He Sees Supreme Lord's Play

I remember I spoke with one lady who was Buddhist since her childhood but she had started going to ISKCON. She felt this was another practice for liberation, but more colorful. She became friends with devotees that invited her to that same program [previously mentioned.] She liked Gurudev’s Harikatha and recorded an interview with him for radio. She had many questions for Gurudev and he was replying. I don't know the details of the interview, but after it, she asked Gurudev for a blessing and Gurudev told me that she should take Harinam and she agreed. At that time, she told me that she was also attracted to Gurudev because he was checking the almanac for travel dates. This was because she was an astrologer so this was like a bonus for her to see that Gurudev was checking that. She agreed that yes, she would take Harinam. She told my mother (Srimati Tungavidya Devi Dasi), as they were friends, that Gurudev told her to take Harinam and she will take it the next day and she wanted my mother to go with her, to give her a ride with car, otherwise, she would not go. Then my mother told her, no now you have to go; you already decided you will take it and he told you to take it, so now you have to go. Then she said again you have to go with me to drive me, then my mother agreed, telling that anyway it was announced that there will be no Harikatha on that day, so I may then hear what Gurudev will speak at Harinam initiations.

On that day one thing was happening there that was quite mystical, even Gurudev was under Yogamaya. There were two disciples of Srila Bhakti Pramod Puri Goswami Maharaj in Slovenia who got japa-malas from him brought by one devotee from India. They were not knowing how to do daily sandhya vandana, so they requested Sudarshan Prabhu to ask Gurudev if they can be present during initiation time so they can take instructions on how to do Jayadwani etc. So Gurudev was informed through Sudarshan Prabhu and Gurudev agreed that they can come and they can learn.

The next day during initiation Gurudev first spoke a Harikatha about how he was ordered by his Gurudev and Srila BP Puri Gosvami Maharaj. This lady who was Buddhist was sitting there with my mother and another uninitiated lady devotee friend, just in front of Gurudev. My mother had japa-mala around her neck from the shop in ISKCON. They were sitting there and Gurudev started to speak Harikatha about the rarity and importance of human birth. He went on to explain Jayadwani, pranam mantras, how to put Tilak and how to do achaman. Gurudev thought my mother and another lady devotee were those disciples of Srila Bhakti Pramod Puri Goswami Maharaj who came to learn about sandhya, but those actual disciples were there a little behind and seeing along with some others there. Gurudev showed how to do everything and he also showed counting Pancatattva mantra on his fingers and repeated it 3 times and they all repeated after him. Then Gurudev said, “Now I will speak something; those who are not yet initiated should go out of the room. Then my mother said I'm not initiated and the other lady also said the same. They were ready to go out and Gurudev was surprised. He said, “Why are you going out?” They explained that they were not initiated and Gurudev was surprised and said, “How are you not initiated? From where did you get this japa-mala around your neck?” My mother answered that she bought it in ISKCON shop. Then Gurudev said, “I was informed that there are some disciples of Srila Bhakti Pramod Puri Goswami Maharaj who wanted to learn procedures, so I thought you were here for that.” They said, no we are just here to accompany our friend, the Buddhist lady who is taking initiation.

Then the disciples of Srila Bhakti Pramod Puri Goswami Maharaj indicated their presence in the room. Gurudev was surprised seeing everything that was going on and inquired my mother and another lady, already you’ve learned everything so now will you take Harinam? They became afraid and said no we have not come for initiation. Then Sudarshan Prabhu from Jammu said, why not? You are doing Sadhu sanga and Vaishnav seva, so why you will not take, you chant Hare Krishna. There was some confusion going on and while it was going on, Gurudev went into meditation to see what was going on (I saw it on video). Just like when Baladev Prabhu saw that when Krishna expanded into so many cowherd boys and cows he was surprised and wondered what is going on and why do the Vrajavasis now have so much affection for them. But then by meditation, he understood that Krishna is doing this lila. So like this, Gurudev was also under Yogamaya and he was taking absolute shelter in the meditation. In a short while, maybe a few seconds he came back from that meditation and he was smiling, fully pacified. In between that, Sudarshan Prabhu was asking my mother if she wanted to take initiation now or not or what she wants. My mother was confused and she said I don’t know, you ask him (Gurudev). Then they asked Gurudev and he said, “It is already done, it is by the will of God.” Then my mother said, ok, if it is already done, then I accept it. The other lady started to cry but after some time she also accepted. Gurudev told to Anantaram Prabhu to bring two more japa-malas and Gurudev chanted on them in front of them. After that, he spoke Mahamantra 3 times and they all repeated. After they also received their new names.

My mother told me that 2 months before Gurudev came to Slovenia she had one dream; usually, she doesn’t have many dreams, but in this dream, she was in one program of Srila Swami Maharaj in whom she had full faith. So Swami Maharaj was delivering Harikatha and after that, he was supposed to go to another place, so another devotee told my mother if you want to ask any question, you’d better do it now because afterward he will go and there will be no chance. So my mother went to him and said, “Srila Prabhupad, will I also one day be initiated?” Srila Swami Maharaj replied, "yes, you will get first and second initiation and also you can wear white sari". Afterward, he left and my mother woke up. Because she believed that this will really happen one day and because she decided before that she could take initiation only from Srila Swami Maharaj, she thought that Krishna will have to trick her somehow and she was eagerly wondering how this would happen.

My mother was not thinking about this dream for some time in between but when Gurudev said that initiation was already done my mother understood that this was that trick and she surrendered to Gurudev. And when Gurudev was chanting on those new japa-malas, she was seeing the photo of Srila Param Gurudev that was in front of Gurudev and she understood that Param Gurudev and Srila Swami Maharaj arranged this initiation for her, so everything was ok.

When Devaki Mataji learned that my mother took Harinam she was also ready and she told me she was so attracted to the padukas (sandals) of Gurudev that she could not resist their beauty. That night there was a program in one house where some uninitiated devotees who were visiting ISKCON lived. I heard a recording of that Harikatha. On that recording, Gurudev was explaining the song “Jiv Jago Jiv Jago” and explained that Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur is telling that Mahaprabhu tells us to take this Mahamantra. The wife in the home of that program became inspired to take Harinam then. She and Devaki took Harinam initiation the next day. That lady was named Vishakha after that.

—Madan Gopal Das, Slovenia

Edited by him from a transcription of his remembrances. (Continued from Part 1)