Blog

By HH Nirañjana Swami

I oftentimes say, when devotees ask me to speak about Prabhupada, that I can say my only qualification is that I happened to be on the planet at the same time that Prabhupada was spreading the Krsna Consciousness Movement. I took part in his mission, but I didn’t really have so much personal exchange or association with him. I did get the opportunity to see him many times: a few times in the United States, twice in New York as well as in Philadelphia, and also in Mayapura and Vrndavana.

Obviously, each time I got that opportunity to see him and to hear from him was just an overwhelming experience, and reinforcement of how loving, kind and compassionate Srīla Prabhupada was, and how much he meant to me. Although I could tell a few stories about my observations and small exchanges that I experienced in my heart in his presence, I always prefer to speak from a different angle, and that is that my first meeting with Srīla Prabhupada was from reading his books. I personally feel that by describing my own experience of that, it opens up the opportunities for other devotees to get similar realizations, because everyone who comes in contact with Srīla Prabhupada in his books is actually associating with Prabhupada. And if we, by good fortune, get the opportunity to come in contact with him (as I did first from his books, even before meeting any of his devotees), then it should be encouraging to anybody that we can associate with Prabhupada, and develop our love and our gratitude to him for bringing us to Krsna consciousness in his books.

Because this experience of personal, direct association with Srīla Prabhupada was only exclusively accessible to those, who met Srīla Prabhupada when he was on this planet, but Prabhupada said, “I will live forever in my books.” So, if Prabhupada is living forever in his books, then anyone who comes in contact with Krsna consciousness through Srīla Prabhupada’s books, is getting the opportunity to get inspiration and his association. Of course, after my first meeting with Srīla Prabhupada, which was in a books store, in due course of time I started to associate with his followers. And from his followers I learned so much more about him, and so much more about how to follow his instructions.

Particularly one devotee, who was probably the most instrumental in bringing me into the temple, after reading Srīla Prabhupada’s books, was my God-brother KeSava from San Francisco. He was always very encouraging, and it was very much because of him (and Visnujana Swami as well) that I decided to join the temple. So, first I met Srīla Prabhupada in the form of his book “Bhagavad-gīta As It Is”, and then I met Srīla Prabhupada and those who loved him, his followers. Those meetings were all very important and relevant for my growth in Krsna consciousness.

I would like to tell one little story in connection to what led up to my first meeting, physically seeing Prabhupada face to face. The first time I saw Prabhupada I was already second initiated, because Prabhupada accepted me as his disciple for the first and second initiation through mail. He requested the local leaders to conduct the fire sacrifice to give me my name, and for my second initiation to give me my sacred thread. I started distributing Srīla Prabhupada’s books in 1973, but I never really became steady at that service until probably sometime in the early part of 1975. For me, that was my way of reciprocating for all the nourishment that I got in my Krsna consciousness through his books and through his followers, by surrendering to distributing his books. And for me it was a very great surrender. In my heart I always felt this constant confirmation from Prabhupada, that he was most pleased if I distributed his books. And this reciprocation really sustained me in my Krsna consciousness.

Then one day, when I was on book distribution, the Temple President called and said, “Prabhupada is coming to Boston and I want you to come back and fix up his rooms.” Because before coming to Krsna consciousness I was a carpenter, so I knew how to refinish walls, floors, ceilings, paint, demolition… everything.

Prabhupada was planning a visit to Boston that year. He saw a picture of the building that we have purchased the previous year, and as soon as he saw the picture and was told about the place where it was (a very, very influential place in Boston), Prabhupada said, “I will go there next year!” So, he made his itinerary in 1975 and included the visit to Boston. The Temple President called me when I was on the book distribution and said, “You have to come back and fix up Prabhupada’s quarters.”

I was a little insubordinate and I said to him, “No, Prabhupada wants me to distribute his books.” [Guru Maharaja laughs] I said, “I am convinced Prabhupada would be much more pleased if I stay out and distribute his books!”

At that point the Temple President was a little bit more firm with me and said, “You are the only person in the temple who knows how to do this. Why don’t you at least come back to the temple and we’ll talk about it.” So, I came back to the temple, and he took me up to the second floor and brought me into the room where Prabhupada was going to stay, and said, “Would you put your Spiritual Master in this room?”

And I had to be honest, “No. I cannot imagine putting my Spiritual Master in this room.”

So, he said, “Do you understand now why you have to come back and fix up the quarters for Prabhupada?”

So, I surrendered. And it was a lot of work. If I tell you how much work… it was a lot of work. We had only moved into the building the previous year, and I had to do a lot of the carpentry work just to move the Deities, what to speak of for Prabhupada’s visit. It actually took quite some time to renovate the rooms. Months. Because I had to fix up three rooms; and I had to fix up his bathroom also; and I had to connect the bathroom to his room.

During that time, we also were remodeling the altar for Prabhupada’s visit. My God-brother Ambarīsa Prabhu, who had been visiting Boston at that time, donated money for us to get marble for the altar. The Temple President one day said to me, “We have to go to New York to get the marble for the altar.”

