The Pure Devotee Within the ISKCON Movement

A lwAys E mbr A c E d by K åñë A

arrived for our fire yajïa, dressed in our fifty-rupee new wedding säré and dhoté a few days later.

Much to our surprise, we were informed by Tamohära prabhu that Bhagavat prabhu had chosen to run away through the fields the night before, when authorities had come for him, due to his outstaying his visa. He was headed to New Delhi to sort out the matter. Gour Govinda Mahäräja kindly offered to be our priest.

As the ceremony commenced, we realised there would just be the three of us involved, sitting in the sun around the fire, on the baked earth in the middle of the compound.

At times, Tamohära prabhu exited the kitchen hut nearby to witness the progress, but soon returned to his service. He was busy cooking the ‘feast’ of rice, däl and subjé.

There was nothing elaborate about the fire yajïa. It was a simple, quick ceremony. After the wedding feast, we returned to Cuttack and went out collecting for the Bhubaneswar temple.

He Was the Perfect Example

Ambikä devé däsé: We remained in Cuttack from January 1978 to August 1979, when we returned to Australia. Over that time, our service for the Bhubaneswar temple did not alter. We made life members and collected funds from books and magazine sales for Çré Çré Gaura-Nitäi.

I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to assist in service in those early days of the Orissan ISKCON temple, and to have been able to assist Çréla Gour Govinda Mahäräja in some tiny way. He demonstrated his love for Çréla Prabhupäda and Çré Çré Gaura-Nitäi through constant service, through his

C hapter 16 I sk C on o r I ssa

affectionate dealings with the devotees and by rising above all austerities and challenges at all times. He was the perfect example of uninterrupted and unmotivated devotional service to guru and Kåñëa.