My Remembrances of Avadhoot Maharaj (Upananda das ACBSP)
Today, March 26, 2024, I learned from Bhakta Jeff, who was with NYC Harinam back around 2016 or so, that Avadhoot Maharaj, who we both would see in Tampa in recent years, left his body in Mayapur, on the disappearance day of Madhavendra Puri. That sounds pretty auspicious to me. I would be lucky to leave my body at such a place and time.
I knew Avadhoot Maharaj mostly in his previous ashram as Upananda Prabhu, a brahmacari disciple of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He lived with Sadananda Prabhu in a camper parked behind the San Diego temple when I lived there between 1988 and 1994. They would make several flavors of bliss bars, and I always enjoyed eating the maha offered to Radha Giridhari. For a while another devotee named Rasananda Prabhu joined them, and I would refer to them as “The Ananda Brothers.” They would all sometimes be willing to join me for my extra harinamas on the weekends, and thus I would always invite them. Upananda always seemed peaceful, blissful, and friendly to me.
Once Upananda told us that after being a brahmacari for some time, he decided to put on white. The next time Srila Prabhupada saw him, he sternly said, “Who has given you permission to put on white?” As a result of that he went back to being a brahmacari.
Once we did harinama on Pacific Beach on a Saturday, and we encountered an MTV film crew and the famous MTV personality of that time named Pauly Shore. I was never aware of that scene, and I had heard of neither MTV nor Pauly Shore. I invited Pauly to try the carob-coconut burfi I made for the harinamas and which I would personally distribute. When he seemed reluctant, I broke one in half and ate half to show that it was legit. Then I offered Pauly the other half. I think he was still too doubtful to take it. Upananda was aware of who Pauly Shore was, and I recall he spoke in a pleasing way with him about our philosophy, and that impressed me. Badrinarayana Prabhu (now Swami) later told us that his daughter saw us on MTV.
I
continued my relationship of doing harinama with
Upananda Prabhu after he became Avadhoot Maharaj. Sometimes we were
in Tampa at the same time, and I would invite him on harinama
at University of South Florida
and he would come as before. Here on
March 9, 2021, he humbly
plays karatalas, although
an exalted personality (https://youtu.be/5q0_QK4Ao4E):
We all had to wear masks on the campus because of the COVID restrictions. The rest of the party are devotees from NYC Harinam, who all happened to be in Tampa at that time.
I wish that he achieve the full mercy of Lord Caitanya for his service to His mission. Srila Prabhupada writes, “One who executes Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission must be considered eternally liberated. He is a transcendental person and does not belong to this material world. Such a devotee, engaging in the deliverance of the total population, is as magnanimous as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 15.163, purport)
