Chapter Two

October 11th, 1976

Before we departed Surendra Kumar’s house in the early morning, the happy couple came into Prabhupāda’s room to thank him for gracing their house and holding the programs. They felt themselves very fortunate to have had His Divine Grace stay with them. 

Prabhupāda was also happy that leading citizens are taking his movement and the message of Bhagavad-gītā seriously. He spoke encouragingly to them and made a point of praising the fortune of Surendra Kumar in having such a good wife. He even quoted from śāstra to the effect that when one has a good wife his life is successful. He knows that Surendra is very much attached to his wife, but since she is the one who has the most attachment to Kṛṣṇa, Prabhupāda encouraged Surendra to worship their Deity with her, and both of them to take up the practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness together. 

We set off at about six o’ clock. The drive to Delhi took about two and a half hours. Pradyumna, Arundhatī, Aniruddha, Pālikā, and I rode in the lead car, with Śrīla Prabhupāda, Hansadūta Swami, Gaurasundara, and Gopāla Kṛṣṇa traveling in the rear car provided by Surendra Kumar. Since Śrīla Prabhupāda’s head-on collision in Mauritius last year, it has been the precautionary policy to always have two cars when he travels, with His Divine Grace in the second one. Still, just on the outskirts of Delhi we had a near-disaster. A young buffalo suddenly ran onto the road in front of our car, and the driver swerved at the last moment to miss it. Prabhupāda’s car was following directly behind ours, and there was no time to avoid a collision. Fortunately, the driver was able to brake sufficiently and the car only lightly bumped the animal, which ran off in alarm. No one was hurt, and we proceeded without further incident. But it was another reminder that driving in India is always dangerous, and we are never happy about Prabhupāda traveling long distances by road. 

Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Pārtha-sārathi Mandira 

21A Feroz Gandhi Road 

Lajpat Nagar III 

I continue to feel extremely ill. When we arrived at the temple I couldn’t even attend the guru-pūjā. My sickness forced me to go immediately upstairs to our room and crash out on a mattress. I had so little strength that I could hardly move.  

In the evening, Prabhupāda mercifully came in to see me and asked how I was feeling. He dispensed advice and kind words for speedy healing. He is always concerned about how we are keeping our health, both spiritual and physical, and it is unlimitedly gratifying to receive his personal attention. I also heard later from some of the devotees that Prabhupāda had said some very complimentary things about my service, which was deeply satisfying to know. 

October 12th, 1976

My health is a little better today although I am still too weak to do the massage. 

* * * 

The devotees have made a major blunder. Late in the afternoon, Prabhupāda called Hansadūta Mahārāja in to check on the arrangements for going to Chandigarh tomorrow morning. Gopāla Kṛṣṇa has gone on ahead and was supposed to have made the arrangements for our travel and purchased the air tickets. Although it is the service of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s secretary to make the travel arrangements, Hansadūta Mahārāja knew nothing about it when Śrīla Prabhupāda questioned him. On Prabhupāda’s instruction, Hansadūta rang the airlines, only to find that we had no confirmed booking and that the flights were all full. 

Prabhupāda is very angry. There is supposed to be an early morning reception at the Chandigarh airport, and out of obligation to keep the arrangements so that the preaching will not be hampered, Prabhupāda has instructed the devotees to hire a car; he will ride there overnight. 

October 13th, 1976

Chandigarh 

We set off at 2:00 a.m. for Chandigarh in an old right-hand-drive American hire car. It was a great inconvenience, but nothing else could be done. Prabhupāda was displeased, but because the arrangements for the program had already been made, he went, even at great personal strain and discomfort. It took us three and a half hours to get there, with Hansadūta and me in the front with the driver and Prabhupāda lying down in the back seat trying to rest.  

It was a dangerous journey. Overturned and broken-down trucks littered the route. As is the practice in India, the drivers had simply abandoned their vehicles in the middle of the unlit roads, substituting for danger signs a few bricks, boulders, and tree branches placed around their vehicles a yard or two from the rear. The dark hulks loomed suddenly out of the night at us, and several times our driver had to swerve at the last second to avoid rear-ending them. 

At one point I thought we were certainly dead. Our driver pulled out to overtake a truck and found himself trying to overhaul a whole line of them. We slowly crept past one, but by the time we got level with the next, we were on a sweeping, blind bend with nowhere to go. Suddenly an oncoming truck bore down on us, its headlights on full, its air-horn blaring urgently for us to ‘get out of the way!’ Our driver tried to pull over but couldn’t because he was still level with the truck we were overtaking. Nor could he accelerate. At the very last second he braked hard and swerved in behind the one truck, forcing the one immediately behind to brake hard to let us in. My heart leapt as the oncoming juggernaut flashed past only inches from our car. Even our driver broke out in a sweat. Fortunately, Śrīla Prabhupāda was still sleeping and had missed the whole incident. Hansadūta too had nodded off, but I was anxious enough that I didn’t sleep the whole rest of the way. 

Finally, the tortuous journey ended with our arrival at Chandigarh airport at 5:15 a.m. Serene as ever, Prabhupāda had me bring his toilet kit and washed and brushed his teeth in the airport bathroom. Then he sat calmly chanting japa in the lounge as if it had all been an everyday occurrence. 

At about 6:30 people started arriving to receive Prabhupāda, and before long a sizeable crowd of about three hundred had gathered. Gopāla Kṛṣṇa and Caitya-guru arrived early, full of apologies for having caused so much inconvenience to His Divine Grace, but it was done and Prabhupāda did not pursue the matter further. He had arrived, and now he was concerned with the preaching.  

Yaśodānandana Swami and his party also showed up, along with men from Lokanātha Swami and Hansadūta’s parties. Pleasingly, a busload of Gauḍīya Maṭha men also arrived, led by Puri Mahārāja, a disciple of Prabhupāda’s Godbrother Mādhava Mahārāja. Yaśodānandana Mahārāja informed us that Puri Mahārāja took sannyāsa about a year ago and has a high regard for Śrīla Prabhupāda and a good relationship with our men here. Prabhupāda was also gratified to see a few life members. They held a big kīrtana and presented him with many garlands. Local newsmen took photos and conducted a short interview. 

* * * 

We are staying at the house of Mr. P. L. Sethi, at 103 Sector 23A. Mr. Sethi has been an active member of ISKCON in Bombay since 1971 and rendered great service in the fight to establish our temple at Juhu. A building contractor, it was he whom Śrīla Prabhupāda engaged in building the upper floors on all the existing apartment blocks at Hare Krishna Land. When Prabhupāda goes to Bombay, Mr. Sethi and his wife like to supply him with hot jalebis, dosa, rice, and other preparations. Mr. Sethi has kindly allowed Caitya-guru to use his house here in Chandigarh as a temporary ISKCON center until we can acquire some land. 

The large single-story house is located in the middle of a row on a quiet, wide, tree-lined street in the inner city. On our arrival, Mr. Sethi led Śrīla Prabhupāda straight into the ground-floor living room, which he has cleared of furniture for Prabhupāda’s darśanas. The house has adequate facilities for Prabhupāda’s stay, and the living room is a good place for Prabhupāda to work and relax, with a pleasant vista of the front garden’s three tall, thin mango trees and variety of flowers visible through the front windows. 

It was standing room only as Prabhupāda held court for twenty minutes to a packed crowd of about fifty devotees and curious locals, we servants settled in quickly, unpacking and setting up his Grundig Dictaphone and other paraphernalia. Prabhupāda has a bedroom with attached bath for his exclusive use; Hansadūta and I are staying in an adjoining room. At the end of his darśana Prabhupāda had me hand out sweets to everyone as they left. He is always meticulous to see that prasādam is distributed whenever he has a meeting, big or small.  

* * * 

A little later in the morning, Gaurasundara, Pradyumna and family, Pālikā, and other devotees arrived by van from Delhi. They are being housed in nearby Mahajana Dharmashala in Sector 18.  

Gaurasundara prabhu gave Prabhupāda his massage again, but now it is Gaurasundara who is feeling a little off-color, whereas I am gaining strength. Because of this, Gaurasundara informed Śrīla Prabhupāda that he would stay only the day and will leave for Delhi and Vṛndāvana tomorrow to complete his business. I’ll resume my full duties when he departs.  

* * * 

Caitya-guru has arranged a five-day paṇḍala at nearby Nehru Park in Sector 22. Before the event, this evening’s chief guest, the Chief Commissioner of Chandigarh, Mr. T. N. Chaturvedi, came to visit with Prabhupāda at the house. Prabhupāda greeted him warmly, and after a few minutes of convivial discussion they rode to the paṇḍala together in the commissioner’s car.  

The set-up was impressive. Nehru Park is a three-acre patch of open ground in the heart of one of the main markets areas of Chandigarh. Excellent lighting illuminated a colorful canopy extending over and out from a permanent stage, under which an expectant crowd of about twenty-five hundred were gathered for Śrīla  Prabhupāda’s arrival, ladies on one side and the men on the other. About thirty devotees were already on stage led in an ecstatic kīrtana by Hansadūta and Yaśodānandana Swamis, their exuberant dancing and chanting enthralling the audience. When Prabhupāda stepped out of the car and approached the stage, the devotees began to leap high, their big grins and loud, joyous shouts of “Jaya Prabhupāda!” alerting the crowd to his presence. Many rushed forward to offer their prāṇams and touch his feet, and we had to form a guard to escort him to the stage. Śrīla Prabhupāda smiled and humbly held his hands together over the handle of his cane in return praṇāma, stopping every few feet to allow the spectators to get his blessings.  

On stage Prabhupāda was pleased to see a small, decorated altar housing twelve-inch brass Deities of Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi. Next to Them stood a simple but elegant maroon vyāsāsana, highlightedwith gold braiding, a generous gift from life member Mr. Raj Kumar, the owner of Salwan Furnitures. Flanking the vyāsāsana on both sides was a prominent display of Prabhupāda’s books.  

Prabhupāda approached the Deities and, handing me his cane, got down and offered his obeisances to Their Lordships. Then he took his seat, the devotees sitting on the floor to the left of the stage, his distinguished guests on seats to his right, and Mr. Sethi standing like a faithful sentinel behind his vyāsāsana. Pradyumna and I sat by his side, ready to assist. 

Chief Commissioner Chaturvedi introduced the program. He has seen our devotees abroad, in airports and doing kīrtana, and is greatly impressed with Śrīla Prabhupāda’s efforts to spread Vedic culture all over the world. He enthusiastically lauded both Śrīla Prabhupāda personally and his foreign devotees, and urged the crowd to support ISKCON. He took his seat next to Pokar Ram Godara, a local government minister; Murari Lal Bansal, a local business man and the first ISKCON life member in Chandigarh; and Balwant Rai Tayal, MLA for Haryana.  

After chanting Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava Prabhupāda launched into a powerful discourse, speaking in Hindi for about fifty minutes to the attentive crowd. His first point was to inform everyone that God is the Supreme Person, possessed of saccidānanda-vigraha, a form of eternal knowledge and bliss. Contrasting His transcendental form with our mundane temporary forms that are always subject to distress, Prabhupāda gave a succinct translation of vigraha: “Vigraha means ‘manifestation of self.’ How can we say the Lord has no form? The Lord is the father of all living beings. I am His son. So if I have form, then how is it possible that my father has no form? He is a person and therefore I am a person.” He said that if we could trace our ancestral lines back far enough, we would eventually come to Lord Brahmā, the first living being in the universe. And “above Brahmā there is a supreme father of all.”  

Sometimes the Lord is described as nirākāra, usually interpreted as “without form,” but Śrīla Prabhupāda gave his onlookers a more reasonable understanding. “Now, if someone argues that the Lord doesn’t have a form, what kind of argument is that? It is true that you did not see the forefathers of your grandfather and their fathers. Does it mean your forefathers are all nirākāra? Definitely there was a forefather of you, but you did not see him. Then will you say your great grandfather is nirākāra, without form? No! Similarly, the Lord is not nirākāra also.  

“In one respect the Lord can be nirākāra, because He doesn’t have a form like us. His form is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. This is mentioned in scriptures, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ [Bs. 5.1]; here Kṛṣṇa is called ‘parama’, not an ordinary personality.” 

Anyone who doesn’t accept the Lord as the Supreme Person, Prabhupāda said, is, according to scripture, a mūḍhā, no better than an ass. So to save us from making mistakes about the existence of God, he told everyone that we have to read the śāstra, and that this is the special benefit of a birth in India. “If someone wants to know athāto brahma jijñāsā—what is this brahman, what is Bhagavān?—these are all scripture. Why all these scriptures like ŚrīmadBhāgavatam,Bhagavadgītā,Veda,Purāṇa have been written? There are many kinds of scriptures, and these are the treasure of India. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu instructed, bhāratabhūmite manuṣyajanma haila yāra: whoever has taken birth in the land of India—this happens due to a huge amount of past pious activities—this is not an ordinary thing. I saw as I traveled all over the world, though at present Indians have fallen down from their original position, that India culture is the highest in the universe. This is my personal experience.” 

Prabhupāda urged his audience to awaken to the advantage that their birth has given them. Gesturing to the beautiful forms of Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi at his side, he told them, “Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, bhāratabhūmite haila manuṣyajanma yāra janma sārthaka kari’ kara paraupakāra [Cc. Ādi 9.41]. This is the mission of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You can see the vigraha of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This is His mission. Those who are Indian, those who have taken birth in this holy land of India in human form, not that of an ass, this is the mission for him to make his life successful.” 

Wherever he travels in India, Prabhupāda repeats the same message again and again, that a birth in this country is a unique opportunity for spiritual advancement and should not be squandered. This paṇḍala was no exception. “Because there are plenty of scriptures named Veda, Purāṇa, Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata, Bhāgavatam, Bhagavadgītā, and so on. Just the Upaniṣads are one hundred and eight in number. Eighteen Purāṇas, Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata, Bhāgavatam, and Bhagavadgītā are included in those, so one should read all these scriptures scrutinizingly and make one’s life successful.  

“What is there to learn in this mundane educational system? In one place in Caitanyacaritāmṛta it is stated, kṛṣṇa bhuli’ sei jīva anādibahirmukha [Cc. Madhya 20.117]; ataeva kṛṣṇa vedapurāṇa kailā [Cc. Madhya 20.122] These living entities have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, and when they have forgotten, it is beyond the reach of history; it is anādi. Anādi means before the time of creation—kṛṣṇa bhuli’ sei jīva anādibahirmukha—the living entities forgot Kṛṣṇa, the Lord. So the living entities forgot the Lord and hence their remembrance of Kṛṣṇa should be awakened. They should understand that to awaken their remembrance, kṛṣṇa vedapurāṇa kailā: Kṛṣṇa has revealed the Veda and Purāṇa for them. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has instructed us, those that have taken their birth in the holy land of India, they should read and listen from the revealed scripture.”  

Prabhupāda was frank in his assessment of the current condition of his countrymen, yet hopeful that they could still be inspired to follow his example. “In spite of severe downfall, the Indian people still observe different holy festivals and ten thousand or twenty thousand people attend the ceremony. This is in their blood because of taking birth in the holy land of India. They have inclination for devotional service in a part of their existence, and there is a need now to advance it. This is the mission of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. It is not that only Bhaktivedanta Swami will go abroad and do welfare for others, but you all go abroad. There are plenty of customers of this; everybody will accept with all eagerness.” 

Pointing out his several dozen mainly Western disciples, Prabhupāda continued, “You see these European and American boys are with me and they are serving me as servants. I didn’t bribe them. So why are they with me? They have got something special that they are with me. They are not from a poor country like India that become a sannyāsī and maintain your livelihood simply by begging alms. But they have understood that if there is anything very solid, it is in India. And this is true. 

“So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches us that Indians should learn a lesson of not exploiting those from other countries. No! Para-upakāra! India, you see in the history of the world, never engaged herself to exploit others, but her history is the history of welfare. So bhāratabhūmite manuṣyajanma haila yāra janma sārthaka kari’ kara paraupakāra [Cc. Ādi 9.41]:you go through all these revealed scriptures and realize them; then only can you be eligible for the welfare of others. When you have nothing, then how can you do welfare for others?” 

He informed the audience of the prediction of Lord Caitanya, that His holy names would be spread to every town and village in the world, and told them that this was now being fulfilled. “This is the forecast, and it is happening. You are seeing that we have established 102 centers of ISKCON worldwide. The centers are spread in Europe, America, Australia, in Japan, in Africa, everywhere; no place is left, and everything has been brought into existence single-handedly. Now all of you, making your lives successful, preach this message all over the world. Then you will see how the prestige of India will go higher and higher, and this should be done.” 

Breaking briefly into English, Prabhupāda’s voice boomed forcefully over the loudspeakers: “If you love your country, if you love your culture, you should take up this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and preach all over the world. That is wanted!” And reverting back into Hindi, he declared, “Yes, that is the mission of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Do you understand it now? My point is that don’t neglect it. This is my humble prayer to you. Whether you are a government officer or businessman, you accept this culture, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and preach. There is no bar to do that.”  

If there are two main prongs to Prabhupāda’s preaching in India, one is trying to arouse people to their spiritual heritage and the other is to defeat impersonalism. The launching of his preaching in Chandigarh was no exception. Explaining that there are two philosophies, one from the Māyāvādīs and the other from the Vaiṣṇavas, he expertly and in short order demolished the impersonal concept and the propaganda that this material world is false. There is no question of anything being false, Śrīla Prabhupāda told everyone, because everything emanates from God. According to śāstra, God is abhijñaḥ. “He knows everything, directly and indirectly—He is God. The rascals they say this is all nonsense . . . because they do not accept the Lord. Those who do not obey God will say this creation is false, but actually this universe, this creation, is not false. The highest technologies have been introduced to run the whole system, and those who have a little bit of intelligence can understand the truth. How the moon is rising; how the tides come in the ocean; the air, earth, fire, sky, water are all assembled together by God—all are false? How is it possible? . . .  

“If Brahman is Supreme Truth then how can the Brahman produce something which is false? The ‘false’ is to say there is no Lord and everything has been created without any cause, automatically—this is false. The intelligent person can appreciate the Lord’s presence everywhere analyzing the supreme technologies to create the whole material system. The demon says, ‘asatyam’: everything is false. We don’t say everything is false. 

“God Himself is saying that those who claim this material world is false are demons. Why would this material world be false? God Himself is saying, bhūmir āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca,bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā [Bg. 7.4]: these fire, ether, water, air, earth, all are My inferior energy. These are My energies; I have created all these things. How is it false? Again He is saying apareyam, the eightfold energy is My inferior energy and there is another prakṛti which is superior to this—apareyam itas tv anyāṁ prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām [Bg. 7.5], there is another para, superior nature of Mine, jīvabhūtāṁ mahābāho, that is the living entities. As we are, there is a difference between matter and us. Because we can lord it over matter. We arrange brick, stone, and wood and make a beautiful house with them. So this matter is the energy of the Lord and the jīva is also energy of the Lord, but the living entities are the superior energy.” 

There was another type of falsity that Prabhupāda condemned as well: the idea that we living beings are the proprietors of this world. “We come to the guesthouse and stay for four days and go away; then should we consider this guesthouse belongs to us? This is illusion. This illusion covers the whole world. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam [Īśo mantra 1]: everything belongs to God. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One should develop this sense within. To teach this we all together are launching our simple attempt.” 

Prabhupāda ended his discourse with a final plea. “Our humble request to you all is that this is Indian culture and you should join this. This is not sentimental and not a matter of boasting. Everything here is according to revealed scripture.” Drawing attention to the display on either side of him, Prabhupāda told the crowd, “You can see we are presenting eighty-four books of different revealed scriptures to you, so you all please read thoroughly through the scriptures and then accept this movement very seriously. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said, bhāratabhūmite haila manuṣyajanma yāra [Cc. Ādi 9.41], but we go to Western countries to beg alms. Why should you go there to beg alms? Go there to give something, not for taking something from them. You have the treasure; why should you beg for alms? You have spoiled your treasure and you are going to beg alms from others. This is not good. But this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is noticing that you have wealth, so distribute this wealth to others and make your life successful and do welfare for others. Thank you very much.” 

With that he opened the floor for questions. Caitya-guru stationed himself at the front of the stage, handing a microphone to the questioners so that everyone could hear their questions as they presented them to Śrīla Prabhupāda. One man came forward and asked, “Has the sac-cid-ānanda a form or not?” 

Prabhupāda responded in the affirmative. “Yes. Form. Just like you have got form, asat, acit, nirānanda, He has a form of sac-cid-ānanda.” 

 “But what is it like?” the man asked further. 

“When you come to understand, then you will know,” Prabhupāda told him. “It cannot be explained in one minute. It requires some education and some understanding. But you have to accept the statement of the śāstra, that vigraha, sac-cid-ānanda. Just like you know that I have got mind, you have got mind. Can you see my mind?” 

“No,” the man agreed, keen to express his own idea, “but there . . . ” 

 “No, just like you cannot see it but you can perceive. I have got mind; you have got mind. I have got intelligence; you have got intelligence. But what is that intelligence? Can you see it? Something cannot be seen but it can be perceived. Therefore our knowledge is acquired by perceiving. Vedas means śruti. You have to hear and perceive. You cannot see at the present moment; you haven’t got the eyes to see.”  

The man interrupted, wanting to know if surely it wasn’t possible to see the sac-cid-ānanda in the light of consciousness. 

“Whatever it may be,” Prabhupāda told him. “Just like I have already given you the example, that the gross thing you cannot see . . . ” 

And again the man interrupted, seemingly more interested in his own thoughts than in hearing Śrīla Prabhupāda’s. “But the devotee can see the form of sac-cid-ānanda in light of consciousness?” 

So Prabhupāda agreed, “Yes, consciousness,” and that seemed to satisfy him.  

The man’s style of questioning and his interruptions prompted Caitya-guru to get up again and inform the crowd that the proper way to approach the spiritual master was through submissive inquiry. At any rate, there were no more questions and we moved into the next part of the program. 

Prabhupāda’s talk was well received. Even the sound system worked as it should, and he was highly pleased with the whole arrangement. He was enlivened enough that he even stayed on for the slide show of ISKCON’s worldwide activities.  

At the end, as Prabhupāda dismounted the stage, many in the crowd surged forward to touch his feet. He received their offers of respect and praise graciously, raising his hands in praṇāma as he slowly made his way back to the car. It was ten o’clock by the time we arrived back at the house. Prabhupāda adjudged the paṇḍala a success and praised Caitya-guru for all his hard work.  

October 14th, 1976

Prabhupāda did not translate last night. 

At the crack of dawn Śrīla Prabhupāda went for a walk to the Zakir Rose Gardens—a thirty-eight-acre park named after Zakir Hussein, the former president of India. The drive there was pleasant. Chandigarh is a planned city of about 200,000 inhabitants. It is Union Territory and serves as the seat of government for both Haryana and Punjab. There are no skyscrapers, and the roads are clean, wide, and uncongested.  

