travel journal#4-17: Finland and Ukraine

To see the illustrated version of this journal, click on the link below:

http://krishnamonk.blogspot.com/2008/10/travel-journal4-17-finland-and-ukraine.html

 Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 4, No. 17

By Krishna-kripa das

(September 2008, part one)

Tampere and Helsinki, Finland & Kharkov, Ukraine

(Sent from Gainesville, Florida on 10/11/08)

 

Where I Am and What I Am Doing

I spent the first week of September in Finland, researching an article on the Finnish yatra, especially its programs for academia, for Back to Godhead and meditating on speaking on the glories of Radharani for Radhastami. Then I went to Kharkov where we had a couple harinamas, including a very nice one at the college, and where Bhakta Andre kindly replaced eight fillings in my teeth.

 

Devotional Meditations

Notes on Kavicandra Swami's recorded class on Caitanya-caritamrita:

"Water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink" from Rime of the Ancient Mariner describes the nature of the material world. We are looking for enjoyment, but if we try to enjoy that which surrounds around us, we will just suffer, just as if one drinks the sea water to quench his thirst.

We want to go from lust to love, and from passion to compassion.

In this ISKCON movement we are doing the same things that Lord Caitanya did, so this is also Gaura-lila.

Notes from a recorded lecture by Bhakti Vidya Purna Swami:

In making emotional presentations, a pleasant background has to be created before the point is made, so the point is likely to be accepted. In intellectual presentations, the point is made in the beginning, and the presentation uses intelligent arguments to show the wisdom of the point.

If one foolishly drives off the road, one does not blame the road, the car, or the tires, but oneself, why then does one who has difficulty in a relationship, always blame the other person? If we could learn to refrain from doing this, we could improve our relationships among devotees considerably.

 

Academic Outreach in Finland

 

I have written an article for Back to Godhead, on Finland's academic outreach, but I want to say a little about it here. The "Krishna religion" is an official religion in Finland. If three or more kids in a city worship Krishna, then if their parents request, the school is obligated to teach a weekly class it in.

 

Tapo Divyam Prabhu teaches a class of Nepali boys about Srila Prabhupada.

Thus one devotee, Tapo Divyam Prabhu, teaches seven such courses in the Helsinki area schools.

 

Tattvavada Prabhu gives a lecture to a class of high school students. In addition a team of five devotees headed by Tattvavada Prabhu, ISKCON's regional secretary for Finland, gives lectures in 100 high schools and colleges and in six of the country's ten universities. Besides this, at least two or three classes visit the temple each week. One teacher of religion teachers brings his entire class once a year, and a class of nurses visits the temple once a year, as nurses need to be familiar with the different practices of their patients. Recently, a professor at the Helsinki University asked the devotees to write a curriculum for a course in the Krishna religion. Thus in the country of Finland the devotees are well respected for the knowledge that they share.

 

Harinama in Finland

We did harinama in Tampere with the book distribution and college lecturing party, which they occasionally do midweek. We also did weekly two-hour harinama in a busy section of Helsinki. There they distributed hundreds of invitations to the Radhastami festival. They kindly let me lead the kirtana part of the time both place, and they had the cut-off harmoniums that Aindra Prabhu has especially made for harinama. It is three cities in a row that they have had those harmoniums, and I am happy to have the practice using them.

 

Book Distribution Stories from Finland

While researching my article on the academic programs done by ISKCON in Finland, I traveled for three days with their book and prasadam distribution devotees who worked Tampere, the same town as Tattvavada Prabhu gave his academic lectures in that week. Every day Avadhutacandra Prabhu, the party leader and one of the leading book distributors in Europe had a nice story to tell.

The first day he met a respectably dressed man who showed surprising interest in Prabhupada's books. It turned out, when the man was a student, he had heard a lecture by Tattvavada Prabhu and even stayed after class to continue speaking with him. Now he eagerly discussed the philosophy with Avadhutacandra and ultimately bought a book.In front of the library, Avadhutacandra talked with a student who had a heart condition so bad that he could actually die at any moment. He was convinced about the worlds' miseries, and Avadhutacandra sold him both the Gita and the Bhagavatam, Canto 1. When the man made the payment for the books, Avadhutacandra threw in the Mahabharata for another five euros. One boy really had an interest in Prabhupada's books, but he had no money. Just then a girl who had previously purchased the books came up and told Avadhutacandra how much she liked them. Seeing her enthusiasm for the books, he asked her if she would be willing to buy a book for the boy who had no money. The boy was a little shy at first to take help from the girl, but ultimately he did, and received the book. Avadhutacandra also sold another book to the girl at a discounted price.

 

Radhastami

I gave two lectures on Radhastami—one in the morning to the temple devotees, and one for the general Sunday feast crowd. In the morning, I talked about the feelings of separation of Radharani and how Lord Caitanya and Srila Prabhupada taught that devotees must learn how to love Krishna through feelings of separation following in the footsteps of the gopis. This is largely over my head, but I supported it with Prabhupada's statements from Krishna book. It is the right time to talk of such esoteric topics. If not on Radhastami, when? We cannot neglect such an important part of the philosophy. I read my poem about Radha and the bumblebee, which is based on Krishna book, and it went well. In the evening I stressed how Srila Prabhupada would often say that it is easy to attain Krishna by the mercy of Radharani, and we should beg for Her mercy in this connection, especially on this day.

 

During the Radhastami feast I talked to a young couple who had hitchhiked from Germany to Finland. I could see they were not so interested in religion, but they did like music. I talked with them about mantras and the purifying power of the Vedic sound vibration, and they seemed interested. The boy was a guitar player, and I showed him the chords for the simple tune that Srila Prabhupada often chanted, demonstrating with the harmonium. He said that they like to sing while they hitchhike, and I hope they experiment with the maha-mantra, and that it wins their hearts. One enthusiastic devotee gave them two liters of halava to take with them on the road. That it itself might prove an inspiration for devotional service. I learned from the girl that there is a bus that you can take to India from Instanbul for forty euros. Apparently, you do not need visas for the intervening countries as you don't get off the bus. She had never taken it but heard that it leaves from the main bus terminal there in Istanbul.

 

Harinama in Kharkov

 

Each venue we do harinama has a special flavor. I love the ones we do on the sidewalk near the university in Kharkov, Ukraine. What's special there is the devotees roll out about 15 meters of carpet on the curb across from us for interested people to sit and hear the transcendental sound. Usually between five and twelve people are sitting listening at any one time, and for at least half an hour during the three or four hours we chanted there, twenty people listened. This time we came out with four devotees. Two more devotees, who attend the university, later joined us. We played the harmonium, the mrdanga, karatalas, whompers (the big karatalas), a tambourine, and a djembe. The devotees, headed by brahmacari preacher, Krishna Dvaipayana Dasa, display a table of books, DVDs, incense, sweets, temple invitations, and a photo album of devotional pictures for people to look through. [The DVD distribution program is interesting. The DVDs, which are either for sale or to borrow, include kirtana, lectures, and movies of India and devotional topics, and create an interest in the people receiving them.] One new Kharkov devotee, a university student in technology, told me that he hears the passersby the harinamasay things like, "These Hare Krishnas are very powerful. They pass out sweets and incense, and make you feel like you don't want to go anywhere else." In Kharkov the devotees chant six days a week, at least three hours a day, either at the university, park, or downtown, depending on the day. I like to go there every year and become inspired. Sahasra Jit Prabhu, the temple president, tells me that each year they teach an introductory course to about twenty to thirty newcomers to Krishna consciousness, most having developed an interest as a result of the harinama program.

