Srila Prabhupada Nectar
“Every vote,” Prabhupada explained with confidence, “was a vote for Krsna.”
On Friday in Melbourne, it will launch its campaign with chanting, dancing, free food distribution and lecturing. The candidate for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness is Mr Phillip Scott, 25, an Economics Graduate. He will contest the blue ribbon seat of Melbourne held by Mr Innis (Labor).The Hare Krishna policy speech will be given at the office of the Spiritual Sky Incense Company. The official opening of the campaign will be followed by a public rally on Parliament House steps.According to Hare Krishna campaign organiser, Mr Scott offers a proven, practical and positive alternative political platform.
It is based on a three-point program for a progressive society — honest leadership; education and spiritual culture; and progressive environmental development.
Currently Mr Scott is a student of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Sabhapati launched his campaign on the steps of Parliament House on Friday, 27 April. The Age, in an article entitled A Hare Krishna goes to the Polls reported on the press conference held at campaign headquarters afterwards:
The incense with the policy speech was perhaps a little different, but the shaven head on top of the business suit was disconcerting, to say the least. But disconcerting or not, the ‘In God We Trust’ Party today launched a campaign for the House of Representatives, maintaining it has the answer to every problem in our society — from inflation to venereal disease.
The party’s candidate, an Economics Graduate, Mr Phillip Scott, 25, will contest the blue ribbon Labor seat of Melbourne. The party is an attempt by the Hare Krishna movement to spread its way of life and bliss through politics.
The writer of the article questioned further: “Since politicians with somewhat less austere policies had failed in their electorate, what did Mr Scott see as his advantage over them?”
Sabhapati had answered: “My faith in God and our three-point program for a progressive society.”
Twenty-five-year-old university graduate Phillip Scott had first come in contact with Krsna consciousness on receiving a Back to Godhead magazine on the streets of Melbourne in 1971. Later he had purchased a copy of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is, and had read it with keen interest. One year later, “Scotty” travelled to Perth and met up with Vegavan at Western Australia’s first ISKCON centre at 555 Fitzgerald Street in Kewdale. There he enjoyed prasadam and especially the stimulating philosophical discussion with Vegavan. After meeting devotees at the Aquarius Festival, and meeting Syamananda, then Madhudvisa, Scotty started chanting regularly. Finally, just before the 1973 Melbourne Ratha-yatra, he decided to become a full-time devotee.Scotty had been very fortunate to accompany the Australian devotees on their first India pilgrimage to Mayapur. There, on Gaura Purnima day, 1974, he had accepted spiritual initiation from Srila Prabhupada, receiving the new name Sabhapati dasa. While in India, Sabhapati and Caru had been impressed when they heard that two of Prabhupada’s American disciples — Balavanta and Rupanuga — were planning to enter the political arena in Atlanta, Georgia. On returning to Australia, Sabhapati and Caru wrote to Prabhupada with their proposed plans to do the same. Srila Prabhupada wrote back an encouraging reply:Your entering politics is good. You should make political propagation on the basis of reforming the whole human society. The leaders must be an ideal class of men, with ideal character, free from the four sinful activities: no meat-eating, no gambling, no illicit sex and no intoxications, as well as chanting. They should chant the names of God. This is essential for leaders. Leaders must be ideal men so others will follow them. So make propaganda on this basis. We are Krishna conscious candidates, so our political propaganda must be one hundred per cent Krishna conscious.Prabhupada was well aware of the sorry state of affairs in modern society. He constantly stressed in his lectures, letters and writing that modern, materialistic civilisation was misdirected towards sense gratification. Such desires pervaded every sphere of life, and were the root cause of suffering. As he had explained in a letter to Balavanta, it was the duty of the leaders of society to guide the citizens. However,At the present moment, our leaders are simply misleading people, and the people in general are innocently following them to their ruin. So it is very much our duty to come to their aid and point out exactly how this sinful living, namely, slaughtering animals, intoxication, illicit sex life, and gambling, is so much degrading to the human kind and how it is only producing hippies, wars, and endless suffering as a result.
