Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 15, No. 18
By Krishna Kripa Das
(September 2019, part two)
New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Martha’s Vineyard
(Sent from New York City on October 5, 2019)
Where
I Went and What I Did
I
chanted
with the Yuga Dharma Ashram harinama
party
for the second half of September, except for the last two days of the
month. In addition to chanting in the New York City area at Union
Square, at
Times
Square, and at
different
subway stations, we traveled to Boston for their Hempfest, where we
had amazing success, and to
Philadelphia,
where we promoted and attended their Ratha-yatra. My sister arranged
that
some relatives get together on Martha’s Vineyard, off the coast of
Massachusetts,
to celebrate my mother’s ninety-fifth birthday, so I
spent
the last two days of the month with them, including my sixtieth
birthday.
I
share notes on the books and lectures of Srila Prabhupada. I share
excerpts from the Free
Write Journal of
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share notes on The
Living Name by
Sacinandana Swami and notes on classes by Candramauli Swami speaking
in Boston and Bhakti Vijnana Swami speaking in New York City. I share
notes on classes by Rama Raya Prabhu and Radheshyam Prabhu of Pune. I
share quotes from Back
to Godhead articles
by Gauranga Darsana and Narayana Prabhus. I share a note from a
kirtan introduction by Jaya Jagannatha Prabhu at the Bhakti Center.
Thanks
to Prishni Devi Dasi and Bhaktivedanta Institute for sponsoring my
flight from Newark to Gainesville to attend their cosmology
conference there in November. Thanks to Sergey for his very generous
donation at the Philadelphia Ratha-yatra. Thanks to my mother for her
very kind donation on the occasion of my sixtieth birthday, to my cousin, Kellie, for the nice orange hat, and to my niece, Fern, for the notepads.
Thanks
to Kaliya Krishna Prabhu for his video of me leading the devotees in
chanting Hare Krishna in Union Square and amazed Bengali tourists
chanting, clapping, and taking videos and for his video of me dancing
while Kalki Prabhu led kirtan. Thanks
to Kaliya also for sharing photos of me standing at our book table in
Columbus Circle and singing on harinama
in
Boston on Newbury Street and of the Hempfest book distribution.
Thanks to my sister, Karen, for all the photos on Martha’s
Vineyard.
Itinerary
October
2 – December:
NYC Yuga Dharma harinamas
November
1–3: Bhaktivedanta Institute cosmology conference in Gainesville,
Florida
January–April
2020: North Florida colleges, mostly
Florida State University
Chanting
Hare Krishna in New York City
I
chanted Hare Krishna six hours a day with the Yuga Dharma Ashram
party from Monday through Saturday at Union Square, or in subway
stations when it rained. On Sunday, we have a special program at our
place for new people and then chant Hare Krishna at Times Square for
an hour after that.
One day, we did a venue the devotees were doing in the summer but which was new to me, Columbus Circle.
Here
Krishna
Prasad Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square, and a man dances
(https://youtu.be/YgM-lQE6iLk):
Natabara
Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and two ladies
play shakers, dance, take prasadam,
and take an “On Chanting Hare Krishna.”
(https://youtu.be/kYxnLURGqeA):
Savyasaci
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square, and several people dance
(https://youtu.be/BtCK9N3JYXE):
Bhakti
Vijnana Goswami chants Hare Krishna at Radha Govinda Mandir in
Brooklyn (https://youtu.be/uTPIZ2FCPkM):
Krishna
Kripa Das leads the devotees in chanting Hare Krishna in Union
Square, and amazed Bengali tourists chant, clap, and take videos.
Video by Kaliya Krishna Prabhu (https://youtu.be/wek5B THrje0):
In
this video of devotees chanting Hare Krishna at Union Square, we see
that former Krishna House devotees play a big role in the New York
City harinama
with Kalki Prabhu leading the singing, Ananda Prabhu drumming,
Krishna Prasad Prabhu distributing books and supplying cookies, and
myself dancing. Video by Kaliya Krishna Prabhu
(https://youtu.be/1JmgLIdCFFw):
Rama
Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Union Square, and a young mom
dances with her kids (https://youtu.be/yXBHHQ2wSYk):
Rama
Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Union Square, and seven school
girls play shakers and dance, encouraged by Krishna Prasad Prabhu at
Rama Raya’s request, and they all have a great time. One is brave
enough to accept a Krishna cookie (https://youtu.be/g9hKbw5forI):
Ananda
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and a couple plays shakers and eats
cookies (https://youtu.be/SE-1pin9tSY):
Natabara
Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and a man with a
dog plays shakers (https://youtu.be/Jk0WOad2_20):
Gokulendra
Prabhu, visiting from North Carolina for a week, chants Hare Krishna
at Columbus Circle (https://youtu.be/LYaEGTGBD7c):
A
young lady, happy to have just purchased a set of four Prabhupada
books in Union Square, dances with delight to the Hare Krishna chant
(https://youtu.be/895vUQ-aLVw):
Natabara
Gauranga Prabhu reminds us that when the amplifier is in an elevated
place, the sound is broadcast a greater distance.
On
Ekadasi the blueberry halava made with buckwheat flour and
pecans was so good I just had to take a photo of it.
