Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 14, No. 18
By Krishna-kripa das
(September 2018, part two)
Mayapur, Newcastle, Dublin
(Sent from Radha-Govinda Mandir in New York City on October 5, 2018)
By Krishna-kripa das
(September 2018, part two)
Mayapur, Newcastle, Dublin
(Sent from Radha-Govinda Mandir in New York City on October 5, 2018)
Where
I Went and What I Did
I
continued being based in Mayapur through September 28, leading a very
joyful life experiencing the beauty of the deity worship and the
kirtan of the holy names there, both
in the temple and around our campus.
For one week of my stay I chanted lots of japa
at
Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Samadhi on Godrumadvipa, the island which
the Thakura advocates as a great place to attain perfection by
chanting Hare Krishna. One day I traveled with Bhakta Nir of Israel
to Ekacakra the celebrated birthplace of Lord Nityananda Prabhu,
where we have a relatively new ISKCON temple. I spent the last two
days of September in Newcastle and Dublin doing harinama
with
local devotees.
I
share notes on lectures by Srila Prabhupada and by Bhakti Charu Swami
played for Srimad-Bhagavatam
class in Mayapur. I share notes on classes given by Bhakti Vidya
Purna Swami, Hari Sauri Prabhu, and Jananivasa Prabhus in Mayapur. I
share notes on a class by Kurma Prabhu in Dublin. I
share notes on an impromptu address by Praghosa Prabhu to members of
the Mayapur Dham Harinama party. I
share excerpts from articles in Back
to Godhead magazine
by Nagaraja Prabhu and Adi Purusa Prabhu.
Thanks
to Tara Prabhu for his very generous donation toward book
distribution on harinama.
Thanks
to Baladeva Vidyabhusana Prabhu, servant of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami,
for sending prasadam
cookies
to my mother for her birthday, since I was in Mayapur and could not
do it myself.
Thanks to Karen for her photo of my mother and the cookies. Thanks to Caitanya Simha Prabhu for his photos of the Mayapur Dham Harinama party. Thanks to tripadvisor.in for the rasgulla photo.
Thanks to Karen for her photo of my mother and the cookies. Thanks to Caitanya Simha Prabhu for his photos of the Mayapur Dham Harinama party. Thanks to tripadvisor.in for the rasgulla photo.
Itinerary
October
1–: New York City Yuga Dharma Harinama Party
October
27: Bhagavad-gita
class
at 26 Second Avenue
December
24: Albany, New York, for Christmas Eve
Mayapur
Memories
We
often participate in events where we share Krishna consciousness with
many people, and sometimes we wonder if any of the people
will take it seriously.
I had one sweet experience Radhastami morning
in Mayapur when one lady came up to me and said, “Were you in
Rishikesh five or six years ago?”
Because
I go to India every second year, I replied, “It would have been
six.”
For
several years, Navina Nirada Prabhu, arranged a program of harinama
and
book distribution in Rishikesh for two weeks in March, which I
attended several times, including 2012.
She
replied, “I remember your smile.”
Then
she went on to say, “I encountered the Hare Krishna mantra for the
first time and got japa
beads
from you people in Rishikesh. . . .
“ . . . Then
I saw you in Union Square in New York.”
[She
is wearing a yellow shirt and playing karatalas.]
Recalling
that encounter, which I had written about in my blog, I said, “Are
you from Kazakhstan?”
She
said, “Yes. You encouraged me to put my son in the gurukula,
and I did that and he had a great time, and now
I
am here to
enroll my younger son in the gurukula
in just a few days. My daughter also likes living here in Mayapur.”
Showing
me her neck beads, she said she was now initiated, and she told me
her name which I unfortunately forgot. She said her guru is Caitanya
Candra Caran Prabhu,
a popular Russian-speaking guru originally from Kazakhstan. I
congratulated her on her initiation, and I
thanked
her for taking seriously what we are offering. I
took it as a manifestation of Radharani’s kindness to reveal on Her
auspicious appearance day that
some people are taking seriously our gifts of Krishna consciousness.
As
with Janmastami, the abhiseka
[bathing
ceremony] of Radha and Krishna on
Radhastami was
beautiful, as was the chanting accompanying it.
The
bathing
of the
deities
in flowers at end of the abhiseka
was
especially festive (https://youtu.be/wr95lJXERkY):
Here
devotees in Mayapur delight in dancing on Radhastami in the evening
kirtan (https://youtu.be/BgQhIvEVJ2U):
The
sweetness of these two festivals, Janmastami
and Radhastami,
which
focus
on Radha and Krishna, reminded me of my favorite festival in Mayapur,
and my favorite festival in the Hare Krishna movement. That is the
Radha Krishna boat festival which occurs for the first seven days of
Candan Yatra in April or May each year. It is combination of a
Ratha-yatra, Jhulan Yatra, offering
of lamps like
we do to Damodara during Karttika, as well as a boat festival. The small Radha Krishna deities are
taken on a palanquin with a kirtan procession [like Ratha-yatra] to
the lake at the Srila Prabhupada Puspa Samadhi. Everyone in the
community is allowed and encouraged to bring an offering of food for
Them. They are situated on an altar on a boat, and the arati
ceremony
is performed, and everyone can offer them lamps. Then They
go around the lake for
some time,
and when
They come
out, They
board a swing, and everyone can offer Them
flowers
and swing Them. The festival goes on every evening for an entire week, and you
become so attached to it that
when it ends you
feel
a great void due
to separation from
the sweetness of serving Radha and Krishna, which is the essence of the
Gaudiya Vaishnava understanding of perfection and the eternal
activity of the spiritual world.
