Jmw):

Chanting Hare Krishna at Other Venues in New York City

In addition to my daily participating in the Yuga Dharma New York City harinamas, I went to other kirtan events in New York City.

The first week I was there, Indradyumna Swami chanted Hare Krishna at The Bhakti Center Thursday Night Kirtan. The room was so full of people, I could not get anywhere near Maharaja, but I took video of some of the many devotees who danced with great enthusiasm (https://youtu.be/jX5Jw8u978Y):

The next day devotees from Indradyumna Swami’s tour and from The Bhakti Center chanted Hare Krishna in New York City from The Bhakti Center to Washington Square Park by way of 26 Second Avenue. Here Bada Haridas Prabhu leads the chanting of Hare Krishna outside 26 2nd Avenue, and many dance (https://youtu.be/rStzhdIDuE8):

Here the American festival team of Indradyumna Swami and the Bhakti Center devotees chant Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park (https://youtu.be/3kT9MY6dlVw):

At one point, a devotee lady chanted Hare Krishna, a couple of onlookers played their drums, and many, many people danced in Washington Square Park (https://youtu.be/wYxHFGoalMU):

A couple of high school girls liked dancing so much they came back two or three times. As they followed us out of the park, they were also shouting Hare Krishna. They had never encountered Hare Krishna before, but you would never guess that. They were happy to hear about the Tuesday and Thursday kirtans at The Bhakti Center (https://youtu.be/29LtQxPJV9s):

One Wednesday I also chanted at the kirtan which Ananta Govinda and Acyuta Gopi and their family and friends have at the Brooklyn temple on Sunday and Wednesday from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. (https://youtu.be/_Yq_x3gO6KU):

Here Keshav chants Hare Krishna during that Radha-Govinda temple late night kirtan (https://youtu.be/OZLLuhxIwiA):

Sri Sri Radha-Govinda

The Radha-Govinda deities in New York City were installed by Srila Prabhupada. Even ordinary people with no obvious devotional assets sense Their temple room is a very spiritual place.

I met Them in 1979 on West 55^th Street where the Hare Krishnas had an eleven-story building. Niranjana Prabhu (now Niranjana Swami), who then was in charge of the new men, invited me to live in that temple during the time I took off from college between my second and third year. As a result I acquired a taste for chanting Hare Krishna, reading Srila Prabhupada’s books, and taking Krishna prasadam. I was so happy that Ramabhadra and Satya Prabhus allowed me to live in the Radha-Govinda temple for the first two weeks of October this year, until the Yuga Dharma Ashram devotees got a larger place.

Each day I would go to mangala-arati and dance and sing the response for Radha-Govinda, bring in the tulasi for worship, and sing the tulasi-puja kirtana. I would also attend greeting of the deities and Srila Prabhupada’s guru-puja, during which I would play the karatalas. Then I would spend up to an hour preparing vegetables for Govinda’s Vegetarian Lunch or for the temple Sunday feast. A devotee named Mohan Prabhu made excellent chapatis, sabji, and dal for breakfast. There was also rice, of course, which I am not so fond of and did not take. I got to taste the mangala-arati sweets on occasion and recall that thirty-nine years ago it was my service to transfer those sweets and wash the plates afterwards.

I do not usually take photos of the deities as there are many professional photographers with professional equipment who do a much better job than I would do. Still one day during mangala-arati I thought Radha-Govinda looked especially beautiful, so I took a few photos.

Striking Photos

Occasionally you see the devotee ladies wearing saris of special colors. At the harinamas at the University of Florida football stadium, sometimes the devotee ladies choose to wear blue and orange, the colors of the local Gators football team. Sometimes a devotee pujari lady will wear the same colors as the deity when she does the arati.

Here one devotee lady, said to be from Russia, wore a sari with the colors of the American flag for Indradyumna Swami's American festival tour.

In different spiritual traditions, there are monastic orders who renounce married life to focus on their spiritual disciplines. Others who are not necessarily so spiritually focused may give up marriage relationships due to bad experiences with them, as indicated in this graffiti.

These days even children play chess for money.

Insights

Srila Prabhupada:

From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.18 in Los Angeles on January 13, 1974:

“In this Kali-yuga, religious principles of human society is supposed to be only one fourth. . . . As the religious principles are reducing, so many other things are reducing, of which the duration of life, bodily strength, mercifulness, memory. . . . In this way we are becoming almost on the level of animals.”

“Every man is being prepared, being educated as sudra, nonreligious, mleccha, yavana, like that. So there is no improvement. There is no spiritual improvement. . . . Without religion, everyone will degrade.”

