Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 16, No. 17
By Krishna Kripa Das
(September 2020, part one)
Tallahassee, Atlanta, NC, New York City
(Sent from Brooklyn on September 19, 2020)
Where I Went and What I Did
I stayed in Tallahassee through September 8. On weekdays I chanted Hare Krishna and served Krishna Lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and then I chanted Hare Krishna on the campus in the late afternoon or early evening where I promoted our Krishna Lunch, the chanting of Hare Krishna, and the study of Bhagavad-gita, and thus I maintained my program of chanting three hours a day. The first weekend in September I chanted Hare Krishna at Lake Ella each day. I met people both at the campus and the lake who were happy to learn that Krishna Lunch is continuing in Tallahassee. On September 9, I rented a car and drove to Atlanta, chanting Hare Krishna for almost three hours with Rama Raya Prabhu’s NYC Harinam party, at their temporary location in Piedmont Park in the late afternoon. On September 10 and 11, I traveled by car with Rama Raya Prabhu and two members of his party to New York City, stopping overnight at Prabhupada Village, in northern North Carolina, on the way. Our party resided at Radha Govinda temple in Brooklyn, and we chanted from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Union Square Park the second Saturday in September. On that Sunday we chanted with a group from the Bhakti Center at Washington Square Park from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. It was wonderful to see the number of devotees who came to both events and to see the number of park goers having the chance to hear the joyful chanting and take spiritual food and literature.
We decided to chant from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the weekdays, and Monday we chanted at Union Square Park (above) and Tuesday we chanted at Washington Square Park.
I share many favorite quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s Nectar of Devotion, a summary study of Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu, considered the most celebrated book of Rupa Goswami, a book which Prabhupada’s own guru advised him to read. I also share quotes from the Srimad-Bhagavatam and a Srimad-Bhagavatam lecture. I share excerpts from the writings of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share notes on Zoom lectures, one by Janananda Goswami speaking to Newcastle, UK, devotees, and another by Vaisesika Prabhu on the topic of initiation, when Govind, a regular on NYC Harinam, became his disciple with the name, Godruma Prana Das. I share notes on classes at Radha Govinda temple in New York City by Hansarupa, Rama Raya, and Nikunjabihari Prabhus.
Thanks to Madhuha Prabhu for accommodating us at Prabhupada Village for the night, and to Hansarupa Prabhu for allowing us to reside in the Radha Govinda temple in Brooklyn and do our daily NYC Harinam as service.
Itinerary
September 12–mid-to-late October: NYC Harinam
mid-to-late October–?: Tallahassee harinamas and Krishna Lunch at FSU service November 27–28: Alachua Festival of the Holy Name
December 5: Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami Vyasa-puja
December 24: Albany, Christmas Eve with relatives
Chanting Hare Krishna in Tallahassee
I continued chanting both on the porch of ISKCON Tallahassee and on the Florida State University campus on the weekdays and at Lake Ella on the weekends.
One lady named Katie, who is a real academic type, who has a few degrees, and who wants to follow in the footsteps of Hridayananda Goswami and get a Ph.D. in Sanskrit, stopped by and donated 43 Bhagavad-gitas to our temple because she realized she did not have time to distribute them. I had just been thinking I should get some books from Krishna House, but I never got around to it, and then suddenly these books appeared.
They are my favorite Gitas for distribution, the small hardbound ones that you never see in the USA, but which I distributed in Ireland, the UK, and Paris. They cost between £2 and £3, and we would give them out to people who gave £5 or €5. We decided to set three of them on the table where we put the credit card reader for Krishna Lunch and say they were for a donation if someone asked. The first day someone took one for $8, and the next day someone gave $10. An older lady, who said she always wanted to read Bhagavad-gita, gave $5 for one at the lake on the weekend, and I gave one away as a birthday present to a girl on the campus who was carrying a cake when I talked to her and her friend about Krishna Lunch. So somehow or other, although I am not a real book distributor, because we are seriously following Srila Prabhupada’s instruction to chant the holy names and distribute prasadam, books have appeared and have been distributed.
