Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 22, No. 37
(Week 37: September 10–16, 2026)
(Sent from Mayapur on September 20, 2026)
Where I Went and What I Did
I continued living in Mayapur with Bhakta Jeff, who rented an apartment in the grhastha housing area for two years. I would go to the mangala-arati and tulasi-puja at the Prabhupada Bhajan Kutir and go to the guru-puja at the Prabhupada Puspa Samadhi. I did an average of three hours of harinama each day, spliting the time between the midday harinama, the evening harinama, and the Prabhupada Bhajan Kutir. I would see the main deities, Radha-Madhava asta-sakhi-vrinda, Pancatattva, and Lord Nrsimha in the evening. Then I would have hot raw milk in the Brahmacari Kitchen and stash the other items for breakfast the next day. September 12 was the anniversary of the appearance of Gaura Govinda Swami, and I went to listen to his glorification and they asked me to speak, so I told about my brief association with him and about some of his divine qualities. That afternoon a group of devotees organized kirtan at Srivas Angam from 4 to 8 p.m. Srivas Angam, where Lord Caitanya relished the nectar of sankirtana. That place is said to correspond to the place of the rasa dance in Vrindavan, and is thus especially sacred. For that reason, I decided to attend that kirtan for a couple of hours.
I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam and from a letter of his. I share quotes from Miracle on Second Avenue by Mukunda Goswami and Summer Marathon by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share notes on classes by Gaura Govinda Swami, BVV Narasimha Swami, Sikhi Mahiti Prabhu, Atul Krishna Prabhu, Haladhar Nitai Prabhu, Abhinav Prabhu, and Savitri Devi. I share notes on a festival for the appearance of Tungavidya-sakhi and notes on the Vyasa-puja festival for Gaura Govinda Swami.
Thanks to Jeff for the accommodation, transportation, prasadam, and shopping in Mayapur. Thanks to Biswamvar Prabhu for helping me obtain a portable harmonium for ISKCON Paris.
Itinerary
August 29–September 21: Mayapur harinamas
September 22: Paris harinama
September 23–24: NYC Harinam
September 25: harinama to promote Philadelphia Ratha-yatra
September 26: Philadelphia Ratha-yatra
September 27–December 31: NYC Harinam
Chanting Hare Krishna in Mayapur
Sri Govinda Bhasya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Mayapur evening harinama (https://youtu.be/8AKsAIl_dZc):
Pancatattva Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Mayapur evening harinama (https://youtube.com/shorts/CYo6ATEDNKU?feature=share):
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Mayapur evening harinama (https://youtu.be/NwbYscAKXP4):
Biswamvar Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Mayapur evening harinama (https://youtube.com/shorts/f7LvyhhHMGc?feature=share):
Kripa Nidhi Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Mayapur evening harinama (https://youtube.com/shorts/S_18lQWkRyg?feature=share):
Madana Mohini Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna on Mayapur midday harinama (https://youtube.com/shorts/RztabwGG1K4?feature=share):
Lalita Kumari Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna on Mayapur midday harinama (https://youtube.com/shorts/PNZjmLSG7Ic?feature=share):
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Mayapur evening harinama (https://youtube.com/shorts/ezUlBGhJ3Sc?feature=share):
Vrajapati Suta Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Mayapur evening harinama (https://youtube.com/shorts/Z92sDd69wT4?feature=share):
Biswamvar Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Mayapur evening harinama again (https://youtube.com/shorts/pSXEp232vk4?feature=share):
Mataji chants Hare Krishna at Srila Prabhupada Bhajan Kutir (https://youtu.be/fwWiDTelOo0):
Devotees chant Hare Krishna at Pushpa Samadhi of Gaura Govinda Swami on his appearance anniversary (https://youtu.be/fsARYeQM45o):
Devotee 1 chants Hare Krishna at Srivasa Angama Kirtan Festival (https://youtube.com/shorts/-CIqNlqjgJE?feature=share):
Here is a video of the kirtan in landscape mode (https://youtu.be/WKW3PkHAdvM):
Devotee 2 chants Hare Krishna at Srivasa Angama Kirtan Festival (https://youtube.com/shorts/s71WtUlJCoE?feature=share):
Devotee 3 chants Hare Krishna at Srivasa Angama Kirtan Festival (https://youtube.com/shorts/pyGTusMntMc?feature=share):
Devotee 4 chants Hare Krishna at Srivasa Angama Kirtan Festival (https://youtube.com/shorts/VfGYVCn5Mns?feature=share):
Devotee 5 chants Hare Krishna at Srivasa Angama Kirtan Festival (https://youtube.com/shorts/EEHIkuB5RdY):
