Getting Found
Havana, Cuba
It was pre-dawn that I did get lost in a city I figured I knew well enough, being my third visit here. But then I reflected on how I’m not the only one. Millions of people must get lost everyday somewhere, and it likely happens more in cities than in the countryside. I dwelled on how Krishna, as a young boy, along with friend, Sudama, lost their tracking. It was in a storm, at night, and in the bush. As usual, it was one of His self imposed adventures, designed to heighten his friendship with his devotee. The two boys were close, and when the vicious storm was conjured up, it made the two boys that more interdependent from the point of view of enhancing their relationship.
As the sun rose, surely, then I made sense of directions, buildings and landmarks, but it was too late to keep my appointment at my apartment to meet devotees for a walk on japa (chanting) meditation. The usual routine is to walk a stretch of the Malecon, the seawall. There I sat and there they came. Cubans, a German and a Canadian all of whom I’ve become fond of being on the same spiritual path as they. I know they see me as senior, but I frankly have a hard time seeing them as junior. Somehow, in the service of Krishna, we are all part of a spiritual network. I must remind myself that teaching is an obligation I must impart.
Our morning walk did turn into a shopping trip. Bok Choy and lettuce which are grown organically like almost everything else in Cuba, became a green need for our group. We have been putting out a lot into the “Teatro” department - a rehearsal for Saturday. Through the practices, we are learning more and more of the Gita’s message and as a result are feeling less lost in the forest of material enjoyment. Thanks to our guru, Srila Prabhupada, who has inspired in some way this enjoyable play, “El Gita”.
16 Km
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