Tribhuvanath: When Prabhupada came through the doors of the lounge, his smile was oceanic. He was beaming. I was supposed to put a garland on him, but I froze. I thought, “This person is not in this dimension.” I was only 18, but I could tell that he was not of this world. Other devotees were garlanding him, but I didn’t even pay my obeisances. Prabhupada walked straight past me as I was standing there looking at him and holding a big garland. Then I ran up to him and slipped the garland on him. It was funny because I was obviously the reception committee, but I was motionless. Prabhupada’s smile had knocked me out. The other devotees were practically crying, and that made me more amazed at this person’s potency, that he could walk through a door and cause everyone to cry. It was fascinating.
At the initiation Prabhupada was very grave when he chanted on the beads. I was sitting just below the vyasasana when a boy came up and Prabhupada said to him, “What are the four regulative principles?” The boy said, “No intoxication, no gambling, no meat eating, no illicit sex.” Prabhupada shot back, “So, which one do you like the best?” The boy went bright red. I thought it was funny, because Prabhupada had been so grave. It was a serious occasion, yet he talked like that.
In St. James Park Prabhupada would constantly point out different things. Once he saw some bird droppings and asked, “What is this?” Everyone was looking at the bird droppings and thinking, “Maybe Prabhupada reads tea leaf formations and sees it esoterically.” Prabhupada said “What does this tell you?” Everyone was bewildered. “This tells you that the same bird is sleeping on the same branch every night. Even the bird becomes attached to his residence. So be careful.”
One time we were driving past Buckingham Palace in a taxi with Prabhupada, feeling proud that one boy who was part of the Queen’s guard, those soldiers who wear the big furry hats, had become a devotee. We said, “Prabhupada, one of the Queen’s personal guards has joined.” Prabhupada said, “Oh, so how about the Queen?”
On morning walks Prabhupada would regularly comment about the state of society. He noticed people sleeping in the park in their sleeping bags or on a newspaper and explained, “Karma is so stringent that even though these people live in such an advanced society, they still cannot avoid their karma.” Prabhupada said, “Even though they are living in a very civilized country, they are still suffering, sleeping in an abominable condition.” Once we asked Prabhupada about advancement, and he very determinedly stopped walking. He took one step forward, pointed to his leg, and said, “When one leg is firmly fixed, then one moves the next leg. In that way one can make advancement. But if one runs, one will simply fall.”
Once Prabhupada was so weak and ill that late one night he called out to Shyamasundar, who rushed into Prabhupada’s room in time to catch him as he fell. Shyamasundar said Prabhupada was incredibly light. That morning we stayed in bed because we did not want to disturb Prabhupada. When we finally got up, we had a 24-hour kirtan in the temple. About three days later, Prabhupada suddenly got well and went on a morning walk. One devotee asked, “Srila Prabhupada, how is it that a pure devotee gets sick?” Prabhupada stopped and became emotional. His eyes got really big, and he said in a loving way, “It is just like lovers. Sometimes lovers fight.” The devotee said, “Oh! A love fight, Prabhupada.” Prabhupada said, “Yes. Similarly, Krishna has His love fights. Sometimes He fights the devotee.” Then he smiled. It was very deep and ecstatic.
Once Prabhupada was taking prasadam in his room. Yamuna had cooked for him, and Malati was running up and down with fresh puris. I heard her shuffling up and down the stairs, and I was fascinated, so I popped my head around the corner, and there was Malati saying, “Prabhupada, how many puris can you eat?” She had brought a lot of puris while Prabhupada was respecting prasadam. Prabhupada’s eyes got big, and he said, “More than you can make,” and laughed. He seemed ecstatic.
Prabhupada greeted the Deities when he first arrived and said, “Be very careful. Do not become proud. You are dealing with Radha and Krishna. If you become proud, everything will be spoiled.” Another time one guest asked Prabhupada, “Why does Krishna wear a peacock feather?” I thought that Prabhupada was going to give an esoteric reason, but in a simple way he said, “Because He likes to,” On another occasion when he was sitting on the vyasasana, he said, “Krishna consciousness is so simple that you will miss it.” I remember that because it is so simple and yet so deep.
