Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 17, No. 12
(June 2021, part two)
New York, Zagreb, Wrocław, Katowice
(Sent from Paris on July 24, 2021)
Where I Went and What I Did
I went to Upstate New York to visit my mother and my guru before going to Europe for the summer. I cooked some meals for my mother, and we heard a tape of Radhanath Swami together. My diksa-guru, Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, was kind enough to give me an hour-long personal meeting, and I shared some of parts of his weekly journal I found most inspiring with him. I also participated in his daily reading of the scripture during and after lunch, along with many of my friends, who participated via Zoom. My friends from NYC Harinam were still in New Vrindaban, so I tried to maintain at least three hours of harinama each day with some of the nonresident attenders of the party still present in New York City. On Tuesday, June 22, I, along with Acarya-nistha Prabhu who was visiting our New York harinama party, flew to Croatia, which I had learned from Harinama Ruci was practically the only European country that did not make U.S. citizens undergo quarantine. I planned to stay in Croatia for ten days and then go to Paris, but at the New York Ratha-yatra, I learned that on July 27 there was going to be a Ratha-yatra in Wrocław, Poland, an event I have attended at least twice before and which many of my friends from Indradyumna Swami’s Polish tour regularly attend. So after two days of harinama in Croatia, I took several trains to Katowice, Poland, where I visited my friend, Tara Prabhu.
I took another train to Wrocław the next day, where I promoted and attended their Ratha-yatra. I ended the month of June by chanting a couple days in Katowice by myself and one in Wrocław with Goura Karuna Prabhu and his wife.
I share many excerpts from Srila Prabhupada’s books, conversations, and letters. I share excerpts from the writing of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share notes on lectures by Candrasekara and Krishna Kshetra Swamis and by Hansarupa, Manidhara, Ravindra Svarupa, and Nikunjabihari Prabhus. I share fewer insights this month as instead of reading and hearing lectures, I was proofreading Srila Prabhupada Tributes, a book of over six hundred pages of Vyasa Puja offerings. The notes I took on these I did not want to publish until the Vyasa Puja day, as some of the contributors could conceivably object.
Many, many thanks to Tara Prabhu for his very generous donations, as well for great meals, accommodation in Katowice, and paying for my COVID test to leave Poland. Thanks also to Victor of Albany for his kind donation. Many thanks to Kaliya Krishna Prabhu and Bhaktan Deva for helping to keep daily harinama happening in New York City while Rama Raya Prabhu and his party visited New Vrindaban, and also for their videos of me chanting Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park.
Itinerary
July 1–August 18: Paris harinamas
August 19: Prague harinama
August 20–22: Czech Woodstock (Brno)
August 23: Prague harinama
August 24: flights from Prague to Tallahassee
August 25–September ?: Tallahassee harinamas and college outreach
September ?–December 31: NYC Harinam
Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City
J. R. Maxwell, a friend from Alachua who has a YouTube channel, HarinamGlobal, and a web site www.harinamglobal.com, interviewed me about the New York Ratha-yatra and about harinama sankirtana in general, and he interviewed people attracted by our June 15 harinama at Atlantic Terminal about their experience (https://youtu.be/ol8PBYLqMSs):
Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park with a small party, when Rama Raya Prabhu and his party were out of town (https://youtu.be/hSeG9DjcBDU):
Sakshi chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park, and a guy does a balancing act (https://youtu.be/bHdUDMzhFv8):
Minna chants Hare Krishna in the Bhakti Center Sunday Kirtan at Washington Square Park (https://youtu.be/eAVjhhKWH1g):
Adbhuta Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/e-Bi3OrunXw):
Kishor Candra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/-pAazQLLfbo):
Tulasirani Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/fzI81zjfi_c):
Bhaktan Deva and I chant Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park with a few friends as Rama Raya Prabhu and his party continue to visit New Vrindaban, and a young couple plays the shakers and tries chanting the mantra (https://youtu.be/-5UBXFsAg6Q):
Our first day in Croatia, Acarya-nistha Prabhu and I did harinama late in the day between the main train station and a market for just an hour because it took at least an hour and a half to reach the temple by public transportation from the airport, we had to recover from the overnight flight, and then we had to spend at least forty minutes to reach the train station and another forty minutes to return to the temple. We met some people happy to see us, but our total collection was not enough to give away even one book. Acarya-nistha was able to give out several “On Chanting Hare Krishna” pamphlets however.
