Conversation with Patita-pavana
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
April 20, 1977, Bombay

Prabhupada: Now, how that branches are spread, how there are different places and seas and oceans in every same place.

Patita-pavana: Should we bring them here, to Bombay?

Prabhupada: Where it will be possible. Where it is, you propose.

Patita-pavana: I was thinking that at the time of the opening of the temple they come here, or if that’s too crowded, they could come to Mayapura some time, but if you’d like them to come now, I can…

Prabhupada: Mayapura is now Maidan. Mayapura and here, what is the difference?

Tamala Krsna: No, here is better. Everyone can come to Bombay much easier. And if you wait until the opening, there’s too many other things.

Patita-pavana: You’re right.

Tamala Krsna: Now is very peaceful for them.

Patita-pavana: Yes, Maharaja. So could we fly them here? Could we fly them here?

Prabhupada: Why not?

Patita-pavana: Okay. There’s two especially, Dr. Arkasomayaji and Agnihotram Ramanuja Tattvacarya. Spiritually, from what you’ve taught me, I can understand they have some limitations. Their spiritual understanding is not as high as the Gaudiya Vaisnava…

Prabhupada: There is no question of spiritual understanding.

Patita-pavana: Yes, but…

Prabhupada: It requires real scholar.

Patita-pavana: Yes.

Prabhupada: If they understand.

Patita-pavana: Yes. Both have received President’s Award.

Prabhupada: Yes. One who can understand that description in the Fifth Canto rightly, it is… There is no question of whether he’s spiritually advanced or not. It is simply academic qualification.

Patita-pavana: Yes, that is there.

Prabhupada: Yes. It has nothing to do with spiritual understanding.

Tamala Krsna: So why not let them come here now immediately.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Tamala Krsna: You’re here now.

Prabhupada: So arrange to bring them here.

Patita-pavana: I will do that. We can arrange for some apartment for them to stay.

Prabhupada: Oh, yes.

Patita-pavana: The one man, he only eats what his wife cooks, so he has to have some kitchen.

Tamala Krsna: So we have your… If you like, we have your old quarters.

Patita-pavana: But that is upstairs. His wife cannot climb stairs. That is… That’s why I liked Mayapura, because all those apartments are on the wall.

Tamala Krsna: No, they’re also upstairs. In Mayapura everything’s up the stairs also. There’s nothing that…

Patita-pavana: But on the wall…

Tamala Krsna: Front wall?

Patita-pavana: Yeah.

Tamala Krsna: No, no one can live there. It’s too low class.

Prabhupada: No, in our new house.

Tamala Krsna: Still have to go up.

Prabhupada: Oh. Both of them are very old?

Patita-pavana: No. The wife is rather old. He has some problem with lungs. He’s about sixty-five. The other is seventy-two. The other one walks like a Sherman tank, very powerful.

Prabhupada: So we cannot give…

Tamala Krsna: What we could do…

Prabhupada: Here there is no difficulty with lift.

Patita-pavana: With the lift, yes. Fine.

Tamala Krsna: Yeah, but they’re… I mean, there’s no problem for getting them here to see you. The problem is whether they can…, where they will live, their residential quarters.

Giriraja: I was thinking of the Chand Society.

Prabhupada: That’s nice, Chand Society. There are three rooms. That is very nice.

Tamala Krsna: They occupied or…?

Giriraja: Well, they could have one room and the kitchen.

Tamala Krsna: Yeah, and the other gentleman…

Giriraja: Well, if we… Yeah.

Tamala Krsna: There’s no problem. So there’s residential quarter.

Prabhupada: Why not request Mr. Acarya to exchange? They may go to his…

Giriraja: Okay.

Prabhupada: That “We have kept your request.”

Giriraja: Yeah, we obliged him by making him the tenant.

Prabhupada: “So, if you kindly go up there, as we have been a little convenient…”

Giriraja: That’s a very good idea.

Prabhupada: Yes. Downstairs will be utilized in a solid way.

Tamala Krsna: You wanted that Mr. Acarya to move to your…?

Prabhupada: No, no.

