Srila Prabhupada

Ok so I had a dream about Srila Prabhupada last night. As dreams usually are, it was weird and mis-matched and strange... but he was there. I've often wondered what it would be like to be in the presence of Srila Prabhupada, and stories that older devotees have always intrigue me. I'm not sure if this particular dream meant anything... but in any case I got a small glimpse of what it was like. I wish it didn't end when it did.

At first the strangest thing was that I felt like I was about 8 or 10 years old. I was in some sort of room, with lots of people singing and dancing, and there was arati going on. I'm not sure who we were worshiping, but out attention was focused toward the small vyasasan with a picture frame on it. Srila Prabhupada was doing the arati, and he was offering the flowers. I was facing Prabhupada, rather than the picture frame, and I wasn't singing and chating with everyone else. I was just mesmerised watching Sripa Prabhupada. He was offering with such sincerity, such devotion, like I have never seen before.

He finished offering the flowers, threw a few towards the vyasasan and picture frame, and then looked straight at me. I didn't do anything. He beckoned with his head, holding the flowers in my direction. I went up to him and held my hand out for the flowers. He put the pink and red roses in my hand, and then took my thumb and gave it a pinch and a little shake. I looked up at him and he had a hug grin on his face, like he was teasing me in some way.

I went back to my position sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of him, a little further away than before. By this time there was no kirtan, in fact no one in the room other than just Srila Prabhupada and myself.

And then, as random as dreams can be, all of a sudden everything disappeared. It looked like something similar to a backdrop for a drama being dropped to the ground - everything just collapsed and Prabhupada was gone. I was stuck on a mountainside, 3 metres deep in snow, and sitting in a wrecked car.

In front of me I saw petals of pink and red roses, tumbling along the snow in the wind.