Thursday, March 7th, 2013

Such Mercy!  

 

Mayapura, West Bengal

 

I did a solo as far as walking is concerned. No danger! No one here promotes smoking, sex, good physique, drinking or anything of the sort. You don't get those kind of billboards here in Mayapura, neither in the compound or directly outside. It's all just innocent village and farm life out here. You feel protected.

 

While pacing along I had been thinking of some lines from the play 'Dhruva' that we've been working so hard at. There's lines that you might consider to be signature lines like Narada Muni's "Is there some trouble in the palace?" Of course, in any royal quarters won't there be some disturbance?

And then we hear the saintly Suniti, mother of Dhruva, say "If someone gives you pain they will receive pain." And then the companion statement to that is, "If someone gives you joy, you will receive joy and they will as well." These are messages about karma.

 

In this contemplation I began to think about my own good fortune being so blessed with devotional life. Surely I didn't earn it. It has to be grace that put me here in this circumstance. For what could I possibly have done to be spending a month in this sweet, sweet place called Mayapura, a place of spiritual power, smooth and soft.

 

This is the home of Gaura, the golden avatar, Krishna incarnate. Here he was born. Here He established the dharma for the age - kirtan. He was centuries ahead of the now popular practice of mantra music. It all began here five centuries ago. And I'm here at the center of it all. Such Mercy!

 

8 KM

Wednesday, March 6th, 2013

Bricks

Mayapura, West Bengal

Jaya Gaura accompanied me on the trail today. He is a brahmacari from Guyana. Jokingly I asked, “Are we the only ones today or are there any other Guyansters to join us?”

With a smile he said, “No Maharaj, all the Guyansters are sick with colds and flus.” So we marched on down the dusty Tarampura Road, then along the Jalangi River Trail and then the Bhaktisiddhanta Road. Temples are being built along the main road.

We observed one construction worker. Quite amazing! It’s another world here. Things are done on a humble scale. So there he was with rag folded on his head, a board on top of that and then one by one, tier upon tier of two bricks abreast. He was stacked up to six layers and had done so without a complaint, walking his load to the building site a few meters away. For a few rupees he’ll be at it all day. Honest living. And that can inspire me almost as much as a sadhu (holy man) chanting on his beads without a heart. HONESTY is big and it is mentioned in the Gita as a trait of an evolved human.

In a break-out session, I sat with peers to discuss the pro and re-active responses to spiritual leaders who hit dark hours. That was an exercise that stretches the brain.

But in review of the day I’ll rewind back to the morning. I had been asked to lead the kirtan chanting in the main temple room beginning with the song in praise of the guru, “Samsara davanala….” regarding the mercy of the guru and how his/her kindness can affect a change in the wheel of life cycles.

Before I got behind the mic I thought, “March 6th was my day to lead. What else? Yes I have a sibling a year and a half younger than me and it’s her birthday.” This chant is in honor of you, Connie, as a dedication. May the good vibes come your way!

7 KM

Tuesday, March 5th, 2013

Not Alone

Mayapura, West Bengal

In Mayapura, no one takes a shower alone. The space is shared. If it isn’t an army of ants crawling the walls and floor, it’s a tiktik. It’s one of those small salamander-type creepy-crawly’s who is actually your friend. He will gladly help in reducing the mosquito population.

Like an ant he can hit any surface. He’s about 3 centimeters in length though and he’s mostly a silent creature except for an occasional sound that’s hard to describe. When the shower water starts running, this guy is unlikely to get sunk or get flooded by water that goes straight down the drain, as the army of ants will do.

Yes, in Mayapura you always have company. What ever trail you take, entities will be there. Most trails around here are unpaved. Enjoy the soft sands while you can. Relish in the pleasure that spirits, atmas, are all about. They have every right to be there in their search for food, sleep, defence and mating. They are “work in progress” on the evolutionary sojourn with lessons to learn and advancement to make.

Creatures are pervasive and we humans cannot claim a special entitlement in this world even though we may be closer to the finish line than others. Who’s to say where you fit in, in the race to moksha, freedom? We are really set in the same game- to end a vicious cycle. If we are smart enough, we will take all opportunities for this homeward trek.

Monday, March 4th, 2013

Falling Things

 

Mayapura, West Bengal

 

It is not coconuts that fall from their heights that you have to worry about. It's actually the fruit of the Kadamba tree that causes a threat as it descends to the pilgrim's trail. It may splat or at least bruise. It's the size of golf balls, has a rusty color and is softer than a coconut. I personally came close to getting bombed a few times when mild winds were there. It's nice to know that pedestrian trails in Mayapura have some trees for shade; could be better though. The town of Mayapura is in progress in it's development and we'll hope in time a greening will be the overwhelming reality.

