Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 16, No. 8
By Krishna Kripa Das
(April 2020, part two)
Tallahassee
(Sent from Tallahassee on May 1, 2020)
Where
I Went and What I Did
I
continued staying in ISKCON Tallahassee, chanting Hare
Krishna three
hours a day on the porch with
local devotees
and sharing it on Facebook Live.
We received some appreciation from our neighbors, positive
comments from
those who have watched
us on Facebook, and
some
approval from the
ISKCON
Harinama Sankirtan Ministry. In addition, both
Arjuna
Abhimanyu
Prabhu and I chanted in the Alachua Festival of the Holy Name Global
Pandemic Kirtan and the Denver Golden
Age 12-Hour
Kirtan.
I
also completed “Beginning French 1” at Florida State University
with an A-, and I hope that will be useful in my service in Paris in
the summers.
I
share
several relevant quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s books, lectures,
and letters. I share many inspiring quotes from the “Uddhava Gita”
wherein Lord Krishna personally enlightens His great devotee Uddhava
with additional knowledge not included in Bhagavad-gita.
This is found in Srimad-Bhagavatam,
Canto
Eleven, by the humble servants of Srila Prabhupada. I share excerpts
from the writing of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share notes on
recorded lectures by Janananda Goswami, Niranjana Swami, and Urmila
Devi Dasi. I share notes on classes by local devotees, Brajananda Prabhu and Daniel.
Thanks
to Daniel for the photo of the four friends taking prasadam
and
the videos of Jorge leading kirtan and Kumari Sakhi Devi Dasi leading
kirtan, while a student was taking prasadam
and
I danced.
Itinerary
April–June?:
Tallahassee temple porch harinamas
June?–late
July: Paris harinama
July
28–August 1: Pol’and’Rock festival (formerly
Polish Woodstock)
August
7–8: Liverpool harinama
August
9: Liverpool Ratha-yatra
August
19–23: Canada Vaishnava Sanga Festival
August
24: Montreal harinama
September
16?–December 31: Yuga Dharma Ashram harinama
party
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Tallahassee
Different
people appreciated our chanting Hare Krishna on the Tallahassee
temple porch, which we live streamed on Facebook, including the GBC
Harinam Sankirtan Ministry. At
Janananda Goswami’s request I told Ekalavya Prabhu, secretary
of GBC Harinam Sankirtan Ministry, about
our daily harinamas
in
Tallahassee, and
I shared with him a link to that day’s kirtan. He replied
immediately, saying, “I enjoyed the kirtan with the guitar. Sweet.
You should edit the video, just that end part, and share. I would
share it on my networks.” Thus I edited out the part he liked, with
the
guitar and Brajananda
and Kumari Sakhi Prabhus chanting
Hare Krishna at Tallahassee Krishna Lunch
(https://youtu.be/Imrz6PUumAA):
In
his next letter, Ekalavya Prabhu wrote “I
showed the video that you sent me on first day with the party at 2
hours 10 min guitar and cajón
[box
drum]
kirtan to HH Lokanath Swami. He said it was very good and asked me
to post it. So, I will surely post that one and maybe others from
your travels also.”
The
following two clips are higher resolution videos from that same
kirtan which Lokanath Swami liked.
Brajananda
Prabhu plays guitar and chants Hare Krishna at the Tallahassee
Krishna Lunch (https://youtu.be/Zbe0pvLwFjA):
Kumari
Sakhi Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at the Tallahassee Krishna Lunch
(https://youtu.be/xcPgG8ah7iI):
A
Facebook friend of mine, Bhakta
Stefaan of
Antwerp, commented
one day, “I
can assure you: it’s very uplifting to end the working days, out
here in Europe, with your bhajans
in the background. So keep up the good work, and Haribol!”
A
friend
of Brajananda Prabhu wrote,
“One
day when I am in your area it would be nice to stop by your ISKCON
center in Tallahassee. I am happy to see you all are keeping live
feed for souls like myself to relish in on the mercy of harinam.”
Because
we sing on the temple porch we do not see that so many people are
hearing the Hare Krishna chant and wonder how many people we reach
locally.
Once
a Florida
State University student
who lives 0.2 miles (320 meters) away said, “I always love to hear
you all’s music. I always enjoy [it] whenever I am walking around,
or even just outside of my house. The music fills the neighborhood.”
He chanted with us a couple times before, although a committed
Christian, and we invited him to lead the chant that
day.
He led for the final 19 minutes, after saying he had to leave in five
(https://youtu.be/XYnFtWodaWM):
Because
he seemed to be having a good time, I let him go overtime, and so we
ended up doing 3:09 hours of kirtan that day.
