Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 18, No. 21
(November 2022, part one)
New York City
(Sent from Brooklyn, New York, on November 19, 2022)
Where I Went and What I Did
I stayed at Radha Govinda Mandir (ISKCON NYC) in Brooklyn for the first two weeks of November, assisting Rama Raya Prabhu’s NYC Harinam party Monday through Saturday by chanting lead or response, dancing, and distributing the invitations, free literature, and an occasional book. We continued chanting the “Damodarastakam” in the evenings through November 7, the last day of Karttika, and devotees engaged many more passersby in offering lamps to Damodara. The first Sunday we chanted at Washington Square Park as the weather was predicted to be nice for one of the last times this year. The second Sunday I chanted with a small party on the Brooklyn Bridge as I could not convince many to join me. I gave the lecture at the Tuesday evening program on November 15, and I include the video of that after all the harinama videos, along with a video of a lively kirtan led by Deva Damodara Prabhu that got everyone dancing.
I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s books, specifically from my personal reading of Bhagavad-gita As It Is and from our morning study of Srimad-Bhagavatam here at ISKCON NYC, and a quote from one of his letters. I share notes on Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s Handbook for Krishna Consciousness, a collection of his early Back to Godhead articles, and his Free Write Journal, both of which I was proofreading. I share notes on classes in ISKCON NYC by Trivikrama Swami, Candrasekhara Swami, Mahatma Prabhu, Rama Raya Prabhu, Nikunjabihari Prabhu, Prabhupada Priya Devi Dasi, Matanga Prabhu, Arjunananda Prabhu, and Prabhavishnu Prabhu. I share quotes from articles in the 2019 Consciousness in Science Conference volume by Akhandadhi Prabhu, Lalitanatha Prabhu, Levgen Smitskiy, Natalya Antonova and Vladimir Sokol. I also share excerpts from Mechanistic and Nonmechanistic Science by Sadaputa Prabhu, and notes on a presentation on its ninth chapter by Tamraparni Prabhu and Bhaktin Christina.
Thanks to Lila Manjari Devi Dasi for her kind donation. Thanks for Rama Raya Prabhu and Divyangi Devi Dasi for their videos and photos of harinama. Thanks to Prabhavishnu Prabhu for recording the Tuesday evening program.
Itinerary
September 26–November 22: NYC Harinam
November 23–December 14: three weeks of service to Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami
December 14–18: Taking care of mother near Albany
December 18–January 9, 2023: NYC Harinam
January 10–12: TampaJanuary 13: Tampa
Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City
Jayananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Terminal, and kids play shakers and dance (https://youtu.be/Jo_Db9_ljgE):
Nate chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Terminal, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/jE-tb2ATsP4):
Hadai Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Terminal, and a father and a son play shakers (https://youtu.be/RfjjRQ8K9Hg):
Deva Damodara Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Terminal (https://youtu.be/ACjMzZAdzYU):
Godruma Prana Prabhu, who arranged his work schedule so he could join us on harinama almost every day for the month of Karttika, chants Hare Krishna at Columbus Circle, and a mom and two kids play shakers (https://youtu.be/t_PjicTc6m4):
Runners warm up to the final Hare Krishna chant by Rama Raya Prabhu one evening at Columbus Circle (https://youtu.be/aAGLw3Ib2QE):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park, and many passersby and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/7gAGFc9gnSs):
Hadai Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park, and Matthew Silver and others dance (https://youtu.be/XGlQ6990ikA):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park, and devotees dance, with one lady joining them, and a guy playing shakers (https://youtu.be/3vbq0yFPk2o):
Later more passersby joined the devotees dance (https://youtu.be/oc_mpSsUer8):
Braja Sakhi Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park, and three people from the park play shakers (https://youtu.be/9CzLFU0sRFw):
Godruma Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park, and an Oriental couple plays the shakers, offers a donation, accepts books, and waves goodbye (https://youtu.be/4yOBdhGRSnk):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park, and a father and son play shakers (https://youtu.be/j5bd5T61Xf0):
Godruma Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Columbus Circle (https://youtu.be/ed3SHQii5RA):
I also chanted there (https://youtu.be/soKXGvKkurQ):
The day at Columbus Circle I met another soul with fond memories of eating at Govinda’s on Fifty-fifth Street over 40 years ago.
We chanted at Columbus Circle as the month of Karttika ended.
Here are some of the people we engaged in offering lamps that last week of Karttika (https://youtu.be/lUzzlWSr6YM):
I attended a program in Queens that night, and Trivikrama Swami led a lively kirtan there (https://youtu.be/qwyTbG_9uaQ):
Jayananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station, and several groups of people participate (https://youtu.be/M3azoc774QI):
Alex chants in the Times Square subway station above the 7 train (https://youtu.be/sTQy8axPcJk):
The guy above listened for ten or fifteen minutes, sitting on the floor.
The guy on the chair on the left, listened and played the shakers for over an hour.
Rama Raya Prabhu led an ecstatic kirtan at the end of our performance, and a lady danced (https://youtu.be/RhBfOllEtUM):
I was burning out on the lack of interest in what we were offering in Union Square, when a lady, perhaps in her thirties, happily gave a donation of two or three dollars. I offered her Chant and Be Happy, but as she had that and Science of Self-Realization, I gave her Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers. She said, “You people are among the holiest in New York City. I am always impressed by your strict practice in this city of temptation.”
Later I met one young lady who was very excited to hear about Krishna food options in New York City as she attended Krishna Lunch at UF in Gainesville. I told her about Govinda’s in Brooklyn, Divya’s Kitchen in Manhattan, and Adi Purusha Prabhu’s food for the homeless three mornings a week at Tompkins Square Park. Usually I just mention Govinda’s but she was so enthusiastic I gave her more options. She found Divya’s Kitchen on her phone as we talked.
