Swans

After the passing away of Shridhar Maharaja...

His most intimate disciple, Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaja succeeded him. Govinda Maharaja was a swan-like soul. I've never met anyone like him. He was always joyful and free from envy. He had guided Shridhar Maharaja's mission for years  but came out of the shadow of his guru when he was needed. Unfortunately, I was unable to take much of his association in the later years. After the passing away of Shridhar Maharaja,  We were heartbroken It was hard for me to carry on with the same enthusiasm. I traveled around the world and preached in Australia, Germany, South America, the United States, but my heart just wasn't into it any more. I went on a preaching tour of Costa Rica only to discover an abandoned mission. With no where to go I ended up broke and disgusted with everything. I took a long hiatus from the mission.  I finally settled in Mexico and decided to carry on life independently. When I visited Chiang Mai last year, I found that Govinda Maharaja had passed on. My old friend and mentor was no longer with us. I regret his passing. I regret not having the chance to serve him as well as some of you.

It’s hard for me to believe he isn’t physically present in India, waiting for us to visit, with his broad smile, his robust figure and his swan-like personality.

Triumvirate: Shridhar Maharaja, Govinda Maharaja, Bhaktivedanta Swami

It’s difficult to speak of him properly. Words are inadequate. I would need a symphony orchestra of silver-throated Vaishnava singers, a chorus of expert mridanga players, a choir of Gandharvas, a ballet of Apsaras to celebrate his life in dance and song and mourn his life with the saddest Bengali bhajans. Bhakti-shastri, Vidya-ranjana, Vidyasundara, our Param-guru Shridhar Dev Goswami lauded Govinda Maharaja with titles, but none suffices.

In a moment of spiritual passion, I went to India to find a real guru. Govinda Maharaja saved me, redeemed my life and helped me to take shelter of Shridhar Maharaja.

But in a sense, while I call myself a follower of Shridhar Maharaja or his disciple, really Govinda Maharaja was his one true disciple. Everyone who came to Shridhar Maharaja after Govinda Maharaja is really a follower of Govinda Maharaja. But I always felt he was my true friend.

Govinda Maharaja was born in a Vaishnava family on December 17th, 1929. We adjust his appearance day according to the lunar cycles so it falls on the Dvitiya day of the month of Narayana. When I was reading about him for the talk I was astonished that we have the same birthday according to the solar calendar. I was also born on December 17th, but that’s all I have in common with Govinda Maharaja.

He joined the mission at an early age. He met some Gaudiya Math brahmacharies who were surprised by his mridanga playing. They helped him cross the Ganges to the ashram of Shridhar Maharaja. The brahmacharis who brought this new initiate were amazed when a week later, Shridhar Maharaja announced that this boy would be his successor.

He was a natural Vaishnava. Shridhar Maharaja once commented, “In many ways he is more qualified than I am.” Trained in the scriptures he became very learned and could compose beautiful Sanskrit poetry spontaneously. But Govinda Maharaja was never presumptuous about his learning. He didn’t care for defeating people in debate. He was a swan-like soul.

In Sanskrit we use the word Paramahamsa. It means a swan-like soul or personality. A swan is the emblem of grace. Govinda Maharaj taught through his example what it means to be a Vaishnava. He was never envious, never entered into an argument just to grind somebody down or hurt them. Look at the photos you see of Govinda Maharaja. He is always smiling, joyous, ecstatic, and charming.

Probably the greatest exponent of Vedic culture and Krishna consciousness in the 20th century was A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, my harinam guru. He sacrificed his life to preach Krishna Consciousness in the west, touring the world again and again, translating the core scriptures from Sanskrit and givine them to the West. Most of you know of his contribution. But few people realize that Bhaktivedanta Swami spent much of his free time training Govinda Maharaja Sanskrit and the meaning of Bhagavad-Gita, when Prabhupada was Abhay Charan De and ran a pharmacy at Sita Kanta Bannerjee lane in Calcutta during the 1940s.

The 3 Greatest Vaishnavas together

Govinda Maharaja at microphone with Shridhara Maharaja listens and Bhaktivedana Swami

Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, founder of the Gaudiya Math once commented about Shridhar Maharaja, “Now I am confident that there is one man who can understand my argument and represent my line after I am gone.” Bhaktivedanta Swami turned out to be the divinely inspired Vaishnava who would carry the message to the West. But after both of these stalwart acharyas left his material plane and entered Vrindadavan, there was one highly qualified Vaishnava who would continue the message and mission into the 21st century and this was Govinda Maharaja.

“In many ways he is more qualified than I am,” said Shridhar Maharaja. He accepted Govinda Maharaja immediately after meeting him and annointed him as his successor precisely because he manifest the qualities of a great Vaishnava even at an early age.

I cannot list all of Govinda Maharaja’s accomplishments here. Those of you who are his disciples know this better than I do. But beyond his achievements as a preacher or the head of a mission, what strikes everyone is that here you have a Vaishava who was completely nonenvious.

This is an amazing human quality. I read the transcript of his audio-will on the internet the other day. When the devotees asked him, “what about the four rules of Prabhupada: no meat-eating, no illicit sex, no gambling, no drugs...” Govinda Maharaja replied that this was all right, but more important was “No Vaishnava aparadha.” Don’t give offense to other Vaishnavas. This is the most important. Govinda Maharaja was a personal example of this. Many members of other Vaishnava organizations have problems getting along with one another. “It’s easier to be a saint than to live with one,” someone once said.

But Govinda Maharaja was loved by all: Gaudiya Math, Iskcon, even dangerous members of the opposition: all respected and loved him. His personality was emblematic of Vaishnavism. He was peaceful, humble, kind, grave, deliberate, intelligent, and completely dedicated. He didn’t use his position for name or fame or money, sex, power, the traps that lesser humans fall into. He was generous, joyful and simple, charmed with the favorable waves that Krishna sent him.

Unfortunately that great and humble soul is no longer physically with us.

But he left behind a family. He left us a family of friends, followers, and well-wishers. His true followers do not practice discrimination or sectarianism.

Govinda Maharaja with Aurora

nagar kirtan

That's me on the left of  Govinda Maharaja, Shridhar Maharaja

 We are the family of Govinda Maharaja.

We are his godbrothers, disciples, and friends. This is a divine family. We do not say, “leave your family and come with us,” we say, “Be a part of our family and you will always have a home.” This is the home built by Govinda Maharaja, the devotional family of the guru-varga. We will always remember the great soul who invited us into his family and we invite you to participate with us in the wonder of spiritual discovery and divine love.