Thursday, May 23, 2019

Travel Journal#15.9: United Kingdom


Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 15, No. 9 
By Krishna Kripa Das 
(May 2019, part one) 
United Kingdom 
(Sent from Paris on May 23, 2019)

Where I Went and What I Did

I traveled from Brussels to London, where I did harinama for two days, going out for two hours with Ananta Nitai Prabhu the first day and for six hours with Govinda and Kulasekhara Prabhus the second day. The day after that I went to Birmingham where I did some harinama and attended Madhava Prabhu’s kirtan the evening before the Birmingham 24-hour Kirtan. The Birmingham 24-hour Kirtan lasted for two days and was attended by Sacinandana Swami, Candramauli Swami, and Madhava Prabhu, among others. Hundreds of devotees came from all over the UK, and some from Ireland and other countries as well. Both days Bali Mardan Prabhu of Leicester organized harinama in Birmingham for an hour or two in the afternoon. I spent the next week in Newcastle, making day trips to do harinama in South Shields, North Shields, Morpeth, and Edinburgh, and I gave two lectures in Newcastle and one in Edinburgh. The following week I went to North Yorkshire and chanted in York on Monday with Govardhan Devi Dasi and her husband, Nitaichand Prabhu. We chanted together the next day in Scarborough and Whitby with Ashis Prabhu joining us, and later in the afternoon I chanted with Nitaichand and Ashis Prabhus in Filey, a new town for all of us. The next day I took a train and a bus to London, where I chanted for a total of three hours, going out three times with different devotees. The next day I flew to Munich to attend the Nrsimha Caturdasi at the Simhachalam farm, and I got some realization that traveling on Thursday is inauspicious. During lectures in Edinburgh, Newcastle, and London, I glorified Queen Rukmini and Jayananda Prabhu, because her appearance day and his disappearance day come just before Nrsimha Caturdasi, yet so often we neglect them, and the Lord appreciates glorification of His devotees in preference to that of Himself.

I share a quote by Krishna Himself from Srimad-Bhagavatam, where He nicely analyzes the human condition and concisely describes the path to perfection. I share many quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s lectures and from his books. I share quotes from Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s Free Write Journal. I share realizations on chanting the holy name from Sacinandana and Candramauli Swamis and Madhava Prabhu, speaking at the Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan, and a little history of that event by Rakesh Prabhu, the announcer. I share many nice points made by the scholarly Bhakti Prabhava Swami in a Bhagavatam class at our Radha-Londonisvara temple in Central London.

Many, many thanks to Satya Medha Gauranga Prabhu for coming on harinama, for driving me to and from harinama, and for his very liberal donation. Thanks to his wife, Andrea, for replacing the orange waterproof jacket that she previously got me with a brand new one. Thanks to Saranga Thakura Prabhu of Karuna Bhavan for his generous donation. Thanks to the Newcastle temple for their donations. Thanks to Thaigu Prabhu, an attendee at Thaigu’s program whose name I did not get, and Rukmini Devi Dasi for their donations in Edinburgh. Thanks to Govardhan Devi Dasi for generously allowing me to keep our harinama collections in York, Scarborough, Whitby, and Filey. Thanks to the residents of Birmingham for their donations on harinama. Thanks to Aditya and Malvika of Calgary for giving me a ride from Munich airport to Simhachalam.

Itinerary

May 19 – July 17: Paris [except BI seminar on evolution in FL: June 6–10]
July 18: London harinama
July 19: Nottingham harinama and program?
July 20: Sheffield Tramlines harinama
July 21: Birmingham Ratha-yatra
July 23: Sheffield harinama and program
July 25: Accrington program?
July 26: Liverpool harinama program?
July 30 – August 3: Pol’and’Rock Festival (formerly Polish Woodstock Festival)
August 4–5: Berlin harinamas
August 6–12: Vaishnava Summer Festival (Lithuania)
August 13: flights from Vilnius to Olso to Dublin to Montreal
August 14–18: Vaishnava Sanga Festival (Canada)
August 20–22: harinamas in the North of England
August 23: Janmastami in Newcastle
August 24: Vyasa Puja at Soho Street
August 25: Leeds harinama and program?
August 27: Sheffield harinama and program
August 29: Accrington program?
August 30: Liverpool harinama and program?
August 31: Liverpool harinama
September 1: Liverpool Ratha-yatra
September 2–6: Newcastle area harinama
September 7: York harinama and program
September 8: Great North Run harinama (Newcastle-upon-Tyne)
September 9–10: Dublin
September 11–April 2020: NYC Yuga Dharma harinamas & North Florida Colleges

Chanting Hare Krishna in London

When in Ireland two weeks before, I learned from Premarnava Prabhu that our mutual friend and harinama partner, Ananta Nitai Prabhu, was in India. Thus it was a great surprise to see him when I arrived in London from Brussels by bus. There appears to be more of a focus on books and less on harinama these days at our Soho Street temple, and Ananta Nitai and I were the only people on the daily afternoon harinama, so I felt useful in helping to maintain that program.

Here Ananta Nitai Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Oxford Street just around the corner from the temple, and two passersby play shakers (https://youtu.be/keQ2G6ydSQE):


Govinda, Kulasekhara, and Vasudeva Prabhus maintain a program of doing harinama for about seven hours on Thursdays in Central London.

