1 Free Write Journal #79 Free Writes Valentine’s Day Today, February 14th by the calendar, is Valentine’s Day. Our Godbrother Muktavandya has been going outside on this day for 30 years, selling flowers and collecting donations for the temple. On Valentine’s Day, his line of customers will go halfway around the block. (Muktavandya has recently contracted glaucoma, and when they put the needle into his eye, a side-effect of cataracts arose, and he can only see out of one eye. This condition will prevail for four weeks and then both eyes will be restored in sight.) The winter weather presents another austerity; it is not predicted to go above 20°F (-7° C). Mukta wears a pacemaker from his two previous heart attacks, so he is happily going out risking his life along with the other devotees in order to collect funds for the ISKCON temples in Boston and Gita Nagari. In the spiritual world, Krsna and the devotees do not exchange “lover’s day” gifts only once a year. Every day is Valentine’s Day, as Radha and Krsna exchange artistic homemade cards, love messages, and plans for secret trysts and rendezvous. They exchange transcendental prasadam with unprecedented tastes, and They engage in amorous pastimes. There is no impediment to expressions of undying eternal love for each other. 2 What’s missing in the world of material lover and beloved is that their love is never permanent or increasing. Even if a couple stays together it becomes dry, most often their “undying passion” wears out, and a celebrated lover becomes tired of his or her partner and seeks a new one. The onlookers of these material love affairs grow tired and disgusted with following the exploits of their heroes and heroines. But Krsna and His paramour never disappoint. When, forced by Providence, They are temporarily drawn apart, this brings about love in separation (vipralambha), which is a higher emotion even than sambhoga-lila, or the ecstasy of being together with one’s beloved. Reading Report We did a lot of out-loud reading from Caitanya-bhagavata while I was ill. Visvambhara makes His decision to take sannyasa. He was loudly chanting the name “Gopi! Gopi!” and some arrogant students criticized Him and told Him to chant the name “Krsna.” The students didn’t know that Visvambhara is half Krsna in separation from Radharani and half Radharani in separation from Krsna. Visvambhara felt very sorry that the students didn’t respect Him. He thought that if He took sannyasa they would be obliged to respect Him and thus accept Krsna consciousness. But when Visvambhara’s associates heard the news of His accepting sannyasa, they became most unhappy—this meant that He would travel away from them, and that He would cut off His beautiful long hair. 3 Visvambhara accepted Kesava Bharati as His sannyasa guru. He previously accepted Isvara Puri as His initiating spiritual master. A brahmana came to Advaita Acarya’s house and asked, “What is the relationship between Isvara Puri and Visvambhara”? Advaita replied, “Isvara Puri is the spiritual master of Visvambhara.” At this moment, Acyutananda (Advaita Acarya’s five-year-old son) runs into the room naked and covered with dust from play. He looks as beautiful as Kartikeya. Acyutananda speaks up to his father: “What did You say! Visvambhara is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and You say that He is Isvara Puri’s disciple? This is absurd.” When He hears the words from His five-year-old son, Advaita Acarya becomes greatly happy, picks up Acyutananda in His arms, and they dance together ecstatically for a long time. These are some of the many pastimes we’ve been fortunate to hear as Lord Caitanya reveals Himself and then disguises Himself in the company of His devotees. On Morning Rising The alarm clock goes off at 2:00 A.M. Baladeva sets up my back supports so I can sit up in bed. I take up my bead bag and began japa. The spotlights are turned on brightly upon Radha-Kalachandji. We play “Olympics,” tossing the washcloths against the metal rail on the door. Then I take medicine. I enter pristine time with the japa, while taking darsana of the Deities. I look first at Radharani’s palm of benediction, then focus myself at Kalachandji’s solid feet adorned with sandalwood paste. I finish four rounds and go on to the second set (rounds 5-8). By this time I 4 allow myself to look at Radharani’s charming face, and I also look upon Kalachandji’s upper portion—His arms, chest, graceful hands holding the flute, and His face (mild smile and lotus eyes, known as the “smiling face of the Tenth Canto.”) I don’t spend so much time on the upper portion but return to my humble position at the lotus feet. Baladeva