Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 17, No. 21
By Krishna Kripa Das
(November 2021, part one)
New York City, Stuyvesant Falls, Schenectady
(Sent from Stuyvesant Falls, New York, on November 20, 2021)
Where I Went and What I Did
I spent the first week of November at Radha Govinda Temple (ISKCON NYC) in Brooklyn, doing harinama with Rama Raya Prabhu’s NYC Harinam party. During that time there were three festivals, Diwali, Govardhan Puja, and Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day. On Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day, I went with two devotees to 26 Second Avenue, Tompkins Square Park and the Bhakti Center, in addition to attending the morning and evening programs in honor of Srila Prabhupada they had in the Brooklyn temple. The second week of November I spent assisting Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s caretakers in Stuyvesant Falls in Upstate New York, doing the same sorts of services I did on previous visits. I also attended a home program in Schenectady on Saturday and visited my mother on Tuesday.
I share a few quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s Sri Caitanya-caritamrita. Mostly I was washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen during our readings so it was hard to take notes. I share excerpts from the writings of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, including some of his Back to Godhead articles from 1980 to 1983 from a soon-to-be-printed new book, From the Editor, BTG Essays 1978–1989, which I am proofreading. I also share quotes from Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s commentary on Caitanya-Bhagavata. In addition to the “Insights” section, I have a section of homages to Srila Prabhupada, by a variety of devotees at ISKCON NYC on the anniversary of his disappearance, including Prabhupada disciples, Kavicandra Swami, Adi Purusa Prabhu, Anandamoya Prabhu, Atitaguna Devi Dasi, Locanananda Prabhu, Makula Devi Dasi, and Pancharatna Prabhu.
Thanks to Lakeram and Roshni for their very generous donations, given at their home program in Schenectady. Thanks to Shreyakari Devi Dasi for her kind donation toward the gas to attain Schenectady.
Itinerary
October 6–November 21: Serving Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami in Stuyvesant Falls, NY
November 21–23: Visiting family in Albany
November 23–January 3, 2022: NYC Harinam
January 5‒April: Tallahassee and Tampa harinamas and college outreach
Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City
Having done two harinamas on Halloween Sunday, Rama Raya Prabhu decided to keep his party at the temple the next day. Here he chants Hare Krishna at Radha Govinda Temple in Brooklyn (https://youtu.be/5_FZa9vVBsw):
Srila Prabhupada reminds us in his Hare Krishna mantra address on the Happening record album, “Even a child can take part in the chanting.” How simple and natural is Lord Caitanya’s process of self-realization! It is rare to encounter a kid so enthusiastic to spontaneously dance to the Hare Krishna chant as this one outside Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn when Harivenu Prabhu was singing. What fortune to have such an attraction to the divine! (https://youtu.be/pgSibNMtWsY):
It was very windy, so it felt extremely cold, and on top of that rain was predicted, so we relocated to the subway station we had been singing outside of.
Here Devarsi Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station (https://youtu.be/0lfp9VmLniw):
Before returning to Europe, Kadamba Kanana Swami chanted Hare Krishna at one more mangala-arati at Radha Govinda Temple in Brooklyn, inspiring devotees to dance (https://youtu.be/W14YEv9muXg):
Here I chant Hare Krishna in Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station and a man dances (https://youtu.be/Dn1RsZyIMhg):
Arjunananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/zRTlMlIxT4c):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and a man dances (https://youtu.be/CbCU487f8Dk):
Nrikesari Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/QcJn0cAdtVU):
Bhakta Dylan chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/ZqO_-kUHkF4):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/15m1xOe6Ouc):
Toward the end of Rama Raya Prabhu’s kirtan, a couple took pleasure in dancing and playing the shakers to the divine sound (https://youtu.be/4x2V2pO95Yo):
Here Pancharatna Prabhu, disciple of Srila Prabhupada and resident of Mayapur, chants Hare Krishna during a mangala-arati at Radha Govinda Temple in New York City (https://youtu.be/om24HEK-Aw4):
I especially liked Pancharatna Prabhu’s kirtan because he had so much chanting of Hare Krishna in it.
Afterward Rama Raya Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna during Tulasi Kirtan there, and devotees danced (https://youtu.be/1uJAEAL43yQ):
On Diwali, temple president Hansarupa Prabhu wanted us to end harinama early and return to the temple for a special program at 6 p.m., but we were not into it. As it turned out the police stopped us at 5:20 p.m., saying the station master complained, thus we made it to the temple for the 6 p.m. program anyway. Later I joked with Hansa about conspiring with the police to get us to come back early. Here is part of Rama Raya Prabhu’s Diwali kirtan at Radha Govinda temple in New York City (https://youtu.be/5BQOGEqIekU):
Harivenu Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station (https://youtu.be/iD4IWGNUh8M):
Nate chants Hare Krishna, and passersby dance (https://youtu.be/9dbEZxsnDJA):
Govardhan Puja is a joyful occasion for everyone. The temple was decorated extra special.
The altar of Radha Govinda had extra flowers.
Including whole vases of them.
Srila Prabhupada had a more impressive garland,
and a beautiful vase of flowers to the side.
Krishna appeared as the worshipable sila (stone) from Govardhan Hill on the top of our little hill that Krishna was holding from below.
All kinds of varieties of food were offered to the Lord.
