srila prabhupada said...!!!

[chitralekha devi dasi (bcs)]

Srila Prabhupada sometimes used the English language in special ways. His disciples didn't consider his usage awkward or mistaken, but they appreciated it in a transcendental way.

Hrdayananda dasa Goswami writes as follows:

"Srila Prabhupada was completely Krsna conscious. And from the material point of view, he was very brilliant. He was trained in British schools, so his English was brilliant. He would say so many humorous things, like ‘stalwart demon.' The British are very expert in the use of language, and Prabhupada was trained in the English system, so he had a very good English vocabulary. Anyone who reads his books will be struck by his brilliant use of English."

Srila Prabhupada's main English editor was his disciple, Jayadvaita Swami. He writes:

"In regard to Prabhupada's unique use of words, he would sometimes use words in very unusual ways. Often he would use words very precisely, although in an unusual way that was not consistent with the usual, current usage. Sometimes I would look in a dictionary to find an appropriate synonym, but upon looking up the word Prabhupada used, I would find that because of its etymology, it was actually the perfect word to convey the meaning that Prabhupada intended. Another thing that Prabhupada would do would be to pronounce words in such a way as to give them a special meaning. For example, Prabhupada would say ignorance as ignorance, and it would seem to give special meaning to the word, because our ignorance was due to ignoring Krsna. Other times Prabhupada would just pronounce words in a way that was logical but not according to correct usage. The most famous example is probably infinite-simal. He would say infinite and infinite-simal, and devotees always took special pleasure in these peculiarities of Prabhupada's speech, even to the point of adopting them in their own lectures. And, of course, devotees have universally adopted Prabhupada's pronunciation of "devo´tees" rather than "dev´o tees." When Prabhupada would say something, the impression would be very memorable, so the devotees would try to reproduce or convey that spiritual potency by sometimes using Srila Prabhupada's language exactly as he used it.

Some examples follow.

Prabhupada's disciple, Gargamuni, was the first treasurer of ISKCON, and he was inclined to business and money-making. Prabhupada used to call him "Garga-money." Seeing Kirtanananda's efficiency in cooking, Srila Prabhupada called him "Kitchen-ananda."

Sometimes Prabhupada invented his own words. To describe the pastimes of Krsna, he sometimes said "pastimious activities of the Lord."

In his first apartment in San Francisco, Prabhupada once observed a bread truck passing on the street below. "simply delicious" was painted in large letters on the bread truck. Srila Prabhupada laughed and Srila Prabhupada said, "Simply dangerous ... Death is always standing behind us and waiting."

"Mystic means misty," Srila Prabhupada said. "Our concept of Krsna is not misty. It is very clear. Krsna comes and delivers Bhagavad-gita, and He says, ‘This is the way I am.' So we must understand properly, like Arjuna understood."

One time while visiting Germany, Srila Prabhupada had a long talk with his disciples Hayagriva, who was an English professor, and Sivananda. They discussed different uses of the English language. Prabhupada especially liked the word sin. They looked up the word in a dictionary and saw that sin comes the German word apsunder, which means "to be broken away from." The word sind is the German word for sin. It is a derivative of the word apsunder. Prabhupada liked that definition, that the ultimate sin is to be broken away from God.

In Hawaii, when he saw surfers riding waves, Srila Prabhupada said that they would take birth as fish in their next lives because they were becoming so absorbed in thinking how to swim and play in the waves. In his morning class, Prabhupada referred to the surfers as "sea-sufferers."

"Krsna consciousness is autocracy," Srila Prabhupada said. "There is no democracy. I call it ‘demon-crazy.' Actually demon-crazy. A bunch of demons get together, what good can they do?"

When Srila Prabhupada's disciples drove him to different places in the U.S.A., he often remarked what a foolish civilization we were living in. Commenting on the cars whizzing up and down the highway, Prabhupada laughed and referred to it as neck-break civilization.

In 1975 in Berkeley, Prabhupada was shown Pariksit dasa's new painting of baby Krsna carrying Nanda Maharaja's shoes on His head. Prabhupada liked the painting very much. "Just see how Krsna is serving His devotee just like a little child," Srila Prabhupada said. He also pointed out that Pariksit had not spoiled the painting by putting "big, big hairs," whereas "Jadurani always puts big, big hairs. Woman is very fond of big, big hairs." One of the devotees then took a copy of Teachings of Lord Caitanya from the bookshelf. Showing Prabhupada the cover painting of the Panca-tattva, the devotee said, "Srila Prabhupada, what about Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu? Generally we paint Him with long hair." Srila Prabhupada began to joke. "Yes," he replied, "Caitanya Mahaprabhu -- He was a hippy. Therefore He has come to save you." The devotees began to laugh at Prabhupada's humor, but because Srila Prabhupada's Bengali inflection added a slight "sh" to save, no one was positive whether Prabhupada was saying save or shave. Srila Prabhupada immediately noticed this. He was chuckling and repeated, "Yes, He has come to save you and shave you. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has come to save you and shave you."

More Prabhupada-isms

When Prabhupada's cook served him an unusually heavy breakfast, including rasagulla and sandesa, Prabhupada remarked, "This is breakfast? No, this is break-head."

