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Dedication
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
PROLOGUE Light of the Bhagavat
1st WAVE In God We Trust
2nd WAVE The Gemini Twins
3rd WAVE Servant of the Servants
4th WAVE The First TSKP
5th WAVE The Day the Kirtan Changed
6th WAVE Baptism by Fire
7th WAVE Champion of the People
8th WAVE The Plan to Abduct Viujana
9th WAVE The Towering Temples
10th WAVE Politics and Diplomacy
11th WAVE New Vndvana Shakedown
12th WAVE The Silver Spoon
13th WAVE The Long and Winding Road
14th WAVE The Marriage Trust
15th WAVE The Bhakti-Yoga-Mobile
16th WAVE In the Presence of the Lord
17th WAVE Over my Dead Body
18th WAVE Bright Lights, Big City
19th WAVE At the Syria Mosque
Appendix A
Appendix B

1
 Dedication

I humbly offer this book at the lotus feet of my eternal spiritual master His
Divine Grace rla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupda, in recognition of
his disciples who gave the best years of their lives traveling with the various
Rdh-Dmodara sakrtana parties to fulfill the prophecy of r Caitanya
Mahprabhu.

Foreword

When Vaiysaki Prabhu asked me to write the Foreword for his book,
Rdh-Dmodara Vilsa, I was overwhelmed with conflicting feelings of
enthusiasm and trepidation. I felt enthusiasm because I love the subject.
Basically, the book deals with the history of Vaishnavism come West. It focuses
on the achievements of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupda, particularly in relation to his beloved Lordships r r
Rdh-Dmodara, the manifestation of Rdh and Ka with whom he has a
special, mystical relationship (as is brought out in this book). The work also
focuses on the early development of the International Society for Ka
Consciousness (ISKCON), with special attention to the lives of two of its
unsung heros: His Holiness Viujana Swami and His Grace Jaynanda Prabhu,
both of whom I had the good fortune to associate with.
My trepidation in writing this Foreword came from contemplating the
enormity of its subject. I remember when Vaiysaki first told me that he was
tackling the history of ISKCON, along with the lives of Viujana and
Jaynanda, as a theme for his upcoming book. How will he do it? I wondered.
There is so much rich material, such deep theological implications in each of
these subjectsthis is a major, herculean task, and Im glad Im not taking it on.
I could never do it justice. And yet Vaiysaki has done a splendid job. Going
through his manuscript, I see that he has not only researched the subject with
the expertise of a master historian, but he has captured the emotional

2
component of the lives of Prabhupda, Viujana, Jaynanda, and the many
devotees who surrounded them.
My diverse feelings in writing this Foreword then are grown from the same
seed, and in this sense, they are simultaneously one and different. I wanted to
do it because of my deep regard for the subject, but I was hesitant to do it for the
same reason.
This dichotomy of feelings is just the kind of world of opposites I
experienced in the lives of Viujana and Jaynanda, the books main
protagonists. Take Viujana, for instance. To me, he embodied the best of the
aivarya/madhurya dichotomy. In Gauya Vaiava theology, aivarya
represents the majesty of God, that aspect of the Supreme that evokes awe and
reverence. Madhurya, on the other hand, represents the sweet nature of the
Lord, that quality in God that enables the devotee to relish an intimate
relationship with Him. While these terms are generally applied to God and His
relationship with devotees, the same terms are sometimes used in a general way,
to describe the moods they embody. In Viujana, this latter definition is
clearly invoked: while he had a certain noble quality, a quality that seemed
regal and timeless, evoking deep respect from those who knew him, he
simultaneously had this sweet, charming, almost innocent side; he was warm
and friendly, too. So you felt this mood of awe and reverence, while at the same
time he seemed like your best friend.
As I remember him, Jaynanda, too, had a personality that evoked seemingly
contradictory feelings. On the one hand, he was as humble as a person could be.
Especially among younger devotees, he was as gentle as a kitten. He was the
kind of guy you would find working under a truck or taking out the garbage,
even though he was given a position in a major ISKCON temple as temple
president. When he could have just sat back and taken it easy, he felt that he
needed to work hard, that he was so fallen that if he didnt, he would never
make any progress in Ka consciousness. On the other hand, he knew for
certain that he had found the truth. So, while he was humble in his personal
demeanor, he became almost ferocious if you questioned Prabhupda or the
disciplic succession. Not that he didnt appreciate good, sincere inquiry. But if
your mood was challenging, watch out! Jaynanda wouldnt tolerate it. The
kitten would become a lion.
I am delighted to see that these diverse characteristics come out in Vaiysaki

3
Prabhus book. The primary mystery of Gauya Vaishnavism in many ways
centers on this meeting of opposites. The esoteric form of r Caitanya
Mahprabhu is said to be Rdh-Ka combinedthe Male and Female
Moiety, as Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat has expressed itin one body.
The full-fledged conception of unity in diversity is expressed in r
Caitanyas doctrine of acintya-bhedbheda-tattva, or the inconceivable,
simultaneous oneness and difference of God and the living being. Although
this theological term is generally reserved for man and his relationship with
God, there is another aspect of this truth that comes out in Vaiysakis book:
While the ISKCON universe will always have Prabhupda at its center,
prominent devotees, such as Viujana and Jaynanda (who form major
constellations around him), are also significant parts of the Hare Ka cosmos.
Or, to put it another way, the suns full meaning is understood when one feels
its warmth and heat. Prabhupda may be compared to the sun, and his stalwart
disciples are like the rays of the sun, extending heat and light to others.
Although Rdh-Dmodara Vilasa does indeed glorify Prabhupda and his
accomplishments, some may criticize that in this book Vaiysaki is elevating
Viujana and Jaynanda to an unnecessarily high position, sometimes even
eclipsing that of their spiritual master. Not so. A close reading of this work
reveals that the many good qualities of Viujana and Jaynanda were nurtured
by Prabhupda himself, and that these qualities have little meaning without
Prabhupdas mission. Viujana and Jaynanda are like the rays of the sun,
which would not exist without the sun itself. In one sense, the sun and its rays
are non-different, for each gives the other meaning. What is the value of a sun
if it does not give off light and heat? And where would light and heat come from
if there were no sun? Still, the sun is the source. And while certain great
devotees are glorified in this work, Prabhupdas unique position is always
maintained.
But in keeping with the doctrine of simultaneous oneness and difference, let
us note that Prabhupda is not the original sunhe would consider himself
merely a ray of his Guru Mahrja, the ultimate sun, rla Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat hkur, who saw himself as a mere ray of the sun of his spiritual
master, and on back to Ka. Ultimately, then, this book shows that
Rdh-Dmodara is the efficient cause, or, one might say, the original sun, from
which all others come. Prabhupda is like a secondary sun, a direct

4
manifestation of Rdh-Dmodaras energy in this world. This book also shows,
however, that many of Prabhupdas disciples are all miniature suns as well, at
least in quality if not in quantity.
The Gauya Vaiava doctrine of inconceivable simultaneous oneness and
difference is resolved through the explanation of quality and quantity. We are
the same as God in quality, say the Vaiava scriptures, but we are different
from Him in quantity. He has all beauty, wealth, fame, knowledge, strength,
and renunciationHe has all virtuous qualities in fullwhile we possess them
only in minute degree. For example, God knows all; we know relatively little.
But the quality of knowledge is there in both. In a similar manner, Vaiysaki
shows that while Prabhupda is unquestionably the original sun for the Hare
Ka movement, his primary disciples, such as Viujana and Jaynanda, are
smaller sunsyet suns they are.
Vaiysaki is methodical in his unveiling of this truth. He takes us back in
time to Prabhupdas humble beginnings in Calcutta. He shows us Prabhupda
as an extraordinary youth totally given to God consciousness, culminating in
his meeting with Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat, his eternal Gurudeva. From that
point, his mission was clear, and he struggled to come to the West, to share his
ancient treasure with the modern world. He spent time in Jva Goswamis
famous Rdh-Dmodara Temple, planning his mission, and praying to his
predecessors. Only time separated him from meeting destiny.
Meanwhile, in the West, the counterculture was coming to a boil. Vaiysaki
describes this with illuminating detail. While Prabhupda was spending his
lifetime in preparation for his missionstudying, chanting, prayingthe
technological world was progressing at a rapid pace. While Jaynanda was being
born in the West, Prabhupda was planning Back to Godhead, his Gauya
Vaiava magazine, in the East. While Viujana was reaching puberty,
Prabhupda was forming The League of Devotees, his first Ka conscious
organization, a precursor to ISKCON. Separated by thousands of miles and an
even greater distance in consciousness, these personalities would one day meet
and do something wonderful for the world. The gradual meeting of these
children of the counterculture with Prabhupda and his mission is brought out
in Vaiysakis book with great style and emotion. It is the story of two cultures
clashing, but, more importantly, it is about the poignant merger of these
cultures in Ka consciousness.

5
 Other Gauya Vaiavas had come West prior to Prabhupda. Premananda
Bharati came to New York near the beginning of this century, and several of
Prabhupdas own godbrothers, too, had come West several decades before
Prabhupda. But none of them were to realize his successfor Prabhupda was
the one predicted in scripture. He was the one who took shelter of
Rdh-Dmodara at Their temple in Vndvana and the one who came West to
spread the teachings of r Caitanya Mahprabhu. He was the pure soul who
desired nothing but to please the Lord. For this reason, he was sent at just the
right time in world historythe 1960s, the Hippie Erawhen disenfranchised
youth, by the hundreds of thousands, would mobilize to look for an alternative
lifestyle. It was a pivotal point in American and European cultureit had
never quite happened before, and it has not happened since. In addition, it was
in 1965, the year Prabhupda chose to come West, that immigration laws were
changed in favor of allowing those from the East easy entrance into Western
countries. And the Pope, the same year, presented a novel message to all
Christians at the Second Vatican Council, calling for a greater understanding
between religions East and West.
Clearly, Ka paved the way for Prabhupdas success. And countless
youths, like Viujana and Jaynanda, were eagerly waiting when Prabhupda
finally arrived. One can only guess who they were in their previous livesto be
born at the time when Kas pure devotee would come West and spread the
timeless teachings of Mahprabhu for the benefit of the world. To be able to
help him in this glorious mission, they must be great souls indeed. On several
occasions, Prabhupda himself said that they were sent by his Guru Mahrja
just to assist him. My Spiritual Master knew it that alone I could not do this
great work. Therefore He has very kindly sent you all to help me in this task. I
accept you therefore as representatives of my Guru Mahrja playing as my
affectionate disciples. (Letter to Los Angeles Devotees, August 26, 1972)
Whatever the case, Vaiysaki allows us entrance into their lives, as he
vividly recreates the past. He brings us into a transcendental theater, if you will,
where Prabhupda directs the early script of the Hare Ka movement. As the
story unfolds, we see Prabhupdas struggle and challenges as he connects with a
sometimes antagonistic environment. More often than not, however, the
Western world is receptive to his message. We visit a hippie commune, the
Morning Star Ranch in California, and we witness the meeting of Viujana

6
and Tamal Ka, two friends who soon become central players in the rearing of
Prabhupdas fledgling movement. Jaynanda the cabbie, artists, musicians, and
a cast of characters of all types begin to joinand we watch Prabhupdas
drama develop, as he takes the movement from a small storefront in New Yorks
Lower East Side to a confederation of temples in California, Canada, and the
rest of the world. The plot thickens, and we see defection and heresy. But, while
casualties are inevitable, most devotees experience spiritual evolution, as the
boundless mercy of the pure devotee is absorbed into their lives.
Prabhupda introduces Deity worship. Judaeo-Christian admonitions
against idol worship notwithstanding, the forms of Jagannatha, Caitanya,
Rdh-KaRdh-Dmodaraare brought to Western shores and are
embraced by a receptive hippie community. While these forms were worshipped
by traditionalists in India for centuries, it is mainly the non-traditionalists in
the West, the hippies, who initially take on Their worship. Rdh-Dmodara
Vilasa shows how an alienated fringe community soon develops into an
establishment more traditional than Western conservatives could ever imagine.
But mostly, this is a book about compassion, about giving something valuable
to others. It is about the Sankirtana Mission of r Caitanya Mahprabhu. This
was the mission of the Six Gosvamis of Vndvana. In the sixteenth century,
from their dwelling in Vraja, they made plans to spread Ka consciousness
throughout the world. They would hold meetings at Jva Gosvamis
Rdh-Dmodara Temple, and soon r Jva sent his three best preachers, living
examples of Ka consciousness, with their precious Gauya Vaiava
manuscripts, to all parts of India, explaining the esoteric process of divine love.
Just as Indias inundation of Ka consciousness burst forth from the
Rdh-Dmodara Temple, so, too, in 1965, did Prabhupda leave that sacred
place for his mission to the West. It is as if Jva Goswamis Deities,
Rdh-Dmodara, were somehow the Deities in charge of sakrtana, or the
spreading of the Holy Name of Ka. This seems further confirmed by the fact
that Prabhupda gave these same names to the major Deities you meet in this
book, the Rdh-Dmodara Traveling Sankirtana Deities, so dear to
Viujanas heart. These Deities, in the mood of Lord Caitanya, traveled
throughout America and placed Ka consciousness within the easy grasp of
men, women, and children.
So I would say that just as the Madan-Mohan Deities are representative of

7
Sambandha, or the process of God-realization, and the Rdh-Govinda Deities
represent Abhidheya, or the development of that process, and
Rdh-Gopinatha are the Deities of Prayojana, or the ultimate perfection of
that processwe must conclude that Rdh-Dmodara are representative of
Sankirtan, or the essence of that process. The essence is the congregational
chanting of the Holy Name and the spreading of that chanting to others, the
sharing of Ka consciousness.
But you have to have it before you can share it. And this brings us back to
our original theme: the inconceivable union of opposites. Ka consciousness
involves both taking and giving. In this book, Vaiysaki Prabhu clearly
illustrates the enthusiasm and determination required to become Ka
conscious, the sort of spiritual greed one needs if he is going to achieve the goal
of spiritual perfection. This is the taking aspect of Ka consciousness. At
the same time, one feels compelled to give this precious gift to others, for this is
the essence of the process sakrtana. If one is actually making spiritual
advancement, one naturally wants to share this greatest treasure with everyone.
This is the essence of Ka conscious giving. Acintya-bhedabheda-tattva
applies here, for it is only in giving it that one can truly take it, and unless
one takes it, one has nothing to give. The story of the Rdh-Dmodara party is
a story of this kind of mystical give and take. It is epitomized by Viujana and
Jaynandathey embraced Ka consciousness with all their heart, and they
gave it to others in that same enthusiastic way.
Satyaraja dsa (Steven J. Rosen) Author of several books on
Vaiava-related topics and editor of the internationally esteemed Journal of
Vaiava Studies.

Preface

Every genuine movement attracts persons who stand out by their acts of
selfless sacrifice. In the Hare Ka movement, Viujana Swami and
Jaynanda Prabhu were two such persons. Their spirit of humble service and
commitment to spreading the glories of the Holy Name of the Lord left an

8
indelible impression on everyone who met them. Each became a legend in his
own time. Viujana Swami was active in devotional service for only eight
years and Jaynanda for only ten before they passed from our vision. They left
behind no disciples, no books, no temples.
This book is a humble attempt to properly glorify these outstanding devotees.
The goal is to preserve their place in Vaiava history so that succeeding
generations may know of the important roles they played in helping rla
Prabhupda establish Lord Caitanyas mission worldwide.
Although saintliness is rarely achieved, Viujana Swami and Jaynanda
Prabhu seem to be acknowledged as saintly by the people who knew them. The
following personal memoirs give us a brief look into the character and
personality of these two great saints.
Kalakantha dsa on Jaynanda Prabhu
Jaynanda Prabhu was always ready to do whatever was necessary to push on
Ka consciousness. He was expert at everything: cooking, preaching, Deity
worship, public relations, sakrtana, selling incense, construction, and
everything else it takes to run a temple. He was a tireless worker. He would be
the first one up in the morning and the last one to sleep at night. It was
Jaynanda who was always running out to get the flowers, Jaynanda who was
washing dishes and making sure the kitchen was clean, Jaynanda who was
often missing class while he was out doing some service, and Jaynanda who was
always encouraging others to go out and preach, setting the example himself.
Whatever assignment he was given, he would always get it done, even if he had
to suffer personal inconvenience.
Those who knew Jaynanda always noticed one remarkable quality about
him: he could not criticize others. It was against his nature. Even if a devotee
did something that warranted criticism, Jaynanda would usually say nothing,
or else say something that made the mistake appear to be perfectly
understandable. No matter who was giving class or leading kirtan, he would
always appreciate it. He never spoke harsh words or chastised anybody. If one
devotee was criticizing another within earshot of Jaynanda, Jayanada would
simply leave.
Rather than criticize others, Jaynanda would contribute nothing less than
positive Ka conscious energy to any situation. Sometimes devotees would

9
bring up their expansive aspirations for spreading Ka consciousness.
Jaynanda would always encourage their ideas, however extraordinary. At the
same time he was not a fool. He could always pick the right man to do a
particular duty.
Because he knew how to encourage people, the temple leaders would always
assign new men to work with Jaynanda. He saw no distinction between new
and old devotees. Both were his superiors. He could quickly give a new man a
sense of identity and a feeling that he belonged in Ka consciousness. A true
Vaiava, he would expertly fan any little spark of interest into a big fire of
Ka consciousness.
Like the Six Goswamis, Jaynanda was dear both to the gentle and the
ruffians. He was as much at home with the Italians at the produce market as
with the brahmacaris in the temple. Because of his genuine compassion, Ka
gave Jaynanda the unique ability to make people want to serve, directly or
indirectly. Whenever a new bhakta would come, Jaynanda made him feel that
he was engaged in important work. He was willing to let people do things their
own way, without getting finicky about detailsunless some-bodys creativity
interfered with practical necessity. New bhakta or old, everyone felt satisfied
after a days work with Jaynanda.
Jaynandas leadership was especially evident during Ratha-ytr time. He
would organize a crew of cynics, bloopers, uncooperative personalities, and
non-devotees off the street to build the Ratha-ytr carts. Although many of
his men sat down for a smoke during breaks, he would get them to work, ten,
twelve, or fourteen hours a day. He was always glorifying others, while working
hard himself. In fact, he worked harder than anybody else. All these qualities
constantly inspired his co-workers.
Jaynanda was well known as a transcendental miser. He hated to spend any
of rla Prabhupdas money. Personally, he had almost no possessions, even
during his years as a householder. Jaynanda would use his personal charm with
people to get them to give everything for free, or at a discount, for Ka.
Without spending huge sums of money, he would personally collect nearly all
the bhoga, flowers, lumber, paint, and everything else needed to put on
Ratha-ytr each year.
Jaynanda could get almost anything done for free, such as printing,

10
advertising, and mimeographing for Ratha-ytr publicity. What he couldnt
get for free, hed get at a discount, and when he paid, hed get his moneys
worth. Although he was a senior devotee and could have had anything he
wanted, he always dressed in old dhotis, or work clothes that hed buy for one
dollar per set at the Salvation Army.
Jaynanda was the back bone of the Bay Area Ratha-ytr for years. During
the weeks before the festival, Jaynanda would sleep at the site where the
Ratha-ytr carts were under construction. He would rise every day at 4:00 AM
without fail, even if that meant he was getting less than three hours of sleep. To
keep his crew enlivened, he would cook fantastic prasdam on a tiny gas stove
at the site. The preparations were always carefully offered, and each was filled
with so much devotion that the temple devotees would sometimes sneak down
to the cart site just to get some.
Behind the scenes Jaynanda was doing everything in preparation for each
festival. He would beg food, flowers, and funds, buy material and build the carts,
advertise and arrange for permits, and organize the cooking and serving of
prasdam. Although things always went right down to the wire, he consistently
succeeded in fulfilling all his plans. After the festival, Jaynanda personally
brought a prasdam cake or pie to each and every person who had helped in
some way. Because of his efforts, the devotees in the Bay Area have enjoyed
amazingly harmonious relationship with the city officials.
Jaynanda was very eager to see everyone engaged in Kas service. He
once wrote, When I reflect on my consciousness, had I not had association
with devotees and rla Prabhupda, I shudder to imagine the nightmare I
would be in. If we could become a little dedicated to distributing the mercy, so
many could be saved so much suffering.
Satyanarayana dsa on Viujana Swami
Viujana Swami impressed everyone with his unique adult as spiritual
child persona. This mixed with a natural unpretentiousness, so it was not at all
difficult to imagine him reincarnated from a character residing somewhere
between the Pied Piper of Hamelin and Peter Pan.
As the story goes, Peter Pan nourished those he met with the fountain of
youth. He rejected all things adult, and everyone felt drawn to his youthful
energy and attractiveness. Peter Pan symbolized the indefatigable spirit, and he

11
awakened the child within all he touched.
The Pied Piper, for his part, enchanted the children of Hamelin with his
rainbow robes and flute, which played the notes of happy laughter and merry
play. All the children of the town joyfully skipped and danced to the Pipers
call, following him and disappearing into the green wood.
Anyone could see that Viujana, this Pan/Piper character, had finally
received the blessings of all his good works and had taken that jump from the
mode of goodness to transcendental life. Here he was, his elfish garb replaced
with the beautiful robes of a young sannys, his forest songs upgraded to
heartfelt bhajans for r Ka. The playing of ancient Indian instruments
provided an otherworldly background to his emotional cries.
However, in this life, the merry Piper has surrendered the flute playing and
the flute itself to the Supreme player, Lord Dmodara. Now he himself dances
to Dmodaras flute and induces all to dance to His lead. Viujana naturally
seemed to turn everything, even menial activities, into exciting adventures,
and in that sense, it was also easy visualizing him as a cowherd boyfriend of
Ka who has to be a group leader who plans out daily fun and mischief in
Goloka.
I crossed paths frequently with the traveling Road Show, that amalgam of
devotees, musicians, actors, book distributors, cooks, mechanics, and preachers,
headed by Viujana Swami, Krtannanda Swami, and above all, r r
Rdh-Dmodara. Aja was doing his You know youre not that bo-o-o-o-dy
routine along with the rest of the troupe, and Rdh-Dmodara were
resplendent in elegant beauty on stage overseeing the festivities.
One of the amazing highlights of the show was Viujanas
performancebut he wasnt acting. His uniquely attractive qualities were fully
in evidence one day on campus. Viujana gave one of his inspiring talks on the
glories of r r Ra-a-a-dha Da-a-a-moda-a-a-ra, that deep, forever hoarse,
lustful for Ka, voice of hisimitated but never equaleddrawing everyone
to rapt attention. He clearly communicated the excitement and adventure of
serving Ka and then, almost as if it were a right of passage to begin life
within that higher consciousness, he raised his arms high and, in his best voice,
beckoned everyone to bow down to Their Lordships. And just like that,
everyone, every single authority-despising college hippie, acidhead, and

12
arrogant professor, all got down on their knees and touched their heads to the
ground in obeisance to Rdh-Dmodara.
Viujana inspired the instinctual feeling that this was simply the best
possible thing to do, and also the coolest possible thing to do, at that moment. It
was unspoken, but not to do it would obviously mean missing out on a most rare
opportunity, something beneficial to the self to the ultimate degree. So even
though many there really didnt understand what was happening, their hearts
brought them to their knees. Again this Pan/Piper was leading us to the real
magic land. r r Rdh-Dmodara were blessing Their devotee Viujana
Swami to cast a joyful spell on alland for a few moments everyone knew they
were devotees of Ka. It was a moment of great comfort and communal peace;
everyone there felt it.
Viujana was that kind of conduit. He had gifts, and he was using them in
the highest way, to attract and awaken the lost souls to the realization of their
true identity. It was wonderful to see Ka plainly working through His
surrendered devotee to such effect.
I met Viujana many times in India, and his sweet and unpretentious kirtans
and dancing in Mayapur and Vndvana were wonderful to be a part of. But to
me, it seemed that Viujana Swami was at his best, and fully in his element, as
a sannys preacher to the young seekers of America. He made surrender look
easy. And because his devotion was so natural, he was most effective. He
seemed literally designed by Lord Dmodara for this purpose, and those who
heard him sing, dance, and speak his uniquely attractive praise of
Rdh-Dmodara, felt themselves fortunate and blessed to be bathed in the
devotional light of this sincere and brilliant soul.
Vaiysaki dsa on r r Rdh-Dmodara
Another significantgoal ofthis book is the introduction of the Supreme Lord
and His eternal consort in Their childhood forms of r r Rdh-Dmodara.
The following discussion supports the observation that the advent and
traveling sakrtana pastimes of Rdh-Dmodara were indirectly, but clearly,
predicted in scripture just as the advent and sakrtana pastimes of r
Caitanya Mahprabhu were indirectly, but clearly, predicted.
The Lord sometimes makes unscheduled visits as part of His sakrtana ll.
In Kali-yuga the Lord again makes His own appearance, but this time He comes

13
incognito, in the mood of a devotee. The advent of Lord Caitanya is due to both
internal and external considerations. The internal reasons, antarag vicra,
are for His own Divine Purpose.
The external reasons, bahirag vicra, are for the benefit of the
conditioned souls. Bringing His associates and the full paraphernalia of His
transcendental abode, He reclaims the fallen souls and gives pleasure to the
devotees by chanting His own Holy Name. He establishes the yuga-dharma, by
personally inaugurating the sakrtana movement, and teaches the process of
bhakti-yoga, or devotional service.
Although this appearance is covert, it is still prophesied in
rmad-Bhgavatam:
ka-vara tvika
sgopgstra-pradam
yajai sakrtana-pryair
yajanti hi sumedhasa
In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to
worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the name of Ka.
Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Ka Himself. He is
accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions.
(rmad-Bhgavatam 11.5.32)

Caitanya Mahprabhus advent and ll are also described in the r

Visnu-sahasra-nama, which appears in the Mahabharata:
suvara-varo hemgo
varga candangad
sannysa-kc chama nto
nih-nti-paryaa
In His early pastimes He appears as a householder with a golden complexion. His
limbs are beautiful, and His body, smeared with the pulp of sandalwood, seems
like molten gold. In His later pastimes He accepts the sannysa order, and He is
equipoised and peaceful. He is the highest abode of peace and devotion, for He
silences the impersonalist non-devotees. (Mahabharata, Dana-dharma-parva,
Ch. 189, quoted in SB 11.5.32)

14
 Chanting and dancing blissfully throughout the Indian subcontinent, Lord
Caitanya freely distributed the Holy Name of Ka to enable everyone to taste
the ecstatic mood of love for God. He tastes it Himself first and then distributes
to everybody else, even amongst the lowest of mankind. After inaugurating the
sakrtana movement in India, the Lord left the rest of the service to His
surrendered devotees. But He guaranteed that the whole world would have the
opportunity to drown in the ecstasy of ka-prema by making His own
prophecy:
pthivte che yata nagardi grma
sarvatra pracra hoibe mora nma
In every town and village around the world My name will be sung.
(Caitanya-bhagavat, Antya-lila 4.126)

With this prophecy Lord Caitanya reveals that He will come again, because
there is no difference between Ka and His Holy Namekali-kle nma-rpe
ka-avatra. (Caitanya-caritmta, Adi-lila 17.22) In Kali-yuga especially,
Ka descends as the sound vibration of the mah-mantra. Both the Holy
Name, nma, and the possessor of the Name, nmi, are one. Both are on the
platform of eternal existence, eternal knowledge, and eternal bliss. This is the
Absolute nature of Ka and His Holy Name.
This is further corroborated in the Caitanya-bhagavat, Madhya-lila, Chapter
27, wherein the Lord informs His mother, Saci-mata, at the time of taking
sannysa, that He will descend two more times and that she will also accompany
Him. He will appear in the form of the Holy Name, while she will appear as the
tongue that vibrates the pure Name. Secondly, He will appear in the form of the
Deity, and she will become the substance from which the Deities are formed.
According to Vaiava cryas, the following verse from
rmad-Bhgavatam, wherein the sage Karabhajana discusses the yuga-avatras,
is understood to predict Lord Caitanyas appearance as the Kali-yuga avatar.
tyaktv su-dustyaja-surepsita-rjya-lakm
dharmiha rya-vacas yad agd arayam
my-mga dayitayepsitam anvadhvad

15
 vande mah-purua te cararavindam
O Mah-purua, I worship Your lotus feet. You gave up the association of the
goddess of fortune and all her opulence, which is most difficult to renounce and is
hankered after by even the great demigods. Being the most faithful follower of the
path of religion, You thus left for the forest in obedience to a brhmaas curse.
Out of sheer mercifulness You chased after the fallen conditioned souls, who are
always in pursuit of the false enjoyment of illusion, and at the same time engaged
in searching out Your own desired object, Lord ymasundara.
(rmad-Bhgavatam 11.5.34)

SYNONYMS
tyaktvabandoning; su-dustyajamost difficult to give up;
sura-psitaanxiously desired by the demigods; rjya-lakmmthe goddess of
fortune and her opulence; dharmihamost perfectly fixed in religiousness;
rya-vacasaccording to the words of a brhmaa; yatHe who; agtwent;
arayamto the forest; my-mgamthe conditioned soul, who is always
searching out illusory enjoyment; dayitayout of sheer mercy; psitamHis
desired object; anvadhvatrunning after; vandeI offer my homage;
mah-puruaO Lord Mahprabhu; teto Your; caraa-aravindamlotus
feet.
The explanation is as follows: Lord Caitanya married the goddess of fortune
herself, rmati Visnupriya, who is desired by all the demigods (surepsita)
including Lord Brahma. Yet Lord Caitanya left her (tyaktv) to take sannysa,
which is the most difficult renunciation (su-dustyaja). He always behaves as a
perfect Vaiava and is thus most perfectly fixed on the path of dharma
(dharmiha). When He was cursed by the brhmaa who could not enter the
kirtan hall, You will be bereft of all material happiness, Lord Caitanya
understood these words (rya-vacas) as a benediction and accepted sannysa.
He then traveled through the forests of Jarikhanda, Vndvana, and South
India (yad agd arayam). His mission was to search out and deliver
(anvadhvat) the conditioned souls pursuing the allurements of illusion
(my-mgam) and thus, He is the most merciful (dayitay). He is constantly
searching out His most desired object (psitam), Lord Ka, and therefore all
obeisances are offered to the lotus feet of such a great soul.

16
 rla Jva Goswami has shown that this verse also describes the appearance
of Lord Ka. The words surepsita-rjya-lakmm indicate Mathura, which is
described as a reservoir of opulence. Although taking birth in the opulent city
of Mathura, Ka left that city (tyaktv) and relocated to the village of
Vndvana, by the words (rya-vacas) of His parents, Vasudeva and Devaki.
Following their instruction, He relocated to a forest village (yad agd arayam).
The relationship between r Ka and rmati Rdhr (my-mgam)
indicates yogamy in this context since Rdhr is Kas hldin-akti, His
original internal pleasure potency. Because Ka is Madana-mohana and
Rdhr is Madana-mohana-mohini, therefore mgam means Ka is like a
deer that is controlled by the beautiful Rdhr. r Rdh always performs
pj to bind Ka because She cannot live without Him. Due to Rdhrs
rdhana, or worship, Ka never leaves Vndvana. He runs through the
forests of Vndvana (anvadhvat), playing with His friends and cows and
engaging in amorous pastimes with His most desired object (psitam), rmati
Rdhr.
rla rdhara Swami has explained how this verse also describes the
incarnation of Lord Ramachandra, who gave up (tyaktv) an opulent kingdom,
which is very difficult to renounce (su-dustyaja). Lord Rama left the kingdom
that was desired even by the demigods (surepsita-rjya-lakmm) to honor the
words of His father (rya-vacas) whom He accepted as a guru, and entered the
forest (yad agd arayam), thus showing His unflinching submission to the path
of dharma, (dharmiha). He wandered throughout the forest (anvadhvat) and
displayed His affection for Sita-dev by chasing the illusory deer (my-mgam)
created by Maricha. The golden deer was especially desired by Sita-dev
(dayitayepsitam).
Accepting all the explanations of this verse, adherents of the Gauya
Vaiava sampradya worship r Caitanya Mahprabhu in His six-armed form
known as a-bhja-mrti. Two arms carry the bow and arrow of r
Ramachandra. The next two arms hold the flute of Lord Ka, and the final
two arms carry the waterpot and daa of the sannys Caitanya Mahprabhu.
The a-bhja form, therefore, is accepted as the siddhnta of this verse.
We may observe that this verse also applies to r r Rdh-Dmodara and
Their pastimes. They gave up living in a temple (tyaktv) where Deities
normally reside. Many people come to the temple to pay tribute, and the temple

17
service by Their devotees is usually opulent and affectionate, so that situation is
difficult to give up (su-dustyaja). They left the opulent capital city of
Washington, DC, of the richest country in the world (surepsita-rjya-lakmm)
for the holy purpose (dharmiha) of spreading the sakrtana mission. Thus,
They fulfilled the prophesy of Lord Caitanya (rya-vacas) who accepted the
role of a brhmaa sannys. Accordingly, They traveled in the forest of illusion
within the material world (yad agd arayam) out of Their sheer mercy
(dayitay) to deliver the conditioned souls who are chasing after illusory
pleasures (my-mgam). In this way They achieved Their desired objective
(psitam) which was the fulfillment of scripture. For this very purpose, They
traveled here, there, and everywhere (anvadhvat) on a bus.
There is no contradiction for the different interpretations of this verse
because the Supreme Personality of Godhead manifests unlimited forms to
perform His pastimes (advaitam acyutam andim ananta-rpam) as explained in
Brahma-samhita.
rla Prabhupda himself gave the indication to His Holiness Viujana
Swami that Rdh-Dmodara were in the mood of Lord Caitanya, and thus
They traveled on a bus throughout the North American continent sanctioned
by the word of rla Prabhupda (rya-vacas). Ironically, this fulfills yet
another prophesy in scripture:
r-ka-caitanya-prabhu dee dee y
saba-loke nistril jagama-brahma ha
r Caitanya Mahprabhu, however, moves from one country to another,
personally or by His representative. Thus He, as the moving Brahman, delivers
all the people of the world. (Caitanya-caritmta, Antya-lila 5.153)

From the historical evidence introduced in this book it should be clear that
r r Rdh-Dmodara arrived in America and traveled on a bus to inspire
Their devotees in fulfilling the prophecy of Lord Caitanya. Therefore, we may
also conclude that these pastimes were indirectly predicted in stra as the
above verses affirm.

18
 Acknowledgements

This book was originally begun in March 1992, so it has taken a long time to
finally come to press. My original intention was to write a short book in praise
of His Holiness Viujana Swami, so that his contribution to the pioneer
preaching of Ka consciousness would not be forgotten with the passing of
rla Prabhupdas direct disciples.
As I began traveling and conducting interviews, I realized that the project
was much larger than I had originally conceived. With each interview more
interesting details surfaced, and the more that questions were answered, the
more further questions arose.
Consequently, my initial goal developed into a whole new project: a
completely detailed account of Viujanas life, his relationship with his
beloved Deities, r r Rdh-Dmodara, and the history of how the
Rdh-Dmodara party began and ended. I quickly became intrigued by the
mystery of Viujanas disappearance and determined to discover what had
really happened, and why. I have always tried carefully to use Viujanas own
words to express his life, his music, and his preaching.
In 1994, I visited Vndvana, and it was here that His Grace Jaynanda
Prabhu really became a major character in the book. My esteemed godbrother
Mahanidhi Swami had gathered many valuable interviews on the life of
Jaynanda with a view to publish some book in glorification of this great
Vaiava. But, as he remarked to me, he had been away from America for so
many years that he really couldnt project himself into that environment in
order to accurately portray the mood of Jaynanda and his times. Therefore, he
handed all his research material over to me and begged me to take up the
project. I gladly accepted the task, taking it as Kas mercy.
I was already interviewing people about Jaynanda because he had joined
the Rdh-Dmodara party and was equally legendary in ISKCONs pioneering
days. He had also passed from our vision before rla Prabhupda, so it was
natural to expand his impact in the book.
The cornerstone of the mountain of information at my disposal was the

19
personal interviews from over 500 devotees. With the help of Mangalya dev
ds, I spent more than two years following leads and tracking down prominent
people of the era who had answers to important questions. The result was over
four hundred hours of interviews that I transcribed and catalogued myself. It
was surprising to discover how many people figured prominently in the lives of
Viujana and Jaynanda. Several people had completely vanished somewhere
in the material world, while others had simply passed away. I received only two
outright refusals for an interview. Certain key personalities of the period had a
distorted view of themselves and ISKCON history, so they, in my opinion, had
lost their credibility. In a few instances, I had to resort to secondary sources to
give particular people a voice in the book, and I hope that I have done them
justice. Without the assistance of all these devotees, this book would never have
seen the light of day, so I owe each of these people a debt of gratitude. Their
contribution was immeasurable.
In addition to the interviews, the Bhaktivedanta Archives was another
tremendous resource, with letters and conversations involving Viujana and
Jaynanda. They also provided many photographs. I gratefully acknowledge the
immense research done by the Archives, which enabled me to accurately
document many historical details. Finally, I received original bhajan and
lecture recordings from Mah Barta Prabhu, as well as other devotees along the
way, which greatly enhanced my appreciation for Viujana Swami.
I was fortunate to have Servant of the Servant by Tamal Ka Goswami as
another point of reference which served as an invaluable aid in reconstructing
important moments in the narrative. I also want to gratefully acknowledge the
inspiration I received from rla Prabhupda-llmta by Satsvarpa dsa
Goswami and Transcendental Diary by Hari Sauri dsa. I owe them all a
gracious Thank you.
Throughout the book I have adopted certain conventions, like using devotee
names instead of legal names, because devotees are considered eternal servants
of the Lord. Since devotees get credit for whatever service they have done and
there is never any loss or diminution, I have never tried to hide anyones
identity even though some have subsequently fallen from favor.
Of course, I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to my editors, Bhogini dev
ds, Satyaraja dsa, and Bimala dev ds who gave me considerable help in
bringing this book to a readable standard. Bimala also tastefully designed the

20
cover and did the layout for the book. In addition, Suresvara dsa,
Maalevara dsa, and Hari auri dsa gave valuable suggestions and helpful
hints.
I have to honestly admit, however, that I really cannot take any personal
credit for this book. I consider myself more of a weaver rather than a writer,
because I only wove together the events described to me by the devotees whom I
interviewed. At a certain point, it became obvious to me that the direction of
the book was being guided by higher authority. Since the book turned out far
differently than I had originally intended, and went in a completely different
direction than I ever could have imagined, I must express supreme thanks to r
r Rdh-Dmodara, whom I believe, guided the direction of the book for the
express purpose of glorifying Their devotees Viujana Swami and Jaynanda
Prabhu.
Finally, I must honestly admit that without the support and assistance of my
wife, Ll Majar dev ds, who had to put up with the isolation of seeing her
husband married to the computer, this book would probably not be in your
hands today.
I had two major realizations while undertaking this project. We learn from
scripture that one may make spiritual advancement simply by glorifying the
Vaiavas. My experience was that simply by hearing the glorification of
Viujana Swami and Jaynanda Prabhu, I felt completely enlivened, and this
has kept me in my service throughout.
Secondly, just as Queen Rukmi fell in love with r Ka simply by
hearing about His glories, similarly I fell in love with Viujana and Jaynanda
simply by hearing their glorious pastimes. This gave me the inspiration to
continue the project through many obstacles. Therefore, I owe the greatest debt
of gratitude to these two stalwart devotees, who inspired me in devotional
service long after they had left the planet.
I pray that all the assembled Vaiavas will be pleased that Viujana
Mahrja, Jaynanda Prabhu, and r r Rdh-Dmodara have been properly
glorified for the pioneering work that made Hare Ka a household word, and
Deity worship acceptable where it was previously considered idol worship.
Vaiysaki dsa Adhikari

21
 Introduction

The Vedic Scriptures teach that the Supreme Personality of Godhead

appears in this world to encourage us to begin the mystical process of devotional
service. One way in which He descends is in his Deity, or mrti form. Although
we cannot see His original form of pure spirit, we can, by His mercy, see His
Deity form in the temple. Devotees, therefore, offer worship and loving service
to Him in this form as intensely as they would His original form in the spiritual
world.
In the early days of the Hare Ka movement in America, r r
Rdh-Dmodara were the first Deities that most people ever saw. This was
because Rdh-Dmodara did not remain confined to a temple building.
Instead, since Their temple happened to be a bus, They were constantly on the
move. There are historical precedents for this.
In medieval times, the Deity Ski-gopla displayed special mercy by walking
from Vndvana to South India to bear witness for His devotee. This He did
only once, in order to honor a promise made to a young brhmaa.
Lord Jagannath, by His infinite mercy, comes out of the temple every year
for Ratha-ytr. Those who see Him on this wonderful day serve Him in diverse
ways, including chanting, dancing, or pulling His chariot.
But Rdh-Dmodara lived on the road for over six years on a bus converted
into a traveling temple. Rather than wait for people to come to see Them, They
were Deities who went out to engage sincere souls in Lord Caitanyas sakrtana
movement. This was unprecedented in the history of Gauya
Vaishnavismindeed, in all history.
It was no ordinary circumstance that Rdh-Dmodara lived in a traveling
temple. rla Prabhupda had given a special sanction that these Rdh-Ka
Deities could be worshipped like this. They were thus unique because no other
large Rdh-Ka Deities lived on a bus for years on end. Rather, it was a
singular event because They spearheaded the spreading of the Holy Name as
prophesied by Lord Caitanya:
pthivte che yata nagardi grma

22
 sarvatra pracra hoibe mora nma
In every town and village around the world My name will be sung.
(Caitanya-bhagavat, Antya-lila 4.126)

The ups and downs of life on the road were not only experienced by the
devotees, but Rdh-Dmodara compassionately encountered these hardships
as well, just as the Lord in the heart witnesses the trials and tribulations of
every living being. In keeping with Their prankish mood and displaying Their
sense of humor, Rdh-Dmodara descended in Their r-mrti forms to join
the fun and help us accomplish Their goal. It is stated that Lord Caitanya is the
combined form of Rdh and Ka. (Caitanya-caritmta, Adi-lila 1.5) In this
way, Lord Caitanya, by His inconceivable potency, came to fulfill His own
prophecy.
The readers of Rdh-Dmodara Vilasa relive this sakrtana mood through
the lives of three of Prabhupdas most influential disciples. Jaynanda Prabhu,
Viujana Swami, and Tamal Ka Goswami joined the San Francisco temple
within the first year of its opening in the mid 60s. Together they helped
establish Lord Caitanyas mission in California while inaugurating the first
traveling sakrtana party in the Western world. After less than two years of
preaching and touring together, however, they were separated by destiny.
Five years later they were reunited by r r Rdh-Dmodara as leaders of
a sakrtana party dedicated to distributing the mercy of Lord Caitanya to
every town and village. In the years leading up to this, they had grown and
changed in their own ways. All three played significant roles in spreading the
sakrtana movement while undergoing personal struggles and triumphs in
their endeavor for enlightenment. After Jaynandas passing away, rla
Prabhupda confirmed that he went back to Godhead. He was considered
ISKCONs first saintan average American who perfected his life.
Rdh-Dmodara Vilasa is, therefore, a sakrtana adventure saga tracing the
history of the fulfillment of an ancient prophecyto bring the Holy Names of
God to every town, village, and city street throughout the world.
Just as Lord Rmachandra engaged an army of monkeys to liberate rmati
Sitadev, similarly rla Prabhupda recruited an army of the sons and
daughters of the mleccha and yavana countries to fulfill the prophecy of Lord

23
Caitanya. Attracted by rla Prabhupdas purity and love for Ka, young
people from all walks of life embraced his teachings and took to the path of
self-realization. As he gradually introduced deeper truths of bhakti-yoga,
Prabhupda imbued his disciples with greater spiritual fervor, empowering
them to travel the globe to spread the glories of the Holy Name, and to establish
temples along the way.
The Rdh-Dmodara Party was the largest traveling sakrtana army the
world had ever seen, comprising six buses with numerous satellite vans and cars
that crisscrossed the North American continent. They distributed millions of
transcendental books and inspired other parties around the world to do the
same.
Krtannanda Swami first conceived of the idea in 1971, but soon after, in
early 1972, Viujana Swami became involved, taking the party to heights
previously unimagined. In 1974, Tamal Ka Goswami resigned his GBC post
to join Rdh-Dmodaras traveling party and expanded the concept further.
Then, in 1975, Jaynanda Prabhu also joined the party.
All of a sudden, in early 1976, Viujana Mahrja mysteriously disappeared.
By the end of the year Tamal Ka Mahrja left the party to be with
Prabhupda in India. By May 1977, Jaynanda Prabhu contracted leukemia and
passed away, but not before staging the first New York Ratha-ytr.
Rdh-Dmodara retired from traveling during the summer of 1977 and
settled at the farm community of Gt-nagar, in Port Royal, Pennsylvania.
rla Prabhupda had a plan to visit Gt-nagar to implement what he called
the second 50% of his work, varrama-dharma. It was to be his last journey
abroad. He was in poor health and at an advanced age. En route to Gt-nagar,
Prabhupda stopped in London, where his condition became critical. He had to
cancel his plans and returned to Vndvana. rla Prabhupda passed from our
vision at the age of 81 on November 14, 1977, sending shock waves throughout
the Hare Ka movement that are still felt today.
There are external and internal reasons for the advent of Rdh-Dmodara.
The internal reasons are for Their own purposes, which remain mostly
inconceivable. The external reasons for Their appearance are essentially for
the benefit of othersfor our benefit. But in either case, whenever They
descend, everybody benefits.

24
 As stated earlier, it appears that Rdh-Dmodaras advent was a special
pastime of the Lord to accomplish a specific missionto help fulfill Lord
Caitanyas prophecy. It also appears that this was prophesied in scripture. Is it
possible that Rdh-Dmodara have yet another secret that is still to be
revealedthe development of a varrama-dharma community in
Gt-nagar?
rla Prabhupda always had an intimate relationship with
Rdh-Dmodara. For years he lived at the Rdh-Dmodara Mandir in
Vndvana, where he had written his rmad-Bhgavatam purports under Their
shelter. Prabhupda told us that he lives eternally at Rdh-Dmodara temple
and has requested that we continually venerate his rooms there.
Rdh-Dmodara were also the beloved Deities of rla Rupa Goswami and
rla Jva Goswami. These two eminent Acharyas were dedicated to spreading
the mission of Lord Caitanya worldwide. rla Prabhupda had regularly prayed
for the mercy of these Acharyas, whose life and soul were Rdh-Dmodara.
When Prabhupda suffered a heart attack on his maiden voyage to America,
he wrote the following in his diary: I feel better today, but I am feeling
separation from r Vndvana and my Lords, r Govinda, Gopinath,
Rdh-Dmodara. By leaving the Rdh-Dmodara temple in Vndvana, he
brought Lord Caitanyas sakrtana mission to the world and sparked a spiritual
revolution through the chanting of Hare Ka.
In its initial four years, from 1966 to 1970, the Hare Ka movement was
spread primarily by householder couples. Prabhupda would send them to a city
to start a Ka conscious center, usually in a storefront or a house. The Deities
in those centers were always Lord Jagannath mrtis. If a center didnt have Lord
Jagannath mrtis, then devotees worshipped a picture of Panca Tattva. The
first large Rdh-Ka Deities in the movement were installed in London in
December 1969.
Rdh-Dmodara came to America in 1970, in the middle of an intrigue that
Prabhupda called a conspiracy. During this time he introduced the
sannysa-rama in the West. At the same time he formalized magala-rati at
4:30 every morning, along with Tulas Pj and the Prayers to Lord
Nrsimhadeva. It was at this juncture of history, that the present format of
worship in ISKCON was instituted.

25
 At that same time Prabhupda left America to establish temples in the holy
places of Vndvana, Mayapur, and the important cities of India. While
Prabhupda was returning to India, Rdh-Dmodara were coming to America.
The main theme of our story, therefore, portrays the advent and unparalleled
pastimes of Rdh-Dmodara with Their devotees as They gradually reveal a
plan to fulfill the mission of Lord Caitanya. The supporting theme of our story
describes how the surrendered souls disburse the Lords mercy and inspire
others to participate, thus facilitating the conditioned souls exit from the
material world.
Ka is famous for speaking the immortal Bhagavad-gita to His devotee
Arjuna, thereby re-establishing eternal dharma for the benefit of future
generations. But He is no less famous as Dmodara, the naughty child of Mother
Yaod, and in these pastimes He reveals even more about Himself and His
intimate relationship with His devotees.
The Sanskrit word dmodara is actually two words, dma and udara, which
mean rope and belly respectively. The Yaod-Dmodara pastimes are part
of Kas kumra-ll, which extends up to five years of age. The Supreme
Maintainer of the entire material and spiritual existence assumes the form of a
child, voluntarily placing Himself in the care of His devotees as if helpless
without their love. Under the influence of the potency yogamy, Mother
Yaod and Nanda Mahrja feel that child Ka will come to harm without
their tender, loving care.
When child Ka is bound with rope around His belly by the love of Mother
Yaod, the Lord becomes eternally famous as Dmodara. By agreeing to be
bound by Mother Yaods love, Dmodara displays a unique quality,
bhakta-vatsala, whereby the Supreme agrees to become subordinate to His
devotee in the mood of loving reciprocation. This is a particularly sweet role for
the Supreme Controller, as well as for the devotee.
Vaiavas aspiring for this pure devotional mood, cherish the Dmodara
pastimes as exquisitely attractive. The poet Satyavrata Muni captures this
attitude of devotion in his r Dmodarakam, r Hari-bhakti-vilsa 16.1.19
The super-excellent pastimes of Mother Yaod with child Dmodara
portray the loving mood of vtsalya-rasa. But what is the role of Dmodara with
rmati Rdhr, whose relationship with Ka is in mdhurya-rasa, the

26
sweet delicacy of conjugal love? What is the significance of Rdh-Dmodara to
the Gauya Vaiava Sampradya, which emphasizes mdhurya-rasa?
The Vraja-gops constantly discuss Kas pastimes amongst themselves.
Since Mother Yaod never wants to forget Kas activities, she remembers all
His pastimes in the form of poetry.
One day when Mother Yaod saw that all the maidservants were engaged
in other household affairs, she personally began to churn the yogurt. While
churning, she remembered the childish activities of Ka, and in her own way
she composed songs and enjoyed singing to herself about all those activities.
(rmad-Bhgavatam 10.9.1-2)
All the gops love to hear Mother Yaod sing about the glories of Ka.
Rdhr is especially keen to hear Kas pastimes, but She is particularly
attracted to the Dmodara pastime. Charmed by Dmodaras mood of surrender
in agreeing to be bound by Mother Yaods love, r Rdh longs to have that
same exchange with Ka. She desires to express such intense love for Ka
that He will also agree to be bound by Her love. Appreciating this mood of
Mother Yaod to enhance Her own feelings for Ka, She resolves to
experience this same reciprocation of love. rla Prabhupda states, The
position of Mother Yaod is the greatest. And he adds that, ...Mother Yaod
is in the super-most exalted position, and thus Ka has become completely
subordinate to her. (rmad-Bhgavatam 10.9.20, purport.)
Rdh-Dmodara thus refers to Rdhrs mood of intense attraction for
this pastime between Dmodara and Mother Yaod. In celebration of this
mood of love, She performs Ktyyan vrata in the month of Kartik to receive
the benediction to enter into this intimate relationship of loving exchange. By
performing this vrata, r Rdh is willing to undergo any austerities so that
Ka will agree to be bound by Her love.
According to Vedic civilization, during the month of Kartik unmarried girls
are required to worship goddess Durga and perform austerities in order to get a
good husband. In KA book, the unmarried gops perform Ktyyan vrata to
get Ka as their husband. They eat only haviynnaa bland kichari
prepared by boiling mung dahl and rice together without any spicesto purify
the body before enacting a ritualistic ceremony. After taking bath in the
Yamun River, they worship a deity of goddess Durga with sandalwood pulp,

27
garlands, incense, lamps, fruits, grains, and twigs of plants. After worship, they
pray for the benediction to become the wives of Ka. (KA, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, chapter 22)
Jva Goswami has written that rmati Rdhr always performs austerities
simply to bind Ka more and more with Her love. Because without Ka, She
cannot even bear to live. It is due to r Rdhs rdhana, or worship, that
Ka never leaves Vndvana. Gauya Vaiavas consider Rdhr to be
the presiding Deity for the month of Kartik, which, significantly, is also called
Dmodara. rla Rupa Goswami, in his Sr Utkalika-vallari, proclaims
Rdhr as Kartik-dev, the goddess of Kartik.
The Hari-bhakti-vilsa proclaims, O learned brhmaas! Lord Dmodara
becomes very pleased if during the month of Kartik one worships a Deity of
Rdhika solely for Her pleasure. (Hari-bhakti-vilsa 16.95) For this reason,
Vaiavas perform austerities in the month of Kartik to please r Rdh. They
consider Kartik as the month of Rdh-Dmodara because of the following
pastime in the Uttara-khaa of the Bhaviya Pura.
Once in the auspicious month of Kartik, Ka came late for a rendezvous
with Rdhr in Her kuja. In loving anger, r Rdh looked at Ka with
frowning eyebrows. Using some golden vines, Rdh then tied a rope around
r Kas belly to punish Him for not showing up as promised. Ka said He
was late because Mother Yaod kept Him home for a festival. Seeing Her
mistake, Rdh quickly untied Her beloved Dmodara. (Rdh Kunda Mahim
Mdhur, by Mahanidhi Swami, page 50)
Rdhrs desire to bind Ka with Her love is fulfilled in this pastime.
Therefore, Vraja Vaiavas worship this Dmodara who is bound by
Rdhrs love. Of course, Ka is already famous as Dmodara from His
childhood. In fact, just as Ka is eternal, so is His Holy Name. He is always
known as Dmodara, although it appears that His name comes into being as a
result of the pastime with Mother Yaod, just as Ka appears to take birth
from Devak.
There is another story. In Their childhood forms, Rdh and Ka are
walking together in Bandiravan one day. They stop to rest under a Banyan tree.
By Their mystic potency, They manifest youthful forms. A wedding is held and
guests arrive. The marriage ceremony is performed by Lord Brahma with all the

28
demigods in attendance. During the wedding ceremony Rdhrs sari is tied
to Kas dhoti as is the custom in Vedic weddings. When the ceremony is over
and the guests have left, They assume their childhood forms again and walk
home. Due to the tying of clothes, some Vaiavas consider this pastime a ll of
Rdh-Dmodara.
Certainly, in the mood of Rdh-Dmodara, r Ka and rmati
Rdhr display some of Their most mystical pastimes. This is also evident in
Rdh-Dmodaras pastimes with rla Prabhupdas disciples and
grand-disciples, who have embraced the Holy Name to become the instruments
of Rdh-Dmodara for spreading the sakrtana mission worldwide. Just as we
relish the pastimes of Lord Caitanyas direct associates, future generations of
Vaiavas will relish the activities of rla Prabhupdas direct disciples with
Rdh-Dmodara. These pastimes are important because Ka is never
without His devotees. The devotees and the Lord are interlinked, and they
cannot be separated. Therefore, talks about them are all ka-kath, or topics
of the Lord. (rmad-Bhgavatam 1.7.12, purport) Indeed, only the most loving
devotees, such as Jaynanda and Viujana, can tie the Supreme Lord to their
heart with the rope of love.
Let us now go back to the Calcutta of 1896, where a very significant event is
about to take place.
Vaiysaki dsa Adhikari
Finished on Yogini Ekads, June 20, 1998, at the lotus feet
of r r Rdh-Dmodara in Gt-nagar farm.

Prologue Light of the Bhagavat

nama o viu-pdya
ka-prehya bh-tale
rmate bhaktivednta-
svmin iti nmine
I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace r rmad A.C.

29
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupda, who is very dear to Lord Ka, having
taken shelter at His lotus feet.
o ajna-timirndhasya
jnjana-alkay
cakur unmlita yena
tasmai r-gurave nama
I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace r rmad A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupda, who so kindly came to us who were standing
in the darkness of Kali-yuga with our eyes closed shut, and who opened our eyes
with the torchlight of knowledge.
mukha karoti vcla
pangu laghayate girim
yat kp tam aha vande
r-guru dna-traam
I offer respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master rla Prabhupda, the
representative of the eternal parampar, who has delivered the most fallen, and
by whose mercy the lame can cross over mountains and the dumb can speak
eloquently.
vch-kalpatarubhya ca
kp-sindhubhya eva ca
patitn pvanebhyo
vaiavebhyo namo nama
I offer respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiava devotees of the Lord, who
can fulfill the desires of everyone, just like desire trees, and are full of
compassion for the fallen conditioned souls.
rdh-dmodarau vande
kcana-dehav ujjvalau
gt-nagar-vsau au
sarva-jveu bhaktidau
I offer my respectful obeisances unto r r Rdh-Dmodara, whose bodily
complexions are brilliantly golden. They reside in the devotional farm
community of Gt-nagar, and from there They are bestowing loving devotion

30
unto all souls.
sr-caitanya-mano-bha
sthpita yena bh-tale
svaya rpa kad mahya
dadti sva-padntikam
When will rla Rupa Goswami Prabhupda, who has established within this
material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter
under his lotus feet?
r-caitanya-prasdena
tad-rpasya vinirayam
blo pi kurute stra
dv vraja-vilsina
By the mercy of Lord Caitanya Mahprabhu, even a foolish child can fully
describe the real nature of Lord Ka, the enjoyer of the pastimes of Vraja,
according to the vision of the revealed scriptures.

Calcutta September 1, 1896

Its a boy! Bapu, its a boy. Hes so beautiful.

Excitement runs high today in the home of Gour Mohan De. His wife,
Rajani dev, has just delighted her husband with a lovely child. The crying of
the infant in the delivery room sounds like a Vedic hymn to Gour Mohan. It is
the day after Janmam, the same day that Nanda Mahrja observed a
festival celebrating the birth of Lord Ka.
An uncle suggests the name Nandulal, commemorating Nandotsava, the
festival of Nanda Mahrja. But Gour Mohan has already chosen the name for
his son. He will be called Abhay Charan. (One who is fearless, having taking
shelter at the Lords lotus feet)
An astrologer calculates the childs horoscope and predicts that he will one
day be a great sdhu who will cross the ocean at the age of seventy and open 108
temples. The family is delighted by this reading.
Abhays spiritual inclination manifests at an early age. Watching his father

31
do the daily pj to the family Deity, r r Rdh-Dmodara, (Conversation
with Life Member, Mr. Malhotra Poona, December 22, 1976) the youngster
also requests a Deity to worship. His father obliges him with a small set of
Rdh-Ka Deities. Abhay begins to offer whatever he eats to his little
Rdh-Govinda. Like his father, he also offers a ghee lamp, and puts his Deities
to rest at night.
He is fascinated by Ratha-ytr and longs to visit Puri, so Gour Mohan helps
him organize his own Ratha-ytr festival, complete with miniature cart and
Deities modeled exactly after the giant carts in Puri. Friends and family join in
the celebration with the other children of the neighborhood. This childhood
pastime anticipates the day when Abhay will inaugurate the Ratha-ytr
festival in major cities worldwide.
Desiring his son to be proficient at performing kirtan, Gour Mohan
purchases a childs mdaga and hires a teacher. Quickly the boy masters the
intricate beats taught by the professional mdaga player.
As he enters manhood, arrangements are made for Abhays marriage. At
College, he becomes sympathetic to Gandhis independence movement of
non-cooperation with the British occupation. After completing his studies at
Scottish Churches College, Abhay fulfills a boyhood dream to visit Puri. Here
he has a deep experience that solidifies his early attraction for Lord Jagannath
and the teachings of r Caitanya Mahprabhu.
Returning to Calcutta, he is offered an important managerial post at the
chemical laboratory of Dr. Kartik Chandra Bose, with a salary generous enough
to support his family, now that a child is on the way.
One day in 1922, on the urging of a friend, Abhay visits the Ultadanga
Gauya Math to meet a sadhu, rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkur. Seeing
the two young men dressed in khadi cloth, the hkur makes a bold proposal.
You are educated boys. Why dont you preach in the foreign countries the
spiritual movement started by Caitanya Mahprabhu for the enlightenment of
materialistic men all over the world? That will do good for you and the people
who will hear you.
Who will hear your Caitanyas message? Abhay responds, his interest
piqued by the bold request. We are a dependent country. First, let India
become independent. How can we spread Indias culture if we are under British

32
rule?
The message of r Caitanyadeva is never dependent upon who is ruling, is
the hkurs firm reply. It need not wait for a change in Indian politics. It is far
too important. It cannot wait.
rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat explains that the idea of dividing people
into camps of friends or enemies on the basis of ideology or bodily designation
has nothing to do with Absolute Reality. Although India is in political turmoil,
no government can fulfill the longing of the soul. The aim of government is
simply to adjust the material conditions of life. The politicians may change, but
the politics will remain. How can a man-made political system genuinely help
humanity? The eternal reality is spiritual. Real welfare work must extend
beyond temporary concerns. The crisis in the world is neither social nor
political; nor is it anything material. The crisis is simply the dearth of
transcendental knowledge.
rla Bhaktisiddhnta continues, There has not been, nor will there ever be,
such benefactors of the highest merit as Mahprabhu and His devotees. The
offer of other benefits is only a deception; it is rather a great harm, whereas the
benefit done by Him and His followers is the truest and greatest eternal benefit.
This benefit is not for one particular country causing mischief to another; but it
benefits the whole universe. There is no scarcity of anything in this world, the
hkur concludes, save and except God consciousness.
rla Prabhupda: I got some impression that, here is a person who has taken
Lord Caitanyas message very seriously. This great personality is asking me to
preach. I would have immediately joined, but now I am married. It will be
injustice. So I thought that it would have been better if I was not married. I
accepted him as my spiritual master immediatelynot officially, but in my
heart. I was thinking I had met a very nice saintly person.
Deeply impressed, Abhay now understands that Gandhis independence
movement, while valuable on a particular level, is just a temporary, incomplete
cause. The rest of India, however, is not so enlightened.
The following year Abhay is offered a post representing Dr. Boses company
throughout Northern India. He moves his family to Allahabad and opens
Prayag Pharmacy as a householder business. For five years, while tending to his
business, he reads and studies the books of rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat

33
hkur.
In January 1928, the Kumbha Mela is celebrated at Allahabad. One day
during the festival, Bhakti Pradipa Tirtha Mahrja, a Gauya Math sannys,
walks into the pharmacy. Abhay is excited.
We are new here, Tirtha Mahrja explains. We are going to establish a
Math in Allahabad. We have heard your name, so we have come to you. Please
help us.
Abhay is overjoyed to help establish a temple in Allahabad. He gives a
donation and invites the devotees to hold a program at his home. After the
Mela is over, a few disciples remain in Allahabad to maintain the Math. Soon
Abhay becomes a regular visitor to the Math, delighting the brahmacrs with
his skill on the mdaga. They are pleased to hear him sing bhajans, and he soon
begins to lead kirtans. The brahmacrs feel that Abhay brings new life to the
Math, and he, in turn, experiences new life in their association.
One typical evening he is introduced to a Dr. Kapoor, a research scholar at
Allahabad University as well as a disciple of rla Bhaktisiddhnta initiated as
di Keava dsa.
Dr. O.B.L. Kapoor: I saw him playing on mdaga at the time of kirtan. I felt
attracted towards him, and he felt attracted towards me because I was the only
non-Bengali person there. We became acquainted, and acquaintance turned
into friendship, friendship into brotherhood. He also got initiated a year later. I
took him as my elder brother and sought his advice on certain matters.
He used to manufacture medicines. So once he manufactured a tonic and
gave a vial to me. I said, This is all right. Ill take this tonic, but I wish youd
give me the tonic you take, the tonic of Ka prema.
He said, No, I dont have Ka prema, but I do know the formula.
I said, Let me know if its not a secret.
No, its not a secret. The formula is, td api suncena taror api sahiun
amnin mnadena krtanya sad hari, (One should chant the Holy Name
of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in
the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false
prestige and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of
mind one can chant the Holy Name of the Lord constantly.) and I shall preach

34
it the whole world over!
At that time I couldnt understand what it meant. I thought he was just
making a casual pronouncement without any plan in his mind.
At this point Abhay has not yet taken initiation. Still he has understood the
mind of his Guru Mahrja, and he has resolved to take up his mission and
preach it the whole world over. Although rla Bhaktisiddhnta had only
offered a suggestion on their very first meeting, Abhay had accepted it as an
order, as his life and soul. This is the example of the first class disciple. He does
not wait to be asked, nor does he need to inquire as to what should be done. He
simply understands what his Guru Mahrja wants and dedicates his life to the
execution of that desire.
On a warm autumn day in October 1932, Abhay hears that rla
Bhaktisiddhnta is in Vndvana with a large party performing Vraja Mandala
parikram for the month of Kartika. Abhay is filled with anticipation to again
have the association of that saintly person who had ten years earlier requested
him to take up Mahprabhus mission. He has never forgotten that instruction.
Joining the parikram at Koshi, he listens, rapt with wonder, as rla
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat lectures on the relationship between the jva soul
and the Supreme soul, r Ka, and how to enter into that eternal intimate
exchange. This second meeting with his spiritual master reinforces that first
wonderful impression in Calcutta that has sustained him for a decade.
Returning home, Abhay soon discovers that His Divine Grace will come to
offer initiations and to preside over the opening of the Allahabad Math. By
divine arrangement, it seems that his Guru Mahrja is coming to him.
On the day of the ceremony, in early 1933, the candidates for initiation meet
their Guru Mahrja. rla Bhaktisiddhnta recognizes Abhay. Yes, he likes to
hear. He does not go away. I have marked him. I will accept him as my disciple.
At the initiation Abhay is called forward to receive hari-nma by accepting
the japa-ml. At the same time he is given the sacred thread, denoting dk,
spiritual initiation. Both initiations are offered together along with the name
Abhay Charanaravinda dsa. The devotion he had first imbibed from his father
is now strengthened by a personality capable of guiding all conditioned souls
towards love of Godhead.
Abhay Charanaravinda is a little different from the other disciples.

35
Although he is well liked, some consider him entangled in householder life with
wife and children and not able to fully surrender his time and energy to
preaching. He is seen more as a congregational member and is simply Abhay
Babu, the ghastha businessman, not the full-time missionary worker.
Of course, one can never know the mind of a Vaiava, nor can one know a
Vaiava by outward appearance. To the extent that one judges a devotee by
external considerations, to the same extent one is under an external
conception of the self. Although the character and behavior of a Vaiava is
naturally at the highest standard, external appearances may not always be an
accurate guide to the quality of his service and surrender to his Guru Mahrja.
By 1934 Abhays business declines because people who owe him money
cannot pay their outstanding bills. He is forced into liquidation to absolve
himself from debt. Undaunted, he travels to Bombay in search of opportunities
to provide for his wife and children. There he meets two sannys godbrothers,
B.R. rdhara Mahrja and B.S. Goswami Mahrja. All three consider the
meeting auspicious.
Although the sannyss are Abhays seniors, they look to him for help in
opening a local branch of rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvats Gauya Math.
Abhay introduces them to business acquaintances, and they begin to collect
substantial donations. In July 1935, rla Bhaktisiddhnta arrives to install the
Deities for the newly opened Bombay Gauya Math. Goswami Mahrja is so
impressed with Abhays qualities that he inquires why his ghastha godbrother is
living separately when he should be the president of the Bombay Gauya
Math. The hkurs prophetic reply is repeated to Abhay. It is better that he is
living outside your company. He will do. When the time comes, he will do
everything himself. You dont have to recommend him. Abhay treasures these
words, meditating deeply on their meaning.
In November 1935, Abhay goes to Rdh Kunda to see his spiritual master
again. rla Bhaktisiddhnta takes this opportunity to speak in confidence to
his ghastha disciple, who is aloof from the Gauya Maths internal politics. It
would be better to take the marble from the floor and secure money, he
confides. If I could do this and print books, that would be better. Since this
temple has been given by Mr. Dutta our men are fighting, Which room I shall
occupy? So I know there will be blazing fire here. I had a desire to print some
books. If ever you get money, print books. The message goes deep into Abhays

36
heart.
A year later, Abhay writes to rla Bhaktisiddhnta in Puri asking if there is
some special service he can do for him. Within two weeks he receives a letter,
dated December 13, 1936:
I am fully confident that you can explain in English our thoughts and
arguments to the people who are not conversant with the languages of the
other members. This will do much good to yourself as well as your audience. I
have every hope that you can turn yourself into a very good English preacher if
you serve the mission to inculcate the novel impression of Lord Caitanyas
teachings to the people in general as well as philosophers and religionists.

Abhay realizes that this is the same message he received at their first
meeting in 1922. A fortnight later on New Years Day, 1937, he receives the
news of his spiritual masters passing away. Feeling empty and helpless, he finds
solace in that last letter in which he was given his lifes work. That final
instruction now becomes a mandate that enters deep into his soul. But being a
householder, he is not sure how he will be able to fulfill this daunting task.
When one strictly tries to serve ones spiritual master, everything unfolds by
the arrangement of Ka. Taking up the serious study of Bhagavad-gt, Abhay
is particularly impressed with the commentary by Vivantha Cakravart
hkur. In connection with the verse vyavasytmik buddhir ekeha
kuru-nandana, Vivantha Cakravart explains that one should embrace the
words of the spiritual master as his life and soul, rigidly carrying out the specific
instructions without caring for personal loss or gain.
The best kind of intelligence I can have is intelligence used in the service of
Ka. Intelligence is defined as fixed when it is intent upon my spiritual
masters instructions, such as chanting the name of Ka, remembering His
activities, and performing service to His lotus feet. My spiritual masters
instructions are my sdhana and my life, both in the beginning stages of bhakti
as well in bhaktis perfectional stage. I desire only to follow his instructions,
and I accept nothing else as my lifes work, even in dreams. Whether I am
happy or distressed, whether the material world remains or is destroyed, I dont
care. There is no loss for me. I simply must carry out the orders of my spiritual
master. Steadfast upon his orders is determined intelligence in devotional
service, and only by being fixed on his orders can such determined intelligence
prosper.
Purport to Bhagavad-gt 2.41 by Vivantha Cakravart hkur

37
 Abhay is so inspired by this insight that he makes it the main tenet of his
lifeit becomes his raison detre.
In 1939, Abhay relocates back to Calcutta. Seeing his determination and
worthy Vaiava qualities, his sannys godbrothers confer upon him the title
Bhaktivedanta, which indicates both devotion and the ultimate attainment
of knowledge. In his usual humble manner, Abhay accepts the honor in a mood
of responsibility, determined to live up to the purport of the name.
As a second World War overtakes humanity, Viceroy Linlithgow declares
that India is at war with Germany. Indian troops are dispatched to battlefields
around Asia, and the country is plunged into deprivation.
The Japanese soon take Burma and are now on the doorstep of Bengal. The
British destroy Bengals entire rice crop, fearing that it might fall into the hands
of the Japanese. There is widespread famine.
In December 1942 the bombing begins. Japanese planes bomb Calcutta every
day. People evacuate the city. Blackouts are mandatory. At night the entire city
is dark.
In the midst of this terrible war, Abhay realizes that, more than ever, there is
a need for Ka consciousness in the world. With great resolve, he decides to
produce a journal called Back to Godhead. The first issue is published in 1944 on
the advent day of his Guru Mahrja. Its forty-four pages deal mostly with the
crisis of war. In the article Congregational Chanting, Abhay reveals his
confidence in Lord Caitanyas prophecy with his own prophetic statement:
From this foretelling we can hope that the cult of Samkirtan will take very
shortly a universal form of religious movement, and this universal
religionwherein there is no harm in chanting the Name of the Lord nor is
there any question of quarrelwill continue for years, as we can know from
the pages of authoritative scriptures.

One night he has a powerful dream. rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkur

appears before him, beckoning that he leave home and take sannysa. He
awakens deeply moved and ponders its profound meaning. It will become a
recurrent dream.
Due to a lack of funds, he cannot continue publishing Back to Godhead after
the second issue. Instead, Abhay undertakes an English translation and
commentary of the Bhagavad-gt.

38
 After the war another nightmare hits India. Gandhis independence
movement, with its goal to unite Indias different communities, fails. Instead of
unity, India is partitioned in 1947. Two nations emerge, Pakistan and
Hindustan. Millions of Hindus are stranded in Pakistan. Millions of Muslims
are stranded in Hindustan. The great migration begins. The violence that
erupts claims hundreds of thousands of lives as people of opposing faiths riot.
In Calcutta the hatred is especially poisonous as temples and mosques are
desecrated. Each side tries to destroy the opposing sides religion.
rla Prabhupda: In Bhag Bazaar there were heaps of dead bodies. And
when it was a dead body, nobody could understand who was Hindu and who
was Muslim. Simply it was to be cleared from the road. (Lecture Mayapur,
October 11, 1974)
In the confusion and turmoil of partition, Abhays business once again fails.
His employees and servants steal everything of value. He sees in this action the
hand of God, an opportunity to take up full-time preaching work. His family
sees otherwise. They become increasingly distant, not appreciating his
dwindling financial support. He, on the other hand, regrets their lack of
spiritual support.
One day he finds his Bhagavad-gt manuscript missing, although he had
kept it safely at home. No one knows anything about it. Thoroughly
disappointed, he decides to travel in an effort to fulfill the directive given by
rla Bhaktisiddhnta. His heart is burning with desire to satisfy his spiritual
master and execute his final instruction to preach the mission of Caitanya
Mahprabhu.
At the age of fifty-seven, he journeys to Jhansi and establishes the League of
Devotees in 1953. He goes out on sakrtana every day, enthusiastically
chanting the mah-mantra with a group that increases up to fifty people. He
maintains regular contact with his family and sends them money whenever
possible. Over time, however, the climate in Jhansi becomes less favorable, and
finally sours.
Soon after returning home, his wife sells his Bhagavatam one day to purchase
tea biscuits. Thirty-five years of family life have finally come to this.
Disappointed but determined, Abhay seeks shelter in Mathura with his
godbrother B.P. Keava Mahrja, to whom he donates the Deity of Lord

39
Caitanya that he had originally hoped to install in Jhansi. Keava Mahrja
requests Abhay to become the editor for the Gauya Patrika journal. After a
few issues, Abhay receives another invitation from B.S. Goswami Mahrja to
come to Delhi and take over the editorship of the journal Sajjana Tosani. But
after several months of struggling to improve the periodical, his service is
terminated.
Alone in Delhi, without shelter or income, Abhay Charanaravinda
Bhaktivedanta wanders here and there, staying at temporary residences, and
seeking donations to print transcendental literature. This is the most difficult
period of his life. While his godbrothers pursue litigation to resolve their
institutional problems, Abhay realizes that he can no longer rely on the support
of the Gauya Math. He contemplates how he alone might be able to fulfill
rla Bhaktisiddhntas vision of a worldwide Caitanya movement. He spends
every rupee publishing Back to Godhead as a four-page newspaper, even at the
cost of eating. Alone, he types the manuscript, edits it, checks the galley proofs,
and distributes the printed copies. He is content to serve his spiritual master by
writing and broadcasting the message of Godhead, knowing that Lord Ka
maintains all living beings, what to speak of those who render service to Him.
After the hectic pace of the city, moving to Vndvana is a breath of fresh
inspiration. Taking a room at the Vamsi-Gopalji temple near Keshi-ghat,
Abhay feels more connected with his spiritual heritage. Now he can write
peacefully and still commute to Delhi to print Back to Godhead. As a
vnaprastha, wearing white and carrying an umbrella and a begging bowl, he
goes from door to door performing mdhukar.
For two years he makes Vndvana his base. During this period he travels
from one city to another, trying to enlist subscribers, donors, and beneficiaries
to help him put into motion his plans to spread the sakrtana movement. But
every attempt, every opportunity, every idea simply dries up like a mirage.
Seeing it all as Kas mercy, revealing an empty, fleeting world, he writes
poems to express his realizations.
Everyone has abandoned me, seeing me penniless
Wife, relatives, friends, brothers, everyone.
This is misery, but it gives me a laugh. I sit alone and laugh.
In this maya-samsara, whom do I really love?

40
 Where have my loving father and mother gone now?
And where are all my elders, who were my own folk?
Who will give me news of them, tell me who?
All that is left of this family life is a list of names.
Vrindavan-bhajana, 1958, Verse two
One night he has that same dream again, his spiritual master beckoning him
to take sannysa. He awakens in a state of wonder. This is the third time he has
had that same dream. Contemplating its meaning from different points of view,
he begins to seriously consider taking sannysa and consults Keava Mahrja
in Mathura.
On the morning of September 17, 1959, Keava Mahrja bestows
tridaa-sannysa upon A.C. Bhaktivedanta. Now, at 63, he becomes Tridandi
Goswami A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Mahrja on the same day that
Vishvarupa, Lord Caitanyas elder brother, accepted sannysa five hundred
years prior. The order of his Guru Mahrja, coming through the dreams, is
being fulfilled.
But upon returning to Vndvana as a sannys, his practical situation
remains the same. He still has no funds for preaching, or printing Back to
Godhead.
One day a librarian advises him to write books, because books are
permanent, whereas newspapers are read once and thrown away. Considering
that his spiritual master is speaking through this person, he accepts the advice.
Soon after, one of his regular readers suggests the same idea. He now considers
it a revelation, a reciprocation for his constant prayer of guidance from guru.
After deep deliberation, he begins the English translation and commentary of
rmad-Bhgavatam.
Suddenly the fortunes of the new sannys change. First, he is offered two
rooms at the historic Rdh-Dmodara temple, founded by rla Jva Goswami
four centuries earlier. Although the rooms are in disrepair and without
electricity, he accepts the shelter of r r Rdh-Dmodara. He undertakes
the monthly rent, hoping to raise the additional funds to fix up the rooms.
Meanwhile, he occupies another room upstairs.
Next, he is offered a room at a Ka temple in the Chippiwada area of
Delhi. A major problem is now solved: he has an office in Delhi from which to

41
publish and disseminate his literature.
His first published book is inspired by an article in The Times of India. The
Nobel Prize in physics has just been awarded to two American scientists for
discovering the anti-proton. According to one of the fundamental
assumptions of the new theory, there may exist another world, or an anti-world,
built up of anti-matter.
He conceives the idea to present the teachings of Bhagavad-gt using the
new scientific concept of anti-matter. He gives fresh translations to the Gt
verses, substituting the terms anti-material particle and anti-material world
for the soul and the spiritual world, respectively. He hopes to attract the
publics current interest in space exploration. In the fall of 1960, Easy Journey to
Other Planets is printed after a year of hard work raising donations for its
publication.
In that same year he takes up the translation of Rupa Goswamis great work
Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, adding his own well-thought-out purports. He suspends
work on the translation, however, when he is invited to attend the 1961
Congress for Cultivating Human Spirit in Tokyo. He is excited about this
preaching opportunity abroad.
Working diligently, he produces a book intended just for the Congress.
Taken from the Bhagavatam, the book describes the autumn season in
Vndvana, enriched with various teachings from the Vedas. He calls it Light of
the Bhagavat. All that remains is to collect funds for the passage to Japan. As
time runs out, all replies from prospective patrons turn out negative. Not even
the government will sponsor him as a representative of the Ministry for
Cultural Affairs. Finally, he requests his hosts in Japan to sponsor him. But
nothing materializes. His hopes to go abroad end in disappointment.
After three years, his two rooms at Rdh-Dmodara temple are finally
repaired, and in July 1962 he moves downstairs. Sitting in his kitchen, he can
see Rupa Goswamis samdhi through a small window. Everyday he
circumambulates the temple, offering daavat-prama at the samdhis of
Rupa and Jva Goswami. Sometimes he chants his rounds on the veranda in
front of his rooms, walking slowly back and forth, at other times he chants
before Rupa Goswamis samdhi.
These rooms are situated in Seva Kunj where Ka and the gops enjoy

42
eternal pastimes. Prabhupda experiences the highest ecstasy in his intimate
service to Rdh and Ka. He is fully in the spiritual world because Seva Kunj
is a replica of Goloka Vndvana, the place where Rdh and Ka enjoy
Their sweetest intimacy. Vndvana is fully arranged for the satisfaction of
Rdh and Ka, and because Prabhupda is a part of that satisfaction, he also
enjoys it. As he continues translating rmad-Bhgavatam verse by verse, he
prays to r r Rdh-Dmodara for spiritual strength to fulfill the desire of his
Guru Mahrja.
Lord Caitanya had ordered every Indian to spread the message of Ka to
every town and village of the world. (Caitanya-caritmta, Adi Lila 9.41) But
only His pure devotees have the desire and capacity to execute this order for
the welfare of humanity. Lord Caitanya had also prophesied:
pthivte che yata nagardi grma
sarvatra pracra hoibe mora nma
In every town and village around the world My name will be propagated.
(Caitanya-bhagavat, Antya Lila 4.126)
For the last several generations, Vaiavas often wondered how the
teachings of Lord Caitanya could be accepted by the mleccha and yavana
population. In 1885, rla Bhaktivinoda hkur predicted that the person who
will fulfill this prophecy would soon appear on the planet. rla
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkur sent sannyss to Europe in 1932, but they
returned, saying it was not possible for Westerners to adopt the strict principles
of santana-dharma. What then was the meaning of that verse?
But Bhaktivedanta Swami has no doubts that the word of God will indeed
come to pass. At the Rdh-Dmodara temple he enters the eternal realm of the
Lord and His intimate devotees, strongly feeling the link of Rdh-Dmodara,
Rupa Goswami, Jva Goswami, and the sakrtana mission. One evening Rupa
Goswami appears to him in a vision and bestows a blessing for his success in
fulfilling the desire of rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkur. Day and night
he continues translating rmad-Bhgavatam convinced that Lord Caitanyas
prophecy will be done. All of the Goswamis, all of the Acharyas coming in
disciplic succession, want him to succeed in his mission.
Gradually, three volumes, comprising the first canto of rmad-Bhgavatam,
are published in little over two years. In January 1965, armed with an impressive

43
stock of literature, his desire to now go to the West becomes paramount. He
chooses New York, because America has now eclipsed England as the world
leader. Ka provides a benefactor in Mrs. Sumati Morarji, who agrees to send
Swamiji on one of her cargo vessels, although she thinks him far too old to
travel abroad. Unable to raise the funds for an airplane ticket, nor even for the
fare on a passenger ship, he humbly accepts passage, by Kas grace, as the
lone passenger on a cargo carrier.
On Friday, August 13, 1965, the SS Jaladuta, a freighter of the Scindia Steam
Navigation Company, sets sail from Calcutta at 9:00 AM. The journey to New
York will take five weeks. On board is an elderly gentleman with pointed white
rubber shoes and only forty rupees in his pocket. Traveling with two metal
trunks filled with his own rmad-Bhgavatam translations, his purpose is to
replace Western materialistic civilization with the spiritual culture of Goloka
Vndvana.
After many years of setbacks and disappointments, A.C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami is finally sailing West at the age of sixty-nine, when most people retire.
One may wonder why a saintly person serving Gods mission has to struggle
alone and face so many hardships and reverses as we have seen in the last
twenty-five years of his life. Perhaps to prepare him for a situation where he
will be even more alone and have to overcome even more obstacles, in a foreign
country within a foreign culture. Or to set an example for future generations
who will be inspired by his intense dedication and perseverance. Or simply to
forge an even stronger bond of faith, commitment and surrender to the will of
God, by whose mercy alone can all things be fulfilled.

First Wave In God We Trust

kali-klera dharma ka-nma-sakrtana

ka-akti vin nahe tra pravartana
The fundamental religious system in the age of Kali is the chanting of the Holy
Name of Ka. Unless empowered by Ka, one cannot propagate the
sakrtana movement.
Caitanya-caritmta Antya-lila 7.11

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 Portland, Oregon June 1, 1975

A favorite slogan of the local people when you arrive in town is, Oh, you
just missed the good weather! More often than not it rains in Portland. In
September the clouds roll in and dont disappear until June. It is one of the
rainiest places in the United States. Whenever the sun peeks out from behind
the clouds it is a cause for celebration. Of course, the advantage of the
abundant rainfall is that flowers grow in profusion. Especially roses. Portland is
known as the Rose City. Portlanders are proud of their rose gardens. Even on
empty lots roses grow. Every year there is a rose festival and awards are given for
the best gardens.
Today is a beautiful, sunny day. That always brings out happy smiles. At
Laurelhurst Park a festival is in progress. Before even entering the park from
th
South East 39 Street, one can hear voices singing and a band playing. The
sound fills the air, attracting the attention of everyone going to the park this
Sunday afternoon.
However, this is not a function sponsored by the city. Nor is this a rock band
striving for recognition. The occasion is the Pupa-abhieka (A ceremony of
bathing the Deities with flower petals) Festival, celebrated since 1971 by the
local branch of the International Society for Ka Consciousness. A beautiful
grassy meadow is set apart by colorful pandals fashioned in India. Various
booths display books and serve vegetarian delicacies. Shaven-headed,
saffron-robed young men and bright-faced, sari-clad young ladies dance and
chant to a kirtan band up on a stage. The band sits on an oriental rug, playing
instruments in the fashion of Indian musicians. They have an esraj, tamboura,
shenai, flute, clay drums, and hand cymbals. Yet these musicians are not from
India. They are all-American boys from the heartland.
The transcendental sound vibration flows through the air, attracting the
attention of everybody in the park today. The music is joyous, exuberant, and
highly attractive to the mind and heart. The lead singer sits behind his
harmonium, pumping away, swaying back and forth, eyes closed in rapt
absorption, and chanting Hare Ka Hare Ka, Ka Ka Hare Hare /
Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare. The musicians accompany his
chanting with great energy, singing along in response. The music is melodious
and each kirtan weaves into the next.

45
 The entire scene is so unusual, yet at the same time so enchanting, that it
attracts other young people to join in the dancing. The gathering is relatively
small, about four hundred people participating in an apparently spontaneous
happening. Both hippies and devotees hold hands, joyously dancing in four
concentric circles, each circle alternately going clockwise and
counter-clockwise. The potent sound vibration of the mah-mantra pierces the
soul of everyone present: Hare Ka, Hare Ka, Ka Ka, Hare Hare /
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. The singer has such a taste for
the chanting that it becomes instantly infectious and contagious. Many in the
audience feel themselves transported to the spiritual realm. The young ladies
dance so vibrantly, their colorful saris swirling gracefully to the music, that
everyone is swept up in the joyous mood, laughing and smiling at one another.
In the center of the meadow before the stage is a temple made entirely of
fresh roses. Ordinary park-goers are amazed to see this structure fashioned with
flowers. Seated within the temple on a wonderful altar, also entirely decorated
with roses, are the resplendent forms of r r Rdh-Dmodara, who appear
like precious jewels within Their flower setting. A devotee stands to the right
fanning Them with a cmara whisk. The fragrance of roses permeates the
atmosphere.
Anyone can enter the flower temple to offer obeisances with folded hands,
or by kneeling down and touching their head to the grass. Some bring an
offering for the Deities, like flowers or incense. Senior citizens gawk in
amazement as they watch these young people come forward bearing gifts. With
Rdh-Dmodara presiding from Their rose altar, the mood is Vaikuha on
earth.
rmad-Bhgavatam explains that Lord r Ka, the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, is non-different from His names, pastimes, paraphernalia and
entourage. And here in Laurelhurst Park this realization strikes deep into the
heart. r r Rdh-Dmodara are directly the Supreme Personality of
Godhead and His eternal consort in Their Deity forms, along with Their
devotees, who are directly the Lords entourage and, therefore, also
non-different from the Lord. As stated in rmad-Bhgavatam, r Caitanya
Mahprabhu has inaugurated the Hare Ka movement, which is not different
from Ka, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one associates with this
movement, he directly associates with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

46
(rmad-Bhgavatam 9.24.56, Purport)
When the chanting reaches a crescendo, the drums and cymbals step aside to
allow the other instruments to alone accompany an ancient refrain; o namo
bhagavate vsudevya... over and over until...Rdh-Dmodara ki, jaya!
The music stops and the dancers drop to the grass, happy to take a few
minutes rest. Their faces beam with joyful smiles. Curious onlookers stop to
hear the singer as he begins to speak. He is a young, shaven-headed monk with a
deep golden tan. Although dressed in the saffron garments of a sannys, he is
very handsome. His voice beckons the ear.
If some of you havent heard this type of meditation before, its called
mantra meditation. The word mana means mind and tra means to free. So the
songs were singing in the ancient Sanskrit language of India are actually very
powerful sound formulas which are meant to free the mind of all anxieties and
all misconceptions of ourselves and everything around us. This mantra
meditation, actually, is very easily practiced. Even a child can allow his body to
sway and allow the sound vibration to swim around his being.
This sound vibration is so wonderful, that if you allow your mind to absorb
it, then automatically you reach a reservoir of pleasure. Thats what the name
Hare means. Hare means the reservoir of pleasure. Ka means all
attractive, and Rama means the enjoyer. So these three words Hare, Ka,
and Rama, are put into this formula: Hare Ka Hare Ka, Ka Ka
Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare. And this formula
will stop the wandering of the mind. It will stop the mind from accepting one
thing and then rejecting it for another. Accepting, rejectingthis is usually
what our mind does. It accepts something for pleasure, then rejects it and goes
on to something else for pleasure. In this way, the mind is always kept
wandering and never finds that reservoir of pleasure.
So in yoga the whole idea is to come in touch with this reservoir of pleasure,
so that the mind no longer has to reject and go on to something else, but can
remain ever expanding in this ecstasy. This is what we experience from this
chanting. And the proof of the pudding is in tasting it. We invite everyone to
dive into this pudding; dive into the nectarean flow of this mantra. Hare
Ka!
The audience appreciates the young mans brief talk. Many respond by

47
holding up their right hand to flash the V sign for peace. Unknowingly they
have acknowledged his words with, Jaya!
So were going to chant some more songs along with Hare Ka, and then
therell be a lecture on this science of yoga, and a lecture about this
festivalwhat were celebrating here today with this little castle were building
out of flowers. And then after that well serve a beautiful vegetarian feast.
He begins chanting anew, govinda jaya, jaya, gopla jaya, jaya He
completes the song again with o namo bhagavate vsudevya This brings
the kirtan to a close for the start of his lecture. Everyone present gathers
around, curious to hear his talk.
He addresses the problems of modern society so relevant to these young
people. The young monk communicates personally, as if speaking directly one
on one. His preaching reveals a deep realization of eternal truths. He speaks in
an attractive way that is non-threatening to the audience. More people draw
near to hear his words of wisdom. Everyone can appreciate that hes not just
talking about spiritual life; he is actually there. He ends the talk on a personal
note.
My name is Viujana Swami. Ive been in this movement for about seven
years now. Were traveling around the country in a big Greyhound bus. Its
parked right over there, in fact.
With a wave of his arm he directs everyones attention to a large blue and
chrome bus parked over to the side by the trees. Hare Ka is prominently
displayed in the front destination slot.
It's fixed up like a temple inside, and we carry all this stuff which comes out
of its belly, just like a big transcendental fish. It rides into college campuses. It
rides into scenes like Berkeley, Santa Cruzdifferent places all over the
countryand it unfolds a festival just like the one were having today. Its not
an ordinary bus. It feels like a gigantic transcendental fish that kind of swims
around in this material world. Its on its way out, and were inviting other
people to get on board too.
So any of you who would like to get out of this ocean of birth and death, this
ocean of old age and disease, and enter into our real atmosphere of eternity,
knowledge, and bliss, our invitation is open to all of you, to chant, to dance, to
feastnot to necessarily join our religion. Not to shave your head, not to put

48
on robes, not to do all the things that we do, but to do that which was done by
all great soulssinging the glories of the Absolute, dancing in ecstasy, and
feasting on beautiful food first offered with love to the Absolute. Thats our
invitation.
He finishes his talk to a round of applause and begins another kirtan. The
sound of the chanting quickly envelops the park once again. Standing in the
crowd is a tall African American in the prime of his manhood. Impressed by the
words of the Swami, he draws closer, attracted by the deep feeling and
commitment of the young renunciate.
Mahpura: I had come with the devotees from Seattle to the flower festival
in Portland. That was the first time I had ever worn a dhoti outside of the
temple. When I arrived, Viujana Mahrja was on stage leading a
wonderful kirtan with his bhajan group.
Sometimes Mahrja would stop singing and speak about Rdh and Ka.
I didnt fully understand it at the time, but it sounded so attractive. He
described that Rdh and Ka were seated in a golden lotus boat and They
were surrounded by their intimate loving devotees. It sounded so beautiful.
I was walking by the bus after the kirtans when a devotee approached me.
Dont you want to go into the bus and see Viujana Mahrja? Actually, I
didnt know what that meant, but I knew he must be an important person. So
I walked in with a happy smile on my face.
Viujana Mahrja was sitting in the middle of the bus, looking very serious.
He was the only one in there at the time. When I saw him, immediately I felt
very unclean. My smile just dropped off my face and I knelt down. He seemed
very pure and very powerful.
Gradually more people started coming onto the bus, and he began to speak
about Ka consciousness. I remember he spoke about different ramas
because he referred to the fact that I had white on and that was what
householders wore. But he emphasized that everyone should serve Ka.

How is it that Rdh-Dmodara are in a park, accepting the offerings of

people who have no idea who They are? Where is Their temple?
Only ten years ago A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami had left Rdh-Dmodara

49
Mandir for America with a dream. By 1975 he has already fulfilled the desire of
his spiritual master and the predecessor acharyas. ISKCON is now a worldwide
organization of temples committed to propagating the message of Ka as
revealed in the Bhagavad-gt and rmad-Bhgavatam.
Lord Caitanyas sakrtana mission has spread to every town and village
against the backdrop of a world with changing values. How did this come about
in so short a time? How does one start a worldwide movement based on the
principle of abstinence from illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication, and
gambling, when the entire population is addicted to these vices?
rla Prabhupda, with the vision of an empowered incarnation, accepted
the responsibility to sustain and expand the Lords mission just as the
predecessor Acharyas had done. He handed over the sakrtana mission to the
young men and women of America and entrusted it to their care. To fully
understand how this miracle was accomplished, lets go back and take a look at
America just ten years earlier.

Boston 1965

In the early 1960s much of what we learned, we learned from TV. We

watched the Vietnam war on TV. It became a TV war with commercials. When
we got tired of the news, we switched the channel. But the troops in Vietnam
couldnt switch the channel when they got fed up with the war. Instead they
turned to alcohol or drugs.
The prosperity of the 60s gave Americans the highest standard of living in
the world. Communications satellites allowed us to see the world as a global
community. College campuses were still quiet. Getting good grades and good
jobs were the goals. Avoiding the draft was another goal. In the autumn of 1965
the Pope came to America for the first time, with a big splash. It was a major
event with full media coverage. He addressed the United Nations in New York
and held a Mass for Peace at Yankee Stadium.

September 17, 1965

After thirty-five days at sea, the steamship Jaladuta quietly glides into
Boston Harbor at 5:30 AM. As dawn brings light to the city of Boston, an
unknown Vaiava sannys steps onto American soil. Its a small step for a

50
sannys but a giant leap for mankind. With this step he inaugurates the
beginning of the worldwide Hare Ka Movement, which had been prophesied
for centuries. He is the great Ambassador from the Spiritual Sky, a
revolutionary who does not accept the version of reality given by modern
science. Rather he sees a fundamental flaw in their body of knowledge. Humans
are spiritual beings who have become entangled and trapped within matter.
The timeless solution is for men and women to re-establish their original
spiritual nature and loving relationship with the Supreme Being. His mission is
to defeat the entire atheistic premise of Western civilization and establish r
Ka as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the chosen one,
empowered by Ka to fulfill the ancient prophecy.
He enters the fabric of American society like a needle. No one is aware of his
presence. Because he comes quietly and humbly, he can hear the heartbeat of
America. His work begins in New York City, struggling against the atheistic
tide, where many embrace the idea that God is dead. On November 10, a
massive blackout shrouds the city. People are trapped in subway trains and
elevators for hours in darkness, symbolic of their spiritual condition. rla
Prabhupda is the lamp to light their way.

New York January, 1966

The entire New York City transit system strikes, bringing the city to a halt
again. Prabhupda regrets our useless dependence on technology. A quarter
million American youths are now fighting in Southeast Asia. American troops
have advanced technology, but its mostly useless in a guerrilla war. The cost of
Vietnam is $2.5 billion monthly. The public is outraged.
Bhaktivedanta Swami struggles to establish a Vaiava center among many
other competing views. Yogis, swamis, and gurus promising love and peace are
popular with young people, who hang out at the bookstores and coffee houses in
Greenwich Village. At Madison Square Garden a young poet sings his songs of
hope, capturing the mood of a generation.
How many years can people exist, before theyre allowed to be free,
How many times must a man turn his head, pretending he just doesnt see,
How many times must a cannonball fire, before its forever banned,
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind,
The answer is blowing in the wind.

51
 Bob Dylan, Blowing in the Wind

Fed up with the contradictions and hypocrisy of a world gone mad, he voices
his anger. His tone is full of energy, but he doesnt know who is behind the wind
nor how to fulfill the goal of life. Words without deeds remain only words.

March, 1966

On Sunday, March 6, Prabhupda spends the day alone in his room

reflecting on his present situation. He expresses his inner thoughts in his diary:
According to Mayapur Panjika, today is Adhivas day of Gour Purnima.
Devotees at Vrindaban and Nabadwipa are enjoying the celebration. I am here
alone without any devotee companion. But I have come here to serve the Lord
and not for personal happiness. I am prepared to live in hell even, if I am able
to serve the Lord. r Caitanya Mahprabhu wanted that His mission should
be propagated all over the world and that is my objective. I do not mind the
inconvenience personally felt.

Monday is the appearance day of Lord Caitanya, and Prabhupda observes

fasting until 5:30 PM, when he breaks the fast by taking fruit and milk. In the
evening, he gives a talk on Bhagavad-gt and closes with kirtan. He receives
$28 from donations and sales of books.

June, 1966

Dr. Timothy Leary, a former Harvard professor, urges people to, Tune in,
turn on, and drop out. Little plays are presented nightly around the East
Village called, An Evening with God. It turns out to be Leary on stage talking
about powerful experiments going on in the upstate town of Millbrookhow to
discover God through LSD.
Alternatively, you can attend a lecture on Bhagavad-gt at Matchless Gifts,
a 26 Second Avenue storefront. The corporate culture drop-outs protesting US
involvement in Vietnam join the counter-culture. As they drop out,
Prabhupda is there to catch them and provide shelter. He teaches the
frustrated, confused youth of America how to attain spiritual consciousness by
chanting Hare Ka, eating prasdam and rendering devotional service.
They preach to the same crowd, but Prabhupdas integrity and purity
attracts the people who reject hypocrisy. The cream of Americas youth joins

52
his movement. Allen Ginsberg, the poet laureate of the beat generation, is
favorable to both camps. He likes rla Prabhupda and chants Hare Ka but
is ostensibly a follower of Leary.
Leary publishes a pamphlet, Start Your Own Religion, promoting the
promise of a new awareness in terms of consciousness expansion, which is
distributed throughout the East Village bookstores and coffee houses. He
creates the League for Spiritual Discovery to experiment with psychedelics and
hallucinogens, depending on funds granted by Harvard University.

July 11, 1966

After ten difficult months, rla Prabhupda incorporates the International

Society for Ka Consciousness. He depends only on his Guru Mahrja as he
introduces the process of bhakti-yoga under the direct order of Lord Caitanya.
The Sankirtan Movement is being transplanted to a storefront on 26 Second
Avenue.
The US steps up its involvement in Vietnam, bombing Hanoi and Haiphong
on July 29. Several allied countries express their regret. The United Nations
Secretary General criticizes American policy in Southeast Asia. At home the
US Senate joins in the condemnation. Peace marches and rallies by pacifist
groups oppose the war.

September 8, 1966

Janmam is observed at the storefront. For the first time in America, the
traditional Vaiava initiation into the eternal disciplic succession, complete
with Vedic fire sacrifice, is given to eleven new aspirants. Hayagrva, Umpati,
Ryarma, Mukunda and Jnak will play major roles in these early days.
The next day is the appearance day of rla Prabhupda. He is 70. In the
morning he requests Mukunda and Jnak to marry.
Jnaks sister comes from Oregon to help prepare for the wedding. Its one
more unique happeningan American couple is married by a sannys
according to Vaiava rites.
A second round of initiations is held two weeks later on Rdham. It is
another festive occasion. Four others are initiated into the eternal disciplic

53
succession. They are Satsvarpa, Krtannanda, Acyutananda, and
Brahmnanda, a huge fellow with an equally huge appetite.
rla Prabhupda is now ready to introduce sakrtana to the public. He
takes his kirtan party to Washington Square Park one Sunday morning, but the
chanting attracts only a small crowd due to harassment from the police.

October 9, 1966

Prabhupda is far more successful when he brings his sakrtana to

Tompkins Square Park. Today the park is crowded with young people as the
devotees roll out their oriental rug. They sit down with their instruments,
harmonium, and kartls. rla Prabhupda sits with them and plays a bongo
drum. An audience begins to gather. Soon everyone is swaying along to the
rhythmic pulse of the kirtan. The local park musicians saunter over to join in.
Before long, everyone is chanting and dancing with the devotees.
The New York Times features the story the next day with a photograph of
The Swami and his Flock. That evening the temple is filled with guests for the
kirtan and lecture. Soon there are four more initiatesRupanuga, Gargamuni,
Dmodara, and a young artist, Jadur. Prabhupda immediately engages her
in painting a portrait of rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat.
When the weather gets too cold to go to the park, Prabhupda introduces
the Sunday Feast. Within a few weeks the storefront is filled with hungry guests
attracted by the prasdam, acclaimed to be out of this world. New adherents,
like Paramananda and Ranchor, are eager to share their spiritual lifestyle and
soon the influence of the temple sakrtana begins to invade Millbrook.
Mohannanda: I had dropped out of school in 1966 at age fourteen. I had
gotten one of Learys pamphlets and went up to study with him in Millbrook.
Four of us were living in teepees and a few people lived in the main house. I
remember walking through the woods one time and seeing Paramananda with
a picture of Ka attached to a tree just chanting away in the middle of this
entire wilderness with little kartls. It was the most blissful scene. We began
talking and he was my first introduction to Ka consciousness. Eventually
we had pictures of Ka everywhere and we were chanting in a little teepee
temple with kartls that Paramananda had brought up.

54
 Now that he has a few assistants, Prabhupda wants to revive Back to
Godhead. Brahmnandas younger brother, Gargamuni, locates two small
mimeograph machines that Prabhupda agrees to purchase. The first issue is
soon ready to print, with Hayagrva, the college English teacher, and Ryarma,
the professional writer, as co-editors. One hundred copies of the twenty-eight
page magazine are run off in the storefront. Prabhupda instructs them to
produce it monthly. Work sincerely and make it as big as Time magazine, he
requests Hayagrva. Brahmnanda and Gargamuni go out that evening and
distribute every copy.
One evening a record producer visits the storefront after reading about the
Swami in the newspapers. He finds the kirtan mystical and absorbing. He
wants to discuss the possibility of cutting a record. Prabhupda is immediately
interested. Yes, we must record. If it will help us distribute the chanting of
Hare Ka, then it is our duty.

December, 1966

A day before the recording date, a guest arrives at the storefront carrying a
dholak. (A two-headed wooden drum from India) Immediately Prabhupdas interest is
piqued and he requests to play the drum. The visitor obviously wants to play it
himself, so Brahmnanda approaches him.
Swamiji wants to play the drum. Seeing the size of Brahmnanda, the
hippie relents.
Brahmnanda: Swamiji began to play, and his hands were just dancing on the
drum. Everyone was stunned that Swamiji knew how to do this. All we had
seen was the bongo drum, so I thought it was the proper Indian drum. But
when this two-headed drum came out of nowhere and Swamiji started playing
it like a master musician, it created an ecstasy a hundred times more than the
bongo drum had.
After the kirtan Prabhupda asks to borrow the drum for tomorrows
recording session.
Its a cold winter evening as Prabhupda and fifteen devotees get into
Rupanugas van with their instruments for the drive to the studio. Entering the
studio, they feel confident they can reproduce their storefront sound. The

55
studio engineers accept them as a regular band. Someone asks the name of their
group.
The Hare Ka Chanters, says Hayagrva in a joking mood. The session
goes smoothly. The producer is excited. Its an authentic sound. It might even
sell.
Now you have made your best record, Prabhupda tells the producer as
they leave the studio. The album, Ka Consciousness by A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami on the Happening label, will influence many people,
including the Beatles. It is the bhat-mdaga (The great mdagaa phrase
coined by rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkur for the printing press) for
the psychedelic age.
In the five months since registering ISKCON rla Prabhupda has initiated
20 disciples, published three issues of Back to Godhead magazine, published four
essays (Ka the Reservoir of Pleasure, Who is Crazy?, The Peace Formula, and
Introduction to Gitopanisad), recorded an album, introduced street sakrtana,
introduced the Sunday Love Feast, performed a Vedic wedding, and finished
his translation and commentary of Bhagavad-gt As It Is.
ISKCON is only one little storefront, yet Prabhupda is confident that the
mission of his Guru Mahrja will be successful.

New York January, 1967

Mukunda and Jnak had left for the West Coast right after their marriage.
Now, early in the new year, Prabhupda receives a letter from California.
Mukunda has rented a storefront in the Haight-Ashbury district of San
Francisco, at the center of a scene he describes as, a youth renaissance much
bigger than in New York. We are busy converting it into a temple now, he
writes. People are coming from all over the country for a Human Be-In at
Golden Gate park. A Gathering of the Tribes...for a joyful pow-wow and Peace
Dance.
Along with Allen Ginsburg, Mukunda is also busy organizing a
Mantra-Rock Dance at the Avalon Ballroom with the most famous bands in
San Francisco. He wants rla Prabhupda and the chanting of Hare Ka to
be the main attraction. A plane ticket is enclosed along with the letter.
Originally, Mukunda had located the Matchless Gifts storefront and helped the

56
Swami move in. Now in California, he is attempting to build on the success of
New York. To the dismay of his New York followers, Prabhupda announces his
intention to fly out to San Francisco. This will be his first trip on an airplane.

San Francisco January 16, 1967

rla Prabhupda follows the disembarking passengers from the terminal

gate into the arrivals lounge. He enters to the sound of Hare Ka chanted by a
crowd of hippies dressed in Moroccan kaftans, Mexican ponchos, patch-work
jeans, buckskins, double-breasted velvet dandy coats, paisley robes, and other
original creations. Long strings of beads are draped over Japanese silk samurai
robes and white off-the-shoulder peasant blouses. Many wear small
wire-rimmed sunglasses in various colors and shapes. Everybody has long
flowing hair.
Prabhupda smiles broadly, astonished to see so many people with the Holy
Name on their lips. They are greeting him with kirtan and he hasnt even said a
word! As soon as they see the Swami, everyone bows down, feeling confident
its the right thing to do. Allen Ginsberg steps forward to offer a large bouquet
of roses. Dozens of hands extend to give flowers or incense.
Following the Swami to the baggage claim, the chanters begin anew. While
waiting for his bags, rla Prabhupda lifts his arms and begins to dance,
swaying gracefully from side to side. The crowd responds with squeals of delight
and enthusiastic bursts of energy. Prabhupda dances in ecstasy and the
beautiful people chant and dance with him. To the startled travelers at the
airport, the whole phantasmagoria of Haight-Ashbury has manifested at the
baggage claim.
They escort the Swami outside to a black 1949 Cadillac waiting at curbside.
The day is bright and sunny, much warmer than cold, wintry New York. Sitting
in the back seat with Mukunda and Allen, Prabhupda distributes roses
through the open window to the chanting revelers. Slowly the car pulls away
from the curb as the flower children scurry off to follow the Swami in their own
vehicles.
As the Cadillac negotiates the freeway into San Francisco, Prabhupda
chats with Mukunda and Allen. He is pleased to see Lord Caitanyas prophecy
already manifesting in this West Coast city. He especially values Mukundas

57
help in spreading the Hare Ka mantra.
Lord Caitanya had predicted His movement would spread worldwide, yet
few people in India could understand how it could be embraced by mlecchas and
yavanas. Had the attempt of the sannyss sent to London in 1932 by rla
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat not failed? They had returned convinced that
Westerners could not follow the regulative principles of devotional service. But
now Lord Caitanya is revealing that the prophecy will indeed be fulfilled.
Similarly, Lord Ka had informed Arjuna that he should simply perform his
duty, as the battle had already been fought and won by His arrangement. (Bg.
11.33)
The Cadillac pulls up in front of 518 Frederick Street. In the window is a
sign: Rdh Ka Temple. The small storefront is decorated by a few plants
and a madras here and there. A hippie throng fills the small room. Sitting on an
oversized cushion, Prabhupda begins kirtan.
After a short talk encouraging everyone to take up Ka consciousness, he
is escorted to an apartment next door, followed by reporters from San
Franciscos two major newspapers, The Chronicle and The Examiner. He seizes
the opportunity to preach.
The big mistake of modern civilization is to encroach upon others property
as though it were ones own. This creates an unnatural disturbance. God is the
ultimate proprietor of everything in the universe. When people know that God
is the ultimate proprietor, the best friend of all living entities, and the object of
all offerings and sacrifices, then there will be peace. (Extract from The Peace
Formula)
The Swamis arrival at the airport is the feature of the evening news on
Channel Four. The same story is in the papers next morning. Almost everybody
knows that a Swami is in town, as both dailies cover Prabhupdas arrival.
The Mantra-Rock Dance is advertised throughout Haight-Ashbury with
Swami Bhaktivedanta as a headliner, even though nobody knows much about
him. The Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin are the other headliners. The hippies
in the Haight talk about it on the streets, in the head shops, and at the local
hangouts. With Ginsburgs help, Mukunda has done a wonderful propaganda
job.
The rest of San Francisco doesnt give it a second thought, however, except

58
for a young man leafing through the evening paper. Hes frustrated with his life
simply driving a taxicab. Nothing seems fulfilling or satisfying. A holy man
from India opens temple. Maybe?
Back in June of 62, after accepting his degree in Mechanical Engineering at
Ohio State University, Jim Kohr had immediately jumped into his MG and left
for the West Coast. All he had room for was his stereo and a few clothes as he
drove out to San Francisco to take up a job offer. This was years before the
hippie scene arrived. But he didnt like the job and soon resigned, having no
interest in joining the rat race of corporate life. Instead, he took to driving a
cabeven though he had an engineering degreeto gain a little
independence and time to think about his life.
Occasionally a passenger will ask, Why dont you get a better paying job?
Youre an educated man. You could do far better than drive a cab.
Oh, well, I just dont fit in with the upper-class crowd, is his reply.
He still feels hopeless and totally lost. Sometimes he opens a bottle to try and
drown the loneliness. Out of despair, he once tried LSD to see what the fuss was
all about. Years later he recalled, It made me more aware that there were a lot
of different levels of consciousness.
Mrs. Kohr: At the age of four he was taken to a service in what we call the
big church in Dayton, Ohio. He was very restless, standing up in the
sanctuary and looking around. His grandmother inquired, Jimmy, whats
wrong? What are you doing? What are you looking for?
Wheres God? he replied.
Born in 1939, he was raised in the mid-western town of Dayton. His sister
was two years younger. The family was very close, but not regular church-goers.
He had a lot of friends through his school years and took his first job working in
the local grocery store while still in high school. As a high school senior he was
hired as a part time mechanic in a garage and just loved it.
He couldnt get too involved in sports because he suffered from asthma. He
had tried desperately to join the football team but just couldnt do it because of
his difficulty in breathing. During his senior year the family moved to
Cleveland and he had to leave all his friends. Leaving friends behind was
devastating for him. According to his mother, he closed up.

59
 That year he suffered through a lot of disappointments. An asthma attack in
the middle of an interview cost him a position at General Motors. At Ohio
State he wanted to join the Peace Corps but his professors discouraged him,
feeling it would be deadly if he was in some remote corner of the world with his
asthmatic condition. In spite of the setbacks, he was very kind, caring, and
friendly to everyone.
One time, while flying back to Cleveland from New York, he and his mother
met a young man from Germany who was coming to America for the first time.
They started talking and quickly struck up a friendship. After landing at
Cleveland airport, Jim said, Well wait with you until your friends come to
meet you. They waited a long time but nobody came. Finally Jim suggested, Ill
tell you what, you come home with us. You have the telephone number of the
people who are supposed to meet you, so well call them from my house. Im not
going to leave you here alone. They bundled up the young man and took him
home.
At Ohio State, he initially joined a fraternity, but it was too wild. He
couldnt study with all the activity and noise, so he left and got a quiet place on
his own. His one friend in college was Gurdeep Singh Chawla, a Sikh foreign
exchange student from India, alone without any family in America. This was
Jims first exposure to Indian culture. Every year he brought his Sikh friend
home for Christmas holidays.
Mr. Chawla: I had association with him at college when we roomed together.
I always wondered, you see, he was more into spiritualism, not materialism.
He always asked about the Indian culture, so he was looking for something
beyond the meaning of the mundane, something to grasp the real meaning of
life.
Now at 28, he stands six feet two inches tall with a strong build, but a gentle
demeanor. He is neither a hippie nor into drugs. Rather hes a straight,
clean-cut guy with short hair. After driving a cab for years, he worries, Where
is my life going? What am I doing? Im miserable. Life has no purpose, no
meaning. I need something else in my life. He cant understand what is wrong,
why he cant enjoy life as other people do.
He gazes intently at the Swamis photograph in the newspaper. It brings to
mind the face of a very ancient personalitya wise man. The Swami will be

60
giving lectures on the science of God, the article states. Pondering the
significance of the Swamis arrival he puts the paper aside and scoops another
helping of ice cream into his bowl.
Jmbavn: When he read that he felt a ray of hope. He said, I felt a little ray
of hope, and I remember a tear came from my eye. I thought, maybe this man
can help me, because I wanted to find happiness. He wanted to be happy, but
he was miserable. Jaynanda felt like a misfit in the material world. He was a
devotee and he was living with non-devotees. He didnt know what the
problem was, but he knew he wasnt happy.
One of the few things he enjoys doing in the evening after driving the cab
all day is to eat ice cream. He comes home and makes big ice cream sundaes with
whipped cream, chocolate sauce, cherries, and different flavors of ice cream.
This is his only pleasureto have his fancy ice cream sundaes.
Finishing up his ice cream, he makes a promise to attend the Swamis lecture
on Frederick Street. Hes been driving a taxi far too long, going nowhere down
a dead-end street.
The following evening he arrives at the temple to find he is at least ten years
older than the rest of the gathering, comprised mainly of hippies dressed to
announce their rejection of establishment values. He appears conventional and
immediately stands out, but he is also a seeker. His situation is more desperate
than theirs.
Mukunda: The first time I saw him on Frederick Street, I asked who he was,
and he said he was a taxi driver. We were all hippies and here was an older
person, part of the establishment, short hair, just super straight. Hed wear a
suit and tie sometimes, always neat and smartquite a contrast from
everyone else.
He is instantly impressed at this first meeting with the Swami and purchases
the three-volume set of rmad-Bhgavatam. Prabhupda autographs them: To
rman Jim Kohr. With tremendous faith and anticipation, he pours over the
books at home, unable to put them down. Never has he read anything like this
before.
Taking up the serious study of this mature fruit of Vedic knowledge, he has a
deep realization that this is what he had been searching for his whole life. The

61
eternal truths enter into the core of his being. As revelation upon revelation
fills his lonely heart, washing away years of emptiness and dissatisfaction with
life, he is filled with joy.
Feeling enlivened, he becomes a regular at all the classes. He sees in rla
Prabhupda the embodiment of the Bhgavatam verses. He has another deep
realization that this saintly person is actually the living truth, the personified
Bhgavatam, to whom he should surrender and dedicate the rest of his life.

Mantra-Rock Dance January 29, 1967

Hayagrva and Krtannanda arrive from New York for the Mantra-Rock
concert. They dont like the idea of Swamiji in a place full of drugged-out
hippies, pounding drums, screaming guitars, and wild light shows. Who will
hear his message in this environment? Mukunda explains that it will be the first
big event of the Aquarian Age, complete with an authentic Swami from India.
Thousands of young people will attend and the fledgling San Francisco temple
could get off to a big start financially. He and his friends have worked hard on
this for a couple of months.
Prabhupda sees it as an opportunity to spread the Hare Ka mantra to
thousands of young people searching for answers. Anyone who hears the
chanting from the lips of a pure devotee can be saved from repeated birth and
death. These hippie boys and girls are looking for a spiritual dimension in their
lives, and he hears their cry. This is the reason he has come to America.
The night of the concert the crowd is lined up all the way down the street
and around the block. Timothy Leary arrives and is given a special seat on stage
next to Swami Kriyananda, who plucks a tamboura. The devotees begin
chanting melodiously as a warm-up act.
Around eight oclock Moby Grape begins their set with two drummers
thundering a colossal beat to a booming bass and crunching guitar. As the
pile-driving beat thunders out of stacks of six-speaker amplifiers with deafening
insistence, blinding strobe lights flash in rhythm with the music and the walls
swim with projections of amoeba-like patterns slithering through puddles of
quivering color.
In its permutations the San Francisco Sound encompasses everything from
Bluegrass to Indian ragas, from Bach to jugband musicoften within the

62
framework of a single song. The musicians improvise freely, building climax
upon climax in songs that run on for twenty minutes or more. The light show
enhances the rapture with swirling lights and pulsing blobs of color bouncing in
time. Just as in other psychedelic-lit joints, such as Andy Warhols Gymnasium
in Manhattan, the Avalons aim is to immerse everybody in sound and sight.
When the spell takes hold, dancers drift into private reveries, devsing new
ways of contorting their bodies, while here and there young mothers waltz
dreamily around the floor with sleeping infants in their arms. But mostly
everyone just sits on the floor, lost in their own hallucination.
At nine-thirty Prabhupda leaves the temple accompanied by Krtannanda
and Ranchor. As they walk up the steps and enter the ballroom, devotees blow
conch shells and someone starts a drum roll. The crowd parts down the center,
forming a grand aisle like the Red Sea dividing for Moses. Prabhupda floats by,
his head held high, as the crowd applauds and cheers. The light show flashes
pictures of Ka and His pastimes around the walls.
Jagat-purua: I was given a ticket by a friend who was with the show. I arrived
late, just as Big Brother and the Holding Company were finishing their last
song with Janis Joplin screaming away at the top of her lungs. I was standing
around checking out the scene when there seemed to be a commotion at the
back of the ballroom to the left. I turned to see Prabhupda entering. I had
been over to the temple on Frederick Street a couple of times so I recognized
him from the pictures I had seen there. He looked so clean in that smoky
atmosphere filled with hippies dressed in their exotic garb. He spoke for only
about three minutes, and I remember him saying something like the chanting
cleans the dust from the heart.
As Prabhupda takes his seat on stage, the crowd hushes. He asks Allen
Ginsberg to speak first about the mantra. Then he gives a brief talk and requests
Allen to start chanting. One by one, people in the audience catch on and start
responding. The kirtan grows in intensity and the audience gets increasingly
enthusiastic. Musicians from the Grateful Dead and Moby Grape jump back on
stage to accompany devotees and hippies chanting together. The mah-mantra
is projected on the walls and the chanting echoes throughout the cavernous
hall as multi-colored oil slicks pulse away to the beat of the kirtan. Some of the
hippies hold hands and dance in circles. They do not understand the meaning

63
of the mantra, but they can feel its potency.
Allen Ginsberg: We sang Hare Ka all evening. It was absolutely
greatan open thing. It was the height of the Haight-Ashbury spiritual
enthusiasm. It was the first time that there had been a music scene in San
Francisco where everybody could be part of it and participate. Everybody
could sing and dance rather than listen to other people sing and dance.
Seeing everybody dancing and chanting Hare Ka, Prabhupda smiles
with great happiness, even though most of them are intoxicated. The chanting
is the medicine for the disease of material sense gratification. He had always
stressed the chanting of Hare Ka above all, as recommended by rla Rupa
Goswami:
The Holy Name of Lord Ka is an attractive feature for many saintly, liberal
people. It is the annihilator of all sinful reactions and is so powerful that save
for the dumb who cannot chant, it is readily available to everyone, including
the lowest type of man, the cala. The Holy Name of Ka is the controller
of the opulence of liberation, and it is identical with Ka. Simply by
touching the Holy Name with ones tongue, immediate effects are produced.
Chanting the Holy Name does not depend on initiation, pious activities or the
puracary regulative principles generally observed before initiation. The Holy
Name does not wait for all these activities. It is self-sufficient.
Padyavali (29) by Rupa Goswami, quoted in Caitanya-caritmta
Madhya 15.110

As the intensity of the kirtan increases, Prabhupda takes over the lead from
Ginsburg, his voice resounding over the huge sound system. He begins
perspiring heavily as the tempo picks up. Krtannanda tries to stop the kirtan,
insisting that Swamiji is too old for this. But Prabhupda chants on and on,
faster and faster, accompanied by the cream of San Francisco musicians, his
voice leading the amplified guitars, bass and drums, and the chorus of
thousands.
Jagat-purua: Allen Ginsberg started chanting first, but then at some point
Prabhupda took over. All these hippies were sitting in this smoke-filled
ballroom, and a lot of them had some kind of little instrument, like bells,
small hand drums, wooden flutes, and they started playing along with the
kirtan. It seemed like the whole place became transported to a whole other
dimension. The kirtan was so powerful building up more and more, and

64
 everyone was chanting, dancing, and playing along. It seemed like a miracle. I
felt like I was witnessing a miracle.
Gurudsa: The ballroom appeared as if it was a human field of wheat
blowing in the wind. It produced a calm feeling in contrast to the usual
Avalon Ballroom atmosphere of gyrating energies. The chanting of Hare
Ka continued for over an hour, and finally everyone was jumping and
yelling, even crying and shouting.
Everyone is completely captivated by the chanting when, all of a sudden, it
ends. Prabhupdas voice booms out over the hum of amplifiers, jaya o
viupda paramahasa parivrjakcrya aottara-ata r rmad
bhaktisiddhnta sarasvat gosvm mahrja prabhupda ki jaya! All glories to the
assembled devotees.
Allen announces the next band, the Grateful Dead. rla Prabhupda slips
offstage weaving his way through the heavy smoke and appreciative crowd,
down the stairs and into the street, escorted by Krtannanda and Ranchor.
This is no place for a brahmacr, he chuckles.
The Avalon program is like a nma-krtana-yaja, western style. Many
interested people start coming to the classes. The temple becomes a landmark in
the Haight. Prabhupda writes the devotees in New York:
Our yesterdays function was very successful. There were about 1500 or more
audience, and all of them chanted and danced continually for one hour and
fifteen minutes. I came back at 11:30 at night.
Letter to Brahmananda, January 30, 1967

February, 1967

Most of Prabhupdas San Francisco students are couples. He begins to give

initiation and many new Vaiavas are created. He also marries the couples,
like Mlat and ymasundara, who know most of the bands and helped
organize the Mantra-Rock Dance with Mukunda. Other initiated and married
couples are Yamun and Gurudsa, Govinda ds and Gaurasundara,
Nandar and Daynanda, Ka dev and Subala. Harar dev, Haridsa,
Upendra, and Jaynanda, the cabbie, also accept initiation.
In his enthusiasm after initiation, Jaynanda misunderstands the first

65
instruction of his Guru Mahrja. Thinking that one round of japa is around
and back, he begins devotional service chanting thirty-two rounds a day while
still driving his taxi. He cant understand why he is having such a tough time
finishing his rounds. He sees everyone else getting their rounds done and
finishing their other services as well. He has to stay up very late at night to
finish. He begins to think theres something wrong with him. Why cant he
finish his rounds on time? Still, he is so sincere; he does his thirty-two rounds
along with his other service without realizing that hes chanting twice as many
as the other devotees.
Several weeks pass before he finally understands the meaning of one round
and that he neednt chant thirty-two. Its a humorous revelation, but he still
remains very serious about his japa. Every morning in the temple, he chants
very strong rounds with his eyes tightly closed, his brow knit in intense
concentration. Rocking back and forth, he is oblivious to the outside world.
Nothing can disturb him from this meditation.
Jaynanda is different than the other devotees. Because hes about ten years
their senior, he feels like an older brother. After initiation he continues driving
his taxi and donates his earnings to help pay the temple overhead. Wherever he
drives, he chants. Whenever he has the opportunity, he shares his realizations
with his passengers.
Back at the temple he takes up any service that is required, from cooking to
taking out the garbage. Prabhupda is very pleased with Jaynandas serious
mood, and sometimes invites him up for prasdam.
rla Prabhupda would cook prasda and serve me, he would recall. He
didnt say anythinghe just kept feeding me, and I kept eating. When asked
how he got involved with the movement, he liked to say, I wasnt much of a
religionist, but I was attracted to rla Prabhupda. I knew he didnt want to
cheat me, so I wanted to work for him.
Gurudsa: Jaynanda and I grew up together in the movement. He was just
the most unassuming, real, humble personage that youd want to meet. He
didnt take on big airs or become puffed up with position. He was one of the
few people working then, doing taxicab work. I used to test him by asking
where such and such street was, and hed say Yes, and start describing the
houses on the street. He had a phenomenal memory of the streets of San

66
 Francisco.
Mukunda: He wasnt always there because he would drive a taxi. With the
money hed look after everyone; clothe them and feed them. He used to talk
about how he had the BTGs in the front seat and how hed preach to people
while driving around town. I remember he said he used to drink. Whenever
wed talk about, it hed say it was the most miserable thing that he ever went
throughjust his whole life up to that point. One of his schoolmates told me
that he borrowed his grandmothers car one time, took a corner too fast and
rolled it.
rla Prabhupda is very popular amongst the Bay Area crowd, and
Jaynanda becomes his chauffeur, driving him to engagements at The
Himalayan Academy, Self Realization Fellowship, and University of California
at Berkeley. At Stanford University more than three hundred students chant
and dance with Prabhupda and the devotees for over an hour. The student
newspaper describes the event as an ancient trance dance.
Theres a new dance about to sweep the country, the article reads. Its
called The Swami. When Jaynanda shows him the article, Prabhupda is
pleased and requests him to make photocopies for reference.
In Golden Gate Park kirtan is performed every Sunday afternoon at Hippie
Hill with hundreds of young people dancing and chanting along. Prabhupda is
satisfied that the youth of America is accepting the mah-mantra. When a
mdaga arrives from India, he is optimistic that this will enhance the kirtan
and increase the crowds.
Mukunda: When he played the clay mdaga from India it created a
completely different feeling, akin to seeing an old friend after many, many
years. It was so right and so natural. It was the very thing our kirtans had
been missing, and it increased our feelings of ecstasy many times over.
Obviously Swamiji was in greater ecstasy than ever. You could sense by the
way he held the drum, by the ease with which he brought out its intricate
rhythms to control the kirtan, that this drum was like a long-lost friend to
him. Swamiji playing that drum was the talk of the community. Now we knew
what kirtan really was, how it was supposed to sound.
Prasdam distribution also attracts the hippies. Many come to the temple for

67
the morning lecture and stay for breakfast of oatmeal and fruit. The Hippie Hill
crowd are homeless and really hungry, so they appreciate the temple as a refuge
from the madness of the scene. The lunch program attracts the largest turnout.
Mlat does the shopping, persuading merchants to donate to the cause of
feeding hippies. The cooks prepare full prasdam for two hundred people. Some
just eat and leave, but most want to meet the Swami.

March, 1967

One day the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears to Mlat in a very

unique way.
Mlat dev ds: I had gone to this import store, Cost Plus Imports, down on
the pier in San Francisco. At that time we were so young and naive, enough to
be completely entranced by anything that was made in India. Anything that
said Made in India became immediately attractive. I was going past the
check out cashier and I saw this barrel full of little objects. I glanced at them
because they were curious looking. I picked one up and on the bottom of it was
that magic sticker, Made in India. So I was immediately delighted. I was
fascinated by those big eyes, so I took it home and put it on my mantelpiece.
Later, Mukunda and ymasundara notice the three-inch doll sitting on the
mantelpiece. Intrigued by the little personality with big round eyes and smiling
face, they bring the little figure up to Swamiji. Instantly, Prabhupda gets down
and pays his obeisances. They are astounded.
Where did you get this? Who has brought?
Mlat.
Bring her. They hurry out to tell Mlat that Swamiji wants to see her
immediately.
Are there any more? Prabhupda says as soon as she enters the room.
Well, yeah, lots of them, she replies, thinking of the barrel filled with the
little figures.
No. I mean different. He holds up his fingers. Two. Two.
Yes.
He turns to ymasundara, Can you carve? He indicates a three foot size.

68
ymasundara confirms that he can carve. Actually he is a wood sculptor.
Prabhupda tells the whole story of Lord Jagannath and the Ratha-ytr
festival held annually in Puri.
Mlat returns to the shop for the other two figures. Prabhupda had wanted
to introduce Deity worship, and now Lord Jagannath makes His own
appearance to speed up the process. Lord Jagannaths advent is undoubtedly an
auspicious omen. Prabhupda had come to the West to introduce Lord
Caitanyas movement, and the Deities that Lord Caitanya worshipped for
twenty-four years in Jagannath Puri manifest in this way. Devotees do not
consider this a mere coincidence.
Mlat dev ds: He told us the story of the log floating up from the ocean, so
ymasundara got the idea of this salvage yard down on the wharf where all
kinds of wood comes floating in from the ocean. So we went to the salvage
yard and a funny thing happened. The guy said, Well, you can look around.
So we looked around and found a beautiful piece of redwood. So we put the
wood into our old panel truck. We looked and looked but the guy wasnt
around, so we finally just drove away with it.
That was the beginning of Lord Jagannath in San Francisco. Somehow He
chose a very unlikely person, such as myself, to manifest Himself and make
Himself apparent to rla Prabhupdas vision. Prabhupda brought Him in a
larger manifestation, of course.
Under rla Prabhupdas guidance, ymasundara takes up the service of
carving Jagannath Deities in his apartment. He has not yet given up smoking
and occasionally lights up while he works. When Prabhupda comes in to
inspect the work one day, he notices the cigarette pack on top of Lord
Jagannath. He compliments ymasundara on how nicely the work is coming
along without making a comment about the cigarettes. After a brief visit,
Mlat escorts him to the door. Prabhupda motions to the cigarette pack and
quietly mentions, Such a small thing that is separating us from Ka.
A week later a letter arrives from India with news about Rdh-Dmodara.
Sadly, the standard of sev at Rdh-Dmodara Temple has deteriorated to
alarming proportions. Although far from the holy land of the Six Goswamis,
Prabhupda is always thinking of Rdh-Dmodara where he spent so much
time preparing for his preaching abroad. He always considered his

69
Rdh-Dmodara rooms as the hub of the wheel of the spiritual universe.
(Vrindaban Days by Hayagriva Swami, page 57) Deeply concerned, Prabhupda
urges his friend to immediately go to Vndvana and make things alright.
Please try to save the temple of Jva Goswami because in very near future
many people from all parts of the world will come to see the temple and
Samadhi of Jva Goswami and Rupa Goswami. As you are going to restore
order in the temple I am always with you because rla Jva Goswamis temple
is my heart and soulIf Rdh Dmodara desires, many Americans will go to
see the holy place of Jva Goswami in the very near future.
Letter to Nripen Babu, March 18, 1967

This bold prediction concerning Rdh-Dmodara will soon come to pass.

Rdh-Dmodaras desire to honor the word of Their pure devotee is so strong
that They will soon travel to America Themselves to help Prabhupda fulfill
the mission of Lord Caitanya.

March 26, 1967

On the morning of the appearance day of r Caitanya, Jaynanda gathers

with the devotees in the storefront. Prabhupda has instructed them to spend
the day reading about Lord Caitanya, chanting japa, and performing kirtan.
They are also to observe a fast until moonrise.
Gurudsa: I remember Jaynanda and I looked at one another and
non-verbally communicated, Lets chant outside. So we went in the Haight
and did kirtan and it was really nice. We went around the corner up to the
house on Willard Street where I used to live, and where Prabhupda was
living now. It had parquet floors and a piano, with nice sun in the back.
Prabhupda was living in the back room.
We went to his house and stood in front of the window on the street and
chanted loudly. Prabhupda came to the window. He beckoned us to come in
the way the Indians do, with the palm of the hand going down, which is
opposite to what we do in the West. But we didnt know that was the Indian
way of saying come here. We thought he was saying go away. We were
dejected. We didnt understand what was going on. So with our tails between
our legs, we started back to the temple.
Then Upendra came bounding out of the house and said, No. Prabhupda
wants you to come in. So we all went up to Prabhupdas room, not knowing

70
 what to expect. He said, Lord Caitanya has given you the intelligence to
chant out in the streets. This is very good. Now we can start this and do it
every day. Thats how street sakrtana began in San Francisco.
When rla Prabhupda arrives at the temple in the evening, he sees that
the devotees have built a wonderful redwood altar for the Deities. He begins
kirtan and then chants one round of japa out loud with devotees and guests.
Hayagrva reads the short sketch on the life of Lord Caitanya from the
Bhgavatam introduction. As dusk encroaches the streets of San Francisco, a
large crowd gathers at 518 Frederick Street to see the Deities of Jagannath,
Baladeva, and Subhadra installed in Their new home in San Francisco.
After a short lecture Prabhupda asks the devotees to come before the
Deities to offer a candle while he leads kirtan. Everyone rises to dance, swaying
back and forth to the rhythm of the kirtan, arms stretching out as they chant in
surrender to the festive mood. Hayagrva begins offering the flame on a platter
making large circles before the altar. One by one devotees and guests come
forward to perform the simple ceremony of offering the flame to the Lord.
When the kirtan stops, Prabhupda explains that this ceremony is called
rati. Everyone should place their hands over the flame, taking the heat, and
then touch their forehead. By doing this they are now worshipping Lord
Jagannath. The devotees have been following the devotional processes of
ravaa and krtana, hearing and chanting, but now at the installation of
Lord Jagannath, arcana, Deity worship, is being introduced as a simple rati
ceremony.
The feast is ready, and everybody sits down in rows to honor prasdam.
Sumptuous preparations have been cooked to celebrate the rising moon of Lord
Caitanya, by whose mercy Lord Jagannath has also arrived. The devotees serve
more and more prasdam, as the guests cant get enough. Midway through the
feast rla Prabhupda leans over to the microphone and introduces a new
mantra, jaganntha svm nayana pathagm bhavatu me. He has Hayagrva
repeat the prayer in Sanskrit and then give its meaning: O Jagannath, Lord of
the Universe, kindly be visible unto me.
Strict caste Brahmins in India might criticize this installation procedure, but
the original Lord Jagannath in Puri is so merciful He allows even the abara,
hog farmers, to become His intimate servitors. Now Lord Jagannath in San

71
Francisco is accepting the service of hippies and druggies.
The Lord soon becomes a special attraction in the Haight-Ashbury
psychedelic scene. Devotees continue worshipping Him with this simple
ceremony and soon the offering of incense is added. Word gets round that
Prabhupda has asked everyone to bring an offering when they come to the
temple, so the hippies start bringing whatever they can, like fruit, flowers,
candles and home-baked goods.
Jaynanda heeds every word that Prabhupda speaks, accepting everything
at face value as the Absolute Truth. He is convinced that Lord Jagannath is the
Supreme Lord and takes shelter immediately, offering whatever service he can
render. He wants to please his spiritual master by setting a good example, so he
works harder and longer than is expected of him.
Mrs. Kohr: We went to San Francisco quite a bit, my husband and I, and he
told us one time what he was doing. We were a little bit leery at first when we
found out Jim was so involved in this.
When we met the Swami, I remember going up millions of stairs to this little
old house in Haight-Ashbury. I had never met anybody like him before. He
was such a massive figure; people worshipped him practically. It was quite an
experience.
You want your children to be happy at all costs. We had no objections if this
was going to make him happy. Good heavens, go for it! We cant all be white
collar executives.
I think he was happier. That was one thing that we really felt good about. He
seemed to be a lot happier and more enthusiastic about things. He just seemed
to find what he was looking for.
One day as rla Prabhupda looks out his window, he sees a flatbed truck
moving along the road. Like that, he says to Gurudsa and ymasundara,
who quickly look out and see the flatbed. We shall get a truck like that for a
Jagannath festival. Immediately he has the idea of putting the Jagannath
Deities on such a truck with a parade and introducing Ratha-ytr. Taking
some paper, he begins to sketch a canopy decorated with flags and flower
garlands. He calls ymasundara over, shows him the sketch, and asks him to
make arrangements for a festival to be held in July.
The summer of 67 is being billed as the Summer of Love. Experimentation

72
with psychedelic drugs leads to new music, especially at the Fillmore. Scott
Mackenzie has a big hit with, If Youre Going to San Francisco. Thousands of
young people are migrating to Haight-Ashbury in search of an alternative to
establishment culture. They are guided to the Diggers, a volunteer group that
feeds hippies, whose doors are always open to kids newly arrived in the Haight.
The Diggers Free Store flanks the temple on one side, a Chinese laundry on the
other. The Diggers recommend the temple to many of the new arrivals.
In preparation for the Summer of Love, there is a meeting of various groups
who are expecting a huge influx of young people. Prabhupda is invited to
represent the Hare Kas.
Gaurahari: I represented the Diggers with another fellow. Prabhupda didnt
speak; Hayagrva spoke on his behalf. That was my first contact. The next
time I saw him was at Morning Star. Lou Gottlieb opened his ranch to the
Diggers, as an experiment, and I had gone out there. Then Prabhupda came.

Sebastopol April 1, 1967

Sixty miles north of San Francisco is a hippie commune famous in the

Haight-Ashbury scene. Morning Star Ranch serves as a haven for the
counter-cultural heads with spiritual aspirations who want to get away from
the city and live in a natural environment. Hippie ideals are espoused here and
practiced candidly. It is a wide open commune owned by a free-thinking
bohemian Lou Gottlieb, a former singer with the Limelighters. His wooded,
hilly land is open to anyone and everyone as an act of love and peace.
Extending an invitation to the Swami, Lou comes on a Saturday morning to
pick up rla Prabhupda and some of the devotees.
Lou Gottlieb: On the way out I was showing off my vast erudition in having
read a biography of Ramakrishna. Thats when Bhaktivedanta gave the best
advice to the aspirant I ever heard. We were talking about Ramakrishna and
Vivekananda and Aurobindo and this and that. So he said, You know,
putting a gentle hand on my knee, when you have found your true path, all
further investigation of comparative religion is merely sense enjoyment.
Driving through forests of towering redwood trees reaching over two
hundred feet into the sky, the car finally pulls into the ranch just past noon. As

73
he walks towards the main house, rla Prabhupda notices some of the
residents on the clothes optional farm busy gardening. Lou explains that some
of the members also live in the forest, in the hollows of giant redwood trees.
After a brief rest Prabhupda is ready to start the program. Lou escorts him
to a meadow up on a hill and offers him a wooden seat. The commune members,
many of whom are unclothed, sit at his feet anticipating the group meditation.
Prabhupda picks up his kartls and begins kirtan.
Gaurahari: It was quite an amazing day. There was a hill on the farm and
they had a big cross on that hill. They decorated it with scotch broom flowers
that were available at the time. A yellow flower. It was an amazing scene
because half the people were naked and Prabhupda was just sitting amongst
them chanting. They were on top of the hill and they started dancing and
chanting. It was quite a beautiful thing. The devotees from San Francisco
came out with Prabhupda. There were no dhotis then and some of them wore
beards.
The kirtan has a big impact on the commune members. To rla Prabhupda
these people are living like monkeys, so he gives a short talk on
markaa-vairgya. He explains that monkeys are also quite renounced, living in
the forest without clothing and taking vegetarian food. But at the same time
they have so many bad habits and no understanding of God. Spiritual life
means to love the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Ka, and to serve Him.
The best method to attain this spiritual consciousness is to constantly chant the
Hare Ka mah-mantra. In this way one becomes transcendentally situated
and realizes his self as spirit soul, beyond the designations of the body.
Prabhupda looks at them very gravely, and they feel he is looking right into
their hearts.
Madhudvia: Some people had clothes on, some people didnt. Some were
dancing around. But Swamiji wasnt looking at our bodies, he was looking at
our souls and giving us the mercy we needed.
Having touched the hearts of these youths, his influence will bring many of
them to the point of wanting to be Ka conscious. Everybody crowds around
to wish the Swami and the devotees a fond farewell at the end of the program.
One of them, now fully clothed, returns to the temple with the devotees.

74
 Gaurahari: Devananda left with Prabhupda that day. From that point, on
the whole farm, people were chanting. They werent chanting before that. I
didnt join right away, but I started chanting a little bit. Thats when I became
a vegetarian.
It is a historic irony that Prabhupda transplants an ancient, orthodox,
demanding religious system in the heart of hippiedom, where
do-your-own-thing is the raison dtre. That Jaynanda becomes the older
brother and role model for hippies plunging into the ISKCON experiment is
another irony. The Hare Ka mantra closes the gap between generations.
A few days later Prabhupda is ready to return to New York. Only ten weeks
ago he had arrived as a stranger, yet now as he prepares to board the plane, his
followers are feeling pangs of separation. But he must tend to his flock on the
East Coast too, so they can maintain whatever Ka consciousness they have.
In a shorter period a lot more has been accomplished than in New York.
Jagannath Deities have been installed, and the worship must be maintained.
The prasdam distribution program increases as more young people pour into
Haight-Ashbury in search of a dream. They begin to attend the daily lunch
program and some become devotees. Jaynanda keeps everyone enlivened by
his sincerity and tireless enthusiasm. On Prabhupdas request they are
planning a Ratha-ytr festival. They carry on the programs he has introduced
and seek out new places to chant, like Fishermans Wharf and Union Square.
Happily engaged in the service of Lord Jagannath, the San Francisco
devotees hear the news of Prabhupdas festive return to New York. The
reports come daily as Hayagrva and Krtannanda are always on the phone.
They hear about a Cosmic Love-In at an East Village theater that Prabhupda
has been invited to attend. His fledgling ISKCON is taking root in the New
York scene. Timothy Leary is also involved with the Love-In, but hes not
meeting with the same success since the police paid him a visit.
Mohannanda: We were all arrested and Millbrook folded. One day I was in
New York walking by the temple and Ryarma was lecturing. I really felt,
and could understand, how this person was a jva soul and his body was like a
puppet. For me it was the beginning of aha brahmsmi. I could see that the
jva soul was operating his body. Brahmnanda was in charge then and I
stayed for lunch. It was like stumbling onto some primeval ashram. I was

75
 absolutely blown away by it.

May, 1967

The New York temple is blissful with the return of Swamiji, but he sees that
they have become weaker during his absence. Their faith is fragile and is only
nourished by his direct association and service. Prabhupda pushes himself in
order to strengthen them. Soon his health deteriorates due to over-exertion.
The San Francisco devotees are in great anxiety to hear this news and stay in
close touch with the New York temple. When his condition becomes critical,
Prabhupda teaches the devotees a new prayer.
Jadur dev ds: He taught us the prayers to Lord Nrsimhadeva. He said
the words one by one and I wrote them down. I called up the temples in San
Francisco and Montreal and told them the prayer. Swamiji said, You should
pray to Ka that my spiritual master has not yet completed his work, so
please let him finish.
On May 25 Krtannanda calls Hayagrva from Beth Israel Hospital.
Prabhupda has suffered a stroke and his left side is paralyzed. The devotees in
San Francisco should chant all night and pray to Lord Nrsimhadeva. The
temple on Frederick Street is overcome by grief. A lot of the devotees break
down and cry. Jaynanda is particularly distressed. He cant understand why
rla Prabhupda has to undergo such difficulty. After all, he is the pure servant
of Ka, and has only come to America as an act of mercy to uplift the fallen
mass of disturbed youth.
Everyone gathers together to summon up a mass consciousness by
chanting, to request the help of Ka to give Prabhupda strength. The news
spreads throughout Haight-Ashbury. People crowd into the temple to offer
prayers and to join the all-night vigil. The chanting goes on past midnight. One
by one the guests begin to leave, but the devotees continue on and on, refusing
to succumb to the effects of sleep. They chant through the night, sometimes
playing different instruments, sometimes chanting japa, sometimes dancing just
to keep from drifting off. The temple is filled with an incessant drone of Hare
Ka. Fourteen hours later, they are finally overcome by fatigue.
The news filters in from New York. Swamiji is getting better and is pleased

76
the devotees have prayed and chanted all night. The doctors are impersonal
and treat Swamiji like their own property. He says he prefers Ayurvedic
treatment. Swami Satcidananda also paid an unexpected visit to the hospital to
offer his blessings.
The devotees gather in Frederick Street to put their signatures on a letter.
Mukunda records the devotees chanting, ri rma jaya rma jaya jaya rma, and
sends that off too.
On June 5 Prabhupda writes a reply from the hospital.
I am so much obliged to you for your prayers to Ka to save my life. Due to
your sincere and ardent prayer, Ka has saved my life. I was to die on
Tuesday certainly, but because you prayed sincerely I am saved. Now I am
improving gradually and coming to original condition. Now I can hope to meet
you again and chant with you Hare Ka.
Letter to Ka Devi, Subala, Lilavati, Yamuna, Jayananda,
Upendra, Malati, Gurudasa, Syamasundara, Haridasa, Mukunda, Janaki, Aunt
Edna Howell

The letter is read aloud at the evening program and gets posted on the
bulletin board. The devotees are relieved and the tension eases. The next day a
second letter arrives. Prabhupda thanks the devotees for the bhajan recording
and promises to return as soon as I get a little strength for traveling. He also
allays Jaynandas concern why his spiritual master has to suffer heavy illness
when his mission is only for the service of God.
Also inform Jaynanda I have received his letter and the difficulties of life may
come as seasonal changes, but we should not be disturbed by all those
difficulties. Our process is to chant and that process will gradually clear
everything in due course. There is nothing to be disruptedyou should go on
with your work with enthusiasm, and everything will be solved. We are on the
sound footing of Ka consciousness.
Letter to Mukunda, June 6, 1967

Everyone is thrilled and the mood of the temple returns to normal. They
have to seriously begin organizing a grand procession for Lord Jagannath. On
the morning of June 8 Hayagrva gets a call that Swamiji has been kidnapped
from the hospital by Brahmnanda and Gargamuni because the hospital
authorities were insisting that he needed brain surgery. He is now at a seaside
resort in Long Branch, New Jersey. His appetite has returned and he is eating

77
prasdam again. Gaurasundara and Govinda ds have arrived from San
Francisco and are happily taking care of Swamiji.

San Francisco July 5, 1967

After three weeks of recuperation in New Jersey, Prabhupda returns to San

Francisco. The devotees are ecstatic and hurriedly finalize preparations for
Ratha-ytr. He is greeted warmly at the airport with flowers and kirtan, but is
surprised when Jaynanda throws his arms around him, giving him a big hug,
Jaya Swamiji! Excitedly, Jaynanda leads him to a station wagon to drive him
to a secluded house at Stinson Beach across the Golden Gate Bridge. Here he
will be able to recover peacefully. In the car Prabhupda explains to Jaynanda
the proper way to greet a spiritual master. The relationship is loving, but formal.
Even in a relaxed mood, it is never familiar.
Mukunda and Jnak are waiting to greet them as the car pulls up. The house
is aristocratic, in an exceptional location with a magnificent ocean view. The
walls of the large front room are decorated with Jadurs paintings. A piano
sits over against one side. After looking over the house, Prabhupda smiles.
Everyone agrees that only Krtannanda and Upendra will stay to serve
Swamiji.
Throughout Haight-Ashbury the talk is about a parade the Hare Kas are
organizing. ymasundara convinces the Diggers to donate a yellow Hertz
rental truck, which Jaynanda uses to drive all over town picking up supplies
and donations of fruit and flowers. Everywhere he goes he distributes posters,
encouraging everyone to tell their friends about the Ratha-ytr parade. The
ladies are busy cooking thousands of chapatis for prasdam distribution, while
other devotees blow up hundreds of Hare Ka Ratha-ytr" balloons to
release during the procession. When its time to decorate the truck, Jaynanda
recruits volunteers and installs the sound system himself. Seemingly tireless, his
enthusiasm lights a spark in everyone else.
Gurudsa: He was very steady. Hed fix something and he wasnt looking
around for something better to do. He was a simple person in the highest way.
I say that as the highest compliment. Because of that, he was able to be steady
without it being difficult. He was an extremely hard worker and he was like
Mr. Jagannath festival. I took the photos of the first Ratha-ytr.

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 July 9, 1967

Today is Ratha-ytr day in San Francisco. For the first time the festival is
celebrated outside India. A beautiful sunny morning draws out many hippies to
join the devotees for the celebration. The Deities are brought out one by one,
escorted by an enthusiastic kirtan, and installed under a four-pillared gazebo,
whose pyramid canopy is gaily covered with satin cloth. It sits on top of a
flatbed truck decorated with flags, festoons, and flower garlands. Lord
Jagannath and Lord Balarama are enthroned on opposite sides to give Their
merciful glances to all passersby. Lady Subhadra sits behind, majestically
looking out from the back to see all the devotees. Yamun sits with her
harmonium, leading the chanters on the truck. The amplified voices engulf the
streets, creating a spiritual atmosphere in America, the land of In God we
Trust.
The parade begins at the corner of Haight and Lyon. Jaynanda had tried to
get a permit for a parade through the park, but the police only give their
permission to go down Frederick Street to the sea. Nevertheless, they do
provide motorcycle escorts, which are meant to hurry the parade along. But so
many people crowd the street that the devotees are obliged to go as slowly as
Prabhupda had instructed them. Yamun really gets her kirtan going, with
Subala leading the devotees in ecstatic dancing. Jaynanda jumps higher and
higher, jubilantly playing his kartls. The ladies standing on the truck
distribute chapatis with slices of orange, apple, and banana. Everyone throws
flowers to onlookers as the procession marches on to the beach.
ymasundara is carefully driving the truck. As he navigates a steep hill, the
trucks engine stalls. He tries to start it up again, but the truck starts rolling
backwards. The devotees become frightened. At last the engine fires up and the
truck moves on up the hill once again. But then the engine stalls a second time.
Again it begins rolling backwards and again ymasundara quickly brakes,
starts the engine, and begins moving up the hill. This happens several times,
and the devotees are put into transcendental anxiety. At last they reach the
top. From here on, the Deities get a smooth ride all the way down to the Pacific.
After the parade the festival truck, complete with Deities, devotees, and
canopy, heads out onto the freeway, across Golden Gate Bridge and on to
Stinson Beach. As the devotees wave, wishing everyone Hare Ka, the

79
drivers rushing around on the freeway are astounded to see such an unusual
sight.
Prabhupda sits in the living room chanting his rounds when he hears
kartls ringing ching ching ching, ching ching ching. He goes out to greet the
smiling devotees who immediately jump from the truck to offer their
obeisances. He directs them to bring in Lord Jagannath, Lord Balarama, and
Lady Subhadra and place Them on top of the piano. Full of excitement, the
devotees relate all the incidents of the day as Krtannanda prepares to serve
the feast he has cooked.
rla Prabhupda laughs to hear the stories, especially when the truck
refused to go up the hill. He tells them that this is a Lord Jagannath ll that was
also performed at the time of Mahprabhu. The carts would refuse to move,
even when the King of Orissa had brought his elephants to pull the ropes.
Finally, Lord Caitanya put His head behind the cart and pushed. Only then did
the cart move. Now Ratha-ytr has come to the West, and Lord Jagannath has
also brought this pastime.
Right after Ratha-ytr, Prabhupda announces his intention to return to
India due to ill health. Everybody is plunged into despair, wondering if they can
carry on without him, or if they will ever see him again. He has just had a brush
with death, and now hes leaving for India, perhaps never to return. Their
concern deepens their affection.
Jaynanda is particularly heartbroken. He wants to do something for the
man who has given his life meaning. He resolves to sell the stock that his
parents have invested for his future and give his life savings of five thousand
dollars to rla Prabhupda instead, as guru-daki, because he knows he can
never repay the debt to the spiritual master.
On the last morning together the devotees accompany Swamiji to the
airport. Some are crying. Jaynanda wonders if he will ever see him again.
Before boarding the plane to New York, Prabhupda requests them to remain
Ka conscious and to carry on preaching. With tears in their eyes they watch
sadly as he passes through the gate and disappears out of their vision.
On July 22, the San Francisco devotees hear the news that their beloved
Swamiji has left New York for India, accompanied by Krtannanda. In
Prabhupdas pocket are the original forty rupees he arrived with two years

80
earlier. He was never able to exchange them for dollars, since rupees are not
accepted as an international currency. In reality, he had come to America with
no money at all.

Second Wave The Gemini Twins

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the six Goswamis, namely r Rupa

Goswami, r Sanatana Goswami, r Raghuntha Bhatta Goswami, r
Raghuntha dsa Goswami, r Jva Goswami, and r Gopal Bhatta Goswami,
who are very expert in scrutinizingly studying all the revealed scriptures with
the aim of establishing eternal religious principles for the benefit of all human
beings. Thus they are honored all over the three worlds, and they are worth
taking shelter of because they are absorbed in the mood of the gops and are
engaged in the transcendental loving service of Rdh and Ka.
Sad-goswamy-astaka of rnivs crya, verse 2

Seva Kunj, Vndvana 1535

All the followers of Lord Caitanya are glorious, but the Six Goswamis of
Vndvana are especially acclaimed for their sublime literature that
substantiates the conclusions of the super excellence of prema-bhakti in the
mood of the Vraja gops. They also uncover the lost sites of Lord Kas
pastimes and establish beautiful temples for His glorification.
rla Jva Goswami, the nephew of Rupa and Sanatana, is the last of the six
to arrive in Vndvana. At an early age he is attracted to the ascetic life of
renunciation. When his mother passes away in 1535, Jva leaves home to join his
uncles in Seva Kunj.
Seva Kunj is the most sacred spot in Vndvana, being the site of the
rsa-ll, where r r Rdh-ymasundara eternally enjoy ecstatic loving
pastimes. Taking shelter of Rupa Goswami, Jva renders menial service and
helps him prepare manuscripts. He will become r Rupas foremost disciple.
The Goswamis soon begin to install Deities for worship. In 1542, two of the
most important Deities of Vndvana make Their appearance. First, the
self-manifested Deity, r Rdh-raman, appears to Gopal Bhatta Goswami out

81
of a lagrma-il that he had obtained from the Gandaki River. Then, during
the month of Kartik, Rupa Goswami presents Jva with a beautiful Deity carved
by his own hand from a piece of black marble from the Vindhya Hills. He is
Lord Dmodara, the ia-deva of Jva Goswami.
Since the Six Goswamis are eternally liberated souls, we understand that the
Deities appearing to them are their eternally worshippable Lords, not simply
mrtis to help them advance in sdhana-bhakti.
Lord Dmodara is installed by Rupa Goswami at Seva Kunj, where He
quickly becomes the life and soul of both r Rupa and r Jva. The temples of
Vndvana have yet to be built, so the Deities accept worship in the tree under
which each Goswami lives. Rupa Goswami completes his most celebrated work,
Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, in 1552 under the tree where r Dmodara is
worshipped.
Many exalted Vaiavas come to hear r Rupa speak on the elevated topics
of prema-bhakti at Seva Kunj. In 1558, Jva Goswami purchases a large tract of
land surrounding Seva Kunj, with the idea to preserve the sacred site for the
Gauya Vaiavas. In this holy place r Jva establishes a prominent temple
for his Lord Dmodara. Although Rupa Goswami is renowned for establishing a
temple for Rdh-Govinda, his bhajanrama is at Seva Kunj.
In his final days, r Rupa hands over all his manuscripts to Jva Goswami,
requesting him to write commentaries on them. Rupa Goswami enters
mah-samdhi in 1564, and Jva Goswami solemnly places the transcendental
body of r Rupa into his samdhi mandira, where it remains today in the
courtyard behind Rdh-Dmodara temple. Before long, Jva becomes
recognized as the Acharya due to his vast learning and missionary mood; the
most authoritative acharya in the Gauya sampradya, says rla Prabhupda .
(Teachings of Lord Chaitanya, Chapter 31)
Writing prodigiously, r Jva quickly attracts a great deal of fame as a
scholar and a saint. Even the Moghul ruler, Emperor Akbar, arrives in
Vndvana in 1570 to have an exclusive darshan with the distinguished saint.
Moved by a genuine religious experience, Akbar begins to patronize the work of
the Goswamis, offering Jva Goswami a grant to erect a library housing the
Vaiava scriptures. Jva also oversees the construction of beautiful temples for
the worship and glorification of the Deities of the Goswamis.

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 In particular, r Jva directs Raja Man Singh of Ajmer to build a temple to
properly worship his Lord Dmodara. The temple becomes the classic
Rdh-Dmodara Mandir, celebrated for its vast library of the original works of
the Goswamis. Understanding Lord Caitanyas mood to save the conditioned
souls, Jva Goswami founds the Vishva Vaiava Raja Sabha to train up
preachers for the sakrtana mission. The Rdh-Dmodara temple becomes
the missions headquarters where the Vraja Vaiavas meet to discuss the
propagation of Lord Caitanyas teachings. It is here, also, that rla Prabhupda
will later spend years formulating his attack on my in pursuance of the
mission of Jva Goswami under the shelter of r r Rdh-Dmodara.
Due to his vast erudition, r Jva attracts adherents from all over India who
flock to Vndvana to study under him. His most outstanding students are
Narottama dsa hkur, rnivas Acharya, and Shyamananda Prabhu.
In 1582 Jva calls a meeting at Rdh-Dmodara Mandir to formally
announce his intention of sending out these three preachers with the
bhakti-stras of the Goswamis for the benefit of humanity. rnivas Acharya
accepts West Bengal as his preaching field. Shyamananda prefers to preach in
Orissa, while Narottama dsa hkur chooses East Bengal (present-day
Bangladesh) to spread the glories of prema-bhakti. Jva Goswami arranges a
bullock cart and loads it with a chest full of the writings of the Goswamis.
The first traveling sakrtana party (TSKP) leaves Rdh-Dmodara Mandir
as a padaytr heading East. Ten soldiers accompany the party to guard the
precious scriptures. Crossing the breadth of India without any incident, the
party finally arrives in the province of West Bengal. They pass the night on the
bank of a lake on the outskirts of Vana Vishnupur, rejoicing to be back in the
holy land of r Caitanyas appearance.
Unknown to the party, their entrance into Bengal is being tracked with
great interest. A rascal astrologer has informed a band of thieves about a party
traveling East bearing a great treasure. Seeing the chest guarded by ten soldiers
and three sadhus, the thieves are convinced that this must be the treasure and
succeed in stealing it during the night.
The next morning rnivas discovers the theft. The three devotees are in
complete shock. Narottama and Shyamananda are so distraught they want to
end their lives immediately by drowning themselves in the lake. rnivas,

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however, encourages them to carry on to their respective prabhu-datta dea. He
will remain behind and will not rest until he has recovered the precious books.
Embracing each other with heavy hearts, they part ways.
rnivas Acharya decides to seek the help of the local ruler, Raja Bir Hambir,
to trace out the theft. It is the king himself, however, who has been sending out
raiding parties to rob wealthy travelers in order to maintain his treasury. When
his astrologer had predicted a great treasure was coming, the king thought his
financial problem was solved. Instead, he is devastated to find the Goswami
literature in his possession. Realizing he has committed a grave sin, the king
sponsors a daily reading of rmad-Bhgavatam for the public, hoping to
mitigate his offense by this sukti.
rnivas begins to attend these public recitals and is soon recognized by that
assembly as an elevated scholar of the Bhgavatam. This attracts the attention
of the king, who admits to being in possession of the stolen writings, and results
in rnivas recovering the bhakti-stras. The king becomes a disciple of
rnivas and decrees Gauya Vaishnavism to be the state religion. In one
stroke rnivas delivers the mercy of Lord Caitanya to Vana Vishnupur.
At his ancestral home in East Bengal, Narottama dsa hkur receives the
good news by messenger. He is devoting himself to writing transcendental songs
describing the glories of Rdh-Ka ll and Caitanya ll. His music soon
attracts attention all over Bengal, and a constant stream of people come to
Kheturi to have his association.
Feeling separation from all the followers of Caitanya Mahprabhu,
Narottama decides to honor the appearance of r Caitanya with a huge festival
to bring the Vaiavas together. Months in advance he sends out messengers
with invitations, as preparations are made at home to facilitate all the guests.
Thousands of Vaiavas travel overland by foot from as far away as
Vndvana and Orissa to join the celebration in the association of many
exalted sdhus. Narottamas chanting at the festival is so divinely inspired that
the entire Panca Tattva, who had long since departed this world, appear in the
middle of his kirtan, dancing in ecstasy. This miracle is observed by thousands
of eye-witnesses, who become mad in ecstatic love of God. Thus, the first Gaura
Purnima celebration becomes one of the most glorious events in Vaiava
history, and one of the great miracles on earth.

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 Narottamas style of kirtan is gradually adopted as the standard for all
Gauya Vaiavas. His preaching is also responsible for the conversion of the
entire country of Manipur into a Vaiava state. Again, by converting the king,
Vaishnavism becomes the state religion. Soon all the citizens take up the
chanting of the mah-mantra.
Shyamananda is successful spreading the sakrtana movement all over
Orissa, which had since fallen into the hands of Pathan iconoclasts. By his
vigorous preaching and saintly qualities, he rejuvenates the lives of the
devastated Vaiavas. Along with Raja Man Singh, the military commander
who defeats the Phns and drives out the invaders, Shyamananda
reestablishes Gauya Vaishnavism throughout the region bringing spiritual
sustenance and inspiration to the people. (For a detailed history of rnivas,
Narottama, and Shyamananda, see Lives of the Vaishnava Saints by Satyaraja
dasa.)

San Francisco August, 1967

For the youth of America in the 60s life is like a real edge, and some are
right out on that edge. They are just barely making it through, seeking to find
out what life is all about and trying to adjust. In their own way the new
Vaiavas are doing the same thing. Ka consciousness has just arrived and
the new converts feel like pioneers in an uncharted domain. The appeal lies in
its offer of a positive alternative to establishment values.
Without their beloved Swamiji the devotees carry on in the mood of
separation. They have become a tight-knit family. Every morning they offer
obeisances to one another on sight. This loving mood carries over to their
service, especially in the kitchen. The reputation of the prasdam program
spreads rapidly, and college students begin to drop by for lunch.
Cidananda: Jaynanda was the main person to preach to me when I came. I
was a student at San Francisco State College, and I would come there for
lunch and meet the devotees. But then I finally got some association with
Jaynanda. He was working as a cab driver all day, and he was never around
the temple. When he would come in the evenings, he was very tired. He would
usually eat and go to his room. One time I went up to where he was living and
saw him. He immediately just sat me down, very friendly, and started

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 preaching nicely.
Listen, this Ka consciousness is very nice. Its something we dont
understand so much right away, but its actually very sweet. You try it and
youll find it will help your life. I could see that he was older and college
educated. He was a little bit more mature, so I could relate to him a little
better.
Although Jaynanda is a senior devotee in San Francisco, he is happy to
continue driving a cab all day in order to support the temple. The devotees are
proud of him. They point him out to guests as he sits up against a wall in
half-lotus, intently chanting japa while rocking back and forth. Thats
Jaynanda. He drives a taxi all day and gives the money to Swamiji.
He is very dedicated and always willing to do anything that is required. In
this way hes a great example, and his association is enlivening to the other
devotees. His service attitude is so inspiring that many guests are enticed into
the mood themselves, and they also want to offer their service. He can get
people to work long hours because he always does so himself.
On Sundays he likes to go into the kitchen and make his special cookies for
the Love Feast. These cookies are so popular that they quickly become famous
in the Haight, and people drop in simply to sample these goodies along with the
regular prasdam.
When Jaynanda gives class, he sits the way Prabhupda has shown with his
back very straight and one leg crossed over the other. His eyes are generally
closed as he speaks, citing explanations based on experiences with the
passengers in his taxi. With great compassion he portrays the miserable
condition of material life directly from the problems and difficulties related by
his riders. He never speaks in a joking way but always with a tremendous
empathy for their suffering condition.
By the conviction with which he speaks, the devotees understand and
appreciate that he has no illusions about any pleasure in material existence. In
his dealings with non-devotees he is their friend. When he approaches people
to render service, he always strikes up a friendship first. In this way he engages
them in devotional service by relating to them on their own level. They feel he
is one of them, like the garbage collector who calls him Johnny-ananda. But
more than friendship, he conveys to them his Ka consciousness. He is not

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just learning philosophy and trying to apply it in his life; he actually embodies
these qualities. Because he has genuine Ka consciousness, that attracts
people and it penetrates into their hearts.
Early one morning a phone call from New York sets the Frederick Street
temple abuzz. The news is that Swamiji will give Krtannanda the Vaiava
tridai-sannysa rama on Janmam day, August 28, at Rdh-Dmodara
Temple. The new sannys will then return to the West to preach. Swamijis
letter adds a very prophetic statement. I expect that all of you will combine
together to open at least 108 centers before I leave this world. (Letter to
Brahmnanda, August 27, 1967)
The theme of opening 108 centers will be repeated on many occasions, but it
is under the shelter of r r Rdh-Dmodara in Vndvana that the desire is
first expressed. By the mercy of Rdh-Dmodara, rla Prabhupdas desire will
be fulfilled even if They have to open the centers Themselves!

September, 1967

Some of the devotees have been going up to Morning Star Ranch. Since
Prabhupdas visit in April many commune members are now chanting Hare
Ka. This is a community where people are coming and going from San
Francisco and many of them are favorable to the chanting. It is a good
preaching field where numerous devotees are made.
Upendra: I remember Viujana sitting around a campfire at night, and his
desire to sing was evident even then. He had a little girl in his arms, probably
his wifes daughter. People were beating on sticks and drums around the
campfire, and he was just howling with such intensity. It took Prabhupda to
fill his empty howl with the name of Ka, but then he was just howling and
singing without words. He looked like your hippie wild man, raggedy with
stringy hair, but his voice was so energetic and deep. It was a thick resonant
voice. Whether he spoke or whether he sang, it always seemed to come from
his heart.
Viujana had grown up in the Bay Area. He had three sisters and, being the
only son, was very much loved by his parents. His mothers side of the family
was very religious and his father was a pious Italian family man. As a youngster
he was an altar boy in the Catholic church, assisting the Priest on Sunday,

87
bringing in articles for worship on a silver tray dressed in his little white frock.
Outside church his boyhood hero was Davy Crockett, the King of the wild
frontier, who died at the Alamo defending Texas. The young lad was fond of
wearing his coon-skin cap with tail dangling down his back.
In his teen years he was so strong and athletic he won a place on the high
school wrestling team. After high school he moved up to Haight-Ashbury and
joined a rock band. He was a brilliant guitar player, and his band was pushing
the edges of the new psychedelic music scene. Although offered the
opportunity to take guitar lessons, he had refused and taught himself how to
play. On June 19, 1967, at the famous Monterey International Festival,
showcasing the best of serious rock music, his band played their original songs
as part of an anti-festival free concert on the nearby football field of the
Monterey Peninsula College.
Viujana is a very tall and lanky hippie with a classic Italian nose and olive
skin, but he has a quality about him that separates him from the rest. Coming
down the street with long wavy hair flowing down past his shoulders and
wearing a white robe decorated with lace, he seems to glow. He is larger than
life with a strong, positive aura. Seeing the church riddled with politics and
hypocrisy, he has become disillusioned with organized religion and seeks solace
in mysticism and the occult. He is very other-worldly, delving deeply into
astrology, the tarot, and occult Kabbala before rla Prabhupdas arrival with
the mah-mantra at Morning Star Ranch.
He lives with his wife Linda, who is pregnant, and her daughter Sylvia.
Linda has long blonde hair and is gracefully slim, wearing the long dresses of the
flower child era. They rent a quaint little house in Haight-Ashbury on a grassy
hillside surrounded by trees, which gives it a clean, country atmosphere. Both
are still teenagers.
Viujana lives from day to day by making flutes out of bamboo and selling
them on the street. Sitting on a rug on Haight Street playing a flute, he makes
an occasional sale. Sometimes he walks over to Golden Gate Park and stands by
the entrance playing away with a bag full of flutes dangling over his shoulder.
He is an idealist, a romantic personality in the classical sense.
He likes to visit the temple on Frederick Street, having attended the first
Ratha-ytr in July with Sylvia riding on his shoulders. He had chanted Hare

88
Ka with the devotees and loved it. Linda is not so taken by the devotees and
prefers to stay home because she is in her final month of pregnancy.
Late one evening she suddenly goes into labor. Viujana has to deliver the
child himself. He chants Hare Ka as the infant enters the material world. Its
a girl. They name her Shekinah, which has to do with the divine light in the
occult Kabbalistic Jewish tradition.
As soon as Linda feels strong enough to go out, Viujana suggests they visit
the Rdh-Ka Temple to get a blessing for the baby. She agrees to his
proposal. The devotees greet them affectionately, and Viujana immediately
reciprocates their warmth. He purchases the Happening Album and begins to
play it constantly at home. Prabhupdas chanting increasingly captivates him.
His attraction to the devotees is strengthened by this visit.
Yamun dev ds: Viujana was married at the time. His wife was a
gorgeous woman with shoulder-length, ashen blond hair. She was stunning.
From the day that he came to the temple, he loved ithook, line, and
sinkerand she didnt. We had a doors-open policy all day, and we used to
have our lunches together. Then he would just hang around throughout the
day and talk. He immediately became attracted to Ka consciousness.
Within three days he was totally into it. Some people come and just see that
Ka is where theyre meant to be. There are devotees Ive known through the
ages, that when they walk through the door and spend a few days they really
pick up where they left off in a previous life. Theyre just at home. In the case
of Viujana, it was very clear within a few days of his arrival that this was
where he had to be for the rest of his life.
Gurudsa: He was a great musician. I remember he took a guitar one time in
the back and did a run all the way up and down the neck. He was a very, very
nice person. I always liked Viujanas personality. He would come to the
temple a lot, and we started to hang out because we liked each other.
Viujana leads a double life, commuting back and forth between the Haight
and Morning Star. In the city he is the family man, even delivering his own
child, but at the commune he lives as a recluse in the branches of a redwood
tree. He loves to wander through the woods playing a two-headed drum he has
fallen in love with. In the evening he likes to lead the group meditations around
the campfire.

