Together in the House of God

As our three large buses pulled into the small village of Krokowa (pop.1100) on the Baltic Sea coast in northern Poland, many curious faces peered out from the windows of the shops and houses. Pleasantly surprised, they watched as 225 Hare Krishna devotees descended from the buses dressed in their traditional dhotis and saris, the men with shaven heads.

Krokowa was the last stop on our summer tour along the coast. After months of festivals, book distribution and prasadam distribution to the summer crowds along the beaches, we had chosen this small village as a place to celebrate Janmastami, the appearance day of Lord Krishna. The local headmasters had agreed to let us use his school, closed for the summer, with its numerous facilities for cooking, sleeping and other accommodations.

Apparently, however, not everyone shared his mood of hospitality. As we began to unload our belongings several of the shop windows closed abruptly and some jeers could be heard from the crowd that had gathered on the corner.

That evening just as we had finished settling in, we noticed the local Catholic priest approaching the school, surrounded by several townspeople. Nodding to what must have been some disapproving remarks about us, he soon appeared at our door.

“Come in, Father” I said, opening up the door. “We’re honored by your visit.”

“I’m also honored to meet you” he said. “I’ve been telling my congregation not to be upset by your presence. Rest assured, they’re more curious than upset!” Then with a touch of apprehension he inquired, “You worship God don’t you?”

“Oh yes, Father!” I replied. “We follow the Vedic tradition of India. There God is addressed as Krsna – the all attractive person.”

“Fine” he said “Why don’t you come to my church tomorrow and explain everything to the congregation?”

Taken by surprise with such a quick invitation I replied, “You’d like us to come to your church?”

“Yes” he said. “We’ll begin at half past four. Rest assured, most of my congregation will be there. You’re the talk of the town!” As he turned to leave I inquired, “Father how big is your congregation?” he replied, “Why? The whole population! There’s only one church in town!”

The next day myself and 30 devotees walked the cobblestone streets to the quaint church, situated in the center of the village. Over 100 years old, it’s beautiful granite structure glittered in the afternoon sun. As we approached the door, the priest greeted us. “Welcome,” he said “We’ve been waiting.”

As we entered the church, the 500 members present nodded respectfully from their seats as the priest directed me to the pulpit. “Don’t be worried” he whispered in my ear, “I’ve told them we worship the same God!” Taking his reassurance as my cue, I stepped up to the podium and elaborated on the same theme.

“Respected Father, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a great honor to speak to you today in this holy place. From our Vedic scriptures we understand that the purpose of religion in one: that is, to awaken your love for God. At different times in history the Lord has come personally, has sent His beloved son Jesus Christ or has empowered His representative to instruct us in this process.

“Their teachings are to be found in all the great scriptures of the world, such as the Bible, the Koran and the Bhagavad Gita. Each of these sacred scriptures recommends the chanting of God’s name as means to awaken our love for Him. To begin this afternoon, we would like to request you to chant with us the Hare Krishna mantra, names of God in the Sanskrit language.”

Closing my eyes and taking my karatalas in hand, I began softly chanting Hare Krishna, gently swaying back and forth behind the podium, all the while appreciating how two different spiritual traditions had joined together in a house of God.

Without hesitation the entire congregation joined in the chanting, the transcendental sound echoing throughout the church’s vast chambers. As the tempo of the kirtana increased the priest himself stood, clapping with a smile on his face. After fifteen minutes I ended the kirtana, and called out spontaneously, “All glories to the Holy name,” The congregation responded appropriately with, “Amen!”

After the chanting I explained more of our philosophy, emphasizing the universal principles of religiosity; cleanliness, truthfulness, mercy and austerity. Just before ending I had the idea to invite the priest and the congregation to our janmastami celebration the next day. “It’s like our Christmas,” I explained. Everyone looked at the priest for approval. Smiling broadly he said, “We’d be delighted!”

The next day the villagers began arriving in the afternoon and by evening over 1,000 people had crowded into the gym. To our amazement the entire village had come!

Hurrying back to the school, we busied preparing the gymnasium for our Janmastami celebrations, transforming it overnight into a festive temple with beautiful decorations.

A feast was served, we performed a play and then everyone sat for the highlight of the day, a Vedic marriage. Ten devotee couples surrounded the sacred fire, the entire arena beautifully bedecked with fruits, flowers and incense. As I was about to address the audience my eye caught the priest sitting in the front row. Approaching him I requested, “Father, why don’t you speak tonight. Yesterday evening I spoke in your house of God, tonight please speak in ours.”

Ascending the platform he spoke on the sanctity of marriage, and the need for husband and wife to center their lives on God. Then just before concluding he paused, choosing his words carefully. “Ladies and gentlemen, I think I speak for all the people of Krokowa when I say that it has been a wonderful weekend of sharing spiritual traditions. And I think we should go on sharing.” Looking towards the devotees he said, “May we humbly request you to celebrate Janmastami with us annually, each summer here in Krokowa.”

As the audience stood in a standing ovation, I climbed the steps and the priest and I warmly embraced, consecrating his offer.


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