Tuesday 18 October 2011

Sunday, October 16th, 2011

The Message to Share

Mumbai, India

I am twenty minutes at the temple of Radha Rasabihari - prepared for the opening of the gates at 4:30 AM. At that time I'm already hot and sweaty. I had been at the beach chanting on my beads with the ever-present mild waves of the Arabian Sea next to me.

There is rhythm in their sound just like there is a tempo in the temple, a sole drum playing to the sound of mangal arati, the morning worship. All over India, bells, gongs, drums and cymbals are heard at that auspicious hour. In that sense India is mystical. All these sounds arouse the Supreme and His sleeping conditioned souls.

At 1:30 PM I was called on to speak to 300-400 people, congregants of the temple. My message about surrender from 18.62 of the Gita was translated into Hindi. People were really attentive. At the Q&A a listener asked a question, "you were introduced as a person from Canada. Why is it that God doesn't appear in Canada?" According to him avatars only appear in India. To respond in brief I indicated that the verse implies that God is in everyone's heart. Hrdi means heart. If there are 30 million people residing in Canada, then God is residing with each of those human souls what to speak of being present in other species. There is a constant presence of Him in all things. We can't limit Him to Canada.

The next question (more of a comment really) had to do with the responsibility of those born in India. The conclusion from the book Chaitanya Charitamrta tells us that if you are born in Bharat (India) you have a birth right to share wisdom with the rest of the world.

I encouraged our crowd to take up as a seva or service the mission to share knowledge of the Absolute - that it is their natural obligation.

6 Km

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