{"id":27991,"date":"2016-05-29T09:56:11","date_gmt":"2016-05-29T07:56:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=27991"},"modified":"2016-05-29T09:56:11","modified_gmt":"2016-05-29T07:56:11","slug":"a-house-of-harmony-a-college-students-hare-krishna-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=27991","title":{"rendered":"A House of Harmony: A College Student\u2019s Hare Krishna Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Bhakta Patrick <\/p>\n

My first encounter of the devotees was an unexpected one. I\u2019d heard about the Hare Krishnas before (most notably from when they were mentioned by Kermit the Frog in that seminal classic, The Muppet Movie<\/i>), and only thought them as funny looking but probably good natured people in orange robes singing and dancing in the street, and this is the extent to which I suspect most college students know ISKCON. At my university, the students may talk to the devotees when they see them on their bi-weekly campus harinam, maybe sit and listen to the kirtan, maybe even take a book, but they seldom, in my experience, tried to understand why they were there beyond playing cool music and distributing tasty cookies and ginger-ade. <\/p>\n

I, however, a curious freshman English major, decided to go further one day when I saw the friendly neighborhood representatives of Lord Caitanya\u2019s Sankirtan army chanting under a tree outside the humanities building; a curious sight for a Thursday afternoon. <\/p>\n

Now, I am not a socially adept person. Since I\u2019ve been making coherent sentences I have yet to master the treacherous art of small talk. Still, my interest overcame my social anxiety, I suppose, and I approached one of the devotees. \u201cUm\u2026 hi there!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey!\u201d she said, smiling. Her sari was rippling violently in the wind, but she didn\u2019t seem to mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you guys Hare Krishnas?\u201d I asked. What a stupid question. Who else could they be?<\/p>\n

\u201cYes! You\u2019ve heard about us?\u201d<\/p>\n

I proceeded to summarize to her my experience with Hindu scriptures and my geeky love of Sanskrit literature. I\u2019d studied the Bhagavad Gita in school, and had also read versions of the Mahabharata <\/i>and Ramayana<\/i>, as well as some of Kalidasa\u2019s plays, the Upanishads, and the Panchatantra.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s wonderful!\u201d she beamed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should come to our center!\u201d piped a shiny-headed devotee with a melodious Indian accent, \u201cWe have kirtan every night, and we serve free food afterwards!\u201d He handed me a floral printed card that read \u201cHARMONY COLLECTIVE: Learning Love through Cooperation\u201d<\/p>\n

I decided to go. They had me at \u201cfree food\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Harmony Collective is located, aptly, at 108 North Adams St. near Downtown Ypsilanti, in an old Victorian looking house that sports chipping chartreuse paint and dusky orange windowsills. Upon entering, I tried to make small talk with the devotees but was distracted by the walls, which sported small pictures and tapestries featuring stories from the scriptures; the epic Battle at Kurukshetra, the Gopis in the midst of their blissful Rasa Dance, and Krishna himself, the divine, sky-blue toddler, eating butter straight from the churn. <\/p>\n

<\/a> When I went upstairs to the altar room, kirtan was in full swing. Sitting down on cushions was Sidha (the Indian devotee who handed me the card). He greeted me with an enthusiastic \u201cAyeeeee!\u201d and bade me sit down. At first, I was somewhat, if not extremely uncomfortable. Interacting with strangers is always uncomfortable. But, I decided to just close my eyes and roll with the tide.<\/p>\n

Sooner or later, things got really, really, fun. I found that I loved making music with these people, reveling in the funky, driving rhythms, the sudden tempo changes. As with many college musicians going into a non-musical field, with the load of classes, homework, and social life, one barely has time to sing or play. I found that I really missed this. <\/p>\n

After kirtan, I chatted up the founder of the Harmony Collective, the mellow yet piercingly intelligent Deva Madhava Das, and his wife, the equally remarkable Phalguni Radhika Devi Dasi, who was the woman who was leading kirtan that evening. I quickly struck up a friendship with her in particular, and on my subsequent visits we would discuss philosophy, scripture, literature, and our love of BBC comedy quiz-panel shows with equal enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

