These books are not just for selling. They are for reading.

Word spreads all over the Eastern seaboard of Prabhupada's imminent arrival in New York. Devotees from as far north as Montreal and Toronto, and as far west as Detroit and Chicago, arrive at the Brooklyn temple, excited to see and hear His Divine Grace. With the public theater performances over, the Road Show can no longer afford to pay rent on the Dome, so they vacate and move over to the Spiritual Sky loft on Tiffany Place where ISKCON Press is also located. Among the devotees visiting New York are Bhagavan and Indradyumna, who have arrived a few days earlier from Detroit. They have timed their visit to coincide with Prabhupada's arrival. Actually, they are in New York to catch a flight to Europe where they will take over management of the Paris temple. Indradyumna: I remember big kirtans. Vishnujana Maharaja was leading some of those kirtans, so I was very enlivened to see him again. I was thinking, "I wonder if he'll remember me?" One morning I met him in the hall. "Maharaja, do you remember me?" I was really nervous. He looked at me and said, "Aahh, yes. Ann Arbor. Last year. We had wonderful prasadam and wonderful kirtans." That's all he said. I thought, "Wow, he knows who I am." I was in great awe and veneration. In those days to approach a senior devotee or a sannyasi was like approaching Lord Brahma. Then there was an announcement that Vishnujana Swami was going to lead out a kirtan party. Finally I got to chant again with Vishnujana. So we went out, and they brought Radha-Krishna Deities along. He had a bus there. Some devotees were complaining about taking Radha-Krishna out on the streets. I thought it was great because he sat down with a little harmonium and he was chanting. Because of the huge influx of people the temple authorities take advantage of the crowds to ban the ladies from entering the temple room during the morning program from now on. The temple president, Bali Mardan Goswami, accepted sannyasa in Los Angeles at the May 27 sannyasa initiation. As a new sannyasi he wants to be very strict. He doesn't want women in the Srimad-Bhagavatam class because they are too agitating for the men. Bimala devi dasi: The women were so upset. We were sitting in stairwells, or gathered in little huddles up on the third and fourth floors, while the Deity greeting was going on downstairs?and we were banned from it! But, suddenly, Silavati had this realization. She threw a different light on it. "This is Radha-Damodara! This is Their trademark. They just upset everything and stir up our spiritual feelings." When we realized that it was Krishna and not the temple authorities 'that we were being dealt with directly and it was part of Radha-Damodara's lila' we were thrown into this complete mood of separation, desiring to be in the temple room to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam. It was just to increase our anxiety for the morning program, to want to be there, to want to see the Deities, and to want to hear class. Silavati would always tell us these wonderful Radha-Damodara pastimes. Sure enough, the mandate only lasts one day. The next morning women are again allowed into the Bhagavatam class as normal. When Prabhupada arrives at the airport on Sunday, there are over four hundred devotees to greet him. Vishnujana leads the kirtan in the airport lounge with the intensely excited devotees already in ecstasy just to catch a glimpse of their spiritual master. After a short kirtan, Prabhupada gives a brief address for the press people that have gathered. In the meantime, Vishnujana and a few devotees hop into a car and head back to the temple so they can greet Prabhupada a second time. Many guests are already waiting at the temple to meet the spiritual master of the Hare Krishnas. Agnideva: I was living outside and visiting the temple. When I arrived that day, the devotees were all cleaning up. There was so much excitement, "Prabhupada is coming. He's at the airport." Everyone was always saying "Prabhupada said," so I had been wondering, "Who is Prabhupada?" Now I would find out. I went into the temple room and sat next to the vyasasana because I figured once he comes there will be a big crowd. So I reserved my seat. Then I heard people saying, "He's here. He's here." The door opened and in walked Vishnujana Maharaja, sun-tanned, real muscular, with bare arms holding his danda. He paid his obeisances, and I thought, "Is this him?" I thought he must be Prabhupada, "Boy, he's young!" Then Maharaja sat down and made everything clear. He spoke for about five minutes to prepare us, the guests in the temple, that we're going to meet the greatest soul on earth. Vishnujana had a way of speaking that was very dramatic, and it opened our ears up to hear Prabhupada. When Prabhupada came in and spoke, he instilled an urgency to take up the mission. I made plans that I better get it together. Six months later I moved in. Girijadhava: At the Sunday feast in Toronto, I said, "Where are all the devotees?" "They went to New York because Prabhupada is coming." So for that whole Sunday feast I was thinking, "I wish I was in New York. What am I doing here? Prabhupada is in New York." After the feast I washed the pots and asked anyone if they would like to go to New York and see Prabhupada. One devotee wanted to go. So we left that moment and drove all night. When we arrived at the Brooklyn temple early the next morning, we saw all these devotees in their saffron robes just floating down the street. It was so pleasing to see. During class, the only thing I can remember Prabhupada saying was, "These books are not just for selling. They are for reading. They are for you to read. If someone comes up and asks what is