Where I Went and What I Did
During the twenty-fourth week of 2026, for the first five days I lived in ISKCON New York in Brooklyn where I chanted with their NYC Harinam party on the weekdays. Friday midday I also joined the Bhakti Center kirtan event at Tompkin Square Park. Saturday I participated in the New York Ratha-yatra and an evening harinama with Harinama Ruci in Midtown Manhattan, where the New York Knicks fans were celebrating. Sunday I joined Harinama Ruci for harinama in Brooklyn, near the Brooklyn Bridge. Monday night I flew to Paris. Tuesday I did harinama with two devotees at Garges Sarcelles, a suburban train station, and Wednesday I chanted downtown at Cluny and Odéon.
I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s The Nectar of Devotion, as well as a letter of his. I share quotes from Vaishnava Compassion by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share notes on classes by Bhakti Sundara Goswami, Guru Prasad Swami, and Janardana Swami. I share notes on a conversation at the airport with Tulsi Prabhu about book distribution.
Many, many thanks to Dattatreya Prabhu for his very generous donation. Thanks to Silavati Devi Dasi for her very kind donation and for sending me a Vodafone.ie SIM card. Thanks to Anil and family and to Avinash Sahoo for their donations at Ratha-yatra. Thanks to Vraja Mohan Prabhu for his kind donation. Thanks to Dayal Nitai Prabhu for getting me at the airport in Paris.
Itinerary
June 16–August 13: Paris harinama
– June 19–21: Lyon harinamas and program
– June 28: Paris Ratha-yatra
– July 2–3: Liverpool harinama
– July 4: Liverpool Ratha-yatra
– July 5: Birmingham Ratha-yatra
August 14: Amsterdam harinama
August 15: Amsterdam Ratha-yatra
August 16: Rotterdam harinama
August 20–23: Trutnov (Czech Woodstock)
August 24–27: Balarama Festival (New Mayapur)
August 28–September 22: India
September 23: Return to the USA
September 24–25: Philadelphia harinamas
September 26: Philadelphia Ratha-yatra
Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City
Bhagavat Ashraya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/aOLftBu8CQk?feature=share):
Toward the end of the kirtan he chanted faster (https://youtube.com/shorts/At38Wx5_BBE):
Krishna Kripa Das chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/kOloG4vBLfo?feature=share):
There was such a nice group of devotee musicians, with some extras in town for Ratha-yatra, and chanting with them was very enlivening. Many people took videos of that little kirtan I led with the enthusiastic devotees chanting the response and playing the instruments expertly.
Amala Harinama Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/q-cc_0SiF_Q?feature=share):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/cN6-47Oz3DU):
On Friday the Bhakti Center devotees organized a program with kirtan and prasadam at Tompkins Square Park. I always like those programs because I always meet very favorable people walking through that park, who I can tell about our local weekly programs.
Here Vaisesika Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the Hare Krishna Tree in Tompkins Square Park (https://youtube.com/shorts/ixzp6EdFPu4?feature=share):
Ananta Govinda and friends chant Hare Krishna at the Hare Krishna Tree in Tompkins Square Park (https://youtube.com/shorts/Aas8ePHPR50):
The NYC Harinam party chanted at Times Square from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday. There were so many Brazilian World Cup fans there, you could hardly move. Unfortunately I could pass out very few Ratha-yatra flyers there. I got there before the crowd, however, and I could sing in one of the first slots. The last Times Square festival I didn’t get a chance to sing.
Here Jivananda Prabhu of Harinama Ruci chants Hare Krishna on the uptown 4 train en route to New York Ratha-yatra (https://youtube.com/shorts/F6B6PMTC0CU?feature=share):
I do not take much video of New York Ratha-yatra. I usually tell the people attracted by the procession what it is about and that we have a festival at Washington Square Park.
I noticed in the procession, devotees carried a banner inviting people to the Washington Park, a practical idea.
Here Vishnugada Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in front of Jagannatha cart at New York Ratha-yatra (https://youtube.com/shorts/qyhASbPcHSs):
It was impressive to see the three carts along with the skyscrapers of New York City, preceded by their police escort.
