Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 15, No. 22
By Krishna Kripa Das
(November 2019, part two)
New York City and Albany
(Sent from New York City on December 7, 2019)
Where
I Went and What I Did
The
second half of November I spent five days taking care of my mother in
Albany and ten days chanting Hare Krishna daily with the Yuga Dharma
Ashram party in New York City, one day outside at Times Square and
the other nine days in different New York City subway stations.
During that time, Janananda Goswami, who I work with in The North of
England and Paris in the summer, visited our harinama
party
in New York City.
I
share notes on lectures by Srila Prabhupada. I include many excerpts
from Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s series, Every
Day, Just Write, both
poetry and prose, and a few from his Free Write Journal.
I
share notes on lectures by Prabhupada disciples: Romapada Swami,
Hansa Rupa Prabhu, and Ramesvara Prabhu. I also share notes on
classes by Rama Raya, Vishnu-citta, and Gopal Campu Prabhus. I share
quotes from an article by Karuna Dharini Devi Dasi in Back
to Godhead magazine.
I share some comments made during and after my class at 26
Second Ave. by Glykeria, who has been attending programs there for
several years. I share notes on a meeting of the Capital District Border
Watch, an Albany group concerned about human rights violations at
U.S. borders.
I
would like to thank the devotees at the Wednesday program at 26
Second Avenue for their very generous donation, following my visit to
their weekly class on the Science
of Self-Realization. I
thank my mother for contributing to my travel to Albany.
Thanks
to Kaliya Krishna Prabhu for the nice video of Janananda Goswami
chanting Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station and devotees
dancing.
Itinerary
October
1 – December:
NYC Yuga Dharma harinamas
December
7: Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami Vyasa-puja in Stuyvesant Falls
December
24: visiting relatives in Albany
December
28: Bhagavad-gita
at
26 Second Avenue
January–April
2020: North and Central Florida colleges
Chanting
Hare Krishna in New York City
Prabhupada
disciple, Janananda Goswami, a great advocate of the public chanting
of the Hare Krishna mantra who
I work with in Paris and The North of England in the summer, chanted
Hare Krishna in the Times Square subway station with the Yuga Dharma
Ashram devotees, and devotees danced
in jubilation.
It
was beautiful to see the inspiring influence Janananda Goswami had on
the youthful members of our party.
Kaliya
Krishna Prabhu took
this nice video which is the source of the above snapshot
(https://youtu.be/-a38yr4Btvk):
Chaitanya Thomas, the young man playing drum in the above videos, visited us from North Carolina when our party was understaffed for several days. He greatly helped out by both his drumming and his enthusiasm, and he plans to return again in January or February, when he gets more free time.
Here Dina Bandhu Prabhu, a disciple of Janananda Goswami from New Jersey, chants Hare Krishna at Times Square (https://youtu.be/hU5tJvFAW1w):
Here Dina Bandhu Prabhu, a disciple of Janananda Goswami from New Jersey, chants Hare Krishna at Times Square (https://youtu.be/hU5tJvFAW1w):
Janananda
Goswami has
several disciples in New Jersey he visits almost every year, and he
often comes to join us on harinama
in New York City
at
least once during his visit. He came the previous day during this
visit to the USA, but as I was in Albany, I could not participate.
On
that same day I took the video of Janananda Goswami, one
older woman seemed to be enjoying our chanting so I offered her some
free literature.
She said she was familiar with the devotees since
the late 1960s in Heidelberg, Germany. She said the devotees stayed
at her place. When they wanted their own place, because of not being German citizens they could not rent one, so she and her husband
leased an apartment and let them use it. I asked her if she knew
Sivananda, the devotee Srila Prabhupada originally sent to Germany,
and she said yes. She explained at that time she sang in the opera,
but now she is a lawyer in New York, and she said was struck by the
joy in our chanting. Her name is Jackie, and she let me take her contact details and her
photo.
Here
Natabara
Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Jackson Heights / Roosevelt
Avenue subway station, and a man plays shakers
(https://youtu.be/8q_VJ3gDCoc):
Later
Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna there in Jackson Heights,
and Bhakta Avatar Prabhu and Mahagopi Radhika Devidasi danced
(https://youtu.be/3E2GYjLdWCw):
Braja-raja
Prabhu, who regularly led the chanting for our Yuga Dharma party when
his life was simpler, chanted with us recently when he and his wife
encountered us at Times Square subway station
(https://youtu.be/nzERpJgSlgM):
It
was great to see and hear Braja-raja again!
Later
Kalki Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station, and
a young lady who was passing by joyfully danced
(https://youtu.be/g3aLMVScKO4):
Kaliya
Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at 26 2nd Avenue, the first ISKCON
temple in the USA, in the presence of his guru, Romapada Swami, after
the swami’s Saturday evening Bhagavad-gita
class there (https://youtu.be/SXzJz5uQlyA):
Here
Deva Damodara Prabhu, visiting from Ukraine for several months, chants Hare Krishna, and Mr. Liberty plays
whompers on our outdoor harinama
on
Sunday at Times Square (https://youtu.be/hF3GK2t03D8):
While
Deva Damodara Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna at Times Square, many
danced (https://youtu.be/V7LL0gi_y0M):
Gaura
Hari Prabhu, originally from Denmark, who I knew from my summers in
Europe, chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center
subway station in Brooklyn (https://youtu.be/NvwWhFxavCA):
Kaliya
Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Brooklyn, and Gaura Hari Prabhu
plays flute (https://youtu.be/STWwtDaXkGo):
Kalki
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Brooklyn, and two moms play shakers
(https://youtu.be/PSlsagX5Ucs):
Natabara
Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at our usual location in Atlantic
Avenue / Barclays Center subway station in Brooklyn, and passersby
dance (https://youtu.be/j0XTiGpGi24):
Rama
Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station, and a
devotee lady passing by dances (https://youtu.be/uUDaalOwVBQ):
Deva
Damodara Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station
(https://youtu.be/10b8YpdFQcA):
Kaliya
Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station
(https://youtu.be/gctQkbXGTKk):
Mina
Devi and JayaJagannath Prabhu chant Hare Krishna at the Bhakti Center
Tuesday Night Kirtan (https://youtu.be/9fR8sWSZvgA):
Ananda-bihari Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Thanksgiving in Times Square
subway station (https://youtu.be/SMC7bD2DpGw):
After
Ananda-bihari Prabhu’s kirtan, his wife, Cinmayi Radha Devi Dasi, assisted by her daughter, Gaurangi, served pumpkin pie she made for the Yuga Dharma Ashram harinama party.
The couple has been supporters of our party for many years. Although from Ukraine and Russia, respectively, the husband and wife have assimilated the American custom of having pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving to our great benefit.
As
it was Thursday, I attended the evening kirtan at the Bhakti Center,
getting there late as I obtained some Thanksgiving feast leftovers
from Radha Govinda Mandir for my friends in our harinama ashram.
