Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 21, No. 10
By Krishna Kripa Das
(Week 10: March 5–11, 2025)
(Sent from Gainesville, Florida, on March 15, 2025)
Where I Went and What I Did
For the tenth week of 2025, I remained living at ISKCON Tallahassee for the first five days. Wednesday and Thursday I chanted an average of three hours each day on Landis Green, behind the main Florida State University library. On Friday, Ananga Mohan Prabhu chanted with me, both on the campus at Landis Green and at a monthly event called First Friday at Railroad Square, where Melanie also joined us. We had a lot of positive experiences at Railroad Square. Saturday and Sunday I chanted at Kleman Plaza because of rain. During the week, I distributed a few “On Chanting Hare Krishna” pamphlets, along with forty-three little cups of halava to promote our Krishna Lunch at the campus. One Indian student, happy to encounter the prasadam, bought a Bhagavad-gita. We decided to do a three-hour kirtan one day each month at our Saturday evening program in Tallahassee. We chose March 8 for it this month as it is the Saturday before Gaura Purnima, and Lord Caitanya really promoted the congregational chanting of the holy name. On Sunday afternoon I went to Alachua to attend the Sunday feast program there, which featured the snana-yatra ceremony for Lord Jagannatha.
Monday and Tuesday I chanted Hare Krishna on the campus of the University of Florida during the Krishna Lunch there, and several devotees joined me, at least for part of the time.
I share quotes from the books, lectures, conversations, and letters of Srila Prabhupada. I share quotes from The Delaware Diaries, Volume 2 (Tachycardia) by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami and from Golden Avatar, a soon-to-be-published biography of Lord Caitanya, by Yogesvara Prabhu. I share notes on a Sunday feast lecture in Alachua by Bhadra Prabhu on Lord Jagannatha. I share notes on lectures by Madhava, Devaprastha, Gadadhar, Gopala Krishna and Campakalata Prabhus speaking at Krishna House in Gainesville. I share notes on a class by Govinda Kaviraja Prabhu speaking in Tallahassee. I share quotes from articles in Back to Godhead by Srila Prabhupada and Caitanya Carana, Dinabandhu Caitanya, and Hari Bhakti Prabhus.
Thanks to Anupama Prabhu of New York for his very generous donation. Thanks to Ratipriya of Philadelphia for her kind donation on the occasion of her daughter’s birthday. Thanks to Subir Prabhu for driving me to Alachua for Jagannatha snana-yatra.
Itinerary
January 6–April 11: Tallahassee harinamas and FSU college outreach
– March 9–16: Krishna House Gainesville harinamas and UF college outreach
– March 15: Daytona Beach Ratha-yatra
April 12: St. Augustine Ratha-yatra
April 13: Gainesville harinama
April 14–15: USF harinamas in Tampa
April 16–20: Washington, D.C., harinamas with Sankarsana Prabhu
April 21–22: NYC Harinam
April 23: Flight to Brussels
April 24: Layover in Oslo
April 25: Kadamba Kanana Swami Vyasa-puja at Radhadesh
April 26: King’s Day in Amsterdam
April 27: Liege harinama
April 28–May 1: Paris harinamas
May 2: Sarcelles market harinama
May 3–4: Amsterdam Kirtan Mela and Sacinandana Swami seminar
May 5 and 6: harinama in Amsterdam, Antwerp, or Brussels
May 7: Flight from Brussels to New York City
May 8–June 15: NYC Harinam
mid June–mid August: Paris
– June 22: Paris Ratha-yatra
– July 11: Amsterdam harinama
– July 12: Amsterdam Ratha-yatra
– July 13: Netherlands harinama
Chanting Hare Krishna in Tallahassee
I updated the Krishna Lunch flyer, and posted copies on either side of the kiosk near the library where I chant, near the middle of the kiosk.
Last year, by checking my posters every day or every other day, by fixing the tape and removing posters taped over them, they remained for as many as five or six weeks.