Jahnavi
Harrison
chants
Hare Krishna at the Bhakti Center Tuesday evening kirtan, where those new to kiran are invited to participate from 7:15 to 8:15 p.m. each week (https://youtu.be/KX1SqulJQB8):
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Boston
Rama
Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna during mangala
arati in Boston, where
the Yuga Dharma Ashram went to chant Hare Krishna and distribute
books at the Boston Hempfest on
Saturday, September 14
(https://youtu.be/KjrYlcm0tOw):
According
to the lunar calendar, that morning of the Hempfest was the
fifty-fourth anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in Boston at
Commonwealth Pier after his thirty-eight day journey aboard the
Jaladuta.
Boston
devotees arranged a program at the pier at 6:00 a.m. in the morning.
Srila
Prabhupada was present in his murti form.
Rama
Raya Prabhu was one of the speakers.
Our
first day in Boston we chanted for eight hours at the Boston
Hempfest.
Devotees
on the Yuga Dharma Ashram party distributed 1,421 books at that
event!
Even
I distributed four Bhakta Stacks, sets of four softbound books we
sell for $10, when in New York City I hardly ever do even one in a
month.
As
we chanted Hare Krishna at the Hempfest, I would pass out invitations
to the Boston temple to people who seemed to be appreciating the
chanting. I would describe our programs in Boston, and then tell the
people we had books on the table if they were interested, and about
half the people would come over to the table. In other places,
perhaps one in ten would come over to the table.
Once
as I was distributing invitations, someone said “Show me the
books.”
I
took him to the table and showed him the set of four books
and
told him we sell it for $10, and he said, “Fine, I’ll take one.”
And
he gave me $10.
It
was so easy to distribute books there, even I could do it!
Here
Gokulendra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Boston Hempfest, and two
guys play shakers (https://youtu.be/daZM1n2IM8A):
Chatamayi
Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Boston Hempfest, and a couple plays
shakers and tries chanting. Later they came back with a friend when
Rama Raya Prabhu was singing (https://youtu.be/C4DD6HuKvzc):
Rama
Raya Prabhu, inspired by the receptivity of the crowd, personally led the Hare
Krishna chant for three hours at the Boston Hempfest, and passersby played
shakers and danced (https://youtu.be/MsjOPWeD84Q):
Boston
devotees say that one lady who played the shakers with us came to the
Boston temple the next day for the Sunday feast.
We did a walking harinama on Newbury Street on Sunday, the day after the Hempfest, and I was one of the lead chanters in the beginning.
While
Devarsi was leading we encountered a street band, which played along
with us for a minute or two, and people stopped to watch and take
pictures (https://youtu.be/lvKriCOjI1o):
Later
Gokulendra Prabhu led kirtan, and passersby danced and waved
(https://youtu.be/30b6dRkVvI0):
Chanting
Hare Krishna Back in New York City
Here
Radheshyam
Prabhu of Pune, who
is visiting the U.S.A.,
chants Hare Krishna in Union Square Park in New York City
(https://youtu.be/1wyVwKFt1xg):
While
Radheshyam
Prabhu was singing, a passerby offered to dance, but he requested the
music be faster. I explained that to Radheshyam,
and he increased the tempo, and the guy danced
(https://youtu.be/vR8ikptRUdg):
Rama
Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Union Square, and devotees dance
(https://youtu.be/KD4odHCW2PI):
Rama
Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Union Square, and a kid plays
shakers (https://youtu.be/woQNoba3dOM):
On
September
25, the
day that was seven and a half years since our harinama
party
began, two high school girls happily chanted Hare Krishna with the
Yuga Dharma Ashram Party in Union Square.
To our surprise, they said they had been chanting Hare Krishna with their friends earlier in the day. How was that? They saw a school play six months ago about the 1960s which featured the Hare Krishna chant, and they said they could not get it out of their minds, and thus they regularly chant it with their friends! They chanted with us over twenty minutes and each received “On Chanting Hare Krishna,” a small book, and prasadam cookies. One girl was vegan and had a mother who was vegan and interested in spiritual things. We told them our schedule and hope to see them again. Krishna works in mysterious ways (https://youtu.be/FAC8kHLc0NA):
Kaliya
Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Union Square, a guy dances
briefly, and several others watch for a while
(https://youtu.be/Q6qlPOIgMRw):
Here
Krishna
Prasad Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Rittenhouse Square in
Philadelphia where Yuga Dharma Ashram devotees went to promote and
attend the Ratha-yatra (https://youtu.be/UlhB2uzlRNM):
Prashant
Silver from Baltimore chants Hare Krishna in Rittenhouse Square in
Philadelphia (https://youtu.be/kH8cAsJB95w):
Two
young devotee girls must have distributed more invitations to the
Ratha-yatra than anyone except me.
Here one of them tries
distributing a sapta-rsi after receiving some tips from
Mahotsaha Prabhu.
Mahavishnu
Swami, who is traveling
with Harinama Ruci, chants
Hare Krishna in Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia
(https://youtu.be/KKBWfO3MJ1M):
Rama
Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Rittenhouse Square in
Philadelphia, and a Buddhist monk plays shakers. The monk came to the
Ratha-yatra the next day and enjoyed the prasadam.
Then she again played shakers with Rama Raya’s kirtan party, this
time for at least 3 hours
(https://youtu.be/FATsvYtJKEk):
Besides
the Buddhist monk I met someone else who came to Ratha-yatra after
having met us chanting at Rittenhouse Square, but I am sure there
were many more as many people were happy to learn of the event, some
remembering it from previous years.
I
talked to many people who were attracted by the Ratha-yatra
procession and the stage show afterward, some encountering it for the
first time, such as a journalist from Temple University, and others
who recalled it from previous years and who therefore come each year.
