Prithu das Remembers Srila Prabhupada

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Prithu: In Sweden, Prabhupada was lecturing on the four classes of men—the brahman, or first-class man; kshatriya, second-class; vaishya, third-class; and sudra, fourth-class—to a university crowd of rowdy students. As soon as he finished, a student in the front stood up and said, “Of course you think you are a first-class man. That’s why your followers offer you flowers and you sit on a high seat.” I was boiling with anger. If Prabhupada had made a little sign, I would have pounced on this student and ripped him to shreds. It was dead silent in the room. Prabhupada practically pleaded with this student, saying, “No, no, no. I am not a first-class man. I am a fifth-class man.” Everybody was shocked. It was dead silent again. In this deafening silence Prabhupada said, “Because I am the servant of everyone.” We were astounded when he said this, and I saw that his lip was quivering and two big tears came behind his spectacles. It was clear that he was really the servant of the whole world, that he didn’t think much of himself. On one side, he had so much power, and on the other side, he was so humble that he considered himself fifth-class, the servant of everyone, the person who was supporting and giving to everybody and not expecting anything in return. This was such a sublime moment for Krishna’s pure devotee. I will never forget it. We had a gorgeous temple that was the ISKCON headquarters in Germany. But at that time, Krishna consciousness in Germany was in shambles. We had had some trouble with the German government. Jayatirtha went to Srila Prabhupada and said, “I think we won’t be able to maintain this temple. It would be better to split up into smaller centers.” But Prabhupada liked this temple. He appreciated the Deities there and the location. When he heard Jayatirtha’s idea he said, “Even if your child has been born deaf and blind, does it mean you kill it?” We were shocked that he said that. Then he became angry. He said, “Does it mean you kill it?” Jayatirtha said, “No, no, no.” Prabhupada said, “Don’t be a rolling stone. Become determined.” I was sitting on a bench chanting my rounds near Hippie Hill in San Francisco, when an old, black man came by. He said to me, “That old man who started this thing, he was a cool cat. I was living in the Bowery and he was living in the Bowery too. But then again, Jesus was born in a barn.” And he walked away. We were walking with Srila Prabhupada under the Eiffel Tower in Paris, when Shivananda asked Srila Prabhupada, “What about your internal life, Srila Prabhupada?” Prabhupada was immediately strong. He said, “That you do not require.” Shivananda asked again, “But, Srila Prabhupada, we would like to know, what about your internal life?” Prabhupada became furious. He said, “That you do not require.” He turned away and walked on, disgusted. We could understand that what is going on between the pure devotee and Krishna is personal, private, and precious. It’s not meant for public display. The sentiments and the exchanges between Krishna and His pure devotee are on the raganuga platform and are not subject to discussion. Srila Prabhupada said later, “First deserve, then desire.” We were fools to try to enter into something that was dear to him.

To view the entire unedited video go to Prabhupada Memories DVD 15 The 1996 NYC and LA Reunions

The full Prabhupada Memories Series can be viewed here and also at www.prabhupadamemories.com