When Prabhupada first came to Chicago's O'Hare Airport, he quipped, "Just add the Krsna there. Then it will be O'Har´e Krsna Airport. Ask them to change it."

In a lecture, Prabhupada was describing alcoholics. "Just like in New York, you have seen on Bowery Street the drunkard -- what is called? Alcoholic bumpers? What is the name?"

"Bums," suggested a devotee from the audience.

"Yes," Srila Prabhupada said, "the bums."

When Prabhupada found someone's beads dangling near the floor or hanging from a doorknob, he sometimes would say, "Whose beads are crying here?"

Referring to a short afternoon rest, Prabhupada called it a "snap" rather than a nap.

Comments on Prabhupada's use of language are from Hrdayananda Goswami, Jayadvaita Swami, Hari Sauri dasa, Hayagriva dasa, Sivananda dasa, and Rukmini-devi dasi.

Biographies and Glorifications of Srila Prabhupada Gita-nagari Press- Srila Prabhupada Nectar-Personal: His Special Use of Language-Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

[chitralekha devi dasi (bcs)]

There are so many ways you can glorify Prabhupada. There are so many ways you can speak about Prabhupada. There are so many things you can say, because Prabhupada was unlimited. Prabhupada is unlimited. Everything he ever did was unlimited. No one could understand the depths of Prabhupada's actions or his words. They're inconceivable. Sometimes I hear devotees tell me, "Oh, you are so lucky. You associated personally with Srila Prabhupada so much." And sometimes I might say, "Oh, yes," because I don't want to make an argument. It's not that I'm trying to say I wasn't lucky. I felt very fortunate. But I don't feel like I ever associated with Srila Prabhupada personally. It may be hard to understand how you can be with somebody so much yet not associate with him personally. Because I could never understand Srila Prabhupada, therefore I could not even begin to conceive of how to associate with him personally.

I often became very jealous. I became very much jealous often of Hari Sauri dasa because I could sit in front of Srila Prabhupada and him, and Srila Prabhupada would talk with him like an old friend. I used to be envious like anything because Srila Prabhupada never spoke to me like that. Tamala Krsna Maharaja would sit in front of Srila Prabhupada and they would discuss all kinds of things, and I would be envious because Srila Prabhupada never spoke to me like that. And Bhavananda Maharaja would come to Srila Prabhupada, and Prabhupada would be so nice with him all the time, and all he ever did was hit me on the head. I'm envious because they all have such a deep relationship with Srila Prabhupada, yet in my case, I don't even understand that relationship very well. All I know is that every time I wanted to be close with Srila Prabhupada, he would end up taking out his club and just cracking my head. This went on consistently.

It's very difficult to understand, because when I was secretary, I tried to imitate former secretaries, and all I did was get smashed to pieces. When I was servant, I tried to imitate former servants, and it never worked. When I was GBC and I came to visit, I tried to imitate other GBCs who came to visit, and it didn't work. When Prabhupada was going to leave the planet, I couldn't even be part of that. I was not part of that. I was not part of Prabhupada's appearance pastime in the Western world. I was not part of Prabhupada's disappearance pastime in the manifested universe.

I always lamented why I was so stupid, wasting my time in the university in 1969 doing nothing, when Srila Prabhupada was downstairs in my dormitory, sitting there. I walked right through the room. Didn't even know it. Didn't see him. Didn't see the devotees. Didn't see anything. Just walked right through. Didn't see him. Didn't see anybody. Never heard of it. Until four years later, the person I was living with said, "Do you remember that Swami who was in our dormitory that day?" I said, "What Swami?" Later on I told this to Srila Prabhupada. He just laughed. I then asked, "Why didn't I see you then? I always wanted to be part of this. First days." He just shook his head. "You were not ready." I hung my head on the floor.

Then I remember when Srila Prabhupada was departing, I wanted to be there. There were so many things -- huge court cases. Prabhupada was happy if I gave him some books, so I wanted to make so many books. I was running around going to printers. I had just gotten another batch of books ready to bring to Srila Prabhupada and then he disappeared. I wasn't part of Prabhupada's pastimes, and I don't feel that I ever really personally associated with him. And on his disappearance days I don't feel a part. Yet I was trying to understand why. Then I understood just listening to everybody today for the first time. This has been very instructive.

In 1976, in January, Prabhupada sent me away. He sent me away and he gave me the instruction that was to be the instruction by which I was always to remember him. He always used to chastise me on this one point: why I always insist on being with him personally, and why I don't understand his instructions. "Why are you always so attached to this so-called personal association? Don't you understand that the vani is more important than the vapuh? Don't you understand that I want you to do something?"

Then I was always trying to again come back to Srila Prabhupada, even after he had sent me away to perform his services. I understand now. That was the final sending away at that time. I was not going to have that personal relationship that I always had. I was just sent away. Menial servant.

