Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 16, No. 18
By Krishna Kripa Das
(September 2020, part two)
New York City, Upstate New York
(Sent from Brooklyn on October 3, 2020)
Where I Went and What I Did
The second half of September I continued chanting with Rama Raya Prabhu’s NYC Harinam party at four venues in New York City: Union Square Park, Washington Square Park, Columbus Circle (above photo), and Radha Govinda Mandir. We would chant Hare Krishna four hours a day, except Saturday, when we would chant seven hours. It is wonderful to have the association of other devotees who are enthusiastic to keep Srila Prabhupada’s program of daily harinama sankirtana alive in his ISKCON movement. On Sundays I would also join the Bhakti Center harinama in Washington Square Park for one hour, as it begins an hour earlier than ours. One day I went with Rama Raya and Narada Rishi Prabhus to Stuyvesant Falls to see Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, the diksa-guru of all three of us. We also visited other senior devotees there, and I visited my mother, who lives half an hour away.
I share notes on the lectures and books of Srila Prabhupada, especially The Nectar of Devotion, a personal favorite. I share a couple quotes from the “Uddhava Gita” section of the Eleven Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. I share quotes from Back to Godhead magazine articles by Satyaraja, Visakha Dasi, Gauranga Darshan, Caitanya Carana, Mahananda Caitanya, and Jitendra Savanur Prabhus, and also some nice verses from its “Vedic Thoughts” page. I share notes on lectures at ISKCON Brooklyn by Chandrasekhara Swami, and Rama Raya, Shobha-mayi Devi Dasi, Jaya Jagannatha, Hari Vilas, Bhakta Vatsal, and Natabara Gauranga Prabhus.
Thanks to Pat Beetle, my mother, for her kind donation. Thanks also to Sasha, Lila Manjari Devi Dasi, Mera Chitra, and Rupachandra Prabhu for their donations. Thanks to Caranti Devi Dasi for the birthday cake. Thanks to Dhenukari Prabhu for driving Narada Rishi Prabhu and me to Upstate New York and for filming our meeting with Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami.
Itinerary
September 12–?: NYC Harinam
December 5: Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami Vyasa-puja
December 24: Albany, Christmas Eve with relatives
Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City
Four devotees from Baltimore surprised us by traveling over three hours by car each way to join our harinama sankirtana party for the day. You can see two of them lead the chanting of Hare Krishna in the next two videos.
Prashant of Baltimore chants Hare Krishna at Union Square with NYC Harinama (https://youtu.be/4irU3BIbzdA):
Aryan also leads the Hare Krishna chant (https://youtu.be/FmaTxoxkN7U):
Jaya Jagannatha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square Park, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/ScGucU1QydI):
Jaya Jagannatha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, kids play shakers, and both devotees and passersby dance (https://youtu.be/HkbTRTlgu_s):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Washington Square Park, and kids play instruments (https://youtu.be/zDzHGX0Iyfw):
Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants a lively Hare Krishna tune at Union Square, and Richard dances (https://youtu.be/fy5rbQIOdAk):
Jaya Jagannatha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and two devotee ladies from ISKCON Brooklyn dance (https://youtu.be/l8snJwIMXHQ):
One Saturday, Rama Raya Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna at Union Square, and legendary BBT director, Ramesvara Prabhu, clapped, Godruma Prana Prabhu played trumpet, and a passerby played the shakers (https://youtu.be/nKKShssrOY8):
Then Ramesvara Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna, and Godruma Prana Prabhu played the trumpet (https://youtu.be/AUY1IByFZyc)
While Ramesvara was singing, a passerby began accompanying on his saxophone (https://youtu.be/NXBgUeVFElU):
Here Minna chants Hare Krishna with mostly Bhakti Center devotees on Sunday at Washington Square Park (https://youtu.be/w3cK3EBpJKg):
Doyal Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with Bhakti Center, NYC Harinam, 26 Second Avenue, and ISKCON Brooklyn devotees and their followers at Washington Square Park on a Sunday afternoon (https://youtu.be/ux0HRRGHikg):
Jenya Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Union Square (https://youtu.be/bVUt-PGjYFQ):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square, and passersby dance with devotees, including one lady who also played the shakers (https://youtu.be/oR8vn7r_qXo):
Here Natabara Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Columbus Circle, where we chanted for the first time since returning to New York, deciding to go there two consecutive days as the book distributors found the people more favorable (https://youtu.be/bzfLGGXkQd0):
I also chanted there at Columbus Circle, and Kaliya Krishna Prabhu took this video (https://youtu.be/jVB9e8MMpSc):
Jaya Jagannatha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Columbus Circle (https://youtu.be/5FVqXjtR24E):
Here Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/8csWzSJuy8k):
The second day we were at Columbus Circle, Priya Krishna Prabhu, who works nearby, chanted Hare Krishna on his way home (https://youtu.be/TkBRTI5o2qY):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Columbus Circle, and an Indian dad and birthday boy play shakers and dance (https://youtu.be/F02RiG6r7gs):
As usual, Rama Raya Prabhu chanted a fired-up Hare Krishna kirtana at Columbus Circle at the end of each day (https://youtu.be/D8u36nOGMV4):
We could not get a spot to chant during the Saturday market day at Union Square, but we found Washington Square Park to be as good or even bettter!
