Chapter Five

 July 28th, 1976

Prabhupāda and I sat up in the first class cabin waiting for takeoff as the other passengers slowly filed past us in the aisle. One man in particular gave us an intense look. With a half-smile he suddenly bent forward and stuck his face next to mine. “How are ya, Ha-ari?” he sneered nastily, with a pronounced American accent. Then he was gone, off to his seat in the economy section. It was an unpleasant experience to say the least. Prabhupāda saw it but said nothing. 

After a short flight the plane touched down at Charles de Gaulle airport.  Within a few minutes we were on a moving walkway through a long airport tunnel, enroute to immigration. We were each standing about two yards apart; I was in the lead, Prabhupāda was in the middle, and Harikeśa Swami was in the rear. About halfway along the walkway’s length I heard a sudden commotion behind; then Harikeśa Mahārāja and the nasty American from the plane came careening past me. Locked in an unwelcome embrace and tangled up in luggage, noisy threats and curses issued from the demon while Harikeśa reproached him.  

Their little dance ended as quickly as it began; they suddenly disentangled, and the demon sped off at a fast walk, shouting obscenities and abuses at us. I was amazed, Harikeśa was irate, but Prabhupāda was serene. Harikeśa said that while standing behind Prabhupāda, he suddenly felt that he must move forward and shield him. At that very moment the American appeared from behind, deliberately trying to barge into Śrīla Prabhupāda as he went past—but he contacted Harikeśa instead.   

Prabhupāda never said a word about the incident, and it was quickly forgotten. However, it stands as a pointed reminder that no matter how good one’s intentions and deeds are, there is always some envious soul going out of his way to make trouble.  

Many devotees, led by Bhagavān prabhu, were at the terminal, and as soon as they saw the transcendental form of Śrīla Prabhupāda they burst into kīrtana, offering him garlands of fragrant flowers while Bhagavān led the way out to the waiting car. From the airport Prabhupāda was driven to the Paris temple for an overnight stay.  

Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Paris-īśvara Temple 

4 Rue la Sueur  

As soon as he arrived Prabhupāda went into the temple room for darśana. The place was small, but the Deities of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Paris-īśvara shone radiantly from Their altar.  

After receiving guru-pūjā from the fifty or sixty devotees, Śrīla Prabhupāda gave a short speech. Allowing one of the devotees to translate sentence by sentence, he explained that Lord Viṣṇu and His potency is one. But, he explained, there is a third energy—this material world—which is a reflection of the transcendental energy. We all have to work to achieve anything in this reflection, whereas in the spiritual world everything is supplied automatically. “So the more you spiritualize the whole atmosphere,” he told the devotees, “the more you become sufficient and happy. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for that purpose. People cannot understand it. They think that, ‘These people are not working—simply chanting, dancing and eating.’ But that is our business.” He grinned and the devotees laughed. “Without working, we can have everything sufficiently.  

“So stick to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You are already advanced. That is my request; don’t deviate. You’ll have never any want, that’s a fact. It is not my invention, it is the statement of Kṛṣṇa. Teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham. Nityābhiyukta, those who are constantly engaged in Kṛṣṇa business, whatever they want, Kṛṣṇa is personally interested to supply it. So without any hesitation, stick to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, everything will be amply supplied. Not that we shall be indolent and lazy. No. We shall utilize our energy for giving service to Kṛṣṇa. That actually we are engaged. We are not lazy. Every one of us is engaged in some sort of service for Kṛṣṇa. So that is my request, that I am now getting old, and that you stick to this principle, and you’ll remain always happy.”  

Then he looked out over the devotees with a smile and asked, “I think this is for the fourth time I have come here? So I find you very happy. Continue, and whenever I shall come, I shall see you happy. Thank you very much.” 

With the devotees cheering all around him, Śrīla Prabhupāda dismounted the vyāsāsana and took a small elevator to the second floor. The devotees have arranged a small but comfortably appointed room for him, with an adjoining servant’s room. 

Due to the change in  the time zone it was already 12:20 p.m. by the time we settled in. I quickly set up the dictaphone and other desk paraphernalia, and then got ready to give Śrīla Prabhupāda his massage. Harikeśa and Bhagavān made arrangements for someone to cook Prabhupāda’s lunch. Bhagavān prabhu mentioned several ladies who could be possible cooks. Deciding on Parijāta dāsī, who has cooked for him before, Prabhupāda said, “All right, she cooks nice.” He told them to make his regular standard fare, “not cumberous” as he put it—rice, (which he stipulated must be well cooked), vegetables, bitter melon and two or three capātīs. He also asked for dāl which he said could be of any variety, as long as it boiled nicely. “Without being boiled,” he said, “it is useless.” 

* * * 

When I entered Prabhupāda’s room to give his evening massage, he came out from the bathroom and went over to an open window to look out for a minute on the neighborhood. He tipped his head up slightly pointing out a few women loitering in the park opposite us. Men were walking slowly past. With a chuckle he said, “In this quarter, there are many prostitutes.” Still, he didn’t seem disturbed by it because, as he said, it is an important location, in the center of the city.  

Prabhupāda managed to translate a little during the night, the first work he has done on his books since we left New York. 

July 29th, 1976

Early in the morning we embarked on the three hour trip to the farm. We went by car and stopped only once for a drink of water and to stretch.  

La Nouvelle Māyāpur, 

Lucay-Le-Male, Valencay, Indre 

The former Chateau d’Oublaise is a beautiful castle situated in the heart of the French countryside. Constructed of whitish stone with turreted roof and spires, three floors and a basement, it seems ideal for ISKCON’s purposes, although it requires a good deal of renovation. We have about two hundred acres of good farmland and numerous other stone dwellings and farm buildings a little apart from the Chateau. Prabhupāda is pleased to see the devotees adopting rural life. He sees great potential for our expansion in Europe through the acquisition of such properties.  

He went first to the high-ceilinged temple room and offered his prostrated obeisances to Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi. Sitting on his newly constructed vyāsāsana carved from black and white marble he surveyed his eager followers. With a bright smile he said, “So, I am very glad to see you again in this village.” 

All the devotees cheered, “Hari bol!” 

“Hare Kṛṣṇa. It was the prediction of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu that in every village, in every town on the surface of the globe, there will be preaching of Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s name and the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. So by your transcendental endeavor it is being fulfilled, otherwise who expected that in this remote village of France, Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra would be chanted? When Caitanya Mahāprabhu said in every village, in every town, He did not mean that every village and every town in India. He specifically says pṛthivīte, means on the surface of the globe.”  

Speaking in short phrases so that his words could be translated, Śrīla Prabhupāda told us, “So the purpose is that without spreading of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement nobody can become happy. That’s a fact. The opportunity of human form of life is systematically being refused by the modern civilization. This material activity only for the bodily comforts of life, that is not human civilization. Human civilization means the human being must know the supreme controller and the aim of life. The real fact is that God is there, the supreme controller, and we, living entities, we are His parts and parcels. As parts and parcels of God, we, being separated, we are suffering. An example can be given in this connection, just like a small child is the part and parcel of the body of the mother. So the child is happy when the child is on the lap of the mother. That means the part and the whole must live together. Then there is happiness. Otherwise, there is distress. The modern godless civilization is making the part and the whole separated. Therefore the whole condition is chaotic. You have got experience in your this part of the globe. Within fifty years there have been two big, big wars and . . .  many other parts also. People are not in happiness on account of godlessness. So actually if we want to be happy in this life and the next life, then we must take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And it is not at all difficult—simply chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. So I am very glad that you are accustomed to chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Stick to it and you’ll all be happy.”  

His brief words were enough to satisfy the devotees. Anticipating the possibility of him not coming due to his illness, they were jubilant to have him now sitting before them. To their cheers, and a loud kīrtana led by Pṛthu-putra Swami, Prabhupāda went up the old elevator (which Bhagavān said they had only just got working in the last couple of days) to the second floor where the devotees had prepared a two-room apartment.   

Prabhupāda stepped through the door and surveyed his sitting room, his eyes widening in appreciation of its simple elegance. It is done in a traditional European style, with molded gilt architraves, walls covered in saffron colored silk wallpaper, and a polished wooden floor covered with a floral patterned carpet.   

With satsifaction Prabhupāda told Bhagavān, “Organize this center very nicely. So many people will be happy.”  

“The devotees are very ecstatic,” Bhagavān told him, referring to Prabhupāda’s presence. 

Śrīla Prabhupāda responded with a humble laugh, “Oh. Yes, there was no hope for my coming. Now I’ve come, they must be.” 

The far wall is mainly window, giving Prabhupāda a panoramic view of the countryside. There is a line of large oak trees just opposite, and woods and cornfields stretch away into the distance. Prabhupāda asked Bhagavān if the sun shone through until noon. He was obviously thinking of being able to take his massage in the sunshine while remaining in the privacy of his own room.  

“Until five o’clock,” Bhagavān said, explaining that there were windows on three sides. When the sun rises it shines through the bedroom, and as it moves across the sky it illumines the sitting room. As Bhagavān showed him through the newly decorated apartment, the devotees’ skill and sincere endeavor were everywhere in evidence. Bookshelves and some of the bathroom fittings are made of imported Italian marble, as is the low desk in the sitting room. It is a beautiful pink marble slab with hand carved lotus patterns along the edges resting atop ornamental brass legs. As a final touch the devotees had placed vases of fragrant flowers throughout the rooms. 

Sitting behind his desk, beneath a large painting of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, Prabhupāda relaxed and voiced his satisfaction with their efforts to serve him. “Yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau/ tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ. This desire to serve guru is the qualification. In the spiritual life, this is the secret of success. Yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau. Our Gaudiya Math people, those who were leaders, they wanted to supersede the order of Guru Mahārāja. Therefore it was failure.”  

He sat back and admired the room. “Very, very nice.” Glancing over the few, but opulent pieces of furniture, he noted that such items are not available in India, or if they are, at a great cost.  He asked Bhagavān how many devotees are currently staying in New Māyāpur and was told there are about one hundred and fifty. 

“Very good. They are all happy?” Prabhupāda asked. 

“Oh, yes,” Bhagavān answered. 

“Let them come and work little, grow food, eat and chant,” he said, and contrasted this pleasant prospect with modern life. “Why should they bother going to the factory, running at five o’clock? Horrible life, horrible civilization. Motor accident, delayed, anxiety, ‘Oh, I am delayed, I am delayed.’ What is this civilization?” 

* * * 

Harikeśa Mahārāja brought a few pieces of mail in at about 10:00 a.m. One was from Vāsudeva dāsa in Fiji, also signed by Upendra prabhu. Vāsudeva expressed some concerns about working with a GBC and also about the ownership of the land the temple is being built on. He seemed unclear, despite Śrīla Prabhupāda’s last letter stating explicitly the type of management structure he wants there. Prabhupāda was even more specific in his reply this time. “Regarding the situation in Fiji, it is necessary that we come to a proper understanding as to the status of the land and the organization of ISKCON Fiji itself. The first point is that the governing board of ISKCON may have yourself and your brother as members, but must also have the GBC for the zone, Guru Krpa Swami, the GBC Chairman, Tamal Krsna Goswami, and Upendra das as members. The second point is that after ISKCON has been organized in the above way the land which the temple is being constructed on must be leased to ISKCON Fiji with a 99 year unconditional lease with option to renew which I shall approve. 

“In case you do not like this arrangement then you may keep the temple as your private property and as my disciple I will give you guidance. But you may not use the ISKCON name to collect funds or to take loans. In this connection until this matter is resolved no loan may be taken from the bank or elsewhere and all collections in the name of ISKCON must stop. If you desire to keep the temple as private property then Upendra das may return to Hawaii and ISKCON Fiji may be dissolved. If you want to consider this project as an ISKCON project then you must abide by the orders and direction of the GBC, which you do not like to do. Now whatever you like let me know.” 

Prabhupāda also sent a letter to the manager of the bank in Fiji instructing him to wait until he gives him direct authorization before giving out a proposed $80,000 loan to Vāsudeva prabhu. Copies of both letters were sent to Tamal Krishna Goswami, Gurukṛpa Swami, Upendra and Vāsudeva. 

From New York, Chāyāvana Swami sent a lengthy letter outlining his previous activities in Africa. He described how the yātrā, which consisted of only one temple in Nairobi, was in very poor shape before he took up the management. Devotees were disheartened and in heavy debt, and there were problems with the local government as well as our Hindu supporters. He said he felt Śrīla Prabhupāda had been misinformed about his activities and he requested that the matter be carefully reconsidered, “as I wish to take a responsible and serious role in the management of our Society.” He expressed his desire to return to Africa. 

Well aware of Chāyāvana’s personal problems Prabhupāda wasn’t too happy to hear that he wants to leave New York so soon after having arrived there. He replied that Chāyāvana should wait until next year’s Māyāpur GBC meetings for a decision. 

Yaśodānandana Swami sent a report of his latest preaching programs in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, where he met with a prominent brāhmaṇa from one of the most strict and orthodox branches of the Madhva-sampradāya, Śrī Subbachar. He first heard of our Movement through reading an article Acyutānanda Swami wrote called Divya-veṣya, attacking Māyāvādī philosophy. Favorable to our Movement, Śrī Subbachar endorsed our point of view that a brāhmaṇa should be known by quality, not just by birth. Yaśodānandana mentioned how Śrī Subbachar explained that because Mahārāja Priyavrata ruled over the entire earth and deputed his sons to control the nine varṣas, it is entirely possible that Americans and Europeans could be descendants of brāhmaṇa families. Also he quoted Śrī Subbachar as describing, “Sometimes even though a cow has all the characteristics of a cow (gives milk, four legs etc.) if she does not have the fleshy neck as it is on all the other cows, is this a reason why she should be called a goat? Similarly, if someone has all the qualifications except the birth still he should be accepted as a Brahmin.” 

Yaśodānandana Mahārāja stated that they have been trying to gain support for the entry of our devotees into the Purī temple, where we are presently not allowed. There is a lot of opposition, mainly, he said, from the śāktas who worship Bimalādevī, and from the Purī Śaṅkarācārya, whom he described as a “first-class asura.” He said he hates our movement and the fact that we wear the yajña-upavīta, the sacred thread. Apparently the Puri Śaṅkarācārya is at odds with the Śṛṅgeri Śaṅkarācārya, the latter of whom has given our men a letter of endorsement. 

In Prabhupāda’s short reply he confirmed Śrī Subbachar’s claim. “In regards to your point on the brahmanas being dispersed all over the world, Rsabhadeva’s sons were both brahmanas and ksatriyas and were throughout the world. The sons of Nava Yogendra were the brahmanas and another son’s progeny were the ksatriyas. So continue this preaching work more and more.” He did not comment on the other points in the letter. 

Not all of the letters Prabhupāda receives are management affairs. In England he received several gifts and notes of appreciation. He has been given individual donations and offerings here as well. He sent a letter of thanks to Mantrinī dāsī, who gave him one hundred and eight pounds. “I thank you very much for it. Actually you are correct, it is not possible for the disciple to repay the debt to the spiritual master. Therefore the disciple remains eternally indebted to the spiritual master and continually works in such a way that the spiritual master may become pleased upon him for such sincere services rendered. Always follow the four principles, take prasadam, and above all chant your sixteen rounds a day, and thus you will make steady advancement in devotional service. Continue to preach this movement all over the world and thus you will become happy and you will make others happy also.” 

Bhaktin Odette wrote him a simple heartfelt poem which she gave to him yesterday. “Oh, Father, I can’t find words to express myself! Closing my eyes, I can only see the beauty, love and infinite tenderness emanating from your lotus eyes—and in silence I cry out! . . . a nostalgic longing . . . burning like fire, but, Oh, nearly to be fulfilled . . . No, without you . . . there is nothing more, and beyond our Lord . . . there is no more.” 

Never negligent of even the simplest service, Prabhupāda encouraged her with a few words, “Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your poem offering and I want to thank you very much for it. I have appreciated the sentiments expressed within and I hope that you will continue to advance more and more in your Krsna consciousness. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami.” 

* * * 

As he took his massage sitting on a straw mat in a patch of sunlight, Prabhupāda glorified the beneficial aspects of sunshine. He told me that in Bengal the tradition is to breastfeed the children for at least six months. They are rubbed with mustard oil and put out in the sun. In this way they become healthy and strong. 

July 30th, 1976

Prabhupāda is still weak, and after a very short morning walk he returned to his quarters without entering the temple room.  

He is still full of mucus and alters his diet frequently to speed his recovery. He told me that traditional Indian cooking is such that by proper combination of spices and diet one can cure almost any disease and still enjoy palatable dishes.  

Harikeśa Mahārāja is cooking but has not done much of it since leaving Prabhupāda’s party in February. Unfortunately he is a little out of practice, and thus far has not quite found the right formula to please His Divine Grace. In fact Prabhupāda is complaining, especially over what he offered him today. Instead of making the usual wet sabjī from peas, tomatoes and fried panīr, freshly made cheese cubes, Harikeśa decided to cook the panīr cubes in a thick sugar solution and make a sweet. When I took the plate into Śrīla Prabhupāda’s room from the small kitchen next door, Prabhupāda looked dubiously at the preparation and said, “What is this? Call him immediately.” Harikeśa came in a little sheepishly and Śrīla Prabhupāda roundly criticized him for what he called his “mental speculation.” 

* * * 

Prabhupāda sat with Harikeśa Mahārāja and I after his short morning rest. He asked Harikeśa about conditions in the communist countries, telling him that materialistic communism where there is no independent eating, living or thinking is comparable to animal existence, for animals also have no independence. He therefore said we have to try to save everyone by developing centers like this one. 

* * * 

Again there are problems with a senior devotee. News arrived from Africa via Tamal Krishna Mahārāja that Brahmānanda Swami is having some personal difficulties. Not much detail is known, but Tamal Krishna Mahārāja will investigate further. Brahmānanda Mahārāja is such a senior man that I was a little surprised by Prabhupāda’s muted reaction. He shook his head with exasperation and simply told Harikeśa and Bhagavān, “What can I do? The GBC should deal with this.”  

I remained in the room with Śrīla Prabhupāda after his secretaries had gone out. He became a little contemplative and asked me whether any news had come of Madhudviṣa in Hawaii. I told him that we had heard he is now living with a woman. He showed some surprise and dismay, and then, his features softening in reflectiveness, said, “Sometimes I feel for Madhudviṣa. Also Ṛṣi-kumāra, but by Kṛṣṇa’s grace he has returned.” 

I thought of a morning walk in Hawaii shortly after the news came of Madhudviṣa’s leaving, when he had told us that, “You can’t cheat guru and Kṛṣṇa, you can only cheat yourself.”  I asked how it was that apparently advanced devotees fall down. He explained that even good men can fall from their elevated positions because we all have our independence; as soon as this is misused māyā is there to punish and reform us. He said that woman means “māyā’s weapon,” and he noted that even Lord Śiva himself had fallen victim to the Mohinī-mūrti avatāra of Lord Kṛṣṇa. 

* * * 

One of the devotees gave Śrīla Prabhupāda a gold ring with the mahā-mantra inscribed on it. He put it on and now wears rings on three fingers of his left hand and two fingers of his right.  

* * * 

Śrīla Prabhupāda’s push to start something in China seems to be bearing fruit. Śrīdhara and Trivikrama Mahārājas sent a report from Hong Kong, where they are now recruiting Chinese devotees. They requested initiation for a young woman who, from their description, seems well-educated and eager to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness to her fellow countrymen and women.  

Śrīla Prabhupāda was pleased to initiate her, and he encouraged his two sannyāsīs to go forward with their program. “Yes, I immediately accept for initiation Naisen Wang. Her name shall be Nitya-līlā dāsī and I have personally chanted on her beads which are enclosed. She is a very good devotee and she must immediately be initiated. This girl should be trained up and educated to speak in Chinese and recruit Chinese boys and girls. Just try to create a Chinese group of devotees from Taiwan, then all other things are done automatically. We require immediately a Chinese group of devotees.” 

Prabhupāda also informed them that Tamal Krishna Mahārāja is arranging to send two men and funds. 

July 31st, 1976

Since we arrived Prabhupāda has been resting until late in the morning, after 7 a.m. He has not taken a full morning walk since leaving New York. This morning he ate very little for breakfast. He also told us to make all endeavor necessary to prevent him from catching cold. He said that, “With an old body, it means thin blood, and this turns to mucus. And when there is too much mucus it blocks the heart, and this is very dangerous.” He has spent the last couple of days sitting quietly in his room, but at least he is once again having his massage in the sunshine and taking a full bath. 

* * * 

Bhūgarbha dāsa, who was with Mahābuddhi dāsa in India heading up the BBT Library Party, came in the afternoon to give a brief report on his activities. Prabhupāda was keen to hear news of distribution of his books in universities and libraries. Bhūgarbha said a professor, Dr. Radhakrishna from the University of Edmonton in Canada, was writing a comparative study of bhakti in the Indian and the Hebrew traditions, and he was using Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books exclusively as his source for the Indian tradition. The professor had ordered three full sets—one for himself, and two for the university. Bhūgarbha said, “He said, ‘What is a good definition of bhakti?’ So I showed him The Nectar of Devotion, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam. He said that is very good, and he wrote it down and put it in his book.” 

Prabhupāda nodded. “Till now, they took bhakti as a matter of sentiment. Religious science they did not know—all over the world.” 

“He said he’s trying to show that by studying bhakti in Indian tradition and also in Hebrew tradition, he’s . . . ” 

Prabhupāda cut in. “Bhakti is not achieved by studying; bhakti stage is achieved by practice. That is the special significance of our institution, that we are engaging our men in practicing. Therefore they are getting knowledge—not by reading.” 

Bhūgarbha described how the professor’s idea was that there are certain social and economic conditions that need to be present before bhakti can come about. 

