BEYONE PIEROGIS

Sunday, May 3rd, 2026

Cleveland, Ohio

I have walked around the lake at New Vrindavan multiple times. Today was another day just to get some footsteps in before a decent drive to the next destination - Cleveland. For well over a year now the Bhakti yogis of this area in Ohio have been meeting weekly at what’s termed as “Pierogi Palace.” It is a modest sized meeting hall on top of a hill, quite ideal for a private Hare Krishna gathering.

Today some newcomers came - their first time. They were in for a treat. One of the regular attendees Tom Fair, was receiving his first initiation today. Well prepared for this holy occasion, Tom took guidelines from his mentor, Sri Malla and so the ceremony took place with a talk from 5.3 of the Bhagavad-Gita and emphasizing the significance of the occasion, formally entering into the family that our guru, Prabhupada created. The new guests seemed to enjoy what they saw and heard. I kept my talk simple and newcomer friendly.

Congratulations, Tom with your additional name “Tejas” meaning power and intelligence. That I see you are.

One of our new folks that witnessed the entire program, was very interesting. “Last week I was in Peru,” she said, “and I met a shaman who recommended I see Hare Krishna when I returned to my home in Cleveland. So here I am.”

Collin invited Akilananda and I to his home in Beachwood, Cleveland. He told us his story: “I saw a copy of “The Science of Self Realization" for $3, purchased it and fell in love with it.”

This confirms there’s magic in the book with its catchy title and deep insights for content.I like the Cleveland group very much. Their potluck prasadam is better than pierogis.

MAY THE SOURCE BE WITH YOU

10,862 FOOTSTEPS