Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 16, No. 14
By Krishna Kripa Das
(July 2020, part two)
Orlando
(Sent from Orlando on August 7, 2020)
Where I Went and What I Did
I continued staying at ISKCON Orlando and doing pujari service in the morning and chanting Hare Krishna for three hours at nearby Jay Blanchard Park later in the day, at times when the weather permitted. No day was I rained out. During the last half of July I was joined once by Seth Novak, who come up from Melbourne, Florida, to do temple service, and three times by Jeremiah, an astanga yoga practitioner and teacher who encountered bhakti and Hare Krishna kirtana in Costa Rica, and who came over from Tampa or up from Lake Wales. Once a young lady in the park joined us for over an hour.
I share absolutely wonderful quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s books, lectures, letters, and room conversations. I share excerpts of books by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share notes on a class by Bhakti Caitanya Swami from his Newcastle UK Sunday Zoom program. I share quotes from Back to Godhead articles by Nagaraja, Samapriya, Visakha, Karuna Dharini, Sarvabhauma, and Caitanya Candra Prabhus. I share quotes by Anandamoya, Mahamsa, and Purvabhakti Prabhus from Prabhupada in South India, by Rajasekhara Prabhu. I share inspiring quotes from the “Vedic Thoughts” page in Back to Godhead magazine.
Thanks to Alexa Norris for the video of me chanting at Blanchard Park.
Itinerary
July 11–August 16: Orlando harinamas at Jay Blanchard Park
August 17–mid September: Tallahassee harinamas
mid September–mid November: Tallahassee and/or Yuga Dharma Harinama in Atlanta
November 27–28: Alachua Festival of the Holy Name
December 5: Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami Vyasa-puja
December 24: Albany
Chanting Hare Krishna in Orlando
I had different nice experiences chanting in Jay Blanchard Park, which is just 0.6 miles (1 km) from ISKCON Orlando. I feel blessed by having such facility for public chanting here. In Gainesville, I have no nice place to chant when there are no classes at the university, and in Tallahassee there is a park, but I have to go by car.
He replied, “Especially in Kali-yuga.”
Then he motorcycled 2¼ hours back to Tampa in the midday sun.
It was humorous to consider that it was difficult for me to get devotees to walk one minute from their rooms to sing with me for fifteen minutes on the porch of the temple, and here this brand new person drove his motorcycle for 4½ hours and sang with me for three hours!
Seth Novak, who I know from his visits to the Gainesville Krishna House beginning in the 1990s, chanted Hare Krishna with me for three hours at Blanchard Park, and distributed spiritual literature as well, having come to ISKCON Orlando in the morning from his home near Melbourne, an hour away, to do service (https://youtu.be/RjjP383SN4w):
Once a young couple was attracted by the chanting and stopped by to talk briefly and take “On Chanting Hare Krishna” and Krishna, Reservoir of Pleasure. The girl, Alexa, whose family was from the Philippines, was excited about studying aerospace in Daytona. She asked if she could take a video of me chanting, and I said, “Yes, if you record at least one entire mantra and you promise to send it to me.” True to her word, she sent it by email at full resolution using WeTransfer.com, which I told her about (https://youtu.be/4djy4sZRig0):
Here weekend pujari, Gopal Govinda Shyama Prabhu, chants Hare Krishna, accompanied by his friend on karatalas, in an ISKCON Orlando Saturday morning kirtan (https://youtu.be/YgddmlKoBgg):
Here Gopal Govinda Shyama Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in ISKCON Orlando Sunday morning kirtan (https://youtu.be/mBvUmN6Bjn0):
Here a devotee family, Yagdesh, Nandini, and Keshava, chants Hare Krishna in an extra Sunday evening kirtan at ISKCON Orlando (https://youtu.be/ExwopqRavf4):
Jeremiah, after visiting his grandmother in Tampa for eleven days, drove two hours out of his way home to Lake Wales, to chant Hare Krishna with me in Blanchard Park for three hours. Here we sing a tune we both really like (https://youtu.be/hQW-wsrBUJc):
Dvaipayana Prabhu, our temple president, suggested I sing an extra kirtan for the protection of Syamali Dasi, who lives in Gainesville and is challenged with stage 4 cancer. She recalled me from her youth in San Diego, growing up as Gaura, the daughter of Parasakti Dasi there. Later she got initiated by Indradyumna Swami. Because I spend four hours chanting kirtan every day, I just sang a short one for her, before Nitai Gauranga Nataraj took rest one evening (https://youtu.be/v2hP6agHglM):
The next day Jeremiah commuted from Lake Wales, an hour and a half away, to chant Hare Krishna with me in Blanchard Park (https://youtu.be/wNpfuntPosk).
While we were chanting a chef at Disney in her twenties, who listened to us as she sat at a nearby picnic table, told us how beautiful our music was as she was leaving, and Jeremiah invited her to chant with us. She stayed for over a hour, listening at first and then chanting the response of a two-part tune that I chanted the whole time. Jeremiah gave her The Nectar of Devotion and chanting beads as a gift, and I gave her “On Chanting Hare Krishna,” the ISKCON Orlando card, and my business card. I told her I would be chanting every day for three hours in the park till returning to Tallahassee on August 16, and Jeremiah surprised me by saying he would keep the three-hour chanting program going after I left, until he goes to India the end of November.
Jeremiah spent the rest the of that day mowing the temple lawn. Afterward he watched the evening arati from outside.
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From Prabhupada-lila, Chapter 3 (“A Visit to Boston, 1968”):
“The people might not understand our message, but Krishna will be pleased. And that is our mission. They thought Jesus Christ’s mission was stopped. They killed him. But his mission was attained. He preached three years only, but so many followers. He pleased Krishna. We must not be disappointed that no one is hearing Krishna consciousness. We will say it to the moon and stars and all directions. We will cry in the wilderness, because Krishna is everywhere. We want to get a certificate from Krishna, that ‘This man has done something for Me.’ Not popularity. If a pack of asses says you are good, what is that? We have to please Krishna’s senses with purified senses.”