“Bhakti can solve everything,” Prabhupāda said. “Social, economical, cultural, religious, everything.” 

Bhūgarbha told Prabhupāda that the Library Party was very inspired in Delhi because everywhere they went Śrīla Prabhupāda had already been there himself selling his original three volumes of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. “The librarians would remember. We would ask them, ‘When did you get these books?’ They’d think. ‘Well, about ten, twelve years ago, some sannyāsī came. We purchased.” He said that on the basis of that original purchase they would tell the librarian that they now must complete the set. They would agree, placing standing orders for the remaining volumes. 

Prabhupāda said that he had also sold his books to many places in Bombay. Bhūgarbha said they had sold books to the Royal Asiatic Society there. “We had to do a little negotiation with them, but they purchased everything. Then the Calcutta Asiatic Society, they wrote us a letter, they said that, ‘These books are the best. But we have no funds to purchase, so can you please send us free of charge?’” 

Prabhupāda was a little surprised. “Maybe. Nowadays people are not interested in cultural societies. They are simply for belly; how to earn money, that’s all. Śūdra mentality. The brāhmaṇa mentality is gone. In America also, people are not joining cultural classes of philosophy. Hayagrīva said he has no job because nobody’s taking English as literary study. Nobody’s interested, they are taking to technology.” 

Bhūgarbha confirmed that American professors complained to them. “When we try to sell them personal books, they say that the salary of a college professor in America is the same as the salary of a waiter in some hotel. That is the respect they are given.” 

Prabhupāda gave a little chuckle. “Sometimes they are called church mouse. A mouse in the church, what he’ll eat? He’s in a householder’s place, a mouse is there, he can eat something. But church, nobody’s eating there. Simply dust, that’s all.” 

* * * 

There was quite a lot of mail, so while he waited for another meeting, Prabhupāda went over it with Harikeśa.  

On June 26th Prabhupāda had inquired from Jayapatāka Swami about Prabhu Swarupa, questioning whether the man was serious about transferring his land in Haridaspur to ISKCON. Jayapatāka’s letter today indicated the man was.  

Prabhupāda replied, “Let Prabhu Swarup transfer the land immediately, we shall do the needful. You are an intelligent boy so you can take it from me that this Haridaspur scheme is for making a link with Bangaladesh, so we have to deal from that point of view.” 

Since it was rumored that Prabhu Swarupa was initiated by Bon Mahārāja, Prabhupāda had also questioned his motives. Jayapatāka indicated however, that Prabhu Swarupa was now interested in retaking his initiation from Śrīla Prabhupāda. So Prabhupāda added, “As far as the fresh initiation goes, we shall see later on. I am expecting to receive the land upon arrival.” 

There was a lengthy letter from Hansadūta Swami, responding to the letter signed by the GBC members in New York. He enclosed with it a copy of a letter he had written to Gopāla Kṛṣṇa prabhu prior to his receipt of the GBC letter. In his letter to Gopāla, Hansadūta denied any intent on his part to want to be involved in the Indian management. “I came to India with a  bad taste in my mouth, I did not want to get entangled again in squabbles with Godbrothers resulting in bad feelings and unfounded rumors, as it was the case in Europe.” He stressed he had only become a co-GBC of Vṛndāvana because Gopāla himself had insisted on it, and that his actual intent in coming to India was to simply fulfill Śrīla Prabhupāda’s desire to create a traveling saṅkīrtana party. He told Gopāla that he was becoming a victim of false rumors and was being unduly paranoid about him.  

After having received the letter from the GBCs, he now wrote to Śrīla Prabhupāda, “I came to India soley on your divine Graces instruction to start the traveling bus party, which I have done by your mercy alone. At the GBC Meeting I requested my senior Godbrothers from the very beginning that I might be relieved of my zone to be free to preach on the buses in India, and that I did not want to be assigned to a zone, since I could already see so many quarrels going on between Gargamuni Maharaj and Gopal Krishna prabhu.” 

Because of the difficulties with Gopāla, Hansadūta said he was thinking of taking Haihaya prabhu’s advice and buying a private house in Vṛndāvana to serve as his base. In that way he hoped to avoid further problems and continue with his preaching. “For the time being I am staying in Vrindaban, practicing Chaturmasi, and waiting for the buses to return for Janamastami, and also the new buses from Germany to arrive.” He ended by assuring Śrīla Prabhupāda that his intention was only to preach, begging his forgiveness for any disturbance he may have caused. 

Śrīla Prabhupāda responded to his letter with a solution without getting into the details of who said what, when and to whom, and without recriminations to anyone. “You should carry on your sankirtana movement; you are fit for that.” When he signed the typed letter later on, he added by hand, “Wherever you like you can make your HQ.” 

Hṛdayānanda Mahārāja sent good news from the Spanish BBT that the new Spanish Kṛṣṇa book was finished and some copies were on their way to Śrīla Prabhupāda in France. He wrote, “I am sure that these books will sell in gigantic quantities in Latin America.” He also said they had just sent the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Canto One, Part Two in Portuguese, and four smaller editions of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in Spanish, to the printer. After a humble prayer begging to be always engaged in Prabhupāda’s service, he ended his letter by saying that, “All of the devotees in South America are highly enthusiastic, and only live to read and distribute Your books.” 

In fact Prabhupāda has already received the copies of the new Spanish Kṛṣṇa book and is delighted with them. “With great pleasure I thank you for them. Please offer all the devotees my blessings. Their enthusiasm for distributing my books will please me very much. Not only will I be pleased, but my guru maharaja will also be pleased and they will all be blessed. This is very good news, prithivite ache yato nagaradi grama sarvatra pracara hoibe mora nama, this is the way of preaching, to spread news of Krsna in every town and village all over the world. Thank you very much.” 

Prabhupāda also received a letter from Paramanand Patel, a twenty-eight year old assistant engineer in Madhya Pradesh in India. Because it was written in Hindi, Śrīla Prabhupāda read it himself and then dictated his reply. Paramanand wrote, “I am in intense grief that my valuable life is uselessly passing away engaged in useless materialistic activities. My intense desire is to devote my whole time in chanting, glorifying and worshiping the Lord.” He humbly requested Śrīla Prabhupāda’s help to achieve his goal. “Will you give shelter to an ignorant person like me at your lotus feet? I always used to study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in my childhood. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is my iṣṭa-deva and He has the highest place in my heart. I beg of you that you please give me shelter in your society and guide me in the path of self-realization. I don’t experience any kind of pleasure in the material world.” 

He said that his parents were arranging for his marriage in about six months, but he was worried that gṛhastha life could not be suitable for self-realization. He therefore asked Śrīla Prabhupāda what would be best for him. “I have written my sad story to you. Please guide me to the path of self-realization by which I can completely devote my life in worshiping and glorifying God.” 

Prabhupāda replied most encouragingly. “By reading your letter, it seems that you are very fortunate. Krsna has given you the best opportunity for developing your Krsna consciousness and certainly He wants to help you. Therefore He has advised you to approach me. As it is the desire of Krsna it is my duty to help you in every respect. 

“I shall be very much pleased to see you in person in Bombay and certainly Krsna will give us the opportunity to engage you fully in Krsna conscious service. You are naturally a devotee of Krsna. Pray to Him always for help and chant the maha-mantra; Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Certainly very soon you will get all possible facilities for advancing in Krsna consciousness.”   

Prabhupāda ended by apologizing for not being able to reply in Hindi due to having no Hindi secretary. 

* * * 

At about 5:00 p.m. Yogeśvara dāsa and his wife, Jyotirmayī dāsī, who manage the French BBT and gurukula respectively, came to discuss the proper standards for the children’s schooling. Yogeśvara prabhu just returned from a trip to the printer in Italy, and Prabhupāda asked him what news he had. Yogeśvara reported that the French editions of Kṛṣṇa book and Upadeśāmṛta, as well as the Italian Bhagavad-gītā, will be ready within ten days.  

Prabhupāda then suddenly switched topics. “What is the political position of the Fascists and Communists?”  

“Very mixed up,” Yogeśvara told him. 

Bhagavān added with a laugh, “They are called Christian Democrats.” 

“They can manufacture so many,” Prabhupāda said with mild sarcasm. “Fertile brain in the tract of desert world. The fertile land in the desert is called oasis. So similarly these rascals, they have got fertile brain in the world of desert, where there is no happiness. But they have got fertile brain, how to manufacture happiness. And māyā kicks on their face and baffles everything. This is the illusion. Daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā. The world is desert, duḥkhālayam aśāsvatam, but they have got fertile brain, how to become happy. And as soon as they make some arrangement, kicks on his face and he falls down. That’s all.”   

He glanced over at Harikeśa. With a grin he said, “What do you think? Is it right? Sometimes you have got fertile brain.” Then to us all, “If you want to be happy, then you have to go back home, back to Kṛṣṇa. That is the only way. What do you think, Jyotirmayī? You are intelligent.” 

 Jyotirmayī took her cue, not to join in the informal discussion, but to ask her specific questions on the gurukula. “Because now, if I don’t ask them today . . . ” 

Prabhupāda responded even before she could ask her questions by immediately quoting from the newly released Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Seventh Canto, Part Three. “Brahmacārī guru-kule vasan dānto guror hitam. The beginning of life is how to become cent percent obedient to guru. That is gurukula. That training should be given. The whole process is that our life will be successful when we strictly follow guru and Kṛṣṇa. Guru means Kṛṣṇa; Kṛṣṇa means guru. Not Māyāvāda, but guru means one who follows Kṛṣṇa, he is guru. Sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ. So guru is directly God. Sākṣād means directly. So sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair uktas, in every śāstra it is said the guru is one, Kṛṣṇa. So, it is stated in the śāstra and it is accepted by authorities. Not that it is simply stated. Ukta means ‘said,’ and sadbhiḥ, ‘by great personalities,’ and tathā means ‘accordingly.’ Bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ, those who are actually in transcendental platform, they should accept it. So why? Kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva. It does not mean Māyāvādī, that he has become God, but he is the most confidential servant. He’s God, servant-God; God is master-God. Kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya. So why he has become priya? That is, Kṛṣṇa says personally, na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ: nobody is dearer than him in the whole world. Why? Ya idaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ mad-bhakteṣu: ‘Who preaches this gospel of Bhagavad-gītā among My devotees.’  

“So the guru has got two business. He has to make devotees and teach them the principles of Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore he’s so dear. Because he acts very confidentially on behalf of Kṛṣṇa, therefore he’s as good as God. This is bhakti. Not the Māyāvādīphilosophy that guru has become God. He’s servant-God, and Kṛṣṇa is master-God. So the success is that both the Gods, when one is accepted by both the Gods, then his life is success. Guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja. Therefore one has to fix his faith staunchly in the bona fide guru. So if one has got bona fide guru, and if he follows that bona fide guru, then his life is success. This is the process. So gurukula means to teach how to become very, very faithful, cent percent faithful, to the bona fide guru. That is gurukula. So you have to teach like that. By behavior, by life, by action. This sum and substance of gurukula.” 

 He was a bit annoyed when he asked for the new edition of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Harikeśa replied we didn’t have it. Somewhat caustically Prabhupāda said, “Simply your face, that’s all. I’ll have to see your face. Why this book is not there?” 

I explained that we had only received the two advance copies given to Prabhupāda in New York. We left one behind there, and the other was given to George Harrison.  

Telling Harikeśa to see if there was another edition he could look the verses up in, and remarking that “reference book must be always there,” Prabhupāda went on with his comments on gurukula. “Now from this platform, on this understanding you have to organize.” 

Jyotirmayī enumerated what she had been telling other teachers were the three main principles children must be taught: obedience, how to read Prabhupāda’s books and how to be self-controlled. 

Prabhupāda told her that the guru requires four principles: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling and no intoxication, and chanting at least sixteen rounds of the mahā-mantra. “Rise early in the morning, that should be taught. So whatever guru says, you have to teach them perfectly, from childhood; then there will be no deviation when they are grown up.” 

He stressed that the most important thing is for the children to learn how be obedient, self-controlled and act on behalf of the guru. He said he isn’t interested in producing scholars because the world is already full of them. “Put in the life, that is important. Our Movement has drawn the attention of the world on account of life and the knowledge. They are finding the knowledge in the books and they are finding the practical application in the life.” 

Having found the verses, Harikeśa read out 7.12.1 describing the principles of brahmacārī life. Prabhupāda then said that the boys and girls should therefore be separated, in order to learn how to control their senses. With a laugh he repeated Sarasvatī, Śyāmasundara and Malatī’s daughter, who once said, ‘We have no sex with women.’ “So, innocent, she does not know. That is, if they are kept separate, they remain innocent.” 

He said girls should learn how to be faithful to their husbands and like Rādhārāṇī they should learn the sixty-four arts, such as cooking and painting. “Then She could control Kṛṣṇa.” 

The boys should be taught to address all women as their mother. When they grow up they should learn the śāstra. “The more they read, the more they learn, then they become preacher, teacher.”  

In describing how to organize the school Prabhupāda explained that the system in India is that the older boys teach the younger ones. In this way one teacher can oversee hundreds of students. “Not that everything I have to do. Intelligence is that employ others to help you. Train assistant so that in your absence things can be done. Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to do that. When He was sixteen years old he could argue with Keśava Kāśmīrī because He was practiced. In this way, stage after stage, everyone should be expert. Everyone should be teacher and student.” 

Bhagavān asked if the boys should learn to cook. 

“Huh? I never said that,” Prabhupāda said. “Why you are bringing that question? I said the girls should be. Cooking is not boy’s business. But cooking is not a very difficult art. If they want, the boys can do. There are so many, in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu it is stated, how Rādhārāṇī was qualified. So these things should be taught to the girls. If the girls are taught to give service to the husband to the greatest satisfaction, there will be no disagreement.” 

When Yogeśvara asked if the boys could be trained in a particular service such as press work, Śrīla Prabhupāda was positive. “Oh, yes, everything is devotional. There are varieties. We are not Māyāvādi, impersonalists, finished, all business. It is not like that. So whatever business is going on in our Movement, everything should be taught according to the capacity, boys or girls, it doesn’t matter. Some department is suitable for the boys, some department are suitable for the girls. In this way, they should be trained up. But everyone should be trained up to give service. That is gurukula. 

“And brahmacārī, this sex impulse should be controlled. That ruins the whole character. Our big, big sannyāsīs are becoming victimized. So that is the danger.” He repeated his axiom that women and men are both good, but when they combine they become bad, explaining how sex attraction can be overcome. “In the spiritual world, there is no such combination of sense gratification, therefore it is always good. Everyone is part and parcel of God, so they are good. So you have to train like that. In the spiritual world there are very, very beautiful women, thousand, thousands times, but there is no attraction of sex. They are working together, serving together, everything. But the sex attraction, there is none. They are elevated so much in the service of the Lord. He quoted Yāmunācārya. “When one spits on the sex pleasure, that means he is elevated in spiritual life. So in the material world that is not possible. But by training, by knowledge, one can be elevated. That is gurukula. So these are the general principles. Now arrange.” 

Jyotirmayī said that she was trying to teach the children to live simply; they were not dressing in fancy clothes with jewelry and such things. 

Prabhupāda, however, told her, “Don’t say ‘no.’ But give a taste for the good, then it will be automatically ‘no.’ And if you say ‘no’ then they will rebel. The four ‘no’s,’ that is very difficult, still they are breaking. No illicit sex, they are breaking. But if they develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this will be automatically ‘no.’ Give them positive life. Then it will be automatically ‘no.’ And if you say ‘no,’ that will be a struggle. This is the psychology; positive engagement is devotional service.” 

He went on to say that it was not meant for everyone, but if a small section of the population was ideal, they could guide human society. “At the present moment, there is no ideal section. Everyone is rascal, demons, rogues, everything. There is no ideal character. All politicians, scientists, leaders, they are all drunkards and woman-hunters. So what they can lead? There is no ideal man in the society. The politicians are giving big, big speech in the United Nations. They’ll go to the same hotel where another debauchee is dancing and drinking. That’s all. That is his character. Is it not? So what he will do? He can give a very big speech, that’s all. What is his character? There is no ideal character in the present human society.” 

Jyotirmayī also had some questions about the academic side of gurukula. She asked if they should teach biology about how the body is working, just to give some general knowledge.  

Prabhupāda’s response was instantly to say it was a waste of time. He told her that biology is going on, whether you study it or not. 

“You were saying they should learn geography and history,” Jyotirmayī humbly reminded him, “just for general knowledge.” 

“That is because you have to go from America to India. You must know.” Prabhupāda laughed. “You have to calculate two plus two equal to four, a little mathematics. But this biology and this ‘logy,’ they are useless. There is no necessity. What you’ll gain by understanding biology?”  

Then he gave a convincing argument, backed, no doubt, by his many years running a pharmacy. “Even one who knows biology, the medical man, he gives a tablet, ‘Perhaps it may help you.’ Perhaps. He’s not sure. So what is the use? First of all, he’ll take one ounce of blood from you, and they send, this station, that station, now making a chart, then he’ll give you a tablet, ‘Perhaps it may help.’ This is going on. Even the biggest pathologist, medical man, cannot guarantee that whatever medicine he gives will work.” 

In response to a question from Yogeśvara he added that if someone already has medical knowledge then they can be engaged to serve according to what they know. “But not that our men have to go to the medical college to learn medical science. That is not the point.” 

Jyotirmayī said that since they are living in the country she is already showing the children different plants and explaining their use. In light of what Prabhupāda had just told her, she asked if there was any use in that. 

“No,” he said. “Different plants, that is botanical study, that has also no utilization. But you can teach them, ‘Just see, this plant is coming from earth. The earth is the mother of this plant.’ These things you can convince them. Is it not a fact?”  

Giving the explanation of how different living beings are born from the earth, he outlined a useful study of plants. “That study will be nice. Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ. Just like father gives the seed, similarly, Kṛṣṇa gives the seed. The seed, when pushed into the womb of the mother and properly nourished, a rose plant comes out. It is very easy. The father injects the seed within the womb of the mother, and the childs come out. Similarly, whatever is coming out from the earth, the seed-giving father is Kṛṣṇa. This nature’s law is going on. Where is the necessity of understanding more than this? We understand the mother is pregnant. Now how she has been, how the child is growing, that is not under your control. It is going on. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi, immediately it is in hand of the nature. Even if you study, you cannot understand how things are arranged. The intestine is joined to the navel of the child and the food is supplied, how it is mechanical; do you know everything? Can anyone do? Can anyone understand? But things are there; that is being done by prakṛti. Even if you study, you cannot understand. So best thing is to understand that it is being done by nature under the instruction of Supreme Lord. Let us chant Hare Kṛṣṇa instead of studying these. There are many students, many botanists, many . . . They, vaguely they are studying, and they have no understanding of Kṛṣṇa. They’re denying, rather, the Father. The child has come into existence without father. This is their knowledge. So instead of becoming such a fool and rascal it is better not to study.” 

To make sure she fully understood Prabhupāda re-emphasized the platform on which he wanted the gurukula system to be built. “You follow that, brahmacārī guru-kule, that I’ve already explained. That should be done. Don’t bring any new thing, imported ideas. That will not be helpful. It will be encumbrance. ‘My experiment with truth’—Gandhi’s movement. Truth is truth. Experiment means you do not know what is truth. It is a way of life, everything is stated there. Try to train them, simple thing. We are not going to teach biology or chemistry. Our students are not going to . . . Our students should be fit for teaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by their character, by their behavior, by their knowledge; that is wanted. Biology, chemists, physicists and mathematician, there are hundreds and thousands. We are not going to waste our time that gurukula should produce a great grammarian, a great geologist, biologist; don’t want that. There are many other educational institutions. If you can get a good driver of your car, so what is the use of wasting your time to learn driving? Is it not? Better employ one driver, pay him some fare.” 

Harikeśa recalled Prabhupāda saying once that the big businessmen in India don’t bother sending the children to school. “They can make a lot of money by sitting by the phone and just pay a few rupees a day and any educated fool can do the work.” 

“Yes, they do that,” Prabhupāda said. “They are employing in their factory big, big chemist, big, big physicist, engineer and so on, but they do not bother. They are paying thirty thousand rupees per month salary, Birla. Expert, imported from foreign country, but their sons are never troubled. They know how to utilize that worker of thirty thousand rupees per month and to earn thirty lakhs from him. Why shall he waste his time? Actually, in order to make a balanced society, the varṇāśrama-dharma is very important, cooperation. So these things are meant for the śūdras, and brāhmaṇas are not meant for this.” 

Prabhupāda stated that modern man has invented many different occupations simply for earning money, but no one can acquire more than he is destined, therefore life should only be utilized for becoming fully Kṛṣṇa conscious. To confirm this he had Harikeśa read out verse eighteen,  Canto One, Chapter Five of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Harikeśa also read the purport in which it was mentioned that higher planets such as the moon have far higher standards of enjoyment than here. That naturally triggered Prabhupāda’s criticism of the scientists. “Such a pleasing planet, and these rascals say there is no life. The moon is described everywhere, the most pleasing planet. Actually, when there is moon in the sky, how it is pleasing. So that planet is meant for the high-class pious persons. And they get their life for ten thousands of years, they live very comfortably, drink soma-rasa. These are the descriptions we get from śāstra. And these rascals say it is desert. And we have to believe these rascal scientists and disregard the description of the śāstra. What do you think? Is that very good intelligence?” 

We all agreed it wasn’t, and he grinned. “We disregard the statement of Vyāsadeva, and we have to accept the statement of a rascal drunkard! We are not so unfortunate. The unfortunate, they can believe that; we cannot believe.” 

Harikeśa finished the purport, and then Prabhupāda asked Jyotirmayī if she had any final questions.  

She did. Noting that Prabhupāda has given Arundhatī permission to teach her own son, she wanted to know if that was a general policy. 

