Babylon Under Water
BY: SUN STAFF
The Brooklyn Bridge, Hurricane Sandy
Oct 29, 2012 — CANADA (SUN) — All eyes are currently fixed on the massive storm inundating the northeastern regions of the United States and Canada. First Hurricane, now exo-tropical Nor'easter 'Sandy' is continuing to devastate the East Coast. New York City, often perceived as being the most self-assuredly inviolate city on the planet, has tonight been brought to a standstill by the onslaught of wind, water and even fire.
The devotees await good news that the New York abodes of Their Lordships have been spared from flooding. The prospects look good for Sri Sri Radha Govinda Mandir, located at 305 Schermerhorn Street in Brooklyn (marker 'A' on the map below). According to the detailed storm tracker map being provided by Google, the ISKCON Brooklyn temple is ¾ mile southeast from the outer edge of the area expected to see a 6 foot storm surge.
Likewise, Sri Sri Krsna Balarama Temple in Queens may also be spared from flooding. Located at 111-14 101 Avenue, South Richmond Hill, this ISKCON temple (marker 'B' on the map) is not quite mid-way between the Lower Bay to its south and the Long Island Sound to its north. The night is long, however, given that the storm's trajectory is now set (as of 3 am. EST) to begin pushing a new wall of water into the boroughs from the Sound above it, even as the storm surge finally begins abating from the Upper and Lower Bays, to the south. As of this hour, however, the Queens Temple appears to be about 1 ½ mile north of the outer edge of the 6 foot storm surge area, according to Google map.
Sri Sri Radha-Govinda
ISKCON Brooklyn
Srila Prabhupada's 'Matchless Gifts' storefront at 26 Second Avenue, on Manhattan's Lower East Side (marker 'C' on the map) is likewise mid-way between the 6 foot storm surge areas to the east and west, and it is well in from the East River.
Sri Sri Krsna-Balaram
ISKCON Queens
New York City, often referred to as the modern Babylon of Christian epic, has long been a symbol of both the best and worst modern civilization has to offer. Religionists of all stripes recognize the demoniac presence that manifests in the worst environs of New York, and men of the cloth have long preached against this blight on the face of a society that should be living a far more pious life. Surely it was no mistake that His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada landed squarely in Lower East Manhattan, bringing Krsna Consciousness to the West from his first official headquarters at 26 Second Avenue.
There is another spiritual shrine in New York City that comes to mind as this storm disaster unfolds. This one is on Manhattan's Upper West Side -- a spot that might not be so lucky in avoiding floodwaters. We're referring to the world famous cathedral of St. John the Divine, located at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue. This Episcopalian edifice claims to be the largest cathedral in the world. Beginning in the late 1890's, it was built over a span of many years that included two World Wars. The architectural design started with a Byzantine-Romanesque plan, but was changed around 1909 to a Gothic design. Around 1997, a series of sculpted columns were begun, and shortly after, the cathedral was hit by a fire, in December 2001. Reopening in late 2008, the structure remains unfinished.
What is remarkable -- and more than a little eerie given the current events unfolding in New York City tonight -- is the imagery carved into the cathedral pillars. As the pictures here show, they are apocalyptic, and very specifically show the destruction of New York City… by waves, wind and fire.
Apocalyptic pillars at St. John the Divine Cathedral
The artwork embedded in St. John the Divine Cathedral has been the subject of much study and discussion, particularly amongst esotericists and those concerned about a United Nations push towards a One World Religion (which needless to say, would not be sanatana-dharma). One of the columns, completed four years before the 9/11 terror event, depicted the destruction of the Twin Towers. Not surprisingly, St. John the Divine Cathedral was named after the author of the Biblical Book of Revelation.
The pillars are carved in a somewhat rare artistic style, similar to the 12th Century cathedral at Chartes, France. The sculptors of these New York columns were reportedly brought in from Europe, being among the few left alive who are trained in this type of work.
The apocalyptic columns are situated next to the cathedral's main entrance, and above them are a host of saintly Christian figures. Carved into the columns are many images of the city's most famous structures being destroyed by waves: the Brooklyn Bridge and the New York Stock Exchange among them. The Statue of Liberty sinks beneath the waves. While the water has risen to unbelievable heights under the Brooklyn Bridge since Sandy came to town, and the Stock Exchange is reportedly under as much as 3 feet of water, Lady Liberty is still in view.
Manhattan panorama
Lower Manhattan - October 29, 2012
Those who await a Biblical apocalypse being visited upon the world are no doubt familiar with this passage from the Book of Revelation:
"Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!
She has become a home for demons
and a haunt for every evil spirit,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.
For all the nations have drunk
the maddening wine of her adulteries.
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,
and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries."
-Book of Revelation 18
Perhaps one of the most fitting examples of New York City's propensity for the demoniac is the famous symbol of its lust for money: the Wall Street Bull. This 7,000 pound bronze depiction of the aggressive pursuit of opulence is a Kaliyuga classic: a perverted reflection of the Bull of Dharma. Instead of being protected by Vaisnavas, Wall Street's bull is protected by modern-day kshatriyas.
Tonight, that bull is very likely undwater, too.
Bull Protection in Kali Yuga
We can't deny the likelihood that New York City will one day pay a hefty bill -- city-level karma for the sins of its residents. Perhaps that day is today. Nonetheless, Srila Prabhupada considered New York City to be no different than any other Godless mega-city, and instructed his followers to preach there:
"We have got history in our country. Great sages, muni, rsi, they used to live in the forest to culture knowledge and become detached from these material activities, jnana-vairagya. But that is not possible in this age. From the very beginning of our life we are brought up in big cities like Bombay, Calcutta, London, New York. Then, where is the question of going to the forest? Does it mean that if one cannot go to the forest for acquiring knowledge and detachment then he has no chance? No. Kali-yuga, there is special concession that is given by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You haven't got to go to the forest of Himalaya for attaining jnana and vairagya. You can stay in your place. You can remain in Bombay, you can remain in London, you can remain in New York, big, big cities, and you can perform your prescribed duties."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam, December 28, 1972, Bombay)
Perhaps after these darks days of suffering, post-Sandy NYC preaching will be all the better. Hare Krsna.
