All Glories to Sri Abhiram Thakura

Giriraj Swami: When we hear about the glories of devotees, we think the glories apply to pure devotees like Srila Prabhupada or the ones mentioned in the Bhāgavatam, but even within our own times and our own lives, we may meet great devotees, but unfortunately, we may not be able to recognize them. So, I have been away for a while, and while I was gone, one great devotee, Abhiram Thakura, or Abhiram Gopal, left us, left this world. And coming here and then hearing His Holiness Śrīdhara Swami speak about the glories of the devotee, I thought I would share some remembrances of him, mainly for my own purification.

Abhiram Gopal was born in East Pakistan, which is now Bangladesh. And somehow, he was posted in West Pakistan, and he used to tell us he was the only Bengali brahman in West Pakistan, and I believed him. Shortly after Srila Prabhupada left this world in 1977, I began to visit Pakistan to preach. And one time, when I went, Amoga Lila told me about one very nice Bengali gentleman he had met named Anup Kumar Bhattacharya, who was very eager to read Srila Prabhupada’s books. And whatever book of Srila Prabhupada we could smuggle into Pakistan, he wanted to get and read. And I especially used to try to bring new books just for him. So, after hearing about him, I had the opportunity to meet him, and he was a wonderful person. He wanted to read and read and read whatever Srila Prabhupada had written. And as we got to know each other better, he began to tell us about himself, and he said when he was a small boy in East Pakistan, he used to go to a nearby temple to play. And he didn’t have any idea of the significance of the temple, but his friends would say, “Let’s go to the Mahaprabhu temple and play there.” So, they used to go to the Mahaprabhu temple as little boys and run and play, and it was only years later when he met the devotees in Pakistan and got Caitanya-caritāmṛta, that he came to know who Mahaprabhu was. But he was so fortunate and so pious that even as a child, he used to visit the temple of Mahaprabhu.

So, he was reading the books, he was actually the manager of a big international company, but from the books, he understood that the purpose of life is to serve Krishna and preach the message of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, especially under the guidance of Srila Prabhupada. So, he had a wife and children, and somehow, he got the idea that he could make some arrangement for them, and come and live in the ashram and devote himself fully to Krishna consciousness. So, we also used to give advice according to our experience, which was not very great. So, we said, “Yes, come on.” So, he moved in to our little ashram, which is really just an apartment in a building in Karachi, and he used to live with us, just like a brahmachari.

But he was so devotional, he used to love to serve the devotees, especially by cooking. He would study Caitanya-caritāmṛta and find all the recipes of the preparations that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to take, and with great pleasure, he would make the same preparations for us. And there is one preparation called Lapra, which is actually a very simple preparation, it is just five different vegetables just prepared in water, basically, with some spices. But it was mentioned in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, and he took such pleasure in preparing it for the devotees, serving the devotees, honoring it with the devotees, and relishing it with the devotees. And because it was so simple, it was even more relishable because we were living very simply.

Anyway, we were enjoying life; chanting, speaking about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada, and trying to spread Krishna consciousness in a very difficult place, and we were enjoying each other’s company. But his wife was not very happy, and she used to come to the ashram in the middle of the night and bang on the door. And this is another point about Anup Kumar, who later became Abhiram Thakura, he was very dutiful, he was detached but he was very dutiful. And just as he immediately left his family when Amoga Lila Prabhu advised him to stay in the ashram, he immediately left the ashram when we advised him that maybe he should go back to his family. And when he went back, he was very dutiful. Although personally he was detached, but he was very dutiful, and he wanted his family to become Krishna conscious. And in the years that followed, his wife also became a great devotee, and some of his children also became nice devotees.

So, he stayed with them, he did his duties, he supported them materially and spiritually. And eventually, the situation in Pakistan became so bad, he took the opportunity and came with the family to India. But while he was in Pakistan, he was one of our main supporters. Most of our devotees in Pakistan, well, most of the Hindus in Pakistan are from what I guess are called Harijan communities, but Anup Kumar, he was not only from a higher caste, but he had an important position as a manager of an international company, and he was able to help the movement. For us even to make phone calls was sometimes a problem. So, we could go to his office and use the telephone. Another problem was getting books into the country, but because his company dealt in import and export, he encouraged us, “We can get the permission. We will apply, and we will get the permission.” And actually, he did, he got permission for us to import a huge shipment of Srila Prabhupada’s books into Pakistan, which we and everyone else we consulted thought was impossible. But it was possible, once.

