THE INCARNATION GAME

     In the early 1980's we were traveling as a group of ladies collecting funds for Gita nagari, Pennsylvania, USA. We were selling door to door in an effort to maintain the farm which was just getting established and had more or less no other financial base than the sales teams. There were two teams the men’s party and the ladies' party. It was lot of fun actually. But something you would only want to do as long as there was plenty of youthful energy.

     Sometimes we stayed at camp grounds. This particular time we were at a camp ground and it had been a long labor intensive week on the road, door to door, store to store in hot weather.. Sunday feast and relaxation time.

     There was swimming pool. We started to play a game. The more we played it the more ecstatic we were becoming. Someone either alone or two or more would stand on the edge of the deep end and strike a pose. Everyone else had to guess what the pose was. Someone stood like Shyamasundara with flute in hand, everyone else called out Krishna, or Govinda or Shyamasundara and the devotee then dove into the pool. It was the incarnation game. Four devotees stood together posing as Sita, Rama, Lakmana Hanuman. Everyone called out Sita, Rama, Lakmana, Hanuman and then all four dove into the pool. Nrshmha deva. Tulis devi. Lord Chaitanya. It was great fun. The incarnation game. As soon as the name of the incarnation was called out they dove into the pool.Diving into the pool being like appearing in the material universe. When they were called they appeared.

     This went on for hours. So blissful. The party leader did not take part and seemed to be getting more and more irritable. Finally she stopped the game and demanded everyone stop. It may be that the pressures of management and leadership which are always so stressful, Prabhupada said management is a headache, didn't allow her to taste the joy of the game. Sometimes Laksmiji becomes angry at the servants of Lord Jagannatha also.