Love Spell

You know how when you’re falling in love, you want to shout it out to the whole world?

Right now it is ten o’clock at night, and I was just about to go to sleep. But I jumped on my scooter (in my pajamas) and sped several miles to the nearest wi-fi hotspot because this news cannot wait until tomorrow:

For one day, the holy name stole my heart.

The Kartik 24 Hour Kirtan in New Vrindavan cast a spell on me, a spell that still lingers around the edges of my heart, like incense in a templeroom.

I chose to follow mauna-vrata (vow of silence) for the duration of the festival, and the magic of the holy name sunk deep, deep into my skin. Sometimes I forgot to eat because I was so enthralled in a kirtan. I cursed my need for sleep.

As the festival drew to a close, I had been hearing and chanting only the holy name for more than 24 hours. I felt as though my mind was bathed in stillness. Every time I heard someone singing the mahamantra, even someone in passing just walking down the hall, I would stop and close my eyes and listen.

It's like the Vaishnavas have cast a spell on me that I never want to fade.



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Entire audio track: http://kuruvinda.com/music/KirtanSanga/BecauseWeCan/Volume1/1-14%20Tinge%20of%20Playfulness.mp3