Today a senior devotee who had a lot of personal association with Prabhupada, wrote a post. He asked if godsibings who joined around that same generation, wanted to hear his stories or not - since some are from his memory, all are not recorded nor written down anywhere. Most said yes. Others replied that he should write a book. However, he has no interest in writing a book.
Someone else next told him - then put up a web page. That is when I thought: "Or a blog!" ha And so it has become my turn I suppose, tho I have so little to tell compared to him, or to others.
But I do have one good one. It's one I've hardly shared with anybody - but the time has come! :)
Because it's not about me, it's about Prabhupada. And while I hope to live much longer, I can not say for certain how much time I've left on this planet - so I must share this wonderful glory of our dearmost Srila Prabhupada.
It starts just before I became a devotee.
I was visiting the temple, to check it out. Lucky, or mercifully, Prabhupada was there at that time.
If a reader is not familiar with our arotika / worship, all you need to know for this post is: men go to one side, and women go to the other.
Hundreds of devotees from all over the world came to see Prabhupada! It was all one temple could do to contain them. :) Or sometimes they'd stay with a friend in the area, but mostly, temple apartments, ashrama, doubling up ha, etc., it was such fun - ecstatic.
I was there with a guy friend. When it was time for arotika, I went to the women side, and he to the men. Here is what happened next:
Among all those very many devotees, Prabhupada caught my eye - then he looked over to the men side directly at my friend....
Then he looked back to me on the women side, then he looked back to my friend....
And again over to me a third time...He specifically caught my eye each time!
At this point I turned away. ha
But how on earth did he know I came to the temple with this friend?
If anyone thinks he saw us earlier, think again. That's not practical. You see, Prabhupada was very protected by those who took care of him, and there were large numbers of various devotees including temple presidents, GBC, sanyasi's, ETC, trying to get near him - often succeeding ha. Besides, he has a life of his own :), what to speak of meditating or thinking of Krishna always.
Tho that last one answers the question. His connection to Krishna in some way or other way, revealed the above, to him.
It is such a small experience in comparison to so many others, yet it is an experience.
[Incidentally, this happened at the N.Y. Henry Street temple, tho it could have happened anywhere.]
No, I do not think myself great for it, just lucky to have been in the right place, at the right time!
Thank you Srila Prabhupada for your causeless mercy!
