PREPARING FOR SRILA PRABHUPADA’S ARRIVAL IN BOSTON

Since the arrival of winter’s snow and ice in Boston, not many people had been coming by the storefront in the evenings. And the devotees were content to stay indoors, working at their respective tasks. Each of them was satisfied that his engagement was perfect.

Prabhupada had fixed the date of his arrival in Boston for May 1, and he asked Satsvarupa to begin arranging lectures for him in Boston’s many universities. When the devotees sent Prabhupada a few photographs of the storefront interior, he wrote back, “It gives me a nice idea.” Although the photos showed only a small empty room with an unfinished altar, Prabhupada had not been looking with the eyes of an interior decorator. Rather, his “nice idea” was that his disciples in Boston were engaging in Krsna consciousness to the best of their ability. The important thing was that they were serving Krsna. By adding Krsna consciousness, anything material could become valuable.

As the time grew nearer for Prabhupada’s arrival, Satsvarupa, Pradyumna, and Jadurani arranged for his living accommodation. When they wrote to Prabhupada in New York candidly telling him what they had and asking if it was good enough, he replied that he didn’t mind walking the nine blocks from the storefront to the house as long as there were no hills. And he didn’t mind how many devotees stayed with him at the apartment, but he must have a separate, silent place. As for college lecture engagements, he said whether they were big or small, he was always “prepared to serve.” “Probably you are making fine arrangements,” he wrote. “Many will come to the temple to hear me. So in that case I must come.”

Next Episode: The Spiritual Master of the Holy Name is coming to Boston