Author Archives: H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami

Damodar and I were feeling the same relief walking through Montreal’s east end near downtown.  There  was a break from the heat.  There was also some rain last night.  Oh and how we appreciated the work of some of the city planners.  An old railway line and industries were converted into these neat and affordable dwellings.  The tracks are now curved walkways.  So cool!

My train ride to Toronto was fine—time to go over Gita verses somewhat lost in memory, but easy enough to revive.   https://www.instagram.com/p/BmzoIEGln7G/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=q3l8cg731854

At Union Station I made the decision to walk to my host’s home for an Ekadashi(grain-less) meal. Adi Kurma and Amala have this charming home, and I reached there after trekking through foot traffic, which was thick. I believe Torontonians were also joyful, like the Montrealers, for the excellent weather.

I was blessed to pass through a section of the business district, the entertainment district, and the boogey-hip section of Kensington, past churches and cozy homes.  The meal was mighty fine with kale and broccoli.

At the same time, Adi, Amala and I reflected on a troubled world—with concern for the people in the multiple fires out west, concern for technology takeover world-wide, and dependency on so many drugs.  I cautioned my friend Durward on the phone today. “Get the gist of what the news is saying.  Don’t get too absorbed in the bad reporting!  You have your Krishna who’s always with us!”

May the Source be with you!

11 km

The many trees’ branches and leaves were rustling in a light wind.  Wow! It was so pleasant to feel. Everyone who was out there—like me, on a stroll just west of Pie IX Boulevard—was sensing a relief from an intense summer, which finally felt as if it were over.

I saw lots of young families taking advantage of a perfect, late afternoon in this very established francophone district.  It was nice.

I had come to Montreal from Ottawa to participate in a swing ceremony. Tradition has it in the Vaishnava community that five days are reserved for performing a sweet pastime of placing small deities of Radha Krishna on a julan(swing) and then pulling gently the swaying platform forward for a back-and-forth motion.  This happens during a mellow kirtan. All the attendees got involved as it offers pleasure to Her and Him.

What followed was also a good experience of the gathering of the old guard, so to speak, and the new guard of our managers in ISKCON Montreal. Yesterday I helped facilitate a restructuring of the management team in Ottawa.  Today it was here that we more formally recognized and empowered a more youthful group to assist in the mission.  Overall the procedures, in both locations, went very smooth.

I will not fail to mention that upon my arrival in Montreal I was driven to “Nandagram,” our new farm community, just outside of the city. We harvested some of the veggies, cooked and ate them.  The taking of that prasadam, in many ways, crowned the day.

May the Source be with you!

4 km

The first visit of the day was at Daivata and Visvadika’s.  We had an enlivening discussion based on the story of the Bhagavatam.  A king had seven days to live and decide how to use those days in the most progressive way possible.  He sat and listened to his guru for that time and became very spiritually enriched.

Lunch was at the top of the mountain at Mark and Sunny’s—great food. We read about our guru, Prabhupada.

I walked on to the building they call the temple.  On the roof doing repairs was Kulashekar who is 81. That’s either brave, bold or foolish. It’s risky.

I also trekked to the home of Vicaru and his brother, Vallabha. I showed them a vintage ’73 photo on Instagram of Vicaru and I chanting on Toronto’s Yonge Street.  That’s a long time ago.

Vicaru has hung on his wall the last painting done by deceased wife, Tribhuvanesvari.  She was just an excellent artist.  I told Vicaru that I’m the guardian of her oils now hanging in the Toronto temple. Vicaru is special—very smooth.

The final visitation was at Partha and Uttama’s.  This couple is very involved in marriage counselling. They conduct courses as part of the Grhastha Vision Team.  To their credit, they have helped many couples.

I led kirtanin their home.  Several people came.  Another good discussion ensued, including the philosophy of the Gita, wherein Sri Krishna details the hierarchy of the self.  “The senses are higher than the body, the mind is higher than the senses. Next is the intelligence, then the self—the soul.”

May the Source be with you!

