Hi folks,

From nowish until the night of the 4th, I’ll be in or near Gettysburg. The scooter will definitely not pass inspection (bad frontbrake light switch), so I’m taking the bus. Well, actually, I’m loading the scooter onto the bus and taking both. :) Rebel rebel.

I’ll have some updates, but I can assure you that it really won’t be that interesting to most people.

I’m most looking forward to Troy Harman’s tours and really good Chinese food. Also, I plan on getting up early and, if it’s not too foggy, riding into Gettysburg and doing my morning japa on the battlefield. I’m not saying that it’s more spiritual or anything, it’s just a nice place to do it.

The weather is supposed to be great:
Today: High of 81
Tomorrow: High of 76
Monday: High of 78
Tuesday: High of 77
Wednesday: High of 79

Usually, it’s High of 97 with a heat index of 105. Horrible. But this year, it’s doing pretty good.

There are a few cafes with free WiFi, so I should be able to stay in contact that way. Cell phones are fine in Gettysburg, but I’m staying at Caledonia State Park and no cells work there. At least, they didn’t last year.

Took the scooter in for inspection. Failed. My front brake doesn’t switch on the brake light. I chased it down to the actual switch. Maybe I can clean it. Who knows. I’m stuck at work. Even if I fix it, I don’t know if I’ll be able to get it inspected in order to leave tomorrow.

The carb problems seem to be ok. I think. I’m still not 100% with it. But if you’ve ever wanted to hear my scooter, here it is:
Vroom. (You’ll actually have to click on it – the SnapShots thing doesn’t work right)

At this point, I’m going to try to get Marti to come into work early so that I can get out there an fix this. I’ve got a LOT of stuff to do tonight and I won’t have time at all. There’s Saturday morning, but that’s cutting it REALLY close.

Bad day so far? Yes. Very. If I can’t get this fixed, my scooter trip will turn into a bus trip. I don’t want that.

First, I think it’s great that since I’ve posted the Bhaktivinode Thakura quote about “cultivating slowly,” I’ve seen it reposted on other blogs several times and even more devotees and well-wishers have commented to me about it. It really is a great quote.

And to say that I’ve been cultivating slowly would be one hell of an understatement. I’ve been a devotee since 1993. What the hell is my problem, anyway? Ok, cultivate slowly… but not THAT slowly! It’s a process, but it’s a process that should be taken seriously.

The first sentence, “Give up the shackles of matter slowly.” is the one that everyone seems to like, myself very much included. It almost gives a sense of “well, I can do this or that and it’s still ok, it’s a process and I’m taking it slowly.” But I’ve been thinking a lot about this and I don’t think that is exactly what it’s saying. Though, for myself anyway, I wish it were. Hehe.

Giving up the shackles of matter means giving up material attachments. That includes the four regs and all this silliness that doesn’t help our spirituality. Personally, the four regs are probably the most important. I mean, if you were going to take them generally. Now, obviously amassing ridiculous amounts of money to spend on mansions can most certainly be more detrimental to your spiritual life than smoking a cigarette every once in a while. You know, generally.

I guess the point is, while Bhaktivinode Thakura says to slowly give it up, giving it up is the key here. It’s a process, but I have to actually DO the process for it to work. I can’t be materialistic and break a ton of regs thinking that, “well, it’s a process.” What am I actually doing to help this process? Aren’t these entanglements stumbling stones to spiritual life? And if I keep tripping over the same stones over and over, what progress am I actually making? None. I wouldn’t be slowly cultivating spiritual life, I’d be quickly destroying spiritual life.

I make mistakes just like anyone else. But while most of you are generally able to learn from your mistakes, I seem to have a fairly difficult time. Like I said, I’ve taken this “cultivate slowly” idea to illogical conclusions.

