Hare Krishna…
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare!
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!!
Well…this is what I have been chanting since past couple of days and no doubt this is soothing and brings wonders to your state of brain! You got to try it to believe it. No, I am not a preacher of ISKCON principles but a strong believer on what moves me. But the journey towards this was not easy…
There was this Jagannath Festival which was held in some far flung area …miles away…and I happened to get up from the wrong side of the bed…oops I am just sleeping on mattress these days.. then I guess Sun must have risen from the east…oh ok .. it always rises from the east…then definitely something must have gone wrong in my life that I decided to be part of this holy festival. They say… there is a Krishna in everyone… and I guess the Krishna in me would have really become active and restless to motivate me to go to that festival at an unknown place in an unknown country. And there I was… determined to go… or perhaps destined to go… as the fellow devotees would put it!
I got up early in the morning at 9… early by my standards…did regular routine stuff.. a glass of milk (so what???)…packed some fruits for the way and off I went at 10 30 for the ISKCON temple to enquire about the whereabouts of the festival. I reached to the city centre by 12 as it involves half an hour walk to the train station and then some waiting….I miss my car so much back home L I enquired about the bus routes which would take me to the temple (its almost out of the city area) and hopped onto bust at 1 pm, there were only limited buses which follow that route. That kind bus driver stopped me in front of that road at 2pm, which leads to the temple. I dint know it was another half an hour walk from there in that hot sun!! Anyways, after completing the enquiry part and eating lots of prasadam served over there, I was ready for another long journey back for getting the tickets booked for the place where the festival camp was held. Another half an hour walk in that same bloody hot sun, but this time it was followed by 50 minutes wait for those rare buses which are so kind to follow this route. But 50 minutes!!!!!!!! I had no option…I am car-less, home-less, penny-less. Reached inter-city bus terminal 15 mins to 6pm (they close at 6). Took a deep breath, before they told me that no bus goes to the place you mentioned, and there was no map available with them which could guide me. And she warned me it would be risky if you book tomorrow so decide fast as we are closing. I had no clue how would I reach at the exact location, but the Krishna in me was really very motivated… no second thoughts, “Then why don’t you book one ticket for the earliest bus service”. I reached back home by 8 pm and the whole day was basically spent in booking one bus ticket to a place where I was not actually supposed to go. That’s another story as to how I sorted this out and arranged someone who would pick me up from the place where the bus would stop.
Next day. Everything was going perfect so far. I had the tickets, got up early, packed my bag, my good sense made me take a sleeping bag and reached to the bus terminal comfortably before time. Just that I was not able to communicate with the person who was supposed to pick me up. I had no clue where he would be waiting for me. This Krishna inside me was truly very motivated, again no second thoughts and I hopped onto the bus! Now for entire journey I was furiously trying to make contact with that person…but no luck! Now I dint want Krishna to be inside me any more, I wanted him to come out and talk to me. I was feeling lonely and scared. Not even me, no other person there had any clue where the place called ‘Parakawai’ is. The bus stopped couple of times for food, but I was anxious about my today’s future. There was a connecting bus which I was supposed to take, and to put the icing on the cake, I left my sleeping bag in the previous bus.
Fortunately, this driver knew where ‘Parakawai’ is.
“But what would you do over there, there is nothing out there, NOTHING”, said the driver.
“Nothing?? Means?”, I asked, my eyes wide open and mouth would refuse to shut!
“Nothing means nothing. You wont find a single person over there. No transport. What are you going to do all alone?”, he replied in a caring manner.
“Can I walk over there”, I enquired
“Yes, some 3-4 kms to reach to the end of road, where there is nothing”, he joked. His sense of humour is pathetic, I thought.
I was expecting my Krishna would say him something, but he dint. I thought something for a moment. I don’t make hasty decisions like Krishna inside me. His ‘no second thoughts’ policy has virtually landed me in this material world’s shit. I explained that driver the entire situation, about this festival camp and all, and I am not able to reach the person who is supposed to pick me up. So I am in deep shit!
