Episode 3: Finding My Way
(The first photo shows how Jagannatha's chariot was intended to look in the 1976 parade before there were concerns about the central telescope being adequately strong enough to withstand wind forces. (See Jayananda Story for Details))
“I am very glad to note your eagerness for expanding your service. This attitude is very nice and it is required of the devotee at every stage.” - Letter to: Dinesh -- Los Angeles 1 August, 1970
“Now you have everything, respect, philosophy, money, temples, books, all these things I have given, but I am an old man and my notice is already there. Now it is up to you all how to manage it. If you cannot increase it, you should at least maintain what I have given you. You cannot accuse me that I have not given you anything. So it is a great responsibility you now have.” - Letter to: Jagannatha-suta: -- Vrindaban 26 August, 1975
Jayananda prabhu left for California in January 1977. He had given me all that he knew and I felt both honored to have earned his trust and respect. Needless to say I was very sad to see him go as he had become like an older brother to me. After we said our farewells it was about four months later at the end of May when I learned that Jayananda prabhu had left his body. Like all those who knew him I was saddened by this news. However, I felt it was now my duty to lead the reconstruction of the marvelous chariots he designed for the New York parade that following summer of 1977.
Many on the crew who had helped build the carts the year before were still in New York and we were all nostalgically reminiscent of Jayananda prabhu’s wonderful association. We felt his energy as we rebuilt the carts and wanted to please him more than ever. One day someone jokingly lamented about how Lord Jagannatha deserved to have carts decorated with gemstones and we marveled about the idea for a while. Not too long after that I had learned that there was a discount warehouse in Rhode Island which sold boxes of imitation rhinestones, gems, and jeweled ornaments. I asked the Rath crew if they would be willing to go out on Sankirtan for one day to raise funds to purchase gems. They agreed and that year, Lord Jagannatha’s cart was adorned with sparkling gems!
After completing the 1977 N.Y. parade the carts were dismantled again and I reminded Dhrystadyumna and Tamal Krishna that when I dropped out of my senior year of college at the University of Kansas to join the Radha Damodara bus party, it was with the understanding I could serve in India. They had stalled me off for three years but the health of His Divine Grace was rapidly getting worse. In November of that year the world lost the association of the most important spiritual revolutionary to ever come the Western World. I had missed the opportunity to be there for that historic moment, but now I was more determined than ever to go. I had done all that had been requested of me and I felt it was time for me to finally go to India and stay there. Tamal Krishna finally agreed to let me go and it was originally decided that I would be sent to Hare Krishna Land at Juhu Beach. At the last minute however Tamal Krishna changed his mind and decided that he preferred to donate my efforts to the Mayapur project. So in January of 1977 I set off with a letter of introduction written by Adi Kesava which clearly reflected the mood I had in going to India. In the closing of introduction it said something like this:
“Dear Jayapataka Maharaja,.. Mayesvara dasa “...has a one year entry visa on his passport and a return trip ticket from India, which we are hoping will not be required for use. It is his anticipation to stay for some time, hopefully at least until the completion of his mortal life-time.”
(Both of these photos show the gems we used to decorate the wheels. On the left you can see me leaning hard on the old style parallel steering bars that Jayananda originally designed in an attempt to steer the Rath towards the right (Port Side). The other photo shows Sarvabauma prabhu in the foreground. He is accredited with pioneering how to do big book distribution by being the first person to distribute 138 big books on a single day of sankirtan in 1974!)
(Adi Kesava Swami composed this letter of introduction for me when it was time for me to depart for Mayapura. He properly captured my mood in the closing lines but I must say even I was very surprised to encounter this when I read it for the first time. )
For more details E-mail at : mdjagdasa@gmail.com
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