The last time I chanted Hare Krishna at First Friday, I was alone. I still had many positive interactions, but having Ananga Mohan Prabhu and Melanie with me this month made it really special. Because it was the Friday before spring break, there were much fewer people than usual, but still we connected with a lot of people. Very soon an FSU student who lives in Tallahassee began moving to the kirtan beat and ended up playing the shakers for several minutes. Other people would play shakers and dance as we walked around the square. Anyone we talked with, we would offer the free dessert to and inform about Krishna Lunch. One street performer, who was recording his performance for Tiktok and YouTube, enjoyed dancing to our music. I hope to track that down and share it with you. One young woman who had gotten the free dessert on the campus came up to me and reminded me of that, and I offered her another one. Seeing someone so positive about the dessert, made it easy for me to offer it to the person I had been talking to. As we passed groups of high school students, many would be happy to play the shakers or dance. We passed a guy who was quietly sitting alone on a bench, past most of the groups of students. Later we passed him again as we were leaving, and he asked about our philosophy. He said he had just read Siddhartha and that the book made him think differently about life. That was striking for me, as Siddhartha was the first book on Eastern philosophy that I had read in my life, under the recommendation of my cousin, Peter. We gave him “On Chanting Hare Krishna,” taught him the mantra, and told him about our Saturday program. It was wonderful to meet someone who was actually inquisitive.
On Saturday, I chanted Kleman Plaza because of the predicted rain. I set up outside a science museum with an IMAX theatre called The Challenger Learning Center. After I had chanted there for over two hours and was packing up, a staff member from the museum told me he loved my singing and gave me a bottle of water.
He accepted the blueberry halava, and I told him about our Krishna Lunch and our Saturday evening program.
He said he could not come that week but would try to come another week.
Govinda Kaviraja Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Tallahassee three-hour kirtan in March (https://youtu.be/1GEyiJDNtmI):
Ayusha chants Hare Krishna at Tallahassee three-hour kirtan in March (https://youtu.be/HsvD_WhWlkk):
Here she continues chanting (https://youtu.be/A5YaR-AYgAI):
Jane chants Hare Krishna at Tallahassee three-hour kirtan in March (https://youtu.be/qI6NC85iKXs):
Here she chants another tune (https://youtu.be/bEvzO4zHD8Q):
Satyaraj Govinda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna during Gaura Arati on Saturday in Tallahassee (https://youtu.be/pSfJylSwMHc):
The weather for Sunday was predicted to be worse, so I set up again at Kleman Plaza, which is situated in a very central location in Tallahassee, as you can see from this sign:
I was reminded that Tallahassee was one of the ten most rainy cities in the United States when the rain came down in torrents. Although I was in a place protected from rain directly above, rain drops blew in from the side, so I had to dry off my books and put them away. While I was doing that my chair and table were surrounded by water.
Then I saw water cascading down the stairs to the car park below.
I even took a video of it (https://youtube.com/shorts/gkQ6Y9D6ZYM?feature=share):
The amazing thing was in under an hour, everything was back to normal, and I set up my book table as before.
Chanting Hare Krishna in Alachua
Prana Govinda Swami chants Hare Krishna as Lord Jagannatha travels to Alachua Temple for Snana Yatra (https://youtu.be/Zwo4N0aBFUE):
Bhadra Prabhu chants Hare Krishna after Lord Jagannatha came to Alachua Temple for Snana Yatra (https://youtu.be/5ww79j9rjWw):
Gopal Govinda Shyam Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at ISKCON Alachua Sunday feast program (https://youtube.com/shorts/NFvBSNdbBNk):
During the abhiseka of Lord Jagannatha, Bhadra’s son, Visvambhar, and his friends chanted Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/RKOWh2u9hko):
They continued at an increased tempo (https://youtu.be/SY1tvOimTk0):
Champakalata Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at mangala-arati at Krishna House, and devotees dance (https://youtube.com/shorts/MxP3OarGeLg):
And at the end of the kirtan, it was even more ecstatic (https://youtube.com/shorts/m0JgJXebkhg?feature=share):
Ananga Mohan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch in Gainesville (https://youtu.be/OKXNzuzycYc):
Kunti chants Hare Krishna at Krishna House in Gainesville in the evening (https://youtu.be/jkTuK3Uz1cw):
I took another video of Kunti in portrait orientation (https://youtu.be/Z-1cfKT0A-E):
Maya Cabrinha, visiting from the Bhaki Center in New York, chants Hare Krishna at Krishna House once more before returning home (https://youtu.be/KGy3trZDtrk):
Photos
I found that the “Tally Preacher” who previously described Krishna as a demon in a chalk message on the sidewalk also has issues with others who claim to be followers of Lord Jesus Christ.
I asked the Christian who gave me the free Bible what he thought of that message. He seemed to sympathize with where it was coming from. I told him I know a lot of Mormons who seem to have a lot of love for both God and their neighbors, implying that I thought they were legitimate Christians and as good as the others.
