Diary of a Traveling PreacherVolume 10, Chapter 16September 12, 2009By Indradyumna Swami"Feelings of Separation"My dear godbrother Sridhar Maharaja,Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!Today is the celebration of your appearance in this world, and those of uswho remember your kindness gather to glorify you and show how much weappreciate what you have done for us.Each of us in his own way benefited from your saintly association when youwere among us: your disciples from your fatherly guidance on the spiritualpath, your friends and well-wishers from your brotherly love and affection,and the fallen jivas from your learned talks on the Absolute Truth.I had the privilege to call you my friend. At least, you thought of me thatway. The truth is that you were light-years ahead of me in Krsnaconsciousness, but you treated me as an equal and tried to raise me to yourlevel. Such is the nature of saintly persons: they are non-envious andalways concerned with the spiritual welfare of others.We were friends in the ultimate sense because we liked the same things. Fromthe minute we met we were attracted to each other because we both relishedspeaking on the Bhagavatam and chanting and dancing in kirtana. We alsoliked the adventure of traveling and spreading Krsna consciousness.As young men we had a zest for taking prasada together. I was always amazedat your voracious appetite. But as I watched you relish prasada with gusto,I knew it was not just a question of taste but rather that you realized theprasada was the mercy of the Lord. And as preachers we always needed mercyto defeat our challengers.And perhaps the quality I most appreciate in you is that you were a fearlesspreacher. You had mastered the philosophy and did not tolerate anyconclusion to the contrary. You would preach strongly and forcefully, notgiving in to your opponents in any way. If they accepted defeat, you smiledand offered to help them on the blissful path of service to the Lord's lotusfeet.But woe to them who chose to argue with you! Your keen intelligence andwitty remarks would soon reveal their foolishness and leave them no recoursebut to withdraw.A preacher willingly accepts difficult situations in service to guru andGauranga. He endures the rigors of traveling far and wide to preach theglories of the Lord. Sometimes he sleeps in a palace, sometimes on the sideof the road. At times he tolerates the heat, and at other times the cold.Still, he remains satisfied from sharing the good fortune of Krsnaconsciousness, and you were not only satisfied but jolly through it all. Inhappiness and distress, honor and dishonor, even in the face of deathitself, you were always the Jolly Swami. Today we honor and worship you forthat endearing quality.Your merry nature and constant humor enabled us to tolerate the ups anddowns of this world. You taught us to take material life lightly, that thisworld is a subject for jokes, not something to be taken seriously. We thankyou for that.On the other hand, we thank you for helping us become serious in Krsnaconsciousness. Your example as a sadhaka, a practitioner of Krsnaconsciousness, was exemplary. You always chanted your rounds and yourGayatri mantra. You faithfully attended morning programs, associated withyour godbrothers and godsisters, and enthusiastically worshiped the deity.Just remembering you in this way gives us strength, even in your absence.We miss your dearly, Maharaja. The adage that time heals all wounds does notapply in the realm of devotional service. In fact, the contrary is true: astime goes on we miss you more and more. This is painful for those of us wholove you. It is difficult to live without you and other godbrothers andgodsisters who have left this world.Devotional service is relishable in the association of other devotees. As wegrow older and devotees begin to depart, even devotional life seems devoidof happiness. The only remedy is to join all of you and Srila Prabhupadaagain, wherever your pastimes may be happening.In the meantime we will continue our services here in a mood of separation.I believe it is these feelings of separation that will bring us togetheragain, because in the end one goes to where the heart takes one. Because youendeared yourself to me with your brotherly love, you are forever in myheart. Thus I am confident that one day I will again enjoy a good laugh withyou in Krsna consciousness, and perhaps a good fight too, as we defeat ouropponents somewhere in some universe in service to Lord Caitanya.Happy trails, my friend, until we meet again.Your servant,Indradyumna Swami.Indradyumna.swami@pamho.netwww.traveling-preacher.comAudio lectures: www.narottam.comFacebook: Indradyumna Swami--------------------------------------------------------
Comments