Letter to Satadhanya on February 20, 1972:
“So far personal association with the Guru is concerned, I was only with my Guru Maharaja four or five times, but I have never left his association, not even for a moment. Because I am following his instructions, I have never felt any separation. There are some of my Godbrothers here in India who had constant personal association with Guru Maharaja, but who are neglecting his orders. This is just like the bug who is sitting on the lap of the king. He may be very puffed-up by his position, but all he can succeed in doing is biting the king. Personal association is not so important as association through service.”
From a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.24 in Mayapur on October 4, 1974:
“This is the instruction, that because Krishna is protecting you, you cannot expect that you’ll be out of danger. Danger you must meet, because then you’ll know that this material existence is full of dangers. Padam padam yad vipadam. This we always remember.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 1.55, purport:
“Because of his development of transcendental attachment for the Supreme Lord, a surrendered soul feels the presence of his beloved everywhere, and all his senses are engaged in the loving service of the Lord. His eyes are engaged in seeing the beautiful couple Sri Radha and Krishna sitting on a decorated throne beneath a desire tree in the transcendental land of Vrindavan. His nose is engaged in smelling the spiritual aroma of the lotus feet of the Lord. Similarly, his ears are engaged in hearing messages from Vaikuntha, and his hands embrace the lotus feet of the Lord and His associates. Thus the Lord is manifested to a pure devotee from within and without. This is one of the mysteries of the devotional relationship in which a devotee and the Lord are bound by a tie of spontaneous love. To achieve this love should be the goal of life for every living being.”
From “Vedanta As It Is” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 54, No. 6: (Nov/Dec 2020):
[Edited transcript of a class on Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 7.106–107 in San Francisco on February 17, 1967.]
“The whole world, the whole earth planet, belongs to all the living entities there. It is meant for them. God has created vegetables for the animals, and for the human beings He has created fruits, flowers, and grains, and you take milk from the animals. All live peacefully. But we nonsense rascals have created all these distinctions:
‘Oh, this is an American,’ ‘This is an Indian,’ ‘This is a Chinese,’ ‘This is a Russian,’ ‘I am this,’ ‘I am that,’ ‘Oh, I am Christian,’ ‘I am Hindu.’ Why? All of you are God’s servants, dependent on God. The leader is God. Just think in that way, and the whole thing becomes perfect.
“Everything is there, perfect. The arrangement, nature’s arrangement, is such that you can eat nicely. Whatever your body wants is there; there is sufficient supply. Take, eat nicely, live peacefully, and utilize the words of God. There is the Bible. There is the Koran. There are the Vedas. Try to understand God and make your life perfect and go back to Godhead. This is the whole policy.
“There is no flaw in the arrangement of God. That is to be understood first of all.”
“Caitanya Mahaprabhu first of all establishes that in the Vedanta-sutra you cannot find any flaw; therefore you have no right to interpret it. You are a nonsense rascal, so how can you touch and comment on the sutras compiled by God, the Supreme Perfect? But we do not admit, ‘I am a rascal.’ I think that I am very learned, I have no flaw, I am perfect. This is foolishness.”
“Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s point is this: why does the foolish person interpret and comment on Vedanta, which is perfect itself? Do you require a light to see the sun? How is that possible? The sun is itself illuminated so nicely that you don’t require any other light to see the sun. If I say, “My dear boy, please come with me and take this light. I’ll show you the sun in the sky,” oh, you’ll think, “Oh, Swamiji is a nonsense. What is the use of this light?” Similarly, what knowledge do you have that you want to comment on the Vedanta-sutra? It is already illuminated.”
“In everything there is God’s law, and that is perfect. And Krishna consciousness means to be always conscious in contact with God.”
“Krishna consciousness is not an artificial thing. We have not manufactured some ideas and advertised that we are Krishna conscious. No. Krishna consciousness means that just as an obedient citizen of the state is always conscious of the state’s supremacy, similarly a Krishna conscious person is always conscious of the supremacy of God, or Krishna. He is called Krishna conscious.”
From Teachings of Queen Kunti, SB 1.8.39, purport:
“With Krishna in the center everything becomes beautiful, and Krishna can become the center at any time.”
From keynote address at the Hyderabad temple opening on August 18, 1976:
“Bhagavad-gita ends sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. This is the end of Bhagavad-gita’s instruction, that ‘Give up all nonsense, just take shelter under My lotus feet.’ If you hesitate that ‘If I give up everything...’ You haven’t got to give up everything, but you have to understand the meaning of life. Arjuna, when he understood Bhagavad-gita, he did not give up his profession as a military man. But what was the change? The change is Krishna inquired from Arjuna: ‘What is now your decision? I have spoken to you everything about jñana and guhya-guhyatamam. Now you consider upon it and whatever you like you do.’ Yathecchasi tatha kuru [Bg. 18.63]. So upon this Arjuna replied nasto mohah. ‘My illusion is now over.’ Nasto mohah smrtir labdha. ‘My memory is now returned.’ Karisye vacanam tava [Bg. 18.73], ‘I shall act according to You.’ This is Krishna consciousness. Try to understand what is the purpose of Bhagavad-gita. You haven’t got to give up everything. You can be engaged in everything, but if you utilize everything according to the instruction of Krishna then it will be successful. Otherwise it will be failure. So we have tested all these things, how many programs and plans we have made and everything has failed. Why not try to take the instruction of Bhagavad-gita, the instruction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and try to utilize it for practical life. And it will be successful. There is no doubt about it. I am speaking from my practical experience.”
