“Remembering Srila Gurudev.” Srila B. P. Janardan Maharaj. April 4, 2013
In this exclusive interview with Srila Bhakti Pavan Janardan Maharaj, His Holiness shares his rich experience in over twenty years of association with Srila Gurudev, Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj. Posted on the jayasri.org website.
Srimad Janardan Maharaj stands (far left)
with Srila Gurudev and his entourage
at the Krishna Shakti Ashram in Brazil, in 1996.
В этом эксклюзивном интервью со Шрилой Бхакти Паваном Джанарданом Махараджем Его Святейшество делится своим богатым опытом более чем двадцатилетнего общения со Шрилой Гурудевом, Шрилой Бхакти Сундаром Говиндой Дев-Госвами Махараджем. Размещено на сайте jayasri.org.
English
Srila Bhakti Pavan Janardan Maharaj
Remembering Srila Gurudev
(April 4, 2013)
Srila Janardan Maharaj: When I first came to Srila Govinda Maharaj it was around February of 1987. And I came to the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math from ISKCON. And when I came, Srila Govinda Maharaj came to talk with me because he knew that I wanted a connection with Srila Sridhar Maharaj. So, when he came to talk to me, he said, “Well, you already have sannyas from Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad. Why do you want Srila Sridhar Maharaj’s connection?” And he asked me specifically, “And why do you want the name from Srila Sridhar Maharaj?” So, then I answered, I thought a few seconds and I said to Srila Govinda Maharaj, “Well, when a woman wants to marry a man, then she wants or have a connection with a man, and she wants his name. When she wants to marry a man, she wants his name.” And Srila Govinda Maharaj pounded his hand on the table and he said, “Very good answer.” And then was arranged that I came and Srila Govinda Maharaj and Srila Sridhar Maharaj [unclear]… Srila Sridhar Maharaj told me the sannyas-mantra and then Srila Govinda Maharaj told me the meaning of my name. That my name was given as Bhakti Pavan Janardan and previously my name was Pancha Dravida Swami. So Srila Govinda Maharaj explain all the syllables were there. But then he said, “The meaning of Bhakti Pavan Janardan,” he said, “was one who saves the people by giving them the raga-marg conception of Krishna. [Unclear] Bhakti Pavan Janardan.”
#00:02:02#
Devotee: [Unclear] It was in one day in first meeting?
Srila Janardan Maharaj: This was the second day. Well, this was when I was at inner kind of interviewed from Govinda Maharaj because Bhakti Sudhir Goswami Maharaj, he said, told Govinda Maharaj that I was serious and that I wanted Guru Maharaj’s connection. So, then Govinda Maharaj came to interview me and he… and that was… and then I received the sannyas-mantra and name from Srila Sridhar Maharaj. And Srila Govinda Maharaj told me the meaning of that name.
#00:02:38#
And then the next day I left and then I went and got all my things and it went back to. I went back to America and to Mexico and sorted out on my own business because I was leaving ISKCON. Then after some months, after everything, after maybe four or five months, when everything was sorted out my, you know, Srila Guru Maharaj, Srila Sridhar Maharaj told me that, “When you leave ISKCON, don’t take any man or money or any possession.” So, I did that I left without taking any, any property or anything and I left practically without anything. And that was Srila Guru Maharaj, Srila Sridhar Maharaj’s instructions. Then after about four or five months I came back to the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, this time I came with Ashram Maharaj. He was here at that same time. And I was wondering what my role was going to be. So I was at that time I had been traveling and preaching and everything in ISKCON. And I saw that Srila Sridhar Maharaj stayed here at the Math so I was thinking, “Oh, I’ll just stayed in Math sometime with Guru Maharaj.” And I was even thinking that, “Maybe I could, you know, retire from all so many activities.” And I still with Srila Govinda Maharaj and he said, well, Srila Govinda Maharaj, I was thinking, “I’d like to just stay here at the Nabadwip at Chaitanya Saraswat Math.” Srila Govinda Maharaj, he said to me, “What did you say then you would like to go to Kolkata and collect [money]?” And I said, “No, Maharaj, I wasn’t saying that, I was saying I’d like to stay here in Nabadwip.” And he says, “I think it would be better if you went to Nabadwip. I mean if you went to Kolkata, you collected.” So, then I was at my Srila Govinda Maharaj Kolkata and I went and collected each day Kolkata went to see businessmen and collected so that was his first instructions to me was not to just sit in Nabadwip but to go collecting.
