Battlefield Bhajans Vol. 31
Written in Portland, Or
Dedicated to HDG A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Hail & Farewell
It is a military tradition that when a senior leader changes duty stations or retires, or gives up command we have small get together and speak of the wonderful service they have done, and present them with a gift. I usually try and avoid these events, because I am not so into them. My first sergeant (highest enlisted member of my Unit) was retiring, so I went to show my support. This person was a driving force for getting my paperwork together and processed for my discharge. She also fought with the command to approve it and meditated on how to make the packet stronger to have a better chance of approval from the Secretary of the Army. So after the commander spoke of the job she has done for the last twenty-five years, and we gave her a nice plague; she gave a speech. In her speech she thanked many people, her husband, the commander, the senior leaders, the soldiers.
Then she said " I want to especially thank my Hare Krsna friend, did everyone know we have a Hare Krsna in the Squadron? Well, let me tell you about him, because he made a big impact on the mission in Iraq." With tears in her eyes, she went on to describe how Krishna arranged for the Hare Krishna devotee to be around whenever someone was in difficulty, or how at the time of death even if bullets were flying around I would ensure that dying soldiers heard about God before they're passing. Finally before she walked off, she said " Never would I have thought I would do what I am about to do, Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, " Everyone gave her a standing ovation and she walked up to me and thanked me for bringing Krsna to the Army.
I said "1SG, I didn't bring Krsna to the Army, He was here the whole time, and by Prabhupada's mercy He manifested Himself in the hearts of the Soldiers." I gave her my gift to her, she unwrapped it and smiled as she looked at the Bhagavad Gita. I feel her life will never be the same again after this, Prabhupada has given her such mercy. She did a lot of service and meditation on getting me released form the Army so I can dedicate my life to Lord Caitanya's mission.
mnir ha n kare sei braja nropa‘a
rava‘a-kirtana-jale karaye secana
"When a person receives the seed of devotional service, he should take care of it by becoming a gardener and sowing the seed in his heart. If he waters the seed gradually by the process of sravana and kirtana [hearing and chanting], the seed will begin to sprout.
Sadhana:
Reading: Reading about the glories of Krsna is so sweet and makes each day a little more enjoyable. At the moment I am reading the 1st Canto of SB and also reading Srila Prabhupada and his discples in Germany. Also I am reading before taking rest BG and trying to meditate on the meaning of the verses I read. Srila Prabhupada said his books are also for reading and I am trying to take this instruction to heart.
Verse Memorization: I am still trying to memorize a verse every week and offer to Their Lordships as a gift. The verse this week is from the SB 1:2.7 Japa: The need to improve my japa is always there. I try and chant all of my rounds before Mangal-Arati. When chanting, I write in my japa notebook the time it took to chant each set of four. I do this to try and stay consistent and I can reference and see if my chanting is improving at all. Ultimately all these tricks do not work, we simply must take shelter of the Holy Name.
Seva: The worship of Their Lordships is changing, always I see improvements that can be made. But with my new service rapidly approaching, I am noticing my seva evolving. I am trying to use all my spare time for Their service. This week I tried to prepare sandesha for Their enjoyment. The first batch was very grainy but after taking the advice of Mother Nirakula, I prayed to Srimati Radharani. The next try was a little better, but still not good enough for Krsna in my opinion.
Sankritana: The marathon was here, I did not do as well as I wanted but even to go out and distrbute one book is accomplishment.
Scores: Small: 200
maha big hard: 10
big hrd: 15
magazines: 50
I am now less than a month to go in the military. It is a scary transition, to just give up everything and dedicate my life to serving Guru and Gauranga. So I fall at your feet, and beg you to give me every possible blessing that I make the most out of this opportunity. That I can really do something meaningful for Srila Prabhupada.
Yours in the Service of Srila Prabhupada
Partha Srathi Dasa