Here
Lalita Priya Devi chants Hare Krishna on Thanksgiving at the Bhakti
Center Thursday night kirtan (https://youtu.be/agwQrpNLwgI):
Natabara
Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna to the “Jingle Bells” tune in
Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/Gu4xfyp42Yo):
Natabara
Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna to a lively tune in Times Square
subway station (https://youtu.be/Tyo_kpsUwyg):
On
the last day of November, Rama Raya Prabhu, a senior disciple of
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami and leader of the Yuga Dharma Ashram harinama
party, chanted Hare Krishna at 26 2nd Avenue, following his lecture
on Bhagavad-gita
18.67 at the weekly Saturday program there, where he speaks several
times each year (https://youtu.be/F-uLs4fSjLQ):
Chant
and Be Happy
Srila
Prabhupada disciple and performer, Parividha Prabhu, sent me these
photos of me chanting on harinama
in
Europe, probably in Amsterdam, where he is based. Seeing my obvious
happiness on the chanting party, I am reminded of this verse which
tells of the joy of the pure chanting we all aspire for. It is
Krishna’s kindness we get glimpses of that joy as we traverse our
path to perfection.
“The
Absolute Truth is Sri Krishna, and loving devotion to Sri Krishna
exhibited in pure love is achieved through congregational chanting of
the holy name, which is the essence of all bliss.” (Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila
1.96)
Also this “Siksastaka” verse number one is relevant, All glories to the Sri Krishna sankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.”
“
Also this “Siksastaka” verse number one is relevant, All glories to the Sri Krishna sankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.”
Visiting
Albany
While
I was visiting my mother in Albany, a couple hours after I dropped
her off at the Sustainable Living Fair, she tripped on the edge of
some Astroturf while holding a plate of food, and fell on her elbow
and knee. Neither
were fractured, but she had a really bad cut on her knee that
required stitches and
her lower leg.
Fortunately many
of her friends were at the festival to assist her and call my sister,
and the hospital was just an eighth of a mile away. That
was Saturday. They kept her in the hospital two nights to make sure
the swelling was going down. Sunday was the day she goes to her
Quaker meeting. It was the one Sunday a month the Quakers have a
potluck meal after the meeting for worship. I usually make the
carrot-coconut rice from Yamuna Devi’s cookbook and coconut burfi for
it, and my mother makes salad. I had already made the coconut burfi
before my mother’s accident, and I had purchased ingredients for
the salad and rice. I did not have time to make both the salad and
the rice, so I made the salad. Thus I represented my mother at the
Quaker meeting by making the salad and by making one announcement
about a Monday event speaking event regarding the U.S. government
agents mistreating immigrants at the border.
From
attending so many Hare Krishna programs which end with prasadam
distribution,
when I saw a couple college students who had attended the Quaker
meeting
were leaving before lunch I made sure they got some of my coconuts
sweets before they left. I had not realized how deeply I imbibed that
idea that a spiritual gathering is not complete without distribution
of spiritual food. During the luncheon I was happy to find my
coconuts sweets were very popular, and one older Quaker lady had
three of them. Afterward I went to the hospital to check on my
mother, who was visited by my sister and her partner Victor since
that morning.
While
visiting my mother I cooked oatmeal for breakfast and soup for lunch
every day but the last. That day I made kofta
balls
and sauce and Victor made spaghetti and apple crisp for dinner. I
also took my mother to the doctor and purchased medicine for her.
Thinking
about taking care of our parents in their old age, it occurs to me
that even if we were completely dedicated to it, we could not match
the amount of service our parents, especially our mothers, did for us
throughout our babyhood, childhood, and youth. Thus
we should not be miserly in taking care of them in their infirmity. I
still have to come to the point of acting on that level. Srila
Prabhupada wanted us to implement varnasrama
dharma,
and part of that is sons taking care of their mothers.
Lord
Caitanya, the incarnation of Krishna as the ideal spiritual preceptor
in this age, expresses the feelings of indebtedness He has to his
mother in these words, “My dear mother, please hear. This body
belongs to you. I do not possess anything. This body was raised by
you, and it comes from you. I cannot repay this debt even in millions
of births. Knowingly or unknowingly I have accepted this renounced
order. Still, I shall never be indifferent to you. My dear mother,
wherever you ask Me to stay I shall stay, and whatever you order I
shall execute.” (Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila
3.145–48) After saying this, the Lord offered obeisances to His
mother again and again.
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
From
a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.7.10
in Vrindavan on September 9, 1976:
“If
we fix up our mind always at the lotus feet of Krishna, then
everything will follow very perfectly. That is promised by Krishna.
Tesam
satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam
[Bg. 10.10]. If one is engaged always in love and affection. . . .
Not as official love. Ecstatic love, spontaneous, that is wanted.”
Less
intelligent people say the typewriter is doing the writing when it is
actually the person using the typewriter who is the author. Similarly
the rascals speak of things being done by nature, when actually it is
the Supreme Lord who is behind the nature who is the doer.
“So
this is a wrong idea, that matter is doing independently. That is not
possible. Therefore it is clearly said in the Bhagavad-gita,
mayadhyaksena
prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram
[Bg. 9.10]. Matter does not work. The Supreme Personality of Godhead,
by His different energies, He is working. That is Krishna. You have
to understand like that. Krishna is in the background.”
“For
the sake of knowledge, everyone should study this Vedic literature.
And it is summarized in Vedanta-sutra.
Therefore it is called Vedanta-sutra.
Sutra
means summarized. Athato
brahma jijñasa.
Now these two words, atha
atah brahma-jijñasa –four
words – it contains volumes of knowledge. Therefore it is called
sutra.”
“As
advised by Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, siddhanta
baliya citte na kara alasa,
don’t be lazy. Always try to understand Krishna, siddhanta,
by siddhanta,
by Vedic conclusion—not by manufacturing ideas. Siddhanta.
Don’t be lazy.”
From
an Arrival Address in Los Angeles:
“Our
movement is very easy because we haven’t got to manufacture
something. We simply repeat the words and the instruction given by
the predecessor.”
“So
we have to simply take instruction from guru, and if we execute that
to our heart and soul, that is success. That is practical. I have no
personal qualification, but I simply tried to satisfy my guru. That’s
all. My Guru Maharaja asked me that ‘If you get some money, you
print books.’”
“Dr.
Stillson Judah, he has written one book, perhaps you know, Hare
Krishna and [the] Counterculture,
a very nice book about our movement, and he is giving importance. He
has admitted that ‘Swamiji, you have done wonderful thing because
you have turned the drug-addicted hippies into devotees of Krishna,
and they are prepared for the service of humanity.’”
“This
is Krishna consciousness movement. . . . It is not unnatural.
Otherwise how you European, American, you are so much attracted to
Krishna? If Krishna is artificial and Krishna consciousness is
artificial something, so how you should be attracted? That they are
surprised. They are attracted because that attraction is there
already. We are trying simply to awaken that attraction.”
“Our
position is, natural position is, to be attracted by Krishna. If we
do not become attracted by Krishna, that is unnatural. And to become
attracted by Krishna, that is not unnatural. That is natural.”
“When
we become cleansed of all dirty things of material modes of nature,
then we are prepared to serve Krishna.”
Bilvamangala
Thakura said, “When Krishna comes to supply me milk what need is
there for mukti [liberation].”
From
a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam
1.2.6
in Calcutta on February 23, 1972:
“The
Pandavas were put into distress artificially. Prahlada Maharaja was
put into distress by his father, but ultimately he came out
victorious. So we should not be disturbed even if superficially we
see that a devotee is in distress. A real devotee does not take
anything as distress. He takes everything as Krishna’s mercy.
Otherwise, that is not pure devotion.”
