Pearls and Stones from the Dust of New Vrindaban Dham

Listening, not sleeping in Bhagavatam class, I hear....

HG Nityodita Prabhu say that we are not chanting Hare Krsna. We are practicing to chant Hare Krsna. The more we trudge through the inattentiveness, the external distractions, our sloppy sadhana, our plans and schemes, etc, the sooner we'll reach that actual platform of hearing and chanting, from which all other processes of devotional service can then be dutifully performed with love.

He also said the less you try to control a situation, the less anxiety you'll have. I have a sticky-note with this on it, and I'm putting it on my forehead, or better yet this computer screen.

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HG Janak Mahajana Prabhu says that as long as we are in our material bodies, we will have to suffer with lusty thoughts. The best things we can do is chant, serve, feast on prasad, and detach, and understand that these thoughts are simply like the wind. They'll soon blow away.

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I had to explain to HG Yugal Kishore Prabhu what the term "gosh" meant, since he had heard it a few times, and didn't know what the heck it meant. I explained to him that people use that term if they don't want to take the Lord's name in vain, or just feel that saying God is too strong for the given situation. He nodded and understood, and then asked me to drive him to Detroit.

So remember, if you don't follow the ways of Gosh, you'll end up in the heckish planets.

The Wonder Worker

While in Chowpatty, I asked HG Govinda Prabhu a question about my feelings of inadequacy in coming up to the platform of brahmacarya, of a renounced life devoted to God, because I had been raised in a secular Western atmosphere, born with a Western body that has all kinds of desires. He very kindly and firmly told me to never think I am disqualified from a renounced life because of my background, and if I do think so, I am instantly disqualifying myself.

He also pointed out that numerous individuals in a Western body have lived a renounced life devoted to giving God to all. One such example that I have been reading about is The Venerable Father Solanus Casey (1870-1957), a Capuchin friar and monk who is currently being considered for sainthood by the Vatican.

My personal connection to him is that, amongst my immediate family in Detroit, he is still a household name. He spent nearly 20 years in Detroit working in St. Bonaventure Monastery, with an all-day open-door policy that allowed each and everyone, espiecally the sick and poor, to come to him for deep wisdom, practical advice, and miraculous blessings. He also helped to open one of the city's first soup kitchens that is still feeding the hungry in Detroit today.

I took a lot of inspiration from reading about Father Solanus, from seeing my own struggles in his struggles, and in aspiring to imbibe some of his humility, surrender, and simplicity, universal to all faiths, in my own practice. His presence deeply exists for all those he has touched and still touches today. In a world devoid of so many spiritual examples of proper life and action, Father Solanus stands tall for many hearts to have and hold.

His words....

"Man's purpose as a rational creature is to recognize and to know His Creator, so as to be able intelligently to love Him, confidently to hope in Him, and gratefully to serve Him."

"We must be faithful to the present moment, or we will frustrate the plan of God for our lives."

"Be as blind as possible to the faults of your neighbors, trying at least to attribute a good intention to their actions."

"God is constantly planning wonders for the patient and humble."

"Let us not worry about past stupidities and sins, but rather thank God for having rescued us from hell and from the jaws of our unruly passions."

"Jesus is no crank! He knows we are not angels but poor sinners, and He understands when we fail."

"We should be ever grateful for and love the vocation to which God has called us. This applies to every vocation because, after all, what a privilege it is to serve God, even in the least capacity!"

"Confidence is the very soul of prayer."

"Confidence in God-the very soul of courage-is victory assured."

"We worry and fret about tomorrow as though our dear Lord had never spoken a word about His divine providence, or proved His loving solicitude for each of us a thousand times a day."

"God loves to load confidently loving souls with supernatural divine generosity."

"The thing the world calls 'life' is short after all, and the hereafter so eternal, that nothing here ought to really disturb us."

"Shake off anxiety. Last year it was something that you smile about now. Tomorrow it's something that will not be serious if you raise your heart to God and thank Him for whatever comes."

"How merciful the good God is in letting us now and then run up against a snag of some kind, that halts us for at least a moment of reflection on the real purpose of our existence as rational creatures: eternity in God."

"There is nothing in nature or visible creation, however sublime, but what is simply a shadow, a counterpart, of the supernatural."

"Courage, therefore, and with the soul's eye fixed on the goal of eternity, struggle on."

"To know is to appreciate. God Himself can be appreciated and loved only inasmuch as He is known."

"Be sure, if the enemy of our soul is pleased at anything in us, it is ingratitude of whatever kind. Why? Ingratitude leads to so many breaks with God and our neighbor."

