Hare Krishna. ISKCON’s Child Protection Office is under assault by a small group of influential devotees who claim that it is biased against the accused. I find their accusations hard to believe. Several articles are appearing on the Sampradaya Sun and on Chakra.

The first article, titled “Snake Oil, Scapegoats, and the Hare Krishnas: The CPO’s Use of Bogus Science,” appeared on Sampradaya Sun over the weekend. I wanted to get a response out ASAP, so I wrote a letter to Rocana Prabhu that was published under the title, “CPO Official Decision on Vakresvara Pandit.”

A few days later I submitted a more thorough article titled “In Support of the Child Protection Office.” That article is copied below, with the related documents included for download:

——
Hare Krishna. Following up after my initial article countering Visnugada Prabhu’s misleading and incorrect facts related to the guilty verdict in the child molestation case against Vakresvara Pandit Prabhu, a few critical points are herein presented supporting the Child Protection Office’s verdicts in this case. But first we must briefly revisit Visnugada’s dreadful proposal to disempower the CPO.

Visnugada says:

“I also believe they didn’t understand the fact that in the US, as in many other countries, the functions of the CPO are, for the most part, already being carried out by civil authorities. Our position was it was unnecessary and legally unwise for the CPO to try to duplicate those functions.”

It is common knowledge that well over 500 former gurukula children in ISKCON are reported to have been beaten, raped, and/or abused in other abominable ways. Does anyone know how many perpetrators have faced criminal prosecution? I heard one relatively unknown “devotee” went to jail for child abuse. Maybe there were more that I have not heard of, but one thing is for certain: ISKCON is not famous for reporting criminal deviants to the police. On the contrary, we keep hearing of this or that rapist who gets moved to another temple or another country where the same activities are perpetuated. Visnugada’s proposal is to make ISKCON a haven for child abusers, as if it’s not bad enough.

He continues:

“In fact, in the Vakresvara case, the civil authorities did investigate at the time of the alleged offense and concluded there was no case to pursue.”

As I mentioned in my previous article, that statement is blatantly false. This was an issue of several counts of statutory rape over nearly a year. The child reported it when she was an adult several years after the alleged sexual encounters. The Texas State Police did not purse it because neither of the persons involved lived in Texas when it was reported, it had been years since the alleged crimes. These were good enough reasons for the police not to investigate. However it’s natural and right that ISKCON should be more concerned about alleged rapists in our community posing as devotees.

Visnugada complains:

“In the Vakresvara Pandit case, instead of weighing the actual evidence, the judges were directed instead to use a junk science method, the SCAN-View Questionnaire.”

I have not been privileged to read the entire case file, but I have carefully scrutinized key documents that have been made available and discussed the facts with both CPO Directors. The Official Decision describes the testimonies of the accused and the alleged victim with comparisons of the consistencies and other analyses of their reliability, including the employment of a “renowned expert in forensic written content analysis” who stated that the accuser’s testimony showed traits highly consistent with truthfulness. The Official Decision also mentions a questionnaire analyzed by the same expert, who found that Vakresvara’s responses indicated deception. Questioning a complainant and the accused can hardly be considered irregular.

The document goes on to describe several inconsistencies in the accused’s testimony. According to the Official Decision, these contradictions, verified by expert analysis, coupled with a consistent presentation of facts by the alleged victim, formed substantial basis for determining guilt.

Visnugada says,

“We found people whose testimony could have exonerated Vakresvara weren’t even interviewed, despite the CPO having been informed.”

What is the meaning of this vague claim? The accuser reported, “We did have sex around seven or eight times” over the course of about a year while she was 13 and 14 years old. Whose testimony could have alleviated Vakresvara’s self-incrimination? It’s easy to imagine how they would try. I know of a few big sannyasi gurus on the GBC who would say “He didn’t do it” and expect the CPO to beg their forgiveness. What ISKCON devotee would go against them? Anyone familiar with ISKCON knows the social effect that the resultant accusations of ‘Vaisnava aparadha’ would have. Who would be willing to call the sannyasi-guru-GBCs liars when they’re sticking up for their old buddy? I challenged some of these “gurus” a few years ago after they rolled out the red carpet for Vakresvara at my local temple, and the gurus’ many disciples were absolutely brutal.

I’ve also had several devotees contact me to say that Vakresvara was undoubtedly having sex with this child, that the nature of their relationship was too obvious to hide among the devotees in the area at that time. I’ve heard this from some devotees whom I did not know at all, others whom I knew somewhat over the Internet, and also from my trusted personal friends. None said they were interviewed by the CPO, and I don’t see why they should have been. The primary witnesses for these “bedroom” activities would naturally be the complainant and the accused, and it makes sense for a proper investigation to have been focused on these two individuals.

As stated in the appeal verdict:

“xi. There is no evidence that the original panels of judges neglected any statements that directly or indirectly project doubt, or remove doubt, concerning the character of the claimant or the defendant.

xii. A number of statements have been made to the effect that the original panel of judges neglected to consider certain pieces of evidence. However there is no proof for such a statement and such an accusation appears to be based solely on the fact that a guilty verdict was given to the defendant.”

Visnugada undermines the credibility of his “professional opinion” with this declaration:

“In my professional opinion, the CPO has never properly investigated the possibility that Vakresvara Pandita and others may have been falsely accused.”

The first investigation into this question went from December 4, 2000, to July 26, 2002, and resulted in a guilty verdict. (Apparently “properly” can only mean a not-guilty verdict in Visnugada’s opinion, though I can’t help but wonder about the nature of his relationship with Vakresvara Pandit if he presumes to know about Vakresvara’s sex life with such certainty.) Vakresvara Pandit had an attorney, Sesa Prabhu, who was presumably competent to raise any relevant issues in his defense. The complainant was not represented by an attorney, so it’s rather ridiculous to suggest that Vakresvara was disadvantaged by anything other than guilt.

After the original determination of Vakresvara Pandit’s guilt, an appeal was filed on his behalf and the matter was decided on June 8, 2005. The Defense made numerous claims attempting to undermine the finding of guilt, but the appeal judges found each of them to be without merit and upheld the original decision.

As stated in the appeal verdict:

“The appeal judges found no evidence supporting the claims that there was prejudicial treatment of Vakresvara Pandit das in the initial hearing of this case.”

Here it should be noted that this was after resignation of the CPO Director under whose authority the initial finding of guilt was made, so this was an entirely new CPO that ultimately determined the original CPO judges had made no mistake in this case.

In fact, the only findings the Appeals Judges determined in Vakresvara Pandit’s favor was to say that the rectification plan was too severe, based on the fact that the original judges failed to consider that it was a case of “consensual sex with a minor.” As it turned out, the Appeals Judges were in error on this point, as they had failed to realize that there is no such thing as “consensual sex with a minor.” Nowhere in the United States is a thirteen-year-old child legally able to give consent to sex. That is why it’s commonly called “statutory rape.” As Tamohara Prabhu (CPO, GBC) wrote to me on July 19, 2005:

“You are correct regarding ‘consensual sex with a minor’. Another devotee lawyer pointed this out, that there is no such thing as consent, as a minor is assumed to not have the maturity to give consent. I will change this wording in the decision, as it is legally incorrect.”

Bear in mind we’re talking about a 40-year old man repeatedly having sex with a 13-year young girl.

The appeal judges had also failed to consider the fact that Vakresvara Pandit had been in violation of his rectification plan the entire time of his supposed restrictions, even to the point of being Temple President of Puerto Rico, in gross contradiction of the Official Decision, during which time he was also found guilty of additional offenses resulting in another official decision against him. Following the original appeal verdict, the CPO was shown these facts and thereby forced to revise their ruling accordingly.

