How Did you Discover Krishna?

[Dharini]

I really love to read about mystical experience and miracles-how someone came to love God. I like beginnings. So if any would be so kind as to share their experiences....

[IgnorantPerson]

I believe that Krishna is not with me. I love Krishna but as I am a grave sinner, I cannot believe that someone like Krishna would love me!

[Samia]

Back when I was a small child there was a persistant rumor that these Hare Krishnas on Telegraph Avenue gave out " special " cookies. On one of our several trips to there I saw them happily dancing and singing and saw the joy in their faces and was convinced that they were on something very good. We never got the guts to approach them though I believe that our corrupted vision blocked our approach and kept the scene pure. The sight stuck with me and as I aged I found myself on the east coast where I came across Devotees and spent some time talking to them and bought some books that went on my shelf. My final push came by way of Shelter, I have always respected straight edge and hardcore scenes and hearing Ray Cappo sing lit a fire in my heart and rekindled the memories I had of these joyful robed men singing and dancing back on Telegraph .....

[bhaktajan]

Now, this is poignant nectar! The best I tell you!

 

Hey everyone please add to this thread, everyone!

 

[No Walter Mittys please]

 

be seeing you,

Bhaktajan

[indulekhadasi]

 

I believe that Krishna is not with me. I love Krishna but as I am a grave sinner, I cannot believe that someone like Krishna would love me!

 

Your humilty is a great aid to bring you to Krishna... I see that you will have a bright future just because of your great humility.

[yogesh]

when I was about 3-5yrs old born in India my mother would always sing and narrate the glories of Krsna's lila and I have always had an attaraction to my sweet Lord.

 

Then when I was 13 - 14yrs old I had the good fortuin of attending a big Satsang which was hosted by some western Sanyasi from the Hare Krsna movement. Since I already had a great attraction towards my sweet Lord I just had to see these sadhus who were glorifying my Sweet Lord.

 

I got some Sirla Prabhupadas books and some more association of Indradumna Maharaj and when I was 16yrs old told my mother I will only eat food that was offered to Lord Krsna.

 

With the help of Sirla Prabhupada and his devotees I had good philosophical grounding for my natural attraction to My Sweet Lord.

 

My mother is so much into cooking for the Lord that she puts all her attention and love into it.

 

You can taste the sweetnes in the water (which my mother puts for the Lord together with the bhoga) when tasting the prasadam.

 

I have read in the previous thread of how devotees are so afraid to offer the Lord preparations thinking that they may commit some grave mistake and have to bear heavy karmic reactions.

 

But the devotees have to remember, as my mother always says, "the Lord is not hungry for the food we offer but the Love we put into what we offer him."

 

Thank You for the nice thread and hoping to hear from other devotees

 

Hare Krsna

 

Jay Sirla Prabhupada

 

Yogesh

[bhaktajan]

 

Originally Posted by yogesh

. . . when I was about 3-5yrs old born in India . . .

 

 

I must say thanks for the above post -- For so many years I have asked Indians etc to relate their first remeberences of their contacts with Krishna, Puja, Temples, Sadhus/Parents-- and they always acted suprised that they were not able to related too much details.

 

This is so cool to read of the minutia of an inner child's journey.

 

more un-revealed lost kid-pastimes on Bhumi-loka during the start of Kali-yuga, please.

 

ys,

Bhaktajan

[Guruvani]

I saw the Nectar of Devotion by Srila Prabhupada and within one minute I knew the whole direction of my life had been discovered in that book.

 

In a few days I was able to get a copy of that book from Karma Records in Broadripple Village near Purdue University and I read it several times while tripping on LSD.

 

That changed the whole direction of my life.

[toooldasoul]

I grew up going to the ISKCON San Diego temple thanks to having Krsna Conscious parents, but I didn't really know what it was all about till I met my Guru and his devotees in the Bay. I got really inspired when I met a devotee who was like Prabhupada, or at least what I had seen, read and heard of Srila Prabhupada. From there I am still trying to go strong. The moment I had met my Spiritual Master in Navadvip my life changed forever, I knew or rather felt, that I had a relationship with Him that had extended over many lifetimes.