Adi-Guru Prabhu sometimes joins the Thursday harinama party, and here he leads the Hare Krishna chant at Oxford Circus (https://youtu.be/KvmpKEUCVL0):


Here Kulasekhara Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Chinatown (https://youtu.be/MhvAI9XsNZs):


Katerina, a devotee lady originally from Czech Republic who has a powerful voice, chants Hare Krishna at Leicester Square (https://youtu.be/eSjxJJ2CDNA):


Sandipani Muni Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Oxford Street (https://youtu.be/rOIOJoQrArE):


Sandipani Muni Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Oxford Street, and two boys break dance (https://youtu.be/xyBHSFDYqyM):


Sandipani Muni Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Oxford Street, and ladies passing by dance with the devotee ladies (https://youtu.be/NNbzsbkokC8):


Govinda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in front of Govinda's Restaurant on Soho Street, desiring to avoid the pouring rain (https://youtu.be/4dGExE5BY4Q):


Ananta Nitai Prabhu, the final leader of the Hare Krishna chant on the Thursday London harinama, sings on Oxford Street (https://youtu.be/WjGizh-t8Zo):


While Ananta Nitai Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna, several Italian tourists enjoyed playing instruments with the devotees (https://youtu.be/zjFkAHfd1_8):


Chanting Hare Krishna in Birmingham


For the tenth year in a row I went to the Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan, regularly attended by Sacinandana Swami and Madhava Prabhu, now in its twentieth year. This time the festival was also attended by Candramauli Swami.

This year I chanted Hare Krishna on New Street in Birmingham on the rainy, chilly evening before the Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan, and I distributed invitations to the festival. I came to Birmingham the day before the kirtan festival this year for the first time upon hearing that Madhava Prabhu does a kirtan with Vaishnava youths there that night. Hearing my one-man harinama, one Indian man who was experiencing difficulties in his life, found the chanting had a beneficial effect on his mind. I invited him to the festival, but he said he was leaving for London the next day. I told him we had a kirtan that very night, and I invited him to come with me there on the bus, and he did. He stayed until the end, took prasadam, and said he might return the next day before his afternoon train to London.

Here Madhava Prabhu chants Hare Krishna the night before the Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan at our new temple in Birmingham (https://youtu.be/IY4qR6fhUuk):


I slept in the new temple overnight and was one of the few privileged to see Lord Jagannatha at mangala-arati.

Nitai Kirtan Prabhu was kind to facilitate me and two other devotees with a place to take a shower and breakfast the next day, and in my case, a place to get caught up on my sleep.

Here Sacinandana Swami chants Hare Krishna at Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan Saturday at noontime (https://youtu.be/nshO25H7yNg):



A small party of enthusiastic devotees from Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan, gathered together by Bali Mardan Prabhu of Leicester (above), who likes to go on harinama every day, here led by Abi Hughes and later Megan, chants Hare Krishna along nearby Birmingham streets (https://youtu.be/EyVDNH1zS34):


Sacinandana Swami chants Hare Krishna at Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan Saturday evening (https://youtu.be/X45vS2tUCKM):


Madhava Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan Saturday evening (https://youtu.be/CK2VBfMKAc8):


Here are some more lively Hare Krishna tunes from Saturday at the Birmingham 24-hour Kirtan (https://youtu.be/JwEvJzpHLUg):


They have a special arati at midnight for Lord Jagannatha, and the kirtan for that is lively and well attended. Then most of the people leave, and a small group of youthful devotees keeps the chanting going the rest of the night and through the morning. I stayed awake for several of those kirtans.

Yogindra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna just before the midnight arati at Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan (https://youtu.be/n4gkUGKM_kc):


Namacarya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna during a midnight arati at Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan (https://youtu.be/P-fu51puzkM):


Khushali chants Hare Krishna at Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan right after the midnight arati for Lord Jagannatha (https://youtu.be/q0RnrWn1AjE):


Lila-Sara chants Hare Krishna at Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan (https://youtu.be/x8Ad2S2lVDk):


Aditi chants Hare Krishna at Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan (https://youtu.be/guabLpv0a2g):


I took a nap in the back of the kirtan hall from 2:30 to 5:30 a.m., somehow or other sleeping through the mangala-arati at 4:30 a.m. I slept surprising well enough although I am a very light sleeper, despite the fact there was a kirtan going on, and the next day, I participated the kirtan until we ended around 9:45 p.m., without taking any naps.

Here Madhava Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan on Sunday morning, during the abhiseka of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai (https://youtu.be/ChNPiQH9-ZE):


Parasurama Prabhu plays ukulele and chants Hare Krishna at Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan (https://youtu.be/LADlOfIwpcc):


Govinda Prabhu chants two Hare Krishna tunes at Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan (https://youtu.be/0A4096fFUuA):


Different devotees chant some lively Hare Krishna tunes Sunday at Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan (https://youtu.be/3SRQVQvR07E):


Madhava Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the end of the Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan on Sunday evening, as the partially undressed deities of Lord Jagannatha, Lord Baladeva, and Lady Subhadra listen from atop a table, along with their devotees, who are dancing by the end (https://youtu.be/pmyIXbaTkPc):


There is a little sadness the ecstatic event is over till next year.

