Over the past couple of days I have felt greatly inspired to describe many of the small details of my experience here in Sri Vrindavan Dhama. By writing I feel closely drawn to each moment, able to recapture and rethink even the subtle details. Sometimes, I've found, the beauty of life exists so boldly within those smaller moments, especially here where life is taken in simple strides, not too far beyond the altar, the school, the barn, the river, the corner market. In wanting to describe the feelings I experience while living here, I have found it necessary to pick up my camera. As most of you know, I hardly ever do that. I practically hate to take photos. I prefer other people to take the pictures and send them to me. =) But thanks to the encouragment of my roommate, I have a newfound love for expressing the Brijbasis' point of view as I have witnessed it. So putting it all together somehow, for the benefit of piecing through my mind's web of thoughts and memories and making something worth sharing, I will begin a Sri Vrindavana Dhama blog. This is dedicated to everyone who made it their mission to support my travels here, to everyone who didn't necessarily support my travels here (understandable, of course) but love me anyway, and most of all, to the Brijbasis' whose lives are so inspirational and fascinating that I just can't help but share them.
All in the thoughts of a morning:
Srimad Bhagavatam class at the temple this morning was more or less centered around offering and taking prasadam. The speaker was emphasizing the importance of offering nice preparations to the Lord, but not greatly endeavoring to accept oppulent prasadam. We should always want to honor the Lord's prasadam, but in terms of our everyday eating, we should, according to Narada Muni's instructions to Dhruva Maharaja, be satisfied with the fruits and roots of the forest. In other words, we should be satisfied with simple eating, simple prasadam. This class pleased Jaya Sita and I both very much, as she had been tirelessly questioning whether her eating preferences were worthy of offering, considering they were not Krishna's favorites. I was pleased because I felt nice confirmation that the restricted diet we are on is also good for spiritual growth. Having been very sick, both of us are quiet traumatised by the thought of certain foods. So for now all we've been eating, without much fail, are plain boiled potatoes, dried fruits and nuts, chapatis, juice and water. It's simple prasadam indeed, kind of like the 'roots and fruits of the forest' idea, and actually, I feel quite spectacular. My mind is calm and concentrated during class, and its much easier to handle the heat with a stomach that's not spending all day overendeavoring to digest thick subjis, puris and curd. About once a day though, everyday, I daydream about having a Slurpee, and on occasion, an icecream cone.
Actually at one point, I thought I had come up with the most ingenius plan ever- to become the first Slurpee walla in Vrindavana. I could set up an authentic Slurpee stand right outside the Krishna Balarama Mandir and thrill all the Indian's with this classic American refreshment. In this heat its practically unresistable for the foreigners too, considering they crave cold beverages in the summer, contrary to the suggestions of Ayurveda. Anyways, I decided it would be best not to try and pollute Vrindavana with any more city influence. Vrindavana was a quiet little village just twenty years ago. Now, 'for the benefit of the community,' a 'simulated earthquake,' as our loving neighbor Parvati Prabhu calls it while mocking the local government, has hit Vrindavana. Entire blocks are being torn down and roads are being widened to facilitate more cars and more people. Kali Yuga inches onward...
Perhaps when the first Slurpee walla shows up here and makes it big I'll suffer in lamentation, but for now I'd rather experience this taste of authentic Indian austerity, and bear the water at room temperature.
A day in pictures:
Today we made it to school just in time to see the beautiful oxen come out of the goshala to graze in the fields surrounding our building. When they first came out the dust began to waft up under their hooves, and I was reminded of Krishna's pastimes in the forest of Vrindavana with the calves and cowherd boys. These animals are just so beautiful, and however big they are, they are usually always ready to make friends. Sometimes they will walk right up to me if I'm wearing a flower garland, and without needing to ask, nibble it right off my neck for a delicious maha snack.
Here's my roommate Jaya Sita posing at school with our yard men. They cut the grass everyday for free!
Our classroom before the teacher got here. There are about 25 of us in the class, about 17 girls and 8 boys. I say boys and girls, but the age range is between 20 and 30, mostly. We also have one 14-year-old girl and a woman in her fifties. We all sit on the ground on these straw mats, which have the sweetest smell you can imagine, and each of us have a little desk for writing. The teacher's seat is to the far left, cushioned nicely and covered in soft cotton cloth. This simple set- up is minimal, clean and customary of the traditional village classroom. My legs are still getting used to sitting Indian-style for four hours! But I love it this way...
Erin, you wanted to see what the little temples look like. This is a view of a samadhi (a saintly person's body or ashes are held here) and little temple right outside our classroom. The plant in the foreground which is sitting inside the earthen pillar is Tulasi devi, who is worshipped throughout India. Tulasi leaves are offered to Krishna, as well as all of the other deities. Tulasi devi is considered a great devotee of the Lord, so Krishna is so pleased when offerings are made with Tulasi. We put the leaves on His feet, in His water cups, on each food preparation...and huge garlands are made which hang from His neck, smaller ones on His ankles and wrists. Like our school, the Tulasi stand and samadhi are stuccoed in cow dung. Cow dung is actually completely antiseptic and is the best stucco ever!