I found myself being drawn to this place; no matter how hectic things got with school I always found ways to come back and visit, and I was always greeted with smiles and \u201chow are you\u201ds from all. It felt like things were slower there, less apprehensive, less worried than the fast-paced atmosphere of campus. No matter what was going on with my mammoth homework load or my social life or my dank existential anxiety about careers and the future, I knew I could always come to the Harmony Collective for a place to breathe and re-assess. <\/p>\n

As I got more familiar with the HC\u2019s devotee community, I inevitably got more familiar with Krishna Conscious philosophy. Prabhupad\u2019s Gita, given to me by Sidha Hari on our first meeting, was different than the thin, more academic Gitas I\u2019d read in the past. Upon diving in, I found Prabhupad\u2019s commentary much more elaborate and distinct from interpretations I\u2019d studied, but the process of cultivating sincere devotion and an emphasis on one\u2019s personal relationship with God described in Prabhupad\u2019s purports attracted me greatly. <\/p>\n

Soon I was setting up a small altar in my room and chanting semi-regularly on beads given to me by Phalguni. By the end of the semester, I knew how to play the harmonium, how to do the swami step, and who the heck Hiranyakashipu is. Visiting devotees started referring to me happily as \u201cBhakta Patrick\u201d. I liked that. It rang. <\/p>\n

My parents, however were not so congenial. When I first mentioned to them that I went to the devotees for dinner one night, they responded with two resounding words: \u201cSTAY AWAY.\u201d Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. I chalked this up to anxiety about me being away for the year, so I waited for a while and tried to drop subtle hints, saying things like \u201coh if I run out of meal plans I could always go to the Hare Krishnas\u201d, and \u201cI was at this Interfaith thing and the Hare Krishnas brought free food\u201d, but alas they never warmed up to the idea, and remain decidedly cool to this day. It\u2019s why I often find myself coming up with explanations like, \u201cI\u2019m going to this event put on my friend who runs a Yoga Center. It\u2019s also why I didn\u2019t use my full name to submit this article. <\/p>\n

I brought this up to Phalguni one night as we hung out and watched everyone\u2019s favorite T.V show featuring a magical azure flautist, Little Krishna. <\/i> <\/p>\n

\u201cParents are always like that\u201d. She told me, \u201cMine totally were. It\u2019ll take some time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to tell them sooner or later, though\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should invite them over\u201d said Phalguni, sipping her hot mug of ginger tea, a Harmony Collective specialty. \u201cHave them sit down and talk with us. Once they realize what we actually do here, they\u2019ll be less freaked out. One time this kid documented us for his photography project and thought it was going to be exposing some weird cult thing, but all we really do is cook and play music.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose so\u2026\u201d I imagined my parents meeting the devotees, a bizarre thought. I\u2019ve always been the adventurous one in the family, so they\u2019ve always been worried that my curiosity would get the better of me. Me joining a cult was, apparently, one of the worries on their list. <\/p>\n

\u201cDeva\u2019s great with parents. There hasn\u2019t been a parent he\u2019s talked to that hasn\u2019t liked him\u201d she smiled, \u201cBesides, he\u2019s always willing to wear pants instead of a dhoti if he has<\/i> to.\u201d It was comforting to hear, but I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll take Phalguni up on her offer quite yet. Someday, but not today. <\/p>\n

At the beginning of the winter semester, I arranged to stay at the Harmony Collective for a few days before classes started, and boy was I excited. I couldn\u2019t wait to jump into doing all kinds of service and hang out with some of my favorite friends. What could be better than three days of spiritual renewal before being thrust headlong into that cyclone of schoolwork and extra curriculars?<\/p>\n

