Author Archives: H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami

Sunday, June 3rd, 2018
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Queenston Heights, Ontario

The Start of the Bruce

Just a few metres from a monument marking the death of Sir Isaac Brock in the War of 1812, is the starting point of the southernmost entrance of the Bruce Trail.  At 7:00 a.m., I, with companions, Vaishnav, Jagannath Misra, Sukavak, Karuna, Narayani, and friend Kent, began this 900 kilometre trail and headed north.  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brock%27s_Monument

The trail is awesome, with its Carolina-like forest in the southerly portion, ancient rocks next to the Niagara River, and green vegetation of all sorts.  One of the highlights of this trail is the diverse eco-systems.  You turn a corner, and you observe a sudden patch of daisies all around, and at another bend, trees of majestic stature.  The surface of the trail ranges from packed deciduous clay, to mud, sand, and then gravel.

It was surprising to me to notice more people.  However, at one point, in our mere 12.5 kilometre trek for the day, after venturing through some steep areas of almost climb, we met Dracon.  Dracon sported a sunhat and an attached head net to address everyone’s favorite entity, the mosquito.

Dracon is originally from China, worked as a server in a Chinese restaurant in Canada, and told the restaurant owners that he was quitting in order to spend the month of June hiking the Bruce Trail.

We asked him why he was hiking, and camping the whole trek.

“To get a peace of mind,” he said solemnly.

Our group reached Woodend Conservation and left it to return at a time of our convenience in the future.  It was from there, hours later after our start, that we returned to do other devotional activities.

May the Source be with you!

12.5 km

Saturday, June 2nd, 2018
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Mississauga, Ontario

Walk for Alzheimer’s

I’ve been on a Terry Fox Run for cancer, but this was the first time I’d trekked for Alzheimer’s.  I was fortunate to get plugged into the run/walk for the cause of the serious disease through friends and devotees of the west end of Toronto, with the group being spear-headed by Rajasuya.

Although it has been said that turmeric and ginger, two major ingredients in our diet, are combatants of Alzheimer’s, and some other physical challenges, we are primarily looking at those folks who are going through awful pain caused by the side-effects from some of these kinds of illnesses.  Almost everyone knows or has known people afflicted with Alzheimer’s.  For those individuals and to fund research to develop cures, we walked with about 500 others in Mississauga, in Peel County, along Lake Ontario, on a scenic snake of a trail.

Gaura Keshava, my friend from the UK, was, by the way, ‘scenic’ for co-walkers on this five kilometre walk.  He came in a white dhoti, a thick grey-and-white stitched chauddar (shawl), and for footwear, it was your traditional wooden karama shoes, hand-carved from hardwood in India.  Boy, did they get attention.  There’s a peg—or what I call a door knob—affixed to each shoe to fit between the big toe and the single inline.

It was quite exotic for everyone else in their name-brand sneakers.

The walk went well, and thanks to Juhi Arora, our group was able to register and participate.  Music was played at the registration booth to hype everyone up, and it was rather uplifting to hear James Brown belting out, “I Feel Good,” over the loud speaker.

For the hour or so of walking, there was little time for japa chanting.  Of course, you are obliged to talk and walk simultaneously.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Friday, June 1st, 2018
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Toronto, Ontario

We Like Where We Are

“Please join us,” I indicated with hand gestures to the cricket enthusiast on his way to the athletic field.  It wasn’t the first time he or his buddies refused our offer to sit down and sing with us.  There’s a group of them, obsessed with their game, and they routinely go about their business as we do ours, sitting there on the grass.

The light refusal is always with a smile.

The other day, Ajamil, who was singing to his harmonium accompaniment, also tried to encourage. “Hey, before the game, just five minutes, chant with us!”  Now Ajamil is very animated in most everything he does, and still his coaxing didn’t work, because everyone has his/her priorities.

Today, also, it became a priority for Karuna and I to go for that walk—my second for the day—to “knock off” our prescribed sixteen rounds on our meditation beads.

The route?  Well I let him have his choice.

“Green space or people and concrete?” I asked.  

“It doesn’t matter.  As long as I’m given time,” he said.

Alright then. And so we ventured down Yonge Street, right onto Bloor, and then through Yorkville’s Jazz Fest. It had started to darken with night approaching, and you could see everyone anticipating a wild night.

As we moved through the night crowds where everyone dressed well—or almost dressed—I blurted out to Karuna, “I’m so grateful I did not get entrapped in this lifestyle.  I like where I am.”

Karuna totally agreed with me.  We individually set goals and priorities for ourselves.

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Thursday, May 31st, 2018
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Mississauga, Ontario

Gone to Bobby for Donations

Every year I pay a visit to Bobby Bakri, a dentist, who has his practice in Mississauga.  Some great points about him: 

He’s a good donor for the yearly Chariot Fest, this year on July 14thand 15th.  

He also loves to read the books of Prabhupada.  Currently he’s reading Canto 3 of the Bhagavatamand he’s loving it.

I handed Bobby a copy of the short read, Easy Journey to Other Planets.  The contents are so prophetic, profound and progressive-thinking. Bobby loves this subject because what the contents say so much aligns with today’s findings on the galaxy.  For example, more recent research confirms the Vedic belief of many universes existing with multiple planets and luminaries such as suns and moons.

According to Bobby, within space you have a great vacuum, but what’s there now is a fluid moving within that space.  And what do the Vedas say about liquid flowing in the sky? Aren’t there stories in them about the Ganges descending?  And what about the milk ocean Vishnu floats upon?  Some scientists are discovering all kinds of fluids in the atmosphere.

Bobby hosts myself and companions from our community at his clinic, where there’s samosas, lassies, nuts and a good walker’s trail mix.  His family—two sons, a daughter and his wife (also a dentist)—always come when we are to turn up.  We chant throughout his clinic, through every room, which is a way of blessing the premises.  His son, age eight, gave me an optimistic high five.  I gave him a copy of the children’s book, The Walking Monk,published by Samhita Press, and written by Anna Milagrits.  https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Monk-Anna-Milagrits/dp/1684430011

May the Source be with you!

0 km

Wednesday, May 30th, 2018
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Toronto, Ontario 
The Dusk Walk

My walk today began at dusk.  It was at a time when things begin to settle.  Birds quieten down.  People have dispersed from the ravine.  Temperatures are more favourable for a stroll or a strut.  Perhaps trust is also more on the wane at this hour, as the sun disappears.  

Who knows why?  There is the odd murder that takes place in this secluded bush.  Those whom I did see in the ravine or at street level, were mostly couples—some gay—except for the sole, piercing light coming from the deep end of the ravine just before Mount Pleasant Cemetery.  From there, that single night-eye came toward me, and as it moved closer, it revealed itself to be a runner with a head lamp.  I couldn’t see a form, just the light, but then a sound presented, “Hello!”

