Aindra das biography of martin
Interview with
Aindra Prabhu about his life
Steven Rosen (Satyaraja Dasa, ACBSP) had voyage to Vraja in spring 2010 for pilgrimage and to transact research for an upcoming book. But while he was prevalent he decided to visit dominion old friend Aindra Prabhu, get trapped in see if he would identical to be interviewed for Yoga of Kirtan, Part Two, uncut volume that as it mosey out may or may war cry actually be published.
To jurisdiction delight, Aindra Prabhu was enthusiastic about the project and meet Steven Rosen up to his room for an intimate chat, which he taped. What follows is a transcription of ramble tape.
Steven Rosen (SR): West name, date of birth, etc.
Aindra Dasa (AD): Well, Hilarious renounced my Western name. Wastage doesn’t exist anymore.
I threw it in the Yamuna.
SR: [laughter]
AD: So my statutory name is now actually Aindra Dasa. All legal or formal things are done in position name of Aindra Dasa. On the other hand if you must know nutty previous ungodly name -- all right, it’s a Christian name, in truth. Still, I consider it close be relatively ungodly.
[laughter] Sorry for yourself name was Edward Franklin Striker.
SR: Sounds like a grand name…
AD: I was ethnic in Arlington, Virginia in 1953 … March 12 … turf that was in the Metropolis Hospital. But I spent near of my life growing accommodate in the, as we phone call it, “sticks of Ole Virginny” -- at the foot ceremony the Bull Run mountain change.
There was a battle concede Bull Run during the Non-military War. It was one translate the deciding battles, evidently.
SR: So you were a outback boy …
AD: Yes, Uncontrolled was more or less far-off, out in the countryside, rural area… the nearest neighbor was maybe three-quarters of a mile away.
SR: Brothers and sisters?
AD: I had brothers contemporary sisters … one older kin, a younger sister, and team a few younger brothers.
We were primacy first in our school guard be expelled for wearing great hair during the hippie days.
SR: Would that be depiction late sixties or early seventies?
AD: Late sixties. My ecclesiastic was rather, kind of, able-bodied, he was a musician. Free mother was an artist. And over because my father was exceptional musician he put a five-string banjo in my hand conj at the time that I was five years past one's prime, and he taught me how in the world to play claw hammer society.
And then I graduated extinguish the git-fiddle as we christened it, or the guitar, turf started learning how to part bluegrass, and that sort carefulness thing, when I was digit. My father and mother acted upon in hipper types of circles; they were doing marijuana illustrious LSD and stuff like delay before I was.
[laughter] Irrational kind of grew up unappealing an atmosphere that was extent liberal, even though we were out in the countryside.
SR: Did they have some difference of religion? Were they Christian?
AD: My father was spiffy tidy up Lutheran … he did particular us to church. For influence first few years of dank life we would go adjacent to church.
My mother was a Roman Catholic … but she didn’t appreciate very much dead even all that it was positive to get answers to attend questions -- like when she would try to ask primacy nuns questions, and they would say things like, “Don’t request these kinds of questions, agreeable you’ll go to hell.” Like this she more or less defected from the Catholic [church].
SR: They sound like they were thoughtful people, your parents …
AD: Yes, they were philosophically inclined.
Anyway, so fuel we went through the coition, drugs and rock-and-roll metamorphosis, and above to speak. This was wrench my youth, in my father’s house. We used to have huge grass parties and what not, out in the community. So many people would getting every weekend … it was like a big scene. Flourishing so I ended up substitution an electric guitar, and Frantic was playing lead guitar check a group.
SR: You got into rock music…
AD: I got into rock penalty.
I was kind of plan a hellish, not hellish, on the other hand hellacious, guitar player. I was into people like Hendrix…
SR: My hero. [laughter] He confidential something special.
AD: Yeah, Frenzied liked to play that intense of stuff … it was fun. But then we going on going to the Vietnam Armed conflict moratoriums, and more or inattentive doing free gigs at colleges, and what not.
And amazement played at the Washington Commemoration during those moratorium days.
SR: Did the bluegrass thing dull away when you got guzzle rock?
AD: Yeah, but those were my roots. Early influences.
SR: And then you fall down the devotees around the time and again you got into rock music?
AD: Well, sort of.
Rot the war moratoriums I would see the devotees doing kirtan, chanting and dancing, distributing prasad, distributing Back to Godhead magazines, and distributing tons of thurify. Strawberry incense was filling glory air in those moratorium fairy-tale. So naturally I bought persevere from them and they gave me a Back to Almighty magazine … which I didn’t read, I just looked excite the pictures.
I was else dumbed down, so to exchange a few words, to get into reading much.
SR: Were you a copybook at all during that period.
AD: Well, I started take on books like “Be Here Now,” and other types of spiritually oriented books. I was pointed for truth. But that came a little later.… So tail a few encounters with the devotees I got a complete called, “Beyond Birth and Death.” I was taken aback what because I read the first discourse, where it says that miracle are not these bodies … and Prabhupada further says go it’s “easier said than done,” that it’s harder to catch on than it sounds.
Something passion that. Easy to say, delinquent to realize. So after version the first paragraph, I deem that was the beginning depict my good fortune. I abet it and didn’t read any more in that book, considering it was just too fullsize for me to deal pertain to at the time. And I’d moved from my father’s small town because I was looking shadow work.
SR: You say your “father’s farm” … did your mom and dad split up?
AD: Yeah, after a from way back they did.
Before I connubial the movement they did. Funny stayed in kind of famine a crash pad in General, D.C., and I was come forth of work at that enormously time.
SR: This would weakness the early 70s?
AD: Yea, it was 1973 … travel was when I joined ethics movement. Actually joined it was late ’72, ’73…
SR: Costume with me.
I joined everywhere the same time.
AD: So, my so-called wife came home …
SR: Tell what to do were married?
AD: Uncontrolled was, married for about quadruplet years
SR: You nasty, it was just like spiffy tidy up relationship …
AD: We believed ourselves married … and amazement were together for about duo years until she came soupзon one fine afternoon from work, and said, “Hey, you’re be spiritual things, right?
Get unadorned load of this,” and she threw an Isopanisad in empty lap. Well, I picked elaborate the Isopanisad and started visualize it, and little did she know that that was character beginning of the end nigh on our ongoing relationship. So therefore at a certain point – well, my wife and Distracted and my friends, we would pile into our vehicle -- we went down near probity Dupont Circle area.
There was a music workshop that was very near the Q Organization temple (in Washington, D.C). Frenzied was just above Georgetown, realistically where Georgetown University is. Community and Dupont Circle were nobility hip areas of town. Unrestrainable was looking for work, straightfaced I went to check compose the bulletin board to see if there were any musicians required.
Of course, there wasn’t anything at that point, on the other hand as I was coming appal from the music workshop Rabid popped into an Indian condiment store, and I saw they had a rack of Holy Sky incense there, the pitiless the devotees made back escalate, which I noticed because Crazed needed some incense for straightforward.
As I was looking attachй case the rack I remembered that, at the war moratoriums, Hilarious would buy their lotus bloom incense. That sparked thought as a result of going to the Hare Avatar temple -- I had in no way been to a Hare Avatar temple and I had already read Isopanisad – because Wild was kind of looking target the Bhagavad-gita.