Prabhupāda explained, “He complained that, ‘My boy is not being properly . . . ’ So I said, ‘You teach your son.’ ” 

“She can keep him and teach him all the time? Until he’s older and so on?” Jyotirmayī asked. 

“Yes, yes, yes. That is the duty of the father and mother,” Prabhupāda assured her. “Along with that, he can teach others also. These things are to be organized. But some way or other, our students should be given education and spiritual life, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Individually, collectively, somehow or other. The principle is laid down there, brahmacārī guru-kule vasan dānto guror hitam. That’s the beginning. Everything is there, we have to simply follow it. We haven’t got to manufacture anything. That is a waste of time. Whatever is there, you follow. Is that all right?”  

Jyotirmayī was satisfied and had no more questions.  

Then it was Yogeśvara’s turn. He had questions about a preaching opportunity in Thailand. Presenting Śrīla Prabhupāda a parcel of Thai silk, Yogeśvara said that it was a gift from Mr. Jootee Boonsoong, a Thai multimillionaire. The man’s former secretary is now a devotee here in France. From her preaching Mr. Boonsoong has taken a strong interest in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, offering now to help establish ISKCON in Thailand. Yogeśvara claimed the man owns one third of all the land in Thailand. He has given us the use of a beautiful house in the center of Bangkok and has invited Yogeśvara prabhu to go there in October to meet with the Prime Minister and has hinted at a possible meeting with the King. Yogeśvara asked Prabhupāda on what level he should present Kṛṣṇa consciousness. 

“On the level of Bhagavad-gītā,” Prabhupāda told him. “God is the supreme controller. And we have to learn how to remain peacefully under the supreme controller, just like citizens and the government. Good citizenship means one who lives under the control of the government. Similarly, a good person is one who is God conscious and lives according to the instruction of God. So there is instruction of God, we are presenting this all over the world.” 

Yogeśvara wondered how the center would be managed. Prabhupāda told him some men from India could be sent, since it is nearby. He was also confident that local men would soon join. “When there is rice thrown, the crows will come,” he said humorously. “If there is no rice, how the crows will come? This is the philosophy. If there is living place then many crows will come.” 

Prabhupāda wanted to know if Mr. Boonsoong had received any books, and Yogeśvara assured him he had.  

Prabhupāda said that formerly Thailand was known as Siam, which means “Śyāma,” a name for Kṛṣṇa. “So they are devotees originally,” he said. He also mentioned that they manufacture very nice mūrtis of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.  

Since Thailand is now predominantly Buddhist, Yogeśvara wondered whether they might object to someone preaching what they may construe to be Hinduism. 

“Don’t establish Deity,” Prabhupāda told him. “Talk on philosophy.” 

“God is the supreme controller,” Yogeśvara repeated. 

“Yes,” Prabhupāda said. “We accept Lord Buddha as incarnation of God. Show in our books that we have got all respect for Buddha. We do not disrespect Lord Buddha, neither go against him. Anyway, if we get one house to live and a supporter, a big supporter, then our position will be secure. And if our cause is honest, then nobody can check.” 

Śrīla Prabhupāda also dictated a letter to be sent to Mr. Boonsoong. After first thanking him for his gift and his interest in Kṛṣṇa consciousness he told him, “This Krsna Consciousness Movement is based on the Bhagavad-gita As It Is. We have attempted to present this great philosophy to the world in a pure way, without material motive, and by the grace of Lord Krsna our effort has come out successful. People everywhere are taking to Krsna Consciousness, following the simple principles, and becoming happy. At least no one has ever seen such high character as in our boys and girls. And thoughtful men like yourself are appreciating. Again, my thanks for your consideration.” 

August 1st, 1976

Today was Sunday. There were not many visitors because this site is a little remote and as yet not well established.  

* * * 

Yogeśvara prabhu took some aerial photos of the property at midday. He went off in the morning and returned several hours later as the passenger in a small, single-engined plane. For fifteen minutes he buzzed the Chateau while the devotees gathered in front for his shots. Śrīla Prabhupāda was taking his bath at the time and so wasn’t included. 

* * * 

Having been inside all day and feeling a little stronger, Prabhupāda suddenly decided at about 5:00 p.m. to go for a walk. We hastily got ready, Prabhupāda donning a sweater and scarf before going down to walk around the grounds.  

The sun was still shining brightly and the country air warm. About twenty devotees rapidly joined Prabhupāda as he took a short tour. He walked across the grassy fields surrounding the Chateau and along the country lanes. Green and brown fields and lush deciduous forests surrounded us.  He inquired about the various crops the devotees are cultivating and was pleased to hear that tomatoes, cauliflower, squash and barley are being grown.  

He eventually made his way over to the small cluster of buildings that stand nearby the Chateau. Prabhupāda visited their small cow barn where they have three milking cows and another four will milk soon. The houses the devotees occupy are all built with local stone and the devotees have their own water supply. Prabhupāda went inside one briefly and approved.  

Prabhupāda stopped to greet Bhagavān prabhu’s wife, Kṛṣṇa-bhāminī, who was holding their toddler, Gauravāṇī, in her arms. She came forward, with Gauravāṇī cautiously holding out a pretty white flower for Prabhupāda. Just as he reached for it, Gauravāṇī suddenly withdrew it and refused to hand it over. Śrīla Prabhupāda laughed like a benevolent grandfather. 

On the way back to the Chateau the devotees took him into a large greenhouse where melons, mung dāl and a limited variety of flowers are grown. Although the walk was short, it was a real pleasure to see Śrīla Prabhupāda out and about, getting some exercise. He was happy and seemed in his element. He displays a distinct liking for country life, and his enthusiasm for it rubs off on the devotees.  

Right afterward he entered the temple room to greet Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi and give a short class, again with the aid of Pṛthu-putra Swami’s translation. Speaking on Bhagavad-gītā 10.8 he described the real meaning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the origin of everything. Everything is emanating from Him. When one understands this fact, he become budha, or intelligent. And when one is actually intelligent, budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ, this ecstasy. To come to the spiritual platform, this ecstasy required. So one has to come to the platform of bhāva, or ecstasy, gradually.” 

He described the step by step process of spiritual development as detailed by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. When he got to describing the stage of anartha-nivṛtti he explained how the simple country life he was advocating fitted in with that development. “Anartha means unwanted things—they become vanquished. This material world is, means we have created so many unwanted things, this is material world. Just like we are living in this part of your country, a village. So you are living very happily, undoubtedly. There is ample opportunity for living peacefully here. You grow little grains, you get some milk, some vegetable, and all your economic questions solved. But as soon as you go to the city, the whole pollution attacks you. You have to give up this simple eating process. Instead of drinking milk, in the city you’ll have to cut throat of the cow and eat the meat. So in this way we shall be implicated with so many sinful activities that our life will be entangled.” 

He told the devotees that entanglement means having to take another birth in the material world. The materialists, despite their so-called scientific advancement, have no knowledge of this. He explained that a person may get a higher standard of life, but he can also get a lower one. “Just like today I am here. And next life if I get the body of a tree and stand up for five thousand years, is it very nice proposition? In this way we have to understand how the process of life is going on and what is wanted, what is not wanted. In this way, when you are situated, fixed up in your spiritual understanding, that is called anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt, all unwanted things are vanquished.  

“So our request is that you live here, very simple life. Kṛṣṇa will supply all your necessities. He’s supplying to the birds and beasts, why not to you, devotee? Be confident that you’ll get everything, whatever the necessities of life. Live without any sinful activities, don’t create unwanted troubles. That is called anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. So as soon as we are, stop, full stop unwanted things, then tato niṣṭhā, then our, that beginning faith becomes firm. That is called niṣṭhā. Tato niṣṭhā tathā rucis. Then, taste, that one tasted this sort of life, he cannot give up. Athāsaktiḥ. Then attachment, then bhāva, that bhāva. And if we can stay in that bhāva stage, then next stage is love of Godhead. And as soon as you come to the standard of love of Godhead, your life is successful. So every instruction is there, books are there, your intelligence is there, and we are trying to give you all possible opportunities. Please stick to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and make your life successful.” 

* * * 

The devotees continued chanting ecstatically in the temple, while Śrīla Prabhupāda returned upstairs to his room with some of the leaders. He continued to glorify the country life and expose the shortcomings of the cities. He encouraged them to work hard to propagate his Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, reminding them of what has already happened here in Europe due to a lack of it. “Organize it and keep hundreds of books. They will live peacefully. But don’t entangle in sinful activities. Then it will be all right. Such a nice place, the city residents cannot imagine. What a nonsense life—clubs, slaughterhouse, gambling places, drinking house, this is like hell. Try to save people from this hellish condition of life. Without any knowledge, like animals. And nature therefore creates a wholesale slaughterhouse in war, to cut throat. All finished, many millions and millions. From 1914 to 1950, how many years?” 

“Thirty-six,” someone answered. 

“Within thirty-six years there were two big wars, slaughter. Especially in Europe. Nature will create. Pestilence. Somewhere there is pestilence; somewhere there is war; somewhere there is scarcity of food. But you cannot indulge in sinful activities, then you’ll be killed, then nature’s law will act. You may defy, that’s your business, but nature will act in her own way. Daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā. You cannot surpass, that is not possible. But they are foolish, they are trying to conquer over nature by their so-called scientific knowledge. They are such a rascal. You change the color of this fruit and flower, conquer over nature. So rascal, they talk rascal, ‘It will take millions of years.’ ‘We have to wait million?’ ‘Yes, from chemical we shall bring life, wait million of years.’ This is going on.”  

Referring to his trip to the university campus in Berkeley last year where he saw a big tower from which students had thrown themselves during the turbulent days of the anti-Vietnam war protests, he said, “And for such thing, big building, laboratory, research, scientific research. Big, big signboard. And the students out of disappointment, going to the roof and falling down, committing suicide.  

“Very horrible condition. Let them do whatever they like, you live apart from them. Live peacefully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, be happy. Let these cats and dogs go to hell—what can be done? We are trying to educate them as far as possible, but if they do not take it, that is their business. We are doing our duty, going door to door, ‘Read these books. If you like, you can come and live with us.’ What we can do more? We do not make any condition that if you live with us you have to fulfill. Of course, the condition is that you should not act sinfully, that is the first condition. But we never say that you have to pay so many dollars. Come. Whatever little food we have got, we shall share.  

“So try to understand the importance of this Movement Kṛṣṇa is giving us. This is a first-class place, you can develop it into a Vaikuṇṭha. It is already Vaikuṇṭha, Kṛṣṇa is there, but develop it very nicely, peacefully live, hundreds of miles away from the hellish cities. For little conveyance we can have bullock carts, when we have to get transport. Very peaceful life. Introduce it and live peacefully. Am I right or wrong?” 

We all agreed he was completely right.  

“These farming projects therefore I introduced: New Vrindaban, it is successful; Philadelphia, it is going on nicely; New Orleans; here also. In London we haven’t got much land, but still we have got sufficient land. Everyone is happy, the children, the woman. They don’t demand anything, that ‘Give us this, give us that.’ Automatically they have simplified their life. And gradually develop, make little cottages, grow little vegetable, little barley or wheat and milk. That is sufficient. We don’t require much. We don’t want luxury, we want just to subsist. Yāvad-artha-prayojanam. We hate the idea of luxury, unnecessary. Do the outsider come to see?” 

“Yes,” Bhagavān said. 

“What do they say?” Prabhupāda asked him. 

“They are impressed with how much we have done.” 

“They will be more and more impressed,” Prabhupāda affirmed. “What is this city life? In Paris, simply to fulfill the necessities of life, a professional prostitute, so many. And people from all over the world, they come here for indulge in prostitute. From our childhood we know. What a civilization they have made—spoiling the life. Then, after finish this life, you just become a cat, a dog or a tree and stand up. And all other planets are vacant. Simply this planet is filled up; overpopulation—kill them. Why not send there? So vacant land.” We were all laughing as Prabhupāda mimicked the scientists. “ ‘That we cannot do.’ ‘Then what is your scientific research?’ ‘Yes, we are trying. Wait millions of years.’ These bluffing rascals. Don’t be misled. Live peacefully here, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.” 

As he spoke, Yogeśvara and Guru-gaurāṅga dāsa, the former president of the Geneva temple, were setting up a projector. Now Śrīla Prabhupāda settled back to watch a film of his 1974 European tour in which he was officially honored by the Governor of the Canton of Geneva at the City Hall. There were also shots of Prabhupāda’s visit to Paris and of the French devotees out on saṅkīrtana. It was only a short clip of a few minutes, but impressive nevertheless. Bhagavān prabhu spoke at the end, “You have done something extraordinary.” 

Prabhupāda chuckled and summed up his mission. “Therefore I was explaining our ecstasy. Who will feel that ecstasy? That is not possible. They can lecture only—no ecstasy. Here is ecstasy, that is the difference. Ecstasy means immediately on the spiritual platform.” 

* * * 

As he lay quietly on his bed during his evening massage Śrīla Prabhupāda told me that the Americans are the only hope for the world. If the US government can become Kṛṣṇa conscious he said they should immediately finish communism and take control of the whole world. Countries such as in Africa should be controlled by the Americans, he said, for this will be beneficial for them. He described the despotic ruler of Uganda, Idi Amin, as a “gigantic rākṣasa” who should be captured and publicly killed. Similarly the leaders of any such movement should be dealt with and this will finish their cause. I asked, a little doubtfully, if it was actually possible for any government to become Kṛṣṇa consciousness. “Oh, yes, why not? The people will vote. We simply have to make vigorous propaganda, that’s all.”   

From the comments that Prabhupāda makes it is clear that he is not only thinking how the whole world can be Kṛṣṇa conscious, but that he already has the plan how it can be practically brought about. 

August 2nd, 1976

With no scheduled activity this morning, Prabhupāda relaxed in his room, Harikeśa and I eager to share his time. Although Harikeśa Mahārāja has found direct flights to India, Śrīla Prabhupāda finally decided to accept Atreya Ṛṣi prabhu’s invitation to visit Tehran for a few days first. 

Prabhupāda said that when he goes to India he would like to travel by car or bus so he can tour all the holy places en route to his specific destination. He said he has always had the desire to do this, but he was too busy, first with family life, then with preaching and writing. He suggested that we arrange for him to travel from one city to another, visiting these sacred tīrthas as we go. Although it is a wonderfully enthusiastic hope, none of us is sanguine enough to assume that Prabhupāda will actually be able to stand up to the rigors of such a program.  Still, with Śrīla Prabhupāda, we talked with anticipation how it could be arranged.  

Prabhupāda began to question Harikeśa about how the communist governments organize themselves. Harikeśa explained that although most people are not Communist party members and they are allowed to vote, the Communist party is the only one allowed, so there is no choice of candidates. 

“That doesn’t matter,” Prabhupāda said optimistically, “the policies we can change. The point is the people have the vote, so we can capture the government.”   

Harikeśa asked if this was something we could expect to do in the future. 

“No, immediately it can be done.” 

“What? Say in five or ten years?” Harikeśa asked, a little surprised. 

“No, immediately,” Śrīla Prabhupāda repeated. “They simply have to accept, then immediately. We have to strictly follow the principles in Bhagavad-gītā, and then it can be done immediately. But we must follow strictly. How to run economy, how to work—everything is there.” As we talked, Prabhupāda at one point described Karl Marx as, “a big Rākṣasa.”  “I can see by his features,” he said.  

In this way Prabhupāda enthusiastically discussed the possibilities for preaching in communist countries. Since he was in such a congenial mood, we lingered on, relishing the opportunity to engage in discussion and be educated by Śrīla Prabhupāda’s expansive realizations and his vast experience of life. He told us about the different levels of culture in India, explaining that although we don’t follow the caste distinctions, still there is a clear difference in the cultural behavior of those coming purely from a high caste family and those from a śūdra family. 

I observed that there still seem to be many Indians who follow the regulative principles as a matter of social training, although their numbers appear to be waning. 

Prabhupāda said that the Bengalis have lost their culture, but in other provinces the brāhmaṇa class is still strict. So strict, he said, that no brāhmaṇa even accepts food cooked by his own wife, because women are considered equal to the śūdra class. They do not even eat food cooked by another brāhmaṇa. He said that in Calcutta, where many from the brāhmaṇa families accepted service as policemen, the government had to provide special facilities. “They take bath thrice, cook their own food, very strictly. The government had to give them a big hall for cooking. So, it will not take much space, say, little space. One small oven and demarcated: ‘This, you see, is mine; and then this is yours, this is yours.’ So within that space they’ll sit down and cook dāl, capātīs, rice, one vegetable, and immediately all the utensils will be cleansed and washed, and the space washed and kept. You’d like to eat, they cook so nicely, although simple. And I have got practical experience: if you cook your own food, whatever it may be, it is healthy.” 

He contrasted that with life in New York, where people spend so much time commuting to work that they don’t have time to eat properly. “Three, four hours to go to work. And again three, four hours to come to home. And work there eight hours. Then what is value? He’s shattered. He has no other solace than wine, and he has no other culture. No family—dog friend and television idea—that’s all. What his life? Every man has got a dog friend because he has no family. Men, women, and television engagement, I have seen it, all this, in New York.” 

We discussed how meat-eating was such an integral part of Western society. I described how neither I nor my nephew had a taste for meat as children, but we were forced to accept it until we developed a liking for it.  

Prabhupāda told one of his own childhood anecdotes. “When I was one and one-half years old, I suffered from typhoid. And the Dr. Kartika Candra Bose he said that ‘Please give him chicken juice.’ So my father refused, ‘No, no, we cannot.’  

“ ‘No, no he has to be given. He has become very weak.’  

“ ‘No, no, I cannot allow.’  

“ ‘Don’t mind, I shall prepare in my own house and send. You simply . . . ’  

“So he took, and my father thought that ‘All right, he is doctor.’  

“So it was sent from his house. And when it was given to me, immediately I began to vomit. And my father threw it away. And when the doctor asked that this was the . . .  ‘No, no, then don’t bother.’ This story I heard. This allopathic system of medicine introduced all these things in India. Otherwise they did not know.” 

Lamenting the horrible condition of modern society, Prabhupāda said, “This meat-eating, chicken juice, tea—these things are unknown to India. No, why India? By nature, you say that you refused meat, although you were born of a father and mother meat-eaters, still. What a horrible civilization they have made. He’s human being born, making him animal by culture. Instead of making him more cultured toward the spiritual life, making him redirected again to animal life. This is the Western civilization.” 

He told us how fortunate our children are, and in doing so revealed his own innocent nature. “Yesterday I was astonished how these children were receiving just like friend, laughing and something saying. You have seen it? As an old friend. Their mother pushes, they would not come. But they were very glad to see me.” 

My remark that everyone was glad to see him did not infringe on Prabhupāda’s humble mood. “I was astonished, that how these children take me as friend.” 

“I don’t think that’s too difficult. You’re the best friend for everyone,” I said. 

“No, but after all, they are children. How they can take it as it is? So they are fortunate children, and their parents and everyone should take care of them. A very difficult age.” 

I said, “You always said they’re our asset for the future.”  

“If they can be trained up, they can become very good preacher, each one of them. And they can make hundreds of devotees. In this way we can expand.” He looked at us piercingly. “Are you realizing that there is no civilization? Actually civilization we are introducing. Except Āryan civilization, Vedic civilization, there is no civilization—animal society. What do you think? Are you convinced about it?” 

Harikeśa had no problem answering. “Oh, yes, every time I walk out the door I’m convinced. And when you come back to the temple, it’s marvelous, the spiritual world. No matter what’s going on, may be bad, may be good, doesn’t matter. It’s very relieving.” 

“Civilization means to push the man forward for perfection. That is civilization,” Prabhupāda said. “Society and economic condition, everything should be so arranged that this human child should be gradually pushed for perfection of life, go back home, back to Godhead. This is civilization. And modern civilization is, don’t care for what is going to happen. So long you live, eat, drink, be merry, enjoy, that’s all—sense gratification. This is called nāstika-vāda. Very dangerous. And that is going on all over the world. How a gentleman can live in that society? Therefore my Guru Mahārāja used to say, ‘This is not a place for a gentleman.’ Formerly, therefore, they used to go away from the society, go in the forest, to give up this bad association. Live alone.” 

“Practically speaking, that’s what we’ve done,” I said. “By your establishing these temples, it’s given us some place to go where we can get out of Kali-yuga.” 

“Therefore our temples should be very carefully managed,” Prabhupāda added. “It may not become again another pandemonium. Kṛṣṇa has given us many nice places. People can live very comfortably, there will be no scarcity. Cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness very seriously, that is wanted. Therefore in this old age I am struggling so much to see that things are going on nicely. So far I have seen, it is going on nice, but maybe the management is lacking. It may be the māyā is very strong, so be careful. All, you are all old students, and try to organize more and more solidly. The children should be taken, you can give lectures to the mothers, that children should be taken care of. They are future hopes. Child is the father of man.” 

He said that people accuse us of escaping, but in our Society we have all classes of men—sannyāsī, gṛhastha and brahmacārī. People may think our prohibiting meat-eating is unnatural, but it is not; it is natural.  

When Harikeśa observed that the four sinful acts we avoid are all unnatural, Prabhupāda agreed. “Unnatural, yes. What for smoking? What for drinking? How nicely they sit down on the ground and take prasādam. Why there is need of table, chair and these dishes and fork and knife and so on, so on? Why?” 

“It’s hard to cut the meat. You need a good surface,” Harikeśa laughed. 

Prabhupāda was also laughing. “Our Bon Mahārāja, once I was eating in his festival and . . .  He’s a baḍa-sāhib. So he has given fork and knife. So I did not know, I do not remember even which way I took fork. So Bon Mahārāja began to criticize, ‘You are going to foreign country you do not know which hand to take this fork and knife?’ So I told him, ‘I am not going to learn all these things. I am going to teach them something else—to forget it! You went to learn all these things. But I am not going to learn anything.’” 

