Lava-Mātra: A Moment with Jayapatākā Swami: HG Rāseśvarī & Śyāma Vallabhā Devī dāsīs

My name is Raseshwari Devidasi.

My name is Shyama Vallabhadevidasi. We both are sisters.

And we've been.

Initiated on the same date 19 years.

We were three sisters and my mother together with the initiation in Chennai, we came to Ka consciousness after my brother who is now Bhakti Vinod Maharaj. He was the first one who came to Ka consciousness. And now a family then followed Su. And my father was also initiated after that.

And.

He had gone to Mumbai for some project work or something. And then he met devotees and IIT devotees. And then he came to Krishna consciousness and he used to come. I mean, we were from a Brahmin family. Smarta Brahmin family. So my mother was already doing Sri Chakra Puja and we were like, you know, into Pujas and doing all these things already because we were in a Brahmin family. But we were worshipping Kamakshri, Kameshwar, that is the deity of one of the energies of Kaj. So when he came home, he had a lot of questions to ask my mother. My mother was very spiritual person and she brought us up spiritually. Actually very spiritually. And we were always reading in those days. We used to read Devi Bhagavatam. We used to read Devi Bhagavatam and all the stories. My mother always brought us up saying.

Stories and chanting mantras.

You know, like a typical Brahmin family.

You know, Lighting the lamp in the evening.

Yeah. Sitting down in the evening.

We light the lamp and sit and say the prayers.

All the prayers. We recite all the prayers and all for like.

Actually we are eight of us. We are five girls and three boys. Yeah.

So evening time means you just light the lamp and everybody sit down, say all the prayers and everything. And then we used to have dinner like that. So then when my brother came back from Mumbai, he had a lot of questions to ask my mother to clarify many things. And you know, because he was reading.

Prabhupada's Bhagavad Gita.

You know, we were also from a thing. So I remember there used to be like heated discussions between my mother and my brother. It's almost like, you know, and then slowly my mother.

Then he told my mother, you should read the Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam. So my mother, she was always a voracious reader and she took it up to read the. Was it Chaitanya Charitamukta? She read. No, she read Bhagavata.

Then Bhagavatam And Chaitanya Chartamtam. And she used to chant like so many rounds. Because my brother told her that unless you chant you'll never understand these things. Because they had a, you know, concept difference in the way everything is. You know, Krishna consciousness is more what I say. It's got more evidence and more praman. What to say? Proof, Proof. I mean with scriptural evidence. And many of the things he asked my mother. My mother used to say like my grandfather was her guru. It's like a parampara thing.

But my mother's father, before he died he told my mother that don't think that this Hare Krishna Maha mantra is a simple, you know, some mantra like that. It's the most important mantra. Sodasha means that 16 syllable mantra. It's very, very potent. He told her before he died, he told my mother that.

No. Yeah, he was actually the guru of my mother here. I had given her initiation, Sri Chakra Puja. I mean they were all family, my grandfather's brother, they were all into these pujas and big, big pujas they used to do and all that. So my mother was also doing. But before he died. He's a bit like a yogi kind of person, my grandfather. And so he told her that actually my mother's mother's father, that is.

My mother's grandfather, my mother's grandfather.

He. When he was in the village, he used to get everybody to chant. In those days, you know, this Bhatvino Thakur's Kalyana Kalputaru and all those. My mother had all those books till I remembered those old books that we used to have. You know, Kalyana Kalpaturu and Sajana Toshani. All these things. My mother had all these books. She used to.

She got it from my grandfather, my mother, grandmother.

So my grandfather, that's her grandfather. My great grandfather used to. He was called. He was a very great devotee of Lord Ramachandra. So he used to go to every house and he used to make them chant the mantra. But it was Hare Rama, Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. We used to chant Ultava even when we were small. I remember 16 times my mother used to tell us to chant. But we used to chant Hare Rama, Hare Rama Rama Rama Hari Hari. Like that we sit and he used to go to all the houses in the village, give them these tamarind seeds. You know, tamarind seeds. 108 tamarind seeds. And then each family, he'll see all of you in the evening during twilight, sit and chant. And each Time you chant, you put one tamarind seed like that, you count 108. And then he used to take all.

That, collect all the.

Collect all the data of how many people chanted this thing. And he used to send it to Kolkata. Kolkata means before us. Calcutta means like, you know, that was actually maybe Bhakti Thakur's thing or we don't know. But there was some connection before I think to the Mah Mantra and you know, like that. So that's why my mother had, you know, some.

Base.

Yeah, base. And she wanted to really, you know.

Go deep into it.

Deep into it. She used to read Chaitana Chadamrita and she used to chant 32 rounds. My mother, because my brother told her that Prabhupada said that unless you chant and unless you sing, you will not understand this. So she used to chant 32 rounds and she used to read every day. She used to read. So then my mother, she wanted. Then when she got convinced about everything.

Then she came to the chapter where Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was explaining everything to Sarva. Not Prakashana Sarva bound. But you know how he had that talk with them that changed her completely overnight. Next day, morning, my mother changed everything on the altar. We had like all day. We had everybody Ganapati, that, Krishna, everything. She took out everything and she put Krishna there and the Bhagavad Gita and everything. She changed completely.

She changed.

That's when we decided to take initiation. All the three sisters and one Guru.

Maharaj came to our house. Guru Maharaj came to our house for the house program.

We used to do.

After that we used to do chanting like few rounds.

So we used to call the devotees home, give them prasadam and they used to sing and do kirtan and. And once Guru Maharaj came that time Bhakti Ananda Swarup Maharaj was the regional secretary. So they both came and they went to the puja room. We had a small puja room at that time. There was every. All the.

They were watching each and every photograph. They were like he said, all the 30 day crowd.

And also there was Krishna, small Krishna, Laddu Krishna. Everything, everything was there.

They were watching at home. But they both were looking into each and every photograph. There was a big photograph of Kamakshree sitting like this.

Lalita, Lalitha.

So then after that, after the program, then we. I remember how we used to watch TV all those time. And my brother, you're wasting your life watching these stupid things because we are not there. Then slowly Slowly we started chanting, reading. And then after that we became involved in services in the temple. At the time Mother Pandit was a temple president. I used to do the account. She also was there. We both used to go and do it.

He used to cook and my mother used to cook for Guru Maharaj.

Whenever he used to cook for Guru.

Maharaj, that was after initiation.

Yeah, used to cook for Guru Maharaj. Her health was not so good all the time.

She was an asthmatic patient and a.

Heart patient patient and other things. But still she used to cook. I remember Guru Maharaj once when she made this mango and coconut chutney. This is the best chutney I've eaten. She loved it so much.

Then we decided to take initiation.

That time Guru Maharaj meeting my mother. I taken my mother to the temple to Guru Maharaj had come. So I took her because she wanted to get initiated. So then Guru Maharaj told her why do you and session? You're already, you know, you're already chanting and you're like in the spiritual path for so many years. And you know, why do you want to. So she told Guru Maharaj, I want to preach. I want to preach.

She was a heavy preacher, you know. She'll preach to Muslims, to anybody on the train when we travel, she'll preach to everybody. She knows many languages. She knows Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, English, Hindi. She speaks very good English, you know, she used to preach.

