Author Archives: H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami

Wednesday, June 24th, 2015
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Wednesday, June 24th, 2015
Halifax, Nova Scotia

At Blue Apple

It is only my speculation that the Mainland Linear Trail, as it is referred to, was either a former railway line or a hydro service road.  Whatever it is, it is a convenient path taken advantage of by hundreds of walkers in this peripheral area of Halifax – Fairview.  Both Brhat and I were quite amazed by the amount of strong scented roses, of all things, lined along the way.  That fragrance is not man-made.

It was Theresa, our host in Halifax, who led us to this trail where we met hundreds of trekkers including a group of Bhutanese, all rather committed members, at least in spirit, to the Vaishnava culture, as we are.

It was Joseph Currie (I like to use his last name as a reminder of the Indian prep) who took us to the Blue Apple Wellness Centre downtown. There, an eager group of youthful open-hearts sat in anticipation of hearing about pilgrimage and the life of a monastic.  No doubt, mantra meditation was also a draw.  Joseph himself is not only a fairly good networker, but is a vocalist, guitarist and an activist.  I asked him to take the lead in the end of our chanting session.  Krishna has provided him with a number of gifts and talents.  Isn’t that true for each and every one of us.

May the Source be with you.

7 km

Sunday, June 21st, 2015
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Sunday, June 21st, 2015
St. John’s, Newfoundland

On The First Day Of Summer…

On the street called Penny Lane, you find the local Hindu temple, our first stop for the day.  Brihat and I took to walking along the rails-to-trails path from Manuel’s River before we ventured off to the Hindu temple.  There was an emphasis there on Father’s Day, and the children of the community offered presentations over the microphone for honouring dads.  Some jokes were told.  I particularly liked the phrase, “Even if you grow taller than your dad, you always look up to him.”  The community responded very well to the kirtan, dance, and my talk, and at meal time at the Hindu temple, I found the potato curry scrumptious. 

Our next stop was at Bowring Park where yoga practitioners laid out there mats for exercise at what’s called The Bungalow.  Brihat and I met these fine folks, but sat on the grass by the wayside to catch up on chanting and emails.  Indeed many people strolling pass by.  Although today was International Yoga Day, I felt more comfortable saying to people, “Happy Fathers’ Day”.  That brought nods and smiles.  I can’t see that saying “Happy Yoga Day” works at this point in time. 

Lastly, Brhat and I, along with host, Rashesvar, gathered with people at Miranda’s.  To her credit, Sunday night has become a consistent night for kirtan for 13 years now, something that she and I started.  Now the group at Miranda’s was phenomenal, especially for their singing and dancing.  We took on a semblance of a tribal group, something like what you might find in the musical, Hair. 

Yes, going down Penny Lane in the morning, and ending at the home with drummers and dancers singing a song, flashes you back to the 60’s.  The only thing missing is the weed and the patchouli oil to cover it up, but as monks, it’s rather inappropriate to indulge.  That’s the beauty of our guru, Srila Prabhupada, who taught us how to have fun without such accessories. 

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Saturday, June 20th, 2015
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Saturday, June 20th, 2015
Gander, Newfoundland

Great in Gander.

Gander, a modest town of about 10,000 people, really made its mark on the map when, at 9/11, 747 aircrafts from many parts of the world landed there.  The substantial-sized runway was filled with planes as a safety measure when New York’s twin towers were demolished, along with occupants.  All of tiny Gander’s hotels and motels were fully capacitated and practically every residents’ home was welcoming beleaguered passengers for refuge at a time when the world seemed to come to a standstill.

Gander became world-renowned for being ultra-hospitable and I had the good fortune, along with Rashesvar and Brhat, of being hosted in the town with its one and only but growing community of yogis.  Christa was the facilitator of our two part program on our speaking about yoga-walking, bhakti-yoga and a demo and inclusive chant-and-dance kirtan.  I was happy to also meet Matthew, a local who recently became certified as a yoga teacher.  It’s not all that often that you find male mentors on this field.  All I can say is, “Yeah, Guys, let’s step up!”

Julie from the CBC Radio came over for an interview.  Questions were basic, but pertinent, “What’s the walking all about, and what’s a monk all about?”

To Julie and to listeners on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation I would like to say that the type of walking I do is self-reflective and introspective.  A monk?  To define that, “it is someone who voluntarily takes to discipline, simplicity and fun and one who inspires and gets inspired.”

Julie also filmed me on the drum and with the Krishna mantra.  Hmmm?  Maybe it’s also intended for TV?

May the Source be with you!

9 km

Friday, June 19, 2015
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Friday, June 19, 2015
St. John’s, Newfoundland

Where’s That? Sometimes my American friends ask me, “Where’s that?” when I tell them I’m in Newfoundland.

“It’s near where the Titanic sank,” is my response.  So they get it.  It’s the perfect reference point. Here I am, in Newfoundland and its capital city, St. John’s.  People here sound and look Irish.  They are unmistakably the friendliest folks in the nation.  Jan Peters is one of them.  I’ve known her for twenty years. Loving and giving she is.

She picked up Brhat, my assistant monk, and I at the airport, took us to her
beautiful home and had all these ingredients ready for us to assemble one of my favourites – veggie wraps.  We then moved on to the campus at Memorial U. to check out our lecture hall for the upcoming speaking engagement.  A few extra posters informing students of the event were affixed to walls designated for this kind of program.  “Tales from Trails” are highlighted along with mantra meditation.  Oh yes, I met students there, some from Africa, India and China.  It’s an international place for education. 

Lasagna was waiting for us at Rashesvar’s place compliments of the chefs, Neil and Cathy, two doors down.  Once again, I admire Newfoundlanders, I affectionately address as “Newfies” for your niceness.

The pace of life in Newfoundland is relatively relaxed.  Air and water are clean. There are a lot of pros for being in Newfoundland, either as a resident or visitor.

The sun shone all day, giving pleasure until nightfall when rain partnered this night. I required sleep.  My insomnia is at an ultimate high and I haven’t slept well for three days.  The odd nap here and there doesn’t compensate.

Woe is me, being in this body has its accompanying turmoils.  Bear in mind, our problems don’t have to be permanent.

May the Source be with you.

0 km

Thursday, June 18, 2015
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Thursday, June 18, 2015

Toronto, Ontario

On Radio, Newfoundland

I had an interview with Colleen from Memorial University on their radio station.  It was a promo for my coming to give talks in Newfoundland tomorrow.  I understand that Colleen is a well-liked broadcaster and is good at songwriting and at singing. 

Her questions and my answers regarding “Tales from Tails” were pre-recorded and involved everything about pilgrimage and included the events I’ll be conducting while in Newfoundland.  I’ll paraphrase and shortcut for brevity’s sake. 

Colleen:  What makes a walk become a pilgrimage?

Me:  When one walks for an intended transformation it is then a pilgrimage.

