Blog

Nirmala: Six months later, already delayed by a broken-down van, my sankirtana crew and this six-month veteran hurried toward the New Vrindavan temple, where Srila Prabhupada had already arrived in July 1974.
As I ran up the knoll toward the temple I was unprepared for the visceral reaction that overtook me.
Srila Prabhupada was singing Jaya Radha-Madhava, and his voice was being broadcast over the loudspeakers.
At first the loud sound didn’t strike me, but then suddenly his voice penetrated into me and I became stunned.
I began to shake, which slowed my steps, my heart raced, and tears ran down my cheeks.
But I forced myself forward anxiously, now more eager.
Now my eyes had to see him along with my ears.
He had completely changed my life.
Still in shock but driven by a deep inner need to meet my spiritual master for the first time, I picked up speed.
I ran into the temple room.
But due to the number of devotees surrounding him, I had to stop about twenty feet from his vyasasana.
Prabhupada was looking around and into the faces of his dear disciples.
As I watched him, I was unprepared for his eyes to lock on mine.
Time stopped as he held me in his gaze.
I was stripped of everything.
I felt he saw to the inner depths of my being; he saw all of me.
His look was confronting and comforting at the same time.
Although I felt he saw my many faults, I felt safe with him; therefore his gaze comforted me.
I already knew he was my guru, my teacher, my everything.
I hadn’t had any idea what one expects when seeing her spiritual master.
But this experience – as seemingly insignificant as two people looking at each other for a brief moment – was far beyond anything I had imagined or hoped for.
His look confirmed everything I felt in my heart and solidified my path forward.
As I took in the experience, I noticed that I was standing in the midst of the brahmacaris.
I slowly stepped back, still holding the moment in my heart when my spiritual guide had first taken notice of me.
A few days later, Srila Prabhupada sat outside on a vyasasana on a beautiful, hot July day.
There he accepted me formally as his disciple. I was 17.
Prabhupada asked me to state the four regulative principles.
Prabhupada held my japa beads with just his thumbs – he had folded the string of japa beads in half, perhaps as one would fold a brahmana thread to prepare for twisting it.
The beads hung off his thumbs as he extended his hands to me, saying, “Your name is Nirmalaaaaa.”
By divine grace, I still chant every day on those precious beads given to me by Prabhupada.
Two years later, in 1976, Srila Prabhupada returned to that very spot and gave me second initiation.
Because I was doing book distribution I traveled a lot, so I saw Srila Prabhupada in a number of temples.
Srila Prabhupada visited Philadelphia in 1975 for Ratha-yatha, and I had the fortune of cleaning his quarters with some godsisters.
When you’re in Srila Prabhupada’s space, everything feels sanctified.
It was not an ordinary feeling to be in the room where he has been staying.
To take advantage of being in that atmosphere I put my hands in the pockets of his long saffron coat with the peacock strings and pulled out tiny pieces of lint and put it in my own pockets.
During one of Prabhupada’s classes, some of the men were manning the doors.
When someone left the temple room, these men would open and close the doors quietly behind them.
On one occasion, Prabhupada noticed that there were many people outside the temple room doors trying to get a glimpse inside.
When he saw this he motioned to the men to leave the doors open.
This left a deep impression on me, as I saw and felt his kindness and love.
Similarly, I was struck by Prabhupada’s loving nature when he was visiting New Vrindavan.
Nearly every day after class, he would hold a four-year-old boy’s hand from the temple room to the barn.
It was a short walk, but that he loved and paid attention to the children was endearing.
He was personable, thoughtful, caring, encouraging, conscious, and conscientious, and yet he accomplished so much.
A month later, Prabhupada visited the Detroit temple, which was on Jefferson Avenue at that time.
Many people walked by our doors.
I had the fortunate service to wash Srila Prabhupada’s clothes while he was there.
Feeling protective of them and with affection for him I slept next to where I hung them to dry to make sure no one touched them.
When they were dry I ironed them and brought them to his quarters.
It’s hard to explain, but even after all these years I can still feel the deep satisfaction that I felt when doing this small service.
During that same visit I heard Srila Prabhupada lecture outside at Wayne State University.
Srila Prabhupada was onstage, but he didn’t have a cup of water.
We had one in our van, so I ran quite a distance to get it for him.
With great fervor I ran faster than I had ever run in my life or have run since.
This was a tiny incident for me, but it’s symbolic of that time in which so many of his disciples performed tremendous service beyond their capacity.
—Nirmala

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=49449