Celebrating Krishnas Love

Genuine care for each other without selfsh pride

I ofer my dearest gratitude to all of you. My dear father who has
travelled over 10,000 miles to be here, my dear brother, my lifelong
friends Gary, Richard, to these illustrious God Brothers and God sisters,
Gurudas rabhu, !hyam !undar "rabhu, #hana$arta "rabhu,
%arasingha %anda "rabhu, %arta$i !achi devi, !an$arshan !ucharya
and so many others. &o !ri Rama 'umar one of the high "riest in
(aganath tem"le. &o )ran*endrananda "rabhu the long time "ersonal
servant of one of the rabhu"ad+s dearest God Brothers , Bha$ti
)aibhav uri Mahara* and to each and every one of you.
&his is the celebration of 'rishna whose divine grace has come down
through the ages
"aritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca dus$rtam
dharma-samstha"anarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge.
'rishna tells us in Gita that he descends into this world to attract the
hearts of those who have forgotten him and to reestablish the true
"rinci"les of religion. &hrough disci"le succession this $nowledge has
been "reserved and "resented to the world and our beloved Guru
Mahara* .is /ivine Grace 0.#. Bha$tivedanta !wami rabhu"ada he
crossed several oceans and continents time and time again as an
instrument of this com"assion. 0nd we heard from so many of his
disci"les who are far more intimate and dear to him than I ever was or
"erha"s will be. ersonally I am *ust an insigni1cant "erson trying to
serve and by !rila rabhu"ada+s grace he is allowing me to "erform
this service and it is I who than$ each and every one of you because
the most intimate "ersonnel loving association !rila rabhu"ada has
ever given me is in the o""ortunity to serve each and every one of
you. 2ou are all !rila rabhu"ad+s re"resentatives to me because I can
connect with him, I can serve him, and ho"efully I could "lease him by
hel"ing all of you to serve him.
vancha-$al"a taru bhyas ca $r"a-sindhu bhya eva ca
"atita nam "avane bhyo vaisnave bhyo namo namah
&he gift we have been given which is uni3ue. %ot *ust a religion with
beliefs and rituals. 4e have been given a culture and a "hiloso"hy that
culminates in sel5ess love. 6ove for god for 'rishna and all living
beings. 6ord #haitanya taught
nitya-siddha $rsna-"rema sadhya $abhu naya
sravavadi-suddha-citte $araye udaya
&hat love for 'rishna is the nature of everyone. It is our greatest
"otential and it is our true identity but we have forgotten. 0nd what
$ee"s us in that forgetful state7 4hat $ee"s us from e8"eriencing our
real inheritance7 4e are sat-chit-ananda, eternal full of $nowledge and
full of bliss and the ecstasy of love for 'rishna is within the heart of
everyone of us. It is sel1shness, egoism, where we want to "ut
ourselves in the center of our motivations and decisions in life. 'rishna
consciousness, true !antana dharma is to "ut the "leasure of 'rishna
in the center of our lives. 0nd we see within the world among religions
and among ourselves so much 3uarrel, mundane com"etition and
con5ict. 4e have been commissioned to access the highest treasure
and to distribute to the world but this is the one and only thing that
"revents us from accom"lishing that "ur"ose. 4e hold on to our own
egoistic sel1sh desires. !ri #haitanya Maha"rabhu established these
!an$irtan movements that means the movement where we come
together des"ite our race our nationality our se8 our religion des"ite
our bac$ground our social status we come together as internal family
as children of god to ins"ire and em"ower each other to love God to
the chanting of the holy name 9.are 'rishna .are 'rishna 'rishna
'rishna .are .are Rama .are Rama Rama Rama .are .are. And to
the degree we genuinely care about each other without selfsh
pride we all gain incredible spiritual strength through the
grace of Prabhupada and Krishna. I would li$e to s"ea$ an
analogy. #ould everyone hear7
&han$ you.
Krishna reveals so many lessons through nature
Recently, this is *ust a cou"le of months ago I was !an :rancisco
#alifornia with one of my very very dear friends and god brother ..G.
