June 22, 1971 : Moscow
Satsvarupa: Aside from Srila Prabhupada's desire to preach to the Russian people, he had a specific meeting in mind with a Russian Indology Professor, Grigoriy Kotovsky, who headed the department of Indian and South Asian studies at Moscow's U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences, and Prabhupada had been corresponding with him for a year. On June 22, Prabhupada had Syamasundara arrange a meeting with him.
Prabhupada and his party rode outside the city to Professor Kotovsky's office in an old white brick building at the Academy of Sciences. When Prabhupada arrived, the middle-aged Russian professor, dressed in a gray suit, got up from his cluttered desk and welcomed Prabhupada into his small office. Professor Kotovsky appeared a bit hesitant, however, more cautious than in his letters. When Syamasundara mentioned Prabhupada's eagerness to lecture before interested scholars at the Academy, Professor Kotovsky flatly refused - it would never be allowed. Prabhupada was disappointed. The next moment, however, Prabhupada seemed unaffected and began speaking in his humble, genteel manner, sitting in a straight-backed office chair beside Professor Kotovsky, who sat at his desk. Syamasundara turned on the tape recorder, which the professor eyed cautiously but didn't object to.
Srila Prabhupada: I talked with one professor in Moscow, Professor Kotovsky. He teaches at the Soviet Academy of Sciences. I had a talk with him for about an hour. He said, "After this body is annihilated, everything is finished." I was surprised that he told me this. He is known to be a very good scholar, yet still he does not know about the soul.
After finishing his conversation with the professor, Prabhupada asked him to call a taxi. Professor Kotovsky apologized and said that it would be impossible to get a taxi. Professor Kotovsky then personally accompanied Prabhupada to the door and showed him a shortcut back to his hotel. Prabhupada explained that from this incident, he could understand that the people of Russia were unhappy. He said that in no other city in the world had he seen so many people walking in the street.
Prabhupada and his party rode outside the city to Professor Kotovsky's office in an old white brick building at the Academy of Sciences. When Prabhupada arrived, the middle-aged Russian professor, dressed in a gray suit, got up from his cluttered desk and welcomed Prabhupada into his small office. Professor Kotovsky appeared a bit hesitant, however, more cautious than in his letters. When Syamasundara mentioned Prabhupada's eagerness to lecture before interested scholars at the Academy, Professor Kotovsky flatly refused - it would never be allowed. Prabhupada was disappointed. The next moment, however, Prabhupada seemed unaffected and began speaking in his humble, genteel manner, sitting in a straight-backed office chair beside Professor Kotovsky, who sat at his desk. Syamasundara turned on the tape recorder, which the professor eyed cautiously but didn't object to.
Srila Prabhupada: I talked with one professor in Moscow, Professor Kotovsky. He teaches at the Soviet Academy of Sciences. I had a talk with him for about an hour. He said, "After this body is annihilated, everything is finished." I was surprised that he told me this. He is known to be a very good scholar, yet still he does not know about the soul.
After finishing his conversation with the professor, Prabhupada asked him to call a taxi. Professor Kotovsky apologized and said that it would be impossible to get a taxi. Professor Kotovsky then personally accompanied Prabhupada to the door and showed him a shortcut back to his hotel. Prabhupada explained that from this incident, he could understand that the people of Russia were unhappy. He said that in no other city in the world had he seen so many people walking in the street.
Reference: Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta Volume 4 & Srila Prabhupada Nectar - Satsvarupa dasa Goswami & Mission in Service of His Divine Grace - Riddha dasa Adhikari
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