Jatipura
Most of the group—Anja, Ishwari, Majer, Vraja Gopi and her sister, Laney/Leela, Premdas, Govind and Mohan—went on full parikrama around Govardhan Hill today; I was feeling more contemplative and solitudinous so I stayed behind to chill a bit with Vallabhdas and my own self.
In recent days I’d been communicating a bit with a healer/bhakta acquaintance I met through mutual friends last fall in California who’d reached out to ask my assistance in presenting a prayer of hers to Ganesh through some sort of temple excursion while here. Through our back and forth, she had been encouraging me to ask for help myself, with my ongoing chronic pain and body suffering issues, and whatever else is churning deep within. So yesterday I walked solo partway towards Govind Kund, with tears welling up a bit in my eyes as I felt all the roiling within, and asked God a little more directly than usual for help in my own life, mission and body. I ended up stopping at the small temple on the right just past the cricket fields for quite some time. First I just sat there in my own world, then the lady who lives there and helps care for the place came to do a bit of seva, sweetly offering me some Prasad and kind energy while I sat there in contemplation. After a while the baba who lives there came and took her place, offering more Prasad and kind words I could not understand but whose general meaning I received gratefully.
I walked home, took Prasad with Vallabhdas and then a little rest; later he and Sandy ji (Premdas’ wife) and I walked to Govind Kund and met the parikrama walkers just as they were coming that way on the final stretch. They all were looking great and had enjoyed quite a blissful day by all accounts! Anja had been wanting to take first initiation in the Pushti Marg, and at some point they came across Dwarkesh Maharaj, waving at them from nearby; Vraja Gopi asked on Anja’s behalf and she was able to take initiation right there, with Dwarkesh and his whole sweet family nearby. She was very happy about the whole affair…
Home for some excellent Prasad, which everyone was quite ready for, then home to pack for the next morning’s road adventures…