From an initiation lecture in Hyderabad on August 22, 1976:
“Always pray to Krishna, that ‘Krishna, I have taken shelter of You. Kindly guide me.’ And He is prepared to guide. He says, ‘If a devotee surrenders and wants My guide...’ He says, tesam evanukampartham aham ajñana-jam tamah nasayamy atma-bhava-stho jñana-dipena bhasvata [Bg. 10.11] So Krishna is always ready to help us provided we are eager to take His help. Then jñana-dipena bhasvata. When Krishna takes charge of making you enlightened in knowledge, who can be better person of knowledge, man of knowledge, or wise, than a devotee?”
“So either you engage your activities, your mind, your words, in the service of Krishna... Or out of three, at least two, at least one. Then your life is successful. Krishna is so kind that this simple activity doesn’t require..., nobody requires a very high standard education to understand Krishna or to advance in Krishna consciousness. Very simple thing. Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. Here is Krishna Deity. You see every day and think of Him. It is very easy. As soon as you become practiced to see the Deity, the impression is within your mind. So you can think of Krishna. Man-mana. And because you come to the temple and always see Krishna and His daily program, then you become a bhakta. Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto. Mad-yaji, you worship Krishna. Whatever you have got, little patram, puspam, phalam, toyam [Bg. 9.26], just try to offer. And at last just offer respectful obeisances. Then you become perfect. You become eligible to go back home, back to Godhead. Very simple thing. It is not at all difficult, this Krishna consciousness. Anyone. There is no distinction.”
From a lecture in Hyderabad on August 22, 1976:
“The varnasrama-dharma, brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, this is plan just to teach the whole society how to perform yajña. Varnasrama cara-vata. Therefore this is the beginning of human civilization. Varnasrama. How to return back. Just like Bali Maharaja. Bali Maharaja achieved, obtained, throughout the universe all the property, and he again returned to Vamana. That was his success of life. So this Krishna consciousness movement is an educational movement to teach people how one should voluntarily return the property of the Lord to the Lord. That is called yajña.”
From a conversation with Mr. Suraj Narayana Raju, the Endowments Commissioner of the Andhra Pradesh Government, in Hyderabad on August 22, 1976:
“But these qualities will come when you make him a devotee. So this process should be taken, how to make him a devotee. And the easiest process of making devotee is let them come to the temple, chant Hare Krishna mantra and take prasada. Then gradually they’ll become... I began this movement on this. Very simple. And they have come. I never asked them to study Vedas in the beginning. What they’ll read Veda? What do they know? But this process has become successful. So if you take this process it will be very quickly successful. And then literature. I never gave them literature. I have got about eighty books. Not that in the beginning I asked them, ‘Come here and read books.’ No. ‘Chant Hare Krishna and take prasada.’ Now they are interested in reading books, in publishing them, in selling them and everything. They are doing everything. So if you take the authorized program it will be successful. Otherwise, it will not be successful.”
From a class on Bhagavad-gita 7.1 in Hyderabad on August 22, 1976:
“I am very glad that the inhabitants of Hyderabad, they are so nice devotees, from the very beginning they are coming. It is very good. So continue this habit. Daily come, see Bhagavan. Offer little obeisances. Bhagavan does not want anything from you. He is self-sufficient. Bhagavan. Aisvaryasya samagrasya. But if you give something to Bhagavan, it is love. Dadati pratigrhnati (Upadesamrta 4). You are taking so many things from Bhagavan. And if you give something, what is the wrong? It is exchange of love.”
“You cannot understand God without revelation. So on account of your attachment He’ll reveal Himself.”
“Then there will be taste, you cannot remain at home without coming at least once in the temple. That is called ruci. Ruci, taste.”
From a conversation in Hyderabad on August 25, 1976:
“Prabhupada: Now that individual soul and the Supreme Soul, Paramatma, they are also different. That is described in the Bhagavad-gita in the Second Chapter Krishna says, ‘My dear Arjuna, both you, Me, and all these persons who are assembled here, we existed in the past, and we are existing now, and we shall continue to exist.’ So when they become one? Past, present and future. As they were different persons in the past, they are different persons now and they will continue to remain different persons in the future. So when they become one?”
“Indian man: Then what is the aim of bhakti if you are not going to merge with Paramatma?
Prabhupada: Bhakti... You try... You read carefully. Because you do not read, therefore... Nitya-yukta upasate. Nitya-yukta upasate. When they come to the point of nitya [eternal], there also the upasana [worship] is there. One nitya is worshiping the other nitya. That is nitya-yukta upasate.
Indian man: Upasana... Upasana means...
Prabhupada: Upasana means upasaka, upasana and upasita. Three things. As soon as you bring upasana, there must be one person who is offering upasana and there is a process of upasana and the other person accepting upasana.
Indian man (2): Then we’re assuming that we’re, actually the idea of suddha-bhakti is...
Prabhupada: Bhakti means that. Nitya-yukta upasana. Upasana continues. Here they’re upasana. Here the devotees offering worship to the Deity, it is upasana. And after being perfect, that upasana will continue. It will never stop.”
“Prabhupada: Bhakti means the process by which Bhagavan and bhakta interact. That is bhakti.”
“Indian man: You mean to say eternally there is a soul and... This atma and Paramatma will remain separate?
Prabhupada: Yes. Therefore the... Therefore it is said: nitya-yukta upasate. Therefore the word is there, nitya-yukta. Nitya means everlasting.
Indian man: Everlasting. You remain separate.
Prabhupada: Separate. And that is a fact.”
From Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Chapter 90:
“For God realization or self-realization, one generally has to undergo severe austerities and penances for many, many thousands of years, and then it may be possible to realize God. But the gopis and the queens of Dvaraka, simply by enhancing their lusty desires to enjoy Krishna as their boyfriend or husband, received the highest type of salvation.
“This behavior of Lord Krishna with the gopis and queens is unique in the history of self-realization. Usually people understand that for self-realization one has to go to the forest or mountains and undergo severe austerities and penances. But the gopis and the queens, simply by being attached to Krishna in conjugal love and enjoying His company in a so-called sensuous life full of luxury and opulence, achieved the highest salvation, which is impossible to achieve even for great sages and saintly persons. Similarly, demons such as Kamsa, Dantavakra and Sisupala, who all treated Krishna as an enemy, also got the highest benefit of being transferred to the spiritual world.”
