© 2002 VNN
|
WORLD  Leadership Seminar BY PARAMESVARA DEVI DASI USA, Aug 23 (VNN) — SUMMARY TOUR REPORT - JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2002 Let us offer our respectful obeisances to ISKCON Founder-Acarya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, to our spiritual master His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami, and to the spiritual warriors who are engaged in the transcendental army of spiritual warfare. NEW JERSEY Lilananda Prabhu, a Srila Prabhupada disciple from Brazil who works at the Morgan Stanley Financial Investment Corporation, wanted to organize a two-day leadership seminar at a major hotel for H.H. Sridhara Swami and H.H. Bhakti Tirtha Swami. The original idea was to charge $100 per person. Since most of the attendees would be life members and well-wishers of the temple, the fee and location were changed. The fee was changed to $30 per person, and the location was changed to the beautiful Towaco temple in New Jersey. Attendance was limited to 30 people so the seminar could be personal and interactive. H.H. Sridhara Swami presented "Seven Habits of Effective Devotees," and H.H. Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja presented "Trust and Conflict Resolution." His Holiness explained why he was giving this seminar on trust for the centennial. Burt Wurkfort(?) performed a survey on the movement that evaluated important concerns of the international devotee community. The number one concern is a lack of trust for the leaders and among devotees. His Holiness said that trust in community is essential for growth, but lack of trust is even more devastating in a spiritual environment than in a secular environment. The process of bhakti is based on strong faith, and strong faith is based on love. There cannot be faith and love with lack of trust or little trust. Lack of trust is inimical to bhakti. In many ways, the movement is suffering due to lack of trust in leadership, in each other, in oneself, and in Krsna. In today's society, the honor code system means less and less, as people are duplicitous. Acquiring insurance and installing security systems are on the rise due to fear and mistrust. Many business failures are due to employee theft. A speaker gets better results if the audience feels they can trust him or her. His Holiness asked the devotees to share what trust means to them and to name two outstanding people who are trustworthy and their qualities. They were asked to consider if the persons they chose would consider them to be trustworthy. Most of the devotees did not raise their hands. He explained that they must work on their character and self-perception so that others will view them as trustworthy. He asked them to name two people they could not trust and why. This demonstrated the wonderful qualities of those who are trustworthy versus the negative qualities of those who are untrustworthy. His Holiness enumerated behavior that builds trust: sharing relevant information, reducing controls, allowing mutual influence, clarifying mutual expectations, and meeting expectations. Sharing relevant information and meeting expectations are the most important elements for building trust. He discussed some of the factors that reduce trust. He gave the consequences of mistrust. Trust is a communication problem and an attitudinal problem. The devotees formed small groups and discussed a time when someone had abused their trust. They formed small groups again and shared a time when someone trusted them and they were untrustworthy. They shared some of their realizations before the entire group. His Holiness spent some time on self-trust, low self-esteem versus humility, and trust in Krsna. The devotees shared various pastimes that increased their faith, and they examined the role of association in enhancing or destroying their faith. They looked at a time when they lost trust in Krsna and how Krsna proved that He had not abandoned them. His Holiness read several quotes from the scripture on love and trust and asked the devotees to analyze them. He ended this session by pursuing the role of trust in creating authentic community versus pseudo community. On day 2, His Holiness presented conflict resolution. As we have and will continue to discuss this topic repeatedly, we will not elaborate on it. The seminars went well. In two days, a lot of material was covered. Prasadam was included in the $30 fee. His Holiness sold many books and was happy to collaborate with his godbrother, H.H. Sridhara Swami. They put together an outstanding presentation. They look forward to working together more in the near future. MAURITIUS For several years, the Mauritian devotees have been trying to get His Holiness to return for a visit. He promised that he would come in the near future. It was a dream that had come true. His Holiness was invited by the Public Relations Department and the National Agency for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Substance Abuse (NATRESA) to give a series of seminars, workshops, and classes on social degradation for CEOs, doctors, lawyers, police officers, and government officials. On another day, he gave a seminar for teachers and students. His Holiness departed on January 16 and arrived two days later due to the time change. It was a 26 hour flight with a stopover in Paris. Several devotees met him at the airport and gave him his schedule. He spent the first day at the