Vrindavan 1975

AN HISTORICAL ACCOUNT
Vrindavan
1975
tvpbooks.com
Vrindavan
1975
An Historical Account
Vrindavan
1975
Compiled by
Nimi Paita dsa
TATTVA VICARA
PUBLICATIONS
The information in this book has been compiled from interviews with r rmad Gour Govinda Swami Mahrja,
and his friends, family-members, godbrothers, godsisters
and well wishers.
Please bear in mind that r rmad Gour Govinda Swami Mahrja was called Brajabandhu Manik in his
ghastha-rama; he named himself Gour Goplnanda
dsa when he left family life on Rma-navam April 1, 1974;
when he received hari-nma initiation from rla Prabhupda he was named Gour Govinda dsa. When he received
sannysa from rla Prabhupda in 1975, at the festival of
the inauguration of the deities at the r r Ka-Balarma
Temple in Vndvana, he received the name Gour Govinda
Swami. rla Prabhupda would also affectionately call him
Gour Govind.
Where you see reference to the devotee name Bhgavata
dsa, he is now called Bhgavata Mahrja.
Where you see reference to the devotee name Jayantakrid
dsa, he is now called uddhdvaiti Swami.
Gurava dsa was one of the original builders and managers of the r r Ka Balarma Temple in Vndvana.
Much of the information from this book is extracted from
the book Kligita-vigraha One who is Always Embraced by Ka Volume One, which is the authorized life
history of r rmad Gour Govinda Swami Mahrja, published by Tattva Vicra Publications.
Excerpts from the interview with Gurava prabhu are
from the book Just Try to Learn The Truth, published by
Tattva Vicra Publications.
All other quoted information is referenced in the text.
Quotes from the books and lectures of rla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupda are copyrighted The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
All Rights Reserved 2015 Tattva Vicra Publications.
No part of this book may be reproduced by any means
what-so-ever without the written permission of the publisher.
Permission given to quote short excerpts - provided attribution is given
- as follows:
2015 Tattva Vicra Publications (reproduced with permission).
Otherwise publishers permission must be sought.
Every effort has been made to trace or contact all copyright

holders. The publishers will be pleased to make good any
omissions or rectify any mistakes brought to their attention
at the earliest opportunity.
The Tattva Vicra Publications team offers daavat

prams to everyone who assisted in any way with
this publication.
First printing: 2015 10,000 copies
Table of Contents
Vrindavan 1974
Foreword
Chapter One
Take Sannysa & Preach the Mission of

rmn Caitanya Mahprabhu1
I Will Take Sannysa
Detachment from Material Life
Transfer to Kujang
Chapter Two
Rma-Navam April 1 - 1974
The Search for the Bona Fide Guru

A Meeting Place Between the Earth

and the Heavens
Preaching Hari-Nma
The Bbj in the Jungle
Food Offered by Materialistic Persons
Gour Goplnanda Sets Out for Vrindavan
Chapter Three
Vrindavan 1974
International Society for Krishna Consciousness

The World Wide Chanting of the Holy Name
This is Kas Arrangement
The Transcendental System
Nowhere to Stay
Oh, So Sweet Feast Today
3
4
6
7
9
10
11
15
17
19
21
22
23
24
27
30
31
A Special Relationship
Special Things Were Happening in Vrindavan
The Hindi Translations Begin
Chapter four
You Will Take Me to Orissa
34
35
37
41
Chapter five
The First Visit Back 47
An Out of the Way Place
Hyderabad and rla Prabhupda
Please Give Me Sannysa
Total Abstinence From Sex Life
Chapter six
Sannysa Initiation of Gour Govinda Dsa
16 April 1975
20 April 1975
Sannysa
Trida Sannysa
He Was Very Natural
He is a Real Sannys
The Four Types of Sannysa
The Two Categories of Sannysa
Narottama-Sannysa
Ka-Balarma Temple
Dont Refuse Them
Hes a New Man
rla Prabhupda's Last Founded Project
Appendix I
Sannysa Initiation - San Francisco
The Four Rods of the Sannysa Order
48
50
51
53
57
58
59
60
62
65
67
68
69
70
71
72
72
73
75
75
Appendix II
Sannysa Initiation - Bombay 79
Real Sannysa Means No More Material Desires 79

A Sannys Goes from Door to Door
80
By the Power of Viu They Become Empowered81
Caitanya Mahprabhus

Blessing and Spiritual Strength
82
Everything Is Dedicated to Ka
83
Appendix III
Tri-Da Sannysa
Five Things are Forbidden in Kali-Yuga

The Sannysa Forbidden in Kali-Yuga
Vaiava-Sannysa Is Not Karma-Sannysa
Give Up Envy
Tri-Daa Means He Is a

Completely Surrendered Soul
85
85
86
86
87
87
Verse Index
89
Notes & References
90
Tattva Vicra Publications
93
Suggested reading on this subject matter 94
Other Titles
95
Foreword
ma-navam 1975 was a great triumph

for rla Prabhupdas preaching in India
and beyond. The magnificent temple that he
had built in Vndvana, a major spiritual centre
for his ISKCON, his disciples and all people of
the world, was to be inaugurated. There was
also another great achievement for one of rla
Prabhupdas disciples: r rmad Gour Govinda
Swamis life long aspiration had reached its
pinnacle when he accepted the order of sannysa
from His Divine Grace rla A.C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami rla Prabhupda, the founder crya of
the International Society for Ka Consciousness
(ISKCON), at this festival.
r rmad Gour Govinda Swami had aspired
to take sannysa from a very young age, whilst
still living in rural Orissa (Odisha). As a young
child, his cherished dream was to one day take
sannysa and preach the mission of Mahprabhu.
Vrindavan 1975
r rmad Gour Govinda Swami had left family

life in Orissa on Rma-navam April 1, 1974 and
one year later, he would take sannysa, from rla
Prabhupda, in Vndvana.
In March 1991, in Jaganntha Pur, Orissa,
during an interview, Vasant Dev, r rmad
Gour Govinda Swami Mahrjas former wife,
recalled the following:
...One night in a dream Ka, who was
decorated with a peacock feather in His
hair and glowed with effulgence all around
Him, appeared before me. Next to Ka
stood my husband Brajabandhu Manik [r
rmad Gour Govinda Swami] in the dress
of a sannys with Vaiava tilaka, sikha and
saffron cloth. When I woke up I realised:
my husband will soon leave home and take
sannysa...
Thereafter, Vasant Dev visited palmists

and astrologers who rightly predicted that her
husband would soon leave her to take sannysa.
This small book encapsulates the imminent
meeting between rla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
ii
Foreword
Prabhupda and r rmad Gour Govinda Swami
Mahrja in Vndvana, and the subsequent
taking of sannysa by r rmad Gour Govinda
Swami Mahrja, which was his life long
aspiration. This took place in the year 1975
during the grand festival of the opening of the r
r Ka-Balarma Temple, where he took full
shelter under the lotus feet of His Divine Grace
rla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupda.
This small book is a humble offering for the
celebration of r rmad Gour Govinda Swami
Mahrjas 40th sannysa anniversary.
Your lowly servant,

Nimi Paita dsa.
iii
r rmad Gour Govinda Swami Mahrja
Chapter One
Take Sannysa
&
Preach the Mission of
rmn Caitanya Mahprabhu
he first attempt Gour Govinda

Mahrja made to renounce family
life was in 1969, which failed due
to the fact that his brother, Krpasindhu Manik,
was then unwilling to take responsibility for his
family. The custom in India is that when an older
brother takes sannysa, the younger brother is
required to maintain the family, which included,
in this instance, their aged mother. r rmad
Gour Govinda Swami commented many years
later that Ka did not allow it to happen at that
time.
Vrindavan 1975
Gour Govinda Mahrjas parents were both

from Gauya Vaiava families. He was born in
Orissa (Odisha), and from his very childhood,
astrologers, mystics, psychics and later in life,
cryas from different sampradyas could see
that he was not from this world. He had come
from the eternal realm, nitya-dhma, to deliver
the fallen conditioned souls.
His mother was a member of the most famous
Vaiava family from the village of Gadi-Giri,
who were great krtanyas, renunciates and
mystics, and who would daily study the rmadBhgavatam and the r Caitanya-caritmta. His
uncles regularly went on hari-nma-sakrtana
which sometimes lasted for more than 24-hours,
throughout the villages of Orissa. In the 17th
century, this family of great krtanyas received a
personal invitation from the king of Pur to come
on a regular basis to the Jaganntha Temple to
perform hari-nma-sakrtana for the pleasure of
Lord Jaganntha. This invitation was written in
the history book, Madla-paji, of the temple of
Lord Jaganntha and still holds to this day. Gour
Govinda Mahrjas whole life, from birth, was
filled with devotion to Lord Ka, chanting of
the hare-ka mah-mantra and studying the
scriptures. Nevertheless, his hearts desire, from a
2
Take Sannysa
very young age, was to take sannysa and preach
the mission of rmn Caitanya Mahprabhu.
once recalled that the first remembrance from
his childhood was his uncles singing the songs of
rla Narottama-dsa Thkura.
From a very early age he would chant one
chapter of Bhagavad-gt daily and on the Ekda
day he would fast and chant all eighteen chapters
of the Bhagavad-gt.
From the age of two he was taught to chant
Hare Ka by his grandfather, at age six he was
taught the rmad-Bhgavatam by his father and
from the age of twelve he studied the r Caitanyacaritmta with his uncles in Gadi-Giri. After he
turned seventeen he thoroughly studied the four
Vedas, 108 Upaniads and 18 Puras, and he
excelled in Sanskrit at High School.
I Will Take Sannysa

When r rmad Gour Govinda Mahrja (who
was then a school teacher named Brajabandhu
Manik) was teaching, he would speak about
taking sannysa. The following is one instance
from 1971:
3
Vrindavan 1975
When he was teaching English he

would also present ka-kath, wherein he
mentioned, from time to time, that he wanted
to take sannysa. One topic in English was
a story called River Stairs, which was from
the book Tales from Tagore, written by the
Nobel Prize winner Ravindranath Tagore.
Brajabandhu liked this particular story
because he was very fond of sannysa life
and the story was about a member of the
Goswami Hariparivar family who had taken
sannysa. He had formerly been the husband
of Kusuma who was now without a husband;
she had no other alternative than to return
to the house of her father. By talking about
Kusuma and her husband and the activities
of a sannys, Brajabandhu was preparing
himself for the sannysa-rama and he told
his students, One day I will leave this job
and take sannysa.1
Detachment from Material Life

