Sivananda das Remembers Srila Prabhupada

Prabhupada Memories

Interview 01

Sivananda: I had a question in my mind about sickness and how we become sick. Do we become sick from karma? Do we become sick from our mind? Do we become sick from uncleanliness? How does sickness come upon us? I hadn’t been able to form it into a question that I could actually ask Srila Prabhupada as we were walking along the street. Then Prabhupada stopped and he turned to me and said, “Ninety percent of all sickness is caused by the mind.” And then off he went and the walk continued. So that is something that I always remember. Another thing that is very instructive in that exchange is that Srila Prabhupada actually read my mind. He knew what I was thinking about. I didn’t even verbalize my question and he answered it right after I just thought it. So that was very instructive that the spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, was connected to the Supersoul who knew my heart and mind.

One summer in Montreal Prabhupada was having his massage in the back yard of the temple. The summer months are normally very short, and since the winters can be very cold, Prabhupada was taking advantage of this very sunny and warm day. A few of us wanted to have Prabhupada’s association, so we walked in the back and offered our obeisances. With the sun shining down on Prabhupada, he said to us after we offered our respects, “In this universe there are planets where the trees are miles tall and it’s all being supported by the sunshine.”

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

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

Following Srila Prabhupada

Interview DVD 05

Sivananda: One time were taking a walk and Prabhupada said, "The Germans are the most intelligent amongst the Europeans "and they’re also the most materially attached." Prabhupada was very much desirous of having his books presented to the German people because they were intelligent people and he felt that if we presented his books properly and very nicely, that the German people would be affected by that. When we got there, of course, there wasn’t anything in German. As a matter of fact, Srila Prabhupada at the beginning, told us to go and get jobs. This was around ’69 or ’70. So I got a job and Krishna das got a job. Of course Krishna das was going there also to learn the goldsmithing trade. I got a job working for the Botanical Garden in Hamburg. The early book publication started when Jaya Govinda got there. Jaya Govinda was in India with Achyutananda. And then Prabhupada had instructed

him to come to Germany to do that. And so he came and they got a press and then we started a magazine, Back to Godhead magazine. We called it "Zuruck zur Gottheit." And from there, the Bhagavad-gita in German came out and Hansadutta had it printed on Bible paper and Prabhupada was very pleased with that edition.