farm. He was happy to see the beautiful temple that had been completed since his last visit five years ago. He was overjoyed to see the beautiful Krsna-Balarama deities. The temple is quite Vedic. It is situated on six acres of land. The devotees are buying the land surrounding the temple and building their own homes. The devotees were extremely happy to see His Holiness, as they are enthused by his classes, seminars, and kirtanas. On many days, His Holiness had up to five or six programs a day. On day 2, His Holiness gave Bhagavatam class. After Bhagavatam class, he met with Mr. Fowdar, Honorary Minister of Training and Home Affairs, and his three chief advisors. In the evening, His Holiness met with Mr. Knik(?), Director of NATRESA, and his assistant. His Holiness explained to them the importance of training people to improve their character, with emphasis on leaders setting good examples and creating an atmosphere that fosters integrity, ethics, and principles. His Holiness gave a thorough discussion on drug abuse and its attraction and how to help drug addicts, prostitutes, criminals, and other deviants to make a conscious shift. Everything is based on consciousness, and by altering one's consciousness, there is more likelihood for solving this serious problem. On day 3, His Holiness gave Bhagavatam class. After Bhagavatam class, he had a discussion with one of the Senior Magistrates of the country who was trying a sensitive case of Muslim terrorists connected with Bin Laden. The Senior Magistrate had visited the temple, was inspired when he heard that His Holiness would be coming soon, and was thrilled to have his darsana. Later that day, the devotees took His Holiness to the Phoenix temple, which is almost an hour away and in the center of Mauritius. In the evening, several hundred devotees attended a powerful maha Bhagavad-gita yajna. They had puja and chanted slokas from the Bhagavad-gita. His Holiness was surprised. After he gave class, a number of devotees were honored for donating books to a special location. His Holiness was excited that thousands of books had been donated to different schools and other projects. Mauritius has made Vaisnava history by distributing more books than any other ISKCON temple. As a result, a large quantity of Srila Prabhupada's books will be going to many important circles. Srila Prabhupada once said that Fiji and Mauritius could be the first fully Krsna conscious countries. As His Holiness studied the country and the people, he sees this as a strong possibility. Before His Holiness left the farm, he did a wonderful nama hatta program. Srinikatana(?) Prabhu, a godbrother of His Holiness' from Switzerland, is the president of the farm temple. He was eager and happy to accommodate His Holiness for a few days. On day 4, there was a surprise. Each day there had been warnings on the news that a cyclone was expected. His Holiness was invited to South Mauritius by the Public Relations Department to share his vision for forming a good office and for forming a creative preaching strategy to influence and encourage more people to take advantage of Krsna consciousness. His Holiness gave them some practical things to consider and to work on to expand the preaching. The devotees prepared a divine lunch for everyone, which was served after the meeting. By this time, there was a weather alert that a cyclone was imminent. The winds and rain had gotten stronger, and people were rushing to get home from work. In the evening, the storm increased, and the cyclone attacked the island. Some people died. Many roofs were blown off the houses. Tens of thousands of trees, crops, and other things were damaged. In some places, it was hard to drive, and there was no electricity and no water for over four days. For several days, employees were unable to go to work, and children were unable to go to school. The whole country had been destabilized and brought to a halt. Because of this, the dignitaries and important people who would have come to His Holiness' seminar were unable to come. They were involved in a "think tank" and task force to rehabilitate the country quickly. His Holiness was unable to have two of his most important seminars. Krsna arranged that he was able to deliver a profound message to the country through the medium of radio and television. Since Mauritius is a small country and has only one major television station and one major radio station, whatever is shared reaches most of the country. Some of the national radio shows lasted one hour. Some of the television shows lasted half an hour. The television shows were on correcting social degradation, stress and health management, relationships, interfaith, leadership, conflict resolution, healthy use of power, and the dangers of the information age. The radio shows were on character as power and the demise of civilization and how to change it. The radio show on "Character as Power" was awesome. It was designed to involve the media, the police force, the armed services, the business community, the medical community, and the political community to bond together and to create a national momentum to raise the character of the country's citizens. His Holiness said that ultimately character develops based on reward. As long as crime pays and as long as there are sufficient benefits from prostitution, drugs, etc., there will be an increase in the number of people who will embrace such a lifestyle. We