Preach boldly and have faith in the Holy Names
Indradyumna Swami: Later during that visit to London before Bhagavan and I went on to Paris, Srila Prabhupada called us into his room to give us some more instructions and inspiration; and I was very much hoping at that time to receive a personal instruction from Srila Prabhupada. Prabhupada gave many general instructions but, of course, a disciple always hankers to have some personal interrelationship with his spiritual master and receive some special instructions. I was a little shy to ask, but at one point I spoke up and I said, "Srila Prabhupada, could you give me some instruction?" So Srila Prabhupada leaned over the desk at that time and looked at me in my eyes and he said, "Preach boldly and have faith in the Holy Names." I've always tried to follow that instruction of Srila Prabhupada as a guideline for the rest of my life. I was so nervous at the time, I don't remember how I felt. I just felt blessed that Prabhupada would see me, notice me and give some instruction that I could build the rest of my devotional career upon. Then Prabhupada, to further encourage both of us, he reached over into his drawer and he gave me one of his dhotis and he gave Bhagavan das one of his undershirts and he just smiled. Then after a little more conversation, we left for our service in Paris, France. I did wear that dhoti actually. It was bright saffron and, of course, I was a grihastha at that time; but it was the tadiya, it was the paraphernalia of the spiritual master and, therefore, divine. We know that Mahaprabhu Himself, in order to encourage His own followers, His own disciples, He would sometimes give them pieces of cloth. A piece of His cloth was sent to Maharaja Prataparudra, who worshiped it as nondifferent than the Lord. A piece of His cloth was sent to Gopal Bhatta Goswami in Vrindavan. So this tadiya, this nectar, this mercy of my spiritual master, I took that very seriously. I used to wear that as a chaddar actually. And sometimes when the sannyasis would come through, they would chide me, "You're a grihastha and you're wearing saffron?" I said, "Yes, this is no ordinary cloth. This is the dhoti of our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. I'm not taking it off for anything."
Reference: Following Srila Prabhupada-A Chronological Series by Indradyumna Swami
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