Mahatma : There’s a morning walk picture with Hridayananda Maharaja, Trivikram Swami, Tamala Krishna Maharaja, Danavir Prabhu, and many other senior devotees. Prabhupada is in the center of the picture, I’m standing behind him, and everybody is bursting out laughing. At this time we were walking north of the Santa Monica pier, when Ramesvara was describing book distribution in South America and how people who lived in places where there were no temples were writing letters of appreciation for Prabhupada’s books.
Ramesvara was glorifying Hridayananda Maharaja, saying, “Just see Hridayananda Maharaja’s potency. He is enthusing book distribution. He’s so wonderful.” This was in 1976 during the height of the fierce book distribution competition between the Radha-Damodara Party and the temples. Prabhupada knew that Tamala Krishna Maharaja, the head of the Radha-Damodara Party, wanted to be number one. As Ramesvara glorified Hridayananda Maharaja again and again, Prabhupada stopped and said, “Don’t speak so loudly. Tamala will have a heart attack.” Everyone cracked up, and that’s the picture. Prabhupada himself is laughing.
