Remembering Srila Prabhupada - My Guru Maharaja Always Kept Us in

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My Guru Maharaja Always Kept Us in Debt

 

 

Jagadguru dasa Brahmacari and another brahmacari

journeyed to Mayapur three weeks before the annual

festival in hopes of getting a private darsana with

Srila Prabhupada. They had been preaching in North

Africa and were carrying a $12,000 check from a man

who asked that it be personally given to Srila

Prabhupada.

While being massaged by Hari Sauri, Prabhupada

received Jagadguru on the roof of the Mayapur

building. Prabhupada asked where the devotees were

coming from, and they proudly answered that they were

coming from North Africa.

"Oh, North Africa," said Prabhupada, and he seemed

impressed.

When the brahmacaris gave Prabhupada the donation, he

remarked that this was successful preaching. The

people must have been pleased, he said, otherwise they

would not have given such an amount of money. He then

asked Jagadguru if he liked India. When he replied,

"Yes, Srila Prabhupada," Prabhupada was pleased and

asked him to stay in India.

As a member of ISKCON Africa, Jagadguru was working

under Brahmananda Swami, the GBC for that continent.

Jagadguru was Brahmananda Swami's only sankirtana

collector, and Brahmananda had asked him to request of

Srila Prabhupada that the $12,000 be used to pay

ISKCON Africa's BBT debt.

"Can this money go to the credit of our debt?"

Jagadguru asked.

"No," said Srila Prabhupada. Anticipating Brahmananda

Swami's displeasure, Jagadguru tried to explain about

the BBT debt. Again Prabhupada said, "No." Jagadguru

tried a third time to explain, but again Prabhupada

said, "No!"

Prabhupada put out his hand and slapped it with his

other hand. "My Guru Maharaja always kept us in debt,"

he said. "If we simply pay their BBT debt, they will

become lazy. As for Brahmananda Swami," said

Prabhupada, "we will not hang him, but he will work

for this debt."

Prabhupada then told a story of how Bhaktisiddhanta

Sarasvati Thakura used to build a temple or create a

big project and put the whole Gaudiya Math into debt.

Sannyasis, brahmacaris, and all members would

enthusiastically go out and collect money, and Guru

Maharaja would simply start another program so that

the Gaudiya Math would remain in debt. "In this way,"

said Prabhupada, "he always kept us in debt and always

working and always busy."

Jagadguru Swami, interview. According to Jagadguru

Swami, on another occasion Prabhupada said that he

would take on his head the dust from the feet of

whoever went to preach in North Africa. Dayananda dasa

says that Srila Prabhupada said the same thing

regarding devotees who would go and risk their lives

to preach in the Mid-East Muslim countries.

 

- From the Prabhupada Nectar by HH Satsvarupa dasa

Goswami Maharaj

 

 

 

 

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