(Swarup Das, ISKCON Boston, 1970)
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Plotzing
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by Swarup Das
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I'm so excited that I'm (as we say in Yiddish) PLOTZING. I finally -- after going at it for a week -- memorized Prabhupada's talk from the old Happening LP that begins "As explained on the cover of the record album, this transcendental vibration..." When I was a young devotee I was able to memorize slokas one after another. In fact I had the entire 7th chapter of Bhagavad-gita memorized in a matter of a few days. Now it's taken me a week to memorize a few paragraphs of text. I think I might have killed off lots of brain cells over the years. Chitta (my dear wife) told me to stop lamenting and see the cup as half full -- that considering all the self destructive behavior we have any memory left at all. As usual, she's right.
Anyway -- I have always wanted to memorize those particular words from Srila Prabhupada's lotus lips. The whole recording on that album is very magical and special. In my very early brahmachari days at 61 Second Avenue I would each and every day -- after the morning program and breakfast -- walk from the temple to the "office" which was on 10th Street between Avenue's A and B. Alan and Carol Kallman had their little store "The Krishna Store" on 8th Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue A. It was mostly imported clothing from India with some jewelry as well as Spiritual Sky incense. They had that Happening Album (which Alan recorded and produced) playing constantly -- over and over -- all day long in that little shop. I'd stop in every day for a few minutes to listen to it and talk to Carol and Alan and then continue on my way across Tompkins Square Park. Those were very sweet times for me. So many wonderful memories. I was 17 years old and I would often think, "this is so much more fun than sitting in some classroom at Hewlett High School bored out of my mind." What to speak of the fact that -- "it springs automatically from the spiritual platform and as such, anyone can take part in this transcendental sound vibration, without any previous qualification and dance in ecstasy. We have seen it practically. Even a child can take part in the chanting, or even a dog can take part in it......."
Well, I just had to tell somebody about my "incredible accomplishment." For me it's like climbing to the top of Mount Everest. I'm very proud of myself.
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