Return to Vrindavan
I decided to go back to Vrindavan for the Diwali festival and wonder about the return trip later. I started from Delhi in the morning, taking an auto-rickshaw to a good hitchhiking spot. After a couple of short rides on motorbikes I got a ride in a SUV and as I told the driver I’m going to Vrindavan, he told me he’s not going that far, but insisted on buying a bus ticket for me. As I got on the bus, I heard a voice behind me saying “Hare Krishna, prabhu!” and turning around I saw a fellow devotee also heading for Vrindavan. After a few hours on the bus, we reached the crossroads for Vrindavan and got off the bus and took an auto-rickshaw to the Iskcon temple in Vrindavan.
After reaching Vrindavan we parted and I went off to look for lodging - I didn’t feel like going for darshan before taking a bath and changing my clothes. It turned out to be harder than I thought as Diwali and the Kartik month are very auspicious times for sadhanaand visiting holy places and therefore many ashrams and guesthouses I tried were either booked full or had ‘high season’ prices. Eventually after a long, sweaty hour of walking around I found an ashram for a reasonable price and checked in.
It’s great to be back in Vrindavan. Somehow I feel I can appreciate the holy dham more this time around and I also feel more welcome here this time - I guess I’ve learned something in between my visits here.
