Diary
of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 19, No. 24
By
Krishna Kripa Das
(December 2023, part two)
New
York City, Upstate New York
(Sent
from Brooklyn, New York, on January 6, 2024)
Where I Went and What I Did
For the second half of December I remained living at ISKCON NYC in Brooklyn and participating in Rama Raya Prabhu’s NYC Harinam party. For the Prabhupada Marathon in December the NYC Harinam party decided to chant in public seven hours a day Monday through Thursday and twelve hours a day on Friday and Saturday. Unfortunately, I got sick, and I could not participate for the whole time. Most of the days we did seven hours, I would come for two hours in the beginning and two hours at the end, resting up in between.
At the beginning there were only two or three devotees, and I would lead the kirtan and distribute literature at the same time.
One Saturday I gave the Bhagavad-gita class at 26 Second Avenue, and two Sundays Candrasekhara Swami engaged me in giving the Sunday feast lecture at our Freeport, Long Island, temple, now by court decision again under the management of the ISKCON GBC, as Srila Prabhupada desired his temples to be. One of those Sundays, I stopped at Sunanda Prabhu’s Krishna Balaram temple in Richmond Hill, Queens, and gave the Sunday feast lecture there, on my way home to the Brooklyn temple. On Ekadasi I made walnut burfi for the deities of Radha and Govinda.
I share notes from Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam and Sri Caitanya-caritamrita as well as from his morning walks, conversations, and lectures. Many quotes deal with varnasrama-dharma the topic of the book I am presently proofreading, Speaking About Varnasrama. I share notes from Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s Gentle Power. I share notes on classes by Candrasekhara Swami and Anuttama, Hansarupa, Rama Raya, Sri Prahlada, Arjunananda, Matanga, Premamani Devi Dasi, Narada Muni Prabhus.
Many, many thanks to my mother, Bhakta John, Victor (my sister’s partner), Sunanda Prabhu, and my niece, Gwen, for their kind donations. Thanks to Ahaituki Prema Prabhu for the videos and photos of me on NYC Harinam. Thanks to Matanga Prabhu for the photo of the Prospect Park fireworks. Thanks again to Victor for the use of his car and for transportation from and to the Chinese bus station in Albany.
Itinerary
January
6: Bhagavad-gita
class
at 26 Second Avenue
January
7: Miami Ratha-yatra
January
8 – April 8: harinama
and
college outreach in Tallahassee
–
January
26: Gainesville harinamas
–
January
27: Gasparilla harinama
and
Ratha-yatra in Tampa
–
January
28: Gainesville harinama and Alachua Sunday Feast
– February
2: Gainesville harinamas
– February 3: Gainesville Bhaktivedanta Institute meeting
– March 6: Tampa, USF harinama and program
– March 7–17: NYC Harinam
Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City
Jaya Goracand Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station, and women play shakers and dance with Caranti Devi Dasi (https://youtu.be/Q4i8e75IqWo):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station, and several people play shakers (https://youtu.be/0Jp9U7fkyAw):
Narayan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station, and people play shakers and dance (https://youtu.be/2b9EEr4tIZs):
While looking for an event at Washington Square that the devotees were invited to chant at, I saw this Christmas tree by the arch on the north side of the park.
Premananda Kirtan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna outside a holiday event at Judson Memorial Church at Washington Square (https://youtu.be/8-xdaiSbSvo):
Here is another video of his kirtan in portrait orientation (https://youtu.be/k2flinjOByY):
Later as Premananda Kirtan Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna, an Indian man and the event staff chanted and danced (https://youtu.be/j1KAxBkQ6Cg):
Premananda Kirtan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Greenwich Village, and two women dance (https://youtu.be/6qRrK6x02u0):
I was the first chanter at the Hare Krishna in Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station (https://youtu.be/LsKApDRsNb0):
One girl seemed attracted by the chanting, and although playing the harmonium, I offered her the free literature and gave cookies to her and her two friends. Ryan asked them where they were from, and one girl said, “Tampa.”
I said, “I chant at the University of South Florida in the winter.”
The girl replied, “I go to the University of South Florida.”
I had the girl scan the QR code to sign up for the WhatsApp group for our club at that university which I happened to have on my phone.
Ryan ended up selling them a bhakta stack of three books.
The two friends of the interested girl turned out to be brother and sister, and the girl was their cousin, who visits them in Tampa from time to time, so I had her scan the QR code for the USF club, too.
The most interested girl was named Scarlett, and she ended up attending the Tuesday program that very night which was led by Sri Prahlada Prabhu, and she sat with Anuttama Prabhu during the meal after.
I gave her my card, and I told her about an event we will be doing in Tampa during her visit, Gasparilla Ratha-yatra.
Let’s hope she takes advantage of the different devotional options we gave her.
Anuttama Prabhu, recently proposed GBC man for ISKCON New York City, chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station (https://youtu.be/rPgalSp9U8M):
Pavan Nitai Chandra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station (https://youtu.be/aEtjRDHnsKg):
While Pavan was chanting, a guy played djembe (https://youtu.be/USE2o36wii0):
Sri Prahlada Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the ISKCON NYC Tuesday night program (https://youtu.be/lCxRcT6vXqQ):
Here is some of his kirtan in portrait orientation (https://youtu.be/9A6so6t3Fu4):
At the end of his kirtan many people danced (https://youtu.be/3eX6uEjjYjQ):
Ryan chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/6di9P_mkItM):
An older man told me he was into Siddha Yoga, and I mentioned that I had met his guru back in 1978. He was happy to encounter us because he said that the maha-mantra was one of his most favorite mantras.