Many people, like this young woman, were attracted by Lord Jagannatha and His cart, and the kirtan of His devotees.
I was talking to man delighted to see Jagannatha’s cart and His ecstatic devotees on Fifth Avenue. He said he was returning to Berlin that night. I said, “We do this festival in Berlin, and it’s coming right up.” I showed him the details of the Berlin Ratha-yatra, which turned out to be the next Saturday, on my phone, and he took a photo.
Usually I stay at the NYC Harinam stage at the Ratha-yatra festival and distribute free literature and temple invitations to interested people or let them play the shakers. This year I just sold the books of my guru, Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, at a table which Jayadvaita Swami suggested we set to sell the books of those two swamis as well as those of Kadamba Karana Swami and Svayam Bhagavan Keshava Swami.
The evening after New York Ratha-yatra, Nitai Pada Kamalam Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna to many Knicks fans (https://youtu.be/S7N3aO_c1zU):
In the course of the harinama he invited several people to chant the Hare Krishna mantra (https://youtube.com/shorts/EZxW2Ju_quw):
Here Hadai Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci near the Brooklyn Bridge on Sunday, and people participate (https://youtu.be/uRl5jWL-aZM):
While Hadai Prana Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna there, he encouraged many people to chant (https://youtu.be/6yAa0oPsOak):
Here Sruti Sagar Prabhu talks to a Krishna Lunch fan during that Brooklyn harinama (https://youtube.com/shorts/bzKCN15_py8?feature=share):
Later we met her again, and Sruti Sagar Prabhu encouraged the Krishna Lunch fan to sign petition to resume UF campus service (https://youtube.com/shorts/nVjHQAA0dOY?feature=share):
Hadai Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Kadamba Kafe (https://youtube.com/shorts/88yiusDAYY4?feature=share):
Ajamila Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at ISKCON NYC Sunday Gaura Arati (https://youtube.com/shorts/mi11UIKtAC8?feature=share):
Ajamila Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at ISKCON NYC Sunday Gaura Arati faster (https://youtube.com/shorts/zDwPQEQPHxk):
Divyangi Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/8Uk-SHarcAc):
Here I chant Hare Krishna there (https://youtube.com/shorts/YT3kwjqgRv0?feature=share):
While I was chanting, a man got really into dancing (https://youtu.be/F3SqkAHsR60):
Visiting devotee chants Hare Krishna in Manhattan (https://youtube.com/shorts/57-F46lFkww?feature=share):
Chanting Hare Krishna in Paris
I was happy to find two bhaktas, Christopher and Gus, willing to do harinama with me at a suburban station during rush hour and pass out flyers for Paris Ratha-yatra.
Here Christopher chants Hare Krishna at Garges Sarcelles, and a passerby claps and chants a bit (https://youtube.com/shorts/lzb1xNU6Dzw):
One man gave 20 cents and accepted the Ratha-yatra flyer but was not interested in “On Chanting Hare Krishna” in either English or French. When he saw a man glancing at our party, he gave him a Ratha-yatra flyer and also offered him the French “On Chanting Hare Krishna.” He stayed for nearly an hour, distributing flyers and free literature, and he asked where we would be the next day so he could help us out again. He wasn't a Hare Krishna practitioner, just a passerby who liked the music. Wow! How rare is that?
The Indian man in the video joined us for fifteen minutes or so, enthusiastically clapping and occasionally chanting the mantra.
Christopher, the drummer and lead singer, who was living in ISKCON Manchester at the time, joined me on harinama to promote the ISKCON Liverpool Ratha-yatra last year.
Photos
While in line for security at JFK I saw a T-shirt with the slogan: “Don’t be negative”
I suggested that man get a T-shirt that said, “Be Positive!”I said I felt his present shirt was too negative. 🙂
The friendly Italian wearer appreciated.
I decided to ask Chatgpt to change the slogan!
I found the man waiting at the gate for his Rome flight, and he took happily a photo of Facebook post in which I tell this story.