We went to see the Indian Ambassador with Prabhupada. The temple was so poor at the time that we did not have a car. I asked the guests if anyone had a car we could use. A hippie said, “I have one Swami can use.” It was a ridiculous-looking Beetle with flowers painted on it. I thought, “How could we put Prabhupada in this?” But we had no choice. Srila Prabhupada, Shyamasundar, and I got in, and this hippie drove to the Indian embassy. When we saw the Indian Ambassador, Prabhupada was relaxed and transcendental. He spoke about Rupa Goswami and gave the Ambassador The Nectar of Devotion. For about a half an hour, Prabhupada talked, and at the end of it that gentleman was purified. Prabhupada addressed the Ambassador by his first name, saying “Last time I was here you said ‘Swamiji, whatever you want, I will do if I can.’ Now I have one request.” By that time they had such a nice relationship that the Ambassador could not refuse. Prabhupada had completely melted him. Prabhupada asked the Ambassador to contact Indira Gandhi and arrange for fiveyear missionary visas for his disciples in India. It fascinated and amazed me how Prabhupada softened him by talking about the Goswamis and the philosophy. There was no businesslike talk. Prabhupada was an ambassador from the Goswamis, and when he met the Indian Ambassador he did it on his grounds. He didn’t do it on the Indian Ambassador’s grounds. Prabhupada didn’t behave like a diplomat or in anyway try to conform to a mundane idea of negotiations.
That morning Prabhupada had a bit of breakfast and left about noontime by train for the program in Glasgow, but no one had provided lunch for him. From breakfast until the evening he didn’t eat, but he didn’t complain even once. Anyway, we got to the hall, which was packed with 400 to 500 people, and had a massive, ecstatic kirtan. We let anyone come in, and street kids were there, dancing like anything. Prabhupada encouraged them, as there was some rapport between them and Prabhupada. Most of the time we were trying to get these kids out, but Prabhupada didn’t like us doing that. After the kirtan Prabhupada gave an amazing lecture from the Bhagavad-gita and then said, “Are there any questions?” An impersonalist stood up and in so many words said, “I am God, we’re all God, it’s all one.” Prabhupada didn’t speak. This guy was in the front of the audience, looking straight up at Prabhupada, and Prabhupada was looking straight at him. He carried on for some time and then finally ran out of words. Prabhupada looked very grave, but like a lion. There was complete silence. Prabhupada said, “You are not God, you are dog.” He said it in such an amazing way that the guy practically fell back in shock. The audience stood up, clapped, cheered, and whistled as if someone had just scored a goal in the World Cup. It was an amazing reaction. Prabhupada was surprised at the reaction. The people completely backed him up. After the program, Prabhupada and the devotees went to the back and, because we were so poor, had a feast of oranges. Prabhupada ate about ten oranges. When Prabhupada was leaving, he was intoxicated with ecstasy. He was staggering down the hall with a beam that was incredible. I had never seen Prabhupada like that before. I was holding the door, and there was only Prabhupada and me. His servant was behind. When Prabhupada got to the door he put both his hands on my head and started rubbing it in a very gentle way. I couldn’t believe it. He said, “I am very pleased with what you have done. Now you preach Krishna consciousness all over Scotland.” It was so beautiful that it’s hard to put into words. It was one of those moments that are never repeated.
I was in the room with Prabhupada when he was about to shave. He had gotten soaped up, and Nanda Kumar was standing behind him with a towel. Prabhupada was trying to use the razor and was disturbed. He looked at Nanda Kumar, pointed to the razor, because Prabhupada had a razor with an adjustment dial on it, and said, “No dial?” Nanda Kumar said, “No, that is not your regular razor, Prabhupada. It doesn’t have a dial.” Prabhupada said, “It is Gillette?” Nanda Kumar said, “No, it is not Gillette.” In a wonderful, unbelievable way, Prabhupada said, “Simply bogus.” He rejected that razor like he’d reject Mayavadi philosophy. The razor sort of floated to the shelf. I was fascinated by the way Prabhupada was so angelic.
