How he dealt with us each individually was the greatest gift. I’m astounded when I reflect on it—he treated everyone on a personal basis and encouraged us in our practice of Krishna Consciousness. I felt that he genuinely loved each of us, and he exhibited that love through how he took care of us—with great concern, compassion, and correction when required.
It was extremely hot and dusty when our train pulled into Indore the afternoon of December 8. Yet when we arrived at the venue, there was Srila Prabhupada, standing majestically with his hand in his bead bag, waiting to greet us. Of course, I paid my obeisances, and then with concern and kindness, he asked specific questions about how our trip went and how the Delhi program was progressing. Then he said to me, “Come, I will show you to your quarters.” He personally took me to my room which contained a small bed and a metal armoire. Then he took out a small key, opened the armoire, and said, “Here is space for your belongings. Is this all right?” I was thinking, “Here I am, an insignificant person in his party, yet he is showing so much concern for my welfare.” This so clearly characterized Srila Prabhupada. He was such an extraordinary personality. Prior to meeting him I did not know that anyone could so wholly represent qualities such as compassion or mercy. But in Srila Prabhupada, I learned that he in fact was the living embodiment of those qualities.
Srila Prabhupada had been given a small apartment to stay in, and attached to it was a rather large hall where he would chant his morning japa sometime around 2:00 am. I had the habit in those days of rising early and trying to keep to Srila Prabhupada’s schedule because I was always a little greedy to be in his presence during the early morning hours. The hosts had provided a big iron kettle in the courtyard perhaps five feet in diameter with a fire underneath keeping it hot. I would wait until I heard Prabhupada finishing his bath, and then I would head over to the corner and get my bath water. After bathing, I would sit very quietly in the back corner of this hall. There was one little light bulb at one end, and Srila Prabhupada would sit underneath that light bulb chanting japa. I thought he couldn’t see me because it was dark, and I was chanting silently—just watching Srila Prabhupada. After maybe an hour had passed, he came back to where I was sitting because he knew I had been there all along. Looking down at me, he simply said, “Thank you for chanting like this. Thank you for getting up in the morning and chanting.” So I took it as a requisite—that the Spiritual Master is pleased when he sees our activities and our achievements, but he is especially pleased when we embrace sadhana bhakti by trying to rise early in the morning and chanting japa.