Those Krishnas live the good life, as evidenced by the thundering ecstatic chanting in the Alachua Hare Krishna Temple, also known as the New Raman Reti. Last Sunday, I hopped into a van with these friendly devotees and visited my first International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple.
My experiences were especially enjoyable because I had gone on the day of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's appearance anniversary. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is a combination of Radha and Krishna, and the celebration was a conglomerate of kirtan, feasting, and other festivities, such as a children's Krishna costume pageant and a central marketplace full of variety, including fresh produce and statues. As usual, the Krishnas made sure I was comfortable, and the atmosphere was as warm and friendly as sunshine.
That is, until I caught sight of a gaudy-yet-somehow-menacing pile of bright colors. Upon closer inspection, the colors were fireworks that formed the shape of a demoness, Holika, as the Krishna's festival of colors, Holi, was coming up. It wasn't until much later, when I was finishing up my free halava (a particularly delicious cream of wheat dessert) that I heard the crack of the fireworks: the Holika demoness was being set on fire and the scope of the show was the sky. Colors in the sky—red, blue, green—brightened both the sky for several minutes and my world for a long while afterwards. It was a well-earned, satisfying bang of a conclusion, for it was the hard work of the volunteers and devotees that helped make this festival happen. From the youngsters to the elderly, you can tell that the devotees truly care about service to their cause and others.
Earlier, little children performed ballet dances and costumed tributes to entertain the audience. The youngest child, wielding a bow and arrow, captured the heart of the audience and won first place. Elsewhere, people were purchasing traditional Indian saris from Govinda's Gifts, a small store filled with lovely "pajamas." The catch is that these pajamas were meant to be worn during the day, in public, and the simplicity of the garments had its own elegant appeal.
A homa, or making offerings into a consecrated fire, was my favorite part. A pujari (priest) recites Krishna's many names, and all those who are gathered around have to toss a few grains of their rice at the fire whenever the priest starts the food offering. The ritual ended with many dancing flames, and the extra food was given to the participants afterwards.
Thus, the demoness was vanquished, the sky was lit up with dazzling arrays of color, and everyone's belly was full of delicious vegetarian meals. The children frolicked together, all the festival-goers chanted and danced, and the diverse devotees could all but taste the spirit of togetherness and love. The festival celebrated all that is eternal, including the good memories made during their activities.
So what did you do last Sunday?
The Krishna House goes to the Alachua Temple every Sunday, and anyone can join. For more information, visit alachuatemple.com/mantrini/newsletter.htm.
