Wednesday 30 December 2009

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

Whole Day

Toronto, Ontario

The air was biting cold on the face while challenging a Canadian breeze. Back, I was on Bloor St. taking the millionth trek on a route all too familiar. I passed by the impressive ROM museum, Varsity Stadium (John & Yoko conducted a march and walk from here), the ill-fated Hippie experiment the Rochdale Building, the Bata Shoe Museum and the most significant, Urban Edge Yoga Centre.

The day spun by swiftly tending to people’s needs. The evening was destined to be a Brampton satsang experience. I have found that at these gatherings people respond well to verse memorization. I chose one. Bhagavad-Gita 8.5 “anta-kale ca mam eva…” Here Krishna addresses the result of a soul immersed in devotion. Such a person is done with travel in this world at the expiry of the present body. There is no more series of lives to come. There in union with Krishna is service to Krishna.

As we guided the attendees who were tightly seated in the duplex home, line by line of the verse was called out and then repeated. For most of the group the sound of Sanskrit was a pleasant buzz in their ears. It was fresh and new. Its message was a strong endorsement to reincarnation which is always intriguing to those who don’t want to accept the shallow doctrine of be-born-and-die.

What’s great about the memorization is that everyone’s brain is set to be sharp. For the newcomers hearing about a practical assimilation of devotion which overcomes transmigration was helpful. The evening was spent less at mantra and more at the listening of philosophical and universal truth.

Taking stock of the day I tallied all to be a wholesome and holistic day starting with the biting air.

5 Km

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