An Authentic Life 1.1 for pdf - Universalist Radha-Krishnaism

Swamiji asked me to carve a set of Radha
Krishna deities. I went to a lumber yard and bought a
block of mahogany. There was a scrap of wood from
the half of the block which Radha was to emerge
from, and Swamiji wanted Jagannath deities carved in
bas relief from that.
Swamiji said, "Krishna is in the block of wood
already. You just have to learn to see him there. You
can learn to see him in everything." I still practice this
teaching and it is an important part of Universalist
Radha-Krishnaism.
Swamiji took much interest in the progress of
my work and said, "Radha should have big breasts."
❡
Goursundar and Govinda Dasi, a couple from the San
Francisco temple, also lived with Swamiji and served
him. One day as Govinda Dasi, Rayarama, and I sat
with Swamiji in the shade of a neighbor's tree, Swamiji
observed a pair of white butterflies. "Just see
these worms," he said, pointing to the butterflies.
"Here there is husband and wife. The whole world is
in this bondage."
Knowing I was still lamenting, Swamiji continued
to speak about the topic on both our minds. "It
is not so wonderful that Krishna Devi has left," he
said. "What is wonderful is that we are able to stay
and serve Krishna. The maya (illusion) is so strong. It
is Krishna's divine energy. And for someone to actually
stay engaged in Krishna's service is very rare.
The living entity is practically helpless under the
sway of maya's power and can only cry out to Krishna
60