When
they served rasgullas
at the Radhastami feast in Mayapur it reminded me of question/answer
session with male Kolkata college students and Jayadvaita Swami. A
student inquired if it was OK to worship Krishna without Radha.
Jayadvaita Swami replied, “Why would you want to worship Krishna
without Radha? That would be like having a rasgulla
without the juice!”
In
Mayapur my blissful afternoon and evening routine was to join the
Mayapur Dham Harinama party for two hours, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
They are an international party with many devotees from Russia and
Indonesia, and anyone is welcome to join them. Many in the party have
great taste for chanting, dancing, and playing the musical
instruments, and it was inspiring to have their association.
On
harinama
sometimes
I lead the chanting, sometimes I dance, and sometimes I distribute
the free literature.
In Mayapur, there were plenty of devotees very
enthusiastic to lead the chanting and we had no free literature, so
mostly I would dance.
Often
the pilgrims would interact with our party, and I would take videos
of that.
Once Praghosa Prabhu, Prabhupada disciple and famous book distributor, happily joined our party. Playing his own kalatalas, he delighted in chanting Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/Zsb6F3KIp4E):
Praghosa was very pleased to see our Mayapur Harinama party regularly going out and spoke words of praise and encouragement.
Vasanta Devi Dasi once chanted an especially enthusiastic kirtan (https://youtu.be/wfF_YsEdw5A):
Once Praghosa Prabhu, Prabhupada disciple and famous book distributor, happily joined our party. Playing his own kalatalas, he delighted in chanting Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/Zsb6F3KIp4E):
Praghosa was very pleased to see our Mayapur Harinama party regularly going out and spoke words of praise and encouragement.
Vasanta Devi Dasi once chanted an especially enthusiastic kirtan (https://youtu.be/wfF_YsEdw5A):
Indulekha Devi Dasi leads Hare Krishna chant in Mayapur (https://youtu.be/CXRIqsFVrwo):
Vishnurata Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Mayapur Harinama and both male and female pilgrims dance (https://youtu.be/sxqIOkbWhb4):
Vishnurata Prabhu chants Hare Krishna next to the Vedic Temple of the Planetarium site (https://youtu.be/wefDU5EX6Bw):
Here
Yudhisthira Prabhu
chants Hare Krishna in Mayapur, and visiting devotees dance
(https://youtu.be/JpMBH8MNRiQ):
Here
Vishnurata Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Mayapur, and visitors
participate more and more (https://youtu.be/ZWpQ_hujLA8):
Here
Isharani Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna in Mayapur, and visitors dance
with devotees (https://youtu.be/ycbOXH2IqqY):
At
end of my stay Kamala Kantha Prabhu, the leader of the Mayapur
Dham Harinama party,
showed me these Hare Krishna mrdanga
straps
which are popular among the devotees from Indonesia. He sells them
for Rs. 1,500 during the festival times but would sell them for Rs.
1,000 now. I told him I could take a photo of them and mention them
to my Facebook friends and see if anyone was interested. I did that
and my Facebook friends wanted seventeen of them! I decided, I could
only take eight in my luggage of limited size. If they appeal to you,
you can contact Kamala Kantha Prabhu using WhatsApp at +91 81454
84114.
After the daily harinamas, at 6:30 p.m., I would attend the Gaura Arati kirtan in front of the magnificent Panca-tattva deities with at least two hundred resident devotees joyfully singing and dancing, back and forth and sometimes spinning around. There would be even more visitors than residents. The Mayapur Gaura Arati kirtan is definitely the most ecstatic Gaura Arati in ISKCON, and it was a high point of every evening for me! Here is a sample of an average day (https://youtu.be/EKh5xmn1RNE):
In addition to the Gaura Arati kirtans, ISKCON Mayapur also has the most ecstatic Tulasi Arati kirtans, and here is a sample (https://youtu.be/bwSnwCO5_n8):
After
the
Gaura Arati I
would join the kirtan before Sri Sri Radha Madhava Asta Sakhi Vrinda
for an hour, singing the response, offering prayers, and dancing for
the pleasure of and meditating on the beauty of the deities, another
very joyous experience.
Just
seeing the happy faces of the sakhis,
the
girlfriends of Radha and Madhava, we are reminded that real happiness
lies in serving the divine couple. Thus they are educating
humanity
simply by their blissful smiles! All glories to them!
I
never knew before that at least six
of the eight sakhis
there
on the altar of Radha-Madhava have
birthdays
within a week of Radharani’s! Visakha’s
is on Radhastami itself. Lalita’s
is two days before, according
to the Vrajavasis.
One
day after
Radha is
the birthday of Campakalata, and three
days after Radha’s is Indulekha’s.
Rangadevi
and Sudevi on the extreme right of the altar, who are twins, share a birthday a week after Radha. The
young
ladies
are decked out with extra jewelry, garlands, and an effulgence on
their birthdays, as
you can see here.
A
description
of their qualities and activities is posted below the altar.
For the last seventeen days of my stay, I ate dinner in the Brahmacari Kitchen.
It was great having hot milk every night and sabji
and chapatis.
One
day instead of a container of hot milk, there were two containers,
one of curd and another of whey. I have not been in a place where
devotees celebrate Caturmasya, with its fast from
milk for the third month, in so long I almost forgot about it.
Traditionally in ISKCON we would serve a drink of sweetened curds and
whey mixed, but in Mayapur they keep
it separately, perhaps so you could mix the curd with your rice or
sabji
or
eat it with your capati.
After my free meals at the Brahmacari Kitchen ended, by the grace of the Lord I had an invitation to lunch for seven days in a row so I just had to buy my own dinners. Sankarsana Prabhu, Prabhupada disciple and president of the ISKCON Jagannatha temple on Godrumadvipa invited me to have lunch there on Friday, September 21. The next day was Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s appearance day, and the pujari at his samadhi invited me to have lunch there. SachiKripa Devi Dasi, who remembered me from America, invited me to join her and her friends in honoring Radha Madhava’s mahaprasadam the same day, so I went over there afterward.
She
had the most amazing deities at her place – Radha and Krishna and
Their eight principal girlfriends – most rare on a home altar!
The
next day I had lunch with Radhika Nagara Prabhu and the day after
with Tara Prabhu. The day after that I had lunch with Pancaratna and
Atitaguna Prabhus, and the day after I had mahaprasadam
lunch
with the Mayapur Dham Harinama party in Srila Prabhupada’s Samadhi.
The next day I went to Ekacakra Dhama with Bhakta Nir, who kindly
paid for my lunch at our temple there. The day I left Mayapur to go
to Kolkata Airport,
for
lunch I bought dosas,
one
of my favorite Indian culinary items, at the Radha-Madhava
Mahaprasadam shop between the Brahmacari Kitchen and Vamsi Bhavan.
When
I
left
Mayapur there was a sense of voidness in separation from such a
wonderful afternoon and evening experience of harinama,
Gaura Arati, and dancing for Radha Madhava. I also missed the nice dinner at
the Brahmacari Kitchen.
Vow
to Chant Extra Japa
on Godrumadvipa
I
wrote to my diksa-guru,
Satsvarupa
Dasa Goswami, “In reading Jaiva
Dharma,
one encounters Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s great enthusiasm for chanting
Hare Krishna on the island of Godrumadvipa. I was thinking I could
spend one of my three weeks in Mayapur in the Jagannatha ISKCON
temple on Godrumadvipa and chant 64 rounds a day and visit daily
Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s house with the view to becoming empowered to
preach Krishna consciousness in the West. Do you think that is a good
idea?”
When
I had just thirteen days left in Mayapur, he wrote me back,
“Regarding your desire to spend a week in Mayapura in Jagannatha
ISKCON temple in Godrumadvipa, chanting 64 rounds a day and visiting
Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s house. I think it is a good idea and will
help empower you to preach Krishna consciousness in the west.”
Because
I could stay for free at the Senior Brahmacari Ashram in Mayapur, I
decided to commute to Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Samadhi each day after
mangala-arati,
and
chant sixty-four rounds starting
when the boat attained Godrumadvipa, across the Jalangi from Mayapur.
I had all these luncheon engagements back in Mayapur, so I had to
chant in a really focused way to complete my
chanting
in time to go back to Mayapur for lunch. I found Godrumadvipa, and
especially Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Samadhi, to be the easiest places
in the entire world to chant japa
and the rounds would just fly by. I would look at the deity of
Bhaktivinoda Thakura the whole time. I would think about
how
all
of us who are
chanting Hare Krishna the West are
doing so simply
because Bhaktivinoda
Thakura
was desiring it back in the 1800s here on Godrumadvipa. I would
recall how Bhaktivinoda
Thakura
said that there is nothing of substance in the entire material world
but the holy name of the Lord. The
first three days I chanted 78, 75,
and 84 rounds respectively, 64 on Godrumadvipa, and the rest in
Mayapur. Because
of all the japa
I
found
was
getting behind on my proofreading, my harinama,
my
laundry, my bathing, my correspondence, and
my sleep, and I was feeling very
frustrated
about that, so for the last four days I just chanted fifty rounds on
Godrumadvipa, and at least fourteen more in Mayapur to attain
sixty-four all together. I would pray every day to Bhaktivinoda Thakura, asking him to empower me to execute his mission in the west. I liked doing the vow of increased chanting
on Godrumadvipa, and especially at the samadhi of Bhaktivinoda
Thakura, and I recommend it to others. I will probably do it again.
I
found
the pujari,
the
garland makers, and the kirtan performers at the Bhaktivinoda Thakura
Samadhi to have steady, inspiring devotion.