Recalling the rule of the British in India, Prabhupāda said, “Calcutta, oh, it was so nice city, now it is hell. It is the same Calcutta, why is it now hell? People used to say, ‘In the British Empire, first London, second Calcutta.” 

I told him it had just been voted the second dirtiest city in the world.  

He asked what was the first.  

“Karachi,” Harikeśa told him.  

Prabhupāda shook his head. “Both of them got svarāj, Pakistan and India. Karachi was one of the first-class city. That means after svarāj they cannot manage; unfit persons they are on the top of the government.” 

He reminisced briefly about his young days in Calcutta. His father was not a wealthy man, nor was he poor; he was middle class, with an income of about two hundred and fifty rupees a month, which Prabhupāda calculated was worth about ten times that in modern currency values. Yet his father was able to entertain four or five guests daily, hold festivals and marry off four daughters. “May not be very luxurious life, but there was no scarcity for food and shelter or cloth. Happy. That is wanted, happiness in whatever circumstance. Not that because we did not possess a motorcar, therefore unhappy.” 

Prabhupāda did actually at one time own a car, a Buick which he bought in 1925. He couldn’t drive but on his father’s request he had purchased it for eight thousand rupees so that his nephew, who was a good driver, could earn a living using it as a taxi. His father reasoned that at the same time, they could use it for their personal needs. Prabhupāda explained that a part of their culture included caring for widows and their offspring. As one of his sisters was widowed, she came back to her father with her children, where the whole family helped to support them. 

Śrīla Prabhupāda moved from sitting behind his desk to sitting on a mat by the windows for his massage in the sunshine. As I rubbed the oil into his smooth skin, and kneaded and squeezed his flesh and muscles, we continued to talk a little more. Prabhupāda summed up the British rule. “On the whole, during British time, people were happy, that I can say. The thing is that Britishers were little afraid that ‘If the government is not good, it will go against our credit, that we may agitate.’ So they were careful to see that people are happy. But here nobody’s careful. Everyone thinks, ‘I’m in my own country. Whatever I do, it is all right.’ They were conscious, ‘We are foreigners. If the management is not good, then it will go against our credit and it will be difficult working such a big Indian empire.’ So they were little careful.” 

I had heard Prabhupāda praise the British rule in the past, and I had also heard him criticize their policies. So for clarification I asked, “Still, due to the British presence, isn’t that the main reason why India has become so degraded now? Because they introduced so many bad things?” 

“Yes,” Prabhupāda concurred. “From cultural point of view, they are degraded. And that was British policy, to kill them culturally. Otherwise not possible to rule over them.” 

Having been brought up in England I knew the propaganda. “They always advertised that India was so backward, because that was a justification for their being there, that ‘We shall go and educate.’ Then they could exploit and avoid criticism.” 

“Yes, so many bad things Britishers introduced,” Prabhupāda said. “Bad things means the Western type of civilization.” 

I said, “Sometimes people, they say, we’re always glorifying Indian culture, so why are they so badly off? So we tell them it’s because they’ve given up the culture that they’re badly off.” 

Prabhupāda’s gave a “hmm,” of assent and closed eyes meditatively, thus bringing our discussion on culture to a close. Harikeśa went off to do his cooking, while I continued with my service of massaging His Divine Grace’s transcendental body. 

* * * 

I made a decision today to reduce my number of rounds. Since arriving in India last year I have been chanting twenty per day, but of late, due to the traveling, that standard has become increasingly difficult to maintain, with the result that the quality has suffered. So I hope by going back to sixteen I will have a little more time to hear them properly instead of being in anxiety to complete them. 

* * * 

About twenty-five or thirty gurukula children and some of their parents had a special half hour darśana with Prabhupāda in his room this afternoon. One by one the children filed in to offer their daṇḍavats in front of his desk. They then settled in a semicircle, facing him, on the opposite side of the room. He had them chant the mahā-mantra loudly for about fifteen minutes. It wasn’t singing and it wasn’t japa, but a rhythmic chant in unison that grew in pace and volume. They began to clap in time, getting caught up in a swell of enthusiasm for Kṛṣṇa’s holy name and His pure devotee. The bright faced children were eager to reciprocate Prabhupāda’s smiles of encouragement,  and Prabhupāda’s pleasure at seeing their innocence and purity being nurtured by the lifestyle he has given them was clear to all.  

Prabhupāda distributed cookies to them. Then he commented that anyone, simply by voluntarily offering obeisances, “immediately becomes fifty per cent advanced.”  

Although most of the children were no more than five or six years old, he had no hesitation in speaking the timeless philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Quoting from Bhagavad-gītā 18.66 he said devotional service begins with surrender. But he said the material disease is that everyone wants to become master; nobody wants to become a servant. Therefore there is a struggle for existence.  

He said the history of Europe is one of war—one leader after another trying to become the master. The “mastership competition” is going on life after life and in different species of life, but it is a false ambition. “And at the time of death, when this body finishes, the mind absorbed in that mastership idea takes me to another body according to my ambition. So I become again manifest in different body to exhibit my mastership, another chapter begins. So they do not know how these subtle laws of material nature is working to give us opportunity to become master according to our idea, false idea. And we are actually suffering, sometimes as human being, sometimes as animal, sometimes as trees, sometimes as dog. So mastership cannot be attained, that is not possible. In the false idea to become master, we are becoming slaves of the laws of material nature.” 

However, if by chance, after many births, a person gets association with a servant of the Lord, then he can understand he is not the master, but a servant of Kṛṣṇa. Then he surrenders. He explained that such a person is a great soul and is very rare. “This is the beginning, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru. Namaskuru means ‘Just offer your obeisances unto Me.’ So in the absence of Kṛṣṇa—He is everywhere, but He sends His representative. So if we begin, offer namaskuru to the representative, it goes to Kṛṣṇa. And then gradually by the grace of Kṛṣṇa one becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious and becomes situated in his own original consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and that is the perfection of life.” 

Among the group was Malatī dāsī, one of the original San Francisco devotees and a member of the original team of six that Śrīla Prabhupāda sent to London to begin things there. She had her daughter Sarasvatī with her, whose example Prabhupāda so often cites as an illustration of how simple it is to preach. Prabhupāda was pleased to see her, and as the meeting came to a close and the other devotees filed out, he called her over and asked how things were. Malatī is preaching in Amsterdam, selling books in both Holland and Belgium. She reported that the center there is preparing to install Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deities on September 1st, and on saṅkīrtana they are selling about fifteen hundred Bhagavad-gītās per week.   

Another devotee he recognized was Annadā dāsī, the daughter of an Indian overseas diplomat, and Bhūgarbha dāsa’s wife. Śrīla Prabhupāda complimented her husband as a good preacher and book distributor, and her for her earlier attempts to distribute his books. He told her, “So preaching is our life. The more we preach, the more we are successful. Yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s preaching. Every one of you become guru and deliver the residents of your neighborhood. How to become guru? It is not difficult. What Kṛṣṇa has said, instruct them. You simply repeat it, that’s all.”  

Quoting Kṛṣṇa’s request that one always think of Him, become His devotee, bow down before Him, and always worship Him, Prabhupāda said that by inducing just one person to do these four things, one becomes a guru. By merely attempting to inform people of this message, a person is recognized by Kṛṣṇa. “Just like a canvasser, salesman, goes to the market, tries his best to secure some business. The master sees the report how he has worked. Even though he has not secured a single paisa business, but he has tried to introduce the goods, then he’s bona fide. Similarly, we have to simply carry the message of Kṛṣṇa and try to convince people. If one is convinced, it is good, if not, doesn’t matter. Then you are recognized by Kṛṣṇa. Recognition means you become the dearest servant of Kṛṣṇa. Then what do you want more? If Kṛṣṇa recognizes that ‘You are My most dear servant,’ then what do you want more? So this message was to be carried by all Indians. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s desire.” 

* * *  

At 6:15 p.m. Śrīla Prabhupāda went out for a walk, this time to tour the whole property. A group of about thirty devotees were already waiting for him at the foot of the wide stone staircase that forms the main entrance to the Chateau. Walking steadily in the bright evening sun, Bhagavān prabhu took Prabhupāda around the grounds and then to the east of the property to a large factory building nearby. It is being rented from the owner, who used it to manufacture boats and plastics. The devotees now operate Spiritual Sky incense company from it. Sales extend through France, Germany, Holland and Belgium, and last year the business gave $80,000 to the temple.  

Prabhupāda was pleased to see everything and inquired where they obtained the ingredients of their various products from.  He then suggested that they could make toothpaste from his original formula. “Actually I could give hundreds of formulas,” he said, “enough to start a big factory. But I do not wish to divert their attention.” 

Walking back up the gently rising driveway toward the Chateau, Prabhupāda became a little fatigued. Looking over to a large tree he decided to sit for a while beneath its spreading branches. It was warm enough for him to remove his sweater, and as he sat on the grass on a blanket provided by the devotees, we all sat surrounding him. Bhagavān prabhu played mṛdaṅga and led a kīrtana with his sweet and melodic voice. Prabhupāda clapped and encouraged the children to do so also. It was an unexpected bonus for us all, and everyone was very happy to sit so informally participating in kīrtana with their spiritual master.  

The chanting ended and Prabhupāda decided to speak for a few minutes, reflecting on the sweet mood of the occasion. He described the process of bhakti as the only way by which the self can be truly satisfied. “Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. How to become engaged in the service of the Lord, that is religion. And this service of the Lord cannot be checked. Ahaituky apratihatā. It is not that for certain reason one has to engage himself in devotional service. It is spontaneous. And apratihatā, without any check. Just like we are sitting down here—there is no check, anywhere we can sit down. It is not conditional; you can perform service, kīrtana, without any check. Not that we have to live in that palace, then we can chant. No. We can live, we can sit down underneath a tree and chant. There is no limit, we can go on. So we have to adjust things in such a way that without any condition, without any check, we can go on with our devotional service.  

“Here is the opportunity, this land is very good. You can sit down anywhere and chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. There is no need of chair or cushion or anything else. And yenātmā suprasīdati, that will please your everything, your heart, your mind, your body, your soul—everything. This is the easiest method for achieving the highest perfection of life. So go on with this process without any check, and be happy.” 

Some devotees had brought over a palanquin, and to the strains of another blissful kīrtana, they happily carried Śrīla Prabhupāda back to the Chateau and up the stairs into the entrance. 

* * * 

Once again comfortably ensconced in his room, Prabhupāda relaxed on his āsana, reflecting on how peaceful country life is. “In the city you go, thousands of cars are running, ror-ror-ror-ror-ror-ror-ror. What is called? Flyway, expressway, downway, every ten yards stop for the light—how artificial life. And with all these things, if people would have been happy, all right. But they’re not happy, in spite of all this advancement.” 

As the outdoor session had been exceptionally blissful, I enthused a little about it. “It was so nice sitting underneath the tree there, chanting. I was thinking, this is what we could do forever, twenty-four hours. No need to do anything else.” 

Prabhupāda tipped his head slightly to the side in agreement. “Prospective place, this. Very future prospect.” 

“Maybe now we don’t have so many devotees for all these big places we’re buying,” I said. “But even just in five years or ten years they’ll be full; we’ll have to expand more and more. Your idea for fifty percent for books, fifty percent for buildings is very wonderful. In Caitanya-caritāmṛta you said that the book distribution and the establishment of temples should go in parallel lines, side by side.” 

“Going on, up to date, to my satisfaction it is going on,” Prabhupāda confirmed. 

I responded then that if he was satisfied, we could know that everything will be successful.  

But Prabhupāda tempered his positive outlook with a cautionary note. “Yes, but they fight amongst themselves, the GBCs.” 

Harikeśa entered, bearing gifts given by one of the devotees, Rādhe Śyāma dāsa. He showed Śrīla Prabhupāda some bottles of nutmeg oil, and a massage oil which included menthol, peppermint, eucalyptol, menthol salicilate and oil of lavender in its ingredients. Prabhupāda looked at them but made no suggestion that he would prefer them to his usual mustard oil. Harikeśa said the oils were purchased from a big Buddhist temple in Malaysia, and he then informed Prabhupāda that a big temple in Kuala Lumpar that Prabhupāda had laid the cornerstone for about four years ago, was now completed at a cost of one million dollars. Harikeśa said the man who built it wants to give it to Prabhupāda. 

When I showed him another gift from Penang, Prabhupāda reminisced about his stay there at the house of an Indian gentleman. “His wife made very nice kachaurī,” he said smiling. “They asked, ‘What you want to eat?’ ‘If you can, you make first-class kachaurī.’ That is from my childhood. My friends also did it. They’d make the first-class kachaurīs in my youthhood. I am fond of kachaurī. Kachaurī is made first-class in Agra and Mathurā. Very, very nice. The kachaurī is being made, hundreds of customers waiting. At shops, there was many shops, waiting for purchasing. And as soon as it comes out of the pan, immediately sold, there is no question of waiting. They make spice nicest. That is India’s craftmanship.” 

He said that there was no question of starvation for want of money. Anyone could sit down and cook something palatable; people would purchase it. “So your livelihood will go on. Pakorā, kachaurī, jalebī, anything—people are fond of eating some palatable things, that is their hobby. In Allahabad, there was a brāhmaṇa. I had my business, and he was neighborhood, he was living. So in the morning the husband and wife would go to take bath in the Ganges. They would very nicely take bath, and while coming they will purchase some ingredients and then come home. The husband will perform pūjā, and the wife will prepare many nice preparations—baḍa, pakorā, this, that. Then he’ll take his meals, rest awhile, and in the evening he will sit down, he was sitting just in front of my shop, about four or five o’clock with all the preparations his wife had made whole day. And the university students will come up to night, ten o’clock, he’ll finish. Nothing will remain. And he’ll make at least ten rupees profit, minimum. In those days, 1925, in those days ten rupees means nowadays at least fifty rupees. So, and living very happy. Living humbly as a brāhmaṇa. Very prosperous. Living peacefully, husband and wife. There are many such families. If wife is very good, then his home is very nice. They cannot be unhappy at any circumstances. Dampatyoḥ kalaho nāsti tatra śrīḥ svayam āgatāḥ—Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. When there is full agreement between husband and wife, cooperation, then the goddess of fortune comes there without application. You haven’t got to ask goddess of fortune, ‘Please come and help me.’ She’ll come automatically. This is Cāṇakya Paṇḍita’s instruction.”  

Once more he glorified India’s culture. “There are so many things in Indian culture for becoming happy and advancing toward the goal of life. Now I am appreciating more and more, seeing the whole world, what is India’s culture. Formerly I was thinking, ‘It is custom. To become faithful wife, this is custom.’ But when I come outside I see what is wife, and what is faithful wife. In India still, in the village, even there is fight between husband, the wife is faithful. Still. Completely dependent on husband. The husband also, in spite of fighting is always careful that the wife does not get any inconvenience. It was the culture, now it is breaking. In material world for peaceful life there must be peaceful condition between the husband and wife. Everyone requires wife, everyone requires husband. Sex is necessary, so make the condition of sex very peaceful. Why disturbed? As eating is necessary, sleeping is necessary, for ordinary man, so sex is also necessary. So make a condition so that nothing will be disturbed; and in undisturbed condition of mind execute spiritual advancement. This is Indian civilization, aim is spiritual advancement. And to make condition favorable, there are so many things. Here in the Western countries there is no favorable condition. First of all, they have no idea of spiritual life, the goal of life, neither there is favorable condition. And gradually things are becoming degrading. On my last tour in Chicago I saw. In three weeks she has twice divorced, one lady’s advertised.” 

Speaking of eating, Harikeśa, who still hasn’t managed to get Prabhupāda’s cooking quite right, asked how he found today’s lunch.  

Śrīla Prabhupāda’s comments amazed me with his attention to detail. “The potatoes and karelā should be fried.” 

“Yes, it was fried. I fried it with the cover on,” Harikeśa assured him. 

“No, not in the beginning. Fry it, and if it is still hard, then . . . ” 

“Then put the cover on. Oh, all right.” 

“Yes, not from beginning.” 

“Oh, I made a mistake,” Harikeśa understood. 

“If you cover from the beginning, the water which is already there will be coming out. And the idea is the water should be taken away. Then it will be tasteful. Still, it was good.” 

Harikeśa has been a bit feverish today and he asked Śrīla Prabhupāda if he should cook tomorrow if he still has a fever. He was concerned that his sickness might affect Śrīla Prabhupāda. But Prabhupāda was concerned about Harikeśa’s health. He told him that if he is sick, there are so many others who can cook for him. 

Harikeśa, who seems to have been ill since we were in India together at the beginning of this year, lamented that he could not tolerate being sick any more. 

Prabhupāda shrugged. “The body means sickness; the body itself is sickness.” 

Harikeśa laughed. He said that in illusion he had returned from India thinking he would get well, but he was sick here in the West also. He noted though that Śrīla Prabhupāda seemed to be getting much better.  

Prabhupāda confirmed that he was a little better. 

Harikeśa went out and Prabhupāda sent for Bhagavān prabhu to discuss the project here. When he came he told him, “I am thinking of how to utilize the whole land. The situation is very good, good prospect. I want that self-independent here, as far as possible. But you have got enough materials. With woods you can make cottages. Then land becomes clear, then utilize it. Give facility to people. Here is very nice arrangement, now make a plan how to utilize. You have enough land, you can utilize for supplying the necessities of life.” 

Bhagavān agreed it was a wonderful place. 

“Yes,” Prabhupāda said. “We can get many wonderful places like this all over the world, but they have not been taught how to utilize them.” 

Bhagavān told Prabhupāda how enlivened the devotees were sitting under the tree with him tonight.  

Prabhupāda laughed. He said that was his tendency from childhood. His grandmother kept a roof garden, and all the grandchildren helped her with it. “So we took very much pleasure in watering. But my special tendency was that along with the plants, I, with the bushes, I’ll sit down. My tendency. And I’ll sit down for hours. And like that, in my childhood. In my maternal uncle’s house also, I was doing that. As soon as I find some bush, I make a sitting place.”  

He said that actually this kind of life is not meant for everybody, only for those who are fortunate. He quoted the verse from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta which describes how if one is fortunate he can obtain the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa, and thus receive the seed of bhakti. It was an appropriate analogy, and he had me read aloud the section which describes the watering and growth of that seed. 

Bhagavān had a question about the cows. He wanted to know what the system was for separating the calves because sometimes the cows cry for their young.  

Prabhupāda explained that the cow’s milk for the first week after the birth of the calf was not fit for human consumption, so at that time the calf is allowed to remain, provided they don’t drink too much. After that, the process is to bring the young calves in only at milking time, once or twice a day. This causes the mothers to produce more because they become happy to see their offspring.  

“Of course, we are born in big, big towns, we do not know,” Prabhupāda said modestly. “But I know this is the process. In Allahabad I was keeping cow, there was facility.” 

Once again I found myself completely impressed by his humility. Despite his saying, “we do not know,” to me it seems that there is no question that Śrīla Prabhupāda cannot satisfactorily answer. 

* * * 

Late in the evening, about 9:30 p.m. Bhagavān brought an English couple, Haribolānanda dāsa and his wife, to Prabhupāda’s room. They carried in a large basket of vegetables and fruits they had grown, to show Prabhupāda. There were marrows, zucchinis, peas, beans, potatoes, tomatoes, pears, apples, lemon spinach, chickpeas and a variety of flowers.  

Prabhupāda became so enthusiastic to see their produce that he instructed me to immediately cook the peas and mix them with chilis and dry roasted puffed rice. When I showed some surprise that he was going to eat so late, he laughed it off. He took the snack before resting, enjoying it greatly. He also called for Mandakini dāsī and asked her to make kachaurīs with the peas, for his breakfast.  

When I asked him if they should be hot, he replied with a grin, “Kachaurīmeans hot.”  

* * * 

Prabhupāda retired at 10:30 p.m. and I massaged him until ten minutes after midnight, the longest session since we left Māyāpur.  

As he lay in the half-light, I mentioned that I had heard some of the temples were using frozen foods for their Deity offerings.  

Prabhupāda shook his head and gave a sour look. “Tamasic food, tamasic activities! It is going on simply by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy!” 

August 3rd, 1976

Jayatīrtha prabhu reported today that there are some new problems in Germany. Hansadūta Mahārāja’s recent visit to gather men and equipment for his Indian preaching program generated a good deal of conflict. His men are just about to join him in India but apparently they are helping themselves to vehicles, equipment and money, despite the protests of the temple managers and Jayatīrtha prabhu, the GBC.  

After meeting with Jayatīrtha, Bhagavān and Harikeśa, Śrīla Prabhupāda agreed to their proposal to call Hansadūta’s men here to France so that he can personally meet with them.  

* * * 

With little other scheduled activity Śrīla Prabhupāda is holding lengthy conversations, mainly with Bhagavān and Harikeśa, on a range of subjects. I have been able to sit in on them also. Around 5:00 p.m. he was discussing the problem in India of frequent accusations that we are a front for the CIA. This idea is taken seriously enough that it has been raised in Parliament, and Prabhupāda has repeatedly ridiculed their paranoia. Today he laughed and poked fun at their foolishness. “The whole world is becoming CIA! We can say that, ‘All right, the Americans have sent their CIA; but why the Germans business there? They are also CIA?’ Soon the Russians also will join, the Polish also will join, everyone will join.” 

“They can’t say the Russians are CIA,” Harikeśa laughed. 

“No,” Śrīla Prabhupāda agreed. “We have got potency to force everyone to join. The Russians have already imperceptibly joined—they have praised my books. That is imperceptible, what is called?” 

