The sacrifice was going on: swaha! swaha! when suddenly Srila Prabhupada leaned forward and spoke into the microphone: "Stop." Everything stopped. Srila Prabhupada pointed to the back of the courtyard to one young Western lady devotee, who had a child not more than two years old on her lap. Srila Prabhupada said, "This child has his hand in his mouth; he is contaminating the whole sacrifice. Take him out, wash his hand and teach him not to put his hand in his mouth. Continue." Then swaha! and the offering of oblations continued.
There were over thirty gayatri initiates, and Srila Prabhupada was personally giving the mantra to all of them, but just a few every day. It was about a week or more before I finally got to receive the mantra from Srila Prabhupada. I was waiting with a group of devotees outside Srila Prabhupada's room. One by one they went in, until only I was left waiting. Pusta Krsna Swami, Srila Prabhupada's secretary, came out and told me, "Srila Prabhupada is not seeing any more today. Come again tomorrow." I was so disappointed that he kindly reconsidered and told me to wait until the next devotee came out, after which I could go in. Maharaja cautioned me to remove the black earthen Radha Kunda beads I was wearing around my neck. He said that Srila Prabhupada did not like us to use them.
Now that I was at last within a few seconds of being so close to Srila Prabhupada, my head started to spin a bit. My eagerness was mixed with apprehension that I would make a fool of myself. But then I foolishly took shelter of my false pride, thinking that surely I (the great I) would surely conduct myself properly and impress Srila Prabhupada with what a special and qualified devotee I was. But within a short time (it seemed like a long time) this tumble of thoughts came to an end as it was for me to go in.
I strode into Srila Prabhupada's room, trying to muster up the profound sense of humility that I knew I should have, and simultaneously trying to suppress my nervousness and feel confident. I bowed down, calling to mind who Srila Prabhupada was: the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead sent to save the whole world, a pure devotee great even among pure devotees. I was all alone with Srila Prabhupada. I did not know what to expect, but I expected it to be profound.
Srila Prabhupada told me how to sit in the right position and at the right distance. He had to tell me three or four times before I got it right. I was dull-witted and could not understand exactly what Srila Prabhupada wanted me to do. Then Srila Prabhupada told me to raise my right arm. I was getting more and more nervous and Srila Prabhupada was becoming a little impatient with me. He then draped the thread on my body, but with a little difficulty, as I didn't hold my arm at an angle convenient for him to do so.
- From the "My Memories of Srila Prabhupada" by HH Bhakti Vikas Swami
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