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That faith is elevating them?

During his massage, which he took inside his room because the sun was too hot, Srila Prabhupada heard the beautiful tones of various bhajanas coming from the neighboring room. He asked me who was singing. Harikesa Maharaja told me that it was a record called Vrindavana which was produced in France by our devotees, featuring the voices of Manibandha dasa and Kausalya dasi. Srila Prabhupada liked it very much. With his eyes half closed as I massaged the mustard oil into his back, he recalled how he had first met Kausalya in Hawaii. She had been living on a beach, he said, and he had convinced her to become a devotee. He is always pleased to see his disciples, many of whom were hippies and dropouts, become useful in Krishna consciousness and live constructive, meaningful lives. 

The devotees here are not formally worshipping a Deity, nor is there much of a morning program, apart from chanting japa. But they have a small altar and pictures of Guru and Gauranga which they normally keep upstairs beyond the view of casual visitors. Sixteen-inch marble deities of Radha and Krishna are here, but Atreya Rishi prabhu has not yet allowed Them to be worshipped. This has apparently been a source of some debate amongst the devotees, some thinking it maya to not have a program of Deity worship. Atreya Rishi, however, is aware of the potential danger, Moslems prohibit the worship of any specific personal form of God and consider deity worship a great offense. And since they frequently have Moslem guests, Atreya Rishi doesn't want to take any risk. On the other hand, Indian guests are reluctant to come because they can not wholly take to a temple lacking Deities. Atreya Rishi intends to purchase another building, so that they can have two separate meeting places, thus resolving the dilemma. But still he feels they cannot sustain the strict standards of daily Radha-Krishna worship because of a lack of manpower. 

Nandarani came to see Srila Prabhupada this afternoon for advice on this and other matters concerning her service. Prabhupada agreed with Atreya Rishi's strategy and suggested that they worship Gaura-Nitai Deities, because They can be worshipped simply by kirtana. Or if they want, he said they can worship Sri Sri Radha-Krishna with a reduced program of only three offerings and aratis a day (mangala, raj-bhoga, and sundara) along with daily bathing and dressing of Their Lordships. He indicated that he had no objection to them beginning the Deity worship in this house, but because Atreya Rishi feels another house is needed, Prabhupada is willing to go along with that. Nandarani also detailed her personal preaching program. She is teaching about thirty Indian children devotional songs and practices two days a week. Their parents are all business people and have little time to inculcate their offspring with their own culture. In fact, Nandarani said the children were just like western children, who knew nothing of Vedic life-style and spirituality. So the parents are very happy that Nandarani is giving them some education in kirtana, puja and Krishna's pastimes. They even pay a small tuition fee of $15 or $20. Now she has formed the children into a drama troupe and they meet each day to practice "The Birth of Lord Krishna." Its performance will be the highlight of their Janmashtami celebrations, to be held on August 18. They expect an audience of about 400 Indians to attend. 

Srila Prabhupada also discussed some philosophy with her. Pointing out that Moslems offer prayers, he said that unless God was a person, how could He accept them? If their prayers were for the glorification of Allah, that meant that He must have glorious activities. Quoting the Brahma-samhita he said, "The Lord is tending cows and He's surrounded by so many goddesses of fortune, gopis. These things are described. So the Lord's activities, Lord's place, how He is surrounded by other devotees or servitors, how He is tending? these are prayers. So what is their prayer? Did you try to understand? What do they offer?" Nandarani said they don't emphasize how He is great, just that He is great. "Then there is the proof of less intelligence," Srila Prabhupada said. "God is great, very good. But how He is great? What is the conception of greatness? You accept me as spiritual master, great; so you have got some conception of greatness. That you see in your spiritual master, therefore you accept him. And if you have no conception of greatness, what is the meaning of 'He is great'? They do not understand what is God, what is religion. Traditional, you can say superstition or some idea; actually no clear conception of religion. No idea in the world, except that in this Krishna consciousness movement. All vague ideas; 'God is great,' that's all. How He is great and worshipable? Who is God? And our ideal is to love God. So if I do not know about God, if I do not know who is God, then where is the question of love?" "But their faith is there," Nandarani pointed out. "That is good, but that is called bhakta prakrita smritah. That is not exactly on the transcendental platform. In the material platform, just appreciating some great power beyond our reach, that's all. Not clear idea, therefore they are disturbed when they think form. Form means limitation, they think. They do not know. Nobody knows, except in our Krishna consciousness movement. Why we have described about God in so many books? But they have this idea, very poor idea. But they are accepting God is great, that will help in future." "That faith is elevating them?" 

Nandarani asked. "Someday, if they come in contact with a real devotee, they'll appreciate. Just like you are coming. So they have to meet some devotee, then they'll be benefited. With the present idea there will be very slow progress. Practically no progress, but even there is little progress, very slow. So unless they come in contact with a pure devotee." I suggested they could get that contact through Prabhupada's books, and Nandarani also said that if they distributed Prabhupada's books and prasadam, that was as good as meeting Prabhupada personally. "No, personally also, you can do," Prabhupada said. "If they come, you instruct them. But the prasadam and book distribution is very important line. If he's intelligent, by reading books will help him. In Europe and America, you have got intelligence. By reading books, they are coming to the sense." Srila Prabhupada was pleased to hear Nandarani inform him that, because Iranians were not familiar with English, they were planning to get Sri Isopanishad translated, as well as the essay "Who is Crazy."


Reference: Transcendental Diary Volume 4 by Hari Sauri Dasa





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