Remembering Jayananda Prabhu
compiled by Kala-kantha Das
* * *
After the disappearance of Jayananda Das on May 1, 1977, His Divine Grace
Srila Prabhupada instructed devotees all over the world to commemorate the
event every year as they would any great Vaishnava's disappearance day. Therefore
we respectfully submit these pages to all devotees and friends of ISKCON
as a means to remember and understand more about Jayananda's devotional service.
Of course, we will see how he joined ISKCON and how he left this mortal world.
More importantly, we shall see the astounding qualities possessed by a true
devotee, a sincere disciple and genuine servant of Srila Prabhupada.
* * * * *
Jayananda's Beginnings In Krishna Consciousness
Jayananda was the all-American boy. Handsome, strong, intelligent, born in
a more than middle-class family, Jayananda (Jim Kohr) took a degree in mechanical
engineering from Ohio State University. With a background like that, it is
surprising that Jayananda ended up as a cab driver in San Francisco. Karandhara
once asked him why he didn't get a better-paying job. "I didn't fit in with
the upper class crowd," he said.
Always introspective in nature, Jayananda felt empty and unsatisfied within
himself during his college years. He would often say that he was "never happy"
before joining Krishna consciousness. His depression was almost suicidal
when, in 1967, he read a small article in a San Francisco paper, about an
Indian Swami who had come to the Bay Area to propagate the chanting of the
names of God. Jayananda recalled feeling a "ray of hope" when he read that
article. Thinking the Swami may have something to offer, Jayananda made up
his mind to attend the Swami's lectures.
Srila Prabhupada's early lectures in the Bay Area were mostly attended by
hippies, and Jayananda was one of the only "straight" people there. Jayananda
later recalled that, "I wasn't much of a religionist, but I was attracted
to Srila Prabhupada." He was especially fond of attending the early morning
lectures because at that hour, most of the hippies would be in bed. On some
occasions Jayananda would be the only guest listening to Srila Prabhupada
speak from the Bhagavatam.
Srila Prabhupada was always fond of Jayananda, and sometimes he would invite
his budding disciple to take prasad with him in his room. "Srila Prabhupada
would cook prasad and serve me," Jayananda recalled. "He didn't say anything
he just kept feeding me, and I kept eating." Jayananda soon donated
his life savings of $5,000 to Srila Prabhupada to help His Divine Grace print
the Bhagavad-Gita As It Is. As more and more devotees joined ISKCON in the
Bay Area, Jayananda continued to work as a cab driver and supported the Temple
by contributing all of his earnings.
Jayananda's Attraction For The Process Of Krishna
Consciousness
Chandan Acharya Prabhu remembers this special feature about Jayananda: "He
was completely enamored by Krishna consciousness. Even when he'd go out on
incense runs all by himself, he would rise every morning before four, have
a little mangal-artik, chant all his rounds, read and cook prasad. He never
deviated. He loved it. He was completely happy as long as he was practicing
Krishna consciousness."
Take prasadam, for example. Jayananda worshiped prasadam. When a little prasad
spilled on the floor, he would always bend down on all fours and lick it
up. He loved to cook, offer, distribute and eat prasad in a big way. He would
always take prasad with him and distribute it, whether he was making a bhoga
run (buying bulk foods from the market) or taking a chanting party downtown.
He would even say "prasadam" in a special way that made you immediately want
to take some.
Jayananda knew how to attract people to Krishna consciousness with the prasadam
weapon. When a new devotee came, for example, Jayananda would see to it that
he was sumptuously fed with prasadam. When Jambavan Das was just becoming
a devotee, Jayananda would bring him a plate of prasadam so big that he thought
he could never eat it all. When he finally did finish the plate, Jayananda
immediately put an identical plate down before him. "I can't eat that," said
Jambavan. "Srila Prabhupada said that we should eat 'til we waddle like a
duck," said Jayananda. Jambavan would finish the second plate.
Of course, Jayananda himself could be found honoring large quantities of
prasad anytime day or night. He was the kind of devotee who would come up
to you at ten o'clock with some peanut butter halava and say, "Hey, Prabhu,
come here check this out!"
Another example of his attachment to Krishna consciousness is Jayananda's
love for kirtan (chanting). Jayananda was always eager to take the whole
Temple out on hari-nama chanting parties. He had a special attraction for
chanting in the streets. Whether kirtan was held in the temple or in the
street, Jayananda could always be seen dancing and chanting enthusiastically.
When he was making Maharaja Das into a devotee, Jayananda would visit his
house and have big kirtans. Even if there were only two of them, they would
jump and chant "Nitai-Gaur Hari-bol!" Also, Karandhara recalls how, one day,
after working very hard for ten hours straight, Jayananda suddenly announced,
"Hey, it's ten to seven. Let's go to artik." Everyone else was so tired that
artik was the last thing on their minds, but Jayananda quickly jumped into
the shower and then bounced down to the temple room for artik.
Of all the processes of Krishna consciousness, Jayananda was most attached
to preaching. Whether it was during the Sunday feast, while making incense
runs, or while building Ratha-yatra carts, Jayananda was always trying to
find some person with whom he could share his ecstasy in Krishna consciousness.
