Prabhupada's meeting with Indira Gandhi

Jayapataka Swami: I was there with some other devotees when Srila Prabhupada went to meet Indira Gandhi. Prabhupada had a list of things he wanted to discuss with Indira Gandhi, but at that time she was very upset because the President of Bangladesh, Muziba Raman, had just been assassinated. Still, she made time for Prabhupada to see her on a Thursday afternoon. Prabhupada didn't consult with astrologers much, but he didn't want to have an important meeting on a Thursday afternoon. He said that it was not an auspicious time. That was about the only astrological thing he observed. He said, "Either in the morning or the evening, but not in the afternoon." So they changed the time, and we all went together. But the devotees with Prabhupada only got as far as the door. Indira Gandhi came and met Prabhupada, and he went on alone to talk with her. Later he said that she was very respectful to him. She actually asked him, How do you know that your followers are not CIA agents? He explained, "I went to the West and preached. These people have sacrificed everything. They gave up their bad habits. They are getting up at four in the morning, attending mangal arati. If they were CIA, they would live in five-star hotels and have a whole different lifestyle. They wouldn't be vegetarians and give up all these habits." She was convinced and said, All right, I will give your devotees long-term visas. After that meeting, she passed some orders, and the devotees who needed long-term visas got them.