{"id":22401,"date":"2015-12-10T15:08:59","date_gmt":"2015-12-10T14:08:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=22401"},"modified":"2015-12-10T15:09:33","modified_gmt":"2015-12-10T14:09:33","slug":"travel-adventures-of-a-krishna-monk-in-washington-d-c-and-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=22401","title":{"rendered":"Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk in Washington, D.C. and Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Krishna-kripa das<\/strong><\/p>\n

Travel Journal#11.22: Washington, D.C. and Florida <\/h3>\n
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Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 11, No. 22
By Krishna-kripa das
(November 2015, part two)<\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
Washington, D.C., Florida
(Sent from Gainesville, Florida, on December 8, 2015)<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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Where I Went and What I Did<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
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I began the second half of November by chanting Hare Krishna with my godbrother, Sankarsana Prabhu, for three hours each day for two days in front of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., with Sivam joining us the first day and Guru Das, another godbrother, joining us the second day. The next day I flew to Jacksonville, Florida, and chanted Hare Krishna at the University of North Florida, joined by Krishna Club members Youssef and Mallory. The next day Ramiya Prabhu drove me to Tampa, and he and his wife, and Zoey from our Bhakti Yoga Club at the University of South Florida chanted with me at that college. The next day I took a bus to Orlando and chanted with Trivikrama Swami and Dorian Nins at University of Central Florida, and then took a bus to Gainesville and chanted with the Alachua devotees by the University of Florida in the evening. I was based in Krishna House in Gainesville for the rest of the month. The first day at Krishna House, the devotees went to a Zen Awakening festival in Orlando and chanted for several hours. On the days the University of Florida was in session, I chanted with the devotees for two and half hours while they served Krishna Lunch. I made carob coconut burfi<\/i> for the Thanksgiving dinner we had for the friends of Krishna House the day before Thanksgiving. Afterwards sixteen devotees chanted at the farmers market in Gainesville. I attended the New Raman Reti Festival of the Holy Name, where devotees chanted twelve hours for the two days after Thanksgiving at ISKCON Alachua. Each day I took a break to go on harinama <\/i>in Gainesville. The second day, forty-four devotees chanted for two hours at the stadium before a football game. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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I share notes on a Srila Prabhupada lecture and a quote from his books. I share an excerpt from the online journal of Satsvarupa dasa Goswami. I share notes on a recorded lecture by Radhanath Swami on the anniversary of Srila Prabhupada\u2019s leaving Calcutta for America, and notes on classes by Prabhupada disciples, Brahmatirtha Prabhu, Garuda Prabhu, and Kalakantha Prabhu in Gainesville and an excerpt from an BBC meditation by Krishna Dharma Prabhu, printed in Back to Godhead <\/i>magazine. I also includes notes on a class by a Vaishnava youth Krishna House resident, Dhameshvar Mahaprabhu das Prabhu.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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Unlimited thanks to Jagi Kirtan Prabhu, son of Havi Prabhu, for kindly donating his old Macbook to me so I can do my services of proofreading the Back to Godhead <\/i>and <\/i>the writings of Satsvarupa dasa Goswami, and producing this journal. I hope Lord Caitanya blesses him with advancement in devotional service to Krishna for his kindness. Many thanks to Sivam of Maryland for donating a smartphone to me and contributing to my travels. Many thanks to Sankarsana Prabhu for giving me two dhotis <\/i>and also contributing to my travels. Thanks to Molly O’Brien for her pictures of Youssef and I at University of North Florida in Jacksonville. Thanks to Sudevi Dasi and Naifa for the pictures of our harinama <\/i>and program at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Thanks to Stephanie Elkin for her picture of me and our chanting party at the University of Florida Krishna Lunch. Thanks to Navdeep for accommodation in Jacksonville and to Sudhir for accommodation in Tampa.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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Itinerary<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
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December 8\u2013December 15: Gainesville area (December 12 in Tallahassee) December 16\u2013January 4, 2016: New York City Harinam <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
January 5<\/span>\u20137<\/span>, 2016: Gainesville<\/span>
January 8<\/span>, 2016: Jacksonville<\/span>
January 9<\/span>\u201322<\/span>, 2016: Orlando<\/span><\/div>\n
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January 23, 2016\u2013February 24, 2016: Gainesville area (and Florida campuses)<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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February 25: New York City<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

February 26\u2013?: Dublin, Ireland<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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Chanting in Washington, D.C.<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
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My godbrother, Sankarsana Prabhu, has an incredible set up with a generator, a synthesizer, three microphones, a mixer, an amplifier, two speakers, two tables, books, and prasadam <\/i>candy. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

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His book table displays a very powerful quote by Henry David Thoreau in appreciation of Bhagavad-gita, <\/i>one I often use to create an interest in the book.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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In front of the Air and Space Musuem in Washington, D.C., is a great location, with tourists from all over America and from all over the world. The only shortage is devotees having the inclination and the time to join him. Thus I said I would come a few days when traveling between New York and Florida. This time I chanted with him two days in Silver Spring and two days in Washington, D.C. The tunes he plays are very upbeat and pleasant to listen to.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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Sivam, who I knew originally from Tallahassee, developed great faith in the holy name as a result of his association with Aindra Prabhu in Vrindavan. Thus he almost infallibly attends the Silver Spring harinama <\/i>each Saturday and Sunday. He works as a math tutor in the afternoons and evenings, but he was able to join us on Monday in Washington as his first student cancelled.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