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 Back in the city, Linda is not pleased with her husbands growing
attachment to the Morning Star lifestyle, nor with his newfound interest in the
temple. He is too other-worldly for her present situation. With two children,
she is now ready to settle down and wants a future with security. Her plans are
practical. The temple is just another part of the hippie scene, and her needs are
very down to earth. She wants her husband to be mature and recognize his love
for the family as more important than this Indian, mystical thing.
On a visit to the temple one day she makes her move. Either him or me,
she says, pointing to Prabhupdas picture. You either have to choose him or
me. The ultimatum comes as a shock to Viujana. He doesnt make a decision
right at this point, but it becomes a big conflict in his life.
Yamun dev ds: So there was the problem of his wife, and it was very
difficult for him to decide to leave her. He was torn and there were discussions
about it. I know that having just had a child was a major thing at the time.
Generally, when two people go through the birth of a child, they dont focus a
tremendous amount on their own personal needs. The child is the main focus.
But Ka consciousness might have been the wedge that came between them.
He had to choose.
Viujana is deeply torn. His love for wife, children, and family life is being
challenged by a deep attraction to the spiritualthe saintly life of serving God
and humanity. This was the life he dreamed about as an altar boy. Confused by
the turn of events, he returns to Morning Star to search his soul for the right
course of action, taking shelter in the solitude of the deep forest with only his
drum to allow him to express his inner turmoil.
New people are always drifting up to Morning Star Ranch from San
Francisco. Many are just looking for a peaceful space. Some are seeking a
mystical experience. Among them is a New Yorker. Brought up in an
intellectual, artistic environment, he had always been discouraged from any
religious practice by his agnostic Jewish parents. Still, as a boy, he would pray to
God at night to protect the people he loved. An only child, at age seven he felt
even more alone when his parents divorced.
In college he enjoyed arguing against the existence of God with his Catholic
philosophy professor. But he found logic and philosophy very dry and was soon
attracted by the mystical writings of Aquinas, Strindberg, and Hesse.

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 His quest for the mystical leads him to Haight-Ashbury, where he is startled
to see hundreds of young people just hanging out. They line the sidewalks,
leaning up against walls and store windows, shooting the breeze. Everyone has
long hair, the emblem of the new hippie movement. He also has long hair now,
tied back in a pony tail. As a stranger in town with nowhere to stay, he
approaches someone on the street.
Hey, man, I just pulled in from back East. Is there some place I can stay?
Yeah, sure. Just knock on a door. You can crash at anybodys pad.
He tentatively knocks on a likely looking door and to his complete surprise
they invite him in. The crash-pad is filled with more than twenty-five people
staying together, most of whom had never known each other before arriving in
the Haight. Hallucinogens are freely distributed. The entire status quo of
American establishment society is being challenged in Haight-Ashbury.
Meeting others who are also trying to experience a higher state of
consciousness, he quickly fits into the hippie scene. But the scene also has its
dark side that he finds less appealing. He is seeking a more natural and real
atmosphere. In this respect, San Francisco does not seem that much different
from New York.
Eventually he decides to visit the Morning Star commune. It becomes a bit
of an event because many people recognize him from Haight Street. Wandering
deep into the forest, he finds a hollow redwood tree and settles in to live in
seclusion as a hermit. Solace comes from Nature and from playing his flute in
the quiet of the forest. Living in this way, his mind becomes more peaceful and
open. He frequently comes out of the woods to join the nightly meditations
around the evening campfire, which include the chanting of Hare Ka since
Prabhupdas visit last April, but he always retreats to the seclusion of his tree
in the end.
Sometimes, by the will of Providence, we come face to face with our own
destiny. We may recognize it immediately, or we may simply be swept along by
the moment. Higher forces are always at work, although we are rarely aware of
their presence.
Viujana had been absent from Morning Star for months during the birth
of his daughter. But feeling the need to take a break from the dilemma
introduced by his wife, he has returned to his forest domain. Now alone with his

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drum, he wanders through the trees playing away as free as the wind.
Tamal Ka: I was playing my flute and he was playing his drum. I just
heard this drum and he just heard this flute. We were at a very far distance
playing on our own. I heard the sound and I wanted to play with whoever was
playing the drum. There were big woods there, and we somehow traced the
sound and found each other. We met and we just kept playing. We didnt
speak a word to each other. We played for about three hours together.
When we stopped, the first thing he said was, We should never separate.
We should always stay together. I looked at him and I agreed immediately,
We should always stay together. Oh, it was completely there. We left
Morning Star immediately and went back to San Francisco together.
Prabhupda had already been there, and Viujana had been to the temple
many times. He had the Happening Album. In fact, thats when I started to
chant Hare Ka more intensely. When I went to Morning Star, I joined in
some kirtans, but then when I went with him, we would listen to the album
and sometimes chant for hours.
The two youths are able to instantly open up and reveal their hearts to each
other. Viujana extols the potency of the mah-mantra. He glorifies the
Rdh-Ka Temple and tells how his wife and he have been going there. His
new friend is at once interested.
Having returned to San Francisco, Viujana is now clear in his heart. He
informs Linda that he cant possibly give up his way of life. He begs her to
reconsider and to try and understand the temple. She is deeply angry but
forgiving at the same time. This was not part of the plan. Now he has brought a
friend back who is also into it. She decides to give her husband more
timehopefully his band will make it big, and there will be record albums and
world tours, fame and fortune. She has to be practical. A woman needs money
to raise a family.
At first Tamal stays with Viujana and Linda and then at the flats of
various friends. Finally he gets his own little place, subletting a basement room
for only ten dollars a month. By selling the local underground paper, The
Berkeley Barb, he earns enough to maintain himself.

Vndvana September, 1967

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 Back in his rooms at Rdh-Dmodara Temple, Prabhupda meditates on
sending his young Vaiava couples all over the world to preach bhakti culture.
Four hundred years earlier Rupa Goswami regularly taught the principles of
Ka bhakti. Later, Jva Goswami had trained preachers and sent them out to
spread bhakti culture throughout India. Now Prabhupda has six centers in
America. Besides New York, San Francisco, and Montreal, now Subala and
Ka dev have opened one in Santa Fe, Daynanda and Nandar in Los
Angeles, and Satsvarpa and Jadur in Boston. These new Vaiavas can
open and maintain centers even in his absence. Lord Caitanya had wanted this.
As the prophecy unfolds he is filled with wonder.
In Vndvana Prabhupda continues to preach Ka consciousness with
two young American followers, Acyutananda and Ramanuja, who have
recently arrived at Rdh-Dmodara.
Dr O.B.L. Kapoor: One day I was sitting in Rdh-Dmodara Temple
waiting on the veranda for someone. Prabhupda had a room there. He came
out with two of his Western disciples. I looked at him and he looked at me.
Thirty years had passed. I couldnt recognize him, because age had made a lot
of difference, and I had not seen him as a sannys with that tridaa. It was
a different set up altogether, so I couldnt recognize him. But he kept on
looking at me, and then he ventured a guess, Dr. Kapoor?
I recognized him from his voice, Abhay Babu? Oh, and he
embraced mea very happy reunion. He was going to a program, and he
cancelled that program and took me inside his room and told me all about the
work that he had done in the West. He showed me some newspaper cuttings
and so on. After that I would meet him off and on.
Prabhupdas pronouncement so many decades ago, and I shall preach it
the whole world over, has now come true. Dr. Kapoor is amazed that his old
friend, Abhay Babu, has actually fulfilled the desire of their Guru Mahrja,
rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkur. The mission of Lord Caitanya was
indeed spreading throughout the entire world.
In the Gauya Math, who could have imagined that Abhay Babu, the
householder who lived outside, would become the next World Acharya? Back
then he was not a big leader, nor was he a sannys, nor did he have any
disciples. He didnt even live in the Math! Yet there was one quality he did

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havethe proper service mood. This service attitude is what Ka sees. When
one is so dedicated to fulfilling the desires of his Guru Mahrja, Ka takes
this as the sign of pure love and elevates that devotee to the topmost position of
His personal service.
Through his letters Prabhupda maintains his fledgling ISKCON mission,
always giving encouragement and solving the problems of his young disciples.
When Jaynanda receives a letter from His Divine Grace, everyone crowds
around him eager to hear the latest news.
Im so glad to receive your letter of August 30, and I know that you are a
sincere devotee of Lord Ka. When you drive your car you always chant
Hare Ka and when I was by your side I could understand how heartily you
have accepted the philosophy of Ka consciousness. Ka is very kind to all
but He is especially kind to His sincere devotees. Ka is always with us,
within our hearts, and He is always ready to give us direction, but because
everyone is independent, Ka responds cooperatively. Anyone who
voluntarily cooperates with Kas desire, He responds to his call very eagerly.
Ka descends to teach us Bhagavad-gita begging our cooperation and anyone
who cooperates with Him becomes blessed.
You are sincerely cooperating with Ka and therefore you, all boys
and girls in San Francisco, are working together harmoniously. Harmony
means Ka consciousness. Without Ka consciousness there cannot be
harmony in the world...
Your acknowledgement Ka has been very merciful to me is
remarkable. You are realizing the fruit of chanting. So far my health is
concerned Im improving, by Kas grace, and it is due to your feeling of my
absence and eagerly awaiting for my return. Please go on cooperating with
your godbrothers. Im always with you. Never mind if I am physically absent.
Please convey my blessings to all the boys and girls and tell them that Im very
eager to return.
Letter to Jayananda, September 16, 1967

October, 1967

The mood in San Francisco is beginning to change. Over the summer

Americas presence in Southeast Asia has reached a half million troops. In
October 50,000 people march on the Pentagon in protest. The outrage amongst
Americans has now reached the streets. The mood is also getting heavier in the
Haight as well. The love and peace flower power of the summer is being

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replaced with student unrest and protest demonstrations.
The mood at Morning Star is also changing for the worse. Because of the
drugs and nudity, the government steps in to put a stop to the commune. To
prevent the authorities from closing it, Lou Gottlieb re-registers the ranch in
the name of God. The affair drags out into litigation. In court the judge asks,
What God are you talking about?
Lou pulls out a dollar bill, points to the words In God We Trust, and says,
This one. Unimpressed, they shut down the commune.
At Frederick street temple, however, the devotees are happy and elect
Jaynanda as the new president.
Mukunda: He became the temple president and would stay up real late,
always really helpful. If there was anything anyone wanted, hed always get it.
Whatever had to be done he would do it, however dirty, and he never
complained.
Prabhupda writes to say that this is a recognition by Ka, and offers his
congratulations. Everyone crowds around Jaynanda, eager to hear the latest
news from their spiritual master. The letter is full of instruction in reply to a
query that Jaynanda has put to his spiritual master. This is a question that
many devotees have on their minds.
Regarding your dispute in your mind as to remaining a brahmacari, grhastha or
becoming sannyasi, there is nothing to be bothered with. Anyone who is in full
Ka consciousness and is dedicating his life for Ka, is already a sannyasi
even if he is a married man. If you like you can become a householder and Ive
no objection to that. Our Vaiava philosophy instructs to become vidvati
sannyasi. This means a man who knows things as they are. Therefore a devotee
who knows that everything belongs to Ka, and that He is the proprietor of
all, such a devotee is certainly a vidvati sannyasi.
Our philosophy is that we should accept things as prasdam of Ka,
and nothing for sense enjoyment. Anyone who accepts things for sense
enjoyment, even if he is externally a saffron-dressed man, is not a sannyasi.
The mayavadi sannyasi considers himself as God. This concept of life develops
under illusion. When a person fails to become the Lord of the universe, it is
like the sly fox who attempts to taste the grapes and, failing to do so, says the
grapes are sour. The Mayavadi sannyasins are frustrated beings in their
attempt to enjoy the world, therefore they say the world is fake or the grapes
are sour. The world is not false. Ka is the Supreme Truth and the world is

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 His energy. Therefore, the energy of the Supreme Truth cannot be false. But
we must know that this energy is inferior to His spiritual energy
So when one is engaged in the service of the Lord, that person is
already in the spiritual energy, and a sannyasi, and the real purpose of a
sannyasi is to transform himself from the inferior to the superior spiritual
energy. If your consciousness is absorbed in Ka, you are always a sannyasi.
Letter to Jayananda, September 29, 1967

Jaynanda gets much inspiration from this letter and the deeper realization
that one can please Ka from any status of life. Devotional service must be
rendered free of personal sense gratification. The letter is posted on the bulletin
board. Everyone is inspired by this deeper understanding of devotional service,
bhagavat-dharma, beyond the interests of social structure which is based on the
identity of the body and its relative position in society.

December 14, 1967

The news that Prabhupda will be flying into San Francisco has all the
devotees thrilled. They gather expectantly at the airport to greet their beloved
master, who returns from India at 13:45 on Pan Am flight 846. Originally
expected on November 24, he was held up for three weeks due to a political
strike that ground the whole city of Calcutta to a halt. Now, at last, the
devotees will have his association again.
Coming through the long corridor into the Customs and Immigration Hall,
Prabhupda first notices Govinda ds and a few ladies smiling and waving from
behind a glass partition. More than fifty devotees and friends fall to their knees
to offer obeisances. As he gets in line to clear Customs, they call out, Hare
Ka! Hari Bol! rla Prabhupda holds up his arms in triumphant joy. A
kirtan begins as he waits for an inspector to go through his one suitcase. He has
brought saris for the girls, silk garlands for the Jagannath Deities, a coconut
grater for Yamun, kartls, his personal dhotis and kurtas, and little bottles of
Ayurvedic medicine. After close examination of the medicine bottles, the
Customs official clears him through. Finally, he steps through the doors into
the arrivals lounge, where devotees garland him, chanting wildly, as a conch
triumphantly announces the appearance of the pure devotee. He is back home.
Jaynanda has rented an old limousine and decorated it with flowers. Now
he resumes his old service as Prabhupdas chauffeur, driving him to his

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apartment. Prabhupda will stay in the same house on Willard Street, where
some of the devotees had been staying in his absence. His room looks out on a
streetcar-stop where people wait in line at the curb. In the back is a small porch
with stairs going down two levels to a garden.
The devotees reverentially wash his feet as he sits comfortably in his room.
He takes up his kartls and starts a slow, sweet kirtan. They are happy to see
him looking so healthy and deeply tanned. After a brief kirtan and talk, he
distributes the gifts he has brought and accepts a sumptuous feast. He has a
small but dedicated band of disciples here in San Francisco, and they resume
their service to him. Upendra once again is his personal servant and
Gaurasundara and Govinda ds are his secretaries.
Just after sunrise Prabhupda likes to take his morning walk. In San
Francisco he enjoys walking around Stowe Lake in Golden Gate Park.
Jaynanda drives him in the temples 1952 blue Ford coupe. The name
KRISHNA is stenciled on the car in multi-colors in three different places.
Although the passenger seat is broken and sits at an uncomfortable angle,
Prabhupda never complains. Everyone gets to join him on the walks, including
a few newcomers.
Happily situated back in America, Prabhupda and his followers are again a
family. He is their spiritual father, and they his obedient children. He solves all
their problems and clears away all their doubts. This is the loving relationship
between the spiritual master and his disciples.
Even though Prabhupda has been away half the year, the movement has
grown to six centers. On New Years Eve the devotees go down to Union
Square to perform sakrtana. Sometimes they also chant for the tourists at
Fishermans Wharf, but sakrtana is not yet an organized activity of the Hare
Ka movement.

January, 1968

Prabhupda leaves for Los Angeles in the first week of January to visit the
storefront center Daynanda and Nandar have rented at 5634 West Pico
Boulevard. Before setting off, he initiates the new people who have joined the
movement during his stay in India. These include Cidananda, Ka dsa, and
his sister rady, who is only sixteen and still going to high school.

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 Viujana and Tamal are not visiting the temple much during the Christmas
holidays and are unaware that Prabhupda is in town. They have been
exploring the San Francisco spiritual scene, attending the different meditations
that are popular around town, and have been sidetracked by a self-styled
American spiritualist who claims to have mystical experiences. Very quickly
they become his main assistants and begin to lead some of the nightly
meditations.
Early in the new year, when Viujana and Tamal return to the temple they
find it crowded with people. They are dismayed to hear that they have missed
rla Prabhupda in their absence. Drawn by the enthusiasm that rla
Prabhupda has generated amongst the devotees, the news that he will soon
return to Frederick Street excites them.
Now Viujana begins to visit the temple again regularly, and Linda relents
in her attempt to dissuade him from this path. In a mood of reconciliation she
starts going to the temple again herself to try to understand and appreciate his
choice. Her goal is to keep the family from splintering apart.
Devotees are always traveling. Sometimes they are sent by their spiritual
master, and other times they move due to some problem. Gargamuni and his
young bride, Karumay, are having problems. They are newly arrived in San
Francisco from New York in an attempt to save their marriage.
Karumay dev ds: When I first saw Viujana, he was with his wife
Linda. She had a daughter from a previous relationship. Then they also had a
baby togethera girl. He delivered that baby and hand-carved a cradle for
her. I think he was carrying the baby himself in a front pack.
Both of them just stood out, and everybody kind of stopped everything and
went, Wow. She was very pretty. I got to know her on a personal level, and
she didnt have that quality that he had, but she was stunning to look at with
long blond hair. They were both really beautiful.
Viujana was so other-worldly. He always had a prasdam appreciation
even before he knew about prasdam. He would always cut up apples and give
pieces to everybody, Good morning, brother. Good morning, sister. Thats
the kind of person he was. He called everybody brother and sister. He was
definitely in the mood of St. Francis of Assisi. It was just really him. He was
always like that.

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 Roaming the streets of Haight-Ashbury together, Viujana and Tamal like
to play music on street corners where they collect enough money for their
maintenance. They play well together, and Viujana wants to bring Tamal to a
band practice to see if they will be able to get on together. The band has been
playing in Sausalito and other hip places. They are definitely a good group due
to Viujana being a brilliant musician. But at the rehearsals it is obvious that
the other band members are not in the same spiritual space.
Tamal Ka: It was because of me that the band broke up. He brought me
back to San Francisco and I was a flute player. We hit it off so close that he
lost his attraction to the music he was making. Spiritually we were on the
same wave length. He brought me over to some of their rehearsals, but these
people were not spiritually evolved.
He was an amazing musician. He had the inside of a pianothe guts of a
pianowhich he had mounted on a wall. He used to play it like a harpthe
most celestial sounds. Whenever he would play, I would think this person is
coming from the heavens. I have never heard anyone else play music like that.
He could just endlessly create the most beautiful melodies, celestial melodies.
It was similar to the music of the day, but the best music I ever heard. Very
mode of goodness. Not passion. The way he would play a guitar was also
amazing. It didnt sound like an ordinary electric guitar, more like a harp or
something. He was hearing sounds that I had never heard. They were not part
of jazz, nor classical music, nor rock. They were different sounds completely.
Thats the impression I always had of his music.
Left at home with the children, Linda begins to feel more and more
excluded. She slowly realizes that Viujana is choosing Ka over her and
family life. Now that his band is breaking up, her dreams of fame and fortune in
the music business evaporate. Viujanas spiritual direction does not interest
her. There are basic, fundamental differences between them. Still, she finds it
difficult to consider separating due to her love for him. Maybe she can shock
him out of his reverie. In a desperate gambit she demands that he take
responsibility for the family, or leave.
Viujana finds he has no choice. Although he is devoted to Linda and the
baby, he cannot give up Ka. When Tamal hears that Linda has handed down
an ultimatum, he invites Viujana to share his room. They live together as

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brothers.
Linda becomes deeply resentful. She feels bitter about the temple because
she has just lost her husband and the father of her children. What is she to do
now? A single woman with two kids to support cannot go off for nightly
meditations even if she wanted to. The children have to be fed, clothed, and
educated. She cannot see how the temple benefits her or the children.
Karumay dev ds: She didnt like the movement. She began to hate it
because he left her for it. She didnt want to be involved in it herself, but he
was going, and when the choice was made, he definitely chose ISKCON and
left everything, including her. So she really was very bitter about that. I would
say that he was so other-worldly that wife and family were secondary to him.
Ka consciousness grabbed him in a more fulfilling, other-worldly, and
spiritual way. It grabbed his sense of romanticism and imagination.

March 8, 1968

On Friday morning, PSA flight 977 from Los Angeles touches down in San
Francisco carrying His Divine Grace. Jaynanda has arranged many
engagements for rla Prabhupda. The first date is at the YMCA Sunday
School, where the children enjoy the chanting. On Monday Prabhupda leads
the devotees in sakrtana at the public library in Oakland. Many people join in
as soon as the chanting begins. Tuesday afternoon he is interviewed on KGO
talk radio, and people call in with their questions. His answers are very
illuminating, and a lively discussion ensues.
Yamun realizes that everything Prabhupda says is extremely important, so
she vigilantly records every talk he gives. The following day she and Gargamuni
arrange to record him singing Vande ha and the prayers from
Brahma-samhita. After the recording Prabhupda leaves for San Francisco
State College. The lecture is well attended, and students surround him asking
questions long after the program is finished. On Thursday, March 14, rla
Prabhupda is again at Frederick Street to help the devotees celebrate the holy
appearance day of r Caitanya Mahprabhu.
Large crowds of people come each evening to hear Prabhupda lecture on
Bhagavad-gt. He is preaching in a soft mellow mood these days and singing
very sweetly. The young people, the seekers, the hippies, and young mothers

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with children are regular visitors. About half are seriously seeking answers to
life. The rest have dropped out of the status quo and are lost souls with no
direction. The temple is filled with this type of congregation every evening.
Tamal and Viujana are among the seekers who come to the evening lectures,
and they return during the day with questions.
rady dev ds: Tamal Ka and Viujana were friends and came
together. They were both Geminis. They reminded me of Gemini twins. They
both used to play flutes, and Viujana used to make them out of bamboo. I
remember Mlat and I chanting outside the temple and watching Viujana
and Tamal Ka walking down the street. They had been to the temple, and
we were talking to each other, When are those guys going to join up? You
could tell they were just on the verge. They were both very special.
As they begin to attend the temple on a regular basis, Karumay enjoys
preaching to them. This is not appreciated by her husband Gargamuni.
Previously she was a hippie and felt at home in that world. She joined rla
Prabhupda being enamoured and infatuated by the movement and the
philosophy. But she still feels at home in the hippie world and loves the hippie
mood. Gargamuni dislikes hippies and is judgmental towards non-devotees. In
Haight-Ashbury it all comes to a head. She quickly realizes they have little in
common beyond Ka.
Karumay dev ds: That had everything to do with my break up with
Gargamuni because he hated hippies. He was always referring to them as
dirty, filthy pigs. It was bigotry, really. He was so judgmental towards other
people, and he was so young, trying to grasp these deep concepts given by rla
Prabhupda. He would just take off on people. He was so dogmatic. Our
marriage didnt work out because I couldnt deal with that dogmatism. He
was verbally cruel to people outside the movement that he would run across,
or to people who were thinking of becoming devotees. It was just too much for
me.
Karumay begins to feel more and more estranged from temple life as her
marriage continues to fall apart. She still loves Ka consciousness, but her
natural, feminine, soft heart is inclined to take the side of the underdogin
this case anyone her husband continues railing against. Her solution appears in
the form of Viujana and Tamals daily arrival at the temple programs. She

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can preach to these two far-out hippies about Ka consciousness and at the
same time enjoy their company. As devotees engage Viujana and Tamal in
temple service, she takes the opportunity to further associate by explaining the
philosophy and answering their questions. They are impressed to hear her speak
about spiritual life in a much deeper way than the other spiritualists they are
visiting. Their faith in Prabhupda increases as a result. She sees them as
friends, and they reciprocate her friendly mood.
The brahmacrs have a different perspective. They see her behavior as
whimsical. They explain to the newcomers that in the Vedic system men and
women do not mix freely. If one wants to make advancement on the path, he
must give up the association of the opposite sex. For a brahmacr, association
with women is strictly forbidden because it courts falldown. Tamal, being
single, identifies more with the brahmacrs.
As her marriage is falling apart Karumay begins to take shelter of
Viujana, knowing full well his marriage is also falling apart. She preaches and
encourages him, and then he encourages Tamal. The householder couples are
glad to see Karumay engaged in preaching service. This will take her mind
off her marital problems. Viujana is already married, so Karumays
preaching is not a disturbance.
Gargamuni becomes increasingly upset as he begins to sense how much his
wife is enjoying preaching to the two friends. Compelled by anger, he
challenges her. Hearing his tirade, she digs her heels in even more. The
incident further alienates them and gives Karumay more impetus to act
independently. Convinced that these hippies are only interested in his wife and
not really sincere about Ka consciousness, Gargamuni tries to have
Viujana and Tamal barred from coming to the temple. Unwittingly, the two
newcomers are caught up in a clash of cultures threatening to undermine their
status amongst the devotees.
Yamun dev ds: My sense was that Gargamuni was a very abusive man,
and we were all aware of some of that abusive nature without being married
to him. Viujana was an attractive man, the kind of human being that you
want people to be. His good qualities showed up immediately. As I recall it, he
was just calling the bluff of Gargamuni, who was a bully. Nobody else was
willing to do it, but Viujana stood up to him, so Karumay became

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 attached. Viujana just said, No more, but Gargamuni accused him in
retaliation. Everyone was totally aware of it, and there were showdowns in
the temple over it.
The temple becomes divided over this controversy. Gargamuni convinces
the brahmacrs that these two people are not sincere. When Viujana and
Tamal show up at the Willard Street house to visit rla Prabhupda for
darshan, they are denied entrance. Viujana is very disappointed. He is still
married and has seen the other householder men speak to the women. He
understands that they view him as an outsider, an intruder. But he also knows
that Karumays preaching has enabled him to come to a deeper level of
commitment to Ka consciousness. Tamal suggests that maybe this is a test.
The tension heightens when Karumay arrives at Tamals door one
evening begging for shelter. She explains that her marriage has reached the
breaking point. She can no longer tolerate the abuse. Feeling charitable, Tamal
allows her to stay in the front part of the basement flat he shares with
Viujana.
Early in the morning theres a loud knocking at the door. Gargamuni strides
in abruptly, displaying an angry mood. Unaware that Karumay is hiding in
fear of being discovered, he explains that to associate with another mans wife is
contrary to all scriptures and offensive to Ka. According to the Vedas, if
you steal the wife of another man you can be killed.
What?! They are shocked to see him so agitated.
Ive always maintained my wife and worked honestly. My only interest is to
serve my spiritual master. Why are you giving me trouble? And to yourselves
too? The tone is threatening. Tamal discreetly remains quiet.
Listen, brother. Were coming to the temple because were into spiritual
life, Viujana explains. Ive already got a wife. Youve seen her. Do I need
another? His voice is soothing. He explains that he has just given up a gorgeous
wife and a child he has delivered with his own hands to take to the spiritual
path. It doesnt make sense to get involved with another mans wife just a few
weeks later, does it?
Frankly, Gargamuni admits, my wife isnt worth it. Shes never been
much use, and I dont want anything more to do with that woman. Why should
we get entangled over her?

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 There was never anything intimate going on, Viujana replies. She was
just preaching and we only saw her in that light. She was looking for some
friends. Actually, we just want to become devotees.
Then give up this nonsense. If you really want to be devotees, you have to
love the pure devotee and follow his instructions.
Hey, we love God, and the Swami, and his teachings, too, Viujana
asserts.
No. Love means service. Real love means sacrifice, Gargamuni counters.
And love for Ka means serving his representative, the pure devotee. Its not
sentimental, Oh, I love Ka. Not like that. You should give your life to this
movement. You should cut off your hair and move into the temple if you have
real love. Anything else is not love. Its just sentimentality, romanticized love.
Gargamuni spends a long time preaching to them, emphasizing this point of
the meaning of love, and how they should avoid associating with women.
The whole thing just got out of hand, Viujana tries to console him.
Then dont have anything more to do with her. With that, Gargamuni
walks out closing the door authoritatively behind him, obviously still attached.
Karumay comes out from where shes been hiding. Shes visibly
distraught, concerned that she may lose her new friends who are seriously
pondering the philosophical points made by Gargamuni.
I think he said it like it is, Viujana concludes. We should surrender
right now. Lets go join up.
Tamal is taken by surprise at Viujanas spontaneous decision. Although
his intention is the same, this is a little too sudden for him.
Yeah, you go ahead now. Are you sure youre going to do it?
For sure. Sensing Tamals hesitation, Viujana puts the icing on the cake.
Whats the use of putting off what youre intending to do anyway?
Tamal is caught, and his face lights up into a smile. Well, lets both join.
They break up in laughter. Karumay makes some futile points. She looks
forlorn. She doesnt want her new friends, whom she likes so much, to join the
temple and leave her alone.
Karumay dev ds: Gargamuni came and talked to them for a couple of

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 hours. He was very convincing, and they were spellbound. While that talk was
taking place, I was just sitting there with my head in my hands because
Gargamuni was very persuasive. I knew it was doomed. I kind of hoped it
wouldnt happen because I would miss them. After he left, they sat in my
presence discussing the whole conversation, and they decided to enlist. I
remember that very well. He single-handedly made those two decide to join
the temple.
I was preaching to them about Ka consciousness, but I wasnt saying it
would be great for them to move into the temple. And that was totally selfish.
I didnt want them to move into the temple at all, because that would mean
brahmacr life and I wouldnt see them much. I tried to argue them out of it.
I gave it my best shot. But I did preach to both of them about the philosophy.
Right from the beginning Viujana was very sincere. He would never do
anything that wasnt allowed or accepted by rla Prabhupda. Even before
he actually shaved his head and moved into the temple, he was always very
respectful of what he knew to be the boundaries.
Completely convinced by Gargamuni, the two friends quickly pack their
belongings and leave for the temple. The result of so much inquiry into the
nature of spiritual life finally leads them to the front door of 518 Frederick
Street. But the brahmacrs do not welcome them in. They are considered
mischief-makers and not really sincere. They are told they may visit the temple,
but they cant move in. Dismayed, the two friends trudge back to the apartment
wondering what went wrong. They wanted to surrender but were rejected! Now
what?
The following morning they return again for the kirtan program. After
breakfast prasdam one of the brahmacrs explains that the devotees have had
a discussion about their joining. Jaynanda, the temple president, has requested
that the decision be reversed. Now they can move into the temple if they wish.
Elated by the good news, Tamal returns to the apartment and offers it to
Karumay. She has officially left her husband and the temple, and needs a
place to call home. Seeing that she has no means of support, Tamal also offers
her his job to provide for her income.
Karumay dev ds: So the next day they moved in and gave their place to
me. They were leaving and they wanted to take care of me in some way.

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 Tamal was very quiet in those days and very respectful. So he took me out
with him to sell the Berkeley Barb. My leaving the temple had to do with my
marriage. I just had to leave at that point. It was not due to philosophical
reasons. They were leaving me and I was leaving everything. So Tamal was
concerned for me. It was Tamal who came with Viujana, and they joined
together, totally and utterly. So they were gone, and it was kind of a big void
for me. The whole thing was kind of lonely for me because they were my best
friends at that time.
The new recruits move in with the brahmacrs in the temple. Viujana is
only nineteen years old and Tamal is twenty-one. Their first instructors are
Upendra, Prabhupdas servant; Uddhava, the head cook; and Jaynanda, the
temple president. The brahmacrs ask if they want to shave up. Tamal is
apprehensive. Hes attached to keeping his hair and decides to wait a while.
Viujana, however, is fearless. Sitting down immediately, he requests his head
be shaved clean. Seeing his surrender, Gargamuni accepts it as an act of
sincerity. He presents both Viujana and Tamal with japa beads from the gift
shop he runs at the temple, to dispel any misgivings he still harbors.
Frederick Street temple is a small storefront like 26 Second Avenue. You
enter a long narrow hallway where a big pile of shoes overwhelms the door.
There is a main temple room and towards the back a curtain separates the
temple from the kitchen. Downstairs theres a basement where the brahmacrs
live, with a shower room to the rear.
Not everyone wears a dhoti. Theres no demand to shave up and wear robes.
Everything is voluntary. Upendra is one of the few who does wear a dhoti.
Jaynanda and Ka dsa work to support the temple, so they both wear pants.
The ghasthas live outside in their separate apartments and maintain
themselves. The brahmacrins stay with the married women.
There is no mangal-rati. The services start at seven in the morning with
evening classes three times a week. The double-tiered altar is carved redwood,
hand-crafted by ymasundara, and sits over to one side towards the far corner
of the temple room. On the lower tier is a Jadur painting of Panca Tattva
with many candles attractively lighting up the picture. Around the frame is a
flower garland. Standing over on the right side is Kartama-sayi, the Deity of
Ka holding a flute in one hand with the other hand on His hip. Three nicely

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framed pictures of rla Prabhupda grace this level. On the upper tier, the
Deities of Lord Jagannath, Lady Subhadra, and r Baladeva look down
mercifully upon the devotees who come for darshan. On the very top of the
altar, almost touching the ceiling, sits a chakra and flag. There is a real mdaga
in the temple room, as well as bongos and tambourines.
The temple has a real depth of family spirit, and everyone who joins is
welcomed into the family. Viujana and Tamal fit right in, immediately
becoming family members. Jaynanda receives the new recruits with great
pleasure and hospitality, making them feel completely comfortable. He assures
them that they have made the best choice of their lives by taking up Ka
consciousness. They reciprocate his confidence in their decision. They have
spent a lot of time checking out the various groups around town and are already
convinced.
Cidananda: They just walked in the temple like they knew what was going on.
They were ready to surrender and serve. It wasnt one of those things where
you had to preach a whole lot to them. They were ready to join and get out and
do things.
Every day the temple offers a free lunch program for the hippies. But
sometimes it gets too hectic, and some of the householders stay away, leaving
just a skeleton crew to feed everyone. On Ekads, everyone chants extra
rounds and studies Prabhupdas books, so the blinds are drawn and a sign is
hung on the door, Temple Closed. Then the householders who normally arent
there come and cook for all the devotees. So on Ekads there is no prasdam
distribution. Prabhupda likes the mood in San Francisco with Jaynanda and
jokes that its an Ekads feastnot fastand it is. The preparations are
incredible.
The temple atmosphere is very nice when meeting takes place; the temple is
full to its capacity, and people are taking very much interest in our philosophy.
So I am very much hopeful of this center under the guidance of rman
Jaynanda.
Letter to Brahmananda, March 12, 1968

When Prabhupda had been in Los Angeles, an appearance on a local TV

show had inspired him with a new idea to spread Ka consciousness.

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Subsequently, he had written Hansadutta in January about his plans for a
World Sankirtan Party. The party will be composed of two mdaga players,
eight kartl players, two tamboura players, a harmonium, and a lead singer. The
group should be trained for public performances in conjunction with prasdam
distribution, by booking halls and selling tickets. Thus, We will earn money by
stage exhibitions and attract attention of the elite public and move from station
to station. Prabhupda continues to write Hansadutta to give further
encouragement for the World Sankirtan Party.
Hansadutta is excited about the project and attempts to organize the kirtan
group in New York. Prabhupda encourages him in every letter, Organization
of the kirtan party for world tour should be given our first consideration.
Prabhupdas original idea was to import experienced musicians from India,
but now he decides to combine the American and Indian krtanys together for
his World Sankirtan Party. He follows up with another letter explaining that
Hansadutta will be successful if the kirtan party is successful. He stresses an
important point: never develop a professional mood, just make the kirtan
perfect from the point of view of Ka consciousness. He thanks Hansadutta
for organizing the sakrtana party and booking engagements. As
encouragement, Prabhupda explains that when he comes to New York, he will
take the sakrtana party with him to the different cities he will visit in
America. Then they will go to England, Holland, Germany, and finally
Bombay. The World Sankirtan Party is constantly on Prabhupdas mind,
although it will be a few years yet before his dream is realized.

Third Wave Servant of the Servants

Every activity of the human being is to be considered a failure unless he

inquires about the nature of the Absolute.
Bhagavad-gt As It Is, Introduction, page 7

Vndvana 1670

The state of affairs in Vraja-dham have seriously deteriorated since the

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passing of Jva Goswami. The wicked Mogul King Aurangzeb is not in the same
mood as his forebear Samrat Akbar. He is so envious that he resolves to destroy
the beautiful temples and culture of the Vaiavas. In 1670, Aurangzeb and his
Mohammedan army attack and destroy the gorgeous temple of Ka
Janmasthan in Mathura. Fortunately, the Deity, r Keshava, is safely escorted
to Udaipur and protected in the temple at Nathdwara.
Aurangzebs barbaric army next starts for Vndvana. By setting up
roadblocks all over Gokula and Mathura, they hope to prevent the remaining
Deities from leaving. In the vicious assault, villages are looted, women raped,
brhmaas killed, temples defaced and destroyed. In spite of these demoniac
efforts, r r Rdh-Dmodara and the other Deities of Vraja-dham are safely
smuggled to Jaipur in hay wagons.
Although we are shocked to hear of the desecration by this evil king, it is all
part of the Lords sakrtana ll to glorify His pure devotees. With
Rdh-Dmodara and Rdh-Govinda safely settled and worshipped in Jaipur,
the stage is set for the next step.
Vndvana becomes desolate and depressed, its former divine glory now
unmanifest, as temples lie in ruin and devotees lament in lonely anguish. Into
this sad situation comes rla Vivantha Cakravart hkur, destined to be the
next guardian of the Gauya Vaiava sampradya. Seeing the devastation, he
is deeply aggrieved. He wanders throughout the area determined to restore the
holy abode to its original splendor. Consoling the Vaiavas who lived through
the terrible experience, he rallies their flagging spirits to the task at hand.
Gradually repairs are made to the temples and to the consciousness of the
devotees. Working tirelessly to reestablish the sakrtana base in Vndvana,
Vivantha feels the need of an assistant to help him with his work. Trusting in
the mercy of the Lord, he carries on undaunted.
Meanwhile in Jagannath Puri, a renowned scholar of the Madhva
sampradya is finally defeated in debate. Having previously traveled
throughout South India defeating every philosopher, he has returned to his
native Orissa. Upon meeting the Vaiava Acharya rla Rdh-Dmodara
dsa Goswami, who has mastered the Sat Sandharbas of Jva Goswami, his
philosophical challenge is easily overcome.
After his defeat, the Madhva scholar accepts initiation into the Gauya

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Vaiava sampradya from Rdh-Dmodara dsa Goswami, receiving the
name Baladeva. After studying the Sandharbas at the lotus feet of his spiritual
master, he resumes traveling as a digvijaya-paita, defeating all opponents and
converting them to the Gauya Vaiava siddhnta.
Returning to Puri, he asks his spiritual master one morning, Who is the
topmost living Vaiava? rla Rdh-Dmodara Goswami informs Baladeva
about the glorious qualities of Vivantha Cakravart hkur. Baladeva
develops an intense desire to study further under rla Vivantha in
Vndvana. With the permission of his guru, he leaves at once for Vraja-dham.
Finding rla Vivantha in Vndvana, Baladeva takes shelter of him and
becomes his student. Together they preach vigorously to revive the lost spirit of
the era of the Six Goswamis. Their efforts are crowned with success. Years pass
and the former majesty of Vndvana once again vividly blossoms.
Soon another challenge appears for the Gauya Vaiavas, this time in
Jaipur from the Ramanujas of Gulta. The Ramanandi pundits of the r
sampradya are disturbed by the simple Bengali pjrs of r r
Rdh-Govinda, due to their ignorance of Vedic mantras and tantras. They are
further agitated that Rdh-Govinda are worshipped without first worshipping
Narayana in the form of lagrma-il. They argue that a cowherd girl whose
name cannot even be found in rmad-Bhgavatam should not be on the altar
with r Govindaji. They further assert that since Rdh and Ka are not
married the Gauya worship is inappropriate.
The Bengali pjrs are unqualified to defend the Gauya Vaiava position
philosophically. With great pain the unhappy Raja Jai Singh of Jaipur has r
Rdh removed to a room in his palace for private worship. Feeling helpless, he
sends word to the Vaiavas in Vndvana.
Upon hearing this sad news, the Brijbasis are greatly upset. Realizing that
only Vivantha Cakravart hkur can remedy the situation, they send a
delegation to Rdh Kunda, where the elderly Vaiava is performing
nirjana-bhajana. In great distress they relate the incident in Jaipur and the
apardha of removing r Rdh from the altar.
Upon hearing this news, Vivantha begins to chuckle. The devotees are
astonished. Perhaps he didnt hear them correctly? Did they describe the
situation inaccurately and confuse the venerable Vaiava? They repeat the

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circumstances, insisting this was an insult to the Gauya sampradya. But
Vivantha cant control his laughter. The Brijbasis are stunned. To allay their
concern, he explains that this is simply the mna-ll of r Rdh. The Divine
Couple have had a tiff and rmati Rdhr has left in a huff.
The Brijbasis glance at one another sheepishly. Although pacified to some
extent, they continue to press Vivantha to leave at once for Jaipur to rectify
the situation and reestablish the pj of Rdh-Govinda to its former glory.
Vivantha suggests that he is too old to make the journey; Baladeva should go
to Jaipur instead. All agree that Baladeva should be the one to go.
First, though, they will have to find him. Vivantha explains that Baladeva
is now living in a cave as a bbj somewhere on Govardhan Hill. The Brijbasis
immediately set out to look for him. After extensive inquiry and search, he is
finally located and escorted back to Rdh Kunda. After learning of the
situation in Jaipur, Baladeva agrees to defend the Gauya sampradya.

Jaipur, Rajasthan circa 1706

At the assembly hall in Jaipur the confrontation between the great digvijaya
Vaiava scholar and the Ramanandi pundits begins. The debate is to be argued
upon the basis of Vedanta-sutra commentary. Baladeva presents
rmad-Bhgavatam as the natural commentary with the proof in the Sat
Sandharbas of rla Jva Goswami.
The pundits challenge, A bona fide sampradya has its own direct
commentary, so which commentary do you represent?
I am initiated into the Madhva sampradya, Baladeva replies, so I will
discuss based on Madhvas commentary.
But Madhvacharya establishes that only r Ka is the Supreme with no
reference to r Rdh. Does this mean that Govindaji accepts our worship for
Himself, neglecting r Rdh?
Baladeva is caught in a trick. He cannot argue on the basis of Madhvas
commentary, and the Gauyas have no direct commentary, since they accept
rmad-Bhgavatam as such.
We can only discuss this matter with the representative of a bona fide
sampradya, the pundits conclude, so kindly present your own sampradyas

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direct commentary.
Baladeva tips his head and leaves the hall with a sad heart. Gravely he enters
Govindaji Mandir prostrating himself before the Deity and praying for a
solution to this problem. He retires early in great anxiety and finally falls asleep.
In a dream r Govinda appears before him, I will compose a commentary for
you that no one shall defeat. Please begin writing.
Baladeva awakens feeling ecstatic. After taking bath, he enters Govindaji
Temple. Meditating deeply on the lotus feet of the Lord, he takes up his pen to
write. Within a few days, by the mercy of r Govinda, he has finished a
commentary that he names r Govinda-bhasya.
When Baladeva presents his Vedanta commentary to the Ramanuja pundits,
they are speechless. In the ensuing debate they cannot defeat his points. Many
of them express their desire to become his students. Baladeva is thereby given
the title of Vidyabhusana, (the ornament of learning) by the assembly of
exalted sadhus. As a result he adds a concluding verse to his work.
All glories to r Govinda, the dearest friend of the soul of r Rdhika, who
has shown me His most magnanimous mercy, who ordered me in a dream to
write this commentary, causing this writing to become famous in the
assemblies of most learned sages, and causing such learned devotees to award
me with the title of Vidyabhusana.

With great joy the Gauya Vaiavas once again bring r Rdh to the side
of r Govinda. Together again, They receive the worship and adoration of
Their devotees. This event establishes the authenticity of the sakrtana
mission all over India. It is no coincidence that r r Rdh-Dmodara are
also present in Jaipur at the time of the writing of r Govinda-bhasya.
Having fled Vndvana during the attacks of Aurangzeb, Rdh-Dmodara
return home in 1729 after years of determined entreaties from the sevaits of
Rdh-Dmodara Mandir. They are received and worshipped with immense joy
and relief, but not for long. Raja Jai Singh of Jaipur, experiences great
separation from his beloved Deities and eventually prevails upon the
Vndvana sevaits to allow Rdh-Dmodara to return to Jaipur after only a
brief sojourn in Vraja-dham.
Today, a large, lotus-eyed Deity of Dmodara resides in Jva Goswamis
Rdh-Dmodara Temple in Vndvana. The Deity is a prati-bh-mrti, which

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means that He is non-different from the original Dmodara carved by Rupa
Goswami. Therefore, Rdh-Dmodara live in Jaipur and Vndvana
simultaneously.

San Francisco March 24, 1968

Easter Sunday. Two new recruits will accept initiation in front of Lord
Jagannath, Lady Subhadra, Lord Baladeva, and Kartama-y Ka in
Haight-Ashbury. Prabhupda takes up his kartls and begins to chant. After
kirtan the lecture is about brahminical qualification.
Brhmaas means those who are interested in spiritual life, they are called
brhmaas, intelligent class. They are called intelligent class, because unless
one is intelligent, he will simply consider that this body is he. Identification of
the body, that is foolishness. Brhmaas means brahma jntti
brhmaaone who knows that I am aha brahmsmi, and he has actually
realized that I am not this body, I am pure spirit self. It is not the question of
Hindu, Muslim. Anyone who knows this knowledge, that I am the self, and
acts in that way, he is a brhmaa.
So these initiation formalities are there. You are instructed, you are guided,
but you have to act. Unless you act, then the same thing as in Indiathe
so-called brhmaas and katriyas are degraded. There will be no meaning. So
gua-karma-vibhgaa. You have to stick to the brahminical qualities, and at
the same time, work, brahma-karma. Brahman is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, the last word of Brahman. So you have to engage yourself,
brahma-karma means Ka consciousness, and exhibit your quality, that you
are truthful, you are controlling over the senses, control over the mind, and you
are simple, and you are tolerant. Because as soon as you take up spiritual life, the
whole class conducted by Maya, they will be against you. That is Mayas
influence.
Prabhupda gives a grave caution to the initiates. In Bengal the movement
of Lord Caitanya gradually degraded to the point of near extinction at the time
of Bhaktivinoda hkur, due to negligence on one hand and mental
speculation on the other. So Prabhupda alerts them to be vigilant in
maintaining the principles of devotional service. The young aspirants cannot
fully grasp the ramifications of his counsel, but as Prabhupda received a bold

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instruction in 1922, here also is a firm instruction to prevent the compromise of
ISKCON.
He ends his talk by nodding to the two new initiates. They approach him
respectfully. Prabhupda hands them their beads duly chanted upon and gives
them their spiritual names.
Your name is Viujana dsa. Viujana means one who serves the
devotees of the Lord. Hare Ka.
Come on. Your name is Tamal Ka dsa. There is one tamla tree in
Vndvana. Because it is the same color as Ka, the gops, out of separation,
sometimes mistake the tree to be Ka Himself.
As the new Vaiavas accept their beads and offer obeisances to their
eternal spiritual master, everyone in the temple cheers. Karumay sits silently
in the back; bittersweet tears well up in her eyes. The names given are
prophetic. Each will live up to the purport of his name.
Prabhupda seats himself in front of the yaja-sthana and begins the fire
sacrifice, formalizing the rite of initiation. As he continues ladling in the ghee,
the small flame quickly turns into a fiery blaze.
rady dev ds: During the initiation Viujana was kneeling with his
hands folded; he wasnt sitting down cross-legged. As Prabhupda chanted
each word for the fire sacrifice, he was really trying to pronounce each word
as Prabhupda said it, nama o viu-pdya... Then Prabhupda told him
to sit down with his legs crossed.
After initiation, Viujana lives with the brahmacrs but still visits his
family. One evening he arrives for class with his wife and children, and
Karumay. Tamal senses that Prabhupda doesnt approve. Convinced that
the issue between Viujana and Karumay has gone all the way to the top,
he makes a point of not sitting with Viujana to avoid being identified with
him. The two friends, who had agreed to never separate, are polarized by this
incident.
Prabhupda is undoubtedly concerned for Karumay, having left the
shelter of the temple and her husband, after he had given her away in marriage.
But he continues the program and says nothing about the matter. He introduces
a new chant, repeating the words one by one and even spelling them: raghupati

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rghava rja rma patita-pvana st-rma. It is the evening of Rama-naumi, and
Prabhupda explains the pastimes of Lord Ramachandra. After the kirtan and
lecture a huge feast is served. The evening passes without incident.
One day during class Viujana asks rla Prabhupda about offering
prasdam.
We offered food up one time to Ka.
Some fruit?
Yes, fruit, to Ka. And while we were offering it up, when we raised our
head, we looked at the food and we saw a rose-colored light that was vibrating
all around the food. Is this how He eats?
He eats. Prabhupda pauses before continuing. How He eats, that you can
understand when you make advancement to that stage. He eats. For the time
being, you just take it for granted that He eats.
A lot of people are asking things like this because theyre just coming off
Haight Street. Many times, after a bad acid trip or other weird experience,
people show up at the temple to take shelter and come down. For some of them
it becomes an institution. One hippie even goes into Prabhupdas room one
evening and locks him out. A lot of these things are going on.
How He eats? That is not possible because you cannot see Him. And how
can you see how He is eating? That requires spiritual vision, then we shall
understand. But He eats. We take it because in the Bhagavad-gt He says that,
I eat, anmi; anmi means I eat.
There is still something on Viujanas mind that he wants to clear up. By
joining the temple, he is cutting ties with his wife and children. He wants to
know what is his responsibility now. The devotees arrange a darshan with rla
Prabhupda. With great humility, palms folded at his chest, Viujana enters
and offers his obeisances.
Hare Ka! Prabhupdas eyes are reassuring as he greets his freshly
shaven student.
What responsibility do I have towards my wife and children? Am I under
any obligation to stay with her? Viujana blurts out his question, a little
nervous in front of the pure devotee.
Prabhupda explains the Vedic system of marriage, stressing that it is a

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lifelong commitment. The family unit is the foundation of society.
Surrendering ones life to Ka, however, takes precedence.
Everything performed for the sake of Ka is transcendental
consciousness; so there is no karmareaction to material activities. If one acts
for his own sense gratification, either in goodness or in passion, he is subject to
the reaction, good or bad. But if he has completely surrendered himself in the
activities of Ka consciousness, then he is no longer obliged to anyone, nor is
he a debtor to anyone, as one is in the ordinary course of activities.
He quotes rmad-Bhgavatam:
devari-bhtpta-n pit
na kikaro nyam ca rjan
sarvtman ya araa araya
gato mukunda parihtya kartam
Anyone who has completely surrendered unto Ka, Mukunda, giving up all
other duties, is no longer a debtor, nor is he obliged to anyonenot the demigods,
nor the sages, nor the people in general, nor kinsmen, nor humanity, nor
forefathers. (rmad-Bhgavatam 11.5.41, quoted in Bhagavad-gt As It Is 2.38,
purport)

You can try for some time to make them devotees. But if they refuse, then
you have no further responsibility.
Viujana is satisfied with this reply. He will encourage Linda to follow his
lead. After all, there are other householders already in the temple. Due to his
situation Viujana cant consider himself a true brahmacr. He will follow the
principles to the letter, but rla Prabhupda has given him the instruction to
try and bring his wife and family to Ka consciousness.
Tamal Ka, on the other hand, has no such ties. He takes up the strict
brahmacr lifestyle very seriously. He wants to adopt the mood of a submissive,
menial servant at the lotus feet of his guru. To maintain this mood of surrender,
he feels he should completely abstain from any association with women. After
all, the senses are so powerful that even great yogis like Vishvamitra Muni or
Saubari Muni fell down. The best protection is chanting the mah-mantra. This
was demonstrated by Haridsa hkur, who could not be touched by Maya.

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Everywhere Tamal goes, he tries to concentrate on chanting.
Prabhupda resumes his daily routine of walking around Stowe Lake in
Golden Gate Park. This morning Tamal Ka has a question on his mind.
Are there any other pure devotees in the world besides you?
Turning towards Uddhava, Prabhupda has a big smile that lights up his
whole face. How many devotees are now in our movement?
Well, counting all the temples together, there might be seventy-five
devotees.
Turning back to Tamal, Prabhupda says, Then there are at least that many
pure devotees. (Servant of the Servant by T.K. Goswami, page 25)
This is the vision of the uttama-adhikr Vaiava. Of course, there are
different degrees of pure devotees, as there is eternal differentiation in the
spiritual world. Nevertheless, one offers all respect to each and every devotee
regardless of their position. In the ten offenses to chanting the Holy Names,
this is the first principle that is stressed. Never criticize anyone who is
dedicating his life to the service of the Lord. Prabhupda is teaching this
valuable lesson here.
Tamal Ka: rla Prabhupda could see that all the devotees were trying
their best to serve Ka sincerely. Despite their shortcomings, he had counted
them as pure devotees. After all, they had come forward to assist him in
fulfilling his Guru Mahrjas order, and for this alone they were sure to
receive Kas unlimited blessings.
rla Prabhupda: A devotee who believes that the Holy Name of the Lord is
identical with the Lord is a pure devotee, even though he may be in the
neophyte stage. By his association, others may also become Vaiavas. One is
known as a materialistic devotee if he simply worships the Deity of Hari with
faith but does not show proper respect to the devotees and to others.
Caitanya-caritmta, Madhya Lila 15.106, Purport

April, 1968

In his youthful enthusiasm Viujana gets into a cleaning mood one day. He
has been told that cleaning Kas temple is the same as cleaning your heart.

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Prabhupda had given the example that the more you decorate the original, the
more the reflection is automatically decorated. The heart is the reflection of
the original consciousness, Ka, and the more Ka and His paraphernalia
are decorated, the more this will reflect in the heart, resulting in
transcendental bliss. Happily cleaning everything, Viujana cleans the clay
mdaga with water. He also cleans the Kartama-y Deity with water. The
Deity had been painted in India, with a water based paint, and now the paint
starts to run. In despair, he realizes he overdid it.
rady dev ds: Mlat took the Deity home and repainted Him with
enamel. I remember bringing the Deity back to the temple in a car and holding
Him on my lap. I was completely in awe holding Ka.
Seeing Viujanas cleaning mood, Upendra engages him in painting the
moldings surrounding the light fixtures in the center of the ceiling.
Enthusiastic to beautify the temple, Viujana chants blissfully as he paints.
Upendra: He was very intensely painting, but then hed start chanting, and
hed start painting off the border of the molding. He chanted all the time. It
seemed to me at the time, that he was always chanting so intensely that he
couldnt give his attention to anything else he was doing. They had to stop him
from driving. The devotees used to take turns driving our vehicle, but when
Viujana drove he started chanting to the distraction of his driving. So he
wasnt allowed to drive.
Jaynanda usually returns to the temple quite late after driving his taxi all
day. If he sees that no one has cleaned the kitchen, he will just clean the
kitchen himself, as well as carry out the garbage. By doing it himself, Jaynanda
inspires others to do service. He encourages Viujanas youthful exuberance to
beautify the temple. This is great, Prabhu. I want to help. Actually, youre such
a good devotee. Im not much of a devotee myself.
No, youre a very great devotee, Jaynanda. Youre always...
No, no, Jaynanda interrupts. I dont have any qualification. I just like to
serve. But otherwise youre much more sincere than I am. Ive been here for so
long and still Im not surrendered. Look at how you just joined, and youre very
enthusiastic and surrendered.
Like everyone else in the temple, Viujana learns about the true qualities of

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a Vaiava from this mood of Jaynanda.
Viujana feels great joy rendering devotional service in the temple,
knowing that God is personal. The devotees have finally convinced him of that.
But one day he comes across a verse in the old brown rmad-Bhgavatam he
has purchased from Prabhupda. He is reading the description of the universal
form where it is written that this is just for the neophyte devotees.
(rmad-Bhgavatam 1.3.30) Viujana misinterprets this, thinking that
Prabhupda is stating, Ka is a person but it is just for the neophytes.
Upendra: He was sitting with the Bhagavatam in his lap at Frederick Street
temple and he was crying. He was really upset because he thought he had been
fooled. He was convinced that God was personal, then he read in
Prabhupdas purport that the personal aspect of God is only for the
neophytes. But he had misread it because it was the universal form that was
for the neophytes. Anyway he was informed by Swamiji that, You misread.
Ka is eternally personal. So he regained his composure and felt happy
again. He had really been unhappy. He felt cheated.
Some of the brahmacrs sleep in the temple room. One devotee, Harer
Nama, fastens his Arctic sleeping bag too tight one evening before taking rest.
While turning and tossing at night, his breathing becomes restricted. In the
middle of deep sleep he feels he cant breathe, which triggers a nightmare.
Suddenly, in the darkness of night, theres a horrific scream. Harer Nama is
jumping around in his sleeping bag, trying to get air, bumping into the other
devotees. Pandemonium erupts as everyone starts shouting.
Out of the dead of sleep everyone is awakened. Some devotees get caught up
in the pandemonium and begin shouting. The lights are still not on, but
Viujanas voice is heard, saying, Flow with it, brother. Flow with it. He is
still calling everybody brother and sister. All of a sudden the lights go on, and a
bucket of water brings Harer Nama to his senses. Viujana sits with him to
lend support. Never a dull moment in the brahmacr ashram.
Life is blissful in Ka consciousness, especially when the pure devotee is
always there to help the aspiring neophytes maintain their steady growth in
spiritual realization. But before they know it, their time has run out and
Prabhupda is ready to leave for New York. As they accompany him to the
airport, their hearts are already feeling the pangs of separation.

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 In the absence of their spiritual master they carry on the temple programs
trying to maintain an enthusiastic mood. Before leaving Prabhupda had
requested the brahmacrs to go out and find jobs. It is unfair that Jaynanda
alone is accepting the burden of maintaining the temple by driving his taxi
every day.
Most devotees find work to help support the upkeep of the temple. Tamal
Ka is hired by a local Kodak film processing factory. Viujana, however,
prefers making bamboo flutes and selling them on Haight Street as he has done
in the past.
Tamal Ka: Being a musician, he expertly arranged the holes of the flutes
so that anyone could easily play the Hare Ka melody. Throughout the day
he would dance up and down Haight Street, piping Hare Ka to the delight
of all the hippies. Occasionally, he would sell a flute.
Although they are both following Prabhupdas instruction to help maintain
the temple, Viujana, in a joking mood, teases Tamal. By playing Hare Ka
all day long, he says tongue in cheek, his engagement is superior to working in a
factory. Tamal is a little perturbed by this. He is unable to defend his position,
due to a lack of understanding the philosophy. Gargamuni overhears the
conversation and approaches the two friends to set them straight.
He explains that any work done to please Ka is considered devotional
service. Devotional service is transcendental to the material conditions of
higher or lower, better or worse. Therefore, their activities are equally pleasing
to rla Prabhupda. Its the quality of the consciousness, not the type of
work, he concludes. The new devotees respect the learned judgement of their
senior godbrother. They resolve to become more serious in understanding the
philosophy.
One afternoon Viujana bumps into Karumay while selling his flutes in
the park. She hasnt been to the temple since Rama Naumi and inquires how
things are going. She expresses regret over the breakup of her marriage, but
cant tolerate what she sees as superficial dealings among some of the devotees.
Her concern is that Viujana is going to become institutionalized.
Karumay dev ds: In the beginning that very kind of thing that always
goes on in any religious movement went on, and he saw that before he ever

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 entered the movement. I hated that kind of superficial thing that often just
plain dominates and eats away at everything else at the essence. I had seen it
loud and clear, and that had a lot to do with my leaving. We both felt that was
highly distasteful, and that was my thing with him going into it; that hed
become institutionalized. Whats going to happen to you? So he made a
great effort to assure me that, very quietly, without making a fuss, without
anybody noticing it, he was going to change it, to make it better. He was not
going to capitulate to that nit-picking, back-biting thing that both of us
despised. He was going to lift it. Probably forever he did. We cant see the long
term now. But he did to a certain extent.
I met Linda one time after that and we talked. She expressed a lot of
bitterness towards Viujana. She went on to go back to college and did some
modeling the last time I saw her. I felt that his surrender was permanent and I
tried to express to her, This is the kind of person he is. I think she
understood that.

Summer, 1968

Ratha-ytr will be celebrated the end of June, and Prabhupda wants it

organized on a grander scale than last year. The Deities must be gorgeously
decorated, and the procession should be so attractive that anyone who sees it
will be immediately attracted to participate. Prabhupdas dream is that San
Francisco will become New Jagannath Puri.
Once again, Jaynanda heads up the Ratha-ytr crew with ymasundara.
By his positive, enthusiastic attitude, Jaynanda is able to bring in a lot of
hippies and engage them in Lord Jagannaths service. He decides to make a
large sign, which he puts up in front of the temple, that reads: Festival of the
ChariotsVegetarian meal, 25-cent donation.
Many people walk by and stop to read the sign. Some come into the temple
for the vegetarian meal. As they eat the sounds of hammering and sawing are
clearly audible from behind the building. A few of the curious venture out back
after finishing their meal to watch the devotees working away.
Jayaptka: I was wondering, What are they doing here?
All of a sudden, Jaynanda said, Hari bol!
What are you doing? I asked.

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 Were having a festival. You didnt know? Its the Ratha-ytr festival!
Really? I replied. He was so enthusiastic that I thought that the festival
must have already started. But all I could see was a couple pieces of
two-by-fours and some nails. Actually, they were just building the cart.
Yeah! he said. Wait! Could you just hold this for a second? He gave
me a nail. Here. I held the nail and he hammered it in.
Wow! he said. You held that nail great. Are you a professional
carpenter?
No, I replied.
You really held it straight. Its very hard to find people to hold nails straight.
Then he held the nail and asked, Can you hit it? I hammered the nail.
Wow! said Jaynanda. Did you hit that nail good! The way you handled
that hammer! Here, take that nail there, and then can you hold it here?
Again I was holding the nail, and pretty soon there I was, working on the
Ratha-ytr cart. Everyone was chanting Hare Ka, hammering away in
ecstasy. He was just contagious. He had an ability to just engage everyone.
The whole time he was telling you about Ka and glorifying rla
Prabhupda. So I was in that association for about a week. Everyday I was
coming to help build the cart, reading rla Prabhupdas books, and chanting
japa.
I had a very short association with Jaynandaabout ten days. He was
the one who shaved me up for the first time and engaged me in devotional
service building the Ratha-ytr cart. As much as anyone, he is responsible
for encouraging me to surrender to rla Prabhupda.
Jaynanda is temple president, but since his service requires him to be gone
all day he requests Cidananda to become his right-hand man and manage the
affairs of the temple: the morning and evening kirtan program and prasdam
distribution every day at noon. In addition Cidananda must oversee that the
bhoga is bought, prepared, offered to Ka, and distributed. And then the
kitchen has to be cleaned up. Before prasdam is distributed there is also a short
class for the visitors.
Seeing the brahmacrs struggling to hold down a job and remain Ka
conscious, Jaynanda is not happy. He would rather they take advantage of the
temple atmosphere and devotional duties so they can make advancement.
There is hardly enough revenue coming in to even justify their going out.

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Viujana is too softhearted and ends up giving away many of his flutes for free.
The results from the others also barely makes a dent in the weekly overhead.
Besides, Ratha-ytr is coming up and Prabhupda wants a grand festival to
turn San Francisco into New Jagannath Puri. Jaynanda will need all the hands
he can get to make it more splendid than last year.
When news reaches Prabhupda in Montreal that Jaynanda would rather
the brahmacrs not work outside, Prabhupda suggests they go to the streets to
perform sakrtana. In other cities he is encouraging devotees to go out.
Hansadutta is chanting in Central Park with the New York devotees, and
Satsvarpa is having similar success with his party at the Boston Common.
Prabhupda wants a massive movement with devotees going out and chanting.
He also wants somebody to organize these new people who are coming to him
for initiation and then sitting around the temple doing nothing. Nobody is
really sure what to do. They were just initiated by a bonafide spiritual master;
thats good, but what do they do now?
The devotees in San Francisco have been chanting from time to time in
Haight-Ashbury and Golden Gate Park, but not as a regular activity. They
accept Prabhupdas new instruction with full faith. This is the impetus that
inspires them to go out on sakrtana in an organized fashion for the first time.
At an iagoh one evening, everyone endorses the new plan to take the
chanting out to the streets of San Francisco on a daily basis.
Tamal Ka: A decision was made to organize a sakrtana party. At first
Viujana was proposed as the leader because he was the best musician and
singer. But I voiced my protest that his attention should not be diverted from
leading the kirtan, that I would manage the party instead.
Although the devotees had chosen Viujana as their natural leader, Tamal
Ka pushes himself forward instead. As Vaiavas are always striving to be
humble, nobody objects to Tamals proposal and it is accepted. By this bold
move, Tamal steps out from behind the shadow of Viujana.
Going out to chant on the busy streets of downtown San Francisco with the
heavy traffic, excessive noise, and allurements of my is a difficult adjustment.
The young brahmacrs have to take complete shelter of the Holy Name in
order to keep their minds fixed. The passersby are not as receptive as the
hippies in Haight-Ashbury. But a crowd begins to gather, attracted by

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Viujanas joyful kirtan. The devotees do the Swami step, swaying from side to
side to the rhythm of drums and kartls, as Viujana plucks a tamboura.
Tamal Ka is blowing a conch when, moved by an inspiration, he goes
around with it to request donations. Nobody minds throwing in a quarter or
two, and for their offering they receive a Back to Godhead magazine. Soon the
conch is full of coins. Chanting all afternoon, the devotees are completely
blissful by the time they return to the temple with twelve dollars in donations.
Everyone considers the sakrtana a great success. The next day they go to a
different location. In the days that follow, the party becomes more and more
confident. They go out to different sections of the city and are able to increase
their daily sales of transcendental literature. The conch becomes the
instrument for collecting donations. As their ecstasy increases, they discover
the best spots and stay out longer. Soon the whole temple wants to go out on
sakrtana.
Yamun dev ds: I led the kirtan in the van and when we got there, we all
took turns leading the kirtan. Theres a picture of Viujana, Tamal Ka,
and I on that first kirtan. I recall that it was at Fishermans Wharf, and we
had a microphone. It was our first sakrtana out together. Viujana and I
used to lead kirtans. In those days we didnt have kirtan luminaries. It was a
sharing; whoever wanted to grab the microphone. All of us led kirtan, and
Viujanas were relishable. We chanted together for several months, and I
can just remember his stamina. He had really intense stamina for drumming
for many hours.
By the summer of 68 devotees have discovered that by going to public places
and chanting they can distribute BTGs and support the temple with the
revenue. Hansaduttas party is collecting 50-70 dollars regularly in Central
Park. Satsvarpa is following the same agenda at the Boston Common.
Prabhupda encourages the program.
This is actually our successful propaganda. We want to distribute our literature
and books as well as our prasdam, and injecting our Hare Ka medicine
within the ear. So, reading the literature and hearing the chanting is the
medicine, and prasdam is the diet. If diet and medicine are properly
administered, the disease of Maya will be cured. But the physician must be
always healthy. People may not say, physician heal thyself. That means the
preachers must be of highly elevated character, following strictly the rules and

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 regulations and chanting regularly in the temple.
Letter to Satsvarupa, June 27, 1968

The San Francisco party continues to go out into the busy streets of the city.
They are the first to do ngara-krtana on a regular basis rather than
occasionally chanting in the park. As Viujana plays mdaga all day long, his
hands become bruised and sometimes even bleed. He has the idea to try wearing
gloves. He tapes pennies on his fingers so he can get the sound he wants
through the gloves. Now he can chant and play for hours and hours. He never
tires. The mah-mantra keeps supplying him with unlimited energy. Once the
chanting gets going, people flock around the kirtan party.
He had always been a good drummer. There was that two-headed drum he
loved to play up in Morning Star, so playing the mdaga is a natural transition
for him. He easily picks it up, though not as a technically trained player in the
Vaiava tradition. Still, he is such an excellent musician that he quickly
develops his own style of playing.
In this period Viujana is not yet what he will turn out to be when kirtan
takes over his life. He and Tamal Ka are a strong team, and they quickly
emerge as natural leaders. Their teamwork will carry them to heights yet
undreamed of in this young movement. During this time they are always
together.
Cidananda: To me its obvious why Ka provided these two souls; so they
could get the sakrtana going, to get people out on the streets chanting.
Thats what happened. Previously it was haphazard, barely happening, so to
speak. When Viujana and Tamal Ka came, it was like the beginning of
a new era. The old era of just a few devotees sitting around the temple and not
doing much changed to an era of going out on the streets to chant Hare Ka
and distribute magazines.
Tamal Ka was a great organizer. He could get people going. Get them out
there and make things happen. But he also needed Viujana, a softer person
who could absorb the blows that Tamal would tend to give. Tamal Ka had
a very harsh character. In the process of getting people out there chanting, he
would ruffle some feathers. But that was natural. Then there was Viujana.
He was the soft person who people could go to and cry on his shoulder if they
had a problem with this. So that was one thing he did. He was also a great

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 singer. Back then nobody could sing and play the mdaga, but he could sit
out there all day long and sing very beautifully. And thats what was needed.
We didnt need a bunch of space-cases out there trying to chant, because we
were going to upper class areas of San Francisco, like the financial district,
and the Wharf. Viujana could chant nicely and console devotees when they
were upset.
Gurudsa: In those days, the main thing that was going on was chanting.
Long kirtans. I was impressed with Viujanas sincerity. He really loved
kirtan and displayed musical feelings that were the early signs of devotion.
His personality was open and compassionate, and he saw what was going on
through other peoples eyes as well. He was a giving person.
Pukara: The first time I saw Viujana he was giving a Sunday lecture on
Frederick Street. I lived across the street from the temple, and I used to go for
the Sunday feast program. He was wearing a plaid shirt that was tucked into
his dhoti. He gave an interesting talk. It got to a point where he said, I was
coming to the temple regularly and then I realized Im living among saints.
That stuck in my mind that there could be saints living now. I thought,
Thats far-out, hes living with saints.
On June 28 the second Ratha-ytr is ready to go. ymasundara and
Jaynanda have worked diligently to build a nice cart to replace the flatbed
truck of a year ago. The news of the Ratha-ytr festival is published in the
local papers and attracts a large turnout. Thousands of people follow the cart as
it wends its way through Golden Gate Park.
Toaa Ka: My first meeting of the devotees was when I was walking
through Golden Gate Park and I bumped into the Ratha-ytr parade. That
was the very first thing I saw connected with Ka.
Simplicity is golden. Ka is attracted to you as you are. Theres no need to
develop a false representation of yourself, to be something youre not.
Jaynanda was very humble, always thinking that he had to improve. The
same with rla Prabhupda. That simplicity is so extremely attractive. Its so
rare to be natural, and he was so natural and so spontaneous. So he was very
instrumental, in his own special way, in attracting me to rla Prabhupda.
The second Ratha-ytr is a vast improvement over the initial festival. The

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devotees have had a lot more time to digest the philosophy and culture of Ka
consciousness, and now early feelings of devotion are beginning to manifest.
The parade and festival attracts everyone in the park and many young people
join in the chanting and pulling of Lord Jagannaths chariot. But mainly the
Ratha-ytr spreads the glories of the Holy Name and proclaims Deity worship
as an age-old tradition of reverence to God. By taking part in this pastime of the
Lord, countless souls are reunited with the Supreme though direct service.
Many new people begin coming to the temple and some discover that this is
exactly what theyve been looking for.
Toaa Ka: Anyone who was a member of that Frederick Street temple
will tell you it was very special. Although we all experienced it, we didnt
realize at the time that the main reason was Jaynanda. Even though we all
knew he was special, we just took him for granted. He was so dedicated, so
willing to do anything, that he was a great example. He was always very
humble, always very willing to do the most simple service. Everybody was
attracted to do nice service because he had such a good attitude, and he kind
of intoxicated them into the mood.
I remember everybody would pay obeisances to each other in the morning.
Jaynanda was the temple president, and this was the standard thing. He was
so sweet, kind, considerate, and obviously dedicated. Every morning, I would
come into the kitchen with a bunch of flowers. I was a new devotee then, and
he would explain what I was to do with them. Although I was not even
initiated and he was temple president, there was no sense of position. That
was extremely attractive. He was very attractive, Jaynanda, very attractive.
He had a big appetite with a tremendous appreciation for prasdam, a
tremendous willingness to share prasdam, and a tremendous regard for
prasdam. When he went out, even if he didnt think that he was necessarily
going to see anybody, he would always take prasdam to give to people. It
wasnt like he had to bring a particularly decorated plate for a VIP or
something; he always just had a plastic bag.
I remember the time he brought me a huge load of fruit to cut up for rla
Prabhupda. He said, Be sure to put the watermelon in the middle, because
Prabhupda will definitely go for the watermelon. And he did.
Everyone is looking for a dear friend, for someone who is not just thinking
about themselves. That universal friend is the pure devotee. Its an

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 all-attractive quality. Jaynanda manifested the true, devotional qualities of
spiritual nature. When you see a person who is philosophy in action, your
raddh goes way up. Thats the meaning of sdhu-saga. Although
Jaynanda was unsophisticated and didnt have the profile of a learned
person, by his very personality, his selflessness, people were attracted to Ka
consciousness.
In New York Hansadutta has been taking his kirtan party to Central Park
and distributing literature, but he finds it difficult training the devotees to play
melodiously the way Prabhupda wants. Finally, he admits his inability to
accept responsibility for forming the World Sankirtan Party. Prabhupda then
requests Mukunda to take up the service and prepare to go to London.
Your presence in the London center with other assistants will be greatly
helpful, considering the fact that I wish to form a nice kirtan party consisting
of 12 heads2 mdaga players, 1 harmonium player in melody, 1 tamboura
player, and at least 6 cymbal players. In this way 12 heads shall perform kirtan
very rhythmically and melodiously. The harmonium should be practiced just
to follow the song; not simply for tuning. I think you can very well organize
this sakrtana party, and if we have a successful sakrtana party, with me,
backed by our books and literature, we can make a nice propaganda of this
sublime movement in all the European cities.
Letter to Mukunda, June 11, 1968

Mukunda leaves Los Angeles to take charge of the developing World

Sankirtan Party from San Francisco. Every day he goes out chanting with the
brahmacrs. Because he is the senior devotee, they always ask him to lead.
Viujana wants to pick up some authentic beats that Mukunda has learned
from rla Prabhupda, so he is especially keen to hear him chant and play
mdaga. But the energy of the kirtan is always a balance, so Viujana and
Yamun also regularly lead kirtan. Everybody feels very connected and excited
about being part of Prabhupdas personal sakrtana party.
With the high visibility of sakrtana on San Francisco streets, the number
of guests at the temple continues to increase. People are also dropping in from
Morning Star. The crowds come every evening looking for answers. The
philosophy sounds attractive to these young seekers, and Viujanas kirtan
charms the regulars who flock around him, chanting and dancing with
unbridled energy. They begin chanting on beads and soon join the

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ever-growing family. Although the devotees are new Vaiavas themselves,
their sincerity and enthusiasm are contagious. The temples reputation is so
good that as more and more young people drift into San Francisco they are
referred to 518 Frederick Street. The small storefront is becoming overcrowded.
Madhudvia: His voice was so captivating. Viujana would chant for hours
and hours and hours. He was instrumental in bringing me to Ka
consciousness. The way he would chant, I used to think I want to be like that
devotee. I want to be able to chant like him someday. He was always very kind
and warm. That was his thing. He would make you feel at ease. Hed make
you feel a friend. He would break down all these barriers. There was no
pretension when he would speak.
Yamun was like that too. I would go to the temple and I would listen to
these people chant, and I was just mesmerized with their voices. How could
they put so much love into chanting? I was just there listening and feeling my
way around. I remember sitting in front of the temple on the sidewalk after
prasdam and just throwing all kinds of arguments at Tamal, and Tamal
defeated them all. Actually he convinced me that I should take that step and
join.
Muraldhara: I remember Mukunda really impressed me a lot. He was the
first devotee I talked to. He was just so grounded and centered. He was so
kind to me. He had such nice qualities that I was really impressed by him.
Upendra took me under his wing and showed me the ropes. He really helped
me a lot when I first came. He was such a sweet devotee. Viujana was
always there too. He was such an inspiration and help, just an example. He
was so up, always so enthusiastic. I used to go to him for encouragement when
I was having problems.
Prabhupda is inspired by the publics reception to sakrtana. In Montreal
the devotees are invited to chant at the World Expo for two days and are paid
$300. He is further gladdened by the reports he is getting about the San
Francisco party. He wants the devotees to perform kirtan very rhythmically,
with a strong lead singer and good responsive singers. He writes prophetic
words that, The time is fast approaching when we will have to perform such
public kirtan in all the important cities of the world. (Letter to Gurudasa, July
16, 1968) By going out to perform kirtan in different cities, these young

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American Vaiavas are fulfilling the prophecy of Lord Caitanya. Prabhupda
is pleased with Mukunda for leading the sakrtana party and Tamal Ka for
organizing it.
But, occasionally there is opposition to the sakrtana party, just as there was
during the time of Caitanya Mahprabhu.
Mukunda: Our party went out to the airport, and a guy in military uniform
was giving us a hard time, so Mlat went up to him and was getting pretty
irate back to him. This was all happening to the side of the kirtan that was still
going on. She used to do pretty heavy things. Next thing I noticed she hit him
on the chest. He got real angry and made a motion to slap her back, but within
a second Jaynanda was between the two of them, talking to them and
calming them down. I was still in the kirtan, so I couldnt hear what he said,
but Jaynanda was making all these conciliatory gestures and pretty soon the
guy walked away. He was so quick to get in between them. He always seemed
to be giving so much of himself, always thinking he was lower than everyone.
When he was running the temple, all seemed well. He was very renounced,
and he never got into frivolous talk. He was also a good manager with money.
Tamal has been keeping a journal of each days sakrtana activity, which he
finally sends to rla Prabhupda as a report of the partys results. He soon gets a
reply.
I am so glad to receive your letter dated July 12, 1968 with the notes of your
successful performances of city kirtan movement and it is a very good plan. I
think we should not be worried about our expenditure, Ka has given us
good opportunity of service. And if we simply execute the service, by such
performances of kirtan, and practice ourselves the rules and regulations
rigidly, and with faith in Ka and service to the orders of the bona fide
Spiritual Master, then there will be no scarcity of our necessities of life, and
very pleasantly we will be able to execute our Ka conscious activities
without any anxiety for financial difficulties.
Actually everything belongs to Ka, and if He likes, He can
immediately give us the whole USA, but He is very cautious because we are
prone to the allurement of Maya, so He does not give us all of a sudden all the
facilities, lest we may fall prey to the illusory presentations of Maya. Just like a
physician does not give delicacies to a suffering patient, but as he recovers
from the disease, the physician allows him to accept palatable dishes. So we
have to wait for the cure of our material diseases, and proportionately as we

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 become recovered from the disease, the supplies of pleasant things will
automatically come. But we must always know that there is nothing more
pleasant than Hare Ka. When we will be able to relish the transcendental
pleasure, in chanting Hare Ka, that will be the sign of our recovery from
material diseases. Please continue the method in cooperation, very faithfully
and diligently, and Ka will help you more and more.
Letter to Tamal Ka, July 16, 1968

In his reply Prabhupda emphasizes two important points. First, we should

not be concerned about income. Rather, we should be concerned to follow the
principles strictly in our devotional activities. When Ka is pleased, He can
supply everything that is needed, even the entire USA. Ka promises in
Bhagavad-gita that He will not only supply all our needs, but He will also ensure
that nothing is lost. (Bhagavad-gt As It Is 9.22) This is the faith Prabhupda
has had all along, and he wants his disciples to understand this fundamental
concept. By executing the order of Lord Caitanya sincerely, success is
guaranteed. The devotees who are able to put their faith in this teaching make
rapid advancement in Ka consciousness, as we shall see.
The second point is to continue the method in cooperation. This is
another test for advancing in devotional service. When devotees are happy to
serve one another, then cooperation already exists. A madhyama-adhikr is
always happy to see the face of another devotee. Otherwise, if we put our own
good before the good of others, we will not develop the correct mentality. This
may jeopardize our chance to be invited back home, back to Godhead.
This attitude of desiring the ultimate welfare for others is exemplified by
rla Vasudeva Datta. A Vaiava is so liberal that he is prepared to risk
everything to rescue conditioned souls from material existence. rla Vasudeva
Datta hkur is universal love itself, for he was willing to sacrifice everything
and fully engage in the service of the Supreme. (Caitanya-caritmta, Madhya
Lila 15.163, purport)

In New York Brahmnanda finally finds a publisher for Bhagavad-gt As It

Is. MacMillan and Company agree to publish the book, although in a condensed
version. Nevertheless, Prabhupda is happy. Under his guidance, the disciples
have taken charge of the important areas of the movement. His plan to
implement the desire of his Guru Mahrja is beginning to take shape. He

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reveals his mind in a letter.
Henceforward our plan should be to push sakrtana and sell our publications.
For books, Brahmnanda; for magazine, Ryarma; for sakrtana, Hansadutta
and Mukunda; and for suggestion, my humble self. Please let us concentrate
this integration and I am sure our movement will be successful.
Letter to Brahmananda, July 17, 1968

At the end of July, rla Prabhupda summons his World Sankirtan Party to
Montreal prior to their trip to London. Mukunda and Jnak, Gurudsa and
Yamun, ymasundara and Mlat are excited as they prepare to leave for
Canada. Prabhupda rehearses them every day in the performance of kirtan
while they are in Montreal. He chooses Yamun as the primary singer and
personally coaches her how to lead kirtan. Soon the party is ready to go, and
Prabhupda gives final instructions how to organize things when they arrive in
London.
Yamun dev ds: We left a month after Ratha-ytr and I never saw
Jaynanda again. To me he was the man who made cookies and drove the
cab. He had us over to dinner and was kind of a buffoon around the girls, a
real shy guy. He was really a shy person. The second Ratha-ytr was
wonderful because Jaynanda built the cart. We all worked on that together.
I sewed the canopy. It was like Jaynandas big car instead of his cab.
Many devotees have left San Francisco around the same time. Upendra and
Gargamuni have also left to start a center in Seattle. Still, the temple doesnt
feel the blow of losing so many senior devotees because Tamal and Viujana
maintain the program enthusiastically, inspired by Jaynanda. The distribution
of Back to Godhead actually increases to 75-100 copies daily.
Prabhupda keeps hearing how nicely the San Francisco center is going on
and gives the credit to Jaynanda for his good leadership. He is happy that
Tamal Ka has become such a good assistant for Jaynanda and that the
kirtan party is attracting more and more people to join. Jaynanda keeps busy
trying to get Prabhupda his permanent residency status in America, as well as
looking for a larger temple for Lord Jagannath.
One day in August the sakrtana party receives an invitation to visit the
Los Angeles temple on West Pico Boulevard. They quickly discover that
Hollywood Boulevard, filled with tourists, is an ideal sakrtana spot day or

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night, with its broad sidewalks and active night life.
Daynanda: Tamal Ka had put together this sakrtana party, and they
were going out in the streets of San Francisco. We heard about that.
Aniruddha was handling the temple affairs, and he arranged for them to
come down to the Los Angeles center. Then all of a sudden they just showed
up.
I asked my wife, Do you get the same impression about this boy here? I
mean, hes so attractive and such a beautiful voice. Is it just me, or do other
people also feel like that? Everyone agreed. It was a fact that right from the
beginning Viujana produced this emotion in people. He was very attractive.
It was general knowledge that these two guys had come to the movement and
had made a big impression.
While Tamal Ka is in Los Angeles, a letter arrives for him back in San
Francisco. Jaynanda reads him the letter over the telephone. rla Prabhupda
thanks Tamal for organizing sakrtana and for appreciating the service of his
godbrothers. He urges him to carry on chanting as the main business. He
stresses that in the eyes of Ka everyones devotional service is equal. (Letter
to Tamal Ka, August 19, 1968) Finishing the letter Jaynanda congratulates
Tamal for getting the mercy.
The mood of sakrtana that Prabhupda had imbibed from Jva Goswami
while living at Rdh-Dmodara temple has now been imparted to his western
followers as they take up Lord Caitanyas mission, enthusiastically following in
the footsteps of the predecessor acharyas.

San Francisco September, 1968

During the late 60s there are many race riots throughout America. Blacks
march to Selma in 68, carrying signs and chanting, We shall overcome. The
Reverend Martin Luther King gives an impassioned speech in Memphis. We as
a people will get to the promised land, because I have been to the mountain top,
and I have seen the promised land. Within hours of delivering that speech, he
is assassinated. The outrage cannot be contained. Fires rage throughout
American cities.
Viewers watch another war on TV, the opposition to the Vietnam war, in
the streets of America. Students burn draft cards on college campuses. Ten

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thousand draft resistors move up to Canada. The clash between students and
police is commonplace on the evening news. The anti-war demonstration in
Chicago at the Democratic Convention reaches violent proportions. The
violence shocks the nation as the local police run amok. Richard Nixon wages a
strong television campaign for the Presidency, promising troop withdrawals by
the spring of 69.
The Beatles are the biggest sensation in the music industry. John Lennon
quips, The Beatles are more popular than Jesus Christ. The public is so
offended he has to retract his statement, saying he was misunderstood and
quoted out of context. He only meant that people were no longer interested in
God. If I had said television was more popular than Jesus, I would have gotten
away with it.
Few are aware that a true saint is walking amongst the people of the earth,
gathering in sincere souls. His spiritual leadership attracts genuine seekers. As
they become purified, Ka becomes more important to them than the Beatles.
Embracing devotional service, they dedicate their lives to spread the sakrtana
mission as the new links in the disciplic succession.
On a clear Sunday morning Prabhupda leaves the New York temple to
catch his flight to San Francisco in pursuance of Lord Caitanyas desire.
Jaynanda had written that the San Francisco devotees are feeling separation,
So please return to New Jagannath Puri. He also glorifies the success of the
sakrtana party because so many new people are joining the temple.
During the flight Prabhupda reads the latest issue of BTG. The article
written by Ryarma, Evolutionthe God thats Failing, especially appeals to
him. He shows it to several passengers who also find the article interesting.
Jaynanda has arranged a grand reception at the temple. When Prabhupda
returns from the airport with the devotees, he is greeted by many guests and
newcomers. After a short lecture he retires, while everybody honors prasdam.
The following day Prabhupda requests a meeting with one of the new
recruits.
Muraldhara: rla Prabhupda came to the temple two months after I joined.
In the meantime, I had done a pencil drawing, copying the cover of the Hare
Ka album, with Ka playing the flute and Rdhr on her knees
offering a flower. It was actually a very beautiful pencil drawing, and they put

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 it in rla Prabhupdas quarters. He called me into his room the next day.
He asked me if I would do paintings for his books. He told me the whole
story of Ka, basically how Ka appeared, and he gave me a list of ten
paintings to illustrate. It was just so amazing to me. One of the most amazing
things about that was that he was so into the story. He was just so thrilled
telling that story. It was obvious that he had told the story before, but he was
just so ecstatic about telling it again. At that time he told me to remain
brahmacr for four years and then get married.
As a result of his meeting with Muraldhara, Prabhupda gets inspiration
for a new idea.
I am contemplating also to publish one book, Ka, in picture. One boy, his
name is Mark, he is very good artist. I have given him some ideas of drawing
some pictures about Ka from rmad-Bhagavatam. And if I see he is
successful, which I hope he will be, then we shall print so many books of
pictures. The picture books will be most appealing. We shall give stress on this
point.
Letter to Brahmananda, Sept 9, 1968

Prabhupda is particularly impressed with the sakrtana party led by the

team of Tamal Ka and Viujana. He can see they are progressing in Ka
consciousness. Comprising eight regulars, they are nicely dressed in yellow
turtleneck pullovers and matching dhotis. They go out with two large posters:
rla Prabhupda, and Gopal Ka embracing a calf. Both are framed and
mounted on six-foot poles so that everyone in downtown San Francisco can see
the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His pure devotee.
During his stay in San Francisco, Prabhupda receives an invitation from
Upendra to come up to Seattle to help establish the center there. Immediately
he accepts the offer. He begins speaking about the World Sankirtan Party more
and morehow Lord Caitanyas movement will spread to every town and
village, every city street!
Everyone becomes inspired hearing Prabhupda preach like this. Tamal
decides that they should be the ones to do it. He gathers the sakrtana men to
reveal his plan.
We wont get tied down to any temple. Well just go to every town and
village and well spread sakrtana like that.

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 Everyone is excited about the idea.
But who will drive? someone inquires.
We need a full-time driver and a mechanic to maintain the van, someone
else adds. Were not set up to go out on the road.
Jaynanda is listening to their discussion and becomes enlivened by these
plans. All at once he volunteers to become the driver and mechanic. No one
can believe it.
Youre the senior Prabhu. You cant leave, youre the temple president.
But Id be the best man for the job. Havent I been driving a cab every day
for years?
Yeah, but...
And Im a mechanic. Youre going to need a maintenance man. They all
agree. Jaynanda would be best for the service, but theres no way, they say, that
Prabhupda will allow him to leave. After all, he is the central person in the
temple. He is practically supporting the temple by himself.
But, to everyones surprise, Prabhupda likes the idea and agrees to let
Jaynanda go. The party is established and he wants them to go and spread the
sakrtana movement in the Seattle area. He also wants to establish a
permanent sakrtana party to travel around the country. This will give them
further encouragement, and new people will be attracted.
Tamal Ka: Prabhupda considered the sakrtana party so important
that he was willing to sacrifice the main devotee at the temple, the person
whose income from driving a taxi was supporting the temple. He was the most
responsible, stable person, and yet Prabhupda was willing to let him go. If
Prabhupda would have told Jaynanda to stay, he would have been happy to
stay. Jaynanda went from being my authority to being a devotee under my
authority, and yet it didnt seem to alter our relationship, or his Ka
consciousness.
That Jaynanda is not the least bit interested in position, even though ten
years senior than his peers, is noteworthy. Realizing Prabhupdas strong desire
to expand the sakrtana mission, Jaynanda gives up his post as temple
president to become the sakrtana party driver. This lack of concern for
position is an advanced stage of devotional service. When one is free from all

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designations and only wants to faithfully serve the Vaiavas, his consciousness
becomes purified. Jaynanda is serious to free himself from all material prestige
and be fixed in his original, spiritual position as servant of the servants.
sarvopdhi-vinirmukta tat-paratvena nirmalam
hkea hkea-sevana bhaktir ucyate
Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of
the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses.
When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side
effects. One is freed from all material designations, and, simply by being
employed in the service of the Lord, ones senses are purified. (Nrada
Pacartra, quoted in rmad-Bhgavatam 7.10.8, purport)
On September 14, ten new devotees are initiated. Among them are
Madhudvia, Muraldhara, the two brothers Nara-Narayana and Makhanlal,
Sudama, (the first African-American devotee), and Silavati dev, who has
become the main inspiration for the women since the departure of Yamun to
London. The senior students like Jaynanda, Viujana, and Tamal Ka
receive the sacred thread initiation. But the gyatr mantras are not so easy to
chant for these new brhmaas. Jaynanda especially is having difficulty and
requests an appointment with rla Prabhupda to reveal his problem with the
mantras.
So let me hear you say them, Prabhupda requests.
Jaynanda attempts to read the Sanskrit mantras from the sheet Prabhupda
has given the new initiates. After some encouragement, Prabhupda finally
leans back laughing.
It is hopeless, he admits. You boys will never be able to speak in Sanskrit.
But it does not matter because your feelings are genuine and Ka is accepting.
Go on doing it, never mind. Prabhupda laughs again, not bothering to correct
Jaynandas awful pronunciation.
According to the Hari-bhakti-vilsa of Sanatana Goswami, the Acharya who
requests the Deity to come and accept the service of the aspiring devotees, sets
the standard of worship. Prabhupda allows a concession to be made, accepting
the devotees sincere endeavor to please Guru and Ka as more important
than correct pronunciation of Vedic mantras and rigid performance of rituals.

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This concession is approved by Ka.
Prabhupda explains such adjustments. A Vaiava is immediately purified,
provided he follows the rules and regulations of his bona fide spiritual master. It
is not necessary that the rules and regulations followed in India be exactly the
same as those in Europe, America, and other Western countries. Simply
imitating without effect is called niyamgraha. Not following the regulative
principles but instead living extravagantly is also called niyamgraha.
(Caitanya-caritmta, Madhya Lila 23.105, purport)
The point is that in devotional service, sincere, heartfelt endeavor is more
important than acquired ability. Although Jaynandas attempt at mantra
pronunciation is not up to the standard, he is still the recipient of Kas
mercy. His dedicated service to his spiritual master and the mission of Lord
Caitanya, combined with effective chanting of the mah-mantra, is sufficient
in itself to evoke pure love of Godhead.
After a few days preparation the sakrtana party is ready to leave for
Seattle. The initial attempts at street sakrtana have led to the first TSKP in
the West. Prabhupda encourages them that they are also the World Sankirtan
Party, the American edition. Unable to persuade his wife to join the
movement, Viujana follows his heart and remains with the brahmacr party.
Yamun dev ds: After the wife left, I had the feeling Viujana wouldnt
get married again. He wasnt the type to take a diversion from Ka to get
married. In those days the whole mentality was sannysa, even though we
were all married, because Prabhupda had to accept women and that meant
they had to get married. In those days he said, My householders are better
than sannyss. We had no home, nothing in our lives except Ka and
preaching. So there really wasnt any difference.
Jaynanda also leaves with the party. He will perform his function as driver
of the van and also go out on sakrtana and distributes BTGs like the others.
This is his new service. Cidananda takes over the post of temple president in
San Francisco.
Cidananda: Prabhupda asked me to be temple president. He said Jaynanda
wanted to go with Tamal Kas sakrtana party. He told me personally.
He told us to continue going out on the streets chanting every day. It got pretty

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 quiet.

Fourth Wave The First TSKP

So practically, we began work from 1968. In 66 I started, but in 67 I became

very much sick. So I came back to India, and again I went there in 1968.
Practically, this propaganda work began vigorously from 1968.
Lecture in Gorakhpur, February 15, 1971

Washington, DC 1970

As time moves forward, rolling into another decade, no one can guess what
the 70s will bring. The 60s have already changed the American consciousness
forever. Now another dramatic event takes place that is destined to change the
course of ISKCON history, and the world.
It all began quite innocently when Dmodara dsa, the short, fair-skinned,
spectacled temple president, decided to shift the Washington temple from
Newport Place to 2015 Q Street, Dupont Circle. It was a bigger and better
location in trendy Georgetown. Around the same time, a young man appeared
at the temple. He had just arrived from India with no money and needed a place
to stay until he could get settled. To please his sponsor, a close friend of the
temple, Dmodara offered the man a room in the new building before they
moved over.
Dmodara soon discovers that the man is worshipping a small plastic image
of Durga-dev. Not wanting to offend their friend, he lets the incident slide,
since the building is still undergoing renovations. The man continues to live
there until the altar and the Jagannath Deities arrive. Then he is asked to put
Durga aside. He doesnt seem to mind and stays for another six weeks, planting
the seeds of a remarkable adventure. At last he finds regular employment and
leaves.
It is during this period that Dmodara develops an urge to bring
Rdh-Ka Deities to Washington. Hearing the devotees speak about Rdh
and Ka, the Indian man mentions that he has a friend in Varanasi who is a

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mrti-wala. He assures Dmodara that the cost will be very low, and he makes
good on his promisethe price is only $350. Although it is a little
presumptuous, or at least premature, the temple devotees all agree that this is
what they want to do, and Dmodara sends off a letter to the mrti-wala.
Within a few weeks he receives a reply from India, requesting a small deposit
before they begin casting. Dmodara dispatches a bank draft and the work
begins.
At this juncture Dinesh returns from a visit to LA carrying a sketch by
Muraldhara, which was supervised by rla Prabhupda, showing exactly what
Rdh-Ka Deities are supposed to look like. Dmodara is filled with anxiety.
He quickly dispatches a letter to Varanasi with instructions that the Deities
must match the enclosed sketch.
A month later an answer arrives from India, informing Dmodara that the
Deities are already finished. Little does he know that his hopes to install Lord
Jagannath will also be dashed because of a new order requiring more pjrs
than he has at hand.
Prabhupdas directive is that each center should have at least eight
brhmaas before Rdh-Ka Deities can be installed. The Washington
temple only has six devotees in all.
Where there is want of pujaris, only Panca Tattva picture should be
worshipped by performance of kirtan and as soon as Jagannath or
Rdh-Ka Deities are installed you will require some qualified pujaris
immediately. If there is scarcity of such qualified pujaris, each center should be
satisfied only by worshipping Panca Tattva or Lord Caitanya by performance
of sakrtana.
Letter to Damodara, July 1, 1970

Dmodara cant even install his Jagannath Deities due to a lack of

brhmaas, so the picture of Panca Tattva remains on the altar. Before long,
snow begins to fall and the shipment from India is completely forgotten.
Without warning, Dmodara receives a bill of lading in the mail just a few
weeks before Christmas. The Deities have arrived in New York. A trucking
company will deliver Them to Baltimore where They will pass through customs.
A week later, Dmodara drives up to Baltimore filled with anticipation, but
also apprehension, thinking of the sketch Prabhupda had approved.

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 Dmodara: The customs inspector greeted me, looking fresh and uplifted.
Very handsome. Very handsome, those statues, he said, charmed by the
sight of the Divine Couple. After we loaded the boxes into the van, I timidly
took a peek through the excelsior packing. I saw Their faces and I too was
charmed and uplifted by Their beauty, although I was a bit worried to see that
They were very different from Muraldharas sketch because part of the metal
casting was clothing.
I brought Them back and for a few hours They stood on an antique
wooded refrigerator in the hallway. Everybody was so excited to see Them,
but nobody knew what we were supposed to do.
rutadeva: The Deities came in crates to the DC temple. I can see it exactly in
my mind. We were in the hallway. There was a little table standing at the
bottom of the stairs. This was so amazing. I was there. The Supreme Lordit
was so mystical. We opened one crate, and we put the Deity on the table. It
was Ka, and that was the first time I had ever seen a Ka Deity.
Toaa Ka: We were stunned by Them. Ka was made out of German
silver, and Rdhr was made from an alloy of eight metals. Thats what we
were told. Then They were put away.
Dmodara: We packed Them carefully in a closet of the temple, thinking that
maybe when Rupanuga paid a visit, hed know what we should do. But after
his visit, They were still in the closet. He suggested the next stepwait until
rla Prabhupda visited New York and bring Them up for him to see. I can
see that closet in my mind very well right now. I can see Them covered with a
sheet and sitting there for a long time.
Months pass. New devotees join the Washington center while others shift
their service to different temples. Meanwhile, Rdh and Ka stay concealed
in the closet for over six months. Their mission is ClassifiedTop Secret.
Before long, hardly anyone in the DC temple remembers that the Supreme
Lord and his eternal consort have entered the USA in Their most playful form
as r r Rdh-Dmodara and remain hidden in a closet in the nations
capital.

Seattle September, 1968

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 The San Francisco TSKP van finally arrives in Seattle after a long journey.
With Tamal Ka navigating, Jaynanda quickly finds the temple at 5516
Roosevelt Way, a traditional framed house in a quiet residential neighborhood
near the University campus. Everyone is tired but relieved. Upendra and
Gargamuni are overjoyed to see their godbrothers again. The sumptuous feast
prepared for the hungry travelers is quickly devoured. Excitement is high to
assist Prabhupda in opening up this new frontier.
Early next morning everybody gets to work fixing up the temple for
Prabhupdas arrival. Nara-Nryaa: is a carpenter, so he immediately begins
renovating the house, improving the makeshift altar for Lord Jagannath and
building a vyssana. The other devotees go out on sakrtana, chanting and
distributing BTGs to purify the atmosphere.
Jaynandas service is particularly valuable. He is the facilitator. He knows
how to do all the small things that need doing. Because he has experience
dealing with people, he is also the person to speak to the landlord or the police
when the need arises.
rla Prabhupda arrives on the evening of September 21 to find the
arrangements not yet ready. In addition, he does not like the place that
Gargamuni has rented for him as it is too dark and not well maintained.
After a few days, Prabhupda mentions that he is still not properly situated.
Jaynanda, Nara-Nryaa:, and Govinda ds immediately go out, vowing not
to return until they find a suitable place. At last they locate a small basement
apartment over on Dexter Street. The windows are at eye level so you can
always see the garden, which is full of flowers.
When rla Prabhupda is brought over to see his new apartment, he smiles
broadly. I have come from Hell to Heaven, he says happily.
Jaynanda negotiates the rent and makes all the necessary arrangements.
The landlady is a Native American, who lives alone with her twelve-year-old
son, Beaverchief. The youngster likes to follow the sakrtana party whenever
they go out.
Why dont you join us? Jaynanda asks the boy one morning.
Im afraid.
Oh, come on. Youve been following us for hours. Why dont you just come
and join us? Jaynanda has a broad smile and a twinkle in his eye.

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 Accepting Jaynanda like a father, Beaverchief agrees to come to the
temple. After prasdam Jaynanda walks him home to ask his mother if its OK
to stay overnight. Being a spiritual person herself, she doesnt mind and sends
along a pillow and blanket. The devotees immediately take the pillow and wrap
a madras around it to use as a cushion for Prabhupdas vyssana. The next day
Beaverchief comes home with a shaved head and ikh.
Mom, I had a good time, but Im afraid to tell you Ive left the pillow. I guess
Ill have to go back.
No, she replies. The pillow is exactly where it should be.

Seattle is a large spread-out city but is relatively peaceful due to its smaller
population. The devotees discover that the people are responsive. They put up
posters of rla Prabhupda all over University Avenue to advertise the Sunday
Love Feast.
rmati dev ds: I was living about two blocks away from the Roosevelt
temple. I had not seen or heard of the devotees before, but after a Sunday
morning seance at an Aquarian Gospel Church I was sitting on the Library
steps and hanging out, as most of the hippies did in those days, when I saw a
poster of Prabhupda across the street, a large black and white poster of his
face. I crossed the street and looked at it. Underneath, it said Come to the
Sunday Love Feast and morning kirtan. The morning kirtan was 7 oclock,
which was pretty early for me, but I managed to get over there the next
morning.
I was really impressed to come in and smell the incense and hear the
harmonium. All the devotees were sitting on the floor cross-legged, looking
angelically up at the altar while chanting. It was a very impressive sight. I sat
down right next to Viujana with my miniskirt on, and somebody brought
me a shawl and suggested I cover my legs. So I did that. Viujana pushed the
words in front of me so I could chant along and sing.
Tamal was the first one to talk to me and convince me that this was the
end of the world, and I should get on the good ship. He was always the
businessman. Viujana always had the charisma. Hed attract the people in,

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 and Tamal would sign away their life! Sign here. You belong to Ka and
Prabhupda. I went home later that day and got my sleeping bag and a few
other things and came back to the temple that evening and never left.
Jaynanda was like the older brother. He was always working. He didnt
have an in-charge air. Definitely Tamal was in charge. Jaynanda was
someone you could really depend on; do this, do that, take responsibility here,
there. He was very strong.
Prabhupda has not yet introduced magala-rati at the brhma-muhrta
hour, so devotees simply sit down in front of the altar at seven oclock and sing
the gurvaakam prayers, followed by the guru-prama mantras and Hare
Ka. They finish by reciting the English translations in unison.
For prasdam everyone sits on the floor in a circle. They pass their plates up
to the devotee with the pots who fills each plate and then passes it back down to
each person. To refill their plates, they just pass them up again, and again it
comes back full, person to person. Sometimes a devotee jumps up all of a sudden
exclaiming, Mercy, mercy, and runs to the pots. The mood is a brother and
sister camaraderie, just like a family.
The chanting party establishes itself at the busy corner of University and
th
45 , in the heart of the University of Washington campus. Within days of her
arrival, rmati is on the sakrtana party. Viujana leads most of the kirtans,
playing mdaga. The kirtan is so sweet that thick crowds of people gather to
watch and listen. At the right moment Viujana generally brings the kirtan to
a close and addresses the audience. He always begins on a personal note.
I want to thank all of you for participating in this sakrtana party. We are
chanting, but you are also participating by hearing. After giving a brief
description of the philosophy behind the chanting, he goes on to explain about
love of God. His mood is not us and them, just us. This very important
aspect of sakrtana endears the devotees to the crowds of onlookers, who
respond favorably with donations. The party distributes around 100 copies of
BTG daily. We are not after collecting money, but when people offer
something out of love and sympathy for our mission, it becomes a great asset,
Prabhupda says. (Letter to Satsvarupa, September 27, 1968)

October, 1968

144
 One evening a camera crew from a local TV station attends class and films
the devotees happily dancing in kirtan. The next day the crew returns for a
darshan with rla Prabhupda. He gives a brief interview and chants a bhajan
on the harmonium. They are also interested in his books and his personal
Rdh-Ka Deities installed on Their traveling altar. The segment is aired on
the 5 oclock news.
A few days after the TV broadcast, a young woman comes from the
University to do an interview for the student newspaper. The discussion goes
well. Next, Prabhupda receives an invitation from a radio station. The
program lasts two hours, so the kirtan party gets to chant many devotional
songs. All this publicity, plus the sakrtana party going out every day, attracts a
large audience for Prabhupdas classes. Occasionally Ka sends a sincere
seeker.
Jhnav dev ds: In 1968 I bumped into the sakrtana party. rmati was
on the party, and she was my friend. I was looking for her on a brief stopover
in Seattle on my way to join an impersonalist ashram. I fell asleep on the bus,
and when I awoke and looked out the window, there she was with tilaka on.
So she brought me back to the temple to hear her spiritual master speak that
evening.
The kirtans! The chanting party, the feast, everything was just
overwhelming. So I stepped into that atmosphere and it was just incredible. I
was just completely amazed by the ecstasy of the devotees. That evening they
had me make a garland for rla Prabhupda, and I garlanded him. I asked
him a question and he gave a beautiful reply. I spent the night to check it out.
I was looking for a guru very seriously, so I thought Id just check out
rmatis guru first.
Prabhupda lectures three nights a week. He begins every class with the
chanting of the Govindam Prayers, and then reads from his unpublished
manuscript Teachings of Lord Caitanya. This Friday evening he speaks about
attaining the Supreme. (Lecture, Seattle, October 4, 1968) If one reaches the
top, then everything else is included. He explains that although everyone is
searching after their own idea of pleasure, when one actually gets Ka, who is
the source of everything, then all desires will be satisfied. If one can understand
Ka, who is the source of all knowledge, then ones knowledge is perfect and

145
one can understand everything.
He goes on to explain that God is accepted in every culture and civilization.
In every human society the conception of God is there, but one has to inquire
from a bonafide spiritual master to learn how to serve God. Inquiry is natural.
An inquiring child is considered intelligent.
So we should be intelligent and inquire. Athto brahma-jijsthis life is
to inquire about God. Then our life is successful. And after understanding,
what is the ultimate stage? Bahn janmanm ante jnavn m prapadyate.
After many, many births of inquiry, when one actually becomes wise, He
surrenders unto Me, Ka says. Why? Vsudeva sarvam itibecause he
understands that vsudeva, Ka, is the cause of all causes. Sa mahtm
su-durlabhasuch a great soul is very rare. So we request everyone to accept
this Ka consciousness movement and you will feel fully satisfied. Thank you
very much.
Viujana is inspired by the class. How do we render perfect service to
Ka? he asks Prabhupda.
By your anxiety, Prabhupda replies. If you are anxious, to serve Ka
that is the real asset. Ka is unlimited. What service we can offer to Him? He
has unlimited servants. What service does He require from you and me? He is
perfect in Himself. He doesnt require any service. But if you are anxious to
serve Him, then He does not refuse. That is His mercy. That is His
magnanimity. So the more you increase your anxiety to serve Ka, the more it
becomes perfect. The more you serve Ka, the more He accepts you and the
more He gives you intelligence. You see? So the spiritual world is unlimited.
There is no end of service, and there is no end of accepting the service. So
eagerness.
Then Ka will give you intelligence, te satata-yuktn bhajat
prti-prvakam dadmi buddhi-yoga ta, to anyone who is engaged with love
and affection in My service without any hypocrisy. Ka can understand
everything, He is within me, within you, then He will give you intelligence. My
dear boy, you do like this. And by doing that, what he will achieve? Yena mm
upaynti teHe will come back to Me. So simply your eagerness is the
perfection for serving Ka. Increase that eagerness. And eagerness means if
you love Ka, that eagerness will increase with your increase of love. How I

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shall serve Ka?
Because you are a voluntary servant, nobody is forcing. That means unless
you love Ka, how that eagerness will increase? So there are so many things to
love Ka. Beginning is this sravaa krtana. This sravaa, hearing, and
chanting. Hearing, you are hearing Hare Ka, you are hearing Bhagavad-gt ,
you are hearing rmad-Bhgavatam about Ka, and chanting. This is the
beginning. Then, naturally, sravaa krtana vio smaraa pda-sevanam
arcana vandana dsya sakhyam tma-nivedanam. These nine kinds of
different varieties of service to Ka will enlighten you, will advance you in
Ka consciousness, and your life will be successful.
On the following Monday, the temple is filled with hippies who have heard
that a wise man from India is in town. Prabhupda gives an interesting
discourse on the authority of the Vedas. (Lecture, Seattle, October 9, 1968) He
explains how Ka is the supreme power, authority, and witness. Nothing can
be accomplished without the sanction of the Lord. Therefore, we are all
dependent. So how is it that some do meritorious work while others do evil
deeds?
The answer, Prabhupda explains, is our individual free will or
independence. The Lord sanctions our activities. Even when we do nonsense
for sense gratification, it is also sanctioned but unwillingly, against the will of
the Lord. When we cooperate with the Lord, that is called bhakti. Bhakti-yoga
means acting to please Ka. When Ka is satisfied our lives become
successful. So whatever vocation we have that should be utilized to satisfy the
Lord. The perfection of ones life is considered in direct relationship with the
satisfaction of the Supreme Lord.
Viujana has been listening carefully. After many questions from the
audience, he wants to clear up a point. Then all our faculties of perception will
be purified by adopting this Ka consciousness, and we can understand?
Yes, Prabhupda confirms. Ka consciousness means purification of all
faculties, because the faculties work on the basis of consciousness. Just like if my
mind is pure, then my seeing is pure. Similarly, if my consciousness is pure, my
mind is pure. So of all the senses the central sense is mind. And behind mind,
there is intelligence. And behind intelligence, there is consciousness. This
consciousness, if purified, then the whole thing is purified. If this consciousness

147
is polluted, then the whole thing is polluted. So we have to purify the
consciousness. That is Ka consciousness.
Viujana pursues the point. So then a man who does not have purified
consciousness has no way of knowing what is good or bad.
He is in illusion, Prabhupda agrees. That is called my. He is accepting
something bad as good. Just like one is accepting this body as self. The whole
world is moving, accepting this body as the self, dehtma-buddhi. But I am not
this body. That is a fact. So it is illusion.
As the days pass, the family spirit in the temple deepens. The relationship
between the men and women on sakrtana is special. It is not a matter of
association, devotees are always careful about that, but its the feeling of brother
and sister protectiveness that the men have. The women feel really cared for. If
a godsister stays behind to preach in a dubious section of town, where
something might happen, one man will also stay as a safeguard. This attitude of
protectiveness is much appreciated by the women.
But sometimes there are disagreements among godbrothers, and someone
may say things that are avaiava. One day, Upendra feels he has been offended
by remarks made by some of his godbrothers. Disturbed by the incident, he
approaches rla Prabhupda to reveal his heart. Swamiji, I dont think I
should offer obeisances to some of my godbrothers. Since Im angry at them, it
wont be sincere. If I wait until I feel differently, then I wont be a hypocrite.
Offering obeisances, Prabhupda replies, and recognizing that your
godbrother is part and parcel of Ka even when you are angry and do not feel
like it, is real obeisances and real humility. Prabhupdas words enter deep into
Upendras heart. Therafter, he makes sure to always offer obeisances to all his
godbrothers.
Prabhupda keeps his ISKCON going by constantly inspiring his young
followers. They reciprocate his love with their own feelings of appreciation, but
he never accepts their praise on his own account. By his genuine humility they
are guided into selfless loving service.
I am so much grateful to you for your kind sentiments for me. It is all Kas Grace
that He has sent such nice assistants to me, for executing the mission of my Spiritual
Master. Personally, I am non-entity; I have come here on the order of my Spiritual
Master, and he has kindly sent you all boys to assist me. So whatever is being done,

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 there is no credit for me, but all the credit goes to my Spiritual Master, because he has
arranged everything, and I am simply to abide by his order .
Letter to Brahmananda, October 16, 1968

Many students have been coming to the classes and begin taking an interest.
They invite Prabhupda to give a talk at the University campus one Sunday
afternoon, and about forty students attend. After the talk everybody is invited
to return to the temple for the Love Feast, where three newcomers will receive
initiation as part of the program.
The temple room is packed to capacity. Prabhupda begins the initiation by
explaining that the material world is a place where there is no shelter. He gives
the example that President Kennedy was assassinated in his own country. Even
he couldnt find protection. He stresses the great need for Ka consciousness
in todays world. Whatever qualifications or dis-qualifications we may have,
chanting Hare Ka will make our lives successful. When our love for Ka
becomes prominent, we will love everyone else automatically, and our lives will
become perfect.
As many of our students are initiated, so some of our students are going to
be initiated this evening. Initiation means the third stage of joining this
movement. The first stage is raddh, a little faith. Then, if he becomes a little
more interested, he comes to the classes. The first stage is automatic sympathy
for this movement. The second stage is joining or associating with our
activities. And the third stage is the initiation, which means the beginning of
activities, how one can develop Ka consciousness to the perfectional state.
That is called initiation. Then the fourth stage will be, one who is initiated, he
follows the rules and regulations and chants Hare Ka and gives up all
misgivings.
What are the misgivings? We ask our students to refrain from illicit sex life,
non-vegetarian diet, intoxication, and gamblingthese four things. So
ordinarily these four things are very prominent, but these students who take
initiation and follow the chanting, they very easily give up these four things.
That is the fourth stage. The fifth stage is then he becomes fixed up. Then
gradually increasing, always thinking of Ka, to the perfectional stage where
he loves Ka cent percent. This is the process. So this initiation means the
third stage of Ka consciousness.
The new initiates are rmati, Vilas Vigraha, and Viujanas cousin,

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Revatnandana, who joined in San Francisco and came up to Seattle with the
sakrtana party. Madhudvia reads the ten offenses to be avoided while
chanting the Holy Name, and rla Prabhupda gives final clarification and
instruction to the novitiates.
From this day, he explains, your accountpast life, all sinful
activitiesis now adjusted. Closed. It is finished. Now because by chanting
Hare Ka you can finish your sinful activities reaction, that does not mean
that you will repeat. Oh, I shall commit sinful activities and I shall chant. It will
be adjusted. The balance will be nil. No, not like that. Dont commit that.
Whatever is done is done. No more. Now there should be pure life, no illicit sex
life, no intoxication, no gambling, and no meat-eating. Finished now. It is not
that, Oh, I am chanting Hare Ka, let me go to the hotel and take some meat.
No. Then it will be a great sin. Dont do that. Then the chanting of Hare Ka
will not fructify if you commit offense.
You should always remember that nma cintmai ka
caitanya-rasa-vigraha. Ka and Kas name are nondifferent. As soon as
you chant Hare Ka, that means Ka is dancing on your tongue. You should
be careful in that way. Just like you offer so much respect to your spiritual
master as soon as he is present, so if Ka is present on your tongue how much
careful you should be?
While you are chanting we should hear also. That is meditation. Hare
Kathese two wordsHare Ka, you will hear also. If you hear, then your
mind and your tongue both captivated. That is perfect. Therefore meditation.
The first-class yoga. Hearing and chanting.
The whole process is that we are going to transfer our love from matter to
God, bhakti-parenubhava-viraktir anyatra syt. If you actually develop love of
Godhead, then naturally you forget all this material nonsense. With the
progress of Ka consciousness you forget the so-called material nonsense
enjoyment. This is the test. Progress means that you will minimize your material
attachment for sense gratification. Chant Hare Ka.
The three novitiates gratefully accept their beads from Prabhupdas hand
and offer their obeisances one by one to the cheers of the assembled devotees
and guests.
Early the next morning, Prabhupda receives a telegram from India that his

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godbrother Bhakti Prajnana Keava Mahrja passed away two weeks earlier.
He at once requests all the devotees to gather in the temple room. Some are
thinking, What happened? What did we do?
Prabhupda begins by narrating how his Guru Mahrja had encouraged
him through one of his godbrothers.
One has to accept the renounced order from another person who is in
renounced order, he explains. So I never thought that I shall accept this
renounced order of life. In my family life, when I was in the midst of wife and
children, sometimes I was dreaming that my spiritual master was calling me, and
I was following him. When my dream was over, I was a little horrified. Oh,
Guru Mahrja wants me to become sannys. How can I accept sannysa? At
that time I was not feeling satisfaction to give up my family and become a
mendicant. At that time it was a horrible feeling. Sometimes I was thinking,
No, I cannot take sannysa. But again I saw the same dream. So in this way I
was fortunate.
As Prabhupda speaks, his voice becomes choked up. My Guru Mahrja
pulled me out from this material life...I have not lost anything. He was so kind
upon me...I have gained. I left three childrenI have got now three hundred
children.
He begins to weep. After a long silence he regains his composure. So I am
not the loser. This is a material conception. We think that we shall be the loser
by accepting Ka. Nobody is the loser. I speak from my practical experience. I
was thinking, How can I accept this renounced order of life? I cannot accept so
much trouble. But I retired from family life. I was sitting alone in Vndvana,
writing books. So my godbrother, he insisted, Bhaktivedanta Prabhu... This
title was given in my family life. It was offered to me by the Vaiava society. So
he insisted, not he insisted, practically my spiritual master insisted through him,
that You accept.
Because without accepting the renounced order of life, nobody can become
a preacher. So he wanted me to become a preacher. So he forced me through
this godbrother, You accept. So unwillingly I accepted. And then I
remembered that he wanted me to go to the Western countries. So I am now
feeling very obliged to this godbrother, that he carried out the wish of my
spiritual master and forced me to accept this sannyas order.

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 So this godbrother, His Holiness Keava Mahrja, is no more. He has
entered Kas abode. So I wish to pass a resolution of bereavement and send it
to them. I have composed one verse in this connection in Sanskrit. So you all
present, you sign this. So I wish that you all sign this, and Ill send it tomorrow
by air mail.

Prabhupda signs and then passes it around for everyone else to sign.
Resolved that we, the undersigned members and devotees of the International
Society for Ka Consciousness Incorporated, in a condolence meeting under
the presidency of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, today the 21st
of October, 1968, at our Seattle branch, express our profound bereavement on
hearing of the passing of His Divine Grace Om Visnupada r rmad Bhakti
Prajnana Keava Gosvami Mahrja, the sannyas guru, preceptor of our
spiritual master, on October 6th, 1968, at his headquarter residence in
Nabadwip, West Bengal. We offer our respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet
of r rmad B.P. Keava Gosvami Mahrja with the following verse
composed on this occasion by our spiritual master:

vairgya-vidy-nija-bhakti-yogam
apyayan mm anabhpsu andhm
r-keava-bhakti-prajna-nma
kpmbudhir yas tam aha prapadye

The next day the sakrtana party is ready to get on the road. Prabhupdas
stay in Seattle has come to a close. rmati has been going out every day with
the party and also wants to leave with them. Tamal Ka is unsure. He doesnt
want an unmarried woman traveling with the brahmacrs, even though she is
ten years older, about the same age as Jaynanda.
Ive already been married, she explains, and have three kids. Ive left them
in the care of my mother, so Im free to travel. Tamal is not convinced.
Look, having three children, already Im out of the running, for whatever.
Im not a threat.
Tamal is still ambivalent about the plan. Everybody likes rmati, but its too
risky.

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 Why not ask rla Prabhupda before making up your mind? Its her trump
card.
Good idea, Tamal agrees.
Prabhupda is not against the arrangement. He also wants to encourage his
female disciples to take an active role in devotional service.
If some girl wants to go, then she may marry somebody. That will be nice.
Of course, in your country there is no such restriction if unmarried girls go with
you. But if she is married, that is better. So you make your choice in that way.
So she is going?
She wishes to go, Tamal explains. I told her, So you have to get married.
And she just said, Oh, I have been married. I just want to marry Ka now.
Thats nice, Prabhupda exclaims, laughing. That is very nice. Yes. If one
gets Ka actually he or she forgets everything. That is sure. Ya labdhv
cpara lbha ndhika manyate tata. (Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya 7.28, found in
Caitanya-caritmta, Madhya 22.43) My dear Lord, I am now fully satisfied.
That is the preaching we are making.
rmati is happy to hear that she can join the traveling party. She may be the
only female, but she doesnt feel uncomfortable because the mood is family.
After lunch, the party heads up north towards the Canadian border where
two devotees are trying to maintain a temple in Vancouver. This party is the
forerunner of the traveling book distribution parties that will soon crisscross
the North American Continent.
But they only spend one day in Vancouver because Prabhupda had asked
them to meet him in Los Angeles. They rush down to California so they can
help make comfortable arrangements for his arrival. Jaynanda drives the
whole way, stopping only to take a little rest when he becomes too tired.
After more than twenty-four hours steady driving, Jaynanda pulls off
Interstate 5 onto the Hollywood Freeway. These are the last few miles of the
journey. Daynanda and Nandar have rented a storefront right on busy
Hollywood Boulevard. Because of its popular location, the area will be perfect
for preaching. Crowded in the back of the commercial van devoid of windows,
everyone is exhausted but elated, knowing that they will soon be at their
destination.

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 At last Jaynanda parks the vehicle, and everybody jumps out of the van in
their wrinkled dhotis. Now they are able to stretch, shake off the lethargy and
soak up the energetic rays of the warm California sun. Carrying sleeping bags,
mrdangas, pots and pans, and other belongings into the empty storefront space,
they present a stark contrast to the Hollywood scene.
The Los Angeles temple is an ideal spot for sakrtana. Located on the
ground floor of an old office building, down the street from Graumanns
Chinese Theater, the former showroom is a large wide-open space with huge
wall-to-wall picture windows on both sides of the doorway. Daynanda had
explained that he was going to open a yoga center, so the landlord thinks he will
be teaching postures and silent meditation. Nandar has worked hard to
make the storefront neat and clean, but it is not yet a temple.
After a quick shower and change of clothes, the devotees are enthusiastic to
go out on sakrtana. Right outside the front door is the best sakrtana spot in
LA. Within minutes, Viujana is leading an ecstatic kirtan down Hollywood
Boulevard, while rmati and Nandar distribute BTGs and invite people
back to the storefront for their first evening program.
Tamal Ka: At night, with all the offices closed, our brightly lit,
ground-floor temple room was like a Hollywood stage set, and the constant
flow of people strolling down the boulevard would stop, spellbound, staring at
the most unique sight they had ever beheld, many pressing their faces against
the large showroom window, trying to get a better view.
rmati dev ds: I remember Viujana at that temple on Hollywood
Boulevard leading kirtans. He would always be playing mdaga and
dancing on his toes. Through the whole kirtan hed never come down on his
heels. We had kirtan until one or two in the morning on Hollywood
Boulevard. Wed go on for hours.
Madhudvia: Viujana would go out every day on the street and chant, and
he would always keep it going. Hed wear these cotton work gloves and he
would tape these little cardboard pellets to his finger tips with black
electricians tape on both hands. Thats the way hed be able to play the
mdaga for six to eight hours a day without his fingers splitting and bleeding.
He would also play the tamboura. He was the only one that could actually
keep it in tune and sing with it.

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 Prabhupda arrives the next day. He will spend a few days in a palatial hotel
that looks like a white castle. Situated on a nearby hill, it was previously the
home of an old actor. His room is fully furnished, with an attached kitchen.
Daynanda has done an excellent job making arrangements.
The brahmacrs quickly get to work turning the storefront into a proper
temple. They purchase large burners and put a kitchen in the back behind a
curtain. Now they can start cooking it up. The Jagannath Deities from the old
West Pico Boulevard temple are installed on a provisional altar, and the
devotees begin regular offerings.
When Prabhupda comes to give the morning class, he is very impressed
with the location right on busy Hollywood Boulevard. The storefront is very
modern and clean, so Prabhupda is very happy as he takes his seat on a pillow
on the floor. As businessmen and secretaries rush by on their way to work, they
look through the picture windows to see a timeless ritual being performed,
disciples hearing rmad-Bhgavatam at the lotus feet of their guru.

Los Angeles November, 1968

As the sakrtana party becomes purified by chanting eight hours every day,
the results increase. Almost immediately they set a new record for one
daydistributing 175 copies of Back To Godhead and collecting $130 in
donations. (Letter to Mukunda, November 3, 1968)
But there are also setbacks. The police try to restrict the partys movement.
Tamal and Jaynanda visit the Hollywood police station. After hearing their
story, the Sergeant agrees that part of the duty of the police is to protect
religious people like the devotees.
If you can just keep the crowds moving, then you have every right to chant
on the street, he concludes.
Soon there is a problem with the landlord. The other tenants complain
about the loud kirtans morning and evening. They are also upset about the
pungent odors emanating from the makeshift kitchen. Now that the
brahmacrs have arrived, the landlord feels hes been had. This is not yoga
postures and silent meditation!
One day Revatnandana makes a particularly heavy chaunce. The kitchen is
quickly filled with smoke. The rear window is usually open to clear the air, but

155
as the smoke bellows out to the floors above, it also enters into the duct system
of the buildings air-conditioning unit. Soon people on the upper floors begin
coughing and choking. Someone thinks theres a fire and sounds the alarm. The
building is evacuated as firemen quickly arrive in response to the call.
You guys gotta go. The landlord is furious. If you dont go, youre gonna
lose your deposit. I can afford a lawyer; you cant. The devotees are helpless to
protest.
Within twenty-four hours, he returns their $450 deposit, and the LA
devotees are evicted to join the homeless. With nowhere to go, they camp out
on Hollywood Boulevard, accompanied by Lord Jagannath, the pots and pans,
rice, dahl, and Prabhupdas books. They ask every passerby for help, without
success. Several hours pass. No one is interested to help. Suddenly, a little old
lady walks up with her pet dog.
Hello boys, whats the matter with you? From her accent shes an English
lady.
Oh, we just got evicted.
Then come and live with us. Without even being asked, she volunteers to
help. The devotees are jubilant and most of them accompany her to her home,
where she lives alone with her three dogs. It is immediately obvious the place
needs a good cleaning. It takes three days to clean the entire house and make it
livable.
Meanwhile, the Deities and temple paraphernalia are taken over to stay with
Prabhupda. He has moved to a little apartment where the devotees meet,
cramming into one small room for kirtan and darshan. Tamal Ka brings the
English lady to meet their spiritual master, although she has no spiritual
inclinations. She is a kind and simple woman who curtsies before Prabhupda.
Appreciating how much she has helped the devotees, Prabhupda is very
gracious in thanking her for her kindness.
Prabhupda directs Tamal Ka to find a house for the sakrtana party.
They must continue preaching to maintain themselves, and their responsibility
is to increase Ka consciousness in the area. Daynanda will try to locate a
permanent facility for the temple. The sakrtana party finds a cheap place in a
Spanish area, La Palma, right beside the notorious Watts district.
Watts is part of the Black Channel, a 72 square-mile area that houses 90% of

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Los Angeles Countys 600,000 blacks. This is the hard, unchanging ghetto, a
traditional portal for blacks migrating to Los Angeles. Few of its people are
native Californians. Of the 1.5 million blacks who fled the South in the 60s,
one out of four went to California.
On August 11, 1965, Watts had exploded into five days of violence after a
black high school dropout was arrested by white cops for drunken driving.
Savagery replaced harmony with nightmarish abruptness. One evening white
Angelenos had nothing to worry about but the humidity, the next, marauding
mobs pillaged, burned, and killed, while 500 policemen and 5,000 National
Guardsmen struggled vainly to contain their fury. Hour after hour the toll
mounted: at weeks end, 35 dead, 900 injured, 1,700 arrested, and property
damage well over $100 million.
Three years later, all signs of the violence are gone, and most of the area has
been rebuilt. Although Watts is a slum, there are no rows of multiple-story
tenements or concrete canyons. Its streets are generally broad, occasionally
tree-lined, and bordered by dusty lawns. Its dwellings are mostly frame and
stucco houses. But in the small rented houses and apartments four and five
families are often crowded together. Children are left alone while parents work.
Youths roam the streets seeking relief from the monotony of daily life, trapped
by their own ignorance and drowning in frustration. The people distrust the
police and the police distrust the people. They move in a constant atmosphere
of hate.
Undaunted and with full faith in Guru and Ka, the devotees move in.
rmati is still traveling with the men and moves in as well. They feel safe with
herbeing older and having already had childrenso she gets a lot of
leniency. At first she spends the night in the van while the brahmacrs stay in
the Spanish stucco house, but the next day she discovers a little mother-in-law
cottage out back, in the garden, and relocates there.
Every day the party drives out to Hollywood for sakrtana. With no temple
and devotees spread out in different locations, Prabhupda gives class every
evening to maintain the preaching mood and keep everyone enthused.
Jaynanda drives up to his apartment to bring him to wherever the program is
being held. On Sunday afternoons they have the Love Feast in Griffith Park.
They arrange programs with favorable people they meet on the street;
sometimes in their apartment, sometimes in someones backyard, and

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sometimes in an old garage.
The garage is offered by a businessman whom Tamal meets on sakrtana.
He has taken up chanting Hare Ka and stopped his habit of smoking
two-and-a-half packs of cigarettes a day. He invites the devotees to hold kirtan
in his oversized garage, which can accommodate fifty people. They fix a date
and Prabhupda is brought over to speak.
Jaya Gopal waits outside the closed garage door ready to blow his conchshell
when Prabhupda arrives. Inside, the devotees have cleaned everything up, put
down carpets and prepared a vyssana. There are lots of flowers, and incense
burns everywhere. Devotees and guests sit on the floor on brightly colored
cushions waiting for Prabhupda.
At the sound of the conch, the big garage door lifts as if a big car is about to
enter, and there is rla Prabhupda, small in stature, humble, and standing
alone. He comes in, takes his seat, and begins kirtan. The lecture is from
Brahma-samhita, text 29, and Prabhupda elucidates on the description given of
the spiritual world, where every house is constructed of cintmai stone, where
the trees are all desire trees, and every woman is a goddess of fortune.
But there is so much attraction for Ka kirtan that both men and women
forget anything of sex life. It is so nice, so attractive, that they have no more
attraction for sex life. There is embracing, there is kissing, everything is there,
but there is no sex life because they have got another thing, para dv
nivartateso sublime, so sweet, so transcendental that they are simply absorbed
in Ka thoughts. That is the perfection of Ka consciousness.
After a brief description he calls for questions. Viujana is the first to ask.
We pray to the spiritual master. Theres a verse that the spiritual master is
receiving benediction from the ocean of mercy. Is the mercy thats always
extended to the fallen souls the opportunity to serve Ka, and is that where
all the bliss comes from also?
Yes, Prabhupda confirms. Just like the sunlight. Sunlight is free. It is
open for everyone. But if you block your room, you dont like to see the sunlight,
so how the sunlight can help you? You have to come to the open sunlight. Then
it is free. You can enjoy. Similarly Kas mercy is open. It is not that Kas
mercy is somewhere very prolific and somewhere it is very miserly. No. It is
everywhere the same, but it is the recipient who can receive Kas mercy. So

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persons who are in love with Ka, they can receive Kas mercy very
profusely. Otherwise, Kas mercy is open for everyone. But if you place
stumbling blocks in understanding Ka... Just like the yogis, the jns, they
like to speculate. Ka says, aha sarvasya prabhavo, I am the source of
everything; matta sarva pravartate, there is nothing superior or greater than
Me. But these people will still speculate to know. So what Ka can do? Here is
Ka, here is the Supreme Absolute Truth, presenting Himself, showing
Himself, exhibiting Himself, and everything is there complete, but still, they
will notJust like owls, as soon as there is daytime, they will hide. They are
determined not to see sunlight. So these rascals, they will not see Ka. So
what Ka will do?
Ka will never force because He has given you independence. He will not
touch upon your independence. What is the meaning of independence? If I give
you something and if I take it away, then what is the meaning of giving it?
When I have given you, it is your property. So Ka has given you
independence. So you can misuse your independence.
So everything is there, but I am thinking otherwise. I am hiding from the
sunlight. Sunlight is profuse, it is everywhere. The same sunlight in the
northern portion of the earth, is not so prominent, and in the southern portion
it is very prominent. Does it mean the sun exhibits very prominently in some
portion of the earth, and in some portion of the earth not? No. It is the
condition of the place that sunlight is not seen. So according to Vedic
literature, places which are always overcast with clouds, no sunshine, they are
condemned places. The people there are considered sinful, where there is not
much sunshine. Natures law. There will be less sunshine.
Similarly, those who are sinful cannot understand Ka. That is stated in
the Bhagavad-gt. One who is completely liberated from all sinful activities,
ye tv anta-gata ppa jann puya-karmam, persons who have
simply acted piously, te dvandva-moha-nirmukt, they become free from the
duality, bhajante m dha-vrat, and accept Ka with firm faith and
devote their lives for His service. Ka consciousness is not for ordinary
persons, but if one sees that, My other brother is in Ka consciousness, he is
enjoying, let me also, then immediately he becomes fortunate. If he has got
little sense. It is very difficult, but very easy also. Let me take to Ka. Just like
Ka says, bahn janmanm ante jnavn m prapadyate; after many,

159
many births of cultivation of knowledge, when one is fully in knowledge, then
he surrenders unto Me. And sa mahtm sudurlabha; such kind of great soul is
very rarely seen.
Now if you are intelligent, if you can understand that simply by
surrendering, one becomes a very great soul and they are very rare, why not
surrender immediately? That is intelligence. If this is the process of highest
perfection, why not do it immediately? So Caitanya-caritamrta says, ka yei
bhaje sei baa catura. Only the first-class intelligent man can become Ka
consciousnot the rascals and fools. They cannot. A little intelligence is
required. So it is very easy, but it is very difficult for rascals and fools.
Now, why I am saying rascals and fools? I am not saying, Ka says.
Avajnanti mm mh; mh means rascals and fools; mnu tanum
ritam para bhvam ajnanto mama bhta-mahevaram. These rascals and
fools, they do not know what is the background of my personality. They do not
know. So it is by fortune, good association. But this fortune can be immediately
achieved by association of devotees of Ka. Therefore we have formulated
this Society for Ka Consciousness. If anyone joins this Society, very quickly
he will become Ka conscious, without any previous qualification, simply by
association and trying to follow the principles.
So Ka is open for everyone as the sunshine is there for everyone, but we
have got independence. If we like, we can go to the sunshine, or we may block
our room and windows and keep ourselves in darkness. So Kas mercy is for
everyone, not for a particular person. But a special mercy is for those who are
engaged in Ka consciousness; samo ha sarva-bhteu na me dveyo sti na
priya. He is not envious of anyone, neither somebody is especially favorable.
But He says, ye tu bhajanti m pritya; one who engages in My service with love
and affection, I am especially inclined to him. That is natural. The father loves
the child, the child loves the father. If many children are playing in the street
and there is some accident, if the father goes and protects his own child,
neglecting other children, that is not his fault. That is natural. Similarly, one
who is engaged in Kas service with faith and love, for him there is a special
attention. That is not partiality, but that special favor is there.
Govinda ds fearlessly raises her hand. Suppose someone is firmly
convinced that Ka consciousness is the only thing that will save him, but yet
he still has inclinations toward material activity. Will Ka force him, in this

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case, to become completely surrendered?
Yes. He puts the devotee in such a way that he is obliged to become fully
Ka conscious. Naturally, because we are materially associated for so many
lives, even though we are trying to become fully Ka conscious, our material
attachments sometimes drag us, but if we are very strongly Ka conscious, this
attachment will be taken away by Ka. That is mentioned in
rmad-Bhgavatam: yasyham anughmi hariye tad-dhana anai. I have
personally that experience. I was not inclined to come to this line, but Ka
has forced me. That is a special favor. I am now understanding. So Ka is very
intelligent. If we foolishly want something other than Ka, He makes us
forgetful of such nonsense. That is Kas special favor.
Madhudvia voices a personal concern that everyone has in mind.
Prabhupda, how may a brahmacr channel his sex desire in serving Ka?
That energy that he cant control which is going into his sexual desire, how may
he channel that and use that energy for Ka?
Sex desire is not unnatural, Prabhupda explains. You can utilize your sex
desire for Kas service. You can produce Ka conscious children. So we
dont prohibit. Our process is that everything should be in the service of Ka.
The others, they are producing children like cats and dogs. If you produce Ka
conscious children, the face of the world will change. So sex desire is not
unnatural.
Just like to become hungry. Hungry means healthy. But it is the thing you
are eating that will be considered whether you will keep yourself healthy or you
will become diseased. But if you feel hunger that is not unnatural. Similarly, if
you feel sex desire, that is not unnatural, but you have to utilize. That is
restraint of the stra. So Ka says in the Bhagavad-gt, the regulative way of
sex life is Myself.
So sex life is not condemned, but one should know that, Why I shall use my
sex life? If it is used for Kas purpose, then I shall use. Otherwise, I will not.
That is Ka consciousness. Just like Vasudeva and Devaki, in their previous
life, after marriage they began to prosecute tapasya, If we can get Ka as our
child, then we will have sex life. Otherwise, not. So for many thousands of
years they underwent tapasya, and Ka came, So, all right, then I shall
become your child.

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 Pit na sa syj janan na s syt. The Bhagavat says that one should not
become a father, one should not become a mother, one should not become a
spiritual master, one should not become a friend, one should not become a
husband, who cannot deliver his dependent from the impending clutches of
death. You see? Na mocayed ya samupeta-mtyum. This life and death,
perpetual change of body, this is going on. 8,400,000 species of life, and people
are suffering. The living entities are encaged and suffering.
So a Ka conscious father and mother should be determined that we shall
beget children in such a way that this life will be the end of his change of body.
This life he will be liberated. Thats all. That is Ka conscious sex life. I shall
take care of my children in such a way that he will never come back again in the
womb of a mother. Hell be liberated. You can produce hundreds of children
like that. That is Kas service. That is Ka consciousness. There is nothing
unnatural in Ka consciousness. Everything is natural. So chant Hare Ka.
After Prabhupdas clarification of this point, the devotees are relieved.
They understand that Ka consciousness does not mean repression. Marriage
is natural, and sex life within marriage for Kas service is also natural.
However, by chanting the mah-mantra, one will develop a higher spiritual
taste and will no longer be attracted to bodily sense enjoyment.

With so much street sakrtana every day, devotees invariably attract

interested people on a regular basis. These are people who are generally
disturbed about the situation in America at the height of the Vietnam war.
They return with the brahmacrs to Watts after seeing the chanting party with
kartls and mrdangas. Even though they know nothing about the movement,
they realize that it engenders something that is very attractive. Viujana runs
the new devotee program, instructing the recruits how to put on a dhoti, how to
put on tilak, and how to chant on beads. Its a tough job, but he enjoys it.
Madhudvia: Viujana used to have a squirt bottle, to refresh the devotees
when they would nod off on the way to sakrtana. Inevitably, someone
would begin to nod off, and Viujana would give him a little squirt, Jyate.
He used to say Jyate. He would make up these songs like, Keep your eyes

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 on the pure devotee, jyate, jyate.
When you look back on it, you can say whatever, but it was celestial. It
might not have been scripture, but it was coming from his heart. He had a
genuine feeling of love for Prabhupda. He might have had a romantic
outlook towards the spiritual world and Caitanya Mahprabhu, but the
devotion was there, even if it hadnt taken complete form and siddhnta yet.
None of us really had much philosophical depth; we were just into chanting.
We read Prabhupdas books, but there werent that many back then.
The brahmacrs live a Spartan life in the Watts house. As the treasurer,
Madhudvia walks to the local bank every day, carrying a strongbox full of
coins. With his bead bag on one hand, he constantly chants, Hare Ka Hare
Ka, Ka Ka Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare
Hare. Many jobless black youths hang out along the street. They see him
regularly and check him out, paying particular attention to the strongbox. But
they are very suspicious about the bead bag.
Hey man, dig this bald-headed dude, comin down the street again.
Must be packin a heater in that bag.
Don mess with him, man. Gotta be some kinda set up, ya know. Giving
Madhudvia a wide berth, they let him pass by without incident.
In her little cottage out back, rmati begins making dolls and puppets.
Viujana had discovered this talent back in Seattle and had inspired her to use
it in devotional service. On the road down to Los Angeles they had endless
discussions about it in the back of the van.
Now Prabhupda has requested her to make a baby Ka, and she offers him
a beautiful Ka doll. Charmed by Kas beauty, he asks Viujana to make a
daily offering of hot milk for baby Ka and gives him mantras to chant during
the offering. Viujana is very eager to offer the milk and swing the cradle that
baby Ka lies in. He becomes very attached to doing this little ceremony in
the back cottage, where baby Ka lives with rmati. His natural tendency for
Deity worship first begins to blossom with this beautiful Ka doll.
rmati needs supplies to make puppets, and Viujana brings whatever she
requests. From the secondhand stores he brings back secondhand dolls.
Together they begin making puppets. First they take the dolls apart, taking off
their heads, hands and feet. Then they fashion bodies made of cloth. Viujana

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designs an ingenious stick maneuver apparatus with attached wires that will
become the arms. The hands fit onto the wire arms, and on the top is a spring
where the head fits. In this way the head bounces and the arms move up and
down.
On Thanksgiving Day, a big event is held in Griffith Park, with groups such
as Green Peace distributing free food to the needy. The devotees also go to the
park to chant and have their Love Feast. But when the brahmacrs return later
in the evening, they find the whole house is empty. Thieves had broken in
while they were out and picked the house clean. Everything is stolen, sleeping
bags, tape recorders, pots, pans, food. Gone also is Tamals brand new Olivetti
portable typewriter and an expensive sewing machine belonging to Silavati. Its
almost as if they have been moved out. Luckily there was no money around the
house, so its not a total disaster.
rla Prabhupda is informed of the theft, and he instructs them to never
leave the house unattended. So we have to take care. What can be done? Now
you should be very careful, and somebody must remain there always.

December, 1968

In the final month of 1968, Prabhupda takes many giant steps forward in his
progressive march to defeat the forces of illusion. ISKCON now becomes firmly
established. The first major step is the acquisition of superior temple facilities in
both Los Angeles and New York.
But while the Watts house is still the only place the devotees can call their
own, Prabhupda performs a fire sacrifice there, initiating several devotees.
Before the ceremony begins he notices Jaynanda.
Jaynanda looks like r Caitanya Mahprabhu, he chuckles. Yes. He was
tall and stout and strong, Caitanya Mahprabhu. Jaynanda is a big man with
big shoulders, but hes so naturally humble that he blushes beet red when
Prabhupda compliments him.

After weeks without a temple, Daynanda finally locates an empty church at

1975 South La Cienega Boulevard. Prabhupda is eager for a center in Los

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Angeles, and Daynanda is eager to show him the property and get his approval.
Although it is just an old wooden church in dilapidated condition,
Prabhupdas eyes immediately light up, recognizing the possibilities for a
temple. The building is set back about fifty feet from the street, with a center
walkway and unkempt lawns and trees on either side. From the main entrance
they enter a large chapel with a high-vaulted ceiling, large expansive windows,
and a stage at the far end just perfect for an altar. A second equally large room,
without the lofty ceiling, is suitable as a prasdam hall. There are other fairly
substantial rooms, two offices, two bathrooms, and a decent kitchen.
Touring the premises with Daynanda, Prabhupda becomes convinced.
Yes. I want this for our temple. The rent is $500 per month and may be too
expensive for their present budget, but he is willing to take the risk and tells
Daynanda to close the deal. There will be enough room to accommodate
hundreds of guests as well as to house the devotees comfortably. The building is
self-contained, so there wont be any tenants complaining about loud kirtans.
With minor modifications this will be ISKCONs most impressive facility.
Daynanda negotiates a lease agreement, bringing the rent down to $400 a
month for the first year. Prabhupda takes Tamal Ka around to show him
the site. He asks Tamals opinion about the proposed new temple. Tamal is
impressed. This is definitely a step up.
So, how much you will contribute for the rent, from the sakrtana party?
Tamal is taken aback. He wants the sakrtana party to remain independent
from the temple. He prefers to maintain their separate existence in the Watts
house, considering themselves as Prabhupdas personal traveling party. There
were discussions about going to Europe as the World Sankirtan Party, and he
has been saving money from the daily collections in a special account for just
this purpose. The temple is just a concern for the local devotees and the temple
president, Daynanda.
We can only give $100 a month rla Prabhupda, he answers reluctantly.
Accepting that, Prabhupda pledges the difference from his book fund.
Understanding the mentality of his neophyte disciples, Prabhupda knows he
has to bring them to a higher level of consciousness.
A few days later he calls Tamal in for another talk. As they walk around the
complex, Prabhupda explains that this new facility offers a great potential for

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spreading Ka consciousness in Los Angeles. But it will require expert
management.
Why dont you move into this temple and take responsibility? Now is the
proper time for you to move in and organize things here with your party. This
will be a real challenge.
But Prabhupda, you said that you wanted us to go to Europe and all over
the world. Tamal is hesitant. He is unwilling to give up his dream of traveling
as Prabhupdas personal entourage. If we move in here...
No, no. This will be just for a short time, Prabhupda reassures him. Tamal
is left with no other choice but to accept the proposal. The brahmacrs
relinquish the Watts house and move into the church. Their first service is to
transform the church into a temple.
Tamal Ka: Now, instead of mrdangas and kartls, we wielded brooms,
paint brushes, and hammers. Within days, the building began to take on the
atmosphere of a regular ISKCON temple. Every room was given a fresh coat
of paint, and in the main chapel an altar was constructed over the stage.
The different rooms are allocated and arranged to suit the purposes for
which they are intended. Two larger rooms become the brahmacr and
brahmacrn quarters, respectively. The three alcoves off the prasdam hall are
converted into an art studio for Muraldhara, a sewing room for Silavati, and a
work room for rmati to make dolls and puppets. Nara-Nryaa: begins to
craft a beautiful vyssana, while a special room is prepared for rla
Prabhupdas personal use. A beautiful sign is put up on the front lawn
advertising the Sunday feast.
When the renovation is complete, Prabhupda is brought to the temple and
taken on a tour. All the devotees follow him around as he inspects every detail.
Everything is neat and clean. There are proper brahmacr quarters,
brahmacrn quarters, a well-equipped kitchen, a huge temple room, a
prasdam dining hall, and his personal darshan room. He is satisfied to see the
effort the devotees have made to use the facility properly.
Jaynanda is very happy moving into the new temple. He begins tidying up
the lawns on either side to give the place a beautiful first impression. Then he
goes out and gets a donation of 108 rose bushes and four highly fragrant

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gardenia shrubs. He plants the roses and gardenias along the graceful walkway
leading up to the front door. Soon they will provide colorful flowers for offering
to Ka. Assuming the service of custodian, he takes care of the temple and
maintains the grounds. He also takes special care of devotees as well. When a
young mother arrives with her son, Jaynanda ensures that they feel right at
home.
Labangalatika dev ds: I met Jaynanda at the Los Angeles temple. I was a
new devotee, just a few days in the temple, and we were cooking gulabjamuns
for the Sunday feast. I was just rolling them, not cooking. I remember he was
a very big person and very friendly. He spoke to me directly just to make me
feel at home. He asked me some questions. I was feeling very shy, and he told
me that there was another English girl that Prabhupda had initiated, who
had gone home to her mother because she was so sensitive. He was very nice.
He didnt think that he couldnt speak to me because he was a brahmacr.
Dvrakda: I was five years old. My name was Darwin, and Prabhupda
used to call me little boy Darwin. My mother and I had just moved from the
Santa Fe temple. Jaynanda planted all those rose bushes at the temple, and
the ground was all dug up. There were all these little clumps of grass with
dried out mud at the root. I remember playing with him, throwing those up in
the air like they were demons or something.
Viujana was kind of like my elder brother or mentor while I was in Los
Angeles. He was taking care of me, and he was the first person to shave me up.
He was teaching me how to paint, and we went to the store a few times to get
paints.
On the disappearance day of rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkur, as
Prabhupda is about to begin the program in his newly refurbished La Cienega
temple, he notices that Jaynanda is absent. All of a sudden, Jaynanda comes
in and offers his obeisances.
Hare Ka. Come on. I was thinking, Where is Jaynanda? Now
immediately he has come. Everyone turns to see Jaynanda, in his usual
humble manner, bringing an enormous tiered cake intended for rla
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkur. The devotees gasp in wonder, and rla
Prabhupda looks very pleased. He instructs Jaynanda to offer it directly to his
Guru Mahrja, adding, Take care it may not fall down. All right.

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 This is a special rapport with the spiritual master. Jaynanda has imbibed the
concept of devotional service so perfectly, and as a result, the devotees observe
that rla Prabhupda is always thinking of him. Everyone is happy, because
they know that Jaynanda deserves this extra mercy.

Because devotees stay out on sakrtana until late at night, magala-rati at

4:30 AM has not yet been introduced and the morning program only begins at
seven oclock. Prabhupda comes three nights a week to lead kirtan and give
class. Before kirtan everybody crowds into his little room for darshan. During
these intimate moments they ask personal questions and establish a closer
relationship with their spiritual master.
One evening, Prabhupda singles out Tamal Ka. What time is it,
Tamal?
Its six oclock, rla Prabhupda.
It will never be six oclock again. This moment has passed. You must take
advantage of this opportunity. By his personal association he awakens their
appreciation and teaches the devotees everything they need to know to become
Vaiavas, pure devotees of Ka.
Recognizing Tamal Kas organizational ability, Prabhupda spends a lot
of time training him in management skills. Tamal begins to think that he is
getting special attention beyond that of the other devotees. Whenever the
spiritual master detects false pride in a disciple he is always quick to rectify the
anartha. Prabhupda brings this up in a gentle way when Tamal brings over
Muraldharas new painting of the Bhagavatam cover for approval.
As Prabhupda studies the painting, he begins to point out the different
features of the creation for Tamals consideration. Pointing to Ka, he
describes how the entire creation is simply an expansion of Kas energy. The
unlimited Vaikuha planets are self-effulgent and eternal. Pointing to the
corner where Mah Vishnu is lying down on the Causal Ocean, Prabhupda
explains how millions of universes emanate from His pores during just one
breath.
Tamal Ka: Prabhupda said, Each universe is filled with unlimited

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 numbers of living entities who inhabit all of the planets and stars. One of
these planets is our earth, and on this planet there are many continents. On
one continent there is America, and in America there are so many big cities.
Here is Los Angeles, and in Los Angeles there is a street, La Cienega
Boulevard. On this street, among all of the buildings, is a temple of Lord
Ka. And in this temple there is one Tamal Ka. He is there, and is
thinking that he is very important.
Then Prabhupda looked at me and smiled. He was showing me how
unimportant I really was. The lesson was clear: no one had the right to
become puffed up, no matter how important his position might seem to be.
Nara-Nryaa: has been spending all his time carving and preparing a
gorgeous vyssana since the wonderful new temple deserves an equally
wonderful seat for Prabhupda. Everybody wants to offer him a seat worthy of
his position as the representative of Ka. They place it on the stage to the
right of the Deity altar. When Prabhupda arrives and is offered this grand seat,
he is hesitant to accept it. Never has such an excellent vyssana been offered
to him before. His eyes fill with tears, being visibly moved by his disciples
offering of love. In a voice choked with emotion, he expresses his unworthiness
to accept such an exalted seat but will accept on behalf of his Guru Mahrja.
The devotees are deeply affected to see this transcendental emotion in their
spiritual master. But even this offering is not glorification enough.
The New York devotees have also been looking to expand their facilities.
Now they obtain a five-year lease on a grand three-story building on 61 Second
Avenue. It was previously a tuxedo rental parlor, so it has many closets and
large full-length mirrors which cover the walls. They write Prabhupda that it is
like a palace compared to the original storefront. Thus, two substantial temples
are acquired within the same month. However, the acquisition of the two
temples is just the first of several important steps for ISKCON and rla
Prabhupda that take place this month.
The second major step forward is in book publication. In mid-December a
case of books arrives from New York. At the evening class, a devotees hands
Prabhupda his newly published Bhagavad-gt As It Is. Holding it up for
everyone to see, Prabhupda is pleased that ISKCON finally has its own Gita.
A few days later two new BTGs are delivered. The first is issue twenty-one.

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The second is the first French language edition published by Janardan in
Montreal. Prabhupda shows great joy to see this magazine so beautifully
produced, fulfilling his ambition to preach all over the world. It will have the
potency to purify so many souls trapped within the French language and
culture.
Prabhupda has already begun translating the Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu,
which will be named Nectar of Devotion. In response to so many questions about
the personality of Ka, he is also preparing to write a summary study of the
Tenth Canto of rmad-Bhgavatam. It will simply be entitled Ka, The
Supreme Personality of Godhead, and will be filled with stories and illustrations
of Kas pastimes. Now there are several ISKCON artists, and he encourages
them to paint the many pictures of Ka ll that he desires. Teachings of Lord
Caitanya is already being printed.
Another major project is the establishment of gurukula, where boys and girls
will get a proper Vaiava education. Prabhupda is encouraged to see the
devotee children take to Ka consciousness so enthusiastically. He requests
Hayagrva to take charge of the new gurukula project and set up the school in
New Vndvana.
Important news arrives from Rupanuga. He has been offered an accredited
course teaching Ka consciousness at the State University of New York at
Buffalo. Prabhupda considers it a breakthrough for Lord Caitanyas
movement in the West. He hopes the more intelligent students will come
forward to take up the mission. He encourages Hayagrva to attempt a similar
course at the University of Ohio. If students can learn about Ka
consciousness at the college level, it will be a great success for ISKCON.
In New York another first is that Rdh and Ka make Their divine
appearance in ISKCON. rla Prabhupda has been traveling with small
Rdh-Ka Deities, but now Rdh-Ka Deities are installed in the new
temple on 61 Second Ave. A gorgeous abhieka ceremony is performed,
following detailed instruction from rla Prabhupda, and the photographs of
the entire ritual appear in Back to Godhead, number twenty-two.
Not all the news is bright, however. The San Francisco devotees are being
harassed on sakrtana by the police. There have been ongoing problems since
Tamal Ka and Viujana left for LA. With the following letter, Prabhupda

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establishes the standard for the future book distributors, who will travel and
distribute literature, separate and distinct from the kirtan party.
Chanting in the street chased by the police is not good at all. The best thing is
to invite people in our temple and chant peacefully. If a person can sell from 7
to 12 magazines individually, there is no need of making a procession of
chanters and thereby disturbing the police equilibrium. If you can sell Back To
Godhead individually as proposed by you, and some copies of our books, like
Bhagavad-gita As It Is, that will be a great success. There is no need of leading
a procession of chanters for this purpose.
Letter to Cidananda, December 14, 1968

On December 22, reporters are invited for a Press Conference to announce

the opening of the Los Angeles temple. But by 7:00 PM, not a single reporter
has arrived. The devotees are dismayed, but Prabhupda ascertains the fault.
Due to a lack of experience, they had scheduled the meeting for after working
hours, when the reporters were off duty. Everyone is completely embarrassed.
But not rla Prabhupda. Instead, he records his Manifesto of Ka
Consciousness, which was intended as the press release.
After the recording, Tamal Ka approaches, We have prepared a very
large feast.
Thats all right. You eat. Prabhupda humbly declines the invitation.
Prepare a large feast every day and chant every day and eat prasdam every
day. This is the inauguration day. Yes. At least make your program, that every
day in the evening, from seven to eight, for at least one hour this kirtan will go
on. Im very glad that Viujana chants very nicely, and you also, one after
another. So every day make chanting at least for one hour in the temple, and do
your activities as usual. Dont be disappointed. Ka will see to His own
business. So you have prepared a large feast, you eat.
Due to his transcendental vision, Prabhupda turns the failed Press
Conference into a blissful kirtan and feast by introducing the evening program
of sandhya-rati. He demonstrates the practical application of Ka
consciousness, chant, dance, and feast on Ka prasdam.
Tamal Ka, Viujana, and Jaynanda are developing their spiritual
personalities. Tamal is trying to understand everything logically and
reasonably. He is approaching through the intellect. Viujana is trying to
understand how to get the experience and taste of Ka consciousness. He is

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approaching through the heart. Jaynanda is simply accepting everything as
spoken by rla Prabhupda. He never seems to ask a question. He is
approaching through humble submission.
While there is clearly overlap in their approaches, this is essentially how
these three devotees share the bond of service to Ka. Through this bond they
can completely relate to one another, to understand and express the deep
feelings and realizations they share as they progress in spiritual life. On the
spiritual platform they have harmony. However, they are as different as any
three people can be. If they had met only five years earlier they would have had
very little in common.
Jaynanda was the taxi driver with the engineering degree from the
Midwest, who drove aimlessly throughout the streets of San Francisco, taking
his passengers to destinations no more important than a temporary stop in a
temporary dream.
Viujana was the mystic, bred in sunny California, where the ocean surf
beckons; the gifted musician who dropped out of the system as soon as possible
to embrace an alternative lifestyle, exploring his creative energy in music, the
occult, and psychedelia.
Then there was Tamal Ka, the philosopher and Jewish intellectual from
New York, raised in a godless environment, who wandered the streets of
Manhattan seeking out the most sophisticated places to be seen, and debating
endlessly in college with religious zealots.
They were worlds apart. Nothing in their own sphere of influence could
have held any interest for the others. Yet they had one deep attribute in
common. Each in his own way had seen through the thin veneer of material
life, the illusion of the temporary enjoyment of a technological civilization,
with its mirage of unbounded freedom and joy for mankind. Each, in his own
way, had escaped the brainwashing of TV, the programming of the educational
system, and the indoctrination into the patriotic feeling of this is my country;
this is my home.
Rather, they had remained immune and unfettered, choosing not to become
a cog in the industrial machine. Thus, each had begun to search for the truth
behind the faade, the meaning beyond the American dream, the promise that
lay deeper than the false hopes of temporary sense gratification offered by

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Madison Avenue and its coterie of followers. This common characteristic led
each of them to the shelter of the Lords pure devotee, who was roaming the
earth and picking up lost souls seeking the refuge of a deeper communion with
the eternal.

By the end of the year there are thirteen centers. La Cienega is the first big
temple in the movement. ISKCON has gone from storefronts to grand places of
worship.
The movement takes off in California through the combined efforts of
Viujanas enthusiasm for sakrtana, Tamal Kas organizational skills, and
Jaynandas dedication to humbly take up whatever service is needed.
Prabhupdas personal presence, of course, is the galvanizing factor.
Tamal Ka: On numerous occasions Prabhupda would say to me that the
actual start of our movement has to be calculated from 1968. Why? Because
this is when all the programs were established that later on became the basis
for the Hare Ka movement. The first time we had the really big
Ratha-ytr was in 1968. The first real Deity worship began in San Francisco
with Lord Jagannath, and Los Angeles was the first large temple in which
Prabhupda standardized many things.
Also 1968 was the first time that there was a developed sakrtana party
going out daily, first in San Francisco and then Los Angeles. We had it
organized. Hansadutta went out occasionally in New York, but we went out
every day. We had uniforms. We were selling the magazines. It was a very
standard program. It was the start of the real sakrtana boom. The
sakrtana movement really took off on the West Coast. It didnt take off on
the East Coast. I used to call Brahmnanda once a week, and he would just be
astonished when I would give him the reports of what we were doing.
The Sunday feasts were huge. Hundreds of people were coming. We had
large numbers of devotees joining. Nearly a hundred devotees joined. Nothing
like this had happened on the East Coast. They didnt have that kind of festive
mood. And that festive mood was created especially by Viujana.

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 Fifth Wave The Day the Kirtan Changed

The antiseptic potency of devotional service to the Lord is so great that it can
neutralize the material infection even in the present life of a devotee. A
devotee does not need to wait for his next birth for complete liberation.
rmad-Bhgavatam 2.7.3, Purport

Washington, DC July, 1971

Prabhupda is coming! Haribol, prabhus. Hes gonna be in New York temple.

Excitement is at its peak when the news reaches the devotees at 2015 Q
Street. rla Prabhupda is coming to New York. Everyone is dying to see him,
especially the new recruits who have joined the movement only by hearing
about him and reading his books. On July 17 he will arrive at the new Brooklyn
temple on Henry Street, and everybody wants to be there.
Prabhupda returns to New York after a ten month preaching tour
throughout India. While he was away, the movement in America has expanded
exponentially. Hundreds of new bhaktas have been made and are eagerly
waiting to be accepted as his initiated disciples. There are so many new
devotees from all over the East Coast that Prabhupda decides to initiate them
in groups, in a huge initiation ceremony extending from July 21 to July 28. Each
temple will get their own day with rla Prabhupda, so that their own devotees
can be initiated together.
Dmodara dsa announces that the whole DC temple will go up to see rla
Prabhupda. He also has a plan for his Rdh-Ka Deities, who have been
lying in the closet at Q Street for over six months.
Mahmy dev ds: I first saw Rdh-Dmodara in a closet at the
Washington, DC, temple. I was the pjr there for the picture of Panca
Tattva. I happened to come across the Deities because I was cleaning out a
closet. They were covered up in the bottom of the closet. They werent visible
because They were on the floor. I took the cloth off the Deities and, Wow,
Rdh-Ka! I paid my obeisances. They were heavy, but I pulled Them
out. There were cockroaches all over the floor. They just werent being

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 worshipped. Dmodara got Them, and he always thought he would install
Them. They had a set of clothes that came from India. I just put Them back
in the closet and asked Dmodara about it. He said, Some day well install
these Deities.
Abhirma: I remember seeing Rdh-Ka Deities in a corner closet in DC
temple. I was the temple president of Baltimore at the time, so I was naturally
friendly with Dmodara. We would visit regularly and do programs together.
I was aware that They were there, that he had received Them, and They were
in the closet. He did show Them to me at one point, but then I really lost track
of Them until They resurfaced with the transcendental Road Show.
The Washington devotees are thrilled at the prospect of driving up to New
York temple to see rla Prabhupda. Most of them are anticipating initiation.
Traveling with the devotees will be Rdh and Ka, now out of the closet and
brilliantly revealing Their perfect beauty. Dmodara hopes to show Prabhupda
the Deities and get permission to worship Them.
When Dmodara finally arrives in New York and arranges a darshan, he
ensures that the Deities are carefully brought into Prabhupdas room for his
approval. There is an immediate response from His Divine Grace.
Dmodara: rla Prabhupdas reaction was overwhelmingly positive. His
eyes opened up wide, you know what I mean, youve seen pictures of him with
that look of wondrous animation, and he said, Oooohh! They are very
beautiful. Dont you think so, ymasundara? His secretary agreed. Well,
what a victory. We had our Deitiesand personally approved by His Divine
Grace. It wouldnt be long now before Washington, DC, was a Rdh-Ka
temple. Look out ISKCON!
So we left Them in New York for Muraldhara to touch up Their painting
for the installation. rla Prabhupda had asked me what I wanted to do with
Them, and I said wed like to install Them in DC, and he okayed the plan.
But apparently Ka had other plans. You might say, in retrospect, that we
never should have left Them in New York. (Oh Lord, what fools these mortals
be!)
Meanwhile in New Vndvana, Krtannanda Swami has been wanting to
organize some kind of traveling program. New Vndvana is a very simple farm

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community with no strong preaching program to keep a sannys active. So
Krtannanda wants to travel and preach with Kuldri, his servant. Together
they do a number of college programs, which they consider very dynamic.
Bloomington, Indiana, is a big college town where Krtannanda likes to do
programs. In a vegetarian restaurant run by Sufis, Mahrja plucks a tamboura
and chants while Kuldri plays mdaga. After chanting, Krtannanda gives a
talk on bhakti-yoga. The program is popular, and everyone in the restaurant
enjoys the spiritual mood. When the restaurant closes its doors, the two
devotees retire to the Sufi house for more kirtan and to stay the night. The next
day they go to the University to meet the Department heads and arrange to
give classes.
Krtannanda has a vision for traveling and preaching. He wants to do
something more for the college programs, but hes not exactly sure what that is.
He has been doing radio programs in Columbus, Ohio, with a new bhakta
named Mah Mike. The chemistry is already there, and Krtannanda is always
looking to get more people involved in his program.
Mangalananda: When I first met Krtannanda Swami, he didnt know I
played music. There was a guitar in the basement of the Columbus temple,
and I thought it would be nice to play it. So I played guitar and chanted, and
he heard me sing at the kirtans. He said he was going to do a radio show and
he had me play the guitar. This was a local radio program in Columbus. Then
he did a few more things like that. We would cook up a little prasdam for
distribution and go to colleges. He would give a talk and then we would sing
Hare Ka. It was just mdaga, kartls, and guitar. It wasnt a big musical
thing, just a lecture, prasdam, and kirtan. The basic program.
Hayagrva had started the Columbus temple, one of the places where
Krtannanda Swami goes regularly to lecture. He always does programs at Ohio
State University, and Mangalananda is there with his guitar. The idea develops
to refine the college presentation. Eventually it could evolve into a full campus
program, enhanced by music and drama.
After rla Prabhupda flies off to London and the excitement of his New
York visit fades, Krtannanda Mahrja again focuses on his traveling
program. Early one Saturday morning Mahrja invites Silavati and Toaa
Ka to accompany him to New York. He and Kuldri go up periodically for

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supplies and to do some preaching in New York City.
Silavati, the head pujari from Los Angeles, is visiting New Vndvana
because her children, Girish and Birbhadra, are now living there. She is an
older, matriarchal personality, well-known in ISKCON because Prabhupda
had personally trained her in Deity worship.
Kuldri is waiting in the drivers seat when the others get into Mahrjas
old Chevy van for the drive up to New York. After a half hour of twisting and
turning around country roads through the West Virginia hills, Kuldri finally
finds the entrance ramp onto Interstate 70 East.
As they drive along, past green pastures with grazing cows, Kuldri and
Mahrja inform Toaa about their plans for a sakrtana party with a
theatrical presentation traveling to the colleges. Feeling the excitement of the
new program, Toaa suddenly has an idea. He turns to Silavati, who sits
quietly in the back of the van.
In your conversations with rla Prabhupda, Silavati Prabhu, did you ever
discuss the possibility of a Deity being able to move? Do Deities always have to
be on the altar or can there actually be Deities that move?
Well, now that you mention it, Silavati confides, Prabhupda told me
that not only can They move but there can be processions, and swing
ceremonies, outdoors even. There are quite a few ways of worshipping Deities
in a traveling mode. You can put Them in a box while traveling from place to
place, and take Them out and set up an altar for worship wherever you happen
to be.
Really? Wow, that sounds revolutionary.
After a few minutes Toaa casually mentions to Krtannanda, Mahrja,
I happen to know that about a year ago Dmodara Prabhu arranged, somehow
or other, to get Rdh and Ka Deities cast somewhere in India. When I was a
brahmacr in the DC temple, we were told, Oh, the Deities are coming!
Dmodara is kind of a visionary, and he just went ahead and ordered these
Deities, but Prabhupda was very strict, and because we didnt have eight
brhmaas in the temple we couldnt have Rdh-Ka worship. So we just
looked at the Deities, and it was understood that we would have to put Them
away, basically.
What do They look like? Krtannandas interest is piqued.