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna to the “Jingle Bells” tune in Times Square subway station, and women dance (https://youtu.be/qYBGST-w92Q):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/LoEJ2Ny8grk):
Vasudeva Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/kHNSIAGHjNg):
Keshava Madhava Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/ADfGFdDZ9KQ):
Amrita chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/wcgVnziof5Q):
Divyangi Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/o839ri6v0tk):
Radha Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/ve3ptc3M9fY):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna to the “Jingle Bells” tune in Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/iMwTRp8vdac):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna to the “Jingle Bells” tune in Times Square subway station, and women dance (https://youtu.be/qYBGST-w92Q):
Peter of Manchester, who got Coming Back and Science of Self-Realization from me on December 23, said he used to play drums for the Beatles when Ringo Starr was sick. One devotee inquired why he did not take Chant and Be Happy since it talks about the Beatles. Ahaituki Prema replied, “He did take Chant and Be Happy. I gave him! He gave me a donation too before he came to you, Krishna Kripa Das!”
One
Indian man rejected my offer of an invitation to the Brooklyn temple,
saying that he had been to temples in India. I responded by saying, “Krishna wants to see you!” Then he accepted it.
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station, and a group plays shakers (https://youtu.be/HP6SG_kkJA4):
Premamani Devi Dasi, in her Odissi dance dress, chants Hare Krishna at ISKCON NYC Tuesday program (https://youtu.be/MgoQ0ZdCbn0):
Divyangi Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station above the downtown A train (https://youtu.be/3OC5txfzVcg):
Pavan Nitai Chandra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/x4u0frN4W0Y):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna to the “Auld Lang Syne” tune at Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/VeFW4OIdSHs):
I chanted my favorite Hare Krishna tune in Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/v0TkqQ2o6gw):
Harshal chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/IcCrR9JG62A):
Jaya Goracand Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/55Axu64eC5w):
Doyal Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in the Bhakti Center Thursday night kirtan (https://youtu.be/Aix3DBCMeqM):
Sri Prahlada Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in the Bhakti Center Thursday night kirtan (https://youtu.be/TER4k1GWy74):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna to the “Auld Lang Syne” tune at Times Square subway station, and people play shakers (https://youtu.be/oQEpIANHluw):
Pavan Nitai Chandra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station, and two guys play shakers (https://youtu.be/E0ti-_EAzGc):
Later many more played shakers (https://youtu.be/xgGbaHFWey0):
As Pavan Nitai Chandra Prabhu continued to chant Hare Krishna, still more people played shakers (https://youtu.be/xStjaEwFfu8):
This young woman from Quebec I met for the second day in a row, and she was happy to see me again. Previously I gave her the address of the Montreal, Quebec, temple. This time she took prasadam for her friends.
I wanted to do one last Brooklyn Bridge harinama on the last day of the year. Many Sundays it was raining or I was out of town so I had few chances this fall. The brahmacari who usually accompanies me wanted to take advantage of an opportunity to interview Anuttama Prabhu in New Jersey, so I ended up doing it alone, as only one woman showed up and it would not be ideal to do a harinama with her alone.
The crowded stairway indicated many people were walking across the bridge that day. You can get a sense of how many people were there from this photo:
There were the usual Indians who were happy to film me and to learn of our Brooklyn temple.
Returning from Brooklyn Bridge on the 4 train, I changed carriages at each stop, thus giving another group of people the chance to hear the holy names each time.
Narada Muni Prabhu chants Hare Krishna along East 42nd Street on New Year’s Eve (https://youtu.be/EkqNjCt4QL0):
Pavan Nitai Chandra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna along West 42nd St. at Bryant Park on New Years Eve, and many people participate (https://youtu.be/Yiyy6kD4WdE):
Pavan Nitai Chandra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in the middle of West 42nd St. at Bryant Park on New Year’s Eve (https://youtu.be/PJGYVA5DJ3U):
Premananda Kirtan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on the way to Prospect Park, having just left the Brooklyn temple, on New Year’s Eve (https://youtu.be/o1Gsnse3OKk):
Premananda Kirtan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on the way from the Brooklyn temple to Prospect Park on New Year’s Eve and encourages people he meets to participate in the chanting and dancing (https://youtu.be/VH4TIAIf4dI):
As we made it to Grand Army Plaza, just prior to Prospect Park, there was an impressive Christmas tree and a nativity scene.
Premananda Kirtan chants Hare Krishna at Prospect Park on New Year’s Eve with devotees from Brooklyn and the Bhakti Center (https://youtu.be/Ryewd-qhGR4):
Two girls carrying sparklers in their hands were among those who danced with us on New Year’s Eve, and I had never seen people dancing in a Hare Krishna kirtan with sparklers before.
Here Premananda Kirtan chants Hare Krishna at Prospect Park with devotees from Brooklyn and the Bhakti Center on New Year's morning, after the midnight fireworks, and people are happier than before and they eagerly dance with us (https://youtu.be/mVayn_Pb4Dk):
When we chanted Hare Krishna at Prospect Park, one family of four participated for over half an hour.
The older kid joined our dance sometimes with her father and sometimes with her mother.
At the end the younger kid gave me a New Year’s card as a gift.
I gave the kid a prasadam cookie I kept for special people.
