Yorkville, Toronto
Usually
Usually at this time of year I’m in Varadero, Cuba. I am typically at the beach, under the sun, making visitations to cities like Havana, Matanzas and St. Declaro. We hold kirtan sessions, give bhakti lessons, answer questions, walk the streets, etc. etc. I do miss the wonderful people there. I also miss the good company of another monk, a Swami from Spain. His name is Yaduananda Swami. He’s kind, cool and caring.
With everyone in the world being grounded, reminiscence becomes somewhat magnified. “Oh, we used to do this around now.” “Oh! We had such a great break from winter, the latest political elections and so on.” “Now, it’s a real lockdown. We are keeping apart from each other.” The feeling of separation is really very long.
On my walk through Yorkville tonight I saw much fewer people out on the streets. The weather did not help. It was too intimidating. It snowed all day.
Snow does, on the other hand, add a dreaminess to the place. I had Dwarka on my mind. That magnificent city in eastern India is mysterious. We talked about this ancient urban treasure in our Bhagavatam class. The oldest section of this place was a fortress were Krishna ruled, now engulfed by the waters of the Arabian Sea. You see, Sri Krishna was a real person who did amazing things, some things he still does to this very day, somewhere, somehow in some distant galaxy, cosmos and world.
During my walk today I had people in my prayers—Indira Nayer, Jim, my brother-in-law, as well as some victims of Covid. It’s a serious world but the snow makes light of it.
May the Source be with you!
3 km
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