 

Some People I Encountered in Kharkov

 

There is Sahasra Jit Prabhu, the temple president, who always gets me at the train station, translates my Bhagavatam classes, finds a place for me to stay, and makes sure I can go on plenty of harinamas. There is Krishna Dvaipayana Prabhu, who is always jolly, and is a dedicated preacher. There is Drumila Dasa, who on harinama, closes his eyes and chants lively tunes with his whole heart. There is Bhakta Andre, the dentist, who kindly spent four hours replacing the fillings for eight of my cavities as a service, because he found my dancing inspiring at the Ukraine festival one year. There is householder Alexi, who invited the harinama party to lunch two days in a row. There was a five-year medical student from Malaysia who went to the Sunday feast there as a ten-year-old kid but decided to take devotional service seriously in Kharkov a few months ago and came out with us on harinama. There was a lady from Iran who teaches Farsi at the university, who developed an interest in Krishna consciousness in Kharkov, and came out on harinama along with her daughter. An English teacher from the university visited the harinama and decided she had to talk with me as I was an American. She blessed me to think good thoughts, say good words, do good activities, and to find God in my heart—all nice sentiments.

 

Bolo 'krishna,' bhajo 'krishna,' koro 'krishna–siksa'.

Chant "Krishna!" worship Krishna, and follow Krishna's instructions.

(from Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Gitavali)

travel journal#4-17: Finland and Ukraine

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 4, No. 17
By Krishna-kripa das
(September 2008, part one)
Tampere and Helsinki, Finland & Kharkov, Ukraine
(Sent from Gainesville, Florida on 10/11/08)

Where I Am and What I Am Doing

I spent the first week of September in Finland, researching an article on the Finnish yatra, especially its programs for academia, for Back to Godhead and meditating on speaking on the glories of Radharani for Radhastami. Then I went to Kharkov where we had a couple harinamas, including a very nice one at the college, and where Bhakta Andre kindly replaced eight fillings in my teeth.

Devotional Meditations

Notes on Kavicandra Swami’s recorded class on Caitanya-caritamrita:

"Water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink" from Rime of the Ancient Mariner describes the nature of the material world. We are looking for enjoyment, but if we try to enjoy that which surrounds around us, we will just suffer, just as if one drinks the sea water to quench his thirst.

We want to go from lust to love, and from passion to compassion.

In this ISKCON movement we are doing the same things that Lord Caitanya did, so this is also Gaura-lila.

Notes from a recorded lecture by Bhakti Vidya Purna Swami:

In making emotional presentations, a pleasant background has to be created before the point is made, so the point is likely to be accepted. In intellectual presentations, the point is made in the beginning, and the presentation uses intelligent arguments to show the wisdom of the point.

If one foolishly drives off the road, one does not blame the road, the car, or the tires, but oneself, why then does one who has difficulty in a relationship, always blame the other person? If we could learn to refrain from doing this, we could improve our relationships among devotees considerably.

Academic Outreach in Finland

I have written an article for Back to Godhead, on Finland’s academic outreach, but I want to say a little about it here. The "Krishna religion" is an official religion in Finland. If three or more kids in a city worship Krishna, then if their parents request, the school is obligated to teach a weekly class it in.

Tapo Divyam Prabhu teaches a class of Nepali boys about Srila Prabhupada.

Thus one devotee, Tapo Divyam Prabhu, teaches seven such courses in the Helsinki area schools.

Tattvavada Prabhu gives a lecture to a class of high school students.

In addition a team of five devotees headed by Tattvavada Prabhu, ISKCON’s regional secretary for Finland, gives lectures in 100 high schools and colleges and in six of the country’s ten universities. Besides this, at least two or three classes visit the temple each week. One teacher of religion teachers brings his entire class once a year, and a class of nurses visits the temple once a year, as nurses need to be familiar with the different practices of their patients. Recently, a professor at the Helsinki University asked the devotees to write a curriculum for a course in the Krishna religion. Thus in the country of Finland the devotees are well respected for the knowledge that they share.

Harinama in Finland

We did harinama in Tampere with the book distribution and college lecturing party, which they occasionally do midweek.

We also did weekly two-hour harinama in a busy section of Helsinki. There they distributed hundreds of invitations to the Radhastami festival. They kindly let me lead the kirtana part of the time both place, and they had the cut-off harmoniums that Aindra Prabhu has especially made for harinama. It is three cities in a row that they have had those harmoniums, and I am happy to have the practice using them.

Book Distribution Stories from Finland

While researching my article on the academic programs done by ISKCON in Finland, I traveled for three days with their book and prasadam distribution devotees who worked Tampere, the same town as Tattvavada Prabhu gave his academic lectures in that week. Every day Avadhutacandra Prabhu, the party leader and one of the leading book distributors in Europe had a nice story to tell.

The first day he met a respectably dressed man who showed surprising interest in Prabhupada’s books. It turned out, when the man was a student, he had heard a lecture by Tattvavada Prabhu and even stayed after class to continue speaking with him. Now he eagerly discussed the philosophy with Avadhutacandra and ultimately bought a book.

In front of the library, Avadhutacandra talked with a student who had a heart condition so bad that he could actually die at any moment. He was convinced about the worlds’ miseries, and Avadhutacandra sold him both the Gita and the Bhagavatam, Canto 1. When the man made the payment for the books, Avadhutacandra threw in the Mahabharata for another five euros.

One boy really had an interest in Prabhupada’s books, but he had no money. Just then a girl who had previously purchased the books came up and told Avadhutacandra how much she liked them. Seeing her enthusiasm for the books, he asked her if she would be willing to buy a book for the boy who had no money. The boy was a little shy at first to take help from the girl, but ultimately he did, and received the book. Avadhutacandra also sold another book to the girl at
a discounted price.

Radhastami

I gave two lectures on Radhastami—one in the morning to the temple devotees, and one for the general Sunday feast crowd. In the morning, I talked about the feelings of separation of Radharani and how Lord Caitanya and Srila Prabhupada taught that devotees must learn how to love Krishna through feelings of separation following in the footsteps of the gopis. This is largely over my head, but I supported it with Prabhupada’s statements from Krishna book. It is the right time to talk of such esoteric topics. If not on Radhastami, when? We cannot neglect such an important part of the philosophy. I read my poem about Radha and the bumblebee, which is based on Krishna book, and it went well. In the evening I stressed how Srila Prabhupada would often say that it is easy to attain Krishna by the mercy of Radharani, and we should beg for Her mercy in this connection, especially on this day.

During the Radhastami feast I talked to a young couple who had hitchhiked from Germany to Finland. I could see they were not so interested in religion, but they did like music. I talked with them about mantras and the purifying power of the Vedic sound vibration, and they seemed interested. The boy was a guitar player, and I showed him the chords for the simple tune that Srila Prabhupada often chanted, demonstrating with the harmonium. He said that they like to sing while they hitchhike, and I hope they experiment with the maha-mantra, and that it wins their hearts. One enthusiastic devotee gave them two liters of halava to take with them on the road. That it itself might prove an inspiration for devotional service. I learned from the girl that there is a bus that you can take to India from Instanbul for forty euros. Apparently, you do not need visas for the intervening countries as you don’t get off the bus. She had never taken it but heard that it leaves from the main bus terminal there in Istanbul.

Harinama in Kharkov

Each venue we do harinama has a special flavor. I love the ones we do on the sidewalk near the university in Kharkov, Ukraine. What’s special there is the devotees roll out about 15 meters of carpet on the curb across from us for interested people to sit and hear the transcendental sound. Usually between five and twelve people are sitting listening at any one time, and for at least half an hour during the three or four hours we chanted there, twenty people listened. This time we came out with four devotees. Two more devotees, who attend the university, later joined us. We played the harmonium, the mrdanga, karatalas, whompers (the big karatalas), a tambourine, and a djembe. The devotees, headed by brahmacari preacher, Krishna Dvaipayana Dasa, display a table of books, DVDs, incense, sweets, temple invitations, and a photo album of devotional pictures for people to look through. [The DVD distribution program is interesting. The DVDs, which are either for sale or to borrow, include kirtana, lectures, and movies of India and devotional topics, and create an interest in the people receiving them.] One new Kharkov devotee, a university student in technology, told me that he hears the passersby the harinamasay things like, "These Hare Krishnas are very powerful. They pass out sweets and incense, and make you feel like you don’t want to go anywhere else." In Kharkov the devotees chant six days a week, at least three hours a day, either at the university, park, or downtown, depending on the day. I like to go there every year and become inspired. Sahasra Jit Prabhu, the temple president, tells me that each year they teach an introductory course to about twenty to thirty newcomers to Krishna consciousness, most having developed an interest as a result of the harinama program.