Many students on the campus remembered Krishna Lunch from when we were serving at The Globe on the campus itself, but they did not know we were now serving for pickup and delivery on our porch, just a couple of blocks north of the campus. They were happy to hear we were continuing. Some of the many freshman on the campus were vegans or vegetarians, or else they had friends that were, and they were happy to take a photo of our Krishna Lunch poster or else take a flyer.
Chanting Hare Krishna in Atlanta
I was very impressed with Piedmont Park in Atlanta, where Rama Raya Prabhu and his party have been chanting Hare Krishna and distributing books for the last several months. It is much more crowded than any of the three parks where I chanted in Florida over the last two months. I missed the first half hour of their afternoon harinama because it took me longer than I hoped to rent a car and to drive to Atlanta from Tallahassee, but it was so ecstatic to chant with them for the last 2½ hours. It was great to see old friends and to associate with people who have faith that the congregational chanting of the holy names in public is so valuable that it should be performed every day.
Here Krishna Prasad Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Piedmont Park in Atlanta, and a couple chants and dances (https://youtu.be/18tiuBIi1Es):
We also came across people who were doing some kind of yoga, dance, or exercise. We tried to encourage them to chant the mantra, instead of just gyrating to the music, but we failed (https://youtu.be/L9JyzsURlXs):
The devotees in that party are so enthusiastic about book distribution! On the way home from the park, they stopped at a shop to buy duct tape, and while they were doing that, Mahosaha Prabhu sold a set of the seven hardbound books plus the seven-volume Srila Prabhupada-lilamrita set to a shopper in the parking lot for $100!
Chanting Hare Krishna at Prabhupada Village
Rama Raya Prabhu decided to break up our drive to New York City by stopping at Prabhupada Village in Sandy Ridge, North Carolina, a 5½-hour journey from Atlanta.
There were more devotees at Prabhupada Village than during my last visit there, and I was impressed to see the enthusiasm of the devotees to sing the evening arati song.
Here Jaya Jagannatha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Prabhupada Village during the evening kirtan (https://youtu.be/hMyjlUB4mkg):
We learned that Jaya Jagannatha Prabhu was coming to New York in a few days and was happy to hear we would be doing harinama there.
Sivananda Prabhu makes a really excellent pecan burfi for the Gaura Nitai deities there which devotees gave us as maha-prasadam.
As we were leaving Prabhupada Village we picked up some books for distribution from their warehouse.
Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City
Rama Raya Prabhu resumed daily harinamas in New York City after taking a break from The City since March due to the coronavirus lockdown.
On his party, I would lead the chanting of Hare Krishna for half an hour each day, as here at Union Square Park.
Most of the time, I would distribute pamphlets, man the book table, dance, and take videos.
Many of the devotees who often joined us whenever they had free time, came out on our first day back to celebrate the return of daily harinama.
Sally, now 85 years old, who has been participating several days a week for seven years, was happy to see we were back in town.
We started with a seven-hour maha-harinama on Saturday, which is the biggest market day at Union Square.
Here Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with a party of enthusiastic devotees in Union Square Park (https://youtu.be/uXqbpEH20zI_):
Shyama Mohini Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna in Union Square Park (https://youtu.be/Z6qkumrJj1A):
Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Union Square Park to a Saturday market crowd and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/RJoSxzLj2NI):
While Kaliya Krishna Prabhu was chanting Hare Krishna in Union Square Park, I counted over 25 devotees from the Yuga Dharma ashram, Radha Govinda temple, and The Bhakti Center chanting and dancing together (https://youtu.be/h1OTcfsCWoc):
Murli Krishna Prabhu, who did harinama with Aindra Prabhu in New York City in the 1980s, chants Hare Krishna in Union Square Park with the NYC Harinam party (https://youtu.be/pq_P-uxqF0Y):
Ananda Bihari Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square Park, and a passerby, holding a Bhagavad-gita he just purchased, plays the shakers and dances (https://youtu.be/eNtys0fxSnY):
Here is more of Ananda Bihari’s kirtan (https://youtu.be/E1I8i4081-A):
Tulasirani Devi Dasi, who chanted with me on many harinamas in Florida, chants Hare Krishna in Union Square Park (https://youtu.be/NK_we0cJwTA):
Tulasirani always liked coming on our harinamas but could not come so much because she was busy. During last few months she experienced many challenges living in New York City, and she said that the fact that harinama was not going on was the worst of them. She is very happy the daily harinama is back.
