I felt very fortunate because I was able to see Prabhupada when he wasn’t with his disciples. He wasn’t busy training them in management in a variety of ways or chastising them for the mistakes they had made. He wasn’t getting involved in seeing that the books were being produced. So many different services that he was doing in the service for his spiritual master.
At various times during the day behind closed doors Prabhupada was just there by himself and they were the times that I liked the most because he was a devotee of Krishna. Prabhupada loved Krishna. You would find him in his room reading and sometimes from the servant quarters, all of a sudden you would hear the harmonium.
It wasn’t Krishna Kanti coming in to record for Golden Avatar recording his bhajans. Prabhupada was just chanting and playing harmonium. Whenever I heard that, I would run into the room and I would offer obeisances. As soon as I would sit up Prabhupada would give me the nod, which meant, ‘get the kartals’. I would play kartals and Prabhupada would play the harmonium and he would chant.
I believe it’s one reason I stayed with Prabhupada as long as I did. I found being with Prabhupada was very peaceful most of the time. It was amazing to me because, as we know, Prabhupada was doing everything. He was running the entire society, the BBT, taking care of so much mail every day, doing the classes, the morning walk and instructing his disciples.
But somehow or other it seemed like there were hours where Prabhupada was just alone, he was a devotee of Krishna and he was very sweet. He was doing everything he was asking us to do, to develop our love of Krishna by chanting and hearing. So many times in the afternoon I would enter his sitting room and he was reading his books.
He would walk around and chant in his room, chanting on his Japa beads. Sometimes he would jiggle his bead bag. You could hear the beads in his bead bag. There was this peacefulness all around. It was amazing because he was doing everything but as soon as the door closed and he entered his room that was all gone. It was just Krishna there with him. Prabhupada was always happy. Even someone like me could pick up on some of that and just feel so peaceful to be with him. You didn’t want to be anywhere else at those times.
Reference: Following Srila Prabhupada-A Chronological Series by Srtuakirti Dasa
Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=92137
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