Here’s Srila Prabhupada’s entry stamp for his second visit to Australia on April 1 1972

It was an amazing time. I moved into the temple on February 15. There were 10-12 full time devotees. By the time of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival six weeks later there were 44. We would go out on sankirtan and chant the Hare Krishna mantra on the street corners for 4-6 hours a day. Almost every day when we arrived back at the temple another new devotee was waiting to be shaved up or put on a sari.

I mentioned in my entry below that when I joined, I donated my life savings, about $1,500.00 (in those days the Australian $ was worth about US$1.50) Most of that went to paying for a revolutionary new piece of preaching equipment:

The bus was converted into a travelling temple, with an altar and wooden floor upstairs and an open carpeted area down below. It was launched on Lord Caitanya’s appearance day, which that year was February 29.

It caused a sensation wherever it went. Australians had never seen a bright orange double decker packed out with two dozen chanting dancing bald kids dressed in bright saffron robes and women wearing exotic saris. We got instant news coverage on all the TV channels and in the major newspapers. Raghunatha das, who was the oldest member of the temple at approximately 28 years, took his test and got the necessary licence and he used to drive us into the city every day for our sankirtan activities

On our first day out we were hanging out of the top windows armed with hundreds of carnations which we flung enthusiastically over the heads of the bewildered passersby whenever we stopped at the red lights.

When Srila Prabhupada visited a month later the bus was parked on the street outside the temple and he was taken on a tour of the facilities, which included a look-see of the bus. When he went up the back staircase to see the upper floor his eyes lit up and he exclaimed, “Oh, I could live in this!” He gave it his enthusiastic endorsement and even rode on it one night from the house he was staying in to the temple.

That was a wonderful visit, my first chance to see my spiritual master and I was initiated along with about 15 others onn April 9. It was the first time I experienced what senior devotees told me was a state even higher than Krishna consciousness — Prabhupada consciousness.

I was fortunate to have my first photo taken with His Divine Grace during that visit also:

April 1 1972–Bhakta Harry, Ajita das, Mohanananda das, Srila Prabhupada

There are many stories to tell from those days but I will save them for another time. Readers interested in the development of the Australian yatra can do no better than read Kurma prabhu’s book “The Great Transcendental Adventure” in which he details year by year the growth of the Hare Krishna movement downunder, under the inspiration of Srila Prabhupada. Although seemingly so far away from the rest of the world, Australia was blessed by his presence every year from 1971 through 1976, and that no doubt had a major impact on our successful growth.

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