Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 18, No. 7
(April 2022, part one)
Gainesville, Tallahassee, Tampa
(Sent from Tallahassee, Florida, on April 16, 2022)
Where I Went and What I Did
On April 1, I chanted Hare Krishna during the University of Florida Krishna Lunch, and then took a bus to Tallahassee, so I could chant at one of my favorite events, First Friday. Madhumangala Prabhu joined me in chanting Hare Krishna there, and in one hour, at least six groups of people chanted Hare Krishna and played the shakers with us. April 2 was meant to be Tallahassee Ratha-yatra, the Hare Krishnas’ contribution to the Springtime Tallahassee parade. The parade was canceled due to rain, but about forty devotees visiting from Gainesville and Alachua chanted for our Tallahassee deities for over an hour, so it turned out to be a wonderful event. For the rest of the first half of April, I chanted Hare Krishna in the parks in Tallahassee on the weekend and at the Florida State University (FSU) campus from Monday through Thursday.
On Fridays, we chanted at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU). The only exceptions to this were on April 10 I celebrated Rama Navami at two venues, both at the Bhakti Pyramid Sanctuary and Umesh’s place, and on April 12 and 13 Yogamaya Yajna Prabhu and I chanted Hare Krishna at University of South Florida in Tampa, where we attended their final Bhakti Yoga Society meeting of the season. One person who met us on harinama on the campus came to that meeting, and the new club president for next year got everyone dancing in the kirtan, which was truly impressive. We returned to Tallahassee, and on April 15, which was Good Friday, we had a record number of devotees in kirtan on the Florida State University campus, and that was very rewarding.
I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is and the section on the teachings of Prahlada Maharaja in his Srimad-Bhagavatam, as well as one of his lectures. I include excerpts from the writings of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I have a few quotes from Caitanya-Bhagavata by Vrindavan Dasa Thakura and its commentary by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. I include a couple quotes from an article on religious terrorism by Daniel Egiegba Agbiboa, which I read for my course on sociology of religion.
I have fewer notes on classes because either I was giving the classes, I was hearing Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami and his friends reading Srimad-Bhagavatam while cooking, and it was difficult to take notes, or else I was reading the notes on classes I heard the previous month for the preparation and proofreading of the last issue of this journal instead of reading new material.
Thanks to Umesh Prabhu for his kind donation on Rama Navami. Thanks to Jason for the video of me chanting Hare Krishna at the Rama Navami. Thanks to Rayn Mataji for her video of us chanting Hare Krishna at the Bhakti Yoga Society meeting at the University of South Florida.
Itinerary
April 1–28: Tallahassee and Tampa harinamas and college outreach
April 29–May 4: Miami harinamas (TBC)
May 5: NYC Harinam
May 6–11: Albany, take care of mother
May 12–21: NYC Harinam
May 22: Potomac Sunday feast and Silver Springs harinama
May 23–25: harinama with Sankarsana Prabhu by the Washington, D.C., museums
May 26–27: harinamas to promote Baltimore Ratha-yatra with Harinama Ruci
May 28: Baltimore Ratha-yatra
May 29–June ?: NYC Harinam and Ratha-yatra
June ?–July ?: Colorado Rainbow Gathering?
July 3–August ?: Paris harinamas [except August 2–6: Pol’and’Rock Festival?]