)aisesi$a rabhu. 4e have a s"ecial tradition no matter what ha""ens
during the year I try to every year to go there and under the "retense
of giving lectures and counseling I s"end 1 full day with )aisesi$a
rabhu wal$ing through a redwood forest called Muir 4oods. !hyam
!undar*i rabhu and Gurudas "rabhu they told me that they too$ !rila
rabhu"ada many years ago on wal$s through Muir 4oods so it is a
very holy "lace of "ilgrimage. &here some of the largest trees on
"lanet earth Redwood trees. !ome Redwood trees, it ta$es ;0 "eo"le,
;0 grown adults holding hands to ma$e a circle around 1 tree. &hey
have very thic$ bar$ and they grow higher and higher and higher and
higher, that they are the tallest trees in the world, they are widest
trees in the world. 0nd often they live for thousands of years. 0nd
every time I go there I learn some s"ecial lessons about life about
bha$ti from these trees. In !rimad Bhagvatam 'rishna tells about the
avadhut Brahmin I thin$ he had <; gurus. &he sun, the earth, the
clouds, the moon, the trees, the "igeons, the bees, diferent $inds of
"eo"le. !o if we are really searching for 'rishna. 'rishna reveals so
many lessons common in our life. =very year I and )aisesi$a "rabhu
s"end hours and hours and hours and hours revealing our heart and
s"ea$ing in this beautiful forest. Because of the bar$ of the tree is so
thic$ and there is so many that there is hardly any sunlight that can
get in that area and it is very 3uiet. 2ou hear every footste". &ic$ &oc$
li$e that. 0s we were wal$ing and s"ea$ing about our reali>ations
about !rila rabhu"ada about the "eo"le we are meeting, about our
own hearts our struggles. 4e came u"on a grou" of tourists. &hey were
from #hina and they were gathered around a forest ranger. &hey are
li$e the "eo"le who ta$e care of the forest. .e was giving them a
lecture. !o we stood little behind the tourist to hear the lecture. 4ould
you li$e to hear7 .ariiiiiiiiiii Bollllllllll.
Teachings of edwood forest !" Co#operation with each other in
Krishna consciousness can help us grow and remain strong in
Krishna consciousness$
4hat are you su""osed to say than$ you. .e e8"lained that for most
trees in order get strength to not fall down the roots grow very very
dee". 6i$e for instance a "alm tree the roots of the grow as dee" in the
ground as the tree is above the ground. Redwood trees are the tallest
trees on the "lanet and the roots do not grow dee". 0nd some of them
are standing for <000 years. &hey are standing through hurricanes
cyclones tornadoes, wind storms, earth 3ua$es. In this forest of !an
:rancisco there have been ?-@ earth3ua$es, ma*or earth3ua$es. !ince
these trees have been standing and growing. .ow did they stand7 .e
e8"lained the secret. &he roots grow out. &hey grow underground and
they reach out. 0nd they have s"ecial mystical "owers, these trees.
&hat the roots when they come in contact with each other, they wra"
around each other many times and the roots are growing all around
and they grow wide, wide wide so each tree may be connected to
every other tree in the forest directly or indirectly because the roots
are all interconnected. 0nd the earth3ua$es and cyclones and
everything "ushing "ushing and they are all holding each other u"
underground from the roots. 0nd it enables them to $ee" growing and
growing for 1000+s of years. &his is !an$irtan. !rila rabhu"ad+s one of
the last instructions to us was 92ou can show your love for me by how
you co-o"erate with one anotherA &his is a very dee" statement
because in this age of 'ali the time of 3uarrel and hy"ocrisy. It+s very
diBcult to co-o"erate.
