This is from another devotee’s blog over here.

So I’m trying to check in an order, which is a real pain today. This normal looking guy, maybe 45 or 50, comes into the store. I give a quick “hey” and continue with my work. He’s now on the couch, looking at the Krishna Art book. People look at that a lot, so it’s not a huge deal (I mean, come on, Krishna is all attractive, right?). I’m bending down behind the desk, but this guy can still see me through a walkway (hard to explain) and I hear “Hare Krishna!”

My head shot up and then I figured that he’s just making a connection between the Krishna Art book and Hare Krishnas.

“I was looking at this book, and then I saw your Back to Godhead magazine lying there and then I saw your shirt (Jagannatha). I’m from State College and go to Gita Nagari a lot.”

Holy crap!

He and I talked a bunch and he’s a real nice guy. Was around the State College temple when it was there. That closed around ’93 or ’94. He’s been to London, LA, a few other places. Real neat.

It was so nice being able to talk to another devotee. I mean, the guy wasn’t super fixed up, shaved head, etc. etc. etc. But he was a devotee, you know? So nice! I get no association. What a wonderful thing to happen to me on such a crap day!

He told me this story of a guy named Steve. Steve used to live at the State College temple. Now he’s a post master in some small town around State College. Anyway, Steve went to India and while he was there, he stated with a large Indian family. The family was entertaining a large group of Americans (nondevotees). The family performed some traditional Indian dances and songs and then asked the Americans sing or dance something from American culture. The Americans sang the national anthem and then couldn’t figure out what else to do. So they did the hokey pokey.

While the hokey was pokeying, it was being translated from English to Hindi. Steve asked the translator to translate it back to English so that he could hear it as the Indians were hearing it.

Here’s how part of it went:

“You place your entire being inside
You place your entire being outside
You place your entire being inside and vibrate your entire being everywhere
You do the hokey pokey and revolve your being in a circle
That is the complete essense of everything.”

Kind of deep when you think about it, eh? 🙂

Ok, day better.

Haribol!