An interesting ISKCON pastime

[realist]

 

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The backgound on where the 'origin of the jiva' debate began in Australia -

 

 

Srila Prabhupada -"You are already in the spiritual sky, but you are simply covered. Just like the sun is already there. You are also already there…So actually we are always in the spiritual world. But when you forget Krishna by the cloud of illusion that is material. Try to understand”. In a Srimad-Bhagavatam lecture given in London, on July 30, 1971.

 

The above is the correct understanding of how we all came to the material world, this I have understood since 1972 when we travelled around Australia in a double decker bus with Mudhuvisa (then) Swami, Caru prabhu and many other devotee's.

 

 

Caru was with us only for part of the preaching mission to Towns and Villages around Australia however was there when the ‘origin of the jiva’ discussions began. Others on this first travelling preaching mission from Sydney to Cairns were

Balarama,

Chittahari,

Yasamatinandana,

Dvaipayana,

Ted Spencer (who the previous year was the world champion for surf board ridding),

Kuntiboja,

Srngi (now Muralidhar_das)

Krishna Prema

And my self and one or two I cannot remember, lived in the Brahmacari quarters which was the bottom deck of the bus (except for the bus drivers who had a private space upstairs), while the second deck (upstairs) was the Brahmatarini quarters were

Ambika,

Arti,

Kamarupa and

Sukla devi-dasi’s resided.

 

It was at 83 Hereford street Gleb Temple near the Sydney Uni in April 1972 we began our preaching mission up North. There were 14 of us on the double Decker Bus spreading the mission of Lord Caitanya for the first time on Australian soil. On the way we chanted on the streets of Newcastle and all Towns inbetwen there and Brisbane, such as Kemsey, Coffs Habour, Graften, Ballina, Lismore, Nimbin, Murwillumbaha where one day soon we would establish the farm New Goverdhana, the Gold Coast made up of Coolangattah, Burleigh heads, Surfers Paradise, Beenleigh then Brisbane. We chanted on the city streets of Brisbane and was on page two of the Couramail the next day. The head line was ' The Hare Krishna's have arrived with the chant of peace" Brisbane was also having their annual 'festive show' and we chanted at the front gates where tens of thousands of people watched us chanting and some recieving BTG.

 

It was on this bus trip a devotee suggested we came from the Brahmajyoti and started the ‘origin of the jiva’ controversy. That idea was quickly rejected in a letter from Prabhupada that was sent to all Temple Presidents in Australia. It was a hot topic back then in 1972 as well but Prabhupada was personally present to guide us

 

The Srimad Bhagavatam classes therefore delved deeply into the souls origin for months as we travelled around Australian. We new this was a very auspecious time and that the teachings of Srila Prabhupada we were hearing, is the revelation of long kept secrets and explanations that told us about the universe and it's creator Lord Krishna.

 

We just new we were very fortunate to be there hearing such wonders of creation. Some of us asked 'what did we deserve to hear the Srimad Bhagavatam, that Madhuvisa read from one of Prabhupadas original volumes he brought with him in 1965 to America'. Some speculated we were yogis, mystic's, devotee's and even demons from the Satya-yuga. Madhuvisa laughed and simply said 'It is by the causless mercy of Lord Caitanya and Srila Prabhupada that the seeds of Bhakti are sowed in your hearts.

 

In those days we would chant on the streets for 8 to 10 hours a day. One night at the show grounds we chanted to 10pm because there where so many people. We did this through all the Towns ond cities as we proceeded up north to Cairns. We went through all the Towns like Bunderburg, Mackay, Harvey Bay where we had big feast with hundreds of curious locals attented, (the Americans call them rednecks, we call them yobbo's). Gladstone, Rockhamptom, Airles beach, Townsville, where we where on the front page of the main paper, actually all papers in all Towns were doing articles on us that kept Chittahari prabhu very busy doing interviews and arranging interviews with Mudhavisa

 

At Karanda, just ouside of Cains, Madhuvisa lead a blissful kirtan through the hippie community and hundreds of them, most naked, joined in chanting Hare Krishna and dancing.

 

Devotees before this had never visited anywhere outside of Sydney or Melbourne. We were the pioneers at the very beginning of Lord Caitanya's very rare Goldern Age in Kali-yuga.

 

We celebrated Janmastam at a Buddhist colony not far from Karranda; we loaded as many hippies as we could in the double decker Hare Krishna bus, all chanting Hare Krishna and dancing 'on the bus' to the excellent blissful kirtans with Mudhuvisa leading. IT WAS VERY SPECIAL

 

The following day was Vysa-puj and Madhuvisa had lit a candle under Srila Prabhupada’s photo, the aura, bliss, love and security from that photo permeated the entire bus with an amazing mood of reverence and Krishna Consciousness. They were amazing days and there was a childish innocence about those days, In fact we thought Mudhuvisa was old (he was 24 and Balarama was 29). The rest of us where still teenagers. The present generation I don't think realize how young we were in those beginning years of ISKCON. There was also no hanky panky going on, everyone was very sincere, very dedicated and very attached to Prabhupada, I know I was.

 

In those early years we only ate offerings to the Dieties and absolutely nothing else (We had a beautiful photo of the Panca-tattva with a wonderful Photo of Prabhupada at their feet), no-one even dreamed of eating anything unprepared by devotees or even drink soft drinks in those blissful days.

 

Those years were extraordinary. Dwaip cooked up beautiful offerings to Srila Prabhupada and Lord Caitanya and Nityananda while Citta, Balarama and myself were the Bus Drivers. Yaso and Kuntiboja were the inquisitive philosopher, well, actually we all were. Many times we discussed the origins of the jiva that lead to the famous “Crow-and-Tal-Fruit Logic” letter Srila Prabupada sent to his inquisitive Australian devotees.

 

You will find many devotee's in ISKCON will not discuss this subject because of that letter however, that was then. nearly 40 years ago. I am convience Srila Prabhupada never meant that we never discuss this subject. In fact he has said in other letters we should undertand this subject and that we were previously actively engaged in Krishna Lila in our original constitional position.

 

As far as I am concerned, we are all therefore still in Vaikuntha but are 'consciously' caught up within the past, present and future of the material creation that has covered the 'eternal present' of Vaikuntha and Goloka like a cloud covers the Sun. Many devotee's in ISKCON will not discuss this subject because of that letter however, that was then, nearly 40 years ago. I am convienced Srila Prabhupada never meant we never discuss this subject, in fact he has said in other letters and lectures we should undertand this subject and that we were previously actively engaged in Krishna Lila before coming to this material world.

 

"Actually we ALL still in Vaikuntha but are 'consciously' caught up within the past, present and future of the material creation that has covered the 'eternal present' of Vaikuntha and Goloka like a cloud covers the Sun"

[Sarva gattah]

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We just new we were very fortunate to be there hearing such wonders of creation. Some of us asked 'what did we deserve to hear the Srimad Bhagavatam, that Madhuvisa read from one of Prabhupada's original volumes he brought with him in 1965 to America'. Some speculated we were yogis, mystic's, devotee's and even demons from the Satya-yuga. Madhuvisa laughed and simply said 'It is by the causless mercy of Lord Caitanya and Srila Prabhupada that the seeds of Bhakti are sowed in your hearts.

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