Colleen:  What is the value of a pilgrimage?

Me:  It is down-time, time to reflect, to be introspective, to plan for the future, reminisce on some past experiences and to be very much in the moment.

Colleen:  In this age of technology you feel there’s a need?

Me:  Absolutely! We are dealing with weapons of mass distraction.  Let us re-explore the power of the human body, which is a temple for the atma, the soul.  I’ve never liked cars and the damage they’ve done to the world.  The human body can do so much.

Colleen:  You mentioned in your blog about challenges with the knees.

Me:  I’m 62, going on 63.  Naturally there is some wear-down.  I’ve settled for doing 35 km a day whereas my past average doing the marathons was 42 km a day.

Colleen:  You’re going to be speaking? And walking?

Me:  Yes! Gander is on for Saturday at a yoga studio; Sunday, a talk at the

Hindu temple then ‘Tales from Trails” at the Education Building Room 2018A Monday evening.  Tuesday we’ll conduct a walk around Quidi Vidi Lake.  All are welcome.

May the Source be with you!

7 km

Saturday, June 13th, 2015
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Saturday, June 13th, 2015
Miami, Florida
Had Our Share
We had our share of stepping on sea urchins.  I probably did more walking through water today than moving on the ground surface.  Sea urchins were everywhere and once again, crocs came in most handy.  For those of us who ventured barefoot the prickly entities became a bit of a nuisance.
At Key-Biscayne, where the Atlantic waters are indeed fine in temperature, our group of Krishna devotees from Miami (monks and lay members), enjoyed the cooling effect of a swim.  We were boating and then anchored near a sandbar by Craig who runs it like a friendly business.  His captain and two young staff members really got a charge out of our kirtan on the way to the destination and on its return.  They not only enjoyed but sang and attempted a jig.
Just so that readers of the blog know that, as a monk, I’m not totally in maya, or illusion, and steering away from devotional functions, the swim was a way of approaching devotee care.  Seeing to bonding and attention to some healthy but clean physical activities is essential for spiritual upkeep.  Secondly, the mere joy of it all, set everyone ready and prepared for our evening kirtan in the public at Miami Beach’s streets.
That event and experience became memorable.  The last time I came here was at Halloween night when a group of us Krishna monks came to do what we are known for – kirtan.  I think it was the time of day, when dark, that it just became too “risqué” for our innocent eyes.  I made a commitment then, “Never again!”  Yes, indeed for favourable  devotional service you must always pick and choose.
 
May the Source be with you!
? km (hard to say in the water)

Friday, June 12th, 2015
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Friday, June 12th, 2015
Miami, Florida

And/Or

At meetings held in a downtown Miami office, we did discuss that which is relevant to any institution, organization, business, or even a relationship.  Authors James Collins, and Jerry Porras, wrote about the coined expression, “The tyranny of OR, and the genius of AND”.  For opportunity, for inclusiveness, for success, one should embrace the latter concept. 

This type of thinking of considering many possibilities and keeping various doors open was something utilized by our guru, Srila Prabhupada.  This same concept of the novel writer, F. Scott Fitzgerald, can also be considered when he said, “The test of a first rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.”

When I talked to Tamohara, my good friend who was in the room during the time of this discussion, it brought to mind the principal of Sri Chaitanya who highlighted unity in diversity, which in Sanskrit terms, reads as follows:

Achintya bheda bheda tattva

As a westerner, I was brought up firmly believing in black and white vision, or the all or nothing viewpoint.  It was a breath of fresh air to run into a culture with roots from the east, Krishna Consciousness, that has embedded into it the concept of holding varying ideas in place and not running into confusion. 

There’s also the sun and sunshine analogy.  Two different components exist, and yet the energy is basically the same.  We can also draw the example of the constitution of water, and how it applies to the ocean and a mere drop of water.  They are one, but different. 

By the way, regarding the sun, when I strolled a stretch of the edge of Coconut Grove, I really did feel like I was becoming one with the sun.  I was roasting. 

May the Source be with you!

4 km

Wednesday June 10th, 2015
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Wednesday June 10th, 2015
Alachua, Florida

No Blues Today

Yesterday we enjoyed the fresh water of one of the many springs in Florida. Today, we had a good look and a good bite at blueberries.

At the outskirt of a town, Worthington Springs, I found myself at an organic farm for blue-berries, a pick-your-own farming enterprise. They were not like the low-lying wild blue-berries I’m accustomed to in the Canadian shield, but like small trees and bearing a slight tart taste.

A torrential rainstorm terminated our picking, but I felt, while it lasted, that a community spirit was well in shape. Everyone in the orchard was a devotee of Krishna by some circumstance. yes, this is a popular place for devotees who are known to pick, freeze and pull batches out of the freezer for periodical pie-making or the cooking of semolina halava garnished with the beauts. For one, the experience brought me back to the days of adolescence when picking feverishly at cherries in the month of June in Canada.

Morning also involved a trip to Gainesville, the Krishna House where I conducted a class in the Bhagavatam. Evening was an intriguing challenge. I was asked to conduct a session with kids. What age was coming? I wasn’t sure what age group? Somehow someone had trust in me. So, I walked into the temple in Alachua and there were no less than thirty kids sat, waiting for my entrance and ready for some stimulation.

I did my best. The kirtan at the end somehow came of as less zoo-like considering the incredible age-range from 3 to 12.  My dear Lord, thanks for the challenge.

May the Source be with you!

8 km

Thursday, June 11th, 2015
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Thursday, June 11th, 2015
Orlando, Florida

Fill Life With Stories

The story of Dvidvida gorilla is a charmer for young and old and everyone else in between.  After that regular trek that I take from Ananta’s house to the Alachua temple, I lead my last kirtan and class in the area before departing for Orlando.  When time came for class, the episode of the infamous gorilla came, as in sequence to our morning Bhagavatam discussion. 

Dvidvida is both a nuisance and troublemaker.  As light as the story sometimes sounds, it can also remind us of the more serious nature of the inner demon that is said to distract us from the path of devotional service.  He is horrendous in his habits.  He pollutes sacrificial structures with his urine and feces.  He carries off with his powerful arms, men and women, concealing them in hidden away caves, and also makes gross approaches towards simple village women.  The hairy ape is obnoxious.  Finally, he challenges the brother of Krishna, Balaram, when he meets his match and is swiftly done away with. 

We may ask for strength and call on Balaram with the hope to subdue the monster within.  When we chant, “Rama”, it refers to Balaram in anticipation that agitation within will be replaced by the desire to serve. 