His preaching was very simple and easy to listen to. "We just have to keep
chanting and have faith in the Name." "We just have to chant and take prasadam.
Srila Prabhupada is so kind to give us such a simple process." Karandhara
remembers how Jayananda preached to him on his first day in the temple. As
they worked together preparing a little garden for Srila Prabhupada at the
old Los Angeles temple. Jayananda said, "You know, things don't always go
just right in Krishna consciousness. You have to keep chanting." At the time,
Karandhara couldn't imagine how anything could go wrong in Krishna's service.
Years later, however, as he found himself still remembering those words,
Karandhara could appreciate the real potency of what Jayananda had said.
"So many things may come and go. Just have faith in the Name."
Jayananda's preaching was very attractive for the non-devotees. Chandan Acharya
recalls seeing Jayananda engaged in preaching late one night. It was 11:30,
and Jayananda was up fixing a broken-down sankirtan van. As he lay on his
back working under the van, he preached to two hippies who were standing
nearby. All they could see of him was a pair of legs, but they stood by
listening, completely absorbed, as Jayananda worked and preached away.
As soon as he felt a person was at all ready, Jayananda would preach to him
about chanting and about Srila Prabhupada. There was no protocol or strict
etiquette. Just sincere and confidential glorification of Krishna. True to
his character, Jayananda was often seen preaching to guests from his wheelchair
even during his last days in this world. Devotees who knew him could tell
from a distance exactly what he was saying: "You just have to have faith
in the Name."
Jayananda's Humility
Humility was certainly Jayananda's most prominent quality. He treated everyone
as his superior, even new devotees. Maharaja Das remembers that Jayananda
was always asking his advice: "Hey, Bhakta Mike, what do you think of this?"
Although his service was glorious, he never wanted any glory. He avoided
praise like the plague. Devotees got to know that if they wanted to be around
him, they'd better not praise Jayananda. Otherwise he would simply leave.
Once when he was with Danavir, someone came to Jayananda and began praising
him. Jayananda just ignored it. Later he turned to Danavir and said, "You
know, if you've been around this movement a few years, people naturally offer
you some respect." Not that his service or qualities were so great, he just
was around a few years was his humble thinking. If he ever spoke about himself
at all, Jayananda would speak so humbly that Lochan Das recalls, "It was
difficult not to think of yourself as being better than him. If you had any
reason to be puffed up, Jayananda would bring it out in you." Feeling himself
unworthy, he would step aside so that others could lead kirtan, give classes,
or do artik. Instead, he could be found fixing cars, unplugging toilets,
washing dishes, or taking out trash.
Once a new boy came to visit the San Francisco temple. He wanted to help,
so Kesava Das sent him to the trash area where Jayananda was preparing the
weekly trash run. Jayananda told the boy, "I'm the garbage man around here.
For years I've been watching garbage men carry out trash, and now Krishna
is giving me a chance to do this for Him." The boy not only helped load the
trash, but accompanied Jayananda to the garbage dump. Later that boy became
a devotee, and he recalled thinking, "If the garbage men at this temple can
be so blissful, just imagine what the rest of the devotees are like!"
Karandhara recalls another incidence of Jayananda's humility. "One day, before
Ratha-yatra, I spent the whole day running around with Jayananda. By the
time we got back to the temple it was midnight. The whole building was so
crowded that we couldn't find any space to lie down. Finally we found room
in one little storage closet. I was so tired that all I could do was throw
my sleeping bag on the floor and lie down. Then I saw Jayananda walking out
of the room. I asked him, `Where are you going?' He said he'd be right back,
but I kept pressing him, and finally he explained that he had some rounds
of japa chanting to finish up. He didn't want to keep me awake by chanting
in our room, nor did he want me to feel bad because he was going out to do
something else. He just wanted to slip away to some corner and fulfill his
vow. I remember saying, `Sometimes it's not possible to finish all one's
rounds because there is so much work to do.' `That's okay, I'm not too tired,'
Jayananda replied. I was amazed not only by his consideration for me but
by his full submission to Srila Prabhupada."
Although perfectly qualified, Jayananda was reluctant to take a post as temple
president or sannyasi. It was not that he wouldn't or couldn't do it
he would do whatever was asked of him. He was happiest just to be working
under someone. In this way he was the backbone of the Bay Area's ISKCON temple
for years. Through frequently changing administrations, he would always
faithfully serve the acting temple president. He was very special, and yet
no one paid any special attention to him. That was just the way he liked
things.
Jayananda's Service Attitude
Jayananda was always ready to do whatever was necessary to push on Krishna
consciousness. He was expert at everything: cooking, preaching, Deity worship,
public relations, sankirtan, selling incense, construction, and everything
else it takes to run a temple. He was a tireless worker. He would be the
first one up in the morning and the last one to sleep at night. It was Jayananda
who was always running out to get the flowers, Jayananda who was washing
dishes and making sure the kitchen was clean, Jayananda who was often missing
class while he was out doing some service, and Jayananda who was always
encouraging others to go out and preach, and setting the example himself.