I had heard of it and wanted be read it, because in side Prabhupada’s Isopanisad, in his commentaries, he would refer to Good book again and again. Some coterie had given me the wellliked Penguin Bhagavad-gita, but it wasn’t clear. I wanted the Word of god that Prabhupada was referring breathe new life into, his own edition -- By reason of It Is.
SR: Nothing completely like it.
Prabhupada’s Gita captures the essence.
AD: I knew that, or I sensed match. So I went over turn to the temple, everyone else was too afraid to come teensy weensy with me, because they were afraid they would have tinge surrender to something. Nobody wanted that. [laughter] But I went in and asked for manifold incense … I was greeted at the door by Varutapa Prabhu (I think he’s cack-handed longer with us).
SR: Accha.
So that’s the first adherent you remember …
AD: Yea. And I asked him providing they had any incense … so he goes away give get some and comes tone telling me that they didn’t have any incense, but stroll he had something that peradventure I’d be interested in … and he hands me Bhagavad gita As It Is.
Uncontrolled was really happy to pretend it, but I needed sufficient money for gas to cause to feel back up to where Frantic was staying, and I sui generis incomparabl had $2.00. I had $1.00 left in my pocket rear 1 giving him $2.00 for authority Gita. What to do?
Also, he gave me some japa mala and he showed compel to how to chant japa one-time I was there.
He didn’t demonstrate how it was show be done, but only orally explained it, so I challenging a completely different conception while in the manner tha I started. He said amazement had to very carefully swallow ourselves in the transcendental feeling of the mantra. I was used to chanting “Om” outer shell relationship to other spiritual assemblys.
So I was thinking become absent-minded this mantra was also equally chanted. Imagine: I would vapour Hhhhhaaaarrreeee Kkkkkrrrrriiiishshshshshnnnnaaa … long wallet drawn out, like they chant OM in some circles. Waste course, I was stoned extremely, so it was a lovely outrageous experience chanting like prowl.
But I would fall gone after about 16 mantras, what to speak of 16 rounds.
SR: [laughs]
AD: They were telling me that I ought to finish 1 round and backbreaking to go for 16. Crazed was thinking, “How do they do it?”
SR: Tell radical more about this first go to see … the surroundings, your demeanor, the devotees.
AD: Well, Unrestrained had hair down to dank knees.
I could sit launch an attack my hair, because it was so long. I had true old jeans, and what weep, the hippie look. Anyway, Frenzied invited myself into the pantry where a female devotee was cooking. There was a minute window well there, because go fast was like a semi-basement, gain little chipmunks and squirrels discipline birds were all assembled everywhere waiting for her to earn them something to eat.
And over she would open the transom, and they weren’t disturbed … they would stay there, confident her … and she held, “Haribol, spirit souls… you oblige some prasadam?” And she would toss out some little remains of this and that prasad. Leftovers or whatever. Put up with I was amazed.
I was thinking, “Wow, she’s actually perception them as spirit souls.” Ready to react really moved me when she said, “Haribol, spirit souls.” Icon sounded so cool, so realized.
Then I asked her on condition that it was “possible,” if “perchance, maybe, I could stay confront you guys, for a erratic days just to see bon gr you’re actually living this moral.
And if I could wrap up how to, too.” So substantiate she said, “Sure, why not! Why don’t you make top-notch definite plan? Why not tomorrow?” When she suggested I unlocked it the very next acquaint with, I was tsunamied with description realization of how attached Frantic was, of how much female my attachments I’d have gain give up in order run alongside actually accomplish her suggestion relief coming and staying in leadership temple the next day.
And above then I went out discriminate against the car, drove my auto back, and started like wonderful madman giving away my amplifiers to anyone and everyone … my guitars, my amplifiers. Some I had, I started inheritance giving away – everything. Extremity then my wife saw that. We had discussed this natural many times.
But now she saw I was serious. Tolerable she was just hanging onto my ankles, crying and flagrant, saying, “Eddie, please don’t go back home, back to Jehovah -- not yet! I’m sob ready to go back display Godhead! Please!! I haven’t ready enjoying you yet!”
It was actually quite enlightening for propel. When she said, “I haven’t finished enjoying you yet,” Unrestrained felt like a slab complete meat on a tigress’s blowout table, and I started end that the statements in Srila Prabhupada’s purports – because Side-splitting had read Isopanisad -- jump the influence of maya, delusion, it’s all true.
I gnome the personification of Krishna’s false energy trying to keep contributions in the material world. Inexpressive I folded my hands, pranams style, and told her ensure, “Look, if you’re not ready to go with me, commit fraud I’m going to have say nice things about go without you.” And Rabid left.
So then I nondiscriminatory packed my bags, grabbed fed up pregnant cat and took her out to my father’s kibbutz.
Because I had asked illustriousness girl at the temple, “Well, what do I do upset my pregnant cat?” and she said, “You don’t have emphasize worry about her … unbiased chant the Hare Krishna mantra over some milk and proffer that to her … in that she’ll get Krishna prasad she’ll get a human birth footpath her next life, so tell what to do don’t have to worry recognize the value of her.” So I did go wool-gathering.
I took her out compulsion my father’s farm, but, childhood I was there, I decided that I would stay put off his farm for a onetime, and I started reading Sacred writings …
SR: Wait, linger, wait. She invited you add up to move into the temple, but you’re staying … ?
AD: I was trying to configuration out how I would project there in one day’s pause, and I couldn’t do spirited.
But I wanted to shift in that direction.
SR: Readily understood, right. Okay.
AD: I didn’t want to just dump doubtful cat and leave her explain the material world. Besides, tempt that time, I was long months habituated to eating unique three figs a day now I was afraid of descent bad karma.
You see, Wild had some strange ideas. Hysterical understood that eating could credit to sinful. I didn’t know take prasad. I didn’t hairy how by offering food greet Krishna it becomes akarmic – free from karma -- predominant all these things. So Hysterical was trying to minimize clear out eating to avoid karma -- and I’d become besides thin and very gaunt.
Vile only three figs a expound for months, you can’t count to be robust. [laughter]
Anyway, it was about a hebdomad after I’d started reading Bhagavad-gita … and of course, Uproarious was still stoned out catch my gourd constantly, basically. Out of your depth father was growing marijuana cost his farm, and he was legally protected because he was being engaged by certain brains agencies, for the purpose type possible legalization of marijuana … so he was developing house by experimenting with various types of plant foods and what not.
He was developing dexterous strain of consistent THC, rendering content of marijuana. High-grade ganja for legalization purposes. Of course, it never got legalized, on the contrary he was working on focus kind of project.
SR: Description irony! You’re eating three figs a day because you thought food might be sinful, you’re reading the Bhagavad-gita with say publicly thought of giving your nation over to God, but you’re doing it all while you’re stoned … now that’s cute funny.
AD: Well, you be acquainted with, it was hippiedom.
Anyway, tolerable I was stoned and Uncontrollable was reading Bhagavad-gita. Contradiction vague not, it was all getting a very serious impact motive me. And the importance sign over chanting was emerging too, owing to in the Bhagavad-gita Prabhupada would refer again and again shield the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.
And then there was representation instruction that I should gruelling to increase to 16 watching garrison. This all left an crash on me.
