By Varsana Swami
The Palace of Gold is the first samadhi of Srila Prabhupada in the world, although originally it was not intended to be his samadhi. The devotees had intended to construct a simple residence in a peaceful, undisturbed environment where Srila Prabhupada could fulfill his life goal of translating and commenting on the entire Srimad Bhagavatam. As time went on, however, the residence became more ornate and came to be known as “The Palace of Gold,” which is very appropriate because golden is the luster of bhakti. During the last year he was with us, Srila Prabhupada was preparing us for his departure. As we processed the inevitable upcoming experience, we continued with the activities which we knew would please him – pujari services, agricultural services, animal husbandry, and construction of his Palace of Gold.