A Transcendental Diary: Travels with His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada: Volume Four: August 1976 - October 1976

By Hari Sauri Dasa

This is the fourth of five volumes, covering the period between August 1976 - October 1976. In this volume we follow Srila Prabhupada on the last leg of his final world tour to Teheran, Bombay, Hyberabad, New Delhi and the sacred town of Vrindavan.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lotus Imprints
• Release date: Nov 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9788196561529

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Acknowledgments

My sincere thanks and prayers for well-being go out to the following devotees for their selfless support of this publishing effort: Mathureśa dāsa and Gaṅgāgatī dāsī, deserve special mention for their generous financial support (including Volume 1 reprint).

Dr. Charles R. Brooks,whose excellent book The Hare Krishna's In India should, in my humble opinion, be required reading for all ISKCON devotees residing in Śrī Vṛndāvana-dhāma, kindly wrote the Foreword at short notice.

Many thanks to Bhakta Barry Jennions, Bhakta Eisha Hori, Bhakta Matsuda, Īśvara dāsa, Kālasaṁvara dāsa & Jāmbavatī dāsī, Kānti dāsī & Jack Baldwin, Karṣna dāsa, Mandapa dāsa, Matsya Avatāra dāsa, Nareśvara dāsa, Pārtha dāsa, Prabha-viṣṇu Swami, Prāṇadā dāsī, Śacī-suta dāsa, Satyadeva dāsa, Sūrya-nārāyaṇa dāsa, and the management and following devotees at ISKCON Perth: Bhaktins Gita, Janine and Penny, Śivānanda dāsa, the Yong family and Yadavendra dāsa; who all gave valuable financial help.

Belated thanks are also due to Rādhā-vinoda dāsa, Stoka Kṛṣṇa dāsa (San Francisco), and Trāṇa-kartā dāsa for their contributions to Volume 3.

The editing for this volume was once again to the credit of Riktānanda dāsa (Teheran chapter) and Sītā dāsī. Mahāmāyā dāsī did the proofreading. Grahila dāsa made the general index and Yamarāja dāsa the cover. Locana dāsa did the drawings for the end covers and Kālindī dāsī helped with the maps.

Thanks as always are due to the dedicated devotees at Bhaktivedanta Archives—Parama-rūpa dāsa, Ekanātha dāsa, Raṇajit dāsa, Dulāl Candra dāsa and Viṣṇu-mūrti dāsa.

Nagarāja dāsa and Braja-bihari dāsa provided help with communications.

I cannot begin to repay my wife Śītala dāsī for her dedication, support and life-saving assistance in the seven years of our union.

Finally, during this Centennial year of His Divine Grace Śrīla Prabhupāda, I want to offer my humble obeisances and thanks to the many other devotees who have provided support of one form or another for this project. Although I am unable to list them all, I pray that Śrīla Prabhupāda bless them more and more with his eternal service.

Foreword

This fourth volume of Hari Śauri's A Transcendental Diary provides one of the most detailed and fascinating accounts of the formation of a new religious movement available. As the personal servant of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, founder and guru of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), the author enjoyed unprecedented access to both the public and private life of the Swami, and fortunately for the reader, Hari Śauri recorded his experiences in lucid detail. Augmented by archival material in both written and recorded form, Hari Śauri has presented a document for which both devotees and scholars should be greatly indebted.

In this volume we follow Bhaktivedanta Swami on the last leg of his final world tour to Teheran, then to Bombay, Hyderabad, New Delhi, and the sacred town of Vrindaban. We experience an almost minute-by-minute account of the Swami's meetings with politicians, scholars, scientists, industrialists, lawyers and ordinary citizens, as he tirelessly preached Krishna consciousness to them and persuaded them to support his movement. More importantly perhaps, we see the interactions with his disciples as Śrīla Prabhupāda attempted to keep them steady in their own faith, instruct them in ritual and practice, guide them in their own preaching, and generally demonstrate how to manage an ever-growing international religious organization.

A significant problem in studying and understanding religious movements is the usual scarcity of first-hand information during their early years. Most often we receive reflective, embellished reconstructions of the early history. With ATranscendental Diary,however, Hari Śauri presents vivid accounts of the activities and conversations of Śrīla Prabhupāda without interpretation.

While the Diary includes information on many relevant topics, perhaps its greatest contribution concerns insight into the importance of the illusive quality called charisma. Apart from the social, cultural and historical conditions surrounding the formation of any religious movement, social scientists agree that one essential factor centers around the personal qualities of the leader. A charismatic, prophetic individual is to be found at the center of all religious movements. Starting usually with a small band of enthusiastic and committed followers and little organizational structure, many new religious movements are short-lived. Few continue past the death of the founder, while fewer have lasting historical significance. Christianity, Buddhism and Islam are obvious examples of the latter type. ISKCON, still flourishing thirty years after its founding and almost twenty years after the Swami's passing, promises to also fit into that rare category.

Bhaktivedanta achieved the unlikely goal of transplanting Indian culture to the United States and around the world. During the late 1960s and throughout most of the '70s, he attracted thousands of disciples and unknown numbers of lay practitioners to the worship of Krishna. As the Diary shows, this required strong, firm and expert leadership of an extraordinary magnitude. Hari Śauri's account allows us to better understand the meaning of personal charisma by providing a full and detailed account of Śrīla Prabhupāda's daily life during the years he worked as the Swami's personal servant.

For example, we are awed at the Swami's high level of energy, despite old age and failing health. For hours every night, regardless of where he happened to be, Prabhupāda translated India's sacred books into English and wrote commentaries on their meaning. This resulted in the publication of most of the significant religious texts of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, and sales of these books represented a large portion of the organization's income. We also see first hand in this volume Śrīla Prabhupāda returning again to India, working tirelessly to revitalize his native culture, which he saw as on a rapid materialistic decline. In his encounters with a wide variety of Indian citizens who came seeking his blessings, Śrīla Prabhupāda never missed an opportunity to preach to them and persuasively argue that his foreign disciples be accepted in India.

