![\"Hare](\"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/18-berlzain_wall.jpg\")
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by HG Janananda das ACBSP <\/strong><\/p>\n Dear Prabhus Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.<\/p>\n How things change in time. 40 years ago almost exactly, I went on a school outing to Berlin. At that time Germany and Berlin were divided into east and west \u2013 THE BERLIN WALL \u2013 a sign of denial of human freedom of fear and oppression. Even during our few days stay in Berlin we could hear gun shots as people were trying to cross the wall. Whilst driving though East Germany we were escorted and had to travel in a convoy. Searches at every border. Now USA “THE LAND OF THE FREE” has become “THE LAND OF FEAR” and intensive search as you try to enter in. The United Kingdom is also becoming a place of intense insecurity. As the wave of Terrorism sweeps the globe nowhere is safe. Not that they ever were, but if you did have that conception it’s probably going pretty quick.. DUKHALAYAM ASASVATAM \u2013 a dangerous, temporary place full of suffering. Well as long as we think sense gratification is the goal of life we will get our misery in one form or another.<\/p>\n It is strange however that now many of the eastern European countries formerly under heavy communist control are free and easy as you travel through.<\/p>\n NEWCASTLE-BERLIN-CZECH REPUBLIC-SLOVAKIA.<\/p>\n Newcastle \u2013 our old stomping ground \u2013 (we were there at the start of the first Newcastle centre.) Balarama’s appearance day. Drama on Prabhupada’s mission and sweet reciprocations with the small band of sincere devotees preaching and living here. After three ecstatic days in Newcastle the flight to Berlin was a bit of an ordeal. That morning the UK airports were in panic mode. Many suspected terrorists had just been arrested and all flights were on hold, cancelled or highly monitored. Flying from the small airport of Newcastle we got away lightly. Still there were search after search and you couldn’t even take water, notebooks, pens or bead-bags on the planes. Only your ticket, money and passport were allowed \u2013 and spectacles (without the case).<\/p>\n It was worth it, as the Berlin Rathayatra was a glorious event. Hundreds of devotees from around Germany, Czech and a few other places gathered in front of the famous old ruins of the church in central Berlin \u2013 a reminder of the 2nd world war bombing. Sacinandana Swami, Kavicandra Maharaja, Kadamba Kanana Maharaja, Prthu prabhu were all there leading kirtan and lecturing. It was very enlivening to see such a lively and happy spirit amongst the German devotees. Although the Berlin wall came down years ago peoples ego walls are higher than ever. By witnessing the roaring of the holy names, the wonderful dancing, the blissful smiling of Lord Jagannatha and the towering chariot it’s easy to see the walls around the soul being dismantled. The change is taking place as we see German people in the streets smiling waving and joining in.<\/p>\n For some time Panca Tattva prabhu one of the senior Czech brahmacaris had been asking me to come to Czech Republic, so we took the opportunity. It was well worth the while. Non stop chanting and hearing from temple to temple, park to park, street to street on Harinama. Prague \u2013 perhaps the most exciting place in the west for street sankirtan. Crowded arcades all pedestrian. We stop and hundreds gather around listening attentively to short speeches and dramas about Krishna consciousness. They raise their hands with us and chant Hare.. Krishna.Hare Krishna …<\/p>\n In Montreal in 1969 Srila Prabhupada lectured: “So this process of chanting Hare Krsna, if we do it very nicely… Nicely does not mean that we have to become a very nice musician or very artistic singer. No. Very nicely means sincerely and with great attention. The process is the highest yoga system. This transcendental vibration, if you simply concentrate your mind on the vibration “Hare Krsna…” Other kinds of yoga system is not possible in this age. You cannot meditate on a particular subject matter because mind is so agitating and changing that you try to fix up your mind on a particular subject matter, but mind flickers from one subject to another, another, to another. Then it becomes something else. But this vibration is so nice that even if your mind is flickering, the sound will force you to, I mean to say, draw your attention. “Hare Krsna.” So therefore… And it is very easy. For other sort of meditation, you have to learn how to sit down, how to fix up your body. You have to select