SADHU SANGA. Part 1. AND IMPORTANT NOTES.

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padmavati mataji February 28, 2011 at 6:39pm
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padmavati mataji February 28, 2011 at 6:38pm
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padmavati mataji February 23, 2011 at 11:12pm

Vamanajana dasa:

My wife and I ran a little store across the street called the "Surabhi Store." We would arrange for Srila Prabhupada's afternoon refreshment of dab (fresh coconut). The last year that Prabhupada was here in Los Angeles, the GBC came to me and two others and asked if we would like to be Srila Prabhupada's bodyguards. He thought the three of us should split up the 24-hour watch. About the middle of the second week we were doing this and my good friend Bhaskara, who was one of the other bodyguards, and I were having lunch and he said, "Did you notice that Srila Prabhupada does the same thing at the same time everyday?" I said, "Yeah, it's amazing you can almost set your watch by him." Bhaskara said, "Someone gave him a brand new pair of slippers the other day and he only wears them from his room to the curtains outside the temple room and then he takes them off. After class, he puts them on, wears them to go upstairs and takes them off at his door." I said, "Yeah?" He said, "They're new and I looked at them last night and got the model number and the manufacture's name and a bought another pair exactly like them." "Well, what are you going to do with them? His feet are not the same size as your feet." Bhaskara said, "Tomorrow morning when he goes down for class, I am going to exchange them for my slippers and then he will wear my slippers back upstairs. Then I will exchange them again and I will have a pair of slippers that Srila Prabhupada wore. He will have only worn them one time, but Srila Prabhupada will have worn my slippers." I thought, "Wow, that's a good idea. Tomorrow I am going to go out and buy a pair of slippers and do the same thing the next day." The next day we got together at lunch again. I said, "Did you get your slippers?" He said, "Yeah." I said, "Where do I buy mine?" He said, "You shouldn't do it." I thought, "Yeah, you got your slippers." He said, "Let me tell you what happened. Srila Prabhupada put his slippers on in the morning, came downstairs, took them off by the curtain by the temple room, and I exchanged them. After class Srila Prabhupada came out, put on my slippers and wore them upstairs right into his room. He never took them off at the door." I said, "Really? What did you do?" He said, "I stood there chanting japa thinking, 'What am I gonna do now?' I was there about five minutes when a sannyasi came and asked, 'Is your name Bhaskara?' 'Yes.' The sannyasi said, 'Srila Prabhupada has a message for you. He thanks you very much for the new slippers. You may keep the old slippers. But most importantly, he said, it's not nice to play tricks on the spiritual master."

Tirtharti dasa:

I was really hankering for Srila Prabhupada's personal association. I was desperate. It seemed that so many devotees were getting his personal association and that I was a nobody, a new devotee. Somehow I conned my way into a morning walk on Venice Beach. I was nervous and scared. I was walking on Srila Prabhupada's right and he was talking about the waves and the ocean. One wave came up high and almost touched Srila Prabhupada's feet. I jumped up on the embankment and Prabhupada saw that the wave was going to wet his feet. He put his hand out to me and I helped him up the embankment. That was it for me. I actually touched Prabhupada and helped him up the embankment. But I started to feel my oats. I started getting puffed up and I thought, "I'm gonna ask him a question. I am actually going to come right out and ask him a question." My heart's desire was to get Srila Prabhupada's recognition, not his answer to my question. I can't remember the exact question, but I asked something abouttulasi devi. Srila Prabhupada turned to me and said, "Why are you asking me this question?" I stuttered and said, "Well I am worshiping tulasi devi, Srila Prabhupada..." He repeated, "Why are you asking me this question?" I lost it that time. I shut up and turned every color of the rainbow. Then he answered my question. In all his mercy, Prabhupada answered my question.

Mulaprakriti dasi:

I was in Honolulu on my way to Japan to distribute books. Srila Prabhupada was also in Honolulu at that time and he asked me to come to his quarters to talk about book distribution. I had the wonderful experience of being alone with Srila Prabhupada. He was sitting on his chair asking all sorts of questions about how people liked the books, what kind of people were taking the books, and what I told the people. He was so joyful that it seemed as if it was Srila Prabhupada's favorite topic. When he asked, "What kind of people take the books?" I strained my mind to answer and said, "Doctors, young people and diplomats." Prabhupada said, "Diplomats? From what countries?" So I gave a list of the nationalities of anyone who had ever taken a book. Then I said, "Someone from Albania took a book." Prabhupada said, "Albania. That's behind the iron curtain." I said, "Yes Prabhupada, they take in their suitcase and because they have diplomatic immunity, no one can open the suit case." He laughed, leaned back and said, "Ahh! We cannot go, but Lord Chaitanya can go."

Madhusudhana dasa:

When I was eighteen I was getting acne and Srila Prabhupada asked me, "What is on your face?" I said, "They're pimples, Prabhupada." He said, "You should put a little tilak on them." So I put tilak spots on my face but I was too embarrassed to walk on the streets with white dots on my face. The next time he saw me he asked me about my pimples again and why wasn't I using the tilak. I said, "I can't walk around like that, it's just too..." He said, "Take a little olive oil and boric acid and heat them in a spoon over the fire. Put that ointment on." Sure enough that combination produced a salve that looked just like any ointment. That was his personal, caring side.

Kanchanbala dasi:

I remember one devotee asked Srila Prabhupada, "Have you told us all the rules and regulations?" Prabhupada said, "If I told you everything, you'd faint." He clearly gave us much room to toddle along.

Suresvara dasa:

In September of 1972, Srila Prabhupada flew to Dallas to install Sri Sri Radha Kalachanji. He arrived at Love Field via American Airlines. We ushered him into the VIP room where he sat on a makeshift dias and immediately started talking about the three ways to fly. He said, "There are three ways to fly." Reporters were jotting down, "Three ways to fly." Prabhupada continued, "Pigeon. (He didn't say "Swan," he said "Pigeon.") Pigeon, mantra and machine. Formerly people knew the art of training pigeons and could get on the pigeons and fly." I was standing next to a woman reporter and looking at her pad as she wrote, "Pigeon." Then he said. MantraSimply by vibrating mantras, the yogi knew how to ride on the sound." She and the other reporters wrote down, "Mantra, machine." Then a lady asked, "Swami, if you know all these different ways to fly, why did you choose to fly American Airlines today?" Prabhupada said, "To be one with you." The lady turned to me and said, "I like that man!"

Giriraj Swami:

A guest asked, "If everything comes from Krishna, then illusion also comes from Krishna. But how can illusion, which comes from Krishna, cover Krishna?" Srila Prabhupada replied, "Everything comes from the sun. The cloud also comes from the sun, but the cloud doesn't actually cover the sun. The cloud covers our vision of the sun but the sun is never covered."

Adya dasa:

My wife and I loved cooking all the time in the kitchen in the Manhattan temple. Once Prabhupada was due to arrive the next day and we were told to make a skirt for Prabhupada'stulasi devi, but my wife didn't know how to sew. We had an assignment we couldn't do but we tried. My wife stayed up the whole night making that tulasi skirt. In the morning we brought thetulasi skirt, and the devotee said, "Oh this is a terrible job. How could you do this? Don't you have any sense?" We were broken-hearted. My wife started crying and I was hurt, but we put the skirt on tulasi devi anyway. When Prabhupada finally walked into the room the first statement he made was "What a beautiful tulasi skirt." We started crying again but this time out of great pleasure. Prabhupada's statement made us realize that we just met a pure representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Gopavrindapal dasa:

Another time one of the local book distributors asked how, upon his arrival in New York, Srila Prabhupada had such success in distributing the first volumes of the Srimad Bhagavatam.Prabhupada thought for a moment and said, "I do not think it was my success. I think that they saw me as some fancy Indian gentleman and therefore they took whatever I asked them to take." He never thought that there was a technique. He thought it was his Indian flair, his Indian gentlemanliness.

Sudama dasa:

One afternoon after his nap I was bringing him a little rasagulla and some drink. The sun was going down when I started to enter his room, which faced the backyard. The whole room seemed purple and gold. There was a certain energy in the room. Srila Prabhupada was chanting and crying tears of ecstasy. Well, we didn't even have "The Nectar of Devotion" yet. I got alarmed, backed out of the room with the tray, went to Govinda Dasi and said, "Govinda, what's happening? Is Prabhupada OK? Is he having a fit?" She said, "No. No. That's just Srila Prabhupada having a relationship with Krishna. That's Krishna consciousness." I said, "Wow." I went back in five minutes later. Srila Prabhupada was still there and this time he stopped me from leaving. He said, "SUDAMA don't leave. I am crying because of the mercy of my Guru Maharaja. By his mercy I am allowed to see Krishna. I see Him right now over those grasses." Oh, man. It was so heavy that I started crying. He said, "Why are you crying?" I said, "Because you are so powerful and merciful. I have never met a soul like you." He said, "That is Krishna's arrangement."

Brahmananda dasa:

In Boston Hamsadutta had just gotten a school bus, the first sankirtan bus in the movement. One morning Prabhupada called Hamsadutta and said, "Let us go for a ride in your bus." Hamsadutta excitedly said, "Oh yes." But then he realized that they had taken all the seats out of the bus. There was just the floor. Prabhupada couldn't sit like that so I got a chair from the temple and held it down while Prabhupada sat in it. All the devotees piled into the bus. Everyone was very excited. "Where are we going?" I said, "For a ride with Prabhupada." Ramandeva was driving and Prabhupada was giving directions, "Turn here. Go on this road." Nobody knew where we were going and no one was bold enough to ask Prabhupada, but Prabhupada knew where he was going. While the devotees chanted on their beads, we got to the downtown area and finally we came to the waterfront, the dock area. And then we arrived at Commonwealth Pier. Actually, no devotees had ever even seen it. Prabhupada was always talking about Krishna and didn't tell us so many details about his arrival in America. Even when we got there, we didn't realize where we were, but this was the place where Prabhupada had first entered America. Prabhupada started walking and we clustered around him on this big pier with big roads, warehouses and factories surrounding us. Prabhupada preached as he always did on his morning walk. He talked about pure devotional service to Krishna and he used the word "unalloyed." It's exotic, this "unalloyed" devotional service, because an "alloy" is a metal made of many different kinds of metal. Prabhupada was always saying, "unalloyed." That meant just one metal, not many.

At a certain point he said, "Yes. Unalloyed devotional service" and he pointed with his cane. We all followed the cane and there was a hundred-foot long sign on the entire side of the warehouse that said, "Unalloyed Steel Company." We all said, "Yes. Unalloyed." That sign was one of the first things Prabhupada had seen when he entered America and he showed it to us to explain unalloyed devotional service; a very simple instruction that he made so graphic. We were like Prabhupada's young students and Prabhupada was our teacher. As a teacher writes a word on a blackboard and then takes a pointer to show the class, so Prabhupada was showing us.

Baradraj dasa:

There was a devotee named Patita-uddharan, tall and lanky and very unconventional in many ways. He danced in his own way, he sang in his own way and he talked in his own way. He obviously didn't fit into the narrow category of a book distributor. After a nice big kirtan in the temple, Prabhupada lectured and then suddenly said, "Are there any questions?" Out of the blue Patita-uddharan said, "Srila Prabhupada, we are all eager to hear what will please you the most. There are so many different types of service that are dear to you. Will you tell us clearly what service is most dear to you?" Prabhupada said, "Chant Hare Krishna and become simply wonderful. Eat simply wonderfuls and become simply wonderful. That is all. Hare Krishna."
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padmavati mataji February 23, 2011 at 11:11pm

Hridayananda Goswami:

Karandhar and I were in Prabhupada's room in the early seventies. It was a beautiful afternoon, a breeze was blowing, the sun was setting and golden rays were shining on Prabhupada. It was a sublime atmosphere. Prabhupada began to talk about India at the turn of the century. He explained how people used to work, the relationships between the householders and their servants and how people used to cook. He took us back to his early childhood when he was having Ratha-yatra and worshipping Radha Govinda. Then he looked at us very strongly and said, "Whatever I am doing now I was doing then. Do you understand?" We were speechless. Prabhupada said, "Never was there a time when I did not know Krishna. Do you understand?" He said it in such a way that it was clearly the case. That was a very powerful experience.

Hari Sauri dasa:

Prabhupada explained that one of his strategies for making people Krishna conscious was to distribute profuse amounts of prasadam. He said that people are almost like animals in the way they live. They don't know anything other than their bodies. "At least let them eat prasadam, for that's also Krishna," he said. "Our program is to help people gradually become Krishna conscious. Simply by eating prasadam they'll gradually develop an attraction to Krishna, and when that develops, they'll be able to understand the philosophy simply by eating prasadam."Prasadam distribution was one definite way that people could make some advancement.

Pusta Krishna dasa:

We were flying from Singapore to Australia. Prabhupada and Hari Sauri, his servant, were seated in the first class section and I was in the coach section. The plane hit an air pocket and quickly dropped five or ten thousand feet as if it was going down a huge roller coaster. My stomach was in my head and I was pretty shaken, although I was chanting through it all. As soon as the drop was over, I got up, walked to the front and asked Srila Prabhupada, "Are you okay?" Srila Prabhupada said, "Yes. We can die at anytime." He looked as if nothing at all had happened.

Revatinandana dasa:

"In the future will it be necessary for us to find someone else for more instructions? Or, if we follow your prescription for sadhana, sankirtan, preaching and chanting, will our hearts be purified so that Krishna will reveal subsequent things to us from within?" When I said the latter part, Prabhupada smiled and said, "Yes, that is the way. You will not have to go anywhere else. If you simply follow my instructions, everything will be revealed to you from within." He had a pleased look. It was clear to me that there was no need for information about our rasabecause everything is revealed to a pure-hearted devotee.

Chitsukhananda dasa:

I arrived twelve days before Prabhupada left the planet. When I came into his room the devotees said, "Chitsukhananda is here." Prabhupada smiled and said, "Oh. Thank you for coming." Even then he was totally attentive. I was able to be with him during his last few days. It was very wonderful. I hated to see him in that condition, but he was so clean and pure. His mind was centered on Krishna and clear. There was never any question of senility, of being an old person, or of being very ill. It was not because I was his disciple that I saw this, but because it's the truth. Anyone, who reads what he wrote and hears what he spoke at that time, will also see that his mind was perfectly clear.