August 22–September ?: Tallahassee, Gainesville, Tampa harinama and outreach
September ?–September ?: Philadelphia harinamas and Ratha-yatra
Chanting Hare Krishna in Gainesville
Krishna Lunch was largely understaffed, so we had fewer devotees to chant with us than usual, and thus I was not free to take videos of the kirtanas, except the final one with Adikarta Prabhu:
Here Adikarta Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch at University of Florida in Gainesville, with Kamesi Devi Dasi playing the drum and Yogamaya Yajna Prabhu playing karatalas (https://youtu.be/XShP1wK12IM):
Chanting Hare Krishna in Tallahassee
The day after I returned from India, I planned to chant at Tallahassee’s First Friday at the Railroad Square Art Park. The event is a great opportunity to share the chanting of Hare Krishna, Srila Prabhupada’s books, and Krishna prasadam, and in past years a van of devotees from Krishna House in Gainesville would occasionally take advantage of the opportunity. This year I had one assistant, Madhumangala Prabhu (Madhu), who is college-aged and a musician by nature and more outgoing than I am. I would play the harmonium and lead the Hare Krishna chant, and he would play the mrdanga and sing the response. We were enthusiastic enough about our kirtan to attract the attention of some of the people wandering around Railroad Square and we would invite them to play with us. I had four shakers that I had purchased in Mayapur for 20 rupees each, and some “Chant Now” cards with the Hare Krishna mantra on them. We would encourage the people to play the shakers and sing the response to the mantra, and in just one hour at least six groups of people did that. One group was a fellow student of music from one of Madhu’s classes and her two girlfriends. Another was a couple, Miguel and Sophia, who frequently come to programs at the Tallahassee Hare Krishna temple. Another was a black mom and her two daughters. There was also a couple of college-aged girls who were friends. Then there was a guy, who was probably in his sixties and had several positive experiences with Hare Krishnas throughout his life, who happily chanted as his family patiently waited. Then there was a girl in Madhu’s Italian class and a group of her friends who participated as we were leaving for our vehicle. Many of the people were involved with Florida State University, and we told them about our Krishna Lunch there. I have been with parties of devotees who have engaged six groups of people in chanting Hare Krishna and playing instruments in an hour before, but I have never been the leader and one of two key players in such a group, and I was very grateful to Krishna for our success, especially as I was wiped out from getting very little sleep on my journey from India which had ended the evening before.
The next day was scheduled to be the Springtime Tallahassee Parade in which devotees from Alachua, led by Bhadra Prabhu, have a Ratha-yatra cart.
Here Janaki Devi Dasi of Krishna House in Gainesville and her friends chant Hare Krishna in Tallahassee, while waiting for authorities to determine if the parade in which we were to perform Ratha-yatra would be canceled due to rain (https://youtu.be/PROzlXDHJjw):
The parade was canceled, and devotees chanted Hare Krishna in Tallahassee as Lord Jagannatha, Lord Baladeva, and Lady Subhadra left the Ratha-yatra site (https://youtu.be/R33Biz9G45k):
Govinda Prabhu has been assisting his mother, Yadunandana Devi Dasi, in taking care of Lord Jagannatha for years. Yadunandana was encouraged by her brother, Prithusrava Prabhu, then already a devotee, to visit the famous 1976 New York Ratha-yatra attended by Srila Prabhupada, and that began her interest in Krishna consciousness and Lord Jagannatha.
The devotees visiting from Alachua and Gainesville came to our ISKCON Tallahassee temple for kirtan and prasadam. For us in Tallahassee, that is practically the most relishable event of the year, when we have so many enthusiastic devotees chanting Hare Krishna for the pleasure of the deities in our temple. Even Lord Jagannatha came, although the temple room was not large enough being filled with the devotees, and He listened from His car and was offered the lunch we had prepared.
Here Alachua devotees, in town for Ratha-yatra chant Hare Krishna at the ISKCON Tallahassee temple (https://youtu.be/SKv7DFXnFvM):
Alachua and Gainesville devotees chant Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/XP5RydUji2M):
Visvambhar and his friends chant Hare Krishna at the Tallahassee temple, and devotees dance enthusiastically (https://youtu.be/7HWjewJo6fc):
After most of the Alachua returned home, Janaki Devi Dasi of Krishna House in Gainesville chanted Hare Krishna at ISKCON Tallahassee (https://youtu.be/q8ScWxd9XVE):
On Monday, I resumed chanting Hare Krishna at Landis Green, behind the main Florida State University library, where I sing on weekdays when I am in Tallahassee. It was great to have Yogamaya Yajna Prabhu to assist me on this visit. Madhu would also come out for an hour or so between classes.
