Çré Guru-vandanä

Room Conversation
—
November 2, 1977, Våndävana
771102R3-VRNDAVAN
Prabhupäda: ...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.' "
Brahmänanda: They wanted an Indian to be the leader?
Prabhupäda: 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.
Tamäla Kåñëa: Yes, they probably wanted to propose somebody who would take
over our Movement.
Prabhupäda: Yes. Leaders. All nonsense. Leader means one who has become
first-class disciple. He is leader. Evaà paramparä-präpta... One who is perfectly
following... Our instruction is ära nä kariha mane äçä **(1). You know this?
What is that? Guru-mukha-padma-väkya, cittete kariyä aikya, ära nä kariha
mane äçä **(2). 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.
Tamäla Kåñëa: Why they wanted us to leave the room? They wanted us to
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leave the room. They wanted us to go out when they were talking to you.
Prabhupäda: (laughs) They are going away. Now they are finished. One day...
What they will talk? Who will hear?
Tamäla Kåñëa: They have nothing to talk. Prabhupäda, 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.
Prabhupäda: No.
Tamäla Kåñëa: We'll tell them, "No, Prabhupäda said only he alone should be
on it."
Prabhupäda: Yes.
Tamäla Kåñëa: (laughs) They'll like that.
Prabhupäda: I also do not want.
Tamäla Kåñëa: You want your name to be taken off?
Prabhupäda: Yes.
Tamäla Kåñëa: 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."
Brahmänanda: They mentioned Gopäla Kåñëa, that they had met with him
about some problem with the government. They can help.
Prabhupäda: Yes.
Brahmänanda: You consult them.
Tamäla Kåñëa: 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
Brahmänanda:) No, they have not helped us. You're listening to what they say,
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but I know the facts. I know they haven't helped us.
Prabhupäda: Tactfully deal with them.
Tamäla Kåñëa: Shriman Narayan did nothing. Don't get involved with them,
because you'll get so obligated. It's better to say that "Prabhupäda 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.
Brahmänanda: Don't take Prabhupäda's name off.
Prabhupäda: "And in the absence, we shall select another."
Tamäla Kåñëa: 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.
Prabhupäda: Hmm. Very carefully deal with them. They are trying to come
into the institution to grasp the power gradually.
Tamäla Kåñëa: That's the point. I can understand that.
Prabhupäda: How much urine I passed?
Bhakti-caru: Ninety, Çréla Prabhupäda.
Tamäla Kåñëa: Prabhupäda 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 sabjé. (Bengali with Prabhupäda)
(indistinct background discussion among devotees)
Tamäla Kåñëa: Çréla Prabhupäda? I'm going to take a short little rest now.
Taking a little rest, just short. Then I'll come back.
Prabhupäda: Very carefully deal with them. They want to enter into our
management.
Tamäla Kåñëa: Yes. I'm just thinking about looking... I want to read our
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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, Çréla Prabhupäda. 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.
Prabhupäda: Kåñëa will protect you. Try.
Tamäla Kåñëa: Yes. They're very politically minded.
Prabhupäda: Oh, yes.
Tamäla Kåñëa: They're not at all interested in the Bhagavad-gétä. 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 Kåñëa, but enjoying the property of Kåñëa—that's
their business.
Brahmänanda: They do not believe in God.
Tamäla Kåñëa: They're atheists. So we'll deal with them very carefully, Çréla
Prabhupäda.
Prabhupäda: Yes.
Tamäla Kåñëa: Jaya Çréla Prabhupäda.
Brahmänanda: 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.
Prabhupäda: Where?
Brahmänanda: In Delhi. (end)
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Endnotes
1 (Popup - guru-mukha-padda-vakya)
Çré Guru-vandanä
The Worship of Çré Guru
(from Prema-bhakti-candrikä)
(1)
çré-guru-caraëa-padma, kevala-bhakati-sadma,
bando mui sävadhäna mate
jähära prasäde bhäi, e bhava toriyä jäi,
kåñëa-präpti hoy jähä ha'te
1) The lotus feet of our spiritual master are the only way by which we can
attain pure devotional service. I bow to his lotus feet with great awe and
reverence. By his grace one can cross the ocean of material suffering and
obtain the mercy of Kåñëa.
(2)
guru-mukha-padma-väkya, cittete koriyä aikya,
är nä koriho mane äçä
çré-guru-caraëe rati, ei se uttama-gati,
je prasäde püre sarva äçä
2) My only wish is to have my consciousness purified by the words emanating
from his lotus mouth. Attachment to his lotus feet is the perfection that fulfills
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all desires.
(3)
cakhu-dän dilo jei, janme janme prabhu sei,
divya jïän håde prokäçito
prema-bhakti jähä hoite, avidyä vinäça jäte,
vede gäy jähära carito
3) He opens my darkened eyes and fills my heart with transcendental
knowledge. He is my Lord birth after birth. From him ecstatic prema emanates;
by him ignorance is destroyed. The Vedic scriptures sing of his character.
(4)
çré-guru karuëä-sindhu, adhama janära bandhu,
lokanäth lokera jévana
hä hä prabhu koro doyä, deho more pada-chäyä,
ebe jaça ghuñuk tribhuvana
4) Our spiritual master is the ocean of mercy, the friend of the poor, and the
lord and master of the devotees. O master! Be merciful unto me. Give me the
shade of your lotus feet. Your fame is spread all over the three worlds.
2 (Popup - guru-mukha-padda-vakya)
Çré Guru-vandanä
The Worship of Çré Guru
6
(from Prema-bhakti-candrikä)
(1)
çré-guru-caraëa-padma, kevala-bhakati-sadma,
bando mui sävadhäna mate
jähära prasäde bhäi, e bhava toriyä jäi,
kåñëa-präpti hoy jähä ha'te
1) The lotus feet of our spiritual master are the only way by which we can
attain pure devotional service. I bow to his lotus feet with great awe and
reverence. By his grace one can cross the ocean of material suffering and
obtain the mercy of Kåñëa.
(2)
guru-mukha-padma-väkya, cittete koriyä aikya,
är nä koriho mane äçä
çré-guru-caraëe rati, ei se uttama-gati,
je prasäde püre sarva äçä
2) My only wish is to have my consciousness purified by the words emanating
from his lotus mouth. Attachment to his lotus feet is the perfection that fulfills
all desires.
(3)
cakhu-dän dilo jei, janme janme prabhu sei,
divya jïän håde prokäçito
prema-bhakti jähä hoite, avidyä vinäça jäte,
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vede gäy jähära carito
3) He opens my darkened eyes and fills my heart with transcendental
knowledge. He is my Lord birth after birth. From him ecstatic prema emanates;
by him ignorance is destroyed. The Vedic scriptures sing of his character.
(4)
çré-guru karuëä-sindhu, adhama janära bandhu,
lokanäth lokera jévana
hä hä prabhu koro doyä, deho more pada-chäyä,
ebe jaça ghuñuk tribhuvana
4) Our spiritual master is the ocean of mercy, the friend of the poor, and the
lord and master of the devotees. O master! Be merciful unto me. Give me the
shade of your lotus feet. Your fame is spread all over the three worlds.
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