“Hearing the attractive pastimes of Lord Krishna’s different incarnations is a chance for liberation for the conditioned soul, and the most fascinating and pleasing activities of Lord Krishna Himself are still more attractive because Lord Krishna personally is all-attractive.”
“It is stated by Sukadeva Gosvami that as we hear the transcendental pastimes of the Lord, we gradually cut the knots of material contamination. Therefore, regardless of what one is, if one wants the association of Lord Krishna in the transcendental kingdom of God for eternity in blissful existence, one must hear about the pastimes of Lord Krishna and chant the maha-mantra, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.”
“Following in the footsteps of Srila Vyasadeva, Sukadeva Gosvami and all the acaryas in disciplic succession, the whole population of the world should glorify Lord Krishna, and for their best interest they should take to this Krishna consciousness movement. The process is easy and helpful. It is simply to chant the maha-mantra, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Lord Caitanya has therefore recommended that one be callous to the material ups and downs. Material life is temporary, and so the ups and downs of life may come and go. When they come, one should be as tolerant as a tree and as humble and meek as the straw in the street, but certainly he must engage himself in Krishna consciousness by chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.”
“The transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, are so powerful that simply by hearing, reading and memorizing this book, Krishna, one is sure to be transferred to the spiritual world, which is ordinarily very difficult to achieve. The description of the pastimes of Lord Krishna is so attractive that it automatically gives us an impetus to study repeatedly, and the more we study the pastimes of the Lord, the more we become attached to Him. This very attachment to Krishna makes one eligible to be transferred to His abode, Goloka Vrindavana.”
“The stringent laws of material nature cannot check the progress of one who is attracted by the spiritual nature.”
From a Morning Walk in Hyderabad on December 4, 1976:
“Basu Ghosh: Even in Bahrain I met the brother of the ruler, and he said that he liked India the best of any place he had been. He had been all over the world.
Prabhupada: That’s a fact.
Basu Ghosh: He said India was the best place. So I told him to stay in our hotel in Juhu next time he came.”
From a Room Conversation in Hyderabad on December 5, 1976:
“They are opening hospital for men, human being, but what about the animals? They are also part and parcel of God. They are killing them. So they have no realization of God. God says, sarva-yonisu kaunteya sambhavanti murtayah, aham bija-pradah pita [Bg 14.4] (It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kunti, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.). Suppose I have got several sons. If you take care of my one son and you neglect others I will not be happy, naturally. But if you take care of all my sons, then I’ll be happy. For a father there is no such distinction that ‘My particular son should be taken care of and other should be neglected or they should be killed.’ That is not father’s view. So if God is the father of all living entities, if you take simply care of the human being, then what of the others? There are so many fallacies in this argument, that by taking care of the human being you worship God. There are so many fallacies. Hmm? Is it not? So you have to put this argument, that "By serving human society is to serve God, that is not fact." That may be partially; it is not complete.”
“But those who are opening hospitals for human being, they are taking the poor animals to the slaughterhouse, maintaining big, big slaughterhouse. That means foolishness. Krishna will not be happy that one son you take care by opening hospital and another son you go, you send him to the slaughterhouse. This is foolishness. Never. God will never be happy. The same example: if the father has got both children—you take care one of them and others you kill them—will the father be happy? So that is not the way of making the supreme father, God, happy. That is not the way. That is foolish way. Rather, displeasing the father. That is not a very good philosophy.”
“So soul is within the heart. When the soul goes away, you cannot explain what happened. You say ‘heart failure.’ So why the heart failure? The nerves and the bones and the muscle and the blood, everything is there, and still, you say that ‘It stopped. Heart failure.’ So just like machine is running, but somehow or other stopped, but you do not know what is the cause of stopping. The cause is that the heart, when it [the soul] goes away, then the machine stops.”
Lord Krishna:
From Mahabharata, Moksa-dharma:
“The living entity is eternal, as I am, and always exists within Me. But you should not artificially think, ‘Now I have seen the soul.’ Rather, I, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, will bestow this benediction upon you when you are actually qualified.”
Taittiriya Upaniṣad:
From Verse 2.1:
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is limitless. He is transcendental knowledge, and He is the eternal transcendental reality. He is present in everyone’s heart. One who properly understands Him becomes blessed, and all his desires are completely fulfilled.”
Naradiya Purana:
Quoted in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.103:
“Those who are eager to awaken their spiritual consciousness and who thus have unflinching, undeviated intelligence certainly attain the desired goal of life very soon.”
Nanda Maharaja and Other Cowherds:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.47.66–67:
“May our mental functions always take shelter of Krishna’s lotus feet, may our words always chant His names, and may our bodies always bow down to Him and serve Him. Wherever we are made to wander about this world by the Supreme Lord’s will, in accordance with the reactions to our fruitive work, may our good works and charity always grant us love for Lord Krishna.”
Rupa Goswami:
From Lalita-madhava 1.2:
“Activities such as mystic trance, becoming one with the Supreme, and the religious principles of brahminism, such as speaking the truth and tolerance, have their own respective attractions, but when one becomes captivated by love of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all attraction for mystic power, monistic pleasure, and mundane religious principles becomes insignificant.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From Free Write Journal #101:
[Jagattarini Mataji describing the rasa dance at the Govardhan retreat said:] Although the rasa dance ended, it is still going on in the hearts of the gopis. They never leave their participation in the ecstatic dance with Krishna.
From Journal and Poems, Volume 1 (January–June 1985):
“No one is exempt from the responsibility to free oneself from entanglement in sinful actions and reactions, and no one is doomed as a permanent outcast from the spiritual world.”
From Vandanam:
“Prabhupada once said that we should pray to Krishna, ‘Please give me the strength to serve You.’”
