Trancendental East African Safari

The Krsna consciousness movement should be spread wherever possible, and one should accept those who thus become Vaisnavas as being greater than brahmanas Hindus or Indians. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu desired that His name be spread in each and every town and village on the surface of the globe.

By the mercy of Guru and Gauranga, I arrived safely in Dar es Salaam after a marathon bus trip. From the start, it was touch-and-go, hopping off from one destination to the next and arriving from Johannesburg to Lusaka the next afternoon, then straight on to the next bus to Dar es Salaam. The luggage hold overflowed, as more of the passenger’s luggage was stored inside the bus - at one stage, I thought that the bus might not move, it was so overloaded. Finally, the bus pulled out of Park Station, the transcendental journey began, by the mercy of Guru and Gauranga, a preaching mission to serve dearest Srila in East Africa began.

I had taken some of Srila Prabhupada’s books to distribute to the passengers, who took them with great interest as I described the teachings of Srila Prabhupada’s books. When preaching, and explaining about the difference of the body and the soul and its temporary nature, the reply would be positive agreement. As I did not have any prasadam to take with me, I found that my hunger disappeared when preaching, making many friends of Krsna and asking them to chant the holy name of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The next night, after a 23-hour ride, in a bus that was comfortable, but a bit on the rustic side compared to the first one, by the mercy of Guru, I arrived at the bustling crowded bus station the next night, with that: “I-a-need-new-body,” feeling! I was met by bhakta Kevin (from Canada who spent nine years of his childhood living throughout Africa) and his friend Gaddy, and then to the house of Mahaprabhu Caitanya dasa – a disciple of Jayapataka Swami from Bangalore, where I was to spend the night and then onwards to Nairobi the next morning.

We departed from Dar es Salaam just after 9-pm in Kevin’s Landrover, the perfect vehicle for traveling in this part of Africa. The vehicle was used by safari companies and is complete with seating for seven, a luggage rack, protective bars and three rooftop hatches for game viewing. Kevin has been assisting Mahavishnu Swami Maharaj here in East Africa since 2006. He comes originally from Canada – he has been coming to Tanzania for the last 3 years to help Maharaj with the Annual East Africa Tour. His service is driving the truck and distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books. The tour was originally began by that great saint and son of Srila Prabhupada, his grace Tribhubanath prabhu from Ireland, a stalwart preacher, following in the footsteps of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, bringing harinam to the African people. The countryside in Tanzania is amazing, which has that Out-of Africa scenery and feel about it. Vast rolling savannah as far as the eye can see, dotted by acacia trees and mountains. We saw that great majestic African giant, Mount Kilimanjaro towering over 19,000 feet into the air in the far distance - as the sun began to set, casting a blue cloudy haze on its on it snow-capped peak.

Just before arriving at the Tanzania/Kenya border, I began to hear some knocking sound coming from the side of the vehicle near to where I was sitting. About 100 kilometres from the border, it began to get louder. Arriving at the border just after twelve pm, we had our passports stamped. Kevin had to fill in some paper work to take the Landrover into Kenya, and was told by the customs official, that he needed some more paperwork that had to come from the Tanzanian side. We both walked across to the Tanzania customs – this time the official there was not satisfied with some small details, so Kevin and the customs official went together to Kevin’s Landrover. Could I please wait for him while they went? He came back after about 15 minutes and – I could tell from the look on his face, something was not quite right. When he started the engine, the left side shock absorber hit the hood; the engine’s water pump began smoking. Apparently, the shock absorber had separated from where it had been bolted to the chassis, and the top had almost penetrated the hood of the car.

We stayed overnight at a clean guesthouse until next morning, when a mechanic and his team replaced the seized up bearings in the alternator and the shock absorber.