can reward good character by giving genuine reasons for not taking shelter of social degradation. We can substitute a higher character for a lower character. It will create serious differences. Over half the people jailed in Mauritius have committed drug-related crimes; over 40 percent of the youth are chronic smokers; and 25 percent of the youth are chronic drinkers of alcohol. The majority of cases dealing with domestic violence are alcohol related. These discussions introduced the country to H.H. Bhakti Tirtha Swami's plan that different communities should create a campaign to honor monthly someone who shows outstanding character. A national award should be given yearly by the President's cabinet to someone who shows exceptional character in the nation's interest. Schools should have essay contests for students to write about character. Public service announcements should be aired regularly about building good character. Bulletin boards, bank statements, bumper stickers, buttons, etc., should remind people of the power of good character. All religious groups should share important points on character from their scriptures. His Holiness enumerated over 100 different ways that the country could focus on raising consciousness. Focusing on the importance of integrity, character, dharma, and principle-centered leadership would make a huge impact, to name a few. If it had not been for the cyclone, the devotees would have scheduled a meeting with the Prime Minister so His Holiness could explain this program in-depth and act as a consultant for the President to implement this program. His Holiness wants to help Mauritius to fully diversifiy and to avoid the heavy problems and degraded lifestyle that face much of the world. Mauritius is at a serious crossroads, and the decision that it makes in economical, educational, social, political, and theological sectors will determine its success or failure. After having major press conferences, major interviews in newspapers, four radio shows, nine television shows, and seminars on social degradation, forgiveness, and conflict resolution, His Holiness affected the whole country as no one else could. The Mauritian devotees are quite quarrelsome, so these topics were relevant. In the "Conflict Resolution" seminar, His Holiness discussed different types of conflict: interpersonal versus interpersonal and intercommunity versus intercommunity. The most difficult conflict is intercommunity versus interpersonal. He investigated conflict of resources, conflict of psychological needs, and conflict of values. Conflict of values is hard to conquer. He wanted the devotees to understand what type of conflict and counterconflict they are having. He gave them basic skills and tools to assist in resolving conflicts. There is less to gain in maintaining a conflict than in stopping a conflict. It is unlikely that a conflict will be resolved if it is maintained. On day 5, His Holiness did a mission and vision quest with the devotees in the temple. They focused on short-term and long-term goals for preaching in the country. In the evening, there was a powerful maha-harinama. Hundreds of people were in the streets with torches. Gaura-Nitai accompanied them. His Holiness led most of the kirtana. He danced ecstatically, and the devotees danced wildly and madly with him. The Mauritian devotees are fond of kirtana and are always extremely enlivened. On day 6, His Holiness gave Bhagavatam class. In the afternoon, he did the Sunday program at the farm. In the evening, he returned to town to hold a big Sunday program at a major auditorium. Five hundred guests came who were eager to hear the bhajanas; watch a video, "Your Ever Well Wisher;" and hear an amazing discourse about ISKCON, Srila Prabhupada, and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura. After the lecture, there was an extensive question and answer session. His Holiness led a maha-kirtana. Fifty devotees came on the stage to assist him while several hundred devotees danced zestfully in the auditorium. On day 7, His Holiness gave Bhagavatam class. After Bhagavatam class, he had darsana with devotees and aspiring disciples. He made himself available to encourage as many devotees as possible. The books that Guru Maharaja sent by boat and plane did not arrive on time, but he brought one suitcase of books. When the books arrive, the devotees can sell them. Even though His Holiness will not be traveling to Mauritius for some time, many people will be in touch with him through his books, and they can write to him by e-mail. As His Holiness was leaving Mauritius, the weather bureau predicted another cyclone in a couple of days. By that time, Gurudeva would be in America adjusting to a new time zone and preparing for his next program. PHILADELPHIA On Valentine's Day 2001, His Holiness and several devotees from the Washington, DC Area and Gita Nagari met in Philadelphia at the Govinda's Restaurant and Preaching Center for a weekend of great programs. Hariastfa(?) Prabhu, the owner of Govinda's Restaurant, invited His Holiness to come again on Valentine's Day 2002. Many people had been reading his books, had been inspired by his previous lectures, and had been constantly asking when the "Swami" would return. Again, devotees from Gita Nagari and the Washington, DC Area met Gurudeva in Philadelphia. He gave a two-day seminar and had lots of personal darsanas with the devotees and people