I have my four children; how I can leave them…and do this!

Nara Narayana Dasa recalls:

It was Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur disappearance day. Srila Prabhupada described that he had been going on and on for many many years. His spiritual master had instructed him to spread Krishna Consciousness in the western world. In a sense it was only a few words that had been given: ‘You should go and spread Krishna Consciousness in the western world in English language’. Many many years had passed, and Srila Prabhupada had been making plans to raise money through pharmaceutical etc to do this, and then his pharmacy burnt down…

But at some point Srila Prabhupada said that he began to see his spiritual master in dreams; his spiritual master was saying, ‘It’s time to go!’

Srila Prabhupada looked around at the 10 or 15 devotees surrounding him at the time, and said, “I was thinking, ‘How I can leave my children! I have my four children; how I can leave them…and do this!’”

And then Srila Prabhupada looked out and it seemed that tears were shooting from his eyes. As he looked around his eyes were shining and he said, “But now I have got so many children!”

And from the way he said it he gave almost the impression that the world had gathered inside that tiny little room in Seattle.

Somehow, for us there was never any question that there would be a huge world movement; at that time there was probably less than 70 devotees in the entire movement!