Remembering Srila Prabhupada - Realizations

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Realizations

 

 

I went to one darsana with Prabhupada. Prabhupada was

sitting in a very casual pose with one leg stretched

out and the other propped up. His hand was resting by

his side, and although he was leaning back, his head

was erect.

 

When Prabhupada asked for questions, I knew I had to

ask him a question. I thought I would ask something

that meant a lot to me, something that was troubling

me. I asked Prabhupada, "How does one become humble,

and how does one stay humble?" I had the tendency when

I was distributing the most books in the temple to

become proud. I wanted to know what to do. Prabhupada

looked at me and then looked over at Harikesa Maharaja

and said, "Tell him what I told them in Chicago."

Harikesa Swami said that there was one sankirtana girl

in Chicago who had asked Prabhupada a similar

question, and Prabhupada had replied that she should

be like a lion in the chase but a lamb at home.

 

While I was absorbing this reply, I was looking at

Prabhupada and he was looking back at me. Then

suddenly a great surge came from Srila Prabhupada and

he said, almost yelling, "Be aggressive for Krsna,

then it is successful. There are two things: First, if

I am aggressive, I should be aggressive in my service

for Krsna. And second, I should be aggressive also in

trying to get Krsna's mercy. So both ways --

aggressive to preach and aggressive to get the mercy."

I had asked Prabhupada how to become humble, but he

said the opposite thing. Yet now I have found out that

it is by aggression that I am factually the humblest,

because to be aggressive you have to surrender. Within

those few words Prabhupada had actually given me the

essence of Krsna consciousness."

 

-- Krsna Gopala dasa

 

 

 

Bhumi-devi dasi and I were distributing books at the

airport when Srila Prabhupada was departing. We had

managed to get into the departure lounge. No other

devotees were there except Prabhupada, Jayadvaita, and

Srutakirti. We were in ecstasy, Bhumi and I, because

here was Srila Prabhupada, but he didn't know we were

there. We knew that he was there, and we told the

people, "See this gentleman? He's the one who wrote

this book. He translated these books." People began to

look at the books and look over at Prabhupada. We

distributed many books in the half hour Prabhupada was

there. Then Jayadvaita told Prabhupada that we were

there distributing his books. Prabhupada looked at us.

He had a big smile and was nodding his head. He was

very pleased and of course, this was a source of great

encouragement for us. We didn't want any personal

darsana; we just wanted Prabhupada to know that we

were distributing his books.

 

I remember I used to look at the sankirtana board in

the temple and they used to write slogans like "We

have to make Prabhupada the most famous man in the

world." I used to think, "Yes, that's what we have to

do." That used to impress me very much and that's why

I wanted to do sankirtana so much, because we have to

make Prabhupada the most famous person in the world.

 

Another time, we were again distributing books at the

airport when Prabhupada was leaving. This was in 1976,

in New York, after the Ratha-yatra, when Srila

Prabhupada was feeling sick. He was about to leave. I

was distributing at BOAC Airlines in karmi clothes. We

just wanted to see Prabhupada and it wasn't my

intention to be obvious and stand in front of him, but

when I was in the middle of distributing a book to a

man, Prabhupada happened to pass right by me. I was so

nervous, I said, "Oh, my God. I didn't mean to do

that!" As Prabhupada passed he saw his book and

stopped a little bit. Then he looked, and Tamala Krsna

Goswami said, "That's Sunita, Prabhupada. She

distributes your books." Prabhupada said "Accha," and

he turned around and looked at me. "Very nice," he

said. He then raised his hands, giving his blessings.

That was another source of great encouragement for us.

We really didn't want anything else from him, just

that he knew we were distributing his books.

 

-- Sunita-devi dasi

 

Krsna Gopala dasa, interview; Sunita-devi dasi,

interview.

 

 

- From the Prabhupada Nectar by HH Satsvarupa dasa

Goswami Maharaj

 

 

 

 

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