Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 15, No. 1
By Krishna-kripa das
(January 2019, part one)
New York City, North Florida
(Sent from Tallahassee on January 29, 2019)
Where
I Went and What I Did
The
first four days of the new year I remained at the Yuga Dharma Ashram
and chanted with their harinama
party
six hours a day in different subway stations in New York City. On
Saturday, January 5, I flew to Jacksonville, and attended the JAX
Krishnas program at the Bhakti House. The next day I went to
Tallahassee where I chanted Hare Krishna at Lake Ella and attended
the Sunday feast program. For the next ten days I chanted Hare
Krishna at Florida State University on the weekdays and Lake Ella on
the weekends. I
share some words in
glorification of Kaliyaphani Prabhu, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada
from England, who left his body recently in an accident.
I
share notes on recorded lectures by Srila Prabhupada, Hridayananda
Goswami, and Radhanath Swami which we played in Tallahassee and
a lecture by Kadamba Kanana Swami we heard on Facebook Live,
and I share notes on a class by Rama Raya Prabhu at the Yuga Dharma
Ashram in New York City. I share an excerpt from the Free Write Journal of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami.
Thanks
to Navin Shyam Prabhu
for
his incredibly kind, spontaneous, and
generous
donation to cover the difference between my income and expenses last
year. Thanks
to Lila Kishor Prabhu of JAX Krishnas for his contribution to my
travels.
Thanks
to Divyangi Devi Dasi for her photos of NYC Harinam. Thanks to
Breanna Bruner, Documentary Photographer, for her photo of me on
Landis Green at FSU. Thanks to Taproot for the photos at Lake Ella,
and Jorge for the photos of the Tallahassee Sunday Feast kirtan.
Itinerary
January
27–March
17:
Tallahassee, Florida State University (weekdays), Lake Ella
(weekends)
except:
February 7: Jacksonville, UNF Krishna Club?
February 8: Gainesville Friday Night Program?
February 9: Ocala Regional Rainbow Gathering?
February 10: Krishna Lunch Sunday Program?
March
18–22: Krishna House
March
23: St. Augustine Ratha-yatra
March
24–April
6:
Tallahassee, Florida State University (weekdays), Lake Ella
(weekends) [March
30: Ratha-yatra]
April
7: Jacksonville Bhakti House program?
April
8: Albany
April
9: Philadelphia
April
10–12: Washington, D.C., harinama
with
Sankarsana Prabhu by the museums
April
13–14: New York City
April
15–18:
Dublin
April
19–24: Newcastle-upon-Tyne
April
27: Amsterdam King’s Day harinama
May 4–5: Birmingham 24-hour Kirtan mid May–late July: Paris
July 30–August 3: Pol'and'Rock (formerly called Przystanek Woodstock)
August 6–12: Vaishnava Summer Festival (Lithuania)
August 14–18: Vaishnava Sanga Festival (Québec)
The
Best of 2018
Looking
back on 2018, I recall some special events that made an impression on
my mind.
Ever
wonder why Radha is called Hara? Satyaraja Prabhu, writing
in Back
to Godhead,
quoted from Jiva Goswami’s Maha-mantrartha
Dipika,
“Krishna steals everyone’s mind. Yet, due to Sri Radha’s expert
nature, She steals even His. She is thus known as Hara.”
I
like this story by Laksminatha Prabhu of Montreal: “My mind freaked
out when I joined the temple, being worried about my making the
commitment. I pacified my mind by saying I have done other things for
seventeen years. Now let’s try this for seventeen years, and we can
compare. It worked.” Obviously he liked his experience of acting
according to Krishna’s direction instead of following his own
mental concoctions or he would not be around to tell his story. We
always imagine that we will be happy doing our own thing, but in
reality, we will be happier doing Krishna’s thing, because as
souls, we are eternal servants of Krishna, the supreme soul. I find
myself often using this story in my classes.
A wonderful feature of the Vaishnava Sanga Festival in Canada this year was Srutakirti and Siddhanta Prabhus were both present to share memories of Srila Prabhupada, and that was incredibly inspiring.
A wonderful feature of the Vaishnava Sanga Festival in Canada this year was Srutakirti and Siddhanta Prabhus were both present to share memories of Srila Prabhupada, and that was incredibly inspiring.
In
2018 was the first Ratha-yatra in Leeds, the fifth largest city in
England.
