Lon is now Prabhupada dasa!

Suhotra Swami: Prabhupada Dasa again joined the Boston temple. On Rama-navami, April 1975, he was initiated by Srila Prabhupada, through the mail, as Prabhupada dasa. This name was especially arranged for him by the Boston temple president in light of all the early association Lon had with Prabhupada. The initiation ceremony was performed by HH Tamal Krishna Maharaja.

At his initiation ceremony Lon had an experience that reminded me of my own when I was initiated, when I thought my name was not on the list. Generally when a bhakta or bhaktin got a spiritual name from Shrila Prabhupada, it would start with the same letter as the first karmi name. Hence, for example, Bruce Scharf was initiated as Brahmananda, Greg Scharf as Gargamuni, Steve Guarino as Satsvarupa, Howard Wheeler as Hayagriva, and so on. So in Lon’s initiation ceremony the names were being announced in alphabetical order, and as usual every spiritual name started with the same letter as the devotee’s karmi name. The names progressed past the letter “l” and still Lon was not called up to take his beads. So he started thinking that because he had done so poorly on sankirtana the day before, he had been passed over. He would not get initiated!

Actually, he had even said the day before to a devotee named Shrinatha (a very saintly Godbrother who years ago passed away from this world) that “I collected so little today, I should not take initiation tomorrow. “ Shrinatha replied sweetly, “You just take the mercy. “ Now that the “l” names were finished up, Lon’s heart sank into deep depression. Suddenly the Boston president said, “Now it is time for a very special devotee to receive his name and beads. Since he had so much merciful association with Shrila Prabhupada in the very beginning of ISKCON’s history in New York, Bhakta Lon is now Prabhupada dasa!” You can imagine the loud shouts of “Jaya!” and the heavy beating of the mridangas.