Leaving Vrindavan

9:25 a.m., Wednesday April 8th, 2009
Vrindavan, India



Now this is an unusual and wonderful farewell from Maha Vraja: a major thunder and lightning storm sweeping over Vrindavan right now as I write on our last morning. Not sure I’ve ever really seen anything like this here in the Jan-April months—a refreshing change of pace from the dust and swelter I’ve been slowly acclimating to.



It’s true I want to stay here in India and enjoy the incomparable devotional lusciousness that is still so alive here even in this ever-modernizing culture, but one thing I will clearly relish being home is the cool clean air that surrounds my sweet country home. No more relentless dust and diesel, that will be a boon to my lungs.

But meanwhile, it is truly amazing here! Wandering around the sacred Govardhan Hill near Jatipura over the last several afternoons with Shyamdas (and whomever else is drawn into the lila) reveals little gems every day. Two nights ago, it was a ramble along the inner path with a young and sparkling-voiced young singer from Nathdwara, Coco Pandit, who sang along much of the walk with us, including a luscious half hour within an ancient small temple on top of the Hill. The natural resonance in that small stone space enveloped our tiny satsang in reverberant rapture, while pilgrims occasionally wandered in and prostrated themselves before the resident deity.

Last night, it was Panditji (Shyamdas’ old Sanskrit pandit buddy) meeting, engaging in friendly discourse and ultimately bursting into spontaneous song with an ancient sadhu who has been living in a tiny stone room just off the Govardhan Hill for who knows how long, maybe 40-50 years. Different schools and practices, but as Shyamdas said, their respective journeys into their own sadhanas have opened their minds and allowed them to meet on a high and sweet level. A treat to witness, in the sunset gloaming of the Govardhan Hill.



And now, the morning of my last day in Vrindavan is here, and within 8 hours, I will be in car rattling my way back into Delhi. One more very full day of sourcing a few straggler items and gifts for friends will be followed by an attempt to find Neem Karoli Baba’s elusive North Delhi temple, which I’ve never been to. Then its time for the midnight flyer back to New York.

Sigh. Another journey draws to a close…

Govardhan lila

8:20 a.m., Saturday April 4th, 2009
Vrindavan, India



Yesterday we managed to miss Siddhi Ma darshan at Neem Karoli Baba’s ashram (too late; will try again today), but later we enjoyed a nice afternoon barefoot stroll around a portion of the Govardhan Hill near Jatipura, said to be the most-circumambulated sacred hill in the world. Walked with Shyamdas and Sridhar, Sara and Marjon, Mohan and Govind. Always a pleasure to feel the dust of Vraja in one’s toes.

Here’s some pics…

Radhe Radhe

11:30 p.m., Thursday April 2nd, 2009
Vrindavan, India


Maharaj ji's son, Dharma Narayan, speaking with Shyamdas at the ashram in Vrindavan


Radhe Shyam! A fine day here in Vrindavan: began with a slow morning at MVT and a quick check of e-mail at the webjoint across the way. A cycle rickshaw wala took us down the road and in for some morning shopping for textiles and wearables down at the Loi Bazaar. After an afternoon shower and freshen up, Shyamdas and Tulsi came by and picked up Shridhar and Marjon (sp?) and Sara and myself and we all went to visit the Neem Karoli Baba ashram.

Siddhi Ma is there for a couple weeks but she was laying low so we did not have darshan with her. Hung out in various sweet nooks there, and then we all had a nice group hang for a while with NKB’s son who lives over in a corner room downstairs. After a few minutes Sara was even able to set up our hi-def video scene and we captured a relaxed and extended conversation with Dharma Narayana and Shyamdas, SD offering a running translation. Mostly a conversation about Maharaj ji and various aspects of what Dharma Narayana saw and experienced being in the role of his son in that whole lila. Sweet time, and great video score. Also met another sweetheart member of the satsang, JR (Jai Ram), who got swept up in our afternoon adventures and so we got a chance to vibe in a bit.







