To help collect for the temple in Vrindavan.
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- Parent Category: Documents
- Category: Memories
- Created on Thursday, 22 October 2015 16:45
- Last Updated on Thursday, 22 October 2015 16:45
- Published on Thursday, 22 October 2015 16:45
- Written by Aprakrita dasa
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Sravanananda: I was working with Tejiyas das in Delhi in 1974 to help collect for the temple in Vrindavan. Later in the year I was asked to be the president in Madras, so I spoke to Tejiyas of this plan and Srila Prabhupada as well since he was there at the same time. When I saw Prabhupada, he was circumambulating Tulasi and chanting japa. I got down and paid obeisances to Prabhupada. He said, “Where are you going?” I said, “Srila Prabhupada, I’m going to Vrindavan before I go down to Hyderabad.” Prabhupada said, “Oh, then you can come with us. We’re going also.” I thought, “I’m going to squeeze into the car, and Tejiyas is going to give me a little chastisement, ‘Why are you coming Srav? There isn’t any room!’” I said, “Srila Prabhupada that’s okay. I’ll take the train.” He said, “No, no. We’ll make room.” I said, “No, it’ll be too tight Srila Prabhupada.” He said, “So we’ll squeeze you in.” I was debating with Srila Prabhupada that I couldn’t go in the same car with him because I knew possible repercussions as a new brahmacari. I said, “No, no. That’s okay.” Prabhupada at one point said, “Alright then.” He said, “Please when you arrive, you’ll probably arrive before us, tell Gurudas to arrange my bed on the roof.” In those days we had very little electricity, no fans, no air conditioning, so we slept on the roof to try to get some breeze.
I arrived in Vrindavan and I immediately told Gurudas about Prabhupada’s request for his bed to be placed on the roof. Soon thereafter, Prabhupada arrived and I was there to greet him at the car. Prabhupada got out of the car and the first thing he said was, “You made arrangements?” I said, “Yes, Srila Prabhupada.” As he walked to the temple, I noticed that Prabhupada carried a little suitcase with a rope tied around it worth maybe five or ten dollars that you could find at a Woolworth’s Department store. I thought to myself, “Oh, my God. This is a symptom of a pure devotee showing us simplicity and true minimalism and humility.”
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare