ReciprocationBy Mukunda Goswami On 13 December 1973, at the Los Angeles temple, during the observance…
Browsing: Memories
“My spiritual master,” you said, and your voice, he says, choked to gravel. “My spiritual master,” you repeated, “he was no ordinary spiritual master.” You paused again, and then whispered falteringly, “He saved me.”
I have sometimes reflected on this astonishing transcendental moment and wondered exactly what you meant when you said, “He saved me.” You were born into a family of devotees, and your father was a pure devotee. What, then, was there to be saved from? But this is how you felt—and we honour that. It is another deep expression of yours that we relish and deeply appreciate
In 1973, I sent you my Vyasa-puja offering. On 23 August, from Bhaktivedanta Manor, you sent me an encouraging note:
“I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter and the nice Vyasa-puja offering you sent. I have sent it to Satsvarupa Goswami for printing in the BTG. Writing is a very important part of our work, and Satsvarupa is always anxious to have new material from the devotees for expanding the BTG. You have a nice talent for writing, and practice makes perfect, so continue. It will be appreciated.”
On Rama-Navami day, the appearance of Lord Ramachandra, many government officials are present for the…
Srila Prabhupada’s February 1966 letter reveals him as simultaneously humble and fearless, traditional and forward-thinking. Using the tools available to him — from the eternal scriptures of India to a portable real to real recorder — he carried forward the teachings of Lord Chaitanya into the heart of the modern world.
Even now, the sound of his kirtan, recorded alone in that small room, continues to awaken hearts across the world. His mission was not backed by wealth or institutional power, but by unwavering faith in Krishna and the holy name.
Srila Prabhupada flew to London in July 1977. Upon arrival, he was wheeled off the plane and driven directly to Bhaktivedanta Manor. When his disciples entered his room, he was “radiant, beaming.” Sitting in a rocking chair by the bay window, he looked out over the garden and said, “Western countries are so nice. If only they wouldn’t eat cow. Is there any other meat they can eat?” It was a statement filled with compassion. He was not condoning meat-eating, but lamenting the killing of the cow—the emblem of maternal service and sacredness.
At this stage, although he could not walk, Srila Prabhupada maintained great dignity. He would dress twice daily in fresh clothes, complete with clean socks and gold buttons. He insisted on being well-kept. “Most dignified person,” said one disciple. “He refused to let us carry him at first. I would stand behind him, lifting him under the arms while he moved his own legs.”
One of the early devotees I met at the temple was the artist and musician Marek Buchwald, whom Hamsaduta dasa had recruited in Montreal to design a cover for a reprint of Easy Journey to Other Planets and who had come to Boston to meet Srila Prabhupada for the first time. When Marek arrived—the same day I had met Prabhupada, the day after the Brandeis program—he said, “I could smell the incense from some distance away, and as I came up to the door of the temple and peeked inside, I saw two young women dancing in a circle, one strumming a dulcimer and the other playing small hand cymbals, just dancing around and chanting. I was very conscious that this was some kind of fulfilment, that a story was being fulfilled.
By Dandavats Staff Writer Few figures shine as brightly as Siddhanta Dasa ACBSP in the…
Pradyumna das, currently residing at ISKCON Radha Govinda Mandir in New York, shares his cherished memories of Srila Prabhupada…
by Kalachandji das
In July of ’76, the Rādhā-Dāmodara Party converged on Washington, D.C., for the 200th anniversary of American independence. Śrīla Prabhupāda was there, and though Aindra had been His Divine Grace’s initiated disciple for three years, he had never seen his guru mahārāja in person.