Here Balabhadra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Philadelphia Ratha-yatra in front of Lord Jagannatha’s cart (https://youtu.be/qLt7oBbprfg):
A
devotee
lady
chants
Hare Krishna at
Philadelphia Ratha-yatra in
front of Lady Subhadra’s cart
(https://youtu.be/f1v8QqzDGyw):
Kripamoya
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Philadelphia Ratha-yatra in
front of Lord Jagannatha’s cart (https://youtu.be/UEh33k1Afx0):
Kripamoya Prabhu chants at the end of the Ratha-yatra, and two people dance with hoops (https://youtu.be/eo9B2fOG-_U):
I
had seen Jagannatha T-shirts many times, but this year I encountered
Srila Prabhupada disciple, Trilochan Prabhu, sporting a Jagannatha
tie!
Rama
Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with
his Yuga Dharma Ashram harinama
party after
the Philadelphia Ratha-yatra at Eakins Oval
(https://youtu.be/ZJEUluGl9_g):
Mahavishnu
Swami, while chanting Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci and Yuga Dharma
Ashram, swaps hats with a passerby, engaging him in chanting the holy
names and dancing (https://youtu.be/76NtxpRgEyY):
Mahavishnu
Swami chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci and Yuga Dharma Ashram
(https://youtu.be/oR98xQFlLR0):
Guru
Dasa Prabhu, a disciple of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami from Washington,
D.C., chants Hare Krishna with the Yuga Dharma Ashram harinama
party (https://youtu.be/AwyjBbFOSXY):
Visit
to Martha’s Vineyard
Martha’s
Vineyard is an island off the coast of Massachusetts, which is
significant in my family because my father was born in its most
prominent city, Edgartown. My
sister arranged that
some relatives get together on Martha’s Vineyard to celebrate my
mother’s ninety-fifth birthday which
was actually two weeks before, but the final four days in September
were more convenient for
the gathering.
Two
cousins from San Diego were visiting who I had not seen since I lived
in San Diego twenty-five years ago. For this reason and because of my
mother’s great age, I decided to attend the gathering, but just
last two days because I did not want to miss the Philadelphia
Ratha-yatra.
On
the morning of my sixtieth birthday, Karen and Victor decided to go
to the beach in Oak Bluffs to do their silent Buddhist meditation,
and I joined them, chanting Hare Krishna japa
a
short way off.
We
visited the grave where the ashes of my father were buried
forty-seven years ago. Evidence of the time factor was present in the
form of lichens covering many of the tombstones. In this photo my mother,
Pat, and my sister, Karen, and Karen’s daughter, Fern, are present
along with me. I wear the nice hat cousin Kellie gave me for my birthday. It occurred to me later I might have brought my
harmonium and chanted Hare Krishna for the benefit of my father and
the departed souls whose remains were buried there, while the others
toured nearby Edgartown.
For
my birthday I made ginger and cinnamon coconut sweets, dal,
and
the
carrot-coconut
rice and tomato chutney from Yamuna Devi’s cookbook. My sister,
Karen, made
cucumber raita
and
broccoli and cauliflower pakoras,
which
my cousin, Kellie, cooked very
nicely.
Karen and her partner, Victor, made mango lassi.
I
offered it all to a photo of Gaura Nitai I have on my business card.
My two superiors, my mother and my cousin, Mary Ann of San Diego, who had her eightieth birthday this year, were happy I took the trouble to join them for the event, and I felt good about that.
My
main lamentation was my time on my birthday was scheduled by others in such a way
that my desire to chant Hare Krishna in public for an hour to benefit
the tourists and residents of Martha’s Vineyard was not fulfilled
and my dragging my harmonium from New York City to Boston and onward
to the island and back was largely in vain. I will have to be more
careful to not allow this to happen in the future.
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
From
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya
24.60, purport:
“The
four miserable conditions are due to the four kinds of sinful
activities, known as (1) pataka,
(2) uru-pataka,
(3) maha-pataka
and (4) ati-pataka
— preliminary sin, very great sin, greater sin and topmost sin.
However, Krishna assures the devotee, aham
tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucah:
‘I will protect you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.’ The
word sarva-papebhyah
indicates four kinds of sinful activities. As soon as the devotee
surrenders unto Krishna’s lotus feet, he is certainly relieved from
all sinful activities and their results. The four basic sinful
activities are summarized as illicit sex, intoxication, gambling and
meat-eating.”
From
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya
24.63:
“When
the devotee is freed from all sinful material activities, Krishna
attracts his body, mind and senses to His service. Thus Krishna is
very merciful, and His transcendental qualities are very attractive.”
From
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi
1.53, purport:
“Aham
means ‘I’; therefore the speaker who is saying aham,
‘I,’ must have His own personality. The Mayavadi philosophers
interpret this word aham
as referring to the impersonal Brahman. The Mayavadis are very proud
of their grammatical knowledge, but any person who has actual
knowledge of grammar can understand that aham
means ‘I’ and that ‘I’ refers to a personality. Therefore the
Personality of Godhead, speaking to Brahma, uses aham
while describing His own transcendental form. Aham
has a specific meaning; it is not a vague term that can be
whimsically interpreted. Aham,
when spoken by Krishna, refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead
and nothing else.”
From
a lecture:
Trying
to advance spiritually while performing sinful activities is like
trying start a fire with wet wood. It takes a long time.
You
cannot be mad after Hari as long as you are mad after material
things.
