Vasudeva das Remembers Srila Prabhupada

Prabhupada Memories

Interview 01

Vasudev: In 1974 my wife Bhagavati and I got permission to go inside the Fiji international airport terminal building when Srila Prabhupada was due to arrive. It was there that I first met him. He was the last passenger to come off the plane and at that time I felt as if I was meeting Krishna. From far away I immediately paid my dandavats to Srila Prabhupada. When he came near me, the first question he asked was whether there was any Radha-Krishna temple in Fiji. I said, “No, Prabhupada. There are other small temples, but no Radha-Krishna temple.” In Hindi he said, “So you build one nice temple.” I said, “All right, Prabhupada, I will build that temple.” Afterward he asked me other questions, “How many Indians live in Fiji?” and so on, but the first thing he asked me was about a Radha-Krishna temple. He spoke with me for about twenty minutes and I felt very happy. In twenty minutes he changed my life. My five brothers and I had a good business in Fiji, with shops, a rice mill and a saw factory, but Prabhupada brought me straight to Krishna consciousness. When he was going, I again paid my dandavats to him and touched his foot. He put his hand on my head and my whole body shook. I thought, “All my sins have gone.” Prabhupada said to me, “From today chant 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mahamantra,” and from that day I started chanting 16 rounds. He never told me to begin with one or two rounds. He said, “You chant sixteen rounds.” That was my first meeting with Srila Prabhupada.

Prabhupada said, “You must read my books. If you don’t read my books, you are putting your life in danger. Read my books daily.” At first I thought he was only saying this to me, but the same thing he told me personally he also said publicly. Prabhupada wanted everybody to read his books. We are putting our lives in danger if we don’t.

Prabhupada never used to criticize anyone. He never criticized. Once I asked him about a certain devotee, if he’d gone or fallen down or if something happened to him, but Srila Prabhupada didn’t answer me. I never heard Prabhupada criticize any devotee. He loved all his devotees.

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

Following Srila Prabhupada

Interview DVD 09

Vasudeva: I had some business in Australia, Sydney, rice business. From my office, I saw some people, devotees, shaved head with saris, kurta, they are distributing the prasad, chanting Hare Krishna on the street. And I thought in my mind, “Who has changed these people?” So I asked some devotees there, “Who is your guru, and how you came to Hare Krishna movement?” They said, “Our guru is Prabhupada, and he is coming after one month.” Then after that, I asked the rice grower people in the office, “These people are chanting Hare Krishna, and who are they?” “They are taking drug and just chanting Hare Krishna.” So I decided that “Let me go to stay in their temple.” So I stayed two nights there. I saw early morning they wake up three o’clock, cold shower they take, and the arati and singing Hare Krishna mantra. Who has changed these people? So I decided to meet Prabhupada. Suddenly I have some business in Fiji, so I came back. Prabhupada came to Melbourne. Nandarani met Prabhupada in temple and asked Prabhupada when Prabhupada is going to Hawaii. Nandarani asked him, “You tell me also the flight number?” So Prabhupada told the devotees, “Tell them the flight number.” So Nandarani got the flight number, and Nandarani rang to us in Fiji. So Prabhupada’s flight is staying a half an hour. Nearly 2,000 people came out to greet Prabhupada. We had advertised in the papers and radio. When the flight came there, a jumbo jet, when I saw Prabhupada, I suddenly prayed dandavat obeisances. The first question Prabhupada asked me, “Is there any Radha-Krishna temple here?” So I said, “No, Prabhupada, there is no Radha-Krishna temple. There are so many small temples here but not Radha-Krishna temple.” “So you build nice…” In Hindi, “Bhariya sa mandir bana’o” he told me. I said, “I will try my best to build that temple.” After a 20-minute discussion, I paid obeisances to Prabhupada. And when I stand up, Prabhupada put his hand on my head and I feel just like all my sins have gone. I began to cry completely. Prabhupada said, “From today you chant 16 rounds,” and from that day I start chanting. I used to wake up three o’clock, and I used to chant 16 rounds every day.

Prabhupada says, “I will write to you when I can come.” So Prabhupada wrote a letter to me, “I am coming in 1975.” He rang from Hawaii, “Have you got the land?” I said no. Then I decided that I’ve got land, so I’ll donate this land to ISKCON, build a nice temple. We gave a contract for $330,000. I didn’t have any idea of how to build a temple. When I sent the copy of a plan to Prabhupada in Mayapur, Prabhupada saw it, Prabhupada says, “Why you build a dome in front?” “The architect says front people can see from the road.” “No, dome should be where the Deities are.” So we had to make so much alteration for that.

As soon as they see Prabhupada’s photo, some will give thousand dollar, some five hundred dollar, some two thousand dollar. Within two months, I collected forty thousand dollars.

I used to go every day to see Prabhupada at about four o’clock. When I finished my business, then I used to sit down with Prabhupada. Prabhupada used to tell me about Bhagavatam, and we used to talk to each other.

I told Prabhupada, “My brother Bhuvan Mohan will take initiation.” Yes, he agreed. So next day Prabhupada told Upendra das, “Make it ready the yajna, and I will give initiation.”

So myself and Bhuvan Mohan shaved head, and we got ready to take initiation.

But before Bhuvan Mohan said, “I am drinking tea, Prabhupada.” “From today you leave tea, no more take tea.” Then Bhuvan Mohan said, “I am chanting other mantra also, Prabhupada.” He said, “This Hare Krishna mantra will conquer that.” Prabhupada gave him initiation.