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:

From Free Write Journal#07:

“The Swami moved into my neighborhood. I saw the little paper in the storefront window: ‘Classes on Bhagavad-gita M.W.F. 7:00 P.M. / Transcendental Sound Vibration.’ I was curious, so I went in. I liked the chanting with karatalas, the Swami leading and playing on a one-headed drum. At first I couldn’t understand much of his speech, but as I kept on attending I gradually . . . He was a magnetic person. He had a message, ‘Krishna consciousness.’ He was a guru, seventy years old. I was twenty-five. ‘No illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating, and no gambling.’ I changed my ways and followed him. He had about twelve young men following him. It was the best time of my life. Chanting Hare Krishna with the Swami made you get high. He promised it would. ‘Boy, I really tripped out on that one!’ In autumn we made our public debut, sitting on an old Oriental rug in Tompkins Square Park. We were shy but he was bold, leading us through the streets and leading in the maha-mantra with his bongo drum. He sang nonstop for one-and-a-half hours, then gave a short talk (‘and chant and dance in ecstasy’). Onlookers gathered; Allen Ginsberg joined. Then he would lead the singing for another one-and-a-half hours. His health was so strong, his demeanor so virile. We had no indication of the health issues he would face in the future. At this time, we struggled to keep up with him. He walked fast, and spoke and sang strongly. There were no traces of the heart attacks he endured on the freighter that carried him across the ocean from India to America in thirty-five days. He pushed himself like a young man. He had an urgent message in his remaining years, to establish his spiritual master’s teachings in the West. Prominent in his agenda was translating and writing commentaries in English on the major Vedic/Vaisnava texts. He was working single-handedly, but he’d look to his new followers to help.

“Writing about Prabhupada in 1966 was effortless. The sentences flowed. It has been written many times, but it still felt fresh to me, and I hoped it was not boring to the readers. Prabhupada says this is the nature of krishna-kathah. Mundane literature gets hackneyed with repeated reading, but one can always have new lights in Krishna conscious literature.”

From Free Write Journal#08:

‘“Krishna alone is not particularly beautiful, but when He is combined with His hladini potency, Radharani, He appears magnificent.’ Srila Prabhupada wrote this in Krishna Book, and I treasure it. We don’t worship Krishna alone.”

From Srila Prabhupada-lilamrita - A Lifetime in Preparation - India 1896-1965, Chapter 10: “This Momentous Hour of Need”:

“Srila Prabhupada: ‘The communist party has become popular simply by distributing their literatures. In Calcutta, the communist agents were inviting friends and reading their literature. The Russians never came to India, but by distributing literature in every language they got a pretty good number of followers. If it is possible for ordinary, third-class, mundane literature, why shouldn’t transcendental literature create devotees all over the world? There is good potency for pushing on these literatures very vigorously from village to village. The bhagavata-dharma is the original religion of the human society. Whatever else may be passing as religion has come from the Vedic literature. People are after these books. They are hankering for them. Lord Caitanya said that in every town and village on the surface of the world they will know the message of the sankirtana movement. This means that in every village and town all over the world there are many candidates who are awaiting this message. It is transcendental literature. Nobody can challenge it. It is done so nicely, without any spot, the spotless Purana.’”

Indradyumna Swami:

From an address during the Bhakti Center Thursday Night Kirtan:

The other goals of life pale in comparison to the goal of becoming free from our karma and going back to Godhead.

Arjuna Prabhu:

From an address at the going away luncheon for the Yuga Dharma Ashram at the Bhakti Center:

When I am around all you book distributors and harinamers, I do not feel that I am a senior devotee. I feel that I am very junior. We all know what Srila Prabhupada very much liked, harinama and book distribution.

Dayananda Prabhu:

From a comment after his lecture at 26 Second Avenue:

After we gave a Hare Krishna presentation, the host told the audience we would be going around collecting donations for the Hare Krishna movement, and she advised them to remember “you can give without loving but you cannot love without giving.”

Ramabhadra Prabhu:

I traveled with Srila Prabhupada’s personal servant, Dhrstadyumna Swami, for a couple of months. He told me once that he heard Srila Prabhupada talking in his room very early in the morning. He wondered who got past him as he was supposed to be guarding Srila Prabhupada’s room. He went up and peeked in the room. Srila Prabhupada was shaking his finger and saying, “You have misused the human form of life, and look at what has happened to you!” Then Dhrstadyumna Swami looked in the corner of the room and saw the mouse that Srila Prabhupada was talking to.

The only free love is love of Godhead. By loving God, you love everybody.

