The Visnujana

[Guest guest]

Dear Devotees,

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

I just came across something that was sent to me five years ago. The

narrator is His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja.

 

May this sweet memory help us in our efforts--collective and individual--to

become fully Krsna conscious.

 

Your servant,

Visakha Priya dasi

 

"One devotee I spoke to, Svati dasi, joined in England and was in the old

London temple at Bury Place. She said that when Srila Prabhupada came to

London then he had been very pleased with Vishnujana dasa in Los Angeles

because Vishnujana really enlivened all the devotees. He gave them service,

he would see how their service was going and help them, and even spiritually

they could approach him with their questions and he would try to help them.

And of course his kirtans were wonderful. So Srila Prabhupada made a list of

posts in the temple, like Temple President, Vice President, Treasurer,

Temple Commander, Head Cook, and one post was called the "Vishnujana". He

wanted someone to be the Vishnujana dasa and go around and make sure that

all the devotees were blissfully engaged, that they had nice services, and

if they had any difficulties with their services, try to help them, and if

they had any questions about their spiritual lives, try to answer them.

Srila Prabhupada really wanted all the devotees to be happy, and he wanted

their relationships to be very loving. And she said they really worked hard

to develop loving relationships because they knew Srila Prabhupada wanted

it. Svati described how once a week they would sit in a circle on the floor,

boys and girls, all as equals, as brothers and sisters, and they would

discuss. There was no hierarchy. So even now, at least some of the time, we

should get together as equals, no one higher, no one lower, no one this, no

one that, and just think about Krishna, talk about Krishna, chant, take

prasada, and just have no cares or anxieties except to be in Krishna

consciousness, at least for that time."