Dhananjaya dasa:

He said, "Do you know what the four principles are?" I said, "Yes." "And you are chanting a minimum of 16 rounds?" I said, "Yes." On that premise he accepted me and then he said, "Your name is Dhananjaya das, a name for Arjuna which means 'conqueror of wealth.' You will have no difficulty in acquiring wealth. Actually there is so much wealth everywhere, money is flying in all directions," and he put his hands up in the air, "you simply have to learn the art of catching it."

Tribhuvanatha dasa:

At the initiation Prabhupada was very grave when he chanted on the beads. I was sitting just below the Vyasasana when a boy came up and Prabhupada said to him, "What are the four regulative principles?" The boy said, "No intoxication, no gambling, no meat eating, no illicit sex." Prabhupada shot back, "So, which one do you like the best?" The boy went bright red. I thought it was funny because Prabhupada had been so grave. It was a serious occasion yet he talked like that.

Sakshi Gopal dasa:

I was struck by Srila Prabhupada's seriousness. In the temple in Manchester there was a black-and-white poster of Prabhupada sitting on his bed in Bury Place. I used to think, "Why does he look so serious? Why isn't he laughing like other gurus do?" Then it suddenly hit me that life itself is serious. At that point Prabhupada's gravity and the depth of his compassion came across in that picture.

Amogha dasa:

When we had been in Perth, Hansadutta Maharaj had sent new shoes for Prabhupada from Germany and Prabhupada had had Srutakirti send Hansadutta his old shoes. So, when we were in Melbourne, 1974, I wanted to bring some gifts to Prabhupada. Once in the temple room I had heard Prabhupada say, "Don't touch the Bhagavatam to the floor," so I had an idea to get a book cover made and I asked one of the ladies who sewed for the Deities to make it. It had jari and tassels and a pink lining from remnants of Deity clothes. I also bought some peachy pink mangos to give to Prabhupada as a gift. One mataji had knitted a woolen scarf with brown tassels for Prabhupada. So, when Prabhupada was in his room speaking seriously to a large group of devotees, I came in, offered my obeisances and sat and listened. There was a pause in the conversation and Prabhupada looked at the box I had with me. He said, "What is this?" I thought I had some good gifts for Prabhupada. I was puffed up. I got out the book cover and I tried to explain that it was for covering Prabhupada's Bhagavatam because the Bhagavatamshouldn't touch the floor. In a stern and serious way, Prabhupada said, "I don't touch myBhagavatam to the floor." I repeatedly tried to explain why the book cover was a good idea, but every time I started to speak, Prabhupada spoke before me, saying, "I do not keep myBhagavatam on the floor. I keep my Bhagavatam on the shelf or table." I tried to keep a serious face, because he was serious but all the devotees started laughing and laughing, particularly Caru. I was totally embarrassed. Prabhupada wasn't going to let me explain, so I decided to just sit there and take whatever happened. Prabhupada said, "That book cover is for you." Then I didn't think I had many nice gifts. I pulled out the scarf and gave it to him. He liked that. By now I was in a humble state. Then I brought out the mangos. Prabhupada's mood changed and he smiled and said, "Ah, mangos, the king of fruit. This is a gift." I put the mangos on his table and he asked someone to make mango milk that night. He said that mango milk was very nutritious.

Suresvara dasa:

At some point during one of those lectures, Srila Prabhupada told us frankly that we had all come to Krishna because of prasadam. He told us that we were all prasadam bhaktas. When Prabhupada said that, he was being fanned by Abhirama prabhu, who was the temple president. Abhirama is reserved. He doesn't open his mind, he's a cool customer. But, when Prabhupada said that we were all prasadam devotees, he looked at Abhirama and said, "You too, Abhirama?" Abhirama became sheepish, out of character completely, and said, "Yes Srila Prabhupada, me too." Srila Prabhupada said, "Jai," his head wheeled slowly, like the sun rising, and his smile got bigger until it was ear to ear.

Dayananda dasa:

Once a few of us were in Prabhupada's garden when Nanda Kumar was his servant. After some time, Prabhupada wanted to go inside and we walked with him behind the temple into his quarters. Downstairs from Prabhupada's quarters there was a room with some cupboards and some of the Krishna Book paintings were sticking out from one of the cupboards. Other paintings were on the floor, leaning against the wall. Prabhupada noticed that the Krishna Book paintings were not nicely protected and said, "Why are these here? What are these doing here?" Nanda Kumar said, "I don't know Prabhupada, it's not my responsibility." Prabhupada shot back, "It is too your responsibility." That was a clear indication that Prabhupada expected his disciples to take responsibility for things that they saw in his movement.

Krsna Premi dasi:

My husband, Ajit, was from Sweden and had written to Srila Prabhupada asking if he could do some service in his own country. When Srila Prabhupada was in Sydney, he told us that he wanted us to go to Sweden and he asked what Sweden was like. Ajit told Srila Prabhupada about Sweden and then asked, "Srila Prabhupada, should we go out on harinama?" Ajit wanted to preach in universities and he said, "They may not look at us well in Sweden. What should we do, Srila Prabhupada?" Srila Prabhupada said, "That's all right, you can wear a suit and tie and your wife can wear a long dress. You can go and preach like that." We also asked Srila Prabhupada if we could have Deities. Srila Prabhupada said, "Yes, you can get Radha Krishna or Gaura Nitai." We said, "What would be best?" He said, "Either Radha Krishna or Gaura Nitai, but do not install Them immediately." After that, for some minutes Srila Prabhupada sat there and looked at both of us, thinking deeply. Then he opened his eyes wide, looked at me and said, "Who do you love more, Krishna or your husband?" I didn't know what to say. I didn't love Krishna and I also didn't love my husband. So I burst into tears. Srila Prabhupada had a big grin on his face. I could not understand what Prabhupada was thinking. He said, "If you go to Sweden and preach on behalf of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, He will give you all blessings."

Narahari dasa:

Prabhupada had a connection with Scotland, because the school he attended in Calcutta had Scottish missionary teachers. Prabhupada knew more about Scottish people and Scotland than we thought. So, when Prabhupada went to Scotland for the opening of the temple, he held an interesting press conference. Ten or fifteen weary, hard-edged, cynical journalists from various Scottish newspapers had assembled in Prabhupada's room, along with eight or ten devotees. The questions were cynical. Some of them were almost rude and challenging, like "Why have you come here?" "What do you hope to achieve?" Prabhupada was answering eloquently and quoting the Bhagavad-gita. He maintained his composure completely. Before long, the journalists were won over. One journalist, in an offhand manner, asked Prabhupada, "Do you know everything?" Prabhupada took his time to answer. He nodded his head and said, "Yes," and then he added a little something to it. That was a classic moment, when he answered directly and honestly and said, "Yes." At that moment, amongst the devotees and the journalists, there was breathing throughout the room, "Perhaps it is true," and after that the whole mood changed. It became light-hearted.

