A visit to Nanda Gokulam

VVVVVVVVVVVmmmmmmmmmmm.........it was a really low hum, i
looked all around the little hill, standing on the topmost crest.I stopped my hum of chanting and also tried stopping in my tracks to find out the source of the far-buzzing-low-hum.I just couldnt. I then tried concentrating more, with my ears up and eyes on the ground.
Theeeeeeere!!! The little sunken places on the rock seemed carpeted beautifully with little plants bearing flowers of different shades. And what else can you expect, the bees feasted on the nectar, collecting as much as they could, and so many bees all around all over the area was creating this low humming buzzz!
It was 6 'O' clock in the morning, with the sky scattered in bits n pieces of clouds. The soil and plants around were still wet from the rainy night.
The trees and hills in the distance seemed heavenly, with the misty look. And there was the reddish huuuggee SUN rising in the horizon, with parrots flying by in the sky, the bul-buls chatting, different birds chirping in the bushes and the calling of the peacocks in the distant trees.
I was strolling along the small rocky hill, moving each bead as i chanted on. It was a really pleasant experience at "Nanda Gokulam", a farm community around 65 Km from Hyderabad, India. This project, a brainchild of Madhav Gopinath prabhu, who is materially childless, is not just a farm community, but also a haven for a budding Gurukul with 12 kids now.
Like any village surrounded by forest n fields, even this place has wild flora and fauna, like Monitor lizards, snakes and scorpions, but the splendour of the place gave me a feel of vraja bhumi, Vrndavan, with peacocks calling every evening n morning. The kids were quite interested to learn Mrdanga, and i felt priviledged to teach a 4 year old kid also, Narayan;probably the youngest i have ever taught.LOL

An urban encounter?

It spread its hood, clearly displaying the beautiful serpentine marks of a Cobra as i tried to go nearer to it.
I could hardly believe what i saw in such a developed area, midst the concrete jungles of Hyderabad. As i looked forward towards the junction i was
heading, i saw a lady walking ahead, who kept turning around, staring at the side of the pavement. I wondered what made her turn like that so many times and gave a search-look to that place. There was a baby golden brownish snake slithering on the side of the pavement i walked on. I saw some unclear patches near its neck and felt pity thinking that it probably had gotten hurt by some passing vehicle. So i went nearer to watch it. I kept moving fine with no signs of pain or disability. I tried to go closer to have a better view of its neck. Sensing my presence getting nearer, it
unleashed its Cobra signs. There i saw a baby Cobra, with its hood spread. It wasn't longer than a foot and a half.
They aren't waterloving, i learnt, as i saw it trying to avoid the tiny pool of water on the roadside. This helped me get some respect for the forest like growth on the tiny hill near my room, the abode of Lord Venugopal. I remember how i went off the road a bit last week, to pluck some beautiful yellow flowers on my way back down the hill. I need to be a bit careful i guess next i do something like that over there.

Drunken Transgender?

"Hijras also Drink alcohol"!!! That was a really horrible discovery.
Yeah, that might not be a big deal, but since it was my first time to seeing that, i was really taken aback.
Four Drunken Hijras surrounded me yesterday night while returning home with groceries, demanding money. All of them kept showering me with their drunken blessings of watever they were blabbering, placing their palm on my head.
"Hindi? Telugu? English? Urdu?, whats your language" they asked. I said "BANGLA" calmly, trying to free my self from their tight grip. I finally gotaway, but as i walked away not wanting the blessings of the Drunken Hijras, it dawned upon me that even Hijras do drink!!!

The Transcendental fever

Sangeeth Theatre, Sec'bad.
11th June, Saturday 2012 5:00 Pm
She stood high up on a platform, not by her pride but where the masses put her, with her strong hearted frail body bent down, more due to humility than age.
It was a statue of Mother Teresa, well known for her service to humanity, at a triangular junction on the way to Sangeeth theatre, Secunderabad. I walked on watching her hands stretched forward to bless people, following the straight road from the Railway station to the ISKCON temple at Sec'bad.
I was wondering if the same security guard at the temple was still there, whom i had befriended, when i had been there 3-4 weeks ago for the first time ever. As i got nearer to the temple, halting at the traffic signals, i became friends with the traffic police this time. He was quite eager to know what ISKCON is all about and why some well educated and highly paid people he knew quit their jobs to 'join' Iskcon. As I excused myself to walk ahead to the temple, he promised to buy himself a copy of the Science of Self Realization, by Srila Prabhupad.
The temple here is really quite small and undisturbed by the buzzing world around. But as I took darshan of little Radha Gopinath, it really felt, that though this is a very small temple, Srila prabhupads centres are truly oases in a world like this.
However the curtains of Jagannath were down because he was enjoying his transcendental 'FEVER' behind the curtains, which he got due to being bathed too much by his devotees out of love. I spent my time chanting and looking around the temple as i saw the 3 men team of Saturday Nagarsankirtan go out and return. I stayed for the Gaura arati and returned home by nightfall.

The supreme power house

'OH Goddd, there was a powercut for 3 1/2 hours at night today, i just couldn't sleep. I was soaking wet in this summer.'
Iv been hearing that quite many times these days from colleagues at office.

But I'm really lucky, because that isn't the case with my nights. And how is that? I don't depend on the local power supplies to sleep at night. I get supplies of cool breezes all night, from HIM, who is the ultimate source of all power houses. He never runs out of supply.

The roof of my room is extended towards the staircase, creating a little open shed.
When i go home every night, i sprinkle enough water on that area and by the time i finish cooking and having dinner, it is ready for the night.
 I prepare my bed, put up the mosquito net and happily go to sleep with cool breezes flowing all night; no power cuts and no disturbances.

Even waking up is easy with the birds chirping, the sky growing brighter, sounds of the milk men and sounds of the construction workers.
 The day starts with Darshan of Tulasi devi, whos just beside the bed, at my head. Its been more than a month and a half like this.

Gurudev kripa bindu diya

I took one glance at Lord Nrsimhadevs smiling pic, bedecked in the window frame visible from the doorway, for his protection before turning the key to lock the door. While i walked away i started praying to him to keep me safe n alive till i return back. "NO, NO, not necessary" i thought. So I restructured the prayer and said "my lord, keep me safe and alive till i see my Guru Maharaj today". Little did i know then what amount of treasure lay ahead for me. I would be celebrating my Gurumaharaj's Vyasapuja on the day of Ram Navami. Did i dream of this day? I wondered many times before if i would ever be able to get close to serving him like i did a few years ago, all alone with him, no one else around to serve him? He is always with lots of assistants around guarding and caring for him, Would i ever be able to get back that lucky day? But he showered more mercy than i even could imagine, he let me do more service than ever before. ~
"Dont go anywhere, stay with him!" said one of Guru maharaj's assistant referring to the other assistant with Gurudev, who was preparing Gurudev for his bath.
Took off the black rubber band and untied the long golden flowy shikha, let it down to flow while bathing him.
The same lotus feet for which thousands throng to have a glance and touch,Washed those lotus feet with my hands, soaped&scrubbed n washed&dried.
Touched n bathed the same body which travels around the world tirelessly preaching and liberating thousands, overloading the boat of Srila Prabhupad with
more n more souls from this horrible world.
I consider myself more lucky than those devotees of lord Shiva who follow different rituals and vows waiting for the day to bathe lord Shiva, pouring holy
waters of Ganges on his head, because i got a greater opportunity;he represents God himself!!! And it is the same head that touched and bowed down to the lotus
feet of Srila Prabhupad.
"WHAT IS YOUR NAME?...WHAT DO YOU DO?...WHAT LANGUAGE?... DO YOU KNOW JAVA?...ONE DEVOTEE WAS PREPARING A JAVA APPLICATION FOR PREACHING ON FACEBOOK, IT IS HALF DONE, BUT HE NEEDS A PROFESSIONAL TO COMPLETE IT..."
WHAT DO YOU SPEAK, BENGALI? ENGLISH?...JOL DAO, JOL, WATER"
When i came to Hitech City railway station, could lord Bramha tell me that this awaited me?
Boarded the train, people looked at me strangely at the railway station and the train too beholding the Indian attire of dhoti n kurta. The trio sitting on the train beside n in front of me gave me the same weird looks but started speaking up. The ice hardened instead of breaking unlike my expectation, bcos they assumed i was a priest whom they could hire for the inauguration rituals on Ram Navami. But my one worded-back-turning answers disappointed them and silenced them bcos every priest they tried for the next day was already on some appointment.
They fell back to conversing to themselves and i relaxed and murmured a few more mahamantras on my counter.
Walk left or walk right? I was at Nampally station, had to reach the temple on "nampally station road"! Was walking towards the right, as directed by a truck
driver. "How do i go to Pulla reddy sweets?" i asked. "Keep walking this way and you will find it right in front of the Hare Krishna temple" he said. Should i start laughing or just look like a fool to myself because i had asked him that question to find the hare Krishna temple itself! So i just kept walking towards my destination smiling to myself.