A Special Day
Toronto, Ontario
Today was a day for God. It was two years ago that I spent on a trail walking an abandoned railway line in Prince Edward Island on the East coast of Canada. A CBC radio DJ was out looking for me to do a story on the cross country trek. He finally caught up with me. When I finally had the opportunity to say something about God’s day or as it is put in traditional terms, Janmastami.
So he broadcast the message that Janmastami, the day of celebrating Krishna’s birthday was today and that people all over the world who are followers of Krishna and the Vedas (which is 1 billion strong) is today.
To honour the occasion I did some walking and have now regular faithful companions which I’m thoroughly happy about. But most of the program is a grounding one. It’s a full day fast when you don’t move so fast and so you get anchored in the temple to receive guests and keep up a lively program going for a stretch of seven hours.
By 9pm I had garnered my face in aging make-up readying myself for acting out the part of Bilvamangal, a blind elderly man, searching for Krishna in Vrindavana. It’s a touching story. And it’s my first time getting out of the directors chair for years.
What is motivating are the crowds. The very meaning of the word, “Krishna” is all attractive and His festival embodies that same quality of attraction.
And so the thousands came. They witnessed. They sang. They smelled and tasted. Spirits were up and when midnight struck which notes the time for Krishna’s birth people broke into a happy hysteria. That was God’s day.
10 Km
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