The transcendental competition is nice. If Jayatirtha Prabhu defeats Tamal Krishna Maharaja, then Tamal will have heart failure. Go on selling books.
After a three-and-a-half-hour journey the train pulled into the modest Nellore railway station.
The sannyasis and devotees from Madras had all traveled ahead on the road. Together with a very large and eager group of local residents, they gave Srila Prabhupada a tumultuous welcome. The devotees have been preaching in Nellore for several weeks, making many Life Members and preparing for Srila Prabhupada's visit; thus many people were anxiously awaiting his arrival.
Prabhupada got down from the carriage first, followed by Tamal Krishna and Harikesa. The huge crowd on the platform promptly swallowed him up.
When I finally struggled out of the carriage carrying two suitcases, a shoulder bag, and the bag with the tiffin and cooker, I was amazed to see, through a jam of sweating bodies, Srila Prabhupada just about to disappear under a huge wreath of marigolds. He was patiently standing, hands held together in traditional pranama, while fifty or sixty people lined up to place garlands around his neck. I dropped the cases and barged through. By the time I reached him the flowers were just beginning to rise above the top of his ears. Harikesa and Tamal Krishna Maharaja stood immobilized to the side, looking somewhat overwhelmed by the whole affair.
Stopping the chain of presentation for a moment, I removed all the garlands but two. They were so heavy that I had difficulty lifting them, but Srila Prabhupada had stood very patiently to allow everyone to come forward and drape their offerings around his neck. He was visibly relieved when I removed the garlands. Then as the rest of the crowd moved up one at a time and offered their garlands I immediately removed them, never allowing more than two or three to accumulate at once.
When everyone had made their offering, Prabhupada walked out to the waiting car, followed by chanting devotees and mobbed by the enthusiastic residents of Nellore.
Harikesa came up to me and demanded to know where the suitcases were.
"Oh, no! I left them on the platform!" I had forgotten all about them in my rush to aid Srila Prabhupada, and I earned another acerbic rebuke from Harikesa for my foolishness. Fortunately, when the crowd cleared, the suitcases were still where I had left them. Harikesa did admit, however, that I had acted correctly and promptly where he had failed regarding Prabhupada's personal situation.
Srila Prabhupada was extremely pleased by the whole reception.
However, the arrival at our lodgings was a different story.
Turning off into a side road next to the Tirupati Tirumali Devastanams Kalyanam Mandapam on the southern outskirts just off National Highway 5, we came to the main gates of an enclosed estate. It is owned by our hosts, two sisters, Sujathamma Rebala and Subhaprada Kattamanchi, members of the former royal family of the area. Prabhupada has been invited to stay with them for the next five days.
The estate is divided into two sections of seven and two acres, all surrounded by a ten foot-high wall. The sisters are donating both parcels of land to ISKCON. We plan to construct a temple on the smaller plot, and it is to inaugurate this work that Srila Prabhupada has come. He is going to install the foundation stone tomorrow.
The two-acre plot is completely undeveloped and rather barren, except for a small house at the back where Acyutananda and Yasodanandana Swamis' party is staying. The seven-acre plot has a large bungalow for its main residence, separate servants' quarters, a couple of small out-houses, and partially cultivated gardens with some flowers, bottle palm trees, and vegetable patches. This larger acreage will be donated on the demise of the sisters.
Getting out of the car at the main gate Prabhupada was met by the sisters. Together we all walked the short distance down the drive to the main house. The driveway ended in a small circle with a fountain in the middle at the front of the house. At the side of this, out in the open, we passed a small bust of Krishna with a cow. We also noted tulasi plants growing here and there along the garden borders.
Because of our plan to establish a temple here, Mahamsa Swami said that many people in Nellore have given their support and have become Life Members. The local newspaper has featured an article describing the activities of ISKCON, showing pictures of the devotees performing street sankirtana and conducting pandala programs.
A large pandala has been arranged in the city center for the next few days, with Srila Prabhupada as the center of attraction.