"Humanity's outstanding weakness seems to be a thoughtless want of appreciation for the uncountable blessings by which Almighty God is always surrounding it."

"I'm alright jack keep your hands off of my stack"

I've been glancing at some of the headlines over the past few days as the world's various stock markets have taken quite a tumble. The science of all this I do not know, but you can smell the fear. It's quite a fragile house of cards that has been built on some pretty flimsy paper, and the dead presidents (and Gandhi) on the front of the bills can't do much to help.

I was listening to a lecture from the 16th Chapter of the Gita given by Prabhupada way back in the day in 1976 in New Vrindaban. Here's a few excerpts of some good-old fashioned smashing related to the subject of the futility of economic development in this Kali-Yuga.

"Formerly in the currency, when you go to take some exchange, it was the etiquette of the teller to ask you, "What you want, silver money, gold money or paper money?" It was their duty. If you say "I want gold money," they will pay in gold money. Not only it is written in the paper, "I promise to pay," but the promise was kept. If he wants, "Give me payment in gold," they will pay. And now, to keep gold, hoarding gold, is illegal. So you cannot ask. This is going on, legalized cheating. You have to accept this paper money. That's all. Don't ask for gold. And there is no honesty at all. I can take paper money for my convenience sake, but how you can force me to take paper money? That is not honesty. So dishonesty begins from the government. You cannot keep gold. If you have kept gold, there will be searching, and if it is found that you have gold, you'll be punished. In India it is now being done. There is no freedom even at your home, in your private life. Formerly, any common man could keep gold according to his desire. There was no such thing. Sometimes he would hide it even within the ground, because there was no bank. At least in India this was the practice. If you have got some gold, you keep it somewhere confidential within the ground so that it may not be stolen. So everyone should have right to keep his money as he likes. Why government should interfere? Therefore you see the Bhagavatam, rajanya-dasyu-dharmah.(?) The government men will be like rogues and thieves. By law they will take away. It is now going on in India. I think here it is also? You cannot keep gold. Why I cannot keep gold? If I have secured gold, I can keep it. I want gold. You write, "I promise to pay," so there must be gold coins. I must have. So many difficulties will come in the kingdom of maya gradually. It is already come."

"Dhana means money. So if you have got money, then everyone will respect you. Personally you may be less than a dog, but because you have got money, people will respect you. Is it not? (laughs)....Especially in the Western countries this is very prominent. If you have got money, then you have got everything. Therefore they are after money only, that "If some way or other, if I get money, then I get everything. I get respect, I get honor. I get everything. Bring money somehow or other." This is the attempt. Therefore there is so much hard struggle. From early in the morning, four o'clock, they are going to the office to get money. To get more money, more money, that is the Western civilization. Now in India they have also learned. And our philosophy is "Don't try to get money." Tasyaiva hetoh prayeteta. "You should simply engage your life for advancing your Krsna consciousness." So who will hear us? We say, "There is no need of working so hard for money." Nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye [SB 5.5.1]. This kind of working hard is done by the hogs and dogs, so why a human being should work so hard simply to get the necessities of life? [break] ...and dogs, they are getting necessities of life in that way. [break] This association, this meeting, this talking, is meant for the human body; it is not for the cats and dogs. This is human civilization. Naimisaranya meeting going on, all the big, big learned brahmanas, sages, they are talking how to do welfare activities to the human society. What is this civilization? Simply money, money, money, money, money. And as soon as you get money, then you begin all nonsense, illicit sex, meat-eating, drinking, gambling. What you will do with the money? You do not know how to spend it. "

My India Diary-Part 14

Day 33 Mumbai 1/8

We've got to reach up and grab the olive branch of self-realization or we're just a polished animal holding plastic flowers. HG Gauranga Kishore Prabhu said in Bhagavatam class this morning that only the fortunate, the intelligent, the wise know that this human form of life is meant to discover the true identity of our self, of our soul. We must not be like Kailash, ignoring the warnings of Narada Muni, absorbed in our business, family, and attachments, until we become a snake in our backyard about to be smashed to death by very own family members.

Thankfully, Lord Caitanya has given us the most merciful and sublime process. There is no need to trust anything else besides His golden lotus feet in order for us to score the goal of life.

We enjoyed some Mumbai hospitality in the humble home of the esteemed and wise Radha Rao, the mother of one of Caitanya's biomedical colleagues back in Michigan. We told her about our reasons for our committment to Krsna Consciousness, our longings of the soul that we can only find in the cultures of the East. We also tried to encourage her doctor son from afar to do puja on other days of the year besides Janmastami. We rested and feasted nicely and sincerely promised to come back soon.

