Mayapura

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Tuesday, February 3, 1987

Shukavak on Elephant

I traveled to Mayapura via bus today, a 4 hours

Ganga, Mayapura

trip. I am so glad to get out of Calcutta. Three days was too much. Both Gaur and I have so much mucus from all the smog. It will take three days to get the crud out of our heads and lungs. I took a dip in the Ganga today, that will be my only dip. There’s no time. Tomorrow we will go to Birnagar for filming. First we will catalogue the collection and then film what we want. If we get in at all we may be there for a number of days. After that we will go to Shantiniketan, then to Midnapore, then back to Calcutta. Went to Priya’s appearance day festival in Navadvip today. We have seen a lot of non ISKCON Vaishnavas on this trip. It creates a good perspective.

Street Sankirtan

Mayapura is a fantastic project. It has huge elephants, gardens, guest house, gurukula, zoo, shops. It’s actually very impressive, the samadhi is fantastic, all they have to do is finish it! But the scale is monstrous. I have to admit that now I feel somewhat over wrought have not eaten or bathed in 2 days. I am totally filthy. Travelling is very difficult. The train from Calcutta to Navadvipa was a coal steam train. You get all the ash and soot on you. The trip from Delhi to Calcutta took 27 hours and a fine

Bengali Bhajans, Mayapura

dust gets on everything. The crowds at Howarah and Calcutta plus that Navadvip train were exhausting. Seeing Vrindavan and Mayapura and Bombay temples really makes you appreciate Prabhapada’s vision and all three of these places are unbelievable. Daily thousands of people are coming. All over India people know these places. The Mayapur guest house alone is huge. There is no doubt that Prabhapad was building a house for the whole world to live in.

 

Vrindavan

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January 23, 1987

How are you? I wrote to you from London. I hope you received my letter. England was very successful. I made a number of interesting discoveries about Bhaktivinoda at the India Office Library and at the School of Oriental and African Studies. I have discovered six new texts under the name of Kedarnath Dutt. Love stories and history! Are these by our Bhaktivinode?

Gaur Keshava and I have been here in Vrindavan for two days now. What a peaceful place! It’s so good for the mind here. We have a room in the Goshalla (where the cows stay). It’s peaceful to be with the cows. I hope things are okay in New Vrindavan.

Tomorrow (Mon 26th) we will take a bus to Radhakunda. On this trip I am seeing Vrindavan in a new way. I am not living at the Temple, but at the Goshalla 1/2 mile away. I feel more a part of Vrindavan proper. The Krishna Balaram Mandir is very much a part of the West. When you are there you leave India in a certain way and return to the West, but here in the Goshalla I am feeling part of India and village life. I love it. This trip I am feeling more in tune with India. I am not as much afraid of the strangeness and I am understanding things much better. Gaura Keshava is amazing. In India he shines. He is as much an Indian as the Indians. He fits right in. He is a tremendous resource for me. My discertation will have a lot more depth because of the field work we are doing. Without him I would never be able to do this kind of field work. Each day we are entering more into the greater realm of the Gaudiya Sampradaya. We are reaching out to the world of the babajis.

We wnt to see Narayana Maharaj in Mathura last night. I asked a number of questions regarding Raganuga Bhakti. Such a sainly person. Today the weather is cooler, a little breeze and sunny, maybe 75 degrees. I will leave Vrindavan on the 27th for Delhi, 2 days in Delhi, then on to Calcutta. We have many people to see in Bengal. I hope you are faring well in NV. Miss you a whole lot. If your parents call, say hello to them. That’s all for now. Hare Krishna

A Day Off

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Sunday December 28

Took a walk this morning around Lahaina, which is a resort town and ancient capital of the Maui kings. To me it is a typical beach community like Laguna Beach in California, except it has the charm of the local Mauian people. A lot of Maui has been swallowed up by big international resorts. Lahaina has not. It is not the place of the big money, it is the place of the secondary hotels. My hotel is older, but nice. In fact I have a penthouse suit on the 7th floor of a building that is right on the ocean. My rooms opens to the ocean and as I write I can feel the ocean breezes and hear the sound of the waves. It just does not get any better. The air is only slightly humid and in the 70s, which is cool for Maui I am told. This is no problem for me. Compared to Europe the prices are cheap. I had a breakfast of cottage cheese, fruit and granola, and green tea for just $8. In Europe even such a meager breakfast would cost over $30. I was expecting my hosts to see me at some point today, but apparently not. They are happy to just have me come for the wedding tomorrow. This means I have the whole day in heaven to myself. Wow, a paid vacation! I will explore this island paradise.

