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World Sankirtan Party

On Friday morning, PSA flight 977 from Los Angeles touches down in San Francisco carrying His Divine Grace. Jayananda has arranged many engagements for Srila Prabhupada. The first date is at the YMCA Sunday School, where the children enjoy the chanting. On Monday Prabhupada leads the devotees in sankirtana at the public library in Oakland. Many people join in as soon as the chanting begins. Tuesday afternoon he is interviewed on KGO talk radio, and people call in with their questions. His answers are very illuminating, and a lively discussion ensues. Yamuna realizes that everything Prabhupada says is extremely important, so she vigilantly records every talk he gives. The following day she and Gargamuni arrange to record him singing Vande ?ham and the prayers from Brahma-samhita. After the recording Prabhupada leaves for San Francisco State College. The lecture is well attended, and students surround him asking questions long after the program is finished. On Thursday, March 14, Srila Prabhupada is again at Frederick Street to help the devotees celebrate the holy appearance day of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Large crowds of people come each evening to hear Prabhupada lecture on Bhagavad-gita. He is preaching in a soft mellow mood these days and singing very sweetly. The young people, the seekers, the hippies, and young mothers with children are regular visitors. About half are seriously seeking answers to life. The rest have dropped out of the status quo and are lost souls with no direction. The temple is filled with this type of congregation every evening. Tamal and Vishnujana are among the seekers who come to the evening lectures, and they return during the day with questions. Saradiya devi dasi: Tamal Krishna and Vishnujana were friends and came together. They were both Geminis. They reminded me of Gemini twins. They both used to play flutes, and Vishnujana used to make them out of bamboo. I remember Malati and I chanting outside the temple and watching Vishnujana and Tamal Krishna walking down the street. They had been to the temple, and we were talking to each other, "When are those guys going to join up?" You could tell they were just on the verge. They were both very special. As they begin to attend the temple on a regular basis, Karunamayi enjoys preaching to them. This is not appreciated by her husband Gargamuni. Previously she was a hippie and felt at home in that world. She joined Srila Prabhupada being enamoured and infatuated by the movement and the philosophy. But she still feels at home in the hippie world and loves the hippie mood. Gargamuni dislikes hippies and is judgmental towards non-devotees. In Haight-Ashbury it all comes to a head. She quickly realizes they have little in common beyond Krishna. Karunamayi devi dasi: That had everything to do with my break up with Gargamuni because he hated hippies. He was always referring to them as dirty, filthy pigs. It was bigotry, really. He was so judgmental towards other people, and he was so young, trying to grasp these deep concepts given by Srila Prabhupada. He would just take off on people. He was so dogmatic. Our marriage didn't work out because I couldn't deal with that dogmatism. He was verbally cruel to people outside the movement that he would run across, or to people who were thinking of becoming devotees. It was just too much for me. Karunamayi begins to feel more and more estranged from temple life as her marriage continues to fall apart. She still loves Krishna consciousness, but her natural, feminine, soft heart is inclined to take the side of the underdog?in this case anyone her husband continues railing against. Her solution appears in the form of Vishnujana and Tamal's daily arrival at the temple programs. She can preach to these two far-out hippies about Krishna consciousness and at the same time enjoy their company. As devotees engage Vishnujana and Tamal in temple service, she takes the opportunity to further associate by explaining the philosophy and answering their questions. They are impressed to hear her speak about spiritual life in a much deeper way than the other spiritualists they are visiting. Their faith in Prabhupada increases as a result. She sees them as friends, and they reciprocate her friendly mood. The brahmacaris have a different perspective. They see her behavior as whimsical. They explain to the newcomers that in the Vedic system men and women do not mix freely. If one wants to make advancement on the path, he must give up the association of the opposite sex. For a brahmacari, association with women is strictly forbidden because it courts falldown. Tamal, being single, identifies more with the brahmacaris. As her marriage is falling apart Karunamayi begins to take shelter of