And I just thought you all might like to know. :)

Ok, I was hoping to post this yesterday, but life exploded. The reason that it couldn’t be posted on Ekadasi is clear to most devotees. On Ekadasi, we fast from grains and beans. This past Ekadasi was Nirjala Ekadasi. During Nijala, we do a full fast from all food and water if we have missed or screwed up any Ekadasis over the past year.

So in light of that, I didn’t feel right posting a song about food on a day when nobody was eating. See? I’m a nice guy.

This song, if you haven’t already guessed, is called Prasada-sevaya. This version was on the first Shelter Bhajanas tape. It’s Krishna Caitanya dasa on vocals. He was their bass player.

I first heard this song (though not this version of the song) when I was around the Columbus temple in 1994-95. Before that, at the Philly temple, I would see devotees praying before they ate, but I never knew what they were saying. But when I got to Columbus, all the girls (it was an all-girl temple at that time) would sing this song (though a bit differently, in a sort of call and response fashion).

During my stay in Columbus, I met Ekendra (drummer of Shelter, now doing his own country music project). He was running the Athens temple. We were hanging out one day and he asked me if I had ever heard the first Shelter bhajana tape. I thought that there was only one, so I said that I had. He then asked if I remembered “Prasada-sevaya.” It wasn’t on the one that I had heard, so I was sort of confused.

Well, after all that was cleared up, he played this song for me. And holy crap. What a really interesting version of it. Great voice too.

The lyrics are…

sharira avidya-jal
jodendriya tahe kal,
jive phele vishaya-sagore
tara madhye jihwa ati, lobamoy sudurmati
ta’ke jeta kathina samsare

krishna baro doyamoy, koribare jihwa jay,
swa-prasad-anna dilo bhai
sei annamrita pao,radha-krishna-guna gao,
preme dako chaitanya-nitai

The translation is…

O Lord, this material body is a place of ignorance, and the senses are a network of paths to death. Somehow, we have fallen into this ocean of material sense enjoyment, and of all the senses the tongue is the most voracious and uncontrollable; it is very difficult to control the tongue in this world. But You, dear Krsna, are very kind to us and have given us such nice prasada, just to control the tongue. Now we take this prasada to our full satisfaction and glorify you Lord- Radha and Krsna- and in love call for the help of Lord Caitanya and Nityananda.

So here it is, directly off the Shelter Bhajana tape…

Prasada-sevaya!
(right click to save)

I’ve spent hours now looking for an altar for my deities. Sure, I have a nice little bookshelf top and I’m sure I’d be quite happy with it. But I want something with a door for Jagannatha and Friends.

I looked at a few Indian/Hindu altars and none of them really do it for me. First of all, none of them are made for Jagannatha (too narrow), and I’m really just looking for something … different.

And then I thought “Shinto!” The Shinto altar is called a Kamidana. Here is an example of such a thing:

There are two doors on the front and that’s not super great, but the whole front comes off, thus revealing Their Lordships. They need the space of 12″ wide and roughly 5″ deep. This particular kamidana is certainly wide enough, but, like most kamidanas, not deep enough.

Here is another example of something that I could use:

This one is pretty huge. It’s 18″ wide and 9″ deep. More than enough space for Jagannatha AND Nrsmhadeva! Heck, I could probably find myself a couple of tiny Gaura-Nitai deities and place Them in there too! I could put some cloth over the windows for a bit of privacy and all would be kosher.

But it’s on ebay and I have to bid on it and win to get it.

If anyone has any other ideas, oh do let me know!

Last night, Jeff and I were talking about the Gita. Specifically, we were talking about the 10th chapter where Krishna is defining His opulence. You know, stuff like, “of wielders of weapons, I am Rama” and “of immovable things I am the Himalayas.”

We joked a bit about it, “of hokey players, I am Wayne Gretzsky.” (Though Jeff said Mario Lemieux.) And then I pulled out my favorite: Of secret things, I am silence. He certainly dug it as much as I.

So here’s a comparison of the four Gitas that I have and how they handle this verse.

