Srila Prabhupada thus revealed his accommodating nature; he saw divinity in God’s creation and also in practises beyond what he did daily. He could appreciate spirituality beyond ISKCON- in a gathering of holy men in Kumbh mela.
During Kartik, I seek to remember Srila Prabhupada’s mood of seeing God in small things. Often, we restrict our understanding of God’s beauty to only the deity form and confine our practises to only chanting of Holy Names. But Srila Prabhupada taught by his example to see God even in the sky and trees. Once Srila Prabhupada even suggested keeping a room where hippies who came to Vrindavan, could gather for smoking, if they wished. The idea was to slowly attract them to Krishna consciousness and help them give up the habit of drugs and smoking. Although he just mentioned this in passing, and he never actually created such a facility and thereby averted a controversy, still the fact that he considered it shows his big hearted nature. In one lecture Srila Prabhupada suggests that even a drunkard could become Krishna conscious if while drinking his wine, he remembers God with gratitude, “Oh the taste of this liquor is Krishna.” Srila Prabhupada quoted the seventh chapter of Bhagavad Gita to explain how God is the taste of liquids, the fragrance of earth, light of fire etc. Of course, Srila Prabhupada insisted every devotee follows the four regulative principles of no meating, no intoxication, no illicit sex and no gambling- all for our own good, yet he also was lenient on those addicted and wanting to improve.
I pray this Kartik that I can develop this magnanimity of heart. Let me become strict with myself and lenient with others as I practise and preach Krishna consciousness. Let me become an instrument to bring more souls to Krishna rather than fry them out by taking a high moral ground on all things spiritual.
Once a group of devotees had gathered around Srila Prabhupada and one of them asked what would please him the most. A devotee who distributed books thought Srila Prabhupada would say that book distribution pleased him more than anything else.
