Author Archives: H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami

Christie Pitts, Toronto   I Made My Way   I made my way to the upper level of the park at Christie Pitts to meet Nick, who hails from Tobago. He works in the hospitality business at a downtown Toronto hotel. Everyone there, employees and c…

Toronto, Ontario   Celebrate!   I will be keeping up my daily walking, however, I failed today as other priorities set in. Part of the excuse was preparing for online festival presentations. The Chariot Fest will be virtual and will be com…

St. Jamestown, Toronto   It Happened   It happened just two weeks ago. A young tennis player noticed me sitting at a picnic table at Ramsden Park. He was drawn to our little gathering, which included my cousin, Corry, and her husband, Eric…

Toronto, Downtown   Strong   Within one hour of the start of my walking, the classic question came my way, first by three Chinese-Canadians.   “Are you a monk?”   “Yes, indeed.”   The second time the question was posed came …

Toronto, North York, Vaughn   Through Three   I walked northbound through three boroughs on a nineteen kilometre stretch beginning at 5:30 a.m., to the home of a very active member of our community. Rupanuga turned seventy-three today. It…

Toronto, Ontario   Arjuna Said/ Krishna Said    We often consider that we are nowhere near perfect. But are there some, or even one person who is flawless?   I was looking at a rendition of The Gita by Ranchor Prime, a student of …

Rosedale, Toronto   Short for Krishna   I had crossed the bridge over the ravine, carrying my meditation beads in my left hand while fingering each bead. A local person on his bicycle noticed them. He stopped and asked, “Is that a rosary?”&nb…

Bloor West, Toronto   The Way Krishna Lived   Well, the fancy bars and dining rooms are open for business again. It’s as if nothing had ever happened to startle clients from Covid 19. The same laughing and giggling goes on as before and th…

Brampton/Mississauga   Nice Talk at the Dentist’s   I did walk a piece today. I did wait a piece today—in the dentist clinic waiting room. A woman in front of me, age sixty, brunette to red hair—ponytailed—at the inquiry desk, left her qu…

Christie Pitts, Toronto   It’s All Good   This particular cyclist really gets around. I’ve met him now on so many different streets. I guess it’s mutual. I also get “out and about,” as the expression goes. My friend, on his two wheels, was…

Owen Sound, Ontario   A Bunch of Fathers   We departed for our walk at 6:00 a.m., and turned north onto Yonge Street, going block after block through midtown Toronto, and then uptown Toronto—quite a stretch of 8.9 kilometres. It was a sunn…

Toronto, Ontario   A New Official Monk   I’ve known Corrado for a number of years, since he first started coming to our temple/ashram. He first met one of our exemplary devotees, Shyama Mohini, who has a passion for distributing the books …

Kensington Market, Toronto Homeless Hanuman What I’m going to say I’m sure will sound familiar to you. Someone I hadn’t seen for a while entered my mind view. I reached Kensington on foot and the dude-in-thought manifest. His name is Hanuman a…

Queens Park, Toronto Beat Sticks It was a pleasure, and always will be—a pleasure—to deliver classes on the science of bhakti. I am in my element as it brings me closer to guru and Krishna. We have begun a new chapter…

Allen Gardens, Toronto  Combining Walking and Kirtan  Corrado cycled over to Allen Gardens, with the mrdunga drum strapped to his back, and waited there for us walkers. This is a new strategy we’re trying. Each night, afte…

University of Toronto Finding the Outlet I broke away halfway through our morning sadhana while our monks were engaged in chanting, mantra-hearing and bhakti discussion, to meet and visit with a first cousin. Her name is Corry and she’s a social w…

Toronto, Ontario My Reasons for Joy There are three reasons for my being very content today. First of all, my brother, Jerry, drove an hour and a half from his home in Peterborough to drop off two boxes of old family photos for me t…

Orillia, Ontario I Got Out  Wow! I got out! Out of the city! What a treat!   With the lockdown culture suddenly lifting some of the restrictions on social gatherings, I’m now about to honour the gesture. One of our members/administrators…

Toronto, Ontario Different Approaches There are not too many ways to get around in this self-same body without the use of any conveyance. I would say you could walk, run, crawl or swim and that’s about it. Forget about flying by thrusting yourself …

Bloor St., Toronto Getting Down With the Mantra There are sixteen words that encompass the maha-mantra,which is taken seriously by those of the bhaktipersuasion, and preferably uttered in the morning for setting a good spiritual note; though the soun…