The
last Ekadasi in Karttika I chanted 64 rounds in addition to doing 6
hours of harinama, and that was a record for me, and I hope to
get special mercy because of it.
In
September I spent a week chanting 64 or more rounds each day in
Navadvipa Dhama, mostly on Godrumadvipa, and most of that in front of
the samadhi of Bhaktivinoda Thakura. I found it very easy to
chant on that especially sacred island which is a place very much
recommended by Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who back in the late 1800s
foretold the spreading of the chanting of Hare Krishna all over the
world. It was a very inspiring experience, and I look forward to
doing it again.
In
addition to chanting a chapter of Bhagavad-gita every day, and
trying to read from Srila Prabhupada’s books for an hour a day, I
read the English translations of the nineteen verse “Gopi Gita”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 10, Chapter 31) each day, and I find
it really increases one’s attraction to Krishna and one’s
appreciation of the unprecedented, spontaneous affection of the gopis
for the Lord, and thus I will keep it as part of my sadhana.
For
the Prabhupada Marathon this year I chanted 4.5 more extra hours of
harinama and collected $45.47 more for the Yuga Dharma Ashram
than in 2017, but I distributed 14 fewer books, so I have to increase
that for next year.
In
the coming year, I plan to chant from memory one chapter of the
Bhagavad-gita each day. I will spend one week on chapter one,
then go on to chapter two, for the next week, etc. I find it hard to
keep all the verses in my mind at once, but if I spend a whole week
on each chapter, I am hoping I will not forget them again.
Chanting
Hare Krishna with the Yuga Dharma Ashram Party in New York City
The
first four days of the year, I chanted with the Yuga Dharma Ashram
harinama party six hours a day in different subway stations in
New York City, including Union Square (above),
Atlantic Ave. / Barclays Center,
and
Jackson Heights / Roosevelt Ave.
On
New Year’s Day, the final day of the marathon, Krishna Prasad
Prabhu tried to interest more people in the saptarsi (seven-book
set) at Times Square subway station. These two girls looked like they could have been in high school,
but they were actually in college. They were not ambitious enough to
get the set, but they did take a book or two.
On
New
Year’s Day, in Times Square subway station, a
lady from Greece and a man from Morocco bought books from Gopal Campu
Prabhu and their three children played shakers and danced with
Bhagavata Purana Prabhu, while Devala Prabhu, son of Janmastami
Prabhu, led the Hare Krishna chant (https://youtu.be/wEV1wbxV1cE):
Rama
Raya Prabhu chanted
Hare Krishna to the tune of “Auld Lang Syne” on New Year’s Day
at Times Square subway station for the last time this season
(https://youtu.be/ZDVBPWxoib8):
Natabara
Gauranga Prabhu chanted
Hare Krishna at Union Square subway station, and two kids played
shakers, encouraged by Bhagavata Purana Prabhu
(https://youtu.be/Rxlky09NYKc):
Tota
Gopinath Prabhu, formerly a full time member of the Yuga Dharma
Ashram, now occasionally chants Hare Krishna with their harinama party after work, as here in
Union Square subway station, where ultimately the devotees were
inspired to dance (https://youtu.be/rxKzCkiLxLk):
Bhagavata
Purana Prabhu chanted
Hare Krishna at Atlantic Ave. / Barclays Center subway station in
Brooklyn, and a man danced
(https://youtu.be/lUC6-P8Ty68):
Murli
Krishna Prabhu, who used to chant Hare Krishna daily in public in New
York City back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, chants at Jackson
Heights / Roosevelt Ave. subway station in Queens
(https://youtu.be/9OtG-T4UJco):
Liza,
who first encountered Hare Krishnas chanting in Union Square, leads
the Hare Krishna chant at Atlantic Ave. / Barclays Center subway
station in Brooklyn, while home for her winter break from studying
fine art at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh
(https://youtu.be/0xyVq98wgx4):
Mangal
Arati Prabhu, who often plays drum for Rama Raya Prabhu, here chants
Hare Krishna at Atlantic Ave. / Barclays Center subway station in
Brooklyn (https://youtu.be/quKFeujbH78):
I am indebted to the Yuga Dharma Ashram for allowing me to be part of their amazing program of six-hour daily harinama sankirtana and book distribution in New York City from October 1, 2018 through January 4, 2019. If you can appreciate the great spiritual value of their activities, please visit their web page (https://www.nycharinam.org/) and support them in whatever way you can.