#00:05:02#
And Ashram Maharaj he also went collecting the first couple of days. He collected, we collected together and after two or three days and we decided to collect separately and we more or less began competing against each other. Anyway, after some time I was collecting and I would bring the results to Srila Govinda Maharaj and he would tell me, “Now you take the results directly to Srila Guru Maharaj, he’s up on the balcony.” And so, I would go up there with my collections and I would give them to Srila Sridhar Maharaj and then he counted, he count, Srila Sridhar Maharaj counted up the number of rupees that I did. And then he said, count and then he divided by the number of days that I was collecting and then he figured out how many rupees per day I was collecting and then he said, “Okay, very good.” And then I collected up till Janmashtami I figured it was people were very receptive when you talked about Janmastami. So, I collected up to Janmastami [unclear] to collect and then I brought the results to Guru Maharaj and then he told me, “So, you have done this much for Krishna but now Radhastami’s coming up and She’s a Guru over there, She’s the head of our whole sampradaya. So, now what will you do for Her?” So, then I went back to Kolkata and it was collecting, collecting more and then bringing the results in his nails and I also collected for Srila Sridhar Maharaj’s until his appearance day.
#00:06:55#
So that was my first earlier contact with Srila Govinda Maharaj and he told me that, you know, I would collect. Then when after some months when I was to go back to the West. Srila Govinda Maharaj, he told me… well, I went back to the West and everything. And then later he maybe the following year came again and collected again and Srila Govinda Maharaj he would talk with us and everything. And Srila Govinda Maharaj sometimes he would take prasadam with us and I remember things like he was, he was very, you know, his relationship was very personal with all of us. And then Bhakti… but I remember one year Bhakti Kanan Giri Maharaj was here because I guess that was around Purnima time when I came back and Giri Maharaj came. And then Srila Govinda Maharaj was surprising because he’d be eating with us and then like by force, he takes some prasadam off our plate, you know, because I mean, it’s very sweet and very sweet in [unclear] then he told, he went to Bhakti Kanan Giri Maharaj and he made him eat with us with the westerners.
#00:08:24#
And then he also gave him I think things off our plate and everything. That’s just like Govinda Maharaj, just like playing and, you know, but a very sweet nature. He used to talk and those days he used to talk about, a lot about, you know, he’d talk about Srila Sridhar Maharaj but more during those early days he would talk to us about the relationship with Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad. Talking that Srila Govinda Maharaj in one day and he just said, maybe I asked about him personally, and he said, “We already have so many tapes from Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad, so many tapes from Srila Guru Maharaj, Srila Sridhar Maharaj, I’m just a boot like, I’m just a ghost, I’m just a boot, I am just a ghost.” And he didn’t want me to suggest what he would talk about.
#00:09:22#
Then of course Srila Guru Maharaj left in 1988. Now we came when we would be with Srila Govinda Maharaj, all of us we would come and we meet with Govinda Maharaj. I remember when Srila Sridhar Maharaj was still present and I was very new and one day Srila Govinda Maharaj was in Kolkata which wasn’t unusual because sometimes Srila Govinda Maharaj go to Kolkata. And sometimes when he is going to Kolkata, leaving [unclear] Kolkata, Srila Guru Maharaj would, you know, Govinda Maharaj was taking care of Guru Maharaj’s health. And sometimes when he would go to Kolkata apparently Srila Sridhar Maharaj would be feeling fine. And then Govinda Maharaj would leave to go to Kolkata because he has some work to do. But before he could get to the Gauranga Setu bridge because he had to go the back way, Guru Maharaj would send somebody on a bicycle to stop him at the bridge. And they’d say oh Guru Maharaj suddenly is not feeling better when he could come back.
#00:10:34#
So, a lot of times, you know, sometimes Guru Maharaj even with the inner have Govinda Maharaj’s car intercepted before it could get to the bridge, he would send somebody on bicycle bring him back. After Guru Maharaj had left, I wanted to come immediately but I wasn’t sure if that was correct because I thought, “Well, I’m a westerner and Guru Maharaj just left and probably the devotees here and the [unclear] feeling this very personal thing and I don’t know they’ll want people to come so.” I was thinking in that way and I called up and I spoke to Govinda Maharaj and I said, “Well, Guru Maharaj has left and I wanted to come but I don’t know if it’s proper or anything, you know.”
#00:11:21#
Govinda Maharaj said, “No, no, you could, you come immediately.” So, then I came here after Guru Maharaj left. And I remember in the beginning as I said when I first was here, I was I got a name and everything but I was only here for one or two days and then I had went back to the West. So, then the next time I came and one of the devotees from the Math, you know, of course I’d only been here for two days, so, he didn’t really remember me so much and he asked me my name and I said, “Bhakti Pavan Janardan Maharaj.” He said, “Who gave him that name?” And I said, “Srila Sridhar Maharaj, Srila Govinda Maharaj.” And then he said, “Oh, then you’re one of the family.” And he’s writing my name in the book and everything. And then when I get some letters when it was in the West and everything, you know, Guru Maharaj’s secretary.
#00:12:16#
So anyway, then every year when they come back with Srila Govinda Maharaj of course he’d talk with all of us and, and many times when he’d be speaking, he’d always say that, “I am speaking poor English,” and all that he’d say in his lectures and: “I cannot say this properly in English.” But it’s all the time we were seeing him, we could understand him and each year is English was getting better. And of course, then he became and, in the beginning, he would speak in English and if it was, you know, it was just us he’d speak very freely and then if he was a lecture he’d be a little bit more cautious about speaking, because he wanted to say everything properly and sometimes he’d be looking for the correct word and he’d ask Sagar Maharaj, he was with him.
