Pariprashnena — Q&A Archive

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I read Bhagavad-gita-as-it-is.

I think this is a great idea, so here is my own story.

Part 1

After working for many years in my well paid Government Printing Office job as a Typographer, having become dissatisfied with material life and where it was going for me, I decided the answer to life was to earn money playing music. As I had passed exams in composition and music theory, I imagined I could compose music for Film or TV and tried for that but found it very hard to crack into the industry.

My next plan for happiness was to play on the street and surrender to whatever the universe would provide...I had met a Maori harp (mouth organ) player and we were taking a good amount of money playing everyday in Cuba St. in Wellington NZ (I am sure you know this street Sitapati). By the Lords mercy, this is the street where the devotees would walk on their way downtown for harinama, at that time the temple was located in Kensington St. When I first saw the devotees I was very suspicious - people dressed in white Indian clothes screamed "cult" to my contaminated mind. Nevertheless a devotee named Astasiddhi dasa stopped each day and gave me a prasadam sweet and I would pick out a different book from his book bag (just for the sake of collecting them - being in the publishing industry, I appreciated the quality of the printing).

After collecting all the books and putting them proudly on my bookshelf, I decided to read one of them and picked out Srila Prabhupadas condensed Lilamrta softbound version - in those days simply called "Prabhupada". After reading about Srila Prabhupadas life, this convinced me that I needed to investigate these Hare Krsnas and see what was behind this obviously great man and all that he achieved. I left home at this time and went "flatting" with a few musician friends, one of whom was a guitar player aptly named Jimmy.
One day he suggested we "Go to the Hares for a feed" and promised I not tell anyone. In those days (1984)...the Sunday feast was held in a vegetarian restaurant called "The Lotus" and the devotees would chant and have a discourse in the philosophy there. As we entered the restaurant, I could feel the purified atmosphere and I knew something big was going on spiritually. This is when I first heard the Maha mantra, the word Rama had a big effect on me for some reason and I thought this word was very strange...it was also the first time I tasted prasadam, this had a huge impact on me and I could really feel the purifying effects of prasadam and I remember feeling completely satisfied (even though I had only eaten half the plate) and blown away by the purifying feeling.

Part 2

Eventually I started running a business with my father printing T-shirts (an idea I got from the devotees who had this business to support the temple) and remembered the devotees telling me I should print spiritual T-shirts...so I started to make SP, Maha mantra and Auckland Rathayatra T-shirts...this is when I got my first taste....a drop of nectar from service by the Lords mercy...this was so profound that I thought to myself "Its true what they say in these books"...this affected me to the extent that I decided right then and there - There was nothing else left in the world but to become a devotee of Krsna. After giving up intoxication and my girlfriend (who was a half-caste Maori working as a model, very entangling situation)....I revisited my girlfriend and was lying one morning in bed and decided to reach over and turn on the radio for no apparent reason....the radio announcer made some weather report and then said "Today we have a special guest in the studio, Prabhavisnu Swami, a member of the Hare Krsna movement"....this just happened to be the first time I heard my future spiritual master. My ears pricked up and I listened intently (fending off comments of envy from my ex girlfriend "Now well see how much you know about this Hare stuff")...I was immediately struck by the Maharajas humility, which differed greatly from the previous zonal guru who shall remain nameless. This was again another push that made me break any association with materialists and to seriously get into spiritual life.

We had a relative visiting our house from Scotland, and at that stage I was reading SB 2nd Canto softbound version (which I couldnt understand a word of, but knew I should read it religiously everyday)...this is when I decided to attempt chanting 16 rounds....it was the most difficult thing I had done in my life....my mouth was getting very sore and dry and it was very difficult to get the words out, but I reached 16 nonetheless. At this time I also started to offer bhoga to Srila Prabhupada and Krsna and I had pictures of Mayapur all over my wall...I preached the little I knew to our visiting relative and gave her the pumpkin soup prasadam I had offered that day (she still reminds me about this and how good it tasted). She then decided to become a vegetarian and visited the Temple in Glasgow when she returned home...more evidence that convinced me of the philosophy and another drop of taste the Lord gave me from preaching His glories.

One morning, after sleeping in, I was lying in my bed looking at the wall and thinking about life...at that exact time a shaft of light came through the gap in the top of the curtains and slowly lit up right on the face of my favourite picture of Krsna (the one where He is standing with the animal around Him)...the shaft of light was exactly on Krsnas face and then it disappeared. I was totally amazed and took it as a sign that I should continue with my quest for spiritual life so I decided to call the temple, and by some incredible arrangement, they had moved to a house just 5 mins walk from my house!

There is more to come but I think I have written enough...Part 3 sometime if anyone is interested. Please write your own story for the service of the vaisnavas.

Autobiography of a bhogi:

I can remember glimpses of my previous life.

I was flying around this wonderful high school gymnasium filled with people dressed in orange robes. There were these buckets filled with amazing smelling food.

I was especially attracted to a bucket with this white sweet lumpy stuff. I wanted to check it out so I flew closer.

Wow. The smell overwhelmed me.

I got as close as I could to poke my tongue into the sticky yummyness when some got on my wing. I tried to buzz it off but that just got more of it on my other wing. Before I knew it I was covered in the stuff and there was no way out. I sank deeper and deeper into the sweet heavenly white quicksand and thats all I can remember.

Next life I joined the Hare Krishnas and thats my story.

Four years before...i talked and go with my friend santhosh for roaming..
at that time his sister jayashree came on that way. So my santhosh got introduce me with his sister.
at that time i saw a Bhagvadgita-as-it-is book on her bag (book appears in a small gap). After i saw that book, i felt on that presentation and art works.so i asked her to read. she gave me that book more pleasurefully. After she gave that book. She tell me about the ISKCON.I feel spiritual on that moment. So i get attracted with that life. but previous years i cant able to merge with that life. because of such worst circumstances and the attraction of material world.
At that time my santhosh died on ekadhasi day. I got more sad. But now i dedicate my life slightly to iskcon. surely,it will increase on future days.Is there any prabhujis please bless me.
This is my story about krishna conscious.

Really god is great...Hari bhol...