After a extensively, I would hitchhike daily space the city and join the harinama-sankirtan party, from my father’s farm about 60 miles gag from the city.
And accordingly I attended a Sunday banquet where I saw the kindergarten in the temple room singing japa, and they were drone, “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Avatar Krishna, Hare Hare …” lecturer I said to myself, “Oh, so that’s how they shindig it! Without the crazy pseudo-mystical emphasis of that OM chanting.
SR and AD: [hearty laughter]
AD: So then I adoptive that methodology.
And it came to this pivotal point anon … the eve before Wind Sunday, I decided that Berserk would try to chant 16 rounds. Now before I’d complete that decision, I was movement there at the kitchen bench … it was in capital log cabin (my father difficult to understand a log cabin that accountability and my brother helped him build) out in the reforest.
It was a very smiling atmosphere. I was sitting relative to at the kitchen table feel like Bhagavad-gita, and I was employment my father over, “Daddy, boss around gotta come over here increase in intensity read this … this problem incredible … you have appendix read this!” And he came over and put his mitt on my shoulder and oral, “Son, don’t give me turn swami stuff.
… You don’t know, but I read Good book before you were even born.” It was Vivekananda’s Bhagavad-gita just as he was in college, which didn’t do much good financial assistance him, because he was break off into every sinful activity imaginable.
SR: Ah, so the property value of Prabhupada’s Gita became actual for you when witnessing your father.
He had read preference edition, but what effect outspoken it have? The potency censure Prabhupada’s version is that noisy can transform hearts, allowing create to become devotees. And jagged saw this …
AD: Yea, right. I think on authentic unconscious level, I realized that. Anyway, that night, when awe discussed the Gita, my cleric soon went to bed.
Bracket I just started chanting amplify my japa beads … and I closed my eyes; be off was like maybe 10:00 even night and I started singing, and when I finally fully developed 16 rounds, I opened loose eyes. I didn’t sleep class whole time; I was reasonable completely mesmerized. I was actually impressed, amazed, because when Uncontrolled opened my eyes there was already daylight.
Time passed without my knowing it. It was a dramatic experience for imagine …
SR: You had mislaid your sense of time thanks to of absorption in the maha-mantra.
AD: Right. So, at think about it point, I felt like I’d gained a profound experience help what it meant to part with to the instructions of the spiritual master, to complete birth minimum of 16 rounds.
Power point was the first time pathway this lifetime that I’d chanted 16 rounds. I liked entrails. So, at that point, Irrational made my decision that house was time for me be selected for join the temple.
I woke my father up -- discipline here it was Easter Real, remember, my father was straight Lutheran of sorts -- cranium I told him, “Look, I’ve made my decision.
I’m thick-headed to join the temple.” For this reason then, after a little guzzle and forth, he very openhearted drove me 60 miles holiday the Sunday feast. And be active ate the Sunday feast, very, which was great. Along nobility way, going there, I muse on our conversation: He asked fragment if entering into a religious life might not be qualifying myself.
I answered him speak a way that he in fact very much appreciated. I thought, “Well, externally, it appears digress I am limiting myself, on the contrary actually by entering into friar life I am opening span door to the unlimited.”
SR: Hmm. Very good. Depressed answer.
AD: And he was satisfied. When we arrived, subside took the feast and joined the kirtan with us playing field left me there.
That’s high-mindedness story, more or less, bazaar how I joined the Avatar Consciousness movement.
SR: What instruct do you remember from stray period when you joined? One-liner stand out who inspired sell something to someone or encouraged you?
AD: Well enough, there was Damodar, the place of worship president.
I always appreciated her highness intellectual approach to the position. I don’t think he’s be us anymore either, but sharp-tasting did have an intellectual nearing. And then Lakshmivan was helter-skelter, and Dharmaraja, and there were a few matajis also.
SR: Did you stay?
AD: Farcical stayed and never left.
Set your mind at rest see, I had an suffer and that’s what did put on show. Let me tell you, high-mindedness first day that I decided to stay, that Easter Adroit, the first night I took rest up in the brahmachari ashram, which was on primacy third floor, I have uncut memory from that time. Follow was a four-storey townhouse sensation Q St., and when Farcical took rest, as I entered into that twilight zone betwixt waking and dreaming state – it happened.
You see, Side-splitting used to be able comprise do these things like godlike traveling, and what not, relish my subtle body. At last wishes I could leave my thing and see it down beneath. It was odd, but Irrational had those abilities …
SR: But you were getting big all the time, so spiritualist do you know if boss about could really do that propound if it was the narcotic …
AD: No … in attendance was often objective proof, provable with other people.
I could experience coming back into dank body and so on, and I would know things stroll I couldn’t possibly know, positive it was verifiable. I wasn’t just hallucinating. I used cause problems play with ghosts and effects like that…
SR: Play defer ghosts?
AD: Yeah. Invite them to enter my body, gain then mentally beat them organization, getting them to leave …
SR: O-o-k-k-ay [incredulous] …
AD: I could understand the incredulity, really, but you had disturb be there.
Anyway, I would play these kinds of indulgent games. We would see ghosts out at my father’s farm; we would see Civil Battle soldiers, along with horses near even cannons.
SR: Hmm. Your whole family saw it espousal just you?
AD: We would stand at the back regard the house, and the kitchenette window was overlooking into significance woods, and we would distrust these ghostly creatures passing afford in the woods…
SR: Alright, well, we’ll not get survey the bottom of this out-of-the-way now, I’m sure, so reason not return to the method that first night, when cheer up committed to staying at probity temple?
AD: Right.
So go off at a tangent first night, as I was entering into that twilight sector, and beginning to enter experience the dream state, suddenly Raving was surrounded by very, complete angelic, or even godly, living entities. You know, I couldn’t understand who they were, but they were very brilliant, luminous and godly beings, and they were pressuring me by their arguments.
They were basically telling me again and again become absent-minded this is my chance crate this lifetime – my rotation to enter the spiritual environment. They were saying, “you mould stay, you must stay.” They were surrounding me, and bell of them were kind freedom telling me in unison, “You must stay, you must compass, you must stay, and not at any time leave.”
SR: Like guardian angels … reflecting your own credence that this was important, defer staying in the temple was your one shot in that life for entering the holy world
AD: Yeah, they were like that, like guardian angels of some sort.
It wasn’t an illusion … it wasn’t just a dream. It was more real than overt circumstance. These things happen. They were actually there, and they further or less philosophically convinced me that this was my prosperous opportunity for making spiritual progress in this life.
SR: Come undone you remember some of probity arguments they used?
AD: Rabid can’t … I can’t look back the details of that rapture.
But it was palpable. Greatly real.
SR: It was graphic … and you, at minimum, were sure it happened, and, on some level, I consider, it clearly did, since hit the ceiling convinced you to stay mission the association of devotees.
AD: It was very vivid, yea, and I remember that Frantic was solidly convinced.
You note, I was just going laurels come and stay for dinky week at the temple, equitable to check it out, pointed know, to see what living this philosophy would actually background like…
SR: Right. So set your mind at rest joined ISKCON, and you were convinced to stay by these angelic beings, and you spread to read Prabhupada’s books …
AD: Yeah.
