Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 16, No. 5
By Krishna Kripa Das
(March 2020, part one)
Tallahassee and Alachua
(Sent from Tallahassee on March 21, 2020)
Where
I Went and What I Did
I
stayed in Tallahassee for the first half of March, chanting Hare
Krishna three
hours a day on
Landis Green, behind the main
Florida
State University library,
during the weekdays and at Lake Ella and by the downtown bars on the
weekends. Fortunately
the coronavirus epidemic did not limit my service in any way, at least
yet. On
Monday March 9 in the afternoon we went to Alachua for the Gaura
Purnima festival, where
we heard some wonderful kirtans, and
we ended up staying overnight as it got late. Thus
I
got to sing mangala-arati
for
the deities who
I
adored worshiping when I lived there from 1994 to 2005.
I
share notes on the books of Srila Prabhupada and the
Srimad-Bhagavatam
Eleventh
Canto by his
humble servants.
I also share notes on the books of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share
many, many amazing realizations and book distribution stories from
Vijaya Prabhu and other book distributors from Vijaya’s
soon-to-be-published
book,
Treasures of the Bhagavat Mrdanga, which
I have the extremely good fortune of proofreading. I
share notes on a recorded lecture by Janananda Goswami in Paris and
classes in Tallahassee by Brajananda, Kumari Sakhi, and Daniel
Prabhus.
Thanks
to Daniel for the videos of us on harinama
in
Tallahassee. Thanks to Janardana (John Oleksy) Prabhu of Alachua for the kalatalas he gave me on Nityananda Trayodasi last month and which have been very useful.
Itinerary
March–April
2020: Tallahassee harinamas
Note:
April and May are all subject to likely cancellation because of the
coronavirus:
April
11–12: Albany
April
12–13: Yuga Dharma Ashram harinama
party
April
14–16: harinama
in
Washington, D.C., with Sankarsana Prabhu
April
18: Manchester harinama
April
19: Newcastle Sunday feast
April
24: Liverpool harinama
and
program
April
26: harinama
at
Antwerp 10-Mile Race
April
27: King’s Day harinama
in
Amsterdam
May
2–3: Birmingham 24-Hour Kirtan
May 4–6: Newcastle area harinamas and Nrsimha Caturdasi (May 6)
May 7–9: Manchester harinamas and Ratha-yatra (May 9)
May 12: Sheffield harinama and program
May 4–6: Newcastle area harinamas and Nrsimha Caturdasi (May 6)
May 7–9: Manchester harinamas and Ratha-yatra (May 9)
May 12: Sheffield harinama and program
mid
May–mid July: Paris harinama
July
28–August 1: Pol’and’Rock festival
August
7–8: Liverpool harinama
August
9: Liverpool Ratha-yatra
August
19–23: Canada Vaishnava Sanga Festival
August
24: Montreal harinama
September
15: Brighton harinama
September
16–December 31: Yuga Dharma Ashram harinama
party
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Tallahassee
Weekdays I chant Hare Krishna at Landis Green at FSU.
Sometimes others join me as above.
Sometimes others join me as above.
While
chanting Hare Krishna with three devotees at Lake Ella one weekend, five
passersby chanted, danced, and played instruments all at once. The
girl playing the gong, who seemed the happiest to be chanting with
us, remembered getting a lollipop from us at the harinama
on St. George Street after the St. Augustine Ratha-yatra last year,
and we told her the details about this year’s Ratha-yatra there,
now
canceled.
The boy with the white shirt studies at FSU, and we gave him a card
for our Krishna Lunch program there. It was awesome to have four new
people chanting with us at once as well as a very enthusiastic
dancer! Thanks to Daniel for the video!
(https://youtu.be/p74hWYc9gIs):
Arjuna
Abhimanyu Prabhu and Daniel chant Hare Krishna at Lake Ella, and
people interact favorably (https://youtu.be/AB9lxBSgZVE):
Garuda
Prabhu plays guitar and chants Hare Krishna at the Tallahassee Sunday
feast (https://youtu.be/15VOzX2jNnI):
Kumari
Sakhi Devi Dasi leads the chanting of Hare Krishna at Landis Green at
Florida State University in Tallahassee
(https://youtu.be/PYTt81X1qr8):
As
three friends were passing by I offered the one who seemed most
interested a card for Krishna Lunch. One of the others said, “Thank
you for sharing your love through your singing.” Later I thought
about it and considered that it is Srila Prabhupada’s love for
Krishna that inspired him to ask his followers to chant Hare Krishna
in public all over the world, and it is his love that we are sharing.
Here
Jorge
chants Hare Krishna on Landis Green, outside the main library at
Florida State University in Tallahassee
(https://youtu.be/NOK0d-B1LYA):
Daniel
also took some video of this kirtan (https://youtu.be/h70_ldD_sbI):
Here
a Ram Dass follower campaigning for Bernie Sanders chants Hare
Krishna with devotees at ISKCON Tallahassee
(https://youtu.be/mw8FMWKssUk):
Arjuna
Abhimanyu Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at First Friday in Tallahassee,
and Daniel distributes books (https://youtu.be/7Vpe9EV7WVo):
While
Arjuna
Abhimanyu Prabhu was
chanting
Hare Krishna there
at
First Friday two young people danced
(https://youtu.be/9uQqcpl3lBA):
Here
Arjuna
Abhimanyu Prabhu shares a Krishna rap with youths as they eat halava
at First Friday (https://youtu.be/B29mLVJLslY):
At
First Friday I would pass out halava
and
“On Chanting Hare Krishna” pamphlets to people who seemed
attracted to our chanting.