Two Worlds

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Monday December 29, 2008

Ocean and sky

I performed the wedding between 9AM and 12 Noon today. The location was beautiful. Right on a hotel lawn beside the ocean, but it was so windy! I lament for the people who plan these expensive and romantic outdoor weddings, only to have rain, fog, wind or even fire disrupt the event. I will never forget the wedding I did in Southern California with the ash raining down. What a mess. I have seen wind so many times and it is frustrating because I cannot do a nice wedding in 30 MPH winds. Outdoor weddings are always unpredictable. At any rate the wedding was completed as best as I possibly could without a fire. After the ceremony I took lunch with the families and then went to explore more of Maui. My hotel room expired at 11AM and now I have no place to stay. I have only Maui to return to and my flight is not until 11PM! Fortunately I still have my rental car, so I am going on an adventure into the heart of Maui. Let me sit in the fields and watch the clouds dance with volcano’s.

Totem on the beach

Maui is two worlds, the modern and the ancient. The first is filled with tourism, hotels and commercialism. It is a rational world, and the wedding I came to perform was a product of this world. The second is a traditional world filled with indigenous people and their culture and history. It is a mythological realm and you see remnants of it in the smiles of the people, in the names of the towns and streets, and on the historical plaques. On my arrival in Maui Saturday evening it was late and it was necessary to drive from the airport to where I was staying in Lahaina in the dark. I had no idea of the land I was passing through. Yesterday as my car took me up into hills to see friends I saw this island for the first time. Now I want to see more.

 

Green Fields

This is a magical land of ocean, volcano’s, clouds and sky, and it is the rainy season now. Maui overpowers the senses. There are huge storm clouds filled with lightning, which are dark and imposing, and when these clouds touch the sharp peaks of the volcano’s the effect is magical and seductive. The volcano becomes alive with the flash of lightning and the sound of thunder, which is like the riotous sound of gods. Everywhere the sound of the surf breaking on the beach can be heard. The ocean is a vast blanket that surrounds this island. You see it everywhere. Flowers adorn this place and the scent of jasmine, magnolia and honeysuckle fills the air. The sea blesses this land with food and riches. The weather is perfect, not hot, not cold, not even humid. The air is surcharged with vitality. It is a bountiful and perfect place. Indeed, Maui is a land of divinities and the story of its people is a history of the play between the people and their gods. Maui moves the mind in mythological ways.

Driving towards the volcanos my eyes sweep out across the landscape allowing me to feel the mystical power of this land. My mind is gently pulled into a new state of awareness. Most tourists, to be sure, never think about these things, but the effect is there just the same, and this is surely one of the reasons they come. Everyone senses the magic of this place. Not surprisingly, I felt this same pull on the mind in Greece and, even today, in the deserts of Southern California. These are special places and the mythologies of the world, and perhaps even religion itself, arise from the mysterious interaction between nature and the inner being of man. Places like this are especially able to open the mind.

 

Monsoon Clouds and Volcanos

Sitting in a field at the base of a volcano, the grass shimmers in the breeze like an emerald sea. Above me the peak of the volcano is smothered by clouds that move in circles like gypsies performing a dance of love. My eyes see the silver streaks of lightning in the black clouds and my ears hear the sound of thunder rolling into the valleys below. The sun is warm on my back when suddenly the radiance of a rainbow bursts forth in a smile celebrating this dance of love. To my right the ocean is as blue as anyone can imagine. In this state, nature easily overpowers and breaks down the barriers of my rational mind. Witnessing this dance of love, I feel like the yaksha, the spirit being, in Kalidasa’s Meghaduta; my imagination goes wild seeing a world of possibilities. Yet I am calm, freed of the fetters of rational thought. There is peace here and I exist in a state of wonder.

Places like Maui are a wonderland and they have taught me how to find the source of imagination within myself. Human consciousness is endlessly mutable and, ever so slowly, I am moving away from my old ways of thinking and learning to swim in this new ocean of imagination and opportunities.