a nice place, a solitary place, a purified place. You have to sit down in a certain posture. So many things. Those things are not possible at the present age because we are so much disturbed by the present atmosphere, everyone. Just like this morning you have news that the Russians have captured Czechoslovakia. How much distressed they are. I heard from the newspaper that several of them were crying. So this is the position. Padam padam yad vipadam [SB 10.14.58]. Every step, there is danger. The material conditional life is so obscure that every step. Therefore the first-class process of yoga is this bhakti-yoga. Simply you turn your attention to this vibration and chant it according to your capacity. It does not require any pre-education. Prahl\u00e4da Mah\u00e4r\u00e4ja said yath\u00e4 manisam. Yath\u00e4 manisam means “as far as it is in my power.” So you can chant Hare Krsna as far as in your power. That means you can chant whenever it is possible. It is not that you have to go to a temple on a particular time and chant. No. While you are walking, you can chant Hare Krsna. Practically we see, when we pass on the street, some of the children, seeing us, say, “Hare Krs\u00f1a. Hare Krsna.” Even the children, they can also chant. It is so nice thing. Because they have no convention. So this chanting Hare Krsna will give him some effect. Yath\u00e4 manisam sarv\u00e4tman\u00e4. Then guna-visargam anupravisthah. This vibration, as soon as enters within your mind, anupravisthah, because this vibration is absolute, there is no difference between Krsna and His name. So Krsna is always within you. God is always within you as the Supersoul. So this transcendental sound immediately reminds you, so you become immediately connected. And it is said that those who are engaged in such yoga system, bhakti-yoga system… Srnvat\u00e4m sva kath\u00e4h krsnah punya sravana-kirtanah [SB 1.2.17]. This chanting vibration is so nice that at least you become pious. Punya sravana-kirtana. Anyone who hears, he becomes purified. Punya sravana-kirtana. Hrdy antah sthah. And the Supreme Lord Param\u00e4tm\u00e4, Supersoul, is within you. As soon as you begin chanting, then hrdy antah stho hy abhadr\u00e4ni. Abhadr\u00e4ni means all dirty things that you have accumulated birth after birth, due to this material contamination… Hrdy antah stho hy abhadr\u00e4ni vidhunoti. Vidhunoti. Vi means “particularly,” and dhunoti, “washes.” Suhrt sat\u00e4m. Because He’s always our friend. God is always our friend. We do not know that. That is the difficulty. We have lost our friendship with God, and we are trying to make friendship with this and that, with this and that. That is the cause of disturbance in the world. They are trying for establishing peace in the world, but they do not know what is the method of establishing peace.”<\/p>\n Prague has three restaurants run by ISKCON devotees. Not far from the city is a small farm where about 20 devotees stay. The weather can be really harsh in the winter \u2013 minus 20 degrees centigrade. It’s tough to farm but they are getting it together somehow or other. They grow lots of wheat, peas, buckwheat, honey and whatever else they can in the short summer growing season. A small herd of Cows and bulls produce milk and plough the land. They manage by producing a lot of prasadam \u2013 biscuits (using farm wheat) and chidwa (using the peas from the farm)<\/p>\n Prabhupada talked about a Czech farm in a conversation in 1977. <\/p>\n Prabhupada:<\/strong> No luxuries. Live very simple life and you save time for chanting Hare Krsna. <\/p>\n Hamsaduta:<\/strong> Yes, Prabhup\u00e4da. <\/p>\n Prabhupada:<\/strong> That is my desire. Don’t waste time for bodily comforts. You have got this body. You have to eat something. You have to cover yourself. So produce your own food and produce your own cloth. Don’t waste time for luxury, and chant Hare Krsna. This is success of life. In this way organize as far as possible, either in Ceylon or in Czechoslovakia, wherever… Save time. Chant Hare Krsna. Don’t be allured by the machine civilization. <\/p>\n Hamsaduta:<\/strong> Yes, Prabhupada.<\/p>\n Prabhupada:<\/strong> This is soul-killing civilization, this kind way of life, especially European countries. Anywhere you can inhabit it. It is not very difficult. A cottage; you can produce your own food anywhere. Am I right? <\/p>\n Hamsaduta:<\/strong> Yes, Prabhupada. We will do it.