Then we doubled back for a major celebration inside the grounds of the MVT complex, navigating hundreds of Hare Krishna devotees in the midst of a chanting frenzy, staying long enough to be ready to go.

The evening was topped off by a visit to Kesi ghat where another member of the extended satsang has been renovating a 200 year old haveli/temple trip on the banks of the sacred Yamuna River here in Vrindavan central. Amazing spot, stone steps down to the river, epic stone architecture, great restoration, with a wonderful sounding main courtyard that has fine acoustics for an evening kirtan chant. I’d heard about this project last year, it was cool to see it so far along tonight. I’d actually been to this same spot off the river on my first week in India back in 1998, it kindled an old memory…

Tomorrow, the lila continues.




The view from my mala wala's shop, looking onto the passing parade

Ananda Ashram bliss realm: this weekend!

The fall kirtan season continues to dazzle: this weekend, Sept. 26-28, I'll be with Shyamdas at Ananda Ashram in Monroe NY, just over an hour northwest of NYC. This annual "bhakti immersion" weekend is always a real treat! So I encourage you to join us in the ecstatic realm of Ananda, one of the oldest ashrams in the US, home of wonderful people and fantastic food and where the deer wander up and practically eat out of your hand. (People, likewise.) More info can be found at http://anandaashram.org

Very soon now, Shyamdas will be returning to India, so this is one of the last chances to catch him before next year. Hope to see you there!

Yoga & Kirtan this weekend at Boston's back Bay Yoga: Sept 18-21

Still enjoying the afterglow of yesterday's beautiful bandhara feast and gathering of many old Neem Karoli Baba devotees here in western Mass., and getting ready to head over to play bass with Krishna Das this evening at Montague's Maezumi Institute.

The kirtan party continues next weekend in Boston! Two main events coming up:

1) I'll be playing with Shyamdas in Lincoln MA next Thursday, 18 September at 7:00pm at the Home of Ted and Prajna Hallstrom: 207 Concord Rd, Lincoln MA, right near Walden Pond. Cost is $20, Drop on in, or to register, email Prajna at shaktimata@aol.com It's being billed as an evening of devotional teachings and song, with mystic poetry and Sanskrit readings from India's purely Non-dual, Grace-filled Bhakti tradition. Come join us!

Also, my fave yoga teachers are making a rare appearance in the Boston area! Eddie Modestini and Nicki Doane have been practicing and teaching yoga for many years. I find their classes inspiring and challenging and heart-opening--don't miss them at Boston's Back Bay Yoga Studion! Details below.

Weekend Workshops with Nicki Doane: Maya Vinyasa Yoga
Sept 19, 20 and 21 - Sign up for one session or a full weekend. http://www.backbayyoga.com/events.html#eddienicki

Maya yoga is an open system. This system of yoga respects the individual and is accessible to all. Maya Yoga represents a vision where personal practice reveals deeper aspects of one’s being; where students gain the tools to serve themselves and the opportunity to explore a singular journey into yoga. In Maya yoga, the practice is the teacher.  http://www.backbayyoga.com/events.html#eddienicki

Full Details and Secure Registration at http://www.backbayyoga.com/events.html#eddienicki

Crazily enough, Shyamdas and I will also be playing at Back Bay Yoga on Friday too, after Nicki and Eddie teach the 12-2:30 lunchtime session. SD and I will be doing an afternoon session 3:30-5:30, and then an evening kirtan between 7:30-9 p.m. So this weekend, Back Bay Yoga is the place to be in Boston! Hope to see you there...

Chant-a-Palooza! Getting Ecstatic at Omega

Phew, it's been a while since I've been in blog mode. Took a while to acclimate to the US of A, but sure as green grass follows this summer's New England rains, I got sucked right back in to the home flow. Been very deep in web lila--developing the almost-ready-for-prime-time new Dharma Boutique web shop and adventure site, which should be launch-worthy within just a couple/few weeks. Exciting, but I'm tres tired...