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna during Govardhan Puja festival at Radha Govinda temple (ISKCON NYC) in Brooklyn (https://youtu.be/HJaAJwxcy9w):
Bhakti Rasayana Sagar Swami chants Hare Krishna during Govardhan Hill circumambulation at ISKCON NYC Govardhan Puja festival (https://youtu.be/Co1FfK3xmGo):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna during Govardhan Hill circumambulation (https://youtu.be/rRr9BQr33dA):
At the end of Rama Raya Prabhu’s kirtan, lots of people danced (https://youtu.be/nmFAdbPhpiw):
Bhakti Rasayana Sagar Swami chants Hare Krishna during Guru Puja Kirtan at ISKCON NYC (https://youtu.be/XArpC-8EndQ):
On Saturdays when it is cold or wet we chant at the busiest subway station in New York City, the one at Times Square. Here Harivenu Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/3H32RiU9qb4):
Natabara Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/ozwQ1EvgPs8):
Nrikesari Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/C0t7QFJO7lc):
Bhakta Dylan chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/oVqqP4gGQMQ):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/A0t1fnWkzYE):
Here I chant Hare Krishna at 26 Second Avenue, the home of the first Hare Krishna temple in the West, along with Vedran of Croatia on the anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance. Video by Jeroen Kappen. (https://youtu.be/CliH2_SfzqU):
We also went inside that sacred room where Srila Prabhupada had begun his International Society for Krishna Consciousness back in 1966.
Something special always happens whenever I visit the Hare Krishna tree.
Locanananda Prabhu, a Prabhupada disciple, chants Hare Krishna on Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day at Radha Govinda temple (ISKCON NYC) in Brooklyn before local Prabhupada disciples offer homages (https://youtu.be/DrfdeB1x1kU):
Offerings on Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance Day
On Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day, different devotees spoke homages, some in the morning and others in the evening. People said so many wonderful things. I wrote down a few, but so many important points I did not have time to write. My apologies.
Kavicandra Swami:
Srila Prabhupada did not just give the books. He created a society.
He came without fanfare, met a few people, visited a few bookshops. Then he got the place at 26 Second Avenue, and devotees starting joining, and in a few years it spread all over the world.
Communication then was not like now. We did not know where Srila Prabhupada was. Perhaps every month or so, we would learn what he did for the last month, but by then he was already off in another place.
I read Srila Prabhupada-lilamrita straight through one or two times, but I often open it up anywhere and just read, and it is always wonderful.
Sometimes some yogis recommend to meditate, but they do not say why. Srila Prabhupada gave us the goal.
History is just this war and then that war.
Srila Prabhupada said many times that his books were better than he was. He could only be in one place at a time with a few people, but his books could benefit many people in many places at once.
Srila Prabhupada gave us the association of all the great souls in Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Adi Purusa Prabhu:
Some say that no one but Prabhupada can be guru, but I say to them, “Don’t tell me that Prabhupada cannot empower people to act as guru!”
Cakravarti tells how as a college student he came to the temple the first time, and a devotee invited him to do some service, to clean the stairs. He was a little proud, so he was doing it in a very half-hearted way. The little girl Sarasvati came bounding up the stairs, and saw him, and said, “That is not how you serve Krishna!” Then she demonstrated by enthusiastically cleaning the stairs. Cakravarti was impressed, and thought, “Even the children here have picked up this spirit of service to Krishna.”
Srila Prabhupada has manifested all these wonderful devotees by speaking.
Anandamoya Prabhu:
That Lord Caitanya’s movement is meant to be global was clear to me because it reached me as a child in South America in 1975. I saw the picture of Gopala, Krishna and a cow, on this neon green pamphlet.
With the craziness of the pandemic, I felt I needed shelter. I read Sri Caitanya-caritamrita. I became encouraged by hearing that message.
It is interesting to me as someone who studied history that Martin Luther and John Calvin were contemporaries of Lord Caitanya, and that Srila Prabhupada crossed the ocean to come to the USA at the same time as Martin Luther King was working for civil rights there.
I am here to commit to be in the service of Srila Prabhupada life after life.
Atitaguna Devi Dasi:
Srila Prabhupada, empower us to inundate the world with Krishna consciousness.
My temple president in New Zealand told me that all my spiritual wishes will be fulfilled. I decided I wanted to be personally initiated by Srila Prabhupada. When Srila Prabhupada came, he was going to give me a name picked out by his secretary, but it was “Anita” which means “without a path.” He rejected it, saying it was inappropriate as we have a path, so he personally decided to name me, “Atitaguna.” Thus I got my wish to be personally initiated by Srila Prabhupada.
Srila Prabhupada smelled a flower and asked what it was, and when told it was “camphor” he said, “Camphor is Radharani’s favorite smell.”
When I offered dandavats [bowing down] I saw Srila Prabhupada’s feet near me, and feeling trepidation I grabbed them. I did not want to let go, but I realized I had service and he had to catch a plane. I let go physically, but metaphorically I am still holding them.
Locanananda Prabhu:
Before we speak, we remember our spiritual master, who empowers us to speak.
We are empowered because of our transparency.
Devotees love one another.
Chastisement is like a little chutney to spice up the meal.
There was an article by The New York Times two days after Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance that glorified Srila Prabhupada for his prolific production of transcendental literature that astounded the academic community.
It was at our age that Srila Prabhupada came to the West and accomplished so much in so little time, so we should try to do something to assist him.
Makula Devi Dasi:
We see the power that a moment’s association with the pure soul, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, had in Srila Prabhupada’s life.
Pancharatna Prabhu:
When we deny the personality of God, we lose the opportunity to love Him and to be cared for by Him.
When I first came to the temple I was impressed with the devotees spirit of service.
When people ask when I met Srila Prabhupada, I tell them when I first read one of his books. Upon reading it, I felt I met someone who knew God.
Rama Raya Prabhu:
The glories of Srila Prabhupada are unfolding.
Although in the abode of the Lord, the departed Vaishnavas are still helping us.
Srila Prabhupada was saying that 10% of the people would become Krishna consciousness as the golden age of Lord Caitanya comes into being, but he told one inquiring devotee, “If you preach, it can be 100%.”
Krishna Kripa Das:
On Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day as I hear the homages, I look at Radha-Govinda and I meditate on how Srila Prabhupada is presently revealing Them to me and to all of us in the West even now.
My offering for Srila Prabhupada on this day is the laddus I made for his lunch!