Here Jaya Jagannatha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park on a Saturday afternoon, and passersby and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/-5ZsTTfJc4M):
Later Divyangi Devi Dasi, our main book distributor, chanted Hare Krishna, and Richard danced (https://youtu.be/lxhOcXMHJYI):
Then Murli Krishna Prabhu, who used to chant Hare Krishna with Aindra Prabhu in the 1980s all over New York City, chanted Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/Je22sQtUDMQ):
After that, Priya Krishna Prabhu, who joins us some evenings and on weekends, chanted Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/a91m6SwIQKg):
Finally Rama Raya Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park on Saturday as afternoon turned into evening, and many passersby and devotees were inspired to dance (https://youtu.be/9pm2bPp1PK0):
Braja Sakhi Devi Dasi chants in Washington Square Park with Bhakti Center devotees on their weekly Sunday harinama from 2 to 5 p.m. there (https://youtu.be/i6K6zIgBL18):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square on Sunday (https://youtu.be/0iqsrbX9gdI):
At the end of his kirtan, passersby played shakers and danced with devotees (https://youtu.be/eiPAlZ6qB8M):
Rain was predicted for Tuesday, September 29, so Rama Raya Prabhu decided that we would chant from 3 to 7 p.m. at Radha Govinda Mandir in Brooklyn. Since I usually just lead the kirtan for half an hour and watch the book table the rest of the time, I chose to chant with the party for just one hour, and then chant on a nearby street for three hours to see how it was. I chanted on Flatbush near Dekalb under some construction scaffolding that offered some protection from the rain. Initially I was optimistic as in the first fifteen minutes people gave two dollars and took two books, and I had a nice conversation with a yoga teacher. I did not invite anyone to join me as I knew Rama Raya Prabhu would be upset if I took people away from his party. Caranti Devi Dasi, who chanted with me on harinamas in Gainesville, noticed I was missing from the temple kirtan and asked her friend who supplied me the books where I was. Thus she joined me for an hour and a half.
Here Natabara Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Radha Govinda Mandir in Brooklyn on that rainy day (https://youtu.be/mrvw8rdVZ4g):
Reading in Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s weekly Free Write Journal that his health was declining in some respects, Rama Raya and Narada Rishi Prabhus, and I decided to go to Stuyvesant Falls, two and a half hours north by car, to see visit him as he is the diksa-guru of all three of us.
He wrote about our visit in his journal the next week:
“On the same morning I had a meeting with Maharaja, I had another meeting with three faithful disciples who came up from Brooklyn. We met on the porch, and they all wore masks. They were Rama Raya, Narada Rishi and Krishna Kripa.
“Rama Raya now stays in the Brooklyn temple and conducts his Yuga Dharma daily harinama from there. Now in the good weather, they are going out to Washington Square Park, Union Square Park or Columbus Circle, and getting a good reception. When it gets cold in the winter, they will do their harinama in the Brooklyn temple. The party is split up now, with some men remaining in Atlanta, and Rama and another kirtaniya in Brooklyn.
Narada Rsi resides in the Brooklyn temple and preaches to the Indian congregation. Krishna Kripa is spending some months serving with Rama Raya’s party in Brooklyn. We had a very affectionate meeting. They all read my Free Write Journal, and they inquired in detail about my health. I reassured them that it wasn’t so bad except for my inability to walk properly and breathe normally. They were encouraged that I continue to do so much writing. I gave two new books to Rama Raya because he’s an avid reader. . . . The meeting on the porch was jolly. The men are all brahmacaris ranging from 58 to 61 years old. They have a good camaraderie and are affectionate disciples.”
