Keshava Bharati das Goswami Remembers Srila Prabhupada

Prabhupada Memories

Interview 01

Keshava Bharati Goswami: One day in 1973 Karandhar asked me if I wanted to go on a morning walk, and I said, “Sure.” What was I going to say, “No?” I was nervous, but I mustered up the courage to ask Srila Prabhupada a question. I said, “Srila Prabhupada...” My voice was almost like whispering due to my nervousness. Prabhupada stopped and looked at me. Then I said, still whispering, “Srila Prabhupada, is the pure devotee more merciful than Krishna?” Prabhupada looked at his secretaries, “What did he say?” And I said again, “Srila Prabhupada, is the pure devotee…” “What did he say?” The third time they got it and they translated my nervous whispering question to Prabhupada. [chuckles] Prabhupada turned and he looked at me right in the eye. I wasn’t more than three feet from him, and he gave me one of those oceanic grins, and he said, “Oh, yes!” That was it. I was in another world as I continued to walk back to the temple for the Gita class. During his lecture Srila Prabhupada talked about Arjuna and how he didn’t want to kill his opponents, but Krishna wanted to kill them. In this way he gave examples how a devotee is more merciful than Krishna. I was in ecstasy because I knew I pleased him by my question.

In 1974 there was a huge Ratha-yatra in San Francisco. There must have been ten thousand people there. I was working the book table with Vaisesika prabhu, and Prabhupada was on the stage in that iconic photo where he is wearing his white sweater and a red rose garland. The kirtan was going on and we were relishing seeing the atmosphere. And then all of sudden Prabhupada raised his hands. We were at the book table across the field, and in between us and Prabhupada there were between eight and ten thousand people. When Prabhupada raised his hands, everyone literally at once raised their hands as if on cue. We were moved to tears because we saw the power of Srila Prabhupada’s influence. The people in the park who were not devotees were just there walking around enjoying the Golden Gate Park. But they were swept up in the ecstasy of the moment and they were so moved. Prabhupada was so powerful. His charisma was more than charismatic. It was pure spiritual energy. And when the people raised their hands, we thought, “Right. Supersoul is in everyone’s heart. There’s the external manifestation of the Supersoul and they are all getting the spiritual bliss inside their heart.” It was one of the most ecstatic moments of my life.

To view the entire unedited video go to Memories 79 - 15 Devotees Share

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