Satsvarupa
Dasa Goswami:
From
Every
Day, Just Write, Volume
39, pages 78–79:
“Why
would such an inconsequential person
write
and publish so much? I’ve written fifty
times
more than Saint Thérèse and much more
than
Teresa, I rival Dostoevsky, Shakespeare…
in
volume. Out did Thoreau long ago.
Shut
up, enough already some shout from
the
reader’s balcony. But when you’ve been
given
a pen and time you just keep
going…”
From
Every
Day, Just Write, Volume
39, pages 82–83:
“I
used to be involved in mentally burdensome
management
I’d escape to a woods or park or hill
and
feel immediate solace, in Allston, in Dallas,
in
Vrindavan, in Mayapur GBC…You climb
up
and feel clear – Paramatma park.”
From
Every
Day, Just Write, Volume
39, pages 95–96:
“They
got their poems you got
your
own, everybody’s making some
propaganda,
trying not to be impeached,
imprisoned,
trying to win a prize,
ascend
to the throne temporary
or
eternal.
“‘We’re
saving souls.’ Madhu makes fun
of
ISKCON preachers who on high horses
don’t
notice their own souls are enmired.
Yeah,
stay away. So I was saying,
everyone
is making his propaganda.
On
a horse,
in
a house,
you
make a song or game and
hope
to mesmerize, then slip them
the
mickey…”
From
Every
Day, Just Write, Volume
39, page 130–31:
“And
praying before Him with an
inner
wink – he has to see
the
good or I am lost.
It’s
He who gives the bhakti
and
the process and the ability to
say
the prayers and the words.
He
might as well take me,
but
that’s my job –
to
give.”
From
Every
Day, Just Write, Volume
39, page 142–43:
“We
will turn to Krishna as our master
says
– no boat can save you,
no
doctor or doting parent –
if
your number is up. So you
might
as well turn to Providence alone.”
From
Every
Day, Just Write, Volume
39, page 160–61:
“Dear
Lord, dear Brother of Gaura,
remember
I used to worship Your murti,
and
now I have your picture and my
Srila
Prabhupada is the guru-tattva…
please
link me in my chanting.
“Gaura-Nitai.
Hare Krishna.
Write
as you will and may the
spirited
madness descend on you
from
the great avadhuta,
hari-nama
is free
but
you have to put your head down
at
His feet if you’re lucky,
as
was Raghunatha whom He told
to
prepare a big feast
for
the devotees. And he did and
prospered
a million times –
gained
direct shelter of Gauranga
and
residence at Radha-kunda.”
From
Every
Day, Just Write, Volume
39, page 164–65:
“Hare
Krishna Hare Krishna, you have to
answer
the inner call. You have to
answer
the master and sastra,
you
have to die and be reborn.
But
it’s your choice at every step. So
pray
for that – make your
pictures
in KC or not at all.”
“The
Lord has
given
us a hand and will give us
a
hand, we have only to reach out
and
renounce this world
the
controlling, malicious greed.
I
don’t know. It’s just
what
I heard
and
believe.”
From
Every
Day, Just Write, Volume
39, pages 393–95:
“I’ve
been given a stubborn and rascal mind, because
I
wanted it, from past karma. It plagues me and does
not
assist me in the real work of surrender to Krishna
and
guru.”
From
Every
Day, Just Write, Volume
40, page 21:
“Krishna
means He attracts
Rama
means He’s in bliss
Syama
means dark and beautiful
Now,
say the holy names
and
be happy in simple life.”
From
Every
Day, Just Write, Volume
40, pages 180–81:
“I
have nothing to say but
what
I’ve heard
Krishna
say
and
no reason to say it
except
my master says speak.”
From
Every
Day, Just Write, Volume
40, pages 184–85:
“Some
words and you and I
some
pills and when done no
pills,
some life duration and then
none,
giggles then sorrows. Pride
that
something great happened through me
and
reduction to nothingness.
I
ask God to carry me
and
me to carry Him.”
From
Every
Day, Just Write,
Volume 40, pages 198–99:
“I
have the same non-vague philosophy
of
God to speak and the form of God
is
not concocted by a poet or artist.
He
is Krishna. I accept and believe,
but
I need huge help and
great
advancement before I’m anywhere.”
From
Every
Day, Just Write,
Volume 40, pages 212–13:
“Should
care for others. My own body hurts –
does
it make me more compassionate? How much
trouble
we take on ourselves and cause for others
when
we leave the Lord’s abode.
We
should be smart and get back to Godhead.”
“O
God, Hare Krishna, take each moment and
try
to transcend. Be aware of Swami’s
teachings,
reach in yourself for wisdom
to
be respectful at his feet. And ask
yourself
please can I take an assignment
in
his cause?
“The
sankirtana
movement keeps
flowing
like a Ganges
of
many tributaries and tribulations too. It keeps
cutting
its way, don’t doubt that. Make
a
list of all souls who come here, all passed
away
and all return. Only one sustains
them:
Eko
yo bahunam yo vidadhati kaman
All
glories to Sri Krishna and His parisads
all
glories to the pure devotees who teach it
I
write this day in poverty.”
From
Every
Day, Just Write,
Volume 40, pages 216–18:
“All
that matters is you and God and
whatever
you did – if you are sincere
He’ll
know it. He is infinitely kind,
but
you can’t cheat Him.
He
sees your Swami in your heart and
your
faults and He decides and
I
decide, am deciding even now
I
call for help.”
From
Every
Day, Just Write,
Volume 40, pages 249–50:
“I
can
repeat
what I heard in the book and
can
imitate Tukarama and say, ‘Reading
the
scripture about you, Govinda is not enough –
I
want realization. Please give it to me or
your
reputation will be hurt.’”
“Tuka
says it’s the
most
difficult thing in the world to
please
Lord Hari by writing poems.”
From
Every
Day, Just Write,
Volume 40, pages 267–68:
“Rise
up to Lord Krishna. You should be so fortunate as
to
phone
Him
in the spiritual world. Lord? This is me,
(I
wouldn’t have to say, ‘Stephen Guarino
in
Ireland,’) – but
it’s
me Satsvarupa dasa (forget Goswami) –
Do
You love me,
remember
me? I know You do. God is infinite, and
He
wouldn’t give you the impression
that
this phone-call
better
be brief because He’s busy with
other
erring and pure
souls.
He can give you all His time.
“And
yet I can call Dr. Krohe but not
the
Supreme Lord.
Prabhupada
says (can I call him?) that chanting the
Lord’s
names is as good as being with Him.
Why
don’t I feel it? Why not chant
with
the expectation
and
willing submission with which I call my doctor?”
From
Every
Day, Just Write,
Volume 40, pages 270–71:
“Your
job is to preach. Sorry about
that
word. Canvass. Enlighten.
Share,
take your pick.”
“Tell.
Educate. Trick. Food for life.
Life
for life. God is Krishna. Krishna is Krishna.
The
devotee lives in his own world and goes
out
to make propaganda, sell books, polish
slippers,
collect laksmi,
bear witness and
then
he comes back to the temple mandir
house
(takes shoes off outside, wears dhoti,
shaves
head, puts on tilaka)
– smiles to the
arriving
guests and gets ready to honor
prasadam
perhaps the most favorite
part
of the day – brief (ten minutes) as it
is,
take rest, fry out, don’t believe
you’ll
ever die, aham
brahmasmi
I
am Krishna’s slave.”