Thursday
Night Kirtan at The Bhakti Center
I
was very pleased to encounter Srila Prabhupada disciple and Grammy
Award winning singer, Havi Prabhu, who led kirtan for an hour at The
Bhakti Center in Manhattan. There is such joy in his voice it makes
me happy.
Havi
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the Bhakti Center Thursday Kirtan, and
many dance (https://youtu.be/r1UhHU4FaHg):
Havi
Prabhu told us that once while driving from Miami to Atlanta, he
chanted Hare Krishna the entire way to a tune that appeared in his
mind, later realizing it to be from a Jewish song he knew as a kid.
Then he chanted Hare Krishna to that tune for
us at
the Bhakti Center, and many in the audience were dancing by the end
(https://youtu.be/hPQod9lq6Io):
It
was wonderful to encounter Michele, who lived in Krishna House for
three months when studying at the University of Florida. She has
recently moved to New York City and was happy to encounter at The
Bhakti Center her old friends from Krishna House, Rukmini Priya,
Hladini, and Sundari Gopi, as well as becoming reacquainted with Hare
Krishna kirtan, which she always liked.
Visiting
the JAX Krishnas Program at Their Bhakti House
As
usual a group of enthusiastic young people gathered at the
Jacksonville Bhakti House for their semimonthly Saturday program. We
talked about spiritual New Year’s resolutions.
I
had
met
Isa last February when she attended the Krishna Club at
the University of North Florida (UNF) in Jacksonville for
the first time with a friend who was writing about it for the college
newpaper. Her friend wrote a mostly favorable article but never
returned, but Isa became a regular, attending Krishna Club each week
and the semimonthly programs downtown. She did a project on Krishna
House for college and produced this appreciative and
informative video about it (https://youtu.be/gnm1ItpEntg):
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Tallahassee
It
was
nice to chant Hare Krishna in the sun and fresh air at Tallahassee’s
Lake Ella on the weekends – a refreshing change from the NYC subway
stations!
Thanks to Taproot Das for the photos, for playing the
shakers, for passing out invitations to the temple and “On Chanting
Hare Krishna” pamphlets, and for driving Jorge and me to the lake.
During
the week, I would chant on the campus of Florida State University
(FSU), mostly
at Landis Green, behind the main library.
Once
a young graduate asked if she could take a photo of me. I said yes.
She told me she was Breanna Bruner, a documentary photographer, who
did videos for the FSU College of Fine Arts. As a student, her
classes conflicted with Krishna Lunch, but now as an employee of the
university, she was free to come and she looked forward to it.
At
the Sunday Feast program, Yogi Garuda Das Prabhu chanted the “Gaura
Arati” song, and he let me chant the Hare Krishna mantra afterward.
He played a drum set, and several new devotees he has been
cultivating enjoyed playing instruments and danced, and thus it was a
lively kirtan. Thanks to Jorge for the photo.
After
the kirtan, we showed the Hare
Krishna!
film, and Krishna inspired four new people to come and see it, two
who knew us from Krishna Lunch and two others.
Tribute
to Kaliyaphani Prabhu
All
glories to Kaliyaphani Prabhu for his faithful service to Srila
Prabhupada and his mission. I worked on book and video production for
Sadaputa Prabhu, but after his last book, when I was just doing
accounting and shipping, I was not so inspired, and I decided to do
harinama
sankirtana
instead as my service. Kaliyaphani Prabhu kindly agreed to take over
my service for Sadaputa Prabhu so I could do that. Kaliyaphani Prabhu
was always helpful, serving out and cleaning up after the Alachua
Sunday feast. He almost always came on harinama,
and he would sing lively upbeat tunes. He would also play harmonium
to accompany others. His presence was always a positive addition. I
hope that Lord Caitanya gives him His supreme benediction for his
faithful service to His mission.
I
recall that Kaliyaphani Prabhu told me that in a recent summer he
traveled with his godbrother, Gaura Prabhu, in Canada, and as Gaura
is a friend of mine, I asked him about that.
Gaura
replied, “He lived with me for three months, and I organized almost
back to back outreach programs for him/us. We had a blast together!
