Page 19 - MMOSP (English)
P. 19
My Memories of Çréla Prabhupäda
everything in order. On 11 August, almost all of us went to
receive Çréla Prabhupäda at Heathrow Airport. We were happily
performing kértana, in great anticipation of seeing our beloved
spiritual master—and then were informed that his trip to
London had been cancelled! Our intense disappointment was
soon replaced by renewed expectancy when we were further
told that Çréla Prabhupäda was rescheduled to arrive just one
day later.
Next day at the airport, there was some confusion as to
which terminal Çréla Prabhupäda would be arriving at. Most
of the devotees did greet Çréla Prabhupäda upon his arrival,
but I ended up in a smaller group at another terminal. We
were joyfully chanting when all of a sudden Harikeça Däsa
Brahmacäré rushed up and with a blissful smile told us that we
were at the wrong terminal, and that Çréla Prabhupäda had
already arrived and left for the Manor. (Because there had been
some mix-up regarding Çréla Prabhupäda’s baggage, Harikeça
Prabhu had stayed back to retrieve it.) Our plan had been to
greet Çréla Prabhupäda with kértana at the airport and then
rush ahead to again greet him with kértana at the Manor. So we
immediately piled into the vans and sped back—but too late!
Çréla Prabhupäda was already in his quarters and would not
emerge until the next morning. Until then, all but a few senior
devotees would have to wait for Çréla Prabhupäda’s darçana.
I first saw Çréla Prabhupäda the next morning, 13 Aug 1975,
shortly before the scheduled darçana of the Deities at 7:15 a.m.
Flanked by Brahmänanda Swami, Harikeça Prabhu, and other
big-bodied American devotees, next to whom the slightness
of Çréla Prabhupäda’s physical stature was accentuated, Çréla
Prabhupäda majestically descended the stairs. And thus my
first impression upon directly seeing my eternal lord and
master was rather mundane: I was surprised to see how short
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