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Hare Krishna: A chant to God

This article, "Hare Krishna: A chant to God" was published in The Ottawa Citizen, November 6, 1971, in Ottawa, Canada.

Story by Mike McDermott, Citizen staff writer 

David Minor's father wanted him to be a doctor. His mother saw him as a dentist. 

It was a little disconcerting when he changed his name to Dharmarja Das, shaved his hair to pony tail and took to singing in the streets dressed in a peach-colored robe and tennis shoes. 

But that was almost three years ago and now they're happy with their son, the head devotee in the newly-opened Ottawa Temple for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

It's just a humble place, half a red brick double at 69 Elm St., but for Dharmarja, his wife, another devotee and a student, it's plenty. 

The couple came from Toronto two months ago to establish the fifth such temple in Canada since 1966 when the Hare Krishna chant was first heard in North America. 

Now there are temples in 55 cities around the world and from them each day come the monks, dressed in the costume worn by their beloved Krishna when he first preached his teachings 5,000 years ago. 

Things haven't changed very much since then. 

Today they're up about 4 a.m. to bath and paint the tilaka markings on their foreheads. The tilaka, made from wet white clay, is described as the "ornamentation of the spirit soul". 

Then comes the preparation of the morning meal which must first be offered to Lord Krishna in the aratrika ceremony. The diet is strictly vegetarian - rice, vegetables, dahl, a lentil soup, chapatis, an Indian unlevened bread, milk and small round short-breads called simplies. 

On the Mall

Then it's outside, down to the crowded city core to preach the word of Krishna to the bustling workers and shoppers and the idle, the hippies, the unemployed and the pensioners. 

Today it's John or by his Krishna name, Hiranyagarbha, who is swaying down the centre of the Sparks Street Mall clanging his little hand cymbals in the rhythm of the Hare Krishna chant, recommended in the Indian scriptures as the most effective means of God realization in this age. 

Hare, pronounced har-ray, is an address to the Lord Krishna. Krishna or Rama means God. 

The rhythm is addictive and forces passersby to listen and watch even for a few seconds before they hurry about their business. His rich voice echoes off the stone and plastic facades that house the materialistic treasurers from which, Krishna says, our troubles come. 

He sings for 10 or 15 minutes, the tempo slowly rising as the crowd builds up in curiosity. 

"Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

Then he speaks, in the clear, articulate tones, lacing his sentences with the poetic images of Krishna and the youthful vernacular of the times. 

"People can't understand why, even after they have almost every material thing money can buy, they still are not happy. That is because material things cannot bring you perfect happiness. Everybody is striving to enjoy life but can't reach it," he tells the noon-hour crowd. 

"They keep trying to find it but they can't because they don't know where it's at.

The chanting, the cymbals and the dancing make up the sankirtana celebrations, spreading the word of Lord Krishna to the ignorant, the public. 

"By this process of dancing, feasting and chanting this devotional seed can sprout into the seed of eternal happiness. This chanting is a process of purification and can lead us back to our original existence and out of this darkness and illusions of material wastes. Only through Krishna Consciousness will we attain real happiness.

He is an artist, a painter to be exact, and was in an engineering course at McGill University when he found Krishna Consciousness.

An invitation 

He and Rick, called Brahmachari for student have been on the Mall for two hours and now they invite the crowd to come to the temple Sunday for "a very, very nice feast". 

In his days as an arts student at Carleton University Rick had 15 hours a week in courses. The curriculum to become a Krishna devotee calls for 40 hours a week during the two-year reorientation. 

Now it's time for prasadam, the evening meal, usually light, sweet and satisfying which has been prepared by Dharmarja's wife, Gunamai, whose name was Georgine Jensen when she was an art student in Los Angeles. 

Her marriage to Dharmarja was arranged in Krishna tradition and they were married in the Toronto temple a year ago. 

They will offer the meal to Lord Krishna in the ceremonial room after removing their shoes and socks and praying face down before the portrait of Krishna. 

The room, formerly a living room in the two-storey house, has been cleared of western furniture and contains only a small altar and pictures of the Lord Krishna and His devotee who represents Him today, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Pradhupada, who introduced Bhakti-yoga to the western world five years ago. 

Now it's Sunday and the people begin to arrive about 4 p.m. There are the regulars who come for the chanting and dancing every Sunday, and the cautious newcomers driven by curiosity. 

Things get underway with a short play, a parable depicting some religions adventure in Krishna's life. 

It is acted out by the devotees, sometimes using several guests as props with simple homemade costumes. A toy bow and arrow may represent an archer. A devotee with a flower in his car would play the part of Lord Krishna. 

After the play there is a short discussion period where the devotees explain to their guests the meaning of the parable and the lessons therein. 

Then comes prasadam, usually eaten from paper plates with the fingers, although western utensils are available to those who want them. 

Always the dinner conversation concerns Krishna and His teachings and the devotees sit among the guests discussing that topic.

No alcohol 

Even among themselves conversations on subjects other than Krishna consciousness are frowned upon. 
The use of alcohol and narcotics is forbidden and medicinal drugs may be used only when absolutely necessary to prevent serious illness or death. 

Many devotees maintain celibacy. When a couple does marry it is more of a working partnership than a love affair. He is the household master and she is the cook, housemaid, childbearer and confidante. 

Each devotee has duties in the upkeep of the temple. One will handle cleanup chores, another will do the bookkeeping and purchase of food and clothing materials, while a third may look after the incense and booklets sold to the public as part of the temple's income. 

This plus any donations is the usual method of financially supporting the devotees and their temple. In hard times they may take menial jobs but this is looked upon as a form of failure. 

But back in the temple on Elm Street the chanting has started and the ringing Hare Krishnas stray through the old walls to the commune in the other half of the double. Several young neighbors come in and join in the swaying, hand-clapping chant. 

Almost everyone is on his feet now drawn by the magnetic force of the chant, the inquisitive high school students, several long-haired youths from the Mall, two rubbles who came for the food and got caught up in the festivities. 

The throng swirls around the small room shaking the floors in the old house. Faster. Louder. Losing the stranger's shyness in a ritual that makes them momentary brothers in their common enthusiasm. 

It will go on for some time, this dancing and chanting and feasting, and the newcomer wonders why there aren't more people there, why the hundreds from the Mall that noon didn't show up, how they failed to understand the invitation of Krishna, why they didn't come and enjoy. 

But the taxi driver who picks him up later shows him why. 

"What are you doing in there with those weirdoes?" he asks. 

And you know Lord Krishna has his work cut out for Him.

Photo at right: The temple altar
Photo down: Krishna devotees preach the word on the Mall



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