A broad dual carriageway brought us to the main entrance of the park. Stepping out with his small band of followers, Prabhupāda entered through the gate in the thick perimeter hedge and set off along the broad, well-kept walkways. He glanced around in approval as he walked beside a small stream that meandered through the center of the park. Our route took us by a large central pond surrounded by a multitude of flowerbeds, large and small, abounding with over fifteen hundred varieties of fragrant roses. Small clumps of trees, like the willow-like bottlebrush; the towering, orange-blossomed calteria; and many others added to the natural beauty of the area. It is a popular place to walk, and as the day manifest, hundreds of Chandigarh’s residents began to appear, nodding politely or offering traditional prāṇama to Śrīla Prabhupāda as they passed us by.  

Śrīla Prabhupāda walked slowly for about twenty minutes, but due to weakness, and attracted by the smooth well-kept lawns, he decided to sit for a while. We spread a chaddar out for him, and as soon as he sat down, ten or twenty gentlemen began to gather round. They had either read in the newspapers about his arrival, had attended the program last night, or were simply attracted by the presence of the saintly person in their midst. All were respectful and inquisitive, and a lively fifteen-minute discussion ensued. Prabhupāda was gratified by the interest in his mission and was more than ready to share his knowledge and realizations with the small group of admirers. 

He took up the same theme that had dominated his lecture, that Indians were neglecting their real Vedic-based educational systems and therefore losing their spiritual advantage. Even if they read them, he said, they had no understanding.  

“Everyone reads Bhagavadgītā, mostly, but they do not understand the first lesson. Dehino ’smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntaraprāptiḥ [Bg. 2.13]. Nobody understands. What is your understanding about this transmigration of the soul?” 

One gentleman took up the discussion while the other dozen listened in with keen interest. “We consider that man gets life after death according to his karma.” 

Prabhupāda tipped his head to the side in recognition. “Yes.” But then he asked, “Do you believe on this?” 

“We have this belief,” the man replied. 

But Prabhupāda wasn’t going to let him off so easily. He knew that there is often cursory acknowledgment of the spiritual texts but with little or no application. “Then what is the preparation?” he asked. “If we believe that we have to get another life after death, then what preparation we have made?” 

The man hesitated. “Preparation? We . . . The real truth is we don’t know.” Prabhupāda had immediately exposed the flaw. At least the fellow was honest in his ignorance. 

“That is what I am saying,” Prabhupāda told him. 

The man proffered himself as a student, saying that he would like to know and therefore was approaching learned persons, like Śrīla Prabhupāda. 

Prabhupāda reciprocated with the man’s humble attitude, and for the next few minutes he impressed the attentive assembly with both his erudition and his realization. He told them that people in general fail to understand that they are fully under the control of material nature;  rather, they are thinking themselves independent.  

The man agreed that nature was inexorable for all except God. “Does He intervene in our actions?” he asked. 

“God interferes if you are a devotee,” Prabhupāda told him. “Otherwise, you have to undergo the laws of nature.” If a child touchs fire it will still burn even though the child doesn’t know it will. Ignorance is no excuse, and we cannot surpass the laws of nature. 

“Then what about miracles performed by so many people?” the man asked. 

Prabhupāda was immediately dismissive. “That is rascaldom. Nobody can play anything. Magician also can make. It is all foolishness, all rascaldom. They are all rascals and who understands miracle, they are also rascals. Laws of nature cannot be changed.” 

The man ventured that there may be laws that we don’t know about. 

Prabhupāda agreed and with a good-humored chuckle told the man, “There are many laws. What do you know? You do not know anything.” 

The man agreed, thinking that therefore his point was established. “We do not know. Then I say those miracles may be possible according to those laws that we don’t know.” 

But Prabhupāda shook his head, not willing to credit the so-called ‘god-man’ phenomenon that has so enraptured India’s ignorant masses. “There is no miracle. If you touch fire, it will burn; that’s all.” 

Another gentleman submitted a question. “Swamijī, is bhaktimārga enough to have liberation?” 

Prabhupāda confirmed that it was but then asked the fellow if he knew what liberation actually was.  

“Jīvanmukta,” the man replied.  

It sounded good, but Prabhupāda probed him more. “No, explain.” 

Again, when a deeper understanding was called for, the answer was less than satisfactory. The man struggled to identify true liberation. “When feeling one with the consciousness, world consciousness, universal soul.” 

Śrīla Prabhupāda recognizes impersonalism as the curse of India. As with his lecture last night, he confronted it head on. “Universal soul is spirit, and you are also spirit. In that sense, you are one,” he agreed. “But universal soul is different from you. Just like Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad gītā that there are two souls within the body. One soul is the individual soul, and the other soul is the Supersoul. That Supersoul is universal soul, and the individual soul . . . you are individual soul. As soul, the quality is the same, but you are individual soul, and Lord is universal soul. There in the Bhagavadgītā it is stated clearly: kṣetra kṣetrajña. Kṣetrajña is the soul; kṣetra is this body. So kṣetra jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarvakṣetreṣu bhārata: ‘I am also kṣetrajña, soul, but sarvakṣetreṣu.’ You individual soul, you know the pleasure, pains, of your body, but you do not know what are the pleasure and pains of my body. Do you know?” 

“No, sir,” the man agreed while listening closely to follow Prabhupāda’s logic. 

“Therefore you are individual. You know the pleasure and pains of your body. I know the pleasure and pains of my body. But there is another soul; that is Supersoul. Sarvakṣetreṣu bhārata. He knows your pleasure, pains. He knows my pleasure and pains. He knows everyone’s pleasure and pains. Īśvaraḥ sarvabhūtānāṁ hṛddeśe ‘rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg. 18.61]. Therefore, as soul they are one in quality, but in consciousness they’re different. He knows everyone’s pleasure and pains; I know my pleasure and pain.” 

The man appreciated Prabhupāda’s point but submitted his question again, this time more specifically. “My humble prayer was that by doing japa, by doing meditation, by doing bhaktimārga, need we go to jñānamārga also, or bhaktimārga is enough by itself? That was my humble supplication.” 

Prabhupāda assured him that the path of bhakti is enough because it includes everything else. If one has bhakti he must also have jñāna, and if he doesn’t have jñāna there is no question of bhakti. He explained the exalted position of bhakti. “The jñāna is called brahmabhūta. That is real jñāna. If you understand your position, then it is jñāna. If you do not understand your position, then where is jñāna? Do you follow? Therefore Bhagavān says, brahmabhūtaḥ prasannātmā [Bg. 18.54].So long you are ajñāna, in ignorance, you cannot be happy. But when you are in jñāna, then you’ll be happy. That is the symptom of becoming jñānī. Ātmā becomes very happy. Na śocati na kāṅkṣati. He has no more any lamentation and hankering. There are two things in this material world. We are hankering after something which we do not possess, and we are lamenting for something which we possessed and we have lost. This is the disease, material disease. So when one comes to the platform of jñāna then he has no more such disease, hankering and lamenting. So brahmabhūta means na śocati na kāṅkṣati and samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. So long we are on the material platform, we are not samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. We are thinking, ‘You are different from me; I am different from you. My interest is first.’ So not samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. But when you become actually jñānī, brahmabhūtaḥ; samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu, prasannātmā, then bhakti begins. Madbhaktiṁ labhate parām. So bhakti is not so easy thing. Bhakti means when one understands his real position, means all misunderstanding gone.” 

What impresses about India is that so many educated persons can quote the Bhagavadgītā—but understanding it is another thing. The man responded agreeably by citing verse 18.66, in which Kṛṣṇa asks for full surrender to Him. “When there is that last śloka in the eighteenth adhyāya, sarvadharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja . . . ”  

But of course Prabhupāda was looking for more than dry intellectualism. “How you can do unless you understand your position? When you understand your position, that ‘I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa,’ then you can do that. If I say immediately, ‘Mr. Suchandsuch, you give up everything, you surrender unto me,’ will you do? No, you’ll not do. But when you understand your position—‘Yes, it is my duty’—then you’ll do it.”  

The man started to say something about the meaning of brahmabhūta, but Prabhupāda interjected, stressing his main point. “Brahmabhūta means first of all you understand your identity. You are now identifying yourself as Indian, or as brāhmaṇa, or as kṣatriya, or white, or black, and so many things.” 

The man grinned and agreed. “My first identification is my own body.” 

“Yes, that is ajñāna,” Prabhupāda told him. “So long you are identifying with the body, you are no better than the animal. So we are doing that. We are fighting. ‘I am Indian. You are Englishman. You are this. You are that..’ Simply we are fighting, like cats and dogs, they fight. So that is ajñāna. How you can be prasannātmā? So when one becomes actually situated in spiritual life—brahmabhūtaḥ prasannātmā—that is the [real position]. In this way, when you make further progress—when you actually understand that you are eternal servant of God—then you surrender. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. This situation takes many, many births to cultivate. And when he actually understands, jñānavān—not fools, rascals—then māṁ prapadyate,vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. That mahātmā is very rare to be found. So bhakti is not so easy. Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. It is not so easy. It takes many, many births to come to the understanding that vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti.” 

Prabhupāda’s authoritative command of his subject captivated his audience. They listened carefully, sincerely trying to understand his points and develop their knowledge. The man asked whether the soul experiences the pains and pleasures of each body it occupies as it passes from body to body. 

Prabhupāda, encouraged by the response, spoke candidly. “Certainly,” he told him. “You just strike one dog—‘Ka! Ka! Ka!’ Why? Does it not feel pain? And Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose has proved, even the trees, they feel pains and pleasure. It is stage. Just like the tree. If you cut, it does not feel so much pains and pleasure as a human being. It is the development of consciousness. So in human form of body the consciousness is developed. Therefore he can understand what is his position. And therefore for human being there are śāstras—the Vedas, the Purāṇas—to understand his position. The tree cannot take advantage of the instruction of Bhagavadgītā. A cat cannot take advantage. 

“If we do not take advantage of the opportunity of understanding my identification, then we are committing suicide, jumping like cats and dogs, that’s all. Sa eva gokharaḥ. Such persons have been described as gokharaḥ. Go means cows, and khara means ass. Sa eva gokharaḥ—one who identifies [with] his body.” 

Another man who attended the paṇḍala last night joined in. “Mūḍhā, you explained last night.” 

Prabhupāda’s eyes lit up, thankful that his message was getting through and that someone was listening attentively to his discourses. “Yes. This is going on. That’s it; that we should take advantage of this human form of life, and know what is our position, why we are in this material world. I am this body or so . . . so many things. This is called brahmajijñāsā. But nobody is interested. That is the effect of bad education. And especially in the Western countries, they do not believe in the next birth. They do not believe, although it is very clearly pointed out by Kṛṣṇa, dehino ’smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā [Bg. 2.13]: The body is changing from baby body, is coming, becoming a boy, a boy is becoming a young man, young man is becoming middleaged man, and the middleaged man is becoming old man. The body is changing every moment and still they do not believe. Every one of us, we know that we had a childhood body, a boy’s body. Where is that body? That body is gone. I am existing, but the body is not existing. Therefore, I have changed body. This simple word, they do not understand. Therefore they are called mūḍhā. Kṛṣṇa is pointing out, dehino ’smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntaraprāptiḥ. Similarly, there is after this, after socalled death, the soul changes to another body, and He still further clearly says, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [Bg. 2.20]: ‘After the destruction of this body, the person is not killed. He’s not dead,’ na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. These things are there, but nobody understands. And they are very good scholar, big, big student of Bhagavadgītā. But these things they do not understand. And they’re writing very, very, big, big comments.” 

When the man responded that everyone believes in transmigration of the soul in theory, Prabhupāda was dismissive. “No. What is that nonsense theory? We must know it actually. What is the use of theory? Theory is no good. You must know factually. That is knowledge. Theory is not knowledge. Anyone can put forward some nonsense theory. That is not knowledge. Knowledge means factual.” 

And then when the man asked, “How to attain that knowledge then?” Prabhupāda spoke strongly, a hint of admonishment in his tone. “That also Kṛṣṇa is explaining. Why don’t you take it? The knowledge is there, but you refuse to accept. So what is fault? Whose fault it is?” 

“How should I persuade myself that that . . . ?” 

Prabhupāda cut him off, intent on bringing him from the theoretical to the practical. “No. If you don’t persuade, nobody can induce you to persuade. If you are obstinate, who can persuade you? You must agree. Therefore it is advised, tadvijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet, samitpāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahmaniṣṭham [MU 1.2.12]; Tad viddhi praṇi-pātena. First of all, you have to surrender. But if you don’t surrender, how you’ll get knowledge? If you think you are very big man, then how you get knowledge?” 

“No, we don’t think that we are big men,” the man said humbly. 

Prabhupāda eased the pressure a bit. “No, no, everyone thinks that, not you. I don’t say particular. Everyone thinks, ‘I know everything.’” 

The man accepted the point, declaring, “We think that we are ignorant, petty creatures. Correct.” 

“But if you think so,” Prabhupāda pressed home, “that you are ignorant petty creatures, then you take knowledge from the authority. Why don’t you take it? What is the meaning that you think you are ignorant petty creature, but at the same time, when the most learned person is giving you knowledge, Kṛṣṇa, you don’t take it?” 

“But there are so many authorities presented to me,” the man responded. “There is the Bible, there is the Koran, there is . . . ” 

Prabhupāda reacted strongly, refusing to accept any excuses for avoiding Kṛṣṇa. “No. First of all, you are born in India. Why you are jumping to Bible?” As the small group burst out laughing, Prabhupāda scolded him. “This is another foolishness. You take care of your own house. You are jumping like monkey to Bible.”  

The onlookers laughed in delight at his expertise in capturing his quarry, while the man attempted to plead his point. “In our own house there are quite a few dharmas.” 

But Prabhupāda was already way ahead of him. “Therefore ācāryavān puruṣo veda. You have to follow the ācāryas. In our country there are ācāryas: Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Caitanya Mahāprabhu—those who are recognized authority. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. In the Bhagavadgītā, ācāryopāsanam. You have to worship the ācārya. The ācārya’sparamparā is there. Evaṁ param-parāprāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ [Bg. 4.2].” 

The man agreed, “There is no dearth of ācārya in India.” But he again ran aground when he began to list them. “There is Acarya Rajneesh, there is ācārya . . . ” 

Prabhupāda jumped on him again. “No. There is ācārya, and there are fools also. Ācārya is there, and fools are there also. The agnostics are there. They will not accept any ācārya. You accept some ācārya, why you become skeptic? At least, we have to accept Kṛṣṇa as the supreme ācārya. Why don’t you accept Him? If you are embarrassed whom to select ācārya, so who can be better ācārya than Kṛṣṇa? Why don’t you accept Him? That means you want to avoid under some plea. Otherwise there is ācārya. If you don’t believe in other ācārya, you take at least Kṛṣṇa, who is accepted by all the ācāryas, either Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, or anyone. Will they not accept Kṛṣṇa as the supreme teacher? Whole world is understanding Kṛṣṇa is the supreme teacher. At least at the present moment they are accepting. We are selling our books daily five to six lakhs’ worth, only these Kṛṣṇa consciousness books. And in our country we do not accept Kṛṣṇa as the supreme ācārya? What is this? That is our misfortune. Kṛṣṇa is recognized ācārya. There is no doubt about it.” 

Prabhupāda gave a clear definition of the real ācārya. “Ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān nāvamanyeta karhicit [SB 11.17.27].Ācārya and Kṛṣṇa are identical. Who is ācārya? Who speaks on behalf of Kṛṣṇa, he is ācārya. Ācārya means one who speaks on behalf of Kṛṣṇa. That is ācārya.” 

The man suggested that the reason we have to follow the writings of the ācāryas is because Kṛṣṇa never wrote any books, but Prabhupāda explained that there was no detriment in that. “No, no. Kṛṣṇa did not write, but Kṛṣṇa spoke. If you speak and if I note down and write, what is the difference? Because you did not see, therefore it is not good? He spoke and you note down. Then it is as good. Kṛṣṇa was speaking, and Sañjaya was noting, and that was written by Vyāsadeva in the Mahābhārata. So what is the difference?” 

The man’s doubts seemed only to increase with whatever Prabhupāda said. “That is one disclosure,” he said, indicating that he thought there were other books to be considered. “That is one only, Bhagavadgītā.” 

And Prabhupāda, as always the perfect ācārya, had the answer. “That is sufficient. First of all, you understand few lines of Bhagavadgītā; then jump over other. About this only, one line, tathā dehāntaraprāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati [Bg. 2.13], if you simply understand this one line, your life will be successful.” And so he expertly brought the conversation back to his opening question. “This line, it is clear, that you have to change this body. Have you got any objection to take it?” 

“No,” the man said. 

“Then why you are not serious, ‘What kind of body I am going to get?’ Here is a body, tree. If you are going to accept a body like this, just how miserable it will be. Why you are not afraid? Just like if you want to go from here, Chandigarh, to Delhi, you have to arrange so many things. So what we are doing, that we have to change this body? And there are 8,400,000 different types of bodies. Which body I am going to get? Why we are not serious? We are spoiling our life.” 

Prabhupāda’s mention of a fixed number of species triggered more speculation in the man’s mind. “Those that have become extinct, dinosaurs and those . . . ” 

And that triggered another strong response from Prabhupāda. “That is rascals’ theory. Nothing extinct,” he declared to the delight of his other listeners. “Just like [Darwin] says that man comes from monkey. Monkey is extinct? Where is the question of extinction? There is no question of extinction. Just like there are firstclass, secondclass, thirdclass compartments. If you pay for the firstclass, you enter into firstclass. You cannot say that thirdclass is extinct. According to your karma . . . Karmaṇā daivanetreṇa jantur dehopapattaye [SB 3.31.1]. As you pay. If you pay for thirdclass, you enter into thirdclass compartment. If you pay for firstclass, you enter into firstclass. So it is according to your karma you’ll get a body. Why it should be extinct?” 

The man wasn’t convinced. His empirical training made it difficult for him to accept Prabhupāda’s statements. “Because it is extinct. We find there are those . . .  fossilized . . . ” 

“You do not find,” Prabhupāda admonished him. “You simply repeat Darwin, that’s all. You do not find. You do not see anything. You simply hear from Darwin. You have taken Darwin as your authority. But you don’t take authority, Vedas. That is your fault.” 

“Darwin had drawn that theory from observations.” 

“Wherefrom he has drawn?” Prabhupāda demanded. “He has speculated only, like a rascal. That’s all. Wherefrom he got this thing? He has said that ‘It is my speculation.’ Speculation is not knowledge. You can speculate in your own way. Knowledge gathered from the authority, that is real knowledge.” 

With that he decided time was up. His audience were delighted with his strong statements and convictions. Finishing his impromptu darśana, he stood to leave. “Hare Kṛṣṇa,” he concluded. As the gathering broke up, at least one of his listeners was sufficiently impressed to inquire about purchasing his books. Prabhupāda told him he could get them at the paṇḍala. 

* * * 

There was a favorable report on page ten of today’s Tribune. Headed with a close-up photo of a smiling and opulently garlanded Śrīla Prabhupāda being received at the airport, the article announced the opening of the five-day paṇḍala. It gave a brief description of Prabhupāda’s reception and noted that it was his first visit to Chandigarh “after going around the world 16 times.” It described Prabhupāda’s shaven-headed, dhoti-clad foreign disciples chanting and dancing at the Nehru Park paṇḍala and declared it “easily the most colorful ever held here on the sprawling grounds.” It also quoted Caitya-guru prabhu as saying that ISKCON would build a Kṛṣṇa temple in Chandigarh at a cost of ten lakhs and a Kṛṣṇa-Arjuna complex in Kurukṣetra for several crores. Prabhupāda was pleased with the report. Other favorable articles appeared in the Hindi daily Punjab Kesari  and several other publications. 

* * * 

During the morning, Hansadūta Mahārāja read out a stack of mail to Śrīla Prabhupāda and noted down his dictated replies. Mr. Ramkrishna Bajaj, the famous industrialist and the secretary of the Gita Pratisthan (Foundation), wrote to inform Prabhupāda of the revised date for their proposed Gita Prachar conference. The Gita Pratisthan was established on the request of Acarya Vinoba Bhave, a contemporary of M. K. Gandhi, and the upcoming meeting will be the first by a new Coordinating Committee that Śrīla  Prabhupāda has been invited to join. Enclosing a list of about twenty-five other invitees, including some well-known Mayāvādīs, Mr. Bajaj gave the dates as December 19th and 20th and the venue as Wardha, Maharashtra. He offered respectful praise of Śrīla Prabhupāda. “As you have made invaluable contribution to the propagation of the message of Gita all over the world, the benefit of your mature advice and guidance will be most helpful in planning the future work of Gita Pratisthan and coordinating the activities of different organizations engaged in this work. We earnestly hope that you will be able to join us in this meeting and shall be grateful if you could kindly let us have your early confirmation in this regard.” 

Prabhupāda was pleased to accept the invitation. “I will advise Giriraj, my secretary in Bombay to see you in this connection,” he replied. “I wish to take with me my sankirtan party, whether you would like to accommodate them. If not then only my personal secretaries, all together five, will go with me, so you have to arrange accommodation for them.” 

There was also a letter from Girirāja prabhu. Girirāja reported some problems and some successes. It seems that the long reply to the questions from Bhavan’s Journal, which Śrīla Prabhupāda first gave in June in New Vrindaban and which Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja took so long to edit, arrived too late for publication. It was a disappointment, but Girirāja felt that it could still be used elsewhere. “Sadajiwatlal says that he can get it published in ten journals. We are having a lot of preaching engagements and are repeating many of the points in your statement.” 

He also enclosed a very strongly worded letter written by the son of a prominent ācārya in the Vallabha line, which has been circulated to some of our life members. Protesting the article from BTG Vol. 10 #8 in which Śrīla Prabhupāda describes Lord Caitanya’s friendly chastisement of Vallabhācārya, the letter condemns ISKCON as a fanatical organization and is very insulting personally to Śrīla Prabhupāda. It calls for our life members to withdraw their support. 

Girirāja proposed a solution and requested Śrīla  Prabhupāda’s advice. “We were thinking of replying to this incident in the ‘Hare Krishna Monthly’ sent to all of our members every month. The format would be in terms of a letter to the editor stating that ‘I was very concerned about the article published in Back to Godhead about Sri Vallabhacarya and I would like you to clarify the situation.’ Then we could publish the reply you sent to Smt. Morarjee.”  

Girirāja’s report also had some good news. After holding programs in two important local colleges, the devotees have been invited to teach weekly seminars at Somaiya College and St. Xavier’s College. Girirāja said that he was excited about developing the college preaching there, especially to make new Indian devotees. “At both of the engagements mentioned above the students were very enthusiastic to purchase your books. Most of the students wanted to stay and were reluctant to go to their next classes. And some even sneaked out of their next classes to come back and buy your books.” 

Prabhupāda didn’t comment on the Bhavan’s Journal episode. He wasn’t happy that after so much effort it arrived too late to be used, but he saw that there was nothing to be done. He approved Girirāja prabhu’s suggestion for dealing with the agitation against us in Bombay and was very happy to hear about the college preaching. “Your preaching in the colleges is nice,” he replied to Girirāja. “Try to make some Indian devotees.” He also enclosed a copy of his letter to Ramakrishna Bajaj and asked Girirāja to “do the needful.” 