Shobha-mayi Dasi:
In 1974 my husband took me to the Henry Street temple, and we saw Srila Prabhupada. In 1976 I saw Srila Prabhupada on Subhadra’s cart in the New York Ratha-yatra.
Once I forgot to set my alarm on Radhastami, and I was supposed to wake the deities. Srila Prabhupada came into my dream at 3:35 a.m., said to my husband, “Mr. Trivedi, let’s have more kirtan.” Then I woke up just in time.
Damodara Priya Devi Dasi:
He appeared in my dream and took me in the dream to India.
As long as we follow what Srila Prabhupada said, we will feel Srila Prabhupada’s presence.
Hari Vilasa Prabhu:
Even 100 years after his birth, Jesus was relatively unknown. Now he has 3 billion followers. Now we cannot estimate what the greatness of Srila Prabhupada is.
His greatness is in his ability to get people to sacrifice their lives.
I hope I can stay in the association of these great personalities who have sacrificed their lives for Srila Prabhupada’s sake.
Natabara Gauranga Prabhu:
It is said that the disappearance day of the Vaishnava is joyous because the great soul has reunited with Krishna, although it may not seem so to those of us in this world.
Prabhuvishnu Prabhu:
Empower us all over the world to read and understand your books.
Arjunananda Prabhu:
Srila Prabhupada creates miracles.
One Madhvacarya swami glorified Srila Prabhupada as doing what all of them together in that assembly of Madhvacarya swamis could not do.
I grew up hearing all the devotional songs, but not until I had the association of Srila Prabhupada’s followers did I understand what they mean.
Nrikesari Prabhu:
It is said a Vaishnava is a touchstone, and we can see how many Vaishnavas Srila Prabhupada made.
One proof of Srila Prabhupada’s greatness is the amazing project in Mayapur in what used to be an empty field.
Because we have the power to connect with Srila Prabhupada, we have great responsibility.
One devotee had Srila Prabhupada appear to him in a dream before he originally met the devotees, and Prabhupada told him to read his Bhagavad-gita. Then the next week he met the devotees and got a Bhagavad-gita.
Devarsi Prabhu:
It is amazing to me that although so many people glorified Srila Prabhupada everywhere he went, he never became proud. He always considered it was his guru’s mercy and Krishna’s mercy that he could do anything.
Bhakta Dylan:
Many institutions have some leader from years ago, but the new people do not have a clear way to connect with the leader. But we all know how to connect with Srila Prabhupada by reading his books.
Analini Radha [daughter of Damodara Priya Devi Dasi]:
What I like about Srila Prabhupada is that he has created family for me. Everywhere I go there is family for me.
Harivenu Prabhu:
In 2015, I saw an ad telling of a spiritual community looking for volunteers. I saw it was an opportunity.
I came to New Goloka. They gave me two huge plates of prasadam. As I relaxed in the room they gave me to stay, I cried in happiness.
I went to many temples in Europe, and I saw there are many amazing devotees empowered by Srila Prabhupada there.
Gopal Campu Prabhu:
I soon as I got in touch with your Bhagavad-gita my life completely changed.
You were fixed in the order of your spiritual master, facing all obstacles, but not wavering.
Chanting Hare Krishna in Schenectady, New York
The devotees in Schenectady informed me of a home program they were having at the dwelling of Lakeram and Roshni on a Saturday, and I decided to attend. I was impressed with the amount of congregational chanting the devotees included in the program. They had an hour of Hare Krishna chanting in the beginning followed by the guru-puja kirtan and the tulasi kirtan. Then they had more Hare Krishna chanting during an arati and still more as they offered lamps to Damodara. Thus my desires for Hare Krishna kirtan were fully satisfied by the program. Haridas Prabhu, Rishi Isvara Prabhu, and I spoke a few words on Bhagavad-gita 3.37 about lust, the all-devouring sinful enemy of the world, and how to transcend its influence by devotional service to the Lord. Then there was a fairly elaborate feast. I especially liked the kofta balls as well as the sauce they were floating in. The peanut punch, apparently standard at Sunday feasts in Guyana was also nice as well as a sweet made with coconut, a treat of India.
Here Radha Dyuti Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at that home program in Schenectady (https://youtu.be/Enz4y9n-h04):
Mahaprakash Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/jG36cXBulmk):
Haridas Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/xc4YcovICaA):
Rishi Isvara Prabhu chants Hare Krishna as arati ends (https://youtu.be/8CuJ--I1vl8):
Rishi Isvara Prabhu chants Hare Krishna as devotees offer lamps to Lord Damodara (https://youtu.be/mlPIRcRnnGk):
After Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s lunch one day, we looked through the Prabhupada photos in his soon-to-be-reprinted book, Srila Prabhupada Smaranam.
I mentioned that some people present Srila Prabhupada only as a thunderbolt and others only as a rose, but they miss his complete personality. Maharaja smiled, appreciating that statement.
I took a photo of Stuyvesant Falls, more impressive than usual because of recent rains.
“The enlightened person should endeavor only for the minimum necessities of life while in the world of names. He should be intelligently fixed and never endeavor for unwanted things, being competent to perceive practically that all such endeavors are merely hard labor for nothing.
