Thursday 9 January 2014

Tuesday, January 7th, 2014

Houston, Texas

Shuno Shepa

Walking today constituted zealous steps, the circle fashion, both inside the Radha Nilamadhava Temple and outside it’s expansive parking lot.

I also ventured around the neighbourhood here off of 34th Street.  It’s a mix of residential bungalow homes, plazas, doughnut and pizza shops and churches.  It is a place of many automobiles zooming by.  I see more dogs in people’s yards than people.  It’s not a criticism, but an observation.

Regarding dogs, I was asked to speak today from the book, Bhagavatam.  And what sticks out in the message delivered this morning, had to do with a dog’s tail.  Shuno shepa.  In the verse from Canto 7, the very cultured child, Prahlad, was being tortured by his father.  The father observed his son’s undivided attention to Vishnu, a name for the Absolute.  Prahlad’s father was agitated with the focus of his son, considered it the utmost distraction, and compelled him to put the boy under intense duress.  He likened the boy’s mind to that of a dog’s tail.  Prahlad was unswerved in his fixation on Vishnu, and it was this focus in purity that could not be changed, like trying to make straight the curve in a dog’s tail.

There’s a whole language to a dog’s tail, whether it waggles or not.  The dog may be aroused or feel defeated, humbled or loved, and there’s movements to demonstrate such swaying moods by the way of the tail.  Whatever is the emotion, the tail always has a curve.

The reason for my visit to Houston was to attend our North American AGM.  I’m not the greatest meetings person.  Topics are fine, mission oriented, socially sensitive, and are necessary.  But, it all becomes a little too sedentary for me.  Once I go for those evening drama practices (when meetings are over) my tail starts waggling with joy.

We are all wired differently.  The tail of the dog waggles on its own time.  You just want to make sure that you are in the position of shuno shepa, be unflinching in your devotion.

May the Source be with you!

4 KM

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