Every Thursday evening, Sarvabhavana Prabhu holds a program at the Veterans'
Hall, Santa Cruz, California. It is a casual, informal place to approach
Krishna consciousness, ask questions, and eat free food. This program
was started by Nityahari Prabhu and thankfully continued by Sarvabhavana
Prabhu with the effort of his wife Dikshavati Devi Dasi and the ladies
that collect donations for the program: Krishna Mohini Devi Dasi, Madhumati
Devi Dasi and Varsana Devi Dasi.
Just recently, large groups of people have been arriving to this program
to ask sincere and curious questions. But who is bringing these people?
Glen, who is a very special part of our family is very inspired to attract
people to the Vet's Hall program. He distributes flyers, talks to people
all week in front of health food stores, and even sets up a small area
at the Farmer's Market to distribute books and invitations for the program.
Without him, it would be just us devotee folks and we always worry about
Glen going away and leaving us.
But again, how is this all possible? I asked Glen how he distributes these
flyers and it all boils down to this: it is Krishna's will. You can invite
someone but will they come? Is it their time to have the fortune to approach
such a thing? What happens when you invite someone and they say they will
come but they never show up? You look at the clock thinking that maybe
they are late and then back at the door hoping to see that your guest
is here but before you know it, they never came! Glen hinted that the
key is to not get attached to the results. Again and again we must remember
that we are not the doers we are the instruments, and being an instrument
of Srila Gurudev is the highest thing! Go Glen and his family!!
When these people arrive at the Vet's Hall to hear Sarvabhavana Prabhu
speak, they sit on the floor, some of them stretching, lounging, and just
making themselves comfortable. Sarvabhavana Prabhu always welcomes everyone
kindly and explains that we will begin chanting first. He tells people
that the Holy Name is a way of meditating and that we must try to chant
it sincerely and listen to the mantra in order to cleanse our hearts.
Glen then distributes small pieces of paper with the Mahamantra and the
chanting begins. You look around the room and people are swaying to the
kirtan. Some have their eyes closed, others are smiling, and some are
very seriously trying to chant the Holy Name.
On one of the entries, titled
Durga Puja, on the Math web-site Srila Gurudev said something about
the Holy Name. It seemed to me that he was clarifying what it is that
we are trying to do. My mass communications teacher explained to the class
that several large corporations, when they are confused about what it
is that they are trying to do, what the goal of their mission is, they
refer to their mission statement. This is definitely ours: "Although everything
is covered by illusion we are trying to get the association of the transcendental,
divine form of the Lord, and that is Hari Nam. We are always chanting
Hari Nam and through that we want to get some association of the Lord.
When the Lord will appear in our heart, He will dance on our tongue and
the illusory environment will leave us. An example is when we light a
match in a dark room which has been dark for a long time, even hundreds
of years, the darkness will immediately go out."
This is definitely the goal of this Vet's Hall program. Not to convert
people or tell them what to do, or to show them that we are very advanced,
but simply to invite them to chant the Holy Name. We want to share this
medicine for the disease of material nature and the results, due to Srila
Gurudev's mercy, are very sweet. We are trying to spread the Holy Name!
Duh! Akinchana Maharaj always tells me, "You are not going to save the
world. You can't save the world." We only want to do our part in the service
of Srila Gurudev and that means to have some association and participate
in whatever we can to help his devotees. Why? Why do we do this? We don't
have to, but why do we do this? The answer is, I don't know. All I know
is that it will make Gurudev happy. If there is something that will make
Gurudev happy, we are there!
Several Thursdays ago, Sripad Akinchana Maharaj was the guest speaker.
Please continue to the next page to read his lecture.
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