Srila Prabhupada thoroughly enjoys the drama

The Pope and the Maharishi had come in 1965 with a big splash, but there was no lasting effect. Instead, the miniskirt becomes the rage as women begin to think of themselves as more than housewives. Madison Avenue is quick to take advantage of this new market. Catholicism continues to decline as homosexuals lobby to be ordained ministers. Maharishi's TM initially attracts thousands of followers as the Beatles and actress Mia Farrow journey to Rishikesh, India. Subsequently, followers leave in disgust. John Lennon writes the song "Sexy Sadie" as a satire criticizing the Maharishi's alleged attraction for young women. Joan Baez is outspoken about the Vietnam war. "If you don't speak out against a rotten thing, you become a part of it." In Montreal, John Lennon and Yoko Ono hold a "Lie-In" for peace in a hospital bed. They ask devotees to join their recording of "Give Peace a Chance." Prabhupada has his own peace formula coming in parampara from Lord Caitanya. Some of his young followers are grasping the importance of his mission. Vibhavati meets with John Lennon in Montreal to discuss peace. John is an influential man, and by interviewing him, she publicizes the Krishna consciousness movement in a way that people will understand, by showing that the Beatles are interested. The encounter is published June 7 in the Montreal Star. Prabhupada is highly pleased with Vibhavati's effort, informing her that her service has been recognized by Krishna. He explains that simply by saying you accept God, peace will not be achieved. One has to live fully in God consciousness. "So unless on the summit of administration there are actually Krishna conscious men, we cannot stop war." (Letter to Vibhavati, June 12,1969)

Every disciple has the potential to fully participate in a particular aspect of the spiritual master's mission and dedicate himself to helping in that way. Jayananda participates by dedicating every moment to humbly serving the devotees. Vishnujana participates by constantly inspiring others to chant Hare Krishna. Tamal Krishna participates by recruiting new men and accepting responsibility for management. His journey up to San Francisco shows him that without enthusiasm Krishna consciousness cannot be maintained. He is sorry to see his former temple in a compromised mood, with devotees maintaining an independent spirit rather than working cooperatively to push on the mission. But through his own enthusiasm he inspires and unites everyone to get involved in the Ratha-yatra festival. Tamal arranges for Jayananda to come up to San Francisco to help build an elaborate cart for Ratha-yatra. Nara-Narayana: also comes to do the carpentry work. Tamal negotiates with the West Coast temple presidents to cooperate in making Ratha-yatra a grand success. With the tension gone, the situation at once improves. Soon, Bhavananda is also sent up to San Francisco to assist in designing the Ratha-yatra cart. Jayananda and Nara-Narayana: are hard at work in a vacant lot near 518 Frederick Street when Bhavananda arrives. Bhavananda: We had no idea what the Ratha-yatra carts in Puri looked like, but we knew they had a dome covered in fabric. So I covered it with some purple satin fabric. Jayananda helped to build the cart and paint it. In the little Frederick Street temple room I remember him sitting very erect, with his back against the wall with these big wooden beads, and chanting his japa in the evening with his eyes closed, very intensely and very loudly and clearly. That is my most vivid memory of him.

Now that the San Francisco devotees are enlivened by Ratha-yatra they are able to convince Chet Helms, who manages an ocean-side dance hall, The Family Dog, to donate the facility for Ratha-yatra day. Chet is a local rock promoter who is favorable to the flower-power scene and the Hare Krishna devotees. He has a large concert hall, equipped with a huge kitchen and twenty burners, perfect for large scale prasadam distribution. The hall is ideally situated right on the beach and capable of accommodating five thousand people. In addition to working on the carts, Jayananda does the bhoga run and seeks donations. Many people promise to contribute fruit and grain for large-scale prasadam distribution. Other persons donate flowers for decorating the Deities. It looks to be the best Ratha-yatra ever. Umapati: One evening, Jayananda needed some help bringing something into the temple. I didn't want to do it. I was too lazy really, so I gave some useless excuse. Jayananda asked, "What have you been doing all day?" He had been away all day working very hard as he always did. I hadn't been doing as much as he did, so I got very angry. I started ranting away at him and said I'd go somewhere else. Immediately he said, "Oh no, don't get mad. I'm sorry. I'm just a bit tired. I didn't mean to offend you." Immediately he was so nice. He'd never say anything hard to anyone, always very pleasant, proper in his dealings, and courteous with his godbrothers. He was always engaged in devotional service. It's hard to describe just how nice Jayananda was. While the devotees are appreciating the qualities of Jayananda and Vishnujana, Prabhupada is also appreciating Tamal Krishna. Recognizing his organizational ability, Prabhupada requests Tamal to take up management of all the West Coast centers to help alleviate the burden. With the management under control, Prabhupada will be able to concentrate on his writing. I can understand that Krishna is giving you intelligence how to manage the Western Coast branches of our society. I think you should now make an ad hoc committee of management, comprising yourself, Jayananda, Cidananda, Dinadayal, Upendra, etc. If in this way you can take charge of management affairs, it will be a very nice thing. Now the West Coast management is practically on you. Letter to Tamal Krishna, May 23, 1969