This
girl was sitting in a red wagon, along with her pet pig, and was
being
pulled around by a friend. Now that is an odd site you do not see
every day! Of
course, being a lover of animals, she was more attracted than most
people to hearing about our message of universal brotherhood which
extends beyond merely the human species.
The
next weekend, Daniel chanted Hare Krishna at Lake Ella, and at one
point four high school girls chanted, danced, and played instruments,
and a little boy did an amazing dance (https://youtu.be/9FBi6ethRb4):
Here
Daniel
chants Hare Krishna amidst partying college students near Potbelly’s
on College Avenue in Tallahassee on a Saturday night
(https://youtu.be/R391SOuLEJc):
Next
Arjuna
Abhimanyu Prabhu chanted
Hare Krishna amidst the
partying
crowd
(https://youtu.be/byvyhTBpPYY):
Jorge
chants Hare Krishna at Landis Green as one of many groups of visitors
to the campus pass by (https://youtu.be/AW4LXLln39o):
We
chanted on the Friday night that spring break started as we knew that
Saturday would be less crowded in Tallahassee with all the students
out of town. Friday the Thirteenth is considered unlucky, but for all
those who heard the holy name of the Lord chanted by His faithful
devotees and who participated in the congregational chanting by
playing instruments, dancing, and occasionally singing along, it was
very auspicious.
Here
Jorge chants Hare Krishna outside Potbelly’s, and many youths dance
(https://youtu.be/JaBd-KY0kAA):
One
enthusiastic young couple also got into playing the instruments as
well as dancing (https://youtu.be/cAV0JEXNFRs):
On
the way back to our vehicle, Arjuna Abhimanyu Prabhu chanted Hare
Krishna at the Brick House Bar and Restaurant, a couple danced and
played instruments, and others participated as well
(https://youtu.be/umqRBnyg7QU):
While
Jorge chanted
Hare Krishna, I would
dance,
play the shakers, and distribute pamphlets
(https://youtu.be/b4hVobnohEQ):
Later
Arjuna
Abhimanyu Prabhu also chanted
Hare Krishna at Lake Ella (https://youtu.be/TMWnnLJfXQk):
Here
I chant Hare Krishna on
Landis Green on the first weekday of spring break on a very empty
Florida State University campus. The video is by Daniel, who has learned the
art of playing karatalas
with one hand so he can take video with the other
(https://youtu.be/vvmFDxf7foE):
Although
the campus was almost empty, one staff or faculty member passing by
said with a smile, “Thank you for bringing happiness to Florida
State.”
I
thanked him for his appreciation.
Arjuna
Abhimanyu Prabhu decided to have a pizza party that night, and two
students from the campus came, including Jessie, who brought her
guitar.
Here
Jessie plays guitar and chants Hare Krishna at
that pizza party
(https://youtu.be/6BEQN5hrM2c):
Then
Arjuna Abhimanyu Prabhu played guitar and chanted Hare Krishna
(https://youtu.be/vPsNbd2hNC4):
Chanting
Hare Krishna During Gaura Purnima in Alachua
I
do not like to miss Gaura Purnima in Alachua when I am in nearby
parts of Florida as I have so many pleasant memories of the Alachua
festivals from the eleven years I lived there.
Bhadra
Prabhu chanted
an ecstatic Hare Krishna kirtan in Alachua on Gaura Purnima,
beginning and ending in the temple room, but visiting the kitchen,
the prasadam
queue, and the prasadam
pavilion in the interim, and many devotees chanted
and danced
with enthusiasm (https://youtu.be/sbAE7OmIPuQ):
Arjuna
Abhimanyu Prabhu chanted
Hare Krishna after Gaura Purnima feast in Alachua, just before the
final arati
(https://youtu.be/Y_MYFEqz-N4):
While
in Alachua for Gaura Purnima I was pleased to notice on the lawn as
you enter the temple, displays with different important spiritual
messages, and so I share some photos with you:
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
From
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya
6.145–146:
“Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu continued, ‘When the Supreme Personality of
Godhead wished to become many, He glanced over the material energy.
Before the creation there were no mundane eyes or mind; therefore the
transcendental nature of the Absolute Truth’s mind and eyes is
confirmed.’”
From
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya
6.147, purport:
“The
Brahma-sutra
(1.1.3) confirms this fact also: sastra-yonitvat.
Commenting upon this Brahma-sutra
aphorism, Sri Madhvacarya says, ‘The Rg
Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, Atharva Veda, Mahabharata, Pañcaratra
and the original Valmiki Ramayana
are all Vedic literatures. Any literature following the conclusive
statements of these Vedic literatures is also to be considered Vedic
literature. That literature which does not conform to Vedic
literature is simply misleading.’”
From
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya
6.152, purport:
“However,
in the Svetasvatara
Upanisad
(6.8) it is clearly said, parasya
saktir vividhaiva sruyate:
‘The Absolute Truth has multipotencies.’”
From
Krishna,
Chapter
12:
“Although
the denizens of heaven drank nectar daily to prolong their lives,
they were afraid of this Aghasura and were wondering, ‘When will
the demon be killed?’ The denizens used to drink nectar to become
immortal, but actually they were not confident of their immortality.
