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Initiation of Sabhapati Dasa

Sabhapati Dasa: In Mayapur, we all got dysentery. Every single devotee got dysentery. The so-called prasadam we had was so terrible, it was really bad. It tastes… I don't know who was cooking, whatever they were cooking in some oil, and every devotee got sick. One morning they were so sick, one morning we… We stayed on the balcony, there was no quarters for us. We stayed on the balcony, we took bath there in the paddock(?). It was pretty rough conditions. One morning Prabhupada came out, he walked around the balcony, and not one devotee paid their obeisances. They were all so sick, they didn't even realize that Prabhupada was there.

The day I received initiation, I still had dysentery. I'm sitting there and waiting and waiting. Then Prabhupada... They called me up and I went up and Prabhupada gave me my beads and he gave me my name. When he said my name, I couldn't understand what he said, and I said, "Oh! Excuse me, Prabhupada." and he repeated my name again, 'Sabhapati', like that. I'd never heard it and I didn't catch it. After two times, I still couldn't understand what he was saying. I was too scared to ask him again. Later on, I went and asked Achyutananda who put all the names in Prabhupada's book, and asked him what my name was? So yeah, and then, straight after I got my beads in the hand, I had to run out to the toilet. It wasn't very pleasant but still that was ecstasy.



Reference: SPF Interviews