Far from being an ideal class, modern-day administrators were of very low character. As Prabhupada explained to Balavanta:
Politicians today are simply pickpockets, tricking the voters to pick their pockets. They make promises to gratify the public’s senses, but then they only gratify their own senses and the public throws them out, repeatedly.
The solution, Prabhupada said, was in strong Krsna conscious leadership.
If we are able to establish Krishna conscious leaders throughout the country in important posts, we will be able to save everyone from the present dangerous position of the world. We must establish qualified brahmanas at the head of the society, and widely distribute Krishna conscious principles.
Tuesday, 25 June 1974The early morning air was crisp as the Alitalia jet touched down on the airport tarmac. The sight of the plane sent the devotees crowded on the observation deck into a frenzy. They raced back to the International terminal and started chanting ecstatically to receive His Divine Grace. Since Prabhupada had chosen to visit only Melbourne this time, virtually every devotee in the entire Australasian zone had converged there. Madhudvisa, remembering the many bungled arrival receptions of the past, had been determined to make this one a success. He had hired a luxurious, chauffeur-driven maroon Rolls Royce to drive Prabhupada to the temple; it didn’t seem like anything could go wrong. Devotees waved flags and banners, blew conches, danced and chanted unabashedly before the customs doors, jumping and straining to see Prabhupada as the doors opened and closed.Customs authorities had agreed — in consideration for his age and VIP status — to allow Prabhupada to circumvent the usual protocol, which would normally have kept him queued up with the regular passengers. As a result, the devotees hoped that Prabhupada would move through customs quickly. Suddenly, a devotee from the back of the crowd yelled “Prabhupada!” Devotees turned and to their surprise saw Prabhupada standing humbly behind them. Customs authorities had indeed given Prabhupada special priority, and allowed him out through the VIP exit without informing anyone. The devotees had been at the wrong gate! Since Satsvarupa was detained, Prabhupada had walked the short distance alone. The airport was quiet for a moment as the devotees fell to the ground in obeisances. Then the kirtana resumed, louder and more blissful than before. Flower petals were thrown in the air, cameras flashed, and the reception party, now holding a blue-and-gold mirrored umbrella over Prabhupada’s head, surged down the corridor to the press lounge.Prabhupada, tanned from his two-months’ stay in Bombay, looked graceful and aristocratic. A dark woollen shawl hung over one shoulder. In one hand he carried a bamboo cane and a large bouquet of yellow dahlias, and his white travel bag in the other. Entering the lounge, Prabhupada sat, removing all but one of the many flower garlands around his neck. Despite the long, taxing journey, Srila Prabhupada, smiling brightly, appeared fresh and relaxed.The kirtana roared. TV and newspaper reporters jostled and knelt beside Prabhupada, notebooks and pens poised. Film crews quickly adjusted their microphones and cameras. Prabhupada seemed unaffected by the fanfare, and, propping his cane next to his right knee, put his hand inside his bead bag and chanted.
Madhudvisa Swami, brightly dressed in orange silk, shaven head glistening with perspiration under the hot press lights, brought the kirtana to a close. The devotees settled in, cross-legged and attentive. Prabhupada’s eyes slowly scanned the room, briefly scrutinising every face.
As the press conference began, it appeared that many of the journalists were somewhat hostile. A young reporter, perplexed by the devotees’ reverence, wanted to know why the devotees had pressed their faces to the ground in obeisances at Prabhupada’s arrival. Prabhupada answered soberly, unfazed by the reporter’s aggressive mood: “The devotees prostrate themselves because the Kingdom of God is for the humble and meek. I am teaching them how to become humble and meek. I have to collect obeisances as a tax collector has to collect taxes.”
Another reporter, displaying the attitude of irreverent interrogation typical of his kind, made an issue out of the devotees’ fund-raising on the streets of Melbourne. “Have you any idea how much money the sect makes every year?” he asked.
