Extra-Ordinary Dhambhasi

September 16^th 2010

Yesterday was Radhastami, the most important day of the year, the day we honor Sri Radha without whom there is no access to Krishna. She is sometimes described as Krishna Himself as she cannot be separated from Him for even in separation He never leaves her mind and heart. Please visit the Mayapur.TV Archives to see all that happened in Mayapur on this most auspicious day; it was truly ecstatic for the thousands of devotees present.

On Radhastami I met a neighbor I had not talked to before. I spoke about ordinary dhambhasis in a previous blog. This servant of Radha is an extraordinary dhambhasi. From the first time I saw her she reminded me of a manjari, a young sakhi, not because of her natural beauty but more her joyful way of being, her inner beauty. Of course I had not been in her living space yet and had not spoken to her, just felt a little of her energy, her way of being.

She asked me if I wanted to see her Prabhupada, “yes of course”. I was expecting a nice Prabhupada deity. She did have a nice Prabhupada deity, one that actually looks like Srila Prabhupada but there was much more than that to be seen. Her room, the room right next to mine was glowing with cheerfulness. First there was Srila Prabhupada’s office , on what is meant to be the built-in desk, in these rooms, it was perfect and complete replica of Srila Prabhupada’s rooms: slippers, kartals, lamp, book, reading glasses, everything.

Behind the door is a cement shelving provided with the rooms, this is where Srila Prabhupada’s bedrooms was. Where a bed for the resident is usually located, Srila Prabhupada has a temple room with small Radha Govinda playing in a forest with wild animals and Nimai Nitai for actual worship. In this way I found out that Srila Prabhupada is my neighbor.

On the balcony resides the servant, that manjari-like vaisnavi. Her clothing, her humble working table… her bed is folded away in the morning and stows away above the kitchen. It is too small to be able to take a good picture, may be 4'X7' , srila Prabhupada's kitchen is attached to his servant's quarters.

You can meet many kinds of dhambhasis in Mayapur. I have Srila Prabhupada as a neighbour on one side with his servant, and Giriraj on the other side, what more could I have expected. I will have to tell about Giriraj another day.

More next time.

Happily and slowly taking one step at a time towards Radha and Krishna's Love.

your ever servant of the servants