Jaya Jagadish: It was February of 1971 when I joined the temple at 7 Bury Place in London, and Prabhupada was scheduled to come in August. Because I had some clerical skills, Mukunda prabhu, now Mukunda Goswami, who was the temple president, asked me to buy a dictation machine for Prabhupada’s translations upon his arrival. The day after he arrived I was called into Prabhupada’s room and I was thinking, “Oh, what is going on?” I knocked on the door, entered, and paid my obeisances. Prabhupada held up the microphone and said, “It is useless.” I was shocked and took the microphone from Srila Prabhupada, ran probably twenty minutes or so to the shop in London, replaced the microphone, and ran back to the temple, and gave it to Prabhupada’s secretary. The next day I was again called into Prabhupada’s room. This time, however, he was holding the microphone and he was absolutely beaming. So, I, “Mr. Too Much Information,” began to explain to Prabhupada that this was wrong and that was wrong with the previous microphone. Prabhupada stopped me and said, “I do not want to know what was wrong with the other microphone. I am simply happy that this one is working.” He taught me the lesson that details and facts that I may find absolutely fascinating, if they don’t really help the spiritual master in his mission, are simply meaningless. In other words, “Don’t burden him with unnecessary information. Simply do your duty to the best of your ability and that is how he will be pleased.” A few days later, it was after the morning program, perhaps nine or ten o’clock in the morning, and just a few devotees and I were in the temple. The curtain was opened as we were chanting before the Deities. All of a sudden Prabhupada walked in and we immediately fell flat. When we got up, Prabhupada was very close to Sri Sri Radha-Londonisvara. As he was observing Them, I said with folded palms, “Srila Prabhupada, do you like the way Lord Krishna is dressed?” He replied, “He is very beautiful.” Then he stood there observing the Deities for a little longer, and then in my mind I simply thought, “And Srila Prabhupada, what about Srimati Radharani?” Immediately after I simply asked that question in my mind, Prabhupada looked at me and said, “Srimati Radharani is also very beautiful.” Prabhupada was demonstrating that, although he appeared in human form, he had capabilities and consciousness and powers far beyond those of any mortal human being.
On a morning walk in London, Srila Prabhupada all of a sudden stopped. He turned around and looked at all of us. He could have been looking at me and he asked the most unusual question. He asked, “Why is it that one person will pay much more for the same object than other people?” I was thinking, “Is this some kind of official policy question?” No one had an answer. Then Prabhupada looked back at us all, and he said, “Simply because someone wants to pay more than everyone else.” Prabhupada was demonstrating that not only was he completely conversant in the science of Krishna consciousness, but he also had an in-depth understanding of human psychology, business psychology and human nature.
While in France I fell into maya and left the temple for a short period of time. After a while I realized the errors of my ways and begged Bhagavan to send me money to return to Paris from Marseille, as I was totally broke. Upon my return, I learned that Prabhupada would be arriving probably within two weeks. So not having had any facility, I had a little hair growth on my chin and on my head as well. I shaved up and gradually felt more and more like a disciple of Prabhupada and a member of this wonderful society ISKCON once more. Prabhupada was arriving, but I was still filled with remorse for having left his mission. When Prabhupada’s plane landed at the airport, there was nobody to greet him. Everybody had been busy preparing the temple for his arrival and they totally spaced out picking him up. When Prabhupada finally did arrive at the temple, he entered the small yard of the temple where I was working and I found myself alone with Prabhupada. When I saw him, I fell flat on the ground filled with remorse for having left his mission. When I got up, Prabhupada’s face was perhaps just one foot from mine. He was looking at me with so much compassion. I have heard other disciples say a number of times that there was a sense that Prabhupada knew everything when he glanced at them. At that moment, I also had the impression that Prabhupada was aware that I had deviated from his mission. But more importantly, was the fact that I had come back and I was filled with remorse, and he totally forgave me.
I was invited on a walk with Srila Prabhupada while he was in London during the month of August 1971. There weren’t many devotees, perhaps twelve at most. Prabhupada would walk down Bury Place and then go to Russell Square. We were all just chanting quietly following Prabhupada’s example, and all of a sudden, young twenty-two-year-old Jaya Jagadish sidled up to the jagat-guru, Srila Prabhupada, and asked, “Srila Prabhupada, can Krishna sing?” Prabhupada kept walking and said, “Of course He can see.” I said, “No, Srila Prabhupada, can Krishna sing?” He stopped, looked at me, held up his hand and said, “He is the best singer.” Never mind that the scripture we study every day is “The Song of God,” the Bhagavad-gita. This was an obvious answer to a childish question. But rather than dismissing this silly little question, Prabhupada not only gave a sublime answer, but in his answer, he encouraged the questioning and answering process between the disciple and the spiritual master.
I had an experience with Prabhupada that I am not particularly proud of. But it was a learning experience. This was at the temple in Fontenay-aux-Roses outside of Paris. In August of 1972 Prabhupada came down to the temple room. He was seated on his vyasasan and we were all chanting very loudly. After some time and according to my external consciousness, Prabhupada appeared to drift off. I understand now, at least hypothetically, that the pure devotee is not subject to the three modes of material nature. He is not going to sleep in the way that you or I experience going to sleep, but he is always deepening his connection with Krishna. But not having that understanding at that point and with my growing offensive nature to Srila Prabhupada, I shot him a dart of anger, as if to say, “Why are you sleeping?” At the very moment I shot that glance of anger, Prabhupada immediately opened his eyes and he started chanting kirtan with us again, but in a very undisturbed way, unaffected by my glance. I was embarrassed by my material consciousness toward my spiritual master, but totally impressed that Srila Prabhupada was unaffected by my glance of anger because of his love for his spiritual master and Krishna. Because of his compassion towards us, he tolerated our contaminated consciousness and chose to be amidst us to gradually purify us by his presence.
