Saturday, July 06, 2019

Travel Journal#15.12: Paris and Sarcelles


Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 15, No. 12 
By Krishna Kripa Das 
(June 2019, part two) 
Paris and Sarcelles 
(Sent from Sarcelles on July 6, 2019) 

Where I Went and What I Did

I stayed put in Paris for the second half of June, chanting Hare Krishna three hours a day in public with Tulasi Prabhu of New Zealand, who is a great asset because of his devotion, musical ability, and knowledge of French. We were joined by four visiting devotees for at least a week, and some even longer, all of whom were so dedicated they chanted with us almost every day: Gaura Sundara Prabhu of Ukraine, Aradhika Radha Devi Dasi of Russia who resides in Vrindavan, Vraja Laksmi Devi Dasi of France, and Rasika of Bali who lives in southern France. Aradhika Radha and Vraja Laksmi distributed many invitations for Ratha-yatra, and Vraja Laksmi also distributed many books. Gaura Sundara, Aradhika Radha, and Rasika all sang and played the instuments nicely. One day we were joined by Janananda Goswami, who induced attendees of a gay pride parade to participate in Lord Caitanya’s sankirtana movement by dancing.

I share quotes from a book and a letter of Srila Prabhupada. I share notes on a class by Janananda Goswami. I also share many inspiring quotes and practical suggestions from senior brahmacari book distributor, Vijaya Prabhu. I share notes on classes by Rajadharma, Nitai Gaurasundara, Gaura Nitai, Titiksu (GGS), Aksayananda, Gaura Sundara, and Tulasi Prabhus. I share an interesting quote about God from Marcel Proust, a French novelist.

Thanks to Prema Mangala Devi Dasi of Ukraine for several photos and videos of my kirtanas at Yoga Lyrique and at Les Halles. Thanks to Jagattarini Devi Dasi for her photos of me at Yoga Lyrique and to Aradhika Radha Devi Dasi for her photos of our harinama party at Les Halles.

Itinerary

May 19 – July 10: Paris [except BI seminar on evolution in FL: June 6–10]
July 11: London harinama
July 12–14: Bhaktivedanta Institute conference in Wales
July 15: Manchester harinama
July 16–19: Newcastle area harinamas
July 20: Sheffield Tramlines harinama (afternoon), Leeds harinama (evening)
July 21: Birmingham Ratha-yatra
July 22: Manchester harinama ?
July 23: Sheffield harinama and program
July 24–26: Dublin harinamas
July 27–28: Dublin and Belfast Ratha-yatras
July 29: Berlin harinama
July 30 – August 3: Pol’and’Rock Festival (formerly Polish Woodstock Festival)
August 4–5: Berlin harinamas
August 6–11: Vaishnava Summer Festival (Lithuania)
August 12: harinama in Kaunas or Vilnius?
August 13: flights from Vilnius to Oslo to Dublin to Montreal
August 14–18: Vaishnava Sanga Festival (Canada)
August 20: Dublin harinama and Tuesday Evening Kirtan
August 21–22: harinamas in the Newcastle area
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 harinamas
September 7: York Ratha-yatra
September 8: Great North Run harinama (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) or Leeds Ratha-yatra
September 9–10: Dublin
September 11–April 2020: NYC Yuga Dharma harinamas & North Florida Colleges

Chanting Hare Krishna in Paris and Sarcelles


This was my core harinama team for a week and a half here in Paris. Tulasi Dasa and Aradhika Radha Devi Dasi have nice musical ability and devotion. It is great to have people you can count on coming out every day! The lady who took the photo bought a Life Comes From Life and listened to the kirtan for an hour along with her dog.

Soon after Aradhika Radha Devi Dasi joined us, Rasika, whose parents are devotees, also joined us.

And then Gaura Sundara Prabhu from Ukraine.

