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Govinda dasi had been complaining to Aniruddha that Swamiji's apartment was too noisy and crowded and that there were no private bathroom facilities for Swamiji. She kept insisting Aniruddha find a better place. Aniruddha, however, was getting only two hundred dollars a month from Dayananda, and with Prabhupada plus so many visitors, there was a financial strain. "Swamiji is very uncomfortable," Govinda dasi nagged. But Aniruddha didn't know what to do.

When Aniruddha asked Prabhupada if the place was all right, he said it was. Aniruddha explained that more devotees were eager to visit from San Francisco and would probably want to stay in the apartment. "Personally," Prabhupada said, "I have no suggestion myself. It is up to them, whatever they decide."

Prabhupada had his translating to do, but he also wanted to see his disciples. For Aniruddha, however, the prospect of more devotees coming to visit was a cause of anxiety. Finally, he and Dayananda found a larger apartment for Swamiji.

The new apartment was four rooms over a private garage in the rear of an apartment complex. Aniruddha painted, and some of the other devotees helped prepare the apartment as comfortably as possible for Prabhupada. Then they moved him in.

The landlord, a small Japanese man, came by and, seeing Prabhupada seated on the floor behind his trunk, asked, "Where's your furniture?" He seemed suspicious.

Prabhupada smiled, thanked him, and said it was all right.

"We can sit down anywhere," Prabhupada explained. "We are mendicant." But after leaving, the landlord kept standing outside on the landing, peeking through the window. "Tell him to go away," Prabhupada said to Aniruddha.

At the temple during the evening program, Srila Prabhupada would sometimes ask one of his disciples to speak after the kirtana.

Dayananda: One night as I was driving Swamiji to the temple, he asked me to speak. I immediately thought I would rather not. Although in Swamiji's absence his other disciples had given talks, I had never given even an informal talk. So I told Swamiji I preferred to hear him speak, but he said he preferred to hear me. So it was settled.

At the temple we had kirtana as usual, and then I began to speak. I was speaking on the validity of God, trying to prove that God's existence was logical and scientifically reasonable. Such a talk should have been given with reference to the Vedic literature, but my fund of knowledge was not embellished by verses from the scripture, nor was it even adequately based on basic Krsna conscious philosophy. I was aware that my talk wasn't adequate, a fact that Prabhupada himself brought home in the sweetest possible way.

When at one point I made a mistake and said the wrong thing altogether, Prabhupada matter-of-factly interrupted, explaining the point I had misstated. He then motioned me to go on. I continued without any loss of face. I was being corrected in public, but without the embarrassment that a chastisement might cause. Swamiji's correction was always based on love and sincerity-in relation to the goal rather than to the ego.


- From "Prabhupada-lila" by HH Satsvarupa dasa Goswami