Remembering Srila Prabhupada - Little Drops of Nectar

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Little Drops of Nectar

 

 

Tamala Krsna Goswami explains the difficulties of

serving at Mayapur when it was in its beginning days.

He and Jayapataka Maharaja had to go out themselves to

different parts of India and get wagon loads of stone

chips, steel, sand, and cement. Even before obtaining

the materials, they first had to get government

sanction, which was not easy. It was also difficult to

get any wagons or trains since there was a shortage.

Somehow or other, they managed to gather some

materials, and they proudly sent Prabhupada a

photograph. These materials were so precious that the

devotees would sleep on top of the stone chips and

steel at night to protect them from thieves.

Prabhupada wrote back a letter saying, "What is the

use of so many pictures? Where is the building?"

Prabhupada gave some money to begin the construction,

but he told them that they had to raise all the funds.

"Why are you sitting there?" Prabhupada wrote in

another letter to Tamala Krsna Goswami. "Now go out

and collect more money." Even when Prabhupada donated

money, the devotees knew he did not want to, and they

felt bad for asking.

"You are all just like widows," Prabhupada told them

sarcastically. "Better you all go to Mayapur and sit

there, and I will earn the money and maintain you

all."

 

One day in France, Bhagavan dasa and other disciples

walked into Prabhupada's room and found Prabhupada

looking up meditatively at the chandeliers. "Look at

the chandelier," he said. "You should make the

universal model for the planetarium just like that.

The planets are hanging just like crystals in the

chandelier."

 

 

After serving for a while in India, Giriraja became

restless. He approached Prabhupada one day during his

massage.

"Srila Prabhupada," asked Giriraja, "I have been

discussing with Syamasundara and Tamala Krsna Goswami,

and I was thinking that maybe I should go back to the

West and preach in colleges and universities to the

professors and writers."

Prabhupada replied, "A devotee may be massaging

Krsna's left leg, and then he may think, 'Now I will

massage Krsna's right leg.' Of course, that is also

service to Krsna. But Krsna may feel that He wants

more massaging on His left leg still."

"Well, if that's the case," said Giriraja obediently,

"if you want me to stay in India, I will stay. That's

why I was asking. I wanted to know what you want."

"Yes," said Prabhupada. "India is our most important

work right now."

Tamala Krsna Goswami, interview; Bhagavan Goswami,

interview; Giriraja Swami, interview.

 

 

- From the Prabhupada Nectar by HH Satsvarupa dasa

Goswami Maharaj

 

 

 

 

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