Either
to or from Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Samadhi, I occasionally stopped
at the temple at Surabhi Kunja, where there is also a form of
Bhaktivinoda Thakura, but Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Samadhi was the
main place I chanted.
I
was not planning to go to Ekacakra Dhama during this brief trip to
Mayapur, but Bhakta Nir of Israel, who remembered me from our Soho
Street temple in London and who chanted with me on Godrumadvipa at
Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Samadhi one day, wanted to go and was
looking for someone to go with him. Thus, even though it was my last
full day in Mayapur and I had planned to prepare for my journey back
to Europe, I decided to go to Ekacakra.
We have an new ISKCON temple there which I had never seen before, as during my one and only visit there previously it was not yet constructed.
The full size figures of devotees on nagara-sankirtana, standing up and playing instruments is beautiful and impressive.
We have an new ISKCON temple there which I had never seen before, as during my one and only visit there previously it was not yet constructed.
The full size figures of devotees on nagara-sankirtana, standing up and playing instruments is beautiful and impressive.
We
went to all the places that one visits there, seeing this deity of
Lord Nityananda at His birthplace. I tried to chant Hare Krishna kirtan as much as possible between each place and at each place.
This
tree was touched by Lord Caitanya in His ecstasy of love of Godhead
when he visited Nityananda Prabhu’s birthplace with His own guru,
Sri Isvara Puri. It is said that you can get Krishna prema
by
touching that tree.
Chanting Hare Krishna in Newcastle
I
was very impressed that Cami, a Newcastle University student who has
been attending programs at the temple for a year or so and who moved
into the Newcastle
temple a few months
ago, was so enthusiastic as to come for three hours on harinama.
Satya
Medha Gauranga Prabhu joined us near the end.
It
was a stretch for me to do harinama
after
an overnight flight from India, but by Krishna’s mercy it was
possible.
Now
many devotees who like kirtan are living in the Newcastle temple, and
Priyanka was visiting from Manchester and I was visiting on the way
to the USA, so we had some kirtan in the temple in the evening:
Here
Keshavananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Newcastle
(https://youtu.be/4VCC8HnrRAo):
Syama
Priya Devi Dasi chants (https://youtu.be/0y9CY2P9xx4):
Priyanka
chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/IiIwL7ca0F4):
Chanting Hare Krishna in Dublin
I
planned to do harinama
both
before and after the Sunday feast in Dublin, as I had a good experience doing
so back in April.
Pat,
after doing some book distribution on his own, joined me for almost
two hours before the Sunday feast in chanting Hare Krishna on
O’Connell Street, with one young Indian man joining us at the end.
We always meet Indians who are studying or working in Dublin and have
not yet found out about our temple and restaurant, so we are able to
inform them.
Here
Kurma
Prabhu, a Prabhupada disciple known for his cooking and his
writing
about Srila Prabhupada in Australia and
who
is now
based in Ireland,
leads kirtan before his Sunday feast lecture in Dublin
(https://youtu.be/GaR2y07_AKM):
Ronald,
originally
from South Africa, but who spends a lot of time in Spain and who
remembers chanting with Premarnava Prabhu,
Ananta Nitai Prabhu and
me
in Dublin several years ago, chants Hare Krishna on O’Connell
Street after the Dublin Sunday Feast. Later more devotees joined us,
mostly
those who were
attending
the Sunday feast, and
at
one point we
had seven singers
altogether
(https://youtu.be/sOoOsieT5U4):
On
the two harinamas,
we
collected €14.22 and distributed nine books, with ten devotees
participating in singing for Krishna on Sunday, September 30, my
fifty-ninth birthday, thus ending the month of September.
Striking
Photos
In
the West, you do not encounter dogs sleeping on the streets, but in
India it is commonplace. Thus it appears that in India, even the dogs
have faith in ultimate protection by God.
In
India, even ads for businesses remind one of Krishna such as this ad
for Shyam Steel.
Seeing
this six-foot (two meter) high photo of a cigarette box on the wall
of the Winston Smoking Lounge in the Dubai Airport reminded me of
Krishna’s description of the lowest grade of happiness a man
enjoys, happiness in the mode of ignorance: “And that happiness
which is blind to self-realization, which is delusion from beginning
to end and which arises from sleep, laziness and illusion is said to
be of the nature of ignorance.” (Bhagavad-gita
18.39)
Why would any sane soul seek pleasure in something that
reduces the duration of one’s brief life!
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
From
a lecture in London on August 29, 1971:
“Radharani
is hari-priya,
very dear to Krishna. So if we approach Krishna through the mercy of
Radharani, then it becomes very easy. If Radharani recommends that
‘This devotee is very nice,’ then Krishna immediately accepts
however fool I may be. If you go by the speculative process to
understand Krishna, it will take many, many lives. But if you take
devotional service, just try to please Radharani, and Krishna will be
gotten very easily.”
From
a conversation with reporters in Melbourne, Australia, on June 29,
1974:
“There
is no second religion. There is only one. That is the right idea;
that is genuine God consciousness. Now, as soon as you designate
‘Christian,’ ‘Hindu,’ ‘Muslim,’ that is upadhi
[designation] – it falls short of the genuine spiritual conception.
