OUR FIRST MEETING

In 1947 I was in Calcutta as the personal servant to my Gurudeva. One day there was an inauguration of a new branch of the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti. It was a large assembly and many Vaisnavas were present there. During the lecture given by my Gurudeva, a grhastha devotee came in at the back door. Upon seeing him, Gurudeva stopped speaking and asked me to bring him forward. That devotee humbly hesitated to come forward, but my Gurudeva ordered that he come all the way to the front. Gurudeva gave so much respect to him and insisted he sit next to him on the platform. I looked up at Guruji, silently questioning, "Who is this devotee?" It was very rare that he had done like this with others. Afterwards he told me, "This is Abhay Caraaaravinda Babu, my dear Godbrother. He is a very special disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada. He is so humble and qualifed. You should take note of him, you should hear carefully from him, and you should serve him."

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At that time I would cook for Abhay Caranaravinda Prabhu and many of the senior Vaisaavasóbreakfast, lunch, everything. Also I would wash their clothes and clean for them. Abhay Caranaravinda Prabhu used to watch and he became pleased with me. He was happy to see my service for my Gurudeva and asked me many questions about myself- - where I was from and where and how I had joined the matha. We spoke together and he was satisfied with my replies. I also was very impressed with him and attracted to him. This is when I began my service to him in my heart and in my work.

I am thinking now how very fortunate I was to have met him so long ago and to have served him. We had so much affection for each other that I cannot open my heart to explain sufficiently. He stated in one of his letters to me that from the first time he saw me there was affection between us. He said that we shared a transcendental relationship of "spontaneous love", explaining that as from the beginning his Srila Prabhupada had such faith and love for him, so he similarly had love and well-wishing for me. (Appendix 4)

He was such a powerful speaker; his lectures were most influential. Reading translations from Srimad-Bhagavatam with word-for-word meanings, he would then give thorough explanations. What he spoke was very beautiful. In those days there were many senior disciples of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada such as Srila Sridhara Maharaja, Srila Tirtha Maharaja, Srila Srauti Maharaja, Srila Naimi Maharaja, Srila Yayavar Maharaja, Srila Audalomi Maharaja and Srila Vaikanas Maharaja. Srila Puri Maharaja, Srila Giri Maharaja and Srila Madhava Maharaja were junior at that time. All these disciples were like tigers and thunderbolts, being well versed in siddhanta. They would often come to visit my Gurudeva and I was able to serve them. But Abhay Charanaravinda Prabhu, even though he was then a grhastha living outside any matha, was considered by all to be extremely qualified. He was very bold and never compromised with anyone regarding his established siddhanta - never. He defeated and convinced everyone by his realized preaching.

In those days I often saw him associating with all of his Godbrothers. He had many deep friendships in all the temples where they assembled-- in Calcutta, Navadvipa, Chinchura, Allahabad, Bombay, and Delhi. He was often meeting with many Godbrothers, travelling to different mathas for celebrations and discussions, and behaving with affectionate dealings. When his Godbrothers gathered, he would show respect to them because he was a grhastha at that time. But even though he was married then, all the sannyasis and senior brahmacaris highly regarded him because he was a learned scholar and a potent, brave preacher. He was known by all to be abhaya, fearless. (Appendix 5)