At that time she was sent to Ahmadabad temple by Gopal Krishna. I came back to Vrindavana to take up the gurukula project. Gopal Krishna said he had spoken with Prabhupada and that Prabhupada had agreed to let me get married; it was no problem. But who to get married to; this was the issue? So they sent this big fat girl from Bombay. Her name was Revati. Young girl only sixteen years old. I just did not like her and she also did not want to marry me. From what I gather, Revati, on her way from Bombay, she met my wife who was in Ahmadabad, and she said,
“Where are you going now?”
“I have to go to Vrindavana. They want me to marry Gunarnava.”
“Oh really?” My wife replied.
So Revati said,
“I do not want to.”
My wife replied,
“Really? If you do not, I will,”
So Revati came to Vrindavana and told me there is a girl that wants to marry me.
“Who is this girl?” I asked,
“Her name is Gopala dasi. She came with Palika, Bhavananda Maharaja’s ex-wife, to India.”
I was thinking, and I gave it some thought. I discussed it with Bhagaji and with Surabhi, and decided to let her come to Vrindavana.
Surabhi was in Bombay. My wife had gone to Bombay from Ahmadabad for visit, so Surabhi saw her in Bombay. He called her to his office and said,
“You should go to Vrindavana immediately,”
She immediately went. But then I was on the mental platform. Hamsadutta, Prabhupada-krpa, Gargamuni, Yasodanandana, and Guru-krpa. All these devotees are brahmacaris; sinara-Hari. In those days there was a heavy brahmacari vibration, and it was considered a complete fall down to get married; it was such a heavy false ego thing.
I thought, what should I do; everyone is on my case. It was so difficult. So I was thinking all right, I will not get married, I will stay brahmacari; back and forth like that. But the arrangement was already made. She was on her way. So I said to Dhananjaya,
“Take this letter to Delhi.”
He said,
“I am going to Delhi tonight.”
I wrote this letter to Gopala Dasi and I gave her Rs. 50 to send her back to Bombay; I decided I was not going to get married, and I was all relieved. So I walked into the guesthouse. I was walking past Prabhupada’s house coming from the guesthouse. All of a sudden there was this figure at the gate there, you know, ringing the bell. We had a bell there because we used to lock the gate all the time. I thought it was Hansadutta’s wife, so I said,
“Himavati, what are you doing?”
So I went to the gate and all of a sudden, I see it is her, Gopala Dasi. I said,
“Oh no! Stay there. Do not come in! Do not come in!”
So I ran to the other gate out of the temple, and ran down the road and met her outside, and I took her on down the road. I then said to her,
“Look, I really do not know. I do not think I want to get married now.”
She replied,
“Yes, why not? It is something that is auspicious. It should be done immediately.”
She was really into it. I was also sentimental, 1 did not want to; I was on the mental platform. I did not want to disappoint her so I said,
“Well, at least let me build the gurukula first. I think I should build the school first and then it will be all right.”
So she came and she stayed in the temple, and I think the whole temple was buzzing. Oh, it was so difficult.