<\/p>\n Prabhupada:<\/strong> And money, spend for Krsna\u2014for Krsna’s palace, for Krsna’s temple, for Krsna’s worship, gorgeous, as gorgeously as… Not for false… This is the human civilization. And to organize this, varn\u00e4srama will help you to divide the society\u2014brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya\u2014as there is division in the body. That will help. Don’t waste human form of body for sense gratification. I wanted to introduce this. Now I have given you ideas. You can do it. You are all intelligent. For Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s para-upakara. .. So you do good to others. Not exploit others. Any human being who has been bestowed by this body has the capacity to chant Hare Krsna. Give them chance and make situation favorable. Is that clear? <\/p>\n \u2014Room Conversation Vrndavana 8 October 1977<\/em><\/p>\n For Janmastami and Vyasapuja we drove 7 hours to a small farm in the east of Slovakia. Maybe you don’t even know where Slovakia is? It used to be one country \u2013 Czechoslovakia. After communism collapsed in these parts, the country was divided into two \u2013Czech and Slovakia. Slovakia is a little poorer and harder to maintain. They get fewer devotee visitors. For Janmastami about Back to Czech and to Brno, the town where Pancatattva prabhu and 3 other devotees have started a preaching centre. Two days of morning to night kirtans, talks, prasadam and dramas in the streets, the parks and the centre.<\/p>\n Last stop (before flying to India, Vrndavana )\u2013 Vienna, “Europe’s famous music centre”, for an interesting Sunday programme in a devotees home. There is no ISKCON centre here although there are quite a few devotees around the city and nearby.<\/p>\n Even in the heart of Europe the magnitude of our task is awesome and unlimited. In every “town and village”. A temple in every home.. we have no time to waste. All our problems will be vanquished if we play our parts in spreading the holy names.<\/p>\n The following is from the third octet of Srila Prabhupada’s poem – Viraha Astakam, referring to his spiritual master.<\/p>\n 1) You instructed everyone you met to chant the holy name of Lord Krsna. You showed the example of continually reciting the maha-mantra into their ears. Your servant Janananda das <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" How things change in time. 40 years ago almost exactly, I went on a school outing to Berlin. At that time Germany and Berlin were divided into east and west \u2013 THE BERLIN WALL \u2013 a sign of denial of human freedom of fear and oppression.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,66,79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-janananda-das","category-janananda-gosvami"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1696\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n70 devotees from all over Slovakia had gathered and were sure enthusiastic for kirtan and lectures. Nearby the farm they successfully run 2 restaurants to help raise funds. The people in the little village where the farm is are very favourable and some come to the programmes. On Janmastami we went out onto the street twice for Harinama in the nearby town and village. We really enjoyed ourselves here, if that’s the right way to put it. “Susukam kartum avyayam “Devotional service should be everlasting and joyfully performed” BG 9.2.<\/p>\n
\n2) You empowered everyone with the qualification to further distribute that holy name But now, by the influence of Maya, there is only darkness on all sides.
\n3) The souls who are truly attached to worshiping the Lord always sing and dance in joyful sankirtana. Following in the footsteps of their spiritual master, they deliver the whole world.
\n4) But those who have no such qualification perform nirjana bhajana or so-called confidential worship in a solitary place. Thus acting whimsically, all of them actually remain absorbed in personal sense gratification.
\n5) [As stated in the Srimad Bhagavatam 10.33.30]: “An ordinary soul should never imitate the activities of the Supreme Lord, even in his mind.” According to these instructions in devotional service, the unqualified imitators are ruined.
\n6) You preached “utility is the principle”\u2014that is, one should act without attachment and use anything that is deemed appropriate in the devotional service of the Lord.
\n7) In such detached devotional service to Lord Krsna there would be a temple established in every house But now just the opposite situation is apparent everywhere.
\n8) O Srila Prabhupada! You personally suffer to see the suffering of the fallen conditioned souls. On this day of your separation I am utterly despondent.<\/p>\n![\"Hare](\"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/18-baqerlin_wall.jpg\")
By Janananda das <\/strong><\/p>\n