Hare Krishna! When Srila Bhakti Caitanya Maharaja arrived in SA, Maharaja brought boxes of a book called Salted Bread. I would urge every devotee to read this amazing book!
I must offer my heartfelt obeisances at the dust of the lotus feet of the devotees from the former USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), to HG Sacisuta Prabhu and the author HG Sarvabhavana Prabhu. Even before meeting devotees these two personalities were so incredible. How they tried to keep places of God clean, how at a very young age they questioned religion and the purpose of life, how they became vegetarian and kept to it despite jeers and pressures.
From this book I think the most important lesson for me is to take advantage of every Krishna conscious moment because you never know when we may not have access to even a simple thing like a book!
The most heroic thing for me was how all these devotees maintained there sadhana of chanting 16 rounds every single day. Their beads were always taken away, they were beaten, they did not have sufficient food (salted bread for 2 years straight!), they were living in unclean places. Yet despite this, whatever they knew about Krishna they told others about it and at the same time kept up there own faith. How many opportunities they got to escape these horrible conditions but they would rather die then sign papers claiming that ISKCON was not a bona fide religion.
THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON, DON’T COMMIT VAISNAV APARADHA AND TRY YOUR UTMOST TO DEVELOP LOVING RELATIONSHIPS WITH DEVOTEES.
What is interesting from the political sense is that the thirst the former Soviet devotees had for spiritual knowledge was practically speaking a direct consequence of the communist culture forced upon them. The government forcefully rejected and discouraged religion which they though were based on sentiment only, thus the harassment of ISKCON devotees. Read Srila Prabhupada’s letter, http://society.krishna.org/Letters/2000/07/L00001.html, where it is described how serving or loving God is the natural proclivity of man. From that we can see how the suppression on the people of the USSR made the pure knowledge given by Srila Prabhupada all the sweeter to them.
Reading this book, particularly the hatred the KGB had for devotees reminded me of conflict between Germans and Jews. I remember hearing one class by Radhanatha Maharaja and Sacianandan Maharaja where one of them were describing how Radhanatha Maharaja is a from a very strict Jewish family and HH Sacinandan Maharaja is from Germany and his father was actually an officer or something like that in the German army. Materially speaking they should actually be great enemies but the fact is they are the greatest of friends.
I was also watching this movie of twin sisters born in Germany, when there parents died the 2 were separated at a very young age one going to Holland and the other remaining in Germany. They did not meet each other for a very long time, until they were much older. At that time the sister in Holland rejected her sister because her husband was an officer in the Nazi Army and the sister from Holland’s husband had been captured by Nazi soldiers. But actually all these young men were forced to act in these ways. The sister from Germany tried to show her sister how they were servants of their situations but the sister didn’t see this until the last days of her life.
Krishna consciousness crosses all boundaries and saves a lot of time and energy that is normally spent on being angry and hurt.
Srila Prabhupada Ki Jai!
Devotees of the former USSR Ki Jai!
Free to be
Monday, March 31, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Seekers of Truth
5 seekers
Average guy
Business women
Scientist
Gothic
Peace loving Rastafarian
“Seekers of Truth” was the play we did for the Pre Gaura Purnim Festival.
Where else would 5 complete different types of people be able to stand being in each others company? Only ISKCON!
Jai Srila Prabhupada!
Average guy
Business women
Scientist
Gothic
Peace loving Rastafarian
“Seekers of Truth” was the play we did for the Pre Gaura Purnim Festival.
Where else would 5 complete different types of people be able to stand being in each others company? Only ISKCON!
Jai Srila Prabhupada!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Gaura Lila
Jaya Jaya Sri Caitanya Jaya Nityananda Jai Advaita Candra Jaya Gaura Bhakta Vrnda!
Over Monday and Tuesday Srila Bhakti Caitanya Maharaja lead us in the most inspiring and instructive seminar on Lessons from the Pastimes of Lord Caitanya.
Who is Lord Caitanya? He is Krishna who has come in the form of His own devotee. Interestingly all the incarnations of Krishna are in the mood of servant. If you ask Krishna, “What or who is the absolute?” Krishna will very simply say “Me” but if you ask the incarnations starting from Baladev, they will answer, “Krishna!”
What did I learn?
1)
Things happen to you all the time but how if affects you depends on your consciousness. For example, Madavendra Puri chastised Ramachandra Puri. Because Ramachandra Puri was envious he could not accept this chastisement and thought, “how can he speak to ME like that” this kind of attitude is not good and led to Ramachandra Puri continuing his offensive course. The chastisement of the spiritual master is his mercy and if we take it in a submissive, humble way it will be of great benefit to us.
