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| December 2008 ~ Issue 1 : : email: janananda@yahoo.com |
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Srila Prabhupada said ...
So if you make a revolution of this sankirtan movement, everyone chanting and dancing, the government will be changed immediately. So push this movement.
Srila Prabhupada on January 18, 1974 in Hawaii
Planting Seeds in Leeds, UK
Saturday 8th November: 2008
I have been recuperating in Newcastle in North England. It was snowing in London when I arrived in late October. the first time in 100 years of records. No doubt due to global warming. After one week the itch to go out for Harinama became irresistible. The invitation came to join the local congregation in Leeds for a Saturday afternoon harinama there.
The last time I went for sankirtan in Leeds was in 1972. Here we are fit as a broken fiddle, after sankirtan inaction for around one month due to ill health. Three of us drive down from Newcastle to Leeds. There has never been an actual centre in this city despite its large population. Several brahmacaris from the Scottish yatra are with us and Haridas Thakura, an old friend and God-brother from the early days is here too. The streets are crowded – the weather is crisp and dry. The devotees gather in the centre. We dedicate this Harinama to HH Jayapataka Maharaja, that the Lord will kindly bring him back amongst us to enliven us in Nama yajna.
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Haribol spirit 'sole' (shop in backgorund)
'Hands up'
Unity
The kirtan begins slow and strong. We move down the High St. The response warms up. The kirtan warms up the devotees warm up. More and more smiling faces waving hands, dancing pedestrians passing by or watching. We stop and chant with a large group of young kids. They playfully join in. Before long there are dozens of them rocking. A big crowd gathers round, many more take part. The devotees are feeling ecstasy to see such loving exchanges. Old people, young, blacks, whites, educated and uneducated, lame, -all types are attracted. Harinama is for all – all attractive – it is Krishna appearing in His most merciful and easily accessible form. We talk to them – hands up – Hare Krishna - repeat - Hare Krishna – many do as the excitement rises. We weave on through streets and streets – everywhere the response is so sweet. Why are we not always here. This is our temple – with the people on the street sharing the mercy of Lord Caitanya.
These youngsters – so many of them happily and enthusiastically joining in are just at the age where these impressions will have a big affect. They seem to be a great potential for Krishna consciousness. Perhaps if we are more open and less rigid we could attract a lot of them to Krishna Consciousness. The ritualistic Temple style, where we are only too often insensitive to the vision of others, practically guarantees they will either not come, or not come back again if they do. We enter the indoor market. Haridasa prabhu in the mood of Haridasa Thakur takes us right through butchers row. “Oh no!”, some of the devotees say. But in we go. The butchers come out. Will they chop us up. No the Harinama chops them up, as their hearts melt, their choppers go down, and their hands go up – smiles – at least one came and danced with us, others stood smiling and laughing. Nityananda Rama ki Jaya! Patita Pavana Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Window to the Spiritual Sky
Smile You're on the way back to Godhead
Dear butcher let's dance
The market lights up – it’s astonishing – people who have hardly had any exposure are spontaneously attracted – the dancing goes on and on, the chanting enchanting. Just as we are about to take the last avenue out an over enthusiastic security guard runs towards and joins us, (in his own way) – “Stop, Stop!” – “You can’t do this here without permission”. We remember Chand Kazi and his men. We stop as he regimentally calls his officers and reports his great success in apprehending the arch criminals, caught red handed imposing on the law and order and peace of the market. The people, including the stall holders jeer and moan (at him) as he escorts us off.
We submit. As soon as we are outside we start up again even more enthusiastically. He follows us to make sure we are gone. Somehow he joined in with Lord Caitanya’s sankirtan. It gets more fulfilling at every step or dance. Photographers everywhere, A small child suddenly appears in our midst – jumping and jumping with us for ages– where is he from? His parents smilingly watch. All kinds of passers by glide along with us with hands raised high. Some start showing off their gymnastic feats in the kirtan. We don’t want to stop neither do the public want us to. Every time we do stop they shout “more! more!”. Eventually we end with hugs and thanks. What more can you say? This is the taste we are always hankering for. Let us sow more and more seeds in Leeds and everywhere else.
