Toronto, Ontario
In the Temple
Every day before any walking excursions on the streets of the city, we have something called Guru Puja, a time for honouring the guru. In our temple section of the ashram, there is a statue of Prabhupada, upon whom members of the ashram meditate and offer words, in Bengali, in gratitude for his contributions. On either side of his statue, a replica of a lion stands proudly as a guard, symbolic of protection. https://www.instagram.com/p/BtBCyYQgv8J/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=30dfld14esz
I spent considerable time today, sitting near these images which give me strength to carry on with administrative tasks. Strategically, it is a great place to get work done. Pilgrims come here throughout the day, so for that portion of time, I become the greeter—provided I'm not on the cell—in which case I'll ask another ashram dweller, one of the monks, to have a few kind words to offer them, along with a 2019 calendar, and a piece of prasadam, blessed food in the form of a sweet, usually.
For a half hour, I gave full attention to reading over the phone to a dying god-sister in Victoria, British Columbia. Bhaktavasya is her name, and she is under the care of others. We have learned from our guru, Prabhupada, that such people, god-brothers or sisters, are very special.
So before I took a stroll on the streets for an hour, I found myself content watching people coming and going in our temple, and all the while, our Govinda's Dining Room is having a face-lift with new colours and some new furnishings.
May the Source be with you!
5 km
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