“Good evening!” I responded to the formless fellow. 

He may have been the last one down in the long ravine, as all life wound down their functions for the day.  

“Haribol!” I said, this time speaking to a rabbit, a nocturnally more active fellow. It looked like this one wasn’t winding down.  

I chanted on my beads the whole hour and forty minutes.  And I hope that one day, as time rolls on in years, and with a change of consciousness in the world, I hope that I’ll not be the only one wrapping up light hours with the Name.  I wish to see others participate in this game of exploration and love. 

May the Source be with you!

7 km


Tuesday, May 29, 2018
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Maple, Ontario
Those Who Are Great

After some hours of spending time with some of our best advisors in leadership, at the meeting place of Subha Vilas, our host, I wrote a poem.

Those who are great to my mind

Are the hard-working peers-pioneers

Of Prabhupada, doing for God

Sowing the seeds of bhakti deeds.  

Those who are great to my vision

Are the ones who I sat with, yes kith

A family extraordinaire, who came from everywhere 

We ate sumptuously in the shaded pleasantry.

Those who are great to my ears

Are the ones who speak wise, beyond disguise 

Open and frank, they are a think tank 

Exploring society anew, for me and for you.

Those who I know are great.

Have no agenda, no motive, just give.

There’s something selfless there, boy do they care

For a world that’s bleeding, there’s need for leading.

May the Source be with you!

4 km


Monday, May 28th, 2018
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Toronto, Ontario
100 Autumns

At the wedding yesterday, the brahman (priest) recited several times from a book expressing “one hundred autumns,” referring to the longevity of the marriage of the two people partnering together.  That many autumns is a long time by today’s standards.  May it come to pass for our two young newlyweds.  

“Why autumn?” I questioned.  My speculation leads me to believe that autumn is what ends a full cycle.  It’s harvest time, and all the best things in life are reaped then.  

I got off the train from Windsor and summer suddenly hit.  Spring has been cut short.  Heat and humidity pervade throughout the day.  It is a condition rather cherished by some.  It was in the heat of the day, at high noon, that I was out making observation of the scurrying of lunch hour people.

I sat at a food court waiting for a final adjustment on my phone which is in for repair. I looked out the window from a third storey, at that food area, and viewed the pedestrians from above.  At least there are pedestrians—many of them. The movement is rather robotic, not an aimless approach.  The average person makes a focused march to midday destinations, with the exception of teenage boys, who start-stop-start their journey.  They seem to be the only ones exploring or enjoying.  

My enjoyment was one more afternoon at Ramsden Park, engaged in chanting with sitar this time, plus  other instruments and the good devotees behind them. 

May the Source be with you! 

5 km


Sunday, May 27th, 2018
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New Boston, Michigan
The Wedding

The wedding was late but nevertheless wonderful.  Jahnu, the groom, and Rasa, the bride, tied the knot in a green location—Willow Park. Relatives and friends attended, as did I.  Leading kirtanand filling in space was my job; I volunteered with words and mantras, until the younger men, very expert, took to song.

Kulavir conducted the marriage rites.  He is one of the fellows whom I had in a drama years ago, in Detroit.  It seems that I’ve combed, theatrically, through most of the Vaishnava youth of ISKCON at one time or another.  With them, I see before me a transformation of flesh. Kulavir is one of many now approaching middle-age.  A new generation steps up for matrimony, children are born, and the young whipper-snappers of the time when I became a monk, forty-five years ago, are cracking their whips less and snapping to a slower rhythm.  When I see my peers I don’t often see their age.  I go back in time to when we were running things, hurriedly.

We were, and some are still, leaders.  Slowly a new crop takes over, just like the way of waves on the lake.  If you go to Lake St. Clair, which is not far from the park, you see that one wave succeeds the next at the shore.  It is a continuous movement of souls hitting dry ground, and then starting again to move as moisture.  We become matter: water, fire, air and ether.

Somewhere along the journey, we become human, and that can change everything so far as free destiny is concerned.  When one marries, one is meant to be a life-partner who assists another in real progressiveness.

Congratulations, Jahnu and Rasa.

May the Source be with you!

4 km


Saturday, May 26th, 2018
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Detroit, Michigan
Walking Monk and Goat Man Meet

Via Rail transported me to Windsor where I was picked up by Vivasvan, my support person for the first leg of my U.S. walk.  At customs, the officer became very animated when I mentioned I was going to a wedding.  “So you’re the high priest?” he asked me.

“Actually, I’m the ‘blesser’.”

“I hope the wedding goes well and the marriage.  It didn’t work out in my case.  I didn’t know that leaving the toilet seat up bothered her so much; just to give an example…”

I was a little concerned about the lineup queued behind us.  He finally let us go and gave good wishes.

Vivasvan, with family—Ananda Rupa and 2½ year old, Chaya—brought us to the kirtan spot outside the Cobo Center for the crowds at the Detroit Electronic Music Festival.  This event is a big deal for the youth who come to listen and party. Some folks, who walked by, slowed down to listen and then moved on, were in attire that is very un-monk-like.  In general, they liked the music and energy we were creating.  Only the amp/speaker we used was of an unplugged nature.

I met Erick Brown and his goat, Deer, who travel the U.S.  I heard about him when I was walking.

Erick, 31, who’s made a name for himself, was recently attacked, tied up, and his bank cards stolen.  Some of the devotees from the kirtanmentioned that Erick has been taking his goat on public transport.  Not everyone takes a liking to that.

Erick told me, “I walk and also take rides to get around.”  Apparently he bought an old school bus and travels with Deer in it.

May the Source be with you!

5 km


Friday, May 25th, 2018
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Toronto, Ontario
Meeting People

My smartphone experienced some damage last Sunday on the Atlantic coast—Peggy’s Cove—when the top rock of an inukshuk fell on it, shattering the glass.  The incident warranted a ride—compliments of Nanda—to the phone clinic, and there, repairs were done; right here in Toronto.

The trip back to the ashram was a hot one, on foot.  As usual, I bump into people I know.  There was Dennis, who’s been coming for years to the temple.

There were new people; a homeless person who thought I was from Tibet and got to know of the mother culture to Buddhism, which is Vedic culture from India.

“I’m from Canada but go to India every year,” I said to him.

I met a woman who was walking behind me.  She sneezed from somewhat near.  I turned around.

“I’m not following you, just going to my apartment,” she said.

She pointed to a tree next to her apartment building and said that there’s the home of a woodpecker.  He taps all the time.  He found a girl-friend and now they’re going to have young ones, she said with quite the sense of confidentiality.  They live in a hole in the tree.

“He keeps tapping just like you guys do with your drums,” she said,  referring to Krishna monks making sound on our mrdungas.

Anyway, she was open and friendly, and that’s what counts.  Most people are willing to be our good friend, but talking about philosophy is not most people’s forte.  Let us encourage everyone to chant.

