By Ananta Gopal Das | Head Pujari (Priest) at Bhaktivedanta Manor
We were driving with a friend around 5:30pm for an evening programme. What was supposed to be an hour car journey stretched into almost two hours. Heavy traffic, intense rain and darkness made it impossible to reach on time.
Normally, I’d get annoyed and complain. However, my friend, stuck in traffic with me, turned on a sweet kirtan. As the Holy Name filled our hearts, the stress of the traffic and rain dissipated. We fell silent, immersed in the mantra’s sound. Krishna’s names entered deep into our hearts.
It felt like we entered a special spiritual bubble, shielded from external disturbances. Minutes passed before we spoke, and when we did, it was the Maha Mantra that emerged. We began singing together with the kirtan. For the rest of the journey it felt as if we transcended the realm of mind, intelligence and time by the mercy of the Holy Name.
Upon arriving at our destination and meeting the devotees, they expressed gratitude for our long journey and sympathy for the traffic and rain.
Instead of delivering the prepared class, I chose to share our experience with the Holy Name during the drive.
Give it a try. Whenever you find yourself in a difficult situation, remember to take refuge in the Holy Names of Lord Krishna. By practising this in everyday life, we’ll gradually train ourselves to remember the Lord even in dangerous and life-threatening situations.
Once we experience the nectar of the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, we’ll never seek shelter elsewhere again.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.2.15: “If one chants the holy name of Hari and then dies because of an accidental misfortune, such as falling from the top of a house, slipping and suffering broken bones while traveling on the road, being bitten by a serpent, being afflicted with pain and high fever, or being injured by a weapon, one is immediately absolved from having to enter hellish life, even though he is sinful.”
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