AT RADHA-DAMODARA MANDIR

We were Godbrothers in regards to sannyasa. I had taken sannyasa before him, in 1954, and he took sannyasa in 1959. However, I always considered him my superior and behaved towards him like he was my siksa-guru. But Swamiji never treated me like a disciple; rather always like a bosom friend. He had me sitting on the same seat with him while we were chanting, remembering, doing kirtana, and sometimes making capatis together. He rolled the capatis and I put them on the fire and then we would offer them. We would sit on the same bed together. One time I came to visit and gave him my cadara, because he had no cadara to put on his bed. Only one torn quilt was there. The walls were crumbling apart but he was too absorbed in his bhajana and seva to care for that. He performed intense tapasya and sadhana in that kutira, in that most sacred tirtha. I feel fortunate to have received his association at the Radha-Damodara Temple. (Appendix 8)

During those years there at Radha-Damodara he was consumed in the writing of his translations and purports of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Whenever I visited him I would try to offer him assistance. In those days I was editing the Bhagavata-patrika which left me very little time. We would often associate together there-- in his little bhajan kutir. Sometimes we took prasadam with the Radha-Damodara Gosvamis. We also performed Radha-Damodara parikrama, walking together and paying respects at the samadhis of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, Srila Jiva Gosvami, Srila Krsnadas Kaviraja Gosvami, and especially Srila Rupa Gosvami.

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From the beginning he had strong sankalpata (determination) to go to the West. He had nurtured that idea for a long time . Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada had requested him to preach there. Even before he took sannyasa he was completely committed to going to the Western countries to preach. That is why he was translating Bhagavad-gita and writing books in English. With great determination he was accomplishing all this writing exclusively for that purpose. When he was residing at Radha-Damodara Mandir in his kunira he had no money or facility, but he was not in any dilemma about what to do. He was always thinking that somehow or other it would be possible to arrange to preach in the West. He was praying to Sri Radha-Damodara and all the acaryas for Them to bring him there. At this time he told us about several special incidents where his Gurudeva, his worshipable Lords Sri Radha-Damodara, Srila Rupa and Jiva Goswamis and others had given him internal encouragement and directions to execute his mission.