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After arrival at the airport, Guru Maharaja travels to stay at the home of long time friend Prahlada Das (Patrick Bernhard) and wife Anuradha Devi. Prahlada is a famous musician in Canada who writes devotional music. In the above photo, Prahlada is giving Guru Maharaja a "tour" of his new property and the building which will be his new recording studio.
Pictured here with Anuradha Devi, Guru Maharaja prepares to honor Prasada in the gazebo.
Travelling to the Laurentian Mountains, Guru Maharaja reaches the tourist village of Sainte-Agathe_des_Monts. This is an area famous for its beauty in the summer time and skiing in the winter. It is here that a small but growing number of devotees from different Vaisnava 'camps' have formed a small community known as the "Himalaya Co-op". Main activity in the community centers around this building, called "Bhaktivedanta Ashram".
Guru Maharaja is Greeted by Bhakta Gregory and Ananta Sesa who are most excited to meet Guru Maharaja in person for the first time.
At Bhaktivedanta Ashram, Guru Maharaja is reunited with Godbrother Kutichak Das (Disciple of His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada). Guru Maharaja and Kutichak Prabhu had not seen each other since their early ISKCON days in France, almost 30 years ago. They had a lot of catching up to do and shared some very wonderful stories of their travels and preaching.
After a refreshing swim in the river, which Guru Maharaja renamed "Manasaganga", it was time for aarti and it was a very ecstatic kirtana.
During his visit at Bhaktivedanta Ashram, Guru Maharaja welcomed the opportunity to render service to the devotees- he could be found helping devotees with all kinds of odd jobs, including helping with some mechanics on one couple's car. Here he decided to help Kutichak Prabhu collect a peddle-boat, which had been purchased from a neighbor a few houses away, and prove that a vegetarian diet makes strong prabhus!
Of course the easiest way to get the peddle-boat home was downstream! Bhakta Gregory became a "human rudder" and swam behind, providing some extra kick.
During his evening classes at Bhaktivedanta Ashram, Guru Maharaja explained OEIDA THERAPY, which was liked very well by devotees and guests alike.
Guru Maharaja took a day trip to visit the nearby Shivananda Ashram. It is a large Hindu temple and here is a small Krishna temple, which is also on that property. All photos of the Shivananda temple were taken by Guru Maharaja himself.
Here is Lord Krishna in the Shivananda Ashram.
While Guru Maharaja is away at Shivananda, Bhakta Gregory gets shaved up, much to the delight of Guru Maharaja. Since Guru Maharaja's disciples Nanda and Ananda had arranged to have a marriage ceremony on Sunday, 2 other couples are also invited to have a Vedic marriage and they accept... around the ashram everyone is anticipating "will there be initiations also?"
During the course of his stay, may visitors come to see Guru Maharaja and engage in philosophical discussion. Many are well known scholars and philosophers, others are devotees from different maths and vaisnava groups. Guru Maharaja always takes time to engage in discussion with every one of them.
Saturday night is a big pre-celebration. During the day Guru Maharaja has offered initiation to Bhakta Gregory and wife Radhika. Disciples Nanda and Ananda have arrived from Montreal for their wedding and Siddhanta Das has traveled from New Hampshire (USA), where Guru Maharaja will visit next. It is a very fired up kirtana that evening and everyone is very excited for the next day.
Sunday morning everyone was working hard to make all the preparations necessary. Guru Maharaja chanted on the japa beads for the new initiates early in the morning before preparing to give his "Hotline chat" class.
The ceremony was chosen to be performed indoors due to the large number of mosquitos which were about that day.
First before the marriage can take place, initiations must be performed, Radhika is given the name Radhe Syam Devi Dasi.
Bhakta Gregory is initiated and given the name Abhay Caran Das, in memory of Srila Prabhupada.
Things start to get a little smokey indoors... But soon everyone is outside for the breaking of coconuts.
A truly international wedding with devotees from so many places! From left to right: Jiva Das and Ananda Moyi Devi Dasi (Quebec), Guru Maharaja, Nanda Das and Ananda Devi Dasi (Columbia), Abhay Caran Das(Ontario) Radhe Syam Devi Dasi (Tasmania).
Radhe Shyam Devi Dasi
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