Adventures with Relatives
As my niece, Gwen, is a health professional, I thought she may be interested in Divya’s Kitchen, Divya Devi Dasi’s Ayurvedic restaurant on the ground floor of The Bhakti Center.
Gwen got savory waffles with avocado, and I got spinach paneer with sweet potatoes. Both were nice. I found I had plenty of energy to go to Freeport and give the evening lecture although I had a shorter nap after lunch than usual. I also bought Divya’s first cookbook both for Gwen and my sister as a Christmas gift.
I had planned to miss doing harinama on Christmas Eve alone when I visited my relatives on Christmas, but my sister wanted me to take care of my mother on the evening of Christmas Day as well so her caretakers could spend time with their families. It turned out OK because although I missed the Christmas harinama, I got to visit my guru and his staff, do a little service, offer them some maha-prasadam, and share their wonderful Christmas lunch with my mother for her dinner.
While visiting my folks, I got to supply three kinds of prasadam to the Christmas Eve dinner at my mom’s Quaker meetinghouse, dal from the Brooklyn temple and rice and vegetables and coconut burfi which I had prepared.
One night Victor, my sister’s partner, noticed I was dallying in the kitchen a bit before our evening meal, and he said, “You are not a foodie like most people I know.” He said by foodie he meant someone who is really into eating. He continued, “You are more concerned with giving people something to eat so that they will go to heaven.”
The night before Christmas I stayed in the room of my niece, Fern, who was out of town.
I affixed my photo of Radha Govinda to the center of her mirror and gazed at Them as I chanted my sixteen rounds. Seeing Them in the middle of these images of Fern’s life reminded me that Krishna is always in the center of our lives.
I put the Radha Govinda photo against the window when I offered the breakfast waffles, and They looked extra special illuminated by the reflected sunlight.
Income and Expenses for 2023
Employment is working as a personal assistant for my guru, and I gave what I made to him, minus my expenses. Compensation is for a delayed flight on Aer Lingus.
Photos
Kali-yuga,
the age of degradation, is progressing. Who would want to go to a
theater to see mean girls? I see enough mean girls in the subway
stations!
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 8.73:
“‘By serving You constantly, one is freed from all material desires and is completely pacified. When shall I engage as Your permanent eternal servant and always feel joyful to have such a perfect master?’”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.7.13, purport:
“A civilization in which the people do not know how the representative of Narada and Krishna should be respected, how society should be formed and how one should advance in Krishna consciousness—a society concerned only with manufacturing new cars and new skyscrapers every year and then breaking them to pieces and making new ones—may be technologically advanced, but it is not a human civilization. A human civilization is advanced when its people follow the catur-varnya system, the system of four orders of life. There must be ideal, first-class men to act as advisors, second-class men to act as administrators, third-class men to produce food and protect cows, and fourth-class men who obey the three higher classes of society. One who does not follow the standard system of society should be considered a fifth-class man.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.16.41, purport:
“History shows that the followers of religious systems without a clear conception of God have fought with one another. There are many instances of this in human history, but systems of religion that do not concentrate upon service to the Supreme are temporary and cannot last for long because they are full of envy. . . . One must give up the idea of ‘my belief’ and ‘your belief.’ Everyone should believe in God and surrender unto Him. That is bhagavata-dharma.”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Lecture, Vrindavan, October 27, 1972:
“Actually, we, the followers or Vedic principles, our system is varnasrama-dharma, four varnas and four asramas . . . varnasrama-dharma is applicable in any, in anywhere. Catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13].”
“The creation of God . . . Just like sun. Sun is creation of God. Sun is visible everywhere. Not that something [is] American sun and something Indian sun. No. The sun is the same. Similarly, caturvarnyam, the four principles of division, brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, and sudra, they are everywhere. It is not the monopoly of India.”
From a conversation in Rome on May 27, 1974:
“Formerly, a man might have become enemy of another man. But this demonic civilization has created nation to nation, country to country, community to community, all enemies. And on account of this Communistic enemy, so many innocent people are killed. I have seen in Calcutta during the partition days. So many innocent Hindus and Muslims were killed. Any (indistinct), very quickly this Communistic feeling is aroused, and they fight like cats and dogs. ‘Oh, here is another dog! Here is another dog coming from another neighborhood.’ So this is demonic civilization. If you want to go to some country, you have to take visa, permission, this, that, so many. Why? Vedic civilization is ‘You come to my country. Welcome. You are my guest.’ Grhe satrum api praptam visvastam akutobhayam: ‘Even one is enemy, when he comes to my house, he is my honorable guest.’ And here, they are so much afraid that you keep dogs. The dog is kept here.”
From a conversation in Rome on May 27, 1974:
“Communist is not a problem. It is good proposal, but they are missing one point. They are making Lenin the leader. If they make Krishna the leader, then the Communistic idea will be very fruitful. They are picking up a rascal leader, but if they pick up the nice leader, God the supreme dictator, then everything is all right. They are catching up a dictator, but they do not know that he is rascal number one. But if he catches the Supreme Lord as dictator, as Krishna says, sarva-dharman parityajya [Gita 18.66: ‘Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me.’], then he will be happy, immediately.”
From a conversation in Rome on May 28, 1974:
“So you have to become an ideal society. You live locally and be self-sufficient. They will see that it is possible to live locally without movement and still highly cultured men, self-sufficient. That is required.”