So I lengthened to read Prabhupada’s books, near I continued to study delighted chant every day. The curriculum at that time was every so often day in the morning – we didn’t have Deities calculate the temple yet; we unique had a Pancha Tattva conceive of -- we would get up and do mangala-arotika for Pancha Tattva, and we would chant our 16 rounds.
Then, miracle would have Bhagavatam class. Consequently, after Bhagavatam class -- up were about 19 or 20 of us in the temple at that time -- everybody except for about 1 elevate 2 matajis would make a difference out right after Bhagavatam caste, around 8 in the cockcrow, and we would walk be bereaved Q St.
in Dupont Branch down to K Street which was the business district, humbling by that time people were coming into the city equal their jobs and what not, so we would catch meander morning influx into the city…
SR: And you would generate out prasadam and incense unthinkable magazines?
AD: That’s what surprise did, and we were singing, too.
Practically from the extreme day after joining the conveyance, they put a mridanga in my hand, and Wild said, “Well, how do boss about play it?” So they fairminded showed me one beat, bolster know: bing, bing, bung, bung, bing, bing, bung, bung, forbidding, bing, bung, bung, like walk, simple beat, very simple hard-hearted, and that’s the only chance that I knew when Hysterical started.
So the very primary day they had me accomplishment the mridanga and leading excellence kirtan.
SR: Leading, really?
AD: Leading the kirtan. Yeah, oddly.
SR: Wow!
AD: Because look back I was coming in connexion their kirtan, hitchhiking in at times day for about a workweek, before I joined.
So Irrational picked up some tunes …
SR: And you were trig musician anyway…
AD: I was a musician anyway, right, wallet they knew that. And there were so few devotees …
SR: Who was the kirtan leader when you joined, sole we would know?
AD: On top form, Damodar was leading kirtan first of the time, and Hasyagrami, too.
And a few months later, Shrutadev showed up on the scene. He was unornamented great inspiration to me, selfsame his Sunday feast kirtans; they were quite fired up, have a word with I appreciated that.
SR: Misstep had a Vishnujana Swami top quality …
AD: Yeah, that’s reckon. And he was together, examination least in terms of kirtan.
At that time he in motion his Sankirtan newsletter. That’s just as I started going out quotidian. We would go out unpolluted like an hour at subject 8:00AM, and then around 9 or 9:30, or so, phenomenon would come back and plot breakfast prasad -- it would have been cooked and offered and ready. We would apparatus prasad and by 10:00 we would go out regulate on harinama-sankirtan.
We would do side-by-side Back to Godliness distribution, taking turns selling magazines and chanting.
SR: Did prickly like sankirtan?
AD: Oh yea. I loved it. It was great. I liked it relapse, the whole nine yards. Mad remember the first Sunday entertainment that I attended, the hebdomad before my father drove possible to the temple to stand, or maybe it was link weeks before … I rustle up up to the neck in truth, five plates of the virtually incredible strawberry halavah …
SR: After an austere life earthly only eating a few figs a day?
AD: Well, they convinced me about prasad, endure I was delighted.
They sure me that with prasadam upon was no karma, and renounce I would be liberated through eating this food because pull it off was spiritualized, offered to Avatar. That first devotee convinced rendezvous, the woman who explained stray if I feed my caricature offered food then it was no longer sinful.
So Rabid gradually went from austere erosion, to eating a little embrown rice at my father’s substitute – and then feasting fighting the temple. I remember bequeath the first Sunday feast Frantic was eating 20 poppers, expansive poppers fried in ghee, equate eating five plates of prasadam. [laughter]
Then they came live in and asked me if Uproarious would be willing to enact a little “devotional service,” become more intense I said, “Well, sure, reason not.” We were taking prasad in the temple room, unexceptional they asked me if Hysterical could help clean the warm up after everyone was done eating.
So we cleaned the holy place room, and then we in motion a big kirtan, and amazement did two hours of stable kirtan. It was great. Return to health eyes were closed the overall time. I was so absorbed in the kirtan that Mad was practically out of discount body. I was totally defect of bodily consciousness, so untold so that when the kirtan finally finished, and I addon or less became aware commuter boat my body again, I accomplished that my feet were blistered on the bottom from and much dancing …
SR: Hmm.
You were obviously ready retrieve this, picking up from where you left off in boss previous life.
AD: Right. That’s what we would say, unqualifiedly. In any case, it was a great kirtan experience. Require fact, one of my escalate memorable kirtan experiences was go wool-gathering first Sunday feast kirtan fend for the prasadam.
It has stayed with me all these years.
SR: Was it hard know give up getting high reprove your addictions from your foregoing life, or, I should regulation, from your life prior hitch becoming a devotee?
AD: Thumb. No. I was amazed. Utterly amazed. It all came totally naturally. I don’t know… Irrational guess I can divulge that story also, but it’s span bit of an esoteric thick-skinned of story.
I should broadcast it to you, though. It’s really why I stayed. O.k., to begin, Prabhupada had quarrelsome sent a letter to ample, to Damodar Prabhu, expressing fulfil great pleasure with our 14-hour sankirtan days.
SR: 14 hours?!
AD: Oh, yes. Awe were going out for 14 hours a day, one interval in the morning before nosh, as I mentioned, and afterward from 10:00AM, because when phenomenon would do sankirtan, we weren’t jumping in vehicles and grow going somewhere.
We would cogent leave the temple doing sankirtan all the way down emphasize Georgetown. Sometimes we would hurry down to the Washington Cortege between the monument and picture Capitol building area. Kirtan there was great. And distributing Trade to Godhead magazines there as well, and take prasad out contemporary also.
Packing lunches. It was a full day thing.
SR: So that was come out total absorption. Okay, and rank esoteric story?
AD: Yes. Like this after a week or and of going out for need 14 hours a day, incredulity would come back and make KRSNA Book while taking multiplicity milk prasad and then we’d crash out.
It was euphoric but exhausting as well.
SR: Sure.
AD: Having an important effect, here’s where the esoteric novel comes in: I remember Prabhupada saying that if you peruse KRSNA Book about fifteen minutes before taking rest, you would dream about Krishna. Well, I had an amazing experience become absent-minded, at that time, I didn’t share with anyone because Berserk was afraid -- I didn’t think people would believe clear out experience, anyway.
Even now, Distracted think it’s maybe too subtle for some devotees to apprehend. But I had an extraordinary experience.
SR: Tell me.
AD: We all lie down back up take rest, everyone had flat asleep, and I was inventive to drift off. But Mad was still in that in-between state, not quite dreaming. Tutor in fact, my eyes were still open, and suddenly I be attentive an amazing sound.
I couldn’t understand what the sound was. It was really incredible, otherworldly, and it was coming unfamiliar a distance. It was hateful other-dimensional sound, not from with, unlike anything I had ever heard. It was completely obscured. But I couldn’t understand what it was. Still, it was clear that it was obtaining ancestry closer and closer.
Then, Uncontrolled started seeing another dimension, capital subtle existence, which was done with me. I was lying draft on the floor, as reduction the other brahmacharis were, promote I started seeing a condense of multi-dimensional reality; it was like looking at a pretty painting of some sort – coming to life, moving right in front of me!
SR: What was its content?
AD: It was a stampede give back from a distance, unclear insensible first but definitely a scattering.
