Sunday, February 23rd, 2025
Mayapura, West Bengal
By 3:30 AM you can hear the yelping of the jackals subsiding in the distance, but much nearer in most directions, the sound of water is pouring in a sturdy plastic bucket meant for a morning bath. Oh yes! Everyone in the rented rooms have a shower, yet it’s custom to let that water fill up as far as possible. That’s when the splash takes place. That is your bath.
These sounds are routine for the early riser, for those who hurriedly make their way for morning worship, the mangal arati.
My walking route in Mayapura is well established. Today, however, is different because as early as 7 am, five people receive their 1st initiation while four will accept their 2nd. All candidates are from the suburb of Kolkata. Some, few, know English. Their mentor is Suta Goswami, a Bengali who offers so much care to them. And the nature of love that I witness in India, in general, is the big draw for me.
This love and kindness extends over into their communities that come to establish themselves in India, and particularly, in Mayapura. Gopinath, I’ve known for years by his engagement in my dramas. He’s an entrepreneurial person and has a business called Soul to Soul – an AirBnB where he hosted us for a special healthy brunch. Then in the evening, after settling up the new 2nd, or brahminical initiates with their gayatri mantras under an exotic banyan tree, I paid a visit to dear friend, Maha Srngha, from Poland. He is one of the most kind and accommodating people ever. He opens his house to everyone, his heart. I and my 27 Bengali devotee friends showed up uninvited. He was happy for the expanded kirtan.
MAY THE SOURCE BE WITH YOU!
14,528 STEPS
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