If someone does pushups while facing a harinama party do they get spiritual credit for multiple obeisances to the Vaishnavas? (https://youtu.be/YNtT3Ju3i-Y):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square (https://youtu.be/0FqdwHWOh-w):
Nate chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station, and I distribute pamphlets (https://youtu.be/MLfLdWAV7gg):
Hadai Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park, and Matthew Silver and others dance (https://youtu.be/HdwPzgdj76M):
Here is a portrait view of part of that same kirtan (https://youtu.be/PFRWy2Y6aGI):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Washington Square Park (https://youtu.be/1qGa1OubZvM):
While Rama Raya Prabhu was chanting, two guys danced (https://youtu.be/XDp49ufNZjI):
One girl (above photo, on the left), attracted by the kirtan and books, played the shakers.
Later many people began to play shakers and to move with the music (https://youtu.be/jw4fntAxKcQ):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Washington Square Park, and two girls play shakers and dance (https://youtu.be/YVTSDKzyuSs):
I also chanted at Washington Square Park, and some boys really enjoyed dancing and playing the shakers with the devotees in the kirtan (https://youtu.be/N9fCsmks4NA):
Ananda Bihari Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Washington Square Park (https://youtu.be/-JEXNqqittk):
While Ananda Bihari Prabhu chanted, two guys danced with Hadai Prana Prabhu (https://youtu.be/yU_HRGuB5hU):
Vanessa, who remembered me from my visit to ISKCON Miami Outreach back in May, was enthusiastic to join Ananda Sankirtana Prabhu and me for harinama on Brooklyn Bridge.
We met a couple college girls, from an Indian background, who were looking for a temple to go to. Some Sikhs were happy to have their photo taken with a Hare Krishna monk. Some other Indian tourists learned of our Sunday feast program that night. One young lady, who seemed attracted by the chanting, when I asked, “Are you from India?” replied, “No, I just like God.”
One the way back to the temple, I chanted on the 4 train, and it had a relaxing effect on some of the passengers.
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the Sunday Feast in ISKCON NYC (https://youtu.be/JtBfN6qXv5M):
Arjunananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/EYV6O3wioeg):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station, and Madhavi dances (https://youtu.be/iKZFj8bZ0jA):
I gave a lecture explaining how Krishna consciousness is a science at the ISKCON NYC Tuesday evening program for new people. The actual talk begins after the chanting in the beginning is over at 16:34 minutes into the video and continues until 1:12:03. Deva Damodara Prabhu led the kirtan afterward for 20 minutes and many attendees expressed the desire that it keep going although it was past the time the prasadam is usually served.
Here is the video (https://youtu.be/Wl3dyAk36Go):
Here is a video of the final kirtan by Deva Damodara Prabhu (https://youtu.be/vfH1Z6wiBg4):
When I announced at the beginning of that kirtan, that dancing was an option, I got a surprising affirmative verbal response, backed up with positive action!
Special Photos
One day at Washington Square Park, we met a couple teams of people who were bringing a blindfolded subject through the park and recording audio. They got some special mercy recording the chanting of the holy names, which they no doubt will share, thus engaging in the auspicious service of spreading the Sri Krishna nama sankirtana.
Sometimes Radha Govinda looked especially nice at mangala-arati.
The marriage of Tulasi and Salagram, although appearing on the Vaishnava calender, is not an event we usually celebrate in ISKCON, but we did this year in New York.
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.16.24, purport:
“We should try to understand the appearance of Lord Krishna in this spirit, as the Kumaras pray to Him. He is eternally a cowherd boy at Vrindavan, He is eternally the leader of the Battle of Kurukshetra, and He is eternally the opulent prince of Dvaraka and the lover of the damsels of Vrindavan. All His appearances are meaningful because they show His real characteristics to the conditioned souls, who have forgotten their relationship with the Supreme Lord. He does everything for their benefit.”
From Bhagavad-gita 4.31, purport:
“Perfection is achieved by performance of yajña (sacrifice), as described above. Now, if a person is not inclined to perform yajña according to the Vedas, how can he expect a happy life even in this body, and what to speak of another body on another planet? There are different grades of material comforts in different heavenly planets, and in all cases there is immense happiness for persons engaged in different kinds of yajña. But the highest kind of happiness that a man can achieve is to be promoted to the spiritual planets by practice of Krishna consciousness. A life of Krishna consciousness is therefore the solution to all the problems of material existence.”
From Bhagavad-gita 4.36, purport:
“Proper understanding of one’s constitutional position in relationship to Krishna is so nice that it can at once lift one from the struggle for existence which goes on in the ocean of nescience. This material world is sometimes regarded as an ocean of nescience and sometimes as a blazing forest. In the ocean, however expert a swimmer one may be, the struggle for existence is very severe. If someone comes forward and lifts the struggling swimmer from the ocean, he is the greatest savior. Perfect knowledge, received from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the path of liberation.”
From Bhagavad-gita 4.38, purport:
“This knowledge is the mature fruit of devotional service, and when one is situated in transcendental knowledge, he need not search for peace elsewhere, for he enjoys peace within himself.”
From Bhagavad-gita 4.39, purport:
“One is called a faithful man who thinks that simply by acting in Krishna consciousness he can attain the highest perfection. This faith is attained by the discharge of devotional service and by chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, which cleanses one’s heart of all material dirt. Over and above this, one should control the senses. A person who is faithful to Krishna and who controls the senses can easily attain perfection in the knowledge of Krishna consciousness without delay.”
