BY: ROCANA DASA
Nov 8, CANADA (SUN) — Studying Srila Prabhupada's conversations with ISKCON leaders.
Today's Talks is inspired by Srila Prabhupada's morning walk of April 2, 1974 in Bombay. You can listen to the audio or read the transcript of this conversation here.
The main participants in this morning walk are Chandobhai, Dr. Patel, and other nearby Indians who are walking with Srila Prabhupada, undoubtedly along Juhu Beach. This morning walk is unusual in that there's no participation by any of Srila Prabhupada's American entourage. I'm not even sure if they attended.
This conversation gives us a very interesting insight into how Srila Prabhupada deals with Indians such as Dr. Patel. From the point of view of a Srila Prabhupada disciple from the West, listening to the conversation tends to make one a little agitated because of Dr. Patel's demeanour as he relates to Srila Prabhupada. We western devotees were far more reverential and obedient to him compared to Dr. Patel, who likes to show off that he knows the Bhagavad-gita inside and out and can quote the Sanskrit spontaneously.
I'm not sure how old Dr. Patel is, but that would likely make a difference in terms of how Srila Prabhupada related to him. Dr. Patel has this maddening tendency to cut Srila Prabhupada off and insert a Sanskrit sloka. Srila Prabhupada seems to tolerate this and easily keeps up with Dr. Patel, zeroing in on one or two key words of the sloka and immediately commenting thoroughly on its meaning. Of course, Srila Prabhupada understands every Sanskrit word, knows where the sloka is in Bhagavad-gita, and know precisely what it's main message is.
The preaching that Srila Prabhupada does is obviously directed towards people like Dr. Patel and those in attendance, wherein he is hammering away at the impersonalist message that has been propagated by all sorts of Indian groups like the Ramakrishna Mission. Srila Prabhupada knows full well that these persons are contaminated by such bogus philosophies.
Srila Prabhupada began by explaining that everyone is actually envious of God and that's the reason why they oppose the philosophy of Bhakti yoga, which is what Krsna recommends in the Bhagavad-gita. Because of their enviousness, they propose something else.
Srila Prabhupada makes clear that although Bhakti yoga, Krsna consciousness, is presented as a much easier process than the other processes, at the same time it's a science and you're following in the footsteps of Rupa Goswami. Because it's a science, you can see your progress step by step and you can personally experience it. He gives the example that when you're eating, you understand that your hunger is being dissipated just by eating. So with Krsna consciousness, if it's performed properly, you can easily experience the progress you're making and appreciate it.
Srila Prabhupada then says straightforwardly that anyone who's engaged in any other process is just wasting their time. His walking companions surely don't like to hear that they're wasting their time and would rather hear some sweet words, but like Srila Prabhupada says:
"As soon as we say, the time wasters, they become angry, "Oh, why you are saying? Don't criticize others." But if we say... (Hindi:) Satya bole ta mare latha (laughter) suta jagalda.(?) If you bluff, "Oh, you are doing very nice, you are doing very nice," oh, he will be very pleased. And if I say that "You rascal, you are doing all, simply wasting your time...'"
Srila Prabhupada also touches on the philosophy of Daridra, which of course is the poor man, and making the distinction between the fact that God is within everyone, but it doesn't mean that person has become God just because God in the form of paramatma is situated in the form of all:
"…because the dog or the anything is resting on me, it does not mean I am dog. Daridra, he is resting on me, that does not mean I am daridra. Yes. This is the... This is wrong conception, misleading people."
Srila Prabhupada speaks on the topic of how you have to come back again and again if you don't listen to Krsna's confidential servant when he preaches, and you don't take to Krsna consciousness. He gives the example of a person who has an abortion and is forced to take birth in the womb again and again. In the same way, the living entity who takes birth and doesn't listen to the pure devotee, doesn't surrender to Krsna, they have to come back again and again because they didn't listen. This is the subtle message Srila Prabhupada is giving to the people walking with him.
It is obvious that Dr. Patel, regardless of the fact he knows the Gita, has some major misconceptions about it. Srila Prabhupada zeroes right in on them, and especially when it comes to how Krsna works in the material world and what is His position here. He gives the interesting analogy of a doctor, like Dr. Patel, who when he operates on the patient, is detached from the fact that the patient is in pain and is thinking that the doctor is killing him when he's actually helping him. The doctor has to ignore the utterances of the patient. Krsna is also like that when it comes to the material world, which is designed in such a way as to cure you of this major misconception of wanting to be God and being envious of God.
Dr. Patel brings up various misconceptions that have been planted in the minds of many even highly educated and intelligent people like himself from various bogus philosophies that have been presented in India. One of them is that prakrti, or energy, is what is actually creating everything. But Srila Prabhupada asks who has created and is controlling prakrti? He gives the example of the ocean they're walking beside, indicating that the ocean can't go beyond a certain point, even though it represents a huge amount of prakrti, because the controller of that energy has ordered it not to go beyond that point. So there's always a person, a controlling energy, and Krsna has made it clear that He is the energetic source and the controller.
