Prabhupada told him to find the descriptions of the Annakuta ceremony observed by Nanda Maharaja and later by Srila Madhavendra Puri.
In mid-morning, Prabhupada, Jagadisha, Akshayananda, Bhagatji, and I went to visit the historic Radha-Damodara temple, Srila Prabhupada's spiritual base before he left for the West. We went by car and were greeted at the temple entrance by Gaur Chand Gosai. An old blind man, it was he who first invited Prabhupada in the late 1950s to move into the rooms where he lived for four years before coming to the West.
Prabhupada was pleased to be back. Gaur Chand's wife invited Prabhupada to sit on the porch on the side of the courtyard opposite to his rooms, laid out leaf plates, and then served a simple but appetizing meal. Srila Prabhupada ate heartily, supplementing a large mound of rice with dal, subjis, and chapatis. He ate more than he has for a long time and even had seconds. It was satisfying to see, although I was concerned about the after-effects it might produce because of his poor digestion. But Prabhupada didn't show any signs of discomfort and was in a expansive mood, obviously happy to be hosted by his old friends in the holy precincts of Srila Jiva Gosvami's matha. After the meal Prabhupada went over to his rooms. We sat for a few minutes in his residential room with him, bathing in his association. He also poked open the doors to his old kitchen and peered inside, but he didn't enter.
Walking around, Prabhupada was disappointed to note the deteriorating state of the buildings. If the property was offered, he told us, we could take it over and restore it. He also went around to where Srila Rupa Gosvami's bhajana kutira and samadhi are and offered his obeisances at the doors, with us following suit. Prabhupada surveyed the whole area, which has been bricked over recently, and shook his head in disapproval. He didn't like the change and said that when it was grass and earth it was much better.
Before we left, Gaur Chand invited Prabhupada to preside over a function at the temple on December 23rd. Prabhupada thanked him but expressed his regret and declined, telling the Gosai that he would probably be in Bombay and that it would be too difficult for him to attend. It is also very cold at that time of year, and because of his poor health he is not keen to remain in Vrindavana in the winter season.
As we were leaving from the old arched main gate, we heard a tiny, frail voice calling out several times from within a very small room in the side pier. Prabhupada stopped on the path and peered in from a distance. He had me go forward and look in. It was dark inside, but after a few seconds my eyes adjusted to the dim interior. I first saw a dog curled up in the middle of the Floor and then at the far wall, a wooden cot with what appeared to be a bundle of cloth on it. The cloth moved and there was another weak call; I realized that there was a wizened old woman lying there. I reported this to Prabhupada, and he told Jagadisa to go in and give her a five-rupee note. As we left the temple through the gateway, he told us that this old woman had formerly washed his cooker and done his shopping for him when he was resident in the early 1960s.
Srila Prabhupada was pleased with the upkeep of his rooms and was well satisfied with the visit, but he is concerned about their future maintenance and is considering how to preserve ISKCON's tenancy over them.
Reference: Transcendental Diary Volume 5 by Hari Sauri Dasa
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