I began my japa at a moderate pace.
Prior to the first three
sets, I drew crude
facsimiles of Narayana Kavaca,
myself,
and on the far right, Baladeva.
The devotee who
was supposed to be Narayana Kavaca
had the word “Poet” painted
on his T-shirt. But he was
actually a secretary to
Ravindra Svarupa, and he
was the most
excellent bhakti cook.
My T-shirt had the initials
“SDG” painted on it, indicating
that I was attempting
“just hear” in japa.
Baladeva’s T-shirt had the
words “All Saints Day” painted on it,
indicating that it was
the date of his birthday
according to the Christian calendar.
The devotees were gathered
to view the premiere
of Yadubara’s film
on Srila Prabhupada, but
they were also attempting
to recite the process of japa.
They were in an ecstatic mood.
On the fourth set we chanted
with splayed attention, but
attempted to do both things at once.
We didn’t finish the session
on time. In the future, we will
try to follow one thing at a time.
I considered it a half-decent experience
because we attempted to
do too many important
experiences at once.
Better to try to do them
one at a time.
I will go back and attempt it that way.