I remember when we used to travel, coming to Mayapur in the train and everything. She used to preach to all the people in the train. Tell them about the Ma Mantra and everything. You know, it's like she was like a lioness. And we used to go every day like we used to pair up after initiation. That was initiation. We used to have the Samskara Patras. We used to have. Have. It's like a small those days like this, it has two halves. So then one half there will be all this Mah Mantra written saying that I undertake to chant hundred and eight times Mah Mantra. Then we used to go to all the houses, each house. And we used to give them this and say please promise to chant.

And we used to give them books. I mean distribute books. So we used to go by pairs. Myself and Rasheshwari used to go in the morning or evening. Somebody will stay at home and cook the prasad. And my mother and my sister used to go as a pair for preaching walk everywhere throughout Indiranagar. We used to live in Indiranagar. We used to do Alsur also many places. And we had vakyanand Maharaj also came and did program in one big block of housing block. We did. We distributed puri halua like that.

We have programs, but many times we have had some tough people to get also.

And we spoke to Guru Maharaj about it.

Yeah, we spoke to Guru Maharaj. He said, be careful.

We said that Guru Maharaj, sometimes we go to some people's house and we knock at the door, there's a voice coming from inside o ask them to get out. You know, we know everything about all this. They don't have to come and teach us. You know, all South Indians especially, there are some South Indians who really were very, not very happy when we used to go and shut the door on our face. So sometimes in the beginning after initiation, we were not so many years it was newly initiated. So we used to feel a kind of to go back again and do the next day. So we asked Guru Maharaj. So what did he say?

Guru Maharaj, he said, okay, that house is not there.

Another house. Guru Maharaj preached so nicely, so nicely, explained everything to us. And then we used to go every day and did programs and everything.

How was the initiation.

When we got initiated in Chennai? Actually, we travelled from Bangalore to Chennai because Guru Maharaj was not coming to Bangalore. He was coming to Chennai. And then when we went to meet Guru Maharaj about any session, he said, oh, I'm leaving tomorrow, so this cannot be possible this time when I'm here, but I'm coming to Chennai. I'm going to Chennai. So why don't you come to Chennai and you can get initiated? Guru Mahaj. So then we all three sisters and my mother got initiated together. We were the only ones to get initiated that day.

That time Guru Maharaj gave us a.

Book to read, you remember, about the.

Whole guru and disciple thing and everything. Because they were going to ask us questions.

And because my brother had already. He was not here. I mean, he was not in Bangalore in those days. He used to come on and off, but not.

He already started. He took up a service in Kerala to preach and do all this not good.

Trivandrum.

Trivandrum. Where already Madhu Pandit was there. So he was helping Madhu Pandit. And so he was already there.

So there was a interview for initiation.

For all of you. I remember we went upstairs. That was after initiation. Yeah, before initiation.

No, that Sundar Prabhu, you remember, what is his name?

We went upstairs where Guru Maharaj's room was there in Chennai. You know, you climb the stairs up and there's Gurmaraj room there I remember all of us sitting there and it was. I think the room was not. Chennai is very hot, you know. So I remember all the curtains were on in the room because it's an air conditioned room and it was little cold here. I remember feeling cold there because it was cold inside the room. And we were all sitting there and Gurma was sitting behind the desk.

Did he ask us questions? And.

And I remember he was speaking more to my mother. And he was saying, oh, so you have three girls and what are you going to do? They need to be married and all those things. He was talking to my mother. I think even Sarvay Shwarya Maharaj was also there that time. He was Sarvay Shwary. I remember.

Did he ask us question why you want to take initiation?

Not to ask. Mostly it was with my brother and my mother that he spoke.

But I remember Guru Maharaj gave us a book to read.

Yeah, book to read about Guru relationship with Guru and all that. And we used to read together.

How was the initiation? The meaning of the names?

Yeah, my name was Madharani is the heroine of the Rasa dance. Because he just changed one Alphabet in my name and it was Rajeshwari.

And he just changed one Alphabet instead of Rajeshwari Raseshwari. And then Radha was. Radhe was Radha Prema.

Radha she was before he made her Radha Prema.

And my mother, her name was Tangam. They used to call her Tangam means gold. They used to call her. So her name was Teju Rupa Devidas. Mine was Shyama Vallabha.

She was Sheetala. Then he became Shamavala. Shamavala.

Then the next day we left.

Yeah, next day Gurumaj left also. He was there just en route. So that day he came in Sasha and then he was gone. So he went back. I was studying still the time I was doing my chakra camping. You were in Rishi Valley that time.

She was working in Andhra some place in a big school. I was doing accounts.

Guru Krishnamurti school. She was working as accountant.

I told Guru Maharaj about the Jeddukrishnamti. Then Guru Maharaj wanted me to go to Shillong to that school over there. But then they had some problem. I was ready to go and everything. And there was some problem regarding foreigners staying there. And some Galata was going on there. Then that was stopped. Otherwise Guru Maharaj wanted me to leave Rishi Valley because it's Jiddu Krishnamurti is an impersonal person. But there I preached to two of Tamil Nadu people and they were chanting 16 rounds. And then we used to come meet in the evening and read Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam. Only those two and me, we used to sit and read and everything. So I don't know whether I have not met those people after I left, whether they are still chanting.

Then after, when you came to Mayapur?

Mayapur, she got married in 1987, January. She got married. May I got married.

So when I got married, I came to Mayapur.

Yeah. But I went to Chennai because Prabhu was the temple president of Chennai at the time. So I went to Chennai, she came to Mayapur.

What was your inspiration to see Guru Maharaj in Mayati?

We used to come for gorpurnima festival, Vyas Puja and everything.

So we used to see Guru Maharaj those times, of course, when they come to Bangalore. When he comes to Bangalore, we used to cook for him, help my mother to cook for him and all that. So we have seen Gur Maharaj many times. But I remember the first time we saw Gurmaj when he came to our house. That was the first time we saw Guru. He was like. He was like huge person. And he was big also.

So smiling.

Feel the heart. It was like a beautiful lotus smile.

Yeah, very nice. He was. I mean, he looked into that small room.

He filled up the whole room.

The puja room was so small. Then he sat there and he looked at all the deities.

Did he say something about.

Giving a.

Special place for Krishna or something like that?

Nothing. I don't think she.

He said no. I remember him remarking, you have all the telegraphs, all the teddy tekos with them.

And they were joking together. They were talking Bhan Maharaj and Guru Maharaj. They were talking and laughing.

But because if the room is very small, we could not go inside. It was just only Guru Maharaj. It was a small little pujava. So then after, yeah, that time, we.

Didn'T know the importance of Guru and, you know, the whole thing.

I mean, Guru, yeah, we know that he's worshipable. And we were like, you know, so happy that Guru Mahj came to our house. And, you know, and we had called all the neighbors and everything for a program and we had prashadam. There were so many devotees because Gurmaj came with a big bus and there were so many devotees. Gurmaj was actually touring South India.

I don't know, but there were a.

Lot of devotees also there in the bars, which, yeah, was that. It was maybe 1981 or 2.

Because 83.

We got initiated after one year. Within one year we got initiated and it was maybe 81 or 82.

We were chanting 16 rounds.

Yeah. No, that time we were not fully chanting. At least I was not. I was studying and everything. After Gurumaj came and then we got a little more serious about, you know, Krishna consciousness and everything. I mean before it was like, you know, chanting. Not very seriously, but chanting something.

You know, my brother used to always.

Come and tell us, you know, read, read the books.

We used to go visit the temple.

