Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 15, No. 20
By Krishna Kripa Das
(October 2019, part two)
New York City and Hartford
(Sent from New York City on November 4, 2019)
Where I Went and What I Did
For the second half of October I stayed in the Yuga Dharma Ashram in New York City, chanting in different subway stations in New York City six hours a day Monday through Saturday, except one weekend when I went to Hartford to hear Niranjana Swami, who invited me to live in Radha Govinda Mandir back in 1979 and was my first bhakta leader. I also did harinama in Hartford, a new city for me for public chanting. For the month of Karttika, on the New York City harinamas we started to engage the favorable passersby in offering lamps to Damodara. Kavicandra Swami, inspired by the Yuga Dharma Ashram devotees commitment to harinama and book distribution, decided to spend half of Karttika with us, instead of in Vrindavan. I attended Govardhan Puja festivals in Hartford, at the Yuga Dharma Ashram, and at Radha Govinda Mandir in Brooklyn, and I attended the festival for Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day at the Yuga Dharma Ashram. On Halloween, the last day of October, a group of devotees mostly from Radha Govinda Mandir chanted Hare Krishna in the NYC Halloween Parade, which I had never done before, and thousands of people got to hear the holy names and witness the joy of the devotee chanters.
I
share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s books and
lectures and
from the continuation of Srimad-Bhagavatam
by
his humble servants. I
include excerpts from the Free
Write Journal of
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I
share notes on classes by Niranjana Swami speaking in Hartford and
Kavicandra
Swami and Kadamba
Kanana Swami speaking in New York City. I share notes on classes by
the Yuga Dharma Ashram devotees, Vishnu-citta, Kalki, and Mahotsaha
Prabhus.
Many, many thanks to Raga Sindhu Prabhu of Hartford for driving me around, letting me stay at his place, feeding me, coming on harinama, and giving me a Motorola (Moto Z) Smartphone, which takes excellent HD video in very dim light, in addition to having a good battery and lots of memory, and which will be of great use to me. Thanks to Sasha for the videos of our Halloween harinama and to Bhakta Blake who let him use his iPhone to take them.
Many, many thanks to Raga Sindhu Prabhu of Hartford for driving me around, letting me stay at his place, feeding me, coming on harinama, and giving me a Motorola (Moto Z) Smartphone, which takes excellent HD video in very dim light, in addition to having a good battery and lots of memory, and which will be of great use to me. Thanks to Sasha for the videos of our Halloween harinama and to Bhakta Blake who let him use his iPhone to take them.
Itinerary
October
1 – December:
NYC Yuga Dharma harinamas
January–April
2020: North Florida colleges, mostly Florida State University
Chanting
Hare Krishna in New York City
“A
person who offers a lamp to Lord Krishna during Karttika
[October-November] attains the eternal spiritual world where there is
no suffering.” (Skanda
Purana,
quoted in Hari-bhakti-vliasa
16.114) Yuga Dharma Ashram devotees invite passersby of different
races, nationalities, and genders in New York City subway stations to
offer lamps to Krishna in the form of Damodara and become eligible to
attain the spiritual world (https://youtu.be/SBCvVVVxHG8):
Damodar
Prasad Prabhu of Zurich chants Hare Krishna in Jackson Heights
(https://youtu.be/2SRUHjshsBM):
Dipika
Ray chants Hare Krishna in Jackson Heights / Roosevelt Ave. subway
station (https://youtu.be/jAgYTYitseo):
Kalki
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station, and a guy
dances (https://youtu.be/tZTotW7-x9Q):
Bipin
Bihari Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Radha Govinda Mandir in Brooklyn
(https://youtu.be/DbKoJWd2f_c):
Kadamba
Kanana Swami chants Hare Krishna at Radha Govinda Mandir in Brooklyn
(https://youtu.be/16XgwOTt3NY):
Natabara
Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Penn Station subway station
(https://youtu.be/2tuUsMfEoZQ):
Kaliya
Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Penn Station, and a devotee
lady dances (https://youtu.be/Z_AW5-ubL4Y):
Rasika
Gauranga Prabhu, having completed his education at the Mayapur
gurukula,
is
spending
several weeks at the Yuga Dharma Ashram, here chanting Hare Krishna
in Times Square subway station, and a girl, who used to regularly
chant with the devotees in Union Square when she lived in Brooklyn,
plays shakers, overjoyed to meet the devotees again during a layover
at Port Authority Bus Terminal (https://youtu.be/4Uq-xhFxrOs):
Kaliya
Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna and Mangala Arati Prabhu dances at
Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/rTLoAwDchw0):
Kadamba
Kanana Swami chants Hare Krishna at Tuesday program in The Lotus Room
in Radha Govinda Mandir in Brooklyn (https://youtu.be/vXdBrBh66FA):
Kalki
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center
subway station in Brooklyn, a couple that likes Hare Krishna plays
djembes,
and some passersby dance (https://youtu.be/w0XjeCiDR4I):
Kaliya
Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays
Center subway station in Brooklyn, and a hooded man plays shakers
(https://youtu.be/uTUkIjQfb_o):
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Hartford
Niranjana
Swami chants Hare Krishna during a home program in Hartford
(https://youtu.be/SamFaXPM6IM):
Niranjana
Swami chants “Radha Damodara” during a home program in Hartford
(https://youtu.be/qeXIXneSSSI):
Niranjana
Swami chants Hare Krishna before his Sunday feast lecture on
Govardhan Puja in Hartford (https://youtu.be/Qa08VYaMJXk):
Prema
Vilasini Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna during Govardhan abhiseka
in Hartford (https://youtu.be/IZpP24x25us):
Govardhan
Hill in Hartford
Niranjana
Swami chants Hare Krishna during Govardhan parikrama
in Hartford (https://youtu.be/T47oWwGxhgg):
A
special feature of the Hartford Govardhan Puja festival I had never
seen before was a butter churn that attendees of the festival were
encouraged to churn.
Here
one devotee demonstrates.
At
the end of the evening, so many people had churned the cream or yogurt or
whatever it was, that it actually became butter.
During
the feast, they served it out.
I found the butter was very creamy, and I suddenly developed appreciation of why Krishna
eats butter!