One time I tried to forcibly put myself back into Prabhupada's association. After about three days of being Prabhupada's secretary in 1976 in August, when he was in New Mayapur, France, Prabhupada asked me to write a letter and I spelled every other word wrong. I'm a horrible speller. He wanted to get rid of me then and there after three days because I was such a terrible speller, and why didn't I use a dictionary? Actually, I had to take a devotee as my editor. He had to edit the whole letter because I was so hopeless. I said to Srila Prabhupada, "But your other secretaries can't spell either! I've seen! Why are you chastising me for not being able to spell, and now kicking me away?" And then he was very insistent. He was chastising me for everything I did. I was getting more and more upset, and I was holding on more and more. "No, I won't go. I refuse." It became a huge battle. "Go away." "No. I won't." And then more and more beating and beating and beating and beating. Finally, at the end of all this beating here in Vrndavana, I came and I said, "I quit! I can't take it any more." Srila Prabhupada said, "You can't quit. i fire you." Even to the last, "Get out. Go. Serve."

I said, "I don't want to go back. There's so many troubles in that place I came from."

Srila Prabhupada said, "I don't care what you do when you go back there. You just sit there in your room and chant Hare Krsna, but stay there."

I said, ‘"How can I go traveling alone in the mountains? No strong association. Nobody will go with me. Too dangerous."

Srila Prabhupada said, "Then you go alone. You should be very careful of this so-called strong association." Contradicting again and again everything I said.

One time, "There's nothing to eat, Srila Prabhupada!"

Srila Prabhupada said, "Then eat meat if you have to."

I said, "But what about my consciousness?"

Srila Prabhupada said, "Damn your consciousness. You have to preach." He just bewildered me. Unbending. He wanted it done. That's all. "Make my books. Distribute my books. Preach. That's all. Don't come back here crawling on the floor, wanting to sit in front of me and wave your fingers." I was typing his books, listening to his latest words in my ears, completely happy.

He wants these things. He's very insistent. And because I would probably get all lost in sentimentality, I don't think I would have been able to tolerate Prabhupada's disappearance. Even to this day I cannot stand to see a picture of Prabhupada's disappearance. I cannot stand to hear descriptions of Prabhupada disappearing. I don't watch Yadubara's movie because of this, and he doesn't like that, but I just can't stand it. I don't know. I'm too sentimental. I can't stand it. Prabhupada knew me perfectly; he dealt with me in a completely unique way just to circumvent that sentimentality and make me attached to his instructions. Prabhupada dealt with each and every one of us so perfectly. Every single devotee. So uniquely. No one can say they have a complete picture of Srila Prabhupada. You can't even know one small feature, because in each and every circumstance, how Prabhupada dealt with everybody was so unique and marvelous -- just like Krsna. You cannot know Krsna fully. His glories are unlimited. You can see in Prabhupada's dealings how he's manifesting more and more of his energies, his saktis, making devotees do things that are inconceivable all over the world. Inconceivable things.

I'll never forget what Satsvarupa Maharaja once wrote in his Back to Godhead editorial on charisma. A police captain in New York City said, "Do you know why this New York Ratha-yatra is a success? Because the Swamiji wanted it so. Because he wanted it." Everybody can understand Prabhupada's potencies, how Prabhupada is forcing us to just push on more and more.

Gradually, gradually, as the years go on, I understand the vani is Srila Prabhupada. I'm somewhat more satisfied, although I'm sure if I had the opportunity I would still be diving at his lotus feet and saying, "Take me with you." But we have this responsibility, regardless of our feelings of separation in ISKCON. In all circumstances, just keep on, keep on printing, keep on distributing, keep on building, and keep on working together, just so we can massage the transcendental body of Srila Prabhupada all together. Each one of us is taking a portion of his body and massaging it so that he'll be satisfied and comfortable. Somebody is massaging Srila Prabhupada in this way, somebody in that way, but as long as it's all pleasing Srila Prabhupada, that should be our whole pleasure.

-- Harikesa Swami

Harikesa Swami, lecture.

Biographies and Glorifications of Srila Prabhupada Gita-nagari Press- Srila Prabhupada Nectar- Realizations-Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

[chitralekha devi dasi (bcs)]

I'd like to analyze an important sloka from the Srimad-Bhagavatam, First Canto, which I've studied carefully and in which I've found some interesting implications. This verse is in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: 5:11:

tad-vag-visargo janatagha-viplavo

yasmin prati-slokam abaddhavaty api

namany anantasya yaso 'nkitani yac

srnvanti gayanti grnanti sadhavah

Translation: "On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc., of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world's misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest" Srila Prabhupada said.[ Srimad-Bhagavatam: 5:5:11]

This verse contains some very interesting points. One is that this literature being described is meant to bring about a revolution. If we historically analyze the Bhagavatam, it was compiled by Srila Vyasadeva five thousand years ago, and it was compiled for the sake of bringing about a revolution in the world.

Since the time of Srila Vyasadeva's writing this, we cannot find a revolution created by this literature until this present revolution of the Krsna consciousness movement, which is directed towards bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world's misdirected civilization. That means that the Srimad-Bhagavatam was compiled for the purpose of this Krsna consciousness movement. The revolution being described in this verse is a world revolution, so there's no doubt that this cannot but be applied to the present Krsna consciousness movement.