We
had offered him a
promotional free plate of Krishna prasadam,
as
we do with one neighbor each day, and you can see him eating it and
expressing his appreciation during this kirtan in which Kumari
Sakhi Devi Dasi leads
the Hare
Krishna chant
and I
dance (https://youtu.be/38R3cFl5Z8Y):
Another
two
Krishna Lunchers, who live at the end of our street, later
also said
they can hear our chanting when they leave their apartment. With
all the student apartments nearby,
I am sure that
at
least one or two
hundred people living
within
a 0.2-mile radius have heard us as we have
chanted
for three hours a day for 39
days since
our lockdown began,
and it is amazing to me that not a single person
has complained.
Tulasi
Priya Devi Dasi, commenting
on why no one complained, said
“Maybe
they’re not complaining because it’s a connection with someone
outside their homes, a link to the outside world. Maybe they feel,
yes, those crazy Hare Krishnas are doing their thing, so the world
hasn’t completely gone to hell yet. And maybe, just maybe, their
false ego resistance has been weakened just a little bit by all this
chaos, so their hearts are softer and more receptive to the
transcendental sound.”
Some
students, like Miguel (above), are so enthusiastic about Krishna
Lunch that they come every day. Miguel even came on the weekend,
although we do not do Krishna Lunch on the weekends, so we fed him
anyway because he took the trouble to come, and he gave a donation.
Once
four friends came walking by and purchased four plates of Krishna
Lunch.
Then they sat down on our grass and ate them. Brajananda Prabhu had recently met one of them walking her dog and invited her for a free meal.
Brajananda
Prabhu is getting back into book distribution, promoting spiritual
care packages of books and meditation beads for a donation.
These
come in different sizes.
He
has found surprising success so far, and he plans to add prasadam
to
his care packages in the near future.
Here
Arjuna
Abhimanyu Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Alachua Festival of the Holy
Name Global Pandemic Kirtan with devotees in Tallahassee
(https://youtu.be/QqJagzbrVhY):
You
can find the entire kirtan on their Facebook site
(https://www.facebook.com/groups/globalkirtan).
Arjuna
Abhimanyu Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on the Tallahassee temple porch
(https://youtu.be/i1KklEfn1Kw):
Somehow
or other I was able to convince Brajananda Prabhu to stay and lead
the evening kirtan one Sunday night, and almost
everyone
took part (https://youtu.be/slHOWqLkMdw):
Here
Arjuna Abhimanyu Prabhu chants Hare Krishna during Tallahassee
Krishna Lunch that week (https://youtu.be/sxwfTWIhnjQ):
On
April 22, the appearance
day of Gadadhara Pandit, and Earth Day as well, the
Denver-based Golden Age Kirtan group invited me
and Arjuna Abhimanyu
Prabhu to chant Hare Krishna in their 12-hour kirtan, and we shared
an hour slot in the late afternoon (https://youtu.be/h5B5u7QSQs4):
Here
Kumari
Sakhi Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Tallahassee Krishna Lunch, and
I dance (https://youtu.be/PbP4nvuWVoM):
I
chanted
Hare Krishna for
half an hour
in the
second of the Alachua
Festival of the Holy Name Global Pandemic 108-Hour
Kirtans
(https://youtu.be/OqZHDarKWQg):
Jorge,
who is a nonresident at
present,
comes by several days a week to chant Hare Krishna at Tallahassee
Krishna Lunch (https://youtu.be/F16Wqb4ewvQ):
HARE
KRISHNA! The Mantra, the Movement and the Swami who started it all
Yadubara
Prabhu made the Hare Krishna! film
available for free viewing for the
three-day Easter weekend,
and as that was so
successful, for a whole
week later.
I encouraged my contacts at the university to watch it, and I saw
parts of it again myself, noting some of my favorite quotes:
Srila
Prabhupada:
“I
do not blame hippies. They are disappointed in the system of modern
education. They are searching after something sublime.”
Mukunda
Goswami:
“When
the first love feasts occurred in the Bowery, Prabhupada’s demeanor
was as a very affable and happy host. He seemed to always be smiling
and encouraging people to take more and more and more. He was like a
friend, and he was giving a party, and it was his party, and he just
wanted everyone to be happy.”
Thomas
J. Hopkins, Emeritus
Professor of Religion:
“If
you can think about what you might call chutzpah. This was incredible
– incorporating an international society when you are living out of
a storefront, and you have no resources whatsoever. They didn’t
have any idea what he was doing, and he assured them this is what
we’re going to be.”
