Srutakirti Prabhu's determination to get Maha-Prasadam from Srila Prabhupada.

Srutakirti : We were always anxious to get some mercy from Prabhupada in the form of his belongings. The first opportunity I had to do this was after my brahman thread disappeared. I had gotten brahman initiation in Los Angeles in 1972, and one month later my original brahman thread the one that Prabhupada had chanted on was gone. I was very attached to this thread and totally devastated that my link was gone. I thought, "This is definitely a bad omen." Of course, then we didn't have brahman threads from India. We just got six strings and tied them in a knot, and that was a brahman thread. So that's what I did to continue chanting my gayatri, but I was never content. Later, when I had become Prabhupada's servant, for some reason there was no question of asking him, "Would you chant on a thread for me?" But I devised a plan. After being with him for a month he told me that on each Ekadasi he would change his brahman thread, and at that time I could give him a new one. I thought, "Well now I will get Prabhupada's old brahman thread." Prabhupada was bathing, so I set up his table with his tilak, mirror, and a new brahman thread, as that day was Ekadasi. At this time Prabhupada was staying in the downstairs room at the Radha-Damodar Temple. I was on the veranda outside, just sitting, watching, and waiting. I was happy that I was going to get Prabhupada's brahman thread. Prabhupada put his tilak on and placed the second thread around his body and began chanting gayatri. By this time I was busy in the kitchen helping Yamuna get his lunch together. Prabhupada finished his gayatri and walked into the kitchen to take prasadam. I raced into his room to find that he had broken all six strands of his brahman thread. "Why did he do this?" I thought, "Because I wanted his thread?" I was very stubborn, so I tied each strand in a little knot, all six of them. I thought, "Now I have my brahman thread. Despite everything I still have it. Prabhupada has chanted on it so many times. So it is better than my original brahman thread." I took the brahman thread and put it in my pocket and went to Prabhupada while he was taking prasadam. He said, "So, that brahman thread that I have left on the table." I said, "Yes, Srila Prabhupada." He said, "You should take that brahman thread and dig under tulasi devi and bury it." I thought, "No. This is impossible. Is this what they do, or is he just doing this to me?" I said, "OK, Srila Prabhupada." Of course, I didn't obey that order because I was so determined. That was one order that Srila Prabhupada gave me that I just reneged on, because I thought that I have to have this brahman thread. That was the beginning of many opportunities I had to get maha-prasadam from Srila Prabhupada.