Praying to Jesus Christ for Krishna

Praying to Jesus Christ for Krishna

If your sincere God will find you.

This is the story of one young teenager who eventually became a devotee of Srila Prabhupada and Krishna by first going into the main Cathedral in Melbourne to pray to Jesus on February 17th 1972.

When this young man entered the great St Paul's Cathedral in the heart of Melbourne as a last resort to find some meaning and purpose to life, he went down on his knees in total helplessness and, with tears in his eyes, prayed to Jesus -

“Please, please my Lord use me in your service, in your plan, my life is now useless, it is better you use me in your plan to spread God Consciousness”

He prayed like this for about an hour, then to his surprise, a young Hare Krishna devotee in saffron robes walked in the Church (Shyamananda dasa is a brilliant artist who was admiring the various Christian paintings there).

This young man was very moved by Shyamananda’s simplicity and knew the mumbling he was hearing was like the rosary, yes, he was chanting the names of God, the Hare Krishna mantra.

This young man took this as a gift and message to his prayers from Jesus and was totally convinced Jesus was showing him the way and answering his prayers.

This young man was really amazed and could feel the presence of God all around him.

The Hare Krishna Movement was not new to him though, he did have previous association with devotees in October 1970 when he purchased a Back to Godhead Magazine off a devotee (number 36 magazine) who was visiting Melbourne from Sydney the only Temple in Australia at the time.

He also associated with Upananda dasa now Avadhoot Maharaj in May 1971 some 8 months earlier at the Sydney Paddington Temple and also at the Glebe Hereford street Temple in Sydney.

It was there he would read KRSNA BOOK to him while he cooked for Radha Gopinath, who had just been installed by Srila Prabhupada.

The young man now had tears in his eyes in this magnificent Cathedral seeing this young devotee Syamananda dasa and remembering his association in Sydney 8 months earlier in between taking LSD and visiting the Temple.

LSD did give him many realizations but only made him further realize God is not cheap and can never be found in a powerful psychedelic drug, the greatest realization from LSD was One must find a Spiritual living Teacher and surrender to him.

He never took his eyes off Shyamananda dasa as he walked around the Cathedral. When the Shyamananda left, the young man followed him out and watched what he thought was one of Gods angles, walk up the street.

The young man then walked no more than ten yards up Swanston st, Melbourne when a bubbling young girl in her mid teens approached him in a beautiful sari with flowers in her hair, he remembered her from 1970 and from Sydney Temple also in 1971 “Hari Bol'’ she said, then continued.

I’m with the Hare Krishna Movement and here is our magazine Back to Godhead, we are having a love feast tomorrow, come along and experience the ecstasy of Krishna Consciousness!

This young man was blown away, as they used to say back then, he was thrilled and truly believed Jesus had answered his prayers.

Probably the most astonishing thing was when he turned up the next day with his 10 year old brother (February 18th 1972); it was Lord Caitanya’s appearance day one of the most auspicious days in the Krishna Conscious calendar.

He then went on to play the part of Hari dasa Thakur in a play (because he had a scraggly beard) where Lord Nityananda was hit on the head with a clay pot.

Lord Caitanya (played by Kurma dasa instructed Nityananda Prabhu (played by Ajita dasa) and Haridasa Thakur (played by the young man who only the day before was praying in a Church for direction from Jesus) to go to everyone’s house in Nadia and request them to chant Krishna’s name.

The two great devotees eagerly set forth and began to knock on each and every door with the request, “please chant Krishna’s name, worship Krishna and teach others about Krishna.”

They were happily received by the pious people, while the envious would blaspheme them.

Completely unconcerned by favourable or unfavourable reactions they proceeded around the town.

In Nadia there lived two very sinful brothers called Jagai played by Avadhoot Maharaj Maharaj and Madhai (Played by and Sanak dasa Stavros Steve Vergis) Jagai and Madhai were born in pious Brahman families however; due to bad association they had become meat eaters, drunkards, thieves and arsonists.

There was no crime that they had not committed, including the most abominable sin of killing cows and Brahmans and abusing and having sex with so many different women.

The entire town was terrified of these two persons who seemed to be the very personification of all sinful activities.

On the day Nityananda Prabhu (played by Ajita dasa) and Haridasa Thakur (played by the young 19 year old man) were moving in the town, these two brothers, completely intoxicated were alternatively fighting and embracing each other.

After observing them for some time Nityananda Prabhu compassionately decided to deliver them and thus approached them.

Despite the warnings of the town people Lord Nityananda and Haridasa Thakur, approached the two drunkards instructing them to chant the holy name of the Lord.

Hearing these words the two sinners looked up and seeing the two saintly figures roared in anger.

They leapt up and ran to catch the two sannyasis. The two devotees fled at the sight of the attacking brothers.

Apparently terrified they shouted, “Krishna! Save us!! Govinda!,” and ran. (The young man remembers clearly Arjita and himself doing this)

The two brothers wandered off in their drunken condition along the banks of the Ganga where Caitanya Mahaprabhu bathed. Constantly drunk, they started harassing and terrorizing the devotees.

Eventually Nityananda and Haridasa went to the Ganges to see Lord Caitanya (played by Kurma dasa) however the two brothers again accosted them. On seeing Lord Nityananda, Madhai (played by Sanaka dasa) became furious and struck Him with a broken earthen pot.

When Jagai (played by Avadhoot Maharaj saw the blood flowing from the wound, he became compassionate and restrained his brother.

While Nityananda Prabhu patiently stood, looking at the brothers with compassion, tolerating the pain and humiliation, Haridasa ran to tell Caitanya Mahaprabhu about the incident. (Yes, the young man kept repeating his lines for this part and kept repeating the name of Lord Caitanya so he would not forget)

Hearing that Nityananda Prabhu had been hurt by the brothers, Caitanya Mahaprabhu ran towards them with the intention to kill them.

He summoned His chakra which looked like death personified to the two terrified brothers.

However Nityananda Prabhu who is even more merciful than Lord Caitanya quickly intervened and begged Caitanya Mahaprabhu to stop. He reminded Him of His mission to kill the sinners by saturating them with love of Godhead, to hate the sin but NOT the dinners. Thus appeased the Lord took back His chakra.

Nityananda Prabhu told Caitanya Mahaprabhu that it was Jagai who had saved Him from further harm at Madhai’s hand. Hearing this Caitanya Mahaprabhu said to Jagai -

“By protecting Nityananda you have purchased Me. You may ask any desire you have in your heart.

From today on you will have pure love and devotion for Krishna”

Hearing this Jagai fell at the feet of the two Lords and grasping the feet of Caitanya Mahaprabhu wept.

Seeing the wonderful transformation in his brother, a remorseful Madhai begged for the mercy of the Lord. However, since he had committed the worst of all offences, that of attacking a Vaishnava, the Lord did not even consider all his pitiful pleas for mercy.

Only after Madhai grasped the feet of Nityananda Prabhu and received His mercy did Caitanya Mahaprabhu agree to deliver Madhai also.

That night the young man who took directions from Jesus, took his young 10 year old brother back to the home of his birth and then came back and joined the Temple. That night he was shaved up by the Temple President Sanak dasa and eventually become initiated by Srila Prabhupada on July 10 1972.

To this very day he is thankful to Jesus Christ who directed him to Srila Prabhupada who in turn began teaching him about Krishna’s pastimes.

That young man was me Gauragopala dasa

Hari Bol,

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Your fallen servant, Gauragopala dasa