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
From
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya
8.215, purport:
“Prema
is full service rendered unto the Lord. The lusty affairs of the
gopis
actually constitute the topmost love of Godhead because the gopis
never act for their own personal satisfaction. They are simply
pleased by engaging other gopis
in the service of the Lord. The gopis
derive more transcendental pleasure from indirectly engaging other
gopis
in the service of Krishna than from engaging in His service
themselves. That is the difference between material lust and love of
Godhead. Lust applies to the material world, and love of Godhead
applies only to Krishna.”
From
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya
8.218:
“Among
the gopis,
there is not a pinch of desire for sense gratification. Their only
desire is to give pleasure to Krishna, and this is why they mingle
with Him and enjoy with Him.”
From
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya
9.147:
“The
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, attracts the mind of the
goddess of fortune, but Lord Narayana cannot attract the minds of the
gopis.
This proves the superexcellence of Krishna.”
From
Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya
9.156:
“‘When
the jewel known as vaidurya
touches various other materials, it appears to be separated into
different colors, and consequently its forms also appear different.
Similarly, according to the meditational ecstasy of the devotee, the
Lord, who is known as Acyuta [‘the infallible one’], appears in
different forms, although He is essentially one.’” [Sri
Narada-pancaratra]
[The
following two quotes I heard in the guru/disciple course:]
From
a lecture on February 8, 1975, in Honolulu, Hawaii:
“When
they say they don’t like ISKCON and the G.B.C., they are really
saying they don’t like to follow my order. That means they don’t
like my order. That means they don’t have faith in my order. That
means they don’t have faith in me. That means guru-aparadha.
To say they have faith in me is just hypocrisy.”
From
a letter
to Visvakarma written
in
Bombay on
9 November 1975:
“I
have now issued orders that all my disciples should avoid all of my
Godbrothers. They should not have any dealings with them nor even
correspondence, nor should they give them any of my books or should
they purchase any of their books, neither should you visit any of
their temples. Please avoid them.”
The
humble servants of Srila Prabhupada:
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.9.11, purport:
“In
the perfect stage of mental concentration called samadhi
there is no longer any distinction between internal and external
vision, since one can see the Absolute Truth everywhere.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.9.12:
“The
mind can be controlled when it is fixed on the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. Having achieved a stable situation, the mind becomes free
from polluted desires to execute material activities; thus as the
mode of goodness increases in strength, one can completely give up
the modes of passion and ignorance, and gradually one transcends even
the material mode of goodness. When the mind is freed from the fuel
of the modes of nature, the fire of material existence is
extinguished. Then one achieves the transcendental platform of direct
relationship with the object of his meditation, the Supreme Lord.
Thus, when one’s consciousness is completely fixed on the Absolute
Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one no longer sees
duality, or internal and external reality.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.9.28:
“The
Supreme Personality of Godhead, expanding His own potency,
maya-shakti,
created innumerable species of life to house the conditioned souls.
Yet by creating the forms of trees, reptiles, animals, birds, snakes
and so on, the Lord was not satisfied within His heart. Then He
created human life, which offers the conditioned soul sufficient
intelligence to perceive the Absolute Truth, and became pleased.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.9.28, purport:
“If
one takes to Krishna consciousness, the Supreme Lord personally feels
happiness and gradually reveals Himself to His devotee.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.9.29:
“After
many, many births and deaths one achieves the rare human form of
life, which, although temporary, affords one the opportunity to
attain the highest perfection. Thus a sober human being should
quickly endeavor for the ultimate perfection of life as long as his
body, which is always subject to death, has not fallen down and died.
After all, sense gratification is available even in the most
abominable species of life, whereas Krishna consciousness is possible
only for a human being.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.10.3:
“One
who is sleeping may see many objects of sense gratification in a
dream, but such pleasurable things are merely creations of the mind
and are thus ultimately useless. Similarly, the living entity who is
asleep to his spiritual identity also sees many sense objects, but
these innumerable objects of temporary gratification are creations of
the Lord’s illusory potency and have no permanent existence. One
who meditates upon them, impelled by the senses, uselessly engages
his intelligence.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.10.3, purport:
“Because
the fruits of material work are temporary, it ultimately does not
matter whether or not one obtains them; the final result is the
same.”
“If
one is not Krishna conscious, he is uselessly dreaming without any
understanding of his eternal situation. The material intelligence
will always devise novel means of achieving happiness, and therefore
one bounces from one fruitless program of sense gratification to
another, ignoring the simple fact that all material things are
temporary and will disappear.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.10.4, purport:
“Ultimately,
every human being should take to the transcendental duties of Krishna
consciousness. Rather than working to fulfill one’s own desires and
then offering the results to Krishna, one should fully engage in
pleasing the Lord directly according to His own intimate desires.