It is always nice when the devotees save you prasadam when you come back late from harinama!
The next day, the temple president, Vaikuntha-murti Prabhu, arranged that many devotees go out for harinama and book distribution, and it was ecstatic. The distributors had a good day, doing 51 books in Zagreb, which is one of the more difficult cities in Croatia. Here are some videos of the harinamas:
Acarya-nistha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Zagreb, Croatia (https://youtu.be/-afc3VmawOE):
Then Markandeya-rsi Prabhu, a brahmacari from the local temple, chanted Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/ooTI7riOHfA):
I bought my train tickets to Poland online beforehand for each of the countries I passed through, as I learned from the Polish festival devotees you can save a lot of money that way. I found the segment through Austria was several times more expensive than Croatia, Slovenia, Czech, and Poland. Still it was cheaper than a flight.
I told the Slovenian border officer on the Vienna train my reason for traveling is to volunteer at a festival [Wrocław Ratha-yatra]. He accepted. When he searched my computer bag, he exclaimed “Hare Krishna” on seeing the “On Chanting” pamphlets. Finding my “Call out Gauranga and be happy” stickers, he asked, “Who is Gauranga?” Eyeing the harmonium he told me to play him a tune on my ‘harmonika’ [Slovenian for accordion] and so I did, while chanting a Hare Krishna mantra for him and his Croatian colleague, and thus I blissfully entered the Schengen Area, feeling that I was protected by Krishna.
I had COVID less than six months before, and I had medical evidence of that which I had to show to the Slovenian and Austrian authorities, but that was the only restriction I encountered.
In Czech Republic, we had to take a bus part of the way because the tracks were made impassable by a tornado the evening before, another Kali Yuga anomaly. You can see the tornado and its damage in this and other videos on YouTube (https://youtu.be/QVApWBwNR-U):
Here at Bohumin, Czech Republic, the last town before Poland, I had just one more border to cross, and no police were there to interrogate us.
After entering Poland, I joined a group of American students I overheard talking on the train, hoping to get them to chant a few Hare Krishna mantras with me. They weren’t so keen, but they agreed to listen so I played my harmonium and chanted three mantras of Hare Krishna. One of them named Chris did Catholic outreach at FSU and recalled hearing the mantra on Landis Green. I had talked to one Catholic regularly at Landis, named Garrett, who liked to wear a “Virginity Rocks” T-shirt, and he turned out to be Chris’s former roommate. Pretty amazing!
The students were from different parts of America and were studying at the same college in Austria for the summer. That weekend they were vacationing in Krakow. I left the party with one “On Chanting Hare Krishna” pamphlet and my card, in case any of them were curious about what Hare Krishna is all about.
I was happy to see Tara Prabhu in Katowice (above dancing in Ratha-yatra). He was a brahmacari book distributor in America when I met him in San Diego over 27 years ago. Then I saw him the first few years I went on the Polish tour. He married one of Indradyumna Swami’s tour organizers, Radha Sakhi Vrinda Devi Dasi, and for a while he had a yoga studio in Thessaloniki, Greece, where I did harinama with him once. Recently I would see him in Mayapur, but a year or so ago, he returned to Poland to facilitate his wife.
He has a nice program of reading scripture together with friends online, and I participated in that with him.
Chanting Hare Krishna in Poland
I was happy to reach Wrocław the day before the Ratha-yatra so I could chant in public and advertise it. I reached the temple midday, taking a morning train from Katowice. I found it difficult to get people to join me for harinama as they wanted to help prepare the feast or else practice their performances for the stage show. Another problem was a rain shower predicted to happen around 4 or 5 p.m. One devotee named Balarama Prabhu, from a nearby city, recalled doing harinama with me and Trevor (later known Toshan Krishna Prabhu), and he came out with me for a good hour and three-quarters. We ended up chanting from just before 7 p.m till just before 10 p.m.
Krishna was kind to me and sent people who were happy to learn of our festival and even a couple who was willing to pay 50 zł (over $12) for a Polish Bhagavad-gita. Some people remembered our food from the Polish Woodstock festival and were happy to hear we would be serving food again the next day. One couple, who lived in Germany near the Czech border, were in town to visit the lady’s Polish grandmother.
I got to the festival about half an hour early, and although people were decorating the cart, no one was chanting for Lord Jagannatha.