4 km

I must give some recognition to a fine lady by the name of Nirmala, who is from Thailand, and now in Vancouver, who came forward to receive her brahminicalinitiation.  Her guru, Krsnadasa Swami passed away, and the task to offer her this second or brahminicalinitiation was left in my hands.  Congratulations to Nirmala for taking this step forward.

Speaking about taking steps forward, the act of walking in the province of BC may for the moment have to be enacted indoors.  The six-hundred-plus forest fires have created a dense smoke throughout, meaning the pollution is at a heavy level in the atmosphere and hazardous to the health.

Nitai Rama and I drove to the farm community of Saranagati where the density of smoke is very present as it is in Vancouver.  I have been coming to the valley for years and have never seen such a haze.  The other day my eyes became bloodshot from the exposure.  Nitai Rama expressed he had chest pains.  People are complaining of coughing and throat problems.  Walking indoors might be advisable.

When the sun did start moving downward toward the end of the day, I ventured on a four kilometre trek, through peaceful mountain terrain, with some residents.  I guess you could say we were addressing ‘cabin fever’.

In recent times, a cougar has been sighted.  There have also been coyotes, deer, the odd moose, rabbits, pack rats, marmots and bears.  I’m not sure if the intense smoke affects them.  What can be said?  It’s the material world, full of dualities.

May the Source be with you!

4 km

Sweet visits were to homes of devotees in White Rock and Port Coquitlam.  Casual in spirit, we spoke about everything from the latest bear who came around the backyard to sniff, to Mr. Trump.  Lord Krishna got in there to a certain extent.  Perhaps service to Krishna arose as the central point of the talk because everything does revolve around acting for Him in our lives.

In that regard, Chapter 9 comes to mind from the Gita.  “Whatever one does should be an offering to the Supreme.”

The various meetings and homes, I sat in, were of people who have high levels of commitment to calmness and communication.  Abhidheya asked, “How was it in the States where you were walking last year?”

“Good people, good response, cultural issues, drugs, homelessness, a little bit of this and of that.”  Then I expressed to Bhavani, Arlen and Saci Priya that between the two countries, Canada and the U.S., people are quite similar.  “Canadians—a little quieter, though.”

I’m grateful to have been on that trek.  The message which got out was that a walking culture will cause a calming of things.  It’s a green statement.

I managed to get some steps in with Peter and Eileen by the Hop-Along Farm district.  There’s this beautiful, flat, black soil.  Our group of three walkers admired the fields and the fantastic blackberry vines that are so pervasive, but their yield is sweet to the taste.

May the Source be with you!

4 km

Five of us went down the trail.  One of us was Joyce, a cousin I hadn’t seen in forty-six years.  I was walking next to her on this trail leading to Burnaby Lake.  It was at a section where the trees were tall and shady.  Coming down the trail were five other people and one of them was a monk. It was as if we reflected each other. I’m sure I’m the first monk Joyce had ever spent time with.  When she saw the oncoming crew she was stunned, “Oh my God!  Did you arrange this?”

I confessed to the truth, “No, I had nothing to do with it.” This was truly uncanny.  My brother, sister-in-law, and Gerry, Joyce’s friend, were also surprised.  How could this be?

The two groups met—us and them.  I took an initiative, stood there and put palms together in what we call pranams.  The other group responded.  They stopped.  We spoke. The monk was from Tibet.  The brown person in the group was Sri Lankan. He was well-informed about Hare Krishna. It was a warm exchange.  We took pictures of us, the five and five.  The monk is younger than I, so it was not a perfect reflection.  It made our day.

There’s more.  From Burnaby Lake, my need to reconnect with family, since four-and-a-half decades, was fulfilled.  Aunt Annie is ninety, and we visited her apartment.  At the Naam restaurant, more cousins and I converged.  What a great bunch of cousins!

May the Source be with you!

3 km

A palm reader asked if I would extend my right arm for a volunteer reading.  It was a kind gesture on her part.  No charge.

“Your health is pretty good.  Your determination is strong… Late night pizza.  You might cut down.”

“‘Pizza’ was just an expression, but too much food sitting there in the tummy, some evenings, is a reality.  In any event, breakfast is not often on the agenda for me.  All these programs with prasadamare  obligations, but I must learn to kindly bow-out more than less, and use determination.