May the Source be with you!

5 km


Thursday, May 24th, 2018
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Toronto, Ontario
I Hadn’t Seen

I hadn’t seen him for twenty years.  Naro is a third generation Krishna person.  His dad, Kuladev, is my godbrother.

I accidentally stumbled upon Naro at the Brickworks while on a longer than usual trek for the evening with Kevala and Karuna.  Naro was parked with his fancy, souped-up, old model of a car, which was giving him some trouble, and thus he had just finished doing some repairs.

I knew him when he was a boy of eight.  His body has changed, just like I’m sure his car’s body has been altered.  Such is the case according to the teachings of Sri Krishna in the Gita.  “The embodied soul continually passes from childhood to youth to old age.  The soul also passes at death…”

It was good to see a kid now be a man.  I anticipate he’s a good man.

“Take care, Naro!”

Kevala, Karuna and I kept walking to a well-maintained trail—the same one where I did all my training for marathon walking.

“It was in this general location that the idea of trekking the whole of Canada was born.” I mentioned this, as we had just passed under a railroad bridge with huge trees on both sides.

Once we reached near Mount Pleasant Boulevard, we came to a park and entered a park facility with washrooms, just for a break from our three-hour trek.  The building was a forties style, now up for renovation.

Everything requires a reno, these bodies, and at some point, the building or body changes altogether.

May the Source be with you!

12 km


Wednesday, May 23rd, 2018
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Markham, Ontario
God is With You

Another late afternoon and a small number of us gathered in Ramsden’s Park for a chanting session of mantrason the grass.  Some folks came over to sit or stand in our circle to participate.  It was awesome.

From there, I managed a short distance of walking toward the subway entrance at Sherbourne and Bloor.  To the end of the line I went, in the packed underground train.  At least the subway train moves.  On ground level you get little speed from 6 – 7 p.m.  It’s a nightmare.

At the passenger pick-up, I was received by a driver sent by Dhira Nitai, who hails from Sri Lanka.  I asked him, “What’s the occasion for having me over?” once I reached his apartment.

“A celebration!  You and I used to heat soup, salad, and pizza after a successful day of fund-raising for the summer Ratha Yatra.”

“Good cause!  Remember how we used to go to just about every Sri Lankan shop to help with donations? Recall the fish and the butcher shops?”

“Yes, they gave generously,” he said.

Then I thought how Krishna states in the Gitathat all people are eligible to serve.  Everyone can approach the Supreme destination, regardless of background.

Actually service for a Divine cause is all-attractive.  When I think of how sweet responses come from strolling people in the park, I know that everyone has this spiritual inkling.  It is all in how you present and approach the public. Act in such a way as to charm.  Then God is with you.

May the Source be with you!

3 km


Tuesday, May 22nd, 2018
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Halifax, Nova Scotia
At the Harbour

Myself and the boys—I call them boys because they are 21, 23 and 23—drove to Halifax’s waterfront to indulge in a gracious walk just as corporate folks started milling about.  It really is a nicely done up harbour.  It also has its history.  In 1917, a Belgian and French ship collided, with one bearing explosives.  On that foggy day their vision was obscured and the worst occurred.  No one had ever in the history of the world seen such devastation from explosives—before the bombing in Japan.

It is remarkable that the city resurrected.  At the end of the harbour promenade is the pier where so many immigrants landed by boat over the decades—people searching for a new life.

When our early trek was completed, we resumed a seat in the van.  A breeze from the ocean was setting in.  Marshall, one who’s 23, made wraps for us with the ingredients hummus, olives, avocado, peppers and fiddleheads, while I was reading from Prahladananda Swami’s book, “Hope This Meets You in Good Health.”

For us monks, it was interesting.  The topics include physical health, letters from our guru, Srila Prabhupada, on the topic, and it also touches on Vedic astronomy and astrology.  I read a section on celibacy, which is pertinent to the crew I was with.

However, for everyone’s appeal—I assume—here is a small excerpt from the astrology section:

In summary we have different planets and their influences on the consciousness of the soul:

Sun-ego (one’s identity) / Moon-mind (desire for peace) / Jupiter (mission how to achieve peace and happiness) / Saturn (duties to be done to achieve mission) / Mars (determination, conviction and courage to perform duties) / Venus (enthusiasm required to achieve goal) / Mercury (results that come from assimilation of the qualities of the planets to achieve one’s goals).

May the Source be with you!

4 km


Monday, May 21st, 2018
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Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia
At the Cove

Peggy’s Cove is one of those iconic places in Canada which is a destination point for tourists.  It’s a charmer of an old-time, quiet, fishing village.  Hordes of people come here to have a look and a feel.  The weather was perfect, above 20°C.  The sun was shining on the cove and all the visitors.

The three brahmacharis, Prana Gauranga, Bhakta Marshall, Bhakta Samuel, and myself decided to do our morning sadhanahere, and include breakfast, some kirtanand some boulder hopping.  We were smart about it and got there before the world descended on the place, doing the hopping—as mentioned—viewing the old lighthouse, and listening to the bag-pipers playing their melody.  We weren’t the only guys in skirts.  The highlanders wore kilts.  Buses of people on cruises came over, as well as motorists, bikers and cyclists.

Anyway, it was heaven at 8:00 a.m.  By 11:00 a.m., the huge, worn boulders looked like anthills, only here people were scurrying about on them.  The boys valued the place though, with its clean ocean air and everyone being in a great mood.

Back in Halifax at Yassin Saukar’s home, which is atop a hill, a satsangwas held at 5:00 p.m.  Father Alfred, from a local Catholic parish—who is in charge of three churches—came to listen and discuss matters of spirituality.  It was hard to see his deterioration of sight. He’s becoming blind, yet he appeared resilient in some way.  Discussions centred around the Gita’sexplanation of four seasons for coming to God, as well as the acceptance of God as both the Divine Father and Divine Mother.

I told of ‘Walking Tales’, naturally.

May the Source be with you!

5 km


Sunday, May 20th, 2018
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Halifax, Nova Scotia
Connections with Victoria

This is a long weekend in honour of Queen Victoria.  In her 40,000 plus pages of diary, she mentions nothing about Canada’s independence from Britain in 1867.  Her father, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, was stationed in Halifax in the late 1700s at the Royal Navy’s North American headquarters, right here.

At the one end of Hemlock Ravine Trail, Prince Edward had a garden which is no longer there.  He also had a mistress, prior to his marriage and the birth of his daughter, Victoria. The two spent time at this former garden which is now a pond of water shaped like a heart.  Our friend, Cory, from Halifax, led us to the trail and then the heart-shaped pond.

Why the heart?  I think we can all guess.

An older couple told our walking group,, of today, part of the story of Prince Edward when he was younger and single.  “A mistress for over twenty years,” they said.