Here Marat, another harinama regular, chants Hare Krishna outside the famed church, Sacré Cœur, on Montmartre hill, where we sing on Sundays because it is a short walk from Yoga Lyrique, and a father and daughter play shakers (https://youtu.be/qmIjfDgcxBs):


Tulasi Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Les Halles, and a man from Tunisia, who played with me at Montmartre last year [see https://youtu.be/GIlsGdg1vL0], plays drum (https://youtu.be/8bzaFHIxeNE):


Marat chants Hare Krishna at Garges Sarcelles, and passersby happily interact with us (https://youtu.be/rT_xSCgGvjc):


Marat chants Hare Krishna at Hôtel de Ville in Paris, a historic municipal building now housing the tourist center, where we chant when rain is predicted (https://youtu.be/wYqhMwO85Y4):


Olivier chants Hare Krishna at Yoga Lyrique Wednesday Kirtan (https://youtu.be/9biPZdOwSKU):


Ajita Kari Prabhu of Ukraine chants Hare Krishna at Yoga Lyrique Wednesday Kirtan (https://youtu.be/XtTYZ_LNeKA):


Jagattarini Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Yoga Lyrique Wednesday Kirtan (https://youtu.be/l-v75W2jGDc):


Tulasi Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Yoga Lyrique Wednesday Kirtan (https://youtu.be/Bp6gfc6iH-k):


Tulasi Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Les Halles, and a lady becomes attracted and buys a book, takes photos, and listens for at least an hour (https://youtu.be/OBsnOeCsWHI):


Rohininandana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Les Halles (https://youtu.be/M1cV2iGXQhw):


Aradhika Radha Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Les Halles (https://youtu.be/MLNTCoFbw3Q):


Marat chants Hare Krishna at Les Halles (https://youtu.be/Mk_ereDxff0):


Gaura Bhakta Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Saint-Michel (https://youtu.be/GjqwaM9dT5I):


Rasika chants Hare Krishna at Saint-Michel (https://youtu.be/LR37EAjA8AA):


Tulasi Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Saint-Michel, and a lady dances enthusiastically for quite some time while holding a recorder (https://youtu.be/4JYy1R21BQE):


Navadvip Chandra Prabhu of Réunion chants Hare Krishna at Saint-Michel (https://youtu.be/PDJhHknChnw):


Tulasi Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Montmartre (https://youtu.be/w66NV9JPVmg):


Rasika chants Hare Krishna at Montmartre, a Pakistani man plays guitar, and a mom plays shakers (https://youtu.be/gCngOJigsuQ):


Aradhika Radha Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Anvers at the base of Montmarte in Paris, and the Pakistani man continues to play guitar. The guitar player said he was a Muslim, but he was happy to play with us. I mentioned that there is only one God, and He knows who we are singing to. The Pakistani man liked that. The young lady from Paris speaking with the devotee said she was in New York City for several months and would regularly sing with the devotees in Union Square (https://youtu.be/ow-Qpr4VcMw):


Ramanaji Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the ISKCON Paris Sunday Feast (https://youtu.be/NV75whOYn4c):


This year we had been chanting near the Indian shops on Fridays as I realized when I did it on Sunday I got more complaints from local residents. One week we missed Friday, so we did the next Monday, and it was our biggest day. People donated €65 and took 16 books, including three Bhagavad-gitas. The next four videos are from that special day.

Tulasi Prabhu chants Hare Krishna by the Indian shops in Paris (https://youtu.be/qtRga-CrAoE):


Aradhika Radha Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna by the Indian shops in Paris (https://youtu.be/HNd8_1URUQg):


While Aradhika Radha Devi Dasi was chanting Hare Krishna, one devotee and one small Asian girl who came by played shakers, (https://youtu.be/W7_DuZ2-1Mo):


Later three devotees passing by chanted, danced, and played shakers, and another man danced (https://youtu.be/4C-I2uAwysI):


Every Tuesday we sing at the Sarcelles Market in the same town as our temple, just to the north of Greater Paris. Certain vendors express pleasure at our visit, and devotees really like to do it. Even the police, who pass by us sometimes while we sing in the market, do not mind our presence.

Here Tulasi Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Sarcelles Market (https://youtu.be/jq07q6ouLAs):


We chant an hour or so at the market, and the rest of the three hours at a local train station, returning to the temple for lunch.

