Excerpt from H.H Indradyumna Swami’s “Diary of a travelling preacher.
Dear devotees,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
What follows is an excerpt from Srila Indradyumna Swami's latest entry in "diary of a travelling preacher,' which describes a wonderful even that took place during the last festival of the Festival of India tour in Poland last summer (2003). All glories to the book distributors who put Srila Prabhupada's books in the public libraries. All glories to the All-Merciful Lord Caitanya!
Srila Indradyumna Swami writes:
"We had chanted on the beach that morning, but around noon it began raining, bringing an end to the longest period of good weather on the coast in living memory. Everyone on the beach had to find shelter, but even though the skies cleared in the late afternoon, no one went back there. They all came to the Festival of India.
Every tourist in town must have come. I was sure of that because like on the beach, it was difficult to walk through the festival grounds. People were everywhere – the restaurant, the shops, the booths, crowded in front of the stage. Of particular interest was our towering Ratha Yatra cart, which we had put near the stage. Towards evening we put a light inside the canopy, making the cart look like a gigantic lantern. It was a real crowd-pleaser. People lined up to take photos in front of it.
At one point, I noticed a man standing in front of the cart, looking at it, shaking his head as if in disbelief. I was wondering what he might be thinking, so I went up to him with Rama Acutya das. "Is there some problem, sir?" I asked.
He kept his eyes fixed on the huge cart. "I can't believe it," he said. "It's the real thing. It's a Ratha Yatra cart."
I was surprised that he even knew the right name. "How do you know what a Ratha Yatra cart is?" I asked.
He turned to me for a brief moment, then looked at the cart again. "Nine years ago I worked in a coal mine in the south," he said. "It was a dismal job, and dangerous too. One time, some of my colleagues were killed when a mineshaft caved in. I didn't go back into that black hole again. I quit my job and stayed home, praying to God to deliver me from this horrible world.
*****"One day I decided to go to the town library and look for books about spiritual life. As I searched through the shelves, I found the Caitanya caritamrta, translated by Bhaktivedanta Swami. There were eight volumes. I glanced through the first one, but I couldn't understand a thing. I decided to check it out anyway and take it home. When I went to the desk, the librarian smiled. She said the book had been there for years and I was the first person to take it out.
"I was desperate for spiritual knowledge, and I read the book over and over. Gradually, I began to understand it. Two weeks later, I went back for the second volume, and the week after, for the third. I didn't do anything but read day and night. After several months I had read all eight volumes at least twice.
"I learned a lot. I was amazed by Caitanya, an incarnation of God. And there was the explanation of the five ways to love God. I had never imagined that spiritual life could be so profound, so deep.
"My favorite part was the Ratha Yatra festival where Caitanya sang and danced with His people. I lamented that I had been born too late to take part in those historic times.
"Sometimes Swami mentioned a movement that was spreading all over the world, a movement whose followers sang Hare Krishna, like Caitanya. I wrote to the addresses in the books, but never received a reply. I prayed to God to help me find the movement, but to no avail.
"Then this morning, as I lay on the beach after a swim, I suddenly heard people singing Hare Krishna. I sat up with a start. I couldn't believe my eyes. There must have been a hundred people, many with drums and cymbals. It was as if the books I'd read about Caitanya were coming to life.
"But one thing confused me: there was no Ratha Yatra cart. For this to be real, there had to be a Ratha Yatra cart. At first I thought you people were doing a theatrical performance, but then I thought, 'Maybe this is the movement that Swami wrote about. Is God finally answering my prayers?'
"I took an invitation, and when it started to rain I went back to my hotel. I was waiting anxiously for the festival to begin. When the time came, I walked quickly from my hotel. When I came near the festival site and heard the singing, I started to run, and I soon found myself at the entrance. But there was such a crowd! I couldn't see anything. I pushed my way through the people and made it onto the field.
"I was stunned by it all: the colorful tents, the big stage, the singing. But was it real? Was it Caitanya's movement? Then suddenly, to my amazement, I saw the Ratha Yatra cart. I walked over here and touched it. The Lord has answered my prayers. I have found Caitanya's movement."
Several devotees had gathered to listen, and when he finished we were all speechless. I was overwhelmed by his story and the mercy of Lord Caitanya.
He was still looking at the cart. "Excuse me if I seem a little emotional," he said. "I hope you understand."
"I do understand," I said.
He turned to me with tears in his eyes. "What do I do now?" he said slowly.
I took his hand. "You weren't born too late," I said. "You've come at the perfect time. You can help us spread this movement. The saints say that Lord Caitanya is present wherever His devotees are serving Him."
ratharudhasyarad adhipadavi nilacala pater adabhra premormi sphurita natanollasa vivasah sa harsam gayadbhih parivrta tanur vaisnava janaih sa caitanya kim me punar api drsor yasyati padam
"Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu danced down the main road in great ecstasy before Lord Jagannatha, the master of Nilacala, who was sitting on His car. Overwhelmed by the transcendental bliss of dancing, and surrounded by the Vaisnavas who sang the holy names, He manifested waves of ecstatic love of Godhead. Will He again become visible before the path of my eyes?"
[Srila Rupa Goswami, Stava mala, Prathana Sri Caintanyastaka, Verse 7]
www.traveling-preacher.com Official website for Diary of a Traveling Preacher
