JUNE/JULY 2002
New
York Richmond ,
Virginia Washington ,
DC Cleveland ,
Ohio Detroit ,
Michigan
NEW
YORK
H.H.
Bhakti Tirtha Swami
returned from
NEW
VRNDAVANA
A
few days later His Holiness went to New Vrndavana for
a special festival designed to focus on Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON.
The ISKCON leaders present were H.H. Hrdayananda
Goswami, H.H. Candramauli
Swami, H.H. Candrasekhara Swami, H.H. Radhanatha Swami, and H.H. Jayadvaita
Swami. They held inspiring classes and
powerful discussions.
H.H.
Srila Bhakti Tirtha Swami arrived in New Vrndavana
with an entourage of 10 devotees from Gita Nagari. First, they
visited Srila Prabhupada’s
palace. Second, they went to the main
temple, and the afternoon aratrika was in progress.
The ecstasy started immediately.
His Holiness led the kirtana, even though he had not settled in his
quarters. He was pulled into the festive
mentality. As the devotees ran around
the temple, Gurudeva was absorbed in chanting the holy names of
the Lord.
His
Holiness gave several classes and seminars.
In a seminar called “What You Like Best About
ISKCON,” the devotees assessed ISKCON's best
attributes and evaluated their maintenance.
They realized that they are having wonderful experiences in ISKCON on a
regular basis, that they need to be more grateful and appreciative, and that
they should increase these occurrences.
In
another seminar called “Krsna Is In
Control,” the devotees investigated times when their elaborate plans
failed. They investigated times when
their desires seemed almost impossible, but Krsna's
mercy is always prevalent. The devotees
realized that Krsna is dynamically manifesting in our
lives, because we are not the ultimate controllers. His Holiness demonstrated what happens when
we overendeavor and when Krsna
is not pleased. When sadhu and guru are not pleased, things do not work out properly. When Krsna is
pleased, He maintains what we have and carries what we lack. As the devotees delved into their lives, they
heightened their mindset, increased their faith, and appreciated their lives
and the institution.
The
leaders had a panel discussion. They
discussed Srila Prabhupada's
mastery of the perfect teacher; Srila Prabhupada’s mission in serving his spiritual master, and Srila Prabhupada's ability to
bring people to Krsna consciousness.
One
of the highlights of the special festival was the Bhagavatam
class that H.H. Srila Bhakti
Tirtha Maharaja gave on “Krsna’s
Compassion.” He included excerpts from The
Beggar III about the different instances when Krsna
cries. We should never be in an
impersonal mindset because Krsna is personal with
everyone. Krsna
cries out of
compassion and affection for the great devotees who undergo
austerities to serve Him. When Krsna is in the mood of Lord Caitanya,
He experiences pure ecstasy in the association of His eternal associates.
Every
few minutes or so, His Holiness was crying.
His heart seems to be opening up more, so it is hard for him to hold
back his feelings. He never cried so
much in one class. The devotees could
not understand whether he was crying due to how much Krsna
is concerned about everyone; due to the devotees’ struggles, bewilderments, and
anxieties in their spiritual life; or due to some of the general problems in
New Vrndavana and in the world. He said he was crying because there are many
issues and problems in the society. It
was an expression of gratitude and excitement, visualizing the doors opening to
serve Srila Prabhupada’s
mission with more compassion. In other
words, Guru Maharaja is eager to fulfill a need. His mood was due to all of these
concerns. At the end of class, he
apologized for crying so much in the class.
Also, many of the devotees cried.
Everyone was introspective.
GITA
NAGARI
His Holiness carried this mood with him to Gita Nagari. He gave the Sunday feast lecture on “The Power of Authentic Compassion.” He explained that real compassion means to have a balance between the material and the spiritual. We must be concerned about both, but spirituality is a priority. We must protect and elevate our spirituality so we can give and share more with others. If we do not sufficiently maintain a strong Krsna consciousness, we will not profoundly serve others. It will be just sentimental.
Two
days before the festival started, His Holiness had a live call-in radio show on
WEAA-FM Radio at
Each
year the devotees say the samskara festival is more astounding than the previous year,
and it will be hard to surpass it. This
year was going to be an international festival, but His Holiness postponed it
until next year. Disciples and aspiring
disciples were to come from all over the world.