Whatever assignment he was given, he would always get done, even if he had
to suffer personally for it. No matter how hard he was working, he would
never stop for a nap during the day. He seemed to be inexhaustible.
Jambavan Prabhu remembers that many times the San Francisco devotees would
go out to Berkeley to distribute the leftover prasad after a Sunday feast.
"First Jayananda would be in the kitchen cleaning. Then someone would say,
`Hey how about this leftover prasadam?' Jayananda would say, `Okay, first
let's get this kitchen clean.' He would organize the cleanup crew and then
work twice as hard as anybody. Then he would transfer the prasad, load it
and the devotees into the van, drive the van to Berkeley, organize the
distribution of prasad, and lead the kirtan while we distributed."
In later years, when he was with the Radha Damodar Traveling Sankirtan Party,
Jayananda would help manage and sustain the traveling bus program and
simultaneously do all day sankirtan day in and day out, side by side with
brahmacharis scarcely half his age. In spite of his advanced position and
seniority, he never asked for any special treatment. Leading devotees would
often describe him as "the most advanced devotee in the movement."
Jayananda's Freedom From Fault-finding
Those who knew Jayananda always noticed one remarkable quality about him:
he could not criticize others. It was against his nature. Even if a devotee
did something which warranted criticism, Jayananda would usually say nothing,
or else something that made the mistake appear to be perfectly understandable.
No matter who was giving class or leading kirtan, he would always appreciate
it. He never spoke harsh words or chastised anybody. If one devotee was
criticizing another within earshot of Jayananda, Jayananda would simply
leave.
Rather than criticize others, Jayananda would contribute nothing less than
positive Krishna conscious energy to any situation. Sometimes devotees would
bring up their expansive aspirations for spreading Krishna consciousness.
Jayananda would always encourage their ideas, however extraordinary. At the
same time, he was not a fool. He could always pick the right man to do a
particular duty.
Because he knew how to encourage people, the temple leaders would always
assign new men to work with Jayananda. He saw no distinction between new
devotee and old devotee. Both were his superiors. He could quickly give a
new man a sense of identity and a feeling that he belonged in Krishna
consciousness. A true Vaishnava, he was expert at fanning any little spark
of Krishna consciousness into a big fire. Few will dispute the claim that
Jayananda made more devotees and helped more pull through than anyone else
in the movement.
Dear To Everyone
Like the Six Goswamis, Jayananda was "dear both to the gentle and the ruffians."
He was as much at home with the Italians at the produce market as with the
brahmacharis in the temple. He would make friends on street sankirtan, and
they would often come up to him and say, "Hey, where have you been?" Once
a devotee was approached by a staggering drunk in San Francisco. The drunk
looked at his robes and asked the devotee, "Hey, where's my old friend
Jayananda?"
Many devotees, including Danavir and Chandan Acharya, had the experience
of taking over Jayananda's old territory on incense-selling runs or bhoga
runs. They would meet people who said such things as, "Where is Johnny Ananda?"
or "That man he's the nicest and most pure man I've ever met." One
man told Chandan Acharya, "Well, I don't know much about your philosophy,
but if that Jayananda is into it, it must be all right."
Once, near the Ratha-yatra cart work site, Jayananda invited Keshava to step
inside a bar and meet some friends of his. They walked inside and immediately
some 25 faces looked up and smiled brightly. Someone said, "Oh, this must
be your friend you were telling us about, the temple president." They presented
the two devotees with a sack full of vegetarian groceries which they had
chipped in together to buy.
Among the devotees, Jayananda was like a big brother, always compassionate
and willing to listen to them. But devotees rarely burdened him with their
problems. "When you were around Jayananda," said Karandhara, "you had no
problems."
The devotees loved Jayananda and talked about him during long drives on traveling
sankirtan. He was dear to them because he had a sense of humor, too. Jambavan
recalls being awakened one night at midnight by Jayananda. "Wake up," said
Jayananda, "I've got a benediction for you." He then pushed a big samosa
into the sleepy Jambavan's mouth.
Like Maharaja Yudhisthira, Jayananda's enemy was never born.
Expert At Engaging Everyone
Jayananda was very eager to see everyone engaged in Krishna's service. He
once wrote, "When I reflect on my consciousness had I not had association
with devotees and Srila Prabhupada, I shudder to imagine the nightmare I
would be in. If we could become a little dedicated to distributing the mercy,
so many could be saved so much suffering."
Because of his genuine compassion, Krishna gave Jayananda the unique ability
to make people want to serve Krishna, directly or indirectly. Whenever a
new bhakta would come, Jayananda made him feel that he was engaged in important
work. He was older, bigger and stronger than just about anyone in the temple,
and everyone was glad to be working under him. He was willing to let people
do things their own way, without getting finicky about details unless
somebody's creativity interfered with practical necessity. New bhakta or
old, everyone felt satisfied after a day's work with Jayananda.
This was especially evident during Ratha-yatra time. Jayananda would organize
a crew of cynics, bloopers, uncooperative personalities and non-devotees
off the street to build the Ratha carts. Although many of his men sat down
for a smoke during breaks, he would get them to work 10, 12 or 14 hours a
day. He was always glorifying others and working hard himself. In fact, he
worked harder than anybody else. All those qualities made him very inspiring
to work with.
