Hayagriva-das – Remembering Srila Prabhupada

Saravana Kumar Paulraj

– December 11, 2009

After chanting on all eleven sets of beads, Swamiji sprinkles the colored dyes up and down and sideways on the mound of earth before him. We all strain to watch each move. He dips the twigs and wooden splinters in clarified butter, then lights them with a candle. One by one, he takes up the splinters and builds a small fire on the mound. He then mixes the sesame seeds, barley, and clarified butter in a bowl and passes it around, telling us to scoop up handfuls. As he recites the Sanskrit prayers, we repeat the words:

vande hum
sri guroh
sri Yuta
pada-kamalam
sri-gurun
vaisnavams ca

"I offer my obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master and unto the feet of all Vaishnavas."

In Sanskrit, we also offer obeisances unto the major teachers in the disciplic succession. Each prayer is ended by the word svaha, thrice repeated. When we say "sva-HAH," we throw the sesame seeds and barley onto the karma-consuming fire. Meanwhile, Swamiji continues pouring on butter, sesame seeds, and barley, and piling up kindling until the mound is blazing. The prayers flow on with rhythmic svaha’s, seemingly endless, and as we continue the litany, the flames rise, and the room heats up. When the prayers finally end, we can hear only the crackling of the fire and popping of sesame seeds. Someone distributes bananas, and Swamiji tells us to put them on the fire. We do so, and the bananas quickly begin to smoulder. As the smoke thickens, some guests begin coughing and retreating into the hallway. Swamiji calmly pours the remaining butter and seeds onto the fire. We wonder if someone will panic and call the fire department. A strange sight indeed for New York firemen: Swamiji, unaffected amidst the smoke, sitting in front of the fire, beaming with pleasure at his eleven new disciples.

"This kind of smoke does not disturb," he says, as Mukunda and Janaki rush to open windows. "Other smoke disturbs, but this kind of smoke does not."

Smiling broadly, Swamiji stands up, claps his hands, and chants Hare Krishna loudly. Placing one foot before the other, he dances beside the fire. We also dance and chant, and the smoke slowly abates. Our sinful karma burned to ashes!

The sacrifice completed, Swamiji mixes some ashes with the remnants of butter and places a little on our foreheads. I ask him the meaning of my new spiritual name.

"Hayagriva is an incarnation of Krishna who comes in Satya-yuga, the Golden Age," he says. "Hayagriva means bird-horse. As Hayagriva, Krishna has a horse’s head and wings like a bird. When He breathes, the Vedas come out."

Trying to picture Hayagriva, I imagine the Greek god Pegasus, logotype of the Mobil filling station outside.

"Not that you are Hayagriva," Swamiji quickly warns. "But Hayagriva-das. Das means servant, servant of Hayagriva. We are all servants of God. Mukunda means Krishna, the giver of liberation. Therefore, Mukunda-das-brahmachari. Rayarama-das-brahmachari. Brahmachari means celibate student."

While prasadam is distributed, Swamiji talks to the guests, urging them to follow the example of his new disciples. He laughs and jokes happily, explaining the meaning of each name.

As midnight nears, we all leave for our apartments, eleven previously unacquainted people by destiny chosen out of a city of millions, joined by a strange holyman from another land, perhaps another universe, bound by his desire to spread Krishna consciousness in America.

From the "The Hare Krishna Explosion" by HG Hayagriva dasa

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