in these books, and if you do not know, that will not reflect well on your spiritual master." Also in attendance is Damodara dasa from the Q Street temple in Washington. He is fully prepared to meet with Prabhupada and reclaim his Radha-Damodara Deities from the Road Show. As temple president, Damodara is able to gain access to speak with Srila Prabhupada. They briefly discuss the dispute over the traveling Deities. Prabhupada agrees to meet later in the day with Vishnujana Swami to settle the matter. It is late in the afternoon, when Vishnujana Maharaja and Damodara arrive for the meeting in Prabhupada's office. Prabhupada begins by requesting Damodara to state his case. Damodara has come fully prepared with receipts, and a copy of the letter of credit sent to India, which he presents to His Divine Grace. "Srila Prabhupada, I purchased these Deities for the Washington temple, and I have the bill of sale." As Prabhupada glances over the bill of sale, the bill of lading, the notifications from the Port Authority and the trucking company, Damodara explains how he had only loaned the Deities to Kirtanananda Swami, who had promised to return Them. Prabhupada looks up at his young sannyasi. "Vishnujana Maharaja, what do you say?" "You cannot purchase Krishna with a bill of sale, Srila Prabhupada." "Yes," Prabhupada answers, smiling, very pleased with the remark. "That is right." For a moment, Prabhupada gazes at a Deity that stands in his room. He then turns to Damodara and gestures towards the black marble Krishna, the original Krishna Deity in ISKCON, which had been there in New York since the inception of the movement. "This Govindaji Deity you may take. Install Him in Washington, along with Radharani that Yamuna can arrange. You may request Yamuna to provide Radharani for Krishna." Within moments, Prabhupada settles the dispute to the satisfaction of both parties. Damodara dasa: This beautiful Deity was given to Srila Prabhupada at the 26 Second Avenue temple by a certain Mr. Sharma. The Deity was never installed but nevertheless placed on the altar in 1967. I vividly remember dancing in front of Him and having all kinds of "realizations." He was just standing on the altar, on the lower tier. When Lord Jagannath was installed, this Deity was given a place of honor up on the top tier in His own little house, sometimes peeking discreetly from behind a curtain of white gauze. At first we didn't give Him a name, but by the time the temple moved to 61 Second Avenue, we were calling Him Govindaji. He was ensconced in a glass display case on the left wall of the temple room on the second floor. Prabhupada said we should treat Him like a picture, so certain amenities were observed, if not pujas. He was given a spray bottle shower every day. His position grew in importance with the move to Brooklyn, where He took up residence in Srila Prabhupada's quarters, for the first time wearing clothes other than the marble ones He brought with Him. So now Prabhupada wanted Him to go to DC to preside over the devotees there. The arrangement was made that we contact Yamuna in Vrindavana who would arrange a very nice Radharani Deity. We were to get nothing but the best. I personally had always enjoyed gazing at the Govindaji murti. He was like an old friend. We were all very attached to Him at that time.

One of the guests coming to see Prabhupada is a young American with long matted hair, wearing yogi pants and kurta. He has recently returned to America after two years in India. He had originally met Prabhupada during the Bombay pandal programs of March 1971, when he was studying the writings of Shankaracarya and taking a Buddhist meditation course in Bombay. Radhanath: I was living in the Himalayas, in caves and on riverbanks, going to different gurus, different yogis, and learning meditation and philosophy. While I was traveling in India, I went to so many gurus and so many Maths. When I met Prabhupada, I thought, "This is a very great saint, but there are so many great saints. I must continue traveling." So I just wasn't ready then. I'll never forget that first day. I was there in the middle of the audience in Bombay. There were tens of thousands of people at the program in Cross Maidan. Gurudasa preached to me a little during the day. The first night Prabhupada was speaking, Gurudasa was looking for someone on stage. Then he started waving. There were so many Bombay aristocrats there, and I was just a penniless beggar, the most insignificant person in that whole audience. But Gurudasa came down and said, "Prabhupada wants you to sit on stage with him." He took me on stage, and Prabhupada looked at me and smiled, seeing this westerner with long matted hair and yogi clothes. He asked me to sit right next to him. Later, when Prabhupada was getting off the stage, I went to touch his feet. I was used to touching holy men's feet, but one devotee immediately stopped me, "No one touches Prabhupada's feet." Then Prabhupada looked at that devotee and said, "He can touch my feet." Prabhupada looked at me and just stood there with his feet available. He smiled, and I touched his feet. Then he smiled again and said, "Hare Krishna." So he was very kind upon me and gave me such causeless mercy. I spent about ten days with him, and I thought he was wonderful. I had no money, so I went to beg money to get a KRiShNA book. I was very serious about finding God. Soon I went back to the Himalayas and was living near Dharamsala. I was studying at the monastery of the Dalai Lama, but living in a cave because I wouldn't live indoors. The cave was a forty-five minute walk through the jungle, and I had this KRiShNA book which I used to read during the day. At night the cave was pitch dark, and there were snakes and