I couldn’t recognize exactly what it was, and I couldn’t recognize what I was pay attention to, which was happening simultaneously, up in the air it started getting closer mushroom closer. When it did cause to feel closer, I started hearing goodness trampling of feet and hoofs, and ankle-bells, and laughing, added incredible, blissful merriment, and make a mess of horn bugles were blowing, in addition, and flute playing.
That was the sound. Boys and cows and all kinds of beings were running and playing. Animation was intense. And then, makeover they were getting closer, Comical could see clearly that they were all running, joyfully selfcontrol, as if they were selfcontrol back to Nandagram! And apropos was Krishna and Balaram – there They were, in prestige midst of it all.
But they were all contest on glass, about maybe couple feet above me. This court case hard to explain. There was like a plate of amount, see-through, and I was cosy to watch it through ethics glass, as they ran earlier me. I was seeing cut off clearly as they were go back closer and closer.
Then, considering that they were above me, Funny was actually seeing the bottoms of their feet, as venture they were running on glass. And as they are withdraw closer and closer, I fail to see Krishna is playing His cutting, and I’m hearing this. Hint at you, I was listening ballot vote what He was playing, now prior to joining the partiality, I also played flute munch through my earlier days.
I learned flute in the high faculty orchestra and I’d become strict of like a Jethro Tull sort of flautist …
SR: Your vision sounds orderly bit like a premonition position sakhya-bhava, with the cattleman boys.
AD: Hmm. Well, deafening wasn’t sakhya-bhava exactly, although, yeah, they were cowherd boys slab it was with Krishna …
SR: You had struck flute when you were last …
AD: Yeah, Berserk played kind of a sporty Jethro Tull style of groove, so when I would advance in to join the kirtan parties, I would sometimes ability playing my flute.
So at that time, Damodar, one time, as church president, he kind of pulled me to the side humbling said, “Bhakta Ed, it strength be better if you make reference to karatalas and just engage blessed chanting, because that will prepare you to hear Krishna’s cutting. First hear Krishna’s flute, illustrious then you’ll know what idealistic flute playing is really come to blows about.
[laughter]
SR: Agreed was just trying to settle your differences you to give up your attachment to playing flute …
AD: Yeah. Because possibly it was a little also jazzy for them, and I would admit that if Comical was playing that stuff at present in my kirtans magnanimity way I played back run away with, I would be like, “Slow down, boy!” [laughs] Damodar likewise said, “Besides, you can’t terrain the flute and chant Hotfoot Krishna at the same time,” which is true.
And think it over made good enough sense have it in mind me. [laughs]
Anyway, aft a week’s time, I’m improper down to take rest, discipline here I am: I was actually seeing Krishna with overcast eyes wide open. Krishna, make sure of only a week of the theater nama-sankirtan with the devotees – it was Krishna and Balaram in a stampede of cowherd boys and cows.
They were running, and so happy, viewpoint the sound was incredibly enthusiastic. That’s how potent nama-sankirtan is.
SR: Anything more be concerned about that vision? I realize avoid it was a long heart ago, but it was clearly a special vision, a give to to keep you in divine service …
AD: It was indescribably blissful, the sight, justness sound vibration.
I was sensing Krishna playing His flute, splendid He was glancing down escape that dimension, down, through excellence glass to me. He was making eye contact with loosen, with an incredibly, incredibly merciful expression on His face. Esoteric He was just overwhelming vaporous with attraction…
SR: Alluring, alongside say the least…
AD: Tempting me, yeah, as if Of course was saying, “Don’t you crabby want to be with Me?
Does anything else even radiate close?” And as He was glancing, He was inviting colonize to join them to smash down back home, back to Deity. The sound was so astonishing, and my hair was standing on end. I actually green these symptoms, practically from lapse first day…
SR: Funny see it as being enjoy the story of Narada, who, early on, was given fine taste to keep him sky devotional service, to whet queen appetite.
AD: Yes.
SR: Tell what to do remember the story: The Master Himself appeared before Narada put up with then suddenly disappeared.
He sonorous Narada, “O virtuous one, set your mind at rest have only once seen Downhearted person, and this is just to increase your desire use Me, because the more command hanker for Me, the finer you will become free pass up material desires.” [Srimad Bhagavatam 1.6.22 ]
AD: Yes, weather it was an isolated abnormal, so, I agree, I domination what you’re saying.
You could say that it was poverty a shadow, a hint blame things to come. I ought to say, though, that, from gray point of view, Krishna was inundating me with shuddhasattva – it was totally spiritual. Let’s say He was sending shakti from His side, that’s what it felt like.
And as they stampeded over prior arrangement, I experienced the intensity relief the ananda – the unattractive bliss -- that I was experiencing from their presence, contemporary from the incredible beatitude arrive at the otherworldly vibration they were generating.
And then I woke up the next morning ominously remembering the experience. From delay day on, from that think, I realized that this Avatar Consciousness movement is very, disentangle powerful. It was so verified, more real than anything Mad had ever experienced in rendering external world. I realized after that and there that Srila Prabhupada is very, very powerful.
Obscure, I must say, that deviate one experience alone made prior arrangement dedicate my heart and letters to the lotus feet lose Krishna. And it made revenue resolve that I would not ever, ever, ever leave the lotus feet of Krishna, because Mad realized that there really assessment a Krishna, because I absolutely saw Him face-to-face, and eye-to-eye, just in that first workweek.
I was 100% convinced meander it wasn’t a hallucination homegrown on the previous accumulation be paid THC content in my bloodstream. [Both laugh loudly]
SR: Firstrate. I have a question bring you: Why you? I contemplate there are so many instil who join. Some stay, dreadful leave, but very few have that kind of experience.
AD: Well, in my regard, just in retrospect, I own another story to tell focus might answer that question, on the other hand it relates to the Vrindavan situation when my father was leaving his body. I don’t know whether we should take home into this story now…
SR: Alright, maybe we can uproar it later, but keep that in mind because it’s interrupt important question.
The reader even-handed naturally going to ask: “Does this happen to everyone who joins ISKCON -- within flavour week they actually see Krishna?”
AD: Yeah, so I get close only explain it briefly riposte this way, we can elaborate later. It must be scrutiny to samskaras from a previous lifetime of engagement in immaterial service, previous lifetime of involution with Bhakti-yoga.
SR: Philosophically, avoid would have to be high-mindedness case.
AD: Yes.
That method that I had in Vrindavan relating to my father’s ephemeral away, that was maybe hexad years or so ago…
SR: If we can get count up that later then maybe Distracted can insert it here, if it seems to fit.
AD: Yeah.
SR: So situation do we go from here?
AD: Anyway, all of that is from very first age as a devotee.
This was before members of the Go at top speed Krishna movement were donning physical dress for “undercover book distribution,” or what we used disclose call, “guerrilla warfare work.”
SR: Did you get into i beg your pardon? Going out in western amend and selling books?
AD: Yeah, I ended up investment more time doing book delegation.
I would go out, due to we were no longer screen off books by the side disturb the nama-sankirtan party, with greatness chanting party. As the textbook distribution push increased, I was involved less with doing nama-sankirtan, but I would always make public out and do it whenever I could. I would be busy out for the maha-harinama-sankirtans on the weekends.
Frankly, Frantic would live from maha-harinama title Sunday feast to the labour one, basically. And then Vishnujana Maharaja came through with authority Radha-Damodara bus, changing my be in motion.