Rama Raya Prabhu brought our Guru Maharaja up-to-date on the state of his NYC Harinam party, and Narada Rishi reminisced about traveling with Satsvarupa Maharaja in India to places like Jhansi and Chippiwada, helping him do interviews for Srila Prabhupada-lilamrita some forty years ago. I talked with him a bit about the proofreading work I do for him.
While there Narada Rishi and I also visited Jayadvaita Swami and Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu, who we have both known for many years. Narada Rishi, who visits congregational members, expressed frustration at being unable to visit people because of the virus, and Jayadvaita Swami told him to call his contacts on the phone and inquire how they are doing and listen to their struggles. Offer to help. Share with them knowledge of online programs they can plug into. He said, “This is not a time to get from people, but a time to give to people.” Hearing his advice, I was impressed with his practicality and his compassion.
During that trip I also visited my 96-year-old mother, who lives nearby, bringing her prasadam lasagna from my guru’s lunch, tamari almonds, a favorite of hers, and coconut sweets I had made to share on my birthday two days later.
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.31 in Vrindavan on November 10, 1972:
“But accidentally, good sometimes comes. Accidentally, this Krishna consciousness movement came here [laughing], although it was already going on in India. Nobody here called for Krishna consciousness – the scientists, the politicians. But as if by accident it came. As if by accident they got this benefit. They cannot explain the workings of God; therefore they take everything as an accident.”
“War starts by the instigation of the demoniac. The Kurukshetra war – it was not started by Arjuna. It was started by Duryodhana.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.19.16:
“Again, offering obeisances unto all you brahmanas, I pray that if I should again take my birth in the material world I will have complete attachment to the unlimited Lord Krishna, association with His devotees and friendly relations with all living beings.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 16.64, purport:
“Preaching Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s cult throughout the world is more important than staying in Vrindavan or Jagannatha Puri for one’s own personal satisfaction. Spreading Krishna consciousness is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission; therefore His sincere devotees must carry out His desire.
“prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama
sarvatra pracara haibe mora nam
“The devotees of Lord Caitanya must preach Krishna consciousness in every village and town in the world. That will satisfy the Lord. It is not that one should act whimsically for his own personal satisfaction. This order comes down through the parampara system, and the spiritual master presents these orders to the disciple so that he can spread the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It is the duty of every disciple to carry out the order of the bona fide spiritual master and spread Lord Caitanya’s message all over the world.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya 20.14:
“The result of chanting is that one awakens his love for Krishna and tastes transcendental bliss. Ultimately, one attains the association of Krishna and engages in His devotional service, as if immersing himself in a great ocean of love.”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 7:
“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.’”
“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.”
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 Krishna. 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 The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 10:
“The beginning of Krishna consciousness and devotional service is hearing, in Sanskrit called sravanam. All people should be given the chance to come and join devotional parties so that they may hear. This hearing is very important for progressing in Krishna consciousness. When one links his ears to give aural reception to the transcendental vibrations, he can quickly become purified and cleansed in the heart. Lord Caitanya has affirmed that this hearing is very important. It cleanses the heart of the contaminated soul so that he becomes quickly qualified to enter into devotional service and understand Krishna consciousness.”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 11:
“Srila Rupa Gosvami describes one who is fit for becoming engaged in devotional service. He says that persons who are neophytes and who have developed a little love of Godhead are not interested in the activities of sense gratification, in proportion to their devotion. But if there is still some attraction for sense gratifying activities, then the result of such activities should be offered to Krishna. This is also called engagement in the service of the Lord, with the Lord as the master and the worker as the servant.”
“A similar statement is there in the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Second Chapter, verse 53, where Havi, the son of King Rsabha, addresses Maharaja Nimi: ‘My dear King, a person who never deviates even for a moment from engagement in service at the lotus feet of the Supreme Person (engagement which is sought even by great demigods like Indra), with firm conviction that there is nothing more worshipable or desirable than this, is called the first-class devotee.’”
“In the Hari-bhakti-vilasa there is the following statement about self-surrender: ‘My dear Lord, a person who has surrendered himself unto You, who is in firm conviction that he is Yours, and who actually acts in that way by his body, mind and words, can actually relish transcendental bliss.’”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 12:
“A similar statement is in the Third Canto, Seventh Chapter, verse 19, of Srimad-Bhagavatam: ‘Let me become a sincere servant of the devotees, because by serving them one can achieve unalloyed devotional service unto the lotus feet of the Lord. The service of devotees diminishes all miserable material conditions and develops within one a deep devotional love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead.’”