Bhagavatam
is
not meant for saptaha
[a
seven-day recitation],
but
nityam
[every
day recitation].
From
a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.7.12
in Vrindavan in 1976:
Krishna’s
dancing with the gopis
and
His being leader at the Battlefield of Kuruksetra are the same. They
are both transcendental.
The
Lord and His pure devotees are transcendental, and one can take
shelter of either to escape the influence of the material energy.
What
is inconceivable to us is not inconceivable to the Lord Himself or
His pure devotees. Thus we have to hear from a pure devotee about the
Lord’s activities to understand.
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
7.9.38 in Mayapur on March 16, 1976:
“Krishna
said, raso
’ham apsu kaunteya: ‘My dear Arjuna, I am the taste of the water.’ Now, who
does not drink water? Anyone? The animal also drinks water and the
human being also drinks water. But the animal cannot understand God,
although God is there in the water, and the man can understand
because he is human being. Therefore a human being is different from
animal. If we remain like animals – we are drinking water, but we
are not realizing Krishna – then you are animal. . . . So every
time, if you drink water and remember Krishna, then you are on the
devotional service. Where is the difficulty? But the fools will not
take it.”
From
a
class on
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrta,
Madhya-lila 20.354–358 on New York on December 28, 1966:
“Lord
Caitanya says that incarnation, He never advertises Himself that He
is avatar. But experienced munis,
those who are liberated souls, those who are expert in Vedic
knowledge, they understand that this is avatar, or incarnation, by
the symptoms, as they are stated in the scriptures. In the scripture,
the color, the activities, the time and the place and the
parents—everything is described about the incarnation.”
As
scientists can identify a drug by chemical analysis, the sages by
scriptural reference can identify the avatar.
“The
avatar never advertises. Anyone who advertises himself that ‘I am
incarnation,’ he should be at once rejected.”
“Why
in human society there is religion? The purpose is to elevate himself
to the transcendental position. That is religion. Where there is no
such aim to raise one from the fallen condition to the liberated
state, that is not religion. That is sentiment. Religion means that
one should be raised from the fallen condition to the highest
elevated condition. Therefore there are so many rules and
regulations.”
“There
is not much difference between the activities of material life and
spiritual life. Only the consciousness has to be changed. When my
consciousness is to lord it over the material nature, that is
material life, and when my consciousness is to serve Krishna, the
Supreme Lord . . . Krishna consciousness, that is spiritual life.”
“Srimad-Bhagavatam
is called Maha-purana.
Maha-purana
means the topmost of all the puranas.
You have seen the review by the Theosophical Society of India of my
books. They have stated this very word, Maha-purana,
Bhagavatam,
the Maha-purana.”
From
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila
4.79, purport:
“The
Krishna consciousness movement has spread all over the world within a
very short time (within five years), and mundane people are very much
astonished at this. However, by the grace of Lord Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu, we understand that everything is possible by the grace of
Krishna. Why does Krishna have to take five years? In five days He
can spread His name and fame all over the world like wildfire. Those
who have faith in and devotion to Krishna can understand that these
things happen so wonderfully by the grace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
We are simply the instruments. In the fierce Battle of Kurukshetra,
Arjuna was victorious within eighteen days simply because Krishna’s
grace was on his side.
yatra
yogesvarah kṛsno yatra partho dhanur-dharah
tatra
śrir vijayo bhūtir dhruva nitir matir mama
“Wherever
there is Krishna, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is
Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence,
victory, extraordinary power and morality. That is my opinion.”
(Bg. 18.78)
If
the preachers in our Krishna consciousness movement are sincere
devotees of Krishna, Krishna will always be with them because He is
very kind and favorable to all His devotees. Just as Arjuna and
Krishna were victorious in the Battle of Kurukshetra,
this Krishna consciousness movement will surely emerge victorious if
we but remain sincere devotees of the Lord and serve the Lord
according to the advice of the predecessors (the six Gosvamis and
other devotees of the Lord). As Narottama dasa Ṭhakura has stated:
tandera
carana sevi bhakta-sane vasa, janame janame haya ei abhilasa.
The Krishna consciousness devotees must always desire to remain in
the society of devotees. Bhakta-sane
vasa:
they cannot go outside the Krishna consciousness society or movement.
Within the society we must try to serve the predecessors by preaching
Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s cult and spreading His name and fame all over
the world. If we attempt this seriously within the society, it will
be successfully done. There is no question of estimating how this
will happen in the mundane sense. But without a doubt, it happens by
the grace of Krishna.”
Satsvarupa
Dasa Goswami:
From “Initiation Day” in Free
Write Journal #57:
“I
was initiated on September 23, 1966—53 years ago—on the occasion
of Radhastami. I was initiated with two other devotees, Kirtanananda
and Acyutananda. Prabhupada conducted the ceremony personally, and it
was held in his apartment. He chanted a full round audibly on each of
our sets
of Tandy’s wooden beads and then handed us the beads and asked us
what were the four prohibitory rules and ordered us to chant sixteen
rounds daily. I remember Swamiji made me bow down at his lotus feet
and repeat after him his pranam
mantra. He said one or two words at a time, and I replied: ‘Nama
om vishnu
padaya krishna
presthaya bhu-tale srimate bhakti-vedanta
. . .’ When he said the word “bhakti,”
I plunged into a swoon of devotional emotion with my eyes closed. It
was an unusual out-of-the-body experience for me.
“In
his lecture, he mentioned guru
daksina.