Here Gaura Sundara Prabhu of Ukraine, who visited Paris for a week, chants Hare Krishna in Garges Sarcelles (RER) train station (https://youtu.be/MLb9NAgabYU):


Jagattarini Devi Dasi of Yoga Lyrique invited me to speak there one Tuesday night, the night reserved for special guests. We settled on as a topic “What I Learned from Working with Sadaputa Prabhu,” and she created this ad for the event:

I chanted the evening tune of Hare Krishna before the talk at Yoga Lyrique. 

Usually they do kirtan sitting down there, but early on, devotees began dance, inspired by Vraja Laksmi Devi Dasi and Jagattarini Devi Dasi (https://youtu.be/UZnNHA-7Jx4):


It was inspiring for me to see the enthusiasm of the dancing devotees!


Prema Mangala Devi Dasi of Ukraine took these videos and photos of the dancers.

The next day Marat chanted Hare Krishna at Les Halles, and two young girls happily played shakers, one of them also dancing (https://youtu.be/yQLXA-U1F9I):


Here Gaura Sundara Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Les Halles in Paris (https://youtu.be/aLULZn8zKZ4):


Tulasi Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Yoga Lyrique Wednesday Kirtan (https://youtu.be/arTWcb-R8QI):


Rasika chants Hare Krishna at Yoga Lyrique Wednesday Kirtan (https://youtu.be/GcP4HUkWHlw):


Ramanaji Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Yoga Lyrique Wednesday Kirtan (https://youtu.be/4LwhQHzsXb4):


Tulasi Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Les Halles in Paris, and a man plays shakers and dances (https://youtu.be/NpaoihE-_-0):


I was chanting Hare Krishna at Les Halles in Paris when a group of devotees from Yoga Lyrique arrived, and then several of the devotees and a passersby began to dance. 

I do not usually sing one tune so long, but devotees were having a good time dancing, so I just kept it going, especially as it was my favorite Hare Krishna tune. Many thanks to Prema Mangala Devi Dasi of Ukraine for the nice video (https://youtu.be/03jH2cq_Iic):


Later Olivier chanted Hare Krishna there in Les Halles (https://youtu.be/kxf3VmKrmPM):


Here Gaura Sundara Prabhu chants Hare Krishna by the Indian shops in Paris, both leading a walking harinama through the section with the shops and also sitting down in front of one of them (https://youtu.be/oC2H41YgFLI):


Rasika chants Hare Krishna by the Indian shops in Paris (https://youtu.be/VjRvCePtWZk):


Janananda Goswami chants Hare Krishna at Saint-Michel in Paris, and gay pride parade viewers and an interviewer dance along with devotees, some of them playing shakers as well (https://youtu.be/oyxSen7l6_M):


Tulasi Prabhu chants near Saint-Michel in Paris on Saturday harinama, and a few people move with the music (https://youtu.be/7jRiM4f4bAI):


Gaura Sundara Prabhu chanted during the final leg of that Saturday harinama near Saint-Michel (https://youtu.be/Wv765C9Zqu0):


While we chanted through the streets around Saint-Michel, we encountered the side of a building displaying lyrics from an American song from the idealist early 1970s, “Woodstock,” by Joni Mitchell. 


Apparently that song was so popular it was later recorded by 351 artists!

Janananda Goswami chants Hare Krishna before morning class in Paris, accompanied by his disciples Rasikananda Prabhu on the harmonium and Tulasi Maharani Devi Dasi on the drum (https://youtu.be/FZam9ExV5dA):


The Jagannatha Snana Yatra was a festive event, bringing the devotees together in a happy mood. 

The deities looked wonderful with their fruit garlands. 

When they were bathed in red fruit juice they looked even more amazing.

Here Tulasi Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Jagannatha Snana Yatra at ISKCON Paris (https://youtu.be/WLKAdt-2XHM):


Rasika, whose father, Titiksu (GGS) Prabhu, came to Paris to take care of Lord Jagannatha before Ratha-yatra, chants Hare Krishna at Jagannatha Snana Yatra (https://youtu.be/x2lF_-9TxZo):


Insights

Srila Prabhupada:

From a letter to Sankarasana written in Bombay on December 31, 1972:

The highest development of Krishna consciousness understanding will be when you are able to give anyone the truth but in such a manner that they will respond in a positive way.”