“Those who are not inclined to prayer sometimes remark that since God already knows everything about us, why bother to tell Him? Although He knows, He is pleased if we use our free will to spend time with Him, to be affectionate with Him, and to pray to Him to increase our desires for loving service.
“Krishna wants us to be happy in a loving relationship with Him, and that can only take place if we use our will to approach Him—which includes conversing with Him.”
“Yes, Rupa Gosvami did it perfectly and more humbly than you or I can do, but as Rupa Gosvami prayed, so Krishna is waiting to hear from you.”
From My Search Through Books:
“I still dream I am in the Navy, and when I wake from it, I think, ‘If you don’t go back to Godhead, then next life, you may have to go through that again.’”
From Imperfection, Purity Will Come About: Writing Sessions While Reading Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Saranagati:
“My Krishna consciousness is only a covering. At the ultimate core, I am spirit-soul. Then there are lumps of filth around that, then an outer layer of devotional service in ISKCON, and finally, most recently added, a thin powdery covering of real hope.”
From Wicklow Writing Sessions, Session #9:
“Express your own appreciation, but how deep can you like another’s effort? It’s the Lord who notices what they do and sees into their hearts.”
From Journal and Poems, Book 1 (January–June 1985):
“We should not demand to have love, or else we will quit our service. Love will come one day when we are actually deserving.”
“While rowing, we saw four newly born ducklings vigorously swimming. I guessed their parents were hiding nearby. The ducklings were smaller than my hand and probably just a few days old, and yet by Krishna’s inconceivable shakti they were able to float and stroke. One of the ducklings swam about twenty feet ahead of the others and then suddenly panicked, realizing that he was alone. Making frightened ‘cheeping’ sounds, he turned and with desperate leaps, swam back to the other three.
“They were pretty little babies, but pitiful to see, so small and unprotected. Almost any predator could have swooped and killed them. And even if their parents returned, how much protection could they afford them against the ravages of nature? Some of nature’s creatures appear powerfully endowed and can even outdo man in their strength and ferocity. But actually we are all as pitiful and helpless as the ducklings, and we are all being hunted down by the predator Time.”
“But I am determined not to deviate.
Even if I progress little I’ll be able to say,
‘I could not serve Krishna
although I tried.’”
“Two Prayers
1
“Tired of me,
I am seeking Thee,
Lord of the universe.
“Tired of me,
I am seeking Thee,
guru of the universe.
“But You seem far away.
“God is in His book,
guru in his order.
Why can’t I touch You?
How can You save me
if I’m so far away?
“I know:
it’s my fault if I am distant.
You’ve given me the holy name
and I may serve Your devotees.
But I seem to need more help;
I can’t lift myself.
2
“Saints speak to God,
sometimes joke with Him
like Sanatana Gosvami:
“Just take this dry capati, it is all that I have.”
“‘Do as you like with me,’
sings Bhaktivinoda.
And Narottama dasa cries,
‘I do not love You,
but now I will love You.’
“But what can I say,
and why do I insist on trying?
I tried being silent.
That won’t work.
And I’ve tried repeating others,
but still I want more.
“But I don’t own Rupa’s price—
the desire to attain You.
“I am praying for power,
patience, insight.
“‘Let me see You with inner vision.
But make me a soldier.
Give me what I need
to go over the top.
I’ve come thus far,
carried on the order
of Srila Prabhupada.
Now how further?’”
From Memory in the Service of Krishna:
“Lord Krishna and the spiritual master give us a glimpse of our spiritual individuality from the start, and thus we are encouraged. Even when it is theoretical, the doctrine of eternal individuality is inspiring to hear. ‘The Lord is sentient thou hast proved/ Impersonal calamity thou hast moved.’ As Krishna says, ‘Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.’ (Bhagavad-gita 2.12)”
From One Hundred Prabhupada Poems (#37):
“I’m guilty of not loving him enough.
But I’ve stored up the memories.
We live in them
and in his books
in his service,
he leads us to eternal, youthful Krishna.”
From Truthfulness: The Last Leg of Religion:
“I am faithful but aware that Truth is distant from me. And yet the Truth is so beautiful and radiant, that even from a great distance, its rays warm my soul.”
From My Letters from Srila Prabhupada:
“Regarding the difficulty at Chicago airport, my advice is to depend on Krishna.” (From a letter written in Vrindavan on 18 November 1976 to Satsvarupa)
“Prabhupada gives advice about trouble at the Chicago airport. The devotees had legal approval to distribute the books, but the police and security men were always giving the devotees difficulty. Prabhupada simply advises, ‘Depend on Krishna,’ and the devotees did so.”
From Japa Transformations:
“When you are actually chanting, it’s not laborious. Sometimes thinking about chanting and how many rounds you have to chant gets laborious or worrisome. Procrastination or panic become negative factors. But actual chanting is smooth riding, and it’s actually fun and enjoyable. You just have to keep moving along and take the responsibility for the larger number of rounds still to do. As you chant, they always gradually diminish, and quickly, too. The absolute necessity of chanting should not be a burden but a given factor. I actually like to chant and shouldn’t forget that. I just get bothered when I run into conflict with other things on my schedule, and the quality of the chanting is disturbed. On days when you are behind in your schedule, you may have to sacrifice other activities, and you should do that willingly. Quality chanting always comes first.
“Chanting behind, I
control my mind
and assure myself
there is nothing to fret.
“You’ll reach the goal
before the day is out,
so what’s to worry? You have to do it
so you might as well enjoy
the easiest practice
of the day.
“Oh well, let’s admit
it’s not always so easy
and you are not always so willing
but it’s do or die
so rest with that.”
From Shack Notes:
“The body grows old and does not dance so nimbly anymore, but the self is as sportive as a new calf in spring grass.”