Now there's another very interesting point here. It says "such transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed ... " we all know, especially those of us who have read and relished Srila Prabhupada's original Bhagavatams written in Vrndavana and published in Delhi, that they were imperfectly composed. The indication I take from this verse is that this is a prediction of Srila Prabhupada's appearance and the spreading of the Krsna consciousness movement to create a revolution to change the misdirected civilization that presently exists.

Previously, Prabhupada has been described as saktyavesa-avatara, and we find that generally avataras are predicted and described in the revealed scriptures. Here we find a genuine confirmation that Srila Prabhupada is the saktyavesa-avatara of Lord Krsna who was deputed by the Lord to accomplish the purpose described in this verse -- to create a worldwide revolution in the misdirected lives of an impious civilization. Therefore, by analyzing and understanding this verse, we can get great inspiration and become very enthusiastic to help this revolution.

Of course, before I became a devotee I was also a revolutionary. Many of us were, although of a different type, of course, but that revolutionary spirit is properly channeled in this Krsna consciousness movement. Srila Prabhupada is the greatest revolutionary; he actually knows how to transform the world into what it should be. A revolutionary generally is a person who has a vision of utopia, or a vision of a better way in which the world can go on, so he tries, using his ideologies and rhetoric, to enlist support. Some revolutions are violent and some are nonviolent, but generally they all fail, either quickly or in the long run, due to the people's imperfect notion of reality and their false goals of ideology. This revolution has the greatest revolutionary as its leader; he has a very clear vision of the world situation, a clear ideology which is taken directly from the Supreme Lord Himself.

Arjuna understood when Krsna spoke to him on the battlefield that, by Krsna's arrangement, the outcome of the battle was already decided. Arjuna was to win and the opposing side was to be completely vanquished. Therefore we can understand from this scriptural evidence that this revolution is to take place that the misdirected civilization is to be redirected and established according to the Lord's plan in a Krsna conscious civilization. Of course, we also know this from Lord Caitanya's teachings, but now we can also know that it is found within the pages of the Srimad-Bhagavatam and that Srila Prabhupada's appearance is also predicted there. It can give us even more enthusiasm, more strength, more conviction that we will be successful in our revolutionary efforts. The people of the world will either have to accept the Krsna consciousness movement and redirect their impious lives or else be left behind. Of course, everyone will benefit. Every living entity who comes in touch with this movement, who comes in touch with the chanting, is being benefited and transformed.

On the battlefield of Kuruksetra, because Krsna was present, the persons who would not accept Krsna and His devotees were weeded out, and Krsna and His devotees were established. The same thing is now taking place and success is certain. We simply have to apply whatever intelligence and abilities Krsna has given us in our respective fields by working cooperatively.

It is a great battle. We may not always see it clearly, just as Arjuna, in the chaos of the battle, may not have been able to clearly see the outcome. But because he was confident of Krsna's plan, having heard it from Krsna Himself, he had no fear. He was completely absorbed in His service, confident that in the end he and his brothers would be successful. The Srimad-Bhagavatam is, after all, the literary incarnation of Krsna, so we know straight from Krsna's mouth that we are to be successful in our endeavor. All we require is conviction and complete dedication in whatever service Krsna has given us. It may look like chaos sometimes. Sometimes it appeared that the Pandavas were losing. There were setbacks, but because it was Krsna's plan, success was certain and ultimately victory was achieved. We can also be confident of the total victory of the Krsna consciousness movement.

-- Jagadisa Goswami

Jagadisa Goswami, lecture.

[chitralekha devi dasi (bcs)]

In Hawaii, one woman disciple went in to see Srila Prabhupada and brought her one-year-old daughter with her. The temple president introduced her, telling how they were trying to arrange that this woman could earn money for her needs without unduly straining the temple's finances.

The woman said that she heard there was a job picking guavas available on the island. Srila Prabhupada said no, a woman with a child should not take such strenuous labor. When she said that as an alternative she could distribute his books, Prabhupada smiled and approved, "Yes, do that."

While this talk was going on, the woman's young child began to play with papers on Prabhupada's desk.

"No," Srila Prabhupada said, shaking his finger at the child.

The woman picked up her child and placed her beside her, but the little girl crawled forward and started to touch Prabhupada's feet.

"No!" the mother called out, and she began to drag her child away, but Srila Prabhupada said, "My papers she should not touch, but my feet, that is all right. You must learn how to instruct the child properly."

Knowing that her time in the darsana was soon up, the mother tried to introduce a philosophical question to get some spiritual benefit from the rare opportunity of talking to Srila Prabhupada. She asked, "How do you become free from fear?" Prabhupada replied by giving the example of Prahlada Maharaja. For him, Srila Prabhupada said, he saw everything as coming from Krsna, whether it was good or bad, whereas for the demon, there was only fear.

Prabhupada then drank water and held the cup out to the small child. By now, however, the child was getting tired and cranky. She refused the water and threw herself on the ground, hitting her head in a temper tantrum. Before she actually began to cry, Prabhupada interrupted her and Srila Prabhupada said, "Look!" pointing to the floor. "You have broken the floor!" The child immediately got up, stopped crying, and looked at the floor. Then Prabhupada gestured that they should leave.