who had special concerns. The seminar was on "Letting Go of Fear and Embracing Love." His Holiness explained deeply that the whole world is under siege. Due to September 11, people are fearful. This is not something new, but from time to time it actually intensifies. This culture of fear is sweeping the planet in such a devastating way. We have to counteract it among ourselves, our families, and our communities, or the fear will open more avenues for maya. It will come in the form of aggression and sense gratification, making it difficult for love to develop. Love and fear cannot occupy the same space. We suffer from adhyatmika, adhibautika, and adhidaivika pains. We are constantly being harassed and fearful of attacks from our mind, attacks from other living entities, and attacks from the environment by the demigods. Being in the material world and being in a material body mean that these miseries will always exist. It is important how we perceive them and respond to them. In the sastra, four basic problems accompany human life that keep us from accessing transcendence. It is our intense involvement in eating, sleeping, mating, and defending or fearing. In the Bhagavatam, it is emphasized that the most difficult problem to conquer is fearing. As we pursue eating, sleeping, and mating, there is fear of their arrangement and fear of their continued existence. Fear is directly related to the bodily conception, to lack of faith in Krsna, to excessive attachments, or to lack of responsibility. His Holiness had the audience to reflect on fear, and he listed their responses on a flip chart. He explained how fear manifests in five mindsets: (1) general anxieties, (2) panic attacks, (3) obsessive-compulsive behavior, (4) post-traumatic stress, and (5) phobias. He gave the physical symptoms and psychological symptoms and showed how they distract us from accessing love. His Holiness asked the devotees to share their greatest fear and their greatest hope, which he wrote down. To everyone's surprise, their greatest fear was the exact opposite of their greatest hope. Fear is interfering with hope; one is of a positive nature and one is of a negative nature. We are fearful of the most important things. Fear engulfs our whole consciousness, overtakes our being, and does the exact opposite of what we want. The subconscious is unable to categorize things as positive or negative. It reflects on the thing itself. When we meditate on negative things or negative occurrences, we unconsciously attract them. We have the power to choose negative or positive. Freud, metaphysicians, and spiritualists agree that there are two basic phenomenal conflicts: instincts and emotions. There is the instinct and emotion of fear, and there is the instinct and emotion of love. Kama is connected with fear. Prema is the ultimate love of God. We should see every action as a giving and sharing of love or a call for love. There is only love. Anything that interferes with love is fear or kama manifesting in different ways. His Holiness gave an interesting discussion on "Worry." This will be discussed later. He gave three ways of perceiving any type of problem: (1) personal assertion, one is involved directly; (2) empathy, one understands another's opinions, concerns, and feelings deeply; and (3) disassociation, one is involved indirectly with issues, problems, conflicts, concerns, and negativity by looking "from the outside in." In many situations, using these perceptions is the best way to assess how to act, how to think, and how to be less disturbed. We can engage in a loving and proper activity rather than wasting energy and having a mindset of worry and fear. His Holiness quoted an interesting Native American parable. "One has an evil dog and a good dog inside of them that are always fighting." The question is who wins. The answer is the one who is fed the most. Whatever we put the most attention and absorption in will be dominant. If we are fearful, we attract more fear. It will diminish our ability to be loving entities and to fully trust the Lord for shelter and protection. After the seminar, His Holiness and Hariastfa(?) Prabhu did a radio interview with two hosts. They discussed Govinda's Restaurant and the importance of taking better care of the body, mind, and spirit. This is a popular radio show and all parties were quite knowledgeable about health and spirituality. It was a dynamic show. It was a great advertisement for Govinda's Restaurant, its sumptuous prasadam, and its discussions, seminars, workshops, and other types of classes that attract highly conscious people. His Holiness was interviewed by one of the upbeat newspapers. He discussed spiritual growth and acceleration and ways of conquering fear and embracing love. GITA NAGARI His Holiness gave an astounding Sunday feast lecture on "The Importance of Short-term Goals." Every devotee should get the tape. His Holiness explained that devotees have trouble in spiritual life because they are embracing the long-term goal of becoming a pure devotee and an unalloyed servant of Krsna. This is definitely the ultimate goal of our Krsna conscious experience, going back to the spiritual world and associating with Krsna. As we are trying to reach the ultimate goal, we can do this more genuinely by having short-term goals. As we achieve success with short-term goals, we are energized and directed to attain the next short-term goal until we attain the