asa[e] Food for Thought

From our Radha-kunda Whatsapp Group:

[7/7, 12:09 AM] Krsna Das: Yesterday I was present in Srila Prabhupada's room in Vrindavan and a special anecdote happened, I like to share🙏

I was chanting Japa in Srila Prabhupada's house, in the next room where there is a murti writing a letter....

After a while an initiated devotee around 60 came and sat on the corner near the almirah.

After sometimes he was chanting Japa, while his his other hand went on the Whatsapp mobile and his sound of Mahamantra was coming intermittently to me...

I just noticed and went on in my business.

Even if nowadays there are so many restrictions in S.P. room, no-one up to now dared to speak to a senior Iskcon devotee...not even the Vrajabasi lady Chokidar normally quite active....if one do not follow the restrictions.

At my surprise after 10 minute the devotee was absorbed in the mobile and Japa visibly...a very sweet girl around 10 years old came near, nicely dressed (not in sari but in devotional clothes) with tilak on the forehead and for a while she was standing near him watching...

Then she spoke in a nice Hindi something like this" aap kya kar rahe hain ( IN English I will tell as more easy for me:"

 *what are you doing....are you chanting Japa or doing mobile?*

The embarrassed devotee watched her saying:" *I am doing both* !🤗" and again composed himself.

The girl smiled at him saying....ohh are you are doing both! and rebuked softly: *either you chant, either you do mobile!* 

...then with a peaceful and happy face she paid pranam to Srila Prabhupada 's murti and left the room.

The devotee first thing immediately closed the flip cover and kept his mobile in the kurta, then after a few Japa mantra left the room!

I do not know... but it looked very mystic to me, how this educated and innocent girl came from nothing and disappeared after giving siksa?

....as the place is transcendental I felt Srila Prabhupada" s hand behind it.

🙏Jaya Srila Prabhupada!

HpS Posted: As we remember Balavanta told us that when he was Temple President and pioneering the temple in Atlanta, USA, they had organized a big program for the days that Srila Prabhupada was visiting.

Part of it was a fire sacrfice, and they had  promoted and advertised it as a first time the USA for this 'ancient, powerful and mystical Vedic ritual'.

There was a big crowd there in the Temple. There was a representative from the Mayor's office and a news channel was recording it on camera, but . . . they didn't really know what they were doing and kept making more and more mistakes.

He said that at one point they were even going to put the coconut into the fire.

During this Srila Prabhupada was getting more and more irritated and chastising everyone more and more until Balavanta Das was in complete panic.

Then the boy, Bhakti Leroy or some thing, whom they had arranged to fan Srila Prabhupada in a completly innocent way said, "Oh, it's alright Srila Prabhupada, just chant 'Hare Krsna'".

When Balavanta heard this he thought, "That's it.

That's it.

Now fire is going to come from Srila Prabhupada's eyes and right on publich television he is going to burn me, the boy, the audience and everyone to ashes."

Srila Prabhupada turned and looked at the boy with intense, narrow gaze and Bh. Leroy just smiled back at Srila Prabhupada and . . . Srila Prabhupada looked away and put his hand in his bead bag and started chanting Japa with leveled intensity.

Who was that little boy?

🙂