At one stage, and this I feel maybe committed a subtle offense against him, and as Sridhra Swami was reading about the terrible effects of offenses, I must appeal to Abhiram Thakura to forgive me. But we wanted to register the society in Pakistan, mainly for the sake of opening up a bank account, but to open the bank account, we needed a society to be registered. So, because he was a very responsible and respectable person, we asked him to be one of the members of the society, one of the directors and one of the signers on the account. So, although he was very busy, he did take some time out on Saturday to come to the bank, or whatever day it was.

And Karachi can be very hot, it actually gets considerably hotter than Bombay, can be very hot and humid. So, the day we went to the bank, it was very hot. You didn’t want to be in the sun at all, but if you were in the sun for more than a few minutes, you really felt it. And I had a little puffed-up idea that I was doing him a favor by engaging him in Krishna’s service and giving him a chance to be a trustee or a signer. And when I think in retrospect of how great he was and also how busy he was and how much of a gentleman he was, I feel sorry. And the banks there, well, I don’t know how the banks in India are now, but they used to be very time consuming. And the banks in Karachi were also worse. So, the whole thing took a long time, and in retrospect, I feel sorry that I made him spend so much time in the heat with the formalities. I was polite, superficially, I was polite, but I actually didn’t realize or appreciate fully at the time who I was dealing with.

But he helped us, and then, in the meantime, he came to India. And because of certain circumstances in my own life, I could not come to India for many years. And then, after about seven years of being away and also not meeting Abhiram Thakura, I came back to India, and somehow, I guess it was Krishna’s arrangement, but I arranged to go to Pune at the same time as the Pune yatra. And I thought, Well, I will come for a few hours. Well, those few hours were very wonderful, and I ended up spending all of my time in Pune at the Pune yatra, almost all of my time there. And there, I met Abhiram Thakura again. And he was living with his family in Pune. And he was very soft-hearted, he was always very soft-hearted, he would cry very easily. And just from the quality of his voice and his laugh, you could understand how soft-hearted he was.

There were so many unforgettable moments from the yatra, but one of the most unforgettable moments was at the train station, when we were, at least the Bombay devotees were leaving back to Bombay. And His Holiness Radhanath Swami and I were standing in the doorway of the train and reciprocating with the devotees on the platform, which were basically the devotees from Pune or maybe other places, more easily accessible from Pune than from Bombay. And Abhiram Thakura was standing on the platform, and Radhanath Swami put his arm around me as he does in his great affection for devotees, whoever they may be, and meanwhile, the devotees on the platform were doing kirtan. And Abhiram Thakura was looking at the two of us, and he was just crying and crying and crying, out of joy, because he had been very attached to Amoga Lila and myself because we were the first ones who met him and associated with him in Krishna consciousness in the beginning. And then, because of circumstances or fate, he was separated from the two of us, and he became associated with the temple here and the devotees here and His Holiness Radhanath Swami.

And I believe within himself, he felt torn because he was actually attached to both groups of devotees, and then, by Srila Prabhupada’s great mercy, we all came together. And there we were, and His Holiness Radhanath Swami had his arm around me, and I suppose I put my arm around him, and there was kirtan on the platform, and Abhiram Thakura was just looking at the two of us and crying and crying and crying. And I could see it was, in one sense, the perfection of his life, that the devotees or groups of devotees that he was attached to, which had been apart from each other due to circumstances, were together. And it was like his heart was broken in a way because it was being pulled in two different directions, and now the two directions were united, so his heart was united, and he was just so happy.