Chanting
Hare Krishna on the Streets of Hartford
In
addition to the chanting of Hare Krishna at the home program and the
temple in Hartford, I also chanted Hare Krishna in public with my
host, Raga Sindhu Prabhu, who fortunately for me, has a great taste
for harinama.
Whenever
I speak about the possibility of doing harinama
in
Hartford, people always say that you can do it and they have done it,
but there are no people in the streets. In Florida, we chant at
different events, like football games and monster truck shows,
outside the stadiums as people enter them. I searched Google for
“Hartford events”, and I found there was a hockey game at the XL
Center downtown on Saturday night. There was also the “Halloween
Bar Crawl”, an event where people dress up in Halloween costumes
and visit three or four bars in the city. There is even an award of
$1000 for the best costume! I looked at Google Maps, and came up with
a route that passed the transit station, all the participating bars,
and the XL center. After we had encircled the downtown and passed
several groups of costumed partiers, we sang in front of what appears
to be one of two main entrances of the XL Center for forty-five
minutes before the hockey game. At one point a policeman came out of
the venue and patrolled around the entrance but he did not tell us to
stop, to move, or to be quieter. Raga Sindhu had brought about five
Krishna,
Reservoir of Pleasure pamphlets
and several small books. I did not expect the hockey crowd to be
interested in the Krishna pamphlets, but I distributed all of them
before the time of the game. We also invited two or three friendly
people to the Govardhan Puja festival at the temple the next day.
Although our harinama
party
consisted of only two people, because others who might ordinarily
have joined us were preparing for the next day’s festival, I
considered it very successful in that we did find a time when there
are people on the streets of Hartford – when there are events at
the XL Center. From my research, I found there is also a Xfinity
venue that has events in Hartford. Hopefully, as a result of our
experimental harinama,
Raga
Sindhu Prabhu and his friends can begin taking advantage of local
events, using them as opportunities for harinama
and
book distribution,
and
increase Hare Krishna outreach in Hartford.
Chanting
Hare Krishna in New York City
I
returned from the Hartford Govardhan Puja festival with Nitai
Gauranga and Prema Vilasini Prabhus, disciples of Niranjana Swami
living in Brooklyn. The next morning I made saffron coconut burfi
for our celebration of Govardhan Puja at the Yuga Dharma Ashram.
Govardhan
Hill at the Yuga Dharma Ashram
Here
Mahotsaha
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Yuga Dharma Ashram Govardhan Puja
festival (https://youtu.be/671tLyJIsrk):
Kaliya
Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays
Center subway station in Brooklyn, and Robert, who has visited our
party a few times a week for years, dances with Jason. Robert
mentioned he heard my morning class via internet that morning. I did
not know he listened to the classes (https://youtu.be/5WNnVeo9Z7A):
Kalki
Prabhu chants
Hare Krishna in Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station in
Brooklyn, and Jason dances (https://youtu.be/u4CVP9RhF3w):
After chanting on harinama in Brooklyn, we stopped in Radha Govinda Mandir for the Govardhan Puja festival there.
They
did abhiseka
and
arati
to
a Govardhan sila.
Brooklyn had the greatest quantity of food of all the three festivals.
Here
Acyuta
Gopi chants Hare Krishna at the
Govardhan
Puja festival at Radha Govinda Mandir in Brooklyn
(https://youtu.be/8GG2_CjiCXI):
Jahnavi
Harrison chants Hare Krishna to a beautiful tune of Bada Haridas
Prabhu at the Bhakti Center Tuesday evening kirtan
(https://youtu.be/thjufTLc0js):
Krishna
Prasad Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Disappearance Day of Srila
Prabhupada at Yuga Dharma Ashram in New York City
(https://youtu.be/4V12NMpqrTg):
Chanting
Hare Krishna in the New York City Halloween Parade
Two
great days to chant Hare Krishna in the streets of America are
Halloween and New Year’s Eve because many people are out and they
are in a festive mood. Halloween is special because people wearing
costumes feel less shy to interact with the Hare Krishna devotees
than they ordinarily would. The last two years we chanted on 14th
Street, between Union Square and 6th
Avenue, which
is the
venue of the NYC Halloween Parade. This year I decided investigate
the possibility of having a harinama
party
in the parade itself. I noticed they were very eager to get different
bands to participate, so I decide to register a “Yuga Dharma Band.”
I hoped that our Yuga Dharma Ashram devotees could participate as
they are enthusiastic, musically talented, and they have a lot of
faith in the chanting of the holy name, but leader Rama Raya Prabhu
worried they might become wiped out and be unable to do their six
hours of daily chanting and book distribution the next day. I knew I
could not count on the Bhakti Center people because it was the same
time as their Thursday Night Kirtan, one of their biggest weekly
events. Thus I reached out to the ISKCON Brooklyn devotees who run
the Monthly Sankirtan Festival there. Many of them thought it would
be better to chant on 14th
Street than in the parade on
6th
Avenue because
they could distribute books
there as well. I considered that thousands of people would see the
devotees and hear the chanting and be reminded of Krishna if we
chanted in the parade. Thus I told them it was fine with me if they
wanted to chant on 14th
Street because we had good experiences there in previous years, but I
wanted to personally chant in the parade, even if I chanted by
myself, because thousands of additional people would hear the holy
name. What a nice offering to Srila Prabhupada on his disappearance
day! Ben, Sasha, and Caranti Devi Dasi indicated
said they would be happy to join me in the parade, but when Sasha and
I arrived at the start of the parade I was happy to see nine devotees
already there and to hear two more were coming. I just had a
harmonium, a single pair of karatalas,
a
pair of shakers, an amplifier, and
a handful of cookies so
I was happy to see the Brooklyn devotees had brought a drum,
additional karatalas,
Yum-Earth
organic hard candies, and a whole bag of cookies.
In
addition, Govind
had brought his trumpet.
From Brooklyn temple there were, on the right side of the above photo, Hari Vilasa Prabhu, Dasya Prema Prabhu, and Bhakta Ken [in back], and Jaya Radhe Devi Dasi and Caranti Devi Dasi [in front], Bhakta Blake [not in the photo] and Manish Prabhu [in pink]. There were two regular attenders of our Yuga Dharma Ashram harinamas, Sasha and Govind Prabhus [in white dhotis], and there was a Hare Krishna couple from Colombia [not in the photo], who were looking for Chinatown, and happened to encounter the Brooklyn devotees and joined the harinama.