Regarding food, that comes natural when at a Chariot Fest like the one today at Stanley Park.  https://www.instagram.com/p/BmfKZkTAg9L/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=6oksbi3zk0f2Someone was good enough to secure two corn-on-the-cob, boiled with the husks on.  I surely indulged after all the presentations were done.  I gave one of those bhaktiaerobics lessons from the stage.  It was great to see the participation by the fest goers.  Even by brother, Paul, Joyce, his wife, and son, John, who came in the nick of time to take up the simple moves required over the djembeand mrdungadrums.  Mantras were an integral part of the dance steps. https://www.instagram.com/p/BmfLE7ZgiVb/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=l00sso2rme4t

Once done, Paul and I took to eating.  He had the veggie fried rice and halavah,and I took to corn—no pizza—which became a delicious end to the fest for us.  Plans are in place for a family reunion with cousins tomorrow.

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Please remember the Men’s Retreatfor October 5^th-7^thin New Vrndavana, West Virginia!

It was for me a few last minutes at the Vaishnava Sanga Retreat, so well orchestrated by Krishna Dulal of Russell, Ontario.  The event annually attracts devotees of bhaktiYoga from the surrounding areas.  Mind you, some speakers or presenters came from L.A., Hawaii, Europe and India.  A family from Connecticut and Calgary also arrived.  There is a growing interest in this annual event.

A last morning walk with trekking enthusiasts made it worth the day.  However, I must add that one of the most important elements to a program like this is to gain some company with your peers.  They are your brothers and sisters; that can’t be denied.  It becomes true, sharing experience.

I bid farewell to friends and bros.

The couple taking me to the Montreal Airport is from Mauritius. Krsna Katha and Hari Katha, along with son Vraj, have a fairly strong Creole accent.  KK mentioned to me, on the way to my flight, that one of the managers at the retreat site confessed that “beer” sometimes comes to the centre.

“That’s not so good,” I mentioned to KK.  “Wait a minute, did you say ‘beer’ or ‘bear?’”

“B-E-A-R,” spelled out KK.

“Okay, that’s better.  If a bear comes, there’s not much to worry about.  If beer comes, then so much more damage can be done.”

KK agreed.

I arrived at Vancouver ISKCON in the evening.

May the Source be with you!

4 km

A MAN-tra retreat!

Hmmm?  What’s that all about?  Well, last summer, Anuttama, my dear friend, and I were walking in northern California. We were talking about how we need a men’s retreat for KC Guys—Krishna Conscious Guys.

The women have their Vaishnavi retreats, which empower females in a more potent, spiritual way.  Why don’t we do that for men?  They could use a little strengthening of compassion, and a boosting of the bhakti, devotion.  After all we want to see both men and women succeed in reaching goals of ultimate wellness.  Some attention needs to be going in the direction of bonding and building.  That is the logic of a retreat for men, to be held on October 5^th, 6^thand 7^thin the beautiful hills of West Virginia, at the facility known as New Vrndavana.

“What is it that a lady wants from a Krishna Conscious man?” This is a proposed panel discussion. It’s something to explore.  There will be sangha, serious discussions, sports, walking, drama, comedy, food, chanting and worship.

It will prove to be team-building fun!

We thought, “It would be ideal to have stronger leaders, stronger fathers and stronger husbands who are very caring.”

There is a schedule and a charge, but nominal.  Something to look forward to.  Information is with the blog display.

May the Source be with you!

0 km

It’s another hot one but Karuna and I are protected by green canopies—trees, on the Bruce Trail.  Still there is this incredible work-up of sweat from the up and down terrain on the Bruce.  I have come to terms with the appropriate word—hike.  That’s more like it and less so, a walk.  It gets steep in parts.  The downward movement is tougher than the upper motions.  I’ve expressed this before but it is a reality that does exist.