Just as God is one person, so genuine religion is one thing.
Designated religion – conceiving of ‘our
Christian God’
or ‘our
Hindu God’
– falls short.
“For
example, now you are in a black coat. Tomorrow you may be in a white
coat. So I could designate you as ‘black Mr. Such-and-such’ or
‘white Mr. Such-and-such.’ But there is no need, because you are
not actually that black or white coat. That black or white coat is
not you, but simply a circumstance.
Similarly,
due to our so-called sophisticated mind, we say ‘Christian
religion,’ ‘Hindu religion.’ To describe some particular
historical circumstance we may use these designations. But religion
is one thing. It means to glorify God’s holy name and abide by His
laws. That is the spiritual platform.”
From
a class on Bhagavad-gita
10.1–3
in New York City
on December 30, 1966:
[Commenting
on Bhagavad-gita
10.3, “He who knows Me as the unborn, as the beginningless, as the
Supreme Lord of all the worlds—he only, undeluded among men, is
freed from all sins”:]
“It
is in our interest to know God. We are always full of anxieties.
Nobody is free from anxieties. Nobody is free from the miseries of
this material world. And here is the process for becoming free. . . .
“Here
it is said that anyone who understands without any doubt that God is
the supreme proprietor becomes freed from all sinful reactions.
Immediately.”
From
“Back to Godhead,” the opening article in the first edition of
Back
to Godhead in
1944:
“Godhead
is one without a second, and all living entities are His eternal
subordinate transcendental servitors. Realization of this
transcendental relation will be the attempt of this paper [Back
to Godhead],
and therefore there is no bar for anyone in the world, irrespective
of color, creed, and nationality, to go back to Godhead.”
From
Bhagavad-gita
14.16,
purport:
“Brahmanas are the symbol of spiritual education, and cows are the symbol of the
most valuable food; these two living creatures, the brahmanas
and the cows, must be given all protection—that is real advancement
of civilization. In modern human society, spiritual knowledge is
neglected, and cow killing is encouraged. It is to be understood,
then, that human society is advancing in the wrong direction and is
clearing the path to its own condemnation. A civilization which
guides the citizens to become animals in their next lives is
certainly not a human civilization.”
Srila
Vyasadeva:
From
Mahabharata,
Anusasana-parva 51.32:
“That
country or nation where cows are protected and live without fear of
slaughter becomes exalted and the sins of that country are washed
away.”
Vasudeva
(Lord Krishna’s father):
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
10.5.25:
“Many
planks and sticks, unable to stay together, are carried away by the
force of a river’s waves. Similarly, although we are intimately
related with friends and family members, we are unable to stay
together because of our varied past deeds and the waves of time.”
Bhakti
Charu Swami:
I
prefer to hold Srila Prabhupada Memorial Festivals rather than
Vyasa-pujas on the consideration that by watering the root of the
tree, all the branches, twigs, and leaves are nourished.
After
Srila Prabhupada left, the new gurus accepted worship practically on
the same level as Srila Prabhupada. This made a lot of devotees so
disturbed that they actually left the movement.
It
is always better to take a humble position. After all, we are only
one ten-thousandth the tip of a hair in size.
It
is said the gateway to the spiritual world is very small, and unless
we become one ten-thousandth the tip of a hair in size we cannot
pass through it.
The
more we understand the greatness of Krishna, the easier it is for us
to appreciate our actual insignificance.
A
deep sense of natural contentment and serenity result from becoming
humble.
The
benefit of going back to Godhead and becoming completely free from
material bondage can be attained only by devotional service. Other
kinds of practices like mystic yoga will not ultimately be effective.
One may rise to a high level, but the higher you go, the harder you
fall. Those who rise to the Brahman platform, but do not take shelter
of Krishna, come back as stones practically devoid of consciousness.
We
selfishly think in terms of “I” and “mine.” First we think in
terms of “me,” then “me and my family,” and then “me and my
society,” but it is all thinking about “me,” and thus, it is
ultimately selfish.
Gandhi
was successful in attaining freedom from British rule for India, but
what is the result? All the rogues and rascals are taking advantage
of India’s freedom.
Bose
came to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura to recruit his young male
followers for his Indian army to drive out the British.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura asked Bose if he believed in
reincarnation. He said yes. Then he asked Bose, “If you are born in
England next life, will you fight for them?” Our situation is so
temporary.
From
the world of death attain the world of immortality. And it is easy.
Just surrender to Krishna. If you surrender to Krishna, Krishna will
take care. Krishna will take care to the extent that we surrender.
Two
disciples of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura were despondent,
feeling that despite so much practice they were not progressing.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura told them, “To feel that you are
not progressing is actually good.” To think, “I have made so much
progress. I am such a great devotee.” is not good.
With
your body, you serve Krishna. With your mind, you think of Krishna.
Let all the activities of your body and mind be in service to
Krishna.
We
should always remember we have come to ISKCON in order to serve.
Having
attained the path, proceed. Do not hold back.
Recognition
leads to correction. Then a higher taste will come.
The
simple answer to your question about how to achieve success in
Krishna consciousness is:
1.
Chant sixteen rounds.
