My Memories of Srila Prabhupada
The second darsana was the famous interview with Mike Robinson of the London Broadcasting Corporation, a local radio company. Devotees were already crowding the room when Mr. Robinson entered. Mukunda Prabhu (now Mukunda Goswami), who was organizing the meeting, asked him if he wanted the devotees to leave while it was conducted. But Mr. Robinson didn't want to put others to trouble for his sake, and even though Mukunda asked him twice, he insisted that it was alright if everyone stayed. Srila Prabhupada, seated on his asana, asked Mukunda what he was talking with Mr. Robinson about. When Mukunda explained, Srila Prabhupada also acquiesed to the devotees staying by shaking his head.
Mr. Robinson was very respectful to Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada asked him twice to sit on a chair but in humility, Mr. Robinson insisted on sitting down on the floor before Srila Prabhupada. He spoke to Srila Prabhupada with the submissiveness of a disciple. Srila Prabhupada reciprocated by speaking to him strongly and firmly, but with patience, as if instructing a child. Mike Robinson was there to ask questions, but Srila Prabhupada was in command of the whole proceedings.
During the interview, I became surprised at seeing the intmacy of Srila Prabhupada's dealings with Mukunda Prabhu. I did not know much about the history of the movement and the significant role Mukunda Prabhu had played in it. I did not know how senior a devotee he was or how close he was to Srila Prabhupada. Because Mukunda Prabhu was humble and kept himself in the background, I hadn't realized how important and advanced a devotee he was.
During one of these darsanas, Srila Prabhupada spoke to some Indian guests. When they left, Srila Prabhupada said, "Give them some prasadam." I was struck by that; Srila Prabhupada was concerned that they should get some prasadam.
- From the "My Memories of Srila Prabhupada" by HH Bhakti Vikas Swami
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