Ram Prasad dasa:

We were walking and Srila Prabhupada commented, "Why don't they grow some fruit trees here? Then birds would come." I thought, "Who thinks of birds?" But Prabhupada was aware on many different levels. Then he said, "Why do they have all of these big buildings? Wouldn't it be nice if they weren't there?" No one answered the question. I said, "Srila Prabhupada I guess they want to leave something behind, something that showed they were here." He said, "Yes, this is exactly like the washer man's donkey. He feels proud to have all of the washing on his back. Here is the same principle -- they are proud of carrying such a big burden."

Svayambhu dasa:

Prabhupada and two or three devotees were walking back from the square near the British museum. I said, "Does the Pope make spiritual advancement?" Prabhupada immediately said, "Yes, because he's engaged in God's work." It was quite a surprise because the Pope doesn't follow the regulative principles. But Prabhupada was very definite about it.

Yasomatinandana dasa:

The very first time I saw Prabhupada was when I went to the temple in Sydney one Sunday. Srila Prabhupada didn't give the lecture but had Hanuman Swami give it. That impressed me because I thought that the knowledge was absolute and he wasn't promoting himself as a personality. I had already read "Easy Journey to Other Planets," and was also impressed by that book. I thought, "This guru knows how to attract different people for a higher purpose." After the lecture, I drifted towards the kitchen. By that time, Srila Prabhupada had gotten off hisVyasasana and was on the opposite side of the kitchen door. Prabhupada stopped and looked at me and I realized he was actually looking at me -- a soul, not my body. His look said, "Where have you been?" Prabhupada's eyes had a profound affect on me.

Balabhadra dasa:

Prabhupada didn't say anything for a minute but gazed toward the back of the room. I followed his gaze and there was Jayananda sound asleep. Srila Prabhupada and Jayananda had a special relationship. There was so much love between them. Prabhupada knew that Jayananda worked hard and didn't say anything.

Jyotirmayi dasi:

The first time that I translated Prabhupada's words was when he lectured at the school of architecture in Paris. Many young people attended. Prabhupada saw that I was not yet a very expert translator, so he spoke in short sentences. It was very nice of him. Over the years I was able to translate better and he would make his sentences much longer. Astonishingly, once when I forgot to translate part of what Prabhupada had said he noticed it. I don't know how he noticed it, because I don't think Prabhupada knew French, but he noticed I missed a part. He repeated the part I missed so that I would translate it. And I did.

Sruti Rupa dasi:

When Pishima (Srila Prabhupada's sister) brought Prabhupada prasadam that she'd made in her home, the taste was exquisite. Nothing ever tasted as good as her cooking because she made the dishes in mustard oil. Prabhupada said that if you want to eat for taste, you cook with mustard oil. If you want to eat for health, you cook with ghee. We never could duplicate the things that came from Pishima's hands.

Nava Yogendra Swami:

When Prabhupada called me in, I said, "Prabhupada, you didn't take any rest and you're not feeling well. You should have taken some rest." Prabhupada looked at me and said, "Nava Yogendra, sometime this body will be sick, sometime it will be okay, but in any condition you should serve Krishna. That is your eternal credit. That alone will go with you."

Trivikrama Swami:

Prabhupada came to Buffalo in the spring of '69. He stayed at an Indian man's apartment near the temple. At that time I had been living in the temple for six months or so and Prabhupada initiated me. I remember sitting in the back of Prabhupada's room and watching Prabhupada at his desk. I was trying to penetrate the mystery of Prabhupada. Suddenly he looked up and saw me looking at him. He said, "Yes?" I was caught. I lowered my eyes. In a sense I was intruding and I realized I couldn't know him in that way. I had to somehow get his mercy if I wanted to know him better.

Bhavatarini dasi:

I'd be in the back of the temple when we greeted the Deities. In the old temple room Prabhupada came in the back door and we'd all shout, "Prabhupada, ki jaya!" Once I was yelling, "Prabhupada, jaya!" when he came in the door and he turned around, looked at me and raised his eyebrow as if to say, "Yes, what?" I was yelling like a cheerleader at a football game. I didn't have anything to say, so I paid my obeisances. After that I realized that he was a person. Before that he wasn't real to me. When he looked at me and waited for me to speak, I was flabbergasted and didn't have anything to say. I hardly spoke to him the entire time. But I listened.

Shyamasundar dasa:

In the early days when the girls, Janaki, Yamuna and Malati were taking turns cooking for Prabhupada, they always tried to introduce typical American favorites and turn Prabhupada on to these so-called delicacies. And invariably Prabhupada would be gracious about it and say, "Oh, thank you, I'll try this" but always leave most of it. Janaki once made artichokes, a full artichoke with a dip, and showed him how to do it. And he ate about two and he said, "Why all this trouble, this botheration?" (Laughs) He stuck to his dahl, rice and subjis and in turn taught them how to cook. He didn't like all the American gadgets, the American tastes.

Bhajahari dasa:

On that morning walk he said, "We are their good fortune," in other words, you and I can also give Krishna consciousness to people. After all, Prabhupada didn't say, "I am their good fortune. I have come from India to give this knowledge." No, "We are their good fortune." That is also Prabhupada's humility and compassion. His was the greatest compassion.

Ambika dasi:

When I was in Australia, Srila Prabhupada was not available to most of the devotees. But it was completely different in Bombay. There were so many problems associated with Bombay that whenever Prabhupada was going around the world, he'd stop in Bombay. There, every night on his roof, Srila Prabhupada would have darshan. Sometimes he'd sit alone chanting and sometimes he'd be with his servant or someone would be fanning him. Anyone could sit and chant with Prabhupada and ask questions. Then Indian guests and devotees would come. Many film stars and big industrialists came and Prabhupada would welcome them all warmly. Prabhupada would ask them to sit in the front and then he would preach to them. There was also an old man who lived nearby that used to come. He had some disease that made his fingers, hands, and head shake all the time. When he visited Srila Prabhupada he didn't do much. He would sit and say a few pleasantries and shake. Prabhupada's servant thought, "Oh he's just wasting Prabhupada's time," and stopped this man from coming. The old man was humble and thought, "Oh I shouldn't go." Then, after a long time, he came in and he offered obeisances. Prabhupada said, "Oh, where have you been? Why haven't you been coming?" He said, "Oh, Prabhupada, they told me not to come." Prabhupada said, "You can come at any time," and Prabhupada chastised his servant. I thought that was wonderful. Srila Prabhupada's translating work was so important and there was no immediate benefit from this old gentleman coming, but Srila Prabhupada was generous with his time.

Dhruvanatha dasa:

I was with Prabhupada for about an hour, and Kulashekar was the only other devotee in the room at the time. Before I left, Prabhupada looked at me straight in the eyes and said, "Man is the architect of his own fortune, so you make your fortune now. Whatever is done is done. Now start a new chapter in your life, and in the next life go back home, back to Godhead." Those words are still ringing in my ears to this day.