The two sisters' reception of Prabhupada was cordial, but there was a distinct coolness in their temperament, which we all noticed. They gave him a small but pleasant room with a grilled-in veranda. We servants were shown to a room directly above him on the roof. Srila Prabhupada immediately got ready for his massage.
As we sat on the veranda and I began to apply the oil to his head, we heard a familiar clucking noise across the pathway. "What is that?" Prabhupada asked.
I looked out through the grilled window and saw a hen coop. "It's chickens, Srila Prabhupada."
"Oh. Then that means?"
"Well, it means that at least they are eating eggs," I said, trying to be optimistic.
"Call Harikesa."
Harikesa came in, visibly disturbed. "Srila Prabhupada, these people are meat eaters!"
"Oh. Then you must cook separately. You cannot cook in their kitchen. Do not use any of their pots or utensils."
"Srila Prabhupada, there's something wrong here. These people are crazy!" Harikesa complained.
Prabhupada bridled, "They are crazy, or you are crazy?"
Being extremely intelligent, on occasion Harikesa's reactions to a situation tend to be overly intense. On such occasions, Prabhupada has to help him properly channel his mental energy. Harikesa is completely dedicated to following Prabhupada's guidance, and a few quick words are usually sufficient to correct him. Yet in this instance he persisted.
"Well, crazy I may be," he conceded, "but there is definitely something strange going on. It's almost as if these people don't want us here. They invited us, but they are almost unfriendly towards us."
Prabhupada accepted his observation; our reception by the sisters had been decidedly muted, in contrast to the enthusiasm at the railway station. But he gave them the benefit of the doubt. "We are their guests," he said, "so we should deal with them politely. They may not yet be familiar with Krishna consciousness, but they are offering the land for the temple, and things should improve when they engage in service to Krishna."
In a discussion this afternoon the subject came up again, for we had all noticed the oddly cool attitude of our hosts, as if we were merely necessary inconveniences.
Prabhupada asked Mahamsa Swami for the deed of the gift of land, but it wasn't available. Mahamsa thought it was with Gopala Krishna, and Gopala thought Mahamsa had it. Prabhupada was a little annoyed at their incompetence. He instructed them to bring the deed as soon as possible so that he could check it.
Apart from this, Srila Prabhupada maintained his usual congenial mood and schedule.
Tamal Krishna Maharaja had brought some mail from America with him that he had read out when he first arrived but still needed replying to.
Prabhupada was enlivened to hear a letter Ramesvara wrote two weeks before the Christmas marathon. Ramesvara reported that three new airports had been legally opened for book distribution and that our lawyers were working on opening several more, thus giving great facility for increasing book sales.
He also had a question about the system of book distribution Prabhupada recently approved for the Radha-Damodara party, by which devotees could hand out big books for nominal sums, provided they covered the costs from other donations. Ramesvara wanted to know if the temples could also adopt this method, for previously big books had only been given to people who donated at least three or four dollars. The Radha-Damodara traveling sankirtana party ordered 50,000 books for December alone, and Ramesvara thought that distribution would increase tremendously if the temples could also adopt this system.
Finally, he described the enthusiasm for book distribution sweeping the American temples. "This month there is terrific competition between Tamal Krishna Goswami and Jayatirtha Prabhu [GBC for Los Angeles] to be the outstanding zones for the month. Here in New Dvaraka we are breaking all records and out-distributing everyone in BTG distribution. Just this past weekend (two days) we sold thirty thousand BTGs in Los Angeles alone! Everyone at the BBT including myself is going on book distribution two days per week for the competition, and we are planning to sell 100,000 BTGs in L.A. in just six days between December 19th-24th. In this way book distribution is going on nicely in America, and our warehouse is exhausted to ship so many books out to the SKP parties day and night. Anyway, in Los Angeles, never before in history have so many transcendental literatures been distributed in one city in so short a period of time. Our goal for this month is to sell at least 200,000 BTGs and 12,000 big books all in Los Angeles. By your divine blessings, we would like to be able to increase these figures even more, and become absorbed in book distribution day and night without stopping. Everyone agrees that to distribute your books is the highest pleasure and even the demigods may take birth here just to be able to distribute your books and taste this great pleasure."