Part two of today had us end up at Abhimanyu Arjuna’s home for a sangha.  Here, families came with children and certainly, they remained focused on a less culprit story.  They became enchanted (and so did their accompanying parents) by the tale of Krishna and Sudhama.  As boyhood schoolmates, they shared some good times together.  With the passage of time, and years of separation, they reunited in a cordial and endearing recollection of childhood pastimes.  It is not a bad idea for all of us to recall our days of innocence, especially after we dwell on some of our own selfish follies.  It can be very humbling and therapeutic.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Tuesday, June 9th, 2015
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Tuesday, June 9th, 2015
Alachua, Florida

The Treasure of Florida
Florida boasts to having over a thousand springs, rivers of cooling clear waters, through the state. Ichetucknee Springs State Park was the destination of a few of us who enjoy tubing, snorkeling or just plain swimming on one of such springs. This particular spring with its limestone bottom, reeds growing from its bed and the home of the turtles, snakes and in some seasons manatees, flows at a comfortable speed. One of the boys has spot wild boars on a previous visit.

It was Aravind that I renounced my orange tube to for the joy of swimming most of the distance. What a treat this was! It was rather a great obstacle course at times dodging fallen trees or holding onto a log that appeared to lost and now gained a purpose. It becomes a perfect anchor for catching a few moments of breath.

My day in its completion felt like a flowing stream with delivering a class from Canto 10 of the Bhagavatam on the subject of the company that shapes you. In the evening I was slotted to facilitate a “Nine Devotions Workshop”. All went well, this workshop included. My analysis on this one, though, is that the participation was on the high side. Beyond the figure 30, it becomes a trite unmanageable.

Its purpose is to bring the members of the group closer to each other, hence creating a more cohesive community overall. There is a tendency amongst us to become a bit too formalized when we step in a spiritual domain such as the temple. The mood can often be one of an institutional mode.

It is always good to remember what are the natural traits of a stripped-down spirit soul. We are eternal. We are cognitive. We are joyful.

May the Source be with you!

7 km walking, 5 km swimming

Monday, June 8th, 2015
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Monday, June 8th, 2015
Alachua, Florida

God Knows!

God knows that I want to put in a little time on a pedometer every day. Frankly I’m not using one but perhaps I should start. If walking long corridors like I did today in Atlanta’s Airport (a stopover) then a device would show some distance on foot. At this point I’m reluctant to count such steps as adding to collective walking for the day. Generally I like to count what I do outside because it is more the full experience.

Since that is the case I can register no kilometres or miles for that matter. I can only think, or dream, of having put on the distance. Being up in the air twice today in order to to reach Gainesville Airport lends itself to dreaming. You are above the the clouds.

Ananta Sesa and Vaishnavi, my hosts in their home, gave only the best meal starting with a salad of greens and sprouts. It would have been great to have walked it off but in truth I’m not a fan for walking through afternoon blazes, the heat of summer Florida.

Nighttime was a preoccupation of in the home of my stay when godbrothers/sisters, and perhaps two generations below came to chant, eat and talk. We talked of our spiritual brother Brahmananda, who passed away yesterday in India. In the 60’s he was the heart of Iskcon, the Hare Krishna Movement. He was one of the first takers to the mission of our guru, Srila Prabhupada, in New York where it all started fifty years ago. One person in the room described him as a transcendental teddy bear. He was large in his build and was soft in the heart. He will be missed.

May the Source be with you!

0 km

Sunday June 7th, 2015
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Sunday June 7th, 2015
Toronto, Ontario

Not a True Square Place
Dundas Square in Toronto’s answer to Times Square. At that very spot, the juncture of Yonge and Dundas, a promo festival to the upcoming Chariot Festival, was held today. I went from stall to stall schmoozing before joining the beautiful kirtan that task place. there was also a mock exotic temple erected for the public to experience. Face-painting, henna, food (prasadam), clothes and other wares were on for sale. There were a lot of curious browsers and eager participants.

One artist there who had this fantastic work in progress, oil on canvas, was a rendering of the face of Krishna collaged with the elements. He rather liked the location for the event. A fairly newcomer to Canada and who hails from Cuba, he was surprised to know about Dundas Square. “Twenty years ago this did not exist,” I explained. “It was a block of buildings for retail. i have a brother-in-law who owned a jewelry store on this block. The city decided some time ago that a public space was needed to break the monotonous feature of the highrises.”

That was a smart decision although in my opinion there could have been some green at the scene. A huge stage is a permanent fixture. There is seating and water-fountains geyser up in the air from time to time. It is a far way from the descriptions you read about regarding the gorgeous city in Dwarka during Krishna’s time but it was an honest effort on the part of the conscientious city council.

I want to congratulate the team of Keshav, Rukmini and others who worked hard to assemble this little Krishna Conscious market-place on behalf of the Ratha Yatra. Job well done!

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Saturday, June 6th, 2015
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Saturday, June 6th, 2015
Toronto, Ontario

A Minor Conquest

Whenever I have an issue with my knee or ankle, not terribly serious though, but with some pain, I’ve found it helpful to walk myself through the problem.  Today was that day for that to happen.

Beginning from our ashram, Karuna, Dan, and I set on foot for the bike/pedestrian trail along the Don River.  Soaking in sun, sheltering under shade and dodging hundreds of outdoor enthusiasts that shared the path was the initial phase of our sojourn.  That then changed.  At Taylor Creek Park the trail thins out and even becomes practically impossible for a cyclist.  You enter mean forest with a narrow strip of walkway.  The ground is soft but uneven in spots.  That’s what helps an ailing knee or ankle.  The mechanics I don’t quite understand.  What I do know is that certain muscles that are usually lazy from a straight and flat sidewalk now get activated.

We are basically following a trail by the Don.  And it was lovely.  Here you are in the city but totally aloof – in the green.  The Don continued to meander.  It was a new discovery – this place and unfortunately our journey was to terminate, not because the river ended.  It continues for some distance, yet to be explored for a future date.  We actually had a lunch engagement much further up the Don.  It was time to come out of the river’s ravine and catch a ride to meet our appointment.  Otherwise we would anticipate a four hour journey through the up-and-down gorgeousness of the wilderness.  
End result of all the exploration was that my agitated knee felt repaired.  I like this kind of conquest which was backed-up by the Supreme, the Maker of rivers and the Blesser of trails.

May the Source be with you!