:rom !rimad Bhagvatam and !ri #haitanya #haritramitra we
understand co-o"eration does not sim"ly mean to somehow or the
other $ee" "eace treaties, to somehow or the other not 1ght, to
somehow or the other not destroy each other. &hat+s the basics of co-
o"eration. %ut true co#operation is to actually feel for each
other& love for each other because thats what 'eeps us strong
in our bha'ti$ Cur very roots have to be interconnected. 4hen
rabhu"ada gave us this instructions of co-o"eration, because it is a
vital necessity for our individual and collective s"iritual growth. 4hat
we really care. In these Redwood forest these little tiny Redwoods
trees, they are so frail they are *ust growing, little by little by little but
they have all the "ower and strength of these gigantic redwood trees
because their roots are interconnected with them. 0nd all the big trees
are getting tremendous strengths from little trees because through
these trees they are being connected to other big trees and the other
side of the little trees. &he wea$ gets stronger, the stronger gets
stronger and all the strength is being shared. !rila rabhu"ada said
united we stand, divided we fall. !rila rabhu"ada gave the e8am"le of
stic$s. If the bundled stic$s tied together nothing could brea$ it. But if
you ta$e out each stic$ ..tic$ tic$ easily bro$en. Its same wisdom of the
Redwood forest. But how to do that7
(ahaprabhus (ahapra'ash leela teaches the same wisdom of
edwood forest -
4hen devotees are wea$ we are here to ma$e them strong when we
are wea$ we need the shelter of the )aishnava+s to ma$e us strong.
0nd we are together. In Maya"ur we were discussing the Maha"ra$ash
6eela of !rivas 0ngan. 0ll the devotees got the su"reme "erfection of
their lives by 6ord !ri #haitanya. .e bestowed u"on them all the
blessings and revealed, revealed the very form of God they worshi"ed.
But he neglected Mu$unda /utt. 6i$e the Redforest no one was ha""y
that I got what I wanted. Because unless Mu$unda gets what he needs
how can we be ha""y7 &hat was the unity of their hearts. It is this $ind
of culture, this $ind of society that each and every one of us our
res"onsible to contribute to in this s"irit. &his is how !rila rabhu"ada
said we can show our love for him. 0nyone can say *ai *ai. 0nyone can
tal$ about their e8"eriences and those are wonderful things. But to
actually show love !rila rabhu"ada gave his word. &hat the very roots
of hearts is interconnected so that all of us, we are all concerned with
everyone else to grow higher and higher and higher in our bha$ti.
&hat+s family. !rila rabhu"ada, 6ord #haitanya, 'rishna when they
come to this world, they come to create a family. )rindavan, the forest
of )rinda the goddess of devotion. 4herever we are living we want to
create that )rindavan. &hat forest where we are all interconnected to
hel" each other grow. &o ins"ire each other, to feel safety, shelter love
and together raise our arms and loudly cal out the holy name .are
'rishna .are 'rishna 'rishna 'rishna .are .are, .are Rama .are
Rama Rama Rama .are .are.
Teachings of edwood )orest *" Adversities can come anytime
to anyone but if we are connected even adversities and
challenges bring light
May I tell you about another incident a year before in Muir woods7 .ari
Bol. 0fter we were wal$ing for almost the whole day and tal$ing and
sitting and sharing our hearts which is so im"ortant for devotees to do
with each other. &he Muir 4oods ar$ was closing actually, what we
usually do whenever we go there, is his good wife %ira$ula or other
devoteesD they coo$ some rasad for us. !o we sit outside of the Muir
woods on the grass and we ta$e rasad. 0nd I remember this one year
there was a little chi"mun$, do you $now they are li$e tiny s3uirrels. It
was living in the hole in the ground and it came out and I could not
believe it. )aisesi$a rabhu too$ sim"ly wonderful a sweet ball rasad
and threw it and the chi"mun$ caught it and ate it and he went down
in the hole. 0nd he threw it and it went right in the hole. I was thin$ing
that+s ama>ing. !o I tried throwing it. It went about E feet away from
the hole. But anyways we too$ rasad and whatever we did to feed the
chi"mun$s and his wife made "asta with tomato sauce. It was very
nice. 0nd we went into the Muir woods and we s"ent the day soul
searching, tal$ing laughing crying everything. 0nd we came out and
the sun had already set. !omething very strange. 4hen we came out