It is more than I can write about right now. Thanks very much for
asking, Krishna-kripa Das Prabhu. Those three months were three of my
best months in many years! We also made some recordings together and
got on national Canadian television.”
Later
Gaura elaborated, “In 2014, after the Toronto Ratha Yatra, hearing
from Kaliyaphani Prabhu how the Florida summers could be unbearable
for him, I invited him to stay with me. He stayed with me for three
months. Three of the happiest months I have lived.
“I
immediately became enthused to organize programs for him/us. He
told me that no one ever organized so many outreach programs for him
as I had.
“My
consciousness shot up having his daily association. We did tons of
walks on forest japa trails, something we both loved to do. I cooked for him every day since he was not fond of kitchen related things.
“He
was the closest person to an actual brother I experienced in many
years. He always spoke of the great benefit he received from the
Satvatove courses, and I would discuss that with him any chance we
had, including after he returned to Florida.
“What
a loss to no longer have his presence. I regret not making the time
to respond to his last messages to me I always wanted to hear what
new realizations he was getting from Satvatove courses, since I have
loved participating in that environment.
[The following paragraph is an excerpt Gaura Prabhu shared of one such message from
Kaliyaphani Prabhu.]
I feel some progress with ignoring the mind’s constant limitations and beratings. I write them down in detail and then seriously question if they’re true. Then I envisage who I’d be without them. It’s amazingly effective. . . . Hope all is well! Tally Ho!
“Kaliyaphani
Das climbed trees like he was in his 20s, though he told me not to
try it. He was very nimble. He thrived on adventure and had some of
Steve McQueen in him. Hence the 1000 cc Triumph motorcycle. Did Srila
Prabhupada call them ‘murdercycles’ or did devotees make up
that term?
“Next we went to do a program with a Russian devotee family where we led kirtan, he gave a class, and while I was arranging more programs for us, he was paid for doing more arborist work around the property. I did not ask him for a penny, but he voluntarily gave me half of what he received, which just went into the gas tank so we could get to our next program. He was a kind and generous godbrother. He was always working hard on himself to keep his word and to maintain greater integrity in his life and in his service to Srila Prabhupada. I feel a big void in my life to know that I will not see him again in this life.
“Kaliyaphani Prabhu told me in the 70s while serving in the UK Yatra, he became a sankirtana leader of several parties, and then the right hand man of Sivarama Swami, who was encouraging him to take sannyasa.
“He told me that the school he went to, Sherborne, was the same school that Oliver Cromwell and Henry VIII had gone to. He said he grew up with Sir Richard Branson as a childhood friend whom he used to jump off yachts in the Mediterranean with. When he was 10 years old and would come to visit Richard, Richard's mom would say, ‘Oh! My boyfriend has come to visit me!’ When I would call around to offer kirtan from us to various centers, I would tell them this little bit about his past schooling, even though we know the education he received from Srila Prabhupada and his followers was the highest. I would tell them that though he came from an aristocratic family, he had given it all up to become a Vaishnava monk. They liked to hear this.
“I
called up a yoga center south of Barrie which doubled as a vegan
restaurant, Vidya’s Veggie Gourmet Restaurant and told Vidya about
Kaliyaphani Prabhu. We
were asked to reside at the restaurant / yoga studio for several
days, where we would do kirtan as people completed their yoga asana
routine.
“A
fund raiser was held their with a variety of artists performing. It
was to raise funds for the Bear Creek Animal Sanctuary which was
created to protect zoo animals from being euthanized We were given 20
minutes to lead a kirtan, and the CTV Television Network brought in
big cameras to film us for nationwide TV coverage, as well as the
other artists.
“We
met David Avocado Wolf there who I gave books to, and David expressed
that Srila Prabhupada was the greatest author out of India that he
knew of and gladly received some books from me.
“He
gave me a gift of some healing herbs. Next we headed up to Barrie to
do kirtan and then visited a Buddhist retreat to see their layout.
“Then
we drove up to the home of Tulasi Hanna and his father / godbrother
Garuda Vahan, in Owen Sound where we did kirtan at two restaurants and
did some recording.”
I
shared so much of Gaura Prabhu’s communication with me so the friends
of Kaliyaphani Prabhu can know how his enthusiasm for sharing Krishna
consciousness, a most wonderful saintly quality, manifested in
recent years.
