Toronto, Ontario
It Is Custom
It is a custom, with me, anyway, to do this japa chanting walk in the dark after the fasting and feasting of Janmastami. At 1:45 AM we went. Churnley, Mohit and I took to a blackened evening through the trees. Churnley’s cell phone lit up some of the trail which edges along dry tree areas as well as cat-tailed wetlands in the lower Don River system.
At one corner, we received some vision power from the moon’s casting, and there we caught a wave of wild flower scent that allowed our minds to travel to the drama we had just enacted before a full house at our temple. Based on the pages of the book, Bhagavatam, the description of the eve of Krishna’s birth was one of total shanty (peace). Planets were prominent. All that was aromatic was present. All that indicated prosperity, such as rivers full of flowing waters, breezes favourable, and stars apparent, were enhanced. Whatever I had narrated from the script of “Blue Mystic” was delineating such details, at least in spirit, and was now duplicated in the very atmosphere we were moving through. What a special day (evening, rather).
Sleep was evident after a full day of activity and being on an empty stomach. And now our full bellies were waddling down a trail for a two hour people-less stretch. I told the two companions before the trek, the rule of this customary walk is “No talking. Only chant.” We are honouring our guru, Srila Prabhupada, because as of 12 midnight we celebrate his birthday – that’s festive day number two. What can you do but continue the joy.
May the Source be with you!
12 KM
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