Many devotees saw Srila Prabhupada drive away small and large dogs by raising his cane and crying out, “Hut!” When Nanda Kumara was travelling with Prabhupada, he saw Prabhupada do this in a dangerous situation and later he had the opportunity to try the technique himself.
While Prabhupada and the devotees were walking on the beach in California, a large Doberman pinscher dog approached them, snarling and baring his teeth. Prabhupada continued walking peacefully, but Nanda Kumara stopped and tensely faced the dog. This challenge only provoked the dog into more threatening and growling, until Nanda Kumara turned and ran to catch up to Prabhupada. But as soon as he ran, the Doberman Pinscher pursued him, barking and threatening to attack.
Before the dog reached them, however, Prabhupada suddenly turned. He crouched with his feet somewhat apart, raised his cane high over his head and gave a loud “Hut!” – and made a growling sound at the dog. At this display from Prabhupada the dog turned and retreated quickly back to his home.
Months later Nanda Kumara recalled Prabhupada’s method and tried it on one large monkey in Jaipur. While Srila Prabhupada was staying at the Radha-Govinda temple in Jaipur, he and his party were being harassed by the monkeys there, who stole food and clothes. While the devotees were cooking, these monkeys would drop from the trees and steal chapatis off the stove. Prabhupada had advised the devotees to take a neutral attitude toward the monkeys’ mischief.
But one time, while with the devotees in Prabhupada’s room, Nanda Kumara heard a monkey rattling the kitchen door. He suddenly remembered the technique Prabhupada had used on the beach with the large Doberman pinscher, and he decided to try it with the thieving monkey.
Quietly excusing himself from the room, he picked up a club outside Prabhupada’s door and walked toward a large monkey, who had noticeably big biceps, growled back, bared its teeth, and advanced toward him. Nanda Kumara turned and ran back into Prabhupada’s room, slamming the door behind him. Prabhupada had seen the whole incident through the window and burst out laughing. “You do not know the process.”
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