MET A CURIOUS SOUL

Tuesday, April 28th, 2026

Yorkville, Toronto

It was yesterday at High Park that I met the most sincere young man age 19. Along with devotees of Bhakti Academy, we were chanting with drum, harmonium, kartals among the jackpines and it was time for me to have a water discharge break so I went to the public loo where-in a brief encounter outside, I met this young Gujarati Indian chap. I was a little delayed at getting back from that washroom. Someone had an accident and I thought like a servant to the community, I’ll clean it up. Once completed I sat down at a park bench.

Apparently he has scoped the major spiritual paths on his own, arriving at a conclusion that his inherited oldest religious path was the most inclusive and comprehensive. He called it Hinduism. I suggested that perhaps Sanatan Dharma might be the best term. He agreed. Oh, he was well acquainted with the Gita and the Bhagavatam. He even had friends who studied the Vedas intensely for seven years and became monks in the Swami Narayan tradition.

Like many people who study Vedic philosophy by certain commentators, my new friend came to the conclusion that moksha, liberation, leads to brahman, the immense spiritual light. I gave him the option that the soul who is aspiring can liberate in a personal relationship with the Divine, as in Sri Krishna.

He listened very carefully.

After the chat I introduced him to the chanters by the jackpines. He volunteered to play the drum and did so with the most lively drum beat. So someone who made one visit to the temple but studied some of the “Hindu” texts, I thought he was cultivating spirituality quite well. He now has a Bhagavad-gita translation by Prabhupada. We’ll see what magic comes of it. 

MAY THE SOURCE BE WITH YOU

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