Our old 78 Mercedes is reliable getting my father and I to the center of  Brooklyn. Here we are in the center of a metropolis, Brooklyn, New York. My initial readings of the city vibes were seeing surprisingly lush with greenery, torn junked buildings and houses, skyskrapers, too much business, scattered feelings, seemingly hard with concrete. After arriving to the parking garage, we are feeling relieved that we found good parking nearby our destination. The car is falling apart so before embarking we fixed the broken windows and endeavored to pursue the treasure in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Hare Krishna Temple is a historical landmark for the Hare Krishna's in that the entire Krishna Consciousness movement was brought to New York by His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.You see, the Bengali Gaudiya-Vaisnaya tradition dates back to the 15th
century, but for America this tradition was brought here in 1966 by
Srila Prabhupada.   We enter into the center of devotion on a very auspicious day, Sri Janmastami, the appearance day of Sri Krishna. Not knowing to expect from a place that has a reputation for being more white collar, perhaps due to the hard work of temple president Rambadhra Prabhu whose hard work and dedication has enabled that temple to grow to its status now.  We notice that there's a goodwill store, a community resource and volunteer center, and a salvation army drop off all adjacent or nearby the temple. Typical city street full of trash cardboard boxes, clothes, piles of trash are lying there on the sidewalk a few rather strange individuals area also inhabiting the streets. We walk along the adjacent streets have apartments and houses, shops selling clothes, jewlery, cds, normal businesses, a few fast food restaurants. But, within all of that, it takes the key to open the treasure trove hidden with jewels. A normal looking builing, with one sign on the building that says New York Hare Krishna Temple, a plain looking sign. We entered the temple at approximately 4:15 for dhumpa arotika, an offering of incense. The ladies were busy working on flower garlands for the jhulan yatra, or swing, for the dieties Sri Sri Radha Krishna,  (the very first dieties to be installed in America) that were going to be swung during the evening program later.  How sweet to associate with the devotees that are making this festival happen.

Sri Janmastami is a full day fast, culminating at a large feast at midnight. This day is celebrated all over the world as the day that beauty and love conquored evil demoniac forces of mundanity that were pervading this planet earth. A classic story of good over evil. Today it is celebrated royally in temples everywhere. Urban American temples, like this one in Brooklyn, reach capacity of about 800-1500 people, and in India the temples can accomodate millions in pilgrimage places. Brooklyn has it's appeal as a pilgrimage place for devotees of Krishna because of it's historical significance as landing place of Srila Prabhupada. When the program did begin the temple complex begins to fill with local residents, whose kirtan is beautiful, Indian ladies in their finest sari's, some are decked out in their transcendental pariphanelia, such as tulasi neck beads, gopi chandan markings on the forehead, sikha. For me, I was there wearing a nice pujabi, a scarf, a nice barette, and my father is dressed like a normal 60 year old man. I pretty much sat in the back the entire time because I was there with my father. There I am, at the Brooklyn temple, with the talented and inspired devotees, and I'm there with my father, who is bored, and has no clue....at all, what to do or how to act. So then, I don't want to participate. Had he not been there, I may have wanted to stay a while and meet peple. Not wanting to ditch him, and not wanting to perform for him. I sat there in the back of the temple with him, kind of bored almost, because I am seeing things through his lense. The trascendendal spiritual quality of this program enchants visitors, even my father, and give relief through a process of hearing the sound of divine name of Krishna. I met several of the devotees there, and attempted to purify and illuminate myself by chanting kirtan. 

Not really wanting to stay and babysit my father we decided to leave early before the feast. It's no fun dragging someone along to something like that. I would have rather gone alone!!! Lesson learned! The association of the devotees is very wonderful, and association with non-devotees is destructive!!! At about 9:30pm, we had to leave because our car was parked in a parking lot that was only allowed to park in until 10:00pm. Unsure if our Mercedes Benz would start again at midnight, because it barely started that time, we had to leave. It was a toss up between staying the night on the floor of the temple or going home, checking our e-mail, and doing other mundane things, in addition to visiting the Philadelphia Temple the next day. So we left, having a beautiful experience of mystical proportions. Highly recommended to celebrate this auspicious day. Pictures soon to come.