Bhagavati Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna on Mayapur midday harinama (https://youtube.com/shorts/ys-B8Qy8mC8?feature=share):
Vrajapati Suta Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Mayapur evening harinama again (https://youtube.com/shorts/IfYlEd4gHR4):
Vanamali Prabhu plays a ukulele and chants Hare Krishna in Mayapur evening harinama (https://youtube.com/shorts/3WFbRQAQKhQ?feature=share):
Tulasi Priya Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna on Mayapur evening harinama (https://youtube.com/shorts/J3j2ftV64so?feature=share):
Subal Sakha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Mayapur evening harinama (https://youtube.com/shorts/Bd5-84XnGFw?feature=share):
Mataji chants Hare Krishna at Srila Prabhupada Bhajan Kutir (https://youtu.be/fwWiDTelOo0):
Madana Mohini Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna on Mayapur midday harinama, and pilgrims chant and dance (https://youtu.be/kaw_8sPkgcM):
Srivas Thakur Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Mayapur evening harinama (https://youtube.com/shorts/hEPFNoCtT0I?feature=share):
Photos
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.28.17, purport:
“He is always anxious to show favor to the devotees. Just as the devotees are always eager to render service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord is also very eager to bestow benediction upon the pure devotees.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.28.18, purport:
“There is no difference between devotional service in the temple and meditation on the form of the Lord, since the form of the Lord is the same whether He appears within the mind or in some concrete element. There are eight kinds of forms recommended for the devotees to see. The forms may be made out of sand, clay, wood or stone, they may be contemplated within the mind or made of jewels, metal or painted colors, but all the forms are of the same value. It is not that one who meditates on the form within the mind sees differently from one who worships the form in the temple. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is absolute, and there is therefore no difference between the two.”
“As one becomes purified by chanting the holy name of the Lord, so one can become purified simply by chanting the name of a holy devotee. The pure devotee of the Lord and the Lord Himself are nondifferent. It is sometimes feasible to chant the name of a holy devotee. This is a very sanctified process.”
From a letter to Tamal Krishna on May 27, 1970:
“You can sing individually the names of the Gopis, there is no harm, but when we sing the prayer ‘Sri radha krsna padan sahaguna lalita sri visakhan vitams ca’ this includes them all.”
Mukunda Goswami:
From Miracle on Second Avenue, Chapter 14, “Krishna Consciousness Comes West”:
“It was the first time I’d stood up and danced without the Swami being present. At first I felt selfconscious, but I realized that I wanted to be more honest, more forthcoming about my convictions in Krishna consciousness, and this was a way to do it.”
“Smiling and in no hurry, he [the Swami] made direct eye contact with each person, and a feeling of familiarity enveloped the [airport] gathering, despite the fact the Swami was a stranger to them, and they to him.”
“‘It was my first time in airplane,’ he [The Swami] said after some time. ‘What did you think of it?’ Ginsberg asked.
“‘Everything looked so small,’ the Swami said. ‘The houses looked like match boxes. Just imagine how Krishna sees things.’”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From Summer Marathon:
“When you repeat paramparā, that’s not borrowed, it’s not like you are being influenced by śāstra and Śrīla Prabhupāda. Rather, you are repeating them without change. You are a loving tape recorder.”
“My prāṇa doctor is Śrīla Prabhupāda and Lord Kṛṣṇa, and I will try to think in that way. No other cure except getting the spiritual body and going back to Godhead.”
“Reading Bhagavad-gītā for an hour in the quiet with notes, and then writing in that atmosphere. Feeling Kṛṣṇa, the instructor-guru, the divine friend, the all-in-all is with me. He’s in the book directly and personally and He’s in your heart in a friendly way. He never leaves you even though you forget Him. May He keep me aware of Him.”
“Surrounded by radios and TVs, we turn on our motor fan and drown it out.”
“Poor people who read you get weary of the same old particulars. Tell them, ‘I’ll be dead soon enough, folks. Then this show will be over. Sorry for the repeats.’”