That devotees are still calling for this man to be exonerated, presenting their own twisted facts, is astonishing and reeks of corruption. If not for ISKCON’s shameful history of child abuse, it would be beyond belief.

The relevant documents are attached (in “Word” format). Hare Krishna.

Official Decision in the Case of Vakresvara Pandit das - July 26, 2002 (0)………….
Official Decision on the Appeal Case of Vakresvara Pandit das - June 8, 2005 (0)………….
Note of Clarification in the Sentencing of the Appeals Judges' Official Decision of Vakresvara Pandit das (0)………….

Sincerely, your servant,
Pandu das

One morning Genghis Khan, the great king and warrior, rode out into the woods to have a day's sport. Many of his friends were with him. They rode out gayly, carrying their bows and arrows. Behind them came the servants with the hounds.

It was a merry hunting party. The woods rang with their shouts and laughter. They expected to carry much game home in the evening.

On the king's wrist sat his favorite hawk, for in those days hawks were trained to hunt. At a word from their masters they would fly high up into the air, and look around for prey. If they chanced to see a deer or a rabbit, they would swoop down upon it swift as any arrow.

All day long Genghis Khan and his huntsmen rode through the woods. But they did not find as much game as they expected.

Toward evening they started for home. The king had often ridden through the woods, and he knew all the paths. So while the rest of the party took the nearest way, he went by a longer road through a valley between two mountains.

The day had been warm, and the king was very thirsty. His pet hawk left his wrist and flown away. It would be sure to find its way home.

The king rode slowly along. He had once seen a spring of clear water near this pathway. If he could only find it now! But the hot days of summer had dried up all the mountain brooks.

At last, to his joy, he saw some water trickling down over the edge of a rock. He knew that there was a spring farther up. In the wet season, a swift stream of water always poured down here; but now it came only one drop at a time.

The king leaped from his horse. He took a little silver cup from his hunting bag. He held it so as to catch the slowly falling drops.

It took a long time to fill the cup; and the king was so thirsty that he could hardly wait. At last it was nearly full. He put the cup to his lips, and was about to drink.

All at once there was a whirring sound in the air, and the cup was knocked from his hands. The water was all spilled upon the ground.

The king looked up to see who had done this thing. It was his pet hawk.

The hawk flew back and forth a few times, and then alighted among the rocks by the spring.

The king picked up the cup, and again held it to catch the trickling drops.

This time he did not wait so long. When the cup was half full, he lifted it toward his mouth. But before it had touched his lips, the hawk swooped down again, and knocked it from his hands.

And now the king began to grow angry. He tried again, and for the third time the hawk kept him from drinking.

The king was now very angry indeed.

"How do you dare to act so?" he cried. "If I had you in my hands, I would wring your neck!"

Then he filled his cup again. But before he tried to drink, he drew his sword.

"Now, Sir Hawk," he said, "that is the last time."

He had hardly spoken before the hawk swooped down and knocked the cup from his hand. But the king was looking for this. With a quick sweep of the sword he struck the bird as it passed.

The next moment the poor hawk lay bleeding and dying at its master's feet.

"That is what you get for your pains," said Genghis Khan. But when he looked for his cup, he found that it had fallen between two rocks, where he could not reach it.

"At any rate, I will have a drink from that spring," he said to himself.

With that he began to climb the steep bank to the place from which the water trickled. It was hard work, and the higher he climbed, the thirstier he became.

At last he reached the place. There indeed was a pool of water; but what was that lying in the pool, and almost filling it? It was a huge, dead snake of the most poisonous kind.

The king stopped. He forgot his thirst. He thought only of the poor dead bird lying on the ground below him.

"The hawk saved my life!" he cried, "and how did I repay him? He was my best friend, and I have killed him." He clambered down the bank. He took the bird up gently, and laid it in his hunting bag. Then he mounted his horse and rode swiftly home. He said to himself,

"I have learned a sad lesson today, and that is, never to do anything in anger."

As part of the Yoga Journal Conference, Shiva Rea gave a Flow Yoga class titled “Rasa: The Yoga of Liberating Love.”  We accompanied her with some kirtan, drumming and, thanks to MC Yogi, a little bit of rap.

Later, we played a deep, mellow kirtan during a free community yoga class given by Ashley Turner. Then, we quickly packed up to get ready for our evening show at The Shala.

Listen to the entire Kirtan!

To listen, click on the links below then press play. To download, Right Click on the word “Download” and select “Save As…” from the menu. Having trouble downloading? Read our Help Section.

• 01 Gaura Vani - Mantra (10)
• 02 Gaura Vani - Jaya Radha Madhava (4)
• 03 Acyuta Gopi - Jaya Radhe (6)
• 04 Gaura Vani - Rama Bolo (6)
• 05 Instrumental (6)
• 06 Gaura Vani - Hey Gopal (6)
• 07 AshleyTurner - Gayatri Mantra (6)
• 08 Gaura Vani - Sita Ram (9)
• 09 Gaura Vani - Govindam (7)

This excerpt is from my Vyasa Puja offering made last year. It recalls that Srila Prabhupada's guru saw him as, among many other things, a talented writer: "In fact, according to your official biography, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta saw this as proof that you knew the mind of your master. You were in ecstasy when you heard this. Your gurudeva showed this couplet to many guests and ordered that whatever you wrote should be published in his journal, the Harmonist."
This is the phrase (couplet):
"Absolute is sentient,
Thou hast proved,
Impersonal calamity

read more

The example was given that Brahma and Siva are great experts in all affairs, but when they hear the sound of Krishna’s flute, they become confused. We also read in The Nectar of Devotion about the gopis’ attachment to Krishna. When Krishna is away in the forest tending the cows, the gopis feel His absence painfully, and a moment seems like twelve years. Then when Krishna comes home in the evening and the gopis see Him pass by, they become angry with Lord Brahma for constructing eyes with eyelids. They call Brahma a dunce because the blinking of their eyes obstructs their constant seeing of Krishna.

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami - June 11, 2:17 A.M.

Another peaceful night. I woke early again, at 2:00 A.M. Called for Narayana. My head was clear after yesterday’s long headaches.

3:37 A.M.

Early-morning japa log

I chanted my first three rounds without a stopwatch. Then I used a stopwatch, and it came out to 12 minutes, 42 seconds! The next round took 12 minutes, 47 seconds. I didn’t panic because I was up early, and the first three rounds seemed speedy. Besides, even the slow rounds were comfortable, and I was chanting and hearing nicely. But after that, my stopwatch count went down to 5 minutes for three rounds in a row. The eight rounds were chanted in a decent time except toward the end, when I was rushing. I was paying attention to the sounds of the syllables, Hare, Krishna, and Rama. I was satisfied that I was hearing without being distracted by other thoughts. I was chanting audibly, too. Radha-Govinda looked very beautiful in Their yellow, golden, red and green outfits. Narayana had placed Them very nicely on the altar, and I must thank him for it. He did all the Deity worship without any interruption to my chanting. We seem to get along all right. He’ll be back at 5:00 A.M. for bathroom duties. Now I have time to write the japa essay and time left over to chant more rounds. The chanting was somewhat mechanical, but at least it was clear and efficient.