“Purport: . . . The whole material creation is a jugglery of names only; in fact, it is nothing but a bewildering creation of matter like earth, water and fire. The buildings, furniture, cars, bungalows, mills, factories, industries, peace, war or even the highest perfection of material science, namely atomic energy and electronics, are all simply bewildering names of material elements with their concomitant reactions of the three modes. Since the devotee of the Lord knows them perfectly well, he is not interested in creating unwanted things for a situation which is not at all reality, but simply names of no more significance than the babble of sea waves. The great kings, leaders and soldiers fight with one another in order to perpetuate their names in history. They are forgotten in due course of time, and they make a place for another era in history. But the devotee realizes how much history and historical persons are useless products of flickering time. . . .” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.2.3 verse and purport)
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From Sri Caitainya-caritamrita, Antya 1.32, purport:
“This is the result of sadhu-sanga — consequent association with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and promotion back home, back to Godhead. This result is possible even for a dog, by the mercy of the Vaishnava. Therefore, everyone in the human form of life should be induced to associate with devotees. By rendering a little service, even by eating prasadam, what to speak of chanting and dancing, everyone can be promoted to Vaikunthaloka. It is therefore requested that all our devotees in the ISKCON community become pure Vaishnavas, so that by their mercy all the people of the world will be transferred to Vaikunthaloka, even without their knowledge. Everyone should be given a chance to take prasadam and thus be induced to chant the holy names Hare Krishna and also dance in ecstasy. By these three processes, although performed without knowledge or education, even an animal went back to Godhead.”
From Sri Caitainya-caritamrita, Antya 1.197, purport:
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead is not partial to some and neutral to others. One can actually draw the attention of the Supreme Personality of Godhead by service. Then one is further empowered by the Lord to act in such a way that everyone can appreciate his service. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (4.11): ‘ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham.’ Krishna is responsive. If one tries to render his best service to the Lord, the Lord gives him the power to do so. Krishna also says in the Bhagavad-gita (10.10):
tesam satata-yuktanam
dadami buddhi-yogam tam
yena mam upayanti te
‘To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.’ Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu bestowed His special favor upon Srila Rupa Gosvami because Rupa Gosvami wanted to serve the Lord to the best of his ability. Such is the reciprocation between the devotee and the Lord in the discharge of devotional duties.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya 5.132, purport:
“It is clearly to be understood in this connection that the followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s way of devotional service are eternal associates of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and perfect knowers of the Absolute Truth. If one immediately follows the principles of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu by associating with His devotees, lusty desires for material enjoyment will vanish from one’s heart. Then one will be able to understand the meaning of Srimad-Bhagavatam and the purpose of listening to it. Otherwise such understanding is impossible.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From “Srila Prabhupada’s Perpetual Gifts” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 15, No. 8 (August 1980):
“In my own study of Srila Prabhupada’s life I have begun to appreciate that he very deliberately and brilliantly acted to perpetuate his Krishna conscious contributions to the world.”
“Vedic scriptures advise that one serve God in the association of God’s devotees. From the beginning, therefore, Srila Prabhupada tried to create a society of Krishna conscious devotees.”
“When asked why his devotees or teachings should be organized into an institution, Srila Prabhupada pointed out, ‘I am traveling all over the world. and I see immense arrangements for sense gratification. But I don’t see any arrangement for Krishna consciousness.’ He therefore created such an arrangement.”
“Srila Prabhupada wrote to his disciples in July of 1967, ‘After all, I am old man. There is no certainty of my life, and at any moment I can collapse and it will not be surprising. But I wish to leave some of my spiritual children so that they may work and this philosophy of Krishna consciousness may be broadcast all over the world… If you understand the philosophy, it will be a great help for the suffering humanity.’”
“Once in April of 1975 while taking a morning walk with several disciples in Vrindavan, Srila Prabhupada said, ‘Those who are purchasing the books are intelligent. When they read them, how will the movement stop? It will not stop. The book distribution is so important that the movement will continue to stay.’”
“It is Lord Krishna Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who sustains the Krishna consciousness movement throughout history. The real question, therefore, is not whether Krishna consciousness will continue, but whether each one of us will take part. If we take part, it will help us. If we join this movement fully, we will be protected from the material world and regain the association of Krishna. Even taking part in Krishna consciousness only slightly can save us from the greatest danger, that of falling into lower species after death.”
From “A Day in Vrindavan, India, the Land of Krishna” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 15, No. 9 (September 1980):
“The economy of Vrindavan is based on the cow and the land, just as it was when Krishna was here five thousand years ago. Nowadays there is much wrong in Vrindavan, but there is always a willingness to forgive. Even those who are condemned to the lower species of life are blessed and close to liberation. Nothing here is ordinary.”
“Srila Prabhupada says, ‘For the devotee, there is no need to pray to the Lord for transferal to the Vaikuntha [eternal] world. A pure devotee can create Vaikuntha or Vrindavan anywhere, simply by chanting the glories of the Lord without offense.’ [Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.30,33, purport]”
From “Hare Krishna in the News: A Devotee’s Point of View” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 15, No. 10 (October 1980):
“There is a great need to distribute Krishna’s message. So, a devotee can go on enthusiastically, even if not appreciated by the public, because he knows that by spreading Krishna’s message he pleases Krishna and works for the greatest benefit of all people.”
From “The Time of Death – and Afterwards” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 16, No. 3 and 4 (March 1981):
“So, what happens after death? In the West there has been much speculation about reincarnation, the existence of repeated personal lives. Plato, Emerson, Thoreau, Jung, Schrödinger, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, and Henry Ford all believed in reincarnation, and their ideas have helped fuel popular speculations on the subject.”
“‘What extracts from the Vedas I have read,’ wrote Henry David Thoreau, ‘follow me like the light of a higher and purer luminary, which describes a loftier course through a purer stratum – free from particulars, simple, universal.’”
From “All Problems Can Be Solved by Krishna Consciousness” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 16, No. 6 (June 1981):
“Srila Prabhupada writes, ‘If we become God conscious, Krishna conscious, the fighting in the world will come to an end. “I am American,” “I am Indian,” “I am Russian,” “I am Chinese” all these nonsensical designations will be finished. The Krishna consciousness movement is so purifying that as soon as people become Krishna conscious, political and national fighting will immediately be over, because they will come to their real consciousness and understand that everything belongs to God.’”
“Our spiritual master, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, used to say, ‘All problems can be solved by Krishna consciousness.’ We, his disciples, believed him, followed his instructions, and saw our problems solved individually and collectively in the Krishna consciousness movement.”