Throughout the course of his life,
Brajabandhu developed the mood of
renunciation*, and was meditating on the
*Authors note: As a child Gour Govinda Mahrja would go to
sleep with the rmad-Bhgavatam clasped to his chest, and at a
very early age he had memorised many of the verses.
4
Take Sannysa
time when he could give up family life and
proceed along the path of renunciation.
Although he had been a model ghastha, he
had greater ideals. His cherished dream was
to take the renounced order of life and preach
the mission of Mahprabhu as taught to him
by his uncles from Gadi-Giri. However
he had two obstacles: the weight of family
pressures, and the fact that he had not met
a bona fide spiritual master of whom he
could take shelter, who would award him the
sannysa title and assist him on the path of
renunciation.2
Brajabandhus detachment from material
life started in Athgarh (1971) when he was
teaching at the local High School. He would
wear saffron coloured clothing, [sdhus
clothes] and eat very simply. His wife was
worried, and she would cry. She had many
household responsibilities - the daughter was
not yet married and the other children were
too small to carry out any responsibilities. She
did not know what to do, as he had become
very detached from them. He said, I am going
to serve Ka, Mahprabhu. He was a very
soft-hearted person; he could not tolerate
5
Vrindavan 1975
anyone suffering or going without food, but

he had made the resolve to lead a life in the
service of the Lord.3
Transfer to Kujang
As Brajabandhus mood of detachment
developed, there were many who were not
content with this mood.
In the meantime, the local people in
Athgarh (parents, and some teachers), seeing
his detachment and mood of renunciation, had
complained to his school authority, and asked
if he could be transferred to another school.
As a result, he was transferred to Kujang
High School and he was made schoolmaster
because of his past good reputation. No one in
Athgarh could find fault with his character but
they did not like his mood of renunciation.
They did not like his austerities.4
Chapter Two
Rma-Navam
April 1 - 1974
inally, on Rma-navam April 1,

1974* barefoot, with no money
or belongings, except for one stick,
a begging bowl, a Bhagavad-gt (in which he
would write notes) and some saffron cloth
Brajabandhu left family life in search of a bona
fide guru who could give him sannysa. By
changing his name from Brajabandhu Manik to
Gour Goplnanda dsa he severed all ties to his
previous life and had become a lone, wandering
mendicant. This was his second attempt to leave
family life, and this time it was successful.
*r rmad Gour Govinda Swami Mahrja would always say that
Rma-navam was a very important day for him. He left home on
Rma-navam 1974, at the Rma-navam festival 1975 he accepted
sannysa from rla Prabhupda, he first moved onto the Bhubaneswar land on Rma-navam 1976 and on Rma-navam 1985
he first accepted disciples.
7
Vrindavan 1975
r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: I was
born in Orissa in a Vaiava family. There
are many Vaiavas here, and so many
mahas of rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat
Gosvm. From my childhood I was attracted
to Mahprabhu, and from an early age I was
performing sakrtana and worshipping
Rdh and Ka deities. In my family we were
reading the Bhgavatam. However I had to
search out a bona fide guru. I wandered from
the Himalayas to Kany Kumr, throughout
the whole of India. Although I met many
Vaiavas, I was not as yet satisfied.5
Now, Gour Goplnanda dsas life was

solely one of travelling in search of a bona
fide guru. Asking everyone he met Where
is there a sdhu? Where is a sannys? He
was constantly enquiring, looking for a pure
devotee; however, pure devotees are very rare
(hari-bhakti-sudurlabh). Hence he travelled
throughout India, from the Himalayas to
Cape Comorin (Kany Kumr). It was not
an easy task. He said, At last I found what I
was looking for in Vndvana. It is not an easy
thing, bb!6
Rma-Navam
The Search for the Bona Fide Guru

r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: Two
gamchs, one stick - dada [bamboo rod] and
a begging bowl. I had that much. Moving,
moving, walking, walking, walking - even at
night, anytime. I lay down sometimes. I slept
on the railway platform, where beggars were
sleeping; I slept with them. Sometimes I spent
the night underneath a tree and sometimes
on the side of the Grand Trunk Road*. I
would wake up early in the morning, go to
the river, pass stool; take bath, finish up and
then move on, and just enquire, Are there
any temples here? Are there any sdhus?7.
Brajabandhu, or, as he now called himself,

Gour Goplnanda dsa, walked from GadiGiri to Cuttack, and from Cuttack he made
his way to Haridvra. When he saw a temple
or an rama on his way, he would always
enquire if there were any sdhus or sannyss,
and what their philosophy was.8
looking for that person who could give me
*Grand Trunk Road (GT Road): Indias National Highway No. 1.

It is one of South Asias oldest and longest major roads.
9
Vrindavan 1975
the sannysa order of life. There were many

sdhus in that area [Haridvra and Hikea],
so naturally I thought that I would find a
suitable person there to give me sannysa.9
A Meeting Place
Between the Earth and the Heavens
Haridvra and Hikea are in the foothills
of the Himalayas, an area of beautiful, idyllic
scenery where the Ganges River rushes by and
everything is lush and green. Behind these
two towns are the Himalayas, like a backdrop
and a meeting place between the earth and the
heavens. As many sdhus live by the banks
of the river Ganges, Gour Goplnanda dsa
thought, here is the place to meet a bona fide
guru, a real sdhu!10
However, this was not the case. This area was
full of myvds and impersonalists, much to his
dismay. Pure devotees are very rare, hari-bhaktisudurlabh.
10
Rma-Navam
Preaching Hari-Nma
There were many sdhus, jnis and yogs
in this region. They were all living either
in the mountains or near the bank of the
Ganges. Gour Goplnanda took up residence
right alongside these sdhus; however, most
of them were myvds-impersonalists;
they thought that God was some bright
light or that they were, or could become,
God themselves. Gour Goplnanda had
taken to a life of renunciation and wanted
to stay in the association of other sdhus. He
knew the meaning of sdhu - one who is a
completely surrendered soul. Therefore Gour
Goplnanda would approach different sdhus
and enquire about their philosophy. He would
go to different ramas, seek out the head of
the rama and ask him what their philosophy
was. However, the majority of them were from
the impersonalist school and their process
was aga-yoga, the eightfold mystic yoga
process. Then he would say to them, This is
not the real way. We have to approach Ka
and we have to get Lord Ka. The process
that you are following is not prescribed for
11
Vrindavan 1975
this age. Ka has said, Bhakti is very dear

to me. And then he would quote this verse:
na sdhayati m yogo
na skhya dharma uddhava
na svdhyyas tapas tygo
yath bhaktir mamorjit
My dear Uddhava, the unalloyed
devotional service rendered to Me by My
devotees brings Me under their control. I
cannot be thus controlled by those engaged
in mystic yoga, Sakhy philosophy, pious
work, Vedic study, austerity or renunciation.
(rmad-Bhgavatam 11.14.20)11
Many arguments would arise because Gour

Goplnanda was from the personalist school (a
Gauya Vaiava from his birth) and these yogs
and sdhus were not. He would explain to them
that even if one is born in the family of dog eaters,
if he becomes a devotee of Lord Ka then he
is very dear to Ka. And, on the other hand,
one who is born in a brhmaa family but acts
like a dra or a yog who is engaged in agayoga, is not as dear to Ka! He would quote the
verse: Kutarka-anumne ka kabhu nh jni,
12
Rma-Navam
kare jnite eka-mtra bhakti mni; You are not
following the injunction of the stra, therefore
how can Ka be made available to you. You are
not accepting the stra as it is, and you are acting
according to your own mental speculation.
Because Gour Goplnanda had thoroughly
studied all Vedic scriptures, he was better versed
than the sdhus he was speaking with. He would
say, In this Kali-yuga the only requirement is
hari-nma. He would quote this verse:
harer nma harer nma
harer nmaiva kevalam
kalau nsty eva nsty eva
nsty eva gatir anyath
In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the
only means of deliverance is chanting the
holy name of the Lord. There is no other
way. There is no other way. There is no other
way. (Bhan-nradya Pura 38.126)
He would continue by telling them that the

Upaniads state this:
hare ka hare ka
ka ka hare hare
13
Vrindavan 1975
hare rma hare rma

rma rma hare hare
iti oaaka nmn

kali-kalmaa-nana
nta parataropya
sarva-vedeu dyate
After searching through all the Vedic
literature, one cannot find a method of
religion more sublime for this age than the
chanting of Hare Ka. (Kali-santaraa
Upaniad 5.6)
So why are you, without performing harinma-sakrtana, practicing yama, niyama,

sana, pryma and the yoga system? Why
are you doing that? He would put these
questions to them and in response they would
throw him out, yelling Bhgo, bhgo!* And
he would say, All right, I am going, I am
getting out of here.12
*Bhgo, bhgo!: this is Hindi for, Get out, get out!

14
Rma-Navam
The Bbj in the Jungle

These sdhus did not like to hear that the
process for this age was the chanting of the
holy name, rather than impersonal meditation.
Gour Goplnanda dsa would leave one
rama, go to another one and another and
wherever he went the same incident would
take place. He would be thrown out for
his personalist ideas (Gauya Vaiava
understanding).13
Gour Goplnandas understanding was
that all the yogs, sdhus, and everyone else
living in that Himalayan region who were
acting as renunciates, should chant the holy
name hare ka hare ka ka ka hare
hare, hare rma hare rma rma rma hare
hare as this was the prescribed process of
God-realisation for this age. However, they
were not interested, and they were certainly
not interested in hearing it from Gour
Goplnanda dsa, whom they considered
their junior [a new man to their ramas
and region]. He was asked to leave many
different impersonalists ramas. One day
15
Vrindavan 1975
he came upon a bbj living in a very small

cottage in the nearby jungle. The bbj had
built this cottage by himself in the forest in
order to distance himself from the rest of
the inhabitants in the area and to carry on
quietly with his bhajana, chanting the Hare
Ka mah-mantra. Gour Goplnanda also
chanted Hare Ka and therefore the bbj
allowed Gour Goplnanda dsa to join him.14
r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: So I
stayed in a solitary place in that Himalayan
jungle in a very humble cottage. There
was one very old sdhu, a bbj, who lived
there. I stayed with him and just went out
and begged for food. There were so many
sdhus, and every day, in the morning at nine
oclock, they would come out of their caves
or little cottages to get food. Many rich men
had made arrangements to feed these sdhus.
They would supply them with a few pieces
of bread and some sabj or dl each day. As
I was doing the same thing, there was no
difficulty in obtaining food.15
16
Rma-Navam
Food Offered by Materialistic Persons

The yogs and sdhus in Haridvra and
Hikea are fed daily by the rich people; this
is called bhar.* The yogs and sdhus form
queues and line up with their plates to receive
food. These rich people feel that they will accrue
many pious benefits by feeding the sdhus. It is
a pious act to feed anyone, however more sukti
is accrued when feeding sdhus real sdhus!
Gour Goplnanda would also queue up for this
bhar.
There were many places where they could
receive this bhar. One sdhu, a so-called
sdhu, had four or five plates and received
bhar in four or five different places. If he
would have only received bhar from one
queue, he would have spent the rest of the
day very hungry; one plate of food was not
enough for him.16
r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: These
so-called yogs and sdhus were there only for
this reason: to fill their bellies. So one day in
Hikea, after collecting bhar, which I
*Bhar: a meal fed to a holy man or renunciates.