Chanting Hare Krishna in the Newcastle Area

The night after the Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan, I spent in the Manchester temple, after catching a ride with Manchester devotees. The next day I took a couple of buses, leaving at 10:50 a.m., and arriving in Newcastle around 3:00 p.m. I took a short nap, and chanted in Newcastle on a rather cold and windy day. I thought of packing up early because of being tired from the festival and because of the cold, but the people were giving donations so generously, over £25 altogether, I stuck it out. It was as if Krishna was encouraging me for going out despite the austere conditions.

Janananda Goswami likes us to go to other places besides Newcastle, so that week I decided to go to South Shields, where I had not been for five years, North Shields, where I had not been in three years, and Morpeth, where I had never done harinama at all.

Satya Medha Gauranga Prabhu, who acquired a taste for serving Janananda Goswami when helping with his harinama newsletter years ago, was inspired by him to do harinama in many localities around Newcastle, despite his shy disposition. Satya Medha was enlivened to see me going out, remembering his own experiences, and he joined me in Newcastle, South Shields, and Morpeth. He became so enthusiastic that in his last letter, he promised to take me on harinama in Ashington, Alnmouth, Alnwick, Bishop, Auckland, Blyth, Corbridge, Cramlington, Haltwhistle, Hexham, Ponteland, Prudhoe, Rothbury, and Warkworth on my next visit to Newcastle.

This is the beginning of our South Shields harinama.

In South Shields we met a young man who was attracted to our presentation. He and his father, who was deaf, spent a little time with us.

After South Shields I went to Sunderland, also on the shore of the North Sea and south of the Tyne River, where I had dinner with Ramai, Vrinda, Caitanya Vallabha, and Jagannathesvari Prabhus, followed by some kirtan.

Here Jagannathesvari Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna in Sunderland in the temple room of her parents, Ramai and Vrinda Prabhus, along with them and her husband, Caitanya Vallabha Prabhu, who plays the drum (https://youtu.be/8yr22-Hi0JQ):


Then Caitanya Vallabha Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/kIfSclLhW6M):


The following day I went to North Shields and had surprising success. In three hours mostly an older crowd donated over £25 ($32.50) and took four books, including a hardbound Science of Self-Realization.

While in North Shields I had a couple of challenges. A tall, older man, with a deep voice shouted “Alleluia” in a threatening tone while approaching me. It did sound a little scary, and a passerby picked up on it, and deciding it was out of order for him to approach me in such an aggressive way, really got on his case about it. Their interaction erupted in to quite an argument as I kept chanting and a security guard from the nearby shopping mall watched with concern. Finally the arguing men went their separate ways, and the guy who had shouted “Alleluia” apologized for coming on too strong, and I told him not to worry and kept chanting.

I was also approached by a Christian couple who were sure I had to accept Lord Jesus Christ as my personal savior or I was going to hell forever. After hearing their enthusiastic presentation, I made the point that The Bible and the Bhagavad-gita are both revealed scriptures, and one can choose follow whichever one he likes. I also made the point that in Bhagavad-gita the Supreme Lord says that one must approach him through an enlightened individual who has seen the truth. Thus a follower of Bhagavad-gita can rejoice that the Christians have found Lord Jesus Christ as their way to God and the Moslems have found Muhammad as their way to God. I mentioned that we follow Srila Prabhupada, the enlightened soul who translated Bhagavad-gita into English for our benefit.

I see that I had to tolerate these challenges before Krishna would send the many favorable people who gave donations and accepted books.

The good experience in North Shields inspired to think I could spend several weeks in Newcastle each year going to all the nearby towns with the chanting of Hare Krishna, and play a useful role in that way.

The next day was cold and wet, and I found a sheltered place in Newcastle, near several bus stops and a mall, to chant where people could hear me, but there was not much interaction with people that day.

Morpeth was more posh, and in the beginning many people just ignored us. I was worried we made a mistake in going there, but after awhile things picked up.

In Morpeth I got a new donation on harinama I never encountered before. A jolly Scotsman, who loves Indian food and had a Hindu tenant who used to bring him some, a few minutes after our conversation returned with this gift:


Just five minutes before I packed up, Mala, a lady from Madurai in South India, perhaps in her thirties, stopped by and bought a Science of Self-Realization for her son. 

As often, at the end of the harinama, people were more favorable than initially.

Chanting Hare Krishna in Edinburgh

On a Saturday morning I took an early train to Edinburgh and returned to Newcastle that evening on a late bus. While there I attended a home program at Thaigu and Abirami Prabhu’s place and a three-hour harinama at The Meadows, a large popular park where the devotees like to chant.

I was pleased that we had a sunny day with little wind, which was good weather for Scotland, and The Meadows was filled with people. Nineteen devotees participated in the kirtan for at least part of the time.

A young lady from Indore, who was attending a conference on psychology at the University of Edinburgh, was happy to see Hare Krishnas and took some photos. She had Bhagavad-gita and Science of Self-Realization already. She was happy to get information on Karuna Bhavan, our eco-farm outside Glasgow, and she plans to visit during her week-long stay in Edinburgh.

An old lady from near Delhi, who had heard about Karuna Bhavan but had never gone, was happy to learn more details about it from me.

Two curious ladies took an “On Chanting Hare Krishna” pamphlet.