“Matthew Fox says, ‘Here’s a picture
of our liver. Now thank your
liver for the work it does.
Here’s the pancreas …’
Yeah,where’s God who makes
it all function, why not pray
direct to Supreme Person?
That’s what I say.”
“Happy to be a devotee and aloof from many contentious struggles and disagreements about this movement’s slow progress and also aloof from sociopolitics of the material world. It’s important to stay away from material influences or they leak into your writing, your life, and dreams.”
“I want to be free of distractions to write a song of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, recalling good times I’ve spent as Swami’s student and finding it right now.”
“I don’t enter controversies or try to push causes. I try to push the cause of bhakti itself and the need to dedicate our lives and not fall prey to māyā.”
“I propose to read Śrīla Prabhupāda’s letters, starting from 1967 because I’m curious to savor his sweetness in personal dealings with disciples, his care for them, his teaching, and his pushing them to preach and expand ISKCON.”
“Devotional service is never lost. It’s added up and likely not 100% this lifetime. If you don’t have full faith and devotion in Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual world, how can you expect to go there?”
“But the self as servant always remains and through him God plays. He becomes the instrument, like strings the Lord strums, as He did when Rāmānanda Rāya spoke to Lord Caitanya.”
“The light of good desk lamp is like a transparent yellow liquid that flows down onto the page, welcome, and the ink meets it in a dance and rapture.”
“Of course, by deliberate action you put Kṛṣṇa in your sentences. But He is already everywhere. I bow to Him and beg Him to inspire me. He said to Arjuna, ‘You should engage in My devotional service.’ He said it to Arjuna and everyone. ‘Therefore having come to this temporary and miserable world, engage in loving service to Me.’ We have come here wrongly, most foolishly. Now we should know it’s ‘not habitable for any sane gentleman.’ Get out as quickly as possible. ‘Take to My devotional service and come quickly back to Godhead, back home.’”
“I keep away from the dangers of illicit sex which I may compare to poisonous snakes slithering outside of our van in this campsite.”
“Life going by, it’s right to notice it. All folks will be washed away, like dirt or food remnants on a greasy plate. Gone in a flash, one by one. You don’t believe it and that is the most amazing thing. Churn out your books. Go join your spiritual master.”
Gaura Govinda Swami:
From a recorded lecture:
Lord Caitanya was very strict with Chota Haridas for a slight deviation because he did want people to take of advantage the incident and engage in illicit sex. Still there are many sahajiyas who pose as devotees but engage in illicit activities.
There are seven lessons from the Chota Haridas pastimes.
1. The Lord chastised his intimate associate for a slight deviation so people would not take advantage and deviate in a more serious way.
2. To show that a pure Vaishnava must be completely free from all these things.
3. To show that no other thought but Krishna is there in a true Vaishnava.
4. That a Vaishnava must be of perfect spotless character.
5. Lord Caitanya showed mercy by correcting an intimate associate.
6. One who leaves his body in a holy place is liberated from offenses.
7. The Lord showed that he accepted Chota Haridasa by allowing him to sing for him.
A swami may have all good qualities, but if he has one bad quality, everyone will speak about that.
The punishment of Mahaprabhu produces nothing bad.
Because he was deprived of the opportunity to serve Mahaprabhu, Chota Haridasa decided to end that body.
A true devotee of Lord Caitanya has no desire for sense gratification.
Mahaprabhu did not actually reject Chota Haridasa. He just used him to teach a lesson. After he left his body, he was heard singing for Mahaprabhu in a celestial form.
Bhakti Vighna Vinasaka Narasimha Swami:
You have to be very pure to worship the form of the Lord
Srila Prabhupada mentions in The Nectar of Devotion that a brahmana should regularly perform arati to worship the Lord.
In Mongolia the hero is Gengas Khan whose kingdom stretched from Korea to Hungary. There a museum that is dedicated to him. There is a statue there that people offer respect to. The influence of Srila Prabhupada, however, spread all over the world, not just from Korea to Hungary, and thus is much greater.
Serving the devotees opens the door to liberation.
We always want to serve the devotees. We do not want to be served by them.
We should never want to hear criticism of others. Change your location or change the topic to avoid it.
The way to avoid finding fault is to tell the glories of the devotees.
The devotee does not take credit for himself but gives credit to his guru.
Deity worship is not ritualistic when done in the proper mood of a humble servant.