17
Vrindavan 1975
would keep and honour at midday, I went

back to my bhajana-kutra but I was not able
to do my bhajana properly. My mind was
going hither and thither, and my chanting
was disturbed. Then I remembered this verse
from the r Caitanya-caritmta:
viayra anna khile malina haya mana
malina mana haile nahe kera smaraa
When one eats food offered by a
materialistic man, ones mind becomes
contaminated, and when the mind is
contaminated, one is unable to think of
Ka properly. (r Caitanya-caritmta,
Antya-ll 6.278)17
Understanding that this disturbance was

due to his acceptance of the bhar from
materialistic persons, he slapped himself in
the face many times and from that day made
a vow that he would not make this mistake
again.
Gour Goplnanda had gone to this region to
find a bona fide guru; however, he had not found
one to whom he was willing to surrender his
life. Although he had made so many enquiries, it
18
Rma-Navam
was after all, to no avail. He did not know what
he could do. He had always prayed to Ka
throughout his entire life and the land of Ka
is r Vndvana Dhma. Therefore, the thought
came to him: There, in that divine place, Ka
will extend His mercy to me! He turned his sights
towards Vndvana.18
Gour Goplnanda
Sets Out for Vrindavan
r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: At last,
I thought to go to Vndvana - Lord Ka
would help me find a bona fide spiritual
master there. In this mood I left the HaridvraHikea region and headed for the holy land
of r Vndvana Dhma. My last hope was
Vndvana. Vndvana is the very dear place
of Lord Ka. I had the strong faith that
Ka would shower His blessing on me in
Vndvana, and there I would be able to find
my spiritual master.19
Gour Goplnanda dsa left for Vndvana

after spending those few unsatisfying months
in the Himalayan region. In his travels he
19
Vrindavan 1975
had visited other places like Ayodhy, Delhi

and Vrasi. He travelled sometimes by
train and sometimes on foot, walking while
chanting Hare Ka. At the train stations he
would wait for the ticket collectors to walk
by and ask, I am a wandering sdhu, could
you please give me some money to purchase a
ticket? I want to go to this place. The ticket
collectors would look at him and allow him to
go on without a ticket.
Gour Goplnanda had some discussions
during his visit to Vrasi, but they were not
satisfying. In Ayodhy, where they sing the
glories of Lord Rma from the most famous
Rmyaa of Tulas dsa, very few people
knew the rmad-Bhgavatam and no one
knew the r Caitanya-caritmta. He did not
feel content there either. He had met so many
sdhus and sannyss, visited so many temples
and ramas, but his hearts desire remained
unfulfilled. In his own words, I was not really
satisfied until I reached Vndvana.20
20
Chapter Three
Vrindavan
1974
r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: In

Vndvana I was moving around.
I spent one day in one maha just
observing what was going on, who was there,
and if there were any sdhu-Vaiavas. In this
way I was spending one day in one maha
and another day in another maha. There are
so many mahas, mandiras in Vndvana, so
many.21
In his search, Gour Goplnanda dsa had

three requisites: rmad-Bhgavatam must be read
and discussed, Ka the Supreme personality of
Godhead must be discussed and glorified, and
r Caitanya Mahprabhu must be discussed and
glorified. All three had to be there or he would
move on. As yet, he had not come across these
three in any rama or temple.
21
Vrindavan 1975
International Society
for Krishna Consciousness

Gour Goplnanda entered Vndvana in the
last part of 1974. After visiting many different
ramas, spending a day here, a night there and
observing what went on in the different ramas,
while he was travelling through the Rma Reti
area he noticed a large sign which read:
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Founder crya His Divine Grace
A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami rla Prabhupda.
When he saw this he thought: What is this?

International Society! While still standing outside
the compound he noticed that the temple was not
yet built; only the foundation was laid. There were
several thatched cottages, temporary dwellings,
where some devotees were living, and there was
one house, where rla Prabhupda lived.
After successfully preaching and establishing
many temples in the western countries, His
Divine Grace rla Prabhupda had brought some
of his western disciples back to India to help with
opening temples there. It was at the construction
22
Vrindavan 1974
site of one of these temples, the r r Ka
Balarma Temple, that Gour Goplnanda first met
rla Prabhupdas disciples. The disciples wore
saffron cloth, had shaven heads and ikhs, wore
kah-ml around their necks and they chanted
on japa-ml. These symbols of Vaiavism were
only too well known to Gour Goplnanda, as he
had grown up in these similar circumstances, and
therefore he thought, he would go and see what
it is.
When he entered the compound one western
devotee greeted him and gave him a Back to
Godhead magazine. When he looked through the
magazine, he could not believe his good fortune:
There it was! He finally found what he had so
long been searching for: articles on rmadBhgavatam, Ka and r Caitanya Mahprabhu.
Gour Goplnanda felt as though his prayers had
been answered; Ka had led him to the right
place.22
The World Wide

Chanting of the Holy Name
When Gour Goplnanda dsa read how
the founder crya, rla Prabhupda, had
23
Vrindavan 1975
spread the chanting of Hare Ka all over the

world, he remembered a verse from Caitanya
Bhgavata predicting the worldwide spread of
this chanting:
pthivte che yata nagardi-grma
sarvatra pracra haibe mora nma
(Caitanya Bhgavata, Antya-khaa 4.126)
r rmad Gour Govinda Mahrja later

reminisced, I thought, Yes! This Swami
has fulfilled the prediction of Caitanya
Mahprabhu. I must meet him. At last Gour
Goplnanda dsa was to meet his eternal
spiritual master whose association he had
been awaiting for such a long time.23
This is Kas Arrangement

searching for this, and here it is. So I thought,
let me enter and see what is going on. There
were so many western devotees with shaved
heads, who were chanting Hare Ka. They
were wearing saffron robes, and I thought
that they looked very nice.
One of the devotees gave me a copy of this
Back to Godhead magazine and I looked at
24
Vrindavan 1974
it because I was searching for three things:
Bhgavata [rmad-Bhgavatam], Ka and
Mahprabhu. Where is it? I said, Oh! Oh,
yes it is! I found it, here it is. I have found
it in Vndvana! I thought, after travelling
through all parts of India, in Vndvana,
the dear land of Ka, Ka may fulfill my
desire. Therefore my last resort was coming
to Vndvana and Ka fulfilled my desire.
Oh here it is! Yes! Bhgavata, Ka and
Mahprabhu. Oh! What I am searching for
is here! I have found it! Ive found it! Then I
enquired 24
Where is the Founder-crya, is he here?

Fortunately he was there. He asked, Can I
meet him?
He was told, First you have to meet his
secretary.
His secretary at that time was Brahmnanda
Swami. Brahmnanda would sit in the front
room of the only house on the property, and
rla Prabhupda was in the next room. So
first he had to meet the secretary and then,
with the secretarys permission, he would be
allowed to meet rla Prabhupda; otherwise
he would not be able to meet him.25
25
Vrindavan 1975
When Gour Goplnanda finally entered

rla Prabhupdas room he immediately
offered his dandavat pranams to him. rla
Prabhupda asked him, What is your name?
Where are you from? Do you have a family?
When Gour Goplnanda told him that
he was a wandering sdhu rla Prabhupda
looked at him intriguingly and asked, Have
you taken sannysa?
He said, No.
Then rla Prabhupda immediately said,
I will give you sannysa.
Gour Goplnanda became very excited
and thought; He knows my heart. I am
searching for a sdhu, a Vaiava sannys, of
whom I will take shelter and who will give me
sannysa, and he said without me even asking,
I will give you sannysa! Gour Goplnanda
realised: This is the Paramtm* manifest
before me. What I have been looking for all
*ik-guruke ta jni kera svarpa

antarym, bhakta-reha,ei dui rpa
One should know the instructing spiritual master to be
the Personality of Ka. Lord Ka manifests Himself as the
Supersoul and as the greatest devotee of the Lord. (Caitanyacaritmta, Adi-ll 1.47)
26
Vrindavan 1974
this time: Here it is! Yes, I have found it now.
This is Kas arrangement.26
The Transcendental System

Both rla Prabhupda and Gour Govinda
Swami were born in Vaiava families and by
the Lords arrangement they met in r Vndvan
Dhma. rla Prabhupda describes in the
Bhagavad-gt:
Birth in a family of yogs or
transcendentalists those with great
wisdom is praised herein because the
child born in such a family receives a spiritual
impetus from the very beginning of his life. It
is especially the case in the crya or gosvm
families. Such families are very learned and
devoted by tradition and training, and thus
they become spiritual masters. In India there
are many such crya families, but they have
now degenerated due to insufficient education
and training. By the grace of the Lord, there
are still families that foster transcendentalists
generation after generation. It is certainly
very fortunate to take birth in such families.
Fortunately, both our spiritual master, O
27
Vrindavan 1975
Viupda r rmad Bhaktisiddhnta

Sarasvat Gosvm Mahrja, and our humble
self had the opportunity to take birth in such
families, by the grace of the Lord, and both
of us were trained in the devotional service
of the Lord from the very beginning of our
lives. Later on we met by the order of the
transcendental system. [Bhagavad-gt 6.43
excerpt of purport by rla Prabhupda]
We may conclude that by the same

transcendental system rla Prabhupda and
r rmad Gour Govinda Swami met.27
r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: How
can we find our guru? What is inside you,
hell speak. You see. At first sight I was so
greatly attracted to rla Prabhupda and he
was able to know my heart. Then and there
I surrendered! The date was Sunday 15th
September 1974 at midday!28
Gour Goplnanda had left home with the

intention that he must take sannysa from
a bona fide person - sad-guru, to whom he
would surrender and who would give him
sannysa. That was what he was searching for
and now he had found it.29
28
Vrindavan 1974
r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: You
see that is always there. Prabhupda said,
All right, stay here. I said, I surrender, I
want shelter. Please give me shelter. And
Prabhupda said, All right, you may stay
here.30
Gurava prabhu was residing on the

ISKCON property assisting rla Prabhupda in
the building of the r r Ka Balarma Temple.
There were a few huts built for the devotees to
live in, rla Prabhupdas house was built and
the slab for the temple was there. He recalls:
Gurava dsa: When they [rla
Prabhupda and Gour Govinda Mahrja]
met it was as though they already knew each
other, but that was not possible, as they had
never really met prior to their first meeting
in Vndvan on the ISKCON land. After they
met, we basically lost rla Prabhupdas
association, as it seemed that he wanted to
just associate with Gour Govinda Swami
and of course visa versa. He [Gour Govinda
Swami] saw rla Prabhupda as the real
thing, immediately.31
29
Vrindavan 1975
Nowhere to Stay
At that time the temple president was Guru

dsa, who did not allow Gour Goplnanda
dsa to sleep in the compound. Gour
Goplnanda tried to explain that rla
Prabhupda had said it was alright, but he
told him that he would have to stay elsewhere.
Close by was a Gauya-maha temple where
Gour Goplnanda went to spend the night.
Early the next morning he awoke, took his
bath and went to magala-arati. He would
continue to take his bath early in the morning
and then go to the temple. This went on for
some days.32
Then one day Gour Goplnanda dsa spoke
of his predicament to rla Prabhupda. rla
Prabhupda explained that previously thieves
had entered the compound and stolen building
materials and other items. This was why the
management was doing this; he encouraged
him not to take it personally. rla Prabhupda
spoke to the managers and requested that Gour
Goplnanda be allowed to sleep on the ISKCON
property. After this he was allowed to stay.33
30
Vrindavan 1974
Gurava dsa: He [Gour Govinda
Mahrja] was first at magala-arati, first one
there; it was like he didnt go to sleep. Always
first at magala-arati, chanting his rounds,
with his bits of cloth: he wore just two
pieces of cloth, one top cloth and one gmch
type bottom cloth, all saffron. He looked like
a sdhu and I thought that he was a sdhu. I
thought that he was a bbj, but they wore
white and he wore saffron. However, I was
very respectful because Prabhupda was
treating him in a very respectful manner.34
Daivakti-dev ds: One Indian devotee
had joined the temple... He was very quiet
and reserved, and spoke English quite well.
Though I never spoke with him, I admired
his humility and determination to serve in
the project... This devotee, who I later found
out, was Gour Govinda Mahrja...
Oh, So Sweet Feast Today

