Qualification

Why a Srila Gour Govinda Swami website.

What prompted me to publish a Srila Gour Govinda Swami website.

The question may arise why a disciple of Srila Bhativedanta Narayana Maharaja creates a website devoted to Srila Gour Govinda Swami. What made me compelled to do so?

Given that the only reasonable skillset I have is centered around web design, and I can utilise these skills to make websites based on spiritual topics, I do so. Since Isadas already has posted a plethora that is possibly every recording of Srila Narayana Maharaja compared to which posted recordings of Srila Gour Govinda Swami are as rare as hen's teeth, and since I have at my disposal the means to post a few of SGGS's lectures I view it my combined duty and pleasure to post these lectures.

Furthermore, please consider the time I spent at the lous feet both of His Divine Grace Srila Gour Govinda Swami both in Bhubaneswar and elsewhere, and the beautiful relationship we developed over the few years whilst I was fortunate enough to have his association. Some people are billionaires, others have amazing karma; I am a wretched dog, yet, having tasted nectar at his lotus feet, by his generous mercy, Srila Gour Govinda Swami has made me many times more fortunate than any mere billionaire.

Birds of a feather worship together

S ince so many wonderful disciples of SGGS came into my life, teaching me about Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga, I naturally became very aware of, and rather interested in knowing Srila Gour Govinda Swami. Meeting Srila Gour Govinda Swami shook so much of the dust off my soul that my life has seemed so much clearer, and my heart so much lighter, that it is as if I have a completely new life.

Jagadish Pandit prabhu took me to Cessnock to meet His Divine Grace and, later, Gokula Das das delivered me right to his holy, lotus feet in his little mud hut, bhajan kutir, at Bhubaneswar.

Srila Gour Govinda and "me"

I first heard the name Gour Govinda Swami in the early 1990s, about 1990 or '91 when Nimai Pandit das and Jagat Pati das visited my home town whilst they were distributing books. They spoke very enthusiasticly regarding his purity and how one could advance rapidly by taking the association of a pure devotee. Later, Jagat Pati posted me some taped lectures; these tapes became my first actual experiece of Srila Gour Govinda Swami.

Some time later, whilst His Grace Jagadish Pandit was doing sticker seva in the deep north where we lived, we became good friends and Jagadish convinced me to fly to Sydney with him to meet SGGS during his 1992 visit to Australia.

Don't be slack!

As fate would have it, I met His Divine Grace at Cessnock a couple of days prior to his arrival in Sydney. Juggie introduced me to Srila Gour Govinda in such glowing terms that I began to wonder if it was perhaps I who was the pure devotee and not the other way round.

It soon became abundantly clear that I was the fallen soul and not vice versa as during my first conversation with him I admitted that in spiritual matters I was sometimes a "little" slack, to which Srila Gour Govinda Swami replied with a resounding "Don't be slack!" Heady times, and I have never regretted a moment of the relationship that followed that October evening.

We stayed a few more days after Cessnock at North Sydney temple drowning in the nectar issuing from the lotus feet of Srila Gour Govinda Swami. I bid my farewells and returned to my job in North Queensland, until some time later when my dear friend Dina Bandhu das called us on the telephone with a plan of how to get Srila Gour Govinda Swami to spend some time in Cairns, where I lived in those days. We feverishly went begging the necessary funds from our kind associates. Jumbavana das and Krsna Prema and Bhavani mataji, among others, contributing generously to the requirements and viola, Cairns was on Srila Gour Govinda Swami's next itinery.

Of course, bk Terry had absolutely no idea how to look after a visiting sannyasi of this calibre, my only previous experience was my friend Ramai Swami whom I occasionally referred to as "mate" and who kindly understood my ignorant lack of respect for the sannyasi ashram.

Srila Gour Govinda Swami, on the other hand, could hardly be called mate. To compensate for my lack of ability in the arena of hosting dignitaries, krsna kindly sent Gokula Das das and Paramananda Puri das and his lovely wife Brajakishori dd to assist with the duties of looking after His Divine Grace, and Raga Manjari didi and her beautiful sister kindly manned our little kitchen cooking up a delicious storm for all the devotees.

Rakshana prabhu with Saksi didi were there the whole time to lend their keen intelligence and helping hands. SGGS really liked Rakshana and refused to commence the public program till Rakshana arrived. Altogether we had a small crew of around 15 devotees, very intimate. Two of the far north's other devotee residents, Ivitsa and Diana brought a movie camera along and Ivitsa filmed the whole thing, although I've no idea of what eventually happened to the films. Everyone cooperated together nicely in a sweet mood. Thanks friends, you all did such a fabulous job.

