Rose Forkash Remembers Srila Prabhupada

Prabhupada Memories

Interview 01

Rose Forkash: My daughter, Lilashakti, (at that time Linda) came home to Santa Barbara, locked herself in the bedroom and for two days she did nothing but read Back to Godhead magazines. When she came out we were sure that there was something that needed investigating but came Saturday she said she was leaving for Los Angeles to go to the temple. Of course we trusted that whatever she was reading and pertained to this temple was something that we should be satisfied was innocent enough. But a week later my husband and I came to visit and it so happens that day Prabhupada arrived. I remember Prabhupada sat on the upper level in the temple while the chairs and seats for everybody else was just a little bit down below. Questions were asked of him and of course I raised my hand because I didn’t know what this was all about. I asked, “If this is such a good thing for all people to become involved in, why did it take so long to come to us?” He replied, “You were late.” Suddenly all the devotees to my right let up a howl of joy and he turned to them and said, “And you were all late.”

It wasn’t until about a year or two later when Prabhupada came back to Los Angeles that I spoke with him at length. That afternoon Prabhupada gave me his lunch and told my husband and me how glad he was that we were taking an interest. He asked us a little bit about ourselves and I remember he asked my husband, Sam, what kind of business he was in. Sam said he was in the used furniture business. Prabhupada said, “Used? Used, like people like me?” (laughs)

A year later my parents, who were elderly, came to visit from Florida and Lilashakti told them about her experience on sankirtan. My mother said, “I’d like to do that,” and my father said, “I would too.” So the devotees there gave my parents some Back to Godheads, and there they were, walking up and down the street offering Back to Godhead magazines. Every time someone would accept one, my father would clap. He was so happy that people were showing an interest. Both of them were even happier when I brought them to the temple. As we entered, my father in his enthusiasm was so happy that I remember he bent down and kissed the door. He walked in, looked at the deities and said, “This is the nicest thing I ever saw in my whole life.” That’s something to remember.

We felt very comfortable with the fact that our daughter was involved in something that was so beneficial for her. In addition I was amazed that what we needed for ourselves was coming from our own child. Up until then we had very little religious feelings. When my parents were young, they had no opportunity financially or otherwise to get involved in a religion that would have suited them. It wasn’t until they met the devotees, heard about the temple and came to the temple that they wanted to join. As a matter of fact, my father had signed up for he and my mother to move into the temple in South Florida where they lived. On one walk I took with my father I said, “You know Pop, that’s fine. But you know you can’t smoke any cigars?” He said, “I only smoke one.” I said, “Not even one, Pop.” He took the cigar out of his pocket, broke it in half and said, “Okay I’m done.”

On Sundays Sam and I used to go down to the beach in Santa Barbara. There was always a gathering of artists and we got to meet many people from the movie industry. It was Meryl Streep I remember who bought some cookies from us and as she picked up the package she looked at it and said, “Oh, this is the Hare Krishna. How do you say it?” We chanted the mantra and she chanted with us, which was very nice.

I felt comfortable with him. Sometimes if people see a movie star, they would be in awe. But Prabhupada didn’t make you feel that way. He never acted as if he felt, “I’m so important.” He didn’t give that impression. He was a bearer of information. He was delivering information and he did it in such a calm way that wasn’t frightening. It was informational like, “I have something to tell you and I think you will be interested in hearing this.” I do remember when he walked out of the temple after a lecture one day and the devotees were eager to pay their obeisances to him. They all scrambled to get down and he motioned with his hands, “Get up, get up, get up,” as if to say, “That’s not necessary.”

To view the entire unedited video go to Memories 53 - The Alachua Clan 2

The full Prabhupada Memories Series can be viewed here and also at www.prabhupadamemories.com