But after we got initiated then we used to have regular Bhagavatam readings in the house. Every day in the evening all of us used to sit down. You know, somebody used to make garland, somebody cutting vegetables. Somebody does this thing. But my father used to read or my mother used to read and we all used to sit down and listen.

And chant the slokas of Bhagavad Gita. Yeah. Brahma Samhita.

And then 108 slokas of.

You know those days, 108 important slokas of Bhagavad Gita.

All that we used to chant to do the Brahma Samhita. And we like that because we were into this chanting mantras. So it came automatically for us to chant and everything. Then we used to read Bhagavadam, Bhagavad Gita every day. It's like one or two hours every day we used to read.

How has been your service? Let's say in Chennai?

In Chennai. After I got married then I moved to Chennai and there I used to do the account service accounts of the temple. Then I. I also did the agarbati business there. I used to dip agarbati, I pack it and sell it in the temple. Then I used to do DT cooking.

Also.

Because Chennai was such a place that many times he has to go here and there. He has to come through Chennai because he go to Malaysia. He goes to come to Chennai when he is going to. In other part of South India I used to come to Chennai. So Chennai was like a what to say stopover wherever. So he used to come quite often to Chennai. Yeah.

And then here in Mayapur Play. How is your relationship with him?

I came first to Mayapur. She came up to.

I came 91.

I came here in 1987 after marriage I came.

Yeah.

Guru Maharaj was always very concerned. And I remember when I after one year after marriage I was pregnant with.

Guru Maharaj used to come to your house.

Oh yeah. That was after the.

After you got married, Guru Maharaj came to your house?

Not when the baby was born.

Not before that.

No, before that he has born. So when I was pregnant with Jalashaya, I remember I was doing some work for the office. Guru Maharaj is some work I was doing. I don't know, transcribing or. I used to cook also for Guru Maharaj. Breakfast, iron his clothes, wash and iron clothes. Then ragi porridge in the morning and sometimes help with few Sabjis in the afternoon or something like that. I can't remember exactly. But when I was pregnant with her, with the Jalashaya, because my main service was in the DT kitchen that time. So I stopped when I became pregnant to do that service. I remember in the seventh month I was coming down south to have the baby in my mother's place. Then I went to meet Guru Maharaj and I was very concerned how you're going by train, by plane and you know you have to be very careful. And he was very concerned about what I'm going to do and how I'm going to travel, how careful I should be. Because the seventh month of the baby is still this thing and all Kur Maharaj was very concerned. And then after the baby was born also I had some problem with low. I was anemic and low pressure. Once I remember I met Guru Maharaj in the rainy park in Calcutta. And I was asking why you are here? And I said I came to see the doctor for low pressure and anemic. And then Guru Maharaj told me, take lot of ghur dates and tamarind. He told me, I remember that. So after that I don't know how. Oh, the naming ceremony. Guru Maharaj came for the naming ceremony, grain ceremony of my daughter. He came personally home, but Banu Maharaj was there and some Janani vas prabhu, pankajangri prabhu and many others were there for the ceremony. So he named Jalashaya and also grain ceremony. He gave. He only gave the name Jalashaya grain ceremony. He was there. I remember I cooked for Guru Maharaj and all the rest devotees. Then I was now and then cooking for Guru Maharaj. Porridge and things like that, ironing his clothes. And at some point I stopped. I think after you came.

No, but then the Brahmachari took over the ironing service.

Yeah, ironing service. They took over and cooking.

Cooking also. Then many ladies started to.

When did you start cooking?

I was cooking when I was in Chennai. I used to cook for Guru Maharaj but then after coming to Mayapur, I started. I was one of the person who used to cook. Not every time cooking, but, you know, one of the people who cooked like that. And because they were not many people to cook Italian. So that time I was cooking Italian, South Indian, Italian, like that. I mean, there were many cooks. I mean, Guruma was not eating every day.

He had days for eating different things.

Different things. He used to cook.

I remember Choodamani and her mother also.

Used to cook for Gurum Gujarati.

Yeah.

Many devotees were there who were cooking because there was no diet or anything before. So then many people were cooking then after Guru Maharaj became sick. And I think when Guru Maharaj got the stroke that time we went to Coimbatore. I went for 15 days, then she went for 15 days. We took turns to go and cook for Guru maharaj there for three months and things. I took 15 days, she took 15 days. And then we went there to cook for Ramada.

What was your impression to see Guru Maharaj after a stroke?

It was very painful.

Very painful. I remember I was standing there ng when they were bringing Guru Maharaj and the Veenburg chair. And I was like, I couldn't check my tears. I was like crying. I said, I don't want to see Kurumara tears. And I was like, I couldn't. I couldn't. I was. For a long time, I was even avoiding to see you because I didn't want to see. Then in the end, I was like, okay, you know, you have to. Even now, actually, when you. When I think of Guru Maharaj, I only see Guru Maharaj, you know, that smiling face. And, you know, the Amanda Guru Maharaj was before. Before he became Siddhartha.

For me, I can't remember, you know, because I think the very fact of the whole thing made me forget everything. You know, sometimes, which is something which really affects you, you don't want to remember kind of thing. It's just like I'm not able to remember how I reacted when I saw Guru Maharaj. I'm trying to remember, but I can't.

Any extraction from Guru Maharaj.

Oh, so many instructions.

I remember.

I remember once I was cooking for Guru Maharaj. I think you were not there at the time. I was cooking when you were in. And then Gurvanath had guests. First they came and said I was cooking for Guru Maharaj. Then they came and said two people more that and Guru Maharaj was not sick. I don't know how you. You were not there. Gurmaj was not sick. That time he was okay. I remember because he came and peeked into the kitchen.

I left in 2003 itself.

2003. So then I was cooking for Guru Maharaj. And then Guru Maharaj came and said, guru Maharaj's got two guests. So I said, yeah, I can manage two guests. I can, you know, make little more this, that, that. Then after that sometime somebody came and said, gurmaj has five guests. I said, okay, I'll make a little more pasta. I was cooking it. So I said, okay, I'll make a little more pasta. I'll make a little more this, that. Then I said, okay, I'll manage five also. And after some time, they came and said, There are eight to 10 people. I said, oh, my God. Then I said, okay, I'll make at least one sabji or two sabjis more and I'll make more pasta. But the other things we'll have to manage. So then I somehow, you know, and also, like my husband says, when I cook, I always cook for an army that will listen. So there was enough for everybody to eat. And then Guru Mahj, I remember, came and after the prasadam and everything, Guru Mahj came and peeped into the kitchen and said, wow, you managed to tell people you have got Akshay Patra. He asked. Gurumaj was very personal in whatever, you know, when, even during, after he was sick and we were, you know, he was on different kinds of diets. And especially when he was on the keto diet, it was like, very difficult for us. We were like, especially to cook Italian those days.

We were even measuring the vegetables.

Yeah, everything.

Salt vegetables. And it was like, what to cook with.

I remember when he used to come out and he used to come near the kitchen where we were cooking what is for today? What's today?

What's today?

Then we used to tell him, we are doing this. Then he used to always give us suggestions. Okay, maybe you can do this, maybe you can try that. Maybe Guruvaj has even sent his recipe to try this out, try that out. Especially when because we want, we have a triumph, a pizza base on a keto diet, you know, with Guru Maharaj's restrictions was like a little tough because Guru Maharaj likes his pizzas to be crispy and nice. And putting almond flour, coconut flour, this, that. It was not becoming crispy at all. You know, it was like floppy kind.