Satya gave Michael Jackson a piece of Radha Govinda burfi, the Krishna Art book, and Bhagavad-gita when she was engaged by the Hinduja family as a cook when Jackson came to visit back in 1997.

Ed Koch, former mayor of New York, got a Bhagavad-gita from Satyaraja Prabhu.

An example of the degradation of this age is that in California there is registered The First Church of Satan.

The previous cat we had at the temple would come to mangala-arati every day. We had a cushion in back of the temple, and the cat would come, sit on the cushion, and watch the arati. That was a very advanced cat. She got a human birth no doubt. Most cats are just chasing after mice.

Srila Prabhupada used to say he wanted everyone to study his books two hours a day.

Following the order of the spiritual master brings us to the mode of goodness. It will not happen immediately unless we were highly advanced in the previous life, but gradually we will undoubtedly attain the platform of goodness if we follow.

Rama Raya Prabhu:

From an address at the going away luncheon for the Yuga Dharma Ashram at the Bhakti Center:

Srila Prabhupada said his guru wanted to spend ten years preaching in America but due to circumstances he could not. Srila Prabhupada said that through him the desire of his guru to preach in America for ten years was fulfilled.

I offered to show Cindy, who introduced herself as the younger sister of Brahmananda and Gargamuni, our original temple at 26 Second Avenue. She saw the photo of Brahmananda dancing with the Swami’s flock in the park. In the course of that visit we happened to meet Satyaraja who had written a book on Brahmananda.

In a Ratha-yatra lecture in San Francisco in 1974, Srila Prabhupada told his American disciples: “People outside America generally follow and imitate what America does. I am traveling all over the world, and everywhere I see other countries building skyscrapers and in other ways imitating your country. Therefore if you kindly become Krishna conscious and chant and dance in ecstasy, in emotional love of God, the entire world will follow you. Thus the entire world can become Vaikuntha, a spiritual world in which there will be no more trouble. Thank you very much.”

Our new landlord is OK with us having a Hare Krishna ashram in his building. He has an Indian wife and was married in a Hindu wedding wearing a turban and riding on a horse.

We work for our spiritual master’s mission, and in the course of that we develop our love for God.

Our personal dedication to developing our love of God gives us the most to offer to the community we serve.

I did not plan to have book distribution or a brahmacari ashram. This all manifested from the harinama.

Bhumapati and Isvara Prabhus:

From Pauranic Caritavali:

“Durvasa kept his word and arrived at the Pandavas’ cottage hungry with his ten thousand disciples just after Draupadi had finished her meal. King Yudhisthira greeted him respectfully and offered obeisances to the exalted sage. He then invited him and his disciples to lunch. When the sage accepted the invitation, King Yudhisthira asked Durvasa to go and bathe at the nearby Devanadi (Vimala Kunda, at Kamyavana). But when King Yudhisthira learned that Draupadi had already eaten from her magical pot, he became worried. If Draupadi had eaten, her mystical pot, a gift from the sun god, would produce no more that day. If the Pandavas were unable to feed their ten thousand guests after they had been invited, the wrathful Durvasa would certainly curse them. A distressed Draupadi prayed to Lord Krishna to save them. At the time, Krishna was lying on Rukminidevi’s bed, and she was fanning Him with a camara. Although for His pastimes it seemed that Krishna was present only in Dvaraka, as the Supreme Lord He is always present everywhere, so He heard Draupadi, whose heart was full of devotion, and appeared before her immediately.

“Krishna said, ‘I’m very hungry. Give Me something to eat.’ Draupadi felt both like smiling and crying when she heard Krishna’s request, so much did she love to cook for Him. But she had already eaten and there was now nothing left. She told Krishna she was sorry, and then said, ‘Durvasa and his ten thousand disciples are about to come here for lunch on Yudhisthira’s invitation. If we fail to feed them, then his curse will destroy the our entire family.’

“Krishna said, ‘I have no time to hear more. I am too hungry! Just give Me anything to eat.’ When Draupadi again mentioned that the pot she had received from Suryadeva was empty, Krishna asked to see it. In the pot He found a small piece of spinach, which He then ate. Draupadi also gave Him some water. He said, tripto ’smi, ‘I am fully satisfied.’ And as soon as Krishna was satisfied, Durvasa and his disciples were also satisfied, as if they’d eaten a banquet. Durvasa was astonished by how full his stomach felt, and when he saw that his disciples felt the same, they realized they could never honor whatever the Pandavas were cooking. If they went to lunch and then didn’t eat, they would be committing an offense. Durvasa already knew how much trouble he would undergo if he offended a Vaishnava from his encounter with Maharaja Ambarisa. Thinking it better to wait until they were hungry again before returning to the Pandavas’ camp, Durvasa ordered his disciples to take rest. When the afternoon grew late and Durvasa had not returned for his meal, Lord Krishna sent Bhima out to call for him. Hearing Bhima’s voice, Durvasa became afraid and, with his disciples, ran away. Of course, when they arrived at the camp again the next day, they were properly served.”

