Vyas Puja

[Guest guest]

Grandfather is more merciful than father

 

One time the late Kartikeya Prabhu who was Prabhupada's servant at the time

personally told me the following story.

 

Prabhupada was staying in Hawaii at the time. One day, Govinda Dasi brought

some wheat germ from the market. I thought that the next time Srila Prabhupada

asks for haleva, I'll make it from wheat germ and he'll be so pleased.

 

One day it was a rainy day. Sometimes when it rained or was cold, Prabhupada

asked for haleva since the grains and ghee heated up the body. So this

particular day he called me and asked me to make haleva. I was very excited and

went to the kitchen and got the wheat germ and started to make haleva.

 

The whole time I was cooking, I was thinking how pleased Srila Prabhupada would

be with this wheat germ haleva. This was my whole meditation, how Srila

Prabhupada would be so pleased.

 

Then I offered it and brought it to Srila Prabhupada in his room. I was waiting

to see how he would like it. He looked up with a very sour look on his face and

said, "Haleva means suji (cream of wheat)." With his left hand he motioned

saying, "Take this away." When someone rejects something with his left hand, it

is very heavy. So broken heartedly, I took the bowl of haleva out of the room.

 

I was very upset and didn't know what to do. So I went into the temple and sat

in front of the altar before the pictures of Srila Prabhupada and Srila

Bhaktisiddhanta. Crying, I began to pray to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, "I was just

trying to please your spiritual son, but somehow he is upset with me. I don't

know what to do. I really only wanted to please him."

 

Suddenly, I heard Srila Prabhupada's voice calling from his room, "Kartikeya!

Kartikeya!" I came running and he told me to bring the haleva. I immediately

brought the bowl of haleva and Prabhupada began to eat it with great gusto and

relish. Then he said, "Bring more." I broght more and again when he finished he

requested more. In this way, he finished off the whole pot.

 

Kartikeya told me that from this he could understand that the whole disciplic

succession is there behind Srila Prabhupada to pull us out of this deep dark

well of material existence. My understanding is that just as Srila Prabhupada

always told us, the grandfather is more merciful than the father. My own

practical experience was that my grandfather owned what would now be called a

convenience store. On one side there was the candy counter. We would always go

over there, but our father would tell us not to take so much candy. But our

grandfather behind his back would always slip us something.

 

So many times young devotees tell me that you were so fortunate, you got to

have darshan of Srila Prabhupada. We're very unfortunate, we could never see

him. But I tell them that they are more fortunate than us Prabhupada disciples

because they have Srila Prabhupada as their grandfather spiritual master. He

will be more merciful to you than to us. And I see practically, that so many of

the second generation, despite so many troubles, are making wonderful

advancement in Krishna Consciousness. It can only be the mercy of their

grandfather spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada.

 

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

 

In service of Sri Sri Krishna Balaram,

Deena Bandhu dasa