Author Archives: H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami

Toronto, OntarioDrama: No WalkingFrom the play, “Gita: Concise.”  Practice in session.Once you were in the body of a very small childThen you grew up to become a little wildYour body as a youth showed all this passionWhen people carry on in a…

Toronto, OntarioMessage From RobertA message came from Robert of CaliforniaSUBJECT: You inspire meMESSAGE: I met you at a park in Jackson, California, in September, 2017.  I was thrilled with your tales from the trail.  Yo…

Montreal QuebecUnder The SunArtiome, my Russian friend for a number of years now, hosted me in his home at Isle Perrot.  It is a gorgeous spot just off the St. Lawrence River where it is particularly wide, and before its waters convert to the…

Montreal, QuebecGood SpiritThis whole spring and summer there’s been a threat of rain about to descend, and it has come, more so than usual, at least in the eastern part of the country. Today was no exception.  The showers came and then …

Montreal, QuebecMagic in the ParkThe usual, full, six-hour-allotted time was given for the ride to Montreal.  The local community is all hyped up for the weekend’s chariot fest.  The afternoon and early evening time had me occupied …

North York / Toronto, OntarioRemembering “The Longest Road”I came to the end of the day realizing that I hadn’t set foot on the pavement other than a walk over the sidewalk to reach the grass in Avondale Park.  There, along with Connor, we sp…

Toronto, OntarioOkay!Okay! It became a strain to find a driver to take us to Bellevue Square Park.  In our ashram, there are lots of drivers, and vehicles in the driveway, but no one was available to carry our instruments for a kirtan&nb…

Toronto, OntarioThree In A RowGaura, Ananda and I took to the ravine at Brickworks.  Each time I come here I see new developments.  For instance I saw a switchback—a zig-zag hiking trail that wasn’t there before.  It was l…

Ottawa, OntarioCan’t SatisfyToday’s walking encompassed two treks—one by the Rideau River and the second by the Rideau Canal, which run parallel through the university section of Ottawa.  The majority of the time was spent near the War Memori…

Ottawa, OntarioAt the Dawn of a BirthdayI had had a good night’s rest at Surinder’s home, with the window wide open, and at a comfortable 16 degrees Celsius, or thereabout.  The twelve kilometre walk on the Great Trail, and the dance lessons …

Kaladar, OntarioAn Extra Long StrollIt was a distinct and utterly surprised tone of a male voice that projected out from this three-storey residential building.  As audible as could be were the words: “What the hell!”I was certain that t…

Toronto, OntarioSweet WalkWilliam Wordsworth was one of those poets with a skill, who also liked to walk. One day, at noon, he ambled along a narrow lane thinking of his past.  I came upon his poem some hours after I took a five kilometr…

Toronto, OntarioPeople Coming And SittingA couple from Saudi Arabia and their baby in a stroller sat down next to us in the park. One of our chanting party members handed them a card promoting the soon-to-arrive “Chariot Fest” which is also called…

Toronto, OntarioLast ExitOne member of our local community who comes regularly for priestly tasks drove Jai and I to his residential area at Pape and Danforth.  It was at my request.  “From your place the two of us will walk back to…

Miami / TorontoBecoming RelevantI’ve left Florida and landed in Canada, and done some walking with Jai. Thoughts were flowing through my mind in the course of the walk.  I’ll share and let those thoughts flow in as natural a fluidity as …

Miami, FloridaThe Day of the IguanaIguanas by the dozens were taking in the rays in the sun, just being very stoic until P. Krpa and I started walking in their territory.  They went scurrying about here and there until they came to that lagoo…

Miami, FloridaLiving With the High KingNo walking today.  Being a passenger in a car—yes.  From Tampa area, a group of us drove south to Miami.  Temperatures are in the high 90s and it’s humid.  Upon arriving at …

Alachua / TampaLast Day NorthI had read from the book, Chaitanya Charitamrta,where Nityananda expresses that the body and soul are one, but the prana / atma / the soul is more important.  My reading with the follow-up verse and…

Alachua / GainesvilleThree ClassesI delivered three classes today, the same as I did yesterday.  At the Alachua ISKCON Centre, the class—followed by discussion—was in regard to a sage by the name of, Markandeya, who meditated, and performed a…

Gainesville, FloridaI Hardly WalkedI hardly walked.  It’s too humid.  To compensate for the loss, I swam 3 kilometres in one of those fabulous springs that the area is known for.  After a lively morning program in Gainesvi…