We also see how Śrīla Prabhupāda personally read and answered the many letters that came from his disciples around the world, giving them both practical and spiritual advice. No problem, however daunting, was left without some clear solution. He was directly involved in the expansion and management of the entire ISKCON organization, interceding to successfully purchase land for a farm, or build an urban temple. These are only a few examples of the personal qualities of Bhaktivedanta Swami documented by Hari Śauri. One thing that is clear from ATranscendental Diary, however, is that ISKCON's success during its early history depended directly upon the personal knowledge, skill, and energy of its founder.

With this new and detailed information about the personal charisma of Śrīla Prabhupāda, the intimate portraits of the Swami's private activities, and the many other insights into the development of a new religious movement, students of religion, social scientists, devotees and the general reading public must extend congratulations and gratitude to Hari Śauri for the publication of the Diary. It is a resource that only he could have produced and one that will further our understanding of ISKCON and its founder greatly.

Charles R. Brooks, Ph. D.

Institute for Program Evaluation,

National Development and Resource Institutes, Inc.

World Trade Center, New York, N.Y.

Author, The Hare Krishnas in India.

Preface

This fourth volume of A Transcendental Diary details Śrīla Prabhupāda's return to India after his final sojourn around the world lasting four months. The last leg of his world tour took him to remote Teheran, then still governed by a monarchy, to encourage the small band of disciples struggling to establish Kṛṣṇa consciousness in one of the most difficult cultural environments in the world.

From Teheran he returned to Bombay, the point of origin of his tour, and after a brief stay, he proceeded on to Hyderabad in the south. There he opened the new Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Madana-mohana temple complex on Janmāṣṭamī and celebrated his 80th birthday. He also had important meetings with the highest ranking government officials of Andhra Pradesh, dispensing advice on the running of India's richest temple at Tirupati, and how to save India's spiritual culture.

He then headed north to the capital and stayed for one week at the newly-established ISKCON temple in Lajpat Nagar III. There he discussed with two important members of the central government how to counteract a rising clamor by atheistic elements aimed at blunting the progress of his movement in his home country.

The day after Rādhāṣṭamī, Śrīla Prabhupāda traveled to Śrī Vṛndāvana-dhāma. Rather than enjoy a much need respite, he spent five weeks delving into every aspect of local management, resolving disputes between his leading managers and responding to the defection of a senior disciple.

Throughout this period his health remained poor, yet his energy for preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness remained undiminished. As he said in his arrival address in Vṛndāvana, Never mind we die by preaching. Still it will be glorious. As time goes by, we appreciate more and more that Śrīla Prabhupāda's life of preaching was the most glorious.

This presentation of A Transcendental Diary is a humble attempt to expand our understanding of the phrase, All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!

Chapter One

Teheran, Iran

August 7th, 1976

The Air France flight brought us into Teheran airport at 7:30 p.m. Śrīla Prabhupāda's GBC for the Middle East, Atreya Ṛṣi prabhu, and Mr. Patel, a Gujarati Vaiṣṇava with the Vallabhācārya sect, were already inside the airport waiting to greet Śrīla Prabhupāda. In order to expedite our entrance into the country Atreya Ṛṣi asked us to sit to one side while he and his companion approached the immigration counter with our passports. Within a few minutes entry was granted, and we were on our way out the door, all without our having any personal contact with the officials—a pleasant contrast to some of our previous immigration experiences. It made me think that, as Lord Kṛṣṇa's most confidential emissary, this should be the minimum standard for Śrīla Prabhupāda's visits to every country. Harikeśa Mahārāja and Pradyumna brought the luggage through customs, again without difficulty.

Outside the airport Dayānanda prabhu was waiting for us in his car. He struck quite a different profile from when we last saw him in Delhi in March. Now he wears a suit and has grown out his hair. As he drove us to Atreya Ṛṣi's house he informed us that he has a job working as a computer programmer for a local firm. Atreya Ṛṣi works for Arthur Young, one of the top accountancy firms in the world. He is a junior partner, and the managing director of their Iranian operations. Prabhupāda was pleased to hear about their work. He asked Dayānanda whether computers could think.

Atreya Ṛṣi got himself entangled in a convoluted explanation as to why they couldn't, when Dayānanda cut in. Actually Śrīla Prabhupāda, they are all just nonsense, he said drolly, grinning from ear to ear.

Śrīla Prabhupāda laughed and changed the subject.

The other members of this small Middle Eastern yātrā welcomed Śrīla Prabhupāda at Atreya Ṛṣi's house: Parivrājakācārya Swami, Atreya Ṛṣi's wife Vidhi Bhakti and their child, Dayānanda's wife Nandarāṇī and their two daughters, Navayauvana dāsa and his wife Mañjarī dāsī and their child and Jñānagamya dāsa. They are all Americans, and along with them were two Iranians, Mustafa and Hussein, both in their mid-twenties. Sitting out on the wide veranda on the second floor overlooking the back garden, Śrīla Prabhupāda requested Nandarāṇī to cook for him. She had already made chaturi and paratha so Prabhupāda asked for khichari, okra and dry-roasted puffed rice with cucumber. With obvious pleasure Śrīla Prabhupāda told Harikeśa that she had been cooking for him in Māyāpur.

Sipping a drink made from local melons, Prabhupāda relaxed for a while as we unpacked. He chatted with the devotees about the availability of fruits and the local climate. Atreya Ṛṣi said the climate was similar to that of Vṛndāvana, but Parivrājakācārya Mahārāja quickly added that Teheran is about six thousand feet above sea level and backed up against mountains, so although it gets hot in the summer, it snows in the winter months.

Still Prabhupāda appreciated their living facility. The house is a large and expensive rented villa made of stone, with a big back garden kept private by a high wall and a large steel gate. Costing $1,200 per month, it is situated in the northwest of the city in Saltanatabad, a wealthy area where mainly western-educated people and foreigners live. We are staying on the upper floor which has broad verandas running along the front and back sides, with four bedrooms and two bathrooms sandwiched between. Prabhupāda has the end bedroom and the larger bathroom for his exclusive use. He will use one of the middle rooms for darśana and meetings. I am staying in the room next to this, and Harikeśa and Pradyumna are in the fourth room. The pleasant aspect of the veranda is enhanced by an array of greenery hanging over the rail from a tree growing at the end of the building. Śrīla Prabhupāda seems at ease in these spacious surroundings. Atreya Ṛṣi explained that although his company rents it, because of escalating costs they recently decided to buy a place. Atreya also has plans to buy our own ISKCON facility and perhaps a place for a temple as well.