We then took the road to Nairobi arriving in time to catch a glimpse of the ratha yatra parade. We spent five minutes following the procession, then fatigue set in to a point that I could no longer disregard my need for sleep, so we headed back to the temple, where we were able to take darshan of Their beautiful Lordships, Sri Sri Radha Bankibihari and Sita and the glorious association of the glorious saints here. We are now getting some book racks made for displaying Srila Prabhupada’s books to towns and villages in Kenya – the Landrover has a clean bill of health and is ready to be used in the service of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s sankirtan mission.

By the mercy of Guru and Krsna, we have been invited by a local African devotee, to come and visit his village. Watch this for more nectar - All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Yours in the service of Lord Sri Krsna and His devotees,

Hare Krsna,

Madhumangala das

Shogweni Food for Life 22nd July 2008

22 July

After breakfast we loaded three large containers full of breyani into a bakkie and headed off, in convoy, for Shongweni. It was Madhumangala, Gopala Guru, Dinanatha, Prahlada, Arne, Suvarna Manjari, Swarupa Sakti, Jamuna and myself. Our venture was in response to an invitation from Wozamoya High School which lies way beyond the Shongweni Dam Nature Reserve…the beautiful African landscape makes you forget the business of the city.

Upon arrival the kids were in class. We met with the school staff and set up in the assembly area…before long the lunch bell rang and Mr Nzama Benedict, the principal, introduced us to the school and handed us the microphone. I thanked the school for inviting us and Madhumangala presented them with a set of books for their library. Eight hundred kids were gathered and after a short explanation of who we were and what we had come to do, we began the chanting, singing two words at a time so they could follow. ‘Hare Krsna!’…the sound was astonishing…I looked out as we chanted and noticed that only about a quarter of the kids were chanting…most were just watching…some were dancing. ‘Hare Krsna!’…For most this was their first sight of Krsna devotees. ‘Krsna Krsna!’ the dancing picked up around the front of the crowd, especially where the devotees were dancing and playing drums and other instruments. We stopped to explain that this chanting of the Holy Names of God is the best way to attain the mercy of the Lord thus inviting peace and prosperity into our land. ‘Hare Hare!’ As we started the chanting again I looked over at the staff who were watching in amazement. ‘Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare!’…

After the chanting we opened the containers and began to serve the breyani…some were pushing, some were patient, some stood back not sure if they should take food from these ‘strange new people’. Prasadam is food offered to Krsna. By taking it purification of the heart takes place…In the age we live in, the most effective way for attaining spiritual enlightenment is to chant the Holy Names and take Krsna Prasadam…simple, yet effective! This method of spiritual awakening was introduced by Lord Caitanya Himself. He was the most recent incarnation of Krsna. He appeared five hundred years ago in West Bengal and predicted that in every town and village this chanting would be done.

Some students came up, grabbed instruments and drums and using the microphone, they chanted together without much of our assistance. Teachers came to thank us and one was asking many questions…she was a strong Christian. She told us that she had a vision the night before, that some people were at the school with drums and food. She said she saw everything…Her main question was why we were not using the name of Jesus Christ. I told her that we were following the instructions of Jesus who had said ‘Our Father, who art in heavan, hallowed be thy Name’. The Holy Name of God is to be praised and in so doing we are honouring Jesus Christ. I further told her that she could read the books we had left behind and if she had any doubts about us she should pray to the Lord to reveal the truth about us.

We packed up and left for the Temple again.

Coming 2008 Durban Ratha Yatra - South Africa

This year, here at the Durban temple, by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, we are planning to make it the biggest Ratha Yatra festival on the North Beach. There will be 3 chariots in the procession this year, not to mention some very special saints:

Slaughter House of the Mind

Here In San Diego, we are into our 2^nd week of Srila Prabhupada’s 2007 December Book Distribution Marathon. We have been going to the UCSD, which has just recently closed for the December holidays. These past 2 weeks, myself, bhakta Bronson and Madavendra have been distributing mainly at the Free Speech Mall, as daily a sea of students are rushing by on their way to their classes. They are really in the mode of passion, as it has been the last of final exams. Sometimes it’s very difficult to stop them.

