Girindra Mohini devi dasi Remembers Srila Prabhupada

Prabhupada Memories

Interview 01

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Girindra Mohini: I had been at New Vrindavan for about six months when it was just a farming community. Then Kirtanananda Swami and the Road Show came with Vishnujana Swami and it became a more devotional atmosphere. At the end of the summer, Srila Prabhupada came for the 1972 Janmastami festival, which was a gathering of many devotees from the East Coast to be initiated in our new temple room. That was the first time I saw Srila Prabhupada physically. Of course, I had only heard his tapes, and being young and not accustomed to that Indian accent, it had been a struggle for me just to be able to understand what he was saying. When I saw him in person that was like my first experience of the significance of having a living spiritual master as opposed to one in a book. It was very profound. Hayagriva would get Prabhupada’s transcripts to edit, and then he would give them to Shyama dasi who would type them while I was watching her child. In this way I got to read Prabhupada’s books before anybody else. As such our basic service was centered on reading and writing. I also did farm work so I wore skirts instead of saris. Many devotees got into the Indian subculture but I was never a part of that. I did like Indian saris and all the temple incense, but to us that was not very important. Hayagriva once told Prabhupada that he felt like the children were going to be neurotic if they grew up in America trying to act like Indian people. Prabhupada said, “Yes, but their children will be the light of the world. I have a plan.” We understood from that that it’s inevitable that new ideas are always going to be met with misunderstanding and some confusion. But we see it now. Look at the mainstream. Who is shocked by yoga or vegetarianism any more, which in West Virginia in 1970 was radical?

To view the entire unedited video go to Memories 50 - Patita Pavana, Ramesvara, Soma, Manmohini, Kiba Jaya, Girindra M, Omkara

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