From
Every
Day, Just Write,
Volume 40, pages 305–6:
“You
better love God
or
you’ll soon be a dog
you
jerk, wake up
don’t
meat-eat sup,
take
prasadam
from my hand
I’m
better than you –
you
belong in the zoo.”
[I
include the above because it is humorous and not as a recommended
preaching strategy.]
From
Every
Day, Just Write,
Volume 40, pages 319–20:
“I
just hope I don’t get reborn
but
if so, I pray like Maharaja Pariksit –
another
renounced man – for fixed
devotion
unto Krishna, friend to devotees
and
giving love to all.
That’s
all.”
From
Every
Day, Just Write,
Volume 40, pages 334–35:
“holy
dhama
you
should be glad – don’t offend,
Radharani’s
watching. And the GBC.”
From “Awaiting Krishna’s Appearance” in Every Day, Just Write, Volume 31, Part
Two,
pages
24–25
“I
am however, waiting for that, for Krishna to appear in me more than
He has done so far. I don’t want to peter out with less and less
Krishna consciousness due to old age and disease. I like my Krishna
consciousness to flourish. You become more auspicious, and even as
you die you are not condemned but auspicious. The peaceful devotee
goes to Krishna because he’s full of Krishna.”
“The
‘Kamsa’ of inattention has been preventing me from chanting with
awareness of God’s presence, but if Krishna nama
will appear in me, I’ll suddenly be able to light the fire of
sankirtana-yajna.”
“I
fear it [my free-writing] may stray outside the Krishna conscious
canon. But I am already straying every hour and every minute in my
consciousness. The writing is only catching some of it and holding it
up for my attention and that of others: ‘Look, this is how we
actually live. We claim we are devotees, but this is what passes
through our minds.’”
From Every Day, Just Write, Volume 29, Part
One:
“You
do have something to say. You discover it by writing. Writing is a
most important spiritual discipline for me.” (pages 84–85)
“The
life force of my words is Krishna. Krishna is the life force of
everything. I say ‘my words’ but I don’t own them. They pass
through me. By convention we say my house, my head, my soul. But a
pure devotee thinks that whatever he has actually belongs to Krishna.
Hrsikesa
hrsikena…Krishna
is the controller of the senses and my senses should be used in His
service. My words should be used in His service. He gives the power.
If you take the power but don’t serve Him with it, you are a thief.
You will be punished. You will cheat only yourself. I like this
thought and feeling that Krishna is the life force (prana)
of my words. The words become energetic (not just madness or wheels
spinning in vain) when they are used in devotional service. It also
means there is no wearing out of energy or valuable things to say if
you link up to the force. Whether you acknowledge it or not, your
source of strength is Krishna.” (pages 139–40)
“You
write free-write, soft write, right words and whatever you can. May
He come through me so it’s an engaging Krishna conscious stream.”
(page 149)
“I
have no life in words or any kind of life except that it’s given by
Lord Krishna. He is the Supersoul and the individual soul is His part
and parcel (mam
evamsah jiva loka jiva bhuta sanatanah).
I am the entangled living being who cannot speak anything but the
modes of nature unless He gives me some transcendental inspiration.”
(pages 156–57).
“Try
to make the make the writing more Krishna conscious – it’s like
saying try to make yourself Krishna conscious. A worthy aspiration.
Not to be shrugged off as “it’s impossible to improve in anyway; we
are stuck with repetitive writing, low level bhajana.”
Pray to Krishna to help you.” (page 183)
From Every Day, Just Write, Volume 29, Part
Two:
“Krishna
is the life force of my words, my writing, my chanting. I could not
write or speak unless He gives me the power. I am able to write
sentence after sentence due to brain power, intelligence. This is not
a random event, not mere electrical connections or atoms in a void. I
therefore ask permission of the Supreme Lord who dwells in the heart
as Supersoul and of whom I am an eternal part and parcel – to
please allow me to speak.” (page 179)
From
Every
Day, Just Write, Volume
30, Part Two:
“You
are a small timer and will have to say good-bye to all things in this
life, they will be utterly forgotten as you transmigrate. Why don’t
you (and the people of the world) take this seriously? Kirtaniya
sada hari,
keep Lord Hari’s names with you and you will be saved from being
plunged into the samsara
ocean.” (pages 26–27)
“Radha
and Krishna are not mere statues. Please Lord, be kind. He’s here
in our home. The people may not see what I see. He’s in the core of
the heart. Serve Him. Srila Prabhupada wanted us to spread the word.
Bring Krishna consciousness to as many people as possible. Make hay
while shines or even if it rains.” (pages 75–76)
From Every Day, Just Write, Volume 31, Part Two:
“Hare
Krishna, you better get your quota in, the hour is getting late. Nice
sunny day, wind rustling the August trees and I’m pain-free. Of
course, I’m a spirit soul and so always pain free, but I don’t
know that. I live in conditioned consciousness. I have forgotten my
relationship with Krishna and am trying to revive it.
“Read
out loud and recording Sri
Hamsaduta
with Madhu. Radha’s suffering in separation as related to Lalita is
completely beyond my experience. It seems strange to remain
‘pain-free’ and sit listening or reading in an easy chair about
Her extreme despair. She’s kept alive only by one friend, Her hope
that Krishna may return.
“Hearing
of Her serves to underscore the separation that we do know. We have a
dull separation of the conditioned soul. Our grief is covered over.
We don’t want to discover it. We want to be happy in relative
forgetfulness of Krishna. But that’s not possible. One has to go
through the intense feelings of love in separation especially if one
wants to follow Krishna in the mood of the gopis.
“Remembering
Srila Prabhupada also requires feelings of separation. So, I think it
will be good for me to hear repeatedly this very sad tale by Lalita
to Krishna. It may open up the actual feelings of separation. I will
grow in worshipful respect for what Sri Radha goes through, even if I
can’t understand it.” (pages 169–70)
“‘The
spiritual master is not a particular man but a truth,’ Srila
Prabhupada said on the occasion of Vyasa-puja in Hamburg, 1969. The
truth is to deliver people from samsara.
He does it by pouring God’s mercy on those burning in the forest
fire of material life. ‘He must inherit the power from a superior
source.’” (page 67)
From Every Day, Just Write, Volume 35:
“Krishna
science will save us, I hope. It can as long you hang on through the
worst things that start happening. Krishna won’t abandon you as
long as you don’t abandon Him.” (page 164)
From
Absence
is a Form of Presence – Every Day, Just Write, Volume 40:
“Seeing
Krishna within the cloud of my illnesses; within the scattered dust
of my mind; within the complex and moving web of trains of thought;
seeing Krishna where He is fully present in His name and form and
pastimes and instructions – although I can’t see Him fully there.
Because I have chosen to live under a cloud. Because I can’t come
out from under it. Better something than nothing. I’m sure that
somehow He is present even though I only see the cloud around Him.”
(page 297)
“O
Prabhupada, who gave us books to learn the science of Krishna and who
directed us into the secrets of realization. O Prabhupada, who taught
us by example, to always work for Krishna, and who expected us to
work as hard. Master, I am tired, I cannot do as you did or I did
when you were here with us. But I want to serve you still, master,
and that is your blessing on me.
