Amul: Entry 2

yoo homies, yea yea i know its late, just be happy i got it up, this internet is so slow that i could do parikrama of goverdhan and come back and my yahoo still would have not loaded! HAHA. so this is a few days old, im not feeling homesick anymore. I am making alot of new friends and studying alot (yes gopal i am studying you punk) so thats taking up alot of time, no time to think of ma and pa..lol.

Its been raining the past 2 days and the temp. has gone down considerably, its awesome! there still is the constant smell of sewage everywhere from the overflooding gutters (mutter butter gutter paneer), but that doesnt really bother me. It says that the materialists see Vrindavan as a smelly dirty city with monkeys and hogs, but a devotee sees the real vrindavan as the eternal, spiritual place it actually is. I am trying..brb gotta go throw up..HAHAH J/k

I havent been attacked by monkeys for my glasses (yet) but i do have a funny story to tell, this one morning around 3 am i got up first and damo and chai were still sleeping. I keep my glasses under my bed, please dont ask why. So i ask damodar, "hey dam i dont think i can go to mangals today." right after i said that, i stepped on my glasses, full on! I WAS SOOO PISSED!!!!, i took it as Krishna telling me, "Amul go to mangals you slacker." its true that theres "instant karma" in vrindavan. i bent my glasses back and went to mangals.

We are eating prasadam at the temple, its very nice. We sometimes eat at govindas when we feel like spending money. I am very careful though, not to eat fried foods or fruits that have been out for a long time.

lastly, another funny thing that happened is that when it rained alot, the parking lot behind the temple got flooded, and from our room we have this great view of the parking lot. So the monkeys, they were doing somersaults off the roof and into the water!! it was the funniest thing, def. made my day.


enjoy the post
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Amul Sutaria
Entry 2

Feeling really homesick. Nimai Mahajan sent the link to the pics of the Sunday feast cooking, boy was I jealous! It was weird seeing those pictures and not finding myself in them, but at the same time, I felt like I was there while looking at them. I wish I could have been there with all my friends. I stay sane by reminding myself that one day I will be reunited with all of them.
Today was the Bhakti Shastri opening ceremony. There are students from all over. I made friends with this boy from Germany, he told me he spent time at the NYC Bhaktivedanta Ashram and how he loved it. He was naming all the bramhacharis there and I was like “Yea! I know him, I know him, and he’s so cool! Etc.” It was great to hear glorification of devotees that remind me of home.
Speaking of devotees I know, I can’t find any here. During the four years I was gone from Vrindavan, it completely changed. All the devotees I made friends with are scattered across the globe. There is only a handful that I remember and maybe a few that actually remember me. What a great feeling to come back somewhere expecting and hankering to meet old friends, and then finding one, who tells you how all the others left? That was sarcastic by the way.
I have been chanting 16 rounds for the past 2 days now. It really helps in keeping my mind occupied and peaceful. My dear friend and siksa guru, Kalpa Vrksa prabhu, gave me advice through Myspace and e-mail. Meditating on his words also helps me a great deal. [Paraphrased]: “Don’t get caught up in other people’s Maya and immerse yourself in studying the shastra. Wash your eyes and heart daily with Kirtan.” I am so grateful and so indebted to him for taking the time out to instruct me. I encourage all who are reading this to take his association. He’s truly a realized person.
My roommates and I are daily attending Aindra prabhu’s kirtan. They are not of this world. The way he sings, the way he gets others to chant, is so inspiring. The best is seeing the reaction of the Indian visitors who are just dumbfounded that this old white man from the Videsh can sing so well. The rupees that are thrown at his harmonium are proof of this.
Another realization I have been having is that 30 years ago, K.B. temple was mostly foreign devotees. If you watch the video of Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance, when the devotees take Srila Prabhupada around Vrindavan, you will see what I mean. And now, the only foreign devotees you will find are the old Prabhupada disciples and a handful of visitors. Then I noticed that not only in Vrindavan, but in America as well, the temples are attended and ran mostly by Indians. Just a thought that came to my mind, I don’t have a specific view on it.
Okay, I’m going to sleep, its getting late, gotta keep the Mangals streak going. If anyone is by chance near my parent’s house in Paramus, please visit them to see how they are doing, I would greatly appreciate it. Radhe Radhe.

Amul