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 7.141, purport:

We simply give people the chance to hear about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and give them prasadam to eat, and the actual result is that all over the world people are responding to this process and becoming pure devotees of Lord Krishna. We have opened hundreds of centers all over the world just to give people in general a chance to hear about Krishna and accept Krishna’s prasadam. These two processes can be accepted by anyone, even a child. It doesn’t matter whether one is poor or rich, learned or foolish, black or white, old or still a child — anyone who simply hears about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and takes prasadam is certainly elevated to the transcendental position of devotional service.”

Janananda Goswami:

We have seven books soon to be published in France, Srila Prabhupada-lilamrita (abridged), Higher Taste, Nectar of Instruction, Science of Self-Realization, In Essence, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and Sri Caitanya-caritamrita. Previously because books were not being distributed, there was no demand to reprint them.

The three couples starting the London temple were senior disciples although just one year in the movement.

In the evening Prabhupada sat with the three couples – Shyamasundara and Malati, Guru dasa and Yamuna, and Mukunda and Janaki. After a year’s separation they were happily with Prabhupada, and he was happy to be with them. The love they shared and their mutual satisfaction at being together was based on a unifying desire to establish Lord Caitanya’s sankirtana movement in this important city.” (Srila Prabhupada-lilamrita, Volume 4, Chapter 30)

The first duty of a pujari is to make sure that every guest gets prasadam.

Half a million people watched the gay pride parade in Paris, which was six kilometers long. There were Muslims and Orientals. There were people from all over the world. Imagine if we had a Ratha-yatra parade like that!

The Radha Krishna Temple album sold 50,000 copies in one day.

BNP Paribas bank of France is the sponsor of Parasurama Prabhu’s prasadam distribution program that feeds 5,000 people each day in London.

Just over a year before, the three couples were drug-addicted hippies, and now they were ambassadors of Lord Caitanya’s movement in London. Srila Prabhupada explained that because they chanted Hare Krishna with faith they had succeeded.

The British Museum, which houses a copy of Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s book that he sent to the west, was just 100 meters from our first temple in London at 7 Bury Place.

An Indian man from Bombay offered to send deities to the devotees in Sydney, but the devotees moved their temple three times before the deities arrived, so the postal service could not trace them, and They were returned to Bombay. Srila Prabhupada happened to meet the donor in Bombay, and hearing what happened, told the man that he was going to Australia next, and his party could personally bring the deities, and so they did.

Some devotees from London came to Los Angeles help in the Caitanya-caritamrita marathon.

If your heart is free from material motivation, the bhakti will naturally shine through.

Comment by Rajadharma Prabhu: Although Srila Prabhupada said, “Impossible is a word in a fool’s dictionary,” often he would say something was not possible.
Reply: That is because he knew we were fools.

Vijaya Prabhu:

One Muslim boy was reluctant to take a book from me because it was from outside his tradition. I saw him another day, and he said, “I had this dream the Bhagavad-gita came to me glowing.” I again encouraged him to get the book, and after repeated attempts, he finally accepted it.

This knowledge can pull people out of the modes of material nature.

We are still tinged, but we have come a long way.

We are not distributing paper and ink but jewels.

I tell the people, “You cannot put a price on this spiritual wisdom. I gave my life. Give what you can.”

This is an important verse indicating how we should deal with others: “The Lord is very satisfied with His devotee when the devotee greets other people with tolerance, mercy, friendship and equality.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.11.13)

It is not easy to promote Krishna consciousness. People came here to forget Krishna. In prison, people are not glorifying the government.

I told Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami that this example of the tree as a model of tolerance did not sit well with me because a tree cannot talk. Perhaps if it could, it would protest our carving our initials in it.
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami replied, “A devotee is more tolerant than a tree because he can protest but he does not.”

We have to pray for tolerance and compassion.

Srila Prabhupada wanted pictures in the books for a reason. People are attracted to art.

I show the people I meet different pictures from the Bhagavad-gita and briefly speak about them: the changing bodies, the saint who sees with equal vision (wouldn’t it be nice if everybody did?), the picture of the senses as horses drawing the chariot in different directions, etc.

