Jagat

Rajendra Dasji is a talented musician and singer, like many of the leading Bhagavata speakers of Vrindavan. Spent my Janmashtami at the Hindu temple in Dollard des Ormeaux. Was really made to feel at home by Dharampal Sharma, the priest. I really enjoyed the family atmosphere with the children dressed up as gopas and gopis and having a lot of fun with their dancing program. I am a bit sorry that I did not go there earlier as I feel much more in the spirit with the Indian bhaktas. Muraliika Devi and Pundrik Goswami have both given Bhagavata at this temple in the recent past, so the Braj Bhava is a stronger there than where Western neo-Vaishnavas dominate. I visited an old Iskcon friend the other day and gave him a hard copy of Vrindavan Today magazine. He appreciated it but felt in that he did not recognize or know anybody whose picture was in it, since there were no Iskcon devotees there. So he felt alienated, as though I had left Iskcon behind. I told him to read my editoria...

"Krishna West" is a very big deal. What I see is that Western devotees want to appropriate Krishna bhakti, make it their own. It is as though they are saying, "Indians did okay up until now. Now it is our turn." Like every other good idea, Westerners want to make it better. After all, the West rules the world and has imposed its ways on India, the giant sloth, for 250 years now. What will be left of Vrindavan when it has been westernized completely? Will Krishna leave Vrindavan for New Vrindavan? Is Krishna really so localized that he must stay here and bend with the times? I am a leader of Krishna West, figuratively speaking, and who is more Krishna East than me? Hell, ISKCON was not Indian enough for me. But I am not worried about whether dhotis look like diapers -- I spend most of my frigging days walking around in nothing more than a kaupin -- I have been trying to figure out what the hell this whole Hare Krishna business is about anyway, wha...