Here in Mayapur we have so many beautiful deities to fix our minds on.
The more we are eager for service the easier it will be to fix our minds on the Lord.
Question (by Janmastami Prabhu): Meditating on Srila Prabhupada’s instructions really accelerates our advancement.
Bir Krishna Goswami analyzed all the letters from Prabhupada to the GBC, and he found the most common instruction was your primary duty is to make sure that every one in your temples attends the full morning program.
Also Srila Prabhupada said the priority is first health, next sadhana, and finally service.
Answer: There are many instructions of Srila Prabhupada. And we may find that one really speaks to us, and we can dedicate our life to that.
Sikhi Mahiti Prabhu:
From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.28.19 in Mayapur on September 14, 2026:
Seeing the Chicago Radha Krishna deities, Srila Prabhupada said about Krishna, “He is so beautiful, His name will go first.” Thus they are called Kisora Kisori.
Our deity worship in Chicago in the 1970s was very opulent. We would get flowers from Hawaii twice a week. Back then the roses had a scent. Kali-yuga is progressing, and now the roses hardly have a scent.
Once when answering the question, “How can I see God?” Srila Prabhupada said, “Why do you stress these eyes? Actually the ears are a better sense for experiencing God.” Then he mentioned that for a pure devotee, perceiving Krishna through the ears is more relishable than perceiving Krishna through the eyes.
Krishna in Bg. 18.68–69 gives hints about how we can really get His mercy.
Atul Krishna Prabhu:
As a child Lord Caitanya sometimes showed his opulence as the Supreme Lord by doing supernatural things no one else could go, but when He was engaged in his pastimes as a student and a teacher He did not manifest such powers.
In just in 4 chapters of his Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Krishnadasa Kaviraj Goswami summarizes 45 chapters of Lord Caitanya’s early pastimes described in Caitanya-Bhagavata.
In India villages 90% of people use neem twigs to brush their teeth.
In a British park, Srila Prabhupada asked the devotees to get a few twigs from a tree to brush his teeth. The police became very upset. Srila Prabhupada commented that the British looted so many costly jewels and other valuables from India for decades, yet if we take a few twigs from a tree they become upset.
Haladhar Nitai Prabhu:
In the Mahabharata a muni, or great thinker, is described as having an opinion different from every other muni. This idea still exists in the present day in that a Ph.D. student has to present a unique contribution in his thesis for it to be acceptable.
Abhinav Prabhu:
When you visit a place, it is important to first go to see presiding deity of the place.
If we do not hear about Krishna, our darsana, our vision of Him, is not complete.
By seeing the deity each day we develop our relationship with the Lord.
There are many attractive objects in this world, but Krishna is the most attractive. He is the most worthy object of being seen.
If we try to list them, we cannot come to the end of the contributions of Srila Prabhupada. All the beautiful deities of Krishna he established all over the world, and all the pictures in his books are some of them.
Sometimes in Srimad-Bhagavatam, just out of nowhere, Sukadeva will start glorifying the beauty of Krishna.
Savitri Devi:
From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.28.17 in Mayapur on September 11, 2026:
Srimad-Bhagavatam gives the purport to the Vedic literature.
All the yogas culminate in bhakti-yoga.
When we take darsana of the Lord, we should take time to see the Lord, and bring Krishna into our heart.
Kapila mentions that the material mind dissolves by practice of bhakti-yoga.
One may not choose to obey the state laws, but then he has to follow the rules of the jail that he becomes imprisoned in. Similarly we can choose not to serve Krishna, but we are still subject to the laws governing the material world which are under Krishna’s direction.
The father is always thinking of benefiting his children, and in the same way, Krishna is always thinking about benefiting all living entities.
It is an illusion to think we can be well situated without Krishna.
Mahaprabhu is the master of all masters.
By serving Lord Caitanya, He places us in Vrindavan.
Lord Caitanya is giving one thing, Krishna-prema. Are we going to accept it?
Lord Caitanya, in the maha-prakasa-lila, the Lord shows how eager He is to bestow benedictions upon His devotees.
We can understand the great beauty of Krishna from the mouth of Lord Caitanya.
Our feet are not beautiful, but Krishna’s feet are beautiful.
We have to take the sankalpa [or make the determination]: “I will not waste my life. I will attain love of Krishna in this very life.”
