Port Clinton, Ohio
The Ship Docked
To commemorate the anniversary of
the docking of our guru (Prabhupada) on American soil, I delivered a class,
basically a reading of this event at Boston harbor in September, 1965. A group
from the Harmony collective came to hear of this milestone. Seven years ago, I
began my US walk at the pier and I followed, as best as possible, the old
Lincoln Highway leading me to San Francisco. The theme of the track was
“Walking for our Teachers.” For me, it was just a token of gratitude. Thank you
Prabhupada for leading me on the safe path.
The prayer that he wrote “Markine
Bhagavat” on the ship, Jaladuta, before disembarking is precious; carrying the
spirit of dependence on Krishna. He had never been to the sea before, let alone
gone anywhere over-seas. His mission was to teach a new perspective on
life. In the prayer he appeals to Krishna to empower him to be able to convey
the message of the Gita in a way that the American public can
understand.
I would suggest that all those on
the bhakti path ask for the blessings to empower us to make the
philosophy appealing to others.
So, on this day, we meditated on
the ship, the water and its passenger. So far as water is concerned,
Madhavananda took me to the beach in the small community. Now this is not the
salt water of the Atlantic but the freshwater of a great lake. I can’t consider
the hour-long swim in this body of water as an act of sense gratification. I’m
simply taking care of my machinery with it’s relaxing of the muscles and
loosening of the joints before the long winter sets in. My body, after all, is
a vessel used in God’s service.
May the Source be with you!
7 km
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