From Bhagavad-gita 4.42, purport:
“The Lord is definitely the supreme person, and His activities are transcendental. One who understands this is a liberated person from the very beginning of his study of Bhagavad-gīta.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.16.31, purport:
“Even if those who are not devotees always think of Vishnu, they become free from all sinful activities. Krishna consciousness is the highest form of thought. Lord Vishnu is thought of in this age by chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. From the statements of the Bhagavatam it appears that if one thinks of Krishna, even as an enemy, that particular qualification — thinking of Vishnu, or Krishna — cleanses one of all sins.”
From a letter dated October 9, 1968, to Satsvarupa:
“We ask people to restrain themselves from four kinds of primary sinful activities—namely illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating, and gambling. But all these fighting people are cent per cent addicted to all these habits. So if they are serious about mitigating the unpalatable situation of society, they must agree to accept Krishna consciousness. Otherwise, there is no possibility of peace in the world.”
The humble servants of Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.12.55:
“Remembrance of Lord Kriṣṇa’s lotus feet destroys everything inauspicious and awards the greatest good fortune. It purifies the heart and bestows devotion for the Supreme Soul, along with knowledge enriched with realization and renunciation.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From Free Write Journal #220:
From Prabhupada Meditations, Volume 4:
“Transcendental sound cuts through matter.”
“Ultimate communication takes place between Krishna and the conditioned soul hankering to recapture his relationship with Krishna. When the jiva is awakened by hearing, then he can begin to serve God. Further communication can then take place. This is called bhakti.”
From May Apples, Writing Session #11:
“I don’t like to rub it in and criticize his Godbrothers, but since they deny Prabhupada, the use of the word ‘Prabhupada’ we have to assert it. That he did what no one else could do.”
From Back to Godhead, Vol. 1 #4 (December 15, 1966)
“When you work for God, the wages are the chance of understanding Him.”
From Back to Godhead, Vol. 1 #7 (February 1, 1967):
“Krishna is transcendental, and when we pray to Him it is only for His association. Never mind the list of special requests for our particular situation on earth.”
“The wise man’s position is to withdraw from all material attachment, both good and evil, and to chant the holy name of God. This is the wise man’s single need and prime duty.”
From Back to Godhead, Vol. 1 #14 (July/August 1967):
“Through the magnanimity of Lord Chaitanya what is available is the greatest gift—Love of Godhead, and it is simply handed over. This strong, helping hand of Lord Chaitanya is so direct that many may miss it; they think their entanglement and the world’s entanglement to be so complicated that any direct solution is a hoax. But nothing is too complicated for God.”
From Free Write Journal #221:
“In humanism they say, ‘Man is the measure of all things.’ they say ‘A great man or woman is more wonderful than the theological concept of God.’ Humans like Socrates and Shakespeare, Mozart, and other stars in the filament are the real worshipable beings, and not some theoretical concept manufactured in theology as God. The humanists, however, can’t tell us where the great humans come from or who created them. There is a great creator behind all the great human beings who have come and made their temporary contribution to the world.”
From Remembering Srila Prabhupada: A Free-Verse Rendition of the Life and Teachings of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada:
“THE BOWERY
The lower depths of Manhattan
became his morning walking grounds.
Bums sleeping on his doorstep moved aside
as he stepped into the infamous streets.
To his refined taste,
every feature of the Bowery was repulsive.
The drunkard residents, the cold weather,
the lack of tropical fruits, the faces of atheists,
the constant rumble of trucks,
the blaring sinful life, the absence of Vaisnavas,
a roommate whom he soon found chemically hallucinating—
almost every feature
meant inconvenience and repulsion.
But Prabhupada smiled, enlivened.
Where should he have gone instead, some estate
in the hills far away from this madness?
The city was the ideal place
by the awful fact
that more tortured souls
were here,
and he had come to administer to them.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta had once refused
a piece of land too far from teeming Bombay.
After 6 months of trying, Prabhupada had now begun
to gather listeners. Talking about Krishna,
he was blissful
in New York City.
Preaching here required being completely free—
not a pinch of desire.
It took willingness and satisfaction
to manage everything on his own
cooking and offering food to Him,
and being satisfied in devotion.
To transform the Bowery into Vaikuntha
took the sweet realization of service in separation,
assurance in living only for His Holy Name.
He would go down and sit on a bench
by the East River under the Brooklyn Bridge
and think again about returning to India,
‘Just a little longer,’ he would say to himself.
‘Let me see what Krishna desires.’
Three nights weekly he was holding kirtan;
sometimes the room was almost filled.
It was becoming a city-happening,
to gather in the Swami's loft
and hear the brass cymbals and watch him
lead chanting, hear him speak Bhagavad-gita,
adjuring them to take the truth of the soul.
He would hold his audience a few hours
and then talk with whomever stayed late.
Like restless children they would disperse—
no one sensed the need
to follow.”
From Prabhupada Meditations, Volume 4:
“Being in the presence of someone who has no other desire than to serve guru and Krishna is intense. It puts a lot of pressure on you and your own wishy-washy surrender. You keep wondering where your own needs fit into the picture. You want to surrender, but you can’t fake it. Prabhupada demanded that surrender. You were the menial servant. Therefore, it is not a light statement for Prabhupada to say that someone likes his company. It means that that person was able to remain the menial servant of his guru. It means the disciple was able to take instruction and to be reprimanded. It means that the person was able to stand seeing the difference between his own false ego platform and Prabhupada’s pure one. All the servant's demands for material comfort and sense gratification were exposed. Could you give up your precious sleep in order to serve Prabhupada? The willingness to give up sleep—a whole book could be written on this sign of surrender. Prabhupada gave up his sleep; his servants were expected to do it also.”
