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Indradyumna Swami's Deities
last updated 2nd November 2014
A nice full shot of the whole altar with Radha Govinda at the center.
Radha Govinda in all Their finery.
An assortment of various colored Govardhana silas. Several given to
him by local residents.
Sri Ganapati removing all obstacles in the seva.
A unique Govardhana given to him by one person who is his faithful follower
(Chaturatma dasa ACBSP).
Various Govardhana silas gifted to Maharaja.
Sweet Govardhana silas.
Nrsimha sila originally from the Partha Sarathi Temple in Chennia, gifted
to local devotees who gave it to ISKCON where He has resided in NYC, STL,
Boston 'Burbs, Puerto Rico and Alachua.
Various old Nrsimha deities and a small Varaha deity on the front right.
Plus assorted salagrama silas.
Gopisvara Mahadeva protector of the dhama and this ashrama.
27th October 2014
5th November 2013
On this auspicious day of Govardhana Puja 2013, this beautiful Govardhana
sila was given to me by my friend Chaturatma
dasa. The sila's natural crown is so attractive! So Vraja!
5th January 2013
31st October 2010
Radhastami in Vrindavan 2010
Sri Sri Radha Vallabha
In recent years it has become more and more difficult to travel
with Them because of their antique appearance. Actually, They are relatively
new, but Their antique finish makes Them appear old, and I am often questioned
by customs officials in airports about Their origin. On two occasions the
deities were temporarily confiscated by Polish authorities after passing
through a luggage-screening machine. The same thing happened in Moscow
last year. So as not to put the deities at further risk, I left Them with
a householder couple in Warsaw several months ago.
5th February 2007
Official website for Diary of a Traveling Preacher
http://www.traveling-preacher.com
http://www.Gurudeva.ru/eng
http://www.gurudeva.ru/eng/photoalbum/
Ganga Narayana Chakravarthy's Sila(s)
The story of His coming
Diary of a Traveling Preacher
- Volume 7, Chapter 2., February 6 - March 1, 2006
It is recommended that this be read before looking at the pictures to
gain deeper appreciation
Here is the link where you may listen to Indradyumna Swami's reading
his Diary (Vol. 7, Chapter 2)
- the story of Varaha Nrsimha Salagram which came to him recently:
http://www.gurudeva.ru/eng/diary/diary7-02.shtml
Sri Varaha-nrsimha
Formerly...............Sri Sri Laxmi Nrsimhadev
Given by Chaturatma prabhu
These Govardhan Shilas (Vraj Mohan) were formerly in the possession
of Srila Narottam Dasa Thakur, click HERE
to read how he came to be in Indradyumna Swami's possession.
There were another set of Silas that Maharaj had of Narottam dasa Thakur's
you can read about that pastime HERE
Always more to come...
Diary of a Traveling Preacher
Volume 7, Chapter 5
March 17 - April 31, 2006
By Indradyumna Swami
"Such Mercy"
After my visit to Mexico in mid-March, I went on a whirlwind preaching
tour of the temples in the United States until the end of April. I kept
a record of the programs I did in those six weeks, and I was surprised
to see they totaled over 100.
I must have done thousands of such programs throughout my career as
a traveling preacher, and as I thought about my 57th birthday, just weeks
away, I smiled. "Physically, the tour been exhausting," I thought, "but
spiritually, I'm more enlivened than ever."
ayur harati vai pumsam
udyann astam ca yann asau
tasyarte yat-ksano nita
uttama-loka-vartaya
"Both by rising and by setting, the sun decreases the duration of life
of everyone, except one who utilizes the time by discussing topics of the
all-good Personality of Godhead."
[Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.17]
In San Diego, on one of the last days of the tour, I visited the home
of Guru Gauranga dasa, the sponsor of my festival program on the island
of Mauritius. We made plans for the program and decided that we would hold
it in April next year.
When I looked at his altar, I was taken by the beauty of the only Deity
present, a salagrama-sila. Having worshiped salagrama-silas for years,
I immediately saw that this Deity was special. He was small, perfectly
round, smooth, and shiny. I remembered a verse from the Padma-purana, where
Lord Visnu tells Brahma that smaller salagramas give the most auspicious
results:
"O Brahma, in that sila, small like an amalaki fruit, I remain eternally
with My divine consort, Srimati Laksmidevi."
I looked closer. The salagrama had a beautifully formed mouth exactly
in front. "A most auspicious cakra," I said aloud.
"He has a small flat surface on the bottom too," said Guru Gauranga.