“In fact, crime in the United States has gotten so bad that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Warren Burger, recently felt compelled to decry ‘the reign of terror in American cities.’”
From “The Search for Self-Fulfillment” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 16, No. 10 (October 1981):
“Since everyone, no matter how he chooses to define the self, is interested in self-fulfillment, it is of paramount importance to know what the self is. Generally, our concepts of the self are vague and speculative; so, we often feel unfulfilled, even after attaining our goals. At a time when we are finding material goals more and more difficult to attain and when we are at a loss to find deep self-satisfaction, the Vedic literature’s unique statements can provide us with invaluable information about the self and self-fulfillment.”
“Except in a rare case in which a family or society imparts transcendental knowledge to the conditioned soul, one grows up with concocted, socialized conceptions of the self. Therefore, one is bound to meet frustration in one’s search for self-fulfillment. Since one is actually eternal, one cannot be satisfied with temporary material goals.”
From “Transcending the Laws of Karma” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 16, No. 11 (November 1981):
“Why does one person enjoy, while another suffers? But the answers to such questions are crucial to all of us, because they give us a direct clue to how we can become free from all future suffering.”
From “Is This Trip Really Necessary?” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 17, No. 5 (May 1982):
“Amid all the hustle and bustle, it is rare indeed to find a person thoughtful enough to inquire into the ultimate purpose of life. Everyone is too busy making travel arrangements.”
“The Vedic literature informs us that our forced travels do not actually end with the end of the body. Within the body is the soul, the actual person who has to travel from body to body, life after life. Human travel in this lifetime is symbolic of the travel of the soul as he transmigrates from one body to another. And the advertisements that allure the traveler are representative of all the illusions of the material nature that induce us to develop various material desires. At the end of life, our accumulated material desires lead us to our next body, where we can try again to fulfill them while we receive the punishments and rewards of our previous karma, or selfish actions.”
“The sufferings of the wanderer end when he realizes that his real nature is not to struggle in this world but to enjoy his eternal relationship with Krishna in the spiritual world. In other words, the traveler becomes happy when he reaches his ultimate destination the kingdom of God.”
“The Vedic literature explains that although the living entity may travel all over the universe, birth after birth, he will never find rest, never find his permanent home. So, he should stop looking for happiness in the material realm. Having through great good fortune come to the human form of life, he should break free from the control of illusion and travel back home, back to Godhead, where he will find eternal happiness. This, truly, is the only trip that is really necessary.”
From “Caribbean Journal” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 17, No. 9 (September 1982):
“Anything that keeps one from pursuing self-realization is wrong, whether it be the passionate money-making of the northerners or the more ease-loving way of the tropics people. Unless a person comes to understand his eternal, spiritual nature, he wastes his rare human life.”
“From what I’ve seen, most people are rather hopeless: they don’t think they can solve their problems themselves, and they don’t expect anything from the government. Then where is hope? In Krishna consciousness. The real difference between the devotee of Krishna and the nondevotee is that the nondevotee doesn’t think that the prospect of self-realization offers him any hope but the devotee does. So, from our viewpoint the people of Kali-yuga, the present Age of Quarrel, have boxed themselves in. Although they know they’re not happy in the materialistic rat race, they’re not interested in the way out: Krishna consciousness.”
“This countryside mountain is a delightful place, but we don’t conclude, as do the pantheists, that the birds’ songs are equal to the singing of the name of God. Yes, in one sense everything is God: He is present in all of nature through the expansion of His energies. But He is personally present in full in His holy name, and one must be able to hear the holy name of God and the science of God to understand Him fully.”
From “A Proposal for Economic Sanity” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 17, No. 10 (October 1982):
“Unemployment. Inflation. Recession. High interest rates. Mounting personal, national, and international debt. Depression. The litany of economic woes pours from television, radio, and printed page, and no one can seem to explain them, much less do anything about them. Yet as complex as they seem, all these problems share a common root: the presence of insatiable lust and greed in the human heart. Expunge lust and greed, and you solve these economic problems.”
“Basic to Krishna consciousness is the knowledge that the real self is beyond the body. The real self, the spirit soul, is eternal, and human life is meant for self-realization, for coming to the state of full awareness of God, or Krishna, and attaining our eternal life with Him. A devotee therefore minimizes his material desires and necessities by directing his energies toward activities of self-realization, such as chanting the names of God and helping others to become Krishna conscious. The transcendental pleasure a devotee feels from these activities diminishes his greed and lust; he is thus satisfied with a simple life and is not a burden on the earth’s resources or on his fellow man.”
“No doubt our proposals sound radical or Utopian to the economic pundits, who think in terms of how to increase the gross national product, how to stimulate production and consumption. But for all their accountant’s jargon and expertise at analyzing colossal debits and credits, things are simply out of their control. The world economic juggernaut is running wild, a man-made monster of greed. Only by transcending greed, as suggested by Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita, can we alleviate the economic problems causing acute suffering in every country of the world.”
From “Sin, Karma, and Survival in the Nuclear Age” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 17, No. 11 (November 1982):
“God’s role in preventing a nuclear holocaust is not peripheral it is crucial. Humankind, having created such a disastrous situation, should study God’s instructions in the revealed scriptures and try to understand how to rectify their mistakes.”
From “Death on the Evening News” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 17, No. 12 (December 1982):
“Still, even if we amass ‘good karma’ and get a better body in our next life, this doesn’t solve the problem of death. The flaw of mortality always remains, no matter what body we get. So, for materialists death remains an insoluble problem, whether they fear death, try to forget death, try to prevent death, or pretend to accept death. Only Krishna consciousness solves the problem of death.
“The solution? To raise our consciousness out of beastly, bodily identification up to spiritual knowledge, to love of God, so that when death comes, we can transcend the cycle of repeated births and deaths. If a person dies completely enlightened about the self and God and about this world and the next, he can go to the eternal, spiritual world and attain immortality in his original identity as a servant of God. This is the good news that is unfortunately never reported on television.”