“I can drop you at Parakawai or at the Town, let me know, the decision is yours”, he washed off his hands from the issue.
I had another 20 mins to decide. I was furiously looking in all directions if this place is suitable for human speices or not and if I can find at least one human on the way to give me confidence to drop at ‘Parakawai’. At the same time, I was trying to make contact with all the contacts I had at that camp, but no luck! To add to my problems, my mobile phone has turned into a landline these days. It works for few minutes when it is away from the direct power. I have to always keep it on life support system with the charger plugged in. So I had to use my phone judiciously as well. I had been charging my phone at any damn shop I could charge it, whenever the bus had stopped so far. Nothing was working out. It seemed like that bus was pacing in the interiors of some big jungle, with no escape. I was afraid to make any decision, so didn’t say a word to the Driver. He applies breaks and pulls the bus on the side of the road. It was time to make decision, and my heart beats start racing.
“This is Parakawai, do you want to get down here”, he shouted.
I am sure Krishna in me would have made no second thoughts and made me get down there. But this time I was like…hold on buddy… let me check out. I got up and took a 360 degree view of the place. Leave apart human species, there was not even any animal species out there.
“No ways, take me to the town please”, I shouted back. I was so scared seeing that place, which made my decision easy. And everyone in the bus started laughing!!
I got down at town, sitting there and thinking what to do. I couldn’t afford to pay for accommodation and rent a taxi to go and have a look for Parakawai, as I had exact 60$ to buy ticket for bus to go back home. I was waiting for Krishna to wake up and speak. Indeed, he was not sleeping and trying to make contact with Krishna inside another person, and I actually got the message back from that person that he is waiting for me and where can he pick me up from. Wow, what a relief!! It was a similar feeling you get when you are holding your bowels and you find a loo after a very long time. All your tensions go into the water in a flash of second (no pun intended!).
Anyways, there I was, on this festival camp, close to lot many other Krishnas, or His devotees. The place was good and arranged very properly. There were lots of things going around there, with all the prayers, prasadam, lots of people around, holy play and moreover, the aura of presence of Krishna was truly there. I could feel it, and you had to be there to agree with me and I don’t care if you guys don’t agree with me and want to laugh over this. It was honestly different.
But (another but!!), there was a night which was to follow all these things. I had come to know that there was no common place to sleep and everyone had brought their own small tents, which obviously I would not expect myself to bring that for me. And the person who had brought me had already left me on my own. I smartly tried to enquire few people around as to what could be the possibility and who is the head there so that I can hold is legs and say, “prabhu sharan mein le lo.” “There is no one head here as such, everyone is here for himself”, comes back the reply. The meaning which I understood – your day is not over yet!! After some time, that Krishna buddy of my Krishna came back and enquired if all is well. I asked him for a place if I can sleep in this big tent which was actually a temple created there. We went to some big person and he allowed. He could not arrange any tent or anything else. I was of my own with my jacket, which sometimes is incapable of holding back cold even during the day. But it’s easier for me when I don’t have any option. Took out my towel, spread it on the wooden floor, wore all the t-shirts and a jacket and socks and lied down, till 2 in the morning, pretending to sleep. It wasn’t humanly possible to sleep in that cold. I was just avoiding myself to freeze somehow. Lucky, that I am not a cold-blooded animal. I would have, otherwise, become Madame Tussaud’s museum statue by now for sure.
Then I was just sitting in a corner with all the clothes on me till 4 approx when more people came inside the temple to chant those holy words I mentioned at the start. I joined them, and it gave me some warmth to survive. I kept on chanting that till 6 around. It was definitely the start of a good day in a holy way!
And I kept on chanting those holy words through out the day. I met some very nice people, played volleyball, and got lots of food, and a slice of mango too, having this fruit for the first time out of India. My journey back home was also arranged with proper care. I asked lots and lots of questions from the devotees there for my enlightenment and I am sure the Krishna inside me would be very happy to see the effort I put for devotion!