It is about 250 miles away from Boston, and he never told me actually the reason why we are going to New York. So, on a way when we entered New York City and just before arriving at the “La Guardia” airport, the Temple President told me, “We are not going to get the marble. I was lying. Prabhupada is arriving at the airport today. We are going to see him.” I’ve never seen Prabhupada before.

So, we were at the gate where Prabhupada’s plane was supposed to arrive and we were the only ones there, just the two of us. We were thinking, “Wow, this is amazing! Nobody else is here!” [Guru Maharaja laughs] Then we started to think, “Maybe Prabhupada is not coming!” I cannot remember exactly how the Temple President who brought me there found out, but he made a phone calls and found out that Prabhupada is still coming.

And he was coming at that gate. So we stayed there at the gate waiting for Prabhupada’s plane to arrive, and then finally somebody came in and said, “What are you doing in here?” And we said, “We are waiting for Prabhupada.” He said, “No, you should go wait downstairs with everybody else!” [Guru Maharaja laughs] We immediately understood that’s why nobody was at the gate, because everybody was downstairs waiting for Prabhupada at the baggage claim area. We tried to convince him to let us stay but he wouldn’t let us we had to go downstairs.

So, when we went downstairs, there were actually at least 150 devotees the senior devotees, sannyasīs and they were all waiting for Prabhupada by the gate. When the flight arrived, Prabhupada was supposed to come down at this particular escalator, and we were all waiting for him at the bottom of the escalator, with kīrtan. Everybody was coming down from the flight, but not Prabhupada.

All of a sudden, way off in the distance, somebody spotted Prabhupada. He came down a different way, he tricked us. And the 150 devotees moved like a swarm of honey bees!!! [Guru Maharaja laughs] They were jumping over the baggage carousels, they were pushing through people, and everybody was just running like complete “mob” to greet Prabhupada.

This was my first time seeing Srīla Prabhupada! I’ve been serving him for two years already. So finally I ran with everybody else to see Prabhupada, and immediately fell to the ground to offer my danḍavats. Of course, I was emotional. He was just the most beautiful object that I’ve ever seen with these two eyes! He had his cane, and when he was walking he seem to not step onto the floor.

Then the devotees brought him upstairs because there was a press conference. There were some reporters there who wanted to ask Prabhupada questions, and as it turned out, the questions related to what Prabhupada was talking about women’s liberation they were really hot questions. The reporter was trying to get to Prabhupada about the role of women in Krsna Consciousness Movement. Prabhupada was very firm that a woman must always be protected. And this woman reporter didn’t like that. [Guru Maharaja laughs] She kept asking Prabhupada challenging questions. I saw the whole thing, although I couldn’t hear everything because I was a little bit too far away, but I heard devotees going, “Jay!!! Haribol!!! Haribol!!!” every time Prabhupada would defeat her. [Guru Maharaja laughs]

After that, Prabhupada left and went out to the car, and I got to walk just practically right behind him. Prabhupada was walking very quickly with his cane, and I was running and I experienced that I couldn’t keep up with him! It was almost like he defied the laws of gravity. And I immediately understood this is someone who is from the spiritual world.

I just want to end the story with one small important point, which meant a lot to me. Actually, that opportunity I got to see Srīla Prabhupada at that time, was a big surprise to me by my Temple President it was definitely a great mercy. I took it as Srīla Prabhupada was reciprocating for the surrender that I had to do to come back and to fix up his quarters.

Then later that year, Srīla Prabhupada got a message from India that Indira Gandhi wanted to meet with Prabhupada in India so Prabhupada never came to Boston. He had to change his whole itinerary to go to India to meet with Indira Gandhi.

I got my first realization how there is no loss or diminution in surrendering in devotional service. I worked so hard to fix up those rooms, but Prabhupada never saw them. But Prabhupada was very kind to me. And I’ll always be grateful to that devotee who gave me that opportunity to go see Prabhupada at the airport.

So, we should never think there is any loss or diminution in surrendering. The greatest fruit of that surrender is that we meditate on trying to please Guru and Krsna! The real result of surrender is that we get that confirmation in our heart that Guru and Krsna is pleased. And even if we cannot show him the result of all our work he knows! Because Prabhupada was always getting help from Krsna. This was a very important lesson that I’ve learned in service to Srīla Prabhupada. I learned it from reading his books, I learned it by associating with his dear disciples and he confirmed everything. This is the best way to please Krsna’s pure devotee! It is incalculable what mercy will come as a result of our surrender!

Of course, for me that was only one surrender. Our life is meant for constant surrender. So, Srīla Prabhupada has thought us how to constantly surrender. And I get the inspiration not only from reading Prabhupada’s books, but by seeing how surrendered my God-brothers are in service to him.

So, just as my God-brothers were very great source of nourishment to me then, in my formative years of Krsna consciousness, they are great source of inspiration and strength to me now. And even tough Srīla Prabhupada is physically absent he is here in his followers. I would like to thank them for keeping Srīla Prabhupada alive for me! Thank you Trivikrama Maharaja, Bhakti Caitanya Maharaja!

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=63921