From Geneva on June 6, 1974:
“Within this body, the owner of the body is there. This is the beginning of knowledge. So this knowledge is lacking. Nobody knows that ‘I am within this body.’ Everyone is thinking, ‘I am this body.’ ‘I am American,’ ‘I am Indian,’ ‘I am Czechoslovakian,’ or ‘I am Swiss,’ and . . . Everyone is thinking. That means they have no knowledge. All fools and rascals. So the all fool’s and rascal’s civilization, how we can be happy?”
“Those who are trying to promote themselves in Krishna consciousness, Krishna says mad-yajinah, ‘Those who are worshiping Me, they come to Me.’ So now it is your choice. This body is given to you. Now you make your choice whether you want to have, in this material world, better facilities, better duration of life, or if you want to degrade yourself to the animal life, or if you want to go to Krishnaloka, everything, whatever you want, you can get. And this is the chance, this human form of body.”
From a morning walk in Mayapur on April 3, 1975:
“They do not understand even the simple thing that ‘God has given us enough land to produce food grain, and we must eat.’ They do not understand this. And still they are scientist, philosopher, politician. Just see. That is the difficulty. All rascals, fools, they are leading the whole human society.”
“They come here [Mayapur] on the weekdays and then fly away, go away. You see. We are giving such nice room, but they will not live here. They will go to the hubble-bubble of the city. They like to come here. Therefore they spend so much money for gas and come here. But because they are not accustomed, they go back again. Return ticket. From hell to heaven and again hell. (laughter) Return ticket—coming back to hell again, not going back to God.”
From a conversation with New Talavana devotees in New Orleans on August 1, 1975:
“Keep everyone employed as brahmana, as ksatriya, as vaisya. Nobody should sit down. Brahmanas, they are writers, editors, lecturers, instructors, worshiping Deity, ideal character. They have no anxiety for food, for clothing. Others should supply them. They haven’t got to work. Sannyasi is always preaching, going outside.”
“And a man who cannot become fit for any other purpose, he is sudra. That’s all. ‘Help the brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, and take your food and little pocket expense. That’s all.’”
“And because he is cobbler, he can be allowed to eat meat, fifth-class . . . Not that “Professor such-and-such,” and eating meat. This is the degradation of society. He is doing the work of a brahmana—teacher means brahmana—and eating meat—Oh, horrible!”
“This is human life. This is Krishna consciousness, to save others who are in the darkness.”
From a morning walk in Mauritius on October 2, 1975:
“But nature’s way there is already means of transport. The horses are there. The bulls are there. But they will eat them, and they will create these motor big, big buses and then petrol, then fight . . .”
From a morning walk in Mauritius on October 3, 1975:
“The progress is that they have got motorcar, and they have progressed how to die quickly. This is the progress. At any moment he can die. As soon as he on the car, 70 miles speed, that means taking the risk of dying at any moment. This is the progress. Formerly people were going in bullock cart or horse carriage from one village to another. ‘That was primitive. Now we can go hundred miles away from home for earning money and taking risk to die at any moment. That is progress.’ Is it not?
From a morning walk in Mauritius on October 5, 1975:
“And gradually, when you are well behaving, then you shall be initiated to chant Hare Krishna mantra. That will give you strength, spiritual power. Strictly observe the regulative principles—no illicit sex, no meat eating, no intoxication, no gambling. It is very simple. Read these literatures, chant Hare Krishna mantra, and observe these regulations. Then you will become gradually powerful. Your speeches will be effective. People will like you.”
“Brahmana does not go to construct big, big house. He simply constructs his character and the other ksatriyas and vaisyas, they offer him, ‘Please come here and sit down.’”
From Johnannesburg on October 16, 1975:
“‘People’s government.’ All people are rascals. That means government rascal. People’s government.”
From “Declaring Our Dependence” in Mayapur in March 1976:
“You cannot engage a bull in the business of a horse, nor can you engage a horse in the business of a bull. Today practically everyone is getting a college education. But what is taught at these colleges? Mostly technical knowledge, which is sudra education. Real higher education means learning Vedic wisdom. This is meant for the brahmanas. Alone, sudra education leads to a chaotic condition.”
“Just as in Nixon’s case: they pulled him down. But if they replace Nixon with another Nixon, then what is the value? They must know how to replace Nixon with a saintly leader. Because people do not have that training and that culture, they will go on electing one Nixon after another and never become happy.”
“People can be happy. The formula for happiness is there in the Bhagavad-gita. The first thing they must know is that the land belongs to God. Why do Americans claim that the land belongs to them? When the first settlers went to America they said, ‘This land belongs to God; therefore we have a right to live here.’ So why are they now not allowing others to settle on the land? What is their philosophy? There are so many overpopulated countries. The American government should let those people go to America and should give them facility to cultivate the land and produce grains. Why are they not doing that? They have taken others’ property by force, and by force they are checking others from going there. What is the philosophy behind this?”
“That training is the varnasrama-dharma. Divide the society according to quality and train people in the principle that everything belongs to God and should be used in the service of God. Then there really can be ‘one nation under God.’”
“The Americans say they trust in God. But without the science of God that trust is simply fictitious. First take the science of God very seriously, then put your trust in Him. They do not know what God is, but we do. We actually trust in God.”
“We are very small. We have the qualities of God, but in very small quantity. Therefore we have only a little knowledge—that’s airplane, but you cannot manufacture a mosquito. God has created the mosquito’s body, which is also an ‘airplane.’ And that is the difference between God and us: we have knowledge, but it is not as perfect as God’s. So the leaders of the government have to consult God; then they will rule perfectly.”
