When the sixteen names and thirty-two syllables of the Hare Krishna mantra are loudly vibrated, Krishna dances on one's tongue. – Stava-mala-vidyabhusana-bhasya, Baladeva Vidyabhusana in Bhaktisiddhanta's Gaudiya Kanthahara 17:30
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
-the Maha-Mantra
So I spent Thanksgiving with the Hare Krishnas (whose name I misspelled in an earlier post - woops! I'm learning...). I know, I know, Hare Krishnas in Mississippi, right? Shows how much we know.
If I'd ever thought of the Hare Krishnas prior to Thanksgiving, it was in vague terms of saffron robes and chanting in airports. But ignorance is no defense against knowledge, especially when knowledge comes in the form of a deep South herb lady with eclectic friends, a background in geochemistry, and the frequent habit of bursting into loud, twangy Sanskrit chanting. World, meet Lynda Lynn O'Brian Baker. Lynda, your public.
But I arrived here two weeks ago, and like all the other parts of Lynda's life that she's chosen to share with me, the Hare Krishnas are far more fascinating than I thought they'd be.
असतोमा सद्गमय। तमसोमा ज्योतिर् गमया।
मृत्योर्मामृतं गमय॥
Asato mā sad gamaya
Tamaso mā jyotir gamaya
Mṛtyormā amṛtam gamaya
Aum śānti śānti śāntiḥ (Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.3.28)
From ignorance, lead me to truth;
From darkness, lead me to light;
From death, lead me to immortality
Aum peace, peace, peace