So, that is maybe my most vivid memory of Abhiram Thakura from India. Of course, then his wife passed away. As I mentioned, she also became a great devotee, and then she passed away. And Abhiram Thakura Prabhu was ready to come back to the temple, back to his old life in the ashram. And I think the brahmacharis here were fortunate to have the maximum association with him. But he lived very simply, although he was elderly and respectable in every way, he just wanted to sleep on the floor in the hall with the brahmacharis, he didn’t want any special facility. And he was actually happy to live simply with the brahmacharis and to serve the devotees. And I didn’t witness all of it, but I have heard that as much as he used to take pleasure in cooking for His Holiness Radhanath Swami and sometimes he would cook for the two of us or three of us when we were here together, he would cook for the brahmacharis. He would wait up at night until the brahmacharis who were out preaching came back, and he would insist that they take prasāda, and he would cook prasāda for them and serve them, and he wouldn’t rest until everyone had taken prasāda and been properly received and satisfied.

So, I was not here during his last months, but what we heard is he was afflicted with a very painful disease. I guess he had internal bleeding and his stomach would fill up with blood, and it would come out of his mouth. But throughout everything, he never complained. And I am not talking just about his last days, I am talking about his whole life. As far as I know, he never complained about anything. That is why I feel bad that I dragged him to the bank in the heat of the summer. He never complained because he was doing everything in the mood of service to Guru and Gauranga and Vaishnavas. In fact, here I think of an incident with Srila Prabhupada where Srila Prabhupada said something, which probably summarizes Abhiram Thakura’s mood. At the time, I was staying in the Calcutta temple, and the temple president somehow had become very preoccupied with doing business, for the temple, but doing business, and he wasn’t taking care of the devotees. And most of the devotees were quite disturbed, they weren’t getting proper food. We were new in India, and we actually depended on the temple president to make many arrangements for us. So, the devotees were just waiting for Srila Prabhupada to come, and eventually, Srila Prabhupada came, and so many devotees approached him and complained about the conditions in the temple and the temple president.

Eventually, Srila Prabhupada called an iṣṭagoṣṭhī or a meeting with all the devotees, and he heard all the complaints of all the devotees, and he listened very sympathetically, very patiently, very sympathetically. And then he made a managerial arrangement, he made a committee, and he said the committee should meet every week, and whatever they decide should be recorded in a book, and everyone should sign, and then whatever they decided, they should do. So, he tried to make an arrangement to improve the situation. But then, Srila Prabhupada’s mood changed, and he started talking about his own struggles, and I would say, his own suffering in bringing Krishna consciousness to the West and spreading Krishna consciousness. And he had two heart attacks at sea, and even when he was in New York, he had some buzzing in his brain as he explained it, and he said that he suffered in so many ways to spread Krishna consciousness. And he said, “I don’t even wish to discuss how much I suffered.” And then, Srila Prabhupada said, “But I never complained because my policy was always everything for Krishna and nothing for myself. So I never complained.”

And when I think back now on Abhiram Thakura, I think he must have had the same policy, everything for Krishna and nothing for himself. And in the end, well, not only at the end, every moment of his life in Krishna consciousness, but particularly at the end, he was rewarded with the highest blessing of leaving his body in full Krishna consciousness, actually, thinking of Srimati Radharani. And I am sure that he has gone to serve Mahaprabhu and Srimati Radharani and Krishna. And I also believe that because of his advanced Krishna consciousness, he is still available to us. If we remember him and want to serve him and please him by remembering his ideals and trying to fulfill them, I am sure that he will be conscious of our efforts, and he will reciprocate with us and bless us.

So, on this occasion, feeling his presence here at Sri Sri Radha-Gopinatha Mandir, I would like to thank him for being such a wonderful devotee and servant of Srila Prabhupada and the Vaishnavas. Of course, I think he would object if I actually asked him to forgive me for not properly recognizing him or appreciating him fully when he was present, but in his usual good humor, I am sure he will tolerate my question or my request and smile and laugh. And I pray that his memory and his spirit and his mercy will live eternally in this temple and in the lives and hearts of all of the devotees, and that we can try to serve him and live up to the ideals that he cherished and exemplified, and thus, become better servants of Srila Prabhupada and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and all the devotees.

Hare Krishna.
Sri Abhiram Thakura ki jaya!

And I hope you all will forgive me because I don’t know what the topic of the class was, but I guess you could ask questions or make comments.

Devotee: Is there a book coming out, Maharaja?

Giriraj Swami: When is my book coming out?

Devotee: Books, books.

