Volume 9, Chapter 2

Diary of a Traveling Preacher Volume 9, Chapter 2 January 29 - February 13, 2008 By Indradyumna Swami "The Mother Temple"On the flight from Hong Kong to Bali, I thought about a conversation I hadhad with my Godbrother B. B. Govinda Maharaja the previous day. We weretalking about seeing Srila Prabhupada at the Detroit airport in 1971. It wasour first meeting with Srila Prabhupada, and I asked Maharaja if heremembered anything from Srila Prabhupada's arrival address."Yes," he said smiling. "Srila Prabhupada leaned forward from his chair atone point and said, 'Please believe me when I say you are not the materialbody.' ""Incredible," I said. "That's exactly what I remember from the lecture."As we sped through the air, I reflected on Srila Prabhupada's words, "Pleasebelieve me." I thought how any preacher in Krsna consciousness is alwayspraying his audience will embrace his message. In that mood, I was overjoyedto read a letter from a disciple while going through my email a few hourslater:"Dear Srila Gurudeva,"Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada."Thank you so much for bringing your festival tour to Australia."My mother was very touched by the lecture you gave at the festival programin Sydney. I was at a family dinner at her house recently, and mybrother-in-law asked how devotees view birthdays. I started to tell him howwe are not these material bodies, but the soul within."Suddenly my mother interrupted. She said, 'Yes, and when you die it's justlike taking off old clothes and putting on fresh, new ones. The body changesbut the soul remains the same.'"I let my mother continue as she was so enthusiastic. For the next fewminutes she quoted many examples straight out of your lecture. For example,how the body is like a car and the soul is the driver. Finally she stood upand when she had everyone's attention said, 'So, we can take birth again inthe material world or we can go back to the spiritual world which iseternal, full of knowledge and bliss.'"She paused and then continued, 'So obviously it's best if we try to go backto the spiritual world.'"Everyone sat stunned. I started to clap and then suddenly everyone elsebegan clapping and cheering. Then my mother quietly sat back down."Before the program she had little interest in Krsna consciousness. Somehow,as a result of your wonderful presentation, her heart changed."Your servant, Vilasa Manjari."The jet engines continued to drone as my attention turned to Bali. I hadbeen there once before, 15 years ago. At that time our movement had beensuppressed by the local brahmanas, who being mainly demigod worshipers sawour worship of Krsna as a threat. Public Harinamas were banned, and devoteeshad to meet in secret. The tense situation was eventually resolved whenBhakti Swarupa Damodar Maharaja met the brahminical community and assuredthem of our desire to work cooperatively.Though Bali is 6,000 kilometers from present day India, Vedic culture hasbeen there for thousands of years. That fact seems to support SrilaPrabhupada's statement that Vedic culture once existed all over the world:"At the time of Maharaja Prithu, the world was ruled by one emperor,although there were many subordinate states. Just as there are many unitedstates in various parts of the world, in olden days the entire world wasruled through many states, but there was a supreme emperor who ruled overall subsidiary states."[Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.16.27, purport]"If I have time," I thought, "I'll look for evidence that India's ancientculture existed in Bali for centuries."Eventually the captain announced we were circling Bali and would soon belanding. When I looked out the window I was stunned by the beauty of theisland from the air. It looked like a greenish-colored pearl set in ashimmering blue oyster shell. As we came in to land, the lush green tropicalscenery seemed to jump out at us.After clearing immigration and customs, I gathered my bags and was metoutside the terminal by a warm tropical breeze and a group of 30enthusiastic devotees having a rousing kirtan. As we drove to the housewhere I would be staying, devotees told me that on Bali the temperaturevaries only a couple of degrees throughout the year, the flowers bloomwithout cessation, and there are no wild beasts, poisonous snakes orspiders, or cyclones."Like heaven on earth," I said as we entered Kuta, a large town and apopular tourist center."Not exactly," said Padma Locan das pointing towards a huge ornate structurewith a long list of names embossed in gold on it."What's that?" I said."The names of the 202 people killed in the Jemaah Islamiyah terroristbombing in 2002," he replied. "Most of them were foreigners."We were silent as we passed the memorial.That afternoon we went for a drive to a