My journey in this cycle of birth
started on 9th August in Mysore, India. I was very fortunate to have
very nice loving parents who always followed vegetarianism at home and had
daily morning pujas. I also remember us having the Krishna book and I used to
flip pages to see the pictures. I brought it along with me when I moved to the
States, don’t know why but I did! Our ishth devta has been Hanumanji and now I
can understand that he was always trying to get us all to become sincere
devotees like him. Just like when he opened his heart, there was Sita mata and
Sri Ram sitting there. I was fortunate to be in touch with Krishna right from
my childhood. We had the ISKCON temple in Mysore just next road to where we
lived! As I jog my memory, I remember going to the temple for Janmastami and
Sunday feast. Little did I know then that it was Krishna’s arrangement and
mercy that I got Prasad! Later when I was working in Bangalore Krishna again
called me to get me in touch with him by allowing me to visit the ISKCON temple
there. But, because of my material conditioning and having so much dust on my
soul, I wasn’t able to make any relationship with him.
I moved to Ohio for my masters
and work. Things took a turn when I was almost about to lose my job during the
2010 recession, when I looked for a job and found one in Roanoke, VA! I had
never heard of this place, let alone know where it was located on the map. But,
everything happens for a reason. My boss, Hari prabhu has been in ISKCON (in
NJ) for almost 10 years and we got talking about how both I and Shilpa (my
wife) are interested in reading the Bhagavad Gita. We decided to start a small
weekly class (BV) to have kirtan, chant 1 round, read the BG, discuss and have
prasad. He took me to Sandy Ridge, NC for Gaura Poornima where I first met HG
Mitra Sena Prabhuji. He told me about the Gaur Nitai Deities and what was
happening during the abhishek. I was very excited with the kirtan, meeting such
pure souls and listening. He also told me about a Thursday BG call which we
started to attend weekly.
The biggest change in my life
would be attending the Festival of Inspiration in 2011. I was so fortunate to
get to listen to very pure souls and senior Prabhupada disciples. I fondly
remember attending Gurudev’s sessions,
listening to Radha Krishna bol bol and also understanding the essence of
Krishna Consciousness. The moment Shilpa and I sat in the car to go back to
Roanoke after 3 days of bliss – we both looked at each other and at that very
moment decided to follow the 4 regulative principles very seriously. We also
decided to chant 1 round in the morning. So since then, I have been following
the 4 regulative principles very seriously. By Krishna’s mercy, Mitra prabhu,
who is a very senior Prabhupada disciple, started the SB call every Monday and
Thursday for 2 hours and we started getting their association. Gradually our BV
started to grow and we were able to attract sanyasis' to visit us at Roanoke. I
was deeply touched by HG Radhika Raman Prabhuji and HG Kratu prabhuji’s words.
Kratu prabhu when here, looked at me and said – are you going to chant 16
rounds daily? I said I’ll try. He said it’s either yes or no! Since then I’ve
been chanting 16 rounds. So, it had been a year and it was time for Festival of
Inspiration 2012. And all year, I had been craving to listen to “Radha Krishna
bol bol” and get Gurudev’s association again. I met him on the very first day
at mangal aarti and requested him to sing the kirtan. He said, " I have
two lectures scheduled and will sing it in either one, so you have to attend
bothJ."
I had already planned to, but what was so touching that he started his first
lecture with “Radha Krishna bol bol” and I had no words. Gurudev’s lectures are
so powerful and inspiring. He is enthusiasm personified and it had a BIG effect
on me. Driving back after the festival we decided to make Roanoke bigger that
what we had.
I had the good fortune of meeting
HG Aditya-Narayan Prabhuji there and kept in touch with him about Gurudev’s
program to Hillsborough. I got a chance to meet Gurudev there, talk to him,
learn from him and practice with him while he was there. That had a very strong
impact on me and heart of hearts I knew I had found my spiritual master. I took
back valuable information to Roanoke and we had our MSFs here. I had never
distributed books and it is such a sweet service. When I got to know from Loka
prabhu that he was coming to DC, we decided to come for sure. Again I had the
good fortune to meet and talk to him at length and I was then convinced that he
was my spiritual master. Yet, I felt I wasn’t worthy to even ask him for diksha
then. He was also so merciful by giving
us the Chaitanya Charitamrita and our first Sri Sri Gaur Nitai Deities.
Krishna was very merciful when he
allowed us to visit his holy dhaam Vrindavan for the first time this January
2013. As I was walking in the holy dhaam with KC, one thought kept coming to me
again and again and again. “I should approach Gurudev for his shelter” Even
though I didn’t consider myself worthy, he was so merciful that he called me (because
he didn’t get to reply to my email – so merciful and kind) and asked “What is
on your mind?”
That’s when I revealed my mind to
my dear Gurudev and asked formally for his shelter on March 7th 2013
at 7pm on Vijiya Ekadasi day. I’m a wretched fallen soul and I’m ever so
grateful to him for giving me his sweet shelter. I have accepted him as my bonafide spiritual
master with my body, mind, intelligence and soul and will remain so even if he
handles me roughly by his embrace. I will try to eternally satisfy him and am ready
to serve him completely.
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