Moreover, there was something very personal about Jayananda that made everyone
want to help him. Once he and Maharaja Das were struggling to load a heavy
refrigerator on a truck. Two drunks were walking up the alley, and Jayananda
said, "I'm going to give them a chance to do some devotional service." His
enthusiasm for devotional service was usually contagious, and this was no
exception. Those drunks were right in there helping, and the job was done
in no time. Afterwards, as usual, Jayananda said to the drunks, "Now say
Hare. Now say Krishna. Now say Hare Krishna." "Hare Krishna." "Jai, Hari-bol!
Thank you fellas. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!"
Jayananda's Frugality
Jayananda was well known as a transcendental miser. He hated to spend any
of Srila Prabhupada's money. Personally he had almost no possessions, even
during his years as a householder. When he was on the road selling incense
he would sleep in the car or on a bench, or sometimes with friends he'd make
in various cities. Many of these friends, such as Maharaja Das and Jiva Das,
later became devotees as a result of Jayananda's preaching.
Jayananda would use his personal charm with people to get them to give everything
free or at a discount for Krishna. Without spending huge sums of money, he
would personally collect nearly all the bhoga, flowers, lumber, paint, and
everything else needed to put on Ratha-yatra each year. One year there were
hundreds of devotees at the temple to feed just before the festival. Jayananda
went to see one of his famous friends at the produce market Banana
King Louie. He came back with four free truckloads of bananas and first-class
pineapples. Coupled with some donated milk products, the devotees ate bananas,
pineapples and cream as much as anyone could eat all for
free.
Jayananda would get almost anything done for free, such as printing, advertising,
and mimeographing for Ratha-yatra publicity. What he couldn't get for free,
he'd get at a discount, and when he paid he'd get his money's worth. For
example, after the festival would end, he'd rent a big truck with which to
haul all the equipment back to the temple. Although the devotees would be
exhausted after weeks of hard work, he'd insist that everyone come out and
help pack things away, lest he have to keep the truck another day and pay
another $50 rent.
Although he was a senior devotee and could have had anything he wanted, he
always dressed in old dhotis and work clothes which he'd buy for one dollar
per set at the Salvation Army thrift store.
Jayananda: King Of Ratha-yatra
Jayananda was the backbone of the Bay Area Ratha-yatra for years, and his
experiences at each one are summarized in the 1977 Ratha-yatra edition of
Back To Godhead magazine. Behind the scenes, Jayananda was doing everything
in preparation for each festival. He would beg food, flowers and funds, buy
materials and build the carts, advertise, arrange for permits, and organize
the cooking and serving of prasad. Although things always went right down
to the wire, he would consistently succeed in fulfilling all his plans every
year. After the festival, Jayananda personally brought a prasadam cake or
pie to each and every person who had helped in some way or another. Because
of his efforts, the devotees in the Bay Area enjoy, to this day, an amazingly
harmonious relationship with the city officials.
During the weeks before the festival, Jayananda would sleep at the site where
the Ratha carts were under construction. He would rise every day at 4:00
A.M. without fail, even if that meant he was getting only three hours sleep
or less. To keep his crew enlivened, he would cook fantastic prasadam on
a tiny gas stove at the site. The preparations were always carefully offered,
and each was filled with so much bhakti that the temple devotees would sometimes
sneak down to the cart site just to get some.
Jayananda regarded his final Ratha-yatra, the 1976 festival in New York,
to be his "most successful." Here is how he described the event in a letter
to Keshava Das:
"Somehow I got the good fortune to work on the New York Ratha-yatra. It was
such an auspicious opportunity. Prabhupada was coming, there was finally
a first-class center in Manhattan, and somehow Toshan got an O.K. to use
Fifth Avenue for the parade route. Jambavan was here and we had a couple
of other boys who worked very hard. I was praying that somehow we could just
get the carts finished. Somehow by Krishna's grace it worked out. You wouldn't
have believed some of the events. The night before the festival, Saturday,
at about 5 or 6 P.M., we were raising Balaram's dome and it was at the top
when a huge gust of wind caught it and blew the whole thing over. The framework
was all busted, the tubing twisted, etc. I didn't see how we could rectify
the situation as there was so much to do on the other two carts. But two
devotees who are expert builders vowed they'd somehow get it back together.
I had some extra pipes, etc., and they worked all night and by Krishna's
grace all three chariots were at Fifth Ave. and 59th St. by 6:30 A.M. Sunday
morning."
"There's no place like New York for Ratha-yatra. The parade was tremendous
as was the scene in the park. Even when we pulled the carts back to the
construction site people would come out of their apartments and bars and
chant Hare Krishna. I guess that occasion was the perfection of my career
in Krishna consciousness."
Jayananda's Relationship With Srila Prabhupada
Jayananda said of Srila Prabhupada, "I knew he didn't want to cheat me so
I wanted to work for him." In his dealings with Srila Prabhupada, Jayananda
kept his usual low profile. He was generally off working on some project
when Srila Prabhupada came to San Francisco. Their relationship was, therefore,
as Karandhara describes it, "one of old friends," or "very economical." That
is to say, Jayananda did not go in for long meetings with Srila Prabhupada,
even when all the other temple leaders were doing so.