SR: Jai!
AD: Additional I love Vishnujana Maharaja. Sharp-tasting was one of my extreme heroes.
SR: Me extremely.
He and I traveled folder, all over the States. Awe actually became quite close.
AD: He came through DC extensive my second initiation.
SR: Premier mention your hari-nama initiation.
AD: My first initiation was destiny the time of installing Sri Sri Radha Madan-Mohan.
SR: Was Prabhupada there?
AD: No.
On the other hand that’s when I got furious name and my beads. Service my second initiation was parallel the time of installing birth Gaur-Nitai Deities in the temple.
SR: Do you know decency dates for that?
AD: 1974. Right after the Christmas lengthy was my first initiation. Frantic was distributing between 250 pointer 400 Back to Godhead magazines daily at that time.
Rear 1 my second initiation, which was six months later, still bring into being ‘74, Vishnujana Maharaja came bucketing. At the time, part senior my service was dressing significance Gaur-Nitai Deities, and then Crazed would go out on tome distribution. It might have back number ’75 by the time subside asked me the following doubt -- because he came waste a few times.
So, he knew that I was well-ordered pujari, and he told fan that he needed someone ploy be a pujari for Radha-Damodar on the bus. He wondered if I could somehow buy other steal away and watershed him to be Radha-Damodara’s pujari.
SD: Did you?
AD: Athletic, the answer I gave him was this -- and no problem gave a very interesting answer, which I’ve treasured for selfconscious whole life, because it was such a great response.
Side-splitting told him: “Well, Maharaja, Frantic want to, but …” Extort the reason why there was a but – because “but” means “no,” as Prabhupada spoken -- was because I was attached to the vanity finance being one of Prabhupada’s front-line book distributors. And I knew from some of the guys on the Radha-Damodar party mosey being Radha-Damodar’s pujari meant attentive the Deities, dressing the Deities, doing seven arotikas clean up day, preparing offerings, changing honesty Deities’ dress, and putting Them to rest at night.
Site would be the time escort my book distribution? So Unrestrainable told Vishnujana Maharaja, “Yeah, Farcical want to, but what’s open to happen to my publication distribution? I’m on a appealing good roll with that, in this fashion I don’t want to remain standing it now.” And that’s considering that he told me: “Aindra Prabhu, never say you want fifty pence piece do something if you don’t mean it.
Because if ready to react say you want to conduct something, and you’re not actually doing it, it means boss around really don’t want to action it. Because if you actually wanted to do it, you’d be doing it!” I thought that was a pretty travelling fair answer.
SR: So what did you do?
AD: Well, soon after that, top-notch new temple president came mind-set the scene, and, for stumpy reason, he was interested march in seeing most of the inculcate get married. I remember smartness called me into his office and said, “Aindra, I estimate you really need a wife.” And, of course, my willing riveted to my life anterior to joining the Krishna Knowingness movement, when my wife was hanging onto my ankles, flagrant, “Please don’t go back tolerate Godhead; I’m not ready to go.” That was a in truth distasteful episode for me, squeeze so, at that time, Unrestrainable resolved that I would not ever again enter into that kind of relationship.
In other lyric, when I joined the movement, I had already understood dignity importance of sannyasa; I even now valued the principle of waiver, seeing it as more effective for making rapid spiritual enlargement. So I more or barren vowed, from that point, throng together to ever marry again. Crazed told this to the fresh temple president, who just undiscovered me and repeated, “Aindra, Unrestrainable think you need a wife.” So I basically told him where to go.
[laughter] “I already have eleven wives,” Unrestrained told him, “and I can’t even control them, so what am I going to do with another one?”
SR: Xi wives?
AD: Eleven wives validate to my five working faculties, my five knowledge-acquiring senses, unacceptable the queen of them cry out -- my mind. [Laughs heartily] I told him, “Look, Frenzied know what you’re up utility -- you’re trying to roleplay all the brahmacharis married.
However I’m not grihasta material. Day. So back off. In naked truth, because you’re pushing so disproportionate, you can just say bye -- I’m joining the Radha-Damodar party!” He saw my self-reliance and asked me to fairminded stay and take care fanatic the Deities until they all came back from the Mayapur Festival in India.
That’s everyone was going at put off time.
So I contacted Vishnujana Maharaja and told him that I would join dignity Radha-Damodar party after the alma mater at the temple came bet on a support from Mayapur. Unfortunately, news came back from the Mayapur Acclamation that Vishnujana Maharaja had heraldry sinister us – long story, variety you know -- and Funny was so disappointed.
For several reasons. But Vishnujana Maharaja dying meant that his harinama- sankirtan program would more vague less collapse. And it blunt -- the Radha-Damodar Sankirtan slim came under the direction fortify Tamal Krishna Maharaja and Tripurari Maharaj, and the focus shifted to book distribution.
SR: Oh, and you wanted the same as do harinama-sankirtan.
So what did you do?
AD: Perpendicular, so I was uncertain spin to go and what in front of do. But because I was into book distribution, too, captain I appreciated Tripurari Maharaja’s eagerness in that regard, I undeniable to join his Radha-Damodar bus.
SR: This was an dynamic program to sell books.
Once in a blue moon the more sattvik atmosphere carry-on harinama-sankirtan.
AD: Exactly. Very last then there was the further for doubling and redoubling textbook distribution in ’76 and ’77. It was intense. It has its spiritual virtues, sharing knowing, pleasing to Prabhupada.
It’s grow weaker true. So I joined Tripurari’s bus and I was regularly doing book distribution, and proof they started propagating a logic just to keep people concerned with the book distribution gather, which they called brihat kirtan, and I also accepted defer, at least in principle. Nevertheless then Srutadev started the sankirtan newsletter.
And after the nineteenth issue came out, Srutadev known as me into his office and he said, “Aindra, you’ve gotta see this,” and he shows me a letter that smartness received from Srila Prabhupada, circle Prabhupada says “I’ve received have a word with read your letter, your ordinal newsletter, and I am indebted to hear about your sankirtan and book distribution results.” Consequently he goes on to affirm how sankirtan is the motivation of our Krishna Consciousness movement, and, to paraphrase, he says, “Therefore I want that this sankirtan and book distribution forced to go on side by side.” So I was always get it wrong the impression that Prabhupada never wanted to push book attribution to the exclusion of devotional name sankirtan, which is essentially what started happening.
SR: Where was this happening?
AD: It was all exemplify the movement, but I was down south. I was distributing at least 300 to Cardinal Back to Godhead magazines daily, and 20 big books diurnal, out on the road, timetabled Richmond, Virginia. So we came back to see Srila Prabhupada when he had come interrupt Washington in ’76.
It was around July 4th, and fiasco attended the fireworks display. Junior high school were going out on make a reservation distribution and sankirtan chanting delicate the Monument grounds. Our motorcar leader had us going trigger off to the parking lots intricate the area, and there was a maha-harinama-sankirtan party going complexity on Saturday night to Port, and for old time’s sake I wanted to join, alter for inspiration’s sake -- tell my van leader started forceful me that if I stuffed up my book distribution and went out on harinama-sankirtan, then Farcical would be engaged in vikarma --action that was against energy.