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 They are stunning to look at. Much different than Deities that you
normally see. Ka is made of German silver, and Rdhr is fashioned from
eight precious metals. (In Sanskrit, aa-dhtu) Dmodara put Them away in a
closet, and we thought that we would install Them in a few years.
So where are They now? Mahrja is definitely interested at this point.
Toaa is aware, as they drive to New York, that the Deities will be in the
temple when they arrive. They were unpainted, but out of some sentiment and
excitement Dmodara wanted to have the Deities painted anyway. So I know
that those Deities are in New York right now, and Muraldhara is painting
Them. They are very beautiful. When you see Them I think youll agree. I dont
think They are going to be worshipped or installed for quite a while, so all you
have to do is make a phone call to Dmodara and Im sure hell agree that you
can, in effect, borrow Them.
Hmm. This is very interesting news you have, Krtannanda says, deep in
thought. Kuldri has a big smile on his face. He obviously understands
Mahrjas mood.
Yeah, and Silavati says that its all right to have traveling Deities, Toaa
adds.
Before they know it, the New Vndvana devotees arrive in New York,
paying the toll to cross the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan. Soon
they are crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, and Kuldri pulls up the white Chevy
van in front of 439 Henry Street.
When you enter the Henry Street Temple through the front door of the
double-mansion building, you can look directly into rla Prabhupdas quarters
by just glancing to your right, if the doors to Prabhupdas quarters are open.
This time they are.
As the devotees step into the temple, they can see Rdh and Ka in
Prabhupdas quarters. At this very moment, Muraldhara has just put on the
final touches and is admiring the beauty of the Deities.
Krtannanda goes no further. The others follow him straight into
Prabhupdas quarters and pay their obeisances. Silavati falls in love with the
Deities at first sight, as do the others. Everyones eyes light up. It is a quiet,
special moment.
After gazing at the Deities, Mahrja suddenly leaves the room to find a

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telephone. Now there are other people who think the Deities who were left in
New York are the most beautiful, and they want Them. And since one of these
people is Krtannanda Swami, he gets Them. Of course, when he calls
Dmodara on the phone, he says he just wants to borrow Them for a short time.
Dmodara: When Krtannanda phoned me to ask for the loan of the Deities,
I had a good impression of him, although I knew he was somewhat cagey. He
was a wily wheeler and dealer, and a good bargainer. That reputation had
definitely grown. He did say he just wanted to borrow the Deities, and as soon
as I wanted Them back I could have Them. I didnt trust him, and I knew that
it was quite possible we would never see the Deities again. But They werent
doing anybody any good sitting in our closet.
How could I refuse him, I thought, since it would be a while, after all,
before we could install Them. We were happy to see Them worshipped, but
still it was a mixed happiness, because we wanted Them too. We had paid the
money and had done the work, but we thought maybe it was Kas
arrangement that They be worshipped somewhere else. We took a
philosophical stance because of the point that They were meant to be
worshipped and not sit in a closet.
Krtannanda returns after the phone call and simply says, Hes agreed.
The others are overjoyed, although no one really knows what is going to happen
next.
The next day at the Sunday feast Toaa sits down with a friendly couple
who introduce themselves as Bob and Aura Shectman. Sitting on Auras lap is
their eighteen-month-old son Jude. They have been coming to the temple
regularly for several months.
Bob and Aura used to do the light shows at the Electric Circus in
Manhattan, another large ballroom presenting the cutting edge of psychedelic
rock, similar to the Avalon in San Francisco. They were in on the fringes of the
Andy Warhol crowd and would hang out at Maxs Kansas City and other hip
places. But now, since meeting the devotees, they are bored with that whole
scene.
As they take prasdam together, the conversation shifts to Toaa and what
brings him to New York. Toaa tells them about a vague idea that the devotees
in New Vndvana are cooking up, about traveling around with Deities.

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 Well, I have a bus, says Bob.
A bus? Toaa hadnt thought of a bus because there was no money.
Yeah, I have an old school bus. Every Saturday I come to the temple to take
the sakrtana party out to Times Square. Thats our regular spot. Ive just quit
my job and Im ready to roll, somewhere.
Toaa excitedly tells Bob and Aura about the Rdh-Ka Deities they are
interested in and then takes them to meet Krtannanda Mahrja. Within
minutes its decided. Bob and Aura like the Swami and will drive out to New
Vndvana in a few days to help start something. Again, no one is exactly sure
what that something is.

Los Angeles January, 1969

The devotees of ISKCON Los Angeles begin the year on a high note. With a
gorgeous temple, and many new devotees joining, they celebrate their first fire
yaja in La Cienega. Eight devotees get initiated, and a triple marriage
ceremony is also performed. Tamal Ka gives away the bride in all three
marriages.
One of the new devotees in the temple is Palika. She had been involved with
a commune called the Brotherhood of Eternal Love, located in Woodland
Canyon, an hours drive south of Los Angeles in the resort town of Laguna
Beach. After joining the movement she contacts her friends in the
Brotherhood, who also become interested in Ka consciousness.
Timothy Leary is now out on the West Coast after his Millbrook scene was
shut down by the police. He has teamed up with Alan Cohen, the editor and
publisher of The San Francisco Oracle, who manages a commune in Albion
called Tablerock Mountain Ranch. The whole idea behind the League for
Spiritual Discovery back in Millbrook was to find the twelve right individuals
under whose direction their combined consciousness would form the new
Messiah. In teaming up with Alan Cohen, Leary is still pursuing this idea.
Mohannanda: About this time I met Jayatrtha, and we were all on the
spiritual path at that point. So we all set up teepees and lived in Albion for a
couple of months during the summer of 68. Jayatrtha and I had our own
separate teepees and lived on cattail bread and blackberry bannock, fasting

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 and studying Vedic literature, I Ching, and the Bible. One day up in Albion,
Tim announced that he had merged the League with a group called the
Brotherhood of Eternal Love.
The Brotherhood was founded by Russell Harrigan and John Greggs. They
were blue collar kids, Santa Ana low-riders, who raced cars and lived the
American Graffiti type of lifestyle. When LSD came along, it transformed
their lives. The self-styled guru and psychologist Richard Alpert was the first
one to come in and begin validating the experiences they were having. He
talked to them about consciousness and expanding consciousness, and gave
them different rituals and guidance so they could develop spiritually. They were
one of the first psychedelic churches founded in America and incorporated
with non-profit status. They had a little temple going in Modjeska Canyon,
from where they became the largest drug smuggling organization in America.
They were making 200 million dollars a year in the drug trade, mostly
marijuana from Mexico and hashish from the Middle East. For a while they
were kings of the earth in California.
When the League from the East Coast merges with the Brotherhood from
the West Coast, they begin funding continuous research and development of a
pure quality of LSD. They are convinced they have seen God, felt God,
experienced God, and loved God. LSD is the way to turn on the worldto
expand the consciousness of the entire worldwhether the world likes it or
not. Overnight the Brotherhood becomes the largest psychedelic distribution
network in the world. They buy seven houses in Woodland Canyon and open
Mystic Arts World in Laguna Beach. The bookstore and health food bar is used
for laundering money but also for propaganda. Many young people are attracted
by the mysticism of the East, which becomes the beacon for spiritual awakening
on the West Coast.
Allan Watts has written that the closest experience we have for interpreting
the psychedelic experience is Hindu philosophy. Gradually a whole group of
people, who have tried all the native American hallucinogens like mescaline
and peyote, are discovering that Native American philosophy doesnt really
explain what they are experiencing. Their life is a constant mish-mash of
spiritual concepts; a smattering of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and
everything else, including Native American traditions, but basically it is all just
myvda philosophy. They are looking to merge into the light and become

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God.
Through their visions in psychedelia they begin making the transition to
Hinduism, which becomes more and more important at this point. Personalism
begins to enter the picture through the Bhagavad-gita and other Hindu texts,
replacing the Tibetan Book of the Dead, Egyptian Book of the Dead, Buddhism,
and Zen. But although people are becoming intensely interested in the cult of
the personality of various Hindu Deities, still it is with the idea of becoming
God.
But now, rla Prabhupda is on the scene preaching pure Ka
consciousness. He is having a profound effect on the new spiritual awakening
taking place in America and the world, because he reaches out to touch the soul
that is longing to reunite with r Ka in pure devotional service.
Mohannanda: On Christmas day 68 we were chanting Hare Ka along
with Prabhupdas first album, which was playing constantly throughout the
house. It was magnificent. I had a profound connection with Prabhupda
through the picture of him on the back. There was a whole linkage coming in
for me that day, going back to Paramananda in Millbrook, and I looked at
Prabhupda on the back of that record album and thought This guy is not
from this planet. That was my first inkling of his transcendental nature. I
had no way of really placing how incredible or how powerful he was, but it
was a real deep connection for me at that moment.

Street sakrtana continues to attract more and more people to attend the
Sunday Love Feast. Among them is a former interior designer, who has come to
Hollywood seeking success in the film industry. Impressed by Viujanas
personality and spiritual rapture out on the street, he shows up at the temple
one Sunday afternoon. Tamal notices this charismatic personality and sits with
him during prasdam, preaching a little and establishing a friendly relationship.
After the feast they continue in Tamals little office, sitting until midnight
discussing philosophy. On the wall is Muraldharas painting of the Bhagavatam
cover. The picture captures the imagination of the newcomer. After hearing
Tamals explanation of the different planetary levels and where the spiritual

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sky is, he becomes convinced and decides to join.
Its a very rainy day when his friends drop him off in front of the temple.
They are a different type of people, a bit older, in their early 30s. They are
people with money. He is like the mentor to his group of people, and theyre not
happy to see him join the Hare Kas.
Within a few days they return and persuade him to leave. Tamal and
Jaynanda decide to rescue him and drive off one evening in the van. When
they knock at his door, hes surprised to see them but welcomes them in. They
follow him down to the basement of the large well-kept house, where he lives in
a redecorated private suite.
Tamal Ka: Bhavnanda was part of a group of film people. Andy Warhol
had some film people who were on the East Coast, and then Bhavnanda had
a group of friends and film people on the West Coast. Jaynanda and I went
after Bhavnanda to get him back. He left because he was attracted to the
material energy. So I saw him downstairs and we sat there for a few hours and
preached to him. After a few hours of talking, we convinced him to come back
with us. As soon as he got in the van we knew we had caught a big fish. He was
a leader in his own way. He was a very outstanding person.
Back at the temple, Viujana keeps Bhavnanda dancing and chanting.
Soon he becomes an attractive addition to the sakrtana party because he is a
good dancer with a good voice as well. He is even happy back in the kitchen
washing pots with Viujana after the Sunday feast. Now he understands that
his constitutional position is servant, not master.
Feeling that the temple is a little too plain, Bhavnanda decides to make it
look absolutely beautiful. First he undertakes an ambitious program
re-painting the entire complex in lovely pastel shades. He has a lot of talent
with fabrics too, so he decorates the temple room next, hanging long bolts of
silk from the ceiling. He creates a silk canopy extending past the front doorway
so that people walk through it to enter the temple. Next he covers all the
cushions with a gorgeous brocade silk. Finally he hangs draperies throughout
and lays down large Indian carpets. Suddenly the ordinary old Baptist Church is
transformed into Aladdins Palace, something out of the exotic East. Everybody
loves it. Prabhupda especially appreciates the endeavor of this young
American disciple.

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 For the last month, Prabhupda has been regularly teaching the devotees all
the standard songs of the Vaiava Acharyas. Viujana is particularly
interested in these songs, and they enter deep into his heart. They will become
the life and soul of his preaching before long. rla Prabhupda encourages him
and offers to teach him the proper way to play harmonium. The arrangement is
that for every new bhajan that Viujana learns, Prabhupda will give another
harmonium lesson.
Understanding Viujanas musical talents, Prabhupda gives him the words
to a song by Narottama dsa hkur, Vndvana ramya sthna, and asks him to
compose a melody that his countrymen will like. Viujana is excited by this
service, and the next day he informs His Divine Grace that he already has a
melody for the song. Prabhupda asks Viujana to come by his room and sing
the new melody. After hearing Viujana sing the bhajan, Prabhupda is
greatly pleased. He thanks him for the beautiful melody and authorizes him to
compose other melodies for the devotees to chant. No other devotee has this
authority.
Although an outstanding musician in his own right, Viujana is
particularly impressed with Prabhupdas musical abilities. Not only is he an
accomplished mdaga player, but Prabhupdas harmonium playing reminds
him of the top jazz musicians. And never has Viujana heard such deep and
profound singing. Yet all of Prabhupdas music is simply to glorify the Supreme
Lord, Ka.
Today, January 16, Prabhupda finishes the last song that he will teach:
Parama Karuna by Lochan dsa hkur. Dinesh carefully records his spiritual
master singing all these bhajans. He has flown out to LA from the East Coast
especially to do this service. Prabhupda also has Dinesh record Viujana
singing Vande ha and Hare Ka while Prabhupda plays the mdaga.
Singing the ancient Sanskrit prayers, Viujana deeply meditates on his
spiritual master sitting before him accompanying him on mdaga. It is at this
point, some say, that Prabhupda transfers the kirtan to the first generation of
Westerners.

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 Meanwhile in London the devotees are making a name for themselves with
photographs and articles in the major newspapers. ymasundara writes that
Prabhupdas visit to London will be the biggest event since the time of the
Roman Invasion. Prabhupda agrees, adding that this time England will get
something sublime. He is so pleased with the success of the London Yatra that
he cant contain his admiration for the attempt of these three young couples.
He knows that Ka has blessed them with His mercy.
My Guru Mahrja sent one sannyasi, Swami Bon Mahrja, to preach Ka
consciousness in London, sometime in 1933. Although he tried for three years,
and at the expense of my Guru Mahrja, he could not do any appreciable
work. So Guru Mahrja, being disgusted, called him back. In comparison to
that situation, our 6 young boys and girls are neither very much advanced in
their study of Vedanta nor any other Vedic literature, neither are they
sannyasis. But still they are doing more tangible work than what Bon Mahrja
could do there 35 years ago. This very fact confirms the statement of Lord
Caitanya that a preacher or teacher may be a householder, a sannyasi, a
brahmana, a sudra, or anyone, provided he knows the science of Ka. And to
know the science of Ka means to serve Ka under the directions of a bona
fide Spiritual Master. When we serve Ka in this way, Ka is pleased to
reveal Himself. So we should follow strictly the Vedic principle that anyone
who has unflinching faith in Ka and the Spiritual Master, to him only the
science of Ka consciousness becomes revealed. Then, when we are fully
conversant in revelation of Ka consciousness, we can meet any opposing
elements and come out victorious.
Letter to Hayagriva, January 31, 1969

The enthusiastic reception of Lord Caitanyas mission in the West gladdens

the heart of rla Prabhupda. Like a General in the field, he now sees that
victory over my is imminent, and he wants to impart this conviction into the
hearts of his young followers.
So we should now organize in such a way that there shall be nice kirtan and
attempt for selling our publications. My Guru Mahrja indicated that the
mdaga and the press are the mediums of our missionary propaganda
activities, and we shall follow His path in the same way. We must have large
quantities of mrdangas for vibrating in different parts of the world, and we
must distribute our literature also. Every other organization has demand for
money for their bogus classes, but we dont demand any money. People should
know this difference.
Letter to Brahmaanda, January 30, 1969

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 Prabhupda instructs the Los Angeles devotees to have democratic elections
to choose their temple officers. Daynanda is elected president, Jaynanda is
the vice-president, Tamal Ka is the secretary, Madhudvia, the treasurer,
and Viujana the temple commander. They comprise the board who oversee
the temple management. Often, Silavati sits in for the Deity department.

February, 1969

rmati has been busy making puppets in her little work room. She has made
ten different puppets that can play various personalities. The heads are
interchangeable, as are the costumes. One puppet has four arms, so it can be
either Lord Vishnu or Lord Brahma. Viujana envisions a grand production
and together with Stoka Ka builds an elaborate puppet theater. He recruits a
troupe of artistically inclined devotees to play the different parts, and also gets
all the scripts ready. At the same time he goes out on sakrtana eight hours a
day, and ten hours on the weekends.
The large open-spaced brahmacr ashram is generally vacant during the
day, so Viujana gets the idea to set up the puppet theater there. After a few
rehearsals everyone is ready to stage a public performance.
The first production is scheduled for Friday evening, the appearance day of
rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkur. A chair sits in front of the puppet
theater for Prabhupda, who enters smiling in anticipation. As he takes his
seat, everybody sits down around him. Tonights presentation is the story of
Prahlada and Hiranyakasipu.
rmatis job is to change the roles of the different puppets, so she is always
behind the puppet theater doing the costumery and changing the puppets as
needed. Viujana works the puppets with a couple of other devotees, and also
does the voices. Because he is so dramatic and can do so many things with his
voice, he has become expert at doing the various characters.
Prabhupda enjoys the show so much he requests them to do more plays and
make it a regular function of the Sunday program. He wants cultural
presentations of Ka conscious themes. In a letter the following day, he
expresses his appreciation for the puppet show.
Please inform Gurudas that in Los Angeles temple, Viujana, Tamal Ka,
Silavati, and her son Birbhadra, played a puppet show yesterday on the

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 occasion of my Spiritual Masters Advent Day. The subject of demonstration
was the story of Prahlada. It was so very nice and perfect that everyone
enjoyed to the fullest extent, and everyone joined in chanting Hare Ka. I
hope that some time in the future they will be able to demonstrate many such
spiritual themes for puppet shows, and people will be greatly benefited.
Letter to Jim Doody, February 8, 1969

By Prabhupdas request, the puppet shows become a regular feature of the

Sunday program. Viujana and rmati love to take out the puppets and put on
plays for the children every week. After the play they enjoy joking with the kids
as well.
rmati dev ds: Prabhupda would always ask for specific puppet shows.
Viujana loved the one about Prahlada and Hiranyakasipu. I can just see
Hiranyakasipu being angry and banging his hands on the theater stage. Then
there was one of Narada Muni. Prabhupda just loved these puppet shows.
One time I sat next to Prabhupda during an intermission and I asked
him, Prabhupda, how do you chant? Is it Hari Ka or Hare Ka?
Prabhupda bent over to me, because he was chanting on his japa beads, and
right in my ear said, Hare Ka! It just felt so dynamic that it filled me for
months. That was a very powerful moment. I cant possibly express it, but I
remember it very vividly.
The transcendental sound vibration of Hare Ka uttered by rla
Prabhupda enters rmatis ear and seems to pierce through all the layers of
material energy covering the heart and touches her soul. This is exactly how the
scriptures describe the effect of hearing the Holy Name from the lips of the
pure devotee.
rmati loves to wear a lot of jewelry, and when Prabhupda comes to the
temple, she adorns herself just for him. Prabhupda appreciates her beauty and
comments one evening that, rmati is not only beautiful on the outside, but
beautiful on the inside.
Every morning the temple commander, Viujana, organizes all the duties in
and around the temple. He even orchestrates the washing of the laundry. A
couple of brahmacrs take everyones clothes, they wash and dry them, then
fold everything nicely and place them in the brahmacr ashram where
everyone comes to claim their own.

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 In these early days sakrtana is everybodys prime function. All the
devotees are inspired by Viujanas love and dedication to sakrtana. After
lunch prasdam he takes out the sakrtana party. Everyone enthusiastically
crowds into the van for the drive to downtown LA in front of Bullocks
Department Store at Seventh and Broadway. The area is dirty and congested
and not a very nice place to go, but its where almost every other religious group
in Los Angeles converges to compete for customers.
As the devotees stand along the street near the corner bus stop, Viujana
begins plucking his tamboura in an ancient drone, chanting the guru-prama
mantras before leading into the kirtan. The devotees chant in response, and
some begin collecting change with their conch shells. Soon the ecstatic
chanting and dancing attracts the otherwise preoccupied shoppers in
downtown Los Angeles. Thousands of persons get the benefit of hearing Lord
Kas Holy Name. As Viujana sways back and forth, singing so melodiously
with the tamboura, the devotees are reminded of the painting back at the
temple of Narada Muni playing his transcendental vina. Viujana is so
attractive that people stop to watch, and devotees approach them with BTGs
and invitations to the Sunday Love Feast.
As the kirtan gets going, Viujana switches to mdaga. Though he always
wears gloves to protect his hands, after three or four hours of continuous
playing they begin to bleed. But he just continues chanting all afternoon,
beating away incessantly on the drum as if in a trance. Even when it rains, he
carries on chanting and the devotees chant along with him.
From time to time he stops to preach to the crowd. Occasionally, he calls the
devotees together to tell them Ka stories or to talk about Prabhupda. He
brings his festive mood to a very obnoxious place, downtown LA, but due to the
presence of the Holy Name the atmosphere is immediately spiritualized.
Most devotees spend at least some time distributing magazines, but
Viujana just chants all day. Whenever he does take a break to distribute
magazines the mood of the kirtan changes, so he is always asked to chant. The
distribution goes a lot easier when hes chanting. Revatnandana leads the party
in BTG sales with 12-15 each day. Thats considered big for one devotee.
Labangalatika dev ds: We went on sakrtana for at least six hours a day
with just a few devotees, maybe ten. This was my first introduction to Ka

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 consciousness. Viujana was wonderful. We would go out there and it would
be so difficult because of being on the bodily platform, but by the time we
came back wed be in Kaloka, completely. The kirtans were so purifying. It
was the most wonderful Ka conscious experience to chant the Holy Name
in the association of Viujana. He was the center of everything.
rmati took me out on book distribution. We decided to go out on our
own, house to house, and distribute BTGs. We would catch a bus and go to
different neighborhoods. We knocked on doors and people were often very
hostile. They were so afraid. But somehow it became very nice, just going door
to door.
I came back one day and Viujana asked me, Did you meet one sincere
person? He knew how hard it was. Tamal was very happy we were doing this.
We were happy because it was so nice to go out and preach. It was my first
experience of preaching.
Dhadyumna: There was a story around the LA temple. Tamal Ka was
such an organizer that he organized very nicely the first big kirtan parties in
LA with Viujana leading. But Tamal wanted that everybody should go out
with the conch shell and collect money. Viujana would never collect. He
only wanted to lead kirtan. When Prabhupda came, Tamal went to see him
and complained, Viujana wont collect, rla Prabhupda, he only wants
to chant.
Prabhupda leaned back and smiled, Yes, he has achieved liberation
simply by chanting. That was the end of Tamals plan to get Viujana to
collect money. And it was kind of like that, Viujana didnt think about
money.
Around five oclock the party heads back to the temple, where everybody
showers and gets ready for sundara-rati. Viujana sings one or both of the
kirtans for the evening program. Devotees prefer him leading. Revatnandana
gets to lead occasionally. Sudama also leads from time to time. Even Tamal leads
sometimes. Madhudvia leads kirtan whenever he can get a chance to do it, but
mostly Viujana leads because everybody wants him to.
As soon as rati is finished, prasdam is served. Then everybody goes out to
Hollywood Boulevard. The new sakrtana spot is in front of the trendy
restaurant, Diamond Jims. The whole mood is very festive and full of fun. It

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never seems like work. Everything is so enjoyable.
Viujana has really flowered since moving to La Cienega. The devotees are
very enlivened because he is such a good preacher. He can also lead kirtan for
eight to ten hours a day. Day in and day out.
For a change of pace, Viujana takes the sakrtana party out to Sunset
Strip on the weekends.
ukadeva: I was walking around Sunset Boulevard, and I heard a kirtan
going on. By Kas grace I walked around the corner to check it out, and
there were the devotees. Viujana was leading the kirtan, with Tamal Ka,
Sudama, Umpati, and a lot of devotees from the LA temple. I had seen the
Hare Ka mantra in College. I had gone to some peace marches and had
heard the mantra. So I just sat down with them and started chanting. Tamal
came up, gave me some incense, gave me a card, and invited me to the temple.
I moved in the first night because Sudama invited me to stay the night.
Madhudvia: Viujana would make up his own melodies. Prabhupda
actually gave him that one song Vndvana ramya sthna, and asked him to
compose a melody. He composed this beautiful melody. Viujana was so
intoxicated with kirtan. He would go out all day long having kirtan, come
back to the temple, and start chanting bhajans for the Deities before evening
rati. Then hed lead the evening rati. He just kept on going and going. He
was genuinely intoxicated with the Holy Name.
Devotees see that Viujana has taken Prabhupdas teaching to heart. His
questions in class reflect his desire to mold his life around the chanting of the
Hare Ka mah-mantra.
How will it be possible, Prabhupda, for a man whose mind is clouded to
constantly chant Hare Ka? A man whos always thinking thoughts about
family, friends, country, nation?
Prabhupda is chuckling as he answers this question. As Maya is forcing
you, dragging you from this Ka consciousness, you also force Maya by
chanting Hare Ka. There is a fight. We are not afraid of Maya because Ka
is there. Maya cannot do anything. Simply you have to become strong. And
what is that strength? Chant Hare Ka, Hare Ka, Ka Ka, Hare Hare,
loudly. (Lecture, December 23, 1968)

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 In the material world there are instruments to measure different kinds of
energy. What is the instrument for measuring Kas spiritual energy?
That instrument you have got, Prabhupda says with a smile. This
mdaga and cymbal. Just vibrate. It is very simple. The instrument is your
tongue. Chant Hare Ka. The instrument is your ear. Simply hear the
vibration. You have got all the instruments with you. You havent got to
purchase or hire from anywhere. You have got the tongue and you have got the
ear. Simply chant Hare Ka and hear. Finished. All perfection is there.
(Lecture, February 21, 1969)
Lord Jesus Christ said that if you would see God, your eye must be single.
Was he referring to that same statement that love of God is that single eye?
What do you understand by this statement? Prabhupda questions his
disciple.
I understand that your attention would be one-pointed on God.
Thats it. When you actually see God, you cannot see anything except God.
That is God-seeing. That is stated in Caitanya-caritmta, sthavor jagam dekhe
na dekhe tava mrti. A highly-elevated devotee sees trees or animals are moving
and nonmoving, but he does not see their form. Everywhere he sees Ka.
Ka says, sarva-yoniu kaunteya mrtaya sambhavanti y. There are
millions of varieties of forms of life, but I am the seed-giving father. So a
devotee sees, Oh, here is a son of Ka. Here is a son of Ka.
So if you love somebody, as soon as you see his son, you immediately
remember whos son he is. Therefore he sees the tree but immediately
remembers, Oh, it is Kas. He sees a dog; he immediately sees he is Kas.
He sees a watch; he immediately sees it is Kas. Therefore he is single-eyed.
Thats all. He has no other vision. Everything is Kas. Therefore he wants to
take everyone toward Ka, Please come to Ka consciousness. You are
Kas. Why are you identifying with this nonsense? Why are you thinking
American, Indian, this or that? Come to Ka. This is our propaganda. We
want to give eyes to the people. They are blind and their leaders are blind. They
do not know what is their ultimate goal of life. So what Lord Jesus Christ says, it
is right. (Lecture, November 18, 1968)
Visnujana is impressed. How do you make everything that you say so simple
to understand?

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 Because the whole philosophy is so simple, Prabhupda humbly answers.
God is great, you are not great. Dont claim that you are God. Dont claim that
there is no God. There is God and He is great, and you are small. Then what is
your position? You have to serve Ka. This is simple truth. So that rebellious
attitude is called maya. We have to cure them by this transcendental vibration,
Hare Ka. This is the curing process only. Simply let them hear and theyll
gradually be cured. So this is the mantra to awake the sleeping human society.
The Vedas says, O human race, please get up. Dont sleep any more. You have
got this opportunity of human body. Utilize it. Get yourself out of the clutches
of maya. This is the declaration of Vedas. So you are doing that job. Chant
Hare Ka and theyll be cured.
Viujana is very inventive in making and fixing things. With so much
kirtan going on, the mdaga soon reaches the point of just falling to pieces.
Viujana then takes it apart and repairs it with fiberglass. He takes off all of
the straps and completely rebuilds it. He makes his own mixture for the gob and
puts that on the heads. He is constantly experimenting in repairing and
refurbishing the instruments. The tamboura also begins to look really bad, but it
still sounds first class.
Viujana is also the dynamic force behind the incredible Sunday feasts. He
does everything. He doesnt think he is too advanced to do any service. If
anyone has any problems, they go to Viujana, who is always there to lend an
ear, or a shoulder. Because hes so kind to the devotees, everybody loves him.
Stoka Ka: The first time I met Viujana was at the Sunday festival. I
remember meeting Viujana and Tamal Ka together. I thought
Viujana was the leader and the strong guy because he affected me so much
with his intense emotions about whatever he was doing. It was a very
enlivening Sunday afternoon. Later I found out that Viujana was actually
the lover and Tamal was the one that carried the stick to make things
work. But together it was a wonderful combination.
I wasnt living in the temple full-time because I was still going to school,
and rushing to be at the temple as much as I could. In those days kirtan was
this really big event that you looked forward to all the time with great
anticipation, because you could chant the mantra and get swooned away into
ecstasy. Viujana would always begin the kirtan with the tamboura.

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 Viujana is really physically powerful. This is evident simply because of his
endurance. It is difficult to imagine a person who is simultaneously mild and
meek, yet very tall and muscular. That combination is rare. Viujanas chest
and arm muscles are well formed from playing mdaga, and his leg muscles
from dancing in kirtan. He has a brilliant face with big ears and a large nose.
His ikh practically encompasses the entire back of his head. His effulgent
personality, with unusually large muscles, gives a beautiful appearance that
astonishes people upon first seeing him. The first impression is quite
extraordinary.
It is impossible to convey in writing the magnitude of his kirtans. The
amount of energy he burns leading the sakrtana party in non-stop chanting
cant be calculated. He has to eat a tremendous amount of prasdam to
maintain that energy and endurance. The head cook regularly arranges extra
plates of prasdam or mah, because Viujana is such a voracious eater. But he
needs it, and Prabhupda had instructed that if you work like a horse, you can
eat like a horse. If some new bhakta is not able to finish his plate, Viujana is
always there to ensure that the prasdam is not wasted. Oh, you dont want
that, Prabhu? OK, thanks!
Daynanda: At first, Viujana was a very tall, young looking, skinny boy.
But then he used to stand on the streets of LA and play the mdaga 6-8
hours a day, day after day, and come back and eat huge quantities of
prasdam. We had the double-plater section where some of us ate twice as
much as everyone else. He used to eat a tremendous amount, and then all day
long play the mdaga. So he grew muscular and big, and looked so healthy.
Life in the temple is absolutely blissful. With Prabhupda spending so many
months in Los Angeles, the devotees are able to experience intimate association
with their spiritual master. Sometimes he even goes into the kitchen and
demonstrates how to cook. Everyone treasures these intimate moments with
Prabhupda.
In his ongoing correspondence with the London devotees, Prabhupda
continues preaching on the theme of the World Sankirtan Party.
I thank you very much for your assurance that I will find London a most
flourishing center for our world sakrtana movement. That is my ideal of life,
to form a nice group of devotees to perform sakrtana and to distribute our

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 books in wider circles. Here, Tamal Kas group has proved a very nice
sakrtana party, and we can combine with your group which is also a very
nice sakrtana party. Then we could immediately take the responsibility of a
round the world trip, and I am sure it will be successful.
Letter to Gurudasa, February 5, 1969

As part of his world vision, Prabhupda wants to establish an ISKCON

presence in Mayapur. He has been writing to his godbrothers for their
co-operation, but has not received any reciprocation. Regrettably, some of them
have been downplaying his importance to his few disciples in India. On the
occasion of the Golden Jubilee celebration of r Caitanya Math, Prabhupda
makes one final attempt.
...I therefore request you to give me a plot of land within the precincts of r
Caitanya Math to construct a suitable building for my European and
American students who are loitering in Vndvana, chased by Bon Mahrja,
and who may go in numbers to visit the site of the birthplace of Lord r
Caitanya Mahprabhu. I can take the responsibility of constructing such
building at r Caitanya Math and bear all expenses for the boarding and
lodging of such students who will go there. Sraman Mahrja says that r
Caitanya Math is not in a position to meet their standard of living. But that
does not matter. If you simply give me a plot of land, I shall arrange everything
at my responsibility.
As a bona fide disciple of rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Goswami
Mahrja, and because I am trying my best to fulfill His holy desire in the
matter of preaching work in this part of the world, I have got the right to ask
from you a plot of land for this purpose. Now it is up to you to cooperate with
me.
Letter to B.V. Tirtha Maharaja, February 7, 1969

Along with the letter he sends an inscribed copy of his newly published
Bhagavad-gt As it Is: With my best regards to His Holiness r rmad B.V.
Tirtha Mahrja, signed A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, February 7/1969.
However, Prabhupdas request goes unanswered.

On Sunday mornings, Viujana leads the devotees to Griffith Park. He

quickly grabs a couple of puppets along with his mdaga as the van gets ready
to leave. At the park the chanting attracts a large audience, and as Viujana is

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dancing and singing away, he gets everybody involved in the kirtan. About
three hundred people have gathered to watch the devotees chant and dance. A
few of the spectators spontaneously join in the chanting and dancing. Soon a
group of thirty people join hands and have a circle dance, intertwining among
the devotees and the crowd.
Devotees always go out with two big pictures, one of Prabhupda and the
other of Ka. By seeing the pictures of the Lord and His pure devotee, hearing
the chanting of the mah-mantra, smelling the incense always burning after
being offered to the Lord with love, and by taking the mah-prasdam
distributed by the sakrtana party, all the senses of the audience are engaged in
devotional service.
When Viujana ends the kirtan to give a short talk, he draws everyones
attention to the picture of rla Prabhupda. By introducing the crowd to His
Divine Grace, Viujana explains that Prabhupda holds a secret treasure that
he wants to share with everyone.
He has come to this earth planet to teach us how to enter the kingdom of
God. If we want to fully appreciate the nectar of this transcendental fruit, then
we should know something about the creator of that fruit, the supreme Lord
Ka. The more you love Ka, the more He will reciprocate your love, and
guide you back to the spiritual realm, back to home.
After his little talk, Viujana brings out the puppets. They look lovely
dressed in brightly colored clothes of silks and satins, fully decorated with
jewels. The first play is about Rdhr and the gops searching for Ka.
Viujana walks around with the puppets, expressing the mood of each
character so flawlessly with different voices and facial gestures that they appear
to come alive. He flashes back and forth between each character with perfect
precision, completely enchanting the onlookers.
O dear friend Lalita, sweet Visakha, Rdh confides to her friends, Oh,
search out that Ka.
Lalita and Visakha call out for Ka. Shyamasundar, are You near Your
beloved river Yamun, resting Your blue body?
After hearing no reply, Rdhr says, Search near the Govardhana Hill,
dear gops. My beloved does not know where to place Himself. He cannot
distinguish bad places from good.

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 Lalita and Visakha console Her, O dear Rdhr, be patient, for Ka is
not localized. He is all pervading. He is in the sky. He is in the water. He is in
everyones heart.
Alas, for us, fair gops, says Rdh. What have we to offer this Lord Ka
when He owns our very soul?
In the next play, Viujana introduces other puppets and performs the story
of Ka and Bakasura, the stork demon. The audience is thoroughly
entertained hearing Viujanas ferocious voice of the terrible demon.
Everyone is both delighted and amazed to see him perform all the parts by
himself, which normally would require several persons. Even more remarkable
is the fact that Viujana has only been involved with Ka consciousness for
one year, and is only a lad of twenty.
At the end of the performance Viujana uses the puppets to invite one and
all to attend a special festival and Love Feast at the Hare Ka temple. By the
time the devotees are ready to leave the park, many interested people want to
leave with them.
rmati dev ds: Viujana would usually bring a whole park full of people
back to the temple. Hed say the same thing that Prabhupda would say, but
he would say it in such a way that it just got brand new and exciting all over
again. He was not talking like a parrot. He would speak from his
understanding in his own words. Thats why he could give the talks so well.
A few weeks before Lord Caitanyas advent day, Prabhupda calls rmati
into his room to ask if she can make some dolls. He wants to have a diorama
exhibition of the pastimes of Lord Caitanya. But can she be ready by Gaura
Purnima? She thinks it will be possible if she works fast. Prabhupda describes
each setting and how it should be depicted.
rmati quickly gets to work. She makes thirty-four different dolls depicting
the birth of Lord Caitanya and His most important pastimes. They are made
with a wire armature that is wrapped with cotton and then flesh colored cloth is
sewn over that. After the faces are painted, they are dressed. They are about
twelve inches high and can be bent to the different poses.
Viujana builds twelve apple-box size diorama displays and puts lights in
each one of them. Muraldhara paints all the backdrops, and together they

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arrange all the details within each display to match the pastime that is
portrayed. Devahuti makes the little curtains that come around and close in
front of each display. Viujana is very enthused about the dioramas and is
always talking about the project. The goal is to have everything ready by Lord
Caitanyas appearance day, so a little happening develops with everyone
completely absorbed in presenting Lord Caitanyas pastimes.
Prabhupda has been lecturing from his new Bhagavad-gita As It Is on a
regular basis. As different devotees read the verses and purports, he comments
to amplify important points. Now, in February, he has reached Chapter Six and
Viujana is the reader. For nine consecutive days Viujana reads the verses
and purports, and then Prabhupda comments. This becomes known as the
Yoga Series lectures. During this period Prabhupda is also writing Nectar of
Devotion and KA book at his second floor apartment on Hayworth
Avenue.
Rupanuga writes to report on his University course of Ka consciousness
at Buffalo. Seventy-two students regularly attend classes. Prabhupda considers
it a great success.
Inspired by the acceptance of Ka consciousness in America, Prabhupda
now embarks on an ambitious program to increase BTG distribution as well as
lower production costs. He wants to distribute 20,000 copies monthly, so he
requests four temples to pledge $750 each, for which they will receive 5,000
copies, delivered free of charge. Their cost will thus be only 15 cents per copy.
With a retail price of 50 cents, the value is $2,500, giving the temples a large
potential profit.
Simply by distributing 1,500 copies, the investment is recouped, and the
remaining 3,500 copies represents pure profit. Even if they cannot distribute all
the copies, they should still easily make a profit, and the balance can be
distributed gratis to important people, institutions, and libraries. Out of the
$3,000 collected by Prabhupda, $2,000 will pay for printing, and the remaining
$1,000 will be spent for free distribution and developing the press department.
Four devotees comply with Prabhupdas request and pledge $750 monthly;
Mukunda for London, Brahmnanda for New York, Cidananda for San
Francisco, and Tamal Ka for Los Angeles because Jaynanda guarantees the
sale of all the BTGs for Los Angeles temple. Now Prabhupda can increase his

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propaganda at reduced expenditure.

March 2, 1969

The appearance of Lord Caitanya falls on March 4, a Tuesday. Therefore, a

grand festival and initiation ceremony is being held on Sunday for the public.
The temple is crowded with guests, many of whom have returned with the
devotees from Griffith Park. An Italian film crew is shooting the event. No one
in the temple has any idea that the whole style of performing kirtan in
ISKCON will change today.
As Prabhupda is about to light the sacrificial fire, a Gujarati lady, Shyama
Ma, who had met the devotees in London, comes into the temple clad in a
saffron sari. Accompanied by her followers, older Hindu ladies and gentlemen,
she offers respect to Prabhupda as if he was her spiritual master, touching his
feet several times. She carries small Rdh-Ka Deities with her, and
Prabhupda agrees to have her place Them on the altar.
She is a guru herself, and her disciples roll out a rug for her at the back of the
temple. She takes her seat, surrounded by her small group, and listens
attentively as Prabhupda continues with the yaja. After the ceremony,
Prabhupda goes up on the stage to sit on his vyssana to the side of the altar.
Picking up his kartls, he begins a kirtan and the devotees rise to dance.
In the early days there was usually only one mdaga per temple and only
certain devotees were allowed to play it, usually the top players, like Viujana.
Kirtans were always ecstatic, but not uproarious. This was due to the Swami
step, a choreographed step that Prabhupda had taught the devotees and
everyone did in coordination with one another, one foot in front of the other,
with arms upraised. Everyone chanted and danced in this way.
As Prabhupda leads a lively kirtan from the vyssana, he suddenly motions
to Viujana to take over the chanting. As Viujana takes over the lead,
Prabhupda stands up and starts dancing the Swami step along with the
devotees. Men and women dance on either side of the temple room, facing one
another. They form a long aisle up the center of the temple room as they dance
from side-to-side in the kirtan.
Shyama Ma and her followers also get up to dance. One of her disciples
opens a bag and hands her a small dholak drum. The devotees are surprised to

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see Shyama Ma expertly playing along on her drum. Although Viujana is
leading the kirtan, he tries to pick up her beat.
Prabhupda begins dancing to the beat of Shyama Ma, but instead of
sedately doing the side-to-side Swami step that everyone is familiar with, he
actively begins moving back and forth. Seeing Prabhupda dance with great
gusto in this unusual way, everyone becomes excited.
Shyama Ma is also dancing in the kirtan along with her followers, and the
devotees step aside to make way for her to move towards the front. She is
playing the dholak and floating around like a butterfly, taking small little steps.
Although she is an older lady, she enthusiastically dances around with her sari
draped over her head, playing away on her drum.
All the female devotees beam in pleasure. She is a Vaishnavi, and she can
play the drum more expertly than Viujana! She is dancing and playing and
rla Prabhupda is obviously approving it, because he is up there on the stage
dancing along.
Just then rla Prabhupda does something no one has ever seen before.
Tamal Ka: To everyones total amazement, Prabhupda began jumping
up and down! This was the first time anyone had ever seen him do this. Up
and down, up and down, he jumped, and all the time moving forward, until he
came in front of the Deity of Lord Jagannath. And as soon as he jumped,
everybody started to jump. It was as if we were all tied by strings like puppets,
moving to Prabhupdas direction. No one in the entire temple remained
sitting. As soon as they saw Prabhupda begin to dance, they had followed
suit. And when Prabhupda began jumping, everyone had done so also.
Madhudvia: We had never done this jumping up and down. No one even
knew about jumping in this way. We just knew the Swami step, and we were
all happy doing the Swami step. But now rla Prabhupda was jumping up
and down. It was the most amazing thing. It seemed like the whole universe
was rocking. So we all looked at each other, Wow, rla Prabhupda is
jumping up and down. I guess we can jump up and down too! It was
fantastic.
All of a sudden, rla Prabhupda leaps from the stage! He is in amongst the
devotees jumping up and down and chanting Hare Ka. Shyama Ma picks up

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the beat on her dholak, and Viujana follows along on his mdaga. She also
dances along as Prabhupda continues jumping and dancing.
Now Prabhupda starts jumping all around the temple room. In his ecstasy
he introduces the practice of circumambulating inside the temple room during
kirtan.
Tamal Ka: Everyone was jumping with him, jumping and jumping. As he
jumped, Prabhupda turned around and looked at all of the devotees with a
great smile on his face chanting; Hare Ka Hare Ka, Ka Ka Hare
Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare. The whole temple
became filled with the pandemonium of ecstasy that Prabhupda had
released.
When the kirtan ends, Prabhupda turns to Shyama Ma and says, Now you
lead. So she begins to lead the next kirtan. Now the ladies are really ecstatic.
Everyone is in total euphoria as she leads the most melodious kirtan that goes
on and on, building up, as she and rla Prabhupda dance all over the temple.
It is the most exciting Lord Caitanya festival ever.
During the kirtan one devotee is on the phone to New York.
Prabhupda is jumping.
What do you mean jumping?
Jumping up and down in ecstasy while dancing in kirtan.
Well, how do you do it? The devotee tells the story of the fabulous kirtan.
rady dev ds: When Prabhupda first started dancing in LA, we heard
about it in Boston. Boy, were we envious that we werent there. There werent
many temples in those days, and we would hear all the news. It was a pretty
tight-knit society, like a family, so we were all up on the latest developments.
The news of Prabhupdas exhilarated dancing, along with the drumming of
Shyama Ma, quickly spreads from temple to temple through the ISKCON
grapevine. By the next day, devotees are jumping up and down all over the
movement. Kirtan has never been the same since that day.
The next morning, prior to leaving for Hawaii, Prabhupda wants to know if
the diorama display is ready. The twelve completed displays are brought into
the temple room one at a time. Viujana tells the story of each pastime with

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further comments from rla Prabhupda, who thoroughly enjoys seeing each
pastime depicted. The displays are set up in the temple as each story is told. A
permanent exhibition is set up along the wall, where guests and devotees alike,
enjoy viewing the different scenes.

Prabhupdas second record album, which had been recorded and produced
by Dinesh, is released mid-March. The album sweeps throughout ISKCON like
wild-fire. In London the devotees have it played on the BBC and Mukunda
describes it as super-excellent. In Hawaii Govinda ds arranges a radio
interview for Prabhupda, and during the show tracks from the album are
featured.
At Prabhupdas request, Dinesh had also recorded Viujana chanting,
with rla Prabhupda himself playing along on mdaga. Although the
Viujana track is not released as part of Prabhupdas album, nevertheless
Prabhupda keeps a copy of the recording for himself. He likes to listen to
Viujana chant, with the Los Angeles Yatra responding so devotionally.
After Prabhupda leaves for Hawaii, Tamal Ka begins to make
improvements to the temple. Prabhupda had authorized him to fix up the
prasdam hall, since 70-80 guests are now coming regularly every Sunday.
Enhancing the facilities will increase the number of guests.
Lord Jagannath is still the main Deity in every ISKCON temple, accepting
the service of the young American Vaiavas. His presence has become quite
prominent since His initial arrival through Mlat. But Rdh and Ka are
also beginning to make Their appearance in ISKCON.
When we first start a temple, we start with Jagannath Swami. My Guru
Mahrja recommended temples of Jagannath in these countries, so I was
inspired to establish first of all Jagannath Swami because He is kind even to
the mlecchas. Then, when there is opportunity, I establish Rdh-Ka murti.
So generally in all our temples, Jagannath Swami and Lord Caitanya
sakrtana pictures are invariably there, and gradually we are installing
Rdh-Ka murtis in each and every center.
Letter to Hanuman Prasad Poddar, February 5, 1970

When r r Rdh-Ka make Their appearance in Boston. Prabhupda

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instructs Satsvarpa how to perform the abhieka during the installation
ceremony. He also explains the proper attitude of worship.
Rdh-Ka is worshipped in Vndvana, which is like a simple village, but
we worship Lakshmi-Narayana, and the worship is accepted by the
Rdh-Ka Deity. Actually, in our present status, we cannot worship
Rdh-Ka. But as all the Vishnu murtis are situated in Ka, therefore, our
Rdh-Ka worship is transferred to Vishnu, Lord Narayana. Vishnu
worship, is the regulative devotional principles, and Rdh-Ka worship is
spontaneous service of eternal feelings. Therefore, as Lakshmi-Narayana is the
Deity of great opulence, similarly our Rdh-Ka murtis also should be
worshipped with great pomp and dignity.
Letter to Satsvarupa, February 12, 1969

Now that Rdh and Ka are in New York and Boston, the Los Angeles
devotees are anxiously waiting for their own Rdh-Ka Deities to arrive
from India. Muraldhara draws a lovely design for a sihsana that he sends to
Hawaii for Prabhupdas approval. Prabhupda appreciates Muraldharas
design and authorizes Tamal to fund its construction.
In Honolulu not many engagements have been arranged, so Prabhupda
utilizes his time writing Nectar of Devotion and KA book. Since the temple
has only been functioning a few months, just one new devotee, Balabhadra, is
initiated before rla Prabhupda leaves for San Francisco on March 31. After a
week in San Francisco, he will return to Los Angeles for an initiation and
marriage ceremony over the Easter Sunday weekend, before leaving again for
New York and the East Coast temples.
Anticipating rla Prabhupdas arrival in LA, there is a flurry of
excitement and activity as devotees scramble around to ensure everything is in
tip-top shape. Jaynanda is still the groundskeeper and wants to be sure the
gardens will look beautiful for his spiritual master.
A detail of new bhaktas is assigned to help Jaynanda dig new flower beds
and clean up the grounds in preparation for Prabhupdas return. As they work
side-by-side, Jaynanda is always preaching and giving instructions on the
process of Ka consciousness. He particularly stresses the point of remaining
determined in spite of obstacles on the path.
Karandhara: He was talking about not becoming discouraged by setbacks. I
recall in my minds eye one image of Jaynanda from that day. He had

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 momentarily stopped shoveling the dirt and stood there looking at the horizon
and said, You know, things dont always go right in Ka consciousness.
You have to keep chanting. It was the sincerity of the remark which
impressed me.
He was the type of personality to whom I felt an automatic attraction as a
person. It wasnt so much his having any overt charisma about him. He was
large in body, not heavy, but tall and husky with a very gentle face and very
diminutive type of demeanor. I felt immediately comfortable in his presence.
He wasnt at all pretentious; he wasnt anxious about presenting himself in
any manner. He was relaxed and sincere about everything he did.
These are pioneering days for Ka consciousness in the West, and in the
excitement of spreading the word, the quiet devotees are often overlooked.
Jaynandas significance in the temple is more expressed by his inconspicuous
service than anything else. He is never prominent, nor does he have any
ambition to be recognized as senior. Always very active and engaged in
practical work, he does his service with enthusiasm and energy. One never
hears criticism or complaints uttered from Jaynandas lips. Rather he is the
quiet foundation of the temple, whom everyone depends on, though hardly
anyone realizes his importance.

Sixth Wave Baptism by Fire

So chant and dance, and when you get tired, take prasdam.
This is our actual solid preaching work all over the world.
Letter to Bhakta dasa, August 3, 1973

Easter Sunday - April6, 1969

A massive Love-In has been planned for Easter Sunday in Griffith Park. It is
considered to be the resurrection of the spirit of love for the Aquarian Age, and
everybody who is anybody plans to be there. Many bands, including Jefferson
Airplane and Canned Heat, donate their time to play a free concert. The
underground paper, Los Angeles Free Press, runs a banner headline, Free LSD

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at Griffith Park. It will be a pivotal day, a landmark day for everybody. It will
be the day the hippie movement dies in California.
The devotees make plans to go, seeing the event as a golden opportunity to
bring the chanting of Hare Ka to thousands of new people. They want to
make a big impression and hope to bring a lot of new prospects back to the
temple. Today also marks the first anniversary of the initiation of Viujana
and Tamal Ka.
The Brotherhood also plans to show up from Laguna Beach. The morning
sun promises a gorgeous sunny day in Los Angeles as the Brotherhood arrives en
masse in Griffith Park with 10,000 hits of LSD for free distribution. This will be
the day they really begin turning on the world to God consciousness. Dressed in
their ceremonial garb la 1969, with flowing kaftans, fringed shawls, and
strings of beads from India, they lay down magnificent Persian rugs around
their entire camp. Reveling in the glory of their demigodish beauty, with all the
money in the world, valuable jewels, and beautiful women, they appear like
celestial beings.
They have brought one hundred gallons of organic fruit juice, and tables are
set up to offer the juice free as a gift of love on this special day. The juice,
however, has been spiked with a hundred mega-doses of LSD. The girls look
radiant dressed in their white virginal gowns, taking jugs of organic juice
around to turn on everybody in the park, without their consent.
Over by the band-shell, the musicians have already set up and finished their
sound checks. Now the Jefferson Airplane is in full swing in the middle of their
set. Grace Slick prances around the stage dressed like an Indian Princess,
singing about Alice in Wonderland who has eaten some magic mushroom and
followed a White Rabbit to the court of the Queen of Hearts. Huge crowds
spread out in all directions, basking in the warm sunshine, taking it all in.
At the end of the song she introduces a guest. All right. Now were gonna
have a special event. I wanna introduce a personal friend of mine from
Haight-Ashbury. Hes here with some of his buddies. Lets really put our hands
together for these guys.
Viujana comes forward, accompanied by the devotees. Hare Ka!
Brothers and sisters. Were from the Hare Ka temple here in Los Angeles.
Weve come here today with our message of lovethe Peace Formula for the

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Golden Age. Were chanting the names of God: Hare, Ka, and Rama. These
three names are arranged in a sixteen word formula: Hare Ka Hare Ka,
Ka Ka Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare. This
is called a mantra. The word mana means mind and tra means to free. So the
mantra we are singing in the Sanskrit language of ancient India is a powerful
sound vibration meant to free the mind and to attract us to experience the
unlimited qualities of the Absolute. This chanting of Hare Ka is so
wonderful that if you allow your mind to absorb the sound vibration, then
automatically you reach a reservoir of pleasure.
So now were going to chant this mantra together, and youll see how
powerful it is. Were going to create a powerful wave of sound to bring in the
Golden Age. OK! Everybody up.
The audience is stoned and really out of it. Many are in a prone position on
the grass. They cant believe whats happening. Stand up? Whats with this
guy?
Everybody up. Up. Up. Viujana beckons with his arms. The kirtan
begins to the accompaniment of bass, guitar, and drums from the Airplane.
Kanti Mati dev ds: Everybody was completely on acid. Then all of a
sudden here comes Viujana on the stage, and he was just unbelievable. He
took over the whole Love-In. Everyone came in those days, the Hells Angels,
the surfer people, the drug people, the heads; everybody was there. He got
every single person to stand up, including myself, and raise our arms in the
air and chant Hare Ka. We had no clue what this meant, or who this
person was, but he had to be cool because Gracie Slick introduced him and
told everybody to do it.
Immediately, when he got off that stage, he was surrounded by people.
They all wondered who he was. Who was that guy? He had the whole
Griffith Park chanting at that Love-In. All up in the hills among the trees
everybody was chanting Hare Ka, and there were thousands and
thousands, as far as your eyes could see. He did that, so everyone wanted to
know who this person was. He mingled in the crowd a little bit, and then he
disappeared. I found myself wondering, Who was that man? What was that
he was saying?
By now the spiked juice is having its effect on the unwary multitude. Every

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person in the park has unknowingly received this blessing from the
Brotherhood of Eternal Love. One by one the Brotherhood leaders are assailed
by people who are beginning to freak out.
Mohannanda: I was dressed in yellow, with long, red, Jimi Hendrix hair that
stuck out. In no time at all I was besieged by hundreds of people who were
having bad tripskids who we had tossed into their own versions of psychic
hells and were desperately in need of help. They were pleading with me,
Please help me! Whats going on? I was trained to administer against this,
but I was literally being torn. I didnt know what to do. It was hell. Absolute
hell. It was almost a Dantes Inferno type of Heaven and Hell experience.
Every religious group and organization in the country was active in the
park that day, whether it was Meher Baba, the Children of God, or the
Diggers. Every little splinter group and sect was there, and all of them had
been dosed. I had this rather incredible revelation that whatever their
philosophy was, whatever their faith or yoga was, nothing prepared them,
nothing was capable or sufficient to give them shelter. Nothing had protected
them from even being dosed in the first place. It was clearly obvious, as you
saw each of these groups totally collapse into their own hellish vision of
themselves.
The Brotherhood was sitting there chanting Om, but the Om vibration
was not producing any kind of sedative effect on the masses. It wasnt having
any soothing effect at all. I thought, I cant bring my group of people over
there. I was faced with making a decision in the very core of my being; the
right choice for myself, and for the people I was responsible for in sending
them to their own psychic hell by being a part of this LSD administration,
against their will. It was heavy. And it was even heavier when I looked up into
the hills to see us surrounded by narcotics agents zeroing in on the
Brotherhood. We still had a thousand more hits with us that day.
I saw karmically, right now, I had to make a choice, and it had to be the
right choice. I didnt know what to do, because I wanted to continue on the
spiritual path, but I knew it was time to stop taking hallucinogens. You
couldnt turn people on to God, no matter how pure the acid was. If
somebodys heart was not ready, they could not see God, and no amount of
drugs in the world would do it.
At this point, miraculously for me, the devotees came onto the field. It was

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a kirtan party led by Viujana, Bhavnanda, and a host of devotees.
Durlabha was carrying a picture of KaMurli Manohara holding his
flutewhich looked incredible. A picture of Prabhupda was on the other
side. The women were dressed in the most magnificent colorful saris and
golden jewelry.
With kartls and drums they marched onto the field that was now like a
psychic war zone, something out of Steppenwolf. They were protected because
devotees could only eat prasdam. They would never take anything that
wasnt offered. Bhavnanda broke into the morning melody, which was
probably the most gorgeous melody I had ever heard in my entire life. He sang
it so beautifully and spiritually, that it just took the effects of the LSD and
blew them away. I was mesmerized.
I walked over, bringing my whole group of psychically torn and
brain-damaged souls with me, and sat them down to chant Hare Ka and
take prasdam. When I sat down, I joined the devotees right then and there. It
was absolutely the best thing I possibly could have done.
The Brotherhood moved over to the band-shell and led their group of
psychically wounded, spiritually devastated individuals over there, trapped by
their own glory, unable to see that their lifestyle was ending. It was over.
Finished.
I felt terribly guilty and responsible for being a part of all this. I was sure I
could rely on some pretty heavy karma coming up for me. I was just turning
eighteen in two weeks and had already been busted three times, so I was
looking either at jail, or Vietnam. By what had mysteriously happened that
day, it looked like the Brotherhoods power was waning. Time would soon be
busted. It was the end of the 60s. It was clearly ending. What we had chosen
as our lifestyle was coming to an end, and it was time to go on. It really
changed that year, that day, for those who were going to get out with their lives
intact without being ravaged by jail, devastated by drugs, or going to war. It
was a clear sign for me to get out.
Sacidev: I came with the people from Laguna Beach to Griffith Park on
Easter Sunday. The devotees came to recruit people back for the feast.
Viujana was on the kirtan party that was from Vaikuha, along with
Bhavnanda and Madhudvia. It was a little bit of heaven in a hellish place,
which the park was that Sunday.

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 The temple room is packed that evening as guests squeeze in with devotees to
witness an ancient fire yaja performed by rla Prabhupda. Among others,
Bhavnanda and Palika are initiated into the eternal Vaiava parampar.
Mohannanda and Sacidev are among the newcomers who witness this rite of
passage into the divine service of the Supreme. Like many other young
Americans they respond to Prabhupdas revolution in consciousness, moved
by the beat of a different drum.
Mohannanda: It was spectacular. Prabhupda was at the temple in La
Cienega, and there was a fire sacrifice going on, an initiation ceremony. I
remember thinking about the Biblical prophecy that the Messiah would come
and baptize people with fire. I thought, Oh my God, because my discipline
was not only Hindu but also deeply into the Torah, Jewish mysticism,
Kabbala. I wore the Star of David so this was a deep powerful vision for me,
and a powerful symbol throughout that whole class. But there was no great
movement going on in the Jewish mysticism. Well, whatever form its going
to come in, this seems to be it. It answered everything for me. A spiritual
community where I could stop taking drugs. I realized that if any kind of
spiritualization was going to go on it had to occur without drugs. So by singing
the names of God I realized, Of course, thats perfect. I had my head shaved
before the end of the day.
We can always understand an action by its resultphalena paricyate. rla
Prabhupda is actually empowered by Ka, so he is getting the result. He
teaches tapasya or nivtti-mrga, and makes no compromise. Those who follow
the sdhu-vaiava, pure devotee, experience the bliss of Lord Caitanyas
mercy. Those who do not follow, get no firm footing in spiritual life. Maya just
keeps them hanging, letting them think theyre in spiritual life.
A few days later, Prabhupda leaves for New York. Tamal Ka, inspired by
the success of Rupanuga, also wants to preach at the university level. Since he
has no college degree himself, he is unable to teach an accredited course.
Undaunted, he arranges to teach a course in the new Experimental College
program at UCLA, where the academic qualifications of the instructors are not
considered. He prints up a little brochure on the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita to
distribute to his students. When Prabhupda receives a copy of the brochure, he
is appreciative. Even though Tamal has simply quoted extracts from

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Prabhupdas books, still he is recognized by his spiritual master.
The pamphlet is very nicely done, and you have diagnosed the disease very
well, increasing the material temperature to 107 degrees and calling death
immediately. I think by the Grace of Ka you are getting good inspiration
from within, as Ka is giving you good wisdom.
Letter to Tamal Ka, April 26, 1969

A consignment of 2,500 copies of Teachings of Lord Caitanya finally arrives

from the printer, months behind schedule. Jaynanda pulls up in front of the
temple in a rented flatbed truck loaded with cartons of books. Karandhara helps
him unload the cardboard boxes, which they stack up in Tamal Kas office,
practically filling the entire room. The books sit there for weeks on end and its
a mystery what to do with them. The daily sakrtana parties focus on chanting
the mah-mantra and distributing BTGs on sakrtana but no one has ever
distributed big books before.
Jaynanda had originally given rla Prabhupda his life savings of $5,000 to
help him publish his books. Then, he had volunteered to take responsibility for
distributing the books. Now, seeing Prabhupdas books just sitting there, he
volunteers to go out and distribute them himself. He asks Tamal to get
permission from Devahuti to borrow her little Volkswagen.
When rla Prabhupda first arrived in America, he personally sold his
Bhagavatam by going store to store. Besides this, no one else has attempted to
sell big books on a regular basis. Prabhupda had sent half the books to Los
Angeles, requesting that they be sold. It is the most important service and his
most surrendered servant accepts the duty.
While the rest of the sakrtana party remains in the temple, Jaynanda goes
out all alone for three, four, or even five days at a time selling Teachings of Lord
Caitanya to all the bookstores up and down the West Coast in Devahutis little
VW bug. The sales are slow, just a few in each shop, but nevertheless he goes out
every day without an assistant. It is a difficult and arduous task, but it never
affects his consciousness. One might worry about a devotee out on his own,
because my is so strong, but nobody has any doubts regarding Jaynandas
sincerity.

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 Tamal Ka: With complete faith in the words of his spiritual master,
Jaynanda took up the task with fixed determination. Each day he would go
out alone, sometimes in Los Angeles and sometimes driving hundreds of miles
to other cities, to place a few books in each book shop he found. It was not
unusual for Jaynanda to spend an entire day selling only one or two books,
yet he never became discouraged, nor did he ever complain of any difficulties.
While the other devotees enjoyed constant association with each other,
Jaynandas service required that he go out alone. But he felt no loneliness,
having his spiritual masters order as his constant companion. The scriptures
state that there is no distinction between the spiritual master and his
instructions, and it was this realization that enabled Jaynanda, an ideal
disciple, to attain perfection. Nothing ever changed Jaynandas
consciousness.
Jaynanda is the first devotee to distribute big books. He is already fully
engaged going to the produce market, the flower market, doing the landscaping,
repairing the vehicles, so no one would have discredited him if he had ignored
the books. But still, in his own humble manner, he takes up the responsibility
and thereby initiates book distribution in ISKCON.

The Los Angeles temple begins to swell with devotees as many new people
join the temple after the Easter Love-In. Kausalya was formerly with the
Brotherhood of Eternal Love, but she left for Hawaii to get into some quiet
meditation and find her true self. After receiving a phone call from Palika
extolling the virtues of Ka consciousness, she meets the devotees in
Honolulu. By Kas arrangement she has a private darshan with rla
Prabhupda, becomes convinced, and flies back to Los Angeles to join the
temple. All the new devotees look to Viujana for inspiration, and Kausalya is
no exception. He is their leader, teacher, and friend.
Kausalya dev ds: If it wasnt for Viujana, I probably would have refused
to go out on street sakrtana. He always made it fun. We would lay out a big
oriental rug on Hollywood Boulevard, and he would let me sit there and play
the tamboura and sing. Every now and then he would make me get up and

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pass out incense and try to give people a BTG. We did well because he
choreographed the whole thing. We would all dance in step and wed burn
incense. It was far more elaborate than in later years.
He was a wonderful, warm human being, a really sweet person, very deep,
very cosmic, as well as a lot of fun and full of life. He was always Mr. Very
Respectful and a strict brahmacr. He came in a room, and he just lit it up.
He had that quality. He could have easily been an actor. He had that
brightness about him that was very charismatic.
He was a great singer, and he had a lot of passion, a lot of emotion. There
are plenty of great singers out there, but not a whit of emotion in their voices.
Technically he didnt have the worlds greatest voice, but he sang with a lot of
feeling, and thats what really came through. Just like Prabhupda, his feeling
is so intense it just gives you chills, and thats what Viujana had.
Madhudvia: Viujana was the inspiration for all the young devotees. He
was the total inspiration, because he kept the juice happening. He had to deal
with a lot of crazies, too. He had so much compassion in his heart to take
people through it. He was like a psychologist, a psychiatrist, a mother, big
brother, cook, medic; he did everything for these people, and with loving care.
He did it with so much eloquence and so much grace. He was a big guy but he
was just naturally graceful, like a ballet dancer. He was very muscular and
strong, but he walked in a very graceful fashion. He could dance as sweetly as
he could sing. You could go on and on about Viujana.
Jambavati dev ds: We used to go out on sakrtana to Hollywood
Boulevard with Viujana leading, and he would chant from 8:30 PM to 1:00
in the morning, almost five hours non-stop. He was always so blissed-out. He
was such a lively person whenever he would lead the kirtans. He lent energy to
all the devotees. Then wed return to the temple, have some hot milk, and fall
out.
Viujana used to preach to me all the time about being Ka conscious.
He was very kind, a very thoughtful person. It didnt matter that I was a
woman; he would preach to me and encourage me to be Ka conscious. I
came to appreciate him very much. He would treat you, from day one, just like
a devotee. He didnt see you as a karmi, or whatever. It was really wonderful
to be treated like that.

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 Many of the new devotees are artistically inclined, and Viujana quickly
engages them in devotional service according to their propensity. He has a
regular troupe that works with him to present things artistically. He forms a
little bhajan band with Tamal Ka and Revatnandana. Kausalya also sings,
and rmati plays tamboura.
Because Stoka Ka is not expert at singing or distributing BTGs, Tamal
agrees to let him stay back from sakrtana a couple of days to work on the
Sunday feast puppet shows. He helps rmati get the backdrops together for
whatever puppet shows are going to be performed that week. Viujana writes
the scripts and helps paint the puppets.
Besides the puppet shows, Viujana also prepares skits and dramas. He
writes, directs and is a major actor in all these productions. He actually puts
together the whole Sunday program in addition to leading the kirtan, doing
everything in a mood of devotion.
Sahadev: I did the puppet shows with him. I come from an acting
background, and he encouraged me. That was the best thing about Viujana
for me, because he was a person who really allowed his creativity to be used in
Kas service. He had so much heart. It wasnt as if he shut that down like so
many people did. When he played Ka it was sweet, and when hed sing it
was sweet. It came out in his music, and also in the puppet shows and plays
that we did. He had written the scripts, but mostly it was improvisation and
we just responded to his ability to communicate the part. This was before
KA book came out, but we had some of the manuscript pages.
Daynanda: Viujana was able to communicate in a very personal way. He
would be playing the mdaga, and then he would just smile like anything and
look you straight in the eyes. It was the most incredible communication you
would get from him with his kirtan. He would just concentrate on you, and
youd feel that you were having kirtan with Viujana. He would do that with
everyone and get people really involved in the kirtan, really feeling the
experience.
When Viujana gave lectures, he would speak very sweetly. I think he was
much better talking one on one. He gave wonderful lectures and his voice was
very sweet, but he tended to let the spirit speak through him and he kind of
rambled on a little bit. His manner was intoxicating, and he was able to

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 communicate well with people and communicated a kind of feeling, a joy.
When Viujana and Revatnandana were children, they used to play
together. But their relationship was never really close. Revatnandana was a
year older, and as a child he used to bully his younger cousin. After high school
they became friends again and Revatnandana lived with Viujana and Linda
for some time in Haight-Ashbury. Due to Viujanas association, he had joined
the movement
Although Revatnandana is a really nice devotee, he still seems a little
up-tight a lot of the time. He doesnt radiate like Viujana does. Rather, he
always appears to be brooding over something deep in the back of his mind.
Although hes a great preacher and a good debater, he lacks the magnanimity of
Viujana. He just doesnt have the same aura.
One day in La Cienega the emotional conflicts of their childhood surface.
Walking along the temple hallway, Revatnandana hears a familiar sound
coming from the book room.
Revatnandana: He picked up his 12-string Rickenbacher one evening in the
book room when nobody was there. I heard the guitar and immediately
recognized his playing. He still had it, but he was going to put it up for sale. I
stopped and listened, sitting down against the wall in the hallway outside the
book room while he finished playing. I just sat there and listened. When he
picked up a guitar, he could transfix me for any length of time. I know guitar
and he was fantastic. He was playing the ratika melody and finger picking.
He was the best guitar player I ever heard. He was a genius.
I was a little hard on him when we were kids. I had a tendency to be
aggressive, and he was the younger one, so sometimes I got a little bullyish. He
didnt like me emotionally so much because of our young childhood
experience.
Why did you do that to me? he asked one time when we were already
devotees. He didnt usually get into his past or anything, but that day he did.
Im sorry, I said. What can you do when youre kids? We were all
playing together. I was going through a heavy time at home and at school, and
I was a little aggressive. Im sorry. It never really sat with him.
When I saw him that day with the guitar, I stuck my head in and said,
You know, its really nice to hear you play guitar again. Ive never been able

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 to resist listening to you play the guitar.
Thats why I dont do it, he said. And he sold it.

May 1969

By early May the New York temple has also caught the sakrtana fever.
Inspired by the success of Los Angeles, they also have a sakrtana party going
out to chant daily. Prabhupda encourages them to continue going out; That is
our life and soul. In one weekend they collect almost $500. The La Cienega
temple is still ahead, however, as they collect $250 every day. Because of their
opulence, Prabhupda names the temple New Dwaraka.
The New Dwaraka Sunday Love Feast is the most popular in ISKCON. Its
sixteen courses have yet to be equaled. With Prabhupdas permission, they
begin charging an admission fee. For $1.25 a person can enjoy a play or puppet
show, kirtan, lecture and a sumptuous feast. In anyones book, its definitely a
bargain.
Still, Viujana and Tamal want to make it even better. They decide to
fashion every Sunday feast around a central theme, turning the whole program
into a grand festival with a distinct mood. Prabhupda helps by giving them
ideas from Ka lila, like nauka-bihrathe boat lila of Ka and the gops,
and rirayathe day the gops make Rdhr into a Queen. She is seated on
a gorgeous throne, and Ka is the doorman of Her palace, standing by the
throne with a sword. So there is feasting, dancing, and singing for the
coronation of rmati Rdhr. Every Sunday now becomes a festival with a
distinct theme.
rmati makes two beautiful Rdh and Ka dolls, which are utilized for
the nauka-bihra pastime. A little house is also made using a latticed framework
wherein Rdh and Ka sit together. The audience is requested to cover the
latticework with fresh roses from the garden. The rose bushes planted by
Jaynanda are now in full bloom and ablaze in color. One by one the guests
insert rose after rose, until the flower house is complete.
The scene is so enchanting that many are overcome by exhilarating spiritual
emotions seeing the Divine Couple, forgetting that They are only dolls. Photos
are sent to rla Prabhupda, who is similarly charmed. This picture becomes
the cover for the next Back To Godhead, number twenty-eight.

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 Viujana, Tamal, and Silavati begin the Sunday love Feast on Tuesday by
deciding on the theme and planning it out. They involve the whole temple by
focusing on the theme all week long. On Wednesday they begin the bhoga
shopping, and a flyer is prepared depicting the theme to be celebrated. On
Thursday the flyer is being distributed on sakrtana, and certain preparations
are begun that need a few days. By Friday everything is in full swing, and
decorations are made ready. On Saturday the temple is completely decorated,
and more preparations are readied. Everyone in the whole temple is focused on
the Love Feast.
On Sunday Viujana organizes the program. He takes the devotees to
Griffith Park to chant, dance, and hand out invitations to bring people back to
the temple, where he again leads kirtan and puts on a puppet show or drama to
complete the evenings festivities. Factually, he does almost everything himself.
By totally absorbing himself in the mood of the Sunday Festival program,
Viujana becomes even more blissful.
Mohannanda: You couldnt help notice that Viujana was absolutely filled
with love of God. From the moment you saw him, it was as if an angel had
appeared. From the way he looked, the way he chanted, his natural passion,
the light in his eyes, the compassion in his heart, there was no doubt about it.
He had the quality like hed always been a devotee. You could never imagine
him outside being anything else but a devotee. He was so immersed.
Viujanas big play was the Narada Muni play, and we began to think he
was the incarnation of Narada Muni, especially a novice like myself, just
then joining. He had written songs that he would sing in the various plays he
was involved in. I wasnt active in the theater at that point. I was just a
spell-bound young pup. As my confidence grew, I wanted to be as powerful as
Viujana, and as respected as Karandhara. I just thought they were the
greatest thing on earth. For us, the new bhaktas, Viujana was the spiritual
soul of the movement.
Sacidev: I remember him doing Narada Muni quite a bit. It was like every
moment, being in that temple, was ecstasy. What can I say? When Viujana
would speak, he would actually have tears welling up in his eyes, and his voice
would choke a lot. He was like that 24-hours-a-day with whomever he came in
contact, whether it was Tamal Ka, or Gargamuni, or Brahmnanda, or

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 with a brand new devotee, or whether we were out on sakrtana.
Viujana carried us. You know how Prabhupda carried the devotees,
how Prabhupda empowered the devotees to do things beyondeven
surprising the devotees themselves. Viujana also carried us in that way. By
his bhakti, he imbued the atmosphere so that everyone was just carried by his
enthusiasm. Later on, other programs developed. Deity worship developed;
Spiritual Sky incense developed. A lot of departments came into being and
many of us stayed back. So the kirtan party was not the only focus.
In the temple room women could stand wherever we wanted to. It was like
brother and sister. It was very pure. I consider myself very fortunate to have
experienced Ka consciousness there.
Nanda Kumar: He was real good with the kids. I remember the puppet shows.
He had a certain voice, a certain inflection, and I can still hear his voice, full
of animation. I mean he would become the part, and it captivated everyone,
kids and adults, because he had that childlike innocence himself. That was
what made him so beautiful, and so charismatic. He wasnt caught up in
politics; he wasnt caught up in judgments; he wasnt caught up in anything.
He was just an innocent, childlike, beautiful servant. A flower childyet
very wise and very high in consciousness. So kids were automatically
attracted.
rmatis energy was a lot like his, too. She was real, and very non-critical.
I remember she used to eat the prasdam from the trash cans on Sunday from
the guest plates, and she would cry. There were tears in her eyes because she
felt, This is such a holy thing, such a great wonderful opportunity, and I hate
to see it go to waste.
With the success of the festivals, more and more devotees are made. After
only six months, the La Cienega temple is already burgeoning with over sixty
devotees living there full time. It becomes obvious that soon they will need an
even bigger facility. With the lease terminating in December they will have to
begin looking for a more suitable place right away.
Seeing the success of La Cienega, Tamal Ka maps out a plan for
preaching in the major cities within a 150-mile radius of Los Angeles. Tamal is
always organizing. Although Daynanda is the temple president, Tamal actually
runs the show. He likes to be in charge.

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 Noticing that San Francisco temple has seriously diminished since the
departure of so many devotees for London and Los Angeles, Tamal wants to
help. Prabhupda is encouraged by his preaching attitude and requests him to
try and reinstate the temple to its former glory. He also suggests Tamal stay in
San Francisco to help arrange the upcoming Ratha-ytr Festival.
Around this time Prabhupda begins to think about initiating sannyss who
can simply travel and lecture on the philosophy of Ka consciousness. He
approaches Brahmnanda about making this commitment, but Brahmnanda
feels that he needs time to think about taking such an important step.
Prabhupda then brings the subject up with Tamal Ka, who, like
Brahmnanda, also decides to wait.
With the movement expanding beyond expectations, Prabhupda realizes it
is simply the potency of the Holy Name. He originally came with only one pair
of kartls, and now there are hundreds of pairs of kartls resounding
throughout the streets of America. He therefore emphasizes street sakrtana as
the most important activity.
Seeing the student community as the best source of new devotees, he wants
everything to be arranged around sakrtana and college preaching. When
Prabhupda sees Ryarma having difficulty maintaining his consciousness, he
wants to ensure that every devotee is able to maintain spiritual strength.
My advice to you under the circumstances is that at least for one hour you
must all go to have sakrtana outside on the streets or in the park. That is
your life and soul, first business. The next business is completing the chanting
of 16 rounds every day. The next business is your editing, and if you find extra
time, then you can attend the temple ceremonies. Otherwise you can stop
these activities, but outdoor kirtan, your editing work and chanting of 16
rounds must be done. Outdoor kirtan must be done, even at the cost of
suspending all editorial work. That is your first and foremost business. Temple
worship is not so important. If need be, the whole temple can be locked, but
the outdoor kirtan cannot be stopped.
Letter to Rayarama, May 17, 1969

In this letter Prabhupda lays the greatest emphasis on the kirtan party, and
sixteen rounds of japa comes next. Service to the bhat-mdaga is third,
followed by temple programs. This is the formula to save a weak devotee from
falling back into material life. By this instruction Prabhupda supports the
shastric view, harer nma harer nma harer nmaiva kevalam,kalau nsty eva

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nsty eva nsty eva gatir anyath. Unfortunately, Ryarma doesnt follow this
advice and subsequently leaves the movement.

June 1969

The Pope and the Maharishi had come in 1965 with a big splash, but there
was no lasting effect. Instead, the miniskirt becomes the rage as women begin to
think of themselves as more than housewives. Madison Avenue is quick to take
advantage of this new market. Catholicism continues to decline as homosexuals
lobby to be ordained ministers. Maharishis TM initially attracts thousands of
followers as the Beatles and actress Mia Farrow journey to Rishikesh, India.
Subsequently, followers leave in disgust. John Lennon writes the song Sexy
Sadie as a satire criticizing the Maharishis alleged attraction for young
women.
Joan Baez is outspoken about the Vietnam war. If you dont speak out
against a rotten thing, you become a part of it. In Montreal, John Lennon and
Yoko Ono hold a Lie-In for peace in a hospital bed. They ask devotees to join
their recording of Give Peace a Chance.
Prabhupda has his own peace formula coming in parampar from Lord
Caitanya. Some of his young followers are grasping the importance of his
mission. Vibhavati meets with John Lennon in Montreal to discuss peace. John
is an influential man, and by interviewing him, she publicizes the Ka
consciousness movement in a way that people will understand, by showing that
the Beatles are interested. The encounter is published June 7 in the Montreal
Star.
Prabhupda is highly pleased with Vibhavatis effort, informing her that her
service has been recognized by Ka. He explains that simply by saying you
accept God, peace will not be achieved. One has to live fully in God
consciousness. So unless on the summit of administration there are actually
Ka conscious men, we cannot stop war. (Letter to Vibhavati, June 12,1969)
Every disciple has the potential to fully participate in a particular aspect of
the spiritual masters mission and dedicate himself to helping in that way.
Jaynanda participates by dedicating every moment to humbly serving the
devotees. Viujana participates by constantly inspiring others to chant Hare
Ka.

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 Tamal Ka participates by recruiting new men and accepting
responsibility for management. His journey up to San Francisco shows him that
without enthusiasm Ka consciousness cannot be maintained. He is sorry to
see his former temple in a compromised mood, with devotees maintaining an
independent spirit rather than working cooperatively to push on the mission.
But through his own enthusiasm he inspires and unites everyone to get
involved in the Ratha-ytr festival.
Tamal arranges for Jaynanda to come up to San Francisco to help build an
elaborate cart for Ratha-ytr. Nara-Nryaa: also comes to do the carpentry
work. Tamal negotiates with the West Coast temple presidents to cooperate in
making Ratha-ytr a grand success. With the tension gone, the situation at
once improves.
Soon, Bhavnanda is also sent up to San Francisco to assist in designing the
Ratha-ytr cart. Jaynanda and Nara-Nryaa: are hard at work in a vacant
lot near 518 Frederick Street when Bhavnanda arrives.
Bhavnanda: We had no idea what the Ratha-ytr carts in Puri looked like,
but we knew they had a dome covered in fabric. So I covered it with some
purple satin fabric. Jaynanda helped to build the cart and paint it. In the
little Frederick Street temple room I remember him sitting very erect, with his
back against the wall with these big wooden beads, and chanting his japa in
the evening with his eyes closed, very intensely and very loudly and clearly.
That is my most vivid memory of him.
Now that the San Francisco devotees are enlivened by Ratha-ytr they are
able to convince Chet Helms, who manages an ocean-side dance hall, The
Family Dog, to donate the facility for Ratha-ytr day. Chet is a local rock
promoter who is favorable to the flower-power scene and the Hare Ka
devotees. He has a large concert hall, equipped with a huge kitchen and twenty
burners, perfect for large scale prasdam distribution. The hall is ideally
situated right on the beach and capable of accommodating five thousand
people.
In addition to working on the carts, Jaynanda does the bhoga run and seeks
donations. Many people promise to contribute fruit and grain for large-scale
prasdam distribution. Other persons donate flowers for decorating the Deities.
It looks to be the best Ratha-ytr ever.

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 Umpati: One evening, Jaynanda needed some help bringing something into
the temple. I didnt want to do it. I was too lazy really, so I gave some useless
excuse. Jaynanda asked, What have you been doing all day? He had been
away all day working very hard as he always did. I hadnt been doing as much
as he did, so I got very angry. I started ranting away at him and said Id go
somewhere else. Immediately he said, Oh no, dont get mad. Im sorry. Im
just a bit tired. I didnt mean to offend you. Immediately he was so nice. Hed
never say anything hard to anyone, always very pleasant, proper in his
dealings, and courteous with his godbrothers. He was always engaged in
devotional service. Its hard to describe just how nice Jaynanda was.

While the devotees are appreciating the qualities of Jaynanda and

Viujana, Prabhupda is also appreciating Tamal Ka. Recognizing his
organizational ability, Prabhupda requests Tamal to take up management of all
the West Coast centers to help alleviate the burden. With the management
under control, Prabhupda will be able to concentrate on his writing.
I can understand that Ka is giving you intelligence how to manage the
Western Coast branches of our society. I think you should now make an ad hoc
committee of management, comprising yourself, Jaynanda, Cidananda,
Dinadayal, Upendra, etc. If in this way you can take charge of management
affairs, it will be a very nice thing. Now the West Coast management is
practically on you.
Letter to Tamal Ka, May 23, 1969

The Sunday Feast theme programs continue with the dadhi-bandha, or

butter churning festival. To celebrate this pastime, a ten-gallon steel milk
container is used as a large churning pot to recreate the pastime of the gops
churning butter. After the pot is filled with cream, each guest will have the
opportunity to come forward and work the churning rod. When the cream is
finally churned into fresh butter, it will be offered to Ka and distributed to
all. The devotees are excited about this festival, and they enthusiastically tell
everyone they meet not to miss this Sundays program at the temple.
Knowing that many young people are still joining the Brotherhood in search
of spiritual life, Tamal and Madhudvia drive down to Laguna Beach to attract
people back to the Sunday program. Mystic Arts World, a huge store where all
kinds of people hang out both inside and out front on the street, is the first

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place they go. Its a typical head shop with a juice bar, health food store, art and
book shop, and a meditation room in the back. As they walk in, all eyes follow
the shaven-headed Vaiavas. They are welcomed by the manager and quickly
negotiate a regular Saturday afternoon kirtan program. Next, they visit the
popular hangout Yoga Imports. One by one, they visit all the hip places, with
the purpose of reclaiming lost souls for Kas service.
On Sunday afternoon the temple is packed with hundreds of guests. Many of
the neighborhood kids also attend as La Cienega is becoming well known as a
hub of activity throughout the area. Some people even drive several hours to
attend the Sunday program.
Mirabai dev ds: I was working in Yoga Imports, and Tamal Ka and
Madhudvia came in to look at harmoniums. I was so curious about them
with their little ikhs and shaved heads and robes, and the way they acted
when they were in the store. I was very interested, so I asked the owner of the
store, who had been to India and knew yoga. He said, Oh, you just go back
and do your hatha-yoga. Those are very strict monks. They live in an ashram
in LA. Its probably something you wouldnt be interested in. Of course that
made me even more interested. So I went to the temple on La Cienega, and
they were having the butter festival. It was wonderful. There was a play about
Ka stealing butter. Then they passed around a big platter of freshly
churned butter. I was always intrigued by other cultures, and Ill never forget
the atmosphere and the way the temple smelled. When we sat down for
prasdam, I didnt want to take all that stuff, because I was eating just
steamed vegetables, fruits, and juices. I was afraid to eat it, but I did and it
was so good. I didnt understand yet about food being offered to Ka first.
There were so many people that no one was available to explain it to me.
Keava: I came from Santa Barbara for a Sunday feast. My brother,
Karandhara, sent me a Bhagavad-gita and explained about the material
body. I felt really inspired when I read it. So I came down to see the temple.
The first devotee I ever saw was Revatnandana. He showed me in, and they
were having a butter churning festival. Silavati gave the presentation that day.
She was a senior devotee.
Tamal brought me in to his office. What do you think? Do you want to
live in the temple?

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 Yeah. But I have to go back. Ill come back next week.
Mayas going to get you. I hope Maya doesnt get you.
I didnt understand the philosophy. I thought an individual person might
chase me or come after to get me. The whole way back I was thinking, Who is
this Maya? But I came back and joined.
Silavati is also a little bit like Viujana. She is another one who is always in
bliss and trying to encourage everybody. As the head pjr, she is absolutely
dedicated to taking care of the Jagannath Deities. She also gives wonderful
classes that are full of heart-felt realizations. Therefore, everyone looks up to
Silavati. There is no misogyny in these early days. The women have nothing
much to complain about, as they will in the years to come.
Sahadev: Silavati would get up early to wake the Deities and get the flowers
ready, so I was getting up with her. This was before rla Prabhupda
introduced magala-rati, so we were up and about while everyone else was
sleeping. Viujana used to wake up the brahmacrs every morning by
singing. We could hear him singing. It was real sweet. La Cienega was like a
big house, and the brahmacrs lived in one room.
Prabhupda has still not instituted a strict schedule of getting up early to
attend magala-rati. Because of the emphasis on street chanting and BTG
distribution, the devotees are always out on sakrtana every night. For the
weekends, they sometimes stay out until 2:00 AM, chanting away as long as
there are people to hear. On week nights they stay out until eleven. After a half
hour drive back to the temple, they find hot milk and halava waiting. There is
always a lot of halava. They eat to their full satisfaction and sleep heavy because
they are not expected to get up early. The exception is Muraldhara, who is
always quiet and reserved. He goes out for sakrtana every afternoon, but at
night, while the others chant on Hollywood Boulevard, he paints. Therefore, he
is always in the temple room very early chanting his rounds.
Muraldhara: Silavati was really wonderful. She was very motherly and very
devotional. We were good friends, she and I. We had a wonderful
relationship. I always felt real brother and sister with her. She was a good
example for me, too, her devotion and nice qualities.
Returning to Laguna Beach for the scheduled program at Mystic Arts

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World, the devotees find the meditation room filled with interested people.
Viujana gets things going by chanting Hare Ka, followed by Tamals
lecture on Brahma-samhita. He speaks on the cintmai-prakara-sadmasu verse.
Showing the picture on the cover of the Bhagavatam, he tells them about the
spiritual sky, the different planetary systems, where Ka is, and where we are.
Hippies appreciate cosmic explanations and many become interested.
Bahulva: I grew up in New York and in 67 a friend of mine had given me
the original record of Prabhupda chanting Hare Ka. I listened and
chanted with that record and became very attached to it. So when I came to
California, I brought it with me. I didnt know anything about a Ka
movement or Hare Ka, other than this record I had of Prabhupda
chanting.
The Brotherhood had this health food store, Mystic Arts, which also had a
meditation room. I worked there. One day I came in and there was kirtan
going on. I was shocked because I didnt know that anybody else even knew
about it. That was the first time I found out that there was a temple.
As a result of the Saturday programs in Laguna Beach, many people become
attracted to the superior philosophy and culture of bhakti-yoga. Most of them
are already interested in spiritual life, so they are impressed with the devotees
knowledge and conviction. They are encouraged to come to Los Angeles for the
Sunday festival and experience the atmosphere of a Ka conscious
community. These people are eager to meet the Master who has infused such a
depth of sincerity into the hearts of his followers. As spiritual seekers, they
want to know more.
Meanwhile, as Prabhupda tours the East Coast temples, he likes to listen to
the recording of Viujana that he carries with him. He also likes to play it for
the devotees.
rady dev ds: There was a tape that came out of Viujana singing, that
famous one, vande ha... Prabhupda had that tape. They had just
recorded it, and he brought the tape with him from LA. Viujana was
singing, and Prabhupda was playing the mdaga. That was the first time I
heard it. Prabhupda played it for us, and he asked us what we thought. Did
we like it? Of course, we loved it, and we all memorized it and started singing
it all over the place. I remember somebody saying how Viujana was singing

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 the prayers right there to Prabhupda and really getting into it, totally
absorbed in meditating upon Prabhupda. Bharadraj would sometimes
imitate Viujanas singing when he would lead kirtan.
During Prabhupdas stay in New Vndvana many devotees from all over
the East Coast come to visit. From the small center in Chapel Hill, North
Carolina, Bhrijana dsa arrives to spend a week with his spiritual master.
Bhrijana: As soon as I arrived, I was invited by Prabhupdas secretary into
Prabhupdas room. I climbed the steep stairs and offered my obeisances.
Prabhupda sat smiling and effulgent behind a metal trunk-desk in an almost
bare, second-floor room.
Prabhupdas first words were, Have you heard the tape?
No, I said, and he turned on a tape recorder. Tamboura vibrations and
mdaga rhythms filled the room. Viujana was singing, his voice deep and
resonant. He offered respects to guru-gaurga, and the eternal associates of
Ka in Goloka: vande ha r-guro r-yuta-pada-kamala r-gurn
vaiav ca
Other devotees climbed the stairs and came in to listen. The atmosphere
was thick and sweet, and I stood up and danced to the taped kirtan.
Whenever devotees hear this recording, they can hardly believe that
Viujana has only been in the movement for one year.
While in New Vndvana, Prabhupda receives a letter from Tamal Ka.
Please come to Los Angeles immediately, Prabhupda. There are so many
devotees who are so much anticipating your divine appearance. After a
four-month absence the devotees are feeling pangs of separation from their
spiritual master. Prabhupda immediately accepts the proposal, considering the
plea an urgent call.
Prabhupda is coming to New Dwaraka! The news of his imminent arrival
spreads quickly. Filled with joyful anticipation, the La Cienega devotees inform
everybody that His Divine Grace will soon be back in Los Angeles. This is the
opportunity to have his darshan.
Bahulva: They told me that Prabhupda was coming and they were having
a big program for him in LA. I felt almost like a disciple of Prabhupda at
that time anyway because Id been chanting for so long on my own. So I

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 decided I would ride up with them and greet him when he came to the airport.
I spent the weekend at La Cienega Temple and helped prepare for
Prabhupdas arrival. I went out on sakrtana, and, of course, Viujana
was the sakrtana leader. Viujana had an awe-inspiring impact on me
from the very first time I met him. He was, as a human being, completely
sincere, straightforward, and honest. I just felt that from him. He was very
lovable, and I just wanted to be in his association.
The temple is packed over the weekend as many newcomers help prepare for
Prabhupdas reception. On Monday afternoon, June 23, everyone gathers at
the airport to greet Prabhupda with kirtan. New devotees are meeting their
spiritual master for the first time.
The energy at the temple has greatly increased since March, and
Prabhupda can immediately see that this center is the heart of the movement.
What he wants to see in every temple is already here in New Dwaraka. The
most successful sakrtana affairs are going on here in Los Angeles. It is actually
wonderful in comparison to others. (Letter to Hansadutta, June 26, 1969)
The following Sunday the temple room is packed again. Everybody wants to
hear Prabhupda speak. The highlight of the evening is the play. Viujana and
his troupe have prepared a grand production of the story of Prahlada Mahrja.
Viujanas portrayal of a furious Hiranyakasipu is so convincing that some of
the children become fearful. rla Prabhupda thoroughly enjoys the drama and
comments that Viujanas performance was the best. Then he reveals that in
his youth he had been an active member of his schools drama club.

June 27

On June 27, Prabhupda is the special guest on a radio talk show. Viujana
leads the devotees in kirtan during the program. Happy to be back in Los
Angeles, Prabhupda decides to make this temple his ISKCON World
Headquarters.

July 1969

The Nectar of Devotion is now finished. Prabhupda recognizes the sincere

service of Jaynanda Prabhu in the Preface:

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 I beg to offer my sincere thanks to all my friends and disciples who are helping me to
push forward the Ka consciousness movement in the Western countries, and I beg
to acknowledge, with thanks, the contribution made by my beloved disciple rman
Jaynanda brahmacr. My thanks are due as well to the directors of ISKCON Press,
who have taken so much care in publishing this great literature. Hare Ka.

Jaynanda was the first to offer money to help rla Prabhupda print his
books with a donation of $5,000 back in 1967. After Teachings of Lord Caitanya
was printed, Jaynanda accepted half the shipment and went out alone for
months to distribute them. By pleasing his spiritual master, Jaynanda is a
direct recipient of Kas mercy.
Jaynanda is now busily organizing the Ratha-ytr festival. He is the nuts
and bolts man in San Francisco. He can generally be found under one of the
cars fixing it. But the temple needs a leader. To bolster the flagging spirits in
San Francisco, Madhudvia is sent up to take over as temple president. He
immediately fires up the sakrtana party by taking them out all day to chant,
duplicating the mood of Viujana.
Madhudvia is in ecstasy going out to chant with Jaynanda, and the two of
them really get into the kirtan. Jaynanda is also a strong mdaga player and
kirtan leader, having learned by going out every day with the kirtan parties in
LA. Both are accustomed to chanting for hours at a time, so with two senior
devotees inspiring each other, the sakrtana party finds new life.
Gaurahari: I was hanging around North Beach, and one night they had a
kirtan there, led by Madhudvia in front of Big Als. I didnt recognize him at
first because he was shaved up. He came up to me and said, Come on over to
the temple. Remember the Swami that came out to the farm? Hes my spiritual
master now. So the very next morning I walked over to Haight-Ashbury, and
that was it.
One of my first duties as an uninitiated devotee was to cook for the
Ratha-ytr festival. I had done some cooking at Morning Star, so
Jaynanda put me in charge of preparing the feast. I was just two or three
days in the temple, and I was preparing a feast for around 5,000 people!
Prabhupda sees that the La Cienega temple will be able to supply devotees
to other temples, as they are attracting so many new people. After being
trained, they can be sent to open new centers or bolster sagging ones. Of course,

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he doesnt want the other centers to simply rely on importing devotees; they
must also actively recruit new members. The basic principle for accomplishing
this is going out for street sakrtana. But whenever there is an urgent need,
devotees can be sent.
The L.A. center is now specially meant for training devotees and dispatching
them in different centers wherever they are required. So open correspondence
with Tamal Ka, and I also will tell him to assist you as far as possible.
Letter to Subala, July 8, 1969

Comfortably situated in Los Angeles, Prabhupda now gives all his energy to
writing KA book. The new bhaktas are satisfied to serve in the presence of
their spiritual master. While Tamal Ka gets the credit for managing the
temple, Viujana trains the new devotees and has many playful rasas with
them. The younger devotees see him more as their older brother than as their
sakrtana leader. Although he is their instructor, he does so with such humor
and kindness that they feel completely comfortable with him. Thus they give
him their hearts.
Yudhihira: Of all the devotees that were there, Viujana was the most
approachable. I was always attracted to him because his kirtan was so
beautiful. He used to tell me, Yuddisthira, you have Lord Buddha ears.
Once I needed a needle, so I said, Viujana, I need a needle so I can
string some beads.
OK. But, remember, dont lose it, because if you lose it, Tamal Ka will
chastise you.
But somehow I lost the needle. I went to Viujana, Im sorry, but I lost
your needle.
Boy, now youre going to get it.
When I saw Tamal Ka, I ran over and offered my obeisances. Im
sorry I lost your needle. Viujana was just laughing. It was a joke, but I took
it seriously. He was like a big brother to me.
Mirabai dev ds: Eventually the lady devotees came down to Laguna Beach,
brought me back to the temple and dressed me up in a sari. Viujana gave me
little engagements, like cutting up fruits and vegetables, cleaning the
bathroom, cleaning the temple. The way he would do things was so nice; he
made you feel like you wanted to do that, and more, just by his presence, the

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 way he was. He was like everybodys father, in a way. He would do everything
and I remember him vacuuming. He was like my guru because I could talk to
him. We women didnt get much of a chance to associate with Prabhupda
directly.
Jaynanda was so wonderful when I first came, but he was much quieter.
Viujana was like a magnet. Jaynanda was equally wonderful but really
quiet.
Mohannanda: The kirtans out on the streets were absolutely magical, and
we lived in kirtan in those days. Morning, noon, and night we were out; we
practically lived in the streets at that time and came back just for prasdam
then went out again. Viujana was always the leader. Karandhara was also
a remarkable fellow at that time. He was real quiet and very serious, and he
just commanded respect. Keava was a young pup like myself. Viujana,
Karandhara, Gargamuni, and Tamal Ka were the leaders, and we were
just the troops at that point.
Keava: Mohannanda and I used to distribute BTGs in the beginning.
Viujana was the chanting leader, and he was in a class of his own. When
Viujana went out on sakrtana, no one needed any prodding, they wanted
to be with him. Sometimes hed play two mrdangas at one time, one on top of
the other, just to attract people on the street. He wore brown cotton carpenter
gloves that he used to tape around his wrists. He always said, bliss, and
love feast, when he lectured to the people on the street.
Tamal really impressed me, too. You could ask him anything. Tamal had
all the answers. In the beginning I was more attached to Tamal, but he had so
much going on, that I ended up becoming Gargamunis protg. He was more
real with me. He was fun.
Before becoming a devotee Keava had worked on a ranch, baling hay, so
when he joins the temple he is in excellent physical shape and really strong.
The brahmacrs enjoy wrestling one another when they have some free time
on a Sunday morning, and Keava is quickly challenged. But he is difficult to
defeat and wins handily. There are only two devotees who can defeat Keava.
Keava: I couldnt beat Jaynanda and I couldnt beat Viujana. They were
the only two that I couldnt dominate, or eat more than. I wrestled with
Viujana once and he dominated me. Jaynanda and I wrestled on more

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 than one occasion. Jaynanda was so strong you couldnt imagine. I was
really strong, but Jaynanda would just dominate me. Nobody could beat
Jaynanda. He was powerful. Jaynanda was big and he was strong, like a
bull.
The other ISKCON leaders are beginning to appreciate Tamal Kas
organizational abilities. Brahmnanda writes to rla Prabhupda praising
Tamal. In his reply, Prabhupda reciprocates this mood of appreciation,
indirectly bringing up the sannysa issue once again.
You are correct that Tamal Kas endeavor is very successful, and we should
cooperate with him fully, and other centers should follow the same principles
to make it successful. Recently, Tamal Ka has sent Madhudvia to San
Francisco to organize the temple there, and as soon as he had gone there, the
sakrtana collection has become raised from $17 to $70. So in this way we
should help all the centers, and in the future both you and Tamal Ka,
assisted by the others, should be the main guiding stars of the society.
Letter to Brahmananda, July 8, 1969

Prabhupda is spending a lot of time and effort in guiding and instructing

Brahmnanda, with a mind to entrust him with a lot of responsibility.
Brahmnanda is already in charge of book publication, as well as being the New
York temple president. Prabhupda keeps stressing that sakrtana and book
publication are ISKCONs right and left hands, so everything should be done
very carefully and in remembrance that this is Kas business that we are
executing.

July 16

On July 16, Prabhupda performs an abhieka-yaja for the installation of

small brass Rdh-Ka Deities in LA. The devotees have been serving the
Deities of Lord Jagannath, Baladeva, and Lady Subhadra, but with the
installation of Rdh-Ka Deities, Prabhupda knows that it is now time to
introduce more sdhana. He moves the morning program up an hour to start at
6:00 AM. With Nectar of Devotion coming soon from the printers, there is a
greater emphasis on rising early. It is an activity that must be performed.
Prabhupda is carefully and gradually nursing his flock of young western
Vaiavas towards the highest standards of devotional purity, knowing full well
that each step taken has to be secure before the next step can be introduced. By

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stressing the chanting of the Holy Name, he has already seen the devotees
progressively develop a higher spiritual taste. Simultaneously, they will
naturally eschew the lusty desires that they were previously addicted to. By
adding Rdh-Ka Deity worship, Prabhupda hopes to speed up the
purification process.
As head pjri, Silavati not only takes care of the Deities, she also sews for
Them. She lives with the other women but has private quarters because she is
older. Although she does the pj, she cant blow the conch shell, so
Yudhihira blows the conch for her morning and evening.
Both Silavati and Sahadev rise at 4:30 AM to wake Rdh and Ka and
get the flowers ready for rati. The 108 rose bushes planted by Jaynanda are in
full bloom, and Sahadev picks the most beautiful ones to offer. Keava and
Mohannanda delight in pilfering flowers from the neighborhood. They always
bring back a sumptuous display for the vases. They are absolutely devoted to
bringing back the most lavish array of flowers for the Sunday Love Feast.
Sankirtan is becoming more and more successful. Emphasis is given for going
out during the day and then returning for a full evening program of kirtan and
Bhagavad-gt class. After class many devotees still go out to Hollywood
Boulevard for sakrtana. They stay out late and dont return to take rest until
well past midnight. Soon, Silavati complains to Prabhupda that nobody is
coming to the morning program. At this point Prabhupda makes it mandatory
that every devotee must attend the morning rati at 6:00 AM.
After Prabhupdas mandate, the devotees continue going out for evening
sakrtana but finish off early so that they can rise early. On weekends they still
return well past midnight, but now they manage to rise for the morning
program. Viujana is always up for kirtan before anybody ever gets into the
temple room. He is the first one there in the morning and the last one to leave
in the evening.
Bahulva: I remember the last thing at night, when youd fall asleep in the
brahmacr ashram, everybody would be lying down taking rest and
Viujana would be sitting there with his harmonium chanting bhajan. That
was the last thing youd remember when you fell asleep. In the morning youd
wake up and hed be again playing harmonium and chanting. You wouldnt
know if he had even slept. He was like the sky. Its there before you close your

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 eyes, and its there again when you open them. He was just amazing. I felt real
awe and veneration for Viujana from the moment I met him, and I felt that
way until the last time I saw him. He was a wonderful devotee, and I always
felt fortunate to have his good association.
In mid-July the New York Temples weekly collection tops $1,000 by
distributing around 200 BTGs daily. They are trying hard to out-distribute Los
Angeles, and Prabhupda begins to fan the fire of transcendental competition.
I was talking to Tamal Ka and Gargamuni that Brahmnanda is now
competing with you. So it was very pleasing talk that there is transcendental
competition between the centers, and it is Kas grace that you stand first in
this weeks business.
Letter to Brahmananda, July 24, 1969

The day before Ratha-ytr Prabhupda flies into San Francisco. At the
airport he is greeted by over fifty devotees, chanting and jumping in ecstasy.
Jaynanda is especially joyful.
Bhavnanda: Whenever rla Prabhupda would come, Jaynanda would
become like a little boy. He was very sober, but when Prabhupda would come
to the temple, Jaynanda Prabhu was really, really happy. He would dance a
lot and chant very loudly in the kirtan. He was very much filled with delight at
having rla Prabhupda there; just like a little boy.

San Francisco, Ratha-ytr day July 27, 1969

At noon Prabhupdas car arrives for the start of the parade. There are over
a hundred devotees already chanting, surrounded by a crowd of curious
onlookers. When the devotees see rla Prabhupda, they bow down to offer
their obeisances even before he actually alights from his car. Offering his
pranma in reciprocation, he smiles appreciatively, reassuring the devotees that
they have done well.
Lord Jagannath, Lady Subhadra, and r Baladeva are already seated high up
on Their thrones, accepting the service of two pjrs who fan Them from
either side with cmaras. They are beautifully dressed and garlanded. This year
the cart towers 35 feet into the sky. Prabhupda turns toward the Deities and
offers his obeisances right on the pavement. Everyone bows down again with

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him. These are the same Deities that inaugurated Ratha-ytr in the Western
world in 1967. This is Their third and most magnificent appearance yet.
The devotees have already brought Prabhupdas vyssana from the temple,
placing it just below the Deities so that his head will be at Their lotus feet. They
now beckon him to take his seat. Prabhupda sits down, glancing serenely at the
kirtan group already seated on the Ratha in front of him. As they begin
chanting over the improvised loudspeaker systemnama o viu-pdya
ka-prehya bhtalehe tips his head and smiles, always fingering the beads
in his bead bag.
The Ratha-ytr cart is plying along smoothly, accompanied by an ecstatic
kirtan, when all of a sudden the procession comes to a halt. Although the
parade appears to have stopped, the chanting continues as powerful as ever.
Prabhupda, moved by the devotees ecstasy, stands up, raises his arms and
begins dancing. At this point everyone becomes almost mad!
Sacidev: All our attention was focused on rla Prabhupda riding with the
Deities on the one cart. I remember when the cart stopped and Prabhupda
stood up. He raised his arms, and it was just indescribable the ecstasy;
everybody went wild. Wild. We almost lost it. Im serious.
Nara-Nryaa: He was dancing, and as he danced, his feet crushed the
flowers. His garland broke, and flowers began cascading everywhere as he
danced up and down. He was leaping very deliberately, almost like slow
motion.
The crowd has now swelled as thousands of people are attracted by the
uproarious kirtan and ecstatic dancing. Everybody is smiling, dancing, and
having a grand time. Upendra leads a group of devotees who dance joyously
around a tree. Prabhupda notices them and smiles.
Bhavnanda: Everyone was smiling, everyone was laughing, everyone was in
ecstasy, everyone was dancing, everyone was chanting. And we were doing it
more than anyone. We were doing more chanting, more laughing and
smiling, and feeling more freedom. We were free to have a shaved head, free
to wear a dhoti, free to blow a conch shell, free to spin around on the street
and jump up. Even if you were a hippie, you couldnt be more far-out than the
Ratha cart and Jagannath, because no one looks more far-out than Him. The

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 hippies had come dressed up in outfits with big feathers in their hair and
everything, but they were dim compared to Lord Jagannath.
The procession down to the sea is a long six miles. The parade ends at the
beach, where devotees are ready with 10,000 plates of prasdam: fruit salad,
apple chutney, halava, and watermelon. Hundreds of watermelons are sliced for
the thirsty Ratha-yatris.
Prabhupda is helped down from the cart as the Deities are carried inside
the Family Dog Auditorium. The chanting continues unabated as Prabhupda
leads the crowd inside. A giant silk screen of Lord Caitanya covers the wall
behind the stage, with pictures of Lord Vishnu and rla Bhaktisiddhnta
alongside. On the stage is Kartama-sayi Ka, standing on a marble pillar
beautifully garlanded. Lord Jagannath, Lady Subhadra, and r Baladeva are
transferred to Their thrones behind Prabhupdas vyssana.
As Prabhupda takes his seat, the crowd hushes to hear him speak. The
Deities look down from Their high vantage point above his head, smiling
happily at the bursting throng within the hall.
My dear boys and girls, I thank you very much for joining us on this
Ratha-ytr ceremony. I am going to sing now an Indian song, and then I shall
explain it. Even if you dont understand the language of the song, if you kindly
hear patiently, the sound vibration will act.
He sings Savarana r Gaura Pada-padme by Narottama dsa hkur and
gives the explanation. After the talk, Viujana presents Kas pastimes with
his puppet show troupe. Later, he leads the chanting on stage, continuing well
into the evening. Large scale prasdam distribution accompanies the chanting.
rla Prabhupda is extremely pleased with every aspect of the festival. He
had been there two years ago when Ratha-ytr was just a flatbed truck
followed by a few hundred hippies. Now the movement has grown, and
thousands of people are participating in Ratha-ytr. Prabhupda really
appreciates Jaynandas service, knowing that behind the scenes it is he who is
making it all work. Madhudvia and Jaynanda have both been key figures in
organizing everything. Everyone agrees that Ratha-ytr is an unparalleled
success.

Los Angeles July 1969

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 Prabhupda returns to Los Angeles with great enthusiasm about the
Ratha-ytr Festival. It is truly a unique presentation for America.
Just this afternoon I returned from San Francisco where they have held a
gigantic Ratha-ytr ceremony just on the order of the ones held at Jagannath
Puri. There were at least 10,000 young and old people, all chanting and
dancing in bliss and ecstasy for the entire day, starting from 12 noon and going
on till after evening. So it was a most magnificent occasion, and I am very
much encouraged that the people of the Western world will come to
understand the glories of this movement, and as Lord Caitanya has predicted,
His Name will be chanted and praised in every village and town throughout
the world.
Letter to Kadas, July 28, 1969

On Monday, the local papers publish photos and a favorable report of the
event. Prabhupda has photocopies made, which he begins to send out. Almost
immediately he starts receiving anonymous letters from envious Christian
groups as a result of the Ratha-ytr success. He realizes that as the movement
increases, so will the opposition from other groups.
Some of the Christian-minded people became almost envious, and I have
received some anonymous letters. Maybe as our movement increases in volume
the orthodox section of Christianity may be envious of our successful march. I
think you should collect some information from the Bible that sakrtana,
chanting of the Holy Names of God, is recommended there also. There is a
book called Aquarian Gospel in which it is stated that Lord Jesus Christ lived
in the Temple of Jagannath. Without being His devotee, how could he live
there and how the authorities could allow a non-devotee to live there? From
that book it appears that Lord Jesus Christ lived in intimate relations with the
priest order.
So as far as possible, you should prepare yourself for future writings that
our movement is not against the philosophy of Jesus Christ, but it is in
complete collaboration with his line of religiosity. Actually, we dont decry any
religious way of the world, but we are simply advocating that people should
learn to love God by following their religious principles. If one is not fortunate
to be learning how to love God, then his religious principles are simply
fanaticism, without any value.
Letter to Hayagriva, July 31, 1969

August 1969

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 With the success of the Ratha-ytr, Prabhupda now wants to emphasize
sakrtana more than ever. Sankirtan is the tried and proven method of
propagating all aspects of our Ka Consciousness Movement, so continue to
go out chanting in the streets as much as possible. (Letter to Jayapataka,
August 1, 1969)
Prabhupdas plan of increasing the printing run of BTG in order to lower
costs has paid off. The New York temple, fired by the spirit of competition with
Los Angeles, distributes 3,000 BTGs in the last two weeks of July. Immediately,
Brahmnanda increases the run by 5,000 more to 25,000 copies per month. The
temples now have a good source of revenue simply by going out to chant Hare
Ka and distributing Back to Godhead magazines to interested people.
In Boston, Satsvarpa purchases the first ISKCON property, an enormous
house with 16 rooms plus two halls, all for the price of $70,000. The monthly
payment of $1,000 will come from BTG sales, as their daily sakrtana
collection is around $100. Prabhupda is pleased that Satsvarpa has given a
good example to the rest of the society. By the strength of Back to Godhead
sales, temples can reconcile all their activities, even the purchase of their own
building. Boston is the pioneer center in terms of purchasing their own
property.
Prabhupdas idea is to use the facility for ISKCON Press. He begins to
request different devotees to collect the money necessary to purchase a printing
press and other equipment for printing his books. So in selling BTG not only
are we doing first-class propagation work, but also we are making profit to
support the temples and facilitate other activities. (Letter to Subala, August 6,
1969)
Since his arrival back in Los Angeles, Prabhupda has been stating his
intention to go to London. Things are going well in England in spite of not yet
establishing a center. Therefore, Prabhupda makes arrangements to fly to
Germany, instead. Sivananda has managed to establish a base in Hamburg with
the help of Ka dsa, and Prabhupda wants to encourage the new center. He
hopes the London devotees will be inspired by his presence in Europe to make
arrangements for his stay in London.
When he finally announces his intention to leave for Germany, the Los
Angeles temple begins to experience the pangs of separation even before his

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departure. Late one evening, Viujana and Mohannanda decide to have a
final private darshan with their spiritual master.
Mohannanda: Prabhupdas room was just off the temple room in La
Cienega, and Viujana and I sneaked back to see him one time. I was a new
devotee and I was just following Viujana. I would have followed him
absolutely, anything he did. We could see light coming out of Prabhupdas
room as if there were some kind of spotlight. We actually thought it was a
spotlight. There was this effulgent light coming out through the cracks of the
door. It was a long room with a long hallway. So we crept in. It looked as if
someone was shooting a movie under a high halogen lamp. Prabhupda was
sitting at the end of the hallway on his pillow. He looked absolutely effulgent.
Brahmajyoti. The spiritual sky. It was pure, bright yellow light, like an aura,
with Prabhupda at the center of it. Tears were just flying out of his eyes,
across his desk, across the room. I was amazed. Tears literally flew out of his
eyes. It was a remarkable thing to see his tears.
Viujana turned to me and just said, Hes talking to Ka. I was dumb
struck. I thought this was an incredible experience, because it was one of the
first rare visions of personalism that I had been given. We were absolutely
awestruck. We just hit the floor and backed out. Prabhupda never
acknowledged us.
Mohannanda is a very cheerful devotee and always has a big smile on his
face. Now he is convinced that Prabhupda is the Messiah. He feels connected
to the highest plane of consciousness on the planet. This encounter firmly
settles it in his mind. Realizing they were somewhere they shouldnt have been,
Viujana suggests that they not make the experience public knowledge. But
Mohannanda cant control his exuberance to share the vision of Prabhupdas
trance with others.
Mohannanda: I wrote a letter to my friend Jayatrtha, who was then called
White Feather, saying that I was convinced that the Messiah had come and it
was rla Prabhupda. He had to come and see me at the temple. He came to
visit and never left. Gargamuni immediately put him to work packing incense
up in the bell tower of La Cienega temple.
Jayatrtha: Viujanas singing was on a different plane. His chanting
resonated on a higher vibration, and thats what drew me in. His kirtans

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 brought you to another realm, like Prabhupdas chanting. Viujana also
had the gift of using the sound vibration to open up the heart chakra.
Under Prabhupdas guidance, everything in La Cienega temple is the
highest standard. The Deities new sihsana is completed under his
supervision, using Muraldharas original design. Prabhupda wants every
center to have this same standard.
After two months in Los Angeles he is now ready to leave for Europe.
Brimming with enthusiasm, he leaves America to fulfill Lord Caitanyas order
and expand the mission. He takes along the manuscript for the first volume of
his new book on the pastimes of Ka. George Harrison has expressed an
interest to finance this publication.

Seventh Wave Champion of the People

As devotees propagate the Hare Ka mah-mantra, the general population of

the entire world gets the opportunity to understand the glories of the Holy
Name. While chanting and dancing or hearing the Holy Name of the Lord,
one automatically remembers the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and
because there is no difference between the Holy Name and Ka, the chanter
is immediately linked with Ka. Thus connected, a devotee develops his
original attitude of service to the Lord.
Caitanya-caritmta, Adi Lila 7.83

New Vndvana August 1971

Hare Ka Hare Ka, Ka Ka Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama,

Rama Rama Hare Hare. The country krtanys greet Krtannanda and crew
as they pull up in the white Chevy in front of the old cabin on the hill. With
Silavati supervising, Toaa and Kuldri bring Rdh and Ka out of the van.
The kirtan party instantly falls to their knees, offering obeisances. Their
Lordships are taken into a barn as the kirtan party follows behind, eager for a
glimpse of Their divine forms. Because Rdh-Dmodara are not installed,
there is no pj for Them, but Silavati is constantly engaged in making gorgeous
outfits for Them to wear. She also lives in the barn to serve Them night and

237
day.
Everyone in New Vndvana is talking about putting together a traveling
show, with chanting, feasting, and lectures. Some devotees are already
experimenting with using rock music as a means for preaching. Dulal Chandra
is a drummer and Mangalananda plays guitar; so they form a band. The idea is
to play in Pittsburgh, the University of Ohio in Columbus, or within the West
Virginia area. There is no conception of a traveling show or any idea of living
on the road.
Back in New York, there was a fellow named Zubin, who was renowned as
the tie-dye king. He used to decorate the Electric Circus in New York City, and
thats how he knew Bob and Aura.
Zubin: I was one of the people who initiated the whole tie-dye fad throughout
the world in 1969 before the Woodstock festival. I was commissioned to open
a huge facility there and got involved with the crew that put on Woodstock.
All the clothing of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix was ours, and they would
come to our store in New York City, Fur Balloon. Inside the store everything
was tie-dye from floor to ceiling. The dressing room was a rhombic
dodecahedron, a twelve-sided environment that was lined with mirrors, so
when you stepped inside, you went into infinity. We would go in there and
have music with lights, and it would give a feeling of your eternal nature as
you saw yourself going into eternity.
I finished the tie-dye era in 70, and decided to take off. I had just gotten a
little motor home, which I tie-dyed inside and out, and was on my way to do a
trip around the country. Somebody in Woodstock had mentioned that they
knew of this great Hare Ka place in West Virginia that was opening up,
and they suggested I stop there first to check out the community. So I went
down and checked it out during the summer of 71. I decided to stay because I
loved the morning programs. The more I got into it, the more I loved it. I had
been a professional dancer before tie-dying, so I used to love getting up in the
morning and chanting and dancing. Soon, all these wonderful devotees
started to arrive, and they began to prepare for a road show. I could see that
this was going to be a happening situation.
Krtannanda wants Zubin and his tie-tye fabrics to give an interesting and
unique visual to the show. Zubin is talking about doing tie-dye tents and being

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able to come up with fabric that would decorate an entire area, to enhance the
production. After talking with Krtannanda, Zubin decides to try it for a
month or two and see how it works out. Bob and Aura have their big converted
bus, in which they live, and Zubin spends a lot of time with them. Although
they are not devotees, the three of them like the concept of a spiritual
presentation and feel that they can be of service to the Swami. Many people are
coming to New Vndvana to rehearse and prepare for going out, so an air of
excitement surrounds the community.
As Janmam day approaches, the residents of New Vndvana are very
busy. They build a pavilion up at the old Vndvana farm for the big
installation ceremony of their new white marble Deities, r r
Rdh-Vndvana Chandra. Some of the paintings of the ISKCON artists are
displayed around the pavilion.
While the New Vndvana devotees are happily engaged in making
preparations for their new marble Deities, Rdh-Dmodara continue to live in
the barn. Silavati attends to Their daily worship and serves Them continuously
throughout the day. In this way, her relationship with Their Lordships deepens
through constant devotional service. She is happy because Their new home in
the barn is certainly a step up from Their six-month stay in the closet of
Washington temple.

September 1971

Krtannanda Swami has already sent out word through the grapevine that
he wants musicians to come to New Vndvana to help him organize some kind
of musical preaching program. There is no room in ISKCON temples for
musicians who want to play rock n roll, because people who have that
propensity are considered rebellious and troublesome. Trying to dovetail that
propensity is a scary proposal for most temple presidents.
Hearing the news about a traveling musical show, many devotees with
theatrical or musical backgrounds make arrangements to meet Krtannanda
Mahrja. After interviewing prospective candidates, Mahrja selects the
people who will suit his requirements and arranges for them to leave their
temples. Of course, all temple presidents want to hang on to anyone who is able
to remain in the temple, but Krtannanda begins scooping up devotee

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musicians, and some temples are not unhappy to see them leave.
Janrdana: I was living in the Brooklyn temple, and there was information
that Krtannanda Mahrja was forming a traveling party. It was going to
be on a bus, there were going to be Deities on it, and it was going to be a whole
traveling sakrtana show, the details of which we werent familiar with yet.
There was some recruitment from some of the East Coast temples, and
Harikea was going down to join. We drove together in a Plymouth
Roadrunner. It was a pretty exciting thing, actually. New Vndvana was a
burgeoning community and a wonderful place to be, with a lot going on. So I
was exposed to the party and the concept, and at that time the idea of joining
the party germinated. I didnt get to stay very long because Rupanuga wanted
the car back. I remember wanting to be on that party very badly. But I was
part of the Brooklyn temple and didnt have permission, so that dream had to
wait.
Harikea arrives in New Vndvana ready to start playing blues and
free-form jazz, but the other musicians are more into straight-ahead rock songs
with lyrics that present the philosophy of Ka consciousness.
Kuldri: I remember Harikea had one song that he really pushed. It was
called Blue Lotuses. The hard core rock n rollers didnt like it because it
was more of a free-form jazz kind of thing. So it was the beginning of a rift
that later developed. Mangalananda would come up with nice songs. I
remember the first time he said, Id like you to listen to a song, and it was
Lord Caitanyas Moon is Rising. He wrote that as a bhakta. The seeds were
there, although the exact words were changed later.
Mangalananda: When we were in New Vndvana, the Rdh-Ka Deities
had arrived and Silavati had the Deities there. It was kind of exciting. We
were sitting down and writing songs, and it was okay to do that. The big song
we used to sing was Lord Caitanyas Moon is Rising, because it was easy to
do and it went right into Hare Ka. We used to go to Detroit, and thats
where I wrote Ka, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I wrote it in the
boiler room of the Detroit temple, so I wouldnt bother anybody. Some of the
brahmacrs slept in the basement in a room that was built around a big old
furnace. I didnt want anybody to think I was in illusion because I had a
guitar, so I went in this room, closed the door, and worked out this song.

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 Krtannanda quickly discovers that Harikea is also a handyman and expert
at putting things together, so he immediately gives him the service of building a
portable altar for the traveling Rdh-Ka Deities.
Harikea: I had to build a traveling altar that could be taken apart and set up
wherever we were having our show. I had seen the Deities because I had to
make an altar for Them. They were just Rdh-Ka then. They became
Rdh-Dmodara later.
I was originally put on the crew because I was playing guitar. First I
started out as lead guitarist, and I wrote some songs. We would practice our
songs in a house in Bahulavan. We just had songs and that was it.
After months of preparation, Krtannanda Swami is now getting antsy just
sitting around waiting for the rehearsals to bear some fruit. Seeing that the cold
weather is not long in coming, Mahrja decides to take the whole production
South and get away before winter sets in.
Lets go out and try it, he says to Kuldri one day. Experiment. With a
telephone call he convinces Balavanta, the Atlanta temple president, to let
them practice at his temple and start doing programs. There is no show yet, just
a simple program: kirtan, prasdam, and a lecture.
All the rock instruments and stage paraphernalia needed to present small
programs are loaded onto Bobs busalong with a large trunk to safely
transport Their Lordshipsand the devotee caravan is ready to leave. The plan
is to move to Atlanta, Georgia, and stay in the South during the cold winter
months. When spring arrives, the party will return to New Vndvana to spend
the summer preaching around the Northeast.
Zubin: Krtannanda Swami saw that I could be a real contribution to him,
because I had a vehicle and I could decorate their environment wherever they
ended up. I had one of these tie-dye tents, and I was the only one in the world
who had it at that time. It was like a back stage environment that we could
turn into a temple. It was a huge piece of fabric, over five hundred yards,
made out of silk satin. It was gigantic. So he invited me to come along, and
wherever we were, we could put it up any way we wanted.
On a brisk October morning, the whole community gathers to bid farewell to
the traveling party. About twenty-five musical and theatrical people squeeze

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into the available vehicles. Krtannandas old Chevy van leads out the devotee
caravan. Following behind is Zubins tie-dye motor-home, Dulal Chandras car,
and Bobs old school bus.
Suresvara: The Road Show ambled out of Bahulavan, looking like something
out of The Grapes of Wrath, or Ken Kesey. I was left behind, but I wanted to
go with them.

Los Angeles September 3, 1969

Janmam is celebrated in grand style at La Cienega temple. After the

morning program, the newly installed Los Angeles Rdh-Ka Deities are
ready for a stroll around the neighborhood. Their teakwood palanquin has been
crafted by Nara-Nryaa: and beautifully decorated by Silavati with fresh
roses from the garden. Rdh and Ka are seated comfortably on Their
throne under the shade of a colorful silk parasol. The tumultuous sound of
conch shells reverberates throughout the temple as devotees escort their
Lordships towards the doorway, fanning Them with cmara whisks and peacock
fans.
Outside, the garden walkway leading from the temple entrance has been
gaily colored in pastel shades and gold trim. As the Deities make Their
appearance, They are greeted by guests and devotees who line the walkway on
either side down to the street. One by one the temple officers approach Their
Lordships to report the weeks activities. Then Viujana starts up the kirtan,
and Silavati offers rati.
Rdh-Ka now begin Their stroll up and down the street. Scented water
and rose petals are sprinkled on the path before Them. Many neighbors come
out of their homes, attracted by the gala procession and exuberant chanting.
Devotees offer them cookies or fruit prasdam along with a BTG. In this way,
the neighbors are engaged in the Janmam celebration. The ceremony of
strolling the Deities around the block is so successful that it soon becomes a
regular Sunday morning feature.
Although everyone is fasting today, the temple is a beehive of activity. In
the kitchen the cooks are busy making 108 preparations to be offered to Their
Lordships. In the temple room, Viujana chants with his bhajan band while
other devotees finish off chanting sixty-four rounds.

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 After a joyful midnight rati, everyone is ready to honor prasdam.
ukadeva: Everybody had been fasting and then we had a tremendous
feast. We had been eating for over twenty minutes, and everybody was getting
a little past the neck. Not up to the neck, we were past the neck, working on the
eyeballs. Viujana was a tremendous prasdam, eater and he just kept on
eating. The amount of prasdam the devotees put away during those early
days would just boggle the imagination. There was a separate refrigerator for
any prasdam that was left over, and I remember that Viujana always
made a direct beeline to that refrigerator.
While rla Prabhupda is preaching in Europe, Tamal and Viujana fine
tune their system for performing sakrtana. Everybody goes out in the van,
chanting japa on the way. Tamal has invested a lot of energy in training Keava
to be a sakrtana leader. Keava has to make sure everything is in the van; the
BTGs, the instruments and the books. He has to know whos going out and
whos staying behind. He is also responsible for having the van ready at the
right time. After driving out to the sakrtana spot, he drops off the devotees
and parks the vehicle.
A beautiful Persian carpet is laid down at the sakrtana spot, and Viujana
arranges everybody symmetrically in a semi-circle, Just like the lotus eye of
Ka. The devotees who play harmonium and tamboura sit up front. The
others stand, so they can dance. The ladies are in the middle, graded smallest to
tallest. There are men on either side for protection. The tallest brahmacrs are
in the back and some of them wear turbans. Everybody is trained to dance in
perfect formation. Little pots of incense are lit to purify the atmosphere and
create a mood.
Although Tamal and Viujana are brahmacrs, they make sure that all the
ladies also go out on sakrtana. The women are expected to dress in their best
saris and smile constantly. Theyre encouraged to have their noses pierced
because rla Prabhupda likes the ladies to wear nose rings. Viujana makes
sure the women purchase nice saris and nose rings to look beautiful, like gops.
Thats the idea. Viujana is very attached to everyone going out. He wants all
the women there because they dance very attractively in a synchronized
fashion. The support of the devotees who are enthusiastic about kirtan has to be
there.

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 Manmohini dev ds: I was one of the girls who went out on his party. We all
had neat long braids and pretty saris, and we would sway from side to side
with the braids in the breeze. He would be chanting just ecstatically. It was a
dynamite kirtan with the harmonium on a madras. The girls were dressed in
silk, and they all looked really pretty. I just remember it was an eye stopper.
Nobody could pass by without pausing to look. Everybody was just wowing!
Viujana was the leader and everybody watched him. He had everybody
fired up. It was just like putting on a show. Everybody was high all the time.
If one of the women stays back to baby-sit Nandars child, Viujana gets
upset because someone is missing from his kirtan party. He has taught them to
play kartls, and they are tremendously adept at playing them. This is
important to him. He also teaches them how to take care of the kartls. At least
once a week the ladies polish all the kartls until they look effulgent. Then they
fasten them with fresh clean satin streamers, tied at the ends with gold tassels.
The party carries two beautiful posters encased in hand-carved picture
frames, painted gold, and mounted on six foot poles. One is of Prabhupda and
the other of Ka as Murali Manohara. They are held aloft during kirtan so
passersby can see the Lord and His pure devotee. Everything is first class and
surcharged with a wonderful reflection of Ka consciousness. When the party
is ready to return to the temple, Keava leaves a little early to get the vehicle
and drive everybody back for the evening rati.
After rati, Keava has the van ready for evening sakrtana. Sahadev
whips up a batch of Simply Wonderfuls to take to Hollywood Boulevard. She
has fifteen for Viujana alone to stuff in his pockets to keep him going. The
rest she keeps for the women as their arsenal for the night.
Viujana is always the designated chanter. Every evening he leads the
kirtan in front of the popular musical Hair, which features the mah-mantra
as one of its songs. At the end of the show, as people file out of the theater, they
are greeted by the devotees chanting the familiar Hare Ka song they have
already heard inside. Most of the theater-goers light up with big smiles,
although a few are taken aback. Some even join in the chanting and purchase
incense or a BTG. The kirtan party is so sweet that the reception is always
favorable. Viujana ends the evening by singing his favorite bhajan of
Narottama dsa hkur.

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 Keava: We finished up our nights with Vndvana ramya sthna. That was
Viujanas favorite song. He sang that every night and we would listen. In
those days we wore turbans with our robes, and the people coming out of
Hair would be hypnotized. Wed be hypnotized, and theyd be hypnotized by
it. Everybody loved it when he sang that.
Bahulva: His Ka consciousness was mythic. It was like meeting
somebody that you would read about from Caitanya ll. He was like a living
embodiment of Lord Caitanyas disciples. Youd look at the face of Viujana
when he would chant and he was in ecstasy. There was no doubt about it. He
chanted constantly, and in those days thats all the movement was. It was
sakrtana.
Sahadev: Viujana was just so joyful, he inspired everybody around him.
He had a certain intensity when he was chanting that was very protective, and
he used that a lot to protect the kirtan party. He had his hands all wrapped up
in tape, with gloves on his hands, so he looked like a warrior. Sometimes
drunks and nut cases would come up to the party and try to harass us, but
Viujana, with his mdaga, was real aggressive in a way. He would just
start beating his mdaga louder, chanting with an incredible intensity, and
confronting them right in front of their face. But he had such compassion in
his eyes, that people would actually change right in front of us. When he
chanted he went to a really deep place.
At this point in the summer of 69, Viujana has just passed his twenty-first
birthday and has been a devotee for only a year and a half. To these new
Vaiavas that seems like forever. Most devotees consider that he is picking up
from another lifetime.
One evening the devotees return to the temple really hungry after
sakrtana. A visitor had come and donated some food, including a loaf of sliced
bread. Although the devotees are hungry, they dont even think of taking the
bread because it is cooked by karmis. But Viujana picks up the loaf, opens it
up, and starts eating. Everyone is aghast. Its not considered a correct thing to
do, but he doesnt care. He is sometimes practical and sometimes impractical,
but the incident shows that Viujana has individuality and uses his own brain.
Sahadev looks up to him and respects him for this quality.
In his letters to America, Prabhupda informs the Los Angeles devotees

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about the progress of the London mission. On his arrival at Heathrow airport
on September 11, he is greeted by a large crowd and escorted to a special room
for a grand reception and press conference. After a blissful kirtan he is
interviewed by reporters from the London newspapers. The press is favorable
and the photos excellent. Now he is staying with the devotees in a big garden
house on John Lennons estate. They have a large hall as a temporary temple for
kirtan and classes. The only shortcoming is that its miles away from London, so
interested people cant easily come by.
However, the BBC comes calling with a proposal for a TV appearance. The
forty-minute interview for a popular program goes very well. The following
week BBC airs an hour-long documentary on the movements activities around
the world. Both John Lennon and George Harrison come to visit Prabhupda
and spend a few hours discussing Ka consciousness.
ymasundara attempts to get the Beatles to record Hare Ka and is
successful. George Harrison takes the devotees into the studio and records two
songs. Apple Records releases a single called Hare Ka Mantra with
Prayers to the Spiritual Master on the flip side. George not only produces, but
plays harmonium and guitar. As always, Yamun is the lead singer.

After Ratha-ytr, Tamal had decided to open a center in Laguna Beach,

since Kausalya had a lot of friends and contacts there. He arranges to get her
married to Durlabha dsa and sends them down with rmati to open the new
temple. At first, they just go down for Sunday programs to advertise their
intention to open a permanent center in Woodland Canyon.
The Brotherhood of Eternal Love is already in the canyon in a little
cul-de-sac full of small cottages. Although Tim Leary is one of their leaders,
they have already realized that he is not very spiritually advanced. They cant
even get him to stop eating meat. Plus, he has a huge ego. So once the temple
becomes established, many of the Brotherhood people become the
congregation. Most of them are already vegetarian and interested in Eastern
philosophy. Although their philosophy is a mixture of Chinese and Indian
impersonalism, they are attracted to Ka and His devotees.
rmati, Kausalya, and Durlabha do everything from cooking, leading the

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kirtan, giving the class, preaching to prospective devotees, serving out the feast,
and cleaning up afterwards. Everyone is invited to bring some preparation, and
many people volunteer to help with the arrangements. Everybody gets
involved. The Love Feast is so successful that people begin donating large sums
from their various dealings. Soon a permanent Laguna Beach center is
established in the canyon at 130 Woodland Drive. The temple does exceedingly
well in the first year making over thirty devotees.
Similarly, Palika and Bhavnanda are married and sent out to open a center
in Boulder, Colorado. Bali Mardana and Sudama head off to Japan and in a few
weeks open a center in Tokyo. Before long Sudamas wife, Chintamani, joins
him in Japan. Prabhupda comments, Most of my disciples who are preaching
are married couples. (Letter to Uddhava, September 7, 1969)
Because Revatnandana is one of the most enthusiastic preachers on the
sakrtana party, Tamal Ka now sends him to Santa Barbara to open yet
another center. Keava goes with him because he knows people there. Once a
suitable place is found, Keava returns to La Cienega and Revatnandana
requests that Dinanath be sent up, along with rmati, to help get the center
going. Dinanath is a fantastic kirtan man, imbued with tremendous enthusiasm,
and rmati is always in demand to preach to the women.
With the acquisition of the Boston house for ISKCON Press, Prabhupda
now wants to encourage big book distribution. We are now getting our own
press, and as we have got so many books, if you can arrange for the selling of
these books, there will be no scarcity of money. (Letter to Tamal Ka,
September 14, 1969) After all, whats the point of having a press if you cant sell
the publications? Unfortunately, no one is going out to try and distribute the
books, except for Jaynanda, and he doesnt sell very many either. The art of
distributing rla Prabhupdas books is still unknown.
Gargamuni attempts to take up the slack by distributing books to scholars for
favorable reviews. He takes Keava under his wing, pointing out that this is
Prabhupdas personal request. Gargamuni has Keava take out a card table on
sakrtana and sell books from the table. While the other devotees chant or
distribute BTGs, Keava is at his book table, selling Bhagavad-gt As It is,
Teachings of Lord Caitanya, incense, and magazines. At first, he only does
$70-80 a week, but within a month he is bringing in $200 a week.

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 Since coming to Los Angeles, Gargamuni has inaugurated the Spiritual Sky
incense business. With Prabhupdas encouragement, the business is now
booming, as all the temples become customers. By distributing incense and
magazines on sakrtana, the temples can increase their economic base. Now
Gargamuni decides to get a spacious office from which to manage all his
activities. He invites Tamal to share the office with him, explaining that a
bigger office is necessary for bigger management. He will also take care of the
rent, so it wont be a burden on the temple finances. Tamal agrees and leaves his
small room in the temple to relocate down the street to the studio apartment he
will share with Gargamuni.
With the opening of three new centers, Prabhupda now reveals his plans
for world-wide expansion. Tamal Ka had written to him, proposing that the
LA sakrtana party accompany Prabhupda on a tour of Japan. Prabhupdas
answer is prophetic.
You have proposed to go to Japan next year, and I am very much pleased on
this point. I wish to go with a big sakrtana party from Los Angeles. So if we
can overflood Japan with this sakrtana movement, it will be a great great
achievement in the Eastern countries, and if we move a little further more
into China and Russia, then we shall build up a strong belt all around the
world of the International Society for Ka Consciousness.
Letter to Tamal Ka, September 19, 1969

During the day, sakrtana is either performed in downtown Los Angeles or

Hollywood. However, as sakrtana increases, so does its opposition. The
Hollywood shopkeepers vent their antagonism to the local constabulary, hoping
to put an end to the proselytizing that disturbs their daily business. Acting
under this pressure, the police begin to enforce different technicalities in order
to persuade the devotees to leave. First, they order them to remove the oriental
rug, saying that it restricts pedestrian traffic. Then they cordon off the
sakrtana party behind a three-foot wide area along the sidewalk adjacent to
the buildings, with the threat of arrest for anyone who ventures beyond the
boundary of the demarcated line. The oppressive situation dampens the partys
enthusiastic spirit. Soon, several devotees are arrested, and the police try to stop
sakrtana altogether on the plea that it violates noise pollution levels! This is
not unlike the situation Lord Caitanya faced when the Kazi banned sakrtana
in Navadvipa.

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 In desperation, Tamal writes rla Prabhupda for help. Prabhupda quickly
responds from London with an official proclamation to be shown to the
authorities:

KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS: THE SANKIRTAN MOVEMENT

The International Society for Ka Consciousness is a bona fide religious
society strictly following the principles described in the Vedic scriptures and
practiced in India for thousands of years. Our basic beliefs are as follows:
1) The Absolute Truth is contained in all the great Scriptures of the
world; the Bible, Koran, Torah, etc. However, the oldest known Revealed
Scriptures in existence are the Vedic literatures, most notably the
BHAGAVAD GITA, which is the literal record of Gods actual Words.
2) God, or KRISHNA is eternal, all-knowing, omnipresent, all-powerful,
and all attractive, the seed-giving Father of man and all living entities.
He is the sustaining energy of all life, nature and the cosmic situation.
3) Man is actually NOT his body, but is eternal spirit soul, part and parcel
of God, and therefore eternal.
4) That all men are brothers can be practiced only when we realise God
as our common ultimate Father.
5) All our actions should be performed as a sacrifice to the Supreme
Lord... All that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away,
as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an
offering unto Me. (Bhagavad-gita, IX, 27)
6) The food that sustains us should always be offered to the Lord before
eating. In this way He becomes the Offering, and such eating purifies us.
7) We can, by sincere cultivation of bonafide spiritual science attain to
the state of pure, unending blissful consciousness, free from anxiety in
this very lifetime.
8) The recommended means of attaining the mature stage of Love of God
in the present age of Kali, or quarrel, is to chant the Holy Name of the
Lord. The easiest method for most people is to chant the Hare Ka

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 mantra: Hare Ka Hare Ka, Ka Ka Hare Hare / Hare Rama
Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare.
Our basic Mission is to propagate the Sankirtan Movement (chanting of the
Holy Names of God) all around the world as was recommended by the
Incarnation of the Lord, r Caitanya Mahprabhu. People in this age are
reluctant very much to understand about God consciousness on account of
their unfortunate condition of life. They are working hard day and night simply
for sense gratification. But this transcendental vibration of Sankirtan will
knock at the door of their hearts for spiritual awakening. Therefore, they
should be given the chance for this opportunity.
It is not recommended that a Ka conscious devotee go into seclusion for
chanting by himself and thereby gaining salvation for himself alone. Our duty
and religious obligation is to go out into the streets where the people in general
can hear the chanting and see the dancing. We have already seen practically
how by this process many, many boys and girls of America and Europe have
been saved from the immoral practices of this age and have now dedicated their
lives to the service of Ka.
The state laws are specifically meant for making citizens men of good
character, and good character means avoiding the following sinful activities:
intoxication, illicit sex life, gambling and meat-eating. We are checking people
from practicing these sinful activities. All of our students are applying these
principles practically in their lives, and they are teaching others to follow the
same principles. Therefore, it is the duty of the government to help us in our
missionary work rather than to hinder us. It is hoped that the government
authorities will cooperate with our Sankirtan parties in enabling us to perform
Sankirtan on the streets. To do this it is necessary that we be able to chant the
Names of Ka, dance, play the mdaga drum, request donations, sell our
societys journal, and on occasion, sit down with the mdaga drum. As
devotees of Lord Ka it is our duty to teach the people how to love God and
worship Him in their daily life. This is the aim and destination of human life.
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Armed with the Sankirtan Proclamation, Tamal and Jaynanda drive

downtown to meet the police officials. Together, they make their presentation

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to the Officer in Charge, first showing the official papers of incorporation,
establishing ISKCON as a bona-fide religious organization. After the man
becomes convinced of their legal status, Tamal brings out Prabhupdas
proclamation. He explains the concept of sakrtana, the worship of God by
chanting and dancing to musical accompaniment along with the distribution of
literature. Tamal argues that to deny the members of ISKCON this right would
be withholding freedom of religion, one of the main reasons for which America
has been founded.
Jaynanda presents the Officer with a copy of Bhagavad-gt As It Is and
Teachings of Lord Caitanya to further impress upon him that Prabhupdas
statement is based on the authority of scripture. Tamal expresses his
appreciation for the difficulties the police face in maintaining law and order on
the city streets, and pledges that the devotees will, as far as possible, avoid
creating any disturbance. Taking a very humble stance, Tamal requests the
Officer to inform all policemen in his jurisdiction to cease all unnecessary
harassment of ISKCONs missionary work.
The documentation is convincing, and both Jaynanda and Tamal make a
positive impression on the man. A peaceful settlement is worked out; during the
day, devotees will subdue the kirtan and focus more on distribution of
literature, and at night, with most businesses closed, they will be free to chant
unrestrictedly.
Jaynanda and Tamal make similar presentations in Laguna Beach and
Santa Barbara. Their presentation produces a positive result, and they leave
with satisfactory agreements. With their triumph in hand, Viujana leads out
the sakrtana party on Saturday night for a Victory Kirtan. Sankirtan
continues blissfully as ever in Southern California.

October 1969

Hare Ka Mantra by Rdh Ka Temple is released in England and

gets daily airplay on the radio. It becomes an overnight sensation, entering the
charts at No. 20 in the first week. The following week it soars to No. 3 and hits
the top of the English charts after only three weeks, selling over 20,000 copies a
week in London alone. The devotees are instantly famous. Wherever they go in
London people greet them with Hare Ka and congratulate them on their

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number one hit.
Success in other European countries follows, as the song also reaches No. 1 in
West Germany, No. 1 in Czechoslovakia, and No. 4 in Australia. The record is
in the Top Ten all over Europe and even in Japan. In America, however, the
tune has not caught on.
Desiring to duplicate the European success, Tamal and Gargamuni visit the
head offices of Capitol Records, the American distributors. They introduce
themselves as the Das Brothers, explaining that theres a Rdh Ka Temple
group right here in Los Angeles. They can help Capitol promote the record. But
the company is not interested.
Undaunted, Tamal and Gargamuni try visiting some of the movie studios to
popularize the song. All we need is a little publicity. They publish a brochure
to distribute to important media people. They stress Prabhupdas involvement
with the Beatles, writing that he is personally instructing John Lennon and
George Harrison in the yoga of ecstasy. This is the main attraction. The plan is
to send the brochure to radio stations, magazines, and newspapers.
Meanwhile, the eagerness of the devotees increases for the evening
sakrtana, since the police are keeping kirtan subdued during the day. At
night, throngs of tourists and locals swarm the sidewalks along Hollywood
Boulevard and Sunset Strip searching for excitement. The leisurely pace and
festive atmosphere creates an ideal setting for kirtan. Crowds gather to watch
the devotee ensemble, intrigued by the exotic instruments and attire,
spellbound by the hypnotic chanting and dancing. These people are not
concerned with the message or lifestyle of the devotees. But they are ready to
accept the spectacle at face valuea free performance rivaling any other act on
the Strip. Lured by the glitter of Hollywoods night life, they are unknowingly
captivated by the mercy network of Lord Caitanyas sakrtana party.
Viujana and Mohannanda do street theater between kirtans. They
perform their skits with a flair for showmanship. A favorite is a story that
Prabhupda has told. Two people are walking along, both carrying a heavy load
of rocks. They arrive at a river and meet a devotee. The devotee preaches to
them that the heavy burden represents their attachment in the material world.
One man understands, drops his rocks, and crosses to the other side of the river
to Vaikuha, where he finds devotees on the other side. He joins in their

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ecstatic chanting and dancing.
The second man remains standing alone, still bearing his burden. The
devotee preaches to him, Drop your rocks. Come on over, to the side of
freedom, full of knowledge and bliss. The guy tries to cross the river still
holding on to his load. But he cant do it. He cant cross over, and hes
drowning. The crowd roars with laughter. Finally, with the encouragement of
the devotee, he drops his rocks, crosses the river, and chants Hare Ka.
Everybody is ecstatic. The crowd applauds. They love it, and so do the devotees.
Viujana speaks on the moral of the story.
So this chanting of Hare Ka and other songs that we will be singing are
meant to free our mind of all misconceptions of our self, and everything else
around us. By misconception we mean that, because of our attachment for our
body, we think of ourselves as being young or old, pretty or ugly, black or white,
man or woman, American or Indian. These are called bodily designations.
They begin with this body and they also end with this body.
So human life is a life of responsibility, a life of utilizing this body to either
raise our consciousness or degrade our consciousness. Just like human life is a
life of responsibility as far as driving a vehicle. If you drive carefully, then you
enjoy it. If youre not careful then it causes you anxiety, and others as well.
Thus, human life is a life of affecting our consciousness and affecting the
consciousness of othersour children, our friends, family, community, nation,
etc.
So it behooves the human being to learn how to live in such a way that he
can elevate his consciousness, and the consciousness of every other living being
around himnot only human beings but even plants, animalsall living
entities. And thats why this chanting is very effective, because not only is it
good for ourselves, but its also good for other living entities.
So we have brought our church to the streets. We dont keep God locked up
all week and then let people in for a few hours on Sunday. No. We do this
twenty-four hours a day, not only for our own benefit, but for yours, too!
His lively talk brings nods of appreciation. One way or another, the devotees
entice the thrill seekers to participate in the sakrtana-yaja, the only safe exit
on Hollywoods expressway to oblivion.

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Prabhupda is now thinking of a governing body for ISKCON, so he

continues to encourage Tamal Ka, on the West Coast, and Brahmnanda,
on the East Coast, to take up further responsibility in management. In response,
they both arrange meetings for the leaders of their respective zones. Writing to
inform Prabhupda of the meeting to be held in Berkeley, Tamal includes the
agenda that he plans to discuss.
Gargamuni drives up with Tamal for the meeting hosted by Hansadutta, the
Berkeley temple president. Other representatives are Jaynanda and
Madhudvia from San Francisco, and Upendra from Seattle. This is the first
organizational meeting with the goal to unify ISKCON management.
At the meeting, Tamal quickly establishes that Prabhupda had written him
to look after the overall management of the West Coast. He has also brought
with him the agenda to be discussed. He now wishes to fulfill Prabhupdas
desire for overall supervision of the West Coast centers by centralizing
authority in himself.
Tamal Ka: I felt that Prabhupda wanted me to take a supervisory hand
in the running of each of the centers, and therefore I had taken the initiative
to organize the meeting. The presidents agreed to consult me on all important
decisions and in this way relieve rla Prabhupda of some of the burden of
management. Whether for financial matters, for major changes in their local
temple procedures, or in moving devotees from one center to another, they
would now consult me.
Although the presidents had agreed in principle with Tamals presentation,
factually they do not agree to accept his proposition that they consult him
about every temple decision. During the drive back to Los Angeles, Tamal
begins to realize that their final agreement had been a bit forced. He begins to
doubt that they will actually cooperate with him in helping Prabhupda unify
the temples.
Arriving back at the office, Tamal finds two letters waiting for him. He
opens the one from Prabhupda first. In his letter, Prabhupda acknowledges
Tamals intention for an administrative meeting and the agenda he had sent
before leaving for Berkeley. He also offers sober words of caution.

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 I have seen the agenda of your presidents meeting. This is nice. One thing
should be followed, however, as your countrymen are more or less independent
spirited and lovers of democracy. So everything should be done very carefully
so that their sentiments may not be hurt. According to Sanskrit moral
principles, everything has to be acted, taking consideration of the place,
audience and time. As far as possible the centers should act freely, but
conjointly. They must look forward to the common development. That should
be the principle.
Letter to Tamal Ka, October 13, 1969

Prabhupdas concern is that Tamal may be a little pushy in presenting

himself and thus upsetting the other men. Tamals doubts about the feelings of
the other presidents are increased. Prabhupda is saying that the individual
temples should act freely, yet Tamal had forced them to consult him on most
matters. He hurriedly sends off a detailed report of the meeting and the
resolutions passed for Prabhupdas approval. He also includes a copy of the
media brochure.
The second letter stares up at Tamal, who is now feeling a bit weary, and
quite upset. The letter is addressed to the temple president. Since Daynanda is
the temple president, Tamal cant understand why the letter is on his desk, so
he is not inclined to pick it up. Turning the letter over, he is surprised to see
Karumays name. He hasnt seen her since Frederick Street temple eighteen
months ago. On an impulse he opens the letter.
Karumay wants to come back to the temple. She had called first and was
advised to write a formal letter to the president. Tamal has not forgotten that
Karumays preaching was instrumental in helping him make the decision to
embrace Ka consciousness. When he joined the Frederick street temple, he
had given her his flat and his job. Immediately he writes a reply, encouraging
Karumay to once again move into the temple.
Karumay dev ds: I got an answer back from Tamal Ka, which really
blew my mind at the time. He told me that I should come back, and that I was
welcome to come back. If anybody gave me any trouble, I should tell them that
he said I could come back and that would clear everything up. That would be
that, no questions asked. He said he felt that I had been largely responsible for
bringing him and Viujana to the temple. I had never really thought that
way. Whatever people say about him, he was so respectful. I think with women

255
 he was not harsh. He may have been in dealings with men but not with
women. He was gentle, thoughtful, considerate, and very respectful.

One evening out on Sunset Strip, an older gentleman approaches the

sakrtana party after watching for over an hour. He is one of the faithful
following, a regular that enjoys the devotees nightly show. A short, balding
man, with an endless smile, and full of appreciation for their great act, he
vigorously shakes hands with Viujana and Tamal Ka after the kirtan. He
introduces himself as Mr. Vance, a Hollywood talent scout with influential
friends in high places in the entertainment industry.
I think youve got something here, he begins. If you agree to work with
me, I can take you places youve never even dreamed of. Although you kids are
pretty raw, with a little polish you could make it all the way to the big time.
The next day, Mr. Vance comes to La Cienega to meet with Tamal and
Gargamuni in their office. He explains that he has been in show business for
many years and has many important contacts. He wants to help them improve
their act so that they will be able to get on national prime time variety shows,
where more than forty-million viewers will get exposure to Hare Ka. To
prove his point, he will arrange a party at his home and invite his close friends,
many of whom are television and movie people.
Although Tamal and Gargamuni have their doubts whether Mr. Vance can
live up to his rap, they realize that it still wouldnt hurt to try. This may be
Kas arrangement. After all, the devotees are doing it in London, so why not
here? Wouldnt Prabhupda be pleased if Hare Ka was aired to forty-million
homes!
With an agreement reached, Mr. Vance requests that they rehearse to
become more professional in their presentation. He also has different ideas to
improve the image of the group.
Tamal Ka: One problem, Mr. Vance explained, was the size of our group.
We would have to select only the best and most attractive-looking musicians.
We laughed at this proposal, explaining that Lord Caitanyas sakrtana
party was not exclusive. Attraction and repulsion on the bodily platform were

256
 not considerations in spiritual life. Mr. Vance stated that he was in full
agreement with our philosophy, but if we wanted to make Hare Ka
popular, we had to be practical and consider the publics taste. After making
his point, he selected seven devotees and requested everyone else to leave the
room during the rehearsals to avoid unnecessary distraction. Standing up on
a chair, Mr. Vance took command by directing us how to sit, hold the
instruments, and even smile.
Every afternoon Mr. Vance comes by to rehearse the group. Promotional
photographs are taken. The understanding is that they are only doing here in
America what the London devotees are doing in Europe. Most of the kirtan
group feel uncomfortable by the presentation, but if it spreads the Holy Name,
why not?
Ten days after Tamals letter was dispatched, Prabhupdas reply lands on his
desk. The long letter confirms some of Tamals own doubts.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated October 12, 1969, along with
the copy of the West Coast presidents report of the meeting held at Berkeley.
Gradually this meeting should develop into a committee of the West Coast
presidents, and similarly there should be one for the East Coast, so in the
future we can form a central governing body for the whole institution.
Therefore the management should be done very cautiously so that everyone is
satisfied in their autonomous managing capacity. Of course, the central point
is the order of the Spiritual Master, and I am very glad that you are trying to
give importance to this aspect of management. The difficulty is sometimes
things are interpreted in a manner dovetailing ones own sense gratification. I
have got this personal experience in my Guru Mahrjas institution.
Different godbrothers took the words of Guru Mahrja in different
interpretations for sense gratification and the whole mission disrupted. This is
still going on for the last 40 years without any proper settlement. I am always
afraid of this crack, but I am sure if our aim is to serve Ka sincerely and the
Spiritual Master simultaneously, that will be our success. That means serve
Ka and the Spiritual Master simultaneously with equal faith and serious
vow, and then success is sure. Yourself, Gargamuni, Brahmnanda, and the
others are intelligent. You should always deal things so tactfully that people
may not fall away. Every living being is important in Ka conscious service,
and we must take all precautions that one may not fall away...

Tamals worst fears have been confirmed. Why is Prabhupda referring to

the Gauya Math debacle? Different godbrothers took the words of Guru

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Mahrja in different interpretations for sense gratification and the whole
mission disrupted. Prabhupda appears concerned about his role at the
meeting, not wanting ISKCON to pursue the same folly as Gauya Math.
Taking the plush office with Gargamuni had removed him from direct
association with the other devotees. Lately he has been staying back from
sakrtana due to increased managerial duties. Have I fallen victim to Maya, he
wonders, in trying to follow the order of my spiritual master? Does Prabhupda
think I am being motivated by personal sense gratification?
Regarding purchasing of temples, if within our means and estimation it is
possible, that is a good idea. The best example is Boston temple. They have
taken responsibility for $1,100 per month, and by the Grace of Ka they are
now collecting at the rate of $120 per day. So if Berkeley is also in that
position, they can take that risk. Similarly, San Francisco also, and I
understand that both Hansadutta and Madhudvia are doing nicely. So if the
principle of Boston temple can be followed without over-burden and anxiety,
that is very good. If they are also collecting daily average $100, they can take
the risk of purchasing the house...

Prabhupda is obviously pleased with Boston. Satsvarpa is satisfying his

spiritual master.
Regarding the booklet you and Gargamuni are sending, in the introductory
portion signed by you and Gargamuni you have said that I am personally
instructing John Lennon and George Harrison in the yoga of ecstasy. This is
not very satisfactory. Of course, George Harrison sometimes comes to see me
and naturally I instruct him on the bhakti yoga. But the statement in the letter
gives hint as if I have been invited by them for this. If this comes to their
notice, they may take some objection which will not go to our credit. These
things should not be publicly advertised, and I do not know why this has been
done. Anyway, if you have not distributed many of them, you just try to take
out that portion which is not a fact...

Realizing that Prabhupda is definitely not satisfied, Tamal becomes

worried. He had tried to serve the order of Guru, but perhaps his own personal
ambition had crept in. The portion of the pamphlet about the Beatles has to be
deleted as it could hinder the London preaching. The brochure cant be used as
it is. Its invalid.
Regarding the World Sankirtan Party, that is my long-cherished idea, and I
wish to see it fulfilled as soon as possible. But do not count on others. If

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 somebody comes forward to help us, that is welcome. But if we at all take the
job, we must take it on our own strength. For experimental sake, you can seek
out for an agent who can arrange for our Sankirtana Party moving in all the
states of America, and then we can think of touring all over the world.
Where is my Book Fund being kept? I think whatever money is received
from the Book Fund or for my personal account may be immediately deposited
in my savings account #12410 with the Equitable Savings Bank at Fairfax and
Beverly, and monthly statements may be submitted to me how much you have
deposited with the bank...

The inquiry about the money meant for the book fund comes as a shock.
Prabhupda had given instructions to open a separate account for deposits
equal to the daily value of books sold. He had expected Tamal to send $5,000
from that account for the purchase of the press in Boston, but Tamal had only
sent $1,000. Now, Prabhupda is restricting his responsibility by ordering the
remaining funds to be deposited into his own savings account, on which no one
else can sign. Prabhupda is concerned that the book fund money will be
misspent.
Regarding movement of the members from one temple to another, I think the
local presidents permission is sufficient. Dont take too much load of
individual administration. That will be unmanageable in the near future. I
have also instructed Brahmnanda in this way. I have also advised
Brahmnanda to ask for monthly reports, and similarly you may ask for
monthly reports. That will be easier...

It is now abundantly clear that Prabhupda has lost some confidence in his
West Coast manager. Tamal accepts the rebuke with a heavy heart. The duty of
the spiritual master is to correct the faults of his disciple. Tamal has only been
in the movement a year and a half, so there are bound to be mistakes. Still, he
now feels completely depressed, even with the nice closing words.
I thank you so much for the new temples that are opening. Please conduct
them nicely and enthuse the people to stick to the chanting of Hare Ka
Mantra and following the rules and regulations. Then they will be strong
enough to manage things very nicely. Other things will be supplied by Ka.
Letter to Tamal Ka, October 18, 1969

The last instruction is clear enough. Stick to the principles and chant Hare
Ka. The rest will be done by Ka. We are not the doers. Ka will supply
everything when we are ready.

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 Prabhupda had mentioned that he gave similar instructions to
Brahmnanda. Tamal decides to phone Brahmnanda to seek the advice of his
senior godbrother.
Brahmnanda explains that in the meeting of the East Coast presidents he
had also stressed the importance of centralizing authority but Prabhupda had
disapproved, concerned that he had become overburdened by individual
administration. Brahmnanda admits that his self-confidence has been shaken.
Sitting alone in his spacious office, with wall-to-wall carpeting and all the
corporate furnishings, Tamal reflects about his change in lifestyle.
Tamal Ka: Whereas the temple atmosphere was saturated by the mood of
sakrtana, now when I would take rest at night, instead of hearing the
glorious exploits of the days sakrtana activities, or Viujanas blissful
singing, I would listen to Gargamuni recounting his business affairs.
I had always been very strict in following the full temple program,
realizing that as the leader it was essential that I set as perfect an example as
possible. Living separately from the other devotees made this more difficult.
Gargamuni was never very strict in these matters, giving the excuse of his
specialized service. As he was the most senior devotee in the temple, whatever
he said or did influenced everyone, including myself. Gargamunis presence
made me feel a little uneasy about my position as the leader of the devotees.
He would often contradict what I said, quoting his experiences with
Prabhupda in New York, and this was confusing the devotees.
Sahadev: Tamal Ka kept pretty distant. Gargamuni started being the
person who socialized with the devotees as far as the public relations. Tamal
pretty much stayed out of it. He did preaching. He went and did college
programs. But when it came right down to it, he would preach to the devotees
really intellectually. He didnt have a real good say with the devotees as far as
compassion. He kind of scared you more than he was endearing. But
Viujana was endearing.
Tamal is not exactly thrilled when Mr. Vance calls to remind him that the
big party is confirmed for next Friday night, and be ready to put on a good
show. Prabhupdas letter had cautioned not to count on others, and to do it
on our own strength. Still, he had conceded that an experiment could be made
with an agent.

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 Gargamuni and Viujana express their feeling that the atmosphere is tense
at rehearsals. They would rather have all the devotees there. It doesnt feel the
same as street sakrtana. A letter should be sent to get Prabhupdas opinion
on this. Tamal suggests they carry on with Mr. Vance until Prabhupdas reply
comes. If we can present Hare Ka on national TV, that will please
Prabhupda. It will also reinstate his confidence in Tamals leadership.
Meanwhile, Viujana is busy organizing another butter churning festival.
Fliers are distributed on sakrtana to advertise the special Sunday Love Feast
on October 26, Govardhana Puja. Everyone will get to churn butter, and
everyone can taste the churned butter.
Stoka Ka: We constructed a makeshift butter churn and Viujana had
everyone in the audience take turns churning. We had real cream in there and
it did turn into butter, which we distributed on everyones plate at the feast.
My service was to vacuum the carpet after we took prasda. I was always
in such anxiety to get done, so I could be there when Viujana started the
kirtan and feel the ecstasy of chanting the Holy Name. He was usually the
kirtan leader. Another leader was Dinanath, and he was excellent too.
Viujana led really mellow, slow, ecstatic kirtans, which fit me well, and I
could just drift off into hearing the Holy Name. Eventually, the atmosphere
would grab us up and wed be circumambulating and jumping ecstatically
before we knew it. He was always full of energy, but hed start off nice and
mellow.
Although Prabhupda is with him in England, Mukunda still feels strained
by management affairs and would appreciate some assistance. Therefore,
Prabhupda decides to call Tamal to London. He needs a strong organizer for
this important center. He is also planning the World Sankirtan Party. This had
always been one of Tamals dreamsto lead a sakrtana party on a global tour
with his spiritual master, chanting Hare Ka in major cities of the world. The
news immediately lifts Tamals spirits.
Tamal Ka: There was need of help for organizing sakrtana, and he was
turning to me for assistance. Prabhupda had not lost his confidence in me
after all. It was just the reassurance I was looking for.
Tamal, however, is concerned about his present duties. He wonders if

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everything will go on smoothly in his absence. Theres no need to worry,
Gargamuni assures him. Ill look after everything while youre away. Its a great
opportunity to expand your service. Theres two centers in London, and
Prabhupda is negotiating to buy a big church. Besides, London is a more
important city than Los Angeles.
Tamal senses that Gargamunis enthusiasm is not entirely unmotivated.

The night of the big party arrives. With freshly pressed dhotis and clean
shaven heads, the devotees are ready to present the Holy Names in the living
room of Mr. Vances suburban home. This is definitely not the same feeling as
going out on the streets. The guests all hold glasses of their favorite drink, and
some are checking out the act to see if it will be a money spinner. They
certainly have their own look, but will it catch on?
Mr. Vance introduces the group to his guests. I first heard them in
Hollywood, and I was impressed with their talent and dedication to their art.
Their music is an original adaptation of an ancient art form called Kirtan. They
are genuine monks who practice what they preach. They live together in a
former church that is now their temple. I am grateful that they have accepted
the invitation to perform at my home for your pleasure.
After this pleasant introduction, the devotees take up their positions exactly
as they had rehearsed. They begin chanting the prayers to the spiritual master,
then the Panca Tattva mantra, followed by the Hare Ka mah-mantra.
Viujana has composed beautiful melodies for each section, and the audience
reveals its appreciation with resounding applause.
After the kirtan, Tamal gives a short talk on Ka consciousness in spite of
Mr. Vance gesturing for him to finish.
So, in closing, Id like to thank our host, Mr. Vance, for arranging such a
nice program, and Id like to present him with a garland of flowers. The guests
enjoy this gesture and applaud as Mr. Vance is garlanded.
I think we can now accept that Mr. Vance is officially one of usa devotee
of Hare Ka. Therefore we feel that he needs a spiritual name also. We have
chosen one which we think is especially suitable. From now on he shall be

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known as Mudha Godsa.
The audience applauds once more at the official presentation of the new
name. The devotees are all smiles. Everyone is having fun. For the rest of the
evening, Mr. Vance beams with pleasure; especially when his friends greet him
as Mudha or Godsa.
The naming of Mr. Vance is an indication that the devotees are not happy
performing as an act. They would rather just do sakrtana and give people the
opportunity to realize their constitutional position as eternal servants of Ka.
Prabhupda had been apprised of the situation and his reply is not long in
coming. A few days after the house party, his letter arrives.
I am pleased to note that there is interest in having our sakrtana party
perform in various public engagements. The same thing is going on here, and
they have been invited to such places as Amsterdam and Germany. So if you
can also do this, it is nice. But do not change our principles. Practicing is
already done by kirtan. It is not required for us to become artists. Our main
point is service to Ka, not to please an audience. We shall not divert our
attention too much to adjustment of musical sounds. People should not
misunderstand that we are a band of musical artists. They must know that we
are devotees of Ka. Our devotional practice and purity shall be so strong
that wherever we chant there will be immediately an impression in the
audience for devotion to Ka.
Letter to Tamal Ka, October 30, 1969

Prabhupdas letter leaves no doubt in the minds of the devotees. They

decide that Tamal should notify Mr. Vance that they are no longer interested
in show business.
Tamal Ka: I phoned Mr. Vance and told him that our group had decided
to just chant Hare Ka on the streets. After all, we were not professional
musicians; we were devotees of Ka. Mr. Vance could not understand. Had
we gone crazy to pass up such a golden opportunity, especially after he had
gone to the trouble to arrange for so many important contacts at his party?
Everyone had loved us. The next step was a national TV spot! But I was firm.
We were satisfied to chant Hare Ka in our usual manner, even if it meant
we would not make it to the big time. There was a long silence and then the
sound of the receiver disconnecting. Mr. Vance had hung up.

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 November 1969

The big news around the temple is that Tamal Ka is leaving for London.
Everybody is talking about it. Tamal is excited about the prospect of being with
Prabhupda, meeting the Beatles, and maybe even chanting with them. With
the Beatles help, the devotees had become famous throughout Europe, and the
mah-mantra was still the number one song.
Prabhupda had also mentioned the World Sankirtan Party. From the
beginning Mukunda had always been considered for the party. Mukunda had
started the San Francisco temple with Shyamasundar and Gurudas, and along
with their wives, Jnak, Mlat, and Yamun, they have now opened up Europe
and made Hare Ka famous. Of all the devotees, they had impressed Tamal
the most. They are all in London, and Prabhupda is calling me too! He is
linking us up. Soon he will take us around the world, chanting and dancing in
ecstasy.
Dina Bandhu: I was in LA when Prabhupda asked Tamal Ka to go to
London. All the devotees knew that Tamal and Viujana had asked
Prabhupda that they should always be able to do service together, that they
should never be separated. So it was a big thing that Tamal was going and
Viujana was staying. It was a big thing that they were being separated. They
were in San Francisco together, they were in LA together, and there was some
promise that they could always do service together.
They had always been inseparable, always attached to one another. There
was Tamal Ka the administrator, and Viujana the kirtan leader. Someone
had to take charge, and Tamal Ka did. He managed everything. He was
ambitious. Viujana distributed the taste of chanting Hare Ka by tasting it
directly himself. They both had the realization of devotional service and the
confidence to carry it out. Viujana was like the mother and Tamal Ka like
the father. Together they had carried the La Cienega temple.
Tamal begins winding up his affairs in Los Angeles. He is prepared both
physically and mentally to leave for a new frontier, a new adventure,
side-by-side with his spiritual master. Final instructions quickly arrive from
London.

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 A two-way ticket is being sent to New York for you to come to London, so you
may go to New York as soon as possible and do the needful. At least if you
remain so long as I am here, then we can return back together. Regarding Los
Angeles business, for the time being you can entrust this to Gargamuni and
Stoka Ka. So far as corresponding with the other West Coast presidents,
that can be done from here also. Here you can talk with Mukunda and others
about the World Sankirtan Party. There is good possibility. Simply it requires
some good organization. Therefore you are called.
So far as I am concerned, as I already told you, after this European tour
I am going to retire from active work and retire for writing books. So any place
suitable I shall stay and give you directions. I am now confident that at least
one dozen of you have understood the philosophy and the matters by which it
can be handled. So from the background if I give you some inspiration, the
whole society shall run on nicely. We shall talk of these things when you come.
Letter to Tamal Ka, November 4, 1969

Tamal is elated reading this letter. Prabhupda wants to speak to me

confidentially when I arrive in London! For months he had dreamed of going
to Europe to join the preaching. Now Ka has fulfilled this desire.
Prabhupda is not only expressing confidence in his leadership abilities but
considers him among the few devotees who have understood the philosophy. He
is thinking of entrusting the running of the whole society in the hands of these
chosen few.
Tamal has risen quickly within the ranks and stands poised to accept
responsibility at the pinnacle of ISKCON leadership. He had always been in
the vanguard of the West Coast preaching activity, along with Viujana, who
had a magnetic way with kirtan and people. The balance had been very
successful and Tamal loved that balance. What would happen now?
Viujana never desired to take a management position. He was fully
satisfied by kirtan. Originally, he had joined the hippie movement looking for
enlightenment, searching for a spiritual solution. The promise of the hippie
movement, with its strictly alternative lifestyle, had seemed to be the answer.
Now he has left that behind. Prabhupda has placed him on the platform of
transcendence, and he wants to share this consciousness with others.
Keava: Tamal Ka was the administrator and Viujana was the
champion of the people. Tamal always dominated, but we understood that he
was from New York and that was the way he dealt. They had known each

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 other before. They had been in Morning Star together and had a real
attachment for each other.
Viujana was never going to betray the principles of the hippie
movement; of a purely alternative solution. He was a true product of the
hippie movement in love and peace. That was something that connected with
Ka consciousness, and he wasnt going to lose sight of that. And he wasnt
going to prevent other people from coming to the same conclusion. He
couldnt have done that ever, because then he wouldnt have been the
Viujana that we knew. He proved to us that there was more pleasure in
chanting than anything else. Ecstasy and bliss was our goal. Viujana was
the example of that more than anyone else. He made a point of seeing that
individual people got the taste. Prabhupda was giving the taste, and
Viujana was making sure that people got the taste. He had the patience to
stop and help devotees with problems. Oh, youre not feeling well? He could
tell just by looking at people. Hed help them understand what this is all about.
Viujana is a great help to Prabhupda by his service of making sure people
experience the taste of sakrtana. In this way, he is a link in the parampar and
frees Prabhupda to concentrate on other important aspects of the movement.
By this mood he becomes the transparent via medium of his spiritual master.
Similarly, Tamal Ka relieves the burden of management from rla
Prabhupdas shoulders.
On the day of his departure, Tamal calls the devotees together for a last
meeting. He praises them for all the service they have done and encourages
them to carry on expanding the sakrtana movement as he is doing by going to
London. From his personal collection, he distributes photographs of
Prabhupda to each devotee, trying to match the mood of the picture with the
mood of the individual.
Individual pictures of rla Prabhupda are considered treasures. There are
few magazines to cut them out of and even fewer actual photos, so not every
devotee has a picture. Because they are so hard to come by, devotees who have
their own picture treasure it. Each photo carries with it the love of the person
who gives it and remains the special individual photo of rla Prabhupda that
nobody else has. Prabhupda is there in his picture, and some devotees say that
they can even see him moving or speaking in these pictures! By distributing his
Prabhupda pictures as gifts, Tamals loving gesture endears him to every

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devotee.
Tamal experiences an intimate loving exchange as he prepares to leave. All
of a sudden, he realizes he is leaving home and family. They are all that he has.
They have grown up together in Ka consciousness, some even going back to
those first days in San Francisco. Viujana had been his best friend even
before they joined the movement. He was the best friend he ever had. They had
both accepted Prabhupdas lotus feet and been delivered from the material
ocean of repeated birth and death. They had sworn to always stay together the
first moment they met in the forest at Morning Star Ranch. Now they are
separating. But it is all for a higher cause.
Steadying his mind, Tamal fixes his consciousness on Prabhupdas order.