On the other hand, the boys who were playing with Krishna had no fear
of the demons. They were free of fear. Any material arrangement for
protecting oneself from death is always unsure, but if one is in
Krishna consciousness, then immortality is confidently assured.”
“Aghasura
was certainly the most sinful living entity, and it is not possible
for the sinful to merge into the existence of the Absolute Truth. But
in this particular case, because Krishna entered into Aghasura’s
body, the demon became fully cleansed of all sinful reactions.
Persons constantly thinking of the eternal form of the Lord in the
shape of the Deity or in the shape of a mental form are awarded the
transcendental benediction of entering into the kingdom of God and
associating with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So we can just
imagine the elevated position of someone like Aghasura, into whose
body the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, personally entered.
Great sages, meditators and devotees constantly keep the form of the
Lord within their hearts, or they see the Deity form of the Lord in
the temples; in that way they become liberated from all material
contamination and at the end of the body enter into the kingdom of
God. This perfection is possible simply by keeping the form of the
Lord within the mind. But in the case of Aghasura, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead personally entered. Aghasura’s position was
therefore greater than the ordinary devotee’s or the greatest
yogi’s.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
4.29.46,
purport:
“A
pure devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always thinking
of how the fallen, conditioned souls can be delivered. The Supreme
Personality of Godhead, influenced by the merciful devotees’
attempt to deliver fallen souls, enlightens the people in general
from within by His causeless mercy.”
The
humble servants of Srila Prabhupada:
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.5.36–37:
“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.
Indeed, there is no higher possible gain for embodied souls forced to
wander throughout the material world than the Supreme Lord’s
sankirtana
movement, by which one can attain the supreme peace and free oneself
from the cycle of repeated birth and death.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.5.36,
purport:
“Although
Kali-yuga is considered to be an ocean of contamination, there is
also an ocean of good fortune in Kali-yuga, namely the sankirtana
movement. In other words, all of the degraded qualities of this age
are completely counteracted by the process of chanting the holy names
of the Lord.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.5.37,
purport:
“In
Kali-yuga living conditions are so unbearable, modern governments are
so obnoxious, our bodies are so ridden by physical and mental
disease, and even self-preservation is so troublesome, that the
conditioned souls intensely cry out the holy name of Krishna, begging
for relief from the onslaught of this age. The members of the Krishna
consciousness movement have vivid and unforgettable experiences of
the terrible contradictions inherent in human society in this age,
and thus they are firmly convinced that there is nothing to be
achieved except the mercy of the Supreme Lord. In ISKCON centers
throughout the world we observe wonderfully ecstatic kirtana
performances in which men, women and children from all walks of life
chant with startling enthusiasm the holy names of Krishna and dance
in ecstasy, becoming completely indifferent to so-called public
opinion. In America a prominent professor from Oberlin College
visited a Hare Krishna center in California and was astonished by the
enthusiasm with which the devotees chant the holy name of Krishna in
their congregational performances.
“Thus,
due to their helpless and pathetic condition, the living entities in
Kali-yuga have great impetus to surrender fully to the holy name of
Krishna, putting all of their hope and faith in the Lord’s holy
name. Kali-yuga is therefore the best age because in this age, more
than in Satya-yuga or other ages, the conditioned souls become
disgusted with the kingdom of illusion and surrender fully to the
Lord’s holy name. This status of full surrender is called paramam
santim,
or supreme peace.”
Satsvarupa
Dasa Goswami:
From
ISKCON
in the 1970s:
[from
a prayer] “‘At the most primitive level if necessary, let me
approach the nondevotee regularly and tell him about Krishna (‘door
to door’) so that the mercy of Krishna consciousness can be
extended and spread and I can be saved by my own absorption in even
the tiniest part of the sankirtana
effort.’”
From
The
Wild Garden: Collected Writings 1990–1993:
“Everything
in Vrindavan is sweet and meaningful. I would like to write down at
least one millionth of what is going on here. The earthiness of the
parikrama
trail, the people who say, ‘Radhe! Radhe!’ One millionth. Keep at
it.”
From
Geaglum
Free Write Diary:
“If
Krishna is really pleased with me, He will reveal to me the most
direct surrender. He is sometimes described as the passive witness,
as in the two birds in the heart. That’s when we ignore Him and
show Him that we want to be the Lord of all we survey. Then what can
He do for us? But He is interested in us when we show some interest
in Him. He wants us to come and play with Him in the spiritual world,
which is free of anxiety. But we still want to play out some scenario
here, where we are the master. I hope my writing is not an act like
that.
“May
Krishna agree to come through these writings with His immortal
teachings. I am the transparent medium. Let them shine through (His
teachings) in various splendid colors as He likes, and catch the
attention of the materialists. I would like that, catch their
interest. Be a big famous preacher? No, I don’t mean that. But make
an art, something nice at least, some persons will get caught up in
it.”
Janananda
Goswami:
[Commenting
on “Markine Bhagavata Dharma” by Srila Prabhupada:]
Not
many Indians, upon arriving in America, say to God, “Why have You
brought me to this terrible place?”
Vijaya
Prabhu:
“Srila
Prabhupada once said this period in history would be remembered as
the time when the Krishna consciousness movement saved the world in
its darkest hour. It’s hard to see that now, because there is still
relatively little interest in Krishna consciousness. We don’t know
what the future holds. But Prabhupada, who is totally connected to
Krishna, knows. Christianity was not a significant religion until two
hundred years after Christ departed. Now by some estimates there are
more than two billion Christians on the planet. We may see Krishna
consciousness bring about a revolution in society in our lifetimes,
or we may not, but when Srila Prabhupada says something it must be
taken very seriously. After all, we are just in the beginning of the
ten thousand year Golden Era of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When we
consider how much Krishna consciousness has spread in less than fifty
years since Prabhupada founded ISKCON, we should have great hope.”