Spontaneous Sankirtan Jingle
Let’s dance in the street
Let’s dance with our feet
Keep to the beat
Sankirtan’s so sweet
We’ll chant with the cheat
We’ll chant with the elite
We’ll chant too whoever we meet
Sankirtan is complete
Let’s get off our seat
And onto our feet
Dance in the street
A sankirtan treat
No need to be discrete
No one to delete
For sankirtan is replete
There is nothing so sweet
In the cold and in the heat
Sankirtan is always neat
We conquer over jita (anger)
For sankirtan is complete
If we stay on sankirtan
We’ll experience the fun
Eventually us He’ll greet
Take us to His lotus feet
Sankirtan is complete
No Hustle in Newcastle
City centre - Saturday morning - disgruntled football fans groaning about their miserable local side, and labourers protesting about the economics, carrying placards – “Down with the Fat Cats” (the Capitalistic exploiters) Other groups, buskers, performers all come out on Saturday on the crowded streets of most English cities. Newcastle is no exception. We kick off early, four of us, walking from the temple as we have no transport. Down the hill we go past biker shop after biker shop. They’re cool and give us a warm welcome. To the station – Here come the famous Geordie soccer fans. A bit of fun before the misery they will experience later. Through back streets, we eventually join the rest of our party in the main street.
For over an hour we chant standing in one place with the usual book table and donation box. Some people come up and donate – and get a book. Most stand and watch or just recognise our presence as they pass by. They like it especially when we start dancing. Time to go but we have to walk back – up the hill this time. Continuing the chanting we come to the famous hang out square for the young teenage kids. Some of them are Emos (look it up if you don’t know what that is) Our party now comprises 7 devotees all a bit tired after three and a half hours on the street. 5 of us are almost 60 years old or more and the only youngster is our sankirtan star Satya. There they are a big group (or grope) of kids hanging around.
Hands in the sky
Young fun
Swinging
They get excited as we veer toward them and get into it. It doesn’t take much to get these kids going. They quickly start to dance and put their hands up and repeat the Maha-mantra. Round we go in circles. Here I am, an old guy at the fag end of life and these young kids who don’t know what it’s like to be older. But somehow we get strength as we dance, arms over shoulders up and down.
Around the statue we go and they run from all directions to join us. We have to get back to the Temple for an evening programme. They won’t let us go and follow us up the road, across junctions, chanting dancing and feeling the mercy of Mahaprabhu. Who knows who they are? Perhaps in their previous lives they came in contact with the Hare Krishna movement and accumulated ajnata sukrti (pious devotional credits) and their spontaneous attraction now is a follow on from that. We stop in front of the soccer stadium and gather for group photos.
Happy family
A thought crosses my mind. Here we are free and happy (and it is free) and inside that monstrous stadium there are thousands of dissatisfied people, even more so having paid a lot of money to get in. Why don’t they just join in with the kirtan and be happy. Why don’t we just join in with the kirtan and be happy.
Sankirtan gives us a taste of the nectar we are always hankering after. The world is suffering and this is the medicine.
The Higher taste
My desire is an open secret ...
“You write to say that you do not know what is my desire, but my desire is an open secret. I simply want all over the Western countries people may take this simple formula of chanting, dancing and eating Krishna Prasadam, and being happy. I am simply surprised that they should not accept this simple formula and be happy themselves. My only desire is that all people become happy and prosperous in Krishna Consciousness. (19 September, 1969 to Tamala Krishna)
If people are simply induced to chant Hare Krsna mantra . . . Just see. Even a child, he is taking part. It is natural . . . they are dancing and chanting. So this movement is so important. Somehow or other if you can engage them in chanting and dancing, the whole world will be united. [Srimad-Bhagavatam lecture, Bombay, December 27, 1974]
SB3.26.18 - Bombay Dec 27th 1974 So this chance should be given. Let them chant Hare Krsna, either willfully, or jokingly, or any way, let him chant Hare Krsna. This is the movement. Let him chant once, let his tongue utter this transcendental vibration, Hare Krsna, his life will be successful. It is such nice movement.