Alachua, FloridaSpeaking of Bears in Gator CountryNow that summer is around the corner, people already have plans for doing some serious summer camping.  At an evening program at the home of Nandini Kishori, there was a sizeable gathering of …

Niagara / TorontoA Mind Reader?Anytime a monastic guest arrives in Toronto, I feel a happy obligation to take him to the Falls, which is a mere hour and a half away.  Sundarlal, from Mauritius, made it here for the first time, and along with …

North York, OntarioOne Party SpoiledThey say two million people attended the big party today at Toronto’s Nathan Philips Square and the parade route along the Lakeshore.  That’s huge.  People were having a good time honouring the ch…

Hamilton / MississaugaDevil’s Punch BowlTwo men fairly fresh from India, two from Canada (actual monks), and a young Ukrainian, hit the Bruce Trail trudging through mud.  The two Indians were enthralled.  “Green, that’s all that can…

Toronto, OntarioHey, Walking Monk!“Hey, Walking Monk!” shouted the soul from the window of his vehicle as I was approaching Bloor Street.  I wasn’t sure in the beginning who the greeter was, so I moved closer.“Remember me?” he  aske…

Toronto / MississaugaGo For ComplianceA very nice monk from Mauritius, Sundarlal, has been with me for a few days now, and we introduced him to our city’s little treasure place for kirtan.  Kensington Market is the place where we sat alo…

Toronto, OntarioI Walked.  I Prayed.The rain spoke to me during most of the afternoon: “You ain’t goin’ out there now; walkin’ will come later.”  So, that’s how the bulk of the day played out. But the evening said, “You can come out…

Grafton, OntarioOld ShelterFrom Montreal, Ananda, Kishor and I headed west on Hwy 401 and took a break at the rural area of Grafton to visit Jai, Rasa and family, as well as to see their new calf.  That went well.  The visit include…

Montreal / MascoucheMostly OutdoorsA good amount of time was spent outside today, including a good park-bench talk with monk, Hayagriva, who’s in France these days, and then a chat about our mission in Cuba with Nanda Tanuja on his balcony.  …

Toronto / MontrealSpikeSpike came around today, just to drop in, and have some prasadam at Govinda’s, where I test the food every day before it’s served out to lovers of a different kind of food.Spike is a different kind of fellow, by the way…

Scarborough / TorontoWalk and PeaceGiven the perfect weather, with sun, moderate temperature and a fresh wind, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go north on Yonge Street to the ‘uptown’ region.  The morning showed itself to be so opt…

Etobicoke/TorontoPark HoppingMy day of thrills began at the front door in the morning.  I was poised to go for a stroll with visitor/monk, Bhakti Prabhava Swami, when an exploring raccoon shimmered his way up the cedar out front. I got c…

Greater Toronto AreaFinish With a Green RavineFor a morning and early afternoon stretch, I accompanied Keshava and Jai for fundraising. We seemed to go all over the town; off to businesses, a clinic, and a factory, with gifts of books, cookies and…

Toronto, OntarioMet MaggieIt was a treat to meet Maggie.  Here’s how it happened.  Karuna and I walked back to the ashram after a very successful kirtan at Bellevue Square  Park.  Ekalavya&nbs…

Richmond Hill, OntarioThe Best Must Go OnRhythm is something that everyone needs in their life.  (Gershwin wrote the song, “I Got Rhythm.”)  Even if you don’t think you are musically inclined, you must admit that you have a heartbea…

Etobicoke, OntarioThe King Known as KichariThere was a spring cleaning that went on in the ashram today, resulting in a switch of room, and a switch of beds.  And although in the mundane world such changes are often perceived as sou…

Toronto, OntarioDiscovering It was ThrillingWell, we honoured someone’s birthday today, in Govinda’s Dining Room.  We remembered Suniti—a sweet, sweet lady—sweet, sweet devotee.  We dared not ask her age.  She’s from Malay…

Winona, OntarioPrudence is Wisdom in ActionFernando is this nice kind of guy who is great with his hands when it comes to renos. He’s also a good, safe driver, so I liked the fact that he agreed to take Karuna, Connor and myself for a ride to the …

Toronto/MississaugaTwo MindsI did a meagre three kilometre walk with partner, Karuna, along busy but shady streets. Much later, upon arrival at the home of Dharma and Manasi, my eyes walked over the words of Volume Two of Shamasundar’s book, …

Toronto, OntarioBody and SoulKaruna and I walked to Christie Pitts.  It’s actually a partially-sunken park with baseball diamonds.  Our reason for this destination was for more of that celebration of sound.  This time it w…