2003 Bhagavad-gītā 7.3

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The following is a lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja in 2003 – Johannesburg, South Africa. The lecture begins with a reading from the Bhagavad-gītā 7.3.

Any particular verse?

Bhagavad-gītā 7.3

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
kaścid yatati siddhaye
yatatām api siddhānāṁ
kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ

Translation: Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.

Purport: There are various grades of men, and out of many thousands, one may be sufficiently interested in transcendental realization to try to know what is the self, what is the body, and what is the Absolute Truth. Generally mankind is simply engaged in the animal propensities, namely eating, sleeping, defending and mating, and hardly anyone is interested in transcendental knowledge. The first six chapters of the Gītā are meant for those who are interested in transcendental knowledge, in understanding the self, the Superself and the process of realization by jñāna-yoga, dhyāna-yoga and discrimination of the self from matter. However, Kṛṣṇa can be known only by persons who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Other transcendentalists may achieve impersonal Brahman realization, for this is easier than understanding Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Person, but at the same time He is beyond the knowledge of Brahman and Paramātmā. The yogīs and jñānīs are confused in their attempts to understand Kṛṣṇa. Although the greatest of the impersonalists, Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya, has admitted in his Gītā commentary that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his followers do not accept Kṛṣṇa as such, for it is very difficult to know Kṛṣṇa, even though one has transcendental realization of impersonal Brahman.

Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the cause of all causes, the primeval Lord Govinda. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ/ anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam. It is very difficult for the nondevotees to know Him. Although nondevotees declare that the path of bhakti, or devotional service, is very easy, they cannot practice it. If the path of bhakti is so easy, as the nondevotee class of men proclaim, then why do they take up the difficult path? Actually the path of bhakti is not easy. The so-called path of bhakti practiced by unauthorized persons without knowledge of bhakti may be easy, but when it is practiced factually according to the rules and regulations, the speculative scholars and philosophers fall away from the path. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī writes in his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.101):

śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-
pañcarātra-vidhiṁ vinā
aikāntikī harer bhaktir
utpātāyaiva kalpate

“Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic literatures like the Upaniṣads, Purāṇas and Nārada Pañcarātra is simply an unnecessary disturbance in society.”

It is not possible for the Brahman-realized impersonalist or the Paramātmā-realized yogī to understand Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the son of mother Yaśodā or the charioteer of Arjuna. Even the great demigods are sometimes confused about Kṛṣṇa (muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ). Māṁ tu veda na kaścana: “No one knows Me as I am,” the Lord says. And if one does know Him, then sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ. “Such a great soul is very rare.” Therefore unless one practices devotional service to the Lord, one cannot know Kṛṣṇa as He is (tattvataḥ), even though one is a great scholar or philosopher. Only the pure devotees can know something of the inconceivable transcendental qualities in Kṛṣṇa—His being the cause of all causes, His omnipotence and opulence, and His wealth, fame, strength, beauty, knowledge and renunciation—because Kṛṣṇa is benevolently inclined to His devotees. He is the last word in Brahman realization, and the devotees alone can realize Him as He is. Therefore it is said:

ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi
na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ
sevonmukhe hi jihvādau
svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ
[Cc. Madhya 17.136]

“No one can understand Kṛṣṇa as He is by the blunt material senses. But He reveals Himself to the devotees, being pleased with them for their transcendental loving service unto Him.” (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.234)

* * *

Over here like to know what is the self. Who’s trying to know the selves here? Okay, so that’s one out of thousands already very rare people Robert Salam Various grades of people. Someone maybe find some interesting tribe. Actually then beyond that, those who achieve perfection, those actually know Kṛṣṇa the most rare. The. Whole material world is geared in such a way that everybody’s busy solving temporary problems. And these problems never end, they simply change. As you solve one problem, another problem will come. When you solve that, then there’s another problem. So there’s always some problems to solve. So like that as someone says, I love thee, solve all my problems of life. Then I will do transcendental realization. Then that will never do it. Let me get my daughters married and I will do it. But then my granddaughters have a.

So Vedanta Sutra states Ataata Brahma Jiyasa, make your inquiry now. Inquire into the absolute truth now. Subhasyam sigram batikulasyam varjanam we should do the auspicious things today and put off the inauspicious things for tomorrow. Someone said, let’s go Chand Hare Krishnaja Temple we should do that. Someone says, let’s go and do some crazy nonsense or something tomorrow. That will we avoid. So Kshta consciousness is three very specially Gogasana. For active people. The Kṛṣṇa Conscious devotee uses all his her thoughts, words and deeds in Krishna’s service. By doing that, then it’s explained. That even while they’re alive, they’re liberated. You don’t have to wait to die in order to achieve liberation. You can achieve it today if you engage all your thoughts and words and activities in Krishna’s service. That’s the wonderful thing. Lord Chaitanya. Was trying.

