Madrid, Spain
Checking Out Miguel
Miguel de Cervantes is the famed author of the fictitious character “Don Quixote” and is memorialized just a few blocks from Hare Krishna Centro. It was natural to take a stroll there. Gathering Narottam, a student from Mayapura, India, and Bhakta Jyan, of Guadalajara, to take the lead, browsing about became our way of winding down the day.
The monument is impressive, situated by a pond of water, and just about every tourist who comes to Madrid, takes a walk around while taking a few snap shots. It’s amazing that Don Quixote has become so popular a character. When I asked my companions, “Who was he?” the straight and simple answer is, “He was a dreamer.” I know of a few people like that. I guess his imagination was in the extreme.
Morning and evening engaged me in giving classes, the first was based on the monk, Chaitanya, and his magnanimous ways with prema pumartha maha. Premais the love that is deeper than any other. It goes beyond the practice of dharma. If people love the person Don Quixote then they may consider the nature of Krishna and so many avatars.
The second class, at 1:30 p.m., was a component of the Sunday Open House. The quaint Hare Krishna Centro, just five minutes off San Bernardo, gets packed with people, mostly Spaniards, with the exception of some South Americans settled in the country for better socio-economic opportunities. Here I spoke (with translation) from Chapter 18 of the Gita. How glorious is that dialogue between the warrior and the Divine. “It gives me a thrill,” if not a chill, up the spine, so says Sanjay.
May the Source be with you!
6 km
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