Prabhupada grinned, “We can spend all the money of the world”.
The devotees roared, “Haribol!”
Prabhupada added with a twinkle in his eye, “Unfortunately, you do not give us the money.” The devotees laughed and Prabhupada grinned even more.
“We’re spending,” Prabhupada continued, “at least, at the present moment, $800,000 per month.”
“On what, Your Grace?”
“On this propaganda, all over the world. And we are selling our books, not less than $40,000 per month.”
A female reporter asked Prabhupada if he liked to work. Prabhupada opened his eyes widely and looked her straight in the eyes. “We are working more than you — twenty-four hours. In my old age I am travelling all over the world.”
“But don’t you get a lot of your money from begging?” asked another reporter.
Prabhupada shook his head. “No, no — first of all you see — working — you cannot work more than us. Because I am an old man, 79 years old and I am travelling always, all over the world, twice, thrice in a year. You cannot work so much, at least.”
On hearing Prabhupada’s frank reply, the devotees cheered and again chanted, “Jaya! Haribol!”
Another reporter expressed his disapproval of the luxury car waiting for Prabhupada outside the airport terminal. “Your Grace, er, your religion is a very ascetic one. Will you be living ascetically in Melbourne? We’re told that you’ll be taken away in a Rolls Royce.”
“Our religion does not say asceticism. Our religion teaches to love God.” Prabhupada pointed to the reporter’s stylish suit. “You can love God in your, this, dress. There is no harm.”
“But it is a self-denying religion, isn’t it?”
Prabhupada shook his head slightly. “No, no. Not self-denying. We are using everything; why self-denying? We simply use whatever is absolutely necessary, that’s all.”
The reporter was not about to back down. “But wouldn’t it be better that you were travelling in a much smaller car, less pretentious?”
But Prabhupada was not about to relent, either. “Why? If you give me a Rolls Royce to travel in, why shall I refuse it? It is my favour upon you that I accept this. The guru is the representative of the Supreme Lord. Krsna rides in a golden chariot. What is this Rolls Royce? Tin, rubber and wood. I say, ‘Rolls Royce is not enough!’”
The devotees laughed at Srila Prabhupada’s bold frankness; he had pulled no punches and certainly wasn’t intimidated by the press. They had come looking for hot scandal, but he had given them cool-headed facts. He left them baffled by his transcendental style.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami prepared for Prabhupada’s massage, meditating on his good fortune at becoming Srila Prabhupada’s personal servant. Six months before, on a travelling book distribution party in Texas, Satsvarupa had received an urgent phone message to call Los Angeles.It was Karandhara who broke the news over the phone: Srutakirti dasa was going to get married and could no longer travel throughout the world accompanying Srila Prabhupada. Some of the devotees had been thinking for the past few days who would become Srila Prabhupada’s new servant, and Srila Prabhupada had suggested Satsvarupa, since he could type and edit as Srila Prabhupada produced his Srimad-Bhagavatam translations and purports.Satsvarupa had been incredulous, feeling as if the greatest benediction had descended upon him; certainly it was the most wonderful thing imaginable for a young sannyasi disciple of Srila Prabhupada.He had immediately flown to Los Angeles where Srutakirti showed him the servant’s tasks: when to enter Srila Prabhupada’s room in the morning to bring his medicine and eucalyptus twig toothbrush, when to be ready to accompany him on his morning walks, what to make for his breakfast, when and how to prepare for the morning massage and how to cook lunch.It was certainly a lot to learn at once, but Satsvarupa tried his best. He remembered fondly the first day he watched Srutakirti massage Prabhupada. Prabhupada turned to Satsvarupa and said, “Are you going to give the massage?”
Satsvarupa had answered that, on Srutakirti’s advice, he was going to “watch and learn”. Prabhupada had mildly smiled and said, “That is like learning to swim from the land,” and all three had laughed. He had, in his capacity as servant, accompanied Prabhupada to Hawaii, Tokyo, Hong Kong and across India for four months. Then a fast-paced tour through Europe — Rome, Geneva, Paris, Germany — and now Melbourne.
