Lord Krishna in the 21st Century
It is common knowledge that I joined ISKCON in the summer of 1976 and served Shrila Prabhupada under the guidance of His Ganapati das Swami for a period of over 3 years. Another two years were spent without his association, serving in Chicago, Denver and Dallas. It was while in Dallas that I presented my ideas about building a restaurant, patterned after Govinda's in St. Louis that I had helped build and experienced first hand the tremendous success it had become. Sadly my first two attempts to convince the authorities on the merits of my idea failed; however, thanks to the persistence of Elaine Dodson, on my 3rd and final attempt, Kalachandji's Restaurant was approved and the rest is history.
Still wanting to serve Shrila Prabhupada, I returned to ISKCON between 1988 and 1992. It was in 1990 that I founded Krishna Disaster Relief. I now reside in Canyon Lake, Texas. I am the owner and producer of “Ancient Vedic Radio” and I have written 3 book about Lord Krishna.
Regarding Lord Krishna in the 21st Century, two remarkable events happened to me in 1990 that gave me the desire to write this book. The first was a vision I had that stemmed directly from the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War (Desert Storm) and the second, a tremendous tornado that devastated the small town of Limon, Colorado.
Around this time, I had taken over the Denver temple's Food For Life program, going out daily, feeding the homeless from a converted step van. Although this service meant a great deal to me, due to the temple's commitment to host Denver's first ever, full-size Ratha Yatra in nearby Boulder, Colorado, I was asked to work full-time on the construction of Lord Jagannatha's new cart. With Bhakta Jeff's expertise and lead we were building the cart from the ground up.
The work took us months of hard labor and as July 4th approached, the cart was nearly finished. During this same time it became widely known that the United States Air Force was going to have one of its secret, B-2 stealth bombers fly overhead during the upcoming celebration. This was all going to happen downtown. Many of the returning troops from Desert Storm would be marching in the parade and a great deal was being made of all of this.
Coming from an Air Force family and having served my country during the Vietnam War, I decided to take off for a few hours and attend the parade. I certainly wanted to see that stealth bomber and what it looked like.
Needless to say, the crowd was enormous. There was hardly a vantage place left. Near the review stand I finally managed to locate a spot with a good view.
As the parade began, formation after formation of marching troops passed by, each time receiving a thunderous applause. Every formation consisted of neat rows of marching men and women in neatly starched uniforms. Each branch of service was there. Also, in order to create a special honor for each of them as they passed the review stand, the organizers of the parade allowed for about a 2-minute space between each group, which created a short pause between the marching formations.
As is said, I mostly wanted to see the stealth bomber. Since its eventual flyover was about an hour away, I stood and watched along with everyone else. This was a very special 4th of July celebration. People were there by the thousands. More than anything I couldn't help being impressed by the “overwhelming appreciation” that the crowd was showering upon all the troops as they passed by. It felt very genuine, heartfelt and good.
With many thoughts going through my mind while waiting for the next formation to appear, I gazed down the empty parade route. Suddenly I seemed to be looking into a different dimension. I saw a large group of brightly-dressed devotees approaching the review stand; mridangas & cartels swirling as the Holy Names were loudly chanted.
But sadly, as this imaginary troupe of devotees passed the review stand, I could tell that they were not welcome. There was no applause from the crowd. On the contrary, many booed as if to say, "what in the hell are you doing here?" We just didn't fit in; our reputation much too clouded. There was no common ground. Our presence was more like some strange looking cult crashing a private party.
With my spell broken by the sounds of an approaching band, I remember standing still and feeling disturbed. Every day I pledged my allegiance to Shrila Prabhupada and Lord Krshna, but I am also an American. America is my country and my home. So of course I wanted the crowd to also appreciate me.
My father had risked his life over the skies of Europe in WWII for the freedoms that we all enjoy today, and I had served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. Therefore, sensing the crowd not wanting devotees "in their parade" and to have my religion rebuffed during this national day of independence was quite upsetting. Who wants that? Who wants one's fellow countrymen to feel like that toward me and my friends (devotees)?
Of course none of this actually happened; just some thoughts and sentiments floating around my foolish mind. The devotees were not actually there.
Another lapse in the parade occurred. Suddenly, off to my left, once again my attention was drawn toward the empty street. I had already shrugged off the things I had been thinking about. But then, almost immediately (even surprising myself) once again in my mind's eye I began to make out something approaching the review stand. At first I wasn't even sure what it was.
Chapter 3 - The 4th of July Parade