THE LION, THE MOTHER, THE JUNGLE

Bhaktimarga Swami
May 11
2 min read

Sunday, May 11th, 2025

Cleveland, Ohio

Liberty Park outside of Solon is a well-maintained series of trails set in the Carolinian forest with maples and large twisty vines that give it a jungle appearance. With three devotee families to form this morning’s team, our venturing through the green space became a zone for Tarzan play for the kids. They felt liberated. We all did.

On the way to Parma, a suburban section for the Sunday devotions, we came upon a place called Twinsburg where an annual procession draws the crowds to see twins from all over the country, young and old dyads. Parma is the place where devotees of the area meet in a hall where perogies are sold every Friday. Nice facility!

What I find fascinating about the Cleveland crew of bhakti yogis is the diverse nature of the place. You have black people, white people, brown people, harmoniously chanting, listening, and eating together. I have been mingling with this community for years, and I find a consistency here, a harmony.

Back in the summer of ’72 before I took to Krishna consciousness, I secured a copy of the Hare Krishna movement’s official magazine. I really enjoyed the contents. I remember reading in the letters to the editor section how there was some racial tension existing in the community. The person who wrote in was wondering how the institution deals with such social inadequacies. I could understand from the article that the ISKCON Cleveland chapter had some problems.

Anyways, that was then. It isn’t an issue today, most happily. At the Sunday gathering, I spoke about mothers on this Mothers’ Day, and also the appearance anniversary of the Lion Avatar.

We had a blast with chanting and sharing.

Additionally, as mentioned in previous blogs regarding the Youth Bus Tour, let's get it back on the road again! It's urgent! This is such an important program for establishing a Krishna consciousness foundation for our youth, particularly in North America including Mexico. I personally travelled with the group for 10 consecutive summers, especially helping with the drama portions.

A new bus is badly needed. Please donate: https://www.gofundme.com/f/donate-for-iskcon-youth-ministrys-new-bus