Remembering Srila Prabhupada - Little Drops of Nectar

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Little Drops of Nectar

 

 

During 1977 while Srila Prabhupada was staying in

Vrndavana, Puskara dasa was also there, working on a

painting. Puskara's practice was to paint on the front

balcony of a room in the guesthouse. For a long time

he had worked on a rendition of Krsna playing His

flute with the cowherd boys making offerings to Him.

Finally, he got an appointment to see Srila Prabhupada

and show him the painting. Prabhupada looked at it for

thirty or forty seconds without saying anything.

Puskara became worried. On previous occasions

Prabhupada had said that he was "expert" and had made

other complimentary remarks.

Looking at Puskara, Srila Prabhupada asked, "What is

the idea?"

"Well, Krsna is there ... " Puskara was now getting

nervous; he had already guessed Prabhupada didn't like

the painting. " .. playing His flute by the Yamuna."

"Where is it in the book?" asked Prabhupada. Puskara

then realized he hadn't been thinking of anything in

the books.

"Well, Prabhupada," he said, "the pastimes are

unlimited, aren't they?"

"Krsna is unlimited," said Prabhupada, "but you are

limited. Stick to the book."

"Is it all right for publication?" asked Puskara.

Prabhupada didn't say no, but he didn't look very

happy.

 

 

"Stop that man! Stop that man!" yelled Prabhupada from

the balcony of his residence in Vrndavana. A devotee

came running and grabbed a man as he exited from the

kitchen.

"See what he has!" called Prabhupada. They picked up

the man's cadar and found he was carrying a large bag

of sugar he had stolen from the kitchen. Prabhupada

had seen it all from the balcony and had caught him.

 

 

"Today, just over a year since I first joined Srila

Prabhupada, I made my greatest blunder. In the

morning, as usual, Srila Prabhupada went up onto the

roof and through his room to the back veranda in order

to rest in the sunshine. I left him there, thinking if

he needed anything he would ring the bell to call. The

bell was just inside the room, but due to my dull

brain, as I walked through the room I closed the door

behind me and unconsciously slid the bolt.

"Sometime later a boy came running from the guesthouse

and shouted, 'Srila Prabhupada is trapped on the

roof!' I immediately realized what I had done and ran

upstairs. As I came into the room, Prabhupada was

waiting at the fly-screen door. When I slid the bolt

to let him into the room from the roof, he simply

said, 'You rascal! I have been here for almost an

hour. You have so much dull brain from so much

voracious eating and sleeping.' He was very angry, but

he did not shout. There was no need. The offense was

obvious and nonsensical. He had awakened and could not

get through, neither could he reach the bell to ring

me, and it was forty-five minutes before he could

attract anyone's attention. Later on in the afternoon

I came and apologized to Srila Prabhupada for what I

had done and he very kindly forgave me. But again he

warned me that I should be very careful and be more

attentive in my service. Otherwise, I would cause

great inconvenience to him."

 

Puskara dasa, interview; Rupa-vilasa dasa and

Candrika-devi dasi, interview; Hari Sauri dasa,

interview.

 

 

- From the Prabhupada Nectar by HH Satsvarupa dasa

Goswami Maharaj

 

 

 

 

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