Rays of the Harmonist-Enterning Nitya-Lila

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The Concluding Transcendental Pastimes ofr rmad Bhaktivednta Nryaa Gosvm Mahrja

Rays of

The HarmonistISSN 0973-2772

Special On-line Edition No. 24 I Hur f h Bgr Pu-smh Crmy, 2011


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R a y s o f t h e H a r m o n i s t2

Hari with intense endeavour and enthusiasm, even amidstworldly tribulations.

The Real Disciple and the Imposter

rla Mdhavendra Purpda the very root of the wish-fulfilling tree of prema (prema-kalpataru) an eternallyperfected (nitya-siddha) associate of Bhagavn and the crestjewel of the clan ofmah-bhgavatasenacted a pastime ofillness. During this ll, the sev-vtti, or service attitude, ofhis disciple r vara Purpda manifested fully.

On the other hand, another disciple of rla MdhavendraPurpda, named Rmacandra Pur, was the epitome ofoffending the lotus feet of riguru and Bhagavn. Duringrla Mdhavendra Purs pastime of illness, the tendencyexactly opposite to service stirred within the heart ofRmacandra Pur. When he would hear hisgurudevascries

of lamentation in separation from Ka, he would think,Why is Gurudeva weeping if he has fully realized brahma(absolute spirit)? It seems that he is crying due to beingafflicted by illness. Or, like an ordinary living being, thathe is attached to his body.

This is narrated in r Caitanya-caritmta (Antya-ll8.21):

tumipra-brahmnanda, karaha smaraabrahmavit ha kene karaha rodana?

Sometimes, people wonder: Do any symptoms ofdisease ever manifest in the bodies of the mah-bhgavatasor not? If so, is their pastime of illness the same asthe illness of ordinary living entities? Sdhusand mahtms

are sometimes seen to be afflicted by bodily ailments, butdo they experience misery resulting from attachment to amaterial body, as ordinary living entities do?

The Mah-bhgavatas Every Act isTranscendental

The mah-bhgavata is not an ordinary living being, boundto suffer the results of his previous actions (karma). Hiswanderings and residence in this world are solely for thewelfare of the world that is, for the welfare of all livingbeings. The illness enacted by the mah-bhgavata shouldnever be equated with suffering born of the threefold

worldly miseries.While manifesting the perfect ideal ofvipralambhamaya-bhajana, or bhajana suffused with deep feelings ofseparation, the mah-bhgavata actually deceives those whoare extremely antagonistic to Bhagavn and those who areoffenders. But simultaneously, he confers the opportunityto serve upon those who are sevonmukha (inclined torender service). And he demonstrates throughout his lifethe perfect ideal of following the instruction serve r

The Real Significance of the

Pastime of Illness Manifestedby the Maha--bha-gavataby the disciples of rla Bhaktisiddhnta

Sarasvat hkura Prabhupda


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[r Rmacandra Pur sa id:] You should remember that you are completely one with transcendental ecstasy(brahmnanda). Why is it that you are weeping despitebeingbrahma-vit, one who knows the Absolute Truth?

Rmacandra Pur even thought that rman Mahprabhu,who is Svayam Bhagavn Himself, was an ordinary living

being addicted to gratifying his tongue, but such materialconceptions could never enter the mind of rla varaPurpda. This establishes the excellence (vaiiya) of rlavara Purpda, the real disciple of rla MadhavendraPurpda, over Rmacandra Pur, a hypocrite and a disciplein name only.

vara-pur gosi kare r-pada sevanasva-haste karena mala-mtrdi mrjana

nirantara ka-nma karya smaraaka-nma ka-ll unya anukaa

tua ha pur tre kaila liganavara dil ke tomra ha-uka prema-dhana

sei haite vara-pur premera sgararmacandra-pur haila sarva-nindkara

mahad-anugraha-nigrahera sk dui-janeei dui-dvre ikhil jaga-jane

r Caitanya-caritmta (Antya-ll 8.28-32)

r vara Purpda served rla Mdhavendra Purpadain many ways, including cleaning up his stool and urinewith his own hand. r vara Pur was immersed in

remembering Kas name, and he would constantlyspeak out loud the names and pastimes of r Kathat rla Mdhavendra Pur cherished the most.Pleased with r vara Pur for how he performedthese various services, rla Mdhavendra Purpadaembraced him and gave him a benediction: Mayyou receive the wealth ofr-ka-prema. From thattime on, r vara Pur became a blissful ocean ofprema for r Ka. On the other hand, RmacandraPur became exceedingly bent on fault-finding. rvara Pur received rla Mdhavendra Purpadasabundant blessings, while Rmacandra Pur was the

recipient of his stern admonition. Therefore, these twopersonalities, r vara Pur and Rmacandra Pur,illustrate an exalted personalitys object of blessingsand discipline, respectively. By these two examples,rla Mdhavendra Purpada instructed all livingentities throughout the world.

Because rla vara Purpda attentively followed theinstructions and teachings of his r-gurupda-padma, he

came to understand that the sickness pastime enactedby amah-bhgavata is not like the illness of conditionedsouls, who are forced to endure the reactions of theirprevious activities. Nor is his illness pastime a severancefrom bhagavat-sev (service to Bhagavn)as a result of beingbound in a corporeal form. The mah-bhgavata,who is fullyengaged in bhagavad-anulana (perpetually endeavouring to

serve Bhagavn out of love for Him) considers himself to befully bereft of service. Indeed, he laments, I am completelyunable to serve r Bhagavn.

When The Vaiavas Appear to be Miserable, Theyare in Fact Experiencing the Highest Blissr Caitanya-caritmta (Antya-ll 8.19) quotes rlaMdhavendra Pur, who, weeping, would say, mathur npinu boli karena krandana I could not obtain Mathur-maala! His acute and intense eagerness was to satisfyr Kas desires to the fullest extent. This indeed is thepinnacle ofbhajana,oratrue mood of separation from Ka(vipralambha). Therefore, r Vndvana dsa hkura, theVysa ofr caitanya-ll, has said:

yata dekha vaiavera vyavahra-duhkhanicaya jniha sei parnanda sukha

viaya-madndha saba kicchui n jnevidy kla, dhana-made vaiava n cine

r Caitanya-bhgavata (Madhya-khaa 9.240241)

You should know for certain that whatever materialmisery a Vaiava is seen to experience, is for him an

experience of the highest bliss. Ignorant men, blindedby sense enjoyment, do not understand the slightestthing about these transcendental matters. Becausethey are intoxicated by pride in their knowledge, familylineage and wealth, they cannot identify a Vaiava.

Those who are absorbed in accumulating empiricalknowledge consider rman Mahprabhus enacting thepastime of having a fever, rla Santana Gosvm Prabhus

"rla Mdhavendra Purpda the very rootof the wish-fulfilling tree ofprema (prema-kalpataru) an eternally perfected (nitya-siddha)associate of Bhagavn and the crest jewelof the clan ofmah-bhgavatas enacted a

pastime of illness. During this ll, the seva-vtti, or service attitude of his disciple rvara Purpda manifested fully."


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enacting the pastime of being covered with sores, and rlaKadsa Kavirja Gosvm Prabhus enacting distressdue to old age, to be the same as the destined suffering(prarabdha-bhoga) of living entities bound by their karmicreactions. Those who think like this are extremelyunfortunate and they are deceived, kicked by imperfectknowledge, which is based on sense perception.

The Extraordinary Compassion of the Mah-puruaThe mah-purua enacts such pastimes only to help theliving entities realize the temporary nature of their life ofsuffering and grief and to consequently become intenselyenthused and engaged in rendering profuse service to rBhagavn.

If the personal associates of Bhagavn did not displayan intense effort to perform service to r Hari by enactingpastimes such as appearing in a lowly family or undergoingvarious calamities, afflictions, dangers, sickness or

lamentation, then the conditioned souls, fallen and arrestedin the material prison-house of three-fold-miseries, wouldnever be inspired to begin to turn their faces toward theirown auspiciousness.

In the rmad-Bhgavatam, in r Kas conversationwith r Uddhava known as Uddhava-gta (11.28.25), rBhagavn says:

samhitai ka karaair gutmabhirguo bhaven mat-suvivikta-dhmna

vikipyamair uta ki nu daaghanair upetair vigatai rave kim

For one to whom My personal identity as the SupremeLord has been completely revealed, what virtue or faultis there if such a liberated persons senses are eitherfully focused or entirely distracted? Indeed, of whatimportance is it to the sun if there are clouds in thesky or not? In the same manner, even when, accordingto external vision, all the senses of theliberated mah-bhgavata are perceived to be agitated and distraught,still, he is not overwhelmed by them. Nor do theycause him the slightest disturbance.

When an ignorant person cannot see the sun because of

the clouds in the sky, he considers the sun to be covered,but in reality this is not so. His vision of the sun has simplybeen blocked, for the sun, self-luminous and forever pure, isnever affected by clouds. Similarly, the senses of a liberatedpersonality are never distracted, but because our own sensesare agitated, we perceive the liberated personality, who isincessantly engaged in hari-sev, to be aff licted with diseaseand lamentation and to be full of disturbance.

rla Kadsa Kavirja Gosvm

"Those who are absorbedin accumulating empiricalknowledge consider...rla Kadsa KavirjaGosvm Prabhu's enactingdistress due to old age, tobe the same as the destinedsuffering of living entities....Those who think like thisare extremely unfortunateand they are deceived,kicked by imperfectknowledge."