“Ajñāta-sukṛti,” Harikeśa suggested. 

“Ah. In East Germany also, they have placed order, so this is joining. Just like for us, if you bring any other literature, we throw it away immediately; we take it as useless. Actually it is. We have nothing to learn from them, anything. All bogus. Either he’s scientist or astronomer, or . . . , we know they are talking all bogus things. There may be some truth. Even when a child speaks, there is some truth. When a child speaks to his parents, there is some truth, otherwise where is the question of talking? So little portion truth is there, everywhere. But when they talk of big, big things—they are going to Mars and scratching sand there—that we don’t believe. When they talk of this tape recorder, some electronic machine, joining together and it is working, that much care you can take. But when you speak of so many things, that millions of years there were germs and germination, now they are trying to come out, and it is all vacant—these are all bogus, we don’t accept. Talking too much. In Bengal it is called yatam. When the child speaks something too much, ‘Ah, stop.’ To the extent of his capacity, that’s all right; but if you talk more than that, then you are rascal. So they are doing that now. Because they have got some electronic success, or they have manufactured some jet plane, they are now thinking, ‘Now we have owned over the whole world situation.’ That is nonsense. That is yatam, speaking more than their capacity. And so far we are concerned, we don’t talk anything, except what is mentioned in the books. That’s all. We remain always foolish. And as foolish men, we do not talk. We simply talk what is mentioned by Vyāsadeva, by Śukadeva Gosvāmī.” 

As he spoke, the screams and shouts of children on the grounds below pierced the quiet, causing him to stop momentarily. Bhagavān had to shout down to have them move away. Prabhupāda has often commented that the sex impulse is so strong that people willingly accept the great consequential burden of raising children rather than give it up, and this incident elicited furthur observations from him. He said that sex is the trap of māyā, the means by which she captivates all the living entities in the material world, but actually it is merely the pleasure of itching. “Everyone knows it, that ‘I may enjoy sex pleasure now; the aftereffect will be very bad.’ Bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ. But why people do it again and again? Tṛpyanti neha kṛpaṇā. Those who are kṛpaṇa—kṛpaṇa means not brāhmaṇa—those who are not trained up as a brāhmaṇa, they cannot tolerate this itching sensation. They become victimized, and the aftereffect is very, very bad, either illicit or not illicit. They know it, the modern civilization, they have adopted the means of killing. First of all they try to stop pregnancy by contraceptive method, and still if it is not stopped, then kill. And if he’s still born, then again they put up in a box and go away. You know this?” 

Harikeśa Mahārāja knew exactly what he was referring to. “Yes, the baby, they put it in a closet and lock the door and walk out.” 

Prabhupāda was thinking of something Trivikrama Mahārāja had told him in Hawaii about abandoned babies in the airport lockers in Japan. “They put, and when the obnoxious smell comes, they open it and they find. Mother has become so kind. They put in a box and lock it up. 

“These are happening. But when you talk of that, ‘You learn how to become brahmacārī,’ that they will refuse. This is the position. The after-effect is very, very bad, either you get legally or illegally. Legally, we have to raise the children very nicely. Otherwise, they will, unwanted children, create so much trouble. You have to take care for their proper education, of their clothes. We say, ‘Never mind. You have got children—give them proper education, make them devotees, make their life successful.’ We cannot say that ‘You kill them.’ That we cannot say; that is not possible. We welcome. But we must be well organized to utilize these poor souls for becoming first-class devotees. That should be done. Otherwise, sex life and the by-product, that is always troublesome; either you take this way or that way, it is troublesome. If it is not troublesome, why they are killing their own children? To avoid trouble. This is psychology, they want to avoid trouble. But our process is, if you want to avoid trouble, then don’t marry, remain brahmacārī. If you cannot, then all right, have legal wife, get children and raise them very nicely, make them Vaiṣṇavas, take the responsibility.  

“So we are organizing this Society, we welcome. Some way or other we shall arrange for shelter. But to take care of the children, to educate them, that will depend on their parents. Now our Pradyumna was complaining that in the gurukula his child was not educated to count one, two, three, four. So I have told him that ‘You educate your child. Let the mother educate in English and you educate him in Sanskrit.’ So similarly every father, mother should take care that in future they may not be a batch of unwanted children. We can welcome hundreds and thousands of children. There is no question of economic problem, we know that. But the father, mother must take care at least.” 

He repeated what he had told Jyotirmayī the other day, that the children should be trained from the very beginning how to be devotees. “They should be trained up how to take bath, how to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa or some Vedic mantra, go to the temple, offer obeisances, prayer, then take their lunch . . . In this way, they should be always engaged, then they’ll be trained up. Simple thing. We don’t want to train them as big grammarians. No, that is not wanted. That anyone, if he has got some inclination, he can do it personally; there is no harm. General training is that he must be a devotee, a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That should be introduced. Otherwise, the gurukula will be . . . , otherwise Jyotirmayī was suggesting the biology. What they’ll do with biology? Don’t introduce unnecessary nonsense things. Simple life. Simply let them be convinced that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is our duty to serve Him, that’s all. 

“So organize. If you have got sufficient place, sufficient scope, let them be trained up very nicely. If some four, five centers like this there are in Europe, the whole face will be changed. Important places like Germany, France, England, now we are getting place.”  Harikeśa pointed out the Schloss Rettershoff in Germany has no land. But Prabhupāda still endorsed it because he said the building is very nice. 

I said we don’t own the building.  

Prabhupāda dismissed this as unimportant giving his transcendental perspective. “Nevermind, own or not own; you possess and that’s all. You don’t own anything; everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Do you think you own this?” 

“No, I was thinking in terms of ISKCON.” 

“This is all Kṛṣṇa’s property. So long He likes, we shall remain. That’s all. I know that. Just like we entered Bhaktivedanta Manor without any arrangement. I know that so long Kṛṣṇa will like, we shall remain. If Kṛṣṇa says, ‘Go away,’ we shall go away. Why so much legal implication? Everywhere, although we have got big, big buildings, I don’t think we own it; it is Kṛṣṇa’s. So long He likes, we shall remain there; if He doesn’t like, we shall go away. What is this? Why you should stress on the proprietorship?” 

Harikeśa brought in a salad he had made from last night’s garden produce for Śrīla Prabhupāda to snack on.  

Bhagavān asked Prabhupāda if the peas he had last night were good.  

Śrīla Prabhupāda laughed. “Very good, but I could not digest them. That is my fault, but, oh, it was so nice and palatable.”  

Once more he glorified the simple, self-sufficient life, critcizing the artificial, time-and-money-wasting scientific civilization. “Umm, better give this fresh fruit. Don’t bring all rotten. In the market you cannot get fresh—all three hundred years old. Anything fresh, that is full of vitamin. Grow fresh, take fresh. In India there is no system to purchase three-hundred-years-old bread and eat; it must be freshly made. Wife is preparing in the simple oven, husband is eating, children are eating. You know Yaśodamāyī calling Kṛṣṇa? ‘Come back! Your father is waiting!’ You remember this? That is Indian system. The father and the children, they sit down. Mother will bring fresh dāl, rice and capātī, and distribute, and they eat. We used to do that. Along with father we shall sit down for eating, separately. There was no need of table—on the ground. And mother will distribute, cook. No servant; mother personally, wife personally.”  

“In the Kṛṣṇa book you describe that in Kṛṣṇa’s palace there were so many beautiful maidservants, but Rukmiṇī chose to fan Kṛṣṇa personally,” Bhagavān recollected. 

“Yes. Still, in Indian family system, when the husband comes from office, the wife takes care immediately. Even in these days. That is, at least, a manifestation of faithfulness.” 

Pointing to the tomatoes on his plate, he recalled their introduction into Indian agriculture. “In our childhood, these tomatoes were called foreign eggplant. And because it was foreign, nobody will touch it. In our childhood we’d never eat the tomato; it was rejected by whole Indian Hindu culture. Because it was imported they would not touch. The mill cloth, because they were imported, no gentleman will touch. No religious function would allow to use mill-made cloth. And so far medicine is concerned, they would never touch it.” 

He described how the official British policy was based on the premise that if the Indians remained in their own culture, they could not rule them successfully. “Then they will gradually introduce all this nonsense, drinking tea, drinking wine. ‘You are uncivilized. Whatever British are doing, they are civilized way. England’s work in India.’ And they were given facilities, those who were English educated. In this way, they first of all tried to make the whole Indian population Anglicized. Not possible to all—at least, those who are educated. So the so-called Indian educated, they took it seriously. Just like our Bon Mahārāja. English way of living, with fork and . . . , yes, he has taken it seriously. He is under impression, whatever is foreign. In this way Indian culture was killed. The Muhammadans, they had no such idea. They wanted to rule over, that’s all. And the money was not going to outside. They were spending lavishly, in India. The money was in India, but these [British] people, they’re dispersing all the money, jewels, and everything valuable, outside India. So they [Indians] became poverty-stricken, and culturally conquered.” 

He laughed as he described the contents of a book called English Etiquette. “Very big book. How to sit, how to laugh, how to smile, how to pass water, how to this . . . ”  

As he finished eating, he requested Bhagavān and the devotees to continue with their fruitful labors. “So, if you grow more, and offer fruits to the Deity in the evening, and this will be very nice.” 

It was good to see him eating with relish even though it wasn’t much. His appetite appears to be increasing, and he requested fresh fruit and milk with Cyavana-prash for the morning.  

“And when I’m feeling little better,” he said, “someday we can take purī and . . . ” 

* * * 

Prabhupāda has made his evening walk a regular event. At about 6 p.m. he went downstairs. More and more devotees are arriving from temples all across Europe, and a large crowd was waiting with great anticipation to join him at the main entrance. 

As Prabhupāda walked with his entourage through the garden, loudspeakers in the near vicinity broadcast one of his bhajanas from a central system in the Chateau. As he prepared to sit down on the broad grass verge, a devotee commented how beautiful his singing on the tape was.  

Prabhupāda listened for a moment to himself singing and playing the harmonium. Then smiling he said objectively, “Narottama dāsa has said that this voice does not belong to this universe.”  

The devotees cheered, “Hari bol!”  

Prabhupāda added, “That is the secret. It is imported from the spiritual world. Golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana. Golokera, it is coming from Goloka Vṛndāvana.” 

Sitting on his cādar, Prabhupāda signaled for the devotees to join him on the grass. Everyone gathered around, about eighty or ninety in number, and chanted for a few minutes, with Prabhupāda playing his karatālas. I placed his spitoon and a silver goblet filled with fresh water at his side. Umāpati sat behind him with a colorful cloth-and-sequin-covered back rest, which he supported by hand in case Prabhupāda needed to lean back.  

Prabhupāda spoke for about ten minutes on Bhagavad-gītā 9.34, one of his most oft-quoted verses. He repeatedly asked what was difficult about becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious. “To think of Kṛṣṇa, what is the difficulty? Is there any difficulty? We think of something always, twenty-four hours. That is mind’s nature. So if you simply think of Kṛṣṇa, then your life becomes successful. And worshiping Kṛṣṇa means if you cannot do anything, you simply go and offer your obeisances, that’s all. There is no restriction that such and such men can come and offer obeisances. No, anyone, even born in low-grade family, it doesn’t matter. To become Kṛṣṇa conscious, is there any difficulty for any person anywhere, any part of the world? Let us discuss this point. Hmm?”   

One of the devotees suggested that too much attachment to material enjoyment could be a difficulty.  

“Because we want material happiness, therefore there is difficulty,” Śrīla Prabhupāda confirmed. “It cannot give us satisfaction.” 

He said that happiness means love—but love of family, country or society doesn’t give us happiness. “We are becoming frustrated. Therefore the real lovable object being Kṛṣṇa, if we make progress to that point, then we shall be happy. This is the point. Mām evaiṣyaty asaṁśayaḥ. Now it is concluded that if we come to Kṛṣṇa and love Him, then that is the highest perfection of our life. Now to attain that highest perfection of life, where is the difficulty? That is the point I am asking.” 

“Only if one is envious of Kṛṣṇa,” Bhagavān said. 

“Then there is no question of love,” Prabhupāda replied. “That is another thing. But if you actually want to love Kṛṣṇa, where is the difficulty?” 

“There is no difficulty,” several devotees answered. 

“That is my point!” Prabhupāda laughed. “If you don’t want to love somebody, then there is no question of process. But if you know by loving such and such person you’ll be happy, then there is process and the process is very easy, and open to everyone. That is my point. Now discuss on this point.” 

Another devotee said that sometimes someone may want to love Kṛṣṇa, but being unable to remain steady, they fall down.  

“No, no. They want to love Kṛṣṇa,” Prabhupāda said, “but they divert their love to other things. That is the difficulty. If you want to love Kṛṣṇa then follow this man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru. You are worshiping Deity; you are thinking of loving some woman, that’s all. Huh? Why you are diverting? If you love Kṛṣṇa, you are engaged in Kṛṣṇa’s service, just decorate nicely. Why you divert your attention? That means I’m not yet convinced that by loving Kṛṣṇa I’ll be perfect; that is the difficulty.” 

Prabhupāda presented another possible objection. “The question may be raised that if I want to love Kṛṣṇa then how other things will go on? Kṛṣṇa never says that ‘You have to go to the factory, earn money and then you can love me.’ He never makes this condition. Is there any condition? Now practical person will say, ‘If I think of Kṛṣṇa always, then wherefrom money will come?’ This question may be raised. How you’ll answer it?” 

Bhagavān had the answer. “Kṛṣṇa says yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham.” 

“Ah.” Prabhupāda’s eyes lit up. “Find out this verse.” 

Bhagavān read it out: “But those who worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental form—to them I carry what they lack and preserve what they have.” 

“The same thing,” Śrīla Prabhupāda said. “This meditation is man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ, always think of Kṛṣṇa. So those who are engaged in this way, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, worshiping Kṛṣṇa, for such persons Kṛṣṇa says yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham, ‘I personally carry all the necessities of life. I personally carry.’  

“My point is that here in this New Māyāpur, if you simply carry on this man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ, then all your necessities will come automatically. Don’t bother, that is my point, yes. You’ll get sufficient food, sufficient milk, sufficient fruits, flowers, all necessities. Simply you act on behalf of Kṛṣṇa and think of Kṛṣṇa, and don’t bother about the necessities of life; it will be automatically supplied. Don’t be disturbed from that point of view. Simply engage yourself in this business of man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru. That is my point.” 

Yogeśvara wondered how much effort someone should make for his own personal progress.  

“There is no personal endeavor,” Prabhupāda said with conviction. “Just like these animals, they have no personal endeavor; they are depending on you. If you cut his throat, you can cut; and if you give him protection, you can give him. But they, the animals has no personal endeavor. That is full surrender. That is our position—remain fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa and He’ll give you protection. That you are thinking: ‘How the animal will live, how these children will live?’ It is not the children’s business, not the animal’s business—he is fully surrendered, that’s all. Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. Other things will be done. Kṛṣṇa says, yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham: ‘I shall do that.’ ”  

Several devotees raised practical queries arising from their own experiences in trying to be Kṛṣṇa conscious. Someone wanted to know if, when a person falls down from the path of devotional service, does it mean that he did not want to love Kṛṣṇa? 

Prabhupāda’s answer was short and to the point. “Yes.” 

Another devotee asked whether a person engaged in a service that involves doing business could be considered to be thinking of Kṛṣṇa.  

Prabhupāda’s answer was positive. “Yes. If he’s doing for Kṛṣṇa, he must be thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Just like somebody works in business or factory for the wife and children, he always thinks of them. Similarly, if you actually work for Kṛṣṇa, you’ll think of Kṛṣṇa.” 

Bhūgarbha wanted to know how a person full of material desires could develop the desire to love Kṛṣṇa. 

“Material means that you love more Kṛṣṇa, automatically material desires will be finished,” Śrīla Prabhupāda explained. “Because you do not love Kṛṣṇa cent percent, therefore material desires. The balance is filled up by material desires. Just like in a glass there is some ink, and if you fill up with water, the full glass, the ink will vanish. There will be no more ink; it will be all white. This is the way. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra ca. To love Kṛṣṇa means you have no more material desire. The percentage you are lacking Kṛṣṇa love, the percentage material desires are there. So if you love Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours, cent percent simply thinking of Kṛṣṇa and offering obeisances, worshiping, then there is no possibility of material desires.  

“So the process is very simple, man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ, and all other things, they will come automatically. Actually Kṛṣṇa is supplying everything: Kṛṣṇa is supplying this grass; the animal will eat, and the animal will supply you milk, you’ll drink the milk. So Kṛṣṇa is supplying. Everything is being supplied by Kṛṣṇa, actually, but because we do not know Kṛṣṇa and do not love Kṛṣṇa—cannot understand. But supply is being made by Kṛṣṇa, yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham, even for the nondevotees. So what to speak of the devotee? It automatically comes. This is the way.” 

Another devotee inquired about who administers the punishment when someone does not serve purely—is it Kṛṣṇa or is the person punishing himself? 

Prabhupāda explained that Kṛṣṇa doesn’t have to take any direct action. Under His direction material nature does the job. “Nature, māyā, is there. As soon as you violate the laws of Kṛṣṇa you’ll be punished automatically.” He emphasized that no one can overcome nature’s laws.  

Of course, no discussion with Śrīla Prabhupāda can be complete without him exposing the flaws of the scientists. He used their failed attempts to go to other planets as a prime example. “They’re refused, ‘No, you cannot go.’ ” Then he delighted the assembly with his challenge. “ ‘Live there. Go!’ It is practical. We see the moon planet is there. ‘We have got machine, we can go.’ But you cannot go. This is laws of nature; this is practically proof. But they are so rascal, fool, they are going to another planet. They do not think with the one planet we have already failed.  

“They are called punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām—chewing the chewed. They are being baffled every step and still they are trying to overcome the laws of nature; this is their foolishness. Narādhamāḥ. Māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ. Māyā is so strong upon them that their so-called scientific knowledge is useless. In 1958 when I wrote that book Easy Journey to Other Planets, I write in that book that this moon planet is simply childish and waste of time, and actually it has proved. So I was not a scientist, neither I am a scientist, how did I say? I said on the strength of the version in the Vedic literature that it is not possible. You cannot. We are conditioned, we are conditioned to remain in a certain atmosphere; we cannot surpass that. Just like we are animals of the land, we cannot go to the water; and the aquatics, fishes, they are animals of the water, they cannot live on the land. Why these rascals are trying to overcome the laws of nature? How foolish rascals they are, just imagine. Any child can understand, but these rascals cannot understand. Their challenge is that ‘We are trying to overcome the laws.’ Is it not? That is their challenge. Therefore they are rascals, narādhamāḥ, māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ. They are attempting in something which they cannot perform, therefore they are rascals, mūḍha. So better than to become more and more mūḍha, better to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī mām, that will make your life successful. Why should you imitate these rascals? Hmm? What is your saying, what do you think? We say they are rascals; what do you think?” 

Yogeśvara spoke for the whole gathering. “They are all rascals.” 

With everyone laughing, Prabhupāda declared, “That’s right. Anyone protest against this? He’ll be another rascal! Don’t try to overcome the laws of nature, that is not possible. You have been given this land, this planet. Live here, grow your food, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and live peacefully. Why should we go to the moon planet?” 

The next question was whether it was possible to force the mind to think of Kṛṣṇa. 

Prabhupāda initially thought the devotee was asking about one who is forced by the mind. He said that such a person, is a rascal. “Manorathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ. . . . harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā manorathenāsati. They are driven by the chariot of mind, useless. No intelligence, no benefit. But all these rascal scientists, philosophers, they are going on the chariot of the mind. ‘I think.’ ‘In my opinion.’ Mano-rathena, on the mental platform. So they’re all foolish, they have no value. Mental concoction, useless.” 

Yogeśvara asked, “That means that our attraction for Kṛṣṇa must be spontaneous?”  

“It is also spontaneous,” Prabhupāda said. “Love is there, that is not a new thing; but you are misplacing the love. That information we are giving. That don’t misplace your love; place your love to Kṛṣṇa, you’ll be happy.” 

“So we can bring the mind under control of Kṛṣṇa?” Yogeśvara said. 

“Yes. One who is under the control of Kṛṣṇa, he’s no more under control of the mind. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ, mind is being controlled, so mind cannot dictate. Those who are not under control of Kṛṣṇa, the mind dictates to him; he’s under the control of the mind or senses, that’s all. So point is that be fixed up in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Don’t disturb yourself by the material environment, or enchantment. Be fixed up, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, always fixed up, your mind at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. So far the necessities of life concerned, that will come automatically; you’ll never be in trouble. Go on with this business. Thank you very much.” 

The natural setting coupled with Śrīla Prabhupāda’s spontaneity and openness, made it a lively, soul-satisfying exchange. The general devotees rarely get to be with him in such informal surroundings, and their loud cheers and the enthusiastic kīrtana with which they accompanied him back to the Chateau reflected this. Prabhupāda himself seems to gain strength and inspiration from being with his disciples, so it is a perfect reciprocation. 

* * * 

At about 8:30 p.m. Prabhupāda was talking with Bhagavān in his room, once again discussing the important role of food and its preparation in self-sufficient living. He described how to make puffed rice by heating sand in one container and then dumping it on top of the grains in another pot. “It will puff-puff-puff-puff-puff-puff, they’ll be finished.” By straining it all through a mesh you end up with the puffed-up grains, which he said was “very good food.” 

When I told him the devotees make popcorn he said that was “not very digestive;” puffed rice however, is very light. “In the morning you can give them this puffed grains, then fruits and milk—very good breakfast. I mean to say, all self-dependent. Yes, we should save time, as much for this purpose, for chanting, discussing grantha. Not for any personal so-called comforts. We can sit down anywhere on the grass here, and whatever available we make our food. This is the idea. Life will be sublime. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī mām, that is real business.” 