B.V. Puri Maharaja:

"He has done so much service in the western countries in a small period. He could change Western countries. That is a credit to you all."
Volunteer

padmavati mataji February 23, 2011 at 11:10pm

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Brahmananda dasa:

When the Swami walked into the storefront to give class, everyone bowed down and I started bowing down too. Gargamuni was the only one who wouldn't. He would just sit there. This went on for some time and Gargamuni felt a little self-conscious about it. After class, Prabhupada would always ask for questions and on one occasion Gargamuni said, "When you come into the room, everyone bows down, but I don't feel like bowing down so I am not going to do it because it would be artificial. I am asking if this all right." Prabhupada said, "You should bow down. By bowing down the feeling will come." This was a very nice instruction and when Gargamuni started doing that, it worked.

Gurudas:

Haridas decided to paint the Panchatattva but he thought They were women and he painted Them with breasts. When the new painting was unveiled over the new altar, Prabhupada said, "Ahhhh," and told Haridas, "Those are men, not women. Please change it." Haridas changed it. It's amazing how Prabhupada was so patient. He introduced things very slowly.

Malati dasi:

Little by little, we learned who and what was the spiritual master. In so many cases Srila Prabhupada was challenged by our ignorance, by our lack of spiritual education. For example, after one lecture a young woman raised her hand and said, "Swamiji, I don't agree that we shouldn't have illicit sex. I don't think there's any such thing as illicit sex. Sex is a good way to know God." Prabhupada tried to speak to her reasonably but she was adamant. Finally Prabhupada said, "All right. But I have brought only one medicine, so please take it," and he began kirtan.

Bhagavata dasa:

At the end of the talk Prabhupada asked if anybody had questions. I said, "How does one become sincere?" because I thought that sincerity was the key quality in achieving self-realization. He said, "You become sincere by being sincere."

Nara Narayan dasa:

Srila Prabhupada said, "We should always be considering, 'What is my duty?" I thought, "Duty. Okay." I was hearing impaired since I was young and between Prabhupada's accent, my inability to hear and the psychedelics residually floating in my brain cells, I was having a hard time understanding. Prabhupada pointed to his coffee table and said, "Do you see this ant?" I looked carefully. I knew that Srila Prabhupada was the external representative of the Supersoul, and if he said that there was an ant, then there was an ant. But there was no ant. I didn't want to say "No" and appear stupid to not see the spiritual or whatever ant was there, and I didn't want to say "Yes" and be proven a liar because I couldn't see the ant. Srila Prabhupada looked at me intensely as though, the ant issue now solved, he wanted to get on to real business. He said, "My job is to understand, 'What is my duty to this ant?'" Not only was there an ant that I couldn't see but now I had a duty to it. Prabhupada looked at me almost beseechingly, "Somehow I have to help this ant. Maybe I can chant Hare Krishna to it or feed it a littleprasadam. If we can help one ant become Krishna conscious, then our whole movement is a glorious success." I realized that it was a pure metaphor. I had a duty to feed and chant to this invisible ant and if I did so, and if we all did our respective Krishna conscious duties, our whole movement would be successful.

Dina Bandhu dasa:

When the Los Angeles temple room was where the F.A.T.E. Museum is now, Prabhupada used to come in the back door, walk up to pay his obeisances to the Deities and then sit down on his Vyasasana. Once Prabhupada came in the back door, cocked his head back, and said, "What is in Krishna's eye?" At that time we were worshiping only the little Deities and from the back door, I can't even see if Krishna has an eye, what to speak of seeing what's in Krishna's eye. Even the pujaris who were right there took two minutes to figure out what was wrong. Finally they found that when they had put the tilak on Krishna, little splinters of it had fallen down in Krishna's eye. We were totally shocked.

Atma Tattva dasa:

One big businessman said, "Swamiji, I have a factory here in Delhi and I have a factory in Jaipur…." He listed his things and said, "I have all this but I can't sleep." Prabhupada said, "You can't sleep because you have so many things. Give them to me, then you can sleep peacefully," and he turned to somebody and said, "Take his address." The man said, "No Swamiji, I can come any time." "You can come any time, but we should also be able to go to you any time. Take his address." "No, No Swamiji." Prabhupada said, "If you give some of your things to Krishna, you will be peaceful. We will relieve you of your problem." The man was smashed right there and he gave his address. He had to.

Yogesvara dasa:

In the early days, before I ever met Srila Prabhupada, his letters were vitally instructive and enlightening. In one letter that came to Tamal Krishna Maharaj in Bury Place in 1970, there was an admonition. Tamal had asked, "What is more important, sankirtan, rounds, devotional service, or our health?" Prabhupada answered, "The highest principle is to save yourself."

Gauridas Pandit dasa:

The temple room was full of devotees and one of the big book distributors asked, "Prabhupada, what pleases you the most?" Prabhupada said, "If you develop your love for Krishna that will please me the most." It was really nice to hear that and all the devotees said, "Jaya Srila Prabhupada!"

Sura dasa:

Another time, a letter described different achievements that were taking place, like a restaurant opening in South Africa, another activity that was going on and so forth. Srila Prabhupada said, "When I hear the achievements of my disciples my chest swells with pride for them." So there were little statements that Srila Prabhupada made that rang through and will ring through, I am sure, for decades and centuries.

Mahabuddhi dasa:

The next morning I asked, "Prabhupada, I'm on the Library Party and I'm visiting professors in big universities but I'm just a graduate from San Diego State University. Yet I'm trying to represent you…" I felt, "How can I become more qualified?" but I didn't quite finish my sentence. Prabhupada looked at me and said, "Krishna's already helping." In other words, I thought I was doing the work. Prabhupada was good at bringing us back to reality. Then Prabhupada said, "Anyway, just pray to Krishna. To those who constantly worship Krishna with love, He gives them the intelligence to come back to Him. Will you pray like that?" I said, "Yes, Prabhupada." He said, "Everyday?" I said, "Yes, Srila Prabhupada." He said, "In that way, Krishna will supply you intelligence."

Sri Nathji dasa:

My father gave a lot of money to Prabhupada. I thought, "Prabhupada makes my father work and takes away his money." So I told my father that we better talk a little bit. I was about 31 years old and my father was close to 60 years old. I asked him, "What are you doing? This man comes in our house and he virtually asks you to do everything for him." My father said, "He's doing a very important duty. He is like a Vedic ambassador. He's spreading Indian culture and nobody's done this before. I appreciate it. I am going to help him."

Nara Narayan dasa:

There was a family named Acharya on our property in Juhu and Srila Prabhupada was going to stay in their house. When Prabhupada was on a morning walk or traveling, he always had a flying wedge of disciples behind him. He'd be leading and we would be swept along in his wake. So we came to the Acarya's small house and the whole family was standing at the top of the stairs beaming and smiling, welcoming Prabhupada. Although we knew it was a small house, we were planning to crowd inside and sit down with Prabhupada because he always said some wonderful things when he came to someone's home. We all wanted to witness those wonderful things. So Prabhupada went up the stairs with his cane, turned in front of the Acharya family, looked grandly over his disciples and said, "Ah, now I am finally taking shelter of the Acharyas."

Vrindabaneshvari dasi:

Afterwards a woman asked, "Why do you shave your head?" In a heartbeat Prabhupada said, "Why do you shave your legs?" Everyone was stunned and scared. After a moment of silence Prabhupada said, "Better to have a cool head than cold legs." Everyone said, "Jaya!" It broke the ice. The guests laughed.