Japa essay

For japa to really be done with feeling, you have to call out to Krishna. Cry like a child calling for its mother. One gets so occupied with the accumulation of the rounds and the proper enunciation that he leaves out the most important part, the feeling. The feeling must be at the center of the exercise in order for the japa to be complete. One has to have faith in reciprocation with Radha and Krishna, faith that the holy names are Krishna Himself and Radha Herself. Otherwise, you are just chanting the outer syllables of the name and not chanting offenselessly. Suddha-nama is a rare, advanced stage. We have to be patient with our chanting and hearing clearly, making the sounds audibly and keeping the mind fixed on the utterance of the words themselves. From this stage, we can go to the upper stage, but we should not wait forever to inject the emotion into the chanting, to chant from the heart with the call. “When will the day come when my offenses ceasing, taste for the holy name increasing, when oh when will that day be mine?” The taste for Hare Krishna comes when you cry out to Krishna to please hear you and please let your stony heart be softened by emotions of bhava. So many years of chanting, and we are waiting for that day to come. Therefore, we should pray while we chant and not be content to merely rattle the names off clearly. We should pray in the mood of Lord Caitanya, as expressed in the Siksastakam: “Oh my Lord, I am Your eternal servitor, but somehow I have fallen into this ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean and fix me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.” “One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street. One should offer respects to others without expecting respect for oneself. In such a state of mind, one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.” All of Siksastakam is rich with guidance for proper chanting.

Without feeling, the center is missing,

like the hole in the center of a doughnut.

We must fill it up

with tears in the eyes

and feelings of separation.

Dear Lord, I am tired of chanting like a machine

instead of a human being.

Please fix my sight

at the lotus feet of the holy names

and let my heart finally melt

with devotion.

I cannot do it by myself,

but with a drop of Your mercy,

my chanting will turn out successful.

6:46 A.M.

It’s a foggy day. Nothing special on my mind. Bodily troubles occupy the mind. Where is the space to think about Krishna? This morning in my japa essay, I wrote that feeling must be present when you chant. When you write, feeling must be present also, You pray to Krishna in the afternoon. In this morning’s slot, I talk about the beach and odds and ends that come to the mind. Now I am constipated and I have to think about that. To think of Krishna, I go to His pastimes and the Vedic philosophy. Things that my Godbrothers have said in their lectures. Conversations of krsna-katha.

Yesterday at lunch, we talked about the ghastly rasa. Narayana joked that Dattatreya was performing his puja of Gaura-Nitai in a ghastly rasa because Dattatreya mentioned that sometimes the flowers smelled like urine. This brought up the question, “What is the ghastly rasa?” I said when Nrsimhadeva tore apart Hiryankasipu and put his intestines around His neck, that was an example of ghastly rasa. We looked it up in The Nectar of Devotion. An example was given of a man who was a great debauchee and an expert womanizer. Later, he became a devotee, and the mere sight of a woman made him disgusted. Symptoms of ghastly rasa were given as contorting of the face, twitching, and spitting. Yamunacharya is the great example of a former king who enjoyed with women, but once he became a devotee, when he just thought of sex, his mouth turned and he wanted to spit.

We also read from The Nectar of Devotion about Krishna’s flute. The example was given that Brahma and Siva are great experts in all affairs, but when they hear the sound of Krishna’s flute, they become confused. We also read in The Nectar of Devotion about the gopis’ attachment to Krishna. When Krishna is away in the forest tending the cows, the gopis feel His absence painfully, and a moment seems like twelve years. Then when Krishna comes home in the evening and the gopis see Him pass by, they become angry with Lord Brahma for constructing eyes with eyelids. They call Brahma a dunce because the blinking of their eyes obstructs their constant seeing of Krishna.

In our natural conversations, we don’t speak much of Radha and Krishna, and so our opportunities come when we read out loud from the books.

8:30 A.M.

“If I Were a Bell.” Ask me how do I feel now that we’re together. Well, sir, all I can say is if I were a bell, I’d be ringing. If he were a lamp, he’d light. If he were a banner, he’d wave. If he were a gate, he’d be swinging. If he were a watch, he’d be popping his springs. If he were a bell, he’d go “ding dong ding dong ding.” If he were a bridge, he’d be burning. If he were a duck, he’d quack. If he were a goose, he’d be cooked. If he were a salad, he’d be splashing his dressing, and if he were a bell, he’d go “ding dong ding dong ding.” That’s a description of a love affair. Pretty wild. How does it compare with Krishna and Radha? He’s doing all those things. He’s ringing like a bell. He’s swinging like a gate, and he’s going over the moon. Miles Davis plays the introduction melody on muted trumpet, and John Coltrane comes soaring in with his cry and his inimitable way. Krishna and Radha behave in ways that can’t be captured by popular songs, with all their extravagant words. The popular song is just a pale reflection of what They do and how They feel. He’s certainly ringing like a bell and waving like a banner. They are feeling emotions that cannot be captured, even by the jazz musicians, who are making a nice enough tune out of it. Red Garland’s chords on the piano swing a nice enough tune, but there’s no comparison to how Krishna swings, so that’s all we can say. There’s just no comparison to the bell ringing of “If I Were a Bell” and the rasa dance.

“You’re My Everything.” This is a song that Krishna sings to Radharani, and She sings to Him. You’re my everything. You’re my life’s breath, you’re my yearning, you’re my happiness, but sometimes you’re my sadness. I don’t exist without you. Miles plays it as a ballad with a muted trumpet, and it’s nice enough. You’re my everything. What a beautiful sentiment, and it can only be upheld by Radha and Krishna. Other people have reservations and motivations. They hold back. They can’t give everything. But the Divine Couple give everything to each other. In this world, there is only a refleection of it. Maybe in rare moments, it exists for a little while that somebody thinks someone else is everything to them. But then later, it sours, it changes, it grows old, it gets stale. In the spiritual world, it’s eternally fresh and always true. Krishna is everything to Radharani, and Radharani is everything to Krishna, always and forever.

“I Could Write a Book.” I’ve written many books, so if they ask me, I could write a book. I’d like to write a book about Radha and Krishna, but I’m not qualified. There is a book, though—Srimad-Bhagavatam. And there are books by the Six Goswamis that tell about the way Radha and Krishna walk and whisper and look. It tells how they met in a way that the world will never forget. The simple secret of the plot is just to tell them that they love each other a lot. Then the world discovers, as the book ends, how to make two lovers of friends. If they ask me, I could write a book about my days in Krishna consciousness. My struggles. It wouldn’t be so wonderful, but it would be true. And I’m writing that book. It’s telling how I chant and how I hear and how I try to serve my spiritual master. As the book ends, I’m not sure how I wind up. I try to approach the two lovers in the spiritual world. The end of my book will have to be discovered at the end of my life. The simple plot is that I struggled a lot. But fortunately, I met my spiritual master, and I’ll never forget that. He taught me all about Krishna and Bhagavad-gita. And so I’ve written some books about my adventures in Krishna consciousness, and I hope to write some more. But the best books have already been written, and we can just read them. They tell about the way the Divine Couple walk and whisper and look and how They love each other a lot. The world should discover that wonderful book called Srimad-Bhagavatam, and the books by the Goswamis. Then they’ll learn what’s meant to be learned in this world. They’re the best books, and other writers have not written any books that measure up to it. So if they ask you to write a book, read Srimad-Bhagavatam first.

