Hari Hari
Please accept my humble obeisance...All glories to Srila Prabhupada...
Dear devotees, it is almost a month passed since Harinam tour finished so now we would like to come out with some interesting data and make conclusions. This year we had the largest and "craziest" Harinam tour so far. Such a venture in this area no one has even tried to do and we also thought at the beginning that we started „to bite too much of a cake“, but somehow we all managed with Krishna's grace ...
In this article I would like to mention the numbers, amazing numbers. So, the whole tour lasted about 2 months, beginning with the first harinam on 29/06/2010 in Otocac and finished in Sibenik on 01/09/2010. We divided the tour into three phases, between which we had a rest for a couple of days. We played in 57 cities located in 7 states, and performed 84 Harinams. A total of about 20 devotees from 3 continents traveled in these two months, of which three are Srila Prabhupada disciples. 50 more devotees joined at least one Harinam. The auditorium which saw us in these two months is around 500.000 people - half a million. We passed over a whopping 10.000 km - which is almost as far as from Karlovac to India and back... Between the outermost points where we played, Trieste (Italy) and Gevgelija (Macedonia - on the border with Greece), is a distance of about 1.600 km. Wherever we
played we had a permit, and it should have been obtained in five different languages (Italian, Slovenian, Albanian, Macedonian and Croatian) one of which is the Cyrillic (Macedonian).
The journey home back from Skopje to Karlovac lasted for a three days. The first day we traveled from Skopje to Dubrovnik, we started the journey at 01:30 pm and we arrived at the destination at 03:30 am – 14hours journey. These roads that we have seen in Albania probably no more exist anywhere in Europe, and it is hard to even call it the road. The second day we had 7 hours of traveling from Dubrovnik to Sibenik, and on the third day 5 more hours to Karlovac. Than we had a vacation of a 7days.
We have distributed 300-400 CD's with spiritual music, 200 Srila Prabhupadas books in 7 languages - Croatian, Slovenian, German, English, Italian, Albanian and Macedonian, 80 magazines in Albanian, 20 DVDs, 1500-2000 tulasi necklaces and bracelets, and around 1000 packages of incense sticks. In several cities in Slovenia and Montenegro (for the first time) we had a public distribution of prasadam where we distributed hundreds of cookies. We were using the 5 types of monetary currencies - Euro, Kuna (CRO), Mark (BiH), Lek (ALB), and Denar (MAK).The last part of the tour was especially difficult, because apart from the long exhausting trip, every couple of days we were in another country with another currency, and another exchange rates, so this was all difficult to match and to follow everything. And even bigger experience was the money exchange on the way out, especially in the
"muddy" Albania and Macedonia.
We never thought we get to those numbers...
What can I say now as a conclusion? Definitely it was an unforgettable and invaluable experience to go to the new cities and new countries and spread the movement of Mahaprabhu. There was one Mataji who provided us with accommodation and told us that staying a few days with Harinam group was "the most beautiful thing it happened to her this summer and the best entertainment", and one devotee who joined us for a few days said: "What is more beautiful than this?" Some things really cutt into your heart when you see that some people are with such an expectation waiting for a year for us to come again to their city because they do not have a society of devotees throughout the year. Or others who provide you with such an enormous gratitude and with tears in their eyes thank you for giving them the answers that they have so long waited for and "saved their lives". In those moments you realize how powerful the Mahamantra is and how important it is that we sing it and expand as often we can ...
It happened in many situations that you fully depend on Krishna. In two countries where we were, there is no devotees - it means we do not know where we will sleep and what we will eat ... and then we finished Harinam at 23:00 h and where now? When Krishna saves you in such a situation - than your faith increases...and when Krishna saves you in so many situations your faith increases soooo much..
In Budva in Montenegro we entered into an auto camp after midnight and in the morning went to the reception. Lady who owns the camp gave us all free when she heard what we do, thanked because we came to her and said we must come next year ... Then you understand that Krishna was constantly with us and inspired people to get involved - amazing! The next day we played in another town in Montenegro, but due to some problems we had to change the plan completely and then again the same - we
do not know where to go and how – but again super arrangements happened - even finer sleeping at better place... And all that in the Montenegro, where they say there is a strong Orthodox church - we had a totally different experience.
