Lord Ramacandra stands holding a bow and arrow in the center of the
painting surrounded by a rocky landscape. Laksmaṇ stands behind Him and
also holds a bow and arrow. Like Lord Ramacandra, He is effulgent. Both
Lord Ramacandra and Laksman wear wooden sandals.
Also standing
behind Lord Ramacandra are Hanuman, Angada, Arunda, Nila and Samrambha.
They all hold maces in their hands and wear golden crowns.
In front of Lord Ramacandra stands King Sugriva holding an umbrella in
his left hand and a mace in his right hand. He is followed by Nala,
Vanara, Durvinda and Rambha who all hold maces.
After preaching in Maharashtra’s Bhandara district the All-India Padayatra entered Nagpur city at Suryanagar on February 7. Walking for a further 7km, we reached the ISKCON Radha-Gopinath temple in Empress City, where the devotees welcomed Sri Sri Nitai-Gaurasundar with garlands and a grand sankirtan. The matajis then washed the hooves of our oxen, showered flowers on them and performed arati of Their Lordships.
There were a hundred of us, mostly monks, men and women. We stood in a circle, and the exercise was to take some steps forward or backward, depending on the answer to the question given.
The facilitator, Vraj Bihari, asked, "How many of you are in the category of seventy years of age and above?" About a dozen took three steps forward.
"How many of you are between sixty and seventy?" That included a much larger percentage.
"How many of you came to Krishna Consciousness before 1970?" The majority stepped forward.
"How many joined in the ’80s? The ’90s?" The forward and backwards continued.
It was a great exercise. It was very revealing, and drew the group's attention to a need to look gravely at our history and our succession.
Next, we sat in groups of four, and we were asked one by one to share how we came to Krishna Consciousness. "What was it like then? What was your perception of the way ashramswere then? Is it better than the situation of today?"
Interesting and introspective thinking went into the questions.
We then went for lunch prasadam and bonded further, after which we had a break until Session #2.
Monks don't just walk, or sit down all day, or eat. We take time—although not enough—to see into ourselves and into the needs of the world.
I try to make a point of making new friends every day. In fact, I consider it rather a sin to just ‘hang out’ with known people. Although that is important, the day evolves with deeper dimension when new encounters are made. There's so much to learn while broadening the scope of new relations.
When you are stranded alone on an island, you might have an excuse, but even then, you have the opportunity to make good with the moon, the stars, the sun, the elements, animals and plants. With so many pilgrims coming in by the thousands, it becomes easy—friendship—even if it proves only momentary.
While walking with monks, Marshall and Samuel, from Montreal, we made friends with the local breed of monkeys. Oh it was a trifle painful going barefoot near the elephant sanctuary. Sharp stones pressed hard against my soles, but it was all compensation for meeting those Hanuman monkeys—or that's what people call them. They made the trail their relax space. With pitch black face and endless tail that curls when in motion, they are a sight to behold.
Although I consider them newly-made comrades, I wouldn't go so far as to hug or embrace these guys. They just wouldn't even allow the approaches. Besides, I'm a little intimidated by the fleas they carry. It's true those little bugs go for a free ride.
Anyway, today is business as usual. It is the first day available to meet old friends in the Conch Building during meetings. We were handed a card that read, "One should be confident that in all circumstances Krishna will protect him from all difficulties." Srila Prabhupada.
Today I saw my dear friend, Rsi, drift away forever in the Ganges waters. It was his ashes that I released. Rsi was about two years my junior. He was born Rick Habson, in Canada. He passed away one year ago. It was the first opportunity I had to carry his ashes and have them merge into the holy waters.
I felt strong emotions when my last rites guide, Jananivas, gave the word, "Let it go!" I placed the ashes in a flat circular basket with Ganges mud underneath and over-top, with honey mixed in. Of course, they were his ashes and it wasn't him, nevertheless, it was part of Rsi.
"Hare Krishna, Rsi! Goodbye!"
I reflected on him, his soft side, his step-son, Kailash, and Karen, his partner. He struggled with alcohol for some time and had it rough, but he loved his guru, Prabhupada, his friends, sankirtan, his family, and the distribution of Vedic literatures.
Memories!
I was grateful to have Jananivas with me for the closure. We, along with two other monks, walked to the banks of the Ganges. After the rites were completed, we did some ‘dham seva’—service to the pilgrimage site. There exists a culture of neglect in India. Paper and plastic bags are strewn about after the contents are used. We picked up some of that refuse and cleaned the space we used.
Prime Minister Modi's policy of "clean up India" included a small contribution from our side. Yes, clean up, get clean and go, then back to home.
While doing laps around the central altar of the samadhi building, as a way to revere the deity of our guru, Prabhupada, I was unaware that someone was timing me. That someone was a monk, a few years my senior, from the U.S., who spends considerable time in South America. Hanumat Prasak Swami clocked me after I did those laps and said, "It's amazing. I timed you as I was sitting down, and you were taking forty-eight seconds for every complete circle, except when you were talking to someone, which was occasional."
I was surprised that, first of all, the swami bothered to register my speed, and secondly, he was so precise with it. Over one hour plus becomes many laps. You do the math.
Chanting while walking in the samadhi's interior is a favourite place for japa meditation. Today with so many pilgrims in town, due to the abhishek ceremony, the room was more occupied than on most days. It was quite wonderful, and quite powerful, being in the presence of so many bhakti-yogis, although most of them remained seated as I and a few others spun around.
The maha(great) abhishek(bath) was a grand success. The ganges water collected, and other pure liquids and substances were poured onto the deities of Panca Tattva, created quite a spectacle in addition to the showers of flowers thrown in the air. Kirtan chanting resounded. The sunshine even broke through after two days of overcast conditions. https://www.instagram.com/p/BugMBtoF8se/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=11vuvp75xtd14
Our drama, in fact, is based on the story of Surya, the sun god, and how he begot a divine boy, Karna, after union with a mortal woman, an illustrious queen.
I met pilgrims, carrying terra cotta pots, enroute to the nearby Ganges’ access. They were from Delhi, men and women, all enthusiastic for collecting jal, holy water, for the coming ceremony. The ceremony is called abhishek and it involves a bathing of the deities with this water.
In this sacred space of Mayapura, you will find many zones of activities. The gathering of Ganges water is just one of those zones. There is such diversity. I have placed myself in the zone of drama. Any opportunity for rehearsing is what I hanker for. And it's happening. We have a good crew, and we are all learning from each other the various components of theatre, whether it's the technique or physical insertions of props and costumes.
Our own little universe in the samadhi auditorium is a place of devotion like all other zones of activities, whether it be rituals of pujas or chanting sessions, seminars, or regular maintenance of the grounds and buildings.
Daru Brahman is an English teacher from the U.K. who is also a great cook. He just loves to serve our drama troupe with pierogis and custard, which are somewhat hard to come by here. Underlying all activities is the sublime sound of the kirtan.
Rains persist, but there are plentiful dry hours in between wet sessions. A major shower hit us in the late afternoon once again. This forces pilgrims to execute their devotions behind shut doors. That's called ‘adjusting’. When rain comes down as it has, with a force, it leaves the soil surface porous. The dust is pounded down exposing tiny and large stones. The soles of the feet can feel it. https://www.instagram.com/p/BuanAKiAjVt/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=13skwb4uztls6
Pilgrims are also pouring in, many in anticipation of the coming rite called Maha-abishek, a ceremonious bathing of the five deities known as the Panca-tattva, five truths. I'm habituated to attending the first devotion of the day in the samadhi, where it is more solemn and airy. I'm referring to the larger temple of Radha Madhava, when I say the sweat lodge. Here in Mayapura, we have our own little world.