Deva Didhiti dasi:

Once in the airport, Prabhupada was sitting by himself at TWA. I thought, "Oh, my God, how could Prabhupada be by himself? Why isn't anybody here?" I stood there thinking, "Let me guard Prabhupada." The sannyasis were huddled together because there was a problem with the tickets. I stayed by Prabhupada and he was so cute. He knew that I was worrying, and he said, "Don't worry, don't worry, I'm fine," but I stayed close. I was doing sankirtan too, because I was preaching to the people who were on that flight. I told them how fortunate they were to be with the pure devotee and I handed out "Back to Godheads." I could see that Prabhupada was pleased that I was doing this tiny service. I felt happy to do anything for Prabhupada. And he was so appreciative.

Vidya dasi:

In New Vrindavan in 1976, there were a lot of women with one or two month old babies and we took turns watching them during Prabhupada's classes. We had them lay in little seats. On my morning, I decided it would be cute to line them up so when Prabhupada came out he would look at them and they would have that contact with him. So I got the five or six babies lined up. When Prabhupada came out of the temple I stepped aside so that he wouldn't see me. I didn't know what a woman's relationship should be around Srila Prabhupada and I didn't want to be too close. I could still see him but he couldn't see me. Prabhupada was shocked. He turned to Kirtanananda, "Where are the mothers? What is going on?" Kirtanananda didn't know where they were but, he's said, "They must be around. I'm sure they're not far away." Kirtanananda assured Prabhupada enough so that Prabhupada moved on but Prabhupada was very concerned that the children were watched and taken care of.

Gunamai dasi:

Prabhupada laughed and said, "How do you like your name?" I thought, "Fine. It's nice." Afterwards I realized that the reason he named me 'Guna' was because I'm from Laguna Beach but at the time it didn't click. I was too much in awe.

Anuttama dasa:

After the lecture there were several questions. One man began explaining how he was experiencing Krishna, how he had realizations of Krishna, how he saw Krishna, and so on. Some of Prabhupada's sannyasis felt that this man was wasting time and started to move him from the microphone but Prabhupada said, "No, no. Let him finish." When he was finished, Prabhupada explained how a realized person never feels that he has seen God. A realized person always feels, "Where is Krishna?" Prabhupada described the prayers of the six Goswamis, "krishnotkirtana-gana-nartana-parau," and how a Krishna conscious person never feels that he has seen Krishna but is always hankering to see Krishna. We learned that we should never feel that we are with Krishna, but that we should always be hankering to see Krishna.

Madhava Gosh dasa:

One of the local kids had a motorcycle and pulled into the driveway close to where Prabhupada was talking. The kid couldn't see that there were a lot of people in the yard. He turned the motorcycle around, revved it up a bunch of times and roared down the road back to his house. He was just a kid running up and down a quarter mile on the ridge road making his motorcycle go "rrrmmm, rrrmmmm, rrrmmmm," the way a kid does. He was going back and forth making a lot of noise, peeling out, and heading down the road. Every time he'd come we'd have to stop talking because it was so loud until he left. Finally Kuladri said, "Maybe I should ask him to stop." Prabhupada said, "Oh, don't. If you ask him to stop he'll just do it more." I thought that was insightful into the way teenagers think.

Bhargava dasa:

I said, "Prabhupada, sometimes I fight with my god-brothers. Is that bad?" He said, "No, not necessarily." I asked, "Prabhupada, sometimes I have problems and the spiritual master isn't there and it's too detailed for the scriptures. What should I do?" And he said, "If you chant Hare Krishna very nicely, all the answers will come from within." That was a timeless answer.
Volunteer

padmavati mataji February 23, 2011 at 11:09pm

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Govinda dasi:

After Srila Prabhupada got out of the hospital I spent three weeks with him. Those three weeks changed my life and I wanted to continue serving him in that way. So, during the six months Prabhupada was in India, everyday I prayed to Lord Jagannath, "If he comes back, please let me be his servant. Let me cook for him. Let me clean his room. Let me do anything, just let me serve and be near him. This is my strong desire." One of the first letters Srila Prabhupada ever sent me was when he was in India and the last statement in the letter was, "I know your mind."

Srutakirti dasa:

Every afternoon we would have Krishna book readings and I, fortunately, was the designated reader. Sometimes Prabhupada would make comments during the readings, sometimes he would just sit very quietly, and sometimes he would laugh. I would always try to find stories about demons because Prabhupada would react to these stories more than others. He would usually laugh when Krishna was killing the demons. One day while I was searching for a story to read, he said, "Just read from anywhere. Krishna is like a sweet ball. Wherever you bite, it's sweet." Then I quickly went to the next page and began reading.

Keshava dasa:

I was always amazed at how Prabhupada tuned right in and related to you and whoever was with you. I was a brahmachari for many years, but my real propensity wasn't to be abrahmachari. That kind of advancement and detachment was wishful thinking for me. But in those days, if you expressed the idea that, "Maybe I should be married," then you had someone talking you out of it. When I went to see Prabhupada, more than once he said, "Oh Keshavaji, where is your wife?" I said, "Prabhupada, I don't have a wife." He could see that I wasn't a first class brahmachari. He was saying to me, "You'd better think about things a little bit."

Kaushalya dasi:

We went to the Golden Temple, which is the Sikh's most holy temple. One of the temple people there showed us around. Prabhupada really liked it and was very impressed. They had a huge chapati-maker, like an upside down wok, with about ten men around it flipping chapatiswith big, long spatulas. They were feeding poor people. We went to the inner sanctum of the Golden Temple and walked around. When we left they asked Prabhupada, "Would you sign our guest book, Swamiji?" He said, "Yes," and signed the guest book. In the place that said, "What are your impressions of the temple?" Prabhupada wrote, "Very spiritual," and he made sure that we all knew what he wrote, because he told us while he was writing it. Under religion he wrote, "Krishnite." It was very funny -- Not Hindu, Krishnite.

Bhakta dasa:

Prabhupada said, "Bill prabhu come forward. Your name is Bhakta Das," He handed me my beads and said, "This name means that you are the servant of the devotees. The more you think of yourself as a servant, the more you will advance in spiritual life. The more you think you're becoming a master, the faster you will go to hell."

Revatinandana dasa:

He said, "In this way, my Guru Maharaj pulled me out of this material world." When he said "pulled", his voice got thick and two tears suddenly shot out of his eyes, as if they were squeezed out by a shudder of ecstasy, and went running down his cheeks. Everybody in the room was speechless. I was impressed with the intense feeling he had when his Guru Maharajcalled him to take sannyas.

Uttamasloka dasa:

On a morning walk in Toronto, perhaps in 1976, Vishvakarma, the temple president, said, "Prabhupada, lately the brahmacharis are agitated and are having difficulty maintaining theirbrahmachari mood. How should we deal with this?" Prabhupada said, "If they're agitated, tell them to get married. What's the problem?" Vishvakarma said, "But Prabhupada all of the big devotees, the sannyasis, tell them that it's a fall down to get married." Prabhupada said, "Fall down from where? How can you fall, when you're already fallen?"