Here Saranga Thakura Prabhu, who came with his wife and kid at least an hour from Karuna Bhavan, chants Hare Krishna at The Meadows (https://youtu.be/Pgx_-q9NDag):


Seven-year-old Satthik chants Hare Krishna at The Meadows (https://youtu.be/B471vYn_ph8):


Rukmini Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at that gathering of devotees in The Meadows which she organized (https://youtu.be/-2ZBHCFMSlM):


Abirami, who hosted the home program earlier in the afternoon, chants Hare Krishna at The Meadows (https://youtu.be/vvxk4cZ61WQ):


Chanting Hare Krishna at the Newcastle Temple

Here Madhuri Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at the Newcastle Friday evening program (https://youtu.be/vlh0-wWH1mU):


Vrinda Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at the Newcastle Sunday feast (https://youtu.be/6VEIIad3HH8):


Syamapriya Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Newcastle Sunday feast (https://youtu.be/GpvW7aTdaW8):


Chanting Hare Krishna in North Yorkshire

I chanted with Govardhan Devi Dasi, a Prabhupada disciple who loves harinama, and her husband, Nitaichand Prabhu, in York on a beautiful, sunny, warm day. One man, who was getting interested in meditation, reading different scriptures, and pursuing spiritual values, stopped by, enjoyed talking with us, and got “On Chanting Hare Krishna” and literature about Karuna Bhavan. He had done gardening for twenty years, so he would fit right in there.

One young lady who moved to the music said, “I can feel your spirit.” I gave her an “On Chanting Hare Krishna” and said, “There is a lot of joy in the chant. Check it out.”

As I was chanting on the way to the car to make sure I met my three-hour quota, one man approached us and was very happy to learn about our local monthly programs in York, and another man, who said he had heard us chanting earlier, gave £1.50 and took a Chant and Be Happy.

I am so glad I decided to chant with Govardhan for a couple of days on my way from Newcastle to London to catch a cheap flight to Munich for the Nrsimha festival at Simhachalam in Bavaria.

Govardhan Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna the next day in Scarborough, on the northeast coast of England, where she resides and where favorable passersby donated over £20 in just an hour and a half (https://youtu.be/tQWAV-3FZMc):


Govardhan Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna in Whitby, further up the northeast coast of England (https://youtu.be/rJzt78xDLxg):


Later Govardhan had a meeting to attend, but the rest of us chanted for 45 minutes in Filey, a coastal town of about 7,000 people. Thus we chanted in three places that day, Filey being a new one for all of us. At Filey, within the first 10 minutes of us chanting Hare Krishna, three people donated £1 each, and I took that as Krishna telling us He was happy we took the trouble to go to a new place.

Here, after a day of harinamas in three cities, Govardhan Devi Dasi, her husband, and Ashis chant Hare Krishna for her beautiful Gaura-Nitai deities in the evening at her home in Scarborough (https://youtu.be/SBK-OsZSe14):


Chanting Hare Krishna in London

To get my three hours of public chanting of Hare Krishna in after my two-and-a-half-hour train ride and four-and-a-half-hour bus ride from Scarborough to London, I had to go out three times with different people. First I went out for two hours during the time of the usual daily London harinama with Kavi Karnapura Prabhu, who remembered me from Manhattan. Then I went out with Rupa Raghunatha Prabhu and Erzsébet for forty-five minutes and finally with Erzsébet and Katerina for fifteen minutes.

The next day Nama Sankirtana Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna after Guru Puja at Soho Street temple, and devotees enthusiastically danced (https://youtu.be/ocCLX8-fqDY):


Rukmini Dvadasi and the Disappearance Day of Jayananda Prabhu

Usually Rukmini Dvadasi, the appearance day of Lord Krishna’s principal wife, Rukmini, is two days before Nrsimha Caturdasi, and the day after that is the disappearance day of Jayananda Prabhu, a very selfless devotee that Srila Prabhupada asked his followers to honor the disappearance of each year. This year, however, both days landed on the day before Nrsimha Caturdasi, and I mentioned both great personalities in the class I gave in London on that day, as I had at the Saturday home program in Edinburgh and the Sunday feast program in Newcastle.

Among the things I said about Rukmini was she was special for having chosen to marry Krishna simply upon hearing about Him. Indeed Krishna Himself said to Rukmini, “The practical proof of your extraordinary position is that although you had never seen Me before our marriage and had simply heard about Me from a third person, still your faith in Me was so much fixed that even in the presence of many qualified, rich and beautiful men of the royal order, you did not select any one of them as your husband but insisted on having Me.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Chapter 60)

I also mentioned that Srila Prabhupada praised her determination to attain Krishna as exemplary, “She [Rukmini] desired to dedicate her life to observing severe austerities and penances, such as fasting and going without bodily comforts. If it were not possible in this lifetime to gain Krishna’s favor by these activities, she was prepared to die from such austerities and to undergo similar difficulties lifetime after lifetime. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that pure devotees of the Lord execute devotional service with great determination. Such determination, as exhibited by Rukmini-devi, is the only price for purchasing Krishna’s favor. One should be strongly determined in Krishna consciousness, and that is the way to ultimate success.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Chapter 52)

I also mentioned how Lord Krishna perfectly reciprocated Rukmini’s love for Him as He reveals in this statement, “My dear brahmana, I am very glad to hear that Rukmini is eager to marry Me, since I am also eager to get her hand. My mind is always absorbed in thoughts of the daughter of Bhismaka, and sometimes I cannot sleep at night because I am thinking of her.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Chapter 53) Although the Supreme Lord of all universes, Krishna perfectly reciprocated the affection of Princess Rukmini, who had fallen madly in love with Him by falling in love with her.