At 11.15am, Satsvarupa put on his gamcha and entered Prabhupada’s room, ready to massage His Divine Grace. This was the high point of the day for Satsvarupa. As Srila Prabhupada sat cross-legged on a mat, he rubbed mustard oil over Prabhupada’s smooth skin, starting with the top of his head. Prabhupada relaxed with half-closed eyes, and allowed his body to rock slightly with the movements of the massage. “Harder,” Prabhupada announced, and it soon took all of Satsvarupa’s strength and stamina to keep going.
For forty minutes, Satsvarupa massaged his head, then his back, his chest, then his arms, hands, legs and feet. When he finished, Prabhupada held out his right hand as Satsvarupa poured a little mustard seed oil which Prabhupada took and applied within his nostrils. Then he rose to take his bath.
Satsvarupa was feeling more at ease than he had in Europe. Since cooking was an art that he had yet to master, he had been happy when Dipak had volunteered for the service during Prabhupada’s Melbourne visit. Yet Dipak, usually a proficient cook, was today not his usual confident self. He was nervously dropping butter on the floor, sliding chapatis off the stove and boiling over the milk when he noticed Srila Prabhupada at the kitchen door. Prabhupada, standing bare-chested after his bath, was smiling as he watched Dipak’s attempts to cook lunch. Returning to his room, Srila Prabhupada applied the marks of Vaisnava tilaka with great attention and sat, head slightly back, to chant his noon-time Gayatri mantra.
Meanwhile, Dipak was coming to the end of a very chaotic morning in the kitchen. He quickly poured freshly-squeezed lemon juice into the pot of steaming hot basmati rice, spooned out a generous serving, adjusted the bowls of dal and vegetables, popped on a couple of hot chapatis and raced the plate into Prabhupada’s room.
Prabhupada sat on a low cushion behind his glass-topped table, on the white-linen-covered floor. He nodded appreciatively as Dipak placed the plate on the table, offered obeisances and quickly exited.
Feeling relieved that lunch was on time, Dipak returned to the kitchen to clean up the scene of devastation. He especially hoped that Srila Prabhupada would enjoy the rice today. He had recently heard — although he couldn’t remember where from — that Prabhupada liked lemon juice on it.
Satsvarupa Goswami broke Dipak’s daydream. “Dipak! Srila Prabhupada would like to see you.” Dipak wiped his hands and rushed into the room.
Prabhupada was looking up inquisitively. “What is the matter with this?” he asked, pointing to the untouched mound of rice on his plate. “It is sour!” Dipak stumbled out an answer. “Oh … I put lemon juice on it, Srila Prabhupada.” Prabhupada looked disappointed. Dipak volunteered to cook more.
“No,” Srila Prabhupada answered. “Bring some milk and sugar.”
Srila Prabhupada sprinkled sugar all over the rice, poured on the milk, and took it as dessert. After lunch, Prabhupada again called Dipak into his room. “Tomorrow,” he reassured him, “I will teach you how to cook.”
It was the coldest Melbourne winter for some years. Despite the electric fan heater going full blast in his room, Srila Prabhupada felt chilled. Towards late afternoon he called his young disciple Cittahari, and asked him to get a replacement heater. Not only was this one not warming the room, he said, but it was too noisy. Cittahari rushed off, and later returned with two kerosene heaters. The room became somewhat warmer. Soon, however, Prabhupada again called Cittahari, complaining that the new heaters emanated a bad smell. “They’re poisoning me,” he said.Cittahari asked Prabhupada, “So you would like a heater that makes no noise and doesn’t smell?”"Ah, yes,” Prabhupada replied, “that is wanted.”Cittahari purchased an electric bar heater, and it met with Prabhupada’s approval. For the rest of the visit, when devotees would come to see him in his room, Prabhupada would sometimes point out, “This heater doesn’t smell and doesn’t make any noise.”These sometimes small and domestic dealings of Prabhupada with his disciples might be seen by someone outside of devotional service as of little consequence. To the devotees, however, they were always important because the devotees held the pleasure of their spiritual master as the supreme value in life. If the spiritual master, Krsna’s representative, was pleased by even a little service, they reasoned, then that meant that Krsna was pleased.