Bhavatarini-devi dasi, interview.

Biographies and Glorifications of Srila Prabhupada Gita-nagari Press- Srila Prabhupada Nectar- "Look!", "You Have Broken the Floor!"-Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

[chitralekha devi dasi (bcs)]

In September 1976, Prabhupada was sitting in Vrndavana. Two of his sannyasi disciples came before him. Prabhupada spoke to them individually, giving different instructions.

To one Srila Prabhupada said, "You are a sannyasi. Why are you spending such long time here? You have a bus, and you must travel. Sannyasa means that now you have to preach all over the world. So why you should be thinking of becoming temple president here? Actually a sannyasi should not stay in any place for more than three days at a time. When the wheels stop turning, then preaching is stopped also. Still, the temple is nirguna, so you may stay, but not for more than three days. That is allowed, but only if you have business there." In this way, Prabhupada encouraged one of his men to immediately go out and preach, and he admonished him for staying too long in one place.

As soon as he had finished speaking in that way, Prabhupada turned to the other sannyasi and told him, "Now you must never leave Vrndavana unless I say so. You should stay here and do the management." All the devotees present laughed. It seemed wonderful how Prabhupada had just given two completely contradictory statements, and yet everyone accepted them as truth.

When Prabhupada was attending the Kumbha-mela in Prayag in 1977, a few devotees from England arrived with a special gift. They had brought rasagullas that had been offered the previous day to the Radha-Krsna Deities in London.

"Not even the Queen of England," Srila Prabhupada said, "could enjoy a rasagulla made in England while sitting at the Kumbha-mela. This is the first time that anyone has been able to do this." Prabhupada was alluding to the fact that in India, from the time of British occupation, things that were "made in London" were considered the best. Anything made in London was the best and the most expensive. Certainly rasagullas were available all over India, but the fact that one was made in London and immediately exported to Prabhupada in his tent at Kumbha-mela was a symbol of the wonder and wealth of the Krsna consciousness movement.

Prabhupada's servant, Hari Sauri related to Prabhupada that his grandmother had advised Hari Sauri's mother to abort the child who was to be born of her. The mother refused, so he was born. After hearing this, Srila Prabhupada brought it up in different conversations. "Now I understand," Srila Prabhupada said, "the advantage of a birth in India. People here could not even dream of such a thing." Prabhupada explained how people are taking the great risk of becoming murderers simply due to the sex urge. "All the women in the West," Srila Prabhupada said, "are encouraged by their parents to become prostitutes and capture some rich man while they are still young."

Hari Sauri dasa, diary; Tamala Krsna Goswami, interview; Hari Sauri dasa, diary. The incident where Srila Prabhupada gives contradictory instructions to two different sannyasis points to the value of supplementary literature such as Prabhupada Nectar. Srila Prabhupada selected instructions from The Nectar of Devotion for our application in ISKCON, but he also deliberately omitted certain instructions from that book. The acarya, while always guided by guru, sastra, and sadhu, will also sometimes simplify and select. Such selection, when done by a neophyte, can become dangerous speculation. Therefore, when we can record reliable accounts of Prabhupada's personal dealings, we have another permanent record to which to turn, which is not merely of value as simply a footnote of curiosity, but which can show us dynamically and specifically how Srila Prabhupada chooses instructions from the Vedas according to time, person, and place.

The incident of Prabhupada's receiving a rasagulla made in England while at the Kumbha-mela demonstrates Prabhupada's satisfaction with the expansion of the Krsna consciousness movement. Prabhupada did not take ISKCON's growth as his personal doing, but he saw it as the grace of Lord Caitanya and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. Of course, historically no one can deny that Srila Prabhupada was the one chosen to spread Lord Caitanya's mission worldwide, but Prabhupada was prideless in the matter. He would freely state how wonderful it was that Krsna consciousness was spreading. On another occasion, Prabhupada was sitting in his garden in Vrndavana, talking with a British disciple who said that he was a great-grandson of Lord Macauley, a leader during the British occupation of India. After talking with his disciple for some time, Prabhupada remarked on the wonder of the Krsna consciousness movement, that now a British descendent of Lord Macauley was fanning his Indian guru. Prabhupada would also quote the imperialistic slogan, "The sun never sets on the British empire" and apply it to his Krsna consciousness movement. Srila Prabhupada said that practically no karmi industrialist could have as many branches as Srila Prabhupada had branches of ISKCON. Even if he were to stay only three days in each one of his temples, he would not have time in the year to do it. Prabhupada made such transcendental boasting usually to impress audiences and to make them aware that Krsna consciousness was no trifle. After a visit by one Mayavadi yogi, Prabhupada remarked that by this yogi's sakti he is only able to maintain one apartment flat in Calcutta, whereas Srila Prabhupada, by the sakti of Lord Krsna, had branches all over the world.