“You’ve Changed.” This is a ballad by Keith Jarrett. It’s a sad song. You’ve changed. You’re not the same anymore. You’re not the way you were when I loved you. Radharani felt this way when She met Krishna at Kuruksetra. He wasn’t the cowherd boy She loved in Vraja. He was now surrounded by soldiers and elephants and ministers. She wanted Him back in Vrndavana. You’ve changed, Krishna, you’re not the cowherd boy we loved. Sometimes we get disappointed in devotees who’ve changed, who’ve left Krishna consciousness and have no more interest in Krishna. That’s a sadness, too. Why did they go away? What was it about them that made them leave? Who’s fault is it? You’ve changed. I don’t see the same look in your eyes. I can’t talk with you about Krishna anymore. You’re a different human being. Gary Peacock plays a very sad, conversational bass solo to emphasize the mood of this piece. Don’t you remember chanting together? Don’t you remember the hopes of going to krsna-loka? Now you’re interested in another “ism.” You’re going to school now. You’ve got a new job. You’re embroiled in family life. Or you’ve just... changed. You’re not interested anymore in what I’m interested in. Our rapport is gone. You even look different. You dress differently. You talk differently. We can’t make it together anymore. We’ve gone our separate ways. But maybe in the future, things will change again. I’m hoping for that. Youv’e changed once, you could change again. Radharani hoped that about Krishna, that He wouldn’t stay in Kuruksetra, that He’d come back to Vrndavana and change again so She wouldn’t have to remain sad and mournful. It wasn’t that He’d changed so much, it was that the place changed. If He could just go back to Vraja, then He’d change again. When someone changes like that, the bottom drops out, and it’s just very sad.

11:50 A.M.

My Dear Lord Krishna...

I pray to You to get to know You better. You can be known only by devotional service. I wish to attain bhakti. By praising You, I may please You. You are like a person of this world; You like to be praised. You like sincere adoration. But it must be sincere. I must prove my love for You by unmotivated acts.

This prayer has been interrupted for over an hour by a headache. Because of these daily headaches, I am not able to go out and preach and lecture and travel. So I have to please You by introverted methods of writing and chanting at home. It is possible for me to please You in this way. But I must be sincere. Between my headaches, I get spaces of time when I am clear, and in those spaces, I can write to You or I can chant my rounds. I have a little space now, so I am writing to You.

You lifted Govardhana Hill and held it on the pinky of Your left hand for seven days. You thus thwarted Indra, who tried to destroy the residents of Vrndavana, because You stopped the Indra yajna. You are praiseworthy for this act by all the residents of Vrndavana and by all living entities.

You drove the Kaliya serpent away from the Yamuna when he was poisoning it. It was so poisoned that even if a bird flew over the Yamuna, he would die from the poison. And cows who drank the water from the Yamuna would die also. Of course, any human being who went into the water would die. So You dove into the Yamuna and faced that serpent. He became very angry with You and tried to attack You with his thousands of hoods. You jumped up on him and began dancing on his hoods, smashing them with Your feet. You turned it into a wonderful dance art. Before You did that, however, you played with the serpent and allowed him to catch You in his coils. This frightened all the residents of Vrndavana, who thought that You would die. When You saw that they were too anxious, You broke the grip of the serpent and began dancing upon his hoods. He began to vomit and bleed and admitted his defeat to You. He came to understand that You were the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and he obeyed Your instructions. You told him to leave the Yamuna with his wives and children and never come back. You told him You would give him protection from Garuda so that he would not be eaten by the bird-devotee of the Lord. For this act, You are praiseworthy by all the Vrajavasis and all the devotees of the world.

You satisfied all the gopis of Vrndavana who wanted You as their husband. You danced with them in the rasa dance on an autumn evening. You expanded Yourself and danced between each gopi so that they thought they were with You alone. This is the most wonderful of Your pastimes. You played amorously with all of the gopis in the rasa dance and then strolled with them to the Yamuna and had water sports. You disappeared from their midst to create even greater love on their parts for You by separation. Then You joined them again and spoke words of consolation and love to them. For this, You are praiseworthy to all the gopis and all the residents of Vrndavana and all devotees of the world.

You drove the chariot of Arjuna on the battlefield of Kuruksetra. At the beginning of the fight, Arjuna lost his heart for fighting and said he would not fight. You spoke to him the entire Bhagavad-gita to convince him to fight, and You taught him and the whole world the science of Krishna. You taught bhakti yoga as the highest truth and said that no one could attain You except through devotional service. Then You convinced Arjuna to fight, and with great enthusiasm, he went forward with You guiding him on the chariot. You taught him tricks for killing his various enemies, and he came out triumphant. For Your guiding Arjuna on the battlefield and for Your teaching the Bhagavad-gita, You are praiseworthy to everyone for all time.

In the Tenth Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sukadeva Goswami taught Maharaja Pariksit all about Your pastimes. The Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam is the greatest contribution to the world, for it tells us about the Personlity of Godhead in His humanlike form. Especially precious are the pastimes in Vraja, in Krishna’s boyhood and youth, but also His pastimes are told when He left for Mathura and lived in Dvaraka. All these Tenth Canto pastimes are glorious and prove You praiseworthy by all the worlds. Sukadeva Goswami is also praiseworthy for telling them.

You are praiseworthy for Your invitation to all jivas that they can come and join You and live in the spiritual world. They only have to give up their sinful activities and take to devotional service under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master. You appeared in the age of Kali as a pure devotee, Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya is Krishna Himself appearing as a devotee of Krishna. Lord Caitanya adopted the mood of Radharani and demonstrated separation from Krishna. You are praiseworthy for Your appearance as Lord Caitanya and teaching the world vipralambha, separation from Krishna. And You are praiseworthy for spreading the sankirtana movement in the form of Lord Caitanya and His followers. Thus by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra—Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare—and following the rules and regulations of vaidhi bhakti, a neophyte devotee can raise himself to the platform of krsna-prema and go and join You in the spiritual world. For giving all jivas this opportunity, You are praiseworthy.

I praise You for giving me also this chance to qualify myself to go back to Godhead in one of these lifetimes. I may be hampered by my physical ailments, but I am able to chant and hear and thus fulfill a satisfying life of Krishna consciousness. I praise You for giving me this opportunity, even though I am physically handicapped. Please let me go on praising You in my prayers and daily japa writings and other reflections. Let me improve in my japa. I praise You sincerely because You are very great and compassionate. You want me to get to know You better, and You are giving me an opportunity to do so. I am trying to spread compassion to others by writing about You and spreading the good word. Please accept this service of mine as nonduplicitous and do with me as You wish in this lifetime and the next. I bow at Your feet and at the feet of all the devotees who are working on Your behalf..

Clip of Guruprasad Swami leading an ecstatic Sunday Feast Kirtan.

Dallas, TX
2009-04-19

"I would like to add to my prayer the intention to attain a humble state of mind not only while chanting but everytime, surrender to the names and also give me strength to always make efforts to improve my chanting."

"When I Re-started chanting after some time (as I had mentioned before) I prayed to God to help me to give me the dedication and determination to continue with it and never lose track again and He has really helped me and as before he has also attracted my husband towards it."

"I would like to increase the number of rounds that i do and never forget Him or lose faith no matter what the situation is."

"I always pray to God to help me so that I never get too ahead of myself and never feel proud no matter how more or little advance I make in my journey because pride is one of the biggest test by Mayadevi that only a few can overcome. Sometimes I have noticed (no offence to anyone) that some devotees compete and take pride in the number of rounds they do - I do not want myself in that situation."

"I think we should also pray AFTER the japa to thank God to give us the opportunity and knowledge of the Holy name and help us chant it and be happy :-) and finally tonight I would also be thanking God to help me discover this Japa room and and a chance to associate with devotees online."

On Richard Dawkins’s irresponsible and irrational dogmatism.

This is an excerpt from an article by Carson Holloway in which he makes interesting and insightful comments about the preachings of the biologist Mr. Dawkins, a militant atheist.

