Owen Sound, Ontario
Just Before Ram
It was the eve before Ramnaumi, the birthday of Sri Ram,
that I arrived at this small city of natural beauty all around. Along with Rajneesh and family, we ventured
to this Georgian Bay area to meet acquaintances, one of whom shared foot travel
with me.
Garuda, is now 66, and was with me in British Columbia on
walk number 3 when we encountered a grizzly bear and got close to being
breakfast. That’s a story unto itself, and one I don’t personally mind
reliving. Anything that impels one to
slide into a prayerful mood, isn’t necessarily a bad experience, however
adventurous.
There’s only a 5 year difference between Garuda and I (I’m
the younger one). He’s always been an
active man, but is feeling the aches and pains of aging as of late. Always enthusiastic for chanting, we found he
and his clan, with two younger generations, were absorbed in doing just
that. His three sons are rock
musicians. In reality, for them, kirtan is where it’s at. Another area where we share a passion is in
trekking sections of the country’s oldest foot path, the Bruce Trail, which
runs along Owen Sound’s escarpment.
Our union with Garuda’s clan at the home of hosts Rajesh
and Alka, was a warm up for the coming day’s Ramnaumi. We did so through kirtan chanting, feasting, of course, and reading of memories of
our guru, Srila Prabhupada. We
especially were hearing of his morning strolls by the Pacific. He would go at a pace that was hard to keep
up. In this regard, he was always ahead
of the game in comparison to his students, in practically every category of
activity that you could imagine.
It is a Vedic colloquial term to follow in the dust of a
holy person’s lotus footsteps.
May the Source be with you!
6 KM
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