A lengthy letter arrived from Dr. Wolf-Rottkay. As a linguist, he tends to get quite verbose in his writing, and this missive was no exception. He is very devoted to Śrīla Prabhupāda, but as a scholar he sometimes struggles with what he regards as naive fundamentalism in our movement. Apart from helping with German language translations, he is trying to help our scientists and is a great friend of Svarūpa Dāmodara prabhu. His letter expressed his difficulty in understanding our preaching approach to modern scientists, and especially our stance on the moon issue. He feels it a contradiction to try to preach through the medium of science while at the same time holding views that contradict the most elementary scientifically based understandings of life and the universe. He said that it was one thing to invite the scientists to be humbly aware of their dependence on God but, “to tell the same professionals to their faces that certain BASICS IN THEIR ACADEMIC BELIEFS which are accepted, as are regular phenomena in nature, all over the ‘civilized’ world just ARE NOT TRUE, is another thing . . . . 

“To deny the Moon and Mars landings and to put the Moon farther way than the Sun while, with Einstein and Max Planck’s Constant and the help of all the other modern paraphernalia, very admirably and sophisticatedly (Sadaputa, Svarupa Damodara) refuting the definitely erroneous, yet silently rampant myth of ‘science will overcome’, namely the troubles of our age and race, — this side by side just will not work. The attempt to ‘rock the Galileo-Keplerian Solar System’ while using scientific evidence, scientifically and splendidly convincing, in an effort to prove that science is unreliable, fallible (which of course it is) IS A CONTRADICTION IN ITSELF . . . . During a discussion of some astronomical questions with the Department of Astronomy at U.C.L.A. I was, without ANY ‘scientific arrogance’ told that, for instance, the distance from the Earth to the Moon was known to within fractures of an inch through radar tests. In view of such opinions I must deem it hopeless that speaking to the ‘scientists’ can bear fruit. Frantic attempts to support the Vedic statements about the Moon by speaking of faked landings (‘there are enough deserts around in California and Arizona’—‘opinions’ heard many times at the Los Angeles and Atlanta temples) may, however become as politically dangerous as the earlier mentioned ‘Hitler myths’ which persistently stick in the minds of the young, uninformed prabhus and are sprung on me as the unfortunate victim and sufferer again and again when my being a German is mentioned during talks. I do not know what to think of such things really. 

“Please be advised, beloved Master, by one who in devotion, but also IN DEEP CONCERN, feels called upon to speak up and out as an appointed council. As in other matters which I brought to the Master’s knowledge, I also here see a danger that should be neutralized as quickly as possible. 

“In reverence and gratitude, W.H. Wolf-Rottkay, disciple.” 

Dr. Wolf-Rottkay also enclosed a prayer and a short appreciation of the Brahmā-saṁhitā, Prabhupāda’s presentation of which, he said, often fills his best devotional hours. 

Prabhupāda smiled when he heard the contents. He has had many discussions with Dr. Wolf-Rottkay, his sage advice helping the good doctor to stave off serious conflicts in the juxtaposition of his transcendental heart and his mundane mind. 

Prabhupāda wrote back, “Regarding the scientists, we have entrusted our own three scientists, namely Swarup Damodar, Sadaputa, and Madhava, and we leave the matter to them; we do not say anything ourselves, but are leaving it to them. But there are many common men who do not believe that they have gone to the moon planet. So as common men we can simply say, how can dust and rocks reflect so much of light as to illuminate the night, like the sun at day. It is simply bogus to say that the moon is full of dust and rocks. [That] such a beautiful soothing planet is full of dust and rocks with no living beings there is simply unbelievable. You are a learned scholar, do you think it is believable that dust and rocks can illuminate the whole universe at night? It is so soothing and beautiful. I shall be very glad to receive further enlightenment in this connection from your good self.” 

From Jaśomatīnandana dāsa in Gujarat, Prabhupāda received a report on the farm that Mr. Bhogilal Patel is proposing to donate to us. There are some government formalities to satisfy, which will take a few weeks to arrange. Consisting of one hundred and eight acres of rich alluvial soil, it is worth between eight and ten lakhs. According to the manager of the farm, crops worth three lakhs a year can be grown with little effort or investment. The manager described the land as “a piece of gold.” It is also ideally located, only five miles from the city of Ahmedabad. Jaśomatīnandana invited Śrīla Prabhupāda to visit if his health permits. 

Apart from this, Jaśo is struggling, as he and his wife are now there alone. An American couple who were helping have returned due to visa expiration, and yet he is still printing a monthly magazine, Bhagavad-gītā, and other small books in Gujarati, as well as making life members, preaching, and handling all the managerial affairs. He feels that if the farm is obtained, he will need some help and suggested that some of the men at the Vṛndāvana temple could be sent. Finally, he requested permission to install Gaura-Nitāi Deities on Govardhana-pūjā on the 24th of this month in order to make everything “nice and auspicious.” 

Śrīla Prabhupāda is eager for the farm projects to develop. He wrote back suggesting how the land can best be utilized for our purposes. “You say the farm is only five miles from the city, so we will build our temple on that land. The farmers should be trained up to become devotees of Krishna. The same idea I have already given for Hyderabad farm. Invite the local farmers to participate in Kirtan and prasadam distribution, engage them to work the land. They may keep whatever they require for their maintenance, and the excess production may be traded or sold. But we are not going to develop a competitive farming enterprise for making money. The basic principle is to become independent of artificial city life, working in factories producing nut and bolts. Gandhi had this idea, the one defect was that there was no Krishna in the center. So the same idea of village organization, but keeping Krishna in the center should be introduced on our farm projects.” 

In view of his lack of manpower, Prabhupāda advised Jaśo not to install Deities there until there are enough devotees to take proper care of Them. And in this regard he told him, “Regarding men, everywhere there is shortage, we cannot continue to import men continually.” 

* * * 

I am now fully fit and have resumed my duties as masseur. Gaurasundara prabhu, who himself is still feeling a little ill, returned to Delhi this morning after taking his leave of Śrīla Prabhupāda. After so many years away, by some special mercy, he has again been engaged in intimate service to his spiritual master, Kṛṣṇa’s pure devotee. Prabhupāda was pleased with his service and gave him his blessings and encouragement. 

* * * 

There were no special visitors during the day, but Śrīla Prabhupāda held a general darśana in the late afternoon, which was well attended. At 6:30 he was met at the house by tonight’s chief guest, Shri Hansraj Sharma, the Finance Minister of Punjab. He was accompanied by Mr. SP Vohra, the town planner for Haryana. They talked for a few minutes, and Śrīla Prabhupāda presented him with a copy of one of the volumes of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā. Then they drove together to the paṇḍala.  

Again there was a big crowd, even larger than the first night, perhaps due to the news articles this morning and also the arrangements of Caitya-guru prabhu. He and the devotees have been going out during the night, sticking up large, beautiful posters all around the city advertising the paṇḍala. He has also arranged for large banners to hang across the main roads, welcoming Śrīla Prabhupāda and giving the dates and times for the programs. Devotees have also been going out during the day, performing nagara-saṅkīrtana for the first time in the streets of Chandigarh, much to the delight and interest of the residents, most of whom have never seen Western boys in the traditional garb of Vaiṣṇavas. When people inquire about Śrīla Prabhupāda and ISKCON, the devotees direct them to the paṇḍala. 

As Śrīla Prabhupāda and his guests mounted the stage, the devotees, led by Hansadūta Swami, intensified their chanting, dancing and singing with great energy and enthusiasm. Prabhupāda offered his obeisances to the Deities and then took his place on the vyāsāsana. After the devotees completed their kīrtana, Mr. Sharma gave a short message of appreciation for Śrīla Prabhupāda and his ISKCON mission, but due to a prior commitment he took his leave early, promising to come again before the completion of the paṇḍala programs.  

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good night for me. I made a stupid blunder. After His Divine Grace had taken his seat and was about to start his lecture, I reached into my cloth shoulder bag, handed him his karatālas and placed the Bhagavadgītā on its stand. At the end of his chanting of Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava, he sat facing his expectant audience, waiting for me to hand him his reading glasses so that he could begin his lecture. But when I reached into the bag for them, the glasses were not there.  In great apprehension, I had to lean forward and inform Prabhupāda that I had forgotten them. 

With no trace of emotion, still facing the audience, his expression unchanging and giving me not so much as a glance, Prabhupāda said quite simply, “Then why have you come?”  

Knowing full well that it was a totally futile effort but not wanting to be guilty of not making at least some attempt to rectify my mistake, I ran off the stage, jumped into the car, and raced back to the house to retrieve the glasses. Of course, when I returned Prabhupāda was already well into his lecture and it was too late. Typically, he didn’t mention the incident afterwards.  

Prabhupāda spoke in Hindi again for about fifty minutes, centering his talk on the contrast between the two kinds of natures—the divine and the demonic—and the responsibility we have as human beings to choose between them. To be a demon or a demigod is not a question of birth, he said. “Demigods take birth in the families of demons, and demons also take birth in the families of demigods. Now in this Kaliyuga, the number of demons are more. In Satya-yuga everybody is a demigod. In Tretāyuga three parts are demigods and one part is demoniac. In Dvāparayuga half the number is demigod population and other half is demoniac. In Kali-yuga three parts are demons and one part is demigod. And as it advances, the demons will be more.” 

To make it perfectly clear what he meant by demon, Prabhupāda had Pradyumna prabhu read out verse 16.7. “What is their nature, what is their identification, the Lord Himself describes them in Bhagavadgītā. So the first quality is pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca janā na vidur āsurāḥ; these people do not know the purpose of their life. They cannot understand. Just eat, drink, and make merry. What else do they know? Big, big professors in Europe, especially in Moscow, they say that after death there is nothing, there is no life after death—this is āsuric mentality. If you say there is a next life according to one’s karma, then it becomes difficult for them, because they perform only sinful activities. Although it is actually true, they do not want to believe in next life. 

“This is all Vedic knowledge—transmigration of the soul, leaving the present body to accept another body according one’s karma. Karmaṇā daivanetreṇa [SB. 3.31.1]. What the next body will be after death is decided by daivanetreṇa, superior supervision. Thus he gets a different body, as long as the body fits, and depending upon what kind of body he wants, he has to stay in that body. The scriptures give the example of how we walk. We place our first foot and then when we see where to put the next, we take the next step; similarly, we live in this body and as soon as this body becomes unfit, whatever body we are going to get next, immediately we enter that other body. So Kṛṣṇa says na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [Bg. 2.20]; don’t think that after this body is dead, everything is finished. 

“The atheists say, ‘After burning the dead body, what else remains? What is all this “good and bad activities”? After the body is burnt everything is finished.’ There are so many atheists in our country who are gone. One is Cārvāka; his saying is that ‘As long as you have body, enjoy; ṛṇaṁ kṛtvā ghṛtaṁ pibet.’ In our country India it is thought that if you eat palatable dishes made of ghee then you enjoy the most. Like in Europe and America, they eat meat, especially beef. They think that is enjoyment. But in India, people eat dishes made with ghee, so he instructs, ṛṇaṁ kṛtvā ghṛtaṁ pibet. ‘If you think, “We don’t have money; how are we going to get ghee?” just borrow and if you are not able to return, and if you think it is sin and it is not proper, bhasmībhūtasya dehasya kutaḥ punar āgamano bhavet—why are you worried about this? Once this body dies and is burnt, there is no rebirth; everything finished at death.’ Atheist! But the Lord Himself is speaking, so we have to take knowledge from that. What is the use of taking knowledge from the foolish people?”  

Prabhupāda described the four qualities of the foolish—bhrama (the tendency to commit mistakes), pramāda (the tendency to be illusioned), vipralipsā (the tendency to cheat), karaṇāpāṭava (imperfect senses—and declared that therefore, because our present understanding is conditioned, real knowledge is acquired, especially in India, from the Vedas. He noted that, unfortunately, the path of the śāstras is not acceptable to many; they prefer to live like atheists. “Therefore the symptoms of Kali-yuga are ‘mandāḥ sumandamatayomandabhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ [SB 1.1.10}. Mostly the people are unfortunate; there are no fortunate people. You see these Americans. They do not know what poverty is. There are no poor people there. They have taken birth in that place and thus they are leading life like that. They have food to eat, place to sleep, but they are mandabhāgyā—birth in the good place, good nation, but they are unfortunate.” 

 As far as upadravas, or disturbances go, he said that there are many and recalled how in England in the summer they had to import water because of drought. “There are different upadravas: adhyātmika, adhidaivika, and adhibautika. Here there is suffering. In Kali-yuga the suffering keeps increasing. The demons do not know how to intelligently lead life. Eat, drink, and enjoy—this theory, this kind of philosophy is the problem. Therefore the scriptures challenge it. There are so many problems, so what is the reason? Pig’s life. And what is this pig’s life? Work hard whole day, search where the stool is, eat and enjoy, and wherever there is dirt and stink, take rest. This is not life. No, this is not human life.” 

Citing Lord Ṛṣabhadeva’s teachings, Prabhupāda told everyone that human life is actually meant for performing austerities. Austerity, he announced, helps in every way. A rich man also needs to perform austerity; otherwise he won’t obtain his riches. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa informs us that within this body we have another body, a cit-body, the spiritual soul. By austerity we purify this eternal body. If we don’t, we face repeated birth and death. This is the position of the demons. “Pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca. They don’t have the intelligence to think that we are again and again taking birth and how to stop this . . . The Vedic knowledge gives instructions so that we don’t have to take birth in another body and we can stay as the eternal spirit soul. This stops birth, death, old age, and disease. This is the purpose of life. This type of life—eating, drinking, and enjoying—is the path of pravṛtti. And nivṛtti-marg meansstopping this and acting so as to get the complete cit-body, spiritual body, and go back to the Lord and be active and play with Him. We can get this type of body.” 

 Prabhupāda stated emphatically that when God comes, He shows us that His activities are not mundane but pure and transcendental, and that the purpose of performing austerity is to understand this. Tapo-divyaṁ means that in order to obtain something higher we have to give some things up, and therefore in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, four regulations are taught. 

Singling out no illicit sex as an example, Prabhupāda said that this means having sex only with one’s wife. He quoted Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, saying that the brahmacārī is taught to see all women as his mother. This was the training of the varṇāśrama system. “Now this is all given up. By giving up, it has fallen down. We have to surely make efforts to bring it up. But we are unfortunate; we are not trying. We have śāstra. There are instructions, the Lord Himself is saying cāturvarṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇakarma-vibhāgaśaḥ [Bg. 4.13]; these four varnas areall made by God’s rules for the purification of the soul. We have to accept this, but the demons do not know; pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca na vidur āsurāḥ janāḥ. They do not accept this, but it is there.”  

Prabhupāda said that everything meant for understanding God is given in Bhagavadgītā, which is the essence of all the Vedic literatures. Until we come to that point, he asked, “what is the use of your Vedic study?” Because people are particularly foolish in Kali-yuga, Kṛṣṇa therefore appeared at the beginning of it five thousand years ago and taught Bhagavadgītā to Arjuna, especially to benefit the people of this age. “So that is still available. We have to take knowledge from this and practice in our own lives, and only then our Indian culture will be safe. But if we give all this up and wander around just for sense gratification, we will be lost. So the scripture says, tapo divyaṁ: this is proper. If in this human form of life we don’t do tapasya, then it is like Cārvāka Muni says: ṛṇaṁ kṛtvā ghṛtaṁ pibet yāvaj jīvet sukhaṁ jīvet, this is all there, symptoms. Na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāro:they are not clean. Until now in Bhāratavarṣa, we have seen in the villages, there are poor people—even in Bombay we have seen poor people—they go bathe in the ocean early every morning. But the so-called educated, advanced, big people—they don’t take bath; they don’t bathe for seven days. These people don’t have facility for taking bath at home, so once in a week they pay and take bath in the bathrooms in the marketplace. This is the symptom of a demon. No cleanliness. Na satyaṁ teṣu vidyate, even the behavior is not good. No character; saying the truth is like a laughing story. One who says more lies is very clever. You can see in the courts: one who tells more lies becomes the winner.” 

Due to these conditions, therefore, Kṛṣṇa comes Himself to declare that He certainly exists. He is the source of everything, but to understand this is no ordinary thing. Prabhupāda said that it takes thousands of lifetimes of discussion for those with knowledge to finally understand that Vāsudeva is everything. Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes Himself. Prabhupāda surveyed the several thousand attentive souls arrayed before him under the glare of the paṇḍala lights and urged them to accept Bhagavadgītā as it is. “It is not that ‘We take whatever we want by adding or subtracting from Your words.’ No, this is not how Gītā reading is done. One has to accept whatever the Gītāśāstra says. Everything has to be accepted. ‘Whatever You have said has to be accepted,’ sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye [Bg. 10.14]. This is the result of understanding Gītā. If somebody has really understood Gītā, it means he has accepted whatever is in the Gītā, that is, ‘Whatever You have said.’”  

He condemned the over-intelligent who change Kṛṣṇa’s message to suit their own ideas. “Ardhakukkuṭīnyāya, the clever people do this. There is one example. A person was rearing hens. The hen was giving eggs every day. So this man thought that ‘This hen gives eggs daily, but I have also to feed it everyday, but the egg comes only from the back, so let me cut off its mouth so that I don’t have feed the mouth and save money.’ This fool does not know that if you don’t feed it through the mouth, egg cannot be given. This is called ardhakukkuṭīnyāya. There are some foolish people like this who cut the Gītā, here, there, like whatever comes to their mind and learning a few verses becomes a big scholar. He is not a proper student of Gītā, as he thinks himself to be; he is cheater. If you just accept Gītā as it is, as the Lord has said, you are suffering so much here, giving up God. Accept God, then everything will auspicious. If you just read Gītā and practice as given in Gītā, there won’t be any kind of problem for you.”  

Prabhupāda made it a point to say that accepting Kṛṣṇa’s guidance does not mean becoming inactive. As he did in Aligarh a few days ago, he used the examples of Arjuna and Hanumān to demonstrate that the devotees act powerfully on the Lord’s behalf. “It is not that ‘Now I have become a devotee of the Lord, I don’t have anything to do. I will just simply sit.’ No, this is not what the Lord is saying. The Lord taught Bhagavadgītā to Arjuna and told him to fight. He did not say, ‘Now you stop fighting and run away from the battlefield.’ Arjuna did not want to fight but wanted to be nonviolent and be secure: ‘Oh Kṛṣṇa what is the use of this fighting. In reality they are our brothers; let’s stop and enjoy the kingdom.’ But the Lord said, ‘No, you fight.’ The Lord does not say, ‘You become My devotee and simply sit.’ No. We see in our Bhāratavarṣa there were fights. There was fight between Rāma and Rāvaṇa and fight between Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas. But the heroes are Vaiṣṇavas, Hanumānjī and Arjuna. If you become a Vaiṣṇava it is not that you just have to simply sit and be lazy. No. For the Lord’s sake we should do everything. This is Vaiṣṇava. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ [Brs. 1.1.11]. Do whatever the Lord says.”  

Once again Prabhupāda’s talk was well received and there were plenty of questions. This time, though, Caitya-guru announced each one over the microphone and then Prabhupāda replied. A man asked what type of transformation took place when Kṛṣṇa spoke the Bhagavadgītā. 

Prabhupāda answered with clarity and conviction. For him, there is no mystery in the Gītā: “After hearing, Arjuna said kariṣye vacanaṁ tava [Bg. 18.73] and before, he was saying na kariṣye vacanaṁ tava. So the Lord chastised him. He said to Arjuna, ‘Why are you behaving like a child coming on the battlefield? This behavior of yours is not at all according to ethics. He said, anāryajuṣṭam [Bg. 2.2]—this is not at all like an ārya, a knowledgeable person; rather it is like an anārya, an uncivilized one. ‘You are well known as My friend and you came here to fight, and you are such a rascal that you are trying to escape!’ This was the mood of Arjuna—the Lord is ordering him to fight and Arjuna was replying na kariṣye vacanaṁ tava: ‘I will not obey You.’ When that same Arjuna heard Bhagavadgītā very thoroughly, he decided, kariṣye vacanaṁ tava. This prefix ‘na’ has been removed now. He is saying, ‘I must do whatever You say.’ This is the main change, and it is very easy to understand. If one’s decision has been turned to kariṣye vacanaṁ tava after reading Bhagavadgītā, then his reading of Bhagavadgītā is successful. Otherwise he will remain a rascal—na māmduṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ [Bg. 7.15] So everybody should acquire enough intelligence by reading Bhagavadgītā and declare kariṣye vacanaṁ tava—‘I must do what Lord Kṛṣṇa has said,’ that’s all.” 

The next man stepped up to the microphone and asked, “You discussed earlier that the way of asking questions to the guru is tadviddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā [Bg. 4.34] offering him humble obeisance, etc. You said that even though you may be knowledgeable you should not show that attitude in front of guru. Please explain that.” 

“One who preaches that which is said by the Lord is a guru,” Prabhupāda responded. “The Lord has given definition of dharma as sarvadharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. So the duty of the guru is to direct the living entities to the contemplation of the lotus feet of the Lord. That person is the guru; others are cheaters. One who considers himself as Kṛṣṇa is simply a cheater. And one who says, ‘Take shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa,’ he is guru. That is, you should judge him by what he says. If the guru says that you take shelter at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa because Kṛṣṇa says mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, then he is actually guru. And one who speculates, he is not guru. This is the point you should judge on, that’s all.” 

The third question was a little speculative. “In the Rāmāyaṇa it is said that Lord Rāma fought a battle against Rāvaṇa, and in the Mahābhārata the battle was fought in the presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord. So what about the third war? Who will fight that?” 

Prabhupāda’s quick reply made the audience laugh. “You are to fight the third war! Why you are thinking in advance for the third war? First of all you accept the instructions of the Lord given in the second one; then there may be some scope to think about the third one. Lord is instructing, sarvadharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, so follow it. Then you will understand the third one. Yes!  

“There is a third avatāra, and that is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He instructs, harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. Actually, this is not directly spoken by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, but it is quoted from Bṛhannāradīya Purāṇa This harer nāma harer nāma harer is meant especially for this age of Kali, so do it! This will create good for others, and you will be freed from the three modes of material nature and be happy.” 

The final questioner asked about one of the popular figures on the current spiritual circuit. “Śrī Sai Baba is the Lord Himself—what is your opinion of this?” 

Perhaps the questioner was hoping for a controversial reaction, but Śrīla Prabhupāda rarely criticizes other so-called gurus in public. Nevertheless, by his reply the audience understood what he really thinks, and they were delighted. “We are rascals, so we do not know all these things,” he said, taking the humble stance. “We know only that Kṛṣṇa is the Lord. We are not very scholarly.” The audience laughed in appreciation at his punch line: “We only know kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam [SB 1.3.28]—only Kṛṣṇa is the Lord and the rest are all cheaters.” 

In accordance with Śrīla Prabhupāda’s standards, Caitya-guru has arranged for the distribution of prasādam when Prabhupāda leaves the paṇḍala. Puri,halava, and fruit, along with caraṇāmṛta, is distributed from the stage. Śrīla Prabhupāda told him to offer it to Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi in full view of the public just to show them how we offer our food before eating.  

October 15th, 1976

Due to the strain of the paṇḍala program and his own weak health, Śrīla Prabhupāda has not translated since we have been here. He is requiring more rest.  

