This is a delightful story of how Ghanashyam Giri was to donate the Deity of Gopal Jiu to HH Gour Govinda Maharaja, and how there was a delay in this giving, and how some extraordinary dreams expedited the final transfer of Gopal Jiu into the care of HH Gour Govinda Maharaja.

Here is the account:

About 2:30 one morning (this is Ghanashyam Giri telling) I had a dream. Gopal (the Deity) came and was standing near my head. He said, “Why are you sleeping? Wake up! So many troubles have come to you, but have you felt any difficulty? No, because I am always behind you. Now you are alone. How can you arrange all type of festivals for Me? I am always very interested to hear nama-sankirtan. Gour Govinda Swami is your own relative. Why don’t you give Me to him? So, now tell Me, will you give Me or not?”

In the dream I said, “Yes. Yes. I will give.”

Suddenly my wife woke me up and said, “What are you saying? What will you give? To whom will you give? You are speaking like a madman. What happened?”

I told her that Gopal had just come and asked me if I was going to give Him to Gour Govinda Swami or not and I said, “Yes. Yes. I will give. I will give.” I told her, “Gopal was standing near that window. He just left.”

My wife said gently, “Go and donate Gopal to Srila Gurudeva. Whatever property you have you should also give to him. If he takes Gopal then Gopal will be happy and He will be taken care of nicely.

You will be able to see Gopal here every day. Why are you hesitating?” in this way my doubts were cleared.

The next day I was preparing to go to Bhubaneswar to see Gour Govinda Swami, but I heard that Gurudeva was coming to Gadeigiri. So I stayed and waited for his arrival. He came a few days later and I met with him.

He asked me, “How are you? What about Gopal?”

Gurudeva looked at me for a moment and laughed. He said, “What has happened to you? What has brought about this change?” He said, “Has Gopal spoken to you?”

I said “Yes Gurudeva, Gopal spoke to me.”

Then Gurudeva asked me, “What day was it that He spoke to you, and what time?”

I told him, “Twelve days before, at 2:30 in the morning.”

Gurudeva nodded his head up and down. “Gopal came and spoke with me on the same morning at 2:00 a.m., then at 2:30 He came to you. That morning I was translating the Bhagavatam into Oriya. I dozed off for a few moments. Gopal came to me and said, “You installed Radha-Gopinatha here. Has Gopinatha replaced Me in your life?”

[Srila Gour Govinda Swami had commissioned a sculptor to make deities of Radha and Krishna to be exactly the same height, width, standing position, etc., as Radha Gopal in Gadeigiri, and had installed them on the ISKCON property at Bhubaneswar, naming them “Radha-Gopinatha”.]
Gopal again asked Srila Gurudeva, “Is Gopinatha the same for you as Me?”

With folded hands Gurudeva replied, “No.”

Then Gopal said, “You are worshipping here, but I can’t come here. Gadeigiri is the house of My devotees. They have no wealth, but their mind is always on Me. Even if they only offer Me a tulasi leaf and a little water I am happy there. They are always saying, ‘Gopal! Gopal!’ I cannot leave them and come here. You are not doing any service for Me because Ghanashyam has not given Me to you. He promised, “Unless Gopal tells me to give Him to Gour Govinda Swami I will not give Him.” Gopal then said, “I will speak to Ghanashyam. First I have met with you and now I am going to Ghanashyam.”

While Gurudeva and I were speaking, one of my family members was there. They said, “you are always talking about donating Gopal, but you are only speaking and not giving.”

I said, “No, today I must donate Gopal to Gurudeva. Bring tulasi and water and chant mantra. ”

Gurudeva asked, “How will you donate to me?”

I said, “As Srimad-Bhagavatam describes that Bali Maharaja donated to Lord Vamanadeva, like that I will donate Gopal to you. You place your hand under mine and I will donate three times with water and tulasi leaf.”

I called for Brahmin who put tulasi and water in my hand. I said, “First I donate to you Sri Radha Gopal Jiu. Secondly I give you all of Gopal’s paraphernalia. Thirdly I donate the property to you. From tomorrow you will take charge.