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Bestowing a Unique Opportunity to ServeOn the other hand, one who knows that the mah-bhgavata is not really affected by any kind of suffering,illness or lamentation, may out of weak-mindedness come

to the conclusion that there is no reason to serve him.Why should I serve those who are not actually suffering?Instead I shall attend to those who are really in distress. Ifwe are impelled by this type of thinking, we will becomeanother Rmacandra Pur.

rla vara Purpda knew that his rlagurudeva wasdetached and unaffected by illness and lamentation, andthat actually, he was absorbed in vipralambha-bhajana.Still, with his own hands, rla vara Purpda cleanedthe excrement of rla Mdhavendra Pur. By doing so heinstructed the people in general that rla gurudeva enactsthe pastime of sickness to give his disciples the opportunity

to serve him in thatcondition. If the disciple fails to availhimself of such an opportunity, he will miss the chance toperform service to the mah-bhgavata , who is, in reality,always self-sufficient.

For the welfare of the living beings attached to theirbodies, the deity form of the Lord (r-arc-avatra) appearsas if dependent, although He is fully self-satisfied. He appearsas if ignorant, although He is fully omniscient; He appears

to be powerless, although he is replete with all power; Heappears to need protection, although He is the supremeprotector; and He displays the form of subordination to Hisdevotees, although He is the Master of all masters.

Unless the Lord takes such a position, the living beingswho are immersed in bodily consciousness would have noopportunity to render personal service to Him.

Although the nikicana mah-bhgavatasare completelyfree from the mentality of expecting anything from thisworld, and although they are completely liberated frombondage, which is born of all the effects of the three modesof material nature, they nevertheless appear to be like onein a diseased condition, who has expectations of others anddependence on them. Their purpose is purely to bestow anopportunity to render service upon those living beings whoare sevonmukha possessed of an inclination to serve. This

alone demonstrates their extraordinary compassion uponthe inhabitants of this world.

Because of the mah-bhgavatasacts of compassion, theconditioned souls in this world are saved from the fruitlesstoil of serving distressed persons who are simply full ofanarthas. Rather, by availing themselves of the opportunityto serve a mah-bhgavata, they become completely freedfrom the mentality of either considering whether to desire

"For the welfareof the livingbeings attachedto their bodies,

the deity form ofthe Lord(r-arc-avatra)appears as ifdependent,although Heis fully self-satisfied..."

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the fruits of their action or to renounce them. It is solelywith this purpose in mind that the mah-bhgavata bestowssuch opportunity upon the conditioned souls. It is only byserving, satisfying and fulfilling the needs of the mah-bhgavata that the living entities obtain their highestauspiciousness.

rla Rpa Gosvm Prabhu writes in r Upademta,

verse 5:keti yasya giri ta manasdriyeta

dksti cet praatibhi ca bhajantam amuray bhajana-vijam ananyam anya-

ninddi-nya-hdam psita-saga-labdhy

This verse means that if someones lips have chantedKas name just once, the madhyama-adhikrwill offerhim respect within the mind. If someone has receiveddk and is engaged in devotional service (hari-bhajana),then the madhyama-adhikr will show him respect byoffering obeisances and so forth. And upon meeting the

uttama-adhikr who neither seesnor knows anything apart fromKa, who is free from all criticaltendencies and who is adept inbhajana the madhyama-adhikrwill honour him by rendering serviceto him in all ways, for he knows thatamong those who are like mindedand affectionately disposed towardhim (sajtya-raya-snigdha), thereis no association more exalted thansuch amah-bhgavata.

The Form of the Mah-bhgavata is Devoid ofAny FlawIf, however, one dishonours a mah-bhgavata devotee ofBhagavn by seeing with mundane vision any fault in hisnature or body, then one will be deprived of service to suchan exalted Vaiava. Therefore, in Upademta, verse 6,rla Rpa Gosvm Prabhu states:

dai svabhva-janitair vapua ca doairna prktatvam iha bhakta janasya payet

gagmbhas na khalu budbuda-phena-pakair

brahma-dravatvam apagacchati nra-dharmai

Devotees who are constantly absorbed in hari-sev whilebeing situated in this material world should not beviewed with mundane vision. In other words one shouldnot consider them to be ordinary conditioned souls. Theimperfections visible in their natures, such as birth in alow caste, harshness and lethargy, and the imperfections

visible in their bodies, such as ugly features, disease anddeformities, are precisely like the appearance of bubbles,foam and mud in the Ganges. Despite such apparentpollution in the water of the Ganges, she does notloose her nature of liquefied transcendence. Similarlythe apparent imperfections seen in the nature andbodies of the self-realized Vaiavas, who always exist

on the transcendental plane should not be seen from amaterialistic point of view.

All the endeavours of the mah-bhgavata,or liberatedpersonality, are meant for the service of Ka. He is notimpelled to act by either an enjoying mentality or a moodof renunciation. If a doubt arises in a person who hearsr Caitanya-caritmtas account of rla MdhavendraPurs passing stool and urine, because he is bewilderedby such activities of the mah-bhgavata, the answer isgiven by Bhagavn r Ka in r Uddhava-gt (rmad-Bhgavatam 11.28.3031):

karoti karma kriyate ca jantukenpy asau codita -nipatt

na tatra vidvn praktau sthito pinivtta-ta sva-sukhnubhty

tihantam snam uta vrajantaaynam ukantam adantam annam

svabhvam anyat kim aphamnamtmnam tma-stha-matir na veda

Inspired by their previousimpressions, all living beings

perform activities (karma)until thevery moment of their death, and they are affected bythe results of that karma. A learned person, however,although situated within the body, clearly knowsthe difference between bondage and liberation and iscompletely free from all worldly desires because of hisrealizing the bliss of serving Bhagavn in a favourablemood. His actions never result in his receiving amaterial destination. Those whose consciousness isalways absorbed in service to Bhagavn whether theyare standing or sitting, moving or resting, eating grainsor excreting, or whether they are performing any other

activity that is natural for the body are never attachedto their bodies.

Translated by the Rays of The Harmonistteamfrom r r Bhgavat Patrik Year-7, Issues 1112

Originally published in Bengali in the weeklyGauya,Year-12, No. 45

"If, however, one dishonoursa mah-bhgavata devoteeof Bhagavn by seeing withmundane vision any fault inhis nature or body, then onewill be deprived of service tosuch an exalted Vaiava."


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om vi.s.nupda astottara-sataSr- Sr-mad Bhaktiveda-nta Na-ra-ya.na

Gosva-m- Maha-ra-jaentered

Sr- Sr- Ra-dha- Rama.na Biha-r-j-snaisa-l-la-(night pastimes)

based on a report rpad Bhaktivedn

Siddhanti Mahrand rman Sajaya d

Brahmacr (who werethe personal service

rla Gurudeva froSeptember 2010 until h

divine disappearanc


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On Wednesday, 29 December 2010, shortly before dawn on the auspicious ka-navam-tithiof thepaua- (nryaa-)msa the appearance day ofo viupda aottara-ata r rmad Bhaktivednta Vmana Gosvm Mahrja at3 a.m., in the r Jayar-Dmodara Gauya Maha, which is located at r Cakra-trtha, the sacred appearance place of rJaganntha-Baladeva-Subhadr in Ketra-maala Jaganntha Pur, he who was an intimate associate ofnitya-ll praviaaottara-ata r rmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja, who in turn was the intimate and dear associateofjagad-guru o viupda r rmad Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkura Prabhupda, the protector of the r Gauyasampradya; he who was best among the one-pointed followers of rla Rpa Gosvmpda, who fulfilled the innermost

desire ofkali-yugapvana vtrr Caitanya Mahprabhu, the saviour of the most fallen in this age of Kali; he whowas the crown jewel of the clan ofrasika Vaiavas in present times; he who was acclaimed Yuga-crya; and he who wasthe president-crya of the r Gauya Vednta Samiti Trust: o viupda paramahamsa svami aottara-ata r rmadBhaktivednta Nryaa Gosvm Mahrjaby his own sweet desire entered r r Rdh-Ramaa-Bihrjs naia-ll(night pastimes), in the Lords own eternal abode, thus submerging those servants who had taken shelter at his lotus feetin an ocean of intense separation from him.

Indications of DepartureReturn from NepalIn August 2009, rla Gurudeva went to

Nepal to preach the message of r CaitanyaMahprabhu, as well as to visit the city ofJanakapur to have darana of r St Devsbirthplace. Upon his return to Mathur, inhis arrival address at the r Keavaj GauyaMaha, he described that cherished journey:For a long time, I had desired to visit thebirthplace of r St Dev, the aktiof LordRma, and by her mercy that desire hasbeen fulfilled in the final part of my life.Therefore, I think that with this pilgrimage,I have completed mydaranasof all the holyplaces of the world.