Eighth Wave The Plan to Abduct Viujana

Yoga means controlling the senses, and bhakti-yoga means purifying the
senses. When the senses are purified, they are also, automatically, controlled.
You cannot stop the activities of the senses by artificial means, but if you
purify the senses, not only are they kept back from rubbish engagement, but
also they become positively engaged in transcendental service to the Lord.
Science of Self Realization, Chapter 5

Los Angeles November, 1969

Viujana continues training the new recruits. After breakfast prasdam of

fruit and yogurt, he organizes the brahmacrs in cleaning the temple from top
to bottom. When he mops up the floor, he exclaims, When you clean Kas
temple, you clean your heart. He always likes to say that. Sometimes he walks
around with the mop over his shoulder, joking, This is my daa. Simply by
mopping the floor, he inspires the brahmacrs. As they clean away, Viujana
is right there, singing and chanting, blissfully setting the example. Even though
he is the temple commander and sakrtana leader, he still cleans the
bathrooms every day.i
At 11:30 Keava blows the conch, and everybody comes running to take

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prasdam. After lunch everyone jumps in the van, brahmacrins in the back,
and Keava drives out to downtown LA, where you learn to control your mind
by taking shelter of the Holy Name. After a full lunch, some devotees start
nodding out in the van, so Viujana uses a spray bottle to keep everyone
awake. Jayate, he says as he gives a refreshing spray. The brahmacrs like to
grab the bottle and squirt anyone who nods off.
Sacidev: The women would sit in the back of the van. All of us would doze
off trying to chant our rounds. Viujana would doze off the most because he
got very little sleep. Thats something I remember; he didnt get very much
sleep. If he didnt have his rounds done, he would stay up until midnight and
chant his rounds. He would often just go into the temple and read by himself.
He was always the first one up, reading rmad-Bhgavatam early in the
morning. At that time we only had the first three volumes. He was always the
first one up and the last one to sleep.
Ujjvala dev ds: I joined when I was 17, and I had never lived in the city. It
would be so loud and noisy downtown, with buses rushing at you, totally
crazy. But we would just jump out of the van, and Viujana would start
playing his drum, saying, Give your love to Ka! He would lead kirtan,
and we would just be in ecstasy, enjoying Ka consciousness. People would
stop and gather round.
As the devotees slowly warm up to the kirtan by chanting the
prama-mantras, Viujana responds enthusiastically, making everyone feel
relaxed: namas te srasvate devePrabhupda,
gaura-v-pracrieserving Prabhupda
He keeps them chanting and dancing for hours next to the bus stop in front
of Bullocks Department Store. Some of the new bhaktas find it difficult in the
middle of the bustling environment of downtown LA. It is hard not to feel
self-conscious at first, but soon they become oblivious to the weird people with
their hectic pace. Viujana is utterly immersed in his own transcendent
bubble, far from the mundane surroundings of the noisy street. He wears cotton
gloves, under which his fingers are all taped up, and a turban wrapped around
his head. Sometimes he tapes popsicle sticks on his fingers and sometimes
pennies, experimenting with different ideas just to enable him to keep
thumping the drum all day.

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 He encourages the group to dance in a little semi-circle, Just like the lotus
eye of Ka. Swaying from side-to-side, they chant through the afternoon
smog. He becomes so absorbed in the chanting that he even sings the response
along with the devotees.
Between each kirtan he takes the opportunity to preach to the public with a
brief explanation about the meaning of the Holy Name. His voice is hypnotic,
and his presence is so magnetic that many people surround the party,
transfixed, watching and listening. Some even applaud. Devotees are inspired
to see the crowd respond positively to his preaching. His eyes are sometimes
moist, and everybody can see that he really cares about these people. He really
wants them to know Ka, to be attracted and ultimately engaged in Kas
service. Many devotees had joined the temple because they could feel that he
was a person who really cared.
His feelings are the medium of mercy, being the same desire expressed by the
whole disciplic succession. His attraction for the Holy Name makes him a via
medium for the entire sampradya, and therefore people are naturally
attracted.
Gunamayi dev ds: Viujana always used to wear his black gloves, and he
was totally into it. There was no distraction. It was just him and chanting.
The way that Viujana impressed me was that sakrtana was his life. That
was what he liked to do the best. It was almost like he had some kind of
mystical potency to his chanting. It was just different, and you cant describe
it. He had almost like a heavenly type voice. It wasnt anything he learned
from anybody. It was just him.
Occasionally, Viujana takes a break to tell the devotees some pastimes for
a change of pace. Everyone enjoys gathering round to hear him tell Ka
stories. He has read Prabhupdas manuscript for the new KA book.
Devotees know the book is coming out and love to get a preview of these
nectarean pastimes in the middle of the noisy street corner.
Sometimes envious people will try to harass the chanting party. In the
middle of one Ka story, a large construction worker suddenly challenges
Viujana.
You people dont work.

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 Oh, yes we do, Viujana politely responds.
No. Youre all social parasites. You probably havent done one honest days
work in your life. Lets see your hands. Your hands will tell the truth.
Viujana takes off the gloves and holds his palms up. When the fellow sees
the hands all tattered and bruised from playing mdaga ten hours a day, he is
silenced and walks away mumbling under his breath.
Just before five oclock, Keava goes to get the van to take everybody back to
the temple. As he maneuvers the vehicle through the heavy rush hour traffic
on the Santa Monica Freeway, most of the devotees are doubled over, half
asleep in their seats.
After a shower, evening prasdam, and sundara-rati, its back out to the
streets by eight oclock. In Hollywood, the favorite spot is in front of the
popular hangout Diamond Jims. The entrance is set back from the front face of
the building, creating an area where people can stand and listen. The
sakrtana party chants on the edge of the street with their backs to the traffic,
facing the crowd in the entranceway. Since the police always come around, two
devotees are positioned at either end, guiding people to keep the sidewalk clear.
Dina Bandhu: We had a Hollywood melody that we always chanted. It was a
melody that Viujana came up with, This is for Hollywood, you know.
And he would just play. He would go real fast because,
Theres a lot of my out here, and we dont want any gaps for my. The
kirtan would just be rocking. All night long he would chant this melody. He
was completely transcendental. We used to come back at midnight and have
popcorn and milk and take rest.
The whole temple is out on Hollywood Boulevard chanting until midnight.
On Friday and Saturday nights they stay out until one oclock in the morning.
Before dawn, Silavati is always engaged in Deity service, so she never goes out
in the evenings. She is one of the few devotees who is always up doing the
pre-dawn pj, but none of the sakrtana devotees attend. Viujana often
finishes his rounds at night because he is out on sakrtana all day long. He can
usually be found in the temple chanting late at night. On Sunday he still takes
devotees out to Griffith Park, but he has discovered another great place for
sakrtanaVenice Beach.

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 Narada Muni: I went to Griffith Park with some of my friends because there
was a concert on the weekend. I saw the devotees chanting, and it was totally
ecstatic. So my friends went to the concert and I went to see the devotees.
Viujana attracted my attention with his kirtan, and he gave a talk as well,
but I didnt join then because nobody came up to speak to me.
Another time I saw Viujana and the devotees chanting at Venice beach.
So I just sat down with them and closed my eyes, praying for them to take me
back with them wherever they were going because I wanted to be a monk.
Viujana always used to give a talk between the kirtans brimming with
nectar. He was just saturated with love. You could see the bhakti. Lo and
behold, nobody said anything to me again when they left. But I made it to the
temple anyway, by Kas grace.
From day one I was very close to Viujana. Practically from the first day
I joined he used to get me up every day. We used to chant our japa together
before anybody else got up. In those days magala-rati was at 6:00 AM. Just
being awakened by Viujana was a wonderful transcendental experience in
itself. He used to come, Haribol, Prabhu, and hed rub my chest in a circle.
Time to rise and shine for rla Prabhupda. It was very gentle and you
could feel his shakti. It would actually go to your heart. You would be in the
modes, not wanting to get out of ignorance, but with him it was like you felt
you were going to enter into Vaikuha. To this day I awaken my son this
same way.
News of Tamal Ka filters back to La Cienega. He has left for Hamburg
with the London sakrtana party. With the royalties from the Hare Ka
Mantra hit song, they have purchased a van, and thirteen devotees will drive to
Germany. Tamal and Yamun will install Rdh-Ka Deities in the Hamburg
temple. For the first time, persons born outside of India will install
Rdh-Ka vigraha. Another firstone of them is a woman. It is another
unique episode in Vaiava history.
December, 1969

A few weeks before Christmas, there is a long distance call for Viujana. He
is astonished to hear his ex-wife, Linda. She wishes him a Merry Christmas and
tells how the children miss Daddy. His young daughter is now walking and

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even speaks simple phrases. She needs a father figure in her life. Viujana is
happy speaking to Linda. If she misses him, why not come and join him in Los
Angeles? He encourages her to consider the proposal before making a decision.
The call has a big impact on Viujanas feelings. She was his wife with
whom he had fathered a child that he delivered with his own hands. He
remembers having chanted Hare Ka at her birth. Now she can walk and talk.
Time flies. He wonders if the child will have any spiritual inclinations. He and
Linda had been really close at one time. That was when he was going through
his most important changes, meeting the devotees, and taking shelter of Ka
and Prabhupda. Now it seems like such a long time ago.
On the phone he had not really been able to articulate his feelings very well.
It was so sudden. He would really like Linda and the kids to accept Ka
consciousness. The best thing would be to write a letter expressing his
realizations and offer to take care of the family. After sending off the letter, he
has a strong desire to discuss this with someone he feels can give him wise
counsel. He recognizes he still has a deep attachment for his former wife and
family.
Viujana seldom takes people into his confidence, but because Daynanda
is an older godbrother and a householder, he brings up the incident one day in
the brahmacr room.
Daynanda: We were sitting together, and he said he had written his wife
because he had two children. I said, I didnt know you had two children,
because he was so young. He had written her, saying that he felt responsible
for his children, and that if she wanted to come to the movement he would
make arrangements to take care of them. I think he was mainly concerned for
the children. But he mentioned that he had that concern. He felt responsibility
towards them. He also mentioned that he had delivered one child. Something
like that stuck with me, because around that time I also delivered my own
daughter.
Daynanda casually mentions Viujanas discussion to his own wife later
that evening. She is also surprised to hear about Viujanas wife and children.
Its a shame they cant come and join him here. Daynanda requests her to
maintain confidentiality, but she just cant control herself from sharing this
exciting tidbit of news with her closest friend. Soon every woman in the

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community knows the story.
Mirabai dev ds: His wife called one time in LA. I asked him if she was
going to come here. He said, I dont know. If she comes to the temple, Ill
protect her. But I wont leave the temple to go to her.
Linda sends a letter in reply, but she has no intention of coming to the
temple with the kids and joining the movement. This encounter with Linda
stirs up many emotions from the past in Visnujanas heart, but Daynanda
counsels him that he is relieved of his responsibility because Linda prefers not
to join her husband nor to become a devotee.
Boston December 21, 1969

Pan Am flight 55 arrives Sunday afternoon at 3:40 PM. rla Prabhupda is

one of the disembarking passengers at Logan Airport. Hundreds of devotees
greet him in the arrivals lounge from all over the East Coast and Canada. The
kirtan is so uproarious that the Monday papers mention that Logan has never
witnessed such a reception as the leader of the Hare Ka People received.
Prabhupda is glad to be back in America. He is satisfied that his Guru
Mahrja is pleased with a secure temple in the heart of London and the Hare
Ka mantra popular all over Europe. This was a project that was dear to rla
Bhaktisiddhnta, and he wants to ensure that it develops successfully. He now
has Tamal Ka, the organizer, to take responsibility for the sakrtana, easing
the burden on Mukunda, Gurudsa, and ymasundara. His plan of sending out
householder couples to preach has been effective. Who in the Gauya Math
could have envisioned this? Without a doubt this is surely the mercy of r
Caitanya Mahprabhu. Before departing from London, he had expressed these
feelings in a letter to Himavati.
So I am very glad that you both, husband and wife, are executing the mission of
Lord Caitanya so nicely and faithfully. Please continue to act like that, and
certainly Lord Caitanya will bestow all His blessings and power upon you.
Personally I am so much engladdened that the pairs of young boys and girls
whom I have placed in householder life are doing so nicely in the Western
world. When Lord Caitanya delivered Jagai and Madhai, He was also a
householder, but when Jagai and Madhai were actually reclaimed, His wife,
Visnupriya, was not there. But in this case, and in many other cases also, I find

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 that my disciples combined together, husband and wife, are doing this
preaching work so nicely.
So I am especially proud how my householder disciples are preaching
Lord Caitanyas Mission. This is a new thing in the history of the Sankirtan
Movement. In India all the acaryas, and their descendants later on, acted only
from the mans side. Their wives were at home because that is the system from
old times that women are not required to go out. But in Bhagavad-gita we find
that women are also equally competent like the men in the matter of Ka
Consciousness Movement. Please, therefore, carry on these missionary
activities, and prove it by practical example that there is no bar for anyone in
the matter of preaching work for Ka consciousness.
Letter to Himavati, December 20, 1969

Prabhupda is happy in Boston. The temple room is packed for the morning
classes. Speaking engagements have been arranged at various colleges, and he is
pleased to see the ISKCON press managed by Advaita. But a week later he
catches a flight out to Los Angeles.
On the plane, Prabhupda muses about the last three months in Europe. The
London temple is off to a tremendous start, and Hamburg is also beginning to
make devotees. Umpati and a few devotees have gone to Paris and will soon
establish a presence for Lord Caitanya in this important city. Now there are
functioning centers in six countries: England, France, Canada, Germany,
America, and Japan. For Christmas there are twenty-two branches on the
ISKCON tree.

New Dwaraka January, 1970

Prabhupda is staying at a pleasant house in Beverly Hills, which Gargamuni

has recently found for him. Located in a quiet neighborhood, the peaceful
atmosphere and ideal climate are perfect for his translation work and health.
Nanda Kumar and Devananda live with him and are constantly engaged in his
service. Devananda is a sensitive, ethereal, cerebral type of person, and attends
to Prabhupdas secretarial duties. Nanda Kumar, his cook and servant, is more
down-to-earth.
Nanda Kumar: Viujana told us one time, If you pray to Lord Nityananda
for something thats good for your spiritual life, Hell give it to you. Even if
you dont deserve it, even if youre not qualified, Hell give it to you. Hes so
merciful. Within a few days I had heard that Prabhupda was coming from

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 New Vndvana and he didnt have a cook. I was a new devotee, I wasnt
initiated and hadnt done any temple cooking, but I was a cook just by nature.
I prayed innocently and sincerely to Lord Nityananda, Please let me be
Prabhupdas servant. I would really like to do that service. And I didnt get
it, nor was I even expecting it. So I just kind of put it out of my mind.
Then one day Mohannanda called me aside and said, Hey, Ive got a
secret.
What?
Oh, I cant tell you. So I twisted his arm, and he said, Theyre going to
pick you to be Prabhupdas servant. And I thought this was all the mercy of
Viujana and Lord Nityananda.
Every day at dawn Prabhupda takes his morning walk around the
neighborhood. Then he comes to the temple to greet the Deities and give class.
Devotees arrive from all the surrounding temples to hear rla Prabhupda
speak. Although the newcomers have difficulty understanding his heavy
Bengali accent, they are inspired by his mood and by his disciples.
Paramatma: All the devotees in San Francisco came down to see rla
Prabhupda. I was 16 at the time and still going to school. We were chanting
on Hollywood Boulevard, and it was very blissful. Viujana looked like a
very unique personality. He was completely enthused in kirtan, and he would
just go on and on, absorbed in the Holy Name.
Ksudhi dsa: I went up to LA to see rla Prabhupda. People would drive by
on La Cienega, waiting for Prabhupda to arrive. Theyd line up to see
Prabhupda come, and Viujana would lead the chanting, inspiring
everybody. Then Prabhupda would come in and lead the chanting himself.
Bhayahari: The first time I saw rla Prabhupda was in La Cienega. Ksudhi
dsa took me. He was 16 and I was 13. We met at the Laguna Beach temple.
He was going to high school. So we came up to LA to see rla Prabhupda. I
sat in the back of the temple room, and I remember seeing Viujana. He was
a very attractive person. After rla Prabhupda spoke everyone went to the
prasdam room, and I remember Viujana speaking. I thought, This
devotee is so sincere.
Sakrtana has increased since Prabhupda has been away in Europe, and

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hearing the daily sakrtana reports fills him with delight. He is also impressed
to see the temple so well managed, with no anxiety for maintenance. All the
daily requirements are met by the grace of r Ka. New devotees are joining
regularly, and the mood of the temple is joyful. Viujana still leads out the
sakrtana party, which still collects over $200 daily via incense and magazine
sales.
Upendra: Prabhupda told me he wanted to drive to Hollywood where the
devotees were chanting. Dont tell them, he said. We will do it secretly. We
will come up and see them from a distance. Otherwise, they will stop
chanting.
But I disobeyed and told Karandhara, who was organizing it. Im already
breaking Prabhupdas instruction to me for the service, because I dont want
a skeleton crew out there. Prabhupda will be disappointed.
So I was driving, and we pulled up near the kirtan party. Prabhupda was
overjoyed to see a large kirtan party singing and chanting with, of course,
Viujana leading. All of a sudden, a devotee looked over and saw
Prabhupda. It started a landslide of daabats. The only one who knew
what to do, that is to keep on chanting, was Viujana. He just looked over to
see why all the devotees were bowing down and stopping the kirtan.
Prabhupda said, Go, go. Drive. They are stopping the kirtan. It was
exactly what he didnt want. Viujana kept on chanting, offering obeisances
with his head. He knew Prabhupdas desire. I thought that was incredible.
Prabhupda spoke about Viujana in a loving way as we drove off.
Impressed by the kirtan party, Prabhupda keeps stressing the importance of
sakrtana. Brahmnanda has doubled the monthly printing of BTG to 50,000
copies. The German edition and the French edition for Canada have monthly
print runs of 5,000 copies each. Back to Godhead is the backbone of the society.
Sankirtan is the best way to inject Kas message to the conditioned souls.
The kirtan softens them up, and the magazine finishes them off.
This plan of sakrtana is the only way, the only way for our success.
Sankirtan, Love Feast, and selling BTG, they are our primary engagements
and next temple worship. Temple worship is needed for the inner section. In
the beginning, sakrtana is more important for drawing the attention of the
people in general. Last night, I went to see our men chanting in Hollywood
Boulevard, and I saw it was so fine and satisfactory.

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 Letter to Sudama, January 8, 1970

In celebration of rla Prabhupdas return, Viujana arranges dramas and

puppet shows for the pleasure of his Guru Mahrja. The first presentation,
The Age of Kali, depicts the entrance of Kali-yuga. More than a hundred
Sunday feast guests crowd into the temple room along with the devotees to see
the performance with Prabhupda.
Sahadev: We started the play with Arjuna and Ka. Ka is leaving the
planet. rla Prabhupda was sitting on his vyssana up on the stage
alongside the Deities. Muraldhara played Arjuna. He did such a
heart-breaking performance. He cried while reciting that speech about Ka
being his friend. I mean he really cried. I couldnt believe it. It was so
beautiful.
Mohannanda played Ka, and Viujana played Kali. Then Kali
came in. Viujana was definitely a good performer. When he played demons,
he was so scary that little kids would cry and their parents would have to take
them out of the room. He really put his heart into it. When it was over,
Prabhupda clapped and said that he really loved the play, and thanked us for
doing it, but never do the disappearance of Ka again. Vaiavas dont do
drama about Ka leaving the planet, because it is too painful. That is not
relished by devotees, nor is it something for devotees to think about.
Narada Muni: Viujana was the spiritual soul of La Cienega templethe
life of the party. He was the standard that everyone tried to come up to. He
loved telling stories and doing puppet shows on Sundays for the children.
Prabhupda used to give the lecture and kirtan, and Viujana had a
program for the kids.
There was one puppet show he got chastised for, about Narada Muni
falling down to householder life. It was one of those stories that had been
circulating. When Prabhupda heard about it, he was furious. Viujana told
me about that afterwards. He was in ecstasy when he told me. Prabhupda
said, Narada Muni cannot fall down. This is a bogus story. Where does it
come from? We must be careful that these speculative ideas dont infiltrate
our society. Viujana saw Prabhupdas mercy working in that
chastisement. He loved Prabhupda very dearly.
Mohannanda and Viujana did a Caitanya ll play with Prabhupda

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 watching from his vyssana. Viujana was the fisherman, and when he
touched the body of Lord Caitanya, he went wild chanting Hare Ka.
Prabhupda was laughing and laughing when Viujana, as the fisherman,
touched Gauranga and went wild. It was just a simple Ka conscious
playno professionalismbut Prabhupda appreciated it so much.
He once told me a very esoteric and controversial story that he didnt tell
many people. He had gone to see rla Prabhupda one time. It was a heavy
thing, the whole room was light, blinding light. Viujana was reticent to talk
about it. It was not a story officially sanctioned by ISKCON.

San Francisco January 1970

Jaynanda has been thinking of getting married. With the turn of the
decade, he is approaching thirty-one. His aunt had long ago set up a trust fund
that would accrue after his marriage. Upon marrying, he will receive $40,000
plus a monthly income, a strong enough incentive for anyone to consider
changing their ashram. Although he has no real interest in marriage,
Jaynanda, of course, has all the money earmarked for furthering Prabhupdas
mission. Previously, he had approached Tamal Ka with his intention to
marry, but Tamal had discouraged him.
Meanwhile, Tamal is cultivating an Indian gentleman in London who offers
his Bombay apartment to Prabhupda for preaching in India. Prabhupda
immediately considers Jaynanda and his future wife for this service. He even
has a brahmacrin candidate in mind, so he brings up the topic with
Madhudvia.
Perhaps you have talked already with Gargamuni that Jaynanda may be
required to go to India. Do you think that his going away from San Francisco
will be detrimental to your working there? If it is so, then the proposal may be
suspended for a time because I do not wish to disturb your nice work.
If Jaynanda has got even a little desire for marrying there is no harm
in that way, but if he wants to marry, he may do so immediately, and that girl
Sacidev is quite suitable. I know if Jaynanda becomes married, he will not be
a lost child; rather, a good wife in Ka consciousness will be an extra impetus
for his improvement.
Letter to Madhudvisa, January 15, 1970

Generally, if someone wants to marry, they approach the temple president

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with their intentions. They oftentimes have someone particular in mind. If
both parties are agreeable, the marriage takes place. Many devotees hardly
know the person they are going to marry. They are simply surrendered to the
idea that this is the way its done in Vedic culture. Prabhupda has already
expressed his desire to implement the Vedic process of marriage for ISKCON.
Although most marriages are thus customarily arranged, Karandhara has
already chosen Sacidev, and she accepts his proposal before Prabhupda has a
chance to bring up the idea of her marriage to Jaynanda. The marriage plans
for Jaynanda are dropped at this point.
One day Sahadev is informed that the temple authorities have decided she
is going to marry Stoka Ka. Her marriage will be part of a triple wedding
ceremony, including Karandhara and Sacidev, and Upendra and Citralekha.
None of them really know each other. Due to her brother/sister relationship
with Viujana, Sahadev mentions it to him one day.
It looks like Im going to get married.
You are? Viujana has a very sincere look of concern on his face.
Yeah, I guess. Gargamuni said so.
Youre going to take a stool and urine man over Ka?
Sahadev cant believe he just said that and tries to laugh it off. I dont
know. I guess so.
Viujana seems disappointed. How could you do that, Sahadev?
At this point, one may ask why some people make such an important
life-long decision as marriage, without even getting to know their proposed
mate?
The actual Vedic system of marriage involves a very intricate process of
matching compatibility of temperament, qualities, and character of the boy and
girl, through Jyotir Veda, or Sidereal Astrology. The idea is that when mature,
loving parents guide the choices for their son or daughter, a more suitable
match can be found that will last a lifetime. The parents of both parties consult
expert Vaiava astrologers who compare horoscopes to find appropriate mates
by assessing their mental, emotional, intellectual, and sexual compatibility.
Theoretically, this system should be more reliable than following the impulses
of inexperienced, sexually immature individuals allured by attachment based

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on physical attraction.
Of course, the Vedic system presupposes the qualifications of the astrologers,
accurate horoscopes, as well as loving concern from well-wishing parents. Since
these were absent in ISKCON, Prabhupda, by recommending this system, is
asking the devotees to come up to a very advanced stage of spiritual
understanding. The fact that so many agreed illustrates their sincerity to
surrender to guru. Still, more than sincerity is required. Real advancement in
Ka consciousness is essential. The partners will have to remain strong in
their spiritual practice to always see each other as spirit soul, as a team
dedicated to going back to Godhead. In order for the marriage to work, staying
fixed in spiritual consciousness is essential. The common bond of devotional
service to Lord Ka is the glue to hold the marriage together.
However, when spiritual strength falls prey to sensual weakness, the
relationship becomes strained. It can quickly degrade to the material platform
of mutual sense enjoyment. Now the inequities of both partners come to the
fore. On the mundane platform of life they may have little in common.
Ideally, couples not only have to remain spiritually strong, they also have to
progress at more or less the same rate. Otherwise, you may find yourself with an
overly strict or overly lax partner. This could develop into a disturbing situation
where only great humility and tolerance would save the marriage.
Unfortunately, many devotees experience difficulty maintaining their
relationships, because they are not fully mature nor developed in their
character and personality. In addition, the leaders who arrange the marriages
are themselves underdeveloped in character and neophyte in spiritual
understanding. They also have not yet reached the stage of their full maturity,
nor do they have any idea of Vedic matching. Therefore many marriages are
arranged whimsically.
Ujjvala dev ds: In those days it was a lot stricter than it is now. We hardly
even saw our husbands because we were so busy doing service. We never had
the time to be intimate. There wasnt much information about householder
life. It was really about renunciation, following the rules and regs, and
working hard for Ka. We would see each other for hot milk in the evening,
and then it was off to your service.
Later on, when many marriages broke down, some couples blamed ISKCON,

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feeling that they were forced or coerced into a situation they had not chosen
themselves. Thus, many devotees who could have done so much more for the
movement left prematurely.

By his devotion, Viujana keeps the atmosphere of the temple surcharged

with spiritual energy. Everybody feels enthusiastic because he is the main
inspiration. The La Cienega temple is really a personification of his personality.
He leads kirtan all day, then goes out again in the evening and still he still gets
up much earlier than most of the other devotees. Because he is chanting eight
to ten hours a day, every day, his voice is always hoarse.
Mahatma: When I first met him, I already knew that I had to become a
devotee. But meeting someone like him just made it that much more easy and
attractive. He had a strong attraction for chanting, especially how it attracted
other people. It almost mesmerized them. His whole demeanor was just more
attractive than anyone I ever met. His attraction was completely spiritual. He
was on a different platform. Just by his presence people would want to join
Ka consciousness. When somebody takes to Ka consciousness with
such a taste right away, the understanding is he earned it in a past life.
In Santa Barbara, Revatnandana and Dinanath are also attracting devotees.
One of the new recruits is very enthusiastic, although his parents are greatly
disturbed, thinking their son is getting involved with a strange sect.
Revatnandana suggests they visit the LA temple to meet rla Prabhupda and
experience a big initiation ceremony as well as a triple wedding. After the
wedding, a twelve course vegetarian feast will be served. The whole
extravaganza will take place on January 25.
abhadeva: My mother was worried about what I was getting involved in, so
she requested me to talk to the priest at our local diocese. The head priest told
one of the younger priests, Why dont you go with him and check this out.
So the three of us made a pilgrimage to LA to meet rla Prabhupda. A lot of
devotees were getting initiated at the time. Prabhupda gave the lecture and
left early. The priest listened to the philosophy, and throughout the kirtan was
actually chanting, clapping his hands, and dancing.

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 After the program we were all ecstatic, including the priest. Everyone had
left and there was only us and Viujana, who looked very unique. He had
very long arms with big hands, and he was very tall. He looked like he was
always so blissful. I introduced the Roman Catholic priest to Viujana, who
took a special interest. Viujana served hot milk and spent a lot of time
talking with that priest late into the night. The priests eyes were wide open as
Viujana was going on and on about the Supreme Personality of Godhead
and His associates.
Later, the priest told my mom, You should be happy. This is wonderful.
Its too bad our Church doesnt have as much as they have to engage young
people in pure devotional life. My mother was not very happy hearing that.
Not long after the wedding ceremony, Stoka Ka and Sahadev decide to
leave the temple. Early one morning they drive off to his parents home without
anyone noticing. As the day wears on, they wonder what they will do with their
new life. Suddenly the phone rings.
Stoka Prabhu, what are you doing? Its Viujana.
Uhh, Haribol, Prabhu. Im fine. Feeling Viujanas heartfelt inquiry,
Stoka Ka cant deny him. He agrees that a few devotees can come over to
visit. Sahadev feels forlorn, sitting out on the front steps waiting for the
devotees to arrive. All of a sudden two cars pull up. The brahmacrs get out and
immediately offer their obeisances to the dispirited couple.
Sahadev: Viujana, Gargamuni, and Karandhara came out to bring us
back. I was totally lost, scared, confused, and unhappy. I was only nineteen.
Viujana was so sincere. He just said, Sahadev, you dont want to take
birth here again, do you? The way he said it, with such conviction and
realization, there was no doubt within me that if I made the choice to leave, it
would be a really stupid thing for me to do.
This incident illustrates the difference between actual Ka consciousness
and theoretical Ka consciousness. When one is spiritually advanced,
compassion for others becomes paramount. One cannot tolerate to see a soul
leave the service of the Lord and fall captive once again to my. In contrast, a
prkta-bhakta, a neophyte, materialistic devotee, always thinks that fallen
disciples were never really devotees anyway. rla Prabhupda used to say that
his Guru Mahrja would cry if a disciple left, because he had been unable to

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save him.
The relationship of the Vaiavas is always that of a family. The guru is
father, and there are godbrothers and godsisters. The param-guru is the
grandfather, and the uncles and aunts are the gurus own godbrothers and
godsisters. In this way the philosophy of personalism is practically applied. To
the extent that we relate on this level, to that extent our hearts have been
melted by the chanting of the Holy Name so that we actually see each other as a
spiritual family.
Devotees who do not clear anarthas by proper chanting remain in the
neophyte condition where impersonalism is predominant. Such unfortunate
devotees cannot enter into the loving exchange of interpersonal relationships,
because their own self-interests are still paramount.

London February, 1970

When Tamal Ka had left for Europe, it was with the understanding that
he would be in the vanguard of a new and exciting preaching field. He would be
rejoining the senior devotees who had made such a great impression on him in
the beginning. Also, rla Prabhupda would be personally there to guide the
devotees and lead them to victory on the new frontier.
However, Prabhupda had returned to America after a few months, hoping
that Tamal and the other senior men in London could maintain and develop
the three European centers. They had everything they needed for success. It
was a wonderful opportunity for Tamal to take up the entire European
management responsibility. This was what he was trained for, and it would give
him good experience for the major expansion of ISKCON looming ahead in the
near future. It was also a test to see how well he could do on his own.
But Tamal feels like he is left out in the cold. The World Sankirtan Party has
not manifested as he had envisioned. Prabhupda has taken him out of the
West Coast and left him as a lone pioneer on the new European frontier. Of
course, ymasundara, Mukunda, and Gurudsa are there, but being
householders, they spend a lot of time with their wives. Tamal is in a brahmacr
mood, and he misses the association of the brahmacrs back in Los Angeles. He
regularly goes to the telephone booth at the corner of Bury Place and calls
Viujana in LA just to chat.

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 Tamal Ka: Whenever I approached rla Prabhupda with the idea of the
World Sankirtan Party, I thought in terms of Viujanas participation. But
by a turn of events we had now become separated. Our combination had
always been fortuitous, and Prabhupda had even said that in a previous life
we were cousin-brothers. If Prabhupda would allow Viujana to come to
London, I would be able to carry on enthusiastically with an even greater
determination. Together, we would be able to train the new devotees and
expand our activities in all directions.
Of course Viujana had trained all the new devotees in LA alone. Tamal
had been in another worldadministration. Now he begins to realize that the
success of LA temple wasnt just due to his own efforts. It appears that
Viujanas contribution was equally important. The sakrtana movement is
not taking off in England like it is in Los Angeles. If only Viujana would
come to London, then together they could repeat the West Coast success.
Thinking like this, Tamal devses a plan. If the senior devotees in London
agree that Viujanas presence is required in order to duplicate the LA success,
then Prabhupda would surely send him immediately. He gathers the others
together and reveals his strategy whereby Viujana might come to London.
They approve his course of action and agree to write separate letters to
Prabhupda requesting the assistance of Viujana.
Tamal is aware that Gargamuni will try to defeat his plan because
Gargamuni also knows that Viujana will make any temple successful and any
manager look good. There is no way that Gargamuni will compromise his own
position by trying to manage without Viujana. He is too smart for this ploy
and will see right through Tamals little plan. Still, Tamal hopes for a miracle.
In this way, Tamal attempts to influence his spiritual master.
Tamal Ka: Mukunda, Gurudsa, and ymasundara remembered how
Viujana and I had started the sakrtana party in San Francisco, and they
liked the idea of him now coming to join us in London. We all agreed to write
letters to Prabhupda, each giving different reasons why Viujana should be
sent. My only doubt was that Gargamuni would advise against it. rla
Prabhupda was depending more upon Gargamunis opinion, especially in
my absence, but I hoped that Prabhupda would reply affirmatively,
impressed that all four of us felt the need for Viujanas presence.

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 When Prabhupda receives four letters from London requesting Viujanas
assistance, he at once understands the situation. He is disappointed that four
leading disciples cannot manage one center. Always concerned for his fledgling
temples, Prabhupda had been meditating on sending Hansadutta and
Himavati to Germany, as they were both experienced devotees and had both
spent their childhood there. She was expert in Deity worship and he was expert
in sakrtana. Together they would be a great asset to the Hamburg temple.
Now, however, Prabhupda requests them to go to London prior to Germany, as
a replacement for Viujana.
Before answering the London devotees, Prabhupda decides to give his
leaders a little time to consider the situation for themselves. Usually he
responds at once, but he realizes the call for Viujana is an admission of
weakness in executing devotional service, so he prefers to delay his response. In
the meantime, he brings up the issue with Viujana and the local temple
managers. Naturally, everyone is vehemently against Viujana leaving Los
Angeles.
On February 8, Prabhupda sends his replies to London, chiding his young
disciples. He also encloses a personal note written by Viujana explaining why
he cant possibly come.
My Dear Tamal Ka,

Regarding Viujana, that is a common factor of all your letters, but you must
know that the development of LA temple was practically done by you four;
namely yourself, Madhudvia, Viujana, and Jaynanda. Last year when I was
in Hayworth Street, there was no temple and sometimes we were chanting in
the garage. Then gradually this temple was secured, and at that time I asked
how much you could help out of the $400 rent, and with great difficulty you
promised to help only $100 from the sakrtana party.
Now by the Grace of Ka they are collecting more than $100 daily.
You know that the expenses of the temple have gone up to $2,000 per month.
There are at least 30 devotees, and practically all old boys like you, Jaynanda,
Madhudvia, etc., are not here. Besides that, Viujana is training all the new
devotees who are coming. So Viujana himself also thinks his absence will be
hampering in the temple procedure. I am enclosing herewith Viujanas letter
in this connection, which will speak for itself.
You have written to say that you cannot go to Hamburg or Paris to
organize their activities, but actually you were left in London for the purpose
of organizing these three centers. If you stick only to London temple, then our

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 former scheme will not be executed. I think it is proper that you should devote
your time for all these three centers and train the local management for being
self-supporting. As you are helping London temple, similarly you should help
the Hamburg and Paris temples also. I think that was our original plan, and you
should not change the same.
You have written to say that no one can deal with the devotees except
Viujana; that is not a good proposal. There are so many old and experienced
devotees in London; but for management of other devotees, if there is no one
to look after them, that does not sound very good. For musical training I think
Mukunda has sufficient knowledge.
Anyway, for the time being, Hansadutta is going and Mukunda is there
and you are also there. See if the Worldwide Sankirtan Party can be organized
without Viujana. For the present, Viujana cannot be freed from the Los
Angeles engagements, but in future if somebody is trained up to take his place
then I shall recommend him to go to London

My Dear Mukunda,
Regarding temple management, I may inform you that Tamal Ka
may help you how to organize, but if you make him stay in one place and he
cannot move to other places, then the idea on which he was left in
Londonthat he should see the development of the centers in France and
Germanywill be jeopardized. As our branches are increasing, it is necessary
that somebody shall move from one place to another for improving the
particular centers activities.
Besides that, you have also requested to send Viujana to London, but
you know that whatever improvement has been made in Los Angeles is due to
the sakrtana party going outside the temple. Madhudvia and Jaynanda
have gone to San Francisco, and Tamal has gone to London. So out of the four
leading boys of the sakrtana party, three are already out. So the remaining
ones, Viujanas, presence is needed here. Gargamuni and Stoka Ka are
engaged otherwise, so Viujana is taking care of the new devotees as well as
kirtan party. If, therefore, he also goes away, I think that the management here
will suffer.
Tamal has certainly got valuable talent in dealing with outsiders,
particularly with regards to arranging engagements, but I think that some of
you also pick up his talents, and then he will be free to move to other places so
that they also may utilize his service. There are pending many important
businesses in France and Germany, but if Tamal cannot go there on account of
Londons business, then their business will suffer. I think, therefore, that
Tamals services and talents should be learned by you, and he may be allowed
to go at least for a month to Germany and Paris and then come back to
London.

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 The whole idea is that he may stay one month in London and then go
out for one month to Paris and Germany and then come back again to
London. In this way, when things are going on smoothly everywhere, then he
can devote more time in London for other important things

Three days later, Prabhupda sends off letters to ymasundara and

Gurudsa, knowing that the others will be thinking about his earlier replies.
Tamal Ka: I took the liberty of reading through Prabhupdas replies to
Mukundas, Gurudsas, and ymasundaras letters. As in his letter to me,
Prabhupda had refuted our reasons for requesting Viujanas
presenceand it was not due to Gargamunis influence. To have thought
that way was offensive. Prabhupda was not under anyones influence
besides that of Ka and his Guru Mahrja, and he was certainly not
influenced by his disciples. Though he might take information or advice, his
conclusions were infallible, because he was fully situated on the spiritual
platform. Rather, it was we, and in this case particularly myself, whose
suggestions were often imperfect. Though the sentiment of wanting my dear
godbrothers association was certainly not bad, it was not in Kas best
interest, as Prabhupda was clearly pointing out.
I felt ashamed that I had made this demand of Prabhupda and had
involved others as well. What Prabhupda had not written but was showing
from his personal example was that dependence on guru and Ka was the
real basis for spiritual strength.
Tamal realizes he has blundered in his endeavor to bring Viujana to
London, and he regrets instigating the plan. Prabhupda had wanted him to
travel in England, Germany, and France to oversee the temples in Europe. He
was meant to inspire and encourage the temple leaders to expand the mission
like a GBC man, although the GBC body has yet to be organized. Attempting to
emulate the Los Angeles experience in London by getting involved in
management, Tamal had missed the point of his service.
With Hansadutta and Himavati now in London, Tamal decides to go with
them to Hamburg. On the trip, he is inspired to see how husband and wife can
travel and perform important service together for Prabhupda. He appreciates
how Himavati is a constant friend and assistant for Hansadutta, always
encouraging and supporting his service. Away from the brahmacr association

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of Los Angeles, Tamal Ka considers that having such an ideal companion is
advantageous to produce Ka conscious results. He concludes that his next
step should be to take a wife and enter the ghastha-rama.
After seriously considering married life, Tamal informs rla Prabhupda of
his intentions. Although Prabhupda has earmarked Tamal as a possible
sannysa candidate, he readily agrees to the change in ashram.
Marriage or no marriage, that is not our problem. If we find it suitable that by
marrying one will be able to serve better than by not marrying, then one must
marry. That is our principleI know that all my spiritual children are doing
very nicely as grhasthas, and similarly I hope you shall be doing better after
your marriage.
Letter to Tamal Ka, March 4, 1970

Contemplating his activities since coming to Europe, his desire to bring

Viujana to London, and his decision to change ashrams, Tamal feels he has
learnt some valuable lessons.
He now has to become the servant of the devotees, to train and encourage
them in their service to Prabhupda. It only takes one purely motivated devotee
to spread Ka consciousness, as Viujana is doing in LA by making and
training new bhaktas. Rather than asking Prabhupda to give his best man,
Tamal should have inquired how he could assist his spiritual master. In order to
act as Prabhupdas representative, he will have to always remain detached and
not aspire for any particular position. Although rla Prabhupda is stressing
books, all other services are also important because Prabhupda is giving these
as well. By getting married, one is not disqualified from going back to Godhead.
Rather, householders are meant to show the world how men and women can be
united for the Lords service, not for sense gratification. The combination could
be as auspicious as maintaining brahmacrya. Women can also inspire and take
responsibility as Yamun is doing, and Prabhupda is pleased with her service.
Yamun dev ds: Tamal was glorifying Viujana when he came to Europe.
He wanted him to come. He was trying to maneuver his arrival and there were
exchanges of letters for that purpose, but Prabhupda didnt allow it to
happen. Tamal got married a little later, and I think that was because
Viujana didnt come. That was part of it, and somehow was a catalyst to
allow that to happen.

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 Los Angeles February 26, 1970

On the appearance day of rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkur,

ISKCON Los Angeles acquires a new temple on Watseka Avenue. It is also a
former church, but much bigger than La Cienega, which has long since been
overcrowded. The mission has grown so fast that Prabhupda has decided to
buy Rdh and Ka Their own property. It is only the second temple
purchased by the society, but it is the largest and most impressive facility in the
movement.
Although they wont move in until April, Prabhupda decides to hold an
inaugural ceremony as part of the celebration for rla Bhaktisiddhntas
advent. No one has moved in and nothing is ready, but it is still useful for a lot
of kirtan and prasdam. Many devotees spend the entire morning in the new
kitchen cleaning and getting everything ready for cooking. The rest of the day
is spent preparing a huge feast for the evening celebration.
That evening, as Nanda Kumar drives Prabhupda up to the new building in
a little beige VW, they are greeted by a roaring kirtan party. Inside, rla
Bhaktisiddhntas picture sits prominently on a temporary altar, set up for the
occasion. Prabhupda humbly expresses, I have nothing to offer my Guru
Mahrja, so I am going to offer all of you.
As Viujana begins chanting the gurvaakam prayers, Prabhupda blows
the conch and performs the rati for Vysa-pj, making really big circles with
the incense and the lamps.
After rati, kirtan continues as Prabhupda joins in dancing amongst the
devotees. At the height of a tumultuous kirtan, he begins displaying
transcendental symptoms.
Narada Muni: I was a pretty new devotee, but Prabhupda completely
transformed the entire room into Vaikuha. He went from one side of the
room to the other, like Lord Caitanya twirling at Ratha-ytr. Prabhupda
was dancing like that, back and forth. It was an amazing thing, totally
amazing. Tears were flowing from my eyes. Prabhupda was just extracting
all these impurities from us. When sometimes Prabhupda would display
these emotions, it was because he just couldnt hold himself back. This was
one of those times. The whole room was transported to Goloka. You were

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 actually transported. Everyone went wild in that kirtan, and Viujana was
leading. Everyone was crying. It was almost like when Lord Caitanya
reappeared many years later in the kirtan with Narottama dsa hkur at
Kheturi.
Sahadev: It was such an ecstatic kirtan. Viujana was leading, and here
was rla Prabhupda dancing all over the floor. Oh God, it was so ecstatic. It
was like a whole new thing. You know how later on the devotees would shuffle
across the floor; that was the first time he had done it. During the jaya om
prayers at the end, everybody in the whole room was sobbing. You could hear
everybody trying to hold back the tears. Thats how ecstatic it was. Oh God, it
was amazing.
This was a big deal because it was our first festival in the new building.
We were still finishing the plumbing and getting everything ready for the
Deities to move in. But we were cooking in the kitchen because that was ready.
We cooked this big feast, and rla Prabhupda came to eat with us. We all
sat on the floor, and he was sitting on a pillow. It was really a special time for
us. Prabhupda liked the preparation I cooked. He asked who cooked it and
someone said Sahadev. Prabhupda looked over at me and smiled, This is
very good. I was feeling really happy that he acknowledged me.
Everybody loved each other so much in those days. Even though we had
our politics, there was a family kind of thing going on there. Everybody really
needed each other, and we had this camaraderie. Later on, because the
numbers got so big, we didnt even know anybody anymore. Then the
householders kind of parted ways. But in the beginning we all lived in the
temple, even if we were married.
Back in La Cienega temple Prabhupda now sets another standard by
initiating twenty-four hour kirtan. Pleased that the devotees are maintaining
the program, he begins to extol the virtues of his West Coast headquarters.
You may have heard that here at LA temple, they are holding kirtan and
chanting 24 hours in the temple, and the program is very encouraging to all the
devotees. Of course, that is only possible in a very large center such as LA.
(Letter to Jagadisa, February 27, 1970)
Sacidev: There was a time there when we had 24 hour kirtan in La Cienega.
Kausalya and I were partners, and we would get up at 2:00 AM and chant in

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 the temple. We had shifts. Prabhupda said, This is very auspicious. In the
temples in India this is what they do, and you should do this. So we did it.

March, 1970

On March 1, the Hare Ka Temples second recording, Govinda, is

released by Apple Records. Prabhupda receives a copy of the song from
ymasundara and likes it so much that he wants to play it for the devotees.
The next morning, after greeting the Deities, Prabhupda sits down on his
vyssana when the record starts. As the song begins to build, some devotees
notice that tears are streaming down Prabhupdas cheeks. He is so moved by
the beauty of Yamuns singing, that he becomes stunned with emotion, his
body visibly shivering in ecstasy.
He requests the temple leaders to play the song every morning during
greeting of the Deities. In his reply to ymasundara, Prabhupda writes, The
record is so nice that I am playing it at least once in a day, and it is giving me
transcendental pleasure with tears in my eyes. (Letter to Syamasundara,
March 8, 1970)
Life in the temple is like Vaikuha, with Viujana taking care of all the
brahmacrs needs. One evening as everybody in Los Angeles sleeps, a major
earthquake shakes the city. The brahmacr ashram is shaken to the rafters,
jolting the lights on in the middle of the night.
Mohannanda: During this big earthquake Viujana sprang up out of bed,
as we all did. He looked around and said, Ka! You just shake this whole
world. And then, of course, everybody became ecstatic. He had immediately
tied it in. Here we were in fear of our lives, but he just thought it was the most
glorious miracle of God that could happen. That really impressed me, because
in the Gita, Ka says, He who thinks of Me at the time of death, comes to
Me, and that had always been my principle of yoga. The whole idea was to
remember Ka at the time of death. Viujana seemed to be the closest to
Ka consciousness in terms of it permeating his entire life; everything was
associated with God.
As new devotees continue moving into the temple, the more experienced
Vaiavas are sent out to preach. But some find it difficult leaving the family

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atmosphere of La Cienega to go out and serve in the smaller temples around the
country. They especially cant bear to leave Viujana.
The temple leaders feel that Dina Bandhu is now fully trained, and they
inform him that he will be sent back to Boulder. He goes to Viujana to say
goodbye before leaving. I dont know if I can maintain without your
association. Ill miss you like anything.
Viujana looks at Dina Bandhu and says, You just depend on Ka. Dont
depend on me. I may not always be there, but Ka will always be there.
Conversely, new bhaktas from smaller temples are sent to Los Angeles for
training. Engagement in active service is always the best way to train new
devotees, and going out for sakrtana with Viujana is the most blissful
engagement. As an ideal way to teach devotees how to preach, and to encourage
them to share their experience in spiritual life, Viujana invariably picks out a
new man and asks him to give a short talk to the assembled crowd.
Bhakta dsa: When I think of Viujana, I remember the name Vsudeva
because he would always call out, O Vsudeva, Vsudeva. The way he said
it, with a particular tone in his voice and expression on his face, was quite
unforgettable. He was always filled with love. Everyone had that impression.
He didnt really have any thought for himself. His thought was always of
service and doing good for others. You felt very protected when you were with
him.
I was trained by him when he was temple commander as well as the main
kirtan leader and organizer of the Sunday feast. You really felt he had his
fingers all over the temple, orchestrating it, at least from the spiritual point of
view. Business affairs were being handled by Gargamuni and Karandhara,
but Viujana was the one who was always at the ratikas, always leading the
kirtan, always getting devotees fired up to go out on sakrtana.
He had the most amazing stamina. He always played mdaga, and his
hands were always gloved and taped because they were usually cracked and
bleeding from beating on the mdaga day and night. Conservatively
speaking, he was playing that mdaga eight to ten hours a day, week after
week after week. Truly he epitomized the verse:
satata krtayanto m yatanta ca dha-vrat
namasyanta ca m bhakty nitya-yukt upsate

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Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination,
bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with
devotion. (Bg. 9.14)

I have to say I was more attached to Viujana than Id ever been to my

own mother, because everything I learned about Ka consciousness, I was
learning from him. He was engaging me and taking care of me always, just
like a mother. He had kindness. You felt like he loved you, so you were able to
surrender. By his inspiration you wanted to stop sleeping and serve day and
night.
He set an example that was just amazing. Someone always sat in the
temple roomreading or chanting japatwenty-four hours a day. He
would come back from sakrtana at midnight and do the night Deity watch.
First hes organizing the cleaning of the temple, giving classes and taking care
of the devotees, then taking the sakrtana party out, then coming back and
taking the Deity watch. It seemed to me he was getting by on two or three
hours of sleep a day, maximum.
abhadeva: Viujana was always leading kirtan, both on sakrtana and
in the temple. After a whole day of that, he would still be the last to go to bed
at night, telling stories about the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Even after
coming back from Hollywood Boulevard late at night he would go into the
kitchen, and if there were any pots and pans, he would start cleaning them.
He was such an inspiration.
Even though others were in leadership positions, all the devotees
spontaneously looked to Viujana for spiritual inspiration. He gave all the
classes too. He was a temple commander who was doing so much of the work
himself that everyone just spontaneously said, Can I do something? He
would do so much that everyone would come to inquire what they could do to
assist.
I remember him telling me the secret of washing pots. Since theyre
Kas pots, youre actually washing your heart. Youre cleaning your heart
at the same time youre cleaning the pots.
I slept right next to him because Revatnandana put me under his care. He
said that he liked to be awakened in the morning by someone touching him
and immediately chanting r-ka-caitanya prabhu nitynanda

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 r-advaita gaddhara rvsdi-gaura-bhakta-vnda. So I had that duty. I
would wake up and touch him on the shoulder and chant that mantra. He
would wake up smiling. Just like a cloud of fog lifts from the earth, he would
just lift up, Aahh, another day.
With Viujana as the inspiration, kirtan is always the most ecstatic service.
The new bhaktas dedicate themselves to chanting the Holy Name and quickly
become adept at leading kirtan. Mohannanda and Keava have already been
given responsibility as kirtan leaders and are taking out their own parties. With
a burgeoning number of devotees, the temple decides to run two sakrtana
parties; a double-team kirtan. You can either go out with Viujana or with
Mohannanda and Keava.
Ksudhi dsa: I was only seventeen and in high school, but Id chant my
sixteen rounds and go to the temple every day. A couple of times I went out on
sakrtana with Viujana. Wed get out onto the street, and hed pull out the
drum and say, Back to home, back to Godhead! and just play for five hours
at a time. You would be encouraged just by watching him or being with him on
sakrtana. His kirtan was very lively, and at the same time it was simple
enough to follow. It was very inspiring, and because he felt the nectar of it, we
could all go on chanting like that for hours.
He always spoke in a hoarse voice because he was leading the sakrtana
all day. Viujanas mood was always one of setting an example, very strict in
his own life and yet tolerant with others. I think this is the point of spiritual
lifethat the acharya is one who teaches by example. He spent so much time
just chanting and encouraging others. Everyone felt that they could take
shelter of him. Gargamuni was in charge of the property, and Viujana was
in charge of the people, the devotees of Vishnu, as his name signifies.
Caitanya ds: He would say, Look out there. Here we are inside the body of
Aghasura. Look how the buildings are so grey, and the people are so grey. Its
all from the smog. Just see how crazy everything is. So by chanting Hare
Ka ecstatically, Ka will come and rescue us from the belly of
Aghasura.
What I always remembered most was he was very transcendental. He
would lead for long periods of time. It seemed like he had endless energy. His
voice would rarely give out. He would play the mdaga, and it looked as

294
 though his feet werent on the ground. It was so amazing to watch him play the
mdaga and chant, and his eyes would always be closed. It was like he went
into trance, into another world. And his feet, it was as if he was floating on
the ground. I would swear he actually wasnt touching the ground.
I remember the first time I heard him sing Vndvana ramya sthna. I
thought, Where did this song come from, the heavenly planets? He gave me
a good taste for sakrtana. Before I was a devotee, I always wanted to be a
singer and actress, but I had realizations being out there for so many hours
every day that Ka tricked me, and instead here I was on the eternal singing
and dancing party of Lord Caitanya.
Many devotees are enchanted by Viujanas rendition of Vndvana ramya
sthna. It has such a beautiful quality that it touches a place deep in the heart. It
seems to transport devotees, magically, to Vndvana.

Sunday is the only day devotees dont go out on the streets. After lunch
prasdam everybody goes out to Griffith Park to chant and gather people for
the Love Feast. So many people are interested that they have to squeeze them
into the cars. Whether going out for sakrtana or coming back to the temple,
Viujana is either chanting japa, or preaching to the devotees. He always
organizes the Sunday feast program, always with a play or a puppet show. At
times Viujana plays every role, controlling each puppet and playing the
characters. Hell play Prahlada, Hiranyakasipu, and Lord Nrsimhadeva all at
the same time. He always draws everyones attention to the subject matter. Its
never an attempt to bring attention to himself.
Sometimes when he finds some free time, Viujana will sit down with the
children right in front of the temple on the grass and tell them stories. He likes
to recite the story of Mrgari while playing harmonium. He just plays simple
notes as Prabhupda has taught, but as he tells the story in a very animated way,
he also makes sound effects on the harmonium. It is a one man play but all the
kids are enchanted, as well as the mothers who come by to watch. Viujana has
the ability to make the most simple thing very interesting.
abhadeva: One day we were waiting for Viujana. We had just taken
lunch prasdam and were in the van waiting for him to come down from
Prabhupdas quarters. He was having a personal darshan.

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 He came down and said, Wow, Prabhupda just blew my mind. I asked
him, You have written that a devotee should chant 24 hours a day. How is
that possible? What do you mean by that? Are we supposed to stay awake?
Does the pure devotee stay awake and chant? Do we chant and preach at the
same time? What do you mean by chanting 24 hours a day? Then
Prabhupda told me that either you chant kirtan, you chant japa, or you
chant with your tongueforming the name with your tongueor in your
mind. But always the mah-mantra.
You could see the whole time he was speaking, he was absorbed in what
Prabhupda had just said. Rather than being eager to tell it to others, he was
fixing himself up in this instruction. It was still echoing in his mind and he
was reflecting. It really affected him heavily.
rla Prabhupda stays in Los Angeles to help the devotees celebrate Lord
Caitanyas advent. He has already given instructions how to honor Lord
Caitanya on this day.
The devotees should fast until evening, when there is a ceremony and offering
of a small amount of Ekads preparations. The next day, the devotees should
celebrate amongst themselves with a small scale feast. You may hold the
celebration open to the public on the following Sunday. The preparation to be
offered specially on this occasion is bhuni kichari: Fry equal parts dal and rice
in ghee and masala. Add two times water as dal and rice, and add vegetables (if
you use more ghee, use less water). Cook it until it is dried and the rice is soft.
Letter to Ka dasa, February 18, 1970

Viujana leads out a mah-sakrtana party to Griffith Park for the

afternoon. A small stage is set up and the bhajan band sits and chants all
afternoon. Many people gather to join in the chanting, including one large,
long-haired college football player.
Mahabuddhi: There was a Lord Caitanya festival in Griffith Park, and I
remember chanting with the kirtan party led by Viujana. I was very
attracted to music and really liked the chanting. He would chant, and it was
so mesmerizing. Viujana was the original pied piper. I had never
experienced chanting Hare Ka, and there I was, a football player with my
long hair, completely out of place with these devotees. I moved way up to the
front and started dancing in front of Viujana. He was going without
stopping, and sweat was pouring off. A smile was coming from his face, and

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 he was totally in bliss.
A lot of devotees moved away from the kirtan after four hours, chanting
japa and talking amongst themselves. But I was up at the front, in the kirtan,
for the whole time. He didnt stop and I was wondering, Who is this person?
I didnt know anybody who could just go for four hours singing, and I didnt
think I could just dance for four hours. Afterwards, I went up close and said,
Thank you.
He answered, Hare Ka. You have understood the meaning of the Holy
Name. He called someone over and said in his melodic, captivating voice,
Make sure this devotee gets some prasdam. He likes to chant.
After returning to the temple and honoring Lord Caitanyas feast at
moonrise, another mah-sakrtana party goes out to Hollywood Boulevard in
the evening with everyone in the temple participating. Viujana leads a party
on one side of the street, while Keava and Mohannanda lead a party on the
other side. This is the day even Hollywood becomes a little purified.

In Northern California, the San Francisco, Berkeley, and San Jose temples
join forces to celebrate Lord Caitanyas birthday with a mah-sakrtana in
Berkeley. Thousands of students join the devotees, dancing in ecstasy to the
Holy Name. Jaynanda and Madhudvia lead the chanting parties while other
devotees distribute thousands of plates of prasdam. While honoring prasdam,
everyone appreciates the fine dramatic performance on stage. Huge quantities
of BTGs are distributed, and the festival is an unparralleled success.
The police are especially sympathetic to the devotee festival as it brings a
peaceful atmosphere amid the turmoil of the Berkeley campus scene. Earlier in
the year, Berkeley had experienced a bitter political upheaval when a large
gathering of students staged a violent protest, destroying public property. The
peaceful devotee gathering impresses the police and they agree to sanction
more festivals throughout the summer.
Every day, Jaynanda leads out a sakrtana party down Telegraph Avenue
in the heart of the University scene. The party stays out all day, stopping only
for lunch of bananas, nuts, and buttermilk that Jaynanda purchases and offers.

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After lunch he gives a Nectar of Devotion class. If a devotee has doubts,
Jaynanda always says, You just have to have faith in the Name.
Jaynanda usually gives a simple talk when a crowd gathers. Come on
everybody. Listen, now. This is very important. Go home and get together with
your friends to chant Hare Ka. You dont even need instruments. Just bang
on your pots and pans.
On rainy days devotees don the bright yellow raincoats Jaynanda has
purchased so that sakrtana can continue even when it pours. Because kirtan is
just not the same without mrdangas, Jaynanda comes up with the idea of
putting the mrdangas inside the large plastic bags he uses for taking out the
trash. He likes to play mdaga, and he is a strong player due to the size of his
hands, which are huge. Due to his enthusiasm, he gets a good enough sound
through the plastic, that even in the rain the kirtans are as ecstatic as usual. A
local television station captures the party chanting in the rain, and the segment
is aired on the evening news with the caption, Nothing stops the Hare Kas,
not even the rain.

Los Angeles April 5, 1970

Devotees have been working day and night for weeks preparing for the move
to the new temple. As the day arrives, Viujana persuades everyone to turn
the move into a festival by taking the Deities on procession. Mohannanda
plans out the route along the local streets from La Cienega Boulevard, through
Cheviot Hills, to Watseka Avenue.
The little brass Rdh-Ka Deities will ride in a beautiful chariot built by
Nara Narayan. Its base is five feet across, with large wheels for easy transport. A
canopy protects the Deities from the bright sun. Muraldhara paints a beautiful
Vndvana scene on the cart, with cows grazing along the banks of the Jamuna
under a full moon rising, so Rdh and Ka will feel at home.
As Viujana starts up the kirtan, the procession begins. Rdh and Ka
look gorgeous, riding in Their chariot decorated with fruit and flowers. Silavati
is the only one in anxiety. We have to take our roses with us, because she
doesnt want to leave behind the 108 rose bushes planted a year ago by
Jaynanda, which now blossom in profusion.
Along the way, some devotees knock on doors asking for offerings.

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 Whats the occasion, people inquire.
Were taking Rdh and Ka to Their new temple. The devotees are very
innocent and spontaneous. By generating so much enthusiasm for the
procession, a very positive response is also generated throughout the
neighborhood. While bringing the Deities to Their new home, they find a nice
way to engage the local people. Soon the palanquin is overflowing with an
abundant array of colorful flowers donated by generous well-wishers.
Mohannanda: Viujana was so completely devoted to those Deities. He was
our guide to all of this, because for us Prabhupda was way out in the
stratosphere. Viujana was really our way to understand. He represented the
transition from American to Devotee; what we could attain ourselves,
consciousness-wise. With Viujana, there was just absolute total love of
God. You can only come to appreciate it when you realize how few people in
the world can achieve that.
The temple becomes even more centered around the Deities at the new
facility on Watseka Avenue. Every Sunday morning Viujana and Silavati
take Rdh and Ka out for Their weekly promenade around the
neighborhood. After the procession, every devotee can come before the Deities
for a personal darshan to tell Them what devotional service they had done that
week. With this program, every devotee has the opportunity for an intimate
exchange with their Lordships. Then everyone is off to Griffith Park for
chanting and bringing people back to the Love Feast.
Everyone eats together as a family, with rla Prabhupda as the head of the
family. No one can even imagine eating anything except Deity prasdam.
Ujjvala dev ds: When we moved to Watseka, Prabhupda was going to live
with us. That was the big news that came down. We had an iagoh, and I
was thinking, Were going to really have to get it together, because rla
Prabhupda is going to be living right here, and we could run into him at any
time. Were going to have to be really Ka conscious. We were really like a
family because we were building the movement from the ground up. There
was never anything sexual between any of us. We were really there, pulling
together, trying to do what Prabhupda wanted.
Sacidev: Prabhupda first came in for the official opening of the temple.

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 Tungabhadra had sewn a big tapestry to go in front of the Deities, and I
remember how pleased Prabhupda was. He was always very pleased with
hand-made or hand-sewn things. This was way before anything was brought
from India. The altar canopies were all hand-sewn flowers on a red velvet
backdrop. The girls were up night and day, for days and days, and I just
remember Prabhupdas smile of ecstasy when the doors opened.
Life with rla Prabhupda is so blissful that devotees feel they cannot
glorify him enough. Feeling that one prama-mantra is insufficient, someone
approaches Prabhupda to ask about praising him with a second mantra.
Touched by the sincere desire to praise the spiritual master, Prabhupda agrees
and gives a suggestion for the prayer. Pradyumna translates Prabhupdas
suggestion into Sanskrit, and Prabhupda makes final corrections.
Regarding the new prayer addition namaste sarasvate devau..., I think you
can change the word devau into deve to make it compatible with
sarasvate. Sarasvate is locative, so you can change the word to deve to
make it fit, or it can be made devam. Devam is the accusative singular and
deve is the locative singular, so both can be used, but I think deve will be
most fitting word.
Letter to Pradyumna, April 9, 1970

Ninth Wave The Towering Temples

Jagannath Puri, or wherever Ratha-ytr is performed, is not different from

the spiritual sky.
Letter to Madhudvisa, February 14, 1970

Atlanta, Georgia October, 1971

Atlanta is the premier city of the South and the scene of one of the great
American legends. Gone With the Wind is the only great US war epic on the
Civil War between the States told from the Southern side. It recounts the
heroic and unhappy love story of two people who were strong, brutal, brash, and
realistic. Like all good legends, this was described without subtlety, subjective
shading, probing, or questioning. Its characters were instantly recognizable

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types.
The film had almost everything the book had in the way of spectacle and
drama. The burning of Atlanta, the shots of the Confederate wounded lying in
the streets, and the hospital after the Battle of Atlanta were spectacle enough
for any picture. The heroic epic was a first-rate piece of Americana and swept
the Oscars in 1939.
During the summer of 1971, however, the Atlanta police are not at all heroic
as they harass innocent Hare Ka devotees on sakrtana, throwing them in
jail for disturbing the peace. Balavanta, the temple president and only initiated
devotee there, boldly keeps on preaching in spite of un-American opposition.
Ka rewards him for his sincerity.
Bhavatarini dev ds: When I first moved into the temple, they were
harassing the devotees and throwing them in jail. It just so happened that my
cousin was the Mayor, so we made up a silver plate of prasdam and made an
appointment to see him. We told the story of Lord Caitanya and the Kazi and
gave him the Teachings of Lord Caitanya. Later he passed an ordinance that
devotees could chant, dance, distribute books, or do anything they wanted
within the city limits of Atlanta, without being harassed.
The devotee caravan from New Vndvana arrives in the city of Scarlett
th
OHara, pulling up in front of 24 NE 13 Street, next door to the Theosophical
Society. Riding in Bobs bus is a large trunk housing Their Lordships, r r
Rdh-Dmodara, whose mission remains unknown even to Silavati, who daily
lavishes Them with care and attention.
None of the devotees in Atlanta have ever seen Deities, so Rdh-Dmodara
are an overnight sensation. Because Silavati is the pjr, the ladies get some
special mercy from rmati Rdhr.
Bhavatarini dev ds: Silavati had a big trunk, and she was making clothes
for the Deities. She called me into her room one day and said, Have you ever
seen Deities? and she showed me Rdhr, who was out of the trunk.
Youll see Rdh and Ka in the Deity as you chant, she said.
They were very thin, so we fed Them and soon Their clothes got too small
for Them. They got fatter. I had a big cedar chest that my family had brought
from Europe, and in it was a beautiful silk shawl with flowers embroidered on

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 it, and that became the canopy for the Deities.
In the temple basement a preliminary idea for a show begins to take shape.
Because of the high decibels during rehearsals, the musicians presence at the
temple becomes a little uncomfortable, but due to Krtannanda Swamis very
enthusiastic and enlivening preaching, and because Balavanta has sanctioned
their stay, the twenty-five Road Show devotees are quickly assimilated into the
temple family.
Toaa Ka: As soon as we arrived in Atlanta, I asked someone, Where
are the Universities? Then Krtannanda said, Go sell the show. There
was no show, but Id go out and start promoting it. Back then we never wore
karmi clothes. It was unheard of at the time. I was the promoter, so people
listened very politely. Then they finally asked, Have you ever done this show
before? That kind of explained the condition of my presentation. I tried to
make it sound like it existed. Thats very nice. Have you ever done it before?
I had to say that we hadnt done it yet.
One of the first programs is at a Southern Baptist church. This church
consists of an African-American congregation, complete with choir and
musicians who are very much into chanting the glories of Jesus, to the point of
getting carried away by religious fervor. Sometimes they get so worked up
singing their gospel songs that, touched by the Holy Spirit, they roll around on
the floor. For this reason they are nicknamed Holy Rollers. The head of this
particular Baptist church had witnessed the sakrtana party out on the streets
and invited them to visit on Sunday. Into this setting, the Road Show devotees
and Rdh-Dmodara inject Lord Caitanyas mercy.
The Minister is a large lady who puts her whole heart into the sermon. As
the devotees sit politely, she begins to sing her gospel songs along with the
choir: Lord I Am Grateful, and Ill Be With Thee. The entire congregation
sings along when she begins the familiar medley, Precious Lord/Amazing
Grace.
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
that saved a wretch like me,
I once was lost but now am found,
was blind but now can see.

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 The words ring so true that the devotees feel a kinship with these gospel
singers, realizing the similarity of these songs to the Vaiava mood.
In one song, Oh Happy Day, the Minister leads the choir in a call and
response format that is reminiscent of a kirtan. As they sing along,
exclamations of Hallelujah, and Amen, are interspersed by different
members of the congregation. These gospel singers have a high-spirited kirtan
mood, not the tranquil awe and reverence mood of white churches. The
up-tempo tune, Old Time Religion, really enlivens the devotees. The rhythm
of this gospel song is so much like a kirtan that they just cant wait to start
chanting Hare Ka.
On hearing the next song, We Shall Overcome, Lambhodara is so moved
by the emotion of their singing he cant contain his feelings any longer. He
knows the secret of how to overcome, chanting the mah-mantra, and he wants
to share it. When he stands up with his mdaga, every devotee immediately
jumps up. With expert timing, he begins his chanting as a segu to the gospel
singing.
Harikea: The Baptist church program was very far-out. They did their
kirtan, and we started ours in the middle of theirs and took it over. I
remember their piano player just started playing along with us. Lambhodara
was leading with mdaga, and all these black people in the church were going
completely mad over our kirtan. There was one fat priest lady. She was totally
in ecstasy, falling over. They were fanning her, and she was wiping her
forehead with all the perspiration. It was just an ecstatic kirtan, and they were
all going, Praise be God.
rutakrti: I remember one typical Black church, medium size, big
congregation, lots of ecstatic people. We listened as the Minister spoke. She
was a very big, very heavy, 300 pounds bundle of joy. Then they let
Krtannanda Swami speak. He gave a very southern Baptist lecture. He had
been a Baptist preacher and knew how to do it, so he gave a Hare Ka
version of a Baptist sermon, bringing in the similarities and the chanting of
the Holy Names, because they chanted. They were Holy Rollers. They were
into song, and they would go into their different ecstatic modesespecially
this fat woman. She had a number of assistants around her, who would just
fan her, because she would be passing out. She was great.

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 Then we had our kirtan, and they went nuts. And we went crazy. This
woman was dancing wildly, and they were all chanting and dancing while her
assistants fanned her because she would sweat profusely. It was hot and she
was heavy.
Zubin: They did their singing, which was so spirited, and then they had us do
ours. It was the merging of the two, and I remember everybody in that church
was just so stoked with incredible energy and richness. It was an exchange of
different cultures, and it was very successful.
The devotees do a few different churches like this. There is always prasdam
distribution, and Krtannanda gives very simple lectures. Another successful
program is at an all-white Unitarian church. These people are a lot more sedate
than the Southern Baptists.
Within the Unitarian church is a large round expanse like a Greek theater.
The portable altar is brought in and placed in the center of the assembly. Rdh
and Ka are carried in and seated within Their altar, where They become the
focus of attention. Zubin creates a unique atmosphere with his tie dye silks and
satins. The Unitarians are quietly receptive as the devotees sing their
devotional rock songs and Krtannanda gives a short talk. This is followed by
the chanting of Hare Ka with traditional instruments, as the ladies
distribute prasdam.
Harikea: The first time I played the piano for kirtan was at the Unitarian
church. In the middle of the program we had a kirtan. Mangalananda was
playing guitar. I sat down spontaneously at a piano they had sitting there and
started playing. All of a sudden Krtannanda Swami realized that when you
play with musical instruments in the middle of the kirtan it becomes more
ecstatic. So we started to use musical instruments for kirtan from that point
on. It was one of the highlights. All the people loved it. It was just a big kirtan,
and Krtannanda gave a class, a very good class. It was a simple program.
The church programs are fun and inaugurate the Road Show preaching
experience. The night of the Unitarian Church program the only vehicle
available had been Bhavatarinis Cadillac, which she had inherited after her
grandmother passed away. The prasdam and instruments were packed in the
trunk and all the brahmacrs piled into the back seat. Aura, who plays Kali in

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the Age of Kali play, sat on Vndvana Chandras lap, next to Krtannanda
Swami, who was driving.
At this juncture, Krtannanda realizes that they will need better facilities if
the show is ever going to be successful. Already more devotees have joined and
he expects the ranks to swell as the show becomes more polished. He wants to
have the best devotees for the best show possiblethe Greatest Show on Earth.
Its obvious that they will need a bus to carry equipment and devotees, since
Bobs bus is where his family lives. A kitchen bus is a necessity on the road, and
they will also need a temple bus. Fortunately, Bob knows exactly where to get
used buses at a good price.
Krtannanda convinces Bhavatarini to sell her car so the sakrtana party
can buy buses. After the Cadillac is sold, Kuldri, Bob, and Zubin are
dispatched to New York with the money.
Kuldri: We bought three school buses from Students Transportation out on
Long Island. I went out in the old Krtannanda tradition and got three old
buses for $500 each. Then we had to drive them down to Atlanta. We hadnt
started doing the colleges yet, just churches and odd groups.

Los Angeles May, 1970

Every Wednesday evening there is a program for the public in the sanctuary
at ISKCON, New Dwaraka. Prabhupda requests that the original pews not be
removed. He wants people to be able to come in with their shoes on, sit down in
the pews and hear a Ka conscious presentation comfortably. Devotees find it
awkward paying obeisances in between the pews, but the facility is meant for
the guests. The old pipe organ is still playable and Viujana likes sitting at the
organ to chant Hare Ka. Sometimes Prabhupda comes down from his room
to listen to Viujana play the organ. His smile shows how much he likes it.
Both Prabhupda and the mass of devotees consider the new temple a
wonderful gift from Ka.
Manmohini dev ds: Viujana gave the class one Wednesday evening, and
I never forgot what he said.
If you dont chant your sixteen rounds, its like youve left the door open
to your place. So when its your turn for Maya to attack, when its your turn

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 to get bombarded by the modes of material nature, if you havent closed your
door properly, Maya will just walk right in and youll be finished. And if you
do chant your sixteen rounds, you have that protection, you have that shield.
Its like you locked your door against Maya. So when its your turn to get hit
up by Maya, shell say, Forget this one; its too much trouble, and shell move
on to somebody weaker.
That made me chant all my rounds all these years. That lecture made me
realize how important chanting sixteen rounds is. You have that shield that
wards off Maya.
If anyone reminds me of Viujana, its St. Francis of Assisi. Viujana
wasnt caste conscious, which comes when you really have love. When you
really have love, youre not on a tripits not whos who, and whos doing
what. When someone really feels love for Ka, theyre happy, really happy,
and they dont judge other people.
The Sunday program is also held in the sanctuary. First, there is rati and
kirtan in the temple room; then everyone moves into the sanctuary for the
lecture, followed by prasdam. Serving out the twelve course feast is a big
operation, involving most of the devotees. The others are engaged in preaching
to the guests.
Riktananda: More than anything, the Sunday Love Feast was a phenomenon
where Viujana seemed to expand himself simultaneously into
multiplesleading the chanting, giving the lecture, devsing and conducting
a puppet show for the children (and adults), and making sure that devotees
circulated among the guests and preached, instead of pigging out on the rare
treats of sweet rice, sour cream sabjis, and halava. I remember one feast in
particular that he and Gargamuni decided to hold in the parking lot adjacent
the temple. Old carpets covered numerous grease stains, clouds of incense
purified the air, and carnival streamers distracted one from the peculiar site.
rla Prabhupda was later to remark that, Gentlemen do not like to eat in
parking lots, but the devotees and guests had a special time at that feast
because of the fervor with which Viujana made certain that every facet
went off very nicely. I specifically remember that he lectured on the Boat in
the Storm story and immediately thereafter gave the puppet show. It was
magic, as any devotional engagement seemed to be when Viujana was in
charge.

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 By personally overseeing the development of the Watseka temple,
Prabhupda can concentrate on introducing higher standards for Deity
worship, rati, and kirtan. He has Silavati, renowned for her devotion to the
Deities, and Viujana, renowned for his devotion to chanting, as personal
examples to inspire others to learn these Vaiava arts.
Silavati publishes a booklet on the proper way to perform rati and Deity
worship. Prabhupda had personally trained her to care for the Deities, with
emphasis on cleanliness and punctuality. The booklet is distributed to all the
temples so pjrs can learn the proper standard. If you can please the Deity by
your sincere service, then your temple will flourish, (Letter to Hladini,
December 29, 1970) Prabhupda writes.
In these early days, the women do most of the pj. Yamun, Himavati, and
Rukmini are also considered among the top pjrs, pleasing rla Prabhupda
with their devotion to the Deities. He requests them to train all the new girls to
follow these basic principles, emphasizing that there must be summit
cleanliness to please Ka. (Letter to Rukmini, March 20, 1970)
Prabhupda wants New Dwaraka to become ISKCONs model temple that
other centers can follow. He sends out a circular letter, inviting all temple
presidents to visit him in LA to see the new standard. Then they can
implement the same example in their own temples.
In early May a few of the San Francisco devotees drive down to see
Prabhupda and imbibe the new standards. Among them is Lochan dsa, whom
Prabhupda has invited to Los Angeles to do some sculpting work for the
sanctuary.
Lochan dsa: I was driving down from San Francisco to see rla
Prabhupda for the first time. We got there at 1:30 in the morning, and
Viujana had stayed up until we got there, just to be able to receive us nicely
and make sure we got bedded down for the night. I was actually very moved by
his warmth and wonderful mood to host and receive us.
When the East Coast temple presidents come to sunny California to observe
the model temple, they are able to experience what they had only heard
through the grapevinethat the kirtans in Los Angeles are the best in the
country. The temple president from Washington, DC, is especially impressed.

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 Dmodara: Viujana was the sakrtana leader. I talked with him and went
out with him. I remember his charisma and personal magnetism. Incredible.
Everybody looked up to him. He was no dictator by any means; he just had
such a feeling of goodness, charm, and power. Not power over people, but the
power that comes from within out of love for Ka, Prabhupda, and
devotees. He was amazing.
I remember putting washers on his fingers and wrapping adhesive tape
around them so that he could play mdaga for five hours straight without his
hands bleeding. The parts that werent taped usually ended up bleeding a little
bit anyway. His determination and energy were incredible. He had a good
voice and a wonderful musical sense. His party was always swaying around
and catching attention. He had a good show. I guess I was as taken by him as
anybody. You couldnt help but really like him.
One tune of his I brought back to Washington and we kept singing itthe
Viujana tune. We sang it a lot out on sakrtana. It had a hypnotic effect.
Rupanuga: I was in the garden with rla Prabhupda and a few others doing
japa. Viujana was in the temple leading a kirtan. There was a side walkway
along the edge of the building, and a door was open into the temple room. You
could hear the kirtan very clearly coming out the door with Viujana
singing. rla Prabhupda looked up and said, It is Vaikuha. At that
moment we were all overwhelmed with this feeling of ecstasy. As soon as rla
Prabhupda said its like Vaikuha, the sound from the temple turned into a
tangible feeling. A wave of music and ecstasy came out the door and rolled
down the side of the building, down the walkway, and enveloped us all. We
were all under this sea of blissful sound. We didnt say anything. We just
quietly sat there and continued chanting japa very softly, but we were all
ecstatic. When Prabhupda said it was Vaikuha, it turned into a
Vaikuha feeling.

June, 1970

After seeing Prabhupda and observing how New Dwaraka is managed,

Brahmnanda flies to Japan to oversee the completion of the new KA
book. His mission is to negotiate with Dai Nippon Printers to print Back to
Godhead and rmad-Bhgavatam because they can do a better job at a cheaper

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price than ISKCON Press. Prabhupda is now printing 125,000 copies of BTG
monthly, plus 15,000 copies each in French and German. Back to Godhead
magazine is the bread and butter of the movement.
Prabhupda also wants Brahmnanda to visit various temples to ensure that
the proper standard is being maintained, and to send back regular reports. Like
Tamal Ka, Brahmnanda is being considered for a possible GBC post.
Los Angeles is a hub of activity these days as many temple presidents arrive
from around the movement. Krtannanda Swami has come from New
Vndvana and also shows his skill at playing the organ before the Wednesday
evening class in the sanctuary. Prabhupda is pleased to see the devotees
dovetailing their propensities in the service of Ka and wants to have more
programs with organ playing. With so many senior devotees present, the ecstasy
of the temple increases, attracting more new people to join, who are turned
over to Viujana as their leader and older brother.
Dnavr: I had met the devotees Friday night at Westwood chanting right in
front of the bank. Then that Sunday I came to the temple about noon.
Somebody recognized me from Friday night and asked, Would you like to go
on sakrtana? Were going down to Griffith Park.
I said, Yeah, why not? The feast was at four, but I came early.
OK, just get in that van. It was a white Econoline van. So I got in and sat
down with the other devotees. The last devotee in the van was Viujana, so
he sat right next to me.
He said, Haribol, Hare Ka. The way he spoke sounded amazing.
I thought, Whos this? This ones obviously a little different.
He was very friendly and made a warm gesture to me. He used to do a
puppet show in the park on Sunday, and also his famous harmonium
renditions, telling the story of Mrgari the hunter, or other pastimes. Especially
where there were children, he would draw them over and do the harmonium
stories.
I moved in the next Sunday, and he was the temple commander as well as
the sakrtana leader. He would wake everyone up in the morning. We would
all be sleeping on the floor in the brahmacr ashram, and he would turn on
the lights and say, Hare Ka. Time to rise and shine for Ka. Haribol.
That was how he would wake everybody up.
I remember going to him the first time for some duties. He was sitting on

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 top of one of the vehicles in the parking lot next to the kitchen playing a
mdaga on a sunny June day.
Im here to report for duties.
He said, Thank you very much, and gave me a couple of duties to
perform.
It was amazing how he was temple commander. He was just sitting there
chanting, and people would come to him for duties. He would give them duties
and send them off. Theyd go off quite happy, and then come back for more. It
was a mystical way of being temple commander. It worked because they could
feel that he really appreciated whatever they did in their service, so they were
very excited and enthusiastic to do the services he asked them to do.
Riktananda: Viujanayour eyes always focused on him. He seemed to be
a center of energy like a vortex. But he lived very simply. He slept right on the
floor with us. After breakfast prasda he would lean up against a truck
bumper and give everyone their duties quite informally but with enough
determination that we knew better than to argue or goof off on the service. He
was quietly very forceful. He wasnt stiff and fomal about his position, but
neither was he very casually familiar with the main body of devotees.
He exhibited the rare trait of leadership that is both very firm and very
patient, even gentle. He was large-boned and hence quite strong physically,
and his hands seemed fashioned of steel from so much vigorous mdaga
playing. But this firmness was accompanied by a refined sense of appreciation
for art, music, and a kindness in dealing with devotees, particularly new ones.
Almost always he would grab me by the shoulders and say, Prabhu, you
clean the sanctuary. Hed always have me clean the sanctuary. He could
make me do anything. He was dear to everybody, and everybody was dear to
himsarva bhttma-bhttm. He was an older and wiser godbrother who
was very firm yet very patient, biding his time as temple commander in order
to get to his first love, chanting and playing the mdaga and harmonium.
After lunch, Viujana takes out the daily sakrtana party to downtown
LA. The afternoon party is a full van of devotees, including the women, usually
Kausalya, rmati, Sacidev, Sahadev, and Caitanya ds. Viujana plays a big,
heavy pakwaj drum these days. It takes him fifteen minutes to finish the ritual
of taping his fingers with pennies. Sometimes he will break a drum-head, but
Gargamuni is the financier and buys him whatever he needs to keep the party

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going out.
The devotees dance in two rows, facing Bullocks Department Store, with
their backs to the street at the edge of the sidewalk. Viujana is perpendicular
to the building facing the troops. The men are in the back row and the women
are in the front, dressed in silk saris and wearing nose rings. They are very good
with their kartlsall perfectly in unison. The married women wear yellow
saris, and the rest wear saffron saris. Everyone dances together and they have to
be in step.
Viujana has a unique a way of dancingup and down on his toes like
riding a bicyclenot jumping, but just walking. And he is so good with his
pakwaj. As people pass by between the sakrtana party and the building, they
get blasted with the transcendental sound. Viujana doesnt like to move the
party around very much, so he mostly chants at one spot. Occasionally, he will
take a tour down the street, but basically he likes to stay in one place. Everyone
agreesit is a wonderful sakrtana party.
Dnavr: He liked to go with one tune for an hour. Then hed stop chanting
and call everyone over and tell some stories about Ka. He was the only one
who knew Ka stories, because KA book hadnt come out yet, but he
had access to the manuscripts. It was pretty exciting because youd get to hear
stories that no one else knew.
It was very hot downtown, but I was in training so the workout for me was
great. We would take out a jug of lemonade, but we didnt use cups. Someone
would hold it for somebody else to drink, Prabhupda style. No one would
touch their mouth to it.
It was hard to control my mind during the chanting so Id be looking at the
clock waiting for when it would be over. But the thing that kept me going was
Viujana himself. There would be two lines of devotees, and hed be out in
front facing us when hed chant. He wanted to give us something to look at
other than the karmis walking by, so hed look at us chanting and smile.
Thats what kept us going, his enthusiasm and his very warm smiles.
Riktananda: He was determined to keep his spiritual eyesight as focused as
humanly possible. Because he seemed to be equal to all, particularly out on
street sakrtana, he made the women devotees feel equal to the men in his
presence, and they gave an energy to our street chanting that hasnt been seen

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 since.
His voice was always on the verge of disappearing or splitting into
simultaneous octaves because of the stress he placed on it by chanting so
loudly and forcefully many hours of the day, week after week, month after
month, year after year. It was as if he suffered some damage to his vocal
cords, because he would have to summon up special energy to overcome the
tendency of his voice to collapse into a hoarse whisper. But he did overcome
his hoarseness and almost always went out front to lead the chanting. On
only one occasion do I remember his not leading the sakrtana party and
remaining content simply to chant in the chorus of devotees.
Sometimes there can be rowdy people on sakrtana, but Viujana takes the
lead and goes right up to them during the kirtan. Without stopping the
chanting, he just moves closer to give a big smile to a drunk, or an angry woman.
He has a very big presence, bigger still because hes chanting, and with a big
drum. So hes always able to disarm any hostile elements. What else can a
person do with all that mercy pouring on them? It simply lights their own
condition. After being disarmed by Viujana, these people usually just shuffle
away.
Sacidev: There was one bum that actually quite frightened us. He was a
drunkard and very belligerent. Viujana used to stop the kirtan and walk
around talking to people, kind of like a lecture, and this man badgered him
quite a bit. We were actually afraid for him. He kind of ignored the man, but
he wasnt afraid. Eventually the mans heart melted. His personality
transformed from anger, resentment, and belligerence, to being friendly and
soft. Viujana touched his heart and actually got him to say the Holy Name.
Narada Muni: One time I saw him get angry at a karm. There was one
demon-possessed personality who came to harass the kirtan party. Of course,
they used to come to harass us all the time, and he was always undisturbed,
but this one lady came up and she struck the mdaga, which was like an
extension of his personal rasa with Ka, so he immediately pushed her back
with real authority.
Keava: Viujana was obviously a person who was never antagonistic to
anyone, much like Jaynanda. On one or two occasions, I saw Viujana
neutralize antagonists, without hurting them, but neutralize them very fast.

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 He wasnt easily intimidated. A couple of times he squared off, faced people
down. He never had to really do anybody in but he was right there. He had
katriya spirit in him, too.
With all the sakrtana, taking care of the new bhaktas, and being temple
commander, Viujana is fully engaged. In fact, he is over-engaged and barely
has any time off to just relax and reflect. The process of self-realization requires
contemplation and awareness of how the anarthas are diminishing, how the
mind is coming under control and not drifting off, and how much joy is actually
being experienced from the platform of the soul. Everybody needs to experience
joy, because the living entity is nandamayobhyst.
Where that joy is coming from is an important consideration. If one enjoys
bodily pleasures, it means that one is conditioning oneself to the bodily concept
of life. Ka consciousness teaches how to experience pleasure directly from
the platform of the soul, reinforcing the spiritual concept of life. It all boils
down to where our pleasure is coming from, and everyone can see that
Viujanas pleasure comes from chanting Hare Ka.
Dnavr: Wed come back around 6:00 PM, shower, and go to the evening
rati. He would lead rati and play mdaga. After i wed go out on
sakrtana again! This time wed go to Hollywood Boulevard because the
play Hair was popular. Wed chant until midnight in front of the Aquarius
Theater. When people went in and when they came out, we were there. We got
them before they went in and after they came out, because we were there
about four hours. Hollywood was really a hot spot, and there were a lot of
people out. Wed be chanting, and some devotees would distribute Spiritual
Sky incense packs, and others would distribute magazines. On Friday and
Saturday night wed stay out until about 1:30 AM, and get up later. In those
days wed take five hours and forty minutes rest. That was the allotted rest
period.
In those days we had guard duty in two-hour shifts all night long: Deity
watch. There would always be somebody in the temple room, and at night
somebody would be there awake to guard the Deities. Viujana volunteered
to stay up late and do his watch for two hours, so he was only sleeping three
hours and forty minutes. So whenever he would sit down, hed fall asleep,
unless he was chanting, because he wasnt sleeping enough. He was pushing

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 himself. So in the van to and from sakrtana, hed be sleeping a lot of the
time. During japa he had a hard time, because he was really pushing himself.
Visala: Viujana was a remarkable person. He looked like a demigod. His
lectures were very intelligent and inspired everyone. Love always emanated
from him, and everyone felt happy to have his association.
When we used to go out for sakrtana in downtown LA, Karandhara
was leading one party and Viujana was leading the other. Everybody was
trying to get on Viujanas party. Karandhara was a great soul, but everyone
was so excited to be with Viujana. He was such a wonderful devotee. When
he spoke, you felt Ka was speaking. In the stra it says, When a
brhmaa eats, Ka is eating through him, when a brhmaa speaks... I
always felt that Supersoul was with him, that he was pure and without false
ego. The philosophy was coming out loud and clear and genuine. He was very
sincere.
Once I asked him, Do you really think that Ka is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead? He said, Yes. There is no doubt that Ka is the
Supreme. A third class devotee has all kinds of doubts, a second class devotee
has some doubts, but a first class devotee has no doubts. I always felt he was a
first class devotee. But how can a third class devotee recognize a first class? I
read a letter where Prabhupda said Viujana sang like a Gandharva.
Prabhupda was pleased with his singing. Everyone was pleased with him.
Everything he did seemed to be with enthusiasm and intelligence. I always just
marveled at him, and considered him elevated. All glories to Viujana.

San Francisco June, 1970

Jaynanda is already preparing for Ratha-ytr. This is the first year there
will be three carts. In a vacant lot on Frederick Street, Jaynanda and his crew
are busy building the wheels and other parts for the chariots. He has found a
picture of the Jagannath Puri carts and is copying the original design. Every day
he goes out to collect the essential supplies for construction. By his enthusiasm,
he inspires people to donate supplies for Jagannaths festival.
Bhavnanda: We built one cart that we copied from a poster we found of
Jagannath Puri. Jaynanda was famous for that and worked very hard.
Again Nara-Nryaa: designed the mechanism for the pulley, and I

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 supervised the designing. We were all so busy from morning until night that I
never had a conversation with Jaynanda outside of just working on the carts.
We never really had a talk together. I would see him often, and he was always
very serious and grave. I never saw him in a dhoti except on Ratha-ytr day.
He was driving a taxi then also.
Every morning, before the Ratha-ytr crew begins to work, Jaynanda
offers rati to each cart beginning with the wheels. He actually offers incense to
every wheel. He has erected a big sign, along with a picture of the Puri
Ratha-ytr, to attract curious passersby.

HARE KRISHNA
Welcome to the Construction site
of the Holy Ratha-ytr Chariots!
The great cars that you see being built here will carry
Lord Jagannath, Ka, the Supreme Lord,
along with His brother, Balarama, and His sister, Subhadra,
on a wonderful ride to the beach on SUNDAY, JULY 5.
This Holy Ratha-ytr festival has been held in India,
annually, for 2,000 years.
Now, by the grace of our spiritual master,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami,
this Transcendental Excursion will take place here
in San Francisco.
The parade begins at noon from Haight-Ashbury
and wends its way through Golden Gate Park to the sea,
where a great feast will be served to all.

As hippies stop to read the sign, Jaynanda makes friends with them and
engages some to help with the construction of the carts.
Prabhupda has requested the temple to spend more money for decorations,
flowers, flags and festoons, to make the festival even more gorgeous than last
year. But due to Jaynandas efforts, this Ratha-ytr is almost entirely funded
by donations. He is so absorbed getting everything ready in time that he even
sleeps out in the lot with the carts.

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 Seeing that Ratha-ytr is coming up, Chitsukhananda, the San Jose temple
president, gathers his men, All the San Jose devotees are going up to help
prepare for Ratha-ytr.
Hari Vallabha: We came to the temple, and the car pulled up right in front of
the carts. They had three carts up the hill in a little alley by Frederick Street
near Kezar Stadium. We were getting out of the car when, all of a sudden, this
person comes walking down like King Kong with all this power and force.
Jaynanda walked right up to us. Whos this devotee? I was buff. I was a
surfer.
They said, Thats Bhakta Harry.
He says, I want him.
I said, Hey, I thought I was going to work in the kitchen?
Well, Jaynanda needs men, you know. He needs strong guys. Hes
building the carts.
So I started working with Jaynanda. As soon as he saw me, he wanted
me. It was very active service, and I really felt someone was engaging me. We
were buddies right from the beginning, building the carts. From the first time
you met him, he made you feel like a friend. He was so interested in you.
Jaynanda would quote Prabhupda, but he was always really interested to
hear what you had to say.
Oh, you surf? Wow! Whats it like to ride those big waves? Hed get right
into it with you. He didnt say that surfing is my. He was never like that.
Yeah, Id like to do thatride those big waves. He would just be your
friend. He wasnt a fanatic obsessed to only preach. He hardly ever preached
in the formal sense. Hed always give me a hug and talk to me and make me
feel wanted.
On Sunday afternoon Jaynanda likes to sit outside the temple door,
inviting everybody to come in for the Sunday feast. When little kids come, he
likes to put them on his lap and give them a horsey ride on his knee, chanting
Hare Ka and Hari Haribol. He also takes the opportunity to inform
everybody about the upcoming Ratha-ytr Festival in Golden Gate Park.
Traidas: When I first walked into the temple on Frederick Street, Jaynanda
was sitting at the front door letting people into the Sunday feast. They were
selling tickets, and he was greeting people and keeping the real crazies out. I

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 immediately got the impression of a father. I dont think he was that old at the
time, but compared to me, only nineteen, he was like a father. The next day,
when I decided to move in the temple, he took me to my house to pick up all my
belongings and gave me my first Isopanisad. I immediately felt like I had the
shelter and protection of a father. He was the most warm personality.
Gokularanjana: I got a BTG and was invited to the Sunday feast. I remember
Jaynanda saying to me, My spiritual master told me that I should utilize
this human form of life to become perfect. And I think you should do the same
thing. He was so personal. I thought, His spiritual master told him that, and
now hes telling me. I was really touched by it.
Not content to merely build the carts, collect donations, and prepare the
prasdam, Jaynanda is also actively engaged in promoting the festival with as
much free advertising as he can dream up. Taking a few brahmacrs, he goes
out late at night to erect a huge Ratha-ytr billboard on the freeway.
Thousands of people see it on their way to work the next morning, attracting
the attention of the media.
Juggernaut, a title of the Hindu deity Ka, whose idol is drawn in an annual
procession on a huge car or wagon under the wheels of which worshippers are
said to have thrown themselves. American Heritage Dictionary.

Thus begins a story on page three of the June 27, Saturday edition, of the San
Francisco Examiner under the headline, Hare Ka! Juggernauts to Roll. The
article features a picture of Bhavnanda and Nara-Nryaa: holding up a large
photo of a Jagannath Puri Ratha-ytr cart. Behind them sits the American
version of the cart almost completed. Jaynanda, always humble, is busy seeing
to last minute details in the background.
On Friday, a reporter had come out to interview the devotees working at the
parking lot on Frederick Street. Nara-Nryaa: gladly provided him a story
with all the controversy he was looking for. Prabhupda had given
Nara-Nryaa: the title Vivakarm as a result of his artistic and carpentry
skills. It is a title that he wears proudly.
But no one will throw himself under the wheels. The idea of ecstatic suicide is
just one of the many misconceptions about the rites practiced by the followers
of Ka, according to Vivakarm Das, the young shaven-headed,
saffron-robed monk who is supervising the construction of the three enormous

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 wagons.
Vivakarm is a member of the International Society for Ka
Consciousnessthe religious cult whose devotees have become familiar on
the streets of San Francisco and Berkeley with their chanting of Hare Ka,
Hare Ka.
Vivakarm and his fellow monks can and will expound at length on
the significance of the upcoming procession, the theology of their faith, and
the errors of Western-oriented scholars like those who compiled the American
Heritage Dictionary. But there is space only for a few basics.
First, he says, Ka is the godhead not of Hinduism but of the Vedic
culture, historically centered in India but actually a universal culture of
which Hinduism is an offshoot.
Second, a more proper spelling of Juggernaut is Jagannath, and the
religious procession featuring the huge carts is correctly called Ratha-ytr
Car Festival.
Third, the idea of worshippers throwing themselves under the wheels of
the carts as an act of religious devotion is a myth fostered by the religions of
the Western world. And fourth, he says, they do not carry idols but the
actual deitiesKa, his brother Balaram and his sister Subhadra.
This, says Vivakarm, is not idol worship but the worship of the
form of the Lord. He represents himself in this form to accept worship.
Whatever the case, the carriages of Ka will be impressive as they are
trundled from the intersection of Haight and Ashbury Streets, through
Golden Gate Park and finally to Ocean Beach, where they will be parked in
front of the Family Dog Auditorium. The procession will begin at noon, and
according to the monks, they expect between 25,000 and 50,000 to take part in
the celebration, which will be capped with a vegetarian feast.
The three cars have been under construction for more than a month.
Materialstimber by the ton and fabrics by the hundreds of yardshave
been largely donated and the work done by about a dozen monks, aided by
volunteers.
The two largest carts measure 30 by 45 feet, and each will support
canopies of intricately decorated canvas rising five stories high. The canopies
are affixed to ingenious telescoping supports which will allow them to be
lowered to pass under telephone lines and other obstructions.
The domestic Juggernauts are modelled after similar rolling temples
which have featured celebrations in Jagannath Puri, India, for some 2,000
years. The Indian models are about twice as big.
The huge carts are being built on a vacant lot near the Hare Ka
Societys temple at 518 Frederick St. The lot is on loan from Clifford Haynes,
who owns the Stadium Garage and takes a tolerant view of the religious
construction on his property.

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 Theyre not bothering anybody, says Haynes, and everybodys got his
little thing going for him. I dont know. They may be rightwho knows?

July, 1970

Ratha-ytr is attracting many devotees from all over the USA and Canada.
Some are coming to meet their spiritual master for the first time. On Friday
morning, July 3, a big initiation ceremony is held in Los Angeles, with
Prabhupda presiding. Afterwards, everybody drives up to San Francisco to
participate in the Ratha-ytr festival.
Prabhupda and his servant fly up to the Bay area. On the plane, he is
delighted to read a feature story in The Chronicle, the rival San Francisco
newspaper. A reporter had come on Thursday to interview the devotees
working on the carts. Two photographs accompany the storya small portrait
of Bhavnanda and a wide angle of devotees working on huge chariots.
Four-story temples on enormous wooden wheels will be towed through Golden
Gate Park to Ocean Beach. Therell be dancing in ecstasy, as the posters
proclaim and a free feast for 25,000. Its the Ratha-ytr International Festival,
scheduled for Sunday at noon.
The giant undertaking, based on an Indian ancestor to the modern
Be-In, is the work of a growing band of Ka monks, a familiar sight on San
Francisco streets where they hand out incense and collect donations to a
running chant of Hare Ka.
Most of the donations are going into this, said a young American
monk in a T-shirt, his hair shorn except for a dangling pony-tail. Its our gift
to San Francisco and our way of paying homage to the Lord, Ka.
Behind him, in an empty lot across the street from the Ka temple at
518 Frederick Street, reared a team of wooden horses that looked like liberated
ponies from an abandoned merry-go-round. They were affixed to one of two
Jagannath chariots, the towering temples on wheels that will start out from
Haight and Ashbury streets at noon on Sunday. A smaller chariot, left over
from last years modest festival, will join the procession.
For the last month, inspired by the ancient Indian festival at Puri
where chariots 100 feet long are pulled through the streets, the Bay Area
devoteesmostly young and middle classhave been sawing and hammering
together the fantastic contraptions.
You should see the people that stop and gasp at this thingsomething
that has no practical meaning, just spiritual meaning, said Bhavnanda Das,
31, a former New Yorker.

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 Bhavnanda, once a film-maker with Andy Warhol, gave up the
synthetic world of materialism for a spiritual life of reading the
Bhagavad-gita, Bible of the Ka followers, and abstaining from tobacco,
liquor, drugs and even chocolate.
Like women, theyre all intoxicants, he said.
At Sundays festival, along with chanting and a speech by the
movements spiritual leader, Swami A.C. Bhaktivedanta, there will be plays
and puppet shows and drum-and-cymbal music on a stage set up in front of the
Family Dog rock palace at the beach.

Prabhupda beams when he reads, last years modest festival. Last year was
the biggest Ratha-ytr ever, but it will indeed be modest compared to this
years festival. Nara-Nryaa:s father has donated beautiful sculptured horses
to adorn the chariots in the style of Jagannath Puri.
Prabhupdas spirits are already brimming when he is greeted by two
hundred devotees, chanting and dancing in the arrivals lounge, overjoyed to see
their spiritual master.
After settling into his room back at the temple, the first question
Prabhupda asks is, Where is Jaynanda? A devotee immediately runs out to
the lot to fetch Jaynanda, who is busily engaged in making final preparations
on the carts. When Jayananada enters the room, rla Prabhupda embraces
him, and thanks him for his dedicated service to Lord Jagannath.
Jaynanda has done a great job promoting the festival. The City extends
their full cooperation by declaring July 5 to be Ratha-ytr Day in San
Francisco. Advertisements are everywherein the newspapers, on radio, and
television. Posters are displayed on buses, and large banners are strung across
main thoroughfares. Now, the day before the festival, Jaynanda is busy in the
kitchen preparing prasdam. His friends at the fruit and vegetable market have
gladly donated cases of bananas and apples and sacks of potatoes.
Akuti dev ds: After being a devotee three weeks, I went to San Francisco
for Ratha-ytr. Jaynanda was one of the first devotees I heard about. He
was the ongoing tone of that temple. Somehow I got the mercy to help cook
Lord Jagannaths feast. So I started the night before, and Jaynanda, of
course, was working a few blocks away on the carts with a crew of men.
I was cooking, and it was quite late when Jaynanda came in the kitchen
and said, My men are hungry. He got out a big wok and threw pounds and

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 pounds of butter into it. My eyes were popping out of my head. I was thinking
there must be tons of people he was cooking for, but actually it was just for a
handful of devotees. He knew their appetite and his own big appetite as well.
I wanted to ask him, Dont you think thats a lot of butter? but I didnt
dare. So he finished up the preparation, and sure enough there was a lake of
butter all around it.
As long as theres plenty of sugar and butter its alright, he commented.
It was almost like candy. It was a special kind of halava to keep his men going,
because it was quite cool in the evening. They worked late hours. He worked
day and night, and still he would be there for magala-rati in a wrinkled
dhoti. I remember he was kind of unkept as far as his appearance was
concerned, but he was a very jolly fellow.
That Ratha-ytr was probably the most opulent ever. There was one long
room that was completely full of roses. It took us eighteen hours to string them
all. We didnt even have carnations. All the garlands were made with roses
that were donated to Jaynanda. The prasdam was fantastic due to his
non-devotee friends donating to Lord Jagannath. He was engaging everyone.
There was so much opulence. Ive never seen it again like that. It was probably
the most ecstatic Ratha-ytr I ever attended.
The Saturday morning edition of The Chronicle runs another story with the
heading, Ka Leader Here for Festival. A photograph shows Prabhupda
seated at the airport with the devotees offering obeisances at his feet.
Madhudvia runs to Prabhupdas room to read him the article written by the
same reporter who interviewed Bhavnanda the day before.
A procession of some 200 Ka followers, strewing rose petals as they danced,
greeted their elderly spiritual leader at San Francisco International Airport
yesterday. Swami A.C. Bhaktivedanta, here for a giant festival and chant-in at
Ocean Beach tomorrow, wore a beatific smile along with his gold rings and
flowing saffron robe.
Hare Ka, the young monks with shaven heads chanted.
Jai, the Swami said in Indian. Rough translation: Hi, there.
At a chant-riddled press conference following his jet arrival from Los
Angeles, he described why young Americans are increasingly drawn to the
Hare Ka movement.
Your country has an opulence of material necessities, said the Swami,
squatting on a red plush dais in the Gate 16 lobby.

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 Its time his dear boys and girls have learned to develop a similar
opulence of spiritual qualities, he said.
And how many devotees did he have?
Unlimited, said Swami Bhaktivedanta, a one-time advisor to the
Beatles. Some admit and some dont admit...Admit you are a servant of the
Lord Ka and your life will be a success.
Before another question could be asked, his followers responded with
chants of, Hare Ka.
And the significance of tomorrows Ratha-ytr Festival in which
four-story temples on wheels will be towed through Golden Gate Park?
It is a revival mass for Ka consciousness, said the Swami, who
founded the American sect in New York in 1965.
By participating in the car festival, the flower-garlanded sage promised,
even non-devoteessome 50,000 are expectedwill win the opportunity, in
your next life to go back home, back to God. He beamed and nodded.
Boys and girls and mothers and fathers and grandfathers are invited.
No expenditure. Just come and dance with us and when youre tired well give
you some nice food.
He was referring, among other promised dishes at the afternoon repast,
to fruit salad for 25,000. There were more chants, Hare Ka.
With that, the small benign swamiknown to his followers as
Prabhupda (one who has many servants sitting at his feet)arose. And
leaving behind in the airport corridors a whiff of incense and the rest of the
roses, he and his dancing devotees departed.

Ratha-ytr Day July 5, 1970

San Francisco can be cold and rainy during the summer, and today is no
exception. Ratha-ytr Day is foreboding with chilling winds and numbing
cold. Right after mangal-rati Jaynanda takes his crew down to the Ratha site.
They will make last minute adjustments before pulling the carts in front of
Golden Gate Park where the parade will begin at noon. Wearing heavy
sweat-socks and jackets, Jaynandas men struggle against the rain to finish on
time.
It is still overcast when a group of ladies arrive to decorate the chariots. They
string garlands of multi-colored roses all around the carts topping them off with
bright festoons and flags here and there. This year there will be three chariots,
and a few clouds cant dampen the devotees spirits. They have arrived from all
over the country, and both the San Francisco and Berkeley temples are jam

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packed.
Riktananda: Before the devotees assembled around noon, Viujana took as
many with him as could be spared to the fabled corner of Haight and
Ashbury, ground-zero for the hippie movement. As soon as we began to chant,
it seemed that the entire Haight-Ashbury community was turning out to
chant with us, filling the streets for blocks around, as well as rooftops and bay
windows. In fifteen minutes the scene was tumultuous, as Viujana led
thousands in ecstatic chanting and dancing. No one could hear his own voice.
Around noon the Pied Piper of the mah-mantra led us to the festival site.
By noon most devotees are down at the site in front of the carts where the
Ratha-ytr crew is working desperately to get everything ready. The inclement
weather has hampered the preparations and the carts are still not ready to go
when the parade is supposed to begin.
Prabhupda had instructed Viujana to teach the devotees the Nrsimha
prayers, obviously anticipating some difficulties. Gathering everyone together,
Viujana goes over the melody and the words. Due to the constant drizzle its
freezing cold, but the devotees are still enthusiastic, chanting the Nrsimha
prayers alongside the giant chariots. The kirtan quickly picks up, taking
everybody off the platform of bodily cold.
Soon, Lord Jagannath, Lady Subhadra, and Lord Balaram arrive in a
limousine, and Viujana breaks into Jaya Jagannath, Jaya Jagannath...
Chanting with intense feeling, his emotional singing captures the hearts of
everyone. The kirtan becomes even more exuberant as conches sound along
with the booming drums and chiming kartls. Still, the parade is not ready and
Prabhupda has not made his appearance.
Manmohini dev ds: We were looking for a parking place with all the traffic
noise, but I could hear Viujana singing in the background. I was just sitting
in the car, and I was in ecstasy. It was so transcendental. I didnt feel any ego
involved. It wasnt like he was concentrating on what a great musician he was,
but he was really crying out to Ka. I was getting high just listening to him,
as if I was chanting good rounds myself. He was singing so melodiously. Every
single syllable of the mantra was transcendental and so melodic. It was
mystical. Everything he did just pierced the material elements. He was just
yearning for love of God. You could feel it, and it was like touchstone. He

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 made you feel it. There was something about Viujana that was really
special. He just had incredible potency unlike just about anybody else that I
ever experienced in the movement. It was like he was yearning for Ka.
Hari Vallabha: The day of the festival, Jaynanda says, OK, you can ride
on the cart. That was real special. We had built the telescoping canopy, and
we were going to operate the canopy up and down.
So Nara-Nryaa: comes up on the cart, All right, this is what were
going to do. He was the inspired artist-carpenter. He hadnt been around the
whole time, and I didnt know who he was, but he had designed the carts. He
was in charge and he wanted everybody to know. So he looked at me and said,
You, off the cart. So I got off the cart, wondering what I had done wrong.
Then Jaynanda comes up, What are you doing? Youre supposed to be
on the cart.
Nara-Nryaa: kicked me off.
Jaynanda spoke to Nara-Nryaa:. I want him up here. Hes my
man.
OK. So I rode on the cart that year and operated the canopy.
Finally, by 2:00 PM, a full two hours behind schedule, the chariots are ready.
Four turning maneuvers are required to get the carts off the parking lot and
onto Stanyan street. Hippies and devotees pick up the ropes attached to the
chariots and begin to pull. The parade is on its way.
As the chariots are pulled to the entrance of the park at Stanyon and Fell,
an ugly incident threatens to further mar the afternoon. Some black kids from
the neighborhood want to climb up on the carts with the devotee kids.
Madhudvia tries to explain that its not possible, but the street kids are
obstinate. The devotees have to get firm. The kids finally leave in a vengeful
mood only to return with a few very angry young men.
In San Francisco many blacks are into the Black Panthers, a right wing
militant political group. They insist that the black kids be allowed to get up and
ride on Balaramas cart, which is now lagging way behind the other two carts.
But Nara-Nryaa: is not going for that. They interpret this as a racial slur and
refuse to allow the cart to proceed.
Seeing it as an all-white gathering, they suddenly become very angry with
one black devotee, Bhakta Mick, a tall, wiry devotee just returned from

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Vietnam. They dont like the idea that he is part of a white group, so they start
beating him up. Nara-Nryaa: prevents others from getting onto the cart by
grabbing a pennant and keeping them at bay with lance-like thrusts of the pole.
Viujana steps up the tempo of the kirtan to distract the crowd from the ugly
scene.
Keava: Mohannanda ran up to me, Were being attacked, were being
attacked. Come quick. We had a reputation for dispatching antagonists in
Los Angeles. Together we were a team. If any guys grabbed or insulted our
women on sakrtana, then Mohannanda and I would promptly go over and
pound them out. There were eight or ten of these guys on top of Mick, and
they were pounding him. A few devotees had already been rounded up.
So I said to the others, Cmon. Lets attack. Lets go. I ran over there.
When I turned around, I was by myself. Nobody came. So I thought, well, Im
going in alone. I got to the pack and just started grabbing one off at a time.
They were all on Mick, so they didnt see what was coming. After I knocked
about three or four of them out, then Mick turned around and he was starting
to get control. The two of us began working together on all of them.
Nanda Kumar: Some of our devotees have got that katriya spirit. During
Ratha-ytr some black men were attacking the Deities and throwing rocks.
Keava was picking them up over his head and throwing them across cars.
Ten men! He took all of them, only himself, and finished all of them. He was
fearless. He said he felt Lord Nrsimhadeva helping him.
Seeing the outbreak of the fight, Madhudvia runs up Haight Street to
Prabhupdas house to apprise him of the situation. He arrives out of breath and
blurts out the story. I suggest that you dont come to the parade now, rla
Prabhupda. It looks nasty.
Brahmnanda agrees that it wouldnt be a good idea for Prabhupda to
attend the parade under the circumstances. He has just arrived from Japan with
twenty-five copies of the newly printed KA book.
rla Prabhupda is gravely disappointed. Have you advertised that I will be
coming?
Yes.
Then I must come. The incident upsets Prabhupda. Its another

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portentous omen.
Okay. Madhudvia runs back to the park. By this time Tactical Squad
officers have arrived on their Honda motorcycles. They are San Francisco
police stationed in the park. Armed with helmets and batons, they quickly put
an end to the disturbance. No one is arrested.
The other two carts have already turned into the park for the start of the
parade. Thousands of hippies and curious onlookers gather to see the parade,
although its still overcast with intermittent drizzle. Balaramas cart struggles to
make the turn from Stanyon into the park. The front axle breaks and a wheel
goes down. Prabhupdas worst fears have been realized.
Unable to go any further, devotees on Balaramas cart shift to the other
carts. Balaramas sihsana is taken down and carried by four devotees, like a
palanquin, as part of the parade. A tow truck arrives to remove Balaramas cart
ingloriously from the scene. Undaunted, the devotees begin the six-mile walk to
the ocean with only the two carts, taking shelter of the kirtan led by Viujana.
With the parade finally under way, the potency of the Holy Name changes the
entire atmosphere into a Vaikuha mood.
The procession attracts a large crowd of mostly young people. Asian Hindus
and several thousand straight-looking curious join the predictable host of ersatz
cowboys and swashbucklers from Haight-Ashbury. The Sunday crowd is there,
toofamilies with their children and pet dogs.
As the parade wends its way slowly through the park, Madhudvia keeps
looking back anxiously for rla Prabhupda to arrive. But Prabhupda has been
driven around the park and dropped off a short distance in front of the chariots.
All of a sudden Madhudvia sees him coming toward the carts from the front
accompanied by several devotees. The word spreads like wildfire, Prabhupda
is here!
A huge circle of people immediately surrounds him as the procession comes
to a halt. Prabhupda gets down on the asphalt road and offers daabats to
Lord Jagannath. Getting back up, he starts dancing joyfully, leaping in the air
and whirling around in his bright saffron dhoti. The devotees are amazed to see
their spiritual master leaping as he dances in the middle of the circle. The
whole spiritual energy from rla Prabhupda naturally uplifts everybody.
As the sun peaks out from behind the clouds, the procession begins to move

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again with Prabhupda dancing along, surrounded by his circle of disciples. The
fragrance of frankincense pervades the atmosphere as aromatic clouds billow
above Lord Jagannaths head. The road is beautifully lined with eucalyptus and
oak trees, and the chariots move slowly through the twists and turns of the
six-mile journey past flower gardens, ponds, hills, and open green meadows.
All of a sudden, a bridge looms up ahead, spanning the road in front of them.
A few devotees become anxious; others are alarmed. A quick glance easily
reveals that the canopies are much too high to pass under the low arch of the
bridge.
As the parade approaches the bridge, the devotees anxiety increases. They
dont want their joyous festival ruined by another unforeseen obstacle. Hadnt
the festival crew anticipated this happening? Lord Jagannaths cart comes to a
halt and the parade stops. Viujana continues his kirtan in front of rla
Prabhupda, who is still dancing amongst the devotees.
Nara-Nryaa: and his crew now leap into action. After what seems like an
inordinately long time, the towering canopies slowly begin to descend.
Jaynanda and Nara Narayan have fashioned the telescoping canopies that are
lowered and raised by a crank mechanism, allowing the Rathas to pass
underneath the bridge and power lines.
The chariots can now pass under the arch of the bridge. The bliss of the
devotees increases unlimitedly. Simultaneously, the kirtan goes into overdrive
as Viujana releases a tremendous burst of unbridled energy, appearing almost
mad in ecstasy.
The procession proceeds slowly under the bridge with more than 10,000
voices chanting and dancing ecstatically to the Holy Name. The sound of
kartls, mrdangas, and voices, uplifted in glorification of Lord Jagannath, is
magnified by the concrete walls which produce an incredible echo. The
cacophany of sound created under the bridge is so tumultuous that nothing else
can be heard except, Jaya Jagannath, Jaya Jagannath!
As the carts emerge from under the bridge, the parade reaches its peak of
spiritual energy. Ordinary park-goers are amazed at the sight of the huge
chariots sailing through the grounds like great ships. The multi-colored
canopies, billowing in the wind like tremendous sails, beckon onlookers to join
the transcendental voyage, out of the material world, back to Vaikuha.

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 Jagajivan: Viujana led a wonderful kirtan at Ratha-ytr. His voice was
oceanic. It was sincere. That was the thing that you really got from his
chanting. It was always the idea that Kas name would take peoples
interest rather than the chanter. You were always very much absorbed in the
name whenever he was chanting. That was the essence of his chanting, that
you could absorb yourself in the Holy Name. It was the chanting that you got
from him. He was tireless, indefatigable.
Pra-vallabha: We all came from the hip culture, so it was like going back to
the hip culture and giving these lost souls something to look forward to. We
had found something, and we were willing to share it with brothers and sisters
who were still seeking what Prabhupda had already given us.
Everyone in the park is having a wonderful Ratha-ytr experience. From
the carts, devotees throw flowers and candy prasdam to the spellbound
spectators along the route.
Walking alongside the parade are the book distributors. The temple has
borrowed some shopping carts from the local supermarket and turned them into
mobile book distribution carts. An A-frame structure is secured in the cart so
books can be displayed on both sides like shelves. Prabhupda had made the
suggestion and came up with the idea for the design.
Ujjvala dev ds: Everybody went up to San Francisco for Ratha-ytr and
KA book arrived. We had heard that KA book was coming, and it
was a beautiful book with all the stories about Ka. Gargamuni met us and
brought the book with him. I remember being excited to get this book, and we
were also going to distribute it. There were only about twenty-four copies, and
we got to distribute them at Ratha-ytr. All the householders had these book
distribution stands, pyramid shaped on wheels.
I was married to Jayatrtha, and we were one of the householder couples
who were going to distribute some of these books. I distributed all my books
and whoever distributed the most got to distribute Prabhupdas personal
copy, so I got to do that. We distributed his personal copy because he told us
these books are not for us, they are for the conditioned soulsand he gave
away his own personal copy. That was his example. We just had the small
Gita, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, the three volumes of
rmad-Bhgavatam, Nectar of Devotion, and now KA book. The

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 movement was growing. The emphasis became Prabhupdas books and his
translating. That was really the gist of our movement. It was becoming more
apparent that this was what Prabhupda was preaching.
At this point, rla Prabhupda decides that he now wants to ride on
Subhadras chariot. But some of the leaders restrain him, saying that the carts
had been attacked earlier and stones had been thrown. It would be safer if he
rides in his car. Although Prabhupda disagrees, he finally relents and rides the
rest of the way in the car.
As the procession nears the beach, Viujana grabs Dina Bandhu.
We need to start a kirtan at the Family Dog before the devotees get there.
The Family Dog, with its large stage and high ceilings, is a spacious
auditorium that holds about three thousand people. A giant vyssana has been
built for Prabhupda that reaches up towards the ceiling. Gracing the stage on
one side is a life-sized painting of Rdh-Ka surrounded by the eight gops. A
huge painting of Lord Caitanya is draped along the other side of the stage
creating a perfect balance. Large pie tins have been filled with charcoal, and so
much incense is heaped on that tremendous clouds of smoke billow towards the
ceiling.
The two surviving chariots, their towering tent-like super-structures
flapping in the wind, finally arrive on Ocean Highway for the last leg of the
journey to the Family Dog rock palace as dusk envelops the waterfront.
Dina Bandhu: Viujana brought me to the auditorium, and we started
kirtan before anybody else got there. I was just listening to Viujana chant.
Seeing the beautiful picture of Ka and the eight gops, I suddenly realized
that I was in Goloka Vndvana. I cant explain it. All of a sudden San
Francisco just disappeared and there was just this wonderful kirtan going on.
Hardly anybody was there, and I was just watching the clouds of incense.
Jaynanda organizes the multi-course feast served out at the breaker, the sea
wall on the beach. There are huge barrels of prasdam: kichari, halava, and fruit
salad mixed with yogurt. Thousands of plates are distributed to the
Haight-Ashbury crowd, who sit on the grass taking their prasdam to the
backdrop of heavy grey clouds and pounding surf.
As people pour into the auditorium they are greeted by Viujana and his

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group chanting Hare Ka. The hall quickly becomes crowded with hippies
and threatens to erupt into chaos. Some of the women become frightened with
so many strange people, many of whom are completely stoned. Every kind of
person imaginable from the Haight-Ashbury scene is packed into the large
ballroom that suddenly seems much too small.
As rla Prabhupda enters, hippies throw themselves at his feet. Even
Prabhupda appears a little disturbed by this. He mounts the stage and
Viujana introduces him to the crowd. Prabhupda begins chanting vande
ha with just his kartls and goes into the Panca Tattva mantra as the
mrdangas start up. Viujana sings along through his own microphone. After
chanting the Panca Tattva mantra three times, Prabhupda launches into Hare
Ka. Now Viujana begins playing his harmonium. The crowd starts to get
into it and the response increases, echoing around the hall. But after only
three-and-a-half minutes, Prabhupda brings the kirtan to a close to begin his
talk.
My dear boys and girls, those who have come here, I welcome you on behalf
of Lord Caitanya Mahprabhu. Lord Caitanya Mahprabhu appeared five
hundred years ago, and he introduced this Ka consciousness movement. This
Ratha-ytr is one of the items of this Ka consciousness movement.
Jagannath. Just try to understand Jagannath; jagat means the moving
world, gacchati te jagat, Sanskrit words; gacchati means it is moving. So all
these planets, this universe, even the sun, everything is moving, as we are
moving. We are, of course, animate. Even inanimate things are moving. Your
motor car is moving, your machine is moving. But they are moving under the
control of an animate object. But some of the animate objects stand still, just
like trees. But ultimately they are also moving in this sense that one species of
life is being transmigrated to another species of life.
Jagannathnth means the proprietor, master. Jagannath means the
proprietor or the master of all this movement. He is Jagannath. And
Balabhadra, Balaramabala means strength, and rma means enjoyment. So
Balarama means He who gives you spiritual strength for enjoying eternal
blissful life. Hes Balarama. And Subhadrasu means auspicious, and bhadr
means well-being. Subhadra, Jagannath, and Balarama combined together are
present before you to reclaim you from your miserable condition of life. That is
the purpose of this Ratha-ytr festival. If anyone sees on the car, Jagannath,

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Subhadra, and Baladeva, then he does not take birth again in this material
world.
So I shall not take much of your time, you are tired. But some of the
important things I may inform you, that this Ka consciousness movement is
not a religious type. It is a great culture for spiritual emancipation. Try to
understand, that we are in this world, not only we are, everything is a
combination of matter and spirit. Just like your body. This body is matter, but
within this body you, the spirit soul, is encaged, or embodied. So anywhere you
see, the tree, there are so many species of life. Every species, every individual
living entity, is a combination of spirit and matter. When the spirit is out of this
body, then the body is matter only. Just like in your Bible also it is said, Dust
thou art, Dust thou beist. That dust is this body, but not the spirit soul. So in
this material world we are part and parcel of God, Jagannath. And we are under
the auspicious protection of Subhadra, and we have got implicitly the spiritual
strength.
In the Vedic literature you will find, na mahtm balahimena labra. Bala
means this Balarama, the spiritual strength. The spiritual realization can be
achieved by the grace of Lord Balarama. So this human form of life is meant for
spiritual realization. Please try to understand, that this human form of life is a
chance to get out of this material entanglement. Other than human life, animal
life, tree life, bees life, birds life, aquatic life, there are so many8,400,000
species of life. Out of that, this human form of life is a boon wherein you can get
out of this material entanglement. And being freed from this material
entanglement, you can enter into the spiritual world, the kingdom of God. And
if you go there, then you have not to come back to this material world, which is
called dukhlayam avatam. It is the place of miseries as well as temporal.
Even if you accept this miserable place, you will not be allowed to live here for
long. You have to quit this place, therefore it is called avatam. This is our
position.
In the Bhagavad-gt the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself says that
it is dukhlayam avatam. So the human form of life should endeavor how to
get out of it. In this country, especially, in all other countries also, the younger
generation are not getting satisfied. In your country we see the frustrated
community, the confused community, the hippies. But I have all sympathy for
this frustrated community everywhere. There should be frustration. In the

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Vedanta Sutra it is said athto brahma jijs. This human form of life should
feel frustration. If he does not feel frustration, then it is animal life. The
symptom of human life is that he should be very much pessimistic, not
optimistic, of this material world. Then there is path of liberation. And if we
think that we are very much happy here, that is called illusion, my. Nobody is
actually happy here. But if anyone wrongly thinks that he is happy, that is
called my, illusion.
So my request to you, those who are feeling frustration and confused, this is
a good qualification. A good qualification in this sense, that they who are
feeling frustration and confused, they are disgusted with this materialistic way
of life. That is a good qualification for spiritual advancement. But if you are not
properly guided, then that will be another frustration. To save you from that
frustration, this Ka consciousness movement has come to your country; Lord
Caitanyas movement.
A great devotee, Narottama dsa hkur, he sings, patita-pvana-hetu tava
avatra. My dear Lord, Your incarnation is to reclaim all kinds of fallen
soulsmo-sama patita prabhu n pibe ra. But I am the most fallen. Therefore
my claim is first, because You have advented Yourself to claim all fallen souls. I
am the most fallen, therefore You take care of me first. So actually who is a
fallen soul? Fallen soul means anyone who has taken birth in this material
world, he is a fallen soul. Never mind what he is. He may be Brahma, or he may
be an insignificant ant. Anyone who is within this material world, because our
constitutional position is spirit soul. Spirit means nandamayobhyst, by
nature joyful. That is spiritual.
So because we have been put into some awkward position of this material
existence, therefore we are, although constitutionally we are joyful, we do not
find anything joyful. Try to understand this point. In this material world,
because we have been encaged with this material body, although our endeavor
is to become joyful, on account of the encagement of this material body, we are
not joyful. In the Vedic literatures, the whole Vedas, there are four Vedas
originally. So this Vedic literature is giving us the help and the clue how we can
get out of this miserable condition of life. This Ka consciousness movement
is the essence or cream of all the Vedic literatures.
In the Bhagavad-gt you will find that vedai ca sarvair aham eva vedya. By
studying all the Vedic literatures you will have to find out Ka. And Ka is

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so kind. Rdh-Kas incarnation, Lord Caitanya, is so kind that He is giving
you Ka in the form of His name, nma-rpe ka-avatra. So this Hare
Ka movement, practically you can see also, the name Ka and the original
Supreme Personality of Godhead Ka are non-different. If you simply chant
this Hare Ka mantra then you are associating constantly with Ka. That is
a fact. So my request to you, those who are feeling frustration or confused,
please take to this mah-mantra chanting, Hare Ka Hare Ka, Ka Ka
Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare.
When I was coming, I was waiting there to see the procession, so many boys
and girls who are not within our Ka consciousness group, they are outsiders,
but they are also chanting this Hare Ka mantra very feelingly. I was very
much satisfied. Therefore my request is, I am specially come to you, I am not
feeling very well to come here, but because I have come to San Francisco, I must
give you the message. It is a very important message.
Those of you who are feeling frustration and confused, kindly take to this
chanting of Hare Ka mantra. Thats all. There is no expenditure, there is no
loss. We are not charging anything. It is not a business, like were asking you to
pay something because I am giving this information. No. It is freely distributed.
You please chant this Hare Ka mantra twenty-four hours. You can work, you
can walk, and at the same time chant this Hare Ka mantra.
So this Ratha-ytr festival is a mass movement for enlightening people to
this Ka consciousness movement. We have got many other activities in
Ka consciousness movement. We have got Janmam, Ram Naumi, Dol
Yatra, Jhulana Yatra. So there are twelve months, but we have got twenty-four
festivals as big as this Ratha-ytr festival. So if you kindly take to them, then,
as advised by Lord Caitanya, krtanya sad hari, youll always be in Ka
consciousness, and there will be no scope of your frustration and confusion.
For this purpose especially, I came to this meeting. But you kindly accept
this humble instruction, that wherever you may be, in whatever position, in
whatever condition, you kindly chant these sixteen names Hare Ka Hare
Ka, Ka Ka Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare
Hare.
The audience begins to respond, chanting along with rla Prabhupda.
Chant again. More people join in.

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 Again! The entire auditorium now chants the mah-mantra as Prabhupda
beams.
Thank you very much.
The capacity crowd has listened attentively and responded with the
chanting of Hare Ka. Now Viujana begins his kirtan, sitting behind the
harmonium. His voice is obviously hoarse when he beckons everyone, If youre
tired, take prasdam. He continues chanting, on and on. The kirtan is so
melodic and mystical, it just sweeps everyone away. Occasionally, he exclaims
blissfully, Go on, taste the love. The whole auditorium is filled with devotees
and hippies chanting and dancing together, absorbed in their reverie.
Dnavr: Viujana led a four-hour kirtan, just straight, no stopping. It was
an amazing kirtan with amplified harmonium. The hippies were completely
into it. They would dance and then go take prasdam. Some of them would
crash out because a lot of them were on drugs. So there would be a whole
bunch of people crashed out. Then they would get up again and chant and
dance. That went on for four hours.
One of the most memorable parts of the festival for me was meeting
Jaynanda. He was a transcendental John Wayne, big, strong, and friendly.
He was marvelous.
I asked him a question: How do you become happy?
I dont know, he innocently replied. Im too busy to think about it. But
he was always blissful and active, working tirelessly, and he inspired others to
do the same.
Riktananda: The leaders had forgotten to assign a clean-up detail for the
outside grounds, and Viujana agreed to lead a contingent of devotees to
police a good quarter-mile of cold, windswept beachfront of discarded
prasdam plates, cups, spoons, and napkins. He remained behind long, long
after every other ISKCON leader had retired to the Berkeley or San
Francisco temple, making absolutely certain that all the trashand it was
considerable, because I was part of the clean-up crewwas stuffed in a
garbage dumpster. This was leadership as I have rarely witnessed it in our
Societys history.
The next morning everybody gets ready to return home. Although the
festival had started on an ominous note, it had ended with a wonderful

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Vaikuha atmosphere. Everyone agrees it was well worth the effort. Many
friendships have been made, and many promises to return next year.
Ratha-ytr of 1970 is the biggest festival that ISKCON has produced since its
inception four years ago.

Tenth Wave Politics and Diplomacy

So kindly you all together help me in these missionary activities and open at
least 108 centersthat will satisfy meand complete the publication of
rmad-Bhagavatam.
Letter to Brhmaanda, June 2, 1970

Los Angeles July 7, 1970

Big things are brewing in Prabhupdas mind. He was feeling uneasy at

Ratha-ytr, as he had admitted in his address at the Family Dog. I am not
feeling very well to come here, but because I have come to San Francisco, I must
give you the message. The festival could easily have been ruined had it not
been saved by Viujanas glorious chanting of the Holy Name. rla
Prabhupda has been disturbed due to a series of mishaps over the past several
months. Taking each discrepancy on an individual basis, one might simply see a
lack of attention to detail. But judging the events as a whole, these signs are an
ominous indication that something is seriously amiss.
It all began with a letter from Acyutananda in early April. For the past two
years he has been preaching alone in India and accepting the hospitality of
various Gauya Math temples. Gradually he learns that the mood of his hosts is
different that that of rla Prabhupda. In fact, they object to him applying the
title Prabhupda, saying that it is reserved only for rla Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat Prabhupda. They prefer the title Swami Mahrja, who, they say, is
not the only spiritual master, nor the only pure devotee. Acyutananda naively
repeats this new information in a letter to his friends at the New York temple.
Prabhupda has been encouraging Acyutananda through his letters that
more brahmacrs will come to India and soon the World Sankirtan Party will

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also arrive, headed by rla Prabhupda himself. But, unexpectedly,
Acyutananda sends a reply that any ISKCON devotees coming to India should
first write to receive permission from Madhava Mahrja. Prabhupda is not
pleased with this proposal.
You have written to say that they must also write to Madhava Mahrja. I
cannot understand what you mean by this. They are not known to Madhava
Mahrja, so how they can write directly to Madhava Mahrja? Neither I
wish to overburden Madhava Mahrja with further addition of my disciples
in his temple. This is a very delicate point. Better you can ask Madhava
Mahrja whether he is willing to receive further members of our camp in his
temple.
Letter to Acyutananda, April 11, 1970

At the same time there are other disturbances for Prabhupda. He detects a
discrepancy regarding the editing of the new KA book manuscript.
In KA chapter #87, on page 4, the last line, it is said, known as
budbuvasa, which is manifested by Govinda. I do not know what is this
editing. The correct word is bhurbhuvasvah as it is in the Gayatri mantra
and everybody knows it. This budbuvasa is an extraordinary word, neither it
is Sanskrit nor English, so how it has avoided the vigilance of so many editors?
So if none of the editors knew this word, why was it pushed? There should be
no such negligence like this, nothing uncertain should be pushed. Now what
other discrepancies there may be like this?
Letter to Brahmananda, April 17, 1970

Prabhupda then begins to spot check other manuscripts, hoping that he

had only found an isolated error. Unfortunately, upon closer examination he is
further disturbed.
Regarding the Topmost Yoga, in the blueprint there are many mistakes. I am
pointing out some of them as follows:
Page 2 ...decided to kill his sister, not sisters, because only Devaki was
there.
The Lords compromise was that He had Vasudeva propose to the
brother-in-law... This sentence is obscure. The actual fact is Vasudeva made a
compromise and said to his brother-in-law, such and such.
Then everywhere there is yogins, gosvamins, sannyasins, etc. in many
places. The n is not requiredthat I have already informed Pradyumna.
On page 17 there is a word enfuriated; this is a spelling mistake, it
should be infuriated..

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 Then on page 48: on the bank of the Ganges near Didbee. This is not
Didbee, it is Delhi.
On page 49 there are so many gosvamins, but there should be no n.
In this way I have read the book sporadically, not very minutely. I think
it should be gone through once more very carefully and all the mistakes that
are still existing there should be corrected. If the books are printed with
spelling mistakes and other mistakes, that will be a discredit for our
publication. So please see that editorial work is done very nicely.
Letter to Brahmananda, April 22, 1970

The editing of the books is a process involving many steps and many
devotees. After the tapes are transcribed, even if there are a few typos how did
the Sanskrit editor, the English editor, and the proofreaders not detect the
errors? Prabhupda is shocked that not one person has detected these blunders.
Early in May a blue aerogram from India lands on Prabhupdas desk. Upon
opening it, he understands that his misgivings have been confirmed. He sends
off a quick reply.
My dear Dmodara Mahrja,
I am in due receipt of your letter dated 8th April, 1970, which was
addressed to my New York office. I am so sorry to learn that there is a sort of
conspiracy by some of our godbrothers as not to give me a place at Mayapur. I
do not wish to argue on this point, but according to your advice I have already
sent a telegram to Acyutananda Brahmacari, and an urgent letter also,
requesting him to purchase the land of Jabed Ali almost a fortnight ago, but I
have received no reply til now.
So I do not know what to do in this connection. The money is there,
the sanction is there, the land is there, and still if it does not take place, I shall
understand it that this is not the desire of rla Prabhupda. In the meantime,
I have also advised my previous son, r M.M. De, to see you in this
connection, and if possible to purchase the land in his name for the time being.
So if he sees you, please help him in purchasing the land.
Letter to Damodara Maharaja, May 13, 1970

The lack of response from his godbrothers to help him execute the desire of
their Guru Mahrja is not pleasing to Prabhupda. He has a strong desire to
purchase land in Mayapur so that the first ISKCON center in India can be
established. But according to this letter, there is an allusion to a conspiracy
against him. Nevertheless, he accepts it as simply an unfortunate situation and
not an impediment. Still, he can understand that trouble may lie ahead.

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 It was only a year ago that Prabhupda had approached his godbrothers
requesting a plot of land in Mayapur. Even though he had assured them that he
would bear all the expenses and arrange everything at my responsibility,
there was no response. He had asked for their cooperation but they had not
reciprocated. Moreover, he was regularly sending complimentary copies of Back
to Godhead to these same people.
When Prabhupda had first arrived in America, he initially sought the help
of his godbrothers, but to no avail. Then suddenly, after hearing about the
success of his preaching, they had invited him to return to India to discuss how
they could jointly continue spreading the mission. He saw in their abrupt
change of heart a warning to be cautious.
Now Prabhupdas plan is that the World Sankirtan Party will arrive in
Bombay, travel around India, and end the tour in Calcutta. Acyutananda has
been broadcasting the news that Prabhupda will soon come to India with a
large contingent of forty devotees. (Letter to Tamal Ka, May 1, 1970) There
are hardly forty devotees in any of the Gauya Maths, what to speak of on a
traveling party. Whatever impressions the godbrothers might have had, they
are now definitely aware that Swami Mahrja is doing some big preaching in
the Western countries.
Gradually, Prabhupda begins to notice other disturbing oversights. One
day, after returning from his morning walk, he notices that one of the ladies
cleaning his quarters has absent-mindedly placed his picture upside down. Then
after greeting the Deities, Prabhupda is offered caramta. But someone has
put salt in it instead of sugar! Another disturbing incident.
As more publications arrive from ISKCON Press in Boston, Prabhupda is
startled to see they have printed his name on one small paperback simply as
A.C. Bhaktivedanta, leaving out His Divine Grace and Swami Prabhupda.
Another booklet ascribes him the title Acharya rather than
Founder-Acharya. If thats not bad enough, upon opening the book the
binding cracks and some of the pages fall out. Prabhupda is furious.
He also discovers that not all the devotees are chanting their prescribed
sixteen rounds. In fact, some are encouraged by temple authorities to do service
in lieu of chanting rounds. The rationale is that devotional service is more
important than personal chanting of rounds. Of course, chanting rounds is

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devotional service, and is directly ordered by the spiritual master.
One morning before class, Prabhupda asks, Is everyone chanting sixteen
rounds?
Bhakta dsa raises his hand. No, rla Prabhupda.
Prabhupda looks at him and queries, Why? Why you are not chanting
sixteen rounds?
rla Prabhupda, Im working twenty hours a day and only sleeping four
hours. I dont have any time for chanting these rounds.
Bhakta dsa: I didnt know that practically nobody was chanting sixteen
rounds because Gargamuni had the philosophy that everyone should work,
and chanting of the rounds was a secondary part of our life. Most important
was to work.
abhadeva: I had been personally instructed by the leaders that the rounds
are only there if you dont have some service to do, so you dont fall into my.
Otherwise there is so much service to do. I do remember Prabhupda speaking
about the rounds right in the temple room. Do not think these rounds, this
chanting of japa, when you have idle time, then chant japa. Let me do
devotional service, and then when there is some free time, let me chant japa.
No. Japa is foremost.
The fact that some disciples are not chanting the required 16 rounds comes
as a shock to rla Prabhupda. He had always emphasized the chanting of the
Holy Name as the prime duty for anyone wishing to develop Ka prema in
this age, just as Lord Caitanya had done five centuries earlier.
In June, a letter arrives from Tamal Ka in Paris that further annoys rla
Prabhupda. Tamal asks about his spiritual masters previous life and whether
he had been subjected to the laws of material nature. In a very humble manner,
Prabhupda answers as in the normal course of affairs, justifying his position as
spiritual master. He gives no indication in his reply of what he is experiencing
throughout the movement.
Ka philosophy is understood as it is stated in the Vedas:
yasya deve par bhaktir yath deve tath gurau
tasyaite kathit hy arth prakante mahtmana
One who has got unflinching faith in the Supreme Lord and similar

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 faith in his Spiritual Master, to him only the imports of Vedic knowledge
become revealed.
A Spiritual Master is always liberated. In any condition of his life he
should not be mistaken as ordinary human being. This position of a Spiritual
Master is achieved by three processes. One is called sadhana siddha. That
means one who is liberated by executing the regulative principles of
devotional service. Another is kripa siddha, one who is liberated by the mercy
of Ka or His devotee. And another is nitya siddha, who is never forgetful of
Ka throughout his whole life. These are the three features of the perfection
of life.
So far Narada Muni is concerned, in his previous life he was a
maidservants son, but by the mercy of the devotees he later on became siddha,
and next life he appeared as Narada with complete freedom to move anywhere
by the grace of the Lord. So even though he was in his previous life a
maidservants son, there was no impediment in the achievement of his perfect
spiritual life. Similarly, any living entity who is conditioned can achieve the
perfectional stage of life by the above mentioned processes and the vivid
example is Narada Muni.
So I do not know why you have asked about my previous life. Whether I
was subjected to the laws of material nature? So, even though accepting that I
was subjected to the laws of material nature, does it hamper in my becoming
Spiritual Master? What is your opinion? From the life of Narada Muni it is
distinct that although He was a conditioned soul in His previous life, there was
no impediment of His becoming the Spiritual Master. This law is applicable
not only to the Spiritual Master, but to every living entity.
...So far I am concerned, I cannot say what I was in my previous life, but
one great astrologer calculated that I was previously a physician and my life
was sinless. Besides that, to corroborate the statement of Bhagavad-gita,
sucinam srimatam gehe yogabhrasta samyayate, which means an unfinished yogi
takes birth in rich family or born of a suci or pious father. By the grace of
Ka I got these two opportunities in the present life to be born of a pious
father and brought up in one of the richest, aristocratic families of Calcutta
(Kasinath Mullick). The Rdh Ka Deity in this family called me to (1966)
meet Him, and therefore last time when I was in Calcutta, I stayed in that
temple along with my American disciples. Although I had immense
opportunities to indulge in the four principles of sinful life because I was
connected with a very aristocratic family, Ka always saved me, and
throughout my whole life I do not know what is illicit sex, intoxication,
meat-eating or gambling. So far my present life is concerned, I do not
remember any part of my life when I was forgetful of Ka.
Letter to Tamal Ka, June 21, 1970

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 Next, Prabhupda learns that his secretary, Devananda, is showing his
incoming mail to temple leaders, who arbitrarily decide to withhold letters they
feel are not important. This offense of censoring the Spiritual Masters
correspondence outrages rla Prabhupda. Now he also discovers that these
same leaders are denying other disciples direct access to him, on the plea of
protecting his privacy. He recalls that during Ratha-ytr he had been
restricted from riding on Subhadra-devs cart. His leading disciples are acting
independently and without authority to control him.
With so many disturbing incidents coming mostly from his senior men,
Prabhupda can understand the purport of these omenshis position is being
minimized by an element of my emanating from India. A relative conception
of his stature as Spiritual Master has infiltrated the Society. He sees seeds of
calamity in his movement, although his young disciples are not consciously
plotting. But rla Prabhupda knows that if this tendency continues, the
movement will go off the track and he could lose his authority. The entire
mission will be compromised as a result.
As far as Prabhupda is concerned, there is a major crisis in ISKCON. He is
pained that certain leaders are trying to isolate him from the other devotees. He
knows well that spiritual life is like the blade of an ax, and without the expert
guidance of a spiritual master, neophytes can make serious mistakes that will
chop down their creeper of devotion. Maya is always looking for a chance to
attack the neophyte, and Prabhupda wants to teach his disciples how to
correctly honor the guru so they will be protected from negative influences.
In responding to this conspiracy, he is safeguarding his movement from all
potential dangers. Being a sensitive person, Prabhupda is hurt by the
insensitive dealings of his disciples. He knows that if the movement is to remain
pure he must act quickly and decisively to put out the fire. The result is the
reorganization of the entire Society.
In the first four years of its existence, ISKCON has spread the teachings of
Lord Caitanya through the householder couples that Prabhupda sent out.
They have accomplished what no other Vaiavas have ever done, including
sannyss from India; they have fulfilled Lord Caitanyas prophecy in the
Western world.
rla Prabhupda was always planning to introduce the sannysa-rama

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because his mission is to establish both bhagavat-dharma and
varrama-dharma in the West. He has already given the sannysa order to
Krtannanda Swami, and has seen that it is possible for Westerners to adopt
this ashram. Because sannyss can travel unrestrictedly to spread the mission
worldwide, he will now expand this idea by giving sannysa to some of his other
leading students.
At the same time, Prabhupda has also carefully thought about establishing a
Governing Body Commission according to the instructions of rla
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkur for the Gauya Math. He has both
Gargamuni and Brahmnanda in mind for this service. They are among the
most senior devotees in the movement, having been initiated four years.
Now my desire is that I completely devote my time in the matter of writing and
translating books, and arrangement should now be done that our Society be
managed automatically. I think we should have a central governing body for
dealing with important matters. I have already talked with Gargamuni about
this. So if you come back by the Ratha-ytr festival, we can have a
preliminary meeting at San Francisco in this connection.
Letter to Brahmananda, June 19, 1970

Brahmnanda is not only the temple president of New York and

Prabhupdas East Coast manager, he is also fully responsible for the printing of
Prabhupdas books, which includes overseeing ISKCON Press and negotiating
with the printers in Japan. He is highly regarded by the devotees as well and is
considered the biggest devotee in the movement. Highly regarded devotees
usually get a big plate of mah-prasdam, and Brahmnandas relish for
prasdam adds to his reputation for being the biggest devotee in the movement.
Although Brahmnanda is usually jovial, he can also be stern and serious.
Gargamuni, his brother, is a different type of personality, more outgoing,
though mostly bluster. He has been in charge of New Dwaraka, ISKCONs
World Headquarters, since Tamal Kas departure for Europe last year. He
also launched Spiritual Sky Products, the incense manufacturing and
marketing business, which has quickly grown into a large economic concern,
financing all the Los Angeles temple projects. Gargamuni is the consummate
businessman. Under his administration, Los Angeles temple is flourishing.
But now, rla Prabhupda changes his mind about giving the two brothers
such sweeping management authority. He can perceive that they are gathering

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too much power. Instead he decides to give them sannysa, effectively taking
away all their responsibilities in favor of their traveling and preaching.
He also chooses Subala, the Philadelphia temple president, as a sannysa
candidate. Subala is a lonera quiet, reserved personjust the right mood for
a sannys. He is a staunch preacher and has already opened two centers. He
joined in San Francisco at the same time as Jaynanda and is considered well
versed in the philosophy. He has been a devotee for three and a half years.
Subala receives the telephone call late one afternoon. He has just finished
performing the marriage ceremony of Dmodara and Mrganetri, who have
come up from Washington so that Subala could perform their yaja. The call is
from Los Angeles with the message that Prabhupda wants him to come
immediately. He has no idea what is in store for him.
Prabhupda selects Viujana as a fourth candidate for sannysa. He is the
baby of the group, having just reached the age of twenty-two. Although he has
been in the movement less than two and a half years, he has the taste for the
Holy Name and is dedicated to making new devotees and training them up in
Ka consciousness. Although very young, Viujana is fully surrendered to
whatever comes into his life, and he accepts the Gurus order without really
giving it much thought.
One may wonder about the position of a devotee who is ordered to take
sannysa rather than accept that vow by his own desire. This is an example of
an extraordinary situation. On the one hand, Prabhupda is trying to combat
the infiltration of a conspiracy against his Society, while on the other hand,
by initiating these individuals into the renounced order, he is giving them an
opportunity to come to a higher stage of spiritual life, so that they may one day
actually be sannysis. Moreover, he is planning to preach in India, and with the
institution of sannysa ISKCON will realize the corollary benefit of being
accepted as a bona-fide branch of the Gauya Vaiava sampradya.
Prabhupda hopes to accomplish these purposes simultaneously by introducing
the sannysa-rama in ISKCON.
The new sannyss may seem like sacrificial lambs being used for a higher
purpose than just their own potential for spiritual advancement, but they are
being utilized by Ka to help rla Prabhupda fulfill His mission on earth.
This is, no doubt, special mercy on them.

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 After a few days, Prabhupda changes his mind about giving sannysa to
Gargamuni. He knows that Gargamuni is more a businessman than a sannys.
He even likes to call him Garga-money. Since Gargamuni is doing an
excellent job managing the Los Angeles temple and Spiritual Sky Products,
Prabhupda would rather keep him there. But Gargamuni has now become
attached to the sannysa idea and volunteers to accept the renounced order
along with his brother.
All four candidates stand a good chance to make it in the renounced order of
life. Subala, Viujana, and Gargamuni have already been married and are now
wearing saffron. Brahmnanda is older and has been celibate since first joining.
Admittedly, they are young men and there is every chance they may fall from
the sannysa platform, but there is no loss or diminution in devotional service.
Prabhupda wants sannyss, and these four young men are the chosen ones.
The role of the sannyss is to devote themselves fully to traveling and
preaching. In this way, ISKCON benefits, the conditioned souls benefit, and
the sannyss individually benefit.
Prabhupda decides to create his Governing Body Commission from
amongst the leading ghasthas to structure the politics of ISKCON and prevent
individuals from gathering power and acting independently. The role of the
GBC body is to manage the Society in collaboration with the local temple
presidents. This structure will give ISKCON long term management stability
that will endure the vicissitudes of time.
After Ratha-ytr, Prabhupda instructed the senior devotees to convene a
meeting in Berkeley to discuss drafting a constitution how ISKCON will be
governed. Their proposal was that one of them should be elected as his chief
representative. But what was the need for another single leader when the
Founder-Acharya was already present? Obviously, these young disciples did not
understand their masters rationale, that their strength lay in unity, in acting
cooperatively.
Despite their shortcomings, Prabhupda wants to give his most capable
householders joint responsibility for managing ISKCONs worldwide activities.
And by choosing his best ghastha managers for the GBC, Prabhupda thereby
leaves the sannyss free of managerial responsibilities so they can travel to
every town and village to preach.

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 While Prabhupda is deliberating over these affairs, things go on normally in
ISKCON, and nobody has any idea that His Divine Grace is planning
important changes for the movement.

Every morning Prabhupda enjoys taking a walk on the beach with a few
senior disciples. When he returns, there is always an exuberant and joyful
welcome from the devotees who line the walkway on either side in front of the
temple. When Prabhupda walks by, each devotee steps forward to hand him a
flower and then offer obeisances. rla Prabhupda reciprocates the loving
gesture by touching each devotee on the head as he passes.
Riktananda: Viujana had this delightful way of greeting rla Prabhupda.
Everybody knew he had a powerful, transcendent way of chanting, but there
was this one way he had of chanting one word in the prama-mantra. He
would accent the word rmate and just carried it high with great exuberance.
After the morning walk we were lined up on the steps to greet Prabhupda
when he would come back about 7:00AM before greeting the Deities.
Viujana would invariably greet Prabhupda as he got out of the little Ford
Pinto that the temple had bought to carry him around. He would step out onto
the curb, and immediately Viujana would go rmate
bhaktivednta-svmin, and his hand would go up very gallantly and salute
Prabhupda. Prabhupda would smile very nicely. There were moments like
that when the demigod and the representative of the Personality of Godhead
would share their love, and wed all bask in it. It was a very sweet moment for
everybody. It would burn away any envy that you might have, Why cant I
chant like that? Why cant I be right there greeting Prabhupda?
Yaodnandana: What personally impressed me about Viujana was he
always had such eagerness, like an uncontrollable urge, to chant the Holy
Name. And his demeanor, his attitude, his preaching was so sweet. He wanted
to bring so many people back to Prabhupda, back to the temple, back to our
movement. The devotional energy he used to manifest was just incredible. He
was so attractive, that there was not a day of the week that he would not bring
some people back to the temple attracted by his chanting. That was something

345
 that really impressed me about Viujana. It was very touching.
Every morning he would lead kirtan in the temple. He just wanted me to
play one beat for hours, so it would be a supporting beat, and he would go into
this ecstatic chanting and dancing and jumping. It was very, very blissful. He
liked the way I played, very strong and steady.
Everybody had been saying, Wait until you see Viujana chant, but I
never understood it until the first night I saw him on Hollywood Boulevard
chanting and playing this huge pakwaj drum. He started this beautiful kirtan
that went on for four and a half hours. It was just incredible. Every half hour
or so he would stop and give a little talk to the crowd. He was very methodical
in his kirtan, very systematic, very blissful, and very, very inspiring.
Prabhupda was pleased with his chanting.
Nanda Kumar: What I saw was that he could talk to a person and see their
soul. Thats the way Viujana was. He was on a platform of seeing
everybody as spirit soul. He never had any artificial renunciation towards
women, and he never had any strong desire to associate with them. Everybody
liked him. He was the kind of person who could go into a biker bar in full
Vaiava regalia, and everyone would like him. No matter where he went, like
the Goswamis are described, popular to the devotees and the ruffians alike,
and that was Viujana. No matter what kind of person it was, Ka would
direct him with exactly the right energy for that person. That made him such a
great preacher. I cant imagine anyone having anything against him. He
didnt have anything in him to complain about.
ukadeva: Viujana had the type of personality where you could gauge if a
person was envious or not. If a person did not like Viujana you could tell
that he was an extremely envious person. Because Viujana had such a
personality that anybody who saw him, liked him.
Meanwhile, up in Northern California, all the householders have moved
over to Berkeley, so the core of devotees at Frederick Street is brahmacr. They
have a little temple with no overhead; just down-to-earth, homespun Ka
consciousness. The mood is simplea pure preaching atmosphere. Thus the
brahmacrs just do kirtan and distribute BTGs.
Dhanurdhara: I was traveling in California during summer break from
college. When we arrived in San Francisco, we came across a kirtan party in

346
Chinatown, so we joined in. The next day we were walking past the temple on
Frederick street and saw the devotees through the window. Gaurahari looked
out the window and invited us in, Ahhh, Ka has brought you here. Have
some prasdam.
We saw this mechanic in an old car next to our van, and he was fixing
something. When he finished, he stuck his head out from under the hood, and
a few devotees came out of the temple. He put them in the car and sent them
off someplace like a father. This was Jaynanda. He asked us to help with the
Sunday feast, so we peeled plums for the plum chutney.
Then he said, You can go out to the park for sakrtana.
When we came back, he was at the door. It costs one dollar to get in for
the Sunday feast.
What! We just helped, and everybody said we can come for free. But he
was insistent that we pay. Normally that would have really flipped out some
hippies, but we said, We dont have any money.
He said, Have you got any travelers checks?
Yeah.
They cash them across the street. Somehow or other, he convinced us to
pay.
The next day he was in the temple, preaching to two nuns and some older
lay people. I could see that there was intense compassion for them. His
preaching was in the mood of, Youre suffering. Take to this Ka
consciousness. I remember very clearly his profound compassion. Even
though I didnt know the philosophy, I knew he was really genuine in his
concern for their welfare.
The day after, we went out again for sakrtana. We drove to the
sakrtana spot, but the engine conked out on one of those hills. So everybody
had to get out. Then the Berkeley van came by, and everybody was packed
into that. We were nice college students, so we got into the van last, but the
driver denied us entry, saying, No, you cant come in. Theres no room.
Jaynanda said, Cant you squeeze them in? He was pleading for us.
The driver said, No way.
So Jaynanda said, OK. Stay with me. He started to fix the engine and
told us, Just chant Hare Ka. One of my friends had a guitar, and we
started doing kirtan while he fixed the van. After he fixed it, we drove off to
join the kirtan party. So it was very impressive, his heart, his compassion.

347
 In Europe, Tamal Ka has been doing better since his marriage to Madri
dev. The householder couples have demonstrated that they are able to open
and maintain centers.
So it is very encouraging that London temple is being managed by one pair of
husband and wife very nicely. Similarly each pair should take care of a center;
and if you love me at all, then all of you try your best to open at least 108
centers during my lifetimethat is my special request. At the same time, we
must be very careful to see that every center is going properly.
Letter to Tamal Ka, May 27, 1970

Again rla Prabhupda declares his desire to see 108 Ka conscious

centers where people can take shelter of the Holy Name. His strategy is to
marry the new girls as soon as they are trained up and send them out with their
husbands to open new temples. Its a recurrent theme in his preaching as he
takes advantage of every opportunity to provide another oasis in the desert of
the material world. He feels confident that his householder disciples can serve
him with doubled energy. He has good reason to believe this. In London they
have already accomplished what his sannys godbrothers could not, and in
America the householders are taking responsibility to establish and manage
dozens of new centers.
Prabhupda is now mainly interested in book distribution and doesnt want
to tax his brain managing ISKCONs many departments. He wants a GBC body
that will be able to alleviate his management headache so he can just
concentrate on writing his books. He has a plan to tour the East Coast temples,
beginning with Boston, and give the sannysa initiations at New Vndvana
during the Janmam celebration. But after receiving a letter from
ymasundara with a proposal to purchase a bus and travel from town to town
preaching in schools throughout England, Prabhupda feels that this will be the
best program for his new sannys candidates. He wants them to leave at once
and start preaching. He also wants to go to London for a month in order to be
close to his new sannyss. Therefore, without any warning, he announces that
the sannysa candidates should be ready for their initiations after the Sunday
Love Feast on Monday morning.
The sannysa initiations after Ratha-ytr are sudden. At this point no one
has any idea that something is wrong and that rla Prabhupda is disturbed.
Everybody is pretty much absorbed in whatever service they are doing. There is

348
so much to do, and everyone is thinking that ISKCON is going to take over the
world in the next few years. Weve got a lot of work to do if were going to do
that. Nobody doubts itespecially people like Viujanathat the whole
world will take to Ka consciousness. As far as everyone is concerned,
Prabhupda is now introducing the sannysa order and these are all respected
people. They are the leaders in the movement so they are the most qualified.
abhadeva: His Divine Grace was speaking very strongly in his rooms and
in the temple. Of course, he was not saying there is my in the temple
because of this or that. It was just straight, pure philosophy, but it was
obviously being geared to some events that were taking place. It was a
reflection of some reformation that Prabhupda wanted for the Society. I
personally heard that Prabhupda was very upset. He was speaking so
strongly you could hear his voice in loud decibels. But no one knew what was
going on.
Bhakta dsa: Everybody was dumbfounded at this turn of events. This was a
new thing, and nobody knew what was going to happen. We knew theyd be
leaving as soon as they took sannysa. Sannysa meant to go out with
nothing and depending on Ka.
When they took sannysa, we needed some bamboo sticks for their
daas. We didnt know where to get any, but someone suggested we go to a
park in Beverly Hills where there was some bamboo growing. So we thought,
why not? So we got the bamboo and somebody wrapped it up. The day
Viujana took sannysa, I shaved his head.

Los Angeles July 20, 1970

So today is a special function day, Prabhupda begins. Some of our

advanced students, they are accepting the renounced order of life. First of all,
one of our students, Krtannanda Brahmacari, he was offered this sannysa
order when I was in India, Vndvana, on Janmam day in the
Rdh-Dmodara temple. Similarly, here we have got also Rdh-Ka temple.
There is no difference between Rdh-Dmodara temple and Rdh-Ka
temple.
So we postponed this to be held on the Janmam day at New Vrindaban,
but by some reason we are now postponing to go there, and we have decided to

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perform this function here. And I am very glad that we are all present.
Prabhupdas tone is grave as he speaks from his vyssana. Karandhara, who
will act as the officiating priest and perform the fire yaja, sits before the
sannysa candidates in front of the yaja-sthna.
Now, this sannysa mantra should be studied very seriously and we shall
chant this mantra after the regular function. Especially those who are accepting
the sannysa order, they should try to understand the import of this important
mantra.
The import of this important mantra especially is that, as we prohibit
several things during ordinary initiation, just like no illicit sex, no meat-eating,
no intoxication, no gambling, similarly there are many Nos in accepting the
sannysa order. Especially mating. And politics.
If we remain in the materialistic order of life, then this sannysa order will
be a facility for cheating. That responsibility you must have. That is the
meaning of the sannysa order.
Prabhupda begins the chanting of the mantras.
namo apavitra pavitro v sarvvasth gato pi v
ya smaret puarkka sa bahybhyantara uci
r viu r viu r viu
Then he leads the devotees in the magalcaraa prayers.
Riktananda: Prabhupda was chanting mantras and he seemed ten feet tall.
He sat on the vyssana and brought these mantras right down from the
spiritual world. You could see that every important personality in the universe
was there. It was just like the temple ceiling was blown off. Everybody was
looking at Prabhupda. It was heavy. It wasnt light hearted. It wasnt sweet.
It was heavy! We were gasping for breath. The room was filled with more
than the colors from the fire. It was just awesome. Here were all these big
devotees sitting there like little boys, receiving their sannysa. Prabhupda
was really etching these mantras into their brains. This was important.
Next Prabhupda quotes the verse by the Avanti Brahmana from the
Eleventh Canto. I shall cross over the insurmountable ocean of the darkness of
ignorance simply by taking shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Mukunda, who gives

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all kinds of liberations and who is worshipped by many great previous cryas.
(rmad-Bhgavatam 11.23.57)
After explaining the purport Prabhupda instructs the new initiates to take
their daas. He begins a kirtan, requesting all present to get up and dance.
After the prema-dhvani prayers, Prabhupda gives final instructions.
So, this is now formal accepting of sannysa, but real sannysa purpose will
be fulfilled when youll be able to induce the people of the world to dance like
you. That is real sannysa. This formal dress is not sannysa. Real sannysa is
when you can induce other people to become Ka conscious and they dance
in Ka consciousness. If you can turn one man to become Ka conscious,
then youre going back to Godhead, back to home, guaranteed. That is real
purpose of sannysa.
abhadeva: We had come up from San Diego for the sannysa initiation
ceremony. It was the first public sannysa initiation in the West. This was a
new thing, so it was a very big event. I remember Prabhupda saying,
Sannysa means you must all go out and travel and preach.
Immediately after the sannysa ceremony, plans are made for the
sannyssBrahmnanda Swami, Gargamuni Swami, Subala Swami, and
Viujana Swamito go to Boston. Originally, Prabhupda had made plans to
go, but now he sends the new sannyss in his place. They will do a short tour of
the East Coast, go to New Vndvana for Janmam and Vyasa Puja, and then
fly to England to help ymasundara launch his bus preaching program.
Viujana Swami is curious about Prabhupdas final words concerning the
real purpose of sannysa since he is already making devotees and training them
in Ka consciousness. He takes the opportunity to ask rla Prabhupda in
private about the meaning of sannysa initiation.
Nanda Kishor: I wasnt there, but Viujana Mahrja told me about his
sannysa initiation. Viujana was always thoughtful, and after Prabhupda
gave him sannysa, he asked, rla Prabhupda, what does sannysa mean?
Prabhupda said, sannysa meansno regrets. No regrets. Thats all.
Thats perfect.
Within two days, three sannyss have already left New Dwaraka. Subala
Swami returns quickly to Philadelphia where he is still president. He will spend

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a few days there just to train up Nayanbhirma as the next temple president
before rejoining the other sannyss in Boston. Brahmnanda Swami and
Gargamuni Swami leave directly for Boston where they have scheduled a
meeting with ISKCON Press.
Pradyumna: Someone was on the phone to LA and asked to speak to
Brahmnanda, and the brahmacr said, Oh, their Holinesses have just gone
to take rest. And that was the new note. They were now sannyss. It put
them apart from everyone, and in a way elevated them. So when they came to
Boston, everyone had a lot of respect that they were now sannyss.
Only Viujana Swami remains behind since he wants to ensure that all the
programs in LA will go on in his absence. Dnavr is now an accomplished
kirtan man, very enthusiastic and active, so he steps right in and takes over the
sakrtana party. The mood of training devotees is very strong. There is no
official Bhakta Program because the whole temple is so conscious of new
devotees. Everyone goes out of their way to offer guidance or help. The
atmosphere is very warm, although the sdhana is strict. No one is allowed to
nod off during the day. If someone dozes off, he is gently roused, Haribol
Prabhu. Hare Ka, and mildly told to stay awake or stand up.
The devotees are so attached to Viujana that no one wants him to be a
sannys, because it means he has to travel and preach. Everybody feels vacant
that Viujana will be leaving. He has been so attentive and compassionate in
helping them become devotees. Now he wont be there for them anymore.
Riktananda: After his sannysa initiation, Viujana continued to sleep on
the bare floor of the upstairs New Dwaraka ashram, always returning each
individual devotees obeisances that we always made between waking up and
showering.
abhadeva: When Viujana was leaving, it was certainly a heartbreak for
all the devotees. Everyone was attached because he would actually give you
energy to do your devotional service. He was an inspiration for both the
women and the men. He was just as loving to the women as to the men. Even
though there was some male chauvinism developing in the temple at that time,
he was beyond that kind of mentality. I would hear certain leaders disparage
women, criticize heavily, and speak to them in ways that were harsh. He never

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 got into that lack of culture. That was evident because the women were all
very attached to him. He was always open and approachable.
Anyone could tell he was very attached to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. He was a person you could look at and you could know that he was
actually thinking of the form of Ka within himself. His focus wasnt
material. You could see that his eyes werent focused on objects in the
material world. He was kind of in a trance, and the only way one can stay like
that is to have something happening inside.
With the three sannyss gone to the East Coast, Prabhupda is very busy
back in New Dwaraka. Recognizing that Karandhara is perfectly capable to
manage, Prabhupda puts him in charge of the temple. On July 24, he makes
two more sannyss, Devananda Swami and Karttikeya Swami, his secretary
and personal servant, respectively. He calls Rupanuga and Bhagavan to Los
Angeles and reveals his mind about a conspiracy that is going on. He writes to
Satsvarpa expressing his concern about the crisis.
At the present moment in our ISKCON campus, politics and diplomacy has
entered. Some of my beloved students, on whom I counted very, very much,
have been involved in this matter influenced by Maya. As such there has been
some activity which I consider as disrespectful. So I have decided to retire and
divert attention to book writing and nothing more.
Letter to Satsvarupa, Uddhava July 27, 1970

On July 28, rla Prabhupda drafts a statement officially setting up a

Governing Body Commission. With this document he effectively prevents any
one person, or any outsiders, from trying to take control of ISKCON. The
twelve grhasthas rla Prabhupda selects are: Bali Mardan, Bhagavan,
Hansadutta, Hayagrva, Jagadisa, Karandhara, Ka dsa, Rupanuga,
Satsvarpa, Sudama, ymasundara, and Tamal Ka.
The following day he issues another formal document establishing the
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust to publish and manage everything that he writes.
Whatever funds are received, fifty percent will be spent to publish books and
the other fifty percent to build temples.
With six new sannyss made within one week, the news spreads like
wildfire. When Madhudvia hears about it in San Francisco, he recognizes that
these are the senior men in the movement. He wants to be a part of this upward
progression and calls up the Los Angeles temple to speak with Prabhupda.