“The association of pure devotees is so transcendentally valuable that no kind of material happiness can compare to it.”
“The importance of chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is very strongly stressed in the Second Canto, First Chapter, verse 11, of Srimad-Bhagavatam in the following way. Sukadeva Gosvami tells Maharaja Pariksit, ‘My dear King, if one is spontaneously attached to the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, it is to be understood that he has attained the highest perfectional stage.’”
“The same thing is confirmed in the Adi Purana by Krishna. While addressing Arjuna He says, ‘Anyone who is engaged in chanting My transcendental name must be considered to be always associating with Me. And I may tell you frankly that for such a devotee I become easily purchased.’”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.17, purport:
“A living being, especially the human being, is seeking happiness because happiness is the natural situation of the living entity. But he is vainly seeking happiness in the material atmosphere. A living being is constitutionally a spiritual spark of the complete whole, and his happiness can be perfectly perceived in spiritual activities. The Lord is the complete spirit whole, and His name, form, quality, pastimes, entourage and personality are all identical with Him. Once a person comes into contact with any one of the above-mentioned energies of the Lord through the proper channel of devotional service, the door to perfection is immediately opened.”
“A moment passed in the association of a pure devotee by hearing and chanting the transcendental messages of the Lord is a perfect guarantee for eternal life, for returning home, back to Godhead. Mad-dhama gatva punar janma na vidyate. In other words, a devotee of the Lord is guaranteed eternal life. A devotee’s old age or disease in the present life is but an impetus to such guaranteed eternal life.”
Lord Sri Krishna:
From Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya 14.28:
“With great love My devotees see Me and talk with Me. The happiness I feel by associating with My devotees is newer and newer at every moment. Although My desires are always fulfilled, My desire to associate with My devotees never ends.”
Prahlada Maharaja:
From Vishnu Purana 1.20.19:
“Fools fall in love with material sense objects. As they always love sense objects, may I always love You [Lord Nrsimha]. I always meditate on You. I pray that You will never leave my heart.”
The humble servants of Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.25.23, purport:
“Ordinary work performed as an offering to God, without desire for the result, is understood to be in the mode of goodness, whereas activities of devotion — such as chanting and hearing the glories of the Lord — are transcendental forms of work beyond the modes of nature.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.26.5
“Ultimately one should think, ‘I am an eternal servant of Lord Krishna’ and ‘My only possession is loving service to the Lord.’ This is the pure state of consciousness, beyond the material modes of nature.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From Prabhupada Meditations, Volume 3:
“Srila Prabhupada taught us of the importance of the spiritual master. No one can understand Krishna except through the spiritual master. However, he never said, ‘I am that pure devotee. I am the spiritual master.’ If someone asked him bluntly, he replied, ‘That you can judge for yourself.’ Yet he preached that we must surrender to the spiritual master.”
From Free Write Journal #110:
“Someone wrote me and asked about the fall of the living entity. I wrote them back and said that Prabhupada stated that it wasn’t important. It occurred in time immemorial, and there’s no tracing it out. The important thing is that we are now fallen, and we have to get out. If you have no butter and you say, ‘When did I run out of butter,’ that is not important. The crucial thing is that you have to get butter now. We conditioned souls are all fallen. We are under the illusion of the material nature in modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. Our business is to cleanse ourselves, surrender to Krishna and go back to Godhead. Krishna says at the conclusion of Bhagavad-gita, “Give up all other religious practices and just surrender to Me. I will relieve you of all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” This should be our concentration, surrendering to Krishna and stopping the cycle of repeated birth and death.”
From The Twenty Six Qualities of a Devotee:
“The principles of bhagavata dharma are merciful, and anyone who follows them automatically gives up all kinds of unkindness and its resultant karma. If we follow the Vedic codes of religion, then by obedience alone we will act on the platform of mercifulness to all living entities. We will not kill innocent animals, and we will give the human beings Krishna consciousness.”
From Wicklow Writing Session, Session #23:
“The man wants relief. He asks his ma for marmalade on toast. She says, ‘Don’t forget that one of the twenty-six qualities is – doesn’t eat more than required.’”
Chandrasekhara Swami:
We tend to think in former times people had mythology, dealing with mysterious forces, but things have not changed. In science we have our own present day mythology which deals with mysterious forces.
The tan-mantras, the subtle sense objects, are hard to really grasp. These are what is perceived by our knowledge acquiring senses: sound, touch, form, taste, and smell. One might ask, “In Western philosophy where do these fit?” As it turns out they are discussed in the philosophy of phenomenonology and are called qualia, the objects of our conscious experience.
