December 24, 1967 : San Francisco
Shyamasundar: Thanks to the personal intervention of Krishna, who is always merciful to His sincere devotees, we both were released a few days early. Twenty-seven days after our arrival in Seattle, we were on our way back to San Francisco to re-join our spiritual master.
But when we got to the San Francisco airport, there, to our great surprise, was Mukunda, waiting for us. "Hurry up now," he said, "Swamiji's back from India and wants to see you both." Driving from the airport to Haight-Ashbury in the Krishna-mobile, I shared with Mukunda my main realization from jail: "We must preach Krishna consciousness to the leaders of the world, Mukunda - and who are the most famous people in the world right now? The Beatles, that's who!" The plan to go to London was hatched in a jail.
The Swami had taken over Gurudas and Yamuna's apartment at 1253 Willard Street, just a couple of blocks up the hill from the temple. Hearts in our throats, we knocked on the door, and he said, "Come in! Come in!" he greeted us as if nothing had happened and no time had passed. "Oh, are you feeling well?" he asked. "Just last night I was thinking five years is too much." He pointed to a suitcase - he had just arrived in town himself - and asked Upendra to open it. He pulled out a folded Bengali sari, white with a red and green embroidered border and handed it to Malati, saying, "Krishna likes it when the gopis are dressed in nice saris." It was Christmas Eve 1967, and Santa Claus was here.
But when we got to the San Francisco airport, there, to our great surprise, was Mukunda, waiting for us. "Hurry up now," he said, "Swamiji's back from India and wants to see you both." Driving from the airport to Haight-Ashbury in the Krishna-mobile, I shared with Mukunda my main realization from jail: "We must preach Krishna consciousness to the leaders of the world, Mukunda - and who are the most famous people in the world right now? The Beatles, that's who!" The plan to go to London was hatched in a jail.
The Swami had taken over Gurudas and Yamuna's apartment at 1253 Willard Street, just a couple of blocks up the hill from the temple. Hearts in our throats, we knocked on the door, and he said, "Come in! Come in!" he greeted us as if nothing had happened and no time had passed. "Oh, are you feeling well?" he asked. "Just last night I was thinking five years is too much." He pointed to a suitcase - he had just arrived in town himself - and asked Upendra to open it. He pulled out a folded Bengali sari, white with a red and green embroidered border and handed it to Malati, saying, "Krishna likes it when the gopis are dressed in nice saris." It was Christmas Eve 1967, and Santa Claus was here.
Reference: Chasing Rhinos with the Swami - Shyamasundar Dasa
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