SpiritualVillage to village preaching had been one of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s favorite programs ever since he had begun his mission. He had written to Kṛṣṇadāsa as early as 1969, “When you distribute BTG in German, by going from village to village, at that time you will make my mission successful.” During a tour of India in 1971 Prabhupāda noted with pleasure the overwhelmingly positive response to his Western “dancing white elephants.” When Upendra reported a similar reception by the rural people in Fiji, Prabhupāda wrote to him: We have recently been preaching and holding sankirtana in some small villages and the result is very good. The simple villagers are very much attracted by this sankirtana process, and they join with us very nicely and listen attentively. So I am glad that you are also preaching in the outlands. That is very nice. Lord Caitanya wanted that His movement should be spread everywhere, to every village and city, and now by your kind cooperation His holy desire is being fulfilled.
After returning from India in the summer of 1971, Hansadutta launched a similar program in Germany in 1972; Prabhaviṣṇu did the same in England in 1973, and Tamāla Krishna Goswami and Viṣṇujana Swami in America in 1974. Śrīla Prabhupāda was so pleased with the success of the traveling saṅkīrtana buses that he often endorsed this type of preaching as more practical and efficient than establishing temples. In August 1973 he had advised Jagadīśa: “Hansadutta in Germany, instead of increasing the temples and Deity worship, has increased the sankirtana parties. He is running on 8 new buses and distributing large quantities of literature; this is more important.
During Prabhupāda’s stay in Bombay in November 1975, Mahāṁsa Swami visited him and informed him about the preaching in Hyderabad. When Prabhupāda heard how enthusiastically the people in the villages responded to saṅkīrtana and prasādam, he became very enlivened and told Mahāṁsa, “Just see how quickly there will be a response. Therefore I was insisting, ‘Go village to village, town to town.’ It was Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s prediction: pṛthivīte āche yata nāgarādi grāma. So it will never be foiled. Let us now begin village to village!».
A wealthy Hyderabad businessman had donated land not far from the city, and Hansadutta, along with Mahāṁsa Swami, became the persons responsible for establishing a farm and introducing Kṛṣṇa consciousness by kīrtana and mass prasādam distribution in the surrounding villages. Hansadutta was still the GBC for Northern Europe, but it was expected that he’d also spend time in India, give financial support to the Hyderabad project, and send men to help develop it.
During his month as Prabhupāda’s secretary, Hansadutta felt enlivened by Prabhupāda’s enthusiasm for village preaching. It kindled his own desire to become involved. He saw village-to-village preaching as a great opportunity to become spiritually refreshed and as a way to get a break from the abrasive struggles in Germany. When Hansadutta approached Prabhupāda and offered to organize such a program in India, Prabhupāda welcomed his proposal.
HARI-ŚAURI DĀSA: Śrīla Prabhupāda gave Hansadutta permission to buy a bus and start a traveling saṅkīrtana party in India. He suggested that they carry Śrī Śrī Gaura-Nitāi in a box, and wherever they stop, take Their Lordships out, sit under a tree, and hold kīrtana. Prabhupāda assured him that many people would come. Afterward, prasādam could be distributed, and a discourse given. “Do it immediately!” Prabhupāda told him enthusiastically. In mid-December, Yaśomatīnandana Dāsa invited Prabhupāda for a small lecture tour around the city of Ahmedabad. Several village programs had been arranged, and Prabhupāda was very enlivened. He stressed the importance of preaching in the villages. He told Hansadutta, Harikeśa, and me that even before coming to the West he had a desire to preach from village to village in India, but he had been unable to do it. Now he was getting the opportunity to fulfill his desire. Śrīla Prabhupāda encouraged Hansadutta to take up this type of program and declared that he would travel with his group. It was such an exciting concept, and Prabhupāda was so enthusiastic, the fact that such a program would be almost physically impossible for him wasn’t even mentioned. For Prabhupāda, preaching meant that there was no consideration other than spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, whatever the cost».
On his last day as Prabhupāda’s secretary, Hansadutta approached his spiritual master to go over with him the plans for implementing the village preaching in India. Hansadutta was so excited about his future engagement that he had already looked into prices for vehicles and equipment. However, when he mentioned to Prabhupāda his plan to bring some of his men from Germany to take part in the traveling saṅkīrtana party, Prabhupāda cautioned him.