Here Madhumangala Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Landis Green at Florida State University, and Yogamaya Yajna Prabhu plays the drum (https://youtu.be/RRgx81EyZ_Y):
Here Yogamaya Yajna Prabhu leads the chanting of Hare Krishna on the harmonium, Madhu Prabhu plays the drum, and an FSU student chants the mantra and takes a book (https://youtu.be/yQir8ylAyIk):
Nicole, who has stopped by to talk with me at FSU from time to time for the last two years, is majoring in criminology and fashion, and has Science of Self-Realization, chants Hare Krishna, plays the shakers, and dances, as does her friend, being encouraged by Madhu Prabhu on the drum and Yogamaya Yajna Prabhu on the harmonium (https://youtu.be/SLGN0VQmsBc):
On Fridays, we decided to chant at FAMU, another important college in Tallahassee. Here Yogamaya Yajna Prabhu leads the chanting of Hare Krishna on the harmonium and three young black ladies, signing up Florida voters for the Democratic party, play the drum, dance, and take this film (https://youtu.be/TMNQpFc_beQ):
Here Yogamaya Yajna Prabhu leads the chanting of Hare Krishna, and a guy plays the drum and his friend takes this video (https://youtu.be/MNoClz4QKek):
On Sunday, April 3, we chanted Hare Krishna at Lake Ella, and on Saturday, April 9, we chanted Hare Krishna at Cascades Park. Because there was a music and literary event happening at Cascades Park, there were more people there than usual. About four groups of people played the shakers with us, and three of them also chanted the Hare Krishna mantra. One young lady, who does both yoga and meditation and had graduated in just two years and had entered a masters program in environmental science at FSU got more absorbed in the chanting than anyone else. While there we got five contacts to invite to our festival for Lord Rama the next day.
Rama Navami was special for me because I heard so many pastimes of Lord Rama. While cooking, I played a couple of lectures of Radhanath Swami, given on previous Rama Navamis, where he spoke about many pastimes of Lord Rama. At the Bhakti Pyramid Sanctuary, both Garuda and Kaliya Damana Prabhu also told Rama pastimes. Then in the evening, Ramiya Prabhu spoke about the pastimes of Lord Rama at Umesh Prabhu’s home. Thus more so than any other Rama Navami that I can remember, this year I was absorbed in the pastimes of Lord Rama.
Here Kaliya Damana Prabhu chants Sita-Rama on Rama Navami at the Bhakti Pyramid Sanctuary near Tallahassee, a retreat center we are in the processes of acquiring (https://youtu.be/r6y-cLuNYqY):
Jason of Alabama took this video of me singing at that event (https://youtube.com/shorts/QbFPLV2zLaw?feature=share):
Madeline, who is staying at Garuda Prabhu’s place, ended up going to both programs on Lord Rama, and she had a very positive experience. During of one of them, she asked me if I ever chanted Hare Krishna in public, and I told her every day, and thus she started coming out with us.
As Kaliya Damana Prabhu does not have to worry about serving Krishna Lunch on Fridays, he was able to join us on harinama, and so did that Madeline, and thus we had five devotees chanting Hare Krishna on Good Friday at FSU, making it a very good Friday for me (https://youtu.be/DX8-dU6YXwU):
Four groups had a presence on Landis Green that day, and we were all representing some kind of religion, the Jews, the Catholics, the Mormons, and ourselves, the Hare Krishnas.
Occasionally the Jews do a few dance steps to our music, and when I returned from my two days in Tampa, one of them wondered where I was!
Because it was Good Friday, the Catholics had a special program and hinted that it would be good if we were quiet during it. As it turned out, we planned to sing at two schools that day so we just left FSU half an hour early.
After the five of us chanted at FSU, Madeline chanted with Yogamaya Yajna Prabhu and me at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), where several people took books and six people signed our mailing list.
Chanting Hare Krishna in Tampa
In Tampa we stayed with Amit and Akash, two Indian students who help out with the Bhakti Yoga Club at the University of South Florida (USF). One night we did a kirtan at their place and the next we had the club meeting on campus. During the two days we did three hours of harinama on the campus and gave free books to people who signed the club mailing list.