Jayananda Prabhu, most well known for his dedication to Ratha-yatra, was famous for many devotional qualities, especially his humility. Kalakantha Prabhu, wrote in “The Life of Jayananda Prabhu,” posted on Krishna.com, “He treated everyone as his superior, even new devotees. Maharaja Das remembers that Jayananda was always asking his advice: ‘Hey, Bhakta Mike, what do you think of this?’ Although his service was glorious, he never wanted any glory. He avoided praise like the plague. Devotees got to know that if they wanted to be around him, they'd better not praise Jayananda. Otherwise he would simply leave. Once when he was with Danavir, someone came to Jayananda and began praising him. Jayananda just ignored it. Later he turned to Danavir and said, ‘You know, if you've been around this movement a few years, people naturally offer you some respect.’ Not that his service or qualities were so great, he just was around a few years was his humble thinking. If he ever spoke about himself at all, Jayananda would speak so humbly that Lochan Das recalls, ‘It was difficult not to think of yourself as being better than him. If you had any reason to be puffed up, Jayananda would bring it out in you.’ Feeling himself unworthy, he would step aside so that others could lead kirtan, give classes, or do arati. Instead, he could be found fixing cars, unplugging toilets, washing dishes, or taking out trash.

“Once a new boy came to visit the San Francisco temple. He wanted to help, so Kesava Das sent him to the trash area where Jayananda was preparing the weekly trash run. Jayananda told the boy, ‘I’m the garbage man around here. For years I've been watching garbage men carry out trash, and now Krishna is giving me a chance to do this for Him.’ The boy not only helped load the trash, but accompanied Jayananda to the garbage dump. Later that boy became a devotee, and he recalled thinking, ‘If the garbage men at this temple can be so blissful, just imagine what the rest of the devotees are like!’”

Is Traveling on Thursday Inauspicious?

Devotees say that Srila Prabhupada and his guru, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, who are liberated souls, would not travel on Thursdays because it was considered inauspicious. I noticed that my flight to Munich for the Nrsimha Caturdasi festival at Simhachalam, our Bavarian farm with an impressive deity of Lord Nrsimha, was booked for a Thursday, and I became doubtful. Liberated souls are beyond any calculation of material auspiciousness or inauspiciousness, yet Srila Prabhupada and his guru took this idea of not traveling on the Thursday very seriously. I wondered if anything would happen to me.

I had booked a coach to the airport as it is considerably cheaper (£4.99 instead of the £18.10 for the train). The bus that the London journey planner had told me would take me to the coach departure point only ran part of its route, so I had to find another way to get there and was late. I found the departure point for the Luton airport coaches but not the ones to Stansted, where I was going. I decided to call the coach company to find the exact location of the coach stop, and I realized I must have left my phone at the temple. I noticed that I also did not have my other phone which I use for taking videos. On top of that I noticed I had the key to the temple guest room tied to my gayatri thread. Thus I had three reasons to return to the temple. There was no other option. I decided to take the tube (the London underground or subway) to the temple to save time although it meant carrying all my luggage up and down staircases. I found both phones stacked on top of each other on a ledge in the temple room. I used the London journey planner to find that if I took the tube to Liverpool Street railway station, I could take the Stansted Express and arrive at the airport just twenty minutes before the EasyJet bag drop closed for my flight. I decided to go for it, and I was successful, although I did end up wasting £22.90 ($29.32) because of my foolishness.

I had thought of different options for going from the Munich airport to Simhachalam, but I because I was unable to reach the Munich or Simhachalam temples by phone, it was difficult for me to make a final plan. While I was waiting in the line for immigration, a couple of Indian devotees, based in Canada but coming for the Simhachalam festival, seeing me dressed as a brahmacari, introduced themselves and told me they were renting a car, and said I could come with them. During part of the journey, the youthful driver was speeding at 170 kilometers per hour (106 mph), a little scary for me, but we made it by 8:30 p.m., and there was plenty of prasadam to give us energy to survive the next day’s fast, a spot on the floor in the ashram to sleep, and many friendly devotees to welcome us to that holy place, so the day had an auspicious ending by Krishna’s grace.

Insights

Lord Krishna, speaking to the kings He released who had been captured by Jarasandha:

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.73.19, 21–23:

“Fortunately you have come to the proper conclusion, my dear kings, and what you have spoken is true. I can see that human beings’ lack of self-restraint, which arises from their intoxication with opulence and power, simply leads to madness. . . . Understanding that this material body and everything connected with it have a beginning and an end, worship Me by Vedic sacrifices, and with clear intelligence protect your subjects in accordance with the principles of religion. As you live your lives, begetting generations of progeny and encountering happiness and distress, birth and death, always keep your minds fixed on Me. Be detached from the body and everything connected to it. Remaining self-satisfied, steadfastly keep your vows while concentrating your minds fully on Me. In this way you will ultimately attain Me, the Supreme Absolute Truth.”

