Websites from the ISKCON Universe
I was on sankirtana at Botafogo Beach in Rio de Janeiro. At a bar table, there were three fat old men. One told me, “We don’t want to buy anything! I’m an Evangelical. He’s a spiritualist, and he’s a Pai-de-Santo [a priest of Umbanda, an African-Brazilian religion].”
I continued the conversation, trying to find my point, until I said, “But look, this is one of Srila Prabhupada’s books!”
The Pai-de-Santo exclaimed, “Let me see this book of Prabhupada. Prabhupada is an enlightened person!”
I was impressed.
The spiritualist agreed, “Yeah! Prabhupada is really good.”
The Pai-de-Santo continued, speaking to his companions, “If you knew a third of Prabhupada’s life, you would see what he went through—it’s a lot of surrender.”
And looking to me, he added, “I have a picture of Prabhupada this size [showing a space of about 50 cm, or 20 inches, with his hands] in the center of my church. Prabhupada is illuminated! He is an exalted saintly personality.”
So, he took the book. And I realized again that Srila Prabhupada is worshipped by every sincere pious person from every religion.
Jagat-guru Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Your servant,
Mahananda Murari Dasa
St. Andrews, New Brunswick
Missing the Whales
Ryan and I couldn’t get into Kingsbrae Gardens. We were too early. After looking at and reading a bit about pirates, I thought it would be nice to offset and gain balance from seeing some flowers and llamas that the garden provides. As mentioned before, pirates were a gruesome bunch. And that’s the way Hollywood used to portray them. When I was a kid, pirates were scum and clowns made you happy. Today, pirates are romanticized and clowns are evil. I don’t get it.
With Kingsbrae’s gates closed, we decided to walk along the oceanfront. On the way a smiling resident with a beard (neater than a pirate’s) came out on his veranda to say, “I saw your documentary, ‘The Walking Monk.’ Welcome to town.”
Shortly after that, a woman in a smart car, on her way to Fredericton, pulled over. “Excuse me, but I was curious. Is something spiritual going on in town? I could really use it now. I am in grievance.” So, we spoke.
A portion of our day was occupied with whale watching. My good friend Rob has this business, so the four of our troupe donned these massive space-type suits to embark on a journey over the Bay of Fundy. Actually, it’s too early for whales, but during this ultra-relaxing plying over the water, we got close to eagles, seals, and lighthouses. Nice!
To complete a great day, we logged-in to our regular Thursday Gita Chat (open to all) to discuss Chapter 12, where Krishna outlines what pleases Him in the manner of how we behave. Check out the latter verses. We had a whale of a time.
May the Source be with you!
5 km
St. Andrews, New Brunswick
Can’t Get More Peaceful
It can’t get more peaceful than out here. St. Andrews is a coastal town with population of 1,700. “It’s grown,” said Jo Anne Carney, our host, while we were all in her guest house. She and her husband, Rob, run a business as well as the “Tall Ship Whale Watching” outfit at the wharf. I’ve known Rob before I undertook marathon walking. He lived as a monk in the Hare Krishna ashrams of New York and Toronto.
Ryan has become our able chef to the group. He’s putting together some good meals. He’s also a good walking companion. We ventured off to Water St., the tourist’s haven in the mini downtown. People are friendly. There are deer, maybe just as many as people, and they eat the lilacs. A moose came into town the other day. Eagles and wild turkey are making a comeback in the area. You will also see an occasional bear, according to Randy, the skipper who sails the ship that Rob and Jo Anne own.
Our evening was full of fun. Chanting in the guest house – I’m sure it has never seen before – and tales from trails occupied the attention of our gathering, including Susan, from Connecticut. She’s a runner and her mom, Betty, is a walker, so they could relate to the stories with all their glories.
Today I championed eight, that’s 8 or VIII kilometres on foot, and to me that’s just great considering my knee surgery was less than two months back. It’s all Krishna’s mercy.
May the Source be with you!
8 km
Moncton, New Brunswick
Treasures
There are always treasures that I stumble upon whenever I go for a walk. The treasures I’m referring to are human beings who show some inquisitiveness. This morning, while going for that stroll on Highfield St., I met a nurse by the name of Jocelyn.
