Camp: Bombay

Dear Devotees!
Hare Krishna. Please accept my humble obeisances.

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada. All Glories to Guru Maharaja.

September 2nd, 2002, Monday

We are in Bombay. Dark heavy clouds above head, pleasant breeze, and the sound of ocean waves near Juhu beach.. all this makes you feel very comfortable. You can see lots of people walking up and down the beach, and they all happily look at you as they walk past and exclaim: "Hare Rama Hare Krishna!" with their hands raised up.

Yes, everybody here knows Hare Krishna. Two minutes away from the beach, in the midst of coconut trees, different exotic greenery, small hotels and guest houses, huge marble temple complex is situated. You just can't go past without noticing it. Lots of people coming in and out give you general impression that something's going on in there all the time.

Welcome to Hare Krishna Land, Juhu, spiritual complex with many facilities like beautiful marble temple, luxury guest house, auditorium with capacity of 450 people, Govinda's restaurant, gurukula day school, youth forum, Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, etc..

As we enter the temple through parking area, we see lots of devotees who have just arrived, with their bags, waiting for accommodation. Another bus has just arrived, and devotees, looking around, stepped down the ground. As many as 500 devotees have just come from Delhi, Chandigarh, Vrindavan, Ahmedabad and many other places from all over India to attend Guru Maharaja's Vyasa-puja celebration tomorrow.

As we turn right and enter modern oppulent guest house lobby, we go up the first floor of guest house, room 106, where Guru Maharaj always stays when he comes to Bombay. We see lots of disciples sitting here and there, some chanting their rounds, some reading books, some snoozing, or just talking and discussing different things, having met after a long time. The atmosphere is charged up with excitement and enthusiasm.

Making my way through the crowd, I walked into Guru Maharaja's room and paid my obeisances. Guru Maharaj was talking to one of the disciples, and when I came in, he mercifully glanced upon me and inquired: "Oh, Balaram, you are here..? Did you just come? How was your trip? I hope it was good and safe." I felt good, and smiling I humbly replied Guru Maharaj that my trip from Delhi to Bombay was safe and smooth. I came with another 5 devotees. Three of them were from Turkmenistan, and two from Uzbekistan. Guru Maharaj specially cares for devotees from Turkmenistan, because it's a heavy-duty muslim country, and Krishna consciousness is totally prohibited there. Devotees are chased by government and police, and they have to do
underground preaching. Those of them who preach are very very brave, sincere and dedicated. Guru Maharaj went to Turkmenistan a few times in the past, but unfortunately last time he went, they put him on black list and now he can't enter this Central Asian country.

By Guru Maharaja's mercy we all got room 103 in the Guest house, and had this golden opportunity to be near him. After taking shower and getting ready, I went to see Guru Maharaja again. Madan-mohini mataji from Pune has stopped me on the way and asked me to take the measurement of curtains in Guru Maharaja's room. Someone has donated material for new curtains in Guru Maharaja's room, and they wanted to put them up for Vyasa-puja early tomorrow morning.

Evening, at around 8:00pm, Guru Maharaj gave Bhagavad-gita class. It was nice to see so many Guru Maharaja's disciples all together at one place, at the same time, listening to His class. I suddenly realized that we enjoy this scene only once a year, during Guru Maharaja's Vyasa-puja, and a feeling of joy that I am so fortunate to be here, amongst all of them, overtook my heart.

September 3rd, 2002, Tuesday

Although darshanas last night ended very late, Guru Maharaj was up early this morning, doing arati to Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari for Mangala arati. Bombay temple room was totally packed, and devotees wholeheartedly sang morning Gurv-ashtaka prayers. I could see how some of them were especially sincere and dedicated this day, and how they watched every movement of Guru Maharaja's hand while he was on the alter.

During Tulasi-puja Guru Maharaj did Tulasi-arati, and when devotees began circumambulating Tulasi Maharani, it seemed like a big spiritual whirlpool. The atmosphere was extatic.

In the morning Guru Maharaj gave Srimad-Bhagavatam class, and it finished at 9:45am. Guru Maharaj went back to his room to freshen up and get ready for main Vyasa-puja program at temple Auditorium. At around 10:30am Guru Maharaj came out from his room and was met by big crowd of around 50 devotees. They all waited for him with big kirtana, which uproared as Guru Maharaj came out. He walked on path made of flower petals into the temple room, offered garland to Srila Prabhupada, and then proceeded to Auditorium on the main stage. Guru Maharaja's Deities, along with beautiful alter from his room were taken up the stage, so that all disciples could get Their Divine darshan.

After beautiful bhajan led by Hari Bhakti and kirtan by Surdas prabhu on the stage, devotees began reading out their Vyasa-puja offerings. Senior devotees were seated on respected places, and at around 11:30am Sridhar Maharaj entered the scene. He jockingly sat on Guru Maharaja's Vyasasana and all devotees, seeing this ecstatic loving exchange between two exalted personalities called out "Hari.. bol! Hari Bol!". Everyone raised their hands up and they were all full of joy and transcendental happiness.