[Beggar]

I have not yet "discovered" Him, but I am trying. Here is a picture of me, hard at work in my laboratory:

[Vedesu]

 

I saw the Nectar of Devotion by Srila Prabhupada and within one minute I knew the whole direction of my life had been discovered in that book.

 

[sanatan]

Saw devotees chanting at a rock festival, 1969.

[Sarva gattah]

I first saw the devotees in 1967 on TV; I was in year eight at school and was immediately attracted. In 1970, while coming down from an acid trip, someone handed me a BTG. In 1971 I watched Srila Prabhupada arriving at Sydney also on TV and the next day was on my way to Sydney. Feeling unqualified, I went bush to mediate and chant Hare Krishna, I learnt the chant from the Radha Krishna Album and the Beatles.

 

Arriving in Sydney I went to the Paddington Temple and to me it was like the top of a huge mountain. Eventually I went in and Upananda prabhu spoke to me and asked me to read Krsna Book while he and Caru prabhu cooked. It would take another year before I moved into the Temple after becoming materially exhausted and praying for guidance (Lord Caitanya’s appearance day 1972); I was initiated by Srila Prabhupada on July 10th 1972, then received 2nd initiation in early 73.

 

The best years were those early years of Book distribution, Street Sankirtan and prasadam. You know, we never even drank a soft drink in those days, if it was not prepared by devotees and offered to the Dieties, then we would not eat.

 

Recently when I was ill, the only remembrance I had was from 1972 to 74, they where the best years, the years that left the most blissful impressions. The first Rathayatra that I helped organise with Upananda prabhu, the first travelling Temple, the beginning of book distribution, the most amazing, blissful, ecstatic atmosphere Srila Prabhupada’s chanting created at 14 Burnett St in St Kilda that has never been repeated to this day.

 

The dancing with Prabhupada at the 73 and 74 Rathayatra, the book distribution with the great Buddimanta prabhu (an amazing devotee to watch how he distributed books) Tripurari, who was/is so attached to always chanting japa and also a brilliant humble book distributor. Hari Sauri, Balarama, Gopinathacharya, Yasomatinandana, Gopi kanta, Chittahari, Sanak, Dvaipayana, the best halava maker in the movement!, Gauramandalabhumi, Antaratma, Samjata, Kurma the great cook of Basmati rice, Sahadeva, Shivinath, (who made the best ‘simply wonderfuls’) Jayadharma who managed Spiritual Sky, Dhoumya (who made the first four meter (12 feet) tall Deity of Lord Caitanya in Australia for the 1972 Rathayatra festival and who chanted with me for what was the first time for devotees in Adelaide in 1972). Ganesa (who once sold all of Prabhupada’s books to an out back aboriginal who was on his way to the market with the aboriginal communities monthly allowance, Ganesa got it all! Although Madhuvisa eventually gave the money back and told them to keep the transcendantal Books), Kuntibhoja, who was on that first travelling Temple.

 

Also there was Bhakta Phil (now Subhapati who went on to establish the Murwillumbah Hare Krishna community New Govardhana), a young Bhakta called John, who I showed how to play the mrdanga drum in Hobart Tasmania, (now Ramai Swami and GBC member). Prabhupada even wrote a letter thanking us for taking his books and the chanting of Hare Krishna to the very ends of the planet (Tasmania also known as Van Demons land!). Also, who could ever forget the Kirtans from (the then) Emperor of Kirtan Madhuvisa Swami and the first ever Travelling Temple in 1972.