Vishnujana, knowing full well his marriage is also falling apart. She preaches and encourages him, and then he encourages Tamal. The householder couples are glad to see Karunamayi engaged in preaching service. This will take her mind off her marital problems. Vishnujana is already married, so Karunamayi's preaching is not a disturbance. Gargamuni becomes increasingly upset as he begins to sense how much his wife is enjoying preaching to the two friends. Compelled by anger, he challenges her. Hearing his tirade, she digs her heels in even more. The incident further alienates them and gives Karunamayi more impetus to act independently. Convinced that these hippies are only interested in his wife and not really sincere about Krishna consciousness, Gargamuni tries to have Vishnujana and Tamal barred from coming to the temple. Unwittingly, the two newcomers are caught up in a clash of cultures threatening to undermine their status amongst the devotees. Yamuna devi dasi: My sense was that Gargamuni was a very abusive man, and we were all aware of some of that abusive nature without being married to him. Vishnujana was an attractive man, the kind of human being that you want people to be. His good qualities showed up immediately. As I recall it, he was just calling the bluff of Gargamuni, who was a bully. Nobody else was willing to do it, but Vishnujana stood up to him, so Karunamayi became attached. Vishnujana just said, "No more," but Gargamuni accused him in retaliation. Everyone was totally aware of it, and there were showdowns in the temple over it. The temple becomes divided over this controversy. Gargamuni convinces the brahmacaris that these two people are not sincere. When Vishnujana and Tamal show up at the Willard Street house to visit Srila Prabhupada for darshan, they are denied entrance. Vishnujana is very disappointed. He is still married and has seen the other householder men speak to the women. He understands that they view him as an outsider, an intruder. But he also knows that Karunamayi's preaching has enabled him to come to a deeper level of commitment to Krishna consciousness. Tamal suggests that maybe this is a test. The tension heightens when Karunamayi arrives at Tamal's door one evening begging for shelter. She explains that her marriage has reached the breaking point. She can no longer tolerate the abuse. Feeling charitable, Tamal allows her to stay in the front part of the basement flat he shares with Vishnujana. Early in the morning there's a loud knocking at the door. Gargamuni strides in abruptly, displaying an angry mood. Unaware that Karunamayi is hiding in fear of being discovered, he explains that to associate with another man's wife is contrary to all scriptures and offensive to Krishna. "According to the Vedas, if you steal the wife of another man you can be killed." "What?!" They are shocked to see him so agitated. "I've always maintained my wife and worked honestly. My only interest is to serve my spiritual master. Why are you giving me trouble? And to yourselves too?" The tone is threatening. Tamal discreetly remains quiet. "Listen, brother. We're coming to the temple because we're into spiritual life," Vishnujana explains. "I've already got a wife. You've seen her. Do I need another?" His voice is soothing. He explains that he has just given up a gorgeous wife and a child he has delivered with his own hands to take to the spiritual path. "It doesn't make sense to get involved with another man's wife just a few weeks later, does it?" "Frankly," Gargamuni admits, "my wife isn't worth it. She's never been much use, and I don't want anything more to do with that woman. Why should we get entangled over her?" "There was never anything intimate going on," Vishnujana replies. "She was just preaching and we only saw her in that light. She was looking for some friends. Actually, we just want to become devotees." "Then give up this nonsense. If you really want to be devotees, you have to love the pure devotee and follow his instructions." "Hey, we love God, and the Swami, and his teachings, too," Vishnujana asserts. "No. Love means service. Real love means sacrifice," Gargamuni counters. "And love for Krishna means serving his representative, the pure devotee. It's not sentimental, ?Oh, I love Krishna.' Not like that. You should give your life to this movement. You should cut off your hair and move into the temple if you have real love. Anything else is not love. It's just sentimentality, romanticized love." Gargamuni spends a long time preaching to them, emphasizing this point of the meaning of love, and how they should avoid associating with women. "The whole thing just got out of hand," Vishnujana tries to console him. "Then don't have anything more to do with her." With that, Gargamuni walks out closing the door authoritatively behind him, obviously still