“According
to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, any attempt to enjoy the
material world, either religiously or irreligiously, ultimately will
be full of contradictions. One should come to the the platform of
desirelessness, pure love of Godhead, and thus solve all of the
problems of life.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.10.18:
“It
is observed within the material world that sometimes even an
intelligent person is not happy. Similarly, sometimes even a great
fool is happy. The concept of becoming happy through expertly
performing material activities is simply a useless exhibition of
false egotism.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.10.19:
“Even
if people know how to achieve happiness and avoid unhappiness, they
still do not know the process by which death will not be able to
exert its power over them.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.10.20:
“Death
is not at all pleasing, and since everyone is exactly like a
condemned man being led to the place of execution, what possible
happiness can people derive from material objects or the
gratification they provide?”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.10.31, purport:
“It
is natural to perform activities with a desire to achieve a good
result. The best results, however, can be attained by one who engages
in the devotional service of the Lord with a desire to be reinstated
in his constitutional position as the Lord’s loving servant. In
this way the tendency to exploit one’s own activities for a
particular result can be purified; then the modes of nature and the
material senses will no longer engage the living entity in illusion.
The living entity is by nature blissful, and when his illusion
ceases, all suffering comes to an end. The liberated soul is then fit
to reside in Vaikuntha, the kingdom of God.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.11, Chapter Summary:
“The
liberated jiva,
in spite of being within a material body because of the remaining
reactions of his past activities, does not become disturbed by the
happiness and suffering of the body. He sees such bodily experiences
in the same way that a person who has just awakened from a dream sees
his dream experiences. On the other hand, although the conditioned
living entity is by nature not the enjoyer of the happiness and
misery of the body, he imagines himself to be the enjoyer of his
bodily experiences, just as a person in a dream imagines his dream
experiences to be real.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.11.1, purport:
“The
living entity’s dream of being part and parcel of the material
world is an illusion that drags him into the contradictory state
called material conditioned life. The living entity is never actually
baddha,
or bound up, since he merely imagines a false connection with the
material world.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.11.3, purport:
“When
all of the Lord’s potencies are correctly perceived in their proper
categories, the living entity is liberated from material bondage and
returns to his blissful eternal residence in the spiritual sky.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.11.4:
“O
most intelligent Uddhava, the living entity, called jiva,
is part and parcel of Me, but due to ignorance he has been suffering
in material bondage since time immemorial. By knowledge, however, he
can be liberated.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.11.6, purport:
“Lord
Krishna is so kind that He patiently sits in the heart, trying to
guide the conditioned soul back home, back to Godhead. Certainly no
material friend would remain with his foolish companion for millions
of years, especially if his companion were to ignore him or even
curse him. But Lord Krishna is such a faithful, loving friend that He
accompanies even the most demoniac living entity and is also in the
heart of the insect, pig and dog. That is because Lord Krishna is
supremely Krishna conscious and sees every living entity as part and
parcel of Himself. Every living being should give up the bitter
fruits of the tree of material existence. One should turn one’s
face to the Lord within the heart and revive one’s eternal loving
relationship with one’s real friend, Lord Krishna. The word
sadrishau,
or “of similar nature,” indicates that both the living entity and
the Personality of Godhead are conscious entities. As part and parcel
of the Lord we share the Lord’s nature, but in infinitesimal
quantity. Thus the Lord and the living entity are sadrishau.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.11.7, purport:
“According
to Srila Madhvacarya, the Lord is the only eternally free living
entity, and all other living entities are eternally dependent and
bound to the Lord, either through blissful loving service or through
the bondage of maya.
The conditioned soul should give up tasting the bitter fruits of the
tree of material existence and turn to his dearmost friend, Lord
Krishna, who is sitting within his heart. There is no pleasure equal
to or greater than the pleasure of pure devotional service to Lord
Krishna, and by tasting the fruit of love of Krishna, the liberated
living entity enters the ocean of happiness.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.11.9, purport:
“According
to Srila Visvanatha
Cakravarti Thakura, one who claims to be transcendental to the bodily
concept of life, but at the same time remains under the influence of
material desire and mental transformation, is understood to be a
cheater and the lowest type of conditioned soul.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.11.14:
“A
person is considered to be completely liberated from the gross and
subtle material bodies when all the functions of his vital energy,
senses, mind and intelligence are performed without material desire.
Such a person, although situated within the body, is not entangled.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.11.21:
“Coming
to this conclusion of all knowledge, one should give up the false
conception of material variety that one imposes upon the soul and
thus cease one’s material existence. The mind should be fixed on
Me, since I am all-pervading.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.11.21, purport:
“The
Lord also states in the Gita
that all living entities are on the path back home, back to Godhead.