Glancing affectionately at Dayānanda Prabhupāda told him, So I am also very happy Dayānanda you are here, and you can have more facilities. You family men, you require some money also. So your present situation is very nice?

Yes.

What they are paying you?

I bring home about one thousand dollars per month after deducting taxes.

It is better than USA. You were getting six hundred there?

Yes.

Thinking back to earlier days in Los Angeles when Dayānanda was one of the few devotees working at an outside job, Prabhupāda reinforced his endorsement of this. "So you are getting more? Why Gargamuni advised you to give up? I chastised him, 'Why you have given him such advice? He's a gṛhastha, he must have some money. He has to take care of the children.' Anyway, you have got better job now and better service also. Kṛṣṇa has awarded you for your service. Stick to it. If you like to serve here, you can be permanently settled. Now, what is their rules?"

Dayānanda explained that visas are easily given to foreigners, especially Americans.

That's very good opportunity, Prabhupāda said. "Bring more Americans and start this movement nicely. Not necessarily that we have to establish a temple. We want to preach our philosophy. That is most important. Bhāgavata-mārga. There are two ways, bhāgavata-mārga and pāñcarātrikī. The bhāgavata-mārga is more important than pāñcarātrikī. Pāñcarātrikī is Deity worship."

Śrīla Prabhupāda nibbled on various pieces of local fruit, appreciating their flavors. Telling Atreya Ṛṣi to distribute some to all the devotees he asked if the people in Iran ate much meat. Dayānanda told him that according to an old epic poem, people were formerly all vegetarians. Atreya Ṛṣi added however, that due to western influence, they are now eating beef.

Prabhupāda told us about the Vedic roots of Iran. "It is Āryan culture. Iranian means Āryan. It is an apa-brahmsa of Ārya, Iraya. And they are called Parsis. Parsis still, those who fled away from this place, they are just like Hindus. They have got sacred thread in India."

Parivrājakācārya agreed and said that their language was very similar to Sanskrit, adding that the Caspian sea, which Śrīla Prabhupāda mentions in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as the place where Kaśyapa Muni had his āśrama, is only ninety kilometers from Teheran. Prabhupāda nodded and said, "Formerly, from Kashmir to central Asia, it was known as bhū-svarga, especially Kashmir; bhū-svarga, heaven on the earthly planet."

Looking toward his two local followers Prabhupāda asked if they had an inquiry. Atreya Ṛṣi explained that Mustafa and Hussein are both following the regulative principles and chanting regularly.

Hussein has been chanting sixteen rounds for several months and, in fact, was a vegetarian and already chanting the names of God he found in the Koran before meeting the devotees, so he quickly became attracted to Śrīla Prabhupāda's mission. Speaking through Atreya Ṛṣi, he expressed his desire to translate Prabhupāda's Bhagavad-gītā As It Is into Parsi. Śrīla Prabhupāda encouraged him, giving him the simple advice that he should not change anything.

Mustafa was working in the Raw Vegetarian Society's restaurant before becoming attracted to the devotees. He has only recently begun chanting, and through Navayauvana he posed a practical question about spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness in Iran. He felt a difficulty naturally arose because of the external appearance of devotees, which to Islamic Iran was very foreign.

Prabhupāda got to the heart of things right away. The first thing is, that what do you mean by Kṛṣṇa. That is to be understood. Kṛṣṇa means God. So if you have no objection to chant the name of God, then there is no difference of opinions. Now first of all, I may ask you, 'What do you mean by God?' You are chanting the holy name of God, and people may ask you, 'What do you mean by God?'

Mustafa attempted an answer. I cannot explain, because now ...

But Prabhupāda cut in. But that you must explain. If you are chanting the name of God, then you must know what do you mean by God.

When I feel, I will get spiritual, my feeling ...

Spiritual? Prabhupāda asked him. What do you mean by spiritual?

Mustafa hadn't much of a clear idea. It means I put everything that is bad and dirty inside and I make it out, all of them. When I do wrong, for example. When I do lie, when I do something, when I see wrong.

Prabhupāda challenged him. Wrong; one thing is wrong in my country, and that is right in your country. Just like animal slaughter is wrong according to our Vedic civilization. Unnecessary animal slaughter is forbidden. But in your country or in other Western countries, they kill so many animals. So what is wrong, what is right? Who will decide?

That's the reason I don't kill animals and I don't eat meat. For three years now.

Prabhupāda encouraged him. That's very good, very good idea. Yet he went on with his point. "When we want God, we must try to understand what is God. What do you mean by God? The God definition is given in the dictionary—what is that? 'Supreme being, supreme controller.' So how do you understand that supreme controller? What do you mean by supreme controller? In this way we should try to understand what is the idea carried by the word God. We have got, in our Vedic language, we have got definition of God, that aiśvaryasya samagrasyavīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ/ jñāna-vairāgyayaś caiva ṣaṇṇāṁ bhaga itīṅganā [Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47]. 'God' means He must possess all the wealth. Just like in Persia you have got so many wealthy persons, but nobody can claim, even the Shah cannot claim, that he possesses all the wealth; that is not possible. So this is one of the items, that God is the richest, or He possesses all the wealth. Similarly, He possesses all the strength, He possesses all the beauty, He possesses all knowledge, and He is the renouncer also, the most exalted renouncer. Although He possesses so many things, He is renounced. Just like this universe is the property of God, but He has given to you, all the living entities: 'Now you wanted to enjoy, enjoy it to your best capacity.' He doesn't interfere. 'All right, you go on.' And we are trying to enjoy this material world to our best capacity. Just like in Iran, you are trying to enjoy by exploiting the oil. Similarly, somebody is exploiting. It is all God's property. He doesn't interfere. 'All right, enjoy.' This is renouncement—His property, He does not come to interfere.