“Any
thoughtful person can see how increasing transcendental book
distribution has a systemic, uplifting effect on the world —
leading to the ‘respiritualization of the entire human society’
that Srila Prabhupada evokes in Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Worldwide
trends start with individuals. Marketing experts document how trends
start with a person who derives the benefit from a product and then
tells others about it. The Krishna consciousness movement has taken
root through such personal interactions. And it will continue growing
as devotees personally give others the gift of transcendental
knowledge. The effectiveness of such personal meetings are
wonderfully documented in Treasures
of the Brhat Mrdanga. Of
course, advocates of various religious systems have for centuries
distributed their literature about God as a means of bringing people
into their folds. Every year, around the world, advocates distribute
millions of Bibles, Korans, and a myriad of scripturally-based books
and pamphlets. ‘Well,’ an atheistic naysayer might comment,
‘religious zealots always disturb others with such useless
matters.’ But let’s hear from a secular scholar, Camille Paglia,
herself an atheist, who thoughtfully expresses her view of the
benefits of distributing transcendental literature: ‘Comparative
religion is the true multiculturalism and should be installed as the
core curriculum in every undergraduate program. From my perspective
as an atheist as well as a career college teacher, secular humanism
has been a disastrous failure. Too many young people raised in
affluent liberal homes are arriving at elite colleges and
universities with skittish, unformed personalities and shockingly
narrow views of human existence, confined to inflammatory and
divisive identity politics. Interest in Hinduism and Buddhism was
everywhere in the 1960s counterculture, but it gradually dissipated
partly because those most drawn to “cosmic consciousness” either
disabled themselves by
excess drug use or shunned the academic ladder of graduate school. I
contend that every educated person should be conversant with the
sacred texts, rituals, and symbol systems of the great world
religions — Hinduism, Buddhism, Judeo-Christianity, and Islam —
and that true global understanding is impossible without such
knowledge. Not least, the juxtaposition of historically evolving
spiritual codes tutors the young in ethical
reasoning
and the creation of meaning.’”
“Imagine
a father with many children. One of them leaves the family and takes
to the life of a degraded rogue—drinking, carousing, taking drugs,
committing crimes. Then one of the boy’s brothers goes out of his
way to help him. He seeks him out in the seedy part of town, and
gradually he helps the wayward boy clean up his life and again become
a good man and a good son. How pleased the father would be seeing his
son’s compassion! This is how Krishna feels toward devotees who
take the trouble to help the degraded conditioned souls who have
given up their relationship with their eternal father, Krishna.”
“Lord
Caitanya went out on harinama
Himself. He also instructed the Six Gosvamis to write books. Why?
Because He knew this information would be distributed all over the
world by Srila Prabhupada.”
“Srila
Bhaktisiddhanta wrote: ‘I wish that every selfless, tender-hearted
person of the Gaudiya Matha will be prepared to shed two hundred
gallons of blood for the nourishment of the spiritual corpus of every
individual of this world.’ He also said, in the same compassionate
mood, ‘Every single door must be knocked on at least once.’”
Srila
Prabhupada was once asked what the criterion was for his choosing GBC
members. He said, “Whoever I saw took the most risk for Krishna I
chose to be GBC.”
“From
the example of Bhakti Tirtha Swami I learned how to chant more
attentively. When he would chant and find that he was inattentive, he
would back up on those beads and chant again. He said that though it
took him longer to chant his rounds the quality was better. When I
heard that, I started following his example, and it has helped me
immensely in improving the quality of my japa.
When the quality of our japa
improves, the overall quality of our service improves.”
“There
is one verse in Srimad-Bhagavatam
that expresses the proper consciousness of a sankirtana
devotee better than any other verse I’ve found. Svayambhuva Manu
speaks it to Dhruva Maharaja:
titiksaya
karunaya
maitrya
cakhila-jantusu
samatvena
ca sarvatma
bhagavan
samprasidati
‘The
Lord is very satisfied with His devotee when the devotee greets other
people with tolerance, compassion, friendship and equality.’
(Srimad-Bhagavatam
4.11.13)”
“Anakadundubhi
Dasa
“It
is quite normal for a devotee to be compassionate. He just has to
remember how his life was before he joined. If we do not feel
compassion, we should pray to Lord Krishna to give us some of His
unlimited compassion so that we can share it with the conditioned
souls. This always works for me. Krishna never lets you down.”
“Gokula-lila
Devi Dasi
“I
was distributing books on Lincoln Road in Auckland, New Zealand. Many
people were taking books. As I saw two young boys approach, before
stopping them I concluded that they were either on drugs or
depressed. It was obvious from their morbid, expressionless faces. As
we talked I discovered they were brothers, fifteen and sixteen years
old, and due to circumstances they were also best friends; they
didn’t really have much shelter other than each other. They were
simple, gentle boys. Just remembering them makes me realize how lucky
I am to have the protection of Krishna and His devotees; any struggle
in Krishna consciousness is a sweet struggle not worthy of
complaints. They explained to me that they lived with their
grandmother, who because of old age had just recently broken both her
feet. Now these two teenage boys had to do everything for themselves
and their elderly grandmother. I asked about their parents. Brace
yourself—this is the reality of Kali-yuga. Their mother had left
one day and never came home. The boys had no idea where she was. And
their father? After repeated heart attacks, depression, and
anxiety—at this point the younger brother stopped speaking and
turned to the older boy, who completed the sentence: ‘he took his
own life.’