On our four-hour journey through the bush, we only met seven persons along the way.  It was a sad experience, considering the gem that the trail is.  https://www.instagram.com/p/BmKOeQSn_tQ/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=ixob9brjkdai

One other disappointment was the three waterfalls we were looking forward to seeing, and perhaps bathing under, were non-manifest. There was not enough water to fuel them. The lack of water probably did account for the low number of mosquitoes.  That’s a triumph.   https://www.instagram.com/p/BmNY5ppgvEW/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=2269gsa339nx

The Bruce Trail is everything I wanted it to be and much more. The constant green, the interesting shapes and curves of paths along the way, and the solitude, shape this paradise.

The dualities are there—the poison ivy and its rival, the jewel weed, are next-door neighbours.  Pleasant were the occasional breaks and the sipping of juice of kale, mint, cucumber and apple.

Karuna and I are trying to complete the southerly stretch of the trail in order to get closer to the Brampton community and have them join us, but that will take some more sweat before we get there.

May the Source be with you!

14 km

In both Scarborough and Toronto, I began my talk as an homage (eulogy) to someone by the name of Gopal.  Gopal’s surname was Agarwal, and he just passed away, at the age of eighty-nine, in Pennsylvania.

The significance of Gopal’s life is his contribution to the start of the world-wide movement of Krishna Consciousness.  It was Gopal’s father who was the connection for our guru’s entry into America way back in September of 1965.

Gopal had settled in Butler, Pennsylvania along with his American wife, Sally.  Actually it was Sally who signed visa papers on behalf of Swami Prabhupada, as she was an American citizen, and Gopal, her husband, didn’t yet have the necessary status. http://btg.krishna.com/when-swami-met-sally

Gopal and Sally looked after Prabhupada, who stayed in the YMCA, in Butler, for one month.  Culturally, they helped him through the integration that seventy-year-old Prabhupada needed at the time.  Prabhupada took walks in the middle-class town to and from the Agarwal’s home to the Y. Had he not been accommodated and assisted at that time, there might not have been a Hare Krishna movement to take hold in America where it all started.https://iskconnews.org/gopal-agarwal-prabhupadas-initial-sponsor-in-the-west-passes-away,6643  

In the evening, monk Karuna and I took a walk in honour of the Agarwals, who are credited in aiding in the humble steps of ISKCON’s birth. We walked Yonge Street.

May the Source be with you!

7 km

The rock is held in place by the dirt.  The dirt is held in place by the root.  When in an upward step, you see all three and how they support each other.  They form steps or grips in which to brace your foot until you are ready for the next step.

I’m on the Bruce Trail with monk, Karuna Sindhu, and we are seeing and feeling these realities as we coast along.  Not all trekking is on an ascent.  There’s descending, and you should observe some of the formed switch-backs, ideal for those guys on speed bikes.   https://www.instagram.com/p/BmCRBw-AwKi/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1ww4x9n9j2d0i 

In general, the Bruce is really more for walking.  It’s a haven, I realize, now being my third day on this trail.  We ventured through forests, wetlands, along a dam, and came upon DeCew Falls.  We hit a milestone when we crossed a bridge over a creek, where in 1812, Laura Secord trekked these waters, warning General Fitzgibbon that the Americans were coming by ship.  The British militia and First Nations Allies prepared themselves for the planned, surprise attack.  Had she not been there at the right time, Canada could have easily become an American colony.

After a humid walk, relief came with refreshments from Vaishnava and Janaki in their Niagara home.  Thank you!

Oh, and one more item.  We met an elderly British fellow on the trail.  He met Krishna monks in the late ‘60s at Rolling Stones concerts. He asked Karuna why he had become a monk.  

“I liked the simple life.”  

To which I added, “We are living the life of a rolling stone; a rolling stone collects no moss.”

May the Source be with you!

12 km

Nobody has it like some of us do,

A master of which you’ll find very few,

With sharpness of wit and words he could whip

At science and pundits who distort by the lip.

With grace of hand and adjusting of head,

Elegant of gesture with fingers on bread,

He tossed each morsel of the edible n’blessed

To the lotus-like mouth, and so with the rest.

A message like thunder, a definitive light-

For us dullards it comes magnanimously bright,

The topic of service in the line of devotion

That moves along like smooth locomotion.

With a smile that beamed ocean-wide,

Stretched out a distance from side to side,

He bore a reason to look way ahead

And never to hang low like a hopeless head.