"God knows how this universe is made. So many big, big scientists, they are trying to understand what is the constitution, how this universe is made, how it is created. Nobody knows; but He knows. Just like you have got this body, I have got this body, but we do not know everything of this body. I do not know how many hairs are there. Is it not? So, so many things. I am eating, and it is transformed into blood, and it is directed towards brain, towards other parts of the body and we are working very strong, but we do not know how things are happening, although I am claiming I am my body. But God knows every particular, anvayād itarataś. How the stone is made, He knows; how this flower is colored, He knows. That is called wise, wisdom. Vedāhaṁ sarvan etani. He knows. That is God. He is the possessor of all wealth, all knowledge, all beauty, all strength, all influence. In this way you have to understand God."

To more clearly present his questions Mustafa began speaking in Parsi with Atreya Ṛṣi prabhu translating. His question is, 'How can I have more faith in God?'

The more you know about these things, Prabhupāda told him.

Mustafa's response indicated that he understood that one must inquire. Prabhupāda was pleased. "Yes. Oh, very good. Very good. There is a verse in Caitanya-caritāmṛta-siddhānta boliyā citte nā kara alasa iha haite kṛṣṇe lāge sudṛḍha mānasa: We have got limited knowledge, we cannot understand full what is God, but still we must try to understand what is God. This is the general definition of God. Suppose you take one item: God is rich, richest. Try to understand how He is richest, what is the topmost idea of all richness. Whether God possesses that richness. He possesses, but we do not understand. In this way we have to study, and all the saintly person have studied Kṛṣṇa, about these six things. They have analyzed the characters and symptoms and they have found īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ. Not blindly, but studying thoroughly about these qualities of God, they have decided īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ. So you have to study God. Not that we accept God anybody and anything, no. Don't be lazy to understand God. The more you understand, the more you become devotee."

Mustafa said he was anxious to become a good devotee.

Prabhupāda nodded in satisfaction. "Yes, you can become, everyone can become. The more the dirty things within the heart is cleansed, more one becomes a devotee. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ, you have to make zero all dirty desires. Then it is pure. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam/ ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamās. That is bhaktir uttama."

He ended the discussion by stressing the difference between mere belief and actual knowledge. "The more you become eager to know God, God will reveal Himself. From our side, we should not be stereotyped. People in different sects of religion, they say, 'We believe.' But they do not want to go further than they believe. That is very difficult. You must be dynamic and progressive, then you will have. I have talked with many sects, especially Christian priests. They will say 'We believe', no more further than that. So knowledge is not like that. Knowledge must be progressive. 'We believe there is no soul of the animal'—bas, fixed up. You believe like a rascal, so I shall remain rascal. What is this? We should be progressive, that is wanted. Of course, in the lower stage one may have a type of belief, but if you want more clearly, you must be progressive. According to vedānta system, the life, human life, is only for inquiring about Brahman. Athāto brahma jijñāsā."

It was getting late, about 11 P.M. Leaning back in his chair Prabhupāda tipped his head. We shall talk again.

Before sending everyone to take rest he handed out pieces of pera to one and all. Mañjarī's baby boy Nāmācārya, who was born here in Teheran only three months ago, had been sleeping most of the darśana, but he had just woken up. Prabhupāda offered the sweet, but the boy didn't respond. Oh, too young, Prabhupāda said, withdrawing it. Then, seeing Mañjarī become slightly crestfallen that her son would not receive the transcendental mahā-mahā-prasādam, he made her smile again by handing it to her, telling her to keep it for later.

* * *

Śrīla Prabhupāda chose to rest on the balcony rather than his room because of the heat. From 11:15 P.M. until 12:10 A.M. he took his massage, and then he rose around 2:00 A.M. Then, between 3:00 A.M. and 4:30 A.M. he summoned me with his buzzer five times because his dictaphone kept malfunctioning. There was some connection which kept shaking loose and I had to repeatedly jump in and out of my sleeping bag, running to and fro between the rooms to fix the problem.

I was just nodding off to sleep when I heard the bell a sixth time. Again I leapt out of my nylon sack, shaking off the stupor of impending sleep, ran the short distance down the veranda, opened the door to Prabhupāda's room and offered my obeisances. I looked up to see Śrīla Prabhupāda working steadily at his desk, the dictaphone clicking away in his hand, functioning as it should. He peered at me inquisitively over the top of his reading glasses, as if I were interrupting his thoughts.

I thought I heard the bell ring, I said sheepishly.

Without a word or change in expression Prabhupāda simply shook his head, looked back down at his books and went on with his translations. I returned to my sleeping bag, realizing that the sixth ring had been naught but a dream.

August 8th, 1976

Prabhupāda went for his walk as usual at 6:00 A.M. but allowed me to stay back and catch up on my rest. The devotees took him out to nearby Niavaran park, situated next to a palace of the same name, which the Shah of Iran uses for receiving visiting diplomats and heads of state. It is the same place he walked last year when he visited with his servant Śruta Kīrti and secretary Paramahaṁsa Swami.

Before they left I handed the recorder over to Pradyumna with instructions how to use it so that no valuable comments Prabhupāda might make would be lost. Śrīla Prabhupāda didn't disappoint the devotees, who were all eager to hear whatever he had to say. He talked freely, pointing out the foolishness of trying to maintain the body as the goal of life, and the futility of materialistic family life. He explained how modern religions are meant for the envious. "That is material world, envious. That is a disease, to become envious. The spiritual world means no enviousness. That is spiritual world. And material world, there is only envious. I'm envious of you, you are envious of me. It is a society of enviousness. Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ. Paramo nirmatsara. One who is not at all envious, for him, bhāgavata-dharma. This other dharma is for the envious person."

Navayauvana expressed a little surprise that dharma could be for the envious.