Book distribution is mostly about prayer, before and while you are out distributing.

The golden rule of book distribution is that everyone should walk away with a good impression. First impressions are lasting impressions. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.

Vaisesika Prabhu uses this exit mantra. “It has been a honor meeting you. Thank you for your valuable time. Have a wonderful day.” Sometimes hearing that they decide to get a book after all.

Krishna is the best boss. You can try to distribute books all day and not sell a single one, and Krishna will still be pleased.

A book distributor has the qualities of brahmana, ksatriya, and vaisya.

We become purified by remembering Krishna for He is the supreme pure.

Vaisesika Prabhu got only one instruction from Srila Prabhupada, “Read my books.”

We are a giving society. We are giving prasadam, giving the holy name, etc.

The devotee serves more and becomes inspired by Krishna who reciprocates more, and thus the devotee serves even more and gets additional inspiration from Krishna. It continues on like this, forever increasing.

There is a saying that God gives and gives, and forgives, and we get and get, and forget.

Lord Nityananda delivered Jagai and Madhai not so He would become famous, but so Lord Caitanya would become famous.

Many devotees first started chanting Hare Krishna from reading one of the books. I started chanting Hare Krishna from reading Bhagavad-gita.

I tell the people, both the Christians and the atheists, “We are not trying to change your beliefs.” Of course, it is nice if they join, but we just want them to hear about Krishna, for in that way they will become cleansed.

I sell a lot of books to Christians. I tell the Christians. “Oh, thank God, I thought you were an atheist. It is terrible how atheism is rising these days. These books give a lot of good arguments for the existence of God.”

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi went into meditation for three days, and when he came out they asked him for his realization. He said, “Krishna consciousness is the highest realization.” He also told his teachers if they wanted more, they should see A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami.

Srila Prabhupada said that you quickly get realization by giving out this knowledge.

If you sincerely pray to help the conditioned souls, it is amazing the number of books that can be distributed.

95% of book distribution is our sadhana.

In the spiritual world, there are only devotees. Therefore, we have to learn how to live with the devotees very nicely here, if we expect Krishna to allow us to live there.

Comment by Rajadharma Prabhu: Kolaveca Sridhara would chant Hare Krishna all night. Annoyed people would throw rotten vegetables at him, but he was so tolerant that he did not care.

We are going out on book distribution to please Krishna, as an offering, the highest offering. Thus before we go out, we pray that Krishna accepts the offering.

Harinamananda Prabhu did 900 big books one day.

Srila Prabhupada said the profession of the neophyte is to bicker.

Comment by Tulasi Prabhu: They say the reason people pray to Hanuman to find lost items is because he found Sita.

Comment by Nitai Caran Prabhu: Also because Hanuman found that medicine on the mountain.

In general at least chant all your rounds before you go out on book distribution, if you cannot read.

No one can know Krishna completely, but a sincere person can, by the grace of Krishna, know something of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

I tell the atheists I meet, “There are millions of things you do not know.”
They generally agree.
Then I say, “One of the things you do not know is whether there is a God or not.”
Most of them accept that.

In the history of varnasrama-dharma, no one has ever had to pay for a mantra, but the TM people charged $35 for a mantra in Prabhupada’s time, and now the price is $1,500.

Srila Prabhupada said a sadhu is someone who is always trying to alleviate the distress of the conditioned souls.

It is interesting that Srila Prabhupada only started one center himself, 26 2nd Avenue. He sent people out to start the others.

If we are tolerant, we can develop compassion.

Thousands of people were in the bhakti-vrksa groups started by Bhaktivinoda Thakura in West Bengal.

Krishna explains in Bhagavad-gita 18.69 that one who distributes His message of Bhagavad-gita is most dear to Him.

Sometimes people object to Krishna inducing a nice guy like Arjuna to fight despite his reluctance to kill his relatives. Krishna did it because He did not want the society to be led by evil leaders who were so cruel they wanted to kill the purest people on the planet, the Pandavas.

We did not know what to do or what not to do until we encountered Srila Prabhupada’s books, and the members of today’s society are in the same state.