A yogi can experience his consciousness minus sense perception.
In material life, we have hierarchies of which kinds of sense objects are superior, and we use our intelligence in that way, but we are meant to use our intelligence to apply the directions from the scriptures to advance spiritually.
Conditioned souls think in terms of ‘my intelligence,’ while the devotee understands Krishna is giving intelligence.
When we compare the Vedic world view with the modern view we can consider which is a better explanation of reality.
There are limits to artificial intelligence. For example, can you make a computer feel pain? Can you make a computer actually feel anything or experience anything?
Comment by Caranti Devi Dasi: We need the mercy of holy name to see things as they are instead of what our particular conditioning of senses presents to us.
Some see Bhagavad-gita as a smorgasbord offering variety of spiritual practices and leaving it to the reader to choose his favorite, but in reality Krishna expresses a preference:
“A yogi is greater than the ascetic, greater than the empiricist and greater than the fruitive worker. Therefore, O Arjuna, in all circumstances, be a yogi. And of all yogis, the one with great faith who always abides in Me, thinks of Me within himself, and renders transcendental loving service to Me—he is the most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all. That is My opinion.” (Bg. 6.46–47)
Jnana is when we first become suspicious about sense gratification. Why is it that it never gives me the satisfaction I desire?
Srila Prabhupada often makes the point that if one wants karma or jnana he will be more successful if he performs bhakti in order to get it.
No other activity is a prerequisite for bhakti.
Brahmanas can perform pious activities for lifetimes and not attain bhakti whereas the sinful hunter, Mrgari, attained bhakti in one life.
Because we are not willing to wait for the Lord to provide what we want, we think of doing some fruitive activity to attain it.
We see desires change over time. As a kid I was fixated on going to Disneyland, but when I actually went when I was eighteen, I was completely bored and I was eager for the experience to be over.
Consider where you are now. It is all either your desire or your karma.
The best way to please the Supreme is to give knowledge of the Supreme to others.
It is interesting that Lord Caitanya adamantly refused to meet with King Prataparuda, yet he happily met many times with his underling, Ramananda Raya.
The Supreme knows, but He doesn’t know. This is how the Supreme works. Although He is omniscient, sometimes for the sake of His pastimes, He acts as if He does not know.
When King Prataparuda recited the tava kathamritam verse, that verse made Lord Caitanya embrace the king.
Comment by Jaya Jagannatha Prabhu: Because we are a culture of suddha-bhakti [pure devotional service], sometimes people feel if they have material desires they should go elsewhere to fulfill them, although this verse advises that even if you have all material desires you should engage in Krishna’s service.
Spiritual happiness always trumps spiritual happiness, but we are not always completely convinced. We tend to think there is some kind of happiness I have not experienced out there that is better.
We cannot take anything from one life to another on the material plane, not our wealth, nor our reputation.
I went to a San Francisco Ratha-yatra at the request of a friend although I had no desire to. One memory was that the food was really good, and as I encountered the devotees again and again, I thought, if I ever become a Hare Krishna devotee at least I will not starve.
For many months I had tried to change my life in many different ways, but I was never successful in making a permanent change until I met the devotees.
The guy who played the organ at my Catholic church when I grew up stopped attending after a while. I asked him about it later, and in his explanation, he said, “Does God want me to be bored?” If we were to attain the spiritual world now with our present material desires we probably would be bored.
People misunderstand happiness, freedom, and love.
Over many lives we have built up a false conception of life. As we engage in devotional activities in relationship with Krishna this is gradually dismantled, and we develop real feelings in relationship with Him.
When I became a devotee I noticed that the feeling of meaningless in my life disappeared.
Comment by Rama Raya Prabhu:
Sangita of Vaishnava Care said devotees who are terminally ill expressed two regrets:
1. I wasted so much time.
2. Why did I hold that grudge?
Hansarupa Prabhu, president of Radha-Govinda Mandir:
From a conversation:
They called me in Vrindavan. They wanted me to come to New York and save Radha-Govinda Mandir. I had been praying every day in the Prabhupada Samadhi to Prabhupada saying, “I am ready to do whatever you want me to do.” I did not want to leave Vrindavan. I was happy taking care of Kurmarupa’s cows. But I realized I had to go to New York because I had told Srila Prabhupada I was ready to do whatever he wanted, and so here I am.