Some People I Encountered in Kharkov

There is Sahasra Jit Prabhu, the temple president, who always gets me at the train station, translates my Bhagavatam classes, finds a place for me to stay, and makes sure I can go on plenty of harinamas. There is Krishna Dvaipayana Prabhu, who is always jolly, and is a dedicated preacher. There is Drumila Dasa, who on harinama, closes his eyes and chants lively tunes with his whole heart. There is Bhakta Andre, the dentist, who kindly spent four hours replacing the fillings for eight of my cavities as a service, because he found my dancing inspiring at the Ukraine festival one year. There is householder Alexi, who invited the harinama party to lunch two days in a row. There was a five-year medical student from Malaysia who went to the Sunday feast there as a ten-year-old kid but decided to take devotional service seriously in Kharkov a few months ago and came out with us on harinama. There was a lady from Iran who teaches Farsi at the university, who developed an interest in Krishna consciousness in Kharkov, and came out on harinama along with her daughter. An English teacher from the university visited the harinama and decided she had to talk with me as I was an American. She blessed me to think good thoughts, say good words, do good activities, and to find God in my heart—all nice sentiments.

Bolo ‘krishna,’ bhajo ‘krishna,’ koro ‘krishna–siksa’.

Chant "Krishna!" worship Krishna, and follow Krishna’s instructions.

(from Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Gitavali)

Sadaputa Prabhu: Words of Praise

Sadaputa Prabhu: Words of Praise

I feel I should say a few words about Sadaputa Prabhu, on the occasion of his disappearance, as I worked for him from 1988 to 2005, assisting mostly with book and video production. Actually beyond it being an obligation, I took as both a great honor and a great pleasure working for him, and I take great pleasure in glorifying him and his achievements.

Srila Prabhupada said, "The more we kick on Darwin's face, the more [we] advance in spiritual consciousness. He has killed the whole civilization, rascal" (Morning Walk, May 12, 1973, Los Angeles). Through his strong words, Srila Prabhupada made it clear that Darwin's materialistic theory has created a so-called civilization in which the quest for self-realization, the goal of human life, will never arise, and he wanted the theory completed discredited. Sadaputa Prabhu dealt many great blows in this connection, which I personally appreciate.

Before I went to work with Sadaputa Prabhu, I thought that in the sense the scientists are presenting that life came to be without God, you could say that are cheating. In Forbidden Archeology, Sadaputa Prabhu and Drutakarma Prabhu show that even according to the ordinary dictionary definition of cheating, the scientists are cheating. By discrediting evidence that does not fit the theory instead of altering the theory to accommodate the evidence, as their scientific method requires, they maintain a false theory and claim objective evidential support. This is a first class example of cheating, elaborately exposed by the grace of Sadaputa and Drutakarma Prabhus, who describe dozens of cases in their book. I hope in the future they both get the recognition for exposing that great hoax of an idea, namely that humans have evolved from apes. In Sadaputa Prabhu's video, "Models of Natural Selection," he shows that the probability of evolution by natural selection of even the simplest organism is out of the question, to the extent of 1 in 10 to the 84th power! In Mechanistic and Nonmechanistic Science he points out that according to information theory there is a conservation of information, and one cannot explain the existence complex biological forms with the simple laws of physics alone. All are wonderful contributions.

His analysis of the Bhagavata cosmology as meaningful in at least four different self-consistent ways is brilliant as is his discovery that the geocentric orbits of the planets line up with the oceans and dvipas of Bhumandala, which provides evidence of advanced astronomical knowledge in India thousands of years ago, and shows the Bhagavata description is not mythology, but a model encoding astronomical and geographical information, well ahead of its time.

Analyzing Vedic star coordinates and the present star coordinates and rates of motion, Sadaputa Prabhu, gave evidence for exact measurement of star positions in India sometime about 30,000 or 40,000 years ago. Such advancement of civilization in ancient times is consistent with traditional Vedic ideas but revolutionary for Western scholars, even the most liberal.

Some people did not appreciate his book on UFOs, because that topic is considered disreputable. Sadaputa Prabhu, a true scientist, was more interested in empirical evidence which provides insight into reality than academic or public opinion. He wrote the book because he read in the Bhagavatam about so many vimanas (flying machines), and so many species of humanlike living beings, many with supernatural powers. He thought if this Vedic version is the truth, there must be some empirical evidence for it. He found in the modern UFO literature amazing parallels with ancient accounts from the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and Bhagavatam. One reviewer of his book, Alien Identities, described it as "the most honest UFO book ever written." Most UFO authors are true believers who bend the facts to support the existence of the UFOs or debunkers who try to explain away all the evidence as deriving from man-made or meteorological phenomena. Sadaputa Prabhu was just interested in the truth about the phenomena, and thus that reviewer and many others were impressed.

When asked by one devotee why he accepted the Vedic knowledge with all its peculiarities, Sadaputa Prabhu replied, Because it can explain so many things." Consciousness, the complexity of biological form, inspiration, out-of-body experiences, past life memories, psychic healing, mystic power, telepathy, psychokinesis, precognition, teleportation, UFOs, ETs, ghosts, and all kinds of natural and supernatural phenomena can be explained with the Vedic world view. On the contrary, modern scientists' attempts to explain all these are either full of fault or else nonexistence because of their firm faith the phenomena cannot exist despite abundant human testimony.

Sadaputa Prabhu was hardworking, brilliant in analysis, consummately fair, humorous, honest and sincere, and faithful to Srila Prabhupada and the Vedic version. He never really disappointed me. I felt sad when people attacked him or didn't appreciate him. He is one who deserves to be appreciated for his sincere efforts.

He was very humorous. In his Origins lectures series, discussing the faith the scientists have in their imperfect theories, he exclaims "And the scientists, they BELIEVE in their theories! They BELIEVE in their theories as much as any Baptist BELIEVES in Lord Jesus Christ!"

I left working for him not because of disagreement, but because at the end, I was just doing accounting and shipping, which I felt any secretary could do. What needed to be done was to promote his books, and I did not have the vision to do that, and unfortunately, I did not even have the determination to enlist someone who did. I felt out of place in Alachua--one brahmacari among a handful, in a household community. I think he understood. Perhaps if he were in my situation, he would have left too.

I still show his videos. I showed "Mind and Brain," "Natural Selection, " and "Mysterious Orbits" in Finland this month, and I showed the Russian version of "The Hidden History of the Human Race" last week at the Ukraine festival. They are valuable and devotees desire to get them to help with their academic programs. I thought he should get some royalties for the videos I distribute, and I asked if I could send money to his email address, but he never wrote me back.

On September 22, in Wroclaw, I met Karanam Prabhu, who published many of Sadaputa Prabhu's books in Polish. He sold at least 60,000, and maybe even 70,000 copies of the Polish version of the abridged Forbidden Archeology. Just this week, he told me, an order came for 300 more.

In February 2007, I sent Sadaputa Prabhu an article about about the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research lab closing after nearly thirty years of fruitful research into the paranormal. He quoted from their studies, and so I thought he would be interested. Sadaputa Prabhu wrote me back the last email I ever got from him, "Thanks. The end of an era..." That too is how it feels for me now that he has disappeared, "The end of an era..."

As Sadaputa Prabhu is a faithful follower of Srila Prabhupada, playing a key role in his mission, I am hopeful of his attainment of Srila Prabhupada's full mercy, which he bestows on those who give their valuable human lives fully to his service. At least we can all pray for that.

I submit these words for the pleasure of the devotees. Please accept them.

In addition, I think a book and video should be produced telling of his life and his achievements. I do not have the determination to do it personally, but I am willing to suggest and contribute content and to proofread the book. I would like it if anyone interested in that might contact me. I have an account on PAMHO, where my user name is "Krsna-krpa SDG". Also perhaps at the Mayapur festival this year, some special program honoring him might be included.