From Brooklyn temple there were, on the right side of the above photo, Hari Vilasa Prabhu, Dasya Prema Prabhu, and Bhakta Ken [in back], and Jaya Radhe Devi Dasi and Caranti Devi Dasi [in front], Bhakta Blake [not in the photo] and Manish Prabhu [in pink]. There were two regular attenders of our Yuga Dharma Ashram harinamas, Sasha and Govind Prabhus [in white dhotis], and there was a Hare Krishna couple from Colombia [not in the photo], who were looking for Chinatown, and happened to encounter the Brooklyn devotees and joined the harinama.
Caranti
engaged both parade participants and onlookers in playing the
shakers, including
a couple of policemen, and
she danced with participants in the parade. Devotees made sure that
everyone who interacted with us favorably got some prasadam,
and
they
also gave out many invitations to the Saturday Bhagavad-gita
class
at
26 2nd
Avenue.
At
one point Lord Shiva
danced with us briefly!
(https://youtu.be/nCSmAGMveO8):
Here Dasya Prema Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with devotees mostly from Brooklyn ISKCON in the queue before the NYC Halloween Parade, and different people interact with the party (https://youtu.be/L_FhE7-0oX8):
Dasya Prema Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in the NYC Halloween Parade (https://youtu.be/5ajMQ9ULooM)
Dasya Prema Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in the NYC Halloween Parade (https://youtu.be/5ajMQ9ULooM)
Here
Dasya Prema Prabhu chants
the Nrsimha Prayers
in the NYC
Halloween Parade
(https://youtu.be/u1UCEK0gGSw):
Hari Vilasa Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in
the NYC Halloween Parade
(https://youtu.be/G58YxSHDRnk):
Twice
in the course of the above video, policemen played the shakers with
us. If you didn’t notice, you can see in this clip
(https://youtu.be/Qp7uEiYclbo):
Govind
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in NYC the
Halloween Parade [video
by Sasha]
(https://youtu.be/OGFvrlv3R6M):
Caranti
Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna with mainly Brooklyn ISKCON devotees in
the 14th St. and 6th Ave. (F/M) subway station after the NYC
Halloween Parade (https://youtu.be/JJZHr7ybK-E):
My
God is Awesome
I
like to take photos of theistic T-shirts, and here is one I
encountered:
I
later learned it’s from a song by gospel singer Charles Jenkins.
Although
in the Christian tradition, many of the lyrics are more general.
Here
are some I liked:
My
God is awesome
Heals
me when I’m broken
Gives
strength where I’ve been weakened
Praise
His holy name.
His
grace is why I’m living
Praise
His holy name
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
From
Sri Caitanya-cartamrita,
Adi-lila
12.37, purport:
“In
the Bhagavad-gita
(9.29) the Lord says, samo
’ham sarva-bhutesu na me dvesyo ’sti na priyah:
“I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all.”
The Supreme Personality of Godhead being equal to everyone, no one
can be His enemy, nor can anyone be His friend. Since everyone is a
part or son of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord cannot be
partial and regard someone as a friend and someone as an enemy. Thus
when Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu punished Kamalakanta Visvasa by no
longer allowing him to come into His presence, although the
punishment was actually very hard on him, Sri Advaita Prabhu,
understanding the inner meaning of such punishment, was happy because
He appreciated that the Lord had actually favored Kamalakanta
Visvasa. Therefore He was not at all unhappy. Devotees should always
be happy with all the dealings of their master, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. A devotee may be put into difficulty or
opulence, but he should accept both as gifts of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead and jubilantly engage in the service of the
Lord in all circumstances.”
From
a lecture on Vyasa-puja in Hyderabad on August 19, 1976:
“If
you do not accept the Vedic knowledge through guru-parampara
system, it is useless. You cannot manufacture an interpretation of
the Vedic language.”
You
cannot interpret the words of God.
“Who
requires a guru? Tasmad
gurum prapadyeta jijñasuh sreya uttamam
[SB 11.3.21]—one who is actually serious to understand the science
of spirit soul. Tad
vijñanam. Om tat sat.
He requires a guru. Guru is not a fashion.”
“So
Krishna says that acaryam
mam vijaniyan: [SB
11.17.27] ‘You accept acarya
as I am.’ Why? I see that he is a man. His sons call him father, or
he looks like a man, so why he should be as good as God? Because he
speaks as God speaks, that’s all. Therefore. He does not make any
change.”
“Caitanya
Mahaprabhu has asked everyone to become guru. Everyone. Because there
is need of guru. The world is full of rascals, therefore there is
need of so many gurus to teach them.”
“Suppose
you are living in a small neighborhood, you can become a guru of that
neighborhood and deliver them. ‘How it is possible? I have no
education, I have no knowledge. How I can become guru and deliver
them?’ Caitanya Mahaprabhu said it is not at all difficult. Yare
dekha tare kaha ‘krishna’-upadesa
[Cc. Madhya 7.128]. This is your qualification. If you simply deliver
the message given by Krishna you become guru. Krishna said,
sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
[Bg. 18.66]. You preach, you request everyone, ‘Sir, you surrender
to Krishna.’ You become guru. Very simple thing. Krishna said,
man-mana bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yaji mam namaskuru
[Bg. 18.65]. You say that ‘You become a devotee of Krishna, you
offer obeisances. Here is a temple; here is Krishna. Please come
here. You offer your obeisances, and if you can you offer patram
puspam phalam toyam [Bg.
9.26]. You don’t offer... But it is very simple thing. Anyone can
secure a little flower, a little fruit, a little water. It is not at
all difficult.’”
“People
are giving me credit that I have done miracles, but my miracle is
that I carried the message of Caitanya Mahaprabhu: yare
dekha tare kaha ‘krishna’-upadesa
[Cc. Madhya 7.128].”
“Real
contraceptive method is that if you are unable to deliver your son
from the clutches of birth and death, do not become a father. That is
wanted.”
“Vedic
culture is to conquer over the next birth, that’s all.”