long-term goal. His Holiness discussed Chapter 12 of Bhagavad-gita. Krsna says that we should always think of Him. This is the ultimate goal. As one thinks of Krsna fully, one is fully absorbed in Krsna consciousness. Krsna gives us choices. If you cannot always think of Me, you engage in following the process of sadhana-bhakti, which engages the senses and the mind. Gradually, you will come to the point of always thinking of Me. If you cannot do that, you engage in My work or you help those who are following the principles of sadhana-bhakti. If you are not able to do that, you do your own work with detachment. If for some reason you cannot do that, you engage in meditation or acquiring knowledge. In other words, Krsna does not abandon us. He gives us alternatives according to our desire to know Him. His Holiness emphasized that we should never forget or minimize what the ultimate goal is. We must focus on the long-term goal by being effective in the short-term goals. If we find that the long-term goal seems too ambiguous or too far fetched, we can still keep it in the back of our consciousness or in the forefront of our mind while we do the best we can with the alternatives. We have much more independence than we think. As we use our independence wisely, independence brings reciprocation. We must be clear about the expectations and the results, so we can accelerate to a higher level. Gurudeva used the Winter Olympics as an example. The topmost athletics have a long-term goal to "get the gold." They had many important short-term goals to accomplish year after year that brought them closer to becoming one of the best athletics in their division in the world. This is how we should focus on our devotional service to accomplish the long-term goal. We should have projects, plans, and activities that stimulate us to have more potency in our devotional service. Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura says that to advance sufficiently the mind must have proper stimulation. We can suppress our feelings for so long. We can do services for which we have no interest or enthusiasm. We can do it for a while. After a while, we will lack the ability to continue the service and we will even bloop. Guru Maharaja sees this with many devotees in the temples. They do their service from day to day. Sometimes it is mechanical. Many times the service is outside of their propensities. They become dry, bored, and angry. At some point, they will look for some other taste, or they will feel that Krsna consciousness is too far beyond their reach. His Holiness read from Bhagavad-gita 2.41. Those who have explicit faith and resolute determination will reach the ultimate goal. He read from a conversation Srila Prabhupada had with a disciple explaining that one who has no goal is like a ship without a rudder. For example, our children should be given certain goals and guidance. If they have no goals and no guidance, it is like sending a ship out without an engine and a rudder, hoping that things will go well. His Holiness asked the devotees to ponder what things they feel more enthused about doing to serve the community, to serve the spiritual master, and to raise their own consciousness. The devotees wrote down their short-term and long-term goals and presented them to His Holiness later. He wants the devotees to harness their mind better. He wants the devotees to be less tricked and dragged by the current of maya and by the lower nature. He wants the devotees to become more active and courageous spiritual warriors. He wants the devotees to engage in their services with much more vision. The day before His Holiness' operation he gave the Sunday feast lecture on Bhagavad-gita 18.66, emphasizing that one should surrender to Krsna and abandon all varieties of religion. Krsna says ma sucah. Do not fear, do not hesitate, and do not worry. More important than what we do and say is what we are thinking. Our thoughts reveal the extent of our bodily conception. Our actions in the future will reflect our thoughts. The mind is powerful. It is engaged in accepting and rejecting. We want to accept what is favorable to Krsna consciousness and reject what is unfavorable to Krsna consciousness. We draw certain things based on our attachments and mantras. His Holiness explained four categories of worry: (1) defining worry, (2) avoiding worry, (3) analyzing worry, and (4) breaking the worry habit before it breaks you. For defining worry, he said that we can choose to worry or not to worry. Sometimes it is a way to avoid changes and avoid facing a particular problem. We hide behind worry because it makes us feel we are doing something, but worry is a poor substitute for proper loving action. We must not worry, but we must perform the proper action based on sadhu, sastra, and guru. Excessive worry makes us powerless. As devotees, we are humble, but we should always feel that Krsna can empower us to do many things. Worry causes us to rehearse dreadful outcomes. The negative incident happens repeatedly. Worry can cause us to be less productive. Excessive worry is not the same as planning. We have to plan and we have to act in the proper way. For avoiding worry, His Holiness said we must sometimes ask ourselves what is the worst possible thing that can happen. We should prepare for the worst but expect the best. If the worst happens, we are prepared. We will not be unnecessarily thrown off balance. The