If you discuss it amongst yourselves and use your discretion that will be better than asking me.
Jadurani : For the paintings for Caitanya-caritamrta, Narottam asked Prabhupada about a thousand questions, sometimes in letters and sometimes by phone. Prabhupada was traveling around the world, and we were on a marathon because each book had to come out in a week. We couldn't wait for letters to come back from India, so sometimes Ramesvara would call in questions to Paramahamsa Swami, Prabhupada's secretary. Paramahamsa Swami would call Ramesvara back with Prabhupada's answers, and then Ramesvara would bring the messages back to us. Sometimes I would write the questions and give them to somebody going to India. Prabhupada would write a one or two line answer between my written lines and another devotee, who was returning from India, would bring that back. Everything was going very fast. In 1969, we asked some questions for each painting, and Prabhupada encouraged us by writing, "If you discuss it amongst yourselves and use your discretion that will be better than asking me." In the same letter, he answered one of our questions and showed us that asking him was better than using our own discretion. We were doing the painting of Krishna fighting with Jambavan. In the Krishna Book, Jambavan is addressed as the "king of the gorillas" and also as riksha-raja, which means, "king of the bears." The question was, "Was Jambavan a gorilla or a bear?" Prabhupada answered, "He is neither a gorilla nor a bear. Just like somebody may be named, Krishna das or Krishna, but that doesn't mean that he's Krishna. So Jambavan may be called 'the king of the bears' or 'king of the gorillas,' but that doesn't mean he's a bear or gorilla. Otherwise how could his beautiful daughter, Jambavati, become Krishna's wife?" Prabhupada said, "Jambavan was like a big, strong man of your country." In this way, we got further instructions about Krishna consciousness. To know anything we were fully dependent on Srila Prabhupada.
Reference: Memories Anecdotes of a Modern Day Saint - Volume 1 by Siddhanta Dasa
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