of the forest, there was a 1re truc$ with its light blin$ing whof whof
whof. 0nd we saw several ambulances with their lights swirling. &hose
red lights emergency. 0nd then we saw several "olice cars with their
lights swirling. %ever saw this before. 4e were wondering what
ha""ened. Must be a disaster. !o we wal$ed a little way in the "ar$ing
lot where my dear God brother+s car was "ar$ed. 0nd *ust when we
were a""roaching our car, a siren rang and when we turned around
that a state "olice car >oomed right u" to us with the lights on and <
"olice oBcers came out and held their guns out and said "ut your
hands u". &hey were tal$ing to us. !o we "ut our hands u". 0nd they
searched us to ma$e sure we had no wea"ons. Good story7
0nd after we were standing li$e this a local county "olice car >oomed
u" with its lights on. 0nd the oBcers came out. 0nd then a city "olice
car came. 0nd then a "ar$, a forest ranger "olice car came. 4e were
surrounded by s3uad cars and "olice and they were tal$ing to each
other and they were on radios and they too$ our identi1cation and we
as$ed why are you doing this to us7 0nd very oBcial they say you see
all these ambulances and 1re engines because we have been getting
calls from "eo"les cell "hones in Muir 4oods that are being brutally
beaten. !everal "eo"le have been brutally beaten, they were ta$ing
them out on stretchers and they all say the same thing that they have
been beaten by someone in the robes of a mon$. 0nd you are the only
ones in the robes of mon$s. !o they were ta$ing our ids and calling.
&he others "olice were coming and as$ing the other "olice men do you
need hel" with these men7 &hey were saying we have them under
control. &hen they interrogated what you are doing here. 0nd )aisesi$a
said he is on a boo$ tour. .e wrote a boo$ called (ourney .ome and he
was giving lectures in diferent Fniversities and diferent cor"oration
head 3uarters and boo$ stores. .e said huh that sounds li$e a good
e8cuse. 0nd the "olicemen loo$ed at me and he said you don+t loo$
li$e somebody who can beat somebody u". .e said let me see if there
is any blood on your clothes. 0hh blood, what is that7 4hat is that7
ointed at my dhoti. I did not $now it but it was the tomato sauce from
the "asta. It+s allover my dhoti. &hat loo$s li$e blood. 4hat is it7 I said
its tomato sauce. .e was 3uite sus"icious about my answer. .e was
getting free>ing cold and we were still there and they held us for about
an hour standing in the "ar$ing lot surrounded by "olice. 0nd then they
came with one of the victims who was really beaten u". .e was bac$ of
a "olice car and they showed us to him. 0nd he loo$ed at us. /id not
say anything. Got bac$ to the "olice car and they drove of. 0nd then
the "olice men said he said it was not you. But what can we do. 2ou are
the only "eo"le dressed in the robes of a mon$ in this forest. .e said
we are very sorry that we held you this way and the state "olice sherif
ended holding us by saying but I thin$ this will ma$e a good cha"ter in
your ne8t boo$. !o that was a good lesson from the Muir woods. &hat
in this world even if we are *ust trying to do *ust good whoever we are
we don+t $now *ust when diBculties will come. 0nd actually if that
"erson would *ust said yes that+s him, we would have been in *ail for
years. It+s not about wearing mon$s robes. I never heard of mon$s
beating "eo"le in woods. It could ha""en to anyone of us at any time
padam padam yad vipadam na tesham
+ven if we were innocent and trying to good we may be
misunderstood but if are roots& if the roots of our a,ection are
connected to Krishna and with each other it may gives
strength by which even the adversities and the challenges in
life become something wonderful. .ow many of you li$ed the
story7 .ari BolG.!ee it became something wonderful. 0t the time we
don+t $now what our destiny would be. But now "eo"le our ins"ired,
enlivened and educated. !o when we are connected even dar$ness
brings light. =ven con5ict creates "eace. =ven antagonism u"on us
creates com"assion. &hat+s what s"iritual life is. If our rituals of our
sadhana hearing, chanting the nine "rocess of devotional service
"rayer "u*a if it is not bringing out this 3uality out of our hearts that its
very unsubstantial. It+s not serving its "ur"ose. -n order of any of
our spiritual practices to actually have ma.imum or even
substantial a,ect they have to be developed with good
character# /umility& forgiveness& determination and sel0ess
service.