Even Guru Maharaj was looking into the to see which one.

And he told, send her this recipe test. Guruj is, so what do you say? He uses every little bit of, you know, the material energy in the service of Krishna. You can see that in everything that he does. You know, just connects. He's able to connect everything to Krishna. So amazing. How wonderful. Of course, that is a sign of a clear voice.

And he'll engage you, whatever you are, something or the other. Like he was telling yesterday, somebody brought. What did they bring? And Guru Maharaj said, bring that juice for me or something. And it was not even the pineapple season. I think somebody had bought and somebody has bought. But he knew that that person wanted to give Guru Maharaj. So he said, make Anana's juice for me. Somehow or the other, he will connect you and engage you. Amazing person.

He sees you. He sees somebody. And he said, you know, there was one Matiji who was in the crowd. I mean, so many people are there. And then he said, you make me Dokhala, because he wants to engage that person in service. So though it was maybe not his diet or whatever it is, but still he was saying, he, that person, Guruj has amazing memory also. Very amazing. I remember when I was in Chennai, there was one matadi. She came for one rathayatra, like two, three years back, she came for a rathayatra. And she had just like, Gurmaj, you know, gives mercy to everybody. So he was like asking her, haribol, how are you? What's your name? And so she was telling, I chant one round. She was telling me. I mean, she was like one of the, you know, hundreds of people who come for the radhyata. She was just one person. And then after two, three years, she had lost. I mean, she was not very frequenting the temple so much. And then after two, three years, she had a problem in her marriage and this and that. And then she came back to the temple. And that time was another Rath Yadra. She came to the temple. And that time Guru Mahj saw her and he spotted her and he called her by her name. I was like, amazing. How did Guru Mahaj remember any? I couldn't remember.

Amazing memory. He is.

How many rounds she chanted. He remembered. Are you still chanting that many rounds? I was like, wow, Guru Maharaj, you're like, you know, amazing. And she was so happy. She could not, like, she was, like, bubbling, you know, just like, he remembered me, he remembered my name. He remembered how much I chanted. She was like, so happy. She even got initiated afterwards. She became so serious and she got initiated. And she was so amazed that Guru Maharaj, after two, three years, could remember her name, how many rams she chanted. And so Guru Maharaj is very. Is like, you know, catch you and pull you to Krishna cups. He has got the power to do that. So pure Guru Mahjis and also was able to get back any instructions.

Matir please. When I came to Mayapur actually after marriage my husband wanted to invite all his godbrothers and everybody for something, you know, for an evening something. Prasadam or something. So I was making. I was new to Mayapur. I didn't have anything. I didn't have a mixie. I didn't have a stove. I had only that kerosene stove and I made idli dosha and chutney. I didn't have a blender so I had to grind on that stone. I was living in that near the samadhi. Now the Brahmacharis live. I was living upstairs there. So I went down to Ishani's place where they cook for everybody, the Samadhi people. So she had a stone. So I made. A lot of people came because they want to see who he has married, you know, all the people who know him. Because my husband has been here for 40 years. So they all came. And I remember I had an accident there because the workers were working in the kitchen. And when I was coming from up and down to the hall and I was cooking in the hall because the kitchen, I couldn't use it. So I just slipped on the water which the labourers had put and the stove was burning with the thing. And I went right into the stove with my hand got burned and my lower lips got burnt and some parts got burnt. But then it was already time for everybody to come. You know, I can't just nurse one burning hand. So I just did everything with the thing. But I was in great pain. Actually only Atma Tattva noticed. He said, what is that under your lip here? Then I said, keep quiet. Because he was a family friend. I knew we knew him very well. Then when I met Guru Maharaj the next day he was telling me, you know, that you have to be very careful. This is not your body anymore. It doesn't belong to you. It belongs to Krishna. You have to take care of the body. And he gave me a lot of instruction about keeping the body for ka and using it for ka and not do dangerous things too. So that was one of the instructions Guru Maharaj gave me. I remember first when I came to my. Then trying to remember. You tell something.

I remember one time that we cooked for kadishi. Painful, painful. That Was because, you know, we cooked the dinner that day because that was during the paniyati. We were arranging for the paniyati in the school. And Guru Maharaj was.

Guru Maharaj wanted.

No, yeah. Guru Maharaj was going to come. And then he had given the Atlanta panihati recipe and he wanted everything to make it more like a Mayapur dressing. Because that was an Atlanta recipe.

Because we were doing just cheetah, different kinds of cheetah, salty cheetah, and one sweet cheetah for the Guru Smith School. Every year. We both used to go and cook there for the panihati. But then after Guru Maharaj gave. Then it was a little.

Then we had to. We were like. The whole time we were like, you know, meditating and writing down the different things.

Next day was ekadarshi chaitanya chattamada to.

Find what, you know, because Guru Maharaj.

Had given us lot of homework to.

Do, homework to do.

You know, what this can be named and what that has to contain, instructions.

On how the name has to be connected with the pastime of which you are going to name and everything. So, like, I mean, like, we were.

In so much anxiety, kind of.

So much of anxiety that we had to do with this because it was the. The day after that, after the Kadishu was panihati, you know, so. And it was.

And we had not eaten from morning. We were just doing fasting whole day.

And then in the evening we had to cook dinner for Guru Maharaj. So we went and we were. Our mind was like completely, you know, still in that recipes, a Panyarian thing. And we also.

Guru Maharaj was eating those days like a keto thing, which was more or less like Ekadashi.

More or less like Ekadashi.

Almond flour, coconut flour.

That this. Grains at all in that also.

But the vegetables.

Vegetables mistake. We put beans in it that, you.

Know, that string beans. Terrible, man.

It was so terrible.

Vikupta And Guru Maharaj saw that while eating.

I think Guru Maharaj already ate one mouth. And then he said, what is this? He asked the servant. The servant also didn't notice it. And then they came and asked us, mataji, what did you put in this? Still we didn't realize that we had put beans. He said, we put all the vegetables like usual. What is it? We weighed this, that, that, that. Motherji, this is today say kadashi, you put beans in it. And then it stuck us. Oh, my God. We have put beans in the vegetable. And Guruji has already taken one mom out. And we didn't know what to do. We were like, just like everything just blacked out or something. Couldn't think anymore what aparad we have done made gurmaji grains. And he got the same.

Unlike deans. We are crying, crying.

But there was nothing crying that we have done such a big offence, you know. Then the next day Gur Maharaj was leaving. No, no, Gurmaraj was there for the paniyati festival also, man. Oh, he was leaving. He was leaving on trayodeshi that day he fasted. Yeah, he fasted on. Not on dwadashi. He fasted on trayodashi.

He told us also you should fast Yantra yadash.

Go to bed fasting Andreodeshi. And I remember and we were thinking actually that that's it, finish. We will not get any more cooking service from Guru Maharaj. We are finished, you know, and we just couldn't stop crying. You know, it's like. It's not like willfully or anything like that, but just that we committed such.

A big, you know, blunder made Guru Maharaj eat.

Guru Maharaj phoned the next day morning. He was phoning about the panihati recipes. He wanted to know about the thing. And we were going to cook there also the next day after doing all this. And then the morning Guru Mahj phoned and he said. I said, please forgive me Guru Maharaj for the offense that we have committed apra that we have fed you. He said, do you know that you can go to hell if you eat grains on a kadashi? I said, yes, I know. Because of lack of focus, lack of shraddha and bhakti, you know, we have committed this akara. Please forgive us. Guru Mahja said. He said fast on. So we fasted.

