PREACHERS EVERYWHERE

In spring of 1967, Srila Prabhupada became very ill and appeared to have a stroke. He was taken to the hospital and remained there for some days. He considered the hospital an unhealthy place and expressed his wishes to go to the seashore. Often he described that his guru maharaja lived by the seashore on Puri when he was in ill health and he considered the seashore a healthy place to recover.

Srila Prabhupada would say: "The ocean air is full with vitamins. It is rich in iron, it is very nutritious". So a place in Long Branch, New Jersey, was rented for his recovery spot. It was a two bed room cottage apartment upstairs, just by the seashore and Gaurasundara and I were sent there to clean and prepare the apartment for his arrival. When Srila Prabhupada arrived, though to climb up the stairs was difficult for him, he seemed to quickly gain strength from the healthy atmosphere. During the 3 weeks we lived with him at New Jersey seashore, his strength seemed to increase daily and our spiritual joy increased as well. Being in his company was a daily wonder as there were always new things to learn and to remember. Here are some of the things I remember and always try to recall of our days at the New Jersey seashore: I try to remember them in my daily life. Maybe they can help others to remember Srila Prabhupada as well and if so that is the greatest blessing.

Each day, Gaurasundara and I and Keith would go out to the beach, spread blankets on the sand and sit with Srila Prabhupada. It was a very blissful experience to simply sit and chant japa with him by the seashore. He was weak, so he talked less but as he grew stronger he seemed to enjoy teaching us different things about the world we live in. One day he was looking at the vast expanse of Sandy Beach and noting that there were tiny insects - crabs, ants, and bugs - crawling here and there. Srila Prabhupada would say: "Just see, they say there is no life on other planets but we can see there is life everywhere, even on this barren sand. There are small creatures here and there. How can there be any part of God's creation without life?

There is life everywhere. The form may be different but there is life." When I see small crabs or ants on the beach or in the dessert, I think of Srila Prabhupada sitting calmly chanting Hare Krsna and viewing the New Jersey beach with understanding and detachment, explaining to us how life is everywhere and am reminded of how kind you are, Srila Prabhupada to come into this dessert-like material world in order to teach us bug-like living entities who are foolish enough to believe that our tiny world is the only world.