Holding their ‘Gita Trophies’ inside the Argentine Embassy in Paris after they won the World Cup :-)
By Janananda Gosvami
Above and beyond all the challenges and events in the world around us this week, the “World Cup” has stolen the show. Such a climax with adrenaline running at top pitch. Billions glued to the box enwrapped in one of maya’s most entangling nets – not only the football nets – but the very intoxicating effect of national identity. Like the game or not, it’s my country. ‘Oh God may they win’. How the television and social media has made all this so accessible and ‘improved our lives no end!’
What we actually see, however, is quite to the contrary – the so-called progress has affected people’s lives to seemingly no limits, in a different direction. The drug of what is known as sport, now readily accessible to all wherever you are. Contemplation, infatuation, frustration, anger, loss of memory, loss of intelligence, illusion, madness. Heard that in the Gita somewhere. The bodily identity……..
Well, here we are in Paris – and it’s the local “Blues” taking on Argentina in the final match, thousands of miles away in the middle east. The whole world rests on the outcome. Make or break. Everything else stops – except the devotees.
One of our working devotees here in Paris – Yogamaya dasi happens to be born in Argentina and joined the temple down there. She moved to Paris years ago for personal reasons. I’ll hand over to Yogamaya to tell what happened in her life on this historic day when her home country faced the country of her residence.
FROM MAHAMAYA TO YOGAMAYA
Yogamaya dasi
I want to share this pretty amazing story of Yukta Vairagya.
For many years I have not had the spirit, time, or energy to go out distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books in the streets. Inspired by the devotees and the marathon spirit I thought now is the time. Armed with yoga stand and fight. I had tried on and off for the past few weeks with fairly good results.
But today was special. With 108 Gitas I headed off with my Catholic friend who agreed to help me. After reaching out to Argentinians in the afternoon on the streets the evening came. A work colleague then invited me to the Argentinian embassy in Paris where the doors were open to all Argentinians to watch the world cup final game. Wow – what an amazing opportunity to distribute books. My home people all gathered there in Paris.
At the end Argentina won – the people were going mad with joy. At that point out come the Gitas and people are grabbing them and giving donations.
‘Here take this – a trophy for the winners – Bhagavad Gita’. Even my catholic friend who refuses to normally touch the Gita, got into the spirit and frantically started passing them out. In next to no time all of the remaining 108 Gitas sold. The real victory! Completely empty trolleys.
“Thank God Argentina won the match.“
On the way home we saw with our own eyes the bhoga tyaga, the capala sukha of this world. We almost got attacked by some drunken losers. By Krsna’s arrangement the Argentinians with Gitas came to our protection and escorted us safely back home. The most ecstatic evening – unknown to the mundane winners of a metal jug who will soon lose it. A fortunate few received the Gita – their greatest good fortune to absolute victory – If only there could have been more. “Wherever there is Krsna, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion.”
Bg 18.78
May this sankirtana marathon continue showering the world with nectar forever.
PARAM VIJAYATE SRI KRSNA SANKIRTAN
Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=104703
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