And Guru Mahj was also, I still fast half a day ekadashi. I don't eat for half a day. Sometimes even till 3 o', clock, I don't eat.

So that was a very big one that we did.

So the fasting is knowing dwarasi va trayodiyodashi dwadashi. You cannot fast even for appearances day and all.

We don't fast dwadashi. We don't fast on maradi.

We fast on ekadas.

So we don't fast on maradhajasi if it's an ekadish.

And the instruction is if we break.

Ekadasi, we do the trayudesh.

So that was a big instruction to when we do our service that we have to be very conscious and we.

Have to have a lot of Shraddha.

Bhakti and focus on what we are doing because it's very important that we focus on what we do.

He had something to do with the Guru Maharaj. Guru Maharaj have something to do with Guru Maharish.

He choose like marriage. Oh yeah. Guru Maharaj arranged a marriage. Arranged in the sense Atma Tattva went and consulted Gur Maharaj for my marriage with my husband and Guru Maharaj approved it.

Because Guru Maharaj that time Prabhu was thinking of getting married because he was the temple president, all Brahmacharis. He was the first person to get married also because his visa was running and he needed to get married to an Indian girl so that doesn't have to leave the country. So then Gurumaj told him, you know, my brother Sarvachwarya has so many sisters. Why don't you go and see? You know, if one of the horoscopes, it was all matched. Horoscope matched. It was arranged by Guru Maharaj. And many people ask me that how did you marry a foreigner? You know, how is it that you married a foreigner? Because for an Indian to marry a foreigner, I said the minute I knew that Guru Maharaj is telling me to get into this marriage. That means that whatever Guru says is always auspicious for you. Anything, whatever he says is always. Though you may think otherwise or whatever it is, but anything Guru Maharaj suggests is always auspicious. It's meant for your spiritual upliftment. So you should just close your eyes and go for it. That's it for me.

I was not into marriage at all. I didn't want to get married at all. Even the Karmi marriage, so many boys come and see, you know, they have that custom. Boys will come and say, I don't want because they are all, you know, I have parties at home.

She was.

I said, no way, man. I'm not getting married to some guy who's going to have parties. And I cook and nothing doing. And then when I came to Ka consciousness, then my mother, I think has gone and told Guru Maharaj that she doesn't want to get married. So Guru Maharaj was preaching to me, saying that women means when they are young, the father takes care and you know, parents take care. Then the husband take care. Woman has to be protected. Then I agreed. So when Atma Tattva went with the proposal to Guru Maharaj and everything, they asked, do you want to marry? I said, whatever Guru Maharaj says. If Guru Maharaj says yes, I don't care anything. Just get Married. That's why I had a late marriage. I got married at the age of 36 and then four months later she got married because I never wanted to get married.

Any other memories of Guru Maharaj? I know you were mentioning playing with the ball.

Oh, that he achieved when we went, when first Guru Maharaj had the stroke and then he was taking treatment in Coimbatore in that Ganwantari hospital. So that time, I remember I was cooking in the kitchen. Suddenly I heard screaming, shouting, ah, there's that thing. I thought, oh, my God, something has happened to Guru Maharaj, I think. And I went. I remember I just went inside to peep into Guru Maharaj's room to see that everything is okay or waters. Then I saw Guru Maharaj. They are all. Guru Maharaj is on a wheelchair and all of the boys, they are like, they have a big ball and they are all playing, you know, tap ball.

Because Guru Maharaj has to exercise his hands. He can't lift no one side. So they were like a physiotherapy exercise.

Encouraging him to, you know, they had like two sides and they had like goals scoring this. I don't know whether it was basketball or whether it was throw ball or netball or things like that. And they were like, you know, most of them actually from Southern, I guess, like full Josie. It was like, you know, very. It was. And I was amazed that Guru Mahj, in spite of all his condition and anybody else could be like, you know, so depressed that he, you know, it's like this. But Guru Maharaj, whatever was his condition, his sense of humor and his spirit was always the same. It never like went down for us. If you are sick itself, you can see that like low down this, that.

Whatever happened to his.

Spirits were always high.

Whether he was sick or whatever.

It is always joking and, and humorous and joking and you know, it's always very in med positive in any everything especially, you know, doesn't take anything like to, you know, nothing can bring back Guru Maharaj's enthusiasm. It's like it always goes up. We are very fortunate to be able to do some service for Guru Maharaj.

When Guru Maharaj was in Bangalore and in Madras also, we went to cook for him. That time, you remember any incident that time? That time it was very nice because.

Guruvaj is just eating, taking prasada and.

We were just cooking hot, hot chapatis.

And giving hot pasta. Whatever we are doing now, and we just turned back and Guru was eating. That was like very, very.

Connected and very close and then in the evening they used to take him in the wheelchair for a ride, a walk. You can't say walk because he was not walking. So we were going behind Guru Maharaj. And then evening he used to give see the Darshan and lecture right next to the kitchen, that thing. So we used to sit near the door and hear everything. It was very nice those 15, 20 days we were there.

Also when we were in Chennai when Guru Maharaj had this. When he was in Chennai for a long time that I am present speech therapy. Rasanna Prabhu had to go back because.

Father was very sick.

So then we both went and it was. That was really intense.

Intense because we had to do breakfast, lunch and dinner.

And in between breakfast, in between, you.

Know, pre lunch, pre dinner, practically.

We went from the room at 6:30 and we used to come back at.

Like not 6:30, Mangalarti time, breakfast.

We had to.

4:30, 5 o'. Clock, we have to go.

And we used to be there till like, we used to just come in between, just to, you know, freshen up, take a bath for the evening, chant.

A few rounds, wash the clothes.

Wash clothes and then come back again. And we used to be there till like 10:30, 11 till, you know, Guru Mahaj used to give class. And after that, the milk and after that, after that, you know, everything. And then by the time I go home sometime 10:30, 11:00 clock sometimes we had rounds. But it was all very close, the rooms and all that. I remember sometimes we had Rajan in the evening because it was too tight. Too tight. It was. But it was really ecstatic. It was so Gurmaj just like we just sitting here. I mean, we. Kitchen was here and the next room there. Gurmaj was teaching.

We used to serve him, of course, the door, they used to keep it closed, but he used to open the door and see what he wants.

Yeah, it was very close.

This thing was very nice, intense, but very, very aesthetic.

Because you could serve him.

Because in Mayapur it is not like that. It's different.

And then somebody else serves them, you know. But this was like they take hot, hot things and give to Guru Maharaj.

And Guru Maharaj will ask, what is in this?

You know, what did you put in that? And I remember once, first time I heard the word quesadilla, I didn't know what it was. Guru Maharaj said, I want to eat quesadilla. And I was looking into the Internet, but I didn't know the spelling of keses.

Yeah, it was Q.

So I Was looking at all the ca. Everything, but could not figure out what was keser. Then in the end, I remember we found. Oh, God, it is Q U. That's why we couldn't find.

And Gurmaraj also said something about that the spelling was different.

Yeah. And the spelling was different. He said it doesn't start with K or C. It starts with Q. Is.

And Radha Raman Prabhu also was looking into.

Because we couldn't figure out. I couldn't figure out what was quesadilla because Q. You'll not think quesadilla is Q.

