(Week 34: August 20–26, 2026)
Where I Went and What I Did
During the thirty-fourth week of 2026, I lived at ISKCON Paris in Sarcelles for the first five days, and I did harinama for three hours each day in the city of Paris. The fifth day we were joined by Parividha Prabhu and Citralekha Dasi, who were en route from Amsterdam to New Mayapur in central France for the Balarama Purnima festival. The next two days we spent in New Mayapur ourselves. The second day we chanted Hare Krishna in Tours for almost two hours with Harinama Ruci, along with others from the Balarama festival.
I share quotes from a lecture by Srila Prabhupada. I share quotes from Writing Sessions in Cozzile by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share notes on classes by Srutakirti, Yogindra, Aksayananda, and Rasa Parayana Prabhus.
Many thanks to Dattatreya Prabhu for his steady, generous donations. Thanks to Marat for his very kind donation. Thanks to Czech devotees selling the fruit-nut bars of Damodara.cz for their brahmacari discount. Thanks to Igor for the photo of me at Stalingrad.
Itinerary
August 29–September 21: Mayapur harinamas
September 22: Paris harinama
September 23: Return to New York
September 24: NYC Harinam
September 25: harinama to promote Philadelphia Ratha-yatra
September 26: Philadelphia Ratha-yatra
Chanting Hare Krishna in Paris
While I was chanting Hare Krishna at Arc de Triomphe, two UK devotees from the Bhaktivedanta Manor congregation joined in, playing the karatalas and the shakers, chanting, and dancing (https://youtube.com/shorts/V4cSPcY2Rzk?feature=share):
Dayal Nitai Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Arc de Triomphe (https://youtube.com/shorts/PNdXTtnKKBw?feature=share):
Marat chants Hare Krishna at Arc de Triomphe (https://youtube.com/shorts/7SQUUEc8IJg?feature=share):
While he was chanting, a passerby danced (https://youtube.com/shorts/clnQ5oAftPI?feature=share):
Gus plays the guitar and chants Hare Krishna at La Defense in Paris, and I play drum and dance (https://youtube.com/shorts/7Cw1vNFlAwU):
Christopher chants Hare Krishna at La Defense (https://youtube.com/shorts/fjPPJ0TQJMw?feature=share):
While he was chanting, a guy danced (https://youtube.com/shorts/tr9w2f2hYAk?feature=share):
Marat chants Hare Krishna at Stalingrad, and a guy dances (https://youtube.com/shorts/3o75-dOINPM?feature=share):
Parividha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna by the Indian shops in Paris (https://youtube.com/shorts/blWmwR-bgt4?feature=share):
Citralekha Dasi chants Hare Krishna by the Indian shops in Paris (https://youtube.com/shorts/--NyJFQ37xI?feature=share):
Parividha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna by the Indian shops in Paris again (https://youtube.com/shorts/sAYKwwGIWjg):
Patit Pavana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Gaura Arati kirtan in New Mayapur (https://youtube.com/shorts/VR2wDU0Tr2Q?si=-Vq8P0N0KhLtD1O1):
Krishna Premi Prabhu chants Hare Krishna during Jhulan Yatra in New Mayapur (https://youtube.com/shorts/HAjSIxlq8UM?feature=share):
Gaudamandala Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at mangala-arati in New Mayapur (https://youtube.com/shorts/a4tVPjPMY5Y):
Radha Shyam Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at New Mayapur (https://youtube.com/shorts/CHNmaTDFhEU?feature=share):
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at New Mayapur (https://youtube.com/shorts/1qPnikZTcys?feature=share):
Bhakti Vardhan Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at New Mayapur (https://youtube.com/shorts/3L4neIrJsq0?feature=share):
The day before Lord Balarama’s appearance day, Harinama Ruci with a party of about ten devotees chanted in Tours for almost two hours.
Many people interacted with us in a favorable way as you can see in this video (https://youtu.be/IVk_-bnpqzE):
One girl spontaneously started dancing as soon as she heard the kirtan. Perhaps she could perceive joy present within the mantra (https://youtube.com/shorts/6vHz27GOn8g?feature=share):
At first her mother was reluctant to participate, but at the end of our brief interaction she bought the French version of the Higher Taste.
These ladies who enjoyed their interaction with us all accepted literature.