Yogamaya Yajna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna the Marshall Student Center at USF in Tampa, and a student from our USF Bhakti Yoga Club joins in (https://youtu.be/ialGLVqFA_Y):
Later a student who had met us the previous day and took some books and signed our mailing list, listened to the end of our harinama, occasionally playing the shakers (https://youtu.be/rg91XoosEs8):
Later that student attended our Bhakti Yoga Club meeting that evening.
At the club meeting, after we finished the yoga, nicely led by an Iranian student named Roya, I led the chanting of Hare Krishna and Rayn Mataji played the drum. Lavesh, the new president of the club for next semester, got everyone dancing, and I felt so happy to see them all chanting Hare Krishna and dancing in joy (https://youtu.be/5T5DuiX7C8A):
Novel Photos
Yogamaya Yajna Prabhu, who likes to cook, found that putting pieces of the leftover kofta balls in the quesadillas brings them up to another level!
Indian students in Tampa find a dishwasher serves as a great drying rack and place to store cooking paraphernalia and as well as plates and cups and the like.
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From Bhagavad-gita 2.45, purport:
“One has to learn tolerance in the face of dualities such as happiness and distress, or cold and warmth, and by tolerating such dualities become free from anxieties regarding gain and loss. This transcendental position is achieved in full Krishna consciousness when one is fully dependent on the good will of Krishna.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.3.24, purport:
“The difference between a devotee and a nondevotee, or asura, is that a devotee knows that Lord Vishnu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that everyone derives power from Him.”
“Srila Madhvacarya gives the following quotation from the Brahma-tarka:
eka-sthanaika-karyatvad
vishnoh pradhanyatas tatha
jivasya tad-adhinatvan
na bhinnadhikrtam vacah
‘Since Vishnu is the Supreme, by worshiping Vishnu one can fulfill all one’s desires. There is no need to divert one’s attention to any demigod.’”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.5, purport:
“Prahlada Maharaja recommended that his father accept vanaprastha life because as a grhastha he was becoming increasingly demoniac due to bodily attachment. Prahlada recommended to his father that accepting vanaprastha life would be better than going deeper and deeper into grham andha-kupam, the blind well of life as a grhastha. In our Krishna consciousness movement we therefore invite all the elderly persons of the world to come to Vrindavan and stay there in retired life, making advancement in spiritual consciousness, Krishna consciousness.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.7, purport:
“Krishna consciousness is not at all to the liking of the demons of the present age. As soon as they see a Vaishnava dressed in saffron garments with beads on his neck and tilaka on his forehead, they are immediately irritated. They criticize the Vaishnavas by sarcastically saying Hare Krishna, and some people also chant Hare Krishna sincerely. In either case, since Hare Krishna is absolute, whether one chants it jokingly or sincerely, it will have its effect. The Vaishnavas are pleased when the demons chant Hare Krishna because this shows that the Hare Krishna movement is taking ground. The greater demons, like Hiranyakasipu, are always prepared to chastise the Vaishnavas, and they try to make arrangements so that Vaishnavas will not come to sell their books and preach Krishna consciousness. Thus what was done by Hiranyakasipu long, long ago is still being done. That is the way of materialistic life. Demons or materialists do not at all like the advancement of Krishna consciousness, and they try to hinder it in many ways. Yet the preachers of Krishna consciousness must go forward—in their Vaishnava dress or any other dress—for the purpose of preaching.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.11, purport:
“The spiritual master, the servant of God, is engaged in the most confidential service of the Lord, namely delivering all the conditioned souls from the clutches of maya, in which one thinks, ‘This person is my enemy, and that one is my friend.’ Actually the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the friend of all living entities, and all living entities are eternal servants of the Supreme Lord. Oneness is possible through this understanding, not through artificially thinking that every one of us is God or equal to God. The true understanding is that God is the supreme master and that all of us are servants of the Supreme Lord and are therefore on the same platform. This had already been taught to Prahlada Maharaja by his spiritual master, Narada, but Prahlada was nonetheless surprised by how a bewildered soul thinks one person his enemy and another his friend.”