Since some devotees had already made their plans, it turned out to be a
small international festival. This made
it much more exciting, but everyone is anticipating next year’s festival. When the Vaisnavas
bond in a simple but enchanting setting, it will surely be the best festival
yet.
The
weather was perfect, and the atmosphere was first class. Gita Nagari is the only temple in ISKCON where the large Radha-Krsna deities are taken off the altar to supervise the
various festivals This
is reminiscent of Caitanya Caritamrta or Krsna
Book where Radha and Krsna
oversee and participate in the exchanges among the devotees.
One
of the highlights of the samskara
festival was the quality association with and among the senior devotees. They gave classes, sang bhajanas, and shared
realizations. In attendance were H.H. Radhanatha Swami, H.H. Candramauli
Swami, H.G. Satya Prabhu,
H.G. Mother Malati, H.G. Mother Laxmimoni,
and H.G. Caturatma Prabhu.
On
Friday, H.G. Satya Prabhu
gave a strong Bhagavatam class, increasing the
festive mood. His Holiness gave the
devotees an assignment to meditate on how they are creating a sense of
community in their projects and to be prepared to share it at the
At
the darsana,
H.H. Srila Bhakti Tirtha Swami and the other leaders welcomed everyone to the
festival. His Holiness addressed the
repeated theme of community development:
the four community principles and the four principles expected of his
disciples. The four community principles
start with knowing that the success or failure of your own life is based on how
you treat everyone. The four principles
expected of his disciples
start with the importance of Vaisnava
relationships. Since you all know the
other tenets in both of these groups, I will not elaborate here. Disciples, aspiring disciples, and
well-wishers should honor these principles and should focus on them daily.
H.H.
Radhanatha Swami and H.H. Candramauli
Swami shared their concerns about developing a viable community. After H.H. Radhanatha
Swami spoke, the devotees were to share their insights about community, but
H.H. Radhanatha Swami intervened. He asked if he could have “a little kirtana.” The kirtana lasted for two hours, as he proceeded to take the
devotees back to the spiritual world.
Each
day the kirtanas
got more wild and intoxicating. On
Saturday, H.H. Radhanatha Swami gave devotees an
amazing feast for their ears with his astounding Bhagavatam
class. This was the first time that H.H.
Radhanatha Swami and H.H. Bhakti
Tirtha Swami had been together in Gita
Nagari. H.H. Radhanatha Swami had come previously to visit, but His
Holiness was not there. The devotees
were impressed with the loving exchanges among H.H. Bhakti
Tirtha Swami and his godbrothers
and godsisters, especially between Gurudeva and H.H. Radhanatha
Swami.
After
breakfast prasadam,
the devotees escorted Sri Sri Radha-Damodara
to the yajna
site. The yajna site is near the barn, away
from the temple. Several samskaras took place. (1) The son of Jamadagni Prabhu and Bhaktin Angie had the cudakarana samskara,
haircutting ceremony. (2) The newborn
baby of Mother Atma, one of our godsisters
from
The
samskara
recipients and the initiates were seated in front of Gurudeva. The initiates were from the Washington Metropolitan
Area, Gita Nagari,
Another
highlight of the samskara
festival surprised everyone and created a special flavor. His Holiness gave each senior devotee and
each initiate a gift.
He gave the senior devotees a piece of prasadam cloth from Srila Prabhupada. After giving each initiate a new name, Gurudeva gave each one a gift corresponding to his or her
character and service. It was a
beautiful reciprocation. This made the ceremony more memorable for
everyone. The depth of the guru-disciple
relationship is based on a contract of love, and it is a mutual giving and
receiving. The disciple surrenders his
or her life to the spiritual master for guidance. The spiritual master encourages the disciple
to faithfully serve Srila Prabhupada’s
mission and to determinedly love the Divine Couple by practicing devotional
service. We can only describe this
exchange superficially in words.
Obviously, it is best appreciated by witnessing it.
After
lunch prasadam,
there was entertainment. A few devotees
sang in concert, and the music was orchestrated by Isana
Gaura Prabhu. There was a drama, “The Brahmana
and the Cobbler.”
