Book 1 Journal and Poems
As the title suggests, this work combines features of a daily chronicle with those of a collection of poems. There are advantages to be gained from each medium. To keep a journal is particularly suitable for helping a devotee state his own realizations and deal with his anarthas. Srila Prabhupada described this kind of writing in a lecture he gave in Los Angeles in 1970…
Book 2 Journal and Poems
THE ABSOLUTE CRITERIA for success in any endeavor is whether Lord Krsna is pleased by what you do. If the Supreme Personality of Godhead is satisfied by your work, then it is successful; and if He is not pleased, then you have failed. The SrimadBhagavatam states this criteria as follows…
Book 3 Journal and Poems
I begin with a proposed schedule: build up health at Glta- nagan for the month of January, then resume duties and go to Potomac; by mid-February we should be off to India—first Vrndavana, and then Mayapur.
My recovery of weight and strength is going slowly, and even today headache pains and exhaustion came after attempting a few exercises…
ISKCON in the 1970s
Many devotees helped in the production of this book and without their help this book would not have been possible. Caitanya-rupa-devi dasi became the main editor and Sita-devi dasi the main typist. Kaisori-devi dasi, Krsna-katha-devi dasi and Jita-sakti-devi dasi helped type the original diaries. Madhava dasa deserves credit for composing the final manuscript. At one point, when Caitanya-rupa became a bit overwhelmed by the volume of material…
In Praise of the Mahajanas
When they were singing bhajanas and Lord Krsna and Lord Rama were giving us darsana I got the feeling that shortage of subjects was not my problem, and ecstasy of feeling is plenty. We are brimming over in Krsna consciousness with themes enough for hundreds of years. Poets chant of battles or they criticize wars humanely praise cities, or women, speak of “The Night,” or loneliness, lamenting and rejoicing on behalf of all…
I am Prabhupadas Servant
Books Among Friends was started to provide a forum for me to speak to my disciples or just to share with them writing that is perhaps too personal or even experimental to be published for a wider audience. For example, Litany For The Gone addressed a private topic— private to me and private to my disciples. This book, September Catchall, is in a different category of privacy. It is a quiet book, telling of my personal, day-to-day life at a relaxed pace…
Gurudeva and Nimai
My spiritual master, Gauracandra dasa Swami, is a follower of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktisiddhanta Swami Prabhupada, the Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krsna Consciousness. This story is about our struggle for survival when we were stranded in the Canadian mountains, and when we were also fighting for spiritual truth. My Gurudeva asked me to tell about the ordeal he and I went through, even though it includes some offensive mentality…