For his walk, Prabhupāda went once more to the Rose Garden and again spent a substantial part of his outing sitting on the lawns. His presence in the city has been noted, and many gentlemen acknowledged him and paid their respects as they passed by on their daily exercise. Once again, a small group gathered around him on the grass and Prabhupāda gave another impromptu darśana, engaging in a sometimes-lively debate about the purpose of human life. One fellow in particular expressed his opinion that beyond eating and sleeping and maintaining his family, there is nothing more. He had no time or interest for God. Śrīla Prabhupāda presented a strong case for spiritual development, but although the man could not deny its validity, neither could he readily accept it.  

On the drive back to the house, Śrīla Prabhupāda expressed his regret that society in India has come to such a stage. But he is not surprised. People are turning their backs on their own culture to run after the West, and decades of secularism in government and education have significantly undermined the natural spiritual inclinations of the Bhārata-vāsīs. Vedic knowledge and outlook have been eroded and devalued to the point of inconsequence in the lives of the majority, especially in the cities. Clearly, His Divine Grace’s work is as keenly needed here as it is in the West.  

* * * 

Hansadūta Swami came with more mail during Śrīla Prabhupāda’s massage, and as His Divine Grace allowed me to squeeze, press, and rub his body, he heard the letters and gave his replies. 

Cittahārī dāsa, the president of our Auckland temple, wrote regarding Śrīla Prabhupāda’s suggestion, made in response to his previous inquiry last month that he deposit thirty thousand dollars he had received into the Māyāpur-Vṛndāvana Trust account in Los Angeles. Cittahārī expressed his reluctance to do this. “When I first came here as president three months ago there were debts of $45,000 owed by the Society brought about by mismanagement in both ISKCON and Spiritual Sky over the last three years. With the permission of Guru Kripa Swami and Rsabdeva das in Los Angeles I have negotiated the sale of Spiritual Sky which was a financial liability and a drain on our preaching, temple, resources and men. 

“Due to this sale the financial situation has been eased a little but we are still in a position where our Temple is in danger of being sold to pay off the mortgage. Apart from this we have a large outstanding debt to your Bookfund. So I am begging your permission Srila Prabhupada to use the money in the service of Sri Sri Radha Giridhari here in Auckland and any excess I will send to Los Angeles as you have suggested.” 

Prabhupāda was sympathetic to both the situation and the fact that the money in question came from Cittahārī’s personal funds. He told him, “It is your money, so you can do with it whatever you like. If you feel the money is needed there, then use it accordingly. I have no objection.” 

Kīrtanānanda Swami sent an inquiry about a new film the BBT is making, intended for training devotees in the art of book distribution. According to Kīrtanānanda the film shows a questionable method of collecting money, which may in fact be illegal. He feels that the film will be a danger to ISKCON and might be used as incriminating evidence if ever a court case is brought against us. Noting that his zone is probably number one in terms of books distributed per devotee, he said, “I simply want to know what You want and then I will be satisfied no matter the result. I might add that this technique is never used in this zone nor is the other technique of using lies, i.e. feeding starving children, collecting for VFW, etc., and we maintain a high standard. Why should we jeopardize the future of this movement on some questionable means that is not necessary? We say, ‘Purity is the force,’ then why is tricking necessary? This matter was supposedly resolved at Mayapura a year ago, but it seems that only a clear and unequivocal statement from Yourself can ease everyone’s mind. Please forgive me for bringing this matter before You.” 

Kīrtanānanda Mahārāja also enclosed a check, in the hope that it would “ease Your headache,” and added that the Palace they are building is attracting many visitors and should be ready for Śrīla Prabhupāda by next spring. 

Prabhupāda agreed with his concern over the film. “A film showing illegal techniques of distributing my books (Money shuffle) was never authorised by me. If it is actually a fact what you say, then stop it immediately. In all our dealings we should be above suspicion. They say first impressions are lasting. If someone feels cheated by our men because they are using dubious methods of distribution and collecting money, our purity may be doubted and reputation spoiled. So please do not allow such film showing to take place until I have seen the film personally.” 

There was a letter from Mrs. Tania Perera of Melbourne. She had given a gold chain to Śrīla Prabhupāda when he visited there in April. She wrote expressing her desire to become a devotee and her difficulty in doing so, due to the adverse reaction of her husband. He is very inimical to her involvement with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and she felt that it was becoming impossible to maintain both situations. She was now in desperation and was asking Śrīla Prabhupāda what to do. 

Śrīla Prabhupāda remembered her and was sympathetic. He offered her shelter. “Regarding your situation, the only alternative is to move into the temple and take complete shelter of the devotees and Krishna. Prahlad Maharaj was only 5 years old and because of his becoming a devotee of the Lord his father tried to kill him in so many ways. So that your husband is against Krishna is nothing astonishing, it is quite normal. So if you like you can leave him, and move into the temple of your choice.”   

Rādhāballabha prabhu sent a couple of questions relating to the book production in Los Angeles. “In the beginning of each book we list all the other books you have written. Would it be alright to list Gitar Gan? If so, how should it be spelled?” He asked if a composed manuscript entitled Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu: His Life and Precepts should be put into print, and he had a question about a reprinting of the Ādi-līlā of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. “Due to Pradyumna’s previous difficulties we were forced to produce the second and third volumes one year before we received all the manuscripts for the first volume. Consequently, the volume turned out to be extremely large and the distributors find it extremely difficult to distribute. Would it be approved by you to re-divide the Adi-lila into four parts before the next printing?” 

News has also gotten back to him about Prabhupāda’s comment in Delhi last month that he may skip the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and go straight to the eleventh and twelfth. He asked if this was true. 

Finally, Rādhāballabha offered an apology for disturbing Śrīla Prabhupāda with his questions. “I only hope you will continue to allow me to serve you despite my abominable character.” 

Prabhupāda approved the inclusion of his Bengali book in the list of books and gave the spelling. “Geetārgan (Bengali) may be added in the front piece as you have suggested, spelling as above with Bengali in brackets.” 

As for the manuscript on the life of Lord Caitanya, he said that there was no need to print it, since the material was already included in other books. And he approved the reprinting of the Ādi-līlā in four volumes. As far as his current work goes, he still has not made up his mind. “Let me finish 9th canto; then I shall decide, most probably I shall start 11th canto, but as yet I have not decided.” 

One of our older devotees, Śacīmātā dāsī, wrote from Germany, where she has recently settled. She expressed her happiness in having obtained, without any of her own endeavor, Deities of Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi. She felt that the unusual circumstances by which she got Them was quite mystical and asked Prabhupāda’s permission to worship Them in her home. She also requested guidance on whether she should come to India to serve.  

Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote back encouraging her to start the worship of Their Lordships, although he did not encourage her to think of Their appearance as anything other than the natural result of her performance of bhakti-yoga. “There is nothing mystical about getting Gour Nitai deities for worshiping. The Lord is all powerful and omnipresent, he knows the heart of the devotee and reciprocates with the devotee accordingly. So now the Lord has come to your home and agreed to be worshiped by you, therefore everything should be clean and neat. Nice prasadam should be offered regularly and distributed to guests. Kirtan may be performed morning and evening and some discussion from Bhagavad Gita as it is, or other books from our publications.” 

He suggested that she remain in Germany and preach to her own circle of friends. He felt that since she was older she might find India too difficult and so she should simply take whatever opportunity was available for service. “Chant Hare Krishna and help spread this movement in the best way open to you.” 

* * * 

During darśana in the afternoon Śrīla Prabhupāda was praising Mr. Sethi. He is a Punjabi, and they are famous for their kṣatriya traditions. While Mr. Sethi humbly listened at his side, Śrīla Prabhupāda told us about his bravery during the days of the partition and Indian independence. In the conflict between Hindus and Muslims there were many acts of terror and unprovoked attacks. Sethijī had a sword that he carried for defense. One time, he was walking along a road and several Muslims suddenly jumped down from a carriage and came running at him with knives in their hands. Sethi whirled his sword and in one blow lopped off the head of the leader. The hapless fellow’s headless trunk continued to run down the road for several meters before falling into a ditch. The rest of his would-be assailants ran in fear of their lives. 

We looked on in wonder at the thought of the ghastly scene, and Prabhupāda’s eyebrows lifted high and his eyes opened wide in emphasis as he described Sethi’s bravery. “Yes! This is kṣatriya,” he told us appreciatively. 

Prabhupāda also told us that the establishment of the Juhu Beach temple had been accomplished only after great struggle and that Mr. Sethi had played a significant role. Although Śrīla Prabhupāda didn’t elaborate, I later heard the story from Mr. Sethi himself: At one point the wife of the former owner of the land, Mrs. Nair, had enlisted the Bombay Municipal Council through one of its members, Pushpakant Mhatre, to issue a demolition order on the temporary temple. A large team of police and a demolition squad invaded Hare Krishna Land, and while the police dragged away the protesting devotees, they began to dismantle the entire structure. But just as the demons were ripping the roof off the Deity room, with Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Rasabehari still inside, the demolition was stopped by the intervention of Bal Thackery, the leader of the local Shiv Sena political party, who was friendly to the devotees. Mr. Sethi had come later for darśana and was informed of the demolition attempt by Girirāja prabhu. He was also told that the court had granted permission to rebuild the temple but that it had to be done that day, which was a Sunday, because another High Court hearing was scheduled for the following day to finally decide the issue. Mr. Sethi immediately assured Girirāja that he would reconstruct the temple in one day. Despite everything being shut, Mr. Sethi managed to arrange for all the necessary materials from his own construction site plus a team of laborers, masons, and painters.  

As he began the work at 9:00 p.m. in pouring rain, Mr. Sethi recalled how Lord Kṛṣṇa had protected the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana from the devastating rainfall sent by Indra by lifting Govardhana Hill, so he was unperturbed. He was thinking, “Indra wants to test me. All right, if you want to come down, you can come down more heavily, but I have the blessings of Śrīla Prabhupāda. I have to build a temple and I will.” 

At 11:00 p.m. he was challenged by the demolishers, who threatened to send a hundred and fifty gundas (hired thugs) to stop the work. Mr. Sethi took out his rifle and with his son Brijmohan, who was armed with a pistol, he defiantly told them, “Let them come. They are one hundred and fifty, but we have two hundred bullets!” And both of them stood waiting, but no one came. Working through the night, they had the temple completed by 4:00 in the morning, in time for maṅgalaārati. Later that day, Justice Nain issued the court’s verdict that “what is built is built, and no one can demolish it.”  

It was a great victory for which Śrīla Prabhupāda was extremely appreciative, and he praised the bravery and service of Mr. Sethi to his movement. 

* * * 

The paṇḍala was again a great success. The crowds seem to be growing larger each evening as word gets out. The dancing and chanting of the devotees is attracting a lot of attention, and Śrīla Prabhupāda’s strong and dynamic discourses are having a telling impact. Despite the politics of secularism and official lack of support for spirituality in the country, people require only a little coaxing for their natural attraction to blossom forth. 

Tonight’s chief guest was supposed to be the Chief Minister of Punjab, Shri Giani Zail Singh, but due to prior commitments he was unable to attend. Instead, he sent a short note of apology, which was read out by his relative, Giani Gurcharan Singh, and in his place as chief guest was Shri K.L. Poswal, Home Minister for Haryana.  

Prabhupāda was in fine form, speaking forcefully and directly for about fifty minutes. He had Pradyumna read out Bhagavadgītā 7.1 and picked up from where he left off last night, again contrasting the two classes of people, demons and demigods, delineating their different qualities and lifestyles. Beyond these two classes there are also the pure devotees, and then there is the Lord Himself Who, Prabhupāda told everyone, comes as Rāmacandra and Kṛṣṇa just to show that He is not formless. 

He informed his audience that it is imperative to understand that there is a next life and to know what that next life will be. Speaking without compromise, he said that those who fail to understand God and live a life of “simply eating, drinking, and making merry” are living like animals and are called demons. 

To understand that there is a God was not difficult, he said, and he gave a simple, logical argument for support. “The Lord Himself is saying, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sacarācaram [Bg. 9.10]; the Lord is maintaining this universe. Because of my presence in my body, everything is working as it should. If you go to the government, there are ministers, there is president, and the government is working correctly; if you go to office, there is managing director and the office is working properly. So wherever you go, you will find one kartā, worker, and an owner. So there is such a big universe—is there no one? Jagad āhur anīśvaram [Bg. 16.8]. Such a great foolishness. Whoever says that there is no God, he is very great fool. Wherever you go, there will be one kartā, one witnesser, and one who gives orders. So without discussing these things, they say there is no God. That is why they are called mūḍhā.”  

One by one he described the four different types of demonic personalities. As he did so he recalled the comments made to him on his walk this morning. “Third one is narādhamāḥ: one who by acting very sinfully becomes degraded, even with the human form of life. Today morning I met a man; he said, ‘I want only roti, garments, and a home to stay. So I have nothing to do with God.’ All right, you want the roti and garment, but there are animals, they don’t want the garment even, only roti—the animals, they are better than you, because they only need roti! Scripture says, ‘those who are working hard only for bread are considered to be on the level of the hog.’ We see the hogs are working very hard all day long in the search for stool. They always think, ‘Where can I find stool? Where can I find stool?’ If a human being acts similarly by engaging himself in hard work just for bread, they are acting just like dogs and hogs. Everything is working like this. One who does not know God, who does not want to understand God, he is like a pig, animal. Sa eva gokharaḥ [SB 10.84.13].This is the verdict of the scriptures.” 

Whatever one’s position, Prabhupāda said, in the human form there is a relationship with God, as he graphically illustrated. “There is government; it has connection with the people inside the jail and also outside the jail. And the government connection cannot be broken. So similarly, the demons have connection with the Lord and the demigods also have.” Just as the prisoners have been put into jail to suffer due to their sinful acts, similarly those who forget God, the demoniac, they have to come to the material world. Yet punishment is only one feature of jail; there is also the opportunity to reform. “Slowly, slowly by pious activities, madyājino ’pi mām [Bg. 9.25], one starts worshiping and becomes a devotee of the Lord and attains the Lord. That is the purpose of the scriptures, to remind those foolish people who have forgotten the Lord and their relationship with Him, so that slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly they can learn.”  

Citing Prahlāda Mahārāja’s prayers to Lord Nṛsiṁha-deva, Śrīla Prabhupāda described the role of the devotees in this reformation. “Vaiṣṇava is paraduḥkhaduḥkhī [Vilāpakusumāñjali 6]. They have no distress and they don’t ask for anything from the Lord for themselves, but they feel the distress of others, so paraduḥkhaduḥkhī. The foolish people are suffering having forgotten the Lord. They work very hard like a hog just to earn their bread, with no higher understanding, and so they think this is life. They don’t understand this and they reject the scriptures. Just see, you have got human form of life and you are working hard like a pig, like an ass; they pull rickshaw and they work so hard and have to go far away, and still they are encouraged, ‘Work hard! Work hard!’ They do horse’s work, ass’s work, and still they are told, ‘Your hard work is not enough, do more, do more!’ This is not human life.” 

In fact, he said, by nature the living beings and the Lord are similar. “The living entity possesses the same qualities as the Lord; for example a gold mine and small piece of gold. It is not that being a small piece of gold, it becomes iron. Both are gold; they have the same quality of being gold.” As such, he said, we do not have to work hard. Kṛṣṇa has provided everything we need, obtainable without much endeavor. “Therefore the Lord is saying that ‘You have an eternal body like Me, saccidānandavigrahaḥ, but why do you make so much effort? Relax yourself; you are My friend.’ Like a rich man who has a son but he becomes mad, the father thinks, ‘How can I make my son normal and stay at home? I have so much wealth, he can nicely eat, drink, and enjoy, but what to do, he has become mad and just wandering in the streets as a child, and suffering with so many problems.’ So the father becomes very much anxious. Similarly, the Lord is also anxious, because we have come here having become mad and are trying to derive happiness.  

“The demons say there is no God; therefore the Lord teaches, ‘No, look; I am there, I am God. By this demoniac instinct you are suffering so much life after life. At least in this human life you could be a little happy. What if you get an animal birth in your next life? Then you have to suffer a lot. Try to think. Think of all these sarvadharmān parityajya, the plans that you have made; there is no use of all these plans. Mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja ahaṁ tvāṁ sarvapāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi [Bg. 18.66]: I will relieve from whatever sins you have committed.’” 

Repeating again and again that life was not for working like a pig simply to eat a few rotis, Śrīla Prabhupāda told everyone that our business is to develop our knowledge and thus gain attachment for the Lord. “If you get the knowledge of Bhagavān then your life becomes successful. To get the knowledge of Bhagavān, one has to do austerities for many lifetimes. Because manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye, yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ [Bg. 7.3]. The knowledge of Bhagavān is not ordinary. Amongst crores [tens of millions] and lakhs [hundreds of thousands] of people, especially at present, they just work hard like dogs and assess for two rotis. ‘God? Just give us all these; we just want two rotis, cloths, and we don’t have anything to do with God.’ So amongst many crores of people, kaścid yatati siddhaye; what is this siddhi? To understand that I am not this body. The body can be of a donkey or a pig, so to maintain this body, the pig eats stool, another eats something else—this is applicable to everyone. So then what is our life really meant for? The siddhi thinks like this, ‘What is human life meant for; simply working hard?’ And then attain perfection. This is siddha.” 

Citing Prahlāda Mahārāja, Prabhupāda said that whether one is a prime minister, the owner of Tata, or a bird or animal, everyone is in anxiety. Therefore personalities like Prahlāda Mahārāja always feel compassion for the conditioned souls. When Prahlāda was questioned by his father as to what was the best thing he had learned, he replied that everyone should go to Vṛndāvana and take shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Hari.  

“So he has given this instruction,” Prabhupāda said. “The real instruction is this. We are working so hard; we have to take leave from this, and by the mercy of the Lord, if we get our cinmaya body, like the Lord’s saccid ānandavigraha, and then go back to the Lord—these should be the thoughts. Therefore the Lord Himself, personally, is teaching.” 

Prabhupāda offered his audience an easy, gradual way to come to this point, without having to repair to the forest, by referring back to the verse with which he had opened his discourse. “How will you learn this? Mayy āsaktamanāḥ pārtha: ‘Whatever attachment you have, direct it towards Me.’ Everybody has attachment. Some have for money, some have for somebody else, some for something else, but there is attachment. So the Lord is saying, ‘Direct this attachment towards Me.’ This is bhakti-yoga. If you daily take darśana of the Lord, worship Him, perform pūjā, perform ārati for the Lord, do kīrtana for the Lord, then slowly, slowly your attachment to the Lord increases. The Gosvāmīs have taught us that ādau śraddhā [Brs. 1.4.1516], first there should be faith. ‘Everybody is doing Lord’s worship—by worshiping they have become happy, so I will also do it.’ This is faith. Ādau śraddhā, tataḥ sādhusaṅga—you have to associate with those who are worshiping the Lord. Therefore we have opened centers for Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all around the world to facilitate the association with the devotees in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. At least having seen and heard here, if you come and hear the Lord’s glories, then by hearing like this, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇu, and by associating with sadhus,devotees, then slowly, slowly, slowly you can advance. So there has to be association of devotees.  

“By associating with devotees one does bhajanakriyā—how they are doing japa, how they are doing ārati, how to put the tilaka on, how they have relation with God; this is bhajanakriyā. If one does bhajana of the Lord, then whatever anarthas one has generated in this material world will all be relieved. You see these boys; they are removed from the anarthas—illegal relationship with women, meat eating, intoxication, gambling—they have given up all these. Why? Bhajana-kriyā; this is the proof for performing bhajana-kriyā: all these things will go away. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra ca [SB 11.2.42]; these are not artificially given up, but they experience absolute detachment. They were eating meat, those kīrtana performers. Now you ask them, ‘I will give one lakh, eat a piece of cow meat,’ ‘No, this is impossible’—viraktir anyatra ca. This is bhajana-kriyā.

“Tato ’narthanivṛttiḥ syāt: he becomes pure. This material infection kāraṇaṁ guṇasaṅgo ’sya [Bg. 13.22]. In this material world there are three types of association: goodness, passion, and ignorance. So one gets liberated from the association of ignorance, then by this liberation, one’s attachment to the Lord becomes fixed.’  

“Tatha sakti tatha ruci: then one gets taste to hear about the Lord. Like this, attachment to the Lord. These are the consequences. Therefore the Lord says somehow develop attachment towards Him. Daily go to temple and take darśana of Kṛṣṇa, LakṣmīNārāyaṇa, SītāRāma. And the Lord says, ‘You have come here, give me something, something to eat.’ The Lord is hungry or what? No. He is saying for our benefit, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati:‘If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it’ [Bg. 9.26].This is universal. Even the poorest of the poor can offer something to the Lord. What can he offer? Little leaves, little fruit, little water. Or if you are a millionaire, then offer Me everything; this is ultimate. If you don’t want give, then at least offer Me some leaves, flowers. If the Lord eats something from your hand, then your life becomes successful.”  

With a final urge to the crowd to “not work like cats and dogs,” Prabhupāda brought his dynamic lecture to conclusion. “There is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. You try to understand nicely; there are so many books, you can read. This is not ‘traditional.’ This is all for human beings. The Lord is for everyone; it is not that He is only for Indians. Kṛṣṇa does not say, ‘I am for Indians, I am for Hindus.’ No. Kṛṣṇa says, ‘Whatever species are there amongst the eighty-four lakhs species of life, I am the father.’ Therefore the Lord comes and teaches His children. Make use of it; take advantage and make your life successful. Thank you very much.” 

Prabhupāda’s directness and conviction captivated his audience. He had clearly identified the problems of life and given the solutions. Despite the length of his lecture, no one left; they stayed and listened attentively. He had stimulated their thoughts, and there were some eager questions asked at the end.  

When Śrīla Prabhupāda first mounted the stage, one of the guests to receive him was businessman Raj Kumar Gupta. Being inspired by the programs, the devotees, and most of all His Divine Grace, he has now offered that if we build a temple, he will buy the Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deities for it. Caitya-guru brought him up to the front of the stage and introduced him to the public, announcing his offer. Śrīla Prabhupāda looked over at Caitya-guru and signaled him to come over. He told him, “Ask him where will we keep the Deities, because we don’t have any place.” Caitya-guru took the microphone again and asked the audience, “Is there any pious man who can donate the land for the Deities?” Within seconds Raj Kumar increased his offer, saying that he would buy the land as well. Prabhupāda was very happy. He took the microphone and announced, “Just see, this is the response to the devotion of these young Western boys and girls.”  

Then Śrīla Prabhupāda handed the program back over to Caitya-guru prabhu and the devotees. As they started kīrtana and ārati, Prabhupāda exited the stage. A large batch of admirers surrounded him as he moved towards the car, eager to touch his feet and offer praṇāma, and receive his direct blessings. Akṣaya and I and a few others joined hands and formed a ring around him so that he could walk unrestricted to the waiting vehicle. Once again he was well pleased with the evening’s preaching. 