Because of ignorance, however, some of them go backward or stop along
the way, foolishly thinking that their journey is finished, when in
fact they are suspended in one of the minor potencies of the Supreme
Lord. If one wants to intimately understand the nature of the
Absolute Truth, one must take to the path of love of Godhead.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.11.23–24:
“My
dear Uddhava, narrations of My pastimes and qualities are
all-auspicious and purify the entire universe. A faithful person who
constantly hears, glorifies and remembers such transcendental
activities, who through dramatic performances relives My pastimes,
beginning with My appearance, and who takes full shelter of Me,
dedicating his religious, sensual and occupational activities for My
satisfaction, certainly obtains unflinching devotional service to Me,
the eternal Personality of Godhead.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.11.29–32:
“The
Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O Uddhava, a saintly person is
merciful and never injures others. Even if others are aggressive he
is tolerant and forgiving toward all living entities. His strength
and meaning in life come from the truth itself, he is free from all
envy and jealousy, and his mind is equal in material happiness and
distress. Thus, he dedicates his time to work for the welfare of all
others. His intelligence is never bewildered by material desires, and
he has controlled his senses. His behavior is always pleasing, never
harsh and always exemplary, and he is free from possessiveness. He
never endeavors in ordinary, worldly activities, and he strictly
controls his eating. He therefore always remains peaceful and steady.
A saintly person is thoughtful and accepts Me as his only shelter.
Such a person is very cautious in the execution of his duties and is
never subject to superficial transformations, because he is steady
and noble, even in a distressing situation. He has conquered over the
six material qualities — namely hunger, thirst, lamentation,
illusion, old age and death. He is free from all desire for prestige
and offers honor to others. He is expert in reviving the Krishna
consciousness of others and therefore never cheats anyone. Rather, he
is a well-wishing friend to all, being most merciful. Such a saintly
person must be considered the most learned of men. He perfectly
understands that the ordinary religious duties prescribed by Me in
various Vedic scriptures possess favorable qualities that purify the
performer, and he knows that neglect of such duties constitutes a
discrepancy in one’s life. Having taken complete shelter at My
lotus feet, however, a saintly person ultimately renounces such
ordinary religious duties and worships Me alone. He is thus
considered to be the best among all living entities.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.11.34–41:
“My
dear Uddhava, one can give up false pride and prestige by engaging in
the following devotional activities. One may purify oneself by
seeing, touching, worshiping, serving, and offering prayers of
glorification and obeisances to My form as the Deity and to My pure
devotees. One should also glorify My transcendental qualities and
activities, hear with love and faith the narrations of My glories and
constantly meditate on Me. One should offer to Me whatever one
acquires, and accepting oneself as My eternal servant, one should
give oneself completely to Me. One should always discuss My birth and
activities and enjoy life by participating in festivals, such as
Janmastami, which glorify My pastimes. In My temple, one should also
participate in festivals and ceremonies by singing, dancing, playing
musical instruments and discussing Me with other Vaishnavas.
One should observe all the regularly celebrated annual festivals by
attending ceremonies, pilgrimages and making offerings. One should
also observe religious vows such as Ekadasi
and take initiation by the procedures mentioned in the Vedas,
Pañcaratra and other, similar literatures. One should faithfully and
lovingly support the installation of My Deity, and individually or in
cooperation with others one should work for the construction of
Krishna conscious temples and cities as well as flower gardens, fruit
gardens and special areas to celebrate My pastimes. One should
consider oneself to be My humble servant, without duplicity, and thus
should help to clean the temple, which is My home. First one should
sweep and dust thoroughly, and then one should further cleanse with
water and cow dung. Having dried the temple, one should sprinkle
scented water and decorate the temple with mandalas. One should
thus act just like My servant. A devotee should never advertise his
devotional activities; therefore his service will not be the cause of
false pride. One should never use lamps that are offered to Me for
other purposes simply because there is need of illumination, and
similarly, one should never offer to Me anything that has been
offered to or used by others. Whatever is most desired by one within
this material world, and whatever is most dear to oneself — one
should offer that very thing to Me. Such an offering qualifies one
for eternal life.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.11.44:
“Through
steady meditation I am worshiped within the inner space of the
heart.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.11.45:
“One
may worship Me within the individual living entity by offering food
and other enjoyable substances, and one may worship Me within all
living entities by seeing the Supersoul within all of them, thus
maintaining equal vision.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.11.46,
purport:
“By
worshiping the Lord, our eternal nature revives, and as we increase
our enthusiasm and steadiness in devotional service, material
existence fades away.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.11.47:
“One
who has executed sacrificial performances and pious works for My
satisfaction, and who thus worships Me with fixed attention, obtains