10 km

Friday, June 5th, 2015
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Friday, June 5th, 2015
Toronto, Ontario
Dan Came
Dan is willing enough to admit to struggling with drugs.  He wants to put the nasty things behind him.  He has come to Krishna to get help and support.  He’s been chanting, meditating on his japa beads.  Reading the Bhagavad-gita and being in the company of devotees is making a difference.  
Dan has just arrived from Alberta and is taking to a monk-for-a-weekend retreat at the ashram with us.  The rain had come down hard just before he arrived by bus.  The air was clean and not long after quite the ride from Ontario’s southern tip, Windsor, Dan was quite ready for a trek that Karuna and I had planned.
So through Rosedale neighbourhood we threesome went picking up the fresh smells after a thorough shower from the gods in many ways the walk through this region with its mature growth of well-placed trees was the introduction to Dan’s monk-for-a-weekend experience.  It was the perfect therapeutic venture for the three of us.  After all, who in this world is not sick with some addiction/attachment?
We all are!
What comes to mind is a verse of hope from the Bhagavad-gita 6.45:
“And when the yogi engages himself with sincere endeavour in making further progress, being washed of all contaminations, then ultimately, achieving perfection after many, many births of practice, he attains the supreme goal.”
May the Source be with you!
7 km

Thursday, June 4th, 2015
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Thursday, June 4th, 2015
Mayapur, India
A New Book
From Winnipeg I boarded a plane where a brief encounter with Swami Narayana monks involved saying, “Namaste!” and “Hare Krishna.”  After a lay-over in Toronto and then boarding Air Canada destined for Thunder Bay I sat next to Shawn Campbell.  We were next to each other on the flight to Thunder Bay.
What a great conversation!  Time was flying as was our plane.  So Shawn used to be employed with the pulp and paper industry.  We talked about that and I became enlightened as to what wood makes the best pulp and what makes the best newsprint.  The dominant trees of the area, nestled in the Boreal forest was spruce, jack pine, some poplar, cedar.  “What about the white birch so common around Thunder Bay?  What’s happening to them?  They seem to be deteriorating.  On my walks I see them losing their leaves and lustre.
Shawn had the answer.  “When the loggers come in for the paper industry they take all the trees out around them and leave them…
I butt in and said, “Alone?!”
“Yes.”  He went on to explain that like most trees they are inter-dependent.  They need the other species to survive.  Whether its gases they emit or the breaking of the wind, the birches require that the other species be around them.
“Hmmmmm!”  That’s like people.  We, being social animals, hanker for human interaction, an interdependency,” I suggested.  Who wants to be alone?
We covered more territory in our chat.  We touched on war.  Shawn felt that religion was the cause of major wars.  I begged to differ.  Many wars were fought over land and commodities such as gold, oil, salt, etc. although greed may have been part of the mix.
Shawn is now a Floridian and visits his northern home country.  I hope to meet him again.
It was by Boulevard Lake that Lian, her 7 year son, Noah, Milan, Luke, and host Dr Jani – circled the waters’ perimeter.  There we were in the world of birches (healthy ones), poplar, pine, and spruce.  We were on Cloud Nine with the smells and colours.  I felt I was in the air once again.
May the Source be with you!
7 km

Wednesday, June 3th, 2015
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Wednesday, June 3th, 2015
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Meeting His Words Again
Doug, Daruka, and I took cautious steps on unofficial trails along the Assiniboine River within the city limits of Winnipeg.  The river had taken its natural course of the spring season.  Water levels are fairly high but not too high for us to traverse.  I would imagine there are some of the oldest trees in the province where we roamed – chunky and tall, often bent a bit.
Here we were with water (the river); with silt, hard and soft (earth) under our feet; with our giants, the trees representing fire; with the river breeze blowing over (air) and with a space for comfort (ether).
Nice setup, Nature!
By evening a sanga took place at 108 Chestnut Street.  Vrinda, our facilitator, and Malini were early.  Others came like Visvambhara and wife Daniel.  Farida too.  She gave me a card quoting St Francis of Assisi – a well-known piece worth sharing:
Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master
Grant that I may not so much
Seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive, 
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, 
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
May the Source be with you!
7 km

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2015
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Tuesday, June 2nd, 2015
Calgary, Alberta
Observing Nature Gave Substance To My Talk
Craig Ginn brought his students from Mount Royal College.  A great walk on Calgary’s Greenway, then brunch at Yogendra’s over fiddle-heads on buns – these two engagements got me pumped up for meeting students who wanted to know everything from the soul’s transmigration to destiny at death.
If it wasn’t for the walk through nature in the morning my philosophical presentation to these students would appear theoretical, even shallow.  Because I took that stroll and with two good souls, Gaurachandra and Vani, I witnessed life in the form of magpies in flight, ravens perched and other fowl in anticipation of conquest, of death of food, of sex, I could speak with a greater conviction, fullness, and support behind me.
I detected some shyness in the group of students and some reluctance to sing, dance, and even ask questions in the beginning.  It took time for the students to get comfortable but they got there and to the point where they really appreciated the interactiveness.  They were great!  They were served veggie burgers.  Irresistible!
Now, my host in Calgary, had his birthday today.  Radha Madhava turned forty-seven, looks like thirty-one.  I think its all that vegetarianism in the form of prasadam that keeps him young.
Every time I visit Calgary Radha Madhava calls everyone to his home for a sanga.  He manages to pack his place.  The formula to success on his sanga programs is feed everyone at 6:30 pm.  Satisfy the palate.  Then roll on the kirtan and then the discussion.  Program finished by 9:30 pm at the latest.
May the Source be with you!
8 km

Sunday, May 31st, 2015
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Sunday, May 31st, 2015
Toronto, Ontario

Ford Connection

“Small world,” is what we concluded.
Alfred Brush Ford, the great grandson of motor vehicle inventor, Henry Ford, came to town on a fundraiser for  a huge temple construction in Mayapura, India.  I had crossed paths with him a few times in spiritual circles, mostly in India.  Also known as Ambarisa (his Sanskrit name), he graced us with his presence, and the divine company of his wife, Svaha. 

This time around upon meeting him I had to ask him a question which would confirm some karmic connection between him and I in this life.

“So, you were raised in Detroit?”
“Yes,” he said. 
“You’re a Motown boy?”
“You could say that.”
“Did you ever come up to Canada when you were young, particularly in Ontario?”
“Yes, I used to go to see Shakespeare plays in Stratford, Ontario.”
“Okay, but did your family have property about an hour’s drive from Detroit in Ontario?”
“Yes, the family had a lodge in the marshy areas.” “Near Tilbury?”
“I believe that was it, but it was a lodge where guys used to go and hunt ducks.  My dad tried to show me how to use a gun, and I accidentally almost blew his head off.”  (Laughter)

“Were there pictures of scantily clad ladies on the walls of the lodge?  And did the place always have a cigarette smell?”
“Yes.”
“That’s it!” I said, “My dad did the maintenance there.  He used to put out the duck decoys, spread corn out in the marsh in hip boots in order to attract ducks, and he used to clean the lodge.  On my last walk I trekked through that area, and my sister, Roseanne, who accompanied me for a bit, mentioned that the Ford family owned the lodge.”

Ambarisa found it thoroughly interesting that I used to hang out there as he did, but we never met then.  He told me of the time when he was a hippy, and with a friend got on board a motor boat and then got caught in an electric storm when they were tripping, and how a duck in flight lead the motor boat to the lodge after being lost in the marsh and canals.

“Isn’t that something, Ambarisa?  My brother and I had gone fishing there, and we used to help our dad.  We caught fish but we couldn’t stand eating them.  What a small world it is.”