Giriraj Swami: Well, the first book was scheduled to come out next month, in November. It is with the printer in Cape Town. And it is a collection of anecdotes and articles based on the pastimes and teachings of Srila Prabhupada. So, basically the material is there and they are just finalizing the index, yes, the layout. Then, when they have the layout, they can figure out the page numbers, then they can make the index, and then it can be printed. And His Holiness Radhanath Swami was very kind to write the forward to the book, so that will be there. And then, the next books will be about Srila Prabhupada in Boston, that is, 1969 and 1970. Srila Prabhupada traveling in India, that is 1970 to 72. And then, Srila Prabhupada in Bombay, that is 72 to 77.

I was able to spend about one week with His Holiness Radhanath Swami when he came to Southern California, and at the end, he visited the place where I write in California. And in the car, as he was just about to leave, he was discussing about the importance of the book about Juhu, that the book about Juhu should not wait. And his points were good, because the day before, I was saying how when I left Pakistan, I visited all the old friends who had helped us, because I knew I wasn’t going to go back. Because I knew the reason I couldn’t get into India was because I was spending time in Pakistan and it had affected my visa for India. So, I knew I wouldn’t go back, but I didn’t tell any of the devotees there, but I knew I wouldn’t go back. So, I went one by one to all of the devotees who helped us and reciprocated with them and remembered their service and gave them some token of appreciation. And I felt that basically, things were closed in a proper way. But here, I was preaching and meeting so many people, and then suddenly, my entry to India was refused and I was away for seven years. And in seven years, many of my best old friends left their bodies.

Devotee: We complain. Should we complain or should we simply tolerate it? Can you please explain it?

Giriraj Swami: [laughter] Now, don’t complain. [laughter] This is a very useful philosophy. [laughter]

Devotee: Okay, you will have to repeat the question. I am sorry, I wasn’t even thinking of answering. So, sometimes devotees complain? I understood what Giriraj Swami said, yes.

Devotee: Yes, as we hear that great devotees never complain about their personal inconveniences, but sometimes there is a particular situation, which may be causing inconvenience to other devotees, and simultaneous to us also naturally, because we are living with devotees. So, should we complain or shouldn’t we complain?

Devotee: Well, I think that what Giriraj Swami is referring to is in terms of one’s own personal, perhaps physical or just inconvenience, maybe ādibhautika or [Unintelligible 00:34:11], something like that. But [Unintelligible 00:34:19]. Anyway, miseries that we. . . Srila Prabhupada also, when he went to London and he had an operation there. He couldn’t pass water for quite some time. And so, finally, he agreed to have an operation to remove some stricture. I don’t believe he went to the hospital, there were some special arrangement made, he didn’t like hospitals. No offense to the Bhaktivedanta Hospital, it is a special hospital. [laughter] But the doctor was totally shocked that Srila Prabhupada had been tolerating the pain from a kidney infection for a very long period of time. And none of the devotees really knew about it.

So, I would say, when it affects only yourself, then it is best to obviously to try to tolerate. If it is affecting others, then certainly, you have every right, in a humble way, to approach the proper authorities and bring it to their attention with a very clear description of what the problem is. Because oftentimes, poor communication. There are always two sides to a story, and it is amazing what happens when you bring proponents of different, you bring them together and then you hear from them what they actually said or what actually took place or what actually happened, it is amazing what kind of information you get. I think that in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, someone took out some quotes about vaiṣṇava-aparādha, and there is about two pages of quotes or three pages of quotes, little, just one two-line quotes about the dangers of vaiṣṇava-aparādha. Of course, we have that on disc if anybody is interested in that. But balancing everything. If there is a fire in the house, then you have to bring it to someone’s attention. But at the same time, when you are dealing with Vaishnavas, when you are dealing with people’s lives, emotions etc., you have to be very, very careful. And maybe Giriraj Swami can add something to that.