Thank you for your kind attention.

Your servant,

Krishna-kripa das

a very imperfect servant of Sadaputa Prabhu and the other glorious followers of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada, founder-acarya, of ISKCON, BBT, and BI.

travel journal#4.16b: Czech Woodstock 2008

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 4, No. 16b
By Krishna-kripa das
(August 2008, part two)
Czech Woodstock
(Sent from Helsinki, Finland on 9/8/08)

Where I Am and What I Am Doing

Reminded of my taste for encouraging people in kirtana at the Polish Woodstock, I decided to go to the Czech Woodstock instead of the Polish nama-hatta festival after the Polish festival tour.

Czech Woodstock

I had heard of the Czech Woodstock from my friends in recent years but was always busy when it was held. This year, however, it occurred just after the Polish festival tour, so it was easy to go to. I spent three days in between at our Wroclaw temple, where I learned a great Hare Krishna tune on the harmonium. My plan to take buses to the Polish border, walk across the border, and take a buses on the Czech side was foiled when the last Czech bus driver refused to accept my euros, saying firmly "Cheska koruny!" [Czech crowns] and pointing to the door of the bus. So much for the European Union! As it was last bus for the evening, I decided to hitchhike the 16 kilometers to Trutnov, the site of the 21^st annual open air music festival, now attended by 20,000 people willing to pay the 40 euros to get it. After walking two kilometers I got a ride with a couple young ladies in their twenties, who were also going to the Trutnov festival. I gave the driver our Polish mantra yoga card in exchange for the ride. [Persons living near the border can mostly understand the language.] And I gave an invitation to Govinda’s to her friend from Prague. They showed me the VIP entrance where, after I had been waiting in line for fifteen minutes, Mother Vrindavana Priya of Prague, who schedules our kirtana tent at the Polish Woodstock arrived. I was eager to meet the devotees and know how to deal with the registration, and she was eager to avoid waiting for fifteen minutes in line, so it was fortunate we met.

The first night the Prague devotees led some lively kirtana for an hour.

Next Danavir Goswami arrived, and led a wonderful kirtana, chanting the simple Prabhupada melody for three hours. After half an hour, asking the audience to arise, he demonstrated the swami step from the stage, and I demonstrated it, facing him, in the front of the audience. He had between fifteen and forty people dancing at any one time. Most amazing for me was that probably about 80% of them also chanted. I noticed one girl chanted the entire four hours, smiling the whole time. I was glad to see Srila Prabhupada’s program of making hippies into happies is still effective.

The first full day of the festival, organizer Punya Palaka Prabhu, told the people waiting in our tent for the program to start, that we were going to chant around the festival site and downtown, and they were welcome to come.


About eight people, including a couple girls who had chanted almost the entire previous evening joined our party of about ten devotees. It was a great idea to engage the people like that, and they had a great time.

One girl carried the mantra sign the entire hour and a half.

To see about ten harinama pictures included in a gallery of an electronic newspaper, click here.

Punya Palaka explained the people who come are special. Like with the Polish Woodstock, some come to the Czech Woodstock only to attend the Hare Krishna camp. One year, when the devotees began setting up their sound system, the eager attendees waiting for them to play urged them to chant without it. When the devotees did not comply, the Woodstock attendees themselves took up the instruments and had their own Hare Krishna kirtana as the devotees continued setting up the sound!

The devotees have been attending the festival since 1999, when the organizer, who is very favorable, made Hare Krishna the theme of that year’s festival. Ever since then, the devotees have had their own stage at the festival site, and the organizer has put Lord Jagannatha’s face on the festival advertisement each year. In fact, Lord Jagannatha’s smiling face can be seen even the armbands that the festival goers received this year. And although dozens of bands played music at Trutnov, the Krishna hard core band, Shelter, was listed in the top four.

Realizing that I am not a good enough singer or musician to play on the stage with the other devotees, I danced to the music of the kirtana in front of the stage, off to the side. I smiled at the people in the audience, and using gestures, encouraged them to sing and dance, and I appreciated their attempts.

Danavir Goswami lead an electric kirtana the second night, accompanied by two devotees on electric guitars, one on the bass, one on a full drum set, and another on djembe. Maharaja would chant the lead, and point the microphone toward the crowd on the response, encouraging the people to sing along. It was very lively. Occasionally Maharaja would hold the microphone and let one of the guitar players chant the lead. The last half of this video shows what it was like.

Afterwards I saw one girl with hair having streaks of light blue, who had danced right in front of the stage in the middle and chanted with vigor the whole time. I later thanked her for her contribution, and she told me how the chanting gave her so much energy she was amazed and did not know what to do with it. Her friend expressed that although she was very tired, her feet could not stop dancing. I explained that that was all the result of contacting the spiritual energy. The girls, who were from Prague, had seen us on harinama there, and I told them the time and location of our harinamas in case they wanted join in. They loved both our food and our music and had been to Govinda’s. They did not know, however, about the Wednesday evening program at Govinda’s, so I told them that they could come and sing and dance and have a free prasadam meal.I later I saw the girl who had chanted for four hours, when she came up to me and thanked me for my encouragement. She had not originally planned to come back but to go to a punk rock festival the next day. I found she was from Brno, and I gave her a Brno invitation card I got when visiting there in June, and introduced her to Mayapur Chandrodaya Prabhu, one of the most active devotees in that center.

Three girls practically lived in our tent for the better of the four days, often chanting along. They are seen in the far left of this photo, in front, two sitting on the ground, chanting and smiling, and one behind on the bench. When I decided to pick up the trash during a break in the action, two of them helped me.

One young man, who likes to chant "Haribol!" loudly, throwing his arms in the air, wanted to give me his black leather wrist bands, appreciating my enthusiasm in the kirtana. Such things are not part of my natural wardrobe, and I declined them with the quite real excuse that, as devotees, we do not unnecessarily use leather products because of the violence behind them. I appreciated his sentiment and gave him a mantra card. A devotee told me that previously the man had purchased some books. One girl gave me some pakoras and a container of tissue paper in appreciation. For me, the appreciation of individual people made the festival especially sweet.

The devotee hardcore band, Shelter, from America, resurrected for Trutnov, played for about an hour, led by Raghunatha Prabhu, who now is a fulltime yoga teacher in upstate New York. In this video, you can see the glowing Jagannatha face on the stage above the band as they play! Raghunatha is very personable with the audience, who reciprocated nicely. He inserted different philosophical points from time to time, between songs. For example, he said that it is not how well you play the guitar but that you sing from the heart. He mentioned that he would be singing at the Krishna Camp the next day, and invited the people to come. I had not seen him since the Polish Woodstock five years ago.
Prasadam is very popular and the devotees served it at least three different venues. After one chanting session I saw two high school girls, who had chanted and danced nicely for almost an hour, eating some pakoras and chutney. I asked if they liked food. They smiled, saying they did, listing with joy all the preparations they had tried, culminating in the sweet rice with berries in it, which was also my favorite. Although they knew of the Govinda’s on Palmovka in their hometown of Prague, they had never eaten there. I told them of the other Govinda’s with their chanting and dancing and free dinner program on Wednesdays and gave them an invitation. They had seen the devotees chanting in Prague, and I told them how they meet at 4 p.m. at Republic Square on Wednesdays and Fridays, so they could also take part. In the course of talking I explained that we are spiritual beings who are by nature always happy but feel distress due to material identification. The mantra is a spiritual sound that elevates us to a higher level where the problems of the material world do not exist. Because they had chanted nicely in the kirtana, they could appreciate to some extent how that was true. Material solutions do not help but result in more problems, as in the case of one who takes shelter of drinking to avoid his miserable condition. He still has his previous ninety-nine problems, but now one more—a drinking habit. I gave them cards with the mantra to take with them. The two friends had a wonderful experience in our Krishna camp and promised to return later in the evening.

