18-19/JAN/2018 - Mumbai, India

(18-19/JAN/2018 - Mumbai)

Yesterday Guru Maharaj planned to go to Bhaktivedanta Hospital to get admitted for a day and get tapped and drain fluid from his abdomen. But somehow, as things get delay Guru Maharaj said, "Thursday especially Prabhupada said, we should not travel during 4:30pm to 7:30pm." So with some excuses it got cancelled and postponed to 19th.

Evening Guru Maharaj went to temple and prayed to Sri Sri Radha Rasabihari for long time and offered Arati to them - and then came back to his room and took his dinner, and Shyama Madhusudan Pr said, "Gopal Krishna Maharaj wants to meet you." Then Guru Maharaj said, "Yes! I am ready." And we heard that Maharaj will come in ten mins, but it took him 40mins. Meanwhile Guru Maharaj was doing exercises etc.

When Maharaj came he went on his kneel to offer obeisances to Guru Maharaj - but Guru Maharaj said, "No! Maharaj!" We can learn how much they are following very strictly all the etiquettes. Living as an example. He is 70+ years old. Then Guru Maharaj said, "Tomorrow I am going to Bhaktivedanta Hospital." Immediately Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja said, "Please visit our Mira Road ISKCON Temple. I will call and inform them." Then Guru Maharaj said, "Yes! I have been there, Sri Sri Radha Giridhari Temple." And Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja said, "I am leaving tomorrow to Jagannatha Puri, disciples yatra." Guru Maharaj asked, How many? 5000 disciples." Then Maharaj replied, "No! 3000." Guru Maharaj said, "So you will visit all Caitanya Mahaprabhu's lila places?" Maharaj said, "No! I will stay in one place and deliver one lecture a day." And Guru Maharaj showed Shyama Madhusudan Pr and said, "He is Jagannatha Devotee, he like Puri very much." Like this the discussion started and went for 30mins - and we all left the room - as there was a discussion about Management. Guru Maharaj went to bed early by 10pm.

Today Guru Maharaj schedule to leave around 10:30am to Bhaktivedanta Hospital. But, somehow things got delayed and got ready to leave around 12pm. I went and helped Guru Maharaj to get into the car and send off to the hospital. As Subhanga Govinda Pr and I are doing the Afternoon shift - we are told to bring Guru Maharaj lunch Prasadam. So Prasanna Gauranga Pr cooked the lunch and in Madhuri Mamatamayi Mataji's car we drove to the Hospital - it took around 1:15 hrs from Juhu - due to traffic.

Guru Maharaj went first to Sri Sri Radha Giridhari temple and took darshan and then went the hospital. Guru Maharaj is a VIP in Bhaktivedanta Hospital. And he got his room in the 5th floor. And Maha Varaha Pr and Dr. Acarya Ratna Pr were in the next room.

And we entered the room and Guru Maharaj was getting ready for his lunch. Meanwhile, to take blood tests a Mataji with the nurse and took the blood. And she said, now in Bhaktivedanta Hospital we got our own pathology lab in the 6th floor. And there was a devotee Kavin Pr - who is married to Guru Maharaj's disciple Kanchanambha Radhika Devi Dasi and they both are from Bangalore and they are running this Pathology lab. So your blood reports will be ready by one hour. And Guru Maharaj blessed everyone.

And Vraja Sundar Pr from Bhaktivedanta Hospital explained to Guru Maharaj about Bhaktivedanta Hospital development, how they are trying to have one more wing or 8 story building and a cancer care unit, etc. And it will have 100 beds. Guru Maharaj asked him, "How many deluxe rooms you will have?" He said, "12!" Then Guru Maharaj said, "I had a VIP room in ILBS Hospital." And Vraja Sundar Pr said, "Yes! I will discuss and we will have a VIP room here as well." And then he said, "My daughter got married to your disciple Rama Krishna Pr's son." Then Guru Maharaj said, "So we are connected now in many ways." and everyone laughed. "Yes!"