Giriraj Swami: When Srila Prabhupada was acting as the acharya for ISKCON, he was very concerned about the management of the centers. He was concerned with the reception of guests, he was concerned with the living conditions of the devotees, and he taught us to see things with a critical eye. Not in a malicious way, to find fault and get somebody in trouble, but with a critical eye, so that we can improve the standard of management in the institution, so that more people will be encouraged to associate with us and join us and cooperate with us. And he sometimes expressed his own reluctance at having to find fault with his disciples so much, but he felt it was his duty to point out their defects, so they could improve. So, if in a constructive spirit, to improve the management of the temple for the sake of the mission, we point out some defect, it should be accepted it in a positive way. It should be presented in a positive way and accepted in a positive way, and not taken as an offense. But the other thing Srila Prabhupada said, which I neglected to mention. At the same time, when the devotees went to him and complained, he said that our tendency is to discuss mundane topics. So, he advised us that we should not become too absorbed in such topics because our tendency is to discuss material subjects anyway. And then, we won’t be able to discuss kṛṣṇa-kathā.

So, we may offer some constructive criticism for the sake of improving the mission, but we should always remember that our real goal is to hear and chant and remember Krishna. And if we become too absorbed in such topics, we may forget our real purpose. So, that should always be the main thing; Hare kirtan, Hare kathā. But if we have to, we can also do the other, but minimize it, and maximize hearing and chanting about Krishna. Hare Krishna.

Devotee: Hare Krishna, Maharaja. I have a question. Maharaja, how to increase one’s faith in one’s spiritual master? And what is the importance of having full faith in Krishna?

Giriraj Swami: How can we increase faith in our spiritual master, and what is the importance of having firm faith in our spiritual master?

Can someone help me with this? I can say in my case, that having firm faith in Srila Prabhupada is most essential. And the two ways that are the most effective to increase one’s faith, in my experience, are following his instructions strictly. When we follow his instructions strictly, we get the results, and when we get the results, then our faith increases. And the other is to associate with people who have faith in him. By hearing their realizations about his glories, about his good qualities, about his instructions especially, our faith increases. Because we used to serve, at least, rightly or wrongly, I was not a devotee who would go to try to be where Srila Prabhupada was, I would just do my service wherever I was. And sometimes, Srila Prabhupada would come, and even then, I wouldn’t make a special effort. There were devotees who really wanted to be at the airport when he came. And so, I usually ended up being one of the ones who stayed back.

But I would say that in retrospect, my association with Srila Prabhupada has been very influential in my life. My personal memories of my association with him are often a more important factor in forming my behavior than books of his because I just can’t forget the way he was and the way he dealt with situations. But I can’t say that associating with the spiritual master is the best way to develop faith, because many of Srila Prabhupada’s personal servants, being so near to him and seeing him act in apparently ordinary ways, they actually lost faith and left. So, I guess we are back to the first two ideas of associating with persons who have strong faith, and just strictly following the instructions. And I guess one could say avoiding the association of people who don’t have faith. Sometimes we had to, in the course of preaching in India, sometimes we had to associate with some of Prabhupada’s godbrothers. But he discouraged us from doing so unless we had to. And we also preferred to avoid associating with people that we felt didn’t have a proper respectful attitude towards Srila Prabhupada, or who were not real well-wishers of Srila Prabhupada and his mission.

Devotee: It is interesting that Giriraj Maharaja spoke about his relationship with Srila Prabhupada because I always thought of him as being a person who had so much close personal association with Srila Prabhupada, but I guess he could have had much, much more. But I also had the same kind of relationship with Srila Prabhupada that I thought it was more important for me to serve his instructions wherever I was posted. And even when he would come, my attitude was to work even harder, not that I would neglect my service and spend my whole time at the ashram with Srila Prabhupada. In retrospect, I wish I had spent more time, but I do know that my attempts to serve him have been the gum of our relationship from my side, that I owe everything to the opportunities of service that he gave me. And now, when he is gone, that I can’t personally serve him, but I can’t think of anything else but serving him because that was always there. So, of course, I encourage everyone to get as much vapuḥ sevā as you can, in retrospect, but vāṇī sevā is especially very important.

I had a class here that lasted two and a half hours, so we are two people, so we get five hours. [laughter]

Devotee: Hare Krishna. Maharaja, could you narrate some of your favorite sections from this book, which is coming out?

Giriraj Swami: I will relate one.

