attending mangala-arati

[Guest guest]

Once at ISKCON Hyderabad Srila Prabhupada came into Acyutananda Swami's room

before mangala-arati. Seeing Acyutananda still lying down, Srila Prabhupada

angrily asked him why. Acyutananda replied that he could not attend

mangala-arati because his cloth was not washed. "Where is your cloth?" Srila

Prabhupada asked. Acyutananda indicated a pile of saffron cloth in the

corner. Srila Prabhupada grabbed it, quickly rinsed it in the sink, wrung it

out, and threw it in the face of the now standing Acyutananda, saying, "Put

it on and go to mangala-arati." (Told by Anandamaya Prabhu)

 

On another occasion when Acyutananda and other sannyasis did not attend

mangala arati in Hyderabad, Srila Prabhupada had them come do it in his

room. He said that those who do not attend mangala arati are demons, not

devotees. (Told by Basu Ghosh Prabhu)

 

Once in Vrndavana in 1975, Srila Prabhupada sent Navayogendra Swami, his

personal servant, to see how many devotees were in mangala-arati, then

called the Temple President and asked how many devotees were staying in the

temple. When he saw that there was a big difference, Srila Prabhupada

became very angry, and said "I should also go to mangala-arati but I have

important translation work to do. This is not a free hotel." (Told by

Navayogendra Swami)