Biographies and Glorifications of Srila Prabhupada Gita-nagari Press- Srila Prabhupada Nectar- Little Drops of Nectar-Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

[chitralekha devi dasi (bcs)]

In 1974, at ISKCON Dallas gurukula, one of the teachers introduced a new learning contest for the children. He called it "Krsna Bowl," modeled after a television program called "General Electric College Bowl." "College Bowl" was a contest that tested the wits of the brightest college students, so Krsna Bowl was a contest to see which students had the best memory for incidents in the Krsna book. The competing gurukula students would sit at desks facing the assembly of children and teachers, and a tense competition ensued. The questions tended to be extremely intricate, and the first student who knew the answer had to press an electric buzzer. Whoever buzzed first got to answer.

The games caused great excitement among the children and sometimes caused tears and tantrums for the losers of the game. Some of the adult devotees in Dallas wondered if maybe the whole Krsna Bowl was just so much mental speculation. One of the teachers in favor of the game wrote to Prabhupada for approval.

Prabhupada replied as follows:

"I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter regarding the Krsna Bowl game, and it should be stopped immediately. This thing will be a taxation on the brain of the young children. Why are you inventing? Why are you not satisfied? You are all only inventing and spoiling money. You teach the children perfectly Sanskrit and English instead of spoiling time and money. The children cannot pronounce correctly the Sanskrit. But then read it correctly. That is wanted first. They must pronounce nicely Sanskrit and English. The English is no difficulty. If you can do this, then your education is all right."

Another letter from Srila Prabhupada soon followed, sent to one of the GBC representatives. "I received one letter from gurukula regarding the Krsna Bowl contest," wrote Prabhupada, "and I want you to know that nothing new should be added. Whatever I've introduced should remain. Nothing new should be added. New things means that their brain is not clear. Carefully manage things that I have established."

"Krsna Bowl" letter from Prabhupada to Aksobhya dasa, March 9^th 1974; letter to Rupanuga dasa, April 9^th 1974. Srila Prabhupada was particularly concerned that concoctions not be introduced with the children. When someone wrote to him complaining that a child had been beaten, Prabhupada replied that whoever had done the beating Srila Prabhupada said should himself be beaten. One major deviation occurred when a devotee in the gurukula became interested in Montessori teaching methods and attempted to introduce them into the school. Prabhupada squelched them as definitely as he squelched the Krsna Bowl. In his letter stopping the Krsna Bowl, Prabhupada mentions that the devotee's brain is not "clear," and therefore he had invented these things. This indicates that if we keep ourselves clearheaded in Krsna consciousness by always following the parampara and observing the rules and regulations, these unnecessary outside ideas will not occur to us.

Biographies and Glorifications of Srila Prabhupada Gita-nagari Press- Srila Prabhupada Nectar-"Why Are You Inventing? Why Are You Not Satisfied?"-Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

[chitralekha devi dasi (bcs)]

Jagadguru dasa Brahmacari and another brahmacari journeyed to Mayapur three weeks before the annual festival in hopes of getting a private darsana with Srila Prabhupada. They had been preaching in North Africa and were carrying a $12,000 check from a man who asked that it be personally given to Srila Prabhupada.

While being massaged by Hari Sauri, Prabhupada received Jagadguru on the roof of the Mayapur building. Prabhupada asked where the devotees were coming from, and they proudly answered that they were coming from North Africa.

"Oh, North Africa," Srila Prabhupada said, and he seemed impressed.

When the brahmacaris gave Prabhupada the donation, he remarked that this was successful preaching. The people must have been pleased, Srila Prabhupada said, otherwise they would not have given such an amount of money. He then asked Jagadguru if he liked India. When he replied, "Yes, Srila Prabhupada," Prabhupada was pleased and asked him to stay in India.

As a member of ISKCON Africa, Jagadguru was working under Brahmananda Swami, the GBC for that continent. Jagadguru was Brahmananda Swami's only sankirtana collector, and Brahmananda had asked him to request of Srila Prabhupada that the $12,000 be used to pay ISKCON Africa's BBT debt.

"Can this money go to the credit of our debt?" Jagadguru asked.

"No," Srila Prabhupada said. Anticipating Brahmananda Swami's displeasure, Jagadguru tried to explain about the BBT debt. Again Srila Prabhupada said, "No." Jagadguru tried a third time to explain, but again Srila Prabhupada said, "No!"

Prabhupada put out his hand and slapped it with his other hand. "My Guru Maharaja always kept us in debt," Srila Prabhupada said. "If we simply pay their BBT debt, they will become lazy. As for Brahmananda Swami," Srila Prabhupada said, "we will not hang him, but he will work for this debt."

Prabhupada then told a story of how Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura used to build a temple or create a big project and put the whole Gaudiya Math into debt. Sannyasis, brahmacaris, and all members would enthusiastically go out and collect money, and Guru Maharaja would simply start another program so that the Gaudiya Math would remain in debt. "In this way," Srila Prabhupada said, "he always kept us in debt and always working and always busy."

Jagadguru Swami, interview. According to Jagadguru Swami, on another occasion Srila Prabhupada said that he would take on his head the dust from the feet of whoever went to preach in North Africa. Dayananda dasa says that Srila Prabhupada said the same thing regarding devotees who would go and risk their lives to preach in the Mid-East Muslim countries.

