The Arrest

-It was the Thursday before Christmas, and London's Oxford Street (the longest shopping street in the world) was brimming over with Christmas shoppers. Twice already that week plainclothes police had arrested devotees chanting Hare Krsna there, but today we were intending to avoid any trouble. The five of us took a new route, profusely distributing the holy name to everyone within earshot. As we made our way through Piccadilly Circus (London's "Times Square") and then along crowded Regent Street, we brought smiles to many faces and raised eyebrows on many others. Finally we reached Oxford Circus, where we reluctantly stopped chanting and started back along Oxford Street toward the temple.

But all the shops were staying open late, so the street was still filled with pedestrians, though traffic had died down. The rustle of hundreds of footsteps filled the air. With so many materially conditioned souls surrounding us, there we were, chanting quietly to ourselves on our beads, and just holding our karatalas (hand cymbals) and mrdahga drums! It was hard to restrain ourselves from the loud glorification of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. In fact, it was impossible! Casting aside any thoughts of our inevitable arrest, we launched into the most ecstatic chant ever! The tall buildings echoed to the sounds of Lord Caitanya's sahkirtana party while dumbfounded shoppers stood open-mouthed and bus lines of bewildered souls turned their heads to see the source of the transcendental sound vibrations. Single file, we chanted and danced along the clear space at the edge of the pavement, which widened as the crowds thinned out. Tottenham Court Road Tube Station, the end of the gauntlet, loomed up ahead. We were almost there, with no police trouble, when three highly suspicious figures suddenly appeared, blocking our path a few yards ahead.

"All right, lads, yer nicked!" said the young "student," flashing his police I.D. card with immense relish.

"What! How can you arrest us? We're not doing anything illegal."

His two hard-faced confederates, similarly disguised, moved in closer.

"Come on! You know as well as I do you're causing an obstruction. Down to the station; you're all under arrest!"

"Obstruction? The pavement's fifteen feet wide, we're walking in the gutter, and there's hardly anybody to obstruct!" we protested. "All around you there's drug addiction, prostitution, crime, and violence, and you can't find anything better to do than arrest us for chanting the names of God! What kind of policemen are you?"

The retort seemed to catch him by surprise, but he quickly regained his composure and barked, "Look lad, you're under arrest. Anything you say may be used as evidence. Now move!" Then, adding a liberal quantity of unsavory words (quite unbefitting a constable of Her Majesty's Police Force), he joined his two colleagues in forming a rear guard, and the three of them escorted us toward the police station.

We were thinking of how unfortunate they were. Not only were they obstructing Lord Caitanya's sahkirtana party and harassing devotees, but these were the same policemen who had arrested the chanting party twice earlier that week! What demons! For protection we started chanting the glories of Lord Nrsimhadeva-Krsna's half-man-half-lion incarnation-very softly at first, and then a little louder. The mrdahga crept in, marking the rhythm, and the karatalas soon followed. With no complaints from our police escort as yet, we chanted louder and louder until the street once more resounded with the holy names. Amazed that they made no objection, we turned and saw that the three policemen were grinning from ear to ear! We were incredulous. Here was the mercy of Lord Caitanya! By repeatedly arresting the chanting party, these previously offensive policemen had become purified by associating with devotees, and now they were taking great pleasure in the chanting of the holy names!

"Now stop or you'll cause an obstruction," directed our police guide as we approached a large bus line, which engulfed the pavement. We obediently stopped, considering it our good fortune that we had been allowed to chant at all.

Then something totally unexpected happened. After we had passed the bus line, our captor definitely proved himself to be no ordinary police constable when he ordered, "Okay, start chanting again."!!

So we did, all the way to the police station, accompanied by the three blissful police constables, who, grinning from ear to ear, made no objection as the ecstatic sahkirtana party passed right into the police station, past the main doors, through the hallway, and into the charging room itself!!!

Everyone was thunderstruck. Arrestors and arrested alike couldn't believe it. Shaven-headed Hare Krsnas chanting their way into the cop shop. With drums and cymbals? It was unthinkable! The sergeant on duty turned a vivid scarlet and exploded in a fit of anger, threatening to "throw the book" at us and charge us with all manner of subversive criminal activities. We apologized profusely, pleading that we didn't quite realize where we were, and he became somewhat pacified. As we answered philosophical questions from some of the interested constables, the sergeant charged us with obstruction, one by one, and we had to wait as he filled in numerous forms.

"All right, boys, tomorrow morning at ten o'clock you'll be appearing in the Magistrates Court," said the sergeant, now quite amiable. And with that he allowed us to go. Feeling very blissful at the way things had turned out, we filed into the hallway and prepared to return to the temple for the evening arati (temple worship) of Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha-Londonisvara. (Londonisvara means "Krsna, the Lord of London.") On our way out of the station, we passed a high-ranking plainclothes detective-inspector. He paused and turned in our direction. Not knowing what to expect, we were surprised when he glanced over us in an almost fatherly way and said in a concerned voice, "Don't be discouraged, lads; keep up the good work!"

Next morning in court we pleaded "not guilty" to the charges against us, and the judge deferred our case to February 2. At the time, we were unaware of the significance of the appointed date. Our trial was to be on the appearance day of Lord Nityananda-the incarnation of God who helped spread Lord Caitanya's sahkirtana movement, and who personifies His mercy.