“Prabhupada,
you are still leading the charge in your temples and in the hearts of
all your devotees. Devotees come to you by reading your books and
hearing and seeing the devotion in your older disciples. But all can
become your disciples. I am one of them. Do you see us meeting and
quarreling? But you may also see good signs. You said as long as the
holy names are being sung…” (page 187–89)
“Although
we’re tiny in corpus, within our heart is a powerful soul. Even
more powerful than a material planet. Hear from the Vedas, that’s
theism. Prabhupada said theism isn’t just to say ‘I believe in
God’ but to accept the Vedic injunctions and directions.” (pages
172–73)
“So
many lectures. You used to give them every day, squeeze them out, so
what’s the big deal? Squeeze it like you’re a toothpaste tube,
remember what you’ve heard Srila Prabhupada say on the subject.
Surrender in that way, as a mouthpiece. Srila Prabhupada said he was
a mouthpiece for the previous acaryas,
so why shouldn’t I be too? Yes, that’s fine with me.” (pages
265–66)
“No
loving attention to the holy names but at least warming myself by
them, happy, chirpy knowledge that I’m safe within this Krishna
conscious realm.” (page 7)
“You
have to be ready for whatever Krishna wants. He moves everyone around
just like a player moves pieces on a chessboard. He’s free to do as
He likes, and He has special care for His devotees. There is always a
purpose behind His moves.” (page 7)
“It
could all dry up. You could run out of words, inspiration. ‘Good!’
Some beleaguered writers might say, and certainly some critics. Good
old enemy critics inspire me to keep writing just so they can’t
have the last word. I’ll keep going until the last breath.”
(pages 169–70)
From Every Day, Just Write, Volume 37:
From Every Day, Just Write, Volume 37:
“Roots
of a tree well established by its meeting Srila Prabhupada and
serving him as his son when ISKCON had just begun. Prabhupada planted
it, and it grew well, first a sapling under his protection, then
opening its branches. ISKCON itself is a branch of the Caitanya tree,
as it is so elaborately described in Caitanya-caritamrta.
I am one living entity wishing to live as an offshoot of that tree.
I’m not more than that, not really a tree of my own, but rooted
like one, sending my tap roots deeper in order to withstand the icy
blasts of this age. O, rooted kalpa-vrksa
of
my heart, please take to pure Krishna consciousness.
“Think
of it (bhakti,
my life, devotion) as language, making letters. I follow the given
idiom, but write something of my own from my personal experience and
in hopes to find what I don’t yet know. Krishna consciousness has a
common language of the heart, and by shaping it into letters from
one’s own pen, it can set us free.” (page 48)
“A
devotee told me she was shocked at the garbage, poverty, and cheating
she met in India. Instead of going out, she spent her time reading in
her room. Later, in America, she wondered why she had to travel ten
thousand miles to read Prabhupada’s books. My point exactly.
“But
there’s a truth to be found in Vrindavan under all that garbage. We
only wonder whether if we don’t understand it or have faith in what
we don’t understand, will it still work?
“Reality:
whenever I’m in Vrindavan, there will always be someone who wants
to see me (talk with me) and I am never able to refuse. Ireland is
remote. I’ll be kicked out of here soon enough, but let make this
my Vrindavan for now. I want to seek the simple truth of that other
Vrindavan and come to understand it here. Therefore, the question is
not whether or not it is better to reside in Vrindavan. We all know
what the scripture says. The real question is whether we can practice
Vrindavan bhajana
in the West. Or should we not even bother with that but only preach
and depend on Prabhupada to bring us to Goloka Vrindavan in the end?”
(page 63)
From Every Day, Just Write, Volume 41:
“A
journal written with all expectations of publishing is a very
suspicious thing. I have to kind of block out that thought when I
write. I think there’s no harm in publishing, but there has to be a
division between writing without worrying how it comes out and then
deciding to publish it later.” (pages 184–85)
“Krishna
is your captain in your heart, telling you go, go, left, right, left,
right, do what I say. And so, the little rebel part in me says, ‘Why
do I have to do what you say?’ Then Krishna says back, ‘You can
do what you want, but you’ll have to suffer. Do it My way and
you’ll be happy. If you do it My way, you’ll actually find the
freedom you want. It’s a different kind of freedom. It’s not
possible to be free in this material world.’” (page 201)
“If
I don’t regularly read sastra
[scripture] my life and writing become thinned out like watery milk,
gossip, body talk, and so on.” (pages 222–23)
“It’s
God who lets the good things happen. Non-devotees won’t give the
Supreme the credit for what they do. But I will not forget it’s due
to Him.” (pages 240–41)
From
Free
Write Journal #66:
“Will
Krishna take up residence in my heart and not be consigned to an
abstract wing in my house? Will I realize my house (body) is actually
His dwelling place and I am His eternal servant? When will I
surrender and cry tears as I chant His holy names? “When will my
voice choke up, and when will the hairs of my body stand on end at
the recitation of Your Names?”
“This
is Mayapur where
you
can’t commit offenses.
Everything
you do is blessed.
The
Two Brothers reign.
They
bring you to gopi-bhava.
I’m
on good behavior.
“I’m
setting an example,
sending
a message by this
year
not traveling to Vrindavan.
“Dear
Child Nimai, give me blessings of foot dust
of
Nadia.”
[Those attracted by the writing of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami can find it at this web site: http://www.sdglegacy.com/books/]
Romapada
Swami:
Rupanuga
Prabhu liked to do programs at colleges. When he would do a program,
he would start by setting out a cloth, putting a picture of Krishna
on it, lighting a stick of incense and offering the incense to
Krishna. Then he would turn to the students and say, “What’s the
highest truth you know?”
Our
wholesome and natural position is to offer everything to Krishna.
When we are so situated, we are protected.
For
those who directly take shelter of Krishna, there is no need of
previous purification because taking shelter of Krishna itself is
completely purifying.
Other
processes are meant to ultimately bring us to full surrender to
Krishna.
Other
dharmas are like crystals on a chandelier, but the supreme dharma is
the illuminated chandelier itself.
Srila
Prabhupada would often make the point that Krishna is interested in
knowing how much we are holding back.
Meditation
is a popular idea, so I often speak about meditation at colleges. I
ask people why they meditate, and I suggest one important reason is
to connect to a place of higher consciousness.
The
place of higher consciousness is not static but ecstatic.
The
goal of human life is to know who you are and to connect with that
place of higher consciousness which is the source of everything. That
is where Bhagavad-gita
is
taking us.
When
you come to the point that you do not want anything material, then
Krishna gives you the intelligence to engage whatever you are given
in His service without becoming bewildered.
Krishna
not only mentions surrender in Bg. 18.66 [Abandon all varieties of
religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all
sinful reactions. Do not fear.] but also Bg. 18.62 (O scion of
Bharata, surrender unto Him [the Lord in the heart] utterly. By His grace you will attain
transcendental peace and the supreme and eternal abode.)
There
are three places that Krishna says just to hear from Him, the
beginning of Chapter 7, the beginning of Chapter 9, and here at the
end of Chapter 18.
Arjuna
has difficulty in hearing he should fight his demoniac relatives who
had committed many punishable acts because of his attachment to those
relatives. We also have difficulty in hearing certain things because
of our attachments.
Although
Krishna consciousness is simple, the application gets complicated
because we are complicated.
Devotional
service in transcendence is performed simply because Krishna wants
it.
