The End of Niyam Seva

Spending the month in a small village, practically alone, for an entire month makes you notice things that perhaps you would let pass by otherwise.

First of all, the crew of "regulars" who would attend the Kunja banga kirtan in the early hours of the morning. Those old ladies seemed like they are just sweet old grannies...but man...watch out if someone sat in their "place" before they got there. I watched those sweet old ladies turn into barking dogs...I guess if you don't have anything materially to be attached to, you get possessive about other stupid things.

During the kirtan, as the time got closer to Mangal arati at 4 a.m. (the first worship ceremony in the temple) the crowd got thicker and thicker. The first time I ever went for Kunja banga kirtan 3 years or so ago, I didn't realize that when the song "Radhe Govinda" started that everyone would quite suddenly and madly stand and rush to the front of the altar. I got caught underneath hundreds of pushing grannies...and had a really hard time "breaking surface" to stand up. After having my head pushed by tons of hands to encourage me to take my head off my neck so that the people behind me could see better (because at 5'4" I am like a giant compared to Bengali grandmas), I decided that I would not stand it the main crowd with those pushy ladies. To tell you the truth I think that crowd in front of Radha Gopinatha was rougher than the crowd at a Henry Rollins concert I went to while in college.

There was one granny whom I became a fan of while attending the Kunja Banga kirtan....she was a million years old, bent at almost a 90 degree angle, with huge plastic glasses that kept slipping to the end of her nose, a big bag, and a 2 inch wide/8 inch long stick (to make her look menacing?!). She would come in late practically every day and wade her way to the front of the crowd. Everyone let her through because she was so old and bent over. Then she would fish out a brown "pleather" wallet from her big bag and extract a rupee coin to place in the deities donation box. Then she would take out a marigold flower and tear it into three pieces and offer it to Radha, Gopinatha, and Ananga Manjari on the altar. I mean this lady was so poor. She probably spends most of her day begging on the streets in Radha Kunda...but every day she came and gave a rupee to Radha Gopinatha. It was actually incredibly sweet.

Also during the kirtan I had the opportunity to see Pran Krishna Babaji every morning. He is an old renunciate, who is very advanced spiritually. I met him many years ago while on a visit to Radha Kunda with Indradyumna Swami and a very small group of devotees. Every night he sings (and plays his trademark gong) in front of Ragunatha das Goswami's samadhi (which is the tomb of one of the famous Six Goswamis of Vrindavan). I am not sure how much of the night he plays there, but he finishes at 3 a.m. and then goes to his room. He cleans his room, sweeps the hall, brushes his teeth and then goes to take bath in Radha Kunda (and I tell you it's cold at 3:30 a.m.!). He returns to his room, dresses, attends Mangal Arati at the temple, and then goes to the Radha Vinode temple where he personally offers the morning worship to Radha Vinode. He has a group of local brijbasi boys who love him very much and get up early just to see him first thing in the morning at 4 a.m. He is such an advanced devotee that he inspires one in their devotion just by seeing him. Every day I would see him, and offer prostrated obeisance to him, but I didn't think he noticed. Then one day I went out to the market and he told one brijbasi boy "she comes for Kunja Banga kirtan evey day!"

Every Dwadasi (12th day after the full or new moon) which comes twice a month babajis, or men in the renounced order of life, beg for uncooked grains. They usually will go into a family compound while playing kartals (hand cymbals) and singing the Hare Krishna maha mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare. Someone from the house will then place some uncooked rice, pulse, vegetables and fruits into the renunciate's bag. It's also customary to give a little change to them if you have it. I have to admidt....this is my absolute FAVORITE thing about staying in Radha Kund. I love it when those saintly men come to beg (without really asking for anything....they just sing and are satisfied with whatever you give). My very last day in Radha Kund, was the best. First of all, Bhakti Charan babaji, who regularly comes for donations on this day sent some rice and vegetables that he had offered to his deities for me to break my month long fast with. My friend Madhava lives with Bhakti Charan babaji, and he brought the rice for me. I thought that this was a very sweet gesture that Baba remembered me!

I gave everyone that came (6 or 7 people) rice, vegetables, fruits and 10 rupees each (which is only 25 cents...but I can assure you NO ONE gives that much....so it's considered a pretty good donation.) One of the grandpas patted me on my head and caressed my cheek and wished on me "Radharani Kripa" (that Radharani would give her mercy to me). The last baba to come, who is a quite young devotee from Adwaita Parivar (who sings every morning while going around Radha Kund in a very operatic manner) expressed his distress that I was leaving and going back to Vrindaban. (It's really good that I can speak some Bengali....not much but enough to have some nice exchanges with people) This young babaji said to me "You are like my Mother! I am sad to see you go!"

And upon reflection....I was also sad to go.