Srila Tamal Krishna Maharaj takes Sannyas& making his Danda
m.balarama
expert at management, and when he was involved
in that way, often other managers in ISKCON didn't
see him in the same light that Srila Prabhupad did.
I was blessed to be present when His Holiness
took Sannyas, and even got to make his danda for
the ceremony. As you know, dandas are made of
pieces of bamboo wrapped in saffron cloth.
When I went to the market to find bamboo, all I
could find was a stronger, thicker grade that was
much heavier... as though it was solid inside rather
than hollow, as most bamboo is.
There are actually two stories here...
The danda story is this... Some time later on,
His Holiness asked Srila Prabhupad if he could
change his danda to one that was lighter and
easier to carry and deal with.
At first, Srila Prabhupad said yes... then he had
another thought. He said... "Actually, you should
keep the original one... Srila Madhvacarya carried
a big danda, and used it to beat dacoits who tried
to aggress against him or any of the devotees."
We've all heard the stories of how powerful Srila
Madhvacarya was... he would sometimes put his
toe on the ground and invite the most powerful
wrestlers and fighters to try and lift it. No one
could, and it was a great preaching tool... ;)
The other story is that after His Holiness took
Sannyas, sometimes the other managers and
leaders would call him by his first name alone.
Every time, Srila Prabhupad would correct them,
sometimes very strongly. He would say...
"You must always address him as Maharaj or
Goswami! You may never call a true sannyasi
by their first name alone!"
I never heard him say this about anyone else,
although there were plenty of sannyasis in his
presence on a regular basis. He did teach about
the importance of respecting anyone in the sannyas
ashram, but I never heard him speak about anyone
else like he did about His Holiness.
Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaj is not
an ordinary person, and Srila Prabhupad always
made sure we understood that. He never listened
to anything negative about him, and would always
chastise anyone who spoke about him that way.
I offer my most humble obeisances to my great
Vartmapradarsika Guru, who has singlehandedly
brought so many devotees to Srila Prabhupad,
Lord Chaitanya and Krishna Consciousness.
I pray for his blessings, and the blessings of his
disciples, that I may be more and more like him.
All Glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga.
All Glories to Srila Prabhupad and His Dear Son,
His Divine Grace Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaj.
Thanks so much, Prabhu, for helping me to remember.
Your servant,
Nanda Kumar das
Kalkidas
"m.balarama" <pan...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:5f9fc911-9fcb-4280...@p23g2000vbl.googlegroups.com...
He really liked music and musicians. Vishnujaja Maharaja was his very dear
friend. I found him very enthusiastic about any activity that would somehow
get Krishna's name in people's minds. He seemed the farthest thing from
self-righteous...
I am listening to his Brahma-samhita classes from the VIHE. He has a very
profound understanding of the pastimes of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna but no
tendency to speculate or step beyond propriety. I think he took Srila
Prabhupada's instructions to heart and was constantly examining himself to
remove any trace of desire for personal glory.
He was always determined to "get the job done" and he was expert in
organizing manpower. Naturally this brought him into conflict with some
people. However, the record speaks for itself: He was a Prabhupada man. All
glories to Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja!
idd
Hare Krishna!
Thank you, prabhus, for posting these sweet memories of HDG Srila Tamal
Krishna Goswami Maharaja and HDG Srila A.C. Bhaktivedantanta Swami Prabhupada.
All Glories to your service!
--
y.u.s.,
idd