You know, I look through all that.

I said, I cannot find out what is quesadilla. The one says, I want to eat quesadilla. You prepare? Yeah. Then we even served him tacos one day. I remember he loved it. It was like crisp and nice. And also because it was somebody else's kitchen, you know, to get things that your. It's different thing that you cook in your kitchen and, you know, this, you can do that, this, this, but cooking in somebody else's kitchen and half the things you don't know is there or not there.

But it was.

Kept us very intense because we were.

Always thinking, what to do now for lunch, what to do now for dinner. The whole day was Guru conscious. It was ecstatic.

How to cook, how to get this, how to get that.

Oh, you have to do the yogurt, you have to do this ice cream. Those days, Guru Maharaj used to. It was very hot in Chennai. Frozen yogurt. And that machine was there. So the whole consciousness was. Guru consciousness was very good.

It was very nice. Very intense, but very nice.

Very nice. It was like, actually we missed it when we came back.

When we came back, we think, oh, it was really nice. I mean, that time you were feeling like all anxiety and everything because it should all be nice sometimes.

You never used to eat lunch till 4, 4 o', clock, 5 o'. Clock. No breakfast? No.

But you don't know at all.

Also, Guru Maharaj used to like snacks that time in the night. So different snacks. We used to. We had to think about different snacks, what to make for the next night.

Within Guru Maharaj's diet, within his thing, within this thing. We had to, like, figure out what to do. You can't use this, you can't use that.

Even measuring everything, measuring the vegetable boiling, the sterilizing everything.

Oh, those days we used to veget. You put like 20 grams of zucchini. You had to put 20 grams of zucchini. Any vegetable Also we had to measure.

Measurable was intense cooking.

Three times you wash everything in what? First water, then you wash it. Filter water.

Then you wash. Then you wash with water. Now they don't do that. They only wash it with hot water.

Filter water. We had to wash with. Three times we had to wash because it was that time only just got.

Just got from the hospital.

We were scared that you should not get any infection. We were like everything has to be sterilized. Everything has to be like, you know, very, very conscious. You have to be of what you do. You have to be very focused and conscious.

Otherwise Guru Maharaj falls sick. Is a big responsibility. Never chastisement only for this Kadashi thing. Not a chastisement like but Guru Naj.

Even when he chastise it's like it's such a. Like a loving father, you know.

Like when I burnt my hand also it was. He was talking heavy but all instructive.

Guru was very concerned also that where are you staying? Is everything okay with you? Are you getting everything? Are you getting your prashadam? Are you having proper facility? He was like so always caring and very, you know, concerned that you're situated. Now I remember when we were going late, he said are you okay to go late walking and going late.

It was just a few blocks away where we were staying.

Very concerned. I. So we were very fortunate to be able to soar.

You were here when his mother came?

Yeah.

Can you tell me something?

I cooked for her one day also because I think who was looking after her Chudamani, his sister also when she came. I cook for sister because they wanted something more western. Because she was eating everyday rice, dal and one day cooked Italian for made lasagna, ravioli, something like that. She liked it. She has that happened.

How you observe Guru Maharaj behaving with her mother and sister.

And you tell her mother, I don't have so much.

Much memory.

I mean like it's very long back. But sister. Yeah, I saw him with his sister. Yeah. Very caring and very, you know, like. Like a disciple I should say. You're very careful, you know. See that comfortable. And she's more like a disciple. Very concerned that she's okay and she's having a nice time here getting the Muslim model. But everybody was looking after her very nicely. She has nice memories because I remember she said that I have had such a nice time here and very nice memories I shall carry back. She was saying she was very happy.

You were here when mother came.

I don't think so. I Was.

I don't remember mother so much.

No, I was not here sister maybe, but I didn't have so much of. Was I there for the sister? When did she come?

She came some years back. Maybe I was years can't remember.

How do you see Guru Maharaj following.

Srila Prabhupada's instructions to the point.

Guru Maharaj is the true follower.

But he also instructs us to follow Srila Prabhupada's instructions in every. What is it? In every second or every minute or fraction of a second. Guru Maharaj is always.

Yes.

Guru Maharaj is a Prabhupada man.

Prabhupada. There's not one lecture, one this thing where he doesn't talk about Prabhupada.

How he everything he relates to Prabhupada. You know, like the other day also I was listening to class of Guru Maharaj and he says that Prabhupada is also I think even Nithyananda the day before that or something. And Gurumaj was talking. He's talking about Prabhupada how he's a person who like somebody asks a question or something how you can be connected, how you can follow Nithyanand, how you can be in the same something like that and say you follow Prabhupada, then you are following Nithyananda. Guru Mahj is very conscious of Prabhupada's instructions and is actually proper. I think Guru Mahaj, if he is at all continuing with this condition of his body. Body is only because he wants to fulfill more of Prabhupada's instructions given to him by Prabhupada. He wants to complete as many things that Prabhupada has given him instructions to do. And he's also asking from all his disciples to help him to fulfill Prabhupada. Regarding the books also distribution of books distribution. Who in this condition is distributing as many books as amazing virtual table, real table. You know, everything is Gurmaj, like I said, he uses every thing of material energy to, you know, in Krishna's favor. I mean in Krishna's Krishna consciousness to spread and to, you know, follow Prabhupada and such. He uses everything, all the latest things Guru Mahju, you know, used for how you can use that for Krishna. That's what is Guru Mahj. And he thinks out of the box.

He does not.

Guruj is not like, you know, not straight thinking, you know, he thinks like all over. Like, you know, you Cannot even imagine. Oh, you know that. But Guru Mahj will think that he.

Has a far vision.

Vision is amazing. Vision. Guru Maharaj is. He can. Yeah.

I remember when I was doing the secretary work for the Mac Mayapur Administrative Council for eight years. I did. I remember first when Guru Maharaj came for the meeting because the meeting is also directors come for the meeting. So sometimes Guru Maharaj attends the Mac meeting. So the first time I became secretary, I think after one or two meetings, I didn't know actually I asked Nareshwar Prabhu was one of the Mac members. My husband was one of the Mac members. So I asked them what I am supposed to do. They made me the secretary. I didn't know anything about what to do. So they said they will this thing just take down notes and then you write the resolution. They will dictate the resolution. But I never saw anybody dictating resolution neither telling me any. So I was waiting for them to say something to write. And Guru Maharaj, the day Guru Maharaj came once for the meeting and I was just sitting and listening to everything as usual. You know, it was my second meeting or third meeting or whatever. Like they said, listen and they will dictate the resolution. You write the resolution. Then Guru Maharaj said, why are you not taking down any notes? So I didn't know what to say because that was not the instruction they gave me to take down notes. Then he said, then he said, you know, he mentioned some Mataji's name somewhere else. Where there is a council like that, she takes down points like anything. And next time meeting somebody forgets anything. Then you ask her, she knows what they were talking on that subject and everything. That was one instruction. After that I started taking down notes like I had books and books and any member, forget what the topic, oh, what we discussed, read out everything. You know, that was a very good.

Instruction Guru Raj gave for many years you were here?

Yeah, for eight years I think. Then mummy fell sick and then I had to go.

So how was Guru Maharaj participation in the mak?

Yeah, that's what I was telling. His vision was like somewhere else, you know, it was not like everybody thinking, you know, immediate thing. He's far reaching the future somewhere he will think what will happen if you do this? Do this? You know, everything is like amazing, Amazing.

