WITH THE FIRE AND THE WIND

Friday, February 7th, 2025

Amsterdam, Netherlands

For some time now, I was wondering if I would ever be able to find someone who might be able to pull of an acting portrayal of Sri Chaitanya, the monk avatar who ignited the culture of kirtan in India, and who, in his latter part of life, demonstrated his ecstasies of bhava.  The performance by Naman (now initiated as Namacharya) was something he nailed quite well at a venue near Amsterdam where the devotees meet weekly.  The drama, which was not named at introduction time, was a special treat for all.

Nilambhara, the temple president of the community, mentioned that the two enthusiasts of the thespian kind, Namacharya and Ravindra Svarup, have taken their performance to another level.  Ravindra, who also received initiation this evening, delivered a wonderful portrayal of a fisherman who accidentally caught a human, Chaitanya, in a fishing net.  The catch made him frantic.

It was indeed heartwarming to be in the company of the Amsterdam Vaishnavas with their beautiful chanting and strong listening mode.  A pujari priest, Tota Gopinath, came from Germany to execute the fire ceremony, adding an extra festive flavour to the evening.

Namacharya’s wife (they have two young daughters) also took diksha (initiation).  Violeta accepted the name Vaibhavi.  Without her cooking during my stay, it would be hard to keep up with the pace.  In the morning, I trekked with the two men for 2 ½ hours through nippy, windy weather.  We put in those steps, though, for Krishna. 

MAY THE SOURCE BE WITH YOU!

17,001 STEPS