attached. Karunamayi comes out from where she's been hiding. She's visibly distraught, concerned that she may lose her new friends who are seriously pondering the philosophical points made by Gargamuni. "I think he said it like it is," Vishnujana concludes. "We should surrender right now. Let's go join up." Tamal is taken by surprise at Vishnujana's spontaneous decision. Although his intention is the same, this is a little too sudden for him. "Yeah, you go ahead now. Are you sure you're going to do it?" "For sure." Sensing Tamal's hesitation, Vishnujana puts the icing on the cake. "What's the use of putting off what you're intending to do anyway?" Tamal is caught, and his face lights up into a smile. "Well, let's both join." They break up in laughter. Karunamayi makes some futile points. She looks forlorn. She doesn't want her new friends, whom she likes so much, to join the temple and leave her alone. Karunamayi devi dasi: Gargamuni came and talked to them for a couple of hours. He was very convincing, and they were spellbound. While that talk was taking place, I was just sitting there with my head in my hands because Gargamuni was very persuasive. I knew it was doomed. I kind of hoped it wouldn't happen because I would miss them. After he left, they sat in my presence discussing the whole conversation, and they decided to enlist. I remember that very well. He single-handedly made those two decide to join the temple. I was preaching to them about Krishna consciousness, but I wasn't saying it would be great for them to move into the temple. And that was totally selfish. I didn't want them to move into the temple at all, because that would mean brahmacari life and I wouldn't see them much. I tried to argue them out of it. I gave it my best shot. But I did preach to both of them about the philosophy. Right from the beginning Vishnujana was very sincere. He would never do anything that wasn't allowed or accepted by Srila Prabhupada. Even before he actually shaved his head and moved into the temple, he was always very respectful of what he knew to be the boundaries. Completely convinced by Gargamuni, the two friends quickly pack their belongings and leave for the temple. The result of so much inquiry into the nature of spiritual life finally leads them to the front door of 518 Frederick Street. But the brahmacaris do not welcome them in. They are considered mischief-makers and not really sincere. They are told they may visit the temple, but they can't move in. Dismayed, the two friends trudge back to the apartment wondering what went wrong. They wanted to surrender but were rejected! Now what? The following morning they return again for the kirtan program. After breakfast prasadam one of the brahmacaris explains that the devotees have had a discussion about their joining. Jayananda, the temple president, has requested that the decision be reversed. Now they can move into the temple if they wish. Elated by the good news, Tamal returns to the apartment and offers it to Karunamayi. She has officially left her husband and the temple, and needs a place to call home. Seeing that she has no means of support, Tamal also offers her his job to provide for her income. Karunamayi devi dasi: So the next day they moved in and gave their place to me. They were leaving and they wanted to take care of me in some way. Tamal was very quiet in those days and very respectful. So he took me out with him to sell the Berkeley Barb. My leaving the temple had to do with my marriage. I just had to leave at that point. It was not due to philosophical reasons. They were leaving me and I was leaving everything. So Tamal was concerned for me. It was Tamal who came with Vishnujana, and they joined together, totally and utterly. So they were gone, and it was kind of a big void for me. The whole thing was kind of lonely for me because they were my best friends at that time. The new recruits move in with the brahmacaris in the temple. Vishnujana is only nineteen years old and Tamal is twenty-one. Their first instructors are Upendra, Prabhupada's servant; Uddhava, the head cook; and Jayananda, the temple president. The brahmacaris ask if they want to shave up. Tamal is apprehensive. He's attached to keeping his hair and decides to wait a while. Vishnujana, however, is fearless. Sitting down immediately, he requests his head be shaved clean. Seeing his surrender, Gargamuni accepts it as an act of sincerity. He presents both Vishnujana and Tamal with japa beads from the gift shop he runs at the temple, to dispel any misgivings he still harbors. Frederick Street temple is a small storefront like 26 Second Avenue. You enter a long narrow hallway where a big pile of shoes overwhelms the door. There is a main temple room and towards the back a curtain separates the temple from the kitchen. Downstairs there's a basement where