Brian Pearson, Devavrata Das, Suvarna Bindu Das and other monks arrive in Davis to share Hindu teachings
By NOAH HARRIS — features@theaggie.org
The unassuming house sits in a small corner of Davis, on B Street and E 8th Street. There are no decorations outside, no signs to lead any wanderers to it. However, inside its wooden walls filled with colorful artwork and books for sale contains monks taught in India, devoted to the Hindu deity Krishna.
These men, two of whom are from Orange County, moved to Davis around a month ago, and seem to be one of Davis’ most unique gatherings. Three of the monks, who outlined and shared about their practice, are Brian Pearson, Devavrata Das and Suvarna Bindu Das.
Every Thursday at 6 p.m., an event called Wisdom Talks is held at 400 E 8th St. If one arrives late, they will be greeted by a loud chanting sound coming from a very small group, typically around 10 people.
The chant, named Hare Krishna, goes: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
Charlie Zivny, a fourth-year economics major who has attended multiple Wisdom Talks, shared his initial thoughts on the event.
“I walk into the alleyway and I hear the drums and the ringing and, I’m like, okay, there’s some rhythm going on,” Zivny said. “I get there and there’s this glass door and I see people sat in a circle. The inside of the house is kind of like this wood, and it’s dimly lit with orange lights. If you like video games, it was like you entered a new zone that you just unlocked.”
Before entering, people must take off their shoes, and most choose to sit on the floor even though there are chairs available. The chanting, which is a prayer to Krishna, repeats over and over again for around 20 minutes.
Pearson, one of the monks from Orange County, further described the weekly Wisdom Talks.
“We have a talk session on spiritual wisdom from Bhagavad Gita, the ancient Vedic literatures,” Pearson said. “After that, we have an ecstatic vegetarian feast or plant-based feast. The best food you’ve ever had.”
Zivny described what he was feeling when he first arrived.
“At first, [it was] really uncomfortable — it [may] feel culty [to some],” Zivny said. [However], if you’re gonna do something, commit to it. It’s not trying something new if you only put one ass cheek on it, it has to be both.”
Zivny ended up enjoying his experience and went back the next week.
Next, the dancing portion of the night begins. A circle forms, and hands are thrown in the air as participants loudly sing the same Hare Krishna chanting that started the night dozens of times. After some time, the dancing ends and dinner is served.
The monks can be found in various places around UC Davis during the day, such as the Memorial Union and Silo. They traditionally wear orange or white robes and are typically clean shaven, except for small ponytails on the backs of their heads.
While they moved to Davis with the intent of speaking with college students, Das, one of the monks, explained that they don’t want to force students to affiliate with their religion.
“Whatever tradition one may be from, whether they’re Christian, Jewish, Muslim or whatever their background is, anyone can come — because the purpose is not conversion, the purpose is education,” Das said.
Another reason for coming to Davis was that there are very few universities where those interested can learn how to be “Krishna conscious.”
“Krishna consciousness — for one to make progress in that education, one needs to engage in service,” Das said. “There’s no facility for [Davis students] to actually be educated in Krishna consciousness or self-realization.”
Pearson expanded more on the effect that he wanted Wisdom Talks to have.
“It’ll have a really big impact on society if we’re able to, you know, kind of inculcate this ancient wisdom, which we’ve seen has benefited not only our own lives, but those who we know are also practicing and those in the past,” Pearson said.
They traditionally broadcast live videos on their Instagram account. While devotees of Krishna are technically a branch of Hinduism, they consider themselves monotheistic, and only pray to Krishna. Traditionally, devotees believe in concepts such as karma and reincarnation.
Das explained the first part of his daily ritual, which included going to sleep early and waking up early.
“I wake up at 3 a.m., but most of us wake up at 4 [a.m.],” Das said. “We come into the temple, and then we start our personal meditation.”
In their house, they have many religious and informational books for students to buy. There are also beaded necklaces for sale, which in total have 108 beads, each one symbolizing one run through of the chant that they sing during their Wisdom Talks.
“We chant the full mantra around the beads 16 times [per day],” Das said. “We’re so active all day trying to serve, when we sit down to chant, generally we feel the reciprocation from our service in the joy we experience while chanting.”
In total, they chant the Hare Krishna, which is 16 words, approximately 1,728 times every day. It routinely takes over two hours, and is done from around 4:30 a.m. to 6:45 a.m.
Aside from Davis, the monks visit other universities in the general area to spread their message.
“We go to Sacramento State [University], and we go to practically all the universities in the Bay Area, UC Berkeley,” Das said. “We distribute literatures, and we also do what’s known as Harinam, which is public kirtan.”
Kirtan is a form of singing meditation, which they do every day starting at around 6:45 a.m.
Students are welcome to visit every day or attend the Wisdom Talks weekly. The monks hope to educate UC Davis students about their practice and way of life, and for more information on the group and their upcoming events, anyone interested can visit their Instagram page, @wisdomtalks.davis.
Written by: Noah Harris — features@theaggie.org