There
was a surprise presentation; only a few people knew about it. Even H.H. Srila Bhakti Tirtha Swami had no
knowledge of it. Only those who were
there can really understand the intensity of the moment. Mother Vrajalila
asked Srila Prabhupada's
disciples to make a half circle around his murti and
face the assembly of devotees. H.G. Kaunteya Prabhu, one of H.H. Jayapataka Swami's senior disciples, revealed that the
second generation devotees wanted to express their love and appreciation for Srila Prabhupada's disciples in
After
H.G. Kaunteya Prabhu
finished speaking, the second generation devotees sang a song they had composed
glorifying Srila Prabhupada's
disciples. The chorus was “We need to
appreciate you, we love you.” The
assembly of devotees stood up and sang the chorus to Srila
Prabhupada's disciples. The energy in the temple was
transformed. Srila
Prabhupada's disciples held hands and sang the chorus
to the assembly of devotees. The
devotees cried. We cannot explain the
bonding of love that took place among Srila Prabhupada's disciples and the assembly of devotees. The devotees had never experienced such
feelings. Srila
Prabhupada was definitely in the center of the
activities. The devotees felt honored to
be a member of the society that Srila Prabhupada had established.
When
the song ended, H.H. Srila Bhakti
Tirtha Swami led a kirtana that connected the
devotee family together even more. It
was awesome, it was loving, and it was
outrageous. We wish everyone could have
been there to capture the affection that radiated throughout the whole temple.
After
the surprise presentation, there was a Bharata Natyam dance by Mother Ambika
and her sister Mother Tirtha. To make things even more festive and profound,
H.H. Radhanatha Swami led a melodious bhajana that
ended up in a rousing kirtana,
which lasted into the night. Many
devotees had trouble sleeping because they could not come down from the
intensity of the evening.
On
Sunday, Gurudeva gave Bhagavatam
class. Before coming to give class, he
received a telephone call that a Croatian devotee, Damodara
Prabhu, had committed suicide in the backyard of the
At
the end of class, Mother Jvala Mukhi,
a gurukuli who knew Damodara
Prabhu and had served with him at
Another
major event was the vivaha samskara, the
marriage between Brahma Muhurta Prabhu
and Mother Mangala-arotika. H.G. Caturatma Prabhu came from
The
special guests were H.G. Anuttama Prabhu,
the International Communications Director, and his wife, H.G. Mother Rukmini. They sat
with H.H. Srila Bhakti Tirtha Swami. They
each offered words of wisdom and blessings to the couple. Gurudeva referred
to the Kabala since the bride and groom have a Jewish background. Marriage is a spiritual covenant that leads
to a path of holiness and wholeness. It
is important to be friends and lovers.
They should not expect each other to satisfy all of their needs. There are certain things that men get better
from men; certain things that women get better from women; and certain things
they can get better from the elders.
After
the marriage ceremony, His Holiness led a short kirtana around the couple, and
the guests and devotees convened to the yard for a sumptuous feast and
entertainment. The Gita
Nagari Players performed a drama, and there were
lively bhajanas
and kirtanas. The family members stayed for quite
awhile. We are happy to see young
committed devotees such as Brahma Muhurta Prabhu and Mother Mangala- arotika. They are
doing as Gurudeva has asked. They have created a healthy balance between
their material careers and their spiritual life.
On
Monday, His Holiness and H.H. Candramauli Swami gave Bhagavatam class. Several devotees left in the afternoon. Many devotees stayed for a few more days, so
the festive spirit continued with bhajanas and kirtanas.
RICHMOND ,
VIRGINIA
The
devotees did not have much time to recuperate from the Gita
Nagari festival, but they prepared to travel with Gurudeva. The day
before the
WASHINGTON ,
DC
The
next day was
GITA
NAGARI
After
a few days in Gita Nagari,
it was the disappearance day of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Gadadhara Pandit. Guru Maharaja gave an informative class. He
explained that Gadadhara Pandit
is actually an expansion of Radharani and has the
mood of Rukmini.