HARI-ŚAURI DĀSA: Although Prabhupāda liked the idea, he didn’t want Hansadutta to abandon his duties in Germany altogether. He told him that despite the enormous difficulties there, the efforts for the long-term establishment of Kṛṣṇa consciousness had to be maintained. Hansadutta had been instrumental in the development of the German yātrā, and Prabhupāda didn’t want to see him leave lest everything collapse. But he also had no objection at all to Hansadutta’s preaching in India—at least for the time being while the difficulties persisted.
Back in Germany, it wasn’t difficult for Hansadutta to find volunteers for the bus program. For a good number of devotees, the prospect of exchanging the sullen atmosphere of their hostile homeland for the sunny skies of Bharata-varṣa was an opportunity they didn’t want to miss. By the end of January Hansadutta had purchased four Mercedes buses, each capable of carrying forty-five passengers. Then he began equipping them for their new task. He planned to take two buses to India in time for the annual Māyāpur festival. The other two were for a similar village-tovillage preaching program in Germany. Two weeks later, with the buses ready to depart, Hansadutta informed Śrīla Prabhupāda, who was already in Māyāpur.
HARI-ŚAURI DĀSA: With his letter, Hansadutta enclosed a flier advertising the new traveling saṅkīrtana program. The flier was intended to persuade devotees to join. It had a picture of the four buses across the top and a few catchy phrases explaining the gist of the program.
PRABHUPADA’S WORLD SANKIRTANA PARTY Entangled in temple life?
Burned out on Sankirtana?
Then this new program is for you.
Simply chanting and dancing and distributing Krishna prasadam To further entice the devotees, the flyer mentioned that Prabhupāda had promised to travel with the party. An attractive description of the recent tour of Gujarat was also given.
Śrīla Prabhupāda was very happy to see the eagerness and enthusiasm with which Hansadutta had applied himself to establishing the village preaching. In his reply, he confirmed his intention to take part. “Yes, with great pleasure I will accompany, and we shall go village to village. I have seen the pictures, and the buses look very nice.”
SARVABHĀVANA DĀSA: After I received initiation in the summer of 1975, I had a strong desire to meet Śrīla Prabhupāda in person. I had read his books and was convinced of the philosophy, but he said things like, “You will be able to see Kṛṣṇa face to face and attain His lotus feet in one lifetime,” which weren’t clear to me. I wondered how it was possible. I felt I had to see Śrīla Prabhupāda in person—to have living proof—to become convinced that he actually meant what he said. So when I heard about the bus program I didn’t think twice. It was a golden opportunity to go to India and meet my spiritual master.
After we arrived there in the early spring of 1976, I went to Vṛndāvana. Prabhupāda was expected to come to the Krishna-Balaram Mandir on the last day of March. I was full of eagerness to meet him and ask him my questions.
We assembled in front of the temple to greet him. A ruby-colored Ambassador stopped at the gate, and one of the temple leaders rushed to open the door. Then Śrīla Prabhupāda stepped out of the car. As soon as I saw him, all my questions were answered. I just fell flat on the ground to offer him prostrated obeisances. Something overcame me—a spontaneous, overwhelming feeling of complete security. I realized that I was in the presence of a person far beyond anyone I had met so far in my life. Here was a saintly person whose every word was backed up by realization. It was as if all that I had read in his books now came alive. I felt fully satisfied and happy.
Later I was invited to see Prabhupāda in his house, and when he heard that I had received a formal education he said, “Oh, you should go to Bengal and translate my books.” I replied, “But Śrīla Prabhupāda, my Bengali is bad, because I studied in English Medium schools in Calcutta, and I always avoided Bengali.” “Oh, that is not good,” he said. “So you should study Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. In this way, you will learn Bengali nicely. My Guru Mahārāja used to say that the entire world will learn Bengali to read Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta.” And that’s how I learned Bengali again.
Regarding translating, Prabhupāda gave me some wonderful instructions that I naturally treasure very much and try to follow as much as I can. He told me there are two ways of translating. One is literal, and the other is called bhavārtha, which means to capture the spirit. Devotional scriptures are very deep spiritual and devotional writings that convey the spiritual, devotional mood of the authors who are all ācāryas. Prabhupāda said, "I personally prefer bhavārtha, to translate the spirit and mood of their writings rather than the literal translation. I want you to read the original Bengali or Sanskrit or Hindi, understand it, formulate it in your own words and write it."
