120127-1-JivanaDidi.mp3 (4 minuntes, 2.1 MB)
This is of course a super auspicious and happy occasion for us, to be able to celebrate the divine appearance of Srila Janardan Maharaj in our otherwise miserable wretched lives. I am sorry that I am so disqualified due to so many insincerities. There is a huge long list of disqualifications and we don’t want to go there. I am not the best person to properly glorify Srila Janardan Maharaj but even a someone like me can always say something about such a glorious personality.
We have had the supreme good fortune of knowing Janardan Maharaj for so many years in ISKCON and even beyond. Not to embarrass Janardan Maharaj, but his depth of humility is so astonishing and so deep and so inspiring. Even when he was in ISKCON he was very well known and he had temples and money and all kinds of devotees at his disposal, but when Srila Prabhupad departed and he heard about Srila Guru Maharaj, he wanted to come to Srila Guru Maharaj. He felt something in his heart so strong for Srila Guru Maharaj and he very easily just left everything behind him to come to Srila Guru Maharaj. I may be telling this story really wrong and Srila Janardan Maharaj has such a great memory, he’s given us so much nectar. Krishna gives him such good memory, so if I am saying it wrong just feel free to correct me and I will just try to go over the high details.
At that time he left everything behind and came to Srila Guru Maharaj and even I believe that one time he told the story that someone asked him, “Wow how can you leave? If you have Srila Prabhupad in your heart, what percentage is Srila Prabhupad and what percentage is Srila Guru Maharaj?” Janardan Maharaj said “Prabhupad is a hundred percent and Srila Guru Maharaj is a hundred percent.” That is always how Janardan Maharaj has been cent percent devoted to the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Mission and Srila Prabhupad, and given us so much inspiration. He said when someone is in your heart you really can’t take them out. So he had a hundred percent for both of them. Throughout all the years, his stalwart dedication to the mission, his inspiration, always staying so close to the devotees, and always staying so close to his Gurudev, has given us much inspiration.
He has so much affection for Srila Gurudev and Srila Gurduev loved Janardan Maharaj so much. He would always say so many beautiful things about him and just considered him one of his dear-most friends as well as a very qualified person for our mission. We are very fortunate for that. Srila Gurudev would sometimes comment how Janardan Maharaj at one point turned everybody over to Srila Gurudev with no hesitation, with great happiness, and Srila Gurudev was always very astonished at his beautiful humble mood and his genuine affection for him. I can’t say enough wonderful things about Janardan Maharaj, how much love and affection he’s given us, how much guidance he’s given us. He’s stuck through so many things, through thick and thin–never caring that we give him the proper respect or not. So many times we are always joking with him in so many ways, but deep in our hearts we are very grateful for Janardan Maharaj and I know that Yudhamanyu Prabhu would really wish to be here on this day. He could speak so eloquently about Janardan Maharaj. I am not such a good representative for him but on behalf of Yudhamanyu Prabhu I will say Srila Bhakti Pavan Janardan Maharaj ki jaya!