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Here’s a few from ’72:
This is April 1st 1972, Srila Prabhupada’s second visit to Australia.
He is seen here on his Vyasasana on his arrival at the temple on April 1 1972. On the left in the photo is his servant Nanda Kumara das. Others members of the party were Shyamasundara dasa, secretary, and Sanskrit editor Pradyumna prabhu.
When he arrived, the vyasasana was on the right wall of the temple so that Prabhupada had his right hand side towards the Deities. He immediately had us switch it to the other wall so that his left side was to the altar.
Note the reel-to-reel recorder on the right. One of the bhaktas, Wally, who was a university professor and who was initiated the following week as Vyasadeva das, lent his expensive recording equipment for recording Prabhupada’s lectures etc. Unfortunately in the week afterwards, he accidentally erased all the recordings!
Srila Prabhupada leaving Glebe temple after the first night’s lecture April 1 1972.
On Prabhupada’s right is Radha Raman, the son of Raghunatha and Gaurangi prabhus. Above him is 17 years old Bhakta Ray, who became Rajendra dasa on April 9 1972 when about 15 of us were initiated. He ’blooped’ (left, fell back into the ocean of material existence) within three days. When this was reported to Srila Prabhupada, who by that time had travelled on to New Zealand, he is said to have commented, “He did not accept me, and I do not accept him.”
On the right of the photo is Sydney temple president Mohanananda dasa, who was only 19 years old!
This next one was taken a few days later in Melbourne when Srila Prabhupada installed small Radha Krishna Deities and also awarded sannyasa to French-Canadian Hanuman dasa:
On the left is Jagatarini dasi and behind Srila Prabhupada is Shyamasundara prabhu.
This next one was taken on the first Rathayatra ever held in Australia in late June 1972. We built one chariot, carved new Deities of Lord Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra and marched in procession through the streets of Melbourne, ending up in a small hall. We put on a feast and a drama which concluded with Srila Prabhupada’s image being projected onto the wall while the devotees danced ecstatically in kirtana.
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