“They are spending so much money for entertainment in material life,” Bhagavān observed, “but no one is becoming enlivened. But this kind of discussion is so fresh. For a show they pay five dollars to go to one movie for one hour, two hours.” 

“That is another artificial agitation of the mind. There is no practical benefit.” Pointing to a vase he said, “Just see how many varieties of flowers, colorful. Can they make such colorful?  

“ ‘Yes, we’re trying to overcome nature. Wait millions of years.’  

“ ‘And what about now?’  

“ ‘Now, you sleep!’  

“These rascals are misleading other rascals. And they are, ‘Oh, a scientist!’ Very misleading civilization. We shall appreciate in every flower the craftmanship of Kṛṣṇa, how He has done nicely. Unnecessarily puffed up by so-called advancement of knowledge; misleading themselves and misleading others.”  

Fingering a flower on his garland he said, “Just see how beautifully it is colored. This aesthetic sense; Kṛṣṇa knows how it will become beautiful, svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca, construction of the flower. And there is no intelligence.” 

“Chance,” I said. 

Prabhupāda sat back shaking his head and laughing. “So beat them with shoes. And when they protest, ‘Oh, it is chance. Don’t mind, it is by chance I am beating.’ ” 

Prabhupāda said he thought New Māyāpur was nicer than New Vrindaban because it is on a plain rather than on rocks and hills. He asked if any new devotees were joining.  

Bhagavān said five new members came last month bringing the total to about one hundred and ninety. Prabhupāda was glad to hear that just yesterday a couple with two children joined. The man is a plumber and carpenter, skills which Prabhupāda saw great use for.  

 Bhagavān added that this was the hottest summer in a hundred years and many farms in the area were drought affected. However, we still had water for our crops from our own underground supply and we harvested five tons of barely. He asked if Prabhupāda had had some of the flour.  

Prabhupāda looked over to me and said he hadn’t.  

I explained that it was too coarse for making capātīs.  

He had another use. “You could do one thing. You just smash that and boil with milk. Don’t put sugar. Then I shall put sugar according to my taste.” 

“You want that this evening?” I asked. 

Prabhupāda said no, but for the morning. 

Bhagavān told Prabhupāda several stories about devotees who joined after programs were held in their homes. They had subsequently given thousands of dollars to our Movement. He said that in Marseilles in the south, a book distribution party based there has been instrumental in convincing entire families to join and surrender everything for use in Kṛṣṇa’s service.  

Bhagavān also said that of all the different groups in France, we have the best reputation. There is hardly any bad press about us. “Several months ago we had a parents’ meeting. Because on account of this man, Moon, there was much agitation about groups taking young children away. So we had a very nice meeting, with prasādam and slides. And one of the parents was saying that ‘We want to be angry at you, but the problem is that you are all so nice that we cannot be angry.’ ” 

Even our printer has become exceedingly favorable. “I wanted to get Kṛṣṇa book published while you are here,” Bhagavān said, “So I really pushed our printer to work very hard. I told him, ‘But the thing is, I have no money to pay you right now.’ Because we had just printed Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He said, ‘You try to give me five percent down and I’ll give you eight months credit.’ ” 

Prabhupāda raised his eyebrows. “Acchā.” 

“So I didn’t have the money because we were fixing up. So a girl joined, and she gave eight thousand dollars.” 

“And what is the whole bill?” 

“The whole bill was about forty-five thousand dollars, so that was sufficient for the down payment.” 

Sharp as ever, Prabhupāda made a calculation. “It is about more than ten percent. He wants five percent.” 

“But I gave him,” Bhagavān smiled. 

August 4th, 1976

After rising quite late at 7:30 a.m. Śrīla Prabhupāda called me and told me to make him some baḍa, asking if I still had the dried nīm leaf powder that he had me make before we left Bombay in April. He hadn’t requested it until now and I was glad I still had it in my suitcase. He told me to mix three parts dāl paste to one part nīm for his breakfast. The mix was dark green, making him think there was too much nīm. He ate some, but complained it was too bitter. 

Later on though he called me again. He smiled and said it had actually done some good. He requested a repeat of the same formula for tomorrow morning, except that instead deep-fried balls he wants small patties lightly fried on each side in a shallow pan. 

* * * 

Yogeśvara prabhu introduced a French Naval Commander from Corsica, Mr. Marchand, along with his wife and two children, to Śrīla Prabhupāda this afternoon. After meeting the saṅkīrtana devotees they were inspired to read Prabhupāda’s books; now they chant japa and follow the regulative principles. The entire family was respectful and honored to meet personally with Śrīla Prabhupāda.  

Viśvambhara dāsa, the New Māyāpur temple president, acted as interpreter while Prabhupāda chatted with them, encouraging them to read the Bhagavad-gītā. He began by comparing Mr. Marchand’s position with that of Arjuna. “We generally speak that Arjuna was military commander. So before understanding Bhagavad-gītā, he was commander, and after understanding, he remained a commander but he became Kṛṣṇa conscious.” 

This prompted Mr. Marchand to ask how he should conduct his affairs now that he has come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He explained that he is living two thousand miles away from devotees so he wondered how to participate in worldly activities and still be a devotee.  

Prabhupāda told him to study the seventh through to the twelfth chapters of the Gītā, and in particular the ninth. He asked Viśvambhara to read out the first verse and translation of chapter seven. Prabhupāda then said that if there were any difficulties, Mr. Marchand could inquire from him. 

“He says he admires you very much for the work you have done in spreading this message all around,” Viśvambhara said. “And especially the fact that you have made it so clear that anyone can understand.” 

“So let him come, join, and help,” Prabhupāda said good naturedly.  

“He says as much as he can he will.” 

Prabhupāda said, grinning, “Why as much? Why not fully?” The devotees cheered their encouragement, “Hari bol!” and the Marchands laughed. 

“Bhagavad-gītā is a book which can guide the whole human society,” Prabhupāda told him. “In all different branches of knowledge, namely in politics, in sociology, in religion, in culture, in philosophy, in economics, everything, all lines are described very vividly, and the human society can take advantage of it. The Bhagavad-gītā begins in the battlefield with politics. And when Arjuna declined to fight, how Kṛṣṇa chastised him that is described, kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṁ viṣame samupasthitam. Find out this verse.” 

Again Viśvambhara read out the verse and translation from the French edition of the Gītā.  

“So what is the difficulty in understanding? Ask him. This is military. Kṛṣṇa is asking that ‘You are in the battlefield. Wherefrom you got this cowardice mentality?’ This is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā teaches how to become a brave hero in the battlefield, this is the instruction.” Then he asked for the purport to be read out.  

At the end of it, rather than ask specific questions, Mr. Marchand took advantage of this darśana to offer praise to Śrīla Prabhupāda. He found it very admirable that from a small verse he was able to always find something new and wonderful to say about it. He appreciated that as Prabhupāda goes from verse to verse, the complexity of what he explains is always new and wonderful to read. He found it wonderful how he could expand two lines into three pages. 

Prabhupāda humbly thanked him and then added with a smile, “I can go more, but I have made shortcut. Kṛṣṇa is unlimited, so He can be described unlimitedly; but we have no unlimited patience.” 

Mr. Marchand appreciated that there are many things to understand about Kṛṣṇa, but that we do not always have the capacity to understand. He felt that when the soul is pure, these things will be understood automatically. However, at present, because we are very far away from that state, he felt that Prabhupāda’s commentaries were needed to bring us closer to Kṛṣṇa. 

Prabhupāda nodded. “Yes, this is the first study of Kṛṣṇa: ABCD. When we learn Bhagavad-gītā, then we can have some glimpse of idea of Kṛṣṇa; then we go further in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.” 

Mr. Marchand said he greatly admired the fact that Prabhupāda had created disciples who were very courageous in presenting his message. Whilst smiling he said that even though at first he was opposed to them, they were always peaceful and very nice to him. In this way they brought him slowly to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. 

Prabhupāda liked to hear that. “That is preaching method. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has recommended tṛṇād api sunīcena, this is the method by the preacher.” 

Mrs. Marchand also had a question. She wanted to know if it was recommended for women take sannyāsa.  

Prabhupāda described that in the Vedic system women are protected; they stay under the care of the father, then the husband and then the grown-up children. “Nothing more. This is Vedic culture.” 

In response to her query about the fate of women who are alone, Prabhupāda said that a woman should never be left alone; just as a child is always provided for, similarly a woman should be protected. “There is no independence for a woman. Still in India it is going on. The father is obliged to find out a suitable husband for the daughter and give her in his charge. Then his responsibility is finished. Until that he is responsible to take care of the daughter.” 

“But today there seem to be so few qualified husbands,” Yogeśvara said. 

“Because you do not train the boys to be qualified. You train them to become debauch,” Prabhupāda replied. “What can be done? You train them from brahmacārī, then they’ll be responsible husbands. Both the girls and the boys should be trained up, then they’ll be responsible husband and wife and live peacefully. In their young days, if you give them freedom, they’ll spoil. Youthful days, if you give them full freedom, they’ll be misguided and spoiled.” 

Mrs. Marchand asked that since families are so broken up in the Western countries and women sometimes cannot find a qualified husband, what should they do? 

“That, here is the Society, you train them. You have children, you train them in that way. Whatever is done is done. Now you can make very good society, Kṛṣṇa conscious society. Not that one mistake has been done, you should continue. Rectify it.” Explaining that modern leaders, not knowing the aim of life, are living blindly like animals, he said, “I think that in Bible there is a story, prodigal son? So we are prodigal son. We are sons of God, now we have become prodigal sons. What is the meaning of prodigal? ‘Without any responsibility,’ is it not? ‘Do whatever you like.’ ” 

I looked it up it in the dictionary. “It says ‘Prodigal: recklessly wasteful.’ ” 

Prabhupāda fastened onto the description with gusto. “That’s it. We are all recklessly wasteful sons of God. We are sons of God, there is no doubt, but at the present moment, recklessly wasteful. We are wasting our valuable life even, we are so reckless. So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to check their recklessness and bring them into senses of responsibility, going back home, back to Godhead. But people are so reckless, as soon as you say something of God, immediately they laugh, ‘Oh, what is nonsense, God?’ This is the supreme recklessness. India was very serious about God, still India is serious. Now, the present leaders they are thinking that Indians are spoiled, simply thinking of God; they’re not thinking like the Americans and Europeans for economic development. So this is the position, and it is very difficult. But still we can do something about this to the humanity, by preaching this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And those who are fortunate, they’ll come, take up seriously.” 

Citing the discovery of petroleum and the subsequent manufacture of millions of cars to burn it up as an example of recklessness, he said, “And when it is finished, then they’ll cry—and it will be finished. This is going on. Recklessness.”  

Overindulgence in sex was another recklessness. It was like a boy who inherits his father’s property and then squanders it, he said. “Use it. The sooner it is finished, that’s all. There is some strength in the body, and as soon as he gets a little taste of sex life, ‘Oh, spend it, spend it,’ whole energy spent. The brain becomes vacant. This is recklessness. Beginning from twelfth year, by the thirtieth year, everything finished. Then he’s impotent.” 

He said in his childhood, or eighty or one hundred years ago, there were no cars, now there are hundreds and millions. “Hundreds years ago they could do without motorcar, and now they cannot live without a car. In this way, unnecessarily, they’re increasing bodily, or material, necessities of life. This is recklessness.” 

Once again the materialistic scientists took the brunt of his criticism. Declaring them to be rascals for misleading society by promising that they will overcome the laws of nature, he condemned them very strongly. “Stupidity. Do the scientists not say like that? ‘We are trying to overcome.’ Rascal! You’ll never be able to do that. But this rascaldom is going on. And they’re applauding, ‘Oh, very good, very good, very good. Oh, you are going to the moon planet.’  

“But after all endeavor, the grapes are sour—‘It is not useful.’ That’s all. You know the story? The jackal? He tried for the grapes, jumping, jumping, jumping. When it was failure, he said, ‘Oh, it is useless. It is sour, no use.’ ” He shook with mirth. “So they are doing like that. The jackals are jumping, that’s all. And we can see how these rascals are jumping uselessly. So we are warning people not to follow these silly jackals. Be prudent and be Kṛṣṇa conscious. That will make your life successful.” 

 Yogeśvara introduced another guest, a young African from the Ivory Coast, Bhakta Ulain. He explained he was trying to start Kṛṣṇa consciousness in his home country. 

Prabhupāda advised him to first stay here for some time before attempting to go out and preach. “Because every one of us, we have followed the silly jackals; now we have to follow Kṛṣṇa. Janma sārthaka kari’ kara para-upakāra. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s advice: First of all, let your personal life be successful, then try to do good to others. When you are trained up to follow Kṛṣṇa, then our life is successful. Then you can do something. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. We have to follow Kṛṣṇa alone, not all these rascals, silly jackals. Kṛṣṇa can give you all guidance. In all respective necessities of life there is everything complete, we haven’t got to follow the silly jackals. So here is a nice place, you stay here and forget the silly jackals and take to Kṛṣṇa alone or His devotees. Then you can start very nicely a center anywhere. That is the duty of everyone. We should open hundreds and thousands of centers all over the world. But one who is going to open, he must be first of all trained up.” 

Ulain said he was himself convinced about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but he wondered why we only have two temples in Africa.  

Prabhupāda explained that it was because of the language difficulty. Still, he felt that by distribution of prasādam and chanting, the language barrier could be overcome. Yet even this simple program required qualification. “Who is chanting, he must be a sincere devotee, then his chanting will be effective. A gramophone machine will not do. He must be realized, then his chanting will be effective. Satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ. He must behave just like a pure Vaiṣṇava. Then if he chants, his chanting will be effective. Just like electricity. If I am surcharged with electricity, I touch, you also become electric. And if he touches, he’ll become. But if one is not in touch with electricity, then it will not act. So one must be electrified, then if he touches somebody, he’ll be electrified. If there is no electricity, simply by touching, he’ll not do.” 

Yet despite his admonitions to wait until he was fully trained, when Ulain said that the president of the Ivory Coast was very favorable to our Movement, has the Bhagavad-gītā and wants us to open a center there, Prabhupāda told him, “Immediately do it. I am simply explaining the process. But do it immediately, Kṛṣṇa will give you power. If you are sincere, you’ll be electrified. There is no doubt.” 

* * * 

In anticipation of the installation of Śrī Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma, the number of devotees waiting for Prabhupāda’s garden darśana has greatly increased. This afternoon several hundred eager men and women were waiting with great expectation to see His Divine Grace. Śrīla Prabhupāda walked through the vegetable gardens and sat again on the same grassy verge as yesterday. The devotees crowded around, sitting cross-legged in a semicircle around him. Those on the periphery stood to get a better view.  

After a brief kīrtana Pradyumna read out the verse and translation of Bhagavad-gītā 4.24 and Harikeśa read the purport. Without any initial lecture, Prabhupāda went straight into a questions and answers sesssion.  

Yogeśvara prabhu said that sometimes the material energy is described as being different from the spiritual, and sometimes it is said that all energies are ultimately spiritual. “So what is the understanding?”  

Śrīla Prabhupāda gave the example of electricity which is used to both heat and cool things. It is the same energy but used differently. Kṛṣṇa says He is the source of everything, but still He describes the material energy as separated. “Just like I am speaking in the dictaphone: but after some time, without me, it will speak exactly like this. So, I am speaking, but I’m not present there. Similarly, material world means it is being conducted by Kṛṣṇa; but still, Kṛṣṇa, personally, He’s not present there.”  

He said that the sun globe and sunshine are the same, but one who is situated in the sunshine cannot say that he is in touch with the sun globe. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa says that every living being rests in Him, yet He is not in them. So unless one is advanced he may not perceive Kṛṣṇa in His energy. 

One of the devotees therefore wanted to know whether Kṛṣṇa was present personally within the heart of every living entity and everywhere, or as an energy. 

“In His energy,” Prabhupāda said. He then qualified his answer. “Also person. Person we cannot see with the present eyes, but energy we can feel. So when fully realized, the advanced devotee, he does not see anything except Kṛṣṇa.” 

Another devotee pointed out that although in the Gītā it says that one’s body is always changing, there seems to be a principle of constancy because we see that a black man never becomes white, and we can recognize someone even though their body changes from youth to old age. So he asked what was that constant. 

Prabhupāda answered with another appropriate analogy. “So when you further advance you’ll find there is no distinction between black and white. Just like a flower is coming out, there are many colors. So it is coming from the same source. As such there is no such difference, but to make it beautiful there are so many colors. In the sunshine there are seven colors, and from that seven colors, multicolors are coming out. Origin, the one color white, and then so many colors coming. Is that clear or not?” 

Someone else asked whether we can really say what is good or bad since Kṛṣṇa has created everything and everything is submitted to Kṛṣṇa’s will. 

“There is no good or bad,” Prabhupāda said. “It is mental concoction. But on the whole, in the material world means everything bad; spiritual world everything is good. Material world means absence of spiritual world, that’s all. You bring again spiritual world, it is good.” 

With all the talk of Kṛṣṇa being both present and not present, and the advanced state needed in order to actually see Him, the next question seemed almost inevitable. “Śrīla Prabhupāda, since presently we cannot see Kṛṣṇa as He is as a person, how should we meditate on Him?” 

Śrīla Prabhupāda opened his eyes wide, admonishing. “You do not see Kṛṣṇa is in the temple?”  

Everyone laughed, for he had stated the obvious.  

“We are worshiping something vague? You have to see Kṛṣṇa as Kṛṣṇa says. In the present stage . . . Just like Kṛṣṇa says, raso ’ham apsu kaunteya. Kṛṣṇa says, ‘I am the taste of the water.’ You see Kṛṣṇa in the taste of the water, that will make you advanced. According to different stages. So when you drink water, why don’t you see Kṛṣṇa? ‘Oh, this taste is Kṛṣṇa.’ Raso ’ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ. When you see the sunshine, moonshine. Kṛṣṇa says, ‘I am the sunshine, I am the moonshine.’ So as soon as you see in the morning, sunshine, you see Kṛṣṇa.” 

After a few more questions he brought the meeting to an end, leading the devotees back to the Chateau. The devotees carried him up the steps in his palanquin. After prostrating himself on the marble floor of the temple room before Their Lordships Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi, he then mounted the vyāsāsana where he accepted an ecstatic guru-pūjā. 

* * * 

Someone brought Śrīla Prabhupāda a copy of the original leaflet he had printed in India when he set off on the Jaladuta to come to the West in 1965. Śrīla Prabhupāda was curious to see it, asking me to read it out to him. His picture was on the front, with the title reading, “Srimad-Bhagavatam, India’s message of peace and good will. Sixty volumes of elaborate English version by Tridandi Goswami A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. Carried by the Scindia Steam Navigation Co. Ltd., Bombay, all over the world for scientific knowledge of God.” While Prabhupāda relaxed behind his desk, I read out the body of the text. “It says,‘The sufferings of the entire human society can at once be brought under control simply by individual practice of bhakti-yoga, a simple and easy process of chanting the holy name of God. Every country, every nation and every community throughout the world has some conception of the holy name of God, and as such either the Hindus or the Muhammadans or the Christians, everyone can easily chant the holy name of God in a meditative mood, and that will bring about the required peace and good will in the present problematic human society. Any inquiry in this connection will be gladly answered by Sri Swamiji. The Hindus generally chant the holy name of God in sixteen chain of transcendental sound composed of thirty-two alphabets as Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. The Vedic literatures like the Upanisads and the Puranas recommend chanting of the above-mentioned sixteen holy names at a stretch, and Lord Sri Caitanya, whose cult of chanting the holy name of God gave special importance on these transcendental sounds. In this Age of Kali, or the age of hate, hypocrisy, corruption and quarrel, the only remedial measure is that every man should chant the holy name of the Lord, both individually and collectively.’ ”  

Then it went on to give the English translations of the eight prayers written by Lord Caitanya in glorification of the holy name. It ended with some highly complimentary reviews of Prabhupāda’s translation of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.  

After hearing this, Prabhupāda retired to his bedroom. He lay in the tranquility of the darkened room as I stood by his side massaging his legs and feet. It was the end of another day for us, a short intermission for him. He relaxed, his eyes closed, now and then reflecting out loud on events both past and present.  

I was intrigued by the pamphlet and the hidden mysteries of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s life before he came to the West. From my scant knowledge of his pre-ISKCON era, I asked him, or rather suggested, “But you were preaching before that in India though.” 

“Not very much,” Prabhupāda said. “Oh, yes, that Back to Godhead.” 

“In Vṛndāvana you were just translating?” 

“Yes.” 

“The Library Party said that everywhere in Delhi they went, they found that you had already placed your three volumes of Bhāgavatam.” 

“Yes. In American also. The Congress Library purchased nineteen sets.” 

I wasn’t that familiar with things American. “Oh, Congress. The one in Washington? The Library of Congress?” 

“There is a branch in India,” he confirmed. 

I reminded him that they also had a copy of his first Back to Godhead. 

Prabhupāda hummed softly, then he said, “American government is good organization.” 

He fell silent for a while, occasionally still coughing, but at least not dislodging the heavy mucus of just a few days ago. After five minutes of contemplative silence he said, “From 1954 to ’66 I struggled very hard, alone.” 

“Twelve years.” 

“Yes. Twelve years means one yuga.” 

I was puzzled. “One . . . ?” 

“One yuga.” Prabhupāda repeated. “And big yuga, another.” 

“Oh, the term is used differently? It can be used in different ways? We always think of one yuga as being like Kali-yuga, or . . . ” 

“Yes, that is a big yuga, this is small yuga.” 

“It’s very fortunate for us that you were so determined,” I told him.  

But he didn’t reply. He let ten minutes lapse, and then mused about the temple. “They have got so many cars.” 