Cory was kind to take us down this exquisite trail.  A mix of hard and softwood trees pervade the forest here.  Cory also came with us to the Vedanta Society for an evening dance-chant-hear-and-speak program.  Victoria would have been pleased.  I understand she liked to dance.

The latest film about her centres on an infatuation she had for a Muslim man, Abdul Karim, whom she met in India, when she was widowed, and her later companion, John Brown, was also deceased.

Canadians are content to celebrate with a holiday on Monday—tomorrow.  Fireworks go off to honour the Queen of the British colonies, Canada being one.

I do believe that when your senses are tucked in, you are a king or a queen, in your own right—a hero of sorts.

May the Source be with you!

5 km


Saturday, May 20th, 2018
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Fredericton, New Brunswick
She Remembered

I met Mary from New Brunswick.  She remembered seeing me on the road years ago when she was in Grade 6.  We both calculated that the year was 1996.  She said something about seeing me from the school yard.  I guess it left a strong impression.

On the railway bridge, so many people trekked along.  I was happy to see people taking to the walking culture and taking it seriously.  After the bridge I veered left, next to Waterloo Row and Lincoln Road.  The pathway next to these streets is actually The Great Trail, established last year on Canada’s 150th, and, what is apparently, the longest trail on the globe.

A cyclist slowly passed by, “What’s shakin’ up, Buddy?  What’s shakin’ up?”

“Not a great deal,” I shouted as he cycled on with his son.  “Enjoy the long weekend.”  It’s Victoria Day weekend in Canada.

Our host at the Norfolk Motel, Sema, had fifty people over.  Most of the folks were Bengalis.  That always brings me close to my guru, Prabhupada, who hails from Bengal—Kolkata actually.

We had kirtantogether.  We reflected on Chapter 10 of the Gitawherein the opulence of the Absolute is detailed.  I also spoke about Prabhupada himself, his struggles in the beginning, his successes, and the relevance they have to the world.

Today’s audience was different.  Chanting mantrasand quoting from sastrais not unfamiliar to them.  I believe some of them stay tuned by watching panditsspeak their words broadcast directly from Kolkata.

From Fredericton, we drove the long haul to Halifax.

May the Source be with you!

6 km


Friday, May 18th, 2018
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Fredericton, New Brunswick
Goin’ to the Chapel and I’m Goin’ to Give a Message

The evening’s program was held at Holy Cross Chapel, on the St. Thomas University campus.  Like yesterday’s experience in Sussex, there were good vibes, good people and especially tonight, good questions.  The venue here was a different layout.  The boys and I stationed ourselves on the altar with its crucifix on the wall.  It was less conducive to dance, as was our format yesterday in the fitness centre.  The place was holy.

I capitalized tonight on walking pastimes and touched on, not only the spiritual power behind the practice of pilgrimage, but also the difference between trekking in Canada, as opposed to the U.S.

Questions from attendees rolled out most favourably.  I hardly receive any challengers in these events.  If one was to turn up, it would be fine, even if the boat would be slightly rocked.

Prana Gauranga, our monk from Quebec, made a stupendous pasta, garnished with olives and fiddleheads.  The prep was a big hit, and I wish we could have shared it with the universe.

I must mention that my dear friend, Professor Tom Parkhill, came to hear us in Sussex.  That night, Gary came, a local engineer, who had invited me to his office ten years ago, where he fed me a salad and also took interest in the walking project I was on when I came through the Fredericton area.

Tomorrow we are expected to meet a fairly close relative of Paramahamsa Yogananda, a woman who settled here in the city with her family.

All is good!  I’m lovin’ the Maritimes tour.

May the Source be with you!

5 km


Thursday, May 17th, 2018
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Sussex, New Brunswick
Billy Graham Crusader

I took a head start walking toward our evening’s destination which was Sussex, over an hour’s drive from our place at the Norfolk Motel.  A Billy Graham Crusade follower pulled over and started talking.  He had hordes of questions, not curious ones, but the type that might lead you into a trap if you did not answer according to his take on Jesus.  I found it fun, though.  The point is, he saw me—the second day in a row—and felt I needed to convert, that I needed Jesus.  Personally, I’m happy with Krishna and Jesus together.  He could only have one and not the other.

“Maybe I can challenge you this…” he started, and I politely cut him off.

“You see, it’s not a question of your camp or my camp.  We are running parallel, truly as one camp.”

Then he offered to say, “Yes, there’s one camp.  THE camp.  A camp.”

Then I butt in saying, “A camp. ‘A’ stands for ABSOLUTE.  We are both going for the Absolute.  It is not black and white.  We say in Sanskrit, achintya-beda beda tattva,which means we are onein purpose with slightly different approaches.  I will take your brochure.  Here’s mine—a mantra card.  God bless you!”

That was that!  I met more people in town.  A fellow in a wheelchair said, “I’m 71.”

“Well you look 35.”

“I wish girls would say that about me,” he said in glee.

A woman approached me.  “Do you have some change?”

“No, but I have a bottle of water.”  She laughed and shrugged it off. 

Finally, the boys (monks) picked me up for the Sussex program at a fitness studio. Well, we got ‘fit’.  We danced and chanted in community spirit.

May the Source be with you!

7 km


Wednesday, May 16th, 2018
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Fredericton, New Brunswick
Getting to Know Bear

“The recent floods in New Brunswick did a lot of damage,” said one fine lady on her way to work.  She showed us some pics, on her camera-phone, of how the Saint John River rose to the level of the foot bridge.  We chatted with her.  She really wanted to know about we four monks walking the bridge under a strong sun but chilling breeze.

A film company at one end of the bridge was on a music video assignment.  A guy was rapping out a song and we happened to get in the frame.

Our trekking lasted over two hours, going over foot bridges, over sand-ridge trails, and also circumventing puddles of relatively large magnitude.

All this walking happened in Fredericton, but it was back to Saint John where we truly shared with the public, at Uptown, the chanting.  OMG!  The folks here are so easy to approach.  They loved our cultural output of chanting with djembes and harmonium.

One admirer, Bear, by name, is a Mi’kmaq with some Irish blood in him.  He acquired that name when he was in the Northwest Territories and was attacked by a grizzly.  He showed me his permanent scars on his arms.  Luckily, he survived, and is alive to be with us on the grass, learning how to chant.  He’s a strong, husky type of guy, and is very eager to know about the Bhagavad-gita.

He followed us to the Wellness Centre for Presentation #2.  Bear went home with a book, “The Gita,” as well as beads, and wants to learn more and more.  I told him to seek help from Nick, who lives in Saint John. He will be an ideal coach for Bear. 

May the Source be with you!

10 km


Tuesday, May 15th, 2018
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Saint John, New Brunswick
Something Wild and Delicious

At the Toronto Airport, I met a fellow from Saint John enroute to get back home.  He told me he was a driver.  I expressed my vocation—well, one of them.

