Ambika dasi, assigned the task of cooking the evening offering, was feeling a little depressed. She would miss Prabhupada's Sydney Town Hall lecture. She had just completed the arati when Srutakirti entered the kitchen.
"Why don't you take the maha-prasadam into Srila Prabhupada and offer him some."
Ambika shyly declined the suggestion, especially since she was sure that she'd burnt the halava. But Srutakirti insisted. So she took the whole tray next door to Prabhupada's house, entered his room, and set the tray down on his desk. Prabhupada, who was just about to leave for the hall, looked up charmingly from behind his desk. "Oh, what is this?"
"This is the maha-prasadam from the Deities, Srila Prabhupada," said Madhudvisa Swami.
Prabhupada began asking what each thing was, and Madhudvisa described each item. "That's fruit salad and cream, that's laddhu, this is puri."
"And this?"
"That's halava, Srila Prabhupada."
When Madhudvisa pointed to the halava, Prabhupada became contemplative. He gracefully took one finger and thumb-worth of halava and deftly flicked it into his mouth. Rolling the halava around in his mouth, Prabhupada's eyes opened wide. "Very good! Who has made?"
Madhudvisa indicated Ambika standing nearby. "She has made, Srila Prabhupada."
Prabhupada nodded in appreciation. Madhudvisa pointed out Ambika's good fortune. "Now that she has pleased her spiritual master, she will go to heaven." Prabhupada inclined his head to the side, and smiled brightly as if in confirmation of Madhudvisa's thoughtful benediction.
Ambika left the room, completely satisfied. Prabhupada called for Srutakirti, and asked him to learn how to make halava from Ambika. Srutakirti, who didn't think the halava was that good, was surprised. But Prabhupada confirmed his order.
"Yes, you should make like that."
- From "The Great Transcendental Adventure" by HG Kurma Prabhu
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