May the Source be with you!

0 km

Monday, June 1st, 2015
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Monday, June 1st, 2015
Calgary, Alberta
Calm Through Conflict
Most people enter a period of conflict in their life when governed by dark influence, even dark planets.  The Vedas of India identify two such planets – Rahu and Ketu.  It is a time when self-reflection is of optimum importance and comes in handy when entering a storm in consciousness.  We get emotional and defensive.
It reminds me of Arjuna going through his emotional intensity.  And then Krishna offers him a sense of balance.  
I’ve found that during internal storms I would be compelled to self-reflect.  In a recent article in “The Globe and Mail” newspaper article by Harvey Schachter, a quoted Cinnie Noble says, “reflection moves our brains from the emotional part, the amygdala, to the thinking part, the prefrontal cortex.”
This technique of shifting from emotion to logic and reasoning is the technique used by Sri Krishna in steering Arjuna to a more grounded position.  Arjuna had been puzzled upon seeing to the difficult task of fighting kinsmen and friends.  Arjuna found himself confused, grieving, trembling, crying – being emotional.
Krishna put some loving pressure on Arjuna and addressed him saying that his reaction was one of “petty weakness of heart.”  Arjuna’s head and heart were at war.
Somehow – because the relationship between Krishna and Arjuna was valued between the two persons – Krishna’s pressure and Arjuna’s letting up was able to transpire, and Arjuna was able to come to some resolve.  He weathered the storm and became peaceful within.  He listened then to Krishna’s logic and was able to transcend.
May the Source be with you!
9 km

Saturday, May 30th, 2015
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Saturday, May 30th, 2015
Edmonton, Alberta
Bear and Embrace
The community was excited.  New deities were installed.  The murtis, or deities of Chaitanya and Nityananda graced the shrine.  For the instalment of the deities, there was the use of ghee, milk, flowers, grain, yogurt, juices, and other substances.  This is called snan, a bathing process.  It is a procedure that is common in the bhakti tradition, and it was enjoyed by all. 
Part of the procedure required my standing.  I’ve come to some realization that I’m not a stander.  I like to sit (not always in the lotus position, but by chair).  And, of course, walking is just fine.  Standing is not my forte.  I took today’s ordeal of standing while pouring substances as a sacrifice, which is not bad for a monk to execute.  The ceremony was beautiful, it extended for what seemed like hours.  
The Evening
All of White Mud Drive was an exit the group took via vehicle.  We parked, then entered along a trail by Fort Edmonton along that vibrant river way, the North Saskatchewan.  
I would say most emphatically, that it is highly necessary for every human being to make nature connections every day of your life.  Whether you are a corporate person locked in a concrete jungle, or a man of the cloth, meaning a priest orpujari, do connect with nature because it is the spirit of God that you contact.  It offers a balance.  Make the day complete with some work, some ritual, and some recreation.  It is what I consider holistic, or, whole-istic, living.  It is there for all of us to take advantage of.  Drop the phobia for rain, cold, heat, and wind.  Bear it and embrace it.
May the Source be with you!
8 km

Friday, May 29th, 2015
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Friday, May 29th, 2015
Edmonton, Alberta
Out There
William Hawrelak Park was our chosen walking spot which included trails trekking along the North Saskatchewan River.  Bala Krishna, our temple coordinator said of the walk, “The wild rose, Alberta’s official provincial flower, is such  pretty plant, a perennial that survives hard winters.  It teaches us how to persevere obstacles.  
Raja Gopal said this, “I was in awe to see the expanse of the river from the viewpoint of the middle of the walking bridge.  Nature was giving us a wide welcome.”
Madhavi, Raja’s wife, who runs our Sunday School, really liked when we sat on the grass and when we took some moment to chant japa together.  She expressed to me that after the sit that I was a botany professor as much as I was a chanter because I had educated them in some of the local plants, and also suggested to her that we make a lilac tea from the bush in bloom near by.
Raju expressed that the breeze was perfect, “I’m always in an office and it was such a relief being out in the elements.”
Sandiya said, “I got a charge out of harvesting dandelion flowers for tomorrow’s pakoras.  You see, today is an optional full day fast, including water.  I can’t wait to try them out as a snack, but I’ll have to wait til tomorrow.”
Sudeep came from the office and joined us for the trek, but couldn’t get away from talking on his cell phone.  But, like myself, I’m sure he just couldn’t ignore the powerful scent of wildflowers.  
It’s good to hear from others for a change.  Congratulations to Ria who took diksa (initiation).  Her new name is Saranagati.  And Rajesh happily accepted the name Raja Gopal.  
May the Source be with you!
5 km

Thursday, May 28th, 2015
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Thursday, May 28th, 2015
Toronto, Ontario

It Can Be Great To Wait

Praveen and I were rather proud of ourselves after we made the commitment to a one hour of walking during our japa meditation period.  Our arrival at the ashram was right on the button, smack on the second of a 60 minute trek.  It couldn’t have been more accurate, more exacting to the second.  Personally, I feel great when things are done timely like this.  Praveen was beaming as was I. 

I felt a bit less elated, though, in the afternoon, when our slotted time, 2 PM, for a dash to our communal van was delayed.  The clock ticked from 2 to 2:10, to 2:20, and finally, 2:30, and we were still not loaded up with all monks possible, and drums.  It was mainly Nick, whom I often address as ‘Slick Nick’, who was the culprit and the cause of challenging time.  The rest of us, four residential monks, were growing impatient.  I decided to avoid storming him (impatience externally in check), and to leave the van for the ashram to explore and ask, “Why the hold up, Nick?”  No, I wasn’t going to use my kick, or a stick on Nick.  My affection for Nick is too strong.  Nevertheless, I was curious as hell to know what happened to the last of the chanters as we anticipated our journey for Kensington Market, an enclave of shops and people of an open kind. 

Alas, there was Nick, inside the boutique, making a $400 sale of BBT books.  Someone had taken interest in the complete volume set of our guru’s books.  The purchase would surely nurture the soul for the one reading page after page of revelations by Srila Prabhupada to do with the Absolute Truth. 

Those of us waiting were now relieved.  The extra wait bore marvelous fruit.  With our spirits up and Nick now ready to go, we ventured off to Kensington and then Chinatown.  We started drumming and chanting, all was auspicious.  We even stumbled upon various acquaintances, and also made new friends along the way. 

All’s well that ends well. 

May the Source be with you!

8 km

Saturday, May 23rd, 2015
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Saturday, May 23rd, 2015
Vaughan/Toronto

23 Years

It’s been 23 years of the annual astha prahar in Toronto.  Perhaps, it is one of the longest running 24 hour chanting sessions in North America.  This program held at the Thakur Centre was first initiated by a sweet man by the name Raja Sarangi.  We remember him lovingly as the man born and raised in Orissa, and who had a passion to duplicate in Canada a practice he had embraced close to his heart as a boy. 