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.8.28 in Los Angeles on April 20, 1973:
“Everyone
is God’s son. So how God can be partial to one son . . . ? That is
not possible. That is our mistake. We write: ‘We trust in God,’
but we make discrimination. If you trust in God, then you must be
equally kind and merciful to all living entities. That is God
consciousness.”
“We are envious of our enemy, and we are friendly to our friends. So
Krishna is absolute. Even He appears to be inimical to some demon,
actually He’s friend. When a demon is killed, that means his
demonic activities are killed. He becomes a saint immediately.
Otherwise how he’s promoted immediately to the brahmajyoti?”
“Now
He’s [God’s] equal to everyone. It is up to the devotees or
persons who are trying to understand the Supreme Absolute Truth.
According to their capacity of understanding, the Absolute Truth,
God, is revealed, either as impersonal Brahman or localized Paramatma
or Bhagavan. It is up to me.”
“He
is moving everywhere, outside, inside, simply we have to make our
eyes clear to see Him. That is devotional service, to make our senses
purified to perceive the presence of God. God is present everywhere.”
“Those
who are too much in bodily concept of life, for them the yoga system
is recommended, practicing the bodily exercise, and find out the
Supreme Lord within the heart. But bhaktas, those who are devotees, who are still more advanced, they don’t require to control their senses separately, because to be engaged in devotional service means controlling the senses. Suppose you are engaged in worshiping the Deity, in cleansing the room, in decorating the Deity, in making foodstuff for Deity, everything nicely. . . . So your senses are already engaged. Where is the chance of your senses being diverted? The senses are already controlled.”
“When
one comes to the understanding that I am not this body, I am spirit
soul, part and parcel of God, so my senses, spiritual senses, should
be engaged in the service of the Supreme Spiritual Being. That is
wanted. That is mukti [liberation].”
“They
make distinction that this is lower class, this is higher class. So
Krishna says, ‘Even lower class, so-called lower class, it doesn’t
matter, if he takes to Me, then he’s also eligible to go, come back
to home, back to Godhead.’”
“Matter
is one energy of Krishna, and spirit is another energy. The spirit is
superior energy, and the matter is inferior energy. The matter
develops when there is superior energy. Just like this country,
America. The same America was two hundred years ago, three hundred
years ago, the land, but it was not developed. But because some
superior living entities from Europe came here, now America is so
much developed. Therefore the cause of development is the superior
energy.”
“The
matter cannot work independently unless the superior energy, living
entity, touches it. This is common sense. So how these rascal
scientists say that life develops from matter? No. How it can be
concluded? There is no such instances. They falsely say that. . . .
They do not have sufficient knowledge.”
Satsvarupa
Dasa Goswami:
From
Free
Write Journal#21:
“A
warrior may possess a good weapon, but unless he has the strength to
pick it up and use it, he will be defeated. The strength for fighting maya is a spiritual strength (bala) which is given by the grace of Lord Balarama. The spiritual master is the representative of Lord Balarama, and so it’s to him we should pray for ongoing protection.”
Hridayananda
Goswami:
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.12.25
in Gainesville, FL, on February 5, 2009:
Krishna
consciousness is an art. We do endeavor, but we depend on Krishna at
the same time. “Mam
anusmara yudhya ca – remember
Me and fight.” (Bg. 8.7)
Our
protection is our sincerity, that we choose to hear from the right
person, that we can distinguish Krishna’s voice in our heart.
The
advantages of serving Srila Prabhupada’s mission so much outway the
problems, and because Krishna is the supreme controller, we can see
even these so-called problems as Krishna’s mercy.
Krishna
is the supreme personal trainer.
Krishna
says to be equal in fame and infamy. So how do we practice that if we
do not get both fame and infamy?All
these statements in the Bhagavad-gita
we
have to practice.
Krishna, to train us, gives us different situations. If we become bitter, then Krishna will have to give us the test again until we can tolerate.
We have to see every event in our life as an opportunity to advance.
Although we may not be so advanced that we pray for calamities like Kunti, we can see the troubles that we do have as opportunities for advancement.
Krishna, to train us, gives us different situations. If we become bitter, then Krishna will have to give us the test again until we can tolerate.
We have to see every event in our life as an opportunity to advance.
Although we may not be so advanced that we pray for calamities like Kunti, we can see the troubles that we do have as opportunities for advancement.