At that time Gour Goplnanda was
performing a variety of services. He was
cleaning the toilets, cleaning the pots [and
very large pots too! he commented], cooking
31
Vrindavan 1975
capts and also cooking for the devotees. He

would also carry big buckets of water. When
Gour Goplnanda began cooking for the
devotees they would say, Oh, so sweet feast
today! Who has cooked? This impersonalist
sannys has cooked, was the answer. Oh, so
sweet today, how sweet; we have never tasted
anything like this.
Gour Goplnanda was dressed as a sdhu
and he had a completely shaved head, no
ikh, therefore the devotees thought he was
a myvd-sannys - an impersonalist. They
did not have any idea of his great Vaiava
background. All they knew was that when he
cooked they would experience a wonderfully
sweet flavour. [Many years later r rmad
Gour Govinda Swami Mahrja reminisced
and said, They thought that I was an
impersonalist sannysa, then he would
laugh.]
After about a week, Gour Goplnanda
changed into dhot and krta and began to
grow a ikh. But he did not tell anyone that he
was born in the Vaiava family of the famous
Gadi-Giri krtanyas of Orissa. He never even
mentioned his grandfather Bauribandhu Giri
32
Vrindavan 1974
or his uncles Jagannatha Giri and Gopinatha
Giri, who were all Gauya Vaiavas. He
said nothing; he just wanted to serve. Many
thought that rla Prabhupda had converted
this impersonalist into a Vaiava and Gour
Goplnanda did not try to change their
opinion. He said nothing; he had found his
spiritual master and was interested only in
serving him. What others thought of him
was of no interest to Gour Goplnanda.
As we know, personal criticism, according
to Mahprabhu, is to be tolerated. That was
Mahprabhus mood and that was also Gour
Goplnandas mood.
He could have said, Dont you know
what a great Vaiava family I was born in?
I have been chanting Hare Ka my whole
life. I have been performing krtana from the
age of five. I have been reading the rmadBhgavatam from the age of six. I have been
studying the r Caitanya-caritmta from
the age of twelve. He could have said, I
have been doing all these things that you are
doing now, from birth. I did not have to join a
movement to learn all this, because I was born
in a Vaiava family. He could have said so
33
Vrindavan 1975
much more but he chose to remain silent, and,

following in the mood of Mahprabhu, he
tolerated personal criticism, thus establishing
himself as a true Vaiava.35
A Special Relationship
From an interview with Gurava dsa
Interviewer: You said there was a lot of association

with rla Prabhupda, and when Guru Mahrja
[r rmad Gour Govinda Swami Mahrja]
came, that started to diminish because rla
Prabhupda was just really associating with Guru
Mahrja. rla Prabhupda had Guru Mahrja
under his wing and you were all left to build the
temple and did not get the association with rla
Prabhupda because he was spending most of his
time with Guru Mahrja.
Gurava dsa: Yes!
Interviewer: So thats a fact.
Gurava dsa: Yeah!
Interviewer: And you said that you could
see the definite connection, even though
they had never actually physically met.
Gurava
dsa:
O
Yeah!
Yeah!
34
Vrindavan 1974
Interviewer: Would you say that this was
somewhat different from other new devotees
coming up to Rma Reti.
Gurava dsa: O sure, no question! It was
meant to be. ... your Guru Mahrja was a vital
cog in the wheel. We were all Prabhupdas
soldiers. We were all from mleccha* families, we
were from the west [previously] taking drugs.
You know, we were really out of it people and I
always see my relationship with Prabhupda like
that, I will always be a soldier and thats what
soldiers do, they work hard. But Guru Mahrja,
your Guru Mahrja wasnt a foot soldier, you
see, he was special, he had a special connection
with Prabhupda.
Special Things Were Happening

in Vrindavan
Interviewer: So you all thought, you and the
other devotees on the land, that Guru Mahrja
*Mleccha: uncivilised humans, outside the Vedic system of society, who are generally meat-eaters.
Authors note: r rmad Gour Govinda Swami had not broken
any of the Vaiava principles from his first day on this earth and
never broke the Vaiava principles his entire life, prior to ISKCON and after joining.
35
Vrindavan 1975
was a little different?

Gurava dsa: He was! He was special.
Interviewer: And you felt he was a real Vaiava
not just...
Gurava dsa: Well look, see it through our
eyes, try to see it right, empathically, heres us
coming from the west, we were kids, really raw
kids, trying to do some service in the name of
being a soldier and all of a sudden you meet
sdhus; I mean Guru Mahrja [Gour Govinda
Mahrja] was born in that unique place in the
unique family, rmad-Bhgavatam, Jaganntha,
deities, you know, so we have to respect that you
cant touch that.
Interviewer: But you didnt know about that
[then].
Gurava dsa: We didnt know it but at the same
time we saw how Prabhupda was behaving...
Interviewer: With him.
Gurava dsa: Yeah! So that was the
measuring stick.
Interviewer: Right the guru is acting like that, so
we should also.
36
Vrindavan 1974
Gurava dsa: Prabhupda was treating him
differently to how he was treating us.
Interviewer: Even though rla Prabhupda
continued to accommodate and treat you all very
nicely?
Gurava dsa: O yeah! But that is for them
to know, this was Vaiava etiquette, we didnt
enter into that. We respectfully observed from
a distance, but definitely special things were
happening in Vndvana and your Guru Mahrja
was one of them.36
The Hindi Translations Begin

r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: Prior
to that I was telling that day*, in Vndvana
he first told me to translate his books in
Hindi. I was first translating in Hindi and also
teaching his disciples Hindi in Vndvana. I
taught one brahmacr, Harikesh and other
devotees at that time. I was taking a Hindi
class. In Mypura also I was taking a Hindi
class. Prabhupda told me to do that. Then
he ordered me to translate books into Oriya.
*Authors note: The first meeting between rla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupda and r rmad Gour Govinda Swami
Mahrja.
37
Vrindavan 1975
Stay here, do this project, translate my

books, publish and preach.37
Gour Goplnanda and rla Prabhupda

generally spoke to one another in Hindi, and
rla Prabhupda asked Gour Goplnanda
if he could translate his books into Hindi.
Although Gour Goplnanda replied that his
mother tongue was Oriya, rla Prabhupda
said, You speak Hindi very nicely. He
then requested his secretary to give Gour
Goplnanda a Back to Godhead magazine and
asked him to translate a part of one article into
Hindi. This Gour Goplnanda did; it took
approximately half an hour, after which he
showed it to rla Parabhupada, who asked him
to read it out aloud. When rla Prabhupda
heard him read the translation he became
very pleased. He was very impressed with his
translation and said to Gour Goplnanda,
You can translate my books into Hindi!38.
At that stage the Hindi translation of
rla Prabhupdas books had not begun.
Gour Goplnanda dsa was the first person
to begin this task, and he began that very
day! rla Prabhupda said, I will give you
38
Vrindavan 1974
everything that you need: a room, pen and
paper, desk and lamp, whatever you need.
Now you translate my books into Hindi.39
39
Chapter Four
hen Gour Goplnanda had been

in Vndvana for only a few
weeks, rla Prabhupda left for
Mypura. From there he wrote a letter to Gour
Goplnanda wherein he mentioned that land
had been made available in Bhubaneswar, Orissa.
rla Prabhupda wrote:
I want a good centre developed there under
your leadership. If you are willing, please come
here to Mypura and we will talk.
When Gour Goplnanda dasa read the letter

he immediately went to Mypura. In Mypura,
two weeks later, rla Prabhupda gave him first
initiationhari-nma (October 1974) and named
him Gour Govinda dsa. Mr and Mrs Kanungo,
41
Vrindavan 1975
who donated the land in Bhubaneswar, were

present at the initiation ceremony.
After the ceremony rla Prabhupda called
Gour Govinda dsa to his room and told him,
Gour Govind,* you will take me to Orissa. Gour
Govinda dsa could not believe what he had just
heard. He felt that this was a most important
instruction from his spiritual master. After only
being six to eight weeks in the mission of his
spiritual master, he was given such an important
task, although he did not think that he was
worthy of it.
Prior to this incident, when he had first met
rla Prabhupda in Vndvana, Gour Govinda
dsa had asked rla Prabhupda two or three
times, You have founded an International Society
for Krishna Consciousness, but I have not heard
this name in Orissa. This is a large and famous
worldwide society, but the people of Orissa do
not know of it. I had never heard this name
before. Why isnt there a centre in Orissa? rla
Prabhupda never answered his question, but
only smiled and remained silent. Gour Govinda
*rla Prabhupda would affectionately call Gour Govinda dsa,

Gour Govind.
42

dsa could not understand what the mystery was
behind this. Why was Prabhupda not answering
his question?
In a letter, dated 8th April 1974, to ymasundara
Brahmacr, who was from the r Puruottama
Gauya Maha in Pur, rla Prabhupda
explained his reasons for this.
Dear Syamasundara Brahmacari,
Please accept my greetings. I beg to
acknowledge receipt of your letter of 3/4/74.
I have not visited Jagannatha Puri because
my men are not allowed to see the deity. When
you arrange that we can visit the temple with
my disciples then I can come immediately
So from there I can go to Jagannatha
Puri if arrangements can be made. It is very
regrettable that these European and American
boys who are purely Vaisnava and who follow
all principles are not allowed by the rascals to
enter the temple...
I do not know what makes the management
take this attitude. If you can remove this
restriction you will do a great service to the
Gaudiya Vaisnava community. According to
the sastra, anyone who wears tilaka and sikha
43
Vrindavan 1975
and kunti over and above the Vaisnava dress or

Vaisnava sannyasa must be accepted, especially
while chanting Hare Krsna mantra with bead
bags. Kindly convince them and induce them
to allow these Vaisnavas to enter Jagannatha
temple.
One friend in Orissa has offered to give us
land in Bhubaneswar and I have a desire to
construct a big Jagannatha temple there for our
men if we are not allowed to enter Jagannatha
temple in Puri. In Jagannatha temple, people
come from all the Indian states. Now when
Jagannatha has expanded His jurisdiction over
the whole world, why the so-called servants
of Jagannatha should not allow them to see
the Lord of the Universe? I dont know their
philosophy...
In conclusion, I shall come to Jagannatha
Puri as you have kindly insisted, but only when
they allow entry to all my disciples.
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Because of this rla Prabhupda had developed

a sulky mood. I will not go to Orissa, he said.
That is why there was no ISKCON in Orissa,
44

although rla Prabhupda really wanted to go;
he knew he had to go because it was the dear
land of Mahprabhu. Therefore rla Prabhupda
was looking for a suitable person to take him to
Orissa, to the Pur-Bhubaneswar Dhma and he
found the person he needed in his newly initiated
disciple, Gour Govinda dsa.
Authors note: This chapter is adapted from Kligita-vigraha - One

who is Always Embraced by Ka Volume One, Chapter Sixteen Gour
Goplnanda Dsa and the International Society for Ka Consciousness,
The Donated Land.
45
Chapter Five
The First Visit Back
fter his initiation, Gour Govinda

dsa was sent to the land in
Bhubaneswar, which is glorified in the Vedas
and writings of the cryas, with an American
devotee named Bhgavata dsa. In days of old
Bhubaneswar was called the City of Temples.
At that time, the donated land was
jungle, a very out-of-the-way place. It was
undeveloped, as was all the land around it
for miles and miles, except for a small village
called Nayapalli. No one liked to go to the
area, as there were many snakes, scorpions,
dacoits (gangsters) and ghosts.
There was one main road, the National
Highway No. 5, which stretched from Calcutta
47
Vrindavan 1975
to Madras and passed by that small village of