By way of reciprocation, Srila Prabhupada would invariably call for Jayananda
when he arrived in the temple. Sometimes he would have to make repeated requests,
and when Jayananda was finally located, he would resist, saying, "No. I can't
go to see him. I'm too dirty. I'm too fallen." He'd work after festivals
and let others see Srila Prabhupada. Thus Jayananda's relationship with
Prabhupada was always one of service. Service to Prabhupada was the core
of Jayananda's life. Once Danavir asked him, "How does one make spiritual
advancement in Krishna consciousness?" Jayananda answered, "I don't know.
I'm too busy working to think about it."
Srila Prabhupada always appreciated Jayananda's sincere service. He wrote
to Jayananda in December, 1975:
"I was very happy to get your recent letter. I am always thinking of you
and praying to Krishna for your advancement in Krishna consciousness. Yes,
I remember the old days in San Francisco. Krishna has been so kind upon me
to have sent so many sincere disciples to help me push on this movement on
behalf of my Guru Maharaja. You continue with your program there in San
Francisco, always strictly keeping our principles and Krishna will bless
you with greater and greater realization of the importance of this movement.
I am dependent upon you, my older disciples, to carry it on. I hope this
meets you well."
Jayananda's final meeting with Srila Prabhupada took place in New York City
at the 1976 Ratha-yatra. When Prabhupada arrived at the airport, Jayananda
drove the car to pick him up. Prabhupada was sitting in the back seat and
he asked, "Who is driving?"
The devotees said, "This is Jayananda." "Oh, I know Jayananda," said Prabhupada.
"He gave me $5,000 to print my Bhagavad-Gita."
Prabhupada's final letter to Jayananda, written after his disappearance in
May 1977, is enclosed herewith.
Jayananda's Fearlessness
Jayananda was not only big and powerful in body; he was strong with faith
in Krishna. Therefore nothing could frighten him. Once on San Francisco's
Market Street, Jayananda was playing mridanga and leading a kirtan party
when, down the street, an enormous man appeared. He was at least seven feet
tall and weighed perhaps three hundred pounds. His unkempt beard and drunken
appearance indicated that he was an old veteran living in the bars off his
pension. As he approached the kirtan party, the temple's reserve kshatriyas,
Keshava Das and Guru-kripa Das, readied themselves for a fight. Sure enough,
the monster marched up to Jayananda, turned, and began to shout, "Stop that
chanting!" Jayananda looked him straight in the eye and said firmly, "Just
chant Hare Krishna! Just chant Hare Krishna!" To everyone's amazement, the
drunk simply turned and walked away without a scrap.
The ultimate expression of Jayananda's fearlessness came at the end of his
life when he was diagnosed with leukemia and cancer of the lymph glands.
He wrote from the hospital,
"I was out of the hospital for a month going to the clinic, and now I am
back for a couple of weeks of intensive treatment. Actually, the whole thing
was a real blessing as it made me realize that death is right at hand. Somehow
I need these potent reminders to help me advance in Krishna consciousness.
For the time I was in the temple I was appreciating Krishna consciousness
so much more than ever before, so it's been a real blessing."
Even in his last few months in L.A. temple, Jayananda never succumbed to
fear or self-pity. When his old friends would come to his room and see his
withered form and ghostly appearance, they would find it hard to talk their
way around his condition. What Jayananda communicated, on the other hand,
was complete disinterest in the whole subject of his health. Instead he was
scheming how to put on Ratha-yatra in Los Angeles.
Sitting on the lawn in his wheelchair, looking like death personified, Jayananda
could not stop thinking and talking about Ratha-yatra. Karandhara remembers
looking at him from his desk. Jayananda was there, the epitome of Krishna
consciousness and fearlessness of death. Karandhara thought it odd that he
didn't feel any great pity or remorse for Jayananda. Then he could understand
that if Jayananda was so Krishna conscious, how could anyone look at him
and not also be Krishna conscious?
Jayananda pushed on the Los Angeles Ratha-yatra until he was so weak that
he could no longer pick up the phone and call old friends to ask for donations.
Factually he collected a large amount of laxmi and devised the various means
by which the festival could take place. The festival managers will readily
admit that, without Jayananda's presence, the first Ratha-yatra festival
in L.A. would not have taken place in 1977. Thus he proved that by engaging
in devotional service, one transcends even the fear of death.
Conclusion
That Jayananda passed away while Srila Prabhupada was still on the planet
is not insignificant. In this way, Srila Prabhupada was able to confirm to
all of us that "everyone should follow the example of Jayananda." Certainly
those who knew Jayananda should take it upon themselves to preach about his
qualities of humility, eagerness to serve, equanimity, and devotion to Krishna
and Prabhupada. We offer our humble obeisances to all such devotees who
understand these qualities and try to share them. We offer our humble obeisances
unto His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada and to Sri Srimad Jayananda Prabhu,
the exemplary teacher of devotional service in Krishna consciousness.
