Thursday, May 3rd, 2012

Honouring A Saint

 

Columbus, Ohio

Even before the day's end, I felt compelled to insert in the Walking Monk blog, something about Jayanada, a great American saint, whose anniversary of passing will be tomorrow.

 

My host Dayal Nitai has in his personal possession some original handwritten letters from Jayananda to a godfriend, Puru Das, from 1977, just days before Jayananda died from cancer. In a pouch that Dayal keeps is a copy of Jayananda's report card from grade 1, then known as James Kohr. Also, there's a photo of him as a cute kid, sitting next to his grandmother with his birthday cake at age 3. It's precious stuff for sure.

 

Here are excerpts from two of his inspiring hand written letters, scripted and sent not long before he left us:

1-21-77

 

Srila Prabhupada has always readily sacrificed all personal consideration for the higher purpose of delivering the fallen souls.... Srila Prabhupada showed us that we should pray that Krishna allow us to tolerate the reactions. It all is our past misdeed, but that He always gives us the recollection that we are nothing more than a tiny servant of the Almighty Absolute, as revealed to us by the unflinching mercy of our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. So I pray that somehow I can always have that recollection.

 

2-28-77

 

I left the clinic after 3 weeks, as it didn't seem that much was going on. It always sticks in my mind that if Krishna doesn't want me to die, then no one can kill me, and if Krishna doesn't want me to live, then no one can save me. So I was feeling that the best thing was to come to Los Angeles, and get back into the temple program and depend completely on Krishna. 

7 Km