Bhaktivedanta Hospital Annual Day

Giriraj Swami: So it is a great honor, privilege, and joy to be here on this occasion with so many old friends and new friends. In one sense, my memory of the hospital begins from when it was a polyclinic in Bhayender. It was a very small rooms and all the doctors were devotees, so polyclinic became very popular because the doctors were known to be of very high integrity. They cared for the patients and they were giving their best to the patients. They were not trying to exploit them but were genuinely trying to help them, and I think the charges were also quite reasonable.

So, that small premises was just. . . the need for space was exploding. There was a great need for more space. Meanwhile the brahmachari from Chowpatty temple under the guidance of His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaja was preaching in medical colleges. And so many students were becoming devotees and naturally, they wanted to practice as doctors, but they wanted to practice in the association of other devotees. So there was a need to absorb them into the polyclinic or eventually the hospital. They even started to see what areas of specialization were lacking amongst the existing doctors, and then the medical students would specialize in those areas so that the staff of doctors would be able to cover all the different departments.

And at the same time, Sri Arvinda Mafatlal, who is a great industrialist and philanthropist of Bombay and India, he wanted to do something of nature to help people, and a hospital was just right for him. So all these factors came together, and from that small polyclinic nearby, now we have this wonderful hospital which is growing and growing and growing, and it will continue to grow. But the essence of the whole project is the mood of service. I am thinking that that mood of service is, of course, exemplified in so many personalities. But one personality who is Govardhana hill. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Govardhana is called Haridasa-varya. He the best servant of Krishna. And how or why is he considered to be the best servant? Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says that he serves Krishna and Balarama, and cowherd boys and cows. Srila Prabhupada explains that Govardhana hill knew the secret of pleasing the Lord by pleasing the Lord’s devotees. He serves in so many ways. He provides water for cows and cowherd boys to drink, grasses for performing sacrifices and for feeding cows and calves, the caves, where they can go when it’s too hot or too cold or in rain. He serves them in many ways.

As we have heard in other talks, it is very much the mood here. The hospital is serving people in every respect: physically, mentally, and spiritually. But there is another reason for Govardhana as a best servant that from the heart he takes great pleasure in serving. That is really what makes the service pleasing. If someone is serving you and they don’t really want to be doing it, he has grudge for doing it, it doesn’t make him happy. Govardhana was an ecstasy in serving Krishna and Balarama, cows and calves and at least many of the staff here are also in that mood. They want to serve more and more. Therefore, even patients who left the hospital want to continue their relationship with the doctors and other staff because that relationship was based on love. It was pleasing to everyone.

So, here we are after sixteen years, things have grown so much and I can see that they will continue to grow and grow. And like Govardhana Hill, give shelter to more and more devotees. In that great festival, we will all be united in our love for Krishna and appreciation for devotees. I am grateful for your service done till now and I am confident that it will continue.

Thank you very much.