Srila Prabhupada's compassion for tree

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: A few months before Srila Prabhupada's first visit to ISKCON Dallas, a strong windstorm hit the area, felling trees. A tall, valuable shade tree in the courtyard of the temple also fell over and remained leaning against an adjoining building, the children's prasadam hall. The tree still had its roots in the ground, but its heavy weight, with dangling branches, now lay in a sharp angle right across the walkway, leaving barely enough room to walk under it. Satsvarupa dasa, the temple president, took no immediate action, but different devotees approached him and said that the tree had to be removed right away or it might cause collapse of the building it was leaning against. Satsvarupa agreed, and one of the devotees climbed the tall tree with a power saw and gradually dismantled the upper branches and trunk, until nothing remained but the lower ten feet of tilted trunk. And thus the tree appeared when Srila Prabhupada came there in September 1972. As soon as he walked into the courtyard, accompanied by temple leaders and trailed by the whole assembly of gurukula children and teachers, Prabhupada saw the remains of the big tree, and his face expressed trouble. He walked off the cement path and went up to the tree, and so did everyone else behind him. "Who has done this?" he demanded. Satsvarupa admitted responsibility and explained the reason the tree had been destroyed. Prabhupada shook his head angrily. "That was no reason to kill it," he said. Satsvarupa tried to explain the dangerous condition and pointed to the dent in the roof of the building. He also said that the fallen tree would probably have soon died. "No, it is not dead," Prabhupada challenged. "Look. There is a green twig growing out of it." Prabhupada walked away, disgusted, and the devotees remained shocked at what they now saw as a brutal, unnecessary act. In his room, Prabhupada continued to criticize the killing of the tree. He said this was the typical American attitude - when something is wrong, immediately cut it down and destroy it, with no understanding or compassion for the presence of the soul. Later, feeling repentant, Satsvarupa asked if he had committed an offense. "Not offense," said Srila Prabhupada. "You are ignorant."