Nectarean Service

While Param picked up SGGS from the airport, Gokula gave us a crash course in the do's and don'ts of serving Srila Gour Govinda Swami properly and later on Sriman Caitanya Candra filled in the gaps, showing bn Kerry, my good wife, chief cook, babysitter, seva machine, and bottlewasher, how to cook dalma the way His Divine Grace liked it.

It all worked out fine apart from the poor attendance at our public program and over the four or five days of his visit we had Srila Gour Govinda Swami pretty well all to ourselves. An altogether exhilarating experience. Amazing good fortune is a feeble understatement. The term, canyon depth samskaras might hint at the overall effect. During Srila Gour Govinda's sojourn in Cairns he intimated to me that I should live in Bharat. My good friend Bobbi, now Bhadra dasi, told me that since I had been invited I "had to go".

Bhubaneswar

The months flew by and saw me flying to Bhubaneswar to spend the best part of 1994 sitting at the lotus feet of Srila Gour Govinda Swami, an unbelievable experience. I never really understood how devotees could stay in India for a few weeks and then return to the old country (albeit on the insistence of their temple president who probably needed their services). My personal experience of India is that one needs a minimum three months to even settle in.

Srila Gour Govinda Swami seemingly unable to pronounce the name Terry, kept calling me Mr Cherry till one day Pushkaraksha das said on my behalf, "Terry, terrific", upon which SGGS laughingly replied "Terrific? TERRIBLE". From that day onwards I became Mr Terrible, a name I shall treasure forever.

Before leaving Bhubaneswar I requested initiation from Srila Gour Govinda Swami who accepted but pointed out that (according to the GBC rules) I would have to wait a little longer. Meanwhile he went on tour (England and Europe, I believe, about Aug '94) and a little while later I returned to Australia due to an expired visa and for family reasons. I saw Srila Gour Govinda Swami again in Australia a few weeks later during his 1994 tour.

You Came!

To be quite honest, even though Srila Gour Govinda Swami was my life and soul, my everything, and only too well I understood what he meant to me, I didn't actually consider that I was overly important to him, till October 1994 when I saw SGGS for the first time since we were both in Bhubaneswar at the same time.

We came a little late to his arrival address having travelled many, many miles by road from Cairns in Northern Queensland to Murwillumbah in New South Wales to once again take his amazingly beautiful association. After his address he turned to me and said in no uncertain terms, "Terry, you came."

Stunned, I nearly fell off the planet, and began to realise from the plaintif tone of his voice just how deeply sadhu feels for his followers and disciples. Until then I hadn't realised that Sri Guru feels separation from those who accept him as guru.

Much of the time I kept in touch with SGGS via written correspondence and through listening to taped lectures. I only had about 200 to 250 taped lectures and these were listened to over and over and over till they had burned neurological pathways into my brain, heart, and soul.

Realising that I had a family to look after, indeed a family who had endured much to assist me in spending an extended time with His Divine Grace, I spent quite some time after that in Australia working, chanting, and getting to know the Canberra yatra. I again sat at the lotus feet of Srila Gour Govinda Swami during his Australian tour in 1995. Even though I was saving money to return to Bhubaneswar, to be able to accept initiation in Bhubaneswar, that was to be the last time I would see him in person; I never did get to receive my initiation from Srila Gour Govinda Swami in India or anywhere else.

Before even six more months had gone by he had entered samhadi. When handed the telegram advising us of his departure, in mid February of 1996, I read it but it made no sense to me. The impact was too great and too sudden to be processed, my heart and mind disallowing it. Later it struck me hard, devastatingly hard and yet also bittersweet, for while the separation tore me apart the remembrance was sweet. About a week later he appeared to me in a dream, I shortly awoke, fell to the floor offering obesiances and cried tearfully, "Gurudeva, you came!" Now the shoe was on the other foot.

Beg Sri Guru from krsna

Perhaps now you understand a little of why I have created a Srila Gour Govinda Swami website. I am even more attached to the heart and the lotus feet of my Srila Narayana Maharaja who gave me the precious gift of diksa and who lives in my heart as a radiant, shining jewel that lights my journey into the depths of my very being.

Nevertheless, it was my Srila Gour Govinda Swami who first opened my heart to the possibility and practicality of love in Her purest form, thus Srila Gour Govinda Swami remains eternally my very dear friend and guide.

If it's even remotely possible to share some of that good fortune with another, it could be said that this website exists only because it may assist someone in their spiritual endeavours by offering you some insight into the divine love and beauty that is Sri Guru. Srila Gour Govinda Swami is Sri Guru. Pray to krsna and beg that He gives you Sri Guru. Only Sri Guru is genuine guru.

Accept no substitute.