“Vedic
culture means ‘By
the evolutionary process we come to this human form of life. Here is
the chance of stopping transmigration of the soul from one body to
another.’”
Comment
by Kavicandra Swami: George Harrison ordered 50 copies of the
Happening album, and he would pass them out to his friends.
From
a letter written in Los Angeles on 26th February, 1969 to Pradyumna:
“By
no means should you stop kirtan and chanting. Of course I know that
you cannot stop kirtan or chanting but it must be done regularly
because that is our strength. We are always in the whirlpool of maya,
and only this chanting of Mantra can save us from all pitfalls.”
The
humble servants of Srila Prabhupada:
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
10.87.32,
purport:
“As
the Lord Himself says in the Ramayana
(Lanka-khanda 18.33):
sakrd eva prapanno yas
tavasmiti ca yacate
abhayam sarvada tasmai
dadamy etad vratam mama
‘To whomever even once surrenders to Me, pleading “I am Yours,” I give eternal fearlessness. This is my solemn vow.’”
sakrd eva prapanno yas
tavasmiti ca yacate
abhayam sarvada tasmai
dadamy etad vratam mama
‘To whomever even once surrenders to Me, pleading “I am Yours,” I give eternal fearlessness. This is my solemn vow.’”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
10.87.34,
purport:
“The
Brhad-aranyaka
(4.4.9)
and Katha
(6.14)
Upanisads
confirm:
yada sarve pramucyante
kama ye ’sya hrdi sritah
atha martyo ’mrto bhavaty
atra brahma samasnute
‘When a person completely gives up all the sinful desires he is harboring in his heart, he exchanges mortality for eternal spiritual life and attains real pleasure in the Absolute Truth.”
yada sarve pramucyante
kama ye ’sya hrdi sritah
atha martyo ’mrto bhavaty
atra brahma samasnute
‘When a person completely gives up all the sinful desires he is harboring in his heart, he exchanges mortality for eternal spiritual life and attains real pleasure in the Absolute Truth.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
10.87.38,
purport:
“Srila Sridhara Svami prays:
nrtyanti tava viksanangana-gata kala-svabhavadibhir
bhavan sattva-rajas-tamo-guna-mayan unmilayanti bahun
mam akramya pada sirasy ati-bharam sammardayanty aturam
maya te saranam gato ’smi nr-hare tvam eva tam varaya
‘The glance You cast upon Your consort comprises time, the material propensities of the living entities, and so on. This glance dances upon her face, thus awakening the multitude of created entities, who take birth in the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. O Lord Nrhari, Your Maya has put her foot on my head and is pressing down extremely hard, causing me great distress. Now I have come to You for shelter. Please make her desist.’”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
10.87.39,
purport:
“O
Lord, those who practice yoga only for sense gratification must
suffer punishment both in this life and the next: from death, who
will not release them, and from You, whose kingdom they cannot
reach.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
10.87.40,
purport:
“‘For
those who live in Bhadrakrishna [the district of Mathura], I am the
object of all worship. Even if the residents of that place fail to
properly cultivate the religious principles that one should observe
in the holy land, they still become devoted to Me just by virtue of
living there. Even if Kali [the present age of quarrel] has them in
his grip, they still get credit for living in this place. My devotee
who lives in Mathura is just as dear to Me as you [Brahma] and your
sons — Rudra and his followers — and Goddess Sri and My own
self.’ (Gopala
Tapani Upanisad,
Uttara 16)”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
10.88.8,
purport:
“That devotional service to Lord Krishna eradicates all karmic reactions is confirmed in this passage of the Gopala-tapani sruti (Purva 15): bhaktir asya bhajanam tad ihamutropadhi-nairasyenamusmin manah-kalpanam etad eva naiskarmyam. ‘Devotional service is the process of worshiping the Supreme Lord. It consists of fixing the mind upon Him by becoming disinterested in all material designations, both in this life and the next. It results in the dissolution of all karma.’”
Satsvarupa
Dasa Goswami:
From “Writing Session #5” in Free
Write Journal #61:
“I
don’t live in Vrindavan, and maybe it’s just as well. But by
reading Cc., I can enter the divine realm of Gaudiya Vaisnavism at
its best, with Srila Prabhupada as my guide.”
From “Writing Session #8” in “Free
Write Journal #61:
“Where
you go is real self-interest, more than what you leave in this world.
But what you leave is also important, as a contribution. You should
do something worthy.”
From “Writing Session #5” in “Free
Write Journal #63:
“I
wuz sayin’ Jimmy Durante is gone, all uncles are gone, years of the
past are gone, youth is gone . . . Happy Krishna consciousness
brightens our future. Goodbye to the past means no sorrow over that.
Miles past. Next life comes up like a sign on a highway for the next
town.”
Kavicandra
Swami:
From
a speech on Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day:
The
real glorification is to distribute the books and carry on the
mission.
Everything
Srila
Prabhupada
did was amazing.
He
took long flights but never got jet lag.
He
did not talk about Bhaktisiddhanta so much. He
would say, “What can I say? He was a Vaikuntha man.”
Many
times he would say, “My books are better than I am.”
Somehow
the lectures were recorded, which was a miracle, especially
considering the technology of the 1960s. Umapati recalls that when
the reel-to-reel tape machine would get jammed, Prabhupada
would wait until it was fixed before continuing to speak.
Because
he was surrendered, he was completely guided by the Supersoul. He
would say like that.
When
reading his books, he would say, “I want to see what Krishna has
written.”
The
lawyers told Srila Prabhupada he would never win the Bombay case
because the devotees had given up. He had to tell the lawyers what to
do, but in the end he won.
His
guru approved his writing: “Impersonal calamity thou has moved.”
He
carried the message of the previous acaryas
through
his purports.
Despite
giving so many lectures, writing so many letters, and traveling
extensively, he published so many books.
He
would say he would visit whatever temple distributed the most books
so there was intense competition.
He
knew the power of his books.
Sometimes
people
who have
been gone for twenty or thirty years are
interviewed and have
such clear memories of their time with Srila Prabhupada.
Now
some second generation devotees are more intimate than his disciples
from such
intensively study of his books.
He
gave us everything.
The
Goswamis read everything and commented on everything, not just the
most intimate pastimes of the Lord.
