(by Makhancora Dasa)
(…continued from part 1)
Getting out of Copenhagen took a while. Lots of walking to find a good spot for hitch-hiking and then some time to get a lift. But it was worth it. A gentleman with his own travelling experiences and an open mind took me out of the city. Usually i would tell people: “I´m a monk.” Then wait what would happen. It´s a good intro indeed… “Oh! Really? What kind of monk?” “Hare Krsna. You know Hare Krsna?” “I have heard a little bit …” or “No.” or “Yeah, yeah, rings a bell.” And there you go: “You know what´s it about?” “Like getting into nirvana or something, right?” “Not really. You are not this body, but a spirit soul, the soul is eternal, because just as your childhood body doesn´t exist anymore, the body you have now will not exist either, but you are still here, the observer of the change. The observer and the observed constitute duality, therefore you are different from the body as your consciousness is continual and transcendental despite all the changes of the body, mind, intelligence and the concept of who you are… And there is the Supreme Soul, God, and His name is “Krsna”, the “All-attractive”. The soul looks for pleasure eternally; it is eternally full of pleasure already by constitution, but that pleasure is now covered by the material elements, by deluded consciousness of “I´m a man, I´m a woman, I´m white, I´m black, I´m christian, I´m muslim, ugly, beautiful, tall, small, this and that… That is called maya, “ma – not”, “ya – that”. “That which is not”. And this simple chanting of Hare Krsna Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare purifies the consciousness into its original state of eternal knowledge and bliss in connection with Krsna, the Supreme Soul, the Reservoir of all pleasure…” and so on and so forth. Basics. So he heard nicely and asked some questions and we had a nice talk. He dropped me off at a gas pump, pushing a hundred danisch crowns into my hand, “This is for lunch.” “Hare Krsna! Thank you very much, sir, and this is for you.” He took one little On Chanting Hare Krishna booklet.
It´s drizzling. Wind. Denmark at the end of September. Don´t expect very miraculous weather.
Approaching my next spot I see a couple already hitching there… They are from Poland, nice people. We have a bit of a talk and I just take a place behind them. The boy calls on me: “WOULD YOU LIKE AN APPLE?” Sure, I think. I´m gonna offer it to Krsna and you don´t even know how fortunate you are my friend. “Heey, thanks, Hare Krsna!” Cars pass by… one, two, three, the fourth one stops. I didn´t even have time to whatever. Jaya, Haribol, and off i go, leaving my new friends behind to forget about them one day. This is how it goes. I also can´t remember the driver´s name, but his little daughter was called Lune – the Moon. Nice name. He was really receptive, asking questions and hearing, hearing while having a burger at the Burger King (“Would you mind if I have a burger?” “Well, what can I tell you, my friend?”) and he went on hearing till the end of our ride. He received one pamphlet too and dropped me off just before the big bridge connecting the big danish islands Sjaelland and Fyn. Next hitch to Odense (not much preaching to this gentleman) and then a lady took me to my final stop for that day, which was just before another big bridge, taking the road to the mainland. The town close by is called Middelfart (yes, sounds funny in english). “I will have to ask you not to preach to me,” she said when I answered her note about “my christian God vs. your hindu God” with “God is one.” Ok, you have your thing.
I tried to hitch-hike some more, but my batteries were low and evening was falling on the fields already. There was a forest nearby. Perfect. And just see… I´m guided right to the spot where there are big piles of wood ready, sometime in the past prepared to be used for fueling, but never used. So i will use it now. Krsna takes care, I can understand.
The night was calm, the morning also. After my japa and a modest breakfast I went on. Didn´t take long and I got a ride. A guy in his 40´s. “Maaan, I´m still high, we had this party yesterday, I did lots of coke…”, his eyes red like those of a white rabbit, some sleep would help him. Or some enlightnment would maybe help him more. “Yeah, I know what you mean.” “Oh! You also like coke?” “No. I´m a Hare Krsna.” “I see!… Hari Krsna Hari Hari Hare Rama Rama Krsna Hari…” “Chant, chant Hare Krsna my friend,” I thought to myself. He dropped me off just on the other side of the water. Few kilometers. I got some food and continued.
Mr. Jacob with little Marco came to pick me up. “Where do you stay when you travel?” “I don´t know. Random.” “If you´d like, you can come to my place today.” Hmm… It´s still not so late, I´m thinking of going on, trying to get to Hamburg. But hey… why not go and give this nice person some Krsna there? “Mmmm, yeah… Ok.” It was quite a ride, he lived not far from German borders (so called). We did some shopping (i picked, he payed): milk, lots of vegetables like carrots, eggplant, tomatoes and this and that, then basmati, butter, sugar… patram puspam phalam toyam, yo me bhaktya prayacchati. “Whoever offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I shall accept.” (Bg.9.26) Krsna says. So let´s do it then!