Once in Vṛndāvana, when Satsvarūpa Mahārāja was there, Prabhupāda told him, "You should edit Renunciation Through Wisdom, it is a very important book." And it truly is an incredible book ― it's a gradual unfolding of the philosophy and purport of Bhagavad-gītā in which Prabhupāda excelled himself. The original writing in Bengali is very scholarly. In English, I think, Prabhupāda tried to write in a simple manner, but his Bengali writing is a very scholarly and erudite presentation. To translate this work was quite challenging and every single day Prabhupāda asked me to read the English translation to him while he read the original Bengali. He liked my work and that made me very happy, very blissful.
Prabhupāda also talked to me about opening a restaurant, because I am a cook. He said that in the West, restaurants were an effective means to propagate our philosophy. He was proud of the Govinda’s restaurants that served first-class prasādam. He wanted the devotees to preach to the people who were regular customers.
RAMBHORŪ DĀSĪ: During the 1976 Māyāpur festival, Hansadutta’s dream finally became a reality: Hansadutta Dāsa became Hansadutta Swami. Himavatī, still in Vṛndāvana, flipped. For days, her moods shifted from frenzy to depression. As soon as Śrīla Prabhupāda arrived at the Krishna-Balaram Mandir, she demanded to see him. “Since my husband has taken sannyāsa, I hate everyone and everything in this material world,” she declared. Prabhupāda looked at her and simply said, “Oh, you are making very much advancement.”
After Himavatī came to grips with the new reality, she went around Vṛndāvana to ask different widows how to act when the husband takes sannyāsa. Told that it was customary to worship his shoes or other such objects, she got the idea to worship Hansadutta in the form of a deity. At Loi Bazar, she purchased brass Gaura-Nitāi Deities and gave Gaura to the mūrti-wala to have the deity slimmed down to look more like Hansadutta. Afterward, she dressed him in sannyāsa clothes, put a daṇḍa in his hand, and placed him on her little altar—without Nitāi, of course—and began worshiping him.
This all happened while Śrīla Prabhupāda was in Bombay. When he came back, Himavatī wanted to show him how she now faithfully worshiped her husband in separation. She brought the deity to Prabhupāda, and she probably thought that he would figure it out —that this was an image of Hansadutta. But when Prabhupāda saw the deity he exclaimed, “Oh no! You cannot dress Gaura-Nitāi like sannyāsīs. We worship Them like princes.” She didn’t have the heart to tell him that this was supposed to be Hansadutta. But she realized that her idea was bogus and gave it up.
*** During the GBC meetings in Māyāpur Śrīla Prabhupāda suggested some members change their zones. As a result, more than half of the GBCs got new assignments. Hansadutta requested his godbrothers to relieve him of his responsibilities in Europe so that he would be free to preach in India, and they readily accepted his proposal. Jayatīrtha, until then GBC for California, became responsible for Germany, the British Isles, Ireland, Scandinavia, and the East Bloc.
When Jayatīrtha arrived in Germany he was shocked to see the devotee population reduced to almost half. Those who had not joined Hansadutta’s buses but had remained at Schloss Rettershof were disheartened. The circumstances had been difficult enough after the raid, but the recent exodus of many godbrothers and godsisters undermined the morale. It was at an all-time low.
HARI-ŚAURI DĀSA: While we were in Honolulu, in May 1976, Prabhupāda received Jayatīrtha’s first GBC report from his new zone. His assessment of the situation in Germany was gloomy. The devotees were struggling and discouraged, there being only fifty-five left in the country. The German media and government had a campaign going to discredit ISKCON. The government was still presenting its case against ISKCON and had asked us to pay another $250,000 on top of the $300,000 already confiscated. Moreover, he said, the situation had been made worse by Hansadutta’s mismanagement.
He thought our image could be improved in two ways. First, all of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books should be translated into German and widely distributed to universities and colleges. Culling reviews from respected professors would establish ISKCON as genuine. Second, one new temple per year should be opened and solidly developed, with regular programs of saṅkīrtana, Sunday feasts, and festivals. As the number of devotees grew, a center could be opened in each major city, giving us a steady presence and enabling us to attract solid supporters.
Finally, Jayatīrtha reported that a new BBT traveling party, under Alanātha Dāsa, would tour Scandinavia, Germany, and Austria, distributing books and holding festivals. This would clear the large stock of books that he said were “sitting in the basement of the Schloss gathering dust,” and allow the printing of new German books.
