Disappearance Day

Remembering Srila Guru Maharaj

Today is the fifteenth anniversary of the disappearance of Srila Guru Maharaj, Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. In a foreign land, with the help of all the Turkish devotees here at the Sri Govinda Math Yoga Center, I prepare to observe the anniversary of Srila Guru Maharaj's passing.

As the only sannyasi and the only disciple of Srila Guru Maharaj in the whole of Turkey, everybody is looking to me for guidance and direction (gulp!) on how to observe this holy day.

Many of the devotees here — Ramaray Prabhu, Phanibhusan Prabhu, Krishnendrani Devi Dasi, Rukmini Devi Dasi, Navagauri Devi Dasi, Vinodanandini Devi Dasi, Archana Devi Dasi — help to prepare a beautiful seat decorated with flowers, garlands, and candles for Srila Guru Maharaj, and to cook about ten different preparations for the feast.

About forty devotees and guests attend the program in the early evening. We sing some kirtans, Ramaray Prabhu reads a short biography of Srila Guru Maharaj, and Krishnendrani Devi Dasi interprets as I recollect some of my personal experiences with His Divine Grace during the brief period in 1983 when I attended his vyasa puja in Nabadwip.