Let his tongue utter this transcendental vibration, Hare Krsna, his life will be successful ...
English boy: Prabhupada, if someone is hearing the holy name in the street, if the sankirtana party is chanting, and they are atheists, what benefit is it for them? Prabhupada: There is. In time, in due course of time, he will no longer remain atheist. He'll become theist. The hearing effect is so nice that gradually he becomes theist. As our students... Not that everyone was Prahlada Maharaja. Still, by simply hearing they have come to Krsna consciousness movement. Is it not? Yes. Simply by... (laughter) We are giving chance to hear. Our street sankirtana is meant for that. If somebody hears a little attentively, he will get the chance to come to Krsna consciousness.
Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.22-30 -- London, September 8, 1971
The dancing has got great value ...
We are not sentimentalists, that we are simply dancing. The dancing has got great value; that, if you dance with us, you'll feel. It is not that some crazy fellows are dancing. No. The most intelligent persons, they are dancing. It is so nicely made that even a boy like here, he is a boy, he can take part. Universal. Join, chant Hare Krsna and dance, and you'll realize. Very simple method. You haven't got to understand any high standard of philosophy or jugglery of words, this or that. Simple thing. What is simple thing? God is great, everyone knows, and we are part and parcel of the great. Lecture -- Seattle, October 2, 1968
Powerful hari-nama is so strong that ...
Now, we have to note this important thing, that the powerful hari-nama is so strong that even one unconsciously or conscious... Sometimes they imitate: "Hare Krsna." They have no intention to chant the holy name of Krsna, but they imitate or criticize, "Hare Krsna." That has also effect.
Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.2.5-8 -- Calcutta, January 10, 1971
Wherever you chant Hare Krsna, they may hear or they may not hear, it is auspicious for them ...
Just like we are chanting "Hare Krsna," we may not understand what is meaning of Hare Krsna, but still, because it is transcendental sound, it is auspicious. Wherever you chant Hare Krsna, they may hear or they may not hear, it is auspicious for them. So we are sending our men for street sankirtana. It doesn't matter whether people are eager to hear it or not, but it is auspicious. It will create an atmosphere which is very, very congenial to the human society. That should be our principle. Not that because we are chanting, nobody is taking care, we shall not be disappointed. Our, this sankirtana movement is so nice that simply by chanting, the vibration will create an auspicious atmosphere, variyan esa te prasnah [SB 2.1.1]. Now you can practically see, those who are old members... So I began in this New York in that storefront simply by chanting. So I did not bribe you American boys and girls to come after me. This is the only asset was chanting. That in Tompkinson square park, this Brahmananda Swami he first came to dance in my chant. (laughter) He and Acyutananda, that was the first dancing of our Krsna conscious movement. (laughter) Yes. And I had no mrdangas. That was a, what is that?
Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.1-2 -- New York, April 19, 1973
Schedule for the upcoming months |
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| Dec 11th – 28th | Malaysia – lots of Rathayatras |
| Dec 29th – Jan 8th | Philippines –Manila etc. |
| Jan 9th – 13th | Australia, New Govardhan farm for annual festival |
| Jan 14th -22nd | Auckland district –Hamilton etc. |
| Jan 23rd -27th | Sydney |
| Jan 28th - Jan 31st | Brisbane |
| Feb 1st – 3rd | Melbourne |
| Feb 5th | Malaysia Kualalampur |
| Feb 6th – March 11th | India – Aravade, Bombay, Mayapura, Vrndavana |
| March 12th | Malaysia for Gaura Purnima |