I first heard of Bhagavad-gita when I was trekking with my then
boyfriend (now husband) John in the Himalayas way back in the
summer of '71. We were at the snow line, 10,000 feet at that time
of year, and decided to spend a few restful days in an abandoned
cowshed. From deep inside his backpack John pulled out a blue
paperback with a line drawing of a regal, four-armed person on the
cover.
During our stay, I sat for hours surrounded by towering snowy peaks
in crystal-clear air, with no other humans around, trying to read
this early edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is, by His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. I understood little but I was
intrigued. The idea of tolerating dualities and remaining
equipoised in their midst enticed me, as did the concept of an
eternal spiritual presence within all living beings. And the Gita
opened me to the thought that I could improve my character as well
as the quality of my life through knowledge.
Over the years, as I continued studying Bhagavad-gita and
practicing its precepts, my respect for its wisdom, relevance, and
comprehensiveness grew. Gradually Bhagavad-gita revolutionized my
life. In 1996 I wrote and illustrated a Bhagavad-gita for children,
Our Most Dear Friend, and then did one for young adults:
Bhagavad-gita: A Photographic Essay, A Visual Guide to the World's
Greatest Spiritual Dialog. Recently I completed a third
exploration, on how to apply the teachings of Bhagavad-gita to our
daily lives: Harmony and the Bhagavad-gita: Lessons from a
Life-Changing Move to the Wilderness.
Visakha (pronounced VishAkhA) Dasi received
an Associate of Applied Science degree with honors from Rochester
Institute of Technology and shortly afterwards published her first
book, Photomacrography: Art and Techniques. In 1971 she traveled to
India, where she met Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, read his
Bhagavad-gita As It Is and eventually became his student. As a
photographer, she traveled with and photographed Bhaktivedanta
Swami and his students in India, Europe and the United States. As a
writer, she wrote numerous magazine articles and three books on the
Bhagavad-gita. Visakha also assists her husband, John Griesser, in
making documentary films. They live with their children and
grandchildren in Sharanagati Village, a rural community in British
Columbia, Canada, where Visakha is writing a memoir, Bhagavad-gita
and One Life Transformed.
To learn more, please visit: http://our-spiritual-journey.com/
Buy it online - http://www.amazon.com/Visakha-Dasi/e/B001K7X9KU