And here’s what he taught us.  You set up a shrine in the middle of a field, or in the middle of an indoor community hall, and after adorning it with pictures and icons of Krishna and Chaitanya, you now have a station around which you circumambulate while engaged in kirtan.  It’s a tradition in Bengal and the surrounding areas. 

The people here at the Thakur Centre, mostly hail from Bengal, and they are very much loyal and dedicated to this annual kirtan cause.  I was blessed to kick start the program this year, as usual.  Groups who are practiced at kirtan come in throughout the day when it’s their slot, usually a one or two hour length.  I see this as the ultimate goodwill activity.  A sound which is sacred sends positive bliss chemicals into the atmosphere. 

This was also the case at Christie Pitts Park when after the march against Monsanto, a residual trickle of people engaged in kirtan in the park.  It was a totally unplugged sound vibration.  No drums, no harmonium, no cymbals were available, nor were they necessary.  Just a happy sound of kirtan from the voice, and the clap of the hands permeated through the ether. 

It’s the subtle things that can often time impact the gross things. 

May the Source be with you!

12 km

Friday, May 22nd, 2015
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Friday, May 22nd, 2015
Toronto, Ontario

Responses Are Up

It was a consecutive day number four for chanting in the public.  Our venue was Bloor Street West, to Christie Pitts Park, and back.  Wow!  What positive responses! 

A luxury bus driver stepped out of his vehicle as we moved by.  He was tossing his full length hair back, and remarked about the chanting, “I love it.”  At the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) a Jamaican Rasta man with dreads, was playing on his steel band drum.  He looked a little glum, head down and playing slow.  Our little kirtan party got to either side of him and perked him up.  He then came up with a tune that we were encouraged to sing to.  It worked out alright. 

By the time we reached Christie Pitts Park, the grass looked very inviting.  We sat down and formed our circle and chanted.  One by one, park browsers came to sit with us, expanding our circle of sound.  There was Mario, Marnie, and Agatar.  And more joined in on the fun.  And as our two drummers, Eklavya and Devala, made a visit to the bladder room, we learned from Marnie that the very park we were sitting at would be the venue for the next day’s rendezvous for a protest march against Monsanto.

One of the girls asked Marnie, “What’s Monsanto?”

“Basically, the Devil visiting us,” said Marnie most confidently. 

Strong statement.  The truth can be spoken of in sometimes unkind words. 

May the Source be with you!

7 km

Thursday, May 21st, 2015
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Thursday, May 21st, 2015
Toronto, Ontario

Take it Like a Monk

It used to be that people in the public would see one of us and say, “Hey, I haven’t seen you guys in 30 years.”  Today, as our group was chanting along on John Street, an excited wiry and white haired man remarked, “I haven’t seen you guys in 40 years.”  It came to mind that time is passing by quickly, and secondly, that this is a confirmation that our effort to explore different parts of the city was a good experiment.  It’s working, people are seeing us again.  The need to be more visible as Krishna monks was obvious. 

I kept dwelling on the concept of passage of time.  A good friend, just the other day, spoke of another friend, and said this about him, “When I saw him he was walking with a cane.   I was shocked how old he suddenly had become.  He had age marks on his face.”  Then I interjected, and due to not hearing properly, almost as if I’m getting to the age of hard of hearing. 

“What did you say?  He’s got Aids marks on his face?”

“No!”  I was corrected, “AGE marks.”

“We’re all getting older,” was my thought, “and it is happening fast.”  I have these mental glimpses of myself on the streets of Toronto when I was a young whipper snapper of sorts, doing the same thing, chanting on the streets.  What comes to mind is a message of the Gita, wherein a verse implies the movement of the soul recycling itself rather swiftly.  “As the embodied soul continually passes in this body from boyhood, to adulthood, to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death.  A mature person is not bewildered by such a change.”

By this method, youth is followed by old age, so what is there to worry about?  We can look at aging from a mature perspective.  We must learn to take it like a ma…  monk. 

May the Source be with you!

7 km

Wednesday, May 20th, 2015
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Wednesday, May 20th, 2015
Toronto, Ontario

How You Know You’re Human

With young Devala, a mridanga drum teacher, we took to a trail’s walk.  With a few more monks, and one nun, we took to the corporate tourist and municipal area of the city, including, perhaps for the first time, Church Street, which is the established gay community.  Gradually, we are covering the downtown core in areas where people just haven’t seen Krishna monks for a while.  This second installment of walking was featured with drums and karatalas (hand cymbals), and our voices, of course. 

Back at home base in the evening, I was sitting in the main office when a smartly dressed young fellow walked into our building.  I greeted him.  We exchanged names.  I asked where he’s from and he answered that he’s from Bangladesh and identified himself as coming from a Muslim background.  We sat down and he admitted to coming for the first time.  He had loads of questions. 

I volunteered to say that Bangladesh was a part of India not so long ago.

“Oh yes,” he said, “It got its independence in ’71.”

We continued.  “At one time, that whole section of the globe practiced a Vedic culture.” 

He had never heard of the Vedas from India.  Then we jumped over into the topic of the supernatural.  He asked what is our take on ghosts?

“Disembodied beings, souls who are frustrated for not having a body through which to have sensory experience.  In fact, we are all travelling through bodies.  Our soul transmigrates, it sometimes becomes suspended.”

“As in purgatory?” he asked.

“Yes, as a ghost, or in a place like pitri-loka, or, purgatory.”  We went on and on.  He seemed fascinated with this explanation and more.  I introduced him to our visiting Lithuanian monk.  It was there that the newcomer had spent his last minutes at our ashram.  He then left with many thoughts on his mind.  Yes, there are many things to think about, and that’s what makes us human.

May the Source be with you!

 9 km

Tuesday, May 19th, 201
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Tuesday, May 19th, 2015
Toronto, Ontario

The Fruit of Your Endeavour

The discussion of today based on the story of Subhari Muni was interesting.  Lead by Bhakti Swarup Chaitanya Swami, a visiting monk from Lithuania, our discussion detailed the plight of the muni, who meditated while submerged in water.  Right in front of him, two fish started mating, and this agitated the yogi to the point where he left the water and gave up his vows.  It sounded like he had a weak mind.

The story did remind me of a W.C. Fields response when someone asked him if he would like a glass of water.  He refused the offer, saying that he doesn’t take water because fish copulate in it.  This I relayed to the group in our discussion, they had a good laugh. 

The morning passed. 

We then all planned for the afternoon, a chanting party at Kensington Market, a sort of bohemian neighbourhood with rather receptive people.  Cafes, health shop, vintage clothing stores such as The Eye of Shiva, make this region attractive.  A djembe player was pounding away on the street.  He looked as if he could use some musical accompaniment.  He actually looked rather sad.  Our giving him support worked in mutual terms.  You could now feel his heart leap in joy.  A couple had joined him, friends I guess, and then they showed up along with three other graffiti artist friends, at our temple’s Tuesday Night Sangha.  They sat, listened to the Lithuanian monk, and ate. 

