Radha Ksirachor Gopinath

The wonderful story about the arrival of Sri Sri Radha Ksirchor Gopinath to Toronto Temple

by Laxmimoni dasi

In 1972 I wrote to Srila Prabhupada to ask if ISKCON Toronto could install marble Radha Krishna Deities. I envisioned smaller, marble Deities for our temple. We wanted to be able to make an outfit from one sari being cognizant of the tight financial situation of the temple. Also the altar area up until that time had been very small in size.

Srila Prabhupada wrote to me and instructed me to write to Kausalya dasi who was serving in Jaipur. She was working on getting some deities donated for Dallas and Detroit. Srila Prabhupada said that Kaushalya could do the same for Toronto.

Then everyone waited. Several months went by and there was no word. Feeling concerned, I finally phoned Maitahili Dasi in Bombay. She said over the phone “Aren’t They gorgeous… you must have received Them by now! “

This was very puzzling as there was no sign of any of the three sets of Deities. Finally after some endeavor, I discovered that the seven crates; three sets of Deities and one box of paraphernalia had been sitting in the New York warehouse of Air India for about three months! I put down the phone and ran up the street to tell Jagadisha and the devotees who were on Harinam on Yonge St. “The Deities are here!!”

Everyone was very excited and the rescue operation was put into gear. Jagadisha and I drove immediately to New York where we claimed all seven crates. We phoned Detroit and Dallas and arranged for them to meet us in Buffalo where the devotees could pick up their respective Deities.

In Buffalo, with all the crates safely retrieved, we pulled aside the two smallest crates, and opened the first. The Deities were very tightly packed in straw and cloth. There were many nails in the crates as well. It was very difficult to find the Deity inside. After some endeavor we found Shrimati Radharani who looked up from the crate with such incredible beauty that it took our breath away. We did not open Krishna’s crate deciding to leave that for Toronto.

After we uncrated Lord Krishna, I wrote to Srila Prabhupada and mentioned that the Lord was a bit pudgy in the stomach. When we heard back from Srila Prabhupada by telephone, he said that our Krishna should be named “Ksirchor Gopinath” because He loved ksir (sweet rice ). Srila Prabhupada instructed us to offer ksira daily. At that point he also named our center New Remuna after Lord Ksirchor Gopinath’s home in India.

The devotees from Detroit and Dallas also arrived in Buffalo and picked up their respective Radhas and Krishnas. Years later when Sri Mati Dasi, who had been serving in Jaipur with Kaushalya, was looking at photos of the Dallas and Detroit Deities, she discovered that the Radhas had been switched by mistake. Lord Kalachandji, from Dallas, was found in a museum in Jaipur. He was standing behind a door! Kaushalya had to find a Radharani for Him. The Radha who had been carved for Kalachandji wound up in Detroit...she is quite large for Kunjabihari!! However, They all seem to be very happy!! Lords Kalachandji and Kunjabihari had Their own plans!

After receiving our Deities in Toronto, we had to work very hard to prepare for the installation of Shri Shri Radha Ksirchor Gopinath. In order to finish the installation outfit on time, Pashupati, Varuni and Praharana did not go to New Vrindavan to be initiated by Srila Prabhupada. Koumadaki Dasi, who was to receive 2nd initiation also stayed behind. Drupada went however, and was initiated with several hundred devotees in a fire yagna before His Divine Grace.

In Toronto Gopanganopati polished the Deities, They were beautifully painted and the women sewed for many hours a day. Finally on Radha ashtami, September, 1972 our Lordships Radha Ksiracora Gopinatha appeared on the Toronto altar and Toronto ISKCON became officially New Remuna Dham. Pashupati, Varuni, Praharana and Koumadaki were also initiated on that auspicious day before the newly installed Radha Gopinath.

Over the next seven weeks, seven outfits were made. Their Lordships outfits were changed once a week until this was done. When there were enough outfits for seven days, then we started to change the outfits every day. These outfits were very elaborate and beautifully made. All the devotees helped including the men and samkirtana devotees who beaded and pressed stones in class. It was truly a community effort to welcome and serve Radha Ksiracora Gopinatha who had come to bless them in New Remuna Dham.

The Arrival of Sri Sri Radha Ksiracora Gopinatha…..

Gopanganopati das

One evening in the summer of 1972, a delivery truck drove up to 187 Gerrard St. and unloaded two large wooden crates on the front lawn. The devotees had been waiting for several weeks and we were excited. Radha Krishna had arrived in Toronto! Several of us went out with tools and started to pry open the boxes. I think it was Rochan, Visvakarma, Uttamasloka and Jagadisha. The first crate we opened was tightly packed with straw but soon we could see the beautiful face of Srimati Radharani looking up at us. It had become quite dark by this time but She was easy to see in the bright moonlight. Apparently they had opened this crate in Buffalo, so the packing was not so tight.

However the other crate gave us quite a scare. We opened the lid and started to pull out the straw. The crate seemed to be empty!! We couldn’t see anything in this crate. It was very dark by this time and Lord Krishna’s blackness was hidden by the dark of night. We were not aware that our Krishna would be black and so were surprised and pleased when finally we found Lord Gopinath hidden in all that straw. We had become quite anxious by the time we found Him. The crates were large and the Deities relatively small.

We carefully removed the Deities from the crates and carried them up the stairs to the room at the end of the hallway. They were covered with silk clothes and the door locked. Then I was given a really ecstatic service. I was literally locked in the room with Sri Sri Radha and Krishna alone for 48 hours; night and day, with the nectarian task of polishing their Lordships and preparing Them for installation. The marble was dull and unpolished. There were several blemishes in the marble that needed attention. I used wet 600 sandpaper and diamond dust and carefully polished Them inch by inch by hand. After 48 hours the marble shone and all the problem spots had disappeared.

I felt very privileged to be given this service. I had learned to work with marble by constructing the three altars in the temple room but my experience was limited. My main service was temple commander and incense salesman so this was definitely special mercy from Radha Krishna. After I finished I reluctantly left the room and handed over the care of Their Lordships to the women devotees who painted the Deities and started making the outfits for the installation which was scheduled for Radha ashtami, only a few weeks away.