“In the conditioned stage we think that some living beings are our friends whereas others are enemies, and thus we are in duality. In the liberated stage, however, the conception is that God is the master and that all living entities, being servants of God, are one.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.12:
“When the Supreme Personality of Godhead is pleased with the living entity because of his devotional service, one becomes a pandita and does not make distinctions between enemies, friends and himself. Intelligently, he then thinks, ‘Every one of us is an eternal servant of God, and therefore we are not different from one another.’”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.12, purport:
“Demons think of everyone as a friend or enemy, but Vaishnavas say that since everyone is a servant of the Lord, everyone is on the same platform. Therefore a Vaishnava treats other living entities neither as friends nor as enemies, but instead tries to spread Krishna consciousness, teaching everyone that we are all one as servants of the Supreme Lord but are uselessly wasting our valuable lives by creating nations, communities and other groups of friends and enemies. Everyone should come to the platform of Krishna consciousness and thus feel oneness as a servant of the Lord. Although there are 8,400,000 species of life, a Vaishnava feels this oneness. The Isopanisad advises, ekatvam anupasyatah [Iso 7]. A devotee should see the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be situated in everyone’s heart and should also see every living entity as an eternal servant of the Lord. This vision is called ekatvam, oneness. Although there is a relationship of master and servant, both master and servant are one because of their spiritual identity. This is also ekatvam. Thus the conception of ekatvam for the Vaishnava is different from that of the Mayavadi.”
“Everyone should be friendly for the service of the Lord. Everyone should praise another’s service to the Lord and not be proud of his own service. This is the way of Vaishnava thinking, Vaikuntha thinking [the thinking of the spiritual world]. There may be rivalries and apparent competition between servants in performing service, but in the Vaikuntha planets the service of another servant is appreciated, not condemned. This is Vaikuntha competition. There is no question of enmity between servants. Everyone should be allowed to render service to the Lord to the best of his ability, and everyone should appreciate the service of others. Such are the activities of Vaikuntha. Since everyone is a servant, everyone is on the same platform and is allowed to serve the Lord according to his ability.”
“For iron to be attracted by a magnet is natural. Similarly, for all living entities to be attracted toward Krishna is natural, and therefore the Lord’s real name is Krishna, meaning He who attracts everyone and everything. The typical examples of such attraction are found in Vrindavan, where everything and everyone is attracted by Krishna. The elderly persons like Nanda Maharaja and Yasodadevi, the friends like Sridama, Sudama and the other cowherd boys, the gopis like Srimati Radharani and Her associates, and even the birds, beasts, cows and calves are attracted. The flowers and fruits in the gardens are attracted, the waves of the Yamuna are attracted, and the land, sky, trees, plants, animals and all other living beings are attracted by Krishna. This is the natural situation of everything in Vrindavan.
“Just contrary to the affairs of Vrindavan is the material world, where no one is attracted by Krishna and everyone is attracted by maya. This is the difference between the spiritual and material worlds. Hiranyakasipu, who was in the material world, was attracted by women and money, whereas Prahlada Maharaja, being in his natural position, was attracted by Krishna. In replying to Hiranyakasipu’s question about why Prahlada Maharaja had a deviant view, Prahlada said that his view was not deviant, for the natural position of everyone is to be attracted by Krishna. Hiranyakasipu found this view deviant, Prahlada said, because of being unnaturally unattracted by Krishna. Hiranyakasipu therefore needed purification.
“As soon as one is purified of material contamination, he is again attracted by Krishna (sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]). In the material world, everyone is contaminated by the dirt of sense gratification and is acting according to different designations, sometimes as a human being, sometimes a beast, sometimes a demigod or tree, and so on. One must be cleansed of all these designations. Then one will be naturally attracted to Krishna. The bhakti process purifies the living entity of all unnatural attractions. When one is purified he is attracted by Krishna and begins to serve Krishna instead of serving maya. This is his natural position. A devotee is attracted by Krishna, whereas a nondevotee, being contaminated by the dirt of material enjoyment, is not.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.18, purport:
“The word prahlada, however, refers to one who is always joyful in understanding Brahman (brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54]). Prahlada means prasannatma, always joyful. Prahlada was always joyful in worshiping the Lord.”
