Pass the buck...

Hari Sauri: In New Mayapur, August of 1976, Bhagavan, Jayatirtha and Harikesa came to ask Prabhupada at what time he wanted to come down for the installation ceremony. They had already carried out the preliminaries for both the initiation ceremony and the installation of Sri Sri Krishna-Balarama, but they had not fixed a particular time for Srila Prabhupada's attendance. But Prabhupada merely wanted them to tell him when he was required. Bhagavan and Jayatirtha said it was hard for them to give an exact time; they wanted to avoid inconveniencing him. So they looked to Harikesa Maharaja for a decision. Srila Prabhupada was becoming increasingly exasperated as he sat behind his desk listening to us "pass the buck." Having heard enough, he angrily chastized us for our inability to make a simple decision for such an important event.

The wood-paneled temple room overflowed with devotees. Flowers, greenery and festoons were everywhere. A green velvet canopy hung over the heads of the beautiful four-foot Deities standing on an elevated platform in front of the Deity room. Black marble Krishna posed with His left hand on His hip; and white marble Lord Balarama, standing a few inches taller, stood to His side, left hand raised to rest on Krishna's right shoulder.

Prabhupada mounted the stage, and a loud jubilant kirtana commenced, accompanied by the blowing of conchshells and hundreds of voices shouting "Haribol! Jaya Prabhupada!" and "Jaya Krishna-Balarama, ki jaya!" His Divine Grace poured the first substances of the abhisheka-yajna over the heads of Their Lordships, then stepped down to sit on his vyasasana where he delivered a short talk. Then Jayatirtha, Bhagavan, Gurudasa Swami, Pradyumna and many other prabhus completed the transcendental bathing ceremony. A local television company filmed the whole event. The Deities were then taken behind the altar curtain to be dressed for Their first darsana.