Rupa-vilasa: We were spending a little time with Prabhupada’s God-brother Krsna das Babaji Maharaj with whom he had a very affectionate relationship.
He was telling us the story of Prabhupada’s taking sannyas and he said,
“The ceremony was going on. With Kesava Maharaj overseeing and conducting the initiation, Narayana Maharaj was chanting the mantras and I was doing bhajan. But as is my habit I got a little too loud.
“So Kesava Maharaj was making a gesture with his hand palm down as if to say, "Not so loud.” Krsna das Babaji said, “And as soon as he would turn his head, your Prabhupada would go like this.” (turning his palm up indicating to chant louder).
“Then Krsna das Babaji laughed as he always did and he said, “It was then that I knew he would be the leader of the Hare Krishna movement.”
Years later in Dallas when the main airport was Love Field we were escorting Prabhupada through the airport terminal with a roaring kirtan.
I took over the kirtan and began leading but as we entered the main terminal I thought,
“Okay, I’d better bring this kirtan to a close.”
Because all the people were looking really startled and I started to wind down the kirtan the way you do by signaling the mridangas.
Prabhupada saw what I was going to do and he immediately looked at me and made the same gesture with his hand palm up conducting me to continue with the loud kirtan.
I was realizing that chanting was Prabhupada’s life and soul under all circumstances.
There was a room full of Indian visitors in Vrindavan and Kundali was fanning Prabhupada with the chamara.
All of a sudden the door burst open and it was Vishal and Vishalani carrying platters of Simply Wonderfuls.
At the top of his voice he announced as he burst through the door,
"Simply Wonderfuls for a simply wonderful spiritual master!”
Prabhupada started grinning because he was often highly entertained by Vishal.
Then Vishal and his wife went around distributing Simply Wonderfuls to everybody in the room.
Vishal then took one of Prabhupada’s books off the shelf, opened it up and began to glorify Prabhupada and all of his books and his writing and what a fantastic personality Prabhupada was.
Then he went around and distributed books to the people in the room and got donations.
Kundali was describing that his mind was completely blown by all of this because he’d never seen anybody act like this around Prabhupada.
Then Vishal finished up his little book distribution excursion.
Prabhupada the whole time was just smiling, nodding his head and then Vishal said to Prabhupada on his was out, “Prabhupada, just one thing.”
“Yes?” He said, “I haven’t got Srimad-Bhagavatam 7th Canto Part 3 yet. Can I borrow yours?”
Prabhupada said, “Take it!”
Whenever Prabhupada would circumambulate the temple in the morning in Vrindavan, Vishal would be standing with his hands folded chanting prayers from the Bhagavatam and then give the English translations.
On this particular morning there was water on the temple steps because it had just rained.
Prabhupada just snapped at Vishal and said, “Do something practical,” “Clean this up.” (laughs)
So that was his response to the glorification.
Prabhupada ordered him to do some cleaning.
—Rupa-vilasa
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Excerpt from “Memories-Anecdotes of a Modern-Day Saint”
by Siddhanta das
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