Meeting with Indian Gentlemen
Mahabuddhi : For about four or five years, until Prabhupada left in 1977, I used to run his darshans during the festivals in Vrindavan and Mayapur. I'd let the devotees and guests into his room, and when his room got too crowded, I'd have to stop people from coming in. Prabhupada always gave wonderful darshans. Sometimes I could see Prabhupada's mercy reaching out to people.
The air was so thick I would want to cry. Through these darshans I saw the great wonder that Prabhupada had over devotees and visitors. One day in Vrindavan an Indian gentleman came and sat in the back. Prabhupada's room was full, and I didn't pay much attention to this gentleman. Toward the end of the darshan Prabhupada said, "Where is the prasadam?" and looked at me. My responsibility was to make sure prasadam was there, and I realized there was no prasadam.
Prabhupada had told me earlier, "Make sure everyone who comes for darshan gets prasadam. If there's not enough, then some of the devotees can go without, but if there is enough then everyone should get prasadam." I immediately ran to the pujari room and said, "Where are the sweets to distribute in Prabhupada's room?" Hamsa said, "The cook was sick and didn't make them." I went, "Oh, my God!" I went into the Deities' room, and there was a whole tray of sweets that the pujaris were about to offer to Radha and Krishna.
I quickly took that tray from the Deity plate and put it on the transfer plate and brought it into Prabhupada's room. Now my dilemma was, "How am I supposed to offer this? Am I supposed to bow down and offer them with the three prayers?" Prabhupada looked at me and saw my anxiety. He saw through me. In his mind he seemed to say, "Who is this dud of a disciple?" To me he said, "Come here." I went to him and he said, "Take the cover off the plate." I took off the cover. Prabhupada looked at it and said, "Now, distribute."
I realized that Srila Prabhupada's so potent that by offering it to him, it would be accepted by Krishna. I distributed the sweets, but that gentleman who was in the back of the room had left without getting one. Prabhupada said, "There is one man who left. You must find him and give him this prasadam. Do you understand? You must." I'd never experienced that before. The gentleman had just left, and I expected to see him outside the door. But he wasn't there. I kept going farther and farther toward the gate, and I still didn't see him.
Finally, I went to the gate, and there he was. In a matter of seconds he went so far. I thought that was very unusual. I gave him the prasadam and said, "My spiritual master wanted me to make sure that you had some prasad." His head was covered with a chadar, and he had unusually regal features. He looked at me and said, "Your spiritual master is very kind," and went down the road. I went down the road also, but he wasn't there anymore. As I went back to Prabhupada's room, I thought, "Who are these personalities coming to take Prabhupada's darshan?"
Reference: Memories Anecdotes of a Modern Day Saint - Volume 2 by Siddhanta Dasa
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