From “Reflections on Completing Srila Prabhupada’s Biography” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 18, Nos. 2 and 3 (February 1983):
“Srila Prabhupada’s pastimes can free us from the suffering of material life and enable us to taste the nectar of the eternal pastimes of Lord Krishna and His associates in the spiritual world. This is true because Srila Prabhupada’s life was solely dedicated to glorifying Krishna; so, when we hear of Srila Prabhupada, we automatically hear the glories of the Lord and become Krishna conscious.
“As for myself, I don’t think I can stop writing about Srila Prabhupada. Therefore, I’m having my staff do more research so I can present supplementary books about him. I hope that readers everywhere, by hearing of Srila Prabhupada, will become Prabhupadanugas, followers of Srila Prabhupada. I can wish no better fortune for anyone.”
From Here Is Srila Prabhupada:
“Srila Prabhupada, you used to say, ‘What is the difficulty?’ You said it a lot, as if you couldn’t understand why we had so much difficulty in being sincere, in doing substantial work, in dealing honestly with each other. You didn’t want us to use your movement to gain power over others. You wanted us all to be humble, to serve each other and to serve your mission. You wanted us to follow our initiation vows and to realize we would always be fools before you (but you didn’t want us to actually be fools). You wanted us to read your books and not to neglect your instructions. You wanted us to maintain the Deity worship as you had given it to us, not to be lazy or to waste money or to be whimsical or frivolous. You would look at us and say, ‘What is the difficulty?’
“I don’t think we entirely disappointed you. You were pleased that ‘these European and American boys and girls’ had taken to Krishna consciousness. It was practical proof of Lord Caitanya's mercy and the potency of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. ‘All glories to the sankirtana devotees,’ you often said.
“Our foolishness continues, and your instructions also continue. Please bless us to improve. Please help us.”
From Calling Out to Srila Prabhupada: Poems and Prayers:
“As a practicing devotee, I experience two kinds of dreams, and both are helpful to me. The negative dreams, which may reach the point of nightmares, show me that I am still connected to the material world, which is full of sufferings and illusions. After such a scary dream, I wake and think, ‘I must become a devotee and free myself from this!’ And if Krishna favors me with a more auspicious dream in which I have an inkling of spiritual life, then it is very encouraging. So dreams may show us the nature of bondage, as well as the nature of how to make advancement.”
From Karttika Moon:
“I write it out, some truth, some spoof, some sooth and sleuth you can read in between the lines at the frowning man.”
From Free Write Journal #169:
“Harinama on Halloween, New York City
“Krishna Kripa showed us a video of the harinama party singing and walking amidst the informal parade of Halloween-dressed young people in Greenwich Village. The interaction was all positive. One boy and girl couple danced together for a long time with the harinama party. Godruma Prana led the singing, playing a harmonium with a very jumpy tune. The devotees handed out shakers to the people, who played rhythm along with the kirtana. Many strange and bizarre costumed people mingled with the kirtana party passing through them happy-faced and participating with the chant. Rama Raya was out distributing the pamphlet, On Chanting Hare Krishna. Krishna Kripa’s plan for next year at Halloween is to enthuse more devotees to go out and join the parade and lead the people in chanting. It’s a completely nonviolent scene, with everyone dressed up in bizarre costumes, having a good time, parading down the Village and led by the Hare Krishna group. The devotees do walking sankirtana and end up at Union Square, their regular spot. [See video at https://youtu.be/Io99tOiMGvQ or by clicking below.]
“One of the Best Harinamas
“Krishna Kripa showed me a harinama videoed in Dublin, Ireland. The devotees and the boys and girls completely mixed up and danced wildly, led by a great kirtaniya. The devotees led them in dancing, and lads and colleens, completely unembarrassed and submissive, jumped around, arm in arm, loudly singing the tunes of the maha-mantra. One person was dressed in a samosa outfit, and no one knew who it was, but he or she danced up a storm. Krishna Kripa said Dublin is his favorite place for chanting because the people take part so completely. It was on YouTube, and they’ve had two million viewers so far. [See video at https://youtu.be/efjutRyUA1c or by clicking below.]
From A Poor Man Reads the Bhagavatam, Volume 2:
“Prabhupada said that even the cockroaches in the walls at 26 Second Avenue benefited by hearing the kirtana.”
“Better to hear, learn
the connection, the mystery—how this
world leads to that,
how the current of pastimes
relieves our distress
and delivers us to happiness within the self.”
From From Imperfection, Purity Will Come About:
“Years ago, I used to sing the Introductory Song to Saranagati every morning in the cabin at Gita-nagari. About fifty devotees would gather with me after a morning walk. I remember straining to reach the high notes in the second line of each stanza. Then I would read the translation. The theme of surrender is dear to all devotees. Managers and gurus sometimes used surrender to convince subordinates to perform. ‘Your duty is hard? Do it anyway! Surrender!’ I sang this song to remind us.
“The devotees who sang these songs with me are scattered now. They no longer collect money for the farm or teach in the gurukula. The children are no longer obeying their teachers. Some of them no longer surrender to the four rules or chant sixteen rounds. I’ve stopped singing Saranagati every day, and I’ve stopped demanding that everyone surrender. Now I am working on myself.”
“Bhaktivinoda Thakura concludes the opening song by declaring himself the lowest among men. ‘But please make me the best of men by teaching me the ways of saranagati.’”