As devotees, we are not concerned only with our own good fortune, but we want others to become fortunate.

The main disease in society at present is stress.

There is so much speculation in India, that unless one meets a pure devotee, he will become confused.

Canakya Pandit said there are four kinds of blindness. The first is physical blindness. The others are the states of being blinded by pride, being blinded by greed, and being blinded by lust. Those who are blinded by pride are worse off because they cannot take good instruction.

Trust or fidelity is one of the most important aspects of a relationship.

Because we have turned away from Krishna and we are now busy enjoying his property, it is difficult for us to attain bhakti.

Q: What about people who do not follow strictly? Do we have to tolerate them?
A: Yes, we have to tolerate them. This is a voluntary movement. We cannot force people. Srila Prabhupada taught by his example of good behavior, and we should also.

In many letters Srila Prabhupada advised devotees to read a chapter of Bhagavad-gita every day.

The Silicon Valley temple, which is just a congregation with no temple residents, influenced by Vaisesika Prabhu, gets 200 devotees to come out once a month on book distribution. They are number two in America now, and number one in BBT remittances.

Comment by Acarya Prabhu: Bhakti Vikasa Swami says that one of the best temple presidents they had in the history of London, back in the 1970s, was a book distributor, who went out five days a week on book distribution.

Don’t chant to get bliss. Chant to please Krishna. If you chant to get bliss, you will not get bliss, because that is selfish.

Rajadharma Prabhu:

Real wealth is not money but punya (piety).

My spiritual master said that we are constantly punished day and night due to our sinful activities.

One who is spiritually advanced is known by his qualities of humility and tolerance.

Justice is what you deserve, but mercy is far beyond what you deserve, and it comes from above.

Nitai Gaurasundara Prabhu:

Devotees never claim knowledge they have not received from the disciplic succession, and Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami is a typical humble Vaishnava.

You have to be very advanced to understand “Although Radha and Krishna are one in Their identity, previously They separated Themselves. Now these two transcendental identities have again united, in the form of Sri Krishna Caitanya.”

Three times indicates repetition. Thus in Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 1.53 (Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.9.33) Krishna says “aham” (which means I”) three times so people will get the point that the Lord, who is the source of everything, is a person.

The Lord is a person. He has His likings. He has His personal beauty.

The Mayavadis are very dry because the impersonal Brahman has the sat feature of the Lord but not the ananda, blissful, feature of the Lord.

Lord Caitanya reveals to His associates the roles they previously played in His pastimes, to their great delight.

You cannot enjoy being isvara, or a lord, in this world, eternally, but only for some time, and then you fall down again.

The problem is that most people misuse their senses with the understanding that they are enjoyers.

To understand that Krishna is beyond the creation requires some practice and some prayer.

Vrtrasura is a special person in the Bhagavatam because although he appeared in a demonic family, he is an advanced devotee.

We can see from the words of Krishna in Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 16, that demoniac qualities lead to destruction.

Krishna Himself makes the distinction between the divine and the demoniac.

The demoniac qualities drag us away from Krishna.

The demoniac are never happy because of unfulfilled desires.

There is a big problem in society in that people do not understand what is meant by eternity.

Comment by Hari Katha Prabhu: Though having the same father and mother and growing up in the same place and eating the same food, the parents’ several sons have completely different qualities. Why? That is karma.

One way to deal with the question of hell is to say that we are living in hell now.

Comment by Rajadharma Prabhu: Gauri is quoted in the front of The Nectar of Book Distribution as saying the people are so far away from what we are presenting in these books that the only thing that makes the people take the books is the desire of the devotees.

Gaura Nitai Prabhu:

I wrote a poem this morning. I was so proud, but actually I prayed to the Lord for some words. Then I selected some of the words, but that was also under a higher control. So actually it was all Krishna’s grace that I was able to write anything.

Here the illusion is making us feel we are with others, and in the spiritual world the illusion makes us feel we are separate from Krishna, although He is always present.

Because we are never independent by our own constitution, we do not have to worry about becoming independent.

Srila Prabhupada gave us the wisdom to know what Krishna wants.

