Her effulgence fills the nath mandir
With her starry eyes sparkling
Dressed in pink and white with golden trim
Mahaprabhu and Giridhari also
Lotus feet dancing free upon the marble altar
Kirtan sung in morning raga
Devotees dance and begin to smile beholding the arati ceremony
Leis of hyacinth, roses, freesia, mums their fragrance permeating
Ever fresh and young their gentle smiles attracting
Service from all who come so charmed they can’t resist it
Quickly along the long and winding straight through to the research park right at the main street on the way past the lion’s park along the beach are the sufferers riding the waves for all they can some are pedaling with their boards attached they seem to go over the sand taking their boards off and landing them on a wave in one motion Murkha and I are watching closely and marveling at the scene meanwhile a fleet of cruisers are ahead so Murkha and I weave in and out all the way to the harbor on the sea street the natasala is emptying from the matinee I take my leave and Murkha sprints past the house that taught choc-o-lot to talk-a-lot where someone is coming into the lot with a bag of strawberries he continues over the first highway to a bank that every time he passes suggests committing a big old crime at the long and winding he makes the left and bows to the ratha-bhojana-vrksa picking up the kalarupa in a chase to the vaikalika offering met by the Sugmeister general he wakes the deities and they take their bhoga after that get into their Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes
In the ninth is from Guru Maharajas’s appearance day also and they are ready for a long night of dancing and merry making in the red and deep blue dress that is beautifully simple