The journey continues

I was at University of Toronto and it being a Friday afternoon, there were hardly any people to be seen. With great difficulty I stopped a biker at the signal and he started to explore the world of Srila Prabhupada's books. He looked promising and I was hopeful he would get a book but another lady on a bike passed us and then stopped a little ahead of us saying aloud - what do you have there, I also want one. She looked completely crazy and was acting like it too. I kind a shouted back asking her to wait a few minutes and thought she would leave. Meanwhile a few minutes later as this guy was saying he had no money, this lady rode up to us on her bike. She started to tell him about Zen Buddhism and how she would practice it all the time. She explained she practiced Zen Buddhism and that meant she did not use the breaks on her bike and it moved automatically, now I was convinced she was crazy and started to try and cut myself away from the conversation. As I was doing that she suddenly turned around and started to describe 'I am telling you I know all this. I have seen these books (she said looking at Srila Prabhupada) and I have seen it in 1969.' She started to explain how LA is one of the busiest places in the world where no one has time for anyone or anything but there in 1969 she had seen devotees in the middle of the street - glowing with an aura and she knew they were the real thing. She kept repeating you Hare Krishna are the real thing.
I took the opportunity to ask a small donation for the book she was holding and she opened her mouth and asked me how many teeth I saw there. I saw only 2 teeth and told her that - she said she did not have money to fix her teeth so how can she pay for the book. I asked her to give me what she had and she pulled out 2 dollars from her bag. Then as if her intelligence returned for a few minutes and she started to recite the entire maha-mantra and I repeated it with her. I asked her to read it and she explained to me that she was going senile and was losing her mind. She told me she knew now she was not going to have her mind for long, she has lost the chance. I was holding back tears as I was thinking of what would it have been if she had followed devotees in 1969 – now she was here like an uncared for animal and still Lord Chaitanya was trying to get her back.

The most successful Sankirtana affairs are going on here in Los Angeles. It is actually wonderful in comparison to others. They are also thinking of opening a branch in Laguna Beach, and I have encouraged this idea. Personally, I also still maintain the idea of a world Sankirtana Party, but such things at the present moment are a dream only. But one day maybe it may come out successful.
> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Hamsaduta — Los Angeles 26 June, 1969