"Yes, so-called dharmas, Śrīla Prabhupāda told him. Just like we have created so many dharma: Hindu dharma, Muslim dharma, Christian dharma. They are so-called, they are not dharmas. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītaṁ. Dharma means what is given to you by the Supreme Lord, that is dharma. Otherwise, if you manufacture some ritualistic ceremonies, some formulas, some dogmas, that is cheating. That is not religion. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo, that is first-class religion. What is that? Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. Wherefrom you learn how to love God? If you learn, 'I believe this, I believe that; this is our ritualistic ceremony,' these are all cheating. As people are cheating one another in different ways, this is another cheating. That's all. They will say, 'We believe in this way. We believe in that way.' So what is that, you believe in that way? What is the fact? If you believe something wrong, is that to be taken as religion? We say tathā dehāntara-prāptir. Other religious sects, they say this is Hindu belief. When Kṛṣṇa says dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā: just like the child is becoming boy, boy is becoming young man. This is science. And why do you say it is Hindu belief? Does it mean that a Muslim or Christian child does not become a boy? What do you mean by Hindu belief? But they say it like that, Hindu belief. Is that correct if somebody says it is Hindu belief? No, it is fact, it is science. What do you think? Is that Hindu belief?"

No, it's just like you said, Śrīla Prabhupāda, Dayānanda said. It's given by the Supreme Lord.

But Prabhupāda was more down to earth. "Apart from Supreme Lord, it is a law of nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni, the law, nature's law is acting like that. How you can avoid the laws of nature? If some young man says, 'No, no, I'll not become old man,' will the law of nature excuse him because you do not like? You have to become old man. The law of nature is working so strongly, but this rascal is proud of his own belief. This is foolishness, mūḍha."

The devotees were fully enlivened from their close and personal association with His Divine Grace. Preaching in such an isolated country with little contact with the rest of the worldwide devotional community has its compensations. In such circumstances, when Prabhupāda comes, everyone gets the opportunity to speak with him and share some informal and intimate moments.

* * *

Śrīla Prabhupāda returned by 7:30 a.m. and entered the ground floor of the house for a short morning program. The downstairs consists mainly of a hallway, guest bedroom, pantry, kitchen, a large living room with an adjoining dining area. The devotees have put Śrīla Prabhupāda's vyāsāsana, which is usually kept upstairs, in the dining room and a simple Pañcatattva altar faces it from the opposite end of the living room. The yātrā here may be small but is certainly not poor. The floor coverings in the living room are Persian Kashan carpets of navy blue and red floral design worth about $12,000 each.

Śrīla Prabhupāda mounted his vyāsāsana—a converted armchair covered with an orange brocade sari—to receive guru-pūjā from the enthusiastic devotees. Then at the end of the kīrtana we all sat on the opulent rugs eager to hear his lecture.

It turned out to be very short, hardly one minute, on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.22.19. Prabhupāda had Pradyumna prabhu read out the Sanskrit verse, the word-for-word transliterations, and translation. It described Kardama Muni's desire to marry, have a child, and then retire from family life. Pradyumna read the purport, which was exceptionally interesting: "According to Vedic principles, the first part of life should be utilized in brahmacārya for the development of character and spiritual qualities. In the next part of life, one may accept a wife and beget children, but one should not beget children like cats and dogs.

"Kardama Muni desired to beget a child who would be a ray of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One should beget a child who can perform the duties of Viṣṇu, otherwise there is no need to produce children. There are two kinds of children born of good fathers: one is educated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that he can be delivered from the clutches of māyā in that very life, and the other is a ray of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and teaches the world the ultimate goal of life. As will be described in later chapters, Kardama Muni begot such a child-Kapila, the incarnation of the Personality of Godhead who enunciated the philosophy of Sāṅkhya. Great householders pray to God to send His representative so that there may be an auspicious movement in human society. This is one reason to beget a child. Another reason is that a highly enlightened parent can train a child in Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that the child will not have to come back again to this miserable world....

In the same order as Kardama Muni, about 100 years ago, Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda also wanted to beget a child who could preach the philosophy and teachings of Lord Caitanya to the fullest extent. By his prayers to the Lord he had as his child Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, who at the present moment is preaching the philosophy of Lord Caitanya throughout the entire world through his bona fide disciples.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's few added comments were highly relevant to this small community of householders. "So householder life is not condemned; it is required. If there is no householders, then wherefrom the saintly persons will come? They will not drop from the sky. So everything is required. In our society, we have got householders, we have got brahmacārīs, we have got sannyāsīs. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is a very scientific movement for the total benefit of human society. If it is properly carried out, then everyone will be satisfied and happy and go back home, back to Godhead. Thank you."

* * *

One of the first things I did on our arrival was ask Atreya to telex Los Angeles from his office with a request for Pālikā dāsī to rejoin our party in India next week.

After Śrīla Prabhupāda's complaints on the airplane leaving France I can see no alternative. Harikeśa Mahārāja has conceded that his cooking is not satisfying His Divine Grace and while we are here Nandarāṇī will do it.

* * *

Prabhupāda spent a quiet day following his usual routine, while Atreya Ṛṣi and Dayānanda prabhus went off to work in the afternoon. Despite the high altitude causing swelling in Śrīla Prabhupāda's legs and hands again from his uremia, he has decided to stay in Iran until the 13th of the month because the climate here is very nice—sunny and hot, around ninety degrees. Tehran's air, however, is heavily polluted. This afternoon I went out onto the roof to chant my rounds. On one side the mountains tower in the background, and from where we are one should be able to enjoy a panorama of the entire city. However, all I could see were the misty forms of buildings shrouded in a thick, brownish-yellow smog. Teheran must be one of the most polluted cities in the world.

* * *

The devotees have been preaching here since mid-1973 when Atreya Ṛṣi, who is Iranian, and Navayauvana prabhus came here to start a center. Śrīla Prabhupāda originally advised them to preach to the upper class sections of society. Now that instruction is being wonderfully fulfilled by Parivrājakācārya Swami (who at the moment is suffering from a burst ear drum and is quite sick). A former haṭha-yoga teacher, he developed a good connection to the royal family by teaching yoga to one of their distant relatives who was recovering from a drug dependency. He then began teaching the Shah's nephew's wife, Shanaz. This woman is close to the Shah's wife, and through her he also came to know the queen. In fact, he is the first Westerner ever to enter the inner chambers of the royal palace. Now he preaches to the royal family's friends and relatives, using his haṭha-yoga expertise to attract them to the process of bhakti-yoga. Prabhupāda is extremely pleased with his efforts.

