judges wearing tilaka

[Guest guest]

> dear Maharaj,

> PAMHO.ALGTSP.

> I don't know who said it(think it was Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati

> Thakura)and being an ex law school dropout Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was

> special to me. I visited his house in mayapura a few times. Reading your

> question-I thought-he never wore tilak in his court. And in a way that is

> appropriate because the judge is supposed to be totally impartial regarding

> body type, religion etc.

 

A judge can, in fact, belong to a particular religious group, and even wear

items that display affiliation to that group...and at the same time be

completely impartial in rendering judgements.

 

I read in BTG a few years ago about a high court judge in Africa (of African

descent) who was a devotee and boldly wore Vaishnava tilak to court daily.

 

All the predictions of Bhaktivinod Thakur are coming true! "Russian, Germans,

French etc will raise their hands and chant the names of the Lord in

sankirtan" This is truly wonderful.

 

A story in this regard:

 

Srila Prabhupada had a god-brother by the name of Dol Govind Shastri. He used

to teach Sanskrit in the same building where Prabhupada used to live in

Calcutta. One day Srila Prabhupada (who was still a working householder at the

time) was sitting outside the building chanting japa and Dol Govind Shastri

had just completed giving his class and was coming out...

 

"Hare Krsna Abhay Babu!" he said, "Did you know that Bhaktivinod Thakur has

said that one day Russians, Germans, French etc will chant the names of

Gauranga in sankirtan?"

 

"Yes," said Abhay Babu.

 

"So how...."

 

"You have doubt?"

 

"No no no. How can I doubt the Thakur, but how?"

 

"Oh, some surrendered fool among Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati's disciples will do

it..." Abhay Babu said. He stood up and began to walk up the steps to go

inside, then he turned and said, "...not you."

 

"Huh?" thought Dol Govind. "What did he mean 'not you'?" You see Prabhupada

had used the word 'You' in plural form as if to say "Not you all" So Dol

Govind Shastri was quite confused and sat down and thought "Does that mean HE

will do it!?" That's what happens when you are a grammatician.

 

Anyway, years went by and Dol Govind lost touch with Abhay Babu. The Gaudiya

Math became divided and Dol Govind Shastri left and got married, had children,

moved to a place called Cuttack where the streets are always crowded with

rickshaws.

 

So one day he was walking along these bustling streets and he saw at a

distance in a rickshaw a huge white man dressed in dhoti, wearing neck beads

and Gaudiya tilak...and he gulped. He immediately ran to him, stopped the

rickshaw and began to shake him, "Who are you? Where are you from? What..." he

was so shocked that he was not even coherrent.

 

The white man said, "I am a disciple of Om Visnupada Paramhamsa

Parivrajakcarya Astottara Sri Srimad His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Prabhupada,"

 

"Huh?" The American accent was too thick for Dol Govind. "Who?"

 

Then the devotee pulls out a BTG and shows a picture of Prabhupada. "He is a

disciple of Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Maharaj Prabhupada,"

 

"Abhay Babu!! Oh my Lord!! You did it!!" his head was spinning at this point.

He introduced himelf to Bhagavat das (the white man)... "I am also a disciple

of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati"

 

Immediately Bhagavat das fell at his feet and offered his obeisances.

 

By this time there was a huge traffic jam because both of them were right in

the middle of the road.

 

Srila Prabhupada knew right from the very beginning about the Thakur's

prophecies and their inevitibility.

 

So when Prabhupada says that we will see Krsna face to face in this very

lifetime if we stick to the process, we should not doubt him for a second.

 

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!!!

 

ys

Madanagopala dasa.