different part of the island. Whilepassing through a small village, I asked the driver to stop, so we couldexplore on foot. As we strolled around a market, I saw many exotic fruitsincluding snakeskin fruit, yellow watermelon, and mangosteen. I also noticedthere were many temples."There are more than 11,000 temples in Bali," said Padma Locan.My idea to connect the present religious life of Bali to the spiritualculture of India came to mind. "Are they very old?" I asked."Some of them are several hundred years old," he replied."Not so old," I said."The people here don't know very much about Krsna," said Mahamuni dasi. "Atalmost all the temples in Bali they are worshiping demigods, ancestors, andghosts.""Ghosts?" I said."Yes," she said. "They worship the ghosts so they won't disturb them. Do yousee all these little offerings along the paths in front of the houses?They're called yajna-sesus. They're for the ghosts."I looked and saw offerings of fruits and flowers as well as cigarettes andwine in the leaf cups.After we returned and rested, we traveled to a program at theRadha-Rasesvara temple in the jungle two hours from Denpasar, the capital.It is one of the four main ISKCON temples on the island.The devotees were having a big kirtan when we arrived. Having seen thebeauty of the island, I then gave the first of a series of lectures on howdevotees must remain fixed in Krsna consciousness and not be distracted bythe beauty of this world. I said the only real danger I saw on the heavenlyisle of Bali was that the idyllic nature of the place, could easily make oneforget Krsna. Devotees nodded their heads in agreement.The next day we took a drive around another part of the island to chantjapa. In every village I noticed that in the center of the traffic circleswere large dioramas depicting pastimes of the Lord from the Ramayana andMahabharata. In one place I saw Lord Ramacandra engaged in battle withRavana; in another, Draupadi and her five Pandava husbands. Yudhisthira wasfeatured on the traffic island of a small market town, and Hanuman flyingthrough the air carrying a mountain of herbs for Laksman was the choice of aneighboring village.I realized that although the dioramas were fairly recent they offered proofthat the roots of Vedic culture had existed here for millennia. With thiskind of art all over the island, it would be easy to remember God. It seemedthat Bali had the best of both worlds.The jungle thickened along the route we were taking. Once in a while I'd seecrystal-clear waterfalls flowing into large pools. Monkeys played on therocks, colorful birds flew in and out of the trees, and butterfliesfluttered around.On one occasion Mahamuni turned to me. "Would you like to visit a nearbybotanical garden, Maharaja?" she said."Your whole country is a botanical garden," I said laughing.As the countryside drifted by, I noticed many more temples. They wereconstructed in the open Balinese style, and all had fresh fruit offerings onthe altars. Passing over a bridge, on each of the four corners, I sawferocious carved figures dressed in colorful, fresh cloth."What is that?" I asked."Minor deities who protect the traveler," said Padma Locan. "The people takegood care of the deities, as you can see, and in turn they believe thedeities take good care of them."I was impressed that the Balinese recognized the forces of nature aspersonal, that there were controlling deities behind every aspect of thenatural world. However, I felt disappointed that they didn't seem tounderstand there was a supreme personality who ultimately controlledeverything and to whom everyone owed allegiance. But that was nothing new.The problem was prevalent 5,000 years ago. Krsna says:sa taya sraddhaya yuktastasyaradhanam ihatelabhate ca tatah kamanmayaiva vihitan hi tan"Endowed with such a faith, he seeks favors of a particular demigod andobtains his desires. But in actuality these benefits are bestowed by Mealone."[Bhagavad-gita 7.22]In the evening we attended a program in the Gauranga temple, close to Kuta."There is no need to criticize the people's worship of demigods," I said inthe lecture. "Although the tourists who come here may see it as uncivilized,actually it is a more advanced understanding than that of modern science,which says everything is happening by chance."What we can offer is that if we simply worship Krsna, we please all thedemigods, who are His devotees."The next day as we walked along a beach chanting our rounds, I sat andconsidered that if the Vedic culture actually flourished in Bali thousandsof years ago, there must be evidence of worship of Krsna, or maybe Visnu,for the worship of demigods and the worship of the Supreme Personality ofGodhead have always existed simultaneously in Vedic culture.I went to Mahamuni. "You mentioned there are thousands of