Dawkins contends that the meaningfulness of life need not depend on any notions of the ultimate purpose of the cosmos. He would probably assert that those who seek such cosmic justifications for the things they love are suffering a form of false consciousness imposed by the cultural influence of Biblical religion. Whatever the origins of such transcendent aspirations, however, it is an undeniable fact that countless human beings really do experience the meaningfulness of their lives as somehow bound up with their conviction that the universe possesses ultimate meaning. Dawkins’s ruthless indifference to them makes a tangled web of many of his fellow human beings’ most cherished sentiments and beliefs.

Dawkins’s problems do not end here, however. The responsible public intellectual, as I suggested above, is concerned with both the truth and its consequences. While he does not let a heedless zeal for the truth automatically compel him to its reckless popularization, neither does let his concern for others blind him to the truth and its value. Yet, an important part of his respect for truth is his recognition of the limits of his own knowledge, a sober sense that not all of his convictions are truths properly so-called — that is, propositions capable of confirmation by reason.

Here, again, Dawkins fails, dogmatically asserting as truth things that his science cannot confirm, things that science properly understood does not even claim to address. “Presumably,” he opines, “there is indeed no purpose in the ultimate fate of the universe.” On the basis of what evidence does Dawkins ground this momentous presumption? As a result of what scientific reasoning does he make this grandiose claim about the nature of all things? He has no such basis, and there is none available to him. It is true that pre-modern science sought to explain the purposefulness of the cosmos, while modern science has abandoned that project in favor of what is perhaps easier and more immediately useful: figuring out how nature works and how it can be manipulated. Nevertheless, it is clear that science’s turning away from questions of ultimate meaning is not equivalent to a denial of their importance, nor to a denial that they can be answered, let alone a claim to have answered them. Sober scientists — those who respect the limits of their method and avoid amateur philosophic extrapolations from it — understand this.

If it is not science that leads Dawkins to deny the purposefulness of the universe, then what is it? The answer to this question will be obvious to anyone familiar with his usual public pronouncements. Dawkins’s denial of the meaningfulness of the cosmos arises not from any evidence that science reveals to him, but instead from a simple dogmatic hostility to those who see purpose in the universe itself, or, put more simply, an animus against religion. Consider, for example, a recent interview in which he claims never to have met an intelligent religious believer who came to belief apart from childhood indoctrination, and that he cannot think of a single good thing that religion has contributed to the world.

These are not the opinions of a moderate and reasonable man, and his doctrinaire disdain for religion is equally on display in his new introduction. Those tempted to despair by his soulless and godless account of the universe, Dawkins advises, should seek meaning in the good things of ordinary life. “Our lives are ruled,” he notes, not by the meaning of the universe itself but by “all sorts of closer, warmer, human ambitions and perceptions.” Do “any of us really tie our life’s hopes to the ultimate fate of the cosmos,” he asks. His answer: “Of course we don’t; not if we are sane.” There you have Dawkins’s perspective in a nutshell: on the one hand, his account of things; on the other hand, madness. He is undeterred in this judgment by the fact that the views he regards as insane are held by countless millions of his fellow beings and have shaped the human story for millennia. It would be difficult to invent a more perfect caricature of the intellectually intolerant ideologue.

There are many words one might choose to describe the competent and useful public intellectual. Unfortunately for Dawkins, irresponsible and irrational are not among them.

Richard Dawkins

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Battlefield Bhajans Vol. 41

Dedicated to HDG A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

When it rains it pours

Panihati Festival was kicking off in Atlanta. Devotees from all over the world converged on New Panihati Dham for the festival due to HH Jayapataka Swami being present. It was his first time traveling outside india since his stroke. Many senior disciples of Srila Prabhupada were present.  Excitement was in the air.  I was talking about book distribution with some senior disciples of Srila Prabhupada, they told stories of the seventies and how they distributed books in the airport. The stories were amazing and  despite leaving the next day for Chicago, I went out on book distribution. The sky looked black, and the wind started to kick up, but I thought, it will hold off.
I walked form the temple to the Little Five Points, an alternative area. As soon as I arrived, the sky opened up and started pouring. It was raining so hard that I was getting wetter from the up splash of the rain rather than the rain itself. Within minutes, I was completely drenched head to toe. I took some shelter under a tree wearing just a dhoti, and T-shirt.  I attempted to stop a few people, but no one was interested.  One man said you must be crazy, do you see the weather? They only wanted shelter form the rain. I was thinking, if only they knew what shelter they could find in Srila Prabhupada’s books. I stood out in the rain for what seemed like forever.  I was soaking wet, all my clothing was wet, my back pack was soaked, but amazingly enough the books were dry. Out of nowhere a man with tattoos, a southern accent and a funny small hat  from a bar called out, Hey man, what are you doing in the rain. go home. I just ignored him, but he persisted and called me over.  I went in to his bar and he just stared at me.
He said, why are you risking getting sick for this? Why put yourself through that, through the rain, through the cold. What is making this so special. I though for a second and remember a quote I read on the Srila Prabhupada quotes conference. I said Srila Prabhupada said, why do we distribute these books? To make our master smile. The man looked puzzled for a moment. I explained to him that yes it is raining, but this down pour of rain is nothing compared to the down pour of nectar and mercy someone will receive from Caitanya Mahaprabhu if they receive these books. These books are not ordinary, they are windows to the spiritual world and will save your life.
The man looked taken back. He turned to the patrons of the bar (who at this point were listening to us) and said did you hear this guy? Everyone remained silent. It felt erie, like in a dream when your standing before your class in school only wearing your undergarments. He said what you said touched the heart. The man then turned to the crowd and said, why don’t you all help him by taking a book so he can go and get dry. Slowly, one by one people started to approach me and take a book out of my bag and give me a donation. WIthin minutes, the bag was completely empty.  I recalled the events in my mind as I walked back to the temple. It seemed so surreal, and reminded me of the lila from the Caitanya Caritamrta. Jagäi and Mädhäi were two brothers born in Navadvépa in a respectable brähmaëa family who later became addicted to all kinds of sinful activities. By the order of Lord Caitanya, both Nityänanda Prabhu and Haridäsa Öhäkura used to preach the cult of Kåñëa consciousness door to door. In the course of such preaching they found Jagäi and Mädhäi, two maddened drunken brothers, who, upon seeing them, began to chase them. On the next day, Mädhäi struck Nityänanda Prabhu on the head with a piece of earthen pot, thus drawing blood. When Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu heard of this, He immediately came to the spot, ready to punish both brothers, but when the all-merciful Lord Gauräìga saw Jagäi’s repentant behavior, He immediately embraced him. The rain was pouring down harder, but I did not notice at all. I could only think of how the Lord arranges for the conditioned soul to reestablish his or hers relationship with Him. I thought about how we must adopt the mood of Lord Nityananda and give this message to the most fallen people of this society.

vraja-väsé-gaëa,  pracäraka-dhana,
pratiñöhä-bhikñuka tä’rä nahe ‘çava’
präëa äche tä’r,  se-hetu pracär,
pratiñöhäçä-héna-’kåñëa-gäthä’ saba

“The most valuable treasures amongst the Lord’s preachers are the eternal personalities residing in Vraja-dhäm. They never occupy themselves with begging for worthless material reputation, which is cherished only by the living dead. The Vraja-väsés are truly infused with life, and therefore they preach in order to give life to the walking corpses of the mundane world. All the songs that the Vraja-väsés sing about the glories of Lord Kåñëa are devoid of any tinge of desire for fame.” ( Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Swami Thakura Duñöa-Mana 17)

mahä-kåpä-pätra prabhura jagäi, mädhäi
‘patita-pävana’ nämera säkñé dui bhäi

“Jagäi and Mädhäi, the eighty-ninth and ninetieth branches of the tree, were the greatest recipients of Lord Caitanya’s mercy. These two brothers were the witnesses who proved that Lord Caitanya was rightly named Patita-pävana, “the deliverer of the fallen souls.” (Sri Caitanya Caritamrta, Adi-lila 10.120)

