The Multifaceted Expression of His Transcendental Presence
As per Prahlad Das Prabhu's request and to purify my mind remembering Guru, Vaishnav, and Bhagavan, I will try to remember about Srila Gurudev’s Austrian and Slovenian tours. Gurudev visited Austria and Slovenia four times in 1998, 1999, 2000, then in 2002. 2001 was the year of the September 11th attack in America, so as per the request of devotees from India, he returned to India earlier.
In 1998, I did not meet Gurudev, but my mother met him and I heard about it from her and some other devotees, so I will start from there. There was no plan for Gurudev to come to Slovenia or Austria as per our limited vision, but it was Mahaprabhu’s plan. Bindu Madhav Prabhu was organizing Gurudev’s program in France but he canceled it just before Gurudev’s arrival there due to chaos surrounding a world championship in football there. Gurudev was already in Europe; I think he was in Germany and he had some gap of time when he came to know that there were some of Srila Paramadvaiti Maharaj's disciples in Austria, so he went there. These devotees had also learned that there were some disciples of Srila Bhakti Pramod Puri Goswami Maharaj in Slovenia, so they contacted them. They agreed that Gurudev can come to Slovenia. Although it was not the original plan, it happened by the plan of Mahaprabhu. When Gurudev arrived in Slovenia from Austria, he directly went to one castle where there was a program. When he reached, he wanted to offer dandavat to that castle as he thought it was a sacred thing or place. They told him it wasn’t necessary.
There was a group of devotee friends who had been visiting ISKCON although they were not initiated there. Through those friends, my mother came to know that one sannyasi from India was coming— a disciple of a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur. At first, my mother was not so interested because she was more attached to Srila Swami Maharaj and wasn’t having so much faith in other sannyasis. Anyhow, due to the request of all those other devotees, she came. When she saw Gurudev for the first time on the pathway outside that castle she felt some urge from her heart that she wanted to worship him with ghee lamps, so she did that mentally. While she was hearing that class, for the first time in her life she felt it was the same as Srila Swami Maharaj speaking. She had never had this kind of experience before from any other Harikatha of another sannyasi, so she was very much attracted.
In 1998, I did not meet Gurudev, but my mother met him and I heard about it from her and some other devotees, so I will start from there. There was no plan for Gurudev to come to Slovenia or Austria as per our limited vision, but it was Mahaprabhu’s plan. Bindu Madhav Prabhu was organizing Gurudev’s program in France but he canceled it just before Gurudev’s arrival there due to chaos surrounding a world championship in football there. Gurudev was already in Europe; I think he was in Germany and he had some gap of time when he came to know that there were some of Srila Paramadvaiti Maharaj's disciples in Austria, so he went there. These devotees had also learned that there were some disciples of Srila Bhakti Pramod Puri Goswami Maharaj in Slovenia, so they contacted them. They agreed that Gurudev can come to Slovenia. Although it was not the original plan, it happened by the plan of Mahaprabhu. When Gurudev arrived in Slovenia from Austria, he directly went to one castle where there was a program. When he reached, he wanted to offer dandavat to that castle as he thought it was a sacred thing or place. They told him it wasn’t necessary.
There was a group of devotee friends who had been visiting ISKCON although they were not initiated there. Through those friends, my mother came to know that one sannyasi from India was coming— a disciple of a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur. At first, my mother was not so interested because she was more attached to Srila Swami Maharaj and wasn’t having so much faith in other sannyasis. Anyhow, due to the request of all those other devotees, she came. When she saw Gurudev for the first time on the pathway outside that castle she felt some urge from her heart that she wanted to worship him with ghee lamps, so she did that mentally. While she was hearing that class, for the first time in her life she felt it was the same as Srila Swami Maharaj speaking. She had never had this kind of experience before from any other Harikatha of another sannyasi, so she was very much attracted.
