httpv://youtu.be/AYGMp9S4xaM
video: Boat Festival 2013 (ISKCON VRINDAVAN)
Prabhupada, July 2, 1977, Vrindavana: […] Just like our organization not all of a sudden has become so big. I was… For more than one year I was simply loitering on the street of New York like a vagabond. Who was hearing me?
Still, I am going once in a month to the ship company that “When your next ship is coming to go to India?” So the manager: “Swamiji, you are coming. When you are going away?” I said, “Yes, I have no business practically here. But still, I want to stay and see if things can be pushed.”
Therefore I am writing. Otherwise I am useless. I am simply loitering and seeing the Fifth Avenue and the… And within the subway station, after taking my lunch I used to go by bus here and there, in the subway, anywhere go, it stops.
No shelter. I was cooking, myself, in a friend’s house. So he took it as a free cook he has got. And two men, of course, we… Sometimes some guest would… And I would be very glad. And ten, twenty, I’ll feed them. And they would like very much dal, capati, and one vegetable. First-class… Everyone would like.
That was going on, dal, capati, and one vegetable. I’ll take pleasure. Sometimes somebody would come to assist me. He wanted to eat immediately. And “No, that you cannot. After I have finished, when it is offered to Krishna, then I’ll give you sumptuous prasadam, not before.” So there was no… And little rice. Dal, capati, rice, vegetable, bas.
Oh, it was so nice. Everyone would praise. The same thing, when I took my own apartment I did the same thing, distributed prasadam. Then, gradually, they came forward to assist me. First came Kirtanananda. He is the first cook. Then Acyutananda. Brahmananda was washing dish. He could not help the cooking.
Tamala Krsna: He was the dishwasher.
Prabhupada: Yes. He liked that. (laughter) He liked that.
Tamala Krsna: What was Gargamuni doing?
Prabhupada: Gargamuni did not join in the beginning. He was watching his brother. He was, rather, little critical. Gargamuni came first, er, yeah…
Tamala Krsna: Brahmananda.
Prabhupada: Brahmananda. Then our Satsvarupa, then Jadurani. In this way, gradually increased. And Kirtanananda was very expert in learning. He learned how to make puri, kacuri, samosa, sweet ball. We were having very nice feast every Sunday. On Saturday night we would prepare so many things and stocked it. And Sunday, distributing… People would take: “Oh, so…” At least in that time seventy, eighty guests were coming. And they were very happy.
Tamala Krsna: They all get fed sumptuously?
Prabhupada: Oh, yes, food.
Speak Your Mind