He shared several pastimes between Gadadhara Pandit and Lord Caitanya. Mostly, Gurudeva
talked about Srila Bhaktivinoda
Thakura's phenomenal life and service.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura had 14 children, and he is one of the best examples
of an ISKCON devotee who preached the ancient philosophy of Krsna
consciousness in modern settings. He
encouraged everyone to be honest, critical, and faithful about his or her
spiritual path. His Holiness expounded
on (1) the difference between belief and faith; (2) the adhunika-dada, the modern approach or modern realities; and (3) the bhadra-lokas, the 19th century
Bengalis who were rationalists. They
were embarrassed with Vedic culture and turned toward Western thought. There is a difference between the essence and
the literal meaning. We must perceive
this in our reading and in our day-to-day experiences. We must explore and embrace the essence. We
must not be afraid to remain chaste to the essence, which means not accepting
fundamentalism and rationalism.
A
few times a year the Gita Nagari
devotees go to a park for a transcendental picnic. Mother Cintamani
honored Jana Vatsala's birthday. She is her youngest daughter. The timing was perfect, since the devotees
had been absorbed in the festival activities and had worked hard to accommodate
many guests. It was a nice bonding
experience for the community to engage in transcendental sports. Many devotees from the Washington
Metropolitan Area came, making the attendance quite large.
At
the picnic area, the devotees were constantly involved in sports. There was volleyball, which no one knew how
to play, but this made it even more adventurous. Srila Gurudeva’s team won three times, and the opposing team won
only once. There were water sports and
five types of races and relays. Some
were for the adults, some were for the children, and some were for the children
and adults. There was soccer, and men
and women hand wrestled. The devotees
had memorable exchanges. There was a
joyful community spirit and appreciation of sadhu-sanga.
Krsna and Balarama and the
cowherd boys wrestled. Lord Caitanya and his disciples relished water sports. An example of the perfection of sadhu-sanga is in
Nectar of Devotion, p. 332, “Krsna played with
intimate friends sometimes by fighting or wrestling with their arms, sometimes
by playing ball, and sometimes by playing chess. Sometimes they carried one another on their
shoulders, and sometimes they exhibited their experiences at whirling
logs. And the cowherd friends used to
please Krsna by sitting together with Him on couches
or on swings, by lying together on their beds, by joking together, and by
swimming in the pool. All these
activities are called anubhava. Whenever all the friends would assemble in
the company of Krsna, they would immediately engage
in all these functions, especially in dancing together.”
Guru
Maharaja directed and participated in most of the events. For example, the winners of the water and
track sports would have to race him. By
the time they competed with Gurudeva, they were
tired. Since Gurudeva
had not engaged in other activities, he would win. It was thrilling that he and the devotees
could laugh together about his cheating technique. It increased the ecstasy. Between competitions, some devotees sang bhajanas while
another devotee played harmonium.
When Mothers Cintamani and Yasodamayi arm wrestled, they were both so determined and evenly matched that the devotees chanted Hare Krsna loudly and in unison to encourage their amazing performance. It was such an excellent competition that Gurudeva announced that it was a tie; they were both winners.
There was fantastic prasadam. The majority of the park was filled with
devotees appreciating each other’s association.
The next day most of the devotees were quite sore from overexerting
their muscles, but it was a rewarding experience.
His
Holiness had a telephone interview with The Call and Post
newspaper. He talked about his books and
the "Lord Have Mercy" festival that he was going to attend in
CLEVELAND
Gurudeva said this was one of his best visits to
His
Holiness took some of the devotees on a pilgrimage of
The
next day the devotees arranged for Gurudeva's
biological family to have dinner at Mother Agni Hotra's house. Over
20 relatives came: sisters, brother,
nieces, nephews, and one old school friend.
His Holiness discovered that it was his second oldest sister's
birthday. He arranged a nice program for
her.
His
Holiness controlled the environment by involving his family in a love-finding
exercise. Everyone's name was written on
a sheet of paper and placed in a basket.
Each family member picked a name from the basket and expressed how that
relative inspired his or her life. There
were several breakthroughs. Some family
members apologized to each other and revealed their deeper feelings. It was quite productive.
His Holiness is the same in all situations. He creates a greater sense of community by encouraging people to be more honest and authentic, to communicate more openly, and to create more God consciousness. He uses every circumstance to help others to feel more valued.
His Holiness spoke last. He surprised everyone by turning his time to share into a surprise birthday party for his sister. He gave her a gift. He expressed how he appreciated all of his family members in different ways. He gave each one a special gift.