It
is said that Jiva Goswami worshiped Radha Damodara with such devotion
that the deity would dance for him or else the deity would play His
flute and Jiva Goswami would dance.
Once
Krishna was late to meet Srimati Radharani, and in an angry mood,
Radha took the golden belt from around Her waist and used it to bind
Krishna. Krishna was ecstasy, and He accepted the name Damodara from
this pastime, and He explained to Radha that in the future, when He
descended as a child Yasoda would again bind Him with a rope.
We
associate with devotees to remind ourselves of the supreme goal
because it is so easy to become distracted.
The
six aspects of surrender are mentioned in a Hari-bhakti-vilasa
verse
which is quoted in Srila Prabhupada’s purport to Bhagavad-gita
18.66.
This verse is also mentioned in the Padma
and Vayu
Puranas,
and in other places.
For
one who has faith in guru and Krishna, there is no question of
something being impossible. That faith which Srila Prabhupada had, he
could also pass on to others, and he did.
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura explains that people fall away because when their
submission slackens, the protection is not there anymore.
If
your only needs are for the purpose of serving Krishna, that is still
pure devotion.
Gradual
change is best as it is less uncomfortable and will not disturb your
focus.
Jiva
Goswami mentions in his Bhakti-sandarbha
that
chanting is most important, but to chant you first have to hear, thus
hearing and chanting are the most important. Even if you ultimately
become attached to other of the nine items of devotional service
still the hearing and chanting should be maintained because they are
so important.
When
your consciousness is more strongly fixed on Krishna, you become more
focused and can do things in less time.
Silavati
asked Srila Prabhupada if she could have fifteen more minutes to
dress the deities. Srila Prabhupada said no and that he would show
her how to do it. Srila Prabhupada did it faster than she did, even
though he had never dressed that deity before.
Hansa
Rupa Prabhu:
The
ISKCON leaders declared Radha Govinda Mandir to be an international
project. The only other international projects are all in India,
Mayapur, Vrindavan, and Mumbai. New York City is special because that
is where Krishna consciousness began in the West and thus it is
worthy to be an international project.
The
only deity photo in Srila Prabhupada’s room in Mayapur is one of
Radha Govinda in New York City.
We
wanted a temple in Alachua, but we had no money to speak of, just a
few thousand dollars in the bank. We decided to show our sincerity by
trying to clean up the property and buildings we had as best we
could. A local religious leader from another tradition saw our
endeavor and came forward offering to help. After seeing our plans,
he wrote us a check for $40,000, which was a lot of money back in
1994, and thus we were able to construct that temple.
If
you have faith in Krishna that is all that is required. Krishna is
not a poor man.
We
try to please Krishna, and Krishna will send people to contribute. We
do not have to please the people ourselves.
The
BBT gave us $250,000 in books in 1975. One day of the marathon that
year all the devotees in New York City went out, and they did
$10,000–15,000 of books in a single day. Devotees stayed out till
mangala-arati.
In
the year 1975, for the first time the devotees went out dressed as
Santa Claus. Nirantara Prabhu was in ecstasy when he read in
Bhagavad-gita,
“The
devotees of the Supreme Lord, or the persons who are in Krishna
consciousness, are called santas,
and they are always in love with the Lord as it is described in the
Brahma-samhita
(5.38): premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti.
The santas,
being always in a compact of love with the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Govinda (the giver of all pleasures), or Mukunda (the giver
of liberation), or Krishna (the all-attractive person), cannot accept
anything without first offering it to the Supreme Person.”
Sridhara
Swami went out as Santa Claus. He did not need any padding and filled
out the Santa Claus suit quite nicely. He wondered about what to do
with his danda.
We
decided to decorate it like a candy cane.
We
have had many Christmas marathons in the past, but not with such support
of the international leaders in our movement as this year.
Ramesvara
Prabhu:
From
a conversation:
We
have to get hung up on the principles not the details.
From
a class at the Yuga Dharma Ashram:
Madhya-lila
is when Lord Caitanya is going out and preaching all over.
Our
whole process is whatever we receive we pass on. We are meant to be
vessels. We receive these potencies and pass them on.
You
have to have absolute faith in the order of the Lord to become
empowered.
The
potency to carry it out is in the order of the Lord.
“I
took up those words from his lips,” Srila Prabhupada would say.
Thus he came to New York City with weak health, no money, and at an
advanced age.
The
persons who did amazing things for Srila Prabhupada would be the
first to say that it was not them but the Lord’s potency working
through them.
The
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya
7.99, purport explains how to become empowered:
“In
his Amrita-pravaha-bhasya,
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains that this spiritual potency is
the essence of the pleasure potency and the knowledge potency. By
these two potencies, one is empowered with devotional service. Lord
Krishna Himself or His representative, the unalloyed devotee, can
mercifully bestow these combined potencies upon any man. Being thus
endowed with such potencies, one can become an unalloyed devotee of
the Lord. Anyone favored by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was
empowered with this bhakti-shakti.
Thus the Lord’s followers were able to preach Krishna consciousness
by divine grace.”
The
more we can keep our false ego out of the away, the more we can
become empowered.
It
is an act of mercy that you take people’s time and money and engage
it in Krishna’s service and thus save them many births of
unnecessary suffering in this world.
People
wonder with all the millions of books distributed where are all the
devotees. But in the next life those people will take human births.
Science
has already demonstrated that consciousness is different from the
brain since in the out-of-body experiences people can perceive things
although their brains are not functioning.
It
is against the law to teach that consciousness is different from the
body although it is a practical fact and not just some religious
dogma.
People
should be asking, “If there anything at all I can do to effect what
body I get in the next life?”
Srila
Prabhupada said that all the colleges and universities should have a
billboard or banner saying that “Come here and we will to teach you
how to become hogs, dogs, camels, and asses” because by not giving
the students spiritual wisdom that is what they are doing.
Considering “what Krishna wants the most” is higher than “what I want to do for
Krishna.”
Srila
Prabhupada was always in anxiety seeing the souls entrapped in
material life. Thus he wrote to me, “Your book scores are the only
thing giving me solace.”
Imagine
if for the whole two hours of japa
every
morning you pray “let me be your instrument to save the fallen
souls” how empowered you will become!
So
much energy comes out from insignificant atoms in the atomic bomb,
but that is nothing compared to the love waiting to burst forth from
the soul when it awakens to love of God.
All
religions talk about going to the kingdom of God, but they never talk
about what is going on there.
There
were five or six paintings that Srila Prabhupada wanted in every
temple, so originally the artists would copy these paintings for all
the temples. That was before the book production began.
Srila
Prabhupada wanted his artists to reveal the unlimited beauty of God
to the world. They suggested that they study in Europe how the great
masters painted. Srila Prabhupada said that that was from the
material point of view but not the spiritual point of view.
Srila
Prabhupada explained that two things make art spiritual:
(1)
what is depicted is described in the authorized scriptures
(2)
it is imbued with bhakti
He
said the artists should sit in front of their canvas for 8 or 10
hours a day, chanting Hare Krishna, and praying to be empowered:
“Take control of my hand, take control of my brush, so I can reveal
Your beauty.” Helplessly and desperately call out to Krishna for
that will develop your bhakti.
If
you look at the pictures in the original Krishna
book
you will see in just six months the progression from very simple
paintings to very mature ones.