Children would happily take part in Jhulan Yatra (https://youtube.com/shorts/8JUa0_Drveg?feature=share):
Photos
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From a lecture at MPV College in Surat on December 24, 1970:
“The fact is that since a very long time, I was thinking that throughout the whole world there are so many parties for political emancipation, which is only temporary thing, but there is no party representing Krishna, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That was my dream, that if Lenin and other big, big political leaders, they could form their party, why not Bhagavad-gita, or the followers of the Bhagavad-gita, or the devotees of Lord Krishna do form a party to preach this Krishna consciousness movement all over the world? That was my ambition.”
“So the Krishna consciousness movement means to understand Krishna, to understand one’s own position in relationship with Krishna, and to act accordingly and then attain the highest perfection of life. That is prayojana. In Sanskrit it is called sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana. We must first of all know what is our relationship with Krishna, or God; then abhidheya—then according to that relationship we have to act. And if we properly act, then the ultimate goal of life is achieved. What is that ultimate goal of life? The ultimate goal of life is to go home, go back to home, back to Godhead.”
“At that time, when your senses are engaged in the service of the master of the senses, that is called bhakti, or Krishna consciousness. Bhakti or Krishna consciousness is identical.”
“That Krishna consciousness is dormant in everyone’s heart. That is a fact. Otherwise, why these foreigners, who never heard of Krishna four years back, how they are taking seriously to Krishna consciousness movement?”
“There are many instances and Vedic evidences that the living entity is the eternal servant of God. Unfortunately, being entrapped by this material condition, he is trying to be master himself. Constitutionally he is servant, and because he is artificially trying to become master, he is suffering. Anything if you try to become artificially, that will be a cause of suffering. Best thing is that if you become satisfied with your constitutional position, and that will give you happiness and satisfaction.”
“‘Give up all other occupation. Simply engage yourself in My execution of order,’ just like Arjuna did. Don’t mistake giving up of all other engagement; and to employ oneself in the service of the Lord does not mean that you have to give up all your worldly connection. That’s not a fact. Because Arjuna was a fighter before learning the Bhagavad-gita, and he remained a fighter after learning the Bhagavad-gita.”
“You learn Bhagavad-gita and you follow the orders of Krishna. When you do that, you are in perfect Krishna consciousness, and your life is perfect.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From Writing Sessions in Cozzile:
“A sannyasi moving about, that’s right too, moving about in ISKCON. Helping people here and there, spreading his pixie dust. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna.”
“You don’t want to live on an Irish bog and not measure up to your full potential as an American ‘do something wonderful’ preacher.”
“Well, with me I can say, ‘I want to be a pure devotee.’ But it becomes more clear to me that I’m not willing to pay the price.”
“It is a gift from God whether you write something nice.”
“But the open secret of God’s love and ecstasy of chanting doesn’t occur to most, even to those who preach for many years.”
“Very sorry to lose money or time, but are you sorry when thousands of people die in some African country, butchered by a dictator or tribal warfare? It’s ghastly to think how you get so callous toward the massacres reported in the news.
“With all its faults, it’s still the movement which carries the Hare Krishna mantra and teachings of Śrila Prabhupada. No movement holds Prabhupada as the center except ISKCON and that is its greatness.”
As my master did, I’ll get up at midnight and write. I cannot do so many things, but this is something I can do.
“It is going to help spread Krishna consciousness as when Śrila Prabhupada was very pleased with me for feeling and speaking, ‘Life is hellish without Krishna.’ It was printed in the Boston magazine. I want to deliver more of such hammer blows to the atheists and materialists to please my spiritual master. To please him is the perfection of life. All glories to my master.”
“Day, I salute thee. Holy names, I fall at Your feet and beg some attention for chanting.”
“The Lord descends when He likes, to whomever He wants. But I chant. I do thank You, Lord, and acknowledge You are present and allowing me to write.”
“Familiarity . . . we hear him speaking about purusa and prakrti thousands of times and still we need to hear it. So we have to calm ourselves down Never find fault. Correct yourself from that.”