unflinching devotional service unto Me. By the excellent quality of
his service such a worshiper obtains realized knowledge of Me.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.11.47,
purport:
“The
highest sacrifice is to chant the holy names of the Lord, and by
taking shelter of the Lord’s names, one will acquire unflinching
devotion and realized knowledge of the Absolute Truth.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.11.48:
“My
dear Uddhava, I am personally the ultimate shelter and way of life
for saintly liberated persons, and thus if one does not engage in My
loving devotional service, which is made possible by associating with
My devotees, then for all practical purposes, one possesses no
effective means for escaping from material existence.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.11.48,
purport:
“One
who emphasizes so-called intellectual achievements is actually less
intelligent, because such a person is more attracted to intelligence
than to the pure soul, which is superior. It should be understood,
however, that pure devotional service is not nonphilosophical or
anti-intellectual. The Absolute Truth is far more extensive than
partial truth. Therefore, one who is in full knowledge of Lord
Krishna has the greatest facility to engage in philosophical
analysis, since a pure devotee is working with the entire range of
conceptual categories. Those who do not know Lord Krishna are
attracted to the impersonal Brahman or the localized Paramatma, but
they are not aware of the ultimate category of understanding called
Bhagavan, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lacking knowledge of
Bhagavan, such imperfect philosophers certainly do not understand the
expansion, interaction and withdrawal of the Lord’s innumerable
potencies and thus cannot fully analyze them. By faithfully accepting
everything Lord Krishna speaks as the absolute truth, one comes to
the mature platform of philosophy and achieves perfect knowledge.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.12.1–2:
“The
Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Uddhava, by associating
with My pure devotees one can destroy one’s attachment for all
objects of material sense gratification. Such purifying association
brings Me under the control of My devotee. One may perform the
astanga-yoga
system, engage in philosophical analysis of the elements of material
nature, practice nonviolence and other ordinary principles of piety,
chant the Vedas, perform penances, take to the renounced order of
life, execute sacrificial performances and dig wells, plant trees and
perform other public welfare activities, give in charity, carry out
severe vows, worship the demigods, chant confidential mantras, visit
holy places or accept major and minor disciplinary injunctions, but
even by performing such activities one does not bring Me under his
control.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.12.1–2,
purport:
“Srila
Madhvacarya has quoted from Vedic literature that if one offends the
Lord’s devotees and does not learn to associate with them, Lord
Vishnu
personally places barriers in the path of such a person so that he
may not enter into the Lord’s company.”
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
11.12.12,
purport:
“It
is the nature of very deep love to exclude all objects except the
beloved. However, in the material world, where we try to love a
limited temporary object such as our nation, family or personal body,
our exclusion of other objects constitutes ignorance. But when our
love is intensely concentrated on the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
the origin of everything, such concentration cannot be considered
ignorance or small-mindedness.”
Satsvarupa
Dasa Goswami:
From
Free
Write Journal #87:
“
Mayapur
3
February 1976
Los
Angeles
My
dear Satsvarupa,
Please
accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for your letter dated January
23rd, 1976.
Regarding
the examinations, the idea is that anyone, after studying the books,
who wants to gain the title of Bhakti-sastri, can take the exam. This
is academic. Just like a brahmana
with sastric knowledge and a brahmana
without. It is optional—one who wants may take. The real purpose is
that our men should not be neglectful of the philosophy. The
examinations will begin on Gaura Purnima, 1977, not this year, so
there is no reason why any of the devotees should give up their
normal engagement.
So
far your idea for teaching classes, this should be discussed at the
GBC meeting. If it does not hamper our normal procedure then it is
welcome.
I
hope this meets you well.
Your
ever well-wisher,
A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami
“At
this time, Srila Prabhupada explained that the bhakti-sastri
exam was ‘academic,’ and it was optional whether one wanted to
take it. Nowadays bhakti-sastri
exams have become non-optional. They are required for a person who
wants to take first initiation, or second initiation, etc. It is
interesting to note here that Prabhupada said the exam is optional.
He does not want to force the exam on anyone. He wants that his
devotees should not be neglectful of the philosophy, but he does not
want the devotees to disrupt their normal engagement and cram the
books in preparation for the exam. I think this spirit of
Prabhupada’s 1976 letter should be preserved, and the exams not be
demanded as requirements for recognition of positions in ISKCON.
“Apparently,
I presented to Prabhupada an idea for teaching the daily classes. I
do not remember now what my proposal was. At any rate, he does not
give me a green light to go ahead and teach the classes in the way I
was proposing but said it should be discussed at the GBC meeting. ‘If
it does not hamper our normal procedure, then it is welcome.’ As
with the exams, Prabhupada didn’t want devotees to do something
that would disrupt the normal programs. He was not in favor of
whimsical changing or unnecessary additions to the existing
programs.”
