Chapter Seven - Part One

The next day, the devotees pointed out a tributary where gold is mined some hundred kilometres into the jungle. Indian legends in the area talk of a huge city made of gold that was built as far back as the beginning of their ancestry. That city is supposed to be protected by large birds and not just anyone is permitted to enter. I immediately thought of Ravana, who, Srila Prabhupada said, had gotten all of his gold from Brazil. He had mentioned that he transported it in an underground tunnel that went from Brazil to Lanka. In Rio de Janeiro there is a famous mountain with a head like a man. It overlooks most of the city. It is very high and difficult to ascend. The two ear holes are caverns that go down at a great distance. The mouth forms another cave. The scientists are yet to understand how deep it is. The local people say that it leads to the hellish worlds. If you go into its mouth and walk for about ten meters, you will come to a huge drop. We actually went there once. We took a big stone with us and pushed it off the edge. For some time we waited for it to hit the bottom but we never heard anything.
"Could this possibly be the tunnel to which Srila Prabhupada was referring?" I wondered. Turning to the devotees, I joked,
"Anyone want a cheap ticket to India?"

When questioned about the mouth of that mountain peak overlooking Rio, Srila Prabhupada said that it very well could be Ravana's tunnel. I couldn't help wonder if the city of gold down the river was once his kingdom. Even in current times, the devotees told me, there is no law and order in that region. Neither the police nor the army even go near, as it is too dangerous. There are many miners there and the gun is the law of the land. Many people are killed every day and although the United Nations itself has ordered investigations into the corruption, nothing has ever been done.

We were working really hard on this journey. On that day we went on sankirtana for nine hours. It was no easy thing, taking this boat and all the devotees up the river, going from village to village. We really gave it our best effort, trying to knock on every door in every village we went to. We didn't know when the next lot of devotees would bring Lord Caitanya's sankirtana to this remote area, so we wanted to make sure that everyone received the opportunity now.

In this particular village the chief took a Bhagavad-gita. He was a simple man and kindly took a big book. They were not at all proud like many rich people in the United States or Europe. They appreciated us coming by and were genuinely curious.

That day we also took a large wheelbarrow of prasadam door to door. At least three hundred children followed us and when some people saw our efforts, they came from their houses and pushed the wheelbarrow, helping us fill the plates as devotees gave them out at each house.

Back at the boat, I collapsed in complete and satisfying exhaustion. It felt good to work hard for my spiritual master all day long. I knew the other devotees felt the same.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Walking through the jungle on the way to the next village that evening, I suddenly felt an intense pain, a burning sensation on my bare back. It felt as if someone had poured acid on it. It was so painful that I was screaming. I fell to the ground trying to take it off.

The devotees looked very closely to see what it was but couldn't see anything. They were wondering if I had been attacked by a ghost because of the many ghost worshippers in the area. They thought that maybe I was a victim of some voodoo. Then one devotee very intelligently scratched my back. Looking into his fingernails, he saw many little mites. Each of these mites had the sting of a wasp, and I felt I'd been stung by a hive of wasps. My whole back started puffing up like a hunchback, becoming like liquid inside.

The devotees managed to scrape the mites off but, while they were doing that, they broke the big blister on my back and all the liquid poured out. It was horrible. I was in indescribable pain, so when we reached the village they took me to the witch doctor, who put this green sticky stuff on my back. As soon as he put it on this cooling effect came over my bites. The pain disappeared. I put this "cream" on for four days and there was no scar left from the attack, although it had been one huge blister.

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Last modified: November 14, 2000