Prabhupāda was happy to receive the news. He had been very concerned about the problems in Germany, and he felt that Jayatīrtha’s plans were positive and well thought out. He told Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa and me that Jayatīrtha was the best manager in our society. In his reply, he urged Jayatīrtha on with personal praise and some practical advice: It is very encouraging to hear the reports of increased sankirtana. Go on like this more and more. Concerning the situation in Germany: So you are the right man to train them up. It is Kṛṣṇa’s desire that Hansadutta is replaced by you. I have certified that you are our first-class temple manager. A little change is invigorating, so try to serve me to the best of your capacity.
Prabhupāda told Jayatīrtha they should print his books in Germany and then present the bill to the bank that is holding our money. By printing locally they could regain lost prestige: It will be good publicity, and at the same time, we will have books. Whether the money was collected illegally or legally, the money is being spent in Germany. It is not going outside, so why is it being held up illegally? Let it be spent in Germany. That is our money; there is no dispute. It is not the aim of our Society to mislead the public; you can show them our aims. Maybe some workers have done like that, but we are trying to enlighten the whole world and the people of Germany with good literature.
He said we should convince them that our movement is for producing men and women of the best character. “If some individuals have done wrong, it shouldn’t jeopardize our entire community. People accustomed to all nasty habits have joined us and are leading pure, happy lives.” After he had dictated his reply and Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa had gone off to type it, I asked Śrīla Prabhupāda how we distinguish Kṛṣṇa’s arrangement from our mismanagement. The bad situation in Germany certainly seemed to me to have been exacerbated by mistakes and foolishness on the part of some of the devotees there. I asked him if Kṛṣṇa arranges for things to go wrong when we mismanage matters. Does Kṛṣṇa punish us to teach us a lesson?
Śrīla Prabhupāda told me that Kṛṣṇa has a plan, but if we fail to cooperate with Him, then things go wrong. “Kṛṣṇa does not punish His devotees,” he said. “The problems are caused by the demons, not by Kṛṣṇa. But if we mismanage, then the demons gain opportunities to wreak havoc with our mission.” Then he smiled and added, “But they cannot disturb for long.”
On receiving Prabhupāda’s letter, Jayatīrtha and the devotees at Schloss Rettershof felt encouraged to increase their efforts and take up the challenge to rebuild the yātrā. But an unexpected event soon dampened their regained enthusiasm. In the first week of June, Hansadutta Swami returned from India with a few men. He planned to get three more buses, new equipment, and take more men back to his preaching programs in India.
BHAKTI GAURAVANI GOSWAMI: I had accompanied Jayatīrtha from Los Angeles to Māyāpur, and from Māyāpur to Germany. Shortly after our return to Germany, I was put in charge of the Schloss. Pṛthu went to Munich to open a temple. We felt that living in the castle was impractical, both in terms of preaching and our public image, and that the future was to return to the cities and open centers. Pṛthu volunteered to be the first to take the plunge.
It had already been two years since all the city temples, except for a small center in Berlin, had been closed. Initially, many people visited Schloss Rettershof out of curiosity, but as time went on, especially after the raid, fewer and fewer visitors came. Most devotees were discouraged, and we felt it was time for a drastic change. We wanted to quit Schloss Rettershof and open several city temples instead. But for that, we needed Prabhupāda’s sanction.
Prabhupāda visited England in July, and Jayatīrtha advised Pṛthu and me to go and present our case to him. Maybe by hearing our personal testimonies Prabhupāda would accept our proposal.
We arrived at Bhaktivedanta Manor on July 23, and the next morning we were invited into Prabhupāda’s room. He sat behind his desk, and although he looked a bit exhausted, his demeanor was as noble as ever. As soon as I rose from offering obeisances Prabhupāda asked me what book I was translating now. I informed him that I had reached the end of the first volume of the Third Canto and was now working on the first volume of the Madhya-līlā—and that we had twelve books ready for production. Prabhupāda moved his head in acknowledgment and asked, “Which books are selling the most?” There could be no doubt what his emphasis was. Although concerned about the situation in Germany, he was convinced that Kṛṣṇa consciousness would ultimately succeed if book production and distribution continued.
