Room Conversation

Type: Conversation

Date: Nov. 2, 1977

Location: Vṛndāvana

Prabhupāda: …that “After you, who will take the leadership?” And “Everyone will take, all my disciples. If you want, you can take also. [laughter] But if you follow. They are prepared to sacrifice everything, so they’ll take the leadership. I may, one, go away, but there will be hundreds, and they’ll preach. If you want, you can also become a leader. We have no such thing, that ‘Here is leader.’ Anyone who follows the previous leadership, he’s a leader. ‘Indian,’ we have no such distinction, ‘Indian,’ ‘European.’ “

Brahmānanda: They wanted an Indian to be the leader?

Prabhupāda: Yes. [laughs] “Everyone, all my disciples, they are leaders. As purely as they follow, they become leader. If you want to follow, you can become a leader—you are Indian—but you don’t want.” I told them that.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, they probably wanted to propose somebody who would take over our Movement.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Leaders. All nonsense. Leader means one who has become first-class disciple. He is leader. Evaṁ paramparā-prāpta… One who is perfectly following… Our instruction is āra nā kariha mane āśā. You know this? What is that? Guru-mukha-padma-vākya, cittete kariyā aikya, āra nā kariha mane āśā. Who is leader? A leader…, to become leader is not very difficult, provided one is prepared to follow the instructions of a bona fide guru.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Why they wanted us to leave the room? They wanted us to leave the room. They wanted us to go out when they were talking to you.

Prabhupāda: [laughs] They are going away. Now they are finished. One day… What they will talk? Who will hear?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They have nothing to talk. Prabhupāda, they said that you are on a coordinating committee. So they want a second person from our Society also to be on the coordinating committee, because you may not always be able to attend the meetings.

Prabhupāda: No.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We’ll tell them, “No, Prabhupāda said only he alone should be on it.”

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: [laughs] They’ll like that.

Prabhupāda: I also do not want.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You want your name to be taken off?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Really? [laughs] They’re very political, these people. He said to me, he said, “Yes, you name another person. We can help you. We have big contacts with the ministers and others.”

Brahmānanda: They mentioned Gopāla Kṛṣṇa, that they had met with him about some problem with the government. They can help.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Brahmānanda: You consult them.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, that’s their idea, that they should have somebody. It’s very implicating, though. I’ll tell you, I wouldn’t put anybody on that committee meeting. It’s very implicating. As soon as you go to that coordinating meeting, you’re obligated to give them all kinds of facilities. They have nothing that we want, factually speaking. They have nothing. They have not helped us. [to Brahmānanda:] No, they have not helped us. You’re listening to what they say, but I know the facts. I know they haven’t helped us.

Prabhupāda: Tactfully deal with them.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Shriman Narayan did nothing. Don’t get involved with them, because you’ll get so obligated. It’s better to say that “Prabhupāda said that simply he will be on the coordinating committee. He doesn’t want anybody else to be on for now.” I’ll say like that. For now, you don’t want anybody else. You are present, so that you alone will be on it. I like that.

Brahmānanda: Don’t take Prabhupāda’s name off.

Prabhupāda: “And in the absence, we shall select another.”

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. I felt very bad whenever they tell me to leave the room like that. I don’t like to leave you alone. I get very disturbed. I was standing on the other side of the door. I could not… I didn’t like it, to be leaving you alone like that. We’re trained always to be with you.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Very carefully deal with them. They are trying to come into the institution to grasp the power gradually.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That’s the point. I can understand that.

Prabhupāda: How much urine I passed?

Bhakti-caru: Ninety, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Prabhupāda has not drank that much yet. Did he have milk and barley water?

Bhakti-caru: Not today.[?] But he doesn’t want to take barley now. [indistinct] some sabjī. [Bengali with Prabhupāda] [indistinct background discussion among devotees]

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda? I’m going to take a short little rest now. Taking a little rest, just short. Then I’ll come back.

Prabhupāda: Very carefully deal with them. They want to enter into our management.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. I’m just thinking about looking… I want to read our memorandum, because as far as I remember, the Life Members have the right to vote in our Society. That may be one way. They may read the memorandum and see that “We can vote.” Then, by doing some politics, they create some difficulty by voting and put one of these materialistic men in charge. Good reason to remain with us, Śrīla Prabhupāda. They won’t do anything while you are present. It’s better that you should remain with us. Then they won’t be able to do anything.

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa will protect you. Try.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. They’re very politically minded.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They’re not at all interested in the Bhagavad-gītā. And that purport I read was perfect. That purport that I read was all about doing some nonsense interpretation. That’s exactly what they do. Unwilling to admit the Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa, but enjoying the property of Kṛṣṇa—that’s their business.

Brahmānanda: They do not believe in God.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They’re atheists. So we’ll deal with them very carefully, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Brahmānanda: He’s meeting with the Prime Minister tomorrow. Narayan is having a meeting tomorrow with the Prime Minister and Defense Minister at the Gandhi Memorial Society.

Prabhupāda: Where?

Brahmānanda: In Delhi. [end]

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