“What’s worse than that [losing your passport again and not being able to travel]? Death, inevitable death, the sure-fire worst scenario. It must also be a ‘best scenario’ because it has to happen. No Europe, no U.S.A., no passport, no head, no hat—no books, no lunch, no rest in this body. No appeals, no reprieve.
“But we are devotees, so surely something good will happen, even from death.”
From Wicklow Writing Sessions, Session #10:
“If you want to live in your own subjective universe, you’re entitled to see things from your own point of view. You want to express it and not have someone challenge you at every step. But the actual world, both spiritual and material, is not that way. You’re not the center of existence. And so, it’s a rude shock to keep finding that. One tries to get wherever he can for a little sense grat, still preserving the idea that I am number One. A devotee gains a broader vision, is mahatma. A partial dawning of this occurs in philanthropic and altruistic work where you sacrifice your interest for others but even among religionists, they are basically selfish when they’re not genuine and pure.”
“Make a suffering condition into a bettering of yourself. Suffering is good for testing oneself and improving oneself. And as a writer, it may make a more interesting story. So, always be in that way ready to improve the way a businessman makes money in an up or down economy.”
“You can have the ideal state here. Don’t be brokenhearted, don’t hope for the better state here, but just be in tune with the real solace, which is the holy names of Krishna.”
Bhakti Caitanya Swami:
From a Sunday Zoom lecture at ISKCON Newcastle UK on July 26, 2020:
[You can see the video of this class by clicking this link: https://zoom.us/rec/play/6Md8Ir-q_zk3S9HH4wSDV6B6W468Kais1SQeqPAJxUyxVnAEMVOibrdGa7c8WqR_k-3pX3ZdBeJWX5c9?continueMode=true&_x_zm_rtaid=ip_XDXEOSKCxce2BymANNA.1596764906082.e845c3ca0448e656f06738c2489ea913&_x_zm_rhtaid=505]
Once Srila Prabhupada said that the guru is one’s father birth after birth, and he would even quote “cakhu-dan dilo jei, janme janme pita [instead of prabhu] sei.”
We should keep our eyes open and see who is nourishing us on our journey in Krishna consciousness, even if it is just a little. Even if they just say Hare Krishna in the morning to greet us. And we should try to reciprocate with them. If we do this, we will find the association of devotees is just an ocean of nectar.
If you are still carrying on in Krishna consciousness, that means someone is giving you mercy. You can carry on for a while by youself but not for years.
Srila Prabhupada considered that Krishna consciousness is just so nice people should just relish it, but they should never forget where they got it from.
Hearing and chanting is the foundation of all our other activities, such as deity worship.
Every day, until you get the hang of it, and even after, it is good to remember who has benefited you and how they benefited you, and to even write it down. From time to time it is good to express this appreciation to the people who benefited you.
It is recommended that one serve the devotees one has offended, even if we do not feel like doing it, as a sadhana, as we do other items of sadhana which we may not feel like doing.
If I did not do things that I did not like to do as vaidhi-sadhana-bhakti, I do not where I would be now, certainly not here speaking to you.
Anandamoya Prabhu:
“There was one discussion that the panditas had in Srila Prabhupada’s room. They were discussing about our tilaka, the form of our tilaka. They were discussing in Sanskrit language, quoting various Puranic slokas that describe the shape of the tilaka. So they were discussing among themselves. They were little inquisitive: Why our tilaka should go down the nose? They were not so much convinced this is an authentic form of tilaka. So they were quoting from Puranas and agama-sastras and in their quotation the word nasika-agre used to come up often. Nasika-agre. So they were arguing. They were asking what is the meaning of nasika-agre? Is it from the beginning of the nose, or is it from the root of the nose. Nasika means nose and agre means the beginning. Where is the beginning? Is it here? Or is it there? Like that they were discussing for ten minutes. Prabhupada was silent. He was just listening like this (nodding his head) not telling anything. So they asked Prabhupada, “Swamiji, so what is your opinion?” Prabhupada did not answer directly to their question, but instead quoted immediately from Srimad-Bhagavatam: Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih yat-tirtha-buddhih salile na karhicij janesv abhijñesu sa eva go-kharah [10.84.13]. ‘One who identifies his self as the inert body composed of mucus, bile and air, who assumes his wife and family are permanently his own, who thinks an earthen image or the land of his birth is worshipable, or who sees a place of pilgrimage as merely the water there, but who never identifies himself with, feels kinship with, worships or even visits those who are wise in spiritual truth—such a person is no better than a cow or an ass.’
“When Prabhupada quoted this verse as an answer to their question, they were quite stunned, in fact, they were shocked. ‘What is Prabhupada saying? Why is he quoting from the Bhagavatam like that, “No, we should not identify with our body which is made of tri-dhatu. And no, we should not consider the wife and children like this. One who is attached to this bodily conception is sa eva go-kharah, a cow or an ass.”?’ So they were thinking, ‘Why, why is Swamiji quoting this verse? We are not ass, we are not cows, and we are not animals. We are discussing something important.’ But in Prabhupada’s mind it was not important. That was simply bodily feature. The form of tilaka on the body is simply an extension of the body. Prabhupada did not consider this discussion important: ‘Between panditas why should they discuss such less important thing?’ So that’s why. And besides, they could not even reach a conclusion. Then after Prabhupada quoted that verse everybody became silent. That discussion was over. They understood that this discussion is not approved by Swamiji. It is a very insignificant discussion.”
Mahamsa Prabhu:
“So he [Srila Prabhupada] says, ‘Why you were not there in the mangala-arati? Why nobody was there in mangala-arati? Only one devotee was there in mangala-arati, why?’
“I said, ‘But Prabhupada, you know all the devotees worked late in the night.’ Then with some pride, I said, ‘Oh! But you know, you cannot be so strict Prabhupada—one mangala-arati we were not there—because all the devotees worked till late in the night cleaning and everything.’
“Then Prabhupada said, ‘What devotee? You call yourself devotee? Some five-seven years you do japa-mala and you call yourself devotee?’