I'm sorry to hear about the unrest between India and Pakistan. Are radicalized religionists at it again? Contemptuous feelings and behaviour is to the detriment of all. May peace prevail. However, for now, let there be damage control.
Yes, there is always a disturbance in the world. This is the main feature, uninvited.
At announcement time, the devotee delivering the morning messages expressed over the mic, "Pick-pockets are available." He implied that they do come around, and they do like pilgrims' goods. We can easily say that opportunists like these are also another feature of Kali-yuga. One of our songs in the drama, "The Queen’s Secret," opens with a vocalization of, "Dark Heart," during the victimization of Princess Draupadi. The music is appropriate.
Every Purnima, sixty flags will be offered to the Deities and two raised every day in the names of their sponsors. The flags will then be shipped to the sponsors as prasadam for their seva. This transcendental monthly festival will continue into the future for as long as the TOVP stands and will become a tradition for future generations of devotees.
Iskcon Mayapur: Since Sri Sri Panca-tattva were installed in the Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir in 2004, every 5 years They have been worshipped by an elaborate and ecstatic Maha Abhiseka. This year, 2019, was the 15th installation anniversary of Sri Sri Panca-tattva and the largest Maha Abhiseka yet.
On the 10th of March it will be exactly 60 years ago, 10th of March 1959, that the MS Jaladuta was launched at its shipbuilding yard in Lubeck Germany. It is this vessel that brought Srila Prabhupada from Calcutta, via Boston, to New York on a journey that started on the 13th August 1965, in what became an astonishing journey and also the beginning of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. This launch was organised by the Lubecker-Flenderwerke AG yard in Northern Germany at the completion of the ship. This event is standard in the shipbuilding industry and is likened to a christening name giving ceremony. The vessel receives its name and blessings from all present guests for its future journeys. An interesting fact is that Scindia named the majority of their vessels starting with Jala, Jalakrishna, Jalagopal, Jalakanta etc. The procedure is that the yard invites a prominent figure to speak the name of the vessel while simultaneously breaking a bottle of champagne over the bow. In this case the shipbuilders invited members of the board of Scindia, and instead of a bottle of alcohol, a blessed coconut was used to inaugurate the name giving ceremony. Continue reading "Jaladuta → Dandavats"
Today is the second day of Gaura Purnima festival. More and more devotees have started arriving at Mayapur. Today is also the second day of Kirtan Mela and also of The Sanga of GBCs, Gurus and Sanyasis (SGGS). 100 of the most senior devotees have gathered and are discussing different preaching activities in ISKCON. For […]
Official Opening of Krishna’s Castle, in the City of London Representatives from 10 banks and businesses attended the official opening of Krishna’s Castle on the 1st March 2019.Since 14 months Krishna’s Castle, situated in the heart of the banking world, has been a hive of devotional service. We need about 10 volunteers daily and half of them are bankers, come to do their Corporate Social Responsibly.One definition :The emerging concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) goes beyond charity and requires the company to act beyond its legal obligations and to integrated social, environmental and ethical concerns into company’s business process. All this comes under Agnatha Sukrti. Srila Prabhupada: “The beginning of contact with Krishna Consciousness is the beginning of good fortune. That some people may come and others may not, this is also due to association. Suppose a man accidentally comes in contact with our society and gives some service willingly or unwillingly, that is the beginning of his fortunate life.” Daily there are over 2,000 healthy plates of Prasad to be cooked, pots need to be washed , including the biggest pot in the western world, veg chopped , pakoras and popadoms cooked, and Prasad distributed. Second Group of Volunteers:Work Away is a scheme where employers offer accommodation and food to young people in return for work. We have facilities for 10 young people in the Castle.Young people are queuing up from around the world for a chance to live in the City of London for a week or so ,and engage in meaningful activities.
Your servantParasuram Das
Srila Prabhupada jokes about bankers.Indian (1): So if about the bankers, if you permit me, I’ll give you another interesting story. There was a man who was very ill in America, and he had a heart trouble. In fact he had no heart, I would say. So, you know, they can replace the hearts nowadays. He went to a hospital, and the doctor offered him, “Here are three hearts. Which one would you like? One is of the general, the other is of a big businessman, and the third is of a banker. What would you like?” So he thought, “Let me have the heart of a…”Prabhupāda: Banker.Indian (1): “…banker.” [laughter] So the doctor said, “Why do you want to have the heart of a banker?” He thought, “Because I’m sure it has never been used.” [laughter]Prabhupāda: [laughing] I’ll recite another very nice story… [break]Indian (2): [Hindi—about opening a branch of the bank]Indian (3): [Hindi]Indian (1): There seem to be little misunderstanding, not that we are short of any space or any accommodation or anything for which we can’t open, but there’s a little technical thing that bank license does not permit, and we are immediately taking or for amending the license, and as soon as it is, we’ll start. We have no problem of this.Gurudāsa: Prabhupāda, did you want to tell another story?Prabhupāda: Yes. [laughter]Indian (1): But I had only two. I won’t be able to add.Prabhupāda: [laughter] The story is that one poor man was informed by his friend that “Money draws money.” That’s a fact. If you have got money, you can draw money. So he went to the bank, and the cashier was counting huge amount of money, and he threw his coin on the cash…, [laughs] and he was waiting = “When the whole money will come to me?” Then the cashier saw this man is standing = “What is it? Why you are standing?” “Sir, I heard that money draws money, so I had one coin. I have dropped with your money. I am waiting when it will come to me.” So he said, “No, no. The fact is that = money draws. Now my money has drawn your money.” [laughter] So… [Hindi]Indian (1): Perhaps it is in the Bible that “Those who have shall be given more. Those who have not shall be taken of what they have already.” I don’t whether it’s right or not, but more money draws the lesser money.Prabhupāda: Yes. [Hindi]April 6, 1976 Vrindavan.
Shiva-ratri occurs every lunar month on the 13th or 14th day of the dark half of the moon phase. Once every year during the month of Phalgun, a Maha Shiva-ratri occurs. This Maha Shiva-ratri day is considered to be the day when Lord Shiva married Parvati and it is celebrated elaborately by devotees of Lord […]
At the official opening of Krishna's Castle in the City of London on March 1st 2019, representatives from 10 banks and businesses were in attendance. Since 14 months Krishna's Castle, situated in the heart of the banking world, has been a hive of devotional service. We need about 10 volunteers daily and half of them are bankers who come to do their Corporate Social Responsibly. Continue reading "Para-upakara and The Bankers → Dandavats"
How I Came To Krishna Consciousness - Bhakta Rex (China) (6 min. video)
Srila Prabhupada: Fate can be changed by Krishna consciousness. Krishna says, “I shall give you protection from all the resultant action of your sinful life.” That is fate changed. When you surrender to Krishna, He takes charge of squaring up all your sinful activities and their reaction. Surrender to Krishna; then your fate is changed. Delhi, November 28, 1975.