 

And many, many more ISKCON pastimes, like the fantastic women book distributors like Subhalaksmi devi-dasi and Gopala devi-dasi. I once drove a van load of them from Melbourne to Sydney chanting Hare Krishna all the way, every service station and Town we stopped in they were not satisfied until they distributed some of Prabhupada’s books. The memories, too many to write here, flowed through me that I was in tears, even though alone without any associating of present day devotees, I still had Prabhupada. I listed to Prabhupada chanting, that’s all I had, the 1966 Hare Krishna mantra. It was, as if he was saying to me, 'just love me and I will protect you from all this'

 

ALSO A FOOT NOTE ON THE 1976 STORY

 

Many years later in 1990 the head Catholic fundamentalist Christian that threatened Srila Prabhupada’s life and Melbourne devotees, had become very ill and was dying, he had already had the bottom part of one leg amputated. One afternoon, the then Temple President Balarama Prabhu got an unusual phone call; it was from this man Erickson. He told Balarama what he did was wrong and felt ashamed and sorry for his actions. Balarama forgave the man and told him there is no difference between his God and Lord Krishna. The man replies ‘I think I understand that now”

The mercy of the devotees are boundless!!

[davidbrucehughes]

One day in summer of 1967 I was on my way to a recording session in New York, and passed by Tomkins Square Park. I saw a crowd gathered around a strange group of men clad in robes, chanting and banging on some miscellaneous percussion instruments, clang-clang-clang, clang-clang-clang. In their midst was this intense little Indian man. Of course, it was Srila Prabhupada and his early devotees.

 

Although I had been reading Eastern philosophy and doing hatha-yoga, I had no idea what they were doing. I stood and watched them for a little while, then hurried on to my recording date. I filed the entire incident under "Far-out East Village Happenings."

 

A short time later, 'somehow or other' I got a strong urge to relocate to the West Coast. Well actually it had something to do with a certain young lady. So I piled everything into a car and drove cross-country to San Francisco. That adventure is another story, though. When I finally got there, the thing with the young lady didn't work out, and I wound up staying at a friend's place on Downey St. in Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco.

 

Of course, like any good hippie musician, I was always on the alert for good free stuff, so when I heard that you could get free vegetarian meals from the Hare Krsna Temple, of course I had to check it out. I went to a Sunday Feast, and there were the same little Indian gentleman, and a bunch of his early devotees who I would later get to know as Jayananda, Visnujana, Gurudas etc.

 

I hung around The Movement, as it was known then, going to feasts and festivals, reading Srila Prabhupada's books one by one as they came out, but could not get free of attachment to being a musician, composer and recording artist. The perks were pretty good in those days. I respected the devotees' purity but felt that I could not live such an austere lifestyle.

 

I continued to associate and helped out whenever I could, in between traveling and working as a musician. One day in fall 1971--I remember this like it was yesterday--I was playing with a really good jazz band in Orlando. I was the only white guy in the band. We swung hard and progressive. One night after we played an upscale bar/restaurant, I got down off the stage, looked around the degraded scene of sense gratification, and something snapped. I knew then that just I couldn't do this anymore.

 

I went out in the parking lot and quit the band. The leader was incredulous. We were hot and we knew it. He called me a "jive-ass honky," about the worst insult for a jazz musician. Still, I had lost my taste. I turned in my standard jazz-musician issue Ray-Ban shades, collected my pay, packed up my things, drove down to Miami and joined the old Coral Gables Temple. That winter Visnujana Swami came with his bus party, and of course, recruited me and off we went in the big silver fish with the music in its belly, chanting Hare Krsna.

 

love,

Baba

[bhaktajan]

 

Originally posted by Sarva gattah

Dhoumya (who made the first four meter (12 feet) tall Deity of Lord Caitanya in Australia for the 1972 Rathayatra festival

 

Oh Prabhu,

WOW, wow o wow o wow!!

 

My dear Prabhuji, have you seen that 1972 Ratha yatra on DVD yet??

 

While reading your post I was wondering if you were present --then you mentioned the very large [gold leafed?] Murti.

