The last few days in a row,this Anna’s hummingbird has been perched on a branch 1 foot away from our screened kitchen window while I bathe our Salagram Silas and chant mantras. He just sits there, watches and listens, and doesnt go away. When I am done with the Silas I hold them all up on a plate so he can take full darshan of the Lords. I put Them on the altar, and return to the kitchen, and he is still sitting there on his branch.
This is exactly how we should be with rapt attention while we are absorbed in the Transcendental Vibration of Hare Krsna maha mantra and reading the books daily. Unfortunately many devotees do not like to do this wonderful activity on a daily basis like this simple bird does- and have gone away with little to no interest in hearing in association of the Lords devotees.
Oct 19 1972 Vrndavana…..So dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ, notpādayed yadi ratim [SB 1.2.8]. This hearing process is very, very important. But people are not interested in hearing. They are simply busy in some other duties. My Guru Mahārāja used to say… One who was not interested in hearing, he used to call him a daṇḍavat-class. Daṇḍavat-class of men. That means simply he knows how to make daṇḍavats, that’s all. (laughter) Anyone who will come to him, he would see whether he is a daṇḍavat-class of man or hearing class of man. So daṇḍavat is nice, but by offering daṇḍavat, if one does not develop the intent of hearing, śravaṇam, then he is not making very much progress. As you know, because I was little interested in hearing, my Guru Mahārāja, he accepted me as his disciple. He marked this. “This boy is interested in hearing. He does not go away.” Actually, I do not know. I could not understand what he was speaking in the beginning, but still I was very much interested to hear him, out of curiosity or something like that.So hearing is very important thing. Notpādayed yadi ratim, viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ. Kathā. Hari-kathā. This is accepted by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Below is another hummingbird , who is not so fortunate and got caught, by his own doing in the garage windows , thinking thru that window was the way out of the garage. He tried so hard, but exhausted himself and them my wife had to rescue him in the red cloth until he recovered from his ordeal and then fly away.
Simple story and a good lesson to learn-one bird is intelligent- sits and hears me chant Transcendental mantras, takes darshan of the Lord in Sila form, then can fly away, “as free as a bird”. The other bird tries again and again to be free, but by his own foolishness- he traps himself.
Hare Krsnadamaghosa das