Here Chandrasekhara Swami leads the final kirtan for the evening, chanting Hare Krishna there in Union Square Park, and devotees and passersby dance (https://youtu.be/RgQGQv_iBv0):
For several weeks Bhakti Center devotees, headed by Doyal Gauranga Prabhu, have been chanting in Washington Square Park on Sundays from 2 to 5 p.m. Rama Raya Prabhu’s NYC Harinam party joined them from 3 to 5 p.m., and then continued on to 7 p.m. Washington Square Park is the first place that Srila Prabhupada and the devotees chanted, but later Tompkins Square Park proved to be a better location.
Mina, who often led kirtan on Tuesday evenings at the Bhakti Center led the first kirtan, and I sang after her. Next Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna there in Washington Square Park with the NYC Harinam and Bhakti Center devotees (https://youtu.be/NcGeEoNGBb0):
Murli Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park with NYC Harinam and Bhakti Center devotees (https://youtu.be/CjGiQeK4MpE):
Doyal Gauranga Prabhu of the Bhakti Center chants Hare Krishna joined by NYC Harinam devotees in Washington Square Park, and devotees and passersby dance (https://youtu.be/4e6b5POGeqU):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/UdaFB976VmE):
Monday, we returned to Union Square Park. Here I lead a kirtan there (https://youtu.be/9m1h88s0V4k):
Then Jaya Jagannatha Prabhu, who arrived from North Carolina the day before, chanted Hare Krishna in Union Square Park (https://youtu.be/tTeW3hisil0):
Tuesday we went back to Washington Square Park, realizing that there are more people there these days than at Union Square Park, with only the busiest market days, Saturday and Wednesday, the possible exceptions.
Natabara Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park (https://youtu.be/CdzCvufqJEA):
Jaya Jagannatha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park (https://youtu.be/tCAKF9nPkxk):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park (https://youtu.be/zVzXouqCHwc):
Narada Rsi Prabhu, a senior disciple of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park, and four young devotees ladies, mostly from Radha Govinda Mandir, dance (https://youtu.be/ArrM8UuiB0c):
Narada Rsi Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park (https://youtu.be/lFuYTyrl95Q):
Jada Bharata Prabhu
Rama Raya Prabhu reminded me that it was six years ago September 8 that Jada Bharata Prabhu, our godbrother, left his body. Jada Bharata was a very staunch sankirtana devotee, who lived very austerely and distributed books many hours each day for many years. He was on the Radha Govinda sankirtana party with Rama Raya Prabhu when I lived in our 55th Street temple back in 1979. I did not know him well because I am not a very social person, and he was a little intimidating to me because of his personal intensity, but I appreciate his dedication was a manifestation of his sincere desire to benefit people spiritually. There is a tribute page on Facebook in honor of him at https://www.facebook.com/Tribute-to-Jad-Bharat-Das-281156012087866.
Funny Photo
People are creative when it comes to affixing images to their cell phones, but I never saw one with the eyes of Lord Jagannatha before! Recently I caught this devotee taking photos or videos of our chanting party in Union Square Park.
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 2:
“In the Narada Pañcaratra the regulative principles of devotional service are described as follows: ‘Any activities sanctioned in the revealed scriptures and aiming at the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are accepted by saintly teachers as the regulative principles of devotional service. If one regularly executes such service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master, then gradually he rises to the platform of serving in pure love of God.’”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 3:
“On account of his association with mahatmas, or great souls one hundred percent engaged in the devotional service of the Lord, one may attain a little bit of attraction for Sri Krishna. But at the same time one may remain very much attached to fruitive activities and material sense enjoyment and not be prepared to undergo the different types of renunciation. Such a person, if he has unflinching attraction to Krishna, becomes an eligible candidate for discharging devotional service.”