#00:13:10#
So, we come to the Math in the 80s, all these years that would come to Math from 87 and 88, 89, 90. And somehow in the other we’d always come in, we’d always be with Srila Govinda Maharaj and we visited. And, you know, the relationship was always very nice to be with Govinda Maharaj in the relationship, you’re coming deeper because he’s getting to know all of us and he has confidence with us and everything. But I never thought during those early years that Srila Govinda Maharaj would ever leave Nabadwip or India because he was always here. And then maybe the first four years after Guru Maharaj left, he didn’t really travel. But so, I didn’t in my mind I was thinking Govinda Maharaj wasn’t going to leave India. But then around 92 and it became known that Srila Govinda Maharaj was going to go on a world tour and everything.
#00:14:12#
Devotee: So, Maharaj, in that first meeting you had with him, you came of course with the idea of hearing from Srila Sridhar Maharaj, but you also heard from A. C. Bhaktivedanta Srila Prabhupad so much affection was from Guru Maharaj to Gurudev. How was like your impression when you meet this personality?
#00:14:30#
Srila Janardan Maharaj: Well, you know, Srila… this was 1987. So, I think it was from before when was it 80–86 or so that Srila Govinda Maharaj was already the acharya of the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, you know, so he was acharya. And Guru Maharaj was very much retired from activities. So, you know, naturally Guru Maharaj would be on his balcony but he wasn’t so much talking with the devotees that… that much but Govinda Maharaj was always present. And maybe Govinda Maharaj wasn’t as active as in later years but he’s still the main personality. So, we would always come in our relationship would be with Srila Govinda Maharaj.
#00:15:18#
From the very beginning when I was going to approach Srila Sridhar Maharaj from for receiving sannyas-mantra and name, it was actually with Srila Govinda Maharaj who I spoke. And actually at that time Guru Maharaj had turned over all initiations and everything already previously to Govinda Maharaj. I didn’t know that. And I guess Guru Maharaj out of this affection and kindness and what Srila Govinda Maharaj has helped. I heard the mantra from Srila Guru Maharaj but actually Srila Govinda Maharaj was acharya at that time. And even then Srila Govinda Maharaj, he even, when Guru Maharaj disappeared, Srila Govinda Maharaj for some time maybe, I don’t know, first year or so he continued to initiate people in the name of Srila Sridhar Maharaj because he said, “They had come for Srila Sridhar Maharaj.” So, he wasn’t going to disappoint them.
#00:16:16#
But actually, it was our understanding that they were Srila Govinda Maharaj was their Guru but he didn’t say that he said, he was initiating from Srila Sridhar Maharaj even after Guru Maharaj disappeared maybe up to one year. I remember one person Govinda Maharaj initiated like that but then was not proper in his dealing with Srila Govinda Maharaj and caused trouble. And, and one devotee, I believe in Malaysia, and then Srila Govinda Maharaj, he one-time remarked kind of candidly to us he said, “That person doesn’t understand that. I that he’s actually my disciple but…” Govinda Maharaj told him that, he’s initiating from Srila Sridhar Maharaj’s name.
#00:17:02#
So, when we came to India more and more was always the spending time with Srila Govinda Maharaj then there was after Guru Maharaj left there was some intrigue going on because there were some persons who maybe didn’t accept the authority or of Srila Govinda Maharaj. Srila Govinda Maharaj remarked that during the time of Guru Maharaj because Guru Maharaj always gave his full backing that he was like an autocrat. But now the Guru Maharaj had disappeared, Govinda Maharaj that he had to function more like within democracy.
#00:17:41#
Everyone knows what the nature of Govinda Maharaj is so sweet and, you know, personal we’d always come here, we’d go wherever he was just to be with him, you know. There’s in Nabadwip or in Kolkata. And then with his world tours then we began traveling with him also. So, all that time we’re forming very close relationship. And he’d often be eating with the devotees that was one [unclear], that he’d always take meals with the devotees and, you know, his servants would cook for him and then the leading all the devotees for eat with Srila Govinda Maharaj. I mean specially the sanyasis and the leaders of the different temples they’d all take [prasadam] with Srila Govinda Maharaj. And of course, he didn’t always sit in the temple and talked with the devotees. We had quarters for Srila Govinda Maharaj and room where he could receive all the devotees and most often, he would set up upstairs and go squatters and he’d received, you know, all the devotees, I mean all the devotees could come up and see him there’ll be more than 100–200. There’d be a lot of devotees that would come up to Srila… see Srila Govinda Maharaj.