“Actually, I think most of our centers have got many, many vans and cars,” I said. 

“That means they are rich.” Prabhupāda smiled. 

I chuckled, “Just like in India they used to measure wealth by how many cows, in the West they measure wealth by how many cars.” 

“And we have both—cows and cars, both.” Then, after a pause he asked, “So the devotees like this evening class?”  

“Oh, yes, it’s a very enlivening program. In the evening it’s very nice out of doors, it’s warm from the day. No one falls asleep, except for the children, and that’s very good because then they’re quiet.” 

Prabhupāda had also observed them. “Small children, they also clap and dance on the lap of the mother. They were smiling. Very fortunate children, otherwise from the birth, associating with devotees.” 

He let another five or ten minutes drift by—his body inert, his mind and spirit forever active. Then he made another reflection, this time on society in general. “Nowadays cheating is a good qualification, huh?” 

“Yes,” I agreed. “It’s their only qualification.” 

“If you cheat somebody and get some money, you are very expert.” 

“Top-class businessman, first-class scientist,” I returned. “And the best politician. Just like in America—once they’d found Nixon was cheating, now they’re investigating one man after another, and every one, they’re finding all the same.” 

“America, cheating is a policy,” he said. “How a real estate man, lawyer, they’re simply planning how to cheat.” 

“The lawyers are the worst because they know the law, so they know how to cheat in such a way that they can stay within the law,” I said. 

Another ten minutes quietude passed and then he gave his final soft “Hmm,” releasing me for the night. I offered my obeisances and retired to my room next door. 

August 5th, 1976

Śrīla Prabhupāda took breakfast at 6:15 a.m.  

* * * 

Hansadūta Swami’s men have arrived from Germany, facing accusations by the remaining German devotees of behaving like gangsters by stripping the temples of vehicles, equipment, men and money. Hansadūta himself is said to have taken at least 100,000 DMs for his sojourn in India.  

Although Prabhupāda originally agreed that they may come to France to see him personally to resolve the issue, he decided that his two GBCs, Bhagavān and Jayatīrtha, should try to produce a solution without his direct involvement. Together with Harikeśa Mahārāja they met with the men, deciding that they should not take the vans, so the vehicles have been parked and the keys handed over.  

* * * 

More news came about Brahmānanda Mahārāja in East Africa. It seems that for some time he has not been living in the temple. Tamal Krishna Mahārāja is making plans to visit him to find out what is actually going on, and to help him. Śrīla Prabhupāda has said very little about it and is leaving it to the GBC to deal with. 

* * *  

In the afternoon Yogeśvara announced the arrival of Professor Francois Chenique, a scholar whose favorable review of Prabhupāda’s books is being reprinted on the jacket of the new French edition of Bhagavad-gītā Telle Quelle Est. He has written: “Śrīla Prabhupāda’s edition thus fills a sensitive gap in France, where many hope to become familiar with traditional Indian thought, beyond the commercial East–West hodgepodge that has arisen since the time Europeans first penetrated India. Whether the reader be an adept of Indian spiritualism or not, a reading of the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is will be extremely profitable. For many this will be the first contact with the true India, the ancient India, the eternal India.” Needless to say, his comments have been much appreciated by Prabhupāda, especially his perception that Śrīla Prabhupāda is presenting “the true India.” Prabhupāda has often referred to this in conversation.  

Professor Chenique is teaching the Gītā in his course on Religious Sciences at the Institute of Political Studies in Paris. He also translates the works of Śaṅkarācārya into French, and teaches at the Federation of Yoga. Yogeśvara said he regards himself as a “Christian Advaitist.”   

Before the professor came in, Yogeśvara posed a question about our French publications. “On the front of Back to Godhead magazine, in the English edition and other language editions, they have kept the phrase: ‘Godhead is light, darkness is nescience. Where there is Godhead there is no nescience.’ Now in French it is difficult to translate that; there is no word Godhead. And if you say, ‘God is light’ in French it sounds very impersonalist. In French, Dieux est lumiere, ‘God is light’—many groups say like that. We use the word Godhead, and that distinguishes us from the other groups. Now is the phrase very important? And do you want us to keep it on the front of the magazine?” 

Prabhupāda nodded. “There is a little difference between God and Godhead. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ. Īśvara, more or less everyone, but īśvaraḥ paramaḥ, that is Godhead. The Māyāvādīs, they do not distinguish between one īśvara to another īśvara. That may be on the ordinary level, but there is parama īśvara.” 

Yogeśvara suggested an alternative. “One possibility would be to say God the Supreme Person is light; that we can translate.” 

“God means Supreme Person,” Prabhupāda agreed. “But these Advaita-vādī, Māyāvādīs, they have made God everyone. God means Supreme Person, that is the dictionary word. Supreme Being. God does not mean ordinary, but they have made ordinary, anyone God. ‘I am God, you are God, he is God.’ Then what is meaning of God?” 

“Therefore we say Godhead,” Yogeśvara said. 

“Yes. Head man. There are many men, he is the head man.” Prabhupāda added that the word Godhead is found in the dictionary. “You find out.” 

Yogeśvara read out the vague definition. “ ‘Godhead: being God or a God; divine nature, Deity, the Godhead, God.’ ” 

“They do not know what is God, what is Godhead,” Prabhupāda said. “They think all these are fictitious. Throughout the whole world they do not know what is God. Simply they know the word, that’s all; what it means they do not know. That we are giving—here is God. Godhead. Nobody knows, nobody cares to know. That is nescience. They think it is an idea, that’s all. Actually there is God, there is kingdom of God, one can go and speak with Him, dance with Him. They cannot believe there are . . . It is beyond their poor fund of knowledge; therefore they do not accept Kṛṣṇa as God. God is the Supreme Person, Supreme Being. Actually there is place where God lives; they do not know. This is first time, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we are giving these ideas; otherwise, who knows it? Nobody knows it. And religion means to accept God as the Supreme Person. They do not know God, then what is meaning of religion? Religion means to accept a Supreme Person as the supreme controller, that is religion. How the Supreme Person is working in manufacturing this flower, let the scientists explain. There is no brain? Just nicely painted, symmetrically, each flower of the same class, another class, another class, another class.”  

At this point Professor Chenique entered the room along with his daughter, a girl in her early teens. With them came Bhūgarbha prabhu, Janadrādhi dāsa, one of our French translators, and Hayeśvara dāsa, who translated the recently published Danish Bhagavad-gītā. We were pleasantly surprised to see the slimly-built middle-aged professor dressed in a dhotī, with japa beads around his neck. Sitting cross-legged on the carpet in front of Prabhupāda’s desk, Professor Chenique seemed a mild-mannered, humble man with a great deal of respect for Śrīla Prabhupāda. Although he could understand English, he couldn’t speak it very well, so he let Bhūgarbha and Yogeśvara translate for him.  

Preliminary introductions done, Professor Chenique said he was keen to see Prabhupāda’s Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam come into use. There is only one other French translation of it, done in the 1800s, and that has no commentary. Yet at the university level he said the French are meticulous about maintaining the grammatical standards of their language. He was politely concerned that our translations “should not smell of English,” as he put it. He felt that since our books are translated from English, the French literary expression is not always exactly correct. Describing French as a more compact language than English, he wondered whether it might not be better to translate directly from the Sanskrit into French.  

Prabhupāda was not very concerned. Whilst acknowledging that if possible improvements could be made to future editions, he explained that as yet, no French devotee had become a Sanskritist. But besides that, it is not a question of scholarship; the translator must be a realized soul. He said that although there are many Sanskrit scholars in India, they cannot understand the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. “He must be French, expert in language—at the same time a devotee. Then he can explain, otherwise no. Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s secretary, Svarūpa Dāmodara, he asked that bhāgavata paḍa giyā bhāgavata-sthāne: ‘Go and study Bhāgavata from bhāgavata.’ I have discussed this in the beginning of translation of Bhāgavata. So Bhāgavata, that is the limit of education. Vidyā bhāgavatāvadhiḥ: One has to study and take education up to Bhāgavatam; that is, if one understands Bhāgavatam, he’s finished his education.” 

The professor assured Prabhupāda that he wasn’t in any way criticizing, but he was concerned that Prabhupāda got the widest possible audience. He felt that an improvement in the way the French editions were written would ensure that. 

Śrīla Prabhupāda appreciated his concern but continued to stress his point. “That is from scholarship point of view, but our point is this Bhāgavata must be presented by bhāgavata. And there is no much scholarship required. Just like Bhāgavata begins with the words janmādy asya yataḥ. This Sanskrit word means the Absolute Truth is that from where everything emanates. Now that Absolute Truth further explained, anvayād itarataś ca abhijñaḥ svarāṭ, that Absolute Truth is aware of everything, directly and indirectly, of all this creation. In this way, if you step-by-step study, it is not very difficult so far the word meanings are concerned, but it is a question of realization. Unless one is realized, he cannot explain properly. That is the secret. Therefore we have given the life of Caitanya Mahāprabhu in our Bhāgavatam because He’s living Bhāgavatam.”  

Janadrādhi said the professor felt that in Prabhupāda’s purports there was too much repetition of a point. Stylistically speaking, this is difficult to reproduce in French since their language is compact and something is usually expressed only once. However, Janadrādhi said he and our other translators felt that keeping that repetition is important, because Śrīla Prabhupāda had written it that way so the reader will properly understand.  

Prabhupāda confirmed that it is the Vedic system to repeat things for emphasis and better understanding. He gave the example of how Kṛṣṇa describes the immortality of the soul in verse after verse of the second chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā. He had a couple of these verses read out. 

The professor said he had no objection to that kind of repetition, his concern was of grammatical style.  

Bhūgarbha gave him a book, asking him to describe how he would change one of the purports. However, to everyone’s amusement, including his own, the professor said that the particular purport he chose was fine.  

Nevertheless, Śrīla Prabhupāda accepted the suggestion that the professor could read our publications and make recommendations how they might be improved. “I have no objection. It is welcome.” Then he explained his rationale in pushing ahead despite such apparent deficiencies. “The idea is, suppose I am in France; I do not know French language, but there is fire in my room, and I have to call my neighbors; so somehow or other I call and take their help.”  

Professor Chenique laughed. He complimented Śrīla Prabhupāda on achieving the highest record in distribution for this sort of book. He added that he felt a very small, pocketbook size Bhagavad-gītā would sell very well.   

Prabhupāda smiled. “That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission: pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma/ sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma. He has to preach in every village and every town on the surface of the globe about this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So our business is . . .  Just this example I have given, that there is fire; I do not know the language, still I have to call and take help. So I am doing like that. There is a story. In Calcutta when the Britishers were establishing themselves, so one clerk was working in the office and some monkey came and scattered the office files and everything. So his boss came, he asked him, ‘What is this? Why you?’ So he cannot explain. So he began to jump like monkey, that on account of the monkey coming within the room . . . So when the language is unknown we have to jump and show that the monkey came.” 

Professor Chenique appreciated both the opportunity to personally meet His Divine Grace and also the Vaiṣṇava point of view. He said he felt that the work of the Movement was very important, given the decline of religion in the West. He added that he did not think he could personally live up to standard of a bhakta however, it would be a difficult life for him.  

Prabhupāda praised his humility and remarked that his admission, “I cannot follow,” was a good qualification and would help him.  

Having been trained more according to Śaṅkarite and Buddhist lines, the professor said that he felt himself more of a jñānī, but he very much appreciated bhakti.  He said he was happy to meet the devotees whereas meeting “all these intellectuals who know so many things but cannot understand anything” was depressing. 

Prabhupāda continued to encourage him by saying that without jñāna one cannot become a bhakta; one who becomes a devotee without knowledge is a sentimentalist. He then had Bhūgarbha read out the brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā verse and purport from the Bhagavad-gītā. At the end he added, “So without becoming fully in knowledge, nobody can become devotee.” 

Professor Chenique asked, “What about the opposite: people becoming devotees without knowing anything?” 

“Devotee cannot be without knowing anything,” Prabhupāda replied. “A devotee means he knows everything. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati. This is Vedic injunction: one who knows the Absolute, knows everything.” 

Yogeśvara asked, “Śrīla Prabhupāda? That verse, does that mean that one who is neophyte . . . ” 

Prabhupāda cut him off. “Neophyte is neophyte. Why do you bring him to become a devotee? A devotee is different. A ‘one plus one equal to two,’ he’s not mathematician, he’s learning. There is hope one day he’ll be a big mathematician. There are three stages: kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, madhyama-adhikārī, uttama-adhikārī. So when you speak of devotee, that is this uttama-adhikārī, so he knows everything. Rather, the so-called jñānī, he does not know. Because he does not know Kṛṣṇa, he does not know what is Personality of Godhead. He’s impersonalist. Therefore he is still unaware of the Absolute Truth, therefore he’s not jñānī; his jñāna, his knowledge, is lacking. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate/ vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ. If one jñānī is impersonalist he’s not jñānī, he is still unaware of the Absolute Truth; therefore he’s not jñānī, he’s claiming to be jñānī. Such jñānī will take many hundreds of births to come to the position of real jñānī. When he understands Kṛṣṇa and surrenders to Him, then he’s jñānī. Sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ. That kind of jñānī is very, very rare. The impersonalist means ajñānī, yes, because he does not know Kṛṣṇa, the person.”  

He quoted another verse from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam stating that those who strive for monism, oneness with God, fall down to material life due to not having any shelter. Then he said, “Just like so many sannyāsīs in India they are very learned, they have come to the platform of Brahman realization, but after some time they come to the material field for political work, for social work. They give up this world, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. If jagat is mithyā, is false, why does he come for social work? Just like these people going to the moon planet, but because they do not get any shelter, they take some sand and come back again. So what is the use of going there and spending so much money and come back with little sand? And satisfied, ‘Now we have studied’; because they have no shelter. So the jñānīs, they have no shelter. Yes. They may go very high in the sky, but because they have no shelter they come back again. Punar mūṣiko bhava, again become a mouse. So that is not jñānī, that is ajñānī. Jñānī is described here, mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām. Brahma-bhūta is jñānī, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā, ‘I have nothing to do with material world.’ Na śocati na kāṅkṣati, there is no lamentation, there is no hankering. When he has attained that brahma-bhūta stage, reality, then he is entrance in the bhakti, otherwise a neophyte.” 

The professor, despite his affinity to the path of jñāna, obviously valued Śrīla Prabhupāda’s words. He responded that the knowledge of any person on the path of knowledge who rejects the Personality of Godhead is finished. 

“That is sublime knowledge,” Prabhupāda affirmed. “When you talk with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, dance with, that is sublime perfection. Otherwise, you will have to dance with the dog.” 

Professor Chenique explained that he had been reading the Gītā since he was very young. He had been trying to combine the paths of jñāna and bhakti whilst following the teachings of all the great religions. He wondered if he should continue on that same path. 

Prabhupāda told him it was not necessary. “If you want to know the Absolute Truth, ultimately, then bhakti is required, that is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ. If you want to know the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Being, then you have to go through bhakti. Bhakti includes everything; but jñāna does not include bhakti, it is imperfect. In jñāna there is little touch of bhakti, but in bhakti there is full jñāna. Those who are on the stage of Brahman and Paramātmā, they’re not in the Absolute Truth, part of it. But when one understands Bhagavān, then he understands Paramātmā and Brahman—that is full knowledge. There are three things: sat, cit, ānanda. So Brahman realization is sat; Paramātmā realization is cit; but ānanda is not there. But if he does not get ānanda, then falls down. Ānanda-mayo ’bhyāsāt. This is the Vedānta. We are, as spirit soul, being part and parcel of the Supreme, ānanda is our goal, blissfulness. But that blissfulness you cannot get simply by understanding sat-cit, you must come to the platform of ānanda. That is Kṛṣṇa. So because these so-called jñānīs they do not have the entrance into the ānanda platform, they come to this material ānanda, this material pleasure. Therefore they take to this hospitality, or opening a school, or philanthropic work, another type of this material pleasure. Therefore Śaṅkarācārya recommended: bhaja govindaṁ bhaja govindaṁ bhaja govindaṁ mūḍha-mate/ samprāpte sannihite kāle na hi na hi rakṣati dukṛñkaraṇe. Your simply this grammatical jugglery of words will not help you—bhaja govindam. Therefore we, govindam ādi- puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. Our principle is to worship Govinda the ādi-puruṣa. So without coming to that stage, perfection is not complete.” 

A brief discussion of Christianity ensued, finally bringing the eighty minute darśana to a close. Prabhupāda gave the young girl a garland and the professor genuinely thanked Śrīla Prabhupāda for being afforded the opportunity to meet with him. He apologized that he could not attend the installation ceremony tomorrow because they were on their way to a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the south. Prabhupāda was pleased to find the professor so favorable to our Movement and philosophy. He wished them well as they took their leave. 

* * * 

It was by now late afternoon. At least three hundred devotees from Sweden, Holland, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Austria, England, Belgium and other nations were gathered outside, eager for his darśana, and Prabhupāda didn’t disappoint them.  

Prabhupāda descended the wide spiral inner staircase leading from the second floor to the main entrance, and stepped out into the sunshine. All around him the devotees sang, offered obeisances, and provided the shelter of a ceremonial umbrella as Prabhupāda strode across the grounds to the grassy venue of previous nights. 

After a spirited kīrtana Prabhupāda gave a short talk on Bhagavad-gītā 15.15. Jayatīrtha prabhu read out the verse in English: “I am seated in everyone’s heart and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed, I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.” 

First allowing Pṛthu-putra Swami to read out the French translation, Prabhupāda then explained, “Knowledge given by Paramātmā from within the core of the heart is explained by the modern scientist as intuition. They do not know where from the intuition is coming. And that is coming from God; therefore it is stated mattaḥ, from Me. Smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca. A small cub, dog, it has not opened the eyes, but still, immediately after birth, it is seeking the nipples of the mother. So wherefrom the knowledge comes? From his within, and that is from God.” 

Prabhupāda elaborated on the example he gave to Mike Robinson in London. “Vedas means just like this dictaphone machine is manufactured, along with one literature is also compiled. So customers, they are given the delivery of the machine as well as the literature how to use it, that is the Vedas. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that vedānta-kṛt, ‘I am the compiler of the Vedas.’ Because if He does not give the literature, then how will you use the machine? The manufacturer of the machine he knows how to use it, what for it is, how to manipulate it—everything is there. The Vedic knowledge means that. We have come to this material world. So just like we have purchased this machine for some enjoyment, similarly, we are fallen down to this material world for some material pleasure. So Kṛṣṇa has given, God has given, a literature. If you’ll be guided by the literature, that, your propensity to enjoy this material world, will be fulfilled; at the same time you’ll again be able to go back home, back to Godhead. So now you discuss this point that why we have come to this material world, what is the purpose.” 

The devotees had many questions. Śrīla Prabhupāda, noticeably more animated tonight than on previous nights, satisfied everyone by his lucid answers, especially on the subject of intuition and inner dictation.  

The first questioner said that sometimes our mind fills with our sinful past memories when we try to meditate on Kṛṣṇa. “How is this to be understood that Kṛṣṇa says, ‘From Me the memory comes.’ ” 

“Memory comes to remind you that you were in this condition,” Prabhupāda  said. “Whether you are to continue this condition or to make improvement, that is up to you. So if you take instruction from the Vedas then you’ll understand that these conditions of life are not very pleasing. So we have to make progress in a different way.” 

Prabhupāda confirmed Jayatīrtha’s question that conscience, the feeling that something is either right or wrong, comes from Kṛṣṇa. Jayatīrtha then added that a materialist sometimes thinks he is doing good when in fact he is not. 

“He does not know what is good,” Prabhupāda replied. “He wants to do something, but he does not know what is good. The good is said by Kṛṣṇa, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam, that is good. Or everything bad, whatever he does, everything bad. That’s all. Just like this child, he wants to do so many things; he does not know what is good, what is bad. But the good thing is if he works according to the direction of his father, then it is good. And otherwise, whatever he’ll do, that is childish, that’s all; it is neither good nor bad, it is childish.” 

Another devotee asked if it was possible to follow Kṛṣṇa by intuition. Prabhupāda explained that there are two kinds of following: either we follow our own whims, in which case Kṛṣṇa will give us the opportunity to fulfill our desires in a future life, or one can do what Kṛṣṇa Himself says and be happy. “Otherwise, you’ll have to go life after life and fulfill your whims and desires. Kṛṣṇa will give you opportunity, but that will not solve your problems.” 

One of the saṅkīrtana devotees had a query, “We can see that someone will take a book, and someone will not take a book. So does Kṛṣṇa give beneficial instruction to someone, and not to someone else? Intuition in the heart to take or not to take the book?” 

Śrīla Prabhupāda smiled. “Yes. If one has to suffer more, Kṛṣṇa says, ‘No, no, now you enjoy. Why you read that? Better go to the restaurant and spend money for that.’ ” 

During the meeting with the Marchands, Bhakta Ulain had noted a brief comment Prabhupāda made about the moon. “Yesterday you told to that gentleman that the scientists, they thought that they have been on the moon planet. But does that actually mean they went to another planet than the moon planet?” 

“They might have gone to hell! I do not know,” Prabhupāda said dryly, evoking peals of loud laughter and cheers. “We have no interest in such things. What profit will be there? What gain we’ll get? You are here in this France and . . . Don’t be, I mean to say, subject to this unnecessary . . . What is the profit? Be practical man. What is the profit there? Suppose they have gone to hell or moon, but what is the profit? Why don’t you study practically? If after spending millions of dollars, if you have brought some sand—the sand is available so much here. So what is the profit? Just like the moon planet is there in such a vast sky. That is an insignificant corner it is occupying. Even if you go there, then what about the vast sky? What can you do? So be practical. What is the use of wasting time in that way?”  

