Teach Others What I Taught You
“You must teach others what I have taught you.” This instruction was again repeated to me in Srila Prabhupada’s quarters in May of 1971 in Calcutta. At the time I was only visiting the temple in Calcutta, having been sent by Srila Prabhupada to assist with the pandal program at Chowringhee Maidan. Srila Prabhupada had…
A Profound Lesson in Surrender
Mr. Balu had a small temple in his home compound, and they had a set of beautiful, marble Deities of black Krishna and white Radharani who were the same size as what Srila Prabhupada called ‘Yamuna’s Deities.’ So the first day I arrived there with our Deities, They were placed on the altar in Mr….
The Hot Vrindavan Summer
The summer of 1972 was a challenging time for all of our small party. It was the first time in my life that I had undergone such insurmountable austerity. The heat was incredibly unbearable, and some people were going to the hospital with heat exposure. The temperature hovered around 115 to 125 degrees F, and…
Urgency
I don’t know if any of you know, but Srila Prabhupada had an urgency. Not only did he try to encourage us individually to really take what he was saying, but it was our responsibility to really hear him and then act upon it. There are a lot of different kinds of hearing. There is…
A Conversation with a Godbrother
This is just honesty and such a quality of a Vaishnava. Even for you to say that ‘my taste is gone,’ is so nice. All this is purifying. To sit here and to look at yourself is purifying. To sit here and even make the effort to be here is purifying. And I have a…
Srila Prabhupada’s Transcendental Sweetness and Beauty
Dear Maharaja’s and Prabhus, Hare Krishna! My repeated pranam dandavats to all of you. What a week of Vaishnava sadhu satsanga this has been. I leave the richer having exchanged with my family members—old and new godbrothers, godsisters, nephews and nieces. While I feel most unqualified to speak to you today, I am honored…