#00:18:56#
And one lady came to do an interview with him from the radio and she interviewed Govinda Maharaj and after she talked with him. Govinda Maharaj very sweet with her. Then afterwards she said that Srila Govinda Maharaj, she said, “You’re the most charming person I’ve ever met in my life.” So, you know, his nature is very, very sweet. You know, some complete stranger lady who interviewed, she told that, “You’re the most charming person I ever met.” And everybody who met Govinda Maharaj, so everybody was very much charmed by him. And he knew so much of the West, he can understand so much of the West. When he was in Soquel, we would see in Nabadwip and in Kolkata that Govinda Maharaj would always listen to the news. So, when he was in Soquel, we brought arranged to bring a television, there was a television, so that he could see the news.
#00:20:02#
And then they gave him the remote control and the news was on. In the West the news is much different than in Kolkata. And Govinda Maharaj’s way of watching the news in Soquel was very different because, you know, he’d be used to watching the Indian news and: oh, that’s the world news and everything, you know, there’s a whole different format, you know, all these commercials and everything. And he didn’t seem to have too much interest in it in the presentation. So, then he had the remote control and when the commercial came on, he took the remote control and increased the volume to maximum, it was very loud, the commercial was on it was maximum volume. We’re all like almost closing our ears, so loud, and wondering why Govinda Maharaj making the commercial, you know, the advertisement maximum volume. And when the commercial was over, then he turned to us and he said, “This is the program,” you know, commercially, [he] said, “This is a program the rest of it, the news is just filler, this is the real program.”
#00:21:12#
So, he’s even, even he’s from not, you know, is from Bamunpar in New Village but he could understand really the way the West operated just intuitively. He knew that the commercial was the real program in the news was just some filler that they put in. He turned up the commercial full volume to get that point across to us. He was 94, 95 we had a program for Govinda Maharaj and Louden Nelson which is when Hall. We’re still having programs there sometimes in Santa Cruz and had a stage. The stage is about three and a half feet off the ground. And it was high off the ground and in that time say 94–95, you know, Srila Govinda Maharaj, he’s like 65 years old. But he goes you could see the difference at he goes to the edge of the stage and the devotees down in the underneath the stage was doing sankirtan and Srila Govinda Maharaj just jumped three and a half feet up the stage and landed on the, you know, ground there with the devotees to join in the sankirtan.
#00:22:29#
And I was really surprised because Govinda Maharaj, you know, he’s like acharya and he’s, you know, older and he just jumped off the three-and-a-half-foot stage down and join with the devotees in the sankirtan. Even I walked to the edge of the stage and I kind of carefully got down but he had just jumped down. Then later we said to some, said, I said something to Srila Govinda Maharaj, and he said, “I’m always…” He says, “I may not be a young, young person, young person but I’m always thinking that I’m young.”
#00:23:03#
Anyway, that was where the early years when Srila Govinda Maharaj is just traveling on this world tours and we went everywhere with Govinda Maharaj. And when Govinda Maharaj will go, go to Soquel that he would always go to Mexico, Venezuela sometimes, sometimes Brazil. And other times he would always take all of us with him when he would go to England, to Italy, to Russia, different places, you would want us to go with him. So, we were traveling with Govinda Maharaj, when it was always like he would visit, he would visit the West and we would visit him in India, we were always thinking, he would either be coming to visit us but we would be going to visit him and then he would travel on his world tours and we would travel with him. Myself or Ashram Maharaj or different, you know, different senior devotees they would travel with him to the on the world tour [unclear] with Govinda Maharaj. Either and then sometimes it’d be in California doing my service and then speaking with Govinda Maharaj and talking with him discussing things with things so.
#00:24:20#
And many, many different examples with Srila Govinda Maharaj and he was always outstanding. Well, one thing I do remember that stands out a little bit in my mind is. One-time Srila Govinda Maharaj was with him in Vrindavan and he said, “Now I have come to Vrindavan. So, I will have to excuse some austerities now that I’ve come.” And I said to Srila Govinda Maharaj, I said, “No, you don’t have to execute any austerity, you’re the, you’re this person who purifies the holy places. That you come to the holy places and you relieve the holy places of so much.” That is accumulated when people go to the holy places to relieve themselves of that karma and to take advantage of, you know, go to the holy place for a business purpose, you know. The saintly persons who are themselves the holy places purified and then and they purify the holy places. When I said that Govinda Maharaj, said the name, he says, “Oh, you see, that way because you were at this, because you were a disciple.” And he says that, “You see that, that way because you are disciple.” Like that, indicating that, I that, I would see that way because I was... Srila Govinda Maharaj as my Guru. And I liked it very much when he said it. Because many times it would refer to us as referred to us different ways as a God brothers. [Unclear] when he said that [unclear] I feel very good.
#00:26:22#
Devotee: So, what do you consider to Srila Gurudev, Srila Gurudev most prominent teachings?