“Excuse me, but I don’t mean to bother you, are you a monk?” she asked.
“Well, yes I am.”
“I just spent some time with a monk at a retreat, ‘La Solitude,’ and, now, here I meet another. He’s from Burma.”
I then went on to explain my adapted tradition from India. “I am from the Vaishnava order, better known as Hare Krishna. We concentrate on mantra meditation.
Jocelyn took my number and the mantracard. I wished her the best and asked her to contact me for any devotional service.
The other obvious treasure for me today was seeing Ryan, our travelling companion, make amends with his brother Matt. Both of them are young, talented, etc., but they had issues with each other for years. Somehow or other Ryan (and Matt, a resident of Moncton) smoothed out their rocky relationship. They saw the higher cause and the benefit in putting differences to the side. Perhaps the presence of maturity, like that from Mahadeva, Anna Purna, myself and their very own mother, helped to create a moderating effect. Perhaps, also, the sharing of sacred sound helped. Matt pulled out his drum at Ryan’s request and out of that Matt sounded his song, addressing the earth, followed up by our rendering of “Radha Madhava,” a treasure of a song by luminary Bhaktivinoda Thakura.
May the Source be with you!
3 km
Saint John, New Brunswick
By the Sea, by the Sea
We arrived at Irving Nature Park to meet up with Nakula, a devotee who’s very active on podcasting, with interviews from people who present the other side of perspectives; whether social, political, or spiritual. This park is complete with conifers, sweet-smelling trees, deer, squirrels, crows, and more “petit” creatures that fly. A side trail by the wayside, called Bayside, is a salt marsh with a boardwalk. Very invigorating it is. At the boardwalk’s end, Nakula and our foursome troupe took the liberty to just lay down, look at the sky and absorb the great oceanside dynamic before proceeding to a seven-kilometre hike.
At noon, we were present for our kirtanwith djembe and tambourine. That excited the students from the nearby high schools. They’ve got some good dancers out there. Corporate passersby are less fluid.
At 4 pm I received a call from TheCasket newspaper for a lengthy and fruitful interview. The media is taking interest in my life of walking, along with my book “The Saffron Path.”
A podcast with Nakula, always enthusiastic, brought out the best because of his questions on how Krishna Consciousness has socially contributed to the world. My answers delivered points on what our guru, Prabhupada, brought to the table – Eastern thought, clear self-identity, non-violence, plant-based eating habits, bhakti-yoga, reincarnation – a cutting edge of the mainstream culture.
At the home of Nakula’s parents, we rolled out a sangha, a chanting session, including a great eat of prasadamwith our favorite New Brunswick dish – fiddleheads once again.
May the Source be with you!
7 km
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On June 5, people from all over the world are expected to come together to celebrate World Environment Day, cleaning up beaches, planting trees, and marching in an effort to save a planet that experts fear is on the verge of extinction. Two days after the Stockholm+50 international gathering, the event will be remembered both […]
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Rambhadra Das, President of ISKCON Gurugram was invited to speak at the “Faculty Development Program” at Ambedkar University Delhi. The University, though only in the 15th year of its establishment, is already one of the top-ranked in India. Making in the top 150 ranked Universities in such a short span. It is renowned for its […]
The post ISKCON Gurugram Invited to Speak at Delhi University appeared first on ISKCON News.
For a number of years, ISKCON Christchurch in Te Waipounamu (New Zealand’s South Island) has held a combined padayatra (a walking journey) and boat festival. There are two small rivers running through the city, the Avon and Heathcote, that pass by beautiful forested gardens as well as the prominent urban centre, which is always an […]
The post Easter Festival Graces New Zealand’s Garden City appeared first on ISKCON News.
From: Lotus Eyes Films Sadhu Sanga Retreat was celebrated after a two-year break due to the pandemic. The festival took place in Spanish Fork, Utah on the gorgeous property of the Sri Sri Radha Krsna temple built by Charu Dās and Vaibhavi Dasi. Thousands of devotees were in attendance. Many world-famous Kirtaniyas performed. The […]
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