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 Can I be a sannys, too? he asks Devananda Swami, secretary to His
Divine Grace. After checking with rla Prabhupda, Devananda confirms that
his proposal is accepted. All right, come on down. You can take sannysa, too,
if you want.
Madhudvia hands over his temple presidency to Chitsukhananda and flies
down to Los Angeles the next day. He accepts sannysa in a separate ceremony.
First Prabhupda asks him if he really wants to do it. Out of seven new
sannyss only he and Gargamuni have volunteered to accept the renounced
order for the rest of their lives.
Madhudvia: Acyutananda was sending pictures of rla Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat as a young man that nobody had seen before to different temples in
America. I also got a picture. When I came down to Los Angeles before I took
sannysa, Prabhupda had that picture on his desk. I saw the picture and
said, That picture of rla Bhaktisiddhnta is so great. When I look at that
picture, I get great strength.
Prabhupda said, Oh? You dont feel strength when you see my picture?
I felt like I had put my foot in my mouth.
In Paris, Tamal Ka is astonished to hear that new sannyss have just
been made, realizing that they must have been chosen from amongst his senior
godbrothers. He had wanted association, and in the company of the other
ghasthas in Europe, marriage seemed to be the next step. Although Prabhupda
had mentioned sannysa to him a year ago, he had decided to wait at that time.
But after hearing about the new sannyss, he begins to doubt his decision to
marry.
Tamal Ka: I was dumbfounded. What had I done? I could have been one
of them, but instead I had gotten married. Feeling lonely and needing a
traveling companion, I had thought the only solution was marriage. But here
was the alternative I should have considered. Now my godbrothers would
come, but how would we associate closely? Remembering the camaraderie we
had once enjoyed made me hanker for it all the more. But I was married now.
Would my old friendships still remain close? For days my mood became
listless, as I silently reflected on my present condition.
Within a few days, however, Tamal receives a telegram from rla

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Prabhupda requesting him to come to Los Angeles immediately. His spirits are
instantly revived, going from depression to euphoria, as he runs to show the
other devotees the good news. Association with His Divine Grace is even better
than sannysa!
Meanwhile, Prabhupda receives a letter from Brahmnanda Mahrja and
Gargamuni Mahrja in New York. Enclosed is a check for $4,000. After
thanking them for the donation, Prabhupda takes the opportunity to preach
about cooperation within ISKCON.
I have asked Tamal to come here and Hayagrva to come here. Rupanuga,
Bhagavan das and Krtannanda Mahrja are already here, so I am fervently
appealing to you all not to create fracture in the solid body of the Society.
Please work conjointly, without any personal ambition. That will help the
cause.
It is the injunction of the Vedas that the Spiritual Master should not be
treated as ordinary man even if sometimes the Spiritual Master behaves like
ordinary man. It is the duty of the disciple to accept Him as superhuman man.
In the beginning of your letter your comparison of the soldier and commander
is very appropriate. We are on the battlefield of Kuruksetraone side Maya,
the other side Ka. So the regulative principles of a battlefield, namely to
abide by the order of the commander, must be followed. Otherwise it is
impossible to direct the fighting capacity of the soldiers and thus defeat the
opposing elements. Kindly therefore take courage. You are capable in so many
ways. Let things be rightly done so that our mission may be correctly pushed
forward to come out victorious.
Letter to Brahmananda Maharaja and Gargamuni Maharaja, July 31,
1970

After finishing the letter, Prabhupdas mind again becomes troubled with
the issue. Concerned about the future of his preaching mission, he confides in
Satsvarpa, giving further instructions how to maintain everything he has
given.
Our life is very short. The Ka consciousness movement is not meant for
fulfilling ones personal ambition, but it is a serious movement for the whole
world. I am therefore going to the Eastern hemisphere, beginning from Japan.
We are going four in a party and all of us are sannyasis. In this old age I am
going with this party just to set an example to my disciples who have taken
recently the sannyasa order.
I think Brahmnanda Swami, Gargamuni Swami, Viujana Swami,
Krtannanda Swami and Subala Swami, all of them, two in a party assisted by

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 other brahmacaris should form separate sakrtana parties and travel all over
Europe, America and Canada. Now we want very many Swamis to take up this
job. The grhasthas are to take care of the temples as well as the general
management. I have already formed the Governing Body Commission and
your good name is also in the Board. There is no time for creating a crack in
our solid formation of Ka Consciousness Society. Take it now with great
responsibility and everyone of you may serve jointly for Kas satisfaction.
Letter to Satsvarupa, July 31. 1970

Not all the news is bad, however. Most disciples are still giving Prabhupda
great pleasure and satisfaction. He receives a parcel from Himavati who is in
hospital after a car accident in Germany. For the past two years she has been
making outfits for Prabhupdas personal traveling Deities, and he is very
pleased by her sincere service mood.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of a package yesterday which contained one set of
Deity clothes. I have immediately got them on my Deities and They are
wearing them and looking so beautiful. You have made the colors and clothes
so nicely...
You are lying for some time in the hospital bed and still you are not
wasting a moment of your time. This attitude is very good. This is Ka
consciousnessnot to waste even a single moment without serving the Lord
in some way or other. So you have made these very, very nice dresses for Ka
and Rdhr although you are so much inconvenienced by your injury. I am
very, very glad that you have got this feeling to not waste even a single
moment in the service of the body and mind but to utilize very carefully every
moment of life in the loving service of the Lord. I beg to thank you once more
for the beautiful clothes for Rdh-Ka.
Letter to Himavati, July 30, 1970

New Dwaraka is overcome by anxiety over Viujana Swamis pending

departure. To many it is a shock. But there is such a wealth of qualified people,
that even when Viujana leaves, nothing really diminishes. On the day before
his departure, all the devotees gather for a picture in front of the New Dwaraka
temple with rla Prabhupda. Tamal Ka has just arrived, but is so
preoccupied in Prabhupdas service that he barely has time to get together
with his best friend before Viujana has to leave for the East Coast.
Bhakta dsa: All of us residing in Los Angeles Yatra thought the world was
coming to an end. We had no idea how we would go on without his
association and great inspiration. When he was gone, there was an emptiness

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 in the core of my heart that still remains today. After only four months with
him I had become more attached than to my mother!
Stoka Ka: Personally I had a lot of trepidation about how we were going to
continue in his absence, because Viujanas energy on sakrtana was what
kept us going. Viujanas energy, through his singing, was always exuberant
and everyone could feel it. After he left we didnt see him for a long time. It
felt like a separation from a great person. It was almost like what you would
read about, the way devotees felt separation from Ka when He left and
was no longer engaging in pastimes with them in Vndvana. The time with
Viujana was so special that when he left you really felt separation from
him.
Sacidev: I remember being very sad that he took sannysa, because he was
leaving. It meant he couldnt stay at the temple. It was a very sad day for all of
us. Somehow, everything kept on going. It was just a little different.
We all used to eat together in a big circle around Viujana, brahmacrs
and brahmacrins. He orchestrated cleaning the kitchen together, doing the
laundry together. We rode in the van together, we were on the street together.
We did everything together from morning until night; kirtan, classes,
polishing the brass. Viujana was very playful and had a great sense of
humor. He used to play a lot with Yudhihira and Hanuman. He had a lot of
little rasas with these devotees, like who could touch whose feet first. He was
just so playful. So when he left, something died in all of us.

Boston August, 1970

Viujana Swami flies into Logan International late in the afternoon where
a van is waiting to pick him up. When the van pulls up at the temple, the other
three sannyss are already there to greet him.
The temple on Beacon Street is a huge facility, also housing ISKCON Press
in a long hall directly beneath the temple room. It smells exactly like a print
shop, with its large old press, tubs of ink, and pallets of paper stock, almost
filling the room. Brahmnanda and Gargamuni have already met with the
ISKCON Press devotees and presented Prabhupdas desire to publish and
distribute books as his main business. After passing a few resolutions, they have
sent off their report to rla Prabhupda in Los Angeles.

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 The Boston devotees are very excited to have so many senior devotees at
their temple. These are the first sannyss in the movement except for
Krtannanda Swami down on the farm in New Vndvana. Nobody has even
seen a sannys before. The only concept of sannysa is that Prabhupda is a
sannys.
Pradyumna: We were all in the temple room waiting when they came in.
Viujana started singing sasara-dvnala-lha-loka... That was the
most electric thing Id ever experienced. The whole room went electric. It was
just unbelievable. I was in ecstasy. So we had a beautiful kirtan and they all
spoke briefly. Then we went out chanting in the street. It was very blissful
associating with them.
Madhavananda, Bharadraja, and Giriraja have been doing the sakrtana
party in Boston. By going out every day, they have gradually built it up.
Bharadraja is almost always the kirtan leader. He is to Boston what Viujana
was to Los Angeles. The party attracts many new bhaktas, and by the summer of
1970 there are over thirty devotees going out to chant on a regular basis in the
Commons.
The Boston devotees had originally expected rla Prabhupda to come, so
the whole temple was abuzz with, Prabhupda is coming, Prabhupda is
coming! But in place of their spiritual master, the four new sannyss arrive
instead. Viujana is already well known in the movement for his kirtan, so the
Boston devotees are excited to go out with him on sakrtana.
Madhavananda: We had heard about Viujana before he arrived, about the
sakrtana parties he led out in LA. They were already famous. In Boston, we
had the ISKCON Press, so when Advaita, who was running the press with
Uddhava, went out to LA, he came back and said, Madhavananda, youve
got to hear this devotee. You wont believe it. People just come by and watch
for hours, and they swoon and some are even crying. So when he came here
and led the sakrtana party out everybody loved him. We were all very
impressed with Viujana Mahrja, by his sincerity and genuineness.
Anaga-majar dev ds: All the devotees in the temple were so excited that
Viujana was coming. Everyone was running around, Hes coming. Theres
going to be ecstatic kirtans. So I got a little excited, and I was thinking, Who

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is this person thats so special? Then when he came, we all went on
sakrtana. He was leading kirtan, and it was super ecstatic. We were
dancing in ecstasy, totally.
At the end of the kirtan, all of a sudden an old lady came running up and
embraced him. She was old, but she forcibly embraced him and said, Youre
so beautiful. I love this. I love it. She was actually feeling symptoms of ecstasy
from the Holy Name. He was very gentlemanly with her. I was very impressed
how he handled it. He didnt push her away, but he was very kind and nice. He
started preaching to her about the Holy Name and made sure she got a book
and some prasdam.
Narayani dev ds: Prabhupda had said that he was going to come to
Boston, so about ten interested prospective devotees decided to stay at the
temple to meet him. Instead, four new sannyss came. We were having street
sakrtana everyday. Viujana Mahrja was out there leading the
sakrtana, and although we were having problems with the police, he was
very poised and very in charge of the situation. He led us fearlessly, and I
didnt worry about the police because he was so self-assured.
Since I was a professional musician, I was always attracted to devotees
who could sing properly. He was so lively and such a great musician also, that
I really enjoyed that sakrtana. When he would speak between chanting, you
would feel so inspired because he really cared about the people he was
speaking to, and he really wanted in his heart to make them devotees. He
wanted to see them advance in spiritual life. When I heard him speak, I just
felt like I really wanted to be a devotee. I was very inspired by him personally
to become a devotee. Not only me, but about ten others became devotees and
never left. He exuded a lot of warmth and a lot of love. He was a very humble
person. Even though Prabhupda didnt come, we all became devotees
because of the association of Viujana Swami.
Suresvara: I remember Patit Uddharan knelt on the porch in front of
Viujana Swami and was offering prayers to him. Patit was a very ethereal
guy, and he was reading these far-out prayers and swooning at his feet.
Viujana Mahrja was smiling and just patted him on the head, saying,
Hare Ka. Glories to Prabhupda. I remember that unabashed worship
and adulation from Patit Uddharan. I thought it was all part of the far-out
experience of coming to Ka consciousness, seeing this behavior. Just like

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 seeing grown men with shaved heads dancing around a plant. What do you
make of that? It was all part of the new world I had just stepped into.
On Sunday, the sannyss take the kirtan party to Cambridge Commons,
where the students like to hang out. The first Earth day had passed that April,
and the whole 60s mood is very prominent. Many people are out on the
Commons all summer. A stage is always set up because somebody is always doing
something for the public. Viujana Mahrja takes advantage of the
opportunity to lead the kirtan party on stage.
Suresvara: They led us on sakrtana at the height of the anti-war movement
in Cambridge Commons. The kirtans there were just overwhelming. I
remember being up on a stage with the sannyss and bowing down during the
kirtan, because I was thinking, My God, this is the spiritual world. It was
just incredible. The crowd was coming up on the stage, and it was totally huge.
Then we ended up in the theater district, because Hair was playing.
When people came out of the theater, they walked into us and they didnt
know what was going on. Before we even got to Hair, we snake-danced our
way through the streets, and there was so much tumult, and foment, and
demonstrations, yet we would sweep up all the other demonstrations in our
wake because we were just more powerful. In those days, of course, the whole
temple went out. Were talking about fifty devotees, plus the sannyss. I
remember especially Viujana Swami was leading the pack, and my
impression of him was that he was like a golden palomino, because his long,
thick ikh was flying, and he would leap up in the air. As he would leap, he
would play the mdaga in such an amazing way. Sometimes the other
sannyss would leap with him, going face to face chanting Hare Ka! They
just completely overwhelmed me with their effulgence and their spirit. It was
like I had left my body and gone back to Godhead.
Jadur dev ds: He told me two things. One is that Prabhupda would give
him harmonium lessons. For every new tune he could sing, Prabhupda
would give another harmonium lesson. Another thing he said was that he was
telling Prabhupda how merciful he was. So Prabhupda said, Actually the
mercy is available for everyone, just as the sun is for everyone, but some
people hide in the closet, and other people come out into the sunshine to get the
mercy, indicating that he was coming out.

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 After the Sunday Feast program, the sannyss leave Boston early Monday
morning to spend a week in New York. Brahmnanda Swami and Gargamuni
Swami are managing the party. Viujana Swami is the kirtan man, and Subala
Swami is the quiet academic.

New York City

The New York temple is now located in a huge loft space at 61 Second
Avenue. The kitchen is in the back, and to the side is the huge prasdam room
with walls of plywood board to separate it from the kitchen, where Rohini
Kumar is constantly cooking. The brahmacr ashram is also located in the back,
and the four sannyss stay there. It is a homecoming for the two local Swamis,
Brahmnanda and Gargamuni, who had joined in New York at the very
beginning of the movement. But Viujana Mahrja is attracting the most
attention.
Rohini Kumar: In those days it was easily ten hours on street sakrtana,
chanting and distributing BTGs. For most of us it was a first exposure to the
Viujana experience. I remember I was totally blown away. I had met
devotees from the West Coast before, but when Viujana Swami came and
we went out chanting that first day, it was just like a Gandharva from a
heavenly planet had fallen to earth and was in our midst. I would just look at
his face and the expression on it!
He just stopped hundreds of people on the street in New York right away
when he chanted. His voice sounded ethereal, not even a human voice
practically. His chanting just put us into ecstasy. The people that were
watching were even in ecstasy. They would stand there for hours watching the
devotees chant. They wouldnt go away. Then, when he would speak,
everybody would listen attentively to whatever he was saying. He had a simple
and clear way of putting things. Whatever he said, he said it so that people felt
like he was talking directly to them personally, and they really related to him.
Once in a while he would stop and have us mortal devotees chant in his
place while he went out to distribute magazines. Thats the way it was when he
was there. He mesmerized everybody in New York. It seems to me that was a
peak time for him when he was really intense. He had a really special charm
at that time. He was always Viujana, but then it seemed especially potent.

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 nd
Vaikunthanath: I remember going out for kirtan to 42 Street with
Viujana Swami. Now that was really fantastic. Three whole blocks around
there absolutely melted in transcendental ecstasy. People were so impressed.
You always heard about how Viujana led these fantastic kirtans out in LA,
well he did the same thing here. But New York is a better environment for
kirtan than LA. Its built for kirtan. New York was built for someone like
Viujana Mahrja because theres always people on the street. He was a
really powerful kirtan leader. He definitely had a lot of shakti. And when he
went by with his kirtan, literally everybody was impressed because they could
see, Heres a heavy duty guy.
Bhagavat: When I saw Viujana Mahrja, I was very affected because I
could realize he was an exalted devotee. Immediately I got that impression.
You got the impression that he was very spiritually advanced; that he was
really understanding and tasting Ka consciousness and the Holy Name.
You could see that he relished chanting the Holy Name. His expression
showed that he was deep in meditation, and you could feel that he was
actually associating with Ka through the Holy Name.
When he chanted on the street in New York, no one had ever seen anyone
like him. You could tell, because we were going out chanting everyday and
people would gather round. We were an attraction in New Yorkthe Big
Apple. There was even a commercial about the Big Apple, and you saw the
devotees chanting in the street. We were part of what made the Big Apple, the
Big Apple. But when he came and chanted, the crowd literally doubled. People
were absolutely awe-struck.
First of all, he was taller than everybody else. He was this tall,
magnificently built human being. He had a beautiful body, a beautiful face,
and his eyes were so large and lotus-like. When he would chant and dance
and run around and play, it was just stupendous. It was phenomenal. You
could not understand where he got all this energy from, unless you
understood what transcendental energy was about.
People were just amazed. I remember the looks on peoples faces when they
saw him chanting. It was a look of wonderment, of amazement. They were
awe-struck at the beauty and grace and power of this person. He was very
graceful. His movements were quick but very graceful and smooth. He seemed
to float when he moved. That was the impression that you got, that he was

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definitely floating on his ecstasy. He was extremely attractive and it caused
people to be taken in immediately.
I remember particularly the way his mouth moved, and the way his tongue
moved when he was chanting. Later on I read about how one should move the
mouth and the tongue and enunciate the Name with great reverence in order
to taste the flavor of the Holy Name. And although none of us had ever read
anything like that before, I could see that Ka had allowed him to perceive
that. Of course, at that time I didnt understand it, but reflecting on the way
he pronounced the Holy Name, the way he chanted, after reading that, then I
could see that somehow Ka had given him the understanding for
enunciating the Holy Name and for tasting the Holy Name. He was actually
tasting the ecstasy of Ka consciousness when he chanted. He was tireless.
We would get tired because we werent concentrating on the chanting, but he
wasnt getting tired. He seemed to get more energy the more he chanted.
The other thing I noted about him was this tremendous innocence. Unlike
myself or Gargamuni and Brahmnanda, even Subala to some extent, wed
been raised in large cities in the Northeast. We were street-wise people. People
who had experience with the material nature, its energies, and how it
functioned. We had done deals. We were wise to the ways of the world.
Viujana seemed to be totally innocent to the ways of the world, extremely
unaffected by material nature.
We were chanting and he was over by the sidewalk. There was a grating,
and under the grating he could hear the rumbling of the train. So he called me
over, Bhakta Joseph, come here.
I came over, Yes, Viujana Mahrja?
Is that the subway?
Yes.
My. It is like hell isnt it? His eyes widened and there was a sense of fear,
actually, in his face. Generally, his face always radiated with ecstasy and
happiness. But he seemed to show a genuine fear of the subway, like it was a
genuine hellish place. He equated it to that.
The whole temple went out and Viujana would lead the kirtan. I loved
to chant. He saw that I liked the chanting. One day he asked me to speak to
the crowd, I want to hear you speak. When I finished, he said, Very good.
That was nice.
That was another thing about Viujana Swami. He encouraged all the

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 devotees. He had a very positive attitude. That was his nature, extremely
positive. You never heard anything negative come from his mouth. He was
always encouraging everyone and he found time for everyone. He encouraged
me in my chanting, he encouraged me in my playing of the mdaga. Rishi
Kumar loved to play the mdaga, so he spent time with Rishi, showing him
how to fix the mdaga, tighten the mdaga, and play the mdaga.
He was a very good cook, simple but very tasty. It was sakrtana
prasdam. He would go into the kitchen and he would go on the altar. You got
the impression he was really enjoying himself; Ka consciousness was so
wonderful. You felt that maybe one day you could reach that stage and be like
him.
Rohini Kumara: I noticed that Viujana Swami didnt seem to sleep very
much. Brahmnanda and Gargamuni slept the usual amount, but he didnt. I
remember when they first arrived and everyone would go to sleep. Then all of
a sudden I would wake up and go into the temple room, and there would be
Viujana playing harmonium in the middle of the night. It wasnt just once
or twice. Id come out later again, and hed be in there chanting japa or
reading. Then I realized this guy doesnt seem like he sleeps. I remember that.
It didnt seem like he slept very much.
In the evenings, the brahmacrs gather in the brahmacr bunkhouse at
the back of the temple before taking rest. Everybody enjoys hearing Viujana
Mahrja speak about his association with rla Prabhupda. The brahmacrs
love to hear him speak intimately and he, in turn, encourages them to ask
questions about spiritual life.
During this period Dmodara dsa from Washington DC comes up briefly
just to pick up books and BTGs. He had met Viujana as a brahmacr in LA
and had brought back the Viujana tune that the Washington devotees
chant on sakrtana. He joins the other devotees in their nightly discussion
with Mahrja.
Dmodara: Everybody was talking with him before taking rest. It was a rather
odd statement, but I remember Viujana saying something on the order of,
If you love me, then love Ka. In other words, direct your affection for me
to Ka. It was a wonderful statement, because he was very much aware of
the charisma and power he had over people. He was no ordinary person in

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 that sense. He was a very powerful person. But the whole thing might have
gone to his head a little bit. Philosophically, the statement was absolutely
correct, but there was a tinge or a sense of his enjoying that position of being
idealized or worshipped.

Eleventh Wave New Vndvana Shakedown

Actually, in every town and city there are many, many devotees of Ka. Now
it is our business to go around the world wherever people are congregating and
pick up these sincere souls. The world is suffering for want of this knowledge of
Ka consciousness, and we experience practically that many people will take
to this spiritual line simply if we make this information available to them.
Letter to Bhagavan dasa, September 22, 1969

Los Angeles August, 1970

rla Prabhupda has decided to leave America. In his absence he wants to

ensure that his disciples will remain strong. Therefore, he introduces a stronger
morning program by stopping the late night sakrtana parties and establishing
magala-rati at 4:30 AM, along with the morning melody for chanting the
prayers and mantras. He also includes the chanting of the Nrsimha Prayers
after the rati, followed by Tulasi Puja.
Silavati has been getting up faithfully for magala-rati and doing the pj
herself while everyone else sleeps, but now everybody must be in bed before
10:00 PM to rise early and be ready for magala-rati at 4:30 AM. Prabhupda
changes the schedule because he knows the morning program is more beneficial
than the late night program. He requests all temples to implement the new
standards.
When Tamal Ka was summoned from Paris by His Divine Grace, he had
no idea what was on Prabhupdas mind. Tamal still has only a sketchy idea that
something is wrong when Prabhupda brings up the issue in private, although
Karandhara, Rupanuga, and Bhagavan have already briefed him. No one really
understands why Prabhupda is so upset.

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 Prabhupda explains to Tamal that some people have been trying to control
him and the movement in order to manipulate things their own way. After
relieving Brahmnanda and Gargamuni of any control, he is entrusting the
administration of the Society to a few trusted men and putting his confidence
in them to rectify things. Now he wants to get as far away as possible from the
place where the offenses have been committed and go to India in a positive
mood.
He requests Tamal Ka to help him. I want to go back. There is some
conspiracy. Take me out of here. It has become like fire. (Room Conversation,
Vrindavan, June 17, 1977) Forgetting all other considerations, Tamal takes on
his spiritual masters personal service and assumes the secretarial and typing
duties. Prabhupda becomes so disappointed that his health deteriorates and he
develops a very bad cough. His new GBC men are with him constantly and take
turns massaging his heart and reading KA book. Hearing Ka ll is the
only medicine that gives solace to Prabhupda, pained that some of his leading
disciples appear to be involved in a conspiracy apparently initiated from India.
Prabhupda had originally come to America on the order of rla
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkur, who had foretold his success in 1935, He
will do the needful when the time comes. Nobody requires to help him. At the
time, Prabhupda could not understand the import of the words even though an
astrologer had calculated at his birth, After the seventieth year this man will
go outside India and establish many temples. Nobody in his family could
understand. What is this? He has to go outside India?
Before his leaving for America in 1965, everybody had advised, Better not
go. It is too dangerous for someone of your age. Do not go. But Prabhupda had
decided to leave because the preaching opportunities in India, at that time,
appeared hopeless. He was determined never to return without completing the
mission of his Guru Mahrja. Since the schism in the Gauya Math, the
combined preaching effort had practically stopped, fueling the rise of
secularism and aberrant sects in his homeland.
Prabhupda had always felt that if his mission was successful in America,
then he could export it to the world, since many countries were openly
imitating the American way. Despite his ill health, however, Prabhupda now
decides to return to India, the source of the conspiracy against his movement,
to re-establish a vigorous mission there.

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 On Sunday, August 2, Prabhupda addresses the devotees for the last time,
although he will remain in Los Angeles five more days before leaving the
country. He wants to clear the airas many rumors and speculations have been
flying aroundwithout revealing the affliction he has undergone due to the
stressful situation created by some of his leading disciples.
Nrsimhadeva will give you protection in my absence. I am now going to
Japan to get some books printed personally, and after that my program is to go
to India. Maybe I shall be able to establish some temples there. Of course, in
India there are many temples, but it does not mean that I shall not also establish
some temples...
So my advice to you, I am old man, so even I may not return, you shall
continue this Ka consciousness movement. This is eternal, and I shall
request you to keep the standard as I have already given youthe Deity
worship, the kirtan, the street sakrtana, distribution of literature, books. You
should carry on this program with great enthusiasm. That is my request.
In the path of Ka consciousness the first principle is enthusiasm. If you
lack enthusiasm, then other things will not happen. And you can keep
enthusiastic if you follow the rules and regulations and chant regularly Hare
Ka mantra. Otherwise, that enthusiasm also will dry up.
So six things are required for advancing in Ka consciousness. The first
thing is enthusiasm, utshn dhairyt, and patience. And nicayd, with
conviction, firm conviction. Utshn nicayd dhairyt
tat-tat-karma-pravartant, following the rules and regulations, chalked out
plans. And sato vtte, dealing very straight-forward, no diplomacy, no politics,
no duplicity; that will not help; sato vtte vtte, his profession should be very
straightforward. No underhand dealings. So sato vtte, and sdhu-saga, in the
association of devotees. Six things: enthusiasm, patience, firm conviction,
following the rules and regulations, dealing straight-forwardno
duplicityand in the association of devotees, if you can keep these six
principles always in front, then your progress in Ka consciousness is sure.
There is no doubt about it. As far as possible Ive tried to train you, and you are
doing nicely. I am satisfied. Keep the standard and go on. March forward and
Ka will bless you. Thank you very much. Hare Ka!
Riktananda: The whole temple was abuzz that Prabhupda was going to

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 India and he was angry because of a conspiracy. I was thirty-three when I
joined. I was street-wise, but Prabhupdas presence burned it all out of me. I
felt like a child again, innocent and fresh. As a result, I didnt notice any
politics.
The small Rdh-Ka Deities that Prabhupda installed a year ago still go
out every Sunday morning for a stroll around the block. First, They are brought
out on an opulent palanquin and set up on the grass in front of the temple. One
by one, devotees offer obeisances and approach Their Lordships to tell Them
what personal service they have done that week. After making a promise to
improve their service next week, each devotee asks, by prayer, for the Lords
help.
After the offerings, Rdh and Ka begin their procession along Watseka
Avenue, accompanied by kirtan. Some devotees knock on doors to ask the
neighbors if they would like to offer fruit or flowers to the Deities. And people
do! Sometimes they even come to make a personal offering to the pjr, who
places their gift on the palanquin. Everything is given directly to the Deities.
Although theyre not devotees, they enjoy the ceremony and are happy to give.
At the corner, the procession turns right on Regent Street, then right again
on Cardiff, and back through the alley, circumambulating the temple. The
procession stops in the alley because Prabhupda is up in his apartment and he
always comes to the window to wave at the kirtan party, holding up his bead
bag, and putting the devotees in ecstasy. This time Karandhara, one of the new
GBC men, is also up in the room with his spiritual master. As Prabhupda turns
away from the window, he quietly cautions Karandhara, Do not involve them.
They are innocent.
Revatnandana: He called Karandhara in and said, There is a conspiracy
happening. They are trying to take control of ISKCON and take it out of my
control. Then Prabhupda paused and said, Alright, I will leave and you
may have ISKCON. I will go sit under a tree and preach, because I do not
require this organization to preach. So you may have the organization and I
will leave.
Karandhara said, Oh, no, rla Prabhupda. What good would the
organization be without you?
As Prabhupda makes preparations to leave Los Angeles, he begins to select

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the devotees who will accompany him to India. The World Sankirtan Party is
now being realized, and everyone is excited, praying to be included on the trip
with their spiritual master.
rmati dev ds: Prabhupda asked me, Oh, rmati, when are you coming
to India? Then Daynanda said, rmati, Prabhupda speaks to you like
his very own daughter. So I was totally inspired to go. In order to get my
money for India I started a sweetball business. I made bhakti balls [dried
fruits ground up and rolled in coconut], shakti balls [honey and sesame seeds],
and bliss balls [peanut butter, carob, and raisins]. They were the size of golf
balls. I had a little crew working for me. We would make large amounts, then
roll them in balls and package them in little plastic bags. I sold them to all the
health food stores from Laguna Beach up to Santa Barbara. Jayatrtha
bought the business from me and he called it Govinda Foods. I got a round
trip ticket to India and $500.
Kausalya dev ds: I had left my husband in Laguna Beach and come back to
LA. I put on a saffron sari and decided I wasnt married anymore. Tamal
Ka said were putting this group together to go to India, and Prabhupda
said I should go but only if I was to take my husband back, and then he would
go too. So I said OK. I was under age at the time. I wasnt even eighteen. So we
got our documentation together and flew to New York where we met up with
everyone else who was supposed to go.
Final instructions are given to senior devotees through letters. Nobody is
aware that it will be a full year before His Divine Grace will return to America.
Now all my disciples must work combinedly and with cooperation to spread
this sakrtana movement. If you cannot work together then my work is
stopped up. Our Society is like one big family, and our relationships should be
based on love and trust. We must give up the fighting spirit and use our
intelligence to push ahead...
Now I have set up the Governing Body Commission to handle
management, questions of philosophy, and personal problems. These things
are too much botheration for me. I simply want time to write books to satisfy
my Guru Mahrja.
Letter to Upendra, August 6, 1970

Prabhupdas party leaves Los Angeles with four sannyss, Krtannanda,

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Karttikeya, Devananda, and Madhudvia Swamis. One householder
accompanies themTamal Ka. Tamal had hoped for a reunion with
Viujana when he arrived in LA, but he had been so fully absorbed in serving
Prabhupda that Viujana Swami flew out to the East Coast before they had a
chance for much association. Swept away by the turn of events, Tamal quickly
finds himself boarding a plane with Prabhupdas entourage, bound for Tokyo
and on to India.
Shaktimati dev ds: The first time I saw rla Prabhupda was at Honolulu
temple, and he was just stopping over on his way to Japan. It was really just a
change of plane. He came in, gave a lecture, and left again. When he got off
the vyssana to leave, he stopped and stood for the longest time looking at
the altar. I was sitting right there with rla Prabhupdas feet right in front of
me. I wanted to touch them so bad. It just seemed like he stood there forever
giving me the chance, whether I was going to touch those lotus feet or not, and
boy, did I want to touch them! It was just like the biggest temptation, but I
didnt, because we were always told we shouldnt.

Philadelphia August, 1970

Meanwhile, the party of the other four sannyss has already arrived at the
Philadelphia temple, a three-story storefront on Lombard Street. This is a small
center with only four devotees, so the sannyss presence more than doubles
the enthusiasm of the devotees.
Right after breakfast, everyone goes out to Broad and Chestnut for
sakrtana, the place to be in Philadelphia. On Friday night they stay out late
and do the movie lines on Chestnut Street.
Daivisakti dev ds: When Viujana Mahrja came, I had never seen or
heard anyone like him. In the middle of the night I would wake up and hear
Viujana still singing within the ether. His harmonium playing and his
singing was so transcendental that it would just stay in my mind, and even in
the middle of the night I would hear him singing. It was so beautiful. He very
deeply influenced me by his chanting then.
I was realizing, even then, that this person, whoever he is, has some great
mystical potency for chanting the Holy Name. It seems that hes distributing
this Holy Name even on the subtle platform over and beyond the chanting

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that we hear when we go out on sakrtana.
Subala had written to Prabhupda that I had given my life savings of two
hundred dollars. I also wrote a letter to Prabhupda thanking him for sending
these four sannyss because they are enlivening the devotees so much with
their sakrtana. A few days later we got this message from Los Angeles that
rla Prabhupda was not initiating anymore. I was completely shattered!
But a week later a letter came back from rla Prabhupda, and he
initiated me through the mail. I got the letter when the sannyasis were at the
temple, and I immediately brought them the letter and showed it to them, and
they congratulated me.
Lambhodara: I was very influenced in those days by Subala, the temple
president. I was associating with devotees and coming after school. I would
leave school and ride the bus down to meet the kirtan party and chant for an
hour or two before Id head home. I was coming on a regular basis at that
time. I would come to kirtan after school almost every day. My parents and I
had finally made peace about it. Therefore, I could come and spend Saturday
and Sunday at the temple.
So I spent a weekend at the temple, and there were the Swamis. And
among them was Viujana Mahrja. He was the most powerful. He had a
big influence on my actually deciding to try and become a devotee. Viujana
had shakti, he had power. The others glowed, too. I remember Brahmnanda,
in particular, also had a presence and an energy, but he didnt have that
expression of emotion and love that Viujana had. That was inspiring
because many of the other devotees around me were stiff and formal.
This was the first time there was new blood coming through. They had
taken that next step. They had become Swami and taken those vows. To be
able to do that was very impressive to me. I remember Viujana, in
particular, as really having shakti. His face was bright; his glow was vivid.
What had transpired had real meaning and had moved him. Another thing
that drew me in about Viujana was the way he would just open up and pour
his heart out. Because if you showed emotion, it was sometimes disturbing to
other devotees. And yet he had emotion. I was very impressed by that.
I remember having gotten off school and heading down for kirtan. I could
hear the devotees and they were ecstatic. The kirtan was hot that day. I was
hurrying down the street in downtown Philadelphia:

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 Its crowded, and Im weaving my way through people. Viujana spots me
and just yells, Haribol! and starts going into a mad dance and comes over
and gives me a big hug. We jump up and down and chant Hare Ka for an
hour on the corner of Broad and Chestnut.
Whenever he sang and played, I would sit by him and chant. I was
impressed by his musical talents, by his true belief, and mostly by his power.
He glowed. When youre becoming involved with something like this, the guru
always has that for you. But when you see that he imparts it to the other
disciples, then its a really important thing. And of the four I remember that
with him. He was very powerful.
It was hard for me because I was one of maybe ten black devotees at that
time in the whole world. So coming from a Black background, when I sang
and led kirtans, it was just emotional. Thats what the mantra did for me. I
was oftentimes harassed about singing that way or dancing that way. Part of
what encouraged that in me was Viujana. He was that way, but no one
could criticize him. He was like Lord Caitanya, like a madman. I remember
him as being about 63, with a large forehead. If anyone in the movement
looked like Lord Caitanya, and I know how that sounds, but he did.
On Saturday afternoon the devotees of the Philadelphia temple drive up to
Manhattan to join the New York devotees for a mah-sakrtana-yaja in
Times Square. With the increase of devotees and Viujana Swami leading the
kirtan, there is also an increase in ecstasy.
Daivisakti dev ds: During those kirtans I saw for the first time the ecstasy
that Caitanya Mahprabhu must have experienced in His mah-sakrtana.
Because the looks of ecstasy that Viujana Swami had on those sakrtanas
cannot be described. It just looked exactly what mahbhva must look like
when someone is experiencing that. It was just so ecstatic with so many
devotees chanting, so many musical instruments, and so many people
watching. There were hundreds of people because the sakrtana was just so
fantastic.
While in Philadelphia, Gargamuni Swami writes to Madhudvia Mahrja in
Japan that he and Brahmnanda are now strictly following Prabhupdas
program and they feel a lot better about it. rla Prabhupda is in great anxiety
about the two brothers, having not heard from them for almost a month.

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Madhudvia, therefore, decides to show Prabhupda the letter. Prabhupda
immediately sends an enthusiastic reply.
rman Madhudvia Mahrja has given me to read your letter dated 16th
August, 1970, addressed to him. I have gone through the letter carefully and it
gives me a great pleasure. I am so glad to learn that both of you are now
chanting 16 rounds or more regularly and murmuring the Gayatri mantras
regularly. Please continue this habit without fail.
I am very glad to note that you are now realizing that without executing
the regular routine work of spiritual life nobody can grow spiritual strength
and without spiritual strength nobody can preach the Ka Consciousness
Movement. Both of you are my great hopes. You have done great service to the
cause of the Society and I always consider you as two strongest pillars of the
Society. rman Brahmnanda Swami Mahrja joined me in my apartment in
New York sometimes in 1966, and since then he is working so hard for
upliftment of our activities and later on you also joined to help the Movement
so strenuously. So your service to Ka in this connection will never go in
vain even though accidentally something contrary has been done. So far I am
concerned, I am the same spiritual father and guide of both of you, and I have
prayed all along to Ka for bringing you back to your good conscience. I hope
Ka is already helping you, sitting in your heart, and thus you are executing
the regulative principles.
We have a great task before us to preach this Ka consciousness all
over the world. I have given you all the sannyas order with a great hope that in
future you will all work for me. I came to your country to execute the mission
of my Spiritual Master at a very old age, and by the Grace of my Spiritual
Master within four or five years, with your cooperation, we have expanded
beyond expectation. Now if all you sannyasis work with the same zeal and
enthusiasm and if each of you establish another set of 30 to 40 branches with
necessary influx of devotees, then I am sure our Ka Consciousness
Movement will prove a solid fact throughout the whole world, and for this
purpose you have to gather sufficiently spiritual strength.
There is a statement in the Caitanya-caritamrta that without being
empowered by Ka nobody can preach the glories of His Holy Name, and the
only means for acquiring this spiritual strength is to abide by the orders of the
Spiritual Master. That is the verdict of all Scriptures.
I hope in the New Vndvana meeting you will all formulate a solid
program for advancing this Ka Consciousness Movement all over the
world.
Letter to Gargamuni Maharaja, August 23, 1970

A big festival has been organized in New Vndvanathe first

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movement-wide observance of Janmam. Devotees from all over America
and Canada will attend. No one has any idea that it is destined to become an
infamous event in ISKCON history.

New Vndvana August, 1970

The Philadelphia devotees drive up in their van, accompanied by the four

sannyss. Arriving in New Vndvana, everybody has to get out of their
vehicle and walk because there are no roads. There has been a lot of rain and
devotees have to trudge up through the mud to a little old farmhouse at the top
of the hill. There are crowds of devotees as more than three hundred have come
here for the event.
The sannyss have been receiving royal treatment from all the temples,
even being served on silver dishes, but this is New Vndvana. Hayagrva puts
them in a little geodesic dome made of plywood in which they cant even stand
up. He also orders that they be served on paper plates. Some devotees are
horrified at this suggestion, but Hayagrva is in charge.
The mood in New Vndvana seems strange to some of the city devotees.
They have difficulty relating to the laid-back farm mood, which lacks the strong
sakrtana preaching atmosphere so prevalent in the city temples. But
everybody is happy meeting so many of the other devotees from around the
movement for the first time.
Most of the devotees are still expecting rla Prabhupda to come as it is not
common knowledge that Prabhupda has left for Japan. So the next morning,
when the news is announced that Prabhupda is not coming, many devotees are
disappointed. At this point the four sannyss come before the devotees and
take their seats at the front of the temple.
As the spokesman, Brahmnanda begins his explanation of why rla
Prabhupda is not coming. Prabhupda has left for India, via Japan, with a small
party because he is upset and disturbed. He no longer wants to stay in America
because offenses have been made and his position has been minimized. With
the intention to maximize rla Prabhupdas position, Brahmnanda weaves
his conception that Prabhupda has left ISKCON and has withdrawn his mercy
from the Society because his disciples have not recognized his true position.
Satadhanya: When the sannyss first came, of course, it was impressive. But

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then they had a meeting with all the devotees in the temple, and
Brahmnanda gave a talk which was very heavy. He gave the example that in
India the chemists have a big bottle of colored water in the windowthis was
show bottle. He gave that example. He said that our devotion and our being
devotees is like that. Its all show bottle.
Satyabhama dev ds: Because we werent worshipping him enough, and
because of our sins and our offenses, Prabhupda was leaving. Hes sick
because of our impurities and our offenses. They had this whole philosophy,
and they would hold hours and hours of classes. The first day or two was this
guilt trip that were killing Prabhupda, and hes leaving because of our
offenses.
Satadhanya: Then he got into the whole thing about our misinterpretation of
rla Prabhupda and the idea that Prabhupda was something more, on the
level of Godnot just spiritual master. I remember everyone had Nectar of
Devotion open at Chapter 18, which talked about shadow attachment,
because that was their main argument. Whatever we have developed up to
now, its not actually that we are devotees. In fact, they said that were
demons. They quoted from that page and everyone had their books open to
that, wherein it talked about shadow attachment, which can also dissipate like
the waning moon.
Daivisakti dev ds: They were all sitting there with their daas and talking
together. The whole mood was really strange. I just remember one of them
made this announcement, that the reason Prabhupda hasnt come is because
Prabhupda is non-different than Ka. We all know, we sing every
morning the spiritual master and the Lord are non-different,
skd-dharitvena samasta-strair, and because of our offensive mentality,
Prabhupda has chosen not to come in our presence.
Abhirma: These classes would last five, six, and seven hours. Brahmnanda
was going through the whole thing, gradually unraveling what was in his
heart. At the same time he was quoting verses. Gargamuni, Subala, and
Viujana would join in from time to time to endorse the direction he was
going, trying to convince us all of the revelation that they had. rla
Prabhupda was leaving because he was disappointed in us, because we

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 hadnt realized the significance of the spiritual master. Brahmnanda built
everything up to how we had not appreciated who the spiritual master is, how
important he is, what he is, and finally he made a very dramatic pause and
said, He is God. I heard him say it, and I can remember it to this day.
Brahmnanda: Finally, at one open session during the impromptu New
Vndvana meetings, one devotee challenged me by asking if rla
Prabhupda was so great as to be Ka. Is rla Prabhupda Ka?
Silence fell over everyone; it was a tense moment. If I answered in the
negative, then my mission to convince the devotees to maximize rla
Prabhupda would have been defeated. I had to answer the affirmative.
Arguments broke out; and the atmosphere of the festival was permeated
with suspicion and doubt. For the first time, there was a serious crack in our
brotherhood.
The arguments soon erupt into anger and recrimination. The sannyss are
now defending the position that Prabhupda is God. We dont understand
Prabhupdas real position, that actually he is Ka. The scriptures say the
spiritual master is as good as God. You see? He is God. It says right here, he is
God. Everyone is so upset that it isnt a festival anymore. Rather, it has become
a very depressing gathering.
Dmodara dsa: There were heavy, intensive preaching sessions and
everybody was supposed to go. People were exhausted and nodding out, and
getting only three hours of sleep at night, discussing all these issues. It went on
for days, and it was heavy. They were essentially saying Prabhupda is Ka.
We didnt want to say that Prabhupda was any less than what he really was,
and here are these new authorities, the sannyss, saying that he was Ka.
So we didnt want to contradict them, and yet there was a funny feeling going
on.
Abhirma: The lectures had been going on for so long, and we were so
hypnotized by the drone of the voice just going on and on and on, that we were
just unable to respond. We didnt realize it was wrong. I dont think any of us
really heard it or understood it in the way that it sounds to an objective
listener. We kind of understood what he meant, because I dont think he
meant it exactly in a myvd way.

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 Satyabhama dev ds: The GBC kept meeting and discussing and trying to
figure out what was going on. Because it felt really weird, really off, but
nobody knew the philosophy well enough, except Hayagrva, who had done all
the editing of the books. Rupanuga was baffled. Hayagrva was the only one
who had them pegged. He was unequivocal. His final analysis was, They say
Prabhupda is God, and Prabhupda is the spiritual master, and sannyss
will become spiritual master. These are the sannyss, the leaders of the
movement, the future spiritual masters. So theyre going to be God. And thats
what this is all about.
Prabhupda had sent out a circular letter from Japan to all the GBC men
requesting them to work cooperatively and take up the responsibility of
management. So before the New Vndvana festival, the GBC had met
together to discuss the contamination that had caused rla Prabhupda to
leave America. But even after having their meeting, they still have no idea how
to deal with the present situation and are helpless to solve the problem.
Most of the devotees are helpless to solve the problem either by
philosophical understanding or by scriptural reference. Fortunately, some
people dont even know enough to get upset about it, but most devotees are very
disturbed. Due to the philosophical disruption, many new bhaktas, who have
never even seen Prabhupda, are shattered and leave. At least fifty begin
disappearing into the woods.
Palika is in charge of cooking for all the devotees, but she has difficulty
finding anybody to help her in the kitchen. As the lectures continue on and on,
the skeleton kitchen crew avoid further confrontation because they are busy
cutting potatoes.
Although many of the leaders are bewildered by the points the sannyss are
making, devotees who have been reading the books and paying attention to
Prabhupdas classes know that the new philosophy is all wrong. Conversely,
those who are bewildered believe that the sannyss have a right to voice their
opinion. Its the American way.
Labangalatika dev ds: It was Janmam, and instead of glorifying Ka
they were all giving these very heavy speeches about how you had to surrender
to rla Prabhupda because he was God, and if you didnt chant properly,
you shouldnt chant at all. A lot of new devotees left saying, I cant do this.

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 I remember Viujana speaking, because he was the most eloquent
speaker, and I was a little upset about that. I complained a bit, and someone
said, Oh, let them speak, they have a right to say what they want to say. I
just thought this is Janmam and its not very exciting.
It was a very negative experiencelike a cloud came over everything.
Because the preaching was wrong, it was very depressing. I remember being
very depressed from that time on for a couple of years. It took a while to get
out of it.
Anaga-majar dev ds: It was a heavy time. All those sannyss had a
problem with the philosophy. Brahmnanda was talking like that, and
actually Viujana was too. He kind of got a little heavy on it also, and I was
surprised. He quoted some verse from Bhagavad-gt, and even though I was
a new devotee, I could tell it was not right. I remember some old devotees were
crying, some were upset, some were bewildered. A few devotees tried to
challenge, but they were so powerful, they wouldnt let anyone talk hardly.
Later on in the brahmacrin ashram, Palika and the older women were
discussing it. I remember I ended up preaching to them that Prabhupda said
this, and he always said this, so how can you think something else? And they
all accepted. Then Palika went on elaborating and we all felt better.
Toaa Ka: I remember Gargamuni preaching to his little group of
devotees. I said, Our philosophy is
acintya-bhedbheda-tattvasimultaneously one and different. Then I
left. Later I was speaking to one GBC man and brought up the philosophical
point with him. The man replied, Yes, our philosophy is simultaneously one
and different, but why are you stressing the difference? At this point I was so
disgusted that I left New Vndvana and went back to New York.
Satadhanya: I remember Rupanuga saying to another devotee that they were
going to have to read all the books again. They meant it in terms of
re-absorbing all the knowledge so they could come to the same conclusion as
the four sannyss! Brahmnanda was the loudest. He was the spokesman,
but they were all talking it up.
At one point I walked over to Viujana Swami because he was the
quietest of the bunch, and I asked him, Mahrja, I dont know much
philosophy, but one thing I want to ask you. If Prabhupda is God, does that

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 mean that hes the supersoul in everyones heart? Is that what youre trying to
say? I could understand something was a little funny, but I didnt have the
status, nor the capacity, to take it on.
He said, No. I dont remember ever reading anything like that. So the
whole thing was funny. I was not a seasoned devotee at the time. They were
big guys physically, and being sannyss, they were just so heavy that no one
was really willing to take them on except Hayagrva and Satsvarpa. It was a
heavy thing, a very critical incident.
Revatnandana: Viujana was taken over by the whole thing. He wasnt
saying much but he was going along with them. He wasnt going along with
anybody else. I dont think Viujana ever realized that he was a conspirator.
I think they were using him to lead the kirtans just like usual. They were
pushing this strange philosophy on us that they had worked out. They got real
crazy. They werent eating or sleeping; they were talking all the time building
up their own thing, and they went overboard on it to the point where they had
to be stopped. Everybody was upset because we knew they had gone off
philosophically.
The sessions soon become so emotional that they spill outside the temple
room, where each sannys has his own little group of devotees to preach to.
Practically the whole movement is there for Janmam, and devotees quickly
become divided into two campsPrabhupda is God, Prabhupda is not God.
Bhagavan and Rupanuga, two of the new GBC men, are unable to defeat the
sannyss but promise to get to the bottom of it.
Dont worry. Were contacting rla Prabhupda immediately. Well have
his answer for all of this within a very short time. Lets wait to see what
Prabhupda says.
Other devotees continue to arrive in New Vndvana, expecting a
wonderful Janmam festival. All at once, they are right in the middle of a
huge controversy, coming face to face with the conflict and confusion of the
gathering.
Suresvara: The first thing I saw getting out of the van was Brahmnanda
jacking this guy up against a wall and telling him, Prabhupda has left the
country because you have failed to recognize that he is God. I didnt know
what was going on.

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 Viujana was playing the harmonium in a very melancholy way. Finally,
he was saying to the devotees that there is no use chanting any more. He felt
that Prabhupda had left and we are all just dead.
Sujana dev ds: We were so neophyte that we didnt know what to believe.
Obviously, they were too. It was really confusing, and a lot of devotees were in
tears, wondering what was going on. I wasnt too much affected by it, because
I missed most of the lectures because I had a small baby.
Finally, on Janmam day, all the devotees more or less put their
differences aside and come together to celebrate the appearance day of the
Lord. Whether Prabhupda is Ka or not, still the observance of a fast and the
reading of KA book is mandatory. In the evening a projector is set up, and
beautiful movies of Prabhupda are shown. Hundreds of devotees sit to watch
the films, which are able to create a unified mood of love for His Divine Grace.
Daivisakti dev ds: That was so wonderful. For me that was as good as
seeing Prabhupda. I was outside of the philosophy because I was just so
happy over the movie of Prabhupda. But even in my naive condition, I knew
that something really heavy philosophically was going on. I didnt like the
mood, how the four sannyss had changed once they got there. They werent
doing kirtan anymore, just mumbling and grumbling together, and I saw
them in a different way.

Tokyo, Japan August, 1970

The last few months have been very trying for Prabhupda due to the
conspiracy and contamination in the movement. He hasnt been able to eat or
sleep normally, so he doesnt look healthy. The distress shows on his face. On
his arrival at the airport some devotees immediately notice that Prabhupda
doesnt look the same. Has he been sick? they ask each other. No one has any
idea what is happening in America except Sudama, the temple president. The
devotees quickly discover, however, that something is grievously wrong.
In an attempt to display his spiritual master prominently, Sudama had hung
a large picture of Prabhupda in the anteroom where visitors leave their coats
and shoes. He had hoped to make a strong impression, as it would be the first
thing people saw when they entered the temple. Unfortunately, the opposite

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effect is produced as Prabhupda enters the building. Seeing the picture, he
instantly comments, The poison has spread to Japan. You have put your
spiritual master in the shoe room. This is an offense. At once, everyone feels
like theyre walking on egg shells, afraid to say or do anything.
On Vyasa Puja day nobody has any idea how to worship the spiritual master.
Prabhupda is shocked. He chastises Tamal Ka, who had previously seen him
perform Vyasa Puja for rla Bhaktisiddhnta in Los Angeles, but now has
forgotten everything. In disgust he leaves the temple. Devotees beg him for a
second chance, and he agrees to teach them again how to do Vyasa Puja.
Madhudvia Swami: We didnt know how to celebrate Vyasa Puja. We had
no garlands, no flowers, no homages were written, and the feast was not
ready. rla Prabhupda was furious. He got up and walked out the door.
Later that day he called us over to his apartment and taught us how to
celebrate Vyasa Puja. So the next day we celebrated it the way he wanted us to
do it.
Bhrijana: Prabhupda even specified the order in which the devotees should
approach him to make their flower offerings: first sannyss, then ghastha
men with their wives, then brahmacrs.
The GBC men from New Vndvana finally succeed in reaching His Divine
Grace by phone. When Prabhupda hears about the offensive philosophy being
preached in New Vndvana, he immediately clears away the fog and
denounces it for what it is: myvda philosophy.
Madhudvia Swami: In Japan, Prabhupda said after the New Vndvana
revelations, Now it has all come out. They have revealed themselves. They
have committed the greatest offense. There is only one thing worse than
underestimating the guruoverestimating the guru. They have said I am
God. Therefore, if I am God, they also can become God. This is
impersonalism. Hayagrva was the only one who protested. He was the most
intelligent amongst us all.
We were totally insecure at that point. We didnt know whether we were
implicated too. Everybody was scratching their heads about Viujana. How
was he involved? We all knew about Gargamuni and Brahmnanda, but
Viujana was everybodys Gandharva. Everyone felt implicated because, If

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 Viujana is implicated, I must be guilty too.
After speaking to Prabhupda on the phone, Rupanuga, one of the GBC
men, triumphantly announces to the devotees in New Vndvana that the
sannyss have been speaking nonsense and nobody should listen to them.
Prabhupda has assured us that he is Kas dear servitor and all of us are also
his dear servants.
By Kas mercy everything is resolved by the phone call. The incident had
been building to a head for more than two months, and this is the climax. In his
subsequent letters, rla Prabhupdas response to the New Vndvana incident
is to emphasize, more than ever, the chanting of sixteen rounds, the following
of the regulative principles, and a strong morning program to cure the disease
that infected the Society.
Yes, this attitude of surrendering to the Spiritual Master is the best
qualification of spreading this movement of Lord Caitanya. That is the Vedic
way. One should have unflinching faith in Ka and similarly in the Spiritual
Master. That is the way of understanding the secret of Ka consciousness.
Unfortunately, attempt has been made lately in our Society to shake this
formula. This mischievous attempt has done a great harm, but if you the
members of the Governing Body Commission can rectify this mischievous
attempt, then still there is hope of making our progress uninterruptedly. I hope
Ka will help us.
...Canakya Pandit says that if there is one tree in the forest producing
nice aromatic flower, that one tree can glorify the whole forest by the flavor of
its flower. Similarly if there is one tree in whose cavity there is a little fire, that
one tree can burn into ashes the whole forest. So this simile is applicable
anywhere. In a family if there is one good boy, he can glorify the whole family,
and similarly if there is bad boy, he can burn the whole family into ashes.
Similarly, in this institution if there is a bad disciple, he can burn the whole
institution into ashes.
The Governing Body Commissions duty is therefore to see that every
member is following the rules and regulations and chanting sixteen rounds
regularly on the beads. I hope the GBC in cooperation with the sannyasis in
their touring program will be able to keep vigilance systematically in order to
keep the Society as pure as possible.
Letter to Bali Mardana, August 25, 1970

Although the issue is now resolved, both the intensity of it all and the
after-effects prove to be quite devastating for some devotees. After Vyasa Puja

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day everybody leaves New Vndvana. For the leaders, and most of the
devotees, the issue has been resolved.
But some devotees have already left New Vndvana before Rupanuga
announces Prabhupdas final decision. Those who left early are still not sure
what to do now. Among those that have left are the Detroit devotees. They
return with the four sannyss, who have elected to carry on their touring and
preaching program. Everybody just squeezes into the steel floor van and finds a
place to sit on the cold metal floor.
There is no discussion about the incident on the way back, because no one
yet knows how upset rla Prabhupda is nor of his swift decision in declaring
that the sannyss preaching is bogus. No one is yet aware that something very
major has just happened to the four sannyss.
Abhirma is the driver and he accepts that role without feeling that he has
the right to make a friendship with the sannyss and discuss the issue. They are
so much senior to the other devotees, and having just taken sannysa, they are
considered almost like pure devotees. But the atmosphere is a little tense
because a lot of ill feeling from New Vndvana still remains. The sannyss
whole mood over Janmam was that something is really wrong in ISKCON,
but no one in the van is aware of what it is that is so wrong.

Detroit August, 1970

The van pulls up at 74 West Forest Street before evening. The sannyss are
given Bhagavans room, the upstairs front bedroom of the house, where they
immediately go to take rest. Bhagavan, the temple president and GBC man, has
remained behind in New Vndvana.
The next day after the morning program, the whole temple goes out for
street sakrtana.
Urukrama: We used to chant in front of the fountain in downtown Detroit.
At noon all the office workers would come out and sit around the fountain. A
crowd would usually gather around and Bhagavan would give a talk after the
chanting. Even being a new devotee, I had gone out a number of times already
and experienced the way the karms ignore you as much as they possibly can.
When Viujana Swami arrived, he came out in the van and he had his
fingers taped with pennies. He started singing with the chanting party, and I

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 was watching this man perform kirtan. He was bedazzling the entire crowd.
They all gathered and were watching him. Id never seen a crowd like this, at
that place, so attracted. Although it was a group kirtan, it was almost like a
one man performance. He was jumping and chanting this fantastic kirtan,
and when he stopped, the whole audience applauded. That was quite amazing.
The one thing that really impressed me about Viujana Mahrja was that
he was always so absorbed. He was constantly chanting, and he had such a
saintly figure about him.
Late that night Bhagavan dsa arrives back at the temple. During
rmad-Bhgavatam class the next morning, an argument suddenly erupts over
the philosophical debate that took place in New Vndvana. After prasdam,
Bhagavan asks the sannyss to stay in their room until he can get further
instructions what to do with them. For the entire day they remain in their room
while Bhagavan tries to contact rla Prabhupda in Tokyo. Although
Bhagavan is keyed into the controversy, he doesnt fully realize the purport of
the sannyss doctrine. But he does understand that there is a major problem,
and that there is trouble afoot.
When Prabhupda is apprised of the situation in Detroit, he asks his two
GBC representatives now in Japan how they intend to deal with the situation.
Both leaders, Tamal Ka and Sudama, respond that the four errant sannyss
should be driven out of ISKCON. (Tamal Ka Goswami, ISKCON
Communications Journal, Vol. 5, No. 1, page 19)
Prabhupda accepts their decision and sends the message back that the four
sannyss must leave the Society. They can no longer preach in any ISKCON
temple. Rather, if they want to preach, they can open up their own centers.
The temple authorities decide to wait until next morning before asking the
sannyss to go. Prabhupdas decision is swift and final. The fog lifts for the
temple devotees, while the sannyss remain bewildered, imprisoned in their
room like convicts under house arrest.
The next morning the sannyss have a separate magala-rati in their
room. Bhagavan sits with them and explains the situation. Hearing the decision
coming from rla Prabhupda, the sannyss are dumbstruck. In a state of
shock, they gather their belongings and quietly leave.
The Detroit devotees watch the sannyss trudge out of the temple and down

384
the street, daas in hand. Prabhupda has given the command. They are all
prominent persons in the society, even more so since taking sannysa, and
Prabhupda wants to make a very strong statement about the myvdi
tendency for all time. The decision is a complete rejection of their
philosophical stance, an objection to their one-sided over-emphasis, which sets
the groundwork for total corruption of the Vaiava philosophy. No one
questions the decision or has a problem with the sannyss leaving the
movement. They have to leave. Its what has to be done.
After the sannyss are gone, Bhagavan calls for an iagoh to go over the
whole problem. During the discussion, Ishan and his wife, Vibhavati, become
very affected by the philosophical issues raised. They voice a strong argument
against Bhagavan, countering that, in fact, rla Prabhupda is God. This is
exactly the outcome Prabhupda had been so worried he would have to face in
the aftermath.
Abhirma: This was the very effect, I believe, that Prabhupda was
concerned might happen, and it manifested in Ishan. He really went bananas.
From that we could see that it became a point of departure for him, which
separated him so far philosophically from us that it was fratricidal war,
practically. The argument got so heated between him and Bhagavan, that we
literally picked him up, four of us, on our shoulders, and we carried him
outside the temple and set him out on the sidewalk. He was eccentric, and this
was the type of thing that could put him over the edge. So it immediately
started tremendous problems. I could understand we were dealing with a very
dangerous subject here, from that experience.
As Ishan is being escorted out the door, the four sannyss walk the city
streets, dazed and confused. They have been cut adrift, all alone in the world
with no money, no friends, no family. Their only belongings are a few books,
their sannys cloth, and daas. In a state of shock, they realize that they have
committed some great offense at the lotus feet of their spiritual master.
Although they have been ostracized from the association of the other
Vaiavas, they still think of themselves as Vaiavas. Knowing that a sannys
must be austere and totally dependent on the mercy of Ka, they resolve to
walk the distance to Ann Arbor, a University town sixty miles northwest of
Detroit.

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 Prabhupda had said that the sannyss must travel and preach. Go out and
preach and be purified. Do not stay in the temples. He did not excommunicate
them but rather quarantined them from infecting the other disciples by barring
their preaching in ISKCON temples. The news quickly spreads about the
sannyss banishment from ISKCON. It is variously reported that Prabhupda
has rejected them because of their myvda preaching and they are now
excommunicated. No one is upset about their expulsion, and life in the temples
goes on as normal.
In New Dwaraka, however, the devotees are stunned to hear the news.
Riktananda: When it subsequently came out, Prabhupda said there was a
conspiracy to displace him. I was shocked: my Viujana is a part of this? I
could see maybe some of the others having a hand in this, because they had
that New York sensibility, as it were. But Viujana? I was astonished to find
out that he might have been part of some conspiracy. The scoop of the gossip
caught him up in it, but he had to be convinced philosophically before hed do
anything. I knew the difference between viu-tattva and jva-tattva from day
one. Why couldnt he? I wasnt a scholar when I joined. I had to run off to the
boiler room to read Teachings of Lord Caitanya. How could he buy any of
that philosophy?
abhadeva: I was a little confused when I first heard it, but my feelings for
Viujana were so strong about his sincerity. Viujana was a person who
was always right there with us as an equal, more of a medium of power rather
than someone who wanted to hold it and execute it from a holding position.
He was much different. So I remember thinking at the time that somehow
Viujana was influenced and implicated by association of the others. I
couldnt think that he would be anything but innocent.
Dnavr: It was so confusing. Some of the devotees were crying, Prabhupda
has taken his mercy away, and now we have no mercy. Thats how it was
coming back to us. Then we heard that Prabhupda was leaving for India and
may never come back. That was hard to take. We didnt know how to deal
with that.
Because we were chanting, everything just went on as usual. The programs
were so well established. Viujana had so strongly established that
sakrtana party. When you do eight hours of kirtan every day, plus morning

386
and evening ratis, you can more or less stand anything that goes on. We
heard these strange things, like they had been ousted from the Society. It was a
shock. We couldnt understand it. It was incomprehensible, but somehow or
other we just kept going on, because what else could we do? Even though some
were saying that Prabhupda had taken his mercy away, we didnt really feel
that because we felt Prabhupdas mercy. It didnt make sense, so we just went
on.
Revatnandana: Prabhupda specifically said, By making them take
sannysa, I am stopping their politicking by forcing them to preach. They
must now travel, and they cannot stay in one place to set up a power base. So
I am saving them by forcing them to preach. He was very much into this idea
that there was a conspiracy. He lumped Viujana and Devananda in with it.
Devananda was very upset at being considered to be a conspirator. He was a
very good friend of mine. He didnt feel like he was involved in anything, and
I dont think Viujana did either.
Im not even sure if what Prabhupda called a conspiracy was formed up
as such in the minds of Gargamuni and Brahmnanda. They were really
happy people, always smiling and joking, although they were a little
heavy-handed. They were totally absorbed in wielding power and
authoritywhat we call pratih. Thats what they had a bad case of. Thats
when the devotee horse trading started, Ill swap you two medium collectors
for one big collector. They were already doing that. Brahmnanda was in
New York, and they were always on the phone back and forth.
Bahulva: At the time, Gargamuni and Brahmnanda had some strange
ideas about somehow isolating Prabhupda from the rest of the devotees. I
think it came from some necessity in their personalities for control. They were
very restrictive about who they would let in to see Prabhupda. Somehow,
because Viujana was sakrtana leader here, because he was part of the
management, he became guilty of this whole thing by association with them.
Although that was never the behavioral trait of Viujana. He was the
furthest personality from politics. I believe that Prabhupda thought that
Gargamuni and Brahmnanda couldnt survive sannysa by themselves, and
so he told Viujana and Subala that they also had to go, just to give them
some good association.
Subala was a very nice devotee too, and I personally liked him very much,

387
but he was a bit more aloof from things. He was a little scholarly so you might
not have warmed up to him if you werent also scholarly. But everyone
warmed up to Viujana. I dont know any devotee that Ive ever met that ever
had anything other than the most loving feelings and praise for Viujana.
Gargamuni and Brahmnanda were not actually very strict about
following the program. You wouldnt see them chanting japa in the temple
with everyone. Viujana was always there leading the programs. He was the
driving force. He was the one who woke you up in the morning, led
magala-rati, and had the whole temple in ecstasy when he was leading. It
was just wonderful.
I became bewildered by that whole New Vndvana episode. I left the
temple after that occurred, because I didnt have enough knowledge on my
own. There was more of a reliance on authority figures. These were the four
guys who were telling me what to do, and now they were talking complete
nonsense.
Ujjvala dev ds: Later on I came to know the real truth and realized how
things are hidden from the devotees. Viujana was influenced by them. He
was easily influenced because he was a good boy, an innocent boy. I found out
there was too much politics involved, and thats why Prabhupda made
sannyss to go out and preach. Later, a letter was circulated to devotees, we
got it in LA, about the spiritual master being worshipped like God, but not as
God.
Mohannanda: After New Vndvana I couldnt believe it. I was absolutely
astonished. I knew that something had been fabricated. I was told that
Viujana was part of some plot to overthrow Prabhupda, but never believed
it; never for one second.
Narada Muni: Its hard for me to reconcile that there was motivation by
Viujana. I think that he probably got influenced by the others, who were
older devotees. Whatever it was, he took it very seriously. He didnt discuss it
later on because there was no point to. Everything had been rectified, service
was going on. Whatever little fault was there didnt compare with the ocean of
faults that I had, compared to him. Prabhupda said right in front of us that
Viujana came with the specific mission to enliven the devotees. Prabhupada
also wrote a letter to Viujana Mahrja like that. I remember because I saw

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 the letter: Your mission is to travel and enliven the devotees because that is
what you are best at.

Twelfth Wave The Silver Spoon

The association of devotees is the only solace for our existence.

Letter to Yadunandana, March 26, 1968

Ann Arbor September, 1970

An exhibit of the arts and crafts of India are a feature at the University of
Michigan as students return after summer break for the fall semester. The
University President and his wife have arranged the exhibition, being
interested in Eastern culture and traditions. They have a large garden, and the
wife is friendly with the gardener, a young man of nineteen, just newly married.
One day she suggests that the young couple visit the campus Museum to see the
India exhibit, knowing that they follow the transcendental meditation of an
Indian yogi.
The next afternoon the gardener and his wife visit the Museum. There are
many interesting artifacts, sculptures, and brassware on display. One area is full
of paintings, and these are the most attractive to the young couple. In
particular, they are captivated by a beautiful Rajastani painting of a bluish
young man expanded many times, dancing with various ladies. The caption
reads: Lord Ka enjoying with milkmaids in Heaven.
Indradyumna: I couldnt figure this out. There was a black security guard
there, so being only an innocent kid of nineteen, I asked him, Could you
explain this painting?
He didnt know anything about it because he was just a guard there, but he
looked at the painting and said, This be a paintin of Ka. This be their
God. If this be God, He sure is having a fine time up there in Heaven with all
them ladies.
He said it in a funny way, as a joke, but I didnt laugh. I thought, theres
something about this painting thats captivating. If this is what God does, its a

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 wonderful concept. God is the enjoyer, enjoying with the people. This is
fascinating. I asked, Is there anyone who can tell me more about this
painting?
No, he said, but you gotta get out now. It be time to close.
Close? No, I want to know more about this painting. I want to know
whats going on. Can you tell me? Ive been searching for this type of thing.
No, you get out now, boy, you get out. He hurried us out and locked the
door. I was thinking, Ka? Ive never heard of Ka.
As the couple walk out the Museum door they hear a unique sound on the
street, Ching ching ching, ching ching ching...
Whats that? He looks around, That beautiful sound?
I dont know, his wife replies.
Its very rhythmic. Maybe something is happening in the park. Lets follow
that sound. As they walk towards the park, they can hear it better. Ching
ching ching, ching ching ching...
Turning the corner they suddenly come onto a spacious lawn and notice four
effulgent personalities dressed in saffron with long staffs. Hey, theyre
American, he says to his wife. Theyre dressed like Indian monks but theyre
not Indian. Its amazing. Theyre so beautiful.
Its the four sannyss. Viujana Mahrja is leading a kirtan with only a
pair of kartls. As the day is quite hot, he only has his sannys top piece on with
his dhoti. About forty students and a professor or two have gathered round. The
couple are drawn like a magnet to that kirtan.
Indradyumna: Viujana was singing like an angel. Others were attracted
too, but many were coming just to make fun. Ann Arbor is an intellectual
school, so theyre a bit puffed up. Everyone was looking, but I went right into
the crowd and just stood there in amazement, watching Viujana lead this
ecstatic kirtan. After half an hour it just ended, and he went, jaya o
viupda paramahasa parivrjakcrya aottara-ata r-rmad
bhaktivedanta swami rla prabhupda ki jaya!
Kripamayi dev ds: All of a sudden the kirtan stopped and Viujana said,
I want to tell these people about Ka, and he just looked at us. He started
to tell a little bit about the philosophy.

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 As Mahrja begins speaking about Ka, the name suddenly clicks.
Indradyumna turns to his wife and exclaims, Ka! Thats the beautiful bluish
boy we saw in the painting, that the guard told us about. This is amazing. Hes
talking about Ka.
People start to drift away while others begin throwing a frisbee back and
forth. But the young couple are transfixed. Finally they are the only ones left as
everyone else has gone. Viujana looks at the couple and beckons them,
Come. Come sit down, and Ill tell you about my spiritual master. He says it
with such confidence and such devotion that they are immediately attracted.
Your spiritual master? They know what a spiritual master is. Theyve been
to all those stuffy, dry meetings where a guru comes in with his rap. But no guru
has ever had the mood that they are experiencing now with this young
American monk. They sit down as Mahrja opens a book to show them a
photo.
This is my spiritual master, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupda. Hes
written this book, Isopanisad. Viujana begins speaking about the philosophy,
always weaving Prabhupda in and out. He continues preaching to them for an
hour. The couple are immediately attracted to rla Prabhupda simply by
hearing about him, because the potency is there. Other people come, sit down,
and go away. Some challenge. But the young couple accepts whatever Mahrja
says because of the way he says it.
All of a sudden, Subala Swami comes over, barefoot, and sits beside
Indradyumna.
Hey, this monk said that youre walking around America, but you dont
have any shoes.
No, Subala replies. Ka will provide.
The young man flashes back to the painting of Ka dancing with the
milkmaids. The blue boy dancing with milkmaids in Heaven will provide shoes
for you?
Yes. Ka provides.
Thats incredible. I mean if you want some shoes, go buy some.
Subala Mahrja shrugs his shoulders, We dont have any money.
Wow. You guys are traveling around America, and you dont have any

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money? Who takes care of you?
Viujana answers, Ka!
So Ka is just going to send you some shoes, right? Its a cynical
comment.
Viujana chuckles, Yeah. Everyone kind of laughs, but its an awkward
moment.
About five minutes later, a hippie comes walking by looking very
uncomfortable. Seeing the devotee group, he sits down. Man, these shoes, he
says. I just bought em and theyre too small for me. Size nine. I take a size ten.
Does anyone need a pair of size nine tennis shoes?
Subala looks up, I wear a size nine. The hippie takes off his shoes and hands
them over. With a big smile and twinkling eyes, Subala Swami says, Just see
how Ka provides.
Indradyumna is deep in thought. Thats amazing! Ka who dances with the
milk maids, just gave some tennis shoes within five minutes to this monk. Thats
enough for me. This is it. You guys are far-out, he says aloud. Really far-out!
My wife and I live in a building thats going to be demolished next monthso
everybody has leftbut theres plenty of room.
Its a beautiful building thats only going to be torn down to build a parking
lot, Kripamayi adds. Do you have any place to stay?
Not really, the sannyss answer.
Can you guys come spend the night? Indradyumna offers. I want to talk to
you some more. This is a really amazing tradition youre following. Ive never
heard anything about it.
You can stay for two or three days, Kripamayi suggests.
The sannyss burst into laughter. Were only allowed to stay three days at
any one place, Gargamuni explains. Our spiritual master has told us that we
have to travel and preach.
Viujana turns to Brahmnanda. Brahmnanda Mahrja, shall we go and
stay with this young man and his wife?
Will there be some prasdam?
Whats prasdam? The young man is caught off-guard.

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 Viujana explains, Thats vegetarian food which is offered to Lord Ka.
Hey, were vegetarian. We also do meditation. Were practicing
Transcendental Meditation. You guys will have a good time with us.
Gargamuni chirps up, Look, we cant stay in the same room, you know.
No. Theres an apartment next door. I have the key. The people just moved
out. They were the last people in the building besides us. Ill give you the key
and you can stay with us.
Well, do you have any money? Viujana asks. Were hungry, and we can
cook a nice feast for Ka.
Indradyumna pulls out his paycheck. I just got paid. You can use some of
this.
Within a matter of moments theyre all squeezing into Indradyumnas car.
On the way, they cash the check and pull into a supermarket. Gargamuni takes
a shopping cart and goes down one aisle, while Brahmnanda takes another cart
down another aisle. Viujana and Subala also have shopping carts. They
havent eaten for a long time, and theyre very hungry.
As the young couple walk along with Viujana, they notice that hes not
buying any canned items. They always buy canned or frozen, but Viujana is
taking everything fresh.
How are you going to cook? Anyone want Kelloggs Corn Flakes or ice
cream? How about chocolate?
No, no. You cant offer these things to Ka, Viujana explains. We buy
everything fresh, prepare it with love, and offer it with devotion to Ka.
The sannyss fill up all their carts, and it costs a fortune. Theyve spent
practically the whole pay check, but Indradyumna doesnt care because he feels
like he could give them anything they want. Thats sdhu-saga, the potency of
just a few moments association.
Back at the apartment, Viujana takes charge of cooking the feast.
Kripamayi dev ds: They cleaned my kitchen before they cooked, and I felt
terrible because I thought it was really clean. We didnt know anything about
cooking vegetarian food, so they showed us how to prepare prasdam. It was a
wonderful experience having them cook. They were really happy that we were
already vegetarians. They gave us so much knowledge about how to prepare

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 food and why you offer it to Ka.
After waiting for two hours, Indradyumna is in anxiety. He hasnt eaten
since breakfast, and now it is five oclock in the afternoon. Hes lost in his
thoughts. God, someone takes two hours to cook? Why is he taking so long? Not
able to wait any longer, he strides resolutely into the kitchen.
No. You cant come in, Viujana Mahrja exclaims. You have to be
trained.
Trained? Indradyumna is flabbergasted. For what?
The way were cooking. Were not tasting it, were not even smelling it.
Were just cooking it for Ka. Mahrja is in the middle of a banana chutney.
Youre cooking bananas? The young man stares in amazement.
As Viujana ushers him out of the kitchen, Indradyumna is caught in a
duality because hes attracted to learn how to cook, but hes starving hungry.
Finally, Viujana makes up an offering plate and brings it out to do the
offering.
Come on, man. Indradyumna is aghast. Theres six of us, and youve got
one plate!
No, no, were going to offer this to Ka. Mahrja clarifies his
misconception.
Ka? How long is it going to take?
Viujana explains the process of offering whatever you do, whatever you
eat, whatever you give in charity, and whatever austerities you perform, to do it
all as an offering to Ka. As he speaks, Mahrja takes out a picture of Ka,
a picture of Prabhupda, and a silver spoon. Then he cleans a table, arranges
the items carefully, and says, Get some flowers.
Indradyumna: I never took orders from anybody. I had that mentality. In
those days everyone was their own man. But when he said, Get some
flowers, I ran outside, grabbed some flowers, and brought them back up. My
wife washed them, put them in a vase, and brought them in submissively.
I asked him, What do I call you?
Mahrja, he said.
Mahrja. Heres some flowers.

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 He had some incense, and he made the offering. The air was permeated
with devotion. We were transfixed. After the offering he took the plate back
into the kitchen.
Now whatre you doing?
Now were transferring the plate.
Transferring the plate?
After everything is cleaned, then well honor prasdam.
Finally, we sat down and took prasdam. It was a wonderful feast.
Viujana Swami served out by seniority. Before Id even started my plate,
Brahmnanda had already finished his first plate. By the time I finished my
prasdam, he must have filled his plate four or five times. I remember
marking how thin they were at that time.
Afterwards we all sat back, but Viujana Mahrja just kept preaching. I
thought, this monk is always talking. He was the most vocal. Once in a while
Brahmnanda or Gargamuni would say something. Subala hardly said
anything at all.
After a short rest, the sannyss want to have a kirtan.
Youre going to do that again? You already did that today.
Viujana smiles, Were always doing this chanting.
He is ever instructing, taking the time to explain things in a very attractive
way. So they have another kirtan for an hour. By this time its getting late, and
the couple are tired.
Okay, you guys. So my wife and I meditate. We get up at 6:30 in the
morning and we meditate. Ill wake you guys up and you can come in and do
some of our meditation with us.
Viujana Mahrja says, We get up at 2:30.
You get up at 2:30? What do you do?
We chant prayers to rla Prabhupda. Well wake you up.
Sure enough, the sannyss get up, take their showers, and knock on the
couples door at about 3:30 in the morning. Indradyumna hears the knock and
awakens startled.
Hey, whats going on?
Its the monks, Kripamayi says half-asleep. Remember? Theyre going to

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come in. Were going to have a program.
Oh yeah. Meditation. Were going to meditate.
They stumble out of bed and have a quick shower. Then they light their
candle to meditate on the flame. Hearing that they are now up, Viujana
knocks on the door and enters the room, first touching his daa to the floor.
They are intrigued by this ritual.
Whatre you doing?
Im a sannys and this is a tridaa. This has been given to me by my
spiritual master, rla Prabhupda. Its the sign of a renounced monk. I touch it
to the floor for sanctification, because its an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Indradyumna is impressed. I want to be like you. Viujana simply smiles.
Indradyumna: I was getting a deep feeling that I wanted to be like him. I
wanted to have a daa, and travel and sanctify the ground like that, and
speak about my spiritual master and Ka. My wife didnt say anything
because we didnt know anything about the philosophy. Then they did the
gurvaakam prayers. They were singing so sweetly. It was beautiful. We had
class and breakfast.
I said, Whatre you guys gonna do today? You can come work with me,
mow the lawns or something.
Well, were going to go back to the University and preach.
Are you going to spend another night?
Of course.
We got special mercy. Every day theyd come back and wed have an
evening program. I tried to invite my friends over, but nobody was really that
interested. One night a few people came. It was kind of a philosophical debate.
I was so much on the side of the sannyss. Viujana Mahrja was so expert
in defeating their arguments, I wanted to invite the whole city over.
On the third night, I said to Mahrja, Youre a renounced monk, but
you have a silver spoon. I could see he was really attached to that silver
spoon. Youre not supposed to be so attached if youre a monk. I was
starting to learn a little philosophy.
He said, No. Prabhupda has given it to me. This was the spoon used by
Kartama-sayi, a special form of Lord Ka, and rla Prabhupda gave me
the spoon. So Im attached, but Ka also, sometimes He gives, and

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 sometimes He takes away our attachments accordingly. Sometimes Hell give
something to help us become attached to Him. Sometimes Hell take
something away so we become more renounced.
I couldnt figure out what he was talking about, but it was getting late. I
was thinking, Hell give something to make us attached? Were supposed to
become renounced. Why would God give something to make us attached?
With that in my mind I went to sleep.
Early the next morning there is no knock on the door. Indradyumna wakes
up suddenly. He looks at the clock, which stares back at him boldly. Five
oclock. He has become attached to the morning program, and he realizes the
time has past.
Whats going on? he says to Kripamayi. Theyre not coming in this
morning?
Maybe theyre tired, she replies. Let them sleep.
Indradyumna feels restless. Theres something amiss here. Theyre not
coming in. He gets out of bed and walks into the living room. A candle is
burning on the table with the picture of Ka, the picture of Prabhupda, and
the silver spoon of Kartama-sayi. Beside them is a note.
Indradyumna: Immediately I knew what happened. I rushed past the table,
opened their door and went into the room. They were gone. The whole room
was empty, but it was very neat and clean like a last instruction. The tennis
shoes werent there. They always left their shoes outside the door.
I thought, theyve gone, and I just broke down and cried. I was on the floor
in that apartment crying. My wife heard me and called out.
Brian! Whats wrong? Why are you crying?
Theyve gone.
What?
Theyre gone.
She said, Nooo, then she started crying too. We were both crying. We
came back in the living room, and there were the beautiful pictures of
Prabhupda, of Ka, and the silver spoon with a little note that read:
naikatra priya-savsa
suhd citra-karmam

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 oghena vyhyamnn
plavn srotaso yath
Many planks and sticks, unable to stay together, are carried
away by the force of a rivers waves. Similarly, although we are
intimately related with friends and family members, we are
unable to stay together because of our varied past deeds and the
waves of time. (rmad-Bhgavatam 10.5.25)
Im leaving these pictures of Ka and Prabhupda so you can increase your
devotion. Im giving you the silver spoon so youll become attached to
Kartama-sayi.
I remembered what I was thinking while going to bed last night, how can
Ka give us something to make us attached, when were supposed to
renounce? All of a sudden I knew. I was so attached to the sannyss, and they
left me the silver spoon, which was part of how I came to Ka consciousness.
I became so attached to that spoon. We didnt know you were supposed to
have an altar, but that was like our sacred place, and we kept it very nicely
and put flowers there.
I didnt know where they had gone. They didnt even tell me there was a
temple in Detroit. They never spoke about a worldwide movement, because at
that time there was some controversy. They were having some difficulties, so
they left without informing us there was a temple in Detroit or that there were
temples anywhere in America.
Kripamayi dev ds: It seemed like they were there forever, even though it
was only three days. One of the nicest things was coming home and seeing
their white tennis shoes outside the door of the apartment, knowing that they
were there and that we were going to have the cooking of prasdam, the
offering, and then a little lecture. It was such a wonderful feeling. But at the
end coming home and finding no shoes at the door, that was such a lonely
feeling. It was a very strange feeling because I felt that I had really found my
soul mate when I met my husband, but in the absence of the four sannyss I
felt a loneliness that I had thought Id never feel again. We lived near the Ann
Arbor arboretum, and I remember going on my bicycle to the arboretum and
just crying. I couldnt understand why I felt so horrible that they were gone.
Viujana was definitely the most articulate. When he would speak, he

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 was so charismatic and, it seemed, so in love with Ka and rla
Prabhupda. He just transported you to wherever he was speaking about. I
remember being so touched because he left that note for us with the verse
about how we come together. It was so touching and so amazing, I remember
just being in tears.
The sannyss realized that Ann Arbors evening chill was winters warning.
It would be far wiser to depend on Kas mercy in the warmer climes of
Florida. When a sympathetic student on campus offered them a lift to
Kentucky, they had immediately accepted his offer and set out before dawn the
next morning.
By late afternoon the sannyss are dropped off at the intersection of
Interstate 75 and the Daniel Boone Parkway, deep in the bluegrass state of
Kentucky. Standing by the entry ramp with their sannys robes fluttering in
the breeze, daas in hand, they chant their rounds feelingly, holding out a
thumb at every passing car hoping for a ride. Their only shelter is Kas
mercy.
Soon a lone hippie comes down the road in his Volkswagen van, which is all
painted up in psychedelic colors. When he pulls onto the shoulder and stops,
the sannyss quickly run over.
Where ya headin? he inquires first.
Florida, they chime in unison.
Man, Im headin straight to Miami. Hop in!
They quickly make themselves comfortable, thankful for Kas timely
arrangement.

Miami, Florida September, 1970

Twenty-two hours later, the sannyss alight, tired and hungry, at a gas
station in Coconut Grove, a Miami suburb where young people congregate
during the winter months. With nowhere to stay, they are open to whatever
place they can find to spend the night. Although the hippies sleep in Peacock
Park, that scene is definitely not conducive for sannyss.
They quickly discover one of the best places to spend the night is on a
building site. Every evening they locate an unfinished house, and find a

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comfortable spot to spend the night. If the house already has the bathtubs in,
thats ideal for Brahmnanda, who prefers to sleep in the tub. Late one night,
Brahmnanda is awakened by a blunt instrument poking him in the ribs.
Brahmnanda: The police came and found me sleeping in this bathtub, and
they were going to arrest me. I didnt want to go to jail alone, and have the
others wake up in the morning and find me missing and be all worried, so I
showed the police where they were, too.
The cops radio for another car. All four are taken in and detained for
questioning. The officer on duty quickly discovers that they are intelligent and
articulate. Theyre not vagrants, although they are living like vagrants. None of
them have any ID except Brahmnanda, who has a drivers license. When he
was in Tokyo negotiating with Dai Nippon for printing KA book and Back
to Godhead, he was driving around a lot so he had to apply for a Japanese
drivers license. When the Duty Officer asks to see his drivers license, he pulls
it out and theres his picture with everything written in Japanese.
The police are bewildered. They just cant figure these guys out. Finally, they
decide not to put them in jail but to release them with a stern warning. Stay
out of trouble, and building sites.
The incident thoroughly upsets Subala Swami. This lifestyle is definitely not
for him. He decides to part ways and hitchhikes up to Buffalo to take shelter of
Rupanuga, the GBC man for the Northeast. The other three carry on without
him, preferring to take shelter of Ka, hoping to make amends with rla
Prabhupda by establishing a center in Florida.
Acting on a tip, they find an occult bookstore and make friends with the
kind-hearted woman running the shop. Sympathetic to their situation, she
offers them a room in the back of the building. Encouraged by the studious
atmosphere, they spend most of their days reading and studying Prabhupdas
books. They become voracious readers because they want to be sure they have
the philosophy down right.
Gradually they begin to do programs in Peacock Park. Viujana starts with
kirtan, Brahmnanda gives the lecture, and Gargamuni cooks whatever
vegetables and rice they can get donated. After the program, they serve a feast
to whomever attends.

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 One evening they are extremely hungry, having had nothing to eat all day.
As they walk along, they pass a church with the front doors open. Viujana
Mahrja goes inside, walks into a back room, and finds some fruit. He brings it
out for the others to share.
But somebody detects the theft, and within moments they are surrounded by
a couple of squad cars, lights flashing and sirens blaring. Again they are taken
downtown. After the cops finish checking them out, theyre released from
custody. They have now become a joke down at headquarters.
Gargamuni Swami decides to write rla Prabhupda to inform him that
they are trying to preach in Florida. He wants to know if they are allowed to
have books and magazines to distribute in order to raise some money for their
maintenance.
Prabhupda is now touring India with his World Sankirtan Party, while
Tamal Ka sits in Calcutta as ISKCONs GBC man for India. Hearing from
his lost children, Prabhupda, like the kind father, first contacts Rupanuga to
supply whatever the sannyss need to carry on their preaching efforts. He then
takes the opportunity to instruct Gargamuni in a lighter mood.
I think you will remember that I called you not Gargamuni but Gargamoney.
So whenever I required some money, I approached you and you were kind to
pay me immediately. So please continue your capacity in this way to supply
money to the Society. That will please Ka. I am immediately in need of
$250,000 somehow or other. Collect this money and both of you come here.
We shall open a very gorgeous branch in Calcutta. Calcutta is my birthplace,
so all of you as my disciples do something unique in Calcutta. That will be
fitting service to your Spiritual Master.
Letter to Gargamuni Maharaja, September 25, 1970

October, 1970

After receiving Prabhupdas letter, the three sannyss send a telegram

back, apologizing for their indiscretion and begging to be accepted again under
his shelter. They had been chastised, they had repented, and now they are
trying to serve. Everyone has to be chastised by the spiritual master; its part of
being a disciple. Because were not perfect, we need rectification. Appreciating
their mood, Prabhupda urges them to preach in different places rather than
remain as a group. This is the meaning of sannysato travel extensively, open

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new centers and make new devotees.
The three are unaware that Subala Swami has now gone to Amsterdam and
is enlivening the devotees there. Rupanuga had written Prabhupda that his
confidence was restored in Subala during his stay in Buffalo, and apparently,
Subala Mahrja is now acknowledged back as an ISKCON sannys.
Gargamuni Mahrja is shocked after receiving Prabhupdas last letter with
the instruction to remit $250,000. He also cant understand why he has been
labeled a myvd sannys. In his own mind, hes a devotee of Ka.
Prabhupdas reply to his query is direct and to the point.
In regards to why you have been branded as mayavadi sannyasi by society
members, that is because you are identifying the Spiritual Master as God. We
always represent ourselves as servant of God and you are preaching contrary.
The Spiritual Master should be given respect of God, but that doesnt mean he
is God. That is mayavadi. You should always remember that the Spiritual
Master is the representative of God and should be given the respect of God,
but that doesnt mean that he is God Himself! You can speak of the Spiritual
Master as servant God, whereas Ka is master God. I think this is
sufficient to clear the idea.
Regarding Swami Tirtha, this is just a rumor because in the past there
were such symptoms. Now you should forget about the past, and go forward
straight for preaching this Ka consciousness movement. Before preaching
of your Spiritual Master as God, you never consulted me whether it was right.
This means you were inspired by some external influence. Subala said that it
was a mystic influence. Why that was, wasnt cleared up until now. That
mystic influence was widely spread which I clearly saw in Honolulu, Tokyo, or
in other words, wherever Brahmnanda went. Now we have to forget the past
incidences and shall have to go forward with clear consciousness.
Regarding punishment, there is no punishment upon you. Rather,
there is reward. You have been awarded sannyas so you have the best
opportunity to serve Ka by preaching His glories. Why punishment? Before
taking sannyas, I told you that you may remain a brahmacari because
management in LA was with you. Now you have voluntarily taken sannyas.
You may take advantage of this opportunity and preach this Ka cult and
expand missionary activities. Do it sincerely.
For my disciples there is no punishment. There is no need for that. One
who preaches Ka consciousness is supposed to be glorious. Directly write
me, and I will give you instructions how you can go on preaching.
Letter to Gargamuni Maharaja, October 27, 1970

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 Because the sannyss had been so severely rebuked, they still feel
discouraged even though Prabhupda is encouraging them by directly guiding
and instructing them from India. Gargamuni writes again requesting that more
devotees be sent to help them open a center. But Prabhupda isnt happy that
theyre bunched up together. Rather they should go off on their own to preach
in different areas.
Why are you asking for more men to help you in Florida? As I created, so you
must create others; that is parampara. You are already three; why do you need
any more? And you are big three. You just try sincerely in your work and Ka
will bless you. You have written to say that a Ka consciousness temple can
be established in any place without any material qualification, and that is a
fact! Wherever Hare Ka Mantra is chanted, some words are spoken from
one of our books, and prasdam is distributed, that is considered a temple. We
have no need of any large buildings or palaces. We are simple.
Our great acharyas in the past like the six Goswamis of Vndvana
accepted dwellings under the trees. So we do not require any large buildings to
do our preaching work. But if Ka supplies them, we may also accept any
nice facility which He provides, but we will strive to go on preaching under all
circumstances. If it is not possible for you to collect large money for me, then
dont strain your brain; just go on preaching as you are doing. Yes, you are
right, the supply of money will come by your preaching efforts. You can
approach rich men and preach to them about our movement and its aims. You
have got much money in your country, so there should be no difficulty in doing
this.
I think you and Viujana Swami should remain and open as many
temples as you can, especially in Florida. I have asked Brahmnanda Swami to
join me because I think he is feeling in too much despair, so as soon as he is
able, he can join me. In writing this letter to you, I think I have answered
Viujana Swamis points that he has written in his letter.
Letter to Gargamuni Maharaja, November 4, 1970

Nevertheless, Prabhupda requests the GBC, Give them each one

brahmacr assistant and send them out to open up new branches. Rupanuga
arranges for Bhagavat, rnath, and Gopinath to go down to Coconut Grove as
assistants for Brahmnanda Swami, Viujana Swami, and Gargamuni Swami
respectively. Arriving in Miami, they meet the sannyss in their little room at
the back of the bookstore, carrying the message that they should take up
different preaching areas.
The sannyss, who were once treated almost like demigods, have been

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virtually forgotten by the rest of the society. But, unofficially, they are now
back in the ISKCON fold. News of the sannyss in Florida filters back to the
various temples, but day to day life goes on, and the sannyss are no longer
significant in the minds of most devotees.

Ann Arbor November, 1970

A month after the sannyss left Ann Arbor, Indradyumna and Kripamayi
discover that there is a Hare Ka temple somewhere in Detroit. They hear
from friends on campus that their sannys guests belonged to a greater
movement, and there is a temple thats part of that movement.
Every Sunday they drive to Detroit searching for it. As a regular function,
they drive around the streets of Detroit looking for signs of Hare Ka
devoteessome saffron robes, or something.
Then one Sunday they see a sign on Forest Avenue: Hare Ka Temple.
Immediately they stop the car, jump out, and run in, thinking that they will
meet Viujana Mahrja and the sannyss. But the devotees have just moved
from that building to a new location that very morning. Only one final
brahmacr remains, taking out the last trash can before leaving for good.
The new temple is at 8311 East Jefferson, in the city, he tells the eager
couple.
Indradyumna: I ran back to my car, amazed to see another devotee in
saffron. I bought a city map at a gas station and found the street. I arrived just
before the Sunday feast program started. A devotee walked up to me and I
said, Hare Ka. Im so happy to find a temple of Ka.
Oh, how did you know about us?
Well, the most wonderful person in my life, Viujana Swami, told me
about Ka and Prabhupda. You know, he gave me that silver spoon. I
thought everybody knew about the silver spoon.
A sour look came over the devotees face. Oh. Viujana and the
sannyss. You dont know about them. Theyre not welcome here.
I stopped dead in my tracks, and I must have turned pale. Wait. Theyre
not welcome here? If theyre not welcome here, Im not welcome here, either.
I turned around and walked out. The devotee was stunned. He realized he
just made a big mistake, because here was a potential new bhakta. My wife

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 was with me too, and we both had just walked out. He came after us with a
couple of other devotees to try and convince me. You dont understand...
I dont care what you say. Viujana Swami is the closest person in my
life. He introduced me to the spiritual world, and Ive got the silver spoon. I
dont want to have anything to do with this place.
As I got into my car they tried to stop me. Try and understand. Its just
some politics.
I dont want to know, I said, and whooom, I drove off.
Another month passes. Kripamayi meets some people on campus who are
visiting from Detroit. They are friends of the temple, and although they dont
know the situation themselves, they try to explain about the temple devotees to
her.
Actually, the Hare Kas are really nice people. Maybe its something we
dont understand, they suggest. Why dont you tell your husband to go back?
Indradyumna is adamant, No way. He has his little altar with the pictures
and the silver spoon. But a few weeks later he recants and wants to check it out
a second time. They drive to East Jefferson again and meet Narottamananda
and Bhagavan dsa. Within a few weeks they decide to leave Ann Arbor and
move into the temple.
Theyre always asking, Where is that sannys, Viujana Swami?
Oh, hes down in Florida. Theyre preaching down there.

Florida December, 1970

Out of compassion for the sannyss situation, further arrangements are

made for reinforcements. Following rla Prabhupdas directive, Rupanuga
arranges for a householder couple, rdama and Manmohini, to go down to
Coconut Grove and open a center. Householder couples have been opening all
the centers in ISKCON since 1966, so thats a tried and true method to
establish new centers and make devotees. While rdama and his wife make
arrangements to move down to Miami, Prahladananda is quickly dispatched to
expedite matters in fulfilling Prabhupdas desire for a Florida center.
Prahladananda: So then I joined them. They had nothing down there. They
were living outside. The first night I went there, we stayed in a bookstore and

405
 we actually had some milk prasdam. Then the next day they decided to split
up.
Gargamuni Swami suggests that they draw lots with the winner of each
round having first choice of preaching area. Each sannys should have his own
state to develop. Everyone agrees. An air of excitement fills the room.
Gargamuni wins the first round.
Haribol! Well, I think Ill just stay here and preach in Florida.
Brahmnanda Swami wins the second round and chooses to go up to New
Orleans. Viujana Mahrja senses that Texas will be a more fertile field than
Mississippi or Alabama. So very quickly its all decided. Everyone feels better
about the new arrangement.
The next day, Viujana Swami, the consummate sannys, leaves early in
the morning with only a daa, his brahmacr assistant, rnath, and whatever
he can fit into a small shoulder bag. rnath is a big strong fellow like Viujana
Mahrja, but hes a lot older than the rest of the devotees, like Jaynanda.
They head out towards the Florida Turnpike with no vehicle and no money,
determined to hitchhike through North Florida, Alabama, Mississippi,
Louisiana, and on to Texas. These are places where devotees have never been
before. They both do their whole morning routine, as in a temple, sitting by
themselves on the side of the road.
After a few rides, they are dropped off by a general store in a small town in
Alabama. Every head in that store turns around to look at them. No one has
ever seen a devotee before, with shaved head and robes. All eyes are on them, as
they walk to the edge of town and stick out their thumbs. Many cars come by,
slow down, and then suddenly floor it, and vrooom...take off again. All
afternoon its like that. Nobody is stopping.
Finally the local sheriff pulls over, with lights flashing, and gets out of the
car. A caller has notified the authorities that two dangerous looking men are at
the edge of town.
Whatre you boys doin out here?
Were just on our way to Houston, Officer. Viujana is as polite as can be.
We got a call bout a couple strange lookin fellers dressed up like
womenfolk. Now that wouldn be yall, would it? Yall are lookin kinda weird to

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me.
Were monks so we dress in the traditional cloth of the renounced order of
life. You believe in God now, dont you, Officer?
We is all God fearin folks in these parts, and we don take so highly to
strangers. Specially if they is dressed up like the ladies. Yknow, yer liable to get
killed out here.
rnath is shaking in his sandals, but Viujana Mahrja is cool as a
cucumber.
Thanks for the warning, Officer. We appreciate you taking the trouble to
come all the way out here just to protect us. Thats devotional
serviceprotecting the devotees of the Lord. Its pleasing to God.
Well, youd be pleasin yselves if yall get yer ass outta town fore some of
them mule skinners get a few beers under their belts. No tellin what they might
do. Over yonder is the bus deepo. Ah don wanna see yall a secon time.
We appreciate your concern. Thank you, Officer. And Hare Ka!
As the Sherriffs car drives off, making a right turn at the stop light and
vanishing from sight, rnath heaves a huge sigh of relief.
Minutes later, a couple of bikers pull over on their Harleys to check out the
saffron-clad Vaiavas. In the deep South with shaved head and robes, you
come across pretty strange people, but Viujana Mahrja always depends on
Ka. After a few tense moments, the bikers take to Mahrja when he
mentions his friends in the Hells Angels from San Francisco days.
Making friends with the bikers, he gets right into preaching about how they
can experience the highest bliss by connecting to the supreme bliss. The bikers
like Mahrjas friendliness. Theyre only going as far as New Orleans but offer
the two Vaiavas a lift. rnath is nervous about it, but Mahrja immediately
accepts. As the Harleys rev up, the devotees quickly hop on the bikes.
Viujana Mahrja, sitting on the back of the motorcycle with his daa,
riding down the highway, his long ikh blowing in the wind, simply chants
japa.
Kalakantha: rnath said that Viujana Swami was like a Jesus figure to
him. He felt that he was traveling with a spiritual person whom he thought
was like Christ incarnate. There were one or two narrow escapes, where they

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 were almost beaten by bikers and rednecks. Viujana Mahrja always
came through, with his great faith in Ka, and they were always protected.
Its already dark when they are dropped off in the French Quarter of New
Orleans. Since the Quarter is open twenty-four hours, its the place to meet
people and get something to eat. They spend the night with some hippies living
near Jackson Square.
Out on Interstate 10 the next day, Mahrja is intensely chanting Hare
Ka when a little Volkswagen van, with the front VW symbol replaced by a
peace sign, comes down the road. It stops to pick them up. The driver, Richard,
is heading to California in his wifes van and is happy to have some company.

Tallahassee December, 1970

Meanwhile, Brahmnanda Swami is in Northern Florida with his

brahmacr assistant Bhagavat. While hitchhiking on their way out to New
Orleans, they were picked up and taken as far as Tallahassee. Since their ride
was going to Florida State University in Tallahassee, they decided to go there
with him.
At the University they do the same program as in Coconut Grove, sitting
down for kirtan and then offering to cook a vegetarian feast for anyone who
will donate the vegetables. As they begin to meet people, things start
happening. Brahmnanda discovers that the University is offering non-credit
courses, so he applies to teach Bhagavad-gt. His proposal is accepted and he
begins teaching Bhagavad-gita As It Is a non-credit course by Brahmnanda
Swami.
Although they have been given a room, they have no money for food.
Therefore, they continue the program of offering to cook a vegetarian feast and
manage to eat quite well. When there is no offer and they get really hungry, all
they can afford is peanut butter sandwiches.
One evening, Bhagavat takes the last money they have and goes out to buy
peanut butter and sliced bread. After returning, he takes out the bread and
spreads peanut butter over each slice. He empties the entire jar of peanut butter
onto the slices. Brahmnanda is engrossed in reading and requests Bhagavat to
do the offering. While Bhagavat is putting everything on an offering plate,
Brahmnanda Mahrja strides into the kitchen and starts reading the labels.

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 Bhagavat, didnt you read the labels? You cant offer the peanut butter, its
got lard in it.
What? Bhagavat is in total anxiety.
Scrape the peanut butter off the bread, so its not a total loss.
Brahmnanda is in greater anxiety.
Bhagavat does his best, but since theyre soft slices he cant get all the peanut
butter off because it has already absorbed into the bread. Starting to panic, he
realizes they are left with something thats unofferable and inedible.
Brahmnandas vision of something to eat evaporates like a mirage. His hunger
pangs become more acute, screaming for relief.
You better go out, and somehow or other, get some money, and get
something to offer, he snaps angrily. And I dont want to see you until you do
it.
Bhagavat goes out determined to return with something to offer. He meets a
favorable hippie and tells him what theyre doing in town. The hippie is
impressed and offers to help. Before too long, the three of them are relaxed and
enjoying prasdam.
After a few days of hearing and chanting, the hippie decides that he wants to
become a devotee. He has a small studio apartment, and Brahmnanda and
Bhagavat move in with him.
After a short time they are doing quite well in Tallahassee. With
Brahmnanda Mahrja giving Bhagavad-gt classes, the devotees have a good
reputation around campus. The Sunday love feasts are popular, and a lot of
students become regulars.
In the meantime, rdama and Manmohini have arrived in Coconut Grove
and rented a house for the first Miami temple. Gargamuni Swami moves up to
Gainesville, a college town in northern Florida, only a few hours from
Tallahassee.
Prabhupda is kept abreast of the activities of the sannyss through his
GBC men in America. Rupanuga is concerned that their leaving Miami is guror
avaj, disobeying the orders of the spiritual master. But Prabhupda is pleased
to hear the news that the sannyss have gone off to different areas to preach.
That the sannyasis have gone is all right. Also, Gargamuni Mahrja is trying

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 for Florida. That is good. Ive written to him one letter encouraging him. I
think things are going nicely. So please cooperate with the sannyasis. Work
with them so that they may go on with their missionary activities.
Letter to Rupanuga, December 1, 1970

Houston, Texas December, 1970

By the time they reach Houston, Richard is so impressed by Viujana

Mahrja that he decides to forego his desire to see California and stays on with
the devotees.
On the first day, Viujana meets a friendly couple, John and Barbara, who
invite the three mendicants to share their house on Wichita Street until they
can find their own place.
Every day, Viujana goes out to Herman Park, the local hippie hangout, to
chant and distribute prasdam, following Prabhupdas program in Tompkins
Square Park four years earlier.
Prahladananda remains the lone brahmacr in Coconut Grove with
rdama and his wife. But Satsvarpa, the GBC man for the Southern states,
decides that it would be better for him, as a brahmacr, to go to Houston and
join rnath and Viujana Mahrja.
Prahladananda: I hitchhiked there and met up with them at a facility they had
arranged. Viujana Swami was a little depressed at the time due to his
chastisement, but still we started getting into sakrtana and making devotees
there. We would go out to chant and distribute BTGs, but Viujana
wouldnt always come. Sometimes he would stay back, because he was in a
different mood at that moment. Eventually he started to go out to the campus
and started to make devotees, and we established a center. He was always
charismatic, although he had a few problems.
Rasamrita: Prahladananda was the first devotee I met, and he invited me to a
Sunday Love Feast. The temple was on Wichita Street, and I met Viujana
Mahrja at that time. He was cooking. It was just three devotees at first,
including rnath. rnath was a wonderful devotee. Viujana Mahrja
was attractive by nature. Prabhupda said his singing could charm the birds
out of the trees. He used to tell the story that he got a ride to New Orleans on
the back of a Harley Davidson. You can picture him on the back of a Harley

410
 with his tridaa and a dhoti on. That was just like Mahrja.
By selling BTGs, the devotees in Houston save up enough money to rent
their own place. Within weeks they find an old house on Gray Street previously
tenanted by hippies. In one room a monopoly game is painted on the floor.
Upstairs there are wild drawings on the walls and floors. Viujana Mahrja
undertakes an ambitious remodeling project. He breaks out all the walls
downstairs to make a big temple room. After repainting the entire inside, the
place is turned into an attractive preaching facility.
Viujana Mahrja prints up a simple flyer to distribute in the park. Well
just go to the park, well sit down, and well chant. And whatever happens,
Ka will arrange, he explains.
Raghuntha: I was a high school student and only seventeen at the time. I had
been on an intense search for God, for the Truth, for a different way of life. I
wanted something that would change my life enough to where I could break
out of the insanity I was living in Houston. So I made a prayer to God, it was
actually a suicide pact, one Saturday morning in the park.
My Lord, what is there in this life for me? If you indeed love me at all,
then please show today what it is Im supposed to be doing. If theres nothing I
can see by the end of this day that will radically change my life, then I will go
home and commit suicide. I was serious. I was in tears I was so
desperate.
I walked all around the park looking intensely, searching every little tree and
cavity. Finally, I came back to the place where Id started. There was this
incredible sound. I searched out the source of the sound, and there they were
sitting at the bottom of a hill, singing and playing instruments. They call it
The Hill in Herman Park.
It was Viujana Swami, Prahladananda, and rnath. There were a
couple of bhaktas. One was Richard, who had driven Mahrja from New
Orleans to Houston. As soon as I saw them, my heart was filled with
transcendental vibration. I thought, Oh my God. This is it!
I went right over to him and he was singing. I wanted to grab him and say,
Youre it. Youre what Ive been looking for! Even though the appearance
was strange, I immediately knew they were Hare Ka people because I had
seen their picture before. But never could I imagine that I would have this

411
kind of experience just hearing them sing. rnath came over with a magazine
and a flyer that said:
We are starting a Spiritual Center in Houston.
Our address is 406 Gray Street. Please come.
We have meetings every night from 6:00 to 8:00.
Please bring offerings of fruits, vegetables, or flowers.
I told him, My heart tells me that Ive found a home. He offered me a BTG
and I gave him ten dollars because I was so impressed. I stayed with them and
went back to the temple, which was super far-out. It was an old wooden house
that the devotees had painted yellow.
Later on, I went home and grabbed all the fruits, vegetables, and flowers I
could find and brought them back to the temple. It was wonderful prasdam
that Viujana cooked. It was just rice and cabbage, but it was out of this
world. He was the most expert cook.
He gave a nice talk on the philosophy of Ka consciousness, and then
had kirtan. They had some really dinky kartls, like Afghani kartls, not
your standard Bengali bell metal kartls, but made out of copper or brass.
They were bigger than normal and had a real clunky sound. There was also a
tambourine with a skin head that Mahrja played similar to a bongo. I
thought, I could stay here easily the rest of my life.
That was the day that changed my life. Nothing else has been the same
since then. There is no comparison to someone who befriends you and takes
so much care, that for the rest of your life practically youre indebted to that
person. I had taken a vow to commit suicide if I did not meet someone who
would change my life, and I met that person, that day, in the park, who forever
changed my life, and to whom I will ever be thankful.
The first night I stayed in the temple it was quite cold. The next morning
everybody got up about 3:00 AM. He took his shower first, then I took a
shower. He noticed that I wasnt wearing any underwear.
Why dont you wear underwear?
I just decided not to wear any. It seemed unnatural.
No, no. You must always wear this. He personally made a kaupna out
of an old dhoti. Here, put this on. He showed me exactly how to put it on.
Now you must wear this at all times. So already he was showing me how to

412
dress. He was really personal like that. That personal care really made the
difference. Whenever there was a spare minute he would sit down with me
and preach. He would explain something about the intricacies of Ka
consciousness. He was so full of Ka consciousness that there was just no
end to it.
One thing was very striking about Viujana Swami when I first met him.
All he had was a sannysa dhoti, a pair of old beach sandals, a kurta, his
daa, and a bag of books. It was a big fat saffron bag that he would always
carry. It was just packed full of Prabhupdas books. Wherever he went, he
always carried that big book bag over his shoulder. He would also put some
magazines in it to distribute. That was his trademark, the big bag and a
daa. That was his world. He could take off the next day with nothing except
the bag of books and his daa and be perfectly satisfied.
The KA book had come out and we got a case of them from LA. We
would have morning Bhgavatam class, evening Bhagavad-gt class, and
then he encouraged us to read as much as possible whenever we could. And we
had a lot of time to read.
One time we were discussing about the Hare Ka mantra, and I asked
whether Rama refers to Ramachandra or Balarama. He was really pleased,
and his face lit up.
Youre actually understanding these things?
Well, yeah. I read in KA book that Lord Balarama was addressed as
Rama.
He had a set of the original old Bhgavatams that Prabhupda brought
from India. He would always read them and always preach from them. He
would open one spontaneously and just start speaking at any given moment.
He would always take portions and analyze them to depths that were
unimaginablehow events of the Bhgavatam, that happened many
thousands of years ago, were so pertinent to our activities now. That was very
inspiring, to see someone who was so much into reading these books.
When I tried to read them, it was almost illegible, because the grammar
was kind of weird and the printing was kind of weird. I was used to reading
high quality printed material from America. But I actually got a taste for
reading them and started reading the same Bhgavatam because he was so
into it.
He could sleep anywhere. I remember the room where he stayed. It was

413
 very cold and he had one flimsy blanket. He would wrap his whole body up in
that flimsy blanket, and you wouldnt be able to see anything left. He was
sleeping right on the floor with no mat, just this flimsy little blanket. I could
see that he was very cold, and it kind of bothered me, but he didnt seem to
mind very much. I remember specifically that once he was sickhe caught a
cold. He was not really staying warm enough. He didnt really have any warm
clothes, but he was very detached.
He just said, This material body is so disgusting, its always got some
problem. He never made any arrangements to be more warm or more
comfortable or anything. He was just completely renounced.
Within a month the Gray Street temple is always filled with people,
including John and Barbara, who are now staunch supporters of Mahrjas
program. New devotees join. Subrata, who had been going to drafting school,
moves into the temple within a week of meeting Viujana. Theres also a tall,
skinny Texan with a high, squeaky voice. Everyone calls him Motorhead,
because hes always into cars and engines.
Dayal Chandra: I met Viujana and a couple of other brahmacrs in the
park where the hippies used to gather. Id never seen devotees before, or even
heard of them. He looked like he had landed from somewhere else. He seemed
ancient. I was twenty-one and he was twenty-two, but I couldnt even fathom
where he was at. He would do austerities that at that time I couldnt imagine
doing, like going without food or sleep. I would just always try to listen and try
to do some service for him. I let him depend on me so he didnt have to do
anything. All that hed have to do was just chant and preach. I would take
care of all the problems and do everything else.
He would always say that he had asked Prabhupda, Why did you give so
much mercy to me? Prabhupda told him, Its not that I gave you more
mercy than any one else, you just took advantage of it. He told me that. I
took advantage of the mercy that Prabhupda offers to everybody.
He told me when they first got the La Cienega temple, Prabhupda would
call him in his room every day and teach him how to play harmonium. Then
he gave him a few different songs and told him, Compose some tunes that
your countrymen would like. He let him do that. I never would have become
interested in Ka consciousness myself, but I got his association and
Prabhupdas service.

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 When word gets around ISKCON that Viujana Mahrja has opened a
center in Houston, several devotees decide to go and serve at his temple. His old
friends from LA, Kunjabihari and Jaya Gopal, are the first to arrive. Every
Sunday morning, Viujana takes his flock to chant in Herman Park and
attract interested people to return with them for the Sunday Love Feast at the
Gray Street temple.
One particular Sunday, Ka gives Viujana a little special mercy. They
are out in Herman Park doing kirtan and hundreds of people have come by to
listen. Pleased by the response, Viujana begins to think, Just see how were
attracting so many people. At the end of the kirtan he always says the
prema-dhvani prayers, pays obeisances, and speaks about the philosophy before
inviting everyone back to the temple for prasdam. As the devotees are offering
obeisances with a large group of people standing around and watching, all of a
sudden Mahrja feels a warm trickle on his leg. People in the crowd start
laughing. He looks up to see a big dog relieving himself on the devotees as
theyre bowing down.
He realizes that he had been thinking, I am the center of attraction,
forgetting that it was actually the Holy Name that was the center of attraction.
He feels completely humiliated but, nevertheless, with all humility at his
command, he gets up and begins preaching. Very transcendentally, he goes
through his whole routine and invites people to the temple, rising above the
whole disgrace. Later he tells the devotees how Ka smashes your false ego.
Raghuntha: Every now and then he would tell us a bit about his early days.
He had previously been at the Morning Star Ranch and had given up all
worldly possessions to live in a tree. So he was very renounced right from the
beginning. He had practically given up everything even before he met
Prabhupda. Then he went to San Francisco, met Prabhupda, and thats
what changed his life.
One time he did a puppet show about a story that he had heard how
Narada Muni had once fallen down. When Prabhupda heard of it, he was
extremely displeased and said it was my. Viujana was remorseful when
he told the story. He said, Prabhupda was not pleased. He told me, You
should know that the spiritual master never falls down.
He mentioned his former wife and child very briefly. In one Bhgavatam
class he started to use his former wife as an example for some point he was

415
 trying to make, and then he said, Actually a sannys is never supposed to
think about his wife and family, but since this is just an example about
material attachment... He mentioned that very briefly, otherwise he would
never discuss it at all.
With the Houston temple showing signs of promise, Viujana Swamis
spirits lift, and he comes out of his depression for having offended his spiritual
master. He writes to rla Prabhupda in India, who is encouraged by his change
of mood.
I am glad to note that from your recent letter under reply you are feeling better
than you previously expressed. So when you may feel morose, chant Hare
Ka mantra loudly and hear it. That will reestablish you on the platform of
transcendental bliss. Sometimes it appears that the devotee is put into some
difficulty unreasonably, but the devotee does not take even this adverse
circumstance as other than a manifestation of the Lords Supreme mercy.
Anyway, such feelings come and go like seasonal changes, and we should not
devate for that reason from our prescribed duty.
Letter to Vishnujana Maharaja, January 8, 1971

Earlier, Sudama had requested Prabhupda to send Viujana Swami to

Japan to help his preaching work there. Prabhupda had initially agreed, but
after hearing of the success Mahrja is having in Houston, Prabhupda sends
Karttikeya Swami to Japan instead.
Meanwhile, devotees throughout ISKCON have been studying
Prabhupdas books to better understand the philosophy after the New
Vndvana debacle. They not only acquire a deeper appreciation of the
position of the spiritual master, but also a deeper understanding that associating
with Prabhupda through his books is as good as having his personal
association. Many temples are instituting the new program of magala-rati,
Nrsimha Prayers, and Tulasi Puja, starting at 4:30 AM every morning. This also
increases the devotees enthusiasm.
By years end, there are eleven devotees in the Houston center. Viujana
decides to cook up a huge feast on New Years Eve, and the devotees invite
everybody they know for a Love Feast and ecstatic chanting to bring in 1971 on
an auspicious note. He has no idea that the events of 1970 will change his life
forever.

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Epilogue to New Vndvana

The idea that guru and Ka are non-different is the philosophy of the
apa-sampradya called kartbhaj, which is described in detail by rla
Bhaktivinoda hkur. This devant group accepts the guru as being directly
God, and therefore his statements are accepted without consideration of stra
or sdhu. But Vaiava philosophy never minimizes or neglects stra and
sdhu. Rather, it is on the basis of stra and sdhu, that we are able to detect if
a so-called guru is genuine or bogus. rla Prabhupda emphasizes in his
teachings, that we must strictly understand spiritual life according to guru,
sdhu and stranot one, but all three.
It appears that a veil of my descended over ISKCON in 1970. Seemingly
innocent mishaps, or lapses in consciousness, led rla Prabhupda to conclude
there was a conspiracy to minimize his position as the Founder-Acharya of his
own institution. He understood that he was being pushed into the
backgroundthat his supreme authority was being challenged, even doubted,
and that this would be dangerous for the spiritual wellbeing of his disciples.
This was the first major heresy on a societal level in Prabhupdas young
movement. At the heart of the heresy, of course, was the direct challenge to his
authority, which, he believed, originated in India. Even though it seemed to
begin with seemingly harmless incidents, Prabhupda immediately saw the
potential for the corruption of Vaiava philosophy.
The Ratha-ytr festival had been marred by this influence. Madhudvia
had suggested that Prabhupda not attend Ratha-ytr due to the outbreak of
violence. Brahmnandas conviction that Prabhupda not attend, and later
that he not ride on the cart, was the superior tendency by devotees to assert
themselves and minimize the guru. These were among the incidents that
Prabhupda interpreted as part of a conspiracy.
But, if Tamal Ka in Paris, ISKCON Press in Boston, devotees in New
York, Los Angeles, and Japan were all guilty of these lapses, then why were the
four sannyss considered the conspirators?
The one devotee who had a link to all the mishaps was Brahmnanda.
Prabhupda called the my a mystic influence and described how it was
spread as follows: That mystic influence was widely spread which I clearly saw

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in Honolulu, Tokyo, or in other words, wherever Brahmnanda went. Now we
have to forget the past incidences and shall have to go forward with clear
consciousness. (Letter to Gargamuni, October 27, 1970)
One may wonder how Prabhupdas most senior disciples were involved in
something that rla Prabhupda called a conspiracy. Viujana was a gentle
soul and non-political, so how did he get involved in this intrigue? It seems
totally out of character. But Viujana had the disposition of accepting without
question the convictions of his senior godbrothers, and in this way he was
naive, almost childlike.
Dnavr: Viujana had the mood of trusting those who were senior to him.
He once expressed to us, If Krtannanda Swami asked me for anything, I
would give it to him. Whatever. If he asked me for a thousand dollars, I would
immediately give it to him. No questions asked. I remember him saying that,
and I was impressed that he had that much confidence.
So it is not surprising that Viujana would put his faith in Brahmnanda,
who was considered a senior man, an authority who was very respected in the
movement. Both Brahmnanda and Gargamuni were higher ranking devotees,
and Viujana was accustomed to following their authority. This was a basic
principle that Prabhupda had taught every disciple.
Viujana, as a brahmacr, was the temple commander and sakrtana
leader, but he was not philosophically astute at the time. When Prabhupda was
away from LA, everybody sought Viujana for guidance and inspiration, not
because of his erudite learning as an academic, but because Viujana had a
deep feeling for the Holy Name. Although he had a certain innate wisdom, he
did not have the scriptural learning that one acquires over time. In those days
not many books had been translated, and few devotees had deep philosophical
comprehension.
Subala was the one with the reputation of an academic and a philosopher, so
he might have known better. Viujana was simply a sakrtana devotee, so he
could have been confused. Later he declared, I committed a great sin against
my spiritual master. Viujana became philosophically strong afterwards,
because he realized his offense was due to ignorance.
Bhagavat: Looking back on the whole situation, and my association with

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 Brahmnanda and how things worked, it was definitely Brahmnandas and
Gargamunis influence, their philosophical views; and eventually they were
somehow able to convince Subala and Viujana of those views.
Subala was considered one of the great scholars at that time. He was the
person who studied the Bhgavatam carefully and knew the books very well.
He was able to explain the philosophy with great knowledge. Viujana had a
much simpler understanding of the philosophy, but he gave very nice classes.
His approach was all nectar. He would teach people the understanding of how
to do kirtan, how to chant, how to relish Ka consciousness. So they were
given as association. That was my understanding. One with great
philosophical depth and understanding, and the other because of his
dedication to kirtan and his meditation on the Holy Name.
Dmodara: If you can talk about devotees being logical and philosophical on
one side, and more emotional and devotional on the other, then certainly
Viujana was not a jn. So on doctrinal disputes of that kind he would not
be considered a leader. Quite frankly, I seem to remember Brahmnanda as
being more or less the person who was pushing it most forcefully.
I knew Subala quite well. Of the four, I would say Subala was the most
philosophically adept. They obviously had been talking together for a long
time by themselves, but how it developed I have no idea. I think they were just
trying to make amends because Brahmnanda felt terrible that maybe he was
trying to push Prabhupda aside. Finally, he felt so horrible about it, he lost
his head and went to the other extreme. So Prabhupda chastised him a
second time.
Brahmnanda relates that it was a telephone call for rla Prabhupda that
sparked the decisive aberration. Krtannanda Swami had called Los Angeles
regarding the Janmam celebration in New Vndvana. Prabhupda had
made plans to attend, but now Krtannanda called to say it wasnt necessary
for him to come. Prabhupda was clearly upset by this news and immediately
went out to his garden, accompanied by Brahmnanda, Gargamuni, and
Devananda, where he addressed the issue.
Brahmnanda: Upon sitting down, rla Prabhupda pronounced, So you
do not need me. His face was quivering with emotion. He then abruptly
announced without any prelude or explanation that he was leaving, and it

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 was final. He would return to Vndvana, live in his rooms at the
Rdh-Dmodara Mandir, and none of us should come there to see him. He
declared, You (which I accepted as being plural, not singular) can manage
the affairs as you like, but without me. This pronouncement had a
devastating effect on the three of us.
Immediately after the incident in the garden, Prabhupda announced the
new sannys candidates. Clearly, the offering of sannysa was meant to check
the spread of the conspiracy, as well as to initiate preachers who could preach
the mission unimpeded around the world. The move was not to recognize
advancement or confer special honors, as the majority of devotees thought at
the time. Rather, it was to remove from power those who misused it.
Of course, Prabhupda sees all his disciples on an equal level. To judge a
Vaiava in terms of his dress is as bodily conscious as one can get.
Our students, either brahmacari or householder, are being trained up for
constant engagement in Ka consciousness service without any personal
interest. This is perfect order of sannyas. So if everyone is trained up in this
line of action, all of us are sannyasis in all circumstances. This is explained in
the Bhagavad-gita that anyone who is not after the result of any action, but
simply he acts as a matter of duty for Ka, he is a factual sannyasi and yogi.
Letter to Trivikrama, March 7, 1970

Yet, Prabhupda was so upset by the turn of events over the past few months
that he took steps to protect his mission by introducing strong measures to stem
the tide of apardha. He cancelled all his plans and left America, even though
he had previously assured devotees he would never return to India.
Brahmnanda and Gargamuni believed that Prabhupda was withdrawing his
mercy by leaving and began preaching this idea. Their solution for the
minimization of Prabhupda was to maximize him. While touring the East
Coast they convinced Subala, and then Viujana, of the crisis in ISKCON,
and their solution to save the movement.
They took the opportunity of the Janmam celebration to present their
case to the Society without consulting rla Prabhupda or seeking his sanction.
Their presentation was a mental concoction forced on others by conducting
meetings to twist the philosophy to comply with their own conclusion. It was
neither authorized, nor an actual representation of rla Prabhupdas position.

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 Brahmnanda: What I had meant to reply to that one confrontational
question was that rla Prabhupda was as good as God, or on a par with
God. Those three little words would have made all the difference. I was not
philosophically sophisticated enough to say this.
rla Prabhupda believed that some of his godbrothers were conspiring, and
his disciples were being influenced by this through their own personal
weaknesses. But he understood that they were neophyte devotees, trying to get
a grip on the deep philosophy he was teaching. Through his letters from India,
Prabhupda unraveled the mystery that plagued ISKCON for months,
revealing that he knew exactly where it had originated.
Regarding the poisonous effect in our Society, it is a fact and I know
wherefrom this poison tree has sprung up and how it affected practically the
whole Society in a very dangerous form. But it does not matter. Prahlada
Mahrja was administered poison, but it did not act.
Letter to Hayagriva, September 14, 1970

After being bounced from the Detroit Temple, Ishan had written rla
Prabhupda for clarification of the whole philosophical issue. Prabhupda
mentioned Ishans letter to Rupanuga.
In Ishan and his wifes letters there is reference to Tirtha Mahrjas name, as
if they were advised by Brahmnanda Mahrja and company to come to India
and join Tirtha Mahrja. It appears like that. I shall be glad if you kindly
inquire on this point. It is now clear that my godbrothers take objection of my
being called as Prabhupda and on this point they wanted to poison the whole
Societythat is now clear. But how it was manipulatedthat is a mystery.
Letter to Rupanuga, September 25, 1970

Prabhupda also revealed his mind to a Gauya Math sannys, alluding to

an attitude of non-cooperation:
Perhaps you know that I begged from His Holiness rpada Tirtha Mahrja a
little piece of land at Mayapur for constructing a home for my Western
disciples, but he refused the proposal. rla Bhaktivinoda hkur wanted that
the American and European devotees would come to Mayapur and the
prophecy is now fulfilled. Unfortunately they are loitering in the streets of
Calcutta without having a suitable place at Mayapur. Do you think it is
alright?
Letter to Govinda Maharaja, September 22, 1970

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 Prabhupda explained later that the Gauya Math had infiltrated
ISKCON through Acyutananda, who, at the time, was the only American
Vaiava in India.
Madhudvia Swami: Acyutananda was in India by himself so Prabhupda
allowed him to go to various godbrothers, and he became poisoned. They were
suddenly saying that Prabhupda was just a branch of the Gauya Math.
They suddenly undermined Prabhupdas work, saying that he was one of our
juniors, he wasnt part of the sannys club when rla Bhaktisiddhnta was
around. He was just a ghastha. Somehow, Acyutananda was implicated in
that, and the poison kind of seeped through back to the Society very subtly.
Soon, pictures of rla Bhaktisiddhnta started being sent around, and
devotees started having these pictures and chanting to them, and things like
that. So it was very subtle. But Prabhupda knew exactly what was
happening, and he took the action that was required.
Prabhupda believed that the conspiracy was to make his ISKCON a branch
of the Gauya Math. But he wanted ISKCON to remain a separate and distinct
branch of the Caitanya tree. When the World Sankirtan Party arrived in
Calcutta, one of the Gauya Maths sent their own kirtan party to bring
Prabhupda back to their Math for prasdam. Prabhupda declined their
invitation. He later explained to the devotees, If I go to their Math, they will
say I have come back to report to them about my preaching. In 1966, the same
Math was unable to send kartls and mrdangas to Prabhupda in New York. He
felt his connection with them was severed, and he no longer trusted their
motives.
It was a very painful and difficult period for the Ka movement in the
West. There had been a great neglect of rla Prabhupdas position prior to
New Vndvana, and then the four sannyss exacerbated the problemfirst
by trying to limit rla Prabhupda, and then by ultimately making him into
Kagoing from one extreme to the other.
The lesson to learn from all of this, for all time, is to recognize rla
Prabhupdas supreme position as Kas pure representative, and one of the
foremost Acharyas in the Gauya Vaiava Sampradaya.
Abhirma: The vision that most people have of it, unfortunately like most
history, has been distilled down to such a simplistic recognizable pattern, the

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 good guys and the bad guys, that it doesnt do it justice. I think they were
sincere disciples who got caught up in something that was way over their
heads. rla Prabhupda never stopped giving them shelter, but he put them
through some purification.
Vaikunthanath: Prabhupda had a pastime where a few of his advanced
devotees slipped a little in their understanding of the philosophy, really with
no other attempt than to glorify Prabhupda. They were so fixed on
Prabhupda, that they said that Prabhupda was God because they read in
Nectar of Devotion that guru is as good as God. That was probably all
prearranged by Lord Ka to help guide us in the very subtle ways of
devotional service. There are so many subtle ways you can get lost if you dont
strictly follow the gurus instructions. So it was a little pastime to help teach
these new devotees how to be very careful not to go astray in the wrong
understanding.
Some people believe the incident was a pastime arranged by Ka in order
to strengthen the devotees in the philosophy and in their devotion. Prabhupda
did reveal that Ka was actually involved. The following conversation took
place years later while Prabhupda was reminiscing about how the preaching
began in India.
rla Prabhupda: My plan was like that, but Kas plan was different.
When I was coming back [to India] I was speaking to Dvarakadhisa [the
Deity in LA]. I do not know. I came here to live. Why You are driving me
away? While leaving Los Angeles I was not happy.
But He had His plan. Ka wanted that, You left Vndvana, Ill give
you a better place in Vndvana. You were retired in Vndvana. I obliged
you to leave. Now you come back. I will give you a better place.
So He has given a temple a hundred times better than Los Angeles.
(Room conversation, Vrindavan, June 17, 1977)
This is an important revelation. Was the conspiracy part of Kas desire
to hasten the spread of the sakrtana movement in India? Prabhupda
confirms that Ka did have a plan for him to return to India when the four
sannyss were sent out to preach, resulting in the New Vndvana confusion.
Only six months later, while preaching throughout India, Prabhupda
expressed that this was indeed the intention. So why not spread this

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movement in India? It is Indias culture. Why Indians are lacking? I have
brought them [Western devotees] to show you example. This is a genuine
movement. (Lecture Gorakhpur, February 15, 1971)
Prabhupda turned a negative situation into something very positive. He left
America to start the India mission. He also introduced the sannysa ashram in
the West and sent out the new sannyss to preach. The mystic influence that
illusioned the sannyss overtook them like a kind of yogamy. It is an amazing
irony that the sannyss offense actually furthered the mission, instead of
destroying their spiritual lives. Therefore, it appears like yogamy. They were
put into illusion for the purpose of spreading the mission, because Prabhupda
used that illusion to further the movement. He made them prove their love for
him by sending them out with no support system from the Society. Their own
sincerity would be their rectification.
Prabhupda not only forgave them but actually gave them his blessings on
the condition that they would repent. And thats what happened, and that
greatly pleased Prabhupda. Certainly, nothing Prabhupda did was without
Kas impetus and control.
Subsequently, Hayagrva wrote an essay, The Spiritual Master: Emissary of
the Supreme Person, which appeared in the next issue of BTG to clear up the
matter for the whole society and for the public at large. Prabhupda
congratulated Hayagrva for having thoroughly grasped the concept of the
spiritual master.
By the end of the year, Brahmnanda Swami and Gargamuni Swami had
opened centers in Tallahassee and Gainesville, while Viujana Swami had
opened a center in Houston. Subala Mahrja had gone to Amsterdam and was
now preaching in India. The four sannyss were back in the fold, and the New
Vndvana episode was history.
Although Maya had infiltrated the Hare Ka movement through the four
sannyss, ultimately the illusion was overcome by the strength of the pure
devotee, rla Prabhupda. But Maya will continue to infiltrate Vaiava
society, as we shall see, when the leaders are not strict in sdhana, nor pure in
motive. As long as one is controlling the choices of others, he is not a servant,
and therefore not in his constitutional position. Thus he remains covered by
illusion. To become free of illusion, all devotees must give up their own

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self-interestalong with the mistaken notion that their own vision is also the
vision of Kaand become the humble servant of the Vaiavas. Only then
will the illusory potency be unable to disturb the blossoming of Ka
consciousness in the heart.

During the New Vndvana affair, r r Rdh-Dmodara were preparing

to set sail for America. Just before Christmas, Rdh-Dmodara arrived at the
New York Port Authority where They were trucked to Baltimore. Dmodara
dsa picked Them up and brought Them back to the Baltimore temple.
Thereafter, They were put in the closet for safekeeping. The stage was set for
the next act of the Lords pastime.

Thirteenth Wave The Long and Winding Road

So our remedy for material life is very simple, simply to chant for Ka, to
dance for Ka, to work, prepare nice foods for Ka, and then cent per cent
we become fully free from all other influences. Please always remember this
secret and show by example to all others.
Letter to Himavati, December 12, 1968

Atlanta November 1971

The Road Show devotees are still rehearsing their show in Atlanta, but they
are requesting Krtannanda Mahrja to invite Viujana Swami to join their
traveling program. With Viujana Mahrja as part of the show, they all say, it
will be super-successful. Everyone remembers the wonderful impression he
made when he arrived on the East Coast last year as a brand new sannys. The
New Vndvana incident has long since been forgotten, and Viujana is once
again the darling of the devotees.
When Krtannanda calls Viujana to speak about his joining the traveling
party, Viujana replies that he couldnt join without permission because

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Prabhupda has ordered him to open ten temples. Subsequently, Krtannanda
Mahrja writes Prabhupda requesting authorization to install the
Rdh-Ka Deities and to take Them out traveling. He also requests
Prabhupdas blessings for the sakrtana party, hinting that the party would
greatly benefit if Viujana Swami could join.
Everyone is hoping for Prabhupdas approval of the Road Show program
and the traveling Rdh-Ka Deities.
Balavanta: Dmodara had a set of Deities that he was going to install in
Washington, but his temple was not growing as quickly as this organization,
so they arranged to obtain those Deities. They had the idea to install Them in
one of the buses. They wrote to Prabhupda whether they could install the
Deities. There was a question whether They could be installed at all in a
non-permanent moving situation.
When a blue aerogram suddenly arrives from Calcutta one morning,
Krtannanda gathers everyone together to read it aloud.
My Dear Krtannanda Mahrja, Vrindaban Chandra, and Silavati,
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letters just now received by me
here in Calcutta and describing your plans for traveling sakrtana party, and
it is very much encouraging news for me. Silavati Prabhu said that this was her
long cherished dream. It has been mine also. If there were three or four such
traveling parties, it would be a grand scale propaganda. So do it with great
enthusiasm, and surely you will have the blessings of Caitanya Mahprabhu.
And wherever you go, if there is good response you can try and open a center
there. This is first class scheme and surely will be The Greatest Show on
Earth.
So far Viujana Mahrja joining your party, that is super-excellent
idea. Already, at your request, I have written him one letter to the San
Antonio address, that he has my full-hearted blessings for joining the party.
Plays will be very successful and Vrindaban Chandra is very expert in
this connection. One thing, though, is that nice plays should be written for
showing in the villages. The plays should be done seriously so that they will not
laugh.
And Ka has made Himself available in the form of very nice brass
Murtis from Washington, DC. It is not necessary also that Lord Jagannath
come along. Sometimes He is misunderstood also. The Deities can be installed
in a temple and then taken for traveling. That will be best.
Letter dated November 6, 1971

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 Everyone is overjoyed. Prabhupda has given sanction for Rdh and Ka
to travel on the bus. And he has enthusiastically endorsed Viujana Swamis
participation. After securing Prabhupdas blessings, every devotee becomes
excited about the traveling program.
A week later another letter arrives confirming that these Rdh-Ka
Deities can travel by bus. This is a unique occurrence in Vaiava history, but
Prabhupda gives his full support. Everyone feels that the Deities are as
enthusiastic about the traveling party as the devotees.
Yes, you may take the 32" brass Deities, along with throne and paraphernalia
on your tour of many States, and in this way try very nicely to reveal to
everyone everywhere you go the ecstasy of arcana worship...I am very much
pleased by this traveling sakrtana program. Kindly execute it nicely, and sell
as many books and magazines as possible, so that by reading Ka philosophy,
and by seeing you, they will become fully convinced.
Letter to Krtannanda Maharaja, November 12, 1971

Krtannanda wants to have a grand ceremony for Rdh-Kas

installation. The temple devotees are eager to help make arrangements for the
event. This is something completely new for them. The New Vndvana
devotees have already witnessed the installation of Rdh-Vndvana Chandra
on Janmam, but they are also attached to the traveling Deities and equally
excited about Their installation. Of course, no one is as thrilled as Silavati, who
spends almost every waking hour tending to Their service.
No one is yet aware that they are receiving the benediction of the beloved
Deities of rla Jva Goswami, r r Rdh-Dmodara, who always seem to
appear on the scene at significant moments in Vaiava history.
Krtannanda wants to have the Deity installation outdoors. The weather in
Atlanta is still warm and sunny, just perfect for an outdoor festival. These
Deities are practically living outside anyway. An effort is made to attract the
media.
A few days before the big event, three yellow school buses pull up in front of
th
the 13 Street temple. As Kuldri and company jump out of their vehicles, they
are welcomed back with the exciting news of the Deity installation. Also
arriving just in time for the ceremony is Narada Muni dsa. He wasnt given
permission to leave New Vndvana initially, but after agreeing to a deal, the
temple authorities finally gave their consent.

427
 Balavanta: Rdh-Dmodara were installed in the front yard of the Atlanta
temple. Krtannanda did the abhieka ceremony, with Silavati overseeing
everything. Krtannanda and Silavati were about ten years older than the
average devotee at the time. As far as we were concerned, they were very
mature. Being older, they kept to themselves.
Bhavatarini dev ds: We had a huge feast with two hundred preparations.
The TV stations came because my cousin was the Mayor. So Their
installation was televised. That was one of the things the Deities really seemed
to enjoy. They seemed to smile bigger when They were on TV.
With the outdoor installation of Rdh-Dmodara being televised, and with
Prabhupdas sanction that Their temple be in a moving bus so that They can
travel all over America, Krtannanda Swami decides to name the Road Show
program, Every Town and Village. The understanding that these are
extraordinary Deities will gradually unfold, as They reveal their purpose and
mission through Their pastimes.
Although the Road Show is still in an infant stage, the devotees have some
very creative ideas. Encouraged by the potential, Toaa Ka begins selling it
as an amazing show. One club agrees to hire them, expecting an incredible
program, but it turns out to be just Hare Ka devotees with shaved heads
singing a few songs and then getting people to chant along during kirtan.
Rdh-Dmodara are always on stage, and Silavati always fans Them with a
peacock fan. Toaa is doing such a good job at booking that Krtannanda
realizes the show has to evolve into something much more substantial.
Gradually, it develops into a more sophisticated presentation with songs, a play,
and chanting as the finale.
Lambhodara: Mangalananda had an idea, and Vndvana Chandra and I
came up with lyrics and an outline of a play depicting the beginning of
Kali-yuga. We put a little show together, The Age of Kali, which was mostly
the brain child of Vndvana Chandra. I played various characters, mostly
Dharma, the bull. Im a big black guy, so I made a good Dharma, the bull. We
were going to schools, old age homes, night clubs; anybody who would take us.
Word starts getting around the Southern temples about Krtannanda
Swami and his Road Show extravaganza. Bhagavat wants to take advantage of

428
Krtannandas presence in the area. He books a speaking engagement at the
University in Tallahassee and phones Krtannanda Mahrja with the good
news.
Ive got a $250 donation from Florida State University for you to come and
give a lecture on Ka consciousness.
All right, Ill come, Mahrja replies. I appreciate that youve done this.
Im very impressed. But I want you to do something else. See if you can get some
more engagements.
Bhagavat: So I went to the radio station at the college and got an interview on
college radio. Then I went to the TV station and got him on a religious
program. Then I got another religious program on a TV station in
Gainesville, and another one in Jacksonville. So I got three TV engagements.
I thought he was coming alone, but he came with Vndvana Chandra,
Mangalananda, and a whole group.
Krtannanda wants to try out the show at colleges, so he gathers the
creative nucleus of the group and drives off in the Chevy van to do the
engagements in Florida. Harikea is left in charge of getting the buses ready to
transport the devotees South for the winter. First, he takes out all the seats
from every bus. For the ashram bus he builds a false floor so that books and
magazines, musical instruments, and other paraphernalia can be stored
underneath and devotees can take rest on top. As a result, nobody can stand up
in that bus. Rdh-Dmodaras temple bus is easier. Its simply an open space,
nicely decorated, with the Deities traveling altar at the far end. All the Deity
paraphernalia is stored behind the altar.
Meanwhile, the devotee van arrives in Tallahassee without
Rdh-Dmodara. The program is still in an embryonic state.
Rupa Vilasa: The Road Show came through in a van with an idea to put on
dramas. They were rehearsing songs and dramas and talking about their
plans to expand it. Mangalananda was composing music with his guitar.
They also had a black devotee [Lambhodara], and Kuldri was driving.
We did a big kirtan outside the Student Union Building at Florida State
Universityour temple and the Road Show people. Then they put on the
Age of Kali play. Chandrika was dressed up as the cow with a cows head

429
 on, and she came running into the Student Union cafeteria chased by
somebody dressed as Kali. She began to cry out, Please, dont eat me. Please,
please, dont eat me, in front of the students taking their lunch. Then they
performed this drama against meat-eating. The students were stunned but
quite amused that people were bursting into street theatre in the middle of the
cafeteria.
Krtannanda Swami gave some lectures around the University. They
were received at FSU with curiosity and some real interest. More people
started coming to our feasts. We had three feasts a week; one on Sunday, and
two on campus during the week, so more people started showing up.
Krtannanda addressed full classrooms and, at one point, a whole assembly
hall full of students. He was very impressive in terms of his delivery and his
understanding.
After a successful week in Tallahassee, the party returns to Atlanta.
Krtannanda notices at once that the whole street in front of the temple is
taken up by Road Show vehicles. With four buses, a tie-dye motor home, the
Chevy van and a couple of cars, along with dozens of devotees, Mahrja
realizes that his welcome at the temple is nearing its end. When Bhagavat
invites them to spend the winter in Tampa, he at once agrees.
The next morning, as the bus engines rev up, the temple kirtan party bids
farewell to the Road Show caravan. Leaving with them are many new additions
to the program, including Bhavatarini. She is not only a good singer but wants
to associate with Silavati. Krtannanda Swami requests Balavanta to forward
any letters that may come from Prabhupda.
As the motorcade rolls out of town heading South, only Zubins vehicle
remains behind.
Zubin: When I went back to get more buses, I left my motor-home with
Lambhodara. I said, I have leaking oil, so please be sure to check the oil if
youre going to move it. Otherwise, just keep it there until I get back. And
they didnt check the oil. Everybody was so spiritualized they couldnt deal
with the material world. Enchanted with the spiritual nectar, I should say. So
they blew my engine and just left it there along with everything I owned. I had
to wait two weeks to get it fixed. I was a little upset by the negligence of my
vehicle. I was trying to serve them, but they didnt put any energy into

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 maintaining it.

Austin, Texas January 1971

Just prior to Christmas, a hippie street market scene had spontaneously

manifested right in front of the University of Texas on Guadalupe Street, a
broad roadway running along the edge of the campus. It was instigated by a lone
hippie who just sat down on a blanket one day in front of the student bookstore
to sell beads. Having had a successful day, he decided to set up there as his
regular spot and quickly became known as Ron the bead man. Although he was
ignoring the city permit regulations, it didnt matter to him. He was going to do
his thing and that was that.
When other hippies saw that he was getting away with it, they also began to
lay down blankets to sell their wares. Almost overnight a hippie street market
was camped out in front of the University at the height of hippiedom in Austin,
which the city government was tolerating.
The area soon becomes known as The Drag, and a favorite haunt not only
for hippies but for the fifty thousand students on campus just across the road.
To this day there is a big mural on the side of a building on Guadalupe street
showing the old scene of Austin. There is a devotee in the painting, riding on a
skate board with tennis shoes, and selling incense. It is a caricature but you can
still see it is Prahladananda, who always wore tennis shoes. Devotees were
considered part of the scene.
Among the many vendors sitting on their blankets early in the New Year is
Robin Ferris, a former chemistry major, who manufactures his own incense. He
and his wife had met devotees out on the West Coast during the summer. They
both liked the devotees, the prasdam, and the philosophy. So out of sympathy
for the movement Robin decides to shave his head, wear a ikh, and sell
Prabhupdas books along with his incense.
News of The Drag soon reaches the devotees in Houston. Viujana Swami
is especially intrigued to hear that somebody is shaved up and wearing a ikh in
Austin.
Whats happening up there in Austin? Lets go check it out, Mahrja
suggests one evening to bhakta Richard. He requests Prahladananda to act as
temple president until he returns, although in his mind Mahrja has no

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intention of returning. Rather, he is hoping to start another center for rla
Prabhupda.
The next morning, Viujana Mahrja announces his intentions to the
assembled devotees. Im going to Austin. I want you all to stay here and
maintain the temple. Most express their displeasure, hearing this disturbing
news. Raghuntha, especially, cant accept his departure.
No, Mahrja, I want to go with you. If you dont let me come with you, Im
probably going to leave the temple. Im not surrendered at all. I really want to
come with you.
Raghuntha: He got heavy with me. Basically, he blasted me, the old
ISKCON sauce style. He said I was a fool. I was in my. I lacked humility. I
was puffed up and proud. He completely devastated my false ego.
Okay. I guess Ill stay here then.
I stayed in Houston, but I was really miserable. Viujana Mahrja was
so inspiring. I was envisioning in my mind if I could only find a place in this
world where everyone was like this person, thats where I would goa city of
godly people. Prahladananda became the president then. That was really
depressing for me because he was so different. He was serious, but he didnt
inspire like Viujana. I needed Viujana, and I wanted to be as close as I
could to him, but he wouldnt let me come to Austin.
After breakfast prasdam Viujana loads Richards van with a few cases of
BTGs and KA books, and the two of them drive off to Austin.
The first place Mahrja wants to see when they arrive is The Drag. And
there it is right across the street from the campus, crowded with hippies and
students. Many students are weekend hippies themselves, favorable to the
hippie mystique, so its the hip place to be seen.
Immediately, Viujana recognizes that this is the ideal situation to plug into
with his preaching. He has no mdaga, no harmonium, no kartls, nothing. He
always travels very light, taking only his daa, a woolen blanket, a toothbrush,
one change of cloth, and, of course, Bhagavad-gt and rmad-Bhgavatam.
Thats it.
He lays down his blanket right across from Ron the bead man and next to a
hippie selling candles. Simply by playing a tambourine and chanting Hare

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Ka, he begins to attract people right away. He has his BTGs and KA
books, which he displays prominently, along with a large poster of rla
Prabhupda.
Between chanting he offers to cook a vegetarian feast at the home of anyone
who would like to sample the unparalled taste of prasdam, food lovingly
cooked and offered to the Supreme with devotion. Its not long before he gets
his first invitation. Within a few hours, he has invitations for the next three
days, as people invite him over, a different person every night.
In this way, Viujana lives from day to day, staying at different peoples
home every evening. Bhakta Richard cant adjust to this lifestyle and leaves
almost immediately. But Visnujana quickly attracts other potential devotees.
r Galim: I had just finished college, and I was a frustrated student who
didnt know what to do. There was a hippie scene out at the University of
Texas at Austin and I was part of that scene, selling hand-dipped candles
every day. So Viujana Mahrja set up right next to me and started
chanting Hare Ka. The only thing he had was a tambourine with a skin on
it. He was just beating on that tambourine and chanting, and attracting
hundreds of people who were stepping on my candles. When he wasnt
chanting, he would preach to me. The first day he told me the story of Rupa
Goswami and how Rupa Goswami gave 50% of his income to help spread
Ka consciousness. So I took it as a hint, and I gave him 50% of my days
income.
People were inviting him to their homes in the evening. That first night
somebody invited him, and I went for that lecture. He spoke very powerfully
and I was impressed. I really felt like God was speaking through him. He came
and set up next to me every day. By the time the third day came around, I had
decided to shave up. It was pretty quick.
We stayed at different peoples homes, just spending the night at the
particular house we were at. He would be chanting and preaching in the living
room while I was in the kitchen cooking. He taught me how to make halava
and Simply Wonderfuls. He had his own recipe: half and half, powdered milk
and powdered sugar, then throw in some butter. He would put bananas and
strawberries in them and make it really kind of mushy. I got addicted to those.
We were at a house one day, and he was lecturing in the front. He lectured
for a long time and I was getting hungry. Brahmacrs and prasdam, it was

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 like an addiction. So by the time he was finished, Id eaten over half of the
Simply Wonderfulsfifteen to twenty. He came in and saw me, and I just
started laughing. Then he started laughing. We just laughed for about five
minutes. It was too much. He was tolerant. It was a real sweet, loving
relationship.
He was very nice with children whenever he saw them. Before he took
sannysa, he said he was doing puppet shows for the kids in LA. He told me
that he delivered one of his kids chanting Hare Ka, and he was on acid. He
also said, Prabhupda requested me to bring my wife and children to the
movement, because he knew I had a family. His wife was not inclined, so
there was nothing he could do about it. Those early days with him probably
kept me in the movement to this day.

February 1971

Viujana Mahrja quickly develops a reputation around The Drag, and

many people come by just to see the Swami. Mahrja makes Ka
consciousness sound so attractive that people are naturally encouraged to want
to try it out. He makes friends very easily, and many street people join him in
the daily chanting.
Siddhavidya: My life had come to a crossroads. George Harrison came out
with My Sweet Lord, and I was thinking, Yes, I have to look for God,
because that was what the song was saying. I didnt know what daavats
were, but I offered full obeisances and I began praying to God, Please let me
find you. It was only a couple of days later that I saw Viujana Swami
chanting on The Drag. I didnt know that this was the answer to my prayers.
I was completely amazed because I had never seen a devotee before. I had
heard the chanting of Hare Ka from the Hair album, so I knew the
mantra. He was sitting down alone, chanting Hare Ka and distributing
Simply Wonderfuls. He had a big picture of Prabhupda, the kind of picture
youd see on a vyssana. Viujana was so blissful, preaching to the people
in such a far out way. He picked me out from the crowd because I was so fixed
on him.
Do you want to sit down and chant?
Okay.

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 Have you ever heard this chanting before?
Yeah, Ive heard it from Hair.
He explained how you follow the leader, First the leader chants, and then
you follow him in a chorus. So I chanted with himthe famous tune sung by
rla Prabhupda. I closed my eyes and chanted. Then he gave me a Simply
Wonderful, which just exploded in my mouth. It was the greatest thing I had
ever tasted. After that, my life changed.
Very soon I saw that Mahrja had devotees with him on The Drag. I saw
him chanting with r Galim, and Parasara, who was Ron the bead man.
On Sundays, Viujana Mahrja takes his chanting to Pease Park, which is
just down the hill from the campus on Lamar Boulevard. Here he begins his
Sunday Love Feast program. As usual, he attracts a large following.
Sakaraa: I had lived on the West Coast in the summer of 69 as a street
singer in Haight-Ashbury and Berkeley during the turmoil over Peoples
Park, when Reagan sent in the National Guard to enforce martial law in
Berkeley. The devotees engaged me in making announcements through a
megaphone up and down Telegraph Avenue, inviting people to the feast in the
park on Sunday. I liked the chanting, the devotees, and the prasdam, but I
thought they were naive, and their rules and regs were too much. I knew that
the mantra had power and potency, but I was still a myvd, thinking I was
God. So I wasnt ready.
I came back to Austin because the West Coast was getting too heavy. But
everything started turning sour for me. I became a seeker again. I was
thinking that Christ was a perfect liberated soul, so what was his secret? How
could I attain it? I came across the passage, Not my will, but Thy will. That
was it. Do not what you want but what God wants! So every morning Id get
up and pray, Dear God, please guide me how I can be your servant.
I was just a campus minstrel, staying at different homes. One afternoon,
someone came knocking on the door. This girl said, Hey, theres a Hare
Ka swami in town. Hes going to be at my apartment in an hour. So we
went over there, and it was Viujana Swami. He invited us all to a regular
program he was having on Sundays in Pease Park. I went down to the park,
and this was the first time that I was actually impressed hearing a preacher of
Ka consciousness. The prasdam was very simple, but it was absolutely
sublimepotatoes with sour cream and turmeric, and apple chutney.

435
 So when I met Viujana everything just clicked for me. He was living the
same way I was, not knowing where he would stay next, like a mendicant, but
I was impressed because he was doing it in grand style.
Sakaraa is an eccentric kind of person who likes to wear multi-colored
leather pants and play his guitar on campus just to woo women. He still has his
own ideas about spiritual life, but he really likes Viujana Mahrja, and he
loves to play guitar and chant Hare Ka with the devotees on The Drag.
Siddhavidya: Sakaraa used to play his guitar in this place called Sattva, a
vegetarian restaurant where I used to eat. They would feed you for free. The
next time I saw him, he was chanting with Viujana on The Drag. He said to
me, Hey man, start chanting this Hare Ka. Itll make you high, Im telling
you.
Seeing that the response in the park is as good as The Drag, Viujana moves
over to the park on a regular basis, refining his original idea to meet people. He
also sets up on campus, laying out a blanket on the grass, with a nice poster of
Ka. As he chants and hands out Simply Wonderfuls, Ka inspires him with
a nice idea how to preach. You invite me to your home, he proposes, and I
will turn your home into a temple.
Mahrja has a constant stream of invitations, Come to my place, come to
my place, come to my place. Everyday he announces where he will be for the
evening program. Whatever he collects that day by selling BTGs, he uses every
penny to buy bhoga to cook a feast. He starts with kirtan, then a lecture and
finally prasdam. Everyday he starts the morning as a pauper. But by the
afternoon his book bag is full of donations, which he spends on bhoga for the
feast at the house he will stay that night. In this way, he lives like a true
brhmaa.
Although everyone he meets has an impersonal concept of guru and God,
Viujana Mahrja is so blissful in his presentation of Ka consciousness,
that people become convinced that his process really works, and accept him as
their guide.
Dwijahari: I was reading about kriya-yoga, which was mainly breathing
exercises. In my younger years I was a diver for the Navy, so holding the
breath and doing things with the breath was always interesting. I was

436
 practicing kriya-yoga and staying by myself in a little cabin on Lake Austin,
reading three different Bhagavad-gts at the same time, trying to make sense
what they were saying.
When I would come into town and stay for a few days, people in the park
would tell me, This Swamis up there and hes into this bhakti-yoga thing,
because they knew I was into yoga. They called him the Swami. His name was
getting around because he was the only one with robes and a shaved head.
I met him later at The Drag when I came into Austin again. He just kept
looking at me, and I became more attracted to him. After everybody left I
stayed, and we had a private conversation. I had many questions about the
Bhagavad-gt and he would answer my questions very nicely. It made a lot of
sense to me. Then he gave me rla Prabhupdas Bhagavad-gt As It Is, and
I took that back with me to the cabin and read it. After reading Prabhupdas
Bhagavad-gt, many things started to make sense, like how to control the
mind and senses. That was when I made up my mind to join him.
Viujana always needed a place to stay, so I invited him to stay with me. I
also kept a room in a hippie house in Austin, so Viujana and r Galim
moved into that room. From then on it was always the three of us. He would
always tell stories about rla Prabhupda. Viujana would make
preparations, like Simply Wonderfuls, and we would go up on the main
avenue and distribute prasdam, BTGs and have kirtan. He would give a talk
to anyone who wanted to sit down and listen.
Dwijahari is much older than most devotees. He is thirty-two when he joins,
which is quite old for the times. He is also a testy guy who doesnt like anybody
cramping his style. Although ten years his junior, Viujana Swami is able to
engage him in devotional service because he is sincere. It is always difficult for
an older person, set in his ways, to surrender to someone younger. It would have
been extremely difficult for anyone other than Viujana to have accomplished
that. But Dwijahari has a great love for Viujana Swami, and that keeps him in
the movement
Within a month, Viujana already has a couple of men shaved up and many
followers who are just on the verge of joining. Dwijaharis house is the base,
although Mahrja continues the program of showing people how to turn their
home into a temple. Dwijahari enjoys driving Viujana Swami around town in
his Land Rover so that Mahrja can go to different places, attracting more and

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more people with his nightly programs and Sunday love feasts.

March 1971

Ray Neubauer is an English professor at the University. He and his wife take
a liking to Viujana Swami. They appreciate what hes doing, so they offer to
rent a house for a temple and keep one room for themselves. This house
becomes the first Austin temple at 2906 Dancey Street.
Scott is another supporter who volunteers to build Prabhupdas vyssana.
A week later, Viujana, r Galim, and Dwijahari move out of the room they
share and relocate to the Dancey Street house. Jaya Gopal soon arrives from
Houston, desiring to be Mahrjas servant.
After two months of cooking at peoples homes, purifying their kitchens,
and giving class at a different place every night, Viujana Swami finally
establishes a temple on behalf of rla Prabhupda. After painting a large
welcome sign, the devotees sit down in front of the temple and pose for a
photograph. Viujana now has his own place for training the new Vaiavas.
After the temple opening, people drop by every night, so every night
becomes a small feast. Of course, the basic diet is rice, dahl, chapatis, and sabji,
and Mahrja teaches the devotees how to make the different preparations to
offer to Ka.
Dwijahari: Viujana would teach us how to cook sabjis, chapatis, dahl and,
of course, sweet rice. From the supermarkets I would acquire the vegetables
and fruits that they were going to throw out. Because we were near Austin
University with fifty thousand students, every day was a feast, with apple
chutney, puris, sweet rice, and gulabjamuns. Viujana Mahrja was very
attractive. He led beautiful kirtans and gave very nice lectures. There was
always first class prasdam and, of course, big smiles. Viujana always had
a shiny face and that big smile.
He was always thoughtful of other devotees, attending to their needs and
care. He was very courteous and made a big effort to practice what he was
preaching. Like Prabhupda said, you teach by your example, not by your
words. I always remember Viujana controlling his senses and his mind,
utilizing them for devotional service. He was constantly thinking about how
to engage himself and others in devotional service. He was the first one that

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 taught me were not these bodies.
Every morning we would read the r Isopanisad prayers. Hippies would
come to talk with Viujana, and sometimes people would come by one
oclock at night, high on drugs, and he would actually take the time to preach
to them. This was part of our policy that if a person is having a bad trip just
help him ride it out.
He taught me how to make the brahmastra. His recipe was cloves, ginger,
and hot pepper, with honey and orange at the end. He would drink this as hot
as possible. He had a mischievous smile, and he smiled like that the first time I
drank this brahmastra.
In order to keep his new recruits mindful of the spiritual codes of conduct,
Viujana Mahrja posts this notice in the new Dancey Street temple.
ALWAYS REMEMBER WE ARE DEALING WITH KRISHNA!
KITCHEN
1. Bring nothing dirty, or garbage, or leftover prasdam, into the kitchen.
2. Knock before entering, and close the door entering and exiting.
3. Wash hands before touching anything and refrain from touching face,
clothes, floor, etc. If anything unofferable is touched, wash hands again.
4. Cleaning Kas kitchen is cleaning our hearts, so well do it carefully.
PRASADAM
1. Prepared in Ka consciousness, and taken in Ka consciousness.
Avoid being avaricious or envious as the tongue is difficult to control.
2. Take all prasdam on your plate even if its an austerity.
3. Leftover prasdam may be taken any time with reverence.
4. Always say a prayer before taking. Any prayer in line with scripture is
acceptable.
5. Do not bring prasdam back in the kitchen.
HUMBLE
What am I, and what is my value? What is the value of my things? They
are nothing. But my dear rla Prabhupda, and Lord Ka, your
goodness can change matter into spirit, as everything is your energy only.

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 I therefore pray for your causeless mercy to engage me in pure devotional
service.
Siddhavidya: Viujana would regularly come on campus to chant and
preach, and a lot of times he would announce what the Sunday feast was.
Even on a Wednesday he had planned what the Sunday feast was, strawberry
malpura, sweet rice, puris... I had become a prasdam addict! He would tell
the menu and my mouth would be watering. At that time the temple was on
Dancey, and Monday morning he would bring the leftovers of the feast to the
campus or The Drag. I saw him in both places, and I would take.
Ray Neubauer invites Viujana to give a talk on bhakti-yoga at Southwest
Texas State College in San Marcos, a college town with a Spanish influence just
south of Austin on the road to San Antonio. Southwest is a small liberal arts
college where students go for a teachers degree or as a preparation for
University of Texas in Austin. A few interested people squeeze into Dwijaharis
Land Rover, and the party heads off to San Marcos for the program.
Later that evening, while driving back to Austin, everybody is in a good
mood after a successful engagement.
Sakaraa: Viujana appealed to me, and attracted me also, because he
knew the Jefferson Airplane before he became a devotee. I had been following
that whole music scene. They had an old hymn called Good Shepherd that
they put on one of their albums. It was about Christ and had a spiritual ring
to it. Viujana heard that song from Marty Balin when they spent a summer
up at some monastery. He had sung it to Viujana before the Airplane
become a famous band.
Viujana and I sang that song as a duet, driving back down the highway
in the Land Rover. We sang it together, and it attracted me so much because it
was spiritual on a certain level. I was sentimental about the whole hippie
scene, and he had a special connection to what I was emotionally attached to.
I dont know how many other devotees would do that with a bhakta, sing a
song off a Jefferson Airplane album just for my benefit. In the same way,
rla Prabhupda had listened to Pancadravida play guitar. Prabhupda was
like that, but most devotees wouldnt do things like that. But Viujana was
like that too. He went that extra mile to understand, appreciate, and engage
someone. It was very personal and considerate of someone elses feelings and

440
 desires to serve Ka in a certain way.

Meanwhile, down in Florida, Brahmnanda and Gargamuni Swamis have

also been preaching and making devotees. Because the sannyss have been
keeping all the money from the book sales for their own preaching and not
remitting anything to the BBT, a little controversy develops with the regional
GBC man, Satsvarpa dsa Adhikari. Prabhupda had instructed the GBC men
to encourage the sannyss in their preaching work, and therefore Satsvarpa
had driven down to Tallahassee to check up on Brahmnanda Swami and
Bhagavat. He is surprised to see that their Sunday feast program is a big
happening.
In Gainesville, Gargamuni Swami is also having success chanting and
distributing prasdam on the Plaza at the University of Florida and has made
several devotees as well as opened a center. Similarly, in Houston the temple
appears to be thriving.
Satsvarpa is impressed with the success of the sannyss, but still remains a
little stand-offish because he still thinks they are influenced by myvda
philosophy. Since the four sannyss were more or less banished from the
society after Janmam in New Vndvana, there is a tendency amongst GBC
men to be suspicious of their activities. Satsvarpa decides to write rla
Prabhupda about the matter. Prabhupda is of a different mind, however,
knowing that the sannyss need space to do their preaching work so they wont
feel inhibited. He requests Satsvarpa not to bother the sannyss, because he
wants to encourage them.
I am so glad to hear that you have just returned from a successful touring of the
temples in Southern USA and had an occasion to meet and speak with our
sannyasis also. The sannyasis are trying their best. So let them go on as they
have been doing and let them do in their own way. There is no trouble.
Letter to Satsvarupa, February 26, 1971

People in India are inquiring whether ISKCON has a mission in Pakistan, so

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Prabhupda begins to consider, why not? Since Great Britain partitioned the
Indian sub-continent in 1947, both India and Pakistan have experienced severe
distress. Prabhupda knows that the only solution is the process of Ka
consciousness as taught by r Caitanya Mahprabhu. Pakistan would never
allow a mission from India to enter the country, but an ISKCON mission from
America would not be denied. Therefore, Prabhupda now requests the two
sannys brothers to go to Pakistan.
On the whole I am not insisting to go there, but if it is possible for you to go
there, four to five men, and preach this Ka cult, that will be a great
achievement. Our point is that Ka is neither Hindu, nor Mohammedan nor
Christian. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, proprietor of
everything, the supreme enjoyer and the most well-wishing friend of everyone.
We want to impress these three points everywhere and by such understanding
surely there will be peace and prosperity all over the world.
Letter to Gargamuni Maharaja, February 16, 1971

Taking Prabhupdas suggestion seriously, the brothers prepare to leave

Florida. Gargamuni raises the money for his ticket by making a devotee, Pusta
Ka, who offers to pay the fare to East Pakistan. Brahmnanda, on the other
hand, can only get as far as London, where he hopes to collect more money to go
to West Pakistan.
As Prabhupda travels around India with his World Sankirtan Party, he
receives a letter from Viujana Swami along with an enclosed pamphlet about
varrama-dharma that he has produced. Delighted with Viujanas
presentation, Prabhupda mentions it during Bhagavad-gt class that evening.
Viujana is doing very nice. He has printed some literature, and hes going
for enrolling members. So I think this literature should be rendered into Hindi
and Bengali. He has picked up from the purport of rmad-Bhgavatam very
nicely, presenting this booklet about the missionary activities of the Ka
consciousness movement. The Ka Consciousness Movement is the Genuine
Vedic Way. He has done it nicely, so I think this should be translated in
different languages. (Conversation in Gorakhpur, February 18, 1971)
Revatnandana: I was in India when he wrote an article about some practical
ways to communize a town Ka consciously. It was a whole program. I was
in the room when someone started reading it to Prabhupda. He said, You
dont have to read the rest of it to me, I can see he has written very nicely.

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 Publish it in BTG. I didnt know what he was doing, but Prabhupda liked
the article.
After arranging for a Hindi translator, Prabhupda writes to thank
Viujana Mahrja.
The pamphlet enclosed by you is very nice and I am translating it into Hindi.
You have very diligently collected all the purports in rmad-Bhagavatam and
have presented very nicely our missionary activities, especially in reference to
religion, politics, and sociology. Actually we want to establish a transcendental
human society in which everything will be perfectly done so that man will be
happy in this life as well as the next. All pamphlets and leaflets are well
selected, and if you simply preach the message contained in that literature,
that will be sufficient stock to deliver to the people in general.
Letter to Vishnujana Maharaja, February 22, 1971

Dallas March 11, 1971

For his inuagural address on January 20, 1961, the President of the United
States of America, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, stated, Let the word go forth,
from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed
to a new generation of Americans...
In a grim rendezvous with destiny on November 22, 1963, he was assassinated
in Dallas, his life crushed like his wifes abandoned bouquet. Although he was
President of the worlds most powerful nation, he could not protect himself
from cruel death.
Ten years after that inaugural speech, Mohannanda organizes the Lord
Caitanya Festival and Feast for the appearance day of r Caitanya
Mahprabhu, to give the residents of Dallas a chance to change their inexorable
fate. Only amongst the new generation of Americans, however, does the word
go forth and attract a following.
Prior to Viujana Swamis arrival in nearby Houston, several devotees had
already arrived in Texas and opened a center in Dallas. In Los Angeles,
Mohannanda, who was only 19, had gotten married and driven off with his
bride, Shasti, in a little VW bug with a few cases of BTGs and two boxes of
Spiritual Sky incense. Accompanying the couple was Dina Bandhu in the back
seat. They left LA right after magala-rati and drove off into the rising sun.

443
Subsequently, Akuti dev was sent to Dallas to marry Dina Bandhu.
She joins the other three in the tiny apartment they are using as the temple.
One day Viujana Mahrja comes visiting, bringing a small wedding gift. He
is eager to associate with the devotees from his LA days.
Akuti dev ds: I went to get married in Dallas, when it was a really tiny
temple with Dina Bandhu, Mohannanda, and Shasti. Viujana Mahrja
came and gave us peacock feathers as a gift. I thought that was such a nice
spontaneous thing for someone to do. We didnt have Deities or anything, but
he just set them on the altar. It was really a sweet thing to do.
Although the devotees are crammed into a little apartment, they have big
plans to present Ka consciousness in Dallas. They are only two householder
couples and have to arrange everything themselves, but they have already met
interested people whom they engage in planning the festival. A huge figure of
Lord Caitanya is fashioned as the main attraction for the procession to Lee
Park in the prestigious area of Turtle Creek.
They especially invite Viujana Swami, knowing full well that simply by his
presence the festival will be a great success. Viujana Mahrja drives up in
the Land Rover, bringing his small coterie of followers from Austin to join with
the Houston and St. Louis temples to help Mohannanda announce that Hare
Ka has arrived in Dallas.
Akuti dev ds: When Viujana Mahrja came, it just ended up being a
huge festival. We went down Turtle Creek Boulevard and Viujana led the
chanting. They put on a drama, and everybody had a part. Prajapati was in
ecstasy and became a devotee immediately after.
Prajapati: When I first joined, Mohannanda wanted me to play Lord
Caitanya for the festival in Lee Park, which was a big hippie gathering place
in Dallas. When Viujana Mahrja arrived, he pulled the whole thing
together, and we did that pastime where a fisherman catches Lord Caitanya
in a net. Viujana narrated the play, and Mohannanda played Lord
Caitanya. It was a fun thing.
Satarupa dev ds: Viujana and Mohannanda were good friends, and
they had done a lot of kirtan together in LA. They were both all day kirtan
people. So Viujana came up to do that festival and organized a play. Even

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at that time he was just so charismatic. At the festival people just flocked
around him like the Pied Piper. Afterwards, I heard that he use to be in
Haight-Ashbury selling flutes on street corners, wearing some kind of robes
and really long hair. That was just what he was like.
Bimala dev ds: My husband, Mandalesvara, and I were hippies and we
were on a quest, searching for God. We had just run a spiritual gauntlet
through hatha-yoga, LSD, pseudo-meditation, and were currently into
macrobiotics. We had hitchhiked to the temple because we had heard about
bhakti-yoga and the Lord Caitanya Festival. We followed the procession
behind this giant Lord Caitanya figure with arms uplifted. Viujana
Mahrja narrated the play at the festival in the park, and the devotees
enacted it. It was so dramatic. He was just speaking extemporaneously, and it
was incredibly beautiful. We were completely amazed that he didnt have a
script. I kept wondering how he could have memorized the entire play, because
he spoke so eloquently. Then he led a kirtan, and that was it. We were zapped
completely! He definitely dominated the whole performance with his
charismatic voice. We moved into the Dallas temple a few weeks after that.
Mandalesvara: Viujana Swami came in with his saffron garments,
carrying his saffron stick, and butterflies appeared to enter with him. That
made an impression on me. In his classes he made something that was so far
awayRdh-Ka worshipseem close. His love for rla Prabhupda
and Rdh-Ka came through, and it influenced me greatly.
Raghuntha: At Dallas I met Viujana again. I had moved into the temple,
and we all went to the big festival which Mohannanda arranged and
organized. I wasnt shaved up and I was still wearing my jeans. It was a
mah-celebration, and I became so inspired that Viujana personally shaved
me up. Again I asked him, Please, can I come with you now to Austin?
No, no. You should stay here in Dallas. I didnt want to go back to
Houston, because all my relatives were there and my mother had just broken
up with my father. The whole thing was so entangling for me, so I was saying
anywhere but Houston. I was hoping he would say Austin, but no, Dallas. So
I was still just a step away from Mahrja. He wouldnt let me come any
closer than that.
After the festival Viujana Mahrja remains in Dallas for a while to help

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Mohannanda with the preaching. He writes Prabhupda, informing him of the
successful festival, where at least 2,000 people had come to the park all day long.
He also expresses his feelings of separation.
When he returns to Austin, he takes Dina Bandu and Akuti with him
because he wants them to go on to Houston and help out Prahladananda and
the other devotees there. In this way, Mahrja is acting like a GBC man to
ensure that the Texas preaching mission will be successful.

