When Swami Met Sally

When Swami Met Sally

By Satyaraja Dasa

The kindness of strangers played a pivotal role in ISKCON’s pre-history.

Last year I had the good fortune to meet Gopal and Sally Agarwal, an elderly couple who played a significant role in ISKCON’s origins. They are forever etched in the devotees’ collective memory as two of the Western world’s earliest recipients of Srila Prabhupada’s mercy. It was the Agarwals who hosted him in the fall of 1965, before ISKCON was even nominally born, giving him shelter, hospitality, friendship, and love. Indeed, for one month their home served as Prabhupada’s earliest refuge outside India.

As Prabhupada acquainted himself with the Agarwal home in Butler, in western Pennsylvania, he saw a typically quiet American town nestled in the hills, a town that has changed little since his brief visit those many years ago.

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Courage Under Fire

Padmapani & Tribhubanatha

My wife shared this post with me that she ran across on Facebook. The author is unknown, but this is a very nice memory of two courageous souls, and their desire to serve the mission of their spiritual master Srila Prabhupada.

Sriman Padmapani Prabhu passed away a short time ago. There is little doubt that he is now serving Srila Prabhupada’s ongoing pastimes, wherever that may be. There will be many sad devotees around the world when they learn that Padmapani has left his body.

My path first crossed Padmapani’s in 1974 or 75 in Winnipeg, Canada, and later again in Montreal. After departing Montreal, he eventually traveled to the Middle East to distribute Krishna consciousness. Upon his return, some years later, he resurfaced in the fledgling Iskcon rural community of Warkworth, Canada, and by my good luck lived in the apartment across the hall from me.

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Prabhupadagita.com


Some years ago I put the complete Original 1972 Bhagavad-gita “As It Is” by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami online. You can click on link prabhupada.gita to visit. I find it is a quick and easy site for reference to all your favorite chapters and slokas.

I happened to check on the site this morning, and was surprised to find we already have over 1 million visitors. People are appreciating The original version of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is