The highlight of all was the departure to the former dictatorial communist country, now the only Muslim-dominated country in Europe - Albania. The highlight of the whole tour we've been waiting for two months - India in a small - there are so many similarities with India and Albania. Certain parts of the country are developed as now in London and another are as back in time 150 years ago. Such are their roads also - some parts are as the German highway and some as before the invention of automobiles. There we were forced to eat karmi bread - some of us for the first time in the last 10 years - but what could we do, there was no other. The awareness was very high and "fired up" - partly because of the great severities, partly because of the great Grace. You have the feeling that even if you drink whiskey it would not disturb consciousness in these times of revolution. You are protected by the Lord Chaitanya completely.
Personally I could not believe some scenes in Albania... People are wondering what is that what we do, and I not philosophized too much, said YOGA, and they ask "What is yoga? Yogurt? "And I call one of our devotee - yoga teacher to show a few asanas, but they are still in wonder watching and talking "statue, statue" – they thought that he shows them a variety of well-known statue in the world. They had no idea what yoga should be. Then we just told them, "You know - the Himalayas" and they still look in wonder.Never heard of the Himalayas. Among them there were some students also. I did not know that there are people in Europe who are not familiar with that concepts. Our hosts where we slept at the end of our departure from their home was nothing clear and did not even realize what it is what we do. But they embraced Krishna and Srila Prabhupadas photos and journals. Simple
people, too simple...
In addition we have seen all sorts of categories of people, we have met and seen many yatras and quite different devotees and came to the same conclusion that we want to share with you and which I consider quite important for the successful spread of our movement. We noticed that in our society, among most of us members, in general, there is space for
improvement in two things: Abhay - fearlessness and Sraddha – higher faith in power and the glory of the Holy Name. How big is our faith - so much the holy name reveals to us, and it is so strong, so powerful (and often our faith does not follow that). Srila Prabhupada had both of those things in such a large volume - and so he expanded the movement throughout the world. Devotees said to us that we are too crazy and that what we do is too dangerous, but we had no dangerous situation - totally different experience. Fearful eyes are big, says Croatian saying – I am not saying that we should be foolish and thoughtless, but ... Often we have unnecessary fear and hesitate, and Krishna is just waiting for us to go ahead and to give us whatever we need and want.
IF WE COULD ONLY BE AWARE THAT ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE AND THAT EVERYTHING IS AVAILABLE - ALL MERCY IS HERE. FREQUENTLY WE LIMIT OURSELVES AND DO NOT ALLOW GRACE TO FLOW, WE CREATE THE OBSTACLES WHICH IN FACT ARE NOT EXISTING. I thought about it often on the tour – if we develop these two things in a larger scope - where would be the end of our preaching?
The following year, devotees call us to go even further, on the tour to the new countries. We do not know what will happen next year, but there is a chance to go even further - to Kosovo, Greece and Bulgaria - this year we were close to all these countries. Who knows what is the plan of Nitay Gauracandra?
And I, insignificant devotee, I am happy and thankful to the Lord Chaitanya, who has allowed us to go in these 7 countries, some for the first time, represent and take part in his movement - such an honor. Also thanks to Srila Prabhupada, who was so kindly when lowered the standards and allowed us mlecchas and yavanas to become the part of the "ceiling" of human existence and of the transcendental aristocratic families of Rupa and Sanatana. We should be happy and honored that we can take a part in it.
Thanks to your blessings and prayers and continue to work it for us.
All galleries of pictures and reports from the tour you can see on our web site www.avadhuta.hr / index-php.eng ... Or directly galleries (for pictures) http://avadhuta.hr/galleries.php or texts reports from Harinam - http://www.avadhuta.hr/yatra_news.php. ; !
See you next year ... Whoever wants to go with us on a new journey and a new adventure may contact us in advance ...
Param Vijayate Sri Krishna Sankirtan
PS Candramauli swami wants to finance book and DVD about our Harinam preaching in the last 7 years for inspiration of devotees .. so, maybe this book will be out - soon - somewhere...
Your servant
Mohana das
Sri Sri Nitai Gauracandra mandir
Tudmanovo setaliste 5
47000 Karlovac,Croatia
00385 47 600 601
www.avadhuta.hr
Comments
Thanks for sharing. Jaya Srila Prabhupada!