I am thinking of letting the Mormons know about what the “Tally Preacher” is saying about them, and offering to assist them if they want to protest his “hate speech” which I think should not have a place on the campus. I think the “Tally Preacher” should just stick to glorifying Lord Jesus Christ and not attack others.
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.6.21, purport:
“A pure devotee of the Lord, therefore, follows in the footsteps of the great devotees like Narada and Prahlada and engages his whole time in glorifying the Lord by the process of kirtana. Such a preaching process is transcendental to all material qualities.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.6.34, purport:
“The almighty Personality of Godhead, by His causeless mercy, descends to the earth and manifests activities almost on the line of the worldly men but at the same time extraordinary because He is almighty. He does so for the benefit of all conditioned souls, so that they can turn their attention to transcendence. By doing so, the conditioned souls will gradually be promoted to the transcendental position and easily cross the ocean of nescience, the source of all miseries. This is stated from personal experience by such an authority as Sri Narada Muni. And we can have the same experience also if we begin to follow in the footsteps of the great sage, the dearmost devotee of the Lord.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.24, purport:
“Not a blade of grass moves without the will of the Lord. Whenever, therefore, there is disobedience of the established rules enacted by the Lord, there is war between men and between nations. The surest way to the path of peace, therefore, is dovetailing everything with the established rule of the Lord. The established rule is that whatever we do, whatever we eat, whatever we sacrifice or whatever we give in charity must be done to the full satisfaction of the Lord. No one should do anything, eat anything, sacrifice anything or give anything in charity against the will of the Lord. Discretion is the better part of valor, and one must learn how to discriminate between actions which may be pleasing to the Lord and those which may not be pleasing to the Lord. An action is thus judged by the Lord’s pleasure or displeasure. There is no room for personal whims; we must always be guided by the pleasure of the Lord. Such action is called yogah karmasu kausalam [Bg. 2.50], or actions performed which are linked with the Supreme Lord. That is the art of doing a thing perfectly.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.37, purport:
“The symptoms of the Kali-yuga, as mentioned above, namely avarice, falsehood, diplomacy, cheating, nepotism, violence and all such things, are already in vogue, and no one can imagine what is going to happen gradually with further increase of the influence of Kali till the day of annihilation. We have already come to know that the influence of the Age of Kali is meant for godless so-called civilized man; those who are under the protection of the Lord have nothing to fear from this horrible age.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.24.57:
“If one by chance associates with a devotee, even for a fraction of a moment, he no longer is subject to attraction by the results of karma or jñāna.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila 15.106, purport
“Any devotee who believes that the holy name of the Lord is identical with the Lord is a pure devotee, even though he may be in the neophyte stage. By his association, others may also become Vaishnavas.”
From “God Says, ‘I Eat.’” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 59, No. 4 (July/August 2025):
“By arguments we cannot reach the Supreme Truth. Srutayo vibhinnah. Nor can we do so by purchasing books from the market and reading them. No. That also will not help you. You may purchase the Bhagavad-gita, the Bible, the Koran. There are many authorized literatures. That’s all right. But you cannot learn them by your own study. One must go and learn from the spiritual master. If you purchase some book on medical science, you will never be acknowledged as a medical practitioner. You have to admit yourself into the ‘disciplic succession,’ the medical college. You have to attend lectures. Then, when you earn the degree, you will be acknowledged as a medical practitioner.”
From “Education to Expand Illusion” (Prabhupada Speaks Out) in Back to Godhead, Vol. 59, No. 4 (July/August 2025):
“We want that you learn from Bhaktivinoda Thakura, from Vyasadeva, from Narada. But why are you learning from Darwin, Freud, and other rascals? Education means you should learn from a person who is divinely authorized, who is without mistake, who is without illusion, who does not cheat – just as, for instance, we are learning from Krishna. That is education. And if you learn from rascals and fools, then what is that education? Education means to learn from a learned person.”
“People are restless. They are hungry, starving. But what can their cars and big buildings do for them? Why are they committing suicide? Because they are not happy. There is no food for the spirit soul – the actual self. Is that education?”
“Now, where is the educational institution to remind me, ‘I’ll have to enter another body after death, so let me be careful about what kind of body I shall have’? Where is that educational institution? These so-called educators are blind.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From The Delaware Diaries, Volume 2 (Tachycardia):
“Prabhupada expands on the bhakti theme, which is permeating all sections of Bhagavad-gita, whether it be the section on action and inaction, the three divisions of faith, the modes of nature, yoga, or the divisions of varna and asrama.”
