Sukadeva das Remembers Srila Prabhupada

Prabhupada Memories

Interview 01

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Sukadeva: Daily I had been going on morning walks with Srila Prabhupada and once when we were driving back in the car I said, “Srila Prabhupada, you said that if a tree has fruit then it becomes beautiful, and if a woman has a child then she becomes beautiful. When does a disciple become beautiful?” I was praising myself, thinking, “This is such a nice metaphor and I asked such a nice question about it.” Prabhupada immediately laced into me. He said, “Oh? You have not read our books? What is the meaning of this verse, ar na koriho mane asa? What is the meaning?” I said, “I don’t know, Srila Prabhupada.” Prabhupada looked at me and said, “Hmm, parrot-like chanting.” I was driving so I could not jump out of the car, and there were heavy-duty sannyasis in the car—Brahmananda, Guru Kripa—who gave me the sannyasi sour look, “Sukadeva, what are you doing asking Prabhupada this question?” I thought, “Oh, Krishna!” Then Prabhupada said, “What is the meaning of yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado?” I said, “By the mercy of the spiritual master one gets the mercy of Krishna, Srila Prabhupada.” Prabhupada said, “Yes. When the disciple is strictly following the order of the spiritual master, then he is beautiful. Otherwise he is ugly.” Somehow or other in 1976 I wound up as president of the Hawaii temple. When Prabhupada was there I said to him, “Prabhupada, I don’t want to stay here. These devotees don’t like me, I’m having trouble, and I want to get out of here.” Prabhupada said, “No, you will stay.” “I want to go, Prabhupada.” “No, you will stay. Depend on Krishna and Krishna will save you.” At that time I had been praying to do some direct service for Srila Prabhupada and one day Hari Sauri came to my office and said, “Prabhupada wants a Coleman burner.” I said, “What for?” He said, “Prabhupada’s going to cook his own prasadam.” “Why would Prabhupada cook his own prasadam? We have so many devotees here. No one’s sincere enough to cook for Prabhupada?” He said, “The girl who’s been doing this service has been adding too much salt even after Prabhupada told her to put less.” I said, “Although there’s so much going on, I’ll cook for Prabhupada.” Of course, I had no instruction. Here I had to cook for the spiritual master of the universe and I had no instruction. Afterwards I asked Hari Sauri, who was his personal servant, how my cooking was and he said, “Prabhupada said everything was good but the dahl. It was untouchable.” I was in shock and I asked Hari Sauri, “What has to be done?” Prabhupada wanted the dahl cooked thoroughly so that it was all soup. I said, “No problem.” I cooked the next day and I then asked, “How was the prasadam?” Hari Sauri said, “Prabhupada said everything was perfect.” Just by hearing those words, I felt such intense happiness that I wanted to run outside and jump up and down. I never felt so much ecstasy as when Prabhupada said that everything I had cooked was perfect. Prabhupada said that you have to become like the bumblebee and not like the fly and Prabhupada proved it by his own example. Once Nara-Narayan—who does not sing like a nightingale—was in the temple room singing and Prabhupada said, “Who is that singing?” Karandhar said, “It’s Nara- Narayan, Srila Prabhupada.” Prabhupada said, “Hmm, he keeps very good time.” Once Hari Sauri’s alarm clock went off and Prabhupada said, “What is that sound?” Hari Sauri said, “That’s the alarm clock, Srila Prabhupada.” Prabhupada said, “Oh? Who is in danger?” I looked at Hari Sauri and thought, “Wow! My spiritual master has a sense of humor!” I couldn’t believe it because I had never heard Prabhupada use puns or sarcasm. Prabhupada didn’t make a habit of it, but it was there. We laughed. Pusta Krishna said, “Prabhupada, what should I do with this bug?” I thought, “In this city—or state or country—who else can we ask, ‘What to do with this bug?’” If you go to the mayor or the governor or the president of the United States and say, “What should I do with this bug?” he would look at you like you’re crazy. “Why’s he asking me? You squish it or do whatever you want with it.” But a devotee was asking Prabhupada this question and Prabhupada didn’t look at him as if he was crazy or asking something bizarre. Prabhupada said, “Take him to the window.” Pusta Krishna let the bug out the window. Prabhupada said, “This is Vaishnava. A Vaishnava is kind to every living entity. Not this squishing business.” We were amazed that Prabhupada made a question about a bug into a Krishna conscious event. Prabhupada was sitting on the stage in the temple on La Cienega Boulevard and to his right was Lord Jagannatha. At the end of the class some Christian spoke some nonsense philosophy but Prabhupada didn’t even look at him. He simply sat there and occasionally looked at Lord Jagannatha, as if the person speaking didn’t exist. But Prabhupada listened to everything that man said. Then Prabhupada looked at him and loudly proclaimed, “Christ said, ‘Thou shall not kill!’ Why are you killing?” At that time I was a new devotee and a meateater but when Prabhupada said that, it scared the meat-eating right out of me. Everyone in that temple room was frozen and the Christian had nothing to say, although he had plenty of time to respond. Prabhupada’s potency was immediate. There was no philosophy that you had to learn, there was nothing that you had to retain or absorb. Prabhupada was so powerful that your realization was immediate. In front of Srila Prabhupada you would never again think of eating meat. His speaking was like a cold wind blowing off a tree’s last few leaves. Prabhupada blew all the nonsense out of that person and anyone else there was convinced to never eat meat.

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

Following Srila Prabhupada

Interview DVD 08

Sukadeva: The day that we inaugurated the temple, it was Bhaktisiddhanta’s Disappearance. That day Prabhupada said, “I’m not going to sit on the vyasasana.” He took Bhaktisiddhanta’s picture and put it on the vyasasana where he would normally sit. So we spent most of the day cooking and spending the day with Prabhupada. And towards the end of the day we were reading the prayers that Prabhupada offered to his spiritual master, that famous Vyasa Puja offering. Tamal Krishna started reading it and he started crying, and so then he gave it to Brahmananda. And then Brahmananda started reading it and he started crying, he gave it to Gargamuni. Then Gargamuni started reading it, he started crying. So in this way it was handed down to different devotees, and eventually by Krishna’s grace we got through the reading. Then after that Prabhupada had a kirtan, and Prabhupada was dancing with the devotees just like Lord Caitanya surrounded by His associates. Prabhupada held up his hands and started dancing from side to side. I remember looking around and everybody was up dancing and chanting and crying uncontrollably. Everybody was dancing and chanting and crying uncontrollably. Prabhupada put us directly into Caitanya lila, he was so powerful. You had a direct experience of Caitanya lila by his potency.