Mayapur, India
A Day
At the waking and
walking hour of 3 a.m. the jackals howl and fog hangs thick in the air. I’m on my way to the Samadhi temple for the 4:15 arati. I see less of those unfortunate fellows–the
sickly dogs along the way.
“Are they dying
off?” I wonder. Stray dogs don’t have a master, after
all. They may be missing out. At least for a human, playing and being in
the servant’s role is a real plus.
After the arati I make my way to the Radha Madhava
temple for more kirtan and hopefully, someone like
Jambhavan of South Africa may be there to accompany me. The puja
or worship of tulasi, the sacred
plant, is a highlight, and I see Jambhavan is getting a big kick out of it. It
is a chanting session with a focus on ‘holy green’, the tulasi herself.
Announcements follow, and today a quote
from our guru, Srila Prabhupada, addresses the hazards of gossip. Very profound.
Dogs don’t
gossip. They might bite but it’s less
painful. Humans are excellent at the
art. I question why there are no
championships set up somewhere in the world.
More societies frown upon gossip and rumor-mongering but it often enjoys
a healthy existence wherever you go.
To counter this
tendency toward usage of the evil tongue, we are encouraged by Sri Krishna in the Gita to execute austerity of the
tongue. “Silence is golden,” seems to
reflect His message.
There’s always a
“Krishna Katha”–talking about what is
divine.
May the Source be with
you!
4 km
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