July 25, 1974 : New York
Mahamaya: As Srila Prabhupada got out of the car, we five ladies greeted him by offering our obeisances. Miriam and I, and probably some of the others, grabbed flower petals and tossed them at his lotus feet. Using the rear entrance, Srila Prabhupada had to walk through the whole building to the front lobby - and it was a huge building. Walking backward, Miriam and I showered petals in front of Srila Prabhupada the entire way. Thinking it was nice that Srila Prabhupada had a flower-strewn path to walk on, we feasted our eyes on our beloved spiritual master's features.
Srila Prabhupada sat down in an airport chair, and the small group of us who accompanied him sat on the floor. We were not surprised that no other devotees had arrived yet. We were enjoying this moment with Srila Prabhupada, when an angry airport official approached us and demanded, "You threw flower petals all over the floor and made a big mess. You have to clean it up."
Srila Prabhupada calmly asked him, "You do not like flowers?" Turning to us, Srila Prabhupada said, "They throw cigarette butts all over the floor, and nobody says anything, but flower petals they do not like." We cracked up, appreciating Srila Prabhupada's keen sense of humor. Needless to say, we didn’t clean up the petals.
Srila Prabhupada sat down in an airport chair, and the small group of us who accompanied him sat on the floor. We were not surprised that no other devotees had arrived yet. We were enjoying this moment with Srila Prabhupada, when an angry airport official approached us and demanded, "You threw flower petals all over the floor and made a big mess. You have to clean it up."
Srila Prabhupada calmly asked him, "You do not like flowers?" Turning to us, Srila Prabhupada said, "They throw cigarette butts all over the floor, and nobody says anything, but flower petals they do not like." We cracked up, appreciating Srila Prabhupada's keen sense of humor. Needless to say, we didn’t clean up the petals.
Reference: Srila Prabhupada is Coming - Mahamaya Devi Dasi
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