Message from Balabhadra Prabhu:
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Message from our own ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐จ๐ ๐ข - ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐ฒ ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐๐ง (๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐) - ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
๐๐ข๐๐ฐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ง ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ฎ/๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ซ
๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฃ๐ข, ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ฌ,
๐ป๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ก ๐ผ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก ๐ค๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ ๐๐โ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ด๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ข๐ก๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐๐.
๐ต๐๐๐๐โ๐๐๐๐ ๐ตโ๐๐ก๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐
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I grew up in the South during the 1950s and 60s. Those were troublesome times for the ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ. During those times they identified us as Negroes. As an ethnic minority, it was very difficult to understand what our place in the world was. Honestly, there was an element of shame associated with being black.
During the late sixties, I became involved in the "๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐" which exposed me to the concept of "๐๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐." I was not familiar with this ๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐, ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐๐ก ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ฎ/๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐.
My first exposure to this culture was through my association in 1971, with ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐ข ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ก ๐๐จ๐ ๐ข. I was a performing artist in the Atlanta and surrounding areas and heavily involved with the culture of "Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll."
Eventually around 1972, I came in contact with disciples of ๐๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐.๐. ๐๐ก๐๐ค๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฆ๐ข ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ฉ๐๐๐, the founder Acharya of the ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ. They then introduced me was then to the ๐๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐, which is the most well known of all Vedic texts. This holy book is very dear and sacred to all Hindus and Westerners who have adopted these teaching and practices. I became an initiated disciple of ๐๐ก๐๐ค๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฆ๐ข ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ฉ๐๐๐ in July 1974 during his visit to Chicago for a major Hindu/Vedic festival, Ratha Yatra.
Interestingly, around 1974 I was fortunate to meet one of Swami Prabhupada's very first disciples, ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐. He encouraged to join the local ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ and that they would train me as a leader and then I should go back and help the ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ค ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ. This instruction has constantly inspired me to expose this great ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ฎ/๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ and philosophy to the urban communities.
During the present time of racial tensions in America, I along with other Hindu/Vedic leaders are considering what we can do to impact and help to change this painful and distressful situation.
๐ถ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐ป๐๐๐๐ข/๐๐๐๐๐ ๐โ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐โ๐ฆ ๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐กโ๐๐ก ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก ๐กโ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ก ๐กโ๐๐ก ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐โ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ .
๐บ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ฏ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐จ๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐พ๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐ .
One thing that I have learned during my several efforts to share Hindu/Vedic principles in the primarily African American community, is that these communities are not looking for a handout. They are desperately in need of help in building up their communities, especially in the areas of affordable housing not just gentrification. Jobs and other meaningful social activities for their youth and young adults are also a major concern along with educational help.
Some years ago I partnered with a young African American community activist who was working in my hometown of East Point Georgia and during that time some local people who knew about my association with the Hindu community, said to me "๐๐. ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ ๐ป๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐๐๐โ ๐ข๐ โ๐๐ค ๐ก๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐." One reason for this question is that many of the small businesses in their communities are owned by Hindu community members.
I am serving as the ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง, an organization focused on preserving and presenting the various aspects of the Hindu/Vedic culture, in a manner suitable for the present environment which is plagued by such issues as racism. This is the first time to my knowledge that they have elected an ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ณ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง. I am honored to serve in this capacity and the support and encouragement have been tremendous.
So I am confident that with the vast resources of our Hindu/Vedic community, we can have a positive and powerful impact on developing our communities of color.
๐๐๐ง๐ง๐ฒ ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐๐ง (๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐)
๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
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