Giriraja: No, the same building…

Prabhupada: Same building.

Giriraja: …exchange. We come from the second floor to the ground, and he takes what we’ve constructed on the top.

Prabhupada: “Same space you can… Everything, that will be…”

Tamala Krsna: We prefer to have the ground.

Prabhupada: Yes. And he can utilize the roof also.

Giriraja: Yes.

Prabhupada: To get the… Yes. That is another advantage. If it is possible, do. So they can understand the description in the Srimad-Bhagavatam?

Patita-pavana: They have assured me that they can.

Prabhupada: Then it will be all right.

Patita-pavana: And even this Ramanuja Agnihotram Tattvacarya… I went to the chief of the Ranganatha Svami Temple and made good friends with him. I gave him your Caitanya-caritamrta which was the conversation between Gopala Bhatta, I’m sorry, Bhattacarya, Venkata Bhattacarya, and Lord Caitanya. And he is the ancestor of him, in charge of the Ranganatha. And he told me that this Agnihotram is a little bit touched by Mayavada. I said, “I understand. But,” I said, “can he do the universe good? Even though you’re criticizing him, does he know the universal description?” And he said, “That he knows. Many people have praised him like this in different works.”

Prabhupada: It is a simply academic thing.

Patita-pavana: Sampat Kumara Bhattacarya also has recommended…

Prabhupada: It has nothing to do with spiritual advancement. So when we plan, people may not think that it is not according to the…

Patita-pavana: But these men also have the qualification of enthusiasm to serve your project, Srila Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: That is a great kindness. We are trying to do something on behalf of real culture.

Patita-pavana: Yes. I spoke to other qualified men who lacked this qualification, and so it was impossible. So these two men also have this qualification, and they offered their respects…

Prabhupada: So make arrangements to receive them.

Patita-pavana: They have asked me several times to convey their respects to you.

Prabhupada: That’s nice. They have got respect for our society?

Patita-pavana: Yes.

Prabhupada: That’s nice.

Patita-pavana: Yes. They have written beautiful letters which I am going to xerox and give to my friends for preaching.

Prabhupada: No, every sane man will appreciate our effort. Especially from general… Even the Mayavadis, they are also praising.

Patita-pavana: The Mayavadis, yes.

Prabhupada: Even the Mayavadis, they are also praising these activities. Yesterday two Mayavadi sannyasis, came, Sankara-sampradaya.

Patita-pavana: This Arkasomaya…

Prabhupada: They are taking from this point of view, that India’s culture has been so nicely spread that people are taking serious con… That is their appreciation. We have got differences of opinion, philosophy. That is our… But India’s culture is being accepted through the world. That they are appreciating.

Giriraja: During the New York case, one of the leading men in the Arya Samaj wrote a very personal letter in support of us, not a standard letter, but in his own words he was glorifying your work like anything, and especially from this point of view.

Patita-pavana: Even this Arkasomayaji, his ista-devata is Kanaka Durga from the Kabur district of the Godavari in Andhra, and he’s a Mayavadi. I told him, “We have some difference, but please shelve your differences and simply follow our point of view.” He said, “That’s all right, but I think your guru is the Divine walking the earth, and I must serve him.” (laughs) So I said, “Very good. Please come and help.”

Prabhupada: So arrange to receive them. Give them very kindly… If Acarya agrees, that will be great success.

Giriraja: Yes.

Prabhupada: So both you and Mahadevia together supply… This friend of Mahadevia…

Giriraja: Yes.

Prabhupada: This facility, the space is the same. Mutual arrangement. And he gets the advantage of the roof.

Giriraja: Mrs. Warrior wants to move up.

Prabhupada: Hm?

Giriraja: Mrs. Warrior wants to shift to a higher…

Prabhupada: So he is in the downstairs?

Giriraja: She is on the ground floor.

Prabhupada: Then it is… If she moves, that is also good. But that space is bigger.

Giriraja: Yes, Acarya’s is much nicer place.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Giriraja: So we will try that.

Prabhupada: So Warrior… What is…? Warrior?

Giriraja: Warrior.

Prabhupada: Mrs…?