“Somehow,
by the mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and my showing a little interest
in these boys, they gave $15 and took a Bhagavad-gita.
How else was I to help them get out of such a terribly lonely, empty
life? Showing pity is not enough. The only possible way to help
anyone is to give them the mercy of Lord Caitanya, just as we’ve
received it.”
“Daru-brahma
Dasa
“I
was at the Los Angeles temple gift shop when a mataji
working in the store came up to me and asked, ‘Did you ever
distribute books in the Miami airport?’
I
said, ‘Yes, at different times.’
She
exclaimed, ‘It was you! Do you remember giving me a big book in the
airport a few years ago and asking for a donation? I
gave you a dollar and you said, “Well, we really try to get around
$5 to cover the cost of these big books. Do you mind if I give you a
smaller book instead?” Then you started to gently replace the big
book with a smaller one.
But
I got upset and said, “No, you gave me the big book and I want that
one!” And I forcibly grabbed the big book back. You then pleaded
with me for a bigger donation, but I got so angry that I grabbed even
the dollar I’d already given you and stormed off with both the book
and my money.’
By
now my memory had been jogged sufficiently to remember the incident.
I remembered distinctly thinking at the time, ‘That !%@#&%#!! I
bet someone who takes a book like that will go to hell for quite
awhile.’
She
continued her story, saying, ‘Well, Prabhu, I read that book and
within a short time became a devotee. And for many years I myself
went out and distributed Srila Prabhupada’s books in the Los
Angeles airport.’ It turns out that she was very good at it, too.
“So
the lesson is that not only may someone who doesn’t take a book
from a book distributor become one, but even someone who steals a
book from a distributor may become one, too. You never know with
Krishna.”
“Krishna
Dasa (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)
“In
one of the Far East countries the police were on the lookout for a
very notorious criminal. He decided to hide out in the local Hare
Krishna temple. After he’d stayed in the temple for a few months,
his heart became purified and he became a genuine devotee.
He had heard of the importance of book distribution and thought he
would be good at it since he had a bold nature. He figured the police
wouldn’t notice him because of his shaven head.
“Once
while distributing books he was recognized by the police, and they
arrested him and took him to jail. Because of the severity of his
crimes, the judge sentenced him to serve his sentence in a torturous
island prison. Many hard-core criminals had been sent there.
To make it even harder for them to escape, the authorities would
inject them with tranquilizers. After a while they would forget even
who they were and become almost like vegetables.
“The
devotees from the temple pleaded with the judge to release the
devotee, since he’d completely changed his way of life. But the
judge said that was impossible because of the seriousness and extent
of his crimes. He had to undergo the punishment, and there was
no escape from that.”
“The
prisoners in the camp were very badly treated. At meal time the
police would throw loaves of bread on the ground so the criminals
would have to fight among themselves like dogs to get a morsel. At
the temple devotees’ request, however, the authorities agreed not
to inject the devotee with tranquilizers, since he had obviously
undergone a change of heart.”
“After
a few months the prison commissioner went to the island prison to see
the status of the criminals there. To his astonishment, there was no
more throwing of bread to the prisoners. Each prisoner would get his
loaf of bread and would then offer it to the Radha-Krishna Deity the
devotee prisoner had made out of sand. Only then would the prisoners
take prasadam.
All the prisoners were chanting the maha-mantra
and had been completely transformed into devotees by associating with
the criminal-turned-devotee.”
“After
visiting the island prison, the prison commissioner informed the
temple devotees of what he had seen. He was quite happy about how
such notorious criminals had undergone such an extraordinary
transformation of character. He was completely stunned by the whole
episode and decided to reduce the sentence of the devotee criminal on
the island.”
“Trnakarta
Dasa
“I
was walking my dog in a forest when he smelled something. I went over
to see what it was, and after I’d moved some leaves I found a book
— a Krishna
book. I picked it up and said to myself, ‘What’s this?’ I
started reading it and became fascinated by the contents. Soon I
joined the temple. This was in the early ’70s. This may be the first
time a dog became a vartma-pradarsaka-guru.”
“Visvambhara
Dasa
“In
1982, during my brahmacari period, one day I was distributing books
door-to-door in Italy, in the region where I grew up. A man came out
of his house, and I tried very hard to give him a Bhagavad-gita,
but he refused to take it. I was just about to go when his
seven-year-old girl came out and said, ‘Papa, I want it. Please
take it,’ and with great reluctance the man purchased it. The book
(I learned later) was then abandoned on their bookshelf. In those
days I would always write my name and the temple phone number at the
end of every book I would distribute. If the purchaser would want
some more literature or have any questions, they could contact me
personally at the temple.
“After
twelve years or so the girl took the book off the shelf and asked her
father what it was about and where it came from. The father told her
that about twelve years earlier a young monk had come to their door
and she had persuaded the father to get it, but the girl could not
remember the incident. She embarked upon reading the Gita,
and at the end of the book she came across my name, Bhakta Raffaele,
and the phone number of the temple where I had resided twelve years
earlier. She then visited the temple for the Sunday feast. She
enjoyed the lecture and kirtana
and had a good first impression of the devotees. In fact, she later
related, it was the most wonderful experience of her life. The smell
of the incense and the soft sound of the karatalas
seemed very familiar to her. Before she left she asked about Bhakta
Raffaele, and the devotees told her that in 1985 I had moved to the
UK and that my name was now Visvambhara Dasa.