“Although you may be imperfect, because you are carrying out my order, you’re becoming perfect. You have accepted me as your leader and I accept God as my leader. In this way society can be governed perfectly.”
“You cannot directly accept the Supreme Being. You must accept the servants of the Supreme Being—the brahmanas or Vaishnavas [devotees of the Lord]—as your guides. The government men are ksatriyas—the second class. The ksatriyas should take advice from the brahmanas or Vaishnavas and make laws accordingly. The vaisyas should carry out the ksatriyas’ orders in practice. And the sudras should work under these three orders. Then society will be perfect.”
From a room conversation in New Vrindaban on June 24, 1976:
“The energy and the intelligence you got for your self-realization or your, this precarious position, constantly dying and taking birth in various species of life, this is your problem, and this was to be solved in human life, you have got advanced intelligence, but that intelligence is utilized from castor seed lamp to the electric lamp. That’s all.”
“Kulasekhara: In London you said they do not know that the butterflies and flowers are painted, but Krishna paints them with thought.”
“Prabhupada:
So everyone is getting milk? How much?
Kirtanananda:
As much as they want.
Prabhupada:
As much as they want, then jaundice. (laughter) Too much is not good.
They may take minimum half pound per head.
Kirtanananda:
Minimum.
Prabhupada:
Minimum. And maximum one pound. Not more than that.”
From a class on Bhagavad-gita 16.9 in New Vrindaban on June 26, 1976:
“Karma jagat means that if you have to raise this house, then you have to cut the wood somewhere. You have to destroy somewhere, and then you can make house. You have to adjust things like that. You cannot create. This house was constructed, created, by destroying somewhere else. Is it not? So where is your creation? Creation is God’s creation. He has created everything, and if you want to create, you have to destroy somewhere. That is karma.”
From evening darsana in Washington, D.C., on July 8, 1976:
“You are corrupt, therefore your government is corrupt. You correct yourself, the government will be automatically corrected. If you are rascals, the government will be rascals. The government means elected. So if you are not rascal, you’ll not elect another rascal to take charge of the government affairs. But because you are rascal, you’ll send another rascal.”
From evening lecture at Gitanagari on July 15, 1976:
“Krishna is so fond of that Vrndavana village life, with His cowherd boys and cowherd girls, His gopis Mother Yasoda, Father Nanda, and Upananda, uncles, and big family, the cows and the calves, the trees, the Yamuna River. He is satisfied in that life. So at least those who are Krishna conscious, they should be satisfied with simple life in the village. That is part of Krishna consciousness.”
“Give protection to the cows. That is the order of Krishna. We cannot be so ungrateful that we kill our mother. Milk is so important. We are drinking the milk of the cow, and in exchange, if we cut the throat of our mother, that is not civilization. That is barbarism, less than animal. Animals also, they have respect for mother. So try to give protection to the cow, that is a pious activity, and you’ll not be in scarcity.”
From a room conversation in New Mayapur on August 2, 1976:
“If you make others dissatisfied for your pleasure, that is sinful. You should act in such a way that nobody is dissatisfied.”
From a conversation with seven ministers of Andhra Pradesh in Hyderabad on August 22, 1976:
“I have seen in Balaji temple, mostly cultivators, they come, stand whole day there just to offer something, yajñarthe, for the satisfaction of the Lord. It’s a great culture.”
“Therefore this is the beginning of human civilization. Varnasrama. How to return back. Just like Bali Maharaja. Bali Maharaja achieved, obtained, throughout the universe all the property, and he again returned to Vamana. That was his success of life. So this Krishna consciousness movement is an educational movement to teach people how one should voluntarily return the property of the Lord to the Lord. That is called yajña.”
“As there is necessity of engineer, as there is necessity of medical man, as there is necessity of so many other departmental chiefs, similarly, a department of brahmana, a department of ksatriya—that education must be given. But in this age, because nobody is interested, so everyone is sudra.”
From a conversation on a train to Allahabad on January 11, 1977:
“Ramesvara:
But can all the masses of people become devotees?
Prabhupada:
Oh, yes, cent percent devotees, by this process: ask them to chant
and take prasada.”
“Ramesvara:
Not change your dress, but change your consciousness.
Prabhupada:
No, we never said. If you prefer that kind of dress, costly, you
prefer it, but we are simplified.
Ramesvara:
It’s our choice.
Prabhupada:
Yes.
Hari-sauri:
As a person becomes more purified, then he’ll simplify himself
anyway. And if he really cultivates a desire to . . .
Prabhupada:
Now, nowadays coat-pant is very costly. If you can spend your money,
costly dress, we have no objection. Then you have to earn more; you
have to work more. Therefore we are simplified.
Ramesvara:
Ultimately it is the best thing.
Prabhupada:
If they want to come in that dress, come in. If you want, come in.”
From a conversation in Mayapur on February 14, 1977:
“What educated? Educated means hippies. That’s all. This is their education. They do not know what is meant by education. Education . . . University student was informed that ‘Next birth you may become a dog,’ so he said, ‘What is the wrong there?’ This is education. Is that education that he agrees to become a dog very happily? There is no education. Simply waste of time."