Comment by me:
The idea that chanting purifies the mind is an important part of Srila Prabhupada’s preaching. In the Vedabase the phrase “ceto darpana” appears over 700 times.
Drama group:
Mana means anger or sulkiness, but within the emotion of love.
Festival for Tungavidya Sakhi
From 4 to 6 p.m. on September 14 they had a program in honor of the appearance day of Tungavidya.
Tungavidya, who fifth among the varistha sakhis, is Srimati Radharani’s beloved friend. She especially assists Radha-Madhava in Their eternal pastimes with her profound wisdom, quick intelligence, and many refined talents. Her very name reveals this distinguished quality: tunga means “elevated,” and vidya means “knowledge.”
Tungavidya is vastly learned, possessing mastery of the eighteen branches of Vedic knowledge, each lying in music, poetry, literature, logic and the arts and sciences. Renowned as the guru of the gopis, even Sri Krishna seeks her wise and clever counsel on how to please His beloved Srimati Radharani.
Her favorite instrument is the vina.
She fetches water for Radha-Madhava.
She plays drum and other instruments.
She does drama.
In Gaura-lila, she is said to appear as Prabodhananda Sarasvati and Vakresvara Pandit.
The youthful devotees did some dramas to please Tungavidya:
1. the pastime of Lord Balarama killing Pralambasura
2. a story of how Krishna successfully ended Radharani’s deep mood of mana (anger out of love) by, at the suggestion of Vrinda Devi, disguising Himself as a swami, and begging Radharani to give Him her anger toward Krishna in charity.
They also sang a song called “Radhikastakam” by Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami:
1) Her splendorous golden complexion steals the pride of a golden lotus flower anointed with a tinge of red kunkum (vermillion). Her sweet fragrance mocks the fame of the aroma of a lotus flower sprinkled with saffron powder. She is fully qualified to fulfill all the desires of the son of the king of the cowherd men. May Sri Radhika bestow upon me the service of Her own lotus feet.
2) Her amazing and colorful silken garments make the splendor of red coral feel ashamed. She is a garden of blossoming flowers where the maddened bumble-bee named Krsna performs amorous pastimes. She worships the Sun-god daily in order to attain the continual association of Her beloved Krsna. May Sri Radhika bestow upon me the service of Her own lotus feet.
3) Her charming youthful delicacy negates the fame of the freshly-sprouted leaves. Her refreshing form is worthy of being served by the cooling moon, sandalwood paste, lotus flowers, and camphor. When She touches the master of the gopis, She dispels the burning heat of His lusty desires. May Sri Radhika bestow upon me the service of Her own lotus feet.
4) Although the goddess of fortune, Laksmi Devi, is adored by other youthful goddesses, who are themselves, glorified throughout the universe, still she is nowhere near Sri Radhika in the matter of beauty, praiseworthy youthfulness, or other divine feminine opulences. There is no one in the material or the spiritual worlds that is superior to Radhika in the expression of naturally loving pastimes. May Sri Radhika bestow upon me the service of Her own lotus feet.
5) She is very learned in many transcendental arts, such as performing in the rasa dance, singing, and joking. She is decorated with many divine qualities, such as loving nature, exquisite beauty, and wonderful garments and ornaments. Even among the cowherd damsels of Vraja, who are praised by the entire universe, She is the best in every way. May Sri Radhika bestow upon me the service of Her own lotus feet.
6) She possesses the opulences of eternal youthful beauty, eternal pastimes, and eternal love for Krsna. Her ecstatic feelings of love for Krsna cause the gopis, who are also in love with Krsna, to tremble. She is always attached to meditating on Sri Krsna’s beautiful form, ornaments, garments, and pastimes. May Sri Radhika bestow upon me the service of Her own lotus feet.
7) She is graced with eight ecstatic symptoms (sattvika-bhava), such as trembling, perspiring, standing up on bodily hairs, tears, faltering of the voice, and so forth. She is adorned with different ecstatic emotional ornaments, such as impatience, joy, contrariness, and so forth. She is decorated with beautiful jewels that give total delight to the eyes of Krsna. May Sri Radhika bestow upon me the service of Her own lotus feet.
