We also befriended a person preaching Christianity. He was philosophically equipped and his friendly disposition made him easy to get along with. We invited him to take dinner with us, and we had a really satisfying evening in his company. When the day was finished, everyone took rest except Jeff, who was so inspired by the evening’s program that he cut out a few hours of sleep to write it down.


“This dinner was particularly special because it had been prepared by Mirza, who hadn’t cooked anything since joining Krishna consciousness. He wanted to treat everyone to the flavours of Bosnia, where he is from. We had gone to the market earlier that morning, and he created something inspiring from the vegetables we purchased. After Tirtha Pavana showed up with our Christian friend and his wife, whom we tried to make feel at home, we began to serve Mirza’s miracle prasadam (blessed food). The next thing that happened was that Karuna Sindhu showed up fresh off of the streets where he was distributing books. Then a second Christian pastor, who happened to be a friend of our guests, was driving by and seeing us all there together decided to stop his car. On our invitation, he gladly joined our party.


Obviously, something special was in the prasadam that night – Mirza’s dedication. Tirtha Pavana was talking on philosophy with the couple, while Karuna, Mirza and I were getting on with the newcomer in a joking mood. We began laughing hysterically for some reason. Sometimes, when the cook prays for the ability to satisfy those for whom he is cooking, his consciousness and attention to detail enter into whatever he is preparing.  The effect is that you become so satisfied tasting the love that the person invested in his creation and you end up laughing uncontrollably. It is a mysterious phenomenon.”


After dinner, our guests volunteered to help us clean and pack the bus. Although he had pain in his back, one of our guests tolerated it just to reciprocate with us. It was really comforting to be in the company of people who naturally exhibit a service attitude. Not that we expect people to do so, but it is a sign of humility in a person if he or she can act for the benefit of others. That is just the kind of association we search for on the road. When a person comes in contact with another person who has this humble, service spirit, he becomes aware that it is more satisfying to act for others rather than for his own self. This is something we tend to forget, but which good company can bring out in us.


“God is one. He is neither Hindu nor Muslim nor Christian. The Vedic injunction is: "God is one; He cannot be two." So whether you are Hindu, Muslim, or Christian, God is one. This is to be understood.” (Srila Prabhupada)


That first day, we found a lake for swimming in the morning, rather than using a bucket for our shower. We went there at 4:30am the next morning, and were surprised to see some people there at the same time. We asked them if they were also there to swim, but they were actually just leaving a party. It reminded us of one verse from the Bhagavad Gita: “What is night for all beings is the time of awakening for the self-controlled; and the time of awakening for all beings is night for the introspective sage.” Not that we are sages, but the time of awakening for those on the spiritual path, is the time that the rest of the world begin to drag themselves to bed. It is amusing to see this actually happen!

Our second day was spent distributing books. Tirtha Pavana met Kathy, a government employee who was eager to help us. At first, she wasn’t able to contribute for a book, so she went to the bank and came back to see him. He asked her if she could tell him any location to park the bus overnight, and she went to city hall and got a bunch of maps for us. Then he asked her if she knew where to rent some space for a gathering, but she really didn’t know. After an hour she came back having found a lodge for us to use that was right downtown inside some park.


The rest of the day, we hardly met anyone. When we travel we like to invite people to dinner with us, because the point of leaving the temple is to interact with people who don’t know about Krishna consciousness. We didn’t have anyone to invite until we went to a local gas station and these guys let us use their phone all day long. We had just a few calls to make, but they were willing to let us be there all day. Jeff was speaking to Rock, one of the employees. Rock actually got a book from Dhruva when we were all there the same time last year. Rock was really appreciative and eager to meditate with us. He was our guest for dinner and he really liked watching us make capatis because of the unique way they are made. When we finished our dinner and started chanting, some people were walking by and were speaking in Bosnian. Mirza could understand what they were saying, and he invited them to join us.


During our stay in Fredericton, we collected 100 emails. We sent out invitations to our program, but we didn’t expect many people to come to the Odell Lodge. But, as soon as we started to set up carpets for people to sit on, people started to come. Before we finished putting out the instruments, ten people were there. It became a pleasant problem when the crowd grew to twenty-five and we didn’t know what to do with everyone. Our usual program of talk, sing and dance lasted three hours and we laughed the whole way. Everyone was appreciating that the chanting had made the mood so freeing. When the scheduled time was up we were expecting to have to leave. The lady in charge of the building, encouraged us to continue the program for as long as we wanted – even until the next morning.


Kathy, who found the space for us, appreciated our program so far as saying that we should permanently establish a center for Krishna consciousness in Fredericton. Another person wanted to help us arrange a program in Moncton, where we were intending to travel next. Another guest, Matt, invited us to stay with him on a farm for two days, which we actually did. Matt had met Karuna, Jeff and Mirza on the street and was surprised to see that the three of them appeared to be glowing.


Before we left Fredericton, we’ve spend some more time with few people we’ve met, cooking with them, doing meditation, talking and just having good time. We were able to finalize a few things that we had put off during our busy week. And, at the end we were able to meet Rock one last time. He offered us five pieces of corn. There were only four of us there, but the fifth one, said Rock, was for Krishna!


“Krishna has no need of food, since He already possesses everything that be, yet He will accept the offering of one who desires to please Him in that way. The important element, in preparation, in serving and in offering, is to act with love for Krishna.” (Srila Prabhupada)


P.S. 392 books distributed, which means that more than 1,5% of city’s population will have books at home. 36 people came for our programs.


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