* * *

In the evening, before any visitors arrived, Prabhupāda sat in his room with Atreya Ṛṣi, Harikeśa, Parivrājakācārya, Jñānagamya and myself. He was again pointing out the defects of the so-called Mars landing, declaring that in the śāstras it states very clearly that every planet is full of life. "Jana-kīrṇa, this very word is used, jana-kīrṇa, congested with life. Everything is described there. There is milk ocean, there is this ocean, that ocean, varieties of. So if we have to take these rascals' version, they're simply rogues, then the whole śāstra becomes false. And they will advertise that these descriptions in the śāstras, they are all mythology. Of course, this kind of bluffing cannot go because suppose this Mars expedition becomes a failure, like that, the same ... It will be failure. So next time, if they propose [to go there], I think people will be hesitant to allow them to. Simply bringing people rocks and sands, without any utility, after spending so much money. How long they can repeat this, 'Yes, we went to this planet, rocks. We went to this-rocks."

He was interested to hear that Jñānagamya prabhu had some information not found in the newspapers.

Yes, I was working for USIS, U.S. Information Service, Jñānagamya told him. And I had a commission to paint a large picture of this Mars landing ship, and they had information coming back that they were finding a long blockhouse with a big crater in the center, like a building that had been bombed. Fourteen kilometer crater. They had a picture like that. It appeared to be a building. So they are all cheaters. I used to live in Florida where they send up these [spaceships] ... they are all drunkards. They drink alcohol. Very unserious.

Śrīla Prabhupāda smiled and used what was to me a quaint comparison to show why we should not accept the scientist's propaganda. They say Howrah station is closed, he said with a grin. No sane man will believe that, that Howrah station is closed.

And when Jñānagamya suggested that they didn't want to admit there might be life forms higher than themselves, including God, Prabhupāda continued to smile. And all the higher lives are in Europe and America. Especially in America, eh? That is their mania. They like it that there may not be any higher life. That is their preconception.

As we talked the sound of a lamb's bleating attracted his attention. It seemed an unusual thing to hear in the middle of the city. Parivrājakācārya explained the animals were kept for sacrifice. The Koran says that you should sacrifice the animal at home with his head pointing toward Mecca. You let the blood of the animal flow towards Mecca, and then you can eat an animal. So they keep many sheep here just for that purpose.

Prabhupāda saw something positive even in that. Oh. So at least they do not recommend to purchase from the slaughterhouse. That is also good.

Jñānagamya pointed out that they also have slaughterhouses. But Parivrājakācārya Mahārāja said that the Koran nevertheless restricts meat-eating. This is what we explain, he told Śrīla Prabhupāda. We say, if it is good, then why is it restricted?

Prabhupāda liked the logic. That's a good explanation. What do they say?

They say, well, Mohammed did it, Mahārāja said.

That's all right, Śrīla Prabhupāda replied. But this is restriction.

By this time visitors began to arrive and Prabhupāda decided to move out to the veranda where there was more room and a soft breeze. In the pleasant evening atmosphere he was introduced to his guests. Atreya Ṛṣi and Dayānanda had invited a work colleague, Mr. Hamidi, and a variety of other visitors: Peter, a young Englishman who purports to be a Buddhist but attends our meetings every Friday; Mr. Siva from Malaysia; Dr. Rulf, an economist from Holland; Reza, a frequent Iranian visitor who is chanting; and a few Indian guests.

Atreya Ṛṣi presented Mr. Hamidi as a person who was very much interested in both Indian and Iranian spiritual life, and in culture. Śrīla Prabhupāda picked that as his theme for discussion, asking Mr. Hamidi what he meant by spiritual culture. Then he explained that, as gold is neither Iranian nor Indian, similarly, spiritual culture is one.

Mr. Hamidi expressed his agreement, Of course, I believe that they're all the same, but ...

No, same, Prabhupāda said, to show he appreciated Mr. Hamidi's general understanding. But you must explain at least. I want to know how far you have understood spiritual culture as it is. That is my question.

Well, of course, it is very difficult to differentiate, Mr. Hamidi hesitated.

Yes, it is difficult, Śrīla Prabhupāda said, having expected such a reply. Practically you do not know what is spiritual culture. That is a fact. So first of all, you must try to understand what is spiritual culture.

He explained that there are two things within our experience—matter and spirit. Pointing out the uselessness of the body without the soul's presence, Prabhupāda told him, When we study that spirit soul, that is the beginning of spiritual culture. If you have no idea of what is that spirit, then there is no question of spiritual culture. With this body we cannot make any progress of spiritual culture. That is not possible.

He had Pradyumna read out verse eighteen from the second chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, repeating the translation for emphasis. Only the material body of the indestructible, immeasurable and eternal living entity is subject to destruction. He explained that eternity was the proof of the soul; we remain the same person despite the changes our body experiences. This is to be understood first of all. What is the difficulty? First of all, you must distinguish what is spirit, what is matter. Material culture means this body is there, it requires some necessities.  Eating, sleeping, and some sense gratification, sex. These are bodily necessities. But when you understand what is spirit, then we must try to find out what the spiritual necessity is. That is spiritual culture. You cannot go on with the bodily culture as spiritual culture. That is a mistake.

Prabhupāda drew the obvious conclusion that spiritual culture was one. There was no question of Indian or Iranian. He added that bodily culture was also one. It does not mean that only Indians eat and the Iranians do not eat. The Iranians also eat, because they are bodily necessities. Similarly, spiritual culture also, there is some necessities which is equally needed by the Iranians, by Americans, by Indians.

When Prabhupāda called for questions, Peter, the young Englishman, wanted to know, Is the soul dependent upon the body for its existence?

Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda told him. "At the present moment, the soul is dependent on the material body because he has no spiritual culture. Just like we Indians, we were under the British rule. So long there was no national movement, they remained dependent on the Britishers. But as soon as there was national movement they became independent. This is a crude example. Similarly, because we have no spiritual cultivation, we are dependent on this material body. Actually, the soul is not dependent on the body. It has become so under certain condition; because he's thinking that he is this body.