Christie Pitts, Toronto Preferences From the Biblical teachings of Psalm 84:10, it is said: “Better is one day in the courts of the Lord than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents …

Rosedale, Toronto   Persistent Perfume   Emotions were high across the globe over the death, and today’s funeral, of an innocent George Floyd. It was a clear act of injustice on the part of the police—hence the general public is angry. &nb…

Toronto, Ontario   A Few Minutes with Jerry   My phone rang. On the phone’s display I saw the name of my brother—Jerry Vis. I answered.   “How are you, Jerry?”   “Great! You’re walking?” He could hear me pacing, breathing, pantin…

Toronto, Ontario Gems at the Corner In the last few days, through the medium of Zoom, we have spoken on topics of “Teamwork in Spiritual Life,” “Happiness,” “The Importance of Relationship,” “Worry,” “Grooming a New Generation,” “Samadhi,” “Surren…

Toronto, OntarioOur Own IdentityWhen you walk the streets (with caution re: Covid-19) as I do, in full monk regalia, you do get to see how the public identifies you. In popular Yorkville, on Cumberland Street, despite most shops there being closed, the…

Toronto, OntarioCranky Old ManI couldn’t resist putting the following poem out there—Sent by Hadai Pandit of Vancouver. The author’s name is not mentioned.Cranky old manWhat do you see nurses?…what do you see?What are…

Rosedale, TorontoPPPI trekked with Leonard who, from what I can understand, is working his way up to becoming a rabbi. We spoke about Judaism and Krishna Consciousness and compared notes. The current unrest with racial tension in the States was also pa…

Toronto, OntarioCranky Old ManI couldn’t resist putting the following poem out there—Sent by Hadai Pandit of Vancouver. The author’s name is not mentioned.Cranky old manWhat do you see nurses?…what do you see?What are…

Riverdale Farm, TorontoSaumeerI try to reach a different destination every day, and today was Riverdale Farm (currently closed due to Covid 19). It’s my first visit to the area, and the park next to the barnyard is a mere 3.9 kilometres from my residen…

David Balfour Park, Toronto A Turn OverThe monster, Covid 19, has definitely been like some kind of plough, turning over soil and exposing new elements. People are more and more becoming actual pedestrians. Professional gyms are closed so you cannot…

Toronto, OntarioIs It All Over?Just prior to my evening walk, our group from the temple ashram pulled out our instruments for another bang of musical sounds to salute the Health Caretakers contending with and tending to the Covid virus. I thought we …

Rosedale, TorontoEconomy, Cyclists, WalkersAs I sent a pic of Vishnu, who my friend, Tom, happens to love, he sent me an article he thought I would like. First came his brief letter, and then the article “Economy and Cyclist.”Hi Maharaj …

Toronto, Ontario Have SomeoneAfter three zoom classes for the day, I was ready for a much needed time outdoors.  I chose, as my route, Yonge Street,  a place up for change, with towering condominiums popping up along the way—perhaps it’s a…

Toronto, Canada More Has ComeRecently another responsibility has landed on my lap.  Canada’s territory has been expanded to include Alaska, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming; all of this for nurturing the mission.  Lea…

Kensington TorontoNear Me  Since I became a monk in the spring of ’73, I’ve made it a practice to have my japa beads (meditation beads) near me. This is how I was trained. My mentor at the time insisted, “Anythin…

The Annex, TorontoWe Are Asleep“A sleeping person imagines an alternative reality for himself and, seeing himself as having various names and forms, forgets his waking identity, which is distinct from the dream. Similarly, the senses of one whose consc…

Toronto, OntarioReflectionThe first verse of the 15th chapter from the Bhagavad-Gita reads like this: “Bhagavan spoke, it is said that there is and imperishable banyan tree that has its roots upward and its branches down and whose leaves are …

Toronto, OntarioA Need for BhajansI met up with Ajamila at the corner of Wellesley and Sherbourn. We hadn’t seen each other since the lockdown started although the occasional meet by phone. He’s doing well and is singing&n…

Toronto, OntarioAround FishingThe place was the Weston Family Quarry Garden at the Evergreen Brickworks where two young boys were fishing for gold or catfish, whatever would go for the bait.“What have you got there?  Worms?”  I asked.“No, bre…

Toronto, OntarioGoodbye to serenity?Corrado and I and a new seeker, Abhijit, who works with healthcare workers, took to a walk on the shady side of the street.  Eventually we found ourselves in a tree-bound neighbourhood, but before that we noti…