Srila Prabhupada:

From a class Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.26–30 in Honolulu on January 23, 1974:

“We must remember always that we are part and parcel of God. So we have all the good qualities of God; that is our nature. Just like the drop of the ocean water, it has got all the qualities of the ocean. There is no doubt about it. Therefore, even if we take a little drop of ocean water, because the ocean water is salty, we taste the water salty. The salt is there also, but in minute quantity. The ocean has got millions and trillions of tons of salt, and here, in the drop of the water, there is a grain of salt. But salt is there. . . . So naturally, in our original position we have got all the good qualities of God. Now, due to the material contamination, the godly qualities are now covered.”

“The spark is also fire, but it has got the potency to become extinguished. Suppose a spark falls down from the original fire, down. It is extinguished. But the big fire does not extinguish. Therefore the big fire, or Krishna, is infallible.”

“The Mayavada philosopher says that ‘We are in maya, and as soon as the maya is taken away, we are God.’ So we are not God, but we manifest our godly qualities when maya is taken away. So long we are covered by maya, our godly qualities are not manifest. But we are not God. Or you are God, but not that God, that big God, but you are a particle of. You can say, ‘I am God,’ but you are not that original, chief God. That you are not. This is our philosophy. And that is very genuine. How can I be God? If I am God, then why I have lost my godly qualities? Or why my godly qualities are now covered? This is very common sense.”

“So whatever Krishna consciousness movement is going forward, it is due to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s magnanimous compassion for the poor people suffering in this Kali-yuga. Otherwise, to become Krishna conscious is not very easy job. Is not easy job. So those who are getting the chance of becoming Krishna conscious by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they should not lose the opportunity. It will be suicidal. Don’t fall down. It is very easy. Simply chanting by Hare Krishna mantra – not always, twenty-four hours, although Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends, kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. Adi 17.31], always chant; that is the principle. But we cannot do that because we are so much overwhelmed by the influence of Kali. So at least sixteen rounds. Don’t miss this. Don’t miss this.”

“In a big temple, the cooker and the man who is worshiping the Deity and the man who is sweeping over, they’re all one. There is no distinction. . . . In the material world, if somebody’s doing nice job, he is greater, and if somebody’s not nice job, he’s smaller. In spiritual world, there is no such distinction.”

“As soon as you become a pure devotee, all dictation will come from within. And besides that, Krishna is helping, inside and outside. Outside is spiritual master; inside Krishna Himself. Where is the difficulty? Simply you have to become sincere. That’s all. Everything is there.”

From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.36 in Tokyo on January 30, 1974:

“Before accepting somebody as spiritual master you must know about his bona fides. That time is allowed. It is said in the sastras that if you like to accept somebody as spiritual master, you should associate with him at least for one year, see how things are going on. . . . Personally it is advised that you just remain with the proposed spiritual master for at least one year, so that the spiritual master is also given chance to study you, whether you are acceptable. This is the process.”

“If God is not equal to everyone, then how He can be God?”

“Question must be . . . preceded by surrender, and followed by service. In the middle, there may be question. Therefore, yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah, we have to please the spiritual master by service and surrender, and then it will be very nice position. If the spiritual master sees that the disciple is a surrendered soul, and he's rendering service to his best capacity, then the answer will be very liberal and convincing, and he will be very glad to answer the question, if it is supported by these two things.

“Just like this Krishna consciousness movement. I am insignificant human being; what can I do? But I tried my best because my spiritual master said that ‘You go and try to preach in English.’ So I tried my best, that's all. I had no qualification.”

From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.1 in Los Angeles on June 30, 1970:

“We are always hearing. You have come here to hear something. Or if you go to some other political organization, there also you will hear. If you go to some scientific organization, there also you will hear. If you go to your school, your college, you will hear, because hearing is our process to acquire knowledge. Ah. So he says, srotavyadisu yah parah: there are many subject matters for hearing, but this kind of hearing is the supermost, and it is approved by the self-realized person, and it is beneficial to the human society.”

“If you like, if you think that accepting sannyasa asrama you will be better to advance in Krishna consciousness, then you accept it. Don’t accept it is simply to make a show. But if you think that ‘If I live within family members, oh, that will help me more in Krishna consciousness,’ then live in that way. There is no obligation that you have to become a sannyasi or you have to become a brahmacari, then you can realize. No. Any platform, if your aim is Krishna and Vishnu, that is your self-interest.”

From Bhagavad-gita 6.31, purport:

“Krishna consciousness is the highest stage of trance in yoga practice. This very understanding that Krishna is present as Paramatma in everyone’s heart makes the yogi faultless.”

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 7.73, purport:

“When one chants the holy name of the Lord offenselessly, one can realize a transcendental position that is completely aloof from the material conception of life. Rendering service to the Lord, a devotee relates to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in one of five relationships — namely, santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya or madhurya — and thus he relishes transcendental bliss in that relationship. Such a relationship certainly transcends the body and mind. When one realizes that the holy name of the Lord is identical with the Supreme Person, he becomes completely eligible to chant the holy name of the Lord. Such an ecstatic chanter and dancer must be considered to have a direct relationship with the Lord.”

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 7.74, purport:

“Although materialists who are addicted to experimental knowledge and the so-called ‘scientific method’ cannot place their faith in the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, it is a fact that simply by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra offenselessly one can be freed from all subtle and gross material conditions.”