Ordered his followers to give Kṛṣṇa Consciousness to everyone. He wanted to see everybody overflowing in bliss. Very happy to see how you all made a really strong effort for the marathon this year. So many nice signs, graph charts and so many things. That’s the final score. What’s the final score? 5,000 Books. Thank you very much. Shivkarabha is very pleased. Even when one would distribute one book, he was pleased. Of course. Whatever you would do to come to Prabhupada, he’d be very thankful. Thank you very much. Very nice that he’d suck him next year. Double it. How to get more people involved. How to do more things. So like that, if we are engaging ourselves and giving Krishna to others, that’s the most blessed service.

Because by doing that, not only are we helping people to get out of this horrible repetition of birth and death. Then Lord Chaitanya gives us his special mercy. Sometimes people, normally they’re very mindful. They’re just thinking about their temporary material situation. Situation. This is the glories of the seventh chapter Bhagavad Gita. Parvati was asking Lord Shiva. She explained that once there was a very hard working businessman. And he became very rich doing his business so much so even the kings were coming to see him. All the big people ministered. Everyone’s coming, getting loans, getting donations, getting. You become the richest person and everybody wants to see you. But he himself was actually very mindset. He only gave money for some political purpose. He didn’t really give any charity like that. Just how did he make more money?

He gave some donation to make more money, that type of thing. Sahih had a mass scores of rupees on most days. And he buried it in the ground. Then suddenly he got sick. Maybe he was bit by a snake or something. He was far traveling at that time. He got sick and he had a heart attack. And they tried to save him. But he was far from any medical facility and he was not saved. So when he went to was taken to Yamaraj. It was decided that because you’re such a so attached to your money, you can become a snake and protect your money. The money was buried in the ground. So you became venomous serpent. If anybody came to take the money, you were this is coming like that. For some time he was very happily protecting his money.

But after a while he realized that this is pretty stupid. I hear a snake. I was a rich man buying a stupid snake, protecting the treasure. Why didn’t I use my life properly? Why didn’t I use my life for understanding, doing some good works with my money, understanding some spiritual subjects. So he appeared in the dreams of his four children, his four sons and told them, help me, I am a serpent. I am living a miserable cursed life. Because of my materialism and protecting the money I bury, save me from this hellish existence. And they woke up and they were all sleeping in different houses. They contacted each other and said what dream they had and why they had the same dream. And they all realized they all had the same dream. That must be true.

Their father, richest man in the place, became in his next life a venomous snake. So, oldest son, he was very much affected by this. Emotional. The second one, he was thinking how to get the money. The third one was thinking how to help my father. The fourth one was thinking how to cheat my brothers and get the money first. So he agreed with that third one. Yes, yes. We should help our father. Let’s all think of it and tomorrow we will come together and we will decide. He said he thought, I know where my father must have buried the money. He told his wife, he went out in the middle of the night to get that money and beat their brothers to it. They started dinging. What do you want? No, father, it’s us, your children. We came here to serve you.

You come here to take the money. No, no. Why would make you think like that? We just came here to serve you. How to help you? You didn’t have to come here digging if you wanted to help me. You’re going to follow the same path I fell into. And then you’re going to also become a snake. I can see it coming. If you want to really help me, I will tell you. Otherwise I will bite you. Oh no. I want to help you. Then on my death anniversary, you bring a devotee who regularly chants seven chapter Bhagavad Gita. So. He told his brothers that father said, death anniversary. Get some devotee who chant 7 chapter Bhagavad Gita and that they should offer that chanting to his departed soul on his Srat ceremony day. So they all gathered together on that day to perform Pindi and Sradha.

And they had one devotee chanting the seventh chapter, this chapter, The whole seventh chapter. Then when he offered may this Bhagavad Gita chanting benefit go to the many, gave the name of this person immediately. Despite the effect of this chanting of seventh chapter Bhagavad Gita, he was liberated. He got his spiritual form, Satchirana Roop. And he came and he gave the money to the four sons equally. He said, use this wisely for Kṛṣṇa conscious purposes. Use this money wisely. Otherwise you’re going to find yourself in a difficult position like I was in. Then he got into the Vishnu Dutta’s airplane and was taken back to Godhead. So naturally, the four brothers, they were very much impressed. How powerful is the seventh chapter Bhagavad Gita? Actually, seventh chapter Bhagavad Gita can purify us from all our sins and can give us transcendental realization.