He concluded his letter by saying, "I hope you are well and enjoying the book distribution results. I have never seen the devotees in America work so hard to please you as now, by their book selling."
Prabhupada was enlivened to hear the enthusiastic report, especially since he already knew of the success of the marathon. In the past he had deliberately promoted a competition between temples in book distribution, and he teased Tamal Krishna Maharaja as he dictated his reply to Ramesvara.
"Regarding the suggestion for book selling, the point is that the temples must pay the cost of printing. Then they may sell for whatever price they like.
"The transcendental competition is nice. If Jayatirtha Prabhu defeats Tamal Krishna Maharaja, then Tamal will have heart failure. Go on selling books. My Guru Maharaja was very much anxious about selling books and preaching, so you are pleasing him by this bombastic flood of books all over the world. Thank you."
He also added a note of approval and precaution on the new Bhagavatam printing. "The new Sixth Canto Bhagavatams are very nice. Yes, actually they are worshipable Deities. Be careful that our books do not appear like Bible printing. Sometimes the Christians also put gold gilding on their books, but people are adverse to purchasing Bibles. Neither our books should be given free, there must be some remuneration, otherwise it will be like Bible selling."
Unlike most authors, Srila Prabhupada's enthusiasm about the tremendous increase in sales of his books does not derive from personal pride or hope for an increase in his own sense gratification from the income. They are Krishna's books, and he is Krishna's servant; therefore the profits are also Krishna's.
An increase in book distribution means greater numbers of people potentially attracted to Krishna consciousness. However, despite the liberality of his mood in contacting as many persons as possible through wide distribution, he wants his books to be properly appreciated, and he knows that something easily obtained is also easily given up.
Along with the mail from America, there were letters from other parts of the world.
One man in South India wrote about his interest in God consciousness and his eagerness to read Prabhupada's books. He had read an article describing Prabhupada's activities. "Recently I read an article about you how you were a rich industrialist, how you, to fulfill the wishes of your Guru to preach devotion to Krishna in the Western countries, renounced worldly life and how you translated Srimad-Bhagavatam into English in waste papers and how you went to America by Scindia ship and how you sat in the New York square and began to sing 'Hare Krsna' and lectured the gift of Srimad Bhagavad-gita and how the small gathering around you has grown to the present state with 112 centers throughout the world. It seems that God has chosen you to be an instrument in His Divine hands to bring a change for the good in the millions of hearts thirsting for peace and happiness, love and freedom in the spiritual sphere." However, he then went on to say he had no money even for postage, so he was requesting the Bhagavatam as a gift.
Prabhupada tactfully replied, "Thank you for your kind appreciation of our Society's activities and of my humble effort on behalf of Lord Krishna.
"Regarding your request for some books, the best thing will be if you ask some able person to buy them for you. Or you may ask for the fare to come to Madras and live with the devotees of our Movement. The address in Madras is 50, Aspiran Gardens, 2nd Street, Kilpauk, Madras - 10. If you live with our men following our program then you will also get an opportunity to read all our books."
Trivikrama Swami wrote from Japan concerning his troubled relationship with Gurukripa Swami. He also had a question about the supposed American moon landings.
Prabhupada replied to Trivikrama Maharaja in the same mood in which he had spoken to Gurukripa Swami. He wants the devotees to learn responsible management and cooperation. He is not at all in favor of making immediate changes whenever a problem arises. He advised to refer such questions to the annual GBC meeting in March at Mayapur.
Prabhupada also replied to his confusion about the moon landings. "Regarding the 'dust' supposedly brought from the moon, that dust can be gotten anywhere. It has already been openly admitted that the same dust is available on this earth planet. These astronauts and scientists are all bluffing. But Srila Vyasadeva is the correct authority. Just study Srimad-Bhagavatam carefully with full faith in Krsna and Guru and all knowledge will be revealed."
Reference: Transcendental Diary Volume 1 by Hari Sauri Dasa
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