Rathayatra… in spirit.

I began my very short whirlwind tour of America in the fabulous community of LA. And after breakfast with the equally fabulous brother-sister duo of Shakuntala and Kuva, Sha invited me to dress her Jagannath deities. How could I refuse?

So thus I began my travels, dressing Lord Jagannath in Sha’s quiet, sunlit living room. As I untangled beads and folded cloth, I realized that I had not attended a single Rathayatra this entire year, and nor would I. This thought startled me – a Bus Tour veteran, for the past several summers I have lived and breathed the Rathayatra festival. And now suddenly, none.

Sha told me that how I dress Lord Jagannath will be what They will wear for the LA Gurukuli Reunion as well as the Rathayatra. I will be far, far away by then… but my heart will be with Lord Jagannath.

So. I shall attend a Rathayatra this year after all.

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My Last Morning

The morning after Mother Mitravinda’s memorial was the last time I could dress Radha Madan Mohan. I asked Ragu if I could choose the outfit – this is the one Mother Mitravinda ingeniously made from the shorts of one of Shyamasundar’s outfits from the temple. The outfit was for Govardhan Puja, Mother Mitravinda’s favorite festival, and with this particular outfit I helped her make the decorations for the altar and she also spontaneously asked me to make Radha’s bouquet.

When Ragu came back from his morning ventures, he was busily rushing about but took the time out to let me listen to an mp3 recording of Mother Mitravinda wherein she mentioned me.

He glanced over at one point to the Deities and said, “Hm, I can’t tell if They’re beautiful from here, but I’ll give you a call and let you know,” I just laughed. He has always had very high standards and was always very honest, which I can say he had handed down from his mother.

And then, after rummaging around, he finally found the recording.

Paraphrase: “Oh Bhakti, don’t cry. Don’t worry, you’ll be up there soon, dressing my beautiful boy and girl, Radha Shyamasundara.”

p.s. Thank you Vijay for approaching me at the Festival of Inspiration and thanking me personally for these posts about Radha Madan Mohan.

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Tour of Alachua (4 of 5): The Templeroom of Radha Madan Mohan

Imagine the evening has settled in on Alachua and the stars twinkle on in the sky. Cars pull into Raghu’s driveway, and gurukulis wrap scarves and sweaters tighter as they hurry into this warm templeroom.

It’s 8:00pm. It’s Kartik.

For the past four years, Raghu and Yamuna have hosted this tradition of singing the Damodar Prayers to his deities, Radha Madan Mohan, and we all offer a candle. (And can you believe someone different sings every single night?) I believe Radha Madan Mohan are the ishta-deva of Kartik in Alachua for the gurukulis. Well, that’s certainly how I feel.

Now that Kartik has ended, Raghu’s house has quieted once again. For the past year, I have come to dress Radha Madan Mohan every other Sunday morning. Even though I am not initiated and They are installed, somehow They smile, roll Their eyes, and allow me to dress Them anyway.

I feel this templeroom is an integral experience of Alachua for me. It is where I draw closer and closer to Radha and Krishna in Their deity form. On Sunday mornings I taste peace for two hours as I listen to soft bhajans or hum to myself, entranced.

Raghu makes much of his own jewelry for his Deities. These are handmade tikas, chokers, and bracelets for Srimati Radharani.

Even though this is my 19th time dressing (Raghu is militarily precise on these matters) it still took me three hours to dress my Lords.

Ah, whatever, time becomes irrelevant on these mornings anyway.

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I can’t help it…

I can’t help it. I miss Radhe Shyam. Through my quiet, hermit-like adventures, I remember Them and how Their beauty rivals the ocean, or the clouds, or the mountains. Or when I’m singing by myself and I softly end the bhajan,

“Jaya Radhe Shyam…. Radhe Shyam…. Radhe Shyam…

“Jaya Sri Radheeeee Shyam….”

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Views From Paradise

Srila Prabhupad once said that Hawaii is a remnant left over from the previous Yuga.

I believe he has a point.

The view from our house.

Sri Sri Radha Raman, my parent’s Deities.

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From Metal to Spirit…

I step into the templeroom, immediately enveloped by fragrant smoke from the fire sacrifice. And there They are: Chota Gaura Nitai. Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda are dressed all in white, cloths covering Their eyes… but not Their smiles. The priest chants Vedic mantras while Kalindi sings an entrancing kirtan. I gaze at Gaura Nitai through the flames of the fire, captivated by Their forms.

Then Kalindi turns around to grin at me, her gorgeous eyes glinting. “You’re next,” she mouths. I laugh and scoot forward to join her. When I start another kirtan, I meditate on what’s going on, right now. Here I am, witnessing the instillation of these fascinating Deities. Thank you, Gaura Nitai, for allowing me to serve You.

Summer adventures have officially begun.

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