“Brahmana has his duty, ksatriya has his duty, vaisya has his duty, sudra has his duty. And if he performs his duty nicely, then he also becomes perfect. So why artificially he should be called a brahmana? Let them do, according to sastra, the work of sudra or vaisya. He’ll get the perfect. Perfection is not checked. But why artificially he should be made a brahmana or he should be made a sannyasi and fall down and become a ludicrous? That is the point. Better let him live in his position and become perfect. That’s good. That looks very nice. And that is. That is possible.”
“That Communist is giving stress to the sudraclass, and the capitalist are giving to the belly class. And what about the head? What about the arms? And therefore topsy-turvied. Everything is disorder. There are two classes of men now—capitalist and Communist. The Communist is giving stress, “No. Simply the legs shall be taken care. . . . These rascals are giving stress on the legs. And the capitalists, they are giving stress on production. And where is the ksatriya and brahmana?”
“Ksatriyas’ business is to see that the four orders of life are maintained properly, not increasing military strength only, overburdened. Everyone is spending 75% of the revenue for military. Huh? Paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam. [Gita 4.8: To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants.”] So they are demons. Why so much money should be spent for military? They are not ksatriyas. They are not ksatriyas. They are demons. So demons . . . As soon as there will be number of demons increased, there will be war and finish all.”
“In order to serve the mass of people, to bring them to the ideal position, we should try to introduce this varnasrama, not that we are going to be candidates of varnasrama. It is not our business. But to teach them how the world will be in peaceful position we have to introduce . . . Here is a very nice institution for the benefit of the whole society human.”
From evening darsana in Mayapur on February 15, 1977:
“Farm project is very nice. Krishna gives. Krsi-go-raksyavanijyam vaisya-karma svabhava-jam. [Gita 18.44: “Farming, cow protection and trade are the natural work for the vaisyas . . .”] This is economic problem solved. And brahmana, brain problem solved, and ksatriya, protection problem solved, and sudra, labor problem solved. Four things combined together, live peacefully, happily. Chant Hare Krishna. Introduce this farm project.”
From a room conversation in Vrindavan on May 27, 1977:
“Factory means ruination. Factory means destruction. And agriculture means construction. The father is going to the factory and the children are starving—destruction.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From Gentle Power:
“All this while I still walk alone
figuring out the balance between
active city preaching and being alone
to chant and read and pray,
writing to myself, ‘What do I want?
Where are my roots?’ I know the
answers, but I want to
hear them again, purchased from within
by labor of anxious introspection.”
“Ekadasi night, and I did sixty-four.
Did I once call out to the Lord?
Maybe. He knows. The names
are the way for this age, and I did
it. I chanted all day
in my room, looking out the window
at the hill and sky. It has to be a
good way to spend an
Ekadasi.”
“I speak to the spiritual master
whom I think of in my own way.
Through him I speak to the Lord,
who has many forms and who appears
in the form desired by each devotee.
The scriptures say His forms
are not material, and we too
have a svarupa
in which our outer form is actually
our innermost desire form
for pleasing Krishna.”
“It was candles—skinny little birthday candles—that Srila Prabhupada gave us in the autumn of 1966. It was a surprise. I remember going to his room in the evening as usual one night; a little ceremony was in progress. On Prabhupada’s low table, which was his altar in his worship room, he directed each of us to go up and set the candle on the tabletop, which we did by first dripping a little wax onto the table and then fixing the candle into it.
“When we asked Swamiji why we were performing this small ceremony, he replied simply, ‘To increase your devotion.’ Only later did I understand that this was our first observance of Karttika. Although this ceremony is observed in beautiful and opulent ways in Vrindavan, there will never be anything as sweet as placing those birthday candles on Swamiji’s table in 1966. After we lit our candles, we sat around and watched them burn down. We joked quietly to one another that the candle represented our souls. We wanted to see whose soul would be the first to go out—‘There goes mine!’—and we would laugh as a puff of smoke rose into the air.
“I am writing in that same mood of watching our lives burn down day by day, mine and yours, as we try to increase our devotion. Each day during Karttika we light a fresh candle, a new wick, that gradually burns down and expires. The next day we light another. Our supply of candles is not unlimited, and neither are our days. We live in this way, seeking devotion.”
“The world is a fearful place. My life is so sheltered in ISKCON that I see the danger only in dreams.”
“I have to die. It’s not so far away now. Better chant in that mind. I know a fellow who passed away before his thirtieth year. A young girl died smiling. It’s happening every day—bodies are being burnt at the Yamuna. I don’t mean to depress you, friend, but it’s a fact of life. On the highway, in the stack of red sindura you see in a Vrindavan market, in the spinach you buy in America. Did you notice that man’s missing teeth? Did you see that bent-over widow? Even a plump gurukula boy carries the message: death stalks us all.
“Don’t cling to mortal pleasure, but sing Krishna and Radhe. Maharaja Pariksit’s seven days soon became six, winding down as he heard Bhagavatam. Better avoid hurting others or even failing to be happy when you see the Vaishnava. Better pray for strength and mercy.”
“I have nothing to say except please chant sixteen rounds and follow the four rules as you promised.”
“Unless
we get some nectar
of
love and hope, how
can
we go on just doing duty?”
“Please make me an exclusive devotee of Gaura-Nitai. Give me a taste for the excellent Caitanya-caritamrta.”