Srila Janardan Maharaj: Well everyone knows that everywhere he goes, he went, he would always say:
#00:26:34#
tṛṇād api sunīchena,
taror iva sahiṣṇunā,
amāninā mānadena
kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ
He said, “This is my…” He said, “This is the hot formula: humility, offering respect to others and tolerance.” And he would say, sometimes that more humb[ly], you know, we know the sloka from [Siksastakam]: “More humbled in the grass in the street, more tolerant than a tree, able to offer all respects to others without asking for respect.” And in return, I see that Govinda Maharaj remark that is anybody can feign or pretend to be humble and anyone can, you know, also, you know, show some respect to others whether they’re really sincere in doing so or not. And he said, “It’s very difficult to pretend to be tolerant.” He said, “You’re either tolerant or you’re not.” When we went to Srila Govinda Maharaj, we went to Colombia and in Colombia, yes, it was when television news reporter asked, to Srila Govinda Maharaj said, “What special message do you have for the Colombian people?” Srila Govinda Maharaj says, he says, “Your country is already full of so many natural resources, nice, you know, fruits and vegetables and nice, you know, climate and everything.” He says, “So, you have so many natural things,” he said, “but if you would just add this one thing,” and he said:
#00:28:31#
tṛṇād api sunīchena,
taror iva sahiṣṇunā…
He explained, I think he said and he told, “Humility, you know, everyone has the humility offer and respect to others and tolerance,” he said, “we would just show these qualities in the country, would be so enriched.” So, even when he was just asked what message: “Do you have for the Colombian people?”, he quoted the Siksastakam and telling that they would have these qualities country would be very enriched. So, I feel that he showed that as his principal teaching. And also, some you asked previously, “What also was some special things?”, I remember something of exchanges of Govinda Maharaj.
#00:29:36#
Well a few things I remember that happened in Mexico which I thought was very prominent. One: we went to a symposium of religions in Morelia, Michigan, in Mexico. And afterwards when television reporter, you know, interviewed Srila Govinda Maharaj but the question that the reporter asked was kind of seemed to me a little bit of a trick question because now that reporter said, asked Srila Govinda Maharaj, “What is your opinion of the Catholic Church?” We know in Mexico how many [Catholics]—99 present. So many percent, high percentage of the people are Catholic. And they asked him, Srila Govinda Maharaj, what his impression of Catholic Church. Srila Govinda Maharaj replied very nicely, he said, “All religions are meant from for taking people from the lowest point which is base materialism to the highest point there to some spirituality.” [He] said, “All religions are trying to do good for the people.” I thought that was a very nice answer, the way he explained it. “All religions are trying to do good for the people, trying to take them from basement gross materialism to some spiritual conception.” That was a nice answer.
#00:31:16#
Then another thing I remember was very special, [it] was when Srila Govinda Maharaj went to Monterey, Mexico. Ashram Maharaj had sold tickets for the program which is in a big auditorium. And Ashram Maharaj sold tickets for ticket master…
Devotee: 1996.
Srila Janardan Maharaj: Maybe. I was, we were very surprised because he sold tickets with ticket master. We don’t even at the time we didn’t even have a temple in Monterey. But Ashram Maharaj sold tickets with ticket master. And he advertised that the program is ‘A night with Mystic India’. And yet with the tickets also. And entitled the people that come to like, I think it was in addition to the evening program of Srila Govinda Maharaj to come to like, I think six symposiums during the day. So, the first one was supposed to be at nine in the morning. So, Srila Govinda Maharaj said, “Now the sannyasis can go, they can earn their food or something.” So, he said us to the first program. And we were wondering how this program was going to be a successful sold by ticket master.
#00:32:43#
So, we went to the first symposium at nine in the morning I think it was on, you know, either bhakti-yoga and there was another symposium on chanting the holy name. Anyway, when we got to, got to the auditorium nine in the morning we found there’s like 300 people there for the first symposium. So, I was very surprised because as I said these tickets were being sold the ticket master and we didn’t even have a center in Monterey. So, we didn’t think that people would buy the tickets but for the first symposium early in the morning were 300 people and then for all the symposiums during the day. Which different the voltage with the terms talking at the symposiums.
#00:33:28#
They were all well attended and that night when Srila Govinda Maharaj came for the evening program. In the evening all these people showed up in very, very dress ladies were wearing evening dresses and the men were wearing like suit and tie, you know, everyone was showing up in the place, and they were full, the auditorium was full. And when Govinda Maharaj came up in the car, you know, when Srila Govinda Maharaj got out of the car there were all these people there waiting all dressed up very nicely and they offered obeisances to Govinda Maharaj. So, I was like shocked, you know. That all these people dressed up and then they offer obeisances I mean touching they head [unclear] we’re all enthusiastic and saying “Jay!” to Srila Govinda Maharaj. How is this possible. But, you know, somehow or other they knew about Srila Govinda Maharaj and they also thought that in Mexico for many, many years books were distributed and everything. So, somehow or other also believe there’s a devotional audience out there but maybe we don’t always know about. Anyway, then we had the program in the auditorium.
