Hari Bol Prabhus!
Have been with the movement for a long time. First visited the Brooklyn temple on Henry street, when I was 14 yrs old, after meeting some devotees that were out on sankirtan and distributing books.
From that first meeting the sweet sounds of the kartalas and mrdanga along with the chanting I couldn't get out of my mind, even though I couldn't understand what was being chanted. I knew I wanted to visit the temple to "check them out". I went to the temple a couple of weeks later.
It was early spring and very early in the day, as I read on the card that was given to me there was early meditation. I had only just become interested in chanting and meditation and wanted to explore. I had just missed mangal aroti, and later found I missed Srila Prabhupada by a day. But met very nice devotees. Boys named Kirtananada das, Puru das and others. They seemed very devout and sweet and I wanted to know how to feel like that, and what I needed to do to serve.
One boy asked what I wanted to do, I answered I wanted to serve Krsna. Not really knowing what that meant, I just knew that when I looked at Krsna, I saw a very beautiful face and sweet smile, and I wanted to be as close to Him as I could.
When the devotee heard me say this, he was very pleased and bowed down in front of me, offering me obeisances. I was very surprised and moved by this behavior. But instantly felt that it was I who should have been bowing to him. His humility touched me. I was back at the temple the following Sunday for the Sunday feast. Radha and Krsna looked beautiful during the offerings, I was instantly in love with Them. And still am today.
I continued to associate with these devotees and went out on sankirtan for hours and distributed books, for a while. But I was just a boy, and mercurial by nature as the living entity is, and left the movement in body, for reasons too complex to explain now, but have always stayed with the movement in spirit. As a result, I have never been initiated, but will always be in love and eternally indebted to Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha-Krsna, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada and all Vaisnavas for the drops of mercy that I've been received over the years.
I never met Srila Prabhupada personally. But will never forget one Ratha Yatra while helping pull the chariot Srila Prabhupada sat on going down 5th avenue in New York City, I looked at Prabhupada with folded hands, offering prayers and gratefulness, I noticed He looked at me and smiled. Later on that afternoon at the feast in Washington Square Park, after giving a short talk on Krsna and Krsna Conciousness to the thousands Ratha Yatra always attracts, Prabhupada, walked off the stage. I struggled to get as close to the stage as I could and mercifully found myself very close to His Divine Grace, I offered obeisances, He smiled, and was escorted to His car and driven away. I will always remember those moment and that sweet and loving smile.
This was my association with Prabhupada, meager in comparison to others that were fortunate enough to have close darshan with Him, but to me, as dear.
Krsna has always made sure that I have had some association with devotees. My association is always growing. This is His mercy to me. All I ask of Krsna is for this association.
Jai Sri Krsna,
Jai Srila Prabhupada,
Jai Gurudev.
All Glories to Their Lordships Sri Radhe-Syama!!!!