8) If She is apart from Krsna, for even half a moment, She becomes stricken with wretched suffering, restlessness, and a multitude of other ecstatic symptoms of separation. When She regains the association of Krsna after some effort, then all of Her anguish immediately vanishes. May Sri Radhika bestow upon me the service of Her own lotus feet.
9) It is very difficult for Parvati and other exalted goddesses to attain even a glimpse of Srimati Radharani, who is dear to Lord Krsna. But if someone glorifies Her by reciting these eight verses, then She who is delighted by Krsna’s continuous association will grant the sweet nectar of Her personal service to that person, who thereby enters the assembly of Her similarly delighted girlfriends.
Notes on the Vyasa-puja of Gaura Govinda Swami
MC:
Gaura Govinda Swami said: “Real Vyasa-puja does not mean flower, garlands, nice words, etc., but surrendering your ego, taking the order of Sri Guru into your heart of hearts and making it your goal of life.”
Born in a lineage of kirtaneers.
Always absorbed in sadhana, scripture, and hari-katha.
Srila Prabhupada realized his spiritual depth immediately. Some disciples doubted he should get sannyasa so soon after initiation, Prabhupada said, “He is a devotee from birth. You are new men.”
Srila Prabhupada gave him three missions:
1. Translation of Srila Prabhupada’s books into Oriya.
2. Building Krishna Balarama temple in Bhubaneswar.
3. Preaching worldwide.
His books are printed by Gopal Jiu Publications.
Sanat Kumara Prabhu:
I got a lot of association. I joined ISKCON in 1978 and saw Gaura Govinda Swami since the beginning.
Sankarsana Prabhu, a Srila Prabhupada disciple:
We should glorify our guru on his appearance day.
I met Gaura Govinda Swami many times.
He was good friend of Bhakti Charu Swami.
A famous astrologer visited his house when he was a small child.
He said he would renounce his family, become a sadhu, and build a nice temple.
He would read Srimad-Bhagavatam and Sri Caitanya-caritamrita from childhood.
He became a traveling sadhu at age 45 searching for a bona fide guru.
At sannyasa Srila Prabhupada said, “You have understood about the Krishna consciousness movement.”
Srila Prabhupada told me by letter on May 4, 1977 to establish a memorial at his birthplace in Calcutta.
My house in Calcutta was near his birthplace in Calcutta.
Srila Prabhupada was a descendent of Uddharana Datta, a disciple of Lord Nityananda.
Third speaker:
Srila Prabhupada told Gaura Govinda Swami to go to Orissa and preach there.
Atul Krishna Prabhu:
He accepted a lot of personnal suffering for the development of the Bhubaneswar project.
He was a learned scholar of the Goswami’s works and their conclusions were manifest on his lips.
I met him 30 years ago in Australia.
Just the invocation of his class would go for 45 minutes.
He would not take prasadam all day, just in the evening.
Many devotees in the West in the 1980s had lost their faith in Krishna consciousness. He mercifully gave them shelter and inspired them.
He said, “I have come to preach to the preachers.”
We are fortunate that Gaura Govinda Swami performed his final pastimes here in Mayapur.
Me:
I heard him over 32 years ago in San Diego. A friend who had heard him speak before encouraged me to attend his evening darsana.
You can’t sleep in his classes.
He chooses someone in audience and puts them on the spot.
It is a little scary to be in his classes.
Srila Prabhupada stressed that human life is simply meant for self-realization and not sense gratification. Gaura Govinda Swami is a perfect example of realization of this.
He had a real taste for Krishna katha.
I heard he would not take a meal until he had chanted his rounds and done a certain quota of translation of the books of Srila Prabhupada into Oriya.
Some people feel that none of Srila Prabhupada of the disciples of Srila Prabhupada is qualified to be act as a real guru. I think that Gaura Govinda Swami is evidence that that conception is false.
By arranging that he disappear on the Appearance Day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura after speaking about Krishna at the temple in Mayapur, Lord Caitanya made it clear that he was a highly elevated devotee, dispelling all doubts anyone may have had.
I find he has serious disciples. They are serious about practicing sadhana and attaining real love for Krishna.
Swamiji:
I met him in Atlanta. Everyone appreciated his energy in his classes. I did a little service. When I saw him in Mayapur he was glad to see me.
He appeared in 1929 and most of were born around 1949, so he was like a father.
He was fiercely loyal to Srila Prabhupada. He said everything is in Srila Prabhupada’s books.