#00:34:48#
And then there was one lady who was to my mind, she was trying to cause some trouble because she went after Govinda Maharaj spoke, then he asked questions and answers, this one lady said, “What is today the Pope met with the Dalai Lama? What is, what is your impression of their meeting?” And Govinda Maharaj said, you know, she’d said, it was in newspaper, [he] said, “I did not read about them.” And then but she persisted, she kept on saying, well, you know, the Pope [unclear]. She had kind of pushed that for an answer and finally Srila Govinda Maharaj said, “We are not interested in political meetings.” But so, then the woman got kind of like upset, she said, “You’re the… Pope is… our Pope is meeting with Dalai Lama, and you’re talking about it being a political meeting.” And she’s trying to create some disharmony. Instead Srila Govinda Maharaj said, “No, when I said we are not interested in political meet. No,” He actually, he didn’t say political meetings, Srila Govinda Maharaj said, “We aren’t not interested in politics.” He says, “We’re not interested in politics,” and then the lady tried to cause much commotion, she said, “You are saying the meet, the Pope meets with the Dalai Lama and you’re calling that politics?” Then Srila Govinda Maharaj said, very quickly said, “No, you already asked me about this and I said, I wasn’t, I didn’t read about that event and then you kept on asking us questions.” So, Govinda Maharaj said, “So, the politics is, is coming from you, you are doing politics.” And then he, I mean Govinda Maharaj, reacted very quickly and then everyone started shouting at the woman, “Sit down, be quiet.” It was very nice way he handled that. First, I thought, “Oh, now there’s going to be some trouble.” Actually, he told, “[I] don’t know. That politics is coming from you. I said, we are not interested.” And then Srila Govinda Maharaj said, “Of course if the Pope meets with the Dalai Lama, the Pope is a religious leader of all the Catholics and the Dalai lama also known religious leaders up there. And, you know, we give respect to all religions and if their meaning…”, of course says, he says of course, “that is two religious leaders.” But he said, “The politics that you are trying to cause some disturbance” to the woman so very quickly.
#00:37:39#
He dealt with it I mean Govinda Maharaj was very able to deal with all kinds of disturbance. It’s hard for me to say what exchange, I remember most from Srila Govinda Maharaj so many things were personal, you know, and he’d say things to you in, explain things to you and it had much affection for you. And that happened throughout all the years, 25 years or so of the relationship. But I cannot remember everything, I mean I can’t remember any particular thing is standing out there were just so many incidents.
#00:38:22#
One time he was visiting Soquel and he told me, this was his humor, you know, he says, “You must make people feel very welcome.” He says, he said, “You can say like to people, like you. I have not seen a face so smiling and so unfortunate with Krishna consciousness,” he said, he can say like that. He says, become be like me, he says, he said, “You know, you can say like that complete liar,” he said, he said, “you can be like me, complete liar, saying to people like you. I have not seen a face so it [unclear] with a smiling Krishna conscience.” And then, and then he told me, “And you should smile more.” And I told Srila Govinda Maharaj, I said, “Sometimes, you know, with a weight of management, it’s something, sometimes you become worried and it’s hard to sometimes smile and in certain circumstances.” And he said, Srila Govinda Maharaj said, “Then you should get an operation. [Unclear] smile operation to have a smile put on [unclear].” Srila Govinda Maharaj’s humor was very special.
#00:39:48#
Devotee: [unclear].
Srila Janardan Maharaj: Well, other humorous remarky he made, I remember especially, he said, he said, “I am like Lord Jagannath.” He said, “Lord Jagannath has no arms and legs but He has eyes.” And he said, like so then referring to his disciples, “So, I am, I am seeing everything,” meaning that we’re doing so many things wrong. “But I am not taking any action,” meaning like Lord Jagannath and no has no arms and legs. So, “I am like Lord Jagannath. Lord Jagannath has no arms and, and legs but He has eyes. So, I am seeing everything that everyone is doing. And so many things doing wrong but I am not, I am not taking any action against that.” I thought that was it, it’s humorously.
#00:40:52#
One time I remember, I complained this was, I complaining one place about the local management and then, and I said like, like Mahaprabhu led a civil disobedience movement. You know, meaning that He took some action. And then Srila Govinda Maharaj was, he was a little disturbed by that. So, he said, “So, who is the?..” He told me, “So, who is the Qazi—Govinda Maharaj?” He was telling me, “Don’t disturb things.”
#00:41:34#
One personal remark I remember is that Srila Govinda Maharaj was talking to someone he knew, one Bengali man. And he referred to me and he said, “I have no daughters…” No, he said, “I have no sons.” He had daughters—“I have no sons. But if I had a son, I would want him to be like him.” So, he referred to me. So, I was happy that he, you know, made that. What other questions were?
#00:42:07#
Devotee: [unclear] Srila Gurudev is a unique contribution of sampradaya [unclear] world.