2.
Follow the four regulative principles.
3.
Read Srila Prabhupada’s books.
4.
Render service according to the instructions of your authorities.
Bhakti
Vidya Purna Swami:
The
six philosophical schools contain all the points.
Q:
Devotees pull differ ideas from different places to put forward their
own views. Is that OK?
A:
You have to look at the motive. Is it to please Krishna? If so, it is
OK. Are you trying to indulge in your attachments or are you trying
to connect them to Krishna so you become purified?
If
you water the weeds and the devotional creeper both, the weeds tend
to crowd out the creeper so it does not grow properly.
If
they are always trying, if they have a humble mood, if they are not
criticizing, there is a good chance their program is progressive.
The
first six cantos of Srimad-Bhagavatam
deal
with connecting your attachments to Krishna. For instance, brahmacari
Kardama
Muni became married in service to Krishna.
Someone
situated nicely in devotional service is moral, but morality is not
required to practice devotional service.
To
think righteousness is the cause of bhakti
is
totally mundane.
If
you put a drop of water in the ocean, it does not experience the joy
of the ocean. It is remains located in just a small part of the
ocean.
If
someone is too conservative it appears we are talking too liberally,
and if someone is too liberal it appears we are talking too
conservatively.
If
all there is is nothingness, then why do the Buddhists and Mayavadis
make such a big deal about it? Because in reality the asat
(the
ephemeral) is substantial, being the energy of the sat
(the
eternal).
If
you ask people from the Abrahamic religions if God is a person, they
say, “Yes.” If you then ask what He looks like, they say He has
no form.
We
only perceive the present although we may think of the past or
future.
Time
moves forward imperceptibly.
Krishna
is not interested in sensory functions but devotion.
The
Vedas regulate your sensual experience so you come to realize in
sense gratification there is nothing there.
Where
does the opportunity for spiritual life lie? Between the lasagna and
the pizza – between this sense gratification and that sense
gratification.
Materialists
regulate society for sense gratification, but the Vedas regulate
society for self-realization.
If
you look at the picture of addicts before their addiction and after,
you will see they look happier before than after. If what they are
addicted to is so great, then why are they not happy?
Maya
is
attractive because of its connection to Krishna, so why not directly
connect with Krishna?
Surrender
means we stop competing with the Lord.
Although
we experience the long term effects of aging and deterioration over
the course of time, we do not perceive these processes as they are
happening.
Although
the Lord makes arrangements for the living entities’ sense
gratification, He is not personally interested in it any more than
the parent is attracted by the mashed up prunes he made for his baby
to eat.
The
Vedas are always explaining the material and the spiritual as well as
rasa
and
tattva.
Devotion
to Krishna is truth, and things related to that are also truth.
When
you have Krishna, you have everything.
The
devotees are humble because they see all the temporary useless
activities they were entangled in performing while Krishna just
notices their devotion through all these.
Sometimes
the people in general come to understand the wisdom of the spiritual
authorities and come to follow them. Still it is the sages we follow
and not the people in general, whose sentiments can change in a
moment.
Some
mantras stress the sameness of God and His creation while others
stress that God and His creation are different. This is because in
fact God and His creation are inconceivably simultaneously one and
different.
The
greater the devotees are, the more things they can see in
relationship with Krishna.
Just
because you see that everything is connected with Krishna does not
mean you can do anything since bhakti
means
just to do things that are pleasing to Krishna.
Krishna
expands into everything into this world, but He is not controlled by
the manifestations of this world.
The
sahajiyas
do
not take the tattva
seriously,
thinking that the rasa
is
everything. They do not understand that the tattva
supports
the rasa.
Madhvacarya
is preaching to the people who maintained their Mayavadi stance of
oneness despite Ramanujacarya’s preaching, and thus he stressed
duality even more.
Those
in heaven enjoy thousands of times more than we on earth. Indra
enjoys thousands of times more than the other residents of heaven.
Brahma enjoys thousands of times more than Indra. The spiritual
pleasure of brahmananda
is
thousands of times greater than what Brahma enjoys, but that is just
a drop compared to the ocean of enjoyment of devotional service to
Krishna. Not only is the pleasure of devotional service eternal, but
it is a lot better.
The
first fifty qualities of Krishna we have in common in our pure state
and are used in relationship with the Lord. The next ten are the
qualities of majesty of the Lord, and the final four are Krishna’s
special qualities of sweetness.
Hari
Sauri Prabhu:
In
the schools in some
places in Britain
and Australia they are trying to encourage students
not to identify with a particular gender. Other the other hand,
genetic scientists say there 6,500 genes that produce distinctly male
or female attributes, so it is not something you can choose.
When
one disciple of Srila Prabhupada was confused about his gender, Srila
Prabhupada told him to choose one and stick with it.
When
Rama went back to Godhead, all the citizens of Ayodhya also went back
with Him because they could not tolerate His separation.
It
is not possible to follow varnasrama
now
as strictly as in previous ages.
The
scientists are very proud thinking they can get control of the
material nature and then do whatever they what.
The
story of King Sudyumna becoming a woman is in the Bhagavatam
to
show that the soul which exists beyond the body is more important
than the body.
Leaders
such as the communists teach that there is equality on the material
platform, although it is not a fact, for the purpose of getting
control of people and manipulating them.
If
we allow ourselves to be controlled by Krishna we can be freed from
the control of different leaders trying to manipulate us for their
own ends.
The
British stopped the teaching of Sanskrit in the schools in India to
cut the students
off from their original culture so they could convince them that
British culture was superior.
When
the members of society understand how to engage their own natures in
Krishna’s service, society becomes very peaceful.
Rasajna
was very ill with cancer in Austin, Texas, and devotees were talking
about taking her to Vrindavan, which at that stage of her illness
seemed very impractical. Rasajna had a dream in which Krishna
appeared and told her, “Vrindavan is in your heart.” After that
she was pacified.
Jananivasa
Prabhu:
Radharani
is difficult to understand, but the Lord, as well as Radharani, has
come, in the form of Lord Caitanya to make understanding possible.
Otherwise such understanding would not be possible.
Rukmini
was crying as she was massaging Krishna’s lotus feet in Dvaraka.
Krishna asked why she was crying, and she replied, “You cannot
understand the joy of serving Your
lotus feet, nor can you ever understand, because you are situated
differently.” Narada came to visit, and Krishna said to him, “I
just heard the most amazing thing. Rukmini was saying that I cannot
understand the joy My servants feel serving Me.” Thus He decided to
come as Lord Caitanya to experience that.
In
Vrindavan, everyone loves Krishna more than themselves, and thus
Krishna is willing to put Himself in the hands of the devotees there.
Srila
Prabhupada said, “You can have Krishna in your pocket if you
surrender to Him.”
In
one Indian city Srila Prabhupada went into trance singing “Jaya
Radha Madhava.” He said, “This song is so nice. It is a
description of the spiritual world.”
A
main reason Krishna comes is allay the devotees’
feelings of separation from Him.
As
a result of an argument, Sridhama
cursed Radharani to come to the material world and to feel separation
from Krishna for one hundred years.
Radha
and the gopis
sometimes
experienced Krishna returning to Vrindavan and sometimes dreamed
Krishna returned to Vrindavan. Sometimes they could not understand
whether Krishna had come or they just dreamed that Krishna had come.
That is perfect samadhi.
Whatever
mood Krishna is in, there is a gopi
who
can satisfy Him in that mood, and Radharani can assume the moods of
each one of the gopis,
so
She is the best of all.
When
we enjoy by pleasing Krishna, that is the maximum enjoyment we can
have because that is our constitutional position.
The
gopis
make
themselves beautiful because they know their beauty is pleasing to
Krishna. If they enjoy by pleasing Krishna, there is nothing wrong
with that.
Krishna
is compared to a
tamala
tree,
and Radharani is compared to a creeper or vine surrounding that tree. The other
gopis
are
compared to the leaves of the creeper, and the manjaris
are
compared to the buds.
A
cobra suddenly appeared in front of Radharani, hissing loudly. Radha
said, “Shhh! You’ll wake Jatila.”
The
separation results in heightening of love. Then when the love is
heightened the joy of meeting is increased. And then the subsequent
separation is even more intense because of the heightening of the
love. Thus meeting and separation nourish each other.
In
the spiritual world the gopis
are
not married, but there is a feeling there that they are so that
parakiya
rasa can
proceed.
How
to unite Radha with Krishna is what is going on in the
spiritual world. The sakhis
enjoy
glorifying Radha and Krishna.
These
topics are confidential and not mentioned much in the scriptures, but
Lord Caitanya is making them available. Thus if we follow the
teachers in His line, who are His personal associates, we can be sure
of entering into the service of Radha-Krishna at the end of this
life.
From
a talk on Radhastami:
Radha
is the most important of Krishna’s potencies because Krishna’s
business is pleasure and She is Krishna’s pleasure
potency.
Krishna tells Narada that His mercy is not effective without Radha’s mercy.
Krishna tells Narada that if he is interested in prema then he should worship Radha with devotion.
The Rg Veda says there is no more beautiful couple than Radha and Krishna.
Kurma Prabhu:
Krishna tells Narada that His mercy is not effective without Radha’s mercy.
Krishna tells Narada that if he is interested in prema then he should worship Radha with devotion.
The Rg Veda says there is no more beautiful couple than Radha and Krishna.
Kurma Prabhu:
Arjuna
is Krishna’s devotee and Krishna’s friend, and he becomes
Krishna’s submissive student.
If
you do not understand who Krishna is, the Bhagavad-gita
will
remain a mystery for you.
We
should understand that we are suffering, and we should understand how
to get out of it.
Srila
Prabhupada explains that a serious spiritual aspirant wants to find
the answers to these three questions:
Why
am I suffering?
Where
do I come from?
Where
will I be going after death?
Srila
Prabhupada says we should not interpret Bhagavad-gita
nor
should we just accept the parts of the Gita
that
we like. The reason we should not interpret the Gita
is
that we have the four defects of the conditioned souls.
By
chanting a chapter of Bhagavad-gita
every
day you are getting Krishna’s association every day.