 

I have the DVD of that festival--I brought it to the mandir to show to the temple President (about 12 months ago) just to show him (and all else in the lobby at the DVD TV Screen) the greatest vision of Srila Prabhupada sitting on a Vyasasana that was set between the Horse Sculptures that flanked the Ratha Cart ---All this was brought into a large auditorium along with the Caitanya Murti. It looked like something from the heavenly planets had landed.

 

Have you seen this DVD? It is part of a set of ITV anthology of Disks.

ys,

bhaktajan

[Nirali]

JSK...in 2003 when i came to england to study...i was only 15 and i had to stay with my aunty and uncle...there was a book shelf in the room i was in...many books belonging to my cousins...and there i spotted ''Coming back-the science of reincarnation'' a book by A.C Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada...i read the book and fell in love with Krishna...then i moved on to read the Bhagavad Gita..and Srimad Bhagavatam...

 

and the strange thing is that when i asked my cousins whom the book belongs to,1 of my cousins said oh someone gave it to me randomly but ive never read it,didnt pay much attention to it...i kind of feel this book was planted there just for me...Lord Krishna wanted me to find it and read it... i love his Lila...

[theist]

 

How Did you Discover Krishna?

Well dicovering Krsna is a gradual process and in fact an eternal adventure being that Krsna is eternal and His qualities are ever unlimited and ever expanding.

 

So how did I discover the maha-mantra or more precisely how did the mantra find me?

 

It was late in 1970. I was becoming disillusioned with the so-called revolution and anti-war movement and especially the hippie counter culture. For me the shine faded quickly and what appeared to be beautiful and hopefull was quickly losing it's shine.

 

There was a certain corner in the heart of the city where I always went to sell my underground anti-war, pro commie proaganda and hang out. One day I went there as usual only to find "my" corner occupied by the strange sight of the Hare Krsna's chanting. They had just arrived in town and my corner was a naturally preaching spot.

 

I stayed around and watched listened for quite some time. I was attracted and had a lot of questions. I started going there over the next few days just to see and talk to these people again.

 

About the third time as I stood opposite the kirtan line I started chanting along very quietly. And a moment later it occured to me thqat if I was going to chant too I may as well stand with them instead of a few feet away so I just joined the line with the four or five devotees. I happened to stand next to this one mataji who handed me a mantra card, repeated the mantra to me pointing to each name separately as she went and when finished she simply said, "Krsna is non-different from His names." That was a form of initiation for me and Krsnavilasini then became my vartmapradaksa (forgot the spelling) guru pointing the path out to me.

 

It's been an internal roller coaster ride ever since.

 

I had just dropped out of high school and I started going to this kirtan everyday. Some weeks later I found the temple and added the Sunday feast. I really couldn't follow the philosophy very well. More of a childlike attraction.

 

Thank you Krsnavilasini. Please accept my obeisances.

[Beggar]

I was visiting the S.F. Bay Area from Florida with some of my college friends. A few days earlier on Sunset Blvd in L.A. we saw the devotees chanting but at a distance, so it didn't quite register. The day that we got to S.F. we took a day trip to Berkeley an to our surprise in was Peoples Park II, July 1969. There were thousands of people milling around and we wandered into Sproul Plaza where we ran into the Sankirtan party of 50 devotees led by Brahmananda chanting with caratals and drums. I thought that this was the most weird thing that I had ever seen and I was a very wild and crazy hippie. I thought, "Now I've seen everything, take me Lord!" Of course I didn't really believe in God, at least consciously, so you better be careful what you say. The devotees were literally dressed in bed sheets and many has mismatched socks. Before we could really get into anything the Police attacked the crowd from all sides and tear gas grenades began to fly.