Three chearful classmates before class begins. The one on the bottom left is from Brazil but currently lives in Australia. The black one is from South Africa but currently lives in New Zealand. The pale white one is from Finland and was just deathly ill with the same diarreah/fever as I had, but she spent a day in the local hospital, an experience she wouldn't recommend to anybody. This was her first day back, looking a little under the weather. Just a day in the life...With the exception of an American-born Indian girl living in Boise, I am the only one in our class from the US! There are also Russians, Indians, two from Mauritius one from France, one from Germany, and my roommate whose originally from Puerto Rico. Somehow all of them speak excellent English, which makes me feel very thankful but also quite lazy...they all know at least 2 languages, many know at least 3.
All in the thoughts of a morning:
Srimad Bhagavatam class at the temple this morning was more or less centered around offering and taking prasadam. The speaker was emphasizing the importance of offering nice preparations to the Lord, but not greatly endeavoring to accept oppulent prasadam. We should always want to honor the Lord's prasadam, but in terms of our everyday eating, we should, according to Narada Muni's instructions to Dhruva Maharaja, be satisfied with the fruits and roots of the forest. In other words, we should be satisfied with simple eating, simple prasadam. This class pleased Jaya Sita and I both very much, as she had been tirelessly questioning whether her eating preferences were worthy of offering, considering they were not Krishna's favorites. I was pleased because I felt nice confirmation that the restricted diet we are on is also good for spiritual growth. Having been very sick, both of us are quiet traumatised by the thought of certain foods. So for now all we've been eating, without much fail, are plain boiled potatoes, dried fruits and nuts, chapatis, juice and water. It's simple prasadam indeed, kind of like the 'roots and fruits of the forest' idea, and actually, I feel quite spectacular. My mind is calm and concentrated during class, and its much easier to handle the heat with a stomach that's not spending all day overendeavoring to digest thick subjis, puris and curd. About once a day though, everyday, I daydream about having a Slurpee, and on occasion, an icecream cone.
Actually at one point, I thought I had come up with the most ingenius plan ever- to become the first Slurpee walla in Vrindavana. I could set up an authentic Slurpee stand right outside the Krishna Balarama Mandir and thrill all the Indian's with this classic American refreshment. In this heat its practically unresistable for the foreigners too, considering they crave cold beverages in the summer, contrary to the suggestions of Ayurveda. Anyways, I decided it would be best not to try and pollute Vrindavana with any more city influence. Vrindavana was a quiet little village just twenty years ago. Now, 'for the benefit of the community,' a 'simulated earthquake,' as our loving neighbor Parvati Prabhu calls it while mocking the local government, has hit Vrindavana. Entire blocks are being torn down and roads are being widened to facilitate more cars and more people. Kali Yuga inches onward...
Perhaps when the first Slurpee walla shows up here and makes it big I'll suffer in lamentation, but for now I'd rather experience this taste of authentic Indian austerity, and bear the water at room temperature.
A day in pictures:
Today we made it to school just in time to see the beautiful oxen come out of the goshala to graze in the fields surrounding our building. When they first came out the dust began to waft up under their hooves, and I was reminded of Krishna's pastimes in the forest of Vrindavana with the calves and cowherd boys. These animals are just so beautiful, and however big they are, they are usually always ready to make friends. Sometimes they will walk right up to me if I'm wearing a flower garland, and without needing to ask, nibble it right off my neck for a delicious maha snack.
Here's my roommate Jaya Sita posing at school with our yard men. They cut the grass everyday for free!
Our classroom before the teacher got here. There are about 25 of us in the class, about 17 girls and 8 boys. I say boys and girls, but the age range is between 20 and 30, mostly. We also have one 14-year-old girl and a woman in her fifties. We all sit on the ground on these straw mats, which have the sweetest smell you can imagine, and each of us have a little desk for writing. The teacher's seat is to the far left, cushioned nicely and covered in soft cotton cloth. This simple set- up is minimal, clean and customary of the traditional village classroom. My legs are still getting used to sitting Indian-style for four hours! But I love it this way...
Erin, you wanted to see what the little temples look like. This is a view of a samadhi (a saintly person's body or ashes are held here) and little temple right outside our classroom. The plant in the foreground which is sitting inside the earthen pillar is Tulasi devi, who is worshipped throughout India. Tulasi leaves are offered to Krishna, as well as all of the other deities. Tulasi devi is considered a great devotee of the Lord, so Krishna is so pleased when offerings are made with Tulasi. We put the leaves on His feet, in His water cups, on each food preparation...and huge garlands are made which hang from His neck, smaller ones on His ankles and wrists. Like our school, the Tulasi stand and samadhi are stuccoed in cow dung. Cow dung is actually completely antiseptic and is the best stucco ever!
Three chearful classmates before class begins. The one on the bottom left is from Brazil but currently lives in Australia. The black one is from South Africa but currently lives in New Zealand. The pale white one is from Finland and was just deathly ill with the same diarreah/fever as I had, but she spent a day in the local hospital, an experience she wouldn't recommend to anybody. This was her first day back, looking a little under the weather. Just a day in the life...With the exception of an American-born Indian girl living in Boise, I am the only one in our class from the US! There are also Russians, Indians, two from Mauritius one from France, one from Germany, and my roommate whose originally from Puerto Rico. Somehow all of them speak excellent English, which makes me feel very thankful but also quite lazy...they all know at least 2 languages, many know at least 3.
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