Sadhana Report:

Japa: By the mercy of Guru & Gauranga I am still chanting. I am trying to really develop a nice sadhana centered around hearing and chanting. At the moment I am up at 1:30 am and chant till 3:30. Then I read Caitanya Caritamrta until morning program. I read for one hour before I go on sankritan and then in the evening, I read again for one hour.
Seva: The Lords are somehow still allowing me to attempt to serve Them. Some new Salagram and Govardhan Sila’s appeared, which meant a big pizza offering. Every evening I offer my sankritan results to Them.
Reading at the moment the Bhagavad-Gita. I am trying to study each verse slowly and taking notes of each verse in hopes of understanding better.
Sankritan: BOOKS! BOOKS!!!
maha big: 41
med- hard - 1
small- 186
pamplets- 170

Each day is a new way of developing attachment to Krsna’s lotus feet. I can only beg to keep going on the path of devotional service and never deviate. I ask all the blessings of the vaisnava’s.

Yours in the Service of Srila Prabhupada,
Partha-sarathi dasa vanacari

"When we chant japa, we’re alone. We should not be thinking of other people or other things. It’s a time to be alone with Krishna in the form of His sound vibration. Prabhupada repeatedly quoted the verse, sarva-dharmam parityajya/ mam ekam saranam vraja/ aham sarva papebhyo/ moksayisyami ma sucah. “Give up all forms of religion and just surrender unto Me. Do not be afraid. I will protect you.” We should give up all forms of altruism, philanthropy, and other “isms.” Just concentrate on surrendering to Krishna."

Srila Prabhupada says: "I have been in Russia also. It is not that they are godless. The population is as good as in other country, but the government is suppressing. So that is another chapter...

Sharon Gannon and David Life gave an all-day yoga workshop at the first Yoga Journal Conference in New York City with MC Yogi, a spiritual activist/rapper. Their yoga school, Jivamukti, is known for being a little bit different. That is why they invited us to join them and our new best buddy MC Yogi, to do a special kirtan. The workshop was called “Hot, Hip and Holy” and it lived up to its name. With Wah! on bass, we first accompanied MC Yogi in a rap about Ganesh, the elephant God, and then continued on with a song about Krishna. Our kirtans are always hot and holy, but never have they been quite this hip!

Listen to the entire Kirtan!

To listen, click on the links below then press play. To download, Right Click on the word “Download” and select “Save As…” from the menu. Having trouble downloading? Read our Help Section.

• 01 MC Yogi and AKS - Ganesh is Fresh (33)
• 02 MC Yogi and AKS - Shiva Shiva Shiva Shambo (24)
• 03 MC Yogi and AKS - Hanuman (19)
• 04 Acyuta Gopi - Govinda Jaya Jaya (30)
• 05 MC Yogi and AKS - Gandhi (10)
• 06 MC Yogi and AKS - Hare Krishna (42)

Strange name for a title, but it’s true! Could refer to falling down into the material world actually, couldn’t it? This is a bit of a follow-on from “Mayapur - hot nectar.” The sickness that surfaced in Mayapur reached a critical point after I was in England for a few weeks and finally the local doctor insisted that I bring myself, sores, boils and all to the hospital for tests. We don’t feel so happy about it as we usually go for ayur vedic or homoeopathic treatments but we aren’t set up over here with practitioners yet and we have to get on with it before things get any more out of hand, (bearing in mind that we are in Krishna’s hands).

I’m looking around the hospital ward now that I’ve been admitted. The time has gone quickly this afternoon. Now it’s 9.30 p.m. already. There are probably five older ladies here (older than me even), some slumbering but the hospital lights stay on until 10 p.m. The protocols are set for everything. Yes, it is a bit like a metaphor for the material world.

I’ve closed the curtains round my bed so I can chant a little after having some friendly conversation with the lady in the opposite bed. I can hear various other conversations also, especially the sad exchanges between the husband and wife in the next booth. She sounds bewildered and is complaining quite a lot; his voice is long-suffering and exasperated, yet I get the impression that he is trying to be patient and kind. Still he curtly responds, “What??” in a vexed tone to most things she asks. After some time, I get a sense of the trap he seems to be in, looking after the lady who was probably a beautiful young woman when he married her. Now he sounds so burdened and she sounds so vulnerable and confused. Later I see them. Her face seems distorted and her hair is in a grotesque bouffant, rather too large for her face which does indeed appear to be twisted somehow. The husband is altogether more suave looking. He speaks of having to go shopping and all the things that he says his wife hasn’t done; all this with a kind of embittered resignation.

Krishna gives me some realisation about the association of devotees. I marvel at how Srila Prabhupada has given us a life centred on devotional engagement so we are not caught up in endless cycles of mundanity; that we serve each other out of respect and love. Husband and wife are a team - a service team, which lifts us above grhamedhi life. We may still have our conditioning or some suffering as long as we are in this material body but sometimes we don’t stop to think how far we have actually come compared to where we were before. The programme that Srila Prabhupada gave to us is so simple. He introduced us to Krishna in His name, form and pastimes and showed us how to make Him the centre of our lives by following the nine processes of devotional service. It is simple - simply wonderful.

A grhastha’s home is an ashrama - we live in the ashram, just as the brahmacaris and brahmacarinis live in their ashram. Here we take shelter of Krishna who is the Lord of our ashram. All activities are performed for His satisfaction. This is what brings us full satisfaction and makes our existence meaningful.

So I’m going to take rest here in Bed 27, yellow ward, Acute Admissions Unit, thanking Krishna for Srila Prabhupada, the life of service he gave us, for my friends and mentors and my husband who just brought in the “Conversations with Srila Prabhupada” for me to read.

Perhaps tomorrow I will get some of Santasya’s soup prasadam! Goodnight Sri Gaura Nitai! As soon as I am out of here I am going to buy some flanelette for warm nightshirts for You. It’s pretty freezing here in England at night at the moment. Jai Sri Sri Radhalondoniswara. I’ve been too sick to come and see You. Jai Srila Prabhupada!

God has created the human being with a brain and thinking faculty. He has commanded His creation that the faculty must be used with reasoning to reach Him. This is the mission of human life. Science is the best boon God has bestowed upon mankind

On Janmastami 21 August 1973 in London, Srila Prabhupada talked about Krishna consciousness solving all problems. He said this. "This movement can solve all the problems of life, all the problems in the world. Social, political, philosophical, religious, economical-everything can be solved by Krishna consciousness.

Rupa Goswami said, “I do not know how much nectar this name ‘Krishna’ contains.” He had reached the pinnacle of success, wherein the utterance of the name of Krishna was putting him into an ecstatic state. Hare, Krishna and Rama combine to put an attentive chanter into a state of bliss and deep absorption. You can do it in the beginning stages if you just put your mind to it, remind yourself of the importance of the act and comfortably repeat the names. There is no better exercise than chanting Hare Krishna.

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami - June 10, 2:46 A.M.

I woke up early at 2:00 A.M. after a peaceful night. I enjoy sleeping here because the evenings are quiet. The bed is nice. I called for Narayana, who was fast asleep, he said, but he came right up and did his morning duties. Now I’m chanting my rounds.

3:26 A.M.

