Soma: In Boston in 1971 Prabhupada came to the temple and he gave a short address speech. Then we brought him into his room that we had fixed up. It was just a small room, maybe ten feet by twelve feet. Because it was late, Satsvarupa Maharaj said, “Oh, Srila Prabhupada, it’s late and we’ve rented a hotel room for you.” Srila Prabhupada’s eyes got really big and said, “Hotel? I’m not going.” He quoted a verse and said, “The country is in the mode of goodness, the city is in the mode of passion, but a hotel is simply a brothel. I’m not going.” He said, “But the temple is Vaikuntha. I’ll stay here.” And he did. The two and a half days that he was in Boston he just stayed in this one simple room. He was so happy to stay there instead of going some place else. We of course, as devotees, loved it that he was there staying with us for that time. One older gentleman had convinced Satsvarupa that the temple wasn’t good enough for Srila Prabhupada to stay in. He rented and paid for the penthouse suite at the best hotel in Boston, the Four Seasons, but Prabhupada wouldn’t go there.
When he called me up for initiation in Boston in 1971, he said, “How many rounds do you chant?” I said, “Sixteen.” “What are the four regulative principles?” I said them but I remember being so nervous because I didn’t want to mess that up. I was kneeling in front of him looking at the floor. He said, “So your name is Soma das.” He said, “Soma means the moon.” When he said that, I said, “The moon?” I thought, “Is he chastising me or is he making fun of me or what? I thought we were supposed to get names of Krishna or something related to Krishna. But the moon?” With a bewildered look on my face I looked into Srila Prabhupada’s eyes. It seemed like a long time and it was like he could see right through me to see my soul. All of a sudden he had this big smile that just lit up the whole room and he said, “You are moon-like.” Everybody cheered, “Jai!” Then I paid my obeisances and went to sit down. The very next devotee was my God-brother Sudasa. It was the same drill, “How many rounds do you chant, what are the four regulative principles?” Prabhupada said, “So your name is Sudasa. Sudasa means very nice servant of Krishna. Do you understand?” He hands him his beads and Sudasa said, “No.” Prabhupada took the beads back. He said, “Do you want the beads or don’t know?” Of course Prabhupada was smiling, and Sudasa said, “Yeah, yeah,” and he gave him the beads. Prabhupada was joking with him and it was very humorous.
In the temple building there were only two bathrooms. The temple authorities said, “Nobody else can use the men’s bathroom. It is only for Srila Prabhupada’s use.” So we had to share the women’s bathroom. Only a few hours after my initiation I was waiting in the hallway to use the bathroom because some matajis were in there. Patita Uddharan and I were standing in the hallway and it just so happened that we were right in front of Srila Prabhupada’s door. All of a sudden, the door opens and Srila Prabhupada comes out just in his gumsha. Patita, who is my older God-brother, yelled out loud, “All glories to Srila Prabhupada” and he threw his hands up in the air. The hallway was only about two feet wide and we paid full dandavats in the hallway so that Prabhupada could barely walk by. Prabhupada walked ten feet down the hall and into the bathroom. Srila Prabhupada was only in the bathroom for maybe thirty seconds and he came back out. Again Patita yells, “All glories to Srila Prabhupada,” and threw his hands up in the air and again we paid full dandavats. This time when we stood up Prabhupada was just standing there right in front of us and looking at both of us. It’s one of my favorite remembrances of Srila Prabhupada because I had just been initiated and here Srila Prabhupada is standing in the hallway in his gumsha and the expression on his face was just so incredible. I think he was a little embarrassed from Patita yelling, but he had a very beautiful, compassionate smile that could melt you. He had so much compassion and love that my heart innately wanted to surrender to him and dedicate my life to helping him.
Srila Prabhupada looked and this mataji, Gopa devi, who lived in New Vrindavan, as she was there just in her sari on this chilly evening. Srila Prabhupada asked her, “Are you okay? Are you warm enough?” She was so shy that she didn’t say anything. Then Kuladri said, “Well, she is just happy to be here, Prabhupada.” Prabhupada said, “No, you should make sure that these women are taken care of. You should ask at least once a month if they need anything, and you have to make sure that you are protecting them and take care of them.” It’s just another example of how Prabhupada was very concerned and compassionate to make sure that we would take care of the women. He even said that they are shy, they won’t ask, so you have to make sure and ask, and make sure that they have everything they need.