Another fan of prasadam was a one software tester who works in Prague and used to eat regularly at Govinda’s on Palmovka when her office was located there. Last year she went to India for two weeks and had such a nice time she wants to go again. I told her how I lived in India the last three winters and mentioned some of our projects there like Mayapur, Vrindavana, and Chowpatty, giving her the addresses of their web pages, and telling her about Krishna.com which lists all our centers worldwide. One who goes to these music festival programs may wonder how much benefit is gained by the people, who although they like to sing and dance with the devotees, are still drinking their beers and puffing on their cigarettes, sometimes all at once. In this regard, a nice point is made in The Nectar of Devotion in the beginning of chapter three: "On account of his association with mahatmas, or great souls one hundred-percent in the devotional service of the Lord, one may attain a little bit of attraction for Sri Krishna. But at the same time one may remain very much attached to fruitive activities and material sense enjoyment and not be prepared to undergo the different types of renunciation. Such a person, if he has unflinching attraction to Krishna, becomes an eligible candidate for discharging devotional service." From this it seems that if we can encourage the people to develop their attraction to Krishna to the extent that it is unflinching, they too may take up the practice of sadhana-bhakti in serious way and attain love of Godhead in due course.

From the three restaurants (two named Govindas and one called Balarama) and two weekly harinamas (four in the summer) in Prague, and from previous festivals, like Trutnov and the devotees’ Happy Days festival, many, many people in Czech Republic think favorably of the devotees and appreciate some kinds of devotional service. It was nice to meet these people and try to encourage them even more. I thank my friends from Czech who invited me to come, and Punya Palaka Prabhu for organizing our participation. For more information, you may want to see Punya Palaka’s article on the Czech Woodstock festival in general on Dandavats.com, or see the official Trutnov festival site. Czech devotees have their own article at http://www.harekrsna.cz/ with photos as well.

sanketyam parihasyam va

stobham helanam eva va
vaikuntha-nama-grahanam
asesagha-haram viduh

One who chants the holy name of the Lord is immediately freed from the reactions of unlimited sins, even if he chants indirectly [to indicate something else], jokingly, for musical entertainment, or even neglectfully. This is accepted by all the learned scholars of the scriptures. (SB 6.2.14)

Srimati Radharani Talks to a Bumblebee

Srimati Radharani Talks to a Bumblebee

(a poem by Krishna-kripa dasa based on Srila Prabhupada's
Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead)

Uddhava, servant of Krishna,
Entered the holy Vraja land.
Krishna sent him with a message
To give to the gopis by hand.

The gopis remembered Lord Krishna,
Hearing of Uddhava's mission,
So much so they forgot their homes
And their external position.

Sri Radha, mad with Krishna thought,
In touch through devotion complete,
Talked to a nearby bumblebee,
Who tried to touch Her lotus feet.

'When you're after honey, dear bee,
Each and every flower will do.
Now you convey Krishna's message,
For He's the same nature as you.

'Red kunkum adorns your moustache
As you most proudly let Me see.
It clung to Krishna's garland when
He embraced one other than Me.

'You have come here with His message,
And you're daring to touch My feet,
But I warn you sir, don't touch Me!
You cheating servant of a cheat!'

These sarcastic words of Radha,
Directed at the bumblebee,
Reveal Her doubts about Krishna
And His servant, Uddhavaji.

'Your nature is so like Krishna's
You take a flower's honey then leave,
As Krishna let us taste His lips,
Then, suddenly left us to grieve.

'Why does Sri Lakshmi serve Him so,
Knowing His real character.
We're smarter and won't be cheated
By Him nor by His messenger.'

As Krishna expands as Vishnu,
From Radha comes the goddess Sri.
Although she's goddess of fortune,
She wants to become a gopi.

'Dear bee, You chant Krishna's glories
Thus seeking a reward from Me.
Why this simply useless attempt?
It's foolish as foolish can be!

'We have left all our possessions
And our homes and families too.
We know this Krishna very well.
We all know Him better than you.

'Since Krishna moved to the city
And is known as friend of Arjuna
He now has many new girlfriends
Who think He's the ultimate boon.

'Happily blessed by Krishna's touch
They'll smile as you chant His glories.
Tricky friend of tricky Krishna,
Please go! Enough of your stories.

'Though you're great at solving conflicts,
Your words and Krishna's I can't trust.
We gave up everything for Him,
But He treated us just like dust.

'He can't live without young women,
But city girls aren't so naive.
Not like innocent cowherd girls,
Who charmed by His words, believe.

'Want to lead us to Mathura?
And then again, whatever for?
Krishna's smile is so enchanting
Any woman would just adore.

'Krishna smiles, His eyebrows dancing,
Enticing women all around.
Compare to those, led by Lakshmi,
We're just like straw upon the ground.

'He presents Himself, a noble,
And sages praise Him with respect.
One so great should show His mercy
For we are pained by His neglect.

'Foolish servant, you don't know Him.
He's been so hard-hearted and cold
In this life and in former ones.
The details Paurnamasi's told.

'She claimed He came as Rama, the king,
But His actions were a disgrace.
He killed Vali like a coward,
Without fighting him face to face.

'Attached to Sita's pure beauty,
He drove Surpanakha to tears.
Instead of appeasing her lust,
He chopped off her nose and her ears.'

'Next He came as the brahmana boy
Asking alms from Bali, the king.
Then displeased, He punished Bali,
Though Bali'd offered Him everything.

'We know that Krishna very well.
He's hard-hearted, restless, and mean.
How can we stop our talks of Him?
This certainly remains to be seen.

'Not only we, but great souls too
All have these same proclivities.
We can't see how we'll ever stop
Discussing His activities.'

Because Krishna is absolute
Both His kind and mean acts please.
Opportunities to hear of them
Great devotees will always seize.

Caitanya taught that Krishna's free
To leave us and bring dejection.
He may crush us or embrace us,
Still, we serve Him with affection.

'No one should hear these Krishna talks,
For if a drop goes in one's ear,
One's freed from all dualities
And things materially dear.'

Free of material desire,
One gives up family and home.
Wandering in search of Krishna,
Going here and there, he will roam.

To understand Krishna's nature
Is hard in actuality,
His name, form, comrades, and pastimes
Are of transcendent quality.

'Please don't speak anymore of Krishna.
Give us another topic to hear.
Krishna charmed us with His sweet words
As hunters' tunes entrance a deer.

'In our present doomed condition,
We think of His glittering feet,
And become lusty for His touch.
Please, from your talks of Him, retreat!'

All these talks of Radharani
With the messenger bumblebee
Which refer to Krishna alone
Symptomize topmost ecstacy.

These symptoms of mahabhava
In Radha and the gopis too,
Acaryas have closely studied
To explain the things that they do.

Radha acts as if bewildered,
And She talks in different ways.
This all comes from Her Krishna love
As from jewels come sparkling rays.

Sri Radha's talking with the bee
Cured Her woe of separation,
But then when the bee disappeared,
She went mad in desparation.

Thinking the bee went to Krishna
Telling Her words of demotion,
She feared that She made Krishna sad,
And thus She felt great emotion.

When the bee appeared before Her,
She felt Krishna to be most kind:
He ignored Her disruptive words
And sent the bee to calm Her mind.

Then Sri Radha spoke with great care
Thus addressing the bumblebee.
This time She was speaking sweet words
And not words full of infamy.

'My dear friend, you are most welcome.
To send you, Krishna is so kind.
He ignored My words against Him,
Though they couldn't have pleased His mind.

'Oh My friend, you're welcome to ask Me
Whatever you desire, dear bee,
For I shall give you anything
Because of your kindness to Me.

'You've come to take Me to Krishna
Because He cannot come to Me,
For there new girlfriends surround Him.
But you're too small to take Me, dear bee!

'How can you help Me meet Krishna?
For there He is taking His rest
Along with the goddess of fortune
And embracing her to His chest.

'Oh, never mind! Forget these talks
Of My going or sending you.
Tell Me how Krishna is faring.
In Mathura, what does He do?

'Does He miss His father Nanda?
And His most loving mother too?
What about His cowherd boyfriends?
And we gopis? Give us a clue!

'I'm sure He sometimes sings of us,
We who all served Him without pay.
We simply were His maidservants.
To embrace Him once more, we pray!

'Oh, when will His arms surround us,
Always fragrant with aguru scent.
Oh, please ask Krishna these questions,
Without Him we simply lament!'

This worship in separation
By the gopis of Their dear Lord
Is most praised by Lord Caitanya
As giving the supreme reward.

This reward of love of Krishna
Is certainly the highest goal.
It's this Caitanya came to teach,
And it is this He did extol.

travel journal#4.16a: Wroclaw, Leipzig, Berlin, Bremen

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 4, No. 16a
By Krishna-kripa das
(August 2008, part two)
Wroclaw, Leipzig, Berlin, Bremen
(Sent from Tampere, Finland on 9/2/08)

Where I Am and What I Am Doing

After to the Polish festival tour, I went with Giridhari Prabhu to Wroclaw, where I spent three days, waiting for the start of the Czech Woodstock, which I will describe in the next article, as it requires a whole article itself. After that I went to Leipzig and Berlin, on the way to Bremen, Germany, where I caught a flight to Finland. Airport security threw out my less than 100 ml of sun screen merely because it was in a bottle marked 200 ml, although I showed them that the bottle was clearly less than half full! I plan to write the company for compensation. Fortunately there was a power outlet at the boarding gate, and I could work on this journal! Now I am in Finland, researching an article on the Finnish yatra, especially its programs for academia, for Back to Godhead and meditating on speaking on the glories of Radharani for Radhastami.

Devotional Meditations

Thoughts from Indradymuna Swami’s lectures:

Religion is meant to purify ourselves. If we do not become purified, we are either following a bogus religion or incorrectly following a real religion.

As a brahmana, Ajamila knew what was sinful and yet he acted sinfully. The holy name, however, delivered even him.

The holy name, like any incarnation of the Lord, is meant to protect the pious, to rectify the demoniac, and to reestablish the principles of religion.

Festivals like the Polish Woodstock are golden opportunities to share Krishna consciousness with many thousands of people. Such chances happen only a few times in our entire lives.

Tale from the History of Krishna Consciousness in Bulgaria

My friend Jagannatha Misra Prabhu, who led harinama this year on the Polish tour, told me some of the interesting history of Krishna consciousness in Bulgaria. After the Soviet Union collapsed, many religious groups appeared in Bulgaria. At one point, the Bulgarian parliament met for seven days to decide about prohibiting several of these “new” religions. Hare Krishna was first on their list. The devotees chanted in front of the parliament from early in the morning each day. They also distributed a statement of their philosophy and a list of their leading members and their occupations. This was so effective that by the end of the week, the parliament decided to ban all the new religions except Hare Krishna. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church was infuriated with this decision, and decided to put all their energy into stopping the devotees. However, on that very day, a split occurred in the church, and so instead, they put all there energy into fighting between the two divisions. That dispute continues even today. In this way, Krishna protected His devotees, who are able to carry on their distribution of spiritual knowledge there in Bulguria.

Wroclaw

Although there are not many devotees in Wroclaw, and I was one of the two or three at the morning program and evening kirtana, I was reminded how nice it is to do the devotional activities Srila Prabhupada has given us, even in the association of just a very few devotees.

Another Venue for Sharing the Mercy

Visvarupa Prabhu, a book distributor based in Wroclaw, told me of an innovative program he does in the lake filled region of northeastern Poland. He and a couple friends rent a boat, and go from one port to another, doing bhajanas and distribution of prasadam sweets for about two hours every evening. Since the boats are a bit expensive, he meets more upper class people. Sometimes the people even invite the devotees on their boats to play for them. It is a combination of a vacation and an opportunity to share spiritual nectar. The downside is it is a bit pricy; the most inexpensive boats rent for $1000 for two weeks.

Lots of Love in Leipzig

Taking four trains, two buses, and a tram, I traveled from Trutnov, Czech, to Leipzig, Germany, arriving in time for the end of the Prabhupada Vyasa Puja feast. I told the prasadam server I would take one of each of the sweets and received a plate with fifteen different desserts! Although half the devotees left for a program with Kadamba Kanana Swami in northern Germany, in that small, recently created temple ten devotees came on harinama with me one day and eight the next! I was so inspired by their enthusiasm, I decided to make the carob coconut burfi I used to make for harinama when I lived in San Diego and Alachua. One devotee took the trouble to roll it all into balls. They are a cooperative bunch of devotees there. On our second harinama, several people stood and watched for some time, several promised to come to the temple, one wanted her picture taken with us, another drew a sketch of our party (above), and yet another wanted the recipe for our sweet. All in all, I was pleased both by the response of the pubic and enthusiasm of the devotees, and I hope to return to Leipzig during the first half of June next year, during which they participate in two well-attended public festivals, doing a lot of kirtana and prasadam distribution. Kadamba Kanana Swami also likes the Leipzig temple since the youthful devotees are very enthusiastic, their minds free of the complaints which sometimes haunt those who have lived through decades of temple life.

Bliss in Berlin

Both days I was in Berlin we did harinama, and I made carob-cocnut burfi for distribution. The first day, one mataji surrendered to driving four brahmacaris to Alexanderplatz, a crowded area great for harinama. One man who saw us chanting was impressed with our sincerity and called the temple about our program the next day. As it turns out, we met him again on harinama the next day and gave him a ride back to the temple for the program. His story is that he came to the temple in Berlin twenty years ago. I talked to him after the program led by Kadamba Kanana Swami, and he said he had a good time. On the second harinama, nine men, mostly brahmacaris went out. We met someone from Scotland, and he also came to the Saturday program. The practicality of harinama as a way to interest people in coming to the temple could not be more obvious than we experienced in Berlin. We also realized it was a great idea to do harinama just before the weekly feast program to generate interest, and even bring people to the temple. My thanks to the Berlin and Leipzig devotees for encouraging me by doing harinama for four days out of my five-and-a-half-day visit to Germany.

ekala malakara ami kahan kahan
yaba ekala va kata phala padiya vilaba
ekala uthana dite haya parisrama
keha paya, keha na paya, rahe mane bhrama
ataeva ami ajna dilun sabakare
yahan tahan prema-phala deha’ yare tare

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “I am the only gardener. How many places can I go? How many fruits can I pick and distribute? It would certainly be a very laborious task to pick the fruits and distribute them alone, and still I suspect that some would receive them and others would not. Therefore I order every man within this universe to accept this Krishna consciousness movement and distribute it everywhere.” (Cc. Adi 9.34-36)

“Here Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu indicates that the distribution of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra should be performed by combined forces. Although He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He laments, “How can I act alone? How can I alone pick the fruit and distribute it all over the world?” This indicates that all classes of devotees should combine to distribute the Hare Krishna maha-mantra without consideration of the time, place or situation.” (Cc. Adi 9.34, purport).

travel journal#4.15: Polish Woodstock 2008

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 4, No. 15
By Krishna-kripa das
(August 2008, part one)
Polish Woodstock 2008
(Sent from near Kolobrzeg, Poland on 8/17/08)

Where I Am and What I Am Doing

We assisted Indradyumna Swami and his team at a spiritual cultural festival at the site of Przystanek Woodstock, the largest European outdoor rock concert, during the period from July 30 to August 3. Here I share some impressions from this year's event and do not attempt to describe it completely. My web pages from previous years, 2001, 2002, and 2003, give an overall impression the whole event. I also advise reading Indradyumna Swami's journal on Woodstock when it comes out at http://www.traveling-preacher.com/ for it is more comprehensive. I only participate in a small part of the festivities, and I only have time to describe some of what I experienced.

Ratha-yatra



We had Ratha-yatra every day at the Poland Woodstock festival.

Some punks were very eager to sweep the street before Lord Jagannatha and successfully competed with the devotees for the service. When they got the chance, they were so enthusiastic the nearby devotees became covered with dust. Some pulled the ropes of the cart with full strength, minimizing the contribution of the devotees in comparison. Some continued for three hours, from beginning to end. They were less in number but were actually doing the job of pulling the cart.