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!!
Well…this is what I have been chanting since past couple of days and no doubt this is soothing and brings wonders to your state of brain! You got to try it to believe it. No, I am not a preacher of ISKCON principles but a strong believer on what moves me. But the journey towards this was not easy…
There was this Jagannath Festival which was held in some far flung area …miles away…and I happened to get up from the wrong side of the bed…oops I am just sleeping on mattress these days.. then I guess Sun must have risen from the east…oh ok .. it always rises from the east…then definitely something must have gone wrong in my life that I decided to be part of this holy festival. They say… there is a Krishna in everyone… and I guess the Krishna in me would have really become active and restless to motivate me to go to that festival at an unknown place in an unknown country. And there I was… determined to go… or perhaps destined to go… as the fellow devotees would put it!
I got up early in the morning at 9… early by my standards…did regular routine stuff.. a glass of milk (so what???)…packed some fruits for the way and off I went at 10 30 for the ISKCON temple to enquire about the whereabouts of the festival. I reached to the city centre by 12 as it involves half an hour walk to the train station and then some waiting….I miss my car so much back home L I enquired about the bus routes which would take me to the temple (its almost out of the city area) and hopped onto bust at 1 pm, there were only limited buses which follow that route. That kind bus driver stopped me in front of that road at 2pm, which leads to the temple. I dint know it was another half an hour walk from there in that hot sun!! Anyways, after completing the enquiry part and eating lots of prasadam served over there, I was ready for another long journey back for getting the tickets booked for the place where the festival camp was held. Another half an hour walk in that same bloody hot sun, but this time it was followed by 50 minutes wait for those rare buses which are so kind to follow this route. But 50 minutes!!!!!!!! I had no option…I am car-less, home-less, penny-less. Reached inter-city bus terminal 15 mins to 6pm (they close at 6). Took a deep breath, before they told me that no bus goes to the place you mentioned, and there was no map available with them which could guide me. And she warned me it would be risky if you book tomorrow so decide fast as we are closing. I had no clue how would I reach at the exact location, but the Krishna in me was really very motivated… no second thoughts, “Then why don’t you book one ticket for the earliest bus service”. I reached back home by 8 pm and the whole day was basically spent in booking one bus ticket to a place where I was not actually supposed to go. That’s another story as to how I sorted this out and arranged someone who would pick me up from the place where the bus would stop.
Next day. Everything was going perfect so far. I had the tickets, got up early, packed my bag, my good sense made me take a sleeping bag and reached to the bus terminal comfortably before time. Just that I was not able to communicate with the person who was supposed to pick me up. I had no clue where he would be waiting for me. This Krishna inside me was truly very motivated, again no second thoughts and I hopped onto the bus! Now for entire journey I was furiously trying to make contact with that person…but no luck! Now I dint want Krishna to be inside me any more, I wanted him to come out and talk to me. I was feeling lonely and scared. Not even me, no other person there had any clue where the place called ‘Parakawai’ is. The bus stopped couple of times for food, but I was anxious about my today’s future. There was a connecting bus which I was supposed to take, and to put the icing on the cake, I left my sleeping bag in the previous bus.
Fortunately, this driver knew where ‘Parakawai’ is.
“But what would you do over there, there is nothing out there, NOTHING”, said the driver.
“Nothing?? Means?”, I asked, my eyes wide open and mouth would refuse to shut!
“Nothing means nothing. You wont find a single person over there. No transport. What are you going to do all alone?”, he replied in a caring manner.
“Can I walk over there”, I enquired
“Yes, some 3-4 kms to reach to the end of road, where there is nothing”, he joked. His sense of humour is pathetic, I thought.
I was expecting my Krishna would say him something, but he dint. I thought something for a moment. I don’t make hasty decisions like Krishna inside me. His ‘no second thoughts’ policy has virtually landed me in this material world’s shit. I explained that driver the entire situation, about this festival camp and all, and I am not able to reach the person who is supposed to pick me up. So I am in deep shit!