just finishes massaging my feet when I complete my sixteen rounds. I then go into the other room and behold the thrill of the removal of Prabhupada’s nighttime chadar. I then look upon my ishta-devas, Radha-Govinda, in Their newly changed red-and-orange dress. Next I turn to writing my free writes in the Journal. Health Report Just after Baladeva took off his face mask after a weeklong cold, I developed a bad sore throat. I took Vitamin C and Echinacea, gargled with Listerine and chewed ginger patties. After two or three days, the symptoms of sore throat went away but were immediately replaced with a bad, sharp, crackling chest cough. For this I took cough syrup, antibiotics and Prednisone. We had a five day dosage of these medicines. As side-effects I had diarrhea and mental disorientation. I was not able to do my crucial service of dictating the Free Write Journal. By the end of the week my symptoms had diminished, and I cut down on my intake of medicines. I rested extra during this time and listened to Srila Prabhupada’s lectures in recordings. My medical doctor diagnosed me as having a viral cold. It was disturbing not to be able to perform my regular devotional service. But 5 then I thought of devotees and people all over the world who are suffering worse illnesses and have to deal with being sidelined every day. We have to develop tolerance in such situations. In Bhagavad-gita Krsna says we should accept such climactic changes of winter and summer and learn to tolerate them without being disturbed. I had to tolerate chronic migraine headaches for twenty years, so this weeklong bout was a “piece of cake.” My Personal Reading Program On my Kindle device I have finished the First Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. It is filled with the narratives of different persons, their activities, prayers, talks, etc. This is my favorite kind of reading. Maharaja Pariksit threatened to kill Kali when he saw him beating the legs of a bull (the representative of religion) and a cow (the earth personified). Kali surrendered and Pariksit spared his life, but he was told he had to leave the kingdom. Kali pleaded that there was nowhere in the world where he could carry out his nefarious activities. The king then allowed Kali to reside where gold was kept because there all the other sins are present—illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. Kali felt he was cheated because his activities would be so restricted while Maharaja Pariksit ruled the kingdom. That was five thousand years ago, and now Kali’s influence is so rampant that the pious, sane section of society are harassed and unprotected. The leaders of the citizens are themselves Kali’s agents, and they 6 heavily tax the people and don’t prohibit sinful activities. Yet five hundred years ago, Lord Caitanya descended with a revolutionary panacea to the effects of Kali-yuga. He introduced the sankirtana movement, which is predicted in the scriptures to be the only religious sacrifice possible in the age of Kali. Sankirtana means the congregational chanting of the holy names of Krsna. It purifies the heart and brings transcendental bliss. Sankirtana is popular now, and thousands and millions of people are chanting. If the souls suffering from Kali’s iron grip were to take to sankirtana en masse, it would change the world from chaotic disruption to peace and prosperity. Such is the power of God’s holy name. Now I am beginning the Second Canto. It begins with the invocation om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. In the first verse, Sukadeva Gosvami says to Maharaja Pariksit, “Your question is glorious.” (Pariksit’s question was, “What is the duty of one who is about to die?”) Sukadeva says, “The answer to this question is the prime subject matter for hearing . .” Sukadeva Gosvami then speaks of the grhamedis who have many subject matters for hearing. They do not inquire into the problems of life. They are attached to the “fallible soldiers” (like the body, children and wife), although they are sufficiently experienced that the soldiers cannot save them from inevitable death. Sukadeva says one who is desirous to be free of all miseries must talk about, glorify and also remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In answer to the King’s inquiry, Sukadeva says, “The highest perfection of human life is to remember the Personality of Godhead at the end of life.” Thus again we have a 7 dialogue between two topmost transcendentalists about the ultimate subject of life. Newsmagazines Lord Caitanya taught Raghunatha dasa Goswami not to hear gramya-katha (worldly village news) and not to repeat it to others.