Satyaraja Prabhu:
From “The Bhagavad-gita’s Three Greatest Secrets” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 55, No. 1 (January/February 2021):
“Sri Jiva goes on to show that even among incarnations and manifestations of God, such as Narayana, Krishna is the highest and thus the most appropriate recipient of all worship. He also emphasizes that Krishna reveals all this to Arjuna because he is ‘most dear to Him,’ using the words ‘extremely dear’ (drdha ista). Krishna, says Sri Jiva, ‘thus exhibits special love for Arjuna,’ and it is this that is the most confidential of all the Gita’s secrets. Indeed, it is this all-encompassing love that Gaudiya Vaisnava practitioners aspire for.”
“The greatest secret of all appears in verses 18.64–66, says [Graham] Schweig [Garuda Prabhu], in which Krishna reveals that He fully reciprocates His devotee’s love: ‘You are so much loved by me,’ Krishna says. While most editions or translations emphasize that the devotee needs to develop love for God, Schweig’s edition notes that Krishna loves His devotee, too. Perhaps more than we can ever love Him. This, indeed, is the ultimate secret of the Gita.”
Visakha Dasi:
From “Our Internal and External Missions” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 55, No. 1 (January/February 2021):
“We are trying to become aware of God, along with many other sincere souls who are trying similarly. In this mood, we’re frank about our weaknesses, rectify them, and remain consistently clear and focused on the importance of spiritual life. Eventually we will experience the unexcelled happiness of executing unmotivated, uninterrupted devotional service to Krishna.”
Rama Raya Prabhu:
Hamsaduta recalls that the devotees in Germany hired a sales expert to get additional advice on selling books. He watched the devotees and concluded they had the most important thing, faith in the product, and that his whole package of techniques and suggestions would be a waste of money for them.
The Lord finds the qualities of His devotees so attractive so that He wants to come as a devotee to experience them.
After visiting Radha Govinda at Henry Street in Brooklyn, Srila Prabhupada gave the order, “Brooklyn means poor man’s temple. Move Radha Govinda back to Manhattan.” Of course, now Manhattan has moved to Brooklyn, at least to this part of Brooklyn.
As there are Radha-Londonisvara and Radha-Parisvara, we can think of Radha-Govinda as Radha-New York-isvara. Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami once described Them as the isvara and isvari of New York in his Lessons from the Road.
Shobha-mayi Devi Dasi:
As soon as one surrenders to Krishna one becomes free from all anxiety. We are living in the temple and exclusively serving the deities, and we have no problems.
In The Nectar of Devotion it is said that devotional happiness is the highest happiness because it is eternal.
Bhagavad-gita is spoken by Krishna, and Srimad-Bhagavatam is the lila (pastimes) of Krishna.
This age of Kali divides everybody, and Lord Caitanya’s harinama-sankirtana unites everybody.
Srila Prabhupada could have lived happily in Vrindavana, but he desired to serve his guru by spreading Lord Caitanya’s sankirtana movement all over the world.
Lord Krishna decides who lives in the temple.
At least Maharaja Pariksit had seven days to prepare for his death. Some people do not even have seven days to prepare.
The most important thing in deity worship is desire. Not that we are doing it because we should do this or should do that.
My grandmother had a deity of Bal Krishna [Krishna as a child], so I was engaged in deity worship since I was five-year-old girl. My grandmother passed away when I was six or seven years old, and before she left she said, “Someday you will be Lord Krishna’s devotee.”
Comment by Chandrasekhara Swami:
I saw Srila Prabhupada in San Francisco at a Ratha-yatra. I was not a devotee at the time, and I did not know who Srila Prabhupada was. I had a friend visiting from Los Angeles, and I asked him what he wanted to do. He said, “The Hare Krishna devotees are having a shin dig in the park, and I would like to go.” As it turned out I lived just a block from Golden Gate Park, so we went. The devotees engaged me in pulling a pedestal with Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda on it. At one point I noticed everyone was bowing down. I looked and saw they were bowing down to Srila Prabhupada. I did not feel like bowing down as I did not even know who Srila Prabhupada was, but I felt great pressure being the only one not bowing, and then I found myself bowing down as if uncontrollably.
Bhakti Rasa Prabhu:
From a comment on a Zoom lecture I gave for ISKCON Newcastle UK:
Srutakirti felt bad that he did not feel such great ecstasy in Srila Prabhupada’s service as the devotees greeting Prabhupada upon his arrival to the temples. When Srutakirti revealed his mind to Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada did not respond for a whole day. Then he asked Srutakirti if he liked his service. Srutakirti said he liked his service very much. Srila Prabhupada explained that doing his service was love not just the feeling. Srutakirti says he gets asked to tell that story more than any other.