I also heard that lecture; it's recorded on video. In that Harikatha, Gurudev started by speaking in a very humble mood. He told, "Actually I had no desire to go outside India, but I did so according to the request of North Indian devotees and Srila Bhakti Pramod Puri Goswami Maharaj’s order. Now I understand why they ordered me to go to Western countries. You should go there because there are so many devotees there, better than you, so you have to associate with them to get devotion. So for that reason, now I understand why I had to come." Gurudev started the Harikatha in this humble way, and he continued with that Harikatha in a way that he usually did in Western countries. At the conclusion, there were questions and answers. Gurudev replied to the questions about the difference between Namaparadh, Namabhas, Shuddha Nam and Deity worship, etc.
Some devotees were having a discussion after the program saying how impressed they were by Gurudev. One devotee who had been sitting on the far left side of the hall said that the whole time he was looking at me. Then my mother, who was seated on the right side of the hall, said, "No, he was looking at me the whole time." Then again that devotee said, no, he was looking at me all the time. My mother felt this devotee was speaking sincerely and she was also having the same experience, so she understood that some mystical thing happened. How is it possible? Of course, anything is possible for a personal associate of the Supreme Lord to make such a lila. It was like when during Ratha Yatra Mahaprabhu was dancing in 7 different groups and all the members in each group thought Mahaprabhu was only in their group, not in other groups. They had such a feeling. So at that time, Gurudev gave at least two of them that feeling that he was all the time looking at them only. That was magical according to my mother, something mystical.
One devotee of Slovenia was not initiated but occasionally going to ISKCON. He told me after I saw your Gurudev, I got the inspiration to chant 64 rounds daily for that whole Summer. Gurudev had been there in May or something and that devotee told me that daily for months he was chanting 64 rounds being so inspired by Gurudev. Although he did not take initiation from Gurudev, he felt that inspiration from him.
Also during that period, Srila Bhakti Kamal Tirtha Maharaj of Hungary told me that the first time they personally met during the morning program, they were supposed to take breakfast together. Gurudev was very friendly with him, without any pride; joking by saying things like, “I am Tirtha and you are Tirtha, so we have to take breakfast together—you sit here with me." He had a very friendly mood. That Maharaj said he felt ashamed he’s such a great sadhu and elevated devotee and senior to him in all respects, but he was behaving as if they were equals. He told me Gurudev forced him to sit beside him during breakfast. It was a very sweet mood.
—Madan Gopal Das, Slovenia
Some devotees were having a discussion after the program saying how impressed they were by Gurudev. One devotee who had been sitting on the far left side of the hall said that the whole time he was looking at me. Then my mother, who was seated on the right side of the hall, said, "No, he was looking at me the whole time." Then again that devotee said, no, he was looking at me all the time. My mother felt this devotee was speaking sincerely and she was also having the same experience, so she understood that some mystical thing happened. How is it possible? Of course, anything is possible for a personal associate of the Supreme Lord to make such a lila. It was like when during Ratha Yatra Mahaprabhu was dancing in 7 different groups and all the members in each group thought Mahaprabhu was only in their group, not in other groups. They had such a feeling. So at that time, Gurudev gave at least two of them that feeling that he was all the time looking at them only. That was magical according to my mother, something mystical.
One devotee of Slovenia was not initiated but occasionally going to ISKCON. He told me after I saw your Gurudev, I got the inspiration to chant 64 rounds daily for that whole Summer. Gurudev had been there in May or something and that devotee told me that daily for months he was chanting 64 rounds being so inspired by Gurudev. Although he did not take initiation from Gurudev, he felt that inspiration from him.
Also during that period, Srila Bhakti Kamal Tirtha Maharaj of Hungary told me that the first time they personally met during the morning program, they were supposed to take breakfast together. Gurudev was very friendly with him, without any pride; joking by saying things like, “I am Tirtha and you are Tirtha, so we have to take breakfast together—you sit here with me." He had a very friendly mood. That Maharaj said he felt ashamed he’s such a great sadhu and elevated devotee and senior to him in all respects, but he was behaving as if they were equals. He told me Gurudev forced him to sit beside him during breakfast. It was a very sweet mood.
—Madan Gopal Das, Slovenia
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