As I had all my luggage with me, I got out my harmonium and took advantage of the opportunity to sing for Lord Jagannatha.
A few devotees joined me, including a very enthusiastic dancer.
I even got to participate in the traditional smashing of the coconuts!
Of course, my favorite thing to do in Ratha-yatra is to dance for Lord Jagannatha!
It was wonderful to have ISKCON guru and scholar, Krishna Kshetra Swami, who was living in Warsaw during the lockdown, coming to Wrocław for the festival.
During the procession, devotees took pleasure distributing all kinds of Jagannatha prasada, and people took pleasure in receiving it.
In all the Ratha-yatras I have ever seen, only men were steering the cart, but in Wrocław the driver was a lady.
were attracted to watch and film the procession!
Here Tattvavit Prabhu of Gdansk chants Hare Krishna at the Wrocław Ratha-yatra (https://youtu.be/CsxG9ls9pK0):
Next Gauranga Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/gALQmBz8i_g):
Madhava Prabhu of Bielsko-Biała, the leader of Kirtan Poland, chanted Hare Krishna toward the end of the procession (https://youtu.be/RZJNHt7LZbo):
Three friends really were attracted by the procession, one lady from Argentina (center), who later enjoyed talking with Rasa-lila Devi Dasi, also from Argentina, about Hare Krishna opportunities there, . . .
and her sister (seen filming the Ratha-yatra cart above)
and her brother-in-law (above), who both resided in Krakow, and who I was happy to inform about Kirtan Poland, a kirtan group near there.
After the procession, Krishna Kshetra Swami chanted a sweet Hare Krishna tune in the Wrocław Ratha-yatra stage show (https://youtu.be/B9NASlzwRSg):
Parananda Prema and Krishna Karsani Prabhus chanted Hare Krishna on the Wrocław Ratha-yatra stage (https://youtu.be/ra4woPf74Go):
Viryavan Prabhu, accompanied by his wife, Radhanandini Dasi, chanted Hare Krishna tunes of his own composition on the Wrocław Ratha-yatra stage (https://youtu.be/ZqvfX8k5jMM):
Sanjaya Prabhu chanted a Hare Krishna tune on the Wrocław Ratha-yatra stage (https://youtu.be/r1N8O81NU-A):
Sanjaya Prabhu chanted another Hare Krishna tune, letting Radhanandini Dasi also sing the lead, on the Wrocław Ratha-yatra stage (https://youtu.be/_tCrVtFC1wc):
Radhanandini and Kavicandra Prabhus chanted “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya” with the band Kirtan Zone on the Wrocław Ratha-yatra stage (https://youtu.be/A0KldPmoxM0):
After the truly beautiful Wroclaw Ratha-yatra I stayed briefly in Katowice with Tara Prabhu in his son’s room.
He had a big screen which greatly enhanced my japa meditation on Radha Govinda!
I chanted Hare Krishna alone near the Katowice train station a couple days while there.
A friendly guy (in red) who liked the chanting offered to buy me something. I asked for water as I didn’t bring any. I was surprised to receive the biggest bottle of water ever on harinama! Later that guy acted as an interpreter for a lady who was attracted by the chanting but knew only Polish. He promised to read her “On Chanting Hare Krishna,” and next day she told me he did.
They took Kirtan Poland flyers as did many people the two days I chanted there in Katowice. Please bless them with attachment to Krishna!
My last day in Poland I was happy to be chanting Hare Krishina in Wrocław by the University, with Rasa-lila Devi Dasi of Argentina playing drum and Goura Karuna Prabhu of Czech Republic playing karatalas, after chanting alone the previous two days (https://youtu.be/foiY8mtsXIM):
The above video was by a favorable young Polish lady that Goura Karuna Prabhu talked to.
We relocated to the square where the Ratha-yatra had taken place, but we never met any of those special people that make you feel the day was worth it. In fact, in donations we received only 1.5 zł, not even fifty cents!
After I packed up and began walking away, a guy came up to me and asked about Advaita Vedanta. I answered briefly, but I just wanted to change my Polish money to euros and return to the temple for dinner, so I showed him a Polish Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 1, and said, “This book will answer all your questions.” In New York City, we had just read the chapter “Bhagavatam Is the Answer to All Questions,” so I knew he would not be disappointed. He went to an ATM and paid the full price, 60 zł (almost $16), and thus made my final day of chanting Hare Krishna in Wrocław a success!
