Srila Prabhupada's vyasasana
Makhanlala Dasa: In 1969. the temple was located on La Cienega Boulevard and Tamal Krishna Maharaj wanted a Vyasasana for that temple like the one Nara-Narayan had built in San Francisco. So, for the Los Angeles temple, Nara-Narayan built another Vyasasana for Srila Prabhupada. When Srila Prabhupada accepted that vyasasana, with tears in his eyes he declared before all the devotees, "I am not fit. But on behalf of my Guru Maharaj, I must accept." We could understand that a mahabhagavata pure devotee is always fit to receive that level of honor. But Prabhupada was humble. Not artificially, but from his heart, he humbly felt, "This should be offered to my Guru Maharaj, to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur. I will not take it for myself. As his representative, I will accept it. Only on those terms." Nara-Narayan had designed the vyasasana, which had a wooden gold-leafed railing around it, after an old black-and-white photograph of the throne of the King of Jaipur. Srila Prabhupada, being well educated, must have known exactly where the design came from because he said, "This is meant for kings." And he accepted it with great humility. Then, on the Appearance Day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, Prabhupada would not sit on the vyasasana. To honor his Guru Maharaj, Prabhupada sat on a cushion on the floor, and he put a photograph of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur on the vyasasana. That is the proper etiquette.
Reference: Memories Anecdotes of a Modern Day Saint - Volume 3 by Siddhanta Dasa
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