Biographies and Glorifications of Srila Prabhupada Gita-nagari Press- Srila Prabhupada Nectar-"My Guru Maharaja Always Kept Us in Debt"-Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

[chitralekha devi dasi (bcs)]

"Here in this spot, New Vrindaban, the woman's business will be taking care of the children, cooking, cleansing, and churning butter. And those who have got the knowledge of typing can help in typing also. That's all. This for women. No other hard work. And for men, hard work, field work, taking care of the cows, or the animals, going to collect wood, constructing the buildings, and in this way cooperate. Girls who are here, they should learn to prepare nice prasadam, so that the boys, they can get their prasadam timely. This is duty. And they must be given timely breakfast, lunch, prasadam. They will work hard. And the churning business is for the girls. That will keep your health very nice. Mother Yasoda, the mother of Krsna, just see how exalted she was. Materially, she was rich also. She had many maidservants. Still, she took pleasure in churning."

-- Lecture at New Vrindaban

Palika-devi dasi inquired from Prabhupada about the meaning of marriage in Krsna consciousness. Prabhupada looked at her and Srila Prabhupada said, "There's no such thing as marriage in Krsna consciousness. Everyone is wife to Krsna; everyone is female to Krsna. Krsna is the masculine. So there is no such thing as marriage."

"I have no objection to marriage, but to bless it by a fire sacrifice; I am thinking that if they don't stay together then it is not good. But if they can remain together for one year, then there can be fire sacrifice. But changing three times in a month husband and wife, that is not good."

-- Letter of September 2^nd 1975

Prabhupada sometimes quoted the poet Tulasi dasa about four things that can be beaten. One can beat a drum, or a dog, or a woman, or a Sudra. One time when Prabhupada mentioned this, he laughed and turned to his disciple Nara-Narayana. "Nara-Narayana understands this principle very well," Srila Prabhupada said, and the other devotees also laughed. But then Prabhupada turned seriously to Nara-Narayana and Srila Prabhupada said, "But don't do it. These are not ordinary women. These are devotees."

One time a devotee told Prabhupada a famous story about Mirabai. According to this story, Mirabai wanted to meet Jiva Gosvami, but Jiva Gosvami sent back a message, "I am a sannyasi and you are a woman, so I cannot meet you." Then, according to the story, Mirabai sent another message to Jiva Gosvami, saying, "I thought that Lord Krsna was the only male in Vrndavana and that all others were female." When Jiva Gosvami heard this reply, he supposedly agreed to meet her. When Prabhupada heard this story Srila Prabhupada said that this may not be true, because in our line the sannyasis do not refuse to meet women.

On one of his visits to Boston, Prabhupada was introduced to a young Indian woman who had joined the temple. She had been married to a man who was not at all interested in Krsna consciousness and who had mistreated her in many ways. With his permission, she had left him and was now living with the other devotees. Prabhupada approved of this but then Srila Prabhupada said, "You have got only one defect."

The girl asked, "Oh, what is it?"

Srila Prabhupada said, "You have no husband. Woman without a husband, that is not good. You must get a husband, and then you will be perfect. When a woman follows her husband, then she is perfect."

New Vrindaban, lecture; Palika-devi dasi, interview; Omkara-devi dasi, letter; Dinadayadri-devi dasi, interview; Giriraja Swami, interview; Balavanta dasa, interview. Regarding Prabhupada's statement that devotee wives should not be beaten, he also mentioned on different occasions that the quarrelling between husband and wife should not be taken so seriously. In America, Srila Prabhupada said, whenever there is a big quarrel, then immediately there is divorce. But in India the marriage vows are taken more seriously. Therefore, the inevitable differences between husband and wife never become the cause for breaking up families. In the Canakya Pandita slokas, the quarrel between husband and wife is taken as one of the occurrences that makes a big noise but has no serious result. Prabhupada also quoted the poet Tulasi dasa, who had a bitter personal experience with his own wife, who was unfaithful. Nevertheless, one of Tulasi dasa's sayings is that a woman may be a tiger, but she may also be a goddess of fortune. In the Indian villages a tiger's entrance into the home is the most frightening thing imaginable, and yet, says Tulasi dasa, every foolish man is keeping a tigress in his home. The woman may be compared to a tigress because she sucks the husband's blood through draining his semen, which is made up of many drops of blood. The same tigress-woman, however, if she is Krsna conscious, may be like the presence of Laksmi-devi within the grhastha household.

Biographies and Glorifications of Srila Prabhupada Gita-nagari Press- Srila Prabhupada Nectar-Srila Prabhupada Said: on Women -Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

[chitralekha devi dasi (bcs)]

Srila Prabhupada told a funny story to illustrate a serious point about the teachings of Sankaracarya. Sankaracarya is accepted by the Vaisnava sampradaya as an incarnation of Lord Siva, and therefore Sankara is exalted. But Sankara's deceptive teachings of the Mayavadi philosophy were intended for a particular time and place and were not intended to be perpetuated as eternal dharma, as is done by his so-called Mayavadi philosophers. To illustrate the foolishness of the imitative followers of Sankara, Prabhupada told a story about a doctor and his apprentice.

