HH Sridhara Maharaja welcomed by HH Tamal Krishna Goswami

[Guest guest]

There is no doubt HH Tamal Krishna Maharaja was waiting for HH Sridhara

Maharaja, because he said himself that he would be there to do that. I've

just finished editing the first Nectar Book that the disciples of Tamal

Krishna Goswami are publishing in Dallas. The books are produced in the

exact same style as the Prabhupada Nectar books, those little red ones

Satsvarupa Maharaja did all those years ago. Same format, little stories by

disciples, godbrothers and sisters, just nectar. There is one story told by

Bhakti Caitanya Swami:

 

"One devotee told me how Tamal Krishna Maharaja went to visit Mahavishnu

Maharaja, the elderly Gujarati who had a stroke a few years ago and was in a

very serious condition at a hospital in England. Tamal Krishna Maharaja went

to visit him in the hospital, and Mahavishnu Maharaja was saying, '"I think

I'm leaving,"' but Tamal Krishna was reassuring, "'No, no--you'll be fine."'

It was going back and forth. The sweet old Vaisnava said, "'No, I don't

think I'll survive this.'" Tamal Krishna Maharaja kept reassuring him, 'No,

you're not going now. We need you now: there is so much service for you to

do. Please don't talk like this!'" Finally Tamal Krishna Maharaja told him,

'"No, you're not going now. I want to be the first to go; I want to be there

to greet all the Vaisnavas when they come."'

 

So, just a couple of days before Sridhara Maharaja left, I had edited this

story, and it came to my mind yesterday. They brought Sridhara Maharaja in

for darshan in a palanquin, and as he sat in front of Sri Panca-tattva, the

pujaris brought 5 garlands from the altar for Maharaja. I was sitting right

at the front, thinking, "someone should be garlanding Maharaj on behalf of

Srila Gurudeva, because he wanted to be welcoming Maharaja," and so I stood,

and took a garland from the pujari, and walked the few steps to Maharaja and

garlanded him....