“Lord Krishna says in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Eleventh Canto, twentieth chapter, verse 8, “My dear Uddhava, only by exceptional fortune does someone become attracted to Me. And even if one is not completely detached from fruitive activities, or is not completely attached to devotional service, such service is quickly effective.”
“The wise man is he who has thoroughly understood that he is spirit soul and not simply a body. Because he realizes that he is spirit and Krishna is the supreme spirit, he knows that his intimate relationship should be with Krishna, not with this body.”
“Anyone who has any desire or aspiration for satisfying his senses by becoming more and more important, either in the material sense or in the spiritual sense, cannot actually relish the really sweet taste of devotional service. Srila Rupa Gosvami has therefore compared possessing these bhukti (material) and mukti (liberation) desires with being influenced by the black art of a witch: in both cases one is in trouble. Bhukti means material enjoyment, and mukti means to become freed from material anxiety and to become one with the Lord. These desires are compared to being haunted by ghosts and witches, because while these aspirations for material enjoyment or spiritual oneness with the Supreme remain, no one can relish the actual transcendental taste of devotional service.”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 4:
“Those who are impersonalists are satisfied by simply being liberated from the material circumstances, but those who are devotees can automatically give up material life and also enjoy the transcendental bliss of hearing and chanting the wonderful activities of Lord Krishna.”
“There is a passage in the Hayasirsa Pañcaratra that states, ‘My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, I do not want any resultant benediction from my religious life, nor do I want any economic development, nor do I want to enjoy sense gratification nor liberation. I simply pray to be an eternal servant at Your lotus feet. Kindly oblige me and give me this benediction.’”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 5:
“In this connection Srila Rupa Gosvami gives evidence from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Eleventh Canto, Twenty-first Chapter, verse 2, in which Lord Krishna says to Uddhava, ‘The distinction between qualification and disqualification may be made in this way: persons who are already elevated in discharging devotional service will never again take shelter of the processes of fruitive activity or philosophical speculation. If one sticks to devotional service and is conducted by regulative principles given by the authorities and acaryas, that is the best qualification.’”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 7:
“It is better if one fixes up a regulative principle according to his own ability and then follows that vow without fail. That will make him advanced in spiritual life.
The real reason for observing fasting on Ekadasi is to minimize the demands of the body and to engage our time in the service of the Lord by chanting or performing similar service. The best thing to do on fasting days is to remember the pastimes of Govinda and to hear His holy name constantly.”
“In the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Third Chapter, verse 21, Prabuddha tells Maharaja Nimi, ‘My dear King, please know for certain that in the material world there is no happiness. It is simply a mistake to think that there is happiness here, because this place is full of nothing but miserable conditions. Any person who is seriously desirous of achieving real happiness must seek out a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of a spiritual master is that he must have realized the conclusion of the scriptures by deliberation and arguments and thus be able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, are to be understood as bona fide spiritual masters. Everyone should try to find such a bona fide spiritual master in order to fulfill his mission of life, which is to transfer himself to the plane of spiritual bliss.’”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 9:
“In the Naradiya Purana it is stated, ‘If person stays in the Lord’s temple even for a few moments, he can surely achieve the transcendental kingdom of God.’”
“When japa is practiced it is for the personal benefit of the chanter, but when kirtana is performed it is for the benefit of all others who may hear.”
“The devotee is praying that he may develop a similar spontaneous attachment for the Supreme Lord, free from any desire for profit and without any other cause. This natural attraction for the Lord is the perfectional stage of self-realization.”
“Lord Caitanya also desired that ‘a moment will appear unto me as twelve years of time, and the whole world will appear to me as vacant on account of not seeing You, my dear Lord.’ One should feelingly pray and become eager to render his particular type of service to the Lord. This is the teaching of all great devotees, especially Lord Caitanya.