“The soul is a servant of God. He can fulfill his subordinate role only by loving service unto the Supreme. There is no other way. Behind any section in Bhagavad-gita, this message shines forth.”
“To become completely perfect and go back to Godhead requires the greed of the surrendered soul.”
“When Prabhupada chanted on my red beads in 1966 and said to chant sixteen rounds a day, that was it. Sometimes I chanted in the temple room with all the devotees, adding to the general buzz and keeping awake, especially in my youthful years when drowse never overcame me. Sometimes I chanted in my own room with votive candles before the altar until I heard that the smoke might cause headaches. Sometimes I took long walks on the back road near Tuscarora Creek at Gita-nagari until my ankle prevented me from walking. But always the chanting has been the basic principle of my daily sadhana.”
“I always think I’m not doing enough, and I always conclude that I can’t do more. I should be more satisfied.”
“I needn’t worry so much what others may think of me, especially regarding my falldown. I have dealt with it personally, and the GBC has dealt with it, and the results are final. I am recovering. If some people are still dissatisfied with me, that is their problem. I live with repentance every day, and when I read the scriptures, it stares me in the face that I did not control my senses, that I acted wrongly. But the scriptures also say that if one is resolutely serving in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he should not be derided, and his sinful reactions are taken away without any separate prayascitta or atonement.”
“I will always be scarred, but I have to keep my positive will to live and serve those who still consider themselves my disciples, as well as the devotees in general. I shouldn’t allow myself to become depressed.”
Yogesvara Prabhu:
From Golden Avatar:
[Describing Lord Caitanya chanting Hare Krishna during His South India tour:] “The singing came not just from his throat but from the depths of his heart, and whoever saw him dance and heard him sing forgot where they were going and followed. He embraced them and bid them return home, where they reported the encounter to family and neighbors and demonstrated the dancing and singing that he had taught them. They, too, took it up, and the sankirtan movement blossomed through South India.”
“Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and Chaitanya and Kalakrishna traveled from one holy place to another until the number was beyond counting, and in every town and village, Chaitanya induced the residents to sing Krishna’s names. It did not matter if until that moment they had been devoted to Shiva or Rama or the Goddess Durga or to no one at all. Chaitanya respected their dedication to their chosen path, and his courtesy predisposed them to join him in singing.”
“Kashi Mishra had nicknamed the hut gambhira or “cave-like,” since to pass through the small doorway, one had to stoop low.”
“With no small degree of pride, Puri’s historians boasted that the Rathayatra festival, the journey (yatra) of the chariots (ratha), had been held every year for at least two thousand years.”
Madhava Prabhu:
We see here that Krishna’s family, like Arjuna’s family, was destroyed by fratricidal war.
In the chapter “The Pandava’s Retire Timely” we see Arjuna and his intimate relationship with Krishna depicted, which is important, because we do not encounter this again until the Tenth Canto.
The potential to become free from suffering at every moment is always there simply by remembering Krishna.
We can take darsana of Krishna through the pages of Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam.
We spend so much of our time scrolling our phones. Even if we spend a fraction of that time focusing on a verse of Bhagavad-gita, we will greatly advance.
The more you read, the more you will have something to recall.
Everyone thinks he is the center of the universe, but he is unable to convince even one person of this.
As Krishna is speaking to Arjuna, Srila Prabhupada, through his books, is speaking to us.
Comment by Maya: Self-deprecating comments really limit your spiritual progress.
Presence: Once a friend in an extreme situation exclaimed to me, “What are your gifts, and why aren’t you giving them to us?” It made me really think about what my gifts were, and that affected the course of the next seven years of my life.
Champakalata Devi Dasi: One devotee told me, if you can dedicate yourself to just one of the instructions of your guru you will attain success in life. I thought of one. Once Radhanath Swami said to me with great enthusiasm, “Fill yourself up with light, and if you do, there will be no room for darkness.”
Comments by me:
“Simply by one’s giving aural reception to this Vedic literature, the feeling for loving devotional service to Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sprouts up at once to extinguish the fire of lamentation, illusion and fearfulness.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.7.7)
“Engaged constantly in chanting and hearing about Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the sadhus do not suffer from material miseries because they are always filled with thoughts of My pastimes and activities.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.23)
Bhadra Prabhu:
From a Sunday feast lecture in Alachua on Lord Jagannatha:
In Kali-yuga Lord Krishna does not appear as the Lord Himself. Lord Caitanya is a covered incarnation. But the Lord does appear Himself as Jagannatha as daru Brahman.