Giriraja: She met you, the widow.

Tamala Krsna: She’s the one that was coming…

Prabhupada: Yes. So the Acarya’s place and her space bigger?

Giriraja: No, Acarya’s is much bigger.

Tamala Krsna: Double nearly. Nearly double the space.

Prabhupada: Then how you can accommodate?

Tamala Krsna: No, he’s suggesting that she can also, in her own house… I think you’re suggesting, aren’t you?

Giriraja: Well, she wants more space than what she has. She’ll… I think we can avoid this. Otherwise, some special cases, we can use the Chand Society.

Prabhupada: Hm?

Giriraja: For the time being, once in a while we can use what we have.

Prabhupada: Yes, Chand Society.

Giriraja: And then, when the building is ready…

Prabhupada: That’s very good. Make some arrangement…

Giriraja: Yes.

Prabhupada: He is recommending, they are very good scholar. We have to simply present Srimad-Bhagavatam as it is. That’s all. Whether it is right, wrong, we are not concerned. Sarvam etad rtam manye yad vadasi kesava [Bg. 10.14]. This is our position. You know this verse?

Patita-pavana: This verse I don’t know. I don’t know this verse. Sarva…?

Prabhupada: Find out. Sarvam etad rtam manye yad vadasi kesava [Bg. 10.14] Find out. Bhagavad-gita.

Giriraja: “Whatever You say, I accept in toto.”

Prabhupada: That’s all.

Patita-pavana: Oh, that’s from Arjuna speaking.

Prabhupada: This is our position. That is very easy for us. We haven’t got to manufacture. To manufacture idea is troublesome. Why should we take trouble? And as soon as you want to manufacture something to my…, that is dangerous. Guru-mukha-padma-vakya, cittete kariya aikya, ara na kariha mane asa **. This is… You are singing every day, “What our guru has said, that is our life and soul. We do not want…” ara na kariha mane asa **. And your guru’s article, you have given. Do you think is all right? We are reading every day, yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah **. As soon as this poison will come—“Suppress guru and I become Brahman”— everything finished. Spiritual life is finished. Gaudiya Matha finished, that…, violated the orders of Guru Maharaja.

Patita-pavana: In that press release that we gave the paper we wrote a great deal about the work of Your Divine Grace in the West and how…

Prabhupada: So how you get it that “Here is only prominent, Surabhi Swami”?

Patita-pavana: One thing is, he’s a Christian.

Prabhupada: Whatever it may be…

Patita-pavana: I guess so. It’s true.

Prabhupada: He has nothing to do…

Patita-pavana: But we have emphasized that several times in the talk.

Prabhupada: Hm. What is that?

Giriraja:

sarvam etad rtam manye yan mam vadasi kesava na hi te bhagavan vyaktim vidur deva na danavah [Bg. 10.14]

Sarvam—all; etat—these; rtam—truth; manye—accept; yat—which; mam—unto me; vadasi—You tell; kesava—Krsna. Translation: “O Krsna, I totally accept as truth all that You have told me. Neither the gods nor demons, O Lord, know Thy personality.”

Prabhupada: So it is easy for us. What Krsna says and Vyasadeva says, that’s all. We haven’t got to manufacture. And as soon as you manufacture, fall down. Evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayah… This manufacturing idea is very, very dangerous in spiritual life. Whatever little success is there for me, I did not manufacture any idea.

Tamala Krsna: Neither you take any credit.

Prabhupada: No. Why shall I take?

tandera carana-sevi-bhakta-sane vasa janame janame haya ei abhilasa

Our mission is to serve bhakta-visesa and live with devotees. Not that you take the place of the guru. That is nonsense, very dangerous. Then everything will be spoiled. As soon as you become ambitious to take the place of guru—gurusu nara-matih. That is the material disease. The article clearly says that it is everything, “your city,” “his city.” That is clearly intimated that “You have dropped from the sky to give this city to the world.” That is the sum and substance. Is it not? What is this nonsense? So do the needful.

Patita-pavana: All right, Srila Prabhupada. (devotees offer obeisances) (end)