It was the first time I heard the words. He explained that in return
for the gift of initiation by the spiritual master, one should offer
him a gift. He said the gift he wanted was that we enthusiastically
preach and tell others about Krishna
consciousness and ask them to practice it. Since this was the first
time I heard it, I felt a new sense of responsibility connected to
the initiation. Prabhupada was giving us the mantra and the beads and
the order to chant and avoid sinful activities, but he was also
expecting us to preach on his behalf. This was a new order, a new
responsibility, and I accepted it sincerely, but as a weight on my
shoulders to oblige. Every year on Radhastami some of my disciples
congratulate me on my initiation anniversary. It is an auspicious
coincidence that I received diksa
under the shelter of Srimati Radharani’s Appearance Day. I am proud
of the coincidence, and I take it to heart. It is a little something
extra to bring me closer to Srimati Radharani. Out of all days in the
year, I was given initiation on Her birthday! This was the mercy of
Srila Prabhupada. I missed the first initiation, which was held two
weeks earlier on Krishna Janmastami. I felt I wasn’t ready to fully
surrender, but when I saw the devotees with their red beads and heard
their new Sanskrit names, I became anxious and enthusiastic to also
become an initiated devotee. So I went to Prabhupada and told him I
wanted to be initiated. He said yes, and that there was an auspicious
date coming up in two weeks, and I could receive it then. That
auspicious date was Radhastami, and he picked it out personally.”
From
“Was Srila Prabhupada Fastidious about Keeping Plans, Making Dates
on the Calendar Long in Advance, Scheduling His Itinerary?” in Free
Write Journal #58:
“Prabhupada
was not a slave to following a week-by-week or month-by-month
planning schedule. He was more spontaneous than that. Prabhupada
sometimes promised a temple president in a particular country that he
would visit them, but then he would change his plans and go somewhere
else instead. The devotees whose visit was canceled felt themselves
insincere and unqualified for Prabhupada’s visit. But he maintained
the right to change his schedule as he was inspired to do.”
“Arjuna
captures Asvatthama after he has killed the five sleeping children of
Draupadi. Arjuna ties him up like an animal and brings him into the
camp. Arjuna does not want to kill him because he is the son of a
great brahmana and military teacher, Dronacarya, who
specifically taught Arjuna the military art. But Krishna tells Arjuna
to immediately kill Asvatthama. When they get to the camp and meet
Draupadi, she pleads for the life of Asvatthama and says his mother
should not have to grieve like her. She reminds Arjuna of his debt to
Dronacarya for training him up in the military arts. King Yudhisthira
agrees with Draupadi, but Bhima says the culprit should be killed.
Krishna smiles to Arjuna and tells him he has to make a difficult
decision. Because different persons have different opinions,
Krishna assumes four arms to hold them apart. Arjuna finally
decides that Krishna is testing him to use his intelligence. He
therefore cuts off the hair and the jewel on Asvatthama’s head, and
this is considered as good as killing him. Asvatthama is also driven
out of the camp.” [I recalled the pastime, but the detail I put in
italics above was new to me.]
Candramauli
Swami:
In
this world, the
names are just temporary designations associated with features
of the ever changing material energy.
The
material energy is compared to the ocean. Even if you are an Olympic
gold medal winner you cannot swim across the ocean. You need a ship
and a good captain.
Ignorant
so-called spiritual masters drown themselves and those who follow
them.
The
true spiritual master knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.
Providence
is the way that Krishna wants things to happen.
You
might call this age an age of distraction. Sometimes devotees get
caught up in this distraction.
Srila
Prabhupada uses strong language to make the point that
one
should not look toward materialists for ultimate happiness but should
look toward Krishna.
I
was taught a supposedly secret mantra for $35. Later I found all my
friends were given the same mantra. Later I met the devotees and
changed my mantra to Hare Krishna and got more than $35 of benefit.
Srila
Prabhupada
was not going to say something different from
what Krishna presented to gain followers.
Srila
Prabhupada
said there are only four books you need to read. All the other books
are just a rehashing of what is in these books.
Reading
is one thing, but there are five steps. Reading, study and
understanding, application, realization, and attaining spiritual
qualities.
Srila
Prabhupada
gave us so much knowledge, and he answered every question. If you
cannot find the
answers,
it is just you have not yet been able to find them.
Many
spiritual people came to the West around and before the time of Srila
Prabhupada, but they were not able to establish Krishna’s teachings
in a significant way. Four or five of them once praised Srila
Prabhupada, saying, “We never thought it was possible that you
could teach the truth about Krishna in the West.” Srila Prabhupada
was not interested in the praise. He simply responded, “If you know
the truth, why are you cheating people?”
You
have to have a sense of awe and reverence to worship the deity,
otherwise you will make offenses.
If
we are not following Srila
Prabhupada’s
instructions and trying to please him by following his instructions,
there is no connection, although we may do so many other things.
Once
when talking to the devotees, Srila Prabhupada said, “This whole
movement is just chanting, dancing, and feasting.” Devotees tried
to argue that there were more things, but Srila Prabhupada explained
those other things in terms of chanting, dancing, and feasting.
People
are always looking for new things because material things become
stale in time, so we
can
always tell them, “You have tried so many things, try this.”
The
mercy of the Lord is carried by His pure devotee fully.
Developing
love for the spiritual master is natural for he has given us
something that no one else
has
given us, the path to eternal happiness.
Spiritual
life should never become dry, mechanical, or routine. The
transcendental words are living personalities.