BadgerIn June 2010, rla Gurudeva presidedat Badgers annual Summer Hari-kathFestival, delivering a series of heart-rendingclasses portraying the anguish that Kafelt in separation from the vrajavssafter Heleft them to go to Mathur, and the tormentthey felt being separated from Him. At theend of what was to be his final class there,

he announced, This is my last journey toAmerica. Then, to the great dismay of theover eight hundred devotees gathered, rlaGurudeva left the festival a day before itsscheduled conclusion.

Thus in various ways, rla Gurudevabegan to reveal some of what his supremelyworshipful gurupda-padma, r CaitanyaMahprabhu, and r r Rdh-Ramaa

photos Sulat ds


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Bihrj were indicating to him that he had fullyaccomplished his assigned service of disseminating rmanMahprabhus teachings (gaura-v) in this world and wassoon to enter nitya-ll and present himself to r r Rdh-Ramaa-Bihr for service to Them in Their eternal abode.

Enacting the pastime of illnessIn accordance with the unfolding of a divine plan, rlaGurudeva enacted his human-like pastime of illness fromthe beginning of 2010. In a prelude to the more seriousillness that would occur later in the year, on two occasions atthe time of r Navadvpa-dhmaparikram, rla Gurudevadid not come to preside over the evening assembly. Greatdisappointment filled the hearts of the attending devotees,who yearned to hear transcendental kath from his lotusmouth.

Even though he was noticeably weak during his American

and European tour, after he had returned to India andcelebrated guru-prim, rla Gurudeva still planned tofly to Dubai and Russia to participate in hari-kath festivalsthere. Some devotees expressed concern about this. He had just returned from a world tour and had had little timeto rest. Further, he had just given darana to thousandsof devotees at three guru-prim festivals in India. Forthese reasons, the devotees felt he should not travel againso soon. But rla Gurudeva could not be dissuaded from


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going and remained fixed in his determination tofulfil his promise to the devotees in Russia, whofor years had been eagerly yearning for his darana,being unable to come to India due to their financialconstraints. Upon his return to India, however, afterthe successful completion of those festivals, he wentdirectly from the airport to the hospital.

Janmam his last lecture in DelhiOn the request of his doctors, rla Gurudeva stayedin Delhi to regain his health. Therefore, for thefirst time in fifty-six years, he was not in Mathuror Vndvana for the celebrations of Jhulana-ytr; hisannual three-day conference honouring rla RpaGosvm on his disappearance day; r Baladeva Prim;r Ka Janmam; and r Nandotsava. Words cannotdescribe how he lamented not being able to be there. The

transcendental moods he expressed in his last lecture,given on r Janmam at r Ramaa-Bihr GauyaMaha, Delhi, have already been published along withthe complete discourse in the Hindi magazine r rBhgavata Patrik (year 7, number 7).


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Arrival in Mathur and Govardhanarla Gurudeva completed his medical treatment just afterr Nandotsava and immediately travelled to Mathur. Afterstaying there for two days, he proceeded to Govardhana.

A devotee in Mathur told rla Gurudeva that in hisabsence, the Janmam festival seemed devoid of life.He requested rla Gurudeva to be present in Mathur

every Janmam, just like he used to be. At this, rlaGurudeva became very grave. A new era is about to begin,he responded. Everything will be different from now on.With these words, rla Gurudeva fell silent.

Further manifestationsof illness

After a short stay in Govardhana, rla Gurudeva again

exhibited manifestations of sickness. He expressed adeep desire to stay in Vraja and to be able to celebrate rRdham in Mathur, but because Govardhana lacksadequate medical facilities, he had to return to Delhi.

As Gurudeva enacted his pastime of illness againand again, the heartbreak his disciples and followersexperienced can only be known to them. Everyone simplydesired rla Gurudevas speedy recovery, by one means oranother. rla Gurudeva was scheduled to fly to Malaysia onSeptember 19, but on the advice of his doctors, his journeywas cancelled. His servants hastily consulted prominentdoctors from India and abroad and began to arrange the

best possible treatment in Delhi.Continuous nma-sakrtana, parikrams,worship and oerings, and re sacricefor the recovery of rla Gurudevas healthWhile rla Gurudeva stayed in the r Ramaa BihrGauya Maha and received treatment, local devotees anddevotees arriving from all corners of the world would performnma-sakrtana outside his bhajana-kutra , for hours everyday. rla Gurudeva would relish their krtana from insidehis quarters. People neglected their jobs, businesses andhousehold affairs with just two things in mind their

concern for rla Gurudevas health and how to receive hisdarana. Sometimes rla Gurudevas servants would helphim walk to the door of his bhajana-kutra , his arms restingon their shoulders as they walked on either side of him.Upon seeing rla Gurudeva, the devotees would performnma-sakrtana loudly and would feel such intense emotionthat often they could not help but weep. At other times, rlaGurudeva would come out to sit on his balcony and give hisdarana and blessings to the devotees below.

To pray for his good health, many devotees performedregular parikram, abhiekha with pacmta and worshipof r Girirja. Besides this, Nsihayajas, Sudaranayajasetc., were organized in India and abroad on a dailybasis. Everyones sole cherished desire in performing thesedevotional practices was to see that rla Gurudeva gainfull recovery of his health, quickly. If his servants caught aglimmer of hope that any medical procedure, alternative orotherwise, would help him, they would try it immediately.


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Manifesting transcendental symptomsDuring this period of ill health, rla Gurudeva remainedabsorbed in deep transcendental moods. Sometimes hewould utter indistinct words, and other times he wouldchant his hnika or stava-stutis (devotional prayers) forhours on end. Only upon his servants repeated effortsto offer him food or medicine would he slowly return to

external consciousness, sometimes fully and sometimesonly partially. Thus rla Gurudeva would constantlyremain in an internal state (antara-da).

Within rla Gurudevas bhajana-kutra, his servantswould from time to time sing his favourite krtanas, andsometimes they would read to him from scripture.

One day rla Gurudeva said, I have collected all thespices, but cannot find the ubar.He uttered this over andover. Each time, his servants asked him what this spicewas, but rla Gurudeva simply softly uttered the sameword again and again. No one present had ever heard ofthis transcendental spice.

Arrival of respected Gauya Vaiavas for rlaGurudevas daranaDuring rla Gurudevas stay in Delhi, many devotees whohad attained the shelter of his lotus feet came daily totake his darana. Gauya Vaiavas from different mahasalso came for his darana. These included r GopnthaGauya Mahas present crya, rpad Bhakti VibhudaBodhyana Mahrja; r Gauya Vednta Samitis presentcrya, rpad Bhaktivednta Paryaaka Mahrja, andalso rpad Bhaktivednta Vaiava Mahrja; ISKCONGBCs rpad Gopla-ka Mahrja, rpad BhakticruMahrja, rpad Indradyumna Mahrja, rpad BhaktiBhga Govinda Mahrja, and rpad Vedavysa Mahrja;from r Caitanya Gauya Maha, rpad Bhakti PrapannaTapasvi Mahrja and rpad Bhakti Vicra Viu Mahrja.In addition, many brahmacrs and householder devoteesfrom ISKCON and various Gauya Mahas came to havedarana of rla Gurudeva. Pjyapda r rmad BhaktiVallabha Trtha Gosvm Mahrja, the present crya ofr Caitanya Gauya Maha, and his godbrother,pjyapdar rmad Bhakti Vijna Bhrati Mahrja, telephonedand expressed to rpad Bhaktivednta Mdhava Mahrja

their concerns and prayers for rla Gurudevas health.Newly published books oered into rlaGurudevas lotus handsrla Gurudeva had been in Delhi for r Rpa Gosvmsdisappearance day. At that time, Rasa-Bihr prabhu offeredthe English translation ofUtkalik-vallarto rla Gurudeva,on behalf of Vicitri ds. In addition, while he was still inhospital, he was offered TheDistinctive Contribution of rla

Rpa Gosvm, printed in both English and Hindi, on behalfof Majar ds. Later, rpad Bhaktivednta DmodaraMahrja offered him the English translation ofVaiava-siddhnta-ml, and he also offered two booklets on behalfof ymar ds: HarmonyPreview and UnderstandingrGuru. nt ds offered an English translation ofr Rdh-ka-gaoddea-dpik, and ymar ds and Vasantids offered a copy of Walking with a Saint. Also, Oriyatranslations ofJaiva-dharma, r Camatkra-candrik andr Prema-sampua were offered to rla Gurudevas lotushands by rman Madhumagala Brahmacr and rmanVa-vadana Brahmacr. Although rla Gurudeva doesnot read Oriya, he showed keen interest by opening severalpages and inquiring time and again, What is writtenhere? Vndvanevar ds and Kuja-kalik ds offeredSpanish translations ofThe Way of Loveand Mana-ik.And the Chinese devotees also offered him various Chinesetranslations. On many of these occasions, rla Gurudevawas not always speaking, but on seeing these publications,his face would invariably brighten and he would shower hisheartily blessings by repeatedly raising his lotus hands andbestowing his merciful glance upon the devotees involvedin the service of book publishing.

When r r Bhgavat Patrik (year 7, number 7) wasoffered to rla Gurudeva, he first skimmed through themagazine from cover to cover, and then returned to thearticle written by Paramgurudeva rla Bhakti PrajnaKeava Gosvm Mahrja, which he read in full.

