fossil record incomplete

Tamala Krsna: They think I'm an Indian. " 'If anyone comes around to our prasadam distribution program, that means he is hungry. If he is hungry, that means he cannot listen to our philosophy. If his hunger is not satisfied, he'll never become Krsna conscious. That is the point. If we just went around with a program of speaking and kirtana, they would come once or twice but they wouldn't see its practical value. But if you give them prasadam daily with kirtana and speaking, eventually you can convince them, "Look, this is our most practical way of life. Why don't you come and live with us completely and work with us?" ' " That's a quote from an article in Back to Godhead. "Though food is far more plentiful in the United States than in India, prasadam appeal seems to work its magic here just as well. The entire movement began only ten years ago in a storefront temple in Manhattan's Lower East Side. Today it owns the largest publishing house of Hindu classics, many in demand for leading university courses. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust in Los Angeles, the world's largest, last year's gross of one million dollars; incense-producing Spiritual Sky Scented Products Company; and Krsna Fashions Incorporated, a wholesale clothing manufacturer. An important portion of the movement's income comes from the contributions of lay devotees, who are successful businessmen. More comes from street-corner solicitation of alms by devotees during kirtana. How significant the last is was shown recently by the closing down of elevator service in the New York center. 'A lot of us are going on pilgrimage to India,' said Alahkara dasa. 'There won't be many around to beg. These elevators cost us $2,200 a month to run. So we're cutting down except for essential services.' " We don't do that anymore. That was the previous mismanagement. Someone had the idea that if you turn off the elevator, that's very good. But I told him if you're not going to run the elevator, then why did you move here? They had people walking up eleven stories, and it was crazy, just to save... Anyway, "These include moving foodstuffs and milk into the building. Much of the food comes from a 350-acre ISKCON-owned dairy farm in Academia, Pennsylvania, one of the six similar facilities in this country and Canada." They show pictures of devotees in the temple, devotees taking prasadam and two lady devotees. "The yoga," it says under the captions, "monks take breakfast by hand in rows on the dining area floor." Here it says, "Saried women devotees dwell in cloister atmosphere of the center." Then "The yoga of devotion: Tilaka of clay paste marks the devotee as a member of ISKCON sect. Central shrine in the temple is the focal point of twice a day services." A picture of Radha-Govinda. " 'Our life is our meditation' said a sikha-ed, saffron-clad monk in the Hare Krsna center. 'Everything we do is offered to Sri Krsna, but in addition to that there is the personal chanting, most...' " [break] "...slung from the devotee's neck. He often counts the beads without taking his hand from the pouch. In the early hours the Hare Krsna center buzzes with a droning sound, difficult to identify by the stranger who does not know that it comes from the monks, who are beginning their required sixteen rounds." They have given everything very detailed. "The personal chanting sometimes occurs in unusual situations-while escorting a visitor to the center, while waiting to complete a phone call, or even during pauses in a conversation." [laughter] Devotees are always chanting. " 'The mahamantra is the only mantra needed' the devotee says. Besides the sixteen rounds, devotees are expected to observe four rules. They must abstain from meat-eating, intoxication, gambling and illicit sex. Illicit sex is defined as any sexual act other than that intended for procreation. Sex outside of marriage is forbidden. Married, full-time devotees may have sexual relationship once a month at a time propitious for procreation. All the devotee's activities are regarded as bhakti-yoga, the yoga of devotion. He regards everything he does as service to God. The name he is given at initiation is followed by the word dasa, 'a servant.' Full-time ISKCON devotees adopt Vedic dress, one objective being to keep others aware of Krsna. Women wear saris, the men dhotis; both may wear shawls. The men shave their heads except for a single lock of hair at the back. [See the article 'The Krsna Cut.'] The lock, called a sikha, identifies the followers of Krsna." Actually, no one can imitate us because no one wants to give up their hair, so no one will try to make believe they are devotees. "Shaving the head announces renunciation of material pleasures. The tilaka is a mark made with clay-two narrow vertical stripes on the forehead meeting in a triangular swatch on the bridge of the nose. It identifies the body as a temple to be used only in the service of God. Full-time students follow a rigorously monastic life. They arise at four a.m. in the morning, begin four hours of prayer and chanting. At nine o'clock they have breakfast, seated cross-legged on mats on the floor. The men eat apart from the women. During the day devotees work at various preaching programs or at regular jobs. At seven p.m. devotional services are held in the center's temple. In Manhattan this features an ornate shrine including representations of Krsna and His consort, Radhe. Both are costumed sumptuously with elaborate care; both wear festoons of flowers. Visitors are cautioned, 'When you go in the temple remember that these statues you see are not representations of the Deities, they are the Deities. Krsna is in everything. Krsna is everywhere.' Temple kirtana." There's a picture. "Eleven-story New York sect's center is former Carmelite Baird home." Picture of the temple. "Services in the temple are attended by about five hundred every Sunday. Many of these are from New York's Hindu population. Frequently husbands bring their pregnant wives, dedicating their unborn child to Krsna. The kirtana begins with the chanting of the maha-mantra, slowly at first and melodiously. Later the chant will speed up as the spirit of the devotion spreads. Often the most rapid and intense chanting is done by a hard-core knot of dhoti-ed men before the curtains of the shrine." The devotees get in one group and start... [laughter] Hard-core devotees. "The rhythm approaches that of an express train, and the atmosphere is apt to remind a lay visitor of an old-fashioned football rally. Some of the onlookers try to keep up with the central group, clapping their hands, swaying their bodies, throwing arms upwards and, among the younger, adapting modern dance steps to the rhythm. When the shrine curtains are drawn back, devotees kneel and press their foreheads..."    (More...)