The Sunday Feast theme programs continue with the dadhi-bandha, or butter churning festival. To celebrate this pastime, a ten-gallon steel milk container is used as a large churning pot to recreate the pastime of the gopis churning butter. After the pot is filled with cream, each guest will have the opportunity to come forward and work the churning rod. When the cream is finally churned into fresh butter, it will be offered to Krishna and distributed to all. The devotees are excited about this festival, and they enthusiastically tell everyone they meet not to miss this Sunday's program at the temple. Knowing that many young people are still joining the Brotherhood in search of spiritual life, Tamal and Madhudvisha drive down to Laguna Beach to attract people back to the Sunday program. Mystic Arts World, a huge store where all kinds of people hang out both inside and out front on the street, is the first place they go. It's a typical head shop with a juice bar, health food store, art and book shop, and a meditation room in the back. As they walk in, all eyes follow the shaven-headed Vaishnavas. They are welcomed by the manager and quickly negotiate a regular Saturday afternoon kirtan program. Next, they visit the popular hangout Yoga Imports. One by one, they visit all the hip places, with the purpose of reclaiming lost souls for Krishna's service.

On Sunday afternoon the temple is packed with hundreds of guests. Many of the neighborhood kids also attend as La Cienega is becoming well known as a hub of activity throughout the area. Some people even drive several hours to attend the Sunday program. Mirabai devi dasi: I was working in Yoga Imports, and Tamal Krishna and Madhudvisha came in to look at harmoniums. I was so curious about them with their little sikhas and shaved heads and robes, and the way they acted when they were in the store. I was very interested, so I asked the owner of the store, who had been to India and knew yoga. He said, "Oh, you just go back and do your hatha-yoga. Those are very strict monks. They live in an ashram in LA. It's probably something you wouldn't be interested in." Of course that made me even more interested. So I went to the temple on La Cienega, and they were having the butter festival. It was wonderful. There was a play about Krishna stealing butter. Then they passed around a big platter of freshly churned butter. I was always intrigued by other cultures, and I'll never forget the atmosphere and the way the temple smelled. When we sat down for prasadam, I didn't want to take all that stuff, because I was eating just steamed vegetables, fruits, and juices. I was afraid to eat it, but I did and it was so good. I didn't understand yet about food being offered to Krishna first. There were so many people that no one was available to explain it to me.

Kesava: I came from Santa Barbara for a Sunday feast. My brother, Karandhara, sent me a Bhagavad-gita and explained about the material body. I felt really inspired when I read it. So I came down to see the temple. The first devotee I ever saw was Revatinandana. He showed me in, and they were having a butter churning festival. Silavati gave the presentation that day. She was a senior devotee. Tamal brought me in to his office. "What do you think? Do you want to live in the temple?" "Yeah. But I have to go back. I'll come back next week." "Maya's going to get you. I hope Maya doesn't get you." I didn't understand the philosophy. I thought an individual person might chase me or come after to get me. The whole way back I was thinking, "Who is this Maya?" But I came back and joined. Silavati is also a little bit like Vishnujana. She is another one who is always in bliss and trying to encourage everybody. As the head pujari, she is absolutely dedicated to taking care of the Jagannath Deities. She also gives wonderful classes that are full of heart-felt realizations. Therefore, everyone looks up to Silavati. There is no misogyny in these early days. The women have nothing much to complain about, as they will in the years to come.

Sahadevi: Silavati would get up early to wake the Deities and get the flowers ready, so I was getting up with her. This was before Srila Prabhupada introduced mangala-arati, so we were up and about while everyone else was sleeping. Vishnujana used to wake up the brahmacaris every morning by singing. We could hear him singing. It was real sweet. La Cienega was like a big house, and the brahmacaris lived in one room. Prabhupada has still not instituted a strict schedule of getting up early to attend mangala-arati. Because of the emphasis on street chanting and BTG distribution, the devotees are always out on sankirtana every night. For the weekends, they sometimes stay out until 2:00 AM, chanting away as long as there are people to hear. On week nights they stay out until eleven. After a half hour drive back to the temple, they find hot milk and halava waiting. There is always a lot of halava. They eat to their full satisfaction and sleep heavy because they are not expected to get up early. The exception is Muralidhara, who is always quiet and reserved. He goes out for sankirtana every afternoon, but at night, while the others chant on Hollywood Boulevard, he paints. Therefore, he is always in the temple room very early chanting his rounds. Muralidhara: Silavati was really wonderful. She was very motherly and very devotional. We were good friends, she and I. We had a wonderful relationship. I always felt real brother and sister with her. She was a good example for me, too, her devotion and nice qualities. Returning to Laguna Beach for the scheduled program at Mystic Arts World, the devotees find the meditation room filled with interested people. Vishnujana gets things going by chanting Hare Krishna, followed by Tamal's lecture on Brahma-samhita. He speaks on the cintamani-prakara-sadmasu verse. Showing the picture on the cover of the Bhagavatam, he tells them about the spiritual sky, the different planetary systems, where Krishna is, and where we are. Hippies appreciate cosmic explanations and many become interested.

