ridewithin

I just left New Vrindaban on another deviant education mission. Destination: Upstate NY.

We landed yesterday afternoon in the Holy Dhama on the auspicious appearance of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The place was packed with guests and I did not enter my usual winter depression as I had during the past few months. I was excited and enthusiastic to perform service.

I had the great privilege of playing mridanga for two hours with Premananda Prabhu from NYC. I rarely have the opportunity to play with anyone else so I appreciated the experience. You can learn so much playing with others. That is something I never really had. I remember the winter of 2002 when our last mridanga player Mukunda Madhava Prabhu left New Vrindaban. I think Abhaya Prabhu was gone at the time(he is really good). It was gurupuja time and Nityodityo Prabhu looked at me and said,”Well its time you learn to play mridanga.” The same day I picked one up and started banging away. Then I found a “how to” on the Chant and Be Happy website. I was horrible. I never played an instrument before. I just couldn’t do it.

A few days later Kuladri Prabhu told me that Bhima Karma Prabhu was going to visit New V for the summer and teach Mridanga. He came and began to teach a dozen of us the complete system of Mridanga as taught by Narrotama das Thakur. It was a wonderful experience learning all the mantras and actually being taught something systematically. It was the first time I had done this while in the ashram. I appreciated the clarity, the organization, the ability to develop and look forward to continuous learning. He was a great teacher. He not only taught me how to play the drum but also taught me how to look inward and connect with kirtan and myself. He assisted me through the process of playing the mridanga to emotionally develop and work through a few difficulties I was having in my life as a young devotee. He was a real well wisher and big brother at that time.

I especially remember the time he told me how practicing mridanga was a true meditation. If anyone was practiced hasta sadhana and hatuti will know that it is completely impossible unless you have no thoughts other than than chanting the mantra and proper hand placement. He made me go slow and slower and slower. I hope that I can return to that practice one day. I haven’t made the time recently(the past two years) and really wish I would. He also told me that If I learn to love to play the Mridanga my spiritual life would be secured. He said that you can only play the mridanga in Kirtan with devotees therefore you have to be with the devotees if you want to play. The devotees and the holy name will save me. This is true.

Yoga is like that for me now. So that is where I am headed. To learn from the devotees.