Brampton/Toronto
The Most Astonishing Thing
I walked a bit of Tottenham, and then we drove to Brampton, then Toronto, Ontario, on this fine but cloudy Mother’s Day. I introduced the latter two communities to Kalakanta, but before doing so read a passage from the magazine “Spirit Soul” from https://iskconnews.org/new-magazine-spirit-soul-makes-bhakti-yoga-accessible,6602/ It was a powerful message.
“There once was a treacherous being guarding a lake that contained the only water for hundreds of miles, and King Yudhisthira was thirsty. This being was preventing him from drinking. First, the king was told he had to answer some questions, and then the water would be his to drink.
“Ask your questions ,” he said.
“Tell me, what is quicker than the wind?”
“The mind.”
“And tell me what is more numerous than the blades of grass in the fields?”
“The thoughts that spring from the mind.”
“What is it that when lost, causes no regret?”
“Anger.”
“Who appears to be alive but is among the walking dead?”
“A miser.”
“And what is heavier than the mountains?”
“The love of one’s mother; the word of one’s father.”
“Tell me, what is the greatest possession?”
“Knowledge.”
“What is our prime duty in life?”
“To seek the welfare of all beings.”
“And finally, tell me this, what is the most astonishing thing in the world?”
Yudhisthira considered the question, becoming lost for a moment in its many possible answers. Finally he said, “Death is lurking all around us, yet we behave as though we will live forever. What can be more astonishing than this?”
He was allowed to drink.
May the Source be with you!
4 km
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