Prabhupada’s first evening class was based on Chapter 13 of Bhagavad-gita, verses 22-24. Prabhupada explained how, out of ignorance, the living entities in the material world were claiming to be the enjoyer, purusa, when in actual fact they were prakrti, the enjoyed. Ultimately, Krsna was the supreme enjoyer.”Just like in this temple. Who is the enjoyer? Krsna is the enjoyer. We are helping in Krsna’s enjoyment. Krsna will eat something very nice. Our business is to prepare it nicely and offer to Krsna. He is the enjoyer. He is enjoying His flute in the company of Srimati Radharani. So His very position is enjoyer and we are His servants. We don’t claim that we are on an equal level with Krsna. That is not our philosophy. We claim to be servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of Krsna. This is our position.”Srila Prabhupada glanced lovingly at the altar: “Krsna has become your guest. Just like you have brought Krsna here. He is very kind. Because you are devotees, you want to serve Krsna, so Krsna has come in your temple in a form which you can very easily serve. Krsna does not require your service, but He is so kind that He is accepting your service. You are bathing the Deity, you are dressing the Deity, offering flowers, garlands, and whatever preparations you can make, you are offering Krsna. So Krsna has accepted your service in a form which you can handle. That is His energy. And if you want to serve Krsna in His gigantic form, His universal form, you do not know where to catch Him. That is not possible.”The secret of real enjoyment, Prabhupada concluded, was allowing oneself to be enjoyed by Krsna. “The devotees are always anxious, ‘Here, Krsna is the enjoyer, and we are the enjoyed’. So our business is to see how I am being enjoyed by Krsna, by serving Him. This is devotion, this is Krsna consciousness. So long you want to enjoy this material world, you are in the material world. And as soon as you offer yourself to be enjoyed by Krsna as servant, according to His order you serve, then immediately you are in the spiritual world. So you can become in the material world or the spiritual world as you desire. If you want to remain in the spiritual world, this temple is the spiritual world. We are not living in Melbourne. This temple is not Melbourne. It is Vaikuntha. It is Vrndavana.”To make up for Dipak’s disappointing attempts at lunch, Srila Prabhupada asked him to make urad dal kacauris that night. While Prabhupada spoke at the temple, Dipak stayed back at the house to prepare them. After soaking, grinding and spicing the filling, and preparing the pastry, Dipak cooked a big plate of the flaky, golden-brown delicacies the way Srila Prabhupada liked them: cooked once in hot ghee to puff them, then cooled and re-cooked a second time until they turned reddish. Srila Prabhupada enjoyed the crisp pastries with their tasty filling very much, and ate a few with mango pickle and hot milk.
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A few devotees, eager to learn whether Srila Prabhupada’s arrival press conference or interview had received any publicity, waited outside the local newsagency to purchase all the morning papers.The previous night’s Herald had already published a frivolously-worded article. Entitled “Even the Divine get Blueys” — referring to the parking ticket slapped onto the car’s windscreen by a zealous parking officer — the reporters made a point of mentioning their disapproval of Srila Prabhupada’s use of a Rolls Royce.It was obvious from the superficial news reports that, despite the fact that this was Prabhupada’s fourth visit to Australia, most press reporters still had no idea of Prabhupada’s actual position. To the press, Prabhupada was just another celebrity in a constant parade of faces and events.The morning’s Age followed in the same vein, with another sarcastic headline: “Divine Grace Comes Rollsing In.” It also displayed the press’ fascination with the trivial:Sixty young Hare Krishna devotees yesterday welcomed their earthly leader to the city with obeisances — but official Melbourne met him coolly. His Divine Grace Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada came out of the airport to find pink parking tickets on the windscreens of his Rolls Royce and two supporting cars.
