A Vaisnava quotes authority

[Gauracandra 1]

This is a nice little story about Srila Gour Govinda Swami from the back of his "The Embankment of Separation".

 

Srila Gour Govinda Swami’s knowledge of scripture was formidable. He would substantiate everything he said with evidence from all over the Vedic literature. Sometimes he would question a disciple and if the disciple could not answer with reference to the scriptures, Srila Gour Govinda Swami would at once exclaim, “He is a cheater! Don’t be a crooked person. A Vaisnava quotes authority.”

I can just see him doing this. One of the things about Srila Gour Govinda Swami that disarms you is his voice. Actually he seems like he would have a very booming and deep voice if you saw his picture. But actually his voice is very high pitched. I heard the story of how this came about from a senior disciple of Srila Prabhupada. Srila Gour Govinda Swami actually had a much deeper voice. One day he was singing before the deities and fell into a state of ecstacy for Krsna. He fell unconscious to the ground and remained unconscious for several days. His servants continued to take care of him during these days. Finally, he came back and his voice had completely changed several octaves. From that day forward he had a rather high pitched voice.

 

Gauracandra