The place is a pig farm. Quite regular in Denmark. The population ratio is 4 pigs per person. They export pigs even to China… Before the entrance to the house sits Lord Buddha, seeing damp meadows of deep-green color and beyond. Haribol! Mr. Diesel, a big rottveiler, greets me along with myriads of flies. It´s lively here. “Do you know, that the consciousness of the cook enters the food prepared?” I asked. These are all new things to my new friends and I explain how to keep the mind peaceful, so the food we then take is also of high quality. Meanwhile we clean the kitchen nicely together. I take a bath, shave up, put on a dhoti, fresh tilak… Monk in the kitchen. Jacob, his girlfriend, her brother and little Marco are very curious what´s going on by the stove and I engage them here and there to help me and explain a bit of the philosophy. Mr. Diesel also peeks in time to time, but gets chastised by me again and again. Carrot khir, rice, sabji… “I have never tasted these things,” Jacob discloses to me while we´re taking prasadam together. “So what is the traditional dish here in Denmark?” I ask. “Pork and potatoes.” “And?” “And that´s pretty much it.” Oh boy… we have a lot of work to do here, Prabhus and Matajis! Nevertheless, everyone is delighted by Krsnaprasadam and the mood is nice and mellow. My clothes are getting a thorough wash in their washmachine and we go out for a walk into the foggy autumn countryside. One thing I regret though is, that somehow I didn´t have the strength to do a kirtan with them. Sometimes I fail. Anyway, the mantra vibrated in the ether and they also, of course, received a pamphlet explaining the process of bhakti-yoga.
The night was calm and miraculously, all the flies took rest along with me. No botheration from their side. In the morning I went for a walk to the sea, chanting my japa and around noon Jacob drove and dropped me off behind the German border. Thank you and, please, chant Hare Krsna.
I got picked up by a hippie pair with a small boy, they drove me a few kilometers, close to the town of Flensburg and left me there with a notion that they will pick me up again after they sort something out in a sea camp, like in 2-3 hours, if i don´t catch anything else and take me to Hamburg. So I was very satisfied and continue to hitch-hike very relaxed. But soon the policemen appeared and politely kicked me out because, in their opinion, it was dangerous there and they sent me to a really lousy spot around the corner where i was missing all the cars and the hippies couldn’t see me anymore. Thus my satisfaction turned into the opposite very quickly. Seems like the material world. Anyway, after like an hour and half of useless attempts to get a lift I decided to just go back to the first spot and wait for the hippie van, maybe they will pass and see me. I didnt hitch-hike any more but just sat down and read Sri Caitanya-caritamrta on my kindle. Suddenly a car stops with a young boy and girl. Hamburg, here i come. They were siblings, very nice and bright. “So you know the mantra? Hare Krsna, Hare Rama?” I unpacked my harmonium, which I carried on my knees and started the chant. Few minutes of sweet, responsive kirtan and the girl says: “Wow. Now I can´t get it out of my head!” Good.
Hamburg. After a cold, wet night spent on a bench in a park, taking REALLY cold bath in a small stream and chanting my rounds I take off to explore the place. Hamburg is cool, full of massive old trees, big, spacious houses, large parks, chic streets and very good for busking also. The girl gave me a tip: an U-bahn station called “Sternschanze” – “Star chance” in English. How do they come up with these names? As I got out from the underground and look around for a good spot to sit down and chant Hare Krsna I pass by two punks occupying the roof of a small concrete building, “fishing” for coins that passers-by were supposed to donate with a fishing rod made of a stick, a thread and a plastic cup hanging down with “sex” written on it from all sides. Hmm… Not paying much attention I head my own way. “GAURANGA!” one of them shouts at me. That´s another name of Lord Caitanya. “Hare Krsna!” I reply. You never know who is who. Sweet sweet kirtan filled the air. This is the best. It´s just you and Krsna then. Soul to Soul business. Time stops, pains fade, hunger subsides. The sun was also merciful and was casting its pleasing rays on my back. The collection was good, people friendly. Filled with joy I went to a close-by fruit stand and got a beautiful ripe mango for my sweet Lord, Govindaji and Srila Prabhupada.
The nights became colder and I decided to pass them out of the city, so I could make fire and keep my body and soul together. I took a city train to the end-stop and went to a forest with a stream which I picked on a map. It was already dark and I found a place with a kind of installment made of tree trunks and branches, it looked kind of strange, like a place of black magic rituals or what, like some Blairwitch thing, and a big black piece of cloth was hanging down of it, I didnt know what to think about it. Is this the sorcerer’s shroud? What´s going on here? Don´t even touch this!