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The arrival of devotees for r Vraja-maalaParikramMany devotees from India and abroad began to arrive forthe eighty-four krosa Vraja-maalaparikram, which isperformed during the month of Krtika. But first, eachand every devotee anxiously went to r Ramaa-BihrGauya Maha to receive rla Gurudevas darana, and

only then did they proceed to r Vndvana-dhma.rla Gurudevas instruction to join r Vraja-maala parikramThe devotees were worried about rla Gurudevas health andsome wanted to remain in Delhi to be near him. However,once Krtika started, he did not always encourage this. Onmany mornings and evenings, he would come to the screendoor of his bhajana-kutra, either to sit for a few minutes orto stop briefly as he walked, aided by his attendants. If he sawdevotees waiting for his darana in the courtyard, often hewould ask them why they were there, and he would instruct

them to go to Vndvana to participate in Vraja-maalaparikram. Your life will become successful by visiting thesepastime places, he would say. I am only unable to attendparikram because of my ill health, but I order all of you togo and participate. Gradually, I am improving and will try tojoin theparikram as soon as possible.

The kind concern of the devoteesrla Gurudevas pastime of illness prompted some devoteesto speak to his personal servants, expressing their concernthat rla Gurudeva was being obliged to remain in Delhi.These devotees felt that it was only appropriate that

he be taken to Govardhana. The devotees concern wasmotivated by their great affection for rla Gurudeva, andhis attendants understood this. However they could notcomply because they felt it their responsibility to do all theycould to enable rla Gurudeva to recover his health.

If rla Gurudeva were to manifest his disappearancepastime in Delhi, the devotees said, this would be terribly

undesirable. Responding to this, his servants pointedout, rla Bhaktivinoda hkura and rla PrabhupdaBhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkura manifested theirdisappearance pastimes in Kolkata. Was that considereda greatly undesirable occurrence? Wherever an eternalassociate of Bhagavn like rla Gurudeva resides is indeedr Vndvana-dhma, r Govardhana, or r Rdh-kua. But to some they did express their faith that, Atthe appropriate time, rla Gurudeva will express his desireto go to Govardhana. Certainly, this came to pass.

Expressing the desire to reside in Govardhana

during KrtikaOne day, in the middle of Krtika, rla Gurudeva toldhis servants that he now desired to go to Govardhana.Upon hearing his request, they immediately made allarrangements to take him there. On the morning of hisdeparture, the crowd of devotees in the Delhi temple was sohuge that it took half an hour for rla Gurudeva to travelin his wheelchair from the elevator exit to the ambulance,a distance of about forty metres. rla Gurudeva held hispalm upright, showering blessings upon all. Dr. RavindraPrakash of Delhi accompanied him on his journey toGovardhana.

Residing at Govardhana in KrtikaA thousand devoteesgathered for rlaGurudevas daranaupon his arrival at rGiridhr GauyaMaha. During theremainder of his stayin Govardhana, hishealth fluctuatedfrom day to dayand he remained ininternal conscious-ness (antara-da)most of the time.


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Manifesting transcendental emotionsFrom time to time, rla Gurudeva would manifest some ofthe symptoms of ecstasy mentioned by rla Rpa Gosvm inr Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu. Sometimes incessant tears wouldflow from his eyes, sometimes froth would issue from hislotus mouth, and sometimes he would hiccup continually forhours on end. Occasionally, as if in forgetfulness, he would

ask, Where am I? or Is it day or night? and sometimeshe did not recall the names of even his closest servants. Yetat other times, he would exhibit his razor-sharp acuity andcatch a servants faulty pronunciation of devotees names,correcting him by properly pronouncing them himself.

Sometimes, upon seeing the service attitude of thedevotees attending him, he would express his appreciationof them, and at other times, he would correct them and tellthem how to perform their service. Sometimes he wouldawaken from sleep and ask, The parikram has gone toNandagon today? or, It is Ekda today? This alwaysastonished those serving him, as they had not given him

any information as to what day it was, yet rla Gurudevahad accurate knowledge of what was happening.

Although it was of utmost importance to those attendingrla Gurudeva to see to his dietary needs according to thedoctors instructions, still, he would sometimes inquire,Will you not give me anything to eat today? Needless tosay, it was with great pleasure that they would immediatelyoffer something to him.

Arranging for darana of rla GurudevaA particular predicament arose during rla Gurudevasstay at Govardhana: How could darana be arranged forall the devotees who had come for parikram from Indiaand abroad? It was not possible to allow everyone insiderla Gurudevas bhajana-kutra, but the devotees weredisconsolate that they could not take his darana.Initially,a system was put in place of allowing devotees to cue up fordarana through the side-window. But this did not proveto be successful; the line did not flow smoothly and moreoften, did not even move at all.

Everyone was bewildered as to how to deal withthe situation, until finally, someone made a wonderfulsuggestion: Why not put a large LCD screen in the temple

room? That way, all the devotees can easily take rlaGurudevas darana at the same time. This proposal washappily welcomed by all, and an LCD screen was quicklyarranged. Now the devotees in the temple could havedarana of rla Gurudeva in his bhajana-kutra. A smalltelevision screen was also placed in his bhajana-kutra so hecould also see them.

When rla Gurudeva was not able to see the sannysson his screen (because they were on stage, out of camera

range), he would inquire, Where are the sannyss? I cannotsee them. The sannyss happily honoured his requestand assembled before the camera. Seeing all the devoteestaking his darana from the temple room, rla Gurudevawould raise his hand to bless them. Sometimes, when hewas absorbed internally, even though his mere presence orglance gave all blessings, his servants would try to draw him

into external consciousness to interact with the devotees.These daranas filled the devotees with great blissand they would loudly chant, Jaya rla Gurudeva! orGurudeva, tumhr jayajaya ho! Sometimes they wouldsing GovindaDmodaraMdhaveti, while at other times,the Hare Ka mah-mantra to the Australian tune.Singing and chanting in this way, the devotees would oftenbecome overwhelmed and begin to weep. For the durationof rla Gurudevas darana, no one would move from theirplaces but would simply stare at the screen with unblinkingeyes,oblivious to all else.

The predicament of rla Gurudevas servantsAlthough rla Gurudevas darana on the LCD screenwas well appreciated, how could it compare with directlyseeing him, even if only for a moment? Gradually, devoteesbegan to press for this. Please make some arrangementsfor direct darana of rla Gurudeva, they requested.Taking his darana on the screen does not compare withthis. His personal servants endeavoured to accommodatethe devotees as far as they could, but they were in a painfulquandary. How could they possibly ensure rla Gurudevaspersonal needs and also satisfy everyone?

They next tried to implement a system of allowingdevotees to silently have darana from the window whilerla Gurudeva was sleeping, but once he unexpectedlywoke up and instructed his attendants to close the curtainsfully, without so much as a little opening in them. I do notwant anyone to be upset by seeing me in this condition,he told them. The attendants had no choice but to complywith rla Gurudevas request, and so had to perform theirduties in a dimly lit room throughout the day.

The intense desire of the devotees for direct daranaSeeing rla Gurudevas deep internal absorption, his

attendants carefully served him in that state, but onoccasion, out of concern for his health, they would gentlyawaken him to external consciousness and attempt tobring him out of the room, saying, O rla Gurudeva, thedoctors suggest that you come out of the room for at least afew minutes and that you sit in the fresh air and meet withthe devotees.

Words cannot describe the condition of the devoteesor the enthusiasm and joy that filled their hearts when


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they saw rla Gurudeva come to the open door in hiswheelchair, or even sometimes walk there, his hands onthe shoulders of devotees on either side of him. On theseoccasions, he would give his darana for a few minutes.From windows, from the roof, from the garden, from thebalcony, even hanging from pillars or however they could,the devotees would position themselves so as to receivedarana of rla Gurudeva, as if wanting to record thesemoments in their hearts forever. Some devotees offeredratto rla Gurudeva with ghee lamps, while others werecontent to perform ratwith their eyes. Wherever rlaGurudeva turned to look, the devotees standing in thatdirection would consider themselves most blessed. He gavedarana like this for two or three days, af ter which he againentered full internal consciousness.

