To serve or to be served?

Another wonderful day in the service of Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krsna.

Attending mangal arti and getting your rounds done before 7am is really the boost you need to get you going for the day. Mixed with conscious enthusiasm to serve the Lord, His pure devotee and other living entities makes for one AWESOME day!

 After a day of service and work, while putting the Lord to rest, I was wondering about the concept of being a servant. We are always servants. There is never a time when we are not a servant to some one or something. Srila Prabhupada says that either you serve God or you serve dog, but you must serve. It's a difficult concept for some to swallow...I mean, SERVANT? Menial SERVANT? Can this be right? Is this all I am? Is this all I amount to? A SERVANT?

Some may feel it's so degrading, so low. After all, WE want to be the masters and controllers. And even although a woman or man may find great joy in serving their dog, we still don't like to admit that we are mere servants. But what is the feeling behind service? Why does it make us feel so good? And here I'm not referring to being a servant to an abusive boss or so called guru or family member (although in a twisted reality this may feel good to the one being abused due to low self esteem). I mean the good relationships, but more specifically our relationship with Lord Krsna and His pure devotees. What makes us tick? What makes us go on and on and on without stopping despite trials and tribulations?

 Well I found out tonight that it boils down to loving exchange. The loving exchange between the Lord, the Spiritual Master and the devotee. Just see the loving exchanges between Arjuna and Lord Krsna. Sudhama Brahmana and Lord Krsna. So many examples are there. The Srimad Bhagavatam are full to the brim of examples of the loving exchanges between the Supreme Master and His eternal parts and parcels. Examples of how the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself serves the devotee. It's incredible. Not that we should aspire and desire to be served by Lord Krnsa! But we can appreciate the Lords loving spirit and mood. And although I am young in my devotional life and bound up by the modes of material nature, still in this conditioned state I can practically see and experience the reciprocation from Lord Krsna and Srila Prabhupada. There are countless examples of the loving exchanges between Srila Prabhupada and His early disciples that we can also hear and relish. So next time if we feel like what's the point in serving serving serving all day long, we can try to remember those loving exchanges that we experience everyday. :)

Anything but surrender!

Even although I practise Krsna Consciousness, many times in a day I will do anything else but serve Lord Krsna! How shocking to realize this...yet again. Sometimes I think it's just because I'm tired, or mentally disturbed or this or that, but it all boils down to envy of Lord Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sure, sometimes I'm ill, physically or mentally, but these illnesses must come from past karma right? And why do I have karma? Why am I in this material world? ENVY of Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I wish I was not envious of the Supreme Lord, but the truth of the matter is...I am. And the only way to end this envy is to surrender unto the Lords Pure Devotee and serve Him with all my heart and soul and pray for deliverance of this demoniac mentality. Should I beat myself up about this? Perhaps to a certain degree. But realistically, I've been in this material world for what seems like an eternity, so to beat myself up because in 10 years I have not become free of envy towards the Supreme Lord, considering years and lifetimes of material conditioning, I'm doing ok, by the mercy of my Spiritual Master Srila A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. But at the same time, I should still feel ashamed at my pitiful condition. It is shameful to be envious of any living entity and even more so to be envious of the Supreme Lord, our creator, our Father and our dear most friend and ever well wisher. The amazing thing about it all, is that the Supreme Personality of Godhead loves us so much and wants us to end the suffering that we are undergoing here in this temporary world, more than we want to end it. And the Lord time and time again sends His representatives and even personally comes to deliver us. We are so fortunate and so loved. Let us all take full advantage of Lord Krsnas pure devotee Srila Prabhupadas instructions and end this life of suffering and return back home, back to Godhead. In a world full of divine love, free from the trappings of this material realm. All glories to our beloved Lord Sri Krsna! All glories to His Divine Grace Srila A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada!

Marilyn still remembers...

Last week after Food For Life I was sweeping up after the lunch time serve out, when a woman came for lunch. Unfortunately we had distributed all the prasadam for that day and was dissapointed that there was none left, as this was her 3rd time she had tried to come. I said I was sorry and told her our opening times. She left and then came back. "You're back!" I exclaimed. And then she said "I joined the Hare Krsnas in Toronto many years ago and lived in temples around the world. While I was driving here, I was remembering the Tulasi Prayers and Idam purnam....you know, you never forget these songs...it's really amazing." At this point my jaw had dropped to the floor and I asked her if she had personally met or seen Srila Prabhupada and she said that she did see Him in Toronto. I was jumping up and down and completely amazed! Here in Whangarei, a small town in Nz I get to meet this woman who personally saw Srila Prabhupada and who still can sing Tulasi Prayers! Thank you Srila Prabhupada, for blessing us all with Your Transcendental darshan!

Back to Godhead indeed!

Our guests at the Hare Krishna Food for Life are absorbed in reading the transcendental Back to Godhead Magazines and On Chanting Hare Krsna pamphlets!