“In other words, one should learn how to cry for the Lord. One should learn this small technique, and he should be very eager and actually cry to become engaged in some particular type of service. This is called laulyam, and such tears are the price for the highest perfection. If one develops this laulyam, or excessive eagerness for meeting and serving the Lord in a particular way, that is the price to enter into the kingdom of God. Otherwise, there is no material calculation for the value of the ticket by which one can enter the kingdom of God. The only price for such entrance is this laulyam lalasa-mayi, or desire and great eagerness.”
“Those who are less intelligent want to worship different demigods for some material gain rather than worship Kṛṣna. But here it is stated that a devotee who is always engaged in offering prayers to the Lord is worshipable even by the demigods themselves. The pure devotees have nothing to ask from any demigod; rather, the demigods are anxious to offer prayers to the pure devotees.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.2.31:
“Only the purified soul can attain the perfection of associating with the Personality of Godhead in complete bliss and satisfaction in his constitutional state. Whoever is able to renovate such devotional perfection is never again attracted by this material world, and he never returns.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.2.32, purport:
“The truth is eternal, and as such there cannot be any new opinion about the truth.”
From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.3 in Delhi on November 6, 1973:
“A devotee should be always alert whether he is wasting time or utilizing time. That is devotee’s business.”
“The Bhagavata never says that ‘You hear for seven days.’ Never says it. We have read. There is no mention in the Bhagavata that Bhagavata should be heard for seven days. No commentator. There are many, many big commentators – Sridhara Svami, Jiva Gosvami and Visvanatha Cakravarti, Viraraghavacarya, Madhvacarya, so many big, big. There are... Nobody has mentioned about Bhagavata-saptaha. And in the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said, nityam bhagavata-sevaya [Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.18]. Nityam: ‘daily.’”
The humble servants of Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.24.28:
“Just as the rising sun removes the darkness of the sky, similarly, this scientific knowledge of cosmic annihilation removes all illusory duality from the mind of a serious student. Even if illusion somehow enters his heart, it cannot remain there.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.25, Chapter Summary:
“Objects related to the Supreme Personality, places connected with Him, happiness based on Him, the time occupied in His worship, knowledge related to Him, work offered to Him, the performer of work who acts under His shelter, faith in His devotional service, progress toward the spiritual realm, and the destination of the Supreme Lord’s personal abode all transcend the material modes.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From Free Write Journal #108:
“One year at our Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja, he [Srila Prabhupada] thanked the devotees for their appreciations. But he said he was not great, his spiritual master was great. His spiritual master was like the sun, and he was like the moon. The moon is actually a dark planet, but it appears bright in the sky from the reflection of the sun.”
“The acaryas remark that in other incarnations the Lord has to assume powerful bodies in order to kill formidable demons. But in the case of Putana, Krishna finished her off while remaining in His infant form. Such is the power of Krishna.”
From Prabhupada Meditations, Volume 3:
“Prabhupada said that our past lives, within this body or in previous bodies, are full of suffering. He said that if we remember the sufferings that we have endured during this very lifetime, we will shudder and think, ‘Oh, I was in this state of life. Krishna has saved me.’
“The last thing I heard on the tape were Prabhupada’s words: ‘Do not be misled by this illusion as others are being misled. Stick to Krishna and be saved. That is the only way.’”
“I remember one lecture Prabhupada gave in Mayapur (1975), in which he spoke of immortality. He said people do not know how to become immortal, and this is the greatest blunder in Western civilization. They think they can attain lasting goals within the temporary material world, but that is impossible. Prabhupada’s lecture was the most thrilling of any possible topic. If he had spoken something ‘higher,’ we would have loved that also; he gave us what we most needed, though, and it was blissful and assuring. Prabhupada explained immortality in many ways. Every time he said the word ‘immortal’ or ‘immortality,’ he struck down all doubts. Prabhupada said it was the mission of Lord Caitanya and Lord Krishna to teach immortality. If we can know why Krishna comes into the world, as taught by Lord Caitanya, we also will become immortal—janma karma ca me divyam.