“I can drop you at Parakawai or at the Town, let me know, the decision is yours”, he washed off his hands from the issue.
I had another 20 mins to decide. I was furiously looking in all directions if this place is suitable for human speices or not and if I can find at least one human on the way to give me confidence to drop at ‘Parakawai’. At the same time, I was trying to make contact with all the contacts I had at that camp, but no luck! To add to my problems, my mobile phone has turned into a landline these days. It works for few minutes when it is away from the direct power. I have to always keep it on life support system with the charger plugged in. So I had to use my phone judiciously as well. I had been charging my phone at any damn shop I could charge it, whenever the bus had stopped so far. Nothing was working out. It seemed like that bus was pacing in the interiors of some big jungle, with no escape. I was afraid to make any decision, so didn’t say a word to the Driver. He applies breaks and pulls the bus on the side of the road. It was time to make decision, and my heart beats start racing.
“This is Parakawai, do you want to get down here”, he shouted.
I am sure Krishna in me would have made no second thoughts and made me get down there. But this time I was like…hold on buddy… let me check out. I got up and took a 360 degree view of the place. Leave apart human species, there was not even any animal species out there.
“No ways, take me to the town please”, I shouted back. I was so scared seeing that place, which made my decision easy. And everyone in the bus started laughing!!
I got down at town, sitting there and thinking what to do. I couldn’t afford to pay for accommodation and rent a taxi to go and have a look for Parakawai, as I had exact 60$ to buy ticket for bus to go back home. I was waiting for Krishna to wake up and speak. Indeed, he was not sleeping and trying to make contact with Krishna inside another person, and I actually got the message back from that person that he is waiting for me and where can he pick me up from. Wow, what a relief!! It was a similar feeling you get when you are holding your bowels and you find a loo after a very long time. All your tensions go into the water in a flash of second (no pun intended!).
Anyways, there I was, on this festival camp, close to lot many other Krishnas, or His devotees. The place was good and arranged very properly. There were lots of things going around there, with all the prayers, prasadam, lots of people around, holy play and moreover, the aura of presence of Krishna was truly there. I could feel it, and you had to be there to agree with me and I don’t care if you guys don’t agree with me and want to laugh over this. It was honestly different.
But (another but!!), there was a night which was to follow all these things. I had come to know that there was no common place to sleep and everyone had brought their own small tents, which obviously I would not expect myself to bring that for me. And the person who had brought me had already left me on my own. I smartly tried to enquire few people around as to what could be the possibility and who is the head there so that I can hold is legs and say, “prabhu sharan mein le lo.” “There is no one head here as such, everyone is here for himself”, comes back the reply. The meaning which I understood – your day is not over yet!! After some time, that Krishna buddy of my Krishna came back and enquired if all is well. I asked him for a place if I can sleep in this big tent which was actually a temple created there. We went to some big person and he allowed. He could not arrange any tent or anything else. I was of my own with my jacket, which sometimes is incapable of holding back cold even during the day. But it’s easier for me when I don’t have any option. Took out my towel, spread it on the wooden floor, wore all the t-shirts and a jacket and socks and lied down, till 2 in the morning, pretending to sleep. It wasn’t humanly possible to sleep in that cold. I was just avoiding myself to freeze somehow. Lucky, that I am not a cold-blooded animal. I would have, otherwise, become Madame Tussaud’s museum statue by now for sure.
Then I was just sitting in a corner with all the clothes on me till 4 approx when more people came inside the temple to chant those holy words I mentioned at the start. I joined them, and it gave me some warmth to survive. I kept on chanting that till 6 around. It was definitely the start of a good day in a holy way!
And I kept on chanting those holy words through out the day. I met some very nice people, played volleyball, and got lots of food, and a slice of mango too, having this fruit for the first time out of India. My journey back home was also arranged with proper care. I asked lots and lots of questions from the devotees there for my enlightenment and I am sure the Krishna inside me would be very happy to see the effort I put for devotion!
posted by Vineet @ 5:08 pm
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