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The Beauty of the Hare Krishnas

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As I looked around me at what seemed like chaos, I was not able to grasp what was going on. People of all ages diving onto the floor and kissing it, chanting and dancing to a not very coordinated tune, and statues of gods everywhere, all seemed a little strange to me. I was overcome with a mix of emotions as to what was going on. I did not fully understand what was happening, but I knew that I had to keep an open mind.

     My visit to the Krishna temple in Dallas, Texas was unlike anything I had ever experienced. This worldwide community, commonly known as Vaishnavas, practice bhakti-yoga, which is a special form of devotion to their god Krishna. These chants and dances that I saw were not chaos, but rather loving forms of service to their god. ICKSON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) was founded not too long ago in 1966 in New York. This exciting religion was founded by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad, when he left his homeland, India and traveled to New York to share bhakti-yoga with everyone he encountered. As the ICKSON community spread, “downtown swami” in New York became highly populated with dancers and chanters a.k.a. devotees to Krishna (Hopkins 171). They were seen as typical “New York hippies,” wearing robes and expressing their spirituality (Hopkins 172). However, the people at the Krishna temple I attended were far from hippie-looking to me. They looked like normal people and families. Don’t get me wrong, our guide Prajapati had the whole hippie vibe going on, but mostly everyone else in the room I felt I could somehow relate to. People of all ages came together to physically express their love and devotion towards god. I admired the religion for working as a community to show their passion for Krishna. Sometimes I’m even too intimidated to sing out loud at mass because I feel judged, so I appreciated their unity and acceptance of all.
    Once I started to feel more comfortable with everything going on around me, I was able to actually take in how beautiful the temple itself was. There were paintings surrounding the room and each told a different story of Krishna. Different figures were aligned around the blue sky ceiling. In

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Statue of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

the middle of one of the walls was a shrine to Prabhupada. People would go up to this incredibly life-like statue and bow or present it with gifts. These devotees were giving thanks to their god. The Hare Krishnas were more than welcoming to our group. They allowed us to watch their ceremony going on and even invited us to partake in some of their rituals. A little girl encouraged us to open up our senses by letting us smell a lovely flower. A lit oil lamp was also presented to us, which might have symbolized the warmth and strength of Krishna. This welcoming community helped make my experience overall positive. I went from feeling uncomfortable and confused to engaged and wanting to learn more about the religion. The cookies given out as we left the temple were also a nice way to end the trip. This is surely a Monday night that I will never forget!

Hopkins, Thomas J. “ISKCON’s Search For Self-Identity: Reflections by a Historian of Religions.” The Hare Krishna Movement: Forty Years of Chant and Change, edited by Graham Dwyer and Richard J. Cole, 2007.

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