Austin April 1971

Not long after the Dallas festival more devotees show up in Austin to be
with Viujana Swami. One day, a little blue aerogram is delivered from
Bombay. Its a letter from rla Prabhupda! All the devotees love to share their
Prabhupda letters, and Viujana cant resist sharing this one with the temple
devotees even though its very personal.
Subhananda: In April I went down to Austin. I wasnt initiated then. I had
gone from St Louis to Dallas for the Lord Caitanya Festival and saw
Viujana there. He was an overwhelmingly charismatic, powerful person,
and I just decided I really must have his association. So I talked to Bhagavan,
who was my GBC, and told him I wanted to go. There werent many devotees
in St. Louis and they wanted me to stay, but I wouldnt take no for an answer.
So I got reluctant permission to go and took a bus down.
The first day that I arrived there, Viujana Mahrja took me aside in
another room after the others were asleep. He had just received a letter from
Prabhupda, which he was very excited about. It was like he was sharing his
rapture. He wanted a devotee to tell about this wonderful thing he had
experienced. I remember feeling very honored that he was confiding in me and
treating me like a spiritual friend. He read from a letter he had just gotten in
reply to a letter he had written lamenting the fact that he missed Prabhupda.
He had been in LA for a long time and had been sent to open centers after
that whole debacle in New Vndvana. I think he was still feeling guilty about
all that. Prabhupda was saying, I remember in LA when you used to lead
kirtan, Id feel myself transported to Vaikuha. Those were almost his exact
words. He was in bliss that Prabhupda had said that about his chanting. He
was crouched in the corner of his room and he was reading this as if revealing

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 something very sacred and ecstatic.
Although Viujana has read this letter many times over already, he still
relishes reading it one more time in the still of the warm spring evening, as
Subhananda listens with rapt fascination.
My Dear Son, Viujana Mahrja,
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 25th March, 1971, and
have noted the contents. Because I have been very busy with the movement
which is going on here, I havent had time to reply your letter until now. As
soon as I remember that you are trying to fulfill my desire of trying to open ten
centers, it gives me renewed vigor and life. Please do it nicely. I have got
confidence in you because Ka has given you special talent for chanting
Hare Ka Mantra. When you were chanting in LA temple in the evenings,
or in the mornings, I enjoyed your chanting so nicely that I thought myself
immediately carried to Vaikuha. So I am always thankful to you for your
activities in announcing the interest of our mission. Thank you very much.
Most probably when I return to LA I may call you back just to hear your
chanting of Hare Ka Mantra.
I am very anxious to meet you also. I am thinking of returning very
soon, but I am also contemplating going to Russia. So on my way back I may go
there to Russia for a few days and then to USA. Although I am Indian
materially, still I have adopted USA as my fatherland and you are all my
fathers. In India I had one father who raised me a Ka conscious child but in
America I have got many fathers who are reminding me always of Ka.
Therefore I will always wish to live under your care.
It is so much encouraging that you have got a very nice temple and that
already there are six students living there and following the regulative
principles. Anyone who you recommend, I shall immediately initiate him. So
take advantage and enchant those who are coming by your chanting of Hare
Ka Mantra. You will be victorious. And try to introduce our books there
and it will be a great missionary success. One KA book sold means we go
forward one step in our Ka consciousness. We should always remember this.
Now the second part of KA book is available, so take them from
Karandhara.
So far as waiting for sending Deities, that is all right. Although there is
no Deity, still this Hare Ka mantra is considered to be the sound vibration
incarnation of Ka. Actually we should give more stress in worshipping the
incarnation of sound vibration, but whenever there is possibility of installing
Deities and strictly following the regulations of worship, we shall do this, but
the essential part of our activities is to worship the sound incarnation.
You will be glad to know that Subala Mahrja is now in Bombay and

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 he is going to Delhi for preaching work. Here in Bombay we are having a huge
sakrtana yajna, called, Bhagavata Dharma Discoursesa Hare Ka
Festival, where 20,000 to 30,000 people are attending daily for chanting,
lecture, arati and prasdam distribution. So here in Bombay preaching work is
very successful. Many important men are becoming interested. Most probably
we will have our permanent center here soon.
Hoping this will meet you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
P.S. While posting this letter, rman Gargamuni Mahrja has just
arrived in Calcutta from Pakistan East.

Prabhupdas warmth and affection assuage Viujanas feelings, which had

been so hurt in the aftermath of New Vndvana. He finds solace and
satisfaction in Prabhupdas support of his service. He chuckles at the irony of
the Dallas festival, which seems tiny compared to the number of people that
rla Prabhupda is attracting.

East Pakistan April 1971

In 1947, when the British partitioned India into Hindustan and Pakistan,
half of Bengal and half of the Punjab became East and West Pakistan,
respectively, with 2,000 miles of India between them. The gulf between the two
distant, ethnically dissimilar wings of Pakistan became unbridgeable when, in
1970, the countrys first-ever democratic elections resulted in a resounding
victory for the Bengalis of the eastern wing, and for their leader, Sheik Mujibur
Rahman. He proceeded to legislate much greater autonomy for the two regions.
The outgoing West Pakistani military regime refused to countenance what it
saw as the possible breakup of Pakistan.
East Pakistan proclaims its independence as a sovereign nation, Bangladesh,
on March 26, 1971. Secretly, the West Pakistani army airlifts in troops, killing
thousands and laying the Bengali countryside waste. To escape the violence,
ten million refugees stream across the border into India, placing an intolerable
burden on West Bengals already meager resources.
On April 30, the Indian newspapers report that four Hare Ka
missionaries were killed in Dhaka by Pakistani soldiers. rla Prabhupda is
filled with grief due to worry and apprehension over Brahmnandas

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whereabouts. After the beginning of civil war in Pakistan, Prabhupda had
advised the brothers not to go there until the disturbance was settled. Seeing
the upheaval caused by the civil war, Gargamuni Swami and Pusta Ka had
left Dhaka and arrived in India before the end of March. However, there is no
word from Brahmnanda Mahrja, who is supposed to be in West Pakistan. His
location is unknown.
For five weeks there is no news from Brahmnanda and no one has any idea
what has happened to him. Prabhupdas distress is finally relieved on June 8,
when Brahmnanda Swami sends a telegram from Karachi requesting
permission to come to India. Due to lack of funds, he had traveled overland
from London and had, therefore, remained incommunicado. Prabhupda
immediately advises him to come to Bombay.
Jaya Bangla! Jaya Bangla! From rooftops, school yards, and bus windows,
the call for freedom is everywhere. As the civil war in Pakistan escalates, the
Bengalis see it as a war of liberation from their Punjabi overlords. By the end of
the year the breakaway of Pakistans eastern wing becomes a virtual certainty
when the Islamabad government launches air strikes against India. Responding
in defense, the Indian air force wipes out the Pakistani air force in the East
within two days, giving India control of the skies.
In the Bay of Bengal and the Ganges delta region, the Indian navy is in
unchallenged command. Its blockade of Chittagong and Chalna harbors cut off
all reinforcements, supplies, and chances of evacuation for the Pakistani forces
who are outnumbered and trapped in an enclave 2,000 miles from their home
bases in the West.
Thirteen days after it began, the most brief yet most bitter of the wars
between India and Pakistan comes to an end. Pakistans President, Agha
Mohammed Yahya Khan, reluctantly accepts Indias cease-fire on the Western
border in a complete and humiliating defeat. The surrender simultaneously
marks the end of the nine-month-old civil war that strips Pakistan of more than
half of its population. A new nation, Bangladesh, is born. An estimated three
million Bangladeshis are among the casualties of war.
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declares, Dhaka is now the free capital of a
free country. We hail the people of Bangladesh in their hour of triumph. All
nations who value the human spirit will recognize it as a significant milestone

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in mans quest for liberty.
The real milestone in mans quest for liberty, however, is the expansion of
Lord Caitanyas sakrtana movement all over the world. On the order of rla
Prabhupda, Gargamuni Swami and Brahmnanda Swami had gone to Pakistan
to preach the gospel of genuine liberationfrom birth, death, old age and
disease. Even with no tangible results, their surrender to the order of Guru in
the face of ominous danger illustrates their courage and sincerity.
Of the seven new sannyss Prabhupda made last July in Los Angeles, six
are now in India. Only Viujana Swami remains in America to disseminate
Lord Caitanyas movement deep into the hearts of Texans.

Austin May 1971

Dancey Street is located in East Austin, which is not such a good area since
it is harder to reach. After the devotees move in, the turnout of people
gradually dwindles Although the temple is in a middle class neighborhood,
being across the Interstate highway on the East side behind the University, it is
not very accessible for students, who all live on the West side of the freeway.
The new temple is a little two-bedroom house on a corner lot, with a house next
door and another house behind.
r Galim: People were coming but it wasnt a prime location. It was better
when we just went from house to house. I really felt that it was more effective
preaching. In Dallas, Mohannanda gave us an old harmonium. It was in
battered shape but Viujana fixed it up and used it to deadly potency. He
would gather fifty to a hundred people to come and chant Hare Ka with
him. The kirtans were intense.
Subhananda: I remember the way hed go to sleep. He would step into his
sleeping bag as if it were a pair of pants, and just in one quick sweeping
movement, lay down, say a few prayers, and go to sleep. In the morning, when
the alarm would ring, hed stand up instantaneously. He was, at the very least,
being the good ascetic and not allowing himself moments of languishing in a
half asleep state. He was very ascetical in the sense of constantly watching
himself for a slippage into laziness, boredom, or whatever.
Viujana Swami continues going to the University of Texas to chant and

450
distribute prasdam. Soon everybody on campus is talking about him, especially
a professor giving classes at the School of Architecture.
Murti dsa: Viujana came to the Austin campus in May, and he was giving
classes on the r Isopanisad, right on the mall of the campus, in the baking
sun, on the lawn. He had an old harmonium, and he was dressed in old
saffron cloth, bare-footed, with no top piece. He had his daa with him all
the time, and he was all burned from the sun. He was a classic. He was just
amazing.
Dwijahari was giving out sweetballs, and as I came by, he offered me one. I
was doing yoga at the time, hatha-yoga and raja-yoga, so I said, A yogi never
accepts sweets.
In his thick Brooklyn accent, Dwijahari retorted, How dare you dishonor
prasdam? If you dont take this sweetball, Ill punch your face.
So I said, Oh! Okay. Then I took a sweet and I was finished. I sat down
to listen and I was amazed. Viujana Mahrja had an original brown
Bhgavatam from India that Prabhupda had given him. He was reading the
third part of the First Canto about the inauspicious times of the Kali-yuga.
Murti dsa is an Oxford-trained Rhodes Scholar, who has traveled around
Europe and holds a masters degree in architecture. Viujana Swami never had
a college credit to his name, yet he is espousing this incredible philosophy.
Murti wants to see the philosophy in action, not listen to rhetoric, so he poses
problems and asks questions to ascertain whether Viujana can think and
arrive at a conclusion, or is just parroting dogma. Mahrja totally satisfies him.
Austin is the center for spiritual seekers in Texas, although several years
behind California. Two girls from Austin, while traveling through India, had
met an Indian guru named Vishnubhai Acharya in Ahmedabad, a Shaivite
dressed in the robes of a sannys who put on the big Shiva tilak every day. They
convinced him to come to America and brought him back to Texas to become
the yogi of Austin. They rent an A-frame house for his ashram, and he is always
there on call.
About sixty interested locals go there every morning religiously at five
oclock to do raja-yoga, or astanga-yoga, the eight-fold path, including sanas
and the chanting of Hare Ka mantra. He introduces them to Indian cuisine
and cooks rice and curry for everyone.

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 di Deva: I had just graduated from sculpture and was working for the
Museum at the University. Murti dsa was a good friend of mine and we were
sharing a studio with a group of artists. We had been through various and
sundry experiences together and met one Indian guru, a guy named
Vishnubhai Acharya. He gave weekly Bhagavad-gt readings and many
interested seekers would come Wednesday evenings to listen to him read from
the Sixth Chapter, all about what a yogi is, how he acts, how he sits on a kua
grass sana, the whole thing. He would relate different experiences he had
with yogis hed met. To the Austin spiritual seekers he was a storybook of
knowledge. They thought he was amazing and they quickly became very
attached to him.
One evening the imported guru shows up at Dancey Street temple with a
few followers. The devotees are shocked to see the guru holding hands with one
of his female disciples. Viujana Mahrja, nevertheless, offers obeisances and
sits down to talk with him. It is not long before Vishnubhai Acharya begins
swooning over the name of Lord Ka, acting like an advanced devotee. He
comes back to the temple on different occasions, and its always the same thing,
putting on his show of devotion like a sahajiy.
From time to time Vishnubhai Acharya likes to invite other people who are
into Eastern thought to come to his ashram as guest speakers. One of the people
he invites is Viujana Swami from the Hare Ka movement. The program is
scheduled for a Friday night when Viujana will perform kirtan and speak
about bhakti-yoga. The students who attend these discourses think that
bhakti-yoga is just a part of raja-yoga, the bigger system, of which the ultimate
end is impersonal oneness.
Just before the event, rumors leak out that Vishnubhai is giving massage to
some of the wives in the yoga group and getting a little carried away. The
husbands are horrified. At the same time the Acharya has a green card
interview coming up, and he needs people to sponsor him so he can get his
green card to stay in the country. His yoga students have a pow-wow shortly
before the Friday night meeting with Viujana Swami and decide to get rid of
their bhog yoghe wont get his green card, theyll send him back to India,
and he will be history.
Vishnubhai Acharya is really upset at this turn of events. The angry

452
husbands take him to the airport and put him on the plane, saying, Bye-Bye,
Vishnubhai. But the incident causes a rift amongst the group, and people go off
in every direction. One party is really upset that their guru is being sent back to
India, while the other party thinks that hes bogus, and glad to be rid of him.
di Deva: I was really down. Id been through a whole bunch of craziness in
my life and was looking for something positive. Then Vishnubhai Acharya
left in disgrace. I thought, What am I going to do now?
Someone had to tell Viujana Swami the program was off. So four of us
went over to the Hare Ka temple to tell Viujana, Hey, the deals off.
You dont need to come. I had not seen Viujana Mahrja on the streets of
Austin, although he had been there for awhile, but I had seen other devotees. I
thought, These guys are weird. Theyre just too heavy for me. I didnt want
anything to do with them. But when I went to the temple that night, it was very
sweet.
Viujana Swami was there with his shirt off, leading rati. He was a
one-man band because nobody else knew what they were doing. Sakaraa
had come in that day with his head newly shaved. He had gone to a barber in
Austin to shave his head, and Viujana Swami was mad at him because he
didnt want him to shave his head until he actually lived in the temple. So here
was Sakaraa with his shirt off, bell bottom pants on, and shaved head. r
Galim had a bed sheet on, that was his dhoti, and Dwijahari was also there.
Viujana Swami invited us to come do our hatha-yoga on the temple
floor at 5:00 AM every morning. They were going to have magala-rati, but
we were welcome to join them and stand on our heads or do whatever we
wanted to do. We wanted to continue with the exercises that we had been
doing for months. We were going to use my apartment, but when we got this
offer from Viujana Swami to use the temple, we said, Okay, well do that.
Bhagavad-gt had whetted my appetite for spiritual life. My grandmother
had given me a copy, so I knew what it was, but I didnt know how to interpret
it. She had given me the Isherwood translation, so I went purely as an
academic to the temple because I wanted to find out more about
Bhagavad-gt. Because rla Prabhupdas Gita had purports and mine did
not, I wanted to find out what the three guas were and other stuff. I would
read it and think, this makes sense but what is it? Little by little, Viujana
Mahrja would tell us more and more. It seemed like he would lay a bomb

453
 on us every time wed go. Hed tell us another thing about the personal
conception.
Well, where theres energy, theres the source of the energy, the energetic,
so lets live with the idea of impersonal and personal. The impersonal is
actually coming from the personal. Hed lay these philosophical bombs on us.
Murti and I would walk back from the temple through the park, and wed sit
down in the park and discuss all this at length.
We were really taken with Viujana Swami because he was just this
incredibly charismatic person. He wasnt even male or female, he was just this
beautiful person. You didnt know what he was, but you were attracted. When
I asked Viujana later why he had offered obeisances to Vishnubhai
Acharya, he said he was only offering obeisances to the post of sannysa.
He was a one-man show. He was cooking, he was offering the ratis, he
was leading the kirtans. He just did everything because nobody knew
anything. The only person who knew a little bit, and had a little involvement
with the movement before, was Subhananda, so he was kind of a right-hand
man. Pulastya moved right into the temple. He just dove at Viujana
Swamis feet.
As the hot Texas summer approaches, Viujana Mahrja develops a yen to
bring his new bhaktas to the San Francisco Ratha-ytr. The news is that
Prabhupda will attend, as usual, and will be giving initiations after the festival
in Los Angeles. It will be a wonderful opportunity for them to meet their Guru
Mahrja, engage in devotional service to Lord Jagannath, and associate with
the other devotees serving the worldwide movement of Lord Caitanya.
The more he talks about the idea, the more it develops into an adventure,
and soon the whole temple wants to go. Viujana explains the philosophy and
pastimes behind Ratha-ytr and glorifies his former temple president in San
Francisco, Jaynanda Prabhu, as the ideal servant of Lord Jagannath. As
Viujana goes on glorifying the qualities of Jaynanda, his own desire to
associate with the devotees in California increases.
Another interesting facet of Viujanas Austin preaching is his promotion
of the temple in the food co-ops. Here he meets new people who become
attracted to Ka consciousness. With all the attention he is causing he is soon
invited to appear as a guest on a local television show.

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 Dwijahari: Viujana went for a local talk-show interview. People were
curious about the bald-headed, pony-tailed guys around town. The angle was
they were pitting us against the Bible. Viujana Swami did all the talking. He
made it a point not to agitate anybody, whatever their belief was. He always
handled himself very well, and I learned quite a bit from him. He was
advanced spiritually and had a very good understanding of the philosophy of
bhakti-yoga.
The women were very attracted to him, but he kept them at a distance. He
always maintained things on the spiritual platform and only spoke to them on
scripture pertaining to Ka consciousness. One time a girl was trying to
take me outside, and he spotted her actions. He came in the room and escorted
her out in a gentle way, saying that it was time for us to take rest. I just stood
back and smiled.
He was always very careful about the attraction of women. Of course,
when we see an attractive woman, the thought comes, the desire is there, but
you simply have to tolerate it. He would repeat what rla Prabhupda said.
In the beginning we have to use force to control our mind. When the
attraction comes and drags your mind away, you have to grab it and put it
right back on the devotional line again. You have to tolerate the
inconveniences and the dictations of the body.
He told me the experiences he had in Florida with Gargamuni and
Brahmnanda and how the police came and found them in an unfinished
house one evening. He also told me that he had made some offense to the
spiritual master in New Vndvana. I believe I had asked questions about
accepting a spiritual master and what it entails, what is his position and our
position, how we render service to the spiritual master, and other things. He
was very sorry and said the offense was due to his lack of knowledge. He was
always extremely respectful and dedicated to rla Prabhupda and tried to
give me the benefit of his mistake.
For a sannys to admit to a new devotee that he has made an offense to his
guru is really humble and forthcoming. Viujanas relationship with the people
he meets in Austin is so warm and open that within a few months he recruits
more than a dozen devotees and organizes them in establishing a permanent
center.
Ray Neubauer and his wife hold their room in the house for a while, but soon

455
drift away. In their place Ka sends Ishan and Vibhavati. They had also been
chastised due to their siding with the four sannyss at New Vndvana, and
later Ishan had been rudely escorted out of the Detroit temple. But Viujana
sees them as Kas mercy. He can now take his new bhaktas to Ratha-ytr
while at the same time have an older devotee couple maintain the center. Ishan
quickly agrees to the proposal to stay in Austin.
Ishan: It was the feeling of being in his association. He was like a demigod.
Physically he was very beautiful, and he was very youngtwenty-three at the
time. I remember driving in a car and sitting behind him and marveling, even
from the back, how beautiful he looked. There was something attractive about
his form, some kind of inherent beauty in his form, like Lord Caitanya. He
always had thatthat he was so very beautiful, very gracious and graceful.
He was never macho.
He had a very strong sense of purpose, but he was extremely gentle,
without being obviously gentle. He was softjust like his voice. His voice was
velvety! You liked to hear the mans voice because when he spoke it was deep
and rich and warm. Just the natural sound of his voice was attractive. When
he talked about Ka it was almost like he was purring. Ka! There was
a depth to it. Here was a person who was actually blissful in Ka
consciousness, not simply liked Ka consciousness, but was tasting
something that was extremely attractive to behold. And there was something
about his eyes, something alive and twinkling, although his face was very
relaxed.
There was no ego involved that I could see. He was working for Lord
Caitanya, rla Prabhupda, and Ka, so there was a kind of selflessness. It
was mysterious. He always knew exactly what he was doing and where he was
going, but he didnt speak about it like he had too much to do. You never got
the feeling that he had a tight schedule or a full schedule, but he was always on
track in a very natural, quiet, calm way. There was never any sense of
excitement, only a sense of sobriety and seriousness. And never to the point
where it infringed on the way that he dealt with other people. So this was
mysterious, because I had hardly met anyone like that in my life. There are
many great leaders and authority figures in ISKCON, but here was a person
who used no kind of leverage, or tactic. There was never any tactic or force in
anything that he ever did that I ever saw. It was always, What are we doing

456
 for Lord Caitanya now? The people around him trusted him so implicitly
that there was never any question that we looked to him for the signal as to
what do we do now.
In Viujanas company everything is fun because he likes to engage people
in ways that they feel comfortable. He always makes a conscious effort to ensure
everyone is relaxed and happy. If there is any slack that has to be made up, or if
anything is not covered, Viujana will take the responsibility to just naturally
fill in the gaps. You never leave any gaps for my to come in and spoil your
consciousness. He calls it the no-gap philosophy, explaining that this is what
rla Prabhupda has taught him. No one ever gets the impression that he is the
boss and others have to do the work. Nothing like that. He is more selfless than
any of the others can even dream of being. This is obvious to everyone.
Basically, he is everyones servant, not ostentatiously, but very naturally.
Viujana always makes a positive impression with people because he has
the habit, or way of life, of giving every activity the time it needs without
rushing anything. Whatever he does, he does it thoroughly, completely, and
joyfully. Viujana even hands out pots and pans to bang on during kirtan so
that everybody can participate. His is always a down-home kind of kirtan,
where everyone can join in and have fun. By his devotional mood and love for
the Holy Name, Viujana attracts a lot of people to join the movement in the
few months he is in Austin.
Ishan: I never heard him chant japa quickly. It was like hed be praying. His
japa was praying! I couldnt see how a guy could finish his rounds chanting so
beautifully and so slowly, but I never questioned it. I felt like he always did
everything.
He would sit down and make an offering at the altar, speaking as if he was
addressing a congregation. And now were offering this foodstuff to Ka.
He would engage us all in making the offering, not that Im the pjr and you
guys are the dras. He would speak something like, What is the value of the
things I have? What is it that I have to offer? But all You accept, My Lord, is
the sincerity. So he would say that sort of thing and then, Now let us offer
this and let us saturate the offering with our devotion. He used that word
saturate. He would say it with a very soft velvety voice, in a way that had
resonance, and it came out like he was purring.

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 Viujana Mahrja is able to create an atmosphere that is readily available
for young devotees to join in and be on a level of devotion right away. They
dont even know the philosophy, yet they can be devotional. Usually, devotees
learn the philosophy first, then work on the mechanics of devotional service,
gradually introducing devotion. But Viujana has everyone in a devotional
mood before they even know the name of the spiritual master! Some of them
think that Viujana is a spiritual master, and, according to Lord Caitanyas
teachings, he is.
This is Texas, and it is still sweltering in the hot summer night. No breezes
are stirringthe windows are open but theres no air movingand its even
hotter in the kitchen because of the stove, yet Viujana Swami is in there,
dressed as a sannys, very conscientiously stirring the sweet rice so that the
devotees, who are all fast asleep, can have nice cold sweet rice for breakfast. He
is so serious because he is taking care of the Vaiavas. He just wants them to be
happy and have nice prasdam.
Ishan: Everything he cooked was so good nobody could resist it. He put so
much love into it. His Simply Wonderfuls were made with a piece of fruit in
the middle, and they were moist. The consistency of those Simply
Wonderfuls! You could go into ecstasy eating one. He made malpura in vats
of yogurt. You just cant imagine how good everything was.
Hed take us out on sakrtana, but hed stay up to all hours of the night
cooking in the kitchen. So this man was working round the clock, and while he
cooked the Sunday Feast he had a devotee read KA book to him because
he really liked to hear. And hed say, Yes. He just loved Ka
consciousness so much. I remember little sketches and little feelings that this
man was a round-the-clock devotee who wasnt locked into any kind of
rigidity whatsoever. Here was a person who was doing everything with no
sense of a ripple, or disturbance, in his heart.
He had one aspect to his demeanor that was motherly. It was feminine.
The man was obviously a beautiful masculine person, but there was this
warmth like he was the mother of all of us. How could a person be so much
like that? He had all the attributes. There was nothing he couldnt do that any
woman could do in terms of making us all feel comfortable. So we always felt
very much cared for. He was never the boss. He was always the servant,
taking care of us with a lot of love, as if we all belonged to Ka and he

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 understood that.
When you talked to him, he would give you his complete attention. He
would open his eyes and look at you, and you would think that you were
looking into the eyes of a four-year-old child. Because the innocence of his
countenance was so profound, there was no question that he was always
dealing with everybody as an equal, without a second thought. Even though he
was teaching everybody, he never manifested any sense of superiority that I
could feel. Not a hair. Nothing. He would open his eyes and look at you and
then give you his opinion or work it out. So all these new devotees with their
idiosyncrasies, their individuality, and their preferences, were happy.
In the Dancey Street temple, everybody takes rest in the same room. People
just roll out their sleeping bag wherever they can find a spot and lie down for
the night. Visnujana sleeps with the men and wakes everybody up in the
morning, Heres another day. Another chance to serve Ka! And he means
it. Waking up with him is really beautiful for the new devotees. He is not a rule
man so the mood is always free and relaxed, because loving Ka is what
Visnujana is all about. For him, the rules dont seem to matter so much, aside
from the four regulative principles. So whatever service the devotees do,
Viujana makes it seem like a festivity, because Ka consciousness is a
celebration.
Ishan: He followed rla Prabhupdas program, so it was all very simple. It
wasnt a question of what should we do today. We knew what we had to do,
but how to accomplish that was always real simple. What made everything
flow so easily was that he was convinced in his heart, not intellectually, that
he didnt have to take care of his own needs as something separate from the
service of Ka and the service of spreading Ka consciousness. So there
was never a conflict of interest, and that made everything extremely simple in
the man. He never had to choose between what was good for him and what
was good for the overall purpose he was serving. He was like a child in the
sense that everything was so simple. His demeanor was simple, and his
happiness was sweet and mature. He took a real pleasure in every aspect of
Ka consciousness. It didnt matter if it was loading the truck, doing the
bhoga run, cooking, making an offering, chanting Hare Ka, or extending
the magazines to people, or explaining to people, or cleaning the house. It was
all the same for him. It all seemed to be something wonderful to do.

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 It was Vaikuha to be there. You would think that a dozen people living
in one small place, Americans with diverse backgrounds and totally diverse
attributes psychologically, you would think that it would be difficult. But
everything was impeccable, everything was clean, everything was harmonious,
and everybody was happy. Thats the way I remember it.
Dwijahari was a crusty guy, but around Viujana, Dwijahari was a
pussycat, Dwijahari would be sweet. Hed still have a little bit of a rough and
tough edge, but he became so nice and lovable. Around Viujana everybody
became really lovable. So by his quiet presence, in his unostentatious way, the
whole atmosphere became different. We had enough trust in this person to
plug into him in such a natural way and pick up on the atmosphere that he
was generating, that we all became very harmonious and happy, like a family.
He did all this very quietly and everything was natural. He was the meeting
point for all of us. I would say that he was a saint in our concept of a saintly
person.

Fourteenth Wave The Marriage Trust

Husband and wife engaging in the service of the Lord is real marriage, and
man and woman combined without service to Ka is animal life.
Letter to Ka dasa, December 18, 1970

Berkeley March, 1971

Honoring the appearance day of Lord Caitanya is now an annual festival in

Berkeley, attracting devotees from all over California. Not quite as big as
Rathyatra, it is, nevertheless, equally blissful. Jaynanda Prabhu, as always,
takes responsibility to ensure the festival will be a big success.
Madhudvia had started the Lord Caitanya festival in Berkeley in 1970
before he left to take sannysa. Berkeley temple was going through an identity
crisis at the time because San Francisco had the big Ratha-ytr festival, and
they wanted to do something special as well. So the idea was born to have a
parade through the streets of Berkeley and a festival in the park to celebrate

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Gaura Purnima. Lochan dsa fashioned a large statue of Lord Caitanya, and
everyone wanted to take Him out to the park to celebrate His appearance day.
Bhakta dsa: I first heard of Jaynanda Prabhu within a few days of
moving into the Laguna Beach temple. Jaynanda was some sort of a legend,
a very saintly person who was in San Francisco. I had some idea what a
saintly person wassomeone small and thin of stature, who was very erudite,
very clean, scholarly, and a good speaker.
When the San Diego temple went up en masse for the Lord Caitanya
festival, we slept in the rental garage space on Valencia Street. After
magala-rati they asked for volunteers to go clean the park and help prepare
for the festival. I had no idea who Jaynanda was until I found myself riding
in the front seat of an old pick-up truck, while he drove, with about five or six
brahmacrs in the back. He was dressed in old overalls that were covered
with grease and grime. He had huge hands, the size of American footballs,
and his finger nails had grease under them. He had a clean-shaven head and a
cap to keep his head warm in the early morning cold. As we were riding over
the Bay Bridge, he spoke with me and made me feel at once that he was an old
friend and a member of the family. I felt completely and totally at ease with
him.
Our service that morning was to clean the dog stool off the grass. There
was dog stool everywhere. First we were cleaning the dog stool, then hanging
flags and banners in the park, and arranging the tables for serving the
prasdam. Jaynanda took a liking to me because I didnt mind any service. I
liked being with him. He was a down-to-earth, practical person.
Mahabuddhi: When I first came to Berkeley I was with Bhakta dsa.
Jaynanda was stuffing trash bags and greeted us. The Sunday feast was over
and he was cleaning up. He asked me, "Who are you?"
"I'm Bhakta Randy from San Diego. We're looking for the temple
president so we can find out where to stay."
"Well I can probably help you but do you mind giving me a hand with the
trash?" He engaged me in taking out the trash and sweeping the floor while I
was waiting for Bhakta dsa to find the president. I didn't know at the time
that Jaynanda was the president. He was telling me about Lord Jagannath
and what the festival would be like and where we could stay, and while we
were talking he had me taking out the trash and cleaning the floor. That was

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 like Jaynanda, no pretense. Whatever needed to be done he would just do it
and preach at the same time.
Before a big festival Jaynanda is constantly engaged in service around the
clock, day after day, with just a little rest and a few big meals in between.
Without such leadership it would not be possible to have a festival. Most of the
devotees are simply hippies who dont know how to direct their energy, but
Jaynanda can get almost anybody to do anything. Because hes so warm and
friendly, no one feels like theyre being ordered. Just by his association alone,
everyone experiences a good feeling for Prabhupda and Ka.
Nobody ever has to ask Jaynanda to do anything because he already knows
what needs to be done. In this way hes very spontaneous in his service. He loves
Ka consciousness and wants to serve twenty-four hours a day, so he never
speaks prajalpa. Rather, he will bring every conversation back to Ka
consciousness. You never see him simply relax or waste time, because he doesnt
like to be idle, even for a moment. When he gives the Sunday feast lecture, he
keeps it basic, Just chant Hare Ka and take prasdam. Distributing
prasdam and chanting Hare Ka, thats how he likes to engage people.
Although he is the senior-most devotee, Jaynanda prefers not to give classes
on a regular basis because hes not one for long intellectual discussions. Indeed,
he thinks that he doesnt know as much as the others. When he does give class,
he talks a lot about rla Prabhupda. Sometimes he may devate from the text
just to mention Prabhupda. He speaks more about Prabhupda than Ka. Its
always rla Prabhupdas business, rla Prabhupdas mission, rla
Prabhupdas work. Never for a moment does he think that his good fortune is
due to any effort of his own. By always giving Prabhupda full credit for saving
him, he remains completely dedicated to Prabhupda, spending every waking
moment in his service. This is his heart and soul.
From time to time, Jaynanda likes to take the brahmacrs swimming. On
the drive out to the river he jokes with the devotees or sings some of the
Vaiava songs. Along the way they pass a peach orchard. When the peaches
are ripe, he stops the vehicle and jumps up into one of the trees. After offering
the whole tree, he invites the others to climb up and join him for a peach feast.
Its always fun to be with Jaynanda. He is not a quiet, reserved person,
although around the women, hes quite shy and not at all talkative.

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 r Kanta: He took us out on many chanting parties. After chanting for a
while someone would speak. I noticed that the crowds would drift away when
the speaker began. But when Jaynanda spoke, the crowd would double. I was
always amazed by this. He would talk about the chanting with such sincerity,
that people wanted to hear.
One time there was a downpour. The rain was running like small rivers in
the streets. Even the cars had stopped because it was raining so hard. But we
danced through the streets in our bright yellow raincoats stepping through
puddles like a bunch of crazy ducks following our leader, Jaynanda. We felt
entirely secure in his hands. When we returned to the vehicle, Jaynanda
tried to end the kirtan but we just kept on going because we became so
enlivened chanting through the deluge. Finally, we agreed to step inside the
van, but once we were inside, the kirtan began againthe most fantastic
kirtan of my life.
There was a rule that we couldnt go out after the Sunday feast to
distribute prasdam until the pots were cleaned. So Jaynanda would go wash
the pots while we all sat around and digested the feast. After he loaded the
prasdam into the truck, we would join him.
Urdhvareta: By 1971 it was generally agreed by most West Coast devotees
that if anyone was going to become a pure devotee, it was Jaynanda. He was
gentle even with the demons. Hed never get mad, and he always tried to get
them to chant. He was not such a man of rules and regs, but hed get the job
done in Kas service. I learned how to relax because of him and how to be
happy as a devotee. He was like my big brother. Everyone was always pleased
to engage in service around him. He couldnt offend you.
He was a big eater and encouraged us to eat the same. He used to like rich
food. One time we had sour cream with salted roasted cashews mixed in, and
wed eat it with bananas, dates, and cherries. That was a Jaynanda special.
We had to lie down for a while after that.
In the spring of 1971, the San Francisco temple president, Chitsukhananda,
receives Prabhupdas blessings to leave for Mexico to start a center in Latin
America. Chitsukhananda has been temple president since Madhudvias
departure, and it was largely due to his efforts that the temple was relocated
from the small storefront on Frederick Street to the much larger facility on 455
Valencia Street in the infamous Mission district. Due to the rough

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neighborhood, however, it is always necessary to have devotees on all-night
guard duty.
Prabhupda selects Keava, from Los Angeles, to be the new temple
president. When Keava originally joined the La Cienega temple, Jaynanda
was the senior devotee, so now Keava feels a little self-conscious, thinking that
Jaynanda should be in charge. But Jaynanda doesnt want to accept the status
of a leader. Being devoid of ambition, his mood is simply dsa-anudsa.
Prabhupda wants you to be temple president. Youll do great. Ill help you.
Im here for you, and Ill do whatever service you need to have done. Placing an
arm around Keava, he puts him at ease and encourages him by pledging his full
support. He is very enthusiastic to serve because he understands that his
constitutional position is a servant. If he is not serving, than he feels that hes
not in his natural position, therefore, he prefers to take the subordinate stance
and give someone else the prominent position. Though he is never reluctant to
take responsibility, he is not comfortable dominating devotees, nor does he like
to be the center of attention. He just prefers promoting others ahead of himself.
Keava enjoys being in Jaynandas association again, and they renew their
old friendship. Jaynanda is like family, and he makes Keava feel welcome in
his new service. He always cooperates with Keava and helps him make Ka
conscious decisions. When Jaynanda arranges a program at a prison, he invites
Keava to come along. He also calls the Berkeley temple to invite Dnavr.
This is a very special engagement, Jaynanda explains over the phone.
You have to make halava, and Simply Wonderfuls with lots of butter. Dnavr
is Mr. Enthusiasm, so he immediately runs out and purchases tons of butter.
Then he cooks up an incredible batch of halava, just swimming in ghee, along
with a batch of Simply Wonderfuls just oozing with butter.
The next morning, Jaynanda and Keava, with a few San Francisco
brahmacrs, drive the van over the Bay Bridge to pick up Dnavr and some
Berkeley devotees for the prison program. They load two big pots full of halava
and sweetballs into the back of the van, where Dnavr sits, along with the
Berkeley brahmacrs. When everybody is comfortably seated, Jaynanda heads
the van onto the freeway for the trip to the prison.
After driving down the road for barely five minutes, Jaynanda turns to
Keava with a big smile on his face and says, Well, you know, Keava, maybe we

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ought to just taste this prasdam, so well be very enthusiastic for preaching.
What do you think?
Sure, Keava at once agrees. I think its a good idea. He turns around and
calls out to a brahmacr in the back. Jaynanda thinks we should sample a
little of the prasdam to get us in the mood. Hand out a Simply to every
devotee, and pass some up front for us. So the brahmacr gives a Simply
Wonderful to every devotee and passes two up front for Keava and Jaynanda.
After finishing his Simply, Jaynanda says, Boy, that was really good. We
should sample a little of the halava, too. What do you say, Keava?
Yeah, I think youre right. Keava turns around once more and tells the
brahmacr, Pass out a little halava to each devotee, and send up a plate for
Jaynanda and me. Because Jaynanda is the person making the suggestions,
nobody disagrees.
After finishing his halava, Jaynanda tells the devotees in the back, That
halava was great. Maybe we should have just one more Simply Wonderful.
Keava immediately gives the order for everyone to take one more Simply each,
and send several up front for the driver.
Boy, this prasdam is the best Ive ever had, says Jaynanda. And that
halava was so good, too. Lets have a little more. What do you think, Keava?
Yeah, Prabhu, youre definitely right about that. Keava turns again and
requests the devotees in the back, Pass out a little more of that halava to
everybody. Enjoying the delicious prasdam, the devotees happily drive to the
program.
Dnavr is also enjoying the mood of the devotees, but a little anxiety creeps
up on him. He wants to make sure that there is still enough prasdam for the
program. He leans over to have a look in the pots. To his amazement, there is
nothing leftnot a grain of halava, not a single Simply Wonderful. The pots
are completely empty.
Dnavr is plunged into anxiety, Oh my God, were so sinful. Were so
fallen. Weve eaten all the prasdam that was meant for distribution at the jail.
Just then they reach the prison. As they pull the van up, they are stopped by
the guard. Jaynanda rolls down the window, and the guard sticks his head into
the van. He looks sternly at the devotees and says, So you know the rules. You

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guys dont have any food with you? You know youre not allowed to bring any
food inside. Jaynanda has a big grin on his face, as Keava assures the guard
they have not brought any food.

The forthcoming Ratha-ytr will be Keavas first major responsibility.

Each year the festival has expanded, and he wants to carry on the tradition and
make this the biggest Ratha-ytr ever. He writes Prabhupda for instructions
on how to make Ratha-ytr bigger and better. Keava wants to maintain a
strong brahmacr consciousness in the temple, so he decides to send all the
ladies over to Berkeley and turn that into the ghastha temple. The ladies
become fully engaged doing preparatory work for the festival, making banners
and decorations.
Toaa Ka hasnt been back to California since 1968 when he first joined
after seeing the Ratha-ytr in Golden Gate Park. At that time Jaynanda was
his temple president.
Toaa Ka: After being a successful temple president in San Francisco,
now his job was to take out the garbage. I was a little surprised, Why is
Jaynanda doing a garbage run? It wasnt that hed been demoted, he just felt
more satisfied doing menial service around the temple. I was surprised
because there was a general tendency of upward mobility in ones
serviceprogression or promotionand here was Jaynanda going the
other way, taking the humble position in a way that no one else could have
done. It wasnt that he was of a dra nature because his background was that
of an engineer. He was able to design things and do complicated things
around the temple when it was necessary. He could run a temple and deal
with all types of personalities.
I wanted to be with Jaynanda so I just went with him. There was lots of
garbage, but to him it was more like some kind of sacred throw-out. He very
casually took to doing menial things, and I never saw him flustered or angry.
He was in his dungarees, doing the needful. The expression do the needful is
rla Prabhupdas instruction. The spiritual master told us to do the needful,
and Jaynanda was the epitome of doing the needful. He wasnt a specialist.
He was willing to do everything. Youd see him covered with grease because he

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 was also a good mechanic.
There was never any issue in his mind about his status. His main quality
was that he always spoke to you with no sense of who was better, or in what
position. It was automatically a spiritual relationship as soon as he started
talking, and not just with devotees, but with people outside the temple. He had
a way of getting everyone into the act of devotional service because his
attitude was always no airs. That was one of the first things that I noticed
about Jaynanda Prabhu. He would speak so childlike. Its sometimes called
innocence, and its a sign of purity.
He had a very good grasp of the philosophy; he read the books and he knew
the books. When he spoke the philosophy, he spoke it in very knowledgeable
terminology. Yet he didnt come off as an intellectual. Jaynanda embodied
humility in every sensenever calling attention to himself. To me that was
the most clearly pronounced thing about him. There was no agitation in his
demeanor. Generally, people want to be noticed or recognized, but in
Jaynanda that wasnt there.
There was no lust in Jaynanda. Certainly, he didnt give any sense of
desire for things in the material world. He was always very engaging in
conversation, very friendly, but at the same time he never spoke about himself.
He never discussed his personal needs. His chanting was very intense, very
concentrated. Just by reading the qualities of a devotee, youre reading about
Jaynanda.

June, 1971

Once again, the Ratha-ytr mood has overtaken the devotees of New
Jagannath Puri under Keavas new leadership. Ratha-ytr is always a big
event in San Francisco, and Jaynanda is always the main man. Hes the one
who gets all the permits, figures out everything that has to be done, and then
organizes it. He does all that plus assemble the carts with his crew. Instead of
being an administrator, Jaynanda prefers being everybodys big brother.
This year the temple has enough money to put on a spectacular Ratha-ytr
because Jaynanda has been making friends within the Indian community.
Mujibhai Patel and Aravind Desai are the leaders of the Indian community,
and they help raise a lot of money. They have been close with Jaynanda long
before Keava arrived.

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 Last year was such an embarrassment when the wheels of Balaramas chariot
collapsed at the start of the parade, that now Jayananada lives at the cart site to
oversee every aspect of construction. Every day, he rises early and goes through
his own morning program, deeply meditating on rla Prabhupda.
Yogesh Chandra: I went over to a vacant corner lot on Stanyon Street at
about four oclock one morning because I was fired up. It was a typical foggy
San Francisco morning. I had heard so much about Jaynanda at the temple.
Its like a photo in my mind, coming to the cart and seeing Jaynanda in a
hooded, grey sweatshirt with some paint on it. He was sitting on the cart with
his eyes closed, singing very intensely to a little picture of rla Prabhupda,
sasra-dvnala-lha-loka...
He was all alone and so into his prayer that he didnt notice me. I didnt
say anything till he finished. When he was done I came forward, and he said,
Oh, youre John! I heard about you. Everybody is saying that youre so
sincere and youre thinking about joining the temple. He knew my name
already and I had never met him. He was really warm and totally focused on
me. I didnt stay around long because he had to chant his rounds and work on
the carts, but by his tone of voice and by his demeanor I could see that he was
intensely devoted. I was stunned by the devotion he was showing on this cold
windy morning!

Jmbavn: I was in the Merchant Marine, and when I came to the temple I
had just gotten off a merchant ship. My brother, Yogesh Chandra, told me to
meet Jaynanda, a very far-out and advanced devotee that I would like. I met
him over at the cart site and was immediately impressed. He took me under
his wing and gave me a lot of encouragement. He loaded me up on prasdam,
because that was his program. Jaynanda knew that prasdam was the most
powerful and most practical preaching tool. Many people couldnt
understand the philosophy. Even if they were willing to hear, they couldnt
understand it. But by taking prasdam they could become purified. Thats
what he did to me. He told me to eat more.
I said, Jaynanda, I cant eat another thing.
Oh well, thats good then. Thats good. But you should eat this anyway.
No, I cant.
No, no you should eat this. And I would eat it. He was always loading

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 me up with prasdam.

For the few weeks before the festival, Jmbavn has the good fortune to
associate with Jaynanda every day. Jaynanda takes him along in his pickup
truck when he goes out on errands, and he always brings prasdam along for the
new recruit. In fact, he always carries prasdam with him wherever he goes.
As they drive around San Francisco looking to scrounge up things for the
carts, Jmbavn is always babbling about his merchant marine experiences.
Jaynanda simply listens without saying anything, although he is very attentive.
Jmbavn: Finally, he looked over at me and said quietly, Actually, you
know, a devotee is silent. Boy, I shut my mouth real quick and didnt say
another word. I felt like the biggest fool, like a complete worm, and I thought,
Wow, this is it. A devotee is silent. Boy, did he shut me up.
All of a sudden, after about a minute, he said, But that doesnt mean that
a devotee doesnt speak. A devotee is always speaking about Ka and His
devotees. He just doesnt speak nonsense.
Then I felt even more like a worm. I remember completely picking up on
that, so he got his point across real good. He told me that a lion doesnt know
his own strength. He could tell that I felt some weakness, but he was saying,
Actually youre a lot stronger than you realize.
When we drove around, Jaynanda was constantly chanting, or singing.
He would make up all kinds of little tunes, even like Mary had a Little
Lamb, and he would sing Hare Ka to these little tunes. We drove across
the Bay Bridge to the Berkeley temple one day, and he was singing out loud. It
was so transcendental it seemed like it took half an hour to get across the
bridge. It was one of the most transcendental experiences I have ever
experienced in the movementriding across the Bay Bridge with Jaynanda
singing. I was just along for the ride and the association.
Ive never known anybody as humble as Jaynanda. Whatever had to be
done, he would do the needful. He would be acting temple president, hed
clean the toilets, wash the dishes, take out the garbage, cook the feast, give the
lecture, and throw out the miscreants, if that needed to be done. Jaynanda
was ready, willing, and able to do everything, and he was expert at everything
he did. He exhibited symptoms of a great devotee. No one ever felt intimidated
around Jaynanda. You always felt at ease and peaceful.

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 Jaynanda is so friendly that everyone who meets him likes him
immediately. Everyone he has contact with thinks that he is a wonderful
person. Thats because he is never petty or inimical. He always speaks well of
one and all, because he is able to see the good in everyone. He can see the lowly
alcoholic in the street and see the good in such a person, as well as how to
engage him in Ka consciousness. He brings out the best qualities in
everyone.
Jmbavn: Jaynanda knew everybody and everybody was his friend. He
would go to the produce market, and people would donate cases of eggplant,
tomatoes, or bananas. Early one morning, we went to Banana King Louies,
and Jaynanda got a pickup load of bananas.
We used to throw the garbage in the pickup and run it over to the big
garbage dump in Berkeley. Something as simple as a garbage run turned out
to be a total transcendental experience when you went with Jaynanda. It was
on par with Rdh-Ka Deity worship.
Balabhadra: I was sent from Hawaii to take Jaynandas association two
weeks before Ratha-ytr. Wherever he went, Jayananada always took
prasdam and everybody was glad to see him. There was no imposition, even
though they knew he was going to ask for something. We went to the man who
owned the cab company, because Jaynanda wanted to use his tow truck.
Jaynanda was loaded with prasdam when we arrived, but we discovered
that the man was sick in the hospital. So we went over to the hospital.
As we entered his room, he saw Jaynanda and started to cry, because
Jaynanda was like a son to him. The man was very sick and, practically
speaking, had no family. You could see on his face he was surprised to see
Jaynanda, but at the same time so glad to see him. Jaynanda gave him the
prasdam, and of course there was no question, Jaynanda could use the tow
truck.
Jaynanda was a dynamic cook. He had a little cook stove and he would
make these sabji preparationsright at the Ratha sitethat would just melt
in your mouth. You would think, how can he cook? But his cooking was done
with bhakti. Although there was cauliflower, potatoes, and ghee, there was so
much bhakti. When I first joined, Govinda ds was cooking for Prabhupda,
and Prabhupda also cooked. Jaynandas cooking was like that. It was such
nectar. Sometimes Jaynanda would make these big buckets of nectar drink

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 with strawberries, bananas, and buttermilk.
Late at night we would go up to the kitchen, get some white flour and mix it
with water in a five gallon bucket to make a paste. Then wed grab two other
devotees and go out in our old, beat-up Econoline van. Jaynanda would
drive while we were in the back of the van putting paste on posters. He would
stop at various sites, and wed put up these big blocks of posters for
Ratha-ytr. Wed usually get back at midnight, but it never mattered how
late we got backJaynanda was always up early.
As devotees begin to show up at the temple before Ratha-ytr, Jaynanda is
so busy that many of them dont even see him. He is usually out getting
equipment and parts for building the carts, or in the garage fixing a sakrtana
vehicle.
With devotees arriving from all over America, the temple is quickly
overcrowded, so most of the devotees stay down the street in a hotel which
Keava has arranged. Jaynanda immediately engages everyone in some
essential service. He always has something that needs to be done, and he knows
the art of engaging everybody in Kas service. Just as Anantadeva is
supporting everything for Ka, similarly Jaynanda is supporting all the
activities in the temple, especially Ratha-ytr. Although he is behind the
scenes, everything goes on nicely because of his presence.
Pra-vallabha: In one year I saw a spiritual evolution had taken place
amongst the devotees. Jaynanda and I established much more of a
relationship. I helped him build the stage and immediately saw his expertise. I
wanted to be around devotees like him. We stayed at the carts all night,
guarding them and preparing for the festival. He had overwhelming love and
appreciation for anyone who wanted to help. Whatever we required to make it
happen, he was there to ensure that everyone was happy, everyone was doing
well. Have you chanted your rounds today, Prabhu? Did you get any
prasdam? Oh, here. Please take. You need nourishment. He was sacrificing
everything for the people at the carts.
Jagat Guru dsa: Jaynanda had to get guards to stay up all night at the site
where the carts were being built. He was sleeping under the wheels on the
asphalt. His technique was to offer, Unlimited amounts of hot halava will be
available for whoever goes. At first I hesitated, but when I heard that there

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 was going to be unlimited hot halava, I went for it. That was the main thing in
my mind; to get down to those carts and take that halava. He got five or six of
us and put us in there with a big bucket of hot halava like he promised, and
bedded us down to guard the Ratha-ytr carts. He was like a father figure.
Jaynanda is also grabbing people off the streets and engaging them in
service. They might simply be looking at the devotees while they work,
wondering, What are they doing with this big cart? and Jaynanda will
immediately become their friend. Hey, cmon over. We need your help. He
engages anybody without any question of this guys unclean or this guys a
bum, because he sees everyone as spirit soul, and that soul is suffering due to
forgetfulness of Ka.
Sacidev: I was pjr in San Francisco, and I was in the kitchen cooking. I
remember Jaynanda coming in to make some lu to distribute to the
vendors down at the market who were giving us free vegetables and flowers.
First I remember him just singing and being real jolly. He was always a joy to
be around. Then I remember how well he cleaned up after he cooked. Being
the pjr, I was very aware of cleanliness issues. He not only cleaned up after
his own mess, he cleaned up the mess in the sink and he cleaned the floor. He
did much more than what was expected of him. It brought to mind that a
brhmaa always leaves a place cleaner than when he first came. He
exemplified brahminical behavior always. He was another saint in our
movement. He was a lot like Viujana, in a lot of ways.

Los Angeles June 25, 1971

Hundreds of devotees have come to New Dwaraka to get some extra

association before going up to San Francisco for Ratha-ytr. As they chant
their japa up and down the sidewalk in front of the saffron pink temple, the hot
news is that Prabhupda is coming to Ratha-ytr direct from Moscow, where
he has been preaching to a Professor Kotovsky, head of the USSR Academy of
Sciences.
Meanwhile, Viujana and his Austin devotees have driven all night across
the Mohave desert to avoid the blazing heat. Just after dawn, they exit the
Santa Monica Freeway at the Robertson off-ramp. After turning onto Venice
Boulevard, Mahrja tells Dwijahari to pull over to the curb and stop. Before

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leaving Austin, Viujana had Sakaraa make a flag of Hanuman, using the
painting of Jmbavn in the KA book as a model. On the morning of their
departure for the West Coast, Viujana Mahrja had ceremoniously mounted
the flag of Hanuman on the Land Rover in the mood of Arjunas chariot. Now
again, Mahrja has r Galim and Subhananda raise the Hanuman flag at the
rear of the Land Rover for their dramatic entrance into New Dwaraka,
ISKCONs world headquarters.
As Dwijahari makes a right turn onto Watseka Avenue, the Austin bhaktas
are astounded to see devotees everywhere. Everybody on the street is wearing a
dhoti or a sari. As Dwijahari drives slowly past the temple looking for a place to
park, every devotee turns his head to look at the Hanuman banner flapping in
the breeze. Viujana Mahrja smiles broadly from inside the Land Rover,
meeting everyones gaze with, Haribol.
Word spreads, Viujana Swami is here. He is back in LA after a years
absence. So much has happened in that time. He took sannysa here and then
went to the East Coast. After that, there was the disgrace of New Vndvana
and the banishment of the four sannyss. Now hes back in New Dwaraka
again, one year later, and all the negativity has been forgotten. Only his fame
has increased.
rdhara dsa: The first time I saw Viujana Swami was in a Land Rover. I
remember seeing him; There he is! I had heard tapes of him singing when
Gargamuni opened the Gainesville temple where I joined. He had tapes of
Viujana chanting, and he told me, This devotee, Viujana Swami, is one
of the best chanters. I listened to him chanting the morning melody, and I
was captivated. I thought Id really like to meet this person.
I was only seventeen, but I hitchhiked out from New Vndvana when I
saw the Ratha-ytr posters that were sent out to the different centers. It was
out in San Francisco, love and peace in Haight-Ashbury, the groovy hippies
and all. I had never seen that, so in an unauthorized way I just decided to go.
Viujana showed up with a number of brahmacrs. He was a big,
attractive person, quite muscular, and a real charismatic figure of a person.
He was relating very nicely to the devotees on his party. He had this big ikh,
all kind of curly and almost matted. It took up the larger portion of his head,
approaching Ramanuja-style ikhs.

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 Suddenly, at the sound of the conch, everyone scurries into the temple to
greet the Deities.
During the day, more news arrives about Prabhupda. He has stopped in
Paris for a day and will arrive in Los Angeles late tomorrow afternoon. After
taking a good nights rest, he will catch an early morning flight to San Francisco
to attend Ratha-ytr. The temple leaders advise everyone not to wait for
Prabhupda; otherwise, they may miss Ratha-ytr. Better to get up to San
Francisco as soon as possible and have a grand reception for rla Prabhupda
there. Within a few hours, New Dwaraka becomes quiet with the devotee
exodus to San Francisco.

San Francisco June 26, 1971

Devotees are overjoyed to hear that Prabhupda will soon be arriving. When
Jaynanda hears the news over at the cart site, he immediately picks up a
mdaga and starts a kirtan. He is so thrilled to hear that Prabhupda is coming.
Final arrangements are still being made as everyone anticipates
Prabhupdas arrival at the airport. Devotees stay up all night cutting
vegetables, but no one complains because Jaynanda has been up all night for
days. Whenever he returns to the temple, he brings large donations of fruit and
vegetables from his friends at the produce market. He has such a good
relationship with them, that they offer him produce for free. Well, look, this
stuff here, by the end of the day it wont really be saleable, you might as well
take it. Well just throw this in for you.
As soon as he gets the time, Jaynanda will cook up a special preparation to
bring back to the produce vendors in reciprocation for their service to Lord
Jagannath. In this way, San Francisco temple is able to put on the Ratha-ytr
festival almost wholly from donations.
Trai dsa: We were all sleeping on the floor in the corridor by the front
entrance of the temple. I remember Jaynanda coming in about midnight,
lying down on the floor and about three hours later just jumping up. I was so
tired that just the thought of waking up was a struggle. He was incredibly
strong, always enthusiastic, never on the mental platform. I was always on the
mental platform, what should I do, how to do it? He was always enthusiastic
to do any service without any hesitation with no false ego at all.

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 Karandhara: Each year the festival grew, the effort got larger, the expenditure
was greater, the crowds were larger, and Jaynandas role expanded also.
I was coming up from LA as a guest and I didnt have much to do, but
from my previous association with Jaynanda, I was attracted to doing some
service with him. It didnt matter to me what it wasrunning down to
Banana King Louies trying to get some bananas donated, or going down to
the docks to try to find some ropethese were the kind of practical things
that Jaynanda would do. He would get animated by the opportunity to do
some small but very necessary service. And he organized himself so that he
would have things like this to do constantly, from the moment he got up in the
morning till he finally took rest at night. He was fully engaged.
Saturday, the day before the festival, we had been out all day running around.
There were so many emergencieslast minute detailsthe whole day went
by like that. It wasnt till late at night, about midnight, when we finally got
back to the temple. Of course, everybody had to be up very early in the
morning. The temple was packed; devotees had come in from all over the
place for the festival and there were bodies wall-to-wall taking rest. We
tiptoed around bodies until, finally, Jaynanda found a little space in this
tiny room somewhere upstairs.
I unrolled my sleeping bag and laid down to go to sleep. Jaynanda laid
down his bag but then immediately got up and started to go out the door. I said
to myself, there goes Jaynanda; hes got some other errand.
So I asked him, Jaynanda, where are you going?
He goes, Well, Ill be back in just a minute.
But where are you going? Youve got to take some rest.
I havent finished my rounds, he said in his diminutive, shy way, and he
was kind of reluctant to even talk about it.
Look, Jaynanda, I said, forget about your rounds. Time and place.
Youve got to get some rest. So your rounds can keep.
And he said in kind of an apologetic way, like he was sorry that he couldnt
comply and that he was inconveniencing me by keeping me awake over the
issue, Well, Ive always finished my rounds. I think I should finish. Itll only
take a few minutes.
As more devotees descend on 455 Valencia Street, the excitement
intensifies. Simply associating with all the glorious Vaiavas who have

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dedicated their lives to propagating the Holy Name of the Lord is ecstasy
enoughwhat to speak of pulling Lord Jagannaths chariot through Golden
Gate Park, blissfully chanting and dancing before rla Prabhupda. To the new
devotees, the senior Vaiavas appear like demigods descended from the
heavenly planets.
When it comes to sakrtana, Viujana Mahrja is like a general planning
the strategy. He has Keava assign a kirtan group from every temple to chant in
a different sector of the city. For the grand finale, every kirtan party will
converge in Union Square for a mah-sakrtana extravaganza. As usual, he is
the golden boy of the festival, charming everyone.
hkur Haridsa: I was only in the movement for six months, and I kept
hearing stories about Viujana Mahrja. You didnt meet him, you just
heard stories about this devotee. I was temple commander at Valencia Street
when I met him at Ratha-ytr. Everybody said he was coming, so I looked
out from the second floor of the brahmacr ashram, and out of this jeep he
steps. He had a turban on and he was dressed in his sannysa robes. He came
into the temple, and he was absolutely majestic.
Riktananda: I hadnt seen Viujana for a year. We had come up from LA to
the Valencia Street temple. I remember seeing Viujana, and I ran over to
him. He was already preaching to a lot of people when I came up. He reached
out and touched me, and said, Haribol. He was so affectionate.
Pra-vallabha: I just knew Viujana Mahrja as a traveling sannys, the
first Id ever seen. He was an interesting character who had come back into
my life again. There was a lot of awe and respect. This was very much from a
distance. By then Viujana was such a powerful person, but his realm of
influence with new devotees was very realistic. He seemed more like a fatherly
figure than he did a godbrother. Mundane reality didnt affect him much. He
was bigger than life.
I remember his kirtans. He was special, so special. Of course, Prabhupda
recognized his very unique nature, by giving him the chance to lead the
sakrtana party, and by giving him a role that to us seemed bigger than life.
Prabhupda gave him the confidence to do things that he wanted to do as well.
His classes were full of the nectar, Come to Ka consciousness, come take
prasdam, come and worship Ka. See Rdh and Ka, the

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 transcendental couple. This is the spiritual world! It was always the positive
side.
Raghuntha: We went to Ratha-ytr with Mohannanda and met
Viujana Mahrja there. Mohannanda would tell stories about
Viujana in the old days, how he would go out on street sakrtana everyday
for ten hours a day. He would beat on the mdaga until his hands were
bloody and there were tears rolling down his chest, and still he would go on
and on. He was like a legend. It seemed inconceivable that someone could do
that, but he would do it every day.
r Kanta: The first time I heard Viujana chant I had come home very late
from book distribution and he was in the temple chanting. I thought, my God,
Prabhupda has come! I hadnt heard Viujana in person, but the voice was
so sweet and transcendental it had that Prabhupda-like devotion.

Ratha-ytr Day June 27, 1971

Devotees from all over the country have arrived to celebrate the Fifth
Annual Ratha-ytr in America. There are many more devotees than last year,
so everything is bigger and more enthusiastic. Prabhupda has been away from
America almost a full year, yet his ISKCON society has grown by leaps and
bounds during that time. Many new devotees are coming to see their spiritual
master for the very first time. Chanting an uproarious kirtan led by Viujana
Swami, hundreds of devotees greet rla Prabhupda at San Francisco
International.
Raghuntha: People at the airport were dumbfounded at the intensity of the
kirtan. As Prabhupda came down the corridor after deplaning, the first
person he saw was Viujana Swami. When Viujana saw Prabhupda,
tears began rolling down his eyes. Prabhupda immediately walked over to
Viujana and gave him the most joyful hug. His face just lit up when he saw
Viujana.
This year everything is running smoothly, and the Ratha-ytr begins at
noon as advertised. The festival has become an established event, so thousands
of people are already at the entrance to Golden Gate Park to begin the
procession. The parade to the beach last year was too long, and it was always

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windy at the beach, making everyone feel cold, so this year the festival site is set
up at Lindley Meadows.
The Austin devotees are amazed to see how much love and veneration
everyone has for Viujana Swami. They had no idea how exalted he was in the
eyes of the other devotees. He was simply their very special friend. Now, they
are constantly being reminded how lucky they are to be with Viujana
Mahrja.
r Galim: I had expected after I met Viujana that all devotees would be
like him, but when I went to Ratha-ytr I found out that wasnt so. I felt very
fortunate to have his association. The first time I saw him play the drum was
in San Francisco. Rathyatra was wonderful. Viujana Mahrja was the
center of the kirtan, and all the devotees were rallying around him. The
kirtans were addictive. It was indescribable. Ive never experienced anyone
who could lead kirtan like that; your heart would just melt.
Ciranjiva: There was no mdaga for Viujana Mahrja. The first
mdaga they could find was this horribly beat-up old mdaga that had
almost no gob left on it. They handed it up to him and he played it very
happily, leading the kirtan in front of rla Prabhupda on Subhadras cart.
Later, I tried to offer him a good mdaga, but he was satisfied with what he
was playinghe wasnt stopping.
Pra-vallabha: I was assigned to steer Subhadras cart with Jaynanda.
Keava was also there because it was Prabhupdas cart and Viujanas
kirtan was in front of that cart. There were huge crowds. This year they put so
much into it, far beyond the year before. They distributed tons of prasdam.
Oh, it was wonderful. Viujana also led kirtan on the stage. It was really a
special time.
Raghuntha: It was beyond comprehension to see and hear Viujana
singing with such fervor and devotion that everyone swoons in ecstasy. His
kirtans were so surcharged with loving emotion. This guy was incredible.
When he sang, walls, stones, would melt; it was so powerful. I heard from
Mohannanda that it was almost like legend to see a Ratha-ytr with
Viujana.
After the parade, more than 10,000 people enjoy prasdam, sitting on the

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grass in the warm midday sun at the Meadows. Prabhupda had wanted the
festival to be huge, and a lot of LA devotees have helped, making it a
spectacular celebration. Following Prabhupdas address, the chief guest, the
Mayor of San Francisco, speaks highly about the movement, impressed with its
basic ideals and principles.
r Galim: Prabhupda gave a lecture that day on the verse from
Bhagavad-gtraso ham apsu kaunteya... He was saying how to see Ka
as the taste of water. That was the first time I had seen Prabhupda, and it
was truly a wonderful occasion. I accepted him into my heart the first time I
saw him.
Later that evening, a meeting is held in Berkeley for all the temple leaders
who are in town for Ratha-ytr. Thirty devotees attend, including rla
Prabhupda. Prabhupda asks his sannys disciple, So Viujana Mahrja,
how many temples you have opened? Viujana had been given an instruction
to open ten temples as a purification for the offense he was involved in at New
Vndvana, when he said that Prabhupda was God. He had opened Houston
first, and then Austin.
Only two, rla Prabhupda, Viujana whispers in a very humble voice,
sounding as if he was crawling out from under a table. He had opened two
temples in six months, yet he feels as if he hasnt done enough.
You have to open another eight, Prabhupda replies.

Meanwhile back at Valencia Street, Jaynanda is busy with his crew

cleaning everything up and getting the temple back to normal.
Jagat Guru: Jaynanda was organizing the kitchen clean-up in the temple.
He got me into it when he mentioned that there would be prasdam for the big
clean-up crew. One by one, everyone in the kitchen disappeared as they
finished. I was working on a big stove and was the last one to go. When I left
the kitchen, there was nobody around, so I thought, Oh, no prasdam. I
started down the hallway, and as I passed a window I heard voices. That
window went straight out onto the roof. I looked out the window, and there
was Jaynanda with a big pot of hot halava. All the kitchen clean-up devotees
were out there taking prasdam. Some were already lying on their backs.

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 Immediately, I went out the window to get my promised prasdam.

Los Angeles July, 1971

When Prabhupda returns to LA after Rathyatra, almost everyone follows,

like a hive following the queen bee. This is a joyful time for rla Prabhupda.
The last time he was in LA one year ago, he had left for India under intense
circumstances, caused by the disturbance of the conspiracy issue. But now
everything has turned out for the best, by the mercy of Ka, and ISKCON has
grown stronger than before.
His four sannyss are preaching more powerfully than ever, and many more
sannyss have been made since then. The loving reciprocation between the
spiritual master and the disciple is the component that makes spiritual life
successful, and everyone is experiencing the bliss of devotional service under
the guidance of His Divine Grace. Prabhupda is satisfied that the movements
growth is pleasing to his Guru Mahrja, rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat
hkur.
Viujana meets with His Divine Grace and arranges a darshan to introduce
the Austin bhaktas to their spiritual master. Prabhupda just beams with
delight, seeing the new men. While introducing Dwijahari, Viujana explains,
Oh, he has this great vehicle that can go anywhere. Its called a Land Rover,
rla Prabhupda, and we use it in Austin for all of our sakrtana.
Hearing about the Land Rover, Prabhupda quips, Every sannys should
have this, because it could go anywhere and sannyss should go everywhere
and preach.

All week long Viujana Swami is back in town. He takes a sakrtana party
out every morning to downtown LA and has everyone jumping up and down
blissfully for hours in front of Bullocks. After evening rati he takes everybody
out again to Westwood for more chanting, and then everybody runs over to
Hollywood where Hair is still playing, to chant until ten oclock and finally
return home to New Dwaraka, tired but exhilarated.
Viujana renews his friendship with the devotees from his brahmacr days.
Stoka Ka invites him over for dinner at his apartment, and Sahadev cooks
up a big feast for him. As the older devotees are lavish in their praise, all the

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new Vaiavas are also taken with Mahrja.
Gopavrindapal: I was a brand new bhakta, and I remember one devotee lady,
Prsni, was introducing me to things as we worked in the kitchen. There is this
one devotee who Prabhupda has claimed has the perfect voice for
glorification of Ka. As best she could, she was quoting a letter that
Prabhupda wrote. That was the first time I heard about him.
Everyone was buzzing, Viujana Mahrja is here. It didnt mean
much to me because I didnt really know what that meant, except that
everyone was enlivened enough for it to be something significant. Somebody
took me upstairs to the brahmacr ashram, and he was standing at a mirror
putting on his tilak. Right next to the mirror, the ikakam was written in
calligraphy. When he turned around, he stopped and smiled. I was trying to be
cool because I was new. My attempt was to show that I had some substance
also.
I said, Hey, whats the stick? He had a daa.
He put his hand on my shoulder and looked around, as if to see if someone
else was going to hear, and whispered, To keep the women away!
Everybody burst out laughing, including me. He said it jokingly, under his
breath, almost mimickingly. Then he looked at me as if wondering if that met
my approval. Everybody was laughing, so I said, Okay, that makes sense.
Then we all walked downstairs for sandhya-rati. He led that rati with
harmonium. His singing voice was phenomenal, and his devotion came
through it. I remember being really impressed, and all the devotees were super
enthusiastic. That was a high point in my initial period in LA temple.
He also went on sakrtana with us to Hollywood Boulevard on the
weekend. I remember that being really exuberant. It was one of those big
whirling dervish type kirtans, and we were knocking non-devotees off the
sidewalk like they were bowling pins, and at the same time demanding that
they chant the Holy Name. He was leading the kirtan but he wasnt as crazy
and wild as some of the rest of us. There was some to do about his being in
LA because everyone remembered him so fondly.

July 3, 1971

July 3, 1971, is initiation day. Forty devotees accept their beads from rla

481
Prabhupdas hand, vowing to serve Ka and practice bhakti-yoga for a
lifetime. Among them are the Texas devotees that Viujana has attracted.
Viujana recommends Subhananda and rnath for first and second
initiation together. Prabhupda calls them into his room first, to see whether
these new recruits are qualified for double initiation. After speaking with them,
he is satisfied.
Raghuntha: When Prabhupda gave me the name Raghuntha, Viujana
Mahrja embraced me and said, Thats a wonderful name. Youre so
fortunate to have such a wonderful name. At the initiation he was also
leading kirtan. His kirtans were continually blissful and perfectly executed.
He was always dancing, always in the highest love, and crying continually to
sing the Lords Holy Name. He was content with nothing else. He only had the
Lords Holy Name and a cloth to wear around his body.
I spent a lot of time with Viujana then. He was in his usual blissful
mood, just rolling off different nectar pastimes of Ka. He was always
saying how wonderful Prabhupda was that he had come to teach these things
to us. Everything he did was Prabhupdas credit, My spiritual master did
this. My spiritual master said that.
Jagat Guru: Viujana Mahrja did the fire sacrifice for rla Prabhupda.
That was a grand experience for everyone in the presence of Prabhupda.
Every devotee on the West Coast, practically all the way from Vancouver,
was there. It was a huge assembly with a big fire yaja. Everything done in LA
was done to the top. The world standard came out from LA. Viujana had
his team from Texas. Of course, everyone was looking at rla Prabhupda,
but I was also looking at Viujana Swami. He was the first Swami I ever
saw. From that point on, I hankered to get his association.
During this period the famous Paramount studio kirtans (The Vishnujana
kirtan with Prabhupada playing mrdanga is on the CD: ISKCON
ClassicsVishnujana Swami Kirtans) are recorded. Prabhupda had written
Viujana Mahrja, When I return to LA, I may call you back just to hear
your chanting of Hare Ka mantra, and at the studio rla Prabhupda picks
up the mdaga in order to accompany his disciple and pushes Viujana Swami
forward to lead the kirtan.

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 Sacidev: I was at Paramount studios when Viujana recorded with
Prabhupda. I was playing kartls and singing. I remember it was a long
process. Now he had sannysa. It was different. Especially for the women, we
had to be very aloof, and he had to be stand-offish. He was like a brother
before. We didnt have any concept of its not okay, it was just very pure.
After he took sannysa, I saw a little personality change in Viujana in his
dealings with women. It had to be there. The etiquette was there.
abhadeva: I went to a recording studio when Prabhupda and Viujana
were there. From that very first time in LA and all the way through, whenever
I saw His Divine Grace and Viujana together, I liked to watch the
interchange between the two. Viujana would speak very humbly to
Prabhupda and Prabhupda always beamed when he spoke to him. The
relationship between those two was fascinating to watch. I felt more fortunate
being able to watch it than to even be there.

New York July, 1971

When the Texas devotees arrive back in Austin, they are so inspired from
their trip that it appears like they have just returned from heaven. They go out
for sakrtana every day and are totally into it. By contrast, the devotees that
stayed back feel out of it. Neither Murti dsa nor di Deva are ready to commit
to moving into the temple. Murti has his professional career as an academic,
with tenure coming up, and hes concerned about losing that. But they are both
lamenting that they didnt go to California to meet rla Prabhupda, whom
theyve heard so much about from Viujana Swami. Seeing their predicament,
Mahrja suggests that they take the opportunity to see rla Prabhupda in
New York before he leaves for Europe.
di Deva: So we both got a vacation and left. Murti dsa shaved his head
first. He went down to a fabric shop and bought some yellow cloth, so he had
his gig together. I chickened out and didnt shave my head. I got a burr haircut.
We jumped on a Greyhound bus in our dhotis, and people thought we were
nuts.
The two friends arrive at Brooklyn temple to find a huge commotion with
hundreds of devotees everywhere. The whole spectacle is very exciting, and

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they become inspired by everybodys enthusiasm. Every day of the week theres
an initiation yaja, as devotees from all over the East Coast have been waiting
to be accepted as Prabhupdas disciples.
Bhavnanda, the temple president, takes advantage of the influx of devotees
to have twenty-four hour kirtan at Times Square. The kirtan at Times Square
never stops. Murti dsa and di Deva volunteer to do the midnight to 4:00
AM shift. They go down to Times Square every night, and thats their service
while theyre in New York.
When Prabhupdas servant, Nanda Kumar, discovers that two sculptors
from Texas have come to meet rla Prabhupdaand one of them is a
professorhe arranges a darshan for them. In their excitement to meet rla
Prabhupda, the Texans barely notice two beautiful figures standing on a table
by the window as they enter his quarters. r r Rdh-Dmodara have just
come up from Washington, DC. They have a plan that has still to manifest. No
one yet knows the role They will play in assisting rla Prabhupda in his
mission.
di Deva: We went to Prabhupdas room and sat with him for forty-five
minutes. We were in awe. He showed us paintings by the artists and told us
about what they were meditating on when they were painting. He told us that
he really needed mrtis, and that we could do it. He would love to have us
make something. We could install Gaura-Nitai Deities all over the world.
There would be plenty of work for uswe should just do something. It was a
real nice meeting in the afternoon, just before he went to give Bhagavad-gt
class that evening. He was great.
Murti dsa: He was coming up from downstairs in his gamcha, and I was
thinking, this man looks like an ancient Egyptian. He doesnt look like
th
anybody living in the world in the 20 Century. He read my mind and his
black eyes were snapping at me. So when we sat down a few minutes later, he
said, I am not your king, I am your spiritual master. This is not a palace.
This is a place to practice learning to live with Ka in the spiritual world.
That was his first remark to methat was pretty amazing. Then he asked
me and di Deva to sculpt Deities. He had his servant bring out a big painting
of the Panca Tattva. It was a very early, kind of crude painting, but quite big.
The figures were about two feet tall in the painting. He said, Make Them the

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 same size in your sculptures. So that was our assignment.
He asked if it was hot in Texas, and I said, Yes rla Prabhupda,
sometimes it gets very hot.
Oh, it is getting very hot? That means you are getting ready to go to
India.
We are?
Yes.
When he saw he was going too far-out for us, he asked, How is my son,
Viujana Swami? and he smiled. He had lots of teeth, and he smiled a big
broad smile. We just got blown away by his smilehe just glowed.
There was silence for a minute, and then I said, Oh, hes doing fine, rla
Prabhupda. Hes recruiting all kinds of new people, and hes going
everywhere chanting. Hes in San Antonio right now.
Then he said, My Viujana Mahrja can get the whole world to chant
Hare Ka. Thats his quote. Oh, he loved him!

Austin August, 1971

It was five years ago that rla Prabhupda incorporated ISKCON, and there
are now fifty-four centers around the world. Prabhupda always wanted 108
centers and he is already half-way there. The preaching is going really well and
more people are coming to the temple programs than ever before.
Dwijahari has become the Spiritual Sky salesman in Texas and has accounts
with all the headshops and import stores around Austin. The revenue supports
the whole temple, leaving the rest of the devotees free to preach. Every
morning they go out on the campus, lay down a blanket to sit on, and chant
Hare Ka. They also sell BTGs and invite people back to the temple. At noon
they return for the mid-day rati, another class, and lunch prasdam. After
lunch they go back out for the afternoon.
The evening program is for the public, and people come every day. With
constant classes, going out twice a day for chanting, and plenty of prasdam, its
an ideal life and excellent training for the new men.
After meeting Prabhupda, Murti dsa is seriously considering to surrender
everything and join the movement. During summer break, Murti is giving
classes in the Art Department, shaved up in a dhoti, and causing a big

485
revolution. Being a householder, he lives in a small house with his wife and
eight-year-old son. Due to the influence of Viujana Swami, the whole family
has become Ka conscious.
Jagadananda Pandit: To me, Viujana Swami was like a superman, or like
Lord Caitanya. It was the way he would move people. He was the person who
got my parents to join the Hare Ka movement. I remember when I was
eight, he was asking me if I wanted to get initiated, but I knew I wasnt ready
then.
During that time he was attracting people to Prabhupdas movement. He
kept it simple and they liked that. He had a charismatic personality that
would pull you in and just make you want to be a Hare Ka. Youd want to
drop whatever you were doing. My father was a brilliant architect and
sculptor, and he was so moved that he was teaching at the University of Texas
in a dhoti and shaved head.
di Deva is also on the verge of shaving up. But he wants to spend a few
nights at the temple firstjust to test the watersbefore giving up his
apartment, and his job.
di Deva: It was fun. There was a large room adjacent to the kitchen with a
formica floor, and everybody rolled their bedrolls out and slept there.
Viujana was like the daddy. People would reminisce about their experiences
in Ka consciousness, Oh you know, one night there was a storm outside
and we woke up at 2:00 AM, and Viujana Swami was up chanting japa. So
he started telling us stories about Ka lifting Govardhana Hill. These
spontaneous things were happening all the time.
Late one night we were talking about realizing the philosophy, and he said
that he sat out on a pier on a lake with some other devotees during a raging
storm. They each had a book. One had a rmad-Bhgavatam, another a r
Isopanisad, yet another had a Gita, and they were reading verses to each
other. He said that really helped him to realize the philosophy, because the
storm was so intense all around them.
We had rmad-Bhgavatam class in the mornings, r Isopanisad before
noon, Nectar of Devotion during the afternoon, and then Bhagavad-gt in
the evenings. Viujana Swami gave us four classes a day! We didnt realize
how lucky we were. We would sing the r Isopanisad, and he could sing it all,

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of course, by heart. His classes were insightful and very realized. He knew the
Bhagavad-gt like the back of his hand, and he could quote from any part of
it.
He was usually hoarse because he chanted so much. His voice would begin
to break as he read, As they surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly,
(Bhagavad-gt As It Is 4.11) with so much feeling. It was obvious he was
seeing a lot more than we were.
We would go out on sakrtana with Viujana, and he started going into
music stores, saying, I represent the Rdh-Ka Temple, because the
London temple album was known at that time. Hed just take over a music
store and sit down in a corner and start chanting. After kirtan, he would
elaborate on the Bhagavad-gt. Pretty soon hed have lines of people crowded
around him in this music store. The whole place just stopped. I remember
going with him to a few of these stores around town, and his preaching was
incredible. He would have everybody spellbound.
The first time we had an iagoh it was a different atmosphere. He was
on a personal level, asking about everybodys problems, What do you think
we ought to change? It was very relaxed, but he was strict. He was sweet but
also very tough. He would not compromise at all with the philosophy. One
time he quoted Prabhupda as saying, Youll read this Nectar of Devotion
until you lick the pages. And it was almost like he did; it was almost like he
was praying to the book. He loved it.
Viujana Swami was a great cook. In the kitchen the first thing hed do is
take all the cabinet doors off the cabinets so he could see everything. Hed be
in there with just his sannysa dhoti on, dripping with perspiration and
cooking away. He had these huge hands all calloused from playing mdaga
for so many years. He stalked around the kitchen like a lion. We brought in
bunches of bananas, and hed squish the bananas into this banana and
watermelon drink that he used to make. He would use lots of sugar, and we
were coming off macrobiotic diets, and into health food, so it was like this
crazed man was feeding usbut we loved it. He kept telling us, This is
spiritual food. This is offered to Ka.
When I met him, he was a three-year devotee. He had only met
Prabhupda three years earlier! We thought, this man has turned into a god
in three years? What can happen to us? Lets join right away.

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 August 14

On August 14, the Austin devotees celebrate Janmam with Viujana

Swami. During the day, Mahrja engages the devotees in arts and crafts so
everyone is busy making a present for Ka on His appearance day. After
wrapping their gifts, they bring them to Mahrja to place on the altar. Then
Viujana organizes the decoration of the temple, gathering bougainvillea
flowerslittle purple flowers that grow around the neighborhood. He has
everyone making garlands, and stringing flowers all around the temple. Then
he spreads yogurt and rose leaves in the corners of the temple room, explaining
that this is auspicious.
At sunset, Viujana brings everyone together in the temple room to listen
to his reading of Kas advent from KA book. After the reading, he
begins a kirtan that soon becomes uproarious, spilling outdoors. Mahrja leads
his chanting devotees around the house, completely oblivious to their
surroundings, to the chagrin of the neighbors.
di Deva: We were going around the outside of the house doing parikram
with big bunches of incense, banging on kartls and drums, at eleven oclock
at night. Someone dropped his incense and another devotee stepped on it with
his bare feetit was just a riot. By midnight we had the police out there, Uh
uh, now stop. Stop! It was our initiation into Janmam.
Into the Austin center, Mahrja has attracted intellectuals like Murti dsa
and his wife, scrutinizing people like di Deva, and hippies with their flutes,
beads, and Native-American style bags over their shoulders. But everybody is
happy, like a family. The common bond that holds everything together is
Viujana Mahrja and his presentation of Ka consciousness. Sociologists
say theres no melting pot; its a myth. But Ka consciousness is the real
melting pot because all differences evaporate, and Viujana has that going on
wonderfully in Austin.
Ishan: Everything became real with him. To use his word, everything became
saturated with a sense of reality of the sweetness of Ka consciousness. It
wasnt something we were doing just because were learning how to be
devotees. With him it was easy to be a devotee right away in the full spirit of it.
He was so attractive that he made us all gather around and participate

488
 together. Whether he was dealing with a devotee or a non-devotee didnt
matter, because he was dealing with everyone with respect. And so he
attracted people from all segments.
After Janmam and Vyasa-Puja, Viujana Swami is thinking of the next
step. The presence of Ishan and his wife to look after the temple frees Mahrja
to travel and open another center for Prabhupda. There are enough devotees
in Austin, and everything is going fine, so its time to be moving on.
Two Hispanic girls from San Antonio had invited him to come down and do
his programs there. After that San Antonio trip, he felt it was a sign from Ka
to open a center there, especially since rla Prabhupda had reminded him in
Berkeley to open ten.
Taking Dwijahari with him, he bids farewell to the Austin devotees, leaving
Ishan and Vibhavati in charge. Everyone begs him, Please come back, but
they know they will have to fly their own plane now.
di Deva: When Viujana and Dwijahari left, I watched them pack.
Viujana had one small shoulder bag. Everything he owned was right there,
and that was it. He had a change of dhoti, a Bhagavad-gt, a
rmad-Bhgavatam, a towel, and another bead bag, and that was Viujana
Swami. So they drove off to San Antonio after putting Ishan in charge as
temple president.
Ishan: He needed somebody to be the president, to manage things, and he
figured me for that person. I was happy to do that because he was my kind of
devotee. He had a joy in the process of Ka consciousness, and to me that
was what it was all about, how to put as much sdhana into a twenty-four
hour period as possible. It gave me what I wanted. He had full enthusiasm,
and he was comfortable with me being myself, because I would get very much
into physically playing my kartls real hard and chanting and dancing. I
really loved that.
I used to do a lot of austerities because that was my kick. These guys were
saying, Viujana Mahrja, you know Ishan is fasting, and were having
this very opulent breakfast. He would just very simply say, You can fast for
Ka and you can feast for Ka. And he had everyone feasting to the max
on beautiful, opulent foodstuffs. There was never any force involved in
anything he did. He was always gracious.

489
 We would have Sunday feasts outside on the lawn, and it was always
festive. It was like he was tireless. He never thought, All right, Ive been
working real hard now, let me sit down and fill myself up with some of this
prasdam. It seemed like he was living for doing the service without any
complaint. He seemed happy to do the service. No matter what we were doing,
it was always a celebration. Ka consciousness is wonderful! He was
tasting the happiness and the joy of it. All the time. And he was sharing that.
And we wanted it too. We wanted it very much.
Then one day he asked me to take it over.
When Viujana Swami leaves Austin for San Antonio, Jaynanda Prabhu
is simultaneously leaving San Francisco. However, he is not going as a sannys
to open a new frontier, rather he has just gotten married and is shifting to the
ghastha temple in Berkeley.

Berkeley August, 1971

After Ratha-ytr, Jaynanda marries Tray-dev and they move over to

Berkeley. The trust account he has inherited from his aunt has almost $700,000
in it and is meant to provide a monthly income from the time of his marriage
until his death. After his death, his natural born children will inherit the trust.
If he doesnt have a child, the trust will revert to another branch of the family,
out of his control. In order to engage the income of the trust in the service of
Lord Caitanyas mission, Jaynanda decides to take the risk of getting entangled
with wife and children.
Mrs. Kohr: Talking about his wedding, I always thought it was something
that was arranged. Or, Jim knew that if he got married, he would get some
pretty nice checks from his parents and from his aunt. He brought her
Eastthey stayed with us in Rocky Riverand theyd fly on down to Dayton
to see my aunt.
It was just one of those things. She didnt seem like his type. Definitely not.
He phoned and wrote quite a bit. We didnt see him that often. We saw him
more by our going to California a couple times a year. That was the reason
we went. He had his own apartment. He lived so many places, but he would
always have his own place, and we would go and see him there.
Tray-dev had joined the movement in Hawaii. When the local guru on Maui

490
decided to surrender to Prabhupda, all his followers followed suit. The
Honolulu temple couldnt possibly accommodate everybody, therefore many of
the newcomers agreed to serve in temples around America. Tray-dev had
come to the Bay area to begin her devotional service.
She is a very pleasant girl but brahmacarini life does not suit her. She wants
to have a husband and live the life of a householder. Subsequently, her marriage
to Jaynanda is arranged and she now shifts over to the Berkeley temple as
Jaynandas wife.
Berkeley temple is a single-family-dwelling with over forty devotees in the
house on 2710 Durant Street, off San Pablo Avenue. The house next door is
empty with a For Rent sign posted on the front lawn. One day the sign is
taken down, and a young couple move in with their belongings.
Nalini Kanta: We rented an apartment right next door to the temple. Lochan
dsa was the president, but Jaynanda did everything. He welcomed us and
immediately offered us service to do. Hed suggest what needed to be done and
ask if we wanted to help out. He was not imposing at all. He encouraged us
and was our friend, and we just started to like doing things at the temple. He
never said, You should do this and you should do that.
Jaynanda took the sakrtana party out. I was playing guitar and
wearing a fringed leather jacket, and he asked me to come out and play guitar.
We went out after breakfast from 10:00 to 1:00, have an hour for lunch, then
chant from 2:00 to 4:00. We would just do the Swami step, nothing raucous,
and have harmonium sometimes. It would be very mellow, and hed relish the
mood of the time. Sometimes after Isopanisad class at 7:00 he would want to
go out again, and Id bring my guitar.
He was totally lovable and everyone liked him. There was nothing that he
would ever do to make anyone dissatisfied with him. His personality was so
great that although he preached about Ka that wasnt what influenced
people, it was his personality that was so pure, and obviously elevated. It was
him they became attracted to. That was the outstanding feature about
Jaynanda.
He was a powerful figure. He used to hold his head up high and close his
eyes. Every day wed have a big crowd around us. Jaynanda loved
kirtanhe loved just chanting the Holy Name. I remember when we chanted
in Berkeley, the vendors would sometimes give us ice cream and fruit. Some of

491
 the college students would get upset because we were there six hours a day,
every day.
Ratnesvari dev ds: When we first started going to the temple regularly, he
asked, Would you like to serve out lunch prasdam? I said, Oh sure. So
everyday I served out lunch prasdam.
Then a few days would go by, and hed say, Oh, would you like to do some
other service, like clean up after prasdam? And I agreed. This would go on,
every couple of days he would ask me to do more. I started thinking: gosh, hes
constantly asking me to do things, and the only reason I was doing it was
because Jaynanda was so wonderful. You just never said no to Jaynanda.
His personality was so lovable, you just couldnt refuse him.
Then one day he said, Oh, Ka Vilasinis in the kitchen by herself
fixing the noon offering, and shed really like some help. I was thinking: gosh,
I dont even live in this temple and hes asking me to go into the Lords kitchen,
but I said, Oh sure, Prabhu. I went in, and it was ecstatic. Then I realized
why Jaynanda was giving me more and more service, because he knew how
relishable devotional service was and he wanted everyone to get some of the
nectar.
The one thing I remember most about Jaynanda Prabhu was that he
never got angry, and that really impressed me. There was never a time when
he seemed disturbed.
Since San Francisco is now an all brahmacr temple, any women or
householder couples that are attracted to Ka consciousness are requested to
go over to Berkeley. Because Jaynanda is in Berkeley, being married is actually
a blessing in disguise.
Yogesh Chandra: I was in Berkeley because I was married. We lived outside
the temple, and we would come to the program in the morning. If someone
came to the temple, Jaynanda would give them prasdam, and then he would
find them some engagement. He wouldnt necessarily preach with words; it
was usually by action. He wouldnt go into long discussions; he just tried to
engage them. He was fearless in asking them to do something. Even if they
were big men, he would engage them or get them to give some donation.
Jaynanda was very merciful to everyone, always humble, and always treated
everyone equally. He never spoke unnecessarily. He got the maximum

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 engagement with the minimum words.
Lochan dsa and Jaynanda are the two senior devotees in charge, and they
work well together. But Lochan wants to step down from the temple presidents
post, so the devotees mandate that Jaynanda become the new president.
Everyone loves Jaynanda due to his consummate dedication to the service of
the Vaiavas, especially the new bhaktas and bhaktins. He is always careful to
ensure that they get proper guidance and sumptuous prasdam. Never is there a
time when he will say anything ill about anybody; never a criticism. If ever a
discussion starts up that is critical of a devotee, Jaynanda just gets up and
leaves. He doesnt want to have any part of it.
Mangala dev ds: Jaynanda was president of Berkeley at the time I came.
He always kept a bowl of Simply Wonderfuls on his desk for anyone who
came in. His wife, Tray-dev, took care of the small Jagannath Deities at the
temple. She seemed to be completely in love with the Deities and a very
extraordinary devotee. I had just turned fifteen, so both Jaynanda and his
wife treated me like a daughter. Tray-dev would constantly speak about her
exalted husband, especially how rla Prabhupda loved him and would
always ask for him, Where is my Jaynanda?
Since I was the youngest devotee there, Jaynanda was extra kind to me.
The evening offering was usually a big fancy cake, along with other nice
sweets, cooked by Tray-dev. After rati, Jaynanda instructed me to sit
down in the prasdam room, and then he brought the whole offering. Setting
it down before me, he would tell me to take prasdam. When other devotees
came in to take, he would tell them to wait until I was finished. She is still
growing, so let her eat until she is full. In this way he was encouraging me to
take more prasdam so I could grow more. It was bliss! At the same time he
didnt encourage the brahmacrs to take sweets, especially in the evening.
Even more relishable than those evening offerings were the morning
rmad-Bhgavatam classes. We sat in a small circle in the temple room, and
while Tray-dev dressed Lord Jagannath, Jaynanda read from the old
brown Bhgavatam. First the Sanskrit, then the verse, and then rla
Prabhupdas purport. After the purport, he asked if there were any questions
or comments. Usually there werent, so he went on to the next verse. In this
way he covered quite a few verses, explaining a little here and there, yet not
caring to perform as a scholar or big speaker. He simply wanted to engage

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 everyone in relishing the message of the beautiful Bhgavatam and the
nectarean explanations of rla Prabhupda.
Jaynanda is never cheap with prasdam. Sometimes a temple president has
the cook use oil instead of ghee due to budget constraints, but Jaynanda is not
like that. He likes to offer opulent foodstuffs, with everything cooked in ghee.
And to make sure that all the devotees are happy, every Sunday he goes into the
kitchen to cook breakfast. His favorite preparation is Gauranga potatoes, and
for sweets, Simply Wonderfuls and gulabs. Sometimes he cooks pancakes and
will stay in the kitchen cooking until everyone is totally satisfied. Sunday feasts
are always opulent. He makes ten preparations, and over two hundred guests
come to honor prasdam.
With so many people coming, the budget for prasdam is stretched past its
limit. The temple needs someone who can make money, so Jaynanda
volunteers to be the Spiritual Sky salesman. Before long, Jaynanda is the
Spiritual Sky salesman for the whole Bay area, doing this service quite
enthusiastically, as usual.
Yogesh Chandra: They started selling incense, and I had a lot of association
with Jaynanda then, because he was firing me up to go and sell incense for
the temple. Jaynanda was like the father figure. He never made buddies on a
material level, he would never just hang out. He was always preaching and
giving association, mostly through engagement. If you were with Jaynanda,
then you were going to go and do some work for Ka. In the classes he
would instruct us to work for Ka. Even though he was real light, he was a
serious devotee, a superior. He was older and bigger. He was a guru.
Jaynanda was always the instructing guru, representing rla Prabhupda.
Trai dsa: Jaynanda taught me how to drive. I spent some time with him as
his assistant driver while he was doing Spiritual Sky around the whole Bay
area, San Francisco, the South Bay, and the East Bay. Hed make the
appointments, and I would drive him around. I hadnt gotten my drivers
license before I joined, but he put me in the drivers seat of our VW bug and
said, We have to be in San Francisco in twenty minutes. This is how you
shift. Okay? Lets go.
It was the first time I ever drove. I never drove a car before, and we were
driving over the Bay Bridge! He was saying, Youre doing great. Now get

494
 over in the right lane. Were gonna make a right hand turn at the next street.
Okay, turn here. Turn right. I always had the feeling that I was fully
protected because of his warm, giving personality.
Traveling throughout the Bay area selling Spiritual Sky products and trying
to manage a temple simultaneously leads to an incompatible situation. At this
point Jaynanda steps down from the presidency, requesting Lochan to once
again take up the service for rla Prabhupda. He comments, I dont like to sit
in the office and hear all these problemsthis girl wants to get married or this
guy wants to bloop. He is not at home in this kind of atmosphere. Neither does
he like giving orders to devotees. His understanding is that a Vaiava is a
servant. For Jaynanda, being in charge is a disturbance to his service.
Just as a good pjr performs his service on the altar in such a way that he
doesnt draw any attention to himself but allows the full focus to remain on the
Deities, in the same way Jaynanda does the needful for Berkeley temple to
satisfy the Lord and His devotees, without any flair and attention to his own
personal needs. This is Jaynandas final brush with management. He just wants
to do as much service as he can, the way he feels he can serve the best, and he
never takes a management position again. He prefers to work under other
authorities, so that he can truly be the servant of the servants.

Fifteenth Wave The Bhakti-Yoga-Mobile

The dictations by which one advances in knowledge or creative faculties come

from the Lord.
rmad-Bhgavatam 6.16.35, Purport

Tampa, Florida December 1971

Pusta Ka has returned home from Bangladesh and India where he met
rla Prabhupda and accepted initiation. But soon the itch to go out and
preach overtakes him once again. He decides to try the University of South
Florida and relocates to Tampa. Following Prabhupdas unfailing formula, he
simply sits down on the campus lawn with a pair of kartls and chants Hare

495
Ka. It is not long before he attracts curious and interested people. Gradually
he starts doing little programs around town.
In order to capitalize on the success of the preaching, he contacts Bhava
Bhuti for assistance and discovers that Krtannanda Swami has put together a
traveling program and wants to test it out in Florida.
Lets rent a house, and well have a place for them to come to, Bhava Bhuti
suggests.
As he is temporarily staying with friends, Pusta Ka immediately agrees to
the idea. Together they rent a two-bedroom house on a corner lot one block
from the Woodlawn Cemetery. After cleaning up the place, they paint the
rooms with shades of yellow and lavender. Bhagavat soon joins them to help
turn the place into a temple.

Meanwhile, the Road Show convoy stops to do sakrtana at towns in

Georgia and Northern Florida on their way down to Tampa. There are four
busloads of very talented, creative, and enthusiastic devotees, both men and
women. Since Krtannanda Swami has dubbed the show Every Town and
Village, the mood is to help fulfill the prophecy of Lord Caitanya that In
every town and village around the world My name will be propagated.
(Chaitanya Bhagavat, Antya Lila 4.126)
The Rdh-Ka Deities always go along to create a happening in the park
or on the street in the center of town. They go out on the streets with Their
devotees in Sanford, Orlando, Winter Haven, and St. Petersburg. The devotees
make a beautiful swing for Their Lordships jhulana-ytr pastimes and
devotees delight in swinging Them on special occasions.
Lambhodara: We would pull into any space that was available and throw up
Zubins tie-dye. We had yards and yards and miles of tie-dye material. So we
were this hippie Hare Ka extravaganza, with crystals and bells and a
magical show about the Age of Kali. We kind of branched out and did
whatever we could, traveling sakrtana, shows, and colleges. I did a lot of the
singing with Mangalananda. When I wasnt acting, I was singing. A lot of us
were musically inclined, actors, or dancers, but there wasnt a lot of support
for that at the temples, so Krtannanda Swami piled us all into buses and
took us around.

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 Zubin: I started to decorate the altars and temples as we traveled. There were
little towns and cities where we would stop along the way, and Id whip out
some fabric and tie-dye a little altar for Them, because I had silks and satins
and velvets. Everywhere we went there was incredible ceremony.
At this point the devotees are unaware that they are traveling with r r
Rdh-Dmodara, whose mission is to inaugurate traveling sakrtana by always
traveling Themselves. For the Road Show devotees, They are simply
Rdh-Ka, and everyone loves Them. Whenever They travel in Their
temple bus, Harikea ties Them down with ropes so that They will be safe and
secure in the event of some untoward event. Silavati doesnt like that the
Deities are tied up and objects, We cant tie up Rdh and Ka! But the
response is always, Well, we have to. Its to protect the Deities when They
travel.
Gradually, everybody begins to notice that these Deities are very playful and
enjoy having little pastimes with Their devotees.
Harikea: The first pastime was whenever They were being driven. I was
driving the temple bus, and the Deities had to be tied in the back. I had the rear
view mirror set in such a way that I could always see the Deities. I remember
once very clearly, I was looking in the mirror while I was driving along and I
was just absorbed in the beauty of the Deities.
All of a sudden, after about two minutes, I realized that I was driving the
bus. So I quickly looked at the road to see where I was, and believe it or not,
the bus was still on the road making turns and everything along this winding
road. So I was looking at the Deities and the Deities were steering the bus,
somehow or other. Unbelievable.
From St. Petersburg, the caravan arrives at the little house serving as
ISKCON Tampa. The wooden frame bungalow has a kitchen, a porch, a living
room that has been turned into a temple room, and a bathroom in the rear. All
of a sudden there are thirty people in this tiny house with only one bathroom.
Many devotees sleep on the buses or on the porch. A shower hose is hooked up
in the back yard, but its a little cold during the morning hours, even in Florida.
Bhagavat: I called Krtannanda to come down, thinking he would come with
the same group in a van that came to Tallahassee. One day there were four

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 yellow school buses out there, and about thirty people with tie-dye shirts,
drums and instruments, and Deities. It was completely amazing. I thought the
Road Show was just a van with seven people. They performed some plays, and
I thought this was great. It was a whole new thing for me.
Pusta Ka: There was very little friction with so many people living in such
close quarters. It was truly remarkable how these people got along together so
well, because they were pretty high powered, creative people whom you would
expect to have larger-than-average egos. It was a credit to their service
attitude and Ka consciousness that they were able to do that.
They were putting together some songs with electric rock music, and that
was completely new to Ka consciousness. Krtannanda Swami was a very
humble, inspired devotee. He didnt play a very active role in the program; he
would just give a talk, and the creative people would present the show.
Pusta Ka is concerned that the landlady is going to completely freak out.
She is a very nice Cuban lady, and when Pusta preaches to her she becomes
charmed and excited that somehow she can play a part. Its remarkable that the
neighbors dont seem to be bothered very much, even with the morning and
evening kirtans.
Once settled in, Krtannanda gathers his creative nucleus around him and
goes out to do the television and radio shows that Bhagavat has already
arranged. Because of their strange look, the devotees attract a lot of media
attention. Rdh-Dmodara appear on every TV show, in Tallahassee,
Gainesville, and Tampa. Whenever the devotees go out to chant and distribute
BTGs, r r Rdh-Dmodara also go along on Their portable altar.
Bhavatarini dev ds: We were going on TV for interviews. The Deities were
on TV a lot, and They loved to be on television. We had tie-dye dhotis and
saris. The Deities had tie-dye canopies. A lot of people joined because of the
music, the tie-dye clothes, and the prasdam. We had big kirtan parties in all
the towns.
Harikea: In Gainesville we had some slides on TV and a little lecture. On
that show we sang the Chintamani prayers with Silavati singing. It was very
much a jazz version, different than what Yamun sang. Silavati was very
quiet. She didnt say much, but when she did say something, it was in a very

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 high voice, which was trembling all the time. We chanted a little Hare Ka,
and we did a play about the Frog in the Well. I would play piano,
Mangalananda would play guitar, Gariyan would play bass, and Dulal
Chandra would play drums. It was a very nice show.
Now that the troupe is settled in Florida, everyone gets down to serious
rehearsals to put together a professional production. Vndvana Chandra is the
talent who directs the plays and formats the entire show. He is the creative,
artistic force in these early days. Most of the skits that are formulated come out
of his mind. He has written the Kali play, so when he plays Kali, he really
becomes Kali. Aura plays Sin, and when she puts on her make-upbig red lips
with black kohl on the eyes and green make-up on the faceshe is a knockout.
Aura is a fabulous actress who also has a wonderful sense of humor and jokes
about every little intrigue. She is a large woman of mixed Lebanese and Jewish
ancestry with dark hair and a very exotic look.
The concept of the play is the introduction of the Age of Kali and then the
dawning of the Golden Age of Lord Caitanya. The introduction with Kalis
killing the cow is a dark presentation depicting how everything in material life
is degraded, but the play ends with the glories of Lord Caitanyas sakrtana
movement. Zubin decorates the sets with his miles of tie dye fabric, while Bob is
in charge of the sound system and light show. Lambhodara has a magical voice,
but musically, Mangalananda is the guiding light. He is the performer, the
singer/songwriter who also plays guitar. In addition, he does a finger puppet
show. Using his index finger and thumb to form a face with a mouth, he paints
in the eyes, nose, and lips around the circle formed by the index finger and
thumb.
rutakrti: Mangalananda would do class rooms in different schools, and I
remember him speaking by way of the finger puppets. He was a very talented
man. Everything he did had a particularly humorous style that was quite
enjoyable. People could relate to it and have a lot of fun with it.
Jamadagni shows up in Tampa with lyrics and poetry, and Mangalananda
begins writing melodies to put the poetry to music. Tampa is the beginning of
their collaboration. But Jamadagni has never been very stable, and he
frequently disappears only to show up again out of the blue. Still, they manage
to write a lot of good songs together.

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 The Tampa temple is a simple house, and the facilities for the Deities are
also simple. Rdh-Dmodara sit in a corner of the temple room on Their
portable altar-cum-palanquin with curtains front and back. Narada Muni is the
assistant pjr under Silavati. He wakes the Deities every morning and heats
up the milk for the offering.
Silavati and Krtannanda are really into the pj program. Together, they
perform the bathing ceremony for the Deities every morning, as devotees chant
their japa, without putting up a screen for privacy. It is not even considered
that a screen is necessary. Some devotees are not initiated, but Silavati simply
announces, Those people who arent devotees shouldnt be in the room. The
Deities are bathed with sandalwood oil, and Silavati and Krtannanda give
Them a complete massage while everyone chants japa and watches.
Mahmy dev ds: Silavati was the pjr, and she was amazing. She had
silvery hair and glasses and was much older than everybody; she was like a
mother. When it came time to bathe the Deities every morning she didnt put
up a makeshift curtain. She would just bathe Them in front of the devotees.
Some devotees couldnt handle that. It was too purifying. They would go
chant their japa outside.
I didnt have second initiation so I couldnt help her. But I would watch
every move she made. Every day she would do something different. One day
she would put Them in a big stainless steel rectangular transfer container
and pour water over Them and actually bathe Them. Another day she would
bathe by mantra. Another day she would bathe by rubbing oil all over Their
bodies. Sometimes Krtannanda Swami would rub oil on Dmodara and she
would rub oil on Rdhr. It was worship from the heart, very spontaneous.
She would chant the prayers from the Brahma-samhita at the top of her lungs
while bathing Them. She let me sew for Them, and we sewed everything by
hand. They had such simple outfits then. One night outfit and two day outfits.
Bir Ka: We were chanting our japa, watching the Deities being bathed. I
just felt complete ecstasy seeing the liquids being poured over Their heads and
being wiped off with a soft cloth by Silavati Prabhu, and then dressed by her.
In the early days devotees have not seen abhieka ceremonies, so some are
not comfortable seeing Deities bathed in public. Once a week, Silavati also
shows Rdhrs lotus feet by dressing Her in an outfit that gathers up around

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Her ankles. Of course, the devotees are in awe of the Deities and Silavati is very
protective of Them, but she does give the impression that only she knows how
important the Deities are, and no one else. Prabhupda had said that she was
the authority for pj, but some people think that it has gone to her head and
that she is beginning to speculate.
Harikea: Silavati decided that Deity worship was for everybody, and the
Deities should be bathed and dressed right in front of everybody. It was very
strange. We felt like we were intruding on something private. Then after a
while we stopped it.
rutakrti: They were a funny pair, Silavati and Krtannanda, and they
spent a lot of time together. They were like the High Priestess and the Swami.
They got along very well. We were traveling through one town and something
must have happened to Kas flute because we were mad after getting a
flute. She was going into all these different shops trying to find something that
would be a flute. We spent hours and hours trying to find the right type of rod.
Finally she managed to get a piece of gold plate rod that we worked on and
turned into His flute.
The buses are still not completely ready for long-term travel. Harikeas
service is to finish outfitting the kitchen bus so that the party wont have to be
dependent on other people out on the road. He locates a large second-hand
kitchen equipment warehouse in Tampas industrial area and builds the kitchen
bus entirely out of stainless steel, including the floor and walls. To supply the
needs of the Deities and devotees, he finds a huge water tank normally used on
airplanes. It has special ribs in it so that water wont flow back and forth in the
tank and knock the bus over while driving down the highway. The tank holds
an incredible amount of water, enough to supply both the Deities and the
devotees for drinking and bathing.
The water tank sits over the rear wheels with just enough space behind it for
the women to take rest. A door at the rear of the bus allows the women to climb
into their cramped quarters behind the tank that stretches across both sides of
the bus, separating it from the kitchen.
The prasdam is always excellent. Mangalananda, Harikea, and Gariyan are
the cooks, and they are all expert. An avocado tree growing in the temple yard
is now in season, yeilding an abundance of avocados. These are excellent

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avocados and very tasty. One Sunday feast, Harikea makes avocado halava,
avocado pakoras, avocado chutneyjust about avocado everything. Its an
avocado feast, and everybody seems to like it.
rutakrti is the treasurer, and he always seems to be counting the lakm. He
is also Krtannandas servant, so he generally stays in the background doing
Mahrjas laundry and other services for him. He has nothing to do in the
show itself.
One day, due to musical differences with Harikea, Mangalananda decides
that he wont play in the band anymore. It is my, and he just wants to cook for
the devotees. This is when he invents the breadsticks that become the main
staple of the Road Show diet. A new band is put together with Harikea as
leader. Lambhodara is the lead singer, with Bhavatarini and Bhagvat also
singing a lot.
Their first engagement is an outdoor rock concert with a lot of local bands.
Narada Muni and Toaa arrange for the devotee band to play some songs, and
they can use the equipment of the band that will come on after them.
Rdh-Dmodara are up on stage in front of an audience of four thousand
people.
Harikea: The kids were lying out on a huge field, spread out all over the
place. I was playing this huge Hammond organ, Gariyan was playing with
huge amplifiers, Dulal had this huge set of drums, and Lambhodara and
Bhagavat were singing. We played about five or six songs, and the kids went
berserk. They loved it. When we started chanting Hare Ka at the end, the
kids were going around in a huge circle. This went on for over half an hour.
We were really into it. After we finished, they applauded for a long time.
Narada Muni: This engagement was really wonderful. We did a lot of
chanting and got everybody to chant along. I used to go out and get everybody
to hold hands and dance around, especially at the outdoor festivals. So it was
very ecstatic. At least three hundred people were chanting and dancing after
the show.
All the devotees are elated after the open air rock concert. They had
generated such incredible enthusiasm with the audience that they are inspired
to begin rehearsing in earnest to put the show together as a more professional

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presentation. After all, if Rdh and Ka are up on stage, then the show has
to become as perfect as can be.
Harikea: We had the most pastimes with the Deities in Tampa. They werent
just standing there, They would actually do things. Five of us were in the
temple room looking at Rdh-Dmodara, when all of a sudden Rdhrs
eyebrows went up and Her mouth just opened and made the most ecstatic
expression. Five of us saw it at the same time. We were just stunned.
Everybody looked at each other at the same time and said, Did you see that?
We had all seen the same thing. Those Deities were really amazing.

San Antonio, Texas August 1971

The Alamo is the most famous tourist attraction in San Antonio and
remains the icon most deeply rooted in the sensibility of Texas. For Texans, the
Alamo is the epitome of what it means to be courageous. The struggle against
overwhelming odds made the battle of the Alamo a rallying point for the early
settlers of Texas. Originally a Catholic mission established by Spanish priests,
the Alamo became a focal point in American history when the armies of
Colonel Sam Houston and General Santa Anna met in battle for the
independence of Texas in 1836.
The 4,000 strong Mexican troops under Santa Anna stormed the Alamo
garrison, defended by a regiment of only 180 volunteers, led by Jim Bowie and
Davy Crockett, united under the banner of freeing Texas from the control of
Mexico. The Texas patriots fought valiantly for twelve days against the wrath
of the Mexican army. Everyone died defending the fort, but they provided Sam
Houston enough time to organize his forces to later defeat Santa Anna. Thus,
the battle of the Alamo was lost, but the war with Mexico was won.
Today the mission fortress has been rebuilt and is preserved as a Museum by
the historical society founded to protect it. The Alamo still stands as the symbol
of admirable heroismthe courageous holdout by a few conquest-minded
Whites over Hispanics. But was the subduing of the West a daring feat of
bravery and ingenuity, a myth to invoke in education and popular culture, or a
wretched example of White imperialism?
All nations embroider their history. In Hungary, schoolchildren are taught
that Attila the Hun, hardly historys most sympathetic character, introduced

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uplifting elements of Roman culture to his court. Britain has turned the painful
retreat from Dunkirk into a triumph of the spirit. Japan has subtly but
systematically diluted the facts about Japanese aggression in Asia from 1931 to
1945. Though America remembers the Alamo as an episode of heroism, Mexico
views the war for Texas as nothing more than a land grab by gangs of gringo
interlopers.
Whatever it represents, the Alamo is always crowded with tourists, making it
the right spot for Viujana Swami to pioneer Lord Caitanyas mission of
eternal freedom. Daily he goes out with Dwijahari to chant and distribute
BTGs in front of the Alamo and around the streets running perpendicular to it.
Although most people quietly gawk, there are always the envious few who try to
cause trouble. Evangelists are always challenging and sometimes accuse the
devotees of representing Satan. Viujana deals with these people
diplomatically and tries not to agitate anyone. He prefers to keep chanting and
quickly attracts a following.
Mohanasini lives with her husband and three youngsters in San Antonio.
One day she calls her friend Clarice and a man picks up the phone and says,
Hare Ka. Shes thinking, Clarice has got a lot of way out friends, but whats
she into now? When Clarice comes to the phone she explains that shes having
a big get-together on Sunday. Please come.
That Sunday, Mohanasini and her family meet Viujana Swami. She cant
get his name right so he says, You can just call me Swami John. Thereafter,
she always calls him Swami John. Mahrja teaches the guests how to chant
Hare Ka and gives a talk about how to serve God twenty-four hours a day.
Mohanasini is very impressed hearing Swami John speak about God
consciousness. He seems to know all the answers and doesnt say anything
averse to Christianity and her own beliefs. She realizes, if you can serve God
twenty-four hours a day, thats certainly better than just an hour on Sunday.
After prasdam, Clarice invites Mohanasinis family to stay overnight. At
4:00 AM, Viujana Mahrja wakes everybody up for magala-rati. He sings
and performs rati to pictures of Panca Tattva and rla Prabhupda. He
explains the meaning of the ceremony while everybody just listens. Then he
gives a class on rmad-Bhgavatam. After cooking and offering prasdam,
Viujana finally serves out breakfast. Everyone is touched by his devotional
mood. Mahrja explains the meaning of prasdam and gives Mohanasini a

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photo of Prabhupda, with instructions how to cook and offer food to Ka.
From that experience, the whole family is convinced that they want to join
the movement. Viujana tells them about the Dallas temple and the gurukula
that is being established for the children. Soon after, the family boards a
Greyhound bus bound for Dallas.
Almost at once Mahrja finds a tiny apartment in a four-plex for the first
temple. A narrow hallway leads from the entrance to a small front room, a
teeny kitchen, a bedroom, and finally a bathroom in the back. The altar consists
of a photograph of Prabhupda, a picture of Panca Tattva painted in
psychedelic colors by Vibhavati, and a candle, all of which sit on a small folding
card table in a corner of the front room. The narrow apartment is little more
than the size of a railway carriage.
Viujana is always looking for innovative ways to present Ka
consciousness. When he has a vision of a traveling temple, Ka supplies him
with a San Antonio transit bus. In exchange for the Land Rover, Dwijahari
procures a bus from a private party who has purchased three at an auction. This
is a large, older-style, propane-fired bus, with rounded features and
old-fashioned small windows, as opposed to the modern squared-off look.
Mahrja begins transforming the plain city bus into a traveling temple by
taking out the seats and varnishing the wooden panels inside. Then he sprays
the ceiling with lacquer and throws up silver sparkles, which cling to the wet
lacquer creating a starry night effect. Viujana spends a lot of time decorating
the interior to make it look like an Indian temple.
Outside, the bus is given two coats of candy apple red with VISHNUJANA
SWAMI stenciled in large white letters on both sides, followed by the smaller
Bhakti-Yoga-Mobile, in a psychedelic wave design. Mahrja has taken a plain
city bus and turned it into a traveling temple from Vaikuha to facilitate his
preaching.

Austin August 30, 1971

Before leaving Austin, Viujana had written rla Prabhupda,

recommending three new bhaktas for initiation. When Prabhupdas
acceptance letter arrives with the new devotees spiritual names, Viujana is
in San Antonio. A city bus is not meant for the open road like a Greyhound,

505
nevertheless, Mahrja drives it the one hundred miles to Austin to perform a
fire yaja for the initiation ceremony.
The Austin temple is filled with excitement when they hear that devotees
have been accepted for initiation. Ishan wants to have a grand ceremony and
invite Austins Mayor, Roy Butlerwho also owns a car dealership in townto
attend the initiation ceremony on Sunday next. Ishan has full faith that Ka
consciousness can be introduced to the leaders of society because the Beatles
had shown an interest. He and Vibhavati had been with Prabhupda at John
Lennons estate, so he is quite confident. All you have to do is approach the
leaders, and theyll become interested.
Ishan calls the Mayors office, invites him to come, and sure enough Roy
Butler attends the ceremony, accompanied by a journalist and photographer.
All the hippie regulars, who have become attracted to Ka consciousness, also
come to see Mahrja again.
Devotees move the altar onto the front porch of the house, and Viujana
Swami leads a grand kirtan in the front yard. This is too much for the
neighbors, who are always complaining about the temple. Someone calls the
police to report that the kirtan is disturbing the peace. When two cops pull up
in a squad car, they find the Mayor himself enjoying the festival. They smile
sheepishly as the Mayor quietly sends them on their way.
Siddhavidya: It was the initiation of Sakaraa, Parasara, and Pulastya. I
was there with my dog. I was really attached to my dog. Viujana was giving
the lecture and he preached that dog is God spelled backwards. That made me
start thinking and I got some realization. I looked at myself and thought,
Yeah, I am worshipping dog.
The Monday morning edition of The Daily Texan has a front page story of
the Mayor with the devotees, along with a photo of Viujana Swami giving the
Mayor a Simply Wonderful. Sakaraa cuts out the newspaper story and pins
it up on the bulletin board as a reminder of Mahrjas visit.
Sakaraa: I sent a copy of that photograph to Prabhupda along with my
guru-daki when I got initiated. Prabhupda was very pleased with
Viujana and said, Please offer him my blessings. So that was really neat
to be a transmitter of Prabhupdas blessings to Viujana, who had been

506
 transmitting Prabhupdas blessings to me. I felt very good about that.
After a splendid Ka conscious weekend, Viujana and Dwijahari are
ready to leave for San Antonio. Everybody comes on board the
Bhakti-Yoga-Mobile to say goodbye, holding back their feelings, begging him
not to go. The initiations have been a breath of fresh inspiration for the Austin
devotees, and with Viujana leaving, they will return to their normal struggle
in spiritual life. Surrendering to Ishan is much more difficult than surrendering
to Viujana Mahrja.

San Antonio September 1971

Viujanas Bhakti-Yoga-Mobile is causing trouble with the landlady, who

lives in the apartment underneath. She is upset that a big red bus is always
parked in front of her home. Due to her shyness, she is not inclined to approach
the devotees directly, so she calls the police instead. When the police arrive, she
wants to soften them up because she likes the devotees very much. Actually,
theyre very nice boys. They dont smoke, they dont drink, they dont eat meat,
and they dont have girls in their apartment.
The officer looks at her in amazement. My God! What do they do for fun?
After speaking with the police, Viujana agrees to park the bus elsewhere.
Now that he has the bus, it is easy to go anywhere and give a presentation on
bhakti-yoga. Mahrja meets different people in front of the Alamo and
receives invitations for programs. One such invitation is a dinner event at a
Shriners meeting. Mahrja cooks up a wonderful feast. After the kirtan and
lecture he personally serves out prasdam, putting a gulabjamun on each plate.
When everyone has finished eating, Mahrja readies the slide show with a
bowl of leftover gulabs beside him. While showing the slides in the darkened
room, he pops a gulab into Dwijaharis mouth and then takes one himself. As he
pops more gulabs into Dwijaharis mouth, Viujana has a big smile on his face
because no one can see them eating all the sweets. After eating thirty-six
gulabs, Dwijahari experiences his first prasdam high.
As usual, as soon as word gets out that Viujana has started a center in San
Antonio, other devotees begin to arrive. The first to show up is Dina Bandhu,
who is experiencing some difficulties at the Houston temple.

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Dina Bandhu: I went off to San Antonio because I knew Viujana was
there. He was very kind to me because I was in complete anxiety, having just
gotten married after only a year of training in brahmacrya. I felt like a
five-year-old boy in an ice cream store with only a nickel.
Viujana embraced me and said, Yes, Bhaktivinoda hkur says we
should just take shelter of the devotees. If we have any trouble, we should take
shelter of the devotees. So you have done the right thing. He didnt condemn
me. He accepted that what I had done was a Ka conscious solutionto
take shelter of the devotees. Thats what I needed at the time.
Because he was in a four-plex with the landlady downstairs, we used to
start magala-rati with just clapping hands and practically whispering. But
somehow or other, the way Viujana sang, even in a whisper it was so
ecstatic.
I dont know how we existed in those days. We had three days of yogurt
and three days of banana bread. He would take powdered milk and mix it
with warm water, very thick, then add yogurt culture, put it in a great big
cookie tray and just stick it in the oven with the pilot light on, and it would
make yogurt. Because it was very thick, it was the most incredible yogurt you
ever tastedthe same texture as mii-dahi. Hed make a great big tray of it
and wed live on that for two or three days, supplemented with fruit and other
things. When the yogurt ran out then hed make banana bread in the same
tray.
When he made this banana bread he had it down to a science. He would
set the oven on the lowest setting possible, just a barely flickering little blue
flame, and simply mix all the bananas with sugar and flour. Then hed stick it
in the oven, and wed take rest for the night. In the morning when we got up
for magala-rati, hed pull it out and it would already be spilling out over the
sides, nice and glazed on top. Then he would just smear it with honey and
shredded coconut. Wed live on that and fruit for two or three days until it
ran out, and hed make the yogurt again. Somehow we were living like this.
He said, You can call me Sugarananda Swami. Its the only spice I know
how to use. It wasnt true, he was a great cook. We always had a huge batch
of malpuras in yogurt for the Sunday feast and somehow it would last for two
or three days before he made a batch of banana bread.
Viujana never really has a plan. Whatever inspires him on a given day is

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what he does. Sometimes hell take the banana bread to the college campus and
just sit there chanting and distributing prasdam. Everything is always
distributed because it is so delicious.
Another fun program is preaching to junior high school students. At high
noon on weekdays, Dwijahari drives the big red Bhakti-Yoga-Mobile past a
school while Viujana leads a roaring kirtan inside the bus. The bus always
arrives at lunch time so that every kid in the school yard sees the bus passing by
and hears the kirtan inside. Dwijahari drives so slowly that nobody can possibly
miss seeing the bus. He brings it to a halt exactly three hundred feet down the
street where he parks. All the kids come running out the gate, down the street,
and jump onto the bus.
The school authorities immediately call the cops. Theres a law in San
Antonio that no religious preaching can be done within three hundred feet of a
public school. When the police come by to uphold the city ordinance, they
begin pacing it off, one, two, three Somehow or other Dwijahari always has it
perfect, because when they pace off the last step, theres the bus. The devotees
are within the law and they have all the kids inside. Viujana makes sure that
every kid gets some instrument to play and then starts kirtan. After kirtan, the
students sit on the floor and Viujana gives a short talk. They are spellbound
by his magnetic way of speaking.
Our Spiritual Master, rla Prabhupda, decided that since America is the
most important country in the world, he explains with his big eyes wide open,
if I can convince the Americans about Ka consciousness, then... he just
leaves the sentence hanging, then He has captured their attention so fully
that the kids add the last words, the whole world. Then he distributes
prasdam, usually Simply Wonderfuls.
Every night new people come by the apartment to hear Viujana give an
introductory talk on Bhakti-yogaThe Basis of Ka Consciousness, from
one of the verses of r Isopanisad. Since different people attend every night he,
more or less, gives the same lecture.
Dina Bandhu: It came to the point that I knew the lecture by heart. I could
almost finish every sentence that he started. But still I would be sitting on the
edge of my seat, although we were sitting on the floor. Even though I knew
how the sentence was going to finish, I would just want to hear him say it

509
 because of the way he said everything. I knew the whole lecture by heart, but
his voice was so ecstatic.
With so many persons in the cramped little temple apartment, sometimes
tempers flare. Viujana always remains transcendental but its difficult for the
other devotees. Dwijhari likes to get into deep philosophical arguments with
Viujana. I didnt ask to come into existence. I didnt have any choice.
Wheres the question of free will? Nobody asked me. Being a passionate person,
Dwijahari fires off these arguments in rapid succession. Viujana cant help
laughing.
Dina Bandhu decides to add his perspective. Look. The problem is you dont
go out and preach. If you would just go out and preach...
Dwijaharis mouth drops as if his dentist had just hit the nerve in his tooth.
When Dina Bandhu sees this angry Italian, who used to work in the vegetable
markets in New York, glaring at him like he was going to burn him to ashes, he
at once realizes he has hit the wrong nerve.
Prabhu, please accept my humble obeisances, he says quickly and drops to
the floor.
Dwijahari is stopped dead in his tracks. He is steaming, but there is nothing
he can do with Dina Bandhu on the floor offering obeisances. Viujana cant
help laughing at the whole scene, This is the problem in our movement. We
dont pay our obeisances anymore. In the old days we always used to pay
obeisances to each other.

One day the landlady brings up a letter for Mahrja. After reading the
letter, Viujana crumples it up very dramatically.
What was that? Dina Bandhu is curious.
That was Maya calling. The letter is from his ex-wife.
Dina Bandhu: Then he told me that he had a wife. He had tried to get her to
come to Ka consciousness but she wasnt interested. He said he was living
in the hills outside of San Francisco, and he used to make little bamboo flutes
and sell them on the street to make money.

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 One day he met a devotee who invited him, Why dont you come to the
temple? At seven oclock theres chanting. So he went to the temple on
Frederick Street and enjoyed it very much. They told him about the Sunday
feast, and he started coming. He always used to play his flute, but he began to
notice that it would disturb the devotees because he was just playing flute and
not chanting.
He became interested because he loved the philosophy. He loved
everything, but he saw that we were very impersonal in our relationships; and
we were. I remember he told me, Actually, I joined the temple because I
wanted to teach the devotees how to love one another. Thats another thing I
learned from himto be personal. I always tried, in my management, to be
very personal, just like a family. I think I owe a lot of that to inspiration from
Viujana.
He said he played with Jefferson Airplane just up until they became big.
He wasnt interested in going commercial so he quit. It was obvious he could
play any instrument. Even when he played mdaga, it looked so easy, so
effortless. But when you tried the same beats, you couldnt do it. When he
picked up a guitar, it seemed like the guitar played itself. Everything he did
was just effortless. He was so talented.
I asked him about what happened in New Vndvana and he said that
Prabhupda had told him it was a mystic coveringthat they had been
covered by a mystic covering. I dont know if it was a Ka mystic power or a
Maya mystic power, but somehow or other they had been covered by some
potency that was more powerful than themin that sense mystic.
Later that evening, when everybody is taking rest, Visnujana reflects on
Lindas letter. She wants him to come back to her and the kids, but he has
already told her so many times that he would have gladly taken care of the
family if she would have joined him in surrendering to the spiritual path. After
all, a wife has to follow her husband, especially when his life is dedicated to
serving God and his fellow man. He never had any interest in wasting his life
for mundane endeavors or personal peace. Why couldnt she understand that?
Now, its too late to turn back. He has already taken a lifetime vow of
celibacy that he cant possibly violate. The best course of action is to pray for
Ka to protect them. A feeling of sadness overcomes his soft heart, and all he
can do is just shrug his shoulders. What else can a celibate monk do for his

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former wife?
The next morning there is a telephone call. The new GBC man for Texas,
Satsvarpa, calls Viujana to inquire about Dina Bandhu. Why is he
abandoning his service? Because Dina Bandhu had run away from his service
in Houston, it now becomes an issue.
Well, look, Viujana explains, if he doesnt want to follow instructions,
then maybe he should be giving instructions. I think he should go open a temple
somewhere.
This is what Mahrja has been advising Dina Bandhu to do all along. He is
always telling him, Prabhupda told me to go out and open ten temples to
purify myself, therefore Im also advising you to go start a temple.
Satsvarpa humbly requests Visnujana to send Dina Bandhu back to
Houston where his service will be sorted out.
Akuti dev ds: Viujana made such an impression on my husband. I went
on sakrtana one day, and when I came home I found a note, Im with
Viujana Swami down in San Antonio. He has a big red bus.
One time I was cooking in Houston temple, and Viujana just drifted in
and started a kirtan. I thought the whole house was going to come down. I
remember dancing with the spoons in my hand. You just could not resist
dancing and chanting. Everyone was just vibrating from it.
I remember right after magala-rati, the devotee traveling with him
[Dwijahari] was sitting down to a whole plate of banana malpuraright
after magala-rati! Viujana didnt mind, just so long as he was doing
devotional service. I remember he said, The only spice I really know how to
use is sugar.
A bhakta came and asked him about cleaning the temple. Viujana told
that bhakta, You should always think that if I dont do this cleaning service,
then Prabhupda will have to come and do it. We should always think that
way; that Prabhupda will have to come and do it because he has to maintain
his temples. So you should always try and do everything nicely.
After Dina Bandhus departure, other devotees soon migrate to San
Antonio. Kunjabihari and Nanda Kishor show up, followed by Nanda Kishors
wife a few weeks later.

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 Viujana has begun deeply studying rmad-Bhgavatam with a specific
project in mind. He wants to expand his outline on varrama-dharma that
had pleased rla Prabhupda so much last spring. The outline is based on the
First Canto purports, which Viujana types up in an irregular way, much like
Prabhupdas original edition of the Bhgavatam.
To accompany the outline, Jhnav- cuts out pictures from Life magazine
and National Geographic to make a series of collage charts on poster board.
Nanda Kishor and Jhnav- are thrilled to help Viujana with his outline on
how Ka consciousness can be implemented on every level of society.
Jhnav-dev ds: That outline described the four principles of religion, how
they were being broken, and how they could be reinstated. For example, upper
class. Theres a picture of a baby in the womb and the arrow points in
progression to the next picture, which is a child with aristocratic relatives and
a silver spoon in his mouth. The next picture shows the child grown up and
very proud, then it shows him bewildered by having too many materialistic
possessions, and so on. Then his offspring are doing nonsense things that
arent under his control. At the end, he dies in the best hospital with the best
treatment money can buy, but he doesnt know where hes going. His whole
life span in the material world is depicted. Then the alternative, what he
would do if he was Ka conscious, for lower, middle, and upper class men,
both scopes. When this was done visually with the little captions that
Viujana wrote underneath, it was extremely powerful preaching.
(The outline appeared in BTG 46 See Appendix B)
Dwijahari runs the Spiritual Sky incense business so Viujana has enough
lakm to do his programs. He also goes to the markets to beg food, always
returning with crates full of produce. He knows how to talk the talk so he can
get just about anything from anybody. Because of the amazing prasdam that
Viujana cooks, the Austin devotees regularly come for a visit.
di Deva: The next time I saw him he had an apartment above a garage.
Viujana Swami would sit on the floor in this apartment, and there was a
non-stop influx of people coming all day long just to see what the deal was. He
was a magnet. He didnt have to go out on the streethe was the talk of the
scene. Hey, have you met this Vishnu John guy? Lets go down and check him
out.

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 Viujana Swami and Dwijahari had a full-on transit bus. Here again
Viujana did his magic. He had it all beautifully painted insidea
combination of purple and a loud green that you wouldnt think would
matchbut it was a beautiful match. He had little purple curtains along the
windows with pictures of Deities in the back. We would cut out pictures from
magazines that would emphasize different points of our philosophy, like
karma or reincarnation, and wed glue them on poster board. Jhnav- would
make bouquets of flowers just out of tissue paper, so there were flowers
everywhere. It was so interesting and artistic. I knew how to weld, so
Viujana Swami had me up on the roof of the bus welding racks so they
could carry stuff on top.
Murti dsa: He said that Prabhupda told him that he had been a South
Indian Vaiava priest in his last life, and he was already trained up in the
worship of Vishnu. Therefore, Prabhupda called him Viujana. He was
already an advanced personality in his heart when he met Prabhupda. Of
course, he had to mentally be awakened to all the rules and regulations, but as
soon as he learned them, he took them up instantly. He used to make jokes
about his early Morning Star days.
San Antonio has a large Army Base where young recruits come from all over
the country for Boot Camp. The boys come in different groups each week and
cant go off base for six weeks. Every Saturday one group will finish and a fresh
group comes in for training.
After six weeks in a concentration camp, the soldier boys are finally let out
and there is nothing else to do in town except go to the Alamo. Every Saturday
morning, Mahrja makes his incredible Simply Wonderfulswith a
strawberry in the middle and just oozing with butterto take to the Alamo.
Then he gathers all the devotees and drives the Bhakti-Yoga-Mobile
downtown.
He parks by the Alamo and hangs all the charts and pictures illustrating the
philosophy on both sides of the bus, inside and out. Sitting in the front doorway
of the bus with his harmonium, Mahrja leads kirtan. People can enter the bus
through the rear door to view the interior, where they are handed a Simply
Wonderful and a BTG.
When the servicemen come by on their weekend pass, crowds of people are

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already absorbed, looking at the pictures, reading the captions, and trying to
figure it all out. What is this? Nobody has seen posters like this anywhere in
the material world. As people gather on the bus, Viujana passes out different
rudimentary musical instruments so they can play along with the kirtan. Nanda
Kishor distributes books and answers questions. Viujana feels good about the
bus preaching, because it is a simple straight-forward program.
All the devotees are happy living with Viujana Swami, but the tiny
apartment is too cramped for a ghastha couple. Nanda Kishor and Jhnav-
decide that it would be better to continue with their original plan to preach in
Mexico. They have a huge metal trunk and two other suitcases stuffed with
their possessions all ready to go. Viujana just laughs. rla Prabhupda said
that a brahmacr can carry all his possessions on his back. But, just see, a
ghastha needs an elephant.
Meanwhile, Dina Bandhu has returned to Houston to pick up his wife and
belongings. His plan is to drive back to New Dwaraka in spite of pleas to stay on
in Texas. Over breakfast prasdam, he meets a tall, slender hippie from Florida
who is hitchhiking across country and staying at different temples along the
way.
Dina Bandhu tells him about Viujana Swami. We have somebody you can
talk to. Hes a sannys, and hes staying in San Antonio. Actually were
heading that way ourselves. We can probably give you a lift. The fellow is
excited to get a lift and to meet the Swami, but his real interest is in the Guru
Maharaji people and has plans to visit their ashram in Tucson.
Chandrasekhar: We stayed overnight in San Antonio with Viujana
Mahrja and Dwijahari. When we sat down for kirtan, Mahrja was
chanting so sweetly, I started crying. It was a particularly intense mood that
he createda feeling of separation from Ka. I was hitchhiking with pink
corduroy bell bottoms, blue denim shirt with pearl snap buttons, and a
sannys bib that devotees in New Orleans gave me. When he saw that,
Mahrja knew I had some contact, so he was speaking very intensively with
me.
The next morning we left for the ISKCON temple in Tucson. Then I went
to examine the Guru Maharaji ashram. I saw they were so bogus. I still had
the taste for Viujana Mahrja in my heart and mind, so I turned around

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and immediately hitchhiked back to San Antonio. I had no idea where the
apartment was because I had no intention of returning.
In the middle of the night, around 1:00 AM, as we came into San Antonio
I saw an overpass that looked familiar. I said, Let me out here, and
somehow or other I found Mahrjas apartment. When I got to the front
door I knocked very gently, but no one answered. It was 2:00 AM, so I
thought, Its no big deal, theyll be up soon. Ill just wait.
As I sat by the door, I heard Mahrja inside intermittently snoring a little
and preaching in his sleep. He was asleep because he was snoring, but then he
would say something about Ka. I was wide awake and comfortable, just
smiling and enjoying the little lecture he was giving. I had enough contact with
the movement to know something special was happening; this devotee is
preaching in his sleep. It was exciting to sit there and listen. They were
surprised to see me when I came in for magala-rati.
I had decided in Tucson to go back to Mahrja and shave up, so that
afternoon Mahrja shaved off my long hair. It was the most blissful and
horrifying experience simultaneously. Viujana Mahrja was in ecstasy
shaving me up, but he didnt know how to do it. He left me with blood coming
down all sides of my head, patches of hair here and there, and shaving cream
on top of my head. He was just so delighted to do it and had already gone on
his merry way as I stood in front of the mirror, horrified. I thought, Oh my
God, what have I done? I remember that scene very clearly in that tiny
bathroom.
Then began the nicest period in my whole life. Every day I would chant my
rounds with Dwijahari while Mahrja cooked a big feast to take to the
schools. After breakfast, Mahrja would chant his rounds and I would clean
the kitchen. Then wed load the prasdam on the bus, and Dwijahari would
drive to a different high school every day. Inevitably, the kids would be
curious and sometimes the teachers too. Mahrja would preach all day in the
bus. We had a box of musical instruments, with tambourines, clavs, and
kartls, which we handed out for kirtan.
Due to the exposure, we were invited to different schools. We did a
five-day cultural program at an all girls Catholic high school. It was such a
success that the nun told us, Im sorry you cant come back anymore. The
parents are upset that the girls are becoming attracted to what youre saying.
She was pleasant about it, but the students response was too favorable. After

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 three days the pressure was too much.

Austin October 1971

Many people had been coming to the Austin temple and developing a taste
for Ka consciousness, but with the departure of Viujana Mahrja for San
Antonio the preaching momentum comes to a halt. Things begin to fall apart.
Within a matter of weeks there is almost a revolution against Ishan, but cooler
heads prevail as everyone tries to surrender and control their senses.
At the same time, outside pressure increases to get rid of the temple. The
neighbors finally win, forcing the devotees to vacate. They move in with Murti
dsa and family at 4802 Red River Road. These are tough times.
di Deva: We got evicted from that house. The neighbors got sick of us.
Parasara would always blow this conch shell. He wouldnt stop blowing it.
Hed blow it every morning for magala-rati. We kept saying, Dont blow
the conch shell, but every morning at four oclock hed blow that conch shell.
The neighbors eventually called the police. I dont know why they didnt call
much sooner.
Murti dsa: Red River Road was my house, and it was converted into a temple
quite abruptly by Ishan and his wife Vibhavati. They threw out my books, my
pets, and all my stuffright out on the front lawn. The city ordinance people
closed the Dancey Street temple, saying it was in the wrong zone. That was the
excuse to get rid of it. We had the same situation in my house, so we didnt let
on it was a temple.
Among neophyte devotees, there are always some who want to become
advanced in spiritual life without really being advanced. As the new authority,
Ishan tries to maintain the same standard as Viujana Swami. He reduces his
eating to just a few chick peas a day and tries to get by on only two hours sleep
at night. All day long he simply chants japa and tries to convince others to
reduce their eating and sleeping. But no one is going for it. Finally one day he
just wont come out of his room anymore.
Ishan: When Viujana left Austin and put me in charge, you can imagine
this was a real shock to the others, because Viujana was like a mother, a
father, a brother, a friend, and encourager, and example, and overflowing.

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 And me? I knew the rules and I was trying to hold things together.
r Galim led a revolution against me. He said, Viujana never used
force.
I said, Im asking you to do certain things, but youre not doing it.
Obviously I didnt engender in them the desire to work with the leader the way
Viujana did. So I went into my room, and the only solace I had was reading
the Teachings of Lord Caitanya. I would tend to live in my own world and
couldnt really make that bridge like he could. For Viujana there was no
difference between living, the books, and doing practical things. He lived in a
Ka conscious world. I saw the world as material and Ka consciousness
as spiritual.
di Deva: I was attracted to Ishan, but I was repulsed by him too. He would
starve himself for weeks and chant incessantly. He was so intense, he was
overwhelming. His wife was just as intense as he was.
Sakaraa: We were attached to Viujana Swami, and having a
householder come in didnt sit too well with us. Prabhupda wrote to
Viujana about Ishan. Take care of Ishan. He is very nice, but he goes a
little crazy sometimes. When we saw that letter, it became more difficult to
accept his authority.
Out of sheer frustration, the devotees request Viujanas help. r Galim
calls Mahrja in San Antonio, begging him to come and straighten things out.
Understanding that the center has become unstable because the devotees are so
blown out by Ishan, Viujana Swami returns to Austin. He knows how heavy
Ishan can be, and he doesnt want the temple to go under.
Ishan: There was a coup dtat, and I didnt know how to deal with it. So
Viujana came back. I was in my room and I didnt come out. Somehow he
got in and said, Why are you avoiding me?
Mahrja, Im not avoiding you. I just feel like Im so much in my and
I have this situation on my hands which has really upset me. When theres too
much friction and conflict, I just let people do what they want and I go my
own way. But I feel like Ive abandoned my duties. The only solace I have is
that I can read this TLC. Over here is this part about Rdhr...
He lit up like a light bulb. YES! He didnt care about the management,
or the fact that everything was upside down, when I mentioned something

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 beautiful in Ka consciousness. He just picked it up and said, Yes, isnt
that wonderful? He was glad to be able to share that, and it seemed more
important to him than anything else. It didnt matter so much who was in
charge, he just wanted things to go on. But when somebody was appreciating
Ka consciousness and he could share that, he said, Isnt it wonderful the
way its described there?
I could see that this person is not going to give me a hard time. Hes not
going to judge me. He only wants to share the happiness of Ka
consciousness, and hes strong enough devotionally to be very instrumental in
extending Ka consciousness to others. That was his greatest strength.
Although he was an extremely talented person and could do any aspect of
devotional service, his greatest strength was his degree of surrender. I would
say that he was living in a sense of surrender that he enjoyed. I know that I
loved him, and I know that I still love him.
After talking with Mahrja, Ishan realizes it would be better for him to
leave. Without Viujana present in Austin, things could end up in revolution
once again. Mahrja agrees with his understanding and requests r Galim to
take over as temple president. This will provide the necessary stability for the
devotees because they know him and respect him. But r Galim also has no
managerial qualities, and it will still be a constant struggle to maintain the
center.
A steady influx of people appear at the concealed temple in Murtis little
house. Nobody knows about the temple except the regulars who are interested
in Ka consciousness. But the neighbors soon get suspicious. Finally, two
policemen knock on the door one evening and demand entrance. When they
see the big altar in the living room with twenty-five devotees dancing, it just
blows them away. The word gets out, and thats the end of that.
Murti dsa is a successful professor, who gives classes in the Architecture
school and in the sculpture departmentlife drawing, painting, and art
history. But his success is quickly terminated when they find out he has become
a devotee. The university is run by Baptists and his conversion is considered too
radical, so they terminate his classes. They offer him another teaching position
in Oklahoma because he has a good record, but many students are angry and
there is a lot of tension over the issue. Murti decides to stay in Austin and help
the devotees find a new temple.

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 Shortly after, the GBC man Satsvarpa pays a visit to the Austin temple.
His assignment is to visit the centers that Viujana has established and make
them part of the zonethe Texas zone. Zonalism is beginning. This is the new
direction the movement is taking.
Subsequently, Prahladananda shows up at Austin and tries to implement a
higher Vaiava standard. But the local devotees are disturbed by the attitude
of these senior men, because they seem to have a mood that is both technical
and critical, which comes across as being feelings of superiority. Murti and di
Deva drive down to San Antonio to discuss with Viujana the political
overtones they are experiencing in Austin.
Murti dsa: There was some kind of a problem before Viujana came to
Texas, some kind of political my that took over the movement that he was a
part of. He didnt discuss it very much because I was new. He just said, The
important thing is to chant constantly, to hear the spiritual masters
teachings, to follow those teachings, and to stay away from politics. He didnt
tell us anything about the different political entities in ISKCON.
When we went down to San Antonio and told Viujana about the
attitude of these other devotees, he became very sad. Well, Prabhupda has
allowed two different groups to form in ISKCON. One group is the literary,
brahminical group, and the other is the sakrtana group. Im part of the
sakrtana group. Now youre learning about the other group. Theyve both
been authorized. Theyve both been given blessings by Prabhupda, but
theyre very different in mentality.
Satsvarpa is very nice, of course, and we became friends after the initial
chill of all the intellectual, brahminical stuff. We started to get used to it. We
started to see that Satsvarpa was very sincere in his particular path, his angle
of vision. We began to be nice to him, and he was nice with us. He invited us
up to Dallas, and we got to know him better.
di Deva: It seemed that Viujana Swami was always sort of an outlaw. He
was constantly battling with the authorities of ISKCON from what I could
see. But it didnt matter because he was making all these devotees. He was
realizing the goal of the books.
Satsvarpa dsa is not only a GBC man, but Prabhupda has specifically
given him the service to open a gurukula in Dallas, to train teachers, and to

520
maintain the school to the highest standard. He is trying his best to organize the
school and is constantly looking to purchase a building to house the first
gurukula in the West. After visiting the temples opened by Viujana Swami,
Satsvarpa sends off his report to Prabhupda. The answer comes by
mid-October.
The important matter is that the children are taken care of nicely.
Bhavnanda was talking with me that in New Vrindaban students were very
much neglected. Therefore they were immediately transferred to New York.
Every parent wants to see that their children are taken care of very nicely.
That is the first duty. If they are not healthy, then how they can prosecute
their education? If they are undernourished, it is not good for their future
activities. They must have sufficient quantity of milk, and then dahl, chapatis,
vegetables, and a little fruit will keep them always fit. There is no need of
luxurious fatty foods, but milk is essential. A big building is also very good for
the childrens health. They can move freely and run and jump.
Yes, Viujana Mahrja is personally a nice devotee so he has created
nice devotees. Apani achari prabhu jivare sikhaya, which means that Lord
Caitanya used to behave personally and then he used to teach others. So every
one of us should follow this principle of Caitanya Mahprabhu.
Letter to Satsvarupa dasa, October 9, 1971

After a diligent search throughout Dallas, Satsvarpa locates a suitable

building and Prabhupda sanctions its purchase. When the Dallas Gurukula
opens its doors, the young son of Murti dsa is among the first children to
attend the new school.
Jagadananda Pandit: Viujana enticed me to go to gurukula by saying,
They have a real big box of cookies, and he gave me one that he had brought
back to Austin. The most time I spent with him was in the beginning between
the ages of eight and nine. If it wasnt for Viujana coming to Austin, we
would never have been part of this movement. He had that bhakti running
through him, whereas a lot of people were just smrta-brhmaa. The rules
and regulations meant too much. The whole point is to get bhakti.
I remember this preparation he made, malpuras. Kirtan, prasdam, and
his direct level with the people were all very special. You couldnt ask for more
of a Lord Caitanya program. He wasnt like all the big guns showing up and
everybody trembling in their boots. It had nothing to do with that.

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 Jailhouse Rock November 7, 1971

One day, Viujana Mahrja receives an unusual invitation. He is asked to

give a special program for the inmates of the Bexar (Pronounced like Behar. Its
the county that San Antonio is in.) County Jail outside San Antonio. Enthused
by the preaching opportunity, Viujana invites the temple regulars to
accompany him. A carload of devotees also drive down from Austin. Everyone
meets at the tiny apartment. The temple is jam-packed with guests and devotees
all eager to chant for the prisoners.
Viujana gets everybody into the mood with a warm-up kirtan in the
apartment, and then takes the kirtan down to the street and onto the bus.
Sitting on the bus and playing away on his harmonium like a mad man,
Viujana continues the intensity of the kirtan. Dwijahari starts up the engine
and pulls away from the curb. As Dwijahari maneuvers the bus through the city
streets, the kirtan continues unabated, with guests and devotees totally
overcome with bliss.
The prison guards have been notified that a Viujana Swami will be coming
to speak to the inmates about religious life. They are astonished to see the big
red Bhakti-Yoga-Mobile, packed with forty guests, accompanying the Swami
with an uproarious kirtan in full swing.
After procedural formalities are finished, they lead Mahrja and his flock
into a sedate chapel where a microphone is set up on a table. Viujana is
briefed about the program, which will be broadcast like a radio show. Mahrja
can address the inmates from the chapel, and his talk will be heard in every cell
in the institution via the intercom system. As Parasara readies his tape recorder
to record the broadcast, Viujana sits down in front of the microphone and
begins his talk.
di Deva: The prisoners were a captive audience. Viujana Swami gave an
incredible lecture. You think youre in cells. You think you have walls with
bars, but we all have bars. Our bars are our senses. Youre actually in the jail
of your body... He talked about love, and the love of a tiger for its cub. He
talked about different types of love; that love is within everybodys heart no
matter where on the scale you are. Even if youre a convict and everybody else
hated you and they were going to throw you in solitary confinement forever,

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there is still love in your heart.
And Ka is the Supreme Lover. And maybe when you get out of here,
you might want to go visit a church. Well, we dont visit a church, we live the
church, you see? We are the church. So when you get out of here, you come
and see us. And boy, I mean, they came! For months afterward, we would get
these convicts coming out of jail. First thing theyd do is look up the Hare
Kas. It was great.
Then he led this killer kirtan. He didnt have a mdaga at that time, but
somebody had gotten a tom-tom. I remember him playing the tom-tom and
then switching to harmonium. They had an organ in the chapel too, and I
remember he was playing around with that.
Sakaraa: Viujana gave a lecture, and it was the sweetest program you
could imagine. He sang a melody I had never heard before, but I fell in love
with it immediately. I was watching him play the harmonium, and to me it
was like poetry in motion, the way he would cross his fingers. I would just be
mystified to see the way his hand moved on the keyboard. I crammed that
melody into my brain, so much so that I actually sang it, for an hour and a
half straight, the whole way back to Austin that evening.
Murti dsa: They had to broadcast his voice to four floors of the jail. He was
on the bottom floor with his harmonium, singing away, and the whole jail
went wild, because nobody loved them. Suddenly, here is this saint whos come
in talking to them in his hoarse voice and just loving them, saying that its
okay and just sing along. They went wild, shaking their cell doors and
screaming. The whole jail was starting to go crazy, and the guards got a little
freaked out. Viujana had tremendous potency.
Jagadananda Pandit: He got everybody chanting, and you could hear all these
people singing. There was something special about him. He could bring out
the love in your heart. Across the board directly, he would bring out the bhakti
in every human being.
di Deva: At one point I went downstairs and out of the jail, just to see if we
could hear it. Every speaker in the whole jail was turned up full blast. You
could hear the kirtan out in the street. The prison authorities loved it, and the
men loved it. They wanted the men to read Bhagavad-gita, and they were

523
 asking for it, too. Somebody followed up on it, and they were going in there
and giving them japa beads.
The recording made by Parasara is copied and distributed. It quickly
becomes famous in the Texas temples as the Jailhouse Rock. Devotees play it
constantly in the kitchens and the ashrams. The jail program was a tremendous
success, and everybody had loved it, except for one personthe landlady. With
so many people streaming in to the tiny temple to see Viujana Swami, and the
rocking kirtans that seem to shake the entire building, the landlady has reached
her limit. She gives Mahrja notice to leave. She likes him, but the traffic is
just too much for her.

Fort Sam Houston November 1971

The next day, while preaching at the Alamo, Viujana Mahrja

announces that the devotees have been evicted and are looking for a new place
for the San Antonio temple.
An Army Sergeant has been coming by the Alamo on a regular basis to listen
to Viujana speak about devotional service and is very impressed. Although
born into the Mormon religion, he is quite taken by Viujana Swami and his
dedication to preaching the glories of God. On their first meeting, he had
immediately taken a liking to Mahrja and devotees in general. Today, as he
hears that they have no place to stay, he comes forward to offer his own home
to Mahrja until a permanent temple can be found.
You can come and stay at my house on the Army Base. I have a big house
and guest rooms. You can stay there. Thankful for Kas intervention, the
devotees gather all their belongings and relocate to Fort Sam Houston Military
Base.
Master Sergeant Michael Jack is an Army nurse, formerly stationed in
Korea. He has recently returned to America and lives with his Korean wife and
young son at the rear of the base, fenced off from the adjacent residential
neighborhood. There is an obscure back gate nearby, but he doesnt have a key
to open it. The gate is never used for vehicles to enter, so it is never monitored.
The house sits only thirty steps from the heavy wire-mesh fencing separating
the base from the civilian neighborhood, where the gate remains permanently
locked.

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 Beyond the fence is a normal city street where Viujana Mahrja parks his
bus. There is just enough room for devotees to squeeze surreptitiously between
the two iron posts of the locked gateway and the high fence and quietly make
their way to the undercover ISKCON preaching center right next to majors
and generals on the military base.
Mrs. Jack keeps her house quite clean, but devotees have another standard of
cleanliness and a different way of doing things. They do a complete
housecleaning and rearrange things to give the place more of a temple
environment, with an altar and posters of Ka on the walls.
For Sunday feast programs, devotees tell guests how to sneak onto the base
by squeezing through the posts at the gate and coming around to the back door
of the house. A good crowd of twenty to thirty people attend every Sunday.
Also in attendance, along with the hippie guests, are the Mormon friends of
Mike Jack, curious to know more about Viujana Swami and the Vaiava
religion. Everybody can relate to Viujana, because he has a way of really
touching people. Even when a person meets Mahrja for the first time, and has
no idea what Ka consciousness is all about, they are still moved by him.
Mike Jack likes prasdam, but his young son wont eat temple food because
he doesnt like it. He only likes Kimchee. His mother also prefers Kimchee, but
she makes an effort to honor prasdam with her husband. Viujana makes a
special effort to teach this Korean woman how to cook. Then he preaches to
people, This women used to cook dogs before she came to this movement, and
now, just see how she is cooking!
Along with the guests, a few devotees always come down to visit Mahrja
from Austin.
di Deva: All the outcasts of ISKCON, who couldnt make it anywhere else,
would all come to Viujana Swami. Kunjabihari was also there. Every time
Id go, there would be more of them. These were two- or three-year devotees,
who were very senior to me, and they would come from here, there, and
yonder to be with Viujana Mahrja, the Pied Piper.
They kept the bus parked outside the base, and wed all go out during the
day to chant and dance in front of the Alamo or go across the street to
distribute books. Viujana bought these funky little percussion instruments,
like shakers, and triangles, which he would hand out to the hippies so

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 everybody would have something to play. He made sweet balls, and wed see
how many we could eat. Kunjabihari was the king. He could eat a hundred of
them at one sitting.
Among the newly-arrived devotees joining the clandestine temple on base is
Rohini Kumar, who has always remembered Viujana since the first visit in
New York with the four sannyss. He is on his way to Mexico City, but decides
to spend some time with Viujana Mahrja before leaving to join the first
temple in Latin America. He shows up one day at the back of the house, to be
greeted by Mike Jack.
Rohini Kumar: He was a medic in the Army and a very broad-minded and
kind-hearted person actually. Being a medic, you have to have a little of that
anyway, but he wasnt one of those heavy duty Mormons himself. His wife
was a Korean Buddhist, so he was more lenient and appreciated the teachings
of Ka consciousness. He was a big guy and his wife was this little Korean
Buddhist lady. She wasnt vegetarian and I dont think he was either, but they
would always eat prasdam with us. Once in a while they would eat
non-vegetarian items, so theyd eat in their bedroom in order not to offend us.
I remember every morning when we got up, the laundry would be clean. I
could never figure out who was doing it. There was Viujana, Dwijahari,
Kunjabihari, myself and Chandrasekhar, five of us in all. We put our clothes
in the dirty laundry, and somehow our clothes were always washed the next
morning. I used to think that Dwijahari was doing the laundry, but he was so
grumpy. I never saw any of the brahmacrs doing laundry, and I wasnt
doing it.
One night I woke up, and I saw Viujana wasnt in his spot sleeping. I
thought, What? Then I heard the washing machine going. So I got up and
snuck around, and there was Viujana doing all the brahmacrs laundry. I
was shocked and went back to my sleeping bag, totally embarrassed. He
would go around at night while we were asleep and take all our dirty laundry
and wash it in the middle of the night. Hed stay up all night chanting, so then
he would do everybodys laundry.
I couldnt figure out when he slept. I started wondering, does he ever sleep?
I started waking up at odd hours of the night, and I could hardly find a time
when he was asleep. It seemed like he would never sleep at night. At any hour
of the night, I would wake up to go check on him, and hed be up reading, or

526
 doing our laundry, or chanting japa.
He never slept during the day, and at night he would lie down with us and
it looked like he would go to sleep, but if youd wake up an hour later hed be
up again. Then youd wake up an hour later, and hed still be up. I could never
catch him sleeping. Im a light sleeper anyway, so I would wake up a lot, but I
realized I was trying to catch him sleeping at night. What is this guy doing?
How does he do it?
If I didnt sleep at night, I would be tired during the day, especially since we
were at the Alamo chanting all day. He was really into chanting. You could
see it in his eyes, his consciousness, when he chanted japa.
Late one rainy afternoon, Viujana gets a phone call from the landlady of
the four-plex. Two letters have arrived for him from India. Mahrja has been
expecting a reply to a letter he had written his cousin Revatnandana Swami,
who has now also accepted sannysa in India, to reveal his mind about the New
Vndvana incident, and to finally let go of the anger he has harbored since
they were children. But who is the second letter from?
Viujana jumps in his bus and drives over to collect his precious letters.
Both are from Prabhupda. Tearing open the first little blue aerogram, he is
surprised by its contents.
My Dear Viujana Mahrja,
Please accept my blessings. I understand from Krtannanda Mahrja
that there is a nice scheme for traveling sakrtana party. So I think that your
joining them will be super-excellent scheme, and I give my full-hearted
sanction for your joining the party if you like.
Letter to Vishnujana Maharaja, November 4, 1971

It was only a few weeks back that Krtannanda Mahrja had called from
Atlanta, inviting him to join a traveling Road Show program with a bus
transformed into a temple. Viujana smiles as he remembers: I have my own
bus thats a traveling temple. Im already doing that program.
Aahh, but we have Rdh-Ka Deities, Krtannanda had replied, and
They are gorgeous.
Viujana remembers how his ears had perked up at the mention of Rdh
and Ka traveling on Krtannandas bus. Now Prabhupda has sanctioned
his joining the program. Musing in this way, Mahrja tears open the second

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aerogram. This letter, written the same day, is very thought-provoking.
It is very encouraging for me to hear that my Sannyasis are traveling and
preaching. Regarding keeping our temples clean, this is essential. Unless we
can maintain the temples we presently have super-excellently clean, we should
not open new centers.
Two men may remain at the temple and clean thoroughly every day,
and the rest should go to the streets for sakrtana. For spiritual life chanting
Hare Ka is sufficient, but because we are habituated to unclean habits we
must have temple worship. Sankirtan will keep everyones mind clean, and
surely this quarreling will cease.
The best thing would be if you could combine the Road Show with
visits to cities that have existing temples. In this way you could enliven the
devotees tremendously. We must keep our existing centers strong. This will be
the greatest preaching program if you can travel and distribute literature. I
have experience in Sydney when I spoke at the University, the students
bought my literature.
Enclosed are sacred threads for r Galim das and Dwijahari.
Letter to Vishnujana dasa Maharaja, November 4, 1971

Viujana Mahrja is taken by surprise. Prabhupda wants me to travel

and preach rather than open up temples. He begins to consider the
implications.
The next morning a lady walking along the street across from the base sees
Mahrja coming through the fence and gives him a weird look. What are
you?
Im a monk, Viujana answers. He explains what it means to be a monk
and dedicate your life to God. But the news quickly spreads of the strange
monks and their big red bus always parked at the back of the base. The covert
temple has been discovered, and the devotees have to vacate. Before Mahrja
has time to think anymore about the Road Show, he has to find another place
to house the San Antonio temple.
Rohini Kumar: We finally left due to the Army cops. Youre trying to have a
Sunday feast, and everybody is jumping up and down, and all of a sudden the
MPs are coming by. Everyone would hit the floor and turn out the lights until
the jeeps would go by. We were a clandestine Hare Ka temple. It was
legitimate to have a guest stay in your house, but we were more than a guest.
He couldnt have a temple in his house with public meetings and all that. It

528
 was illegal, so we were always ducking during the programs, hitting the floor,
and turning out the lights. It was uncomfortable.
The other problem was the medic himself was a Mormon. Everybody who
came was Mormon. They were really interested but they never joined. So we
thought it was a handicap for us being there with the Mormon connection.
We wanted to reach other people, so we moved out.
A couple of years later, I was back in San Antonio, and I went by to see
the house. Although nobody was home, I looked in the window. All our
posters, and everything we had set up before, were still in the house. My little
altar was still there. I was really surprised because it was almost three years
later.

San Antonio December 1971

The devotees shift the temple to an old Quaker house on 2001 North Flores
Street, across the street from a park. The house is huge but completely
dilapidated and desperately in need of a few coats of paint. Inside, there is a
large two-story living room with wallpaper and paint from the ceiling literally
peeling off in spirals.
After a good cleaning the place is still horrendous, but there is no
manpower, nor money, to scrape the walls down and repaint the whole house.
Instead, Viujana Swami has another idea to turn it into something
wonderful.
Rohini Kumar: Somehow he got hold of a parachute. It was a bright orange
color. When we moved in, we didnt really have anything to decorate the place
with, so after a couple of days, all of a sudden, Viujana came home with
this big parachute. He put it up in the living room pretty much by himself. I
couldnt believe it when I walked in from the back, and suddenly I was in
some Sheiks tent in the Sahara desert. It was so far-out, it was really kind of
nifty.
The new temple soon attracts the attention of the neighborhood people.
Among the newcomers who come around are two young teenagers, bhaktin
Cookie and her younger sister. They like the temple and want to try it out.
Immediately they join in helping the others assist Viujana in his preaching
mission.

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 Viujana always attracts all sorts of initiated devotees and among them are
the lazies and the crazies of ISKCON. Nobody else can engage them in the
temples, but Viujana can do something wonderful with them. So he always
ends up with some ragamuffin devotees because he is the one who has the
patience and compassion to work with them. The temple begins to fill up, and
one afternoon Nanda Kishor and Jhnav- show up at the Quaker house, their
stay in Mexico curtailed by a letter from Prabhupda requesting them to return
to San Antonio.
Jhnav-dev ds: Viujana got a gigantic orange parachute and tacked it
to the whole inside of the room. There were no windows and you came into
this monstrosity through a door. You were inside a parachute. Parachute for
floor, parachute for ceiling, and parachute for walls. If I remember correctly,
we were fighting that parachute on the floor. It was a gigantic monstrosity. At
one far end he had his pictures of Panca Tattva and rla Prabhupda. It was
a little hard for me, but he had so much enthusiasm, and knowing what he had
to work with, I had to give all power to him.
Although not appreciated by everybody, the huge parachute hanging from
the ceiling creates a unique mood and distracts from the ugliness of the
worn-out old house. Gradually Mahrja gets more parachutes and hangs them
up in every room of the house creating an unusual effect.
di Deva: The Quaker House was a mess, so they cleaned it all up, painted
the floors, and hung parachutes. People would come in there and be amazed.
It was like the Arabian nights; all these tents in different rooms. Every room
had a different colored floor which reflected onto the parachutes, which were
gauzy white, and gave a glow of various hues. It was beautiful.
They had a rip-roaring program going on. I remember going there on
various occasions and they had a big feast and lots of people were coming,
including one bhaktin Cookiea real slick chick, a real foxy gal. She was the
fall down of many a brahmacr. She was too much.
While Dwijahari goes out selling Spiritual Sky incense products during the
day, Mahrja still likes to do the high school programs. But he also does college
engagements whenever possible. He has his long outline on
varrama-dharma, and he can lecture on the subject for two hours straight,
practically with his eyes closed, to only four of five people sometimes. Whether

530
there is one person, or one thousand persons, Viujana is always ready to
preach, and he is a brilliant lecturer. Sometimes, he will bring a tape recorder
along to record his talks so he can hear how he is presenting the subject matter.
Chandrasekhar: I was sitting there listening to him play his lecture again. He
was listening to it very intently, and as soon as it ended he pressed the stop
button and went, Bliss! He loved hearing that lecture. I realized what was
going on, that he was hearing Prabhupda speak through him.
On Sundays after the feast is cooked, Viujana sends out Chandrasekhar to
invite everybody in the neighborhood. Lots of people come. Right across the
street is a big park where Mahrja holds the program. He likes to sit and chant
on the grass while devotees serve out the Sunday feast. The neighborhood is
mostly Hispanic, and they just love Visnujana. They come in droves with their
families and sit around listening to him chant as if he was the Savior. Among
the guests are Mike Jack and family, who come every Sunday.
Dwijahari is still bringing back big donations of bhoga, including sour cream,
yogurt, and whipped cream, along with sacks of vegetables such as cabbages and
potatoes. Although the temple is poor, Ka supplies many tubs of dairy
products that the grocery chains can no longer sell. Sometimes a little mold
might be on top, but after scraping the mold off, devotees serve it out for
breakfast.
When Viujana Mahrja sees the brahmacrs getting into more
arguments, sometimes even using four-letter words, he cuts back on this
program. I dont want my brahmacrs to turn into cream puffs. No more
whipped cream or sour cream allowed for breakfast. Therefore, at the Sunday
feast theres a big bin, full of dairy items that devotees pass out to the guests.
Here, please take it home.
Dwijahari: Viujana used to make sweet rice by continuously stirring it. We
would take turns stirring, while the other read KA book. He would serve
the sweet rice with fresh diced strawberries and puris. Viujana Mahrja
told me he learned how to cook sabjis from Gargamuni. A Sunday did not go
by without malpuras. We would take the feast in the park and serve malpuras.
Whatever malpuras were left over, we would eat the rest of the week. He was
always feeding me prasdam. On all his programs he distributed prasdam.
Thats what rla Prabhupda instructed, and thats what he followed.

531
 In San Antonio I became aware of Viujanas special abilities. We were
in the kitchen once, and he said, Some guests are coming; theyll be at the
door at any minute. Sure enough the doorbell rang. Another time I was
speaking to him about scripture, and a very sober feeling came over me.
Everything just began to flow. Later, he said he saw a white light come straight
down on top of me. I knew he could see auras. Sometimes we had discussions
about kundalini, chakras, and mystic powers, but he said these powers can
hinder you. A Ka conscious person is just dedicated to the practice of
devotional service, following regulative principles. He doesnt have to make a
separate endeavor; these things come automatically.
At this point Viujana is inspired to put his varrama-dharma project
into practice. Since the temple is located in a lower class neighborhood,
Mahrja wants to try it out on this level first. To apply the principle, he
initiates a unique programthe block party festival.
In San Antonio you can get permission from the city to close off a street
from one corner to the other, giving you the whole street for your festival. All
you need is the support of enough people on the block. Then the city will
sanction the event and come on the scheduled day to close off the street.
Mahrja prints up a flyer and has the devotees go around pamphleting the
streets and knocking on doors with the invitation, Were going to have a free
festival on Sunday. Well have a big party with entertainment and a free feast,
so we would like to have your support. It will be really nice.
When they find a block where enough people say, OK, then Viujana
Mahrja gets his permission from the city. On Sunday morning the street is
closed off from corner to corner. His idea for the block party is to present a
complete theistic exhibition, with slide show, drama, chanting and dancing,
and, of course, a free feast. It will be mainly for the kids on the street, but
anybody else in the area can take part as well. When Sunday arrives, Viujana
leads kirtan up and down the block while devotees call people to come.
His basic formula is to distribute leaflets explaining how to have a
competition-less society. He preaches the doctrine of spiritual communism in
its purest form, totally beyond any capitalistic comprehension. He believes that
if everybody comes together to sing and chant their own name of God in
whatever form and eat food together that is offered to the Lord, then the whole

532
world will become peaceful and happy. Mike Jack brings his family to help out,
because he is always interested in Viujanas programs.
di Deva: We did all the poster board displays for the block party. The bus
was the centerpiece. We had a screen on the bus that you could fold down so
you could have a slide show. We all made masks, and we did the Mrgari play
with masks on, and Viujana Swami was the narrator. He would sit back
with the harmonium and make all the rumbles and roars with the harmonium
into the microphone. We had a crowd from blocks around watching the slide
show and the play. Then we had a kirtan. They loved it.
Jhnav- dev ds: We took a huge sheet, and he had me use oil crayon, and
I made a gigantic sakrtana party with Lord Caitanya and Lord
Nityananda. It was done with crayons, so the artistic craftsmanship was
questionable, but it was really joyful. We had it on one whole side of the bus.
We put on the play Mrgari the HunterNanda Kishor, myself, and him,
mainly. Of course, Viujana gave a lecture that was really nice. Then we
distributed prasdam, and the poor people there were so grateful. A lot of
people came, and we were pleased with the turnout. We had several of these
block parties.
Viujana continues his evening program of doing the laundry in the mood
of serving the Vaiavas. Sometimes he will take someone over to the
laundromat with him just for association. Late one night, Mahrja asks di
Deva to accompany him to the laundromat to wash everybodys clothes. They
drive off in the big old bus with a huge pile of laundry.
di Deva: I dont know how he did it, but the guy lived on two hours sleep. He
never slepthe was always going. So we were in this laundromat, and the
clothes are spinning around, and he had his beads around his neck and he was
chanting japa, half asleep. I was trying to stay awake, pacing back and forth.
Then he started preaching to people coming in. They were asking questions,
and he was showing them BTGs.
There was this little kid in a gas station across the street, and he kept
following around this older man. And the man was a real macho, heavy-duty
kind of a guy. We both picked up on this. So Viujana turned to me and said,
Everybody has a leader. Everybody has a hero. They have somebody they
have to look up to. Its just human nature. Everybody has to look up to

533
 somebody. And this boy is looking up to this man. This is our relationship
with the guru. This is our relationship with Ka. He just picked that out of
the air and gave it to me. He did that a lot.

