I always felt about him that he was a deeply serious man, serious about life. He never talked about his past, his personal life. I did ask him once or twice a question here and there, and he waved it away. He said, “Not important, that’s not important,” and then I began to feel it wasn’t important. What was important was what he was doing now. It was only once, when he touched me so much, I asked if I could hug him. He said something like, “Why not?” Nobody touched him usually. Guruji (Dr. Mishra) did, he would put his arm around him, but this was after I knew him for a while. But it was the Indian way of hugging. Somehow they manage to hug you and be miles apart in the hug; but at the same time, although the bodies were kept apart, it’s only really the shoulders that come together. It’s Indian style. But I felt Swamiji’s love. He was a tender man, he was a caring man, and an innocent man. And in the company of innocence you relax completely, and so I was always relaxed with Swami Bhaktivedanta.
Joan Suval
(Following Srila Prabhupada)
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