Padayatra America 29 - April-May/2005

[Guest guest]

* Padayatra América *

 

 

 

* April 25 *

Tomorrow we will be back on the main business route 185. The last

section of the tunnel road (147) brings us through Mixtepec and Palomares.

 

Now, it’s 7:00 and time to stop. We have a small group of young boys

that have been walking with us 5 kms and a lady with her boy. It’s time,

but we are coming into this small town which is not very good for

us…..the reason we don’t like to stay in towns is because usually in

towns there are too many burros therefore no grass for our animals to

eat at night; for us is better to stay out on the road which some

consider “more dangerous”. Anyway we are here now and must stop as the

light is coming down and the padayatris are tired.

 

The first thing we perceive coming into town is a quiet goodness

atmosphere, a small river of clean water runs across the road and every

house is provided withfruit and flower trees. We stop near the river and

have an interchange with some of the locals—very well educated; simple

but cultured….Candrabhaga agree is a nice village.

 

Not very much later a woman arrived with her sons and approached us

offering something to drink, and take the hand and kiss it in a sign of

respect. Without any question, she and her family then went in front of

the Deities and kneeling began to pray. At that moment more villagers

came with candles and fragrant Gardenia flowers- filling the altar! Now

it is dark, but the whole atmosphere is illuminated by the candles on

the altar- and Their Lordsips were extremely pleased. These are

devotees!! In a spontaneous way they came to the Lord crying, offering

prayers with sincerity asking for mercy and forgiveness for their

sins…..it was extremely intense. I look at Candrabhaga and could see

tears also coming to her eyes by seeing their devotion.

 

They stood silent for some time, and suddenly start to sing (in union)

to glorify Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Their song was saying : “God is

here, God is here, and in every heart. God is present here; how

wonderful He is, He is. Please my Lord stay here in this place and in my

heart.”

 

They sang in Spanish and everyone joined and chanted different prayers

in glorification of God; some of them I used to know (from the Catholic

tradition) and joined them also.

 

After singing, praying, bowing down to their knees, offering gifts and

welcoming us in a most brahminical culture they watched and listened

while I chanted “Brahma-Samhita” and Narasimha prayers as I do when I

put the Deities to sleep. For approximately 40 minutes they stayed

quietly listening; after I finished there was still 30 persons- it was

10 pm and I introduce Krsna as a person; talked about the pilgrimage and

the importance of coming together to glorify God…..everybody was

blissful and after some questions they left with pictures, insence and

Krsna conscious literature.

Mixtepec is a village of indigenious culture, for generations back live

in this somewhat isolated area. There are definitely devotees…we have

hardly seen people acting with such a high standard of Vaisnava

etiquette and manifestation of bhakti. The Lord wanted to visit this

town- that is why one week ago at the intersection of 185 and 147 He

sent that police officer who suggested this route. For us there is no

doubt that the Deities wanted to come here to have such a sweet

interchange.

 

We move on the next morning out of the town, but certainly these people

are not far away of Krsna.

 

* May 3 *

We reach Palomares and back onto 185. Heat, humidity, ticks, ants,

mosquitos and countless inquiries without privacy; companions of our

daily activities. But all these “tribulations” disturbances, are easily

surpassed by the nectarean way that Sri Nitai Gaurasundara reciprocate

with us by letting us witness Their powerful causeless mercy.

 

We are in the Istmo of Tehuantepec, a depression between two mountain

ranges (Sierras). On the East side is the Sierra of Chiapas and the

Western side the Sierra Madre of Mexico. We are coming to the Pacific

Coast. Two years ago we were travelling along the Atlantic coast and now

we are coming to the biggest Ocean of the world the Great Pacific. South

Mexico is a different atmosphere- short, dark indigenious people- simple

satisfied people that live and work mostly in the open fields.

 

Vehicles are more older than in the North, and communications (well, as

is always) are very difficult. Electricity is 90 % of the time only in

big towns; water is gathered with a bucket- people have always lived

like that and it continues-wells, sometimes up to 75 feet deep. The

people are clean and less materialistic- of course there is always the

kind of person who is full of anxieties after sense gratification and

being frustrated by their karma try to impose themselves upon others as

“machos” and with very little etiquette or education sometimes come to

ask us questions without any relevance. Therefore we sometimes use a

technique of “no español” and simply put the Holy Name for everybody to

hear. In this age it is the best means of purification.

 

Moving on……..

HARE KRSNA

 

©2005 - Padayatra Office

 

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