Srila
Prabhupada’s best arrival address is in June 1975 in Los Angeles.
One
difficulty in doing the 17 volumes of the Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita
in 2 months was the Sanskrit department did not know Bengali. They
were just beginning to learn. Every aspect of the idea, the printing,
the artwork, etc., would defy the law of physics.
Srila
Prabhupada immediately answered any question we ever asked of him.
He did not have to research.
When
Prabhupada asked us to do the 17 volumes in two months, I exclaimed, “That’s impossible!”
He
replied, “Impossible is a word in a fool’s dictionary!”
As
I thought about it, I began to realize how foolish I was. How can you
say to God that something is impossible. I reminded myself that Srila
Prabhupada was the ambassador of God Himself. Our only qualification
to do it was that we accepted the order.
Because
Srila Prabhupada wanted it so badly, Krishna was going to make it
happen
because
Srila Prabhupada was so dear to Him.
We
got so many extra ideas.
It
was like everything was planned out for us as we were sitting on the
beach.
I
made four conditions which I requested from Srila Prabhupada:
1.
I need you to spend two or three extra weeks in Los Angeles to train
the Sanskrit editors in Bengali.
2.
I want to write a letter to every temple in the movement telling the
skills I need and asking temple presidents and GBC men to loan people
for two months to work on the project.
3.
I would like to bring Hayagriva in to help with the editing.
4.
I need to be able to call your secretary where you are anywhere in
the world, and get an immediate answer to my questions.
Tulasi
Das, the temple president, organized the Los Angeles temple to take
care of all the needs of the devotees working on the marathon.
We
had a team of devotees read the entire Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita
in three days, and we got the names of the key places in the book. We
had a devotee take photos of these places in India. By using two or
three photos in each book, we would need only four or five paintings.
You
become empowered with the knowledge potency, knowing what to say, and
the bliss potency to enjoy it.
We
are living in Caitanya-lila as we do this Prabhupada book marathon.
Rama
Raya Prabhu:
There
is a story of one disciple of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura in
Assam who ended up returning to sinful activity and neglecting to
chant the holy name. He was dragged to hell for punishment. He was
standing before Yamaraja, who asked him, “Have you done even one
pious act in your whole life?”
He
said, “I was once initiated by Om Vishnupada Paramahamsa
Parivrajakacarya Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.”
Yamaraja,
upon hearing the name of that great Vaishnava, became humble and
filled with spiritual ecstasy. Then Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura
personally appeared, and Yama showed his respect. Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura chastised his disciple. Yama then humbly asked what
should be done. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said that his
disciple should find Dayita Madhava Maharaja, a local forceful
preacher who had greatly pleased Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura,
and take complete shelter of him, never leaving his company and
always following his instructions. The disciple had been in a coma,
and he regained consciousness on his funeral pyre, as the people were
just about ready to light a match. The disciple screamed,
“Prabhupada! Prabhupada!” as he threw the wood off his body, and
asked the whereabouts of Dayita Madhava Maharaja, and immediately
went there, without visiting home, and began to explain to him what
happened. Dayita Madhava Maharaja interrupted him, and said, “I
have already been informed.”
Harinama is for the mass; philosophy is for the class. Lord Caitanya never talked about the highest conclusions of the scriptures with the people in general.
Prabhupada’s
intimate relationship with Krishna resulted in his empowerment.
Until
we are completely self-realized, we are always asking questions.
Jadurani
joined the devotees from hearing Srila Prabhupada’s kirtan at
Tompkins Square Park.
Generally
in Kali-yuga it is better for a person in equilibrium to let a person
who is not in equilibrium get it all out before he offers some
helpful advice.
Association
with a bona fide spiritual master immediately takes one out of
material perplexity and situates one in a spiritual position.
Satyavrata
Muni expresses gratitude to the Lord in His Matsya incarnation for
becoming his personal guru. He also mentions the misfortune of those
who have false gurus.
Someone
asked Srila Prabhupada what it meant to be Krishna conscious, and
Srila Prabhupada thought briefly, and said, “I have no fear.”
Vaisesika
Prabhu was telling us at a seminar in Vrindavan that he was talking
to a staunch atheist. He let the guy go on and on and give all his
arguments. When the guy stopped, Vaisesika Prabhu asked him, “What
are you going to do at the time of death?” Because Vaisesika Prabhu
had treated him so respectfully, he gave a donation and accepted a
book.
Prahlada
Maharaja could offer such nice prayers to Lord Nrsimha because he had
absolutely no ulterior motives.
People
are put in a similar situations because of similar karma. Thus the
people placed similarly make themselves feel good about their
situation.
Any
contact with devotional service can completely change our karmic
destiny.
If
a devotee takes birth again, it could be to further the mission of
the Lord or to increase the enthusiasm of the devotee to take
complete shelter of Him.
The
karma of any bad action is temporary, but the result of any act of
devotional service is eternal.
Bhakti
is
so powerful it can destroy the sinful reactions of a lifetime.
Certainly it can dissolve the occasional impediments the devotees have in
the course of their practice for those who keep it up.
A
real motivational speaker motivates one to go back to Godhead.
To
be someone who can be trusted confidentially by advanced devotees is
a valuable attainment.
Srila
Prabhupada advised one immediately back up one’s statements with
evidence from the revealed scriptures.
Srila
Prabhupada would emphasize that sex life causes one to be “bahu-duhkha-bhajah”
[SB 7.9.45] — subjected to various types of material unhappiness.
We
follow in the footsteps of Haridasa Thakura by being so fully engaged
in devotional service we have no time for maya.
The
good thing about Kali-yuga is that life is very short so it is not
like we have to practice brahmacarya
for
ten thousand years.
Sign
on Baptist church: “Jesus paid. You keep the change.”
Q:
In Bg. 18.67 Krishna says this confidential knowledge cannot be
distributed to those who are not austere, not devoted, etc., but you
have been distributing Bhagavad-gita
for
over forty years to people on the street. How is this?
A:
“In distributing love of Godhead, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His
associates did not consider who was a fit candidate and who was not,
nor where such distribution should or should not take place. They
made no conditions. Wherever they got the opportunity, the members of
the Panca-tattva distributed love of Godhead.” (Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila
7.23) So in this age, we follow the Panca-tattva.
When
Jagai and Madhai were accepted by Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda,
they began chanting 64 rounds daily.
In
all circumstances it is always right to engage in spiritual
activities.
For
all of us, Srila Prabhupada’s books are our intelligence.
Comment
by Murli Krishna Prabhu: There is a letter to Subal on November 12, 1967, where Srila
Prabhupada writes, “The principle of chanting is to glorify the Lord and not to attract a crowd. If Krishna hears nicely then he will ask some sincere devotee to gather in such place.”
In
Hari-bhakti-vilasa
it
is said if kirtan is performed for money those who charge, those who
pay, and those who listen all become infected with material desires.
Karuna
Dharini Devi Dasi:
From
“Rupa Goswami’s Superlative Travel Guide” in Back
to Godhead, Vol.
43, No. 2 (Mar/Apr 2020):
“Prabhupada
often used the term ‘the Hare Krishna movement’ to refer to his
organization or Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission in general. While
‘movement’ in this sense means ‘a group of people tending
toward a common goal,’ ISKCON is surely a movement in another
sense: It is meant for moving people from one place to another –
from the material world to Goloka Vrindavana.”