“I’m a walker; did Canada four times.”

“How much do you walk in a day?”

“It used to be forty-two kilometres a day.  Now it’s twenty-four when I do the marathons.”

“You couldn’t catch me doing that.”

From our conversation, I felt I was already in the Maritimes—the east coast—where people come right up to you and convey their friendly side.

My hosts in Saint John are Nick and Sara.  They hold a weekly program of bhakti-yogaat the Saint John Wellness Centre.  Tonight, I was guest speaker, and all went well including the kirtanand dance at the end.  The group participation was phenomenal.  The space was great—that old-character type of house. Many of the downtown homes were built by fishermen and/or sailors.

There is one thing which we pulled off that is a standard practice for me and anyone who tags along with me when in New Brunswick.  The travelling monks of Canada and I did some fiddlehead foraging at Irving Nature Park.  Fiddleheads are the early stage of the fern plant before it unravels.  This wild vegetable is just delicious and nutritious. They make a good pizza topping, but what we ended up doing was tossing some of these greens into Sara’s kicharipreparation.

We had no regrets at supper time.

May the Source be with you!

2 km


Monday, May 14th, 2018
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Mascouche, Quebec
New Progressive Project

The Montreal Krishna community has been thinking about expansion of membership and facility for some time.  Their persistence, headed by someone of the name, Anubhava, has led to the purchase of a 78-acre farm in Mascouche, off of Hwy 25, just a 20-minute drive from the centre of downtown Montreal.

It has six lodging units, and includes barns, sheds, tractors and equipment, and also, one of the buildings shelters horses.  Plans are to continue renting out horse space, and cultivate the land, which is fertile, for growing veggies, fruits and flowers.  Greenhouses have potential.  There is also potential to develop this eco-friendly area into a village. Housing in the area is not expensive by Canadian standards.  A river, the Mascouche, runs to the edge of it.

Anubhava’s son, Radhanatha, who is one of the people to buy into the project, has his home at one end of the property, just steps from the river.

“You can canoe and kayak on the river,” he said.

Radhanatha also told me that the farm has potential as a petting farm.  Overall, it sounds very attractive, and adds a new dimension to the long-standing community efforts at Pie IX Boulevard.

The project is a 1 million dollar endeavour.  The purchase and direction is a combined work of devotional businessmen from the area.  It was the desire of the Krishna guru, Srila Prabhupada, to expand horizons and look to growing one’s own food, thus becoming productive people who offer a quality of life.

May the Source be with you!

4 km


Sunday, May 13th, 2018
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Montreal, Quebec
Montreal and Mothers

A good conscientious driver, friend, and devotee, by the name of Harry, drove Karuna and I to Montreal.  It was just a lovely land we went through, with that red spill against the sky, manifest from the east, and beckoning us to move forward.  Arrival time was 10:00 a.m., after the 5 ½ hour ride.

To the ISKCON temple we went, on Pie IX Boulevard.  In the spirit of Mother’s Day, everyone was cheery, and the irresistible urge in us to walk a stretch became our first business there.  As usual, we moved along Prince Arthur Street and then beyond.  The beyond is a grassy and tree-patched area before you get to the train tracks.  Then we practically slid down a steep slope to land on Notre Dame where traffic is serious.

I received a call.  “Can we talk about the summer and the talent-troupe that’s planned?” asked Prem.

“Yes, it’s a conference call right?”

Narasimha from Montreal got on the line with us, and we discussed who the actual talent will be for the month of July, travelling from this town, Montreal, all the way to Calgary, and stopping along the way to present a summer’s “Festival of India” which will include bhajan, magic and a dance/drama.  Some details were finalized.

What was missing?

The need for another woman on the stage.  Yes, another ‘mother’.  Currently, we only have two.  A third makes it better.

Fast forward.

“There are seven mothers in one’s life, according to the Vedas,” I said at talk-time, to the Pie IX ISKCON community.  “Let us always remember and respect the many mothers we have in our life.”

May the Source be with you!

4 km


Saturday, May 12th, 2018
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Markham, Ontario

Dwarka’s Birthday

When I became a monk back in ’73, the opinion amongst the movement was that your birthday wasn’t important.  It relates to the body, and since you are not that body you don’t need to give it much attention.  A brief mention of your birthday would happen, as this was our mood, then, in the name of renunciation.    

As time passed and our cultural evolution shaped up, we found that ashram residents and community members really do feel loved and appreciated with at least a small birthday cake—without eggs—and when everyone sings, “Hare Krishna to you… Hare Krishna dear so-and-so…” it brings everyone together.

Tonight we went in carloads of well-wishers to the home of Dwarka who turned 60.  She is very saintly and she is well loved by the community.  Her tiny place in Markham was filled to its capacity in honour of this worthy person. With a little discomfort, we managed to all pack in, and then do the honours of highlighting her qualities—a good mother, wife, devotee and human being.  She’s one of those unsung heroes.

We are accustomed to remembering the birth of Krishna or Chaitanya and celebrating them in a grand style, but it is also virtuous to celebrate someone who’s lived through a lot and continues to serve unceasingly.  Your birth, your marriage and your death are significant days in your life.  Perhaps also the day you accept a guru can be an event to be taken seriously with celebration in remembrance.  We want to wish Dwarka the happiest birthday of all.

May the Source be with you!

5 km


Friday, May 11th, 2018
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Toronto, Ontario

New Friend in the Pack

I’m really getting to like that park nearby for what it offers, even apart from its name: Ramsden—with a name like that…Ram’s Den.  For a second day musician monks, Dwarkanath, Karuna, and today, Bhakta Billy as well as myself scouted out a fine location for a sit-down chant.  As soon as we lay down the madras,a man took notice and left his wife and young daughter at the playground to approach us.

He is an Armenian.  It’s natural to ask anyone in Toronto about their origin because everyone here is from some unique part of the world.  I invited him to the park bench where I sat next to the boys performing mantra music.

We spoke of the genocide his people have gone through, his career, his family, his beliefs.  He is remarkably open, and was curious about our take on life, to which I responded, “Essentially, we are all spirits going through life to learn lessons, but for slow learners, you come back again to complete what you could not.”  The man, who goes by the name Vekan, nodded in agreement to the nutshell explanation I gave him.

He did say, when he first moved to Canada, he observed a good amount of greed, but overall he likes it here.  He is not shy about expressing his opinion.

We concurred on many points as we chatted.  He considers himself a minimalist and loves getting by with the simple things in life.  He’s keen to come visit our restaurant and temple.

We made a friend.  This is why I love parks, whether it’s a Ramsden, Balfour or Deer Park.

May the Source be with you!

6 km


Thursday, May 10th, 2018
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Toronto, Ontario

Two Monks on the Grass

I like the approach of sharing Krishna Consciousness in a cultural, entertaining way, over a forceful, in-your-face presentation.  Having some new talent in our midst, I thought, Let’s give it a try by having our best young monks—even if only two—display their ‘stuff’ in the least intimidating way.