Nayapalli. The donated land was across the
road from Nayapalli Village. Bhgavata dsa
was not too keen to stay there; he felt that no
one could stay there.40
Bhgavata dsa: Prabhupda told me that
Gour Govinda was going to Orissa to preach.
Prabhupda asked me if I would like to go
with him. So we packed up and went with
Gour Govinda to Bhubaneswar. When the
guru orders, you go 41
An Out of the Way Place

The donated land was far from the city
centre; dacoits (gangsters) would frequent the
area to hijack trucks on the nearby highway;
even during the day people feared to go
there. It was such an out of the way place
that even the rickshaw wallas would not go
there. Bhgavata said, No one can stay here,
the dacoits will come even in the daylight and
kill us. We cannot stay here; lets go back.
But Gour Govinda dsa replied that rla
Prabhupda had told us to stay here. What
48

was he [Bhgavata] saying? Did he want to
go back and defy the order of the spiritual
master?
Then Gour Govinda dsa said to him, You
may go back but I will not go. I will stay here.
Bhgavata replied, No! No! No! You are a
brahmacr, you have only recently joined
the mission of rla Prabhupda; you are a
neophyte. You cant stay here alone. I will not
allow you. 42
r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: I came
here [Bhubaneswar]; first, rla Prabhupda
sent this Bhgavata with me. O, what is this
place? In broad daylight the dacoits will kill
you here. No one can stay here bb! he
told me. No, no, no one can stay here, it is
a completely out of the way place. Even in
the daytime no rickshaw walla comes here,
no! Oh, I cant stay! Then he forced me, No
one can stay.
But Prabhupda said that we had to come
and stay here, and do this service. How can
you say that no one can stay here? If no one
can stay here, then why did Prabhupda send
us here? All right, you may go but I want to
stay. Ill stay here. I was a brahmacr at that
time.
49
Vrindavan 1975
He said, No, a brahmacr is not allowed

to stay alone. I wont allow you to stay alone.
He told me. He forced me. What to do? He
was a senior devotee; I had only joined two
months ago. What could I say?43
Gour Govinda dsa was not afraid to stay

there, whether there were dacoits, cobras, or
wild animals. rla Prabhupda had told him
to stay and he wanted to follow his spiritual
masters order.44
Hyderabad and rla Prabhupda

Thus, under the advice of Bhgavata
dsa, Gour Govinda dsa reluctantly left
the Bhubaneswar land. Previously, when
Bhgavata dsa was still in Calcutta, he had
arranged for two train coaches to take the
devotees after the Mypura festival of 1975,
from Calcutta to Hyderabad, where the next
festival would be. Hence Bhgavata dsa knew
that the train was coming and they could get
on for free. Thus they waited for that train to
Hyderabad.45
50
Please Give Me Sannysa

When they arrived at Hyderabad, Gour
Govinda dsa explained everything to rla
Prabhupda. At that time rla Prabhupda had
been thinking of giving him sannysa, and if he
had been a sannys he would not have had to
listen to Bhgavata dsa, he could have stayed on
the Bhubaneswar property alone and would have
been able to begin the preaching work of rla
Prabhupda in Orissa.
Therefore he immediately asked rla
Prabhupda, Please give me sannysa. Srila
Prabhupada said, All right, I will give you
sannysa in Vndvana.46
r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: So at
the first meeting he had told me he would
give me sannysa.
I asked, When will you give me sannysa?
He said, Oh, are you coming to Vndvana
for the opening?
Yes.
So there I will give you sannysa.
After I take sannysa, I can move alone. Then
this Bhgavata cannot threaten me.47
51
Vrindavan 1975
Bhgavata dsa: We went on the train to

Hyderabad. Prabhupda saw us there and he
called Gour Govinda over and said, Why are
you here? He told Gour Govinda to come
and see him the next day and explain. The
next morning we went to Prabhupdas room
and Gour Govinda explained everything.
Then all of a sudden Gour Govinda turned to
Prabhupda and said, Prabhupda, I want to
take sannysa. Prabhupda looked at him.
There were two or three sannyss as well
as several Governing Body Commissioners
in the room, some big or so-called big
devotees. At that time many of the leaders
were against new Indian devotees taking
sannysa. Prabhupda said, So you want to
take sannysa. Let me tell you what it means
to take sannysa. Prabhupda explained
the qualifications needed to take sannysa:
A sannys can never have any sex desire.
He should never even think of a woman
for one second. A sannysa is fearless; hell
go anywhere to preach, no matter how
dangerous it is. A sannysa never thinks he
is alone, but always knows that Ka and
guru are with him. After Prabhupda had
explained all these things, he looked at Gour
Govinda and said, Now, do you understand
Gour Govinda said, Yes. Then Prabhupda
52

said, All right, lets take prasda. And that
was it. He never said yes and he never said
no.
Then I remember going into rla
Prabhupdas secretarys room where all the
sannyss and GBCs had gathered. They
were all saying, Did Prabhupda say yes
or no. What did Prabhupda say? We dont
understand.48
Total Abstinence from Sex Life

Sannysa means total abstinence from sex
life and from the association with women
(even mentally); a true sannysa meditates
on the Supreme Lord and is not interested in
the phantasmagoria of this material world.
Gour Govinda dsa had led his whole life like
this; he had married only because it was the
wish of his family; he had seven children only
because his wife wanted many children. From
his earliest childhood, he meditated on the
family Deities r r Rdh-Gopla Ju and as
he grew older he was looking for that person
to whom he would surrender and who would
give him sannysa, so that he could preach
53
Vrindavan 1975
the mission of Mahprabhu. This time was

now approaching. As a sannysa he would
not have to depend on others and he could
go anywhere to preach; he could reside on the
Bhubaneswar land by himself and effectively
oversee the building of the temple and carry
on the preaching activities that his spiritual
master wanted, despite the cobras, scorpions,
dacoits and being alone in a deserted place. As
described in the Vedic scriptures a sannysa is
fearless.*49
Bhma dsa: After the Hyderabad pandal,
we were headed from Hyderabad to the
opening of the Ka Balarma Mandir and a
whole bogie [train carriage] was reserved for
*...A sannys should always live alone, without company, and

he must be fearless... (rmad-Bhgavatam 2.2.5 purport)
...That conviction is called abhayam, fearlessness. This state
of mind is necessary for a person in the renounced order of life...
(Bhagavad-gt 16.1 purport)
Authors note: Brajabandhu Manik (Gour Govinda Swami)
had from a very young age repeatedly said to his family members
that he was their very ancient ancestor Bhikari Giri (1825 1908)
who became a sannys at the age of thirty and had spent the rest
of his life in Vndvana. As a young boy he knew that he would
have to take sannysa and preach the mission of r Caitanya
Mahprabhu.
54

the devotees. So it was just all devotees on
the train. There was one Indian sdhu sitting
on his suitcase by the bathroom, who didnt
really mix with any of the other devotees
mostly they were just Western devotees, a
few Indian devotees like Haridsa and I
was really wondering whether he was part of
our group or not. He was very quiet and very
patiently sat on his suitcase by the bathroom
the whole way to Vndvana.*
*Authors note: The distance from Hyderbad to Mathura, by train,

is approximately 1,526 kilometres and it takes approximately 24
- 26 hours to get there.
55
Chapter six
Sannysa Initiation
of Gour Govinda Dsa
he date was Sunday 20th April

1975, Navam. The day was the
appearance of Lord Rmacandra
(Rma-navam) and simultaneously the
celebration of the opening of the r r
Ka-Balarma Temple in Vndvana, India,
which had been built on the order of rla
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupda, Gour
Govinda dsas spiritual master.
It was now one year since Gour Govinda
dsa had left family life and wandered India
looking for a bona fide guru, and approximately
six months since he had come into contact
with His Divine Grace rla Prabhupda.
Vndvana is the holiest of holy places in
India and the abode of Lord r Ka. One
57
Vrindavan 1975
interesting point to mention here is that some

300 years ago, the famous Deity r Gopl
Ju came all the way from Vndvana to
Jaganntha Pur and was given to Gopal Giri,
who was an ancestor of Gour Govinda dsa
who had the intense desire to worship Gopl.
In this holiest of holy places Gour Govinda
dsa would now be given the title of sannysa
and His Divine Grace rla Prabhupda would
change his name to Gour Govinda Swami.50
And thus, in the year of 1975, the great
aspiration of Gour Govinda dsas life would
be realised: to take sannysa and preach the
mission of Mahprabhu under the order
of a bona fide sad-guru, his spiritual master
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupda.51
16 April 1975
The opening of the temple has been described
in the rla Prabhupda-llmta as follows:
When rla Prabhupda finally arrived
to conduct the Ka-Balarma Mandira
opening, he was pleasantly surprised to see
58
Sannysa Initiation
the three tall domes rising over the temple.
The domes had been entirely constructed
during the eight months since his last visit.
The four-storey international guesthouse
had also been completely built during his
absence. Surabhi had supervised workers in
day and night shifts to get everything done
on time.
The tall central dome and two side domes,
one over each altar, were magnificent. Their
graceful form led the mind to higher thoughts
and suggested an existence beyond the
material world. The strength and the beauty
of the domes reminded one that beneath
resided the Deity of the Supreme Lord. A
temple was to enlighten people, to remove
their nescience, and the domes eloquently
spoke of this purpose. They could be seen
for miles, rising boldly above the landscape
of Vndvana, proclaiming the worship of
Ka and Balarma.52
20 April 1975
rla Prabhupda installed the deities for
the grand opening of the Ka-Balarma
Mandira. Almost a thousand disciples were
present, and the governor of Uttar Pradesh
59
Vrindavan 1975
was the guest of honour. After years of

hard endeavour, the grand opening was
a climactic triumph for rla Prabhupda
and his movement. While still standing at
the altar after having offered the first rati
to Ka-Balarma, Prabhupda addressed
the crowd, explaining that this was an
international temple, where people from all
over the world could come to worship and
take shelter of Gaura-Niti, Ka-Balarma
and Rdh-Ka.53
Sannysa
Bhgavata dsa: In Vndvana, on the last
day of the festival there was a fire yaja. Only
one person was supposed to take sannysa;
that was Tripurri dsa, but there were
two daas and two sets of sannysa cloth.
No one knew who the other person was.
Then Prabhupda said, Can the sannysa
candidates come up and get their cloth. At
that time Gour Govinda came out and took
his cloth. Then Prabhupda handed him the
daa, looked at him with a big smile and
said, You have understood!54
Jayantakrid dsa: I was there, and I
remember seeing an Indian man (r rmad
60
Sannysa Initiation
Gour Govinda Swami) taking sannysa after
Tripurri Swami.
There were two sets of cloth and two
daas, but only Tripurri prabhu was sitting
at the ceremony. Then rla Prabhupda
asked the candidates for sannysa to
approach. He first gave the daa and
sannysa cloth to Tripurri prabhu. Some
devotees were looking around to find out
who was the second candidate. Then Gour
Govinda prabhu came up and received his.
Then he started to glorify rla Prabhupda.
He kind of took over the program; He spoke
for a long time, maybe like twenty minutes.
rla Prabhupda was leaning back in his
vyssana, with his eyes closed. When
Gour Govinda Swami stopped speaking,
Prabhupda opened his eyes and moved
forward on his seat, and he said, with tears
in his eyes: This is how one glorifies the
spiritual master.*
*Authors note: Bhgavata dsa who is now Bhgavata Mahrja,

