Cinmayi devi dasi Remembers Srila Prabhupada

Prabhupada Memories

Interview 01

Cinmayi: When I got initiated, Prabhupada asked me, “What are the regulative principles? How many rounds will you chant?” I told him the four regulative principles and then I told him I would chant sixteen rounds. Then he said, “Are you sure?” I said somewhat bewildered, “Yes, Srila Prabhupada.” Then he started laughing and said, “I am asking you if you are insured because you have a spot on your face.” I have a mole on my face, and when I was younger, sitting in front of Prabhupada, it was really dark. He said, “You have a spot on your face. Once there was a movie star with a spot on her face and she had it insured for a lot of money.” Then he just started laughing and everyone was laughing. He was just chuckling, and then he said in a more serious tone, “Krishna consciousness is your only insurance.”

Srila Prabhupada came to Laguna Beach and he gave an evening talk. After he spoke, he asked if there was any question. One boy said that he had read all of Srila Prabhupada’s books and he said, “I would like to ask you, who is your spiritual master?” Srila Prabhupada said, “You have read all my books and you do not know who is my spiritual master?” Then Prabhupada said, “Next question.”

When Srila Prabhupada came to Los Angeles one time, he offered arati to the Deities. We all observed that he did some things differently than we were previously doing. We used to offer the incense in our hand, but Srila Prabhupada offered it in an incense holder. When we offered the hanky, we would hold the hanky in our hand. But Prabhupada placed the hanky on a plate and then made the offering. He would also offer the flower on a plate as opposed to holding it directly in his hand.

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