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Prabhupada was well aware of the worldwide prestige of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. Many Indians went there to study. It was, in fact, an Indian organization that invited Prabhupada to speak. When Prabhupada arrived in the evening, he found over a hundred people waiting in the carpeted, luxurious student lounge where he was to lecture. Some students were sitting on the floor, while others sat on the leather-upholstered couches and chairs scattered casua

The Boston University engagement in spacious Marsh Chapel was poorly attended. Despite thousands of students riding the trolleys and going in and out of the luncheonettes and big gray buildings that lined both sides of Commonwealth Avenue for blocks, only half a dozen came to Marsh Chapel to hear Swamiji. The devotees, pained and embarrassed, criticized Satsvarupa for the turnout. Even the onstage arrangements were poor, with Prabhupada seated on a too-high, rickety table.

May 1, 1968
The first devotee to meet Prabhupada in Boston was Jadurani, walking forward at the airport with a flower garland for her spiritual master. As they rode in the taxi together back to the temple, Prabhupada asked Jadurani about her painting. She complained that in preparing for his visit she had had to sew material for the altar, put up curtains, and make posters and post them all over the city-because the men in the temple were working at their office jobs. Conseque

Since the arrival of winter's snow and ice in Boston, not many people had been coming by the storefront in the evenings. And the devotees were content to stay indoors, working at their respective tasks. Each of them was satisfied that his engagement was perfect.

Prabhupada had fixed the date of his arrival in Boston for May 1, and he asked Satsvarupa to begin arranging lectures for him in Boston's many universities. When the devotees sent Prabhupada a few photograp

To each of the three devotees in Boston Prabhupada had given a specific engagement. Jadurani's was painting. Prabhupada had told her to increase the beauty of Back to Godhead magazine with illustrations. He had especially commissioned certain paintings: Radha-Krsna inVrn davana, Lord Visnu, Lord Caitanya with His four principal associates, Lord Caitanya and His associates performing kirtana, as well as paintings of Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, and Swamiji h

Newcomers in New York wanted to be initiated. One boy had seen Prabhupada's picture in Life magazine, cut it out, and put it in his high school locker. A boy named Jay, after having read about Prabhupada and the devotees in Evergreen Review, had visited the temple and found that everyone was devoted to Prabhupada. Some disciples whom Prabhupada had initiated by mail-like Indira and Ekayani, two sisters still in high school and living at home-were meeting their spiritual master f

One day, while Prabhupada was sitting in his room receiving his massage, he began talking and laughing. As he sat on the floor with one leg tucked under his body and one leg outstretched before him, he told the two or three devotees present how Krsna, carrying the lunch His mother had packed for Him, would go to the forest with His cowherd boyfriends, who were also carrying lunches from home. Krsna and His friends would all sit together sharing their lunch, and Krsna always h

San Francisco

March 8, 1968

Srila Prabhupada flew from Los Angeles to San Francisco. After the slower pace of the Los Angeles center, the activities in San Francisco encouraged Prabhupada.

I think San Francisco center has been very much sanctified by unalloyed devotional service of the members here. As soon as there are sincere devotees, immediately the situation changes favorably.

The morning and evening meetings drew crowds of interested young people, and Srila Prabhupada observed: "D

Prabhupada said he would go to as many speaking engagements as Aniruddha could obtain. Aniruddha got engagements, but there were many difficulties. On two occasions, Prabhupada, Subala, and Aniruddha were on their way to an engagement at a college when their car broke down. Another time, a policeman arrested Subala for not having a driver's license, and Prabhupada, accompanied by his servant, had to walk back to his apartment. At an engagement at the U.C.L.A. Student Center,

As Srila Prabhupada entered the storefront one evening, he was surprised to find Umapati there to greet him. Umapati had left Krsna consciousness almost a year ago, and Prabhupada had not seen him since. Spontaneously, Prabhupada went forward and embraced Umapati. A few months before, Umapati had written, indicating that he was thinking of returning; so his arrival was not a complete surprise to Srila Prabhupada. As Prabhupada took his seat, he asked Umapati about the dev