His vision of Mayapuru also.

Yeah, that is the vision of Mayapur. What to do with this? You know what will happen, what will.

This he thinks far ahead of, you know, you will only be thinking of how to Solve this problemaraj. Is thinking of what that problem will be if it continues. And he is looking at that very far. And his vision is huge. His not like, you know, like a small time vision. It's like. It's amazing. His vision, you cannot tell.

And is so much in love with Mayapur.

Guru very attached to, carries Mayapur in his heart, carries Mayapur everywhere, wherever he goes.

If you see Guru Maharajpur is breathing Mayapur. Everything is Mayapur. And even in the Panihati, like Atlanta has some recipes suited for their thing. Guru Maharaj made like four or five recipes just suiting Mayapur. What was that thing he did with the lichu? With the lichu? One preparation, original thing.

Because it's. You can lichu a nice mangoes here. So you should do the real, you know, panihati thing. And in the west you don't get so many kinds of mangoes. And you don't.

Because a real Panihati was here. Mangoes, bananas. And he gave fantastic names for.

And he was so particular. You can get this banana, that banana.

All he named like three or four Chini Paka, Chini Chapa Cola, then vartaman kola.

And then, you know, like that it gets different. And his recipe also is like that. You put this kola and that one and this one and this. You put this one?

Yeah. You had different sets of things. And this time, last time we did it correct everything. The first time, of course, Guru Maharaj was sitting there instructing. You were there for that pani aati.

First time?

Yeah, the first time we did in the temple. Never before we have done in the temple Panihati so big. And Guru Maharaj was sitting there in the wheelchair and giving instructions.

Who is in charge of this? Who is in charge of that? Who is going to do this?

And he wanted five kilo pots in each altar. You know how big the five kilo pots are?

So big.

And with how many preparations? 18 preparations for each altar. Plus Kurumaraj said it should go to Jagannath, man there. It should go to Bhajan Kutir Jagannath Mandir. And then Bhajan Kuti Prabhupada. Prabhupada. But that was small.

Prabhupada Samadhi Prabhupada upstairs like that. 8 altars.

8 altars. 18 big pots.

18 big pots.

Takes a long time.

But I mean, of course they've been doing this in Panihati festival in Atlanta for like many, many years.

For us it was like professional, you know, the first time was like, oh, like that. But last year we did it pretty good.

Last year it improved a lot. It improved a lot.

This year also this year I hope.

We will be able to do.

Because we know the recipes now.

And the first year, we didn't have a. I mean, like, any clue of what it was. You know, everything we were only doing in smiths. We were doing some panyati that we know. This was on a large scale, was there. And he was mostly concentrating on the sweet paniyati. I mean, we used to have one big sweet pot.

Pot.

And then, you know, many salty preparations like that.

And we used to do mostly South Indian salty preparation.

Salty means we just do different, you.

Know, lemon cheetah, tamarind cheese cheetah, tomato cheetah, that cheetah.

This cheetah. But Gurumaj was completely out of France. It was something else. We didn't have a clue of what it was.

Gurmaraj had an Italian cheetah also. Yeah.

With olives and capers and mozzarella cheese.

Do you remember some of the names.

He has for the pots?

Oh, that. With the sprouts, he had Madhavendra Puri.

I mean, the Guru mahj had his own recipe of Madhuravenda.

Madhavendipuri's roots. Roots.

Because he is the root. I mean, what is, say, the root of all the bhakti?

Then he had roots and he had sprouts. One was with sprouts, one was with. What do you call. Yeah, roots. All the peanuts and all those things all germinated.

It was nice. With Guru Maharaj, it's always. Everything is like. Like, you know, every time it's new. It's never dull and, you know, you.

Know, the same old thing.

No, it's always new. It's always something that you have to work your brains on and you have to be. It's like a challenge all the time. It's not like, oh, I just do it. And, you know, that's a. It's not like just khichdi kind of stuff. No, each time it has to be very.

It looked. Some of the cheetah looked the same, but it had a difference.

Different name, different ingredients, different.

Something different. In each one. There was 18 preparations.

No, even. I'm saying, like, serving Guru Maharaj is always not like a, you know, monarch thing. You know, it's always something that, you.

Know, you have to use your brains.

And you have to. It's a challenge every time. It's never a dull moment. You're always looking and Saying what I can do, what I can do, what I can do. You know, Guruma is always like that. Even for spreading Krishna consciousness, Guruma is always like that. How can we do? How can we do get as many spirit souls back into this like that. Everything about Guru Maharaj is like that. New, new every time. Like Krishna Navaya.

She is bringing the.

Mood in the spiritual world, your Guru Maharaj. You know, it's never dull in Guluka Vandam. There's always everything new, always something new. Like that Guru Maharaj service is always.

Guru Maharaj only started this cheetah, though in a big way for the temple we never had in Mayapur. We used to have different places doing cheetah. Doi like the Grahast Bengali Grahasthas used to do it on the bank of the Ganges. Did you know that? They used to make cheetah.

Different people used to bring sweet cheetah and one salt.

Not like the Atlanta with all these fruits. And you know, now it's taken a new. Very nice.

Now Panihati can never be the old same thing. It has to be something different.

Painting the pots, you know, it starts with that.

If you see the whole community is involved in that. Gurumaj always see he is a Gurmaj is a festival person. You know, you always get the crowd in everything that you do. So now Paniyati has become another community festival.

Everybody involved, young people are all involved. The school children are involved in painting pots. Then we have the auction of the pots.

Then we have the people cutting vegetables, cutting fruits, cutting this.

And everybody gets an opportunity to bring. Last year we saw all Matajis, they were bringing little cheetah. Somebody was bringing some fruit. Please, can you add it? Coconut. Somebody bringing milk, Somebody bringing yogurt. So everybody got an opportunity to serve the Lord in some way by giving something. Little bit even little contribution, you know, was very nice. The bananas growing in their house or something, you know, Very nice.

Gurumaj is expert in engaging everybody. Krishna says expert amazing person.

Remember how he was enjoying when he was reading the pastime of Lord? How Lord Sitani was so happy when he saw Adrika Charia engaging everyone. You said with different. Different things.

Yeah.

I think he first identified with it. Have you been in any safari or parikram?

You can comment.

We never went with safari with Kurma.

Safari we have been. But Gurma just come to give the lecture. I mean, we have been only in.

This Parikram seven days.

Yeah. Before when Guru Maharaj was, I mean, like, you know, those Days when all of them used to go on Parikram.

That time we had gone once.

Yeah, I've gone once or something like that.

I'm not any remember we were always busy when the Parikram was. When the festival is on, we can't do anything else.

You know, you're cooking or you're doing some service. You cannot go on Parikram. Even now I cannot go on Parikram because our office is so busy during festival time we can never go. That's the what I say. You can say the joy of staying in Mayapur or you can say otherwise. But if you are in Mayapur during festival time, you can enter. You are so much is like.

That's why we go on Parama sometimes with the Kartik sea. But it's not the same. Of course. You ride in the car and go. And it's not like walking.

Yeah, but festival time you're busy because Mayapur is the what is the host for the festival. So there are hundred things to do. But the joy of the festival is that in between everything you know you're able to serve Grumora, you're able to serve somehow. You know, put everything inside, fit it inside somehow.

How do you think you can or you could please Guru Maharaj the most.