Devotee: You have to buy the book to get the others. [laughter] Turn the tape recorder off. [laughter]

Giriraj Swami: I would say it is the history of the instruction to write. Well, actually, it is related to the instruction to take sannyasa. So, maybe you will get two in one. But when I first came to Bombay, somehow within the first year or so, I heard from Tamal Krishna Goswami that he had asked Srila Prabhupada about my taking sannyasa, and Srila Prabhupada said yes, I should. And I was quite a young brahmachari and I didn’t even know what to think of it, but I heard it. Then, in 1971, we went to Gorakhpur, and we were the guests of Gita Press. And eventually, the organizers gave us one nice house, gave Srila Prabhupada one nice house where he would stay with his disciples, which previously had been the residents of Hanuman Prasad Poddar. So, while we were there, Srila Prabhupada received an issue of Back to Godhead in the mail that had an article in it that I had written in Boston when I first joined, before I came to India. And he read the article, and then he asked to see me. So, I came in the room and he said, “I read your article in BTG. It was very nice. You should write. Writing should be your main business.” And then he said, “If you like, you can travel with me, and I will guide you.”

So, I was very honored by the offer, although I felt, Why me? I didn’t think I was very qualified. Prabhupada said, “We need many to write, but you are also one of them.” But still, thinking about how it would work, I was a bit confused because I knew that I had to do what my authorities told me, and I didn’t know how it would come to pass that my authorities would tell me to travel with Srila Prabhupada. So, I asked Srila Prabhupada, “How will it actually be decided?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “By mutual consultation.” So, at the time, Hansadutta Prabhu was one of the leaders in India, and he wanted to start his world traveling saṅkīrtana party, and he wanted me to be on it. I guess he thought I was submissive, responsible. So, he asked Srila Prabhupada, and Srila Prabhupada said yes. So, I was disappointed, but at the same time, I thought, Srila Prabhupada will do what is best for everyone, so I accepted. But still, the instruction was there to write, so I bought some paper and pens and I was all ready to start to write. And we went with Hansadutta to Aligarh and Agra. And then we got a telegram from Srila Prabhupada that, “Preparing a big pandal program in Bombay, come with party immediately.”

So, we came to Bombay. And Shyamasundara was in charge of the temple at the time and the pandal program. So, every morning, the devotees would meet and different devotees were assigned different duties. And so, he wanted me to raise funds for the pandal through the souvenir. So, I said, “Well, Srila Prabhupada told me to write.” And Shyamasundara said, “You can write anytime, but this is the one time that we can just go to any man’s office in Bombay and ask for money. You do this now, and then later, you can write.” So, what he said made sense, and I knew that Srila Prabhupada wanted us to cooperate with our authorities, so I agreed. And then, after some weeks, Srila Prabhupada came. And when he came, he would go into his room and sit down and the devotees would come in, there might be kirtan, and Srila Prabhupada would glance at everyone and reciprocate with everyone. And then, when his eyes fell on me, he said, “So, Giriraj, how is your writing going?” [laughter] So, I was completely flustered, I didn’t know what to say. And Srila Prabhupada said, “Okay, we will discuss later.”

So, after all the devotees left, I came back in the room, and Srila Prabhupada said, “How is your writing going?” So, I said, “Well, Srila Prabhupada, when I got here, Shyamasundara said I should raise funds for the pandal, and it is the one opportunity in the year. And what he said made sense, and I know that you want us to cooperate with our authorities, so I agreed. Did I do the right thing or not?” And Srila Prabhupada replied that, “You may temporarily suspend the order of the spiritual master, but you may never neglect it.” And then he said, “Just like myself. My guru Maharaja ordered me to write, but I have been so busy traveling and preaching in India, I haven’t been able to write. But I am always thinking of his instruction to me, and looking for the opportunity when I will be able to execute it.” So, I felt that Srila Prabhupada had been very practical and very understanding, and he accepted what I had done. But he reminded me that when the opportunity arises, I should take up the instruction. Hare Krishna.

So, if I say any more, nobody will want to buy the book, everyone will get hungry. Yes, I was going to mention that there is vāṇī sevā and vapuḥ sevā and prasāda sevā. It is also very important, after ārati. [laughter]

Giriraj Swami: At least that much we can wait. Okay, let’s quickly have ārati.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha ki jaya!
Nitai-Gaura premānande Haribol!

Devotee: Giriraj Swami Maharaja ki jaya!

Giriraj Swami Maharaja ki jaya!