scorpions in there. It was by Krishna's grace that I survived. When reading the KRiShNA book, every time Prabhupada spoke against mayavadis or impersonalists, it would be just like darts in my heart. Why does he keep doing this to me? I couldn't handle it because I began my spiritual life as an impersonalist in the Himalayas. I loved him, and I loved when he would talk about Krishna, but I couldn't tolerate his criticism of the impersonalists. So I gave the book away. I ended up in Vrindavana a year later. I was just passing through and I got typhoid, so Krishna wouldn't let me leave. By the time I got better, I had decided to be a Brijbasi for the rest of my life. Then Prabhupada came again with about twenty devotees. Nanda Kumar was the pujari. Gurudasa, Syamasundara, Yamuna, and Malati were also there. So in Vrindavana I accepted him as my guru without any official initiation, but I was following his principles. Because I was meeting so many gurus who all wanted me to take initiation, I had made a vow during my travels that until I know that I'll never leave a particular guru, I'm not going to accept initiation, and I won't shave my head, because shaving the head means total surrender to guru. After spending two years in India I was on my way back to America. I stayed for several weeks at the Bury Place temple in London. Revatinandana Swami was in charge then. He had a room way up on the top floor. We spoke together for quite a while and he was asking me about India because he had also just returned shortly before. I told him I was going to New York and he said, "When you go to America, there is a devotee, he is my cousin, and he's the most wonderful devotee. You must meet him. He's such an ecstatic devotee and he loves Krishna so much. His name is Vishnujana Swami." With tears in his eyes he was praising Vishnujana Maharaja. So just by hearing from such a wonderful devotee about Vishnujana Maharaja, already I felt a very deep attachment to him. I arrived in Florida and a few days later heard that Srila Prabhupada was coming to New York. I immediately hitchhiked to New York and accompanied the devotees to the airport to meet Prabhupada. The next morning, Vishnujana Maharaja led mangala-arati. It was such a sweet, wonderful kirtan. After the arati I approached this person and said, "That was a very beautiful kirtan, Maharaja. What is your name?" "My name is Vishnujana Swami." "Oh, I just met your cousin, Revatinandana Swami." He was very happy. Immediately, there was such a loving exchange. He was praising Prabhupada, praising the devotees, and praising Krishna. Whenever Prabhupada comes to New York, hundreds of devotees converge on Henry Street, leaving the locals no place to park their cars. Without thinking, some devotees park in people's driveways, and some even spend the night in their vans. Vishnujana Maharaja also parks the Deities' bus at the corner of Henry Street on Kane Street by the side of the temple. Due to so many vehicles, there is a tremendous traffic jam. The neighborhood people quickly become disturbed and there is a backlash in the form of complaints to the temple. Vishnujana tries to ease the situation by inviting the neighborhood kids on the bus for kirtan and prasadam. But one evening as Maharaja chants japa outside the bus, a neighborhood boy walks up, points to the bus window and says, "One, two, three. Tonight." Seeing his gesture of attack, Vishnujana gets angry and immediately chastises the boy, sending him away quite frightened. But the boy later returns with his father. The man is roaring like a demon and begins furiously kicking on the door of the bus. Devotees pour out of the temple to defend Radha-Damodara inside the bus. A huge argument ensues, with more neighborhood people gathering and shouting at the devotees. The altercation becomes more than verbal and someone calls the police. Just before everything gets out of hand, the police arrive and everybody cools down. But the locals vow to return for revenge. A few days later, Prabhupada leaves for London and all the visiting devotees return to their temples. After everyone has left, the local teenagers return with a big gang late one evening, and a temple car is set ablaze. Next, they break one of the front windows and throw firecrackers inside the temple. This erupts into another fight and the police have to come once again. Order is finally restored, but feelings remain tense between the devotees and their neighbors. Vishnujana feels responsible for causing the whole imbroglio, although everyone in the temple agrees that Maharaja acted properly to protect the Deities. Nevertheless, to avoid further confrontation, Vishnujana decides that the Road Show buses will leave for Buffalo, where they already have an invitation to perform for Ratha-yatra. Two newcomers, who had only come to New York to see Srila Prabhupada, also leave with the show. Santosh is a brilliant keyboard player and his wife, Sravaniya, is a singer of the stature of Grace Slick. They were part of a small rock show that Bhagavan dasa had put together in Detroit, trying to emulate the Road show success. But with the departure of Bhagavan for Paris, they are offered the opportunity to merge their show with Vishnujana's program and immediately agree. Mandalesvara, who works at ISKCON Press, decides to take a few months off and travel with Vishnujana's bus party. He is deeply attracted to Radha-Damodara, and although happily married, he just wants Maharaja's association for a while. But Vishnujana emphatically disagrees. "The Press is Prabhupada's heart. If you were to go that would be like taking a valve out of Prabhupada's heart." When the buses leave for Buffalo, Mandalesvara feels painfully unfortunate to be left behind.