Don't take to Krishna consciousness for showing off

Mahamana Dasa: So the first lecture that I heard Srila Prabhupada giving was; in that lecture, although I had no idea what this philosophy or anything is about, somehow I entered the temple. Srila Prabhupada was sitting on the vyasasana and the first thing I heard Prabhupada say was, "Krishna is present in the Deities (pointing out to the Deities). Krishna is there, but if you think that he is a stone then He will remain a stone." That seemed to be a very profound statement to me at that time. I had no idea what this was. But he was saying with so much emphasis and so much conviction, "Krishna is there. But if you think He is just a stone, then He will remain a stone."

And then in that same lecture, Prabhupada said, "Practice Krishna consciousness seriously and don't show off. Don't take to this Krishna consciousness just for showing off." I couldn't analyze why exactly at that particular point Prabhupada had said that. But this is what he said, "Don't take to Krishna consciousness just for showing off."

So after this lecture, the devotees went up on the third floor, where Srila Prabhupada was staying at the Bury Place temple for darshana. I had no idea what to do, but because everyone was going, so I also followed. I also went with them. We entered Prabhupada's room where Prabhupada was giving darshana to devotees, as well as some life members and some congregational members. During the darshan, I remember one Indian person was saying, "It is natural to have sense enjoyment, why are we being so restricted?" And Prabhupada answered that, "Life is very dangerous." He said that, "You do not know when you will be killed; any moment you may die."

At the end of the darshana, all the devotees went one by one to offer their obesciances. I had no idea, but because everyone was offering their obesciances, I also went to offer my obesciances to Srila Prabhupada. And something wonderful happened at that point which turned my life to spiritual life, and the experience I can never forget.

Srila Prabhupada spoke to me at that time one word that made all the difference to my life. He was always very humble; he with this oceanic smile. Prabhupada touched my head and said this one word "Jai." That was enough to convince me. That one word "Jai," and he smiled at me somehow. I had no idea, but that small, not small, it’s the biggest incident. It’s the biggest incident in my life, the best incident in my life.

One Vaishnava poet has written, Narottama Dasa Thakura ji, has written that just by approaching a saintly person of the caliber of Srila Prabhupada and other maha-bhagavatas, all of one's sinful reactions are immediately burnt up. So that’s what I felt: that my sins were gone just by being in the presence of Prabhupada. And I had feelings that Krishna was present in that room. I have shared this feeling with many other devotees. And any devotee who had actually met Srila Prabhupada also had the same feelings that Krishna was present with him.

So at that moment itself, I resolved: I offered my obeisances to Srila Prabhupada, and I said that I am going to serve him lifelong. He is going to be my master lifelong, forget all my other things.