Jayantakrid dsa who is now uddhdvaiti Swami and ddha dsa
[who will be mentioned later on in the book] all recall the event
of r rmad Gour Govinda Swami taking sannysa from rla
Prabhupda in Vndvana at the festival of 1975, April. The author has extensive interviews with Jayantakrid dsa, ddha dsa
and r rmad Gour Govinda Swami. Also there is an extensive
glorification of r rmad Gour Govinda Swami by Bhgavata
dsa in 1996 in Bhubaneswar after the passing of r rmad Gour
Govinda Swami in that year, which concurs with this point.
61
Vrindavan 1975
Bhma dsa: Then during the festival,

although there was a moratorium on
sannysa, the devotees had gone to rla
Prabhupda and asked if Tripurri could
take sannysa and Prabhupda said yes. They
asked, when? And he said, he could take
it then. So along with Tripurri, one other
devotee took sannysa and his name was
Gour Govinda. When he came there, I saw
that this is the same devotee who was sitting
[on his suitcase] very quietly by the bathroom
coming from Hyderabad to Vndvana.
Trida Sannysa
In the Manu-sahit it is written:
vg-dao tha mano-daa
kya-daas tathaiva ca
yasyaite nihit-buddhau trdati sa ucyate
One who accepts the rod of chastisement
for the speech, mind, and actions, and who
keeps his senses in check with the rod of
chastisement is known as a trida, or
one who has accepted the threefold rod of
chastisement and renunciation.55
62
Sannysa Initiation
Commentary on the above verse:
damana daa yasya v-mana-kyn
da niiddhbhidhn
sat-sakalpa-pratiiddha-vypra-tygena
buddhv-avasthit sa
tridaty-ucyate na tu daa-traya-dhraamtrea
The word daa means punishment.
One who punishes the speech, mind, and
actions means, one who gives up attachment
for material sense enjoyment and who
accepts what is favourable for the truth, and
rejects what is unfavourable for perfection.
Such a person is called a trida. It is not
that anyone who carries around three sticks
can be called a trida.56
Also in the Manu-sahit it is said:

tridaam-etan-nikipya sarva-bhteu mnava
kma-krodhau tu sayamya tata siddhi
niyacchati
One who disciplines his mind, speech,
and body and controls his lust and anger
63
Vrindavan 1975
towards other living beings and thus gives up

these bad qualities is a trida and attains
liberation.57
In the Skanda Pura it is described:

kh yajopavt syt trida sa-kamanulu
sa pavitra ca ky gyatr ca japet sad
A trida sannys keeps his ikh as
well as his sacred thread after renunciation.
He also carries a kamaalu. He wears saffron
cloth, and remaining fixed in purity, he
chants the gyatr mantra and the japa of the
holy name.58
In the Padma Pura it is said:

ekavs dvidvstha ikh yajopavtavn
kamaalu-karo vidvs-tridao
yti tat-param
Wearing one or two pieces of cloth,
maintaining the tuft of hair, and continuing
to wear the sacred thread, with a waterpot in
his hand, a learned sannys, who is the best
of men, attains the Supreme Lord.59
64
Sannysa Initiation
He Was Very Natural

During the opening of the r r KaBalarma Temple and the installation of the Deities
r r Gaura-Niti, r r Ka-Balarma and
r r Rdh-ymasundara, rla Prabhupda
had also initiated many devotees from all around
the world. One devotee who vividly remembers
the initiations and the sannysa initiation of r
rmad Gour Govinda Swami was ddha dsa
from England:
ddha dsa: The first time I came across
Gour Govinda Swami was when I was in
Vndvana in 1975 at the opening of the
Ka-Balarma Mandira. I was on my way
to South Africa. There were initiations
taking place in the courtyard of the KaBalarma Temple and during that time rla
Prabhupda was giving initiation to many
people from all over the world. Most of the
devotees who came up and took vows from
rla Prabhupda were just accepting their
beads and repeating their vows in front of
rla Prabhupda, and then Gour Govinda
dsa was introduced as being someone from
Orissa who was a brahmacr who was taking
sannysa.
65
Vrindavan 1975
Then the most astounding thing took

place; actually it was set up, a little bit, by
the new devotees that were taking initiation
from rla Prabhupda. rla Prabhupda had
to explain the meaning of initiation. But then
when Gour Govinda Mahrja came up, well,
he took over the whole show because he gave
a spontaneous speech to rla Prabhupda
on the glories of the guru. rla Prabhupda
went into a sort of trance when he heard this.
His offering was quite lengthy and it was all
in Sanskrit and rla Prabhupda was very
taken back and was practically crying, and
rla Prabhupda glorified Gour Govinda
Mahrja very much. He said this is how
to glorify the spiritual master. He was very
much taken by the offering of Gour Govinda
Mahrja.
I never forgot it; it is something you do
not forget. rla Prabhupda was really taken
back. Gour Govinda Mahrja seemed a very
natural sannys.
There were many taking initiation at that
time, there was one French devotee and rla
Prabhupda asked him what are the four
regulative principles. The boy said, No meat,
fish or eggs; no gambling, no intoxication
and no sex. Then rla Prabhupda said,
No! I didnt say no sex, I said no illicit sex.
66
Sannysa Initiation
Then rla Prabhupda explained that
you can have sex as a ghastha but not illicit
sex, and that was all around the same time.
Many of the devotees were coming up to
rla Prabhupada to get their beads and they
were nervous. However when Gour Govinda
Mahrja came up to take sannysa, he was
very natural.60
He is a Real Sannys
When r rmad Gour Govinda Swami took
sannysa, rla Prabhupda quoted this verse:
r-bhagavn uvca
anrita karma-phala
krya karma karoti ya
sa sannys ca yog ca
na niragnir na ckriya
The Supreme Personality of Godhead
said: One who is unattached to the fruits of
his work and who works as he is obligated,
is in the renounced order of life, and he is
the true mystic, not he who lights no fire and
performs no duty. (Bhagavad-gt 6.13)
67
Vrindavan 1975
Then rla Prabhupda said, He is a real sannys,

and then gave him the sannysa-mantra and daa.61
The Four Types of Sannysa

In a lecture on rmad-Bhgavatam, r rmad
Gour Govinda Swami said the following about
the sannysa-rama:
...There are four types of sannys:
kucaka, bahvoda, hasa and nikriya.
The kucaka-sannys lives with the
family without attachment. He leaves his
family but stays close by. He may build a
cottage and live there. He receives some
maintenance from his family but he has no
attachment.
The bahvoda-sannys gives up all
material activities and engages fully in
transcendental activities.
The hasa-sannys is jna-prada, fully
engaged in transcendental knowledge.
The nikriya-sannys is one who stops all
kinds of activities. The nikriya-sannys is a
paramahasa...62
68
Sannysa Initiation
The Two Categories of Sannysa

There are two categories of sannysa; dhra
and narottama sannysa. This is discussed in
the First Canto of rmad-Bhgavatam:
gata-svrtham ima deha
virakto mukta-bandhana
avijta-gatir jahyt
sa vai dhra udhta
He is called dhra, undisturbed, who goes
to an unknown, remote place and, freed from
all obligations, quits his material body when
it has become useless.
(rmad-Bhgavatam 1.13.26)
Without deciding where he is going he just

leaves home. His family members do not know
when or where he quits his body. He is known
as a dhra-sannys. Another name of dhrasannysa is vibhtsa-sannysa. Such a person,
who feels that the family burden is very great
and does not feel capable of earning money
and maintaining a family, leaves home for this
reason. He comes under this category, known
as dhra-sannysa or vibhtsa-sannysa. They
69
Vrindavan 1975
are free of aspirations for name, fame and

adoration therefore no one can bind them.
He has developed complete detachment from
the material body and the objects of sense
enjoyment, which are abda, spara, rpa,
rasa and gandha sound, touch, form, taste
and smell. He just goes out without deciding
where he will go next.
Then he accepts a bona fide guru, accepts
tattva-jna from that tattva-vit guru, and
finally he quits his body when he finds it
useless. No one knows where he goes and
where he quits his body. That is dhrasannysa.63
Narottama-Sannysa
ya svakt parato veha
jta-nirveda tmavn
hdi ktv hari geht
pravrajet sa narottama
He is certainly a first-class man who
awakens and understands, either by himself
or from others, the falsity and misery of
this material world and thus leaves home
and depends fully on the Personality of
70
Sannysa Initiation
Godhead residing within his heart. (rmadBhgavatam 1.13.27)
He develops detachment completely,

carrying Lord Hari in his heart. He quits
his home with the purpose of doing haribhajana, as opposed to the dhra sannys
who has no such purpose. Another name for
narottama-sannysa is also vidyt-sannysa.
He understands that family life is a great
impediment to bhajana, that it is compared
to a deep dark well; therefore the narottamasannys leaves his rama with the purpose
of doing hari-bhajana.
These two types of sannys; dhra and
narottama, quit home, but the first type, dhrasannys does not set out having decided on
a destination. He just wanders. Whereas the
narottama-sannys purposefully decides that
he is leaving home only to do hari-bhajana.64
Ka-Balarma Temple
Whilst in Vndvana on the day of the
opening of the Ka-Balarma Temple, rla
Prabhupda spoke to Gour Govinda Swami
71
Vrindavan 1975
about the Bhubaneswar land. He said, Is

the land the same as the land in Vndvana,
Ramaa-ret is it the same as Vndvana?
and Gour Govinda Swami replied, Yes!
Therefore rla Prabhupda said, Then call the
temple that you are to build in Bhubaneswar:
Ka-Balarma Temple.65
Dont Refuse Them

He also said to Gour Govinda Swami, If
anyone comes to you for help, do not refuse
them! Many years later, r rmad Gour
Govinda Mahrja said in this regard, I cannot
refuse, however I can only give spiritual help; I
cannot give material help.66
Hes a New Man