His lesson pronounced a radical meekness,

Otherwise declare – admit to ultimate weakness,

Kindness, concern was his absolute trait,

His thrust was one to advance very straight.

In an unprecedented and very brief time

The earth shook at a political prime,

He racked up incredible marathon levels,

Giving a challenge to desires and devils.

In this world it’s rare to see anything lasting,

But his radiance shines even after his passing,

Memories are gathering, worthy to behold,

Never to be traded, nor to be sold.

A master so rare like a needle in hay

A mahatmawho stays in sound—what more to say?

Drink up his words, observe his action,

Do as he did, or even just a fraction.

Written by Bhaktimarga Swami, The Walking Monk ©August 2^nd, 2018

May the Source be with you!

3 km

It was along Arcola Avenue that Tom saw me and asked if I needed a ride.  I accepted because I would not make it in time on foot to my destination at the ISKCON Centre on Retallack Street.

I got to know Tom during the time we spent on the drive.  He’s from Vietnam, and came over to Canada in ’79. He was one of the ‘boat people’ who left his native country for Malaysia and then eventually arrived in Canada. It was a bit hard to get his story totally straight because of his accent, but I understood all but something about being on a boat/barge with 581 passengers (meant for 200) and perhaps all of them drowned except for himself? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_boat_people

In any event,  he’s alive and believes in the Buddha.

“Buddha saved me.  Are you Buddhist?”

I explained that I respect Buddha as one of ten primary avatars, but that I give more attention to Krishna, someone he has never heard of.

Tom brought me to the centre then asked if he could come in to see our temple and the shrine within.  He was curious as he had driven by it before.  Tom left satisfied and I was grateful.

Now the venue on Retallack was our last performance for our group, “Vedic Mace,” on this tour.  The attendance was low but appreciative, especially by the children. Oh, they so much loved the magic.

“Magic, Monk and Mantra,” was the catch phrase we were branding, at least unofficially. 

We are thankful to our guru, Prabhupada, for this journey on tour, covering thousands—at least hundreds—of kilometres.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

The walk on Greenway began with a party.  Pigeons, crows, gulls and magpies were sharing, after tearing open, a plastic bag of goodies.  There was plenty for all in that church parking lot.

Down the way was a bench for a gayatristop and two Caucasian women walked by offering pranams.  Further on Vani Priya broke into a run, chasing a rabbit (like Alice?) and a Punjabi lady noticed this, then saw me in saffron with Gaurachandra, the second walking companion, who didn’t run.

The lady invited us in, offered a mango juice, some donation and introduced us to her scurrying son, a serious medical student.  We were touched.

We moved on and sat by another bench, where a Vietnamese man, a plumber, stopped to chat.  With ten years here, he admits to liking it in Canada.  We gave him a prayer, a mantra, to dwell on.  Thus the walk was completed.

At the Krishna centre, we initiated a Fijian man, a devotee of many years, Ravendra, received the name, Raghunath.  He’s happy.  It was great to read from the Gita Chapter 9, Verse 10. “The Supreme Lord by His mere glance injects all the living entities into the womb of material nature, and they come out in their different forms and species according to their desires and activities.”

At the Sunalta Community Centre, attendees came to “Monk, Magic and Mantra,” where Datta, Ananda, Radha and I entertained through bhaktichannels, and all were really satisfied. It was a diverse audience / kid-friendly.  We had a party, more enlightened than the pigeons, crows, gulls and magpies. We were also sharing.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Red Deer is a growing city situated between Edmonton and Calgary. There, we had lunch with an outstanding family from Fiji.  That brought me back to memories of my walk on three of the islands of Fiji, including a trek through Suva, the major city, and participating in their nation’s biggest event, The Hibiscus Festival.

Fiji, in my opinion by the way, has the best cuisine on the planet—diverse, tasty Indian fare with veggies you don’t find in most places.