“Once, when Visvamitra, was engaged in severe penance, Indra became afraid that Visvamitra might usurp his position, so to spoil the sage’s penance he sent Menaka to tempt him. Although Menaka was reluctant – she knew the power of such sages – she could not refuse Indra’s order. To protect herself she prayed to Vayu. Together the two tempted Visvamitra – as Menaka danced before the meditating sage, Vayu blew her clothes in a provocative manner. As a result, the sage had sex with Menaka, who later gave birth to his daughter. Her mission for Indra accomplished, Menaka abandoned her newborn on the bank of the Malini River and returned to the Nandana gardens. Visvamitra, too, left that place. The Malini River flowed through Kanva’s hermitage. There was no one to look after the baby, and no one to protect her from ferocious animals. But the sakuntas (vultures) surrounded Menaka’s daughter and saw that no animal could harm her. Just then, Kanva was on his way to bathe in the river. Seeing the child helpless in the grass, he brought her to his ashram. Sastra states that the one who gives the seed, the one who protects the life, and the one who gives food are all fathers. Since this girl was protected by vultures in a solitary forest, Kanva named her Sakuntala. And because Kanva raised her, Sakuntala considered him her father.

“Hearing Sakuntala’s story, King Dusmanta treated her like a princess and offered to marry her. Sakuntala asked the king to wait until Kanva returned, but since neither of them knew when that would be, King Dusmanta proposed a gandharva marriage, which for a ksatriya was proper and reasonable. But Sakuntala said that before she would enter into such a marriage, the king must promise that if she bore a son, that son should have the right to inherit the throne. King Dusmanta accepted her condition. Before returning to the capital, Dusmanta assured Sakuntala that he would send four armies to bring her to the capital. However, after returning to the capital, the king repented his quickly given promise.

“When Kanva returned to his ashram, he found Sakuntala somewhat embarrassed, and through his divine vision he understood everything. He pacified his foster daughter and assured her that although she had had a gandharva marriage, she was indeed married to the king, and with King Dusmanta being a pious king, she would have a noble and powerful son. This boy, Kanva said, would rule the world and the seven seas. Nine months later, Sakuntala gave birth to a powerful son, and the sage duly performed all the required rituals. When the child was six, he captured lions, tigers, elephants, pigs, and buffaloes in the jungle, playing with them and tying them to trees. The sages at Kanva’s ashram were astonished to see his extraordinary feats, and so named him Sarvadamana.

“When the child was a little older, Kanva sent Sakuntala and Bharata to King Dusmanta at Hastinapura. Kanva’s disciples accompanied Sakuntala. On arrival, they narrated the story of the king’s visit to their ashram and announced the birth of the king’s son there. Then they returned to their ashram. Sakuntala also reminded the king of his son, along with the promise he had given her before he was conceived, and asked the king to install Bharata as the prince regent. But King Dusmanta told her he did not know Sakuntala. He spoke cruel words to her, calling her a mischievous ascetic woman and denying that he had had any relationship with her. He tried to send her away. Sakuntala was shamed by her husband’s harshness and, overwhelmed, refused to leave. Sakuntala was now angry. She said, ‘If you reject me, I will return to the ashram, but you have no right to reject your son.’ This only made the king angrier, and he spoke even crueler words, denying her and her son and calling her a liar. ‘How could this boy become as tall as a sala tree in such a short time? Sakuntala’s mother is Menaka, so she is born of lust. It’s obvious that she is like her mother. Otherwise, why would she be here with her deceits?’

Shocked, Sakuntala established that her birth was superior to the king’s. She added that if the king had no faith in the truth, then she would leave. Her son, she said, with or without his help, would one day rule the earth, as Kanva had predicted.

“After Sakuntala left, a divine voice declared from the sky, ‘O Dusmanta, you must take care of your son. Do not neglect Sakuntala. You have to maintain (bharana) this son of Sakuntala according to our statement. For this reason this son will be renowned as Bharata.’

