It's early. 3:30am and a little chilly now that the fall is approaching. Go ahead and laugh 73 degrees feels chilly after months on end of the 90's.
Oh good. The pujari has unlocked the temple room doors. It's warm inside.
All the lights are on in the temple room but as usual the small light directly over Srila Prabhupada is waiting for me to turn it on. My only temple service. Reach down behind the small tall tables holding caranamrta and find the switch near the floor. Jaya Srila Prabhupada
What will mangal aratik and the association of the devotees bring today? It is always different and always ecstatic to the point of tears and laughter. With what realizations will I be gifted and rewarded for nothing more than feeling intense love and appreciation for Lord Chaitanya and his pure devotees?
Will I be transported to a pastime? Will I see transformations in myself and others? Will I be lost in an ocean of ecstatic love and carried on the waves of the Mahamantra?
Will Narada muni be here?
Will I see surabhi cows or hear the sweet blowing of Krishna's flute? Will Radha be in a sulky mood? Her separation from Krishna almost too much to bare.
Will the Deities pour out their mercy on the assembly enlivening them with bliss?
Will we be suddenly standing under Govardhana Hill?
Or in the pasture grounds rounding up the cows as Krishna calls out to them and blows His buffalo horn.
Or with the gopis in the their desperation inquiring of the many trees in Vrndavana. "Have you seen Krishna? We are trying to find Him?" Although the trees have many fruits and flowers they cannot say which way He has gone.
Will we travel in space and visit other planets? Stop in to offer respects to Ksirodakasayi Vishnu then travel on to visit Garbhodaksayi Vishnu and then to darshan of Mahavishnu has who has been waiting to see us and remind us that we are traveling in a group on the way to Goloka Vrndavan and not to get detained in Vaikuntha.
The conchshell sounds three times and the curtains open.
And all of the above is there in Gaura Nitai, Radha Shyam and Krishna Balarama. It's all there and more.
The kirtan leader's voice quivers slightly, nicely.... as he searches for as much love and desire for Radha Krishna as He can as a servant of Srila Prabhupada in this great institution.
During japa it is no less intense. What realizations will come. What magical visions?
But wait why am I all of sudden in a department store? Why am I in Walmart wandering up and down the aisles. "What is this, Krishna? What are You trying to show me? Why do I see no difference between being in Walmart with its products for sale and its sales personnel and being here in the temple room with the Deities and the devotees?"
The word marketplace appears. "Marketplace".. OMG. My body is suddenly chilled and I am stunned speechless.
The glories of His Divine Grace becoming ever more visible. This is a store. A corporation. The product is love of Godhead. Srila Prabhupada is the founder and CEO. In this age of multinational corporations he has established a multinational corporation for distributing love of Godhead. The purchase price is devotional service.
The devotees are the employees. I can approach any one of them and ask about the store. They are employees and their service is to maintain the store. To exact payment for purchases.
But the actual product, the actual treasure... is free... Given away freely by Gaura nitai.
Gaura nitai are distributing love of Godhead freely in the market place.They have broken open the storehouse and are distributing love of Godhead freely once again just as They did five hundred years ago.
It is a wondrous miracle. The employees become bewildered when they see the product being given away freely. Their job is to keep the store open. If the product is given away freely then how will they manage a store? So there is always what seems to be a conflict.
But don't worry not everyone will be poor enough in material desire to qualify for the free give away. Business will continue.
The product, ecstatic love of Godhead, is available to everyone free of charge. Gaura nitai are giving it out freely. But most are too proud to take the handout. They prefer to work and pay.
For most it is business as usual. But if you insist on doing business this is the best business.
Just a few saints and sages, beggars, destitutes and madmen accept the topmost charity. Ecstatic love.
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