Our major time was spent in Calgary for their Sunday program, which took a different shape today.  Datta’s magic show, and Ananda’s drumming went on, and then our combined kirtan and dance involving the parishioners.  In place of a talk on devotion, we executed all of this, and there were happy faces.  https://youtu.be/znneAZ6aWWg

Outside of our kirtan at the Krishna Centre, on NE 4^thStreet,  there was much more music going on.  On an island, within the mighty Bow River, was the 39^thAnnual Folk Festival, attracting 60,000 people.

We did, by chance, run into the gathering, and the vibrations were good where mellowness pervaded.  The only trekking, for me, took place along the Bow.  I mentally calculated it was a distance of 4.2 kilometres.  I can’t be too sure today, but that’s how it felt.

Kayaking and rafting are really popular here, but you have to have one of those tight suits on.  The waters coming from the Rockies are frigid.

May the Source be with you!

4 km

Our evening was interesting.  After the Saskatoon Fest, Kasyapa, the organizer, took to the steering wheel and drove our talent troupe to Edmonton.  Quite the sacrifice for him.  We left at 10:40 p.m. and were led by GPS to Highway 14, as the most direct route. It was also the most remote.

At 1:30 a.m., we ran into difficulty—a flat tire.  It took a while to find the spare.  Our van was borrowed.  Anyway, after changing tires, we finally made it home at 5:00 a.m., then were up by 9:30 a.m. and all prepared for Edmonton’s Chariot Fest.

It was another scorcher at 30 °C.

The audience so much resonated with our magic, and the drumming and dance lessons.  Thanks to Bala Krishna for assembling the whole program.  I met some of the dignitaries, an MLA, and a Minister. They were thrilled to be with us, chanting, feasting and all.

I made connections with Conner and family, his dad, mom, sister and brother.  Conner has this  good intelligence and is enthused to read the books of Prabhupada, in addition to learning the bhajansongs of bhakti yoga.

 It is usually in Edmonton that I go to have my clothes dyed.  The local pujarisees to it that they come out with a greater intensity of colour.  I was left with my swimming trunks to roam with Conner and Ananda in the South-Gate Mall area; an area full of shopping and dining opportunities for the Saturday day and evening public.  It is hardly a place for pedestrians.  In every direction, there are parking lots.  

Lord, give me trees and pathways.

May the Source be with you!

8 km

Breaking up your walking within a day can be smart.  It happened by circumstance for me; first in Willowgrove, a really well-looked-after neighbourhood.  The second leg was along Spadina, the actual procession of Saskatoon’s chariot fest, which is about 1.5 kilometres in length.  A third installment was along the Saskatchewan River as the full moon shone with pride.   Doing a day’s trekking in spurts can be a blessing—it keeps the machinery, the body, in operation.

Now about the Fest in general—it was great.  The Chief of Police, Officer Cooper, walked along with us for the procession and stayed at the site, Meewassin Park; he was a real success with kids and parents.  He sat through the entire stage session, watched and listened, then let kids borrow his cap to wear for photos.  His companion officers danced, with arms in the air, throughout the procession.  They were just great.

Sam Mitchell is a flautist and he was just incredible, playing against Ananda’s tabla.  Very professional.  Very devotional.  It was just the best act on the stage.

What also worked was getting the crowds to dance which involved leading them in step-by-step movements.  Engaging people in devotional exercise is what people will really remember.

There was a lot of enthusiasm in the atmosphere, and even during the procession, motorists slowed down, showing so much happiness.  This was noticed by Chief Cooper who mentioned it in his speech on Meewassin’s stage.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Although the 4 kilometre walk with Ananda and Datta was memorable, with the flow of the Saskatchewan River next to us, I would like to highlight a response that was e-mailed to me, on the success of our Festival of India; an article by Gail Johnson, a freelance writer in Terrace Bay.  Thank you,, Gail.  In many ways, her writing sums up the show of our group, “Vedic Mace.”

Here it is:

May the Source be with you!

4 km

Here on the prairies, the bison used to graze in fields of unlimited tall grasses, but that has been replaced, both grass and animal, by homes and sod that parks are made of.  I walked along one of those parks in St. Vital, a type of rolling-hill park that seemed infinite, with a bench here and there and broken sidewalk.  I resorted mostly to the grass, devoid of morning dew.

