a few anecdotes

[Guest guest]

---------- Forwarded Message ----------

 

Text PAMHO:6697141 (52 lines)

Bhakti Caru Swami

12-Apr-03 04:00 -0400 (01:00 -0700)

Prabhupada Said [1818]

a few anecdotes

---------------------------

His Holiness Bhakti Charu Maharaja was speaking last night at the

Bhaktivedanta Manor with His Holiness Candramauli Maharaja and other senior

devotees of some more remembrances of SRila Prabhupada:

 

"In Kumbha-Mela in ALlahabad in 1976, there was a huge, roaring Guru-Puja

for Srila Prabhupada, with 250 devotees jumping up and down. All of a

sudden, the devotee leading the kirtan started singing, 'Bhaja Hare Krsna,

Hare Krsna...'

At that moment, Srila Prabhupada ROARED from his Vyasana, stopping the

kirtan dead in its tracks. Prabhupada screamed, "What is this BHAJA Hare

Krsna Hare Krsna?! Did I teach you to sing BHAJA Hare Krsna Hare Krsna!?

Where did you learn to sing Bhaja Hare Krsna Hare Krsna?'

Srila Prabhupada went on to explain, "The Hare Krsna maha-mantra is perfect

and should be chanted AS IT IS, without any addition or substraction."

 

 

 

 

"Once, in Juhu, I was sitting in the room next to Srila Prabhupada, chanting

my rounds. I thought that that Srila Prabhupada might be hearing my

chanting. But Srila Prabhupada called me and told me, "Don't chant so loud."

 

 

 

Another time in Juhu, Srila Prabhupada did not like the way a devotee was

leading a kirtana. He told me to go down and tell the devotee to stop

singing, which I did.

 

 

 

During Caturmasya, in Vrindavan in 1977, Srila Prabhupada asked me to fetch

him some spinach. I went to the kitchen searching for some, but I was told

that it was Catumasya and that devotees should fast from green-leaf

vegetables. I therefore went to Srila Prabhupada and told him, "Srila

Prabhupada, it's Caturmasya, and we are fasting from spinach."

Srila Prabhupada answered me, "Is EVERYONE following Caturmasya?" (meaning

that Srila Prabhupada wanted the spinach, regardless of the fact that it was

Caturmasya.)

 

 

 

Another time, in Vrindavan also, devotees had started singing kirtan during

aroti with harmonium. This did not please Srila Prabhupada. Once, Srila

Prabhupada could hear a devotee singing with harmonium, and so he asked me

to go tell the devotee to stop singing with harmonium. I went to the temple

and saw that it was Baradvaja Prabhu singing. I approached him and told him

that Srila Prabhupada did not want him to sing with harmonium. I then went

back to Srila Prabhupada's quarters, and Srila Prabhupada asked me, "Who was

the devotee singing?"

I replied, "It was Baradvaja Prabhu, Srila Prabhupada."

Then Srila Prabhupada replied, "Oh, it was Baradvaja? He can sing with

harmonium."

(Text PAMHO:6697141) ------

 

------- End of Forwarded Message ------