Memories of Srila Prabhupada recalled by H.H Trivikrama Swami

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

Memories of Srila Prabhupada recalled by H.H Trivikrama Swami.

 

June '00 , Galway, Ireland.

 

 

Prabhupada was speaking in London in 1969. It was the first time he did a

public program, so many hundreds of people were there and Prabhupada had to

be so powerful because so many people were interrupting. Prabhupada said to

one man, -Sit down, you're a nonsense. So the next day I was giving Srila

Prabhupada massage. He was going to give the next lecture that day, it was

like a series of lectures. So I was thinking that I was getting him in shape

for another knockout performance for the public, so I was massaging, and

massaging, like a trainer massages a prize fighter. Generally Prabhupada

would sit and rest for massage. I would massage his arms, his legs and feet

and I was talking and talking and it was kind of like, me and you Prabhupada

we'll take over the whole world, I didn't exactly say those words but that

was my mood. Suddenly Prabhupada shouted "No" . My hands froze on his body.

Then Prabhupada said with another voice, like the voice of a child. He said

in a very mild voice, - I am just a humble servant. So I got so much

realisation from that. I realised that Prabhupada didn't want to be

flattered. He really did think of himself as the humble servant although we

thought of him as the greatest personality in the world. I really did, I

thought that he was the greatest person in the world. But he thought of

himself as the humble servant. Because he was thinking of his spiritual

master and he was thinking of Krsna and of his relationship with his

spiritual master and Krsna, he was the humble servant. But by being the

humble servant he has become very prominent in the world. Wherever he went

people bowed down to him and offered garlands. He didn't think himself

anything special but for preaching sometimes he had to take the position

Just like one time I remember some people were challenging him at the

airport. One reporter said , -How come you are sitting on a big seat and are

getting flower garlands? Why are people bowing down to you? He was openly

envious of Prabhupada and Prabhupada understood immediately what his line

was and he replied, - Yes the difference between you and me sir, is that in

a room full of naked women I wouldn't be disturbed.. The other reporters who

were there laughed because they knew that this reporter who asked the

question would be disturbed. So Prabhupada was qualified, he was sober, he

wasn't disturbed by some sense gratification which otherwise every other man

is attracted to and every woman is attracted to, carried away by the senses.

But Prabhupada was very sober, very controlled because he thought of himself

as the servant and even when he was in the position of the teacher it was

done out of concern. He wasn't coming to the western world on his own

account, he came on the order of his spiritual master. He was happy to

remain in Vrndavan. He was feeling the presence of Krsna in Vrndavan. He

came out of duty. Because he was taking that order he had to take the

position of master. The teacher may have to take a superior position but he

confessed to us when he first came to America, before he had any disciples,

he was kind of wandering. He said he was very happy at that time. Having

disciples, that was a headache for him, he had to manage. He said that this

management gives me a headache. He had to resign from it. So Prabhupada was

taking that trouble, that headache, because he felt obliged because that was

the order of his spiritual master and he wanted to benefit the people in

general. So he had to take the position of a master sometimes Just like when

we first got initiated, he would say Ok Bow Down, repeat after me Nama Om

...He even had to say his own name, Bhaktivedanta. So you would think, an

ordinary person would think- What kind of trip is this guy on? getting

people to bow down and recite his name. But Prabhupada was training us. This

is the etiquette. This is how you pray to the spiritual master, but it

wasn't because he was needing that, that he was on some kind of power trip,

that he got some kick out of some people bowing down to him. He knew that

this is what they have to do in order to learn how to please Krsna.

 

Sometimes just a little thing and Prabhupada would be pleased and then we

felt satisfied. It used to be that we were always trying to satisfy

ourselves but we found that by satisfying him it was more pleasing than

trying to satisfy ourselves. If we did something and we saw that Prabhupada

was really pleased then it gave us such a feeling of satisfaction within our

hearts, better than anything we might do for ourselves, and so we were all

so eager to please Prabhupada. There was some competition amongst the

disciples, Who can make Prabhupada smile?, who could do something that he

could appreciate? and then when that happened, like I remember once in

Bombay I was singing Guru puja. After Guru puja Prabhupada, in front of

everybody he said, - You are singing very nicely, and I felt so good. He

said , - I can see you have affection for your spiritual master. So I felt

so happy. It would be just a little thing but it would be better than

anything we had experienced before because it wasn't coming from an ordinary

person, like your wife or husband, you'd understand, it's nice they

appreciate but they may have some motive, you scratch my back, I scratch

yours. With Prabhupada it wasn't like that at all because you knew that he

didn't need you, he didn't require your service, he had thousands of

disciples.

I remember one time in Japan I wanted to travel with him. I said -Prabhupada

You need more than 2 servants, because 2 servants were already travelling

with him and Prabhupada just raised his head and said, - I have many

servants. He had so many servants, what did he need me for? But out of love

he would reciprocate and when he did this in a loving way we felt so

satisfied....