My
wife and I read a chapter of the Gita
every
day, and then we go back and read a single verse and purport from the
chapter.
If
we always lived for the moment, we would have never have stopped
playing all day when our parents told us it was time to go to school.
We would be illiterate and unable read, and life would be very
difficult for us, so this philosophy of living for the moment is not
very practical. We have to plan for the future.
If
you do not study the whole semester but just the night before the
exam, it is likely you will fail. Similarly it is likely we will not
remember Krishna at the end of life if we do not practice now.
Babies
in
all species are
cute by nature’s arrangement so the adults will be inspired to take
care of them.
The
child who is kicking in the womb is not kicking because he having
fun.
One
devotee related to Srila Prabhupada a story about his mother leaving
her body.
The
mother did not like her son becoming a devotee and was frustrated
about it. She would never chant, but she did like prasadam.
When
she died, she said,
“So
where is your Krishna now?” Thus somehow or other she remembered
Krishna at the time of death as Krishna recommends for those who
desire to attain Him.
My
mother practically took a vow to never say “Hare Krishna.” I
would say “Hare Krishna,” and my mother would say “Hello.”
This went on for thirty years. Then my mother got Parkinson’s
disease and dementia, and she forgot about her vow to never say “Hare
Krishna.” I would say “Hare Krishna,” and she would say “Hare
Krishna.” In fact, the last thing that she said to me was “Hare
Krishna.”
Nagaraja
Prabhu:
From
Peace, Cows, and BTG” in “Back
to Godhead, Vol.
53, No. 1 (Jan/Feb 2019):
“As
I write this, the website warsintheworld.com,
which keeps track of armed conflicts, lists 68 countries involved in
wars, most of these instigated by 801 ‘militias-guerrillas and
terrorist-separatist-anarchic groups.’”
“Yes,
we all want world peace. But why is it so evasive? The Vedic
scriptures teach that violence begets violence and that a prominent
source of man’s violence toward his fellow man is his violence
toward animals, particularly the cow.”
“Almost
everyone today has a basic idea of the concept of karma. Yet, as
happens with any profound idea adopted by popular culture, the
concept – or, rather, universal law – of karma in the popular
mind generally fails to include what we do to animals. Prabhupada
would often point out that we fall short when we rely on our
imperfect sense of right and wrong instead of the perfect directions
of the scriptures and enlightened souls. From them we learn that
killing the peaceful cow that provides us with a vital food in
exchange for a little grass is a heartless act of violence. A world
where cow slaughter is commonplace cannot have peace.”
Praghosa
Prabhu:
From an impromptu address to the Mayapur Dham Harinama party:
This chanting of Hare Krishna is the main thing. Everything else is a consequence of this.
When people see us chanting they wonder:
What
are they doing?
Why here?
What does it have to do with me?
In Dublin one lady who got a Science of Self-Realization from me the previous week came up to me and said, “You ruined my life. I got a book from you. Now I can’t cook meat. I can’t look at meat. I can’t think of where it came from.” I consoled her and told her to cook whatever she had to to please her husband but to add the chanting of Hare Krishna to her life, and gradually everything would be adjusted. Hearing my words, she went from being angry with me to thanking me.
Why here?
What does it have to do with me?
In Dublin one lady who got a Science of Self-Realization from me the previous week came up to me and said, “You ruined my life. I got a book from you. Now I can’t cook meat. I can’t look at meat. I can’t think of where it came from.” I consoled her and told her to cook whatever she had to to please her husband but to add the chanting of Hare Krishna to her life, and gradually everything would be adjusted. Hearing my words, she went from being angry with me to thanking me.
Bhimipati
and Isvara Prabhus:
From
Pauranic
Caritavali:
“The
wives of the sacrificial brahmanas
rejected their husbands, who were more fond of sacrifice than the
Lord of sacrifice.”
Adi
Purusa Prabhu:
From
Bhagavan: God the Person” in “Back
to Godhead, Vol.
53, No. 1 (Jan/Feb 2019):
“Our
boyfriends, girlfriends, friends, pets, and so on could leave us at
any moment. Yet even in our darkest hours we can count on Krishna to
be there for us, ready to embrace us. Moreover, the Lord can also
preserve whatever we have and carry to us what we lack.”
-----
As
I spent hours each morning for a week chanting Hare Krishna on beads
at Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Samadhi, this verse from his song
“Arunodaya-kirtana 1” appeared in my mind. We are distracted from
our focus on the sound vibration of the holy name because we
erroneously think there is something of substance in this material
world other than the holy name of the Lord. If we remember all the
temporary manifestations and situations surrounding us are
insignificant in comparison to the holy name, God’s own
manifestation in the form of blissful divine sound, then we will not
be so distracted.
krishna-nama-sudha
koriya pan
jurao
bhakativinoda-pran
nama
bina kichu nahiko aro
caudda-bhuvana-majhe
“Drink
the pure nectar of the holy name of Krishna and thus satisfy the soul
of Thakura Bhaktivinoda. There is nothing except the holy name within
all the fourteen worlds [comprising the entire material universe].”
(“Arunodaya-kirtana 1,” verse 8)