Remembering Srila Prabhupada - Doesn't Waste Anything

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Prabhupada Doesn't Waste Anything

 

 

Srila Prabhupada was once walking with some disciples

when he stopped and pointed to a willow tree. "Take

twigs," he said. After Aravinda dasa removed three or

four twigs from the tree, Prabhupada raised his hand

and said not to take more than necessary. The devotees

realized he did not want to cause unnecessary harm to

the tree.

 

 

 

In Los Angeles in 1972, Prabhupada went on two morning

walks wearing an oversized dhoti that the devotees had

offered to him. The dhoti was twice as long as it

should be and almost twice as wide. Prabhupada had

wrapped this dhoti around himself and rolled it up so

that it formed a very large bundle around his stomach.

When the devotees saw him in it, everyone -- including

Prabhupada -- laughed.

 

When Atreya Rsi asked Prabhupada if he could get a

pair of scissors and cut the dhoti to the proper size,

Prabhupada became upset. "Cut, cut, cut," he said.

"Everything you want to cut." He then explained that

although his Western boys were very wonderful, they

had no concept about wasting Krsna's energy. He then

began to complain of how the New York temple had been

repainted two, three, four times. Prabhupada looked at

Atreya Rsi with a pained _expression on his face, and

Atreya Rsi felt Prabhupada was imploring him to help

stop the waste.

 

 

 

Navina Krsna dasa was a grhastha with many family

responsibilities. He once asked Prabhupada how it

would be possible for him to think of Krsna

twenty-four hours a day, since he had so many family

duties.

 

Prabhupada looked at Navina Krsna dasa and asked if he

had twenty-four hours in a day. Navina Krsna said yes.

Prabhupada then said that out of those twenty-four

hours, he worked eight or ten hours, spent six or

seven hours sleeping, and used two hours for eating.

This left five or six hours free. Navina Krsna dasa

agreed that this was a true picture of his schedule.

Prabhupada then asked him if he was using all of that

extra time to serve Krsna. Navina Krsna dasa couldn't

reply. Prabhupada then said that if he used all his

time in Krsna's service, then Krsna would show him how

to serve Him more. On hearing this, Navina Krsna dasa

became very enlivened.

 

Yogesvara dasa, interview; Atreya Rsi dasa, interview;

Navina Krsna dasa, interview.

 

 

- From the Prabhupada Nectar by HH Satsvarupa dasa

GoswamiMaharaj

 

 

 

 

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