Vishnu-citta
Prabhu:
Narada
Muni said he would send the ex-hunter enough food for him and his
wife, but it is not like he hired someone to bring him food. Rather
it means that if we act according to dharma then by the mercy of
Krishna and the spiritual master all our needs will be met.
There
is sufficient supply for everyone’s need and not everyone’s
greed. We learn to be satisfied having only what we need in the
brahmacari
ashram.
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura said that opulence used in Krishna’s service was
far better than poverty only used for nirjana
bhajana while
maintaining desires for sense gratification.
During
the time of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, overweight disciples
would fast until advised to resume eating.
Gopal
Campu Prabhu:
Bhakti
Vikas Swami mentions that he has to explain to his initiates in South
India what is meant by illicit sex.
Narada
asked the hunter to break his bow and give up killing animals which
is something he had been doing his whole life. Similarly our
spiritual masters have asked us to give up meat eating, illicit sex,
intoxication, and gambling, things that we had been doing our whole
lives.
If
there is inquiry but no submission we will not accept what the
spiritual master says.
We
cannot whimsically offer anything to Krishna.
There
is a story that Vallabhacarya and his disciples came across an old
snake that was being eaten alive by ants. Vallabhacarya explained to
his disciples that that snake was a bogus guru in his previous life
and the ants were the disciples he mislead who were taking revenge on
him.
Bhakta
Blake:
We
have a japa
club
at the beginning of the Brooklyn Sunday feast. If there are
newcomers, we explain the mantra to them.
Glykeria:
When
I first started coming to 26 Second Avenue, I recall noticing that
all the tension from working a full day in New York City completely
disappeared as I entered the store front, and that was one of the
reasons I kept coming.
My
twenty-year-old sister visited me for a few weeks, and she saw I
would offer everything I cooked on the altar. Once she was home alone
and had to cook for herself. She decided because she was staying in
my place, she should follow my rules, so she put the food she cooked
on the altar, and not knowing the prayers, she said, “Please accept
it.”
Once
I decided not to cook because we had some leftover food in the
refrigerator. My sister exclaimed, “That food is four days old!”
I
said, “Well, let’s see if it is still good.” It smelled OK, so
we ate it.
I
heard my sister tell my mother on the phone, “The food Glykeria
cooks does not go bad!”
I
had a friend who was a lawyer who worked as a prosecutor for the
government, but when the Trump administration took over, she was so
disturbed by what was going on that she quit her high paying job and
became a lawyer for immigrants at the border in Texas.
Notes
on Capital District Border Watch meeting:
[This
is a group in the Albany, New York, area in which my sister, Karen,
plays a leading role. It is concerned with human rights issues
regarding immigrants at U.S. borders.]
Karen:
More
children are detained without their parents in the United States than
any another country.
Trump
programs to deter asylum seekers have made a mockery of the USA being
a country that respects human rights and the law.
Sarah:
The
qualifications for asylum are past persecution or certainty of future
persecution. Unfortunately many things like gender discrimination and
domestic violence are not counted as persecution.
Because
of Trump’s new policy there are refugee tent camps on the Mexican
side of the border with 2,500 people. Many places are where the
Mexican police do not have a strong hold, and there is a lot of crime.
Some people have been kidnapped more than once.
You
can be denied asylum without having a lawyer or without seeing a
judge.
It
used to be if you were persecuted in your country, you could come to
the USA, and answer questions later.
Ashoka Mukpo, a guest speaker from New York City:
The
elimination of the asylum system is promoted by white supremacists
and actually results in people being hurt and dying.
People
are not given the opportunity to seek asylum in USA. 50,000 people
have been returned to Mexico from the USA, and the Mexican police
have no ability to protect them.
The
present USA policy is designed to make people suffer and thereby
discourage them from seeking asylum in USA.
The
previous asylum policy was set up after World War II in light of the
holocaust and the world responding by saying, “Never again!”
Carrie:
50,000
people have sought asylum in Canada from the USA since the last
election.
Those
not allowed into Canada are returned to detention camps in the USA
and are placed in conditions no better than prisoners.
Different
organizations are pushing pressure on the Canadian government to
respect human rights.
In
Quebec while asylum claims are processed the immigrants have the
right to temporary housing, assistance finding permanent housing,
financial aid, preschool, school, and high school, employment
assistance, French classes, etc.
There
are small anti-immigrant groups in Quebec, but it appears that white
nationalism is not as important in Canada as in the US or Europe.
In
the provinces that promote immigrants, there is little backlash. Just
there is some complaint that the federal government is slow in paying
for their portion of the expenses of maintaining the asylum seekers.
Thus
Canada and Quebec offer some hope to asylum seekers that is not there
in the USA.
Karen:
Ideas
about what we can do:
Send
people to the border.
Provide
food for people at the border.
Contact
our representatives and reminding them that asylum is an important
issue.
Comment
by Victor to me: You should have some Hare Krishnas distribute food at
the border.
Sarah:
Let
your favorite candidates know that asylum is an important issue to
you. The louder you are the more response you get.
Guy:
Write
letters. Call.
Carrie:
Call
the switchboard at Congress and get your congressman’s staff, and
tell them, “Please decrease funding for ICE and the CVP in the
budget.”
Sarah:
If
you feel comfortable about telling your story, that is probably
powerful thing you can do.
Guy:
If
you want people to care, then care, and tell people why they should
care.
Guy
new to Albany:
They
was a group of women in Baltimore, mostly sixty years old and up, who would each
adopt an immigrant family and make sure as many of their needs as
possible were met.
Sarah:
I
see that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights may hear cases of the USA breaking
their agreements in their handling of asylum cases.
The
cross border shooting case is something to watch.
New
York State spends 16 million dollars for lawyers for asylum seekers
facing removal.
Not
investing in financial institutions that fund detention centers makes
a difference.
Guy:
All
these things certainly break national and international law, but at
present, we are not sure that a majority of the Supreme Court will
rule favorably on them.
This
immigrant abusive mentality did not begin with Trump, and it will not
end when Trump leaves. So it is important we make a steady voice for
reform.
Liberty
Lady:
There
is a group called Project Reunify (reunify.org)
that tries to bring the children who are separated back to their
parents.
-----
It
is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam
that
this age of Kali is an ocean of faults. The cruelty of the USA
government to asylum seekers you just read about is just one.
Listening to the news on the TV we can hear of many more like war and
climate change. But it is also said that this age has one good
quality: Simply by chanting the holy name of Krishna one can attain
liberation. However, there is another verse less commonly known that
is even more emphatic. It stresses that holy name is so powerful that
it more than compensates for all the faults of the age. In fact, it
makes this otherwise faulty age worthy of the worship of the most
enlightened people. This verse appears just four verses after the
verse describing the avatar of this age of Kali, Lord Caitanya. It
indicates everything we value in life can be easily attained in this
age simply by the congregational chanting of the holy names of the
Supreme Lord.
kalim
sabhajayanty arya
guna
jnah sara-bhaginah
yatra
sankirtanenaiva
sarva-svartho
’bhilabhyate
“Those
who are actually advanced in knowledge are able to appreciate the
essential value of this age of Kali. Such enlightened persons worship
Kali-yuga because in this fallen age all perfection of life can
easily be achieved by the performance of sankirtana [the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Supreme Lord].”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.5.36)