Tuesday, 10 December 2019

Saturday, December 7th, 2019


Toronto, Ontario

All About the Gita

I was impressed with the children's Bhagavad-gita Contest, where one by one enthusiastic young members (as young as five) would get behind the microphone and recite, by heart, verses from the divine book.  Judges asked questions of each of the contestants from a philosophical level.  They answered well.

Though I would say you had to have patience for the 3 &1/2 hour event, today was the anniversary of the sacred dialogue between Sri Krishna and warrior-friend, Arjuna, and therefore appropriate to focus on their words.

In addition to the contest, two-hundred-plus people engaged in reading all eighteen chapters of the book in hand.  It was powerful!  Each chapter, which was alternate Sanskrit and English, was led by a different reader.  To sit and read through the entire text was also a happy challenge, a great exercise, I would say.

After the read, a marvelous meal of a grainless kind, especially made on the days of ekadashi, was served before participants departed.  This all took place in the temple room section of our grand limestone building, with its Gothic-church exterior and Vedic-temple interior. 

I  departed with the crowd only to get some walking in.  Homeowner and pujari/priest, Radha Gopinath, drove me to his house at Pape and Danforth to let me make a return walk to the temple where I live.  It took me through Greektown where Saturday night is definitely alive, Greek style, and where dance, music, beverage and shish kebabs are featured.  Of course, it's all indoor going-on and I'm outside.  My guru, Prabhupada, would sometimes walk the streets in Europe, New York, and Moscow in the winter.  I was reflecting as I moved along.

May the Source be with you!
5 km



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