 

Mayapura is rich in Ganges delta earth. It's rich fertility with abundance in edible growth. It's also devotionally very rich- chanting in every direction. This place of pilgrimage also draws much talent from around the world.

 

Our VANDE Creative Arts team drew artists from different areas of interest. In our break-out session, two tradesmen in the field of deity-making were in attendance. We were delighted to also have film-makers, website designers, fashion designers, artists and dramatists.

 

We actually spent some time on projects to realistically materialize for the Gaura Purnima Festival. One project we all liked was to host a "Historic Vaishnava Attire" show. It would take on a very "chaste" form of a fashion show. It would be educational and make a statement about defining our society or spiritual order in a certain dress code.

 

Other features of the Gaura Purnima Festival, contributions by our VANDE team, include a short film festival, dramas, film workshop and an art exhibit. My thirst for next year's retreat is very up and I hope that such features for the festival will attract more pilgrims who will come for various reasons with the ultimate intent to internalize their higher consciousness.

 

6 KM

Sunday, March 3rd, 2013

Dogs Snarl

 

Mayapura, West Bengal

 

Dogs snarl at each other at about any time of day. Their lifestyle is such that in their stray existence lots of play and lots of fight constitute their 24 hours. There seems to be a drama within their adventures.

 

A few years ago these wild canine creatures were abundant in Mayapura yet more lately numbers of motorbikes have replaced them as nouveau menaces. The consolation to such apparent aggravations is the many cuckoo birds, doves, jackals and inanimate entities. There are mango trees, eucalyptus trees, tall ashok palm, date and banana trees. Pilgrims are sweet. They carry looks of either wonder or smiles. To them kirtan, deities and well-maintained gardens are a delight but so are we, international pilgrims, a curiosity to them. You've got people here that are white, brown and black, from every continent.

 

A big plus for today was meeting Bhaktisiddhanta, an American artist and sculptor who had been serving as a priest in Vrndavan, Krishna's childhood playground, and living in the sacred town for thirty-five years. He had come to our creative arts session, VANDE. He told a little about himself. He had friendship affiliation with trailblazing artists such as Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol.

 

Bhaktisiddhanta is 74 and he is a storehouse of information in Vedic arts.

 

The mandate given to various committees including our VANDE arts team was to prepare key result areas for next year's festival. The work executed by all committees was to embrace the theme of urgency. We are not getting any younger and the second generation of Krishna devotees deserves to be handed a legacy of spiritual vibrancy.

 

7 KM

Saturday, March 2nd, 2013

You Walk Into The Room

 

Mayapura, West Bengal

 

You walk into the room and you are struck with rich turquoise and soft mustard tones. It can be a trite deceiving. Except for the marble floor under your feet, what's above you as a ceiling and surrounding you as walls is a mere construction site. The ambient colors mentioned above is actual plain cloth stretched to a flush flatness, wrapped around edges to form pillars and punctuated by ornamental light fixtures on the ceiling.

 

This is our room for assembling. Sannyasis and gurus from around the world converge here to discuss what's important such as in a spiritual society who or what are your lines of authority. If there is a plural to that how do you approach and balance the various authorities in your everyday life. What resonates from the pondering this subject is the word "co-operation."

 

If we look to the Latin root of the word "co-operate' we would find something like "co" means two while the rest means to be open. Hence you have a word that is best described as forces coming together being open with each other. It is a kind of synergy and harmonization. It's a word our guru, Srila Prabhupada, used to emphasize a need.

 

There is also the concept of "unity in diversity" another term embraced by our master. There are a host of monks in a room and we're all different in natures but united as one culture.

 

Here's something that demonstrates differences, though. It's common for me to go into a room (and I'm usually on time for a session) and I'll proceed to open a window for air. Five minutes later someone comes and closes it not knowing I had just taken care of my need. However, the other swami who adjusted it has another need to protect himself from the cold. Somehow or other we are in the same room- united.

 

8 KM

Friday, March 1st, 2013

Big Ones

 

Mayapura,West Bengal

 

Hrimati is the name of a godsister of mine who was kind enough to act as a guide as I and several brahnacari monks ambled our way through the elephant reserve. Hrimati is credited for bringing the two elephant cows from Assam to the present location after the demise of Gulab Kali, the beloved mammal who had a long standing record for service.

 

We learned much from Hrimati, whose son Abhay managed his way on an ascent to the back of the elephant. In that regard, Abhay, whom I've known for years, is like Tarzan. What did we learn bout elephants?