Iskcon Mayapur: Shiva-ratri occurs every lunar month on the 13th or 14th day of the dark half of the moon phase. Once every year during the month of Phalgun, a Maha Shiva-ratri occurs. This Maha Shiva-ratri day is considered to be the day when Lord Shiva married Parvati and it is celebrated elaborately by devotees of Lord Shiva.
Kirtan Mela – festival of chanting the holy names of the Lord begins today. In a colorful Adhivas ceremony, worship was offered to the musical instruments and prayers offered for success of festival. HH Loknath Swami Maharaj led the first kirtan after Adhivas. Kirtan Mela : Day-1 Schedule: “I firmly believe that simply chanting the […]
Back in October, 2018 we announced the launch of the TOVP Victory Flag Campaign wherein devotees can sponsor the raising of the daily TOVP Victory Flags onto the temple domes. The response has been very good and the TOVP management has now decided to start a monthly Flag Festival to continue into perpetuity as long as the temple stands.
On February 2nd the first Flag Festival was officially launched during the grand inauguration ceremony of the 2019 Gaura Purnima Festival, with sixty flags being offered to the Deities for Their blessings and auspiciousness. Two flags were taken in procession around the Deities and to the TOVP office carried by Ambarisa and Braja Vilasa prabhus, and then hoisted onto the Main and Nrsimha domes of the temple.
Every Purnima, sixty flags will be offered to the Deities and two raised every day in the names of their sponsors. The flags will then be shipped to the sponsors as prasadam for their seva. This transcendental monthly festival will continue into the future for as long as the TOVP stands and will become a tradition for future generations of devotees.
To find out more about how to sponsor a daily Victory Flag, please visit the TOVP website at this address:
Iskcon leaders meet in Mayapur (Album of photos)
The Sanga of GBCs, Gurus and Sannyasis (SGGS) began yesterday in Mayapur. 100 of the most senior devotees have gathered and are discussing all types of preaching activities in Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON.
Our deity of Sri Gopisvara Mahadeva at our ashram today, Siva-ratri.
In his Sankalpa-kalpadruma (103) Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura prays:
vrndavanavani-pate jaya soma soma- maule sanandana-sanatana-naradedya gopisvara vraja-vilasi-yuganghri-padme prema prayaccha nirupadhi namo namaste
“O gatekeeper of Vrindavan! O Soma, all glories to you! O you whose forehead is decorated with the moon (soma), and who is worshiped by the sages headed by Sanandana, Sanatana, and Narada! O Gopisvara! Desiring that you bestow upon me limitless love for the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha-Madhava, who perform joyous pastimes in Vraja-dhama, I offer my obeisances unto you again and again.”
The Mayapur institute (MI) provides an environment favorable to aid spiritual growth. It started in the year 2000 with just 3 Bhakti Sastri students and today after 19 years of operation, more than 200 students from 30 different countries are receiving graduation certificates. To date, 3000 students have graduated from Mayapur Institute. Definitely, this must be a great joy to Srila Prabhupada. Mayapur Institute is fulfilling Srila Prabhupada’s vision sincerely over the last 19 years. Continue reading "Mayapur Institute Awards Evening (video) → Dandavats"
Every two years at Mayapur there is a SGGS ( Sannyasi, Guru, GBC, Sanga) where devotees come from all of the world to associate with each other and discuss philosophy and exchange ideas on spreading Krsna Consciousness.
The three day event was coordinated by Vraja Vihari Prabhu, who is a professional facilitator. There was lots of kirtan and presentations, with whole group and smaller group conversations. The atmosphere was relaxed, but serious issues challenging our movement were also discussed.
A new textbook for schools in the Telegu language, entitled “Bhagavad-gita for Complete Success in Life,” has been written by an ISKCON devotee and published by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), the organization that manages the famous Venkateswara temple.
While recognizing cow protection as an important branch of our Krishna Conscious society, training and working with the oxen remains to many an ideal yet to be achieved. The upcoming Ox Training Seminar to be held in New Vraja Dhama, Hungary between April 17thand 24th, will shed more light on this important, yet less practiced side of cow protection.
John Richardson (Jayadev Das) is the 72-year-old founder and drummer of the ’70s pop group The Rubettes. The band had several top ten hits including the No. 1 chart-topper “Sugar Baby Love.” “Ganesh” came about after Jayadev asked his soon to be 13- year-old granddaughter Shyama what gift she would like for her birthday. She replied that she would like him to write her a song and record her singing it.
Whether it is 3 a.m. in New York, 6 a.m. in California, 4 p.m. in South Africa, or 7:30 p.m. in India, devotees all over the globe can connect with Giriraj Swami at the same time every day to chant the holy names together.
Gone are the days when disciples could see their spiritual master only rarely, what to speak of chanting together. Now by the mere click of a mouse, you can see Giriraj Swami every day and chant the maha-mantra along with him.
Before every round of japa, Maharaja recites a verse from the Brhan-naradiya Purana:
harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha
“For spiritual progress in this Age of Kali, there is no alternative, there is no alternative, there is no alternative to the holy name, the holy name, the holy name of the Lord.” (Translation: Sri Caitanya-caritamrtaAdi 7.76)
Hearing Giriraj Swami chant the maha-mantra attentively and with conviction helps open the hearts of the group members to the bliss of the holy names. Twenty to 40 devotees chant together daily, with 200 to 400 viewing each session live and many others accessing the streams after they are posted. People are joining the sanga every day—more than 550 in just the first month. Sometimes family members join in—including children, who might otherwise not be so eager to chant. Some participants have reported that chanting with Giriraj Swami has become the favorite part of their day, others that chanting with him every day has been life changing.
The idea for the Giriraj Swami Japa Sanga came from a disciple, Anuradha Dasi, who had relished chanting with her guru maharaja in person. She was often stressed about completing her daily japa, but whenever she visited Giriraj Swami in Dallas or Houston, she would be peaceful, knowing that she could chant with him. She would come with a list of different issues she wanted to discuss with him, but after chanting with him, all her troubles and issues seemed to vanish, and they were able to focus their discussions on more enlightening subjects.
Anuradha imagined how great it would be if she could chant with her guru maharaja every day. So, recently, when she visited Giriraj Swami in Houston and chanted with him one morning, she asked if he would consider live streaming his japa every morning. If he did, she said, she would drop everything and chant with him.
Maharaja kindly agreed, but Anuradha also wanted other devotees to be able to access the stream. Many of Giriraj Swami’s disciples live far from him, on other continents, and haven’t seen him in years, so she set up the group on Facebook and used her phone to do a simple live stream. Since then, Maharaja has taken over the recording, and the Japa Sanga group has become a regular addition to his schedule, as it has for many of his disciples and well-wishers.
Sanga participants also watch Maharaja perform tulasi-puja, offer Vaishnava pranamas, and introduce his many beautiful Deities. And when Maharaja wishes everyone “a wonderful Krishna conscious rest of the day and night,” it is easy for each individual to feel him speaking to him or her personally, sending warm regards and bestowing blessings to inspire them over the next twenty-one hours.
As devotees, we understand that the vani—words, or instructions—of the spiritual master is more important than his vapuh, or physical presence. But we should not minimize the importance of his vapuh, which inspires many souls to follow in his footsteps. Even a moment’s association with a pure devotee can open the doors to the spiritual world.