Those bison of the past were kings of the prairies until the antagonists came.  I recall a song by Buffy Saint-Marie, “Now That The Buffalo’s Gone,” and how a whole culture was altered and devastated.  I would rather see those massive beasts of freedom than the trucks of today, that stir up the dust.  https://youtu.be/BCWJYTCfjSg

The skies were also without limit, as they carry, even today, a mystique of clouds.  Thank God, I can see them and they are not obscured by tall highrises.  Most homes here are bungalows, and the trees, some Manitoba Maple, are not too gigantic.

I was content to be here, almost solitary.  Only one man trekked on the grass while I took to a bench for a bit while chanting on my beads.  I sat there anticipating to meet Daruka, my walking support person, along with his parrot, Billie, who is thirty-two.  His pet will likely outlive him.

Daruka had just come back from physiotherapy.  He had been involved in three accidents since our last great walk together in 2014.  It’s safer to be on the grass.

May the Source be with you!

4 km

Five members of our little travelling roadshow, the Vedic Mace, came by my accommodations to say farewell, before their eighteen-hour drive back home.  They had happy and grateful faces.  Their ten-day excursion was about to come to an end.

Another vehicle of five left at 4:00 a.m. this morning, for a long jaunt through some of the prettiest scenery in Canada—along Lake Superior.  For them it was pleasant good-byes as well.  However, for myself, I was to stay on for more nectaras we say.  The nectar or juice is not over.  It will be onward to Winnipeg by Greyhound bus, along with magician Dattatreya and wife, Radha.  For now, I decided to walk the eight kilometres to the Sanskriti India Bazaar to have darshanof the deities of Krishna, and then to follow up with a talk from the Gita, 2.67, to what could be a small turn-out. Yesterday’s “Festival of India,” took a lot of energy out of volunteers, and if anyone shows up for the usual Sunday program at 4:30 p.m. that would surprise Prem Kishor and I.

I trekked my way through and discovered “Recreational Trail.” I like those pathways that have  informative plaques along the way, telling of what particular wildlife, flora and fauna live there, and what is their typical behavior or characteristics—the raven, the skunk, the beaver, the cattail, the raccoon, etc.  Of course, human behavior is automatically evident when you come upon a pedestrian.  Some are very much in the present, and some are enveloped in thoughts that are very private.  I do find it’s best to burst the bubble and see as well as feel what’s actually going on around you.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Blf4YSPgjNB/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=102n2mo817n0t

May the Source be with you!

8 km

Not much occurred today regarding walking.  Six of us out of our Vedic Mace group drove to Kakabeka Falls for a gawk and a walk in the area.  First of all, the falls are quite stunning.  You have to get over the tone of the water which is tea-like in colour. It’s not pollution.

The way the water falls and slides, in a type of cascade, is very dreamy.  The view impressed the boys with me.  Many tourists also came for a glimpse of nature at its best.  Thank you Krishna!

At today’s Krishna Culture Festival of India, I sat down with Linda Rydholm, acting mayor of Thunder Bay.  We spoke about the decline of respect and morals being pervasive, currently.  Confessing that she personally has deep religious convictions, she feels strongly that if you don’t believe in something there is a great void.   https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/festival-of-india-a-huge-cultural-draw-992078   https://www.facebook.com/Festivalofindia.Thunderbay/videos/2190355871010174/

That certainly resonates with us.

I also met Tedray Kirton for a third time.  He’s fifty-eight, and he’s shaved off his dreads, which hung down to his behind.  He’s got plans for them.  He still plays great on the djembe, and joined Dhir and the Vedic Mace group, on the stage, as we belted out the maha mantraduring the last act.

The weather co-operated so well—overcast, with temperatures in the lower 20’s Celsius.  Karuna Sindhu remarked that he was in a happy consciousness seeing the crowds (maybe 9,000, maybe more) and all very regular local folks.  People love the vibes.  Also, a big part of the success—credit goes to Prem and Suniti—as I mentioned to Linda, acting mayor, “There is no liquor here but good clean fun.”

May the Source be with you!