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Guru Das, the Satsvarupa dasa Goswami disciple who is in charge of uploading, illustrating, and laying out his online journal, came out with us on Tuesday. He is not afraid to interact with the public, which is always an asset on harinama.<\/o:p><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n
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Chanting at University of North Florida<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
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I flew from Washington to Jacksonville and took city buses two hours to the campus of the University of North Florida where we have a very active Krishna Club. Students from the club are always willing to stop by and sing with us, and this time was no exception. Also students at that school are more willing to stop and talk. <\/span>

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<\/span> If a student gazed at me while I was singing, and I would stop and smile and say, \u201cHave you heard of Krishna Club?\u201d Then I would tell them about the club. I collected several names for the mailing list and sold a Chant and Be Happy.<\/o:p><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

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I taught the mantra to one girl named Molly, and we chanted it several times together. I got her phone number and email for our contact list.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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Two students, Youssef and Mallory, came by. They have both been coming for two years. Molly came by again, and I learned she was friends with Mallory.<\/span><\/p>\n
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<\/span> Youssef chanted a tune he was learning, and I encouraged him to keep playing until he really got it down. Then I played my favorite tune, which was one of his favorites too. It was wonderful to see how he is learning the harmonium and the mridanga. <\/i>He told me how he had met Radhanath Swami, and that he was thinking of taking initiation from him. It was inspiring to see his progress.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

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Amrita Keli Devi Dasi, the Hare Krishna chaplin at the UNF Interfaith Center, arranged for me to stay at the home of an Indian family, Navdeep, Vibhu, and their two girls. They liked the \u201cDamodarastakam,\u201d and we chanted it that evening and the next morning. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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Chanting in Tampa<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

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I took a bus from Jacksonville to Lake City, just north of Alachua, and Ramiya Prabhu and his wife, Ananta Devi Dasi, drove me to the University of South Florida in time to chant on the campus. <\/span><\/div>\n

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I was impressed that Zo\u00eb, one of the officers of our club there, chanted with us outside the Marshall Student Center before the program. <\/span><\/div>\n

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A young Indian man, who often comes to the meetings also joined us.<\/span><\/div>\n

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We did not have a room scheduled in time for the evening meeting, so we had to meet outside the ballroom. Thus we could not chant with instruments as we would disturb the students studying there. We decided to chant Hare Krishna softly on our meditation beads instead. <\/span><\/div>\n

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Although only three students came they all participated in japa, <\/i>and they all expressed interest in coming to the Festival of the Holy Name in Alachua, as they like chanting and enjoyed their visit to the Alachua Holi festival the previous spring. To see that much interest was a pleasant surprise. Because kirtana <\/i>is so important, I suggested we chant outside the Marshall Student Center after our program, and it was nice to see that Zo\u00eb also stayed for that.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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Chanting at University of Central Florida in Orlando<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
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Dorian, who I used to chant with at University of North Florida when he was a student there, and who lived in Krishna House in Gainesville for several months, transferred to the University of Central Florida in Orlando to continue his education. As buses from Tampa to Gainesville go through Orlando, I decided to invite him to chant with me at that campus. Because Trivikrama Swami regularly chants at the campus, I asked if he wanted to join us. He was very happy about it, and arranged for one of his assistants to pick me up at the Greyhound and drop me at the Megabus, and I got to chant with Trivikrama Swami and Dorian for 2\u00bd hours in the middle of the day. Some nice students came by. One even bought a Gita. <\/i>I learned the Dorian chants with Trivikrama Swami twice a week and comes to the Orlando temple on Sunday. I encouraged him to befriend the students who come to the Orlando temple programs and thus inspire them in Krishna consciousness. It was a pleasant visit to Orlando, and I am considering making Orlando a place I regularly go to when I am in Florida, in addition to Jacksonville, Tampa, Tallahassee, and Gainesville.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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I arrived in Gainesville while the Alachua devotees were chanting at the corner of the University of Florida, and I had Dhrstadyumna Prabhu, who picked me up at the Megabus, drop me there so I could catch the rest of the harinama. <\/i>I was glad to be in one place, at my winter base, after three days of traveling.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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Zen Awakening Festival<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
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Audrey, a new resident of Krishna House, whose spiritual search culminated in Krishna consciousness, knew many alternative people from Orlando, where she grew up. Some of them were organizers of the Zen Awakening Festival, and thus she was able to secure a place for us to perform for two hours on one of the stages at the festival. We took a van full of devotees. We found the stage was not set up with microphones and amplifiers, so we put out our blankets and chanted in front of it. We decided to do a harinama <\/i>throughout the site so many people would hear the holy name and some might be attracted to chant with us (https:\/\/youtu.be\/qj43TfPRg7Y<\/a>):<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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