Giriraj Swami Japa Sanga gives devotees the great fortune of not just a moment, but hours of personal association with a leading ambassador of the holy name. Still, in his humility, Srila Giriraj Swami feels that he is the fortunate one, and at the end of each japa session, he says, “Thank you for joining me, for encouraging and supporting me in my japa. I look forward to chanting with you again tomorrow.”
Giriraj Swami Japa Sanga is an open group. If you would like to join, go to the Giriraj Swami Japa Sanga Facebook page, send a request, and answer three basic questions. To get an automatic message when the sanga is live, turn your notifications to ON. Please observe the rules of the group. Now you are ready to start chanting!
The ministry presented their new web platform, which was created with the intention to connect all the educators working in ISKCON and make the information about the different courses taught available to a wider audience.
Ever since becoming a devotee of Lord Krishna in 1970, I have been fascinated with the Kumbha Mela festival. This year I decided to join millions of other pilgrims in the journey to the Ardha Kumbha Mela where, from January 15th to March 4th, ISKCON devotees were to follow in Srila Prabhupada’s footsteps by bringing his books, the Holy Names and prasadam to the festival.
Kumbha Mela is the largest religious gathering in the world.
Estimates anticipated that 120 million pilgrims—nearly double the
population of England and France combined—would visit the Mela over
seven weeks. The Mela takes place four times within a twelve-year period
on the banks of four of India’s most holy rivers: the Godavari River in
Nashik, the Shipra River in Ujjain, the Ganges River in Haridwar and
the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati Rivers in Prayagraj
(formerly known as Prayaga ).
This year’s Mela was to be held at the confluence site at Prayagraj.
The point of convergence is called “Triveni Sangam.” Bathing in any of
the sacred rivers has a purifying effect, but it is said that the
purification is increased a hundred times at the sangam and a thousand
times at the sangam during Kumbha Mela.
Srila Prabhupada writes:
“Bathing during the month of Magha at the Magha-Mela [Kumbha
Mela] still takes place. This is a very old Mela (assembly), dating from
time immemorial. It is said that ever since the Lord in the form of
Mohini took a bucket of nectar and kept it at Prayaga, holy men have
gathered there every year and observed the Magha-Mela. Every twelfth
year there is a Kumbha-Mela, a great festival, and all the holy men from
all over India assemble there. Bathing at the confluence of the Ganges
and Yamuna, near the fort at Allahabad (Prayaga), is mentioned in the
revealed scriptures:
“maghe masi gamisyanti ganga yamuna sangamam gavam sata sahasrasya samyag dattam ca yat phalam prayage magha mase vai try aham snatasya tat phalam
“If one goes to Prayaga and bathes at the confluence of the
Ganges and Yamuna in the month of Magha, he attains the result of giving
hundreds and thousands of cows in charity. Simply by bathing for three
days there, he attains the results of such a pious activity.”
[ Caitanya Caritamrita, Madhya 18.145 ]
I had a special desire to attend Kumbha Mela this year as the main
bathing day, February 4th, was on Mauni Amavasya, which creates a
special tithi that appears only once every 200 years. However, my main
motivation to go was to meet with the holy men Srila Prabhupada
describes in his above purport, and to share with them the glories of
Lord Caitanya and His movement of chanting the holy names which He
inaugurated just over 500 years ago. My experience in India is that most
people are aware of the 10 primary incarnations of the Lord—the das
avatars such as Lord Ramacandra, Varaha, Kurma, Matsya and so on. But
very few are aware of the avatar of this age, Lord Caitanya, whose
appearance is predicted in ancient scriptures like Srimad Bhagavatam:
krsna varnam tvisakrsnam sanopangastra parsadam yajnaih sankirtana prayair yajanti hi su medhasah
“In the Age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational
chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the
names of Krsna. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krsna
Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and
confidential companions.” [ Srimad Bhagavatam 11.5.32 ]
The origin of Kumbha Mela is mentioned in the Vedic scriptures. It is
stated that in bygone ages, the demigods and demons assembled together
to churn the ocean of milk to produce the nectar of immortality. Mandara
Mountain was used as a churning rod, and Vasuki, the king of serpents,
became the rope for churning. The demigods took Vasuki’s tail and the
demons his head, and they churned the milk ocean for one thousand
celestial years. Among many other amazing things, a pot of immortal
nectar was produced. The demigods were fearful that the demons would
take advantage of it, so they stole the pot and hid it in the four
places on Earth where the Mela is held. During the act of hiding, a drop
of immortal nectar spilled from the pot at each of the four places.
Kumbha Mela is held at the time when, according to astrological
calculations, the immortal nectar is most readily available to those who
bathe in the sacred rivers.
Approaching the festival site, we pulled over at a small hill that
provided a panoramic view of the Mela. The magnitude of the site
testified to the pilgrims’ enthusiasm to be liberated from the material
world through contact with the nectar of immortality. Witnessing the
vast landscape of tents, I was fascinated by the thought that so many
people were coming simply for spiritual purposes.
Prabhupada said:
“At the Kumbha-Mela, millions of people come to take bath in the
Ganges because they are interested in how to become spiritually
liberated from this material world. They travel thousands of miles to
take bath in the Ganges at the holy place of Prayaga.” [ Room
conversation with Pusta Krsna das ]
From our vantage point on the hill, I could see thousands upon
thousands of people pouring into the Mela. These people were prepared to
travel long distances and tolerate many discomforts, including sleeping
in austere conditions in very cold weather. Some arrived on overcrowded
trains. Others came by bus, car and even ox carts. While the rich and
famous flew into Prayagraj on chartered flights, the multitudes came on
foot carrying all their necessities—food and a couple changes of
clothes—in bundles on their heads. But whether rich or poor, everyone
had the same agenda: to bathe in the sangam at the auspicious moment and
attain passage back to the spiritual world. I could hear many people
glorifying the Ganges with cries of “Ganga Ma ki jaya! All glories to
Mother Ganges!”
Sastra supports their glorification:
nimna ganam yatha ganga devanam acyuto yatha vaisnavanam yatha sambhuh purananam idam tatha
“Just as the Ganga is the greatest of all rivers, Lord Acyuta the
supreme among deities and Lord Sambhu [Siva] the greatest of Vaisnavas,
so Srimad-Bhagavatam is the greatest of all Puranas.” [ Srimad
Bhagavatam 12.13.16 ]
I knew that as Westerners, we would be a tiny minority at the Mela,
but we were not the first foreigners to take part by any means. A
seventh-century diary written by Hiuen Tsiang from China mentions Kumbha
Mela. He writes that he witnessed half a million people gather on the
banks of the Ganges at Prayagraj to observe a celebration for 75 days.
He even mentions that a king was present with his ministers, scholars,
philosophers and sages, and that he gave away huge amounts of gold,
silver and jewels to acquire pious credit and assure himself a place in
heaven.
The current rulers of India, likewise, were taking part in the Mela
by facilitating many of the logistical details. The government had been
working on the services and accommodations for an entire year, and the
statistics were mind-boggling. Over 6,000 religious and cultural
organizations had been allotted land, including our International
Society for Krsna Consciousness. The Mela site sprawled over 32 square
miles, an area equivalent to a large town. There were 4,200 premium
tents, 300 kilometers of roads, 122,000 toilets, 20,000 dustbins, 10,000
policemen and 30,000 military personnel. They had provided row upon row
of simple tents for free accommodation. There were lost-and-found
centers dotted throughout the Mela, intended mainly for helping people
find their lost family members and friends. In 2013, thousands of
people—mostly women and children—went missing in the huge crowds. The
entire cost of this year’s Kumbha Mela was estimated at 400 million
dollars.
