Prabhupada watching performance of Putana Killed

[Guest guest]

Recently Vrindavan Chandra prabhu, wrote me the following letter.

I asked him if the Prabhupada pastime story was ever published and if not if

I could share it with others.

Here it is:

 

Here is a quote from one of Prabhupada's letters concerning the performance

of Krishna lila plays.

Bombay April 13th 1971

"So far as these plays are concerned, they are not meant for ordinary people

and if they laugh, then that is a great offence. Just like in your play

"Putana Killed" there was so much laughing. So these plays are not meant for

public showing unless they are very nicely done. The audience must give

grave attention. If they laugh, that is the greatest offence."

 

Once, when Prabhupada was staying at New Dwarka, he came to see the first

and last performance of "Putana Killed" during one of the Sunday Love

Feasts. Arnirudha das, who was a very effeminate devotee, played Putana in

full drag complete with oversized false breasts. I was a little concerned

how this might be received but I was totally unprepared for what happened.

He milked his performance to the max, feeding off the hysterical laughter of

all the devotees and the guests. The temple was packed like sardines, and

everyone was practically rolling on the floor in fits of laughter.

 

The play had opened with Silavati devi dasi as Mother Yasoda coming out

of a 10 foot Krishna book, and sweetly singing a song I had written for the

show, "The Purpose of My Life". Prabhupada was smiling his full Narada

Muni-like smile and I was ecstatic thinking that I had given some pleasure

to Krishna's dear most friend and pure devotee. My life was complete, I

thought, how much better could it possibly get than this! My ecstacy was

however all too short-lived.

 

When Arnirudha made his fateful entrance out of the huge Krishna book

dressed as Putana, the audience went wild. However, when I looked over to

Prabhupada to see how much he was enjoying the play, my heart almost

stopped. Prabhupada looked like Lord Chaitanya when he assumed the mood of

Lord Nrsimhadeva. I had never seen Prabhupada look so fierce and annoyed. I

couldn't figure out why but I knew I was in deep trouble. Meantime, the

audience just kept howling uproariously, and the more they laughed, the more

Arnirudha hammed it. He was way over the top, chewing the scenery as they

say, obviously relishing his moment in the spotlight. All the while

Prabhupada was becoming more and more annoyed. I started sweating profusely

wondering what could possibly be so upsetting to him. I guess you can say I

was in transcendental anxiety, only it didn't seem so transcendental at the

time.

 

Directly after the performance, Prabhupada went straight to his room.

Karandar approached me with a very somber look on his face and informed me

that Prabhupada wanted to see me immediately. I was a basket case. I didn't

know what I had done to make him so upset. As I made my way ever so slowly

up the stairs to his room, I took one last deep breath, and then knocked

ever so sheepishly, hoping he wouldn't hear the knock and I could slither

back down the stairs and hide. The door however was opened immediately by

Sruta Kirti and I fell to the floor offering my prostrated obeisances.

Prabhupada, still looking very grave, proceeded to reprimand me in no

uncertain terms for the outragrousness of Arnirudha's performance. He

basically said what I quoted earlier from the letter I received a few months

later. Before I left he was kind enough to say that Krishna had given me

talent to write and produce dramas, but that I should make sure that in the

future, all the actors should be devotees and that they sincerely and

gravely perform their parts "Outsiders could help", he said, "but devotees

should have all the major roles."

 

 

Here is some more nectar from that same letter.

 

"You write to say that this Hare Krishna Movement is perfect in all

respects. Thank you very much. And it is a fact that 'Sankirtan will keep

you happy the books will keep you convinced', so make your program in this

way and become fixed up in Krishna Consciousness."

 

'So you have some talent for writing and producing dramas and now Krishna

has given you opportunity for dovetailing your talents in His service. Very

good. When I go there I shall be very glad to see these dramas enacted. Yes,

I acted the part of Adaita Prabhu in one such drama. I organized that

theater performance in my youth hood. My friends were trained up and we

performed and was very much appreciated by the highest class of men in

Calcutta. We were invited many places to perform the drama. Lord Chaitanya

inaugerated these Vaisnava dramas, it is true, but where to obtain copies of

these plays I do no know. While performing such dramas, always the actors

must be Vaisnavas.

Outsiders may help but devotees should have all the major roles. So you may

perform such plays conveniently. It is such a nice program, but don't

sacrifice other programs on account of it."

 

Prabhupada then wrote a postscript in longhand at the bottom of the letter:

"I shall try to find out in Calcutta when I go there."