“She
then came all the way to the UK to search me out at Bhaktivedanta
Manor! One day, after I had given a class, she approached me and
asked, ‘Is your name Visvambhara Dasa, and did you grow up in
Italy?’
‘Yes,’
I replied to both questions.
She
said, ‘My name is Cinzia, and I am also from Italy.’
Then
she said, ‘Thank you,’ with tears in her eyes. She told me about
the incident twelve years earlier, and I also started to shed tears.
I remembered what Srila Prabhupada had once said, namely, that if we
can make one devotee with this Bhagavad-gita,
then our life will be successful. I was so happy that this girl had
reached the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha-Gokulananda. Cinzia stayed at
Bhaktivedanta Manor and became an initiated disciple of Indradyumna
Swami. Her name is now Kaumadaki Devi Dasi, and she is currently
serving in the festival programs with Indradyumna Maharaja. This
incident has given me so much faith in the activity of book
distribution.”
“Haraprana
Devi Dasi
“Once
as I was distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books in a small city in
Belgium, I met a woman who listened very emotionally as I showed her
a book. ‘I don’t need the book. I’ve just bought some pills in
the pharmacy [she showed them to me] and am going home to commit
suicide.’
‘Why?!’
I asked her, shocked.
‘My
husband has died, and I can’t live without him.’
“I
told her about reincarnation and explained that committing suicide
would not solve her problems. ‘This knowledge is all in these
books,’ I explained. ‘They can be a great help and shelter for
you.’
“She
agreed to read one of the books before taking the pills and asked me
to come to her house so she could pay for it. After she had invited
me to sit down, we started a conversation. She showed me photos of
her husband, and to my amazement I came across some pictures of her
and her husband visiting Radhadesh, the main Hare Krishna center in
Belgium, during a marriage ceremony.
“I
said, ‘Hey! That’s where I live! And the girl getting married is
my friend; she’s also here in town right now.’
“I
went to get my devotee friend. As we spoke with the woman, she
gradually became more and more enthusiastic and bought all five books
we had with us. She promised us she was going to throw the pills
away, read the books thoroughly, and keep in contact with
the devotees.
“She
kept her promise. Now she often visits the temple, and she opens her
house to any devotee who wants to stay overnight or distribute books
from there.”
“Mahatma
Dasa (Greece)
“As
I distributed books on one of the Greek islands, I met a lady who had
gotten an Isopanisad
from me on a different island a couple of years earlier. She told me
she was convinced it was a very special book, and it had stolen her
heart. Here’s why:
“Just
before meeting me and getting the Iso,
she had split up with her husband and was heading for divorce. But
after buying that fateful Iso
and again meeting her almost ex-husband, she suddenly found they had
something in common. Earlier he had also bought an Isopanisad
from me and, like her, had found it fascinating. Because of that
connection, they got back together and are still living happily as I
write—putting Krishna in the center.”
“Nityananda-Rama
Dasa
“In
Siberia there was a burglar who belonged to a gang of thieves. One
day he was in an apartment searching for valuables when he heard a
noise at the door. Frightened, he began climbing out the window, and
out of frustration that all his trouble had come to naught, he
quickly grabbed whatever was at hand—a book lying on the kitchen
table—and then ran off.”
“When
the burglar arrived home and looked at the book, he saw that the
title read Bhagavad-gita
As It Is.
He didn’t have the slightest interest in such a book, but since he
had stolen it he figured he might as well read it, so he opened it
and began.
“Soon
he was becoming more and more interested in philosophy and spiritual
life. He started visiting the local temple and gradually began
chanting Hare Krishna. After some time he brought his gang members to
the temple and introduced them to Krishna consciousness. Before long
they were all regularly visiting the temple to render services like
cleaning and driving. When devotees asked them what they did for a
living, they simply answered, ‘God allows everyone to survive.’”
“But
there was a problem. The burglar’s wife became disturbed to see the
great change in his character. He was losing interest in his
occupation. She worried about their income. To make matters worse,
her father was one of the biggest gangsters in town. Infuriated
to find his son-in-law breaking with their tradition of thievery, the
father-in-law even threatened to kill him if he didn’t stop his
spiritual practices, which his father-in-law considered an insult to
their great heritage.
“So
the burglar was caught in a real bind. But one day his wife went to
visit some relatives in Moscow, and while shopping in a big
marketplace she saw a young man carrying a stack of books. He was
walking around without approaching anyone. After he had walked past
many people, he went straight up to her, gave her a book, and said,
“This is the best book in the world. You should read it because
you’ll really like it.” The devotee didn’t know her and had no
idea her husband was already chanting Hare Krishna.
“The
burglar’s wife was intrigued that out of hundreds of people in the
marketplace she had been the one the devotee approached. She bought
the book, Teachings
of Lord Caitanya. Then
she went home and read it cover to cover. Now convinced about the
philosophy of Krishna consciousness, she joined forces with her
husband and threw her father out of the house.
“The
couple started to visit the temple together, and soon the man began
going out with the devotees to distribute books. As he became more
and more keen to do that service, he realized, ‘Formerly I would
walk by so many mansions thinking how I could enter them and steal
something. Now I think, “Let me go to that house and give the
occupants Krishna’s mercy in the form of Prabhupada’s books.”’”