Teachings of edwood forest 1" 2i3culties help our bha'ti lata
bee4a to fructify and to ta'e shelter of Krishna seriously
0nother lesson we learned from that Redwood forest is how most of the
Red wood seeds, all of them actually they are tra""ed within the
Redwood #one. &he cone is hard li$e wood and it is "ractically
im"ossible for the seed to get out of that cone. In the Muir woods we
learnt there was ?0 years went by with no new trees growing and they
were wondering why7 0nd then they came to the conclusion because
the forest rangers were "utting of the 1res too fast. 2ou see when
there is a 1re it crac$s o"en the cone and the redwood seed falls of the
cone into the ground. 0nd the 1re also "roduces ashes so when the
seed falls of the ground it is "rotected by the ashes and the solid is
nourished by the minerals in the ashes. 0nd also the 1re clears all the
smaller trees so that sunlight could come down into that little s"rout
that is in the ground. &he 1res hel" the little tree to grow. In fact they
are necessary. !o we have the Bha$ti lata bee*a the seed of devotion
that !rila rabhu"ada has "lanted in all of our hearts by his grace and
we water the seed by hearing and chanting but usually it is the
inevitable 1re that come in our life that hel" us to actually ta$e it
seriously.
I have told you many stories about when I was on that air"lane so
many times I am chanting on an air"lane that+s going for H hours. .are
'rishnaG.but when there was an emergency alarm that we are going
to have an emergency landing .are 'rishna .are 'rishna chanting
very very carefully. Cne of the reasons 'ali 2uga is considered to be
best of all 2ugas is because there is so many uncertainties. !o we are
not com"lacent when we "ray when we chant. 4e are not com"lacent
when we have relationshi". If there is an emergency we need each
other. eo"le may disagree in an army but when they are face to face
with an enemy and they are shooting at them they are not having
arguments. If I "rotect you and you are "rotecting me that+s the only
way we can survive. 5o di3culties help us to understand the
urgent need to be united$ 2i3culties help us to understand the
need to ta'e shelter of the lord through our prayer through our
yogic practices of hearing and chanting the holy name
.are 'rishna .are 'rishna 'rishna 'rishna .are .are
.are Rama .are Rama Ram Rama .are .are
Lord Chaitanyas teachings" 6e can feel the rays of Krishnas
infnite love upon us by being humble and grateful
0nd 6ord #haitanya taught us another lesson we should learn from
these trees.
trinad api sunicena. taror api sahishnuna.
amanina manadena. kirtaniyah sada harihi.
&o be humble li$e a blade of grass to be forgiving and tolerant li$e a
tree. &o ofer all res"ect to others and not demand res"ect for one self.
It is in this s"irit that we can be united. It is in this s"irit that we can
actually taste the sweetness of the 'rishna when we call out his
names. 4e could feel his feel his "resence.
param drstva nivartate
&here are so many fears there are so many tem"tations that come to
all of us in this world. But they can be easily overcome if we have a
higher "ur"ose, if we are e8"eriencing something higher. In this Bha$ti
tradition of Gaudiya )aishnavas we are taught that the absolute truth
the su"reme father of all living beings, God is not *ust cause of all
causes, source of everything, the creator, maintainer and destroyer of
all e8istence, the rewarder of "iety and "unisher of sin. &hese are all
as"ects of that one su"reme truth. But we are taught that these are all
subordinates. 0lmost e8ternal as"ects of 'rishna. 0bove and beyond
he is the source of all beauty. &he ultimate source of all sweetness, of
$indness, of love, his "astimes, his leelas with his devotees, 'rishna
reci"rocates with each devotee unlimitedly. Fltimate love for each of
his ultimate children "layful su"remely charming, the name 'rishna
means all attractive. 4hatever beautiful things we have seen in this
world that may enchant our minds they are only an in1nitesimal s"ar$
of a shadow of 'rishna+s in1nite sweetness. &he more we understand
the beauty of the 6ord the more we naturally fall in love with the love.
