Mulaprakriti devi dasi Remembers Srila Prabhupada

Prabhupada Memories

Interview 01

Mulaprakriti: I was in Honolulu on my way to Japan to distribute books. Srila Prabhupada was also in Honolulu at that time, and he asked me to come to his quarters to talk about book distribution. I had the wonderful experience of being alone with Srila Prabhupada. He was sitting on his chair asking all sorts of questions about how people liked the books, what kind of people were taking the books, and what I told the people. He was so joyful that it seemed as if it were Srila Prabhupada’s favorite topic. When he asked, “What kind of people take the books?” I strained my mind to answer and said, “Doctors, young people, and diplomats.” Prabhupada said, “Diplomats? From what countries?” So I gave a list of the nationalities of anyone who had ever taken a book. Then I said, “Someone from Albania took a book.” Prabhupada said, “Albania. That’s behind the iron curtain.” I said, “Yes Prabhupada, they take them in their suitcase and because they have diplomatic immunity, no one can open the suitcase.” He laughed, leaned back, and said, “Ahh! We cannot go, but Lord Chaitanya can go.”

Srila Prabhupada gave me instructions about distributing books. First he asked, “What do you say?” I explained, “We tell the person, ‘Oh you look like a spiritual person. This is a book from ancient India. It has so much knowledge.’” Srila Prabhupada pulled out the Srimad-Bhagavatam and slowly and carefully read the verse, “This Bhagavat Purana is as brilliant as the sun . . .” He said, “This verse is so wonderful, if you just tell people this verse how can they resist? You don’t need to say anything. The Srimad Bhagavatam will sell itself.” He also talked about women. He said that in this age it was actually a benefit to be a woman. He said that, “In Kali-yuga, things are so degraded that people don’t trust men. Hardly anybody will allow a man to come up to them or will open their door if a man knocks.” He said that when he was a young man, a company was selling Brahmi Hair Oil and sent respectable young women door to door. Everybody opened their door and bought Brahmi Hair Oil. Prabhupada said, “It was never even proven that Brahmi Hair Oil had any medicinal properties.” He explained that “Lord Chaitanya is sending nice young women to help the poor conditioned souls go back to Godhead. This is His plan.”

To view the entire unedited video go to Memories 10 - 1995 Prabhupada Festival

Interview 02

Mulaprakriti: An old brahmachari told me that for a little while Srila Prabhupada lived in humble conditions in Mathura, writing Easy Journey to Other Planets. One day after this brahmachari and Srila Prabhupada had been preaching, they were sitting together honoring leftover prasadam when some rich visitors came up the stairs. These people looked around and, seeing the dilapidated conditions, they turned and walked back down the stairs. Then Srila Prabhupada turned to the brahmachari and said, “Oh, just look. They are coming up the stairs and all they see is an old man eating a dry chapati. They don’t know what plans Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has for this old man.”

When Srila Prabhupada was leaving this world, one brahmachari came with his guru. When he was younger, this brahmachari had seen Srila Prabhupada a few times in Bengal and Prabhupada had asked the brahmachari to help him train his disciples. But this young brahmachari didn’t speak English, and he was terrified of Western devotees because he’d heard that we were CIA and that we would kidnap and marry him to an American girl. (laughs) This brahmachari said that he was sitting in the room when Srila Prabhupada was lying silently on his departure bed. In his heart, the brahmachari was lamenting to Srila Prabhupada, “Srila Prabhupada, I know that you are fulfilling the order of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. I’ve never been able to help you, and I’m so sorry.” At the same time, he also had some deep questions about the Holy Name. He’d been chanting sixty-four rounds a day for about fifteen years. When the others in the room left, he was alone with Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada opened one eye and beckoned the brahmachari to come closer and closer. Finally, Srila Prabhupada put his mouth next to the brahmachari’s ear and chanted the maha-mantra in the most amazing way. The brahmachari said that when the mahamantra went into his ear, it was like a waterfall flowing into his heart, and every answer to every question and a thousand more came to him. He had never experienced anything like the meaning of the Holy Name that Prabhupada gave him. He looked at Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada looked at him, and then Srila Prabhupada closed his eyes.

To view the entire unedited video go to Memories 47 - Twenty Disciples Remembering SP

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