October 16th, 1976

Instead of going to the Rose Garden for the walk this morning, Caitya-guru took Śrīla Prabhupāda to Sukhna (Blissful) Lake. It is actually a large natural catchment enhanced with a man-made shore on one side. It is a good place to walk, with a wide roadway down the side and the Shivalik Mountains clearly visible in the distance. The residences of the governor of Haryana and the governor of Punjab are just nearby. Śrīla Prabhupāda liked the place and strode along quite strongly for the first time in months. All along the way many important men, including government ministers and High Court judges, came and offered their respects, and as he walked, Prabhupāda stopped intermittently to receive their well-wishes, sometimes talking with them quite animatedly. 

Mr. Mulkh Raj Mahajan, a senior advocate of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, along with a group of advocates, came up to touch Śrīla Prabhupāda’s feet and then joined him on his walk. A short time after, we were also joined by Justice Narula and several other bureaucrats. Prabhupāda was gratified by their interest and appreciation and he invited them to come visit him in the afternoon at Sethi’s house. 

* * *  

There being no morning programs, Śrīla Prabhupāda is for the most part spending his days quietly. He is dealing with local management concerns and occasionally meeting with local residents whom Caitya-guru is trying to encourage to help set up the mission here. One such gentleman, Mr. Jairamdas Kuthiala, came to see Śrīla Prabhupāda yesterday afternoon during his general darśana with an offer to help with the Kurukṣetra scheme. Kurukṣetra lies mid-way between Delhi and Chandigarh, and since Caitya-guru prabhu is also entrusted with procuring land there for a temple, as well as developing Chandigarh, it is natural for him to recruit local men to help with that project. Śrīla Prabhupāda was pleased to meet Mr. Kuthiala and encouraged him to help us.  

Mr. Kuthiala left a letter behind, which Prabhupāda answered today. “Please accept my greetings. I was very glad to see you. I’m sorry that I could not speak to you in detail because other visitors were waiting. I am very much pleased that you are interested in my scheme at Jyotisar, I think that I shall require your help when this plan is in action. If you have time you can come to Vrindaban to discuss some important matters.” 

As is common here in India, where people have great respect and allegiance for a number of spiritual personages regardless of their philosophical persuasion, Mr. Kuthiala expressed some sentiments in his letter for a well-known Māyāvādī. In doing so he unwittingly exposed the fellow’s behavior to question. Śrīla Prabhupāda picked up on it right away and inquired further about the matter. “So far I know His Holiness Ram Tirtha was a sannyasi, but you have written in your letter that he was a source of love to Japanese girls. I was very much surprised on this point. Kindly let me know what was the point in this connection of Swami Ram Tirtha. It was surprising, as far as I know a sannyasi is completely aloof from womanly connection. I shall be very glad to be enlightened in this connection about Swami Ram Tirtha.” 

Among other letters today was one from sent from Dubai by Jagat Guru Swami, who explained that he and some other devotees from India are there collecting quite successfully for our India projects. Having recently heard about the departure from active duty in ISKCON of Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa Swami, the GBC for South Africa, however, Jagat Guru Mahārāja expressed his desire to go there to preach. Explaining his own long-standing involvement with the South African yatra and the fact that they now have few men and a debt to the BBT of over forty thousand dollars, he informed Śrīla Prabhupāda of his intent to leave Dubai and requested Śrīla Prabhupāda’s blessings for the same.  

As it happens, Hansadūta Mahārāja had given Jagat Guru a loan to enable him to go to Dubai to preach and collect on behalf of the Indian temple projects. He informed Prabhupāda of this and expressed his dissatisfaction not only with the fact that Jagat Guru now wants to change his current engagement, but also with his proclivity in general to suddenly drop one thing and do another.  

Śrīla Prabhupāda agreed with Hansadūta that Jagat Guru Mahārāja should try to remain in one service, and he wrote back in that spirit. “I understand from Hansadutta Maharaj that you have gone to Dubai borrowing $400.00 dollars from him. So if you want to change your programme again, at least send this money back to him. 

“In the last year you have changed your engagement so many times, it is not good, better to stick to something and complete it than constantly changing. If you can carry out your original plan of collecting from Indian in different parts of the world and sending to India that would be good. Why not stick with Nitai Gour TWSKP and make this successful?”    

* * * 

As promised, several of the gentlemen whom we encountered on this morning’s walk came by for Śrīla Prabhupāda’s afternoon darśana. Prabhupāda made a strong case for them to take up Kṛṣṇa consciousness and help revive India’s traditional culture. Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas—they are the intellectuals of society, he reminded them, and whatever example they set will be followed by the masses. They were won over by his humility and strength of conviction. 

He especially appreciated that they came bearing small offerings of fruits, flowers, sweets, and money. These offerings of dakṣiṇā, Prabhupāda said, are the traditional way of honoring saintly persons. He was pleased that such traditions were still current here in Chandigarh. In reciprocation, every visitor was given prasādam before leaving. 

Shri Raj Kumar Gupta, the donor-to-be of land and Deities, also came with his wife for darśana. 

* * * 

Caitya-guru arranged for a press conference this afternoon. A half-dozen reporters from the English language daily Times of India, the Press Trust of India, UNI, the Punjabi Akali Patarika and Ajit, and the Hindi and Urdu Hind Samachar crowded eagerly around Prabhupāda’s desk.  

Prabhupāda started out by explaining the importance of India’s culture because it is based on the Bhagavad-gītā. He told them that his movement was presenting spiritual knowledge, knowledge of the difference between the soul and the body and between the ordinary soul and the Supersoul, Kṛṣṇa. “So in India we have got immense Vedic literature for understanding this business of the soul. And in human form of body, if we do not take care of the spiritual portion of our life, then we are making suicide.”  

He reminded them that many great ācāryas, like Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Swami, and within the last five hundred years Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, have appeared here in India, and that they also have contributed much literature on the subject of spiritual knowledge.  

“But at the present moment this spiritual knowledge is neglected. So it is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s message to the whole world that every one of you, you become guru, a spiritual master. So how everyone can become a spiritual master? To become a spiritual master is not easy job. One must be very learned scholar and must have full realization of the self and everything. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given us a little formula, that if you strictly follow the teachings of Bhagavadgītā and if you preach the purpose of Bhagavadgītā, then you become guru. So our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is meant for this purpose. We are presenting Bhagavadgītā as it is without any mal-interpretation. If we interpret Bhagavadgītā in our own way, that is not very good. If you have got a different opinion, you can preach your philosophy. Everyone is free. But one should not take Bhagavadgītā and through Bhagavadgītā one will try to preach his own philosophy. That is very bad. You should not do that. Then the authority of Bhagavadgītā is lost. Our special stress on this point is that don’t squeeze out some meaning of Bhagavadgītā for your own convenience. Present Bhagavadgītā as it is, and people will be benefited. And that is being practically seen.” 

He told them that even big scholars like Radha-krishnan and Aurobindo had compromised with Western ideas, but that he is presenting Bhagavad-gītā in the traditional way and that it is being welcomed. “We cannot allow Bhagavadgītā to be understood by anyone’s imagination. No. That is not possible. And that is not allowed in the Bhagavadgītā by the author. Kṛṣṇa says in the fourth chapter that as soon as the paramparā system of understanding is lost, then the whole thing is lost. 

“So we are trying to revive this paramparā system, and fortunately we have sold a million copies of this edition of Bhagavadgītā. We are printing five hundred thousand, three hundred thousand, like that. This Bhagavadgītā As It Is, it is being accepted very widely, and therefore we are very much hopeful. And as practical example you can see so many Europeans, Americans, they have taken to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness very seriously. And before this movement, many swamis, yogis, and scholars went to the foreign countries, but not a single person became a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That’s a fact. So this movement has practical effect, and both in the scholarly and people-in-general circles. And as advised by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, India should take this movement very seriously and send many trained teachers so that India’s glories will be enhanced. People will take it very seriously.” 

After stating his position and purpose, Prabhupāda threw the meeting open for questions. A reporter asked how he himself had been initiated into the movement.  

Instructing Hansadūta to hold up a photo of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, Prabhupāda told briefly how he had been instructed to preach at the age of twenty-five but how because he was a married man then it was not until after he retired and at the age of seventy that he could fulfill the request. Now, he said, by the grace of his guru and Kṛṣṇa, he was having a little success.  

The reporter asked why Śrīla Prabhupāda had been so successful in foreign countries. 

“That is very intelligent question,” Śrīla Prabhupāda replied, pleased. “We are after material civilization, and they are fed up with material civilization. That is the position. We are now trying to imitate them, a skyscraper building, but they are disgusted with skyscraper building. These boys, they are coming from very respectable family, rich family, and especially in America there is no question of poor man. But still, they do not like the materialistic way of life of their fathers and grandfathers.” 

His interviewer wondered if that meant because they were rich they could afford religion.  

“No, no,” Prabhupāda told him. “We have already explained. You are a spiritual being. You cannot be satisfied with material atmosphere in any stage. Just like a fish is an animal of the water. If you bring the fish from water and keep it on the land very comfortably—it cannot be comfortable. It is impossible. Similarly, we are all spiritual beings. Any amount of material comforts will never satisfy us, unless we come to the spiritual platform. That is the demand. So now they have satisfied their material demands, but the urge is there: ‘I want something more, to be happy.’ And that is spiritual.” 

Another interviewer noted that Prabhupāda had said that India should take his movement seriously, and asked in what way. 

Prabhupāda responded by saying that it is actually India’s movement. “I am doing singlehanded. I don’t get any support either from the Indian public or from the government. But if they take it seriously, then we can present in a more organized way and it will be more successful. So far it is done singlehanded.” 

The reporter asked him if there was a necessity for the government to open a ministry of religion, and Prabhupāda replied positively. “Because there is a cultural department in the central government but they do not know what is culture. Just see.” 

Another asked about the number of disciples he had, and Prabhupāda told him he had “not less than ten thousand” dedicated followers, with admirers running into the millions. He chuckled, “Recently one American politician has remarked in Houston that ‘This Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is spreading like epidemic. So unless we take some steps it may take our government!’” The whole room rang with laughter as Prabhupāda shook slightly with amusement and pleasure at the thought. 

“Was there any opposition from the church?” another reporter inquired. 

Prabhupāda told him no, at least not in America. “But in Europe, especially in England and Germany, they, the Christian group, they are little angry with me. But so far America, they are very liberal. They never put any impediments on my movement. Rather, government appreciates. They appreciated one point, that the American younger generation, they have become addicted to this LSD, intoxication, and they have spent millions of dollars to stop this, but they could not. They are surprised that as soon as this LSD man becomes my disciple, he gives up immediately.” 

“Sir,” the reporter followed up, “apart from Catholicity of the American church, what can be the other reasons of their indifference towards your positive ideas?” 

Prabhupāda corrected him. “Not indifference. You see, there is a remark of a politician. They are appreciating that it is spreading like epidemic. There is no question of indifference. But the leaders, they appreciate. Some of the fathers of my disciples, they come to offer their thanks: ‘Swamijī, it is a great fortune for us that you have come to our country.’ They say like that. They appreciate that their sons were going to be hippies. Now they are devotees, God conscious. So any sane man will never object to this.  

“In Boston, one priest said, ‘They never cared to come to the church or inquire about God. Now these boys are mad after God.’ Not only that; practically, in many places we have purchased churches and converted into temples. So we see these churches were sold because nobody was coming. But since this movement, the same church is there and the same persons are there. You will find always it is crowded. This is practical. I have not imported men from India to fill up the temples. Their men and their church, but the philosophy is different. It is filled up.” 

The interview to this point had been routine, but then one of the reporters dropped some heavy news that neither Śrīla Prabhupāda nor the rest of us had heard. “Now two priests of your temple in America have been arrested on certain charges, as we read from the newspaper . . . ” 

Prabhupāda’s eyebrows rose slightly, but even without knowing what the charges were, he immediately spoke in defense of his disciples. “Well, the charges will be there. Gandhi was also charged, and was arrested. And that you cannot stop. That will go on in any movement. That is not any fault. Because the countercharges are already there, everywhere.”  

He asked the reporter for more information. “What is the American charge? I do not know. What is that?” 

The reporter said that it was a case of extortion of money by the devotees. “Asking their parents to pay or some such thing.” 

Prabhupāda was a little indignant. “Parents to pay? This is a farce.” 

His interviewer clarified the claim. “As a donation or contribution.” 

“So we can ask donation from anyone,” Prabhupāda told him. “What is the fault there? Is it extortion? What is that extortion? Suppose if I ask for donation . . . ” 

“No, they equate that this donation was extortion.” 

Prabhupāda shook his head. “No, no, extortion—what do you mean by extortion? If I ask you donation and if you pay, does it mean it is extortion?” 

“They say those two people were kept in custody before . . . ” 

Prabhupāda cut him off. He was becoming incensed by the charge. “That is false accusation. There was no such charge.” He stated that our donors are few, although those that have given, such as Ambarīṣa prabhu and George Harrison, have given substantially. Most of the movement’s income is generated by hard work. “Our main source of income is the selling of these books. We are selling books daily all over the world, five to six lakhs rupees. Per day.” 

The interviewer’s eyes opened in surprise. “Per day!” 

Prabhupāda went on, his tone boldly resistant of any imputation of impropriety. “And from this collection we are bringing money in India. We are bringing money in India not less than ten lakhs of rupees per month. Our buildings and temples are going on in Bombay, in Vṛndāvana, in Nabadwipa. So if by laboring hard at night in this Dictaphone, I write books and I sell them in the foreign countries and I bring the money here for spending in India, do you think it is faulty?” 

The reporter recounted a meeting he had had with an American professor of Hinduism. “I asked her a question about ISKCON, and she said, ‘Well this thing is creating a bad impression in the sense that people are accosted everywhere, in the streets, on the airport, at the bus stand. They accost you and force you to buy their literature, to buy their books. And this is creating a revulsion.’” 

Never one to acquiesce, Prabhupāda’s mood grew a little feisty. “So why you are forced? . . . In our childhood we saw the Christian preachers were also standing on the road. So if we stand on the road and preach and sell our books, what is the fault? The government allowed them, the Christian people. The government is allowing us also. Then where is the fault?” 

“The fault is . . . ” 

Prabhupāda cut him off. “That is your imagination, fault.” 

But the interviewer was not personally attacking and agreed, “It’s not a legal fault.” 

“Well, that’s all right,” Prabhupāda told him. “We are preachers; we must preach in every way. We shall go everyone, that ‘Here is Kṛṣṇa consciousness literature. Kindly take it.’ That is our business. The government does not object to this. There are many cases in the court and the court allowed, ‘Yes. They should sell.’” 

He mentioned how we have won several court cases and not only that, but have gotten orders from respectable book selling establishments. “Where is that letter? Standard Literature? Here, there is one English company, Standard Literature Company. They are proposing that ‘We shall purchase every quarterly two hundred sets of Caitanya caritāmṛta. Let us settle terms.’ Do you mean to say it is extortion? The professors are giving their opinion by extortion? It is appreciation. Unfortunately, you don’t appreciate.” 

It was a surprise to hear these charges, because so far no news has come in from our temples about any such thing. It seems that it has just hit the press this week. At any rate, Śrīla Prabhupāda wasn’t in any way prepared to accept that there was any wrongdoing on the part of his disciples and resisted the suggestion strongly. 

The reporter didn’t pursue the topic further, instead switching his focus back to India. He wanted to know why Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not catching on so well here.  

As usual, Prabhupāda was frank about the state of the Indian people. “Those whose attention is drawn to the material comforts, they cannot take an interest in spiritual life. Our attention is diverted how to improve materially. Therefore we are disinterested. But [foreigners] have seen much about material advancement, and they are not happy. Material advancement means generally, as we understand from the literature, viśayinaṁ saṅdarśanam atha yoṣitaṁ ca [Cc. Madhya 11.8]. Material comfort means woman and money. So they have tasted all this woman and money enough. Woman, money, are available very easily. But they are not interested.” 

“Sir, do you think it is necessary for India to eschew religion?” the reporter asked. 

Prabhupāda corrected him. “It is not religion. I have already explained. Did you not mark that this is spiritual knowledge? You are combination of spirit and matter. The spirit I have already explained. And if you don’t take care of the spirit portion then you are making suicide.” 

Another reporter asked a personal question. He said that he found it difficult to keep a spiritual state of consciousness at a constant level and wondered how a person can maintain it. 

Prabhupāda invited him to come and live at one of our centers to see how we are doing it. At this, Gopāla Kṛṣṇa prabhu read out some appreciations of our Māyāpur center written by VIP guests. One was from Śrī Ambarish Sarkar, the General Secretary of the Nadia District Congress Committee. “I had an opportunity to visit the Śrī Māyāpura Chandrodaya Mandir on the 12th August, 1975. It is absolutely a religious institution. Jayapātāka Swami has devoted all of his efforts and endeavors to organize and propound the sacred name of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahā-prabhu. I’m impressed by his charming manner and strength. Although it is a religious institution, this organization has performed many social services. Many poor and destitute families have had an opportunity to work and at the same time they have become worshipers of Lord Śrī Caitanya. To engage these workers, so many industrial centers have already been started, such as handloom cloth, printing, etc. I wish this organization, with its help of the local people, all success.” 

Prabhupāda was proud of the description and told the reporters, “We’re not only chanting; we are giving them work. We are trying to become selfsufficient, the same idea of Gandhi’s village organization, so they may not come out from the village. They’ll be satisfied. Village economics—that we are doing.” 

He mentioned that we have many such centers overseas and asked if anyone was present from the Navabharata Times. 

One of the visitors identified himself, and Prabhupāda told him that two years ago his newspaper had published a very favorable article on our New Vrindaban community. The reporter recalled it, and Prabhupāda used it to emphasize the impact his movement is having. “We are giving cow protection in the country where they are eaten by the people. Their staple food, beef, and they are accepting this movement, giving cow protection.” 

One interviewer had a little difficulty in seeing the significance of that. “So, if you don’t mind, what is bad about people who are eating beef? What is bad about it?” 

Prabhupāda shook his head slightly. “Bad means you become bad. That’s all.” 

The reporter said that he thought eating goat’s meat was all right.  

“The thing is that cow is especially recommended in the Bhagavadgītā,” Prabhupāda told him. “Kṛṣigorakṣya vāṇijyaṁ vaiśyakarma svabhāvajam [Bg. 18.44] That you must produce enough food grains by agriculture and give protection to the cows. That means if you have got enough food grains to eat and if you have got enough milk to get fatty substance, then your whole economic question is solved. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni [Bg. 3.14] If you get sufficient food there is no question of agitation. Everyone is satisfied. Animal and man. So you must produce. That is recommendation in the Bhagavadgītā.” 

The reporter suggested that due to modern technology the instrument of production had changed to the tractor but Prabhupāda wasn’t willing to give it any attention. “We are trying to present Bhagavadgītā as it is. That is our mission. That you produce food grains sufficiently and give protection to the cows so that food grains and milk will give you all benefits of economic question. You’ll be satisfied. That’s all.” 

He said how he had seen how much land was available all over the world, such as in Africa and Australia, but that it was not being utilized properly. “I have seen, enough land is there, but what they are doing? They are keeping some cows and bulls, and when they are grown up, as soon as they are fatty, they are taken to the slaughterhouse. Not for their own eating, but exporting. This business is going on. Unnecessarily they are killing these cows, and this shortage of foodstuff and shortage of milk, this is not good arrangement. The recommended process is in the Bhagavadgītā, that annād bhavanti bhūtāni. If you have sufficient foodstuff, then everyone is satisfied. According to Bhagavadgītā, this is the business of the vaiśyas. The brāhmaṇas, they should be very much highly educated, enlightened in spiritual knowledge. The kṣatriyas, they should govern, give protection. The vaiśyas, they should produce enough food. And those who are neither brāhmaṇa nor kṣatriya,śūdras, they can help. Then everyone will be satisfied. The society will go on. Then the social arrangement is perfect.” 

Prabhupāda’s mention of the different varṇas raised a specter in the mind of the reporter. “Would that mean that you support the ancient caste system?” he asked. 

“It is not caste system,” Prabhupāda told him positively. “It is division of labor. It is not caste system. A class of men must be intelligent; a class of men must be strong to give protection. And a class of men must be to produce food, and a class of men, general worker. It is not caste system. Bhagavadgītā never says caste system. Cātur varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇakarmavibhāgaśaḥ [Bg. 3.14]. According to quality and work. You have made it caste system. You have no qualification of a brāhmaṇa—you are calling, ‘I am brāhmaṇa.’ That is caste system. But if you have got the quality of a brāhmaṇa and you work as a brāhmaṇa, that is necessary.” 

The reporters seemed satisfied that they had obtained what they wanted. Gopāla Kṛṣṇa prabhu read out a couple more appreciations of Prabhupāda’s books by some important local scholars, including one from Dr. Jagadish Sharma, the Head Librarian from Punjab University and himself the author of nineteen books, including The Encyclopedia of India. “Dr. Sharma says, ‘India’s contribution towards the revivalism of the Hindu civilization culture by way of printing the Harvard Oriental Series was tremendous. But the work done by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda is unsurpassable.’ He says it’s even greater. ‘His Holiness has done a great service to the Indian culture by reinterpret-ing the concepts enshrined in the ŚrīmadBhāgavatam. This edition of ŚrīmadBhāgavatam will go a long way to help the scientists in rediscovering phenomena of the universe which is yet to be discovered. The printing and the get up of this book is excellent. The thoughts of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam radiate to anyone who sees it. This book helps to brighten the gloomy and dark clouds which are covered by the nuclear fear and apprehension of society.’” 

The reporters were all impressed by what they heard and charmed by Śrīla Prabhupāda personally. Rather tongue in cheek, one of them asked, “Sir, why don’t you present us one set of books?”  

As the man’s fellow journalists all laughed loudly, Prabhupāda smiled and smoothly countered, “Because this is our means of income. Kindly give us some contribution, you take as many . . . ”  

The group laughed even louder, and the reporter pursued his request with a hopeful plea of personal poverty. “I could only purchase one book. I cannot purchase four-dozen books. Now you are here, I think you should present us one set so that we may read this.” 

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa offered him a solution. “We have a library here where everyone can come and read. Besides, fifteen libraries in Chandigarh have all our books. You can visit either of those fifteen or the Hare Kṛṣṇa center.” 

That brought the news conference to a close. A couple of photos were taken and the reporters went on their way, well satisfied with their meeting with the saintly leader who has spread their culture to the far corners of the globe. 

* * * 

At about 6:00 p.m. this evening’s chief guest, Mr. Mela Ram Sharma, Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, arrived, and after a few minutes of convivial discussion he and Śrīla Prabhupāda traveled together to the paṇḍala. Mr. Sharma was pleased to meet Śrīla Prabhupāda and highly appreciative of his work in spreading the message of Bhagavadgītā around the world. He seemed knowledgeable in the Vedas, and when Śrīla Prabhupāda asked him to give an introductory speech, he did so with alacrity, praising Śrīla Prabhupāda and India’s spiritual culture. 

Then it was Śrīla Prabhupāda’s turn. Surveying the largest crowd so far in the five-day meet, he had Pradyumna recite the verse and translation of Bhagavadgītā 9.3: aśraddadhānāḥ puruṣā dharmasyāsya parantapa/ aprāpya māṁ nivartante mṛtyusaṁsāravartmani. “Those who are not faithful in this devotional service cannot attain Me, O conqueror of enemies. Therefore they return to the path of birth and death in this material world.” 

He then proceeded to speak with vigor and wisdom, appealing to his audience to take full advantage of their births, both as human beings and as Indians. As in previous nights, his emphasis was on the importance of taking advantage of scripture for understanding and developing our attachment for God, thus solving all the problems of our lives. He said that as human beings we are faced with two choices. “There are two things: firstly the affinity for the Lord and secondly, this mṛtyusaṁsāra. These two things are in front of you, and there is opportunity to choose which you want to accept in this human life.” 

The Vedas are meant for helping us out of our material condition, which, Prabhupāda said, was like “one who is thrown into the ocean with hands and legs tied.” But there is a simple solution. “We have fallen into this material existence. So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is teaching  

ayi nandatanuja kiṅkaraṁ patitaṁ māṁ viṣame bhavām-budhau/ 

 kṛpayā tava pādapaṅkajasthitadhūlīsadṛśaṁ vicintaya.  

[‘My dear Lord, I am Your eternal servant, but somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of this material world. Kindly pick me up and fix me as a speck of dust at Your lotus feet.’— Śikṣāṣṭaka 5]  

We should pray all the time. This Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is a prayer: Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. The Lord has spoken these three words: Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, and Harā. From the word Harā comes ‘Hare.’ This form of addressing Kṛṣṇa is addressing the Lord, and Rāma is also addressing the Lord. ‘Rāma’ means the Parabrahman, Who is the Supreme Enjoyer, and Kṛṣṇa is also Parabrahman, Who attracts every living entity. Especially Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma, there is no difference between Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma . . . The kingdom of the Lord is unlimited, and the Lord has to have many avatāras to rule and maintain it. This has been described in Bhagavadgītā,ŚrīmadBhāgavatam, and in other revealed Vedic scriptures. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ [Bg. 15.15] So the purpose of all of these revealed scriptures is to inform the conditioned soul fallen in this ocean of material existence about the Lord.” 

He informed the attentive crowd that we are living in only one of many millions and millions of universes, all of which are created from but one breath of Lord Mahā-viṣṇu, yet beyond this material creation there is Vaikuṇṭha, which is eternal. It is not destroyed as our bodies are destroyed, and we should go there. “So the Lord has come Himself and is instructing us. This is not speculation and not even a sentimental thing; this is fact and real fact. The Lord doesn’t descend to tell you a lie. The Lord says, aśraddad-hānāḥ puruṣā dharmasyāsya parantapa [Bg. 9.3] ‘Look, Arjuna, what will happen to a person who doesn’t have firm faith in the dharma I have so far described.’ What will happen to him is aprāpya māṁ; he will not attain the Supreme Lord. By the word ‘māṁ’ the Lord is indicating Himself—‘I will not be available to that person.’ What will happen to such a person? They will have to come again into this vicious cycle of repeated birth and death, mṛtyusaṁsāravartmani.” 

He appealed strongly to everyone that we should not think that although Kṛṣṇa was personally present to give instructions to Arjuna, He is not now available to us. “Please don’t make a mistake about the non-difference of the Lord and the Bhagavadgītā, that He is not present. No! The Bhagavadgītā is the Lord Himself. So one should try to understand Bhagavadgītā with this type of faith. As the Lord’s name and the Lord are non-different—abhinnatvān nāmanāminoḥ [Cc. Madhya 17.133]—the instructions of the Lord are not different from Him.” 

Gesturing over to the left of the stage where the saṅkīrtana party of his disciples was sitting, mṛdaṅga and karatāla in hands, Prabhupāda emphasized that the Lord is never away from us. “You see the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra is going on. Lord Kṛṣṇa is personally present in this Hare Kṛṣṇa, and He is dancing on the tongue of the chanter. When a pure devotee free from all offences performs the kīrtana of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, the Lord Himself dances on his tongue—we are to understand this. Whether you understand this transcendental feature of the holy name or not, if you chant Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa all hours of the day, you will not feel tired, but on the other hand if you repeat any mundane word ten times, or twenty times, you will feel bored and tired. So this experience proves that this Kṛṣṇa name does not belong to this material world. Hari-kīrtana is such that, as much as you chant, you will feel more enthusiastic.” 

The understanding that the name, pastimes, qualities, and associates of the Lord are the Lord Himself is called advayajñāna, absolute knowledge. Śrīla Prabhupāda said, however, that to understand this non-difference of the Lord and His emanations was a matter of realization. And he gave a practical and immediate example. “One who has love for the Lord can see Him at all times. He cannot see anything but the Lord. Whatever he sees, he sees the Lord in that. In the Caitanyacaritāmṛta it is stated, sthāvara jaṅgama dekhe, nā dekhe tāra mūrti/ sarvatra haya nija iṣṭa devasphūrti [Cc. Madhya 8.274)]. When a devotee looks upon this microphone, this loudspeaker, he doesn’t see ‘loudspeaker’ but he sees Kṛṣṇa in it. Why? Because he knows what this loudspeaker is! A devotee has love for the Lord and is very familiar with the Lord, so he knows that this loudspeaker is the conversion of the Lord’s energy . . .  So the Lord’s properties should all be utilised in the Lord’s service. In this way a devotee sees everything around him. He doesn’t see the microphone—this belongs to the Lord and it is a transformation of the Lord’s energy, so how will it be utilized properly in the Lord’s service?” 

This vision of the devotee is in contrast with the monists, who although declaring everything to be ‘one’ actually see duality, which is mundane. “A devotee doesn’t have mundane vision; his vision is always transcendental. The advaita-vādī says everything is one, but they have mundane vision. They have two philosophies—brahma satyaṁ and jagan mithyā. They are advaita-vādīs, monists, fixed on advaita-tattva—then why they should come to two philosophies? The Vaiṣṇavas are śuddhaadvaita-vādīs; their philosophy is pure. They consider that the object directed from the energy of the Lord is also transcendental.” 

For us to understand these finer points of philosophical argument, Prabhupāda told us, we need help. “So we should go to a bona fide spiritual master and should understand everything as it is—tadvijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet [MU 1.2.12] The word abhigacchet is used. This word in Sanskrit grammar is called a vidhi, a regulation. As you cannot say no to the rules and regulations, when you walk on the road and you see a sign, ‘Keep to the left,’ this is law; you cannot disobey. This vidhi means that which is not according to your choice; you have to do it—gurum eva abhigacchet, you have to approach a bona fide spiritual master. These are the rules and regulations of the scriptures.” 

Declaring the development of God consciousness to be the primary duty in the human form of life, Śrīla Prabhupāda cleverly drew from the short speech of his chief guest to support his contention that a spiritual master is required to achieve this. “Who is guru? Who repeats the Lord’s instructions without any concoction? Evaṁ paramparāprāptam. As Mr. Sharma has described it to you, the Lord imparts transcendental knowledge to Brahmā—tene brahma hṛdā ya ādikavaye [SB 1.1.1]—ādikavaye is the name of Brahmā. So Lord Vāsudeva imparted transcendental knowledge to Brahmā. How did He impart the name to Brahmā when He was not present there personally? We know the Lord was somewhere when Brahmā was alone in the darkness. He was thinking, ‘How have I come here? What am I to do?’ He was thinking all these things. Tene brahma hṛdā. The Lord imparted transcendental knowledge from his heart. He can give it to you also. This is not the point that the Lord only gave it to Brahmā and He will not give it to you. He will impart the same to you even. But when will He impart it? Teṣāṁ satatayuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prītipūrvakam/ dadāmi buddhiyogaṁ taṁ yena mām upayānti te [Bg. 10.10]—this is in the scriptures and the Lord Himself declares this: ‘You are to attain eligibility.’ What is that eligibility? Teṣāṁ satatayuktānāṁ—satata: twenty-four hours a day you are to think of the Lord. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍhavratāḥ. This is the definition of a mahātma, a great soul. So we should chant all the time Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. If you are walking on the road, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa; riding on the bus, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa; sitting in home, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Vacāṁsi vai-kuṇṭhaguṇānuvarṇane sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇapadāravindayor [SB 9.4.18]—engage your mind all the time at the lotus feet of the Lord. You have been a devotee. To be a devotee is not a difficult thing. Anybody can be a devotee; this is a natural thing. The love between the son and the father is natural: no training is required for that. Only one can forget the relationship. When one forgets, then we need a means to call up the same—and the means is śāstra. The purport of scripture is to help us to recall our forgotten relationship between the Lord and us. So we should read the scriptures very attentively.”  

Telling everyone that dharma cannot be manufactured, Prabhupāda again used the presence of Justice Sharma as practical validation of his point. “For instance, Mr. Sharma, the Justice of the High Court here—if a rascal goes to him and says, ‘Mr. Justice, My Lord, the rules and regulations by which you are executing your duties are all useless, so I am making new rules and by these you shall prosecute.’ So will he hear this rascal? No; he will solidly follow the rules and regulations made by the government. This is the meaning of dharma in dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavatpraṇītam [SB 6.3.19] Whatever is spoken by the Lord is dharma, and excepting that, everything else is cheating. That’s all.”  

As he went on, Prabhupāda became stronger and stronger in his emphasis, urging and earnestly pressing his audience into awareness of their precarious position in the material world. Quoting the night’s verse again and again, he warned everyone that failure to heed the message of Kṛṣṇa would have only one result—descent once again into “the vicious cycle of repeated birth and death.” No “law maker,” “big, big scientist,” or “big, big plan-maker” can solve this problem. There was only one solution: faith in Kṛṣṇa’s words. “Following His instructions is the ultimate goal for all of you. So accept it. Otherwise you will remain in mṛtyusaṁsāravartmani, the unlimited cycle of repeated birth and death. Acceptance of this religion is the solution for all your problems. Accept it! Who else will not accept this? Aśraddadhānāḥ, those who do not have faith in the instructions of the Lord, who do not obey the Lord’s instructions.” 

Pronouncing those who ignore the Lord’s message and laws to be no better than animals, dogs, and asses, Prabhupāda warned of the dire consequences. “There are two ways: firstly to go back home back to Godhead, and secondly, this way, to go into the vicious cycle of repeated birth and death. It is not that every time you will get a human body. Your next body, there is not much guarantee. If you get a body of tree, then stand in one place for ten thousand years. I have seen a tree in San Francisco named ‘Red Tree.’ It has a life span of seven thousand years. There are so many trees. So just imagine how big punishment it is! If you are ordered to stand here in one place for one hour, it will prove to be very painful to you. And that tree must stand incessantly for seven thousand years and it does not have capacity to move one inch even.” 

Śrīla Prabhupāda couldn’t be more frank or forceful in his assessment of our responsibility as human beings. “You all should understand this. It is imperative that you all understand this concept of religion, dharma, which has been described here by the Lord Himself. Keep faith in this. If you don’t care for that, then you are committing suicide. You are chopping your neck with a knife—don’t do that. Please don’t spoil this human life. Bahu sambhavānte; after many, many births you have received this human body . . . there are so many bodies to be accepted.” 

Although Śrīla Prabhupāda has nothing to do with material identifications, he was well aware that his onlookers were fully absorbed in it, and especially here in India he knows how to put that to an advantage. “After having many pious activities, one can attain birth in this holy land of India in a human body. So don’t waste this opportunity.” 

And Prabhupāda commands sufficient respect among his “countrymen” that he can criticize them also, at least on the point of their increasing failure to stick with their original culture. “Nowadays a great false pride in India can be noticed—I am a great scholar, what I am understanding is perfect; I am a high official etc.—these are all false ego. All right, ego can be considered but by the vimūḍhātmā, those who do not understand their own interest, so the ego they have is useless. If you consider yourself as a most powerful person, like a king, maybe you are a king, but you must obey the laws of nature. A disease affects both a king and a beggar; both have to suffer from it. As long as we remain in this material world we suffer from its influence.” 

Thus Prabhupāda challenged the large crowd repeatedly in an effort to awaken them to their choice as human beings. “This Bhagavadgītā is not made by us; the Lord Himself has spoken it. So the Lord is saying, aśraddadhānāḥ puruṣā dharmasyāsya parantapa. He is confirming that ‘What will happen to one who has no faith in what I have said in the scriptures?’ One will nivartante mṛtyusaṁsāra vartmani. This is one type of suicide. Don’t do it; obey what the Lord has said and make your life successful. One should not let oneself fall into the flow of māyā.” 

Reminding everyone that the original culture of India was based on gurukula education, whereby everyone was taught the real goal in life, Prabhupāda lamented modern India’s eagerness to abandon that original culture, and its pursuit of things foreign, and he pointedly exposed the irony of his own success in attempting to preserve it. “Everything is there—Veda, etc. Even bona fide spiritual master is also present, but we don’t take it seriously. What is the benefit except these! Otherwise we will earn much money, drink wine, and gratify our senses. This is śūdra culture; it is not beneficial for us. Kalau śūdrasambhavaḥ. This śūdra culture has sprung up in this age of Kali. Especially we have learnt how to set up factories and industries, drinking wine, sense gratification, and become śūdra from Western world. Stop it! But [Westerners] are fed up. They don’t want all these rubbish. These boys told me, ‘Swamijī, if we had not met you then perhaps we would have committed suicide’; they were hopeless. But practising Kṛṣṇa consciousness is giving them life. Life! Yes! There is life!! This is life worth living—not like cats and dogs. That is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. This is the treasure of India. Why are you ignoring this? This is not a sign of intelligence. You should not do it.” 

Even those who have professed to be followers and supporters of India’s original culture have distorted it, and Prabhupāda took a shot at that tendency too. “So please accept this Kṛṣṇa consciousness and read Bhagavadgītā, but try to understand it AS IT IS. Don’t speculate and concoct—Kurukṣetra is this body and Pañca Pāṇḍavas are the senses—not like this. Try to understand Bhagavadgītā As It Is. Which dictionary makes the meaning of Kurukṣetra as ‘this body’? In which dictionary, hmm? But the mad misinterpret Bhagavadgītā in this way. Kurukṣetra remains even to this day, and it is very near to your Chandigarh. So please don’t concoct anything. Read Bhagavadgītā as it is. Accept whatever the Lord is instructing. Then you will gain the profit from it. Hare Kṛṣṇa.” 

Prabhupāda sat back and Caitya-guru stood up at the front of the stage. He asked for questions, and there were many. The first was short but existentially precise: “Why are we in this material world?” Prabhupāda reiterated that each of us is responsible for our own condition. “We are to stay in this material world, this by your own determination. This is the material disease. When the Russians launched a sputnik satellite, it reached very high in the sky; they tried to locate this Moscow—this is attachment. Why you think that you are to stay in this material world? You tell this material world, ‘Goodbye!’ Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti so ’rjuna [Bg. 4.9].What is the necessity for us to stay in the material world? What is the profit to remain here? Actually there is no profit, only suffering and distress. So why this determination to stay in this material world? Direct yourself in such a way that you are not going to come again to this material world. This should be the goal of life.” 

Stressing that the Lord’s appearance and activities are transcendental, Prabhupāda gave the two alternatives. “You are bound to leave this body, so if you have not understood the transcendental feature of the Lord, you have to accept another body after death. Whether a body of a demigod or that of a dog, you are bound to accept. On the other hand, one who understands this transcendental feature of the Lord—Janma karma ca me divyamyo janati tattvataḥ [Bg. 4.11]—if one understands this way as it is, then tyaktvā dehaṁ, he will not accept another material body, punar janma naiti, after leaving this present body. Punar janma naiti means one will accept a spiritual body instead of this material body and go back home, back to Godhead.”  

Saying that Kṛṣṇa had described everything very clearly in the Bhagavadgītā, Prabhupāda accentuated the first and foremost method of devotional development. “Whichever platform you may be situated on, just hear. Be wherever you are situated; there is no need of changing that. You are a householder, you are to be a sannyāsī, you are a Justice, you are to leave that occupation—No! No need of that. Only hear—hear about the transcendental features of the Lord. There are many things to hear. Hear the Lord’s message in Bhagavadgītā; you will be benefited from the process of hearing. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pādasevanam [SB 7.5.23]; this is not difficult. Sthāne sthitāḥ śrutigatāṁ tanuvāṅmanobhir [SB 10.14.3]; be situated in your present position, no need to change that, but simply hear. Lord has given you two ears; please utilize your ears by hearing Kṛṣṇa kathā. You listen attentively to the Vedic scriptures. They are called śruti. Just listen, listen very carefully. If you hear from the right person you will attain success in your life.” 

The next person asked how one may live peacefully in the world and how may one renounce it. “No need of renouncing this world,” Prabhupāda responded. “Everyone cannot renounce the world. What you have of your own? Everything you have belongs to the Lord. If you have anything of your own, then the question of ‘renounce’ can come into play. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam [Īśo mantra 1]; no need of renunciation, just try to understand that everything belongs to the Lord. If you understand this much you will achieve your goal. What will you renounce? You have nothing of your own; even this body does not belong to you. What will you renounce? So two things in this world are very popular—bhoga and tyāga, sense gratification and renunciation. The rascals want to enjoy others’ property, and another type of rascal, those who don’t have anything of their own, want to renounce. What you have to renounce? Both of them are rascals. Those who want to enjoy are rascals, and those who want to renounce are rascals. The one who is in knowledge knows that neither I have anything of mine to renounce nor do I have any right to enjoy others’ property. So we should utilize everything in the service of whom it belongs. Whoever understands the purport of īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam is wise, an intelligent person. So who is that intelligent person? He is the devotee of the Lord. The devotee of the Lord doesn’t want to renounce or to enjoy. Rather, he wishes to utilize everything in the service of the Lord. He is a knowledgeable person. 

“Sarvadharmān parityajya; there are two kinds of religion in this world. First is karmī—this is for making big, big plans for enjoyment. This is the religion of the karmī. Second is the religion of the jñānī;jñānī considers the material world to be false and only Brahman is true—brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā—so ‘leave this false material world.’ There are these two aspects of religion. So the Lord is instructing here both of these, karmī and jñānī religions. Then what should we accept? We should accept this bhaktidharma. Anyābhilāṣitāśūnyaṁ jñānakarmādy anāvṛtam [Cc. Madhya 19.167], when you give up all desires and become anāvṛta, free from all jñāna and karma, then you will get bhakti, devotional service. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā. So take shelter of devotional service. Everything of yours will be successful.” 

Prabhupāda was in great form, speaking strongly and without concession. He had emphasized hearing things ‘as it is,’ and when he was asked, in reference to his previous comments about Sai Baba, in a rather tongue-in-cheek way, “Mahārāja, you have said, ‘I only know about Kṛṣṇa, rest all are thieves,’” he had a ready and unapologetic reply which he applied in a broader context tonight. “Lord Himself saysna māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ [Bg. 7.15]. The Lord Himself has chastised very heavily these rascals who do not believe Him. The Lord addressed those who do not obey Him as ass, most sinful, lowest of mankind . . . but I have simply said they are thieves. What is the wrong in that? The Lord has chastised so heavily, that you are ass, the lowest in mankind, and fool, most sinful, and uncivilized, and I only said, ‘thief.’  Definitely you are thieves. You think yourselves to be proprietors of the Lord’s property. The whole world says, ‘This is my country,’ ‘This is my India,’ ‘This is my Pakistan’; someone says, ‘This is my America.’ They are all thieves. Why? Lord says, bhoktāraṁ yajñatapasāṁ sarvaloka maheśvaram [Bg. 5.29]. ‘I am the owner of everything.’ So how are these things your property? That means you are all thieves. Am I wrong? All are thieves. Those who are enjoying the Lord’s property but don’t obey the Lord, all are thieves. I didn’t say anything wrong; just try to understand and think on it.” 

After taking a few more questions, Prabhupāda called a halt to the presentation. Despite the length of his lecture—the best part of an hour—no one had stirred, no one had left, and everyone had listened. He had captured his audience’s attention and held it, and further, he had provoked and stimulated their intelligence and human inquisitiveness. Prabhupāda was happy that his words seemed to be getting through, and he left satisfied as his disciples continued with the program of chanting and films. 

October 17th, 1976

TheSunday Tribune ran a good article on page 12 today entitled “ISKCON Movement ‘Fast Spreading in West.’” Whoever the staff reporter was, he managed to present the essence of all of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s main points from yesterday’s press conference. Hansadūta read it aloud as Prabhupāda listened attentively. “India is advertised abroad as a poverty-stricken country, while ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) is emphasizing the image of India’s rice culture, said Srila Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the Hare Krishna Movement, here today. The goal of Indian culture was how to elevate the soul in highest perfection, not mere titillation of senses.” 

Accurately quoting Śrīla Prabhupāda in declaiming other presenters of the message of the Gītā as having compromised with Western ideas, the reporter continued, “The previous preachers of India culture to the West, he pointed out, did not produce any Krishna devotees, while ISKCON was producing them by the thousand simply by adhering to the original connotation of Vedic truths.” 

Prabhupāda chuckled happily at hearing the report quote him about the movement’s rapid spread. “In the West the Movement was spreading like an epidemic, the Acharya humorously added, quoting a government official of Houston, Texas, USA.” 

And he nodded with satisfaction as the report accurately summarized the reasons he had given as to why people are joining. “He gave two reasons for the success of his movement—the wide intellectual appreciation of his book, ‘Bhagawad-Gita As It Is’ and the deep frustration of Western youth with technology-based materialistic society. Hippie-ism and widespread drug addiction highlighted the dissatisfaction with materialistic world. The chasm they felt in their heart of hearts could be well bridged by the spiritualistic approach of the Hare Krishna movement.” 

Another part Prabhupāda liked was the reporter’s reproduction of his comments on the castesystem. “He said the Gita clearly proclaimed it as division of labour. It was based on the pragmatic truth that every society must have a class of people who are intellectuals, another class of able administrators, yet another class engaged in preserving the national economy (‘Krishi go-raksya vanijyam’) and lastly a class providing general services. This division of labour, the Gita specifically said, must be based on ‘guna’ and ‘karma’ only. He suggested that there should be a Ministry of Religious Affairs in India as well.” The article concluded with a mention that today is the last day of the paṇḍala. 

It is not often that reporters reproduce the substance of Prabhupāda’s press conferences, and generally they look for something a little sensationalistic or contrary, so Śrīla Prabhupāda was very pleased with this straightforward and faithful presentation of his words. 

* * * 

Śrīla Prabhupāda and his disciples were all invited by Puri Mahārāja for a program and feast at the Śrī Caitanya Gauḍīya Maṭha in Sector 20. Situated on two acres of land, the maṭha was founded by Prabhupāda’s Godbrother Mādhava Mahārāja. The mandira is still under construction, so the feast was held in residential buildings at the back.  

Before Śrīla Prabhupāda’s arrival, our men along with the Gauḍīya Maṭha devotees held a joint kīrtana, so by the time Prabhupāda arrived, a large crowd was already gathered in the nearly complete kīrtana hall. Prabhupāda obliged them with a twenty-minute talk. At one point, gesturing to his Western disciples with shaved heads, tilaka,dhotis, and bright faces, Prabhupāda smiled broadly and recalled the reaction of some of his Godbrothers in 1965 when they heard he was planning to go to the West to preach. It would be too difficult for him to create Vaiṣṇavas there, they had said. Bon Mahārāja had gone and had failed, so they advised him not to go. Fortunately for us, he had ignored them. Prabhupāda laughed and said, “So here is the result, what you are seeing now.” 

Then he was taken over to the main building where he was served prasādam, while the devotees took theirs in the courtyard. The prasādam was excellent, and Śrīla Prabhupāda complimented them on their expertise in cooking and distributing prasādam. He ate an unusually large amount, even calling for seconds.  

He was happy to visit and pleased with his reception and their arrangements. All the Gauḍīya Maṭha people here are friendly, and Puri Mahārāja seems a very able, active preacher and a good man. It is one of Prabhupāda’s longstanding desires that there be cooperation between him and the various branches of the Gauḍīya Maṭha, so today’s program was a source of great satisfaction. 

He was, however, cautious in his dealings with them. One of their brahmacārīs came to speak privately with him, saying that he wanted to join ISKCON. But Prabhupāda advised him to stay in the Gauḍīya Maṭha. Otherwise, he said, his Godbrothers would criticize him and say that he only came in order to steal away their devotees.  

After resting at the Gauḍīya Maṭha, Śrīla Prabhupāda returned to the house in the late afternoon.  

* * * 

Sometime back, when Hansadūta Swami was out touring in the north with his bus party, they stayed for a few days at an āśrama in Solan. The owner of this āśrama, Mauni Bābā, came to see Śrīla Prabhupāda today. True to his name, he does not speak. He communicates by writing with chalk on a small board. About seventy years old, he was the epitome of the popular image of an Indian sādhu. He had a long white beard, wore only a chaddar and a short brahmacārī dhoti, and had a picture of Lord Viṣṇu hanging around his neck. Prabhupāda received him cordially. Mauni Bābā began writing on his slate in Hindi, and Caitya-guru read his message out to Prabhupāda. He said that he wanted to donate his āśrama to ISKCON and go to America. Prabhupāda laughed. He said, “Ask him, ‘What do you want to do in America?’” Caitya-guru read out his reply. “He said he wants to preach with you.” Prabhupāda shook his head with amusement. “How can you preach when you are writing on a slate and you are not talking?” He laughed again, and said, “In America there are already so many statues standing in the shop windows, silent like you. Just chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and be happy.” He told the devotees to give him some prasādam and let him return to his āśrama. After Mauni Bābā left, Prabhupāda advised Caitya-guru not to associate with such people, who come with motivations, and said that we don’t need his āśrama. 

* * * 

At 6:30 p.m. Prabhupāda proceeded to Nehru Park for the last of his lectures at the paṇḍala. During the week, the visiting devotees have been regularly going out to preach, make life members, and do kīrtana. Wherever they go, they meet with a favorable response. People are impressed with Śrīla Prabhupāda’s preaching. The strength and clarity of his discourses have set the city abuzz, and tonight’s crowd was the biggest of the event, about four or five thousand. 

The chief guest, Shri Pokar Ram Godara, a government minister who has attended the paṇḍala on several other evenings, greeted Prabhupāda on stage. Also attending was Dr. Jagadish Sharma, whose review of Prabhupāda’s books was used to great effect at yesterday’s press conference. He came with Dharm Ratan, an Indian Administration Services officer in the Punjab government.  

For his final lecture Prabhupāda chose to speak from Bhagavadgītā13.8-12. He started out with a good analogy to explain the relationship between the three yogas of the Gītā—karma, jñāna, and bhakti. “Bhagavadgītā has eighteen chapters, in which karma-yoga is explained in six chapters, bhakti-yoga in six chapters, and jñāna-yoga in six chapters. But Bhagavān has spoken about bhakti-yoga in the center, just like a book has covers on both sides and inbetween there is the actual substance. Similarly, Bhagavān has given karma-yoga on one side and jñāna-yoga on the other side as coverings. But the real substance is bhakti-yoga, which is given from the seventh chapter to the twelfth chapter.” 

As far as knowledge is concerned, he said, the first thing is to understand that we are not the body. We cannot get any body we like. Rather, “First deserve and then desire” is the principle by which we are awarded a body, and it is given by Durgā Devī, māyā, the material energy, who is another form of Rādhārāṇī. But her influence is just the opposite. “Durgā Devī’s duty is that when you want to forget the Lord, she makes you forget. Take whatever you want, take how much money you want, take fame if you want, and forget the Lord. But by the mercy of Rādhārāṇī you can attain the Lord and be engaged in the service of the Lord. Therefore those who are devotees, they always chant ‘Jaya Rādhārāṇī.’” 

Prabhupāda told the audience that everything occurs by the mercy of the Lord Who is situated in our hearts. He knows our desires and responds accordingly. If we want a body to enjoy material happiness, He gives it; if we desire a saccidānandavigrahaḥ like the Lord’s, we can also get that. “It is difficult to search out the Lord, because the Lord is just sitting in your own heart, īśvaraḥ sarvabhūtānāṁ hṛddeśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg. 18.61]. The Lord is sitting in everybody’s heart, even the heart of a pig. This does not mean that because He is sitting in the heart of a pig He has become pig. No. The Lord stays in Vaikuṇṭha. He guides both a demigod and a pig.”  

After recapping his previous four nights of detailed analysis of our position in this world, Prabhupāda began his elaboration of the thirteenth chapter. He said that before Kṛṣṇa starts His discourse on jñāna-yoga, He compares the body to a field. “Like there is this cowherd, farmer. He is given the land and he works there. He does farming. And according to your effort, you get grains and fruits. Similarly, however you work with this body, accordingly you get the result. So one who knows the field is called kṣetrajña. That is the ātmā, soul, living entity. He is the knower of the field. This is knowledge, real knowledge. And one more knowledge is necessary, that the Lord is explaining, kṣetrajñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi. This soul, he is not the only knower—‘I am also the knower.’ Why? Īśvaraḥ sarvabhūtānāṁ hṛddeśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati. So the Lord who is sitting in everybody’s heart is also the soul, Supreme soul. He is not the enjoyer, but he just watches, whatever the jīva wants. The Lord is transcendental, so He just accompanies you everywhere in whichever body you are in—it may be demigod body, dog body, ass body, tree body—just to make you understand that ‘You are just wandering here and there, sometimes this body, sometimes that body . . . this is all unnecessary. Just surrender unto Me.’” 

Despite Kṛṣṇa’s request, Prabhupāda said, we don’t listen. Referring to his lecture yesterday, he repeated that those who are aśraddadhānāḥ, who have no faith in His words, will not listen to the Lord. “We see many kinds of people while preaching; everybody is stubborn. They do not want the Lord. So the Lord says don’t listen to these people, they just manufacture ideas on their own.” 

We have to know what is karma, he said. “If we ask nature to give us a crore of rupees, will nature give us just by asking? No. According to our qualification. If a worker demands ten thousand rupees, he gets it only if he has qualification. So similarly, bhrāmayan sarvabhūtāni . . . the meaning of bhrāmayan is given as ‘one who wanders.’” 

That wandering, he said, means to anywhere in the universe. Although scientists claim that there are no living entities anywhere except on this planet, this is simply cheating. “Great foolishness. Life is everywhere. There are different kinds of living entities in different places according to their qualification. Everywhere there are living entities. Even in the sun planet. If there was no kingdom on the sun planet, then what? The Lord is lying? Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam [Bg. 4.1].The meaning of Vivasvān is the king of the sun planet. His name is Vivasvān. Some fools say that this is ocean but it is empty. No, it is not empty. This creation of the Lord is amazing. There are innumerable varieties of living entities everywhere.” Thus, he said, according to one’s work we get a place, either higher, lower, or maintaining, and this is the meaning of bhrāmayan. 

In just the same way that Lord Kṛṣṇa instructs us in Bhagavadgītā, similarly Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu instructed His disciple Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. “He said the same thing: ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva/ gurukṛṣṇaprasāde pāya bhaktilatābīja [Cc. Madhya 19.151].We living entities are wandering like this . . . sometimes up, sometimes down. Mṛtyusaṁsāra bandhana, even if this material existence becomes very powerful, still we have escape from it. Only if you go to the Supreme Lord’s abode is this possible. Yad gatvā na nivartante [reaching it one never returns—Bg. 15.6].” 

Prabhupāda stressed that this knowledge of the soul is śāstra, given by the Lord, and must be accepted as He gives it. “Śāstra is not that Lord says something and we say something. No. It is called paramparā. So through this paramparā we can gain proper understanding. And if we interpret on our own, giving a different understanding, then it is foolishness. And one who interprets, and the one who hears this are both fools. This is foolish business.” 

In the second half of his lecture Prabhupāda emphasized understanding the connection between the appearances of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Caitanya. In his previous night’s talks he had concentrated mainly on Kṛṣṇa’s words in Bhagavadgītā, but tonight he focused more on the appearance of Lord Caitanya. “Please see what the Lord says: bhrāmayan sarvabhūtāni. And Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva. Mahāprabhu is instructing that if a soul while wandering becomes fortunate, how? By performing pious activities, he can become fortunate. Somebody can become fortunate by the mercy of the Lord. Some by the mercy of the Lord, some by the mercy of a Vaiṣṇava. Suppose a Vaiṣṇava comes begging; he is not a beggar. But if he comes to you being desperate—‘Mātājī, give me some alms’—and if she with little faith offers alms to that Vaiṣṇava, then she becomes fortunate. Because some connection was made with a Vaiṣṇava as she offered something to him. 

“By coming close to the Lord, by coming to the temple, by bowing his head, one becomes fortunate. In the temple if he plays karatālas for a while, offers flowers, then he becomes fortunate. This is not going to be finished. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt [a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear—Bg. 2.40]. This is something that even if you do only a little bit, you will have permanent account. So like this, if you keep on building your account, when it is little more, from then your bhakti starts.  

“The Lord and Caitanya Mahāprabhu are one and the same. Bhagavān, Lord, is saying in the Bhagavadgītā, as God Himself, ‘Do like this.’ This is God. But unfortunately, some foolish people do not learn. So God has come in the form of a devotee as Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He has come to teach, “Look. You have to act like this to perform Kṛṣṇa bhakti. See how I am doing.’ 

“During the first meeting of Caitanya and Rūpa Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī offered pranams to Caitanya and glorified Him with the śloka—namo mahāvadānyāya kṛṣṇapremapradāya te/ kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇacaitanyanāmne gauratviṣe namaḥ [Cc. Madhya 19.53]. Gaura-tviṣe. Now He has not come with the blackish complexion but very beautiful yellow color, color like gold, gaura-tviṣe,gaurānga. Now He has come just with the change of color. ‘You are that same Kṛṣṇa. Now You have come with Your magnanimity.’ Whom do we call vadānya? One who gives lot of charity. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu is not just called as vadānya, but mahāvadānya, because ‘there is nobody else who is as charitable as You.’ Kṛṣṇapremapradāya te. Kṛṣṇa gave a con-dition for one on how to lead life. Sarvadharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]—‘Give up everything and surrender unto Me alone.’ He made conditions, first give up and then surrender unto My feet. Then, ‘But with the form that You have descended with, there is no condition. You just don’t give Kṛṣṇa, but You are giving us Kṛṣṇa prema, so that is why You are mahā-vadānya’ This is the uniqueness of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. There is no condition; just take this love of God. How? Daily chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and dance. That’s all. You will get love of God. Such magnanimity! No necessity of education, no necessity of taking birth in the Brahmin family or an aristocratic family; just do hari-kīrtana and dance with enthusiasm. 

“Kṛṣṇotkīrtanagānanartanaparau [Ṣaḍgosvāmyaṣṭaka 1]. This is what the Gosvāmīs did. We have learnt this. This kṛṣṇa-utkīrtana—very loudly chant Hare Kṛṣṇa! Hare Kṛṣṇa! Hare Kṛṣṇa! And dance. That’s all; you will get love of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇotkīrtanagānanartanaparau premāmṛtāmbho nidhī. So in the same way, the nectar of prema, it is an ocean. If we can dip into this ocean, then we experience the nectar of love. 

“Next, dhīrādhīrajanapriyau—and kṛṣṇa-kīrtana is such that both dhīra and adhīra can together participate. One who does not have anything to ask is dhīra. And one who desires is adhīra, no peace. There is no peace for an adhīra. Adhīra is called ‘peace-less.’” 

Cross-referencing with ŚrīmadBhāgavatam 2.3.10, Prabhupāda explained to the crowd that the karmīs, jñānis, and yogis are all adhīra because they still have selfish desires. But the position of the devotee is different. “A karmī is desirous of enjoyment, a jñāni is desirous of liberation, and siddhikāmī, one who wants perfection, he wants to show off; aṣṭasiddhi—aṇimā, laghimā, mahimā, prāpti siddhi, he wants to show off all these. But all these—jñāni, yogi, karmī—maybe they are great people, but they want something. They don’t say, ‘I don’t want anything.’ Svāmin kṛtārtho’smi varaṁ na yāce [Cc. Madhya 22.42]. This is a devotee. The Lord wants to give something to His devotee, but the devotee says, ‘What do I want? I have Your lotus feet and so I do not want anything else.’ So the devotee alone is peaceful. Dhruva Mahārāja wanted to get something, so he performed austerities, not long, just for six months. But he did very severe austerities. This was a boy of just five years of age. The Lord, being very satisfied, gave darśana to him. While the Lord is sitting in your heart and in everybody’s heart, if He wants He can give darśana outside. Is this difficult for one who is omnipotent? So just by seeing the Lord, Dhruva Mahārāja became very attracted and said, Svāmin kṛtārtho’smi varaṁ na yāce: ‘Oh Lord, Oh Master, You are my Master, You are looking after everything. Now that I am so very happy, I do not have anything to ask.’ This is devotee.  

“Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that devotion is the happiness the devotee feels in relating to the Lord, or in the dealings between him and the Lord. This is called bhakti. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva; when one’s amount of ajñāta sukṛti has increased enough, then he gets the quality of a Vaiṣṇava and he gets the seed of devotion in his heart.” 

By watering that seed through hearing and chanting, Prabhupāda told everyone, gradually it grows and produces the fruit of love of Godhead. Then, coming to the focus of his night’s talk, he delineated the meanings of some of the different items mentioned by Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavadgītā 13.8-12 that constitute real knowledge.  

“It is said and heard, amānitvam adambhitvam. What is that?  Amānitvam, this first material disease that we have; mānitvam, [false ego]. ‘I am Indian, I am American. I cannot speak to you; I am brāhmaṇa and you are a śūdra.’ This is all mānitvam. So the first understanding is amānitvam. First he has to understand that ‘I am not rich, I am not even poor; I am not white and I am not black; I am not American, I am not even Indian; I am not a brāhmaṇa, I am not a śūdra.’ This is what Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught. This false prestige is in everybody and they think, ‘We are big and everybody else is small.’ This is a material disease.” 

As he went onto the next item, ahiṁsā, Prabhupāda made a little aside. “If we discuss the meanings of each word,” he smiled, “then it will take all night! I am saying a little of everything. Just see, from the verses eight to twelve, these four or five ślokas, this is just the place of jñāna-yoga and slowly, slowly, but this is the complete knowledge.”  

Then he continued. “From the ordinary perspective, ahiṁsā means not to do violence to others unnecessarily. This is ahiṁsā: not without a reason. Kill that animal and eat—ordinarily this is what we understand. If you have desire to eat palatable dishes, you can get them to eat and keep your body fit. But why do you kill an innocent animal? This is ignorance. When the Lord has given us gehu [a type of flour to make rotis], rice, ghee, milk, vegetables, fruits, you can make wonderful dishes out of them and offer to the Lord and take prasādam. But if you kill the innocent animals, then it is hiṁsā.  

“It is not that you should die without eating anything. No. This is śāstra. The nature’s law is that one living entity eats another. This does not mean that you have to kill an animal. If this is so, then you kill your son and eat, hmm? No. There are rules. The Lord is saying for the human beings, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati [Bg. 9.26]. It is not meant for your eating; you offer to the Lord and then eat. Make it offered food and then eat. Yo me bhaktyā prayacchati: first offer to the Lord. Then, what will you offer to Him? The Lord is not saying, ‘Offer Me meat, bones . . . ’ But the Lord is saying you offer vegetables, gehu atta, milk to the Lord, make it prasāda, and then eat. This is human life. This is what is ahiṁsā. And if you just eat whatever you feel like eating and do whatever you feel like doing, this is not knowledge. This is ignorance. 

“And saralatā [simplicity], ārjavam. This is the knowledge of human life, to be simple. Saralatā—śāstra says if somebody asks what are your internal matters, then you just tell. This is simplicity. The quality of a brāhmaṇa, ārjavam—this is brāhmaṇa’s duty. All these are there.” 

Next, Śrīla Prabhupāda underlined the importance of accepting a spiritual guide. “And ācāryopāsanaṁ. The ācārya, in paramparā. In India we have the sampradāya of ācāryas—Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī. Cait-anya Mahāprabhu, He is ācārya for everyone. We treat him also as an ācārya. So at least do the worship of the ācārya. Tadvijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet [MU 1.2.12]: one has to go to the ācārya. Rāmānuja is not present now, but there are Vaiṣṇavas of Rāmānuja-sampradāya. Similarly, Caitanya Mahāprabhu is not present now, but there are ācāryas of His sampradāya. You go to that ācārya and learn. 

“The Lord says this in the Eleventh Canto that, ‘Consider the ācārya as My own self.’ Therefore the ācārya should be worshiped like the Lord. But the ācārya does not say, ‘I am God,’ but he has the right to take service from his disciples on behalf of the Lord. He gives it back to the Lord, does not take anything for himself. He knows himself as the servant of the Lord. In this regard, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, yasya prasādād bhagavatprasādo: if you please the ācārya then think certainly that the Lord is being pleased. Yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ‘pi: if you don’t please the ācārya then you won’t have any peace and consider yourself as failure. 

“Therefore, ācāryopāsanaṁśaucaṁ. One has to be clean inside and outside. One can take a nice bath by scrubbing with soap and applying oil; this bath is in the morning—it is only of the outside, external cleanliness. The inside also has to be clean. For internal cleanliness, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.” 

Prabhupāda didn’t go any further. He had already spoken for over an hour and barely started on the list. He surveyed the huge crowd and told them, “The Lord has given each of these words. By analyzing them slowly, carefully we can hear and advance. All these things are in Bhagavadgītā. Discuss these nicely and understand and hear from the ācārya, then your life will be successful. This is the purpose of our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Whoever has obtained this rare human form of life should not misuse the opportunity. And learn properly. The Lord Himself is speaking. Then understand that mṛtyusaṁsāra vartmani [Bg. 9.3]; we have to be entangled in this repeated birth and death cycle. So one who is responsible should not waste one’s life like this. With great responsibility hear about the Lord and make Him yours. Then your life will be successful. Thank you very much.” 

Prabhupāda then took a couple of questions. One gentleman asked, “Is it okay to chant this Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare by ourselves, or is it necessary to accept a guru and take the names from him?”  

Śrīla Prabhupāda gave a short and clear answer. “No. You have hear these names, tadvijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet: one has to take initiation and take the mantra from the guru.” 

The second question concerned our final destination. “Is attaining Kṛṣṇa ultimate, or one has to go further? After reaching Goloka-dhāma, does the living entity have to come back or not? Or one who goes to Śiva-loka, Viṣṇu-loka is liberated or not?” 

 “It is said in the Bhagavadgītā,” Prabhupāda replied, “yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama [Bg. 15.6]. Everything is the Lord’s abode. But the supreme abode is Goloka Vṛndāvana. The living entity gets supreme happiness by going there from here. Cintāmaṇiprakara sadmasu kalpavṛkṣalakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr [I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees—Bs. 5.29].Why one will come back from there?  The Lord Himself is saying, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma neti [Bg. 4.9]. He gets so much happiness there, why will he want to come back?  

“But if one wants, then he can come. This independence is there always. And sometimes the Lord’s expansions also come to do welfare for the living entities. Like the Lord comes, He sends His devotee, ‘Go there, go there and help them.’ He comes; he is not an ordinary person, but eternally liberated. This is said in Bhagavadgītā: there are many kinds of living entities. One is eternally liberated; one is eternally conditioned. The Lord comes nitya śuddha pūrṇa mukta (complete, perfectly pure, and eternally liberated from all material conceptions). Similarly, the devotee who comes on behalf of the Lord is also nitya śuddha pūrṇa mukta. So by going close to the Lord, one is engaged in the service of the Lord.  

“One who does not go to the Lord, he does not attain happiness. Like the jñānīs—they want to stay in the brahman effulgence. The brahman effulgence is outside of the Vaikuṇṭha planets, spiritual world. One example is the sun planet and the sun rays, which are outside. Similarly, brahman effulgence is outside the Vaikuṇṭha planets. Yasya prabhā [Bs. 5.40]; this brahman effulgence is the effulgence from the Vaikuṇṭha planet. Going there one gets eternity but no happiness. No happiness. Just like on the airplane, if you are late by half an hour, one hour, one-and-half hour, your heart becomes anxious: ‘When shall we go down, when shall we go down?’ So the monist is like this. 

“What happens when you stay in the brahman effulgence? Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhah [SB.10.2.32]; he won’t get happiness—again he comes to this material world. Big, big sannayāsīs say, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā—giving up all these, they go to brahman. They don’t get anything there; then they come back and open school, colleges, and homeopathy clinic, and like this they become absorbed in these kinds of works. Because they have not got the real thing.” 

Prabhupāda finished on this point. There were many more people hoping to ask questions, but it was late and there were further parts of the program. The official theme of the paṇḍala lectures has been “Let Kṛṣṇa Speak for Himself,” and through His unalloyed servant, Śrīla Prabhupāda, Lord Kṛṣṇa has certainly been given the opportunity to speak for Himself. It’s doubtful that the people of Chandigarh have ever heard the message of Bhagavadgītā spoken so truthfully and forcefully, and judging by the reaction, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has a good future here.  

Caitya-guru prabhu came forward and, taking hold of the microphone in one hand and one of our magazines in the other, he addressed the crowd with force and enthusiasm: “The theme of our paṇḍala is ‘Let Kṛṣṇa Speak for Himself.’ Our Guru Mahārāja, while giving the lecture, has told us that it takes a night to understand each word from the Gītā. Time is up and you all have many questions. I was thinking that the answers for all your questions are easy. The words that he has pronounced, you may not be able to remember, and even the answers for your questions you will not be able to remember. So here we have a nice magazine named Bhagavat Darshan that we have published. It contains our Guru Mahārāja’s commentary. It contains all the answers for all your questions. You won’t have a question in your mind for which you don’t find the answer in this. The cost price of this is very cheap. This is not for money but as a donation; we are only asking 1.50 rupees. But I thought since you have many questions, we will give the magazine for one rupee. Just for a rupee you can get answers for all your questions. We have a few copies of this magazine. For three or four or five minutes, our group of devotees will just come amidst you. Whoever wants the magazine can keep a rupee ready and buy from the devotees, and you will get answers for all your questions.” 

The effect was instantaneous. People rushed forward to buy, pushing and jostling, and some literally falling over each other to get one before we ran out. They were throwing their money onto the stage and jumping over each other’s shoulders to get one. Within a few minutes we sold about two thousand copies. It was a wonderful sight and a good ending to a well-organized and impressive paṇḍala program. Śrīla Prabhupāda, who stayed until the end, was full of praise for Caitya-guru. 