From a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.24 in Hawaii on January 20, 1974:
“It doesn’t matter how we have learned to love God, either Christian religion or Hindu religion or Muhammadan, but if you have got that success, that you have learned how to love God, then your life is successful.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From A Poor Man Reads the Bhagavatam, Volume 3:
“Srila Prabhupada’s last sentence is a classic: ‘One cannot be cheerful by nature unless one is factually seated in self-realization, which is transcendental to the material body and mind.’ [Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.2, purport]”
“Prabhupada comments that the whole material world runs on the basic misidentification of body with self. This is a powerful and sweeping criticism. Krishna consciousness does not criticize people from a sectarian stance. Prabhupada is not discussing religion, but basic truths. Truth is nonsectarian. Anyone must ask themselves, ‘Who am I? Am I the body, the mind, or the soul?’ Most people, despite what they respond, act as though the body is the sum total of their identity. That is, we live in a world of material designation. Some may consider that the mind is the more important point in describing their designation. Few people will refer to scripture—their scripture or anyone’s—to understand that the soul exists beyond the body. Rather, they speculate. When they do decide there is life beyond the body, their concepts are vague, often rooted in bodily designation (sectarian), and tending toward the impersonal. How can they help themselves? They have no scientific knowledge of the soul. Krishna consciousness can fill in the gaps in education.”
From Calling Out to Srila Prabhupada: Poems and Prayers:
“O spiritual master, who created the Hare Krishna movement on the order of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, and who made a sweet-sounding tamboura by picking up discarded wires and an old gourd (the wasted youths of Western countries), and who played that tamboura all over the world to the words and tune of the Hare Krishna mantra.”
“O Prabhupada, as we tolerate the token summary punishment for our many past offenses, may we remember your tolerance with us, and may we be peaceful and satisfied in any situation simply by knowing that we are serving you.”
From Here Is Srila Prabhupada:
“We are like children trying to remember the spiritual master. In the old Boston temple, sometimes we played a game during prasadam.
“One day it was raining outside so I said, ‘Think of something Krishna conscious connected to rain.’
“Someone said, ‘When it rains, Krishna and His friends sit in a cave and have lunch there, talking until the rain stops.’
“Another devotee said, ‘Krishna sends the rain at night so it won’t disturb the farmer’s day, but the ungrateful man wakes in the morning and complains that it didn’t rain enough. That’s in the Krishna book, ‘Description of Autumn.’
“‘Isn’t there something about the demigods raining down the benefits that people want?’
“‘Demigods shower flowers from the sky.’
“‘Rain is one of the elements, water.’
“‘Rain comes from yajna.’
“Playing this game during prasadam always left us with a nice feeling for each other. It was better than fighting among ourselves or talking prajalpa.
“Let’s play it now. Can you think of anything connected to Prabhupada and rain?
“‘One time Prabhupada walked outside in the rain without an umbrella. Govinda dasi took the shower curtain off the shower and ran out and covered Srila Prabhupada with it.’
“‘When it was raining one day at the time he usually took his morning walk, Prabhupada said, “Today we shall take our walk sitting down.” Karandhara drove him around Beverly Hills in the rain while Srila Prabhupada closed his eyes and rested.’
“‘He walked in the snow in Manhattan in 1965.’
“‘He told us about Krishna who held up Govardhana Hill in the rain. And he told us that Krishna went to collect wood for His guru, and the rains came.’
“‘He said that ISKCON sankirtana in India stopped the drought.’”
From A Poor Man Reads the Bhagavatam, Volume 3:
“Krishna declares in Bhagavad-gita that He is most pleased by the person who spreads His glories. The opposite is also true. If one is silent about Krishna, then Krishna will be silent in his case too.”
“Once someone asked Prabhupada how we could know when Krishna was pleased. He said, ‘When He smiles.’ It is a rare soul who can see Krishna’s smiling face. Nevertheless, that is our goal: to please Krishna and to see His smile. We know we are on the right track when the spiritual master is pleased. Prabhupada said that he was working hard to spread Krishna consciousness in order to see his spiritual master smile.”
