Delhi,
India
Chaitanya
My
name was called over the loud speaker at the International Gates in Toronto’s
Airport. I went to the counter and was informed that I had been upgraded. Okay!
Some secret admirer? Krishna? I accept!
The
passenger next to me, a young family man, is from Alabama and going on to
Bangalore for business. He asked about my order and I was happy to explain.
“I
adapted to an old tradition from India, a form of yoga called bhakti. Our guru came over from India to
New York in 1965 to introduce this ancient but relevant way. Our beliefs are
based on the text Bhagavad-Gita (song
of the Divine), where warrior and wiseman have a dialogue over life-and-death
matters. Sri Chaitanya, born in the late 15th century, is a great
teacher in our lineage.”
My
newly-made friend was listening and said, “I’ll look it up.”
When
he went to sleep, I pulled out the latest book by Steven Rosen aka Satyaraja
Dasa, a favourite author. I read from the third chapter of his book Sri
Chaitanya’s Life and Teachings where the opening lines define the great
motivator and king of kirtan,
himself.
“Who
is Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu?” At the
risk of seeming evasive, the answer depends very much on whom you ask…. Joseph
T. O’Connell, an expert on Bengali religion and culture wrote of the
traditional Gaudiya Vaishnava perspective: “During Chaitanya’s own lifetime, it
became axiomatic among his closer devotees that he was in some fashion
Hari/Krishna (Krishna with feelings and the complexion of Radha, descended in
human form.”
May
the Source be with you!
0 km
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