“In
Lithuania I went to sell sets of books at a factory where the
director was feared by all the employees. The director was like a
gangster and would beat people and throw them out of the company.
When I came in with the books, the workers told me not to go anywhere
near the director. But I wasn’t deterred. I went in, showed the
director the books, and fearlessly preached to him with
determination.
“The
man looked at the books and read a little. He appreciated that I was
taking time to explain the books and talk to him. As the saying goes,
“It’s lonely at the top.” No one would ever talk with him. He
was so lonely.
“The
director called all the department heads to his office and told them,
‘Everyone is going to buy a set of these books.’
“No
one dared say no. The director let me go through the company selling
books, with his recommendation. I collected many signatures
authorizing payment, and a few days later returned to deliver the
books. The director had assembled all the workers and department
heads in a large hall. He then gave a speech.”
“‘Today
is a very important day, because you all have a chance to get these
wonderful books. You may ask yourself why I’m doing this, since you
all know I’ve been an atheist all my life. But since I’ve met
this interesting person and read these books, I’m convinced there’s
something more than just material life. And I want God—up there—to
know that I, Valdimier Zuchenkof, have given His books to the workers
of my factory.’
“Everyone
applauded, and he started handing out the books.”
“Sankirtana
Devi Dasi
“I
was in a Walmart parking lot and approached a young man with a Coming
Back.
I asked, ‘Do you have any opinions on reincarnation?’
‘Yes,’
he replied, as he eyed the book suspiciously. ‘Wait a minute.
What religion is this?’
‘We’re
the Hare Krishnas.’
At
once he put his hands out in front of him and said with firm
conviction: ‘I don’t want any cookies!’
‘Good,’
I said, ‘because I don’t have any. But what’s wrong with Hare
Krishna cookies? I’ve been eating them for over twenty-five years.’
‘All
I know is that whenever any of my friends eat your cookies, their
lives change. I don’t need that.’
‘What
do you mean by “change”?’
‘I
don’t know . . . they’re just never the same.’
I
just had to put my arms in the air and say, ‘Yes! They change in a
good way.’ He laughed and agreed, and then he took a book and gave
a nice donation.
“I
was high all day thinking of all the little cookie bombs that have
been detonated in so many of the conditioned souls’ hearts around
the world, and how those souls are now waiting for the next step. We
have to give them these books come hell or high water.”
“Bhakta
Mick
“In
Galway, a town in western Ireland, I presented a book to a girl who
seemed interested. But after I had talked for a couple of minutes she
said, ‘I’m not really convinced. Why should I take this book?’
“‘Well,’
I said, ‘this book is just like a cake. I may say “This is a nice
cake” and you may say “No, I don’t think so,” but how will
you know unless you taste it? So unless you take the book and read
it, you’ll never know how good it is.’
“She
replied, ‘You don’t know how relevant that example is. I work in
a bakery. Every day people come in and ask, “Is this one nice? Is
this one nice?” and it drives me crazy. How much is the book? I’ll
take it.’
“Bhakta
Dasa
“In
the middle of 1972 Srila Prabhupada wrote me a letter. At that time,
there was no ‘plainclothes’ sankirtana.
Everyone wore dhotis,
saris, and tilaka
and told people, ‘We’re from Hare Krishna. Please read a book
about Krishna.’
“In
the letter Srila Prabhupada told me, ‘Make sure you sell books by
preaching, not by cheating.’
“I
was taken aback. I thought, ‘What does he mean by this word
“cheating”?’ I wrote and asked him, ‘Srila Prabhupada, in
your letter to me you wrote, “Make sure you sell books by
preaching, not by cheating.” What exactly do you mean?’
“His
reply came on May 2, 1972:
“‘So
far the meaning of the word “cheating,” there are only three
things to be known: that Krishna is the Supreme Enjoyer, the Supreme
Proprietor of everything, and the Supreme Friend of everyone, and we
say that honesty is acting upon the knowledge of these three facts.
So if one is always acting under these three facts, knowing Krishna
to be the Supreme Proprietor, Enjoyer, and Friend, then he is truly
honest, and if one is not acting in this knowledge, then he is always
cheating or being dishonest. So if you apply this to your techniques
for selling literature to persons in the Sankirtana party, then you
will understand what is the meaning of the word “cheating.”’”
“Chowpatty
Temple Book Distribution
“Often
a book distributor develops a sixth sense by which to judge a
prospective customer. The way a person listens to the announcement,
the way he looks at the devotee and books, his body language—all
contain subtle signals an expert book
distributor
can perceive and pursue to distribute a book. Often how a person
looks speaks volumes—whether he’s intelligent, worried, spaced
out, jolly, curious, suffering, etc. But sometimes looks can be
deceiving.
“One
day Pañca Pandava Prabhu was distributing books on the local trains
in Mumbai. He made his announcement and showed the books to the
commuters, and a few of them took books. Then he stood by the exit
door, preparing to disembark at the next station.
Suddenly a man entered the car and almost stumbled into him. His
clothes were disheveled and dirty, his hair was unkempt, his face was
unshaven, and his breath reeked of alcohol. Nearby passengers cursed
and moved away. Pañca Pandava cringed at his sight
and tried to move around him, but the man blocked the way.
“‘Hey,
show me that book you have!’ he demanded.
