When Almighty God rides his chariot

Three chariots waiting in Udupi, Karnataka, southern India

Annual parade in Parthasarathi temple, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Triple chariots in Puri, Orissa, India

The chariot ride of the temple Deity is a special event in the annual cycle of Vaishnava festivals. Many temples in India have a large corrugated iron hangar somewhere close by. Inside, a large hand-carved wooden chariot stands waiting for the day when the Deity leaves His temple and is taken for a colourful, musical parade.

Sometimes clad in decorated silver or gold, festooned with flags and drapes of coloured silk, flower chains, jingling bells  and white yak-tail fans, the chariot is slowly brought out from the hangar and established in the town square, just before the main temple gate. Hundreds of eager Vaishnavas wait patiently. Decorated elephants shift their weight from foot to foot. Then, when all is ready the Deity is invited to come out from his temple to take part in a pleasure ride with his devotees.

Bestowing his merciful glance on devotees and public alike, the Lord and his Goddess move gracefully along the street. This brief journey, only an hour or two, gives everyone a chance to reflect on their own walk with God and how that spiritual journey is progressing. Brightly coloured designs are chalked out along the route, flower petals thrown at intervals; songs are sung by groups assembled at crossroads, drums thunder, and fireworks bang and crack.

The Lord and the Goddess return slowly to their home within the sanctum sanctorum, soft lullabies are chanted, a lone flute is played, and the procession is complete.

This year, the chariot festival in London falls on Sunday, 17th of June. Dear readers in Britain, and even those in other countries, please come if you can to this beautiful event; pull the ropes and bring Lord Krishna into your hearts.

 

 

 

An Old ‘Hare Krishna Festival’ poster

Thanks to Cerebral Boinkfest blogspot for this image

This brought back memories today. Its a poster from 1974 when I had just turned eighteen. I remember this poster very well because it was my job to stick them up around Cambridge and to advertise this event to every student at Cambridge university. At least that was what it felt like. For four nights in a row I went from door to door through the students residences telling them about our festival and how great it was going to be. Luckily they believed me and over 500 turned up on the night.

As it was in those days, Tribhuvanath Das was the energy behind the festival tour. Indeed, he was the festival tour. He arranged for the posters and leaflets to be printed, raised the funds for the events (or engaged enthusiastic youngsters like me to do it), mixed up the wallpaper paste and stuck up the posters all around the town early in the morning; then led the street kirtan to advertise the festival, brought cooks to create a feast for hundreds, sang his thundering kirtans from the stage, gave the main address to the audience, then spoke with people afterwards.

Since Tribhuvanath was the person who brought me into Krishna consciousness, both times at pop festivals, I was more or less despatched into his care. I spent a few months travelling the country with him in a converted Mercedes van. It was to be my first ashram. I had first seen Tribhuvanath  in Buxton, Derbyshire, in 1973 then at the Windsor Great Park Free Festival in 1974. He had a very convincing manner about him and had a deeply spiritual presence that everyone felt.

This poster has a mistake that he wasn’t happy about. The printers had put ‘Guilohall’ instead of Guildhall, and he had to change all the posters with a pen. I think he charmed the printers into giving him a substantial discount for their mistake. Later on, I believe that Srila Prabhupada said that Krishna’s hair in this painting was too long. At the time though, and even now, this painting was one of the few paintings we had of Krishna and this image gave us inspiration. The printer had taken the border from an Arabian picture. In those days there were no computers so everything had to be done by hand. Krishna’s peacock feathers were painted on by the printer, and the lettering was all done using rub-down transfer lettering known as ‘Letraset.’ I seem to think that the time advertised – 6.30 – would be considered quite early for an evening event these days.

Inspired by Tribhuvanath those festivals are still going on, in the same style, some 40 years later. Listen to him in top form here:

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Did you hear about the six Buddhist monks?