&he more we fall in love with the 6ord the more that love e8tends li$e
the Redwood tree roots li$e all living beings. As we fnd shelter we
can give shelter. 0t the same time we get shelter we can give shelter
and as we give shelter we received shelter. &his is bha$ti. 6ord
#haitanya he taught something that was really revolutionary. %ot to be
great. =veryone wants to be great. .e taught us to be grateful. !o
many of us want to be the controller, the "ro"rietor, the en*oyer. 6ord
#haitanya taught us the ultimate as"iration. 4hich is billions and
trillions and 3uadrillions of unlimitedly more satisfying than trying to
become God or one with the everything, is
Gopi partur pada kamla yor das das anu das
&o ma$e this the standard for which we are striving for. &o ma$e this
standard of our lives on our day to day level and that is to be the
servant of the servant of the servant of the servant - the anu , the
smallest of the all servants of all servants of that all beautiful 6ord of
the go"is - Go"inath. Because it is in that s"irit that 'rishna reveals his
in1nite beauty and sweetness where we could actually feel the rays of
'rishna+s in1nite love u"on us. 0nd *ust li$e the little tree when it feels
the rays of the sun it grows.
5rila Prabhupads e.posed the light of Krishnas love
If you go to our little )rindavan forest behind our tem"le in #how"atty.
In Mumbai there is big building everywhere so there is lot of bloc$ing of
sun. 2ou will see that some of our trees instead of growing this way
they are growing this way trying to be in the sun. 4hat+s really
ha""ening. &his is the truth this is not an analogy. &he light of the sun,
the tree is actually reci"rocating with the light of the sun by growing in
the direction of the sun and similarly when we are e.posed to the
light of Krishnas love our own love grows in the direction of
that light$ 0nd that is what we are here for to hel" each other to
remain in the light of that grace and to try to hel" all our brothers and
sisters of all s"ecies of life throughout the whole world to feel the
nourishing light of that grace. !rila rabhu"ada travelled all around the
world giving that grace. 4e heard from Gurudas "rabhu and !hyam
!under rabhu what it did in their lives and how it em"owered them. In
!an :rancisco, In 6ondon, in India. It was !hyam !under no need to tal$
about what he did before he met !rila rabhu"ada and Gurudas
rabhu. Because those things are not im"ortant. 4hat+s im"ortant is
the transformation that ha""ened. &hey felt the light of 'rishna+s
grace, shining through !rila rabhu"ad+s every word, every action his
every "rayer and they grew and they reached hundreds of "eo"le in
.ay berry /istrict of !an :rancisco which was really a des"erate "lace.
0nd they went to 6ondon a "lace it is said when British had control
over most of the world the saying was that the sun never sets in British
=m"ire. But what they have left is little island and it is almost always
cloudy. !o the sun hardly ever rises in the British =m"ire. I thin$ this
idea of good morning because sunny mornings in =ngland are very
rare. It is a very serious thing. Good morning. But they went there and
!rila rabhu"ad+s sun *ust shined through them because it shined and
they were growing with that light and the light was coming from them
and soon they were living with Beatles and they were ma$ing record
albums and they were on television and there were hundreds and
hundreds of "eo"le and there were tem"les and then there were
mansions. &hey had nothing, nothing e8ce"t that light. &hey had no
money, they had no training, and they *ust had that light and then
came to India. 0nd they decided let+s do something big for !rila
rabhu"ada. &hey had no money they only $new a few "eo"le. 6et+s do
a "rogram to attract tens and thousands of "eo"le to hear !rila
rabhu"ada s"ea$. .ow they did it they don+t $now how they did it.