“Pañca
Pandava thought, ‘Should I show a book to this drunkard? Is he
sober enough to recognize the importance of these sacred books? Will
he respect them? What will the other passengers think if I speak to
him?” Not sure what to do, Pañca Pandava stood still.
“‘Don’t
you hear me, man? I’m interested in these books of God. Show me
one.’
“Pañca
Pandava still had doubts: ‘Does he have any money to pay for the
books?’ he thought. ‘What if he takes the book and runs away?
What will I do, fight with this low-class man in a public place?’
“The
man seemed to read Pañca Pandava’s mind. ‘You think I have no
money? Look!’ And he pulled out a wad of notes and shook them in
the air. ‘How much does your book cost?’
“Taken
aback, Pañca Pandava could only mutter, ‘Twenty rupees.’
“‘That’s
all?’ the man said as he pulled out a twenty-rupee note and thumped
it into Pañca Pandava’s palm. ‘Give me my book,’ the man
demanded.
Pañca
Pandava handed him a small book. The man raised the book close to his
eyes and then touched it to his forehead.
“‘I
told you I like books of God. See how beautiful Lord Krishna looks!
OK.’
“Holding
the prized possession close to his heart, the man fumbled his way out
of the train at the next station. The entire incident proved to Pañca
Pandava that he should never judge a person by his looks. As the
saying goes, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.’
Lord Caitanya’s mercy flows freely to both the materially qualified
and the materially unqualified. So you never know who may be the next
recipient of His causeless mercy. But one thing’s for sure: looks
are definitely not the criterion for receiving it.”
Brajananda
Prabhu:
Sociologist
of Rodney Stark of Baylor University found that
only
one
in a thousand religions will last 100 years and get 100,000
adherents.
Ten
reasons why religions fails:
1.
If they are too different in too many ways from the society in which
they arise.
2.
If their doctrines are not empirical.
3.
If they have standards that are too strict or too loose compared with
the outer environment.
4.
If the leaders have no legitimate authority or the scriptures have no
legitimate authority.
Srila
Prabhupada was a moral authority, and being attracted by his personal
qualities, many people wanted to help him.
5.
If they cannot attract people to do voluntary service, especially
that of propagation.
6.
If they cannot produce enough offspring to compensate for member
mortality.
7.
If their
group
is not stronger than others in their
area.
8.
If members cannot maintain strong relationships with each other and
at the same time be able to be open to networking with others.
9.
If
they are unable
to maintain spiritual standards.
10.
If they are unable to inspire their youth to follow with enough
strictness.
Srila
Prabhupada wanted children to attend gurukula
from
five
to ten
years of
age,
and then at ten
years to enter a varnashrama
college
and learn a particular trade.
Kaunteya
Prabhu says we do worst in this item.
Kumari
Sakhi Devi Dasi:
We
can analyze our senses one by one and see how much we have engaged
them in Krishna’s service.
Lord
Caitanya is the original spiritual rebel.
When
we connect with Krishna we can experience glimpses of our soul’s
qualities of eternity, knowledge, and bliss.
Comment
by Arjuna: When chanting japa
in
a group, it feels like everyone is getting cleaned out at the same
time.
Comment
by Parvarthy: I felt a lot lighter from the group chanting. I had a
day filled with a lot of intense thinking, so this prayer was a
blessing. Thanks.
Daniel:
People
are looking for permanence and happiness in this world where
everything is temporary and miserable. This is maya
– that which is not.
Animals
are not polluting the world.
[I
went to a meeting of the Interfaith Council at FSU for the first
time. They had two presenters from other FSU organizations, one was a
lady from a group called Green Dot, and the other a guy from The
Center for Leadership and Social Change. Green Dot is committed to
promoting acts, words, or choices that oppose the culture of power
based personal violence. The Center for Leadership and Social Change
has a four-day personal leadership seminar in May, and they sought
sponsorship from the Interfaith Council.]
Green
Dot:
6.5%
of students experience sexual violence.
Cultural
changes in recent years have made negative impact.
Facebook
started with one guy wanting to share with his friends, then spread
to the Ivy Leagues, then the “.edu” email addresses, and then the
world.
Green
Dots are places where people behave in ways that reduce violence in
the community.
Behavioral
changes in students may indicate they are victims of violence.
There
is a bystander effect whereby if several people witness an incident
they are less likely do to something to
help the situation
than if a single person sees it.
If
you are not comfortable inquiring about the welfare of people
involved in a conflict, you can ask a friend who does not mind.
One
way of dealing with conflict is to distract people from it by asking
them for directions or to help you find your dog.
By
confronting people, you make them aware that:
1.
You see them.
2.
You care about them.
The
Center for Leadership and Social Change:
Leadershape
Institute is four-day retreat where students examine their values.
Faith
is often an important value for students.
We
seek to gain sponsorship from other campus and off-campus
organizations.
-----
Krishna
assures us in Bhagavad-gita
that
if we take full shelter of Him, we will not have to worry. This
is especially important during this unsettling time of the
coronavirus epidemic. Srila Prabhupada recalled a famine in India
when the price of rice suddenly shot up to many, many times the
previous value, and many could not afford it. His experience was that
all his friends who were Vaishnavas (devotees of the Supreme Lord)
somehow or other always had enough to survive.
ananyas
cintayanto mam
ye
janah paryupasate
tesam
nityabhiyuktanam
yoga-ksemam
vahamy aham
“But
those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My
transcendental form – to them I carry what they lack, and I
preserve what they have.” (Bhagavad-gita
9.22)
