Remembering Srila Prabhupada - Short Story

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Srila Prabhupada NectarShort Story

 

Srila Prabhupada would speak from a large repertoire

of traditional stories and apply them in different

ways. His use of the story about the brahmana who

lost his caste illustrates this nicely.

In India, there is a custom that Hindus never take

their meals in the house of a Muhammadan or Christian

or anyone other than a Hindu brahmana. But one

brahmana was very hungry, and he went to a little

known acquaintance and asked for some food. The man

supplied the brahmana with a little foodstuff, but

still hunger was not satisfied. When the brahmana

asked the man for more food, the man said that he was

sorry but he had no more.

"Oh," said the brahmana, disappointed. Then he asked,

"Sir, which caste do you belong to?"

"I am Muhammadan," the man replied. Then the hungry

man lamented, "Oh, I have lost my caste, and still I

am hungry!"

Srila Prabhupada told this story on one occasion to a

devotee-artist. She had suggested to Prabhupada that

she should improve her artistic craftsmanship by

painting and selling non devotional pictures, and then

after becoming talented and famous, she could better

paint for Krsna. Srila Prabhupada replied that to

come to the point of being a reputed artist would take

a long time, but a devotee's time is short - and is

only for serving Krsna. As for fame, Prabhupada said,

according to Caitanya-caritamrta a man is famous who

is known as a great devotee of Krsna. So, if she

insisted on becoming a great artist, she would be like

the brahmana who lost his caste but his belly remain

unfilled.

Another time Prabhupada applied the same story when a

devotee at Prabhupada's suggestion, tried to get

Prabhupada a teaching position on a college faculty.

The salary they offered him was very low and so

Prabhupada rejected it. The devotee then thought that

he had insulted Prabhupada by even asking such a

thing. Prabhupada wrote back assuring the disciple

that there was no offence but the offer was useless.

He related the story about the caste brahmana, then

commented, "The idea is that if we have to ask some

service, there must be proper remuneration. So I

thought that since I required some money for my book

fund, I might gather some money in this way, but this

does not satisfy my hunger. So forget this incident."

- From the Nectar by HH Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami

 

=Please Chant: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna

Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare

Hare And Be Happy

 

 

 

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