THE USUAL INNOCENT QUESTIONS

Bhaktimarga Swami
Aug 17
2 min read

Monday, August 17th, 2026

Moncton/Charlottetown

Both Monil and I are in saffron which means we are monks and are celibate. Sandipani is in white, and although he is a brahminical person by nature, and does abstain, he will be looking to settle down sometime.

For the two of us in saffron-coloured attire, we’ve been getting the standard questions from people — “Are you monks?” and “What kind of monks?” People out here in the Maritimes are a bit more open to ask these questions. To our responses we get answers like this: “I’ve never seen a monk before, only in the movies.”

To the reaction, “What kind of monk?” asks one woman while we are walking.

“Hare Krishna!”

“Oh! Krishna! Yes I know. I see those movies from India.”

That opens up a conversation because while she’s from Africa, she loves some of the Bollywood stuff she has seen growing up.

Two gentlemen asked me at the community garden in Saint John and responded to my remarks that I follow a practice that has roots from India, it’s a simple life and we pray and meditate and go for peace.

Said each one in a similar way, “My peace with God is being on a boat in the middle of the lake with my fishing line out. I might not catch anything but I’m away from people. I’m peaceful.”

One little boy in a playground saw me. “What are you?”

“I’m a monk.” To which he asked if I just came out of jail (because of the orange colour).

“Do you have a dollar?” he asked.

“What for?” “So I can buy some candy!”