And then it came! Lord Krsna’s mercy came pouring from the heavens!
For weeks now, devotees were wondering when the monsoon will start. ‘It’s late,’ they’d say with a certain resignation as they rush home after breakfast to make sure they don’t miss the government water delivery tanker.
Wiping the sweat of my brow, huffing and puffing towards the Temple room, I complain light heartedly, ‘to think I bought rain coats! I should have bought umbrellas instead. At least you can use them in this blistering heat and sun.”
‘It’s because of our sins’ said one lady philosophically.
We all sigh and wonder yet again when the monsoon will start.
Last month’s Ratha Yatra here in Ujjain was blessed by a sprinkling of drops towards the end of a sweltering day. Everyone cheered. Revived, they chanted, danced and pulled the Ratha with renewed vigour.
After that Lord Indra coughed one day and on another, he gave a little sigh. Once he even made a big noise and sent some spectacular streaks of lightning through the sky. Still only a few drops of rain reached the parched earth.
Last year’s monsoon was very scant. The holy river Ksipra flowing through Ujjain became so low that one could cross it by foot, the muddy water barely reaching ones knees.
Water restrictions were severe. Residents were allowed to pump water into their storage tanks once a week for only half an hour at a time. Every day the water delivery tanker made its way through the neighbourhoods somewhat easing the plight of the people. Grhasta devotees at our temple told of the hardship they face every day. During a meeting with Grhasta devotees in June Guru Maharaj said that the temple will help where it can. By Krsna’s mercy our Temple is supplied with ample water by the underground water wells and thus no difficulty was experienced. During the scorching month of April the Temple provided filtered water to many of Ujjain’s thirsty residents. Already the temple has been supplying the devotees with filtered drinking water for the last 3 years.
In February this year, Guru Maharaja initiated a harinama sankirtana yajna after the District Collector of Ujjain pleaded that some spiritual sacrifice be made in order to prevent a crisis. Devotees and guests chanted nonstop for 72 hours in a pandal in front of the temple. At times Gurudev lead the kirtan.
‘All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rains. Rains are produced by performance of yajna (sacrifice), and yajna is born of prescribed duties.’ Purport: ’...The field production is due to sufficient rain from the sky, and such rains are controlled by demigods like Indra, sun, moon etc., and they are all servants of the Lord. The Lord can be satisfied by sacrifices; therefore, one who cannot perform them will find himself in scarcity – that is the law of nature. Yajna, specifically the sankirtana-yajna prescribed for this age, must therefore be performed to save us at least from scarcity of food supply.’
In the month of June, to receive sufficient rainfall, the Parjanya Anusthan ceremony is performed by offering puja and abhiseka to Lord Mahakal. (Avantika – Ujjain News, vol3, P22, Mahakaleshwar, by Ragahva Pandita das)
In Bhagavad gita 7.9, Krsna says: ‘I am the original fragrance of the earth....’ The next day with the fresh fragrance of recently watered earth in the air I noticed that people have a new little bounce in their steps. Their smiles break into grins every now and then. Krsna not only gave relief to us humans; previously emaciated stray cows graze on lush green grass, numerous pigs snort contentedly, while water buffalo wallow blissfully in the fresh mud and an amphibian chorus welcomes every night. The monsoon has arrived.
Let us all pray that the monsoon rains will be sufficient to carry us through until monsoon comes again next year.
Text : Arati devi dasi
Photos: Nayika devi dasi