From
Passing Places,
Eternal Truths: Travel Writings 1988–1996:
“All
right, all right
get
ready to go and
when
you too have to die,
after
the Centennial year—
because
we have to live through
that,
right?
Then
after due consideration
of
what’s wrong in ISKCON
and
being sufficiently worked
and
smiling and laughing too
when
you are ready to
die
happy,
after
hundreds more posters
colored
by you,
loved
and loving in return your
friends,
yeah,
after Vrndavana-Mayapur,
after
plane tickets—
exactly
when I can’t tell you
and
it’s not something M. and I can
plan
or go to the travel agent
about
(although in another
sense,
death is something you
do
plan for, as the karmis
with
their insurance and picking out
a
tombstone!)—after
the
tea and biscuits and
the
T. S. Eliot references
are
done—or before—
or
anytime—death comes and that’s
it.
But the soul goes
on,
I pray dear Lord
carry
me, carry me as soul
as
I depart now from my friends and memories,
blessing
ISKCON with good
fortune,
if I have any power
to
bless,
let
me go in peace
and
honorably
despite
panic and pain and
not
as a mere stoic. Don’t be tight-lipped but cry
tears
of
joy
and
ask the Lord to
let
you remember Him and
be
with Him and His devotees
in
the next life.”
“Our
Krishna conscious transcendentalism alienates us from most people.
Our view is extreme. They are looking for the ideal enjoyment, but I
know they will never find it. The only ideal with any hope to be
realized is love and direct union with the Supreme.”
From
The Faithful
Transcriber (Part
1):
“Care
for others. Sacrifice for them in some way. Go see an old devotee who
asks you to do so. Then meet with those who have taken initiation
from you. Remind them of the goal of life and how to attain it. The
goal is not eating-mating-sleeping-defending. Get free of this
world.”
“Nothing
should be indulged in to hinder us in this life from our goal of
attaining back to Godhead, or at least going as far as we can before
life is over.”
“The
gurus and their disciples. The GBC fiercely protecting its flock.
The…clock submerging it all in sands of desert time so that today’s
pressing concern soon becomes an old issue and one wonders if he’s
dealing with what is actually timeless or if he’s tricked by maya
into the short time concerns. Don’t say Srila Prabhupada didn’t
warn you.”
“I
say to you, heaven and earth shall pass away but the words of Christ
and Krishna shall not. True enough.”
“So,
give it. It may not touch your heart utterly, but maybe writing and
being alone doesn’t do that either. Only Krishna
can do that. And, do you show yourself sufficiently interested in Him
for Him to reciprocate that way?”
From
Imperfection,
Purity Will Come About: Writing Sessions While Reading Bhaktivinoda
Thakura’s Saranagati:
“Don’t
play with fire. Having come to devotional service, don’t look back
to see if there was anything you missed enjoying in the world or
would like to take with you. You can’t bring your old rocks across
the river: they will make you sink. You renounced everything and you
felt such relief. Krishna gave you the strength and courage then. He
took away all your old friends. Don’t rummage through the heap of
discarded memories and desires. You have already been given the best.
Don’t become a crow again.”
“Srila
Bhaktivinoda Thakura does not describe the details, but he lays it on
the line—a sense-gratifier hurts others, but he doesn’t care.
Therefore he hurts and ruins himself.”
From
Free Write Journal #89:
“I
am scheduled to speak last words to her today. I understand she will
be able to hear me but will not be able to respond verbally. I plan
to advise her not to harbor any hate or grief or resentment. She’s
going to be relieved of a longtime condition of much physical and
mental pain. Her next life will be brilliant. She will either go
directly to the spiritual world, or she will be born in a family of
pure Vaishnavas who will guide her to go back to Godhead in one
lifetime. In the remaining time she has, I will advise her to chant
the Hare Krishna mantra in her mind. She should hear the
syllables—‘Just hear’—as Prabhupada has advised. Cry out to
Krishna to please accept you in His service.”
From
Songs from
Stuyvesant Falls:
“The
poem is a song for
Lord
Caitanya and His circle of
devotees.
They worshiped the
holy
names with tumultuous kirtanas
at
the Ratha-yatra and
in
the temple. It was
His
method of delivering
love
of Godhead in the
age
of Kali.”
“Hearing
of this pastime [of the disappearance of Haridasa Thakura] I am
impressed with wonder
Prabhupada
had it read to him after he was
in
a car accident in Mauritius. Still shaken
from
the crash, he sat and had Harikesa
Swami
read aloud to him from the chapter.”
