Thursday, June 22nd, 2023
Chemainus, British Columbia
For the morning Bhagavatam class in Burnaby, we delved into the pastime in Canto 10 on the subject of how to get things done. This was in reference to the dealings of Kamsa, a megalomaniac if ever there was one. Kamsa was full of himself as a tyrant and he always wanted to get his way. According to the texts, he would offer sweet diplomatic gestures of flatter. He did such with Akrura with the intent to woo Krishna and Balarama to a tournament where Kamsa hoped to vanquish the two brothers. Akrura was to be the envoy, and in an effort to convince him, he offered him the state-of-the-art chariot and other such niceties – sweet words, etc.
When a group of us ventured to Vancouver Island to Chemainus for a sweet gathering at the Jagannatha Temple, I was really surprised to hear one of the guests ask about asuras (like Kamsa). We all had a great time with kirtan, the guests heard about my “Tales from Trails, and over the feast, this fine lady, a Caucasian, asked about ksatriya warriors and asura demons, which was what we more or less talked about in the morning on the mainland.
So, I asked her about how she got familiar with such terms, and she responded by saying, “I follow Wisdom of the Sages’. I also follow the book, Bhagavatam.” I came to understand that our hosts, Manoharini and Gadadhar, are promoting the bhakti culture among their friends here on the island, and are having remarkable results.
I appreciate them so much.
MAY THE SOURCE BE WITH YOU!
5 km
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