Also everyday chanted seventh chapter Bible here. So he’s taken back to home, back to Godhead. And the other, the sons, they used their money this time very wisely. Building nice temples, spending it on prasad distribution, bhakti, different spiritual activities. At the end of their life, they also went back to got it. Most people don’t know Krishna. There are many Buddhists and yogis and many people practicing different kinds of self realization. But knowing Krishna is very rendering. So you’re also fortunate. You know Krishna. There’s a mercy of. Mukti, Bhukti, Siddhikami, Sakuri, Asanto, Krishna, Bhaktam, Iskam, otayevshantam. All those who are desiring material sense, gratification, mystic powers and liberation. They’re all un peaceful. They’re all agitated. But the pure devote of Kṛṣṇa, he has no separate desire. Therefore Kṛṣṇa devotees are peaceful. That’s a special quality.

So we’re trying to follow in the footsteps of the great Kṛṣṇa devotees. It’s not enough to imagine I am a devotee of Krishna. That’s a good step. We should actually be serving Kṛṣṇa.

Much.

Up to our capacity. Do something to serve Kṛṣṇa. And this way Krishna is very pleased. If we do our activities for Krishna, there’s no karmabandana, no entanglement. To whatever extent we’re not doing under the instruction of Guru and Krishna, then we’re responsible and we’re not protected. So we learn how to do everything for Kṛṣṇa. Everything that we need to do.

Is.

Unite that to Kṛṣṇa. Because we know Krishna. Therefore we need to give Krishna. How many people in the Johannesburg area are not near Krishna conscious? Is anybody still there? Not Krishna. How many are not yet actively trying to get self realization? So anybody fits in that category. So it’s a seller’s marketplace. Unfortunately most people, they’re not interested even though they don’t have it, they don’t know how important it is. That’s the sad thing. The problem landed in America and he said, krishna, you brought me to this horrible materialistic place. How am I supposed to deliver these people? There’s so much entangled in the mortal passion or ignorance. It’s very difficult for most people to understand. But that’s why they need the association of devotees.

Little association with a devotee can change someone getting these transcendental books, associating with Prabhupada, that’s another way to get the mercy. I was once giving a class in Poland and I asked at the end for question and answers. And one young man stood up, who’s my disciple? And he said, you see, some years ago there was a festival. In that festival there was a book table and someone was selling books and little few paraphernalia. So. What was that? So I just flew away from Australia. Then 13 hours, right now it’s six in the morning. So there was three boys, they were kind of like naughty teenagers and young men. So they were distracting the book distributor. So that one student stole a Bhagavad Gita put in his bank. They went off, they were really laughing. We got those Hare Krishnas stole his book.

Then later they said what is that book they took? And they started reading their books. So reading their Bhagavad Gita. The boy said, actually I am one of the three boys and I am your disciple. Another one is Hirayanandama disciple. And the third one is also your disciple. So who had the last laugh? Krishna had the last laugh. They wouldn’t buy the books, they stole it and they paid for it with their life. Very fortunate. Somehow even by stealing a Bible, he didn’t get diversity. Sometimes people buy me buying Indians may not do, but like in the west, sometimes they buy the book and they don’t know what to do with it, throw it away. Then someone else comes by and sees the beautiful book sitting there and picks it up like this is all kinds of stories how people read books.

The story how there was in France there was a person, he was fishing and that day he had prayed To God that I want to find the most valuable thing, the battery down. I want the most of Krishna. God. God, give me the most valuable thing. I really want to find it. What is the purpose of life? What are we supposed to do? So he was fishing and he got real heavy fish on his line, just pulling it up. And it was not a fish, it was a box, a little case, wooden case, locked, you know, not with a lock, but with a latch. Took it out like a little treasure case and said, wow, what is this? That’s the treasure. He opened it up. Aguad Gita in the box. He read the Bhagavad Gita and became a devotee from fishing.

There was a book distributor in South America. Distributing books. He saw a pickpocket rob a lady and run for being a mistreat. You sometimes see all kinds of things. So then later in the afternoon, somebody came up, asked them to give a donation, take a book. The person agreed to God. Somebody noticed that the person was carrying the stolen purse. It was the pickpocket. I don’t know if you hear in the morning, I have a disciple who is the medical officer for the prisons in South India. She visited three prisons. So she started some classes in the prison for the prisoners who are interested. She says he got one prisoner who was a murderer. Without chaining rounds and reading and realize that so many wonderful things. So there’s many even in the prison. Many criminals who think up to get the chance.

