My publicity work for Prabhupada

Govinda Dasi: Srila Prabhupada was not yet known in Hawaii, especially since we had so little advance notice of his arrival. So I wanted to try to get as much good publicity as possible. I went to the TV stations and the local newspapers and radio stations to try to get the word out.

While arranging for news articles and TV coverage of Srila Prabhupada's first visit to Hawaii, I met a young boy on the library steps in Honolulu. It was early morning, and the library was not yet open. I had come there to get the new "LIFE" magazine, which had recently printed a favorable article on Hare Krishna in America, describing Srila Prabhupada and his followers. I needed it for my publicity work. As I sat waiting for the library to open, I noticed a young hippy boy sitting nearby on the library steps also. I approached him and began to tell him about Krishna Consciousness, and Srila Prabhupada. He seemed very interested, so I invited him to come to our home and meet Srila Prabhupada. He did so, later that day, and he never left.

This young boy became Srila Prabhupada's first initiated disciple in Hawaii. His initiation was the only fire sacrifice done at our Kaawa beach house.  The name given him by Srila Prabhupada was "Balabhadra das."