Saturday 3 April 2010

Monday, March 29th, 2010

“Dharma Lives Forever”

Durban, South Africa

Durban has a vibrant community of devotees, yet when it is Monday morning, the day after the weekend, the temple, like almost any place in this world, gets hit by that start-up weekly blues. The previous evening’s Sunday open house, attracting hundreds of people, knocks the wind out of almost everyone. The energy is low. Things move a little slow. You sometimes don’t know how things will go.

Those few stalwarts that made their way to the temple for morning sadhana (spiritual workout) pushed themselves to be the day’s heroes. I call them heroes because despite the fatigue they have, the power invested in them to follow dharma, which in itself gives power of strength.

Dharma is just a magical principle. It protects. And when you protect it, it will protect you. Dharma is defined in so many ways such as, “duty”, “obligation”, “principle” or in a plain, simple expression, “doing what should be done.” It always places the practitioner above the realm of duality.

The emblem of dharma can be seen in the lives of Yudhisthira, Vidura, Draupadi, Hanuman, Pariksit, Prabhupada- all Vedic personalities. When dharma is followed, things run generally smooth. However, because it is the material world, nothing moves without road bumps.

To stick to my dharma for the day, I chanted 16 rounds of the maha-mantra, “Hare Krsna”, on my meditation beads and that, by circumambulating the temple on bush-lined walkway the whole time.

9 KM

No comments: