Portland’s Bhakti Shop hosted Swami Tripurari on a Friday night during his Kartika visit to the city. There was a full-house crowd of more than one hundred guests, a number of whom have been studying his Gita commentary for years and have been certified as yoga teachers themselves. Swami explained Govinda dasa’s “Bhaja Hure Mana,” with musical accompaniment from Agnideva. He also explained the historical background to the song—the differences between the saktas and bhaktas of Bengal—and how Sakti Ma Durga led Govinda dasa to the lotus feet of Sri Nandanandana and the service of another Durga—Sri Radha. As Swami wove Govinda dasa’s path from Durga to Radha, he spontaneously broke from speech to song, flowing into Sri Rupa’s “Radhe Jaya Jaya Madhava Dayite.”
Friday night’s public program was followed by two private programs hosted by Hari-bhakti devi. Both afternoon programs were crowded yet comfortable in the atmosphere of Hari katha and sadhu sanga. Swami spoke both afternoons from the Gita, 12.1 and 10.9.
Lectures:
Bhagavad-gita, Ch. 10: A Laid-Back God
Bhagavad-gita 10.9: Together Forever
