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| Tinkadi Baba |
(from "Sadhu Sadhu: a Life of Baba Sri Tinkadi Gosvami"):
One night, it would have been around eleven o'clock. Prabhupada Tinkadi Baba was walking slowly on the Gaura's bank of Ganges. With him was one Prabhupada's recipients of grace, Narayana Visvasa, and a few other bhaktas. In the moonlight there was a softness everywhere. The Ganges, river of the gods, was flowing with a gurgling sound. A soft, slow breeze was blowing. Along with that there was an unprecedented sweetness in everyone's hearts because of Prabhupada's sweet closeness. Everything became quiet. Suddenly, Prabhupada said: "Well, Narayana, what beautiful moonlight! Is it not?" Narayana Visvasa with an exultant heart said: "Yes, Baba." Then Prabhupada said: "See, what a beautiful breeze is blowing. Is it not?" Everyone replied: "Yes, Baba."
"How do you like it?"
"We like it very well."
"Well, Narayana. Have you bathed in the Ganges?"
"Yes, Baba."
"How was it? Tell me."
"Baba, taking into account all the places I bathe, the kind of peace I feel when I bathe in the Ganges, I don't feel anywhere else."
Prabhupada seemed to become very pensive. A few moments later Prabhupada broke the silence of the night and said: "Okay, Narayana, do you have electricity at your house?"
"Yes, Baba."
"A fan?"
"Yes, Baba."
"Okay. For the lights that you burn and the fans that you run you don't have to pay some tax?"
"Baba, one has to pay tax. Without tax how would we have such facilities."
Prabhupāda became very thoughtful and then said: "Now tell me, Nārāyana. Bhagavan is providing this free air—which if it were stopped even for a short time human beings would lose their lives. He is giving the light of the sun and he is giving the lovely sweet light of the moon. If all these lights were stopped the whole earth would be in darkness. The beautiful water of the Ganges and the water beneath the soil; if this water were not there no living being would be able to remain alive. Bhagavan provides all these things for us our whole lives and for that Bhagavan there is nothing we should do?
Look, Narayana, aren't grateful? Bhagavan is providing everything for us in such a beautiful way and we can't find even the little bit of time needed to think about him? There is no mention of having to give him anything. One doesn't have to give him anything; he doesn't want anything in exchange. He has only mentioned saying his name with our lips. I will do all the work of mundane life, only I need to say his name with my mouth and just see how unfaithful we are, how ungrateful: without any great effort we are to say his name with our mouths and that little bit we cannot do. Nevertheless, see how compassionate Bhagavan is.
Even if you don't give him anything and even if you do not accept him he does not deprive you of his grace. Who else is so merciful? Those who I think love me in this worldly existence, they, too, love me for some self-interest. Those for whose happiness we are wasting through neglect this rare human birth, they all love out of self-interest. See how Bhagavan is exactly the opposite of that. I don't love him; nevertheless, see how much effort he makes to support us. Even before we are born he places milk in the breasts of our mothers so that we may survive. But we can't even spare the little bit of time it takes to say his love-rich name. And those for whose happiness we would give up our very lives, waste our present lives and in the after life set us on the path to becoming guests in hell. And for the one who desires nothing at all, who only goes on giving, who even if we do not love him loves us, we will not even think about such a loving person as him for a little while. So ungrateful!"
Prabhupada's words made a deep impression on everyone's minds. With extremely beautiful turns of speech such as this Prabhupada raised everyone's minds to contemplation on Srī Krsna.
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