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Nowhere else in the world can you walk along the roads, Lanes, and pathways and be constantly reminded of the Lord’s Holy Name than in Sri Vrindavan Dham. The street names, the names of the buildings, the signs on the shops, the Radha and Krishna names painted on the compound walls, and hearing  the kirtans of the Holy Names being sung as you pass by the different ashrams throughout the city. Automatically you must surely start chanting without even realizing you are doing it.

I recall the day two lady devotees were taking a casual walk to the ISKCON goshala, chanting on their japa mala and just strolling along a small pathway which was having sacred tulasi trees on one side of the path and an empty field on the other side.

Suddenly they noticed a snake curled up on the side of the pathway just ahead of them, all ready to strike. What to do? The options were very few: they could turn back but they were really eager to visit the beautiful cows in the goshala. Or, they speculated, they could run ahead and pass by the snake very quickly before it could strike. That was a gamble, the path was very narrow, but the snake seemed to be lying there peacefully not moving at all.  It was a coral snake with beautiful colored stripes winding around its body, very poisonous.

After a short discussion they decided to make a run for it, all the while chanting a bit loudly, but unfortunately they couldn’t run very fast.  The snake did strike at the second devotee’s foot. However, as they were running the snake’s teeth got caught in the sari and petticoat of the second devotee and couldn’t get away. Running and running, the devotee’s feet kept hitting the snake, but he seemed to be stuck!

Eventually he did let go, and the devotees, relieved of their anxiety, continued on to the goshala.  They realized it was only by the mercy of the Holy Name were they saved from that danger that day.