I shook my head in amazement. "He's the perfect salagrama," I said,
"the kind sought by every pious brahmana in ancient India. Many temples
in India would give lacs of rupees for such a sila. Where in the world
did you get Him?"
"It's a long story," Guru Gauranga replied. "If you have the time, I'll
tell you."
I smiled and sat down. "What better way to spend our time?" I said.
"In 1992," he said, "I was serving in Mayapura as a young brahmacari,
when word came that the devotees in Bangladesh needed brahmacaris for a
traveling festival program. At first I hesitated because Bangladesh is
a Muslim country, but local devotees told me that there are hundreds of
thousands of Vaisnavas in Bangladesh, many of whom regularly attend our
programs, so I stepped forward.
"For several months we traveled throughout the country holding outdoor
festivals in the villages, and sometimes as many as twenty thousand people
would attend. In many places the locals had never seen white-skinned Westerners.
The Muslims left us alone, and the Vaisnavas thronged to our programs.
"One night in a remote jungle village in the north, we had a late finish
to our program. Along with the other bhramacaris, I lay down exhausted
on the floor of the large pandal, but I had trouble sleeping because of
the heat, the humidity, and the mosquitoes. I stood up and leaned against
the wall of the tent. A young man dressed in a saffron-colored dhoti came
up to me and asked why I wasn't sleeping. I told him of my difficulties,
and he offered to take me to an asrama where he lived, further into the
jungle. 'You'll sleep peacefully there,' he said.
"After an hour and a half of walking, I began to feel concerned, as
we had still not reached our destination. Suddenly we came to a clearing
where I saw fifteen large mud-brick huts, and nearby, a large stone temple.
Judging from its appearance, the temple was very old.
"The young man took me to one of the huts. 'Please sleep here,' he said.
'The mosquitoes won't bite you. We burn a special wood inside to keep them
away.'
"Within minutes I was sound asleep.
"I awoke in the morning, just as the sun was rising. I looked out the
window and saw a beautiful scene of antiquity.
Young brahmacari monks sitting on the banks of a nearby river were softly
chanting on their japa beads. Beautiful Vaisnava tilaka adorned their bodies,
and their saffron clothes rivaled the beauty of the sunrise. From the temple
I could hear people singing a familiar bhajan, Lalasamayi-Prarthana by
Narottam das Thakur.
"Several brahmacaris came and took me to the river to bathe. As we walked,
we passed the kitchen, and I could smell the cow-dung fires cooking breakfast.
While I bathed, the brahmacaris sat nearby and chanted japa.
"I looked around. 'This is what life must have been in devotional asramas
hundreds of years ago,' I thought, 'when young male students lived and
studied with their Vaisnava gurus.'
"I wondered why no guru was present.
" 'How long will you stay with us?' one of the boys asked as we walked
towards the temple.
" 'Just a few more hours,' I replied, 'but I'd like to stay forever.'
"When we reached the temple, we entered and paid obeisances, but when
I stood up, I was surprised to see there was no altar, only four decorated
walls.
"Where are the Deities?" I asked.
"The boys smiled. 'Be patient,' said one of them, 'and you'll soon see
the most beautiful Deities.'
" 'And famous,' said another.
" 'Famous?' I said. 'Here in the middle of the jungle?'
"Suddenly a conch shell blew, and one of the giant walls slid open to
reveal a beautiful marble altar. An intricately carved silver srngasana
towered over graceful Radha-Krsna Deities. I couldn't believe my eyes.
I simply stood there.
" 'The altar is hidden to protect the Deities from Muslim attacks,'
said one of the young men. 'They've remained safe like this for five hundred
years.'
" 'Five hundred years!' I said. I moved in closer to get a better look.
"Krsna was made of black stone, and Radharani of brass. I could see
they were indeed very old Deities. Near Krsna's feet I noticed a silver
srngasana, with three beautiful salagrama-silas. Then - I don't know what
made me do it, perhaps the excitement of the moment - I blurted out, 'Can
I have one of those salagrama-silas?'
"The brahmacaris turned to me with looks of astonishment.
"I mumbled something about a long-cherished desire to worship a salagrama-sila,
but they remained silent, taken aback by my outburst.
" 'Well,' said one, 'you can ask our guru. He wants see you after breakfast.'
" 'Where is he now?' I said.
" 'He's finishing his one lac of japa,' said another boy.
" 'One lac of japa before breakfast!' I exclaimed.
"After breakfast, one of the older brahmacaris took me to a small hut
not far from the temple.
" 'Does the guru have many disciples?' I asked as we walked.