His
Holiness followed the principles of love, priti,
that Rupa Goswami
embellishes in Nectar of Instruction.
One of the major principles is giving and receiving gifts. Gurudeva's family
was stunned by the unexpected gifts.
Somehow it was kept a secret.
After receiving their gifts, His Holiness escorted his family to the
yard to take prasadam. The devotees had set up tables and chairs in
banquet style. His Holiness cleverly
used this event for his family to take prasadam, to associate with the devotees, and to become more
receptive to the Krsna conscious culture.
Gurudeva’s mother and father passed some years ago. Mother Pearline was
extremely spiritual; therefore, she instilled spirituality into all of her
children. The devotees were astonished
at how spiritual Gurudeva’s family is. Even though they practice various religions,
somehow they understand each other. The
birthday sister facilitated a prayer circle before taking prasadam. After prasadam, Gurudeva gathered
everyone together again and recited a Vaisnava
prayer. His sister said it was the best
birthday that she has ever had and one of the best days of her life.
His Holiness is happy that the
The
next day was the sixth annual “Lord Have Mercy” interfaith festival. It lasts all day and is held in a park. The weather was beautiful. It is similar to an interfaith spiritual
talent show. Brahma Prabhu
played saxophone; he is from
A large number of vendors sold all kinds of
goods. His Holiness’ books sold quite
well. Pariksit
Prabhu, a Gita Nagari devotee, sold massage oils
and bath soaps. As usual, the
His
Holiness gave an outstanding lecture, emphasizing the danger of religion being
hijacked. The fundamentalists and
rationalists have done a great injustice to spirituality. They are extremists. The fundamentalists are attached to the
performance of rituals and an external display of spirituality. The rationalists are discouraged and
disappointed by cheating religionsts. They have run away from pursuing God consciousness. The real panacea is to have chaste religious
practitioners and bona fide religious systems that lead one back to the
spiritual world to meet God face to face.
He stressed the universality of chanting the names of God.
H.H.
Radhanatha Swami and H.G. Mother Malati
attended, even though there was a ratha-yatra in New Vrndavana. An evening program was held at Mother Agni Hotra’s house.
Detroit
As
last year, His Holiness and the devotees traveled in a caravan to the
Five
or ten minutes after the cart reached the Festival of India site, it rained
profusely. This did not stop the festive
mood. Some devotees thought it was
auspicious because everyone gathered under the tents for the rest of the
activities. His Holiness lectured on the
importance of dancing and singing in front of Lord Jagannatha
and the actual meaning of this pastime.
Before
leaving
Cleveland
His
Holiness and the devotees returned to
The
next day His Holiness and the devotees returned to Gita
Nagari to make the last preparations for the Gita Nagari ratha-yatra.
25th Annual Gita-Nagari
Rathyatra
Prior to Gurudeva’s return to Gita Nagari, all the residents had been busy making preparations for the annual Rathyatra Festival Celebration held in honor of His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami. For many years His Holiness headed the famous Traveling Sankirtan Party. And a celebration it was...
Days before the day of the event residents and friends of Gita Nagari were busily making preparations., readiying the
grounds, painting, mending fences, arranging for guest accomodations,
preping bhoga for the food
court, ordering necessary supplies and festival facilities. Rehearsing for drama
rehearsals. Everywhere there was
a fesitval mood in the air. Even the peacocks seemed unusually festive in
their exchanges and audible sounds.
This year’s
special guests included HG Ravindra Svarupa and his wife, H.G. Savitri
from Philadelphia, along with HH Navayogendra
Swami, Dyananda
Prabhu from 26 Second Avenue in New York and and his wife, along with Potomac’s Temple President Trikalajna Prabhu and his family.
The morning
of the festival Gurudeva shared with devotees special informaton about
their Lordships Sri Jaganatha Baladeva
and Subadrah:
Thirty years ago, just after taking Brahaman
initiation, their Lordships were the first dieities
to which he performed puja. He was trained by Mother Savitri.
Please ask for the “French Fry” tape. We won’t go into detail here because you would have had to have been there but ask for it.
Paramesvara Devi Dasi
With notes from His Holiness Bhakti-Tirtha Swami