The Mention of a Queen and a King
Saskatoon/Regina
My Saskatoon hosts, Kasyap and Panchami, had put together an excellent kitchery brunch after a great trek up their street and back. Temperatures have become more tame as of late (only 10 below), my first winter visit ever in Saskatoon imposed a scary 50 below Celsius with the wind chill factor. That was 3 years ago. You wouldn’t dare attempt the outside for any serious length of time. Locals who do daily walks customarily go to the warm mall for trekking inside before shops open. I did the same. The place never had a monk visit before, so one shop owner told me.
The kitchery, a great mix of rice, lentils and veggies, sat well in the tummy during a 3 hour southern direction drive to Regina. Regina was a name of Queen Victoria, yes, the British ruled here.
Our destination, a small temple on Retallack Avenue, is situated in a Cree neighbourhood. Perhaps there’s a mix of Ojibwa and Metis people here as well. This humble temple is a regular stop for me and today it’s kind of special, since a younger man, Darshit, was going to receive his initiation. I believe I went into the overtime in speaking about the significance of diksa (initiation). I made sure he understood that he’s now an actual member and that his primary guru is also my guru, Srila Prabhupada, the founder.
Making this message clear is critical in the sense that if you want to have cohesion in a society like ours, then one umbrella under which to stand will give hope of longevity. Without recognition of Prabhupada’s preeminent position, this society often referred to as a movement, will certainly move in all different directions, divisible by numerous initiating gurus. That, we don’t want.
Darshit received the name Dasarath, after the great king and father of Ram. Dasarath ruled well after a lengthy term in northern India in the era known as Treta. He was a virtuous monarch. Congratulations, Dasarath!
8 KM
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