Bhgavata dsa: After Gour Govinda
Swami took sannysa, many sannyss and
Governing Body Commissioners started
complaining, How has he taken sannysa?
Hes a new man! Then Prabhupda told
them, He is a devotee from his birth, you
are new men!67
72
Sannysa Initiation
rla Prabhupda's
Last Founded Project
After Gour Govinda Swami had taken sannysa
he went to the temple at Hyderabad and then
from there he went on to Bhubaneswar - alone,
with no money, no men and no books - to start
one of the largest projects, at that time, in India,
for ISKCON and rla Prabhupda.
In early 1977 rla Prabhupda came to
Bhubaneswar. There was only a small hut in this
deserted area. Although arrangements had been
made for rla Prabhupda to stay comfortably
in the state government guesthouse, rla
Prabhupda at once rejected this proposal. He
said, I will stay only where my disciple Gour
Govinda has built a mud hut for me.
When many of rla Prabhupdas senior
disciples wanted to abandon the Bhubaneswar
project and go directly to Jaganntha Pur to
start a very large project there, rla Prabhupda
prophesied that some day this temple in
Bhubaneswar would be as famous as the
Jaganntha Temple and would be the centre of
the city. Prabhupda stayed in Bhubaneswar
73
Vrindavan 1975
for seventeen days, during which time he laid

the foundation stone of the temple-to-be on
the auspicious occasion of Lord Nityanandas
appearance day.
This project, the r r Ka-Balarma
Temple in Orissa, would turn out to be the last
project founded by rla Prabhupda. He said it
would become the centre of the city and one of
the best Vaiava centres in our society.
In 1991, after sixteen years of determined
and dedicated endeavours, and many setbacks,
r rmad Gour Govinda Swami fulfilled the
instruction of his most beloved spiritual master
with the opening of the magnificent r r KaBalarma Mandir, where Lord Jaganntha came
as rla Prabhupda prophesied. This temple is
now the centre of the city and attracts thousands
of people to Krishna consciousness.
r rmad Gour Govinda Swami also
introduced the grand Ratha-ytr festival in
Bhubaneswar which is held every year at the
same date as it is held in Jaganntha-Pur Dhma.
This festival has now become the second largest
Ratha-ytr in Odisha.
74
Appendix I
Sannysa Initiation
San Francisco
Excerpts from a lecture by
rla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupda

USA, July 21, 1975.
The Four Rods of the Sannysa Order

rla Prabhupda: So the mantra means etm,
by accepting this daa or sannysa order, sa
sthya, taking shelter of it, partma-nihm...*
* et sa sthya partma-nihm
adhysit prvatamair mahadbhi

aha tariymi duranta-pra
tamo mukundghri-nievayaiva
[As a brhmaa from Avant-dea said:] I shall cross
over the insurmountable ocean of nescience by being
firmly fixed in the service of the lotus feet of Ka.
This was approved by the previous cryas, who
were fixed in firm devotion to the Lord, Paramtm,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (rmadBhgavatam 11.23.57, quoted r Caitanya-caritmta,
Madhya-ll 3.6)
[Footnote continued at page 76]
75
Vrindavan 1975
This accepting of this daa means full faith in the

Supreme. There are four rods within this bundle. One
rod is representing himself, and the other three rods
means his body, mind, and word. So the person who
is accepting sannysa order, he is dedicating from
this moment his personality, his body, his mind and
In connection with this verse, which is a quotation from rmadBhgavatam (11.23.57), rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkura
says that of the sixty-four items required for rendering devotional
service, acceptance of the symbolic marks of sannysa is a regulative principle. If one accepts the sannysa order, his main business is to devote his life completely to the service of Mukunda,
Ka. If one does not completely devote his mind and body to
the service of the Lord, he does not actually become a sannys. It
is not simply a matter of changing dress. In Bhagavad-gt (6.1)
it is also stated, anrita karma-phala krya karma karoti ya
/ sa sannys ca yog ca: one who works devotedly for the satisfaction of Ka is a sannys. The dress is not sannysa, but the
attitude of service to Ka is. (Excerpt from purport r Caitanyacaritmta, Madhya-ll 3.6)
partma-nih-mtra vea-dhraa
mukunda-sevya haya sasra-traa
The real purpose of accepting sannysa is to dedicate
oneself to the service of Mukunda. By serving Mukunda,
one can actually be liberated from the bondage of
material existence. (r Caitanya-caritmta, Madhyall 3.8)
76
Appendix I
his words. Why? Now, partma-nihm, simply for
service of the Supreme. So am I accepting something
new? No. Upsit prvatamair mahadbhi. All the
great personalities in our guru parampar system,
all the four crya system, they have done it.
Rmnujcrya, Viu Svm, Madhvcrya, Nimbrka
there are four Vaiava sampradyas. So they were
all sannyss. Now, directly, our sampradya is
Madhva-Gauya-sampradya. Gauya-sampradya
means the Vaiavas of the Bengal. So Caitanya
Mahprabhu is accepted as the supreme guru of this
sampradya. So His guru was vara Pur, and his
guru was Mdhavendra Pur. And this Mdhavendra
Pur belonged to the Madhva-sampradya; therefore
our sampradya, this disciplic succession, is called
Madhva-Gauya-sampradya...
77
Appendix II
Sannysa Initiation
Bombay
Excerpts from a lecture by
rla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupda

India, November 18, 1975.
Real Sannysa Means

No More Material Desires
rla Prabhupda: Sannysa means that finishing
all material desires. The sannysa means, real sannysa,
means no more material desires. It is the beginning of
spiritual life. Et sa sthya partma-nih.*
* et sa sthya partma-nihm
adhysit prvatamair maharibhi
aha tariymi duranta-pra
tamo mukundghri-nievayaiva
I shall cross over the insurmountable ocean of nescience by being firmly fixed in the service of the lotus feet of Ka. This was
approved by the previous cryas, who were fixed in firm devotion to the Lord, Paramtm, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (rmad-Bhgavatam 11.23.57)
79
Vrindavan 1975
Partm, Bhagavn... To completely devote ones

life for service of the Lord... So sannysa means
everything sacrificed for Kas sake. Anrita-karmaphala krya karma karoti ya, sa sannys [Bg.
6.1]. Anyone who is working without any aspiration
for resultant action.... Our sannyss, they work very
hard, preach, they collect moneybut not a single
farthing for himself... Ka wants sarva-dharmn
parityajya mm eka araa vraja [Bg. 18.66]. A
sannys should go door to door. Mahad-vicalana
n grhi dna-cetasm.*
A Sannys Goes from Door to Door

A sannys is called mahtm. Why he is mahtm?
Because his tm is now broader. Ghi dnacetasm. Mahad-vicalanam. Mahtm travels or
wanders country to country, door to doormahadvicalana n ghimespecially for the
householders, dna-cetasm, whose consciousness or
*mahad-vicalana n
ghi dna-cetasm
nireyasya bhagavan
kalpate nnyath kvacit
O my lord, O great devotee, persons like you move from one

place to another not for their own interests but for the sake of
poor-hearted ghasthas [householders]. Otherwise they have no
interest in going from one place to another. (rmad-Bhgavatam
10.8.4)
80
Appendix II
mind is very crippled. They are dna-cetasm. All these
materialistic persons, they are simply interested how
to enjoy the senses; therefore they are called dnacetasm, cripple minded. They have no other idea. So
to enlighten them it is the duty of the sannys to go
from door to door, country to country, just to teach
them about the aim of life. That is still going on in
India. Still, if a sannys goes in a village, people will
come to invite him, try to hear from him.
By the Power of Viu

They Become Empowered
So you are taking this pledge for serving in front of
Ka, Vaiava, guru, and fire. So you shall be very
much cautious not to forget your duty. You have got
good opportunity... So, but everyone can be delivered.
Kirta-hndhra-pulinda-pulka, bhra-umbh
yavan khasdaya ye nye ca papa [SB. 2.4.18] These
are known (as) sinful life. But ukadeva Gosvm
says, There may be others which is not mentioned
here. Ye nye ca pp yad-aprayray: If they
take shelter of a Vaiava, udhyanti, they become
purified. So you have to become very rigid Vaiava;
then you will be able to deliver them. udhyanti. How
they can be purified without taking another birth?
Yes. Prabhaviave nama. Because Vaiava is going
to deliver them, by the power of Viu they become
81
Vrindavan 1975
empowered... But if you work sincerely and if you

can deliver one person only by your endeavor, then
immediately you become recognized by Ka. Na
ca tasmd manuyeu kacid me priya-kttama [Bg.
18.69]. This is the quickest way to become recognized
by Ka, by preaching work.
Caitanya Mahprabhus
Blessing and Spiritual Strength
So be serious... You take. This business is very
nice, and there is good prospect. Prospect is there
for everywhere. It is not that... Pthivte che yata
nagardi-grma. Caitanya Mahprabhu said that as
there are as many villages and as many towns on the
surface of the globe. So His word is not a trifling thing.
Yes. There is potency in all the parts of the world to
become Vaiava.
pthivte che yata nagardi-grama
sarvatra pracra haibe mora nma
So with Caitanya Mahprabhus blessing and
spiritual strength and with the good wishes of
Vaiavas, just proceed and preach and always think
of Ka. He will help...
82
Appendix II
Everything Is Dedicated to Ka
But we should always remember that sannysa
means material activities finished. This is sannysa: no
more material activities. Only for the service of Ka
to live, thats all... So this daa, there are four daas.
Daas mean rods. One rod is body, one rod is mind,
and one rod is speaking. Kaya mana vkya. And the
fourth rod is the self. So you should always remember
that taking this daa means that My mind, my body,
and my words everything is dedicated to Ka. It
will be used only for Ka and for no other purpose.
This is called tridaa-sannysa.
83
Appendix III
Tri-Da Sannysa
Excerpts from a lecture on rmad-Bhgavatam 7.15.7-9
by r rmad Gour Govinda Swami Mahrja

Bhubaneswar, India, June 18, 1990.
Five Things are Forbidden in Kali-Yuga

...It is stated in stra,
avamedha gavlambha
sannysa pala-paitkam
devarea sutotpatti
kalau paca vivarjayet*
(Brahma-vaivarta Pura Ka-janma-khaa
185.180)
*Translation: In this Age of Kali, five acts are forbidden: the offering of a horse in sacrifice, the offering of a cow in sacrifice,
the acceptance of the order of sannysa, the offering of oblations
of flesh to the forefathers, and a mans begetting children in his
brothers wife. (Brahma-vaivarta Pura - Ka-janma-khaa
185.180, quoted in r Caitanya-caritmta, di -ll 17.164)
85
Vrindavan 1975
Five things are forbidden in Kali-yuga: avamedha

gavlambha, the offering of a cow in sacrifice,
the offering of a horse in sacrifice, sannysa palapaitkam, the acceptance of the order of sannysa,
the offering of meat in pit-rddha, and devarea
sutotpatti-if a womans husband dies it is forbidden
for her to accept the husbands younger brother as her
husband to produce children.
The Sannysa Forbidden in Kali-Yuga