There were many ashrams and camps distributing free food throughout
the Mela, including our ISKCON camp. Overall, 5,384 metric tons of rice,
7,834 tons of wheat, 3,174 tons of sugar and 767 kiloliters of kerosene
were allocated to the food distribution centers. 160 dispensers of
clean drinking water were available throughout the Mela.
A 100-bed hospital and ten smaller hospitals staffed by 200 doctors
and 1,500 health professionals were set up throughout the event. 80
practitioners of Ayurveda were also available. There were elaborate
plans for waste management too. Every one of the 122,000 toilets were
geo-tagged to help tackle any problems. Talk about organization!
Meeting India’s Spiritual Leader
It is generally very difficult to meet famous spiritual personalities
in India due to strict security policies, but luck was on my side. My
good friend Pundrik Goswami of the Radha Raman temple in Vrindavan
invited me to stay with him at a camp where many of the principal
spiritual dignitaries would be staying. It was called, Guru Karishni
Camp, and was run by Swami Sharanandaji Maharaja, a prominent figure in
Vrindavan. I considered this to be a golden opportunity to network with
these personalities, most of whom would be unlikely to visit our ISKCON
camp at the Mela or ISKCON temples elsewhere in India.
Once I arrived at the camp, Pundrik Goswami lost no time introducing
me to the spiritual leaders present. His introduction followed a
standard format: he would begin by glorifying Srila Prabhupada and
explaining how he took Krsna consciousness to the West and how ISKCON
has become a worldwide spiritual organization. Then he would introduce
me and share some of the results of my service in different parts of the
world. His introduction acted as an endorsement whereby India’s
spiritual leaders gained confidence and respect for my humble self and,
through me, Srila Prabhupada’s movement.
Over several days I had enlightening talks with numerous personalities. These included:
· Sri Ravi Shankar, the head of the Art of Living Foundation: I
shared with him the work of ISKCON in communist countries like Russia
and China. I told him of how Srila Prabhupada went to Russia in the
1970s and of the success of our movement there since that time. He was
so touched that he gave me a beautiful silk chaddar as a gift.
· Swami Chidananda of Parmarth Niketan from Rishikesh: he wasn’t
staying at the Guru Karishni Camp, but like many other sadhus, he
visited to associate with prominent spiritual leaders. We had lunch
together on two occasions. After I spoke to him about the glories of
Srila Prabhupada, he offered to help renovate holy places in Vrindavan.
He was especially eager to give money towards cleaning Radha Kunda so
that pilgrims could drink the water from it, as well as establishing a
large evening arotika on the banks of that sacred lake.
· Keshav Prasad Maurya, the deputy chief minister of UP: he had some
misconceptions about our movement which I was happy to resolve to his
full satisfaction.
· Swami Avdeshanand, the leader of one million Naga Babas and head of
the Juna Akhada: Naga Babas (translated literally as “naked yogis”) are
worshipers of Lord Siva. With their ash-covered bodies and matted
dreadlocks, even their physique resembles his. They take vows of
celibacy, renounce societal norms and live in the Himalayas. Swami
Avdeshanand is such a respected leader that he is given the honor of
being the first person to bathe at Kumbha Mela. After our talk he took
my hand and said, “Your movement is creating a spiritual revolution all
over the world!”
· Sri Rajendra Das Ji Maharaja, a well-known sadhu with a big ashram
in Vrindavan: moved by Srila Prabhupada’s voyage to the USA and his
introduction of Krsna consciousness in almost every country of the
world, he invited me to visit him for lunch in Vrindavan.
· Lokesh Muni, leader of the Jains in India: this was the third time I
have met him over the last few years. He invited me to spend time with
him at his headquarters in Rajasthan.
Lost At The Mela
Going anywhere outside the Guru Karishni Camp was a challenge because
there was a veritable flood of humanity outside its confines: an
estimated 64 million people were descending upon the Mela to bathe on
February 4th, the most auspicious bathing day.
I woke up early that morning which was an austerity in itself. It was
mid-winter and it was cold in the tent where I was staying. I bathed
quickly in an improvised bathroom which was without hot water, and then
went out into the cold foggy morning.
“How in the world are 64 million people going to bathe along the
river bank?” I wondered. And then a doubt entered my mind. “Will I
actually be able to bathe in the river myself?”
The previous night I had searched the internet for all the
information I could find on the three sacred rivers, the Ganges, Yamuna
and Saraswati. A recent BBC article described the Ganges as the world’s
sixth most polluted river. It said that 3,000 million liters of
untreated sewage are pumped into the river every day; the figure didn’t
include the industrial waste poured into the Ganges as it descends from
the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. By the time it reaches Prayagraj, a
town that also contributes untreated sewage to its waters, the Ganges,
the article said, becomes a sewer.
The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, claimed that cleansing the Ganges was nothing less than a mission from God.
“Ma Ganga has called me,” he told the crowd at his victory
celebration some years ago when he was swept to power in a landslide
victory. “She has decided some responsibilities for me. Ma Ganga is
screaming for help; she is saying ‘I hope one of my sons gets me out of
this filth’. It is possible it has been decided by God for me to serve
Ma Ganga.”
He pledged serious money to his Clean Ganga Mission – more than $3 billion dollars.
This was sobering and disturbing information. I turned away from
Google to the Srimad Bhagavatam and the purports of my spiritual master
for guidance. My doubts were resolved when I read this:
yat pada sevabhirucis tapasvinam asesa janmopacitam malamdhiyah aadyah ksinotyanvaham edhati sati yatha padangustha vinihsrta sarit
“By the inclination to serve the lotus feet of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, suffering humanity can immediately cleanse the
dirt which has accumulated in their minds during innumerable births.
Like the Ganges water, which emanates from the toes of the lotus feet of
the Lord, such a process immediately cleanses the mind, and thus
spiritual or Krsna consciousness gradually increases.” [ Srimad
Bhagavatam, 4.21.31 ]
In his purport, Srila Prabhupada writes:
“In India, one can actually see that a person who takes a bath in
the Ganges waters daily is almost free from all kinds of diseases. A
very respectable brahmana in Calcutta never took a doctor’s medicine.
Even though he sometimes felt sick, he would not accept medicine from
the physician but would simply drink Ganges water, and he was always
cured within a very short time. The glories of Ganges water are known to
Indians and to ourselves also. The river Ganges flows by Calcutta.
Sometimes within the water there are many stools and other dirty things
which are washed away from neighboring mills and factories, but still
thousands of men take baths in the Ganges water, and they are very
healthy as well as spiritually inclined. That is the effect of Ganges
water. The Ganges is glorified because it emanates from the toes of the
lotus feet of the Lord. Similarly, if one takes to the service of the
lotus feet of the Lord, or takes to Krsna consciousness, he is
immediately cleansed of the many dirty things which have accumulated in
his innumerable births.”