 

Well there is this device called a kulsee made of jute which the trainer sets his foot in while riding on the elephants back. When he presses a certain way against the body of the elephant in one direction through the kulsee, the animal moves left and when the trainer presses for the right, the response goes accordingly. The foot also gestures to brake in order for the elephant to stop.

 

Elephants are very sensitive. They can remember a person by smelling their feet through the trunk.

The two female elephants were feeding when we approached them. One grabbed Daruka's flower garland and helped herself to the flowers for breakfast.

 

Males are tall and powerful. We couldn't help thinking of the great Vedic elephant heroes. We read about in the Vedas, such as Ganesh and Gajendra. Males have their mating season when they tend to be very aggressive. Hrimati was saying that in captivity the males tend to be impotent. If either of the two females were to receive semination it would likely mean they would have to be sent to a district where a herd lives in the wild.

 

There was information given, more than I'm able to delineate but what we did hear was enough to convince me that such a sophisticated creature is the product of a sophisticated Creator. My appreciation behind that work magnified to a much greater degree.

 

8 KM

Thursday, February 28th, 2013

Sell It!

 

Mayapur, West Bengal

 

"Sell it immediately!" were the emphatic words. It was said about four decades ago where Mayapur community was at the embryonic stage, just beginning. "Sell it!" was the service message of our guru, Srila Prabhupada, in relatIon to the motor scooter that was being driven by one of his disciples, Bhavananda. It was quite clear coming from the top that Mayapura was to reflect the flavour of a pedestrian-friendly pilgrimage site. Bicycles were tolerated.

 

I was walking with a group of brahmacari monks this morning when I met Bhavananda. A resident on a scooter skyrocketed by, which compelled me to ask the early pioneer of Mayapur if he would share his take on this high speed phenomenon which is to some extent, to some areas, free from the nauseous machines. It just so happened that we were not in the restricted area.

 

So Bhavananda was frank. He mentioned that he was bombing down the edge of the field on the property when Prabhupada asked him what he was doing. His rational behind using the machine was unacceptable to the guru who was disturbed. At that time he said very firmly to sell the machine. It was done and Bhavananda took to walking from there on.

 

It appears that it might be important to re-visit the case of Bhavananda as a short term biker and apply it to those original wishes of our master.

 

I was actually content to hear the story about the vision of a peaceful, safe and eco-friendly environment in Mayapura. It is important to preserve the pilgrim peace in order for visitors from all over the world to experience the serenity of the times of Chaitanya. At present, pilgrims do converge here from all over the world and they deserve to be relieved of the lifestyles hectic assault of machinery where they all hail from. May Krishna help me to restore the spirit of a real retreat

 

8 Km

Wednesday, February 27th, 2013

Dealing With the Mix

Mayapura, West Bengal

I sipped on a combination of guava and grapes, totally organic, at the corner fruit stand. I treated two of my youthful troupe members and myself to the concocted creation.

There might have been a trace of ego to this mix when I suggested to the fruit merchant, “Why not call it- ‘Walking Monk Special’.” But really I only put it out there as a suggestion because I’m passionate about promoting a walking culture. There’s not a day that goes by that I don't mention to someone somewhere about the benefits of working the machinery in the form of walking.

By the way, this ‘home brew’, if you will, is absolutely divine in taste. Try the mix. It’s 50/50 .
It was interesting when, in our break-out sessions, that a group of us, primarily sannyasi monks, were asked to explore the topic of “the problem with the mix.” This is in reference to the imposed multi-tasking that our spiritual leaders sometimes experience. There are at least two hats worn. The two hats center around the expectation of assuming the roles as a sadhu, the person who is pure and visionary, and secondly as a hands-on manager type. The problem is that many people can’t be both. Mind you, some people are clearly a mix of the two.

Our group was asked to address the dilemma and to try to come up with recommendations to avoid the ‘burn-out’ tendency of over-extending yourself. It was a consensus feeling that individuals should be encouraged to perform more according to their guna (nature) and karma (behavior). As found in 18.43 and 18.44 of the Gita, one should be gravitating to the natural proclivity and be thus happily engaged in service to the Absolute and to humanity.

8 Km

Tuesday, February 26th, 2013

Dripping Sap and More

Mayapura, West Bengal

The date trees are dripping this sap. A spider spun his web and is doing a bounce on this net. For more Cirque du Soliel, monkeys scammer about and in great leaps move to shake the trees. Such acrobats!