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.22, purport:
“A criminal is put in prison and punished by the government, but the same government, if it likes, can release the criminal from imprisoned life. Similarly, we must know conclusively that our material condition of suffering has been allotted to us by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and if we want to be saved from this suffering, we must appeal to the same controller. Thus one can be saved from this material condition.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.26, purport:
“Lord Brahma, King Indra and the other demigods living in the upper planetary systems are situated in a different spirit of consciousness, and therefore they are sometimes troubled by demons, but a devotee, even if situated in the lower planets, enjoys life in Krishna consciousness under any circumstances.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.27, purport:
“According to the demands of a particular devotee, he receives a result by the grace of the Lord. The Lord does not discriminate, thinking, ‘Here is a person favorable to Me, and here is a person who is not favorable.’ Rather, He fulfills the desires of everyone.”
“The original creator is Krishna. As such, the original proprietor is also Krishna because He has created the ingredients. Actually when we work in practical field, the ingredients we cannot create. Suppose we construct a very high skyscraper building, but the ingredients, namely the earth, stone, wood, iron, which are the ingredients of the house, that we cannot create. That is created by God. We simply transform. We take earth, dirt from the earth and mix it with water. The water is created by God. The earth is created by God. Then we mix it and make a lump like brick and put it in the fire. The fire is also created by God. In this way if we study scrutinizingly the ingredients and the materials which we are handling, they are not our creation. They are creation of God. We simply handle them. And because we handle them it does not become our property. This is sense.”
“If you cultivate spiritual knowledge in large quantity, then your body is no more material. It is spiritualized.”
“[In] the human life [we] should be very cautious that we may not be contaminated by low-grade qualities. There are so many rules and regulations, but it is very, very difficult to follow. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu has recommended, just to remain purified, ‘Chant Hare Krishna.’ Harer nama harer nama harer nama eva kevalam, kalau nasty eva nasty eva (Cc. Adi 17.21). . . . Otherwise you cannot purify. So kirtaniyaḥ sada hariḥ (Cc. Adi 17.31). We should always chant Hare Krishna mantra. Then we'll gradually be spiritualized, cinmaya, spiritualized. Then our life will be successful.”
Quoted from a Vyasa-puja offering by Dhirasanta Dasa Goswami:
“During that time in New York, when there was some inconvenience for me, I remembered Vrindavan. Should I return or not? The only thing that kept me from leaving was the order of my spiritual master; otherwise, I had no business being in such a dangerous place. Besides that, how else would I have understood His desire to please Krishna?”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.14.41, purport:
“Brahmanas, the topmost section of human society, are mostly devotees. They are generally unaware of the happenings within the material world because they are always busy in their activities for spiritual advancement. Nonetheless, when there is a calamity in human society, they cannot remain impartial. If they do not do something to relieve the distressed condition of human society, it is said that due to such neglect their spiritual knowledge diminishes.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.17.30, purport:
“One should follow in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and engage constantly in chanting the maha-mantra—Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Then he will never feel the distresses of the world of duality. In any condition of life one will be happy if he chants the holy name of the Lord.”
From a room conversation on Geneva on June 4, 1974:
“Prabhupada: There is example, that grinding mill... You know, grinding mill?
Prof. Regamay: Yes.
Prabhupada: Yes, and the grains are put within it, and they are all smashed. But one grain who takes shelter of the center, the pivot, it is not smashed. Similarly, the modern civilization is such that everyone will be smashed. And one takes the central point shelter, Krishna consciousness, he will not be.”
From a letter to Sivananda on 23 January 1969:
“Regarding serving your godbrothers, this is a very good practice. The Spiritual Master is never without his followers, so to serve the Spiritual Master also means to be the servant of his disciples. When you want to serve the king, you must also serve his minister, secretary, and everyone who serves him. And to serve his servants may please him more than to serve the king personally. So the Spiritual Master is not alone. He is always with his entourage. We are not impersonalists. We take care of every part of the whole, as much as one should take care of his hat as well as his shoes. Both are equally important for the upkeep of the body. I hope that you will understand this rightly.”
From a letter dated December 31, 1972:
“The highest development of Krishna consciousness understanding will be when you are able to give anyone the truth . . . in such a manner that they will respond in a positive way.”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 11:
“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.’