exorbitant price for excessive worry is poor health and a weak mind. We are not having proper dependence on Krsna and appreciating sadhu and sastra sufficiently. For analyzing worry, His Holiness said we worry because we have not looked at the necessary evidence or information. This ambiguity will cause us to worry. We should analyze what is the problem, what is the cause of the problem, what are possible solutions to the problem, and what is the best solution to the problem. If we analyze it and categorize it, we can solve it. For breaking the worry habit, His Holiness said we must keep ourselves busy and keep ourselves thoroughly engaged. We can trick the mind from engaging in unnecessary trivial things. Consider the law of averages. Many things that we worry about are not likely to happen. We should not live in the past so much, but we should learn from the past while looking toward the future. Many of our worries are about past occurrences. If we do consistently worry, set a time to worry. Use this time to release our worries. Focus on being productive and using the intelligence to take shelter of sastra, guru, and Krsna. Use it as a time to plan. As we adequately plan, we have the ability to let the mind become our best friend rather than our greatest enemy. When we worry, we are being too attached; we are not being amply detached; or we are not accepting Krsna as our well-wisher, our greatest lover, and our maintainer. His Holiness read from many different scriptures where the great acaryas discussed anxiety and fear, which is connected with worry. From The Science of Self-Realization, Bhakta Prahlada did not feel any anxiety because his mind was fixed in knowing that Krsna would protect him. Vaikuntha means without anxiety. Kuntha means with anxiety. Spiritual activities in the spiritual world do not produce anxiety. They do the opposite. They free us of anxiety. From The Nectar of Devotion, it is stated that fear and anxiety are connected and due to not taking shelter of Krsna. From The Path of Perfection, Srila Prabhupada discusses that all species have anxiety. They are functioning in an unhealthy environment that is not a natural environment. His Holiness shared many more scriptures. He discussed the admirable examples of Pariksit Maharaja, Draupadi, Sudama, and Sridhara Kholaveca. These are a few of the amazing devotees who were in problematic situations, but they did not worry excessively. They simply depended on Krsna and used the situation to serve Krsna in a much better way. His Holiness had devotees to share what they worry about the most. He asked them to look at what is happening with their mind and to not let their mind become seized and possessed by fear and anxiety. Excessive anxiety, worry, and fear cancel out love and realization. As Krsna is always trying to come through, it is our duty to remove the barriers. We can remove the barriers by harnessing the mind better and by not letting worry haunt us daily. This lecture complements three prior lectures that His Holiness had given on short-term and long-term goals, on fear, and on the importance of internal dialogue. Some devotees had come from New York, Argentina, and Boston to hear Guru Maharaja's last class. He left early the next morning for George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC to have an operation. The devotees were happy that he was focused on preaching, and they benefited tremendously. The discussion on worry helped them to be relieved of worry and anxiety about Gurudeva's upcoming operation. Guru Maharaja received many letters from all over the world: vyasa-puja letters, letters expressing concern for his health, and letters offering all types of prayers. Krsna arranged for Guru Maharaja to have an operation on Lord Nityananda's appearance day, which is also Gurudeva's birthday. This allowed us to take more shelter of the mercy of Lord Nityananda and to strengthen our own devotional activities. GURU MAHARAJA'S OPERATION AND HOSPITAL STAY February 25, 2002, is the appearance day of our most beloved spiritual master. On this day, Guru Maharaja received an operation to relieve the difficulties with his bladder that he has experienced for many years. At 5:30 a.m., Ekavira Prabhu and Mother Vrajalila picked up Gurudeva from The Institute in Gita Nagari. They had a three hour drive to George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC. During the drive, Guru Maharaja chanted his rounds and answered many questions from Mother Vrajalila regarding his views on different aspects of the mission. They arrived at the hospital exactly five minutes before Gurudeva was scheduled to sign in at the Admissions Office. While waiting, Madhavacarya Prabhu and Mother Jambavati walked in. Madhavacarya Prabhu had made all the arrangements for the operation. He is quite familiar with the hospital and many of the staff members, as he was a doctor-in-residence for a few years. Gurudeva took a few minutes to discuss some aspects of the operation with Madhavacarya Prabhu. Madhavacarya Prabhu and Ekavira Prabhu accompanied Gurudeva into the small office of the Admissions Officer. When the interview with the Admissions Officer was completed, Guru Maharaja and the small group of devotees led by Madhavacarya Prabhu went upstairs where Gurudeva signed a few more papers. On the way upstairs, Guru Maharaja shared that the Admissions Officer is a pious lady. She was extremely kind