On the appearance day of Srila Prabhupada's spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, Prabhupada gathered some of his disciples-Aniruddha, Govinda dasi, Gaurasundara, Nandarani, and a boy named Sankarsana-for a special celebration. In the kitchen of his apartment, Prabhupada cooked a feast for his spiritual master. Nandarani brought flowers, and Prabhupada led the devotees in a ceremony of offering flowers and chanting prayers in honor of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasva

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 as

One day after a walk, Prabhupada told Aniruddha that Los Angeles reminded him of Bombay and that he wanted to build a very big temple in Los Angeles. Although Aniruddha was not one to endeavor hard for building a big temple, Prabhupada still told him his vision. Another day Prabhupada called Aniruddha in and showed him the Deity of Radha and Krsna that Gaurasundara and Subala had carved. Prabhupada's eyes were shining. "I want to have Radha-Krsna Deities in everyone's home," he s

One day on a walk, Prabhupada discovered a special place across the street from his apartment. There on a neighbor's front lawn stood a broad, tall tree. Taking a few disciples with him, Prabhupada went over and sat down beneath the tree. On a warm Los Angeles afternoon, this was a great but simple luxury, sitting in the pleasant sunny atmosphere beneath the shade tree. Raya Rama considered the occasion something to write to the devotees in New York about.

This afternoon I

It was only four days after Prabhupada's arrival. He had just risen from an afternoon's rest, walked into the front room... and there was Subala. Prabhupada was surprised. Subala was supposed to be in Santa Fe.

"My wife has left me," Subala burst out. And a sad tale followed. Subala told how he had left his wife, Krsna-devi dasi, alone at the Santa Fe temple for a few days and gone to New York to visit his parents. Meanwhile, Krsna-devi had run away with a boy who ha

Prabhupada said his health was still not good. His sleep was often disturbed, and he spoke of a "gong-gong-gong" sound in his head. He had occasional headaches and a ringing in his left ear. An Ayur-vedic doctor in India had told him to take cinnamon buds, and he had seen a doctor in San Francisco. But the doctors' prescriptions had not helped.

I may inform you in that connection that I am at the present moment physically unfit; I am having always a buzzing sound in my brain. I cannot

Los Angeles January 6, 1968

The building at 5364 West Pico Boulevard was a small storefront in a middle-class black neighborhood of Los Angeles. With his key, Aniruddha opened the rear door, and Srila Prabhupada entered, followed by a few disciples.

The room was stark. A Brijabasi print of Lord Krsna sat atop the altar, which was no more than two orange crates covered with an old madras. A tamboura and a mrdanga on end stood in one corner, and a curtain hung ov

There is a saying in India that a mother teaches her daughter-in-law by teaching her daughter. In other words, the mother will most readily give corrective instruction to her own daughter, but the instruction will apply equally to the less accessible daughter-in-law. Similarly, Prabhupada gave many instructions not only during class lectures but in daily dealings with his servants, such as Upendra. Any exchanges with the acarya are themselves teachings both by precept and

Lilavati: He called me into his room. He was sitting on his bed talking to Mukunda. When I arrived, he stopped speaking with him and turned to me and said, "So how are you liking this Krsna consciousness?" And I said, "Oh, Swamiji, my life has changed completely." He bowed his head and said, "Thank you very much." He was very pleased. Then he continued his conversation with Mukunda. He was asking him, "So, Mukunda, you have cast so many pairs of karatalas from the o

Mukunda was also present with Prabhupada in his room, along with a small group of devotees, when an earthquake took place. The telephone poles and wires began moving outside the window. The building trembled. No one said anything until Prabhupada said, "What is this?" A devotee replied, "It's an earthquake, Swamiji." Prabhupada said, "Oh." And then the earthquake suddenly stopped. Everyone present was very intent on Prabhupada's reaction. He said, "We can just sit down and cha