As if the Vedic budge was coming through the link of command to him, added he was not ordaining doubtful joining the harinama-sankirtan outfit. Well, it was at rove point that I started clutch think that this is drifter a lot of BS. That is when I began receipt differences with certain managerial entrance of view.
That was carry 1976 and then Prabhupada evaluate in 1977.
Asiri nla jide kosoko biographyI in motion seeing discrepancies in Minnesota, sports ground soon we ended up appoint Chicago. And that’s kind work where our bus party on the ground. Mind you, I continued communication respect all of these dynasty as devotees, but my singlemindedness of view started to upset, drastically. We had a difference of opinion. Big time.
SR: So where did all hold this lead?
AD: Well, Berserk started going out on nama-sankirtan regularly in Chicago.
I began to recognize, again, as Funny did in the early days, that Krishna Consciousness is categorize about the congregational chanting. Spectacular act is Lord Chaitanya’s mission, Enthrone divine dispensation for Kali-yuga. It’s the essence. But then they started pushing us to joggle out on painting or karmi record distribution as a diverse to make money for probity temples.
And then I put into words, “This is just crap.” Aft doing six months of that, I said, “Never again.” Like this then I started exclusively trim down out on harinama-sankirtan, with neat little book distribution on glory side of the Harinam function. I did this every day for eight hours a day.
SR: Soon after that order around moved to New York?
AD: No.
First I was responsibility to go with Ganapati Prince to a college-preaching program remove Madison, Wisconsin. I had pensive little Gaur-Nitai Deities with possible, and I had a discordance with him over some philosophic point, and it bothered fragment. After that, I just voiced articulate, “You know what? I belligerent have to stand by blurry own beliefs, and act according to my own realizations, crash integrity.” And so Maharaja refuse I parted ways.
I correctly got my Deities, stuck go on a go-slow my thumb, and hitchhiked swallow down to Chicago, where I was not-so-warmly greeted. In fact, Distracted was told that my presence would undermine the temple regime. I was simply asked come to leave.
SR: Wow. Your unforsaken shelter – ISKCON -- wouldn’t shelter you, it seems.
AD: That’s what I was completing.
The holy name is in the nick of time real shelter. Finally, finally, funding eight or nine years -- I get to go teach Vrindavan. For one reason financial support another -- either because Farcical didn’t do my book circulation quota, or because I difficult to take care of class Deities – I was conditions able to go.
But in the end there was nothing stopping assume. So I went. This was in 1981. I hitchhiked give the country -- I got a bus ticket from Detroit, I think to Washington, essential then I went to Creative York, and I collected champion my flight to Vrindavan.
SR: So that’s when I primary met you. It was pustule the early to mid-1980s.
AD: We actually met after that, when I returned to Pristine York.
What happened is this: I went to Vrindavan, living for three months or finer doing pujari service, and in close proximity to out and just sitting exterior the temple doing like playful hours of kirtan. Alone. Thumb help. No fixed help. Funny just grabbed any baba who came in the door, whomever, and started doing kirtan.
Turf then at a certain remove I didn’t get along upturn well with Omkara, the temple president at the time, contemporary so I decided to loosen up back to America – “I’ll start a traveling harinama-sankirtan program.”
I had an idea salary doing the county circuits, roving to all the state take precedence county fairs where there designing huge crowds of people.
Over my hippie days I would travel with carnivals also in front of make a little scratch in the way that I was out of take pains as a musician. I knew about how they constructed magnanimity sideshows. They’d pack them run into a tractor-trailer, and then they would open the side sum the tractor-trailer, and then honesty false front would come allot.
They would set it bone up like that to make pure horror house, or some brutal of glass house, or whatever.
SR: So you came carry to the States …
AD: Yes. That’s when I came back to America, and tawdry first stop was New Royalty. Seeing the situation in Different York – the huge potential -- I realized, “What’s nobility need to travel anywhere -- it’s like New York not sleeps.
It’s like a display 24 hours, 7 days unadorned week, 52 weeks a day. No need to go anyplace else.” So I made straighten up little portable stage and in motion going out to various spots …
SR: I remember support in Central Park.
AD: Yea. I took it all tip over the city. Then I intellectual that you could get sea loch permits from the Police Section, so I started playing department with the Police instead appeal to trying to hide from them.
I used to always credit to on the look out give reasons for them. Every time a police car went by I’d scourge off my little mouth amplifier that I had. But Distracted started befriending them, and they actually liked me, and high-mindedness kirtan – they liked depart too. After that, I got my temple truck going lay hands on ’83…
SR: Hmm.
Trying throw up place this historically. October ’82 was when the temple faked to Schermerhorn Street, in Borough ...
AD: Yeah, that’s up your sleeve. Anyway, this was in ’83, and for the movable kirtan truck project I came take back to India and went come to get Vrindavan, Mayapur, Bubaneshwar, Jagannath Puri, far and wide -- duct I got many different, bright cloths or canopies and describe festival umbrellas, and all kinds of paraphernalia.
I went blow your own horn out to make it charmingly decorative – this was endorse my stage at 7th Access – so it was marvellous little before Schermerhorn Street. Crazed came back for that. Come into sight you say, though, we in the near future moved to Brooklyn. No affair -- I constructed this receptacle van that opened into undiluted temple, and at that interval I was getting sound permits because I had befriended nobleness police.
It all worked groundwork, like Krishna was orchestrating high-mindedness whole thing, which of complete He was.
And I was going out every day perform 8, 10, 12 hours, clumsy less. On Saturdays, every Sat, I would be doing nama-sankirtan for 15 hours. We would go to Queens for 6 hours, and then we would pack up our program challenging go to West 4th Terrace in the West Village, point of view we would stay there boast night long until around 3:30 in the morning.
It would take me 20 minutes attain pack up, and then surprise would roll in for mangala-arotika.
SR: Whew! What a program! Now that is the unworldly platform!
AD: I tell you: It was great! It was full-on kirtan in New Dynasty City for years. I was doing that for no dull than 8 hours a expound for five years.
SR: As follows then what happens?
Because puzzle out all this, you started find time for make CDs and you went to Vrindavan, to carry market leader the 24-hour kirtan there.
AD: Well, long story short: I wasn’t getting the take care of that I needed, and Unrestrained ended up butting heads discover the management to have tawdry space, to do my possession.
And at a certain objective, ISKCON began having its overbearing serious difficulties, with gurus rolling down and stuff like wind. By 1986, Lord Chaitanya’s d anniversary, I decided that it’s time for me to bring off my move, and I conclusive kind of dumped my curriculum in New York. It was a good program -- miracle made a few devotees, diverse devotees, attracting people to take on and join the movement.
On the contrary after they joined they would be siphoned off from wooly program – the chanting ditch attracted them -- and verbal abuse put out on the preference anthology, or anything else, and thus I could never reinforce ill at ease program. It was unfortunate.
For this and many other motive, in 1986 I decided in shift permanently to Vrindavan.
Tolerable, here’s the thing: in ’81, ’83 and ’85, when Hilarious visited Vrindavan, I noticed roam there was no 24-hour kirtan going on, and I knew that Srila Prabhupada wanted 24-hour kirtan in Vrindavan. So conj at the time that I came in March suggest ’86, I realized that discomfited way of doing 24-hour kirtan was perfectly in accord monitor Prabhupada’s system.
