Saturday 26 January 2013

Thursday, January 24th, 2013

The Squared Circle

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Rick Titan was a rather well established wrestler with WWF. That type of entertainment, however, just wasn’t fulfilling enough for him. Not long ago he had met our devotees while they were chanting next to the Bow River on a grass patch in Calgary. He enjoyed the kirtan to the extent that he asked to sit down on the grass along with them. Since that magical moment he’s been reading the Bhagavad Gita, “It’s the best book I’ve ever read,” he’s been saying.

I had the pleasure to meet Rick on the previous night’s program in Calgary where a packed room in a huge office suite became our venue. People wanted to hear about my pilgrim pastimes as it was a fresh new audience. Hence, I delivered the goods and mixing in some philosophy and leaving everyone with the consideration that we are all wrestlers. After all, who doesn’t try to wrestle the rascal mind?

Tonight I spoke at another function in another city and province – Saskatoon and Saskatchewan – and specifically on the topic of the Gita’s five subject matters. Yoga students and the Hindu faithful came to hear. One question a man was perhaps wrestling with was as follows:

“What is the distinction between karma, vikarama and akarma?”

Answer in brief:

“Karma means action, and its inherent reaction. Vikarma refers to action that is whimsical or casual, with no regulation and no long term vision. Akarma is action that involves submission to Isvara, God, producing no reaction and which awards freedom from birth and death.”

It was an attentive group. I was grateful to the Laxmi Narayan Mandir people for opening the doors to their facility. I was in a position to help people who found themselves in some philosophical head or arm lock.

By the way, Krishna enjoyed wrestling as a youth.

7 KM

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