Remembering Srila Prabhupada - Little Drops of Nectar

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Little Drops of Nectar

 

 

Srila Prabhupada was always expert in the way he dealt

with people. Once his Indian disciple, Haridasa,

walked into Srila Prabhupada's room, put his beads on

Prabhupada's desk, and told Prabhupada he was leaving.

Prabhupada asked him what the difficulty was. Haridasa

explained that although they were struggling so hard

to raise money and make life members, no one wanted to

join. It was just too difficult to continue.

Prabhupada said, "Be patient, be patient." He said

that when the new building opened up, people would

line up to become life members. Then Haridasa said

that he could not work with the foreign disciples.

Prabhupada explained that when you milk a cow, you

should expect to get kicked sometimes. He told

Haridasa that the foreigners were doing so much

service and that their kicks must be tolerated because

we want the milk. In this way, Haridasa was pacified

and he renewed his determination and enthusiasm.

 

 

 

When Prabhupada first arrived in San Francisco in

1967, Mukunda dasa had a beard. The beard was very

full, but it was not very long, and Mukunda kept it

trimmed. Shortly after his arrival, Prabhupada said,

"You look just like a sage." This left Mukunda feeling

satisfied, and he did not think it necessary to shave

his beard or his hair. Later, however, as more and

more disciples shaved their heads, Mukunda felt unsure

of himself. One day he approached Prabhupada.

"Prabhupada," he said, "do you like this?" and he

gestured to his beard. Prabhupada stroked his own

clean face and said, "I like this." Then he smiled.

Mukunda understood that the beard was not in order and

he shaved it off the next day.

 

 

 

Prabhupada visited Philadelphia in 1975. At that time

the temple was located in the Germantown section of

the city. The devotees all crowded together on the

front porch to greet Prabhupada. They stood closely

together in two rows. When Prabhupada arrived, the

devotees began throwing flowers, and Prabhupada walked

slowly toward the crowd, carrying a cane.

 

Suddenly a little six-year-old girl named Sarina

bolted loose from the devotees and ran up to Srila

Prabhupada. "Srila Prabhupada," she called, "I have a

question! I have a question!" She said she had trouble

making garlands. She said when she put a flower on the

garland, she then got mixed up and didn't know which

flower to put on next. Prabhupada looked down at her

and then took a very beautiful, opulent garland from

around his neck and placed it on the little girl. "You

look at this garland and you will learn," he said.

 

 

 

Once in India, a mailman brought a letter addressed to

Prabhupada which required a signature upon delivery.

Tejas dasa told the mailman that he would sign on

Prabhupada's behalf, but the mailman said that he

could not allow this. Tejas told the mailman that he

was Prabhupada's secretary and that he could sign, but

the mailman was adamant. Then Tejas said that he would

take the letter to Prabhupada and return with the

signed carbon copy. Again the mailman refused, saying

he would not know if Prabhupada had actually signed

it. Tejas then told the man that Prabhupada was a

great saint and that he was very busy, and again he

asked the mailman to give him the letter. The mailman

refused. Finally Tejas went to Prabhupada and

explained the situation. Prabhupada agreed to see the

man and Tejas then showed him into Prabhupada's room.

The man was there for ten minutes, and when he came

out, he was smiling broadly. "I have seen Swamiji," he

said.

 

Giriraja Swami, Mukunda Goswami, Prabhupada dasa,

Tejas dasa, interviews.

 

 

- From the Prabhupada Nectar by HH Satsvarupa dasa

Goswami Maharaj

 

 

 

 

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