We
have to train ourselves to see Krishna in every event in our life.
If
we do not think of doing good for others we will never get past the
kanistha
(neophyte)
platform. If we understand we are souls and others are souls, we must
also be concerned for them.
Q:
My grandfather is dying. What is the best I can do for him?
A:
Pray sincerely to Krishna. I place more faith in that than other
external things, which are OK when done with devotion. It is
Krishna’s arrangement he has a Vaishnavi granddaughter who will
pray for Him. Every living being has the same mission to ultimately
go back to Godhead. Pray that he may someday chant Hare Krishna and
be a devotee.
[I heard the above class live in Gainesville when originally spoken, but I took different notes on it. Additional things I noted the first time I heard it were:]
From our perspective, Pariksit was bitten by a snake bird and passed away, but for him it was a promotion.
To maintain material attachments means to ignore the fact that they are our enemies (Bg. 3.39).
We should think of our mission as dialog and not monologue.
[Find
the above notes interesting? Hear the class at
Radhanath
Swami:
Srila
Prabhupada once said, “Philosophy without character has little or
no meaning.”
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.8.42
in Mumbai on February 23, 1992:
Seeing
Kunti faint when Karna came into the assembly, Bhisma and Vidura were
so expert they realized that he must have been her first son.
Karna
vowed not to kill any of the Pandavas except Arjuna.
Can
you imagine how much Kunti suffered when her beloved son, Arjuna,
killed her beloved son, Karna?
There
was no celebration of victory, only broken hearts, when the Pandavas
learned that Karna was their brother when Kunti explained to
Yudhisthira why she wanted him to offer the last rites for Karna as
one of their relatives.
This
is the path of bhakti
– to put no one ahead of Krishna in our lives.
If
we put anyone ahead of Krishna in our lives, Krishna will never
reveal himself to us.
Although
Kunti had so many emotions for her family members she did not let
that impede her service to Krishna.
A
devotee loves his family and society only in relationship with
Krishna.
Krishna
spoke this most profound philosophy through the words of a mother to
show that is the
way
to attain Him.
As
long as we are attached to these external designations we cannot love
Krishna.
[Find
the above notes interesting? Hear the class at
http://audio.iskcondesiretree.com/02_-_ISKCON_Swamis/ISKCON_Swamis_-_R_to_Y/His_Holiness_Radhanath_Swami/Lectures/00_-_Year_wise/Devotional_Nectar_-_1992/1992-042_Teachings_Of_Queen_Kunti_SB-01_08_42_Mumbai_-_Radhanath_Swami_1992-02-23_IdesireTree.mp3]
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
10.16.60–64:
In
accepting the prayers of the Nagapatnis to save their husband,
Krishna demonstated His promise in Bhagavad-gita
18.66.
All
offenses to the Vaishnavas are born of pride. If you are humble, you
cannot offend the Vaishnavas.
Every
insect, every plant, every bird, in Vrindavan is a nitya-siddha,
thus by poisoning the river Yamuna, Kaliya created so many offenses
against Vaishnavas.
The
prayers of the Vaishnavas never go in vain. If a Vaishnava prays for
someone, Krishna will show that person special mercy.
Balarama
was amused by the Kaliya pastime, considering Krishna was supreme,
but the other residents of Vrindavan were in complete anxiety.
The
demigods played instruments to accompany Krishna’s dance on the
hoods of Kaliya.
After
being defeated, Kaliya offered prayers to Krishna. He did not
personally know how to pray to Krishna, but he repeated the prayers
he heard from his wives. That is the process – to sincerely offer
the prayers we have heard from the devotees.
Lord
Caitanya, to convince His devotees that Jagai and Madhai were now
pure, announced that He had personally taken on their sins, and His
beautiful golden body turned black like coal. Then he said the only
way to become purified of sins in this age of Kali is the
congregational chanting of the holy name, and as His devotees chanted
in congregation He gradually resumed His beautiful golden complexion.
The
aspiration of the devotee is to attain the dust of the lotus feet of
the Vaishnavas.
All
the scriptures teach that pride must be destroyed. How can we hear
these things and maintain our arrogance?
If
we are striving for manjari-bhava,
thinking
by meditating on it we will attain it, we are in complete illusion.
Better to aspire to attain the dust of the lotus feet of the
Vaishnavas, for if you attain that, all higher realizations will be
open to you.