Dwarkanath played his sarodin the temple this morning and it sounded so heavenly.  Karuna plays well on the mrdunga drum.  The combination is attractive.  “Let’s go somewhere within walking distance, lay out a madras, sit ourselves down, play the instruments, and see what may come of such ingredients.”

The experimental location was the corner of the Rosedale Subway and Yonge Street, a rather high-end neighbourhood.  The two monks took their positions while I stood back to watch the reactions from passersby.  I took some photos.  End result being that in over an hour’s length of time, pedestrians noticed. They did not feel threatened. Some folks stopped nearby the transcendental musicians to listen.  The most responsive was a Brazilian—Jose.

From my perspective, the two looked peaceful.  They could have smiled a trifle more.  Overall, it was good.  The downside was the sound of traffic obscuring the beautiful vibrations of the sarod.

Our small group of three will continue to find the ideal spot for such a sattvicpresentation.  We will continue to establish a good form of music and mantra over the coming pleasurable months.  Wish us the best.

May the Source be with you!

1 km


Wednesday, May 9th, 2018
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Toronto, Ontario

The Shy Monk

Yesterday someone called and one of our monks answered.  He is just a great soul and he’s shy but not when it comes to devotions or opportunities for devotions.  That’s why he answered the phone.

The caller asked, “Would you people be interested in purchasing a church?”

Our shy monk didn’t know how to answer but boldly brought the message to me.

“I don’t know that we’re ready for a second building in the downtown but let’s take a walk over there anyway, and look,” I said.  It was actually his suggestion to walk in that direction, initially.  So we went to look at the Baptist Church with the shy monk, a quiet monk and a less quiet but sweet and talkative girl.

The church is impressive.  For its time—when constructed in the late 19thcentury—it was the largest Baptist church in Canada.  There’s a theatre hall with balcony, lots of office space, housing facility and parking for 27 vehicles. But…  It was nice to dream about it.  We got our walking in to Walmer and Lowther Streets.  The Annex is a great neighbourhood where the building is located. But…  I was looking at the windows and thinking we can hardly keep a small interior windowed door clean in our existing building.  I kept oscillating back and forth on a dreamy project.

By the way, the shy monk has a name.  It’s Karuna Sindhu, a home-grown boy from Canada.  He’s terrific.

May the Source be with you!

4 km


Tuesday, May 8th, 2018
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Toronto, Ontario
Green Buds, Yellow Blossoms

Karuna and I walked the trail at David Balfour Park.  Laksman took pictures.  The ravine, with new green growth and yellow blossoms, was a magical place for us to be.

We came upon a person, a man, who was not ‘with’ the place, meaning he was lost.  Karuna and I tried communicating with him, but he was not there.  We met other people, all single males, who all felt one with the ravine.  They were ‘being’ there.  It showed in their faces, their words and how they expressed it in bodily language—a language of feeling nature.  Their words ranged from, “It’s great, isn’t it?” to the most lofty-spirited, “How are you?”

However, the one lost soul, mentioned earlier, was whimsically there in the ravine, a wanderer in the wilderness.  We felt for him.

This evening I conducted the “Tuesday Sanga,” a gathering of people at our ashram/temple. They came, twenty-five or so, to explore the Gita, Chapter 16, about Divine and Demoniac Natures.  The discussions were stimulating.  After the venture I met at least one good, good soul who used that term “lost” which is how I described our earlier fellow to Karuna in the ravine.

A new word was thrown in there along with “lost,” it was “locked.”  Those two words, united, have a haunting feel. Lost and locked.

To respond to what the good, good soul expressed about personal turmoil, I did what I could to appease by saying, “The world is a place of danger, exhaustion, of being trapped.  Let it go. Place your consciousness in a refreshed view of things.  You can walk out of the lost and locked world.  Call on Krishna to walk out with you.”

May the Source be with you!

5 km


Monday, May 7th, 2018
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Toronto, Ontario
Just Today

I’m still reflecting on the guitar kirtan we had at Georgian Bluffs in amidst the rocks yesterday.  In that mood of sharing sacred sound in the out-of-doors, or at least seeking out the ideal location for such a venture in the city, Karuna Sindhu and I set out for a local park.

What we actually had in mind was to plan a place where we could perhaps regularly sit on the ground with a fancy madrasunder us for the summer months.  We actually have a sitar player now, our latest arrival, a monk by the name of Dwarkanath.  We are hopeful that with sitar and drum people in our neighbourhood would be enchanted.

Our location of consideration for such a happening is at the edge of Ramsden Park on Yonge Street, just where the subway has a stop.  People enter and exit there very consistently. There is grass and there are shady trees.  It looks good.

As we made our way back to our ashram we saw an elderly woman strenuously bending over to gather branches and twigs.  There was a storm that whipped through here last Friday taking down trees, damaging roof tops, etc.  The residual debris was left on her side-yard.

Karuna and I offered to help.  She was grateful.  She also mentioned how nice it was when we converted our driveway into a mini farmer’s market in the summer.  Our neighbours really like that.  So in addition to providing mystical music for the nearby folks, we should also endeavor to have for them some stalls with great organic produce.  It brings smiles and happy bellies to the locals.

May the Source be with you!

1 km

Sunday, May 6th, 2018
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Owen Sound, Ontario

Be Like A Tree

Three monks, including myself, and one family man, the driver, went for an excursion north-bound to the tiny city of Owen Sound.  It is the location of the upbringing, and near the burial place of famous Canadian artist, Tom Thomson, a prominent member of the Group of Seven.

Well, our group of four, plus a few more, the Hanna clan, took to trails on the Niagara Escarpment after a chanting session, a talk and a meal. Unique to these trails are the presence of these ancient crevices, deep splits in the rock under you—tight gorges that could turn a wanderer through this area into a frenzied claustrophobic madman, if not prepared.

Garuda, head of the Hanna clan, claims he’s braved some of them. Personally, I wouldn’t venture through them, especially now.  They are piled up with deep snow in the bottom.  It would be risky to tackle them during this season.  Maybe summer could do.  One thing for sure is that a trek through these tight areas would keep you cool, even on the hottest day.

We held kirtanat one site which resembled a grotto, a formation of rocks.  Also in this area, which is edged near Georgian Bay, you find ancient trees.  Trees can always remind us of how tolerant we could be.  They stand there over the years and take in so much.

Whenever I’m in the company of the Hanna’s, I feel like a kid. Three generations of them and they make you feel like you’re supposed to be in the forest and just fix yourself there forever.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Saturday, May 5th, 2018
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Toronto / Markham / Brampton
Beats Looking At Screens

The train for Toronto pulled in at midnight.  I decided to roll my luggage all the way back to our ashram, a distance of 4.3 km.  Let’s see how long the wheels will last.