The devotees were already disgusted with the fault-finding and negative press. But an article on page two of the morning’s Sun topped it off. The reporter who visited the previous night had totally misconstrued Prabhupada’s warnings about the dangers of sinking down to the animal kingdom. He had come to an amazing conclusion:
“Krishna Sect Founder: ‘I’ll return as Animal.’
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, is resigned to dying soon, then returning to Earth as an animal”
Amogha immediately started drafting a letter to the editor, asking that they publish what Prabhupada had actually said. By the time Prabhupada returned from his walk, the whole temple was discussing the article. “What will Prabhupada think about it?” they wondered.
The bright morning sun shone through the saffron curtains behind Prabhupada’s red and orange vyasasana. Srila Prabhupada was giving the morning class from the Second Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam to a packed temple room. The business of a saintly person, he explained, was to perform welfare work for the people in general, and the best welfare was to awaken people to their sad-dharma, or real occupational duties.
“At the moment, I may be working as an American, or a European, or an Australian, but this is temporary because the body is temporary. But as soon as this body is finished, I will begin another chapter of duty. Suppose this life I am a human being; next life I may not be a human being.”
Srila Prabhupada paused. Grinning, he looked around the room. “This statement was not liked by the newspaper man.”
The devotees laughed. Obviously Prabhupada had read the article. “He was told that next life you can become animal, so he has published in my name, ‘The Swami can become an animal’. The Swami can become an animal. The so-called swamis, they will become animal.” (More laughter).
“So that is not wrong. But we devotees, we are not afraid of becoming animal. Our only ambition is that we become Krsna conscious. So the animals, the cows, the calves who are Krsna conscious. You have seen the picture of Krsna? Yes. So, better that we should become animal of Krsna.
“So there is nothing wrong. Even if we become an animal of Krsna, that is also very worthy. That is not an ordinary thing. Any associate of Krsna, either his cowherd boyfriends, or calf or cows, or the Vrndavana trees, plants, flowers or water, they are all devotees of Krsna. They like to serve Krsna in different capacities. So to become an animal of Krsna is a great, great fortune.”
The devotees were delighted to hear Srila Prabhupada take positive meaning from the foolish article. But there was more. Simply the printing of the holy names, Hare Krsna, greatly benefited the readers, he explained, regardless of whether the names were mentioned in reverence or disrespect.
“Just like in the newspaper you hear so many news. But if you hear something about Krsna, that is the only perfect thing. That news has been published in many morning papers: ‘Krishna, the leader of the Krishna movement’ or ‘this Hare Krishna movement’ There is some vibration of the word ‘Krsna’.
“That makes the atmosphere purified, surcharged. So many thousands and millions of people will read, ‘Krsna’, willingly or unwillingly. That is their profit. Immediately they once utter the word ‘Krsna’, they become benefited. Never mind what is the news. We don’t care for that.” (Laughter)
The municipality of Bombay had denied permission to allow construction of a temple on the grounds that kirtana in the temple would be a “nuisance”. Giriraja brought this news to Prabhupada’s attention at the official end of the festival.The devotees, now enthusiastic and rejuvenated, prepared to return to their respective temples around the world. It was decided, however, that some of them be encouraged to stay on and hold massive kirtana programs in Bombay to convince residents of the value of Krsna consciousness.Madhudvisa suggested that the Australian devotees could go, since, being citizens of a Commonwealth country, they could travel freely in India without a visa. Prabhupada approved. Although some of the devotees were sick, the bedraggled group was soon en route to Bombay.Everyday, the eight or ten Australian devotees joined their Godbrothers from around the world on early morning harinama processions through the local neighbourhood, led by Dinanatha dasa, Jayasacinandana dasa, Acyutananda Swami and other expert kirtana leaders. Sometimes they were fortunate to attend Srila Prabhupada’s lively morning walks on Juhu Beach.After longer chanting processions later in the morning led by Visnujana Swami, sometimes in downtown Bombay and sometimes in nearby Santa Cruz or Ville Parle, devotees would return for lunch. After the heat of the day faded, the devotees would sit in the temple and sing bhajanas, then they would again go out to the surrounding markets and shopping areas, advertising Srila Prabhupada’s evening program at the temple.