“In Srimad-Bhagavatam, Twelfth Canto, Thirteenth Chapter, verse 15, it is stated, ‘Srimad-Bhagavatam is the essence of all Vedanta philosophy. Any person who has become attached in some way or other to the reading of Srimad-Bhagavatam cannot have any taste for reading any other literature. In other words, a person who has relished the transcendental bliss of Srimad-Bhagavatam cannot be satisfied with mundane writings.’”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 12:
“It is said in the Adi Purana, ‘A person who is constantly engaged in chanting the holy name and who feels transcendental pleasure, being engaged in devotional service, is certainly awarded the facilities of devotional service and is never given just mukti [liberation].’”
“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.’”
“Caitanya Mahaprabhu has recommended that everyone chant the Hare Krishna mantra just to cleanse the dust from the heart. If the dust of the heart is cleansed away, then one can actually understand the importance of the holy name. For persons who are not inclined to clean the dust from their hearts and who want to keep things as they are, it is not possible to derive the transcendental result of chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. One should, therefore, be encouraged to develop his service attitude toward the Lord, because this will help him to chant without any offense. And so, under the guidance of a spiritual master, the disciple is trained to render service and at the same time chant the Hare Krishna mantra. As soon as one develops his spontaneous service attitude, he can immediately understand the transcendental nature of the holy names of the maha-mantra.”
“In the Vedic literature it is also stated, ‘How wonderful it is that simply by residing in Mathura even for one day, one can achieve a transcendental loving attitude toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead! This land of Mathura must be more glorious than Vaikuntha-dhama, the kingdom of God!’”
“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.’”
“In the Adi Purana there is the following statement by Lord Krishna Himself, addressed to Arjuna: ‘My dear Partha, one who claims to be My devotee is not so. Only a person who claims to be the devotee of My devotee is actually My devotee.’ No one can approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly [Cc. Madhya 13.80]. One must approach Him through His pure devotees. Therefore, in the system of Vaishnava activities, the first duty is to accept a devotee as spiritual master and then to render service unto him.”
“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.’”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From Free Write Journal #149:
[It is always interesting for me to see what my guru considers worth sharing about our meetings:]
“I had a meeting outdoors on the porch with Krishna Kripa. I asked him if he were coming to the July 3rd festival in Stuyvesant Falls. But I was disappointed to hear he is going to Europe for harinama. I realize he has a tight schedule of travels to different countries for harinama. Some months ago Krishna Kripa tested positive for COVID and had to go into quarantine with another devotee. He was frustrated that he couldn’t go out and chant, and he was weak from the disease. For years he has been proofreading my books. But now he says Krishna Bhajana has taken up most of that service, and Krishna Kripa presently has no books to proofread. He has a personal blog which has wide circulation. He regularly prints excerpts from Free Write Journal in his blog. Some things in my Journal really resonate with him, and he loves to share them on his own web page. He had lunch on the porch, listened to the out-loud reading on his computer (and read a section), and then lingered on in the quiet neighborhood of Stuyvesant Falls until 4:00 P.M.”
From Free Write Journal #148:
“In our our-loud reading, we are hearing from a Seventh Canto section called ‘The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone.’ In Bhagavad-gita Krishna says He descends to this world to protect His devotees and annihlate the miscreants. Hearing this, people claim that Krishna shows partiality towards His devotees. But the fact is Krishna responds to anyone who is constantly thinking of Him or saying His names, even in enmity. The demons that Krishna personally kills when He comes into this world gain liberation to the spiritual world. So Krishna is partial to no one, but whoever thinks of Him constantly, in any mood, gains great benediction.”
From Calling Out to Srila Prabhupada:
“O Prabhupada, whose pastimes and phrases of speech decorate the lectures of all his learned followers; O Prabhupada, whose disciples are always saying ‘Prabhupada said’;
“O Prabhupada, who preached krishna-bhakti for many decades in India while carrying out the order of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati as a grhastha;
“O Prabhupada, who then outshone all sannyasis by carrying the message of Lord Caitanya to America, leading the way with kirtana in ISKCON;
“O Prabhupada, who took morning walks beginning just before sunrise, who installed Radha-Krishna Deities around the world, and who led American and European young men and women in blissful dancing and chanting in the parks and streets;
“O Prabhupada, whose activities are appreciated by demigods and by eternal associates of Lord Krishna;
“O Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord Krishna having taken shelter at the lotus feet of the transcendental Lord;
“O Prabhupada, who brought liberation and bhakti and maha-mantra and Krishna into the English language, and who brought puris and halava and dal and sabji into the Western diet, and who didn't insist that his followers shave their heads and wear robes and saris, but whose disciples wanted to change their jeans for dhotis and wanted to wear tilaka and kanthi-mala for pleasing you;
“O Prabhupada, may we please you despite our many faults, may we please be included in your sankirtana party, and may we always chant Hare Krishna mantra, while completely disdaining illicit sex, meat-eating, gambling, and intoxication.”
