At Mysore ISKCON temple

Raghu told me on way to the temple that he can't recall the last time he celebrated his wedding anniversary. This year ISKCON temple offered to perform special archana on the occasion. As ISKCON life member, Raghu had option to choose one special occasion in a year when puja would be done at the temple.Raghu chose his wedding anniversary - Oct.17. It was Diwali day for some southies.
Their daughter Kavitha came from Mangalore for the occasion. She is a dental specialist at the Hedge hospital.Dr Kavitha is also a consultant for some other hospitals in Mangalore.ISKCON puja was scheduled at 7.15 am. The Raghus left their Vidyaranyapuram home 6.30 a m.

It was a misty morning in Mysore. We were the first of visitors to ISKCON temple on that Saturday morning. The temple, manned by a group of young ISKCON volunteers, clad in kavi dhoti-kurta, is located on a spacious, and yet to be developed, patch of land in Jayanagar. They have plans to develop this place into an ashram-type complex. Mysore is known for its ashrams .
The red-brick building, unlike temples of the Hindu traditional kind, could be taken for a library or a community hall. It is refreshingly clean and well-kept, which cannot be said about most of our places of worship. But then ISKCON isn't a temple in a strictly traditional sense. It is more a place for celebration of Lord Krishna, place for community prayer and discourse.
The forecourt of the temple is planted with tulsi. The hall of worship (didn't photograph it,in deference to the sensibilities of devotees engaged in spirited prayer) is functional. Its spaciousness and high ceiling could as well be an architect's design for a warehouse or even an aircraft hanger. The high walls of the prayer hall are covered with paintings, depicting ISKCON's prime deity and its founding devotees offering prayer.
They have developed a grass-patch all around the temple. The little girl seen in the picture is Diya, the young lady who gave me company during the hour-long prayer meet. I can't say we were fully into the spirited proceedings of an ISKCON prayer meet. It went on a bit too long for us to stay focused. So Diya and I decided to explore the surroundings.
Diya led me to an imposing image at the temple lobby, and also showed me around holding my hand. Diya told me she had been to ISKCON thrice. Which made her knowledgeable about the place. This was my first visit.
The encased painting at the lobby (didn't take picture) depicts young Krishna tied to a pillar with a rope. Diya explained that his mom Yadhodha held him tied to a pillar because Krishna ate too much butter. When I mentioned that his mother, perhaps, thought Krishna shouldn't eat so much butter because it was bad for health, Diya disagreed, saying eating butter in fact made one strong. Her sense was that Yashodha should not have punished Krishna for eating butter. Diya has no concept of stealing. She wasn't aware that Krishna was punished for pilfering the stuff.
After the puja Raghu did souvenir shopping at the temple sales counter. What struck me about the place is its functionality and the orderly manner of conducting community worship. Must concede that I found the way they prayed to be somewhat demonstrative, and I couldn't see myself emulating it. ISKCON devotees raised their arms, and swayed gently as they sang bhajans.

At times, the devotees moved a few steps back and forth, clapping hands loudly, and chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Rama. ISKCON believes in participatory prayer. During archna printed sheets containing 108 chants were handed out at the prayer hall, to encourage participation of even those who might not be familiar with the relevant sloka