At Dundas Square, I met up with Kamala Kanta, our cook of last year.  He got off his bicycle.  We both had the same question for each other.  “What are you doing here at this hour?”  He had just finished his security job shift and I had come off the train 30 minutes before.

We both like Yonge Street.  There’s characters here.  Other places tend to be bland.  Regarding safety, there’s usually not much to worry about, although just days before, up the street some kilometres, a maniac mowed down over twenty-five innocent people with his van, killing ten.  You never can be too sure!

Sleep came at 1:30 a.m. I rose at 7:00 a.m., enough time to hear and discuss a verse from theBhagavatam.  Not a day should go by that one should ever miss hearing and analyzing a divine verse.  It sets a tone of truth.  Stories, philosophy, imagery, drama, truth—theBhagavatamhas it all.

Out of all the items which constitute a monk’s morning sadhana, I think I like the portion where the group of us sit down and go over the process of analysis and discussion on what the world was, is now, and should be, based on slokas(verses) from the Bhagavatam.

It certainly beats looking at the flashing screens in Dundas Square.

May the Source be with you!

3 km


Friday, May 4th, 2018
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Ottawa, Ontario
Apollo

Apollo is the name of a blue jay who is practically a ‘domestic’ feathered friend. He flies one inch above your head and will eat out of your hand.  I offered him a fig ball.  It was a big hit with him.  He’s well known in the bhakti-yoganeighbourhood, and when local kids stand, waiting for the school bus, he sometimes lands right on their shoulder.  We’re talking about the town of Russell.

Blue jays are not known for producing a beautiful song from their beak.  I prefer the white-throated sparrow or the iconic loon. Jays are rather aggressive—bold. I don’t mind as in the case of Apollo. He’s got guts coming close to we humans. His markings and colouration are gorgeous.  Notice the different blue tones.  He can do a great profile for you.

Most people know that the Toronto baseball team is called the Blue Jays.  I think it was a great idea for the team to secure that name back in 1976.  That was the year we moved into our monastery/temple at 243 Avenue Road in Toronto. Our neighbour across the street was a Blue Jays zealot and to make friends with him you had to be a team fan as well, and then you won his heart.

The coincidence here lies in the fact that we monks had this affinity for the Blue God, Krishna.  We were equally fanatical about Krishna as he was for the baseball team.

The common ground factor is the colour, BLUE.  It is a colour that calms.

May the Source be with you!

7 km 


Wednesday, May 2nd, 2018
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Georgetown / Port of Spain / Toronto

3 Countries / 8 Hours

Three countries.  Eight hours. Those were the dynamics of today. Guyana, Trinidad, Canada. Couldn’t do that on foot in one day. It was during those eight hours on Caribbean Airlines Flight 600 that I took notes from my journal of 2010 when I walked Trinidad.

It was the year of the earthquake in Haiti when 230,000 lives were claimed by Mother Nature and affected 3 million.  My two-day mini-marathon in Trinidad was on behalf of those victims.  Those notes from my journal of that year simply flashed me back to that extraordinary walk, which began from the Port of Spain Airport.

I recall, that at the time, the natural disaster which struck Haiti overwhelmed the world.  Practically, we have forgotten about it, and the 2004 Tsunami, which took the globe by surprise, is also behind us, because one disaster replaces another.

I also remember that the trek through Trinidad was a tough one—heat, heat rash, blisters, blood.  It was also in my memory that some of my godbrothers from Denver ventured over to Haiti to feed some impoverished survivors.  If I’m not mistaken, hot kichariwas on the menu.  These reflections came to me after I landed, as much as when I was in the air. I was walking on Bloor Street in Toronto.  People were enjoying the night café and bar life with little fear, and perhaps very little thought as to how lucky they are.

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Tuesday, May 1st, 2018
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Georgetown, Guyana

May Day Any Day

When you open the door to the guest room in ISKCON’s Georgetown branch during the early morning, you are always greeted by a warm wind.  Of course, the Caribbean seas are just two blocks away, and you are on a second floor where, only in height, the odd palm tree stands between you and a muddy-watered ocean.  There’s lots of pranain the air, always a wind, always a sun, or always a rain to meet you at some period of the day.

When you go ground level and people see a Hare Krishna on foot, they say, “There’s a Haribol!”  And then they may come forward and ask, “Do you have some fudge?” Krishna devotees are known for having padayatras, fests on foot, where they hand out something like burfi. I couldn’t quite make it out.  I was offered one yesterday, a visitor’s token, apart from being a swami.  It seems to have some flour in it, besan(chickpea) flour perhaps.  It’s nice. No wonder we are liked in Guyana.

For the evening, a lively sanghawas once again held at a household, the home of Krsna Jnan.  I read from the verse on karma yoga.  “Whatever great men do all the world pursues…”  “How do we define great?” I asked.

“When you get spiritual.  When you do the natural.”  I elaborated on this by relaying some of my pastimes on the road in the U.S. last summer.  Walking is for the body, and the simultaneous chanting is for the soul.

May the Source be with you!

4 km

Monday, April 30th, 2018
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Mahaica, Guyana
I Encouraged All to Chant

It was a rather large sangha—gathering of bhakti yogis—at a remote village in Mahaica where I encouraged everyone to chant with beads.  “It’s great therapy,” I implied.

I was rather surprised at the marvelous turnout of people, from young children to the elderly.  The sangha happens every week, hosted by an elderly couple—farmers actually—by the name of Brghu Muni and Dhara.  They grow all kinds of produce including a fruit, mammea, which I relished today at breakfast.

Like many homes in Guyana, Brghu and Dhara’s house is on stilts.  It’s understandable because Guyana can easily flood. It’s under sea level.  In fact, this morning I walked on the seawall near Georgetown.  It was good exercise.  At places it’s only about 15 cm wide.  It kept Saci Suta and I focused while treading along, and helped, in some way, to program my walking back to applying even weight to both feet, instead of the subtle limp I’ve been taxed with.

As we left the seawall to go back to the sidewalk, we met Leo who greatly expressed his appreciation for the Bhagavad-gita,with commentary by Prabhupada.  He introduced himself proudly as Leo.  “Leo stands for ‘Love Every One’,” he said.

I’m getting to know Guyana more and more, but there’s something I’ve known for some time, the audience is shy.  I had much to do to excite the crowd at the sangha.

I learned today that a tiny red bug can get into the depth of your navel and irritate like hell.  Krsna Jnan told me of his childhood growing up and how these grass louse bugs would get at you.  That’s the tropics for you.

May the Source be with you!

6 km



Sunday, April 29th, 2018
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Georgetown, Guyana
What is Good for Me in Guyana

To date it’s my favourite T-shirt so far.  A recent gift from a cool guy, Kyle, from South Africa.  It is very breathable and carries a great message. Of my collection of T-shirts, it stands out for its comfort.  Now here is what it says. “Leave the road take the trails.”  Indeed it’s a message to love.