In the night, after arriving in his jeep from the outskirts of Hare Krsna Land, Prabhupada would speak on Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 4 in the pandala tent adjoining the temple.
Balarama: After the lecture, there would be an arati ceremony where everyone of us danced very enthusiastically in front of Srila Prabhupada. Immediately after, Prabhupada would personally distribute the entire plate of Radha-Rasabihari’s mahaprasadam to all of us. We’d squeeze and push and shove forward to get a handful of halava and fruit that Prabhupada expertly pushed into our eager hands.
After two weeks, the Australian devotees became restless. They had so much work to do before Prabhupada’s imminent visit in Australia, they reasoned. Asking Giriraja to approach Srila Prabhupada on their behalf, they requested permission to return home on the plea of no engagement. Prabhupada sent back a stern message via Giriraja: “What is the question of ‘no engagement’? There are so many opportunities to read and chant. Don’t be impatient wanting to go here and there.” So the devotees resigned themselves to a further week in Bombay. Finally, after six long weeks in India, the devotees headed back, refreshed, enlivened and rejuvenated for another year’s preaching.
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In the chilly, pre-dawn hours, the devotees were fortunate to accompany Srila Prabhupada on his long morning walks down Chatikara Road, while in the evenings devotees would gather to hear Prabhupada, sometimes in his newly constructed rooms and other times at nearby Phogala Asrama.One night in his room, Amogha presented Srila Prabhupada with an exquisite framed photo of Sri Sri Radha-Vallabha in Melbourne. Krsna was dressed in loose-fitting gold and lavender pants with matching turban, His forehead and arms nicely decorated with colored patterns made from kumkum. Radha and Krsna appeared like a king and a queen. Srila Prabhupada voiced his appreciation of the picture: “Whoever dressed them was directly inspired by Krsna,” he said.The next morning, Srila Prabhupada spoke in a Srimad-Bhagavatam class about living in Vrndavana. “Everywhere is Vrndavana. Wherever there is Krsna’s temple, Krsna’s sankirtana, that is Vrndavana. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that: ‘My mind is always Vrndavana’. Because He’s always thinking of Krsna, Krsna is there. He’s Krsna Himself. Just to teach us. So similarly, anywhere you live, if you are actually a follower of the instructions of Krsna, as Krsna says: ‘man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru’, then that is Vrndavana. Wherever you live. Do not think that ‘because in Melbourne we have got a temple, the Melbourne Deities are there, so that is not Vrndavana’. That is also Vrndavana. If you worship the Deity very rigidly, follow the rules and regulations, so wherever you do that, that is Vrndavana.”Close
Later in his room, Prabhupada spoke more on the topical issue. His spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, in considering whether articles were worthy for publication, would count how many times the word “Krsna” or “Caitanya” had been used; if these holy names had been quoted sufficiently, he would say: “That’s all right. This can be used.”Prabhupada turned to Caru. “So, how many times has this man mentioned the word ‘Krsna’ in the article?”Caru quickly counted. “Seventeen times, Srila Prabhupada.”"And how many people live in Melbourne?”"At least a couple of million, Srila Prabhupada.”
Prabhupada smiled. “So that’s seventeen multiplied by two million times that the holy name of Krsna has been chanted.”
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While all this was going on, Srila Prabhupada entered the kitchen around mid-morning to show Dipak how to cook lunch. Despite Melbourne’s cold winter, the sun shone brightly through the windows of the little kitchen. Prabhupada stood without his shirt, his soft, golden skin glowing. He looked serious; his mood was that of an instructor. Forewarned, the devotees were peering in through the back screen door and peeping through the windows to witness the historic event.
