KIRTAN MELA SIBERIA 2022!!! (Album of photos)
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KIRTAN MELA SIBERIA 2022!!! Six happy, spiritually enriched days. Stunning kirtans, round the clock nectar service, meetings with old friends, sweet communication and swimming in the Obsky Sea. Bhakti Rasayana Sagara Maharaj, Adi Rasa prabhu, Abhai Chaitanya prabhu, Narayan prabhu, Vishnu tatva prabhu and other glorious vaishnavas were immersed in waves of transcendent ecstasy, exude
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Krsna Meditation
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Krsna was very pleased with the atmosphere of the Vrndavana forest, where flowers bloomed and bees and drones hummed jubilantly. While the birds, trees, and branches were all looking very happy, Krsna, tending the cows and accompanied by Sri Balarama and the cowherd boys, began to vibrate His transcendental flute. When the cowherd girls of
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Some ecstatic symptoms
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I just came back from traveling sankirtan, where many amazing encounters took place. The other day I went into a shop and first gave a small book, then The Science of Self-Realization, and then, when the lady gave a nice donation, also the Bhagavad-gita. The lady explained to me her spiritual transformation after her father
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Tuesday, July 19, 2022
→ The Walking Monk

Cherry Beach, Toronto

Getting Around

We were on our way to the Tommy Thompson Park, a shaded-in-spots trail where cyclists and pedestrians share the space, when a man on a bicycle stopped to ask if we had any drugs. His articulation was weak and so we had to ask him to repeat himself. We were still wet from the swim at Cherry Beach and in our swimwear, not recognizable as monks. With me were Emanuel, Karuna, Ryan, and Arjuna. We didn’t really come across looking like folks who take substance to get high. He was naturally disappointed when we couldn’t deliver.

We had also met two young Punjabi men who came out of the lakes’ water. Somehow or other, they could detect our identity. “Hare Krishna,” said the stockier one. “Back home I’m involved,” he said.

The devotional clothing that we normally wear, the dhoti and the kurta (or for women it’s a saree), is a trademark for Hare Krishna devotees. The night before, when I returned from my walk and was about to reach the ashram door, a neighbour walking his dog asked, “How are those robes in the heat of summer?”

“Oh! Very cool and comfy,” I said. I wanted to say more about the freedom those of us feel in our attire, but the gentleman was on his merry way. The kind of freedom is like the liberated mood of Narada. He moves about in light monks’ clothes, delivering to people the sublime sound of the maha mantra. We should be like him; travel about, hear from people and deliver Krishna in the form of sound.

May the Source be with you!

5 km



 

 

Monday, July 18, 2022
→ The Walking Monk

Rosedale, Toronto

The Group

“Do you believe in the same God as I do?” asked one of the visitors out of the “Encounter World Religions” with Brian Carwana. Naturally I said to the individual that there is one God for all, just as there is one sun that shines on us all, regardless of the place you come from; your creed, colour or gender. He seemed satisfied with the answer.

Brian’s group, which numbered fifty, loved chanting in addition to our philosophical explanations. I explained to them my own journey, about living on the farm and getting disenchanted by the meat that was showing up at the supper table at night. I think that impacted some of the folks when I said that we watched the animals give birth and watched the babies grow and then they became dinner.

Speaking of eating, everyone was fed and it was delicious prasadam; the magic touch of our cook Dwarkanatha.

I explained to the group about the weekend’s past festival. It was our biggest ever. The attendance was easily at 40,000 and all the booths were full of activity.

One woman asked if I could comment on any misconceptions the public may have had about Krishna Consciousness. So, I explained that in the ’60s we were a curiosity. In the ’70s and ’80s we were a cult. Now, we have been accepted as a culture. Surely the tradition has been around for thousands of years. Before departing, Gitaswere picked up as well as the recent release of “The Saffron Path.” Overall, it was a great visit.

May the Source be with you!

3 km