Srila
Prabhupada has attracted so many people to come to Vrindavan and
Mayapur.
It
is important to distribute Lilamrita
so
people get to know Srila Prabhupada.
If
you look at the mosaic on the ceiling in Mayapur, a single piece does
not seem significant, but the whole picture is amazing. Similarly
Srila Prabhupada picked us all up, who
did not seem to have much going for us, and
created this wonderful movement.
The
big interest in vegetarianism came ultimately from Srila Prabhupada.
Niranjana
Swami:
From
“On the Holy Name” at Kirtan-mela in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on October 5, 2019:
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura explains that if we are humble we will seek the help
of another. Otherwise we will not be inclined.
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura said that “trnad api”
is the siddha-pranali, the
mantra to attain perfection.
Lord
Caitanya said to string that verse on the garland of the holy name
and wear
it around your neck.
Lord
Caitanya says that even
if a tree
is drying up, it
does not ask for water.
Bhaktivinoda
Thakura says if someone comes to cut the tree down, the tree will
still give shade to that person.
“The
devotees of the Lord are so forbearing that even though they are
defamed, cheated, cursed, disturbed, neglected or even killed, they
are never inclined to avenge themselves.” (SB 1.18.48)
Although
because of spiritual understanding the devotees do not take insults
very seriously that does not reduce the offense of the person
committing the insult.
Bhaktivinoda
Thakura compares initiating people without faith in bhakti
to casting pearls before swine
or dressing a monkey in fancy clothes.
Hearing
the glories of devotional service nourishes our faith in bhakti.
Even
hearing of the existence of pure devotion, even though we do not have
it, is purifying.
To
chant the Lord’s names means to take the Lord’s help, but if we
use the Lord for our own ends, we can never attain the state of
humility.
If
we hear what purity is, then we become purified. In fact, it is the
best way to become purified.
To
chant the Lord’s names for any reason other than to develop
our pure devotion is an offense.
From
a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.9.19
in Hartford on October 25, 2019:
Srila
Prabhupada makes the point in the purport, “This bhrtya-vasyata
does not mean that He [Krishna] is under the control of the servant;
rather, He is under the control of the servant’s pure love.”
Yashoda
considered because the milk she was boiling was ultimately for
Krishna’s pleasure, it was something important for her to tend to
so she stopped breastfeeding Krishna and set him down.
Krishna
does not come to this world to collect some offerings or servants but
to reciprocate the spontaneous love of His devotees here.
Krishna
does not have to wonder what is the motive of the person because he
is omniscient.
Because
He does not have to do anything, He does what he wants to do, and
what he wants to do is exchange with the devotees who have
spontaneous love.
In
Vrindavana-campu, it
is described that Krishna broke so many pots of butter and yogurt
that
there were rivers of those substances pouring out of the house.
Kunti
was perplexed that Krishna was genuinely afraid of His mother.
Visvanatha
Cakravarti Thakura lists other contradictions within Krishna:
Although
personified goodness, He becomes angry.
Although
self-satisfied, He becomes hungry.
Although
condensed bliss, He experiences sorrow.
Love
is so powerful that it makes Krishna forget that He is God.
The
acaryas point that
usually we wait for the judgment of God but in this pastime Krishna
awaits the judgment of Yashoda.
The
cowherd women, seeing that all the additional rope Yashoda added was
not making the rope long enough to tie up Krishna, advised her to
stop. She told them she wanted to see the extent of Her son’s
waist, and told the women to bring all the rope they had in their
homes.
Krishna’s
heart melted when Krishna saw Yashoda’s determination to bind him,
a manifestation of her bhakta-nistha.
From “On the Holy Name at Almaty Kirtan” in Kazakhstan on September 21, 2019:
Anarthas
obstruct us from appreciating Krishna’s presence in His holy name.
Anarthas
are
things we are attached to but which
have
no real value.
Hrdayam
daurbalyam (weakness
of heart) has four divisions according to Bhaktivinoda Thakura:
1.
attachment to things that have no connection with Krishna.
2.
envy of other living beings
3.
pride in material things
4.
duplicity and fault-finding
Persons
who wonder how they can find time to chant have this weakness of
heart. I ask them if they have time to eat. Generally they are very
regulated, and they find time to eat very day. Why? Because they
realize if they do not eat, there
are consequences very soon. They get weak, etc. Similarly we need
spiritual nourishment, and if we do not get it, there are
consequences. The trouble is that we do not perceive these
immediately. Thus maya
lures
us into thinking things are not so bad.
The
more we associate with the holy name, the more we become purified.
The
purpose of this life is
that at
the time of giving up our body we have to remember Krishna.
We
may think that “attachment to things that have no connection with
Krishna” is not a problem for us because we understand everything
has a connection with Krishna, however, if we are seeing something is
for our sense gratification, then we are not seeing its connection
with Krishna.
If
we chant the holy name while maintaining faith in the glories of the
holy name we conquer over offenses.
Tattva-vibhrama
means
to not be aware of the obstacles in devotional service.
The
acaryas give
us so much knowledge of the anarthas
so
we can get beyond them and taste the presence of Krishna in His holy
name.
Even
though I do not experience the presence of Krishna in His holy name I
have faith that if I continue chanting and I try to give up the
anarthas
someday
I will experience Krishna’s presence in His name. This much
faith we have to have.
If
we do not hear, we forget. That is the nature of this world. And
forgetfulness is the most dangerous place to be in the material
world.
Every
day chant Hare Krishna, even if you cannot chant 16 rounds.
From
a lecture on Govardhan Puja in Hartford:
This
is a festival that Krishna Himself started to worship the cows, the
brahmanas, and
Govardhan Hill.
Krishna
Himself gave a description of how it should be performed. He was the
inaugurater of that festival and wanted it performed.
Krishna
also wanted to promote complete devotion to Himself as the Supreme
Lord and not worship of the various demigods.
Visvanatha
Cakravarti Thakura said that Krishna spoke to reduce the pride of
Indra, to begin a blissful annual festival, and to spend seven days
in the association of His intimate friends.
The
sweetness is Krishna subordinating Himself to those with spontaneous
affection.
In
kevala-bhakti,
yogamaya acts
so those with an intimate relationship with Krishna are not
distracted by His opulence and His divinity.