Yamuna dasi:

At the fire yajna for our marriage, we didn't have enough money to buy butter, so we used margarine. When Srila Prabhupada tried to start the fire, he dipped a piece of wood into the margarine. Prabhupada's hands were magnificent with long fingers. He held the wood over the flame, but it wouldn't light. He dipped it and held it over the flame again, no action. He looked up gravely and said, "Oh, this marriage will have a very slow start." I was mortified. I thought, "Oh, Oh. What have I gotten into now?"

Pradyumna dasa:

Prabhupada said, "The Goswamis never thought about being published. That's their attitude." That was a shock to me, but if you look at all the Goswami books, in the beginning there's a line, "For my friend Sanatana Goswami or Rupa Goswami." The Goswamis would write for friends and afterwards their works were sent to Bengal to be copied. That was the way books were published in those days. But in the beginning, they were writing for the pleasure of a few friends. Prabhupada said, "That's the Goswami ideal. They weren't thinking, 'I'm an author, I've been published.'"

Arundhati dasi:

When my son, Aniruddha, was one and a half or two years old, we lived in Coconut Grove, Florida, and I started doing full time Deity service while some other devotees took care of Aniruddha. I thought, "Here's my chance to do a really important service." In a letter I mentioned my service to Srila Prabhupada. Prabhupada wrote back, "Taking care of the children is just as important as doing Deity worship. One service is not more important than another. These children aren't ordinary children. They are Vaikuntha children. They have been sent by Krishna Himself." He told me to stop doing Deity worship and to take care of Aniruddha.

Mangalananda dasa:

When Prabhupada first came to New York he was living in the Bowery. Once Prabhupada said, "Even if a drunk man in the Bowery sips wine with the attitude, 'O Krishna makes the nice taste in this wine,' he will eventually achieve perfection."

Moksa Laksmi dasi:

Another time, on Srila Bhaktisiddhanta's appearance day, we cooked 108 preparations for the Deities, Radha-Rasabehari. In those days in Bombay, we cooked feasts on all the appearance and disappearance days. We cooked a lot. Hamsadutta told us, "Oh, you should show the feast to Prabhupada." So Sarvamangala and I got big pot lids, put all the preparations on them and carried them across Hare Krishna Land, up the stairs, and into Prabhupada's room. Later Prabhupada sent us a message, "This movement is nothing without its feasts."

Abhirama dasa:

Prabhupada said to me, "Everything is so nice in the Western countries; if they would simply stop eating the cow. Isn't there any other kind of meat they can eat besides the cow?"

Srutakirti dasa:

A former sannyasi got married and already had a child when he came to see Srila Prabhupada in Mexico City. I believe he was the first sannyasi to fall down and he was afraid to see Srila Prabhupada. He offered his obeisances and mentioned how, in the Caitanya-caritamrita, Lord Caitanya told Chota Haridas to leave His association after Chota Haridas had glanced at a woman. This former sannyasi asked, "Srila Prabhupada, do I have to leave too?" Prabhupada said, "Lord Caitanya could make the whole world Krishna conscious in a second. But I can't do that. I need all the help I can get. Do whatever service you can do in the householder ashram, just be content." It was incredible. A sannyasi falls down and Prabhupada said, "Now be a content grihasta. Become peaceful and do service." Whatever it took, Prabhupada wanted to follow the orders of his spiritual master to spread Krishna consciousness all over the world. Srila Prabhupada burned up our impurities and offered our service to his Guru Maharaj.

Saradiya dasi:

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday we would have kirtan in the temple room and on alternate days we would go to Prabhupada's room for darshan. Once we were sitting in Prabhupada's room and Prabhupada said, "Oh, Saradiya has very nice tilak. Krishna das has no tilak." He went around to each and every devotee, pointing out whether they had tilak or not. It was very important to Prabhupada that we wear tilak.

Visakha dasi:

One morning I was sitting on a landing, chanting and waiting for Prabhupada to come. It was dark so I couldn't see very well and Prabhupada came very softly so I couldn't hear him either. As he passed right in front of me, less than an arm's reach away, he said in a baritone voice and with complete gravity, "Thank you very much." All I was doing was chanting japa.Prabhupada was so appreciative and encouraging of the smallest effort.

Nanda Kumar dasa:

It's embarrassing to say this, but once Prabhupada told me that I was the king of faultfinders. When I tried to share with the other devotees what Prabhupada had taught me, due to my ego it sounded like I was finding fault with them. And there was some of that there. So one of Prabhupada's instructions to me was to give up faultfinding, to accept and apply all his instructions and not worry about what anybody else was doing.

Kanka dasi:

One reporter asked, "What will happen to the movement in the United States when you die?" Srila Prabhupada immediately said, "I will never die. I live in my books." Another reporter asked, "What is the purpose of these large carts?" Prabhupada's eyes got big and he said, "Large car means God is very great, He requires a very great car. Why should He go in a small car?"
Volunteer

padmavati mataji February 23, 2011 at 11:07pm

Then our eyes met for one or two seconds. That glance is probably the most memorable experience of my life because it seemed as if time stopped. I felt that Prabhupada saw thousands of my nonsense births and still completely accepted me in spite of everything. It was an experience that was timeless, that was in another dimension. Then he was gone. But he had created an incredible link with me, which I've never forgotten and which I can never forget.

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Kaliyapani dasa
Volunteer

padmavati mataji February 23, 2011 at 11:07pm

It was the day I received my gayatri initiation. There had been a big fire sacrifice and some received first initiation and a few of us were getting our second initiations. It was Brooklyn temple and to receive my thread and the gayatri mantra I went into a small room where Prabhupada was sitting alone behind a small table. There were some leftovers from the fireyajna on the desk.

As I sat down next to Prabhupada he was busily smooshing pieces of a half burnt banana in between the petals of a beautiful large red rose. He was holding the rose in his left hand and with the fingers of his right hand he was very expertly doing the smooshing -- packing little pieces of squashed banana in between each and every petal and doing so without disturbing the flower one iota. He was definitely enjoying himself and had a boyish grin as he was doing it. He went on for a few minutes before finally putting down the banana filled rose to whisper themantra in my ear.

Afterwards I thought about asking whether what he was doing had any particular significance but I already knew the answer. Srila Prabhupada was just having some fun with the fire yajnaleftovers.

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Swarup Das
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padmavati mataji February 23, 2011 at 11:06pm

Prabhupada greeted the Deities when he first arrived and said, "Be very careful. Do not become proud. You are dealing with Radha and Krishna. If you become proud, everything will be spoiled." Another time one guest asked Prabhupada, "Why does Krishna wear a peacock feather?" I thought that Prabhupada was going to give an esoteric reason, but in a simple way he said, "Because He likes to." On another occasion when he was sitting on the vyasasan, he said, "Krishna consciousness is so simple that you will miss it." I remember that because it is so simple and yet so deep.