The only problem is I feel a bit like a hypocrite because in Guyana, where I am now, I’ve tried some trails in the past.  The best, or most adventurous ones, would be in the interior.  The only thing is in the interior there is everything you could imagine that is poisonous.  That’s why I stick to the main roads.  It’s safe enough.  Watch out for beaches.  I got nabbed by a catfish spike in the past and got a severe infection in the foot. Reason tells that you must be practical.

In any event, I like this shirt.  Sounds like a Donovan song.  I wear T-shirts to bed at night.

It was tonight at the Crane temple—my second temple and second class for the day—that a whole slew of teenagers followed me as the sun was setting.  The distance was only about three kilometres, but it was something we really enjoyed together.

I also like walking and that, of course, is an understatement.  Good T-shirts and good walking companions, as well as two good verses from the Vedas, made my day.  However, while walking is low in distance these days, leg massage has stepped up.  What has become obvious to the kind massage therapists who are rehabilitating my limbs, somewhat, are the numerous bumps, the mercy of sand flies from a Trinidad beach. Sneaky little guys, they are.  I was joking that the surface of my legs were starting to look like bitter melon.

May the Source be with you!

3 km


Saturday, April 28th, 2018
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Longdenville, Trinidad
Across the Street

Across the street from our Longdenville ashram is a neighbourhood, a suburb of blocks of homes and vacant lots.  It really is a fine place for walking.  Just beware of boisterous dogs, most of whom are leashed or behind fences.  Some stray ones frisk about.  Pious folks reside in the small but adequate spaces.  They are happy to see us clad in white or saffron dhotis.

One of our walkers invited a woman from her front yard to attend our evening fest in honour of the avatar, Narasimha.  Nara means ‘human’ and simha refers to ‘lion’.  This avatar, which represents everything to do with protection of piety, is a favourite deity for the bhakti community, worldwide.

To celebrate this avatar’s coming, which occurred long ago in the period of the Satya Yuga according to the Vedas, we broke our full-day fast at dusk.  Before the feast, lively chanting ensued, then a fire ceremony, then an Abhishek bathing ceremony, then my talk and dramatic reading from Krsna Ksetra Swami’s script, “Hiranya Meets His Maker,” and finally kirtan.  Young and old were ‘lit’.

There is nothing more pleasing than seeing glowing faces, moving feet, legs, and arms and heads engaged in dance.

Congratulations to the family who came forward for diksha(initiation), namely Pundarik, Vaijayanti and Aisvarya—husband, wife and son.  Also on board was Raghunatha, who graciously drove me to the airport, as I headed for Guyana. 

May the Source be with you!

3 km


Friday, April 27th, 2018
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Port of Spain, Trinidad
The Day by Air and Water

Nice surprises.  I arrived at Port of Spain, and my dear friend, Guru Prasad Swami, was right there—waiting.  How nice, once again!  We talked. He looked fresh and had a good sleep before embarking on one of those eight-seater planes to St. Lucia.  I wasn’t fresh.  I can’t sleep on an overnight flight.

After a fifteen minute talk with the Swami, over topics that matter, I made my pass through customs, and then exited to meet my driver who took me to the beach, Las Cuevas Beach, in Trinidad.  The gates were locked, but opened at 6:00 a.m., thus we made it to that best of beaches for the swim and water-play of my life.  Other Vaishnavas had come to be part of the fun and therapy.

We left the water for a discussion, on the sand, as well as under the sun, and had a look at Angira Muni’s words to his depressed client, Chitraketu.  “We have to consider the atma, the self, and deny the identity of the body and mind…”  A good discussion, it was.

Also on our agenda was this thick noodle dish, with cheese.  “Everyone in Trinidad sees this prep as the standard beach food,” remarked one of the elders from our group.

Sleep held me down when we arrived at the Longdenville temple.  After a refresher of non-salt water in the shower, I was pleasantly called upon to give a class from the Gita, 7.29, regarding our lovable identity.  Aham brahmasmi.  “I am spirit.”

May the Source be with you!

0 km


Thursday, April 26th, 2018
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Toronto, Ontario

Dangerous Words

I made two rounds of walking today—up to Yonge and Bloor, the ROM museum and then to Philosophers Walk at U of T.  Dwarkanath accompanied me.  Perhaps the most philosophical jargon that came our way was a sign in front of a store-front window.  It read, “The five most dangerous words in the world…I thought it would go away.”

Those five words—thought it would go away—are most thought provoking.  It relates to karma. What you are due to receive in the way of punishment or reward follows like a shadow.  For a lot of folks who are given warning signs of an on-coming disease, when symptoms tell all, health failure is inevitable.  Of course, you can pretend, forget about a health consultant, or a doctor, but one thing to keep in mind is that we all will be haunted by death in the end, despite warnings.

Death is the ultimate manifestation of time, and time is the most obvious form of change. Time is the most powerful form of God in this world.

There is a tremendous amount of contemplation that can be invested in these words beginning with ‘I’.  Oftentimes when you begin some sentence with an ‘I’, it has a tendency to be ego-based.

When ‘it’ doesn’t go away, you might do yourself the favour of addressing/facing “it.” Ignoring what is before you is the worst thing to do.

I’m off to Port of Spain, Trinidad, now.  It’s an all night flight and I’ll have to face that reality.

May the Source be with you!

5 km


Wednesday, April 25th, 2018
→ The Walking Monk

Toronto, Ontario

Spring Has Sprung

It is Spring now, at long last.  Showers are upon us, and I was interested to find out that the famous phrase, “April showers bring May flowers,” has its origin way back in the 12thcentury.

Through the rain, I made a trip to Brampton with a purpose.  My signature was required to help establish a devotional enterprise for advancing a healthier lifestyle, along the lines of more walking and growing one’s own veggies.  Going more organic.  Going more green.

I see that the rains are doing that.  They are blessing and regenerating the land with grasses which  manifest that green.  Water also comes quite handy at this time of year as a way to regenerate the interiors of buildings.  For instance, I was quite thrilled to see that the soot collecting on our temple walls comes off with that good old H2O, when applied with cloth and muscle.  In other words, I got into spring cleaning.

To assist me is Dwarkanath, the newly-arrived monk from India.  On the day of Rishi and Pooja’s engagement last Saturday, I looked at the filthy wall with the collective film in one corner. The radiator emanates this blackness. I decided to roll up my sleeves and dip my hand in a bucket of water.  A ladder was necessary in spots.  Dwarkanath also rolled up, and we were both on our way to seeing what clean means.

I felt like the monk, Chaitanya, who, in a frenzy, cleansed the famous temple, Gundica.

He inspires.

May the Source be with you!

0 km (cold rain)