“Although Mayavadis profess monism, they differentiate between the holy name of the Supreme Lord and the Lord Himself. For this offense of namaparadha they gradually glide down from their exalted position of brahma-jñana, as confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.2.32): aruhya kricchrena param padam tatah patanty adho ’nadrita-yuá¹£mad-anghrayah. Although by severe austerities they rise to the exalted position of brahma-jñana, they nevertheless fall down due to imperfect knowledge of the Absolute Truth. Although they profess to understand the Vedic mantra sarvam khalv idam brahma (Chandogya Upanisad 3.14.1), which means “Everything is Brahman,” they are unable to understand that the holy name is also Brahman. If they regularly chant the maha-mantra, however, they can be relieved from this misconception. Unless one properly takes shelter of the holy name, he cannot be relieved from the offensive stage in chanting the holy name.”

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 7.79, verse and purport:

“[Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu continued:] Collecting My patience, therefore, I began to consider that chanting the holy name of Krishna had covered all My spiritual knowledge.

“Purport: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu hints in this verse that to chant the holy name of Krishna one does not need to speculate on the philosophical aspects of the science of God, for one automatically becomes ecstatic and without consideration immediately chants, dances, laughs, cries and sings just like a madman.”

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 7.81, purport:

“In ecstasy, one should feel the entire world to be vacant without the presence of Govinda. This is a sign of separation from Govinda. In material life we are all separated from Govinda and are absorbed in material sense gratification. Therefore, when one comes to his senses on the spiritual platform he becomes so eager to meet Govinda that without Govinda the entire world becomes a vacant place.”

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 7.82, purport:

“When a disciple very perfectly makes progress in spiritual life, this gladdens the spiritual master, who then also smiles in ecstasy, thinking, ‘How successful my disciple has become!’ He feels so glad that he smiles as he enjoys the progress of the disciple, just as a smiling parent enjoys the activities of a child who is trying to stand up or crawl perfectly.”

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 7.99, purport:

“Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, however, as a preacher, turned the minds of the Mayavadi sannyasis. They were melted by the sweet words of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and thus became friendly and spoke to Him also in sweet words. Similarly, all preachers will have to meet opponents, but they should not make them more inimical. They are already enemies, and if we talk with them harshly or impolitely their enmity will merely increase. We should therefore follow in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu as far as possible and try to convince the opposition by quoting from the sastras and presenting the conclusion of the acaryas. It is in this way that we should try to defeat all the enemies of the Lord.”

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:

From Free Write Journal#37:

“Krishna is a feast for all senses, and they just want to please Him.”

From Free Write Journal #38:

“A cartoon in a news magazine showed two Boeing jet planes which had recently crashed. Boeing canceled the manufacture of this model of jet. The cartoon then showed an assault rifle so popular in America, and it said: ‘This rifle has been used in dozens of mass attacks on innocent people, and it continues to be sold freely.’”

“Tompkins Square Park

“We didn’t go out to the park until October 1966. We had permission from the Parks Department to hold kirtana from 3:00–5:00 p.m. Swamiji led us from 26 Second Avenue to the park. We carried a rolled-up old Oriental rug. From the tenements, some young Puerto Ricans hooted at us and made derogatory remarks. Prabhupada, who said he was a ‘Calcutta man,’ was not disturbed by the hooting. But we, his followers, were thin-skinned, and we took shelter in Swamiji’s presence and found courage there. When we arrived in the park we unrolled the rug and sat around it, using it as a space for dancing the ‘Swami step.’ Prabhupada was in good health at this time, and he vigorously played the one-headed bongo and led the chanting for one and a half hours. No one thought to check him because we thought he could do anything he wanted, and he had unlimited health. After chanting he would stand and give a short lecture under the tree, and then he would return to chanting for another hour and a half. We gathered a crowd of onlookers who stood around us, a varied group of middle-aged Ukrainians, hip young Americans, some of whom brought their own musical instruments, which Swamiji allowed to add to the kirtana. The weather that year was warm for autumn, and I remember sunny days with the last sunlight slanting down upon us. We soon forgot our self-consciousness and got up to dance as Swamiji wanted us to do, and sang without inhibition. By that time, Swamiji had initiated about ten disciples. An amateur filmmaker shot our kirtana, and you can see Strayadhisa dancing angelically, his back pockets stuffed with Stay High Forever pages. But the center was Swamiji; we never would have gone out without him. Eventually it got too cold to go outdoors, and then Swamiji left for California. When he came back in the spring of 1967, it wasn’t long before he had his stroke. Seeking a better climate to recover in, he went back to California (found little sunshine) and then came back to New York, bound for Vrindavan, India. While he was there, the boys from 26 Second Avenue went out by themselves to Tompkins Square Park on Sundays. Brahmananda, Rsi-kumara and others led the chanting. We were more confident now and could do it without Swamiji’s personal presence; we did it on his vani.

Candramauli Swami:

There is no greater way to glorify the Lord than to chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.

In kirtan we are glorifying the Lord and also offering our devotion. The glorification is easy, but the offering of devotion takes practice.

The enjoyment of kirtan comes from the sacrifice, and the sacrifice is to remember that Krishna is His holy name.

Whoever is singing, they are doing their best to glorify the Lord, and we should listen for that.

Sacinandana Swami makes the point that if you chant Hare Krishna with absorption it will be a whole other experience.