A few weeks later we were in Golden Gate Park tripping on Acid over by the polo field and the bison area. In those days we had real LSD-25 so we were really tripping. Very late in the afternoon we wandered down to the beach by the park and ran into some Hare Krsna devotees with the Ratha Carts. I learned later that they had brought the Jagannatha dieties down to the shore and "mentally" bathed them in the ocean. Suddenly a devotee said, "hey are you guys hungry or thirsty" and we really were so we got to take left over, Gauranga potatoes, halvah, papadams and lemonade. It took me years to figure out that Srila Prabhupada was in the park that Rathayatra day. I guess that we didn't have the sukriti to get his direct association on that day but we had the sukriti to take the prasadam from the festival.

Several months later some of us drove up from North Central Florida for "The March on Washington". After the main demonstration on that very cold and windy day we heard that there was a large demonstration forming in from of the South Vietnamese Embassy on Q Street, so we went down there. Immediately the Police began tear gassing the crowd so we ran down Q Street choking, covering our faces with moistened rags. Suddenly this huge figure (again Brahmananda) stepped out onto the sidewalk and practically corralled us, and said, "come with me". We went up a flight of stairs,took off our shoes, and suddenly we were in an incense filled room and shaved headed, bed sheeted devotees with clay on their heads were eating very colorful and almost liquid vegetarian food on wax papers directly on the floor. They were eating with there hands and all had a very stony blissful look on their faces. Being extremely impious at the time it really freaked us out and after taking about half of the prasadam on our wax paper, we got up put on shoes and ran into the acrid and cold night air.

[krishnadasa]

Quite natural, in my house my anscestors have been worshipping saligrama shila of Gopala

[Beggar]

 

Quite natural, in my house my anscestors have been worshipping saligrama shila of Gopala

How did you "discover" Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu?

[sopatel]

In my home my grandfather always told us bedtime and naptime stories of Krishna leela. He would tell us a story and then answer our very naive questions. All I remember, "Lord is the Lord, there is no reason or explanation why he does things, he is great and he is with us. He is listening to our story right now!" My cousin and I were only three or four so we believed him and said goodnight to Krishna (a really small murti in our room) and fell a sleep. Then over time we played with the murti by putting him on a seat and recreating the storied our grandfather told us of bal Krishna. I guess that feelign of him being there with us never left.

As I grew up, I know I lost the innocence and true love because of all the opinions and such I keep on hearing from others but I still love Krishna and will continue to.

 

I don't have a guru nor did a satsang increase my experiences, so as many others I am waiting for the Lord to command me to do his will.

 

Jai Shri Krishna

[Beggar]

namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-saktis

tatrarpita niyamitah smarane na kalah

etadrsi tava krpa bhagavan mamapi

durdaivam idrsam ihajani nanuraga

 

O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names, like Krishna and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O my Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach You by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for them.[sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu]

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 2.45

 

na prema-gandho 'sti darāpi me harau

krandāmi saubhāgya-bharaḿ prakāśitum

vaḿśī-vilāsy-ānana-lokanaḿ vinā

bibharmi yat prāṇa-patańgakān vṛthā

 

TRANSLATION

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, "'My dear friends, I have not the slightest tinge of love of Godhead within My heart. When you see Me crying in separation, I am just falsely exhibiting a demonstration of My great fortune. Indeed, not seeing the beautiful face of Kṛṣṇa playing His flute, I continue to live My life like an insect, without purpose.'

 

 

Kabe Habe Bolo

(When, O When, Will That Day Be Mine?)

by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura

(1)

kabe ha'be bolo se-dina amar

(amar) aparadha ghuci, suddha name ruci,

krpa-bale habe hrdoye sañcar

 

When, O when, will that day be mine? When will you give me your blessings, erase all my offences and give my heart a taste [ruci] for chanting the Holy Name in purity?

 

 

(2)

trnadhika hina, kabe nije mani',

sahisnuta-guna hrodyete ani'

sakale manada, apani amani,

hoye aswadibo nama-rasa-sar

 

 

When will I taste the essence of the Holy Name, feeling myself to be lower than the grass, my heart filled with tolerance? When will I give respect to all others and be free from desire for respect from them?