Srila Janardan Maharaj: There’s a his pranam-mantra which is:
#00:42:17#
gurvvābhīṣṭa-supūrakaṁ guru-gaṇair āśīṣa-saṁbhūṣitaṁ
chintyāchintya-samasta-veda-nipuṇaṁ śrī-rūpa-panthānugam
govindābhidham ujjvalaṁ vara-tanuṁ bhakty anvitaṁ sundaraṁ
vande viśva-guruñ cha divya-bhagavat-premṇo hi bīja-pradam
Everything conceivable and inconceivable is known as Srila Govinda Maharaj. And is intimately related with Srila Sridhar Maharaj. And he everything that could that Srila Sridhar Maharaj was giving and which some things have been explained by others but everything was known to Srila Govinda Maharaj of Srila Sridhar Maharaj. And he could present Srila Sridhar Maharaj to the whole world. But [unclear] Srila Govinda Maharaj had his own unique contributions. I mean he could, he knew Srila Guru Maharaj, you know, siddhanta and so many things, that Guru Maharaj had presented Govinda Maharaj said that all that he spent 42 years with Srila Sridhar Maharaj. And he said when Guru Maharaj spoke it was like Guru Maharaj had the ability to throw things into Srila Govinda Maharaj’s consciousness and having heard from Guru Maharaj, they stated Govinda Maharaj consciousness and he could explain that to others.
#00:43:50#
And I think one time in Imlitala in Vrindavan, they were trying to figure out explanation about some dates about Mahaprabhu’s birth. That [is] unique vision, that Srila Sridhar Maharaj had given, but he had given in the form of, you know, a date that was, you know, referred to, you know, different symbols like the Vedas and referring to different aspects of the date.
#00:44:19#
And nobody they didn’t could understand that Srila Govinda Maharaj was young and he told them what date Guru Maharaj was referring to and explained why. And they were surprised and they said, “How could you understand that?” And he said, “Because I’m a disciple of Srila Sridhar Maharaj.” He explains those things. So, he could explain, you know, many things about Srila Sridhar Maharaj’s conclusions and at the same time Srila Govinda Maharaj he had his own unique contribution. And some of the, Govinda Maharaj could say, you know, explain things very beautifully and explain his own unique vision which was very deep. But he also said that. He was traveling all over the world to see the fulfillment of Guru Maharaj’s philosophy about how the flag on the, of the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math was announcing the glorious and victories of the Math. And he when Govinda Maharaj said, “I’m traveling all over the world just to see the fulfillment of Guru Maharaj’s prophecy.” And at the same time everywhere in the world Govinda Maharaj had this great ability to attract so many persons. I remember in the beginning mission of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Mexico is very small but then, you know, Ashram Maharaj was preaching and he attracted persons. And yet go I was also living in Mexico. But then Srila Govinda Maharaj began his world tours and he came to Mexico and hundreds and hundreds of persons joined and many of them were disciples of Govinda Maharaj and they became leaders also.
#00:46:21#
And they all cooperated very much with Srila Ashram Maharaj, you know, people like Madachan, Laksmiray, Jayvilay. He was, you know, he had been active in since time of ISKCON. But these other persons joined with, joined the mission and so many people were attracted by Govinda Maharaj. And the mission all over the world became really huge, I mean Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Mission all over the world, because of the preaching of Govinda Maharaj grew so large. And it was like, you know, Srila Prabhupad traveled all over the world. And, you know, it was very dynamic in his preaching and then all of [unclear] a sudden. We saw that Srila Govinda Maharaj he had that kind of great energy and ability to attract everyone. So, it was like a revival of Srila Prabhupad’s preaching. And even people who were not initially active in the mission who had been disciples of Prabhupad when they saw Srila Govinda Maharaj, many of them told me how much he reminded them of Srila Prabhupad and how much of, how much ability he had. And he attracted people that were many people in Mexico who were disciples of Srila Prabhupad told me that about Govinda Maharaj and then also in Santa Cruz California—Pushta Krishna who had been a personal secretary of Srila Prabhupad, he became attracted by Srila Govinda Maharaj and although his family was always very had been, very active in ISKCON, he himself became very attached to Srila Govinda Maharaj. Wherever he would go, he would also refer to Govinda Maharaj and talk about Govinda Maharaj and contribute to Srila Govinda Maharaj’s mission.
#00:48:30#
So, I saw it that Govinda Maharaj had that quality, you know, he could explain the deep realizations of Srila Sridhar Maharaj and at the same time he had, he had his own realizations and he also had the ability this great preaching, ability that wherever he went, he would attract many people. And I had not seen that kind of ability, you know, I had been with Srila Prabhupad and Srila Prabhupad showed how he could traveling, preaching and attract so many people. And now Srila Govinda Maharaj did it and was like my view, was like a great revival of Krishna consciousness all over the world like acharya is again coming in present. And to see that kind of a personality and who is a great acharya I felt like very special to be in the association of Srila Govinda Maharaj and he was present for so many years with us 20–25 or more years with the devotees in some cases 30 years.
