LOK er JEEVAN

Back in Juhu days, Gurumaharaj narrates “I used to leave in the morning at 8am to distribute books and sometimes it would so happen that people would leave their dogs behind us to trouble us as Iskcon was not known to many at that time” During those days Gurumaharaj would reach the temple at 9 or sometimes 10pm. Prasadam was kept separately for him but as there were rats in the temple half of the prasadam was eaten by them and Gurumaharaj used to eat the leftover.

When Gurumaharaj took sannyas he wrote a letter to his family that now I have took sannyasa and I want one more person from our family to join me, so HG Sita Mataji, Gurumaharaj’s sister took her son, who was 5-6 years old to Juhu temple.  Gurumaharaj to pick her up went to Vile Parle which is far from the temple so Gurumaharaj took the boy on his back from Vile Parle to Juhu temple on foot only to not waste Srila Prabhupāda’s money.

Once a grihastha disciple happened to converse with a Panda (Pujari) in Jagannath temple in Puri.  The Panda was narrating how Lord mercifully even today speaks and performs pastimes with certain devotees on this planet and one such person who is the senior most pujari of the temple, was narrating that in Iskcon there is one Lokanath Swami with whom Jagganath speaks!

Once Gurumaharaj’s astrological chart was shown to an astrologer in Vrindavan, seeing his chart his reaction was a little of a surprise “Whose chart is this, the person seems to have descended from the spiritual world, He is a special soul”

HG Syamananda Prabhu narrates that once when he was in Kirtan Mela, the kirtan was being led by HH Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj and as the Kirtan ended Prabhuji told Maharaj, “Maharaj, you sing Vaishnava Bhajans so melodiously in 2 taal, Lokanath Maharaj doesn’t sing like you in 2 taal” to which Maharaj replied, “Lokanath Maharaj’s voice is the sound of the spiritual world, it's not of this material world”

When Srila Gurumaharaj were in China, a devotee insisted he gets the therapy there, so the session went on for 30-45 mins Gurumaharaj came back. The person giving that therapy, was unable to speak in English so with the help of another devotee who spoke to Gurumaharaj’s assistant, he asked “Who is this person?”, pointing to Gurumaharaj.  “He is a sadhu from Iskcon” “He is not from this world, I have been in this profession for 35 years, but when I held his feet, I felt a bright light and shock and I left his feet, then I asked him, can I touch your feet after that I felt only the bright light, He is not a normal human being, he is something divine”

We may know that Panchatattva had tears during a kirtan in 2015 which was led by HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj after Gurumaharaj’s kirtan.  This news reached HG Jananivas Prabhu he said “Why you all are amazed?  This is their eternal pastime, This is what they do, They chant dance in cry in ecstasy!  It is our good fortune that we got to witness their pastimes today”

When HH Jayapataka Maharaj got a stroke for the first time after 2-3 years he came for Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama at Suvarna Vihar, Srila Bhakti Siddhant Saraswati Thakur when once visited this place, he took the dust of the place and placed on his head, at that time he moved back and made his disciples move too. Amazed by this action of their Gurumaharaj, the disciples questioned "What happened Gurumaharaj?"  "Didn't you see Panchatattva just went from here doing kirtan?" that's why I stepped back and moved you all so that we don't become a hurdle to them. I want this land as Pancatattva passes through this way every day! At that place Srila Gurumaharaj was giving the class which was honoured by the presence of HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj, he was in a wheelchair. Gurumaharaj on the mic said, "Maharaj, soon a day will come when you will dance again on the tunes of the holy name and will make others dance too!" No one could feel that this would...

In one Mayapur Kirtan Mela, after Aindra Prabhu, Gurumaharaj led the Kirtan and Aindra Prabhu was very much relishing the kirtan but he didn’t have any instrument to play.  With the desire to play, he took his small box which he carried with himself with a few pieces of ginger he started playing that in rhythm. We cannot imagine the way pure devotees relish the holy name!

When HG Aindra Prabhu departed, Gurumaharaj were in Nepal, his assistant, who was in Pune at that time called him and asked: “Gurumaharaj did you hear anything about Aindra Prabhu?”  “No, speak fast!”  “He is no more with us, he left” After a pause of 10 mins on the call Gurumaharaj said “Where did you get this news from?” Hearing everything he hang up the call and after 3 days he came back to India, he wanted to come earlier but due to some legal issues he couldn’t come. He gave his offering in Vrindavan “The moment I heard this news from my assistant I took shelter of Aindra Prabhu through his kirtan, then the only prayer I made was “Aindra Prabhu, bless me so that I can share kirtan stage with you soon in the eternal pastimes of Radheshyam” this he didn’t write in his offering.

There was a retreat in Gehvar Kund in Barsana, the most confidential place of Radha Krishna’s pastimes it's so dense that only faint Sun rays reach there.  There is one hall Gurumaharaj was leading kirtan, all Prabhupāda disciples were present there.  The kirtan was supposed to close at 9am but it went on till 10 and at 10:20 the kids dressed as Radheshyam entered there.  It is understood that these kids are non-different from Radheshyam by the sadhus of Braj.  Everyone was dancing and these kids appeared, immediately HG Jananivasa Prabhu stood and offered them seats and they sat like Radhe Shyām and after some time they started dancing.  HH Sacinandan Swami Maharaj did their aartik and then embraced Gurumaharaj with tears he said “Lokanath Swami, you see Radharani is dancing with thakurji in your kirtan”. The baba who took care of those kids came to Gurumaharaj and said “Maharaji Aaj, Thakur aye the aapke kirtan mein Kishoriji ke saath anand lene”(Maharaji, tod...

During  Kartik of the early 2000s, the evening Damodarashtakam was being led by Gurumaharaj.  On his way to the temple he happened to meet HG Aindra Prabhu, embracing Gurumaharaj with a choked voice he said “You know Lokanath Maharaj, me and all these brahmacharis are assistants of Gopis and Radharani we always search for our Shyamsundar, that’s what Gopis and Radharani did but Lokanath Maharaj when you come and pump your harmonium when you sing Hare Krishna, we get our blue cowherd boy back to our life!

When HH Radha Gōvinda Maharaj was affected by a stroke, Srila Gurumaharaj went to meet him.  In conversation with him, Gurumaharaj asked, “What is your meditation these days Maharaj?”  With a choked voice and teary eyes, Maharaj replied “My only desire now is to remember Krishna by hearing your kirtan”

Gurumaharaj narrates that when he started "Narada Muni Traveling Sankirtan Party" with HH Hamsudutta Swami, during that time people used to come to Sankirtan by getting attracted to the German buses that were used for travelling.  The visas of that buses expired, and thus they were sent back to Germany, hearing this news Prabhupāda instructed "Get down from Buses and Get on the Road again!" Everyone was perplexed hearing this. "With Bullock carts" added Prabhupāda firmly.  Gurumaharaj reminisces "I don't know why Prabhupada gave me this instruction, maybe because I am from a village background". So this shows that as Lord's pastimes as transcendental, his devotee's pastimes to are transcendental, that the Lord arranged everything perfectly for Gurumaharaj to fulfil Prabhupāda's instruction of getting on the road!