Submitted by Pandava Vijaya das
Nanda Kumar: Haribol Prabhuji,
His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami is my Vartmapradarsika Guru.
Hope I spelled that right… ;)
I was living in Laguna Beach when he was President of the LA Temple. A group of us went to LA one day to go to all the various yoga places… SRF, the Vedanta Society and others. The temple had moved and we couldn’t find the new address at first. The other guys wanted to go see the movie 2001, and by Divine Grace, I had a burning desire to go to visit the Krishna Temple.
I had never even seen devotees and had no idea of the culture… we just knew that chanting got you high, and had I been chanting Hare Krishna along with every other mantra I knew about.
Srila Tamal Krishna Maharaj was the first devotee I spoke with, and right from the start he made it his mission to make me a devotee. I had long hair and a beard, and was addicted to surfing and anything that altered your consciousness. We lived with Tim Leary and his Brotherhood of Eternal Love, so substances were a part of our life.
I was resistant at first, although I felt the inner draw. I didn’t want to shave my head, and at the time I was a raw foodist, so I didn’t want to eat sugar and cooked food either. Over a three month period, he did his best to get me to join the temple. The devotees would come at least once a week to chant at the beautiful psychedelic store Tim and his group had put together, called Mystic Arts World.
As Krishna took away everything from me over that three months, I was finally on Pacific Coast Highway with a pack on my back, hitchhiking to the mountains, where I was going to do my version of a vision quest, to try and figure out what to do with my life.
Around the corner came the Devotee van, with His Holiness in it. They pulled over, and he said with a big grin… “Now what’s your excuse?” I told him I had none. He said… “I dare you to come stay with us for two weeks!” I did, although I said I was not going to shave my head. Two days later, I did. The rest is history.
I love His Holiness Tamal Krishna Maharaj from the bottom of my heart. He was Srila Prabhupad’s instrument to extract me from Maya, as he was for so many other devotees. To be in his temple would be a real blessing for me. I’m 61 now (where has the time gone?) and have been out of devotee association for way too long.
I’d love to talk with you as well. Can you give me a call or send me your number? Thanks, and Hare Krishna.
Nanda Kumar
Nanda Kumar! I think you must be that same Nanda Kumar who I knew who performed so much service to Srila Prabhupad in the 1970s! Many of our Godbrothers and Godsisters, including myself, have led a very circuitous path in our Krishna consciousness. But, having once prayed to Krishna, “My dear Lord, please give me Your shelter and accept me as Your surrendered soul”, then Krishna cannot reject such a sincere and rare soul, even if they wander off for a time. There is also no need to feel embarassed or shy to re-engage in active devotional service. After all, everything else is just prison time under the warden, Durga-devi. Devotional service is the only feeling, thinking and willing (activity) that can satisfy the heart of the progressive souls.
You are most fortunate. You give honor to both Krishna and to His devotees. That makes you already qualified for any type of devotional service. May that loving service again spring forth unabated from your beautiful heart, for your benefit, and for the benefit of others. Hare Krishna.
Your Godbrother,
Pusta Krishna das
PustaKrishna@comcast.net