“Radha
and Krishna are one,
and
They separate for
sacred
passion and
then
become One again
as
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”
“I heard a nice statement by Prabhupada about vijñana. Some people think we simply have to accept what Srila Prabhupada says, that it’s complete, and that there’s no need to speak of our own understanding or realization. Srila Prabhupada said: ‘Jñana and viveka . . . Viveka means personal conviction. That is called vijñana. One knowledge you get from me and then you practically apply your consciousness, that ‘Yes, what Prabhupada has said, it is right.’ That is called vijñana. Accept knowledge blindly from the authority, that is knowledge. But how it is practically made or done, that understanding is called vijñana.” (Room conversation, October 31, 1975, Nairobi)”
Candrasekhara Swami:
Transcendental knowledge is not so difficult to explain. We can explain it in a couple of sentences. Krishna is the source of everything. Everything should be engaged in His service. The challenge to act on that platform consistently, every moment of every day.
Most people do not realize they are not their minds.
In addition to thinking we are our bodies, we have a lot of other misconceptions: My will should be executed. I belong to this nation. I belong to this family. I am accomplishing so many things.
The
mist of anarthas
block
the sun of the holy name. According Bhaktivinoda Thakura in
Harinama-cintamani,
there
are three kinds of anarthas:
asat-trsna:
thirst
for temporary things
hrdaya-durbalyam:
weakness
of heart
aparadha:
offenses
The first two will practically automatically be removed as we progress, but we have to root out the aparadhas to progress.
If one chants with the Mayavada conception of wanting to become one with God he will never attain the goal of chanting.
When we commit a sinful action, as a reaction, we get the tendency to commit that sinful action again.
Sinful desire seeds can be there from many lives.
We are ruled by our emotions and thought habits, and so even though we have knowledge of sankhya, that is not enough to change our behavior.
The root cause of our material life is ignorance.
In this material world it looks to us that there are many opportunities to enjoy our senses, and we just have to reach out and grab them. In reality there are many things that can be used to serve Krishna, and when do not use them in that way, we become entangled.
The more we can use everything for Krishna as His servant, the sooner we can escape from the material world.
The first step is to realize that it does not work to try to enjoy the things around us.
We may know something about God, but we do not know that everything is meant to serve God.
When we reach the stage of jnana-yoga, we have realized that the world is not a place of enjoyment.
Sometimes we have think we have got everything figured out, but then we realize we still have anarthas to overcome.
The fact that we can decide things and not be able to follow through with them, indicates that we are still entrapped by material existence.
By repeatedly acting for Krishna’s pleasure, we change the wrong habit and we become from sinful reactions.
In the beginning we are still very much attracted to material life and we are often averse to Krishna, but later we become averse to material life and become very attracted to Krishna.
You can serve Krishna but not think of Krishna, and that is why Krishna advises Arjuna to think of Him and fight.
At some point we realize that things that we thought were impossible in Krishna consciousness are actually possible; they are just difficult.
Anuttama Prabhu (Proposed GBC for New York):
In some temples the deity may be dressed as nicely as they are today on Sunday, but today is Monday morning. The pujaris do not take a day off here!
Here Lord Kapila speaks detailed philosophy of material nature to His mother. This shows there should not be discrimination based on the material bodily charactistics, such as gender, in the presentation of Krishna consciousness.
Sometimes people from India we meet in the West are proud of their brahminical birth, but by crossing the ocean, which is not recommended in the scripture, they have nullified that.
Lord Caitanya gave Srila Prabhupada the lowest class of people to assist him in spreading Krishna consciousness.
We should never think that someone is too degraded or too high class to become a devotee.
People ask me sometimes why there are so many problems in religion. My answer is pride. As soon as you become proud, all sorts of negative behavior begins.
There are high-pressure salesmen who sell timeshares to people who do not want or need them, and there are lawyers who promise to get you out of timeshare contracts that you didn’t want or need.
When distributing books we can say, “This book explains why you are not happy. The honest people will be attracted.”
We should cry to Krishna like a lost child.
From an ista-gosthi:
Srila Prabhupada said the GBC is the ultimate managing authority of ISKCON. In Freeport, some people claim we are like Baptists, with each temple completely separate. We won the court case there over that issue.
We settled on 35 GBCs for the world and 5 for America: North, Northeast, Central, Southeast, and West.
Srila Prabhupada wanted all of India under ISKCON Mumbai, but in other parts of the world, he wanted the temples incorporated separately. He wanted each temple to have a president, secretary, and treasurer.
Some people say, “I wish I was there in the early days of the Hare Krishna movement.” Actually the next 250 years will be the early days.
In North America, we have a women’s ministry, a devotee care ministry, and a youth ministry.
The most important thing is people. If you have people you can do anything. And you have people here in New York.
The job of the coach is help everyone on the team be the best they can be. I feel that is the job of the GBC and devotees in general.
From a breakfast conversation:
Preaching is removing the obstacles between the conditioned soul and Krishna.
Hansarupa Prabhu:
There is a new interest in aliens. From Srila Prabhupada’s books we can give people additional knowledge about this topic.
Everyone knows he has to die, but why is no one preparing for death? This is maya.
In 1975 we distributed ten thousand Krishna books in two days during the Prabhupada Marathon in New York.
We had 130 devotees at the Henry Street temple.
Sometimes devotees were too enthusiastic but better that than being unenthusastic.
Comment by me:
Kadamba Kanana Swami once said that we would fall down several times a day if Lord Caitanya wasn't personally protecting us.
