A wedding on Wednesday? It seems odd but it did happen on this very day. The bride’s dad had invited me months ago. He recalls how I last saw her, the bride, when she was six months. Abhiramy Was just a toddler then but is now thirty. She certainly doesn’t remember the occasion, which is understandable. Her new husband is Ricardo, Mexican born; nice guy. The priest who conducted the vivaha-yajna, marriage ceremony, asked him to smile but, from what I saw, Ricardo carried the biggest smile since he arrived on what’s usually a white horse by Vedic royal standards.
“I came in a horse poweredwhite horse,” said Ricardo, again with a smile. Ricardo’s folks were happy. So were Abhiramy’s parents. Her dad, Shati and I go way back to when he first arrived from Sri Lanka.
All went well with tying the knot. Then I paid a visit to Jivanuga (Jim Johnson) at the hospital’s rehab. This great hero suffered from an assault on the street which severely did damage to his skull and threatened his brain. Major surgery was done and with successful results. His recovery was quick.
Yes, fatalities, mishaps and accidents occur all the time. In fact, one of the couples attending the morning’s wedding asked for blessings because they were victims of a bad auto accident. Doesn’t it happen enough!? They are going through ongoing pain.
It was a second couple that came across the banquet hall to learn about my marathons and the safe way to travel. To them, and to the many folks I met, I offered my advice to get off one’s behind and walk as much as possible.
I liked our discussion this morning at the Bhagavatam class, from Canto one, wherein two questions were posed by the last of the Yadus, King Pariksit. Question one lodged towards the sage, Sukadev: What should I be doing with my life despite any circumstances? The Second question gets more specific: What is the best way to spend the remaining days knowing I will die soon?
With our usual younger temple members, the Bhakti Academy, on a few days outing, I was in the company of a smaller mature group when we concluded based on the guru’s, Prabhupada’s, words, under all circumstances we are to get spiritual. One way is to immerse ourselves in the Absolute, in Krishna. The answer to the second question is the same as the first but, because it poses something more critical, it calls for even more intense meditation on the Lord.
So that discussion brought about a richness to the morning. By afternoon, I got a surprise from a visitor. Brian Gonzales came around. He was one of my first assistances on the first walk that I ventured on in 1996. I gave him a copy of The Saffron Path, where he became part of the content in the chapter where I speak about all the things that made me laugh on the road. Yes, there were a few occasions we got to knee-slapping sessions of joy. Spiritual life has its moments of gravity and its times for lightness.
I do not know all my trees but I can pretty well identify the white pine on my walks and here in the near north, there are plenty of them. In Bracebridge you have awesome trees and in the greater Muskoka area in general, people love their trees. If you’re caught cutting down trees on your property or even what seems like an attempt at deforesting, the town authorities get on your case. I think that’s good.
In walking along Manitoba Rd, Vyasacharya, Jaya Gopal as well as Nimai and I noticed the trees edging the road are pine, maple, oak and more. It’s a diverse growth of green giants. And that’s natural; the way it should be.
This area is also blessed with lakes and rivers and waterfalls and some of the oldest rock in the world. After a fresh rainfall the fragrant emissions from the trees were so effervescent. It was really like Vaikuntha.
Most of my friends in Muskoka are actually my students (or disciples). They are business people in the hotel/motel industry so they are used to accommodating and caring for people. Devotionally they work together so well, like a team. That’s what I see with the trees. They are sharing space and are, in some way, accommodating each other. They appear to be so connected to their surroundings – the water, sky and rocks also appear to play a harmonious existence together.
My flight back to Toronto was a blessed one because of some good fortune. I met someone special. His name is Nitai Ram, who was enroute to Toronto on Air Canada flight 126. Before boarding the redeye flight we had a good chat. He was on his way to see his parents in St. John, New Brunswick.
With about three minutes of rest on this overnight flight, I deplaned and got picked up by Chris and Amy from Hamilton. Ryan joined us as I needed his company and his good djembe planying. The venue for tonight’s program was the old train station (now renovated) on Lake Simcoe, in Barrie. Dignitaries came, including the deputy mayor, along with a host of loyal Krishna followers; many young families immigrated from India.
The chanting was led by Vrikodhara, from the Ukraine, and the receive-and-respond technique worked quite well. The Barrie group is a vibrant one and today’s program demonstrated that devotion. To a large extent it was a lively program for the kids. After all, many Krishna followers love to meditate on Him in His childhood. I have a preference to adoring Him in His adult stage, as the speaker of The Gita.
By evening I was driven to Bracebridge and there I was lucky enough to trek with a bunch of bhaktiguys along the tame but windy Muskoka River. The Patel clan, mostly motel owners, came together for Mexican prasadam. We closed the day with a kirtan.
Every year on two consecutive days there is this praise in memory of two individuals. Gaudiya Vaishnavas of the ISKCON world celebrate the birth of Lord Sri Krishna, and on the following day do the same for His pure devotee, Prabhupada. He is the person we focused on today.