Sixteenth Wave In the Presence of the Lord

The secret of success is to take refuge under the protection of the Supreme
Lord. Without His sanction, nothing can be possible.
rmad-Bhgavatam 1.10.5, Purport

San Francisco December 1971

While Viujana is making devotees and opening centers in Texas, his alma
mater has become the leading temple in pleasing rla Prabhupda. San
Francisco has been focusing on Prabhupdas instruction to distribute his
books, and they have had unprecedented success.
It began out of necessity. When the temple found itself short on funds after
Ratha-ytr, Keava bought little wooden Buddhist begging bowls and sent the
devotees out every day in dhotis collecting money on Powell and Market
Streets. Everybody goes downtown with a begging bowl in one hand and a pack
of incense in the other. They try to get as much as they can for a single stick of
incense. Whatever donation they receive, they only give out one stick. In this
way there is a big profit, but still not enough to cover the overhead. The temple
is completely out of BTGs and wont be able to get any until the next issue is
printed. Of course, there are several wooden crates full of KA books down
in the basement, but everyone thinks that these books can only be sold at a
Sunday feast. It hasnt occurred to anyone that Prabhupdas books can be sold
on the street.
Prabhupda is disturbed that so much money has been spent to print the
books in Japan but no one is distributing them. Something needs to be done.
When a plea is circulated around the movement that Prabhupda is distressed,
Buddhimanta, Premarnava, and Visvareta get the idea to distribute the stored
KA books that are simply gathering dust. They decide to try and push these

534
big books on the street and door to door, convinced that they can generate
enough sales to cover the cost of printing. Early one morning they go out with
some books to test their hypothesis. When they return that evening, after a
successful day, they are more fired-up than ever. The next day they go out again
and sell even more books.
During magala-rati, a few days later, Keava has a deep realization. Feeling
inspiration from Ka he focuses on the book distribution during Bhgavatam
class. What were doing here with this KA book distribution is unique; we
are understanding rla Prabhupdas desire. Its been revealed to me that we
are going to be the temple that distributes the books. Prabhupda is very
unhappy, and there are financial problems in the movement, so this is the
solution. Were the first temple to understand Prabhupdas desire to have
these big books distributed.
Everyone agrees to focus more on distributing the KA books. Keava has
the vision that this is the way to please Prabhupda as well as cover the temple
overhead. He phones Karandhara in LA, and his elder brother also jumps on
the bandwagon. When the stock of books begins to diminish, Keava makes a
big order from the BBT, and the Valencia Street temple quickly becomes
crammed with cases of KA books.
In the ensuing days, the San Francisco devotees continue selling more
KA books. Before long, they are selling about ten books each, per day,
which is completely unheard of. No one has ever done that before. Keava
increases the excitement by creating transcendental competitions between
devotees. He is always trying to motivate the book distribution.
All over the Bay area, devotees are distributing KA books on the streets
and door to door in dhotis. Buddhimanta goes out every day to Market Street in
downtown San Francisco. Due to Buddhimantas enthusiasm to distribute
Prabhupdas books, all the devotees in San Francisco catch the fever of book
distribution. It quickly spreads to Los Angeles. A transcendental competition
develops between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Who can distribute the most
books? The brother team of Keava and Karandhara takes over from
Brahmnanda and Gargamuni in leading their temples to new victories in
spreading Lord Caitanyas mission.
Yogesh Chandra gets completely caught up in the excitement and starts

535
organizing sakrtana parties. San Francisco temple acquires an old school bus,
outfits it for traveling book distribution, and soon the books are being
distributed all over California. The party consists of Keava, Buddhimanta,
Bhutatma, Yogesh Chandra, Jmbavn, Premarnava, Ghostabihari, and
Visvareta. The book distribution boom begins with these devotees going out on
the streets of California. Yogesh Chandra and Buddhimanta have
transcendental competitions to see who can distribute more books. These are
the big inspirational devotees, the pioneers in setting the mood for introducing
book distribution in the movement as a regular temple function.
Just as sakrtana was established in San Francisco in 1968 when Tamal
Ka and Viujana took out their party to chant every day all over town, now
also big book distribution is inaugurated in San Francisco, New Jagannath Puri.
Jmbavn: Buddhimanta was probably one of the most enthusiastic devotees
I can remember. Extremely enthusiastic. I remember him saying to me one
time, Even if you dont feel enthusiastic, Jmbavn Prabhu, at least try to
become enthusiastic, and then you will be enthusiastic. That was
Buddimantas philosophy. He was always enthused, always fired-up. He loved
distributing Prabhupdas books.
In the weeks before Christmas, the San Francisco devotees are selling more
KA books than ever before and making many devotees as a result. Keava
continues preaching about book distribution. Simply we make it our priority
activity. All you have to do is want to do it, and then try as hard as you can.
Everywhere we go, we carry BTGs and KA bookson street sakrtana,
door to door, to the laundromat, to the store, everywhere.
By personally distributing the books door-to-door in devotional clothing,
devotees are able to extend Prabhupdas mercy to the public, while making
spiritual advancement at the same time. Everyone is swept up in the
transcendental excitement. Hearing the news, Prabhupda is full of praise for
Keavas leadership.
I have been receiving so many reports about how my disciples of the San
Francisco temple cannot be surpassed by anyone in distributing my books.
Sometimes they are selling as many as 70 Ka Books daily. So if this is true,
then certainly when I return to the U.S. I must come and stay in your temple.
By distributing my books profusely, you are giving me great encouragement to
translate. And you are all helping me to fulfill the order which Guru Mahrja

536
 gave me. So I am so much grateful to you, and I am sure Ka will bless you a
million times over, for doing this work.
Letter to Kesava, January 1, 1972

Jaynanda tacks the letter up on the bulletin board next to the office door.
He is so happy for Keava that he is always glorifying him. Youre the one who
did this. You got the mercy. Jaynanda and Keava have such a sakrtana rasa
that the whole temple becomes surcharged with their mood.
Encouraged by Jaynanda, Keava sends copies of the letter all over the
movement. Prabhupda keeps pushing the theme of the success of San
Franciscos book distribution in other letters that he sends around the
ISKCON world. To the devotees in England he writes:
The more we sell books, the more we advance in Ka consciousness, and the
more we help others to have solid information how they may take advantage of
their human form of life and achieve the supreme perfection. So I want that
you should now increase very greatly this selling of books and literatures
ymasundara informs me of your proposal for a traveling party for
roving all over England and Wales, just like Krtannanda is doing in America.
I think this is a good proposal, and you may compose many such nice songs for
attracting the young people from villages and towns. I very much approve of
such traveling SKP program. And if you are able to infiltrate into schools and
colleges for introducing Ka consciousness and selling our books, that is also
very nice.
Letter to Kulasekhara, January 10, 1972

Portland, Oregon December 1971

The Portland devotees are busy organizing the Puspa Abhisheka Festival,
which will be celebrated on New Years eve. Among the devotees helping with
the organization are Dina Bandhu and Akuti, who had last seen Viujana
Mahrja when he was still at the tiny four-plex in San Antonio. They both feel
that the festival will be a tremendous success if Viujana Swami comes to lead
kirtan and lecture. Dnavr dsa is now the temple president, having moved up
to Portland earlier in the year. In full agreement with Dina Bandhu, Dnavr at
once calls Viujana in Texas. Mahrja replies that he would love to come if
rla Prabhupda gives his sanction. Immediately Dnavr sends off a letter to
Delhi. The reply is not long in coming.

537
 I am very pleased that you are making arrangements for the 1st ANNUAL
PUSPABHISHEKA YATRA PARADE AND FESTIVAL, 1971, and if he is
free to come, Viujana Swami may come to lead the kirtan and preaching.
That is a good proposal. Ka was just a toy in the hands of the gops, so one
day the gops decided that we shall decorate Him. Puspabhisheka means a
ceremony to decorate the Deity profusely with flowers, ornaments, cloths.
After there should be lavish feasting and a procession through the streets, so
that all the citizens should see how beautiful Ka appears.
Letter to Danavir, November 20, 1971

Because it is winter, the program will be held indoors at Portland State

University. Dnavr has rented the auditorium for the evening with the idea
that many students who live on campus will attend. He prints up and distributes
flyers outside the hall for days in advance.
Devotees arrive in Portland from all over the NorthwestSeattle,
Vancouver, Victoria, and Edmontonto help celebrate the festival. Viujana
Mahrja soon arrives, and taking full advantage of his presence, everyone is
eager to go out on sakrtana.
Dnavr: We went out with him to distribute door to door and he had a very
unique method. He would walk up to the door with both hands full. In one
hand hed have a poster hanging, and in the other hand hed have books.
When they answered the door, he would tell them about Ka. That was his
way of going door to doorselling posters and books.
Jambavati dev ds: A lot of devotees were there, and I had come down from
Seattle. It was in the middle of winter and we couldnt get any fresh flowers,
so we stayed up all night making tissue paper flowers in different colors. We
had a few real ones but the majority were made from tissue paper.
We had a big rati and offering to the Deities up on the stage in the
auditorium. Viujana Mahrja recognized me as the one he had preached
to in LA. When he passed me in the temple he asked how I was doing and
where I was serving. I was amazed that, even though he was a sannys, he
would still speak with me. I very much appreciated that he was friendly and he
didnt ignore me just because he took sannysa.
For the night of the festival, twenty five-gallon barrels of prasdam are
prepared. Unfortunately, only two guests come, even though devotees have
distributed thousands of fliers. Undaunted, Viujana chants enthusiastically,

538
circumambulating the room with a life-size painting of Lord Caitanya which he
holds up on a long pole. All the devotees follow behind him like a train,
chanting away with unbridled energy. Later, Viujana sits on stage with his
harmonium, leading all the devotees in singing bhajans. Although the turnout
is less than expected, everyone has a good time, and the younger devotees get
the opportunity to associate with a senior Vaiava sannys.
Rdh-Dmodara dsa: I gave Viujana a small bottle of Spiritual Sky oil,
and he told me, Once when I was just a big hippie, this was all I had to give to
rla Prabhupdaa couple of bottles of essential oil. It wasnt Spiritual Sky.
Later, I was told that rla Prabhupda used to keep the oils in a drawer in his
room. Once in a while he would take them out of the drawer, open them up,
and smell the fragrance. This is how rla Prabhupda loves his devotees.

Orlando, Florida December 1971

The Road Show is leaving Tampa after an incident had almost disrupted the
entire program. On the road out of Tampa there is a second disturbing incident.
Rdh-Dmodaras bus breaks down, and Harikea has to push it with the
kitchen bus all the way to Orlando, a three-hour journey. It appears to some
devotees that this is an omen from the Deities.
The buses finally arrive at a large rambling old house next to a huge airplane
hangar in the middle of vacant farm land where the party will stay for the next
few weeks. The property belongs to a retired hypnotist and member of Mensa.
The rest of that day, Rdh-Dmodara sit outside on Their portable altar beside
a beautiful little lake, as the Road Show mechanics fix Their bus. Silavati also
sits outside all afternoon fanning Them and attending to Their needs, while
Zubin sets up his tie dye tent, reserving a special place for the Deities.
The owner is obviously very rich and allows the devotees to run free over the
whole place. Vndvana Chandra utilizes the airplane hangar for drama
rehearsals. The lake is just perfect for a morning bath. Everyone gathers for
kirtan on the lawn beside the lake at evening. Mangalananda has his acoustic
guitar and gets everybody to sing, while someone roasts corn on an open
campfire. It is the Christmas season, and the devotees sing most of the
well-known Christmas carol melodies, although the words are always Hare
Ka. Some devotees call home to wish their parents a Merry Christmas.

539
 At this juncture, Pukara arrives from the ISKCON Press Art Department
in Brooklyn, hoping to join the program. Krtannanda immediately gives him
the service of painting the three buses, inside and out. Pukara gives the buses
two coats of white paint with touches of lavender. Then he paints the Hare
Ka mantra in large letters all around the vehicles on both sides, adding the
symbols of Vishnu, and peacocks. The buses look very colorful. You know
something is happening when these buses come to town.
The Yogi Bhajan people in Orlando are friendly and come over during the
week to help the devotees get things done. They also like to come on Sunday for
prasdam. They are very favorable and helpful, but the good relations dont last.
One Sunday, Jamadagni gets unnecessarily heavy, and they feel insulted. As a
result, they stop coming to visit.
One afternoon, a woman across the lake sees smoke and calls the fire
department. There are only two people in the house when the Fire Marshall
bursts into Pukaras room while he is preaching to a visitor. The guest is
shocked seeing the fire trucks and fire fighters, but Pukara calmly quotes a
loka that one is not disturbed having passed through the forest of illusion, as
the fire department runs amok all over the house. Rdh-Dmodara are not
present as They are out on sakrtana. They are generally out on sakrtana
during the day.
Harikea and Mangalananda are still trying to work together on the music,
but theyre at totally opposite ends of the musical spectrum. Harikea likes
doing jazzy stuff, while Mangalananda is writing straight-ahead pop songs with
Jamadagni. They finally decide that they cant work with Harikea, who then
complains to Krtannanda Swami one evening. But Krtannanda also prefers
Mangalanandas style; it is more accessible to college students.
Besides the rift between the different styles of music, a much more serious
event almost tore apart the whole Road Show program in Tampa, which
sparked the move to Orlando. Although most of the devotees are seriously
following Prabhupdas instructions, the artistic format inevitably attracts
people who are not spiritually strong. A compromising situation was exposed,
involving two weaker devotees who forgot their vows of celibacy. The incident
was so distasteful that it provokes several people to abandon the show. The
disturbance leaves a negative impression with the friends of Ka who have
been supporting the devotees.

540
 Zubin: The whole show went through some heavy changes. Certain devotees
in charge of certain areas turned out to be very neglectful, so they reshuffled
the whole thing and went on again. At this point the energy seemed to be
splitting, so I left and came back to New York. Krtannanda Swami begged
me to give him the tie-dye tent because he felt it was one of the integral parts
of his show. It set the whole tone. So I acquiesced and gave it to him, saying,
Well, remember, when I call you and I want it, you must promise to give it
back to me. He said, No problem.
The remaining devotees are determined to carry on the preaching spirit,
pledging to be more vigilant to avoid capricious connections.
Before the turn of the New Year, a letter arrives from Prabhupda, who has
returned to India and is presently in New Delhi. He is accepting ten people for
initiation; five for first initiation and five for second initiation. This will take
some of the load off Silavati, who needs help taking care of the Deities.
Prabhupda warns the devotees to maintain the principles in order to remain
situated on the transcendental platform.
This traveling SKP in buses carrying tents is very encouraging. It should be
continued all over the country. One thing is that all the students on the party
must strictly follow the rules and regulations. Cleanliness is most essential,
rising early, taking bath, etc. It is not that because we are traveling that we can
neglect our routine work and become irregular in our habits. No, we must
make every effort to remain regulated and clean. This is the solid basis for our
work. When our routine work, like chanting, reading books, nice arati, Deity
worship, etc., is very nice, then our preaching will have effect. That is the
secret.
Kindly push on with this traveling preaching party, distribute as many
books as possible, and this will be the real contribution to Lord Caitanyas
Movement.
Letter to Krtannanda Maharaja, December 12, 1971

Despite so many creative and independent-minded people, along with

spacey dancers and singers, Krtannanda Swami is doing his best to maintain a
regular temple schedule. Every morning he gives rmad-Bhgavatam class
outside by the lake. He knows that only a strong morning and evening program,
strictly following Prabhupdas instructions, will save devotees from making the
kind of mistakes that forced them to leave Tampa. Although Bob and Aura are
still asleep, their little boy Jude, climbs out of their bus to come and sit with the

541
devotees for class. Krtannanda Swami always says, The reason theyre here is
because of him.
Jude Shectman: They used to tell me that I would sit through rati and
session after session as a baby, soundless and motionless, and just listen. They
said I took in a lot of information for being only two years old.
Somehow or other, Krtannanda says one day, Viujana Mahrja will
join us.
Viujana Swami is so well known for his musical ability that Krtannanda
feels it would be much better for the program if he were leading. The devotees
are mostly inexperienced young Vaiavas and he knows Viujana can
transcendentalize their music. But there is always the back and forth argument
whether rock music is good for the consciousness of the devotees. Should it be
more kirtan and bhajans? How can we make the program more attractive to
college students and keep it transcendental? How can we keep everyone in good
consciousness so they dont fall into my?
When Narada Muni mentions that he knows Viujana from LA, everyone
pressures him to get in touch right away. Narada Muni and Krtannanda open
communication with Viujana, inviting him to come for a week just to see
what they are doing and to give some advice. In the meantime, everyone goes
out daily for street sakrtana and Rdh-Dmodara always accompany them.
Everyone knows that going out to chant is the best way to receive the Lords
mercy.
Mahmy dev ds: I remember going out in the streets and getting tons of
oranges donated. We always had a huge barrel full of orange juice, so you
could just help yourself at any time. Our black neighbors were poor, but
generous. They had orange and grapefruit trees, and they just gave them to us
off their trees.
While the bulk of devotees do street-chanting and BTG distribution,
Krtannanda gives college classes. Mangalananda expands the concept with
illustrated lectures. Krtannanda begins the class in a normal way, speaking
about karma, reincarnation, and how we all must die. Suddenly, Mangalananda
walks into the room. Nice place you got here. Whats going on? Krtannanda
acknowledges him and explains the few philosophical points he has just made to

542
the class. No one is yet aware that Mangalananda is part of the show.
Mangalananda plays an inimical character who eventually starts taking off
on the Swami with sarcastic remarks. When Krtannanda explains about the
time of death and the Yamadutas, Mangalananda begins to go a little crazy.
Okay everybody, get out of here. This place is mine. All mine.
At this point, two devotees enter the classroom dressed as Yamadutas. They
look really ghoulish with pointed ears, as they grab Mangalananda and drag him
forcibly from the room. The students dont know whats going on. Then
Krtannanda explains, This is just like us. We come into the world with
nothing. Nothing is ours yet we claim its ours. In this way were crazy, just like
that man. And thats why they carried him off.
The Road Show theater is also beginning to jell and becomes more focused.
The whole nature of the performance is evolving, with more acting and a lot of
philosophy in the presentation, along with light, mellow music.
Mangalanandas music is very airy, open, never heavy. Sometimes theres a riff
or two, but basically the style is light pop. The melodies are catchy and the
English words very poetic, but they are light kirtan-oriented tunes.
Rupa Vilas: I saw them later in Orlando, when they were wintering in
Florida. At that point they did have Rdh-Dmodara and they did perform
regular plays. I remember going to a program where they rented a community
center. They had a multimedia presentation with all kinds of slides and
paintings of Ka. At the same time they had music. Rdh-Dmodara were
on a swing, and hundreds of young people were coming forward to swing the
Deities. It really began to gather momentum and was very exciting. If you
heard the Road Show was going to be somewhere, you wanted to be there, too.
To keep the Road Show going as a creative troupe and to maintain it as a
cohesive unit and potent preaching force, more aggressive marketing is needed.
Kirtananada sends out Kuldri and Narada Muni with the instruction to start
booking shows. Since they have no money, their presentation is simply a black
and white leaflet and a few snapshots. As they also have no car, they hitchhike
to Gainesville and stay with Amarendra at his temple..

Gainesville, Florida January 1972

543
 Another unfortunate incident abruptly ends rehearsals and cuts short the
Road Show sojourn in Orlando. Jamadagni enters into a heated discussion with
the owner of the house and ends up telling him that he will take birth as a
cockroach in his next life because he is attached to his house. Thats the end of
their stay there.
Other unwholesome circumstances are causing discomfiture to some
devotees. One by one, more of them begin to leave the Road Show after
Orlando.
Lambhodara: I left before Viujana Mahrja came on board. A lot of it for
me was a racial thing. There was a current of racism in those days,
unfortunately. This was at the time of Vietnam, the counter-culture, civil
rights, and racism. I expected a certain degree of shelter in the movement from
that, and didnt get it. I had a real hard time with the racism. There was also a
certain lack of love amongst the devotees. For me, it was a lot of stress.
Nevertheless, the show must go on. The buses are on the road again, headed
for Amarendras temple in Gainesville, where rla Prabhupda had come six
months earlier describing it as this remote corner of the world, so far away
from rdham Mayapur.
The remaining devotees are upset seeing their brothers and sisters leave out
of displeasure. They realize they have to become more Ka conscious. They
carry on the program in the mood of service to rla Prabhupda. On the road
up to Gainesville they vow not to make the same mistakes again.
Silavati still complains when the Deities are tied up, but in the moving bus it
is too dangerous to drive without securing Them.
Mahmy dev ds: When the bus was moving, Silavati would usually sit
right in front of the Deities and guard Them. Even though the altar was tied
and They were tied to the altar, there was always the chance They could fall.
So she pretty much would be the one to watch the Deities. One time she had
me sitting right in front of Them chanting, and the bus made a sudden stop. I
reached out and grabbed Dmodara. They were fine, but I just wanted to
touch the Deities. I was very attached. I felt like I knew Them because I had
seen Them in the closet in Washington before They were installed.
Krtannanda Swami writes Prabhupda to explain how the Deities are

544
secured when traveling on the bus. He also recounts the latest developments,
that they have been doing radio and TV shows, that they are getting paid to do
college engagements and other programs, that the buses have all been nicely
outfitted and painted, and how he had even approached the Mayor of Orlando
and sold him a KA book. Finally, Krtannanda asks Prabhupda if they
can name the Deities.
Everyone enjoys having Rdh and Ka on the bus. This is a major part of
what the Road Show is abouthaving the Deities along and bringing Them
places. The program is simple and direct. Whenever the buses are on the road,
devotees like to make impromptu stops to perform sakrtana in the true spirit
of Every Town and Village. Rdh-Dmodara generally accompany the
devotees because They are also sakrtana Deities. This is unprecedented in
scripture, but nothing is impossible for the Supreme Lord and His eternal
consort. They are prepared to undergo the same difficulties as Their devotees in
order to bestow Lord Caitanyas mercy to the conditioned souls of America.
Narada Muni: Prabhupda wrote and said They were special Deities acting
as Lord Caitanya and therefore we were able to travel with Them. There was
some controversy initially because we were taking Them in and out all the
time. We had a mobile altar, but we used to carry the Deities from the bus
when wed go on the streets for chanting, or when wed do engagements. We
didnt have a palanquin then. I had the good fortune of carrying Rdhr
all the time. It was very intimate.
Rdh-Dmodara always come out of Their templethe busand go into
the venues where the show is booked. Whenever there are programs, They also
go because They are an integral part of the show. Therefore, They are always
being transported back and forth, which is not only unusual but difficult,
because They are so large. Its not like carrying in six-inch Deities. They are
large, heavy Deities, not the type meant for moving around, but this is a service
that everyone wants to docarry Ka.
rutakrti: I was one of the brahmanas, and there werent a lot back then. I
didnt do ratikas very often, but I did carry Them in and out. On one
occasion, I was taking Ka off His altar when something happened and He
fell over. On the surface nothing happened that you could see, but obviously
He fell over so it must have hurt. I was devastated. I was very young, sincere,

545
 and very crushed by this incident. I can remember crying the rest of the day,
feeling that my Ka consciousness was finished.
Finally, I said to Krtannanda Swami, This is so terrible. How could it
have happened? And how could I have done it? I have no Ka
consciousness.
Well, its obvious by your reaction that you are Kas devotee, he said.
Otherwise, you wouldnt be so concerned about it.
That gave me some relief, because I was basically a basket case about it. It
was just due to a lack of consciousness on my part. It was very unusual,
because They were not traveling Deities, but they were Deities traveling.
Thats the role Ka took after being in the closet for so long. He went out
and preached. He was always there no matter what kind of show was going
on. It was a nice setup, but it had its difficulties because of how heavy He was.
After this incident, rutakrti loses his confidence to carry Ka and
Harikea is chosen to carry Ka from now on.
Harikea: I used to carry Ka all the time before there was a palanquin. He
would lean against my shoulder and I would be walking Him to wherever He
had to go. I was much stronger in those days. He was not light. Me and
Silavati used to take care of the Deities. Those Deities were really special.
They did all kinds of things with us to increase our faith. I was just completely
happy. The standard was quite high. Prasdam was very good and opulent.
They got Their offerings on time, except when we were on the road.
Everybody loved the Deities, and They were very nicely taken care of by all
the devotees. They really liked traveling, too. You could tell they liked it. They
were smiling very much.
The Gainesville temple is a small house right near the University of Florida,
maintained by Amarendra and his wife, Gayatri. Behind the little house is a big
empty church, which Amarendra rents, and thats where the Road Show
devotees stay when they arrive late one afternoon.
Gadi dsa: The Road Show came to the temple with about thirty devotees,
mostly from New Vndvana. They were all wearing ankle bells, if you can
imagine that. I remember looking out the upstairs window and hearing all
these ankle bells; chingy ching-ching-ching. The men were wearing them!
We rented the church behind the temple for the programs. The Road Show

546
 put on their presentation with some acoustic guitars, an unusual kirtan, and
plays. I remember a lot of tie-dye stuff, like for backdrops. It was the scene
back then.
The highlight of the show is the Fish play. Mahmy plays the wife, and
different people are Mayas agents, but Mangalananda is so good at being
Mayas agent that soon he plays all the characters, even the wife. He uses just
the barest bit of costume to make the difference between characters, like a
chefs hat for the restaurant waiter. At this point, the play is at its best. Silavati
doesnt participate in the plays, but she has an exceptional voice and does a lot
of singing. Someone arranges for a local TV station to come and film the Fish
play performed in the church, so Rdh-Dmodara and the devotees are on TV
again.
Harikea: I was the fish and Mangalananda was everything else. It was just
the two of us. We had two guys in the back of a screen and they would do
quick changes of clothes on him. So he would walk behind the screen in one
dress and walk out with another dress. And I was the fish the whole time.
There was no music during the play, it was just the two of us talking.
The play was actually the funniest thing that had ever been produced in
ISKCON history either before or after. It was so funny at one point
Krtannanda Swami fell off of his seat. He was on a little sana where hed
given a lecture. This play was such a riot that he was holding his stomach
laughing, and he fell right on the floor. He was rolling on the floor. It was so
funny. The people in the audience were going completely bananas. They
couldnt control themselves. It was the funniest play.
The troupe stays in Gainesville for two weekslong enough for those who
want to go with it to become very attached to the idea. For any devotee with
musical inclinations, the idea of traveling, playing music, and putting on Ka
conscious presentations is very attractive. Gadi dsa is completely enthralled by
the program, and he ends up leaving with the Road Show when the buses pull
out of Gainesville heading north towards Tallahassee. A year has past since
Brahmnanda Swami and Bhagavat dsa had first introduced Ka
consciousness there at the University.
The Road Show doesnt plan to stay in Talahassee very long because
everyone is excited to reach New Orleans where Viujana Mahrja is

547
supposed to come to visit, and maybe even join! All the talk is about
Viujanas joining the party. The plan is to convince him to try it for a week,
and then get him so involved that he will stay.
rutakrti: I was an East Coast devotee and Viujana was a West Coast
devotee, so our paths didnt cross often. But I used to hear about him. His
reputation was that he was very charismatic. He was known to have the most
wonderful kirtans and a beautiful voice. Thats what I knew of Viujana
Swami, that he was a great devotee and his kirtans were fabulous.
Mahmy dev ds: Actually, the Road Show closed down the Tallahassee
temple. I heard that Prabhupda said, Boil the milk, that was the phrase
they were using to concentrate on a few centers rather than a lot of little
centers. A few days after we were there, it closed. First we devastated Tampa.
We ruined their sakrtana with all of us going out everyday. We worked the
University to the max and picked it to the bone, basically. Then we came to
Gainesville and stole the temple commander, Gadi. We also took half their
kitchen equipmentnot on purpose. We used to cook feasts together and
things would get merged. So we got a reputation for taking devotees and
equipment.
Driving West on Interstate 10, the Road Show buses cross the state line into
Alabama, leaving Florida behind for good. But the memories of their stay
remains etched in everyones mind. By organizing programs which received
such a good response at various universities throughout central Florida, the
Road Show experience helps to increase Ka consciousness in the Sunshine
State. This is a creative period in the lives of these individuals, who plant the
seeds for the future Rdh-Dmodara sakrtana parties.

Mobile, Alabama February 1972

Mobile is nestled on the Gulf of Mexico next to the Mississippi border at the
southwestern tip of Alabama. As the Road Show motorcade drives along
Interstate 10, Mangalananda is busy in the kitchen bus, cooking up his
specialtiesthe Road Show staple diet. Because he is cooking on a moving bus,
Mangalananda has to be very careful. Every day he serves out kichari, and
breadsticks deep-fried in first class ghee. Mangalananda has a breadstick recipe
that is out of this world, with three or four different flours, different spices and

548
anise seeds. The amount of dough in just one of these breadsticks is comparable
to five or six chapatis. Because they are cooked in ghee, they are opulent and
filling. Devotees sometimes eat eight, nine, even ten breadsticks. The kichari is
equally wonderful with plenty of vegetables.
As soon as they arrive in Mobile, the devotee caravan heads straight for the
University of Alabama, keeping in sync with Prabhupdas desire to preach to
the college-educated youth.
Harikea: We did a lot of dormitory preaching in Alabama. We went into the
dorms selling magazines and preaching to the students. There was no problem
for us whatsoever. They gave us the best reception of anybody. The students
loved us. The teachers loved us. Everybody loved us.
We never used to have a place to stay when we did our show, so my job
was to find us a placewith four buses and about thirty devotees. I used to go
into the Student Union at the universities, and I used to just stand there and
look helpless. I was dressed like a devotee, just standing there.
Within fifteen minutes someone would walk up to me and say, Whats
wrong? Do you need some help?
Yeah.
What?
I need a place to stay with my friends.
Well, sure. You can stay at my place. I wouldnt tell them there were
four buses and thirty devotees. All of a sudden, wed all show up. Some of us
would stay in the house with the people, and the rest would be in the buses. In
the morning wed all be in the bathroom, and the people would go crazy.
Even in remote Alabama where devotees have never been before, a devotee
or two will show up out of nowhere, with aspirations to join the Road Show.
Suresvara had crept away from New Vndvana to join the Road Show, only a
few days after he received second initiation. He just hitchhiked away in the
snow because he always had aspirations to be part of the show.
Suresvara: I reached New Orleans first. At the temple were the PR
menToaa Ka, Kuldri and Jamadagni. The four of us hitchhiked, in
two separate teams, to where the Road Show was staying in Alabama. You
can imagine hitchhiking in the south with shaved heads and dhotis.
Jamadagni was composing songs while I was with him. It was just amazing

549
 stuff.
I immediately got sick in Alabama. I was laid up in the bus for a week, but
Mangalanandas breadsticks and kichari revived me. He was great. After a
week I left and went back to Pittsburgh. Later, I heard that Viujana had
come from Texas and met the Road Show in New Orleans.

San Antonio

rla Prabhupda is encouraging the Road Show. He had requested

Viujana Swami to join earlier, partly to fulfill his own dream many years ago
while still in India. One of the reasons Rdh-Dmodara are traveling is to
fulfill that desire of Their pure devotee.
The moving sakrtana party was programmed long, long ago, even when I was
in India. When there was talk about preaching amongst our godbrothers, I
used to say to my godbrothers that when I would begin preaching I shall take
two trucks, one for sakrtana party and one for carrying requisites, and I
would go from village to village throughout the whole world preaching Lord
Caitanyas message.
Letter to Rupanuga, April 27, 1970

Since Rdh-Dmodara have emerged from the closet, two amazing

phenomena have taken place that will soon develop into regular ISKCON
activities. The first is the beginning of traveling sakrtana parties to spread the
mission beyond the local temples area of influence. The second is the sales of
big books as the way to make devotees and maintain the centers. And not only
in America is this taking place, but throughout the ISKCON world.
In Canada, Gaurahari, out of Victoria, and Mahatma, out of Vancouver,
have traveling sakrtana parties in vans, while San Francisco has its traveling
bus. Not to be outdone, the Australian devotees in Sydney have converted a
double decker bus with a temple and kirtan facility on the bottom floor, in
addition to a kitchen and sleeping facilities on the top floor. Many other
temples begin sending out traveling parties after hearing about the success of
the program.
Although Viujana, Tamal Ka, and Jaynanda originally had the first
traveling sakrtana party, that example had never caught on. Obviously,
Rdh-Dmodara are inspiring everyone to travel and preach, and now Ka

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dsa wants to start the program in Europe.
You may organize your traveling party on the lines of a festival which moves
from city to city, and if there is good field, a camp may be set up and you may
carry on with our Hare Ka Festival as long as there is good response. In this
way, you may move from country to country as the weather permits. And you
can equip yourselves to be completely self-sufficientsleeping, cooking,
everything. This program is very, very pleasing to me.
Letter to Ka dasa, November 30, 1971

Everyone in ISKCON is excited about the new traveling sakrtana parties,

except the devotees in San Antonio temple. They are disheartened because
they have heard the news that Krtannanda Swami is coming to visit, with the
intention of taking away their beloved Viujana.
r Galim: I was temple president in Austin, but one day I was visiting San
Antonio when Krtannanda Swami called up and asked Viujana to join
his bus party. Krtannanda said that Prabhupda had asked him to go back
to New Vndvana, and he needed somebody to manage the Road Show.
Viujana Mahrja just burst out in laughter.
Well, Ive got my own bus. Were going to compete with you.
Thats my! You could practically hear the vibration from
Krtannanda over the phone. Prabhupda wants me to go back to New
Vndvana and you have to take over. Youre the only one.
So Viujana said, Okay. It wasnt more than a week later he was gone.
When Krtannanda arrives in San Antonio with Toaa and Kuldri, they
discuss the whole program with Viujana. Krtannanda takes a different
approach, expressing his feeling that the show is missing a charismatic leader.
We need a man like you, Viujana Mahrja. Come and join us for a week
and see if you like it. His strongest point, though, is that Prabhupda has
sanctioned Viujanas participation.
Krtannanda Swami: I talked to him about joining, and he was quite
agreeable to the idea. We had a great deal of admiration for each other, and I
explained the great opportunity that Ka was presenting to us in reaching
college students. I showed him the opportunity that was wide open for him to
help us, and how much he could increase our effectiveness. His impact, of
course, was immediately to increase the effectiveness of our kirtan. He was a

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 powerful kirtan man. He was also a charismatic speaker, especially with
young audiences. He could project a very beautiful image.
The meeting with Krtannanda Swami convinces Viujana Mahrja to
join the program because Prabhupda has already requested him to get
involved. He agrees to meet Krtannanda in Houston the next day, after
informing the San Antonio devotees of the new arrangement. During
Bhagavad-gt class that evening, Viujana reveals his decision and
Prabhupdas sanction.
di Deva: When he told everybody he was going to leave, boy, I tell you,
everybody wanted to leave that minute to join the Road Show. But he
wouldnt let anybody, including Dwijahari, who was really upset.
Jhnav-dev ds: We were just starting to get off the ground when
Krtannanda got permission from rla Prabhupda for Viujana to join
the Road Show. He convinced Viujana that our preaching program was
subordinate to their preaching program. At that point, Viujana was
defeated by Krtannanda, evidently with the blessings of rla Prabhupda.
Of course, when he went our temple completely folded.
The next morning Viujana leaves San Antonio after preparing a feast for
the devotees. As he drives off down the road, everyone keeps their vision
focused on the vehicle with a tear in their eye and a sadness in their heart, until
it disappears from view.
In Houston, a rousing kirtan party is waiting to welcome Mahrja. As one
party laments, so does the other rejoice. In the temple room Visnujana sits
before the devotees with Krtannanda Swami, and they each give a talka
double class.
During lunch prasdam, Viujana has a chat with Dayal Chandra, who
became a devotee at the first Houston temple on Gray Street. Dayal is an expert
mechanic and has fixed Mahrjas Bhakti-Yoga-Mobile on many occasions.
Viujana asks Dayal to also join the Road Show as a mechanic and driver.
Krtannanda at once sees the wisdom of this proposal and agrees, introducing,
in his turn, Aja dsa, who will also be joining the program and traveling with
them to New Orleans where the entire troupe is waiting.
Aja: Gadi and I had musical backgrounds before we joined the movement.

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 When Hridaynanda became temple president at Houston, he took me with
him. Gadi called from Gainesville and said he had just joined the Road Show
and had told Krtannanda Swami about me. So Krtannanda arranged
with Hridaynanda for me to join. They had come for Viujana Swami, and
there I was with the two Swamis. It was ecstasy, as you could imagine.
After lunch, everyone jumps into Krtannandas van. Kuldri pulls out of
town and back onto Interstate 10 East. As they drive along, Krtannanda,
Toaa, and Kuldri excitedly tell Viujana about the Road Show program,
and especially about their beautiful Deities.

New Orleans, Louisiana February 1972

Kuldri drives all through the night. Just before dawn the next morning the
van pulls into a rest area somewhere in Louisiana outside New Orleans, and
there are the buses. Most of the devotees are already in the temple bus waiting
for the two Mahrjas to arrive. Its all lit up and aglow, with only twenty
minutes left before magala-rati.
Gadi: We were on the bus anticipating his arrival, alongside the road at a rest
area out in the bayou. (biyou: A sluggish stream that meanders through
lowlands, marshes, or plantation grounds) It was completely dark when I met
Viujana. He had a big, wide ikh, practically the whole back of his head,
and it was long. I remember just seeing the back of his head, with this big
ikh outlined against the backdrop of a city way off in the distance creating
some light.
As they enter the bus, Viujana Swami is immediately attracted to how
beautifully the temple has been fashioned. He sits down at the harmonium
ready to lead magala-rati before the Deities he has heard so much about. He
has no idea that his life is about to take a dramatic turn. At the sound of the
conch Viujana offers obeisances and hears the curtains being drawn. When
he looks up to see the resplendent faces of r r Rdh-Dmodara for the very
first time he is stunned by Their beauty. For a moment, he is unable to utter a
sound; as his eyes behold the exquisite forms of Their Lordships, his heart is
captivated by Their merciful glance. Feeling the expectant gaze of the devotees
in the bus, he regains his composure and begins chanting.
Aja: Ill never forget that moment, because it was the first time I had ever seen

553
 Deities. Id only been in the movement about four months. It was a very crisp
morning, and the atmosphere of the bus was created like a temple room. It was
all wonderful.
Dulal Chandra: When Viujana first came it was a transcendental
experience. You actually knew he was a special devotee from the time he first
walked onto the bus, led a little kirtan, and spoke a little. I immediately knew
he was surcharged with spiritual energy. The transcendental position that he
maintained in enthusing everyone in their service was paramount throughout
the Road Show.
During japa, a devotee hands Krtannanda a letter that he picked up at the
New Orleans temple. After reading the letter, Mahrja excitedly gathers
everyone together and reads it aloud.
My dear Krtannanda,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter
dated January 2, 1972, and I am very very pleased to hear from you again and to
hear that your roving party is having great success and opening many temples.
Actually that is the process, traveling, preaching, taking opportunity wherever
Ka offers it and leaving behind solid centers where propaganda will
continue to go on nicely. You are doing very good work and I am very much
pleased upon you for such sincere effort. Your program of speaking in colleges
and other places and getting paid is very much liked by me; in this way, try to
penetrate every school and college and introduce our books profusely.
You are taking advantage of every opportunity for spreading Ka
consciousness by speaking on radio, attending engagements, etc. That is the
method recommended by my Guru Mahrjanow you are practically
demonstrating this fact with good results. So go on like this, you have all of
Kas blessings.
It is very nice that even the Mayor was convinced by you to buy our
KA book. That is a very good sign. Yes, you may name your naughty boy
Rdh-Dmodara because He is always being tied-up with ropes.
Hoping this will meet you in good health and happy mood.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Letter to Krtannanda January 20, 1972

All the devotees are stunned with ecstasy. Rdh-Dmodara! Were

traveling with Rdh-Dmodara. Taking turns, Krtannanda Swami and then
Viujana Swami relate the pastimes of Mother Yaod with her naughty child

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Dmodara, whom she tied with ropes of love after she caught Him stealing
butter. The conch interrupts the talk, and Viujana Mahrja again leads a
kirtan for the beautiful Rdh-Dmodara Deities that have already captured his
heart. The kirtan goes on and on, as Mahrja is overcome by waves of
rapturous feelings. None of the devotees have ever experienced kirtan like this.
The Road Show has never been as blissful as today!

After the morning program, Viujana has a reunion with Silavati. He

hasnt seen her since his brahmacr days in LA. They speak mostly about the
Deities. Viujana can see how beautifully Silavati is taking care of
Rdh-Dmodara and expresses his appreciation for her service. The buses are
getting ready to pull out of the rest area when, all of a sudden, their discussion is
interrupted by Harikea, who comes with ropes to tie down the Deities.
Viujana is shocked to see Rdh-Dmodara being bound like fugitives.
Why are you allowing them to tie Rdh and Ka with rope? he asks Silavati
incredulously.
Ive been telling them for months, Silavati explains, but nobody listens to
me. They dont understand. Silavati points out that the ropes protect Them
from falling when the bus is on the road. But she voices her objection that she
also doesnt like to see Rdh and Ka tied, and has disagreed with this policy
from the beginning. Unfortunately, she explains, nobody has taken her
seriously.
After tying the Deities securely, Harikea gets into the drivers seat and
starts up the engine for the drive into New Orleans. Viujana promises
Silavati that he will build a much better facility for the Deities so that They
wont have to be bound up. After all, Ka is the King and Rdhr is the
Queen! How can Their servants tie Them up?!

Devotees always called New Orleans the fourth mode of material nature,
because the city is such a dangerous place to live, with one of the highest
murder rates in the world. It was under Spanish and French flags before
Thomas Jeffersons bold action in negotiating, without consulting Congress,
the Louisiana Purchase from Napoleon in 1803 for fifteen million dollars. The
purchase doubled the size of America, and marked the end of Napoleons plans

555
for a colonial empire.
Today the architecture is still predominantly a Spanish and French mix, and
most of the streets have French names. Viujana Swami leads the devotees on
sakrtana through the streets of the French Quarter, where the tourists
throng.
Later in the afternoon, he slips away with Krtannanda Swami in the
Chevy van to pick up hardware supplies. Viujana wants to build a new altar
for Rdh-Dmodara, and Krtannanda Swami gives his full backing and
support.
The two Swamis decide they will spend the night outside New Orleans, as
the temple is simply too small to support four busloads of devotees and all the
vehicles. Besides, there are engagements booked in Thibadeaux, deep in the
bayou country south of New Orleans.
Krtannanda is eager to have Viujana and Aja see the Road Show
perform so that they can offer suggestions for improvement. Now that
Viujana is on board, Krtannanda wants to engage him as fully as possible so
that he will stay. Aja was previously a writer of drama and music, so
Krtannanda hopes for a more sophisticated presentation. He gives them a free
hand to do whatever they see fit. Viujana Swami already has ideas for the
show as well as a plan to better facilitate Rdh-Dmodara.
As the caravan leaves the city precincts and heads out on the open road, the
atmosphere immediately becomes more peaceful. The motorcade soon pulls off
the Interstate onto a country road, heading south into bayou country. With
evening advancing, the sky is ablaze with crimson clouds, as the sun takes a
majestic bow before exiting the western horizon.
Pukara: We were traveling and it was just about sunset, so I was looking out
at the trees and said, God, its a nice landscape, isnt it?
Viujana answered, Yes, but just think how these trees are suffering.
He said it with great understanding that the trees are suffering in their tree
bodies. That gave me a different angle on trees. With Krtannanda
Mahrja and Viujana Mahrja on the Road Show, I was thinking, This
is great. We have the only two Swamis in America!
I said, I remember you from 68. You were giving this lecture why you
moved into the temple, because you realized you were living amongst saints.

556
 I still say that. Im living amongst saints. He was a blissful guy.
As dusk begins to cover the surrounding countryside with a blanket of
darkness, there is no rest area in sight. Harikea leads the convoy as the driver
of Rdh-Dmodaras temple bus. All of a sudden he spies an open field just
ahead, on the right side of the road. As dusk is already upon them, he decides
that this will do just fine for the night. He pulls Rdh-Dmodaras bus off the
road and onto the grass, without realizing the earth is damp and soft.
Immediately, the tires sink into the fine, silty soil, that quickly becomes wet,
sticky mudLouisiana gumbo.
Harikea: Somewhere on the road we had no place to stay. So I pulled off into
a field on a back road somewhere in Louisiana and then got stuck. I was
trying to move the bus out by rocking the bus, but then I blew out the
transmission. The bus was stuck right there in the middle of the field, and
everybody was really mad at me. I really was a fool. That was the Deity bus,
and They were stuck in the middle of this field just off the side of the road.
That was serious. I really blew it.
The Road Show mechanics determine that they wont be able to assess the
damage until daylight. Nothing can be done at the moment except to settle in
for the night and have the regular evening program.
In the morning, the austerities of being in a swamp begin to manifest. The
buss transmission is completely blown and the temple bus will not be going
anywhere until the damage is repaired. Rdh Kanta, who is the new keyboard
master as well as a master mechanic, heads off to the nearest town in the
ashram bus to get winches and spare parts. It will take three days to pull out the
whole transmission in the swamp and put it all back together again. While the
mechanics fit the new transmission on the temple bus, they also decide that the
temple bus should have a new driver.
At night, local rednecks drive by shooting off guns and throwing things at
the devotees. During the day they continue to drive by, racing their engines
and creating a disturbance. The devotees are not inconvenienced by the
situation, however, as there is much work to be done. The prasdam remains
wonderful, although it is always the samebreadsticks and kichari.
Harikea: Thats when we were taking bath with cups of water in a field on

557
 the side of the road. We all used to get a paper cup of water. Youd put your
wash cloth in the cup of water and then youd rub it all over you and thats all
the water youd get for taking a bath. Somebody went and got a transmission
and fixed it. We were there a long time. Thats probably where Viujana got
his bad opinion of me. I was responsible for that because I ruined the
transmission. After I ruined the Deity bus, I was finished.
Undaunted, Viujana Mahrja takes advantage of the opportunity to do a
little fixing of his own. While Rdh-Dmodaras bus is being repaired,
Viujana Swami builds a new portable altar that will secure Rdh-Dmodara
when They are traveling as well as double as a palanquin for transporting Them
in and out of the bus for sakrtana. The small base of the Deities is fitted into a
larger base on the altar that is locked in by a brass interlocking system. For
traveling, the base of the altar is screwed down onto the floor of the bus so that
nothing can happen to Them. The new system works so nicely that
Rdh-Dmodara no longer need to be tied down with ropes. This is Viujana
Mahrjas first service for Rdh-Dmodara.
Mahmy dev ds: Viujana was spontaneously attracted to the Deities.
The first thing he did was spend all of his time making a new altar for
Rdh-Dmodara. It was a much more stable and nicer arrangement for the
Deities. Silavati had a lot of respect for Viujana. Shed tell me stories about
him from LA days. She used to tell me how the whole week would be centered
around the Sunday feast. It was total absorption in their Sunday feast. She
didnt let many people get close to her, but eventually she opened up to me.
We can understand that the rope-tying pastime, which only lasted a few
months, was simply Rdh-Dmodaras lila in order to manifest who They really
were, which was revealed through rla Prabhupdas letter. Without this
pastime, how would we have known who They were? Some devotees believe
that r r Rdh-Dmodara have descended directly from Goloka Vndvana
to take part in the ll of fulfilling Lord Caitanyas prophecy, by traveling
Themselves to every town and village.
Everyone is so pleased with Viujana and his service to the Deities.
Meanwhile, Mahrja remains busy revising the show with Aja and making
suggestions to improve the overall presentation. Viujana and Aja realize that
the show doesnt have a theme and is somewhat of a disjointed concept, more

558
along the lines of a cabaret with folky songs, skits in between, and ending up
with a kirtan. Viujana Mahrja has brought all his props from San Antonio,
so he introduces the Mrgari play first, which the devotees pantomime to his
narration.
Mahmy dev ds: He had these masks that were made out of sheet metal,
much larger than a persons head, with a stick to hold them in front of our
faces. They were flat and similar to the masks used in old Greek plays. We
would shake them to make an eerie wobbling noise. I remember practicing this
play somewhere on the road.
Toaa Ka: He was perfect for not having a show, because he didnt need
a show. He was used to doing street theater. He literally had a bag full of all
kinds of props. He was completely spontaneous and directed everyone like
some kind of a mime show in which the director is telling the person what to
do, and everybody would watch because the guy was mesmerizing.
From the very first moment, Viujana has become completely and
overwhelmingly absorbed in Rdh-Dmodara and now wants to organize the
entire show around Them. He is an excellent musician, and Krtannanda gives
him full rein to bring the show up to the highest standard.
Mangalananda: All of a sudden Viujana was there. He was a motivating
guy, and he was going to make a show out of this. He and Aja wanted to
transform this into something else. At that time Harikea was very upset,
emotionally, about this. He felt a real tearing apart of what was going on. He
had a loyalty to Krtannanda Swami, and he felt that something was amiss.
All this was going over my head. I think it was about where loyalties should
be. He was an emotional person in that sense.
Meanwhile, Viujana arranges a photo session. He has the kitchen bus and
the ashram bus form a V on dry ground and directs devotees to lay out the
tie-dye tent between the buses. On top of the tent covering he arranges the
troupe with musicians holding their instruments for a few promotional shots.
Mahmy and Bob hold the Mrgari masks and Aura folds her palms with Jude
in her lap. A beautiful madras is spread over speaker cabinets behind the
devotees on top of which sit r r Rdh-Dmodara. Two devotees flank the
Deities and hold up the life-size painting of Lord Caitanya that Viujana has

559
brought with him. Mahrja gets everyone into a kirtan as the photos are
snapped.

Thibadeaux, Louisiana February 1972

Louisianas Cajun (gumbo: A soup or stew thickened with okra pods jambalaya:
A Creole dish consisting of rice cooked with shrimp, oysters, ham, or chicken
and seasoned with spices and herbs. chitterlings: The small intestines of pigs,
especially when cooked and eaten as food), often pronounced chitlins. This is
another world in the Deep South, where no one has ever seen a devotee before
in his life. The Creole men in undershirts, who speak a patois peculiar to this
region, are mostly Southern racists, born and bred with their fathers ancient
prejudices. Some of them are alligator hunters.
The whole area is redneck territory, but Kuldri and Toaa present their
PR package undeterred, always shaved up and wearing dhotis. They cant even
imagine wearing karm clothes. Highlighting the slide show and vegetarian
feast, they sell the package to colleges and clubs.
The strategy is to do college classes around the show. Kuldri, Toaa, and
Narada Muni go into departments, such as Theology or Philosophy, and arrange
a lecture for Krtannanda Swami, thus getting college classes along with a
concert performance. Its a good concept, allowing them to promote the
concert, which is always the finale, through the classes.
The college engagement in Thibadeaux is almost a Catch-22. Although
the devotees are booked to perform, there is no parking available for the buses.
Toaa questions the college student who has signed the contract. What am I
going to do? Its all city property around here. Theres no place to park on the
schools property.
No problem. Ill call up the Mayor. The Mayor and I are in the same
fraternity. On the basis that the Mayor is in the same fraternity, the buses get a
place to park. Toaa is beginning to understand the South.
With Viujanas presence, the show now begins with a more
transcendental opening. Krtannanda Swami sits on stage strumming the
tamboura and chanting the Isopanisad prayers. The students become immersed
in the transcendental sound vibration. Then Krtannanda gives his opening
talk. Everybody should just sit, relax, and listen to the sound. Let it enter your

560
ears and into your heart. Leave all your worries behind and just get in tune with
what is going on within you. He expresses the mood of the moment for college
youth, even down in the bayou.
The next engagement is a big concert in a theater with Zubins tie-dye tent
on the stage. Krtannanda Swami is the transcendental philosopher preacher,
while Viujana Swami is the charismatic program director, organizing the
music and getting everybody to do their part. He is also involved in the
performance and sings individual songs.
Kuldri: Viujana was on the harmonium and the Deities were on stage. At
one point he got the whole audience to pay obeisances to Rdh-Dmodara.
The way he put it, Now I want everyone to get way down low. Now get
down. And everybody got down on their knees. It was like a transcendental
experience for them to get down and pay homage to the transcendental forms
of Rdh-Dmodara. Viujana just talked them into doing this during a
song with the harmonium. The place was full, so there might have been a
thousand people there. When he got on the harmonium and started singing
and preaching, it was magical. That event in Thibadeaux really typified it.
Dulal Chandra: Viujana had this soliloquy regarding ones eternal
relationship with Ka and the transcendental nature of Vndvana. I can
remember this particular engagement where he went on about Vndvana
and the glories of Rdh and Ka. Through his elegant speech he brought
the complete audience to the point where they all offered obeisances. Of
course, the devotees offered obeisances, but all the people who came to this
engagement also got down and physically offered obeisances to the Deities
after he gave this description of ones eternal relationship with Ka. It was
quite amazing to see that he had that much potency, that on initial contact
one would pay obeisances.
Viujana and Aja want to turn the present show into a rock opera, with a
story-line and songs that present Ka consciousness in a popular medium.
This is the right time for a rock opera as Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell,
and Tommy are having worldwide success. The show is renamed First
Transcendental Exposition. Viujanas vision is to have a transcendental,
multi-media extravaganza for the senses, with drama, music, songs, a light show,
and a slide show, where devotees can simultaneously explain the philosophy of

561
Ka consciousness and distribute books, magazines, and prasdam.
When the promotional photos are processed, everyone agrees on the best
shot. Toaa convinces Krtannanda to give $100 to print leaflets and, using
the photo and new name, runs off small black and white glossy posters. At the
bottom he leaves an empty space for the time, date, and place of each
engagement. Devotees can now tack up the posters all over a town to publicize
each performance.

Homa, Louisiana

In a town further down the bayou, the show is booked into an old movie
theater. Toaa visits the Mayor and gets permission to do street sakrtana and
sell books and magazines on Sunday. The Saturday night program is a huge
success, as the Road Show is the biggest thing to come to town in quite a while.
They are billed on the marquee: First Transcendental Rock Opera.
Narada Muni: We had a slide show with the music, and Rdh-Dmodara
were on stage. The slide show would go on with a big kirtan after the show. A
couple of hundred kids came, and they were highly receptive, because I
remember sitting around for hours and hours just preaching to people
afterwards.
The next day, as the musicians and actors work out new ideas with
Viujana and Aja, the other devotees go into town for sakrtana. They divide
into two groups. One party will go downtown to chant, and the other will go to
the shopping mall in the suburbs to distribute BTGs.
Harikea: They left us in town, myself, rutakrti, and a few others. We were
on the street, chanting. We came down the street and made a turn where there
was a park. All of a sudden, a sheriffs car drives up and the sheriff gets out
and started cursing at us. What the hell is going on here?
rutakrti: We were on the street, and it was very simple, just chanting and
passing out BTGs. But they didnt appreciate our presence there at all. We
were very bizarre, and this was a small town in the South. They said we didnt
have a permit to do what we were doing.
Kuldri: We were at a shopping mall and the manager came out, and it was

562
 almost a fist fight. He almost took a swing at Krtannanda Swami, so there
was almost a big fight right in the parking lot. He called the police and we got
thrown in jail.
Narada Muni: Unbeknown to us, they had arrested the kirtan party for
disturbing the peace. Apparently, the police were scouring the area to see if
there were any more Hare Kas around, and they found us at the mall and
took us to jail, too.
The devotees who have been arrested sit in jail feeling gloomy. Its Sunday,
so they are all lamenting that they will miss the Sunday feast. They dont know
what to do. There is nothing to eat, nothing to drink, and they refuse to accept
anything offered by the police. Someone mentions having read that the Deity
can appear in stone, in wood, in paint, and also in the mind. Krtannanda
Swami recalls the story of the brhmaa who offered sweet rice within his mind
and how he had actually burned his finger when testing to see if it was hot
enough. Another devotee remembers Prabhupda saying that if you perform an
activity within your mind, even if you dont actually do it, you still get the
benefit.
Lets cook a Sunday feast in our mind and offer it to Rdh-Dmodara,
someone says.
We can also have Tulasi Puja and an rati for Rdh-Dmodara before the
feast is served out, someone else suggests. So in their cell everyone decides to
cook the Sunday feast.
Before long the whole Sunday program is agreed on, with everyone talking
excitedly about the preparations they want to cook. Without delay they get
busy washing all the veggies, cutting them up, and bringing them to the stoves
for cooking. Everything is acted out almost like a charade. The guards watching
the devotees think that this is getting weirder and weirder.
Kuldri: We cooked a feast for Rdh-Dmodara in our minds, and
everybody was talking about their preps. It was pretty transcendental. We
described how we dressed the Deities, who was going to cook, what they were
cooking, and how they were cooking. We did the whole Sunday feast in our
minds.
Narada Muni: That was a wonderful experience, because I was the pjr.

563
 We cooked up a big feast, and I did the offering. When we started kirtan that
drove the cops absolutely crazy.
After kirtan, all the devotees sit down in a row as rutakrti serves out the
feast. As they enjoy the prasdam, Krtannanda Mahrja comments, This is
the only feast Ive ever been to where every prep has turned out perfectly, and
there is plenty for everybody. We even have something left over for the guards.
The guards are agog; shaven heads and robes, and now theyre actually
eating this imaginary food! At this point, rutakrti comes over to offer
prasdam to the guards, Would you like a plate?
Meanwhile, the devotees looking after Rdh-Dmodara on the bus are
concerned that nobody has returned for the Sunday feast.
Mahmy dev ds: At about four oclock devotees were still missing, and
one of them was Krtannanda Swami. I remember we were parked in front
of a lawyers office. We went and asked them if we could use their bathroom,
and we all took showers in there. All of a sudden, the sheriff arrives and tells
us, You got four minutes, and I mean four minutes, to get out of town.
We had to get out of town fast and we didnt know if he had already sent
the rest of our men out too. So I had to go back into the lawyers office and get
Aura out of there. Viujana, Silavati, and I were on the temple bus and
Rdh Kanta was the driver. Bob and Auras bus was also there.
As the two buses drive out of town, Viujana is not sure if the sheriff is
letting them go or setting them up for something else. It was so nice all day and
now this. I wonder if theyre trying to drive us out to ambush us out of town?
Maybe a couple of deputy sheriffs will be waiting for us somewhere.
Silavati is upset by the incident. Oh my. The Ku Klux Klan is really big
around here. What are we going to do? What if they do something to
Rdh-Dmodara? She is worried about what they will do if anything happens
to the Deities. Nobody knows what is going to happen, and what will be the
result? After all, its our duty to protect the Deities. What are we, just a few
devotees, against a bunch of these southern rednecks?
Aja: I wasnt one of the devotees that went to jail. We were saying, Where
did they go? What happened? They disappeared. Sometimes buses would get
lost from one another. We had a very large caravan going down the road, and

564
 sometimes wed lose each other on these country roads. Miraculously, and this
always struck me with wonder, wed always find each other. I never knew how
it happened. I would think that we were totally lost, and then somehow or
other we would find each other again.
Toaa Ka: I had gotten permission from the Mayor that they could do
book distribution and sakrtana. It was all lined up. The next thing I know, I
got news that Krtannanda Swami, and everybody, was in jail. I didnt know
where the Deities were. I never got so far as to go into the jail, but I went to the
sheriffs office in the middle of the night.
Whats going on? Ive got permission from the Mayor.
The deputy said in a drawl with his feet up on the desk, Yup. The sheriff
and the Mayor, they dont get along.
The Mayor wasnt enough, so I contacted a lawyer from New Orleans,
and they got out.
When the devotees are finally released, one of the deputies remarks to
Kuldri, Yer lucky ya didnt get hung. Yall are in the wrong place. He is
friendly enough, but he lets the devotees know that, Yall are as welcome as a
black man in Mississippi. Ah don know what you guys are, but yall just betta
get yerself outta here. If yer sane, just get outta here. The police warn them to
get out of town, and never return. There are no more shows booked anyway, so
they just leave.
Toaa Ka: We had these buses painted up with flowers and Hare Ka
mantra on the side, so the town police did not like it. This was Easy Rider
country. In one town every cop car in the county was following behind the
buses. Finally, we thought it would be better to keep going. There were
occasions when they would say, Theres the county line. Just get on the other
side of it. As the promoter I used to hitchhike throughout the whole South,
where my bead bag was summarily inspected many a time.

New Orleans March 1972

St. Marys Dominican on St. Charles Avenue is a Catholic womens college

run by the nuns. The girls come from wealthy upper middle class families from
the ritzy uptown sections of New Orleans. Tonight, a special co-educational

565
program is held in the auditorium for the students and their guests. Everyone is
highly receptive to the performance.
After the play, Viujana gives a talk that is so all-encompassing it
completely enters everybodys heart. He is so convincing that every person in
the audience can understand that they are not the body. His goal is to get them
to chant Hare Ka. They had been very uptight to begin with, but now they
are completely under the sway of Viujana Swami. After preaching to them,
Viujana displays a transcendental attribute by engaging the audience in
chanting Hare Ka and offering obeisances to Rdh-Dmodara. He makes a
simple request. OK, I want everyone to say this transcendental sound
vibration. Repeat after me.
Narada Muni: Ive never seenin all my years in ISKCONanything
comparable. Viujana Mahrja had this prayer to Rdh-Dmodara, a
prayer of submission and service. It was so mystical. He had two hundred
people walk up to the Deities, fold their hands, and repeat after him.
My dear Lord r r Rdh-Dmodara. I am Your eternal servant.
Please make me dance as You like... It was this real far-out mystical prayer,
and they all said it. They were just completely enamored by the beauty of
Rdh-Dmodara. Two hundred people standing there with their hands
foldedit was really a display of some mystical potency.
Gadi: He got them so involved in it, that at the end he described what it is to
actually bow down and pay obeisances to God. And they all bowed down and
paid obeisances to Rdh-Dmodara. It was astonishing. Viujana would
engage everybody by getting them to say Hare Ka and pay obeisances.
They didnt know what they were saying, but he had that potency to get them
to respond and participate.
During the day, the New Orleans devotees go out for sakrtana in the
surrounding residential areas to chant and distribute BTGs. The Road Show
devotees accompany them and Viujana leads out the chanting party in the
streets. Many people come out of their houses wondering, What is this noise?
As they come out, devotees distribute magazines to them.
Viujana also leads a sakrtana party to the French Quarter, but there is
too much belligerence from intoxicated people who always hang around the
area.

566
 The next concert is at a New Orleans hippie hangout, your basic bar with a
dance floor and a stage. Toaa and Kuldri are becoming expert at selling the
show.
Kuldri: We were now selling it as a Rock Opera. I remember going into these
places and trying to sell the show for $1,500, using George Harrisons
namedropping it every chance we hadand having tapes of music. Willie
Purples was a regular bar with flashing lights and a dance floor.
Its a transcendental Rock Opera. George Harrison has listened to our
tapes. Its different, you know. They thought we were weird, but in 1972 it
was in to be weird. Id go to the newspapers to get some advertising. We
always sent press packages ahead of time, Theyre coming to town. It was
not a normal regulated temple program. It was austere, but it was fun.
Before the engagement a controversy develops whether the Deities should
be on stage in a bar. But Viujana is adamant that Rdh-Dmodara are part of
the show and people should be allowed to have darshan. Ka goes
everywhere to spread this movement. Mahrja knows how to talk to hippies,
and he wants to engage them in the ancient rite of bhakti-yoga.
Mangalananda: So Rdh-Dmodara were brought in. We had people out
there sitting at tables and at the bar. We did our songs and a kirtan, and then
Viujana spoke. Ill never forget this.
Were going to make an offering to the Lord of the Universe. Were
giving our food back to Him, so were making this offering. Please bow your
heads... The way he described it; hes so dramatic. I remember seeing these
guys at the bar with their beers in their hand, bowing their heads. After the
offering and the kirtan, we passed out the prasdam, and they were really
going for it. These were pious people in their own waythey took the
prasdam and loved it. The hippie thing was happening, so a lot of people
pretty much accepted us. Thats why we could be there and not shock
anybody. Anything goes.
Toaa Ka: Rdh-Dmodara got a whole Friday night crowd under
Viujanas swayhis hypnotic way of preachingand he got everybody to
bow down to Themin a bar.
Viujana Mahrja and Krtannanda Swami are a very intimate team.

567
Viujana has a submissive attitude in his relationship with Krtannanda, and
the devotees are inspired to see someone as well known and charismatic as
Viujana Swami place himself in a humble position. He always sees
Krtannanda as a senior godbrother, and that mood of respect makes things
work really well on the party.
The two Swamis have their individual styles, yet together they are a good
combination. Whenever they give class, no matter what subject they are talking
about, Krtannanda always comes back to Bhagavad-gt, while Viujana
always comes back to Nectar of Devotion.
News of the successful traveling party in America soon reaches the ears of
the devotees traveling and preaching with rla Prabhupda in India.
Yamun dev ds: We were in London doing the Beatles thing, and then we
toured clubs in France, Germany, and Amsterdam. So we knew what it was
like to do clubs. Later, we heard that Viujana was doing clubs too, and
getting people to chant. So there was an immediate feeling back and forth that
we were doing similar things. There was a feeling of connection to him from
that. Then we heard stories of him really changing peoples lives and
developing tremendous charismaall the things that I had remembered
about him. I thought he was evolving in Ka consciousness.

Seventeenth Wave Over my Dead Body

Discharge of Ka consciousness is our primary objective, and all other

relationships should be faithful to this principle.
Letter to Nandarani, October 8, 1967

Houston, Texas March 1972

The Houston temple, originally opened by Viujana Swami in December

1970, has now moved to a bigger facility, an old house on Hawthorne Avenue,
and is managed by Hridaynanda and his wife, Anaga-majar. The temple
room is a large open space with lots of light from windows that face the street.
The big bedrooms upstairs are now ashrams, so everyone can live in the temple.

568
The Road Show caravan has arrived, and the buses are parked beside the house
on a strip of land belonging to the temple. Rdh-Dmodara are placed on the
altar, which is a special treat for the Houston devotees, who normally worship a
picture of Panca Tattva. With all the new people, the temple triples in size.
Living in a temple environment affords the traveling devotees the luxury of
catching up on the latest news. Prabhupda has been in India since last
October. After leaving New York in July, he spent five weeks in London and
four weeks in Kenya before landing in Bombay on the morning of October 20.
He has subsequently acquired large plots of land in Vndvana and Bombay and
just recently has performed foundation stone-laying ceremonies in preparation
for the start of construction of two major temples. In addition to the two rooms
and veranda he has occupied at Rdh-Dmodara Temple since 1962,
Prabhupda has now been offered eight more rooms by the temple sevaits.
Excited about the preaching opportunities in India, Prabhupda has requested
Karandhara to send fifty more devotees to India by the end of March.
As Prabhupda launches his construction of major temples throughout
India, his inexperienced disciples have to put aside all personal considerations
and take up the responsibility of financial, legal, and organizational problems in
a country whose language and traditions they are only just beginning to grasp.
Being a pioneer preacher for the developing Indian mission is not an easy
service for these young Western devotees who are accustomed to the modern
conveniences of the West. But their determination and enthusiasm to carry on
under difficult conditions is nourished by the personal example of His Divine
Grace. rla Prabhupda enlivens his youthful followers by encouraging them
in their service, and reporting how the movement is expanding on every
continent worldwide.
In Calcutta, Tamal Ka Goswami is overjoyed to once again associate with
his spiritual master. Tamal is eager to hear all the news from America and
especially any information concerning his old friend Viujana Swami.
Prabhupda is just as eager to reveal his affectionate feelings for Viujana so
he shares a personal experience.
Tamal Ka Goswami: Viujanas association was special. It was not just
my experience. Even rla Prabhupda had appreciated his gandharva-like
nature. Prabhupda related how he had become absorbed in hearing the

569
 celestial voice of Viujana coming from the temple room in Los Angeles.
Then the next morning, upon returning from his walk, he had heard another
kirtan led by Viujana. Prabhupda said he thought, I am walking in
Vaikuha, I am walking in Vaikuha, I am walking in Vaikuha.
Although traveling with the Road Show has its own hardships, still every
day brings a new adventure, and a new opportunity to preach the benefits of a
life sanctified through devotional service to God. After months of living in the
confined quarters of a school bus, everybody is glad to spend some time at the
Houston temple, where they have the space to write and rehearse their new
Rock Opera. They also have room to relax.
Pukara: One night I was trying to take rest, but Viujana kept laughing. I
asked him why, since we were all trying to take rest. He said, I cant help it.
Every time I think of this story, I always crack up. He told me that one time
in LA, Tamal Ka and Gargamuni had a mock initiation at a party and
they initiated this guy with the name Mudha Godas. Every time he thought of
that he would just roar with laughter.
I didnt stay long on the Road Show because Viujana told me I should go
back to the Art Department at ISKCON Press. I dont know why youre
traveling with us. This is not good.
Viujana Swami, Aja, and Gadi are developing a concept for a more
organized show, an actual drama with a theme and a plot. They have taken the
Fish play idea and expanded it into a larger production, with a character called
the Jester, played by Aja. The Jester is an extravagant character, an outlandish
hippie with frizzy red hair who will get the mercy and be taken to Goloka
Vndvana. Toaa Ka and Kuldri are solidly behind the Rock Opera idea.
They keep busy booking college engagements, radio and TV interviews.
Although everybody is busy writing and rehearsing the new material, they
still go out daily with Rdh-Dmodara for sakrtana. At the fancy indoor
malls, Viujana Mahrja leads the chanting with a tiny harmonium that
Krtannanda Swami has given him. He wears it strapped over his shoulder as
he chants away, rapt in the ecstasy of the Holy Name, while Krtannanda
distributes books with some of the brahmacrs.
Hridaynanda: I would go out with them for street kirtan and I was just

570
 amazed by Viujana Mahrjas ability as a kirtan leader. I was very
anxious just to serve the two sannyss. Every morning I would go over and
serve prasda to Krtannanda Swami and Viujana Mahrja. I wanted to
associate with the sannyss. By that association with sannyss, I got a taste
for that type of lifestyle, so my ghastha life was ruined.
Anaga-majar dev ds: Viujana knew Silavati from years before, and
she was older. When she would get down from the bus, he would always give
her his hand to help her down. He really saw her as mother. At the same time
with the younger ladies he hardly talked to anyone unless it was about service.
One time he was sitting on the bus alone, and his daa was in the corner.
Hridaynanda walked in to talk to him and I followed behind. While they
were talking, the daa was beginning to fall and I was right there, so I went
to catch it so it wouldnt fall on the ground. Viujana yelled, Dont touch
it. Then Hridaynanda grabbed it and put it back. I thought, Wow, hes so
serious about sannysa. I was embarrassed, but I respected it. He wasnt
really angry, but he was firm.
Viujana loved Rdh-Dmodara. He was totally dependent, just
wanting to take care of Them and make sure everything was nice for Them.
They looked young and happy and satisfied under his care. They were
incredible because Ka was such a lovely color, like a real silvery blue.
Silavati also loved Them and was very seriously engaged in serving Them.
She and Viujana had a very respectful, special relationship. He was always
such a gentleman. They were like old souls together serving the Deities.
The news quickly spreads to the surrounding temples that Viujana Swami
is staying in Houston. Some of the Texas devotees promptly leave their service
to take shelter of his association. Since the local GBC man had given the
instruction to close the San Antonio temple, these devotees dont feel any
particular allegiance to anyone except Viujana Mahrja.
Chandrasekhar: When the San Antonio temple disbanded I went to Austin
to be with Prahladananda. But I just couldnt stay because I was thinking of
Mahrja all the time. I was very attached because he was my whole life at
that time. There was no question that he was like my guru. He shaved me up
and he was teaching me every day, all day long. So after a couple of weeks I
told Prahladananda, Im so sorry, but Ive really got to go.

571
 I hitched to Houston, and Mahrja was happy to see me. He didnt say go
back to Austin. When I saw Rdh-Dmodara, I started crying immediately.
This was the first time Id seen Rdh-Ka mrtis. It was very special, and I
was excited to have this honor. It was like hearing Mahrja chant for the
first time. I joined them as a book distributor and one of the players. I felt like
I was the luckiest person on earth and it was the happiest time of my life.
Krtannanda Swami goes back and forth to New Vndvana periodically,
to keep things running smoothly. As a result, one day Viujana Swami has to
be at two preaching engagements at the same time. Mahrja asks Gadi to take
his place for the TV interview. Here, take my daa. Youll be me. They dont
know what I look like, Mahrja says, handing over his sannysa dhoti and
daa.
So for one hour, Gadi becomes Viujana Mahrja, wearing his sannysa
garments and carrying his daa. The fifteen-minute interview at the TV
studio goes fine, although Gadi feels a little foolish impersonating Viujana
Swami. People are curious about the shaved up young monks, and the host just
asks basic questions. Back at the temple, devotees watching the show burst into
laughter when the announcer introduces Viujana Swami and its Gadi
instead.

One day Silavati comes looking for Harikea. Some of the Deities paint has
been coming off because she bathes Them directly oftentimes. So now she has a
special service that she wants Harikea to perform.
Harikea: Silavati asked me to paint the Deities. I had never painted anything
in my life, what to speak of Deities, but I was handy with this and that.
Besides, she trusted meso I had to paint the Deities. I got together some oil
paints, and we set aside one day when I was going to paint. As I would paint
the Deities she would look and go, No, thats not right. Then Id have to
wipe off all the paint and paint Them again. Then shed say. No. Thats still
not right. This went on the whole day, and it wasnt until seven oclock that I
finally got what she wanted. She was the pjr and the senior devotee, very
motherly, but very official.
As the Road Show becomes more of a preaching vehicle with a professional
looking presentation, Krtannanda and Viujana begin to see the programs

572
promise. Toaa Ka and Kuldri are putting together a good presentation
package and have become expert sales agents. They have learned how to
advertise the show to pull in an audience and have already booked a venue
called The Omni, where people have dinner and watch theater.
Since Harikea hasnt worked out musically, the Swamis decide that he
should actually join the advance PR team. Krtannanda Swami calls them in to
explain the plan.
You guys have to go on the road and just basically stay ahead of us. We want
to keep you ahead so we can keep working. I want a calendar full of
engagements. All the colleges have a budget for entertainment and sometimes
book six months in advance. I want you to go up north and book for the fall,
when all the colleges are going to have their big concerts. You are the official
bookers, so you go ahead, get up to these places and start booking, now. Go do
it.
Bob and Aura donate their old Pontiac convertible, which is hardly worth
anything because the roof has been completely ripped off. Krtannanda hands
his PR team the keys to the white convertible, plus five dollars for gas to get
them started. Kuldri and Toaa are happy to at least have a vehicle, even
with the top completely gone, since up to this point they have always had to
hitchhike everywhere.
Tonights outdoor concert at the University is your last here in Houston,
Krtannanda continues briefing the team. You should leave for Atlanta
tomorrow, right after breakfast. The three of you have to be there to set
everything up for a big Lord Caitanya festival, because were going to be the
main attraction.
What? Kuldri gives a funny look. We already celebrated Caitanya
Mahprabhus appearance two weeks ago!
Right. But Balavanta got permission from Prabhupda to have it on April
15, Krtannanda explains, because he wanted to hold it in a big park to
attract a lot more people than will ever come to the temple. So Prabhupda said
okay. Any more questions? Kuldri shrugs his shoulders, and the meeting is
over.
The PR team gets ready to leave for Atlanta, but there is no budget for
expenses. They will still have to go out and beg to raise the necessary capital to

573
do their service. The University concert is Harikeas last performance with the
show. He is already in Atlanta when the show performs at the Omni.
The Omni is a Houston dinner theater where the Road Show has been
booked as a Rock Opera. This will be the first presentation of the new show.
The venue is large and prestigious. The set is Govardhana Hill, with a platform
on top of the hill for Rdh-Dmodara. Another place is set aside for churning
butter under a desire tree that has different fruits growing on it. The set is
decorated with lots of flowers everywhere and a cow here and there to make it
look like the spiritual world. Viujana Swami is constantly organizing
everything, going here and there, instructing devotees to act as if they are in
the spiritual world.
Anaga-majar dev ds: One girl and I were twirling a sari around as if it
was the Viraja river, and everyone who came through the admissions gate had
to cross over. We explained, This is the river of desire, and your desire has to
become pure. Viujana created such an atmosphere that it was the spiritual
world and I got so caught up in it. It was Viujanas enthusiasm, purity, and
mood, that he so wanted everybody to taste the spiritual love for Ka, that
you couldnt help but taste it.
We were pretending to churn butter, and some girls were dancing like
gops. It was wild, but intense. All of a sudden, Viujana jumped up on a
platform, presenting himself very grandly. Residents of the spiritual world,
gather here. Everyone came running, and I just followed.
Theres an emergency, he said, and I actually believed it. I got completely
caught up in it. Theres an emergency. We need devotees to go to the material
world. People are in great anxiety on the earth planet. Who will volunteer to
help? So Silavati and a few other devotees in the drama stood up.
Well go. And thats how the show started. Everybody was caught up in
being in the spiritual world, and all of a sudden there was an emergency. We
just backed off stage and sat down to watch.
The Jester character is in trouble like a fish out of water. Devotees try to
help him realize that there is no happiness in the material world. The Jester is
depicted as trying to enjoy in various ways, through wealth, women, drugsthis
and that. But he fails to find any fulfillment and becomes frustrated. The band
sings all the songs, so it isnt really a Rock Opera in the sense that the

574
characters are only acting. They have dialogue but they dont sing. At this stage
of the production, the band is still singing and the actors acting.

In early April, with spring flowers lavishly blooming, the Road Show buses
pull out of Houston, heading back East toward Atlanta. Several Texas devotees
have joined the show, including di Deva and Ishan, who is a good trumpet
player. Raghunthas dream to be with Viujana Swami finally comes true as
he also joins the crew as driver of the ashram bus. Along the way, the buses
frequently stop to do a little sakrtana and purify a town.
di Deva: I remember stopping in Birmingham, Alabama. We pulled into a
gas station, where the entire Road Show troupe and all the buses were going to
stay the night. It was so weird because we had the lights on in the bus and we
were having a kirtan inside, and when we looked out all we could see were
these white eyes. There were these little black kids all around that bus, and
they were just in awe. It was like we had landed from another planet.
Before evening, the buses usually park at roadside rest areas for the
overnight stay. The men sleep in the ashram bus, which is also an equipment
bus. It is impossible to stand up because there is a false floor under which all the
books and magazines as well as the stage equipment are stored. So devotees can
only sit or crawl on their hands and knees on this bus.
Outside the kitchen bus are two spigots coming out from the water tank, one
on either side, and thats where everybody gets their water to bathe. In the early
morning, Viujana is always the first one up, taking the ice cold water and
dumping it over his head by the side of the bus for his morning shower. All the
brahmacrs follow suit, dumping ice cold water over their heads, using cut-off
plastic milk jugs for los. The cold water makes bathing an austerity for all.
There are less women on the party, and they sleep in the back of the kitchen
bus behind the water tank. It is partitioned off, making it completely separate
and completely private. There are four bunk beds and four women, so they each
have their own little space. They fill their gallon jugs with water from the spigot
on the side of the bus where they take their bath. The women have their side of
the bus and the men have the other side. All the devotees are very strict and

575
very chaste, and no one makes the mistake of being on the wrong side of the
bus. Everybody knows which side is which, and there are no difficulties and no
accidents.
As everyone gets ready for magala-rati, Viujana and Krtannanda are
already up and chanting japa on the bus, sometimes sitting in front of the altar
or circumambulating the temple room. Out on the road, magala-rati is very
special. Because there is no electricity, the rati is performed by candle light.
Everybody is eager to finish their shower and get into the temple bus to get as
close to the Deities as possible. Magala-rati by candle light is so sweet with
Rdh-Dmodara!
Silavati is the ideal pjr and very dedicated to the service of
Rdh-Dmodara. When the curtains close, she personally takes care of Them,
but sometimes Viujana and Krtannanda want to be on the altar. They like
to work together, with one dressing Rdhr and the other dressing Ka.
After greeting the Deities, the two Swamis give a nectarean Bhgavatam class
with Krtannanda sitting on one side of the altar and Viujana on the other.
Krtannanda speaks for five minutes and then Viujana takes over for
another five, each giving a different perspective on the verse.
Raghuntha: They complimented each other so well. Krtannanda was
wiser, he knew more, but Viujana was more inspirational, he did more.
Viujana would often tell us that Kas pastimes are just like a great Road
Show. Ka is going from planet to planet, and in our next life we will also
travel from planet to planet in the higher planetary systems, preaching and
having kirtan. We used to have roaring kirtans that Viujana would lead
with his arms upraised, dancing back and forth. The whole bus would rock. If
you were outside you would think the bus was alive.

Atlanta April 15, 1972

In the spring, Atlanta is ablaze with cherry blossoms in full bloom, especially
in the park where Lord Caitanyas festival is being held. This is the first time
that a big festival is being organized in Piedmont Park, and the local devotees
are excited that it features the transcendental Rock Opera. Devotees from all
over the East Coast and the South attend the two-day event.

576
 rdhara dsa: We all went up from Gainesville for Lord Caitanyas spring
festival. The Road Show buses showed up late, which was not unusual for
Road Show buses. When they finally pulled up at the temple, everybody ran
out and piled into the buses. There was Viujana leading kirtan with
Mangalananda playing a tiny harmonium. Viujana was doing amazing
things with the mdaga, such as moving one finger against the bottom head
of the drum for one sound and using his knuckles on the high end, to get a
different sound. There was a mystical mood that was also devotional. I
immediately said to myself, This is for me. Im going to get on this party.
I wanted to join the Road Show and get to associate with Viujana
Swami. Those were my goals. I already knew Krtannanda Swami, and he
liked me and wanted me to join up. The two most powerful devotees of
ISKCON at the time were both in this thing together.
All the devotees from Miami and New Orleans have also come. Upon seeing
the quality of Viujana Mahrjas devotional service and kirtan, their own
devotional commitment doubles or even quadruples. The local chanting party
always goes downtown for sakrtana, but when Viujana goes out with them,
the kirtans go to a different dimension entirely. His Bhgavatam classes are also
appreciated as much as his chanting.
At noon on Saturday, Lord Caitanyas Spring Parade begins. Devotees march
down Peachtree Street with the three buses, a swan float, and a huge
papier-mch figure of Lord Caitanya that towers into the air. Rdh-Dmodara
are carried on Their palanquin by four brhmaas, behind the kirtan party led
by Viujana Swami.
Right after the start of the parade one of Lord Caitanyas arms begins to fall.
Murti dsa quickly grabs the arm at the elbow and walks underneath the arm,
holding it up for the entire parade. Unfortunately, the streets are empty. With
such a wonderful parade going by, the empty streets, devoid of people watching,
appear desolate. But the devotees remember that Lord Caitanya and
Rdh-Dmodara are present, and therefore, everybody in the spiritual world is
watching.
The procession ends in Piedmont Park. Many small tents have been set up at
the festival site next to the bandstand. The ladies have also sewn together a
larger tent, using pieces of red, yellow, and blue silk fabric. It gives the

577
impression and feeling of a circus tent, although much smaller. Beside this tent
is a large geodesic dome. Viujana Mahrja had wanted a geodesic dome that
could be easily set up to create a specific environment. Harikea and Kuldri,
both handymen themselves, have put the dome together from lightweight
aluminum pipe that they had purchased at a reduced price and had cut to
length. After they pinch the ends and drill holes, it becomes easy for anybody to
bolt it up and take it down effortlessly.
di Deva and Raghuntha hang a white parachute over the dome, which
towers into the sky, and the facility is used to serve out prasdam. The park is
filled with crowds of hippies and all kinds of people coming by to see the festival
site. Prasdam distribution is an essential part of the Road Show program and a
popular attraction.
Murti dsa: The show was beautiful. Rdh-Dmodara were on Their altar,
with Silavati taking care of Them. The buses were immaculate. They were
hand-painted white, with purple detail and purple mah-mantra painted on
them. The Road Show went everywhere with the Deities to preach to people
and get them to join the movement. It was very powerful. Krtannanda
Swami had everybody really looking good, all neat and clean. They looked
beautiful because their Ka consciousness was so intense and so high.
Everything was immaculately clean, very Ka conscious, and highly
organized. Krtannanda Swami was just as fired up as Viujana Mahrja
at that point. They were such great souls.
The Road Show devotees perform their entire repertoire, including the new
Rock Opera. Between the skits, the band plays Mangalanandas songs, which
are now becoming popular throughout ISKCON. The favorites are: Youre not
that Body, Lord Caitanyas Moon is Rising, and O Govinda, Within my
Heart.
The concept of guru is introduced in the show, and Krtannanda Swami
gives a basic lecture about karma and reincarnation. During Mahrjas talk,
Aja comes on stage dressed as a hippie and gets into an argument with
Krtannanda. This is the opening of the new Rock Opera. The Jester begins
heckling Krtannanda during his lecture, which turns into a debate between
the Swami and the hippie. The audience doesnt know that the show has
already begun until the music starts. Viujana Swami plays the devotee in the

578
show. The whole concept of the Rock Opera is centered around
Rdh-Dmodara, who are always on stage, and thats what makes it so
wonderful for devotees.
Rupa Vilas: We were amazed by the whole thing by now. It was a very potent
presentation of Ka consciousness. It was the 60s mood, very psychedelic
and far-out in the way it was presented, but very attractive, with the Deities
being so prominently a part of the presentation. All the people actually got a
chance to swing Rdh and Ka. Viujana had tremendous kirtans with
his harmonium. Then there were the plays, and incredible prasdam. At one
point, Viujana got the whole crowd to bow down to Rdh-Dmodara. I
cant remember what he said, but it seemed so perfectly natural and
everybody did it. He had a lot of potency, and it seemed like he could just
make a suggestion and people would listen..
The light shows were spectacular. It was an incredible mix of stuff that
was pulsing to the music. They werent just showing ISKCON paintings but
also pictures from India. It was the transcendental version of the Avalon
program in San Francisco when Prabhupda appeared with the Grateful
Dead. The young people who came out of that concert were talking to us,
Wow, this is incredible. I want to do this. It had a very enlivening effect on
these people, because they really became interested. A book table was set up
and people were buying.
Nanda Kishor: They did that song, Hey Wait. This was at the climax of the
play, and Ajas character, the Jester, was being preached to by the devotees,
and he sang this song:
Hey wait, Ive given out my love before, Ive given everything a try.
But happiness is nowhere to be found, please dont offer me a lie.
You say youve found a perfect lover, you say youve found a perfect friend.
But how can I be sure, Ive got no time to spare, and I couldnt bear to be let
down again.
Then Silavati came in with her great vibrato. She had such a great voice, and
she came in with this beautiful, vibrant kirtan, a Jeanette MacDonald
(American actress and singer of the 1940s) type of soprano, Hare Ka,
Hare Ka, Ka Ka, Hare Hare... to the evening rati melody. It was
tremendous. What a climax.

579
 I saw two hippies look at each other while this scene was going on with
Silavati singing. They shook hands and one said, Yeah, this is it, man. That
was the conclusion they drew. Aja elaborated on the misery of material
existence, and that was the climax of the whole thing, and it really worked.
When I saw those hippies reaction, thats when I wanted to be a part of this.
They were just so convinced.
The festival lasts all day long. Rdh-Dmodara are up on the stage, the
center of everything, receiving rati and bhoga regularly. Viujana sits beside
Them when he gives a short talk about the meaning of the festival. Mahrja is
already a legend in ISKCON, and many stories have been circulating about his
austerities and his qualities, some of them exaggerated. Brahmacrs are very
impressed with his presence and demeanor, while others are interested in the
fact that this is what an advanced devotee is like. But Mahrja is not
concerned whether one is a senior devotee or a new bhakta, he is friendly and
encouraging to all.
Amogha-lila: Viujana Swamis singing was so heavenly. My group of
devotees were completely captivated by him. It was still the hippie era and a lot
of people came. Quite a few came to the temple. The Rdh-Dmodara Deities
were very, very sweet. There was a mood about Them because They were
traveling. It was a much more intimate, freer mood of dealing with Them.
I was very impressed by Krtannanda, actually. I had several questions
because I had come from a Christian background. My father and grandfather
were both ministers, and I had some questions about the Bible and the
relationship of Jehovah to Ka or to Lord Brahma that nobody could answer,
but Krtannanda satisfied me.
Charudesna: The devotees involved with the Road Show were advanced, and
their presentation of Ka consciousness was very unique. I was very much
attracted and I really enjoyed it. It was a new thing introducing rock n roll
and some devotees felt it was a devation. There was a controversy and some
devotees werent able to appreciate the presentation.
The devotee that most impressed me, of all the devotees that I ever met,
was Viujana Swami. His charisma, his mood, his mannerisms, everything
about him was very attractive. When I met him, it was just overwhelming. It
was one of my nicest experiences in Ka consciousness. He had a

580
 tremendous effect on me. His mood and his energy level was so high, and he
was so vibrant. He had so many wonderful qualities. In his classes he stressed
renunciation and utilizing all of your potential in Kas service. Anything
can be used to please Ka if it is authorized by the spiritual master.
As a result of the festival, Ka consciousness peaks in Atlanta, and many
new people join the movement. Sankirtan also begins to really take off, so this
festival is a major event for the temple.
After the festival, the Road Show devotees go out every day to chant. One of
the popular Atlanta sakrtana spots is Atlanta Underground, a section of
downtown Atlanta that is under street level. It was previously a train station,
until someone got the bright idea to convert the place into a string of night
clubs. It was initially popular in the mid 60s and through the 70s as the place in
Atlanta for night life. Eventually, most of the clubs became strip joints, and the
crowds got seedier and seedier, until the city finally shut it down due to the
high crime rate. But in 1972, during its heyday, Atlanta Underground is the top
sakrtana spot.
Chandrasekhar: We used to have these fantastic kirtans at Atlanta
Underground, where the acoustics were great and the mdaga sounded just
like thunder. Mahrjas hands would dance on the mdaga. It was an
amazing kirtan because all the sound was locked in right where you were.
There were tons of devotees, and all the people around there were stunned to
see those kirtans.
Toaa and Kuldri book the Rock Opera at the Front Page, Atlanta
Underground. But this is not an acceptable club like Willie Purples, which was
a more down-to-earth bar. Atlanta Underground is too uppity, and the Front
Page is a snobby bar. The people who frequent it are not young people or
working class people, but establishment people, mostly thirty-something. When
they walk in and sit down, they dont know how to deal with the Rock Opera.
Theres a dance floor and these people have come to dance, but the devotees are
not playing dance music or anything like it. Rather, this is a show that you sit
down and watch. The Front Page audience has a hard time relating to the lyrics
and the music. Some people sit and watch for a while, but most of them get up
and leave.
Although the show is booked into the club for a week, after the first night

581
the owner pays the devotees just to leave. The engagement turns out to be a
disaster for everyone. After the failed club date, the Road Show leaders decide
to go up to Boston where they can do colleges.
Before the buses get out on the road, Viujana humbly requests
Raghuntha to go back to Dallas. They are short of people in Texas, and youre
a good devotee. I have so many other people here who are weaker devotees, who
will be staying with me, and they can help with a lot of things that I need to do
here. So you please go back to Texas and preach.
But Raghuntha resists. Mahrja, please let me stay with you. I just want to
stay with you. Thats what brahmacr life is all about, to travel and preach with
advanced sannys devotees. If I can do this my entire life, I would want nothing
more.
But Viujana is adamant. For Raghuntha, it is the greatest paradox of his
life. All he wants is to stay in Viujanas association, but Mahrja is always
pushing him away. When he finally accepts Mahrjas instruction, Viujana
says, Yes, and smiles the kind of smile that a devotee gets when he is really
happy. Yes, that is the spiritual master. Raghuntha is accepting his word like
the word of rla Prabhupda. In this way, Viujana teaches him to accept the
order of his spiritual master, coming through the chain of authority. Even
though Raghuntha doesnt want to leave, he agrees to return to Dallas at
Viujanas request.

Meanwhile, the PR men are now up North. Every hundred miles or so, they
have to pull off the freeway and hit up the four gas stations at an interchange.
Can you give us two dollars worth of gas? Were monks and we dont have any
money. They have panhandled their way north, from Houston to Atlanta to
New York.
Just outside Washington, DC, a huge storm roars in unannounced, leaving
cars strewn along the highway. All of a sudden, its freezing cold. Kuldri pulls
the car over, and the three devotees frantically arrange some sort of roof for the
topless convertible, which has nothing for shelter but the ribs. They tie three
saffron dhotis together and attach it to the ribs making a saffron roof that
billows in the wind. As they drive off, Toaa and Kuldri huddle in the front
against the heater, while Harikea is in the back, under all the sleeping bags.

582
 Late that evening they show up in their converted convertible at the
Washington, DC, temple on Q street, Dupont Circle. Because the Road Show is
an odd entity, most temple presidents have their reservations. Playing rock n
roll is considered over the top. But the Road Show is based on Krtannandas
relationship with Prabhupda, who is encouraging him. The program is starting
to get big, starting to have some good results, and Prabhupda is excited about
it. Because Toaa Ka and the temple president, Dmodara, are friends, the
PR devotees are greeted with some appreciation.
After thawing out and spending a cozy night in the brahmacr ashram, the
PR men enjoy a good morning program. During breakfast, Dmodara takes
Toaa aside for a private talk. They have known each other a long time and
previously served together in Washington. The big news is that Prabhupda has
disbanded the GBC! Dmodara shows Toaa two letters that Prabhupda has
sent out to every temple.

MEMO TO ALL ISKCON TEMPLE PRESIDENTS: 8 April, 1972

I beg to inform you that recently some of the Governing Body Commission
members held a meeting at New York on 25th through 28th March, 1972, and
they have sent me a big, big minutes, duplicated for my consideration and
approval, but in the meantime they have decided some appointments without
consulting me. One of the items which struck me very much is as follows:
Atreya Rishi das was selected to be the Secretary for GBC and receive
all correspondence, including monthly reports. I never appointed Atreya
Rishi member of the GBC, and I do not know how he can be appointed
Secretary to GBC without my sanction. He was also appointed to be on the
Management Committee with Karandhara for the purpose of supervising
ISKCON business and implementing the decisions reached by GBC.
This has very much disturbed me. rman Atreya Rishi das may be very
expert, but without my say he has been given so much power and this has upset
my brain. I also understand that immediate actions are going to take place
even prior to my permission, and that, also, without divulging to the
devotees(!)
I do not follow exactly what is the motive of the so-called GBC
meeting, therefore I have sent the telegram which you will find attached
herewith, and I have received the replies as well.

Under these circumstances, I AUTHORIZE YOU TO DISREGARD FOR

THE TIME BEING ANY DECISION FROM THE GBC MEN UNTIL MY

583
 FURTHER INSTRUCTION.

You manage your affairs peacefully and independently, and try to improve the
spiritual atmosphere of the centers more carefully. I shall be very glad to know
the names of your assistants such as Secretary, Treasurer and Accountant.
Finally, I beg to repeat that ALL GBC ORDERS ARE SUSPENDED
HEREWITH BY ME UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
You may reply me at ISKCON Tokyo.
Hoping this meets you in very good health and advanced spiritual
mood.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

MEMO TO ALL ISKCON TEMPLE PRESIDENTS:

On April 6, 1972, the following message was dispatched by cable, one copy each
to Karandhara, Rupanuga, and Hansadutta:
YOUR MATERIAL LEGAL FORMULA WILL NOT HELP US.
ONLY OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE CAN HELP US. HAMSADUTA MUST
RETURN GERMANY IMMEDIATELY AND DON'T LEAVE AGAIN.
ATREYA RISHI HAS NO AUTHORITY FROM ME TO MANAGE
ANYTHING. REMOVE HIM. I HAVE NO APPROVAL FOR ANY THESE
PLANS. DON'T CHANGE ANYTHING. ACKNOWLEDGE CABLE 26
RENNY STREET PADDINGTON SYDNEY.
BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI

On the following morning, April 7, 1972, three replies were received:

1. JAI! ALL MY MISGIVINGS CONFIRMED BY YOUR TELEGRAMS.

RAISED STRONG OBJECTIONS AT GBC MEETINGS. LETTER SENT
TO YOU ON 30TH ABOUT THIS. DETAILS TO FOLLOW.
HAMSADUTA LEFT 30TH FOR GERMANY. ATREYA RISHI
NOTIFIED. GBC NOTIFIED. NOTHING SIGNIFICANT CHANGED
YET. DO NOT WORRY. HARE KRISHNA. RUPANUGA.
2. I WILL REMAIN IN GERMANY AND FOLLOW YOUR
INSTRUCTION. WILL REMOVE ATREYA RISHI. HAMSADUTA.
3. HAMSADUTA HAS RETURNED TO GERMANY. ATREYA
REMOVED. AWAITING ANY FURTHER INSTRUCTION.
KARANDHARA.

cc. All Temple Presidents.

ACBS/sda
APPROVED: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami,
Founder-Acarya, ISKCON

584
 At first, Toaa is shocked, but he realizes that this has nothing to do with
him or the Road Show. Prabhupda is pleased with their program and has
encouraged them from the beginning. Besides, they are fulfilling the prophecy
of Lord Caitanya by traveling to every town and village along with the Supreme
Lord and His eternal consort rmati Rdhr. In order to establish a more
intimate relationship with Toaa, Dmodara next shows him a copy of a letter
that he has received privately.
I am surprised that none of the GBC members detected the defects in the
procedure. It was detected only when it came to me. What will happen when I
am not here, shall everything be spoiled by GBC? So for the time being, let the
GBC activities be suspended until I thoroughly revise the whole procedure.
Letter to Hansadutta, April 11, 1972

After taking Toaa Ka into his confidence and restoring their friendly
relationship of the past, Dmodara finally reveals what is actually on his mind.
No doubt you remember I only agreed to loan those Deities to Krtannanda
Swami until we had eight brhmaas.
What? Toaa is aghast.
Our temple is doing really well now, and I know it would inspire all the
devotees if Rdh and Ka came back to Their home. We can worship Them
opulently in the temple.
Youll have to speak with Krtannanda Mahrja, Toaa says,
side-stepping the issue. I dont have any authority to say or do anything about
this. He has grown attached to Rdh-Dmodara and the traveling party. He
has no intention of going any further with this conversation. Mahrja will be
coming through here behind us. You can talk to him about it in person. Besides,
we have to get back on the road. With that, Toaa offers obeisances and ends
the talk. He wisely decides not to tell Kuldri and Harikea about Dmodaras
plan for the Deities.
Farther back down the road, the Road Show buses are just leaving Atlanta,
with a big contingent of new people. On the trip up north the buses make
frequent stops at towns along the way, trying to imbibe the mood of every town
and village. The plan is to stay in a town for only a half hour and blanket the
place with literature, kirtan, and preaching. As soon as the buses pull into the
center of town, twenty devotees jump out to distribute BTGs, another ten do

585
street kirtan with Viujana leading, and a couple of devotees arrange for the
news media to meet Krtannanda Swami on some street corner for a
newspaper or radio interview. When the kirtan starts up and devotees are
hitting up everybody in the streets with BTGs, its a complete takeover of the
town.
The pjrs stay back at the temple bus. After forty minutes they will blow
conch shells to signal everyone that it is time to leave. Inevitably, the devotees
attract a lot of onlookers who have never seen anything like these young kids,
dressed up in dhotis and saris. Before anyone has any time to figure out who the
devotees are, or what planet they come from, the conch shells sound. Instantly,
everybody scurries back to the buses, which then roar out of town as suddenly as
they had arrived. They do hundreds of BTGs this way.
Sometimes the motorcade pulls into a mall, where lots of people are
shopping. Without warning, thirty devotees jump out with BTGs in hand. The
kirtan party comes flying by to everyones stunned amazement. Without
warning, people are handed BTGs by shaven-headed kids, wearing bed sheets
and asking for donations. The same routine is enacted at gas stations when the
buses need to be refueled. Sankirtan is a lot of fun, and devotees anticipate
purifying various towns. They love to jump out of the buses and completely
surprise the local people, who are absolutely bewildered. What is this?
Occasionally, the police will show up, southern redneck cops, who threaten to
throw everybody in jail if they dont leave.
By the time the buses arrive up north, the mornings are so cold that traces of
frost remain on the ground. But everybody still has to shower outside, and many
literally turn blue, with no feeling left in their body. Everyone is shivering in
their chaddars and blankets, trying to be on time for magala-rati. There is
very little mixing between the men and women, except during rehearsals, so
there is no question of improper exchange. Rather, the mood is very much
godbrother and godsister.
When the buses stay overnight at a truck stop, most of the brahmacrs pile
into the bathroom at 3:00 AM with their plastic gallon jugs to take bath. One
morning out of the blue, two large, burly truck drivers, with boots, jeans, and
dirty shirts, come in to relieve themselves in the middle of a long drive. All of a
sudden, they come upon the brahmacrs standing over the drain in the
bathroom wearing only their brahmin underwear, pouring water over their

586
heads. The truckers are struck dumb, What the hell is going on here?
While the buses are traveling down the road, the writers utilize the time to
work on the script and refine the show.
Aja: We really laid out the foundation for the Rock Opera in the bus, in
cramped quarters. The bus had a platform, and the books and the pots and
pans were underneath. In that ashram bus you couldnt stand up; you had to
almost crawl, because of the platform. We sat on top, and there was
paraphernalia on top, too.
The Deities were in the temple bus, which had no platform, so you could
stand up. It was a totally different bus, with long curved windows, very
beautiful, with marble-like linoleum tiles. The third bus had a full stainless
steel kitchen. Devotees cooked while the bus was moving down the road.

Washington, DC April 1972

When the Road Show entourage reaches Washington, DC, everybody is

happy to be in a regular temple again just to have a decent shower. Dmodara
brings the local devotees out to the bus for darshan of Rdh-Dmodara. Upon
seeing Their beauty, everyone is instantly captivated. Dmodara is at once
attached, thinking how They will be a wonderful boost for the Q Street temple.
But he is filled with trepidation about requesting Krtannanda to return his
Deities.
Among the new people greeting the Road Show at the temple is a young
teenager who had met the local sakrtana devotees at his high school. He now
comes to the temple every day and stays overnight on weekends.
Lakshmivan: I joined the temple at fifteen. Viujana Mahrja was staying
at the temple for a few days. I remember being fixated on prasdam at that
time. So one morning at breakfast, I found myself standing over Mahrjas
shoulder, staring at his plate of blueberry halava. I must have been watching
intently for a while, because finally he looked up over his shoulder and
noticed that I was standing there.
He said, Oh, are you hungry? Do you want some halava? So he gave me
his plate of blueberry halava. It was gone within seconds. That was such a
nice thing that he did, and I was delighted.

587
 Lakshmivan had moved into the temple in a very abrupt way, returning
home, after staying at the temple one weekend, with his head shaved and
wearing a dhoti. His mother, aghast at the sight of her son, throws herself on
the couch, crying, Oh, my son! What have they done to you?
She is very disapproving of his idea to live in the temple because she wants
him to live at home and finish high school.
Mrs. Violet Knight: I went crazy. I said, Wheres your hair? He was my
pride and joy with that long, blond, curly, gorgeous hair. He was a very
romantic looking guy, and he came home with all his hair chopped off. I was
shocked. It was one of the biggest shocks of my life. I just phoned up the temple
and screamed at whoever answered the phone. So he got the temple president,
Dmodara, who apologized and said, Were not supposed to do that when
theyre under age.
To console his mother, Lakshmivan requests her to visit the temple and
speak to Viujana Swami. He tells her that after speaking with the Swami, he
will do whatever she decides. He hopes that by meeting Viujana she will have
a pleasant experience with devotees and allow him to live in the temple.
Lakshmivan: I knew she would like him, because everyone did. So she came
down to meet Viujana Mahrja, and the three of us met in the front room
of the temple. I just sat and watched the two of them talk. Mostly it was
Viujana talking with his effusive enthusiasm and the far-away look in his
eyes whenever he talked about Ka. Whenever hed say something about
how wonderful Ka consciousness was, he looked like he was floating on a
cloud. He was trying to convince her to let me move into the temple and that I
would still finish school. She was just looking at him with stars in her eyes. As
time went on, you could see her smiling more and more and more.
Mrs. Knight: This guy really made a powerful impression on me. Though I
only saw him for fifteen minutes, he got to me in that time and made a
lifelong impression. Much of our conversation was reassurance, because
Lawson had just joined the temple, and it was very foreign to me. I was
charged with raising five children by myself, since my husband had died, and I
felt very responsible. I had heard nothing of the Ka movement before
Lawson got into it, but I went to the temple because I wanted to share what he

588
was doing. I wanted to learn about it, although I was not sure at the time
whether this was the right thing. How could I be? It was all very strange and
different.
Again, much of our conversation was reassurance, not proselytizing in
any way but just calming. What can you say about a person that makes such
an impression on you without becoming gushy or maudlin? Here was a person
who you looked at and you saw an intrinsic sweetness, kindness, and
gentleness. And you had the feeling that you could trust that. It wasnt going
to change with moods, or circumstances. He was good and sweet, without
being prissy or self-righteous or trying to change you, or impose that goodness
on you. A lot of people are good and sweet, but theyre boring and
self-righteous. But this person was beyond those things. He had a very calming
influence. Here was a person that you could trust. He inspired trust, entirely,
totally.
He had a mission in life. He knew something that the rest of us didnt
know. There was just something very above the level, or on a higher level. It
came out just by looking at him and talking to him.
Lakshmivan: Finally, at the end she just stood up and said, Oh, okay. She
walked up to Mahrja and put her arms around him, gave him a big hug,
planted a kiss on his cheek, and said, laughing, You make me feel just like a
little girl. She was fifty at the time. He really charmed her. I was sitting there
with delight, thinking, Oh, great, now Im going to be able to live in the
temple. I was so happy.
Mrs. Knight: I hugged him and said, You make me feel like a little girl.
What I meant by that was, I felt that here is a person that could always fix
whatever was making me unhappy. So you make me feel like a little girl
because youre someone I could come to, always. He was thirty years younger
than I was at the time, and still I had this feeling that he was the older of the
two of us. There was a wisdom there, too. Intelligence. His presence was nice
looking. After he spoke, I had the full impact of his personality. Thats a
powerful liking for this guy, and wanting to please him even to the point of
giving up my son to him.
When I was driving home after the meeting I felt very inspired. I didnt feel
that he was responsible for my decision. I felt that he calmed me down. I didnt
discuss it with anyone because my friends would not have understoodnot

589
 my relatives, not my friends. Everybody thought that I was being remiss in not
taking Lawson to a psychiatrist.
Dmodara clearly sees the advantage of the sannyss presence at the
temple to enthuse the devotees and guests, so he doesnt bring up the issue of
the Deities. But the next day, when Krtannanda announces that they will be
leaving after breakfast prasdam, Dmodara realizes he has to make his move.
Waiting for the right moment, he finally gets the chance to be alone with
Krtannanda. At first, he casually inquires about the success of the road
program. Mahrja is very enthusiastic about the preaching opportunities at
the colleges. Sensing the time is right, Dmodara makes his move. The Deities
look extremely beautiful.
Yes. Thanks to Silavati and Viujana Mahrja. Krtannanda
immediately understands Dmodaras intentions. We really appreciate you
giving the Deities to help us distribute Kas mercy to the conditioned souls.
How can we repay you?
Wait a minute! Dmodara completely loses his composure. It was just a
loan. You promised to return Them when we had enough brhmaas to worship
Them properly.
I dont think there should be any problem, Krtannanda answers
smoothly. Viujana Mahrja and Silavati are in charge of the Deities now.
Im sure you can work it out with them.
Dmodara remembers Viujana from LA and New York. He had always
liked and admired him because he was so gentle, humble, and considerate to the
devotees. He prefers to deal with Viujana than Krtannanda, who has a
reputation for being wily.
Viujana is in the temple bus finishing his rounds when Dmodara knocks
on the door, enters humbly, and offers obeisances to Rdh-Dmodara. Looking
up at Mahrja, whose tall figure towers above his own diminutive height,
Dmodara feels encouraged by the warm, friendly smile radiating on
Viujanas face. Wasting no time, Dmodara makes his request.
Over my dead body, Viujana says politely but firmly. He is shocked to
hear Dmodara claim proprietorship over the Supreme Lord. r r
Rdh-Dmodara are the life and soul of all these devotees who are traveling
and performing austerities on the order of Lord Caitanya. Theyre too attached

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to these Deities. They cant give Them up. Ill hear no more about it, he says
resolutely, picking up the rati bell and closing the altar curtains. Its time for
the Deities to take rest. Well have to leave the bus now. He ushers Dmodara
smoothly out the door and locks it behind him.
Completely flustered, Dmodara is at once sad and disappointed. He
promises himself to bring the matter up with rla Prabhupda and let His
Divine Grace settle the issue once and for all.
Dmodara: The Road Show was blessed with those beautiful Deities,
Rdh-Dmodara. I remember Viujana very fervently expressing his
attachment for those particular mrtis. He expressed something like, Over
my dead body, but he was a charming person. I dont think there was any
animosity there. I dont recall having taken it that way. He was just very
attached to those Deities.
Within an hour all the Road Show devotees are rounded up as the buses rev
up their engines ready to hit the road once again. Destination New York City.

Brooklyn, New York April 1972

In the middle of the Sunday feast program, as guests sit amongst devotees
quietly listening to the introductory lecture on bhakti-yoga, a great commotion
of buses and vans disturbs the peaceful mood. The Road Show has arrived!
Everyones attention is distracted. Toaa Ka, Kuldri, and Harikea had
come only a week earlier with tales of ecstatic sakrtana pastimes, so the
temple devotees are anticipating the imminent arrival of the transcendental
sakrtana extravaganza.
Viujana Swami and his brahmacrs storm out of the buses, mrdangas and
kartls perfectly in time, chanting a mighty kirtan. With Krtannanda Swami
leading the entourage, the kirtan party bursts dramatically into the temple
room, filled with sedate seekers of peace and love, at once capturing the focus
with a transcendental wave of sound.
Everybody is immediately caught up in the excitement. Something is
happening here! Yogesvara runs to pick up a mdaga, but he becomes so swept
up in the fervor of the moment that he doesnt even take the time to adjust the
strap. With the mdaga hanging way down to his knees, he throws himself into

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the vanguard of the kirtan, stretching out his arms to their maximum extent,
and locking into the powerful beat led by Viujana Swami.
On and on the kirtan goes, with Viujana dancing back and forth from the
rear of the temple room and back up to the front again. As he dances, he is
always on his tip toes, barely touching the floor as if riding a transcendental
unicycle. Then he begins jumping and everyone jumps with him. But he seems
to jump ten feet higher than everybody else, pounding away on his mdaga,
seemingly tireless.
Gokularajana: At first I felt a little threatened because we were the
Vaikuha Players and they were the Road Show, and I didnt know what to
expect. But I remember when they came it was just ecstatic. We had famous
kirtan leaders, like Bharadraja and Yogesvara, but when Viujana Swami
came in, leading that kirtan, he was so powerful it was like a transcendental
tidal wave. It was just amazing. When they came in that Sunday, that was one
of the best kirtans Ive ever been in!
All of a sudden the conch blows three times, and the curtains open to
reveal the glorious forms of r r Rdh-Govinda, just recently arrived from
Rajasthan, having been donated to Prabhupda by the Maharani of Jaipur. At
the sight of the Deities, the kirtan swells to an even higher pitch of devotional
rapture. Guests and devotees chant side by side in complete bliss, as if theyve
been doing this together all their lives.
This is Ka consciousness, says one of the Road Show brahmacrs, proud
to be part of Viujana Mahrjas traveling sakrtana party, to an amazed
guest who is the only person in the whole building not dancing and chanting as
if this was the final day before the end of the world.
After kirtan, Krtannanda Swami sits down to give a little talk while
Viujana Mahrja walks out to cool down and take a shower before prasdam.
As Yogesvara passes in the hallway, Mahrja stops him and says, Hey, you
know you play mdaga just like rnivas Acharya! Yogesvara is amazed. How
does Viujana Swami know what rnivas Acharyas mdaga style is like? The
only way he can understand it is that Viujana must be referring to a painting
that he has seen.
When Viujana Mahrja returns to the temple room after his shower,
Krtannanda requests him to say a few words to the audience before prasdam

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is served. Mahrja takes the opportunity to speak about the glories of
mah-prasdam and ends with a word of advice. If we only learn how to
properly honor prasdam, then all our problems will just go away.
For the rest of the night, guests and devotees stream onto the buses to see
how the Road Show devotees live and travel. Everyone is especially eager to see
Rdh-Dmodara in the temple bus, and a long line of people await their turn
to enter. Mother Silavati, sitting in front of the Deities, happily fanning Them
with a peacock fan, is so pleased to see everyone coming for darshan all evening.
The next morning Viujana Swami sweeps into the temple room, after
magala-rati on the bus, carrying Lord Dmodara right onto the Brooklyn
altar. Narada Muni follows him, carrying Rdhr. Although Rdh-Govinda
have just been installed, They move over so that Rdh-Dmodara can share
the altar with Them, which surprises some of the New York devotees.
Rdh-Dmodara remain on the altar for the few days the Road Show stays in
New York.
Mamata dev ds: Viujana would come in every morning and personally
bathe and take care of Rdh-Dmodara while Rukmini and I were taking
care of Rdh-Govinda. He was over in the corner with Rdh-Dmodara, a
sannys trying to stay separate from the women. Everything about him was
so dramatic, theatrical, and wonderfuljust even walking up and down the
stairs! He was so blissful and so wonderful to be around.
Silavati was so meticulous and so perfect, such attention to detail.
Everything had to be just right and perfect for Their Lordships. She was
wonderful and such a good pjr. Prabhupda said she was the standard,
and she really was. Thats why Viujana wanted her, because he knew her
from Los Angeles. She taught everyone Deity worship. I remember saying I
was going to put the Deities in Their pajamas, and she said, You mean offer
the Lord His night dress. She was so strict.

Boston May 1972

The Road Show causes quite a stir when they arrive in Boston as they shake
up the whole temple with their high-energy influence. The Boston devotees
open their hearts and give them the run of the temple. Everybody is excited
that the Road Show devotees plan to stay for a whole month. With the

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inspiring association of two sannyss and numerous senior Vaiavas, many
new persons join the temple during this period.
As before, Viujana Mahrja brings Rdh-Dmodara into the temple,
where They share the altar this time with r r Rdh-Gopivallabha.
Sometimes Mahrja dresses Them and other times Silavati dresses Them.
Although they are both totally dedicated to the Deities and completely
absorbed in Their service, Silavati is a little more technical in her
approachnot that she is any less devotional, but she manifests her devotion
in making sure that everything is just right. There is always a certain way to do
everything, and everything has to be done that way. She serves according to the
letter of the law while Viujanas mood is more towards the spirit of the law.
Together, their influence brings up the standard of Deity worship in Boston.
Sumati dev ds: Viujana Swami was very attached to Rdh-Dmodara.
He really loved those Deities. He was strict about everything, being punctual,
and opening the curtains on time. We were lax about that in Boston until he
came with the Road Show. Especially with Rdh-Dmodara on the altar, he
wanted to make sure that the curtains were opened at exactly seven oclock
for greeting the Deities.
Viujana Mahrja was always really kind to everyone. Even though he
was a sannys, he talked to the women. He would come into the pjr room
and ask me if there was some service he could do such as helping to clean the
pjr room or clean the altar.
Silavati trained me to do Deity worship. She mainly taught me that
punctuality and cleanliness were the most important things. They asked me to
join the Road Show, but then Silavati spoke to me. Im really the one that
takes care of Rdh-Dmodara, so you wouldnt have much to do, because
Im really selfish about Their service and I wouldnt let you do very much. So
I decided not to go.
The previous Boston temple president had been fanatical and had asked
Prabhupda, Whats the least amount that a devotee should actually eat?
Then he instituted that standard on everybodya half cup of yogurt and half
an orange for breakfast, two to four chapatis and one cup of dahl for lunch, and
half a cup of milk at night. That was it. No mah-prasdam. There was no heat,
no hot water, and no money. Devotees had to enter the temple room wrapped

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in blankets. The winter was so cold that almost everybody fell sick. There was a
heater on the altar for the Deities, but Sumati couldnt sew any new outfits
because the sewing room was freezing and her hands would quickly go numb.
But now Prajapati is temple president, and all the devotees are warm and happy.
Toaa Ka and Kuldri have already arrived one week earlierminus
Harikea, who has left for Indiaand are busy booking the colleges in the
Northeast. They have arranged several engagements in the Boston area,
including a television appearance. Toaa has developed a very subtle and
intriguing PR package. There is a lot of interest in eastern religions, which has
spawned from the hippie scene, and Toaa capitalizes on this with an elaborate
brochure. George Harrison is also popular, and the brochure captures that
whole mood.
Some colleges pay two thousand dollars for the Road Show to come. Kuldri
has developed a line that he uses to help book the show. During the
performance, you can get these transcendental experiences. And at one point,
if youre receptive, you can actually leave your body during the showan
out-of-body astral experience right there during the show.
The musicians practice in the basement of the Boston temple. Viujana
Swami and Aja are still writing and rehearsing their new idea for a genuine
Rock Opera on the level of Jesus Christ Superstar, but at this point they still
perform the old material. Except for kirtan, Viujana truly avoids getting
involved in the music, but for the first time anyone can remember, Viujana
Mahrja picks up a guitar and plays for a while. Everyone is astonished to see
how extremely accomplished he is on the instrument. Notwithstanding his
talent, Viujana doesnt want to get involved in playing because he knows that
old tendencies and attachments can rise again to hamper his advancement in
devotional life. So at most he will tune a guitar for someone, or show someone a
chord. But he will never go on stage and play. He has taken a vow. It is a
sacrifice, and he is not going to approach an instrument which can bring
material fame or sense gratification. He would rather play harmonium,
mdaga, and kartls for Ka.
Bdaryaa: I have a very strong impression of seeing Viujana Swami in
the basement of the Boston temple. Devotees told me that he used to play with
the Jefferson Airplane, and I was really into music. He was sitting down

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 playing guitar, and he looked so angelic. When I joined the temple I
surrendered several guitars, and it was one of my guitars that Viujana was
playing. He was very self-composed and very adept at what he was doing. He
had a certain aura about him, a certain kind of depth at the spiritual platform
that I hadnt really perceived in the other devotees. He played guitar
wonderfully, and I was very attracted. I thought, this person is very deep. It
really touched me that a devotee could play music, be a renunciate at the same
time, and yet be so in touch with both. It was very revolutionary to do that
kind of thing, so it made a great impression on me.
I thought I would love to go with this Road Show, so I briefly mentioned it
to him. He said, No, youre a new devotee. You should wait some time to get
more fixed up, and then we can see.
For all the young people who have just come to Ka consciousness,
Viujana Swami is an inspiration at every moment. Just to be around him and
see how thoroughly he is engaged in Ka consciousness inspires people to
surrender their life to the movement. It seems he is completely and constantly
absorbed in kirtan, beyond even eating and sleeping. He is very much a devotee
through and through, cent per cent, and his powerful kirtan attracts many new
people.
At Brandeis University, five hundred people cram into the auditorium to see
the Road Show performance. The music is not like rock music performed by a
rock band. Instead, it is background music to a Ka conscious theatrical
production. Viujana Mahrja plays a prominent role, being the main
attractive force. He also preaches, and his speaking is magical, like his singing,
saturated with devotional feelings for Rdh-Dmodara and the Holy Name.
He beckons the students, Please come closer. Come closer. We want to show
you something that has never been seen before in the Western world.
Mahrja directs their attention to Rdh-Dmodaras rati ceremony. As
the students draw nearer to watch, Viujana Mahrja begins chanting. By the
end of the kirtan, almost every person in the hall is leaping out of their
seatsmen, women, students, babies, everybody. The Boston devotees are
overjoyed to see this wonderful response.
Pyari Mohan: The devotees had tie-dye dhotis and did plays. There was loud
electric music, and you couldnt hear anything else. When the lights went out,

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they had a spotlight on Rdh-Dmodara on Their altar high up on the stage.
Someone was offering rati. Everyones attention in the whole theater was
completely fixed on the rati, and their minds were captured by the music. It
was really mystical.
Later, I approached Viujana Swami and said, Mahrja, is there
anything I can do for you? He said, Yes, tell me a story about Ka. So I
told the story about Sisupala at the Rajasuya sacrifice. I was amazed that he
just asked me that when I wanted to do something for him. Sannyss were
very rare in those days. I was expecting him to be a heavy type of person, but
he was so gentle and humble, and always in blissful Ka consciousness.
Suhotra: When the Road Show came to Boston they were just working on a
concept. Viujana Mahrja had a slide show, and he tried to have a total
engagement for the senses of the audiencea total transcendental experience
for the mind and senses. Our whole conception of spiritual life and what was
transcendental was very much intertwined with the drug experience, San
Francisco, hippies, Avalon Ballroom, the Fillmore, and the whole thing.
Viujana took that San Francisco total psychedelic experience and
transformed it into Ka consciousness, a Ka conscious transcendental
experience. It had a very great effect, and I think it was very potent. That
tradition was the idea of the Road Show. It was Krtannanda Swamis
original concept, so Viujana Mahrja wont get sole credit for having
thought it up, but when Viujana Mahrja came on board, they all said he
really lifted it many notches. He had a very sophisticated outlook for that
time.
Mithiladisa: I heard a tape playing in the temple. It was Viujana singing the
morning melody. I asked, Who is that? That doesnt sound like the same
person singing on the other tapes.
No, its not. This is Viujana Mahrja. Prabhupda said his singing
will conquer the world. I never forgot that, so when he came to Boston, I
approached him with awe and reverence and asked his advice about
controlling my mind. I was unhappy with my service and didnt have enough
time to chant my rounds. I was hoping he would say, Oh, come with me.
Instead, he told me, You can memorize one verse every day. This will help
you control your mind. The advice was very well appreciated. Later, when I
took his advice seriously, it had a profound effect on my life, inspired by

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 taking the instruction of guru, through my godbrother.
On sunny days Viujana likes to chant his japa outside the temple, pacing
back and forth, holding his daa. When meeting a godbrother, Viujana
Swami is always very personal. Hare Ka! Please accept my obeisances.
Because he is so personal, he can make even the most insignificant person feel
very worthy and important. Whenever a sakrtana van pulls up in front of the
temple, Viujana approaches to inquire how sakrtana is going. He is the hero
of all the brahmacrs. They point him out to guests, Thats Viujana Swami.
Hes a very special devotee, very advanced.
For the Road Show people everything is so exciting because every day is
chock full of activity. The performance at a local TV station thrills the
devotees. At the television studio the tie-dye cloth is spread out all around the
set, and the devotees have their faces painted with lotus flowers around their
eyes. Aja is dressed as the Jester. They perform the butter churning scene and
sing one song. Rdh-Dmodara stand prominently on the stage, and it seems
They enjoy being on TV once again with Their devotees. Afterwards,
Krtannanda Swami answers a few questions during a short interview.
The big show, however, is at the University of Massachusetts, about two
hours west of Boston. The engagement is a whole day event, with the Boston
players and the Vaikuha Players from New York performing on the same bill
as the First Transcendental Rock Opera.

Amherst, Massachusetts May 1972

Around the Amherst area there are five colleges, but the University of
Massachusetts is the biggest, with over 30,000 students. The three Road Show
buses drive out behind Krtannanda Swami and rutakrti in the Chevy van,
with Tulasi-dev in a pot between the two front seats. They are met on campus
by hundreds of devotees who have already come from all over the Northeast for
the huge all-day festival.
Amherst represents the decadence of the era. They are experimenting with
everything, including co-educational dormitories and bathrooms. The rooms
are always open with all sorts of things going on in plain view. Devotees are
shocked to see the co-ed bathrooms. The brahmacrs feel strange using the
facilities after hearing the story of one devotee who was passing when some

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women walked in all of a sudden and started talking to him. So when devotees
have to use the bathrooms, they really have to check first. The Road Show is a
difficult service, having to preach in such incompatible circumstances and
having to mix with people totally devoid of principles. But in spite of the
vagaries of Kali-yuga, Vaiavas want to deliver the mercy of Rdh-Dmodara
by engaging everyone in devotional life.
Satarupa dev ds: We had to go change in the dorms, and they were co-ed
dorms. I didnt want to go in the bathroom because men were in the bathroom
in the ladies dorm. I was shocked.
Kuldri: I remember going into this co-ed dorm to use the bathroom, and
there were women in the bathroom. The brahmacrs were talking about how
degraded it wasmen and women living together in schoolshow degraded
western education had become.
Except for these bizarre conditions, the engagement in Amherst is very
successful. The Hare Ka festival is scheduled for the whole day on campus,
and many students attend the program. The festival is set up in the middle of an
open U-shaped concourse, surrounded by high rise dormitories. Bob Shectman
is dressed in tie-dye pants and shirt as he and his men carry gigantic Voice of
the Theater speaker cabinets from his bus to the stage. The cabinets are ten feet
tall with enormous horns sitting on top for high frequencies. Bob sets up a
mountain of speakers and sound equipment that seems to reach to the sky.
The devotees have cooked huge amounts of prasdam and brought it all the
way from Boston. The geodesic dome is set up, and prasdam is served to
thousands of students all day long. At the same time many book distributors sell
BTGs and KA books.
Sumati has brought the little Rdh-Gopivallabha Deities, who stand about
six inches tall, along with Their little swing. The swing is fastened between two
trees in the quadrangle, and all day long students are lined up to swing the
Deities.
Boston temple begins the stage program with their performance of Dvivida
Gorilla, starring Prajapati and Gaurahari. They are great actors, very
spontaneous, and know how to use the audience. Gaurahari, playing the gorilla
Dvivida, grabs a girl from the audience and drags her behind the stage.

599
Gauraharis wife lets out a scream, so it seems as if the girl is screaming.
Thousands of students are enjoying the festival, and the audience roars with
laughter at Gauraharis gorilla impersonation.
Next, the Vaikuha Players do three plays, The Age of Kali, King Nrga,
and The Ballad of Everyman. Their dramas are usually Ka ll with a few
modifications, but all within Vedic scope. The Road Show performance,
however, is different. It is designed to be on the audiences level. The rock
music is also a modification to appeal to the taste of the audience and attract
college students.
The Transcendental Rock Opera is the main event, performed at the end of
the day as twilight turns into evening. They do the old show that was created in
Houston, with everyone dressed in tie-dye, with stars, and lotus-eye make-up.
Bob projects huge images of Ka and Mah Vishnu onto the walls of the
dormitory buildings, as the music blasts through the huge sound system. The
program continues well on into the evening, with people dancing and chanting
Hare Ka all over campus.
Some temple devotees wonder how anyone can continue performing like the
Road Show does, week after week, month after month, and maintain strong
Ka consciousness within such a polluted atmosphere. But the program is so
successful that Viujana carries on the final kirtan at the end of the
performance, even as the roadies are breaking down the stage.
Gokularanjana: I can see Viujana Mahrja in my mind. I can see his face
up against the sky, and it seemed like he was just floating there, as if his feet
never touched the ground. He was leading kirtan, playing mdaga, and it
resounded throughout the concourse, like an echo. He was up on the steps, low
wide steps, leading the kirtan, and everybody was caught up in it. All the
students were jumping up and down, even the ones that werent really
interested. I was thinking he must be a demigod who came to assist
Prabhupda. To this day, I still do. You could say he was an empowered
devotee. He took Prabhupdas mercy very seriously. There was a story where
he said, Its because of your mercy, rla Prabhupda, and Prabhupda
said, No, Im distributing it equally, but you are taking advantage of it. And
he was taking advantage of it. He was always so full of lifesuch an
energetic, enthusiastic devotee.

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Janrdana: The Road Show was about a lost soul who was struggling to find
his identity and purpose in life, and they had some pretty songs. This was a big
production, a Rock Opera. Rdh-Dmodara were there, and again I
thought, Wow, this is wonderful. Id love to travel with this and be with
Viujana Swami. He was the musical acharya in the movement, the
representative of the demigods. When he chanted, the demigods would cry. At
least we certainly cried. It was well deserved.
Loka-mangala: The Vaikuha Players put on their performances during the
day, and the grand finale was the evening performance by the Road Show. I
saw their set up when we arrived and I was intimidated, because I thought,
How can we compete with all this? We also had music in our plays, but the
Road Show was much more sophisticated, with a lot more time and energy put
into the production. I was definitely keen to see it. They had two sannyss,
mountains of equipment, and at least twenty-five people. We were all eagerly
anticipating their performance. Of course, it had its flaws, which I recognized
even then, but still I was overwhelmed by the sights, the songs, the music, and
the interaction of the devotees, especially the appearance of Viujana Swami
and Krtannanda Mahrja. It was an amazing experience for me, and I
was very impressed.
Bdaryaa: I was in awe by the whole performance. I could see that it was
Viujanas artistic masterpiece, in a sense. I was enthralled by the idea of
Ka consciousness being presented this way. It was so wonderful. I thought,
This is the movement with the most far-out people.
Abhirma: I was always fond of Viujana, and his kirtans were always
thrilling and inspiring, but I didnt appreciate that phase of Rdh-Dmodara
at all. I didnt like the theater, although it was entertaining. I disliked it
because it was so obviously contrived. It didnt excite me, but I didnt
condemn it either. It did instigate a lot of preaching opportunities around it,
so I was attracted to go and be at the festivals.
Satyanarayana: The whole Road Show performance was an unbelievable
event. Viujana was magical to me. This was the time when he was chanting
and he got about five hundred people to offer their obeisances to
Rdh-Dmodarathe karms, the devotees, everyone. He was this magical

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 entity who just made people do things. They wanted to be in his aura.
Krtannanda Swami was there too, but for me, he was overshadowed by
Viujana Mahrja.
Hasyagrami: Rupanuga was so impressed. He loved it and said, Ive got to do
this. He had been thinking about taking sannysa for some time, so within a
month he took sannysa and started his own little road show with Abhirma,
Gokularanjana, Satyanarayana, Brajajana, and me. Rupanuga got a bus,
and we went up and down the East Coast. Wed have programs and sing the
Road Show tunes.
After spending the night on campus, the Road Show buses leave for Boston
the next afternoon. Following their normal daily routine, devotees remain on
campus to answer questions from interested students who gather around. The
performance had been very well received, and everybody feels satisfied that
Rdh-Dmodaras mercy was given to all.
rla dsa: I was hitchhiking to Boston with an old couple, and we passed this
bus with Hare Ka Hare Ka, Ka Ka Hare Hare / Hare Rama
Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare, written all over it in the
Haight-Ashbury psychedelic type of lettering. I said to myself, Wow, this is
the Magic Bus! I had always heard about the Magic Bus on the Magical
Mystery Tour. I became excited as we were passing, because I wanted to ride
on that bus.
A little further down the road, rla asks the old couple to pull the car over
and let him off. He jumps out of the vehicle and emphatically sticks out his
thumb, seeing the Magic Bus coming towards him in the distance. As the bus
approaches, his excitement mounts. At last the bus comes by, but roars right
past him. rla turns to watch his Magic Bus drifting down the highway to
finally disappear into the horizon. Oh, no. I was supposed to be on that bus.
His optimism turns to dejection. He is completely disappointed.
Suddenly he notices an old VW van has stopped fifty yards up the road. His
first thought is, Go away. I want to ride with the bus. But seeing that its
already dusk, when every hitchhiker knows the golden thumb turns into a
pumpkin and you cant get a ride, he quickly comes to his senses. He runs over
to the van to accept the lift. To his surprise, the driver is a devotee,

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Mahprabhu, the Road Show flute player. He offers rla a seat and preaches to
him as they drive into Boston. Why dont you come to the temple? he asks.
Its a special festival today.
rla: It was the Sunday feast. At first I declined, because I lived on a boat in
Boston Harbor and had to hitchhike across town to get home and go to work
the next morning. But he convinced me to come to the temple and take the free
feast. When we arrived at the temple, the feast was finished and the prasdam
was gone, except for some rice. So I took that. Then Rdh Kanta, a Road
Show bus driver, invited me to stay the night. He took me to see the Deities,
but all I could see, without my glasses, was just a glare. Still, I could see that it
was an altar. Because I was impersonal, I said, Is all this ritual necessary?
Then Viujana Mahrja began showing a slide show about
Rdh-Dmodara. They were the first Deities I ever saw. I had no idea what
Deities were, or who Ka was, or anything about the philosophy, but
Viujana Mahrja was speaking with so much devotion and so much
affection for Rdh-Dmodara, that it just melted my heart and I was sorry I
had been so critical.
The next morning, I got up early with everyone else, and Viujana
Mahrja gave class. He read from Nectar of Devotion. Before the reading,
he sang the prayers to the six Goswamis, vande rpa-santanau raghu-yugau
r-jva-goplakau... Then he sang a little composition of his own, like a
Gregorian chant. The nectar, of devotion, is an ocean, of bliss! It reminded
me of how the Catholic monks would chant in Latin without any
accompaniment. He sang this at various times throughout the day. It was his
spontaneity, and his freedom that formed my first impression of him. He was
sweet and completely attractive. I knew from that point on that I had to be a
devotee of Ka.

Eighteenth WaveBright Lights, Big City

In the higher sense, Thou shalt not kill means you have to take the prasdam
of Ka.
Room Conversation, New Delhi, December 12, 1971

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 Brooklyn, New York June 1972

namo apavitra pavitro v

sarvvasth gato pi v
ya smaret puarkka
sa bahybhyantara uci
r viu r viu r viu, svaha
Twenty devotees throw their grains into the fire, responding in unison,
svh! Chandrasekhara, Gadi, and Aja are among the new initiates sitting in
front of the sacrificial fire as Krtannanda Swami ladles in more ghee. The
sound of svh echoes among the rafters of the old bank building which the
Road Show devotees have converted into a theater. It has also become their
new home, where they live, rehearse, and worship. Rdh-Dmodara preside
over the ceremony, watching Their devotees surrender their lives to devotional
service.
Located by the wharf under the Brooklyn Bridge, the old bank is a big, dark
building where performances of the Hare Ka Rock Opera are presented for
the public. The theater also serves as an ashram and temple, with
Rdh-Dmodara as the presiding Deities. Krtannanda chants on everyones
beads, authorized by Prabhupda to do so on his behalf. This is the first time
someone other than Prabhupda chants on beads for new initiates. The
wonderful ceremony in the presence of Rdh-Dmodara is both beautiful and
intimate.
After Boston, the Road Show troupe had come to Brooklyn, only to find that
the temple had no room for thirty additional devotees. Bob Shectman had
already rented the abandoned bank building, thinking it could be transformed
into a theater, so there was little choice but to have everyone live in the theater
and come to the temple for rati and class. When the devotees first entered the
aged building, it appeared to be only a horrible dark place, reminiscent of a
dungeon. But the brahmacrs built a professional stage, equipped with all the
necessary props for presenting a theatrical production. With a lot of hard work,
the old bank was quickly converted into a theater.
Now that the building has been turned into a proper theater, Viujana
Mahrja has an idea. He puts the top of the geodesic dome up on the roof and

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dubs the old bank The Dome Theater. A big sign advertising the Rock Opera
is placed on the roof beside the Dome, facing the Brooklyn Bridge, so passing
cars cannot miss seeing it.
Now that the theater is complete, Viujana wants to have a procession to
the Henry Street temple where Rdh-Dmodara will be honored and received
at the Sunday Feast. As the palanquin is readied for the excursion, Viujana
recounts how the Los Angeles devotees used to take the Deities for a stroll
around the block every Sunday when he was a brahmacr. Excitement takes
over the old building when Mahrja starts up an enthusiastic kirtan to
accompany the procession. Four strong brahmacrs lift the palanquin onto
their shoulders for Rdh-Dmodaras tour through affluent Brooklyn Heights
and blue-collar Cobble Hill.
At the temple, Viujana Mahrja leads a powerful sundara-rati kirtan
and gives the Sunday lecture. He speaks about pure and impure reminiscences,
how we always reminisce about our own pastimes. He explains that smaraam,
remembering, means to become fully conscious of Kas pastimes so that we
can reminisce about that. This is the pure reminiscence.
After class, Viujana leads a small gathering up to the second floor to
answer more questions. Many people follow him into the yellow room adjacent
to the presidents office. Mandalesvara accompanies Mahrja to the end of the
hallway and stands at the door, inviting the guests in. He waits until everyone is
comfortably seated before entering himself. As he sits down towards the rear,
Mahrja is in the middle of answering a question.
Chanting sixteen rounds and following the four regulative principles is the
minimum you can do so your spiritual master will not be displeased. Viujana
explains that anyone who chants the Holy Name with heartfelt devotion will be
able to see Ka Himself in the Deity. The sound vibration of Kas Holy
Name alone evokes deep feelings of devotion. You may see the Deity and you
might start to cry, or youll look around at the Sunday feast and hear all the
devotees preaching, and the preaching will sound like the most beautiful music
in the world.
When Viujana looks for another question, Mandalesvara quickly raises his
hand.
How can I make spiritual advancement?

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 You should find a devotee you respect, and serve that devotee, Mahrja
answers. Wash his clothes, bring him prasdam, whatever you can do for him. I
did that for Brahmnanda Swami. He was sannys and I was sannys, but I
could see that he was more advanced so I served him.
This mood of service to the devotees is called dsa-anudsa. Our
constitutional position is to be a servant, and when we engage in service to the
devotees we begin to experience the bliss of being rightly situated. Until we
come to the position of truly being a servant, then we will always remain in
illusion and be unfit to enter the eternal abode, Goloka Vndvana.
Lord Caitanya has explained this in His ikakam:
td api suncena taror api sahiun
amnin mnadena krtanya sad hari
One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking
oneself lower than the straw in the street. One should be more tolerant than the
tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and ready to offer all respects to others. In
such a state of mind, one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.
(ikakam)
Following this supreme teaching of Lord Caitanya is the secret of success for
advancement in spiritual life.
While Viujana preaches to the guests, the Vaikuha Players perform one
of their plays in the temple room from a small repertoire that they constantly
rotate for Sunday programs. Yet some people prefer to stay and listen to
Viujana Swami. After the play everyone takes the feast, and then
Rdh-Dmodara and Their devotees drive back to the theater.

Los Angeles May 1972

The Road show devotees have been living at the Dome for one month, since
Krtannanda Swami left the party when Prabhupda gave him another service.
One week after the Amherst concert, the Road Show troupe had left Boston to
spend the summer in Brooklyn. Before settling into the Dome theater,
Krtannanda Swami had received a call from Prabhupda to come see him in
Los Angeles. Prabhupda requested him to arrive before May 27 to participate
in a big sannysa initiation ceremony.

606
 Kuldri, Toaa, and rutakrti drive Krtannanda in the old Chevy van
across country to California. Within three days the party pulls up in front of
3764 Watseka Avenue just before the big event. The new sannysa candidates
are Satsvarpa, Rupanuga, Bali Mardan, and Hridaynanda.
Anaga-majar has also come to Los Angeles to speak with His Divine
Grace about her husbands desire for sannysa. They are both young and have
only been married a short while. During the meeting, rla Prabhupda asks
Anaga-majar three times if she agrees with Hridaynandas taking sannysa.
He explains that it will be very difficult for both parties since they are so young
and cannot understand what the future may hold. Therefore, it is best to think
it over and be cent per cent sure. But Anaga-majar simply wants to please
her spiritual master. Anything for you, rla Prabhupda, she replies.
Just at this point, Krtannanda Swami and crew are announced by
Prabhupdas servant. As they enter the room, they introduce a lighter mood
and relieve some of the tension. Prabhupda is keen to hear the news of the
Rdh-Dmodara traveling sakrtana party. Toaa and Kuldri show him
their promotional materials and lots of photographs. Krtannanda brings out a
tape of the best Road Show songs to play for His Divine Grace. As
Mangalananda sings the first song, Krtannanda explains, Prabhupda,
theyre singing Youre not that body.
All right. Very nice, Prabhupda smiles. On hearing the second number,
Prabhupda inquires, Who is singing?
Thats Viujana Mahrja.
Yes. Anyone who hears his voice will become a devotee, he says, tipping
his head.
Anaga-majar dev ds: Krtannanda Swami was playing a tape of the
Road Show with Viujana Mahrja singing. I was sitting right there. It was
a treat that we got to sit in the room listening to these tapes while Prabhupda
was sitting in a big armchair. I was sitting at his feet, and I remember feeling
it was like father sitting in the armchair with the family sitting around. We
were all eager to hear whatever he said, and I remember, he said, Anyone
who hears his voice will become a devotee.
After listening to the songs Prabhupda changes the subject. He is

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concerned that New Vndvana is not being managed properly in the absence
of Krtannanda Mahrja. Although the Road Show is a strong preaching
vehicle, Prabhupda doesnt want any of his existing projects to weaken at the
same time. And with so much mixing between men and women, the Road Show
might not be an appropriate program for a sannys to manage. Nevertheless,
rla Prabhupda approves the program. He likes the songs, he likes the
concept, and he likes the idea of the traveling Deities, Rdh-Dmodara, being
on the road. But he also needs a leader to manage the affairs of New Vndvana.
The concept of varrama-dharma is becoming more important in ISKCON,
and Prabhupda gives Krtannanda definitive instructions how to set up New
Vndvana and really begin developing it as a farm project. In the end, he
requests Krtannanda to return and make New Vndvana a place where all
devotees can congregate.
Immediately after the sannysa initiations, Krtannanda goes back to New
Vndvana with rutakrti, while Toaa and Kuldri return to Brooklyn to
continue their service promoting the theater troupe. After Hridaynanda takes
sannysa, Anaga-majar receives a ticket to fly to New York to join the Road
Show. Hridaynanda makes the arrangement, because he knows that she will be
happy preaching and traveling with Rdh-Dmodara. Her service will be to
assist Silavati with the Deity worship.

Brooklyn June 1972

Having the Road Show devotees in Brooklyn is an event, but they increase
the temple programs by thirty people which, at times, causes bedlam because the
temple is too small. In addition, the theater production requires a lot more free
association amongst men and women so the free association is a cause for
controversy. Brooklyn is a straight and staunch temple, consequently the
temple authorities prefer that the Road Show devotees live at the theater under
the bridge. Sometimes the Road Show devotees go back and forth to the temple
for the morning program, but they are seen as rebellious, unusual devotees, as
opposed to the hard-line brahmacr preachers.
Anaga-majar dev ds: Some of the devotees thought the Road Show was
my, but it didnt affect me. It wasnt loose on the Road Show, but it was
intimate. Of all the brahmacrs on the Road Show, I hardly ever talked to

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 one. There might have been some friendships amongst the devotees, but it was
more like the old days in ISKCON, friendly but never loose.
Aja: There was definitely a certain looseness, but it was a kind of innocent
looseness. It was not so much in terms of the relationships between men and
women which was always very chaste, but there were people running around
backstage changing costumes and relating to one another, throughout the
course of the show, in ways that would not be appropriate for a brahmacr
and a brahmacrin. We were somewhat naive in those days, but nothing
untoward ever happened to my knowledge. We couldnt even conceive of
serious violations in those days. It was beyond our ken to imagine something
like that, but we werent seeing the women as our mother. There could have
been attractions, of course, but that happens in any temple.
Although the Dome serves as a wonderful facility to present theater, it is not
a very nice place to live. Since it was originally a bank, there are no proper
facilities for bathing or cooking. Everyone has to shower in a place that is like a
dungeon, with only one pipe for water coming off the side of a wall in a very
dark area. The lighting is old and inadequate, so the living conditions are very
austere. Sometimes, the ladies go over to the Henry Street temple in the
afternoon just to have a decent shower. But the devotees are young enough to
take the hardships, and it doesnt bother them too much, even though walking
back and forth to the temple is an austere routine. That they are willing to
accept difficult conditions and remain happy in their service indicates
everyones total dedication to serve Rdh-Dmodaras program.
Over time, the Dome becomes more and more livable. It develops into a
wonderful temple in its own right after a special place for the Deities is
arranged and Rdh-Dmodara also move in. Every evening, after
Bhagavad-gt class, Viujana Mahrja reads the KA book as devotees sit
together taking hot milk prasdam. The mood of camaraderie is as warm as the
white bucket of steaming hot milk, around which everyone sits like a gathering
around the campfire. Some of the brahmacrs fill up their bowls five or six
times as they listen to Mahrjas dramatic reading of Kas pastimes.
Rdh-Dmodara also listen from behind a tie-dye curtain that Silavati has
hung up in front of Their altar. Each night, as Viujana Mahrja gives his
wonderful KA book reading, devotees sit in front of the altar while Silavati

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offers the Deities Their night outfit. The tie-dye curtain is so thin, you can see
the silhouette of Silavati dressing Rdh-Dmodara. The scene is like a mystical
vision. Watching Silavatis silhouette serving Their Lordships and listening to
Mahrjas lavish recitation of the pageantry of Kas wonderful pastimes,
everyone is rapt in contented contemplation, sipping their hot milk. The Dome
has been transformed into a dream temple laden with exquisite nectar.
The women adore Silavati, whom they see as spiritual energy personified,
always totally absorbed in service. She and Viujana Swami are the driving
force of the Road Showher steadiness in taking care of Rdh-Dmodara as
well as caring for the women, and his strength in keeping everyone enthused to
sustain the program. Together they are a powerful preaching team.
Another unique aspect of the Dome temple is the offering of prasdam.
Viujana engages everybody in making the offering to Rdh-Dmodara.
After Silavati brings in the offering and says gyatr, then all the devotees
chant the prama-mantras along with her. After chanting the mantras,
everyone offers this prayer in unison:
Oh my Lord, what am I, and what is my value?
I, who am eternal, full of knowledge and bliss,
have falsely identified with this body
which is temporary, full of ignorance and misery.

And what is the value of these things we have offered you?

They are also of the same temporary nature.
But You, dear Lord Ka, are the most expert mystic,
and as such, You can enter into anything
and change matter into Spirit as You like.

And as You are always anxious to accept the offerings

from the hands of Your pure devotees,
so we have offered these nice foodstuffs unto the hands
of Your most pure devotee, rla Prabhupda.
Please, therefore accept, and if You are satisfied,
then we are satisfied.
Viujana Mahrja has expanded this prayer that he originally wrote and

610
introduced in Austin last year. He still retains the same mood of bringing
everyone immediately to the devotional platform by his own devotional nature.
For breakfast prasdam, devotees are usually served a creamy, sweet oatmeal,
full of raisins, and so tasty that huge amounts are consumed. Viujana honors
prasdam with the devotees and has intimate exchanges with them.
rla: He used to confide his realizations often. One day over breakfast he
said, This morning I was chanting my rounds and my beads felt like
cintmai stones. The way he spoke about it we could also feel and share his
realization. He was like that, very intimate, spontaneous, and natural all the
time.
Atendriya: One morning Viujana announced, I had a wonderful dream
last night. I dreamt that Prabhupda gave me a sweet ball and when I ate it, it
exploded in my head nine times. Like fireworks.
Nanda Kishor: Viujana was just amazingthe way he did everything.
When we were about to take prasdam, he would say, Who can say
something in praise of prasdam? Everyday he would say it, and every day
all the devotees, about thirty of us, would say something different in praise of
prasdam. It was an amazing phenomenon that only Viujana could cook
up in the first place. There were so many answers, It tastes good. It frees
you from past sins. It inoculates you against my. Every day he would say
this just as we were taking prasdam, and every day we seemed to come up
with new things to say.
One time Viujana said, At the time of death the one thing that you
most value, you lose. And what is that? He would make us think, then he
would answer. Your breath. You cant even breathe.
Everyone loves Viujana Mahrja because he is such a down-to-earth
leader. He is never above the devotees but always completely with the devotees.
They respect him as the natural leader, because he is the most spiritually
advanced and he has a vision of what he wants to do. He is not so qualified
managerially, but there are other devotees who manage and, because of his
mood, they manage in a mellow way.
There is a weekly iagoh for complaints and suggestions. Gradually,
devotees begin to complain about the things that Viujana cant do that

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Krtannanda used to do. But Silavati quickly speaks up. First you were
complaining about Krtannanda Swami, and you said you wanted Viujana
Mahrja. Now youve got Viujana Mahrja, and youre complaining about
him? This is starting to go bad. No one can argue with Silavati. She is a pillar
and one of the strongest devotees on the party.
When Krtannanda Swami arrives from Los Angeles to perform the
Initiation Ceremony at the Dome, he requests his original men to return to the
farm. He needs their help preparing for a grand Janmam festival for
Rdh-Vndvana Chandra, followed by a huge Vyasa Puja celebration for
rla Prabhupda, who will personally attend. Mahrja asks Kuldri to
continue booking the Road Show and later rejoin him in New Vndvana.
While Krtannanda is in town, Zubin comes to the theater to collect the
huge tie-dye tent he had loaned the Swami six months back.
Zubin: The next time I saw Krtannanda Swami, they were staying under
the Brooklyn Bridge in that theater. I had made contact with him while he was
on the road, to please send back the tie-dye tent, but he kept on finding
excuses. I love Krtannanda, but his own cleverness is sometimes too clever
for his own good. Anyone who was part of that Road Show was a very
fortunate soul, because, I tell you, it was one of the greatest moments of my
life. The lectures that Krtannanda used to give every morning were so
blissful. He was so inspired. Everybody was. It was a really inspiring time. But
I finally got the tent back in Brooklyn in rags, all ripped to pieces. It didnt
leave me with such good feelings, after he gave his word that he would take
care of it. I confronted him, but he was so clever, this guy. He could talk his
way out of anything. Thats the problem with religious fanaticism, when you
take it to the extreme that you use it as a crutch to compensate for anything
you do. He was able to rationalize the whole story. But it was worth it all.
Who cares, if it served his purpose? It helped them out, so I felt really good
about that. I was just disappointed that he didnt keep his word, because he
was the leader, and for him not to keep his word?
When half of the old guard leaves for New Vndvana with Krtannanda, a
new contingent of actors and musicians immediately augments the production,
attracted by its increasing success. Among the new people are actors who can
sing and musicians who are more competent players. With the departure of

612
Dulal Chandra to New Vndvana, two drummers take his place, Bahusira and
Atendriya. They play perfectly together, with Atendriya laying down a solid
beat as Bahusira does free style improvisational fills. Gariyan and Gadi are still
the bass and lead guitar respectively, with Mangalananda as singer, songwriter,
and second guitar. Mahprabhu remains as the flute player. Varanasi dev
becomes Silavatis servant and assistant pjr.
The entire production is revamped, and the flavor of the new presentation
becomes more innovative. Everyone works hard to polish the music, the lyrics,
and the story line. The songs are better than ever and fit into a well-developed
plot. The show has become more complete and more sophisticated because
Viujana and Aja really want it to be a world-class Rock Opera. Viujana
Mahrja has brought the right kind of mood, being an entertainer as well as a
serious devotee. He is dedicated to the presentation of Ka consciousness in a
theatrical and entertaining way.
Jesus Christ Superstar is currently playing on Broadway and has worldwide
popularity. Toaa and Kuldri get tickets for the show to critique it. But they
are appalled at the commercialized presentation of the concept of God, and the
son of God. As devotees, they are repulsed by it, but they are only there to get a
feel for the production. They come out of the theater confident that they have
a niche to play off, and an equally good show as well.
Prajapati and Satarupa come down from Boston to help direct the actors and
choreograph the dancers, respectively. Every day is practice, practice, practice,
in order to finalize the production for opening night. Gone is the Jester show
with its sparse plot, replaced by a genuine Rock Opera with a new character,
Ringer. The Ringer theme embodies realistic elements, like a sakrtana party
that distributes a magazine to Ringer, who goes through the entire process of
becoming Kas devotee.
Toaa and Kuldri get demos ready for George Harrison to hear. Everybody
wants to try and make it into a major production. Why not? Prabhupda is
encouraging them. They want to shoot for the rhinoceros because
Rdh-Dmodara are right there on stage. The whole thing seems to have
enormous potential.
The First Transcendental Rock Opera is advertised to the public as an off
Broadway showway off Broadwayacross the bridge in Brooklyn. Devotees

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hand out discount passes on sakrtana, and the theater is almost filled for every
performance. The program is a transcendental multi-media extravaganza for
the senses, with music, drama, philosophy, prasdam distribution, and book
distribution. Bob has refined and enhanced the light show and slide show. Local
devotees take advantage of the situation as their first chance to go to the
theater. Because its their own devotee theater, everyone is eager to attend.
Lokamangala: This was a performance on successive nights that they were
doing to a paying public. I think this was one of the first times that a
non-devotee paying public was invited to see a performance put on by the
Hare Kas at a conventional theater. But there were a lot of things that
needed tightening if they were to perform before a discriminating public. I
could see that there were areas that were weak in the overall production, and
the zest, the enthusiasm, and the overall exuberance that was there in
Amherst was somewhat diminished in the theater.
Pancha Ratna: I was there when they had their premiere. It was all very
positive and exciting and could really do something. Everyone liked the guitar
playing of Gadi. Viujana Swami was so lovable. He was quite an amazingly
attractive person, who was really everyones friend, so you couldnt help but
love him. He was concentrating all his energy in developing this Road Show.
Bimala dev ds: I thought it was so timely. It was everything I liked before I
came to the movementthe music, the drama, the psychedelic
influencebut now it was transcendental and pure. It was a great story and
really well done. It was so enlivening and exciting. It was brilliant.
Lochanananda: They were doing a program that was very much like Hair. I
thought it was my. In those days if you were playing rock music, or in a rock
band, there was something wrong with you. You were on the way out; a
fringie. But Viujanas group of devotees had memorized Chapter Two of
Bhagavad-gt. They would sit together and recite the whole chapter, just in
English, and I was very impressed. In those days nobody knew any Sanskrit
and nobody was memorizing, but they were memorizing the whole Gita in
English, chapter by chapter.
Mandalesvara: The Road Show performance brought tears to my eyes. All
that sentiment and attachment for Rdh-Dmodara just carried me away.

614
 So I experienced some shadow attachment.
Bhakti dev ds: Everybody was talking about the Road Show and how
exciting it was. I remember them taking me to a very dark parking lot. When
you walked into the building, it was also dark, and there were rows of seats
along the sides. It was a performance that was open to the public, and it was
crowded. The music was very loud, and I remember being quite surprised that
there would be rock music in the Hare Ka movement.
From a musical point of view the show seems pretty good, and everyone is
happy with its progress. As the show is improving, Mangalananda is becoming
more involved in the philosophy. One day he approaches Viujana with his
realization.
Mahrja, I think its crazy that brahmacrs are involved with women in a
show like this. It doesnt seem to make any sense.
Well, this is the spirit of Ka consciousness, Viujana Swami replies.
Dont worry about it. Just do your service.
Mangalananda: The most amazing story of all had nothing to do with the
show. Viujana, myself, and a few devotees were standing outside the theater
talking, when all of a sudden a sewer cap in the street was pushed off. A guy
crawled out of the sewer with a harmonica holder round his neck, in clothes
that were covered with stains, like a painter. On the harmonica holder he had
fastened a picture of Ka, so wherever he walked he was staring at it. He
just crawled out of the sewer, walked right past us, and never blinked. He just
kept going. To all of our amazement, Viujana said, I know that guy. I
know who that is. That has to be the weirdest thing that ever happened to me
in my life.
The strange person with the harmonica holder is Carl, an eccentric who
previously hung around Haight-Ashbury and always showed up for the
Frederick Street prasdam program. When he heard that one should always
remember Ka, he began wearing a harmonica holder with an attached
picture of Ka wherever he went!

615
 As in every temple, an important element of the Road Show program is
going out for sakrtana. Rdh-Dmodara are ever eager to participate and
always go out with the devotees. Their portable palanquin/altar has an
attractive curved roof, with curtains, so They can have some privacy if They
want. A favorite spot is right in front of the New York Public Library on Fifth
nd
Avenue and 42 Street. Other popular spots are at the Empire State Building,
th
at Times Square, and in front of Macys Department store on 34 Street.
Thousands of people pass by in their business suits, absorbed in their
Manhattan lifestyles. All of a sudden they catch a glimpse of Rdh-Dmodara
being served by a devotee with a peacock fan. Viujana Mahrja leads his
spirited kirtans, impelling every devotee to dance and chant with blissful
abandon. Caught up in the fervor of the Holy Name, Viujana occasionally
calls out, Give your love to Ka, inspiring the devotees in their chanting
and dancing. Everyone becomes so energized by Viujanas intensity that the
brahmacrnis approach people with BTGs and the pamphlet On Chanting,
requesting everybody to, Give your love to Ka!
The best part of the day is when the portable swing is brought out so that
Rdhr and Dmodara can enjoy a pastime together. This really attracts the
attention of passersby. One by one, devotees take turns swinging the Deities to
the delight of the public, who gather to watch.
Viujana Mahrja takes a break from the kirtan to explain to the
onlookers, in very personal terms, the mystery of Rdh-Dmodara. He presents
the idea that They are the Divine Couple, Rdh-Ka, in their childhood
forms, yet still possessing omniscient and omnipotent powers inconceivable to
human beings. Viujana often gives very personal lectures in very strange
places. The explanation is appropriate, because the devotees understand that it
isnt grown up Ka that they are serving. They are aware that Rdh and
Dmodara are a young boy and girl, and they present Them as such to the
public.
Every fifteen minutes, all day long, Silavati offers the Deities a silver plate
filled with peanuts, raisins, and fruit. After blowing the conch, she does a
complete offering, reciting the prayers and ringing the rati bell right there on
the street. Hundreds of curious people stop to watch because, even in New
York, they have never seen such a unique sight. Devotees offer prasdam to all
the people who gather around. Everyone accepts a few peanuts and raisins each,

616
not realizing that they are receiving the inconceivable mercy of the Supreme
Lord through His darshan and His prasdam.
These are most extraordinary pastimes because no Deities do this! Even
Gaura-Nitai Deities seldom go out on street sakrtana. But here They are,
Rdhr and Dmodara, in the middle of the sidewalk on the streets of New
York City, where rla Prabhupda had also performed extraordinary pastimes.
Many sakrtana devotees, who are out distributing books and BTGs, know that
r r Rdh-Dmodara are also out on sakrtana, so they like to come by to
join in the chanting and receive the blessings of the Divine Couple.
Gaurahari: I remember going to the city and seeing Rdh-Dmodara on
Their palanquin right in front of Macys. Viujana Mahrja was sitting on
the street with the harmonium pumping away and shaking his head blissfully.
People were just standing around, and that kind of affected me. I remember
thinking, This is Ka. Prabhupda was right, He is everywhere. How
merciful He is to come to Macys.
Anaga-majar dev ds: Varanasi and I would be dancing like anything.
Sometimes both of us would play mdaga. People would come up right in
front of the Deities, staring at Them while eating hot dogs and stuff. I was
thinking, These Deities are so merciful. There was always a pjr offering
something regularly and then distributing it. Viujana Mahrja made sure
of that.
Bimala dev ds: This was midtown, New York City, and on the sidewalk,
amidst the people in their business suits rushing to work, the bustling shoppers
and passersby, were Rdh-Dmodara on Their throne, accepting the
worship of Their devotees, and eating raisins and dried fruit every 15 minutes,
for the benefit of all those lost souls. I remember being awestruck by Their
compassion. I was in ecstasy as I passed out raisins to the people who gathered
to stare at the sightthe chamara waving, conch shell blowing, kirtan ringing
th
devotees, absorbed in the worship of God on the sidewalks of 5 Avenue. It
was the most amazing unprecedented event.
While in New York, Viujana seizes the opportunity to take a kirtan party
to Tompkins Square Park where Prabhupda first introduced the sakrtana
movement in 1966. He leads the devotees in chanting around the tree made

617
famous by The Swami and his Flock, six years earlier. Viujanas voice is
always hoarse because he is leading kirtan or chanting japa throughout the day.
But, as a result, he always seems to be in a state of bliss. Devotees find that
dealing with Mahrja is always sweet and natural. There is nothing
pretentious about him.
For the Sunday feast program Mahrja likes to drive the bus to either
Central Park or The Cloisters Park, where he will have a little festival with
chanting and feasting, and always accompanied by Rdh-Dmodara. The
actors put on a little performance in the park and then canvass people to come
to the show at the Dome.
Boarding the bus to return to the temple late in the afternoon, every devotee
is completely off the bodily platform, situated in transcendence. They now have
little to do with the struggle for existence of conditional life, with its anxiety
and confusion. On the way back to the temple Viujana pulls out his
harmonium and starts telling some pastimes of Lord Ramachandra from the
Ramayana.
Anaga-majar dev ds: While he was speaking, he played the harmonium.
It was almost like he was singing, but he wasnt singing because he was
talking. But it was singing because it was transcendental. He had that way
about him that he could talk and sing at the same time.
He was telling these elaborate stories that I had never heard before. He
was going on and on, and the incense was billowing, and the Deities were
there, and everybody was sitting peacefully while the sound vibration was
pervading the whole atmosphere. Again, it was completely like you were in the
spiritual world. All of a sudden, the doors of the bus opened and you heard the
honking of cars, the smell of exhaust fumes, and some guy shouting, Hey,
wheres thoity thoid n thoid? The middle of New York City. It was like,
Wait a minute. Where are we? It was completely incredible.
When the driver closed the doors and Viujana started up on the
harmonium again, you could really feel the difference between the spiritual
and material energies. It was so obvious. It was the same kind of experience I
had with him in Houston. You get so caught up in the spiritual atmosphere
and all of a sudden, wait a minute, Im in this material world. Somehow he
could create such an atmosphere.

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 As the bus crosses the Brooklyn Bridge and heads towards the temple,
Viujana Mahrja gets up and stands in the front stairwell, chanting japa
beside the open door so he can get a little fresh air. On a right turn, the bus
takes the corner a little fast and suddenly Mahrja falls out of the moving bus,
rolling right out onto the pavement. Immediately, the bus comes to a screeching
halt. The incident frightens the devotees, and everyone jumps out of the bus,
concerned that Mahrja is injured. Although he is scraped up and a little
shaken, Viujana gets up as if nothing happened and just keeps chanting.
When the bus pulls up in front of the Henry Street temple, a devotee comes
up to announce that someone is on the phone for Viujana Mahrja.
Viujana comes in to take the call and smiles at Yogesvara sitting at his desk in
the office. While Mahrja is taking his call, Yogesvara notices that Viujana
is bleeding. There is blood coming from a wound, although Viujana seems
totally unconcerned. Yogesvara decides that he should do something about it.
He gets up and brings over a first aid kit to clean up the blood from Viujanas
arm.
Speaking on the phone, Viujana Mahrja is in another world and
unaware that he is cut. He doesnt even acknowledge that Yogesvara is cleaning
up his wound. He is totally oblivious to the whole affair. When he finishes his
call, Mahrja turns around with a big smile and informs the office devotees
that Prabhupda will be arriving at JFK International on July 2, and all the
devotees should be there to greet him with a rousing kirtan.

Sunday July 2, 1972

Word spreads all over the Eastern seaboard of Prabhupdas imminent

arrival in New York. Devotees from as far north as Montreal and Toronto, and
as far west as Detroit and Chicago, arrive at the Brooklyn temple, excited to see
and hear His Divine Grace. With the public theater performances over, the
Road Show can no longer afford to pay rent on the Dome, so they vacate and
move over to the Spiritual Sky loft on Tiffany Place where ISKCON Press is
also located.
Among the devotees visiting New York are Bhagavan and Indradyumna,
who have arrived a few days earlier from Detroit. They have timed their visit to
coincide with Prabhupdas arrival. Actually, they are in New York to catch a

619
flight to Europe where they will take over management of the Paris temple.
Indradyumna: I remember big kirtans. Viujana Mahrja was leading
some of those kirtans, so I was very enlivened to see him again. I was thinking,
I wonder if hell remember me?
One morning I met him in the hall. Mahrja, do you remember me? I
was really nervous.
He looked at me and said, Aahh, yes. Ann Arbor. Last year. We had
wonderful prasdam and wonderful kirtans. Thats all he said.
I thought, Wow, he knows who I am. I was in great awe and veneration.
In those days to approach a senior devotee or a sannys was like approaching
Lord Brahma. Then there was an announcement that Viujana Swami was
going to lead out a kirtan party. Finally I got to chant again with Viujana.
So we went out, and they brought Rdh-Ka Deities along. He had a bus
there. Some devotees were complaining about taking Rdh-Ka out on the
streets. I thought it was great because he sat down with a little harmonium
and he was chanting.
Because of the huge influx of people the temple authorities take advantage
of the crowds to ban the ladies from entering the temple room during the
morning program from now on. The temple president, Bali Mardan Goswami,
accepted sannysa in Los Angeles at the May 27 sannysa initiation. As a new
sannys he wants to be very strict. He doesnt want women in the
rmad-Bhgavatam class because they are too agitating for the men.
Bimala dev ds: The women were so upset. We were sitting in stairwells, or
gathered in little huddles up on the third and fourth floors, while the Deity
greeting was going on downstairsand we were banned from it! But,
suddenly, Silavati had this realization. She threw a different light on it. This
is Rdh-Dmodara! This is Their trademark. They just upset everything
and stir up our spiritual feelings. When we realized that it was Ka and
not the temple authoritiesthat we were being dealt with directly and it was
part of Rdh-Dmodaras llwe were thrown into this complete mood of
separation, desiring to be in the temple room to hear rmad-Bhgavatam. It
was just to increase our anxiety for the morning program, to want to be there,
to want to see the Deities, and to want to hear class. Silavati would always tell
us these wonderful Rdh-Dmodara pastimes.

