A Traveler
By Tulasi Devi Dasi
I stopped a boy about 20 years old, with backpack, long hair and jeans.
"No! No! I'm saved! I've been saved for four years now, I don't need that, I have Jesus"!
So I said, "Great!" and then asked him if he had been backpacking for long. He told me he was spending a little time visiting friends in different places. Then he said he reluctantly had to go back to his family.
So I said how real family closeness is how we are close spiritually, not just because of our material body plopping out from the same one as someone else. Real family is a spiritual family.
He really liked this since he wasn't feeling close with his family anymore.
Then I showed him the Srimad Bhagavatam, First Canto, telling him you'll love this story of Narada Muni. How he became detached from his family by the Lord's mercy. I explained a little of the story, then I showed him the verse and purport where after Narada's mother died he was traveling all over and of course remembering and following the great saintly persons instructions and how Srila Prabhupada says it's the duty of a mendicant to experience all varieties of God's creation by traveling alone through all the forests, etc. to gain faith in God and strength of mind as well as to enlighten the inhabitants with the message of God.
When I started to say more about Narada, the boy said, "Stop! Stop! Don't say anymore! Don't tell me what happens to Narada, let me read it for myself! How much do you want?"