From My Dear Lord Krishna:
“I have received my faith in You through the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya, which recognizes You as Lord Krishna, the source of all the other expansions of Godhead known as Vishnu. In Your original form, you dispense with the opulence and the formality of the Godhead, and You play with Your devotee as a cowherd boy of Vraja, in the topmost spiritual planet, Goloka Vrndavana. There You mix with Your most intimate devotees as their master, friend, child, and lover. These are the gems of the Vaishnava wisdom, as taught in the Vedic literature and the disciplic line of spiritual masters.”
From “Boston Sankirtan” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 1 #29 (1969):
“The Boston center has been eager to fulfill the wish of our beloved Spiritual Master Goswami A. C. Bhaktivedanta. Coming in the line from Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who so much stressed the public chanting of the Holy Names, our Guru has always instructed us that the best preaching of Love of God is the chanting of the Holy Names of God in the parks and in the streets. The benefit to every living entity—not just the humans—is inconceivably great. Just by hearing the Name of God one can be saved from the greatest danger, and his door to liberation, for eternal association with Krishna, will be opened. Lately, we have received letters from His Divine Grace emphasizing the importance of the chanting party: ‘Regarding your questions about Samkirtan party, I think you should try to always have Samkirtan going on. All other things are subsidiary. This chanting is our life and soul, so we must arrange our program so that there will be as much chanting on the streets and at college engagements as possible’ (from letter of May 15, 1969).”
“The scriptures declare that the Maha mantra is an incarnation of Krishna, or God, for this age. Under the order of our Guru, we appear sometimes at Fenway Park and sometimes along the Charles River, and every Sunday about 10,000 people who gather at the Cambridge Commons are exposed to the Hare Krishna benediction. We go wherever people gather, and sometimes, when we begin chanting where nobody is around, a crowd automatically gathers to hear the Names and see the dancing in glorification of Krishna. At all such gatherings we pass out wallet-sized cards which say, ‘We humbly request, you chant this mantra and your life will be sublime: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.’”
I like the bhajana “Bhajahu Re Mana” because I heard that Srila Prabhupada liked it. He said in that song everything is there. It tells about both the good [spiritual life] and the bad [material existence].
People in the highest position should act in an exemplary way. If we claim to represent the Supreme, if we are not of ideal character, people will not take us seriously.
When I was young, I saw the priests weren’t special. They were interested in getting money and enjoying life. There was a priest in Floral Park who used to take us on his yacht. They would be drinking on the boat.
I saw that Srila Prabhupada was worshipable. Srila Prabhupada had no envy. He wanted nothing but to serve Krishna. It wasn’t just propaganda. He really was everyone’s well wisher.
When Srila Prabhupada said in a class how he was the representative of God, I had a mystical experience where I really felt Srila Prabhupada was the representative of Krishna, and I felt so fortunate to be just a few feet from him.
Later I said I liked his class.
He asked which part.
I said the part where you said you were the representative of Krishna.
He accepted that, and then he said, “And you can also be a representative of Krishna.”
He explained it was easy. You just had to say what Krishna said.
Srila Prabhupada said after one kirtan, “This kirtan gives us life. This is Lord Caitanya’s mercy. If you do not get life from the kirtan then simply sex life.” Remembering that quote has helped me many times.
Where do we see ideal examples in power? Trump? Putin? Stalin? Hitler? These are the lowest class of people.
Whenever we came up with schemes to make money, like selling paintings, devotees left. They thought, “I know how to make money. I have money coming, now I can enjoy. I don’t need ISKCON.”
Srila Prabhupada said if you do not get up by 7:00 a.m. you will not make any spiritual advancement that day.
In our parampara there are so many men of ideal character. Srila Prabhupada, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Gaurakisora Dasa Babaji Maharaja, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura. Where do you see that in the material world?
When I was young, a child was kidnapped on Long Island, and it was in the newspaper for weeks. People could not believe that someone could do something like that. Now every newspaper has several cases like that. Things have become very degraded since my childhood.
It is foolish to have the majority choose the leader because the majority of people always desire sense gratification.
We have to teach by example. No hypocrisy.
One disciple was telling Srila Prabhupada that he did not want to go shopping in the summer because by seeing all the half naked women he might fall into maya. Srila Prabhupada replied, “You are always in maya. Sometimes you fall into Krishna consciousness.”
There is no higher theological conception than Radha Krishna.
We accept Christ as a good son of God teaching us all how to be good sons of God.
As soon as those above us in the parampara [lineage of spiritual teachers] see we are not really serious, we will lose their mercy and be left with our karma.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura said that if someone claims to teach you your rasa [your eternal relationship with Krishna] he is either a fool or a cheater.
Srila Prabhupada taught that one’s rasa is revealed at an advanced stage of devotional practice.
Once on Radhastami Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura did not speak about Radharani at all. Rather he spoke about service to the acarya [the guru who is a perfect example] because by serving the acarya one can attain the mercy of Radharani.
One issue we had with Narayana Maharaja was about his promoting the teaching of rasas.
It is not pleasing to Christ or Mohammed if we are killing in their names.
Krishna is not just another incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Rather He is the source of all Vishnu avatars.
We have this conviction that Krishna is the Supreme Lord because Srila Prabhupada was completely convinced.
Lord Caitanya eliminated this caste consciousness by elevating Haridasa Thakura and the Rupa and Sanatana Goswami, who were considered outside Hindu society, to the highest position of spiritual culture.
I did not know about Lord Caitanya before I contacted the Krishna consciousness movement. I had heard of Lord Krishna. Those of you who know about Lord Caitanya from being Bengalis or Bangladeshis you should convince the other Hindus about Lord Caitanya.
I met Srila Prabhpuada first at 26 Second Avenue. I was impressed with his kindness in giving everyone Krishna consciousness.
