Measuring Up
Buenos Aires, Argentina
I don’t think a day goes by when we do not measure things.
This evening I had decided to trek from the Ratha Yatra site, at Plaza Francia, to Templo Hare Krishna. Others wanted to join me and avoid bus or car transportation. We asked Maha Hari, the temple coordinator, about the distance between the two locations. “About 40 street blocks.”
I was expecting an answer in kilometers, which makes it then easy to calculate the time it would take to walk. When you walk through the streets of a passionate city like Buenos Aires, and go with the flow, the pace can be good, even when factoring in stopping at red lights.
We moved at a steady clip and naturally we thought of the day. At least I tend to measure the success of the festival in terms of numbers attended, the quality of food, the quality of entertainment, weather, and the overall spirit of the event. I would rate it as good with some areas needing improvement. The hard work for play rehearsal paid off. The inexperienced actors, young adults in our community, pulled it off well. My dear friend, Guna Grahi Maharaja, asked me to speak to the crowd of hundreds, winging it as usual. Mahajan and I danced on the stage spontaneously to the rousing kirtan (chanting), of Ajamil who hails from Bangladesh. This segment was really interesting. The crowd merely copycatted our every innovative move. The trick here is keeping everyone focused on dancing and singing simultaneously.
As usual, prior, during, or at the end of an event like this, I get approached by one or two young monks who ask, “Please bless me that I will stay a brahmachari.” They then ask for advice to which I respond by encouraging them in strong morning sadhana (the spiritual workout). That, in fact, is a good measuring device. Your spiritual strength hinges on the performance of sadhana, the study of sacred books, chanting, worshiping, and wholesome dealings with spiritual companions.
9 KM
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