Born in 1869, in the city of Calcutta (now Kolkata), he was raised in a Vaishnava family committed to serving Krishna. He credited his parents and extended family, in addition to the mercy of his guru, Bhaktisiddhanta, with his devotion to Krishna. Of course, something can also be said about his past life, or lives, and such commitment in this direction. This is often the case for those born in auspicious circumstances. What was done in the past, karmically, impacts the present situation.
The devotees here in the Vancouver area celebrate Prabhupada’s coming every year with devotion and sincerity. I had the good fortune to give an initial speech in his honour. A point I made is that, although I was formally initiated by His Divine Grace, I never had the chance to personally speak to him. I was at six locations where he delivered class and led kirtan chanting, but I did not see an opportunity to ask for personal guidance or blessings for that matter. I understood from my studies in the tradition that if personal exchange doesn’t occur then some merciful energy can be captured through the chain of representatives, his other students. That is the way it is.
Last week Janmastami & Prabhupada Vyasa Puja was celebrated all over the world. At Bhaktivedanta Manor, it was extra special with British Politician Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy joining the celebrations. In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a written message to ISKCON on the occasion of Janmastami, quoting Bhagavad Gita & glorifying […]
By Rasa Krida Parayana dasa We dedicate and offer to your lotus feet a newly formed Bhaktivedanta Consulting Group. We are committed to work with ISKCON leaders in a totally confidential, objective, and transparent manner challenging boundaries and thoughts. We are grateful for the talented devotees you have already sent to work with us. We Read More...
We sometime use the term "conditioned soul" without full awareness of the mystery it denotes.The soul is ontologically distinct from matter, yet conditioning is a material phenomena. However, as preachers, we must consider an individual's conditioning in order to guide them in pursuing Krishna Consciousness. Therefore we must have sufficient intelligence to consider conditioning without identifying with it. Continue reading "Considering Material Conditioning Without Identifying With It → Dandavats"
Follow Your Vow and Krishna Will Give You Determination====Follow Mahatma Das==== https://linktr.ee/mahat108 Follow Your Vow and Krishna Will Give You Determination by Mahatma Das Read More...
Virtual event LIVE from Bhaktivedanta Manor – For more information please visit www.KrishnaTemple.com Bhaktivedanta Manor Presents: Snana Yatra – 28th Aug 2022 Read More...
Sukanti Radha dd To provide good quality service to Krishna you need to give good quality care to yourself. We are here to serve you. Please visit our website which is full of information to help you on your journey to perfect health. Follow us on @bma_healthcare *BMA website * https://bma.healthcare *BMA Nursing page * Read More...
Radhastami is a special festival in Mayapur. Srimati Radharani is Navadvipeshwari, the giver of Navadvip dhama. In her divine abode, join us in celebrating Her Divine Appearance Day. A two day festival with Radha Prem dhan Kirtan Mela and Adhivas festival on 3rd Sep and on 4th sep, new otufits will be offered to Sri […]
Subhaga Maharaja and I were invited to attend HH Gaura Govinda Maharaja’s Vyasapuja celebration at Radha Rasesvara temple in Bali. Maharaja appeared in the year 1929 and left this world at Sridham Mayapur in1996.
Devotees from all over Bali came to honour Srila Gaura Govinda Maharaja and the festival was blissful. Gaura Govinda Maharaja visited Indonesia on a few occasions in the late 80’s to the mid 90’s. He initiated around 50 disciples but a few have passed away leaving about 40 still with us.
Our
summer tour was coming to an end, and I noticed a mixture of joy and
sorrow pervading our tour base. We had spent the best part of summer
sharing our good fortune with others, so there was a great deal of joy.
But it was late August and autumn was in the air; the summer was almost
over and some sadness began settling in. It had been a tough summer with
a lot of hard work for the devotees, but the reward was seeing the
smiling faces of people as we handed them invitations to our festivals
on harinam — and then to see their delight in experiencing the festival
itself.
For me, the greatest pleasure of all was seeing interest develop in unexpected quarters.
Our
bus driver, Mr. Artur, is a good example. Every year we have a bus
driver who stays with us throughout the whole summer. Most of our bus
drivers over the years have done their job reluctantly and have showed
little or no interest in who we are and what we do.
Mr. Artur
seemed to fit this model at first. But one morning on the way to
harinam, something happened that revealed him to be far from typical.
Every day devotees would begin the bus ride with loud kirtan calling
upon Lord Nrsimha for protection on the road. On that particular
morning, though, we didn’t have the usual kirtan. Mr. Artur’s eyes were
glaring at us through the rearview mirror as he pulled out onto the
motorway.
“Am I deaf or something?” he shouted. “Why aren’t you singing? Remember this for tomorrow: if you don’t sing, I don’t drive!”
“Wow,” I thought, smiling to myself, “the chanting of the holy name has brought about a change in his heart!”
From
that day on, Mr. Artur showed more and more changes. Instead of sitting
in his bus during the festivals, he started attending the events. I
could see him from the stage when I was giving my lecture, sitting off
to the side of the crowd and listening intently to my 40-minute talk.
About halfway through the tour, Jahnavi dasi told me he had confided in her.
