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Potomac, MD  – Thousands of ardent devotees, resplendent in colorful Indian attire, thronged to the Hare Krishna Temple, on Tuesday night, September 4, to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna.  It was a sight to behold.  Truly, a community conglomeration!  Inside, the queue to enter the sanctuary stretched beyond the parking lot; outside, cars were parked for miles on either side of the temple.

            Janmashtami is an auspicious event for all Hindus.  Lord Krishna is worshiped as the Supreme personality of Godhead.  Some 5,000 years ago, he appeared on earth to protect the pious, annihilate the miscreants and re-establish the principles of virtue.

            “It’s really an exciting event”, said Sonia Chopra, who is actively involved with the Hare Krishna Temple.  “This is one day when we get anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 people”, she told EXPRESS INDIA/INDIA THIS WEEK.  “Besides Dussehra, this is our biggest festival”.

            The air was rife with celebration as the entire temple and its surroundings bore a festive look.  Beginning at 6:00 p.m., there were hourly Aartis, culminating in the grand Maha Aarti at midnight.

            On the temple grounds, a large stage had been erected for a program featuring Indian classical dances, devotional songs, and a play about Krishna by school children.  Sonia Chopra was the emcee for the evening, that is, after she put the finishing touches on the flower arrangements in the temple.

            On another side, a free vegetarian feast was being served until midnight.  “Yesterday, the devotees were here all day preparing over 5,000 gulab jamuns (an Indian dessert)”, Sonia informed us.  “It is not just a regular meal; it’s really a feast!”  Anyone who has partaken in the fresh meal served by Hare Krishna volunteers would attest to the fact that it’s a meal which feeds the body and soul!

            There was certainly no dearth of activities that night.  A number of booths had been set up displaying the colorful attire and treasures of Lord Krishna and his beloved Radha, spiritual and religious books, henna and face painting, even one encouraging people to chant.  Suresh Rajagopalan, a software engineer who works in Herndon, was volunteering at a booth where devotees got a unique chance to chant the Hare Krishna Mantra.  “Today being an auspicious day, we are requesting people to chant Krishna’s name 108 times”, Suresh told us.  “There are a lot of benefits if you chant”, he added.

            Suresh, by his own admission, is a convert.  Inspired by his brother-in-law, he now chants every day.  “I am convinced the spiritual path is the way to go”, he declared.

            At his booth, a young American girl, dressed in Indian attire, was engrossed in chanting.  We later caught up with her.  She introduced herself as Raveena, a resident of Washington, DC.  About the chanting, she gushed, “it’s very heartfelt.  I feel a great sense of peace and a great energy in my heart from the chanting that I didn’t feel when I arrived”.

            We were curious to know what brought her to the temple that day.  “I have lived in India before and I am a devotee”, she said.  “The program is really lovely.  I thought we would just be going inside a temple, doing all the puja (prayer) and Aarti inside.  But, it is much more of a community event than I ever thought it would be”.

            Raveena was accompanied by her friend Saba, who lives in Arlington, VA, and whose family hails from Hyderabad.  Like Raveena, Saba came to the Hare Krishna Temple for the first time.  Both girls felt Janmashtami is very special to them.  It almost coincides with their own birthdays: Raveena’s is on the following day and Saba’s, a few days later.  “I thought it would be really wonderful to celebrate Lord Krishna’s birthday while we are celebrating our birthday”, said Raveena.

            When it comes to devotion, dedication and selfless service, these abound at the Hare Krishna Temple.  We were fortunate to meet Judy Campbell who was serving at the Hare Krishna Food for Life booth.  “My involvement with the temple goes back almost 32 years”, she told us.  “When I first came, the temple was downtown, on Q Street, near Dupont Circle, in Washington, DC.  We moved here (to Potomac) in the Spring of 1976.  I am blessed to be affiliated with this temple all this time.  I do whatever is needed of me.  We build a big Ravan for the `Ram Vijaya’ festival in the Fall.  Janmashtami and Ram Vijaya are two of the biggest events at Hare Krishna temple.  Several thousand devotees come here.  I think these festivals are a wonderful time for families to come to the temple.  It really enlivens everyone”, she said.

            It is noteworthy that Food for Life (www.ffl.org),  the world’s largest vegetarian and vegan food relief organization, is the humanitarian outreach program of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness).  Paul Rodney Turner - a.k.a. Priyavrata, an initiated devotee of Hare Krishna Temple - explained that the program is independent, but fulfills the desires of Srila Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON.  “Most of the people involved are Hare Krishna devotees.  So, it is fulfilling one of ISKCON’s missions which is to distribute prasadam.  The founder said everyone should get prasadam; no one should go hungry”, Paul mentioned.

            Today, Food for Life serves about one million meals a day in 50 countries.  It also has numerous projects under its wing such as free schools for poor children, orphanages, medical care services and child protection programs.  “The basis of it is the food program”, Paul explained.  “It is all vegetarian or vegan.  It is all freshly cooked and is served directly to the public”.

            “We target whatever the need is in a particular community”, he told us.  “So, we have a variety of programs around the world.  Our biggest programs are in India.  Some of these programs are called `Mid-day Meal Programs’ where we cook large quantities of rice, `daal’ (lentils), `sabzi’ (vegetable), `poori’ (bread) and `dahi’ (yogurt).  We store it in stainless steel containers and transport it by truck to schools of underprivileged children.  For example, just one program alone in Delhi succeeds in feeding 100,000 children every single day for lunch.  It’s quite amazing!  It’s very efficient.  That particular kitchen won a very prestigious award for a high standard of cleanliness and professionalism”.

            Who are your donors, we asked.  Paul replied that donations come from the public - from a number of vegetarians and animal rights activists.  The organization also benefits from corporate and government grants.

            Interestingly, Food for Life Global, which is the headquarters for Food for Life, is based here, in Takoma Park, MD.