Suzy Bell attends the annual celebrations of the appearance or birth of Lord Krishna, the supreme deity who revealed the Bhagavad Gita
Steeped in sacred ceremony and ritual, over 50 000 Hare Krishna devotees, some from as far afield as Poland and Australia, immersed themselves in the three-day festival of Sri Krishna Janmastami last weekend.
To many South Africans, the Hare Krishna faith remains locked in the surface realities of wearing plastic garlands while enjoying heady wafts of incense or queuing at the Food for Life Kitchen to wolf down a karma-free meal. But the large number of devotees who attended the recent celebrations is testimony to the growing power of a religion often derided by Western outsiders.
One former Leningrad engineering student, Gandharvika-Giridhari Dasi, was most candid about the perception outsiders have of the movement: “Some people think we are a little strange, but we are not brainwashed. In this age everybody’s brains are washed out. We have just washed out the dirt and negative energy we get from devices like TV. We aim to introduce a very simple and pure style of life, which is needed – because everyone in this age is disturbed by some mental illness.”
The first Sri Krishna Janmastami festival to take place at Chatworth’s magnificent Temple of Understanding happened in 1985, the year the temple was officially opened. That year it attracted about 20 000 devotees. But in this, the festival’s thirteenth year, a thronging mass of 50 000 journeyed to the holy site in pursuit of enlightenment.
It is the most auspicious moment for devotees because it is believed that anyone who acknowledges the importance of the occasion and understands the transcendental nature of Lord Krishna will not be born into the material world again, but will, instead, attain a higher divination of eternal life in the dwelling of the Lord Krishna. Devotees firmly believe this is a chance to attain freedom from the material world and its burdens of birth, old age, disease and death.
In celebration, the temple surroundings became a swirl of theatre, depicting the killing of one Kamsa, uncle of Lord Krishna. This drama, by the Bhaktivedanta Players, was followed by folk dancing by the Jamuna Dance Academy and spiritual songs called bhajans recited in Sanskrit and Bengali.
Next up was a poetic veena recital, in which a hypnotic conversation bounced between strings and drums.
For the more introspective there were swamis in tents, lecturing on enlightenment, talking calmly about eternal pleasures. There were Sanskrit scholars debating the existence of God, and there was His Grace Brat Mrdanga Das, president of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, giving a talk that enquired: “Are you safe, secure and happy?”
The temple’s head designer, Radha Radha Nath, designed the festival vastra (clothing) for the supreme deities. There are only about 10 devotees in KwaZulu-Natal who are qualified and initiated by a spiritual master to adorn the altar installation.
Durban designer Sid Lakhani and fashion designer Meera Patel assisted in the creative process which included exquisite detailed embroidery which took three months to complete.
There were also two smaller, doll-like representations of Lord Krishna and Radharani that were ceremoniously bathed in yoghurt and honey, then dressed and put to rest in miniature beds. The altar was a mass of roses and carnations, gifts of incense, fruit and milk, offered by devotees who bowed in prayer, kissing the marble floors. Chanting devotees did a gentle barefoot skip with arms raised high in celebration.
Ram Kinkar Das, devotee and communications officer of KZN’s Department of Education and Culture says: “The festival was such a fantastic success because the atmosphere was very spiritual, and you could see clearly that those who came were absolutely submerged with spiritual love and devotion.
“I really believe that this is also because the temple is an oasis that gives off such good energies.”
He explained that even though the temple is built in a material world, because of its octagonal architectural design it is uncontaminated by the material world. The octagon shape in Vedic culture represents a mode of transcendence.
“Even if you take an aerial photograph of the temple you will be arrested by the sight of the lotus flower shape of the gardens. You access the temple walking across a bridge across the moat, representing the ocean of material existence. The bridge represents bhakti yoga, so it’s like an express elevator transcending you to the spiritual sky which is the temple room of the Lord.”
All visitors are welcome at the Temple of Understanding in Chatsworth. Govinda’s vegetarian restaurant at the temple is open six days a week from 11am to 9pm. A full-course meal costs R20. Telephone : (031) 403-3328