Elsewhere, Rupa Goswami writes that the Ganges is always pure, regardless of its seeming pollution:
drstaih svabhava janitair vapusas ca dosair na prakrtatvam iha bhakta janasya pasyet gangambhasam na khalu budbuda phena pankair brahma dravatvam apagacchati nira dharmaih
“Being situated in his original Krishna conscious position, a
pure devotee does not identify with the body. Such a devotee should not
be seen from a materialistic point of view. Indeed, one should overlook a
devotee’s having a body born in a low family, a body with a bad
complexion, a deformed body, or a diseased or infirm body. According to
ordinary vision, such imperfections may seem prominent in the body of a
pure devotee, but despite such seeming defects, the body of a pure
devotee cannot be polluted. It is exactly like the waters of the Ganges,
which sometimes during the rainy season are full of bubbles, foam and
mud. The Ganges waters do not become polluted. Those who are advanced in
spiritual understanding will bathe in the Ganges without considering
the condition of the water.” [ Nectar of Instruction, Text 6 ]
Reading these instructions, I decided to follow the advice of my
spiritual master and the Srimad Bhagavatam. I remembered a key verse:
yasya deve para bhaktir yatha deve tatha gurau tasyaite kathita hy arthah prakasante mahatmanah
“Only unto one who has unflinching devotion to the Lord and to
the spiritual master does transcendental knowledge become automatically
revealed.” [ Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.23 ]
“I’m going,” I said to myself out loud, with full conviction.
“Whatever it takes, I will bathe at the Triveni Sangam at the auspicious
time.”
The arrangements to travel to the sangam were made by Pundrik Goswami.
“Maharaja,” he said to me, “you’ll come with me and the spiritual
leaders in a van, and your assistants, Narottam das, Vikram and
Kartamashi das, can go in another. It will take us around four hours to
reach the sangam.”
“That’s a long time,” I said. “How far away is it?”
“It’s 12 kilometers from here,” Goswami said.
“So we’ll be traveling at a rate of three kilometers an hour?” I asked.
“Well, remember there are 64 million people vying for that little
space at the sangam,” he said. “The police say that since midnight last
night 32 million people have bathed. But we’ll make it. We have a police
escort.”
I sat on the floor of the van, relinquishing the seats to six elderly
sadhus who were joining us on the journey. Wanting to focus on the
purpose of our journey, I read aloud the following verse from Caitanya
Caritamrta:
mahattvam gangayah satatam idam abhati nitaram yad esa sri visnos carana kamalotpatti subhaga dvitiya sri laksmir iva sura narair arcya carana bhavani bhartur ya sirasi vibhavaty adbhuta guna
“The greatness of mother Ganges always brilliantly exists. She is
the most fortunate because she emanated from the lotus feet of Sri
Visnu, the Personality of Godhead. She is a second goddess of fortune,
and therefore she is always worshiped both by demigods and by humanity.
Endowed with all wonderful qualities, she flourishes on the head of Lord
Siva.” [ Caitanya Caritamrita, Adi Lila 16.41 ]
When the sadhus heard me chanting the Sanskrit glorifying Mother Ganges, they all smiled broadly.
“May Mother Ganges bless you today!” one said, placing his hand upon my hand.
Our van crawled through the dense crowds. Seeing the sadhus inside,
people folded their hands in respect, and some touched the van and then
touched their heads. When they saw me crouched on the floor of the van,
many smiled and called out, “Hare Krsna!”
“You Western vaisnavas are keeping our spiritual culture alive,” one of the sadhus said to me.
We finally arrived at the river confluence hours later. The bank
seethed as people tried to move towards the water while others tried to
move back after bathing.
I hesitated. “Out where?” I thought. There was not an inch of free ground.
I quickly changed into a small red gamcha (thin cotton waist towel)
and slung a small towel around my neck. Kicking off my sandals, I
grabbed my cell phone and placed it in a small plastic bag. “Just in
case!” I thought. Finally, I tucked my bag containing my passport and
money safely under the seat. For a moment I contemplated taking a
sweater because it was so cold outside.
“No,” I decided. “I’ll just take the bare minimum. The river is only meters away and we’ll be back in a flash!”
Without warning, the sliding door I was leaning on opened and I fell out of the van and onto the ground.
“I’m going to get trampled!” I thought. The crowd surged over me and
around me. I pushed myself upwards to gasp for air; all I could see was
waves of people for kilometers in every direction. When I finally
managed to steady myself on my feet, I saw I was 20 meters behind the
sadhus. They were intrepidly pushing their way towards the water, the
policemen guarding them on all sides. The crowd was squeezing me and it
was hard to breathe.
“Wait for me!” I yelled, trying to recover the distance between us.
My cries merged into the tumultuous noise created by the pilgrims as
they strained forward to bathe in the nectar of immortality.
I managed to rejoin the sadhus just a few meters from the Triveni
Sangam where the Ganges flows alongside the Yamuna and the mystical
Saraswati River joins them from beneath the ground. We were also joined
by Vikram and Kartamashi, who was trying to take photos in the midst of
it all. His face was ashen.
“I thought I was going to be crushed to death!” he blurted out.
The roar of the crowd at the sangam was deafening as thousands of
people simultaneously achieved their goal of bathing. Cries of “Ganga Ma
ki jaya! All glories to Mother Ganges!” reverberated everywhere.
Far away in the river, separated from the throng, I saw a small group
of four sadhus standing motionless in the water, their hands folded in
prayer. Their long, matted hair was tied up in topknots on their heads.
Though thin, they were not emaciated; in fact, they were effulgent,
almost glowing. Seeing their gravity and obvious devotion, the hair on
my arms stood up for a moment.
“That’s the mood I’m seeking,” I thought. I remembered a verse that encapsulated my aspirations:
“O Lord of Madhu, as the Ganges forever flows to the sea without
hindrance, let my attraction be constantly drawn unto You without being
diverted to anyone else.” [ Srimad Bhagavatam 1.8.42, “Prayers by Queen
Kunti” ]
As if hearing the verse I had just remembered, the sadhus I was with
sat down together to do puja, their attention single-pointed on the
sacred sangam, oblivious to anyone else.
“Here and now?” I thought. I watched in disbelief as they took out
all sorts of paraphernalia and, in a peaceful reverie, began offering
arotik to the three rivers. Hundreds of people directly behind us were
straining to see the sadhus do their puja, while the build-up of people
further back caused the line to bulge. People fell to the ground because
of the weight of the crowd behind them.
I heard Vikram calling, “Maharaja! Maharaja!” Over to my right, the
intense pressure of the crowd was pulling him away. Then he simply
disappeared into the mass of people.
Suddenly the crowd surged forward with such force that all of us were
thrown into the river. I clutched my phone in the plastic bag as I fell
into the cold water. I swam up to the surface, gasping for air. There
was transcendental chaos everywhere as people splashed each other in
great joy. The glorification of Mother Ganges reached a frantic pitch:
“Ganga Ma ki jaya! Ganga Ma ki Jaya! Ganga Ma ki jaya!”
Surrendering to the moment and remembering the four effulgent sadhus,
I stood with my hands folded and prayed to Mother Ganges for loving
devotion to the Supreme Lord. Then, following the prescribed method for
bathing, I dunked three times into the cold water. When I came up the
last time, one blissful sadhu jumped on me and we both tumbled back into
the water. Coming up, he again pulled me under, this time going deeper
into the water. We splashed each other in great fun, and more sadhus
joined our little melee.
