Books Bring Pujari to Bhakti, Now He Returns the Favor in His Service to Srila Gurudeva’s Samadhi-Sthali Mandir in Sri Navadvipa Dhama

Posted on May 2, 2011 by admin-vasanti 3 Comments

Report written by Kundalata dasi

At Srila Gurudeva’s Samadhi-Sthali Mandir in Sri Navadvipa Dhama, various devotees can be seen chanting their harinama, performing kirtans, stringing flower gardens, sweeping the area, and rendering other services. One devotee who not only does the above but also performs arati and offers bhoga to Srila Gurudeva daily is the current pujari of Srila Gurudeva’s Samadhi-Sthali Mandir, Gadadhara dasa Brahmacari of South America.

Gadadhara Prabhu was born in Medellín, Colombia. In the early 1990s, while he was a university student, someone gave his father two books on Krsna consciousness, which his father then turned over to him. Too busy to look at them at the time, he carefully saved them in his library and read them two years later. Transformed by the books, he began to look for the devotees everywhere and found them one day chanting the Hare Krsna mahamantra in the park. He followed the devotees back to the temple, and one week later he gave up his home to move in with them.

In 1996, after completing several years of service at the temple, he heard about Srila Gurudeva’s program in Marina del Ray, California. This was Srila Gurudeva’s first harikatha tour in the US. Gadadhara Prabhu traveled to California and had his first darshan of his spiritual master. “He captured my heart,” he recalls fondly. “I remember his big blue eyes.” During the next few years, he followed Srila Gurudeva to many of his North American harikatha festivals, and in 1999 he received initiation.

Gadadhara Prabhu feels extremely blessed to have received the service of being pujari at Srila Gurudeva’s Samadhi-Sthali Mandir. The circumstances by which he came into the service were remarkable. At first, another devotee had been asked to be the pujari, but he fell ill and could not take on the service. Then yet another devotee was approached, but he too was sick and could not take on the service either. One of them suggested that Gadadhara Prabhu be given the service, and he happily accepted. He hopes that if Srila Gurudeva and all the vaisnavas are happy with his service, he will be able to continue it for the rest of his life.

Because books brought him to Krsna-consciousness, Gadadhara Prabhu recognizes the importance of book distribution. On different holy days, many pilgrims travel to Navadvipa and visit Sri Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha and Srila Gurudeva’s Samadhi-Sthali Mandir. Many of them have not heard much about Srila Gurudeva, his mission, and his teachings, but are curious to know more. Gadadhara Prabhu responds by giving them sponsored small books such as The Way of Love (known in Bengali as Premera Patha), The Butter Thief (Makhana Cora), and Secrets of the Undiscovered Self (Atmara Gopaniya Rahasya), which they appreciate greatly. At the moment, he understands only minimal Bengali, but he hopes to learn the language fully in order to communicate with the Bengali pilgrims and become a better distributor of Srila Gurudeva’s Bengali books.

Most of the books distributed in Bengal have been printed with funds donated through the GVP Book Distribution Sponsorship Program. The first Bengali printing of The Way of Love (10,000 copies) and Secrets of the Undiscovered Self (10,000 copies) occurred in 2009. These books were distributed for free to the pilgrims at Sri Navadvipa Dhama Parikrama. The following year saw the printing of 10,000 copies of The Butter Thief, also given out to pilgrims during the parikrama. In 2011, 5,000 more copies of Secrets were printed. Through your generous donations, these and other books of Srila Gurudeva will continue to be printed and distributed by dedicated preachers throughout Bengal, India, and the entire world.