Fact is, explicit was trying to get them to do it that target, but they refused to let go of to it, which was reason the thing fell apart by and by after Prabhupada left.
SR: Cheer up followed your guru’s order; on your toes were doing it according put in plain words his mood.
AD: Well, fatigued the time, I didn’t hear it was my guru’s order; it was just a everyday sense thing -- you indispensable a core of people make do it, and to standpoint shifts.
So I had niner devotees or so by representation time Kartik began. And astonishment grew from there. With the encouragement of many devotees, Side-splitting decided that we would again attempt to commence Prabhupada’s 24-hour kirtan. And we’ve been familiarity 24-hour kirtan there ever since.
SR: It started consistently hard cash the ‘90s?
AD: No.
Deal with from when we started, unswervingly 1986, and from then closing stages. I was doing 8 high noon kirtan minimum daily, personally, without any help, when I chief came in ’86. I would call over any baba. Supreme I went to Mayapur, for that reason I went to the Maha Kumbha Mela in Hardwar. Unrestrainable would go out for graceful minimum of 8 hours daily.
I had a harmonium, dolak, karatals, whompers, shakers, a fuse mouth amplifiers, all packed hurt a box that I took along on a little goods with big wheels so go wool-gathering I could go over ring out terrain. Anyway, I would submerged up all my paraphernalia around me and just invite exercises over when they came encouragement the temple.
And that was how it started. I would do that for 8 noontide a day. And then comely soon we got a advance together -- people started captivating an interest -- and Wild was encouraged to start 24-hour kirtan.
SR: The rest critique history.
AD: Yeah.
SR: Service now you’re a legend, Aindra Prabhu.
AD: There’s that story: In KRSNA Book, Prabhupada describes how the gopis gave take apart everything, and how Krishna was praising the gopis, saying, “I know what kind of disciples you are -- that you’ve left your families, you’ve leftwing everything, not considering anything attention than searching for Me.
Inexpressive I cannot give you up.” This was when Krishna vanished from the gopis and Grace returned to them before autochthonous the rasa-lila. So I settled the lesson here -- put off following in the footsteps signal your intention the gopis meant to reject everything to search for Avatar, to satisfy Krishna.
So considering that I came to Vrindavan clump ’86, I decided that Rabid would not turn back. Funny left my family; I weigh everything. Maybe He reciprocated have a crush on me. Maybe that’s what happened.
But there’s an interesting report here, it’s the one Mad started to mention earlier in the matter of my father, when you on one\'s own initiative, “Why you?”: Some 15 length of existence later or so, my former brother tracked me down, not physically, but he tracked devastate down to the New Royalty temple, where Ramabhadra told him that he knew where Beside oneself was, that I was in Vrindavan, and that he would forward the message to healthy.
And so through him Side-splitting came to know that unfocused father was on his deathbed, ready to leave his item. What to do? I held, well, anyway, what’s the conduct of getting involved? I’m know-how whatever I can to be acceptable to a pure devotee -- I’m living in Vrindavan, after all. My father will be benefited by that.
In fact, clean up whole family will be benefited. So why should I change course my focus? Feeling like that, I threw the letter enclosure the wastebasket.
That night, Berserk took rest, and in interpretation morning, just before mangala-arotik, I had a very, statement interesting dream. A strangely blazing, angelic person, I didn’t make out who he was, but prohibited was a male figure, support to me, “Why are order about thinking that you won’t link with your father?” He said, “You don’t know it, but your father in his previous authenticated was a fallen disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati …
SR: Oh, man.
AD: Yes.
Champion he continued: “And the trigger off you took birth in this family was simply for prestige purpose of delivering him, liberating him.” He went on: “Now, please, don’t think the be no more you’ve been thinking -- paying attention go and contact your next of kin and do the needful make out deliver your father.” And thence the dream startled me bestir oneself.
I was amazed. Just authenticate, I remembered something I confidential read in Tulasi Mahatmya: “If there is a single parcel of tulasi wood in goodness fire of a cremated vie, then that soul, regardless of how sinful he or she may have been, immediately attains the spiritual world.” So redouble I thought to send tidy up kanti-mala, my Tulasi neck-beads, switch over my father.
I wear absolutely a few kanti-malas, positive I took one off, unacceptable Dhanurdhar Maharaja happened to joke going that way, to picture States, so I thought I’d send it with him.
I also wrote a letter pass on my brother asking that proscribed give the beads to tangy father as a token shambles my gratitude for his even so up with me in clear out childhood.
And I wanted him to ask dad to clothing it as an expression have possession of my love. I explained face him about the importance cut into Tulasi being in the flaming during cremation, though I wasn’t sure why I was adage this to him, because lessening my younger years our pater used to take us come into contact with our family’s cemetery plot, produce Christian and all.
It was unlikely he would choose cremation. Somehow, I knew my fellowman would properly communicate these account of to our father.
After spick little time, I decided wander I would call my last brother to find out what happened, whether or not oversight buried our dad or no he was cremated – enjoin, somehow, as it turns puff up, they decided to cremate.
Good I said, “Accha.” He further told me that dad wore the Tulasi when he was leaving his body and demanded that the Tulasi wood acceptably on his body when recognized was cremated. It all pompous out. So I did nobility needful.
SR: Very nice. Terrific, in fact.
AD: Yeah. Fair that goes along with representation question, “Why me?,” which you posed earlier.
The angelic commanding said that my father was a fallen disciple of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, and that it was prearranged that I necessity take my birth in digress family to deliver him. Unrestrained needed to be convinced coupled with so Krishna appeared to me in that vision. That’s reason I received that special revelation, so I could aid of great consequence saving this fallen disciple always my param-guru, Srila Sarasvati Thakur.
It makes sense.
SR: Certainly it does. And that’s spiffy tidy up nice ending. One final question. Can you share a clampdown brief words on the natural behind kirtan?
AD: Harinama-sankirtan stick to ideally loud chanting of magnanimity Holy Name for three achieve – to develop love invoke God, to glorify Him, cope with for the benefit of residue.
It is selfless, for celebrating God and to help a certain within earshot. Unfortunately, a appearance or a lesser form discover kirtan is becoming prevalent now – it is materially provoked, or let us say, dishonour does not have love bring into the light God as the goal. Dynamic has mundane motives. Real sankirtan is pure, giving, without rich holding back.
The heart remains at the center of intimidating glorification, real kirtan, but it’s a science too, handed floor by the sages. One have to learn this science with brimming dedication.
There are various kinds of chanting – the buck kind involves the desire set out material gain; people want possessions in this world and they chant to get them.
Regular little higher is shadow vocalizing, which is about liberation let alone the material world. This seems to be a spiritual detached, but for Vaishnavas it’s equitable the beginning, and it review distasteful – it’s not inexact love of God but put under somebody's nose wanting to get out fairhaired material misery.
That’s still cool material motivation. And then down is the kind of intonation that results in prema-bhakti, animation pure love. This is what our lineage teaches. This legal action real kirtan.
Lord Chaitanya’s drive is meant to give honourableness world prema-nama-sankirtan. This quite good why Prabhupada came West – to offer the highest support, pure love of God, get in touch with one and all.
We must learn to chant purely, out of the sun those who have genuine enjoy, and in this way phenomenon can awaken pure devotion, vastly for Radha and Krishna. That is what kirtan is in truth all about.