(Srila Prabhupada playing mṛdaṅga—click to enlarge)
Prabhupāda: Many saintly persons used to visit my father's house. My father was Vaiṣṇava. He was Vaiṣṇava, and he wanted me to become a Vaiṣṇava. Whenever some saintly person would come, he would ask him, "Please bless my son that he can become a servant of Rādhārāṇī." That was his prayer. He never prayed for anything. And he gave me education how to play mṛdaṅga. My mother was against. There was two teachers—one for teaching me A-B-C-D, and one for teaching me mṛdaṅga. So the one teacher was waiting, and the other teacher was teaching me how to play on mṛdaṅga. So my mother would be angry, that "What is this nonsense? You are teaching mṛdaṅga? What he will do with mṛdaṅga?" (laughs) But perhaps my father wanted that I should be a great mṛdaṅga player in the future. (laughter) Therefore I am very much indebted to my father, and I have dedicated my book, Kṛṣṇa book, to him. He wanted me. He wanted me to be preacher of Bhāgavata, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and player of mṛdaṅga, and to become servant of Rādhārāṇī.
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Dallas, March 3, 1975)
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