Remembering Srila Prabhupada - But I Can Make These Things

[Guest guest]

But I Can Make These Things Disappear

 

 

In September 1976 a circus magician visited the

Krishna-Balaram Mandir in Vrndavana and showed

Prabhupada and the devotees his repertoire of tricks.

Hearing that Prabhupada had agreed to see the

magician, Prabhupada's friend Bhagatji hurried to the

gurukula to gather all the students and teachers.

Within minutes, most of the temple leaders, teachers,

and gurukula boys gathered in Prabhupada's room to see

the fun.

 

Prabhupada sat pleasantly behind his desk and asked

the magician what he could do. The magician placed a

coin in Srila Prabhupada's hand. When the magician

commanded "Go," the coin somehow slipped out of

Prabhupada's hand.

"Can you make the money come?" Prabhupada joked.

"No," the magician replied.

 

 

"You can only make the money go," said Srila

Prabhupada. The magician then produced boxes in which

different colors suddenly appeared in different slots.

He also had games with feathers. He would take a white

feather, rub it, pull it with his fingers, and it

would turn into many different colors.

 

Several times he asked Srila Prabhupada to help him

with the tricks. Coins appeared from Prabhupada's ears

and Prabhupada laughed at the illusion, but some of

the devotees felt uneasy that their spiritual master

was being made the object of the mystification and

tricks. Srila Prabhupada seemed to enjoy it, but after

a while he deliberately changed the mood.

 

 

"What about the miseries of life?" Prabhupada asked

the magician. "Can you make these disappear? Birth,

death, disease, and old age?"

 

 

 

The magician replied submissively, "No, that I

cannot." At these words the magician sat down and

Srila Prabhupada took the superior position.

 

 

"But I can make these things disappear," said Srila

Prabhupada. "That is the real magic." The magic show

ended and Srila Prabhupada spoke his realized,

transcendental wisdom to the magician and all the

assembled devotees. Srila Prabhupada then gave the

magician a garland and distributed sweets to everyone

in the room.

 

 

 

Dhanurdhara Swami and Dvarakadhisa dasa, interviews.

Hari Sauri dasa, diary.

 

 

 

- From the Prabhupada Nectar by HH Satsvarupa dasa

Goswami Mharaj

 

 

 

 

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