***
SVAVAS REMEMBERS JAYANANDA
(Svavas reading Kalakantas remembrances of Jayananda)
I recall I was a devotee in Denver at the time and I remember the temple president his name was Krsreysta.( sp?) He was always talking about this devotee in San Francisco who was actually very dear to Prabhupada and who was known to singlehandedly manifest this Ratha Yatra. And it was always the talk of the movement, you might say, how Jayananda Prabhu used to go out and you know, to get donations for carrying out this Ratha Yatra festival. And we always heard about it. We also heard about Nara Narayana who was actually working with Jayananda also in San Francisco to manifest this Ratha Yatra Festival. And before we went, I remember, I was speaking with
Krsreysta, and he was saying that we were going to get to meet a real great personality, a guy that just works day and night for Krsna and for Prabhupada. So we were very anxious to see him. We kind of thought who is this person, must be a super human personality. Cause the nature of the mind is so [ break in lecture]You know you always think of a spiritual individual as being some far out personality, very handsome, strong, compassionate, loving, all of these kind of things.
We were trying to conceive what Jayananda Prabhu looked like, what he was actually like, some super human personality. I was just a new devotee and we were very anxious to see this guy. Anyway, we went to Ratha Yatra and we couldnt find Jayananda anywhere. Myself and a couple of other devotees we were looking for him just to see what this guy, what this personality appeared to be like. So we were looking all over for him and we couldnt find him. We started asking devotees were he was. At that time they had a lot, a parking lot away from the temple. I dont recall where it was but it was just somewhere away from the temple where they were building the carts still. They were actually still in the process of building them. Thats where Jayananda was day and night. He slept there. He ate there. He slept there and he worked there, day and night to build these carts. So we were very enthusiastic and I went there.
You know when you are a new devotee, you dont realize many things. You know, sometimes, when you go somewhere, they tell you, " okay, go do this service there," and you find yourself stuck there for two or three days with no sleeping bag, no toothbrush. You dont have anything you just have the dhoti and kurta you had on. So we were sent there to the parking lot because we were very enthusiastic to meet him. So we were sent there to help him on this project. Jayananda Prabhu is the kind of personality that once you show some enthusiasm, hell definitely work you to the bone. So all of a sudden, I was still a bhakta and then I went there, all of a sudden, I met Jayananda Prabhu in about a five minute encounter and I somehow opened my mouth and said that I used to do a little construction. Somehow that just came about, just due to the puffed nature of a new bhakta. You can imagine how a new bhakta is really puffed up. He thinks he knows how to do everything. So due to my enthusiasm and puffed up nature, I said, "Yea, I am pretty good at construction."
So somehow or other he put me in charge of Subhadras cart and he said that I had to be extra aware of how this cart appeared because Prabhupada was going to ride on this cart. And then at that time, I really freaked. Cause you know, youre just a bhakta. Srila Prabhupada, the Spiritual Master, the whole world, the universe was going to be riding on this cart. I thought it was like God Himself.
There I spent, at least three days and nights with no toothbrush, no other dhoti or kurta and he wouldnt even let us leave the parking lot to go get prasadam or go to the temple or do anything. You couldnt do anything. You had to be there. He brought us some sleeping gear, like that. So thats where I stayed, painting and decorating Srila Prabhupadas cart that he was going to ride, Subhadras cart. So that was my brief encounter with Jayananda Prabhu. I know that he was very hard working. We watched him when we were there with him. Of course, we had a lot of fun. It wasnt like it was completely all austerity but it was actually alot of ecstasy. That was the first time I was introduced to drinking 7-UP. See I didnt think the devotees didnt drink any soda or pop or anything like that. I thought we were just supposed to drink nectar. So at that particular time, he would go and get a six pack of 7-Up and wed all be freaking out , thinking, wow this is really ecstatic. Hes really a nice devotee cause we got to drink 7- Up, things like that.
We worked very, very hard and I always remember Jayananda in that way because he actually gave me an opportunity to serve Srila Prabhupada directly. I was decorating the cart. I decorated his chair he was going to sit on. I got to do so many things. Then not only that I got to steer the cart. Of course, this may not be a very big thing right now because Ratha Yatra has been going on for so many years but just imagine youre a bhakta and youre put in charge of a particular cart and you have to make sure its decorated and all of these kind of things. Its just exhilarating. Its beyond belief of what your mind and senses and your whole existence feels like. Beyond calculation right now actually. You know , steering the cart in the middle of the night to go to the place where they were going to begin the festival. All of these things were unbelievable. So personally, I always feel like, I remember this first Ratha Yatra and I am always very grateful to Jayananda Prabhu for allowing me to have this opportunity. That might be the only reason why I am still in this movement. We dont know. That may be a big reason because I always remember these kind of things.
It actually, its very very encouraging to me . It actually brings alot of ecstasy , alot of pleasure in my thoughts of Krishna consciousness.