The Vraja-maala parikram performed by rlaGurudeva

At this time, rla Gurudeva performed an amazingll forabout three days. He was constantly immersed in some typeof deep ecstatic emotion. However, one day, he repeatedlyurged his personal servants, Take me to Vndvana. I wantto perform Vraja-maalaparikram. The sevakastried topacify him by informing him that all the devotees were nowat Govardhana, having arrived there from Vndvana, andhe was in fact with theparikram party. Still he continuedto insist that they must take him to Vndvana. They

concluded that for him to insist upon this, he must havea confidential reason, so they told him, Yes, Gurudeva,we will arrange for you to go to Vndvana. Upon hearingthis, he became satisfied and rested for some time.

photoMadhuvr

atadsa


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The arrival of rla Bhaktivednta VmanaGosvm Mahrjas auspicious disappearance daySome years before, rla Gurudeva had stated, Followingin the footsteps of my senior god-brotherprapjya-caraarmad Bhaktivednta Vmana Mahrja, I want to takeshelter of the same tithi(exact day) to leave this world.These words caused much apprehension in the hearts of

all, and as the disappearance day of rla BhaktivedntaVmana Gosvm Mahrja approached, the devoteesbegan to be increasingly anxious that his words mightcome to pass. In a most earnest attempt to prevent this,almost all the devotees who had come to r Vraja-maalaparikram and also devotees all over the worldbegan to pray intensely to r Girirja Govardhana,who fulfils all desires. Many stayed awake the wholenight performingharinma-sakrtana, some sang stava-stuti, while some performed abhiekha of Girirja andothers circumambulated Girirja. To the devotees greatrelief, though, in the morning it was reported that rlaGurudeva had slept peacefully that night.

rla Gurudevas merciful instructions onthe occasion of the release of the rmad-Bhgavatam

During Krtika, the first volume ofrmad BhagavatamsTenth Canto, Chapters 18, translated by rpad

Bhaktivednta Trtha Mahrja and edited by rlaGurudeva, was published. rpad Trtha Mahrjapresented the book to rla Gurudeva, who joyfullyreceived it and released it for distribution. Atthat time, he gave valuable instructions to rpadBhaktivednta Trtha Mahrja that are pertinentto all his followers:

When, by my Gurudevas order, I translated rlaBhaktivinoda hkuras Jaiva-dharma into Hindi,

I cited Guru Mahrja as the editor. In the Introduction,Gurudeva wrote, Only because I am the object of thedevotees honour has my name been mentioned as theeditor of this book, but actually it is the translator andpublisher of this Hindi Jaiva-dharma, tridai-svm rr Bhaktivednta Nryaa Mahrja, who has indeedaccomplished all the functions of the editor and has thus

become the object of my special blessings.Although externally I did all the labour to produce

this book, which is why rla Guru Mahrja wrote to thateffect, still in my heart I always maintained the conceptionthat the writing was accomplished by Guru Mahrja only.In the same way, you should never think that it is you whoare writing or publishing these sacred granthas. Rather,always think that rla Gurudeva has accomplished thisbook through you for the welfare of the whole world, andthat for the auspiciousness of the world, he has sprinkledthe rain drops of this transcendental message like a showerof flowers.

I have almost finished fifty-two chapters of the TenthCanto. Now complete the Tenth Canto according to ourGauya conception, as you have done here, fully creditingour guru-varga (araya-vigraha) for your efforts and alwayskeeping them in the forefront.

The devotees were overwhelmed to hear his words, fullof mercy and blessings.

Oering new publications to rla GurudevaDuring that period, rpad Viu-daivata Mahrja, Majards and Ka-prema dsa also offered rla Gurudeva the

English translation of the second volume of r Bhad-bhgavatmta, and the Rays of The Harmonistteam offeredthe Krtika 2010 edition of into his lotus hands. The Hindipublication ofFour Rpanuga Vaiava cryas, compiled,translated and edited by rla Gurudeva, was also offeredto him. rpad Mdhava Mahrja offered the Englishhagiography he has written, entitled, rla Gurudeva: TheSupreme Treasure and Veu-gopla dsa offered a graphicnovel I Am Spirit. rla Gurudeva was most pleased andblessed all the devotees who were involvedin the publication of these books.


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rla Gurudevas auspicious desireOne day, rla Gurudeva said to some of the devoteesworking on the Hindi publications, When I leave, continuepublishing our books just as they are being printed now.The cycle of progress in publishing our scriptures shouldnever be broken. Whatever books are out of stock shouldbe reprinted immediately.

Various Vaiavas arrive for the darana of rlaGurudevaThere was a constant flow of cryas and Vaiavas fromdifferent Srasvata Gauyamahasand different sampradyasto the Giridhr Gauya Maha to honour rla Gurudeva.It is impossible to name them all, but they include: fromVinoda-v Gauya Maha in Vndvana, rpad BhaktiVikaa Govinda Mahrja; from Govardhana GauyaMaha, rpad Govardhana Dsa Bbj; from r RpnugaBhajana rama at Rdh-kua, rpad Bhakti SarvasvaGovinda Mahrja and rpad Mathurntha Dsa Bbj

Mahrja; the present crya of r Ka Caitanya Mahain Vardhamna, rmad Bhakti Jvana crya Mahrja;from r Bhajana-ku in Vndvana, rmad GopnandaVana Mahrja; the crya of r Caitanya Maha,pjyapdarmad Bhakti Prajna Yati Mahrja, along with rmadBhakti Sudhra Dmodara Mahrja; from r GopnthaGauya Maha, rpad Bhakti araa Dmodara Mahrja;from ISKCON, rpad Mahanidhi Mahrja, ISKCONVndvanas Temple President, r Panca Gauda prabhuand his wife rmat Gaura Prim ds, Vice-Presidentr Janrdana Brahmacr, and r ruta-krti prabhu; fromr Vnda-kuja, rpad Paramadvaiti Mahrja; r rmadBhakti Jvana Janrdana Gosvm Mahrjas disciple rpadGovinda Mahrja; many sannysdisciples of r rmadBhakti Vaibhava Pur Gosvm Mahrja; and severalother devotees. Besides these, from Mna-garha (Varsn),r Ramesh Baba; Sanskrit paita r Vishnu Pandey of

Mathur and r Shyamdas of Jatpur; followers of thepui-mrga, as well as other Vaiava saints also came tohave his darana.

Seeing the great eorts of his servants, rlaGurudeva became concernedSeeing that the devotees were serving him day and night,

one day, rla Gurudeva said, I do not want to live in thisworld any longer.Please, why are you speaking like this? they asked him.It is because of me that so many devotees are being

troubled, he said.Gurudeva, they responded, we experience no trouble

in serving you. In fact, being able to render you just a littleservice is our greatest fortune. We only beg that you pleaseforgive our shortcomings.

Despite his debilitated physical condition, it was rlaGurudeva who was concerned for us, worrying that we werethe ones who were troubled.

Gurudevas words of benediction at the end ofKrtikaWhile in Govardhana, rla Gurudevas health very slowlyimproved, much to the joy of the devotees. On the full-moonday at the end of Krtika, he came out of his bhajana-kutrain a wheelchair and spoke to all the devotees assembledthere: Just as you have come to participate in this yearsVraja-maalaparikram,you should all come every year.Within a few months, r Navadvpa-dhmaparikram willalso take place, and all of you must also participate in thatparikram. I will meet all of you there. These encouragingwords caused the devotees to resoundingly chant JayaGurudeva, JayaGurudeva! theirthroats chokedwith happiness.


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Return to Delhi after KrtikaAfter Krtika, rla Gurudeva remained in Govardhana fora few days. Then on the suggestion of Dr. Ray from thePhilippines and Dr. Ravindra Prakash from Delhi, rlaGurudeva was again taken to r Ramaa-Bihr GauyaMaha in Delhi. As before, there was a f lux of devotees anddoctors moving in and out of the temple. One day, rla

Gurudeva addressed the local doctor and the doctors whohad come from abroad, You are all endeavouring so hardfor me, he said. For this I am giving you my heartfeltgratitude. When they heard this, they replied, Guruj, itis our supreme fortune that you have appointed us in yourservice.

Do not take me anywhere except the dhmaOn the advice of Dr. Ray, rla Gurudevas personal

servants approached him with a request that he travel toItaly for further treatment. They informed him that allarrangements had already been made. In response, rla

Gurudeva said, I have no desire for this, but you can thinkabout it. Soon after, though, he said in a very grave tone,Do not take me anywhere except the dhma. I do not wantto go abroad. I want to leave my body in the dhma. Takeme back to Govardhana.

But it is so cold in Govardhana, they told him.Then take me to Navadvpa, he replied.But it is cold there too, they said.Then take me to Jaganntha Pur, he said. rla

Bhakti Pramoda Pur Mahrja also performed hisdisappearance pastime in Jaganntha Pur-dhma, andlater his servants brought him to r Dhma Mypura.

Take me to Jaganntha Pur, also, and if I leave my bodythere, then take me to Govardhana or Navadvpa, whereverpossible.

When some servants tried once again to convince rlaGurudeva to go to Italy, he again gravely responded, It isbetter that we do not discuss anything more about this.Arrange for me to go to Jaganntha Pur. I am not ready to

hear anything else. I am in the advanced stage of my lifenowand want to depend totally on Bhagavn. Accordingly, hisattendants dropped the idea of going abroad and, followinghis instructions, began making arrangements to go to rJaganntha Pur.

It was exactly four days after this conversation that theystarted for r Jaganntha Pur. The servants encounteredtwo obstacles: first, no plane tickets were available rightaway; and second, tickets were only available on a date thatwas not auspicious. The day after giving his order to go toPur, rla Gurudeva asked, What is happening about ourgoing to Pur?

His servants answered, We have not been able to obtaintickets for tomorrow, and the day a fter is navam, so we willgo on daam.

rla Gurudeva replied, Let us go the day aftertomorrow.

But we have never travelled on navambefore, theyresponded, because it is inauspicious to do so.

rla Gurudeva said, We have never travelled on navambefore. Let us travel this time and see what happens.

We could not help but wonder what mysterious plan washidden in his decision. The trip was arranged on navam,according to rla Gurudevas desire.