Kirtida Devi Dasi:
From a comment on a Zoom lecture I gave for ISKCON Newcastle UK:
Ekacakranatha told me one time, “I just chant because I know Krishna likes it.”
Love is not just the feeling but doing the right thing.
Gauranga Darshan Prabhu:
From “A Glowworm in Front of the Sun” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 55, No. 1 (January/February 2021):
“Krishna exhibits His majesty and powers to create and maintain this world, to kill the demons and to do several other things. But the power He manifests to reciprocate with His devotees, especially in Vrindavan, is the epitome of all His powers.”
“It was Lord Brahma who had stolen the calves and the boys. When Krishna killed Aghasur, Brahma wondered how a little cowherd boy could act so amazingly. Brahma was fully aware of the prowess of the Supreme Godhead Krishna, and it was he who had requested Krishna to descend and reduce the burden of earth. Still, Brahma wanted to test Krishna’s power now, forgetting the fact that Krishna was the source of his own power.”
“Lord Krishna didn’t disown Brahma for his mischief of stealing the gopas and the calves. Krishna brought him to the divine consciousness of humility and in fact, Krishna glorified him for all time to come by declaring his ideal aspiration to the world. And when He appeared as Lord Caitanya to propagate the holy names of God, Krishna honored Brahma as namacharya, the perfect example of chanting of the holy names of God. Who could be more kind than Krishna?”
Caitanya Carana Prabhu:
From “FEAR: An Acronym for Facing Fear” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 55, No. 1 (January/February 2021):
“The present is the only time when we can change anything. In the memorable words of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura:
“Forget the past that sleeps and ne’er
The future dream at all,
But act in times that are with thee
And progress thee shall call.
“The past is history; we can’t change it. And the future is mystery; we can’t predict it. The present is all we have – and all we will ever have.”
“He [Krishna] conveys (Gita 18.66) that surrendering is not just about letting go of things but essentially about seeking His shelter. By surrender we focus on letting Krishna take control of things. Actually, He is always in control. But we often believe that we are meant to be in control of things; and when we can’t control them, we feel threatened, even shattered.
“Krishna has a higher plan, even if we can’t discern it now. Nonetheless, if we maintain a purposeful service attitude coupled with thoughtful devotional actions, then even if things go wrong, we will discover that Krishna will eventually bring good out of them.”
Jaya Jagannatha Prabhu:
Jiva Goswami says in his Sat-sandharbas that Brahma studied the Vedas studied three times. The first time he concluded karma, the second time, jnana, and the third time, bhava bhakti.
Sravana (hearing) will help you do the other acts of bhakti in the proper consciousness.
If we are satisfied, we are free.
We suffer when our desires are not fulfilled, and we suffer when our desires are fulfilled.
You cannot avoid sanga. Sanga will always be there. The question is what kind of sanga, guna-sanga (association with the material energy) or sadhu-sanga (association with the sadhus).
Sastra is a passive agent of divinity while the sadhu is an active agent of divinity.
Hari Vilas Prabhu:
In the Bhagavatam Sukadeva Goswami is aware that he is speaking to a variety of sages with differing degrees of faith in bhakti. Thus his presentation is directed toward different people at different times.
Our problem is that our faith is still divided. We have some faith in bhakti, but we also have faith in other things.
I have a friend who says he would rather live outside of a temple wanting to be in rather than to live inside of a temple wanting to be out.
Our interactions with others can degrade us, but if we remember that the Lord is in the heart we will be protected.
Krishna teaches one must do one’s duty and one will be protected.
One devotee was home alone for several days. He lost his determination to chant and control his senses. He realized he was in trouble, so he decided to hear a lecture of his guru. Just by hearing a single lecture he got the determination to sit down and chant sixteen rounds in one go.
The two kinds of people who seem to me to stick it out are devotees who have a spontaneous attachment to reading Srila Prabhupada’s books and devotees who are attached to someone who is so attached reading Srila Prabhupada's books.
If nondevotees have good qualities they are seen as insubstantial because they are not based on something that is eternal.
One cannot be attracted to someone who has no qualities.
If we do not attain good qualities by our practice of bhakti we are doing something wrong. Lack of intensity in practice is one possibility.
Your taste for hearing and chanting about Krishna is the test of your advancement, and we see that this taste can continue throughout all situations.
The real austerity is to renounce attractive things that are unrelated to Krishna.