Early-morning japa log

At first I felt annoyed at the duty of chanting japa. Then it began to dawn on me what I was doing, how important it was to do the early-morning japa. I didn’t count the time it took me to chant the first three rounds because Narayana was present in the room, but when I chanted the fourth round, it came out to be ten minutes! I then got on the stick and chanted the next round in five minutes. After that, I lost count for two rounds and chanted the fourth round in 5 minutes, 58 seconds. I was chanting barely audibly but could hear the sounds. I paid attention to the names with not much distraction to other thoughts. I bore down my concentration and awareness on how crucial it is to chant good rounds. It’s a great shame when I don’t do them well because once the early-morning rounds are done, there’s no chance to get at them again. But at least I wasn’t thinking of baseball games or anything like that. I was tuned into the sound vibration of the mantras and was repeating them rapidly. I trust the potency of the names were working, even without my full awareness. Now I have time to chant some more rounds before Narayana comes up at 5:00 A.M. Oh holy names, please pick me up and hold me in your embrace.

Japa essay

The worst thing is being spaced out and unaware of your chanting. It goes by mindlessly. It’s almost wasting your time. So I catch myself and listen to every sound vibration and treasure it. I tell myself to be aware that this is Radha and Krishna and that They are the goal of my life. I’m not just fiddling around with an early-morning exercise, I’m diving into the most important portion of my day, praying to God and His Consort to bring me into the circle of love of God. It’s such an easy practice it can mislead you into thinking it’s not important. But we need it easy because we’re so slow and lazy. We need an easy practice, and Lord Caitanya has emphasized it, just because He knows we’re so unqualified to do something more strenuous or complicated in this age of Kali. We’re poor candidates for things like yoga or meditation. We should be grateful for the ease of reaching Krishna by reciting His names over and over. It’s not a boring practice or trivial, but once you get into the groove, it becomes fun, it becomes absorbing, it becomes deep and spiritual. You become excited by the accumulation and the speed. You keep it up like a jockey on a winning horse. You feel happy and triumphant. You feel like you’re winning a prize. This is the result of decent morning chanting. Rupa Goswami said, “I do not know how much nectar this name ‘Krishna’ contains.” He had reached the pinnacle of success, wherein the utterance of the name of Krishna was putting him into an ecstatic state. Hare, Krishna and Rama combine to put an attentive chanter into a state of bliss and deep absorption. You can do it in the beginning stages if you just put your mind to it, remind yourself of the importance of the act and comfortably repeat the names. There is no better exercise than chanting Hare Krishna.

Chanting Hare Krishna, forgetful boy remembered what he was doing

and returned to the thoughtful praise. Nama Prabhu picked him up,

and he sailed into outer space,

leaving behind the mundane dirt.

He cleansed his mind, like a new shirt.

He became happy just by sitting in his chair.

The air became purified

along with his mind and heart.

He thanked the Lord for the gift of the name

and pursued his numerical strength.

6:43 A.M.

A sunny day, seventy degrees. Two swimmers in the ocean. We chanted our japa and we walked. I am above my sixteen rounds. I’ve been getting headaches again. I treat them with medicine and lie back in bed. Dattatreya has medicine for his cough. Narayana still doesn’t have a good lumbar belt for his back. We received an email from Baladeva in Vrndavana. He wrote, “I love youse guys, but Vrndavana is good too. It’s good for my religious life and my mental sanity.” He said he is reading The Yellow Submarine and he envied us here. I said, “I envy you in Vrndavana,” but I really didn’t mean it. I’m content to stay here. The yellow submarine is a good place to chant my early rounds. And reading Brhad-bhagavatamrta is a treat. Gopa-kumara has just gone to Satyaloka, where he faints in ecstasy on seeing the thousand-handed form of Lord Vishnu. But wherever he goes, he grows dissatisfied and wants to go somewhere else. In his mind, he yearns for Vraja and the form of Madana-gopal, whom he worships with his mantra.

Yesterday Narayana made a delicious lunch Mexican style with stuffed tacos. Sastra ate many tacos. We discussed whether I should go see another orthopedist and get a second opinion on my broken collarbone, since it’s so slow in mending, and this doctor isn’t doing anything but waiting. For now, I have decided to stick with our doctor and not seek a second opinion. I do handwriting now, but I don’t risk drawing with crayons, as it requires too much pressure on the shoulder.

Caitanya-candrodaya has suggested putting my japa writings from The Yellow Submarine into a book like Japa Reform Notebook, and we’ll probably do it when we have enough material collected. I might also make a book called My Dear Lord Krishna, from my collected prayers.

8:30 A.M.

“Strollin’.” Krishna likes to stroll. He walks along the paths in Vraja with His friends. They pick flowers and minerals, with which they decorate their bodies. They stroll with their cows. It’s fun walking along with Krishna. Sometimes we stroll in this material world with a friend. That’s also fun. But to walk with Krishna is something unimaginably sublime. He dotes on His friends and shows them so much affection. They swim in bliss. Strolling with Krishna in the pastures of Vraja is the wished-for goal of every living entity, except we don’t know it. We look for something else. Krishna cries out sometimes when He walks, and the boys laugh. Sometimes while strolling they walk right into a demon, but there’s nothing to fear. Krishna finishes him off playfully, like breaking a toy doll, and they resume their strolling. They stop only for lunch. Otherwise, you’ll find them strolling through the pastures, up the hill, by the riverside, moving the cows before them at a leisurely pace. This piece is by Keith Jarrett, who is on piano, with Gary Peacock on double bass and Jack Dejohnette on drums. They make it very pleasant and take you for a walk.

“You Took Advantage of Me.” We did this one once before. The boy or girl claims that the other one took advantage of them. You attracted me to you, and then took advantage of me. You used me for your own purposes. Is this serious? Radharani doesn’t mean it seriously. She likes it when Krishna takes advantage of Her. She wants only to please Him. In the material world, it’s different. A man really takes advantage of a woman, uses her for his selfish purposes, for his sense gratification, and then he leaves her. Or the woman does it to the man. But in krsnaloka, it’s all play. Krishna took advantage of the gopis when He took them out on the boat. He told them the boat was too heavy and they had to throw out all their butterpots, and even their heavy jewelry. They were in the middle of the river with Him, and so He took advantage of them in their precarious situation. But when they found out that the boatman was actually Krishna, they were delighted and glad to be taken advantage of. Many times, Krishna took advantage of the gopis, using His superior power, and they appeared peeved and angry. He even arranged rendezvous with Radharani and then didn’t show up. She got angry with Him and called him a lampat, a debauch. But in Her heart, She never changed Her steady love for Him. Keith Jarrett romps on this one, and the audince applauds. Then Gary Peacock takes a solo, talking on his double bass. He makes it sound like conversation. Sometimes Keith Jarrett shouts out while he plays. He takes so much delight in the music. They really rock. The drummer beats up a storm. Then back to the simple head. You took advantage of me. He draws it out in improvisations, delays the ending, delights the audience. He’s not taking advantage of them but giving a pleasing musical piece. They applaud with enthusiasm.

“Yesterdays.” This is a soft ballad, recalling past days. Reminisce. Sometimes it’s sad or wistful, because those days are gone now, those good times that you had. Especially when you were young. You can’t do those things anymore. In the spiritual world, it’s not like that. Everything is eternally present. Yesterdays are today. It’s an eternal present. The killing of Aghasura takes place again and again. Mother Yasoda ties up Krishna again and again. He moves eternally from universe to universe and plays His pastimes eternally. So He doesn’t have to think back sorrowfully to days that used to be when He was in college and had a girlfriend. When He was a little boy and played in the yard with His father. Those times are all still with Him. Nevertheless, He can have the sweet, reminiscent feelings, too, because He’s not without anything. When He leaves Vrndavana, He thinks about it, how He used to roam the fields. But then He returns there and does it again. Keith Jarrett is playing many notes, although not at a sped-up tempo. He’s a masterful pianist. He’s using his voice over the notes, too, making vocal sounds. Gary Peacock takes a solo, filled with a reminiscent quality. He can put that emotion into his playing to make you feel it. The yesterdays, the times you enjoyed, the years when you were younger. They surcharge the music with that feeling. Thinking back... it almost makes you want to cry. The yesterdays were sweet and are gone.