Devotees
asked Srila Prabhupada, “Why did you not come earlier?”
He
replied, “Because you were not ready.”
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura
said if you are doing so many activities that you do not have time
for hearing and chanting about Krishna then you
will
not get the mercy of the spiritual master.
People
would say “God is dead.”
Srila
Prabhupada replied, “Your intelligence is dead.”
Become
enthusiastic by associating with people who are enthusiastic.
We
should consider, “I
have this good fortune. Let me take advantage of it.”
One
devotee who had cancer and had a couple of operations preached to the
hospital workers and the other cancer patients. He organized three or
four cancer seminars at Bhaktivedanta Manor, and thirty-five cancer
patients attended.
There
are plenty of old ways to preach, but
if you not satisfied with these, try something new. Go for it!
When
you are regulated, you can use your intelligence to see how you can
add new things to your regulated program.
Read
to understand.
There
is a 95-slide seminar on improving reading created by Laksmimoni. I
modified it to be 65 slides and that takes about an hour and a half
to go through.
Maharaja
Pariksit did not say, “Get to the Tenth Canto. I only have seven
days.”
All
the Bhagavatam
is
preparing us for Vrindavan.
Notes
on seminar on “Why it is more important to study Srila Prabhupada’s
books more deeply now than ever
before?”
Mother
Laksmimoni presented this slide show to the ILS a couple years ago.
Issues,
Instructions, Context, Intention
Issues:
siksa/diksa,
varnasrama, etc.
Instructions:
books, lectures, conversations, letters, personal instructions
Context:
time, place, circumstance
Intention:
will, mood, the desired purpose
Studies
of religious organizations show that:
Intention
starts to fade with one generation.
Context
starts to fade with the next generation.
Instructions
start to fade with the next generation after that.
When
those fade, one has to associate with those remaining persons still
aware of what is fading and strengthen them.
When
everything fades we need a relevant system of education and careful
study of those instructions that Srila Prabhupada left us.
“All
the devotees connected with the Krishna consciousness movement must
read all the books that have been translated (the
Caitanya-caritamṛta,
Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita
and others); otherwise, after some time, they will simply eat, sleep
and fall down from their position. Thus they will miss the
opportunity to attain an eternal, blissful life of transcendental
pleasure.” (Cc. Madhya 25.278, purport)
“And
you must all study very scrutinizingly all of the books so that when
the need arises you can repeat in your own words their purport. Also
I will be very pleased if you contribute articles to BTG. By writing
regularly, what you read will become realized. As much as possible
read, chant, and preach. This is our life and soul. If we keep to
this simple formula then there is no doubt that we will be victorious
wherever we go . . .” (Letter to Hrdayananda, Jan. 6, 1972)
“If
you want to stay in Krishna
Consciousness you will have to develop firm faith in Guru and Sastra.
Therefore, you must study my books very scrutinizingly, follow the
four regulative principles very strictly and chant 16 rounds daily
avoiding the ten offenses. Don’t take this movement as something
cheap.” (letter to Srutadeva das, Oct. 30, 1976)
“Therefore,
I recommend you to read books more and more and try to understand the
subject matter from different angles of vision and be always
discussing it with your godbrothers even while you are working at the
press, and when you are working and you cannot read, then listen to
the tapes of my lectures and hear in that way. And never neglect to
chant your 16 rounds of beads daily, rise early without fail, attend
mangal
arati,
take bath, and follow the other regulative principles, and everything
will come out very successfully, you can rest assured of that.”
(Letter to Bhargava, June 13, 1972)
When
the Brahma-samhita
with
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura’s
commentary came out, it was so difficult to comprehend that Srila
Prabhupada’s disciples asked
him to make a commentary on that so they could understand. Srila
Prabhupada told them to just read it over and over.
Personal
study, group study, systematic group study.
Personal
study:
Prayerful
Reading
1.
Decide on what you will read.
2.
Decide how long you will read for. It is up to you.
3.
Go to a place where you can be alone with the book, uninterrupted and
quiet.
4.
Make yourself comfortable, but do not fall asleep.
5.
Cultivate an appropriate attitude.
6.
Before starting, offer prayers. Santana Goswami has four prayers to
Srimad-Bhagavatam.
7.
Read aloud or silently.
8.
Read until a word, a phrase, or an idea strikes you or catches your
attention. Strive to understand it deeply.
9.
Offer obeisances and review in your mind what you read.
10.
Assimilate into your life what you have read and realized. Read Srila
Prabhupada’s books in this fashion as much as you can.
Reading
with devotees, discuss, share.
What
to look for when you read:
Knowledge:
knowledge
understanding
realization
Personal
application:
personal
application
preaching
application
theological
application
Values
and Attitudes:
faith
and conviction
evaluation
mood
and mission
authority
academic
and moral integrity
responsibility
for learning
If
you are reading Srila Prabhupada’s books, and you do not know how
to behave, it means you do not really understand them.
By
reading you get:
theoretical
knowledge
understanding
application
realization
higher
thinking skills and values
Why
do I not have realization? Because I am not understanding and
applying.
Experience
is the best teacher, and a fool learns by no other means.
“To
hear and explain them [the revealed scriptures] is more important
than reading them. One can assimilate the knowledge of the revealed
scriptures only by hearing and explaining. Hearing is called sravana,
and explaining is called kirtana.