I would speak to some very nice students who took books, but there were also some, who despite being very learned in many fields of science, just seemed to miss the point of understanding the goal of human life, which is self-realization. Students in university spend a portion of their academic life, dedicating themselves to read, write, think and dream. After getting a degree, they look forward to earning lots of money and to live happily ever after.

I began to think what Srila Prabhupada has written in his purports about these academecic institutions. Real knowledge is in Srila Prabhupada's books, because Krsna is the source of all knowledge!

Generally, people are not educated in this confidential knowledge; they are educated in external knowledge. As far as ordinary education is concerned, people are involved with so many departments: politics, sociology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, astronomy, engineering, etc. There are so many departments of knowledge all over the world and many huge universities, but there is, unfortunately, no university or educational institution where the science of the spirit soul is instructed. Yet the soul is the most important part of the body; without the presence of the soul, the body has no value. Still people are placing great stress on the bodily necessities of life, not caring for the vital soul.

The Less You Have, The More Peacuful You Are!

The advertising industry's chief business is to get you to consume as much as you can. Buy, touch, taste, and smell, have more. They even go so far as to say you must have it - if you don't get it, well then you are going to be unhappy. But of course you have to have it, after your next door neighbor has one - you should have one that is better than his. And so it goes, as we work harder to get all those lovely things that are going to make our lives that much better. You know what it's like when you've had too much to eat; you feel a little uncomfortable in your stomach. Well that's what it's like in material existence. Those in that type of lifestyle, say you must have more! But even though they have more, they are still not satisfied. The less you have, the more peaceful you will be! It’s an illusion – a colossal hoax! The less you have, the more peaceful you are! Human life was meant for plain living and high thinking – not complicate living, with no time to think.

Everyone wants to be happy. Some of us seek happiness through our families, in natural and healthy living, in successful careers, active social lives, fine gourmet foods, gambling, or through sports and exercise. Others experience happiness in politics, the arts, academia, or in hobbies ranging from mechanics and computer science to drama, philanthropy, welfare work, and literally thousands of other activities that comprise man's unending quest for pleasure. Millions of people find their happiness in liquor, mood elevators, tranquilizers, or other drugs.

Each day doctors and scientists discover more about how the human mind and body work. Yet with this abundance of scientific knowledge and space-age technology, which vastly outstrips that of all previous generations, is modern man really any happier than his predecessors?

The basic problem in our search for happiness is that our sources of pleasure are all limited.

To achieve this unlimited and imperishable happiness one need only chant and hear what sages of ancient India have for millennia called the Great Chant for Deliverance, the Hare Krsna mahä-mantra. This simple sixteen-word mantra is comprised of sound vibrations powerful enough to awaken the natural happiness within everyone.
Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare
Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare

In recent years, millions have learned how to chant the Hare Krsna mantra and experience this true, spiritual happiness. It is the most popular mantra in India, the homeland of meditation, and differs from other systems in two ways. First, the complete mantra is chanted (not just a fragment of a mantra) and, second, the mantra is chanted aloud (not silently)

Get the higher taste - Chant Hare Krsna and Be Happy!