“Immortality is inconceivable to us. It is not a topic that we have already mastered. It is the basis of everything. Although we may grasp it academically, what do we know of eternity? Who is thoroughly convinced that he is spirit soul? How nourishing it was, therefore, to hear this from Srila Prabhupada. It was another crowning achievement by Prabhupada to gather us in Mayapur and instruct us in our individual immortality.”
From Wicklow Writing Sessions, Session #19:
“Please see all this as Krishna’s arrangement. It is cruel nature. God is in control and puts you under the care of Durga, and you try to get amenities from her, Mother. She gives so-called enjoyments and slaps too. Better to surrender to Krishna since you have to surrender somewhere.”
“They sent me tapes of NM speaking at 26 Second Avenue, but I don’t want to hear them. If I like them or if I find fault with them, either way it’s dangerous.”
Janananda Goswami:
From a Zoom lecture organized by ISKCON Newcastle UK:
What is a gosvami? A swami who is always running around? A swami on the go?
No, a swami who controls his senses.
We take guidance at every moment, how to do something on the computer, how to go somewhere. Similarly we need guidance in spiritual life, and The Nectar of Devotion is meant for our guidance.
Everyone is looking for the sweetness, the rasa. Whatever we do, the taste we get out of it is the motivating factor.
In France yesterday I met a man who spoke fluent English. He looked at the books, and said I want one of each one you have, and he gave six times their cost. These things still happen, even in France.
Prabhupada said the greatest sin is to identify with the body. When you think about it, all our problems derive from this false identification with the body. We become attached to things, and they are lost and we suffer.
Srila Prabhupada asked, “Do you know why the Krishna book is so wonderful?”
“Because you wrote it, Srila Prabhupada!” a devotee replied.
“No,” said Srila Prabhupada, “because I did not write it!”
If we go deep in our Krishna consciousness, surface things do not bother us.
Srila Prabhupada told a devotee who had no taste for anything but prasadam, “Give people prasadam, and tell them it’s great.”
Hansarupa Prabhu:
From a reading of Prabhupada Nectar:
Srila Prabhupada expected the pujaris to dress the deities in half an hour at most. If they could not, he considered them lazy.
From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.2.31:
Srila Prabhupada’s use of the words “renovate” and “constitutional position” in his translation indicate that bhakti is already present within the living entity, and it merely needs to be uncovered.
It is not the living entities’ natural state to try to enjoy the same things again and again.
Because Krishna is in everyone’s heart, everyone can be revived.
Because people are looking for happiness, when they see the happiness of the devotees, they become reflective and think, “I would like that happiness.”
In our Henry Street temple, because the press was situated there, we would get copies of the chapters of the Second Canto as they came out, and it was great nectar for us to get the next one.
The activities in the spiritual world although appearing repetitive to mundaners are actually ever fresh by their very nature.
Srila Prabhupada was absorbed in Caitanya-caritamrita. Sometimes he said it was his only solace.
Although Caitanya-caritamrita doesn’t seem so philosophical, it is a stream of nectarean interactions between the Lord and His devotees.
When Srila Prabhupada was correcting the mentality of “Gopi Bhava Club” devotees, he used the analogy of a pharmacy. There is medicine on every shelf, but you have to take the medicine that your doctor prescribes.
Vaisesika Prabhu:
From an initiation lecture on Zoom on September 12, 2020:
We welcome all of you from all over the world who have come to take shelter of the holy name.
Devotee comes from a Latin word which means ‘one who makes vows.’ As devotees, we make vows.
If you waver somehow, Krishna will make you suffer enough that you will return to Him.
By remembering Krishna we become pure, and we do that by chanting Hare Krishna.
We must chant the holy names before and after every ceremony, as all our sacrifices have errors in the Kali-yuga, in order to please the Lord.
We chanted Brahma-samhita at an initiation in Chicago in 1975, and Srila Prabhupada liked it and said we should chant it at every initiation.
People become attracted to the association of devotees because their values match. They see that these people know the truth and they are happy, and they think, “I want to join them and become like that.”
