Mumbai, India
Surrender to the Sand
Some of the young monks from the area
offered an invite to walk the Juhu Beach as the sun was about to arise. I surrendered. We took to the beach to walk and to engage in
japa (bead chanting)—both,
simultaneously.
During daylight hours and perhaps even at
night, much Durga-puja goes on. It is worship of the Goddess. This entails the use of flowers, garlands and
many coconuts. Unfortunately, most
worshippers are not very responsible with their paraphernalia. The items are left to the waves, sand and
water.
We do a bit of dodging of these articles
for passageway. In the course of the
walk, pedestrians do greet us. They know
our clothes.
“Hare Krishna!” they say, and we reciprocate.
“There goes Guru Prasad Swami,” I point
out. The Juhu Beach is a daily trail for
him. Just about everyone and every
object comes here. Dogs who are stray
love the beach. Crows also make their
appearance. There's always foodstuff
they can poke and tear at.
It’s a sweat
session, the walking part. Humidity is
in the air. The slight breeze does little
to temper the situation. But, the association
makes it also a sweet session.
We did some photos. Iconic poses. (Check Instagram: the walking
monk).
One more thing about today, after the walk,
it was guru-puja time at the
temple. Cameras—both hand-held and one
hooked up to a big crane—were moving about.
What a privilege it was to be asked to lead the song with cameras coming
and going.
May the Source be with you!
6 km
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