" 'More than 5,000,' he replied.
" 'How old is he?' I said.
" 'Ninety-two,' he said.
" 'He must have traveled a lot,' I said.
" 'Actually,' said the brahmacari, 'he's never left this village.
It's one reason he's eager to meet you. He often quotes the prediction
of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu mentioned in Caitanya-Bhagavata.'
"prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama
sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama
"In as many towns and villages as there are on the surface of the earth,
My holy name will be preached."
[Chaitanya-Bhagavat, Antya 4, text 126]
" 'You know,' said the brahmacari, 'several times I've seen him shed
tears as he talked about how the mercy of Lord Caitanya will one day leave
India and flood the world with love of God. This morning, when we told
him a Westerner dressed as a Vaisnava had arrived, he became very excited.
I will translate for you when you meet him.'
As we entered the hut, I saw the guru, dressed only in a loincloth,
sitting absorbed in chanting his japa. He opened his eyes and looked at
me. 'So, it is true,' he said slowly.
"I paid my obeisances, and when I got up he called me to go near him.
His disciples had told him of the program in the nearby village, and he
asked a few questions about it. He paused for a moment.
" 'Who has done this service for Mahaprabhu?' he said. 'Who has introduced
you Western boys and girls to the chanting of the holy names?'
" 'His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada,' I said proudly.
'He went to the West from India and gave us the chanting of Hare Krishna.'
" 'Please tell me more,' he said.
"For over an hour he listened intently as I told him about Srila Prabhupada's
life: his childhood and youth, his meetings with Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati, his attempts to preach in India, and his eventual journey to
the West. Several times the guru's eyes welled up with tears.
"At the end he shook his head. 'It was my great misfortune not to have
met him, the person who fulfilled the prediction of Mahaprabhu. I can only
offer him my dandavats.'
"He placed his folded hands above his head, and recited prayers for
a long time. Then he turned to me. 'You have asked for one of our salagrama-silas?'
he said.
"I was surprised. 'Yes,' I said, 'I did.' From the corner of my eye,
I saw several brahmacaris looking intently at their guru.
" 'I will think about it,' he said. The brahamacaris' eyes opened wide.
" 'You must know the history of those Deities,' he said. 'It is written
in our temple records. Five hundred years ago, my forefathers were sevaites
[priests] in the temple of Gopal Bhatta Goswami in Vrindavan. Goswami engaged
several families in the service of his beloved Deity, Radha-Raman. Do you
know the history of Radha-Raman?'
" 'Yes, I do,' I replied. 'He is self-manifested from one of the salagrama-silas
that Gopal Bhatta Goswami found in the Kali Gandaki River in Nepal.'
"The guru nodded his head. He seemed pleased that I knew the pastime.
'In my family line,' he said, 'there were three brothers helping with that
puja. One day in 1498 [1576 on the Western calendar], Gopal Bhatta Goswami
asked them to come here, to what was formerly East Bengal but is now Bangladesh,
to spread the teachings of Mahaprabhu.
" 'It was a great challenge, as the journey was long and dangerous and
they would be on their own preaching Gauranga's message. What's more, he
knew they would experience intense separation from Radha-Raman and from
him himself, and also from Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami and Jiva Goswami,
who were still living. So on the day of their departure, Gopal Bhatta Goswami
called all of the brothers, and in the presence of Radha-Raman gave each
of them a salagrama-sila. These are the three salagrama-silas you see on
our altar.'
"He stopped talking and with closed eyes returned to chanting on his
beads. I paid my obeisances and with the other brahmacaris left his quarters.
"I went and sat alone on the bank of the river, thinking about everything
that was happening. I felt fortunate to have come to that peaceful asrama
and met the guru and his disciples, but I felt embarrassed to have asked
for such a special Deity.
"After a while I began wondering if it was all really true. I had never
read that Gopal Bhatta Goswami had sent preachers out to spread Lord Caitanya's
message. 'But then again,' I thought, 'it's certainly possible. Little
is actually recorded about those historic times.'
"I thought about a verse from the Bible I'd learned as a boy: 'And there
are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be
written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain
the books that should be written.'
[John 21:25]
"Then I thought about that gentle sadhu. He seemed the repository of
all good qualities, and I felt ashamed that I might doubt his truthfulness.
"I finally concluded that I did believe him, but thought there was no
chance he'd give me one of those historic salagrama-silas.
"Suddenly I looked at my watch. 'Oh no!' I thought. 'I'm late. It's
almost noon. I have to get back. The devotees must be wondering where I
am.'