From My Dear Lord Krishna:
“The sastras state, nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam. (Katha Upanisad 2.2.13), both the Lord and His innumerable expansions, including the living entities, are personal and eternal. The only difference is that we are all infinitesimal and maintained, and You are the infinite maintainer.”
“Simple devotees are best.
We who are puffed up
must pass through
a fire of contrition
and give up our attachment
to scepters and crowns.
Becoming poor at heart,
we will see ourselves as puppets,
and beg to Srila Prabhupada,
‘Please, give me a menial job.’”
From Here is Srila Prabhupada:
“A proud person who lives in the world without personally recognizing God’s will and His desires for us wastes the human form of life. Regardless of what our past karma has given us in this life, the material energy continues to deceive us and delivers us cruel blows of Fate. In the end, we are discarded, just like a plastic cup thrown onto the garbage heap by the consumer. Material nature is merciless.”
Candrasekhara Swami:
We should at least understand theoretically that nothing in the material world can satisfy our souls.
We are trying to please Krishna for no other purpose than pleasing Krishna.
Prahlada rejected benedictions from Nrsimha, saying that he did not want to do business with God but was satisfied just to serve him.
If you want to get a better situation from pious activities, you can do that. No one is going to stop you. It is better than sinful activities, but that is not the goal. You will have to return and take another birth in the material world.
Yesterday an eight-year-old kid asked, “Why did Krishna make COVID?” I thought that was a good question.
In the beginning devotion is mixed for most all of us, so do not worry, but as we continue to perform devotional service, the devotion becomes deeper and deeper.
Krishna Kshetra Swami:
I came to Wrocław in 1977, and we would have never have dreamed that someday the colorful Jagannatha cart and the chanting of Hare Krishna would happen in downtown Wrocław. If Krishna wants something to happen, then it happens.
Hansarupa Prabhu:
Canakya Pandit advises one not to instruct someone who is unlikely to accept it.
In the absense of real knowledge, people take shelter of false prophets.
A devotee is fearless because he knows everything is directed by the Lord, either directly or indirectly.
We fight ignorance with knowledge.
When people encounter the harinama party, they enter a transcendental atmosphere.
Our prabhu-datta-desa is the place given to us for the preaching pleasure of the spiritual master.
Devotees preached in difficult places like Pakistan and Iran to please Srila Prabhupada, and in both places they met success. In New York City, whatever difficulties we have are insignificant compared to those places.
Whenever we are disturbed, internally or externally, we know all we have to do is to take shelter of the holy name.
Manidhara Prabhu:
A certain level of illusion is required to be enthusiastic about material life.
Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu:
From a Gaura Purnima lecture in 2018:
People want to be God, but God wants to be a devotee.
You do not know what Krishna’s plan is. You might be surprised.
Comment by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami: We thought this was it. 26 Second Avenue.
Nikunjabihari Prabhu:
Vidura became self-realized after hearing just the first two cantos of Srimad Bhagavatam. The third canto and the others are for people like us.
Uddhava was special in that Krishna removed His entire dynasty from the earth, but He wanted Uddhava to stay.
It is said that it was a blessing that Dhrtarastra was blind because if he could see, he would have committed more sinful activities.
If you say a few words and they become included in a scripture, how powerful they are!
There is no difference between Krishna and that which is offered to Krishna.
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There are many beautiful verses glorifying the transcendental qualities of the holy name of the Lord. Here is one I have not quoted recently:
nama cintamanih krishnas
purnah suddho nitya-mukto
’bhinnatvan nama-naminoh
“The holy name of Krishna is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Krishna Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Krishna’s name is complete, and it is the form of all transcendental mellows. It is not a material name under any condition, and it is no less powerful than Krishna Himself. Since Krishna’s name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there is no question of its being involved with maya. Krishna’s name is always liberated and spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name of Krishna and Krishna Himself are identical.” (Padma Purana, quoted in Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 17.133)