Once Srila Prabhupada also got chastised by Srila Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Thakur when Srila Prabhupada was listening to a lecture of Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Thakur, he was sitting next to a gentleman who could not hear very well and who would keep asking Srila Prabhupada what Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Maharaja was saying. Finally Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Maharaja asked Srila Prabhupada if he would like to give the class! Whoa! But Srila Prabhupada never felt resentful for this rather, he told his disciples, he cherished that moment for the rest of his life.
2)
Searching for recognition and fame is like taking bath in the Urine of a donkey! Oh yeah, I think this lesson was especially for me as I heard just read the same thing on the same day that Maharaja spoke about it. Twice in one day – definitely a sign from Krishna. This is like Gopala Chakravati who had great envy for Haridas Thakur just because Haridas Thakur was born a Muslim and he, Gopala Chakravati, was a “great” brahmana. Like this he lost he nose from leprosy.
3)
The devotee is never offended by the blasphemy on ignorant persons and Krishna never forgets the blasphemy done to His devotee.
I hear so much of this but am still prone to so much blasphemy! Don’t be like the fly be like the bee. When you blasphemy you don’t feel good.
What about constructive criticism?
Maharaja said practically there hardly anything like constructive criticism. One can give advice but not to criticise and get on someone’s case. Actually only the spiritual master and the father are justified in getting on someone’s case.
4)
Gopala Chapala left the paraphernalia of Durga worship on the doorstep of Srivas Thakur. When Srivas Thakur saw this he said, “Now you know my actual position” he did not defend himself. Maharaja explained we have 4 propensities: eating sleeping, matiung and defending. Defending is the most subtle. We mustn’t be in this defensive spirit.
Nice hey!!
Jaya Jaya Sri Caitanya Jaya Nityananda Jai Advaita Candra Jaya Gaura Bhakta Vrnda!
Over Monday and Tuesday Srila Bhakti Caitanya Maharaja lead us in the most inspiring and instructive seminar on Lessons from the Pastimes of Lord Caitanya.
Who is Lord Caitanya? He is Krishna who has come in the form of His own devotee. Interestingly all the incarnations of Krishna are in the mood of servant. If you ask Krishna, “What or who is the absolute?” Krishna will very simply say “Me” but if you ask the incarnations starting from Baladev, they will answer, “Krishna!”
What did I learn?
1)
Things happen to you all the time but how if affects you depends on your consciousness. For example, Madavendra Puri chastised Ramachandra Puri. Because Ramachandra Puri was envious he could not accept this chastisement and thought, “how can he speak to ME like that” this kind of attitude is not good and led to Ramachandra Puri continuing his offensive course. The chastisement of the spiritual master is his mercy and if we take it in a submissive, humble way it will be of great benefit to us.
Once Srila Prabhupada also got chastised by Srila Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Thakur when Srila Prabhupada was listening to a lecture of Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Thakur, he was sitting next to a gentleman who could not hear very well and who would keep asking Srila Prabhupada what Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Maharaja was saying. Finally Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Maharaja asked Srila Prabhupada if he would like to give the class! Whoa! But Srila Prabhupada never felt resentful for this rather, he told his disciples, he cherished that moment for the rest of his life.
2)
Searching for recognition and fame is like taking bath in the Urine of a donkey! Oh yeah, I think this lesson was especially for me as I heard just read the same thing on the same day that Maharaja spoke about it. Twice in one day – definitely a sign from Krishna. This is like Gopala Chakravati who had great envy for Haridas Thakur just because Haridas Thakur was born a Muslim and he, Gopala Chakravati, was a “great” brahmana. Like this he lost he nose from leprosy.
3)
The devotee is never offended by the blasphemy on ignorant persons and Krishna never forgets the blasphemy done to His devotee.
I hear so much of this but am still prone to so much blasphemy! Don’t be like the fly be like the bee. When you blasphemy you don’t feel good.
What about constructive criticism?
Maharaja said practically there hardly anything like constructive criticism. One can give advice but not to criticise and get on someone’s case. Actually only the spiritual master and the father are justified in getting on someone’s case.
4)
Gopala Chapala left the paraphernalia of Durga worship on the doorstep of Srivas Thakur. When Srivas Thakur saw this he said, “Now you know my actual position” he did not defend himself. Maharaja explained we have 4 propensities: eating sleeping, matiung and defending. Defending is the most subtle. We mustn’t be in this defensive spirit.
Nice hey!!
Jaya Jaya Sri Caitanya Jaya Nityananda Jai Advaita Candra Jaya Gaura Bhakta Vrnda!
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