temples on Bali,"I said, "but all I've seen is worship of the demigods and ghosts. Is there atemple where Visnu is worshiped?""Oh, yes," she replied. "Pura Besakih. We call it the Mother Temple. It'sthe most sacred place in Bali. Brahma, Visnu, and Siva are worshiped there.""Wow!" I said. "That's what I've wanted to hear. Is it also several hundredyears old, like the other temples we've seen?""No," Mahamuni said. "It's 17 hundred years old."I was speechless. "That's the proof I need," I finally said. "It wouldsupport the Bhagavatam, which says Vedic culture was once worldwide.""It takes some time to get there," Mahamuni said. "It's on Mount Agung, alive volcano. But don't worry. The last time it erupted was in 1964. Manytourists go to see the temple although there are some places they are notallowed. It's actually a large complex of many temples, like a small versionof Angkor Wat in Cambodia.""We should go tomorrow," said Padma Locan. "It's an auspicious day.""There is a festival there every six months," said Mahamuni. "Many Balinesemake the pilgrimage on those days to pray. The people believe that Godspared the temple during the eruption. The lava came within meters of thetemple complex but caused no damage to any structures. Nearby, entirevillages were wiped out. One thousand people perished."That evening there was a program in ISKCON's Sandipani Muni temple inDenpasar. When I arrived, hundreds of devotees were waiting."Wherever we have a program, there are so many blissful devotees," I said toPadma Locan. "How many devotees do we have in Bali?""More than 2,000," he said with a smile.In the lecture I again discussed how all beauty in this world is temporaryand ultimately has to be renounced. But I stressed that real renunciationwas engaging everything in God's service and that the devotees should usethe natural opulence of the island to glorify Krsna.After class a devotee approached me and said, "We dovetail the beauty of ourbeaches by going on Harinamas there every Saturday and having kirtan for thetourists."When he showed me his photographs, I was surprised to see Australian andEuropean tourists chanting Hare Krsna and dancing with the devotees on thebeach. I congratulated him for bringing spiritual life to the attention ofthe sun seekers.Early the next day we left for Pura Besakih. On the long drive throughmountainous terrain covered by jungle on all sides, I marveled that worshipat the temple had been continuing for 1,700 years. I could hardly wait totake in the surroundings and the opportunity to find evidence of a Vedicconnection in Bali's past.Eventually we arrived at a parking area one kilometer from the temple."The tradition is to walk the last kilometer," said Padma Locan. "Walking upthe hill provides time to reflect on the greatness of God and how we are Hishumble servants."The climb was steep, and it was hot and humid. I struggled on the last partuntil we crossed over a little rise. Suddenly the gigantic temple came intoview, framed by the beauty of the jungle behind it."My God!" I exclaimed. "I've never seen anything like this."We walked the final 200 meters and after catching our breath continued up along flight of steps leading to the first assortment of temple structures.The antiquity of the site was overwhelming."I feel like I'm in another age," I said to Padma Locan.As we were walking we could hear priests making offerings in the temples.Like the other temples I had seen in Bali, they were not closed structuresbut open-sided and approachable from all angles."You won't find deities here," said Padma Locan. "It's different from India.They say the gods come only when they are being worshiped."As we walked around the large complex, I was awestruck by the uniquearchitecture. Finally we came to an opening that led into a vast courtyardwhere I could see many priests offering oblations."Tourists can't go in, only the faithful," said Padma Locan, "and beyondhere, where they worship the demigods, is the temple of Visnu.""That's what I came to see," I said eagerly. "I'm dressed as a sannyasi.Will they let me through here?""We can try," he said.I put my hand in my beadbag and started chanting loudly as we entered thecompound. Padma Locan put a traditional Balinese hat on my head. As wewalked into the large courtyard, several priests looked at me suspiciously.I chanted louder.Suddenly, halfway across the compound, an elderly priest approached and saidsomething in Balinese to Mahamuni."Oh, well," I thought, "it was a good try."Mahamuni turned to me and smiled. "If you want to pass through thiscomplex," she said, "you must pray to the demigods."The priest put out a mat with several items of worship including incense, acandle, fruit, and spices."He wants you to offer these to the demigods," said Mahamuni."A strict Vaisnava doesn't worship demigods," I thought as I recalled thewords of Narottam das Thakur:"O brother, I say to you, if you want to become a pure devotee of theSupreme Lord do not hanker for benedictions from the demigods."