Whatever! I made my camp nearby with mixed feelings. No better place to go, no time to search for any. I don´t remember chanting the Narasimha prayers with more attention ever before. Clashing of kartals resounded forcefully between the trees in pitch-black darkness. Only a little fire emanated some relief. “I am the heat in fire.” (Bg.7.9) Krsna´s words manifest new meanings to me. At night there was not the slightest disturbance indeed and early in the morning when it was still dark and I ran out of fire-wood I just forgot all the black magic thoughts and dismantled the freaky structure to get some. I also snatched the “sorcerer’s shroud”. It turned out to be a very nice, warm blanket, which i carried with me since then. How Krsna provides… “It´s getting cold my dear boy, here, have a blanket.” Yoga-ksemam vahamy aham, “I carry to them what they lack and preserve what they have.” (Bg.9.22) Actually the spot was probably some scouts’ playground or something like that. In the darkness of night everything seems different. I laughed at my own mind, crazy mind creating all kinds of stuff to confuse, deviate, illusion and cheat. So I´ve beaten it one hundred times with my (rubber) shoes, as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura advises and went back to the city for another harinam and a little transcendental sight-seeing.
Eppendorfer Strasse 11, Prabhupada´s house
Many devotees may know, it was Hamburg where Srila Prabhupada first set his divine lotus feet on European soil. He spent the late summer of 1969 here, before going to England to meet his dear devotees there and the Beatles and the rest is history. Eppendorfer Strasse 11. “Hi! You´re from here (Hamburgers, haha)?” “Yees(?)…” “Oh, nice. I´m a Hare Krsna monk and this is a very important place, a place of pilgrimage for us, because our Spiritual Master resided in this house when he first came to Europe. Did you know?” “Nooo…” “Just see! Would you mind making me a photo here?” “Sure, no problem.” Chksssss. “Thank you, Hare Krsna, and this is for you!” One more “On Chanting Hare Krsna” goes its way to fortunate souls who´ll read it.
I chanted Sri Guru-vandana, Jaya Radha-Madhava, little Hare Krsna, offered some incense to Srila Prabhupada, put some dust from the sidewalk on my head and immersed myself in reading letters which Srila Prabhupada wrote to his disciples from here…
Letter to: Bhakti Sastri Examination
4 September, 1969
FIRST YEAR BHAKTISASTRI EXAMINATION
September 4th, 1969
time: 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon Janmastami CeremonyAnswer any ten of the following questions with reference to the context of scriptures like Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Brahma Samhita and Isopanisad. The full mark for each question is 100.
1. Who is Krsna?
2. What is your relationship with Krsna?
3. What are you expected to do with your relationship to Krsna?
4. What is the aim of Krsna Consciousness?
5. What do you mean by religion?
6. Is Krsna Consciousness a type of religion or religious faith?
7. How do you distinguish between religion and faith?
8. Can religion or faith be changed from one type to another?
9. How do you distinguish between changeable and eternal religion?
10. What are the different types of religious faiths?
11. Can religion be manufactured by philosophical speculation? Who created religion first?
12. What is the greatest common engagement of religious men?
13. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT KRSNA IS THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD?*
14. If you believe, how do you substantiate? If not, what is your reason?
15. What is Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan?
NB: Answer papers with some contribution to my book fund may be submitted to me. I shall personally examine the papers, and those who will pass will be sent a certificate of Bhaktisastri in due course. The minimum passing mark is 300 out of 1,000.
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
(*put into capitals by me) Wow… what a question. Do you believe that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Do you? Oh yeah? Not a joke. After reading for some time I got really enlivened and energized and went for a harinam.
Someway or other Krsna brought me directly to Sternschanze even though I didn´t really know the way. I sat down and started to chant. A gentleman in his 50´s appeared. He stood aside for a while, hearing the chant and then he indicated that he would like to say something. “Yes?” “I was also like this. A devotee…” “Oh, nice!” We started a talk. His name is Sukrta dasa and he joined ISKCON in 1979. After few years he left. “I was pressurized to be a brahmacari althouch I never felt like that…” And so on. He named his reasons. “I see you have a thread,” he says. May I ask who is your Guru?” “Yes. My Spiritual Master is His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.” He smiled, pleased. He knows. Suddenly a group of youngsters jumps in, like 14 kids, three or four of them passed by before, one gave a donation. “So what is this?” the brave girl asks. “This is the topmost yoga system. Have you heard of yoga?” “Yeaaah! So can you show us some yoga here?” “Sure! Check this out!” I grabbed my harmonium: “Hare Krsna Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare, EVERYBODY!”