Rama Raya Prabhu:
It is a rare occurrence that the acarya Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was the son of the acarya Bhaktivinoda Thakura.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said that the idea of making a Vaishnava is a misunderstanding because everyone is already a Vaishnava, their dormant love for Krishna only needing to be awakened.
When a doctor wanted to give him an injection, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura protested saying, “Why are you disturbing me in this way?” He continued taking shelter of the holy name.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura did not want to give initiation to his son, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, because he did not want to seem be creating a seminal succession and promoting the caste consciousness which he was working against.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura sent Bhaktisaranga Maharaja to London with instructions to go on to America.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura mentioned that he was so displeased with quarrel in the Matha that he left this world 10 years early, and thus he did not have time to preach in America as he had hoped to.
Srila Prabhupada said that if we are grateful for what he had given us we should work to share it with others.
Comment by Candrasekhara Swami: In almost all religions people perform sacrifice to God for material gain, but that philosophy is complete denounced in this purport by Srila Prabhupada.
Sri Prahlada Prabhu:
We
are on the mental platform, but we can choose to change our focus
from the mind's chatter to the sound of the kirtan.
Much of our life we are acting simply out of habit, unconsciously doing things as we have always done them.
When we have a clearer sense of who we are, we become more concerned about the need to realize that nature.
When I was young, Rob, a friend of my father, passed away. I went to the funeral. Everyone was lamenting, “Rob is gone. Rob is gone.” I noticed a box in the front of the room, and I saw Rob in it. I told my father, “Here is Rob. I found him. He is in this box. He is sleeping.” My father hushed me up. The body was there, but Rob, the soul, was gone.
A yoga, a connection, can be established with the supreme being, through sound.
Pariskit was told to be aware of himself and connect with the supreme being through hearing divine sound.
Param Brahma Prabhu:
A sadhu is one who knows the sadhya, goal.
If you try one day to do all the services you are assigned to, my experience is that at the end of the day you will feel lighter in the heart.
The Gopal Krishna Goswami disciples say that if a person gives his authorities a lot of trouble then he makes that person an authority so he will get to experience what it is like himself.
Arjunananda Prabhu:
Krtajna is gratitude. It can be acknowledged in the mind, praised with words, reciprocated with by action.
Gratitude is born of humility.
We can only follow someone we are grateful to.
If we have an authority who is a junior devotee, we can use that situation to cultivate humility.
If we hear Bhagavatam from a junior devotee, we also cultivate humility both by hearing from that devotee and from being submissive to Srila Prabhupada’s program of hearing a morning Bhagavatam class.
Madhvacarya challenged a Mayavadi saying, “When you meet your guru you offer obeisances, but if you are both are Nayarana, that does not make any sense. Why do you do it?” The Mayavadi agreed and joined Madhvacarya’s camp.
Srila Prabhupada criticized someone who spoke daridra Narayana philosophy by saying, “Narayana is never daridra [poor] because Laksmi, the goddess of fortune, is always with him. You are daridra because you are minimizing Narayana.”
Comment by me:
These Bhagavad-gita verses, 2.12, 15.7, 13.3, 13.23, and 14.27, defeat the Mayavadi philosophy.
Matanga Prabhu:
When the pope visited America, he went to a supermarket and noticed there were 52 kinds of cookies. He asked the question, “Do we really need 52 kinds of cookies?”
Comment by Candrasekhara Swami: Studies show that after two or three varieties, additional varieties do not make for additional happiness.
Jambavan Prabhu:
In my South African language there is a saying that translates that when goosebumps appear that indicates that the spirit has entered.
Premamani Devi Dasi:
The arts are useful to engage young people in Krishna consciousness.
Narada Muni Prabhu:
Krishna-katha is the svarupa-sakti of the holy name. So it is important but not as important as chanting the holy name itself.
Bhubanesvara Prabhu in Vrindavan was always engaged in cooking and did not have time to chant his sixteen rounds, and some devotees were complaining. Because he was chanting Hare Krishna the whole day, as he cooked, as he shopped, etc., Srila Prabhupada did not have a problem with it.
It is important to seek the association of advanced devotees to advance to the pure chanting of the holy name.
Keshava Swami says it is important to be absorbed in service, but it is also a service to be absorbed.
Comments by me:
Srila Prabhupada said his followers were not afraid enough of maya.
Criticizing devotees who have a different opinion on some controversial issues can block our attainment of Krishna-prema.
Haridasa Thakura was glorified for both sadhana and preaching by Sanatana Goswami.
Comment by Divyangi Devi Dasi: It is said association with one’s guru is like fire. If you are too distant you do not get warmth, but if you are too close you get burned.
Krishna Kripa Das:
From a Christmas Facebook post:
“When
the Christian preachers try to induce me to accept their version of
Christianity, I tell them that Jesus Christ advised loving God and
loving one's neighbor and that I follow a teacher who also teaches to
love God and to love others, so I think that Jesus is pleased with
me.
“Actually,
my teacher also teaches that the animals count as neighbors!”
-----
Sometime people ask us what “Rama” means. Here is an authoritative quote from the Padma Purana that Srila Prabhupada gave us in his Bhagavad-gita As It Is that I share with people who ask me:
ramante
yogino ’nante
satyananda-cid-atmani
iti
rama-padenasau
param
brahmabhidhiyate
“The mystics derive unlimited transcendental pleasures from the Absolute Truth, and therefore the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, is also known as Rama.” (Padma Purana, quoted in Bhagavad-gita 5.22, purport)
