Urvasi devi dasi Remembers Srila Prabhupada

Prabhupada Memories

Interview 01

Urvasi: I was in the Chicago temple when Srila Prabhupada visited. That was the time of that very famous, controversial press conference about the 64-ounce brain and the 32-ounce brain. When Prabhupada was at the airport about to leave, he saw one of the mataji’s distributing big books, and with a huge smile he said, “My women disciples have a 64-ounce brain.”

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

Interview 02

Urvasi: I was in the Montreal temple in 1975, and we were going to go to the Mayapur festival and the opening of the Krishna Balaram temple. Before we left for India, I went to Los Angeles to visit my parents, who were favorable to Krishna consciousness. My mother had made garlands for Srila Prabhupada and helped cook. When I was leaving to go back to Montreal, my mother said, “Is there anything I can give your spiritual master? I would like to send something along with you.” I said, “Whatever you want.” She had guava trees, and she said, “I’ve made some guava jam. Do you think he would like that?” I said, “I am sure he would.” I took her jam with me to India, and in Vrindavan I gave it to Prabhupada’s servant to give to him. Later the servant told me that Srila Prabhupada wrote my mother a letter appreciating the jam. It was so sweet. He appreciated that little service so much and wrote quite a long letter to my mother and talked about me, “Your daughter is nicely engaged in devotional service. She is happy, and she is being well cared for.” My mother appreciated that very much.My mother left her body recently, and I was with her for a couple weeks leading up to her death. I sat by her bedside and read Bhagavad-gita to her every day. She had on headphones with Prabhupada chanting japa, and just moments before she passed on, she was listening to the Krishna Meditation tape. Her little bit of service and her appreciation for a pure devotee is Srila Prabhupada’s mercy.

To view the entire unedited video go to Memories 15 - The 1996 NYC and LA Reunions

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

Following Srila Prabhupada

Interview DVD 08

Urvasi: I was serving at the Montreal temple, Canada, and there were a lot of devotees going to India. And before we left, I went back home to Los Angeles, where my parents live, to give them a visit. As I was leaving there, my mother asked me out of the blue, she said, “Is there something I can give to you to take to your spiritual master?” I was really taken aback by that question and I said, “Oh, that’s so nice.” I said, “I don’t know. What would you like to give him?” She said, “I could make him some guava jam,” because we had fruit trees at the property. So I told her that would be really nice. So she made the guava jam, and she wrote on there “For Srila Prabhupada.” When I was in Vrindavan, I went up to Srila Prabhupada’s quarters and handed it through to one of his servants and that was that. Then I found out for two days that Prabhupada’s servant was looking for me. He had remembered what I looked like, but he didn’t know my name. Finally he found me, and he said that Srila Prabhupada really loved the jam and he wanted my mother’s name and address because Srila Prabhupada wanted to write her a thank-you letter. There it was, all these devotees, huge event, the opening of the temple, the installation of the Deities, and Srila Prabhupada was so concerned to write a thank-you letter. So my parents received the letter from Srila Prabhupada and he was thanking my mom so nicely for this guava jam, and he told her that it was his favorite jam and that his mother used to make guava jam for him. Then he went on to say that “Do not worry about your daughter. I am taking care of her. She is nicely engaged in the Lord’s service.” It was just a really sweet letter. It’s so amazing that Srila Prabhupada took that time to recognize that little gift from my mother in amongst so much activity going on and so many devotees.