Yashoda
actually feels responsible for Krishna’s naughty behavior. If she
were always conscious
of
His
opulence and divinity she could not correct Him.
If
someone tries to correct
Him
without unalloyed love, they are not going to be able to get away with
it.
Not
only does He reveal His spontaneous love and thus attract people during
His manifest pastimes, He leaves descriptions of His pastimes so
people in the future will also become attracted.
Krishna
has nothing He has to do because everything is done by His energies.
Thus what He does is what He likes to do the most, experience these
pastimes with His eternal associates.
Krishna
is self-sufficient because all the ingredients for creation are
within Himself. First Krishna creates time, for without time there
cannot be a beginning of anything.
Sukadeva
Goswami speaks to Maharaja Pariksit Krishna’s pastimes to bring Him
to the point of complete resolute faith and absorption in Krishna.
Some
places it is amazing how Govardhan Puja is celebrated. At New Vraja
in Hungary they would fill 40% of the temple room with hundreds of
preparations as the altar was already full.
From
a personal conversation:
Me:
We have been given so much knowledge about God and the relationships
we can have with Him. For many of us who were on a spiritual journey,
we found Srila Prabhupada’s books to answer all our questions. Now
I am spending six hours a day in public with a group who are
dedicated to sharing this knowledge with the people in general, but
we see so little interest in it that sometimes it is depressing.
Niranjana
Swami: “Manusyanam
sahasresu . . . Out
of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of
those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.”
(Bg. 7.3) Actually when I see too many people coming forward for
initiation, I become worried. [Are the people really serious enough
to take initiation?]
Me:
Radhanath Swami has the people wait five years before initiating them.
Niranjana
Swami: I have people wait at least four.
Kadamba
Kanana Swami:
Kunti
was so interested in Krishna she did not care about anything else.
She said, “My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but
only by those who are materially exhausted. One who is on the path of
[material] progress, trying to improve himself with respectable
parentage, great opulence, high education and bodily beauty, cannot
approach You with sincere feeling.” (SB 1.8.26)
As
soon as we glorify the devotee, Krishna is immediately attracted.
Krishna
comes from the word akarsna
which
means He is attractive, but Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura
explains that akarsna
also
means that Krishna is attracted. What is He attracted by? Devotional
service.
Karttika
is a sale like Black Friday. Everything is given away for nothing.
Some
people during Karttika take vows to do positive things, like reading
a chapter of Krishna
book.
Imagine you do that for 30 days. You will be off the ground by the
end of the month. You just read Krishna
book,
and you’re already back to Godhead.
Our
present emotions give just a hint of genuine spiritual emotions.
Krishna’s humanlike form can capture our emotions.
We
take vows to develop attachment to Krishna. I embrace the positive
vows because they awaken our love for Krishna.
Because
as souls we are eternal, we want things to last.
This
is the abode of ignorance. We do not know what will happen.
In
the spiritual world there is no unknowing.
Do
you think your family members will protect you? How can they protect
you when they cannot protect themselves?
The
soul cannot enjoy the material world, so it takes a dormant position,
and the mind takes the position of enjoying the world, but if that
very mind becomes attached to Krishna it can be the cause of one’s
liberation.
Krishna
steals from every house in Vrindavan to accept the offerings of His
different devotees.
Thank
you for coming here to spend Karttika with Radha Govinda in
Vrindavan. This has nothing to do with New York. You did not notice
it, but when you stepped into this temple room, you stepped into
Vrindavan. This is because when Radha-Govinda come here, They bring
Vrindavan with them.
In
the atmarama verse
all the other words refer back to atmarama
which
is the subject of the verse.
The
soul can never be satisfied with anything which is not sac-cid-ananda
[eternal,
cognizant, and full of spiritual pleasure].
The
endeavors for liberation and mystic perfection do not free one from
material desire.
The
sixty-one different explanations by Lord Caitanya and the nine other
explanations by Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya have never been exactly
enumerated. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati gives a lot of information in
this regard, and Srila Prabhupada includes this in his purports to
the Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita.
The
body and mind relate to the soul but are not the soul.
Brahmananda
includes
the happiness of liberation from the
material world
and the happiness of connecting with the Lord’s effulgence, the
brahmajyoti.
If
we thoroughly understand that we have absolutely nothing to do with
our body, we become completely fearless.
The
impersonalists say everything is illusion but brahman,
and
the Buddhists say that everything is illusion including brahman.
We
agree with the impersonalists that we are spirit and not matter, but
we have an additional understanding that matter engaged in the
service of the Lord can be transformed into spirit.
There
are two kind of yogis,
those
who realize that the
Supersoul is different from themselves and those who think they are
the Supersoul and become impersonalists.
In
Vaikuntha there are 2½ rasas,
neutrality,
servitude, and reverential friendship.
The
mood of the unalloyed love of the gopis
is
the core of the Lord Caitanya’s movement.
The
idea of the Radha Kunda babajis
that
you are given your relationship with Krishna by your guru is not
actually the Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy.
One
yoga teacher was aghast when I mentioned I was a Hare Krishna. She
explained that she was someone who could not say no, and a Hare
Krishna devotee convinced her to buy an entire set of Bhagavatams,
and everyone in her family teases her about it. I asked her if she
read the books. She said no. I told her, “These books are actually
very good. Why don’t you read the books? Then you could tell
friends, ‘I did not get cheated. The books are actually very
good.’”
She
was very grateful for that advice saying, “You have given me a way
out!”
Among
other things, Arjuna was worried that so many elders would be killed
in the Battle of Kurukshetra and that would not be good for society.
Chapter
Three of
Bhagavad-gita
describes that the desire to enjoy our senses in this material world
causes our consciousness become more and more covered, so that we
cannot understand spiritual reality. That is what is going on today.
Yoga
is regaining our spiritual consciousness by attaining transcendental
knowledge.
We
see form and personality in the creation. Why do we then suppose that
the creator is devoid of these?
Chapter
One is entitled Arjuna-visada-yoga, the yoga of Arjuna’s
lamentation.
Compassion
is required to perform yoga and that is why yoga is present in this
chapter.
Chapter
Two is sankhya-yoga.
