Radha-Damodara Land Issue

Gurudas: We went to Mr. Saraff's house, and he had just decided to give us the land in Raman Reti. There was a slip of paper that said "yes" and a slip of paper that said "no." Our friend Shamadevi from London and Kenya and Vrindavan also wanted this piece of land. She had an ashram down the street in Raman Reti, and this would be an expansion for her. She was vying for it. Radharani arranged so that we picked the right slip of paper that said "yes" and so Mr. Saraff was finalizing this process at his house, signing the papers and the deeds. Shyamasundara was with me, and he had a portable typewriter and he was making this draft. At the same time, Gourachand Goswami and Madan Mohan Goswami had shown up because they were contending and wanting money for Prabhupada's rooms in Radha-Damodara Temple. At the same time, Prabhupada had sent me to Mathura to arrange for these rooms for life as a seva. It's a technicality.

So we were also drawing up this draft. The interesting thing is that even though Madan Mohan Goswami and Gourachand Goswami lived across the same courtyard in Radha-Damodara Temple, they were not speaking and they were both in Goswami families. So Prabhupada put Gourachand Goswami in one room, Madan Mohan Goswami in another room. I was going from room to room. Shyamasundara was making up documents. At the same time, Shamadevi came with a member of Parliament and a policeman to try and contest this land being given to Prabhupada. We put her in another room. So Mr. Sharaff's house was full of people who were not talking and arguing and contending, and Shyamasundara was making up documents. At this point, Krishna das Babaji shows up, Prabhupada's godbrother. Somehow or other, he always knew when Prabhupada was coming to Vrindavan. This was not announced, there was no emails, and he shows up from Radha Kund and he laughs and chants. He didn't speak much. He laughed a lot, he chanted a lot. One time he left his bead bag in Anand's room and we immediately had a poll, how fast he would be to return to get it. I said, "Well, at least within the minute," and sure enough he came back and got his beads. So I called Prabhupada "the ringmaster" because he was like a circus ringmaster, taming clowns and lions and contesting people. And all the documents were drawn up, we got the rooms in Radha-Damodara for life, we got the land, Shamadevi couldn't do anything, and Krishna das chanted and laughed. And it was a wonderful day at Mr. Saraff's house.