And sure enough they joined in, helped and encouraged substantially by Sukrta Prabhu. The kirtan was short but intense, we got quite ecstatic, Lord Caitanya immediately showered nectar on us all. Samkirtan – congregational chanting of the Holy Names of the Lord. “So you chant this simple mantra and you are at once the topmost yogi! And here, take this little booklet, this will give you the basic idea. Can you spare some change? Here, take, take, come on!” Everyone received a pamphlet and everyone dropped a coin. “This is life!” I tell Sukrta Prabhu after. “Yes.” He knows. “So do you still chant Hare Krsna?” “Not so much, but me and my wife, we really like to chant Jaya Radha Madhava. It´s my favourite bhajan.” “Yes, Srila Prabhupada´s also. So why don´t you join me and we can have a nice chant together? Would you like to play kartals?” He agreed and it was so good. One girl put an apple into my begging-hat. Thank you. Sukrta Prabhu bade his fare-well to me, I chanted for a little more and the sun made its bit in the sky, slowly heading towards the horizon, taking another portion of our life-span with it stealthily, unnoticed. Time to move for me as well.
Another fireless night in the Hamburger suburb, on the way to a gas-pump where hitch-hikers get their lifts. Morning bath in muddy canal, chanting japa, waiting for the sun to dry my gamchas and a long walk to the spot. Oh! A shower! I don´t hesitate one second although I have to pay for it. Clean shaven I feel much better. Here it really took a while till I got a car. A guy approaching his 40th year, kind of grumpy. And then it began: “You know, this religion, this God thing, I think it´s just people´s mind creating this idea, a hobby, because it´s difficult to deal with the finality of existence. So your brain just makes up these concepts so it´s easier for you to deal with life, which ultimately has no purpose.” Very original indeed. “I see… So what is your thing?” I asked him. “Well I believe in love, you know? That we can live here together and love each other, my girlfriend, like that. Love is the real thing.” “Oh. But there is no love, maaan. It´s just your brain, the chemicals, tricking you by creating this stuff, the idea of love, because it´s very difficult for you to deal with the nonsense of life, so you illusion yourself in your brain with this “love thing” to get some relief.” Finished. He dropped me off on a gas-pump before Bremen. “So thank you and all good to you! Hare Krsna!” “Yeah. Good luck with your HOBBY,” pours out of his sour face. Haha, envious rascal. Anyway, he helped quite a bit. Krsna bless his soul.
Few hours passed. I´m getting slower. Nevermind. I know my lift is coming, I just need to wait for it. And there you go. A gentleman in his early thirties, like me, with two boys. Mr. Leo. Little conversation leads to inevitable “I do yoga. Philosophy.” “Oh! Tell me more.” He was really hearing very nicely and asked many questions. “And the essence is this chanting of Hare Krsna. Wanna try some?” “Oh, I love singing. I tried to learn to play different instruments, but now I´m discovering the instrument which is a part of me. My voice.” “So that is very nice, with this mantra your whole singing will be perfect.” I unpacked my harmonium and we started. The kirtan went on for some 50 minutes and we really loved it. When we drove the kids to their mom´s place, they got out of the car chanting Hare Krsna like anything. Leo also invited me to his place in Osnabruck, which I appreciated very much, we did some shopping and I cooked a late dinner for Krsna. Rice, sabji and halava, which was a real blast. His flat-mate from Iran liked prasadam very much as well. We took good rest and in the morning Leo very kindly drove me to a resting place on the way to Netherlands. So far I know, he now studies the Bhagavad-gita and goes on chanting Hare Krsna.
The next lift was a good one, smooth and long, taking me to the town of Delft north of Rotterdam. A nice elderly couple with their son who went to see the university there. He wants to become an astronaut. Good-luck and drive your Sputnik nicely!
The atmosphere in Netherlands was somehow “thick” or how would I put it. I didn´t really feel that well there, basically I just wanted to get out as soon as possible. That was my feeling. Couldn´t help it. I went through the town with the desire to catch something to Belgium that same day and after long 3 or so hours one girl with two huge dogs in the back of the car took me to Rotterdam, some 20 km south. It was already evening and I wasn´t sure if that was a good idea, but let´s see. There is an ISKCON temple there, I wasn´t very far from it. A thought of taking shelter there crossed my mind but it was somehow late and I thought that devotees are probably already finished with everything and are taking rest. Another consideration, deeper, was that I would probably do better to spend a wet and chilly night in the forest with animals than to hang around a place where Srila Prabhupada is not honored properly. Decided. There is a big lake with a park called Kralingse Plas. I´m staying outdoors.
To Be Continued…
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https://www.harekrishnamontreal.com/2016/12/27/bhaktivedanta-lives-in-sound-society-newsletter-december-issue/
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