Bahulasva: I grew up in New York and in '67 a friend of mine had given me the original record of Prabhupada chanting Hare Krishna. I listened and chanted with that record and became very attached to it. So when I came to California, I brought it with me. I didn't know anything about a Krishna movement or Hare Krishna, other than this record I had of Prabhupada chanting. The Brotherhood had this health food store, Mystic Arts, which also had a meditation room. I worked there. One day I came in and there was kirtan going on. I was shocked because I didn't know that anybody else even knew about it. That was the first time I found out that there was a temple. As a result of the Saturday programs in Laguna Beach, many people become attracted to the superior philosophy and culture of bhakti-yoga. Most of them are already interested in spiritual life, so they are impressed with the devotees' knowledge and conviction. They are encouraged to come to Los Angeles for the Sunday festival and experience the atmosphere of a Krishna conscious community. These people are eager to meet the Master who has infused such a depth of sincerity into the hearts of his followers. As spiritual seekers, they want to know more. Meanwhile, as Prabhupada tours the East Coast temples, he likes to listen to the recording of Vishnujana that he carries with him. He also likes to play it for the devotees.

Saradiya devi dasi: There was a tape that came out of Vishnujana singing, that famous one, "vande 'ham..." Prabhupada had that tape. They had just recorded it, and he brought the tape with him from LA. Vishnujana was singing, and Prabhupada was playing the mridanga. That was the first time I heard it. Prabhupada played it for us, and he asked us what we thought. Did we like it? Of course, we loved it, and we all memorized it and started singing it all over the place. I remember somebody saying how Vishnujana was singing the prayers right there to Prabhupada and really getting into it, totally absorbed in meditating upon Prabhupada. Bharadraj would sometimes imitate Vishnujana's singing when he would lead kirtan. During Prabhupada's stay in New Vrindavana many devotees from all over the East Coast come to visit. From the small center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Bhurijana dasa arrives to spend a week with his spiritual master. Bhurijana: As soon as I arrived, I was invited by Prabhupada's secretary into Prabhupada's room. I climbed the steep stairs and offered my obeisances. Prabhupada sat smiling and effulgent behind a metal trunk-desk in an almost bare, second-floor room. Prabhupada's first words were, "Have you heard the tape?" "No," I said, and he turned on a tape recorder. Tamboura vibrations and mridanga rhythms filled the room. Vishnujana was singing, his voice deep and resonant. He offered respects to guru-gauranga, and the eternal associates of Krishna in Goloka: "vande 'ham sri-guroh sri-yuta-pada-kamalam sri-gurun vaishnavams ca'" Other devotees climbed the stairs and came in to listen. The atmosphere was thick and sweet, and I stood up and danced to the taped kirtan. Whenever devotees hear this recording, they can hardly believe that Vishnujana has only been in the movement for one year.

While in New Vrindavana, Prabhupada receives a letter from Tamal Krishna. "Please come to Los Angeles immediately, Prabhupada. There are so many devotees who are so much anticipating your divine appearance." After a four-month absence the devotees are feeling pangs of separation from their spiritual master. Prabhupada immediately accepts the proposal, considering the plea an urgent call. "Prabhupada is coming to New Dwaraka!" The news of his imminent arrival spreads quickly. Filled with joyful anticipation, the La Cienega devotees inform everybody that His Divine Grace will soon be back in Los Angeles. "This is the opportunity to have his darshan." Bahulasva: They told me that Prabhupada was coming and they were having a big program for him in LA. I felt almost like a disciple of Prabhupada at that time anyway because I'd been chanting for so long on my own. So I decided I would ride up with them and greet him when he came to the airport. I spent the weekend at La Cienega Temple and helped prepare for Prabhupada's arrival. I went out on sankirtana, and, of course, Vishnujana was the sankirtana leader. Vishnujana had an awe-inspiring impact on me from the very first time I met him. He was, as a human being, completely sincere, straightforward, and honest. I just felt that from him. He was very lovable, and I just wanted to be in his association. The temple is packed over the weekend as many newcomers help prepare for Prabhupada's reception.

On Monday afternoon, June 23, everyone gathers at the airport to greet Prabhupada with kirtan. New devotees are meeting their spiritual master for the first time. The energy at the temple has greatly increased since March, and Prabhupada can immediately see that this center is the heart of the movement. What he wants to see in every temple is already here in New Dwaraka. "The most successful sankirtana affairs are going on here in Los Angeles. It is actually wonderful in comparison to others." (Letter to Hansadutta, June 26, 1969) The following Sunday the temple room is packed again. Everybody wants to hear Prabhupada speak. The highlight of the evening is the play. Vishnujana and his troupe have prepared a grand production of the story of Prahlada Maharaja. Vishnujana's portrayal of a furious Hiranyakasipu is so convincing that some of the children become fearful. Srila Prabhupada thoroughly enjoys the drama and comments that Vishnujana's performance was the best. Then he reveals that in his youth he had been an active member of his school's drama club.