I had taken a small group of Brahmacari monks down my usual trail here in Mayapura and let them go down my path of wonder. Along the Jalangi River, Coriander flowers release their scent. Aromatic they are. The mere smell arouses the desires to walk more robustly. Soft dirt is felt under the feet. It’s all good.- very good- and very spiritual. This is the land of Chaitanya.

And then after we completed the fine walk (and topped it off with a full cup of that date juice), I was called on to lead the kirtan for the guru, Srila Prabhupada. What an honour that was- chanting the lead in the midst of forty to fifty sannyasi monks from around the world. There were other Krishna leaders who were also part of the assembly with the kick-start of a major retreat, the first of it’s kind- we spent a few hours together in brainstorm and celebration.

Finally the day culminated in taking time with youth working on voice projection, dance, stage- blocking, martial arts moves- all in an effort to pull together a production to be staged in only a matter of days. What put closure to the day was moments of ecstasy as our little troupe came to terms with the joyful night. Philip picked up his guitar, started reggae then jazz, all to the sound of the holy name while Roman b-boxed through it all. Rasalila was coming across like Ella Fitzgerald and a young Punjabi, Pariksit, made his vocal contribution as well.

Here is all this talent just exploding in a bopping trot back through the campus and to the Gada Building, my place of rest.

Magic it was.

8 KM

Monday, February 25th, 2013

Daruka Was Wondering

Mayapura, West Bengal

Daruka was wondering what the heck the howling was. At 1AM I awoke after a great rest and from our room 505 in the Gada Building hearing the howling and yelping could be a startling sensation.
“They’re jackals. They are in the hundreds. It’s normal but being a full moon they’re especially loud,” I told him.

I paced the hall outside our room chanting the maha-mantra and when the chorus had been arrested, an owl’s hoot dominated the sky. Unlike Canada where much wildlife is in slumber, in India, whether day or night, something is in flight or in slither or in a soft trot.

I had come to Mayapura for AGM purpose and for what is also close to my heart, preparing stage productions. I had pre-arranged, via e-mail, for commitments from those inclined towards acting. Some confirmed they were on board. The balance of the actors needed was purely based on desire. Well, people come, more than enough without any public announcement or even a mention.
I took the spirit that I will desire and let be what will be.

I meditated on how one must be submissive to Krishna and then things started happening. I also pondered the saying, “Man proposes, God disposes!”

I also thought of a segue to that could be, “Man opposes! God exposes!

I certainly made it a point to try to align my wishes with the wishes of the divine. This way I’m not proposing anything outrageous nor am I trying to work against the grain of God. Just co-operate.
As part of the strategy to work in divine compliance, I encouraged the walk with my two Canadian pilgrims, Maha Mantra and Daruka to walk to the Yoga-pith; the place where God contacts the earth. With a tireless stroll to Yoga-pith, we did have the good fortune to go to the most sacred spot by the neem to remind us of the tree under which the historical event and place of Chaitanya’s birth.
And what is He significant for? Answer: Walking and encouraging all those in every town and village to chant the maha-mantra .

11 KM

Sunday, February 24th, 2013

This Is Home

Kolkata, India

A level of relief came upon us when Daruka, Maha Mantra and I spent a layover at dubai. The squished nature of being crammed in an aircraft seat makes you want to explode when reaching an open space like their expansive airport with particularly long corridors. We were birds in a cage. Now we could spread our wings, until…

Another four hours in flight to Kolkata by way of the metal bird. For any pilgrim journey, austerity becomes a component. We landed before 8AM and caught with our nostrils the musty scent of the flat Bengal terrain. I haggled with cab drivers for an unsatisfactory rate to a four hour drive to Mayapur. What to do? Our scheduled cab didn’t show up. I was at the mercy of mercenary cabbies. We drove off, I being embittered. Eventually, my own heart melted though, the two thin men took shifts behind the wheel encouraged us, the passengers, to do kirtan. This appears to be at the heart itself of Bangla culture- song and dance in honor of the Goddess Kali, if not Krishna.

On the dashboard was a dusty small framed picture of the Goddess. Our drivers were caught in the sentiments of Gauranga, Krishna as the Golden One. They were raised with the songs we were familiar with, and then came the words from their voices, “Bhaja Gauranga! Kaha Gauranga!”... “Sing the praises of Chaitanya…”

After an arduous bumpy ride on an fight-for road-spaceordeal, we arrived at the Dham (sacred place)- at last. Aftrer two days of travel, we were worn, tired and dirty, but we feel we’re at home. It’s the first time in India for Daruka and Maha Mantra. It’s my 25th or more. I know so little Bengali, other than some songs, but we all feel that this is home.

4 KM