“Maharaja,” I heard a voice shout. I saw Vikram swimming towards me.
“I finally found you!” he said. “Our group is back on the bank of the
river and is preparing to leave. You must come now.”
As I prepared to get out of the water I saw Kartamashi on the bank
taking photos. I raised my arms in bliss, and he took a last photo
before being pushed from behind. He and his camera just escaped falling
into the river.
I glanced back to catch a last glimpse of the four sadhus. They were nowhere to be seen.
“How is that possible?” I wondered. “There’s no way they could have
moved through all the people bathing in the sangam back to the bank.
It’s very peculiar.” I remembered something I had read a few days
before:
“Prabhupada said that although a number of the saints and sadhus
present [at Kumbha Mela] were inauthentic, many were perfect yogis, some
of them three and four hundred years old. These yogis, from remote
parts of India, would come out for the Mela and then return to
seclusion. ‘I have personally seen,’ he said, ‘that they take bath in
the Ganges and come up in the seven sacred rivers! They go down in the
Ganges and come up in the Godavari River. Then they go down and come up
in the Krsna River, and go down, like that. The devotees, therefore,
should respect everyone who attended the Mela.’” [Srila Prabhupada
lilamrta, Volume 4, Every Town and Village]
It took me a good half an hour to make it back to the van. Somehow we
had acquired a number of additional sadhus for the ride back to the
camp, so I offered to ride in the smaller car with Narottam, Vikram and
Kartamashi. Always concerned about my welfare, Pundrik Goswami
reluctantly agreed. I started to push through the crowd away from the
van when I realized I had forgotten my bag with my passport in it.
“I left my bag under the seat,” I called to Goswami. “I’ll get it when we’re back.”
“Sure, Maharaja,” he called. He held the bag up so I could see it. “I’ve got it.”
Confident that the smaller car was nearby, I made my way inch by inch
to where I had seen it parked some distance away. But to my
astonishment, it was gone. I made my way as quickly as I could back to
where the van was parked, only to find it had left as well.
I stood there, momentarily bewildered. I was alone in a crowd of 64
million people, dressed only in a small wet gamcha with a damp towel
around my neck. I had no dhoti, no kurta, no shoes, and, perhaps most
alarmingly, no jacket to protect me from the cold. I had no clear idea
where I was. All I knew was that the camp I was staying in was in Sector
7, and that that was 12 kilometers away. 12 kilometers through a mass
of humanity pressing its way along the 300 kilometers of roads
crisscrossing the Mela site. I had no map, and there were no signs
giving directions in Hindi, much less English. I glanced at my watch. It
was 4 p.m. and sunset was imminent.
Then I remembered I had my phone clutched in my hand. I unwrapped it
from its plastic-bag covering and turned it on. To my dismay I saw there
was no service available, and my battery had only 3 % left in it. I
hurriedly turned it off.
“How in the world do people know where they’re going?” I wondered.
Then, laughing to myself, I thought, “I’m probably the only person in
this crowd of 64 million people who doesn’t know where he’s going!”
Knowing for sure that the direction to proceed was not behind me, I
started walking forwards through the thick crowds surging towards the
river. An hour later, I made it to a crossroads, turned left and began
walking down a dirt road with a myriad of shops and ashrams on either
side. Each ashram was festooned with colorful banners advertising the
resident guru and his teachings. Speakers blared music from inside. As
it was now getting dark, bright lights illuminated the temporary city
built on the sandy banks of the Ganges.
People gawked at me curiously, and I understood why. I was the only
white person to be seen, and I was practically naked. Several times I
was approached by Naga-Babas who, thinking me to be one of them, pulled
me into their tents and offered me a chillum of hashish to smoke! Each
time I declined they seemed perplexed.
I knew I needed to get directions, but to my dismay I couldn’t find a
single person who spoke English. There were many different languages
being spoken around me because there were pilgrims from every part of
India, but not one of those pilgrims was speaking English. There were
policemen on every street corner, but they too could make no sense of
what I was saying. On a couple of occasions, they literally pushed me
away, apparently thinking me to be insane.
A real blow came when I heard a young Indian man say to his friend,
“Isn’t that Indradyumna Swami?” But before I could say anything, his
friend pulled him away saying, “Come on! Are you crazy? That’s not
Indradyumna Swami!” They disappeared back into the crowd before I could
confirm my identity and ask their help.
Every now and then I would turn my phone on to see if I was in range.
Each time I wasn’t, and each time the battery drained a little more.
By 8:00 pm it was quite cold. From time to time when I got too cold
to continue, I slipped into an ashram where a program was going on and
sat amongst the crowd for warmth. On one occasion, while sitting in a
chair and watching a bhajan on stage, I was approached by one of the
ashram leaders.
“Are you in need of anything?” he asked.
“Yes!” I replied enthusiastically, surprised and relieved that I had
found someone who spoke English. “I am lost in the Mela and trying to
find my way back to my camp. It’s in Sector 7. Can you help me to get
there? I have been wandering around for four hours now. Is it far away?”
“Yes, it is,” he said. “It’s about 12 kilometers away at the far end
of the Mela site. At the moment you are 50 meters from the bathing spot
at the sangam.”
My jaw dropped. I had walked in a big circle, coming back to the
exact place I had started. The ashram leader could see my
disappointment.
“Why don’t you rest here for a while?” he said. “I’ll get you a blanket.”
“Thank you,” I said. Once I was wrapped in the blanket, I succumbed
to my exhaustion and started to drift off to sleep in the chair. I awoke
with a start when my entire body began to itch. The blanket was full of
fleas and they were ruthlessly biting me. I threw the blanket to the
side and quickly left the ashram, determined to reach my destination.
I started out in a different direction. Two hours later, around 10
p.m., I realized that I couldn’t keep going unless I had something to
eat. I had learned the hard way not to eat food that I wasn’t 100% sure
of in India, but this was an emergency. I joined a line of pilgrims
waiting to be served prasadam at one of the food kitchens. It took 45
minutes for me to reach the front of the line. I was given a leaf plate
and 2 leaf cups, and was served kichari, a subji, two warm chapatis and a
cup of tea. Some smiling pilgrims waved at me to join them as they ate
their meal in a circle on the ground. Several times I heard the word
“Angreji” which means “English person”. They were kind and sympathetic
to me, probably because of my paltry attire.
Hungry, cold and tired I devoured the prasadam. “This is some of the
tastiest prasadam I ever had!” I thought, laughing to myself. Once I
finished, I thanked the pilgrims and continued on my way with renewed
vigor.
I began wondering what Pundrik Goswami, Narottam, Vikram and Kartamashi were thinking.
“Surely, they realized quite quickly that I had been left behind,” I
thought. “They must be frustrated and worried, being unable to contact
me or find me. But actually, I’m fine,” I realized. “There’s no real
danger and it’s only a matter of time until I get back to the camp,
whether it’s today or tomorrow. And I am meeting so many nice people!
Krsna played a little trick on me just so I can see how the mass of
people experience Kumbha Mela. He’s also teaching me how to fully depend
on Him. Wonderful!”
Just then I felt a rock whiz past my ear. Then another and another. Looking back I saw a group of children laughing at me.
“Pagal baba! Pagal baba! Pagal baba!” they yelled. I knew the what the phrase meant: “Crazy sadhu!”
I walked quickly away but they followed me and continued throwing stones.