October 18th, 1976

Today the devotees from the Gauḍīya Maṭha came to the dharma-śālā and cooked another feast for our men. Prabhupāda didn’t go, but they brought some prasādam for him at the house. It was a far cry from the excellent feast they previously prepared. Prabhupāda hardly touched it, calling it “rubbish.” 

* * * 

Through the brother of one of our Bombay life members, Mr. Grover of Modella Woolens, Caitya-guru prabhu arranged a final program at the Rotary Club. After a quiet day and having given a final general darśana at the house, His Divine Grace proceeded there by car in the late afternoon and was received by the current Club president.  

Prabhupāda was led into the conference hall where a dais had been set up in front of a gallery of chairs. I was disappointed to see a low attendance and many empty seats. And many of those who did attend seemed to have only a perfunctory interest—one lady sat knitting through the whole talk without even looking up. Nevertheless, Śrīla Prabhupāda showed no sign of disappointment. He had another chance to talk about Kṛṣṇa, and that itself was satisfaction enough; if even one person in the crowd took his words seriously—or not, it didn’t matter—he was happy just to have the opportunity to speak.  

The Rotary president gave him a brief introduction, and then Prabhupāda launched into an excellent talk in English using the same theme as in his paṇḍala lectures. He began by pointing out that all the great ācāryas accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All of us, he said, have questions about the existence of God, whether God exists, who He is, and whether He is personal or impersonal. To answer these questions, Prabhupāda asserted, God Himself comes and speaks the Bhagavadgītā. 

“Kṛṣṇa says in the beginning of the seventh chapter of the Bhagavadgītā how you can understand God without any doubt and in complete. That is spoken by God Himself. ‘My dear Pārtha, Arjuna, in order to know Me, God, asaṁśayam, without any doubt, and samagram,’—means ‘in completeness’— ‘As you can know Me, I am personally speaking to you.’ That means if you want to know God, you can know Him when He explains Himself. Otherwise, you cannot speculate.”  

Giving a brief history of the great Mahābhārata war, he set the scene of how Arjuna became perplexed. Then he explained how the relationship between him and Kṛṣṇa, who was both his friend and relative, changed so that Kṛṣṇa could speak and solve his problems. “Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, they were talking like friends. Friends means argument. We can go on arguing for days together, but there is no decision. That is friendly talk. But when there is talk between a master and disciple, there is no question of arguing. The disciple has to accept what is ordered by the master. 

“So Kṛṣṇa is accepted guru, or the spiritual master, and Arjuna says, śiṣyas te ’haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam [Bg. 2.7]. Prapannam means that ‘I am surrendered to You. I don’t think myself on the equal level with You.’ The spiritual master and the disciple, they cannot be on the equal level. Therefore a spiritual master is called guru. Guru means heavy. Just like in the scale we put something this side, something that side. The thing which is weighty, that goes down. Similarly, guru is supposed to be more weighty than the śiṣya. So Kṛṣṇa begins to speak when He is accepted as guru; otherwise He does not speak.” 

That brought Prabhupāda to his main theme. “Now, our subject matter is ‘Let Kṛṣṇa Speak for Himself.’ So we have to accept Kṛṣṇa as the supreme authority. Then His speaking will be useful for us. Otherwise, if we think that Kṛṣṇa is on the equal level—‘He is also a historical personality and His education and my education equal and so on, so on’—so long we think like that, then we cannot hear or understand Kṛṣṇa. But if we take the position of Arjuna, śiṣyas te ’haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam, then Kṛṣṇa will speak to the disciple like Arjuna, and everything will be clear.” 

Telling his audience that through his Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement millions of people around the world are interested in Bhagavadgītā, Prabhupāda lamented that Kṛṣṇa’s words are not being transmitted properly by others. “Unfortunately, although Bhagavadgītā is spoken in this land of Bhārata-varṣa, Chandigarh, the Kurukṣetra, we do not allow Kṛṣṇa to speak. This is our misfortune. Kṛṣṇa spoke these words of Bhagavadgītā. Many scholars, many socalled saintly persons, they have misinterpreted the words of Bhagavadgītā. They did not allow Kṛṣṇa to speak. They wanted to speak about themselves. If one speaks on behalf of Kṛṣṇa, he is guru. But if one manufactures some idea from the words of Kṛṣṇa by misinterpretation and does not allow Kṛṣṇa to speak, it is a great dangerous position. That has become actually the fact in India. Otherwise such a big culture, complete culture . . . From the Bhagavadgītā, any question you can raise, the answer is there. Political, social, religious, philosophical, cultural—any way you study Bhagavadgītā, the complete answer is there. Therefore our request is that let Kṛṣṇa speak for Himself. Don’t try to misinterpret the words of Kṛṣṇa or the words in the Bhagavadgītā. That will spoil it.” 

Since Chandigarh is barely an hour’s drive from Kurukṣetra and Kurukṣetra is mentioned in the very first verse of Bhagavadgītā, it was natural for Prabhupāda to focus on it, especially considering the fact that one of the most famous Indian leaders in modern history made a commentary on it that totally failed to grasp both its significance and its reality. “Everyone knows there is a place Kurukṣetra. From time immemorial in the Vedic literature it is mentioned about Kurukṣetra. Kurukṣetre dharmam ācaret: ‘Go to Kurukṣetra and perform ritualistic ceremonies there.’ So it is dharmakṣetra. So how you can interpret Kurukṣetra as the body? Where is that dictionary, and where is the necessity of interpreting like that? There is no necessity. Interpretation is required when the meaning is not clear. But if the meaning is clear, why should you interpret it unnecessarily? That is mal-interpretation, and that is going on. Kṛṣṇa is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but somebody says, ‘He is fictitious. There was no fight like Kurukṣetra. There was no such person as Kṛṣṇa,’ and ‘Kṛṣṇa is a person from the black aborigines,’ so on, so on, so many interpretation. What is the benefit? The benefit is that we have lost our Vedic culture. This is the benefit.” 

Protesting the tendency of some people to use Bhagavadgītā for their own ends, Prabhupāda said that if one wants to speak nonsense he has the freedom to do so, but it should not be through the agency of Kṛṣṇa’s Gītā. Asking Pradyumna to read out verse 10.12 where Arjuna accepts Kṛṣṇa as paraṁ brahma and then 10.14 where he says that he accepts all of Kṛṣṇa’s instructions, Prabhupāda emphasized that this mood was the only way to correctly understand the Lord. “So, ‘I accept all Your instruction.’ Sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye. This is actually student of Bhagavadgītā, not that ‘The portion which I like I accept, and the portion I do not like I reject.’ This is nonsense. If you want to become the student of Bhagavadgītā, if you want to derive some benefit out of it, then you should be like Arjuna, like this.” 

Going through the system of disciplic succession, he told us, is the only way to correctly appreciate Kṛṣṇa. “Kṛṣṇa said, evaṁ paramparāprāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ [Bg. 4.2]. Rājarṣaya. This philosophy of Bhagavadgītā, it is meant for the rājarṣi, not for the loafer class. Rājarṣi: king; at the same time, saintly person. Kṛṣṇa does not say that ordinary scholar or socalled philosopher can understand. Only the rājarṣayoviduḥ. So Arjuna is one of the rājarṣis. So he understood Kṛṣṇa. He says, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma. So we have to accept this paramparā system. If we take Bhagavadgītā seriously then we should follow the footprints of Arjuna, as he understood. He accepted Kṛṣṇa as the paraṁ brahman. So what is spoken by paraṁ brahman, the Supreme Lord, the Supreme Person? How we can interpret His words and squeeze out some meaning and mislead myself and mislead others? This is not good. So our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to rectify this mistake. Bhagavadgītā is the most authorized scripture in the Vedic literature.”  

Vedic literature, he said, is apaureṣaya, spoken directly by the Supreme Person. It begins with the words athāto brahma jijñāsā—“This human form of life is meant for inquiring about Brahman.”  Declaring the Vedāntasūtra to be the cream of all the Vedas and Bhagavadgītā to be the summary of Vedānta or Vedic philosophy, Prabhupāda said that it had been spoken especially for the fallen souls of this age. “Because in this age, Kaliyuga, we are not very advanced. About us, it is described in the śāstra, mandāḥ sumandamatayo mandabhāgyā upadrutāḥ, prāyeṇālpayuṣaḥ kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ [SB 1.1.10]. In this age, Kaliyuga, we are living not very long time. In Kaliyuga the duration of life will be reduced so much, gradually, that if a person lives for twenty to thirty years, he’ll be considered a grand old man. . . . In this way the duration of life, the memory, the mercifulness, the bodily strength—everything will be reduced. This is already foretold in the śāstras. So therefore in this age we are all shortliving, mandāḥ, very slow or bad, and sumandamatayo—everyone has got an obnoxious opinion about philosophy, about the goal of life. Mandabhāgyā, unfortunate also. The description, if we try to describe, it will take long time. The shortcut description is there: mandāḥ sumandamatayo mandabhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ. At the same time, disturbed always. This material world means always disturbed condition, but in this age, Kaliyuga, the disturbance is more and more.” 

Therefore, he told us, “It is out of Kṛṣṇa’s kindness that making Arjuna as a target of His instruction, Bhagavad gītā, He has given us this valuable instruction. We should accept it as it is. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavadgītā As It Is, without any mal-interpretation. Take Bhagavadgītā As It Is; you’ll be benefited.” 

Again he stressed the mood of surrender as the vital ingredient. If we think of ourselves as great scholars, we cannot enter into the true understanding. It is only by humble submission that we can qualify ourselves. “The first thing is, Kṛṣṇa instructs in the Bhagavadgītā, tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā [Bg. 4.34]. If you want to know the substance, then the first thing is that you must be submissive, praṇipāta. Prakṛṣṭarūpeṇa nipāta, you fall down. Therefore, the system is that the disciple falls flat before the spiritual master. That is the etiquette, praṇipātena.” 

Having established clearly the authenticity of the words of Bhagavadgītā and the mood for understanding it, Prabhupāda briefly explained its basic message: how the cause of all suffering is misidentification with the body, and how the solution is to understand that we are souls. Since his audience was accustomed to gathering in a group socially, he encouraged them to make Kṛṣṇa’s teachings a focal point of their meetings. “So where is this education all over the world? There is no such education. But there is knowledge. This is Bhagavadgītā. We don’t take advantage of Bhagavadgītā. Therefore there is no such education, athāto brahma jijñāsā, or to understand Brahman. So everything is very nicely explained in the Bhagavadgītā, and you have got a nice club. So I request you to discuss on the Bhagavadgītā as it is, without any mal-interpretation. Then it will be beneficial for your club.” 

Prabhupāda quoted Cāṇakya Paṇḍita and told his audience that they should try to utilize every moment for beneficial activities, because once lost, not even a moment can be regained for all the gold in the world. “Bhagavadgītā instruction is given just to bring you back to Brahman consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not this bodily consciousness. Bodily consciousness is there in the dog and the cat. So that is not glorification. We should come to the Brahman consciousness; then you’ll be jubilant. Brahma bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣatisamaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu [Bg. 18.54]. And when you come to that platform of understanding Brahman, then there is question of sama, samatā. And on that stage you can attain the parābhakti, or devotional life to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” 

Appealing to the Rotary Club members not to stay “in the darkness of bodily conception of life,” he ended his talk with a final request. “So that is our propaganda, and we are trying to bring people to that stage of parābhakti. If we keep ourself on the bodily concept of life, then we are defeated. This is the verdict of the śāstra. So long you are not inquisitive about your Brahman identification, then whatever you are doing, that is defeat. That is not advancement. So with these words I shall request you that in your club you cultivate this knowledge of Bhagavadgītā and utilize your time fully and just try to make your life successful. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.” 

For the few that heard it, it was an impressive talk. Śrīla Prabhupāda himself was pleased, even more so when, as he prepared to leave, one of the organizers informed him that the Rotary Club will print the talk in their magazine. 

* * * 

From the Rotary Club, instead of returning directly to Mr. Sethi’s house, we took a detour and after a few minutes arrived at number 1232, Sector 18C, a large three-story private house. There Prabhupāda was greeted with a garland by Mr. Budh Ram Goyal, his wife and their two sons, his brother Mangat Ram, and other family members. Mr. Goyal is ISKCON’s second life member in Chandigarh. Although not literate, he has a successful electronics business and is a prominent social worker. It is he who has provided all the prasādam for our devotees during their stay here in Chandigarh. A small paṇḍala had been set up in the driveway of his home, and about thirty persons were in attendance, including Mr. Banarsi Das Gupta, the ex-Chief Minister of Haryana; Murari Lal Bansal; and Pundit Mohan Lal, the ex-Finance Minister of Punjab. Mr. Goyal had invited Prabhupāda to come and bless his home, and Prabhupāda was happy to oblige. 

We got a nice surprise when we stepped inside the house. Mr. Goyal took Śrīla Prabhupāda straight into a small side room where he revealed a set of four feet high, beautiful white marble Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deities. Prabhupāda went into the Deity room and stood for a few moments before Their Lordships. The Deities were being taken care of by a pūjārī but to a simple standard, and Prabhupāda encouraged the priest to learn the standards practiced in our ISKCON temples. 

Returning outside, Prabhupāda sat on an armchair in the driveway and spoke for a few minutes to the gathering. He gave a wonderful explication of the meaning and purpose of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. “Hare. Hara means Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, the pleasure potency of the Lord—the transcendental potency. Rāma means—if you use this word ‘Rāma’ you will get unlimited pleasure. Ramante yogino paraṁ. The great yogis are merged in transcendental bliss; ramante yogino paraṁ, this is the eternal bliss. The enjoyment of this material world is only for the time being, and it is a shadow of the true pleasure. The real pleasure is the Lord. So the meaning of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra is ‘O Kṛṣṇa! O Rādhārāṇī! O Rāma!’  

“The Māyāvādīs say the Lord has no energy. This is false. Actually, the Lord is the Supreme energetic. The Upaniṣads say, parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate, so the paraṁ brahman Lord has many forms of energy—citśakti, acitśakti, and jīva-śakti. By His cit-śakti He created the Vaikuṇṭha planets, and the marginal energy, the jīvas, are sometimes situated in the Vaikuṇṭha planets and sometimes on the material planets. They are called taṭasthā energy. For instance, there are many people who are the devotees of the Lord and many people do not accept the Lord. Even those who don’t accept the Lord will accept Him in the due course of time if they undergo the proper guidance. So this characteristic that they are not accepting but they will accept later on is called taṭasthā. It is not that those who do not accept the Lord, that is the demons and fallen, will remain demons; no. For them the demigods are there. So the purpose of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to convert the demons into demigods; that’s it. As a madman can be treated by medicine and when the disease is gone then a sane man can be useful to do anything, similarly the rascals and demonic people who do not accept the Lord—whose numbers are increasing these days on this planet—can be treated by Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.  

“By chanting this mahā-mantra, their heart will be cleansed. Cetodarpaṇamārjanam;darpaṇa means ‘mirror’ and ceto means ‘heart.’ Our heart is like a mirror. Since many, many births this dust has covered the surface of the mirror, so we have to cleanse that. And what is the method to do that? That is the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. If you chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra then this ceto–darpaṇa, the mirror of your heart, will be cleansed. You see many demons are there who never accept the Lord. If they once understand the supremacy of the Lord, then their lives will be successful. So you yourself chant this mahā-mantra and teach the same to your children.” 

Prabhupāda expressed his appreciation at the presence of the Dieties. Although the dress and worship were quite basic, he assured the Goyals that Kṛṣṇa would accept their service if it was offered in the right mood. “I am seeing the Deity has appeared here. Serve Them daily. Offer the Lord as per your ability. The Lord has agreed to accept whatever you offer Him with love and devotion, even patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ. But it is not that for ourselves we take palatable food and patraṁ puṣpaṁ for the Lord! No, for those that do not have anything, for them the Lord says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁyo me bhaktyā prayacchati [Bg. 9.26]. Those who have money, they should build temples, install Deities, and arrange for gorgeous outfits and delicious bhoga, and by that they can properly utilise the money they have. It is not that we build a very small room for the Lord and for ourselves a very big spacious room. No! This is condemned. So build the best temples for the Lord and cook and offer the best quality bhoga to Him. Then one is using one’s wealth. And if you think that the Lord has said, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ so only these things are for Him and the delicious and palatables are for me, then the Lord will understand everything, because He is much more intelligent than you. The Lord doesn’t have any scarcity of anything; everything belongs to Him, so who can satisfy Him by offering anything to Him? He has given something to you so you can serve Him nicely by those things, according to your capacity, that the Lord desires.” 

Prabhupāda offered his own efforts as evidence of what service can be done if the proper attitude prevails. “We are sannyāsīs, beggars. We don’t have anything, but we do beyond our capacity. We are begging alms all around the world and by that constructed many temples all around. We spend millions of rupees for that purpose. Why do I do all these things? Because I am His servant. As a servant alway thinks, ‘How can I provide more nice accommodation and wonderful arrangement for my master?’ that is the real consciousness. So the meaning of Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā–mantra is ‘O My Lord Kṛṣṇa! O Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī! Please engage me in the transcendental loving service of Your lotus feet. I am fed up with service to māyā, so please engage me now in loving devotional service of Your lotus feet.’” 

With a broad smile Prabhupāda said, “Thank you” and brought his brief visit to a close. The whole Goyal family were deeply honored by his visit and gratified that he had blessed their house and their humble efforts as devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa.  

October 19th, 1976

Programs over, we left Chandigarh to return to Delhi. Before we left, Śrīla Prabhupāda spoke with Caitya-guru prabhu, thanking him for his efforts and praising the highly successful visit. He told him to stick to Chandigarh and preach strongly, declaring it one of the best places for propagating Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He also sincerely thanked Mr. Sethi for his kind hospitality in allowing us the use of his house, both during our stay and as a temporary ISKCON center. 

The rest of the party left by van at 10:30 a.m. while Śrīla Prabhupāda and myself flew out at 1:30 in the afternoon. (Gopāla Kṛṣṇa prabhu was careful not to mess up the travel arrangements this time.) The flight took fifty minutes in an old Fokker Friendship propeller plane. It was very noisy and cramped but much better than driving. 

We were met at the airport by Gargamuni Swami and all the members of his highly successful library party. Jagadīśa prabhu, our ISKCON Minister of Education, was also there; he will be Prabhupāda’s secretary for the next month or two. Hansadūta Swami will rejoin his bus party and begin preaching in the villages again. 

Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Pārtha-sārathi Mandira 

21A Feroz Gandhi Road 

Lajpat Nagar III 

Arriving to an enthusiastic reception at the temple, Śrīla Prabhupāda invited the crowd of devotees and onlookers into his room for a general darśana. As everyone jammed in, Prabhupāda sat down comfortably, smiling and attentive and happy to hear from his GBCs and preachers.  

Gargamuni Swami gave yet another positive report of ever-increasing orders and favorable receptions in the field of library distribution. Though usually scattered over the country, most of his men are here to see Prabhupāda, and they crowded around, eager to hear his response and hopeful of personal direction. Library and university distribution has been going on in the West now for a couple of years and has attracted Prabhupāda’s special attention and praise, and it is clear that they are all feeling it an honor and a privilege to be doing this service. Prabhupāda had high praise for their efforts and success and encouraged them to continue. 

Bhāgavat prabhu is also here in Delhi, and he had some interesting news from Orissa. He reported that Gour Govinda Mahārāja is staying there on a deserted plot of land just outside Bhubaneswar. He is mostly alone, living in a small brick hut with a thatched roof and no electricity that the local people constructed for him, and is steadily translating Prabhupāda’s books into Oriyā. Bhāgavat and Gargamuni both gave their opinions that it would not be good to build a temple there, because it is too far out of the way and anyway, we would probably be able to build only a small one-story structure. 

They both favor establishing something in Jagannath Puri, about an hour’s drive from Bhubaneswar, and there seems to be some promising developments there. Gargamuni said that he had found a disused house situated on a large plot of land in a good beachfront location. We have also been offered some land by the government, but he said that this land was not so good, being inaccessible and out of the main town.  

Bhāgavat has made his main work the attempt to gain entrance for our foreign devotees into the main Jagannath temple in Puri. He told Śrīla Prabhupāda that there is a lot of opposition from the pāṇḍās and pūjārīs but that the local government officials are very favorable. There will be a meeting between the government and the temple managers within a few weeks, and Bhāgavat expressed his confidence that we will be granted permission to enter. He promised Śrīla Prabhupāda that as soon as permission comes he will arrange for His Divine Grace to go there and enter the temple at the head of a grand parade of all his Western devotees.  

Prabhupāda smiled at his news and told us, “I will not go to Jagannath Puri unless they allow my disciples to enter the temple.” 

* * * 

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa prabhu arrived late in the afternoon. He had spent the day at the printer and now, beaming with anticipation, he presented Prabhupāda with a copy of the first Indian printing of the English-language Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, abridged edition. Prabhupāda was very pleased with it, and with Gopāla, and said it was comparable to the American standard. Gopāla Kṛṣṇa informed him that the devotees have already received orders from several big businessmen, totalling about four thousand copies. Diwali is coming up, and they are canvassing life members to buy multiple copies to give as gifts. Surendra Kumar Saigal from Tiger Lock Company visited Śrīla Prabhupāda this afternoon and has agreed to purchase several hundred, his enthusiasm boosted by Śrīla Prabhupāda’s recent program at his home in Aligarh. 

* * * 

One thing that marred the day was the constant bickering between Gargamuni Mahārāja and Gopāla Kṛṣṇa prabhu. Gargamuni is upset with Gopāla because he feels that the new Hindi printing of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is not up to a good standard, at least by comparison with the printing in the West. The copy he showed to Prabhupāda today was printed on Government concessional paper, which has a rough appearance, and the color printing was largely out of register, giving an “out of focus” blurry aspect to the color plates. When Śrīla Prabhupāda had shown the book to Gargamuni Mahārāja to see if he could sell it to the libraries, Gargamuni said quite frankly that it was so poorly done that library sales would not be possible. Obviously, Prabhupāda, while happy with Gopāla for finally getting his books printed in Hindi, wants the standard to be improved. But this evening, Gargamuni Mahārāja used the issue to goad Gopāla quite strongly. Unfortunately, he seems to delight in insulting and provoking Gopāla, largely, it seems, because he is Indian and a householder. Even in the presence of Śrīla Prabhupāda, Gargamuni takes muted verbal pot shots at Gopāla, and out of Prabhupāda’s presence he is openly aggressive and barely restrained in his dislike for his Godbrother. Also unfortunately, Gopāla cannot resist responding to Gargamuni’s mundane remarks rather than ignoring them.  

The acrimony culminated this evening with a loud argument in our servant’s room. Provoked by Gargamuni, it resulted in a brief physical altercation and the spilling of a few drops of blood. Jagadīśa prabhu had to jump in and separate them. Things calmed down and they went their separate ways. We didn’t dare inform Prabhupāda for fear of upsetting him.  

This is going on despite Prabhupāda’s constant appeals to his GBC men to work cooperatively and not argue. His great worry is that things will not go on in his absence if this fighting spirit is maintained.