Absorbed in the moods of Mahprabhu while residing inthe abode of separation( SrJagannthaPur-dhma)

On the 30th of November rla Gurudeva arrived at Jayar-Dmodara Gauya Maha, which is located at Cakra-trtha in r Jaganntha Pur-dhma. He was greeted bythe devotees there who welcomed him with much affection

and proper ceremony. As before, his attendants continuedserving him around the clock. From time to time, theywould chant krtana or read from stra to him in hisbhajana-kutra. Whenever rla Gurudeva saw any of themsitting idle, he would say, Do not be idle. Speak hari-kath to the other devotees. Speakinghari-kath is a limbofbhakti.

One day, while looking across the wide beach towardthe ocean, rla Gurudeva said softly, Previously, whenever Jayar-Dmodara Gauya Maha


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I would come to r Jaganntha Pur-dhma, I wouldmeditate on rman Mahprabhus bathing in the oceanalong with His associates. I would also meditate on thewords of rman Mahprabhu at the time of rla Haridsahkuras disappearance from this world, after He hadbathed him in the ocean. rman Mahprabhu said thatnow this ocean is amah-trtha (supreme holy place) becauseit has become the caramta (foot-bathing water) of rlaHaridsa hkura. So, I would bathe in the ocean nearlyevery day. Now, also, I want to take bath with this oceanwater. Can you bring some water from the ocean for me tobathe? From that day onward, rla Gurudeva was bathedevery day with water carried from the ocean.

Each morning and evening, he would walk in thecorridor of the temple guest house, assisted by his servantswho supported him on either side, and he would sit onhis balcony to have darana of that most holy of oceans.Simultaneously, he would give darana to the devoteesstanding on the ground below. One day, as rla Gurudevagazed at the ocean, he said, This place is the very spot

to which r Caitanya Mahprabhu floated when He wasimmersed in mahbhva and His body assumed a form likethat of a turtle. Most of the time, however, rla Gurudevasat quietly. His deep absorption was most apparent.

Another time, when he was looking at the ocean, heasked his servant if he could count the ocean waves. No.the servant answered, the ocean waves are unending. Myheart is like that, rla Gurudeva told him. It is flowingwith uncountable waves of moods for the service of rman

Mahprabhu and r r Rdh Ka, and also with wavesof affection for my disciples and followers.

One thing was especially noticeable in r JagannthaPur-dhma. If someone offered obeisances to rlaGurudeva, even from as far away as the shore of the ocean,rla Gurudeva would invariably raise his hand to blessthem. Furthermore, until the conclusion of his manifestpastimes, he would fold his hands and offer respects toany kind ofprasda that was brought to him. Only thenwould he honour it. At times, rla Gurudeva was so deeplyimmersed in internal consciousness that his servants had

to endeavour for 3045 minutes to get him to accept justone spoonful of food. This occurrence had repeated itselfin Delhi, Govardhana and then also, r Jaganntha Pur.

The book fair in BhubanevaraThe annual Bhubanevara book fair took place during rlaGurudevas stay in r Jaganntha Pur. The devotees of the

photoS

ubalSakhadsa


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Jayar-Dmodara Gauya Maha had, as usual, reserved astall for the purpose of distributing rla Gurudevas books.Some devotees came to rla Gurudeva to ask his permissionand blessings to distribute his books at the fair, and he mosthappily gave them. After that, he would inquire daily aboutthe book distribution, and whenever he noted the presenceof any local temple devotee in his room, he would inquire,

Why has he not gone to the book fair? When the devotees,Western and Indian alike, heard about rla Gurudevas dailyinquiry, it greatly stimulated their enthusiasm.

Srasvata Gauya Vaiavas from Pur arrive forrla Gurudevas daranaIn Jaganntha Pur, many sannyssand brahmacrsfromdifferent Gauya mahas came to take darana of rlaGurudeva and offer him respects. Prominent among themwere, from r Caitanya Gauya Maha, rpad BhaktiViveka Paramrth Mahrja and rpad Bhakti Sambandhauddhdvait Mahrja; from r Gopntha Gauya

Maha, rpad Bhakti araa Vmana Mahrja and rpadGopntha Brahmacr; from r Ka Caitanya Mission,rpad Bhakti Vicra Viu Mahrja and rpad BhaktiSvarpa rdhara Mahrja; and from r Nlcala GauyaMaha, rman Saccidnanda Brahmacr.

Attaining a complexion similar to r GauraharisAs soon as rla Gurudeva arrived in r Jaganntha Pur,he manifested some noticeable transformations. One wasthat the radiance emanating from his body increasedconstantly and his complexion became more golden.This caused us to consider that perhaps because he wasin deep meditation on his most worshipful r Gaurahari

and rmat Rdhr, he was attaining Their bodilycomplexion.In this way, the days passed.On the morning of December 27, rla Gurudeva went

on to his balcony as usual, and the devotees who hadgathered on the beach below performed guru-pj for thefirst time. His personal attendants wanted him to returnto his room, but rla Gurudeva waited until the ratwasfinished. He was then wheeled to the landing above thelobby. All the devotees rushed to the lobby to see him there.Again, his servant requested him to return to his room, butrla Gurudeva insisted on remaining where he was. He

looked intently at each and every devotee and raised hishand, blessing them all.

The next day, December 28, he remained in his roomand did not give darana.

The Closing of his Pastimes(Antardhna-ll)

On the morning of 29 December, 2010, rla Gurudevawoke up very early, at about 2.00 a.m. His servant askedhim, rla Gurudeva, will you drink some water? Yes,he replied, and the servant helped him to sit up. rlaGurudeva said that first he wanted to use the washroom, sothe devotees assisted him and then helped him back to siton his bed. rla Gurudeva began to drink the glucose waterwhile the servant held the glass, but straight away he said,I am not able to sit.

The servant quickly helped rla Gurudeva lay down.rla Gurudeva then asked him to help him turn over, andas the servant did so, rla Gurudeva took a deep breathand his face seemed to change somewhat. Upon noticingfluctuations in rla Gurudevas pulse and oxygen intakeon the monitor, the servant immediately called for rpadMdhava Mahrja and Brajantha prabhu, and within twoto three minutes, other servants were also summoned.

Yet despite this alarm, rla Gurudeva seemed verypeaceful and as he gazed upon all present, it did not seemat all that he was about to conclude his manifest pastimes.

But then the monitor indicated a drop in pulse andoxygen level and the devotees began to loudly chantharinma. rla Gurudevas tongue quivered as he chantedharinma along with the devotees. A few minutes later,just a minute before his departure, he closed his eyes, andgradually his tongue also became still. According to theclock on the wall, it was three in the morning. All presentwere stunned and in a state of shock.

Devotees gather in rla Gurudevas roomGradually all the sannyss, brahmacrs, and other devoteeswho were staying in the maha and outside guest housesgathered in rla Gurudevas room, and upon seeing him, allbegan to lament.As per Gauya Vaiava tradition, rlaGurudeva was bathed with fresh water, anointed with tilakaon the twelve parts of his body, and dressed in new cloth.He was then seated in padmsana, or the lotus position.His body was soft and looked so natural it seemed as if hewould open his eyes at any moment. Gradually, the wintersun rose and he began to glow golden in its rays.


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The devotees began singing one krtana after another:r Gurvakam, r Guru-parampar, Je nilo prema-dhana, and rla Gurudevas favourite bhajanas, like rRpa Majar Pada, Dekhite dekhite, Cintmai-mayardh-kua-taa , r Nandanakam, r Rdh Kpa-kaka Stavarja, r Dmodarakam, the mah-mantrain the Australian tune that he was so fond of, and many

other krtanas.As news of rla Gurudevas departure from thisworld spread, devotees from all over r Jaganntha Pur,especially the Gauyamahas, began to arrive to take hisdarana for the last time. Devotees tearfully offered rattorla Gurudeva as they sangr Guru-caraa-padma.

Within a few moments, news of rla Gurudevasentering nitya-ll spread throughout the entire planet,anguishing thousands of devotees and plunging them intothe heartbreak of separation.

Divine departure on the Appearance day of om.

viupda r rmad Bhaktivednta VmanaGosvm MahrjaThe day rla Gurudeva departed from this world was theappearance day of his senior godbrother, nitya-ll praviao viupda r rmad Bhaktivednta Vmana Gosvm

Mahrja. The devotees in Jayar Dmodara GauyaMaha had made elaborate preparations for the auspiciouscelebration and had invited all Srasvata Gauya MahaVaiavas for hari-guru-kath, krtana, and the honouring ofr Jagannthamah-prasda. But such a grand celebrationdid not take place that day.

The fact that rla Gurudeva departed on the very day of

his senior godbrothers auspicious appearance indicates thateven though he was not informed of when it would be, hewas quietly waiting for this day, just as Bhma Pitmahwaited for the sun to move into the northern hemisphere(uttaryaa) to depart.

By this we can understand something of the intimaterelationship of those three pillars of the Gauya VedntaSamiti, the three foremost disciples of rla Bhakti PrajnaKeava Gosvm Mahrja: rla Bhaktivednta VmanaGosvm Mahrja, rla Bhaktivednta Trivikrama GosvmMahrja and rla Bhaktivednta Nryaa GosvmMahrja. rla Bhaktivednta Vmana Gosvm Mahrja

manifested his pastime of disappearance on the exact date(tithi) that rla Bhaktivednta Trivikrama Gosvm Mahrjadeparted from this world, and rla Gurudeva manifested hisdisappearance on the exact date that marked the appearanceday of rla Bhaktivednta Vmana Gosvm Mahrja.