Srila Prabhupada said, there was a famous veterinarian who travelled to many farms and had good success in curing the illnesses of animals. The veterinarian also had an assistant who accompanied him, but this apprentice had an envious and ambitious desire to replace his master and to prematurely become a master veterinarian himself. On one occasion the veterinarian was called to a farm where he discovered a valuable horse whose neck was greatly swollen. The veterinarian opened the mouth of the horse, examined inside, and then asked the apprentice to hand him his work bag. Taking out his hammer, the veterinarian proceeded to smash at the horse's neck. Very soon after this unusual action, the horse's swelling subsided, and the farmer thankfully praised and paid the veterinarian for his work.

Almost immediately after this incident, the apprentice deserted the doctor and decided to become a veterinarian himself. Word soon reached the master veterinarian that his apprentice was running around presenting himself as a genuine veterinarian, but was causing havoc wherever he went. The report was that the so-called veterinarian was actually killing animals whenever he attempted to treat them. Finally, the master veterinarian caught up with his rascal apprentice and challenged him, "What do you think you're doing? I hear that you are imitating my practice, but as a result you are killing animals wherever you go."

"But I am only doing what I saw you do," protested the apprentice. The apprentice then explained that he was just doing what he had seen his master do on their last visit. Whenever he went to see an ailing animal, he would smash on that animal with a hammer, but unfortunately he did not get good results.

"You fool!" said the veterinarian. "What you saw was a very special case. That horse had swallowed a watermelon, so I had to break the watermelon by hitting him from the outside. That was not a practice to be repeated in every case."

In this way, Prabhupada illustrated how the Mayavadi followers of Sankara should be scorned and beaten just as the apprentice was by the veterinarian.

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami.

Biographies and Glorifications of Srila Prabhupada Gita-nagari Press- Srila Prabhupada Nectar-Srila Prabhupada Tells a Story About Mayavadi Followers of Sankara-Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

[chitralekha devi dasi (bcs)]

A disciple asked Srila Prabhupada how it was that favored disciples who were once close to Srila Prabhupada could fall down and leave their Krsna conscious practices. Prabhupada replied that physical closeness or intimacy does not matter. He gave the example that the king may be sitting on the throne and a mosquito may be sitting on the lap of the king, but that doesn't mean the mosquito is favored by the king. Rather, that mosquito may simply be causing a disturbance to the king. But because of our past conditioning, however, we associate physical closeness with intimacy. Service to the spiritual master is not restricted only to those who are physically close, and in fact, those who are physically close may even be creating a disturbance rather than helping.

Srila Prabhupada said that the people of India are ninety percent Krsna conscious; they just need a proper leader. To illustrate this Srila Prabhupada said that a dead elephant and a live elephant are both worth a great deal of money. An elephant is valuable even when dead, because it has good tusks, hide, and so on. Similarly, India's Vedic civilization is so supremely wonderful that even if it is practically dead, it is very valuable.

Prabhupada explained how the English schemed to break India into Hindustan and Pakistan. Their tactic was similar to that of a cat who advised two monkeys who were fighting over a cake. The cat said, "Let me cut it in half. We will weigh two sides on the scale." The cat cut the cake in half and then said, "Oh, this one side is too heavy." To even out the two pieces, the cat said that he would have to bite off one piece. So he ate a piece of the cake and then put the two pieces back on the scale. Then he said, "Oh, now the other side is too heavy. Let me bite this one." In this way, the cat quickly ate the whole thing. Similarly, by this "even division" by Great Britain, India was finished.

A professor told Srila Prabhupada that he regarded himself more as a jnani than a bhakta, although he was attracted to bhakti. Prabhupada replied, saying that an impersonalist philosopher is not actually a jnani but a learner. Only when one realizes Krsna, as described in the twenty-ninth verse of the Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad Gita, does one become a jnani. The real meaning of knowledge is the ability not for grammatical or sophisticated expression, but to actually know the truth. To illustrate this, Srila Prabhupada said that once in India, a monkey had come into a man's office and had thrown the papers everywhere and then left. When the English supervisor asked the clerk what had happened, the clerk could not speak sufficient English to explain how the monkey had caused chaos. He began to imitate the monkey, jumping and leaping around, making monkey noises and throwing the papers in the air. In this way, the supervisor quickly understood what had happened. So, Srila Prabhupada said, somehow or other we have to communicate Krsna consciousness, and the important message will be understood.

The story of the king and the mosquito and the dead elephant story are from Giriraja Swami, interview; the story about the cat cutting the cake is from Puskara dasa, interview; the story about jnana and bhakti is from Hari Sauri dasa, diary. Another story Prabhupada told is about how one has to be qualified by his consciousness to sit on the king's throne or on the spiritual master's vyasasana. A qualified person may sit on the elevated seat, and a dog might also sit there, but if a dog were sitting on the vyasasana and someone threw a bone before him, he would immediately jump off the elevated seat and go after the bone. Thus his real consciousness would be exposed by his activities.

Biographies and Glorifications of Srila Prabhupada Gita-nagari Press- Srila Prabhupada Nectar-Prabhupada Tells Short Stories-Satsvarupa dasa Goswami