We have free will but not unlimited free will. Just like we have some money, but we do not have unlimited money.

If you give your money to Krishna, He will give it back. Actually He will give you more and more.

The mother parrot pushes the small parrot out of the nest because the young parrots are always reluctant to fly for the first time. The mother parrot knows just when to do it.

The servant has free will, but he always remains the servant. The Lord has free will, but He always remains the Lord.

Book distribution is not just one of many services we might choose from, but it is a service by which we develop all the qualities of the pure devotee.

The most important thing on book distribution is to create a good feeling in the person we try to stop.

Book distributors know how important it is to control the situation. That is not just by speaking louder than the other person, but by creating a situation where the person experiences a higher taste.

Although Jatayu was defeated by Ravana, he pleased Lord Ramacandra by his endeavor to protect Sita.

Indradyumna Swami asked one disciple in a remote village in Russia to distribute books every day. Fifteen years later he came to visit her. She was famous in the city because in all kinds of weather the people would see her distributing books. She would go to the market, and often she got kicked out by the guards, but after half an hour she would return.

Trying your best means trying to see if we can do a little better each day.

The service will remain fresh if we try to increase it. We can learn from others how to improve our service.

Services have different parts – preparation of consciousness, collecting the material ingredients, distribution of the results of the service, etc. We can think about how we might improve in the different areas.

Being qualified as Lord Caitanya advised, “Trnad api sunicena taror api sahisuna – having humility like the grass and tolerance like a tree” helps us keep us steady in our service.

Although in the very awkward position of being mortally wounded, Vrtrasura was trying to benefit his enemy, Indra, by offering him good instructions for his ultimate spiritual benefit.

Titiksu Prabhu [GGS]:

There is one verse that states, “As Krishna is great, the Bhagavatam is great.”

It takes some time to realize that we are not this body but the soul and that we are the eternal servant of Krishna. We need the mercy of the Bhagavatam, both the book and the devotee, to get this realization

Srila Prabhupada quotes Madhvacarya, who describes that the jiva soul is anisa, or never the controller. We cannot even control our body and mind, what to speak of controlling others.

Comment by Rajadharma Prabhu: Whether you are a pot washer or temple president, if you have come to control, everyone will hate you, but if you have come to serve, everyone will love you.

King Pariksit was actually glad that he was cursed to die in seven days, because it is rare that one knows when he will die and has a good opportunity to prepare for death.

Comment by Rajadharma Prabhu: One sadhu explained that if a guru is fully surrendered to Krishna, than he can fully neutralize his disciple’s sinful reactions but if he is just 50% surrendered to Krishna, the guru will have to suffer partly for the disciple’s sinful reactions.

If someone is outside the swimming pool, he can completely pull you out of the water, however if he is still swimming, he can only help you in a limited way. In the same way, it is best to have a guru who is completely liberated.

Why is pure bhakti mentioned? Because there is such a thing as contaminated bhakti, and it is important to understand the difference.

By the grace of Srila Prabhupada, we can come to the platform of following in his footsteps.

Krishna appeared crooked in both form and behavior, but Lord Gauranga is straight in both form and behavior.

As a mother can understand whether her child’s crying is genuine or capricious, the Supreme Lord can understand if we are really crying for His association or just making a show.

The sadhu’s duty is remembering and reminding.

Aksayananda Prabhu:

Sometimes people think of children as just another possession like furniture.

One should beget children to benefit society and to benefit the children themselves.

The nine different expansions of Kardama Muni had nine different moods and conceived nine daughters with the different moods. These daughters were later married to sages with nine different temperaments.

The greatest austerity is to apply the instruction of the spiritual master. It is more difficult than nirjala Ekadasi [fasting without drinking water].

Kardama Muni was told by his father, who was his guru, to marry and have children. So many people are marrying and having children. What is difficult about that? He did not find a woman in the street but performed austerity. The Lord appeared and told Kardama that Svayambhuva Manu would come and offer his daughter to him in marriage. Kardama carefully followed the Lord’s instructions.

Krishna explains that the different kinds of austerity are meant to purify the heart, and one who is not willing to perform austerity will not be able to purify the heart.