and had offered to make all the necessary arrangements for Guru Maharaja to stay overnight in a private room, if necessary. At 10:30 a.m., Madhavacarya Prabhu took Guru Maharaja to the preoperation room where he met Dr. Phillips. The operation was scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m. and end at 12:00 p.m. Ekavira Prabhu, Mother Vrajalila, and Mother Jambavati sat in the waiting room and patiently waited. They chanted and silently prayed to Their Lordships. They were pleasantly surprised by Mother Nisa, one of Guru Maharaja's disciples. Mother Nisa was at the hospital with her mother, who was having a biopsy. Krsna arranged for her to be caring for her mother at the same time that Gurudeva was scheduled for an operation. The devotees were happy to spend some time associating with her. This time together helped to minimize the internal anxiety the devotees were feeling as they waited for information about Gurudeva. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the doctor came and asked for Madhavacarya Prabhu. The devotees told the doctor that they had not seen Madhavacarya Prabhu since he took Guru Maharaja to the operating room. The doctor quickly went through the door marked "DO NOT ENTER." It seemed like an eternity to the devotees who were waiting for the doctor or Madhavacarya Prabhu to return, although it was only 10 minutes. As the devotees were thinking of walking through the door marked "DO NOT ENTER," they saw the doctor walking toward the elevator. Ekavira Prabhu ran after him and inquired about Guru Maharaja. The devotees watched with anticipation as Ekavira Prabhu talked with the doctor. After a brief discussion, Ekavira Prabhu informed us that Gurudeva was okay, and the operation was successful. Ekavira Prabhu went through the door marked "DO NOT ENTER." As Ekavira Prabhu left, Mother Nisa returned to the waiting room with her mother. Her mother is 75 years old and quite enthusiastic. She expressed concern about Gurudeva and wanted us to ask him to visit her in the nursing home when he was well enough. Mother Nisa's mother was a "real live wire." She told stories about her many operations. Her enlivening mood diverted the devotees' attention slightly from the total anxiety they were feeling about Guru Maharaja. After 20 minutes of waiting for Madhavacarya Prabhu or Ekavira Prabhu, Mother Vrajalila went to the admitting nurse to ask if she could go through the door marked "DO NOT ENTER" to see Gurudeva. The nurse immediately ascertained the status of the devotees. In a few minutes, Madhavacarya Prabhu and Ekavira Prabhu came to the waiting room. They shared with the devotees and Mother Nisa's mother that Gurudeva was in good spirits and was not experiencing any pain. Ekavira Prabhu took Mother Vrajalila to see Guru Maharaja in the recovery room. Mother Vrajalila was amazed at how alert and awake Guru Maharaja was, even though there were two I-V needles in his right arm and one tube hanging from his side flushing the bladder. Gurudeva eagerly shared what happened before and after going into the operating room. He was fully aware of the entire procedure. He was happy that he was not experiencing any pain. Every few minutes he was interrupted by the nurse who monitored his blood pressure, bleeding, and circulation in the feet. After a few minutes, Ekavira Prabhu took Mother Jambavati into the recovery room, as Gurudeva was allowed to have only two visitors at a time. He preached about the material body and tolerating pain. He shared some pastimes about some of his experiences with different dentists when he had severe pain. Mother Jambavati and Mother Vrajalila were in awe that Gurudeva was preaching and smiling. He appreciated that the operation was over. The nurse was extremely kind when she asked the devotees to leave. She suggested that they go up to his room and wait for him to be brought there. Mother Vrajalila and Mother Jambavati left the recovery room thanking Krsna for another opportunity to reciprocate with Gurudeva by taking his instructions and the services much more seriously. Immediately after leaving the recovery room, Mother Vrajalila called the devotees in Gita Nagari to share the good news. She requested that Mother Indrani send out a report to all the devotees informing them of the success of this phase of the operation. The devotees went to Gurudeva's room, and he was fully awake, enthusiastic, and ready to leave the hospital. The devotees agreed that he should have a private room. Gurudeva remembered that the Admissions Officer offered to make all the necessary arrangements for a private room. Gurudeva sent Ekavira Prabhu to make the arrangements. Agni Prabhu arrived as Ekavira Prabhu was leaving. Agni Prabhu was surprised to see Gurudeva so fully present. Agni Prabhu commented that Gurudeva does not look like he recently had an operation. Guru Maharaja shared some pastimes from the operation with Agni Prabhu. At 4:30 p.m., a team of eight doctors came to check on Guru Maharaja's recuperation. This hospital has an intern program. The interns stayed for some time discussing the operation. Gurudeva was happy to share with the doctors that he was not feeling any pain; however, he had a slight discomfort in his abdomen. The doctors confirmed with Gurudeva that it was best that he stay overnight so they could monitor him. Gurudeva agreed. Mother Jambavati had to leave to assist the devotees with the vyasa-puja