Not six, not Korean, but Buddhist monks – and we all need them

I was surprised to read today of the six Korean Buddhist monks who were secretly filmed gambling, drinking and smoking. Not that they did it, but that it made the news at all. Its not the first time that monks have deviated from their straight and narrow path of self-denial; and it can’t be the first time that a few of them have done it together.

What seems to be different in this case is that they were filmed, the videotape was shared, and its always disturbing to learn of high-minded people who drift from their path. And with a 20% Buddhist population in Korea it was deemed alarming enough to set the faithful talking.

I don’t know what the culture is like in Korea – although I know someone I can ask – but if its anything like Thailand, then Buddhist monks are highly respected. They are treated with great respect, given food, and even free transport. At times, just the sight of saffron is enough to have people bowing in reverence.

It takes a great effort for a man or a woman to dedicate themselves to a certain level of spiritual commitment. They need, and deserve, the support of the public in order to safely reach the heights they set themselves. In turn, the public need monks and nuns because they remind the rest of us of the other side of life; that someone, somewhere is experiencing a param dristva – a higher taste – and that therefore, by their very life witness, there is a higher plane of experience.

But if those monks and nuns fail in their vows – more than once or twice – they need a period of rigorous introspection, some time with a more experienced practitioner who can again inspire them to re-dedication, and a change in their circle of friends so they can pass beyond the temptation through which they succumbed the last time.

They need our support, we need their existence, and this symbiotic relationship is healthy for the planet. Undoubtedly difficult at times, but essential in the greater scheme of things.

Street Kirtan: “Knocking at the Door of their Hearts”

Last month I was with my family in New York city and we joined devotees of Krishna in a street kirtan in Union Square. The Square is well known for gatherings of all kinds. The devotees regularly go there to perform kirtan and anyone who is there often comes to listen, tap their feet, clap their hands, or jump into their own form of dance. Here’s what happened when I led kirtan for a few minutes:

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On the same day as this was shot, in the morning, we were fortunate enough to visit the small shop front where Srila Prabhupada began his teaching and  incorporated his fledgling society. I was struck by how small it was but how large his movement has grown. And we’re still in the first 50 years. Incredible.

Sometime in 1971  - in Los Angeles – an introductory letter explaining Krishna consciousness was written either by Srila Prabhupada or by a disciple on his instruction. In it he describes how the movement would be spread by public kirtan and that such kirtan was ‘knocking at the door of the heart’ for all those who heard it.  Here’s how it reads:

‘Our basic mission is to propagate the sankirtan movement (chanting of the holy names of God) all around the world, as was recommended by the incarnation of the Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. People in this age are very much reluctant to understand God consciousness because of their unfortunate condition of life. They are working hard day and night simply for sense gratification. But this transcendental vibration of sankirtan will knock at the door of their hearts for spiritual awakening. Therefore, they should be given the chance for this opportunity.

‘It is not recommended that a Krishna conscious devotee go into seclusion to chant by himself and thereby gain salvation for himself alone. Our duty and religious obligation is to go out into the streets where people in general can hear the chanting and see the dancing. We have already seen practically how by this process many, many boys and girls of America and Europe have been saved from the immoral practices of this age andf have now dedicated their lives to the service of Krishna.

‘It is hoped that the government authorities will cooperate with our sankirtan parties in enabling us to perform sankirtan on the streets. To do this it is necessary that we be able to chant the names of Krishna, dance, play the mridanga drum, request donations, and on occasion, sit down with the mridanga drum. As devotees of Lord Krishna, it is our duty to teach the people how to love God and worship Him in their daily life. This is the aim and destination of human life.’

A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami

Preparations for Narasimha’s Day

Preparation this afternoon for one of our seasonal celebrations, the appearance of Narasimha.

In our house it means we go to class at the temple followed by festive street chanting down in London, then take a break from the crowds to do a ceremonial abishek to our home deity when we return. Fruit juice, milk, cream, sweet water, coconut water – all poured over the deity along with kirtan.

Here’s how Srila Prabhupada sang prayers to Narasimha, then how a Narasimha abhishek looks in India, followed by the animated story, created by Mohan and Janaki.

Please let me know what you think!

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An Orange Day Kirtan in Amsterdam

Yesterday I attended the Queens Day (Koninginnedag) in Amsterdam, a festive day when up to a million people flock to the city to celebrate. They all sport clothes, hats, garlands, feather boas and socks coloured bright orange, the colour associated with the royal family of the Netherlands. They do it to honour Queen Beatrix who celebrates her official birthday on the birthday of the former Queen Juliana.

So what do the devotees of Krishna do at a festival where everyone dresses in orange? Well for a start they already feel quite at home with the colour choice. The Hare Krishna saffron is really a strong orange so when they walk around in the Queens Day festivities they are like the proverbial green parrot in a green tree. And to join in with their fellow orange celebrants the devotees – around 300 of them – sing and dance in kirtan.

In classical India the colour orange is normally associated with self-restraint and adherence to moral values. Despite the piety of the original William of Orange, the modern-day orange revellers had more transitory forms of happiness on their minds. Nevertheless, the effect of kirtan on the revellers was quite hypnotic. As we wove our way in the sunshine through the crowds along the streets and canals (and Amsterdam has 140 kms of canal) the crowds moved in around us, pulled in by the magnetic force of the sound of drums and cymbals, the raised voices happily singing, the dancing, the spontaneous party mood – and the strong colour of orange. Irresistible.

This year I was lucky to be there and experience it at first hand. I’d been kindly invited by Kadamba Kanana Swami who has organised the event for the past 16 years. Although I was clad in my customary pallid white I was given an orange hat which simultaneously served to protect me from the blazing sun and gave me a touch of the festive colour.

We sang and danced from 10 until 3, then dined alongside a canal on delicious cheesey, corney pasta and dried cherry halavah cooked by Bala Gopala dasi and served to hundreds without fatigue by her husband Dhanjaya Prabhu. Fully rested, the party was then off again for a further two hours – but I had to leave to catch my plane back to Luton. – Kripamoya Das

Orange revellers in the streets of Amsterdam, local organizer Kadamba Kanana Swami bottom right below

Ridiculous hat, but practical (below)

Sri Ramanujacarya

I have written before about Ramanujacarya, the great Vaishnava saint who lived between 1017 and 1137. If you look at his year of birth you’ll see that his 1,000th anniversary will be coming up in 2017. Already preparations are being made for grand events all over India and indeed the world. Today is his appearance day, so I thought I would at least write a few words.

It is the measure of a man, they say, how he is remembered after his passing. And for how long. One thousand years is a long time, but the years have not dulled the level of adherence to the teachings and role model of Ramanuja. Rather, they have simply increased it exponentially. Millions now base their spiritual practices and religious conceptions on his words. Throughout southern India, where he travelled and taught, the parampara he strengthened is vibrant. And with the travelling out from India of many Vaishnava families, the path of Sri Vaishnavism is growing in the western world also.

Just three weeks ago I was in New Jersey, USA. Our family went there for our daughter Tulasi’s engagement ceremony. We travelled for about an hour up to a small village called Pomona where there was a temple. I am from England so expected to be visiting the average northern India Hindu temple with a collection of gods for all seasons and tastes. I was very pleasantly surprised to discover a Ranganatha temple with affiliation to the Ahobilam Azhagiyasingar, the same community that send me the Nrisimhapriya magazine every month.

Very beautiful archa-murtis of Ranganatha and of course Narasimha, with all of the Alwars, and a schedule of (click here) vibrant festivals. Although this particular branch of Vaishnavism would also trace their origins back to Adivan Shatakopa it is without doubt that Sri Ramanujacarya is the one common spiritual ancestor to whom they are indebted.

For a brief life history of Ramanuja go here

For a film of his life go here

For my travels with Narasimha to the Ahobila Matham in Chennai go here