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 10:
“The beginning of Krishna consciousness and devotional service is hearing, in Sanskrit called sravanam. All people should be given the chance to come and join devotional parties so that they may hear. This hearing is very important for progressing in Krishna consciousness. When one links his ears to give aural reception to the transcendental vibrations, he can quickly become purified and cleansed in the heart.”
“In the Fourth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Twenty-ninth Chapter, verse 39–40, the importance of hearing of the pastimes of the Lord is stated by Sukadeva Gosvami to Maharaja Pariksit: ‘My dear King, one should stay at a place where the great acaryas [holy teachers] speak about the transcendental activities of the Lord, and one should give aural reception to the nectarean river flowing from the moonlike faces of such great personalities. If someone eagerly continues to hear such transcendental sounds, then certainly he will become freed from all material hunger, thirst, fear and lamentation, as well as all illusions of material existence.’”
“Some way or other, if someone establishes in his mind his continuous relationship with Krishna, this relationship is called remembrance. About this remembrance there is a nice statement in the Visnu Purana, where it is said, ‘Simply by remembering the Supreme Personality of Godhead all living entities become eligible for all kinds of auspiciousness. Therefore let me always remember the Lord, who is unborn and eternal.’ In the Padma Purana the same remembrance is explained as follows: ‘Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord Krishna, because if someone remembers Him, either at the time of death or during his span of life, he becomes freed from all sinful reactions.’”
“To meditate means to engage the mind in thinking of the form of the Lord, the qualities of the Lord, the activities of the Lord and the service of the Lord. Meditation does not mean anything impersonal or void. According to Vedic literature, meditation is always on the form of Vishnu.”
“In the Nrsimha Purana there is a statement about meditation on the form of the Lord. It is said there, ‘Meditation focusing on the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead has been accepted as transcendental and beyond the experience of material pain and pleasure. By such meditation, even one who is grossly miscreant can be delivered from the sinful reactions of his life.’”
Letter to Madhudvisa on October 23, 1970:
“I am so much pleased that you are carrying on the Street Sankirtana Party as we have instituted in the Western countries even though you have sometimes only one companion. This spirit is most satisfactory and this work is proven as the basis of our successful movement in the United States, so please go on more enthusiastically than ever with my blessings and you may rest assured that Krsna will always help you in any difficulty.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From Vaishnava Compassion:
“When we see ourselves honestly and learn to feel empathy for others because of it, we will be free of the ‘differential outlook’ that leads to hardheartedness. The ‘differential outlook’ is defined as seeing other living entities according to their physical designations rather than as souls in need of Krishna.”
“To share Krishna consciousness with others, we first have to be convinced within ourselves that Krishna consciousness is the highest benediction they can receive. We have to become actual sadhus.”
“Becoming a sadhu means attentively chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, the best form of prayer. Srila Prabhupada has stated in a number of places that chanting should take precedence over all other forms of devotional service. If we chant prayerfully, our hearts will become cleansed; if our hearts are cleansed, we will reflect purity to others and they will become attracted to Krishna. To preach, we must have the foundation of identifying ourselves as devotees, and that requires the serious practice of sadhana-bhakti.”
“Beyond the outreach endeavor, prayer is an act of spiritual survival. There are many things that Srila Prabhupada asked us to do, many of which we failed at. It is our responsibility as devotees and preachers to take the time to face both his expectations and our failure to meet them. We should not shy away from this kind of contemplation. For many devotees, it has become an act of survival to spend some inward time in prayer, praying to be given another chance, praying to come up to our spiritual master’s expectations, praying that his mission will not be destroyed. Such prayer is never selfish. Prayer allows us to actively remember Krishna.”
“We are sentimentalists if our behavior and our talk contradict one another.”
Bhakti Sundara Goswami:
Srila Prabhupada said appreciation of devotees creates the Vaikuntha atmosphere.
One Gaudiya swami said Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.31.9 was actually glorifying Srila Prabhupada because he distributed the glories of the Lord all over the world.
We have to appreciate every single devotee. We have something to learn from everyone.
We should not ask to be called Prabhu. We are dasa or dasi.
Lord Caitanya wants to give us Krishna’s prema, but our hearts are filled with dirt and thus there is no room for the prema to enter. Thus Lord Caitanya advised ceto darpana marjanam.
