We walked bullock cart sankirtan from Prayaga after attending maha kumbha mela with Srila Prabhupada. Lokanatha Swami led, party of eight or so, mixed Westerners and Indians. Padmapani was there, myself, and the famous film producer Jon Kay. We arrived in Varanasi without knowing the 500th anniversary of Mahaprabhu's visit. There were even processions in the street of Caitanya murthi. We did kirtan, wound up the rich metal seller's markets narrow avenues to the Srila Visvanatha Temple, and were very nicely and happily greeted, were asked to touch the Deity Linga, Srila Visvanatha, held kirtana hari haraya namah krsna, hare krsna maha mantra etc, priest put tilak and prasadam to us etc. 500 years to the day, Mahaprabhu's mixed disciples showed up to do kirtana just as He had ! We stayed at Ram ghat at a Ram baba temple that evening, full eclipse of moon, we bathed in Ganga that early evening. I watched the silver blue moon sitting at the steps of the ghat with the devotees, chanting Hare Krsna.
On Friday, February 21, 2020, 8:09:59 p.m. CST, Mohini Cox <mohinicox@gmail.com> wrote:
om namah shivaya namo visvanathaya
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n Puri, 1975, Padmapani and i were japa walking early in the morning, and chanced upon the ancient Lokanatha Shiva mandira. We visited briefly, but were chased away by mud-clod throwing kids. That Sivartri evening, we got lost coming home, and somehow or other ended up channeled to a very suci pleasant Shiva mandira decorated with lights and coconuts, with a full 3-d Krishna-style form moorthi, of a gorgeous blueish Lord Shiva, and nicely decorated lit-up Temple, and we were greeted very happily by the Priest there. It was wonderful ! We felt as if Lord Shiva had blessed us after being chased by foolish persons that morning. It was as if He had made arrangements just to suit us Westerner devotees who came to visit him, and being rather rare at the time. Living in India, one soon becomes aware that Lord Shiva is as real as Lord Vishnu !
Om namah sivaya, namo lokanathaya. hare krsna