“He
told me that he had been very sick, and the doctors said it could be
cancer,” she said. “While he was waiting for the test results, he was so
terrified he might die that he bought a place in the cemetery for his
grave. But the results were negative. Mr. Artur said he felt tremendous
relief, but the experience made him realize that he had to find answers.
He was left wondering about the purpose of life and what happened after
death. He feels like he’s found the answers now. There were tears in
his eyes when he told me, ‘You all have given me hope.’”
As the
summer went on, Mr. Artur came to feel like one of us. He became friends
with the devotees, chanted and danced in the kirtans, and had ice cream
waiting for us at the bus when we came back from a long, hot harinam.
He became addicted to prasadam, consuming a large plate every evening at
the festival. He seemed determined to try everything the restaurant had
to offer.
One evening, he came up to me. “Mr. Guru, can I speak to you?” he asked. I saw he was holding a Bhagavad-gita.
“Of course, Mr. Artur. What’s up?”
“I
don’t have much money,” he said, “but I have saved enough money to buy
this book, the book you speak from every night. I’m really enjoying it! I
want to learn more about your way of life. I can see the world has
forgotten the values that you keep and maintain. I’m a simple man but I
understand that without faith and without people like you, the future of
this world is quite dark.”
I felt he wasn’t a simple man at
all. He had lived a hard life that had afforded him realization, and his
association with devotees had brought that out.
“I read
somewhere that a holy man was once asked what surprised him most about
humanity,” Mr. Artur said. “The holy man answered: ‘I am most surprised
that people sacrifice their health to make money. Then they sacrifice
money to recuperate their health. Then they are so anxious about the
future that they don’t live in the present. They live as if they will
never die, and then they die having never really lived.’
“I
never understood what any of that meant until I came into contact with
all of you. I was a sinner. Your lecture on the Bhagavad-gita each
evening has made everything clear to me. I’m really going to miss all of
you when this is all over.”
“We’re going to miss you too, Mr. Artur,” I said, and hugged him.
“Mr. Guru, can you write a dedication in my book?” he asked.
“Sure,” I said.
“Mr.
Guru,” he said as I wrote, “if the bus company doesn’t give me this job
next year would it be OK if I came with my car and drove you around?
What I mean is that I’d like to be your driver and continue on this
path.”
“Yes,” I said. “I’ll be waiting for you!”
That
evening at our festival, I saw him carrying his Bhagavad-gita around the
festival site. He was chatting to other festival-goers, and I could see
that he was talking about the book. Watching him, I was reminded of
Srila Prabhupada’s words I had read the previous night:
“When
one searches for a devotee and fortunately gets a devotee’s association
one actually begins to study and understand Bhagavad-gita. By
advancement in the association of the devotee one is placed in
devotional service, and this service dispels all one’s misgivings about
Krsna, or God, and Krsna’s activities, form, pastimes, name and other
features. After these misgivings have been perfectly cleared away, one
becomes fixed in one’s study. Then one relishes the study of
Bhagavad-gita and attains the state of feeling always Krsna conscious.
In the advanced stage, one falls completely in love with Krsna. This
highest perfectional stage of life enables the devotee to be transferred
to Krsna’s abode in the spiritual sky, Goloka Vrndavana, where the
devotee becomes eternally happy.”
(Bhagavad-gita 8.28 [purport])
I
pray that by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, Mr. Artur comes to the stage
of falling completely in love with Krsna and is transferred to Krsna’s
abode in the spiritual sky, where he will become eternally happy. After
all, isn’t that why we spent the entire summer holding festivals along
the shores of the Baltic Sea with the people of Poland?
kalinā sadṛśaḥ ko ’pi yugo nāsti varānane tasmiṁs tvāṁ khyāpayiṣyāmi gehe gehe jane jane anya-dharmāṁs tiras kṛtya puras kṛtya mahotsavān yadi pravartaye na tvāṁ tadā dāso harer nahi tvad-anvitāś ca ye jīvā bhaviṣyanti kalāv iha pāpino ‘pi gamiṣyanti nirbhayā hari-mandiram
[Seeing
the pitiable condition of Bhakti Devi at the beginning of the age of
Kali, Narada said to her], “O beautiful faced lady! There is no age
equal to Kali. In this age, I will personally preach your glories in
each and every home and establish you within the hearts of every
individual. Hear my vow! Giving priority to devotional festivals over
all other forms of religiosity, if I do not spread you everywhere on
earth, then I shall no longer be known as a servant of Hari. The living
entities born in this age of Kali who become devotees will attain the
abode of Lord Hari without hinderances, even if they are sinners.”
[
Translated by Hari Parshad Das from Padma-purāṇam, Uttara-khaṇḍa 194.14
– 16, Vol 6 and 7, pp. 625. Gurumandal Series No. XVIII. Calcutta
(Kolkata) 1946 ]
Diary of a Traveling Monk Volume 15, Chapter 20 August 28, 2022 “Our Bus Driver” Our summer tour was coming to an end, and I noticed a mixture of joy and sorrow pervading our tour base. We had spent the best part of summer sharing our good fortune with others, so there was a great Read More...
By Paramadayala Nityananda Dasa
