The Haight Street Festival Hari Nam

[Guest guest]

The Haight Street Festival Hari Nam

 

BY BHAKTA JERRY

 

USA, Jun 17 (VNN) — Haight Turns to Love: The Haight Street Festival

Hari Nam

 

Hari Bol to all the Vaisnava Devotees of the Supreme Lord Krishna.

All glories to His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada,

who, by his unlimited causeless mercy has permitted such fallen

devotees like myself to help him in his mission to spread the Hare

Krishna Maha Mantra all over the world.

 

On Sunday June 8, 2001, devotees from Berkeley's New Jagannath Puri

temple, and the Hare Krishna Youth gathered at the annual Haight

Street Festival in San Francisco. Haight Street has been a cultural

landmark since the 1960's when the hippy movement saw it as their

congregational place of pilgrimage. So, when one goes to Haight

Street, he or she expects to see everything and anything beyond the

wildest imagination. Anything goes hear on Haight Street, as nothing

is shocking, and I mean nothing. Some of the bazaar visions would

have the most pious of persons quivering in their shoes. So, when

such a place holds a street fair, devotees jump at the opportunity to

perform Hari Nam Sankirtan.

 

We arrived at the edge of Golden Gate Park where Haight Street

begins. Krishna Balarama Swami began the kirtan with a few of us, and

we waited for the others to show. We had a group of about fifteen

devotees overall. As we began the kirtan, one nice boy immediately

joined with us, and stayed chanting his heart out the entire time.

When all the expected devotees arrived, we proceeded into the land of

Haight.

 

Now, I use Haight as an intended pun. Sense gratification to the

extreme was rampant. We sang our loudest, but were drowned out by a

loud rock concert. We continued a block or so until we could hear

ourselves again. As we moved on through hundreds of people, we were

choked by continuous billows of smoke coming from cooking animal

flesh. I began to get a bad headache. So, we finally found some space

where we could chant and dance. It was here that Haight turned to

love. Every Hari Nam I have been on always has at least one moment

where we get a glimpse of the ecstasy of Lord Caitanya's mercy.

Rajahamsa Dasa was leading with his sweet voice, and we reached that

pinnacle of bliss. A large group had gathered around us. Some were

dancing and singing with us. We were quite pleased with how favorable

the crowd was. The kirtan was getting wild at this point, as many

were observing from their apartment windows. We ended the kirtan, and

it was my turn to lead. I looked ahead to see what appeared to be an

endless sea of people. I gathered up my courage, and led the party

through a thick crowd. As we sang "Nitai Gauranga! Nitai Gouranga!" I

had a sense that all that heard instantly became devotees, and I was

filled with hope for humanity. Indeed, just by hearing the Holy Name

of Krishna (smaranam), one is performing devotional service.

 

We returned from the festival feeing like we had returned from

battle. The Love of Lord Caitanya and Srila Prabhupada conquered the

hearts of Hiaght.

 

For comments, please contact myself at

 

Jerry_Barr or the Hare Krishna Youth at hky