The consciousness in which we do the service is more important than the service itself.
Q: What about manasi japa [chanting in the mind]?
A: Srila Prabhupada explains that japa should be chanted out loud so that you can hear it. It is said that Haridasa Thakura chanted 64 rounds loudly, 64 rounds softly, and 64 rounds in his mind, so manisi japa is there in our tradition. After you chant your 16 rounds, you can more in your mind.
Guru Prasada Swami:
Gajendra was enjoying in the midst of many she-elephants which is not a recommended condition in which to engage in bhakti, but because of his complete surrender, Lord Vishnu appeared to him.
When you see the deity, you may see just a nicely decorated form of the Lord, or the Lord may directly reveal Himself you, in which case you will not be able to tear yourself away from Him.
Krishna tells us what we should be attached to in Bhagavad-gita. Maya sakta maya partha . . . (Bg. 7.1)
In commenting on the verse that Krishna takes everything away, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says that the Lord does not want to take things from you, but rather, he wants to give everything to you. If, however, there are things that keep Him from giving everything to you, He has to take them away.
Srila Prabhupada explained the word isvara by saying it means, “He can do what he likes.”
Evidence that the other Vishnu forms are attracted by Krishna is the pastime where Maha-Vishnu steals the brahmana’s babies.
Arjuna found peace on the battlefield by surrendering to Krishna’s instruction.
The gopis do not think about being satisfied. They think about satisfying Krishna.
Krishna gives us just enough misery so we remember this world is a miserable place.
One of the more difficult things for people to accept in the philosophy of Krishna consciousness is atma-krita (we are responsible for what happens to us).
When a devotee accepts the arrangement of the Lord, he becomes peaceful.
If we chant attentively, then Krishna will manifest Himself.
Why should we distribute this mercy? Because Lord Caitanya said, “I order every man within this universe to accept this Krishna consciousness movement and distribute it everywhere.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 9.36) He didn’t just say every brahmacari.
The Jehovah Witnesses, although they are working people, still have to go out twice a week minimum for missionary work.
Janardana Swami:
How great was King Prithu and his sacrifice! Even Vishnu Himself appeared to take part in it.
Even the demons attended King Prithu’s sacrifice because as an avatar he was equal to everyone.
We should always be eager to serve the Lord, and in this way, one can advance quickly.
A great devotee is always eager to serve the Lord.
Although people involved in the sacrifice have their own services, because Krishna is in the center, everything is harmonious and people are peaceful. The example given is an orchestra in which everyone is playing his own instrument under the direction of the conductor, and everything is harmonious.
The presence of the deity and the devotees makes the temple a temple.
Guru does not mean just one who gives nama or brahmana diksa. A guru is someone who tells everyone about Krishna.
It does not matter which service you do, as long as it is done without material motivation.
Srila Prabhupada said, “No mangala-arati, no spiritual life.”
Tulsi Prabhu:
From an airport conversation:
If you really want to give people the book and you treat them in a personal way, not just as a vehicle to get money, they appreciate and reciprocate.
If I am really praying and depending on Krishna, and not just following my own agenda, people are much more inclined to take a book.
I remember from Vaisesika’s book, Our Family Business, how he talks about the Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda breaking open the storehouse of love of God and distributing it without discrimination. I realize the mood is to give Krishna consciousness to everyone, to some more and to some less. If we have the right mood, everything will fall into place.
I realize that I do not have to worry about money. If we do our job, money will come.
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In our chanting of Hare Krishna it is essential to eliminate the offenses we commit if we actually want to achieve the goal of love of God (Krishna-prema). Otherwise, it could actually take many lives. Imagine spending many lives just to get something right! In some temples, like ISKCON NYC, we chant this verse from Sri Caitanya-caritamrita before reciting the ten offenses against the chanting of the holy name to emphasize that we should endeavor for offenseless chanting:
bahu janma kare yadi sravana, kirtana
“If one is infested with the ten offenses in the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, despite his endeavor to chant the holy name for many births, he will not get the love of Godhead that is the ultimate goal of this chanting.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 8.16)
