Remembering Srila Prabhupada - Realizations

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Realizations

 

 

My realization from my personal meetings with Srila

Prabhupada was that he related to me as I related to

him. When I was humble, he was very merciful to me,

but when I was proud, Prabhupada smashed my pride.

 

When I first met Prabhupada in the Calcutta temple in

1971, I went in and just sat down. He asked me who I

was and if I had any questions. I said to him, 'Well,

why not Buddhism?' I was a wise guy.

 

Prabhupada answered, "What does a Buddhist believe?"

 

I tried to recall my college course, Philosophy 101. I

said something about the eight-fold noble path and the

four-fold. I kind of mumbled what I could about what

the Buddha had said, but I was already defeated,

because I couldn't even think what the Buddha had

said.

 

The next time I met Prabhupada was at the Mayapur

festival in 1972. After first meeting Prabhupada, I'd

begun chanting Hare Krsna and I'd become a vegetarian.

This time I wasn't so proud. I was thinking,

"Actually, Prabhupada may know the answers to all the

secrets of life." I went in to see him with the mood

that he was a perfect spiritual master. Although my

surrender was only on a theoretical basis, I

approached him submissively, the way it says in the

Bhagavad-gita, and I was also rendering service while

I was staying in Mayapur. Without knowing it, I was

following the injunction of the Gita. Therefore,

naturally Prabhupada reciprocated by rendering to me

the Absolute Truth. Those conversations are all

published in the book Perfect Questions, Perfect

Answers. Prabhupada was very, very merciful to me. He

even said to me, "You are a very good boy."

 

The next time I saw Prabhupada was again in Calcutta.

By now I was much more respectful. When I went in to

see him, he was drinking coconut juice. The first

thing he did was give me some. I entered his room

feeling myself very insignificant. Then Prabhupada

immediately gave me his own coconut juice to drink. It

was just a little thing, but it really touched me.

 

Another time I met him in 1973 I was also feeling very

insignificant. This was when Prabhupada was in New

York at the Brooklyn temple. He was walking from his

quarters to the temple room and I was standing in the

hallway packed with devotees. I was thinking, "I hope

he doesn't even see me." When Prabhupada walked by, we

all offered obeisances. I kept my head all the way

down, saying the prayers slowly to make sure that he

would be past me by the time I would stand up, but

what I didn't know was that Prabhupada had stopped and

was waiting for me. I slowly finished the prayers and

sat up, and there was Prabhupada right in front of me.

He said, "Oh! You're here!" He put his arms around me

and gave me a hug.

 

Another time, however, Prabhupada smashed my false

ego. He was on a walk in Denver and I joined him.

Yadubara said, "Prabhupada, here's that Peace Corps

worker. He's here to see you again." On this occasion

I was feeling very proud, thinking, "Yes, Prabhupada

will be very glad to see me." But Prabhupada only

said, "Oh." That was all he said.

 

One time I also met Prabhupada in his room in New

Orleans. On this occasion, I walked in insignificantly

and sat in the back of the room. I didn't want

Prabhupada to see me. The room was full of devotees,

including many leaders, so I hid in the back. But

Prabhupada saw me and he paused in the middle of his

darsana. He said, "Come here." I moved up about a

foot. Again he said, "No, come here." I inched forward

a little more. Then Brahmananda Swami turned and said,

"Come here!" I wound up sitting right next to

Prabhupada, at his feet. He wanted me to sit there.

 

The time I was ready to get initiated, I was proud

again. This was in 1976 and I was thinking, "Now

Prabhupada will be so pleased with me. This is

wonderful." Prabhupada did not personally perform the

initiation ceremony. He was feeling ill, but he was

sitting on the vyasasana and then was giving out

cookies. I was not very far away from Prabhupada, and

I looked at him directly, thinking, "Now I'm here. I'm

going to be initiated. Prabhupada will be glad to see

me." I looked right at Prabhupada because before, he

had recognized me in New Orleans and in the hallway at

Henry Street in Brooklyn. I was thinking, "Now I will

be recognized again." I was actually thinking like

that. I can remember. When I looked straight at Srila

Prabhupada, he looked right through me. He didn't even

see me. He looked directly through me. It was the most

eerie feeling, Prabhupada looking at me and not seeing

me. It was the most severe chastisement he could give

me for being proud.

 

So I am convinced that Prabhupada related to me as I

related to him. If I was humble, he was kind. When I

was puffed up, he practically ignored me."

 

-- Brahmatirtha dasa Adhikari

 

Brahmatirtha dasa, interview.

 

- From the Prabhupada Nectar by HH Satsvarupa dasa

Goswami Maharaj

 

 

 

 

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