Rose Forkash: My daughter, Lilashakti, (at that time Linda) came home to Santa Barbara, locked herself in the bedroom and for two days she did nothing but read Back to Godhead magazines. When she came out we were sure that there was something that needed investigating but came Saturday she said she was leaving for Los Angeles to go to the temple. Of course we trusted that whatever she was reading and pertained to this temple was something that we should be satisfied was innocent enough. But a week later my husband and I came to visit and it so happens that day Prabhupada arrived. I remember Prabhupada sat on the upper level in the temple while the chairs and seats for everybody else was just a little bit down below. Questions were asked of him and of course I raised my hand because I didn’t know what this was all about. I asked, “If this is such a good thing for all people to become involved in, why did it take so long to come to us?” He replied, “You were late.” Suddenly all the devotees to my right let up a howl of joy and he turned to them and said, “And you were all late.”
It wasn’t until about a year or two later when Prabhupada came back to Los Angeles that I spoke with him at length. That afternoon Prabhupada gave me his lunch and told my husband and me how glad he was that we were taking an interest. He asked us a little bit about ourselves and I remember he asked my husband, Sam, what kind of business he was in. Sam said he was in the used furniture business. Prabhupada said, “Used? Used, like people like me?” (laughs)
A year later my parents, who were elderly, came to visit from Florida and Lilashakti told them about her experience on sankirtan. My mother said, “I’d like to do that,” and my father said, “I would too.” So the devotees there gave my parents some Back to Godheads, and there they were, walking up and down the street offering Back to Godhead magazines. Every time someone would accept one, my father would clap. He was so happy that people were showing an interest. Both of them were even happier when I brought them to the temple. As we entered, my father in his enthusiasm was so happy that I remember he bent down and kissed the door. He walked in, looked at the deities and said, “This is the nicest thing I ever saw in my whole life.” That’s something to remember.
We felt very comfortable with the fact that our daughter was involved in something that was so beneficial for her. In addition I was amazed that what we needed for ourselves was coming from our own child. Up until then we had very little religious feelings. When my parents were young, they had no opportunity financially or otherwise to get involved in a religion that would have suited them. It wasn’t until they met the devotees, heard about the temple and came to the temple that they wanted to join. As a matter of fact, my father had signed up for he and my mother to move into the temple in South Florida where they lived. On one walk I took with my father I said, “You know Pop, that’s fine. But you know you can’t smoke any cigars?” He said, “I only smoke one.” I said, “Not even one, Pop.” He took the cigar out of his pocket, broke it in half and said, “Okay I’m done.”
On Sundays Sam and I used to go down to the beach in Santa Barbara. There was always a gathering of artists and we got to meet many people from the movie industry. It was Meryl Streep I remember who bought some cookies from us and as she picked up the package she looked at it and said, “Oh, this is the Hare Krishna. How do you say it?” We chanted the mantra and she chanted with us, which was very nice.
I felt comfortable with him. Sometimes if people see a movie star, they would be in awe. But Prabhupada didn’t make you feel that way. He never acted as if he felt, “I’m so important.” He didn’t give that impression. He was a bearer of information. He was delivering information and he did it in such a calm way that wasn’t frightening. It was informational like, “I have something to tell you and I think you will be interested in hearing this.” I do remember when he walked out of the temple after a lecture one day and the devotees were eager to pay their obeisances to him. They all scrambled to get down and he motioned with his hands, “Get up, get up, get up,” as if to say, “That’s not necessary.”