“Real productivity means to chant and hear, to read Bhagavad-gita As It Is and write your personal books. I do feel grateful to the Lord. Now when He desires He may remove these things and then you will have to see that as His mercy for your betterment. He has nothing to gain either by your service or by your suffering and becoming pure. But it is for you. He wants each to come back to Him and so He arranges for it in various ways. I read that in a Gita purport. He does it and the devotees take it as the arrangement by the Lord. With the will of the Lord. And that is good.”
“Always seek your connection with Krishna. Worship Him and that will relieve you from the tedium and suffering of life. This world is conditioned and everyone has to suffer here. It is the place of suffering and death. But if you see the Lord and surrender to Him you can be relieved of miseries. That’s a fact.”
“I specialize in this writing, and it takes a lot of attention to one thing all these years to make poems that will turn people around, enter their heart like an arrow and cause their head to spin. It’s for Krishna,”
“He asked Arjuna to kill dear relatives. We have to kill our dear attachments to the senses which are like dear relatives.”
“They work hard and come home, and the wife takes his salary away. He thinks it’s love, and it’s all right because they’re my sajana [own people]. If a pickpocket took his money, he would call the police, but when his wife does it, he thinks this is love. This is Kali-yuga.”
Radhanath Swami:
From a lecture on Rupa Goswami:
It was in Ramakeli where Lord Caitanya said, “Prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama/ sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama: In every town and village on this earth the glories of My name will be chanted.” [CB Antya-khanda 4.126]
When Rupa Goswami came to Varanasi, he was amazed to see everyone chanting and dancing in love of Godhead by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Srutakirti Prabhu:
From a class in New Mayapur on August 26, 2026:
When you were with Srila Prabhupada you learned the meaning of being attentive. You could see how many mistakes were caused by inattention.
It was a most wonderful service to be Srila Prabhupada’s servant, but it was a most difficult service.
When you were with Srila Prabhupada, you had no option but to be Krishna conscious at every moment.
Seeing Satsvarupa Maharaja taking notes on how to do his massage, Srila Prabhupada said, “That is learning how to swim on the land.”
When you were with Srila Prabhupada, it was like you were his pujari.
Jet lag did not exist for Srila Prabhupada, and it couldn’t exist for you.
Srila Prabhupada made you feel like you could do it. “If I can do it, you can do it.”
Being a servant means you should always know what to do. If you had to be told what to do, you were already second class.
Generally devotees would arrange for people to come and see Srila Prabhupada, but in Paris, it was arranged that Prabhupada would go to see the mayor of Paris and would go to see Cardinal Danielou.
With Cardinal Danielou Srila Prabhupada did not focus on the similarities between Christianity and Krishna consciousness. He directly challenged, “Why are you killing the cow?”
Srila Prabhupada once said in Los Angeles, “We are servants of Krishna. That is our pride. People are serving their wives, their dogs, etc., but we are serving Krishna.”
Once Prabhupada said, “The sky is blue because it is reflecting Krishna’s bodily effulgence.”
Prabhupada explained that the devotee sees Krishna everywhere because he sees everything as belonging to Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada always walked in parks or on the beach. It is easy to see Krishna in nature.
Prabhupada asked why a tree died. People gave different answers. I answered, “Because the spirit soul has left.” For once he said I was right.
He saw sign in front of a playground that said “Childrens’ Fantasy Land.” He pointed to the skyline with all the skyscrapers and said, “Adults’ Fantasy Land.”
Srila Prabhupada would translate for three or four hours every morning, but in Hawaii he translated all day long.
We got to see how simply Srila Prabhupada lived in Vrindavan.
The Radha Damodara temple is the hub of the wheel of the spiritual world because Rupa Goswami started the Krishna consciousmess movement there.
Prabhupada said that everything that was required to be Krishna conscious he put in the First Canto because he did not know if he would finish the eniire book.
Everywhere was Vrindavan with Srila Prabhupada, but Vrindavan was special.
Three times he told devotees regarding the mind and chanting, “There is no question of mind. Chant with the tongue and hear with the ear.”
He would say, “If you don’t read the books and understand the philosophy, you will not stay.”
You have to get the association of people always enaged in devotional service to progress.
Once Srila Prabhupada said, “This gossip will destroy your Krishna consciousness.” He did not say that it will slow down or delay your Krishna consciousness but that it will destroy your Krishna consciousness.
In Hawaii, he said, “No lazies and crazies in the temple.” Why? Because there were so many “lazies and crazies” in the Hawaii temple, and he knew it.