Kurvaraj always instructs that everybody should read Bhagavatam every day. So now we are as a family, we are reading Bhagavatam every day. One hour we spend actually all our cousins, cousins, brothers, sisters, everybody looping. Everybody looping everybody.

I think they become so addicted now to reading Bhagavatam. They don't miss one day. You know, even if we are cooking.

For Gurmat, we just do audio and not read. It's just reading Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita. But sometimes we discuss also. But sometimes we invite Bhakti Vinod Maharaj and ask questions. And everything we do from 3:30 to 4:30. Zoom. Zoom.

Every day. My younger sister, she is the one who started this Zoom thing. So she's seeing that everybody. She's very enthusiastic and she sees that everybody gets in.

Now we have roped in our aunt and our cousins. Two cousins are also more and more people. This time a brother, brothers. They all. One of the brother is there every day another brother has come to India. He also. Yesterday we were reading Nithyananda's. All Nithyananda's pastimes yesterday. So we are trying to follow some instructions. Sometimes we discuss so it becomes a Little more than one hour. Sometimes we have like Sharan Mukhi, sometimes Shikra, some other join. Sometimes they also join reading.

What do you think that what is.

The more.

What Guru Maharaj like the most? Or he is like expecting from his disciples?

What Guru Maharaj is expecting from his disciples too? Of course. Follow Prabhupada's instructions and be loyal to Prabhupada.

Preach, distribute books also.

Definitely to follow Prabhupada's instructions. Guru very particular that we also spread Krishna consciousness and fulfill Prabhupada's desires whatever he had.

I have many times Guru Maharaj asking seniors to Grihastas Grahastas.

Yes.

He always says something or to like.

Inspire the young Grihastas in their Grihasta life. So they can stay longer and satisfactory life in Ka consciousness. Can you say something about this?

For our family we do talk to young Grahasthas who are having problems and everything we preach to them, instruct them.

In general you can say something.

Basically if you have Ka consciousness in the center, actually you don't have much problem in your bloodstream. It's when you don't have Ka consciousness in the center is when you start having problems.

Then you don't think alike.

When you don't follow properly Prabhupada is in Saksha. Then only problem here come out with that. Not much problem. See, first of all you're a man and woman. I mean man and woman combination. You know, man is different, woman is different. That is enough variety, you know. So it is a. It is a question of whether you want to make it work or not. How much are you committed to making it work. It is never that man will fully agree to what you know. It's never matched like that. Very rare even. But Narayana match is not hundred percent. So it's just a question of how much you want to give and take. You know how much you want to give and take. If you have Ka consciousness in the center, if each. Each one wants to help the other one to advance in Ka consciousness, then you have no problem. No problem.

Even if you have. You can sit calmly and discuss it Krishna consciously. You know you have the problems also.

And you don't carry it, carry it, carry it on till it becomes like a big mountain and then it crashes. You settle your everyday differences.

Never go to bed without with a, you know, bad.

This thing, something that you carry and think oh, you know, this happened. I don't like what he did or what she did or whatever it is. And then you're carrying it to the next day and then something else more happens and then you carry that big other big. It's like become big burden, you know, a big burden you should thrash out every day if something is there is some difference or anything before you go to bed, you know. And that also should be done in a very what to say, amicable way. Not like, you know, threatening and challenging, you know, everybody has their own idiosyncrasies. I am my own idiosyncrasies. Each one is. Nobody is perfect. But we are all coming together in.

Order to make our goal is the same.

Goal is the same.

We serve Krishna.

I help you to serve, you help me to serve. That's all. That's all it is. See after a certain point all your outward, you know, beautiful and young and pretty and handsome is all finished. After that it just comes to duties. Your duty as a husband, your duty as a wife and our duty towards our children to make them Krishna conscious. That's it. That's all it is. You're just gonna help each other to remain Krishna conscious, to help each other to advance in Ka consciousness, help our kids to advance in Krishna consciousness and.

Never hesitate to say sorry if you have made a mistake. I think that is end of the day, you know, you realize your mistakes and apologize for any offenses you have made against each other.

You are a Vaishnava, I mean Vaishnavi and Vaishnava. You just two spirit souls, I mean you come together in order to give birth to some another spirit soul who wants to advance in Krishna consciousness, who has left off what he, you know, maybe half in his previous life, he's going to continue. So it should be very. It's like a teamwork. It's like a teamwork, you know, you run the baton race, you know, the baton race. You give the stick to one person and that doesn't take the stick and run the other person. That it. So it's that unless you're all together, you don't win the race. Even if one person is not together, everybody is going to suffer. So you have to be team person, make it work. After all, what is more important than Ka consciousness is it worth, you know, having this, whatever we have, you know, against the other person is not worth it. It's not worth our Ka Consciousness. Because if you still have and you harbor all these bad feelings, your mind is going to be affected, disturbed and everything. And a Krishna consciousness ultimately is going is it worth it? No, it's not worth it. Nothing is worth our Krishna consciousness. That is the focus that we have to have.

You hear something from Guru Maharaj about split grihastas, where they separate or divorce recommendations.

Actually, Guru Maharaj had told Ganga and Rajeshwari to counsel Grahasthas at one point.

Yeah, we have counselors, few grasshoppers. Also we have. I mean, also it is not like you can force yourself and go and counsel. That person should have trust and faith and have some kind of a. What is a feeling that this person will be able to help us with our marital problems or whatever it is. And if people come, I mean, if grasthas come, we are always, always willing to help to.

Have you heard anything Guru Maharaj saying.

About Rasta thing, divorce?

He said once Thai Prabhupada mentioned that this is the biggest symptom of Kali Yuga. Because when one couple divorce, there is generations of people affected. There is children. So it is a big damage.

Yeah, because basically first person who is affected is the child. It's complete. You know, as a child, you're looking at a circle of circumstances, security, the security of being in a, you know, loving and very, very, what is it, very protective thing. Breaks, breaks completely. You don't have trust and faith in anybody. Then it's very difficult.

The children suffer a lot psychologically, are affected by.

There is divorce. Even husband and wife, they should not fight in front of the children. If you have any differences, the children go to bed and everything and you sit down and sort out things.

Better.

Like that children should not see that my mother and father are not together. For the children, mother and father are one person. They are together and everything. So only then also will you be able to, you know, they will be able to listen to your instructions also. Otherwise they will play one against the other. Kids are very smart. You will find it difficult to discipline them if you are not together. Also.

Any other remembrance between Guru Maharaj or if Ivan Japan end up with Toba school?

Maharaj?

Yes. It's only by the causeless mercy of Guru Maharaj that we are able to serve him. That we are very, very, very, very fortunate to be able to render some service for Guru Maharaj. Because Guru Maharaj is, what I say, a very special person. Very special. Because he is Chaturima Prabhu man. He is not from this world. So if we are able to do something, with something, anything, we consider ourselves very fortunate. One says so.

I am what Guru Maharaj, completely hundred percent what Guru Maharaj is. Without initiation from Guru Maharaj and following Guru Maharaj instructions. I am nothing. I am not eligible for anything. Whatever I am. Guru Maharaj made me what I am. So I am very, very thankful that I am Guru Maharaj is disciple.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Harish.

Thank you, Mata for giving us this opportunity.

Just take something about Guru Maharaj. I mean, we are not qualified at all. I mean, doing something a little bit for Guru Maharaj. But there are so many devotees who are doing so much service.

Yeah, look at you.