It turned out to be less renewing than I expected. <\/p>\n

Transitioning from reading and watching Netflix on the couch at home to being in an environment where everything is all Krishna all <\/i>the time proved to be a heck of an adjustment, and not a comfortable one. I was glad to have the company of my friends, but as we settled into the daily routine, doubts about my bhakti practice began to surface, and I quickly began to feel overwhelmed and ill at ease. During Bhagavatam class, I\u2019d listen to lessons that I did not understand, and, in some cases, didn\u2019t agree with, but somehow I felt obligated to readily accept. As a few of us ventured out into the frozen wasteland of Ann Arbor for a bone-chillingly cold sankirtan , all the while eyed suspiciously by passersby, I found myself thinking, \u201cWhy am I even doing this?<\/i>\u201d. I quickly realized that I was in too deep, and, I feared that the devotees perceived me as more Hare Krishna than I actually was. <\/p>\n

I decided not to take part in the 10 hour Kirtan that Sidha Hari had spontaneously scheduled on my final evening at the house. Phalguni and I stayed in the kitchen, busying ourselves with salad dressing and Ekadasi pakoras. As we were finishing up, I asked for a word. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf I ever decided\u2026 like\u2026 not to be a devotee\u201d the words caught in my throat, \u201cwould you be disappointed?\u201d<\/p>\n

She sighed and took my hand. Whenever I ask someone a hard or difficult question my mind always goes through a rolodex of potential responses, most of them bad ones. The rolodex was going full speed on this one. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t let me influence what direction you take your spiritual life\u201d she said, \u201cYou need to do what you feel is right, regardless of what anyone might think\u201d. The thing about Phalguni is she has these wide, compassionate eyes that can stare directly into your soul, but in a reassuring way, not a creepy one. <\/p>\n

I proceeded to vomit forth my concerns about Krishna Consciousness in an incoherent, anxiety driven babble. Phalguni squeezed my hand and said, \u201cDon\u2019t worry about it. This place is meant to be a shelter; somewhere where you can come to rest and plug in, not where you have to worry about living up to expectations. We\u2019re not here to make you into a devotee. We love you, and we care about you, and we just want to help you have the best spiritual life you possibly can.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then I cried. All over her shoulder. Seldom in my life have I felt so loved and unconditionally accepted by anyone, and the reassurance and comfort was just as overwhelming as my anxiety had been, if not infinitely more so. After pulling myself together, we chatted for a bit, took some Prasad, and then went upstairs for the last leg of the kirtan. As we jammed together late into the night, I couldn\u2019t help but think about how lucky I was to experience a community like this; not a lot of people get to. But, I suppose that is precisely what Deva and the gang are trying to do, to give community to anyone who needs it. <\/p>\n

I have gone on to make many great memories with the devotees, including packing inside a huge auditorium to hear Radanath Swami speak, going on a 14 mile, ten hour sankirtan extravaganza across Detroit, and I plan to go Michigan YogaFest with them later this year. I love these people so much that how could I not? I\u2019m not a Krishna devotee, and I doubt that I will ever be, but at the Harmony Collective that doesn\u2019t matter. It never really did. It\u2019s the mark of a genuinely loving spiritual community that one can feel loved and accepted. No conditions. No expectations. Just mutual compassion and respect, and everyone needs that, Krishna or no Krishna. <\/p>\n

The Harmony Collective is a place where you can come to grow, connect, and feel welcome. It\u2019s just as beneficial for people who wish to dive deep into Krishna Consciousness as for people who just want to enjoy nice music enlightening conversation, and good food. For me, whatever happens to me on my journey, at the Harmony Collective I always feel at home.<\/p>\n

I think everyone need something like that; a spiritual home away from home. People seek it out in different ways and find it in surprising places. I can\u2019t speak for anyone else, but there\u2019s one thing I know for sure. <\/p>\n

I\u2019ve found mine. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"HareBy Bhakta Patrick<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf I ever decided\u2026 like\u2026 not to be a devotee\u201d the words caught in my throat, \u201cwould you be disappointed?\u201d \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t let me influence what direction you take your spiritual life\u201d she said, \u201cYou need to do what you feel is right, regardless of what anyone might think\u201d. \u201cDon\u2019t worry about it. This place is meant to be a shelter; somewhere where you can come to rest and plug in, not where you have to worry about living up to expectations. We\u2019re not here to make you into a devotee. We love you, and we care about you, and we just want to help you have the best spiritual life you possibly can.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27991"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27991\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27993,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27991\/revisions\/27993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}