How to accept the order of sannysa when sannysa
is forbidden in Kali-yuga? The sannysa forbidden in
Kali-yuga means karma-sannysa. Myvd sannyss
are known as karma-sannyss. They give up all
activity. They sit in a secluded Himlayan cave and
do yoga-sdhana, meditate or do pryama. They do
not perform any karma, activities. They are known
as karma-sannyss. The sannysa referred to in this
verse is karma-sannysa which is forbidden in Kaliyuga.
Vaiava-Sannysa
Is Not Karma-Sannysa
Vaiava-sannysa is tri-da sannysa, which is
different from karma-sannysa. A Vaiava is engaged
in the loving service of the Lord twenty-four hours of
86
Appendix III
the day. He has not given up karma. In this connection
karma does not mean material work or fruitive activity,
but it means loving service; serving in whatever way is
required to please Ka. Therefore vaiava-sannysa
is not karma-sannysa. Sometimes people ask the
question, When sannysa is forbidden why do you
take sannysa? However, this is not karma-sannysa,
but this is tri-daa-dhraam, accepting the tridaa. That means complete surrender in body, mind
and speech, kya-mna-vkya. Kya-daa, vkyadaa, mna-daa are the three daas. Daa means
rod. There are three rods. A fourth rod is there known
as jva-daa. This is tri-daa; kya-daa, vkyadaa, mna-daa.
Give Up Envy
As it is said here, Persons who want to advance
in superior religion are advised to give up all envy
of other living entities, whether in relationship to the
body, words or mind. There is no religion superior to
this.
Tri-Daa Means
He Is a Completely Surrendered Soul
You should not even think of harming an animal,
what to speak of kya and vkya, in body or speech.
One who is holding the tri-daa means he is a
87
Vrindavan 1975
completely surrendered soul in kya-mna-vkya,

body, mind and speech. That tri-da sannysa is
not forbidden. It is always there, in all ages. In Kaliyuga that sannysa pala-paitkam, offering fish and
meat in pit-rddha is forbidden. These five things
are forbidden in Kali-yuga...
88
Verse Index
anrita karma-phala
67
avamedha gavlambha
85
damana daa yasya v-mana-kyn
63
ekavs dvidvstha ikh yajopavtavn
64
et sa sthya partma-nihm
75
gata-svrtham ima deha
69
harer nma harer nma
13
hare ka hare ka
13
iti oaaka nmn
14
kya-daas tathaiva ca
62
na sdhayati m yogo
12
partma-nih-mtra vea-dhraa
76
pthivte che yata nagardi-grama
24, 82
kh yajopavt syt trida sa-kamanulu
64
tridaam-etan-nikipya sarva-bhteu mnava 63
vg-dao tha mano-daa
62
viayra anna khile malina haya mana
18
ya svakt parato veha
70
89
Notes & References

1. From Kligita-vigraha One who is Always Embraced
by Ka Volume One, Chapter 8, Marriage and Family
Life, Tattva-vicra Publications 1999.
2. 3. & 4. As above.
by Ka Volume One, Chapter 13, Haridvra, Hikea
and the Yogs, Tattva-vicra Publications 1999.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. & 20. As
above.
by Ka Volume One, Chapter 14, Gour Gopalananda
Meets His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupda, Tattva-vicra Publications 1999.
22. 23. 24. & 25. As above.
26.From Kligita-vigraha One who is Always
Embraced by Ka Volume One, Chapter 15, Sunday
15th September 1974 at Midday, Have you Taken
Sannysa, Tattva-vicra Publications 1999.
27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. & 35. As above.
36.From Just Try to Learn the Truth Chapter Three,
Vndvana 1974, Tattva-vicra Publications 2014.
37.A Darana with r rmad Gour Govinda Swami
Mahrja, Spiritual Master Must Have Prema,
Bhubaneswar 24.11.1989.
38.From Kligita-vigraha One who is Always
Embraced by Ka Volume One, Chapter 15, Sunday
15th September, 1974 at Midday, Have you Taken
Sannysa, Tattva-vicra Publications 1999.
90
39. As above.
40.From Kligita-vigraha One who is Always Embraced
by Ka Volume One, Chapter 19, The First Visit
Back to Bhubaneswar, Tattva-vicra Publications 1999.
41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. & 49. As above.
by Ka Volume One, Chapter 20 - Sannys hkura
- Sannysa Initiation of Gour Govinda Swami, Tattvavicra Publications 1999.
51. As above.
52.rla Prabhupda-llmta, Volume Five, chapter Let
there be a Temple.
53. As above.
55. Manu-sahit 12.10, quoted in r Gauya-kahahra
15.29, compiled by rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat
hkura Prabhupda.
56. Manu-sahit 12.10, Kulukka Bhaa k commentary
on the above verse from Manu-sahit, quoted in
r Gauya-kahahra 15.30, compiled by rla
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkura Prabhupda.
57. Manu-sahit 12.11, quoted in r Gauya-kahahra
15.34, compiled by rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat
hkura Prabhupda.
58.Skanda Pura, Sta Sahit, quoted in r Gauyakahahra 15.38, compiled by rla Bhaktisiddhnta
Sarasvat hkura Prabhupda.
59.Padma Pura, Svarga Khaa, di 13, quoted in
r Gauya-kahahra 15.39, compiled by rla
91
Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkura Prabhupda.

61. As above.
62.From a lecture by r rmad Gour Govinda Swami
23.10.1995, rmad-Bhgavatam 9.20.28. The Four
Divisions of Each rama. From Vedic Dharma and the
Varrama System, Volume Two, Chapter Two.
63. & 64. As above.
66. & 67. As above.
92
Tattva Vicra Publications

Readers interested in the subject matter of this book
are invited to correspond with the publisher:
Tattva Vicara Publications

Postal Address:
P.O. Box 1088
Murwillumbah 2484
New South Wales
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E-mail: info@tvpbooks.com
Websites:
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93
Suggested reading on this subject matter

Kligita-vigraha
Encountering
Gour Govinda Swami Who Was He?
Just Try to Learn the Truth
Mayapura 1979
One who is Always Embraced by Ka Volume One

The authorized life history of r rmad Gour Govinda Swami Mahrja.
All the above titles are published by Tattva Vicra Publications

and are available at www.tvpbooks.com.
94
Other Titles by and for

Amtera-Taragi The Flow of Nectar
Bhakti-Naipuya The Last Limit of Bhakti
Encountering the Kligita-Vigraha
Gopl-Jiu The Beloved Deity of r rmad Gour Govinda
Mahrja
Guru Makes Ka Appear in your Heart
Kligita-Vigraha Vol. 1 The Life of r rmad Gour
Govinda Swami
Ka Prema Bhakti
Mathur meets Vndvana
My Revered Spiritual Master
Paripranena The Process of Inquiry
Sdhu-saga the Birth Place of Bhakti
r Guru Pda Padma The Lotus Feet of our Spiritual Master
r Guru-Vandan The Worship of r Guru
r Nitynanda Prema-Rasrava The Ocean of Loving Mellows
of Lord Nitynanda
uddha-nma Bhajana Chanting the Pure Name
The Embankment of Separation
Td Api Suncena Lower than the Straw in the Street
Vedic Dharma and the Ghastha-rama Vol. 1
Vedic Dharma and the Varrama System Vol. 2
Just Try to Learn the Truth
Nma Tattva
Mayapura 1979
95
Booklets
Bhagavat-Darana
Girirja Govardhana Hari-Dsa-Varya The Chief Devotee of
Lord Hari
Gour Govinda Swami - Who Was He
Guru-Tattva
Ka Kpa r Mrti The Embodiment of Kas Mercy
Lord Balarma The Original Bhakta-Avatra
Nma-Apardha - Jva-Tattva
Nsiha-Caturda The Appearance Day of Lord Nsihadeva
Paramahasa-Sagta rla Vyasadevas Last Contibution
r Ka Janmam
Glorification of rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat Prabhupda
The Confidential Meaning of Ratha-Ytr
The History of Lord Jagannthas Snna-Ytr
The Greed of the Lord
The Meaning of Vysa-Pj
The Nature of a Mahatma
Rdh-Prema Makes Ka Mad
r Guru Caraa Padma The Lotus Feet of r Guru
Taking Care of Bhakti-Lat
Bound by Love
The Beauty of a Prem-Bhakta
Rdhrs Beauty
Icch-Mtyu Simply by His Will a Pure Devotee Leaves
96
Vrindavan
1975
rajabandhu Manik was born in a Vaiava

family, surrounded by the chanting of the
holy name and educated in the rmad Bhagavad-gt, the rmad-Bhgavatam, r Caitanya-caritmta
and Sanskrit from very early in life. In his later years, he
severed all ties to his family, changed his name to Gour
Goplnanda dsa and travelled the length and breadth of
Bhrata (India) in search of a self realized soul (tattva-dar
guru) who could give him sannysa. His lifes aspiration
from childhood had been to take sannysa and preach in
the mission of rmn Gaurga Mahprabhu. His search
came to fruition in Vndvana 1974 when he finally met his
spiritual master, His Divine Grace rla A.C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami Prabhupda, who awarded him the sannysa order
of life in 1975 in Vndvana.
TAT T VA V I C A R A P U B L I C AT I O N S
www.tvpbooks.com
tvpbooks.com
gourgovindaswami.com
www.gourgovindaswami.com

Vrindavan 1975

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AN HISTORICAL ACCOUNT

Every effort has been made to trace or contact all copyright

The Tattva Vicra Publications team offers daavat

The Search for the Bona Fide Guru

International Society for Krishna Consciousness

The Four Rods of the Sannysa Order

Real Sannysa Means No More Material Desires 79

Five Things are Forbidden in Kali-Yuga

ma-navam 1975 was a great triumph

r rmad Gour Govinda Swami had left family

Thereafter, Vasant Dev visited palmists

Your lowly servant,

r rmad Gour Govinda Swami Mahrja

he first attempt Gour Govinda

Gour Govinda Mahrjas parents were both

I Will Take Sannysa

When he was teaching English he

Detachment from Material Life

anyone suffering or going without food, but

inally, on Rma-navam April 1,

Now, Gour Goplnanda dsas life was

The Search for the Bona Fide Guru

Brajabandhu, or, as he now called himself,

*Grand Trunk Road (GT Road): Indias National Highway No. 1.

the sannysa order of life. There were many

this age. Ka has said, Bhakti is very dear

Many arguments would arise because Gour

He would continue by telling them that the

hare rma hare rma

iti oaaka nmn

So why are you, without performing harinma-sakrtana, practicing yama, niyama,

*Bhgo, bhgo!: this is Hindi for, Get out, get out!

The Bbj in the Jungle

he came upon a bbj living in a very small

Food Offered by Materialistic Persons

*Bhar: a meal fed to a holy man or renunciates.

would keep and honour at midday, I went

Understanding that this disturbance was

Gour Goplnanda dsa left for Vndvana

had visited other places like Ayodhy, Delhi

r rmad Gour Govinda Swami: In

In his search, Gour Goplnanda dsa had

for Krishna Consciousness

When he saw this he thought: What is this?

The World Wide

spread the chanting of Hare Ka all over the

r rmad Gour Govinda Mahrja later

This is Kas Arrangement

Where is the Founder-crya, is he here?

When Gour Goplnanda finally entered

*ik-guruke ta jni kera svarpa

The Transcendental System

Viupda r rmad Bhaktisiddhnta

We may conclude that by the same

Gour Goplnanda had left home with the

Gurava prabhu was residing on the

At that time the temple president was Guru

Oh, So Sweet Feast Today

capts and also cooking for the devotees. He

much more but he chose to remain silent, and,

From an interview with Gurava dsa

Interviewer: You said there was a lot of association

Special Things Were Happening

was a little different?

The Search for the Bona Fide Guru

International Society for Krishna Consciousness

The Four Rods of the Sannysa Order

Real Sannysa Means No More Material Desires 79

Five Things are Forbidden in Kali-Yuga