The Best Years of my Life
By Svarupa dasa
The following is an interesting story I heard I would like to share with all the devotees –
“I first saw the devotees in 1967 on TV; I was in year eight at school and was immediately attracted. In 1970, while coming down from an acid trip, someone handed me a BTG. In 1971 I watched Srila Prabhupada arriving at Sydney also on TV and the next day was on my way to Sydney. Feeling unqualified, I went bush to mediate and chant Hare Krishna, I learnt the chant from the Radha Krishna Album and the Beatles.
Arriving in Sydney I went to the Paddington Temple and to me it was like the top of a huge mountain. Eventually I went in and Upananda prabhu spoke to me and asked me to read Krsna Book while he and Caru cooked. It would take another year before I moved into the Temple after becoming materially exhausted and praying for guidance and ending up on the steeps of the Melbourne on Lord Caitanya’s appearance day 1972; I was initiated by Srila Prabhupada on July 10th 1972, then received 2nd initiation in early 73.
The best years were those early years of Book distribution, Street Sankirtan and prasadam. You know, we never even drank a soft drink in those days, if it was not prepared by devotees and offered to the Dieties, then we would not eat.
Recently when I was very ill, the only remembrance I had was from 1972 to 74, they where the best years, the years that left the most blissful impressions. Always meeting Srila Prabhupada at the Airport, The first Rathayatra that I helped organise with Upananda prabhu, the first travelling Temple, the beginning of book distribution, the most amazing, blissful, ecstatic atmosphere Srila Prabhupada’s chanting created at 14 Burnett St in St Kilda that has never been repeated to this day. Going to the Airport to pick up yjr first full version of Bhagavad gita as it is on Australian soil!
The dancing with Prabhupada at the 73 and 74 Rathayatra, the book distribution with the great Buddimanta prabhu (an amazing devotee to watch how he distributed books) Tripurari, who was/is so attached to always chanting japa and also a brilliant humble book distributor. Hari Sauri, Balarama, Gopinathacharya, Yasomatinandana, Gopi kanta, Chittahari, Sanak, Dvaipayana, the best halava maker in the movement!, Gauramandalabhumi, Antaratma, Samjata, Kurma the great cook of Basmati rice, Sahadeva, Shivinath, (who made the best ’simply wonderfuls’) Jayadharma who managed Spiritual Sky, Dhoumya (who made the first four meter (12 feet) tall Deity of Lord Caitanya in Australia for the 1972 Rathayatra festival and who chanted with me for what was the first time for devotees in Adelaide in 1972). Ganesa (who once sold all of Prabhupada’s books to an out back aboriginal who was on his way to the market with the aboriginal communities monthly allowance, Ganesa got it all! Although Madhuvisa eventually gave the money back and told them to keep the transcendantal Books), Kuntibhoja, who was on that first travelling Temple.
Also there was Bhakta Phil (now Subhapati who went on to establish the Murwillumbah Hare Krishna community New Govardhana), a young Bhakta called John, who I showed how to play the mrdanga drum in Hobart Tasmania, (now Ramai Swami and GBC member). Prabhupada even wrote a letter thanking us for taking his books and the chanting of Hare Krishna to the very ends of the planet (Tasmania also known as Van Demons land!). Also, who could ever forget the Kirtans from (the then) Emperor of Kirtan Madhuvisa Swami and the first ever Travelling Temple in 1972.
And many, many more ISKCON pastimes, like the fantastic women book distributors like Subhalaksmi devi-dasi and Gopala devi-dasi. I once drove a van load of them from Melbourne to Sydney chanting Hare Krishna all the way, every service station and Town we stopped in they were not satisfied until they distributed some of Prabhupada’s books. The memories, too many to write here, flowed through me that I was in tears, even though alone without any associating of present day devotees, I still had Prabhupada. I listed to Prabhupada chanting, that’s all I had, the 1966 Hare Krishna mantra. It was, as if he was saying to me, ‘just love me and I will protect you from all this’
ALSO A FOOT NOTE ON THE 1976 STORY
Many years later in 1990 the head Catholic fundamentalist Christian that threatened Srila Prabhupada’s life and Melbourne devotees, had become very ill and was dying, he had already had the bottom part of one leg amputated. One afternoon, the then Temple President Balarama Prabhu got an unusual phone call; it was from this man Erickson. He told Balarama what he did was wrong and felt ashamed and sorry for his actions. Balarama forgave the man and told him there is no difference between his God and Lord Krishna. The man replies ‘I think I understand that now’ The mercy of the devotees are boundless!!”