It was Prabhupada's strong desire, that we distribute his books and make them widely known as far as possible. If we study the pastimes of Srila Prabhupada when he first started writing about Krsna and Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, we will be astonished at his immense faith in Krsna and the instructions of his spiritual master, Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Maharaj. He told Srila Prabhupada, that if he ever got money, that he should print books. Today many years later, the manifestation of that perfect instruction, given by the perfect Person, Lord Sri Krsna, is being witnessed all over the world, from north to south and from east to west. Millions of Srila Prabhupada's books and his Back to Godhead magazine from the BBT's printing press are going out daily. There is hardly a place on the face of the globe where Srila Prabhupada's books are not distributed. Every day thousands of Srila Prabhupada's book distributors are going out handing out the mercy to people to all walks of life and they are becoming devotees of Krsna. By distributing Srila Prabhupada's books, not only are we fulfilling his desires, but we are making spiritual progress with every book that we distribute. The servants of God come to propagate God consciousness, and intelligent people should cooperate with them in every respect. By serving the servant of God, one can please God more than by directly serving the Lord. The Lord is more pleased when he sees that His servants are properly respected because such servants risk everything for the service of the Lord and so are very dear to the Lord. The Lord declares in the Bhagavad-gita (18.69) that no one is dearer to Him than one who risks everything to preach His glory. By serving the servants of the Lord, one gradually gets the quality of such servants, and thus one becomes qualified to hear the glories of God. The eagerness to hear about God is the first qualification of a devotee eligible for entering the kingdom of God. SB 1.2.17 when we distribute a book, the person who receives the book is benefited and the one who distributes the book is benefited. By distributing Srila Prabhupada's books, we are personally assisting lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in his sankirtan mission, in this way He will become pleased with us and we will be recognized by Him. In such a way, the mercy that He is giving us will be increased and we will be eligible for entering the kingdom of God.

In the ten years that I have been distributing Srila Prabhupada's books, I have been astonished at the potency that his books have on peoples lives. Each day when I am distributing his books, I have amazing encounter with the special spirit souls who take them. What makes me even more enthusiastic to distribute his books, is when I see how with enthusiasm, people are taking his books. Sometimes people are completely bewildered why they take the book in the first place. I once distributed a book to a lady lawyer who was in a hurry. I could see that she was in the mode of passion, which of course is quite understandable, considering that downtown; the material energy is the prime factor, as people scurry like ants to their anthills to increase their desire for their material betterment. She gave me a donation and I gave her a book, which I thanked her for taken. As she turned around to leave, she said, "yes thank you, I don't know why I am doing this?" I replied to her, it was because she was a sincere seeker of the Supreme Absolute Truth. Some times a person might not want to take a book, but a the last minute takes one. George Harrison writes in the Krsna book, "Everyone is looking for Krsna. Some don't realize that they are, but they are." So there are so many devotees out there, we just have to go out and find them and give them Srila Prabhupada's books.

Who does not read books? One just has to pass by news agents, book stores and libraries to see the vast variety of books there are to read. But if we study what is on the shelf, we will discover that such books do not have any significance on the lives of people who read them, they do not liberate them from material bondage. Srila Prabhupada's books contain knowledge of the spiritual world and Krsna, which will liberate them from such bondage and suffering, the result of which will bring them peace in their lives. Bhaktisiddidanta Sarasvati Maharaj described the printing press as a brhat mrdanga , a big mrdanga. Although the mrdanga drum had traditionally been used to accompany kirtana, even during the time of Lord Caitanya, and although Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Maharaj himself led kirtana parties and sent groups of devotees chanting in the streets and playing on the mrdanga's, such kirtans could be heard only for a block or two. But with the brhat mrdanga, the big mrdanga drum of the printing press, the message of lord Caitanya could be spread all over the world. So Srila Prabhupada's books are travelling all over the world, we just have to help him, and in no time, the world will be flooded with love of God and the causeless mercy of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!

Chewing The Chewed!

It was about 5pm, I was taking the trolley back to Old Town station after a blissfull day of distributing Srila Prabhupada's books. I sat down on my seat, and noticed that the majority of people, looked lifeless. It was almost as if every ounce of energy had been drained out of their bodies. No one was even talking - I put my digital camera on to video mode. When I replayed it, I began to understand what Srila Prabhupada said when he spoke of, chewing the chewed. Srila Prabhupada writes in his purport Srimad Bhagavatam 3.9.17

"Persons who are determined to totally rot in false, material happiness cannot become Krsna-minded either by instructions from teachers, by self-realization or by parliamentary discussions. They are dragged by the unbridled senses into the darkest region of ignorance, and thus they madly engage in what is called 'chewing the chewed.'

NB Look at the man sitting on the bench next to the door. They say that the face is the index of the mind: He has most certainly been hammered hard by the full force of material nature!