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Hare Rama, Hare Krishna

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Whenever I would watch TV and see shows that portray white people in this overly spiritual form of Hinduism, it would really confuse me because it didn’t look like the Hinduism that I was used to seeing. It seemed like something the entertainment industry made up to make fun of Indian religions, so it would make me really mad every time I saw it on TV. Until we learned about it in class, I had no idea Hare Krishna was an actual religion. The Hare Krishnas are a group of devotees that believe Krishna is the Supreme Lord and that life should be engulfed in the love of Krishna. This can be seen through the Krishna mantra that many Hare Krishnas chant to connect to Krishna.

 

hare krishna mandir

My experience going to the temple was very interesting. It was located near a Hispanic district, which is something I wouldn’t expect, and it looked like a church that had Indian architecture added on to it. Our tour guide, Prajyapati, was the stereotype of what I would think of if I thought of a Hare Krishna:  white male that joined the movement in the early 1970s after becoming enamored with the idea of Krishna consciousness. Standing outside, Prajyapati introduced us to his religion by explaining to us exactly what the Hare Krishnas do and what they believe in. We entered the temple and I was actually surprised by how small it was. I thought it was going to be a massive temple where there would be Hare Krishnas everywhere just chanting Krishna’s name. We went into the actual prayer hall and it was beautiful.

The prayer room was a small, but intricate room filled with beautiful paintings and lots of well decorated idols. The paints on the walls were very large and vibrant, depicting different moments in Krishna’s life. The idols were placed on an elevated level behind a decorated fence and were decorated with garlands and jewelry. Prajyapati told us about his life as a Hare Krishna and what it is that Hare Krishnas in general believe to be true. His stories were really interesting and he seemed so excited to talk about what he believed so powerfully in.

The only thing that truly made me uncomfortable was that in the priest in the front was a white man dressed like an Indian priest. One of my Dad’s best friends in India is a Brahmin and every male in his family except for himself is a priest, but every time there is a special day honoring an aspect of Hinduism, he goes to his temple wearing priest clothing to do Pooja and Arti for the idols. Seeing a white man dressed like an Indian priest made me so uncomfortable because religious duties like this are associated with caste system professions for me and here’s this white guy who’s taken that religious attire and just adopted it like he was a member of that caste.

Overall, my experience at the Hare Krishna Mandir was a positive one. I learned a lot about a different way of life and experienced something that was outside of my comfort zone. I think I would go back again to look at the paintings and eat at Kalachandji’s because food.

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