Then I got the chance to feed Guru Maharaj. Somehow, after coming to Mumbai I am getting chance to feed Guru Maharaj lunch and dinner and evening fruits as only myself and Subhanga Govinda Pr is there - and local devotees help us. I am not able to do much services as I do before some 8 years back. So, I feed Prasadam to Guru Maharaj and help Subhanga Govinda Pr in his services. And he knows, what are the medicines to give etc. So he is my shift leader now. And this 8 hrs is completely keeping us busy with Guru Maharaj. Today Guru Maharaj gave Mamatamayi Mataji service to serve Prasadam on his plate, and I fed Prasadam to Guru Maharaj. He finds way to engage disciples. Guru Maharaj doesn't like to see anyone without doing service and wasting time. Sometime devotees just come and see Guru Maharaj - and he asks them, "Do you have any question?" They say, "No!" But they just stand and watch him. One time he said, "It very very uneasy when people simply stand and watch you for one hour and speak nothing and doesn't ask any question. They can do some service or do something."

After his lunch, Guru Maharaj was joking and playing with Akarshaka Caitanya Prabhu. Guru Maharaj said, "Tell the Maha-Mantra in reverse." ACD said, "Hare Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Rama Hare, Hare Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Krishna Hare" then Subhanga Pr said, "Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare." Guru Maharaj was laughing! Then ACD said, "Mahatma Pr said in one article or video how there are 32types of chanters." And one type is Rollacosta and he enacted how devotees fall sleep while chanting, and Guru Maharaj was doing the same with him. Like this Guru Maharaj was mocking him an laughing.

Then we made Guru Maharaj to lay down on his bed. And Dr. Shyamlal Pr came and prepared for the tapping. Mean while as usual there was a question from Guru Maharaj "Which side is East?" And Maha Varaha Prabhu, Subhanga Pr, AKarshaka Pr everyone took their mobile and checked their compass and came to a conclusion that this is East. And finally, Guru Maharaj said, "I will keep my head on South Side." As there was picture of Srila Prabhupada - so Guru Maharaj said, I want to see Srila Prabhupada. Guru Maharaj always say, "Best is to keep our head on the Eastern side. Or second choice is South."

And after settling down - Dr. Shyamlal Pr got ready to tap Guru Maharaj's stomach with a needle and drain fluids. I can't see this. So I went and waited in Maha Varaha Pr's room. It was evening 5:15pm. Then I entered Guru Maharaj room, the fluid was getting filled in a 5 litre plastic can. And Guru Maharaj was feeling lot of pain - as he got in his buttocks, so when Guru Maharaj lay down, or sits on a hard surface - the pain was intolerable. As the tapping was going on and he was telling us - my back is paining a lot. But we couldn't do anything. Until the tapping get over - we can't move him or do anything. Estimated time for tapping was 1:30mins for six litres.

And I said to Guru Maharaj, "I got a pain killer for you. And I have seen that this pain killer only works for you. It is reading Caitanya Caritamrita." I asked him, "Shall I read?" He said, "Please read." The whole Caitanya Caritamrita is Nectar - but Guru Maharaj like Madhya Lila so much. So I selected Madhya Lila. And I thought, if we read South India Tour of Mahaprabhu, or Beda Kirtan, or Vrindavan Visit, or His Santipur Pastime - all these will give immediate ecstasy to Guru Maharaj - and if he get into ecstasy - and it will be difficult to control him. And it will also become disturbance for the treatment as his pulse rate it high. Thinking all of those, I selected the last chapter of Madhya Lila "How all the residence of Varanasi Become a Vaisnavas." Thought it is full of philosophical and mainly quotations so let me read this.