The two processes of sravana
and kirtana
are of primary importance to progressive spiritual life.” (SB
1.1.6, purport)
A
Gallup poll revealed that people retain 5% of what they read, 10% of
what they hear, 20% of what they see, 50% of what they see and hear
both, 70% of what they do, and 90% of what they teach.
“It
is not blindly accepted, this Krishna Consciousness. With
considerable deliberation, we take the decision.” (Lecture on Bg.
7.1–3 on December 14, 1972)
Knowledge
is meant to lead to service, and service leads to realization and
development of Vaishnava qualities.
“The
process is that you should memorize the purports of my books and then
speak them in your own words. Do not adulterate or change anything.
Then you will be the perfect preacher.” (Letter, November 15, 1975)
It
is not practical to memorize all the purports, but find one that
inspires you and memorize that, and use it in your preaching. I know
the
purport to SB
4.30.8, not verbatim, but all the key points.
We
are good at bringing people in, but not in bringing them from one
stage to another. We have not done that as a society.
In
Ukraine, they get twenty
or sometimes forty
new people for the Sunday feast. Someone takes down their
information, gives them a book, and invites them to future programs.
You
can question any instruction, but once your questions are answered,
you have to follow. Sometimes the authority will consider what you
say and modify the instruction.
If
you just do things blindly, after a while, you develop no
intelligence.
The
followers of Madhvacarya and Ramanujacarya are still strong
because they both encourage their followers to read their founder’s
books.
Sacinandana
Swami:
From
The
Living Name: A Guide to Chanting with Absorption:
Sambandha
literally
means bound together, sam
–
together, bandha
– bound.
We
should chant with awareness of our connection with Krishna.
Sadaputa
Prabhu:
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.9.34 on August 3, 1994 in Alachua, titled “Illusion”:
“So
of course, one important point here is that the individual
personalities of the living beings are not part of the illusion.
They’re actually real. Because there’s also a philosophy that
says that individual personality is a matter of illusion. So this of
course creates a problem because if individual personality is a
matter of illusion, then what is it that is in illusion? You’re
just individual personality. At least normally according to a naive
way of thinking, if there is illusion, there’s somebody who’s in
illusion. Normally one would think that. If there’s nobody there to
be in illusion then there is no illusion. For example, suppose the
magician performs his act on the stage, but there’s nobody there in
the audience, the auditorium is simply empty. In that case, will
there be an illusion? One would say no. The magician isn’t in
illusion. He knows what he’s doing. So, if personal existence is an
illusion, then what is it that is in that illusion?”
Bhakti
Vijnana Swami:
Just
to know that the living entity does not die and
that
just the body dies is a great relief.
In
Russia there is a famous song, “Everything Will Be Alright,”
but
everything will not be alright because we will die.
Yudhisthira
says the most amazing thing is that every day we see people are going
to the abode of death, but we somehow think we will escape.
Krishna
is saying because the soul cannot be killed therefore nothing will
happen to you.
Krishna
says that ultimately He is behind everything and that is another
reason not to worry.
The
first six chapters of Bhagavad-gita
stress how the soul is eternal. In the second six chapters, He
explains how He is behind everything, and thus it is best if we
surrender to Him. The third six chapters
explain how we are entangled and why it is difficult to become
liberated. We are so accustomed to being
associated with the material nature there is little motivation to get
out. You may be born as a bug, but you will still think everything is
OK.
God
is just arranging everything according to our desires.
People
act according to their own whims, and when they get in trouble, they
blame God.
We
are attracted to certain association with the gunas,
and
we like it, and thus we remain in material nature eternally.
The
material world is a nice place if you realize it is not a place of
happiness.
If
we understand that whatever we need Krishna gives and whatever He
doesn’t give we do not need then we can be satisfied.
When
you diminish your enthusiasm to endeavor for material happiness, you
will find your natural spiritual happiness increases.
The
Hamsa avatar explains to the four Kumaras that the goal of yoga is
not to withdraw the senses from their objects but to withdraw oneself
from the mental concoctions of one’s mind.
Our
problem is based on misconceptions, and the solution is to hear the
truth from the proper source.
When
you are chanting Krishna’s name you are already with Krishna and
thus you are on the platform of spiritual happiness.
The
more you are detached from the hopeless attempt to attain material
happiness, the more you can experience the spiritual happiness of the
soul.
Live
in New York, but turn inward and appreciate how Krishna is working.
Rama
Raya Prabhu:
Bhaktivinoda
Thakura describes in Jaiva
Dharma that
chanting the holy name of the Lord is the dharma of the soul.
One’s
own self interest lies in rendering pure devotional service to Lord
Krishna.
It
is said in the Bhagavatam
that
the river of material existence runs swifter by the bank, and thus it
is difficult to get out. This is because we are tested when we try to
escape.
Once
Srila Prabhupada made the point that people think we are not
benefiting society because we are not benefiting their bodies. He
used an analogy explaining
that people think that car and the driver are the same and they
complain we are not giving petrol to the driver not understanding the
driver needs a different kind of food.
To
relieve the distresses the residents of Vrindavan feel when Krishna
left for Mathura and Dvaraka, according to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
Thakura,
is the constitutional position of the soul.
Srila
Prabhupada explained the reason why we have big festivals such as
Ratha-yatra: “We want to save as many people as possible.”
When
we have a huge festival the spiritual energy is so powerfully
manifest that the material energy recedes.
Srila
Prabhupada has very strongly recommended daily distribution of
Krishna consciousness through book distribution, harinama,
prasadam distribution,
etc., as an important part of our sadhana.
