Sunbathing on the beach

Sometimes at his request I would go down to the hotel lobby and buy a pineapple from the store freezer, ride up in the elevator, and cut it up for him. When Prabhupada found out that Panditji was sometimes spending hours sunbathing on the beach, he disapproved it as a waste of time. This made me afraid to leave the apartment even for a minute, although I had also thought of going to the ocean. The thought of Prabhupada suddenly calling me while I was gone made me give up all desire for diversion. He fixed his stay for a total of fourteen days in Hawaii, although I wished it were longer. I knew that when he reached India he would be very busy managing his projects there and seeing devotees throughout the day. And, as I had already experienced as his servant in India for one month in 1973, many of his countrymen would be at the door waiting to see him, although few of them were serious in approaching him as their spiritual master. I felt somewhat jealous, as we all had in New York City in 1966, when Srila Prabhupada had wanted to leave for San Francisco. We had wanted him to stay with us, but we knew that it was imperative that he travel and preach. This time, however, I would be going along. Wherever he went in the world, a place was always reserved for the servant.