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Concluding his pastimes in the abode ofseparation (r Vipralambha-ketra)r Caitanya Mahprabhu spent His last eighteen years in rJaganntha Pur in the association of r Rya Rmnandaand r Svarpa Dmodara, remaining absorbed inrelishing the emotions of rmat Rdhiks vipralambha(mood of separation). r Rya Rmnanda and r Svarpa

Dmodara would chant specific poetry from r Cadsa,r Vidypati and other Vaiava poets in accordancewith rman Mahprabhus moods in order to nourishHis emotions. Thus absorbed in relishing the moods ofvipralambha, rman Mahprabhu brought His pastimesto an end by entering into o Gopntha. Absorbed inrelishing similar moods of separation, rla Gurudeva alsoconcluded his pastimes in this same abode ofvipralambha,r Jaganntha Pur, at the very spot, Cakra-trtha, whereLord r Jaganntha made His appearance.

Because rla Gurudeva manifested his disappearancepastime at Cakra-trtha, this trtha has now become mah-

trtha, or great holy place, especially for rla Gurudevasfollowers. For rla Gurudeva, the mah-bhgavatarasika-jana, the name cakra (wheel or disc) served as a constantuddpana (stimuli) for cakravart-ll, that is, rsa-ll.

Thus absorbed at the time of the rsa-ll pastimes, rlaGurudeva entered that very pastime.

Entering Naia-ll (the night pastimes)Our supremely worshipful rla Gurudeva entered theeternal pastimes (nitya-ll) of r Rdh-Ramaa-Bihrjat three oclock in the morning. r Govinda-llmta,

by rla Ka dsa Kavirja Gosvm, and r KaBhvanmta, by rla Vivantha Cakravart hkura,describe r r Rdh-Kas aa-klya-ll, or pastimeswithin the eight divisions of the day. The yma, or partof the day, from 10:48 p.m. to 3:36 a.m., lasting for fourhours and forty-eight minutes, is known as naia-ll (nightpastimes). Therefore, three oclock in the morning fallswithin r r Rdh-Kas naia-ll. This segment isthe longest and most confidential of the intimate nikujapastimes. A summary ofnaia-ll is as follows:

At night, when all of r Kas family members areresting, He secretly leaves His palace in r Nandagram and

goes to the forest of Vndvana, which at that time is infusedby a gentle breeze carrying the sweet fragrance of forestflowers. Humming bees, intoxicated by this aroma, lose theirway and fly hither and thither. Swans and herons, pierced

photocourtesy-Vasudevadsa


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by cupids arrows, wander the lakes, and birds fly in all fourdirections, blissfully chirping, Jaya jaya! At this opportunetime, r Krtids darling daughter, rmat Rdhj, alsocomes secretly from her in-laws place in Yvaa to meet Herbeloved at Their pre-appointed meeting place.

In r r Rdh and Kas sweet meeting, Theyperform rsa-ll-vihra and other pastimes, such as

wandering throughout the forest and beholding theastonishing scenery. They also describe each others beauty,qualities and sweetness; decorate each other with forestflowers; dance, sing, and play musical instruments; enjoywater-pastimes; drink intoxicating beverages; and performmany other such lls.

Upon witnessing these pastimes, which bewilder theentire universe, the wives of the demigods, the heavenlydamsels, the wives of the Gandharvas, and others are totallyenchanted. They also sing praises of the divine couple,chanting, Jaya jaya! as they shower flowers from the skyand play the dundubhidrum and other musical instruments.

Tired from the joyful play ofrsa-ll, r Ka and thegops take rest. The majars bring varieties of fruits anddrinks for them. The sakhsthen perform the ll of drinkingintoxicating beverages and engage in even more confidentialpastimes to enhance r Kas bliss. After this they assistr r Rdh Kas water pastimes in the Yamun. Themajarsbring the Divine Couple to the shore and decorateThem. Then, the Divine Couple rest in a forest bower.

At that time, some very intimate pra-sakhs takeRdhs and Kas feet, which are supremely charmingand more delicate than fresh lotus petals, in their laps, andmassage them in a mood of deep affection, while some othermajars fan Them. Others bring tmbla, a folded betelleaf filled with delicious, aromatic ingredients. Relaxed by

these services of the maidservants, r r Rdh and Kabecome free from Their fatigue and sleep peacefully. Noteven rmat Rdhjs priya-narma-sakhs have entranceinto these intimate services.

While r r Rdh Ramaa Bihrj rest peacefully,their dear majarsoffer Them many items of worship, suchaspdya tears of love bathing Their lotus feet; incense

their fragrant breath; lamps their effulgent moon-likenails; flowers their love-laden, intimate glances, full ofmamat (love imbued with the mood that you are mine);and rat their life-airs saturated with intenseprema thathas reached the stage of mahbhva; all mixed with thecamphor of their smiles.

Summoned by the indication of hisguru-rpa-sakh(hisgurudeva in sakhform), rla Gurudeva presented himself inthe service of r r Rdh Ramaa Bihrj at that auspiciousmoment. Under the guidance of r Vinoda Majar (rrmad Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja), rNayanamai Majar (r rmad Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat

hkura Prabhupda) and r Rpa and r Rati Majars,and in subordination to r Lalit-dev, our rla Gurudeva,in his eternal majar form as r Ramaa Majar, hasentered the naia-ll of r r Rdh Ramaa Bihrj andis situated there, absorbed in serving Them in deep ecstasythroughout the eightymasof the day.

rla Gurudeva came to this planet on the order ofrman Mahprabhu and rmat Rdhik to give us vraja-bhakti as taught by rman Mahprabhu, and to provideus the qualification necessary to enter these pastimes. Henever wanted to give anything less than this. He was reallybhurida, the greatest donor, and mah-vadnyya, greatlymagnanimous to the superlative degree. We are thereforeboundlessly fortunate to have come to his lotus feet.

The journey from Sr Pur-dhma to Sr Navadvpa-dhmaTo attain the eternal association of his most worshipfulgurupda-padma and that of his two senior godbrothers,rla Gurudeva, seated in a lotus position (padmsana) in acar adorned with f lowers, thus commenced his journey fromr Jaganntha Pur to r Navadvpa. The decorated car leftat eight in the morning on the auspicious ka-navamandwas followed by six other vehicles full of devotees.

First, rla Gurudeva went to rla Haridsa hkura athis samdhiin Svargadvra and took leave of him. A devoteebrought water from the ocean where rman Mahprabhuhad bathed rla Haridsa hkuras transcendental bodyat the time of his disappearance from this world, and thiswater was sprinkled on rla Gurudevas transcendentalbody. From there, he performedparikram in the car around

the periphery of Caaka-parvata, r o Gopntha,Yamevara o, r Siddha-bakula and r Gambhra. Afterperformingparikram of r Jaganntha-vallabha gardensand rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkura Prabhupdasbirthplace, the car finally came to the Siha-dvra (liongate) of r Jagannthas Temple, where devotees hadgathered, having collected r Jaganntha-devas prasd-ml, sandalwood paste, cloth, mah-prasda and othersuch items to offer to rla Gurudeva. rman Mahprabhuhad offered the same items to rla Haridsa hkuraat the time of his samdhi. In this way, after biddingfarewell to rman Mahprabhu and His associates in rJaganntha Pur, rla Gurudeva commenced his journey tor Navadvpa-dhma.


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As the car drove through Bhubanevara, Jajapuraand other places, many of rla Gurudevas disciples andfollowers came to receive his darana, and with intenseemotion tearfully offered their pupjaliat his lotus feet.On reaching Balevara, some devotees offered r KracorGopnthas prasdgarland and khra to rla Gurudeva.This journey from r Jaganntha Pur to r Navadvpa-

dhma took fourteen hours.The car carrying rla Gurudevas transcendental formarrived at r r Keavaj Gauya Maha in r Navadvpa-dhma at around 10.30 in the evening. As it neared themaha gate, the devotees who had gathered there, numberingmore than a thousand, surrounded the car, sobbing bitterlyand chanting Jaya rla Gurudeva! There are no words todescribe their pain of separation from him. rla Gurudevawas brought into the temple room and seated on thevyssana in a lotus pose. The devotees performed his rat,singingr guru-caraa-padma.

Devotees in India and also overseas journey to rNavadvparla Gurudevas speciality was the pure transcendentalaffection he showered upon all. Such affection, which hasno comparison in this world, was a tangible experience of atruly spiritual, selfless loving relationship. Therefore, whendevotees within and outside India heard of his entering

nitya-ll, their hearts and minds raced to him. Everyonethat could possibly do so immediately stopped what theywere doing and hastily made arrangements to go to rNavadvpa to receive his final darana. Some devoteesarrived before rla Gurudeva, and many others arrivedthroughout the night.

For the duration of the night on the auspicious ka-

navam, rla Gurudevas transcendental body was placedon the dais in the temple room. As devotees arrived, havingtravelled by air, train, car, or however possible, they wereimmediately able to have his darana. One by one, withoutrestriction, they prostrated themselves at rla Gurudevaslotus feet, offering their heartfelt srddha-pupjali. Manysat in the temple room throughout the whole night for thislast darana, singing krtanas and bhajanas pertaining tomoods of separation.