"At that moment one of the brahmacaris came running.
" 'Guru Maharaja wants to see you!' he said breathlessly.
"We walked to the temple, entered, and paid our obeisances. The guru
was sitting in front of the altar chanting softly on his beads, eyes closed.
"Although he must have known we'd come in, he didn't immediately acknowledge
our presence. He remained absorbed in chanting Hare Krsna. After some time
he opened his eyes and looked at me.
" 'I have decided to give you one of the salagramas,' he said.
"My heart was pounding.
" 'I feel that Mahaprabhu will be pleased that such a Deity is being
worshiped by a Vaisnava from the West,' he said. 'It was His desire that
His names be chanted in every town and village of the world. I have one
request, however. Pray to that great acarya who delivered your people to
kindly put the dust of his feet upon my head.'
"He motioned to one of the brahmacaris to take one of the salagramas
from the altar. The boy sipped acamana from a small cup, went on the altar,
and picked up the salagrama in the center. The brahmacari came back down,
and the guru took the salagrama in the palm of his hand, looking at the
sila affectionately for a long time. Then he touched the salagrama to his
head, put some tulasi leaves and flowers around Him, and slowly placed
Him in my trembling hands.
"Still trying to fathom my good fortune, I paid obeisances and tried
to express my appreciation. But that saintly person had already closed
his eyes and again returned to his chanting. I paid my obeisances one last
time and left the temple.
"As I stepped outside I heard my name being called. 'Guru Gauranga!
Guru Gauranga! Where are you?'
"It was a devotee from the festival who had come looking for me.
"I'm here," I called out.
" 'You're in big trouble,' he said. 'Everyone's been looking for you.'
"We walked quickly back to the village where we'd held the festival
and left shortly thereafter.
"That was 14 years ago," Guru Gauranga said.
I sat spellbound. I had not moved an inch the entire time.
"Such mercy!" I said, gazing at the salagrama, which somehow seemed
infinitely more beautiful than before.
"Yes," Guru Gauranga said, "and mercy is something that should always
be shared."
It was more the way he said it than what he said that made me look up.
"Actually" he said, "I've been discussing with my wife how I've become
so involved in my business nowadays that I hardly have time for puja. You
know I've promised to help finance your festival program in Mauritius.
On top of that, I've recently helped my own spiritual master, Bhakti Charu
Maharaja, with the construction of his new temple in Ujjain. As a result,
I've been working day and night.
He paused. "So we decided to ask you if you would take the Deity and
worship Him."
I looked at the salagrama. My mind was racing. "He was offered in service
by the lotus hand of one of the Six Goswamis," I thought. "What an honor
it would be!"
Absorbed in my thoughts, I heard Guru Gauranga say in the background.
"So will you accept Him?"
My meditation broke. "Yes," I said, "of course. Thank you. What can
I say?
I'll worship Him with all the love and devotion I can."
He handed me the Deity, and we talked about the details of his worship.
Then I left for another appointment. As I drove through the suburbs of
San Diego, I was now the one trying to fathom my good fortune.
"I can hardly believe it," I thought. "What a wonderful conclusion to
my preaching tour in America!"
I prayed to become a worthy recipient of the mercy I'd just received.
I had a most wonderful incentive now: a Deity given twice over for the
purpose of inspiring a preacher in his service to Lord Caitanya and the
Six Goswamis of Vrindavan.
krsnokirtana gana nartana parau premamrtambho nidhhi
dhiradhira jana priyau priya karau nirmatsarau pujitau
sri caitanya krpa bharau bhuvi bhuvo bharavahantarakau
vande rupa sanatanau raghu yugau sri jiva gopalakau
"I offer my respectful obeisance to the six Goswamis, namely Sri Rupa
Goswami, Sri Sanatana Goswami, Sri Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami, Sri Raghunatha
das Goswami, Sri Jiva Goswami, and Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami, who are always
engaged in chanting the holy names and dancing. They are just like the
ocean of love of God, and they are popular both with the gentle and the
ruffians, because they are never envious of anyone. Whatever they do, they
are all-pleasing to everyone, and they are fully blessed by Lord Caitanya.
Thus they are engaged in missionary activities meant to deliver all the
conditioned souls in the material universe."
[Sri Sad Goswami-astaka, Srinivasa Acaraya, Verse 1]
Indradyumna.swami@pamho.net
http://www.traveling-preacher.com
Official website for Diary of a Traveling Preacher
Govardhan Silas
Hillsborough March 2006
Atlanta April 2006
Seattle March 2006
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