Then Hari-śauri came in with a bar of soap. He had been told that Prabhupāda liked this brand, and he was wondering whether it was approved or not. Prabhupāda dismissed his question with a smile. “Soap is soap,” he said, and we couldn’t help but laugh. When Hari-śauri pointed out that the label mentioned menthol and camphor as some of the ingredients, Prabhupāda chuckled and said, “You can advertise in so many ways. It is a combination of oil and soda. That’s all.”
Harikeśa Swami also entered the room. Back in India, he had made a batch of toothpaste according to Prabhupāda’s direction from ground mustard seeds, salt, calcium carbonate, glycerin, oil of wintergreen, menthol, camphor, and thymol, and he wondered whether he needed to prepare more. Prabhupāda told him that he had still enough toothpaste and that it worked wonders. Amid bursts of our laughter, he said, “All my teeth are giving notice that ‘I am not working,’ but on account of this toothpaste they are obliged to. It is very good. I could give you so many formulas, but I do not wish to divert your attention too much. Our main business is the spreading of Kṛṣṇa consciousness—through books.” After Harikeśa Swami and Hari-śauri had left the room, Jayatīrtha gave Śrīla Prabhupāda a brief report on the latest developments in Germany. Regarding book orders from professors and libraries, there was no positive review from either because of the appearance of the books. We wanted Prabhupāda’s approval to change the design and make the books more compact and distinguished-looking. We also wanted to add photographs of historical places such as Kurukṣetra to make the books look more authentic. Prabhupāda had no objection. When we showed him a dummy, he liked it and said, “You can print like this.
The next topic was thornier. Jayatīrtha pointed out that for the last two years there had been no city temple because maintaining the Schloss required all the resources and men. But recently Pṛthu went to Munich and had immediate results. Each week, more than fifty guests were coming to the Sunday feast, and the devotees were enlivened to again have so much opportunity to preach.
Jayatīrtha explained that nobody came to Schloss Rettershof. It was out in the country and could only be reached by car. The nearest large city, Frankfurt, was the seat of our enemies. He proposed we close the Schloss and open temples in major cities.
“I think the Schloss must be kept,” Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “just to maintain what we have got.” Jayatīrtha gave it another try. “But nobody appreciates this place; in fact, they criticize us.” Prabhupāda was unimpressed. “To my mind, I do not wish to close it,” he said, “but if you all decide...” Leaving the sentence unfinished, he looked at us gravely, and we were silent. There was no question of going against Prabhupāda’s desire.
“It is a nice place,” he continued, “and once open, you cannot close. Suppose a child is born deaf and dumb, does it mean that it should be killed? It is useless, but that does not mean I kill it. So even though the Schloss is not giving us any good response, because it is open, you cannot close it. Whimsically, we cannot open and close. Before opening, we can consider a hundred times. But after opening, you cannot close.”
“Jayatīrtha made one last effort. ‘The problem, in this case, is that things were not well considered before it was opened.’”
“But it is open,” Prabhupāda replied. His words sounded like the final verdict in a courtroom. Jayatīrtha gave Pṛthu and me an apologetic look. He had tried, but Prabhupāda did not want to hear of closing the temple. After a few moments of silence, Prabhupāda gave some more reasons. “There is an English proverb,” he said. “A rolling stone gathers no moss.” So don’t be a rolling stone. That is one of the habits of the Europeans—to become rolling stones—to always change things very quickly. That is not good. After all, we have to live in a place. So that’s a nice place. Nobody is coming, but we are there. We have our temple, kīrtana, prasādam. If somebody comes, it is all right. If not, what can be done? It is not that we open a temple because others will come. We also require a place to live. All had been said. With a “Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda!” we offered our obeisances and left the room. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s desire was supreme. He was in touch with the Supersoul, and we had the faith that his flawless vision would serve our best interest.
* * * VIBHĪṢAṆA DĀSA: One morning, after Śrīla Prabhupāda had spoken in a lecture about the beauty of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, I asked him, “If Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so wonderful, why don’t more people join?” He replied, “Kṛṣṇa consciousness is nice, but material life is like a dark well. If you are in darkness, covered by ignorance, it’s difficult to appreciate something beyond your realm of experience.”