It is so much a fulfilling feeling when the fruits of your effort become manifest.  To see someone coming to make even a tiny endeavour to make spiritual progress is most heartwarming.  From laughter to mental peace, Tuesday, May 19th, 2015, became a day of absolute beauty.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Monday, May 18th, 2015
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Monday, May 18th, 2015
Toronto, Ontario

Are You Real?

It’s a Canadian holiday in honour of Queen Victoria.  During her reign, this British colony became a nation unto itself.  Young men, in particular, usually send off fireworks into the evening sky.  It’s questionable how much sentiment behind this is patriotic, but many people go out for the blast. 

For Eklavya and I, the quiet of the day became opportune for a walk, and my chance to show him choice trails.  We were not the only folk that ventured along Mud Creek, hundreds were out to see green, to capture May’s scent, and do what the human body likes to do.  The two of us ambled along one ravine, and then embarked upon a second.  We wanted to descend on one particular stairs, but which was in disrepair, and hence, the city put a barrier at the entrance.  We were a trite disappointed.  We stood there.

Luckily, a neighbouring woman happened to be walking by, and so I asked, “What’s happening?  Can’t we go down?”  With a joyous demeanor, she said, “Don’t worry, the neighbours laid out some tree stumps so you can leap over the barrier.  We want our kids to have access and fun and not wait for the city to come and fix it.”  We thanked her.  We proceeded forwarded and went on in conversation to do with future mission projects, and all the while observing nature’s esthetics.  Eka even took advantage of the season’s wild mustards growing along the way, and filling his chaddar (monk’s shawl) with the fragrant and tasty greens.  As monks we felt we were doing monastic things such as taking to the simple art of walking, immersed in spiritual topics while foraging a bit in the forest.  We thought ourselves to be ‘real’.  And then we diverted to an earlier, brief encounter we had in the morning, in our thoughts.  As we had detrained from a trip beginning from Windsor, outside the train terminal a street beggar who had seen us asked Eka and I, “Are you real monks?  Cuz they’re not,” pointing to the two Buddhist monks, indicating that they were panhandling.  Perhaps he was envious because their collections were doing good.  Now, I’m not making judgment regarding those monks, but what did come to our attention was a question, “Are you genuine?  Are you sincere?  Are you doing from the heart?”

That was of value. 

May the Source be with you!

9 km

Sunday, May 17th, 2015
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Sunday, May 17th, 2015
Detroit, Michigan

Celebration for the 50th

After a good sleep and a good walk, and then a trip to the Fisher Mansion, run and owned by members of Iskcon, darshan (viewing of the deities of Krishna) became the first segment of our devotions in this exquisite building.  And what was once the ballroom, now a temple room for Krishna, there we chanted and discussed from the book, Bhagavatam, Canto 5, the main topic being, “How does one please the Supreme when there are varying ideas on how to approach Him?  Is there only one standard approach?”

Answer:  No!  One should capture in essence and in practice the principal of unity and diversity. 

The visit to the Fisher Mansion was completed with a breakfast of something called dokla, kitchery and mango milk.  Yummy!  I sat next to David Hendrix, yes, apparently he’s related to Jimmy. 

After, I was driven to Farmington by Prithu, a local hair salonist, along with Eklavya.  Here, again, we opened to the pages of the book, Bhagavatam, this time, Canto 10.  Being that there were a good number of children inside the building, I thought, “Let them sit in front near me.  I’ll read the passage, quiz them, get them involved.”  The technique here is that automatically, parents get captivated as well.  One of the lessons learned from the passage is that the Creator definitely stages dramas on a full universal scale.  Each and every one of us plays a role in the cosmic performance. 

As usual, in a bhaktisetting, there’s always food, prasadam.  Yummy! 

The third activity of the day was a visit by folks to Prithu’s home where I was staying.  A monk by the name of Bhakti Ashramam came to join us and engaged with us in song and in reading on the humble beginnings of kirtanto the western world.  In 1965/66 the process of kirtan was introduced by Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.  That makes 50 years.  We need to celebrate this in a grand way with music, song, dance, and food.  In our own modest way, in a little corner of Detroit, we did dine tonight in celebration (with eggless rolls). 

That is three meals for the day.  The first – Indian, the second – Italian, the third – Chinese.  All were yummy.  May the whole world celebrate!

May the Source be with you!

7 km

Tuesday, May 19th, 2015
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Tuesday, May 19th, 2015
Toronto, Ontario

The Fruit of Your Endeavour

The discussion of today based on the story of Subhari Muni was interesting.  Lead by Bhakti Swarup Chaitanya Swami, a visiting monk from Lithuania, our discussion detailed the plight of the muni, who meditated while submerged in water.  Right in front of him, two fish started mating, and this agitated the yogi to the point where he left the water and gave up his vows.  It sounded like he had a weak mind.

The story did remind me of a W.C. Fields response when someone asked him if he would like a glass of water.  He refused the offer, saying that he doesn’t take water because fish copulate in it.  This I relayed to the group in our discussion, they had a good laugh. 

The morning passed. 

We then all planned for the afternoon, a chanting party at Kensington Market, a sort of bohemian neighbourhood with rather receptive people.  Cafes, health shop, vintage clothing stores such as The Eye of Shiva, make this region attractive.  A djembe player was pounding away on the street.  He looked as if he could use some musical accompaniment.  He actually looked rather sad.  Our giving him support worked in mutual terms.  You could now feel his heart leap in joy.  A couple had joined him, friends I guess, and then they showed up along with three other graffiti artist friends, at our temple’s Tuesday Night Sangha.  They sat, listened to the Lithuanian monk, and ate. 

It is so much a fulfilling feeling when the fruits of your effort become manifest.  To see someone coming to make even a tiny endeavour to make spiritual progress is most heartwarming.  From laughter to mental peace, Tuesday, May 19th, 2015, became a day of absolute beauty.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Mon, May 18th 2015
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Monday, May 18th, 2015
Toronto, Ontario

Are You Real?

It’s a Canadian holiday in honour of Queen Victoria.  During her reign, this British colony became a nation unto itself.  Young men, in particular, usually send off fireworks into the evening sky.  It’s questionable how much sentiment behind this is patriotic, but many people go out for the blast. 

For Eklavya and I, the quiet of the day became opportune for a walk, and my chance to show him choice trails.  We were not the only folk that ventured along Mud Creek, hundreds were out to see green, to capture May’s scent, and do what the human body likes to do.  The two of us ambled along one ravine, and then embarked upon a second.  We wanted to descend on one particular stairs, but which was in disrepair, and hence, the city put a barrier at the entrance.  We were a trite disappointed.  We stood there.

