Wednesday 31 January 2018

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Mayapura, India

Pouring In

It is the weekend and pilgrims are pouring in. There are folks coming from neighbouring villages and towns. I ask people, through the course of the day, about their place of origin or where their journey to Mayapura started from.

“Jaipur,” said one man. That’s a city in another state.

Mayapura draws people from all around and they come at different times of the year. My godbrother, Kala, from Canada, who lives here part-time said, “They come at Christmas.”

I’m in Mayapura to stay for three solid weeks. So far, weather is on the cool, damp side. Eating is good. Worship is good, although limited. We rehearse six hours a day, which cuts into standard morning temple activities. https://instagram.com/p/BebyKX9FB2i/

At 7:00 a.m., I can get my actors, who are largely students. Our opening warm-up session is actually a guru puja—a song in praise of guru—to Srila Prabhupada.  https://instagram.com/p/BeZMS0lFAax/

Walking is also going on but I have to be cautious. “Circulation in the knees is challenging,” said the massage therapist who worked well on my joints this afternoon. I never had a massage done by someone who sings his way through it. He actually has a good voice, and he calmed me with his lucid rendition of bhajans by great devout teachers. This was not the ordinary.

The standard Bengal mustard oil is giving relief to my knees which got mildly agitated while in the cold of the New Year’s Eve chant at Toronto City Hall.

May the Source be with you!

5 km


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