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WORLD March 5, 1999 VNN3249 Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja Visits Perth (4) BY SRIDAM SAKHA DASA  AUSTRALIA, Mar 5 (VNN) — Wednesday, December 23, 1998 Perth eveningThe next day, Srila Maharaja was interviewed by a journalist for a local newspaper, who agreed to do the interview with all the devotees being present. The newspaper is called "West Australian", and has a readership of 662,000. The journalist turned out to be a woman in her early twenties with a very bubbly and gregarious nature. Her name was Louise Johnson. Because of her spontaneous and unreserved personality, a warm rapport was quickly established between her, Srila Maharaja and the rest of the group. At first, she was reluctant to sit too close to Srila Maharaja, who was right in line of the devotee's video cameras. Brajanath prabhu: "She's worried that she will be put on TV." Srila Maharaja: "No, no." Louise: "I don't normally do interviews with this many people." Srila Maharaja: "We're your well wishers." Louise: "Good." Srila Maharaja: "You are a very jolly person." Louise: "Most of the time. Maybe we should start with the ...how many followers do you have?" Srila Maharaja: "Can you tell Nabin? Those who are following this culture, maybe more than 9,000." Nabin Krsna prabhu: "More than that. There are millions." Louise: "You say you were born into a priestly family - did you choose to do this?" Srila Maharaja: "The brahmanas, priests come from very aristocratic, learned families. My family was also like this." Louise: "When did you start bhakti yoga?" Srila Maharaja: "My father was a bhakta and my mother also, so from birth I was like that, chanting Krsna's names, and remembering also." Louise: "Could you describe to me how your life progressed, to bring you to the stage you are at now?" Srila Maharaja: "From my childhood I used to rise at 4:00 am, chanting maha mantra and always worshiping Krsna and Rama. I would try to be kind to all, also to animals even to trees, creepers and grasses. From the beginning I was very fond of reading. I studied Mahabharata, Ramayana and Upanisads so from the beginning I was a very religious person. I had a great taste in study and also in sport. I was a good player of football, high jump and long jump..." Hearing this Louise started to laugh, causing all of us to laugh too. Srila Maharaja: "I ran in the 440, the 880, 1 mile, 2 miles up to 5 miles there was no-one equal to me in all these." Nabin Krsna prabhu: "He was a regional champion in athletics." Srila Maharaja: "I would also sail boats, and cycle." Louise: (Laughing) Where did you get time to study bhakti? (laughter) Srila Maharaja: "I had become very well known for sports, and when I used to play thousands of persons were watching, clapping. (Louise laughing ) and that is why I was selected as a high ranking officer in the police force." Louise: "You were a police man before?" Srila Maharaja: "Yes." Louise: (laughing) "You have had a varied life now haven't you!" (laughter) Srila Maharaja: "When I had joined the police force, the officers of high rank were very pleased by my character, for not taking a single pisa from anyone. You know India is very famous for bribery, but I was so much honest that all of my superiors loved me for it and they wanted to promote me. But then I met my guruji, and I was totally changed. I saw that in this world we cannot be happy without transcendental life. There is happiness in this world, but it is temporary and selfish. No-one has pure love, everyone is self interested. I saw that wealth and praise cannot give happiness. And whatever is our situation, we are bound to become old and die. 'I'm not this body' 'who am I' 'who is controlling everything?' Asking these questions to myself very deeply I became totally detached from this world, and wanted to search for a realized teacher. So I went to the Himalayas, here and there but I could not find anyone. Some time after my guru came and I went to hear from him. I was totally satisfied by his words and I wanted to go to him. So quickly I left my job - but they were not in a mood to let me go." Louise: "You left the police force to follow spiritual life... and your family too?" Srila Maharaja: "Yes, wife, children also, but I was detached. I had forgotten everything of this world, I was only thinking: 'Where is Krsna, where is Krsna, I want to see him, I want to serve him.' I joined our mission and learned everything. Krsna is the embodiment of affection. He has so much love, He has so much beauty, all love and beauty has come from him. After some time, my guru gave me initiation. I used to serve him, cook for him, wash his cloths, take dictation from him very attentively by hearing, and note down here also in my heart (pointing) not in this (pointing at tape recorder). I never believed in this or computers I always used this (pointing at his heart). Gradually I got so much taste in chanting and remembering, after some time I learnt all these books, and began to learn what is transcendental. I gradually started to write, and my guru told me to do translations into Hindi. He gave me charge of a preaching centre and made me the editor of the magazine Bhagavat Patrika. He was so much pleased with me. Before he left this world he established the Gaudiya Vedanta society to preach Krsna consciousness throughout the whole world. He also gave sannyasa to the very famous A.C. Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja who established ISKCON centres in the whole world. When he took sannyasa in Mathura I was also present. He told me that I should come to help devotees here, so now I have come as a teacher of Indian Vedic culture and knowledge and to preach harinama and bhakti yoga. This is my sixth world tour. Everywhere devotees are asking me to come, and wherever I go I am so much loved and worshiped by them, but I don't know why they worship me!" (Everybody laughing) Devotees: "*We* know.." Srila Maharaja: "In this world the US president, such a high position, but he could not control his senses and became attached to his office girl. So even he is not happy." Louise: (laughing) "I wondered if that's what you were talking about, if that was where this was headed!" Srila Maharaja: "So I know no-one can control their senses, or become free from old age or misery. Now you are so beautiful but one day your teeth will all drop out." Louise: (laughing) "O thank you for reminding me!" (laughter) Srila Maharaja: "Your hair will be white, and also it may be that your eyes will be very weak." Louise: (laughing) "Oh, I wear glasses already!" Srila Maharaja: "And one day, you will not be able to walk without the help of a stick" (Louise and devotees laughing more and more) Srila Maharaja: "You will have to give up your body, but the soul will not die. We are here in this material world because we are forgetting Krsna who is our loving father, our loving mother, our dearest friend and beloved. He is the embodiment of love, and we're part and parcel of that. But because we're forgetting Krsna, we have to suffer repeated birth, death old age and disease. But you can chant God's name to become united with Him. Anyone can chant God's name, there are no sectarian barriers. You should not cut any animal or plants, seeing jivas and God everywhere, with affection." Before she left, Srila Maharaja gave her a prasada offering of a peach. She accepted it gratefully with the words: "Oh, I know it will be divine!" Some time later when speaking to Banwarilal prabhu, Louise told him how sweet she had found Srila Maharaja and how wonderful it was to meet him. Having seen how contented and happy he and his disciples were, on returning to her office she was immediately struck by how miserable her co-employees were in contrast. Nearly one month later on January 18th 1999 her article was printed in West Australian. It was entitled "All you need is love" and above it was a large colour photo of Srila Maharaja on his vyasasana with his arms upraised, surrounded by devotees. Her article was about as favourable as one could have hoped for, and it was clear from her writing that Srila Maharaja had touched her very deeply: "Everywhere I go, they have so much love for me and they worship me," the 77 year old Swami said modestly in heavy Indian accented English. "I do not know why." "*His* followers, though - and there were about 30 present during the interview - were quick to point out that they knew. Clearly, they adore him. And, even though I got the impression they could have recited his life story backwards, they listened once again with rapt attention as he told me. "Perhaps, it was due to his enviable serenity and calm. Or maybe it was his wonderful sense of humour. More than likely though as one devotee told me later, it was his unconditional acceptance and love for all those around him." At the end of the article she had put Banwarilal prabhu's phone number, from which he has since received many phone numbers from interested people. In preparation for Srila Maharaja's visit to Perth, Banwari lal prabhu and Karuna mayi didi had given a press release about him to the local newspapers, as well as submitting adverts of the programmes. As a result, many people came that evening and on the days to follow to hear Srila Maharaja speak. Every evening after Srila Maharaja had finished his class we would have sundar arati in front of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai and Giriraja Maharaja. After this, prasada would be served to all the guests. --end-- All of the tours completed to date are archived at the following site: http://www.igvp.com/tours Comment on this Story This story URL: http://vaishnava-news-network.org/world/WD9903/WD05-3249.html
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