Three
is karma-yoga, and
Four is jnana-yoga.
Chapter
Five is the yoga of renunciation.
Living
simply keeps our consciousness free, and it gives us energy to pursue
the spiritual.
Chapter
Six is dhyana-yoga.
The
final verse of Chapter Six is the verse that speaks about meditation.
Yoga
is not something you do for a while, but a way of life. That way of
life frees one from the cycle of birth and death, which is not
everything but is valuable.
Desire
is like a spotlight, and wherever that spotlight is there we will go.
Chapter
Seven is vijnana-yoga,
the
yoga of
wisdom.
Srila
Prabhupada’s titles of
the Gita chapters
are
not always literal translations but capture the essence.
We
think of karma in terms of action and reaction, but Krishna defines
karma as action pertaining to the development of the material bodies
of the living entities. If we are busy working to enjoy the material
world, we will get another material body.
The
suffering in old age is to remind us to focus on the Supreme Lord as
there is not much time left.
The
Ninth Chapter is the yoga of royal and hidden knowledge.
We
learn that to get the most confidential knowledge we have to overcome
envy.
If
we are not free from envy, we have to try to control our envy with
our intelligence.
We
learn everything is controlled and connected to Krishna.
If
the Lord did not appear in a human form how could we relate to Him?
Arjuna has difficulty relating to Krishna when in Chapter Eleven He
appears in His universal form.
Many
verses in Chapter Nine warn us of distraction and misunderstanding,
but 9.13, 9.14 and 9.34 tell about the most confidential knowledge.
We
learn our complete focus should be on Krishna.
Chapter
Ten shows how we can see
Krishna
in the manifestations of great power in this world.
It
is not enough to understand Krishna is the Supreme Lord, but we also
have to see Him everywhere.
There
are four verses that are said to summarize the Bhagavad-gita.
In
this day and age people are always looking for brief expressions.
In
Bg. 10.8, we learn that beyond seeing Him everywhere, we have to
worship the Lord with all our hearts.
Because
the heart is involved, the devotees derive bliss talking about Him.
Chapter
Eleven is called visvarupa-darsana-yoga,
and
the important thing to learn here is that God is ultimately a person.
Chapter
Twelve is bhakti-yoga.
Who
can fix their mind on Krishna without deviation? Therefore we have to
practice the regulations of bhakti-yoga.
The
other options are like the slow boat to China, but they are there.
Chapter
Twelve makes it clear that the essence of bhakti-yoga
is
to please Krishna. That
is clear because the last eight verses describe the qualities of one
who is dear to Krishna.
Chapter
Thirteen is the yoga of distinguishing matter from spirit.
In
this chapter we learn that we are not the proprietor of our own
bodies.
Srila
Prabhupada explained to one guest that the soul does not die because
it is eternal, and the body does not die, because being matter, it is
already dead.
The
mode of goodness is more transparent to spirit.
It
is difficult to try to act in goodness. It is easier to associate
with goodness.
You
could not catch Srila Prabhupada doing something that was unconnected
to Krishna.
Q:
What is the difference because love and attachment?
A:
Love has a component of wanting to please the other person which may
not be there in attachment.
A
transcendental person has unconditional love. Parents love their
child, but then they want him to be a doctor.
In
Bhagavad-gita
2.7, Arjuna accepts Krishna has his guru, but he does not completely
give up his own ideas till later in the book.
To
be a disciple in this age is difficult because we are so independent.
To
take birth in a wealthy family is good karma, but to take birth in a
family where spiritual values are cultured is better karma.
Ultimately
suffering is a blessing because it wakes you up.
Who
in Kali-yuga has a good deal?
We
stand before the deity with devotion, but we do not fall down in
spiritual ecstasy like Lord Caitanya, so how much do we actually
realize that the deity is Krishna Himself?
It
described when the demon Putana fell down dead, her body destroyed
Kamsa’s favorite orchard.
Putana
represents the false teacher because the first guru is one’s
mother, and though acting as if a mother, she betrayed Krishna.
Aghasura
took the form of snake because he had absolutely no feeling for
others.
Why
did Krishna appear as a child? Somehow children have the ability to
attract attention. If kids were not cute, why would you want to look
after them?
When
we see Krishna as a child, so many opportunities for service are
there.
Although
we value liking our job, if we like our job too much, our job could
take our attention away from Krishna.
Krishna
is one of those kids who likes to sleep in.
Krishna
begins milking the cows even before his bath as their udders are
quite full, and the cowherdmen
will not begin their milking until Krishna starts.
The
great dependence of Krishna upon devotees is unique to this
tradition. Elsewhere we just see the dependence of the devotees on
the Lord.
Krishna’s
pastimes are so human and so within the range of human emotion that
they are very attractive.
After
Krishna and Balarama defeated Canura and Mustika, then They wrestled
with some of the cowherd boys, and They were defeated, which did not
make Kamsa feel very good.
The
pastime of Nrsimha is finished very quickly, but Krishna’s pastimes
are extensive and have many nuances.
One
of the best things to read during Karttika is the Krishna
book.
Although
the residents of Vrindavan do not think of Krishna as God they see
Him as the most wonderful person they have ever known and who has
ever been in this world.
Krishna
empowers yoga-maya
to
put a spell on Him. He can shake it off if He wants to, but He
generally does not.
At
times it dawns upon the residents of Vrindavan that Krishna is God
but at
most times not.
This
month of Karttika is meant to meditate on Krishna’s pastimes.
What
takes birth can be controlled by astrological influence, but that
applies just to the body but not the soul. Likewise karma can affect
only the body but not the soul. But as long as we identify with the
body, we will be affected.
Although
there is no reaction to sinful thoughts in this age of Kali, we if
continue to meditate on sinful thoughts, some day will end up
performing sinful actions.
Someone
asked Srila Prabhupada about Freud’s idea of an Oedipus complex
that every man has an idea of having sex with his mother. Srila
Prabhupada said, “Maybe you but not me.” Srila Prabhupada came
from a different realm.
Lord
Caitanya could have accepted the most famous guru of his time,
Madhavendra Puri, as his spiritual master, but instead he decided to
accept the servant of Madhavendra Puri, Isvara Puri, as his spiritual
master, thus highlighting the glory of the servant of the great
personality.