Bhakti
Charu Swami:
From
points on Vaishnava etiquette:
One
may receive respect from a senior Vaishnava because he
has
some humility, but one should feel embarrassed by it and not expect
it.
Stay
neutral in arguments between senior Vaishnavas.
Srila
Prabhupada advises to accept others as Prabhu and remain a servant.
Not to think “I have become Prabhu” because everyone is calling
me Prabhu.
Ralph
Waldo Emerson said, “In my walks, every man I meet is my superior
in some way, in that I learn from him.”
Janananda
Goswami:
From
a class on chanting the maha-mantra
in
Paris on September 17, 2019:
The
people in general are so determined to identify with and to enjoy
this material world, naturally it is hard to wake them up. We have to
be more determined than they are.
The
mystic process of sankirtana
has a imperceptible effect on people to slowly wake them up. It
slowly transforms their consciousness.
Sankirtana
can
united us and purify us of all the ill effects . . .
Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura
says there is nothing to change in this world but our own perception
and that is effected by being brought close to the chanting of the
holy names.
The
more we are attracted to the holy name the magnetic effect will
attract others too.
We
have to give the people in general a happiness that will somehow
satisfy them.
We
have to help
the people understand the fallacy of the endeavor find satisfaction
in the material world.
From
a class in Paris on November 26, 2020:
The
sculptor of the Queen of England came to see Srila Prabhupada. He
said when he was young his mother had always told him that
Bhagavad-gita was
the most important book. The devotees told Prabhupada, “He
already he has your Bhagavad-gita,
and
he got it from the Queen of England.” And then the man said, “And
the Queen said to me, ‘It would be wonderful if everyone could
depend on Krishna [or it would be a better place if everyone gave all
their dependence to Krishna].’”
Real
humility is to think, “I only exist for Krishna’s pleasure.”
Niranjana
Swami:
From
an address to North American devotees on April 21, 2020, from
Mayapur:
Visvanatha
Cakravarti Thakura explains that we should not think if we depend on
Krishna we are putting a burden on Him. Actually He relishes taking
care of His devotees, and if we do not depend upon Him, we are
denying Him that pleasure.
Urmila
Devi Dasi:
From
a class on “Women’s
Ancient and Modern Role” on
June 5, 2013
in
Paris:
Srila
Prabhupada said for us the vana
for
the vanaprasthas
to
go to is Vrindavana.
Srila
Prabhupada especially wanted the retired couples to go to Mayapur and
Vrindavan.
The
varnas
really apply to the married ashram as the students and retired people
do
not work for their livelihood.
Brajananda
Prabhu:
When
I came to this temple nine years old, I never thought that some day I
would be temple president.
I
have one friend who is a devotee and who has lost practically
everything in this coronavirus lockdown. She is seeing it as an
opportunity from Krishna to find a better situation.
Daniel:
We
left Krishna. But we are not alone. There are trillions of living
entities in a similar state, so it is not so uncommon.
Prasadam
is
a very merciful incarnation of the Supreme Lord. People who do not
want to chant or hear the philosophy can take prasadam.
We
feel Krishna’s presence in things like chanting, hearing the
Bhagavatam, and
taking prasadam,
and
so we keep doing them.
If
we go out of our way to give Krishna to others, we will be happier as
Krishna will be pleased and give us extra mercy.
In
Caitanya Bhagavata
it
is described that Gaura-Nitai were very merciful to sinful people,
like drunkards, but not so to offenders of Krishna like the Mayavadis
of Varanasi or those who are offenders of the devotees of the Lord.
-----
How
important is the remembrance of the Supreme Lord? Srimad-Bhavagatam
(1.2.15) states: “With
sword in hand, intelligent men cut through the binding knots of
reactionary work [karma] by remembering the Personality of Godhead.
Therefore, who will not pay attention to His message?” Padma
Purana states: “Krishna
is the origin of Lord Vishnu. He should always be remembered and
never forgotten at any time. All the rules and prohibitions mentioned
in the sastras
should be the servants of these two principles.” In
Bhagavad-gita (8.14),
the Supreme Lord says, “For one who always remembers Me without
deviation, I am easy to obtain, O son of Pritha, because of his
constant engagement in devotional service.” I
was struck by the emphasis on constant
remembrance of the Lord in
the verse below ever since I first encountered it, and so I
share it with you:
sa
hanis tan mahac chidram
sa
mohah sa ca vibhramah
yan-muhurtam
ksanam
vapi
vasudevam
na cintayet
“If
even for a moment remembrance of Vasudeva,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is missed, that is the greatest
loss, that is the greatest illusion, and that is the greatest
anomaly.” (Vishnu
Purana, quoted
in Srimad-Bhagavatam
2.9.36,
purport)