[Prema Bhakti Candrika]"But if I don't offer some worship," I thought, "I'll never make it to thetemple of Lord Visnu."The priest was becoming uncomfortable with my hesitation. Suddenly I had anidea."Okay," I said. "I'll sit and pray to the demigods."By Krsna's grace I had been reading the 10th canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam andhad recently memorized a prayer that seemed perfect for the occasion. Ibowed down to the nearest altar and then sat up. I lit the incense, offeredit, and prayed:katyayani maha mayemaha yoginy adhisvarinanda gopa sutam devipatim me kuru te namah"O goddess Katyayani, O great potency of the Lord, O possessor of greatmystic power and mighty controller of all, please make the son of NandaMaharaja my husband. I offer my obeisances unto you."[Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.22.4]The priest was impressed and after giving us some caranamrita, happily sentus on our way to the temple of Visnu."What was the object of your prayer?" said Mahamuni."I repeated a prayer of the gopis," I said, "but nothing I'll achieve inthis lifetime."We continued walking through the courtyard and then up several flights ofsteps, finally reaching the top of the hill on which the entire templecomplex was situated. From there we had a direct view of Mount Agung."It must have been terrifying when the volcano exploded," I said."It's still very active," said Padma Locan. "From time to time it belchesthick smoke and ash. It's only a matter of time until it explodes again.""Hopefully not today," I said with a nervous smile.We turned left, and walking a further 50 meters along a stone path finallycame to the temple of Lord Visnu. As we entered I was surprised to find wewere the only pilgrims there."They worship Siva as supreme here in Pura Besakih," said Mahamuni, "notVisnu.""I'm sure it wasn't always like that," I said. "Just look at thismagnificent temple, the intricacy of the stone work. At some point Visnumust have been the principal deity here."Suddenly from around the back of the temple an elderly man appeared, dressedin white."The priest," whispered Padma Locan.He offered a bowl of fruit on the altar to Visnu and said some prayers. Iwaited patiently and when he was finished approached him.With Mahamuni translating I spoke. "Sir," I said, "we are devotees of LordVisnu, or Krsna. We are pleased to see you making an offering to Him withsuch devotion."He humbly bowed his head but didn't say anything."How long have you been a priest at this temple?" I said."Since I was a boy," he replied. "My father was a priest here, and hisfather and his father . . .""How old are you?" I asked."Eighty-three," he replied."You don't look that old," I said."A lady who lives in my village is 225 years old," he said. "She was born in1783."Padma Locan's eyes opened wide in astonishment."In previous generations, many people here lived for well over 200 years,"the priest continued."How was it possible?" I asked.He chuckled. "They worked hard in the fields," he said. "They drank waterfrom the streams, they ate mainly rice and vegetables, and they visited thistemple every day.""Visited the temple every day," I repeated, trying to understand how thatwas connected to longevity.He smiled. "They were happy," he said, "but none of us will live forever.What's important is where you'll go when you die.""Where do you hope to go when you die?" I asked, eager for the realizationof one who had served the Lord his entire life.He paused for a moment looking at the altar. "With Him, of course," he said.The priest fell silent, and just at that moment it started to rain."We have to go," I said. "Your darsan was worth the entire trip here. We'rehappy to have seen this ancient temple which stands as evidence that India'sspiritual culture once reached far beyond its present borders and, mostimportant, is still producing men of your caliber, full of faith in God."Srila Prabhupada writes:"In the modern age people are under the impression that during the Vedicperiod America and many other parts of the world had not been discovered.But that is not a fact. Prithu Maharaja ruled over the world many thousandsof years before the so-called prehistoric age and it is clearly mentionedhere that in those days not only were all the different parts of the worldknown, but they were ruled by one king. It is clear that the kings of Indiaonce ruled all the world and that their culture was Vedic."[Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.21.12, purport]Indradyumna.swami@pamho.netwww.traveling-preacher.comAudio lectures: www.narottam.com