All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga

'My web diary'

Bhakti Swarup Tridandi Maharaj

My dandabat pranams to Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj and to all our devotee readers!

Well here is a further installment of my Travelogue or Diary. I am just writing as I feel it, and perhaps some of you may find it of interest.

Your correspondence is welcome.

15th - 20th June 2006, Somerset, England

On the Way

The Sunrise Festival was to run between 15th June and 21st June, the Summer Solstice the longest day, following the shortest night, of the year. The Solstice is significant astronomically and astrologically in various ways and this is a subject in itself beyond the scope of this essay; but passing Stonehenge as we drove towards the Festival site I sensed strongly the kind of deep experiential connection our ancestors would have had with the Earth and her cycles which modern man, with all of his advanced technology and 'scientific' knowledge (you are reading this, and I writing it, by computer) is sadly lacking. This must be a great loss because, in a very real sense, at the end of the day Nature is the winner because as embodied souls we are under Her laws of birth and death and when we are gone, She remains....

The Place

On the 14th June, the Temple van left London early for the Festival site. The precise location had been withheld by the organisers until the last moment (why I can only guess) but Lavanya dd who had purchased our tickets and arranged our 'camp' location wanted to set up early. On board were Lavanya dd herself, Krishna Kishor Prabhu, Madhu Mati dd, Sachidevi dd, Rasa Mayi Pandita dd, Gandharvika dd, and Godrum Bihari Prabhu. The site was a beautiful area of open land just off the famous A303 road (which passes Stonehenge and is said to follow a major ley-line) between Ilchester and Ilminster in Somerset. (It was near a farm and at times the smell of silage or slurry was very strong in fact when the wind was in a certain direction!) The area is known as 'The Levels' being very flat for the most part, and having previously been marshland, now drained, extending up to the 'Isle of Avalon' at Glastonbury.

The Purpose

Myself and Lalita Madhava Prabhu drove down the next day, 15th, arriving in the evening with plenty of daylight still to get organised. What we had come to do was to distribute Krishna consciousness by word and deed (and thought, firstly) and in the form of books, prasadam, etc. (Of course Hari, Guru and Vaisnava are the real distributors but following Lord Mahaprabhu's instructions: yare dekha, tare kaha, Krsna upadesa, we are trying to be instruments for them.)

There were a couple of other 'Krishna-conscious' groups on site, one of them just opposite our camp, in the 'Sanctuary' area, on the other side of the 'mandala' inscribed on the ground where there would be regular events such as the 'gong-healing' ceremonies, Sufi chanting, etc. We did not join our programme with any other 'Hare Krishna' groups, but individually some devotees attended our kirtans and talks and in this way we met, including some older devotees from vintage years past.

Getting In

As we left the main road towards the site, there was a 'holding area' before parking the car, where our tickets were exchanged for the wristbands which would be worn for the duration; these would authorise us to go in and out of the site if necessary. After parking, we waited our turn for the horse-drawn carts which were the 'taxi service' ferrying tents and equipment to the site nearby. (The 'horse-people' are a tribe who had their own area on-site and who travel around to all the main summer festivals, as do another tribe, the 'tepee-people', and a few others as well.) In the event we called our camp and devotees came out and helped us transport our things on foot.

Daily Programme

For the next days our programme was basically, a morning bhajan followed by reading, class and discussion around 8.30 or 9am, with breakfast after (mainly porridge and fruit); aroti and prasadam at 1.30 lunchtime; evening aroti at 6pm followed by Bhagavad-gita class. This was given very effectively by Sripad Nyasi Maharaj who reciprocated brilliantly with the audience and their questions; myself or the other devotees would also help the flow.

Prasad Prasad

Prasadam distribution was on paper plates and it was a joy to see so many receiving the Lord's mercy in this way. The bhoga was prepared expertly by our cook Kishor Prabhu who at fairly short notice had replaced our usual cook who at this time had service elsewhere; as usual the cooking outdoors had its own problems and one thing was apparent, that our pots were certainly not big enough, nor our stoves, to deal with the demand (to be remedied shortly).

In the Evening

Later in the evening we got the fire going and bhajans would go on into the night. This was against the background of various other kinds of music which went on till about 3am usually, although the main stage officially stopped about 1ish. Usually Spd Nyasi Maharaj retired early, so myself and the other devotees would take turns with this. Sometimes wandering drummers or minstrels would drop by and join in and add their musical and 'shamanic' touch but I tried to always keep things in the line of 'the kind of kirtan ordained by Lord Chaitanya' as Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur says, whilst allowing all their expression and appreciation. One way I found useful to keep the focus was to read the translations of the bhajans in English, and on one occasion this developed into a full-blown reading of the song book which was much appreciated.

Sound, sound, sound

The bhajans have their own special depth of vibrational beauty in their natural language which is in one sense difficult or impossible to retain in translation; but to the extent that we Westerners are able to appreciate this, or not, coming as we do from another cultural background, it is sometimes very helpful to know what we are singing or chanting through translation and then that can help our 'sambandha' when we chant in the original.

Off-site Tours

During the days it was very hot on site as there were no trees for shelter and the tent gave no relief, even with both flaps open. I was sharing a 2 compartmenter with Maharaj (his tent) as I had done last year. I left site daily to go into some local town for book distribution, also some relief from the proximity of the crowds. Afterwards I would find a river on the map and go there to cool off. This also was not easy because being the Levels, most of the water was of the dyke variety or even drainage ditch, but I found the River Brue was deep and flowing.

One day, I couldn't get down to the river because the banks were so steep and covered in stinging nettles, so after walking both up and downstream for what seemed miles (in the burning sun) I had to take stock and actually think about the situation.... Then I noticed a huge horse-chestnut tree right at the corner, where the river made an almost 90 degree turn and realised that if I could get actually under the tree there would be no nettles as not sufficient light penetrated there, so in I went. And lo! I found myself in a magical corner of the land of fairye. The devic activity was fairly humming (probably until I came stumbling and crashing in, try not to as I might!) and I was able to climb the fence and slide down the bank until I could dip my body into the cool clear water.

There was a sign saying 'dangerous currents, no swimming' because on the river bend was a weir with a strong pull but I wasn't interested in swimming anyway at this point; I just held the roots of my mighty tree and let the water go over me. O blessed Nature Mother, handmaiden of the Lord! Afterwards I vibrated the sacred Gayatri hymn on a stone outcrop overhanging the weir, before offering thanks and leaving.

Saying Goodbye

On the evening of the last day I went to the local train station, Yeovil Junction, to pick up two late arrivals, Gadadhara Prabhu and Manorama dd. Returning to camp I helped organise them, that is, a tent for her and something for him! And it was with them that the next day, in order to miss the leaving rush, that we trudged to the car park with our baggage in hand and also loaded on a pram we borrowed from our neighbours, to say goodbye to the Sunrise. Lavanya dd stayed until the final day to leave with the van and the rest of the devotees.

Hare Krishna