Luckily, a neighbouring woman happened to be walking by, and so I asked, “What’s happening?  Can’t we go down?”  With a joyous demeanor, she said, “Don’t worry, the neighbours laid out some tree stumps so you can leap over the barrier.  We want our kids to have access and fun and not wait for the city to come and fix it.”  We thanked her.  We proceeded forwarded and went on in conversation to do with future mission projects, and all the while observing nature’s esthetics.  Eka even took advantage of the season’s wild mustards growing along the way, and filling his chaddar (monk’s shawl) with the fragrant and tasty greens.  As monks we felt we were doing monastic things such as taking to the simple art of walking, immersed in spiritual topics while foraging a bit in the forest.  We thought ourselves to be ‘real’.  And then we diverted to an earlier, brief encounter we had in the morning, in our thoughts.  As we had detrained from a trip beginning from Windsor, outside the train terminal a street beggar who had seen us asked Eka and I, “Are you real monks?  Cuz they’re not,” pointing to the two Buddhist monks, indicating that they were panhandling.  Perhaps he was envious because their collections were doing good.  Now, I’m not making judgment regarding those monks, but what did come to our attention was a question, “Are you genuine?  Are you sincere?  Are you doing from the heart?”

That was of value. 

May the Source be with you!

9 km

Sunday, May 17th, 2015
→ The Walking Monk

Sunday, May 17th, 2015
Detroit, Michigan

Celebration for the 50th

After a good sleep and a good walk, and then a trip to the Fisher Mansion, run and owned by members of Iskcon, darshan (viewing of the deities of Krishna) became the first segment of our devotions in this exquisite building.  And what was once the ballroom, now a temple room for Krishna, there we chanted and discussed from the book, Bhagavatam, Canto 5, the main topic being, “How does one please the Supreme when there are varying ideas on how to approach Him?  Is there only one standard approach?”

Answer:  No!  One should capture in essence and in practice the principal of unity and diversity. 

The visit to the Fisher Mansion was completed with a breakfast of something called dokla, kitchery and mango milk.  Yummy!  I sat next to David Hendrix, yes, apparently he’s related to Jimmy. 

After, I was driven to Farmington by Prithu, a local hair salonist, along with Eklavya.  Here, again, we opened to the pages of the book, Bhagavatam, this time, Canto 10.  Being that there were a good number of children inside the building, I thought, “Let them sit in front near me.  I’ll read the passage, quiz them, get them involved.”  The technique here is that automatically, parents get captivated as well.  One of the lessons learned from the passage is that the Creator definitely stages dramas on a full universal scale.  Each and every one of us plays a role in the cosmic performance. 

As usual, in a bhaktisetting, there’s always food, prasadam.  Yummy! 

The third activity of the day was a visit by folks to Prithu’s home where I was staying.  A monk by the name of Bhakti Ashramam came to join us and engaged with us in song and in reading on the humble beginnings of kirtanto the western world.  In 1965/66 the process of kirtan was introduced by Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.  That makes 50 years.  We need to celebrate this in a grand way with music, song, dance, and food.  In our own modest way, in a little corner of Detroit, we did dine tonight in celebration (with eggless rolls). 

That is three meals for the day.  The first – Indian, the second – Italian, the third – Chinese.  All were yummy.  May the whole world celebrate!

May the Source be with you!

7 km

Saturday, May 9th, 2015
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Saturday, May 9th, 2015

Moundsville, West Virginia

I Sat With Sally

We walked to the river, about 20 of us, over the dirt and gravel road.  The honeysuckles were tossing their fragrance.  Apurva, the well-known cook who was with us, yanked out some garlic mustard for his lunch, lentil dhal soup.  Pandu, who is from Pennsylvania, and was also with us, had identified this unique plant years ago, and educated me on it.  Almost every year as a regular feature of spring, I would point out this plant to others, pick the leaf or flower, pinch it between my fingers, and share its fragrance with others. 

Well, we made it to the river at the valley’s bottom, and then turned about face for the incremental climb.  I noted places of erosion, nature’s changing face.  And those erosions were not there the year before. 

The bright spots of the day was this walk with comrades, men and women from as far south as Mexico and Florida, and as far north as Canada.  I will not forget Jaya Adwaita Swami’s class on the need to view ourselves more as servants and less as masters.  Yes, I enjoyed Apurva’s dhal of fresh local hand plucked greens.  Above all, I met Sally.  Yes, Sally, the lady I excerpted yesterday at my reading at picnic time. 

A coincidence?  Never!  God does live. 

Myself and three others sat down with Sally, whose surname is Agarwal.  She’s now in her 80’s and she was telling us all about when Swamiji,Prabhupada, first came to America.  It was she who officially sponsored the swami in 1965, and not her husband, Gopal, who himself was not an American citizen.  She told us when she signed the sponsorship letter, and then sent it off, she had the feeling that nothing would ever come of it.  It turns out that her assumption was wrong, Swamiji did show up at the bus terminal, came to her home and stayed in Butler, Pennsylvania for one month before embarking upon a worldwide successful mission.  She said she was in tears when he left for New York. 

One and a half hours with Sally passed by and we heard all about her first meeting Gopal, and Indian man, who came to white middle class America.  She spoke about her four children who all became very successful.  She is a darling of a lady.  I feel like she’s my mother.

May the Source be with you!

4 km

Fri, May 8th 2015
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Friday, May 8th, 2015

USA/West Virginia

This Reading Riding But Not Walking

The customs people at the US border were pleasant enough.  Our bus from Parkinson’s bus company aside from one side of the AC being not in operation.  It got a bit stifling at times during this unusual 30 degree Celsius weather for this time of year.  It was the great company that I had that compensated for the lack of cool, breathable air, on this long ride. 

My highlight on the bus ride which held 30 passengers was reading to the group at picnic time.  I had pulled out of my bag the book, ‘Prabhupada’, and being that not all passengers, let’s say, pilgrims, knew too much about this sadhu (holy man), I thought to read and inform and even delight the group.  They were enjoying samosas and wraps with hummus.  The author, Satsvarupa Goswami, shows as a subtitle to the book, ‘He Built a House in Which the Whole World Could Live’.  Now that it’s fifty years since this sadhu, our guru, Prabhupada, first came to the US with his mission, I thought it appropriate to read a section where Sally Agarwal recalls hosting him in her home town of Butler, Pennsylvania.

The excerpt from Sally:

“Our fun was to show him what we knew of America, and he had never seen such things.  It was such fun to take him to the supermarket.  He loved opening the package of okra, or frozen beans, and he didn’t have to clean them and cut them and do all those things.  He opened the freezer every day and just choose his items.  It was fun to watch him.  He sat on the couch while I swept with the vacuum cleaner, and he was so interested in that, and we talked for a long time about that.  So every day, he’d have this big feast (cooked) and everything, was great fun.”

May the Source be with you!

1 km