As Jagannatha He has no eyelids, and thus He does not sleep. The Jagannatha temple is open till midnight and reopens at three or four in the morning. Even then He does not sleep. What does He do? Talk. Jagannatha talks and eats.
Jagannatha has outstretched hands because He wants to embrace His devotees.
Just by seeing Lord Jagannatha and taking His prasadam you are going back to Godhead.
Lord Jagannatha cuts down the miseries of His devotees, and gives them unlimited transcendental bliss.
Usually a smaller version of the temple deities go on procession, but Lord Jagannatha is so merciful, He goes Himself.
Lord Jagannatha is called the Mahabhava-prakasa form of the Lord.
The Lord wants to connect with us, but we do not want to connect with Him.
Srila Prabhupada has given us up to madhura-rasa. We should always stay in his shelter.
Rohini said she would tell the queens of Krishna about the childhood pastimes of Krishna and Balarama, but they had to ensure that Krishna and Balarama did not hear. They posted Subhadra as a guard at the door. All the queens and Subhadra were so absorbed in the pastimes they lost consciousness of their surroundings, and Subhadra forgot to guard the door. Krishna and Balarama came and listened to the pastimes, and They exhibited the highest spiritual ecstasy in which the limbs of the body become contracted. Narada saw this form, and he requested the Lord manifest the form so he could worship it. Thus the Lord agreed to appear in that form in Puri.
According to Skanda Purana it is said that the day of snana-yatra is the appearance day of Lord Jagannatha.
In Puri the Lord is bathed with 108 golden pots.
In the Gasparilla parade, religious floats are not allowed. It is a pirate parade. I told them that pirates come from East India, and so does this float.
Gasparilla is the third parade in the USA. The first is the Thanksgiving Day parade in New York, and the second is in California.
Devaprastha Prabhu:
I can attest to the fact that Lord Caitanya is the deliverer of the most fallen from my personal experience.
Giriraja Swami once said, “Krishna consciousness is just love, but it masquerades as a philosophy.”
We often say “I love you,” but that love is often dependent on that person doing something for us, and if that is not there, then the relationship ends.
Although Krishna is detached from the material world, He is always thinking of performing pastimes that will attract the residents of the material world to come back to Him.
When Durvasa Muni asked the Lord in Vaikuntha to have compassion on Him, He said could not because He had given His heart to His devotees. Thus Durvasa Muni should approach His devotee, Ambarisa, for mercy.
We will do much more for someone out of love than we will out of fear.
It is amazing that Lord Caitanya gave us just eight verses.
Caitanya Carana Prabhu:
From “What Makes Life Worth Living?” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 59, No. 4 (July/August 2025):
“The problem with letting any one aspect of our identity become our defining or driving identity is that it can be taken away from us, leaving us with an existential identity crisis that can cause intolerable angst.”
“Our search for meaning and purpose is not a subjective construction imposed on a chaotic world but a discovery of our place in an ordered and meaningful universe.”
Dinabandhu Caitanya Prabhu:
From “Snubbing the Phubbing Tendency” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 59, No. 4 (July/August 2025):“As humans, we yearn for meaningful and fulfilling relationships, which can be achieved by connecting with like-minded virtuous souls on a journey of inner discovery. Such positive association will reinforce the uplifting qualities such as selflessness, compassion, and humility inherent within us and propel us forward on the spiritual path, ultimately connecting us to God within and around us.”
“Virtuous living is not merely a personal choice but a responsibility we hold toward ourselves, humanity, and Krishna.”
Hari Bhakti Prabhu:
From “A Tale of Longing and Fulfillment” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 59, No. 4 (July/August 2025):
“Krishna walks barefoot only in Vrindavan, the ground of which is marked with His footprints. All the cowherds, animals, and even the wind, it is said, are careful not to erase Krishna’s footprints.”
“Kṛṣṇa embraced Akrura, who stood with his head bowed. Balarama offered him a seat, bathed his feet, and served him milk with honey. Krishna became so helpless out of affection for His devotee that He could do nothing. Although He has unlimited powers, He becomes powerless before the love of His surrendered devotees.”
Govinda Kaviraja Prabhu:
Bhaktivijnana Swami makes the point that we have many, many courses, and thus we have a lot of theoretical knowledge. We have courses about the anarthas, but not a course that if you take it, at the end you will be free of anarthas.