The chanting comes from highest region of the spiritual world where Radha and Krishna have their pastimes, Goloka Vrindavan, and it descends into the hearts of the pure devotees who express it through their glorification.

Sacinandana Swami:

People in all traditions have trouble with the silence of God. Why does God appear to be silent in cases where His devotees are put into distress?

In the Bhagavatam the best example of the Lord intervening and breaking His silence is when Ajamila called His name, He sent His servants to give him a second chance. If we call out His name, He will give us a second chance. He does that by giving a taste for His holy name so we understand that something is there. That is the first installment of the Lord breaking His silence. Because we broke the relationship, we first have to reach out to Him. “For so long I have completely forgotten You. Today, here in Birmingham, I am turning to you. Please accept me.” He will be moved and hear you.

Bhaki Prabhava Swami:

Hearing the Bhagavatam is the boat to Vaikuntha [the spiritual world]. It turns off the false ego and turns on the real ego.

Srila Prabhupada makes the point to hear the Bhagavatam we must be pure in habits. That means we must chant Hare Krishna and avoid the four sinful activities.

It is important to attain the stage of liberation before leaving the body. That is the position of madhyama.

Whatever we do is done by the Supersoul. We should remember that and be grateful.

The greatest illusion is that everyone is trying to find permanent happiness in this temporary world.

The enlightened person sees eternity while the conditioned soul is trying to enjoy the present moment.

Acting out of attachment and aversion is evidence that one is still a conditioned soul.

Bhagavad-gita 15.5 tells all the items of liberation and thus it is a good verse to learn: “Those who are free from false prestige, illusion and false association, who understand the eternal, who are done with material lust, who are freed from the dualities of happiness and distress, and who, unbewildered, know how to surrender unto the Supreme Person attain to that eternal kingdom.”

Illusion means deprioritizing Krishna in our lives.

The process of creation and annihilation is mentioned twice in the beginning of the Bhagavatam to help us to become detached from this world.

If we remember Krishna, we become free from false ego, because we remember we are part of Krishna.

In my youth, almost 60 years ago, I lived in a village in Belgium of 3,000 people, all of whom spoke Flemish, were Roman Catholic and went to church. Now those people are gone. Everyone there now speaks French, and no one goes to church. The situation of my youth seems like a dream. Everything in this world is so temporary.

There is no need to buy a house, get a mortgage, and work so many years just so you can say, “It is mine.”

We eat a nice meal. How long does it take? A few minutes. Then you can only remember you ate a nice meal.

You do not have to practice karma-yoga or jnana-yoga to attain liberation because by engaging in bhakti-yoga you contact Krishna and become purified.

If we do not understand we are acting out of false ego, we cannot give it up. False ego has two elements, thinking “I am the enjoyer” and thinking “I am the proprietor.” If we are not the proprietor of something, we cannot enjoy that thing.

To give up the false ego, we should act according to spiritual guidance and not according to our likes and dislikes.

The cesta (the endeavor), one of the five factors of action, is a combination of the material and spiritual energies of Krishna.

When a desire from a past life pops up in our mind, a conditioned soul considers it to be his desire and endeavors to fulfill it, while a devotee remembers Krishna’s instruction, “An intelligent person does not take part in the sources of misery, which are due to contact with the material senses. O son of Kunti, such pleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise man does not delight in them.” (Bhagavad-gita 5.22) Thus the devotee chooses not to fulfill it.

It difficult to give up making plans for sense gratification. We have to make plans to spread Krishna consciousness.

If we are attracted to a desire that pops up in our mind, we have to see if it is something we can engage in Krishna’s service. If it is sinful, we have to give it up.

I recommend chanting each day a chapter of Bhagavad-gita, English and Sanskrit, and reading one verse and purport of Bhagavad-gita and ten verses and purports of Srimad-Bhagavatam. That will take about an hour.

Madhava Prabhu:

Pray, oh mind, I have served you so nicely twenty-four hours a day, even in my dreams. Now for the next three hours, let me focus on the holy name, each syllable of which is Krishna.

Rakesh, the announcer at the Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan:

Aindra Prabhu was an inspiration behind the Birmingham 24-hour kirtana. He would always tell the boys, “Spread kirtan and be fired-up!”

Tribhuvanatha Prabhu was another inspiration. When he would lead kirtana in Birmingham, it was like there was no roof on the temple. He originally brought the Jagannatha deities to Birmingham in a blue van.

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In my daily reading of Sri Caitanya-caritamrita this month I encountered a favorite verse from Lord Caitanya’s explanation of His chanting of Hare Krishna to the Mayavadi sannyasis. It is advice His guru, Isvara Puri, gave him about the holy name. In Mayapur one year I was practicing transliterating the Bengali script inscribed at the foot of the statues of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda as you enter Navadvipa from the boat ghat, and I was amazed to encounter this simple Bengali verse which is one of only about ten I know from Sri Caitanya-caritamrita. The verse enlightens us to the fact we can become free from material existence and actually see the transcendental form of Lord Krishna simply by chanting His name. The purport Srila Prabhupada writes to it is very nice, and I quote my favorite part of that in “Insights” above.

krishna-mantra haite habe samsara-mocana
krishna-nama haite pabe krishnera carana

Simply by chanting the holy name of Krishna one can obtain freedom from material existence. Indeed, simply by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra one will be able to see the lotus feet of the Lord.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 7.73)