5rila Prabhupada planted the seed of %ha'ti in adhanath
(ahara4s heart in Cross (aidan
&hey had a "andal bigger than this. &here may be I000-J000 "eo"le
today but there were about <0,000 "eo"le. 0nd they had nothing to do
with it and it was right here, in this "ar$ where we sit, #ross Maidan.
0nd I was *ust coming out of a dar$ cave in the .imalayas and I
ha""ened to see the brilliance. !hyam !under rabhu, Gurudas, it was
their idea to "ut a brilliant hoarding that bill board saying .are 'rishna
festival. If it wasn+t for that bill board I don+t $now where I would be
today. 4e don+t $now when we are serving we don+t $now what the
efect is going to be of anything we do. I was *ust coming out of a
Buddhist mediation course and I was wal$ing minding my own
business. &o this day I really li$e to mind my own business but nobody
lets me do it. I li$e to do it. If I can serve Git+s my good fortune and I
was wal$ing down the street and saw a big sign , 0 s"iritual festival7 I
as$ed where this #ross Maidan is. &hey said it+s over few bloc$s so I
*ust came and there was a giant tent and I remember because earlier
this year our beloved God sister 2amuna devi, !rila rabhu"ada too$
her in his loving embrace in the s"iritual world. &hat was one of the
1rst e8"eriences I had of 'rishna consciousness. &here were only few
"eo"le in the "andal during the day and she was for hours sitting on
the stage all alone "laying a harmonium and singing. .ours with her
eyes closed and singing li$e an angel. !ometimes with tears in her
eyes. &here was nobody for her to sing to e8ce"t for 'rishna to "lease
her Guru and as "eo"le started coming she was *ust sharing that love
she received sharing that light of the sun of 'rishna coming through
rabhu"ada with "eo"le all around. It dee"ly moved my heart. I did not
$now what Bha$ti was. I did not $now the "hiloso"hy of it, I hardly
even heard the word but I was dee"ly moved by it by the light coming
from her heart through her song and as the hours "assed about <0,000
"eo"le gathered and I was way at the bac$. It was here ;1.? years ago.
&hat billboard it was !hyam !under "rabhu+ s idea to "ut it there and
somehow or the other it attracted me there and !rila rabhu"ada
s"o$e something to Gurudas rabhu and he came all the way to bac$
and literally grabbed me by the hand and said rabhu"ada want you to
sit with him. .ow does rabhu"ada $now me7 .e did not answer my
3uestion, he *ust "ulled me and being "ullable as I am I followed him
and !rila rabhu"ada there was $irtan going on he did not say
anything but he welcomed with folded "alms and then with his hands
he ofered me to sit *ust close to him. I did not $now who he was but I
felt his love, I felt his com"assion, I felt his care and my heart o"ened
so wide to what he s"o$e and everything seemed to ma$e so much
sense. It seemed to answer all my 3uestions. I stayed with him for
about < wee$s but still I was not convinced. My heart was convinced
but my mind and intelligence had so many 3uestions and as"irations.
The beauty of Krishna and path of bha'ti revealed through
Prabhupadas compassion and love
!o I left to go bac$ to .imalayas where I met so many sages, rishis and
yogis and then to get my visa e8tended I went to atna and then to
%e"al. 0nd it was in %e"al in that rice "addy that I wal$ed for about <0
min under an umbrella with the only other "erson around during a
monsoon rain storm. 4hen the rain sto""ed I said than$ you and he
turned around and it was my life long best friend Gary. I said Gary I will
teach you how to be a !adhu and he said yes I will become a sadhu.