Those
who cooperate with that outreach effort get the same result of
freedom from material existence and development of love of God as
those on the front lines.
The
more you worry about others, the less you worry about yourself.
Cultivating
the mood of wanting to help people is necessary to advance in Krishna
consciousness.
We
do not come to see the Lord at greeting of
the
Deities, but we come so the Lord can see us.
Srila
Prabhupada was himself asked the question of how discriminate between
innovation and deviation. He replied, “That requires intelligence.”
Lord
Caitanya personally chanted and danced in the streets.
Everyone
is actually looking for devotees chanting and dancing on the platform
of bhava-bhakti.
You
do not get realization of that which you do not practice doing.
The
dancing of Lord Caitanya interested all the residents of Jagannatha
Puri in the subject of ecstatic love of Godhead.
Comment
by Guru dasa
SDG Prabhu: We can pray to the Lord for the ability to understand the
internal meaning of Ratha-yatra.
Our
method of understanding the internal meaning of the Lord’s pastimes
is to preach. That is taught by both Srila Prabhupada and
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. Otherwise the tendency is to
become Mayavadis or prakrta-sahajiyas.
Radheshyam
Prabhu from Pune:
Giriraja
Swami told that once his parents told their daughter they were not
going to buy
her a new dress this year for her birthday because
she already
had one hundred dresses.
They were just going to give her a cake. She expressed great
displeasure at that.
By
regularly accessing the scripture, we
will come to see Krishna in the pages of the scriptures.
The
whole goal of the scriptures is to transform our hearts.
By
studying the scriptures we come to appreciate Krishna’s qualities,
and this makes it easier to chant the holy name in japa.
Yudhisthira
was expert in throwing
the
javelin,
Bhima was expert at throwing the mace, Arjuna was expert as an
archer. Nakura and Sahadeva were great sword fighters. Despite their
high material qualifications, they were completely dependent on
Krishna.
God
knows best. Sometimes
we doubt this as this video shows, but it is true
(https://youtu.be/dnwXl6KSSMA):
Sustaining
concentration for 12 seconds is called dharana, for
144 seconds is dhyana, and
for 1,728 seconds, or about half an hour, is samadhi.
You
can say Srila Prabhupada is an amplifier for the Supersoul.
Gauranga
Darsana Prabhu:
From “The Anatomy of Autonomy” in Back
to Godhead, Vol.
54, No. 1 (Jan/Feb 2020):
“God
is supremely autonomous. As a part of the Supreme Lord Krishna, every
living entity also has autonomy, but to a minute degree. Factually
that autonomy, or free will, or minute independence, is the only
possession of the living entity. All of one’s other possessions are
temporary and superficial. God never interferes with the minute
autonomy of the living entity, although He is able to do so.”
“Krishna
is sensitive to the situation of the conditioned soul and patiently
waits for the soul to develop its innate love of God. He doesn’t
interfere with the soul’s autonomy. Yet He doesn’t leave the
conditioned soul to rot in the material world, experiencing
inevitable misery. He inspires the conditioned soul to come to Him in
the spiritual world, for that is the ultimate way of attaining
eternal spiritual happiness.
“Lord
Krishna descends into this world in various incarnations, He sends
His representatives, the spiritual teachers, and He makes holy
scriptures available – all to educate and inspire the living entity
to come to the spiritual path and voluntarily choose to become closer
to Him. He leaves the decision to the living entity to make the right
choice.
“Thus
the autonomy to go on the right or the wrong path always lies with
the individual soul, who is responsible for his experiences in life,
those experiences being the results of his own choices.”
Narayana
Prabhu:
From “Aging in Krishna Consciousness” in Back
to Godhead, Vol.
54, No. 1 (Jan/Feb 2020):
“A
wise person performs religious duties ‘as if Death had seized him
by the hair.’ [Hitopadesa]”
Jaya
Jagannatha Prabhu:
Of
the sun and the sunshine, we derive more benefit from the sunshine.
Of the fire and the heat, we derive more benefit from the heat.
Similarly of Krishna and Radha, we derive more benefit from Radha,
because She blesses us
with
devotion for Krishna.
-----
Sometimes devotees offer food to Lord Krishna in our temples that is so hot that it burns the mouth. Krishna describes such food in Bhagavad-gita 17.9:
katv-amla-lavanaty-usna-
tiksṇa-ruksa-vidahinah
ahara rajasasyesta
duhkha-sokamaya-pradah
tiksṇa-ruksa-vidahinah
ahara rajasasyesta
duhkha-sokamaya-pradah
“Foods that are too bitter, too sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry and burning are dear to those in the mode of passion. Such foods cause distress, misery and disease.”
In general Lord Krishna promotes action in the mode of goodness as spiritually uplifting. Food in the mode of goodness He describes in Bhagavad-gita 17.8 as follows:
In general Lord Krishna promotes action in the mode of goodness as spiritually uplifting. Food in the mode of goodness He describes in Bhagavad-gita 17.8 as follows:
ayuh-sattva-balarogya-
sukha-priti-vivardhanah
rasyah snigdhah sthira hṛdya
aharah sattvika-priyah
“Foods dear to those in the mode of goodness increase the duration of life, purify one’s existence and give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction. Such foods are juicy, fatty, wholesome, and pleasing to the heart.”
Why not offer Krishna such food?
One swami asked rhetorically, would Lord Krishna’s eternal associates, who are always concerned that not the least distress touches Lord Krishna, offer Him food that would cause His mouth to burn? That is something to consider.