Many people smiled to view Lord Jagannatha, Lord Baladeva, and
Lady Subhadra, on Their carts and their dancing devotees in front.

Govinda Dasa from Scotland and Hare Krishna Dasa from Italy, seen here playing accordions, were among the visiting kirtana leaders.

The devotee musicians, like Jagannatha Misra Prabhu on the whompers, Syama Rasa Prabhu on the djembe, and Bhakta Tom on the gong, were really fired up.

The dancing in front of the Ratha-yatra was a great joy for the devotees and the Woodstock attendees, and to see it as an observer was a joy as well.

Many, many people danced with us.

Indradyumna Swami himself was one of the liveliest dancers.

Just see the people smiling and dancing!

Indradyumna Swami and B. B. Govinda Swami dance with the Woodstock folks, some quite outlandishly dressed, like the guy with the mask looking at B. B. Govinda Swami.

The young ladies also delighted in dancing with the devotees before Lord Jagannatha's cart.

One girl with dredlocks, wearing a long, shining, golden dress, danced with upraised arms with great pleasure before Lord Jagannatha. She came up to me, in the middle of our first Ratha-yatra, saying she remembered me from my chanting at the train station after Woodstock last year. I dredged my memory and then it occurred to me. One of the hundred or two hundred people, either lining the platform or sitting on the train, and hearing our mini harinama was one girl, who I recalled because as she danced with us, she twirled her longest dredlock, which was so long it touched the ground behind her. Like our martial artist, Dina Dayal Prabhu, who twirls his sword, to the front, the left, the right, and back, she did the same with her longest dredlock. This year, that girl, conspicuous by her long, shining, golden dress, danced in every single Ratha-yatra for at least half an hour, smiling brightly the whole time. After the last Ratha-yatra, I asked the town of her residence, and gave her our invitation to our center in the nearby city of Wroclaw, telling her she can come there and dance with us every week. Perhaps she will for she seemed to have gotten a higher taste.

The participation of the both devotees and the Woodstock attendees in the Ratha-yatra has great spiritual value. Srila Prabhupada writes in The Nectar of Devotion, "In the Brahmanda Purana it is said, 'A person who sees the Lord's Ratha-yatra car festival and then stands up to receive the Lord can purge all kinds of sinful results from his body.' . . . A similar statement is there in the Bhavishya Purana, in which it is said, 'Even if born of a lowly family, a person who follows the Ratha-yatra car when the Deities pass in front or from behind will surely be elevated to the position of achieving equal opulence with Vishnu [the Supreme Lord].'" Elsewhere in the book it is stated: "In the Bhavishya Purana it is said, 'In such a ceremony, if even a candala [dog-eater], simply out of curiosity, sees the Lord on the cart, he becomes counted as one of the associates of Vishnu.'"

Many videos on You Tube show scenes from the Krishna presence at Woodstock, and by searching for "Woodstock 2008 Krishna" you will encounter them. Just after two or so minutes into it, this particular video shows a lot of the lively dancing at the Ratha-yatra.

Bhakti Marg Swami's Spontaneous Kirtana
With the Woodstock Folk

The last two days of the Woodstock, Bhakti Marg Swami decided to do kirtana in the evening in the interior of our village, on the opposite side from our stage. Without arrangement of stage or amplication, he just sat with them, reminding us of Srila Prabhupada chanting under the tree in Tompkins Square Park in the early days, surrounded by the hippies. Some people around Bhakti Marg Swami were sitting eating, some resting, and some intoxicated. The first day he engaged Bhakta Tom as a djembe player, but the second he started just clapping his hands and chanting and gradually attendees and some devotees gathered to participate, some of both groups bringing instruments. The Woodstock attendees really got into the down home kirtana, and jumped up and down, dancing with great enthusiasm. He chose simple tunes that made it easy to learn and chant along with the mantra, and they responded. I as well as others passed many mantra cards to the people, who were in many ways more lively than those dancing in our kirtana tent. The inspired people would drag their friends into the middle and encourage them to participate as well to their mutual delight. That Bhakti Marg Swami was willing to sit down in the midst of the people really won their hearts and inspired them to participate. When Indradyumna Swami and B. B. Govinda Swami began their chanting on the stage, Bhakti Marg Swami slowly walked in that direction, surrounded by his group, and upon arriving at the main tent, humbly requested those following him to dance in front of the stage to the kirtana of the Maharajas, and thus ended his kirtana.

Bhakti Marg Swami also produced a Bhagavad-gita drama that was shown on our stage, both at the Woodstock and the rest of the summer tour, and which makes many of Krishna's main teachings in that book come alive. The devotees all hope he can return next year, and share his enthusiasm with us.

Notable Impressions

For me, what made Woodstock most rewarding this year was connecting interested people with Krishna programs in their local areas. Trisama Prabhu, who has been involved in nama-hatta for many years, gave me a list of all temples and nama-hatta contacts in Poland. I was able to connect about thirteen people, in five regions in Poland, with local groups, so they can continue their devotional association, most essential for spiritual progress, if they are ambitious enough to do so.

The Polish devotees who know English are engaged in many important services, and so none were on hand in the kirtana tent to translate Adi Karta Prabhu’s brief talk about the chanting. Thus he asked for a translator from the audience, and one young lady volunteered. She spoke quite confidently and accurately as far as I could tell. Eager to indentify someone who knew English, and thus someone who I could talk to, I spoke with her afterward. She is majoring in linguistics and had recently taken a course on interpretation. By Krishna's grace, she was just a suitable person to play the role of a translator! She is from Krakow, the city in Poland famous for its university and student population. I told her we have periodic programs there, with singing, food, and philosophy, and she took down the contact information of our local nama-hatta devotee.

Giving out mantra cards to those watching and participating in the kirtanas was a great joy for me. Some people showed their happiness in receiving the cards by smiles, gestures, and with exclamations, and some by eagering showing them to their friends, who then also wanted them. Some exclaimed "Text!" as if a long cherished desire had been fulfilled. A few were so happy they wanted to embrace us. I thank Indradyumna Swami who kindly had the forsight to print 17,000 such cards of which we may have distributed 4,000, and to Jayatam Jaya Sila Prabhu who designed them. We are primarily distributing the holy name in this Hare Krishna movement, and I was happy to assist in this.

Giving out invitations for our festival of spiritual food and entertainment was also rewarding. It is nice to promote an event you believe in and which others appreciate. Practically 90% of the people would take the invitations. Even the final evening, when there were only four hours remaining, still 70% of the people would take the invitations, one time seven people in a row did. I passed out the invitations in a very graceful way with a smile and often a hearty "Zapraszamy" ("We invite you"). And people reciprocated accepting them sometimes gracefully, sometimes with folded hands, and often with a smile. Sometimes they would have a grim or neutral expression on their faces, which would break out in a smile, and they would reach out and take one.

I have corresponded with one girl, Paulina, since she came to our festival in Kolobrzeg in 2006. She visited our Krishna village this Woodstock on the first full day. Later she came by the kirtana tent when I was leading kirtana, and more competent lead singers had deserted to the Ratha-yatra. I was happy to see that she sang along, smiling. I kept the same tune going as I know you can lose people by leaving a gap between tunes or singers, and the crowd built up from two or three to twenty or thirty, including a few dancers. When a couple good lead singers arrived, I ended and asked Paulina to translate a few words for me about the mantra. I knew she was not confident of her English, and would be reluctant, but I thought it would be a good thing anyway. I explained how the mantra was composed of God’s names, and God is not different from His names. God is full of happiness, and by associating with Him in the form of the holy name, you can become happy. She is from near Wroclaw, and I gave her an invitation to that temple which I obtained from our book tent. She promised to come.

For me, Woodstock meant meeting old friends and making new ones.

Besides those I spoke of, on our first harinama, I met a boy I spoke to in the bus from the Ukraine border when I had taken Gour Mohan to Lvov in the beginning of July. He had told me he knew us from Woodstock and said he would see us there, which he did. Had he not shown me the train station, I would not have made the train, scheduled to leave two minutes after I boarded it.

