Thursday, November 20th, 2008

Thursday, Nov. 20th – Buenos Aires, Argentina

It’s my second day here and I had been noticing familiar signs found in most parts of the world. “Coca Cola, Mc Donald’s, Burger King” flank busy thoroughfares as common unused realities. Perhaps it is inappropriate to draw such comparison, but Jagannatha (the once forest deity, now popular temple divinity) is reaching the streets in mobile fashion marking the weekend’s colorful Chariot Festival. As His name implies He is the cosmic Lord, Lord of the Universe, and for some people will rival such above mentioned commercial icons of the day.

Jagannatha has so much to offer and His festival hundreds of years in operation from the place of origin in Puri comes to cast His “happy face” mercy to Argentineans. I had been reading in the “Journal of Vaishnava Studies” the account of Salabega who was an established 17th century poet of Muslim decent. His writings which are entrenched in devotion to the deity Jagannatha are truly inspiring. Although the temple where Jagannatha is fabulously adored it has rejected entry to the non-Hindu born faithful, but this bright poet saw Jagannatha as very inclusive of all. Orthodox priests in Orissa have maintained a rigid policy preventing “outsiders” from coming into this ancient temple.

I had my experience two decades ago when trying to see if I could have darshan (a view) of the famous temple in Puri called Gundica. The security guard stopped me at the gate saying I could not enter because I was Christian. Calmly I asserted my commitment to Krishna and that I bore the robes to prove it what to speak of shaven head. “You are white,” he said. Keeping my tone to a subdued respectable level I pressed, “But three gods adorn this temple one is black, one is golden and the other is white. I am here to see the White God, Balaram.”

The guard would hear no more, held his body attentively square and eyes away. That was my vain attempt to enter.

I’m just glad I can attend a parade like this weekend’s and gain the positive vibrations from the broad smiles of Jagannatha, Balarama and Subhadra. I express my gratitude to our guru, Srila Prabhupada, for bringing these deities to the west and to be known to everyone. They are not confined to South-east Asia, but are visible to all.

6 Km