Hari-sauri: Even in India, one of the criticisms used to be that we weren't…, we were established in the West but we weren't there in India, which is our roots. But just in the last three months over two hundred standing orders have been taken in all the Indian universities. So this is substantial evidence that even the Indian scholars are appreciating. Actually, we found in the last two years that the whole Indian population is becoming very appreciative of the activities of ISKCON. And they're accepting Srila Prabhupada as being an actual spiritual master, not a cheater, not a fake guru. So we… As far as ourselves are concerned, we know that in the coming years, as Dhrstadyumna was saying, gradually we'll be separated from everyone else, because everyone will understand this is actual…, this is actual benefit here; it is not some cheating bogus religion or some cult, like that. It is practical benefit.    (More...)

Tamala Krsna: Including go to the court. This boy writes further. He says, "They claimed I was brainwashed by Srila Prabhupada and the devotees, and they were here to get me to think for myself again. They kept me up for ten hours at a time for so-called deprogramming, just blaspheming Srila Prabhupada and Krsna and telling lie after lie. Finally they let me go to sleep, and in the morning it was time for more blaspheming and lies. But by Krsna's mercy I was able to escape out the front door of the house," he says, "which was unguarded. I ran down my block barefoot and was able to get to my friend's house. I told him the story. He gave me enough money to get to a nearby temple. There I served Radha and Krsna and had the association of my Godbrothers, who are most dear to me. There I spent the happiest time of my life as a devotee with the association of the Brijabasis. Being a devotee of Lord Sri Krsna, there's nothing like it-singing, dancing, taking prasadam, being happy and free from anxiety all the time. It is just a blissful life. All Krsna wants is for us to be happy with Him. I called my parents and told them that I was doing fine and that I had even gained seven pounds in weight. They had the police looking for me all over the place in only a minute, and they finally showed up. Maharaja felt it was best that I go back and clear things up with my parents and with their consent come back. But they refused to let me go, and instead put me through a one-month deprogramming session. This time I was unable to escape. But now Krsna has pulled me through, even though I'm forced to live with my parents. They are nice people, but they just don't understand about transcendental life. But they will come around sooner or later. I cannot keep any Vedic literature at home, so a friend lets me keep it at his house, and I read it during my school lunchtime. I am not able to keep japa beads to chant on, so I chant Hare Krsna on rosary beads. I'm sixteen years old now and going to school, where I am taught little of any value. It is sometimes difficult to remain Krsna conscious out in the material world, but I pray to Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda to help me become strong and desire to serve Krsna more and more every day. I will be able to join the Hare Krsna movement in person in two years, which isn't very long considering that I have waited to serve Krsna for millions of lifetimes. If you have the opportunity to serve Krsna, don't waste it, because you may wind up in my shoes in your next life. Hare Krsna." This is...    (More...)

Sri-gauḍa-manḍala-bhūmi. Gauḍa means West Bengal. Lord Caitanya appeared in West Bengal, Navadvipa, and He especially flooded that part of the country with the sahkirtana movement. That part of the country has special significance for it is non-different from Vrndavana. It is as good as Vrndavana. Living in Vrndavana and living in Navadvipa are the same. Narottama dasa Thakura says, sri-gauḍa-manḍala-bhūmi, jeba jane cintamani. Cintamani means the transcendental abode. ta'ra haya braja-bhūme bas. If one simply understands that this land of Navadvipa is not different from Vrndavana, then he actually lives in Vrndavana. One should not think that he is living in Bengal or any material country; the places where Lord Caitanya had His pastimes are as good as Vrndavana.

Lord Caitanya's distribution of this love of God is compared with an ocean (rasarnava). What kind of ocean? Not the salty ocean that one cannot taste. The water of this ocean is so nice that if one drinks even one drop, he will like it more and more. It is not ordinary ocean water, of which one cannot taste even a drop. Therefore it is called rasarnava. In this ocean there are different waves; an ocean does not stand still, for it is not impersonal or void. And as the ocean is always dancing with waves, similarly the ocean of transcendental love of Krsna as introduced by Lord Caitanya has constant waves, constant sound. One has to dive deep into that ocean. If one knows the secret and says, "Let me dive deep into the ocean of the transcendental loving movement introduced by Lord Caitanya," he immediately becomes one of the confidential devotees of Radha and Krsna.

Therefore Narottama dasa Thakura concludes this song by saying, grhe va vanete thake, 'ha gaurahga' bale ḍake. It is not necessary that one become a mendicant or give up his family life and society. One can remain wherever he finds it suitable, whether as a householder, as a brahmacari, as a vanaprastha, or as a sannyasi. Vanaprasthas and sannyasis are supposed to live outside of the city. Vanete means "forest." Formerly, those who were in spiritual consciousness used to live in the forest to become free of the turmoil of city life. But that is not possible now. In this age no one can go into the forest. That requires practice, and no one is practised to that line. Therefore, generally one is recommended to live with his friends, wife, and children. That doesn't matter, but he must take to the process of Krsna consciousness as introduced by Lord Caitanya. It is not difficult. The real thing is that one has to accept the movement of Lord Caitanya-chanting, dancing, and eating krsna-prasada. Even if one is in family life, there is no difficulty. He can just sit down, chant Hare Krsna, dance nicely, and then take krsna-prasada. Everyone can do this. Those who have renounced this world, sannyasis, also can do it; there is no difficulty. Therefore, Narottama dasa Thakura says that it doesn't matter whether one is a brahmacari, grhastha, or sannyasi. He says, "If you have taken to these principles of life, I desire your company, because you are a devotee of Lord Caitanya." In this way, Narottama dasa Thakura finishes the song.Song by Narottama Dasa Thakura]    (More...)

Devotee: Well, if we leave at seven, seven-thirty… Between the temple and... [indistinct].    (More...)