Rupa Goswami says the holy name is more merciful than the Lord because He comes into this world in that form to deliver us.
When we chant, considering that there is no difference between the Lord and His holy name, our hearts melts.
Initiation is an act of surrender.
One takes initiation when he understands there is no act more beneficial than chanting Hare Krishna, and he wants to take it seriously.
Madhvacarya indicates steadiness in practice and merciful words demonstrate advancement more reliably than bodily symptoms of ecstasy.
The initiation vows promote steadiness in the practice of chanting and freedom from offenses.
Srila Prabhupada taught us not to move things with our feet, such has kicking an asana across the floor because we are too lazy to pick it up.
Lord Caitanya taught His followers the section from the Padma Purana listing the ten offenses against the chanting of the holy name, which we also chant.
Hearing criticism of devotees or even faint praises of devotees limits our ability to appreciate devotees and therefore to advance.
Srila Prabhupada taught us if you have some disagreement with devotees you should offer obeisances to them and not hold a grudge.
The single most important way to make advancement is to not offend devotees.
If we serve devotees with our body, mind, and words, in addition to chanting Hare Krishna, very quickly we will make advancement.
In addition to chanting and the four rules, apply the verse trnad api sunicena. Glorify others, and do not do seva [service] to get glorification for yourself.
To be a dasa or dasi in the line of Lord Caitanya is a most coveted position.
Chant with attention. Then Krishna will manifest His full power. That is all that is needed.
Srila Prabhupada wanted a certificate to be given to each devotee upon initiation as Malati told me when she saw I was doing it.
I explain tilaka as a mark of dedication. When people ask, “Dedication to what?”
I say, “To spiritual vows.” That opens the door to a nice discussion.
Please also try to read all of Srila Prabhupada’s books again and again and try to hear all his lectures before you leave your body.
Ananda-prada is a name for Radha meaning one who distributes bliss.
Rama Raya Prabhu:
One devotee was thinking that we get test after test from Krishna and it never ends, but Srila Prabhupada explained that when one passes all the tests, there are no more tests.
Giriraj asked Srila Prabhupada what to do about discrepancies in his movement. Srila Prabhupada said that he should not leave but rather he should stay and try to correct things.
Srila Prabhupada said that we are not concerned with the beautiful scenery but with the person who has created the beautiful scenery.
Srila Prabhupada said, “Even if they touch the book, they get a human birth.”
We have to increase our faith as devotees to understand the potency of the holy name.
Srila Prabhupada explained that it will be millions of years before the grass will attain a human birth, but if it hears the holy name, then in next life it will attain a human birth.
Purusottama-adhika month is the greatest opportunity to make great advancement in pure devotional service.
A devotee does not criticize others as he knows the ability of the Lord to rectify everyone.
Krishna says that He has bestowed all His potency upon Purusottama month and thus it has become as worshipable as He Himself.
We can say that New York City is the capital of Krishna consciousness, because through New York Srila Prabhupada blessed the world with Krishna consciousness, but New York City is also the capital of maya, so we have to be careful.
Krishna told the Pandavas they were suffering because when they were in exile, they did not honor the Purusottama month.
The Purusottama month is sixteen times as powerful as Karttika month.
Nikunjabihari Prabhu:
When they fall from heaven after their pious activities, they fall head first.
If you chant offenselessly, you do not have to worry about traveling through the various higher planets. You go straight back to Godhead.
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In different verses in Bhagavad-gita, Krishna explains the value of taking shelter of Him or the destiny of one who does not take shelter of Him. One favorite is this one from Chapter Eighteen:
mac-cittah sarva-durgani
atha cet tvam ahankaran
na srosyasi vinanksyasi
[Lord Sri Krishna says to His friend and disciple, Arjuna:] “If you become conscious of Me, you will pass over all the obstacles of conditioned life by My grace. If, however, you do not work in such consciousness but act through false ego, not hearing Me, you will be lost.” (Bhagavad-gita 18.58)
Simply by chanting Hare Krishna and reading Bhagavad-gita, we can attain this consciousness of Krishna or Krishna consciousness.