Ananda

My name is Mahatma Das, and I am a new disciple of Krishna Das Swami.

I attend the Coventry temple (UK). I had the great fortune to go out on a harinam in the centre of Coventry with devotees on Lord Nityananda’s appearance day. A pleasant gentleman called Robert, who was with his young daughter, wanted to talk with us, as both he and his daughter loved the harinam and wanted to know more about us.

We were suprised when he told us his daughter’s name was Ananda, an unusual name for a girl of English descent. He told us the story behind her name:

Many years ago he and his wife were told that they would never be able to have a child for some medical reason, and this devastated them. Some years later when Robert was working in India for some time, he and his wife visited a holy place where there was a pool that formed when Lord Krishna dropped a flower there.

While walking around they passed a sadhu who lived next to the pool. Without any prompting the sadhu told them that they would have a child. The couple became upset by this and explained that they could not. The sadhu said they would and that when the child was born they should bring it back to be blessed by him.

Robert and his wife were astounded when she later became pregnant and gave birth to a little girl, whom they called Ananda, ‘bliss’. Remembering the sadhu’s request, they and went back to India with Ananda, and the sadhu duly blessed her.

Robert told us that little Ananda became very interested in Eastern religions from an early age and wanted to know all about the Hare Krishna movement when she saw and heard us on the harinam. They took a book and copies of CDs of devotional music that I had made to hand out to people, and they gave us a donation.

That we all met when the devotees were celebrating Lord Nityananda’s appearance day, and that the little girl’s name was Ananda astonished us all. Robert and his daughter turned up at the temple that evening and had a wonderful time. Ananda danced with the ladies and did not want to leave. She even loved spicy Indian food, unusual for a little English girl, so she and her father enjoyed the prasadam.

Robert said they would definately come again for the Sunday evening program when they had chance, as both he and his daughter loved the ethos and philosophy. Two very special souls thus received the incredible mercy of Lord Nityananda on his appearance day!

I felt immensely grateful that I was able to be there and so have what little faith I have increase many-fold.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada! Haribol!

Mahatma Das

Posted in Stories.