Prabhupāda wasn’t denying the possibility of going to the moon. “But for that you have to prepare in a different way,” he said. “Not that you get a small tricycle and go to the moon—that is foolishness. So in our childhood also we were imagining, ‘I have got this tricycle, I shall go to Europe, I shall go to the West, or . . . ’ It is like that.” 

Someone else asked about the execution of devotional life. “We have all faith in you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, and we want to follow your instructions word by word, but sometimes we can find some difficulty. In a case of difficulty, what should we do?” 

“You should be patient,” Prabhupāda said. He quoted Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and elaborated, “Dhairya means ‘patience.’ Just like a girl is married and she wants a son; you cannot expect today is marriage, and tomorrow child. That is not possible, you have to wait.” 

Along the same lines another devotee asked, “If we don’t finish our Kṛṣṇa consciousness in this life, how will we come in contact with the guru in next life?” 

Prabhupāda first reassured him. “Yes, that arrangement will be done. You go on with your business.” And then a little reprovingly he reminded him, “We are singing this song daily, why do you forget? Cakhu-dāna dilo yei janme janme prabhu sei, one who has opened the eyes, he’ll remain my master life after life.” 

Śrīla Prabhupāda’s confirmation of his loving commitment as their eternal lord and master penetrated the hearts of the devotees. They had traveled so far for just this kind of exchange. They burst spontaneously into a unanimous exclamation of affection. “Jaya Prabhupāda!” they shouted, as he sat smiling in their midst. 

The session continued with Viśvambhara asking why we sometimes make mistakes even when we are sincerely trying to serve Kṛṣṇa. 

Prabhupāda explained that service means by the order of the spiritual master. “So you should always be ready to take order from the master, there will be no mistake.” 

“Does that mean that our mistakes come from the false ego?” another devotee asked. 

“Yes,” Prabhupāda said. “When you disobey the order of master, there will be mistake.” 

Alanatha dāsa from Germany asked, “Sometimes in our practical dealings we have to make a decision and there is no possibility to refer to our authority. Shall we then try to understand what Kṛṣṇa wants us to do?” 

“Kṛṣṇa will give you; that is intuition,” Prabhupāda told him. “If you are actually sincere, the correct intuition will come. Dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ yena mām upāyanti, if it is for Kṛṣṇa’s purpose, then He’ll give you intelligence: ‘Do like this.’ ” 

At the end, when one of the men asked if mental speculation could be stopped immediately, Prabhupāda commanded him, “You must stop immediately!” Everyone laughed heartily and Prabhupāda added that mental speculation is simply nonsense. 

Prabhupāda finally brought what had been the liveliest and most inspiring meeting of the visit to a close. The devotees, filled with enthusiasm from their intimate exchange with His Divine Grace, escorted him back to the Chateau with loud and enthusiastic kīrtana. 

* * * 

While a roaring kīrtana continued downstairs, Prabhupāda gave a short audience in his room to our Italian printer, Bruno. A jolly, rotund man with rosy cheeks, Bruno appeared simple and unpretentious. He couldn’t speak English, but he spoke fluent French through a devotee interpreter. Although he said he had many questions to ask Śrīla Prabhupāda, he thought that Prabhupāda might be feeling to tired to meet with him.  

Prabhupāda, however, assured him he wasn’t.  

Bruno said he was interested in the pursuit of truth. He was impressed with both the devotees’ character and lifestyle. He wanted to know what our goal was and what freedom we derived from our activities. 

Prabhupāda told him that liberty means “whatever you like you can do,” but now we can’t do what we like. In the spiritual world, though, we are free to travel anywhere we want, like Nārada Muni. He said this type of freedom was just one item of spiritual life and there were many others. 

Bruno wondered whether he could find spiritual truth by following his own path, by keeping his own freedom to do whatever he liked, or if it required daily adherence to scriptures and principles. 

Prabhupāda told him, “No, you have no freedom; you have to accept some way for freedom.” 

Yogeśvara explained that Bruno found it difficult to accept that truth was something that can be described in black and white. “He seems to feel that it’s more something you can realize through meditation.”  

“How you’ll realize?” Prabhupāda asked him. “Unless you learn ABCD, how you can realize truth?” 

Bruno said that since each person finds the truth in himself, didn’t that mean that the truth is different for each person? He felt that each person had own his truth; although the truth is one, as individuals we all realized that truth at different levels. 

“That is rascaldom,” Śrīla Prabhupāda told him. “Truth is one.” 

Bruno suggested that one person may have a higher knowledge of that truth while another may have a lower. 

“That is different thing,” Śrīla Prabhupāda replied, “but truth is one. Just like top floor is one. And one has gone few steps, another hundred steps, one has got ten steps, that is depending. But top is one.” 

Bhūgarbha asked, “Can he find the truth on his level, because he hasn’t arrived at your level?” 

Prabhupāda shook his head. “How he can? If the top floor is hundred steps, how you can get it at ten steps?” 

Bhagavān said a person had to at least be aiming in the right direction.  

Prabhupāda agreed, adding, “But one who has gone ten steps and one who has gone thousand steps, they are not equal.” 

Now Bruno understood. He nodded his head, “D’accord, d’accord.”  

“So, truth is one,” Prabhupāda went on. “Everyone is trying to go to the truth. Somebody has gone ten steps, somebody has hundred steps. But to cover all the steps, say one thousand steps. So unless you have passed one thousand steps, you cannot reach to the truth.” 

Bruno said that it has always been difficult for him to keep climbing up the stairs in the right direction. 

Śrīla Prabhupāda smiled at us. “So we shall give him a lift, one second. You haven’t got to go step by step; we shall give immediately, one minute. If you refuse to take the advantage of the lift, that’s your choice. Kṛṣṇa personally says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja/ ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyaḥ. Immediately, one second. But we will not accept, that is our misfortune.” 

Bruno admitted it was difficult for him. 

“Why difficult?” Prabhupāda declared. “Obstinacy. It is not difficult, it is obstinacy. ‘I’ll not take.’A child can take.” 

Bruno said that for a child it was simple because he’s pure and can accept everything presented to him; but for those who are older and already engaged in so many contaminated activities, it was hard. 

Still Prabhupāda didn’t accept. “No, there is no question. It is apratihatā, it cannot be checked by old age or any material condition.” 

Bruno laughed. He said he wasn’t free to choose because the devotees were always forcing him to take prasādam.  

“Yes, this child has to be forced to do something, for his interest. Just like horse is not prepared to take the medicine, but four men force him to take the medicine. Nobody was crying for this edition of Bhāgavata, but we are forcing, ‘You must read. You must take.’ We are printing and forcing everyone. French edition Bhāgavata, they were not dying for this book, but this is our force.” 

Bruno was very satisfied with the answers and he thanked Śrīla Prabhupāda. He promised that he would go on trying to make his books look even nicer. 

“Very good, do that,” Prabhupāda thanked him. “That will be service to Kṛṣṇa.” 

August 6th, 1976

Today is Ekādaśī. 

With the GBC’s decision to take their vans, and their not being able to see Prabhupāda personally, Hansadūta’s men concluded that Prabhupāda had been used as a ploy to draw them here in order to prevent them from leaving. Thus, in the middle of the night they took the vans and left without telling anyone.  

When told, Prabhupāda sympathized that they would naturally think they had been tricked. He said it was the GBC’s job to see to these things.  

He praised Jayatīrtha prabhu for his restraint in not allowing himself to be drawn into a fight over the whole issue, and for being prepared to work constructively with the remaining facility and devotees.  

* * * 

There was kīrtana throughout the morning, as the devotees prepared for the installation. Śrīla Prabhupāda was sitting quietly in his room, waiting to be called when he rang the bell and asked for Harikeśa. When he arrived Prabhupāda told him, “Listen! What is that?” indicating the kīrtana downstairs. “He is adding something before the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Go and stop it and bring him here.” 

Harikeśa wasn’t sure exactly what Prabhupāda was referring to, but he went straight down and pushed his way through the packed temple room. Pṛthu-putra Swami was pounding a drum, leading a loud and fervent rendition of the mahā-mantra. A group of sweat-soaked brahmacārīs were gathered round him, clashing karatālas, stamping their feet, waving their hands and leaning into an intense exchange of the holy names with Pṛthu-putra. First he chanted, then them. Every time he took the lead he prefaced the mahā-mantra with the word “bhaja,”—“Chant!”  

Harikeśa butted in and brought the singing to an abrupt stop. He informed Pṛthu-putra that Prabhupāda wanted to see him. Pṛthu-putra entered Prabhupāda’s room apprehensively, wondering what was going on.  

Prabhupāda, whose sharp ears had picked out the extra word, demanded to know where he had learned “this bhaja Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.” He was angry. “There is no bhaja in Hare Kṛṣṇa! Where did you get this from?” 

Shaken by Prabhupāda’s sudden, unexpected reproach, Pṛthu-putra turned red. “I heard it in Vṛndāvana.” 

Prabhupāda’s wrath intensified, and his face flushed as he thought of his disciples once again becoming polluted by the non-ISKCON elements of Vṛndāvana. He exploded, “Why you are taking this from the nonsense bābājīs! Who has told you this!?” 

A shocked Pṛthu-putra tried to assure him. “Oh, no, not from the bābājīs! I heard it from our own men.” 

Śrīla Prabhupāda still fumed, but he eased a bit when he understood it had not come from an outside source. Still, he strongly warned his disciple, “Never chant this bhaja Hare Kṛṣṇa again! Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is complete in itself and requires no addition!”  

Promising not to repeat his mistake, Pṛthu-putra returned to the temple room to resume his chanting—this time without the addition.  

It is one of Prabhupāda’s great fears that ISKCON devotees will become increasingly polluted by outside influences not strictly in line with our sampradāya’s pure devotional principles. Just as he did with the gopī-bhāva group in Los Angeles, he acted quickly and firmly at the very first sign of contamination. 

* * * 

Prabhupāda’s regular massage period generally runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. However, at about 11:15 a.m. Bhagavān, Jayatīrtha and Harikeśa came to ask Prabhupāda at what time he wanted to come down for the installation ceremony. They had already carried out the preliminaries for both the initiation ceremony and the installation of Śrī Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma, but they had not fixed a particular time for Śrīla Prabhupāda’s attendance. But Prabhupāda merely wanted them to tell him when he was required. Bhagavān and Jayatīrtha said it was hard for them to give an exact time; they wanted to avoid inconveniencing him. So they looked to Harikeśa Mahārāja for a decision.  

Harikeśa, to my surprise, said that he also couldn’t make this sort of decision because he was only the secretary and didn’t deal with Prabhupāda’s massages. He concluded therefore that it was actually my responsibility, since I was Prabhupāda’s servant. Unexpectedly put on the spot, I protested that no one had told me what the schedule was, so how could I say.  

By now, Śrīla Prabhupāda was becoming increasingly exasperated as he sat behind his desk listening to us “pass the buck.” Having heard enough, he angrily chastized us for our inability to make a simple decision for such an important event. He told Bhagavān to prepare for his immediate participation downstairs, ordering me to give him his massage right away.  

I barely had time to spread the oil on his body; within fifteen minutes it was finished. In another ten, he was bathed, dressed, and on his way downstairs. 

The wood-panelled temple room overflowed with devotees. Flowers, greenery and festoons were everywhere. A green velvet canopy hung over the heads of the beautiful four-foot Deities standing on an elevated platform in front of the Deity room. Black marble Kṛṣṇa posed with His left hand on His hip; and white marble Lord Balarāma, standing a few inches taller, stood to His side, left hand raised to rest on Kṛṣṇa’s right shoulder.  

Prabhupāda mounted the stage, and a loud jubilant kīrtana commenced, accompanied by the blowing of conchshells and hundreds of voices shouting “Hari bol!Jaya Prabhupāda!” and “Jaya Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma, kī jaya!” His Divine Grace poured the first substances of the abhiṣeka-yajña over the heads of Their Lordships, then stepped down to sit on his vyāsāsana where he delivered a short talk. Then Jayatīrtha, Bhagavān, Gurudāsa Swami, Pradyumna and many other prabhus completed the transcendental bathing ceremony. A local television company filmed the whole event. The Deities were then taken behind the altar curtain to be dressed for Their first darśana.  

After about fifteen minutes, and because it was by now nearly 1:30 p.m., Bhagavān prabhu suggested that instead of waiting for the Deities to be dressed, which could be some time, Śrīla Prabhupāda could instead do the initiations.  

So, followed by all the devotees, Prabhupāda went to the grass field next to the Chateau, opposite his sitting room window. A sacrificial pit had been set up beneath the spreading arms of a large oak tree. Wreathed in brilliant marigolds, Prabhupāda sat on his high-backed palanquin which now substituted as an āsana, its brilliant red satin cloth forming a canopy over his head to ward off the sun. The forty or fifity initiates sat in two lines in front of him, ladies to one side of the yajña arena, men on the other, and the rest of the devotees stood behind them. The scene was full of natural opulence, with trees and grassy pastures perfectly setting off the fruits, flowers and peacock feather decorations.  

Multilingual Guru-gaurāṅga prabhu, an American, made announcements and gave instructions in five languages, as devotees came forward to receive their beads and their spiritual names. That done, the devotees then carried Śrīla Prabhupāda back to the Chateau on his palanquin, dancing and chanting all around as he sat serenely, cane in hand. It was too late to have darśana of Śrī Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma so he returned to his room for lunch.  

The GBCs and sannyāsīs completed the initiation proceedings with a fire yajña.  

* * * 

Although he was due to depart in mid-afternoon, Prabhupāda decided to answer a long letter from Sumati Morarji, the owner of Scindia Shipping and patron of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s first voyage to the West. She expressed considerable dissatisfaction with a recently published article in Back to Godhead, Vol. 10.8, which summarized a lecture Śrīla Prabhupāda gave about the qualifications of a guru. In it he referred to the exchange where Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu criticized Śrī Vallabhācārya for claiming that a commentary he had written on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was actually better than that of the ancient commentator Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī.  

Since Sumati Morarji is a devotee in the Vallabhācārya sampradāya, she expressed shock and pain to read the article. She felt Śrīla Prabhupāda’s comments were provocative and highly objectionable. “I had a firm belief in your mission of spreading the message of Shri Krishna all over the world, but reading the above extract of your lecture I was very much disappointed since therein you attempted to portray an incorrect image of Shri Vallabhacharya, based on hearsays. Time has been changing and when we present the image of our ancient Acharyas, to the public today, great responsibility rests in us in preserving their greatness and not in tarnishing them. . . .  

“Every Acharya is great in his own way and no Acharya is greater than another. Each had come to this world to perform one’s duties and every Acharya has done so in the best possible way.”   

She was disturbed enough that she said she could give wide and adverse publicity against ISKCON, but she did not feel that that would serve anyone’s interest. She ended with a request that things could be amicably resolved. “I sincerely trust that your goodself will take my observations in the proper perspective and spirit and publish your clarifications with a view to remove any misunderstanding which may have been created in the minds of the readers of Back to Godhead.” 

Concerned that Sumati Morarji not carry any misunderstandings of his statements Śrīla Prabhupāda sent her a lengthy reply. He began by saying he was sorry to hear that she was agitated by the BTG article. He explained that his editors did not know the principle of satyaṁ brūyāt priyaṁ brūyāt, that in the material world only palatable truths should be spoken, and unpalatable truths should be carefully avoided.  

Nevertheless, he confirmed the fact of the incident as related in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. He explained that just as she was irritated by criticism of Vallabhācārya, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was also agitated by Vallabhācārya’s criticism of Śrīdhara Svāmī, who was accepted as the original commentator of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  long before Lord Caitanya’s day. “Perhaps you know that there is an edition of the Srimad Bhagavatam by Krsna Sankar Sastri ‘abhinavah sukah’ Vedantacarya, Sahitya-tirtha, sribhagavata-sudhanidhi, from Ahmedabad. In his book he has given almost all the important commentaries on the Bhagavatam as follows:  1. Sridhar Svami  2. Sri Vamsidhara  3. Sri Gangasahaya  4. Srimad Viraraghavacarya  5. Srimad Vijayadhvaja Tirtha  6. Srimad Jiva Gosvami  7. Srimad Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura  8. Srimad Sukadeva  9. Gosvami Sri-giridharalal (Vallabhacarya Sampradaya)  10. Sri Bhagavat-prasadacarya, etc . . . Among all commentaries, Sridhar Svami’s is given the first position. This parampara has existed for a very long time.” 

Śrīla Prabhupāda gave evidence that although this system was accepted in Lord Caitanya’s time, Śrī Vallabhācārya violated it by not accepting Śrīdhara Swami’s commentary as preeminent. “I am enclosing herewith some photocopies of the important verses from the original book Caitanya Caritamrta that specifically deal with the subject matter. These verses are from Antya lila, Chapter 7, entitled ‘Lord Caitanya meets VallabhaBhatta’. I would like to draw your attention to verse 113 on page 55 where Vallabha Bhatta says:   

‘In my commentary on Srimad Bhagavatam,’ he said, ‘I have refuted the explanations of Sridhar Svami. I cannot accept his explanations.’ 

“Moreover, verse 114 states:      

‘Whatever Sridhar Svami reads he explains according the circumstances. Therefore he is inconsistent in his explanations and cannot be accepted as an authority.’ 

“Vallabha Bhatta’s declaration certainly agitated Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Consequently, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu remarked sarcastically that He considered that anyone who did not accept the svami (or Sridhar Svami) as an authority was a prostitute. Prabhu hasi kahe; but he smiled and said this jokingly, because they were friends. 

“Although this point is very controversial, it is not based on hearsay, as you have stated, but it is authoritatively documented by the Caitanya Caritamrta. As you have written in a friendly spirit, I do not wish to discuss this point further. If you will kindly take a little trouble to read this chapter  ‘Lord Caitanya meets Vallabha Bhatta’ you will understand the whole situation. Actually Vallabha Bhatta should not have criticized Sridhar Svami, because even now Sridhar Svami is very respected. Even authorities like Sri Jiva Goswami and Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura mention in their commentaries, svami caranat, as we have learned it from the lotus feet of Sridhar Svami. So when Vallabha Bhatta criticized Sridhar Svami, Caitanya Mahaprabhu criticized Vallabha Bhatta strongly. This is a fact, but this does not mean that Vallabha Bhatta and Caitanya Mahaprabhu were inimical. Vallabha Bhatta honored Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as a superior. Sometimes Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would chastise Vallabha Bhatta and sometimes He would favor him, because this was their relationship. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would never refuse the occasional invitations of Vallabha Bhatta. 

“Everything will become clear if you kindly read this chapter with attention. For example, we see that two lawyers in the courtroom may fight vigorously about a law point, but upon returning to the law library, they talk and embrace like friends. So you should always remember that we have no ill feelings towards Vallabha Bhattacarya. We have full respect for him, so there is no harm if these facts are discussed in the society of devotees. Devotees always humbly offer respect to everyone, but when there is a discussion on a point of sastra, they do not observe the usual etiquette, satyam bruyat priyam bruyat. They speak only the satyam, although it may not necessarily be priyam. 

“I hope you will understand the whole situation. If you still have any doubts, I shall be glad to hear from you and shall try to satisfy you to the best of my ability. I am presently not in very good health, nonetheless I hope this meets you well.”     

Prabhupāda was not happy that the editors of BTG had printed a controversial topic and said they should be more careful. He said they should be more discreet in what they publish and not disturb people who are friends of ISKCON. He explained that many of our life members in Bombay are followers also of Vallabhācārya.   

* * * 

The ceremonies were the climax of  Śrīla Prabhupāda’s stay at New Māyāpur. At 5:00 p.m. he drove back to Paris, to spend the night before leaving for Tehran tomorrow morning. As he departed, devotees lined up to cry out, “Jaya Prabhupāda!” and “Hari bol!” Some even ran  along with the car, to be left, cheering and waving, and to offer a final obeisance in the dust, as we gradually accelerated away.  

Prabhupāda looked back appreciatively, returning their waves and and smiles; “Jaya. Hare Kṛṣṇa!” 

We arrived at the Paris temple at 8:30 p.m. After consuming a small plate of fruit, Prabhupāda took rest. 

August 7th, 1976

We had to be at the airport by midday, so the morning was hectic.  

Śrīla Prabhupāda had his massage at 8:30 a.m., and prasādam at 10:00. Right after this he had to visit the local post office to sign for a registered letter sent to him from England. The postal authorities had refused to give it to the devotees, insisting that he collect it himself. That done, we proceeded on, escorted by just a small party of local devotees. Finally we boarded the Iran Air flight for a 1:15 p.m. departure and a four hour forty-five minute flight to Tehran.  

As soon as we settled into our seats Śrīla Prabhupāda turned to me. He caustically complained about Harikeśa’s cooking and the erratic nature of his offerings. After several minutes expressing his dissatisfaction he concluded, “He is cooking ninety per cent for himself. He is not cooking to my desire.” 

I had to think what to do. Prabhupāda was making it clear he wanted some change, although he didn’t say it directly. Harikeśa was trying his best, but somehow Śrīla Prabhupāda wasn’t satisfied.  I mentally resolved that as soon as we got to Tehran I would contact Los Angeles and insist that Pālikā dāsī be sent to join up with us in Bombay to resume her service as cook. I figured that would ensure that Prabhupāda will have a good and steady standard of cooking; it is absolutely essential to his health. The only other alternative would be for his personal servant to do the service, but I am already a proven failure. And even apart from this, when his servant has to do both cooking and massage, neither service can be rendered as efficiently as when each is performed by a separate devotee. Pālikā’s cooking of first-rate prasādam made just according to Prabhupāda’s wishes enabled me to give him a long and attentive massage.  

I feel a return to this standard is best. His Divine Grace’s health is gradually deteriorating, and I want to assure him at least of a good diet to help forestall any major health problem.