Adventure to Maui

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Whenever I begin a trip I have an anxiety attack. Starting a trip is like going on stage; I am overwhelmed with stage-fright! Even though I have made many trips, I still have an anxiety attack each time. I cannot avoid it in spite of my preparations and lists. I even keep my bags packed at all times. In fact, I could leave for anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice. Fortunately, the minute I get going my anxiety usually passes and I enter into a meditative state of wonder and introspection. This is my bliss. However, I recall my first trip to Europe: I made it all the way to London and still my anxiety had not abated; I worried my way across the Atlantic. How would my family live while I was gone? Would the bills get paid? What about the temple? Would the priests follow their schedules? Did my hotel in Paris have my reservation? Would the plane crash? By the time I arrived I had built a wall of anxiety around myself. Then while I was sitting in a coffee shop in Heathrow waiting for a connecting flight to Paris a man, out of the blue, came up to me and sensing my anxiety said, “Wow, whatever you have been doing, let it go. Take a deep breath and smile. Enjoy yourself. You’re on an adventure.” It was like a bolt of lightning had struck the ground in front of me. These words, “Enjoy yourself. You’re on an adventure” have never left my mind. In fact they have become the hallmark of my life. To this day I do not know who this man was; he simply appeared, uttered these words and then disappeared, yet the impact of his words have been long lasting. Now I love to travel and airports give me a rush. Even driving by an airport I feel this rush, and when I see a jet taking off a piece of me leaves with that plane.

You recently asked about my philosophical outlook. Of course, I have stated my theological outlook so you know that, but I am not a philosopher. I can only vaguely tell you about Plato, Descartes or Nietzsche, my philosophy however, is only based on my life experience. I see myself as a traveler and life is my adventure. For years I lived in under a shell until one day, like a chick, I pecked my way out of my shell and crawled into this adventure called life. Life has become a mystery and I am on a quest to see what I can learn about this mystery. Do I still chant mantras? Do I still pray and do meditation? These used to be my paramount things! Yes, I still perform them, only now they are only things of piety and cleansing.

Instead I am on an adventure for self-knowing and I search the outside to see the inside as well as I search the inside to find the outside. These days you will rarely find me using capital letters. I will not use the words Self, Truth, Absolute or even God. I prefer to stay within the realm of what I know and what can be known, the small letters of life. These big letters words have become too grandiose for me. I have spent almost a life time chasing big letter words without fruit, so now I prefer to invest in the little letters of life. I hope this tells you something about my philosophical outlook. I am not a very deep person.

Today day I am on this new adventure to Maui. I am told it is a heaven. Of course, this is a work assignment and I am here to perform a marriage. But mostly I am coming to see what this heaven looks like and to put my feet in the ocean of life to taste the waters of this heaven. I have been to Maui once before. On that trip I saw Maui when I was still living within my shell. Maui was the kingdom of maya and I had to be careful not to enjoy. There was no adventure, instead it was a test. This time my journey is an adventure. This time I am going to Maui instead of maya.

Travel Between Paris and Milan

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I left my hotel in Paris this morning by taxis and went to the Gare de Leon and boarded a train to Milan, Italy. Anna, if you recall I am a person who can not watch a movie or read a book unless I have already watched the movie or read the book. Well the same goes for travel. I feel at home in Italy now. The moment I stepped off the train and into Mlan train station Rome and Florence came to my mind. Because I spent so much time learning the workings of those stations, I knew exactly what to do in Milan.

expresso

I feel at home in Italy. Ah yes, Italy is about coffee. I love the cappincino and the expresso. Looking around the cities and country side I see the huge difference between the British, the French and now the Italians. The British are milky smooth and polite to a fault, the French are wired up and over embellished, and the Italians are laid back and round. Italy is earthy and natural compared to the France. Just look at the building facades, but that simplicity is disarming. Step inside and see the huge embellishment. The French like to show it off, the Italians keep it hidden. I also notice that every time I buy a soda or even water in Italy I get a small cup with it. This is class. Some of the older trains even have separate toilets for ladies and gents. This is class. I remember this from before but I had forgotten. Italy has a charm that cannot at first be seen. The country is not showy like France and therefore you take it for being backwards. I think I made this mistake last time. Now I am prepared for Italy. Italy and I will do just fine.

Travel Tips I

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This evening I went out and walked in the night streets of Paris. I was out till about 10:00 PM. I did not feel unsafe at all. Paris does not seem to sleep. At least that was the feeling I was getting. By 8 PM the shops were closing and the bars and clubs were opening. It was like the changing of the guard.

My feet are killing me so I am going to purchase some other shoes. Feet are very important here! While traveling wear the best possible shoes.

 Before coming to Paris I was warned that the French are a difficult lot and will not help tourists. I have not found this to be true. Perhaps it is because I am making an attempt to speak French. But the people are more than willing to speak English when need be. You could live here without knowing a word of French.

I found a Starbucks coffee house this evening. It is the only one so far. The good thing about Starbucks is that they provide a wi-fi internet access. I did not see anyone using it, but I did purchase a card that will allow me 30 minutes. They are using some Swiss company to provide the service. I have not even seen any internet cafes yet. The internet is not a popular thing here in Paris yet. At least that is how it appears to me. I have not even seen any computer stores so far.

