Giriraj Swami and Bhakti Caru Swami spoke during the festival in Laguna Beach.
“Jagat Purusa Prabhu would cook in Bombay in extremely austere conditions. One day it was so hot he could hardly stay on his feet; he felt like he was going to collapse. He was so hot and sweaty—and you are not supposed to sweat when you are serving the deities—his mind was reeling. Afterwards he left the cooking area and went to the part of the shack where the devotees lived. He was condemning himself: ‘What kind of a person am I? I am just thinking of my body—my mind and my senses. I am not thinking about Krishna.’ Then he saw a small picture of Krishna in the room. And he saw a peacock feather stuck in the chatai. He took that peacock feather and started to fan the picture of Krishna. And he immediately felt complete relief. All his fatigue and heat just went away. Then he realized, ‘This is Krishna consciousness: thinking of Krishna and how to please the senses of Krishna—not thinking about my own mind and senses.’ ”
— Giriraj Swami