A Rare Discovery: Early Research in Vrindavana

By Patita Pavana das Adhikary

With head bowed low at the lotus feet of the assembled devotees, I would like to narrate the full story of how the 1959 sannyasa diksha photo of Shrila Prabhupada appeared in ISKCON, now that the fiftieth celebration of Shrila Prabhupada’s initiation into the fourth stage has just passed (on 5 Sept. 09).

Sometime around 1976, Shriman Haihaya das Prabhu, then the President of ISKCON Vrindavana, approached Shrila Prabhupada with the suggestion that ISKCON Vrindavana should create its own devotee-oriented guide book. Shrila Prabhupada liked the proposal and consented to it, commenting that such a book would be “useful.” In fact, it would become one of the early devotee-written book projects authorized by Shrila Prabhupada, so in that way it was a ground-breaking event in itself. Haihaya das Prabhu then approached me with the authorization from Shrila Prabhupada that I research and scribe the guide, which I eventually published as Touring the Land of Krishna. Since mine was to be the first Vraja Guide ever in English, investigation would have to be conducted from the ground up.

By that time I had already been motivated by Shri Gurudas Prabhu to learn more about Vrindavana dham. Once, on a tour with Gurudas and a few other devotees, we had stopped alongside the Yamuna at the Shri Madan Mohan Mandir. Gurudas had us sit beside the temple well that had been personally dug by Shri Krishna Himself. It was from this very well that the Supreme Lord Gopal with His Own Hand used to offer nectar in the form of well water to the aging Shrila Sanatana Goswamipada. Our elder Godbrother then told us that the temple was built upon the Dwadasaditya Tila, the Hill where Shri Krishna dried off after He chastised the Kaliya serpent. Reciting the episode of Kaliya-damana, Gurudas then suggested that each devotee take their copies of Shrila Prabhupada’s Krishna Books to the Lord’s various lilastans and read about each one at the very spot the pastime occurred. This suggestion had a profound effect and remained with me.

Later Yashodanandan das Prabhu further stirred me during a discussion about how the British indologists had alleged that Lord Krishna and His sacred realm were all mythological. Therefore, the “indologists” argued, Hindu worship of Krishna is imaginary since it is based upon a myth or fantasy. Their false allegations in one fell swoop attempted to dismiss all Vedic literatures as imaginary, a clever ruse by the British Raja to convert Indians to Christianity. “But”, Yashodanandan continued, “Shri Krishna’s birthplace is still there, the Yamuna is still there, Govardhan is still there, Vrindavana is right here. Vrindavana itself is historical proof of the authenticity of Lord Krishna as the Supreme Lord.” (In those days Yashodanandan was a sannyasi and a huge collector for the Shri Krishna-Balarama project. Some years later I would feel very sorry to learn that such a distinguished Vaishnava had left sannyasa to re-emerge as an advocate for the lewd, erroneous and devious so-called “rittwic theory”; an invention that continues to fool some misguided would-be devotees to this day.)

Therefore, I vowed to undertake the guide book project in such a way that it should serve as a sort of geographical assertion of the historical validity of Vraja Bhumi and a geo-physical back-up to the Krishna Books. I began by touring many places described in Chaitanya Charitamrita, and Haihaya Prabhu was kind enough to accompany me on the first round of research. Together we visited such rare Mathura temples and sites as Adi and Sweta Varahas; Dirgha Vishnu; Bhuteshwara, (and Pataleshwari); Gokarnanath; as well as the more popular ones like Akrura Ghat, Ranganath and Keshavadeva. Haihaya wished to continue by traveling to Jaipur for darshan of Shri Govindaji, so the next day he boarded a public bus while I stayed back to work on the book. Along the six-hour journey to Jaipur, Haihaya’s bus swerved to avoid a careening automobile and overturned. Tragically, Haihaya’s spine was permanently damaged and this great Vaishnava now found himself paralyzed below the waist for life. Haihaya’s Vaishnava spirit was mostly unharmed, and he remains a pioneer in the early days of Krishna consciousness in India and a true hero in Shrila Prabhupada’s army.

Vrajabhumi research was enhanced by Shri Vishwambhar Dayal, who was very close to Shrila Prabhupada. He was a trusted friend and servant of the Founder-Acharya and he did whatever he could for the development of ISKCON Vrindavana. Generally we called him “Bhagatji” and you may learn more about this wonderful Brijabasi in Shriman Hari Sauri’s Transcendental Diary series. Bhagatji was like a dear father to all the devotees in Vrindavana since he was open-minded, affectionate and always absorbed in thoughts of serving other Vaishnavas. I instinctively trusted that whatever I heard from him regarding Vrindavana could be counted on as factual as there was always scriptural basis for whatever he said.