Then one other encounter I had with him was, I just remember this one. It was in New York in 1977 or so or 76, probably 76. In 1976, he was sankirtan leader there. Something like that. He was in charge of a party, parties of women or something. Im not sure. We had this brief encounter. It was very, very nice because I was eating prasadam with him and we talked about this whole incident in San Francisco in about 1974. He remembered everything. He really congratulated me that I was still a devotee, that I was still going on in Krishna consciousness. So it was a very nice meeting. We talked about old times like that and it was actually very enlivening.
I just wanted to say that how I remember Jayananda.
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Indrannatha Prabhu reads letter Srila Prabhupada wrote to Ramesvara about Jayananda)-slide show being given about Jayananda, Ratha Yatra and Lord Jagannatha with some commentary.
INDRANNATHA REMEMBERS JAYANANDA
Two days before Jayananda left his body, we had a birthday party for him. You can see the big Ratha Yatra cake. Everyone was there It was a surprise party and I had to trick Jayananda to come out . He was too sick to come out so I told him Lalitanatha said theres something wrong with the carts so you have to come out. Thats was about the only thing that would get him to come out was the fact that there something was wrong with his cart. Everybody was hiding behind a wall in the parking lot here. I wheeled him around and everyone jumped out and said Haribol. It was a big surprise.
He was giving a lecture here about how we are not this body and it was very heavy.
I first met Jayananda in 1973 when I first joined the Hare Krsna movement . Ive got a little sory her of how I met him and all of the the association I had with him.
Jayananda was one of about 60 or more devotees staying there in the San Francisco temple at that time. Even then there was something about him that separated him from the rest of the group of devotees. I realize now that it was because he was so surrendered. Even the big time devotees,you know the sannyasis, like that, when they saw JAyananda they all offered their obeisances to him. One could notice he was a special devotee. Even when he was a karmi you could tell that he was a really nice guy. There re not too many really nice guys out there. Jayananda used to tell us that before he became a devotee he was so desparate for some kind of reality in his life that he was ready to commit suicide. Then one day he was reading the paper and saw a picture of Srila Prabhupada in the paper, advertising that he was going to give a lecture. Just by seeing his picture, he said , " Oh he looks like a really nice person. I am going to listen and see what he has to say. "
Jayananda, he actually treated everyone in a way which made one feel good and made him feel happy to be in Krsna consciousness. No person was too fallen or too anything for that matter to receive Jayanandas mercy. He was always there with some nice prasadam, some Krsna katha, some good vibes to pick you up and to enliven you in your service to Srila Prabhupada. Jayananda was, when I first joined up, he was already absorbed in this Ratha Yatra festival. It was like Svavas said he would go out singelhandedly to the Indian community, door to door and beg donations. He actually was absorbed in all the different aspects of this Ratha Yatra festival. He did soliciting. He did paperwork, getting the permits and all that. He did the actual construction on the carts. In all aspects he was right there doing it. At that time, we used to keep the carts up on Makunlals(? ) fathers farm. It was up in Sabastipool (?). He had his farm up there. These carts, you wouldnt believe how big these axles were, the big wooden axles. They would take about ten devotees to carry one. So Jayananda used to load a truck up with a closing door on the back. I remember it was Ekadasi the day we went up there.He threw in 2 five gallon containers. One five gallon container with blueberry tapioca and one five gallon container of strawberry tapioca and said get in and he closed the door on us. By the time we got there all of that tapioca was about finished and so were we.So we got up there. Actually you really needed all of that just to get your strength going. It was really hard work in them days. It was like building the carts from scratch. Plus they sat out, they just took them up there and threw them on the ground in the winter so they would sit there in the rain and the weather. We would just take them back and repaint them.
So one thing Jayananda always told me, that I always remember, is that he said "Indrannatha, no matter what you do, get a taste for the Holy Name.because that will save you. "
I can see that more and more we have to get that taste for the Holy Name.
Hed say, " Krsna consciousness is so sweet." He always used to say that.
I remember also we used to go, I used to do the produce market runs with Jayananda. First wed get to the produce market , first we would go behind the produce market and hit all of the garbage cans because in them days the temples didnt have that much Laxmi. Actually we used to get half of our produce out of the garbage cans. Jayananda would be in bliss in these big garbage cans and all you could see was his head sticking out.
Actually on the, if any of you have been to San Francisco, I dont know, if you are heading into San Francisco going by Candlestick Park, and then right before you get to the city thereare these two big hills on the each side of the freeway. A couple of months before Ratha Yatra, Jayananda would get all of this chalk, these100 pound bags of white chalk and you know it was illegal to do this but he would take about 5 or 6 devotees and wed go up on the side of this hill and climb these fences and everything. and then he somehow or other he would choreograph this big sign on the side of the hill that would say
Hare Krsna Festival, Golden Gate Park and the date. It was pitch black out cause he had to do it on a moonless night because it was totally illegal. Then the next day we would do the bhoga run and wed come back and it was real early just as the sun was coming up and Jayananda would see that sign and he would just be in ecstasy. He would say, " Look at that sign Indrannatha. Everybodies gonna see it."
Then the cops would call later that day and say, "What about this sign on the side of the hill?"
And Jayananda would say, " Oh we just have some very enthusiastic followers. They must have went out there and put this sign on the hill. "
This sign would show up on the hill every year and somehow or other this sign would last all of the way until Ratha Yatra. It was huge, like10 foot letters. On the other side, there was a sign that said like, "South San Francisco, the Industrial City".
