Narada das – 5th May 2020
Krishna Consciousness is for everyone! We have all seen people take an interest, start chanting, attend festivals and even move into the temple for a while – only to give it up after a short time.
For many of us, when we look back and think about the difficulties we experienced at the start of our spiritual journeys in bhakti yoga, we can all identify plenty of times when we could have easily thrown in the towel!
When I look back at my own relationship with Gaudiya Vaishnavism as a philosophy over the last 15 years, I can easily admit that I’ve been tempted to try other things, to walk a different path, to give chanting a miss for a day (or two)!
What to speak therefore of those devotees who have literally committed a lifetime to Srila Prabhupada’s movement?! What strength and encouragement can we gain from following the example of those who have been ‘doing’ Krishna Consciousness for 50 plus years?
I’ve been using this period of global lockdown and self-isolation to read into and research the history of the Hare Krishna movement in the British Iles. Which teachers and gurus have set foot on these shores in years past, and what impact they’ve made on the lives of devotees in the UK.
As we mark Lord Nrsimhadev’s Appearance Day this week, who Srila Prabhupada taught us to pray to for protection, and we think about the commitments we’ve made to live a clean, devotional life, I was struck by the overwhelming dedication of ISKCON’s three longest-serving sannyasis. Between them, they clock-up some 150 years in the renounced order of life!
It was Nrsimha Caturdasi 1972 (48 years ago this month) that Srila Prabhupada gave the order of sannyasa to Hridayananda dasa Goswami and Satsvarupa dasa Goswami. Others also entered the sannyasa ashram that day such as Tamal Krishna Maharaj.
Some half-a-century later they still continue to lead, inspire and enthuse others. They, along with the 50 years Jayapataka Swami marks this September as a sannyasi, are an example to us all.
Their commitments, dedication and desire to spread Krishna Consciousness around the world – taking the teachings of Srila Prabhupada to ‘ordinary everyday people’ – should never be forgotten or go unnoticed.
When we’re feeling discouraged, in need of a boost of bhakti-yoga, and find the difficulties that the material world throws at us tough, remember the commitment that these three Maharaj’s have made. Let them be an inspiration to us all this Nrsimha Caturdasi.
Your servant,
Narada das
Narada das is a disciple of HH Hridayananda das Goswami in the UK and serves with the national Hare Krishna Festival Programme. In his ‘day job’ he runs a marketing and events consultancy.