620
 Sure enough, the mandate only lasts one day. The next morning women are
again allowed into the Bhgavatam class as normal.
When Prabhupda arrives at the airport on Sunday, there are over four
hundred devotees to greet him. Viujana leads the kirtan in the airport lounge
with the intensely excited devotees already in ecstasy just to catch a glimpse of
their spiritual master. After a short kirtan, Prabhupda gives a brief address for
the press people that have gathered.
In the meantime, Viujana and a few devotees hop into a car and head back
to the temple so they can greet Prabhupda a second time. Many guests are
already waiting at the temple to meet the spiritual master of the Hare Kas.
Agnideva: I was living outside and visiting the temple. When I arrived that
day, the devotees were all cleaning up. There was so much excitement,
Prabhupda is coming. Hes at the airport.
Everyone was always saying Prabhupda said, so I had been wondering,
Who is Prabhupda? Now I would find out. I went into the temple room
and sat next to the vyssana because I figured once he comes there will be a
big crowd. So I reserved my seat. Then I heard people saying, Hes here. Hes
here.
The door opened and in walked Viujana Mahrja, sun-tanned, real
muscular, with bare arms holding his daa. He paid his obeisances, and I
thought, Is this him? I thought he must be Prabhupda, Boy, hes young!
Then Mahrja sat down and made everything clear. He spoke for about five
minutes to prepare us, the guests in the temple, that were going to meet the
greatest soul on earth. Viujana had a way of speaking that was very
dramatic, and it opened our ears up to hear Prabhupda.
When Prabhupda came in and spoke, he instilled an urgency to take up
the mission. I made plans that I better get it together. Six months later I moved
in.
Girijadhava: At the Sunday feast in Toronto, I said, Where are all the
devotees?
They went to New York because Prabhupda is coming. So for that
whole Sunday feast I was thinking, I wish I was in New York. What am I
doing here? Prabhupda is in New York.
After the feast I washed the pots and asked anyone if they would like to go

621
 to New York and see Prabhupda. One devotee wanted to go. So we left that
moment and drove all night.
When we arrived at the Brooklyn temple early the next morning, we saw
all these devotees in their saffron robes just floating down the street. It was so
pleasing to see. During class, the only thing I can remember Prabhupda
saying was, These books are not just for selling. They are for reading. They
are for you to read. If someone comes up and asks what is in these books, and
if you do not know, that will not reflect well on your spiritual master.
Also in attendance is Dmodara dsa from the Q Street temple in
Washington. He is fully prepared to meet with Prabhupda and reclaim his
Rdh-Dmodara Deities from the Road Show. As temple president, Dmodara
is able to gain access to speak with rla Prabhupda. They briefly discuss the
dispute over the traveling Deities. Prabhupda agrees to meet later in the day
with Viujana Swami to settle the matter.
It is late in the afternoon, when Viujana Mahrja and Dmodara arrive
for the meeting in Prabhupdas office. Prabhupda begins by requesting
Dmodara to state his case. Dmodara has come fully prepared with receipts,
and a copy of the letter of credit sent to India, which he presents to His Divine
Grace.
rla Prabhupda, I purchased these Deities for the Washington temple,
and I have the bill of sale. As Prabhupda glances over the bill of sale, the bill
of lading, the notifications from the Port Authority and the trucking company,
Dmodara explains how he had only loaned the Deities to Krtannanda
Swami, who had promised to return Them.
Prabhupda looks up at his young sannys. Viujana Mahrja, what do
you say?
You cannot purchase Ka with a bill of sale, rla Prabhupda.
Yes, Prabhupda answers, smiling, very pleased with the remark. That is
right.
For a moment, Prabhupda gazes at a Deity that stands in his room. He then
turns to Dmodara and gestures towards the black marble Ka, the original
Ka Deity in ISKCON, which had been there in New York since the
inception of the movement. This Govindaji Deity you may take. Install Him in
Washington, along with Rdhr that Yamun can arrange. You may request

622
Yamun to provide Rdhr for Ka.
Within moments, Prabhupda settles the dispute to the satisfaction of both
parties.
Dmodara dsa: This beautiful Deity was given to rla Prabhupda at the 26
Second Avenue temple by a certain Mr. Sharma. The Deity was never
installed but nevertheless placed on the altar in 1967. I vividly remember
dancing in front of Him and having all kinds of realizations. He was just
standing on the altar, on the lower tier. When Lord Jagannath was installed,
this Deity was given a place of honor up on the top tier in His own little house,
sometimes peeking discreetly from behind a curtain of white gauze.
At first we didnt give Him a name, but by the time the temple moved to 61
Second Avenue, we were calling Him Govindaji. He was ensconced in a glass
display case on the left wall of the temple room on the second floor.
Prabhupda said we should treat Him like a picture, so certain amenities
were observed, if not pjs. He was given a spray bottle shower every day. His
position grew in importance with the move to Brooklyn, where He took up
residence in rla Prabhupdas quarters, for the first time wearing clothes
other than the marble ones He brought with Him.
So now Prabhupda wanted Him to go to DC to preside over the devotees
there. The arrangement was made that we contact Yamun in Vndvana
who would arrange a very nice Rdhr Deity. We were to get nothing but
the best. I personally had always enjoyed gazing at the Govindaji mrti. He
was like an old friend. We were all very attached to Him at that time.
One of the guests coming to see Prabhupda is a young American with long
matted hair, wearing yogi pants and kurta. He has recently returned to America
after two years in India. He had originally met Prabhupda during the Bombay
pandal programs of March 1971, when he was studying the writings of
Shankaracarya and taking a Buddhist meditation course in Bombay.
Radhanath: I was living in the Himalayas, in caves and on riverbanks, going
to different gurus, different yogis, and learning meditation and philosophy.
While I was traveling in India, I went to so many gurus and so many Maths.
When I met Prabhupda, I thought, This is a very great saint, but there are
so many great saints. I must continue traveling. So I just wasnt ready then.
Ill never forget that first day. I was there in the middle of the audience in

623
Bombay. There were tens of thousands of people at the program in Cross
Maidan. Gurudsa preached to me a little during the day. The first night
Prabhupda was speaking, Gurudsa was looking for someone on stage.
Then he started waving. There were so many Bombay aristocrats there, and I
was just a penniless beggar, the most insignificant person in that whole
audience. But Gurudsa came down and said, Prabhupda wants you to sit
on stage with him. He took me on stage, and Prabhupda looked at me and
smiled, seeing this westerner with long matted hair and yogi clothes. He asked
me to sit right next to him.
Later, when Prabhupda was getting off the stage, I went to touch his feet.
I was used to touching holy mens feet, but one devotee immediately stopped
me, No one touches Prabhupdas feet. Then Prabhupda looked at that
devotee and said, He can touch my feet. Prabhupda looked at me and just
stood there with his feet available. He smiled, and I touched his feet. Then he
smiled again and said, Hare Ka. So he was very kind upon me and gave
me such causeless mercy. I spent about ten days with him, and I thought he
was wonderful. I had no money, so I went to beg money to get a KA
book. I was very serious about finding God.
Soon I went back to the Himalayas and was living near Dharamsala. I
was studying at the monastery of the Dalai Lama, but living in a cave because
I wouldnt live indoors. The cave was a forty-five minute walk through the
jungle, and I had this KA book which I used to read during the day. At
night the cave was pitch dark, and there were snakes and scorpions in there. It
was by Kas grace that I survived.
When reading the KA book, every time Prabhupda spoke against
myvds or impersonalists, it would be just like darts in my heart. Why does
he keep doing this to me? I couldnt handle it because I began my spiritual life
as an impersonalist in the Himalayas. I loved him, and I loved when he would
talk about Ka, but I couldnt tolerate his criticism of the impersonalists. So
I gave the book away.
I ended up in Vndvana a year later. I was just passing through and I got
typhoid, so Ka wouldnt let me leave. By the time I got better, I had decided
to be a Brijbasi for the rest of my life. Then Prabhupda came again with
about twenty devotees. Nanda Kumar was the pjr. Gurudsa,
ymasundara, Yamun, and Mlat were also there. So in Vndvana I
accepted him as my guru without any official initiation, but I was following

624
 his principles. Because I was meeting so many gurus who all wanted me to
take initiation, I had made a vow during my travels that until I know that Ill
never leave a particular guru, Im not going to accept initiation, and I wont
shave my head, because shaving the head means total surrender to guru.
After spending two years in India I was on my way back to America. I
stayed for several weeks at the Bury Place temple in London. Revatnandana
Swami was in charge then. He had a room way up on the top floor. We spoke
together for quite a while and he was asking me about India because he had
also just returned shortly before. I told him I was going to New York and he
said, When you go to America, there is a devotee, he is my cousin, and hes
the most wonderful devotee. You must meet him. Hes such an ecstatic devotee
and he loves Ka so much. His name is Viujana Swami. With tears in
his eyes he was praising Viujana Mahrja. So just by hearing from such a
wonderful devotee about Viujana Mahrja, already I felt a very deep
attachment to him.
I arrived in Florida and a few days later heard that rla Prabhupda was
coming to New York. I immediately hitchhiked to New York and
accompanied the devotees to the airport to meet Prabhupda.
The next morning, Viujana Mahrja led magala-rati. It was such a
sweet, wonderful kirtan. After the rati I approached this person and said,
That was a very beautiful kirtan, Mahrja. What is your name?
My name is Viujana Swami.
Oh, I just met your cousin, Revatnandana Swami. He was very happy.
Immediately, there was such a loving exchange. He was praising Prabhupda,
praising the devotees, and praising Ka.
Whenever Prabhupda comes to New York, hundreds of devotees converge
on Henry Street, leaving the locals no place to park their cars. Without
thinking, some devotees park in peoples driveways, and some even spend the
night in their vans. Viujana Mahrja also parks the Deities bus at the
corner of Henry Street on Kane Street by the side of the temple. Due to so
many vehicles, there is a tremendous traffic jam. The neighborhood people
quickly become disturbed and there is a backlash in the form of complaints to
the temple.
Viujana tries to ease the situation by inviting the neighborhood kids on
the bus for kirtan and prasdam. But one evening as Mahrja chants japa

625
outside the bus, a neighborhood boy walks up, points to the bus window and
says, One, two, three. Tonight. Seeing his gesture of attack, Viujana gets
angry and immediately chastises the boy, sending him away quite frightened.
But the boy later returns with his father. The man is roaring like a demon and
begins furiously kicking on the door of the bus. Devotees pour out of the temple
to defend Rdh-Dmodara inside the bus. A huge argument ensues, with more
neighborhood people gathering and shouting at the devotees. The altercation
becomes more than verbal and someone calls the police. Just before everything
gets out of hand, the police arrive and everybody cools down. But the locals vow
to return for revenge.
A few days later, Prabhupda leaves for London and all the visiting devotees
return to their temples. After everyone has left, the local teenagers return with
a big gang late one evening, and a temple car is set ablaze. Next, they break one
of the front windows and throw firecrackers inside the temple. This erupts into
another fight and the police have to come once again. Order is finally restored,
but feelings remain tense between the devotees and their neighbors.
Viujana feels responsible for causing the whole imbroglio, although
everyone in the temple agrees that Mahrja acted properly to protect the
Deities. Nevertheless, to avoid further confrontation, Viujana decides that
the Road Show buses will leave for Buffalo, where they already have an
invitation to perform for Ratha-ytr. Two newcomers, who had only come to
New York to see rla Prabhupda, also leave with the show. Santosh is a
brilliant keyboard player and his wife, ravaya, is a singer of the stature of
Grace Slick. They were part of a small rock show that Bhagavan dsa had put
together in Detroit, trying to emulate the Road show success. But with the
departure of Bhagavan for Paris, they are offered the opportunity to merge their
show with Viujanas program and immediately agree.
Mandalesvara, who works at ISKCON Press, decides to take a few months
off and travel with Viujanas bus party. He is deeply attracted to
Rdh-Dmodara, and although happily married, he just wants Mahrjas
association for a while. But Viujana emphatically disagrees. The Press is
Prabhupdas heart. If you were to go that would be like taking a valve out of
Prabhupdas heart. When the buses leave for Buffalo, Mandalesvara feels
painfully unfortunate to be left behind.

626
 Buffalo, New York July 1972

As a result of the Bhagavad-gt course that Rupanuga taught at the large

State University of Buffalo in 1969, many college students became devotees.
Several have gone on to do outstanding service on behalf of rla Prabhupda.
Among them is Guagrahi dsa, now the ghastha temple president of ISKCON
Buffalo on Bidwell Parkway.
Guagrahi is enlivened by everything he has heard about the Road Show
and wants to bring them for the Buffalo Ratha-ytr festival. On receiving
promotional materials from Toaa Ka, Guagrahi approaches the Hare
Ka club at the University to sponsor a performance on campus to help pay
for Ratha-ytr. He makes a presentation at the Students Union booking
office, showing the brochures and explaining that the First Transcendental
Exposition would like to perform in Buffalo. The presentation is convincing,
and the University pays $1200 out of its budget to book the show.
When Viujana Mahrja arrives with three buses filled with devotees, the
ecstasy at Buffalo temple increases unlimitedly. Immediately, Viujana
Mahrja is asked to lead the sakrtana procession downtown. Buffalo is a very
cold town in terms of responding to Ka kirtan, so the devotees are amazed to
see how Viujana charms the usually cool pedestrians.
Muktakesa: Normally, we would be trying to figure how to even stop someone
and give them a card to invite them to the Sunday feast, let alone to get a
quarter for a BTG. But when Viujana came, people were attracted and
captivated, which was out of the ordinary for Buffalo. His style was so
charming, even the way he spoke. I remember one kirtan in particular.
Viujana was in the center of a circle of devotees, playing mdaga with his
left hand, and leaning over to take the dust of the lotus feet of each devotee in
turn and touching it to his head with his other hand.
Guagrahi becomes so inspired by Visnujanas association that he decides to
promote Mahrja around town. He calls up the local radio stations to inform
them that there is a genuine Swami in town. One station agrees to an interview.
On the day of the interview, Guagrahi asks Madhuhara to shave Viujanas
head before they drive over to the radio station. The brahmacr is a little
nervous shaving up the Swami and wants to do it right. He asks Mahrja if the

627
razor is causing him any pain.
No. If I cant think of Ka, that is painful, Viujana replies.
Guagrahi: We did a very simple talk show. I was very impressed by the way
he spoke on the show. He rarely had to search for words or negate a word with
another word. He just spoke very poetically. I noticed that Viujana
Mahrja was completely equipoised. It was the most inspiring association
for me. The host was also very impressed. Everyone was always affected
positively by Mahrja. I remember walking in downtown Buffalo feeling
very proud that I was with him.
Hearing that Viujana Mahrja will be at the Buffalo Ratha-ytr, many
devotees plan to attend. His presence causes excitement in all the temples
throughout the Northeast. As a result, more devotees than usual arrive at the
Buffalo temple. Among them is Suddha Jva, who has come from Philadelphia
to help build a Ratha-ytr cart for the Buffalo festival. Viujana Mahrja has
his bus parked beside the door leading to the brahmacr ashram so that he can
come in to use the shower in the morning.
Suddha Jva: Every time I saw Viujana Mahrja, he was singing. Thats
what I remember about him. The Buffalo ashram, wasnt very good and there
was only cold water in the showers, so I was dreading getting up in the
morning. I would stand in line at 3:00 AM to take my cold shower, not feeling
very transcendental, but from the second Mahrja came in from the bus hed
be singing. Hed walk into the shower room and hed be singing. He didnt
really care where he was, he was just always singing. I remember sitting there
looking at him as he walked into the cold shower, and he was still singing in
the cold shower. Hed sing all the way up to magala-rati and then hed lead
the kirtan, too. Every time I saw him hed be singing. That really amazed me.
I would always go to the bus for the evening program. At night the bus
seemed like it was glowing. There were curtains on the windows, but you
could smell the incense, and then you would hear the harmonium. As I
worked all day long, Id be looking forward to the evening. When I heard the
harmonium, Id go in.
That was the first time I saw Rdh-Dmodara, and I was very attracted
to Them. When Viujana chanted, he would sing to Them. He wasnt just
singing, hed be looking at Them, playing the harmonium like he was

628
 serenading Them. He always had that glow in his eyes. I had the feeling that
They were definitely reciprocating with him. The whole thing was so mystical;
I felt that his bus came right out of the spiritual world.
Just before Ratha-ytr day, the Road Show performs at the University.
After the show Viujana Mahrja goes out with the devotees to distribute
books and magazines to the students. Suddha Jva distributes beside Mahrja.
This is a big thing for him, to have the personal association of Viujana
Mahrja, because he admires him in every way. Seeing the new brahmacrs
enthusiasm, Viujana congratulates him every time he distributes a book.
Driving back to the temple together, Suddha Jva is so captivated by
Viujana Mahrja and Rdh-Dmodara, that he asks if he can join the
traveling party.
Viujana responds, What temple are you from?
Im from the Philadelphia temple.
I dont think your temple president would like it if you came here to help
and then didnt go back. Mahrja gently encourages Suddha Jva to return to
Philadelphia after Ratha-ytr.
On Ratha-ytr day the three Road Show buses join the procession behind
Lord Jagannaths chariot. Hundreds of devotees have arrived for the festival, so
the parade makes a big impression on the local residents. Viujana leads the
procession through the streets of Buffalo, creating a celestial mood with his
kirtan all the way to the park. At one point during the parade, Mahrja turns
to Guagrahi and exclaims. This is wonderful. Im getting the same feeling
that I got at the San Francisco Ratha-ytr. The same feeling.
When the procession arrives at Delaware Park, the Ratha-yatris are excited
to see a gigantic array of equipment with huge tie-dye backdrops set up at the
Bandstand for the Rock Opera concert. Mahrja brings the krtanys onto the
stage to lead the chanting over the sound system. Next, he gives a short address,
explaining the meaning of Ratha-ytr, and introduces the transcendental
Rock Opera. He requests everyone to sit comfortably on the grass as the players
will present a few skits before the Rock Opera is performed. The mood is very
much like a Love-in, with music and a spiritual atmosphere.
Murali Ka: I was fifteen years old. I had met, and liked, the devotees once

629
 before when they came to our all-boys Catholic high school. They made
perfect sense to me and my brother. Our parents cried because we discussed it
with our seven brothers and sisters at the Irish Catholic dining room table.
One day, while out walking my dog, I heard music, like a band playing in
the park. So I went in search of the music. As I approached, they were singing
this song and Ill never forget the lyrics. I still use them. Everybody in my
family, devotee or non-devotee, sings this song: Weve got a good ship, weve
got a good captain, weve got a wave of sound, were homeward bound. I
never forgot it.
I was a pretty high stimulus person at the time, but I was attracted, so I sat
down. They did skits. The skits mesmerized me. They did one about a kid
seeing little creatures: See the pretty butterflies... catch them, catch them,
catch them. Look at the little ants...stomp them, stomp them, stomp them.
Then they did this fantastic play about a guy who was trying to get high, and
have a girl friend, and everything was going wrong on him. Somebody stole his
girlfriend, somebody got his stash, and he got too drunk and threw up. The
material world wasnt working for him at all. I was at that age where I was
experimenting, and that Rdh-Dmodara party with Viujana Swami
moved me in a way that I never forgot. I remember it vividly, like it was
yesterday.
There are few devotees in the movement that, when you hear them, it
moves you and you never forget it. When Viujana sat down at the
harmonium, I never forgot the song he was singing. He had a real melodious,
sweet voice. That was my first complete experience of Ka consciousness.
About three years later I joined the temple.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania July 1972

The following weekend, the Road Show is in town for another Ratha-ytr.
Suddha Jva is glad to see Viujana Mahrja again and personally brings
Mahrja to see the cart he has built for the Philadelphia Ratha-ytr.
Mahrja is full of words of encouragement for Suddha Jvas devotional
service.
The Philadelphia temple has a spacious altar housing large Jagannath
Deities, but none of the local devotees really know much about Deity worship,
so the result is a very simple pj. The temple president, Ravindra Svarupa,

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invites Viujana Mahrja to put Rdh-Dmodara on the altar beside Lord
Jagannath, Lady Subhadra and Lord Balaram. With the Road Show pjrs on
the altar, the local devotees learn the higher standards of Deity worship.
Ravindra Svarupa: Viujana came with Rdh-Dmodara, and They were
so lovely. His devotion to Them was inspiring. The intensity of his absorption
and seva of Rdh-Dmodara was quite impressive. He would do pj for
Them, and I remember the whole temple room smelled of sandalwood oil.
He came for Ratha-ytr and led this incredible kirtan all the way. We
had a sound system on the cart, but he didnt want to use it. He wanted to do
kirtan on the street with the mdaga. It was such a sustained effort. The
amount of energy he had to put out to do that was incredible, and afterwards
he couldnt talk. He was hoarse. We ended in the park and I remember him
afterwards, stretched out on the tomb of the Revolutionary War Unknown
Soldier. Actually we had that first festival at the Revolutionary War
Graveyard.
This is a big year for Ratha-ytr, with festivals all over the world.
Jaynandas inspiration has helped spread Ratha-ytr around the globe
through the men who had worked with him in San Francisco. ymasundara
has now organized the festival in London, Nara-Nryaa: and Bhavnanda in
Calcutta, and Madhudvia in Melbourne. In 1972, Ratha-ytr is performed in
six major cities.
Prabhupdas idea for promoting Ratha-ytr is that ISKCON shall spread
Ka consciousness around the world through the festival of Ratha-ytr
much the same way that Christianity was spread through the occurrence of the
Crucifixion of Lord Jesus.
My idea is that if simply by narrating the Crucifixion incident of Lord Jesus
Christ, the Roman Catholic Religion can spread to such a wide area of the
world, how much there is great potency of spreading our Ka consciousness
by depicting hundreds of thousands of such incidents like Ratha-ytr
In different cities and different centers we can introduce such
multi-pastime ceremonies of Lord Ka, and certainly people will be
engladdened to observe such transcendental and happy ceremonies.
Letter to Aniruddha, July 7, 1968

San Francisco July 1972

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 The grandest and most magnificent Ratha-ytr is in San Francisco. Under
Jaynanda Prabhus expert organization, this year is the best festival ever, even
though rla Prabhupda skips the San Francisco festival for the first time to
attend the London Ratha-ytr.
Jaynanda is really into festivals because he likes to see others happy. He just
wants to see one big happy family serving rla Prabhupda. Jaynandas faith
in the festivals is well known, and he is always right up front leading the kirtan,
playing a big drum with the one simple beat that he always plays because thats
all he knows. He is a simple and lovable person, and his kirtans are always the
same. Still, devotees in the Bay area agree that Jaynandas kirtans are the best,
and everybody wants to go out on sakrtana with him.
Ka consciousness is booming in the Bay Area, with 10-20 new devotees
joining every month, and Jaynanda is the major influence in attracting these
new Vaiavas. Due to his positive approach to spiritual life, the San Francisco
and Berkeley temples are always blissful.
Mangala dev ds: Jaynanda organized Lord Caitanya festivals with a huge
figure of Lord Caitanya. Many devotees would come and the entire temple
room would be completely full with various flowers that Jaynanda obtained
for garlands. Those festivals were equally as ecstatic as the Ratha-ytr
festivals. When rla Prabhupda came, he was very pleased, but where was
Jaynanda? Jaynandas mood towards his spiritual master was that of
complete awe and reverence. He was so humble around Prabhupda that he
was embarrassed to be in his presence, so he usually stayed in the background.
Every morning Jaynanda wears his big yellow dhoti, but after breakfast
prasdam he puts on an old pair of dungarees to work on the cars, or to do some
other service that isnt clean. He is not much of a philosopher, nor does he
memorize verses. Instead, he keeps busy all day doing the services that other
devotees dont relish, like the garbage run, buying the produce, serving out
prasdam, and washing the pots. But hes always back in the temple for the
evening program, fresh from the shower and wearing a dhoti again. He is
constantly engaged in Kas service simply because he enjoys it so much.
Every week he shaves up because he likes to keep a clean shaven head. Because
he is such a thrifty person, he wears his clothes until they are practically
threadbareeven his devotional clothing.

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 In the early days, Prabhupda always emphasized prasdam, so Jaynanda
knows how potent mah-prasdam can be. He loves to eat. When he takes extra
helpings of sweet rice, he always laughs at his big appetite. Its not that he eats
only what is required. No. He relishes prasdam and eats plenty. Prabhupda
had instructed, If you work like a horse, you can eat like a horse, and
Jaynanda fits that description to a tee. But he is not fat, with a big belly. On
the contrary, he is muscular and strong.
Every time he honors prasdam, he says, This is the best prasdam Ive ever
had.
All the devotees smile and agree, Jaya. They know that Jaynanda always
says that.
Invariably, some new bhakta will pipe up, But you said that last time.
Jaynanda always replies, No Prabhu, Im telling you, this is the best
prasdam Ive ever had. Who cooked today? This is definitely the best. He is so
attracted to eating as a devotional activity, that he is always glorifying
prasdam.
Out on sakrtana, Jaynanda likes to buy dates, nuts, bananas, and sour
cream. Boy, will you look at this? he says. Lets make a nice offering to rla
Prabhupda. He will immediately make an offering and within minutes has
everybody eating. With a huge grin on his face, he asserts, Boy, this is the best
prasdam Ive ever had. Everybody laughs and Jaynanda laughs, too. He has
great big hands, which he uses to make gestures to drive home a point. Im
telling you, we just have to take more prasdam, thats all. If theres any
difficulty just take more prasdam. Jaynandas love for prasdam cant be
checked. He even eats when hes sick, saying, Give me more prasdam, that
way all the germs will get liberated, too.
Many hippies come to the Sunday feasts wearing beads and long hair, and
Jaynanda encourages them to eat as much as they can. The festivals, especially
Ratha-ytr, and prasdam distribution, are Jaynandas favorite services. If
there is any prasdam left over he will invariably say, Boy, this prasdam is so
good we have to take some out. Weve got to go somewhere and distribute this
prasdam. Hell bring the van around, and everybody jumps in to go distribute
the leftovers. Its not a regulated program that every day at one oclock he will
go and distribute prasdam. No, its a happening, like after a Sunday feast or a

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festival.
Sometimes Jaynanda gets inspired to cook up a little extra prasdam just to
distribute to people on the street. The San Francisco temple is in the Mission
district where there are always hungry people to be found. In Berkeley, the
students and hippies who hang around the University are always enthusiastic
for prasdam. If they see a devotee, they will ask, Wheres that Johnny-ananda
who gives out the free food? These are the days before every activity is
completely organized, so doing service is more spontaneous and joyful.
Nalini Kanta: I would go with him to the produce market in San Francisco,
not so much for the service, but because I liked to be around him. He was an
automatic inspiration for Ka consciousness. One afternoon, after a
college program, we came back late and took prasdam in the back yard of
Berkeley temple. The sun was right above us, and the preparations were
glistening with ghee in the sunlight. I was sitting with Jaynanda thinking,
This is such a divine pastime, honoring prasdam. He would eat and eat.
There was no end. He was regulated, but not about prasdam. He would
always take prasdam.
Ratnesvari dev ds: He was always very kind to the women, whereas the
other male devotees were not so inclined. He would take us out on TSKPa
truckload of women in the vanat a separate time. If we were sometimes
hesitant to get out of the van, there was a nice story hed tell us. You know,
the cow doesnt discriminate. As long as theres some grass, any pasture is fine
and the cow will be happy. Similarly, as long as there are some conditioned
souls, we should not be hesitant, but just approach them.
He would deal with any lady who was having a problem, but his general
overall mood was detached. He was so loving that he would make sure we
were properly taken care of. He wouldnt elaborate on the philosophy, he
would just say, This is so much nectar. This is bliss.
Jaynanda has not changed at all since his marriage to Traidev. He is still as
Ka conscious as ever and still attends all the daily programs. He knows that
Prabhupda wants everyone up for magala-rati, so he continues the service of
helping everybody to wake up for the morning program. He is often the first to
rise, and then encourages the brahmacrs to wake up in his usual joyful
manner. Haribol, Prabhu! Time to rise, and he will give a little shake. Weve

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got to get up now for magala-rati.
The temple facilities are simple, and the brahmacrs have to line up to take
showers, but Jaynanda always creates a nice mood. Because he is such a
generous and mild-mannered person, he is the leader in interpersonal
relationships. All his relationships are centered on serving Prabhupda,
spreading the movement, and becoming fixing in ones own service.
Jaynanda has no material possessions, yet he performs welfare work for
everyone else. And because he is surrendered to Ka, he is peaceful and
completely indifferent to material acquisition. He is so fixed in devotional
service, that the negative qualities of lust, anger, and greed never manifest in
his personality. Rather, he always has a transcendental demeanor.
Although Jaynanda isnt a scholar, he does give class on a regular basis. As
the senior man in the temple, he never shirks his responsibility. He doesnt
know many Sanskrit verses but he does gives inspired classes straight from the
heart. Usually he speaks about how to spread the movement and how to follow
rla Prabhupdas instructions, especially in regard to chanting rounds and
following the four regulative principles. Everyone likes Jaynandas classes
because he is so warm. He is a serious devotee so his classes deal mainly with
following instructions given by the spiritual master, but on a personal level he is
light and sweet.
For the devotees in Berkeley and San Francisco temples, Jaynanda is a
reference point; whatever Jaynanda says must be okay. In this way, he is the
standard for the temple, like an acharya. To those who like to simply chant
rounds or read all day, Jaynanda advises, You get up for the morning program
and chant nice rounds, but then you do some service for Ka. You have to be
engaged for Ka. He always preaches about being constantly engaged in the
Lords service. He only sleeps five to six hours each night, even though he works
very hard; so during the day he takes fifteen-minute naps now and then.
He maintains his very intense japa, closing his eyes and always rocking back
and forth. When he chants his rounds, he is completely absorbed in the Holy
Name, sitting in one place, unconcerned about anything around him.
Occasionally Jaynanda gets angry, but this is also simply an attempt to
encourage devotees who are too lazy, or too critical, to get engaged for Ka.
He never berates anybody but goes straight to the truth of the matter, drawing

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someones attention to the service that needs to be done. Well, I dont know.
This temple is just getting so dirty. It seems like its just a bunch of guys sitting
around jawing all day. Maybe someone should just do a little work and get this
temple clean, and do some service for rla Prabhupda.
He never puts his finger on one man, but seeing his dissatisfied mood,
devotees jump up and begin cleaning the temple. He is not concerned that by
saying something in anger it may ruin his reputation as the senior Vaiava,
because he remains constantly engaged in Prabhupdas service and will only
exhibit his feigned anger when people are not doing what they should.
Jaynanda rarely speaks about his realizations because he is grave. He is the
only senior devotee left in San Francisco from the original Frederick Street
temple, and that makes him the teacher for all the newer devotees. But he
doesnt just sit around and talk about his special realizations or memories. He
just keeps busy doing service, always encouraging everybody else to keep busy in
their service.
Yogesh Chandra: When I was temple commander, Jaynanda told me,
Yogesh Chandra, you mean well and youre doing good, but its the spirit
that counts. You have to inspire the devotees. You cant order the devotees.
rla Prabhupda told us that we have to inspire people to perform devotional
service. You cant just order them around. I always remembered that
instruction.
One time I heard Jaynanda say, There are just too many rules and
regulations in this temple. Why cant everybody understand that devotional
service is just so easy. Its natural.
He had great attachment for rla Prabhupda. He always used to say, I
dont know very much about Ka and I dont know much about spiritual
life. But I know that rla Prabhupda is the most worthy person, and I want
to serve him and do whatever he says. Were just beginners, so we have to
carry out the orders of the spiritual master.
To this day I reflect on those words whenever I think I know something
about Ka. Jaynandas words were so potent. He was just a great guy.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania August 1972

The Road Show devotees are currently making their base at the big mansion

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on Ellsworth Avenue that houses the ISKCON temple. It is a stately mansion
in a beautiful neighborhood located in the exclusive Shadyside district. The
mansion formerly belonged to the mayor of Pittsburgh. Across the street is a
mirror mansion, the exact building on the opposite side of the road, where a
Greek Archdiocese has its headquarters.
Prior to their arrival in Pittsburgh, the Road Show buses have been doing
sakrtana in the small towns around the Pennsylvania and West Virginia area.
Their standard program is selling BTGs and inviting people to come on over to
the bus. Viujana is always magical with visitors, happy to give them darshan
of Their Lordships r r Rdh-Dmodara. He is constantly engaged in
singing bhajans and answering their questions. The devotees love to watch him
sing and play harmonium because he goes into another world when he plays.
One Sunday afternoon there is an altercation on the bus between Silavati
and ravaya, causing ravaya to leave the bus in an angry mood.
ravaya dev ds: I was confused, angry, hurt, and frustrated, so I just
walked off the bus and went underneath this lamp post. I just sat down and
thought, I dont know what Im going to do now.
Then Viujana walked over and folded down on one knee so he could
talk to me. He was always very proper, but he said, ravaya, I know youre
upset. But please come back. The fact that he would personally come over
and talk to mehe could have gotten somebody else to do thatbut he came
over and invited me back. Its not like I was going to leave, but he thought it
was important enough to do, and it touched me. Thats how he was.
Everybody mattered. Its not that, Oh, you talk to her for me. Its not my
place. No. He wouldnt see anybody like that. We were all spirit souls as far
as he was concerned, and that was the thing about him. I think it was a
blessing for me to meet someone like Viujana Swami.
Varanasi is now assisting Silavati with all the pjr work, so she spends a lot
of time sewing the new outfits for Rdh-Dmodara, even though only eighteen
years old. She always goes out on sakrtana to collect money to buy everything
necessary for the Deities. Santosh is the treasurer, so all the collections go to
him. But Varanasi considers him miserly when it comes to paying for
Rdh-Dmodaras expenses, especially since she has collected specifically for
Them. In exasperation one day she approaches Viujana Mahrja in tears.

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Seeing her sincere anxiety to serve Their Lordships, Mahrja approaches
Santosh to be more lenient. A womans weapon is her tears. Give her the
money.
Varanasi dev ds: When we were traveling we were really like a family. We
would stop in small towns at the grocery store parking lot. Then we would go
door to door selling books and inviting people to come to the bus. They would
all come to the temple bus, and Viujana Mahrja would have kirtan and a
lecture. He could impart love of Godhead to almost anybody he met. Then
they would take prasdam.
Viujana once told me, If I have to take birth again in the material
world, I would like to come back as the child of a ghastha so that I can
worship Rdh-Dmodara. That was his whole life. Everything was
Rdh-Dmodara, and especially Rdhr. Sometimes he would sit in the
bus and read the Ramayana. He would play harmonium and tell the story of
the Ramayana. It was easy to get along with him because he was a very loving,
caring person, and he was never hung up in the politics of things. I think he
was one of the most devotional people that I ever met.
The Road Show creates a wave of excitement when it pours into the Pittsburgh
temple with all the buses and the brahmacrs. The local devotees arrange a
wonderful altar for Rdh-Dmodara, and everyone is pleased to see Them
looking so beautiful. The temple is a huge Victorian house with a large
basement, where the musicians and actors set up the equipment for rehearsals.
Santosh and Mangalananda are especially absorbed in the music, and work
many hours privately on new song material. The band rehearses regularly, but
there are complaints due to the noise because Shadyside is a very quiet
neighborhood.
The Road Show is in town to prepare for a big concert booked on September
8, which rla Prabhupda will attend. Kuldri and Toaa had decided to put
on their own programseparate from any college or night cluband advertise
it to see if people will come. Consequently, they have rented a prestigious
Pittsburgh auditorium for a concert featuring the Rock Opera. Through radio
advertising and leafleting, Kuldri and Toaa create a buzz around town for
the upcoming concert.
As always, Viujana Swami ensures that the devotees go out every day to

638
perform the yuga-dharma, chanting the Holy Names of the Lord. Everyone
benefits by the sakrtana yaja.
Suresvara: I was distributing BTGs in a dhoti, and it was one of those days
where everybody was giving me a hard time. By the end of the day I remember
walking up the street and all of a sudden, hearing, Ching-ching-ching,
ching-ching-ching. I turned around, and there was the rickety old school bus
with Viujana Swami and a blaze of saffronthe brahmacrs. They all
leaped out of the bus, and it was like Id just been rescued by a swan airplane
from Vaikuha.
They began a kirtan right there in front of a fountain, and Viujana set
up Rdh-Dmodara on Their altar on the sidewalk. Viujana Mahrja,
with big billowing incense and a Persian rug, began an rati for
Rdh-Dmodara. The same people who were giving me such a hard time all
day were stunned. I always remember how Rdh-Dmodara rescued me that
afternoon.
Rupanuga Mahrja is now traveling with his own bus party, and they
suddenly show up at the Pittsburgh mansion on their way to New Vndvana.
The temple driveway is completely filled with school buses converted for
traveling sakrtana.
Every morning the two sannyss, Rupanuga Mahrja and Viujana
Mahrja, sit together and give a joint class. When the pjr goes on the altar
to offer breakfast to the Deities, Viujana Mahrja requests everyone to bow
down, with their heads to the floor, and repeat the Road Show prasdam prayer
as a special offering to Rdh-Dmodara.
Rupanuga Goswami: Viujana had an incredible amount of energy. His
program was just go, go, go, go. He was so intense for hours and hours and
hours. When he got exhausted, he would just lie down and go to sleep. That
was it. No particular regulation. But what impressed me was his tremendous
amount of energy.
Rupanuga originally formed his party after being inspired by the Road Show
music-and-preaching program. But after only three months of touring, he has
already had enough of burned-out hippies in the college towns and on the
beaches. His party lacks the charisma of Rdh-Dmodaras party, which is

639
picking up people like a magnet everywhere it goes. But even some of the Road
Show devotees have had enough traveling and want to leave.
When one of the guitar players decides to go, he wants to take his gear with
him. But Viujana sees the instruments and props as Kas property, to be
used in Kas service. Speaking in a heavy, spiritual way, Mahrja preaches
to the young man. These are now Kas property, so they cant be taken
back. When he sees that his preaching is not having any effect, Viujana has
to show his determination, Have you ever seen anyone defend Kas
property? The fellow gets the idea.
Later, when Viujana mentions that he is looking for another guitar player,
Rupanuga sees this as an opportunity to change his own focus. The guitarist on
his party, Hasyagrami, is too heavy for Rupanugas approach. Moreover,
Hasyagrami is already attracted to the Road Show style, so Rupanuga calls him
in for a chat.
Well, Prabhu, Im going to give you to the Road Show. They really need a
guitar player and they like you, so Im going to offer you as a donation.
Hasyagrami: Viujana specifically wanted somebody who was less mellow.
They were going from the Every Town and Village format, into the Rock
Opera. Every Town and Village was kind of folksy. That was with
Krtannanda Swami. When Viujana Mahrja was on his own, he was
going to rock the thing up. It was a whole different ideaa Rock
Operaand it was the natural transition.
At that time Santosh was on keyboards. He was such an unlikely rock n
roller, but he was very good technically. He was the technical guru. He could
always figure out chromatically what to call the changes. Then we had the
brahmacrni chorus. Santoshs wife, ravaya, was a howler. She was our
Janis Joplin type voice. Silavati was taking care of the Deities. Varanasi had
joined, and she was such a cheerful good soul. It was a big crew, about thirty
devotees. Dayal Chandra was our bus driver.
Hasyagrami immediately joins the rehearsals in the temple basement as the
second guitarist along with Gadi. Viujana wants him to be ready for their big
concert where rla Prabhupda will see the show for the first time. To get his
sound, Hasyagrami puts several coats over his amplifier, cranks it up full blast,
then leans over, plays a few notes and says, Yeah, thats it.

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 The Denver TSKP, comprising Jagat Guru, Pra-vallabha:, Mahashakti,
and r Vallabha, also arrive at the Pittsburgh temple at this time. Jagat Guru
and r Vallabha are longing to join Viujana Mahrjas book distribution
party because they dont see eye to eye with their temple president.
There is always a group of brahmacrs who stick very close to Viujana
Mahrja, and Jagat Guru and r Vallabha immediately attach themselves to
this group. They take prasdam next to him and take rest wherever he takes
rest.
Wherever Mahrja goes, his daa is always with him. When he takes rest,
his daa is at his head. When he takes prasdam, it is slung over his shoulder.
Even when he is in the shower, the daa is just outside the shower area. He
only has the daa and a book bag, and everything he owns is in the book bag.
To the brahmacrs, this is the ideal sannys. One daa. One book bag. He is
the preacher and the kirtan devotee.
On occasion, there is some sport around taking prasdam. Viujana is
generally offered the big Mah plate, and r Vallabha is always hankering for
that mah-prasdam. Viujana Swami is very affectionate when it comes to
mah-prasdam exchange, and he always shares with the brahmacrs. Devotees
love to take Viujanas remnants, whatever is left over on his Mah plate.
Sometimes there are flowers on the plate to decorate the offering.
One day r Vallabha has his eye on the sweet rice. There is also a red rose
on the plate. Ill give you the sweet rice, Viujana says, but you have to eat
the rose too.
Its a deal, r Vallabha answers in a flash.
Mahrja hands him the bowl of sweet rice along with the big red rose. r
Vallabha takes the rose like a puri, dips it down into the sweet rice, and to the
surprise of everyone, and the satisfaction of Viujana Swami, eats the whole
bowl of sweet rice and the bright red rose. Everybody laughs, including r
Vallabha.
Jagat Guru: I had to bloop from the Denver party to get onto Viujanas
party. I just did it. One side condemns, the other side welcomes. I had been
hankering for his association, and we got together in Pittsburgh. Viujana
Mahrja asked me, Well, what do you want to do?
I was a book distributor so I said, I want to worship Rdh-Dmodara in

641
 the morning, and sell books all day long.
He said, Jaya. That was the qualification.
Even yesterday I was singing, bhaja govindam di-purua tam aha
bhajmi. He would sing that before the rati. He would sit in front of the
Deity curtain and just pump that chorus over and over with the harmonium.
Before the curtain would open, youd almost be in tears. Such a wonderful
mood he would create. Im sure that sound is deep in the hearts of many
devotees.
There is a huge Janmam festival arranged at New Vndvana, and soon
hundreds of devotees arrive in Pittsburgh on their way to the festival. Many
pull into the temple late at night. Viujana is always up to greet the devotees,
usually standing in the middle of the street, welcoming everybody with his arms
outstretched. Just seeing his devotional mood, everyone is instantly filled with
joy.

Nineteenth Wave At the Syria Mosque

Music and dancing employed in sense gratification are to be accepted as

demoniac, but the same music and dancing, when employed in glorifying the
Supreme Lord as kirtan, are transcendental, and they bring about a life
completely fit for spiritual enjoyment.
rmad-Bhgavatam 3.20.38, Purport

New Vndvana September 1972

Five hundred devotees have arrived from all over America and Canada for
the biggest festival in ISKCONs brief historythe Bhagavat Dharma
Discourses. The New Vndvana residents have built a large open air pavilion
where all the programs will take place. Log pillars support a simple frame
structure, which is covered with a tin roof, in case of inclement weather. Three
sides are left open to allow for cool breezes to keep the atmosphere comfortable.
At the rear, a long stage stretches across the entire width of the framework,
where Prabhupda and Rdh-Dmodara will preside. The pavilion is decorated

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with heavy red fabric that drapes over the top and back of the stage; streamers
hang across the ceiling. The structure sits atop the highest hill in New
Vndvana, behind Bahulavan.
There is only one clean well available for drinking water, which will have to
supply the needs of all the expected guests. Bhaktarupa is given the service of
guarding the well to make sure it doesnt get contaminated. Whenever
somebody wants water, Bhaktarupa draws out a bucket from the well and serves
that person.
Narottamananda oversees the various cooks in an outdoor kitchen. When
Viujana Swami comes over to see how the cooking is going, Narottam is just
taking a fresh batch of gulabjamuns out of the ghee. As soon as they are offered,
he gives one to Viujana to sample. Viujana is so impressed that he invites
Narottam to come over to the bus and cook gulabs for Rdh-Dmodara.
Tremendous excitement is in the air because rla Prabhupda has just
arrived. So many devotees have come to see him and hear him speak. Everyone
is in a festival mood, happy to be able to spend time with their spiritual master.
Most of the visitors camp out, sleeping in tents up on the hill near the pavilion.
A bathing ght has been rigged up, which is really only a plank over a small
pond. Everyone will take bath at the Ghat before going to magala-rati.
Devotees consider New Vndvana to be their rural prototype community. If
you want to experience Hare Ka country-style, this is it.
Hasyagrami: There were tons of devotees, and we were living in the mud. I
was just a new bhakta and that was a spectacular time for me. New
Vndvana had the Ghat, which was next to the cow shed. Water came
down a pipe into a big trough, which you scooped out for your bath. If you got
there early you could get some clean water. But if you were late, the trough
was stirred up so much that you were bathing with muddy water. To get there,
you had to walk through cow poop and mud mix. Then you got clean and had
to walk back. So you were dirty by the time you got down the hill, anyway.
In the cool of the evening, Viujana always wears a tan-colored chaddar.
Prasdam remnants from small Rdh-Ka dresses are sewn onto the chaddar.
On his bead-bag he also has a prasdam remnantusually from a top worn by a
small Ka Deityso he can smell it while chanting japa. He relishes these
remnants of Rdh-Ka Deities that he collects from the various temples he

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visits.
Viujana is the life of the festival, leading kirtans and singing bhajans on
the harmonium, non-stop, for Rdh-Dmodara. There is never a time that he
isnt chanting. Not many devotees are accomplished at leading kirtan, so
everyone wants him to lead. Some devotees chant with him until midnight, and
even beyond. Someone is always assigned to guard Rdh-Dmodara on stage.
No matter what time of day or night, a guard is constantly on duty. Large
Jagannath Deities and a vyssana for rla Prabhupda also sit on the stage.
Lakshmivan: One night we were sleeping in the van. Viujana Mahrja
had his bus parked across a small valley, and the Deities were out on Their
sihsana. As long as I was awake, he was playing the harmonium and
chanting alone. That went on, as far as I could tell, all night long. I remember
waking up for magala-rati, and he was still singing to Rdh-Dmodara.
Madhuhara: The first day I was there, Viujana led kirtan the entire night.
He gave a talk where he said, If you look at Prabhupda, he always has tears
in his eyes. That was something I remembered, but it wasnt something I saw
spontaneously. Still, I always thought about it and I always looked into
Prabhupdas eyes. It made an impression and helped me understand that
Prabhupda has a very compassionate, emotional nature in love of Godhead.
Suresvara: Viujana Swami was always doing bhajans with the harmonium.
His role there was very inspiringkirtans at different times of the day. I
remember Viujana telling us he had composed a tune for Vndvana
ramy sthna, and that Prabhupda liked it. I always loved that melody. I
remember being thrilled that Prabhupda had accepted his melody.
Krtannanda Swami is always running around getting things done, and
every devotee is enthusiastic to help. He has a feisty personality and doesnt
approve of some sannyss, especially those who arent true renunciates. But he
does have a fondness for Viujana Swami, whom he treats just like his younger
brother. Krtannanda is a prominent and powerful personality in the
movement, and Viujana is just like a boy around him.
Most of the festivities, like the swing festival for New Vndvanas small
Rdh-Ka Deities, are held up at the pavilion because the temple room
cannot accommodate all the guests. Pratyatosa is the sound man, and he is

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always next to the stage with his headphones on. Gadadhara is actively
involved with the electronics, both for the pavilion and the temple room.
Every evening at dusk Prabhupda is carried royally, on a palanquin, to the
top of the hill, which some devotees have dubbed Govardhan Hill. Here he
speaks his mature realizations of the science of Ka consciousness as more
than five hundred people gather to listen. After the lecture, Prabhupda is
again carried down the trail that winds down and around the hill to the temple.
Surrounded by an ocean of devotees carrying torches, lanterns, and flashlights,
he glides down the hill, accompanied by an uproarious kirtan.
Although Prabhupda is generally offered opulent facilities, he is equally
happy to adopt the simple mood of New Vndvana. He seems pleased with the
arrangements and compliments Krtannanda for his excellent job in
organizing the festival. Viujana is elated that His Divine Grace is pleased and
informs everyone, Prabhupda really likes this.
Premarnava: When Prabhupda arrived, they had a little house prepared for
him. We were sitting there when he said, This Vndvana, that Vndvana,
no difference, pointing his finger down, and then up.
Kuldri: Prabhupda stayed at an old converted farmhouse that didnt have
running water. We had to bring buckets of water for him. He would go out in
the bushes to pass, and he was appreciating the simplicity. Every other temple
was giving him the best facilities they could, but when he came to New
Vndvana, he had to go in the woods to pass. He was trying to make a
cultural statement here in New Vndvana. It was the introduction to
daiv-varrama, but bhagavat-dharma as opposed to varrama-dharma,
because he wanted to keep the essence of pure love of God. He was starting to
lay out a cultural program for influencing people to become Ka conscious.
I think the purpose was to get into the cultural aspects of Ka
consciousness, rather than just sakrtana and book distribution; there was a
complete lifestyle in addition to the philosophy that the farm communities
were going to pursue.

Janmam Day September 1, 1972

At the pavilion on the hilltop, Prabhupda gives the morning class from

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rmad-Bhgavatam 1.2.1. He explains that one may not understand the
Sanksrit verses, but the sound vibration will purify the atmosphere. He gives
the example of thunder. One does not require any particular language to
understand the meaning of thunder, he says. The very vibration itself conveys
everything.
The next point is that sound is the beginning, or origin, of creation.
Prabhupda quotes the Bible. The Lord said, Let there be creation, and there
was creation. So, Let there be creation, this is sound, transcendental sound. So
one who says this, Let there be creation, is not within the creation. Because
He, God, is speaking, Let there be creation, it means He is existing before
creation. So God is not within the creation.
Developing his theme, Prabhupda emphasizes the importance of reviving
our relationship with Ka, so that we can go back home, back to Godhead, in
this lifetime.
Suresvara: I remember one long-haired fellow asked, If the purpose of
life is to know Ka, then why is my so strong? Prabhupda,
without hesitation, said, Your purpose is not strong. The way he said
it was so powerful. We all caught our breath. It was like a wave of
power hit us, because he was not only answering that guest, he was
answering all of us.
Following the class, Bali Mardan Goswami performs rati for
Rdh-Dmodara. After offering the flower, Bali Mardan turns to offer it to
Prabhupda and the devotees. Then he flings the flower into the congregation.
Suresvara leaps up into the air amidst twenty other devotees and catches the
flower. Considering it the mah-prasdam of r r Rdh-Dmodara and rla
Prabhupda, he quickly pops it into his mouth, swallowing it whole in a
completely spontaneous gesture. But as the prasdam settles into his stomach, a
thought breaks his reverie, Ive broken the Janmam fast! He spends the
rest of the day walking around collecting opinions from devotees. Was what I
did auspicious or inauspicious?

The Janmam evening program is in the Bahulavan temple to honor r

r Rdh-Vndvana Chandra. When Prabhupda comes into the temple
room, Gadadhara is not quite ready to offer the sundara-rati. After a few tense

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moments, the sound of the conch is heard and kirtan begins. Prabhupda sits on
the vyssana during kirtan, playing kartls.
After rati, Prabhupda requests different devotees, like Rupanuga
Mahrja and Satsvarpa Mahrja, to read from KA book. Even though
the local devotees have just finished building an extension to accommodate
more devotees, the temple room is still so crowded that one can hardly see the
Deities. Some devotees cant even get into the temple and have to remain
outside, watching through the windows.
The KA book reading goes on for hours, lasting well into the night.
Devotees first read the Introduction, then Kas advent, and then the entire
section describing how the demigods offer their prayers to Lord Ka in the
womb. Prabhupda insists that they read this section, so they read on and on.
Devotees are trying to be attentive, but everyone has been fasting all day and
after hours of sitting and listening, most people start falling asleep. The room is
so jammed with devotees, it becomes intolerably hot, and soon the daas begin
bobbing up and down as the sannyss start nodding out.
Viujana Swami is sitting right up front with the other sannyss, next to
Prabhupda. He generally exhibits more sense control than most devoteeshe
seldom falls asleep during classbut he also is beginning to nod out. Only
Prabhupda is not affected by drowsiness and continues relishing Kas
pastimes.
Pra Vallabha: There was no room to get in, but there was a window right
outside the temple room at the back. I was outside, and Prabhupda was right
above us sitting on his vyssana. I climbed up and saw the back of his head
through the window. He was listening to KA book being read in turn by
the sannyss. Some of the sannyss were dozing off. Prabhupda became
upset that they werent listening attentively to Kas pastimes on such an
important day. He was furious.
By midnight, all the pots are set up outside the temple room for prasdam
distribution. But Prabhupda keeps the reading going. It is well past midnight
when Prabhupda finally says, I think you have had enough. Take prasdam.
You are a little tired.
Everyone has waited so long, fasting all day, but prasdam still cant be
served until the kirtan is over. It is late into the night when the rati ceremony

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comes to a close. Most of the devotees are now outside, waiting for prasdam.
The servers begin serving the nectar drink in cone-shaped paper cups to a few
devotees.
Gokularanjana: Somebody came running out and said, You cant take now.
Its not prasdam yet because Prabhupda is still on the vyssana. Someone
else said that everything has already been offered. We were holding these
cupswhich we couldnt put down because they were cone-shapedwhile
two devotees argued over who was right and who was wrong. A controversy
began to develop, and devotees were getting angry at one another. We had
been fasting all day, and some people became agitated because they were
hungry. It was quickly becoming a tense situation.
At this point, Viujana Mahrja happened along and saw that the
discussion was about to boil over. He immediately took control of the
situation. Prabhus. Why dont we all try to think of something to say in
glorification of prasdam before we take? Everybody just stood there and
looked at him like, What? Are you nuts? But he had a big smile on his face.
Alright, Ill start; catur-vidha-r-bhagavat-prasda svdv-anna-tptn
hari-bhakta-saghn... Then he gave the translation. By glorifying
prasdam, he immediately eased the tension in the air. Shortly after,
Prabhupda came out of the temple room and everything calmed down.
Guagrahi: By the time prasdam was served, devotees were very hungry and
they were just stuffing themselves. I already had a full plate and was on my
second one. Then Viujana Mahrja got upapparently he hadnt eaten
that muchand started kirtan. It was so sweet, that I immediately lost
interest in eating more prasdam and wanted to join the kirtan. I was
impressed by how renounced he was, to leave the feast to get up and chant.
Soon all the devotees were chanting and dancing in ecstasy. I use that as a
referencethat the Holy Name is more relishablewhenever I find myself
pigging out on prasdam.

Vysa-pj September 2, 1972

Early in the morning, Viujana Swami sends for Chandrasekhara.

We dont have flowers for Prabhupdas garland.

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 I dont know where to get flowers.
Well, just go into town and find some flowers. We need a garland for
Prabhupda.
Chandrasekhara drives into town and goes door to door asking for flowers,
because marigolds are blooming everywhere. Its our spiritual masters
birthday, he says. Can I pick a few flowers to make a garland? Although he is
dressed in a dhoti and has a shaven head, many people smile and nod their
consent.
Chandrasekhara: On Viujana Mahrjas instruction, I was getting
flowers, so it was ecstatic. I made a garland and also incorporated a few roses.
It was my pride and joy to see Prabhupda, on his Vysa-pj day, wearing
the garland I had made for him. Mahrja had given me the service, so that
was exciting. Most of my memories of the Bhagavat Dharma discourses were
running up that hill. All the devotees were streaming up and, of course,
streaming down.
It is a beautiful sunny day as a thousand people crowd the hilltop pavilion to
hear Prabhupda speak. Many scholars and local politicians have also been
invited, and some even show up, including a reporter from The New York
Times, who interviews Prabhupda at the farmhouse before attending his noon
lecture at the pavilion.
Kuldri: When The New York Times came, Toaa and I were talking about
the potential of Varnashram preaching, farm communities, and alternative
lifestyle communities. Here they are preaching on the streets of New York,
and The New York Times comes all the way out to New Vndvana for the
Bhagavat Dharma Discourses. They covered the event, and there was a story
in the Times. Some local community Sunday Supplement magazines picked it
up. Different temples around the country saw the story in their local Sunday
paper. It was still the same story; an Indian Swami comes to teach
transcendental life in a West Virginia country setting.
At the hilltop pavilion, Prabhupdas vyssana sits on the stage to the
devotees left side. r r Rdh-Dmodaras altar is in the middle, and the big
Jagannath Deities are on the far right. In his lecture, Prabhupda explains the
significance of vysa-pj because there are a number of visitors present from

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different places. He doesnt want the guests to think he is accepting worship on
his own behalf.
So this Vysa-pj means one day in a year, on the birthday of the spiritual
master, because he is the representative of Vyasa and is delivering the same
knowledge which has come down by disciplic succession without any change, he
is offered respect. This is called Vysa-pj. The spiritual master receives all
honor, all contribution, on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not
for his person.
Just like in our country when there was British rule, there was a viceroy, a
kings representative. So naturally, when the viceroy used to go to some
meeting, many people used to present valuable jewels, just to honor him. But
the law was that not a single jewel, or contribution, the viceroy could touch. It
was going to the royal treasury. The viceroy could accept on behalf of the king
all contributions, but it goes to the king. Similarly, this day, Vysa-pj day,
whatever honor, contribution, or feeling is being offered to the spiritual master,
again, as we have received the knowledge from upwards, similarly, this respect
also goes from down to up. This is the process.
So as the spiritual master is teacher of the student, he has to teach the
disciple how to send back his respect and contribution to God. This is called
Vysa-pj. So the spiritual master is respected as good as God. Why?
Skd-haritvena samasta-strair. They have already chanted this song.
Samasta-strair, in all Vedic literatures. Samasta means all. stra means
Vedic literature. All the stras have declared that the spiritual master is as
good as Godnot God, but as good as God. The myvds think that the
spiritual master is also God. No. We Vaiavas dont accept that theory. But
actually, how a man can become God? No. But because he is Gods
representative, he is honored as God, but not that he has become God.
Kintu prabhor ya priya eva tasya. Just like you have got a dear son. If
somebody pats your son, even pats your dog, you become pleased. So the
spiritual master is very confidential servant, dog of God. Therefore if you can
please him, yasya prasdd bhagavat-prasda. If you can please the spiritual
master, then God is pleased. Just like your small child. If somebody pleases that
child, you become automatically pleased. You can please that child with a
two-cent lozenge. But to please you it may require thousands of dollars. So you
can finish the business by offering a lozenge.

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 So this is the position of a spiritual master. Dont misunderstand that this
person is sitting very comfortably and taking all honors and contribution. It is
needed just to teach them how to respect the representative of God. This is the
sum and substance of Vysa-pj.
Finishing his lecture, Prabhupda asks devotees to read out their offerings.
Viujana Swami reads the offering from the Road Show:
108 exclamations of Jaya we offer to you, O topmost swan-like devotee and
wandering mendicant. rla Prabhupda, you are just like the desire tree which
can fulfill the desires of everyone, and thus you are jagad-guru and forever
worthy for taking shelter of. As there is no distinction between yourself and
your teachings, you are easily available for all of us desiring relief from material
existence.You have stated that if we become glorious devotees, then this is
naturally your glory because you are the spiritual master. Therefore, we, the
members of the First Transcendental Exposition, dedicate our lives to fulfill a
glorious task that you have begun.
It is stated: nirviea-nyavdi-pctya-dea-trie. You have come to
deliver us from impersonalism and voidism. So we, your disciples, vow to
eradicate the misconceptions that Ka is a demigod, man, impersonal or void,
and all other nonsense opinions which are taught in the universities all over
the country. We also promise to take kirtan with Lord Caitanya and
Rdh-Ka Deities all over the United States and distribute your literature.
Also 50% of the income from our college engagements will go to your book
fund.
In conclusion let us remember to always strive for full Ka consciousness
so that, by our becoming glorious, you will be glorified.
This offering, written by Viujana Swami, is very prophetic. In a few short
years the Rdh-Dmodara Party will indeed take Rdh-Dmodara, and Lord
Caitanya Deities, all over America distributing books, giving 50% to the book
fund, and teaching that Rdh and Ka are the Supreme transcendental
persons, the Divine Couple.
After the offerings are read out, Bharadraja begins a melodious kirtan,
singing the Gurvaakam prayers to the afternoon melody. Everyone rises to
chant and dance, swaying from side-to-side jubilantly, under the benevolent
gaze of rla Prabhupda who sits on his vyssana playing along on kartls.

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Satyanarayana: Then the magic began to happen. The kirtan seemed to flow
up over the stage from Bharadrajas lead to Viujanas lead. Viujana,
playing mdaga near Prabhupda, took over the lead, carefully and lovingly
developing the Hare Ka mantra more and more, encouraged by rla
Prabhupda, who had by then closed his eyes and was beginning to rock his
head from side to side, an intense expression coming over his face. As the
chanting increased in intensity, Prabhupdas whole body soon started
rocking from side to side, his kartls crashing together with force. Almost as if
a signal was given, the entire congregation of devotees was drawn to the stage.
There was a crush toward the stage, and it just started getting wild. It was
such an incredible emotion. I was leaning right over the stage in front of
Prabhupda, during the crush. He was shaking his head back and forth.
Everyone was looking intently at Prabhupda as a wild expectation swept
over us.
Radhanath: The kirtan was so sweet and so full of bhakti. Viujana
Mahrja was singing with such feeling, playing mdaga right in front of
Prabhupda. Everyone in the audience felt so happy to be with Prabhupda
and Viujana Mahrja, in the association of all the other devotees. It was
such a wonderful kirtan that it appeared to me that Prabhupda could not
contain himself. Out of love for his devoteesto reciprocate with joyhe
took over the kirtan. When Prabhupda took over, the kirtan increased
thousands of steps. No one had seen Prabhupda do that before. He didnt get
up, he just sat on his vyssana and sang while Viujana Mahrja was
dancing and jumping and playing mdaga.
Satyanarayana: rla Prabhupda, clearly overwhelmed with pure and
uncontrollable love of Ka, with eyes tightly closed and crashing the kartls
madly, interrupted Viujana at the crescendo of his chanting. Prabhupda
seemed to have no choice. He had to take the lead away from Viujana, and
began chanting Hare Ka so strongly, and so beautifully. Then he began
crying. He tried to chant through his tears. Prabhupda couldnt hold himself
back. Everyone went mad. They began screaming and crying because it was
such ecstasy. The devotion was so tangible that everyone was crying.
In one overwhelming, stunning moment a spiritual shock wave of
realization shook us to the roots. A divine and rare spiritual event was

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 happening right in front of us as we saw rla Prabhupda overwhelmed. And
then that wave of Love of Godhead hit us. A brief instant passed when many
devotees could only gasp. Then, in one blinding moment, two hundred
devotees were driven absolutely and uncontrollably mad: screaming, crying,
and swooning at once, crying and crushing into the stage with total abandon.
Hundreds of arms stretched out to rla Prabhupda, all of us crying and
chanting, crying and chanting, crying, crying, until there was nothing but
tears and love, as the devotees tried to chant, as they cried and whimpered, but
couldnt anymore.
Prabhupda had displayed uncontrollable, pure, unalloyed love for Ka
right there for all to see. It was awesome to behold and feelthe pure
devotees love and the Supreme Lords oceanic response. We were, all of us,
swept up, embraced, drowned, and devastated.
That was the most amazing kirtan in the universe. It was divine. I cried for
an hour.
After the kirtan, most people are still stunned with devotional rapture. As
Mahendra and an assistant bring Prabhupdas birthday cake onto the stage,
everyone stares at the big, beautiful cake, which is almost four feet long.
Mahendra cuts a piece of cake and offers it to Prabhupda, who takes a tiny
portion and pops it into his mouth. Tipping his head side-to-side, Prabhupda
nods his approval as if to say, Yes, very nice. The cake is now mah-prasdam.
The program has been going on for a long time, and Prabhupda feels a little
tired. Deciding to leave, he gets up from the vyssana and walks across the
stage, in front of Rdh-Dmodara and Lord Jagannath, toward the steps on the
far right where Hayagrvas VW is waiting to take him to the farmhouse in
Madhuvan.
Kanti Mati dev ds: We had always heard, just touch the lotus feet of the
spiritual masterget the mercy and shelter of the lotus feet of the spiritual
master. So when Prabhupda got up, Vishnu Yasa took his japa beads out of
his bead bag, and as rla Prabhupda came by, he touched his beads to
Prabhupdas feet. I was right up front taking photographs, so I reached out
and touched Prabhupdas lotus foot. His foot felt like silk. I got jerked back
into the crowd by a bunch of women who chastised me, because women dont
touch the feet of the spiritual master. I was new and I didnt really know what

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 I was doing. They pushed me around and shoved me down. They told me I
was so offensive. This was a terrible thing to dotouch the lotus feet of the
spiritual master and give him your karmaand being a woman, too.
Gokularanjana: As they started to carry the cake back across the stage in
front of Rdh-Dmodara, the crowd surged forward and attacked the cake. I
mean we attacked it, right in front of rla Prabhupda. I remember
specifically, reaching over Loka Mangalas shoulder and taking a piece of
cake out of his hand as he was about to put it in his mouth. The cake was
completely demolished, within minutes, in a frenzy. In retrospect, it was
offensive, but at the time it was like spontaneous devotion, laulya.
Pancali dev ds: They were rolling the cake past the devotees, and everybody
was grabbing huge handfuls, just like wild animals, eating it, and passing it
around to everybody. By the time they rolled it around to the back, it was
totally demolished.
Suresvara: As Prabhupda was leaving, we all went crazy. Without any
consideration, we proceeded to dive on Prabhupdas cake. I remember
having this big hunk of cake in my hand, running down the hill from the
pavilion, and being tackled by two brahmacrs for a piece of cake. It was
mayhem.
Seeing the anarchy around the cake, Krtannanda Swami comes through
the crowd, hitting devotees with his daa, Save some cake for the guests. The
guests need the mercy. All he can see are hands and legs sticking out of the
cake. Devotees are running down the hill with big handfuls of cake, offering it
to other people. Here, this is Prabhupdas cake.
Divyananda: I was the last one up, and there was just a few crumbs left. The
whole cake had disappeared, and people were running in every direction with
pieces of cake. Prabhupda just looked at me, laughed, and said, So, can I
have another piece?
After the cake incident, Prabhupda returns to the farmhouse in Madhuvan.
He calls in his servant, Nanda Kumar, and asks if there is any more cake.
Oh, Im sorry Prabhupda, the devotees ate it.
Prabhupda is very tolerant, and just says, Thats all right. Who has made

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this cake? They can make another one.
Nanda Kumar quickly informs Narottamanandawho is overseeing the
cooksthat Prabhupda wants a piece of cake. Immediately, Narottam runs out
looking for Gayatri dev, because she had baked the cake. Everybody is filled
with anxiety. When Gayatri is found, she quickly bakes another, smaller cake
for Prabhupda.
All through the day different devotees visit the farmhouse, taking the
opportunity of Prabhupdas presence to bask in his affection and consult him
on important temple affairs. Satsvarpa Mahrja, who has only recently taken
sannysa, also wants to associate with his spiritual master although he has no
pressing problems to discuss. When Prabhupda understands that his new
sannys has come simply for association with no inquiry about his service, he
questions him, What are you doing?
Satsvarpa dsa Goswami: I replied that I was, according to the instruction
that I had received from him in a letter, going from temple to temple in my
zone and implementing his desire that the students there study the
rmad-Bhgavatam in the morning class. I had previously felt very confident
that I was exactly following direct orders I had been given in a letter from
him. But to my surprise, in that room in New Vndvana, he began telling me
that visiting temples was not the most important thing. He said that he was
pleased with the program of Viujana Mahrja, who was traveling on a
bus. He said I should do like that.
I immediately replied, Then your instruction that I should go to the
different temples is not very important? I should take a bus? And rla
Prabhupda became annoyed and said, It is not that because one thing is
more important, the other thing is less important. Everything is important.
Not that just because I say this is important, to travel in a bus, now you say
traveling to the temples is not important. Kas head is important, and
Kas foot is important. Everything about Him is important.
Later that evening, Viujana performs several selections from the
transcendental Rock Opera on the pavilion stage. Hundreds of people gather
for the concert even though the rock music is already controversial. The New
Vndvana devotees consider it my. They are used to a natural farm
environment, and rock music just doesnt fit in with their mood, which is more

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conservative and traditional. They cant relate to a Rock Opera in the
wilderness. When the show is performed in a big hall in town, the setting is
completely different.
di Deva: I was staying at the back because I didnt know what the reaction
would be, so I was watching to see everybodys reaction. They played the first
couple of tunes, and boy, it was real cold. Viujana picked up on that too,
and he said, Lets do a kirtan. So they did a kirtan, and everything was
alright.
Paramananda: I was like a deer that had just come out of the woods, and to
see these people there, doing these things in New Vndvana? We lived so
simply in those first years. All we did was farm and take care of the cows. We
didnt get into that city stuff.
Pancali dev ds: Everyone was chanting to a rock n roll Hare Ka.
Viujana was jumping up and down with his daa. I thought, This is
interesting. Its something Ive never experienced before. rla Prabhupda
didnt like it too much, but devotees were enjoying to the max.
Rupa Vilas: They played a set at the top of the hill, and I thought it was a little
too far-out. I remember being startled that Prabhupda was approving this
type of music. It seemed like rasbhsa to me, putting rock n roll and
spirituality together. Because the medium was sex music, essentially, and the
message was so completely different than that.
Realizing that New Vndvana is not the right setting for the Rock Opera,
Viujana changes the mood by turning the performance into a huge kirtan.
All the devotees stand up and start jumping in ecstasy when the mah-mantra
begins. Some local devotees have gathered wood for a bonfire, and as soon as
the fire begins to blaze, the initial chill of the rock instruments wears off. Now
everyone is chanting and dancing as they are accustomed to.
After kirtan, everyone sits around the campfire, and Viujana Mahrja
reads from Lord Caitanya in Five Features. (A small book comprising the 7th
chapter of Caitanya-caritmta, Adi Lila. This becomes a regular nightly feature
of the festival. Different devotees lead the chanting around the campfire every
evening, which goes on well into the night.)

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 When Viujana takes a break so another devotee can read, Murti dsa
comes up to say, Haribol! Mahrja is happy to see him, and they go off
together to talk. They have a wonderful reunion, discussing many intimate and
personal matters.
Murti dsa: Viujana was so ecstatic to be there, and we had some nice times
with him. He had such a sincere heart. He was willing to see the good in
everyone and respect everyone no matter what level of devotional service or
what level of spiritual development they were on. He did not judge people
categorically but respected everyone as spirit soul, as a part of Ka. So that
meant he could talk to a five-year-old child, or a fifty-year-old person, the
same way. He was a very advanced personality.
When the subject came up of his involvement with the four sannyss, he
was willing to talk about it. The way he explained it to me, he was told by
Brahmnanda and the others that he had to take up the mission of leading the
movement because he was essential as a leader. Prabhupda was too precious,
too divine, to continue leading the movement. He admitted he was confused. I
was a neophyte who didnt know the philosophy very well, so he just said, We
all thought that Prabhupda was God, and that he was not the person who
should lead the movement. We thought that we had to take over the movement
and let him have his lls, as God. This illusion took us over. I was asked to be
a part of it, and then I began to believe it, too. Now Im ashamed that I ever
did it. To prove my love for rla Prabhupda, Im constantly on the road
preaching and making devoteesand staying away from politics.
Although the four sannyss had wanted to take up the management of the
movement, the spiritual master is always the authority and, therefore, the one
who decides who will take up management. The sannyss had put Prabhupda
on a pedestal, and then tried to usurp his position as leader. ISKCON can never
be an institution run by a group of leaders who worship Prabhupda as a symbol.
But that was what they were trying to do. It was a group mindset, and they were
all duped.
Of course, Prabhupda always wanted his leading disciples to take over
management, so he could be free to write books. Thus, their idea wasnt actually
so bad, except in the sense that they acted without authority, and then said
Prabhupda was God. That was their mistake.

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 The following morning brings a heavy rainstorm. Everyone is up in the
pavilion when the downpour hits. The rain comes down so hard that the
pavilion is no longer a dry shelter, and devotees run to take cover in their
vehicles or in their tents.
Gokularanajana: Nobody seemed to be paying any attention to the Deities.
Viujana came along and started grabbing devotees. I happened to be one of
them. I was still a bhakta, but he grabbed me and a few other devotees, and we
carefully lifted up the Jagannath Deities and brought Them into a van. Then
we drove up to the Vndvana farm. The point was that everybody else was
worried about themselves, but Viujana was the only who was thinking
about the Deities.
New Vndvana becomes muddy and cold. The already austere conditions
worsen. The accommodations are lacking, especially the bathing facilities. The
Road Show troupe had hoped to rehearse and at the same time attend
Prabhupdas lectures. But New Vndvana is very dark at night, and ravaya
accidentally falls into a large hole on her way to magala-rati. Then, one of the
buses gets stuck in the mud, and another bus has to come pull it out.
The whole troupe agrees that it is next to impossible to rehearse in the New
Vndvana setting. Viujana suggests that they return to Pittsburgh to prepare
for the upcoming concert that Prabhupda will attend. Everyone wants the
performance to be first class for Prabhupda, so they agree to relocate to
Pittsburgh and spend the rest of the week rehearsing the show.
While they are preparing for their departure, Krtannanda Swami quickly
meets with Silavati and convinces her to stay in New Vndvana and take over
the pjr service for Rdh-Vndvana Chandra. Her two sons are at the New
Vndvana Gurukula, so she reluctantly agrees, although she is pained to leave
the service of Rdh-Dmodara.
Silavati is a model devoteethough she doesnt try to be onebecause she
has a way about her that is exemplary. She has a lot of integrity and is very
sensitive, but she doesnt fall apart when the going gets tough. Yet, Silavati is so
attached to Rdh-Dmodaras service that she becomes a little resentful upon
leaving.
Varanasi dev ds: It was a hard transition for Silavati, and she flipped. She

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 had that Scorpio nature, and she slashed into me when she left. You can take
my Deities, and you can take my service. I appreciated her because she had
devotion for the Deities, and I learned Deity worship from her, but she wasnt
into sharing or teaching. The first time I did magala-rati, I said, I dont
know how. She said, Just do it.
Varanasi is selected to be the new head pjr. She has a strong will and is
very pushy to get things done for Rdh-Dmodara. Knowing that she requires
assistance and guidance in her new service, she recruits the help of senior ladies
visiting New Vndvana, who are more experienced pjrs.
Urvasi dev ds: Varanasi was dressing Rdh-Dmodara then, and I
assisted her as she dressed Them. She was very busy, always very much
engaged. She told me it was so special traveling with Viujana Swami. He
was very transcendental. Having women travel on the Road Show didnt
bother him at all. He was an equipoised personality and treated everyone like
spirit soul.
Returning to Pittsburgh, the Road Show managers rent a hall down the
street from the temple, which is owned by the Unitarian Church. The actors
and musicians rehearse there every day for the rest of the week and fine tune
the show. They develop the dance sequences and tighten up the music,
changing keys, when necessary, for the singers. Because this performance is for
Prabhupda, they want it to be perfect.
ravaya dev ds: Viujana was so visionary. He would take risks without
even thinking about it. He never planned anything, he would just go and do it.
Every time we did the show, and this used to really get to us, there was no
script. We didnt know what he was going to say, or when we were supposed to
come on stage. He would think it up just before we went on. That was
frightening on the one hand and yet spontaneous on the other, depending on
what you wanted to focus on. You had to get into the spontaneous mood or
you couldnt work with him. Thats how he worked, and we adored him. He
always sang melodies that were so far out. I remember Vndvana ramy
sthna. That was magical. It took you right there, Im telling you. We thought
he was a saintly person. We didnt say it because we were all about the same
age, but we really were convinced of that so we would just do whatever he
wanted.

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 I remember Mangalananda teaching us how to sing, Ka, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Mangalananda is a genius. A very steady guy. It
was good working with him, too.

Pittsburgh September 8, 1972

After the festival, Prabhupda leaves New Vndvana with rutakrti as his
new personal servant. Nanda Kumar remains behind in New Vndvana to
work with Krtannanda Swami.
When Prabhupda arrives at the Pittsburgh temple, Rdh-Dmodara are
sitting on Their altar in the temple room. Taking darshan first, Prabhupda
offers his obeisances and then retires to his quarters. Later in the day,
everybody gathers in his room for personal association.
Toaa wants to show His Divine Grace the promotional materials he has
designed. He has put together a sophisticated promotional package that was
obviously quite an expense. A picture of Narada Muni with his vina catches
Prabhupdas eye, along with the story of the Rock Opera and an explanation of
the Hare Ka mission.
Toaa Ka: We had impressive color brochures, special photos, special
mail-outs to the press, and a beautiful poster. This is what were using, rla
Prabhupda. We had Muraldharas version of Prabhupdas original
rmad-Bhgavatam cover of the Vaikuha planets. Actually the basis of
this was your idea, I said, pointing to the art work. rla Prabhupda looked
at me sternly and said, What, my idea. It is all in stra. He would not take
any credit. He never got excited in a mundane sort of way.
Satsvarpa dsa Goswami: Prabhupda stressed outgoing preaching
programs, and he advised his newly initiated sannyss present to follow the
example of their godbrother Viujana Swamito travel in a bus from town
to town and hold festivals and distribute books and magazines.
After the darshan, Viujana Mahrja stays behind to ask some personal
questions about Rdh-Dmodara. Prabhupda advises that he should be very
careful while traveling with Rdh-Dmodara, because if there is any
discrepancy in the consciousness of the devotees it will be a great offense. That
is the reason Gaura-Nitai Deities are taken out, and not Rdh-Ka Deities,

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because no offense can be committed. But Prabhupda gives his blessings
because, Rdh-Dmodara are acting as Lord Caitanya. He cautions
Viujana Mahrja to be very careful in Their service and avoid any offense at
the lotus feet of the Lord.
Regarding the Deity worship, Prabhupda asks Viujana why Rdhrs
dresses are so long as to make her look like Mother Yaod with her small boy,
Dmodara. Viujana explains that he had thought Rdhrs lotus feet
should be fully covered.
Oh? You do not like to see Rdhr's lotus feet? Prabhupda says with a
twinkle in his eye.
Viujana at once understands that since Rdh-Dmodara are the
childhood forms of the Lord, it would not be immodest for Rdhr to display
Her lotus feet. From this time onward, especially on festive occasions,
Rdhrs lotus feet are slightly shown.
Sakaraa: Rdh-Dmodara would stay up late to do these concerts, so
Prabhupda gave permission for Them to get up later in the morning.
Rdh-Dmodara would take rest for six hours, so whatever time They went
to bed, They would get up six hours later. Viujana asked Prabhupda
directly in Pittsburgh, and Prabhupda authorized it in that situation.
Viujana also got permission to show Rdhrs lotus feet, which is
normally not done.
The Road Show is cooking, and everything is organized. Performing the
Rock Opera for Prabhupda is their most important engagement, highlighting a
years work of traveling and refining the show. All the actors and musicians are
excited to perform for their spiritual master.
The temple provides a car and driver for Prabhupda to attend the
performance at the Syria Mosque later that evening. rutakrti, Pradyumna,
and Pusta Ka Swamiwho has recently accepted sannysawill
accompany their spiritual master.
The Syria Mosque auditorium is a prestigious venue, and all the big bands
play there. The Rock Opera has become so sophisticated that there are now
endless costumes and props. All the props have to be set up, make-up has to be
applied, etc., all of which takes a lot of time. After each performance, devotees

661
stay up half the night breaking everything down and packing up. Still, they all
get up for the morning program. Often they have to eat foodstuffs that are no
longer fresh. It is a very austere lifestyle, but everyone is prepared to do
whatever it takes to keep the show going.
The First Transcendental Exposition Rock Opera has been well publicized,
and a large crowd shows up for the Friday night concert. At the theater
entrance, Ranadhir and Narada Muni dsa are in the ticket booth. They are
amazed to see so many people lined up all the way down the streeta lot more
people than anyone expected. There are different priced tickets, but seeing
such a large crowd, they just say that the cheaper seats are already sold out. So
everybody buys the more expensive tickets.
The concert begins with the r Vishnu Light Show, run by Bob Shectman.
The story is about a conditioned soul seeking enjoyment through women and
intoxication, who comes in contact with devotees and the mah-mantra and
gives up sinful life to become a Vaiava. Bob flashes Ka ll slides onto a
giant screen above the stage, accompanied by music from the band. The band
members are dressed in tie-dyed, burgundy-and-white, nylon sheet dhotis, with
stars painted at the corners of their eyes to look like lotus-eyes. The idea is to
appear like they are from another world; a look that some rock groups copied
later on.
The band has composed a special song to glorify Prabhupda, Jagat Guru
Spiritual Master for the Universe, and they are working it up, building it to a
crescendo anticipating his arrival. All of a sudden, the word is given.
Prabhupda is here. As the music reaches the crescendo, the doors open at the
back of the darkened auditorium. Light comes zapping through from the lobby
outside, illuminating Prabhupda at the back of the hall. He just stands there as
the music is playing, silhouetted at the top of the aisle that slopes down to the
front of the stage.
Pusta Ka Swami: As Prabhupda entered, the band was playing this
electrifying rendition of Jagat Guru Spiritual Master for the Universe.
My hair was standing on end; it was so thrilling.
Prabhupdas entrance is glorious. A red carpet is rolled out down the center
aisle as the band plays their anthem to the World Acharya. Prabhupda looks
around, seeing the packed house, and begins walking down the aisle on the red

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carpet. It appears that he is actually floating down the aisle. He is then escorted
onto the stage where his vyssana is set up.
Hasyagrami: Prabhupda walked right up on the stage about ten feet away
from us. It appeared to me that he looked right at me. That was the perfection
of my existence, because I was just a simple musician. I got to play for my
guru in a way that I had never imagined when I gave up everything and
walked into the temple on Henry Street, throwing all my guitars and
equipment at the devotees feet. Prabhupda gave a wonderful lecture, which
we always considered the Road Show lecture. We just sat down with our big
tie-dye setup that covered all the amplifiers and listened attentively.
Sitting comfortably on his vyssana in front of 2,500 people, Prabhupda
asks for his spectacles and requests Pradyumna to read from Bhagavad-gt,
verse 2.13:
dehino smin yath dehe kaumra yauvana jar
tath dehntara-prptir dhras tatra na muhyati
As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth
to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is
not bewildered by such a change.

Nobody in the audience is expecting to hear a lecture. They have just come
to see a Rock Opera. A few people leave but most remain.
Prabhupda begins his talk by explaining that the spirit soul is the proprietor
of the body. There are 8,400,000 species of life, he says, and every one of them is
experiencing the pains and pleasures of the particular body that they possess.
The body is continually changing from childhood to youth to old age, but the
soulthe vital force within the bodydoes not change.
Therefore the conclusion is that when this aged body as I have got nowI
am seventy-seven years oldso when this body will be finished, Ill get another
body. This is simple truth, that the living entity, or the soul, is transmigrating
from one body to another. This is the basic principle of spiritual understanding.
The vital force of the body is the spirit soul. It is not a mechanical arrangement
of matter. The modern so-called scientists, they think that the body is a
combination of matter and, at a certain stage, these combinations of matter

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develop living symptoms. But that is not a fact.
Prabhupda clarifies that Ka is speaking and that we accept the authority
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kas knowledge is perfect because
He knows past, present, and future. He is teaching Arjuna that the living entity
is never born, nor does he die. Every person is eternal, and does not die with the
annihilation of this body. This is confirmed in the Vedas; as God is eternal, so
we are similarly eternal.
We are part and parcels of God. Just like gold and fragments of gold; both of
them are gold. Although I am fragment, a particle of gold, or the spirit, still, I
am spirit. So we get this information that both God and we living entities are
eternal.
Quoting the Upanishads, Prabhupda explains that of all the eternals, the
chief eternal is Ka, and He is supplying all the necessities to all the other
eternal beings. Advancement of civilization has not improved our situation.
Rather, it has created more problems. We are advancing in technology, but we
are ignorant about the next life.
And if it is so, how we are getting that form of life next? Because we are
eternal, we are changing this body. Neither do we know there are two kinds of
bodies: the gross body and the subtle body. This gross body is made of earth,
water, fire, air, ether; and the subtle body is made of mind, intelligence, and ego.
Within the subtle body, the soul is there. Now, when this gross body becomes
useless or unworkable, then the subtle body carries me to another gross body.
This is called transmigration of the soul. But we do not see the subtle body.
Every one of us, we know that we have got mind, but we cannot see the mind.
Neither we can see intelligence, neither I can see what is my ego. But they are
existing. So it is not necessary that everything you have to see with your blunt
eyes. The eyes, they are not perfect. Just like the other side of this hall is dark. I
cannot see you, although I have got the eyes.
I cannot see what is mind, what is intelligence, what is ego, but I can hear
about it. Therefore perfect knowledge is acquired by hearing. So we accept
knowledge, perfect knowledge, by hearing. Another example: suppose a man is
sleeping. At that time, if somebody is coming to kill him, hes sleeping; he does
not know. But if his friend warns him, My dear Mr. Such-and-such, somebody
is coming to kill you. Wake up! he can hear, and he can wake up and take

664
precaution. Therefore, when our other senses cannot work, our ear is very
strong.
Therefore, Prabhupda says, one has to receive knowledge by hearing from
an authoritative source. The education system works in the same way. Students
go to college to learn from experienced professors, because they can impart
knowledgeif the students listen.
So the process of hearing is very important. This Ka consciousness
movement is to propagate that you hear from the authority, Ka. Ka is the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is accepted in the present age and in the
past age. In the past age, great sages like Narada, Vyasa, Asita, Devalagreat
stalwart scholars and sagesthey accepted. In the middle age, say 1,500 years
ago, all the acharyas like Sankaracarya, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya,
Nimbarka; practically, Indian Vedic civilization, is still existing on the
authority of these acharyas. And it is recommended in the Bhagavad-gt:
cryopsanam. If you want to learn factually things, then you should approach
the acharya.
One who has accepted acharya, he knows things as they are, cryavn
puruo veda. So we are receiving knowledge through the acharyas. The same
thing, we are preaching. That is Ka consciousness movement. It is nothing
new. It is coming down from the original speaker, Ka, by disciplic succession.
So we are reading this Bhagavad-gt. Not that I have manufactured some
book and I am preaching. No. I am preaching Bhagavad-gt, the same
Bhagavad-gt as it was first spoken forty millions of years ago to the sun-god,
and again it was repeated five thousand years ago to Arjuna. The same thing is
coming down by disciplic succession, and the same thing is presented before
you. There is no change. So the authority says, dehino smin yath dehe
kaumra yauvana jar tath dehntara-prptir dhras tatra na muhyati. So we
request people, that you simply accept this authoritative knowledge and try to
assimilate it by your intelligence. It is not that you stop your argument and
intelligence and blindly accept something. No. We are human beings, we have
got intelligence. We are not animals that we shall be forced to accept
something. No.
At this point Prabhupda introduces the principle of spiritual master.
If you want to know things that are beyond your conception, beyond your

665
sense perception, then you must approach a bona fide spiritual master. What is
the symptom of bona fide spiritual master? Everyone wants to become spiritual
master. So that is also statedone who has taken complete bath in the ocean of
the Vedic literature, bde pare ca nita. Just like if you take bath, you
become refreshed. Without being refreshed, one cannot understand this
sublime subject matter. And the guru, or the spiritual master, should be
refreshed by taking bath in the ocean of Vedic knowledge. And what is the
result? After such cleanliness, he has taken shelter of the Supreme Absolute
Truth, without any material desires. He has no more material desires; he is
simply interested in Ka, or the Absolute Truth. These are the symptoms of
guru, or spiritual master.
And if someone wants to understand the Absolute truth by his own power?
Prabhupda quickly supplies the answer.
This argument has no value. Because if I am imperfect, what is the meaning
of my argument? Whatever I shall argue, that is also imperfect. So what is the
use of wasting time by imperfect argument? This is not the process. The process
is that we must approach a perfect person and take his instruction as it is. Then
our knowledge is perfectwithout any argument. We accept Vedic knowledge
like that.
Prabhupda makes another point. Because the soul cannot be seen with our
blunt sense of vision does not mean there is no soul. But when the soul leaves
the body, then we say that the body is dead. That is the difference between a
dead body and a living body.
So here, the perfect knowledge is spoken by Ka: dehino smin yath dehe
kaumra yauvana jar tath dehntara-prptir dhras tatra na muhyati.
Dehinah, of the living soul, the body is changing. Similarly, after so-called
deathbecause there is no deathafter stoppage of the function of this gross
body, the soul is transferred to another gross body. This statement we get from
Bhagavad-gt. And if we accept this statement, then our spiritual life
immediately begins. Without this understanding, there is no question of
spiritual understanding.
Prabhupda points out that it is not a question of belief. Vedic knowledge is
fact. And how is the soul transmigrating? Sometimes to higher species of life,
and sometimes to lower species of life. That depends upon our actions in this

666
life.
There is no guarantee. That will depend on my work. That is practical. In
this life also, if you become educated, then your future is very nice. If you are
not educated, then your future is not so bright. Similarly, in this human form of
life, we can make a solution of this repeated birth and death. And that is the
only business of the human form of life, how to get out of these material
conditions of life: birth, death, old age, and disease. We can make a solution,
and that solution is Ka consciousness
So to become Ka conscious, we require to understand three things only:
bhoktra yaja-tapas sarva-loka-mahevaram suhda sarva-bhtn
jtv m ntim cchati. Every one of us is trying to be happy, satisfied. That
is the struggle for existence. But if we understand these three principlesthat
God is the supreme father, God is the supreme proprietor, God is the supreme
friendthese three things, if you understand, then you become peaceful
immediately. You are seeking friends to get help, so many. But if we simply
accept God, Ka, as our friend, supreme friend, our friendship problem is
solved.
Similarly, if we accept God as the supreme proprietor, then our other
problem is solved, because we are falsely claiming proprietorship of things
which belong to God, by falsely claiming that This land of America, belongs to
the Americans; the land of Africa belongs to the Africans. No. Every land
belongs to God. We are different sons of God in different dresses. We have got
the right to enjoy the property of the father, God, but without infringing
others right
Similarly, if we become God conscious, Ka conscious, then all the
problems of the worldsociology, religion, economic development,
politicseverything will be solved. Thats a fact. Therefore we are trying to
spread this Ka consciousness movement for the total benefit of the human
society. We request the intelligent persons, especially the student community,
to join this movement, to try to understand scientifically what is this
movement. We have got many books, at least two dozen books. So you can read
them. You can try to understand this movement, and join with us. Thank you
very much. Hare Ka.
After the talk, there is polite applause from the audience. Viujana helps

667
Prabhupda off the stage and escorts him to a seat by the center aisle near the
front. rla Prabhupda, theres a seat for you here, you can watch.
After Prabhupda takes his seat in the audience, the band begins playing the
Overture. The Overture is meant to get the audience in the mood and to
introduce them to the melodies that they will hear later on, as developed songs.
The curtain is still closed, and the audience can only see the band playing in the
orchestra pit. The highlight of the Overture is a double drum solo, featuring
Bahusira and Atendriya.
All the while Bob and his r Vishnu Light Show display pulsating images on
the screen with varying shades of infinite color combinations, splashing and
dancing in time to the music, giving a complete psychedelic experience. Bob
also has a couple of slide projectors that blend images of Kas various
pastimes, adding a spiritual dimension to the visual spectacle. Pictures of
Govinda, the cowherd boy, are projected onto the screen, as the band begins
singing Hare Ka.
The curtain rises to reveal a backdrop of a New York City street, with the
Manhattan skyline looming across the whole panorama of the scene. A
sakrtana party, frozen in time, stands at stage left on the streets of
Manhattan. Viujana Swami enters from the right, and comes to center stage,
dressed as himself in sannys robes and holding his daa.
Actually, were not musicians, nor are we actors. This is really us. Were
devotees of Ka, and you should consider that were your well-wishers. And the
reason why youre so dear to us, all of younevermind black, white, Christian, Jew,
young or old, man or woman, or pretty or uglythe reason you are all dear to us is
because you are all dear to our master. Jagat-guru means the master of
everyonenot a sectarian teacher, somebody who teaches a message just for a
certain class of people, but someone who is teaching love. Love is the religion that
can never be changed. Christian or Hindu or Jew, that can be changed. But love and
devotion, that religion, service to the Supreme, that can never be changed. You are
the bride and He is your King. Ka, the Supreme, in ever-blissful youth, always
playing upon His flute. Hes not an old man with a beard; Hes an ever blissful
Fountain of Youth, that everyone has been searching for. Ka!
Mahprabhus flute, full of reverb, sounds the three notes of the movie 2001.
(Thus Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss) The devotees in the sakrtana

668
party begin to stir behind Viujana, floating out in slow-motion, dressed in
their dhotis and saris. They all have lotus-eyes make-up, except Viujana
Mahrja, who now changes from the MC to the leader of the sakrtana party.
Two devotees play mrdangas choreographed in slow-motion, but they arent
actually playing them. The flute begins evolving its own melodic line as the
notes go higher and higher, reaching a peak. Then the melody slowly comes
back down, to rest on one long note, as a guitar begins playing slow arpeggios
against a dreamy modal chord progression. As the sakrtana party moves in
slow-motion to center stage, Viujana begins praying in his most fervent
singing voice:
Hey Ka, let us love you. Hey Ka, let us serve you. Hey Ka, let us feel
you...
Dry-ice, wafting up from the stage, creates a smoky atmosphere. Red
spotlights shine over the entire stage giving it a psychedelic look. As the music
builds in intensity, everyone in the kirtan party moves in slow-motion, swaying
slowly from side to side with their arms upraised. Viujana Swami is in front,
leading the party, swaying side to side, with a BTG in one hand and his daa
in the other. The music is heavy, and the whole scene is surrealistic.
The flute interjects some haunting melodic notes and is shortly joined by a
second electric guitar, playing a line that gradually becomes more complex and
intricate, weaving quickly through the slow modal arpeggios of the first guitar
in a contrapuntal second theme, creating a deeper mood, heavier and heavier.
Deep booming bass notes resonate throughout the concert hall, as drums begin
to pound out a slow, crashing beat, that increases in power, with punctuated
drum rolls and screaming guitar riffs.
From the opposite corner of the stage, Ajadressed as the hippie
Ringerstarts walking out, accompanied by two friends. Ringer has long hair,
jeans, a multi-colored madras top, and beads hanging from his neck. The kirtan
party is now stationary, swaying back and forth at center stage. Ringer and his
friends are going to pass the chanting party. Everything on stage is done in
slow-motion, with dry-ice smoke wafting everywhere.
As Ringer and his friends pass the kirtan party, Viujana Swami steps out
and hands Ringer a BTG. Ringer looks at the cover of the magazine, as the
music softens and evolves back to its original form of long legato flute notes and

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single plucked guitar arpeggios. The song New York City Sages begins, sung
by Mangalananda. The audience is getting a slow-motion vision of what the
band is singing:
The New York City sages
with their cymbals and their beads,
pointing to the pages
of a monthly magazine.
And theyre hoping that youll listen,
for by hearing, you can see
what youre really meant for
to love eternally. Yeah, yeah, to love eternally.
A screaming psychedelic guitar takes off over crashing cymbals and power
chords. The band has built up the intensity again, with a powerful,
slow-moving, heavy rock beat simulating a gigantic tidal wave of sound. Ringer
leafs through the pages of the BTG, becoming more and more absorbed.
And they come in to your city,
and it isnt for their health.
They have no need to exploit you
or to steal all of your wealth.
They are usually in the forest
where the gentle breezes blow,
but they step into the snake pit
so that all of you might know.
Yeah, yeah, what youre really meant for
Yeah, yeah, to love eternally.
Ringer folds the BTG lengthwise, puts it in his back pocket, and slowly exits
stage left. The song ends with heavy power chords ringing on and on, as the
organ [Santosh] interjects a new theme in a different key, by introducing
cascading chords in a descending progression, modulating through different
keys and coming to rest on the dominant fifth. Then Santosh breaks into a
Calliope, carnival sound, which ends in a military drum roll, taking the music
into a marching band take-off. This also quickly transforms into a baroque Bach
fugue that segues to acoustic guitar chords over a flute in a folk-rock style. The

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musical interlude is a set transition. Devotees get into their Vndvana
costumes backstage, as the Vndvana scene is set up.
The curtain is still closed as the band breaks into a song with Viujana
Swami singing the lead. Devotees sing the refrain in a choral style, like a choir
of angels with five- and six-part harmonies. Bob has his slide show going, and
the audience sees pictures of Ka in His various pastimes, choreographed to
the song:
Ka, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
the source of all that be,
the embodiment of bliss,
destination of the pure devotees.
Hes the all pervading truth,
the eternally existing youth,
and He comes to take you home.
Yes, He comes to take you home.
And of the splendid He is splendor.
He is victory and adventure.
Hes the good qualities in all righteous men,
and of creation, Hes the beginning, middle, and end.
Then Viujana cries out, Ka! and Santosh begins a pretty piano
obligato in the Mozart sonata style, which segues back to heavy bass, drums, and
double guitar harmony lines, la Allman Brothers, to set up the next verse:
Ka, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Of the senses, Hes the mind.
Among men He is the Monarch,
and of subduers, He is time.
He is the master of all mystics.
He controls the nihilistic,
and Hes come and taken birth
as He comes to save the earth
With the sound of His holy name.
The Lord and His name are the same.

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 Thats the nature of the Absolute,
and Hes come to give His Truth
As He plays upon His flute
Viujana speaks: The all attractive one!
Mangalananda sings: Ka the Supreme
Chorus answers: Personality of Godhead...
th
Cymbals roll, and a minor 9 chord lingers on.
Viujana (to the audience): But Ka is never alone. Youll never see that
Ka is by Himself. Because Ka has the tendency to enjoy, therefore Hes
expanded into myriad living beings, just like you and I. Just as a father extends
himself by his sons in order to enjoy his family life, so the Supreme Living Father,
Ka, has expanded, by His own personal energies, unlimited numbers of living
beings. Theyre all meant to associate with him in love and bliss.
Now we may wonder, what type of land, or world, Ka lives in. And even
though Ka was only recently on this planet, 5,000 years ago, and even 500 years
ago, those places wherever Ka appears, even in this theater, are as good as that
magnificent world youve been seeing in some of the slides. That magnificent world
is called Vndvana, or Vaikuha, and it is a place where there is no anxiety, where
no one is troubled by birth or death, or old age or disease; where all the relationships
between mother and son, friend and friend, lover and lover, last forever. This is
Vndvana, where all desires can be fulfilled. All your desires can be fulfilled!
The curtain rises to reveal the spiritual land of Vndvana with trees,
flowers, and hills. A few gops are churning butter beside a little thatched barn.
Two devotees in a cow costume walk around the stage, herded by several
cowherd boys. Rdh-Dmodara are set back at center stage on a special tall
platform so They can be seen over peoples heads. A pjr serves Them with a
peacock fan to keep Them comfortable.
Viujana: Here they come now, the residents of Vndvana. Just see, the
cowherd boys and the cowherd girls. Listen to them singing, in the ancient Sanskrit
language, the spiritual language of love...
Viujana begins singing Jaya Rdh Madhava in a joyful upbeat mood,
with the residents of Vndvana responding. Mangalananda takes over the lead
halfway, Yaodnandana brajajana-ranjana... Then again Viujana Swami

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assumes the lead, Jaya Rdh Madhava... The song ends with acoustic guitar
chords and Viujana exclaiming: Ka!
Ringer wanders on set looking around at the unfamiliar scene, acting
bewildered. Since he took the BTG and read it, Ringer now gets the special
mercy of glimpsing Vndvana. Everyone exits the scene, with only Viujana
Swami and Ringer remaining on stage.
Viujana: Just see whos wandered in, looking for something else... Hare
Ka! Welcome. Wait a minute, wait a minute....Wait a minute! Dont be afraid. I
just got through telling all these nice people were your well-wisherseven, if by
accident, youve wandered into the most wonderful place where all your desires can
be fulfilled. Vndvana!
Ringer: All my desires fulfilled? Ive heard that one before. Look, Ive been all
around this world, man, and nobody satisfies nobodys desires.
Viujana: But youve come from out there. Youve come from the world of the
cheaters and the cheatedwhere everyones so-called satisfaction of others is only
for their personal gratification.
Ringer: So what do you say thats so different?
Viujana: Were not saying that we can satisfy your desires; were saying that
Ka, the one who has been with you, within your heart birth after birth, can satisfy
all your desires.
Ringer: Ka? I never heard of the dude.
Viujana: Ka is not a dude. Hes the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Do
you know it?
Ringer: Ringer doesnt understand that one at all.
Viujana: What does a person like you understand?
Ringer: What do I understand? Well, many things. But most of all, Ringer
understands that wherever Ringers at, thats where its at!
Viujana: Thats my.
The band begins the opening bars of Ringers Theme. Ringer begins singing
his song, first with no words, just scat singing, simple mono-syllabic sounds, like
jazz singers often do. Viujana Swami and Ringer were introduced together in
the first scene, when Ringer received a BTG. Now Viujana Swami is

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preaching to him. What is being established here is the spiritual authority in
the playthe preacher. Viujana Swami has established his character and his
personality. He has related to the audience and told them, in a sense, who he is.
Now, the character of Ringer is introduced to the audience. Ringer has a
song, which portrays him as someone who thinks that hes very together, very
self-assured, and very happy. His LSD visions are fine for him, and hes not
suffering. But its a pretense. Actually, he is suffering as much as any living
entity in the material world.
To further introduce Ringer to the audience, Aja leaves the stage and goes
down into the audience, holding a microphone. He sings his song not to
Viujana Swami but to the audience. He gets right down with the audience
and starts playing with them. He relates to them and gets them involved.
Ringer is the eagle. Hes the waves. Hes cool, a natural man.
The eagle flies across the skies,
And great waves rise with raging tides,
So I hope you all will understand
What I have come to be,
And when you do, you will know its true,
That Ringer is a natural man.
Its got to be me...
While Ringer sings his song, a party scene is being set up backstage. The
curtain now rises to the scene of a degraded pot party in one corner of the stage.
Devotees are dressed as hippies, smoking marijuana and carousing in general.
As Ringer sings to the audience, the hippies assemble, in singles and couples,
and the party begins. The other side of the stage is still dark. By the time Ringer
finishes his song, he has climbed back on stage. The song ends with repeated
punctuated scats and stops dead, right on the one beat. Ringer is distant from
the others at the party. Alone, he takes the BTG out of his back pocket and
looks at it.
At the scene of the party, two of Ringers friends notice his absence:
Friend One: Wow. Im really getting off on this red, you know?
Friend Two: Me too, Dickey, me too.
Friend One: Hey, wheres Ringer? He should have been here hours ago.

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 Friend Two: I dont know, Dickey, I dont know.
Together: Hey Ringer. Ringer. Where are you?
(They break into laughter)
Viujana Swami walks slowly on stage, and speaks to the audience:
Ringers mine. By so much bad association, he cant keep his consciousness fixed
on Kanot even a moment. Whenever he learns just a little bit about himself,
immediately his mind and senses overcome him, and he is dragged down to the
bodily platform of false ego, thinking himself the center of the universe, thinking
himself the one who can satisfy his own desires. But actually hes dependent upon so
many things: drugs, fancy clothes, how he is impressing girls with his hair and hat.
Ringer is so free, but so bound up. Lets see if we can wake him.
When Ringer was in Vndvana, he received a glimpse of spiritual reality,
then he walked away and sang his song. Now he sits alone, not part of the party.
Viujana: Hare Ka Hare Ka!
(As Viujana approaches, Ringer lurches back as if out of fear)
Viujana: Whats wrong? Whats the matter?
Ringer: I feel uncomfortable around you. Look, Ive got to be with my friends.
Theyre waiting for me.
(He begins to walk away)
Viujana: Wait a minute.
Ringer: What do you want with me? Why are you in my life?
Viujana: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Tonight, when you crossed through
that door, you crossed through the door of separation, which usually hides your eyes
to this transcendental land, where all walking is dancing, where all speech is song.
You walked into an atmosphere that was surcharged with love, Ringer. And even
though you certainly cant stay here like that, with that consciousness, while you are
here, why dont you get a little taste of Vndvana?
Ringer: (trying to talk himself out of this) Look...
Viujana: Look. Just look whats going on in this land.
The spotlights illumine the Vndvana scene, on the opposite side of the
stage. Ringer has a choice. Viujana Swami coaxes Ringer to take a tour
around Vndvana, as the lights fade on the party scene.

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 Ringer: (pointing to a cowherd boy) Whats he doing?
Viujana: This boy is stringing a garland for Ka. He takes flowers and
leaves and he strings them, singing Kas name.
Ringer: How about them? What are they doing?
Viujana: These girls are cooking simple grains and fruits, vegetables and
milk products. Theyre making something called prasdamspiritual food, offered
to Ka. Right there. You see? (Viujana sweeps his hand towards the Divine
forms of Rdh-Dmodara)
Ringer: And that is... who?
Viujana: That is Ka. Ka and Rdhr. They are the Divine Couple.
Just like beyond that door, everything is in couples. Human beings are always in
couples, male and female. The dogs and cats are always in couples. Why? Because
the source of all these perverted couples who die today or tomorrow, is Rdh and
Ka, the Divine Couple, the center of Vndvana. Isnt it exciting? They dont get
old. They dont get diseased. They dont die. They stay blissful, forever.
Ringer: What is the name of this place?
Boys and girls: Vndvana.
Viujana: Vndvana. Very good. Come in and look.

The piano creates cascading triplets down an octave, where drums, bass and
guitar pick up a groove. Viujana sings the song Vndvana:
Glad youve come our way,
into Vndvana, this land Vndvana.
Sadness cant remain
here in Vndvana, this land Vndvana,
Where all the trees, the birds and the flowers
Call on Kas name
And every pleasant breeze and aroma
speak of Kas fame.
And by your service Hell enter your heart
and fill your days eternally
with wonderful transcendent delight.

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 Come along and dance, give service all you can.
Come along and see, Hell take your heart in the end.
Viujana: Vndvana, where all the walking is dancing, and all the speech is
song.
A thousand glimmering suns
will put a spell on, a gem-like spell on
This timeless land of love
the entire world, a lotus whorl.
Desire trees so anxious to please you
bring forth every bloom,
So every one can offer to Ka
such a nice perfume.
Viujana: Come, get your love for Ka. Just see, how happy they are dancing
for Ka, giving their love to Ka. This is where your desires will be fulfilled.
Ringer is visiting a temple. Of course, the song is about Vndvana, showing
someone making a flower garland, someone cooking for Ka, etc. The idea is
that Prabhupda said the temple is as good as Vndvana. Ringers visiting
Vndvana is an extension of the idea of visiting a temple. This is what the
show is abouthow someone comes to Ka consciousness. But instead of
coming to the temple, Ringer is coming to Vndvana. It is more interesting
theater to go to an enchanted land.
While singing this song, Viujana is dancing around with his daa, and all
the cowherd boys dance with him.
Vndvana, land of peace,
its all for giving, the art of living
in perfect harmony.
We work together, Kas the center,
And all our days well dance and be serving
butter for the feast,
and even the cows will gleefully yield
their milk abundantly.
Come along and dance, give service all you can. Come along and see, Hell

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take your heart in the end.
After the song ends, the rhythm changes with guitar chord flurries. Ringer
wants to leave.
Viujana: Wait a minute. I know you must go. I know you cant stay. But
before your mind drags you away again, why dont you let me teach you this one
thing. Sit down. Please sit down.
Ringer: What is it? My friends
Viujana: I know, your friends are calling you back to the world of the cheater
and the cheated. But before you go, I want to teach youif you ever want to came
back to this wonderful land of Vndvanahow you can get here. This is called
meditation, Ringeryoga. Yoga means union with the Supreme. In meditation you
should concentrate all your energies, all your thoughts, all your activities, on the
central pointKa. Watch.
Youve got this human body. Just see. You can inquire what I am, what is God,
why am I suffering? You dont see the animals walking in here inquiring. Thats
what makes you different. You have intelligence to reach beyond the limitations of
your senses and mind. You can inquire. Therefore your body is a very good ship, and
all you need is a very good captain, a spiritual master. Hell give you a wave of
sound. A wave of sound that will purify your mind, and take you back to the
wonderful land of Vndvana. If ever you want to come back, you can use this
sound.
Certainly, Vndvana is enchanting. And theres a secret mantra.
Whenever you want to come back, just say the mantra. Its all true, if we can
only appreciate it. Viujana is so exuberant that he is not acting. Rather, he is
experiencing the blissful enthusiasm of Vndvana, and communicating this
feeling from the stage. When he preaches to Ringer, its the same preaching he
does wherever he is.
As Viujana finishes his talk, a guitar starts a rhythmic, pulsating beat, a la
the music of U2. With just the one rhythm guitar accompaniment, he begins
singing:
Youve got a good ship,
Youve got a good captain,
Youve got a wave of sound,

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 Now youre homeward bound.
Gradually, one by one, the other instruments make their introduction, until
finally the whole band is soaring on this pulsating rhythmic groove.
Viujana:Everyone sing
Youve got a good ship,
Youve got a good captain,
Youve got a wave of sound,
Now youre homeward bound.
Viujana gets the whole audience to sing along with this song. The
audience sings this refrain four times. The idea is to warm them up, so they will
already be in a singing mood. Next, Viujana Swami is going to teach Ringer
the Hare Ka mah-mantra. By teaching Ringer, he also teaches the audience.
Now, above the rhythmic pulse of the band, Viujana speaks to the audience:
Give all your energy. Everyone stand up. Everyone. Give all your energy. Just
stand up. Raise your arms in the air, like this. Were free. Raise your arms. Thats it.
Everyone. Move with us. Now watch. Look up there.
The mah-mantra is flashed on the screen as part of the light show.
Mahrja shows Ringer the mantra up on the screen. As Viujana chants each
word of the mantra, Ringer responds, and so does the entire audience.
Just repeat after me. Hare, Ka, Hare, Ka, Ka, Ka, Hare, Hare /
Hare, Rama, Hare, Rama, Rama, Rama, Hare, Hare. Everyone!
Viujana now gets a kirtan going, after having taught the audience the
mantra, word for word. A tremendous kirtan ensues. Quickly, Ringer is
overflowing with devotional feelings.
Suddenly, a beautiful girl comes on stage and beckons Ringer away from the
chanting. It is Maya, played by Bhaktin Heidi. Ringers attention is diverted.
His mind begins to drag him toward Maya, who beckons, and he slowly backs
away from the kirtan, towards Maya. The band is roaring away, with the lead
guitar flying all over the place, generating tremendous excitement.
Viujana: Chant Hare Ka.... Ringer...., chant Hare Ka.... Ringer....
Thats Maya.... Thats Maya.... Ringer....
Ringer exits with Maya, and the music stops. The spotlights go out on the

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Vndvana scene, and the footlights illuminate the hippie party scene, going in
full swing. New hippies arrive.
Hippies: Look guys, its a party.
The hippies begin singing the Nonsense Song, to show how people just talk
nonsense at a party. ravaya, who has a powerful voice, sings the female lead.
The scene turns into a wild bacchanalian party mood.
Hippies: Were on our way,
on our way somewhere,
I dont know where or why or who,
but it isnt part of me or you.
I never follow through.....doo, doo, doo,
it isnt part of me,
it isnt part of you.
I never follow through..., except with you.
The music is based on the constant repetition of a heavy bass riff. On top of
that is a wailing wah-wah guitar, just meandering here and there, increasing the
feeling of jibber-jabber nonsense conversation that accompanies the party
scene. When the guitar stops, the drums go into a military tempo, against a
background of a new repeating bass riff, which is gradually picked up by the
guitar as well. Finally the whole band, in increasing volume, repeats this riff to a
climactic close.
In the middle of this party scene, where everybody is speaking drug-induced
philosophy, Prabhupda leans over and asks Rupanuga Mahrja, These are
our men?
Yes, rla Prabhupda. Theyre only acting.
rutakrti: I saw the show with Prabhupda. I remember a lot of devotees
were shocked. This wasnt the same show that I had been a part of. It was very
different, and everyone was wondering about Prabhupdas reaction. But he
was smiling and clapping along with the kirtan.
Nanda Kumar: I was sitting one row in front of Prabhupda, over to the side,
and I wondered, what does Prabhupda think of this heavy music? I turned
around, and Prabhupda was sitting there with a big smile on his face,
tapping his knee, keeping time. So he really appreciated it. He saw that

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 through the music, the preaching was going on.
hkur Haridsa: Prabhupda liked that show. I remember turning around
to see rla Prabhupda, and he had a big smile, as big as the sun.
ravaya dev ds: rla Prabhupda was sitting in the audience. I kept
trying to peek over and see him. It was very exciting. I couldnt see him sitting
there, but just knowing that he was out there was tremendous. We did that
performance for him. We didnt have material bodies when we did that; it was
spirit.
During the pot party, Ringer is off to the side reading the BTG. These are
his friends, but he is no longer interested in their party lifestyle. While he reads
the BTG, all the party people come and surround him, pointing at him. Three
characters emerge from the party scene. They represent three aspects of the
youth culture of the time; drugs, mental speculation, and cynicism. Little
dialogues bring out the shortcomings of each attitude. These three characters
approach Ringer, one at a time, as he reads, and begin to speak. They are not
the party people any more, they are more like his mind, and they begin
preaching to him.
Ringer, are your eyes seeing, or are you seeing through your eyes?
Are your ears hearing, or are you hearing through your ears?
What is that body, Ringer? And what are you? Who are you, Ringer?
This scene is fully coordinated with the slide show. Eventually they take
Ringer back to the womb, and a fetus in the womb is shown on the screen. At
this point the band introduces the song Youre Not That Body.
You know youre not that body,
were all pure spirit soul.
The bodys just a lump of flesh
destined to grow old, destined to grow old.
You know youre not that body,
were all pure spirit soul.
The bodys just a changing thing,
destined to grow old, destined to grow old.
For the soul, there is never birth nor death,

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 nor having once been, does he ever cease to be.
Hes unborn, hes eternal.
Hes unborn, hes undying,
Hes not slain, when the body is slain.
You know youre not that body,
were all pure spirit soul.
The bodys just a lump of flesh,
destined to grow old, destined to grow old.
All the hippies get involved, and the song turns into a dance number.
ravaya, Varanasi, and Bhaktin Heidi do a takeoff on the Supremes. You
know youre not that body, were all pure spirit soul. The bodys just a lump of
flesh, destined to grow old The girls do an amazing Supremes (The top
female singing group of the era). impersonation, with ravaya as the lead
singer. At the end of the number, everyone follows Ringer, who runs away from
them. They chase him to a staircase. He goes up the stairway alone, enters his
room, and speaks the following soliloquy to himself:
Ringer: Whats happening to me? So many times I feel I know the way the world
should be. People should be loving and giving. And there should be just peace and
harmony, so there could be some happiness. Weve all heard these nice slogans
before. I used to repeat them everywhere I went. And I thought that our electric-acid,
rock culture was the sign of a new godly breed of men, to free the world from its
inevitable imperfections.
But LSD didnt give us anything but a few flickering moments of drug highs and
imagined insights. We all came down and found out that the world hadnt budged,
and neither did we. Our generation is no different than the last. Our toys are
different, thats all. Thats all! Just the toys are different.
A slow guitar arpeggio begins over haunting minor modal chords,
introducing the next song. Ringer is very confused now, and this slow song is
his lamentation.
Weary, weary, slowly crying for love,
I live my life, but what else can I do.
Here and there I wander without change
The song is Ringers realization that he is suffering. This is the

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metamorphosiswhere he changes. At the end of Ringers lamentation,
Santosh, on electric piano, plays a dreamy piece, easily identifiable as a dream
sequence. After the lamentation song, Ringer falls asleep in his room and has a
dream. The stage is flooded with red light, ready for the dream sequence.
Starting very high on the piano, eerie notes slowly glide down the keyboard,
lower and lower, creating an unearthly, supernatural mood, as the audience is
taken into a different dimension. Soon the guitar enhances the mood with
mysterious sounding chords. All of a sudden, the humming sound of a thousand
bumblebees is heard. The sound is actually the voices of the ladies chanting japa
in a deep reverb. The dream sequence begins with Mangalananda singing:
There is a distant place called Svetadvip,
Where lying down in silent cosmic sleep
Upon a milky ocean white
Within a castle on an island bright
The Universal Lord sweet smiling dreams,
And from His moon-like face soft lucent beams
Shine forth, revealing gold and silver halls,
Green emerald rubies carved in ivory walls.
And endless rows of pillars formed of pearls
Are swept by towering ocean waves that curl
And toss their foamy nectar all through space.
Gold earrings decorate His smiling face.
A flower garland rests upon His chest.
In silken yellow garments He is dressed.
With blackish hair that curls about His ears,
His lotus petal eyes remove all fears.
Hes lying in the spiritual sky,
Hes lying in the spiritual sky,
And you could never get that high,
You could never get that high
On your own, if you tried.
Complexion blackish like a thunder cloud,

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 His form of bliss, eternally endowed,
Hes lying on a soft white serpent bed.
With blazing tongues and fearsome eyes of red,
This thousand headed snake with bluish scales
Is coiling far beyond this world of veils.
And lying there Narayana casts His glance
Across the endless miles of ignorance.
He enters in the hearts of all that be.
Each golden sunbeam shows his majesty.
His Holy Name is filled with nectar sweet,
And purest love flows from His lotus feet
This song segues into O Govinda, describing the personal beauty of Ka.
Lord, the suns effulgence hides Your face.
Your blissful form lies far beyond my eyes.
Now Your wonders call my hearts embrace
As dawn displays Your beauty in the skies.
The rainbow shows the colors of Your dress.
The movements of the moon reflect Your mind.
Your smiling is the cause of happiness,
and love exists because You are so kind.
O Govinda, within my heart,
celestial herdsman, lotus-eyed one,
Your precious gift of love impart.
You who stand behind the sun.
O Lord, Youre the one.
Youre the one in my heart.
Rolling rivers flow forth from Your veins,
the clouds that fill the sky come from Your hair,
the seeds of life are watered by Your rains,
and from Your breathing blows the mighty air.
My Lord, You are the source of all I see.
Your movements are the passing days of time.

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 You are the resting place of all that be,
and love exists because You are so kind.
O Govinda, within my heart,
celestial herdsman, lotus-eyed one,
Your precious gift of love impart.
You stand behind the sun.
O Lord, Youre the one.
Youre the one in my heart
Literally, Viujana Swami has taken the character Ringer and brought him
into Vndvana. Basically, he has made him a devotee. Then Viujana Swami
does his song: Please, you dont have to worry, for your lonely times will soon be
gone..., sung to the Hare Ka melody, which becomes the theme song for the
whole show.
At the end of the dream sequence, Ringer wakes up and appears disturbed.
Viujana Swami arrives at Ringers house and calls him down. Now comes the
changing bodies scene, illustrating how we are not the body but the eternal
spirit soul within. The stage becomes totally dark except for a single spotlight
on Ringer, who now represents the soul. Viujana stands with an old trunk full
of coats, which represent the different bodies that the soul inhabits.
As the music begins, Ringer spins around in rapid fashion. Viujana pulls
out one coat and Ringer spins into it and becomes a baby. He begins speaking as
a baby, saying things like, I wanna, I wanna. Then he spins out of that coat
and into another coat that Viujana supplies, becoming a little boy, who says,
See the little ants, stomp em, stomp em, stomp em. Next, he becomes a
young man, who is getting ready for a date and gets hit by a car. Then there is
the business man, and finally an old man.
The changing bodies scene, coming right after the dream sequence, is very
dramatic because the audience understands, visually, that we are not the body,
as Ringer spins from one coat into another, becoming a baby, a boy, a young
man, etc. Viujana actually spins Ringer around with his daa, taking Ringer,
mystically, through all the stages of his life, showing him how he is
transforming. As Ringer assumes each character, the band plays, Youre not
that Body once again and Viujana preaches to him.
Viujana: Wheres that baby body now? Wheres the young man body? Now

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youre an old man. Now you have to die.
Ringer and Viujana Swami exchange dialogue. At the end of the scene,
Ringer is coming to his senses and actually has a realization:
Ringer: Yes, I want to be a devotee. I want to serve Ka.
Viujana now teaches Ringer how to be a devotee, how to put on tilak, etc.,
so dramatically he almost makes a song of it.
Viujana: You go down to the river and bathe in the morning...
This is the sequence where Ringer puts on tilak, and then Viujana takes
him before Rdh-Dmodara. The theme of the show is the lost soul coming
home to Ka, and Rdh-Dmodara are personally manifest to receive him. A
vyssana for rla Prabhupda with his picture on it, sits beside the Deities.
Now a big guru-pj is performed on stage, complete with the offering of
flowers. ravaya sings a beautiful song, composed especially for Prabhupda.
Foolish fallen souls,
now by His Divine Grace
the clouds of darkness are erased.
Patiently, he plants seeds within our hearts...
Dramatically, the curtain slowly lowers for an intermissionto thunderous
applause. During the intermission, devotees serve prasdam to every person in
the audience. Prasdam distribution has always been a big part of the Road
Show from the very beginning. There is no question of serving prasdam at
every event. Thinking that the show is over, rla Prabhupda and his
entourage leave the hall to drive back to the temple.
rutakrti: Prabhupda, myself, and the driver went back early to the temple,
but we couldnt get in. No one was back at the temple, and the doors were
locked. We stood there banging on the door, and we were all really amused.
Eventually someone broke in through one of the windows, and we got in.
Pusta Ka Swami: Later that night, when Prabhupda was asked why he
had left before the second half, he said, Had I known, I would have stayed.
So he didnt leave out of displeasure. He didnt say anything negative in the
car on the way back to the temple. I had the sense that it was a wait and see
what happens sort of attitude. I was sitting close to Prabhupda during the

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 show, but I dont think he knew what to expect. I think he appreciated the
endeavor and the effort put forward to preach to young people. Prabhupda
was a pragmatic individual, and he would be very gracious in trying to
understand what was going on. So many times, he had encouraged us to be
novel in our Ka consciousness and in our approach to teaching others
about Ka. Of course, we young American disciples were thrilled because
we could relate to our culture.
For the second half of the show, skits and sketches depict the story line. A
popular sketch is a mime about love. To an amazing song about where to repose
your loving propensity, a man keeps buying various paraphernalia from a
shopkeeper to give to a beautiful woman to entice her. At the end of the
sequence, the shopkeeper takes the money and dangles it in front of the
woman. She goes off with him, instead.
For the finale, the entire cast comes out to the foot of the stage, to sing, once
again, the song, Please, You Dont Have to Worry. This is the same dream
sequence song that Viujana sang earlier to the Hare Ka melody.
Aja: We all came out together and sang that song to the audience. It was the
finale. At the end of the song, we would all hold hands and take our bows.
Then wed throw out flowers, and the audience would throw flowers back at
us. During that finale at the Syria Mosque, when the house lights came
ondimly, not full blastwe could see people were crying.
Dasarath: At the end of the program, Viujana was on stage getting
everybody in the audience to chant. He began singing this beautiful tune, and
the band started playing with him. He had his daa in his hand, and he
started waving it around in a circle, like a magic wand. Then the kirtan
started getting heavier and heavier, and a lot of devotees got up on the stage.
Viujana was encouraging the audience, Cmon get up. Cmon. Cmon.
And they started to get up out of their seats and rush towards the front, where
more devotees had made a big circle holding hands. Everybody was chanting
and dancing in ecstasy. It was really awesome. Viujana had great power to
get people to appreciate the chanting.
Dulal Chandra: I was amazed to see the show in Pittsburgh. This show was
an entirely different flavor than the original. It was heavy rock of the times,

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 but super good. It drew a different kind of crowd.
Chandrasekhara: At one point in the show, Viujana Mahrja had a part
where he said to me, Come back to Ka. And thats exactly what
happened in my life. He had dragged me out of my crazy lifestyle. I became so
happy to be with Mahrja at that point in my life. Mahrja really made my
life dynamic and exciting, so it was special for me to have that part in the play.
Later we were told the story how Prabhupda had asked, "These are our
men?" and we all got a big kick out of that. Our perspective, being on the Road
Show, was that Prabhupda liked it. He wanted chanting, book distribution,
and prasdam distribution.

Pittsburgh September 9, 1972

Devotees inform His Divine Grace that over nine hundred Bhagavad-gts
were distributed at last nights program. A big thing had happened, and
Prabhupda calls it special mercy. This is Lord Caitanyas special mercy, this
show. The devotees who were selling books outside never even got to see the
performance. Viujanas travelling party is the most happening program in
America, and everyone calls it an eternal festival.
Kuldri: We made money on that show. About 2,500 people showed up and
bought tickets. People were chanting in the audience. Prabhupda was very
encouraged by it. Toaa and I put together the whole promotion, and we just
gloated over our success. This was our first promotion, and it was successful.
We had a great review in the local newspaper, and that became part of our
advertising package.
Both Saturday newspapers feature articles on the devotees. Prabhupda is
enthusiastic to read the interview he did for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The
front page headline catches his attention first. Israeli Jets Hit Lebanon, Syria.
Hours after vowing vengeance for the Munich massacre of Israeli sportsmen,
Israel struck with bombing attacks yesterday deep inside Lebanon and Syria.
The Lebanese government said at least 15 persons were killed and 23 wounded
in Lebanon.

In juxtaposition to the Olympic athletes massacre is Prabhupdas interview,

done the day before. Seek Spiritual, Says Ka Leader. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,

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by Vince Gagetta, September 9, 1972) There are four photos, all head shots.
One shows Prabhupda with folded palms above the caption: See, hear, love
God.
A dark, wrinkled man came to Pittsburgh yesterday to preach a deceptively
simple message of love, peace and understanding which, he claims, will solve
the complex problems of hate, strife and ignorance.
The man: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, spiritual
master of the Ka Consciousness movement, leader of the mendicant Hare
Kasthe yellow-robed and pigtailed young people often seen chanting,
swaying and seeking alms on Downtown street corners.
He came to the local Ka temple, an old Shadyside mansion on
Ellsworth Avenue, and amid faded trappings of opulence quietly explained
that man must rid himself of things material and come to understand God
before he can find peace and experience true prosperity.
His Divine Graces message was a simple one: by purifying his senses
through self-denial, study and meditation, man can come to see God, hear
God, love God and understand the quality of God.
THIS ACHIEVED, man can find peace, contentment and happiness
and can come to love all people and all creatures.
Prabhupda, as he is sometimes called by his followers, sat yesterday
behind a low, flower-covered table. On the table was a large plate containing a
sweet dessert of pineapple, nuts and whipped cream which he spooned onto
paper plates for visitors.
To his right was a small table on which were stacked some of the 20-odd
religious books he has translated from Indian dialects into English. Further
right was a small altar. A few of his devoted followers knelt on the floor before
him, listening. Visitors, shoeless in the sects custom, sat on pillows.
Outside in the halls of the mansion, once the residence of Edward V.
Babcock, a long-ago county commissioner and city mayor, his devotees
chanted: Hare Ka, Hare Ka, Hare Rama, Hare Rama.
PRABHUPADA SPOKE of the deprivations his followers must endure
in their search for Ka, the Lord. They cannot eat meat, fish, or eggs. There
is no illicit sexin fact married members may have intercourse only once a
month at the optimum time for conception and only after each partner
meditates and chants for several hours to cleanse the mind.
There are no intoxicating beverages, no tobacco or alcohol. There is no
gambling.
The young people of Western countries find these restrictions most
difficult, he said. So we do not perhaps have a great number of followers,
about a thousand in the United States. But the ones we have are most serious.
And their reward is great.

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 Prabhupda came to this country with a handful of religious tracts and
less than $10 about six years ago. His followers now number about 3,000 around
the world.
That small band is trying to convert the world to Ka. Materialism
and great wealth have not made people happy, they say, to which Prabhupda
adds:
Why are people so unhappy amidst all the money, food and land your
country has? Why do the young so often seek shelter in drugs? It is because you
cannot make a human society happy without some spiritual commitment, and
this commitment is Ka consciousness.
If you understand this your nation will be first class. You are materially
first class now and if you add spiritual knowledge your nation will be perfect.
Take this movement seriously. It can make you very happy.

Pleased with the interview, Prabhupda next looks at the Rock Opera
review in The Pittsburgh Press under the headline: Hare Ka Rock Hard, Soft,
And Electric. (Pittsburgh Press, by Richard Stearns, September 9, 1972)
Lao-tse, the ancient Chinese sage, once explained that when an insincere man
expounds a true doctrine it becomes false, and vice-versa.
Bearing this in mind, the lay listener can temporarily set aside his
opinion of the Hare Ka philosophy and enjoy the truly well-crafted sound
of the Hare Ka rock band.
Last nights performance, part of the First Transcendental Exposition
at Syria Mosque, was an example of good electric rock, hard and soft but a
painful lesson in the concept of totality.
The exposition also included a ballet, chorus, opera and a story line
about a drug-fashion-cult hippie on the road to Ka consciousness. Most of
this was done without the professional polish evident in the music and lowered
the quality of the show as a total experience.
The voices of the players, singing of spiritual fulfillment and
detachment from materialism, often drowned out the fine guitar work of the
musicians who showed a rare talent for blending a variety of electrical sound
effects into the rhythm and harmony of the numbers.
With a style reminiscent of the old Fillmore days in San Francisco, the
band wove tapestries of sound across the tempo spectrum from swaying folk
melodies to the faster rhythms.
Quality in music, as in any other social commodity, is hard to find.
It comes from sincerity, belief in the creation of something beautiful,
not because of the fame or money it will bring, but because the act of creation
is an end in itself, perhaps the only end of biological existence.
Theres a lot of music being played in todays hip culture, and most of it

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 doesnt have enough quality to make it worth the electricity. There are a lot of
grand gestures, gimmicks and routines, a glittery surface.
The Hare Ka band has depth and an unselfish purpose, to give joy.
They can build to climaxes, shift emphasis from one instrument to another
and flow through any number of musical changes with grace. A bit more
technical achievement should bring them the precision they need to become a
classic group of performers in the tradition of the old Jefferson Airplane or
Grateful Dead.
The rest of the program, the part I didnt especially care for, also had
depth, but the kind that brings uncertainty and uneasiness to the mind caught
up in worldly pursuits.
The gratification of your senses is not where its at, they told the
audience. Drugs, sex, money, and pleasure will not satisfy the needs of the
spirit. They portrayed death, pain and old age as the inescapable enemies of
those who find fulfillment in material and sensual gain. In God, they sang,
there is a joy beyond time and decay.
Jesus, Lao-tse, and probably a few others whom most of us have never
heard of, have said much the same thing. Jesus was murdered and Lao-tse
wandered into the wilderness disgusted with the spiritual blindness of his
fellow men.
I overheard two women discussing the Hare Ka Movement on a
downtown bus the other day. They thought the young bald-headed monks
must be crazy for abandoning the economic and social system of America for
the odd life-style of a foreign cult.
From their conversation it was apparent that they had never been close
enough to a group of these people to realize that within that cult they share
love and the reverence for a subjective reality more spiritually rewarding than
the possession-speed-efficiency oriented life-style of Western culture.
Some day psychiatrists may discover that no human is immune to
delusion, no matter how material or spiritual his aspirations may be. But what
you do is what you are.
The Kingdom of God is within you. Hare Ka.

EPILOGUE

The devotees of The First Transcendental Exposition lived an austere life.

They worked very hardyet ate and slept very littlesimply to present Ka
consciousness in every town and village. The Road Show was actually the first
phase of the traveling sakrtana pastimes of r r Rdh-Dmodara, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead and His eternal pleasure potency. They
descended to the Earth in Their form as Rdh-Dmodara to assist these

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devotees in fulfilling Lord Caitanyas prophecy in America.
Some people thought that the Road Show was my, because there were
scenes of hippies acting intoxicated, women with their hair down, as well as
quick changes of costume back stage with no privacy. But this is all part of the
theater and the devotees remained strict in their own lives, unaffected by the
characters they portrayed. When someone plays the role of Ravana, it is not
taken as a fall down. Of course, the propensity for illicit activity is everywhere
in the material world, so one has to be vigilant about ones own character. But
Rdh-Dmodara were on stage for every performance, and pj was offered to
Them as part of the show whenever it was time for rati. In other words, God
presided over every engagement.
rla Prabhupda was pleased to see devotees trying hard to project Ka
consciousness, and that so many people were attracted. He gave his blessings to
the Rock Opera preaching concept and encouraged other devotees to
participate. He reveals his mind in the following letter, written ten days after
seeing the show:
These kinds of dramas about Ka, Kas pastimes, and also Lord Caitanyas
pastimes, are very much desirable for presenting to the public widely. So if you
can organize your traveling party to present such dramas all over your country,
and other places, that will be very much appreciated. Perhaps you can work
together with Viujana for presenting our Road Show Opera to the public
also. I had the opportunity to see that opera in Pittsburgh, and it was very well
done, with a lot of drama and dancing as well.
Letter to Nayanabhirama, September 18, 1972

The person responsible for making the Rock Opera a success was His
Holiness Viujana Swami. He was a unique personality in the early days of the
Hare Ka movement. The Road Show was a tremendous enterprise that was
undertaken in full faith that Rdh-Dmodara would reveal how everything
should manifest. This was the first party that was not connected to any temple,
and whose actual base was mobile. Since the party was directly connected with
Rdh-Dmodara, it was a transcendental and exciting adventure, blessed by
the presence of the Supreme Lord and His pure devotee, rla Prabhupda.
Viujana Swami developed an intensely deep affection for
Rdh-Dmodara by constantly serving Them. He was an ideal example of a
modern day sdhu. He displayed real compassion for others and a genuine

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non-duplicitous dedication to rla Prabhupda and His mission.
Suhotra: Viujana Mahrja was the only traveling sannys in America
for quite some time. The Road Show was basically Viujana Mahrjas
brainchild. He brought in the talent and he made the package. What
Viujana Mahrja was doing was a first. No one had done it before.
No less important a personality in these pioneering days was Jaynanda
Prabhu. He also set a personal example of humility, and service attitude, that
motivated people to become Vaiavas. He spent most of his devotional life in
California, so he was not so well-known, but his dedication to Lord Jagannath
contributed to the celebration of the Ratha-ytr festival in major cities
throughout the world. Prabhupda said that he was proud to have a disciple
like Jaynanda. His devotional qualities inspired people to accept Lord
Jagannath into their hearts by pulling His chariot to glorify Him, thereby
serving His desire to benedict the conditioned souls.
Viujana Swami and Jaynanda Prabhu were westerners who gave
authenticity to the Ka conscious ideal of personalism just as Allen Watts
and Richard Alpert gave authenticity to the Eastern tradition of
impersonalism. The fascination with Viujana Swami and Jayannada Prabhu,
for the followers of rla Prabhupda, is that they were exhibiting the qualities
that we all adored.
Bimala dev ds: They were kind and compassionate, and completely
absorbed in love of God, the service of the devotees, the spreading of Ka
consciousnessand they were one of us. Their lives still continue to inspire
us and to give us hope.
The impression that Viujana and Jaynanda made on people really set
them apart from the other wonderful preachers of the time. Both of them had
deep personal relationships with the Deities they servedRdh-Dmodara,
and Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subhadra, respectivelywhich contributed to
the acceptance of Deity worship in the West. Because they worked tirelessly
and with such enthusiasm for the Holy Name, they exhibited the
transcendental qualities associated with pure devotees. Prabhupda emphasizes
that this is the secret of spiritual life:
This Ka consciousness is so nice, the more one works and renders service,

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 the more he becomes enthusiastic. This is the secret of spiritual life. The test of
spiritual life is when one can work all day long and not be tired. In the material
world, we do a little work and become exhausted. Twenty-four hours we should
be engaged in some service to our capacity. That is real spiritual life.
Letter to Hansadutta, April 24, 1972

Of course, whether one does this service or that service, whether in heaven
or in hell, devotees always serve Rdh-Ka. Visnujana and Jaynanda were
exemplary devotees, but one does not need to take up the exact service they
performed. There are nine processes of devotional service, and a devotee can
adopt any of these. Visnujana and Jaynanda would always encourage everyone
to serve the Lord according to their own heartnot that one has to engage
exactly as they do. However, whatever service one does, it must be directed to
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And for many devotees, as well as
non-devotees, the first Deities they ever saw in those days were
Rdh-Dmodara, who were always traveling and, in this way, widely
proclaiming Deity worship in America.
Radhanath: Rdh-Dmodara were so beautiful, that if I had any love for
God, something would have happened. Still, by Their causeless mercy, They
were all-attractive. They were like Viujana Mahrja. As stra says: it is
the Vaiava that reveals the Deity to our minds and to our hearts. We
cannot see Ka directly, but we see Ka through the via medium of the
bhakti of the devotee. When you saw how Viujana Mahrja was
worshipping Rdh-Dmodara, when you heard how he was praising and
glorifying Rdh-Dmodara, and when you saw his standard of seva for
Rdh-Dmodara, you just became ultimately attracted to
Rdh-Dmodara.

Appendix A

The r Dmodarakam of Satyavrata Muni is very important for Gauya

Vaiavas, and for this reason rla Sanatana Goswami has written a
commentary illuminating these verses for deeper understanding and
appreciation. (Dig-Darsini-TikaBengali translation by Tridandi Swami

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Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja. Rendered into English by Dasaratha Suta
dasa and Vaiyasaki dasa Adhikari) I have added the insights of rla
Prabhupda and other Vaiava acharyas to further enhance our appreciation
of the unique position of Lord Dmodara.
Originally from the Padma Purana, r Dmodarakam is recited during a
conversation between Narada Muni and Saunaka Rishi. A benediction
accompanies these verses. It is said that anyone who recites or even hears this
prayer, especially in the month of Kartik, will attract the eternal shelter of
devotional service at the lotus feet of r Dmodara. (Hari-bhakti-vilasa
16.1.198)
r Dmodarakam

Verse 1
nammvara sac-cid-nanda-rpa
lasat-kualam gokule bhrjamnam
yaod-bhiyolkald-dhvamna
param atyantato drutya gopy
I bow down to the supreme controller, r Dmodara, whose form is the
embodiment of eternity, knowledge, and bliss. His glistening earrings swing
playfully to and fro upon His cheeks. He manifests super-excellent pastimes in
Gokula, stealing fresh butter suspended from the rafters of the gops storerooms.
In fear of Mother Yaod, He jumps down from a wooden grinding mortar and
quickly runs away. She runs swiftly after Him and finally catches Him from
behind.
The specific attributes of the Absolute Truth of the Lord, tattva-viea, are
addressed first. Satyavrata Muni begins with the offering of obeisances
(namm) as an auspicious invocation, magalcaraa. He invokes the mercy of
Lord Dmodara to empower him to offer this prayer by the word vara, the
supreme controller. It also indicates that the Supreme Lord alone is worthy of
the highest praise. It further implies the specific nature of devotional service,
bhakti. The Lord manifests Himself in a form that embodies eternal existence,
knowledge, and bliss, sac-cid-nanda-rpam. Thus, His supreme sovereignty is
established.

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 The attribute of His enchanting beauty, rpa viea, is described next. As He
runs from Mother Yaod, His earrings begin to swing back and forth
(lasat-kualam). The earrings naturally sport upon His cheeks as He plays in
the courtyard of Mother Yaod. All the ornaments that adorn the Lord have
become super-excellent by contact with His divine body, yet these earrings
have attained superiority overall by the great fortune of constantly kissing His
divine cheeks while swinging. They are glistening (lasanti) due to being
enriched with the effulgence from the Lords complexion.
Uddhava describes Kas beauty as so supremely enchanting that His
transcendental body is the ornament of all ornaments. (rmad-Bhgavatam
3.2.12)
Only in Gokula does Ka display His most splendid pastimes that surpass
all other manifestations of His excellence (gokule bhrjamnam). The word,
gokule, indicates the place where cows and cowherds reside. The attributes of
His family, parivra-viea, thus further portray His unique excellence.
The last two lines of the verse describe the ll-viea, the attributes of His
excellent pastime as the butter thief. In fear of Mother Yaod (yaod-bhiya)
He quickly runs away (dhvamna) from the mortar (ulkalt). Then, she also
runs very swiftly (atyantato drutya).
Ka, at that time, was sitting on an upside-down wooden mortar for
grinding spices and was distributing milk preparations, such as yogurt and
butter, to the monkeys as He liked. Because of having stolen, He was looking all
around with great anxiety, suspecting that He might be chastised by His
mother. Mother Yaod, upon seeing Him, very cautiously approached Him
from behind. When Lord r Ka saw His mother, stick in hand, He very
quickly got down from the top of the mortar and began to flee as if very much
afraid. Although yogis try to capture Him as Paramatma by meditation, desiring
to enter into the effulgence of the Lord with great austerities and penance, they
fail to reach Him. But Mother Yaod, thinking that same Personality of
Godhead Ka, to be her son, began following Ka to catch Him.
(rmad-Bhgavatam 10.9.8-9)
The word, param, meaning caught from behind, also intimates the
supreme love that r Ka has for Yaod. Therefore, gopy lovingly denotes
Mother Yaod and implies the great fortune of the cowherd caste that the

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Supreme Lord prefers to mingle amongst them.
Quoting from the Vaiava-tosani of Sanatana Goswami, rla Vivantha
Cakravart hkur explains that the pastime of baby Kas breaking the pot
of yogurt and being bound by Mother Yaod took place on the Dipavali Day, or
Dipa-malika. In India, this festival is celebrated in the month of Kartik with
fireworks and lights.
Among all the cows of Nanda Mahrja, several of Mother Yaods cows
ate only grasses so flavorful that the grasses would automatically flavor the milk.
Mother Yaod wanted to collect the milk from these cows, make it into yogurt,
and churn it into butter personally since she thought that this child Ka was
going to the houses of neighborhood gopas and gops to steal butter because He
did not like the milk and yogurt ordinarily prepared. (rmad-Bhgavatam
10.9.2, Purport)
These eight specific cows were called padmagandha, and their milk was as
fragrant as the lotus flower. Just as swans live only on lotus stalks, so these cows
ate only special grass. Mother Yaod took particular care of these cows and
used their milk to make special sweets for Ka. She hoped that he would lose
interest in the butter and yogurt from the houses of other gops. In this way she
made an attempt to rectify his stealing habit.

Verse 2
rudanta muhur netra-yugma mjantam
karmbhoja-yugmena staka-netram
muhu vsa-kampa-tri-rekhka-kaha-
sthita-graiva dmodara bhakti-baddham
He cries and rubs His eyes again and again with His two lotus hands. His eyes
are fearful and His breathing quick. As Mother Yaod binds His belly with
ropes, He shivers in fright and the pearl necklace shakes upon His neck, which is
marked with three lines like a conch shell. To the Supreme Lord, r Dmodara,
whose belly is bound by His mothers pure love, not by rope, I offer my humble
obeisances.
The second verse continues describing the ll-viea. He is crying
(rudanta) because He sees the stick in Mother Yaods hand. Perceiving that
she may strike Him, He appears fearful, hoping her natural empathy may save

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Him from punishment. Due to fear, tears are forming in His eyes, so He rubs his
eyes with his lotus-like hands in the normal manner of children to wipe away
the tears that are beginning to flow.
Then (staka-netram) His fearful eyes reveal how much He is dreading
punishment. It also indicates His glancing here and there in great fear, trying to
avoid being punished. The confidential pastime is revealed in this way.
Therefore, due to his continual sobbing He is trembling, (muhu vsa-kampa)
and thus, (sthita-graiva) the pearl necklaces and earrings that adorn Him are
also shaking.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is feared by everyone, has
become fearful of Mother Yaod. In this way, Mother Yaod now becomes
greater than God, more powerful than Ka. The Mayavadi philosophers want
to become one with God, but in Vaiava philosophy the devotee becomes more
than Ka, and Ka accepts this. He elevates His devotee beyond His own
position, just as Arjuna became the hero at Kuruksetra and Ka was simply
his chariot driver. Actually, Ka was the hero, but He gave the credit to His
devotee, because He takes pleasure in seeing His devotee in a greater position
than Himself.
When Mother Yaod was trying to bind the offending child, she saw that
the rope was short by the measurement of two fingers. Thus she brought
another rope to join it. This new rope was also short by two fingers, and when
another rope was joined to it, it was still two fingers short. As many ropes as she
joined, all of them failed; their shortness could not be overcome.
(rmad-Bhgavatam 10.9.15-17)
The reason for the failure of the rope to bind Him is bhakti-baddham. He can
be bound only with devotion. No other power can bind Him. The significance
of the two fingers is also very important. The first finger represents the
devotees sincere endeavor of love and unflinching determination to attain
Ka and thereby please Him. The second finger represents Kas supreme
mercy by which He agrees to be bound by His devotees pure love.
So He is bound with a rope around the belly (dmodara) and tied to a
wooden grinding mortar. This reveals the Lords excellent quality of coming
under the control of His devotees pure love (bhakti-baddham). He responds to
bhakti in two ways. From Mother Yaods point of view, He is conquered and

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bound by her loving parental devotion, vtsalya. From His own point of view,
He willingly allows her to bind Him, although no rope can ever bind Him.
Because of Mother Yaods hard labor, her whole body became covered
with perspiration, and the flowers and comb were falling from her hair. When
child Ka saw His mother thus fatigued, He became merciful to her and
agreed to be bound. O Mahrja Pariksit, this entire universe, with its great
exalted demigods like Lord Shiva, Lord Brahma and Lord Indra, is under the
control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yet the Supreme Lord has one
transcendental attribute: He comes under the control of His devotees. This was
now exhibited by Ka in this pastime. (rmad-Bhgavatam 10.9.18-19)

Verse 3
itdk-sva-llbhir nanda-kue
sva-ghoa nimajjantam khypayantam
tadyeita-jeu bhaktair jitatva
puna premats ta atvtti vande
O my Lord, by Your own childhood pastimes, You continually immerse the
residents of Gokula in pools of ecstasy. You reveal to those who are attracted to
Your majesty and opulence, that You are only conquered by the love of Your pure
devotees. Again I offer my obeisances with love and devotion hundreds and
hundreds of times.
The attributes of His excellent qualities, gua-viea, are described in this
verse. The first word, it, indicates this Dmodara ll, or all of His childhood
pastimes like the Dmodara ll. Next, sva-llbhi denotes His own
transcendental pastimes by which (sva-ghoa) all the residents of Gokula
become immersed in pools of ecstatic mellows (nanda-kue nimajjantam).
The word sva connotes svasya, His own glory, or svanam, the glories of the
residents of Gokula, which are displayed by these pastimes (khypayantam).
Moreover, sva-ghoa may refer to child Ka, since He is also a resident of
Gokula.
Then a warning to those who cultivate knowledge of His majesty and
opulence (tadyeita-jeu). He only reveals Himself to the pure devotees
(bhaktair jitatva), being conquered by their love. Again, this is proclaimed for
all to know (khypayantam).

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 To pure devotees throughout the world who could understand His
activities, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Ka, exhibited how much He
can be subdued by His devotees, His servants. In this way He increased the
pleasure of the Vrajavasis by His childhood activities. (rmad-Bhgavatam
10.11.9)
Only by pure love and devotion (premat) can the Lord be known as He is.
So let us offer obeisances (vande) unto Him (tam) hundreds and hundreds of
times (atvtti). A further meaning can be gained from the above Bhgavatam
verse, that obeisances are offered hundreds of times to the process of devotional
service, bhakti, which subdues the object of our love, r Ka.

Verse 4
vara deva moka na mokvadhi v
na cnya ve ha vared apha
ida te vapur ntha gopla-bla
sad me manasy virst kim anyai
O Lord Dmodara, although You are able to give all kinds of benedictions, I do
not pray to You for liberation, nor the supreme goal of eternal life in Vaikuha,
nor for any other boon. My only desire, O Lord, is that Your form as Bala Gopal
in Vndvana may constantly remain in my heart. I have no use for any other
boon besides this.
Both verses four and five describe the poets innermost desires, beginning
with, vara, boons. No benedictions of any kind are requested even here in
Vndvana (iha) from He who can bestow any boon (vared). Satyavrata Muni
does not seek liberation (moka na), nor does he desire the highest conception
of liberation (moka-avadhim), which is eternal life in Vaikuha. Neither is he
interested in any other benediction (na ca anyam), referring to the nine
processes of devotional service, beginning with ravaam krtanam, and the
benefits they bestow. If others desire these, or even if Ka wants to bestow
these upon him, he has no attraction for them.
The three benedictions referred tomoka (liberation), mokvadhim
(eternal life in Vaikuha), and anyam (any other boon)reflect an ascending
order of superiority. Eternal life in Vaikuha is clearly superior to impersonal
liberation. The position of other boons, such as the nine processes of devotional

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service, are described in rmad Bhgavatam.
O Lord, we pray that You let us be born in any hellish condition of life, just
as long as our hearts and minds are always engaged in the service of Your lotus
feet, our words are made beautiful [by speaking of Your activities] just as Tulasi
leaves are beautified when offered unto Your lotus feet, and as long as our ears
are always filled with the chanting of Your transcendental qualities.
(rmad-Bhgavatam 3.15.49)
By these words spoken by the four Kumaras, we can understand that the
nine processes of devotion can be perfected even in hell. So in any condition of
life, one can experience the perfection that is available in the eternal abode,
Vaikuha, through bhakti-yoga.
Is there anything that the poet does desire? The answer is iha, (here in
Vndvana), ida te vapur ntha gopla-bla (may Your form as a cowherd
boy, O Lord) sad me manasy virst (always remain manifest in my mind).
Since Ka is also the Supersoul in the heart, antarym, one may see His
divine beauty within as clearly as one sees externally with the eyes.
Finally all boons of any kind are dismissed as having no value at all (kim
anyai). The reason is that since Ka is the quintessence of all existence,
knowledge, and bliss (sac-cid-nanda-rpam), attaining Him, therefore, brings
all perfection. Conversely, if one does not attain Ka, then all other
benedictions are simply a source of lamentation, since they are of lesser value.
One can be fully satisfied only by beholding Kas divine form as a young
cowherd boy. Therefore, all other benedictions are useless (kim anyai). This is
the mood of Satyavrata Muni.

Verse 5
ida te mukhmbhojam atyanta-nlair-
vta kuntalai snigdha-raktai ca gopy
muhu cumbita bimba-raktdhara me
manasy virstm ala laka-lbhai
Your supremely enchanting face, encircled by shining locks of dark blue curling
hair, resembles the fully blossomed lotus, tinged with a reddish luster, due to
being kissed again and again by Mother Yaod. May this vision of Your lotus
face, with lips as red as bimba fruit, remain forever in my heart. Millions of other

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benedictions are of no benefit to me.
The poet demonstrates in this verse that longing for the association of the
Lord in the heart is the best means to achieve Him. The longing to see the
beautiful lotus face of the Lord, which is supremely enchanting, is stated first
(ida te mukhmbhojam). The indescribably sweet face of r Ka resembles a
lotus flower in full bloom. Simply by seeing His face, which is the treasure house
of supreme bliss, all anxiety and distress disappear. Therefore, may that lotus
face (mukhmbhojam) manifest within the mind even just once (manasy
virstm), or again and again (muhu), or constantly (sad). The concept of
sad is carried over from the previous verse to give its definitive conclusion in
this verse. All three meanings are intended.
That lotus face is always surrounded (vta) by curling hair (kuntalai)
which is a very dark blue color (atyanta-nilair). It is tinged with a reddish hue
(raktai) and is shining (snigdha). The curly locks encircling Kas face
bounce as He moves here and there, just as a lotus flower is surrounded by
hovering honey bees. This is the meaning suggested by vta. His lotus face is
kissed again and again by Mother Yaod (gopy). The word muhu (again and
again), defines the supremely fortunate gopi (gopy) who repeatedly kisses that
divine lotus face (muhu cumbita).
Furthermore, Kas lotus face is adorned with crimson red lips like the
bimba fruit (bimba-raktdhara). That form is so completely enchanting and
satisfying that millions of other attainments (laka-lbhai) are simply useless
(ala). They have no value. This is the meaning of the fifth verse.

Verse 6
namo deva dmodarnanta vio
prasda prabho dukha-jlbdhi-magnam
kp-di-vyti-dna batnu-
ghea mm ajam edhy aki-dya
O Dmodara! O Lord of divine beauty and unlimited mercy! O all pervading
Visnu! I offer my obeisances unto You. May You be pleased with me. I am
drowning in an ocean of sorrow and feeling almost dead. Shower Your nectar
laden glances upon me, thereby uplifting me and enthusing me with life. Please
accept me, O Lord, and become visible before my eyes.

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 Feelings of love arise from the purity and potency of longing, and then one is
only satisfied to behold the beauty of r Ka directly, skt-darana. The
supreme method, para-sdhana, to attain this goal is chanting the Holy Name,
r-nma-sakrtana. Satyavrata Muni begins this verse chanting the Holy
Names. In his ecstasy, feelings of awe and reverence are abandoned by the
elimination of the word tubhyam (unto You). This creates the mood of being in
the personal presence of the Lord.
The name deva indicates, he divya-rpa, O Lord of divine beauty! This
beauty is the cause for desiring personal darana. The address dmodara
specifically refers to His glorious quality of coming under the sway of the
devotees pure love for Him, bhakta-vatsala, even up to the point of allowing
Himself to be bound. How is one able to see Him unless qualified by bhakti, pure
devotional service? He who is unlimited with no end (ananta) indicates the
Lord who is inconceivable, infallible, beginningless, and who has unlimited
forms for sporting in divine pastimes. Because He is inconceivable, He can only
become visible to our eyes by His power, not by our own power. Moreover, the
name viu connotes He who is all pervading. Thus there can be no difficulty
for Him to appear before our eyes.
In the last line of the verse, ia refers to the supreme controller who is
completely independent. The poet prays, Please accept this prayer, O
independent Lord, (ghea) for nothing can cause You to act. You may accept
my entreaty or not by Your own sweet will. Still I will continue to hope.
The word prasda indicates the mercy of prabhu, the supreme master. The
devotee hopes that r Ka is pleased with him and will benedict him with His
mercy. Why? Because he is drowning in an ocean of misery
(dukha-jlbdhi-magnam). Specifically, dukha denotes the pain of repeated
birth and death, or the agony of being separated from the Lords presence. The
illusion (jla) of the material world is like the vast, bottomless ocean (abdhi) in
which we are drowning (magnam). This is the cause of our condition of extreme
distress (ati-dna). Another meaning is, due to being bereft of sdhu-saga,
the association of saintly devotees, we experience distress. Moreover, we are
extremely distressed not being able to see You, my Lord.
The problem is compounded because of being ignorant about what to do
(ajam). Therefore, please bestow Your merciful glance like a shower of nectar
(kp-di-vya), thereby uplifting and enthusing us with life (anugha).

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Thereupon, please become visible before our eyes (edhy aki-dya). This is the
significance of the prayer.

Verse 7
kuvertmajau baddha-mrtyaiva yad-vat
tvay mocitau bhakti-bhjau ktau ca
tath prema-bhakti svak me prayaccha
na moke graho me sti dmodareha
O Lord Dmodara, although Mother Yaod bound Your divine form to a
wooden grinding mortar, You mercifully delivered the sons of Kuvera, Manigriva
and Nalakuvara, who were cursed to stand as trees, and You gave them the gift of
devotional service. Please bless me in this same way with Your most wonderful
prema bhakti. I have no eagerness for any other type of liberation.
This verse reveals deep truths about prema-viea, pure ecstatic love for
Ka. Beginning with kuvertmajau, the two sons of Kuvera are introduced.
They were able to obtain the direct vision of the Lord. But isnt prema bhakti
the only means for seeing the Lord face to face? And having once seen the
Lord, doesnt the agony of separation set in upon losing that vision? This is the
feature of prema bhakti that brings the Lord under the sway of the pure
devotees love.
How did the two reprobates get such mercy? The answer is that by the
quality of r Kas love, bhakta-vatsala, the impossible becomes possible. To
honor the word of His pure devotee Narada Muni, who gave the benediction
that they would see the Lord face to face, the Lord actually delivers these boys.
Did they ever do anything to deserve this? No. It is simply causeless mercy!
Although these two young men are the sons of the very rich Kuvera and I
have nothing to do with them, Devarsi Narada is My very dear and affectionate
devotee, and therefore because he wanted Me to come face to face with them, I
must do so for their deliverance. (rmad-Bhgavatam 10.10.25)
The purport is that Ka is bound by the love of r Narada. This is His
quality of bhakta-vatsala. Therefore he utilizes the wooden grinding mortar to
pull down the two trees that are actually the two brothers. By the mercy of the
pure devotee, Narada Muni, they received the mercy of the Lord. Similarly, by
the mercy of rla Prabhupda, we can receive the same benediction.

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 By baddha-mrtyaiva, we understand that the Lord has agreed to be bound
with rope and tied to the wooden mortar. But even though He is tied up, He
liberates Manigriva and Nalakuvara. The word mocitau indicates they are
liberated from sasra, repeated birth and death, not only from r Naradas
curse. Furthermore, the two boys are given bhakti-bhjau, the benediction of
prema-bhakti. They are now counted amongst the pure devotees known as
bhakti-bhjam, those who can never give up the shelter of devotional service.
With the statement tath prema-bhakti svak me prayaccha, Satyavrata
Muni requests, Please benedict me also with prema-bhakti in the same way.
The word svak denotes the exclusive shelter of Kas own lotus feet or His
own beautiful form, the exclusive object of meditation. I have no desire for
personal liberation, (na moke graho me sti dmodareha).
Even though the Lord may offer liberation, moka, the answer is no (na).
Other than this (iha), referring to prema-bhakti, I am not eager (graha) for
anything else. The mood is that if one can obtain prema-bhakti, then why care
for the insignificance of liberation from material life? Another meaning of iha
indicates Vndvana, where prema-bhakti is predominant, and where r Ka
is always present.

Verse 8
namas te stu dmne sphurad dpti-dhmne
tvadyodarytha vivasya dhmne
namo rdhikyai tvadya priyyai
namo nanta-llya devya tubhyam
O Lord, I offer respectful obeisances unto Your belly, the abode of the entire
universe, which is bound by Mother Yaod with a brilliantly effulgent rope. To
this rope I offer my humble obeisances. I offer repeated obeisances to Your
dearmost beloved rmati Rdhr, and I bow before You, who are performing
unlimited super-excellent pastimes.
At the conclusion of the prayer, obeisances are offered (namas te) to the
Lords unique binding, His bodily limbs, His associates, and to the Lord Himself,
in order to arouse the mood of bhakti. Even the rope that binds His belly
(dmne) receives worship. That rope is the abode of, or source of, effulgence
(sphurad dpti-dhmne), and the poet here suggests that the rope is also the

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source of the all-pervading brahman effulgence.
Then, obeisances are offered to the Lords belly, which is bound by this
wondrous rope (tvadyodarytha). What is that belly like? It is the abode or
support of all the infinite universes in the creation (vivasya), including all the
moving and non-moving living entities dwelling therein. A gigantic lotus
flower that sustains the fourteen worlds sprouts from that belly and is the abode
of Lord Brahma.
Child Ka displayed His universal form to Mother Yaod when he opened
His mouth to show that he wasnt eating dirt; so this is another indication.
Therefore, when Mother Yaod bound His belly with rope, she bound the
entire universe. Actually, Ka allowed her to bring the entire creation under
her control, although it is not possible to bind the omnipotent Lord. Therefore
Vaiava acharyas accept this pastime as the most sublime expression of
vtsalya-rasa just as the rsa-ll pastime is the supreme expression of
mdhurya-rasa. By Kas acceptance to be bound, we can understand that this
pastime is inconceivable to mundane logic and reason. This is the mood here.
Obeisances are also offered to His beloved rmati Rdhr, namo
rdhikyai. By r Rdhs mercy, one is able to fully attain r Ka. Being
foremost amongst the gops, obeisances are offered unto Her specifically. It is
further implied that obeisances are being offered to all the gops, headed by r
Rdh. The word, rdhik, refers to the one who is perfectly engaged in r
Kas devotional service.
Therefore Satyavrata Muni says, I offer obeisances unto Your beloved
(tvadya priyyai). She is Your eternally beloved, nitya-priya, regardless of
rendering devotional service to You. The word tvadya further elucidates that
r Rdh is dear not only to Ka but to all Kas devotees. The
understanding is that r Ka is also the nitya-priya of r Rdh. Thus, the
super-excellence of Rdhrs love is proclaimed. The poet avows, Whoever
is beloved by You is worshipable for the entire universe!
The conclusion of the prayer alludes to the supreme transcendental pastime,
rsa-ll, as well as all other unlimited pastimes of the Lord. Since these topics
are highly confidential, they are not mentioned directly. There is only a hint of
other unlimited pastimes, ananta-llya. In addition, ananta-llya indicates
that obeisances are offered to all the pastimes within the divine realm of

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Gokula Vndvana. By the word devya, the divine transcendental Lord r
Ka is indicated. The inference is that by r Dmodaras inconceivable
divine qualities all the pastimes of the Lord are also transcendental. Therefore,
namo nanta-llya devya tubhyam, I prostrate myself unto You who are
engaged in unlimited transcendental pastimes. This is the mood expressed by
Satyavrata Muni.

Appendix B

The following article by Viujana Swami on varrama-dharma was

written when he was 23 years of age, and published in Back To Godhead
magazine, No. 46.
The urgent need of modern society is to realize the actual human mission,
which is for man to develop his eternal loving relationship with the supreme
Lord Ka. This is the direct, one-stroke method for solving the complex
social, economic, and ethical problems that besiege us. Just as by watering the
root of a tree one naturally provides water for all its leaves and branches, so by
serving Ka, who is the root of human society and indeed of all existence, one
simultaneously renders the most valuable service to all living beings. One who
has realized this simple understanding is able to act in perfection for the benefit
of all.
The outlines presented below were originally used to accompany visual
displays portraying major problems in all levels of society and illustrating their
solutions through Ka consciousness.
GRAPH 1 The spiritualization of the outcast society
I. The outcast subculture in a competitive society
A. The member of the poverty-stricken subculture, who is often born in a
family disoriented from a former culture, receives inadequate
instructions regarding education, language, social standards, and
personal hygiene; and he is therefore unable to compete with the
oriented class.
B. The educational system makes it obvious to the child that he is trapped

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 in an inferior group. Thus, although the outcast desperately seeks a
defense, there is nothing available but to obscure himself in his defeat.
C. The adorable standards of the oriented society dangle just beyond his
reach, and everyone outside of the depressed community appears happy
to him.
D. The youth market is full of useless commodities that are an incentive to
competitive desire amongst children. Thus money for the purpose of
facilitating the animal propensities of eating, sleeping, mating, and
defending becomes an item of envy, and spiritual culture is neglected.
The youth market encourages everyone to increase his animal
propensities, and thus ones senses are totally agitated and ones mind
has no peace. The fever of sense gratification prevents human energy
from being engaged to solve the real problems of life, namely how to get
free from the entanglement of repeated birth and death in ignorance,
lust, and illusion regarding the real nature of the pure spiritual self,
which is beyond the purview of the body and mind. The result is
complete body consciousness. Girls dress in an overly attractive fashion.
Alcohol, drugs, frivolous sports, and many more anomalies than we
could possibly list become prominent in an atmosphere of material
knowledge devoid of moral and spiritual culture. No amount of money is
ever enough to cool this feverish mentality. Thus the bewildered
children are sent to the slaughterhouse of this age under the noses of
ignorant parents, teachers, and religionists.
E. Due to a sense of inferiority and frustration, the social outcaste accepts
his role as a useless member of a useless society and indulges in gross
bodily intoxicants and other forms of sense gratification. His mind
becomes absorbed in a bodily concept of life that is full of temporary
racial designations and superficial family relationships. As he becomes
more and more attached to what little he has, he fearfully looks forward
towards death, which, after the slow processes of old age and disease,
finally takes everything from him.
F. As he grows older his pessimism increases. As he considers his hard
struggle for existence, he feels cheated by society and its God. His
intelligence remains bewildered until he is carried to a hospital to die,
where he then meets the technologically advanced society that all his

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 life has depressed him both spiritually and materially. Even in the face
of a lifetime of defeat, he struggles against death until he is overcome by
the laws of death and rebirth and is thus taken to his next body, which is
better or worse according to his lifes activities. His mind remains
surcharged with worldly attachments, and according to the degree of his
lust for over-lordship of the things of the world and according to the
reactions of his pious or impious work, he is awarded a body suitable for
pursuit of his mistaken interests. In most cases he returns to the animal
kingdom, and his human mission of liberation is defeated.
II. Solutions to poverty in social structure
A. The leaders and intelligent class must, first of all, be trained regarding
the real need of poverty-stricken people.
B. Huge exposition tents must be erected in slum areas, where devotees
will invite all members of the area to join in day and night group
sessions. Speakers in various languages will explain the philosophy of
Ka consciousness and its universal applications as a yoga system for
complete purification. There will be chanting of the names of the Lord
from every faith with nice musical accompaniment and refreshments
of vegetarian food offered to the Lord in a spiritual atmosphere.
C. A devotee will visit the homes of the oppressed. He will give
instructions in hygiene, and by his example the devotee will engage
the family in reorienting the house as necessary to set up a simple,
useful, and spiritual atmosphere with the central interest of the entire
family centered on the altar.
D. Hygiene begins with regulation of life, and therefore the devotee will
introduce the interested family to the following schedule:
4 am. The entire family will arise, and all its members will bathe and
mark their bodies as temples of God.
5 am. After bathing, the family will gather before the altar and then
bow and offer prayers to the Lord and His pure devotees to ask for their
help to execute lifes mission. During the prayer the mother will have
made a nice offering of fruit and yogurt with some grain cereal. As it is
direct service to the Lord, the family will be taught a beautiful ceremony
for offering tokens of devotion. The total diet will consist of beautiful yet

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 inexpensive preparations made with grains, fruits, vegetables, and milk
products. The devotee will instruct the family in devotional cookery.
6 am. After chanting individually, the family members will eat
together, and the devotee will narrate the wonderful activities of the
Lord.
6:30. Philosophy for adults and stories for the children.
7:30. Cleaning the house (spotlessly) as a temple of God (lots of
chanting while cleaning). The husband goes to work (see section E).
8:30. Wife and children take more prasdam (spiritual food).
9:30. Children over five are taken to the ashram. (see Graph No. 2)
Children under five are taken by the mother and a woman devotee to a
large grassy yard, and along with other mothers and children, they chant
the glories of the Lord. If sufficient provisions are made by city planners,
there can be small calves that will run loose, and milk can be churned
into butter. The children will be taught to collect flowers and string them
into garlands to decorate the home temple, etc.
12 noon. Mothers and children return home. Children eat and take
rest for three hours, while mother and devotee garden, cook for evening
prasdam, and decorate the temple.
3 pm. Older children return home and younger children awaken. All
shower and mark their bodies as temples of God. Prasadam is then offered
with another beautiful ceremony and with ecstatic chanting; and then
prasdam is eaten.
4 pm. Devotee teaches how to enact plays and dramas on the glories of
the Lord.
5 pm. Father returns and showers. The whole family chants and offers
him prasdam and sees to his comfort. Seeing his family increasing its
love for God, the father becomes pleased.
6 pm. The whole family, chanting and carrying prasdam to
neighboring houses, goes for a walk around the block.
7 pm. Six or seven families gather together for evening festivities,
puppet shows, plays depicting the pastimes of the Lord, chanting,
dancing, and eating prasdam.

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 8:30. Younger children take rest, and adults plan upcoming activities
for glorification of the Lord.
9:30. All take rest for six or seven hours.
E. Attitudes of work.
1. Work means sacrifice and, in this connection, sacrifice for the
Lord. The man will be trained in the principles of Bhagavad-gita,
and his work will be karma-yoga of bhakti-yoga. He will
understand that he is working for the Lord, for whom he has
dedicated his wife, family, and house. Thus he will also consider
it his duty to see that his family can nicely serve the Lord, and
he will provide for them on behalf of the Lord. Also, because of
the morning worship service, he will be fixed in the real goal of
lifeself-realizationand thus be unaffected by the frequent
upheavals of the working world.
2. Even in his occupational dealings, he will not falsely identify
himself or others with the business world, but will consider
everyone part and parcel of the Lord. He will therefore
represent the Lord in all his dealings and work for the highest
good of society.
F. Union leaders can institute meditative prayer and devotional songs to
satisfy workers rather than superficial music. At noon, all the workers
can attend a service in the business temple and eat prasdam together.
Men who take part in this program will naturally come to take an
interest in city planning for the glorification of the Lord and will thus
become responsible citizens.
G. Workers will divide their pay50% for spiritual activities and the rest
for family maintenance.
GRAPH 2 The so-called affluent society
I. Spiritual poverty in the affluent society
A. The child born into prosperous conditions is high in standards of
bodily hygiene, while at the same time his mind is perverted by
manifold designations and prejudices. He learns to despise the poorer
sections of society, and he develops false pride in physical beauty,
nationality, and religious sectarianism.

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 B. The child is encouraged to compete in school for material goals and is
punished if he does not defeat his competitors. Only material
knowledge is offered in school, and the ignorant student is allured by
false promises of fortune and fame into this trap of anxiety.
C. The frustration of his teen years leads to reckless driving, drinking,
and drugs, and if he survives these, he then goes on to college and tries
to enjoy all that was promised in his youth in the way of comfortable
home and family life. His false pride increases, and he tries to impress
others with an accumulation of useless commodities. He becomes
bound to his false sense of proprietorship of things of this world, and
this increases his fear of death, which ultimately takes away all his
wealth. He strongly identifies with his extended body (his wife and
children), and he hopes that by insurance plans he can continue
himself after death through his extended body, the family.
D. All the plans of the materialist are subject to defeat by the changes of
nature and by changes in the plans of those upon whom he depends.
Therefore his life is fearful. As he grows older he continues to hope for
a happy year, but he sees that his body is getting old. Due to a
misdirected life of sense enjoyment, he is fearful of disease and
despises old age and dependence. He makes a show of new
youthfulness by imitating the dress and style of the younger
generation, and he becomes falsely happy through intoxicants.
E. The bodily conception degrades him so much that as an elderly man
he remains in ignorance of his spiritual self and simply engages in
pampering his old and worn-out body. He takes pride in still being able
to walk.
F. He becomes more diseased and feeble-minded and at last dies like a
dog or cat in the best hospital money can buy.
G. According to his lifes activities, he is awarded his next body, and thus
his human mission is uselessly spoiled. Thus a lifetime wasted in
affluent life is no better than a lifetime wasted in poverty.
II. Ka Consciousness and the affluent society
A. As devotees gain use of the media, the mass of affluent people will see
the practical result of becoming Ka conscious. They will have the

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 opportunity to meet devotees in their homes or in temples, and in
some instances there may be exposition tents erected.
B. As in Graph No. 1, the family members will be reoriented in the real
joyful values of life and will reconstruct their home and their attitudes
of eating, sleeping, and working.
C. The details of the home schedule are presented in Graph No. 1.
D. Schools should be made available so that at the age of five, children
would be able to attend a devotional school, staffed by intelligent men
who are qualified devotees of the Lord. The main subject in the school
should not differ from that in the home; that is, the criterion of
advancement should be how one develops the qualities of a devotee of
the Lord. Of course, education in material science would be as
complete as it is presently, but it would be God-centered. The laws of
nature should be taught to all students, and knowledge of the
non-permanence of the body should be instructed. This would infuse
everyone with a desire to fulfill his human mission. The Sanskrit
Vedas contain complete knowledge of both matter and spirit, so there
would be no need for speculative reasoning or misdirected
experimentation on innocent animals. The present educational
schedule and curriculum could be adapted as follows:
9 am. Assemble for chanting the mantras for deliverance.
9:30 Philosophy of life class. Students will learn and discuss.
10:30 Classes.
11:30 All gather for offering prasdam and take noon meal.
12:30-2:30 Classes.
1) Subjects will remain as they are now, but with new emphasis on the
Lord and upon spiritual development.
2) Sanskrit will be taught along with the national language.
3) History would center largely around the appearances of the Lord
and His representatives throughout the ages and throughout the
universes.
4) Agrarian culture and utilization of the gifts of nature for the
service of the Lord would flavor every subject with practical

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 applications.
5) Extra-curricular activities would include the following:
a) Cooking prasdam for the noon offering.
b) Learning musical accompaniment for prayers and chanting.
c) Staging festivals and dramas to teach the public the glories of
the Lord.
d) Applying all kinds of arts and crafts, even military, in the
service of the Lord.
6) Competitive sporting would vanish as children experience that the
Lord is the only one they need to satisfy.
7) Since there are always two paths in life, the path of sense
enjoyment and the path of devotional service to the Lord, children
must be given all information to make the best use of this short life
for their real mission.
One such school is now functioning in Dallas, Texas, and for
further details, please inquire from: Gurukula, 5430 Gurley Street,
Dallas, Texas 75219
Viujana Swami, an initiated disciple of His Divine Grace A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupda, accepted the renounced order of life
(sannysa) from His Divine Grace in July 1970. He has traveled extensively on
preaching engagements throughout the United States and is now touring with
ISKCONs First Transcendental Exposition. The title Swami denotes one
who is able to expertly control his senses by engaging them in the service of
Ka.

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