Well, today's the day. I'm leaving Vrindavan in just about an hour, traveling via bus to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and then continuing via bus way up north to Rishikesh and the foothills of the Himalayans. Looking back, I'm amazed I've stayed so long in Vrindavan. When I had originally planned this trip, I was picturing myself spending days on trains, zooming across all corners of this massive country and seeing as much of it as I could. However, in reality, I've spent two days in Varanasi (semi-central India), four days in Govardhana and weeks in Vrindavan. As my time is closing fast in India, I guess I ought to start traveling.
Last night, as I was sitting and singing along in the Krishna Balaram Mandir (temple) kirtan, I thought to myself "This is the last kirtan I'll have in Vrindavan...possibly for the rest of my life." I have no idea when the next time I'll make it to the other side of the world will be. It made me sad. I can already feel myself longing to be here in Vrindavan. All the harsh aspects of India aside--cold bucket showers, rampant monkeys, mounds of litter--it's still been a home for me, as I mentioned in a previous blog post. I've made friends, more or less, here. I've gotten to know the Hare Krsna folk and have enjoyed singing and dancing with them on a daily basis.
Vaishnavism (the particular form of hinduism which the Hare Krsna movement falls under) really emphasizes longing. The entire philosophy behind the religion is that we ought to be longing after God; if God's supposedly with us, where is (s)he? Vaishnavism teaches that the ideal relationship one can have with God is a loving one and that we should daily want to be with him/her. I think these ideas are applicable to all religions, not just hinduism.
The western philosopher, Friedrich Nietzshe, (who actually was arguably more of an eastern philosopher than western, though he was German), writes a lot on longing. It's an interesting situation. We've got a cliche' in the west for it: "Distance makes the heart grow fonder." I think the state of longing is overlooked in much of our lives; we always want to actually have what we're longing for. Nobody likes to long for something, we just want it. But I think there's something special in longing--in itself--not just as the emotion that takes place before we get what we want.
Well anyway, I've got to go take prasadam (breakfast) and then catch my bus. A warm thank you to Vrindavan--I'll surely miss her/him.
Hare Krsna, y'all,
Dylan
Last night, as I was sitting and singing along in the Krishna Balaram Mandir (temple) kirtan, I thought to myself "This is the last kirtan I'll have in Vrindavan...possibly for the rest of my life." I have no idea when the next time I'll make it to the other side of the world will be. It made me sad. I can already feel myself longing to be here in Vrindavan. All the harsh aspects of India aside--cold bucket showers, rampant monkeys, mounds of litter--it's still been a home for me, as I mentioned in a previous blog post. I've made friends, more or less, here. I've gotten to know the Hare Krsna folk and have enjoyed singing and dancing with them on a daily basis.
Vaishnavism (the particular form of hinduism which the Hare Krsna movement falls under) really emphasizes longing. The entire philosophy behind the religion is that we ought to be longing after God; if God's supposedly with us, where is (s)he? Vaishnavism teaches that the ideal relationship one can have with God is a loving one and that we should daily want to be with him/her. I think these ideas are applicable to all religions, not just hinduism.
The western philosopher, Friedrich Nietzshe, (who actually was arguably more of an eastern philosopher than western, though he was German), writes a lot on longing. It's an interesting situation. We've got a cliche' in the west for it: "Distance makes the heart grow fonder." I think the state of longing is overlooked in much of our lives; we always want to actually have what we're longing for. Nobody likes to long for something, we just want it. But I think there's something special in longing--in itself--not just as the emotion that takes place before we get what we want.
Well anyway, I've got to go take prasadam (breakfast) and then catch my bus. A warm thank you to Vrindavan--I'll surely miss her/him.
Hare Krsna, y'all,
Dylan
What kind of monkeys? Are they everywhere? Like our squirrels? Do they throw poop at you? Do they chatter to you? Can you take little films on your cell phone of them? Can you shake hands with them? Do they bite? Is it still cold there? Supposed to be 30 below here tomorrow. Do you wear long underwear under your robes? The Hare Krishna 16 word mantra is kinda cool...I You-Tubed it :) Any museums over there? Are there drive through restaurants? Are there libraries?
ReplyDeleteHave a great time in Rishikesh, Dylan, it is a neat place and the river is clean and swift and good to bathe in. look out for the restaurant with the live person in total body blue paint hawking for customers. very weird guy, kinda spooky, but good soup served inside!
ReplyDeleteI don't know what kind of monkeys they are. Not big apes or chimps or anything. Classic monkeys. Yes, they're everywhere and they're like our squirrels except our squirrels dont run up to you and snag the bag of peanuts your holding from your hand. No, I have yet to see them fling poop. No, you can't shake their hands--they run away and they're pretty filty. I assume they bite. It's warmed up considerably here. Must be about 70 degrees fahrenheit daily. Mornings are brisk, but it's beautiful. I wear long underwear under my robes when it's cold (I did this morning, for example). Yes, the mahamantra (Hare Krsna mantra) is neat. Try youtubing ISKCON and see what you can find. That's the "sect" I've been hanging out most with. Not really any museums. Lots of little temples. Most are for tourists. I saw a drive-thru McDonald's for the first time yesterday on the bus from Agra to Delhi. Otherwise, no drive-thru restaurants. Then again, I haven't spent much time in Indian cities. No libraries, except a few books provided in temples and ashrams.
ReplyDeleteStella, thanks. I arrived in Rishikesh this morning. It IS absolutely beautiful. The swinging bridge over the Ganges is awesome. I'll look out for the blueman. Thanks for the tip.