I told Svāmījī, “Kṛṣṇa has made you a street beggar, but not just any street beggar. Like how Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to every place and preached the chanting of, ‘Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare,’ you will also follow in Mahāprabhu’s footsteps and preach the holy name all around the world very shortly.”
Svāmījī then went to my Guru Mahārāja and told him, “Yes. I agree to take the renounced order of life.”
A godbrother of Guru Mahārāja and Svāmījī called Sanātana Prabhu also took sannyāsa with Svāmījī. His age was 99 years. He told Svāmījī, “If you take sannyāsa, then I will also take sannyāsa, despite my advanced age.”
[Laughter]
And then Svāmījī became so energetic and he said, “Yes. I should take sannyāsa.”
Then I made a very good sannyāsa-daṇḍa for Svāmījī. I also arranged the sannyāsa cloth for Svāmījī—the uttarīya and bahirvāsa. I showed Svāmījī on how to wear this cloth and tie it around oneself. I did a fire sacrifice. kīrtana was going on, headed by Kṛṣṇadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja. All our brahmacārīs were there. It was Viśvarūpa-mahotsava. Many senior Vaiṣṇavas, the godbrothers of Prabhupāda were there. After some time, Gurudeva gave him sannyāsa. Sannyāsa is not just an external formality. By accepting the sannyāsa-mantra, one starts to serve Kṛṣṇa in the mood of the gopīs. The gopāla-mantra is one such similar mantra. I think all the members of this assembly are devotees who have taken second initiation. What are the hidden, deep meanings behind the mantras we chant? We should try to know the deep meanings of these mantras and enter the real devotional line Svāmījī has shown. Svāmījī was really a rūpānuga-vaiṣṇava. But during his manifest stay in this world, he had no time to give all that he wanted. His real mission was not to cut the jungles of karmīs, yogīs, jñānīs, māyāvādīs, and Buddhists.
By the time Svāmījī cut all these jungles down, Kṛṣṇa told him, “Many services have been done. Now, I want your service. Come on! Come on!” And Kṛṣṇa called Svāmījī back, and Svāmījī returned to Goloka Vṛndāvana to serve the Divine Couple-Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.
Devotee: Gaura Premānande! Haribol!
[Audio break]
Śrīla Gurudeva: Thank you for giving me the chance to glorify Svāmījī. I pray to Svāmījī that he should be merciful to all of you.
Devotees: Thank you Mahārāja.
[Audio break]
[In the following conversation, Śrīla Gurudeva describes some photographs to the assembled devotees]
Śrīla Gurudeva: This picture is from the Gauḍīya. It is very old, many such pictures were taken from 1924 to 1930.
Devotee: Is your Gurudeva there in this picture?
Śrīla Gurudeva: Yes.
[Śrīla Gurudeva points out where Śrīla Parama Gurudeva is in the picture]
Devotee: That is your Gurudeva!
Devotees: Haribol! Śrīla Param Gurudeva ki jaya!
Devotee: This picture is from the Vraja-maṇḍala parikramā?
Radlett 17 May 1996 [CC-by-NDNC Bhakta Bandhav]