How Attractive is Krishna!

From a devotee friend in Oxford:

"We've been holding monthly kirtan sessions at the Quaker Meeting House in Oxford for just over a year. Last Sunday, we started up again after a summer break and were pleased to see several new faces there, including three young school-girls.

We all chanted with gusto, and after the session, I sat next to one of the girls and asked how she came to be there. "Well" she said; "I went to see the Mahabharata in June, and became extremely attracted to Krishna."

That was interesting; extremely attracted! After chatting for a bit, I went and spoke to an older lady, also there for the first time. As we talked, it came out that she too was there because of the Mahabharata production, which played in Oxford in June. "I went to see it and had an overwhelming experience; I had to go and see it again the next night! Then I took down the unread Bhagavad-Gita which had been on my shelf for years, and read it; I went to the Soho St. temple in London, and bought lots of books in their bookshop; and I found out about the kirtan here, and came along".

That was astonishing!

I had just been reading a chapter of Krishna Book in which some of Krishna's queens described how they came to their good fortune to have such an intimate relationship with Krishna. Rukmini had never seen Krishna, but became attracted to Him as she heard about Him, from sages who visited her father's palace. Another had heard about Krishna from Narada Muni and decided that she would marry no-one but Him.

And here, now, in 21st century Oxford the same process is at work. Eternally it will be so: people attracted to Krishna just by hearing about Him. We already know Krishna; we've merely temporarily forgotten Him - and by seeing a play, or reading a book, or hearing a kirtan - it will set off a spark of remembrance, which will blaze into pure love of God, if we fan it carefully.

The dance-drama production of the Mahabharata which toured England in the summer was conceived by Gaura-lila from Switzerland. The result of eight years work. I bet he'd be pleased to know what an impact it is having!

You can read about it here: Mahabharata at Sadlers Wells.