When I was a new devotee in Boston and the ISKCON press was there, Satsvarupa spoke of the time when Prabhupada was first opening up ISKCON in New York and how Prabhupada was very inquisitive about things. I thought that would be nice to be able to offer Srila Prabhupada some information that he wanted. So on one morning walk in New Vrindavan a calf walked down in front of Srila Prabhupada. Prabhupada put his cane in the ground, stopped and asked, “How old is that calf?” I used to work in the barn but not long enough to know the answer so I looked around to see if any of the other devotees were there who would know. No one there knew the answer. So I looked at the calf really hard to see if I could figure out how old it was. I could see that the milk bag hadn’t dropped down yet, so I said, “Well it’s very young, Srila Prabhupada, because the milk bag hasn’t dropped down.” Srila Prabhupada looked at me and said, “I know that!” When he said that I thought, “Oh my God, I’m such a fool. Why did I ever have the desire to offer Srila Prabhupada some information? He already knew that.” I felt bad and slipped to the back of the walk as the other people were walking forward. The very next day after the morning program Prabhupada walked out to his car to go back to his quarters, but he didn’t get into the car. He just looked over the top of the car to the road across the field that was there. I was standing right next to him and he turned around and had this little smile on his face and he looked at me and asked, “What’s growing over there?” This time I did know that they had planted mung beans there. I replied, “Oh, those are mung beans, Srila Prabhupada.” He said, “Oh, thank you very much,” and then got in the car. I couldn’t believe it. I was ecstatic. I couldn’t believe how he read my mind and he knew that I wanted to answer one of his questions. He gave me another chance and this time I knew the answer. It was a little thing but to me it made my life.
It was near the end of the darshan and my God-brother Taru asked, “Srila Prabhupada, when we talk to the farmers around New Vrindavan and tell them about Krishna, they say that they don’t have time to worship God. They are just too busy and they work too hard.” Prabhupada was just sitting there listening. Dhrstadyumna was on one side with a chamara whisk and Pusta Krishna had a peacock fan on the other side. Prabhupada said, “Pusta Krishna, you answer.” He was still fanning and said, “Well, it says in the Bhagavad-gita…” and Prabhupada’s arm went out, “Don’t bring the Gita.” Everybody was shocked. There was silence. Then Prabhupada said, “Dhrstadyumna, you answer.” Dhrstadyumna with the chamara whisk thought for a few seconds and said, “Well, Krishna says…” and Prabhupada threw his hand out, “Don’t bring Krishna.” You could hear a pin drop. Complete silence. It was so dramatic. Nobody knew what was going to happen. Prabhupada leaned forward on the vyasasana and said, “Okay, rascal, can you make it rain? Can you make the sun shine? Can you make the crops grow?” I don’t remember the exact words, but it was just the simple notion that Krishna is providing everything and worshipping Krishna means being grateful. Without bringing in any of the scriptures Prabhupada explained it on such a simple level of being grateful for what God is giving.
On a morning walk in New Vrindavan we had some kshatriyas who were supposed to be protectors of the devotees and one of them asked Srila Prabhupada if it was all right to kill some of the rabbits and groundhogs because they were eating the produce in Krishna’s garden. “They are stealing from the Deities and the devotees. Is it all right if we kill them?” Prabhupada was disturbed. He said, “No. You should grow enough so that they can eat too.” He was visibly very concerned that they should not be killed.
In New Vrindavan Srila Prabhupada walked through the Palace at the time it was still a construction site. There was a pallet with bags of cement with plastic covering them. Prabhupada asked, “What is this?” We said, “Those are just bags of concrete.” He said, “This is not right.” We were thinking since there was no roof yet the best way to protect the concrete was with the plastic. It wasn’t until a few days after Srila Prabhupada left that we noticed that when it had rained prior to Prabhupada’s visit, some of the water had gotten through the plastic and it had ruined some of the bags. Prabhupada was so perceptive that he knew just by looking at the bags that they were ruined. Another story from that visit was that as he was walking out of the Palace, Bali Mardan said, “Oh, Srila Prabhupada, it says in the Krsna Book that Krishna’s palaces in Dwarka were illuminated with the jewels on the wall.” Prabhupada stopped, lifted his cane and he waved it at the devotees that were there and he said, “These devotees are my jewels.”