And Haridas Thakur was arrested. He was chanting really happily in the prison. Other prisoner said, what’s wrong with you? Are you sick or something? Why are you always happy? How can you be happy in the prison? It’s not a place to be happy. You should be suffering, always very happy here. You’re making finals with me. I happy here? How can you be happy here? No, you’re all fortunate to be in this prison. They’re willing to be located, joking. Fortunate to be in the prison. Look at this. Listen to me. The whole world is a prison. Everybody’s in a prison. We’re all locked into these bodies, locked into this karmas. That’s our prison. The whole world’s in a prison, but they don’t know it. You know you’re in a prison. Therefore you are more fortunate.

Because you can make a plan to get out of the prison. But the others are all in a prison. They don’t even know they’re in a prison. They’re just slangly staying in the prison. In India they offer goat to the Goddess Kali. I don’t know if they have that here. So this goat, once a month in the dark moon night they can offer. They didn’t say this goats, they give it some grass or just say, eating grass right next to it. When other goats take him and sacrifice. But this one not bothered. He’s eating grass, he’s got food, he’s got some sense gratification. They can’t look ahead. They can’t think that they are. We don’t want to be like that. So foolish that we don’t look ahead and see. Everybody who is born to die. Everybody who dies. To be born again.

We should understand who we are. All these questions. What we got here? What’s our purpose in life? There was a king who was very.

Gentle,.

Very pious, doing all kinds of. Doing all kinds of pious activities. In order to get good karma, to have good family, good money, good. All the good things in life. Then he got. A very special mercy. Narada Muni came and visited. So he gave Narada Muni a foot bath. He worshipped him, he received him. Thank you for coming. What’s your name? Yogini. Thank you, Hare Krishna. So the Narayanamuni said, what are you doing? Who are you doing all this good work for? What’s your idea? I said, well, for my family, for my descendants. I said, we’re all brought together. This material world is like in a river. Sometimes there’s a whirlpool. Some bunch of grass brought together in the whirlpool. Then it breaks up, everything scattered. You’re back together for a little time.

Then after some time we’re separated, mixed with some other grass somewhere else. Why? To give all the energy just for this temporary things and neglecting your eternal spiritual life. That’s really foolish. So. You are ready for watching. Because you’re the king of Navadri. Your kingdom is where the Lord appears in Kali Yuga. So you chant. If you. The Lord comes as Goranga. Goranga. The king became very enlightened to hear about Gauranga. She began to chant. Every day is challenging. Year after year is challenging. Day and night, day and night. Every day. What’s the time you appear to. Getting so ecstatic, fell on the ground, wanted to say something, jumped up. He couldn’t say. He fell on the ground again off of the Nazis. Finally the Lord disappeared. Then he was trying go down, Go. Rah, rah. Lord didn’t come back. Then he was.

The Lord appeared to him later as. Just spoke to him later to give him encouragement. He was feeling so frustrated when he was suicide. Lord told me we shouldn’t do that and blessed him. This devotee made me active in the service of Guru. So Lord Chaitanu gave him a blessing. On my next my incarnation, you can be my associate. You will be Buddhi Mantra Khan. So by serving Lord Chaitanya, you get the blessing to serve Lord Chaitanya More serving Lord Chaitami is the blessing to serve Lord Krishna. So if all of you take advantage of what you and his mercy and this way. Get the full resting, pure devotion of Bhav Krishna. Is this questions and answers. Hare Ka? Oh no. Hare Krishna Maharaj. How can one remove one’s pride and become humble?

It’s like you have nail polish remover, paint remover, you got stain remover, they want pride remover, take a dip. Well, Appreciating how everything we have is the Lord’s mercy, Krishna’s mercy, Guru’s mercy, that. Helps very much. A Prabhupada, the game of practical. He said that if someone serves a pure devotee, that is in a crash course in humility. Because when you’re serving, the true devotee realize you don’t really know that much. You’re not really as expert as you thought. Somehow things happen. Maharaj, just for our knowledge, how many gurus and how many sannyasis are there in this time today? Oh, good question. I don’t have the exact number. I think about somewhere between 60 and 80 gurus. 60 Something I heard. I don’t know the exact count. A couple get added every year and then Sannyasis about 100. Not all gurus are sannyasis.

