Wednesday, July 5th, 2023
Brooklyn/Manhattan
Our bus pulled in from Washington into the ISKCON Brooklyn centre on Schermerhorne at 6:30 AM. A jump into the shower and a second jump into the street level temple room for conducting a Bhagavatam class was like a sudden splash into the water off the dock. Kichari, a mix of rice, dahl, and veggies, is becoming a constant at breakfast time. From energy giving to energy expending with a drama practice, our bus crew took to the New York subway to the Bhakti Center for darshan – a view of the Radha Krishna deities.
A warm welcoming staff offered me private and quiet quarters for a catch-up rest, a refresher, and admin time. And when there in the more open dining area, they wandered in a tall, be speckled, elderly scholar type of fellow to a pile of boxes. I expressed to him apologetically that I was imposing.
“No! No! It’s not like that.” There was a pause while he was looking for a certain document, and then he said, “I wish you well with your walking.”
“Am I supposed to know you? Have we met before?”
“I’m Pradyumna. I’m doing some translating work.”
“Wait a minute, are you the original Pradyumna that travelled with Prabhupada (our founder)!?”
“That’s me!”
“You are one of my heroes. Can I take a pic with you? Get a hug?”
“I’m not very clean.” He fixed up his hair, although he didn't need to, and ‘click’. That made my day.
But then I was whisked away for a talk at 26 2nd Avenue, the first bhakti gathering place for the Hare Krishnas in the western world.
MAY THE SOURCE BE WITH YOU!
3 km