Sridhar Maharaj then spoke, saying how Guru Maharaj, himself, and Giriraja Maharaj have come to Bombay temple in the very beginning, on Srila Prabhupada's instruction and they served together for a long period of time. He then said that it is amazing how the fate brought all three of them together, because they all appeared almost at the same time. Sridhar Maharaj and Giriraj Maharaj are celebrating their combined Vyasa-puja on September 7th, which is only 4 days starting from Guru Maharaja's Vyasa-puja.

Then senior devotees like Amiyavilasa Maharaj, Narmada Maharaj, Siddharth Prabhu, Devakinandan Prabhu, Brihad Mridanga Prabhu, etc.. spoke glorifying Guru Maharaja's transcendental qualities.

At around 1:30pm Abhisheka ceremony started, and many devotees got a chance to bathe Guru Maharaja's feet. Although it was quite messy, because everyone started pushing trying to get this rare mercy, it was still joyful process, and those devotees who got to bathe or at least touch Guru Maharaja's feet walked away from the stage with transcendental joy and satisfaction.

At around 2:30pm Bhoga Cake cutting ceremony began. Devotees made big ekadashi cake for Guru Maharaj, and Guru Maharaj, after cutting it with knife, sat looking at it. Janardana prabhu tried to feed it to Guru Maharaj, but Guru Maharaj, being the personification of humbleness, resisted from tasting it. Finally, Janardana prabhu made Guru Maharaj taste it and another devotee immediately came up with glass of water, so that Guru Maharaj could rinse his mouth and hands.

There were countless clay plates with prasadam offered to Guru Maharaj. I didn't count the exact number of plates, but I roughly guessed that it was around 108. Ekadashi Rasagulas, pakoras, different kinds of sabudana, numerous subjis, puris, sweets, fruits, etc.. were seen before Guru Maharaja.

At this point I remembered how one senior mataji has remarked Guru
Maharaja's behaviour during the whole Vyasa-puja ceremony. "I was amazed.. Although it was all opulent, and everyone was glorifying Guru Maharaja, even senior devotees, Guru Maharaj was sitting there totally controlling himself. He was chanting most of the time, and his face was totally peaceful and unagitated. Any other person would show some kind of emotions on his face, after being glorified so much, but Guru Maharaj was so humble, so peaceful... It really inspired me and I was sure that he indeed is the real spiritual master."

When I was in Guru Maharaja's room, and someone began glorifying his being undisturbed during the whole Vyasa-puja, Guru Maharaj replied: "It is very difficult for a devotee to listen how someone else glorifies him. It's great pain. This day is one of my most difficult miserable days of the year..."

Prasadam distribution started at 3:00pm, and everyone got nice ekadashi prasadam which was served in the temple room.

Second half of Vyasa-puja ceremony started at 5pm. Numerous disciples read out their offerings in Auditorium till around 11pm. Guru Maharaj asked me to call devotees from Turkmenistan and Russian devotees on the stage so that they could also read out their offerings out. I translated for them, and Guru Maharaj, not wasting a minute, took the opportunity to glorify devotees from Turkmenistan for their sincerity and dedication.

September 4th, 2002, Wednesday

This morning I got up late.. I was very tired and went to sleep late. It was a long and tough day yesterday. In fact I got up at 4:40am, and crawled out of my room to see if Guru Maharaja was taking rest, so that I could sleep peacefully too. But to my surprise, Guru Maharaj was already long awake, now doing arati to Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari...

At 6am Guru Maharaj went for Japa walk with all of his disciples to the
beach. It reminded me of how Srila Prabhupada often used to walk on Juhu beach with his disciples. There were lots of clouds in the sky, and it even rained a tiny bit, but it didn't really matter to numerous disciples who felt extremely happy and inspired to have this opportunity of walking on Juhu beach with their beloved spiritual master. You could see everyone... old, young, middle-aged.. They all tried to keep up with Guru Maharaja's fast walking pace. Local people, who live in Juhu and go daily for morning walk stoped in wonder seeing this huge crowd walking up and down. Some of them, with big smile on their face, and hands raised to the sky, shouted out loud.. "Hare Rama Hare Krishna!!"

Guru Maharaj gave morning Bhagavatam class, and then darshanas all day long. Some disciples already started leaving. They will all gradually leave during next couple of days.... Magnificent Juhu temple will return back to it's normal daily routine and daily temple schedule..

Hare Krishna.

Your servant,
Sri Balaram das

P.s. Please forgive me if there were some mistakes in this narration. I
wrote it very quickly, at a single shot, and didn't have time to check or go through it again. Some more pictures are coming soon.