We made a quick stop at ISKCON Juhu, taking darshan of the most patient and dear Sri-Sri Radha-Rasabihari. While we dined on sweets, Mauricio took a tour of the Bhaktivedanta Insititute, picking up some light reading on such subjects as quantum physics. He is well on his way to becoming the first devotee to win the Nobel Prize, and we will gladly show up at the veggie celebratory feast and do our part.

Finished....

Now sitting in seat 36D on American Airlines Flight 293, the long journey into the subcontinent now over, at least externally. As we return to the security-state confines of America, the West, Normal-Ville, where drivers are fast but following the lanes, walls and floors are clean, and the people are a motley mix of pious and something that goes even below non-pious, Justin and I are currently meditating on our welcome-back burrito party, featuring sides of chocolate chip cookies and ginger ale. To say we miss being back in America is not exactly true, but we don't mind going back.

At least India did that to me. My desires are now to follow the examples of surrender, committment, and service I saw abounding organically and constantly in all the temples and asramas we visited. Radha-Gopinath Mandir, for myself, was a place of inspiration, once I got over my initial intimidation in the midst of such fixed-up and beautiful devotees. Who am I amongst these simple and sincere souls? I aspire to serve them at every opportunity.

To Mother India and all the devotees, I pray only to return to serve, to be absorbed deeper, and to bring more dust back for those, like myself, who really need it.

My India Diary-Part 13

Day 31 Chowpatty 1/6

HH Radhanath Swami Maharaja entered the esoteric realm of dreams during his Bhagavatam class this morning, imploring us to "Jiv Jago" from our attachment to so many plans, hopes, and enjoyments in the material realm. Even with some so-called intelligence, we understand the material world is a dream, but we think we can figure out the puzzle like some New-Age Bollywood plot with plenty of cheesy dances thrown in. We even decide to think we're God, trying to become transcendental to the whole affair, when we are not even transcendental to our own bladder.

Maharaja relates a story of a lot and hot harinama in Italy a few years back that ended with a refreshing dip in the sea. The only problem was that a million jellyfish were waiting to sting the tender skin of the devotees. So, the material world is like that. A shimmering, inviting illusion on the surface that hides a lot of pain below, and there is no escape in the material world from the pain, unless one dives into the ocean of bliss that is Krsna Consciousness.

I can't place what it is with the kirtans here-it's actually a combination of the effulgent exuberance of the devotees, the sheer number of jumping spirit souls, Maharaja's presence, etc...You actually FEEL that this is the Yuga-Dharma. No mental speculation. Just sweat, shouting the Holy Names, and hopefully no bruises or blood. All head games and other various flappings of the false ego disappear. It's true! This process really works! The devotees here in Chowpatty can show you if you dance with them.

Day 32 Chowpatty 1/7

It feels like we've always been here. Driving in the left lane, honking, traffic jams. The way people speak, shouting, holding hands like brothers. Cows in the street, even in downtown Mumbai. Everything's an austerity. Nothing is glossy except the plastic imported from the West. Krishna is here. He's on people's shop signs, in the movies, in the temples and homes, on their tongues and hearts. That's the nice part. When we touch down in Pittsburgh, PA, we'll be back in a land, where for now, Krishna is our secret that we need to share. The freeways will be smooth, quiet, and fast. The people not so warm and pushy. The temples instead huge football stadiums, the gods inside named Tom Brady. There will be big cinema screens too, but not even as big as India. Talk about culture shock.

Brahmacari class went on about the qualities of the soul, as described in verse 2:20 of the Gita. The discussion was very lively, and I did my best to keep up. Interesting questions from HG Damodar Gopal Prabhu: What are the desires of the soul? How do these desires become so polluted in our mind? What is the true form of the soul? Is is a spark or our svarupa? How can it change if it is unchangeable? All I know is that we have to re-program our mind through spiritual intelligence and strong sadhana (of which I'm no expert) and that this is the only way to answer any questions about the soul. The great souls here in Chowpatty are the most inspiring examples for me in this regard.

They even take us across town for another late-night dinner at Radhe-Shyam, a restaurant owned by a local community devotee. A nice experience-in the association rather than the cuisine. The microwave-style pizza and Velveeta-cheese pasta congeal in our stomachs, but the glorifications and the friendships made are the real nourishment. May we continue to save the world.