“He kind of started blasting me. Really very heavy words. Then suddenly I thought, ‘Oh, Prabhupada is so angry.’ I felt really crushed and tears were welling up in my eyes.
“Then Prabhupada completely changed his mood. Then he said, ‘You know Mahamsa…’ Then he went into another world, and he took me into Vraja. He changed completely. He became very soft, very loving, completely the opposite.
“He said, ‘In Vraja, all the Gosvamis, they were always wandering here and there, “Where is Krishna? Where is Krishna?”’
“He explained the whole scene of Vraja—how the gopis and how the Gosvamis, they are feeling that they are not seeing Krishna. They are feeling that they are not qualified, that Krishna has left them. Then he said, ‘Trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna...That is the mood of a devotee. The more exalted a devotee is, the more he thinks he is a non-devotee. The more advanced the devotee is, he thinks that he is a non-devotee. And this attitude that, “I am the doer”…they are not devotee.’
“That explanation which he gave at that time, was as far as I am concerned, the most valuable instruction that Prabhupada ever gave me in all the years of my association with him. That was the most valuable instruction I have ever got—that one should not think themselves as doing so much because there is never enough that you could do for Krishna. You could never say, ‘I have done enough.’ You could never say, ‘I have sold enough books.’ Never. Therefore when someone sold a lot of books, he said, ‘Double it.’ When you sold double, he said, ‘Double that.’ This is what he meant—that you have never done enough. So don’t think yourself you are a great devotee. He was upset with that, not that other thing. But then when I manifested that ego of being a devotee, that upset him. Then he pulled me down to size, and then he brought me up and explained the mood of Vraja. In the mood of Vraja – there is no arrogance. No arrogance at all. The Vrajavasis, the gopis, the cowherd boys, they are simple village people. The gopis don’t think they are very educated. They didn’t thing they had any big qualification. But they were the top-most devotees of Krishna. The mood of Vraja is like that. If you have a big ego, there is no Vraja-lila.”
“During temple kirtanas and bhajans, some devotees and congregational members had started playing instruments like sarod, flute, violin, tambura, and some other instruments, while trying to make the kirtana more musical. Everyone was tuning the various instruments and really getting into it. During his visit in December 1976, Prabhupada saw what was happening and immediately crashed the whole thing. He said, “No more instruments!” He even cut the harmonium out. He said, “Only karatala and mrdanga. Why? Because you people are enjoying the music. Kirtana is to please Krishna, not to please your senses, it is to please Krishna. It’s a tapasya. It’s is a yajña, sankirtana-yajña. You do kirtana to please Him. But here, you are using all these instruments and if you start doing that, you’ll all become rock stars again. You will become hippies again because you’ll start relishing the guitar and the music and the vina and all that and you forget that it’s a yajña and you start enjoying that kirtana, the music, and you forget that it is meant to serve Krishna.”
Nagaraja Prabhu:
From “Learning to See” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 54, No. 6 (Nov/Dec 2020):
“Those of us who practice bhakti-yoga began our spiritual lives because we were able to see the truth of Lord Krishna’s teaching to Arjuna that each of us is a particle of consciousness. Many people just cannot see that. For them, the idea that they are not their body seems absurd. ‘You mean I’m not me?’
“We want to see God, but we can’t even see ourselves.
“But we don’t have to stay in ignorance. We can qualify ourselves to see both our real self and God. The Vedic literature and teachers in the tradition give us access to spiritual reality by presenting instructions on different levels. We can learn and increase our qualifications in stages. Demanding to see God right now is like a kindergartener demanding to receive a PhD. Many years of study and perseverance are required.
“Even in ordinary life, people show by their actions that they can’t see what is obvious to others. For example, some people never seem to understand that bad behavior brings bad consequences. Even though the evidence is right in front of them, they just don’t see it. The Bhagavatam speaks of “seeing but not seeing,” and it trains us to see what is true. Lord Krishna speaks of the need to learn from a guru who has seen the truth. Such a guru is said to force open our eyes with the light of knowledge.
“One reason for not seeing the obvious is a lack of desire to know the truth, as expressed in the saying ‘Ignorance is bliss.’ Changing our ingrained habits and viewpoints is difficult, so we avoid the challenge by ignoring improvements that require sacrifice. The reality that good things usually take effort is itself a lesson we may be unwilling to acknowledge.
“Change and maturation are a natural part of life. Children go through stages, outgrowing their desire for things they once cherished. A central theme of the Vedic literature is that our growth as human beings must continue after we reach physical maturity. Human life is meant for ongoing improvement in our ability to see reality, the basis of which is God and our relationship with Him.”
Purvabhakti Prabhu:
Quoted in Prabhupada in South India:
“In our home they used to say, ‘Don’t shave on certain days. On Thursday you should not shave, or on Saturday you should not shave,’ like this they used to say. Then I asked Prabhupada.
He said, ‘Only on ekadashi you should not shave. On all other days you can do shave.’”
“While in Prabhupada’s room I mentioned that in Gaudiya Math, they don’t take during caturmasya, tomato, beans, like this, so many vegetables they don’t take. So why is it not the same in ISKCON?
Prabhupada replied saying, ‘Chanting is more important, so in caturmasya you should chant more rounds.’”
Samapriya Devi Dasi:
From “Puri Poem” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 54, No. 6 (Nov/Dec 2020):
“Sitting in your blessed lap, I chant the holy name,
as descriptions of eternity bow their heads in shame.
The Lord chose you, O Puri-dhama, secret of delights,
to relish prema of Himself, concealed in moonlit nights.”
Visakha Devi Dasi:
From “Practicing Spiritual Life in Difficult Times” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 54, No. 6 (Nov/Dec 2020):
“When two foundational pillars gird our intelligence – that worldly existence is fleeting and that our actual identity is spiritual – we’ll realize that our battle with lust, greed, and anger is so significant that we cannot risk losing it and returning to the darkness from which we’ve been gradually emerging. Even if we flounder in battle, our sense of material momentariness and spiritual momentousness can grant us relief from the degrading commands of base urges.”
