JOLIET, IL - Visnupurana dasa and Janavi devi dasi’s plans for their family’s summer vacation are in jeopardy this year if they can’t find a temple within a day’s drive to the Grand Canyon.
“We used to always be able to find all sorts of things to do within four or five hours from almost any temple,” said Visnuprana, father of two.
The devotee family has worked their way across the US several times, traveling from temple to temple, taking free temple prasadam with them along the way.
“Staying at karmi motels and eating at karmi restaurants is maya. What is the point of traveling if you are not staying at temples?” Said Janavi devi dasi.
Many of America’s most popular tourist attractions are conveniently located near ISKCON temples.
She continued, “We’ve seen Disney World and Disney Land, New York City, been up into the Sears Tower, even visited the stupid St. Louis Arch! We’re running out of ideas!”
Visnupurana added, “It just breaks my heart that the kids will never get to see Mt. Rushmore or Yellowstone Park, they’re just too far away from the nearest temple.”
The family raises money for the vacations by selling “Smile” stickers and tickets for having “too much fun.” This year, however, fun will be at an all-time low.
“All we really wanted was to visit the Grand Canyon,” Said Visnupurana, adding, “I can’t believe there’s not a freaking temple in Flagstaff!”
Janavi continued, “we even checked out the Gatherings section on Krishna.com… nothing even close!”
According to Jayalila, the youngest, last year’s vacation to Rocky Mountain National Park, a few short hours from the Denver temple, “bit the big one.”
Tilaka, 14, added, “Yeah, it was totally obvious they ran out of ideas a couple of years ago after the ‘Let’s check out the Boise, Idaho temple!’ Come on, who goes to Idaho for vacation?”
The family is cautiously awaiting the opening of the Sedona Vedic Cultural Center, less than three hours from the Grand Canyon. “We’re not really sure if it’s devotees or just another Hindu temple,” said Visnupurana, “It’s getting really hard to tell.” Adding, “Anyway, $85 for a room and eight dollars for a plate of prasadam is a whole lot of Smile stickers.”
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9 responses so far ↓
1 Jayalila // Feb 6, 2008 at 11:13 am
cool, my name got used
2 Jayalila // Feb 6, 2008 at 11:14 am
yeah, totally bit the big one
3 Nanda Sunu // Feb 6, 2008 at 11:14 am
awesome, keep them coming.
4 Radhanama // Feb 6, 2008 at 11:15 am
AWESOME!!! And I’ve written one or two “tickets” in my day too, but I was liberating laxmi from her karmi oppressors so it’s cool…
5 Bhakta Godhead // Feb 28, 2008 at 8:53 pm
10/10 for using a picture of the Griswalds. I think there’s room for more exploration on the topic of “prasadam welfare recipients”, or as we used to call them, “The Packers”.
6 TaruN // Mar 2, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Those of us who strictly follow Srila RAghunAth dAs GoswAmI are only allowed to ‘pack’ old discarded prasAdam, not fresh.
It’s a kind of transcendental service to honor rejected rice, dejected dahl… thus clearing the Mandir refrigerator for newer & newer ingredients.
Fresh prasAd is 4 the important vaisnavas, not us wretched souls.
We vehemently oppose SUBWAY commercials.
Don’t eat fresh, honor the old, as Bhagavad-gita suggests.
7 Bhakta Godhead // Mar 2, 2008 at 8:41 pm
A devotee once told me he ate a grain of rice that had fallen off his plate and on to a piece of peacock poo. He claims it was a transcendental experience. True story.
8 Bhatka Johhn // Apr 11, 2008 at 1:01 am
“We’re not really sure if it’s devotees or just another Hindu temple,” said Visnupurana, “It’s getting really hard to tell.” Adding, “Anyway, $85 for a room and eight dollars for a plate of prasadam is a whole lot of Smile stickers.”
Ive had this problem too. I thought I was the only one
9 syama // Aug 5, 2008 at 9:07 am
I read once of a muslim taxi driver who dropped a reporter off outside the temple grounds for fear he would be hypnotised with cooking utensils!
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