#00:49:38#
And he showed so much ability to dynamic preaching. We heard so much about when even, when we weren’t with Govinda Maharaj, we’d hear about his traveling and preaching and then broadcast it. Remember even when he was ill in the latter part of his time present, you know, he was in England and they were wanting him to go to Russia. But the doctor in England said that Srila Govinda Maharaj [unclear] he was too sad, he was too ill to travel but they had booked programs for Srila Govinda Maharaj in Russia. So, the devotees asked to Srila Govinda Maharaj, “That doctor said, too ill to travel. What should we do?” And then Srila Govinda Maharaj smiled and he said, “Change doctors.” And the doctor gave him permission. Srila Govinda Maharaj, you know, so much beautiful energy and affection attracting people all over the world everywhere he would go, he would say, “I’ve come to visit family and friends,” you know. That’s what it was like to be with Srila Govinda Maharaj [unclear] part you were as part of his family and he showed so much friendship to everybody so very special. Never be able to find another person like Govinda Maharaj.
#00:51:11#
Devotee: [unclear]. How we continue to serve him in the in this period of separation?
Srila Janardan Maharaj: Everywhere I would travel and would Govinda Maharaj was present I was either going to see Srila Govinda Maharaj or he was sending me some place to do some work for him, to preach for him, like if I would go to Kolkata to see Srila Govinda Maharaj and then even if he was not able to travel because of his health, he would send me to Nabadwip to do the programs of Gaura Purnima or of his appearance time etc. So, I always felt in many ways that I was either going to see Srila Govinda Maharaj or he was sending me someplace to do some work for him. So, I still feel that way now.
#00:52:04#
I feel that when I’m going someplace, I’m going to see Srila Govinda Maharaj and I also feel that—he’s sending me there to do some work. So I’m seeing that even though he’s not present that in one sense, he is personally present because I’m always thinking, “Oh, I’m traveling, I’m going to see Srila Govinda Maharaj.” Or he’s sending me to someplace to do work for him and I’m remembering so many relations with him, what he said. And I know he’s no longer present but at the same time when still feeling his presence by remembering, you know, how he would call us to him and how he sends us to places. So, I still have that feeling I don’t feel like what I’m doing now is separate from him, I still feel that he’s involved. So, I have that feeling. And how to continue in his absence? I lived so many years with Srila Govinda Maharaj and feel very fortunate. Now I don’t know how many more years I have in this in this life, maybe some years and maybe I don’t know. I don’t but I feel that whatever I’ve gotten from Srila Govinda Maharaj that is enough in this sense, that I can still drop on that, I can still remember him and I can still do his work. I mean I don’t feel like, I’m… I don’t feel that I missed anything, I don’t feel like that now that he’s gone, I can’t function or can’t do anything [unclear] it like I have received so much from him. Now I’m able to utilized when he gave me and then able to drop on that.
#00:53:50#
I don’t really feel any shortcomings in any situation. I know there are many tests and many difficulties that we still have to face. I still feel that, you know, Srila Govinda Maharaj will give us the strength to face him. Sometimes even things may seem difficult or overwhelming but still I don’t feel that there that we’re in any deficiency that we can’t deal with the situation. That doesn’t mean that I know the future, I don’t know what’s going to happen. And I also have my preaching work, Govinda Maharaj giving that, giving me that preaching works. So, I feel like I know what I have to do. When I sit down and I [am], you know, talking to people or I’m preaching, I feel, I still feel very happy to do that and I feel inspired to do that. So, I feel that, that’s good for me. And then also it’s very nice to be like coming here to Nabadwip. It’s very nice to be with the devotees, whether I’m in California with the devotees, for incoming home here to Nabadwip with the devotees. And I still feel that I have this fortune in my life, I’m fortunate, I feel Govinda Maharaj may be fortunate.
#00:55:10#
Devotee: So today the mission continued to go and to increase?
Srila Janardan Maharaj: For me?
Devotee: For they the [unclear] the mission continued to grow and increase daily by, by all the world acharyas and for those who are coming in touch for the [unclear] first time to the mission and for those who didn’t have like a close connection with Srila Gurudev. What is your like personal message or encouragement for them to like being in separation with him?
#00:55:38#
Srila Janardan Maharaj: To be what?
Devotee: I mean having a relationship in separation with him. [Unclear] to the mission, many read books of Gurudev [unclear] when they feel attracted by Guru Maharaj’s books and they come here but Gurudev is not here. So, what is your personal message to them?
#00:55:54#
Srila Janardan Maharaj: There are so many senior devotees that had association with Srila Govinda Maharaj and they’re trying to communicate Srila Govinda Maharaj’s teachings and his affection with new person. So, they can drop from that, they’re getting from the association of so many persons who a long time had Srila Govinda Maharaj’s association, they’ll be able to receive that. You know, just as we were able to receive Srila Guru Maharaj from Srila Govinda Maharaj. Not everyone had so much personal association with Srila Sridhar Maharaj. But Srila Govinda Maharaj communicated that to them always, and I also feel there are many devotees who can communicate Srila Govinda Maharaj’s teachings and affection with persons who have come now. So, being within the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat, you know, Math, it’s society, you know. They’ll get that experience I think, I think that this mission is unique in what it can offer to other people.
Captured by Ananta Krishna Das
Edited by Tradish Das
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