Following Srila Prabhupada

Interview DVD 09

Rose Forkash: I came because it was Lila Shakti that was there. I don’t think she was initiated yet. I wanted to hear the man that was responsible for the movement, and I wanted to see what was going on. Who captured my daughter? Not that she didn’t need capturing. But when we walked into the temple – that was my husband and I – the sun was coming through the window and shining on this man. He seemed to be engulfed by the sun, like the sun was purposely coming just for him. Mind you, I was not a believer at that time. My first impression was that his whole demeanor had the strength of a lion. He appeared to me that he was giving off so much energy, so much strength in this man. Yet there was a kindness to him that I felt, and he appeared so large. I was so surprised when he did stand that he was not so big. I don’t remember what he even spoke about. I was mostly involved in just looking at the man. He finished his talk, and then he said would there be any questions. Of course, my hand went up, “Yes, I have a question. If this movement that you speak about is so necessary, why was it so late in coming here?” And I’m thinking, “Here my daughter was a hippie back in Illinois, involved in drugs and whatever. What took you so long if this was so important?” And he said, “That’s a very good question. It wasn’t late, you were late.” And the devotees, oh, they applauded. And he turned to them and he said, “And you were all late!” The devotees squelched down when he said, “And you were late.” They thought that he had won a debate with me. Actually mine was just an innocent question, “Where were you all these years?” I had hoped that we would have more conversation about this, but he went on to speak a little bit more. But I was determined to meet him again. I did come back the next time he came to town, and I requested a meeting with him. He was someplace in another room. He was told who I was. And he asked my husband what he does, what kind of business he was involved in, and Sam said that he operated an antique shop in Santa Barbara. He said, “And what kind of antiques do you carry? What do you sell?” Sam explained, “Anything that was old,” which it was. I remember Prabhupada saying, “That’s very interesting.” Of course, he was very, very, very nice to my husband, very nice. But we may have spent a good 30 minutes or so with him. In fact, prasadam was brought to him and he offered it to us, which I thought was so nice. His prasadam he offered to us. He was very happy that parents like ourselves were agreeable. He asked me about the other children we had, and I told him we had two sons and their feelings towards their sister’s involvement. And he listened, he listened to everything I said. He gave me rapt attention. Whereas I would have liked to have asked him more things, he was actually interviewing us now that I think of it. I’m sorry I can’t remember my entire conversation with him. Some of my memory has left me with this advancing age. The next birthday I have will be 87. The third time I met him I already had started the Friends of Krishna program where I was writing to devotees’ families. And he said, “Mrs. Forkash, you are doing very nice work, very nice work.” He asked me if I chanted, and I said I did. He said, “But you know, you should be wearing tilak,” and he pointed to my face and he said, “Right there.” I said, “What is tilak?” He called the girls over and he said, “Mrs. Forkash will wear tilak.” Well, they did apply it, and I swear on everything I did not have this until the next day when I washed the tilak and this remained. And I tell you, I went to a dermatologist and I asked to have this removed, and they could not take it off and it’s still there. Isn’t that something?

Nalinikanta das: Announcements were being made that Srila Prabhupada was concentrating on his translating work and he wanted to get a lot done and devotees should not bother Prabhupada. Only GBCs or sannyasis could go to see Prabhupada, and the usual requests for guests and such would be minimized. So I was a small temple president of Phoenix at the time, and I had a $50 donation to give Prabhupada, which was nothing. So Rakshana was guarding Prabhupada, and I made a little pact with him to let me up the back stairs. We talked to Srutakirti, who was Prabhupada’s servant, and he also agreed to let me in just for a minute. So it was 9:20 at night. I was a little afraid of breaking the laws, but I just wanted to see Srila Prabhupada so much. So Srutakirti opened the door and I came in behind him, and Srila Prabhupada had his hand in his bead bag and was facing away from us looking out the back window down the alley past the temple. Srutakirti said, “Srila Prabhupada, this devotee from Phoenix has come to see you.” Srila Prabhupada turned around; and as he slowly turned around, the fear of interrupting him and being insignificant was fairly strong. But when he turned around, he had the biggest smile on his face and he was just radiating warmth and love from his heart and giving me a greeting like, “Oh, my dear son has come to see me. How kind.” I really learned from that experience that all of us are equal in Prabhupada’s eyes and whenever we have anything to offer to him or if we have any love to give him at all, we should just do it without any rules or regulations in regards to status or standing in ISKCON or anything. We are all equal in his eyes, and he was just happy to see his lost son coming to him for shelter. It was a memorable exchange. Just with one look Prabhupada could pierce your heart and change your whole life in one glance. I gave him the check as I was leaving and he said, “Thank you very much.” Then what happened later was about three months later I got a letter from India from Prabhupada, which was surprising because I hadn’t written him, and it was a thank you note for the fifty-dollar check and the donation. He made a personal note and said something, preaching to me that pleasing the spiritual master is the way to please Krishna, and I thought it was wonderful that he would acknowledge not only me but also the small donation that we had given him.