From Remembering Srila Prabhupada:
“On the order of his Guru Maharaja
he wrote the Back to Godhead essays,
the First Canto,
pushed them through production,
and sold them on the streets.
Before anyone knew anything in America
he was there on the Delhi thoroughfare—
the founder-acarya of book distribution.”
From Remembering Srila Prabhupada, Volume Four:
“Prabhupada accomplished so many things in a relatively brief time. He set a flawless example and gave us volumes of written and spoken instruction. We cannot estimate the value of Prabhupada’s contribution to our lives. Everything he gave us continues to exist after his departure, and it will continue to sustain the Krsna consciousness movement for centuries. All this has come about just from the ‘temporary’ appearance of Prabhupada.”
“The transcendental system will arrange for us to recognize each other even without these temporary forms. The universe is personal. We are not going to become particles of light. We will always be persons and we will always be Prabhupada’s followers.”
From A Poor Man Reads the Bhagavatam, Volume 3:
“Vyasa states that Narada possesses extraordinary abilities ‘as good as the all-pervasive Supersoul.’ He credits Narada not only as knowing the scriptures, and not just as a strict, kindhearted brahmacari, but as someone who can travel throughout the three worlds. We know this is true from reading of Narada’s appearance in different stories in the Bhagavatam. He travels as the transcendental spaceman without the aid of spacecraft. He travels to relieve the miseries of fallen souls from the demigods to the demons.”
From Karttika Moon:
“Just as I was about to
allow my mind to give up
Prabhupada’s gift of
‘always chant’ rescued
my loco mind.”
Vrindavan Dasa Thakura:
From Caitanya-Bhagavata, Adi 11.17:
“As the Lord thus passed His time in scholastic pastimes, His servants could not recognize Him, so what to speak of others?”
From Caitanya-Bhagavata, Adi 11.18:
“People came from all over India to study in Navadvipa, for if one studied in Navadvipa he got a taste for education.”
From Caitanya-Bhagavata, Adi 11.24:
“As soon as Mukunda would begin singing about Krishna, everyone there fell to the ground in ecstatic love.”
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura:
From Caitanya-Bhagavata, Adi 11.33, commentary:
“The rasika devotees of Adhoksaja Krishna are naturally detached from all objects not related with Krishna. Their resolute love was displayed by their seeing everything in relationship with Krishna. Because they realized the necessity of having a taste for Krishna consciousness, they considered the taste for inferior objects to be useless.”
Daniel Egiegba Agbiboa:
From “The Nigerian Burden: Religious Identity, Conflict and the Current Terrorism of Boko Haram” in Conflict, Security & Development, 13:1 (2013), 1–29:
“Moreover, religious terrorists are absolutist, inflexible, unrealistic, lacking in political pragmatism and not open to negotiation. As Matthew Morgan argues, ‘[t]oday’s terrorists don’t want a seat at the table, they want to destroy the table and everyone sitting at it’. [Morgan, ‘Origins of the New Terrorism’, 30–31]”
“There is an urgent need for Christian and Muslim leaders in Nigeria to join together to openly denounce all forms of religious identity conflicts and sectarian violence.”
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Although we appear differently situated by material calculation, this verse informs us that at every moment Krishna is reciprocating with our degree of surrender to Him. Thus if we do not like the way Krishna is presently reciprocating with us, we can surrender more and get a better deal. Another reassurance given by this verse is that we can count on Krishna’s reciprocation. Sometimes we enter into relationships with people expecting a certain level of reciprocation that is not there. We do not have to worry about that happening in our relationship with Krishna. In fact, Srila Prabhupada says, “As soon as one takes to Krishna consciousness, Krishna helps him. If he comes forward one step, Krishna comes forward ten steps.” (Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 7.3, March 29, 1971, Bombay)
ye yatha mam prapadyante
mama vartmanuvartante
manusyah partha sarvasah
“As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Prtha.” (Bhagavad-gita 4.11)