“Shaw’nuff.” Sure enough. This is played at a rapid tempo. It’s got gusto. It means... it means... well, it means “sure enough!” You sure got the stuff. You’ve got the fun. You’ve got the verve. You’ve got the good times. Sure enough, we’re having a good time. Sure enough, we’re not missing anything. With fast music like this, you’re satisfied that you’ve got the good stuff. Sure enough, Krishna had the good time. He cries out like Keith Jarrett, “Yeah!” Everything is rolling and rocking. The boys are having a good time doing somersaults and wrestling and running down the hill. The gopis and Krishna are spraying water at each other, and colored dyes. Sure enough, there’s plenty of fun in the spiritual world. There’s nothing missing. Even if you like to fight, there are fights there, but no harm. There are wild drum solos. There are wild piano runs. Sure enough, in our spiritual world, it’s not just angels playing harps or worshipping God sitting on a throne. It’s boys and girls running around having a great time.

11:00 A.M.

My Dear Lord Krishna...

I wish to be more consistent and compassionate to my roommates. Sometimes I fail to appreciate their efforts, and I impose my will too harshly on them. Please let me be more kind.

I also need to pray better to You. I should pray to serve You and please You. Can I do it by writing? Yes, that is one way. I can address You in eloquent words. I can praise You in plain, sincere words. You are the master of all life and my worshipable Deity. I love You as father and guru and as best friend. I see You in the water like a giant fish and in the sky as a white cloud. I see You as my material father in his fire captain’s uniform. I see You in the fantasy writing form. You are present in the hearts of the tiny sparrows we see gathering at the beach.

Of course, You have a spiritual energy and a material energy, and You are present in both. Are You a grammarian? Do You exist in the arguments of the atheists and theists both? Sometimes people misunderstand You and say, “It is not to Krishna that we have to surrender but to the undying impersonal within Him.” People who think like that don’t know Your inside or Your outside. People try to know You by pranayam. They put their finger over their left nostril and breathe in. Then they hold their breath and exhale through the right nostril. Then they breathe through the right nostril. By pranayama, yogis approach You, but they cannot come close.

You are present in the tiniest insect and in the gigantic whale. You are present in the largest planets and in the smallest microbes. You are music, and You are silence. You are always happy, but sometimes You show anger. Your anger is transcendental.

I am writing to You in the present, I have written to You in the past, and I will write to You in the future. When I write to You, I capture only a fragment of Your being. It takes a pure devotee to write to You and capture You wholly (although You can never be captured wholly). But if Srimati Radharani writes or speaks to You, she captures You wholly. As Lord Caitanya, You know everything past, present and future.

I praise You as the greatest person. Everything originates from You, and You maintain everything. At the end of universal time, You will destroy everything and wind it up in Your form as Mahavishnu. Then after a long period of time, You will awake and start another creation into motion. Meanwhile, in the spiritual world, Your playful actions will go on undisturbed by the destruction and recreation of the material world. You will play as a young cowherd boy by never growing old, and Your associates will share Your blissful pastimes with You. You have revealed all this in the Vedic literatures and past it down in the oral tradition of acharyas or spiritual masters. Some of these acharyas are with You in spiritual forms in krsnaloka, and they assist You in Your pastimes. Some of them are gopi-manjaris and assist You in Your most intimate pastimes with Srimati Radharani and Her sakhis.

Writing to You or about You is a comprehensive endeavor. It can occupy a devotee’s full time and capacity. As I write this piece, I am getting a headache, and so I have to stop. Otherwise, I could go on forever describing different aspects of Your being, Your rule, Your abode, Your kindness, and Your mysterious nature. Please give me more chances to write to You when I feel better. Let me write freely and happily about You, and let me love You. And may it please You.

Check out this cool video our friend Elena sent us. This group is called, “La Oneness Band.”

Shyam Kishor das singing a Ram Bhajan.

Dallas, TX
2009-06-06

Finally, it was time to release the album that we had been working on for the last two and a half years: Ten Million Moons. Eddie Stern’s Asthanga Yoga New York and Sri Ganesha Temple, always being supportive, offered to host the event. It was the perfect venue because it had an Old World ambiance and because, with Sri Ganesh and Radha Govinda Deities acting as witnesses, it was a place where we could make the album a true offering.

The tickets sold out online, and each guest recieved a complimentary copy of Ten Million Moons as appreciation for their support. By the time the show started, the room was packed.

Gaura began the night by singing, “Guru Gauranga Jayate,” which was an offering of respects to his guru and to all teachers.  It was an honest and humble way to begin a night in celebration of Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits‘ newest accomplishment.

Then, accompanied by special guest Wah! on bass, we went on to sing a few more of the songs featured on the album. Everyone was on their feet. There was then a break to mingle and eat some of the vegan snacks brought over from the Radha Govinda Temple in Brooklyn:  samosas and dhoklas and salad!

The second half of the program was full of more improvisational chanting. Our friend Mike joined in for some beatboxing, MC Yogi stood up and rapped about Ganesh and Krishna, and Shyamdas accompanied the kirtan in the final set. Finally, Gaura asked Srikanta Prabhu from the Radha Govinda Temple to chant. He lead a more traditional Hare Krishna kirtan that ended the night with everyone excited for all that is to come.

A very special thanks to Adideva Cuffee for taking all the amazing photos.

Listen to the entire Kirtan!

To listen, click on the links below then press play. To download, Right Click on the word “Download” and select “Save As…” from the menu. Having trouble downloading? Read our Help Section.

• 01 Gaura Vani - Guru Gauranga Jayate (62)
• 02 Gaura Vani - Krishna Murari (53)
• 03 Gaura Vani - Siksastakam (42)
• 04 Acyuta Gopi - Hare Krishna (60)
• 05 MC Yogi - Jai Sri Krishna (43)
• 06 Srikanta - Govinda Jaya Jaya (29)
• 07 Srikanta - Hare Krishna (27)
• 08 Srikanta - Hare Krishna (22)

I humbly request all the devotees worldwide to respond to this urgent appeal to help us to continue the Free Prasada distribution during this year Ratha Yatra on 24th June 2009 at Puri dhama

I humbly request all the devotees worldwide to respond to this urgent appeal to help us to continue the Free Prasada distribution during this year Ratha Yatra on 24th June 2009 at Puri dhama. For last five years ISKCON Puri has been distributing prasad to around 15,000 to 20,000 pilgrims who visit Puri for attending Ratha Yatra. Many religious institutions usually distribute dry prasda on this Ratha Yatra day but only ISKCON feeds the pilgrims a full meal prasada. ISKCON Free Prasad distribution Camp will be set up on the Grand Road inside a big dharmashalla, with the facility for pilgrims to sit and have prasada. Prasdam distribution takes place non stop from morning till evening.

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"If one is stone-hearted, then Krsna will stand as stone forever. But if one is soft-hearted by chanting Hare Krishna mantra, then he'll talk with Krishna." - Srila Prabhupada on SB1.1.2, London, 17-Aug-1971.