By Praghosa dasa
After spending an enlivening evening at Bhaktivedanta Manor for the annual Patron’s Dinner on Saturday, my thoughts started to turn towards Jamashtami and Vyasa Puja preparations back in Ireland.
So after a late night (the Patron’s Dinner is a grand affair that doesn’t generally finish till 11pm) we were up at 4.30am to catch a 6.30am flight back to Dublin.
London Heathrow was unusually quiet given the recent terrorist alert, this was a pleasent surprise but it didn’t last long. Firstly our flight was cancelled and we were put on the 9.15am flight instead. Then we were forced to put ALL our luggage in the hold which also meant my laptop (or as my good wife refers to it – my baby :-).
Eventually when we arrived in Dublin the first alarm bell was that our luggage didn’t arrive with us, even though it was checked in three hours beforehand. We were then told it would arrive on the next British Midland flight later in the afternoon.
Many hours later when our luggage did eventually arrive, both bags were there but my laptop and mobile phone were not inside. Initially my mind went into a tailspin and was registering, at a rate of knots, all the inconveniences that now awaited me.
Not least of these was the fact that Dandavats would not now be updated as speedily as it should be. All of our readers might reasonably assume that the Editor and his team were total space cadets, when in fact the circumstances were completely beyond our control.
One devotee recently mentioned to me that laptops are both an extension of the brain as well as a wonderful storage facility for all the information that the brain cannot retain. How true was that, I was now thinking, and even though I had done a complete backup of my data two months ago, the loss was still hitting hard.
After a while I began to apply some philosophy to the situation. I tried to separate what was inconvenient for my service from what was little more than attachment on my part.
Krishna tells us in the Bhagavad gita that vita-raja (freedom from attachment) is essential for controlling the mind. He also tells us that nirasir nirmamo (without desire for profit and ownership) is how we should perform our devotional service.
So now I am getting over the trauma of losing my baby while not acting like one by throwing a tantrum.
My concern now though is perhaps the muslims extremists are not after George Bush after all but rather their real goal is to sabotage the Dandavats website! :-)
Your laptop grieving servant,
Praghosa dasa
Bit of an over reaction with the security checks. They’re making young mothers taste the contents of their baby’s bottles in case they contain explosives. And there’s no way anyone could mistake you for a terrorist, prabhu. :)
Seriously though – a good time (as always) for remembering Krishna. Danger at every step in this world. My son Madhva went out to LA on an American Airlines flight recently. That’s one of the lines the bombers were targeting. He comes back on Friday.
Prahlada Maharaja loudly chanted the holy name of Lord Nrsimhadeva. May Lord Nrsimhadeva, roaring for His devotee Prahlada Maharaja, protect us from all fear of dangers created by stalwart leaders in all directions through poison, weapons, water, fire, air and so on. May the Lord cover their influence by His own transcendental influence. May Nrsimhadeva protect us in all directions and in all corners, above, below, within and without.
SB 6.8.35
Perhaps Krishna is showing you what it means ,and feels like,to be a victim of crime,it could have been much worse.
How would you respond if an unholy incident had been perpertrated on your loved ones ?
How would you respond if you found out the perpertrator was a “hare Krishna guy” ?
Well that explains it. The article just got stuck right there on the top of the page — well who can change it now? There is hardly any way to do it — you have not to get your “baby” back. While babes are not always insured, laptop and any luggage loss is covered by travel insurance that also includes data on it… 50,000 itmes of luggage were lost during that week in the same place, someone should have been loading trucks. Hare Krishna, thats better then paintings.
One of two things struck me whilst I read the article.
One is how as we become less inteligant we become more reliant on computers.
Two your main concern wasn’t the computer but the information stored and your loving devotion to serving the devotees.
You could say that the British Goverment over reacted to a potential threat to national security, but as we see the lower class man take position of authority we should not be too surprised.
Your experience was not unique as the complaints of lost items especially computers and mobile phones increased, many finding that these items were not covered by insurance. Their was a diffrence though, many were not concerned as to the loss of information, but the loss of their possessions, a violation of them and their property.
YES! your reaction was not what it should have been, but their again, it was I belive due to anxiety at not being able to fully serve the devotees. I think then its alright.