Because we just play part of the role of the brahmana, people do not fully appreciate our contribution. We give the transcendental knowledge, but we do not do all the rituals that they expect.
Srila Prabhupada in one purport describes that a dvija is one who is just initiated, a vipra is one who is learned, and a brahmana is one who is fully qualified.
Gadadhara Prabhu:
From a class at Krishna House on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.24 on March 11, 2025:
I can think of dozens of different ways that the Lord could have used to facilitate the removal of his family from this world rather than have them kill each other in bloody battle.
Not only did Arjuna express doubts in the course of Bhagavad-gita, but even afterwards, during the battle, Arjuna expressed doubts to Krishna about killing Bhisma, although Krishna had previously explained everything in Bhagavad-gita.
One lesson of the pastime of the removal of Yadu dynasty is that the Lord and His pastimes are truly inconceivable.
It makes sense that pastimes of the Lord would be so amazing that they would always be remembered because He is more qualified than all other beings.
Although Arjuna was one of the fiercest warriors on the planet, he was not afraid to show his emotions in public.
Comments by me:
From Krishna’s point of view, the happiness and distress of the body are truly insignificant. It is quoted in The Nectar of Devotion that Lord Shiva told Parvati, “A person situated in Krishna prema does not even feel the happiness and distress coming from the material body.”
Regarding Arjuna’s grief at the beginning of the chapter, it shows the great affection that the pure soul has for God.
The austerities of the Gosvamis were not performed to advance themselves in devotional service, but rather they were so absorbed in devotional service they naturally gave up material things.
Gopala Krishna Prabhu:
From a class at Krishna House on Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 1, Chapter 15:
By following guru, sadhu, and sastra we become more and more able hear Krishna as Paramatma within the heart.
We do not give people tulasi plants, but we give them seeds. It takes a lot of bhakti to grow tulasi plants successfully, so we do not give them away indiscriminately.
Although Akrura’s prayers are not the longest in the Bhagavatam, they exemplify a very nice mood.
Most of the time pujaris are engaged in cleaning.
If we are initiated we are at an advantage because we have made a lifelong commitment to follow the instructions of our guru.
Another benefit of having a guru is that you join his spiritual family, and then you have brothers and sisters looking after you.
Champakalata Devi Dasi:
From a class for new people at Krishna House on the topic of wealth:
If you want to understand how rich you are, count how many things that money cannot buy.
There are different kinds of wealth: emotional wealth, social wealth, health wealth.
Radhanath Swami says, “True happiness of the heart is to love and be loved.”
Everyone agrees that they would rather have unconditional love than conditional love.
Everyone wants a love that lasts forever.
Spiritual practice is to recognize it and to experience it.
No one can steal this wealth from us.
It is difficult to conceive of unconditional love although we have a desire for it.
At a Christian retreat center there was a sign that said, “God does not love you because you are worthy, but rather you are worthy because God loves you.”
Mayavada is offensive, but impersonalism is just a lack of understanding. I was on the yoga path before meeting the devotees, and I know many people who had an impersonal understanding. Many of these are now becoming more inclined to bhakti.
As a six grader I did an experiment on three frogs. I played rap music for two weeks, classical music for two weeks, and no music for two weeks. I measured the heart rate and breathing rate of the frogs and noted how often they jumped out of my hands. With the rap music, their heart and breathing rates were high, and they frequently jumped out of my hands. One of them even died. With classical music, their heart and breathing rates were low, and the peaceful frogs were not inclined to jump out of my hands. With no music, the result was in between the others.
Although in all traditions God has a feminine aspect, that is not often spoken of.
Presence: I am living without doing service in exchange for money for some time and sometimes I have $0 in my bank account, but the wealth I do have is trust which was not there when I was working for money.
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Srila Prabhupada kindly translated Srimad-Bhagavatam into English, and he engaged his followers in translating it into many other languages. In our temples, Srila Prabhupada wanted residents to discuss at least one verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam every morning. How auspicious is this Srimad-Bhagavatam? This verse gives us some idea.
yasyam vai sruyamanayam
bhaktir utpadyate pumsah
soka-moha-bhayapaha
“Simply by one’s giving aural reception to this Vedic literature [Srimad-Bhagavatam], the feeling for loving devotional service to Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sprouts up at once to extinguish the fire of lamentation, illusion and fearfulness.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.7.7)
Are you tired of lamentation, illusion and fearfulness? Take the remedy recommended by the sages. Hear Srimad-Bhagavatam.