In the beginning to give up eating meat may have been an austerity, but now it is not. But without austerity we cannot purify our heart. So Krishna will give us additional austerities for otherwise our hearts would not continue to become purified. Maybe we will get some disease or an incompatible neighbor.

We see Paramatma is personal when we realize Paramatma has feelings of concern for us. He is not a passive observer but an active observer.

The body is an organic robot. It is not our own being. We can understand that because it does not always function as we desire.

When the heart is pure, the desire of the soul manifests.

When we speak of the heart, it is not the heart organ, but the center of all the senses including the mind, intelligence, and ego.

The atheist Kapila explains the same Sankhya philosophy but without reference to the source of everything. Lord Kapila, on the other hand, in His Sankhya philosophy explains that the Supreme Lord is the goal, and devotional service is the way to attain the Supreme Lord.

The Sankhya philosophy of Lord Kapila can be considered part of Vedanta philosophy.

The blacksmith has to beat the metal to get it in shape. Cuddling the metal will not work. Similarly the guru has to be heavy to reform the disciple. If the guru says, “Whatever you do is alright,” he is not a guru but a hypocrite.

We do not fully trust the guru because we think the guru has faults. Such a person cannot be a real disciple. We should not accept a guru unless we are sure that he is realized.

If we go to a dentist, but we do not open our mouth, the dentist can do nothing for us. Similarly if we are unwilling to submit to a guru, he cannot help us.

Sometimes people accept a guru because he sings nicely, dresses nicely, and smiles sweetly, but those are not the real qualifications of a guru. Rupa Goswami gives the preliminary qualifications of the guru in the first verse of Upadesamrita: “A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind’s demands, the actions of anger and the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world.”

Gaura Sundara Prabhu:

Sometimes the Bhagavatam is described in relationship to this pastime of Vrtrasura because it is a most amazing and instructive pastime.

Who can inspire someone else to kill them by enlightening them on dharma? Only a pure devotee like Vrtrasura!

In the Bhagavatam Krishna describes ten categories of existence and shows how they are affected by the modes of material nature.

People are divided into classes according to their psychology.

Varna also means color.

Because the modes of material nature are manifested from Krishna Himself they are so powerful.

In one of his books, Bhaktivinoda Thakura describes religion in the different modes of nature. Religion in which there is no God is in the mode of ignorance. In religion in the mode of passion, there is knowledge of karma and the existence of a higher state. Religion in the mode of goodness is worship of the impersonal Brahman.

You can say we live in a manic depressive society. In the mode of passion, people work enthusiastically, but when they get the fruit they strive for and realize it does not satisfy their souls, they become depressed.

The power of devotional service is that it can completely purify ourselves from the influence of material nature.

Despite our material desires, we try to please Krishna now by our acts, maintaining that pure intention.

Tulasi Prabhu:

The amazing thing about chanting these names of the divine is that all potency is within them.

When we chant in the mood of giving pleasure to the Divine Couple instead of asking for something for ourselves, like we usually do, it is most powerful.

Marcel Proust (a French novelist):

It has even been said that the highest praise of God consists in the denial of him by the atheist who finds the creation so perfect that he can dispense with a creator.”

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There is a lot of psychology in Bhagavad-gita. This pair of verses in an example. When I meet psychology students, I show them verses like these to interest them in the philosophy and in purchasing a Bhagavad-gita. Often it works. As practitioners of bhakti-yoga, instead of contemplating the objects of the senses, we contemplate the names, forms, qualities, and pastimes of Lord Krishna, and we think about how to do our service nicely to please Him. In this way, we are not only saved from this path of degradation described by these verses, but we become advanced in Krishna consciousness and ultimately fall completely in love with Krishna.

dhyayato visayan pumsah
sangas tesupajayate
sangat sanjayate kamah
kamat krodho ’bhijayate

krodhad bhavati sammohah
sammohat smrti-vibhramah
smrti-bhramsad buddhi-naso
buddhi-nasat pranasyati

“While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises. From anger, complete delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost one falls down again into the material pool.” (Bhagavad-gita 2.62–63)