Chapter 10, Verse 38

Among punishments I am the rod of chastisement, and of those who seek victory, I am morality. Of secret things I am silence, and of the wise I am wisdom.
-Srila Prabhupada

Of punishers I am the rod of chastisement; of victors I am the guidance they follow. Of secret things I am silence, and of the wise I am wisdom.
-Tripurari Swami

Among those who dispense justice, i am the rod of chastisement, and among seeks of victory, I am policy. Of secrets I am silence, and I am the wisdom of the wise.
-Narayana Maharaja

I am the taming rod
among those who tame;
I am moral conduct
among those who seek victory.
And indeed,
I am the silence of secrets;
I am knowledge
among those who have knowledge.
-Garuda dasa

I don’t remember when I first heard “Of secret things I am silence.” But I know that it’s always hit me a certain way. I can’t at all describe it, but it’s just… deep.

The other ones I get pretty easily. They make a lot of sense. But “Of secret things I am silence” is a bit of a head scratcher.

Tripurari Maharaja keeps the last half of the verse exactly the same as Srila Prabhupada’s. I think that’s really neat and it makes me wonder if he too was taken by “secret things.”

Narayana Maharaja’s verse is much different than the other three. In my opinion, it’s less poetic, though, that may be the point. I don’t get “among those who seek victory I am policy.” I just don’t get it. In his word-for-word translation, he defines the sanskrit word “nitih” as “morality,” just like Prabhupada’s and Garuda’s.

And speaking of Garuda’s, I have to admit, though I like the wording to “Of secret things I am silence,” I think I like his “I am the silence of secrets” almost as much.

The only one that has a substantial purport is Srila Prabhupada’s. He devotes one sentence to “silence.”

“Among the confidential activities of hearing, thinking and meditating, silence is the most important because by silence one can make progress very quickly.”

Of the twenty-six qualities of a devotee, silence is the 26th. But devotees are anything but silent. We loudly dance and chant pretty much all the time. However, Vaisnava philosophy states that “silence” also means speaking only of things that have to do with Krishna consciousness.

“Nonsense talk breeds nonsense thought, breeds nonsense action, breeds birth, death, old age and disease.” – Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura

That covers “silence,” but what of “secret things”? Secret things are confidential. The knowledge that Krishna imparted to Arjuna in Bhagavad-gita was confidential knowledge. Bhagavad-gita 18.65 states: “Because you are My very dear fried, I am speaking to you the most confidential part of knowledge.”

This most confidential part of knowledge is that:

The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart… and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy… surrender unto Him utterly. By His grace you will attain transcendental peace and the supreme and eternal abode. Thus I have explained to you the most confidential of all knowledge. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.
-Bg 18.61-63

Seriously, the Gita is full of this stuff. Pick up a copy and delve into it.

I was reading a bit today and came across this:

Give up the shackles of matter slowly. Cultivate your spirit inwards. Give up prejudices which you have acquired from the so-called rational thinkers who deny the existence of spirit. Be humble in your self and learn to respect those who work towards spiritual attainments. Do these with your heart, mind, and strength in the company of spiritual people alone, and you will see Krishna in no time.

—Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura,
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, His Life and Precepts

Well, what do you think?

Sometimes it feels like we are being pushed to become pure devotees so quickly. Prabhupada said that it was possible to do this in just one lifetime, so we rush into it and, as happens so often when we rush, we stumble. But here, Bhaktivinoda Thakura tells us to give up the shackles of matter slowly, to cultivate.

Cultivation takes time. We are in such a hurry for liberation or even initiation, that we lose track of how sweet the process of becoming Krishna conscious is.

And still, by slowly cultivating our Krishna consciousness, our spirituality, we will see Krishna in no time.

Bhaktivinode Thakura ki Jaya!

-

PS- the Ekadasi song isn’t appropriate for today. I will post it tomorrow when it will be fine. Any guesses as to why? :)