 

 

(3)

dhana jana ara, kobita-sundari,

bolibo na-cahi deha-sukha-kari

janme-janme dao, ohe gaurahari!

ahaituki bhakti carane tomar

 

 

When will I cry out that I have no longer any desire for wealth andfollowers, poetry and beautiful women, all of which are meant just for bodily pleasure? O Gaura Hari! Give me causeless devotional service [bhakti] to your lotus feet, birth after birth.

 

 

(4)

(kobe) korite sri-krsna-name uccarana

pulakita deho gadgada bacana

baibarnya-bepathu ha'be sanghatana,

nirantara netre ba'be asru-dhar

 

 

When will my body be covered with goose bumps and my voice broken with emotion as I pronounce Krishna's name? When will my body change colour and my eyes flow with endless tears as I chant?

 

 

(5)

kobe nabadwipe, suradhuni-tate

gaura-nityananda boli' niskapate

naciya gaiya, beraibo chute

batulera praya chariya bicar

 

 

When will I give up all thought of the world and society to run like a madman along the banks of the Ganges in Navadvipa, singing and danvcing and sincerely calling out the names of Gaura and Nityananda?

 

 

(6)

kobe nityananda, more kori' doya,

charaibe mora visayera maya

diya more nija-caranera chaya,

namera hatete dibe adhikar

 

 

When will Nityananda Prabhu be merciful to me and deliver me from the enchantment [maya] of the sense objects? When will he give me the shade of his lotus feet and the right to enter the market place [hama-hatta] of the Holy Name?

 

 

(7)

kinibo, lutibo, hari-nama-rasa,

nama-rase mati' hoibo vivasa

rasera rasika-carana parasa

koriya mojibo rase anibar

 

 

When will I buy, borrow or steal the ecstasies of the Holy Name? When will I lose myself in the intoxication of the Holy Name? When will I immerse myself in the nectar of the Holy Name after grasping the feet of a saint who constantly relishes the flavours [rasa] of devotion?

 

 

(8)

kabe jibe doya, hoibe udoya,

nija-sukha bhuli' sudina-hrdoya

bhaktivinoda, koriya binoya,

sri-ajña-tahala koribe pracar

 

 

<big>When will I feel compassion for all living beings [jivas]? When will I forget my own pleasure in genuine humility? And when will I, Bhaktivinode, meekly go from door to door, preaching your message of love? </big>

 

[krishnadasa]

 

How did you "discover" Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu?

 

I used to teach in an Institute and a devotee used to give lectures on Shrimad Bhagavadgita,, though it was little different than what I used to, like Dwaita, but still made lot of sence and fortunately, by the grace of Guru, I can very easily make a connections between dwaita and Achintya Bhedabheda..

 

Hari bol

[gHari]

Aboard the Santa Maria with the Nina and Pinta in tow we were set upon by pirates rounding the Cape of Good Hope. They looted us and burned our sails leaving us adrift in the middle of nowhere. Somehow I learned to sail by programming the ship's windows to catch the breezes. But eventually, still in the middle of nowhere, I gave up. It was hopeless.

 

Then suddenly, when I least expected it, my destination appeared as we washed onto the shores of Vrindavana.

[mahak]

I sat back with a hash oil soaked joint and powered away relentlessly. I defended and befriended devotees to that point, even went to a few feasts, but on this load, I was caught. I picked up a small booklet titled "answers by citing the Lords version" Which later became a chapter of second canto of Srimad Bhagavatam. In my ganja stupor, I stared at Lord Varaha, lifting the planet from the mire of the causal ocean while battling the evil hiranyaksa.

 

I said to myself, "This is God". No chuirch or churchy people, no meher baba and coffee table mysticism, no word play from leary's boys. That week was a good week. My mind has been captured ever since, and even though I have tried greatly to forget Him, he doesnt forget how he captured me.

 

haribol, ys, mahaksadasa