“After hearing this voice, King Dusmanta happily told his priests and ministers, ‘You all have heard that voice. This is my son. Had I accepted him simply at Sakuntala’s word, people would have doubted him.’ King Dusmanta then welcomed his noble son and his wife into the palace. He explained to Sakuntala that he had treated her so badly in order to remove any accusation that an illegitimate son had mounted the throne.

“Bharata went on to become the undisputed emperor of the world. Like Indra, king of heaven, he performed many, many sacrifices. Kanva had him perform sacrifices that required him to give an abundance of charity. For all his glorious acts, Bharata became one of the most renowned kings in history, and from him the Bharata dynasty become widespread and glorious.”

“When Indra was overcome by Krishna’s illusory energy he proudly flooded Gokula with rain. Krishna carefully protected Gokula by lifting Govardhana Hill. Thus Indra’s pride was crushed and he understood Krishna’s identity. Then, along with Surabhi, he worshiped Lord Krishna at Govinda Kunda near Govardhana by performing an abhiseka and begging His pardon. He also begged the blessing that when the son of Nanda, Lord Krishna, appeared as Lord Gauranga, with the sentiment of Srimati Radharani, and performed pastimes in Navadvipa, that he may not again mistakenly commit offenses at His lotus feet. Lord Krishna granted Indra’s desires and pacified him. Before Mahaprabhu appeared in Navadvipa, Indra took birth, along with Surabhi, at Godrumadvipa in order to worship Him. Since Surabhi lived under the banyan tree, this place is called Godruma.”

“Mrikandu’s son Markandeya was blessed with a lifespan of seven kalpas. At the time of annihilation, when the earth was flooded, Markandeya floated helplessly in the water until he arrived at Nadiya. This thirty-two-mile dhama was not flooded. Surabhi was living at Godruma. When she saw Markandeya lying almost unconscious, hungry and thirsty, she revived him by supplying her milk. Her milk allowed Markandeya to regain his health, and he offered her prayers in which he glorified her and also described the pain of not being able to die. Surabhi instructed him that all misery is destroyed by worshiping Lord Gauranga. Such worship allows one to attain the ultimate goal of life.”

“Your father is pure, and twenty-one generations of the family in which you took birth have also become purified. According to Sri Madhvacarya, the twenty-one previous generations referred to does not refer to Prahlada’s parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and so on, but to Prahlada’s parents in this life, Prahlada’s parents in his previous life, and back twenty-one generations of parents, each of whom has directly assisted Prahlada in his development.”

“How Prahlada Maharaja attained devotional service to the lotus feet of Lord Nrisimhadeva is described in both the Brihan-narasimha Purana and the Hari-bhakti-vilasa. There, Lord Nrisimhadeva tells Prahlada, ‘In ancient times in the city of Avantipura there lived a brahmana named Vasu Sharma, who was well versed in the Vedas. His wife, Susila, was chaste, pious, and devoted to him, and so her glories were spread in the three worlds. Vasu Sharma had five sons by Susila. The first four were learned, pious, and devoted to their father, but the youngest son – you, Prahlada – had no good character and so became attracted to a prostitute. Your name in that life was Vasudeva. Association with that prostitute stole all your good fortune, and your behavior became uncivilized. Once, on Nrisimha Caturdasi, you quarreled with her, and as a result you both unintentionally fasted, staying awake the entire night. Because of this, both you and the prostitute obtained the fruit of observing the Nrisimha Caturdasi vow. The prostitute became an Apsara in her next life. After enjoying life in the heavenly planets for some time, she eventually became My dear maidservant. You too became My dear devotee and took birth as the son of Hiranyakasipu. Worshiping Me, Brahma is empowered to create, Shiva to annihilate, and all others achieve their respective powers and the fulfillment of their desires.’”

“According to the Garuda Purana, Srimad-Bhagavatam is the meaning of the Brahma-sutra, the purport of the Mahabharata, a commentary on the Gayatri mantra, and the purport of the Vedas.”

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On the Yuga Dharma Ashram harinama party in New York City we chant six hours of Hare Krishna in public every day. What is the value of all this chanting one may ask? This is one of many verses that reveal that!

kalim sabhajayanty arya

guna jnah sara-bhaginah

yatra sankirtanenaiva

sarva-svartho bhilabhyate

“Those who are actually advanced in knowledge are able to appreciate the essential value of this age of Kali. Such enlightened persons worship Kali-yuga because in this fallen age all perfection of life can easily be achieved by the performance of sankirtana [the congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord].” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.5.36)

Although there are many disturbing anomalies in this age, they all can be more than compensated for by the powerful chanting of the holy name of the Lord in congregation. Let us all therefore chant Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, and be happy on the eternal spiritual plane!”