“I can’t blame them,” I thought. “I must look pretty crazy—a barefoot
white guy with a dishelved sikha wandering around half naked.” Then one
of the rocks hit my elbow causing me to yell out in pain. A policeman
saw what was happening and yelled at the group of children to leave me
alone. Then he came over and spoke to me in Hindi.
“No Hindi,” I said. “English.” I got down on my hands and knees and wrote “Sector 7” in big letters in the sand.
“There,” I said, pointing. “I need to go there.”
He looked puzzled and took me by the arm to an ashram just a few
meters away. He sat me down on a mat and disappeared. Ten minutes later
he came back with a man who offered me a hot cup of tea. I gladly
accepted it and then both of them went on their ways. I curled up on the
mat and fell asleep. When I jolted awake, I checked my watch; I’d slept
for 10 minutes. I got up and continued on my way, first checking to
make sure the group of children was not around.
At 11:30 p.m. I checked my cell phone again. I was in range! But I was alarmed to see there was only 1 % battery power left.
“I have enough power for one phone call,” I thought. “If the person
doesn’t answer, I won’t be seeing any of my friends tonight.”
I choose to call Narottam. He picked up immediately.
“Hello! Hello! Gurudeva, is that you? Hello?” Narottam sounded both excited and worried.
“Yes, it’s me!” I said.
“Good Lord! We’ve been so worried. What happened? Where are you? I’ve been out looking for you for hours!”
“I’m not sure where I am,” I said. “I’ve been walking around in
circles since we were separated. But I’m fine. Just a little cold and
tired. Can you find a car and come to collect me?”
“It’s almost impossible to find a car at this hour, but I’ll try,” he
said. “The main thing is that we need to figure out where you are.” He
was silent for a moment, thinking. “OK, here’s an idea. Take a photo of
where you are and send it to me on WhatsApp. I’ll go to a police station
and ask for their help in finding your location.”
“Brilliant idea!” I said. And without even saying goodbye I hung up
and quickly took a picture of the scene in front of me. I sent the photo
on WhatsApp and my phone immediately died.
It took Narottam just 30 minutes to find me. It turned out that his
search had led him quite close to where I was, and the nearby police
kiosk was quickly able to identify the junction where I was waiting.
When he finally arrived, I jumped into the car and sat as close as I
could to the heat coming out of the vents on the dashboard. Just as the
car was pulling away there was a loud bang and it stopped in its tracks.
“What was that?” Narottam asked.
“The driver dropped his transmission,” I said with a wry smile.
“What does that mean?”
“Basically, it means we aren’t going anywhere in this car,” I said, getting out.
“Now what?” Narottam asked.
“Lots of walking!” I said. “Let’s go!”
“Where are we going?” he said.
“Sector 7 of course!” I replied.
With Narottam at my side, we were in a much better position to make
it back to our camp, simply because he speaks Hindi. He asked people for
the directions to Sector 7 and after a short time he had a good idea
how to get there.
“How long will it take to walk there?” I asked.
“Through this crowd,” he replied, “Maybe 2 or 3 more hours.”
I looked at my watch. It was 12 p.m. For the first time that day I became a bit despondent.
And then a taxi came around the corner.
“Narottam, stop that taxi!” I yelled. He literally jumped in front of
the taxi, surprising the driver, who screamed at him in Hindi.
“What did he say?” I asked.
“He said he’s not working now. No way.”
“Yes, he is,” I said. “Give me 1000 rupees.”
I opened the back door of the taxi and jumped in. The taxi driver looked shocked.
“Out!” he screamed in Hindi.
“Bhai sabh, brother!” I said. “This is for your trouble.”
He smiled when he saw the money. “No problem!” he said in English.
At 1 a.m. we pulled into our camp. Everyone was fast asleep, but I
saw the light was still on in Pundrik Goswami’s room. I knew he would be
worried about me. His eyes opened wide when he saw me standing there
barefoot in my red gamcha, the cold wet towel still around my neck.
“Maharaja, I am so sorry!” he said.
“Nothing to be sorry about,” I said with a big smile. “Tonight, I
experienced Kumbha Mela first hand, much like Hiuen Tsiang from China
probably did in the 7th century. But whereas he walked amongst half a
million people for 75 days, I walked amongst 64 million people for 9
hours. It was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life!”
We left the Mela around noon that day. When we drove out of our camp, I was surprised to see the streets were mostly deserted.
“Where is everyone?” I asked Narottam.
“Many of the people you saw yesterday came just to bathe in the
sangam,” he said. “The majority were leaving on foot late last night
when I was looking for you. More people will come again for other
important bathing days in the next few weeks. Did you enjoy your visit,
Gurudeva?”
“It was most satisfying,” I replied. “I feel as though the sadhu’s
benediction upon me has come to pass, for I indeed feel as though Mother
Ganges has blessed me. I was able to bathe in the Triveni Sangam in the
association of advanced souls at the most auspicious moment to occur in
200 years. I spent time with the masses and, most importantly, I was
able to share Krsna consciousness with a number of important spiritual
leaders of the country. I feel very fortunate to have visited this
sacred place on such an auspicious occasion.”
**********************
“There are several places in India. One of them is this
Naimisaranya and another very important place is called Prayaga,
generally known as Allahabad. But the original name is Prayaga. That is
considered to be one of the most sacred places in India. Still every
year there is a fair called Magha-Mela. Magha means during the month of
January, February, a fair takes place in which all the sages, saintly
persons, come from all over parts of India. They gather and take their
bath at the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna. That is a very nice place.
If you visit India, you should see all these nice places.”
Between fifteen and thirty devotees are expected to take the course, which will run from May 29th to June 6th this year. Participants will hail from the US, Canada and Mexico and will comprise of current and aspiring ISKCON temple pujaris who have at least first initiation and are recommended by their temple authorities.
After preaching in Maharashtra’s Bhandara district the All-India Padayatra entered Nagpur city at Suryanagar on February 7. Walking for a further 7km, we reached the ISKCON Radha-Gopinath temple in Empress City, where the devotees welcomed Sri Sri Nitai-Gaurasundar with garlands and a grand sankirtan. The matajis then washed the hooves of our oxen, showered flowers on them and performed arati of Their Lordships.
Every Purnima, sixty flags will be offered to the Deities and two raised every day in the names of their sponsors. The flags will then be shipped to the sponsors as prasadam for their seva. This transcendental monthly festival will continue into the future for as long as the TOVP stands and will become a tradition for future generations of devotees.
Iskcon Mayapur: Since Sri Sri Panca-tattva were installed in the Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir in 2004, every 5 years They have been worshipped by an elaborate and ecstatic Maha Abhiseka. This year, 2019, was the 15th installation anniversary of Sri Sri Panca-tattva and the largest Maha Abhiseka yet.
By Yugala Kishor Gour dasa
Radha Mohan das: Please view my latest Youtube presentation, entitled “Understanding the Multidimensional Universe of the Vedas”.
By Parasuram dasa
Iskcon Mayapur: Shiva-ratri occurs every lunar month on the 13th or 14th day of the dark half of the moon phase. Once every year during the month of Phalgun, a Maha Shiva-ratri occurs. This Maha Shiva-ratri day is considered to be the day when Lord Shiva married Parvati and it is celebrated elaborately by devotees of Lord Shiva. 
By Mayapur Institute