Actually it was very transcendental.
In those we used to have two different trash systems. One regular trash, and one sacred trash. Jayananda use to take the sacred trash out to the ocean and dump in the ocean and feed the fish. One day he got a ticket. The cops gave arrested him for that and gave him a ticket for littering in the ocean. So after that everybody just kind of merges all of the trash cause he figures eeverything gets eaten anyway sooner or later by some living entity.
During the day we used to do the Harinama sankirtan, with the bhaktas. Me and Jayananda, we used to go over to Berkley, San Franscisco., very nice program. We leave early in the morning and wed do the harinanam all day until lunchtime. Then wed go do a, theres one devotee, he always lived outside but he got initiated and Prabhupada used to stay at his house. His name was Brhat Sanu(?)We used to go to his house and have lunch and Jayananda would give class. Jayananda would always talk about, wed always ask Jayananda to tell us about the old days, to tell us about Prabhupada.
There are two stories I remember very clearly that he used to tell us about, about Srila Prabhupada.
In the early days when theyd go down to take a shower in the morning and Prabhupada would be there at the temple and he(Jayananda) would go down there and hed see Prabhupada in line. Actually the devotees didnt realize how, Prabhupadas position and Prabhupada would be at the end of the line. Everybody would be waiting for the shower and Prabhupada, hes so humble he would just get in at the end of the line for his shower.
Then Jayananda said one of the first times he went to the airport to greet Srila Prabhupada with the rest of the devotees, he really didnt know how to greet a pure devotee. So he said when Prabhupada came down the ramp, he just grabbed Prabhupada, picked him up and swung him around, going, "Jai Prabhupada!"
Just swung him around in a big circle. Jayananda said that later Prabhupada pulled him aside and instructed him how to greet a pure devotee. You can see that in the beginning nobody really knew how to treat a pure devotee.
We used to do this harinam. I remember one time Jayananda bought us these orange rain caps, orange rain coats and some orange boots, you know. There were about ten of us and wed go out rain or shine. The first time we put these uniforms on and went out, it was pouring rain. We were in Berkley. We actually, we got on the news and millions of people saw us. They said, "Look at this! Hare Krishnas, nothing stops them." So you could just see by your endeavor in Krsna consciousness, like Jayananda would say, " it will always be fruitful. Therell always be some good results there."
Jayananda used to live next door to the temple there. He used to live in the garage. We had a garage and I used to go to wake him up every morning. First thing he would do, hed wake up and do some push ups and some situps, because he always said he wanted to keep his body physically fit and strong for Krsna.
He used to say that when he first became a devotee, he thought when you chanted one round on your japa, it was all the way around and then all the way back so he would chant 32 rounds. All of the other devotees were kind of looking at him kind of funny cause theyd think "Why is this guy taking so long to chant his 16 rounds?" So actually he was chanting 32 rounds. He was a very sincere chanter. If any of you have ever seen him, even in this temple room, hed come and hed just sit there and rock back and forth and chant his 16 rounds very strictly. He realized that japa was the most important aspect of our in devotional life cause if your strong in that , youll be strong in all of the other aspects.
Towards the end there, when Jayananda came to L.A., ... there was a few years there where I didnt see him. Actually I heard he was coming. I heard he had cancer. Nobody could really picture that Jayananda was actually dead because he was always so strong, and so alive. It was almost like a shock to everybody that here Jayananda had leukemia. He was coming up from Mexico and San Diego. I saw him coming down the street in his wheelchair. It just flashed in my mind that I have to be his servant. He needs a servant. So I arranged it with Ramesvara.
So I became Jayanandas servant. It is actually a very heavy experience to serve somebody in a situation like that. He was in pain alot. He was totally dependent on people to help him at that time.
I remember he had a big book shelf. It was about 7, 8 feet high, about 6 feet wide. He had all of these Christmas decorations and all of these pictures of deities hes been collecting for years. So he put all of these pictures on there. Actually he was directing me to do the show and all of this fuzzy stuff you have put on Christmas trees and the lights. Boy when that was done, that looked so pretty. It was like Vaikuntha. He put this sort of at an angle by his bed so he could lay there in bed and meditate on pictures of Krsna all day.
Mukunda used to come in everyday, Mukunda Maharaja. He used to help me massage Jayananda. We used to have to massage him everyday. Hed grab one foot and Id grab the other foot. So wed sit there and massage Jayanandas feet.
Jayananda, even when he was... he came here to leave his body. At that time he decided, ... he was taking laetrile treatments in Mexico, and he decided that it was Krsnas desire for him to leave his body and he wasnt going to fight it. So he wasnt taking any medication or anything. He was just ready to leave his body. But when he came here, one day he just approached Ramesvara and he said "Take me to Venice Beach. " So Ramesvara took him down to Venice Beach. Jayananda saw the boardwalk there on Venice Beach and he said, " This is perfect for a Ratha Yatra festival." All the time actually he was abosrbed in the Ratha Yatra festival. He couldnt think of anything else.
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