I was given the service of massaging Srila Prabhupada. I had never done that before. I told Srila Prabhupada that I was going to the library to get a book on massage. He said, “That is not required. If you read Bhagavad-gita, Krishna will tell you how to give a massage.”
I started chanting two rounds a day, but then I got some taste and increased to four.
Once when I was serving Srila Prabhupada, I was chanting japa as I waited for Srila Prabhupada to do something. Hearing my chanting, he turned to me and asked with concern, “Are you listening to yourself chant?”
Before I could say anything, he read my mind, and said, “I know you are listening, but you have to listen very carefully, because this chanting is the essence of our whole philosophy.”
Candrasekhara Swami:
It is a characteristic of devotees that if they are glorified they always present another devotee as superior to themselves.
Generally in human society when there is a wrong, people try to shift the blame from themselves to someone else, but in this pastime with the four Kumaras and Jaya and Vijaya, each party was convinced that they were actually to blame for the incident.
Two wives of Kasyapa asked him for different benedictions. Kadru asked for thousands of children, and Vinata asked for just two children, but two who would be very exalted. One of those two was Garuda, the carrier of Lord Vishnu.
In this world people are into money, but in the demigod world, they are into the nectar of immortality.
Vishnu was impressed, witnessing Garuda’s deeds, and He offered to give him a benediction. Garuda said he had heard several Puranas and that he would like to speak a Purana. Thus he became the speaker of the Garuda Purana.
Because the mentality of being the center is the cause of our being here, it is the last to leave.
We are trying to become slaves of the Supreme Lord, but the Supreme Lord is also becoming the slave of ourselves in reciprocation.
Anyone who studies Vaishnava philosophy long enough realizes that the Supreme Lord is in a category by Himself, and therefore, our position is to serve Him, and thus we have to rectify our mentality.
Reality is always better than a pompous dream world.
Even if you do achieve some level of material supremacy, you will find it lonely at the top. And because it is a false position, there is a hollowness to it.
The Supreme Lord is not someone you could puzzle out throughout your scientific research work.
Just the fact that the Supreme Lord has many things coming from Him without His being depleted is special.
There is nothing that is as encompassing and expansive as the Vaishnava philosophy.
Most people do not know about the Vaishnava philosophy, because Western thinkers reject philosophies existing before the Greeks, considering them supernaturalistic as opposed to the Greek philosophy which is naturalistic. That, of course, is a prejudice. Just by saying philosophy must be naturalistic eliminates God because God is certainly supernaturalistic.
Western philosophy has to explain how complexity arose from simplicity whereas Vaishnava philosophy begins with complexity.
There is nothing in either philosophy or science that proves that there cannot be supernatural agents or potencies although there is a prejudice in Western philosophy and science against these ideas.
There is part of the universe that we cannot see, and thus science can never give a complete picture of reality.
Plato had an idea of a conscious creative force. Aristotle was more materialistic.
Amazingly enough Christianity decided to embrace Aristotle. One reason for this is that there was not much description of creation in Christianity.
The Supreme Lord is contradictory because He is the source of everything, and everything contains contradictory elements.
The Supreme Lord is the original person and the source of all other persons.
The Vaishnava philosophy can explain the supernatural elements that the materialists try to avoid the existence of.
We think if we get more of the sensual pleasure that we like we will be happier, but if you actually do that, you will find you become frustrated and disillusioned, and you will find yourself surrounded by darker and darker unpalatable situations.
On the contrary, if you try to please the Supreme Lord, even if you do it imperfectly, you find yourself more satisfied.
Everyone has a philosophy. How big or small is it? How logical is it? What can it explain? These are questions that can be asked about it.
Comments by Candrasekhara Swami on a class I gave:
There are past life regression cases where the people speak different languages in their previous lives, languages which they never learned in their present life.
In one case, when regressed to a past life, a lady pointed to a location on a map of France where she lived, although in her normal consciousness she was so nearsighted she could not read the map.
There is the reincarnation case of James, the fighter pilot, which you can find on the Internet. Young James recalled amazing details of his life as a fighter pilot in World War II, including details of planes of that period one would not expect him to know. His father sought to find some natural explanation for this, but after talking with Air Force pilots who were friends in the previous life, he decided that reincarnation must be a reality.
Robert Snow, an Indianapolis detective was induced by repeated requests from his wife to undergo a past life regression. He recalled painting a hunch-backed lady as an artist in a previous life. Much later he saw the painting hanging in a museum in New Orleans, and seeing it sent shivers up his spine. He copied down the name of the artist, Carroll Beckwith, and he researched the details of his life with all his skills as a detective. Turns out Carroll Beckwith kept an elaborate journal, and he found a microfiche of it, and all the details he had recalled from that life were corroborated there. He wrote a book about it, called Looking for Carroll Beckwith: The True Stories of a Detective’s Search for His Past Life.
Mahatma Prabhu:
The prayers in the Bhagavatam seem like philosophical dissertations more than just supplications.
Srila Prabhupada said if one percent of the world becomes devotees that will change the direction the world is moving in.
At one point on a morning walk in Mayapur in 1975 Srila Prabhupada said there would be a World War III. Sometime later, they asked him about that, and he said Krishna changed His mind because of the devotees’ sankirtana [congregational chanting of the holy name].
Comment by Candrasekhara Swami: With all the sinful activities going on the fact that there is not a holocaust indicates Krishna must be reducing the reactions.
I think in the beginning of this Krishna consciousness movement, we all did not realize how contaminated we were and how long it would take to become purified. We thought maybe in six months, a year, or two years we would be pure devotees.
One book distributor asked Srila Prabhupada if he could become self-realized by doing book distribution. Srila Prabhupada replied, “You are already self-realized. Otherwise how could you spend so many hours distributing books?”