Nagara-sankrtanaThe next day, on December 30th, at 8 oclock in themorning, rla Gurudeva was placed in a sitting positionon a palanquin decorated with flowers. Accompanied bythousands of devotees singing sakrtana, he proceededto the nearby r Devnanda Gauya Maha. Anunprecedented scene took place as the inhabitants of r


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Navadvpa who resided on the path of the procession cameout of their homes to offer him prama, even from adistance. Some offered rat and some cried out, Jayarla Gurudeva!Jayarla Gurudeva!

In r Devnanda Gauya Maha, rla Gurudevatook darana of his most worshipful gurupda-padma,rla Bhakti Prajna Keava Gosvm Mahrja, and

his senior god-brother rla Bhaktivednta VmanaGosvm Mahrja, as well asjagad-guru rla PrabhupdaBhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkura, r CaitanyaMahprabhu, r r Rdh Vinoda Bihr and r LakmVarhadeva. In this way, he announced that now he hadcome to join them in r Navadvpa-dhma.

rla Gurudevas godbrothers and the devotees of rDevnanda Gauya Maha then offered rat to rlaGurudeva. Tears filled the eyes of nearly all at the sightof rla Gurudeva coming before his own gurudeva. Aftertaking darana of his gurupda-padma and offering himprama, rla Gurudeva proceeded to the steps of Paca-ve, also known as Manipur-ghaa, to have darana and

offer hispramasto beautiful Gagj, just as he used to doduring his manifest presence at the time of r Navadvpa-dhmaparikram. The sakrtana party accompanying rlaGurudeva was so large that all who saw it thought theywere witnessing the performance of his r Navadvpa-dhmaparikram.

Samdhirla Gurudeva returned to r r Keavaj Gauya Mahaat around 11 a.m. and the devotees reverentially performed

abhiekha of his transcendental form withpacmta, Gagwater, rose water, aguru, fragrant oils, and other substances.Tilaka was meticulously applied in twelve places on hisresplendent limbs, and he was dressed in a new cloth.The samdhi mantra was then written on his chest withsandalwood paste.

At that time, devotees arriving from various placeshad the good fortune to make arrangements for his large

bhoga offering as well as a beautiful ratto him and otherceremonies.

rla Gurudeva entered samdhi in Koladvpa next tohis bhajana-kutra at r r Keavaj Gauya Maha. Thefollowers and disciples of rla Gurudeva who had arrivedfrom India and abroad, as well as the sannyss, brahmacrs


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and residents of r Dhma Navadvpa, r Mypura andGodruma, were witness to all the ceremonies pertaining tosamdhi. These were performed in accordance with rlaKadsa Kavirja Gosvms descriptions of how rmanMahprabhu placed rla Haridsa hkura in samdhi.rla Gurudeva was placed in samdhiadorned with LordJagannthas prasd cloth, mah-prasda, dtuna (twig

used as a toothbrush), garland and sandalwood paste.The devotees also offered him prasda from r KracorGopntha, along withprasdcloth and other items fromr Govindadevaj in Jaipura.

With heartfelt faith, devotees who had arrived from allcorners of India and abroad observed and directly participatedin the samdhiceremony. From the area surrounding thesamdhi site, from balconies, from rooftops, and fromall directions, they offered a shower of flower petals.Overwhelmed in the mood of deep separation, they sangJe nilo prema-dhana and other such krtanas. Gradually, asthe thousands of devotees present looked on, the samdhi

was filled and covered with the dust of that most sacredholy place (dhma-raja), and Vnda-dev (Tulas) was placedon top.

In a tender expression of their love for rla Gurudeva,the devotees covered the small samdhi mound withflowers, and offered ghee and oil lamps and an abundance of


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fragrant incense. They sangkrtana and circumambulatedrla Gurudeva, they read the account in r Caitanya-caritmta of the departure of nmcrya rla Haridsahkura, and they sat close to the samdhi, either in silenceor softly chanting, as memories of rla Gurudeva floodedtheir minds.

After the ceremony, the devotees respectfully honoured

rla Gurudevas mah-prasdam. The next day, a temporarystructure was erected on the site to serve as a temple.Currently, all bhoga offerings, rat, pj-arcana etc., aredaily being performed to rla Gurudeva in his temporarysamdhiin a regulated manner.

****

In this way, rla Gurudeva completed his last journey,beginning from Govardhana in r Vraja-maala toPur-dhma in r Ketra-maala, finally arriving at rNavadvpa in r Gaua-maala. rla Gurudeva, the

present-day Vaiava-srvabhauma, the topmost Vaiava,of r Vraja-maala, r Ketra-maala and r Gaua-maala, accepted samdhifor time eternal in r Navadvpa-dhma, which is non-different than Vraja. His samdhiandbhajana-kutra at r r Keavaj Gauya Maha are locatedat the rasa-sthalthat issituated at the boundary of r KuliyHill, which is non-different than r Girirja Govardhana.

The meaning of samdhi

Many years ago, rla Gurudeva himself explained themeaning ofsamdhias follows: sama means equal and dhimeans intelligence. When a pure devotee departs from thisworld, attaining asvarpa like that of the associates of rr Rdh-Ka, he attains intelligence, beauty, qualitiesand so forth like theirs. The worshipful deity of ourparampar is rmat Rdhr. When our cryas enter

samdhi, they attain sama-dhi, meaning their intelligencebecomes similar in mood to that of r Rpa Majar andrmat Rdhrs other intimate associates, under whoseguidance they perform direct service to the Divine Couple.

Who will feel separation?In a lecture on Vilpa-kusumjali in 1991, rla Gurudevaasked the devotees present, Who will feel separation? Onlythose special devotees who feel deep gratitude to theirGurudeva who are greatly indebted to him and who haveserved him with intimacy will feel separation. The mood,I am so fallen and my rla gurudeva is so great, will not

enter the thoughts of such devotees. They will have nomood of awe and reverence for him. If they do, they willnot be able to cry for him.

Separation from gurudeva is felt on various levels.When we consider his mercy, magnanimity and greatness,a particular type of mood arises within us. But when weremember how close and dear he was to us, and when we


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remember his affectionate dealings with us, we are ableto cry so much for him. Mother Yaod cries for Kamore than r Nanda Bb does, but the gops cry evenmore than Mother Yaod because their relationship withKa is more intimate. We should also have such anintimate relation with r Ka, rmat Rdhr, rRpa Majar, r Rpa Gosvm, our own rla gurudeva,and all ourguruvarga (superiors). Only then can we cry fortheir mercy.

If we have not developed an intimate relationship withour rla gurudeva, how will we ever be able to understand

our relationship with r Ka, rmat Rdhr,r Rpa Majar and others? Our progress in bhajanadepends upon our inner closeness with rla gurudeva andthe intimate services that we perform for him. If we areable to cry for our rla gurudeva, only then can we cry forrmat Rdhr also. On the other hand if we cannotcry for ourgurudeva, then how will it be possible to cry forrmat Rdhr? That is why our crying for gurudevashould be heartfelt.

The secret behind taking samdhi in Navadvparla Gurudeva entered samdhi in gupta (hidden)Govardhana, the courtyard of r r Keavaj GauyaMaha located in Koladvpa, which is non-differentfrom Govardhana in Vraja. Just as r Navadvpa issupremely magnanimous, compassionate, and forgiving,and does not consider any offence, rla Gurudeva is

also supremely magnanimous, most merciful and kindlyforgiving of all faults. rla Gurudeva accepted samdhiin r Navadvpa-dhma to establish the principle thatwithout the mercy of r Navadvpa-dhma in otherwords, without the mercy of r Caitanya Mahprabhu it is neither possible to attain the mercy of r Vndvana-dhma nor the service of r r Rdh-Ka.

Furthermore, he wanted to be near by his supremelyworshipful rla Gurudeva, rla Bhakti Prajna KeavaGosvm Mahrja, and most dear godbrothers, rlaBhaktivednta Vmana Gosvm Mahrja and rlaBhaktivednta Trivikrama Gosvm Mahrja. That is

why his samdhiis located midway between theirs.

GratitudeWe would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to anydevotee who has ever performed any kind of serviceto rla Gurudeva, nitya-ll pravia o viupda rrmad Bhaktivednta Nryaa Gosvm Mahrja.By rla Gurudevas all-compassionate mercy, thesefortunate souls are destined to receive the all-auspiciousgrace of r Caitanya Mahprabhu and r r Rdh-Ka.

Based on the report in the Vyasa-puja issue ofr r Bhgavat Patrik, Year-7, Issue-11&12

Adapted and edited by the Rays of The Harmonist team

Translation: Akhilea dsa, Rasika-mohana dsaFidelity Check: Mdhava-priya dsa, Amala-ka dsa,

Braja-sundar dsEditors: Jaya-gopla dsa, Majari ds, Vaijayant-ml ds,

Vicitra ds, Madhu-smit dsEditorial Constultant: ymr dsLayout: Ka-karuy dsa, Viksa hkura

painngbyymrdsBBT

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Sama-dhi ofSr-la Gurudeva

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Rays of the Harmonist-Enterning Nitya-Lila