There’s also Jihasta gurus. I have given the Sirupur and Yoga Bahu Prabhu. Number of Mihasta gurus as well. Of course, in one sense all devotees are guru. We learn from all devotees. We respect all devotees like gurus call them Prabhu Maharaj. We learn from the good examples of others, right? Because we’re learning and we’re devotees. So there also are gurus showing us the way. As far as initiating gurus who are formally accepting disciples, say that maybe 65, 70. Why was Srila Sukhadev Goswami chosen to speak Srimand Bhagavata in the midst of other greatly exalted souls like the Ayasadeva. Is there a specific reason why he was chosen? Thank you. He already got. He’s the son of the Azadev. He was taught by the Aciday and he was Liberated before birth. Like that. Yesterday thought he would best. So he was a realized soul.

And he wanted to know how he could always be transcendental. So then he was trained both by Krishna and Vyasa Deva. So the father likes to see the son excel. Vyasadeva Naramuni. They could also have taught. They’re always doing. Vyasadev is happier. Sometimes children they’re putting on a drama they’re doing. Some parents like to see, so they’re doing some preaching. So yesterday was right here that his son. So that was. Where he could get. He wanted to be liberated. He was before impersonal realized. So then by repeating Bhagavatam he was performing this devotional service of hearing. There was a special mercy on him. Hi Krishna Maharaj. Can you please explain the difference between parent recitation of Bhagavad Gita and understanding Bhagavad Gita? Also please explain whether in past time. Please explain whether in past time. You mentioned chapter seven was parrot recitation. Thank you.

Must not have been parrot recitation if it liberated a person, right? Was it devotee? Enchanting parrot means sometime maybe for mummy. People chant professional Bhakti Saddam to Sarah Takwa Saddam who are just chanting for money. They’re not actually chanting. They’re saying they’re chanting money, money. These professional people, when devotees. They chant for the pledger of Kṛṣṇa. If we’re chanting and we’re not hearing or chanting and we’re not giving our heart into it, That will be less effective. But even a parrot in the Padma Purana was doing chanting the name of Rama. And because of that he got liberated. Even parachanting works. Someone taught to Para to chant Rama Rama. And he was chanting Rama. He got liberated. In the Hare Kṛṣṇa Mantra. My dad. Oh, Hare Krishna Maharsh. My dad asked this really interesting question. But. But night last night.

Last night and I did not know how to answer. Please Maharaj, help me with the query. My dad also, or rather told me Krishna is God. So why did he create Lord Shiva, Parvati, Saraswati and other Devas? If not to worship them, then why Maharaj? Please help me within this answer so that I can get. Maharaj. Please help me with this answer so I can give the answer to my dad. Thank you so much, Maharaj. Hare Krishna. You see, why the government has ministers? Why the government has secretaries. Why they have deputy secretaries, assistant secretaries, section officers. It doesn’t mean you have to worship them. But people go to their officers and they get their work done. So Kṛṣṇa organizes the universe nicely. Everybody has their job. Some people who understand that this particular personality.

He can give me like Uma may give a good. Was a good wife, Shiva, good husband, different devas. Vignesha Ganesha removes the obstacles because the devas are also devotees. So they can give some certain kind of blessings. But Lord Chaitanya, he was clearly explaining how Kṛṣṇa is the only Lord. So like that, the Lord, he gives us a different devas in order to awareness the universe. But they’re not supposed to be worshipped independently. Just like if you suddenly say to the Minister, say there’s Mr. President’s there and one of the ministers is there. And you tell the minister, Mr. President. The president said, why is he calling him president? Is he going to do a coup d’ etat or whatever? It’s going to be a big, you know, probably the minister lose his job or something. It will be like president.

It’s not going to be right. The minister said, no, I am not the president. He’s the president. Some because we worship the devas as independent Lord, they are not so happy with that. They like to be worshipped as Vaishnavas. Offer the food to Kṛṣṇa, offer the offering to Kṛṣṇa. Then give the prasadam to the devas or Devi that pleases. Also we ask Deva reveal about the devas. Because you know, some people, they won’t have so much determination to go after that. Supreme absolute truth. So they will go after some temporary thing. So they make something for everybody. They gradually train them up so eventually they come to the absolute truth. Hare Krishna Maharaj, if someone has an untimely death or has committed suicide, is it operative to do such practice? As you have. Mentioned in the story about the serpent, according to one’s capacity, what is recommended?