Lord
Caitanya writes the script of His own life, but as for ourselves we
are not really sure about the script of our life, and sometimes we
are not particularly happy about it.
The
deity that we have served we experience to be the most beautiful
deity.
We
are very much conscious that the body is not the self but rather an
awkward encasement that is embarrassing.
Bhakivinoda
Thakura says we have to admit that we are ultimately defeated by
materialistic life.
In
the beginning we are too young for this and that, and then all of a
sudden, we become too old for this and that.
In
Krishna consciousness we realize the material body is simply to be
used in devotional service.
We
can work to maintain ourselves, but to maintain ourselves in Krishna
consciousness.
Our
main focus is not going back to Godhead but taking others back to
Godhead. How can we take others back to Godhead if we are not sure we
are going ourselves? By being messengers.
Whether
we have material desires or we do not have material desires, we are
meant to forcefully engage in devotional service.
In
one Jesuit book it says that if you have a sinful thought you have to
repent, and if you have the same thought again, you have to
repent again and to
also repent that your first
repentance was not sincere. In reality, just by doing devotional
service we will surpass all these sinful reactions.
This
movement is ours to take care of, not ours to take advantage of.
Working
to expand the movement gets us beyond the platform of the body.
Parasurama
Prabhu asked me, “Where are you going?”
I
said, “To a retreat.”
Parasurama
Prabhu replied, “Don’t retreat. Go forward.”
We
all have some special qualities. Someone
threw a rock at a beehive, and all the bees came out and covered
Jagadisa Prabhu. He remained silent for fifteen minutes, and the bees
went away, and he did not have a single sting.
Ayurveda
is
the science that occupies itself with the machine.
Our
body has certain advantages and disadvantages based on the
consciousness we had at our previous death.
Ayurveda
is
not about curing diseases, but it is about maintaining health, which
is a better strategy.
We
keep the body healthy, and we engage the mind in spiritual
activities. The mind must always be engaged in positive activities.
Luther
was a monk who later gave it up and got married. He exposed a lot of
corruption in the church, but he realized that he had a lot of
corruption within himself. He came to the realization that only
through grace could he surpass his internal corruption, and he taught
that.
Twenty-six
Second Avenue is a place of pilgrimage on the level of Vrindavan,
where Krishna appeared, Navadvipa, where Lord Caitanya appeared, and
Jagannatha Puri, where Lord Jagannatha appeared, because it is the
place where Krishna appeared in the West in the International Society
for Krishna Consciousness.
Vishnu-citta
Prabhu:
The
followers of Madhva and Ramanuja generally do not preach because they
think that people will become interested in devotional service
automatically after perfecting their prescribed duties. They may
preach to a few highly qualified people but not others.
The
Madhvas openly say this.
We
give people devotional service, and piety comes later.
I
and matter are different, and I do not want to associate with matter.
Krishna
does not expect us to be without problems. Arjuna was glorious
because he chose to consult Krishna to solve his problems. We will be
successful by following Arjuna’s example.
Because
of attachment we cannot see what is best for us, and therefore, we
require a spiritual master.
Arjuna
is thinking of his relatives as friends he wishes to enjoy the
company of and not as dangerous people that he as a warrior should
protect society from.
Although
Arjuna was practically the best archer in history, he was very
humble. The Battle of Kurukshetra was an opportunity for him to
become world famous, yet he seriously proposed renouncing the battle.
Lord
Caitanya’s point is that devotional service can attract any type of
person.
In
Vrindavan, even the grass, the river, the animals, etc., all are
worshiping Krishna.
The
caste goswamis may profess faith in the power of the holy name of
Lord, but in reality because they do not accept that Westerners
chanting the holy name are becoming purified, they do not have such
faith.
In
the verse, “Dhrti is
the fullness felt due to the absence of misery and the attainment of
knowledge of the Supreme Lord and pure love for Him. The lamentation
that accrues from not obtaining a goal or from losing something
already attained does not affect this completeness.” Spiritual
lamentation in relationship with Krishna is being mentioned here
because at the stage of dhrti mundane
lamentation is not present.
Once
an architect created a design for the devotees which he was very
proud of, but the devotees did not like it. The devotees played
around with it for two or three hours and showed it back to the
architect, who was most impressed to see they had come up with a much
better design than he had, although they had no academic
qualifications.
If
a particular class of people cannot be elevated [which we do not
agree with], then there is no use in preaching to them.
Comments
by Kavicandra Swami: Mada which
means mad also means intoxicated. Now they have prescription drugs
that are worse than the street drugs. How do we know if Krishna is
happy? If the devotees are satisfied with us, Krishna is happy.
The
point of following sva-dharma is
to become attached to Krishna not to become
attached to sva-dharma.
Kalki
Prabhu:
All
the instructions of the yoga system are to make the mind peaceful so
one can focus on the Paramatma.
Although
the demons perform austerities, there is no purification of their
hearts. Rather they retain enmity toward Krishna.
Mahotsaha
Prabhu:
The
ecstasy of love of God cannot be contained in the material body, and
thus there are so many ecstatic symptoms which become manifest.
Who
had greater advancement in devotional service in recent years than
Srila Prabhupada, and yet he only rarely manifested ecstatic
symptoms.
One
may ask, “Why does Krishna not give bhakti to
everyone?” The answer is “You cannot force someone to love you.”
Krishna does not like to interfere with the free will of the living
entity.
When
one glorifies the Lord he becomes purified and conquers over material
existence.
-----
Although
as pure souls we are full of spiritual wisdom, in this world our
knowledge is covered. What is it covered by? Kama, selfish
desire. Unfortunately in our present civilization, advertising
professionals inflame people’s desires for completely unnecessary
things thus keeping them in bondage and illusion. People imagine they
can achieve satisfaction by fulfilling such desires, but Krishna
enlightens us that it is not actually possible. True satisfaction is
found on the spiritual plane.
avrtam
jnanam etena
jnanino
nitya-vairina
kama-rupena
kaunteya
duspurenanalena
ca
“Thus
the wise living entity’s pure consciousness becomes covered by his
eternal enemy in the form of lust, which is never satisfied and which
burns like fire.” (Bhagavad-gita 3.39)