Remembering Srila Prabhupada - The sixth ring - Blog - ISKCON Desire Tree

The sixth ring

Srila Prabhupada chose to rest on the balcony rather than his room because of the heat. From 11:15 P.M. until 12:10 A.M. he took his massage, and then he rose around 2:00 A.M. Then, between 3:00 A.M. and 4:30 A.M. he summoned me with his buzzer five times because his dictaphone kept malfunctioning. There was some connection which kept shaking loose and I had to repeatedly jump in and out of my sleeping bag, running to and fro between the rooms to fix the problem.

I was just nodding off to sleep when I heard the bell a sixth time. Again I leapt out of my nylon sack, shaking off the stupor of impending sleep, ran the short distance down the veranda, opened the door to Prabhupada's room and offered my obeisances. I looked up to see Srila Prabhupada working steadily at his desk, the dictaphone clicking away in his hand, functioning as it should. He peered at me inquisitively over the top of his reading glasses, as if I were interrupting his thoughts.

"I thought I heard the bell ring," I said sheepishly.

Without a word or change in expression Prabhupada simply shook his head, looked back down at his books and went on with his translations. I returned to my sleeping bag, realizing that the sixth ring had been naught but a dream.

- From "A Transcendental Diary Vol 4" by HG Hari Sauri Prabhu

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