June 24, 1973 : Mayapur
Srutakirti: June was generally very hot, so when Srila Prabhupada took lunch prasadam, I fanned him with a peacock fan. It not only created a breeze, but also kept the flies away. However, when Srila Prabhupada took his lunch, it immediately alerted the resident ant population. They had scouts running along the walls and within minutes of putting his plate on the table, they called in the battalion. I watched as hundreds of ants ascended the leg of the prasadam table, circled Prabhupada's plate and finally descended upon his prasadam. They seemed to know when they were allowed on a certain preparation.
Srila Prabhupada ate in stages. First, he ate the vegetables and chapatis, then he added the rice, and finally he ate the sweets. The ants initially congregated around the plate. Gradually they worked their way onto the preparations that Srila Prabhupada had finished. It seemed like the ants were a little courteous. Finally, Srila Prabhupada ended his meal with a few sweets. He then got up to wash. For the ants, the moment they had been waiting for had arrived. They now knew it was time to dive into the sweets. Incredibly, Srila Prabhupada never said one word about them during this attack on his lunch.
This was not an isolated incident. It happened with great regularity. There seemed to be an arrangement between the pure devotee and these tiny insects. He was free to take as much time as he wanted and they were allowed to eat whatever he did not finish. I tried to take away the plates as quickly as possible so there was something left to distribute to his disciples. Srila Prabhupada once said, "It's all right, they don't eat very much." Srila Prabhupada was completely transcendental. Only he could sit and eat with legions of insects preparing to attack his remnants.
Srila Prabhupada ate in stages. First, he ate the vegetables and chapatis, then he added the rice, and finally he ate the sweets. The ants initially congregated around the plate. Gradually they worked their way onto the preparations that Srila Prabhupada had finished. It seemed like the ants were a little courteous. Finally, Srila Prabhupada ended his meal with a few sweets. He then got up to wash. For the ants, the moment they had been waiting for had arrived. They now knew it was time to dive into the sweets. Incredibly, Srila Prabhupada never said one word about them during this attack on his lunch.
This was not an isolated incident. It happened with great regularity. There seemed to be an arrangement between the pure devotee and these tiny insects. He was free to take as much time as he wanted and they were allowed to eat whatever he did not finish. I tried to take away the plates as quickly as possible so there was something left to distribute to his disciples. Srila Prabhupada once said, "It's all right, they don't eat very much." Srila Prabhupada was completely transcendental. Only he could sit and eat with legions of insects preparing to attack his remnants.
Reference: What is the Difficulty? - Srutakirti Dasa
Recently Added
Trending Today