From reading Srila Prabhupada books, you come to understand that if you dedicate your life to Krishna’s mission, Krishna will take care of you.
Ananga Manjari tells that she saw Srila Prabhupada come in an ethereal form and take his sister by the hand back to Godhead at the time of her death.
Comment by me: We may feel we are too contaminated to ever become pure, but that is not the fact. According Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.17 Krishna Himself cleanses the heart of a devotee eager to hear His messages. One cannot be so contaminated that he cannot be cleansed by the omnipotent Lord.
If you really want to be cleansed, then you will be cleansed because Krishna fulfills the desires of His devotees. So you really do not have to worry.
Q (Arjunananda Prabhu): Students ask why Krishna put suffering in this world if he wants us to be happy.
A: He put suffering in this world so would be inspired to go to the spiritual world and enjoy the superior happiness He wants us to enjoy, and not stay in this world of inferior happiness. Thus it is out of compassion for us He put suffering in this world.
You want love, but there is no love in matter.
Sadaputa Prabhu:
From Mechanistic and Nonmechanistic Science, Chapter 9:
“If a person maintains an inimical or aggressive attitude toward the absolute truth and regards it as a field of conquest for his mind, then he will have to depend completely on his ordinary sensory and mental powers in his search for knowledge. But if the person adopts a genuinely agreeable and favorable attitude toward the absolute, then by the mercy of the absolute, the person's internal and external circumstances will gradually be so adjusted that absolute knowledge becomes accessible to him. The essential element is the change in attitude. In the beginning a person may have only the vaguest conception of what the absolute truth may be, but if he adopts a truly positive attitude toward the absolute, then he will eventually be able to reciprocate personally with the absolute in a mutual relationship of love and trust.”
“One of the most important principles of bhakti-yoga is that higher realization is impossible as long as the material senses are not brought under control. In the materially conditioned state of consciousness, the jivatma‚ is motivated by the desire to enjoy his material situation, and he is completely preoccupied with the barrage of stimuli presented by his material senses. In this state the jivatma's sensory channels are overloaded, and he is unable to perceive the presence of the Supersoul, even though he is constitutionally capable of doing this. Since the jivatma with uncontrolled senses has no direct access to the Supreme Person, he is prone to indulge in fanciful speculations that simply lead him further and further from the truth.”
“Since the material mind is the director of the material senses, control of these senses can be achieved by controlling the mind. Since most of us have never made a real effort to practice such control, we may tend to underestimate both its importance and the difficulties involved in achieving it.”
“Since we normally tend to identify the material mind with the self, we have no real idea of what it would be like to be free from this endless torrent of mundane images and associations. This is indicated, however, by the following statement in the Bhagavad-gita [6.7]: ‘For one who has conquered the mind, the Supersoul is already reached, for he has attained tranquility. To such a man happiness and distress, heat and cold, honor and dishonor are all the same.’ Once the material mind is under control, the natural senses of the jivatma are free to directly perceive the Supreme Person.”
“The positive injunctions of bhakti-yoga prescribe activities that directly engage the individual in service to the Supreme Person, Krishna. The effect of these activities is to awaken the jivatma's natural love for Krishna. As a corollary to this reawakening, the jivatma automatically loses his attraction to the manifestations of his material mind, for these false theatrical displays are inherently less interesting than the absolute reality of Krishna. Thus, by engaging in active service to Krishna, the individual is able to attain the goal of mental control, and free his senses for further service to Krishna.”
Akhandadhi Prabhu:
From “The Atma Paradigm: Consciousness, Matter and Their Interface” in 2019 Consciousness in Science Conference:
“Consciousness: ‘a mystery in our face at every moment’ according to British neuroscientist Anil Seth.”
“In their paper [‘A Framework for Consciousness’] Crick & Koch state: ‘The most difficult aspect of consciousness is the so-called “hard problem” of qualia – the redness of red, the painfulness of pain, and so on…. No one has produced any plausible explanation as to how the experience of the redness of red could arise from the actions of the brain.’”
“Professor Tye comments: ‘For many, qualia are seen as de facto evidence of consciousness being non-neural.’”
“Just as physical stuff has its particle manifestation, we suggest that likewise there is a fundamental unit of the field of consciousness. For this unit we have borrowed the Sanskrit term atma, ...chosen for its precision of meaning and defined as the smallest individual entity possessing and constituted of the property of consciousness. Hence our title: the Atma Paradigm.”
“Will is the atma’s wish to vary the content and circumstance of its experiences.”
“Consciousness is not just a missing piece of the scientific puzzle: It is its missing foundation.”
Rama Raya Prabhu:
As aspiring devotees we can learn a lot from the speeches of the different parties in the pastime of the Kumaras cursing of the door keepers to Vaikuntha.
We should question, are we the person who is so much absorbed in devotional service that his abominable activities can be overlooked?
If we are performing our devotional service at the expense of others we better be careful.
Our degradation comes if we minimize superior persons instead of glorifying and serving them, compete with those on an equal level instead of befriending them, or exploit instead teaching and inspiring those less advanced than ourselves.
Yogesvara was reinterviewed by Siddhanta about his Prabhupada memories. He was realizing his Prabhupada memories were so deep and full of meaning they could sustain him for his whole life, or perhaps many lives.
Bhaktisiddhanta said that patience, tolerance, and humility are our only friends to get us through this challenging world.
Capitalism is control by the vaisyas and communism is control by the sudras, but where are the brahmanas and ksatriyas? Srila Prabhupada wanted to create brahmanas.
Srila Prabhupada once explained, “Love for the spiritual master is shown by keeping the vows made at initiation.”
If you are here for devotional service, then you will create an inspiring atmosphere around you that will enliven other people who are also here for devotional service.
When Tamal Krishna Goswami and Madhudvisa were at loggerheads in LA, Srila Prabhupada sent Madhudvisa to be in charge of San Francisco where he put on a Ratha-yatra in 1970 which greatly pleased Srila Prabhupada.
Srila Prabhupada really wanted to make people happy, and he knew how to do it.
As one’s freedom is curtailed in a prison, our freedom is curtailed in the prison house of the material world.
In addition to having a good fight with His devotee, the pastime of Jaya and Vijaya coming into this material world and acting as demons showed the demigods that there is no unbroken happiness in this material world but there is always some disturbance.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s campaign promise in 1940 was not to enter the European war.
If one can get the association of a person completely dedicated to the devotional service of the Lord that is the greatest fortune.
Lord Caitanya’s movement will triumph, so we should be dedicated to His mission.
Lord Caitanya gave us not only the easiest process but the most powerful process, the chanting of the holy name.
Comment by me: While you were reading in the purport that the Lord’s will cannot be impeded, I recalled Mr. Nair, who because he tried to cheat Srila Prabhupada out of the land on which ISKCON Juhu is constructed, died prematurely from a heart attack.
Nikunjabihari Prabhu:
At the end of Caturmasya it is to be understood that Lord Vishnu has been sleeping for four months, and thus at the beginning of the marriage of Tulasi and Lord Vishnu in the form of Salagram, we made a lot of noise to wake Him up.
This is a rare day that one can offer blessings to Tulasi and Lord Vishnu, but on the occasion of their marriage, the happily married ladies can do so.
Through offenseless chanting one enters the kingdom of God.
Srila Prabhupada said there could be a nitya-siddha sitting next to you. A nitya-siddha, unlike ourselves, never forgets the Lord.
During one part of my life, every evening I would have a program at the home of someone from Guyana.
Srila Prabhupada could easily go back to Godhead himself, but out of compassion he made so much endeavor to bring as many people back to Godhead as well.
Lalitanatha Prabhu:
From “Intelligent Design in a Modern Vedic Context” in 2019 Consciousness in Science Conference:
“Cicero (106–43 BC) wrote: ‘When you look at a picture or a statue, you recognize that it is a work of art. When you follow from afar the course of a ship, upon the sea, you do not question that its movement is guided by a skilled intelligence. When you see a sundial or a water-clock, you see that it tells the time by design and not by chance. How then can you imagine that the universe as a whole is devoid of purpose and intelligence, when it embraces everything, including these artefacts themselves and their artificers?’”
“Newton: ‘This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the council and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being.’”
“The term ‘intelligent design’ has also been known in the West for centuries. Even Darwin used it: ‘One cannot look at this Universe with all living productions and man without believing that all has been intelligently designed; yet when I look to each individual organism, I can see no evidence of this.’”
“Oxford scholar F. C. S. Schiller wrote in 1897: ‘It will not be possible to rule out the supposition that the process of Evolution may be guided by an intelligent design.’”
“The chemist Dr. Charles Thaxton who became an early advocate of intelligent design, stated: ‘The idea that life had an intelligent source is hardly unique to Christian fundamentalism. Advocates of design have included not only Christians and other religious theists, but pantheists, Greek and Enlightenment philosophers and now include many modern scientists who describe themselves as religiously agnostic. Moreover, the concept of design implies absolutely nothing about beliefs normally associated with Christian fundamentalism, such as a young earth, a global flood, or even the existence of the Christian God. All it implies is that life had an intelligent source.’”
“The term ‘intelligent design’ was coined in its present usage by the British cosmologist Dr. Sir Fred Hoyle. In 1982 he stated, If one proceeds directly and straightforwardly in this matter, without being deflected by a fear of incurring the wrath of scientific opinion, one arrives at the conclusion that biomaterials with their amazing measure of order must be the outcome of intelligent design.”
Tamra Prabhu:
From a presentation on Chapter 9 of Mechanistic and Nonmechanistic Science:
When we see the total reality through mechanistic science we get a fragmental vision of the complete reality.
Although Mechanistic and Nonmechanistic Science was written 40 years ago, looking at the chapter title and section division, we can see it is all currently relevant.
Christina:
From a presentation on Chapter 9 of Mechanistic and Nonmechanistic Science:
Bhakti-yoga can bridge the gap between faith and knowledge.
Not only does bhakti-yoga extend our sense perception, but it is rehabilatative.
Your intentions are important in bhakti-yoga because the Lord in the heart sees them.
As we need to have a clean environment to do our science experiments, we have to have a clean consciousness to connect with Krishna, and that cleansing of our consciousness and keeping it clean requires a lot of time.
Scientists, for whom having an accurate model of reality is more important than their reputation, will find the philosophy of bhakti-yoga is a great opportunity for them.
Comment by Krishna Nrsimha: This book, Mechanistic and Nonmechanistic Science, can show scientists that there can be a science that includes satisfying the heart and as well as satisfying head.
Prabhupada Priya Devi Dasi:
The Kumaras felt that the duty of the Vaikuntha-vasis is not to block people from seeing Vishnu, and that Jaya and Vijaya did not belong as doorkeepers in Vaikuntha.
The demons Krishna killed in Vrindavan He did so very quickly, but with the devotees who played as demons, namely Jaya and Vijaya, there was more of a real fight.
Krishna does not like to deal with demons, even to kill them. Rather He enjoys fighting with devotees.
All our activities have for their goal to always think of Krishna.
In Bhagavad-gita 8.7, Krishna says to Arjuna to remember Him and fight. It is significant that He first says to remember Him.
In dhyana different things you see remind you of Krishna and at anusmriti that happens moment after moment.
The five stages of remembrance are listed in the purport to verse 8 of The Nectar of Instruction.