“Sadhana may not sound exciting, but it is actually the most exciting activity a conditioned soul can do. Sadhana-bhaktas have a vividly decorated life physically, emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually. They are not afraid of going inward more deeply, and they bravely try to do so daily. They are willing to take calculated risks to spread Krishna consciousness, willing to have unfamiliar experiences, willing to try unusual things for Krishna’s pleasure, and willing to face sudden changes when serving Krishna, because so-called failure doesn’t frighten them. ‘There may be failure in some attempt, but one should not be sorry for that; he should make progress with patience and determination.’ (Gita 16.1–3, Purport) Devotees understand that actual failure means to stop trying to advance spiritually.”
“This world, Krishna says, is a temporary place of suffering (Gita 8.15) – it’s a ruthless furnace of misery. Devotees, however, make the best use of this world by practicing sadhana-bhakti and in that way take shelter of Krishna, who pervades every aspect of creation. Gradually they delight in His presence and transcend this world by gladly serving Him in whatever ways they can.”
“Beyond time and material nature, mindfulness and morality, ethics and duality, concepts and cynicism, there’s a person who controls it all. That eternal Supreme Person, Krishna, is the well-spring of all that exists. He has a name and a form, as well as qualities and activities. A proper analysis of this world – composed of His energies – will finally bring us, lost in wonder and humbled at our privilege, to Him, the supreme source of all, including the effulgent Brahman. Yet many shy away, uneasy and upset by this conclusion. It is astounding to realize there is an intimate yet inconceivable person with us. We are stilled and awed. Acknowledging Him, we make our daily struggles into a beautiful life. Adversity and loss, confusion and disappointment may surround us, but so does the divine presence behind our daily tasks and difficulties. Our security rests in the strength of our connection with Him. When we ask basic and relevant questions of any proposed course of action – Is it righteous? Is it wise? Is it pleasing to Krishna and His devotees? – and respond appropriately, obstacles that were once boulders pulverize into pebbles.”
Karuna Dharini Devi Dasi:
From “Teachings of Queen Kunti: Srila Prabhupada’s Farsighted Commentary” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 54, No. 6 (Nov/Dec 2020):
“Putting all emphasis on material progress kills the very spirit of the human being. The human being is actually an embodied soul meant for self-realization.”
Sarvabhauma Prabhu:
From “The Sun Never Sets on Srila Prabhupada’s and India’s Influence” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 54, No. 6 (Nov/Dec 2020):
“Despite the influence of Kali-yuga, even today India statistically remains the world’s leading vegetarian country; she has the highest percentage of vegetarians of any nation in the world and numerically more vegetarians than the rest of the world combined.”
Caitanya Carana Prabhu:
From “Pandemic: Finding Meaning Amid Suffering” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 54, No. 6 (Nov/Dec 2020):
“The Mahabharata, the epic within which the Gita is situated, is driven by the search for dharma – all the major characters are repeatedly confronted by misfortune, and they deliberate how to respond effectively. Rather than obsessing over the often-unanswerable question ‘Why do bad things happen to good people?’ the epic focuses on a more pragmatic question: ‘When bad things happen to good people, what do good people do?’
“However bad the situation we are in, we can always make it worse. That we can make things worse implies we can also make them better. The question ‘What can I do to be a part of the solution, even if my part is small?’ is our compass for finding purpose amid suffering.”
“We can play our part in harmony with Krishna if we let ourselves be guided by a service attitude: ‘How can I serve? How can I contribute?’ That service attitude can be the flashlight to see the path ahead. We know that we can do better. If we stop complaining or panicking or blaming, we can be calmer and steadier. The flashlight of our service attitude can show us our path more clearly.
“Amid a pandemic or other crisis, whatever we can do can seem like a tiny flashlight in a vast darkness. Yet every flashlight counts. Every step taken in the right direction makes a difference. If our flashlight can show the way for even one person, we are contributing that much to the solution. Small acts of kindness can bring warmth to those facing the abyss of loneliness. We can’t change the world, but we can change one person’s world.
“And because we are all parts of Krishna, we can become channels for His light to manifest through us. If we offer ourselves as pliable and capable instruments, His light radiating through us can transform us from penlights to floodlights. If we diligently do the things we can do, divine grace may well empower us to many of the things we thought we couldn’t do.”
-----
Although no one is prohibited from pursuing spiritual life, and it is the only way to attain the eternal happiness that everyone desires, very few people actually dedicate their lives to it. Last autumn I was telling Niranjana Swami that although I was happy to be sharing the chanting of Hare Krishna and the wisdom in Srila Prabhupada’s books with others, sometimes I was despondent that so few people were interested. He smiled and reminded me of this verse of Bhagavad-gita, where Krishna says to his friend and disciple, Arjuna:
manusyanam sahasresu
kascid yatati siddhaye
yatatam api siddahanam
kascin mam vetti tattvatah
“Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.”
Then Niranjana Swami said, “I actually become worried when I see too many people coming forward for initiation!”
Prabhupada would use an analogy of selling diamonds. You cannot expect to find many customers. And he spoke about the rareness of attaining Krishna consciousness in his lectures and conversations:
“Although people have no interest in all these questions and answers, but it is our mission to awake people to the Krishna consciousness. Although it is not possible that cent percent people will accept this or try to understand, but if one man can understand, one woman can understand, then our mission is successful.” (Lecture at International Student Society in Boston, May 3, 1969)
“My Guru Maharaja used to say, ‘If I could make one person to be Krishna conscious, then my mission would be successful.’” (From a morning walk in Perth, Australia, on May 9, 1975)
As I chant here in Blanchard Park in Orlando, seeing both the rareness of finding a chanting partner, and also of finding a park goer who considers the chanting to be of value, I thought to include this verse in this issue.
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