RAMBHORŪ DĀSĪ: Every morning, Prabhupāda would take his walk along the same route from Bhaktivedanta Manor through the fields and back to Letchmore Heath. One day, one of the German devotees, Āma Dāsa, who was a bit eccentric, wearing turbans and using oversized beads, was walking neck to neck with Prabhupāda to get his attention, but Prabhupāda ignored him. Then Āma addressed him directly, saying, “I am Āma, I am Āma.” But Prabhupāda didn’t even look at him. A few minutes later, the boy said again, “I am Āma, I am Āma.” Prabhupāda didn’t respond. Then Āma tried for a third time, practically getting in front of Prabhupāda: “I am Āma, I am Āma.” This time Śrīla Prabhupāda stopped, and the whole group stopped, and he looked at the boy and sternly said, “Āma Dāsa!” At that moment, Āma Dāsa seemed to get some realization and offered his obeisances to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
One afternoon, Prabhupāda gave darśana in his room. He sat beneath the huge stained-glass window, and you could see the grounds of the Manor outside. Suddenly he motioned with his hand to indicate all the bushes in the distance and said how Kṛṣṇa is an incredible artist because He designs all these colorful flowers and it all looks so beautiful. Then he added, “Actually, all these plants and flowers are doomed. They are all imprisoned in this material existence. It looks artistic, but it is a condition of suffering.
During the darśana, one devotee came in and offered his obeisances with his beads draped around his neck and they touched the floor. Śrīla Prabhupāda looked at him and asked, “Where is your bead bag?” “It’s in the wash,” the boy explained. “Go to my closet and get a bead bag,” Prabhupāda said. “You should never have your beads like this.”
* * * Back at Schloss Rettershof, Hansadutta Swami’s men were making their final arrangements. Hansadutta Swami had already flown back to India, and his men planned to start the six-week overland journey at the beginning of August. Most of them thought they were leaving Germany for good. Not long ago, they had given their every breath to building the yātrā, and now they seemed like strangers in their homeland. They didn’t seem to mind burning all bridges behind them.
HARI-ŚAURI DĀSA: From London, Śrīla Prabhupāda went to New Māyāpur in France. After a few days, he received a complaint from Jayatīrtha that Hansadutta Swami’s men were causing a good deal of trouble in Germany. The devotees at Schloss Rettershof accused them of behaving like gangsters by stripping the temple of vehicles, equipment, men, and money. Hansadutta Swami himself was said to have taken at least 100,000 DM with him.
Prabhupāda agreed to a proposal put forward by Jayatīrtha, Bhagavān, and Harikeśa Swami that Hansadutta’s men come to France to see him, and he would resolve the issue. But when they arrived, Prabhupāda decided that his two GBC men, Bhagavān and Jayatīrtha, should try to create a solution without his direct involvement. Together with Harikeśa Mahārāja, they met with the men and decided that they should not take the vans. So the vehicles were parked, and the keys were handed over. In the middle of the night, though, Hansadutta Swami’s men took the vans and left telling no one. They concluded Prabhupāda had been used as a ploy to draw them to New Māyāpur and prevent them from leaving for India.
Śrīla Prabhupāda acknowledged that it was natural that these men thought they had been tricked. He said it was the GBC’s job to handle such situations with more expertise.
But he praised Jayatīrtha for his restraint in not allowing himself to be drawn into a fight over the issue and for being willing to work constructively with the remaining facilities and men.
Yet although Jayatīrtha appeared committed to doing the needful, deep down he wasn’t at all enthusiastic about reconstructing Germany. It would require tremendous effort and selfless dedication, and hardship was not to his taste. He felt comfortable in England, partly because of the language, and he also liked Amsterdam. So he suggested to Bhagavān that he trade Germany for Holland. Bhagavān wasn’t interested.
NIKUṢJAVĀSIṆĪ DĀSĪ: During his visit to New Māyāpur, Prabhupāda presided over the installation of Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma. He seemed fatigued. Balarāma and Śrīla Prabhupāda were about the same size, and while bathing Kṛṣṇa, Śrīla Prabhupāda put his left hand on Balarāma’s shoulder. Leaning over, he poured yogurt from a conch shell over Kṛṣṇa. To me it was as though three friends were standing together and that we were allowed to watch them.
That evening, Prabhupāda took a short walk around New Māyāpur, and then sat down under a tree and gave a brief talk. When he asked for questions, one devotee said, “In the Guru-vandana it says that the spiritual master is our guru life after life. So if we don’t make it back to Godhead in this lifetime, does it mean that you will come back to save us?” Prabhupāda pounded the little table in front of him with his fist and said sternly, “You make it in this lifetime. Don’t make me come back!