We went to see the Indian Ambassador with Prabhupada. The temple was so poor at the time that we did not have a car. I asked the guests if anyone had a car we could use. A hippie said, "I have one swami can use." It was a ridiculous-looking Beetle with flowers painted on it. I thought, "How could we put Prabhupada in this?" But we had no choice, Srila Prabhupada, Shyamasundar, and I got in, and this hippie drove to the Indian embassy. When we saw the Indian Ambassador, Prabhupada was relaxed and transcendental. He spoke about Rupa Goswami and gave the Amabassador The Nectar of Devotion. For about half an hour, Prabhupada talked, and at the end of it the gentleman was purified. Prabhupada addressed the Ambassador by his first name, saying, "Last time I was here you said 'Swamiji, whatever you want, I will do if I can.' Now I have one request." By that time they had such a nice relationship that the Ambassador could not refuse. Prabhupada had completely melted him. Prabhupada asked the Ambassador to contact Indira Gandhi and arrange for five-year missionary visas for his disciples in India. It fascinated and amazed me how Prabhupada softened him by talking about the Goswamis and the philosophy. There was no businesslike talk. Prabhupada was an ambassador from the Goswamis, and when he met the Indian Ambassador he did it on his grounds. He didn't do it on the Indian Ambassador's grounds. Prabhupada didn't behave like a diplomat or in anyway try to conform to a mundane idea of negotiations.

That morning Prabhupada had a bit of breakfast and left about noontime by train for the program in Glasgow, but no one had provided lunch for him. From breakfast until the evening he didn't eat, but he didn't complain even once. Anyway, we got to the hall, which was packed with 400 to 500 people, and had a massive, ecstatic kirtan. We let anyone come in, and street kids were there, dancing like anything. Prabhupada encouraged them, as there was some rapport between them and Prabhupada. Most of the time we were trying to get these kids out, but Prabhupada didn't like us doing that. After the kirtan Prabhupada gave an amazing lecture from the Bhagavad-gita and then said, "Are there any questions?" An impersonalist stood up and in so many words said, "I am God, we're all God, it's all one." Prabhupada didn't speak. This guy was in the front of the audience, looking straight up at Prabhupada, and Prabhupada was looking straight at him. He carried on for some time and then finally ran out of words. Prabhupada looked very grave, but like a lion. There was complete silence. Prabhupada said, "You are not God, you are dog." He said it in such an amazing way that they guy practically fell back in shock. The audience stood up, clapped, cheered, and whistled as if someone had just scored a goal in the World Cup. It was an amazing reaction. Prabhupada was surprised at the reaction. The people completely backed him up.

After the program, Prabhupada and the devotees went to the back and, because we were so poor, had a feast of oranges. When Prabhupada was leaving, he was intoxicated with ecstacy. He was staggering down the hall with a beam that was incredible. I had never seen Prabhupada like that before. I was holding the door, and there was only Prabhupada and me. His servant was behind. When Prabhupada got to the door, he put both his hands on my head and started rubbing it in a very gentle way. I couldn't believe it. He said, "I am very pleased with what you have done. Now you preach Krishna consciousness all over Scotland." It was so beautiful that it's hard to put into words. It was one of those moments that are never repeated.

I was in the room with Prabhupada when he was about to shave. He had gotten soaped up, and Nanda Kumar was standing behind him with a towel. Prabhupada was trying to use the razor but was disturbed. He looked at Nanda Kumar, pointed to the razor, because Prabhupada had a razor with an adjustment dial on it, and said, "No dial?" Nanda Kumar said, "No, that is not your regular razor, Prabhupada. It doesn't have a dial." Prabhupada said, "Is it Gillette?" Nanda Kumar said, "No it is not Gillette." In a wonderful, unbelievable way, Prabhupada said, "Simply bogus." He rejected that razor like he'd reject Mayavadi philosophy. The razor sort of floated to the shelf. I was fascinated by the way Prabhupada looked so angelic.

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Tribhuvanatha das
Volunteer

padmavati mataji February 23, 2011 at 11:06pm

When Prabhupada came though the doors of the lounge, his smile was oceanic. He was beaming. I was supposed to put a garland on him, but I froze. I thought, "This person is not in this dimension." I was only 18, but I could tell that he was not of this world. Other devotees were garlanding him, but I didn't even pay my obeisances. Prabhupada walked straight past me as I was standing there looking at him and holding a big garland. Then I ran up to him and slipped the garland on him. It was funny because I was obviously the reception committee, but I was motionless. Prabhupada's smile had knocked me out. The other devotees were practically crying, and that made me more amazed at this person's potency, that he could walk through a door and cause everyone to cry. It was fascinating.

At the initiation Prabhupada was very grave when he chanted on his beads. I was sitting just below the vyasasana when a boy came up and Prabhupada said to him, "What are the four regulative principles? The boy said, "No intoxication, no gambling, no meat eating, no illicit sex." Prabhupada shot back, "So which one do you like the best?" The boy went bright red. I thought it was funny, because Prabhupada had been so grave. It was a serious occasion, yet he talked like that.

In St. James Park Prabhupada would constantly point out different things. Once he saw some bird droppings and asked, "What is this?" Everyone was looking at the bird droppings and thinking, "Maybe Prabhupada reads tea leaf formations and sees it esoterically." Prabhupada said "What does this tell you?" Everyone was bewildered. "This tells you that the same bird is sleeping on the same branch every night. Even the bird becomes attached to his residence. So be careful."

One time we were driving past Buckingham Palace in a taxi with Prabhupada, feeling proud that one boy who was part of the Queen's guard, those soldiers who wear the big furry hats, had become a devotee. We said, "Prabhupada, one of the Queen's personal guards has joined." Prabhupada said, "Oh, so how about the Queen?"

On morning walks Prabhupada would regularly comment about the state of society. He noticed people sleeping in the parks in their sleeping bags or on a newspaper and explained, "Karma is so stringent that even though these people live in such an advanced society, they still cannot avoid their karma." Prabhupada said, "Even though they are living in a very civilized country, they are still suffering, sleeping in an abominable condition." Once we asked Prabhupada about advancement, and he very determinedly stopped walking. He took one step forward, pointed to his leg, and said, "When one leg is firmly fixed, then one moves the next leg. In that way one can make advancement. But if one runs, one will simply fall."

Once Prabhupada was so weak and ill that late one night he called out to Shyamasundar, who rushed into Prabhupada's room in time to catch him as he fell. Shyamasundar said Prabhupada was incredibly light. That morning we stayed in bed because we didn't want to disturb Prabhupada. When we finally got up, we had a 24-hour kirtan in the temple. About three days later, Prabhupada suddenly got well and went on a morning walk. One devotee asked, "Srila Prabhupada, how is it that a pure devotee gets sick?" Prabhupada stopped and became emotional. His eyes got really big, and he said in a loving way, "It is just like lovers. Sometimes lovers fight." The devotee said, "Oh, a love fight, Prabhupada." Prabhupada said, "Yes. Similarly, Krishna has His love fights. Sometimes He fights the devotee." Then he smiled. It was very deep and ecstatic.

Once Prabhupada was taking prasadam in his room. Yamuna had cooked for him, and Malati was running up and down with fresh puris. I heard her shuffling up and down the stairs, and I was fascinated, so I popped my head around the corner, and there was Malati saying, "Prabhupada, how many puris can you eat?" She had brought a lot of puris while Prabhupada was respecting prasadam. Prabhupada's eyes got big, and he said, "More than you can make," and laughed. He seemed ecstatic.

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Tribhuvanatha das

of 11

Krishna Consciousness.

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