"Get Out! Get Active!"
Moundsville, West Virginia
Devamrita Swami delivered an excellent message at the annual "Festival of Inspiration" to attendees about action. His words sounded familiar like the echo of a God. In the Bhagavad-gita Krishna pulls his friend, Arjuna, out of a state of despondency and depression and encourages him into the mode of action. Krishna accomplished this through convincing words.
Our charismatic monk, Devamrita, used the same technique of sweet persuasion by identifying the problem of apprehension some of our people have to exposing bhakti. There is great truth in what he was saying. There has been a situation of low self-esteem amongst some of the members of the Krishna Consciousness society. With people living in such excess for some decades a complacency has somehow affected us all and for lack of a better word "contaminated" all sectors of society - even communities of faith and spirituality. You might call it an all-pervasive "evil" or a "product of darkness".
The encouraging words from Devamrita's mouth rang real for so many of us listeners. "People are eager to know." "The time is right" "Everything is favourable". These were the types of statements that expressed a sense of "strike while the iron is hot". There is a sensation of urgency arising from economic failure, disease, lethargy. Some change is wanting. That new wanting is bhakti, devotion.
In 1995 I felt a great sense of urgency - of what Devamrita was talking about. So I decided to get on the road with robes and meet people to tell them of this bhakti.
I circled around the pond in New Vrndavana in West Virginia reflecting on the need to get out and get active. Devamrita Swami hit it right-on.
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