Srila Prabhupada goes back and forth responding to all the quotes and slokas that Dr. Patel throws at him, but he interjects some subtle hints that really aren't picked up by Dr. Patel. Srila Prabhupada mentions the yajnic brahmans in the Krsna book, who refuse to give food to the cowherd boys, but of course their wives did. Srila Prabhupada is hinting that all this brahminical recitation of slokas is not how you become advanced in Krsna consciousness, and that these yajnic brahmans are actually persons addicted to tapasya, and they're unnecessarily starving. Such fasting is a form of addiction, just like the jnanis who are addicted to reciting Sanskrit slokas.
Srila Prabhupada is very kind to Dr. Patel on this particular walk. On the next walk they take together, however, Srila Prabhupada goes right after him and says he's just a santa-bhakta. In others words, his Bhakti is more awe and reverence rather than the kind of Bhakti his other disciples have towards him, which is one of obedience and surrender. Of course, Dr. Patel doesn't like that, but Srila Prabhupada just tells the truth, regardless.
They discuss different sannyasis, and how there are different groups who give out sannyasa almost indiscriminately to anyone. Srila Prabhupada is very much against that, and he says that the sannyasa dress is just a symbol, but the real surrender is that you go out and preach Krsna consciousness.
Then Srila Prabhupada states, as he does in many place, many times, that his Guru Maharaja said that book distribution and book publication are far more pleasing than "matha mandira". He wanted to point out even though he's building a big temple in Bombay, this temple comes as the result of him focusing on his primary duty to write books, and as a result of the books there was enough money to build the temple. Everything works because he just obeyed the order of his Spiritual Master, because the guru is the representative of Krsna.
"So guru has ordered me to do it. Oh, that is my life. I do not know whether I will be promoted to heaven or hell. It doesn't matter. I shall execute..."
Srila Prabhupada then takes a swipe at the Indian government. Dr. Patel has been a member of Congress for a number of years. Apparently there was someone in Congress who stated that bhajan is a nuisance, and Srila Prabhupada asked Dr. Patel why he didn't speak up against this nonsense talk? It is simply due to Kali Yuga that the Indian government would say such a thing.
Another statement that Srila Prabhupada made should be the motto for all devotees:
"The first thing is one must have rigid, staunch faith in Krsna. That is the qualification. Other things may be little deviation. It doesn't matter. The first thing is whether he is sticking to Krsna consciousness. Then he is sadhu."
Another very important philosophical point that was brought up was Srila Prabhupada pointing out that in the Bhagavad-gita was about Krsna not making promises:
"He says Arjuna, that "You declare this." Because sometimes for His devotee He breaks His promise. But because His devotee Arjuna will promise, it will be never frustrated. "Oh, My devotee has promised."
It becomes obvious during the conversation that Dr. Patel is attached to Dr. Radhakrishnan, and Srila Prabhupada makes sure that he slams this Dr. Radhakrishna:
"Yes, that's all right. After reading the whole Ramayana he is asking, "Whose father is Sita?" Similarly, this Dr. Radhakrishnan, after reading the whole chapter, he is advising, "It is not to Krsna." Just see how much rascal he is. And he is passing on as a great scholar."
Srila Prabhupada goes back and re-emphases the fact that this movement is very scientific, and it's based 100% on the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita, and we should be very proud of this fact.
He also puts down Nehru, who he knew in person. In fact, Nehru's family lived close to Srila Prabhupada's pharmacy in Allahabad, and Nehru used to come and order certain things from him. But Nehru was so Europeanized that it was disgusting to Srila Prabhupada, and he gives one example where Nehru came in and wanted some special hairbrush made in Europe. He also took note that Srila Prabhupada himself had invented a poultice and most of the Dr.'s there were prescribing this poultice, but when Nehru found out if was produced in India he wouldn't use it. Everything had to be manufactured in Europe to suit him. If a European came he'd immediately give him audience, but if an Indian came, he'd make him wait for hours.
Srila Prabhupada ends the morning walk with a subtle but very important message to Dr. Patel about the kshatriyas, which he himself was as a member of Parliament. When the brahmans saw the kshatriyas going off and not doing the right thing, they would immediately offer them advice and the kshatriyas should execute this advice. Throughout his life, Srila Prabhupada was always taking the opportunity to give advice to the politicians, from Gandhi to Nehru to whoever would listen. Of course, his advice was usually ignored, but he saw it as his duty to offer it. Now he's giving the same advice to Dr. Patel, although there's no indication the Doctor saw that's what was happening. Srila Prabhupada always speaks out of a sense of duty to speak the truth, regardless of whether people want to hear what he has to say or not.
