Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Mathajis,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

Recently HG Vaijayanthi mala Mathaji had shared with us very powerful mails on Gurudev's class on "Fiery devotional service." Our heartfelt thanks to mathaji for sharing the nectar.

There were few punching statements which Maharaj had insisted in that class  which we need to practice meticulously.

 As Gurudev has insisted in that class

a) To remove the seed of sin from our hearts - we need to tightly hold on to Srimad Bhagavatam and
b) The most important qualification for that is to give up the two "C's" - Criticism and Cheating.

The taste for Bhagavatam will not come unless we give up the habit of criticising others.  Gurudev has told us that in order to increase the fire of devotional service - we need to be in contact with Srila Prabhupada. Do not open your mouth until and unless you have nice fire (of bhakti) in your existence. Maharaj is also telling us that not only should we avoid using tongues for criticising - but should start using it nicely for preaching Krishna's names and glories. Being close to Krishna, Gurudev is omniscient and know that in the name of being guilty for our sins, we might become depressed and so he has also mentioned - "Before we try to purify others, it goes without saying the necessity of our own purification. Apani acari prabhu jivera shikaaya. If you preach you will slowly improve. In the beginning you are not pure. But because we are telling others, we also start practicing. So please preach."

So preaching is primarily for purification of our own selves. Recently when we met Gurudev in Mumbai, he was appreciating the devotees from Chennai for the wonderful Harinam service they were doing weekly and said - "Harinam and preaching are the outward manifestation of internal devotional service we do for the Lord." - Even after hearing how much Gurudev is pleased by this, we did not have full faith in the power of the holy name and devotional service. But still we were doubtful that how is it possible to do Harinam in cities like Bangalore as people are very posh, sophisticated etc. Our godsister HG Sharada mathaji called us last week and said that since it was maargashirsha month - a month very dear to Lord Krishna, we should start doing Harinam. It was as if she was repeating the instruction of our Guru Maharaj to do harinam. Eventhough we were neglecting this instruction Krishna has been mercifully reminding us again through so many ways. Both HG Sharada mathaji and HG Sree Purushottam Prabhuji very enthusiastically organised and invited all the devotees for Harinam program on Jan 7th.

When we started the kirtan and distribution of prasadam on the way, we realised how much pious and devoted are the people around. Those great souls whom we met on the way - received the prasad with so much respect - Some people travelling by car or bike - stopped by, got down and removed their footwear, bowed their heads to the prasadam and then honoured it. In that process they were creating traffic jam but they didn't care about it. As it is in India people do not have any traffic sense and are careless about driving, but in this case it was their genuine respect for prasadam that made them become oblivious to the surroundings. At that moment we realised that simply wearing Vaishnava dress, tilak and honouring prasadam daily - in a mechanical manner is not enough. Unless the internal devotional service is not pure and unless we give up critical attitude towards others - there is no way we can approach or please Guru and Krishna.

We then went to a big mall in Bangalore, we just thought why not give it a try to go inside and continue with our harinam until they ask us to leave. As we went in unexpected, the huge Saturday evening crowd was first perplexed, then shocked, then watched us with amusement. Then automatically some of them started clapping their hands to the tune of the Harinam. After about 10 mins of kirtan, the security guard came over to one of the devotees and said something. We thought he was asking us to leave the place and started moving. Later when I checked with the devotee about what the security guard spoke to him, he said that the security guard told him, "I am also a Hanuman bhakta". So prabhuji encouraged him to chant the mahamantra since it actually contains the name of the Lord of Hanuman. Finally we completed about 3 kms of nagar sankirtan and returned back to the Balaji temple where we began, and then completed the Harinam. All the devotees and people in the mall were very happy to hear the kirtan and watch the dancing of our devotees.

One of the important things we should realize from Srila Prabhupada's mission is that he did all that was supposed to be part of our culture but had vanished over time as people started to adopt western culture. In all the temples, along with the worship of the deities, Bhagavat-gita and Bhagavatam study/class must be going on. Practically this principle is absent in all the temples. And Srila Prabhupada introduced this process very strictly in all the ISKCON temples. Similarly, Harinam and nagar sankirtan has always been part and parcel of the Vedic culture. In due course of time, with the introduction of western culture, people started shying away from chanting in the streets and public, thinking they will be made fun of. But Srila Prabhupada, began this movement practically with Harinam in Tompkins Square Park. Harinam is pleasing to everyone, it not only destroys the greatest of sins (amhasaam mahataam api) of the entire universe but also brings auspiciousness all around (jagan mangalam).

While explaining the glories of sankirtan to Parikshit Maharaj, Sukadev Goswami says in Srimad Bhagavatam verse 6.3.31

tasmaad sankirtanam vishnor / jagan mangalam amhasaam
mahataam api kauravya / vidy aikaantikam nishkrtam

Sukadeva Gosvami continued: My dear King, the chanting of the holy name of the Lord is able to uproot even the reactions of the greatest sins. Therefore the chanting of the sankirtana movement is the most auspicious activity in the entire universe. Please try to understand this so that others will take it seriously.

We do not need to be scholars, thinkers, intelligent etc to perform this Harinam service. This is the simplest form of purification of the self as well as the whole world. Let us follow this simple process of purification to the best of our ability and inch closer towards Krishna and Gurudev.

Thank you very much,
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva,
Kalacakra Krsna das and Sudarshana devi dasi.