Meeting Jayananda
by Rohini-suta dasa

It was during a lecture by Charles Berner that I first heard the Holy Name- Krsna. That was in 1967 at the Institute of Ability where in attendance were a dedicated following of X- Scientologist and other California spiritualist, truth seekers and hippies. Charles was married to my sister. But this story takes place about ten years later, in 1976. 

Sure enough, there in my hand was a letter from Charles inviting me back again to California to stay in his newly formed ashram. Timing could not have been more perfect so I got myself on a Greyhound Bus and headed out on the first leg of the journey: Saratoga Springs to New York City. I kept my $1100.00 folded neatly in my cowboy-shirt pocket, secured by a pearl snap. Once the bus arrived I planned to buy a ticket to California. About twenty minutes from Port Authority I looked in great disgust at all the tall buildings, eager for this leg of my journey to be over as soon as possible.

In my backpack I had a copy of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is  but since it had taken nearly three months to arrive after having paid for it, I was so mad at the sender (ISKCON) that I had refused to read it. But not so mad that I had abandoned it, all together. No, I planned to read it but by God, whoever they were, they should have shipped what they sold me immediately just like all the other people I had bought from, through the mail. A week or two at most. Not three months!

Just minutes before stepping off the bus I thought how nice it would be to meet some spiritual people and eat at a vegetarian restaurant. Those thoughts vanished as the bus came to a stop and more immediate concerns demanded my attention.

Ten steps isn’t far and that’s all I had taken when a young man approached me with a book (Gopal Acharya dasa). He handed me a single volume of Srila Prabhupada’s Chaitanya -charitamrta and as I gazed down at the beautiful picture on the cover I just knew I wanted it. Without him even asking for a donation I handed him ten dollars and started to walk away. But then I remembered how I had just been thinking about meeting some spiritual people and eating at a nice vegetarian restaurant and since I was very alert to spiritual omens, I turned around and asked the young man if he knew of a vegetarian restaurant nearby. This is how a few minutes later by taxi I first met Jayananda Prabhu who immediately took me under his wing.

His personality struck me as very pleasant. His voice had a friendly sound which he used to encourage me. He got me something to eat and since it was approaching evening, Jayananda suggested that I spend the night at the temple. Yes, this was where I was, on 55th street, smack dab in the middle of a Hare Krishna temple and he said I could stay in his room with him. I remember how we laid there talking for what seemed like hours.

One night turned into several, my money still in my shirt pocket. Encouraged by Jayananda I had now agreed to stay an entire week, all the while noticing how Jayananda was instrumental in providing the woman and children at the temple something to do. He would come driving up to the temple entrance in a big flat-bed truck and take everyone to Central Park for Harinam. I remember thinking how that was really cool of him to do that.

But then in my mind I started to worry about my money. I told Jayananda about it and he suggested that I simply leave it with the temple treasury. I was given a receipt and told that I could come get my money whenever I wanted it. I agreed and felt better that it was safe.

During these first few days living in the temple I was always impressed at the lavish worship of the Deities. I didn’t understand much but I remember thinking to myself that if there was such a thing as worshiping God , this had to be it.

The morning services had just concluded when Jayananda came over to me and asked me if I had seen all my money on the altar. He said that he had placed it all around the Lord’s lotus feet. Now my mind really started to race. Trying to remember if I saw my money, I just couldn’t recall. Trying to put two and two together; Jayananda just standing there wanting to know if I had seen all my money; trying to grasp what was happening; thinking how I had left Saratoga Springs determined to be like an leaf falling from tree, blown here or there, not to resist; I then began to think that if all my money had been given to God, how could I possibly ask God for it back?

Later that day Jayananda shaved my head, leaving me a really long sikha. This is how I joined the Hare Krishna Movement. To this day I am not sure if Jaynanda’s words about my money being on the altar was an actual fact or simply a huge transcendental bluff

Several months later I came back to the New York temple, this time under the wing of Ganapati Swami who was keeping me fully engaged helping with the day-to-day affairs of the famous Radha-Damodhara Traveling Bus Program. Again I got to hang out with Jayananda on different occasions. A time or two he handed me a picture of Srila Prabhupaada and asked if I would have it laminated for him. Another time, after his illness was well-known, he spent the entire night down in the kitchen tearing a stove apart, cleaning every part and putting it all back together. . He then flew to California for some experimental treatment. One day I was given a beautiful 8x10 glossy photo of Srila Prabhupada so I had it laminated and sent it to Jayananda, wanting to give him something that I knew he loved very much.

All Glories to my Friend, Jayananda!

posted 11.03.08