Raganuga-bhakti happens after we have a revelation of our eternal relationship with Krishna, and we incorporate additional services from that into our practice.
Comments by me:
Bhagavad-giya 8.14 stresses the power of simply remembering Krishna, “For one who always remembers Me without deviation, I am easy to obtain, O son of Pritha, because of his constant engagement in devotional service.” Srila Prabhupada’s disciple, Jayananda Prabhu, apparently recorded that verse in a notebook.
Although in the first two incarnations, the Lord enjoyed a good fight with Jaya and Vijaya, in the third incarnation as Sisupala and Dantavakra, He immediately killed them without a real battle. Perhaps he got tired of fighting and just wanted to bring the doorkeepers back home.
Levgen Smitskiy, M.A. School for Vaishnava Studies, Dnepr, Ukraine:
“We will state that to follow strictly, according to the definition of yukta-vairagya given by Rupa Goswami, the practitioner should be unattached from sense gratification and be attached to Krishna. In Gaudiya terminology this level on the faith ladder is known as asakti. Bhaktivinoda and Bhaktivedanta Swami, as predecessor and descendent accordingly, agreed with this definition.”
Natalya Antonova, PhD and Vladimir Sokol, PhD:
“Phenomenology is close to the methodology of the Vedic schools of Sankhya, yoga and Vedanta.”
Arjunananda Prabhu:
The material world is such that if we do not try to elevate ourselves to the state of goodness, we will be pulled down to the modes of passion and ignorance.
Goodness is characterized by happiness and knowledge. If we are happy, we can become lethargic, and neglect preaching. That is ignorance. If we acquire knowledge, we can think I am more learned than everyone in the temple. That is pride, a manifestation of passion.
Some people left our preaching center in India because they were not patient enough to wait for purification.
If people put pressure on a pure devotee, his pure devotion will be revealed, but if we put pressure on a neophyte devotee his material tendencies will be revealed.
To chant Hare Krishna for purification is goodness, but to chant Hare Krishna to please Radha and Krishna is transcendental.
During Vedic times kings punished people if they did not follow Ekadasi (a fast day) because having everyone follow it benefits society.
In the Patanjali Yoga Sutras, it is said that those who are very clean lose interest in enjoying their bodies or exploiting other people’s bodies for their own enjoyment. It is also said one who masters truthfulness becomes successful in his endeavors.
Comment by me: In Bhagavad-gita 18.40, Krishna stresses that everyone is affected by the modes of nature, “There is no being existing, either here or among the demigods in the higher planetary systems, which is freed from these three modes born of material nature.”
If you dive deep in the ocean you can find gems and pearls, and similarly if you dive deep into the ocean of devotion you can get some jewellike realizations.
As the waves in the ocean exist on the surface, the waves of happiness and distress disturb one who does not dive deep in the ocean of devotional service.
Conflicts are solved on a deeper level.
For example, if Dhritarasta saw that the Pandavas were also his relatives and deserved a share there would be no conflict.
There is a saying: Small minds discuss people. Great minds discuss ideas.
If you really know Krishna is supreme then when you get together with devotees you have to glorify Krishna. Otherwise it is theoretical.
Sin is to not serve according to our capacity.
Matanga Prabhu:
Some people appreciate God as a supreme power. No one wants to bow down, but when death comes even the atheist must bow down.
Some people appreciate God as someone who whispers from within.
Beyond that Krishna has a transcendental body, which very few people are impelled to understand.
We do not want to disrespect the devotees because we will lose so much mercy.
Krishna is the only person in this world who is independent.
Comment by Candrasekhara Swami: Although we have things in our philosophy that we cannot explain with reason, even those whose philosophies are purely based on reason also have things that they cannot explain.
Comment by Tricia: My guru says although the blade of glass in the spiritual world can see the gopis and their love for Krishna it would not trade its rasa for that because it is happy being a blade of grass.
Comment by Candrasekhara Swami: The acaryas say that only at asakti we get a glimmer of our rasa.
Prabhuvishnu Prabhu:
Srila Prabhupada makes the point that purification is not sufficient to go back to Godhead. One must actually want to go back to Godhead.
The abode of the Lord is meant for His personal associates.
The Kumaras could only reach the gates of Vaikuntha because they were not on the level of His personal associates.
The other yoga systems are for those who cannot follow Krishna’s instruction in Bhagavad-gita 18.54.
Some people think by pious activities they will be happy, but because they cannot appreciate that even pious people in this world suffer inevitable miseries, they do not aspire for the spiritual world.
Jaya and Vijaya became purified because they were able to think of the Lord constantly although in the mode of anger.
We see that devotees, even new ones, who practice devotional service to Krishna as Srila Prabhupada prescribed it, get some realizations.
Comment by Candrasekhara Swami: In the Seventh Canto, Chapter 1, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, it is discussed about how demons like Kamsa and Sisupala attained perfection from meditating on the Lord in a negative way, but Vena who hated the Lord but meditated on sense gratification, went to hell.
Comment by me: We do not realize how bad the material world is nor do we realize how good the spiritual world is. Thus we are not interested so much in going back to Godhead.
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This nice verse describes how Krishna reveals Himself to His devotee in just the form that the devotee is anxious to see. Thus we see how personal He is.
tvam bhakti-yoga-paribhavita-hrit-saroja
yad-yad-dhiya ta urugaya vibhavayanti
tat-tad-vapuh pranayase sad-anugrahaya
“O my Lord, Your devotees can see You through the ears by the process of bona fide hearing, and thus their hearts become cleansed, and You take Your seat there. You are so merciful to Your devotees that You manifest Yourself in the particular eternal form of transcendence in which they always think of You.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.9.11)