Please advise. Well, it’s recommended not to commit suicide. First of all, somebody asked me, do people believe in mass suicides and things? No, we’re not. It’s not permitted to do so. Okay, okay. Then I am interested in your group. Was worried. Join a group where everybody’s in. So. Everyone, all the parents and forefathers, you’re supposed to do this type of sraat ceremony. Actually, I was thinking how in Hindu Dharma or in Sanatana Dharma, we have a monopoly on this particular ritual. None of the other religions have a system where you can offer blessing to your deceased forefathers. We do. You can save your forefathers from different kind of hellish existence. Many examples like that so that we could actually provide that as a service for the people who are interested in sending spiritual care packages to their forefathers.

But if they commit suicide be more necessary. Maybe it requires some extra more than the ordinary, like reading Bhagavad Gita or something. Or reading the Shrima Bhagavatam, depending how sinful they were. Hare Kṛṣṇa Maharaj. What can animals do so that in their next lifetime they do not take birth as animals? Are they condemned to be animals forever? Please explain. Thank you. Animals gradually move up the evolutionary chain. The soul takes birth gradually, one level after another, until it gets up to monkeys, lions and tigers and cows and bulls. So the cows and bulls, they take nice life as human beings. The tigers and lions take as human beings when they’re human beings, but in the mode of goodness. Lion, tiger, human being in the mode of passion. In the monkeys, human beings in the mode of ignorance.

So because the cow is producing human beings in the mode of goodness. Therefore that’s another reason to not kill the cow. Let the cow leave it. Natural light. There would be so many good people in the world today if weren’t slaughtering all the cows and letting them die naturally. So animals don’t have the intelligence to think to do something for themselves. When they eat prasadam, then they can get liberated. This is eating prasadam. Hare krishna. Hare krishna. Krishna krishna hare. Thank you very much. Thank everyone for joining us. A special thanks to for being here. There’s a little prasadam downstairs. Some and some to drink. Some pe. I was here for the Johannesburg Ratcha, right? And after that went for the Russian festival. Not again. I am going to Russia, but another festival smaller. Ramadan festival, Winter seminar.

And for the last time, October was for that festival. Then. Went to South America. Celebrated 25th anniversary of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness in Santiago, Chile as well as in Ecuador and Bolivia. Then we. A theatre in Guadalajara, Mexico, went to Prabhupada festival in Mayapur, in Vrindavan, Bhishma Panchak in Mayapur, five days fast at the end of month of Kartik. Then Middle east back again to South America. For countries I didn’t go to Lima, Peru, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Asuncion, Paraguay. Then we installed Sudarshan Chakra and the San Juan Temple in Puerto Rico. You have Sudarshan Chakra here. If you ever need anyone to help you install Sudarshan chakra. It’s all about 10 around the world. Happy to help you. Then went to New Orleans and Atlanta and then to Dallas. So a place where Tamakrishna is just a state.

Sacramento, California, San Diego, Tijuana. Then they went to had an indoor Rath Yatra in the Middle East. This is an Arab country where you can’t preach publicly. But the ruler gave the Hindus a place. One hall where they could have a function. So inside that hall we had indoor rath yatra. 6000 Devolis. Coming in out. Really packed two rounds the men poorly, then two rounds the ladies and two rounds the kids. Indoor rat. Interesting. Then at Rath Yatra and Penang island where there are many Chinese people. In addition to the normal Tamil devotees. They are the normal devotees. Also Vathyatra in maclaine, some other festivities. Then from Malaysia I was in Melbourne, Singapore. Then Melbourne for the Snan Yatra festival. Then we had two Rath Yatras on the east coast of Australia and Byron Bay. One on the beach on the sand.

You can’t go too far from the water nor too close to this hard sand of a big route. So devotees are pulling very hard this time. And four days festival. And the last day is New Year’s Eve. Rath yatra from 8 o’ clock at night till 1 in the morning 31st of December. Going around the Bairam Bay city. About 50,000 people in the street. If not a hundred thousand, at least fifty. Then the rock keeps everybody peaceful. They all come and pull the rope and chant and do dancing, kind of crazy dancing, some kind of dancing they do. And then from there I went overnight last night in Sydney. Then in the Dumna Swami and Bhakti Brahinda Maharaj and I flew here. So I was. They asked me to come to organize some Panihati festivals with the flat rice, yogurt, different fruit preparation.

Looks like that will be held in Cape Town. So that’s what I have been doing the past two months.