"They have been described as mūḍha. Mūḍha means ass. In India the asses are kept by the washerman. The washerman loads tons of cloth on the back of the ass to take it to the waterside, and again he brings back to the washerman shop, and the washerman gives a morsel of grass, little, and he eats the grass and stands there to carry the tons of load, thinking that he's dependent on the washerman. He has no intelligence that grass can be had anywhere, why I am dependent on this washerman to carry so much load? Lack of knowledge. Similarly, we are dependent on this body for lack of spiritual knowledge. As soon as he'll be enlightened by spiritual knowledge, then no more dependence.

"Mūḍha. We are thinking that without this body we cannot live. No. That is not the fact. We can live independently of this body. But our present position, because we have no spiritual culture, we are thinking that we are dependent on this body. Actually, we are not dependent. That will be revealed the more you advance in spiritual culture."

Calling on Pradyumna, Prabhupāda again had him quote from Bhagavad-gītā: One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.

So this is the process of becoming independent of the material body, Prabhupāda told Peter. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, how to make one independent of this material body.

Prabhupāda repeatedly asked for more questions from his audience, but little was forthcoming. Only Peter seemed inquisitive enough to delve into the philosophy.

As Prabhupāda sat chanting before his passive onlookers more guests arrived, amongst them Terry Graham, a young journalist who had come to see Śrīla Prabhupāda on a previous visit. Prabhupāda recognized him and asked if he had any questions. Terry responded with a rather convoluted observation cum inquiry: I have a question about this particular age. The world seems to be dividing itself between two kinds of materialists, the one which pays lip service to spiritual precedents but really devotes itself to self-aggrandizement, and the other which establishes atheistic doctrine in the name of moral struggle with that greedy self-aggrandizement. In fact this atheistic moral doctrine has now taken over virtually the entire Sinic world—China, Tibet, Indochina. The question is, 'What is the cosmic purpose for this and how should one come to terms with this increasingly prevailing notion that justice can be established in a material state or a material dimension?'

Despite Terry's verbosity Śrīla Prabhupāda had a ready and practical answer. "In the material world there cannot be any peace, justice, morality. It is not possible. You may try to make some adjustment, but it will never be possible. So, by their concocted imagination, they are thinking, 'This way will be beneficial,' but unless they come to the spiritual platform, there is no question of peace, prosperity, justice. It is not possible.

"We must understand the material platform. It is threefold miserable conditions. Just like we are trying to avoid some miserable condition, very insignificant, to get out of the disturbance created by the mosquitoes and the flies. We are trying our best, but still they are disturbing. Is it not? Still they find out some loopholes and go into the room and disturb you. So you cannot avoid. Similarly, the disturbances of nature—the severe cold, scorching heat—how you can counteract it? Is it possible? Not possible. Adhyātmic, you may keep your body quite fit to your best knowledge, but still there will be some trouble—sometimes coughing, sometimes mental equilibrium is lost, you don't feel nice. So these things will go on. Because we have got this material body, the material conditions must work. You cannot make any adjustments. That's not possible."

Returning to his previous theme he gave the solution. If you come to the spiritual platform independent of this material body, then there will be everything solved. They can waste their time for making an adjustment, but that is not possible. If you actually want freedom from material disturbances, you have to come to the spiritual platform and cultivate spiritual knowledge and be fixed up. Then your life is successful.

As far as there being a correlation of disturbance to the particular time we live in, Prabhupāda agreed there was, but he added that the underlying nature of material life remained the same. "It is more or less. Sometimes you have got 110° temperature, and sometimes you have got 70° temperature. But the disturbance is there. Either 110° or 70° or 30°, you'll have to feel the disturbance. You cannot stop it. So either you take the cause this age, or this country, or this atmosphere, we can say so, but it will continue. You can think that if it would have been 100°, it would have been very nice. But that's not the fact. Either 110° or 100°, it is disturbance. Then how can you stop it? Anyone who wants to stop it, he's intelligent. And that is described here, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti. One has to understand this fundamentally: that so long I'll get this material body, I'll have to suffer. It may be differences of degrees, but I will have to suffer. So my endeavor should be how to become independent of this material body. That is wanted, that is intelligence."

Quoting Bhagavad-gītā 8.15, he went on to give a vivid example of how we try to avoid misery by making adjustments, without realizing there is misery all around. "Just like in this country, Iran, now the Iranians are trying to become as opulent as the Americans. They are trying to build up similar cities and industries. But do you think they will be happy then? No. Are the Americans happy by having big, big cities? No, that is not possible. Now they are trying to imitate, but that is a false attempt. They can see that Americans have got big, big cities, they have big, big organizations, but are they happy actually or not? From practical example. Then why you are attempting to imitate them? That intelligence is lacking. How they will be happy, they do not know. They are trying to imitate somebody else. He is already on the standard, so-called, but still they are not happy. The Communists, they're trying for the last fifty years to become happy, but are they happy actually? No. The Russians and the Chinese, they are now differing, 'No, this is not the standard. This is standard.' So the same thing is going on. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām, it is like chewing the chewed, that's all. Somebody has chewed the sugar cane and it's thrown away. Another man comes, 'Let me taste it.' And what you'll taste? It is already finished. So all these 'isms,' they are all finished. All the scientific discoveries, they are all finished. And where is happiness? This is not the way.

"You have to attempt in such a way that after giving up this body, you go back home, back to Godhead, never come back again here. This is the way. Otherwise, there is no happiness. You go on struggling, that is your choice. Make new attempts. Just like this moon excursion. Ten years ago in one small book, Easy Journey to Other Planets, we predicted that this moon-going attempt is childish and waste of time. We are not expert scientist, but from the śāstra we can understand. Now such a brilliant planet, pleasing, and they have discovered there rocks and sand. Just see their intelligence. Do you think rocks and sand are so brilliant? What do you think? This bluff is going on. People are feeling under the moonshine is so pleasing—and it is full of rocks and sand! We have to accept that. Rocks and sand, throughout the whole day by scorching heat, they also become heated. So if it is rocks and sand, so whole day it was heated by the sunshine, how it is pleasing?"

Prabhupāda elucidated a while longer on the need to give up all designations, and finally, after a full night's preaching, his guests left and he relaxed on the veranda. Even after all the visitors had gone he continued to preach to his disciples, perpetually enthusiastic to talk of Lord Kṛṣṇa and the sublime philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā.