Anyway, tomorrow morning I'm back to the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck NY--scene of the above photo and my last post, oddly enough--for Ecstatic Chant, their annual Labor Day kirtan extravaganza, to play with Shyamdas and commune with all the beautiful people. (For this, we miss Burning Man. C'est la vie, eh? Pffft.) Mostly packed, still have to run through and pack the gear, taking a popcorn break as soon as I stop typing. Which means, now, while it's fresh and hot.

If you are also one of the many hundreds up at Omega, come say hi!

More before too long,
Adam

Ecstatic Chanting at Omega Institute

Sunday May 11, 2008 10 a.m.
Omega Institute, Rhinebeck NY

Enjoying the afterglow of last night’s wonderful chanting and music here at Omega’s first annual springtime Ecstatic Chant weekend in upstate New York. I’ve been playing Omega’s autumn Ecstatic Chant weekends for years now (except two years ago when I went out to Burning Man for Labor Day weekend instead, but that’s another story)—initially with Krishna Das and the last several years with Shyamdas too. Super great gathering of musicians and bhaktas and good hearted folk. The all night kirtans are a highlight of the fall gathering—last night only went until around 3 a.m.

Snatam Kaur, Jai Uttal, Shyamdas—so much sweet devotion around this weekend…

A Week in Radhe Radhe Land

A few scattered thoughts looking back on a week spent in Vrindavan, the sacred land of Lord Krishna’s youthful exploits. We are now back in Delhi, at the Abracadabra Guest House complete with A/C, half-decent electricity (supplemented by our new maha Voltage Stabilizer and power strip!), finishing up work and regrouping for departure soon for Kabul.

Finally survived the Holi festival, unscathed this time by the touch of color soaking the whole area. I’ve much enjoyed the last couple years’ Nathdwara-style Holi—purely temple Holi, natural colors and sweet energy. Here, while amazing I hear, it’s more of the cheap, super-chem colors and more aggressive street approach—so I just hunkered down and enjoyed two days of down time here at the MVT guest house. Sara had her little moment of hitting the nearby streets for some color play, but the scene quickly showed how some good fun can turn dangerous on a day where India’s tight social restrictions are loosened and boys can feel free to roam in packs flexing their hormones. She made it back fine, and a week in Vrindavan settled in from there.

There were too many vignettes along the way to flesh out now, far from Vrindavan and back in the steamy confines of Delhi’s pre-trip packing frenzy. Enjoying the passing Vraja lila with Shyamdas and friends, including Vittaldas and Stefan ji and Hans all in from New York, locals Chandi and Kusha, Govind and others, an outdoor music offering for Milan Baba which I managed to record on 24 bit/96 kHz, along with Punditji’s Sanskrit talk afterwards on the site where one of Krishna’s divine plays, the Ras lila, was enacted many years ago. A couple of visits to Neem Karoli Baba’s ashram where we had a brief and sweet Siddhi Ma darshan and some nice hang time in his takhet room, where he used to hang and give darshan years ago. A few romps through the colorful and windy Loi Bazar through the incense and sacred cloth merchants, the temples and the mala walas. And, finally for me, a reconnection with the first baba I ever really hung with in India, during the first week of my first time on India’s sacred soil. His Kaladhari Ashram was hard for me to find again, ten years removed from my days of trodding its lovely ground amongst the ambling of some of my favorite cows in India—but I finally made it there again, during our last couple days in the area. A nice reconnect.

So much to share, but so much packing to do now as well. Maybe later, I’ll get some of this down. Though with Kabul looming, it’ll all probably be swept away in the unfolding spiral of it all…

Below is a photo of a man making and tuning a harmonium on the roof studio of a famous shop (DMS) in Old Delhi, on a quiet Sunday when the work was closed. Across the street the view from the window in front of him was the main spire of the Jama Masjid—stumbling across this man and his colleague was a special treat—film someday as well…