If
you want to be humble you have to seek the association of devotees
who are aspiring for humility. In the association of those who are
always glorifying others, you will feel embarrassed to glorify
yourself.
Q:
How deal with praise so it does not pollute us?
A:
Always remember that we are only successful by the instruction,
direction, and strength of our guru. You can think, “If they knew
all the disqualifications in my heart, they would be vomiting in my
face instead of praising me.” Or “Although I am a rascal, the
devotees are praising me to encourage me in devotional service out of
their kindness.”
[Find
the above notes interesting? Hear the class at
http://audio.iskcondesiretree.com/02_-_ISKCON_Swamis/ISKCON_Swamis_-_R_to_Y/His_Holiness_Radhanath_Swami/Lectures/01_-_Theme_wise/Prayers/1992-139_Prayers_Of_Vaishnavas_Never_Go_In_Vain_SB_10_16_60-64_-_Radhnath_Swami_Mumbai_1992-12-12_IDesireTree.mp3]
Kadamba
Kanana Swami:
The punishing God looking down from cloud, who wants Him? The sankirtana movement is not like that. It is a movement of love.
The dhama [the abode of the Lord in this world] itself is filled with love, what to speak of the residents.
Krishna appears as the Supersoul out of love. He does not have to come into this world. He is getting personally involved with every living being.
Yamaraja fell off his chariot in ecstasy, hearing of the deliverance of Jagai and Madhai.
How deep is our compassion? Do I really want to reach out to people who are really out there? Our compassion is nothing compared to Krishna’s love.
Kirtiraj Prabhu organized a worldwide press campaign against the Soviet torturing of devotees that was ultimately successful, and the Russian devotees were allowed out.
The pope told a drug addict you can find the Lord in your addiction.
In the hell of Amsterdam I had a girlfriend with a dog named Krishna. When I was walking the dog he would run off, and I would call out, “Krishna, Krishna!” Thus even in that hell I encountered Krishna!
Krishna is the unlimited reservoir of love. All you have to do is reach out to Him even in the midst of the greatest distress by calling His holy name.
Q: Hearing of Krishna’s compassion, we might think we do not have to endeavor.
A: If you do not endeavor it will take longer, and you will have suffer more.
Regarding the dark times of ISKCON, the leaders then got strength from being leaders, but it was not enough. You have to get strength from Krishna. That they found out.
I developed a three-tiered model. The most advanced devotees connect with Krishna on the deepest level and are not affected by surface upheavals.
We have three balls we have to juggle, our health, our bhajana [spiritual practice], and our mission. Sometimes we have to take care of one and sometimes another.
Sometimes Krishna makes us a mouse again, so we can see the world from that perspective. It is going to happen to all of us. Krishna will pull the rug out from under us. Then we can again serve.
We need to have short term goals as well as long term goals to achieve the supreme destination.
[Like the notes? See the class on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nycharinam/videos/1214053055414459/]
Rama
Raya Prabhu:
Traces
of the bodily concept of life exist through bhava,
the
preliminary stage of love of God.
Being
attracted by Krishna, Maharaja Bharata gave up his wealth and
kingdom, but because he was not free of material desires, he became
distracted.
Narottama
Dasa Thakura says he will not culture any knowledge that does not
help him attain love for Krishna.
Kali-yuga
is such that no one will ever have peace of mind.
Knowledge
of Krishna is not forgotten by the residents of Vrindavan. It is
included in their ecstatic relationship with Him.
The
descriptions of the miseries of Kali-yuga and the different types of
annihilation in the beginning of the Twelfth Canto of
Srimad-Bhagavatam
are
meant to completely detach Maharaja Pariksit from this material world
before the end of his life.
It
is described that Maharaja Pariksit, in samadhi,
had departed back to Godhead before Tarsaka bit his body.
-----
Krishna,
through His instructions to Arjuna, tells us how to perform our
prescribed duties in life. The secret is to act for Krishna with mind
and intelligence fixed on Him. This instruction is very universal,
and I share it with many people as an important teaching of the Gita:
tasmat
sarvesu kalesu
mam
anusmara yudhya ca
mayy
arpita-mano-buddhir
mam
evaisyasy asamsayah
“Therefore,
Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Krishna and at
the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your
activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on
Me, you will attain Me without doubt.” (Bhagavad-gita 8.7)