He decided to take rest inside rather than on the open veranda, saying that it was a little cool. Pradyumna pointed out that it was coming to pūrṇimā, the full moon.

Yes, moon is the cooling effect, Prabhupāda said. And then with a grin, seizing on yet another opportunity to discredit the scientists, he added sarcastically, Desert will make a cooling effect! He made everyone laugh. Just see. At least I shall not believe that this is desert and rock. I'm not so fool. The desert and rock is giving so nice brilliant shining, everyone is feeling comfortable. Just see. And we have to believe it.

The evening's meeting had given him an appetite and he asked Atreya Ṛṣi if they had some puffed rice. As it turned out, they did, imported from India. So Prabhupāda asked that it be heated and mixed with a little ghee, black pepper and salt.

Atreya Ṛṣi was inquisitive. How do they make it, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Not difficult, Prabhupāda said, repeating what he had told us in France. "The paddy, they are boiled, and then again baked in the sunshine. Again boil, then again baked in the sunshine. Then the skin is taken out by that dekhi, what is called? That rice ..."

Thresher? Pradyumna suggested.

Prabhupāda nodded. "Dekhi, husking, the skin is taken away. Then mixed with salt and make it heated. Then when it is prepared, then they heat sand, and in that heated sand you put the rice and immediately puff-puff-puff-puff-puff-puff-puff-puff-puff. Like that."

* * *

When I set up Śrīla Prabhupāda's bed, I noted a lot of mosquitoes. I asked Atreya Ṛṣi if he had a net, but instead he handed me a small electrical gadget, a metal heating element encased in plastic. It plugs in the wall socket and a cardboard tablet soaked in some kind of repellent is placed on the element. As it heats up, it gives off fumes to drive away the insects. It seemed simple and neat and Atreya Ṛṣi said it was very effective, so I decided to try it.

August 9th, 1976

In the morning Śrīla Prabhupāda walked in the park again. The park is basically a carefully sculptured hillside, attractively terraced and well maintained by what seems to be an overabundance of attendants. After being driven to the top of the hill Prabhupāda entered the deserted enclosure and gradually made his way down the winding pathways to the bottom where the car was waiting.

About halfway down Prabhupāda sat for a while on a bench in a small arbor of shrubs and latticework, while we, his small following of disciples, sat around him on the ground. A few groundsmen looked on, somewhat bemused at the curious gathering of shaven-headed foreigners clad in dhotīs, their attention centered reverentially on an old Indian gentleman.

Though not physically strong, Prabhupāda's vigor for speaking kṛṣṇa-kathā has not diminished. He kept up a running discourse, observing that men in general, because of godlessness, have become dishonest. "He's dishonest to himself even. Doesn't take care of the body properly. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā. Therefore you cannot expect good qualities of the human society without injecting God consciousness."

He asked Atreya Ṛṣi if there was much fighting between the Iranian people.

Not so much, Atreya Ṛṣi told him. They are not as peaceful as Indians; they are not as pious as Indians.

Accepting his judgement, Prabhupāda said, "They cannot be. In India still you'll find hundreds and thousands of men are going to take bath in the Ganges in the morning. They might have only one cloth and one napkin. Still, they will take twice bath with the napkin, they change the cloth and wash it and spread it on the ground. By the time he finishes his bathing, the cloth is dry—that is India's advantage. And he puts some fresh cloth, and the napkin is also dry. And he'll become refreshed. And in his loṭā he'll take some water of the Ganges and he'll go home. In Vṛndāvana you'll find many thousands in the morning, with loṭā they go out, evacuate somewhere, and then wash hands, mouth, with cloth, taking bathing in the Ganges, Yamunā."

Thinking of a recent newspaper article that criticized the mentality of pilgrims who go to bathe in the Yamunā even though the government has declared its waters polluted, he added, Now they are polluting the Yamunā water, the government. In Vṛndāvana, government is opening oil refinery, and people are being encouraged, 'These are new temples.' Everywhere people are being degraded. They have no tendency to become purified, God conscious, honest. Because they do not believe in the next birth.

As we sat and talked in one of the alcoves a steady procession of cleaners came by, curious about their early morning visitors. Prabhupāda innocently asked if they wanted to clean where we were sitting.

No, they're just looking, I explained. Probably the amount of cleaners that's been past, this should be the cleanest spot in the whole park by now.

Prabhupāda observed that men were creating bad situations by falsely claiming proprietorship over natural resources, although these things were made by God.

Navayauvana said that the Shah had just recently stated that all the forests and natural resources were made by God and that no man could make these things. But his conclusion was not correct, he added. He said therefore these things are owned by the government which represents the people. He didn't understand.

Śrīla Prabhupāda has always supported the idea of a just monarchy as the best means of rule, and he approved the Shah saying such a thing, but with a strong proviso. It belongs to God, this is accepted. And everyone is God's son; therefore as the son can enjoy the father's property. But they cannot claim proprietorship. As directed by the father, one can enjoy the father's property, but he cannot claim that it is his property. This is the correct position. And the king is supposed to be representative of God to see that things are rightly going on, that's all. Nobody's unnecessarily claiming proprietorship. He should remind that, 'It is God's property. Whatever you need you take, but you cannot take more.' Like the birds and beasts—they are living. They do not make stock. They need to eat something, they'll eat some fruit, then they go away. When they are hungry, they will go another tree. They never claim that, 'This is my tree, this is my fruit.' This is natural. If you put a bag of rice here, the birds will come, they will eat some grains and go away. But a man, he'll go and try to stock something, and he will take more.

But they say that that's intelligence, I said. To make preparation for the future.

Yes, to steal God's property is certainly intelligence, Śrīla Prabhupāda replied sardonically. Very good intelligence. They must suffer. For this intelligence they must be punished.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's statement that the son has the right to enjoy the father's property made me think about an argument my mother had once used in an exchange of letters with me. Her outlook was that of a typical karmī: Their idea is that God may have made everything, but now it's for us to divide up and enjoy between us. He has no connection with it now.

Why? He has made and He has no connection? Prabhupāda asked. "What is this rascal theory—He has made