2 km

A restful stay in the Holiday Motel in Sault Ste. Marie allowed for a rejuvenation of energy.  I told the boys in Room 25, where we slept, “You know the routine; I’m going down the highway.”  And while I did so, they showered and got ready, this time for a long scenic drive through vistas of Lake Superior, on the way to Terrace Bay.

There are always seagulls about—like the one that flew above me—gliding through a clear blue sky, not noticing me.  His pure whiteness seemed to flash on and off as he waved his wings up and down.  Motorists passing by on Trunk Road were the same, focused ahead.  I got my seven kilometres in before Marshall and Karuna picked me up for the long haul.  I did feel like I was flying, like a seagull.

A stop at Marathon was cherishable with the view of Lake Superior before us.  Marathon is a gold mining location, but the real gold, in my opinion, is rock, water and the cloud-smeared sky.  There I met a sixty-nine-year-old retired Canadian of oriental origin.  We talked.  He was fascinated with my tale of joining a monastic life in ’73 and being a pioneer, at least for Canada, of the Krishna Consciousness movement.  He related to our movements inception, the summer of love presence of our guru in Frisco, and the meeting of the Beatles in London.

I imagined him to be a retired businessman who’s travelling the country, looking at its wonders and feeling, “Now what?” as in, “What do I do with my life now?”

Our performance in Terrace Bay, at Michael King Centre, went super.  Just under 200 people came.  Not bad for a town of 1,500.  Great response!

May the Source be with you!

7 km

I hadn’t been to this cute cottage-country town since 1996 when I ventured out on the first Trans-Canada marathon walk.  Well, today I was here for a different purpose.  The local Lion’s Club became our venue for Muskoka’s first-ever Festival of India.  Our group called “Vedic Mace” performed for an appreciative audience.  Because of some mishap with a twelve-seater rental van, half of our crew couldn’t be present until the last minute.

That meant making appropriate adjustments.  With some divine creativity and innovation, we pulled something off which was very much engaging, especially for the younger kids. I was able to employ charades and introduce simple dance steps to the crowd.  Everyone got up onto  their feet.

It was all good, including the food.

Whew!  The day was a sticky one.  After the show, I had the opportunity for a short jaunt to the newly-opened “Marigold Unique Flavors” restaurant of Indian cuisine on Main Street.  The owner asked me to come and bless the new facility, which was formerly a bank.  Nice job done on the décor, I must say.

Locals saw me as a curious sight, not something you see in the Muskokas, as I walked beneath  the shafts of light radiating down from the street lamps.  At the Roadway Inn, clients were sipping beer and looking on, out onto Main, hoping for something to happen.

Well, nothing major happened, really, except for some monk passing by who might have spurred  on some spiritual interest.

May the Source be with you!

2 km

Bhakti Prabhava Swami is one of those true-blue monks—honest, well-read, simple—who hails from Belgium, and came to the city for the Chariot Fest.   https://www.facebook.com/festivalofindiato/videos/10156990155405656/

https://www.facebook.com/festivalofindiato/videos/10156990151515656/

This morning was our second day to stroll about with a small band of devotees as we executed our japameditation.

Dominique from Detroit was also with us.  I had a question for him, “What was the contribution that Dominic, who was a saint, gave to the world?”    

“The rosary,” said the Detroit young man, “and he started his own order of monastics.”

“Okay, so he was so immersed in God as sound and he had a following?”

“Yes,” said Dominique in a very reserved type of tone.   https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Dominic

Our talk took place over the preparation of some new initiates going through diksha.  Yuluja is now Yashoda Priya, Pankaj is now Pushta Krishna, Taruna is now Tejasvi, Sunny became Srivatsa, and Shalini is nowShriya.  Two persons, Subhal and Rasaraj, took their second initiations.

The ambiance created by sacred and clean mrdunga beats was unparalleled.  I thank Rajasuya and Dharma for the ceremony.

A swim in Lake Ontario was so deserving.  It’s been a hot mid-thirties day.  The World Cup was won and having the game on at the same time as our Chariot Fest could have posed competition, but that didn’t happen this time around.

Our invited kirtanleader, Madhava, roused the crowds at the end; all were up and dancing.

May the Source be with you!

8 km