On his bookshelf there were only his books. He read them because he considered they were spoken by Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada said, “Service is love. You just do your service, and everything will be alright.”
It is the mystical part of Krishna consciousness that if you are following Srila Prabhupada he is right there.
There were always difficulties, but Srila Prabhupada was always focused on what he was trying to accomplish and was not disturbed by them.
Srila Prabhupada said the only anxiety of a devotee is that he wants see that everyone has the opportunity to hear about Krishna.
Yogindra Prabhu, a Srila Prabhupada disciple from Sweden:
From a class in Paris on August 22, 2026:
Bhaktivinoda Thakura, like Srila Prabhupada, was convinced that varnasrama is essendntial.
Srila Prabhupada said that 95% of initiates need additional purification, and therefore, deity worship is absolutely necessary.
Mandira marjanado also means temple maintenance.
Aksayananda Prabhu:
From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.1.15 at ISKCON Paris on August 20, 2026:
It is difficult to live in this world without a final goal.
We introduce Krishna to our intellect, and we gradually connect the things in our life to Krishna.
The bhakti-yogi never changes his activity upon attaining perfection as the karma-yogi or jnana-yogi do. He just continues to perfect his bhakti.
If you do not have taste, you cannot become attached. Ruci is the taste that attaches us to Krishna.
Stayi-bhava is a steady attachment.
Attachment to the object of the devotional service is stronger than devotional service itself.
In the beginning people do not connect the taste they get from devotional service with Krishna.
In the seven days Pariksit was hearing about Krishna, his attraction to Krishna steadily increased.
When we advance we can be inspired repeatedly by Krishna within the heart to do something which the devotees cannot appreciate, and because of this, advancement may make our lives difficult.
One the platform of smaranam we can be on a very high level, but on the level of chanting we can be on a very low level.
To advance, it is best to think we are not advanced in any of the nine angas or limbs of bhakti.
Q (by me): It seems like there are different tastes, a taste we have in the beginning that inspires us to begin the path, and the taste that comes after nistha.
A: We have two bhavas, aisvarya and madhurya. In the beginning by following the rules and regulations we experience aisvarya bhava. Later our devotional service becomes more spontaneous, and we experience madhurya bhava.
Q: Why do we lose taste?
A: If we lose the association of devotees, we can lose taste.
Rasa Parayana Prabhu:
A devotee does not consider a place that Lord Caitanya never visited to be a tirtha (sacred place). Why? Lord Caitanya is the yuga-avatara who taught religion principles for this age.
Languages develop according to our experience. Eskimos have many words for snow but none for sand. There are twenty-four words for lotus in Sanskrit. In English, there are more words for pain than there are for happiness.
The more you are surrendered to Krishna, the less accurate your astrological chart is.
Once Prabhupada was asked how to judge success. He replied, “By the number of karatalas.” He meant the more people engaging in Krishna kirtan.
When I am on harinama and I see a book distributor try to sell a book to someone, I always pray that the person may take the book.
ISKCON is not just a Indian temple. We have a program of going out and sharing Krishna consciousness.
Regarding negative propaganda, Srila Prabhupada said to go on chanting Hare Krishna. In due course only the chanting of Hare Krishna will remain.
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This famous verse spoken by the beloved gopis of Lord Krishna glorifies the value of hearing talks both by Krishna and about Krishna, and it also glorifies those exalted persons who make such talks available to others. When in the course of reciting the “Gopi-gita” to Lord Caitanya, King Prataparudra spoke this verse, Lord Caitanya embraced him and excitedly said, “You are the most merciful. You are the most merciful.” Everyone wants to attain freedom from misery and everyone wants to attain good fortune, but unfortunately most people are unaware that Krishna’s messages will fulfill these two desires of theirs. When we make these talks available, we make it possible for new people to come to appreciate the value of these Krishna talks and experience a better life.
kavibhir iditam kalmasapaham
“The nectar of Your words and the descriptions of Your activities are the life and soul of those suffering in this material world. These narrations, transmitted by learned sages, eradicate one’s sinful reactions and bestow good fortune upon whoever hears them. These narrations are broadcast all over the world and are filled with spiritual power. Certainly those who spread the message of Godhead are most munificent.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.31.9)