And I started to read, Guru Maharaj forgotten his pain in second verse which was, "Jaya Jaya Sri Caitanya Jaya Nityananda..." then I continued reading... until text 60. He was enjoying each and every line of Caitanya Caritamrita and Srila Prabhupada's purports. In this chapter Srila Prabhupada explains about six systems of philosophy. And one says, from atom is coming everything, another says from nature comes everything - when I was readying these lines - Guru Maharaj was saying "No!" And he was nodding his head and saying, "No!" From Krishna's body is material, "No!" When Krishna comes to this material world He get contaminated, "No!" Like this he was very much into it. And when Mahaprabhu say, "Harer Nama Harer Nama Verse," from his eyes tears started roll down, and said, "Yes! Yes!" He was in ecstasy. Seeing that... and Dr. Acharyaratna Pr was putting albumin - I stopped reading and went to Maha Varaha Pr's room.

If he gets into ecstasy. It also may give some trouble in this treatment time - thinking that. I went with Maha Varaha Prabhu to collect blood report. The personality with whom we are interacting - is most exalted associate of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. But due to ignorance most of the time I have done lot of offences. It is very difficult to serve Acharyas.

Around 7pm the tapping was over and 6 litres of fluid was taking out. Guru Maharaj did His Gayathri chanting. And when we came back, Shyama Madhusudan Pr also was back from his granny's home. As his grandpa is sick, he went to see them who staying near by Bhaktivedanta Hospital.

Guru Maharaj asked him, "How is your grandpa?" And he said about them, and about his preaching to them. And he took his grandma to temple, etc. Then Guru Maharaj got down and sat on his chair and took his dinner. And said, "Tomorrow morning I will be discharged and go to Juhu." And I told Guru Maharaj that, "I want to stay in Tamil Nadu for three months." Guru Maharaj asked, "Why?" "To prepare me to settle in my asrama. May be in some temple. And do some projects, and I will continue my service to Archives and Publications." He said, "Okay!" After Vyasa-puja.

After completing his dinner Guru Maharaj went to bed again to continue his albumin. Around 6 to 8 devotees were there to take Darshan of Guru Maharaj. And when I saw, I informed Maha Varaha Pr and he said, "No darshan, send them all. And ask them to come tomorrow morning 10am. While Guru Maharaj going to temple - then can take darshan. And Guru Maharaj is in this condition taking his treatment. It won't be nice to let the devotees in to take darshan." And I went and explained and sent all the devotees out. After 30mins, Guru Maharaj asked, "Is there any devotees outside?" And some devotee said, "Yes! The devotees came we sent them back - asked them to come tomorrow morning 10am." Guru Maharaj got angry, "I may leave the hospital around 8am. Go and bring all the devotees." And I said, "we sent the devotees 30mins back." Now it is 9pm. Now they must have gone back to their home." Guru Maharaj said, "No! You go to ground floor - they must be there." And we were not able to say no. So I went out, and one Mataji with her two kinds were standing outside. And she said, "I just came back to see, if I can get some Guru Maharaj maha-Prasadam." Then I said, "Juat wait - don't go anywhere." And went inside and told Guru Maharaj "one devotee has come back!" Guru Maharaj said, "I called her back." Then she came inside with her kids, Guru Maharaj blessed them all and asked her, "How are you?" She said, "I am not good!" Then Guru Maharaj asked her problems and blessed her. And gave hand to her kids, and made them cheerful - and then she went with joy of meeting Guru Maharaj. And I thought inside me as you all, "Why she has to say, I am not good? Guru Maharaj is in this health condition and he might feel bad, etc." But in a min, I thought - I should not think him as an ordinary person. Because, he has solution for everything — that solution is KRISHNA. And he has KRISHNA in his heart. And he is not affected by these three modes - he is Uttama. And he is here as a Guru to give solution. So, why we should think like this.

The night shift devotees came to join — Golokesvara Pr, Guru Gaura Krishna Pr and Nataraj Pr - and we took leave from Guru Maharaj. Thinking that tomorrow morning Guru Maharaj will get discharged and come to Juhu temple. (Personal Diary — Shyama Rasika Dasa)