Humble Servant Of Spiritual Master
Trivikram Swami : We were staying at John Lennon's estate, but we regularly went to London for preaching programs. One evening many Indians who had come for the first time challenged Prabhupada during a big program in a public hall. Some of them said, "What about Lord Shiva, and what about this, and what about that?" Prabhupada was strong and forceful. When a man interrupted Prabhupada, Prabhupada said, "Sit down. You are nonsense." It was that kind of a mood. Prabhupada established Bhagavat-dharma. This program was due to be a series of lectures, and the next day I was giving Prabhupada a massage. He was going to speak that night and I was in the mood of getting him in shape for another knockout performance, like a trainer with a prizefighter. I was talking vividly about Prabhupada and what he'd done, glorifying and flattering him. Suddenly, Prabhupada said, "No," in an emphatic, authoritative voice. My hands froze on his body. Then with another voice, the voice of a six-year-old child, he said, "I am just a humble servant." When he said that, I felt that I didn't have any right to touch his body. I was a plebeian and he was an aristocrat. It was by his mercy that I was allowed in the same room with him, what to speak of touch him. He was such a high-class person. I felt like going under the rug. But that was a wonderful lesson for me. I could see that Prabhupada really thought that of himself, that that was his real identity. He was a servant. He didn't think of himself as a big something, he thought of himself as a servant of his spiritual master, and he wasn't impressed with flattery. That was a very nice exchange for me.
Reference: Memories Anecdotes of a Modern Day Saint - Volume 2 by Siddhanta Dasa
Recently Added
Trending Today