a short story
** read: 4 minutes ••
Naughty Krishna holding a piece of candy
L
alita Dasi strolled along the forest path softly singing the Haré Krishna mantra.
From time to time she stopped to adjust her sari or smooth a wrinkle. Her father, Herbie, walked behind.
She looked back at Herbie. “How long will Mom be in the hospital?”
“Don’t know. They’re not sure what she has. But we should get there as soon as the visiting hours start so we can stay longer.”
A few more steps. Another tree. Here’s where that big creep tried to grab her last year. And the way he stunk of whiskey and sweat… Can’t forget it. A cold shiver ran through her body. Well it ain’t gonna happen again. Not with Dad around.
Another few steps. To her left, birds were singing. Doesn’t it say somewhere that the bright colors of the birds show Krishna’s artistic sense? To her right, a cricket was chirping. And that thin high-pitched buzz. She keeps meaning to find out what that insect is, but she always forgets.
From the distance came the rat-a-tat-tat of a woodpecker.
A gentle breeze carried the fragrance of forest flowers and pine trees. She put her hands on her hips, threw her head back, and inhaled. The cool fragrant air filled her lungs.
The sunlight shining through the treetops drew patterns on the forest floor and on her feet.
A trail of ants. She moved quickly to the left. Why step on the little creatures? Let them live and do their business.
She stopped. In front of her, a woman was bending over a bush looking at something on a leaf.
The woman looked up. “Hello.”
Lalita smiled. “Haré Krishna.”
The woman stood up. “A pretty girl like you shouldn’t be walking alone in the forest. You never know who might be standing around the next bend.”
“Oh, I know. I only come here with my father.”
Herbie stepped forward and held out his hand. “Hi. My name’s Herbie.”
The woman shook his hand. “I’m Edna… Doctor Edna Norwood. I teach biology at the university.”
She turned to Lalita. “I’ve been to a few lectures at your temple, and I don’t agree with the way you’re always minimizing the body. The body is a beautiful creation.”
Herbie nodded. “I keep telling her the same thing.”
Lalita took a deep breath. “Oh? Then tell me, Is a dead body beautiful?”
Dr. Norwood shook her head. “Of course not.”
“Then the body loses its beauty when the life force leaves it, right?”
“I guess you could put it like that.”
“So the beauty is not in the body but in the life force, and that’s what we emphasize. We call it the soul.”
“Wait a minute. The slug here on this leaf is alive. It has a life force, but it doesn’t have a soul.”
“Are you a Christian?”
“Not a very good one. Why?”
“Because Christians think only people have souls.”
“That’s what the Bible says.”
“A Jewish friend of mine told me the original Hebrew lists animals as having souls. But the Bible doesn’t explain much about the soul. You have to read the Bhagavad-Gita.”
“What are you driving at?”
“You think you’re a body with a soul inside. But no. You are not the body at all. You are a soul clothed in a body. The body is a covering. The person that you are is the soul.”
“I don’t get it.”
“When you die, you will separate from your body and leave it behind. But you will still be you. And you will go on to a new body, and you will think you are that body just like you now think you are this present body.”
“What about the slug on this leaf?”
“The same.”
“The same as me? Where do you get all this from?”
“The Bhagavad-Gita. Where there’s life, there’s a soul. And the soul is always a complete person.”
“Well then maybe he’s a partial soul.”
“Krishna says the soul cannot be divided. That little entity feels within himself the same as you do.”
“I’ve never heard such a thing.”
“A great sage said that the wise person sees every being the same as himself.”
“Oh I’ve heard that stuff before, how we’re all one.”
“I’m not saying we’re all one. We’re individuals, but we’re all cut from the same cloth. Imagine yourself as that little slug, and you’ll see what I mean.”
Dr. Norwood laughed. “Well I can’t say I’m convinced, but it’s an intriguing concept. I’ll have to give it some thought.”
Herbie put his hand on Lalita’s shoulder. “We better get going, honey.”
Lalita nodded. “Nice talking to you, Dr. Norwood. Haré Krishna.”
“It’s been lovely meeting you, dear.”
Herbie turned to Dr. Norwood. “I better say, ‘Haré Krishna.’ She’ll be mad if I don’t.”
Dr. Norwood laughed. “Haré Krishna.”
They waved and went on their way.
⁓Umapati Swami September 29, 2026
Eternally touching my head to the floor at the lotus feet of my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada.
Notes:
The Hare Krishna Mantra: Haré Krishna, Haré Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Haré Haré / Haré Rama, Haré Rama, Rama Rama, Haré Haré.
The characters in this story are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. But Krishna is real.
The opinions expressed in this article are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any organization or any other person.
Scriptural passages © Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
Photo top: Naughty Krishna holding a piece of candy (Jishnu Das)
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ove it? Hate it? Got a question? Write to me: hoswami@yahoo.com
© Umapati Swami 2026
Srila Prabhupada
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is the teacher who brought Krishna Consciousness from India to the West and then to the rest of the world. He is the founder of the worldwide Hare Krishna Movement as well as the author and compiler of many works of Vedic knowledge. He left this world in 1977.
Umapati Swami
One of the first American devotees of the Hare Krishna Movement, he became Srila Prabhupada’s disciple in 1966. Since then, he has preached Krishna Consciousness in many countries and is the author of “My Days with Prabhupada,” available from Amazon. Now 89 years old, he maintains this blog to share what he has learned.
