Srila Prabhupada visited the Hyderabad farm for two weeks during December 1976. He had a lot of hope for the project and had assigned three managing trustees—Mahamsa Swami, Hamsaduta Swami, and myself—to get it going. Unfortunately, due to miscommunication, paranoia, and a desire for control, there were big misunderstandings building up between Mahamsa Swami and the two of us.
Srila Prabhupada tried to mediate, sometimes jolting me with statements such as “Do not be bureaucratic” and even instructing me to “go out in back, fight it out with Mahamsa like cats and dogs, finish this up, and get the project going.” We all felt frustrated and wanted a solution, but we were not talking with each other.
One day, looking for solace, direction, and inspiration, we all—separately but at the same exact moment—reached the door to Srila Prabhupada’s room. When we entered, we were astounded by what we saw: The sun was shining through the window, bathing Srila Prabhupada with golden-white rays. His eyes were firmly closed but without strain or tightness. He sat upright behind his desk, on his cushion, his right hand in his bead bag. You could see how attentively he was fingering the beads, and you could hear their clacking as he rubbed them between his fingers. You could even see the bag’s cloth rustling around them. His face was serene, but there was every indication that he was fixed in hearing the holy name. As he chanted—Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—his tongue rolled in his mouth and his lips moved in a circle. He seemed to be tasting something delicious, chewing it with care to savor every bit. His chanting was quite distinct; the words were clear and articulate, and he pressed down on each syllable. His head swung slightly side to side with a bit of an up-and-down movement.
Simultaneously, all three of us thrust our hands into our bead bags and joined His Divine Grace in japa. At least for the moment, we were united and transcendent to our differences. Together, as brothers, we watched him with wide-open eyes, delighting in this rare vision. After some time, Srila Prabhupada opened his eyes for a moment and without moving his head looked gently but seriously at us, one after the other, and pronounced, “Just go on chanting and all your problems will be solved.”
Srila Prabhupada’s disciple Tejiyas dasa sent me this remembrance, and I thought to share it with you. – HH Giriraj Swami
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