Naturally researching Vraja Dham would include a description of the Mathura Gaudiya Math in which Shrila Prabhupada resided from 1955 until soon after sannyasa initiation in 1959. I knew about—but had not met—the math commander Shri Narayana Maharaja who had taken care of shipping mridangas and caratals to Shrila Prabhupada in the early days of ISKCON. By now I had encountered Gaudiya Math brahmacharis during my travels at centers all over India, but had noted that their style was not at all up to Shrila Prabhupada’s wonderful example. Still, researching the holy ashram wherein Shrila Prabhupada had accepted tridandi sannyasa was an important element in the book, so I caught a rickshaw to Mathura. As was usual in the Gaudiya Maths I had visited, there were brahmacharis sleeping in every corner. In those days, many Gaudiya Maths had stockpiles of books from the days of the manifest appearance of Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, books that the ashramites had never bothered to sell. Indeed, I had amassed quite a collection of mint and out-of-print books from the 1930’s in this way. More can be learned about Shrila Prabhupada during this tenure. Why His Divine Grace saw it necessary to part company with his Godbrothers at Gaudiya Math can be clearly learned from the pages of Chaitanya Charitamrita and the Lilamrita. Indeed, though Shrila Prabhupada was forced to disassociate himself from his Godbrothers, he was always respectful to them. History demonstrates that Shrila Prabhupada with his dynamic and selfless preaching spirit was none other than the World Teacher of Sankirtan during the latter half of the Twentieth Century. In every way the Founder-acharya of ISKCON proved himself to be the true successor of Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur.

ISKCON’s “Panditji” Shriman Pradyumna das Prabhu had told me that there were many old copies of magazines which had articles by Shrila Prabhupada in Hindi at the Mathura math. I went there and found the magazines and also discovered in one of them the famous sannyasa initiation photo of Shrila Prabhupada. In the photo our beloved Guru Maharaja is standing next to his Godbrother and sannyasa Guru Shri Shrimad Bhaktiprajnana Keshavaji Maharaja, who is seated. The other sannyasi standing in the photo was a Gaudiya sadhu in his nineties, His Holiness Muni Maharaja. I borrowed the magazine and proceeded to a photo shop to have the picture copied. As a brahmachary I had no money, barely rickshaw fare, maybe Rs 20, so I paid in advance for several copies at Rs.3 each and decided to borrow the money for the return rickshaw when I would arrive back at Raman Reti. A few days later I returned to pick up the four or five photos that I could afford, and took the magazine back to Shri Keshavaji Gaudiya Math. There I showed the picture to one of the brahmacharis, who insisted that I give him the picture. Not only could I not afford to give him one, but the copies I had were meant for the BBT. Besides he and all the others had been sitting on the photo for a dozen years and had ample opportunity to make their own. However, I did offer to get him a copy if he could pay the three rupees.

When I mentioned the price I had paid, the brahmachary became incensed. He loudly declared, as if waiting in bait, “Your behavior is not good!” Suddenly I was swarmed and circled by fifteen or twenty ashram inmates showing their teeth, all chanting loudly in unison, “Your behavior is not good.” Finally BV Narayana Maharaja appeared and I appealed to him with a look for help. But, to my utter shock, he also joined the pack and happily chanted slogan-like along with them, “Your behavior is not good.” Disappointed at their utter lack of Vaishnava etiquette, I walked out the gate with the stinging words echoing in my ears as they do till this day. My thoughts were that those who find fault with the behavior of others should look at their own activities. As uncultured as we foreign members of ISKCON might have been, such hysterical mob behavior had never before occurred in our ISKCON centers. But here it was treated as normal by the math command! Later, I would find that this was not an isolated occurrence. When His Holiness our Godbrother Gour Govinda Maharaja visited there as a pilgrim, he had been summarily thrown out in much the same way.

Some years later I was not surprised to learn that Narayana Maharaja had begun to display a different character now that some devotees had begun running to him. But in those days when he was the math commander, I was able to see him in his element. A man is understood best on his home turf. I should add that I had previously consulted Narayana Maharaja for my Vrindavana guide project since he was known as the most experienced Gaudiya pada-yatri guide of the day and I had been thankful for his advice. I do not wish to discount whatever efforts he gave. There are devotees who, though worthy of respect as Vaishnavas, should be respected only from a distance. According to the Memories CD interview with His Holiness Shrila BV Puri Maharaja, Narayana Maharaja was later well known to speak offensively against Shrila Prabhupada, something a true disciple cannot hear. Any viewer who sees the CD will understand that this bal-brahmachari, who recently entered into mahasamadhi, always accepted Shrila Prabhupada as a World Acharya and as his own beloved siksha guru.

Shrila Prabhupada never stopped loving and respecting his sannyasa guru Shrila Bhakti Prajnana Keshavaji Maharaja. In 1968 while His Divine Grace was in Seattle, he received word from the devotees at the Shri Keshavaji Gaudiya Math that Shrila Keshavaji Maharaja had departed this earth. In a lecture that night, he glorified his sannyasa preceptor for fulfilling the desires of their Guru Maharaja, His Divine Grace Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada, by initiating him into the renounced order. Shrila Prabhupada composed a Resolution of Bereavement in which he scribed the following verse:

vairyaga vidyam nija bhakti-yogam apaanaviksha andhamyayam mam

shri keshava bhaktiprajnana nama kripambuddhir yas tamaham prapadye

Those are my experiences along the way to finding the sannyasa photo of Shrila Prabhupada. I believe it also serves as an example as to why Shrila Prabhupada asked us, his disciples, not to become close to the Gaudiya Math, but to stick together under the banner of ISKCON. In this article, I have endeavored to relate the incidents factually and truthfully as they occurred, without meaning any undue offense to others. It is possible that copies of the photo may have been discovered independently either before or after the events narrated here. If any devotees have any details to add, I should be especially pleased to hear them. All glories to Shrila Prabhupada.