If Krishna-katha appears uninteresting to us, if we realize that it is our fault, we can advance in devotional service.
To understand that the problem is with me is actually empowering, because if the problem is with me, then there is something I can do about it, whereas if the problem is with someone else, it is beyond my control.
The relevance of everything in this world is based on our self-identification.
If we do not accept ourselves as eternal servants of Krishna, then Krishna-katha will not seem relevant to us.
We have to find a way to absorb ourselves individually in hearing and chanting about Krishna. Examples are Bhaktimarga Swami, who does theatrical productions based on the Bhagavatam, and Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, who does free writing based on his life of Krishna consciousness.
One has to become what one’s spiritual master wants one to become. This is the way to develop the qualities of the pure devotee.
Krishna determines the people who He likes and who He doesn’t like based on their qualities. At the end of Chapter Twelve of Bhagavad-gita, He lists the qualities of those dear to Him.
Comment by Jaya Jagannatha Prabhu: I heard on tape Aindra Prabhu was saying, that other than the bodily conception, the only anartha he saw in ISKCON was that devotees are afraid to be attracted to Krishna.
In the beginning of being a devotee, you spend so much energy just trying not to do anything wrong that you do not have the time to engage your natural curiosity in aspects of Krishna consciousness.
Bhakta Vatsal Prabhu:
Radhanath Swami brought a harinama and book distribution party to Piccadilly Circus in London. There is a status of Cupid there, and many young couples were enjoying themselves in different ways. The kirtan was so ecstatic that the young people became attracted and started dancing. One person came forward and asked Maharaja what drug he was taking. He said to Maharaja, “I have a beautiful girlfriend with me, yet I see you all are happier than me!” Another guy came up and told Maharaja to go away. Maharaja said, “We have not caused you any harm, why do you want us to go away?” He replied, “My girlfriend is attracted and wants to join you, but if she joins you, what will be my position? I had to lie and say, ‘These people are crazy. Do not have anything to do with them.’”
The promises of attaining material benedictions by worship of demigods is included in the amala-purana Srimad-Bhagavatam because not everyone ready to accept bhakti.
Draupadi had five husbands, but none of them could help her. She was the daugher-in-law of five demigods, but they could not help her. Only Krishna could save her.
Mahananda Caitanya Prabhu:
From “Tukarama: Western India’s Exemplar of Lord Caitanya’s Teachings” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 55, No. 1 (January/February 2021):
“Tukarama was engaged in this prema-sankirtana initiated by Lord Caitanya. He would tell everyone, ‘Half of our life is spent in sleep, and the balance of our life is a struggle with disease and old age. Foolish people spend their life searching for happiness, but material happiness is like a grain while miseries are like a mountain. One can escape only by following the instructions of the Lord and His devotees. Simply drink the nectar of His sweet names, and all the knots of your attachment to material life will be destroyed.’”
“In the end, a transcendental flower airplane arrived to take Tukarama to Vaikuṇṭha [the spiritual world]. He asked his wife and his fellow villagers to join him. But they did not believe him, so he left for Vaikuntha alone while chanting the holy names of Lord.”
Natabara Gauranga Prabhu:
Krishna says that demigods worshipers have little intelligence, but He describes those who do not understand His spiritual form as having no intelligence at all.
So many scientific papers are retracted each year because of mistakes and cheating.
Comment by Chandrasekhara Swami: People tend to make two mistakes:
(1) To assume the material nature is meant for our investigation.
(2) To assume mechanical means can solve all problems.
These are illusory conceptions, but many people believe them to real.
Jitendra Savanur:
From “When God Offers a Discount” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 55, No. 1 (January/February 2021):
“The Brahma-vaivarta Purana states:
“atah kalau tapo-yoga-
vidya-yajñadikah kriyah
sanga bhavanti na krtah
kusalair api dehibhih
“‘Thus in the age of Kali the practices of austerity, yoga meditation, Deity worship, sacrifice and so on, along with their various subsidiary functions, are not properly carried out, even by the most expert embodied souls.’”
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People in general imagine that if they fulfill all the desires that appear in their minds that they will become happy. Lord Krishna reveals early on in His Bhagavad-gita that this is a mistaken conception. He suggests another strategy for attaining peace of mind:
apuryamanam acala-pratistham
samudram apah pravisanti yadvat
tadvat kama yam pravisanti sarve
sa santim apnoti na kama-kami
“A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires – that enter like rivers into the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still – can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires.” (Bhagavad-gita 2.70)