0nd we *um"ed through that Erd class train and we went to atna, we
went to )aranasi and then there was that big 5ood and the train was
standing still for about <0 hours and then it moved and we were thirsty
and hungry and we wanted to move because we could not sit down for
about ;0 hours and 1nally we crawled out of a window and it was
?+ocloc$ in the morning. &he train left us and we were in Mathura on
(anmashtami. I was on my way to 0marnath in the .imalayas to
worshi" !hiva. I told Gary I would meet him in .aridwar in E days but
on the Erd day I got ty"hoid fever on the ban$ of 2amuna so I could not
leave. )rindavan actually, !rila rabhu"ada had "lanted that seed in
my heart and I did not even $now what was ha""ening but because
rabhu"ada he showed love, he showed love for me. It was 'rishna
who created that monsoon storm, it was 'rishna that gave me that
ty"hoid fever, it was 'rishna that would not let me leave )rindavan
and it was 'rishna who com"letely charmed my heart in )rindavan so I
never wanted to leave it. It was all !rila rabhu"ada+s com"assion. .e
"lanted that seed he ofered his love and I was tra""ed and I was so
ha""y and he came bac$ and with him Gurudas rabhu, !hyam sunder
rabhu, 2amuna devi and then I could understand what !rila
rabhu"ada was. 4hat was his com"assion, what was his love and
through understanding rabhu"ada, I could really understand to
whatever little e8tent I am able what is the beauty of 'rishna, what is
beauty of the "ath of Bha$ti the "ath of unconditional love.
(ahara4as deep gratitude towards his friends& family and
disciples
4hile I was in )rindavan I got a letter from my younger brother 6arry
who told me how I was totally brea$ing the heart of my mother and
father by being away for so long in these strange dangerous "laces. I
did not want to hurt them. But I believed in the dee"est core of my
heart that if I do not have sel1sh motives if I honestly, earnestly am
trying to love 'rishna and serve 'rishna through my beloved guru than
'rishna will come and say it. 0nd today it+s li$e one of the closing of
those circles. Gary, my father+s name is (erry. I have never called him
that name because I was call him father. !o I am not calling him I am
*ust tal$ing about him to you. !o today we have Gary, 6arry and (erry.
0nd !hyam sunder and Gurudas. 0s Gary said he was the one who got
me on this *ourney. .e convinced me lets go. !o they are all, these
"eo"le who have assembled today, they were so intimately "art of my
coming to !rila rabhu"ada+ s loving service and by his grace he is
giving me the most "recious of all treasures in the o""ortunity to try to
honestly, earnestly to give my very life to each and every one of you. I
am a very small "erson and sometimes when there is big number of
"eo"le it+s hard to "ersonally reci"rocate on a "hysical level. But
"lease $now that in my hearts of hearts whatever you do for the
service of rabhu"ada and 'rishna I am so indebted. I am so grateful. I
am your servant. I am yours because that is my only ho"e of staying
under the light of !rila rabhu"ada+s /ivine Grace. In this s"irit I than$
you. 6et us remain very determined and serious to "erform our
sadhana. 6et us cultivate dee" enthusiasm for devotional service to the
)aishavas, to the deity and to all living beings and let us shower the
whole world with that grace through our chanting of the holy names.
.are 'rishna .are 'rishna 'rishna 'rishna .are .are
.are Rama .are Rama Rama Rama .are .are
!rila rabhu"ada $i (ai.
7uotes
1. And to the degree we genuinely care about each other
without selfsh pride we all gain incredible spiritual
strength through the grace of Prabhupada and Krishna
<. %ut true co#operation is to actually feel for each other&
love for each other because thats what 'eeps us strong
in our bha'ti$
E. -n order of any of our spiritual practices to actually have
ma.imum or even substantial a,ect they have to be
developed with good character# /umility& forgiveness&
determination and sel0ess service
;. As we fnd shelter we can give shelter
?. 6hen we are e.posed to the light of Krishnas love our
own love grows in the direction of that light
@. +ven if we were innocent and trying to good we may be
misunderstood but if are roots& if the roots of our
a,ection are connected to Krishna and with each other it
may gives strength by which even the adversities and the
challenges in life become something wonderful
I. 2i3culties help us to understand the need to ta'e shelter
of the lord through our prayer through our yogic practices
of hearing and chanting the holy name
J. 2i3culties help us to understand the urgent need to be
united