the brahmacaris live, with a shower room to the rear. Not everyone wears a dhoti. There's no demand to shave up and wear robes. Everything is voluntary. Upendra is one of the few who does wear a dhoti. Jayananda and Krishna dasa work to support the temple, so they both wear pants. The grihasthas live outside in their separate apartments and maintain themselves. The brahmacarinis stay with the married women. There is no mangal-arati. The services start at seven in the morning with evening classes three times a week. The double-tiered altar is carved redwood, hand-crafted by Syamasundara, and sits over to one side towards the far corner of the temple room. On the lower tier is a Jadurani painting of Panca Tattva with many candles attractively lighting up the picture. Around the frame is a flower garland. Standing over on the right side is Kartama-sayi, the Deity of Krishna holding a flute in one hand with the other hand on His hip. Three nicely framed pictures of Srila Prabhupada grace this level. On the upper tier, the Deities of Lord Jagannath, Lady Subhadra, and Sri Baladeva look down mercifully upon the devotees who come for darshan. On the very top of the altar, almost touching the ceiling, sits a chakra and flag. There is a real mridanga in the temple room, as well as bongos and tambourines. The temple has a real depth of family spirit, and everyone who joins is welcomed into the family. Vishnujana and Tamal fit right in, immediately becoming family members. Jayananda receives the new recruits with great pleasure and hospitality, making them feel completely comfortable. He assures them that they have made the best choice of their lives by taking up Krishna consciousness. They reciprocate his confidence in their decision. They have spent a lot of time checking out the various groups around town and are already convinced. Cidananda: They just walked in the temple like they knew what was going on. They were ready to surrender and serve. It wasn't one of those things where you had to preach a whole lot to them. They were ready to join and get out and do things. Every day the temple offers a free lunch program for the hippies. But sometimes it gets too hectic, and some of the householders stay away, leaving just a skeleton crew to feed everyone. On Ekadasi, everyone chants extra rounds and studies Prabhupada's books, so the blinds are drawn and a sign is hung on the door, Temple Closed. Then the householders who normally aren't there come and cook for all the devotees. So on Ekadasi there is no prasadam distribution. Prabhupada likes the mood in San Francisco with Jayananda and jokes that it's an Ekadasi feast?not fast?and it is. The preparations are incredible. The temple atmosphere is very nice when meeting takes place; the temple is full to its capacity, and people are taking very much interest in our philosophy. So I am very much hopeful of this center under the guidance of Sriman Jayananda. ?Letter to Brahmananda, March 12, 1968 When Prabhupada had been in Los Angeles, an appearance on a local TV show had inspired him with a new idea to spread Krishna consciousness. Subsequently, he had written Hansadutta in January about his plans for a World Sankirtan Party. The party will be composed of two mridanga players, eight kartal players, two tamboura players, a harmonium, and a lead singer. The group should be trained for public performances in conjunction with prasadam distribution, by booking halls and selling tickets. Thus, "We will earn money by stage exhibitions and attract attention of the elite public and move from station to station." Prabhupada continues to write Hansadutta to give further encouragement for the World Sankirtan Party. Hansadutta is excited about the project and attempts to organize the kirtan group in New York. Prabhupada encourages him in every letter, "Organization of the kirtan party for world tour should be given our first consideration." Prabhupada's original idea was to import experienced musicians from India, but now he decides to combine the American and Indian kirtaniyas together for his World Sankirtan Party. He follows up with another letter explaining that Hansadutta will be successful if the kirtan party is successful. He stresses an important point: never develop a professional mood, just make the kirtan perfect from the point of view of Krishna consciousness. He thanks Hansadutta for organizing the sankirtana party and booking engagements. As encouragement, Prabhupada explains that when he comes to New York, he will take the sankirtana party with him to the different cities he will visit in America. Then they will go to England, Holland, Germany, and finally Bombay. The World Sankirtan Party is constantly on Prabhupada's mind, although it will be a few years yet before his dream is realized.


Reference: Radha Damodara Vilasa by Vaiyasaki Dasa