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Ṭhakura:
From his commentary on Caitanya-Bhagavata, Adi-khanda 8.79:
“The word alpa means ‘tiny,’ ‘insignificant,’ or ‘pseudo.’ It is stated in the Caitanya-caritamrita (Adi 6.44 and 7.85, 97–98): ‘The conception of servitude to Sri Krishna generates such an ocean of joy in the soul that even the joy of oneness with the Absolute, if multiplied ten million times, could not compare to a drop of it. For a devotee who has actually developed bhava [the preliminary stage of love of God], the pleasure derived from dharma [religiosity], artha [economic development], kama [sense gratification] and moksha [liberation] appears like a drop in the presence of the sea. Compared to the ocean of transcendental bliss that is tasted by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, the pleasure derived from impersonal Brahman realization [brahmananda] is like the shallow water in a canal. My dear Lord, O master of the universe, since I have directly seen You, my transcendental bliss has taken the shape of a great ocean. Being situated in that ocean, I now realize all other so-called happiness to be like the water contained in the hoofprint of a calf.’ In the chapter of Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu describing the glories of pure devotional service, it is stated:
manag eva praruthayam
purusarthas tu catvaras
trinayante samantatah
‘Any person who has developed even a little quantity of pure devotional service can very easily kick out all the other kinds of happiness derived from religiousness, economic development, sense gratification, and liberation.’
brahmanando bhaved esa
naiti bhakti-sukhambhodheh
paramanu-tulam api
‘If brahmananda, the bliss of merging in the Brahman effulgence, were multiplied one hundred trillion times, it would still not equal even an atomic fragment of the ocean of transcendental bliss felt in devotional service.’ Sridhara Svami has written in his Bhavartha-dipika as follows: ‘Virtuous people who joyfully relish recitation of Your sweet pastimes consider the four goals of human life to be insignificant. The mind absorbed in bhakti, without desire for insignificant things, brings people to life with prema. Those devotees who are absorbed only in service to the lotus feet of Krishna have no desire for liberation.’
One may also refer to the following verses from the Srimad Bhagavatam: 3.4.15, 3.25.34 and 36, 4.9.10, 4.20.25, 5.14.43, 6.11.25, 6.17.28, 7.6.25, 7.8.42, 8.3.20, 9.21.12, 10.16.37, 11.14.14, and 11.20.34.”
From his commentary on Caitanya-Bhagavata, Adi-khanda 8.86–87:
“And in the Naradiya Purana it is stated:
yatra puja-paro vishnos
raja ca taskaras capi
vyadhayas ca na santi hi
pretah pisacah kushmanta
takinyo raksasas caiva
na badhas te ’cyutarcakam
‘Neither a king, a thief, nor disease can create obstacles for one engaged in worshiping Lord Vishnu. A person engaged in the worship of Acyuta cannot be checked by ghosts, witches, evil spirits, planets, sorceresses, or other demons.’”
Candrasekhara Swami:
The upadhis are the designations of the material body, such as white or black, male or female, American or Russian.
At the time of death, you will experience that all the designations of the body do not apply to you.
Because of the upadhis associated with your body, you may have difficulties in this life that others will not experience.
By engaging in devotional service we are lifted out of our upadhis and blessed with love of God.
It is said that everyone in Kali-yuga is of sudra quality, so in Kali-yuga there are no higher births.
The Vedas are not meant to put people in their place nor to keep them from rising up.
Intersectionalism is the idea that many people may be disadvantaged by several different characteristics based on their body.
Varna-sankara means having a mixed occupation.
By engaging in Krishna consciousness, regardless of our background, we can become so purified we can please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and that is all that is required.
Madhurya Kadambini describes at what stages of devotional service different anarthas are overcome.
We can make progress very quickly if we are serious about our sadhana and serious about avoiding offenses.
We are at an advantage because we have an actual process of purification which we are applying every day, not just some moral rules.
Though born in a family of doctors, you cannot practice medicine unless you are actually trained in medicine yourself, similarly you cannot act as a brahmana just because you are born in a brahmana family without proper training.
There are five kinds of varnasrama: regular, daivic, asuric, emergency, and default.
In regular varnasrama a superior material position is the goal, in daivic varnasrama pleasing Krishna is the goal, in asuric varnasrama the roles are based on birth, emergency varnasrama is exemplified by Srila Prabhupada, who engaged unqualified people in playing the different roles, and default varnasrama is where people play the different roles out of necessity.
Vaisesika Prabhu:
New York City is like a microcosm of the world.
I was with some book distributors when we met Srila Prabhupada, and the first thing Srila Prabhupada said to us was: “You must also read my books. I have not written them just for selling. I wrote them for you to read and go back to Godhead.”
When I ask someone to make a goal for distributing books, I recommend a number greater than zero and not less than one. I find once people have a goal they get a feeling of exhilaration.
Since we are going to be inconvenienced anyway, it is better than we decide our own inconvenience and make it for a higher cause.
I went to see someone in prison for life. He is never getting out. There is no possibility of parole. Yet he was happy. He was wearing orange. He was shaven headed. He got up at the same time every day. And he was very happy. He said people ask him why he is happy, and that is what he wants, because then he can tell him how he beat the system with Krishna consciousness.
The Bhagavatam shows what happens to people who take different paths in life, so it can greatly improve the choices that you make.
One of the first ways we go off the track is to think we are above the basics, not just in our devotional life but in our material life as well.
I put two post-its on each book, and I write on one the number of pages I plan to read, then I put it that number of pages ahead of where I am. Then I know the exact section I have to read to be successful. In this way, my tendency to strive for goals helps me make spiritual progress.
Every one benefited from his relationship with the Lord, even those who approached Him in ways that were not ideal, except for Vena who ignored Him.
Vidura inquires because he is never satiated in hearing about the Lord.
Sometimes I would chant my japa sitting with the cows at our gosala in Vrindavan, and I felt happy just being with them.
If you take care of cows, cows will take care of you.
Brahmanas are not interested in ruling but in giving advice to others.
There is something in Lord Rama’s pastimes for everyone.
Diwali reminds us of the victory of Lord Rama, and by remembering Lord Rama we become victorious ourselves.
You may not know it, but devotees all over the world are looking to New York City, hoping for a great renaissance of Krishna consciousness here.
