Sri Vrindaban Japa Kutir I’m
Dhanurdhara Swami November 21st, 2002
Sri Vrindaban
Japa Kutir
I’m back in Vrindaban today. I didn’t know if I would have a place to stay here because the japa-kutir, my place of residence, was sold by the previous owner. My things are still there.
Years ago when I left the gurukula I vowed to be satisfied by just living in Vrindaban. I didn’t want to be overly concerned with where that residence might be. I reasoned that any residence in the dhama is mercy. I also noticed how, often, devotees who build or purchase houses for themselves rarely spend time in Vrindaban.
When someone told Srila Gaura Kishor dasa Babaji that he had purchased some land in the dhama, Babaji Maharaja was furious with him. “The holy dhama is cintamani, a wish fulfilling jewel,” he said. “One grain of sand cannot be purchased for all the money in the world. You do not own a spec of land in the dhama!”
The new owner of the japa-kutir is a nice devotee. He has taken a humble room downstairs, without even an attached bathroom, and seems satisfied to continue to allow my use of the room on the roof–by far the best residence in the building. His generosity reminded me of the magnanimity of Baladeva Vidyabhusana, the previous owner, who had also given me the best facility and took a more humble room.
The new owner has also let two mature Indian ladies from Burma, who serve in the temple, use the apartment with the kitchen downstairs. Two Indian brahmacaris use the simple single room across the hall from them. One of the brahmacaris is the younger brother of one of the ladies, so the group operates like a family. They take care of the house and cook lunch, so the owner allows them to stay for free. He also invites different devotees for lunch and my meal is brought upstairs. This arrangement now also gives me the opportunity to invite guests for lunch. Ekacakra is thus also invited daily for lunch.
One of the brahmacaris is also an expert kirtaneer (Vaishnava singer), so occasionally there are also kirtans outside of my room on the large veranda.
In general, the new residents here are quite cultured, which creates a pleasing atmosphere. They see their house as Krishna’s house and a place to serve others. How magnanimous are the Vaishnavas!
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