Coquitlam, British Columbia
Being
Smart About It
I find people who follow the path of bhakti oftentimes ride on too much
sentiment and set aside the practical implementation of things. Sometimes it’s too much heart and not enough
smart. But the smarts, or intelligence,
are there—a little dormant, though, at times.
To give one example, at the ceremony of
what’s called arati, which entails an
offering of articles to the deities of Krishna, such as a flower, the pujari (priest) places the flower, after
offering, at the ledge of the altar in order for observers to receive. These flowers that are acquired are shipped
in from afar and they lack scent. One
person amongst the observers at the arati
take that unscented flower to the various nostrils of the other attendees for a
sniff. It’s a nice gesture but is it
intelligent when there is no fragrance?
Another example is the pujari offers incense to the deity and then places the aromatic
stick close to his/her standing position.
Incense has been known to be carcinogenic, especially in an enclosed
room. Personally, I feel there’s a
brighter way to do things than to have the incense fumes going up, once again,
the nose.
There are other examples.
Our guru, Srila Prabhupada, was very
practical and would make adjustments.
Another example, since the midnight kirtan at Toronto’s City Hall, with the
combination of coldness and maybe not the best shoes contributed to my sore
left knee, causing a limp in my walk, I took to simple yoga stretches to pursue
a healing when just sitting to chant wouldn’t necessarily provide the required
relief. We need the balance; both yoga and yajna (sacrifice, ritual) are good.
May the source be with you!
4 km
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