Mumbai, India
The Cradle of
Civilization Rocks
A few more monks
in white (indicating they are novices) joined us for the beach walk. At this rate, after a few days, we would have an army. Strength is in numbers.
Here in India, a sense of
Krishna consciousness is expanding.
Membership is on the rise.
Temples, schools, goshalas
(cow sanctuaries) and restaurants are also on the rise. Of course, India is the land of Bharat, named after the pious king. It is the land of dharma. People here have a
soft spot for spirituality. Some
scholars postulate that notions of spiritual practice all began here. In that regard, I would cheer the posters you sometimes see. “Incredible India!”
We might take
note of Mark Twain’s statement: “This is indeed India, the land of dreams and
romance, of fabulous wealth and fabulous poverty, of splendor and rags…” He went on to say, “India is the cradle of
civilization.” Most things were given
birth here, but I can appreciate his conclusion on the positive and objective
side of things.
As mentioned
yesterday, the beach is
nice but there’s too much trash. Yes,
India is the land of extremes; of gods and
demons—when you consider the great epics like Ramayana and Mahabarata and
the tales they tell.
I once had a
conversation with world-renowned Indologist, A. L. Basham, who visited and spent some time residing at our Toronto Temple.
I had simply extended an invitation for him to come. In his book, The Wonder That Was India, he noted how
the growth of Krishna Consciousness outside of India was a remarkable
thing. Also in his book, he attempted to
correct the negative stereotypes of India.
May the Source be
with you!
4 km
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