People are hungry for this knowledge and the more we make it available for people to read, the more we will alleviate the suffering of mankind, our own twisted souls and please our Spiritual Master Srila Prabhupada and all the previous Acharyas!

Back to Godhead indeed my dear friends!

Prasadam, Holy name and smiling faces!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!  Please accept my respects!

The summer is heating up here in Whangarei, and so is the Hare Krishna Food For Life Community Cafe kitchen!
Buddhi and I are blessed to be serving Srila Prabhupada in this way.
The community is still supplying us with the most beautiful organic vegetables and our guests are still coming for delicious Prasadam! And INCREASING!!
With the Holy names playing, incense burning we stood by today and watched all sorts of people honor prasadam while reading old BTGs and Chanting Hare Krishna pamphlets.
Today a lady spontaneously asked us if she would like her to distribute flyers for free, as she does a paper run to 1000 homes!  Then she asked if she could sweep out the cafe.
I was humbled that someone would do such a menial chore as to sweep up, but gave her the broom, because I know that she is doing devotional service.  She  would please Srila Prabhupada and Krsna and come closer to Their Lotus Feet, even if unknowingly.
It was a good day today, we had no prasadam left by the end of the day.
My realization, is that we all have the full blessings of Srila Prabhupada to give the mercy to others.  We have SO MUCH MERCY!
We actually have all facility.  We can do it by Srila Prabhupadas mercy and some endevour on our part.
Praying that more and more devotees take up this mission of Srila Prabhupada, to whatever degree.  It's so simple and so sublime.  Giving this gift to others, there is nothing better in this world.
Even if the "institution" is in a mess, that does'nt matter!  The whole world is a mess! :)  Devotees all over the world should try to do what they can to give prasadam, Srila Prabhupadas books and the Holy Name out to others.  We don't have to rely on the institution to do this.  Independantly thoughtful.  As the ad goes..."JUST DO IT!"...of course, the right time will happen for everyone, a year ago my husband and I did'nt know what we were going to do, but somehow or other we are really getting into the NECTAR...as they say and are feeling so very happy in devotional service.
I pray that devotees once again become happy in their devotion service.  So much suffering has happened within our society, but if we can find the happiness again in the Pure teachings of our Divine Spiritual Master Srila Prabhupada and serve Him as He has shown us, then our lives will become blissful and full of purpose and real happiness.
Prasadam, Holy name, pure teachings and happy smiling faces all around.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!!!

New Year, old body, old anarthas.

The new year has begun, the body gets older and the anarthas may be older than we care to admit.
For the conditioned soul, being envious of Krsna and His pure eternal associates is an anartha so deep rooted, that we sometimes can't even see it.  I saw it today...it reared it's ugly head and the shame it brought with it made me want to break free from this demoniac nature.

In Kali Yuga, the demon and devotee lives within the SAME body...I shudder to think of it.

Living in this material world, a place that's full of suffering.  Srila Prabhupada says that EVERYONE is suffering, from the Demigods right down to the insignificant ant...SUFFERING. 
We feel the pains of our bodies, minds, other living entities, the demigods and to top it off, we are envious of God...what is our hope?  Is there a saving grace?  His Divine Grace, Srila A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

We may even  be envious of the pure devotee, but if we continue to sincerely try to serve Him, we will become purified.  I heard a pastime that a devotee was shaving Srila Prabhupadas face and the devotee said "Srila Prabhupada, I want to cut your throat."  and Srila Prabhupada said "Just keep on shaving."

So in this new year, in our aging bodies with our deep rooted anarthas (unwanted qualities of the heart), just keep on chanting, keep on reading, keep on serving, keep on dancing, keep on preaching under the direction of His Divine Grace Srila A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and one day, by His mercy we will have a new year everyday, with eternal bodies and pure qualities. 

How long will it take?  We do not know, but we must keep pushing on forward, because it's a war against so many obstacles.  Keeping our eye on the General, Srila Prabhupada always and forever.  There is no alternative.

Krsna forgives a sincere devotee.

After reading the pastime of Govardhana Hill in Krsna book, I was amazed at how consumed Lord Indra was with power.  He became so upset that he was not being worshipped, that he tried to kill Krsna and all the residence of Vrndavan!  Powerful! Shocking!

  Ultimately Krsna can never be defeated.  Indra eventually came to his senses and offered Prayers to Lord Krsna and asked for forgiveness.

I was deeply moved by Krsnas forgiving mood.  Even although Indra tried to kill Krsna and everyone in Vrndavan, Krsna still forgave Indra when he sincerely repented.  There is a lot of hope within this pastime.  Hope for us all as apiring devotees of Krsna/God.

We may make mistakes and become bewildered and even fight with Krsna, but if we come to our senses (by the mercy of the Lord and His Pure devotee)  We can again be situated properly in devotional service.