Pranams and Dandavats
Mayapura, West Bengal
I was surprised when peering out the vimana (sanskrit for aircraft) that
there was snow on the airfield and as was announced over the PA, a frigid
-10 celsius. Then when departing for Kolkata, a devotee who was also so
incidentally taking the same flight from Delhi said that his home
near Florence, Italy, dipped down to -20. That seems to throw
Canadian weather into an almost tropical category.
"We're getting an in-the-plus these days."
Teaming up with friend Virabaha from L.A. we drove a hard one to ISKCON`s
adquarters from Kolkata. Once arrived there I showered and reunited with
one of our dramatist devotees, Goura, from Pennsylvania. We trekked down a
familiar path, a narrow walking trail sandwiched between two fields.
Hanging a left at Tarampura Road and past two gorgeous growing elephants,
we came to the Jalangi River, to make a right along hundreds of tapped
date-ras trees. This trail is a "no-name, no frills" path. It's "raw"
Bengal.
Some locals with the most incredible agility climb these trees before
sunset and by morning their earthen pots are full of nature's nectar.
This sacred land is where Sri Chaitanya roamed five centuries before and
where multiple sadhus (saints) converged to engage in kirtan (big time
chanting). Lest we forget to mention Srila Prabhupada among them. When one
comes to this pilgrimage site it's most appropriate to stop at his kutir,
hut. This is the place where the entire compound sprang from forty years
ago at the site of ISKCON's spiritual head quarters. Here is the
opportunity to lie prostrate in the dust and do what's called dandavats,
falling like a stick. With folded palms, pranams, we offer respects to all
that`s spiritual here, and that means everything.
6 Km
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