celebration at The Institute. She thanked Guru Maharaja and left. Nrsingha Tirtha Prabhu arrived with a tray of prasadam for Gurudeva. Before Nrsingha Tirtha Prabhu put the tray down, Gurudeva, in the mood of a lion, asked him where the prasadam was for Ekavira Prabhu and Mother Vrajalila. Nrsingha Tirtha Prabhu was stunned; he did not know why prasadam was sent only for Gurudeva. Gurudeva was concerned that prasadam was not sent for the devotees. He spoke to Madhavacarya Prabhu at his home and inquired. Apparently, there was not clear communication between Madhavacarya Prabhu and Ekavira Prabhu. Madhavacarya Prabhu thought that Ekavira Prabhu and Mother Vrajalila were going back to his house to take rest. It is incredible how Gurudeva interacts with his disciples; he teaches by example. His first concern is for the devotees. He reminded the devotees to be mindful to serve each other. Ekavira Prabhu returned from meeting with the Admissions Officer. He informed Guru Maharaja that a private room was arranged for him; however, the nurse informed the devotees that they had to wait for the room to be ready. Guru Maharaja was still actively preaching and having conversations with the devotees. The devotees were concerned that Guru Maharaja needed to honor prasadam and take rest. When the nurse informed the devotees that the room was ready, Guru Maharaja had been patiently waiting in bed. The nursed placed him in the room, and the devotees followed. Shortly after settling in the room, Madhavacarya Prabhu arrived with prasadam for Ekavira Prabhu and Mother Vrajalila. Finally, Guru Maharaja was ready to honor prasadam, and he instructed Ekavira Prabhu and Mother Vrajalila to do the same. Guru Maharaja discussed the operation and the healing process with Madhavacarya Prabhu. This was a rare moment for Madhavacarya Prabhu, quiet time with Gurudeva. After Madhavacarya Prabhu left, Gurudeva asked Ekavira Prabhu to read some of the vyasa-puja offerings sent by devotees. This was a special moment for Gurudeva as Ekavira Prabhu read the loving letters from disciples in India, South and West Africa, Italy, South America, England, Croatia, Mauritius, Switzerland, Russia, and America. He read many affectionate letters from Gurudeva's godsisters and godbrothers praying for his recovery, including H.H. Tamal Krsna Maharaja. Gurudeva decided to take rest after Ekavira Prabhu read for an hour. Ekavira Prabhu and Mother Vrajalila prepared themselves for a night of serving Gurudeva, if necessary. Throughout the night, Guru Maharaja hardly slept. Two nurses attended him. There was constant activity. One nurse came in every couple of hours to take his temperature and check on him. The foot massager attached to his feet sounded every 15 minutes. The I-V fluid in his arm stopped flowing a couple of times, setting off an alarm and requiring Ekavira Prabhu to reset it. The lady in the next room yelled to the top of her lungs for the nurse throughout the night. The hospital was not the best place for Guru Maharaja to rest. At 6:00 a.m., the doctor came to check on how Guru Maharaja had spent the night and how he was feeling. Guru Maharaja was extraordinarily positive and happy to share with the doctor that he did not have to take any pain pills and was feeling fine. He gave the doctor a copy of Leadership I. The doctor was most appreciative. At 7:00 a.m., another team of doctors came to examine Gurudeva. They said he was doing great. At 7:30 a.m., the examining doctor came and disconnected the bag that was flushing the bladder and the I-V needles in his arm. The doctor said Guru Maharaja would be released; however, he had to urinate before he left. During this waiting period, Gurudeva had Mother Vrajalila to call Aja Prabhu to have a copy of Leadership II delivered to him. The book was hot off the press, and Aja Prabhu had only two copies. Finally, after waiting for four hours for all the paperwork to be completed, Guru Maharaja was released from the hospital. Of course, Gurudeva had been ready to leave the hospital right after the operation. He was showered, dressed, and ready to leave by the time the nurse said he could check out. As Gurudeva left the hospital, he stopped at the Admissions Office and gave the Admissions Officer a copy of Leadership II. She was quite thankful to Gurudeva. Gurudeva and Mother Vrajalila sat for a few minutes to give Ekavira Prabhu some time to get the van from the garage. While waiting, the Admissions Officer asked Gurudeva to sign the book. She shared that when she went to her office to get a pen, her supervisor saw the book and wanted a copy. Unfortunately, there were no more books. Once again, Gurudeva reminded the devotees about the significance of making the knowledge available by being prepared with the books. Ekavira Prabhu and Mother Vrajalila took Gurudeva to the van. They drove to Madhavacarya Prabhu and Mother Kunti's house where Gurudeva spent two days before returning to Gita Nagari. When Gurudeva arrived, Sri Sri Radha-Gopinatha was receiving an offering and arati. Leadership II was offered at the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada. This was a most auspicious welcome home for our beloved Gurudeva who is teaching us the science of being a spiritual warrior. Your servant, Paramesvara devi dasi (With notes from His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami) Contact VNN about this story  Send this story to a friend
|