I saw also Izabela, a resident of Kostrzyn, who I also knew from 2006. She was eager to come again for Krishna prasadam.

One girl from near Wroclaw spoke to me during the Ananda Maya (the successor of Village of Peace and 18 Days) concert. We talked about the spiritual Village of Peace songs we both liked. She bought a book from our Wroclaw center a month ago. I told her of our four-day nama-hatta Janmastami festival near Jelenie Gora, and she wondered if she could set her tent up there at our farm, and I promised to send her information about it.

I met a couple girls from north Germany. One knew English well, having lived in Canada three months. She had done charitable work in Tamil Nadu for three months, enjoyed India, and had spiritual aspirations. I told her about our temples in Vrindavana and Mayapur, and gave her the web page addresses for our German and English web sites.

Many people liked the prasadam, which was better than previous years. Even the day after, we served out the leftovers to some very grateful people. I invited one boy from Berlin to next weekend’s Ratha-yatra there.

I thanked the ambassador to India for his great lecture in Kolobrzeg. I mentioned the translation of the Gita verse he spoke on. I said I liked the fact than he showed how the Gita can practically benefit our lives. He says he will retire in a year, although his term lasts three. I reminded him that Vedic culture teaches retirement for the purpose of spiritual development.

 

The kirtana tent was special this year because the dancing had reached another level. The kind of dance where the people form a chain and go up and around and back, in and out, and all around, abounded. It seemed there were fifty or even seventy people in the one, two, or occasionally three, such winding chains of people. Half were devotees and half were on the way. To see the happy smiles of all involved was joyous. Some of the people happily chanted as well. This kind of dancing went on for three hours nonstop, and I could not believe the endurance of the people.

Credit goes to B. B. Govinda Swami, and his traveling musicians, and Indradyumna Swami for the lively chanting, all motivating the late night dancing. B. B. Govinda would start very slow and bring the kirtana to a lively speed, and then start slow once again. Once eleven-year-old Mallika, Indradyumna Swami’s brother’s step daughter, lead the tune B. B. Govinda Swami and his excellent female singer had been chanting. Her chanting there, standing on the stage, with a microphone, was charming, and people loved it.
Sometimes people would watch from the outside, then start moving with the music, and finally rush into the tent and join in. Others, with previously generated enthusiasm, would come running from a distance. Sometimes mothers would dance with their children, or they would encourage their children to dance.

People of all ages took the mantra cards, with few indifferent to them. One girl claimed I offered her a card five times, but it was very hard to remember the faces, and some people I thought I may have given them to, took them like it was the first time.
I saw one boy on several occasions at our different functions. Towards the end of the festival he had a Bhagavad-gita and a blue bead bag. He lamented during our final kirtana that he would be separated from us. I encouraged him that we have periodic programs in many areas, and he said that the devotees told him about the one near him. I asked if his school or work would prevent him from coming, and he said no but his parents would. Still he is fortunate to get Gita and the holy name, and I tried to encourage him as best I could.

B. B. Govinda Swami and Indradyumna Swami did kirtana on our main stage the final night.

The dancing was especially wonderful.

While I helped clean up the festival the day after, a middle-aged woman questioned me in Polish. I referred her to a Polish devotee who often does questions and answers. I noticed a hour later, they were still talking. Some people like that lady were quite inquisitive.

All in all, many, many tens of thousands of people came in touch with Krishna in a favorable way those four days, thus they progressed spiritually. We thank Indradyumna Swami and the selfless devotees working under his directions for their tireless service to make it all possible, and Srila Prabhupada for engaging us all in these auspicious activities.

Bliss at the Train Station the Day After

Remembering our last year’s harinama at the train station, and seeing how the one girl with the dredlocks who had seen us then, participated in all our Ratha-yatras this year, I tried to get a few friends to chant at the train station where a few hundred people would be waiting for trains back home. Everyone was too busy taking down the festival or too tired. One said he would come if I arranged a car, which I failed to do—the fifteen-minute walk being unthinkable. I decided at 9:00 p.m. to go myself with some karatalas and mantra cards. On the way out I found a huge bucket of halava in the parking lot, and recalled how one devotee distributed some at the train station after our harinama last year. When I went into the kitchen to get a smaller bucket it to transfer it to, I saw Radhe Govinda Prabhu. "O great, a surrendered soul!" I thought. I was in bliss because I knew Radhe Govinda liked adventure, sharing Krishna consciousness, and wasn’t afraid to stay up late. I explained that I wanted to distribute some halava at the train station. He said it was a one-man job, and I could do it alone. I replied that that was true, but I did not have the mental strength to deal with the groups of people, some of whom are drunk and some of whom tease you and make life difficult, and I wanted the association of another devotee. He could appreciate that, so we went together, getting there around 10:00 p.m. There were groups of people there, and some were quite eager to get the free halava and most accepted the complimentary mantra cards as well.

One person taking the halava, Dorian Dec, who spoke English, said he had come to our camp and really appreciated our kitchen. He also asked about the mantra, and we explained the meaning of each word. He wanted to hear it, and I took out my karatalas and we all chanted together briefly. He asked about many things and he talked with us, especially with Radhe Govinda, for two hours, until his train left. Sometimes while he was talking with Radhe Govinda, I would chant and distribute halava to others. Dorian said he had come to one of our Baltic coast festivals in 1999 and seen a drama. He thought for a few seconds, and then exclaimed "Ramacandro!" a line from the play, saying it with the same intonation and feeling that the actor does. He then remembered the evil multiheaded Ravana. Radhe Govinda smiled and said, "That was me. I was there in 1999, and I played Ravana." Dorian also remembered the demoness who lost her ears and nose. I was amazed that someone would recall so many details from a play he saw nine years before, beginning with the all-auspicious name of Lord Ramacandra. Dorian also had me write his name in Sanskrit, and he took another cup of halava for his several-hour journey home, as did a couple other people. Dorian lives in Opole, about an hour from Wroclaw by train. I gave him an invitation for our Wroclaw temple. He and we were very happy about our meeting.

While we were talking with Dorian, a boy with a djembe came up to us, introducing himself as the person Indradyumna Swami had danced with on Ratha-yatra two years ago. He had also come and danced in this year’s Ratha-yatra, and devotees told me he was much improved in appearance. He mentioned he lost his meditation beads, but we did not have any extras. Had I been less spaced out, I could have got his address so we could send him some. It is nice how Krishna keeps sending us people with previous relationships with devotees when we go out.

To go from spending fifteen hours a day sharing Krishna consciousness with people, as we had for four days, down to none was too much. Our little two-hour outing helped fill the void. I recall how Srila Prabhupada said in a letter to his press workers, that he liked all the devotees, even those involved in his most sacred book production, to go out on sankirtana at least an hour a day and share Krishna consciousness with others.

Woodstock Impact

One evening as our summer tour drew to a close, I congratulated one new mataji, Isvari Dasi, on her initiation by Kavicandra Swami. To inspire her I told her how Kavicandra Swami once suddenly told me as I entered the temple room in San Diego fifteen years ago, "We must desire that these people become Krishna conscious. So many people became Krishna conscious simply because Srila Prabhupada desired it so." It was such a powerful point it stuck in my mind for so many years.

She told me she first met the devotees a year or so ago when she had come to Woodstock. She saw me in our questions and answers tent. She recalled how I said I wore devotional clothes even while going to the post office and the bank and that it was not a problem. She remembered I showed my bead bag and beads and demonstrated how to chant. After the Woodstock, she got some cloth and made bead bags for her and her husband, bought some beads at a store, and took up chanting Hare Krishna. This year her family spent a lot of time helping out on the tour, and she ultimately took initiation. We always wonder about the results of all our endeavor in putting on the Woodstock and the summer tour. When we see people, like Isvari and her husband, taking Krishna consciousness seriously. We realize it is all worth it.

tava kathamritam tapta-jivanam
kavibhir iditam kalmasapaham
sravana-mangalam srimad atatam
bhuvi grnanti ye bhuri-da janah
"[The gopis said to Krishna:] 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." (SB 10.31.9)