Experiences of being a secretary of Prabhupada

Sarsvarupa Dasa Goswami: During these years, Srila Prabhupada had instituted a system wherein one of his GBC members would travel with him each month in addition to his regular party of a personal servant and secretary. The GBC men became his secretaries for answering his mail, and they were supposed to receive personal training by being with Prabhupada, which they certainly did. However, it was inconvenient for Prabhupada to have to change GBC men every month. At this time, I was the GBC secretary for some Midwest temples and had a base at the Dallas gurukula. A telegram was sent to Dallas saying that I was to be the next secretary and that I should come as soon as possible to Mayapur, India, to relieve the previous secretary. This was the first time that I had traveled outside North America since joining the Krishna consciousness movement and I did not even have a passport. In the spirit of surrender that was prominent in those days, especially if one got the call from Srila Prabhupada, I did not waste any time. I immediately packed up, flew to New York, and went to get a passport. I had no identification to prove I was an American citizen, but I showed up at the passport office with my Godbrother, Vishnujana Swami. The woman asked him, "Do you know this man, and has he lived in America for the last five years?"

Vishnujana Swami said, "Yes, of course. She then asked him what my name was and he replied, Satsvarupa, which was the only name he had ever known me by." Since it was not my legal name, this caused some confusion, but somehow she decided that I was fit for an American passport. It was an exciting adventure for me to fly alone to India. I met an Indian man on the plane who took me in a car to the Calcutta temple. The lights in the little outdoor shops and the density of the population gave me culture shock and it all seemed somewhat frightening. We arrived at the temple late at night and I lay down on the floor next to Pancadravida Swami. The next morning, I took a train to Mayapur. Srila Prabhupada seemed to be pleased that I had arrived, and he welcomed me cordially. He said that there were now five sannyasis in Mayapur. This gave me a feeling of real belonging, and a good spirit for being a sannyasi. Mayapur was very hot at that time; it was difficult for me to adjust to it. When I wasn't actually in Prabhupada's room taking dictation from his mail and so on, I would be in my room trying to get through the heat. I wanted to ask Prabhupada some personal questions about my service in America whether to stay in the Dallas temple or to do more traveling but I wanted to be a well behaved secretary. I did not push my personal questions on him until the very end of my stay. It was during this time in Mayapur that Prabhupada translated and gave purports for the Upadesamrita (The Nectar of Instruction). The work had been suggested to him by his disciple, Hrishikesananda Dasa. He worked on this book by dictating it aloud while I wrote it down in pen. I was thrilled to be involved in the production of the book, and impressed at how the perfect purports came from Prabhupada so spontaneously.

Once, Prabhupada called me into his room and asked me if I knew any places that were well known for good water. He was having trouble with his digestion. I remember feeling flattered that he had called me in for such an intimate chat, but unfortunately, I did not have any information to help him. I recall other times like that when Prabhupada asked me something normal about the world and I proved my ignorance by not knowing the answer. During this Mayapur stay, Prabhupada also made a visit to see his Godbrother, Sridhara Maharaja, in Navadvipa. I tagged along with him and it was a very pleasant time.