In 1977 a rich lady donated a property in Bhubaneswar.
Gaura Govinda Swami stayed with Srila Prabhupada for 17 days at Bhubaneswar.
I saw him 30 minutes before he left his body.
He got a benediction from his deity that he could leave his body when he wanted.
In 1979 a Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura disciple obtained the property where Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was born. That disciple soon left his body. There was a festival at the Caitanya Matha and there was an ecstatic kirtan. Gaura Govinda Swami went into some kind of trance that lasted for four months. Krishna Dasa Babaji Maharaja tested his breathing and pulse, and laughed and said, “Bhava!”
Sikhi Mahiti Prabhu:
I also met him in Atlanta. During Prabhupada’s time, it was famous how he attained Srila Prabhupada’s association.
Radhanath Swami was just coming to ISKCON himself, but he originally encouraged Gaura Govinda Swami to meet Srila Prabhupada.
Umapati Swami describes that Kirtanananda helped nurse Srila Prabhupada from his 1967 illness and then also in Vrindavan where conditions were very austere. Srila Prabhupada said, “You have saved my life. Is there anything I can do for you?” Kirtanananda replied that he wanted sannyasa.
Seeing Gaura Govinda Swami look at the deities in Atlanta, it was like Srila Prabhupada looking at the deities, the emotions. Srila Prabhupada said Lord Nityananda’s mercy is there in Atlanta.
A service of Gaura Govinda Swami was to demonstrate the qualities that we aspire for.
Paurnamasi Mataji:
It was 1994 and I was a bhaktin in Portugal. I was looking for spiritual inspiration.
Maharaja stayed in a hotel. When he came, all these thirty or so big European devotees, immediately did dandavats in the street.
His classes were interesting, straightforward, and bold.
His disciples’ were so near him. I could see their love. I could see their devotion. I could see they loved him, and they were on the same page. It was very, very beautiful. The class was three hours. I could not understand his accent. I was completely happy. No doubts. Completely satisfied. He was not caring about the body. He was not his body. You could understand that. I could not understand the philosophy, but I could understand that he was special.
He was inspiring, and I can only wonder how much more inspiring Prabhupada’s personal association was.
Kamalapati Brahmacari Prabhu:
I served the GBC in 1996 lemonade. He loved lemonade.
He father and mother were both devotees and helped bring him on the path of bhakti.
From the age of eight, he would sing the songs of Narottama Dasa Thakura.
He would make offerings to the Lord as a child by his parents request. He would feel that the deity was looking at him. He would go to another pillar of the temple, and it looked like the deity was still looking at him.
At his first meeting with Srila Prabhupada, people seeing him as a traveling sadhu thought he was Mayavadi sannyasa, and they would not let him see Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada said to let him it. When Srila Prabhupada saw him, he asked if had been given sannyasa. He said no. Srila Prabhupada said, “I will give you sannyasa.” Gaura Govinda Swami realizing that Srila Prabhupada understood his mind, surrendered to him.
Srila Prabhupada told him to make Gaura Nitai and Radha Krishna, but not Jagannatha as he would come of his own accord. It was the adhivasa ceremony, the day before the temple opening, and there was no Jagannatha. The morning of the installation a man came running up, saying his deity of Jagannatha wanted to go the ISKCON temple. Gaura Govinda Swami said, “Haribol!”
Sacisuta Prabhu:
It is said the disciple should glorify the guru two hours a day.
We do not appreciate their contribution, and thus it is difficult to glorify them.
We do understand the uniqueness of the acaryas so we cannot glorify them. Each acarya made a unique contribution.
He made many contributions. Here are some:
Gaura Govinda Swami preached about guru-tattva and gave faith to people in the west who had become faithless.
His preaching starts at Krishna-prema, and he a preacher to the preachers.
Gaura Govinda Swami had complete faith in Srila Prabhupada’s books
Gaura Govinda Swami was here to give us Krishna prema. He taught to chant the holy name purely and get Krishna-prema in this life.
Gaura Govinda Swami showed how to leave his body.
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This prayer spoken by the mother of Arjuna, Queen Kuntidevi, includes many sweet names of Krishna:
"Let me therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who has become the son of Vasudeva, the pleasure of Devaki, the boy of Nanda and the other cowherd men of Vrindavan, and the enlivener of the cows and the senses." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.21)
