243 Ave. Rd., Toronto
Precious Piece
I was forwarded a photo, one I’d
not seen before, a precious piece, of a seed planter making his way on foot
along Manhattan’s lower east side on Second Avenue. For sure it’s a vintage
shot and takes you back to the mid-sixties – judging by the elaborate build of
automobiles at the time. Included in the pic is a Mobil gas station. You can
catch the corner of a building with crude magic marker writing by the window,
promoting kirtan.
The seed planter is none other
than His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, known in those days
affectionately as Swamiji. It appears he’s on his way to the storefront, at 26
Second Ave., where he holds three functions per week. Either that, or he’s enroute
to his apartment, located basically just behind that store that would fill up
with people of the beat and hip generation.
Those were optimistic days.
Swamiji was in his early seventies but he appears youthful, harbouring many
dreams and plans for a renewed world; one that could use some cultural
adjustments. Bhakti was just on the horizon. Frustrated youth were
searching for a re-definition of life. Despite western prosperity, not all
things were going right. Not all was stable. Afterall, this world we live in is
always on display of its insecurities.
America encountered its first
debt in 1790 from the Revolutionary War. Since then, the debt has been fueled
over the centuries by more war and economical recessions. At the time of the ’60s,
faith was also on the wane. There was a need for a new way of approaching life.
Hence, by divine arrangement, the seed planter came with the seedlings of bhakti.
May the Source be with you!
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