Paris is always cloudy. Paris is grey. Taking an umbrella was a really good idea.

Sugar is not sweet in France or Itally or, as I recall, is it sweet in India. In America and Canada sugar must be so refined that it is like rock cocaine. I put three times the amount of sugar into my coffee and still I can not get it to taste sweet. And artificial sweeteners are non existence. I have taken to unsweetened coffee.

In Paris I rather like the area of town where I am staying. It is not a tourist area so I get to mix with the Parisians. There are tourists here for sure. It seems the majority are Europeans. I have met lots of Germans, Japanese, Americans and Italians, but no Indians. A few Brits are about. I also suspect there are a lot of French tourists from other parts of the country.

My suede jacket that I bought before the trip was a winner. It looks good, it is warm and it breathes. You need more shirts than pants when you travel. Forget the brush, use a comb. Much smaller. Light is good, heavy is bad. Take less stuff. Good idea to carry a small hand towel. Could have used on the train. The easy wash/quick dry socks and underwear was a really good idea. The woolite was also a good idea. Take one tube per week. All you need is two pairs of each and wash each night. I would also say one pair of pajamas is enough.

Traveling with a big camera is a pain, but I it well worth it in my case. Bringing the computer is also a pain, but well worth it in my case.

Italian ice cream is extremely rich. They pile it on in huge scoops. I could never finish what I bought. Italian coffee is great! Cappuccino in the morning rocks.

Life is a big buzzing messy affair. Different countries try to tame it to greater or lesser extents. Walking in the streets of Rome is just like India, an insane chaos from my perspective. I have to turn my sensitivities way down in order to survive.

Rome is cool, raining and grey, just like Paris. Gosh that umbrella was a really good idea.

Rome has a lot less Japanese than Paris, but still a lot. I hear they paid to have the Sistine Chapel restored and made the restriction on photography. I met Canadians and Australians here as well. Lots of Europeans from just about everywhere. The most by far are West Germans followed by the British. There are a lot of Americans as well.

European cell phones seem to be ahead of American phones. I see many phones that we do not have in America. In Europe public internet access is very limited. I feel good here.

Gasoline is expensive in Europe. Americans should never complain. I saw average prices around Eros 1.25 per liter. That is close to $6 a gallon. We were paying around $3 a gallon before I left the US.

By LA standards Europe is not that much more expensive especially if you are just traveling.

When visiting Europe take whatever money you want and then add about 4 to 5 Euros per day for water and toilets. In Europe you pay a lot for water. In fact it cost as much as wine!

The electrical system in Europe is no where near as good and the US. It looks like electricity was been added later. There are no GFIs so be careful near water in the bathrooms. Water on marble floors is dangerous!

 

Starting in Rome

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Sunday, October 2, 2005

I arrived in Rome this morning by 10:30 AM and found my hotel much more easily than I did in Paris. I am more experienced in getting around now. By 1 PM I had even purchased a ticket on the EuroStar for Florence. I will go there on Tuesday. I do not know if I will find any internet connection here. No one seems to know how to do it. I found two internet access points, but they do not allow me to use my own computer. It is strange that they want to see my passport before they allow me to use their machines. They also want to track my use of the Net. I do not care about the passport or surveillance, but I do need to use my own machine because I have so many files to send. France and Italy, and I suspect most of Europe, are just not developed in terms of the Net yet. I can see just how much the internet has become a part of my life in America.

As strange as it may seem I am using French here. I could use English, but I am in a French mood and it matters little whether I speak in English or French. The same amount of information is exchanged. I am very happy to see how useful my French is. Even in France, though I was limited in what I could do with it, I did have enough grasp of the language to allow me to feel comfortable. I felt home there. I enjoyed France and Paris immensely.

Now in Italy I feel that I am in a foreign country. Ah I miss the food of France already. I know absolutely no Italian and I feel out of place. So now I am getting what I wanted, a complete immersion in Europe. France was just the warm up.

Rome and Italy are ethnic to me. What I mean by that is that the mind set in not Northern European. I consider Britain, France, Germany, Denmark, the Nordic regions and similar northern countries to be within my cultural realm. Southern Europe including Italy, Greece, and Spain are outside of that realm. Since I put all my mental energy into preparing for France, I am not psyched up for Italy. However, now that I am in Rome I must make the most of it. My trip to Rome and now Florence are a part of gaining travel experience. Tomorrow I will see the Vatican.