Prabhupada expertly directed the whole event. Step-by-step, he demonstrated the timeless art of cooking: “Cut like this, add this much, fry like this .. ” All throughout, Prabhupada cooked with silent concentration, cleaning the stove and sink after each step, and periodically checking his wristwatch.
The crisp, white cauliflowers and potatoes were cut to size. Next they were placed in one compartment of Prabhupada’s gleaming, three-tiered brass cooker, the same one that he had brought to America in 1965, which sat on the small square stove. The rice and water were placed in the second compartment; mung beans, water and turmeric for the dal in the third.
“Turmeric,” Prabhupada pointed out, “is a blood purifier”.
Today he would show Dipak a special rich vegetable dish. He directed Dipak to cut eggplants into very large cubes — almost five centimetres square. Panir cheese — which Dipak had made earlier — was cut into similarly sized chunks. The potatoes were cut only slightly smaller. All were deep-fried in small batches in the pan of fresh hot ghee. Prabhupada stressed that the panir cheese had to be cooked until very dark brown. There was no joking and no talking other than these serious instructions.
Dipak’s chapati dough had been too dry and hard, so Srila Prabhupada made another batch which he had subsequently submerged in a bowl of water. Draining off the water and kneading in a little more atta (whole-wheat flour), Prabhupada indicated the correct consistency: “As soft as your ear-lobe”, he said, squeezing his own left ear to demonstrate.
When the vegetables and panir cubes were all fried, Srila Prabhupada heated some ghee in a saucepan and deftly sprinkled in cumin seeds and crushed red chillies. As the spices darkened, he added a sprinkle of asafoetida and turmeric, and a small amount of finely cut fresh tomato. The pan sizzled, especially when Prabhupada poured in a few cups of fresh whey, the liquid residue from the panir cheese. He slid the potatoes and panir cubes into the pan, followed by the eggplant and salt, and simmered them slowly.
Next he heated another small pan, added some ghee and spices and the cooked potatoes and cauliflower from the steamer, and briefly sauteed them, pouring in a little water to form a gravy which thickened and stuck to form a sizzling crust. Ghee was heated in a third little pan, and cumin, chilli and whole coriander seeds were heated, browned, and thrown crackling into the smooth, yellow dal soup. Srila Prabhupada finally spooned off the whole spice seeds from the simmering dal, then left for his massage and bath.
After bathing, he re-entered the kitchen and cooked the first few chapatis which all obediently ballooned, emitting little puffs of steam as they reached bursting point.
Everything was done in exactly one and a half hours, including the massage and bathing. Srila Prabhupada finally sat down, the cooking class completed, and prepared to take his lunch.
Pointing to the large, rich, dark chunks of fried panir cheese, now puffed and juicy from slow simmering in seasoned gravy, he smiled and looked up at Dipak. “You should cook this for the meat-eaters. They will very much appreciate. It is a ‘meat-eater’s delight’.”
For the cooks at the Melbourne branch of Srila Prabhupada’s International Society for Krishna Consciousness, this was an historic culinary moment.
Prabhupada gave his decision. “She knows the art,” he said with a grin.
Prabhupada spoke to the few senior men present about his early days as a householder. It was in Calcutta in 1922 that he had first met his spiritual master, whom he had immediately accepted as a “very nice saintly person”. In 1923, Prabhupada had established his pharmaceutical headquarters — Prayaga Pharmacy — in Allahabad, where he later eagerly assisted members of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s mission, the Gaudiya Matha, in their preaching efforts in 1928.
Prabhupada spoke in earnest of how Krsna had made arrangements that his business life would fail. If one wanted to be an actual devotee of Krsna, he explained, but at the same time kept his material attachments, then Krsna would take away all his attachments and force him to surrender.
This, Prabhupada admitted, had actually happened in his life. Not only did his business fail, but on several occasions he dreamt that Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was calling him to take sannyasa. It was by his grace, Srila Prabhupada humbly admitted, that he was forced to give up his so-called family and business life, and take up preaching “the gospel of Krsna consciousness”.