Perhaps someday on Diwali you will have fireworks out front and the mayor will come, and the governor, and maybe even the president. You can pray for that on Diwali.
We learned during the pandemic that there are no impediments to book distribution.
Plan, think big, and assume it can be done.
Srila Prabhupada emphasized book distribution by mentioning it as the seventh purpose of ISKCON, the one that makes the others successful.
Book distribution is measurable, in terms of quantities of books.
We rediscover our purpose in being in the Krishna consciousness movement by seeing the countenances of the people hearing the holy name and receiving books.
We consider book distribution as a high sadhana.
Just walking outside the door takes courage.
During the pandemic, some devotees figured out ways to distribute books while others decided to take a break, thinking it would not be possible. When the successful devotees showed the others how they did it, the others decided they could do it too.
Train people what to say. Start with a script. When they get good, they can innovate. People are reluctant to go out because they do not know what to say.
Do 80% of what you know and do well, and for 20% try new ways because they might work.
Don’t report individual scores, just the team score.
Q: How do we get more people to go out?
A: Come up with a program. Present it to the GBC and temple president, and get them to advocate it. Create festivals. Have them at regular intervals. Make it fun and easy. Give people the best spots. Get the books ready before. Have prasadam (pizza) and kirtan afterward. Have a luminary come out with you, like Radhanath Swami or Kadamba Kanana Swami.
You cannot have a strong temple community without sankirtana. Otherwise you just have a bunch of neophyte devotees arguing about the worship and finding fault with each other.
Bhakti Rasanaya Sagar Swami:
Radha and Krishna have different opinions about Govardhan Hill. Radha says Govardhan Hill is the best devotee of Krishna, while Krishna says that Govardhan Hill is He Himself. Actually both are true.
Govardhan Hill not only provides but also protects.
Nikunjabihari Prabhu:
Krishna is full in all opulence. It this month [Damodara] He is asking only for one lamp, so we are offering.
In India as soon as they see the light of the sun in the beginning of the day, they chant a mantra glorying the luminaries beginning with the sun.
The greatness of the material world is that it gives us things to offer to Krishna.
The talks between Vidura and Maitreya Muni are a discussion between two self-realized souls.
Shobamayi Devi Dasi:
From temple announcements:
We are not going to Vrindavan for the Karttika festivals, thus we are saving thousands of dollars, and we can use that money to put on nice festivals here for Radha-Govinda.
Yugala Kishore Prabhu:
The Christians, when they saw people lost interest in church, started educational institutions.
One cannot be happy without discussing the glories of the Supreme Lord.
People want money to show others they are happy although they are miserable.
Maya acts on the devotee bit by bit. Do not chant now, chant later. Then later never comes.
Prolonged inattentive chanting creates weakness of the heart.
At raganuga [the stage of spontaneous service to the Lord], paramatma [the Lord within] guides us from within the heart.
Once gripped by passion and ignorance, we cannot hear the paramatma in the heart.
Lethargy and complacency are enemies of sadhana bhakti.
We need intense greed to progress.
We make so much endeavor to present the philosophy to people, but until paramatma in the heart tells them to, they will not take up bhakti.
On book distribution you may have only 20 seconds to talk to someone, so pray to Srila Prabhupada intensely and sincerely for the words to say to convince them.
One time a student came to the programs at IIT and just took prasadam. A devotee preached to him for seven years, but he never did more than chant a couple of mantras. That devotee saw him in Los Angeles years later, and he was initiated by Lokanath Swami.
Bhakta Vatsala Prabhu:
The word for festival in Sanskrit, “utsava,” comes from two roots, “ut” which means “removes” and “sa” which means “miseries.”
Dipavali comes from two words “dipa” which means “lamps” and “avali” which means “a series.”
Dipavali is a series of festivals as well.
Cow puja: Indra was being worshiped and was very proud. A sage offered him a prasadam garland from Lord Vishnu. Indra accepted it and gave it to his elephant who crushed it. Durvasa Muni saw that, and he cursed Indra to become a beggar.
Naraka-caturdasi:
Narakasura, although the son of the Supreme Lord and the earth goddess, was a demon because of demonic association.
We are proud of our advancement, but Banasura had electric fences 5,000 years ago.
The day before Dipavali is a festival for the appearance of Laksmi.
Haridas Prabhu:
We have the experience of feeling impelled to do something that we know is not good for us.
As humans we have the ability to distinguish right from wrong.
Under the modes of material nature we are forced to act as if puppets.
Despite whatever wealth or material facility we have, our own mind can cause us so much trouble.
Rishi Isvara Prabhu:
We are sleeping in this world, and glorifying the holy name can wake us up.
Because my wife was a devotee she touched so many people’s hearts that after her death the whole funeral home was filled up and people had to wait outside in the December cold.
She was so devotional that she got me to go Vrindavan nine times during Karttika.
We have to ask ourselves, “Why did I not go back to Godhead in my last life, and what can I do differently in this life?”
----
kali-kalera dharma — krishna-nama-sankirtana
“The fundamental religious system in the Age of Kali is the chanting of the holy name of Krishna. Unless empowered by Krishna, one cannot propagate the sankirtana movement.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya-lila 7.11)
This verse makes a lot of sense. Krishna describes in Bhagavad-gita 7.8 that He is ability in man. Actually, without His sanction and empowerment, we can’t do anything, what to speak of fulfilling His desire that His holy name be chanted in every town and village. I am humbled when I think about this verse and see how little I have been able to do in inspiring people to chant the holy name of the Lord. How does one become empowered? That is answered in a purport, which I quoted above: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is not partial to some and neutral to others. One can actually draw the attention of the Supreme Personality of Godhead by service. Then one is further empowered by the Lord to act in such a way that everyone can appreciate his service. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (4.11): ‘ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham.’ Krishna is responsive. If one tries to render his best service to the Lord, the Lord gives him the power to do so.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya-lila 1.197, purport)